It took Andrew's brain a few beats to fully grasp the symbolism of what he was looking at. His head was throbbing from receiving a nasty elbow to the face, resulting in his eye being a bit bleary and a deep purple bruise forming along his cheekbone; but the riot had seemed like so long ago now as Andrew stared at the abandoned items on the asphalt. Hesitantly, he stepped towards them, fingers wrapping around the orange strap of a Fox's duffel bag while the other hand picked up an orange Exy racquet. These didn't just belong to any Fox, though. The name 'NEIL JOSTEN' was printed in bold white letters on the side of the bag. Andrew felt his stomach drop.

Neil Josten had spent his whole life running; sprinting as quickly as he could away from anything and everything that he believed was a problem. Andrew had gotten him to stay; convinced him, really. But during all of Neil's time on the run, he had one constant: his duffel bag. It held everything he'd ever owned inside of it, zipped away and kept a secret from the world. The contents contained anything from his simple faded jeans and worn-out t-shirts to his obsessive compendium of Kevin and Riko's lives, lists of contacts who were associated with both his mother and father's sides of the mafia, and roughly a quarter of a million dollars. The fact that Neil had left behind his bag only meant one thing; he wasn't running anymore. No, Andrew knew that Neil Josten would never intentionally leave the symbol of everything he held dear to him abandoned in the parking lot. Neil Josten had been taken. Someone had done this to him against his will. White-hot rage began to surge in the pit of Andrew's stomach, his hands beginning to tremble as he clenched them into fists at his sides.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Andrew was quick to make his way back towards the bus; the bus was a blinding white with obnoxious orange accents and the Fox paw painted on the sides, along with florescent orange loopy cursive that read 'Palmetto State Foxes'. Luckily, the large brawl had been broken up by security and the mess of Foxes were heading back towards their bus, some in worse condition than others. But Andrew's brain wasn't mildly concerned about them. Who knew what the hell Neil had gotten himself into this time. And that was when Andrew's glare landed on Kevin Day, who was rolling one of his shoulders with a pained expression on his face. Suddenly Andrew knew what had to be done.

Andrew made his way onto the bus behind Kevin, keeping Neil's bag on him, but placing the racquet with the remainder of the teams'; after all, the last thing that Andrew needed while having this conversation was a weapon ready in his grip. However, he wasn't going to let go of the bag. Not until the boy who owned it was back in his reach and safe. Kevin began heading towards the back of the bus, about to get into the seat that was third from the end, but Andrew placed a hand against the striker's spine and pushed him to keep walking. Finally the pair reached the emergency exit, which was located at the very back of the vehicle. Andrew pinned one of Kevin's shoulders to the back wall, determination blazing in his eyes, which was the only thing different from his typical unnerving calm expression. Kevin picked up on this minor difference almost immediately, tensing up beneath Andrew's firm hand.

"Where the fuck is he?" Andrew asked, voice sounding bored, but Kevin couldn't ignore the way Andrew's hand was trembling against his shoulder. Suddenly, Kevin Day was terrified, understanding that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Who?" Kevin questioned, but that wasn't what Andrew had wanted to hear. And, rather than replying, Andrew dug his fingers into Kevin's shoulder, resulting in the striker flinching in surprise. If it had been any other Fox (maybe besides Neil) doing this to Kevin, Andrew would have raised hell.

Andrew didn't reply to Kevin's question, instead he waited for Kevin to begin to piece things together within his own mind. Finally, after several silent moments with estranged eye contact between the two Foxes, Kevin's gaze eventually settled on the duffel bag that was still slung over Andrew's shoulder. Typically the Foxes placed their bags beneath the bus for the trips to and from Palmetto State, so this detail struck Kevin as odd. After seeing the number '10' printed onto one of the shorter sides, Kevin immediately understood. And his entire body froze, horror and alarm etched into his facial expression. Andrew accepted Kevin's terror as understanding towards the situation.

"Great. One more time, where the flying fuck is he?" Andrew snapped, his tone sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard to Kevin. And that was the way that Andrew had intended for it to be.

Kevin wasn't replying. And Andrew noticed that it appeared he wasn't going to. But that wasn't going to be the case. Neil Josten was somewhere in an extremely dangerous situation, and that was enough for any of the Foxes to lose their minds; especially Andrew Minyard, who definitely didn't have his brain in a stable state, along with that included Andrew's violent tendencies and his obsessive urge to protect those that he grew attached to. The first individual on that list was now Neil Josten. The Foxes weren't going anywhere until either Neil showed up or they found out his location.

"If I have to ask you again, Day, I'll make sure that you fucking regret your knowledgeable silence," Andrew seethed, his words like venom as he sharply annunciated each word to Kevin. Kevin winced simply from the threat, let alone the murderous tone that Andrew's voice had shifted into. But Kevin still appeared too afraid to speak.

"Are you really more afraid of them than you are of me, right now?" Andrew demanded, dark eyes narrowing down into thin slits. The shorter boy was done waiting. While they sat here playing Kevin's game, Neil was probably being tortured and tormented somewhere. That thought alone made Andrew far beyond pissed off.

"Andrew, I can't... Neil didn't want—"

"He's fucking missing Kevin. And I know he sure as hell didn't run. So you're going to start giving me answers or I'm going to murder you before Riko gets the goddamn chance..." Andrew muttered, eyes aflame with complete and utter fury. Kevin Day has spent his entire life receiving death threats and being abused, but in that moment Andrew Minyard was the scariest thing Kevin had ever seen.

Kevin very hesitantly shook his head, and that was what finally pushed Andrew over the edge. He was finished with the needless banter. He wanted answers, and he was determined to get them, no matter what he had to do. Quickly, Andrew wrapped his free hand around Kevin's throat, ensuring that he wasn't getting away to evade this conversation. Currently, the shorter boy had a loose grip, just wanting to convey that he wasn't messing around.

"For your own benefit, you better tell me what you know about him," Andrew demanded as Kevin's eyes flickered over Andrew's head, catching the attention of all the other Foxes.

The entire bus went completely silent, everyone being uncertain as to how to handle this situation. Because this had never happened before. Andrew Minyard had never intentionally harmed Kevin Day off of the Exy court. And he would never allow anyone else to even look at the striker in a threatening manner. But this made everyone uncomfortable. Wymack stood at the front of the bus, eyes trained on the argument taking place in the back. Meanwhile the upperclassmen looked concerned, not knowing what was going on or why. Then there were the other two cousins, Aaron and Nicky, who seemed completely shocked, but they didn't dare do anything to interfere. Abby was in the seat next to where Wymack was standing, getting out her first aid kit while keeping her eyes trained on the two boys.

"Andrew, you don't get it—"

"Fucking hell, Day. I don't care. I don't give a shit about your formal agreement not to tell anyone what he's been through. Do you realize that his life is on the line? This isn't about your dignity anymore, so fucking drop it. This is... His... Life," Andrew's low voice growled, poison dripping from each and every syllable.

Andrew didn't dare to speak Neil's name out loud. It was almost as if he was physically incapable of doing so. In that moment, it wasn't something he cared about. However, if someone were to look deeper, it was evident that Andrew was only moments away from losing his mind, and speaking into existence that Neil was missing would be the final straw. While Andrew may not have noticed, many of the other Foxes did, Kevin Day included.

"Listen to me. You want to know why he never said anything? He's ashamed and scared. He's also aware that whatever he's dealing with is extremely dangerous. He doesn't want us mixed up in that," Kevin explained as Andrew's eyes managed to narrow down even more, this time to a nearly lethal level. Andrew took a step closer to Kevin, getting up in the striker's personal space, intentionally making him uncomfortable.

"He's a Fox. So are you. I don't give a shit what he said. We have to find him," Andrew's low voice murmured, quieting down as more aggression entered his body. He was going to kill Kevin before this conversation ended, especially if it keeps going like this.

"I won't tell you where he is..." Kevin muttered, finding himself unable to look Andrew in the eyes. But it didn't matter, he could just feel the death-glare that Andrew was fixing him with.

"But you will. I don't care if you want to or not. I'll get it out of you..." Andrew ominously explained, keeping his voice low so the other Foxes wouldn't hear. Not that they would be able to do anything about it, anyways.

Andrew's movements were quick and precise, pushing Kevin back against the door, where the striker's skull collided with the glass. Kevin winced hard, but he hardly had time to think about that pain before another one was coming. Andrew swept Kevin's legs out from under him, resulting in him collapsing onto the floor. With Andrew towering over him, he felt both of the goalie's hands hug around his neck, squeezing with the intention of preventing Kevin's breathing. Kevin grabbed at Andrew's hands, attempting to pry them off, but Andrew only tightened his hold. Slowly, with a bored expression on his face, Andrew pressed both of his thumbs into the space at the base of the throat between the collarbones, completely blocking Kevin's airway.

"Where the fuck is he? An answer before you pass out would be preferable," Andrew's voice was back to being violent, vicious even. But his face showed no sign of that.

"Andrew. Get off of him," Dan started, realizing that this wasn't going to be peaceful any longer. She began walking towards the back, Matt just behind her. Renee and Allison stayed put, continuing to watch from afar.

Kevin continued to unsuccessfully yank Andrew's hands off of him, but that resistance only caused the shorter male to tighten his grasp. Kevin's face was turning a deep shade of crimson from lack of oxygen, but Andrew wasn't concerned about that in the slightest. Andrew currently had one concern, and that was the whereabouts and well-being of Neil Josten. Everything else could wait.

Dan and Matt's hands landed on the goalie's shoulders, attempting to pull him away from the striker. But Andrew refused to let them. Instead, he continued to watch Kevin with every bit of focus he had left in him. He needed answers. And he needed them now. Kevin opened his mouth and attempted to say something, but he couldn't squeeze it out due to Andrew's tight hold; therefore, Andrew loosened up a bit, but only enough so Kevin could speak.

At some point, Allison had appeared to help Dan and Matt. Renee wouldn't help. Kevin wasn't her responsibility. She wasn't supposed to watch out for him. Therefore, she wouldn't get involved in the fight that wasn't hers. Nicky and Aaron weren't going to help, either. They were both far too afraid of Andrew to even think about interfering. Because, not only was Andrew no longer medicated, but he was also missing one of his possessions: Neil. And Andrew wasn't someone to think reasonably when his things were taken from him.

"Baltimore..." Kevin hardly squeaked, which Andrew understood meant that he was willing to talk now. So Andrew allowed himself to be torn away from Kevin, finding himself standing among Dan, Matt, and Allison. The three of them seemed far beyond anxious, watching Andrew intensively. But Andrew turned his gaze to Kevin almost immediately.

"You're going to tell me everything. Coach! We're going to Baltimore!" Andrew yelled up towards the front of the bus, which caused confusion to appear on Wymack's expression.

"Andrew, what the hell is going on?" Wymack finally demanded, seeing that Kevin was going to be okay and Andrew had clearly gotten whatever he wanted from him.

"You're missing a striker. He was taken to Baltimore. And we have to go get him," Andrew stated each of these things as facts, well aware that the coach wasn't going to argue. But Wymack did turn to take a headcount, finally realizing that Neil was missing.

"Shit..." Wymack muttered to himself, feeling extremely awful about not noticing that one of his players, let alone the fact that it was Neil 'can't-keep-his-damn-mouth-shut' Josten, was missing. Because, sure, Andrew Minyard was a pain in the ass, but Wymack didn't even want to imagine how Andrew would behave with Neil missing.

"Everything, Day. You're going to tell me what you know and then you can tell the others," Andrew explained, pushing Kevin into one of the seats before sitting down next to him. Dan, Matt, and Allison hesitantly meandered back towards the front of the vehicle, making sure to keep an eye on the two of them.

At this point, deep purple bruises were already beginning to form around Kevin's throat. The darkest and most severe part was where Andrew's thumbs had been pressing against his windpipe. But the goalie didn't care. He was too busy seeking answers to be concerned with the striker's physically wellbeing.

"Well, for starters, his real name isn't Neil," Kevin began as Andrew dramatically rolled his eyes.

"I'm not fucking stupid. Neil could lie straight through his teeth in his sleep. And I already know his name. It's Nathaniel," Andrew muttered, remembering the conversation he had with Neil while they were at the airport only a few weeks ago. It was strange to even think that had been only a few weeks ago; it felt like it had happened in another lifetime entirely.

The bus started up, the whole group of Foxes beginning to understand that something bad happened to Neil. I mean, it had to be bad if Andrew Minyard was hurting Kevin Day; literally choking answers out of the striker. Dan and Matt kept glancing back with concerned expressions, wanting to ensure that Andrew wouldn't attempt to choke the life out of Kevin again. Andrew pretended not to notice the glances he was receiving.

"Yeah. Nathaniel Wesninski. I'm sure that name doesn't mean anything to you, but... But it's a big deal. A big problem, really..." Kevin muttered, stopping himself short in order to stare off into space while thinking about all of the other things he would have to explain to Andrew.

Andrew watched as Kevin anxiously messed with his fingers, uncertain how to phrase the remainder of his explanation. Neil Josten was a lot of things, the most prominent of which was a pathological liar. Andrew had known that there was much more to Neil than what meets the eyes, but he had hoped for Neil to explain everything to him over time. But there wasn't time for that now.

"The Wesninski family is in an alliance with the Moriyama family business..." Kevin muttered as Andrew arched a curious eyebrow, silently demanding a deeper explanation.

"Nathan Wesninski goes by another alias. The Butcher. This man doesn't just kill people he... He tortures and mutilates them. Cuts them to pieces and offers no mercy. Neil was meant to be raised with Riko and I when we were younger, having played Exy with us at Edgar Allen. He was meant to be a gift to the Moriyamas. After practice one day we... We watched his father tear a man apart. And that was the last I'd seen of Nathaniel..." Kevin muttered, his voice extremely quiet as he thought about his meeting with the Wesninski family.

"So his father is still alive?" Andrew questioned as Kevin exhaled a shaky sigh, eyes drifting out the window as the bus pulled out of the parking lot, hopefully heading towards Baltimore. Then again, Andrew wasn't too sure. He hoped that Wymack wasn't dumb enough not to listen to him.

"As far as I know, yes. I think... I think his father might be the one who took him," Kevin murmured, knowing that Baltimore was the location that Neil's father took up residence, using it as his home base. And the Moriyamas allowed it, so long as The Butcher aided them in whatever they needed.

"When did you figure out that Neil Josten and Nathaniel Wesninski were the same person?" Andrew asked, genuinely curious about the answer to this question. Because Andrew assumed it was before Neil returned from his stay at Evermore over Christmas break.

"Riko figured it out after the whole incident on Kathy's show. He followed the blood trail that Neil and his mother had left behind after fleeing from The Butcher. Jean referred to Neil as some of his alternate identities and they explained he was Nathan's son. I didn't want to believe them, but... But right after they'd said it, I knew it was the truth. Especially after Neil refused to look at me," Kevin added gently, but Andrew was satisfied with those answers.

Andrew rose to his feet and allowed Kevin to get up, motioning for him to go to the front of the bus. Kevin did so, sitting up near the front and beginning to explain everything to the remainder of the Foxes. They all needed to understand that this was a much bigger crisis than they had previously believed. Abby and Wymack listened in on the discussion as well, clearly wanting a better understanding of the situation. Meanwhile, Andrew remained in the back, staring out the window, and debated if it would be more satisfying to strangle Nathan Wesninski or Neil Josten.

In the end, Andrew determined that he'd like to take a swing at both the father and the son. They both deserved it.

• • •

Andrew Minyard was far beyond pissed off when the bus arrived at the nearest hospital, unloading Renee, Matt, and Abby. The pair of Foxes had ended up in the worst condition after the riot, and they needed more medical attention than what Abby could provide them. No one spoke to Andrew as they waited on the bus, knowing that it wouldn't end well for them. After an hour, Abby returned with Renee, who was now wearing a brace on her wrist and bandages on the opposite hand. She took her seat with Allison, the remainder of the Foxes still questioning Kevin about Neil's past and his true identity.

The information that Kevin was sharing was rather limited. After all, Kevin wasn't entirely knowledgeable of the entire situation between Neil and how he linked back to the Moriyama family business. Andrew shifted around the pieces that Neil and Kevin had given to him, attempting desperately to see the whole picture. But there were still some holes here and there.