stockings and a fluorescent green visor tilted at an awkward angle. She was shorter than Tiao'er, with a tendency to shake her head when she spoke, emphasizing every syllable.

"Xiao Yu, we're discussing this seriously. You need to understand." Tiao'er put her hands on my shoulders, leaning in close. "If we can't get into midfield, the other eleven of us will never make it. We have to stand together. We're a team."

Team? I looked around at the twelve of us milling about the entrance to the training ground. Some were half-heartedly practicing their kicks against water barrels, others were chatting idly, but most seemed just as clueless as I felt. This was supposed to be my last chance. My only chance.

"You guys have this all wrong," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "The problem isn't that we can't make it. The problem is that we're trying to get onto the team through the under-17s tournament? That's ridiculous."

Tiao'er's head shake was vigorous enough to make her visor spin slightly. "The coach said—"