Andrew Minyard was already annoyed as he laid on one of the bright orange couches in the Foxes lounge. The only thing keeping his mind at peace were all the different methods of strangling Kevin Day rushing through his mind; that and all the medications. Andrew watched Kevin without interest, almost as if he was just gazing off into space. But Kevin was still flipping through the stack of manila folders that Coach Wymack had set out for him; according to what information Andrew could pick up, they were the potential new recruits. After all, it was no secret what happened to Janie.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to the medicated twin, Kevin threw one folder down onto the coach's desk. This captured Andrew's attention. The goalie rose to his feet, a grin etched onto his lips as he leaned over and read the name printed on the folder; Andrew's smile vanished entirely. Written on the folder in black Sharpie was a name that Andrew Minyard hadn't expected to see for a long time.

There are some explanations due. In this universe, every single person is born with their soulmate's first and last name embedded on their left palm. Andrew always assumed his was defective for a single reason: the name on his hand was constantly changing. In fact, he'd lost count of how many times the name had changed. Currently, in bold letters on Andrew's palm was the same name that was jotted down on the manila folder.

Neil Josten.

"What?" Kevin questioned, seeming to notice Andrew's momentary shock. The blonde collected himself rather quickly, shaking his head before looking back to the striker.

"I'll let Coach know that he lost the bet. It still took you over an hour to choose between two strikers. Where are we going and when?" Andrew demanded as Kevin scoffed, flipping the folder open and skimming the words for the information that Andrew was seeking.

"Millport, Arizona. And I'm hoping Coach can have us on a flight by tomorrow," Kevin explained as Andrew thought through these responses, then nodded.

"Is he really Fox material?" Andrew demanded as Kevin nodded his head.

"If he wasn't, he wouldn't be of any use to me," Kevin sneered in response.

Andrew hoped Kevin was wrong; seconds later, Andrew realized that was one of the most selfless thoughts he'd ever had. Supposedly, this boy was Andrew Minyard's soulmate. The least he'd hoped for was that this boy would be mentally stable. Apparently that wasn't the case. He was going to be a Fox. He was going to be broken; shattered, even.

"I'll call Coach now. And we can head back to Fox Tower," Kevin explained as Andrew nodded, fishing his keys out of his pocket and heading towards the exit.

By the time Andrew had planted himself in the driver's seat, Kevin was already on the phone with David Wymack. According to whatever Andrew could pick up on, they'd be leaving tomorrow morning and hoped to be there by the end of Neil's practice. Andrew put the sleek black sports car in reverse, backing them out of the parking lot at the Foxhole Court and heading in the direction of Fox Tower.

When the phone call ended, Kevin rested his skull against the headrest and stared out the sun roof. His eyes were transfixed on the full moon, which hung just on the opposite side of the glass and thousands of miles away.

The whole drive home, Andrew kept looking at the black wraps that he had around his hands, which were used to hide his palms; they were specifically used to hide the name. The frequently changing name drove Andrew crazy. Who was his soulmate? Or did he just have a bunch that kept dying? Or were their personalities changing and he was getting a new match? But it didn't work that way. Andrew grasped the steering wheel tighter, his palm remembering the itching as he thought about it more. It always itched when it changed; it was to the point it was maddening. Andrew thought back to the names he could recall appearing on his palm: Christopher Yates, Stefan Harolds, Nathaniel Wesninski, Alexander Bolts, and Neil Josten. There were many more, but they weren't coming to Andrew's mind.

The manic smile reappeared on the blonde boy's lips; it wasn't something he wanted there, more like something that was expected to be there. If the forced grin went away, people got anxious. But all Andrew Minyard could think about was the fact that he was going to meet the boy whose name was embedded in his skin.

"Where do you think he ranks in the Foxes Trauma Hierarchy? You think he can surpass you?" Andrew taunted as Kevin sent him a sharp glare.

"For his sake, I hope not," Kevin grumbled as Andrew nodded.

"Yeah. Heaven forbid we get another grumpy coward for the striker line. Three would be too many."

• • •

Neil Josten vividly remembered the day that the name on his hand changed for the first time. The itching pain was so excruciating that he felt sorry for whoever was on the other end of his name-changing madness. He wasn't old enough to understand what was happening or why; at the time, he was just eleven. After the initial confusion and pain, he finally understood what had happened.

Andrew Doe was gone. AJ Spear was now in his place.

Something bad had happened. It was almost as if Neil was able to tell by the acidic feeling settling in his stomach. Andrew, whoever that was, seemed to be in trouble. The sinking feeling didn't leave Neil, either. This person was his soulmate. And they were in trouble.

"If I catch you looking at your hand again, I'll cut it off. Now, c'mon," Neil's mother, Mary Hatford, commanded as the boy nodded, rubbing his thumb over the bandages that his mother had covered his marking with.

They walked quickly, Neil clenching his hand into a fist. Something bad was going on; Neil could feel it. He didn't exactly know what, but everything inside of him was alight with a mixture of adrenaline and anxiety.

Then there was Neil now, standing in the locker room at Millport High School, staring Coach David Wymack in the eyes. Coach Wymack had such a confident expression that Neil swore he was going to be sick. They had a brief discussion before Neil bolted, sprinting through the locker room and feeling himself receive an Exy racquet to the ribs. When Neil looked up, he met the icy gaze of the Foxes goalie and the new name printed on his left palm: Andrew Minyard.

AJ Spear turned into Andrew Minyard rather soon after his first name change. Also, according to the records, it was the exact same time Andrew received his letter from his long lost twin brother: Aaron Minyard. And, due to Neil's obsession with everything about Kevin Day, Riko Moriyama, and Exy, he'd heard about Andrew Minyard turning down the Ravens and selecting to go with the Foxes. Neil didn't quite understand how a complete psychopath like Andrew Minyard could be his soulmate. Then again, Neil hadn't really gotten to know many people who didn't have problems.

"Looks like you're my new problem," Andrew's voice was bored, yet his signature grin was spread across his lips; Neil didn't like Andrew Minyard's wild smile.

"Minyard!" Coach Wymack shouted as Kevin Day arched an eyebrow from where he was sitting on the entertainment center that belonged to the Millport Dingoes.

"Wait, what?" Kevin muttered, his eyes glued to Andrew Minyard, who was still glaring down at their new recruit.

"Who said that I wanted to be your problem?" Neil questioned, narrowing his brown eyes down on the angry blonde. However, Neil still felt sick to his stomach at everything that had just happened to him. Did Coach Wymack really want him to be a Fox? And Kevin Day really didn't recognize him?

"Your goddamn hand did, Josten. Now, stop being difficult and come on," Andrew retorted as Neil's eyes widened. Almost instinctively, Neil clenched his left hand in a protective manner.

"Andrew, what the hell are you talking about? And stop scaring my new recruit," Wymack snapped at the psychotic twin who only rolled his eyes in response. However, now Neil and Andrew were staring at one another, almost daring the other boy to speak up first.

"I won't go with you," Neil spoke up as Kevin scoffed from the entertainment center. The potential recruit sent Kevin a weary glance; but it wasn't like he was afraid of Kevin, it was almost as if he was worried that Kevin knew something.

"I wasn't giving you a choice. Everyone else was. I wasn't. Because you cannot run away from me," Andrew replied, his grin growing as he kept his firm grip on the yellow Exy racquet.

"Andrew! What are you—"

Wymack stopped speaking as Andrew jutted his hand out, palm up. The wraps were coming undone, but Kevin understood what the blonde boy wanted him to do. Slowly, and very carefully, Kevin unwrapped the black strands from around Andrew's hand and allowed them to fall to the ground. A small gasp escaped Kevin's lips, his eyes skimming the two words embedded in Andrew's skin. Neil took a glance at the name, wanting to confirm that it was his own.

"Oh..." Kevin muttered as Andrew narrowed his eyes down on Neil Josten.

"You have some explaining to do, Josten. If that even is your name," Andrew responded as Neil inhaled a sharp breath, narrowing his eyes down even farther before taking yet another unnerved glance over at Kevin.

"As do you," Neil replied as Coach Wymack inhaled a shaky breath.

"Dear God, I didn't think Andrew even had a soul, let alone a soulmate," Wymack spoke as Andrew shot the coach a glare, then shifted his attention back over to Neil.

"Fine. There are explanations in order, so we'll get to that on the way back to South Carolina," Andrew stated as if it was the complete truth, meanwhile Wymack only exhaled a sigh.

"He's not coming with us. Not today. He still has to graduate high school, Minyard," Coach Wymack explained as Andrew felt anger well up inside of him.

"Then will he really come to Palmetto State? Will he really become a Fox? Or will he run away like the terrified rabbit he is?" Andrew inquired, leaning closer to Neil with narrowed eyes; Kevin and the two coaches were silent as they watched the pair of soulmates interact with one another.

"And what would you do if I ran?" Neil questioned softly.

"As if you could really run from me. If you ran, I would still find you. No matter where you go or who you become, I will still find you. And that is a promise, Josten..." Andrew breathed, this statement only made more unsettling due to his huge grin. The other four individuals in the room had their eyes opened wide with horror.

"Andrew, stop being ominous. Neil, I'm expecting you to arrive in South Carolina the day after your graduation, got it? Kevin, take Andrew back out to the car," Coach Wymack began spatting orders as Neil inhaled a horrified breath, uncertain as to whether or not it would be a good idea to attend Palmetto State or not.

Without much else to do, Kevin nodded for Andrew to follow him out of the room. Coach Wymack left after handing Neil some paperwork that he'd have to turn into Coach Hernandez. Then the pair of Foxes and their coach left, leaving Neil Josten to mentally process everything that had just happened to him.

He was going to be sharing the court with Kevin Day. He was going to be confronting his past head on. He was also going to be sharing the court with Andrew Minyard, whom was his soulmate. Neil Josten was going to be running directly into everything his mother had always taught him to avoid; and, as much as Neil hated to admit it, it was a thrilling feeling.

• • •

"Thank you. You were amazing," Neil breathed, turning his back to Andrew and his questioning stare before following Coach Wymack out of the locker room. The fake guards, Romero and Jackson, followed the Foxes, leading them out towards their bus.

Then there was the riot; a mixture of elbows and punches being thrown, resulting in bodily harm befalling almost all of the Foxes. Then Neil was stripped of his racquet and duffel bag, both of these items landing on the pavement and remaining abandoned there as he was hauled off by Jackson and Romero.

None of the other Foxes had any knowledge of Neil's predicament.

Instead, Andrew grabbed someone's upper arm, preventing them from sending a punch into his twin's chest. Annoyed with Andrew's interference, they swung towards him. The blonde ducked, avoiding the hit. The last thing he'd been expecting was to place himself right into the path of an elbow that was withdrawing. The blow had landed just beneath his eye, but he didn't care; if anything, he was more angry.

Kevin grabbed tightly onto the back of Andrew's shirt, pulling him out of the violent mass of people and towards the bus. He'd been flung forward, glancing back towards the crowd. His eyes darted quickly, desperately searching for a particular redhead.

With a sickening feeling, he understood that Neil wasn't there.

Kevin and Renee were working their hardest to pull Foxes out of the fight. But Andrew only had one Fox on his mind, and every passing second made him feel like screaming. Panic was something he'd become familiar with, but this was a different feeling.

Almost as if his feet were acting independently, he found himself sprinting into the bus in search of Neil. Clambering up the steps, he found the bus sitting completely empty.

A hollowness choked him.

He was instantly off the bus, rushing through the parking lot in search of the lost boy. The only thoughts running through his head were Neil's last words and the fact that he was missing. The sickness in his stomach grew sour, roiling and giving him the feeling he was going to vomit.

He knew. Neil had known. That's why his words sounded like a goodbye.

Andrew's heart was beating so fast that he worried it was trying to escape his chest. Every organ in his body was being overworked by anxiety, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anyone or anything except finding Neil. And he'd tear the universe apart to find him.

His eyes caught something in the distance, meanwhile his brain was still whirling. Two objects laid abandoned on the cracked asphalt. Only seeing the vague shapes, Andrew had a horrible feeling that he knew what they were.

When he made it to them, he hated that he was right. He hated what he was seeing. He hated what it meant. He hated what Neil Josten had knowingly put himself into. He hated that he didn't pry.

A Fox duffel bag and racquet.

He could see Neil's cell phone in one of the mesh side pockets of the bag, allowing horror to slowly fill Andrew's vessel with what felt like hot honey. Hands clenching at his sides, he spent what felt like eternity staring down at the equipment that belonged to Neil.

Snatching the items up, Andrew kept them on his body. He wasn't going to let them go. If anyone tried to stop him, he thought of some rather creative ways to mutilate them with nothing more than the racquet.

That was when the pain began.

What was worse was that the pain was far too familiar. The itch and burn in the center of his palm. The unshakable pain embedded deep within Andrew's hand. He dropped the racquet as if it were on fire, curling his fingers over his palm in a protective manner.

When the pain subsided, Andrew slowly uncurled his fingers and stared at the name in horror. Every instinct in his body lit on fire; his brain and heart both telling him to go. Go to Neil. Help Neil.

Because Nathaniel Wesninski was written across Andrew's palm.

• • •

"Can I really be Neil again?"

The words were broken. Andrew could hear the plea within them; the yearning to stay. He wanted to stay with the Foxes. He wanted to stay with Andrew.

The pair were seated in the backseat of an FBI vehicle, on the way for Neil to be deeply interrogated about his father. He'd invited Andrew, explaining that he deserved to hear the whole truth. Andrew was incapable of turning that down; not because he wanted the truth, but because he didn't want to leave Neil's side.

"I told Neil to stay," Andrew replied, knowing that those words were all he needed.

The sharp stinging in his palm told him that he was correct. Though, this time it wasn't burning pain; if anything, he'd compared it to bee stings. Slight itch, but bearable.

"Neil Abram Josten..."

The pain subsided. And that name was left etched across Andrew's pale palm.

And it felt like waking up from a bad dream.