Kevin was not at all interested in meeting Nicky's parents, but he was smart enough to know he didn't have a say in the matter. Kevin couldn't handle being alone, in part because he'd grown up attached to Riko's side and swarmed by the Ravens, and in part because he was scared to death of getting caught without protection. Luckily for all of them Kevin stopped sniping about the road trip when he realized he could get something out of it.

When Neil started playing Exy in Arizona, Coach Hernandez loaned Neil one of the school's extra racquets. It was a basic model, average net depth and with a light frame. Wymack provided Neil with two upgrades of the same model when he signed with the Foxhole Court. Light racquets were popular with strikers and most beginning players because they allowed for easier accuracy. If a striker only had a split-second to take the shot, he wanted a quick racquet he didn't have to think about.

Kevin thought light racquets were a complete waste of Neil's time. As soon as Neil passed all thirteen of Kevin's Raven drills, Kevin started talking about moving Neil to a heavy racquet. Heavies were more popular with defense, since they were all about force and speed. Few offense players bothered with them, either not wanting the extra weight when trying to outstep defense or unable to perfect their aim with such an unwieldy stick. When mastered, though, heavy racquets could be devastating.

Kevin used a heavy with the Ravens, but he'd switched to a light racquet after his injury. Riko still used one. Neil was leery of switching racquets this late in the season, since it was bound to have a serious adjustment period, but Kevin turned a deaf ear to his arguments. Months of relentless night practices and Kevin's harsh tutelage gave Neil a scary accuracy it would have taken him years to learn on his own. Now that he could aim in a hair-trigger glance, he needed a racquet that would put force behind his shots. It was time to add power to his speed, or so Kevin said.

The best place to find racquets in South Carolina was in Columbia at Exites. Larger sports stores around the state had sections for Exy gear, but Exites was the only store one hundred percent devoted to the sport. They handled everything from gear to custom uniforms to collectibles. Neil had been on their website from time to time, but seeing it in person sent a thrill down his spine. It was a four-storey shop on the far side of the capital from Eden's Twilight, and the parking lot was comfortably crowded. Neil wasn't sure what he liked more: the thought of everything waiting for him inside those walls, or the many cars that proved Exy's popularity.