I stared at Francine in disbelief, the words "participate" ringing in my ears like a warning bell.
"You want me to what?"
I managed, aware that everyone in the room was now watching our exchange with varying degrees of interest.
Francine clasped her hands behind her back, her posture perfect as always.
"I'm assembling a team for the Capture the Flag competition against the second years, and I want you to be part of it."
The other students exchanged glances, clearly as surprised by this development as I was. Kaelen's expression shifted from casual disinterest to mild curiosity as he studied me more intently.
"But why?" I asked, genuinely perplexed. "You haven't even seen me fight. You have no idea what my abilities are."