Ok. First of all, I do not own "Avalon High", nor the poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne, entitled, "Tristram of Lyonesse" VII The Last Pilgrimage.

"The last time ere the travel were begun
Whose goal is unbeholden of the sun,
The last wherewith love's eyes might yet be lit,
Came, and they could but dream they knew not it."

I turned the sound up again in my headphones as I started to run down the main path that was in the local park. I knew it wasn't wise to run with the beat of the music, but I needed to make sure that I was still in shape from the two-a-day practices, and just regular practices themselves.

I needed to be, in order to show the boys on my new football team that I was just as tough and fierce as them. That I don't take any of their crap. Basically I needed to prove myself again, like I did in my old hometown. My black hair bobbed up and down in the French braid that I had placed it in as I ran to one of my favorite pump up songs. I knew I had plenty of time to run, as my brother's doctor appointment would be at the longest two hours long.

The path went into some wooden area, which didn't bother me at all. I loved the forest, and I actually felt like I could be myself here. Below me to my left I could see that the forest was thinning a little bit, but I really didn't care. I came out of the woods, and what I saw was what nearly stopped me dead in my tracks.

Football.

Cute shirtless boys, playing the only game in the world that mattered to me.

And did I mention that the boys were shirtless?

I slowed down, and took out my headphones as I walked up to them. There was about eleven of them, and with two girls sitting down with what looked to be an extra on the sidelines. Now I know that as a girl, we aren't supposed to be so bold. But then again I wasn't a girl. I was a football player. So…what the hell.

"Hey," I asked the extra on the sideline as I approached him. "You need another player?"

The extra turned and looked at me, and I knew what that look meant. I got that look over a million times before in my hometown when I started to play on the Varsity team, and it said to me, "Are you serious?"

But instead of what his dark green eyes were saying, his mouth told me, "Nope, we got enough."

Lair.

I put my hands on my hips at this point, when he turned his back to me. Now, no one turns their back to me, and no one lies to me. The ones that do, don't every do it again.

"Well, either my math is wrong, or you don't want me to play."

"Go play with your dollies, or talk makeup with the girls, you can't play."

"And why not? This was a free country a few seconds ago. Give me one good reason why I can't play and I will leave."

I started at him through my sunglasses, which in my old town; all my friends told me I looked like an assassin. And I hoped that they made me look just as menacing.

"Hey Gavin, what's going on?" I turned my attention to the person who was playing quarterback on one of the teams. His black curly hair bounced as he, and a tall, blonde came running up to the side line.

"You look like a reasonable person," I started ignoring the guy named Gavin. "I saw that you needed another person, and I asked Mr. Stuck-in-the-mid-nineteen-hundreds if I could join."

By this time all the players on the field were walking towards us.

Great. Now this isn't going to end well.

"Look Will, I just don't want to see this girl get hurt," said Gavin in pure mockery. "And besides, she probably doesn't know how to play!"

"Aww aren't you a knight in shining armor, looking after a poor girl like me," I said dripping in sarcasm. "Look I know how to play and I saw that you needed another player, so I asked."

But before the man, I mean, boy named Gavin could say anything, one of the girls on the sideline stood up. She had long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail.

I had to take a double take on her, because I swore that I have seen her before. And now that I mention it, the one named Will looked pretty familiar too.

"Will, just let her play, you needed another player, and besides, you never know."

I turned my focus back on the ponytail girl, and then I looked at the blonde sitting down. Where in the world did I see these people from?

The guy named Will looked to the blonde hair guy standing next to him, then at Gavin. "If you want to play sooner, and longer, this is your chance."

Gavin just looked at Will, then nodded his head. "But she is not going to be on my team," he huffed as he walked on the field.

Will looked at me and said, "You can be on mine, my name is Will Wagner by the way."

I shook my head, as to shake those thoughts of trying to figure out where I had seen them out of my head.

He held out his hand, and I grabbed it saying, "Yeah, uh, mine is Trista Williams, but a lot of people just call me Tris."

We shook hands, and then Will said, "Well, lets see if your good as you say," and we both headed out onto the field.

"SET! HUT!" yelled the opposing quarterback, and as his center snapped the ball, I stood and waited with full attention on the wide receivers that were quickly running towards me. This was the last play of the game, and my team was down at least three points. I scanned the field, and saw one wide receiver get wide open. I started to run, staring at the quarterback, to see if I was right. And I guess I was.

The ball was thrown in the air, and it was almost a perfect spiral. I ran like the wind to the receiver that the ball was supposed to go to. Note, was supposed to go.

At the last second, I came out of his blind spot, jumped in the air, and stretched out my hands to welcome the football into my arms. The light thud against my chest told me that I had caught it, and as I landed on the field, I ran like my life depended on it. I heard the shouts of joy and anger, from both sides as I sprinted across the field. One person dove for me, but I hurdled over him like he was nothing. I knew I wasn't as fast as the guys, so I had to keep moving, to out maneuver them, and hope my teammates can cover me.

I could hear the shouts of encouragement, and I could hear the deep breathing of at least two guys behind me. I could feel a little air movement behind me, telling me that one of them almost had me.

Ten feet to go.

I heard two grunts behind me, which just made me do the final push to the end zone. I felt something hit me in the back, which I used to help me move just a little further. I tucked my arms in, bringing the football to my chest, twisted to my side, and landed on the ground. I felt at least three other people jump on top of me, along with the person that had originally tackled me. Once everyone was off, I let go of the football, and let it lay where I had fallen. As I got up, my teammates cheered, and I looked to see that I had gotten the touch down!

"Good game, Tris."

I turned around to the person that had spoken to me, but there wasn't a person there. Confused, I turned to Will, who gave me a high five. "Did you just say good game?"

He shook his head at me, and then turned to hug the girl with the brown hair in a ponytail. Frowning, I looked around the field. For some reason I wanted to know who had said that to me. His voice was so familiar its just I couldn't place it.

"Tris!" I turned at the sound of my name, and looked at Will, the brown haired girl, the blonde hair girl, and the guy who played center for our team.

"You want to come to with us to DQ?"

To eat? Already? I haven't even known these people for more then an hour, and already we are acting as though we have known each other for our whole lives.

"I uh kinda can't. I just moved here, and I have NO idea where I am, or where I live."

"Then how did you get here?" asked the blonde haired girl that was holding onto the Center's hand.

I shrugged my shoulders, "My mom drove me."

"You said you just moved here," asked the ponytail girl, "What school are you going too?" she walked up to me with eyes a little squinted.

This unnerved me greatly. And which I guess I have to congratulate her, as I hardly ever get unnerved. "Uh…Avalon High?"

I ended that in a question? Yeah, this never happened before.

"That's great! We all go there!" said the blonde haired girl. "My name is Jennifer Gold, this is my boyfriend, Lance Reynolds." She looked at the Center that she was holding hands with. She then pointed to Will, "Of course you know Will, and this is his girlfriend, Elle Harrison." The ponytail girl didn't wave, just stood there eyeing me.

"So are we going somewhere or what?"

That voice.

I turned around to see the guy that I had argued with earlier. "And this is Gavin!" said Jennifer happily, way to happy for me. "Guess what Gavin! Tris is going to the same school as us!"

"That's great. Now are we going somewhere or what?! I'm starving!" groaned Gavin, completely ignoring me.

"Me too!" said Lance looking at Will to make the decision.

"Alright alright!" laughed Will as they started to walk away. "You want one of us to take you home?"

"No it's ok," I said still wondering why Elle was still eyeing me like that. I didn't like it.

"Ok," said Will, as he led Elle away.

"Seeya Tris!" smiled Jennifer as everyone walked away.

"Uh yeah…see ya…" I said quietly as I watched them to the parking lot. They didn't turn around.

School tomorrow was going to be interesting.