Ben floated through the halls of Monster Academy on Thursday afternoon.
Near the auditorium cheerleaders were selling orange T-shirts and black T-shirts.
"Get your Team Orange shirts!" one shouted.
"Team Black shirts here!" another called.
Ben grinned. Tomorrow was Field Day, and everyone seemed super excited.
He'd heard from Winnie and Mog that the day was tons of fun.
Two teams competed against each other in games like tug-of-war and sack races while the rest of the school cheered them on.
Only 12 monsters competed, and Ben was hoping he'd get to be one of them.
"I really want to be on Team Orange," a worm monster said.
"Sorry, Francis, but you don't stand a chance," a werewolf replied. "You have to be fast."
"Oh." Francis hung his head. "Is there a digging event?"
A loudspeaker crackled loudly.
"All students to the auditorium for the pep rally!" Mr. Freaky, the school principal, announced.
Pixel floated up to Ben. "Hey, Ben. Can I sit with you for the pep rally?"
"Sure," Ben replied. "Have you seen Winnie?"
Pixel shook his head. "Nope."
"Huh." Ben had been hoping to sit with Winnie at the pep rally, but he didn't see her anywhere.
The students settled into their seats.
Some were already wearing orange or black T-shirts, even though the Field Day teams hadn't been chosen yet.
For a few minutes, Miss Bungle and the cheerleaders led some cheers.
Then Mr. Freaky hurried onto the stage, his noses wiggling.
"Good afternoon, students.
I know you're excited to hear about the teams for Field Day.
So Mr. Gwarg will choose the captains and explain a few rules."
The gym teacher stepped up to the microphone.
"Okay, monsters," Mr. Gwarg began.
"There will be two teams this year, orange and black."
"We had orange and black last year!" a fish monster yelled.
An orange monster with black spots stood up.
"What's wrong with orange and black?"
Everyone laughed. The fish monster grinned sheepishly.
Mr. Gwarg ignored the laughter.
"I've chosen two captains based on their performance in gym class.
The captain of Team Orange is . . . Zork."
"Yes!" A lizard monster leaped to his feet and pumped a fist.
Other monsters started hooting and cheering.
"Good choice!" Pixel said to Ben.
"Zork is a fantastic athlete. He'll be a great captain."
"I guess," Ben muttered.
"I mean, if you don't mind your captain showing off all the time."
Lots of monsters liked Zork, but Ben wasn't one of them.
He'd been a little jealous of Zork ever since the Monster Mash dance, when Zork had danced with Winnie all night long.
Mr. Gwarg cleared his throat.
"The captain of Team Black is . . . Mog."
"Woo-hoo!" Mog got up and did a little celebration dance.
Ben cheered for his friend.
"This is so great!" he thought.
Mog would definitely pick Ben for his team.
Mog would definitely ask Winnie too.
"As you know, each team captain may now pick five students for his team," Mr. Gwarg said.
"Remember, there's no magic during Field Day activities.
And don't forget to bring your best school spirit!"
A few minutes later, the pep rally ended, and everyone began filing out of the auditorium.
Mog rushed over to Ben and Pixel.
"Hey, you guys. Want to be on Team Black?"
"You bet!" Pixel said.
"Sounds awesome!" Ben said, giving Mog a high five.
"Who else is on the team?"
"Deb and Waldo," he replied.
"Waldo?" Ben blurted out. Then he felt bad.
Waldo was a good friend, but he wasn't very athletic.
Mog shrugged. "I know he's not very fast, but he's good at catching.
We might need that in the slime ball toss.
I have to find one more monster for the team though."
"What about Winnie?" Ben said quickly.
"I already asked her, but she said no," Mog said.
"Really?" Ben was shocked.
Mog shrugged.
"I don't get it either. She was acting kind of weird."
"Where is she?" Ben asked, looking around.
"Maybe I can convince her to change her mind."
"She's out there." Mog waved toward the hallway.
"Give it a try, Ben. It would be great to have her on our team.
I'm going to hold the first Team Black practice in the gym in a little while."
"Okay. I'll let you know what she says."
Ben zipped outside, scanning the crowded hallway for Winnie.
He knew he could get her to join the team.
Finally he spotted her at the opposite end of the hallway.
But as Ben got closer, his heart sank.
Winnie was talking and laughing . . . with the captain of Team Orange—Zork!