Neil crouched and pressed his hands to the orange paint. "I don't want to run. I don't want to be a Raven. I don't want to be Nathaniel. I want to be Neil Josten. I want to be a Fox. I want to play with you this year and I want us to make it to championships. And in spring when the Moriyamas come for me I'll do what they're so afraid I will. I'll go to the FBI and tell them everything. Let them kill me. It'll be too late by then."

Kevin was silent for an endless minute, then said, "You should be Court."

It was barely a whisper, but it cut Neil to the bone. It was a resentful goodbye to the bright future Kevin had wanted for Neil. Kevin recruited Neil because he believed in Neil's potential. He brought him to the Foxes intending to make a star athlete out of him. Despite his condescending attitude and his dismissals of Neil's best efforts Kevin honestly expected Neil to make the national team after graduation. Now Kevin knew it was all for naught; Neil would be dead by May.

"Will you still teach me?" Neil asked.

Kevin was quiet again, but not for long this time. "Every night."

Neil swallowed against the hollow ache in his chest. "Matt and Dan want us to make it to finals. Do you think we stand any chance?"

"We have a chance to make it to semifinals if Nicky starts pulling his weight and Andrew cooperates," Kevin said. "We can't get past the Big Three."

USC, Penn State, and Edgar Allan were considered the "Big Three" of NCAA Exy. Edgar Allan always placed first. USC and Penn State usually stole second and third, though they were constantly upsetting each other in the rankings. The only way to finals was by beating one of those teams in semifinals.

"Guess that will have to be good enough," Neil said.

He got to his feet again and looked around, first at the orange lines and paw prints on the court, then through the walls to the stands. Andrew had apparently finished the stairs because he was now jogging laps around the inner court. Neil envied the stamina Andrew's medicine gave him.

"Kevin, what does he want?" Neil asked.

Realizing Kevin had no way of following his train of thought, he gestured in Andrew's direction. "Andrew doesn't know who I am, but he knows I have a price on my head. Despite that, he said he'd protect me for a year. Not for my sake, but because he thought training me would distract you from the Ravens' threats."

Neil looked back at Kevin and said, "What does he want that he'll risk so much to keep you here?"

"I made him a promise." Kevin dragged his stare away from Neil's face to follow Andrew's progress. "He's waiting to see if I can keep it."

"I don't understand."