"Gentlemen, ladies. Welcome to Coyote Creek." Kreese spoke up when the team was divided between him and Johnny, red and black. "You've been split into two teams. Red...and black. The goal is to capture as many headbands as possible from the other side. Today, the people across from you are not your friends. They're not your brothers. They are the enemy. Last team standing wins."

"How do we get the headbands?" Miguel spoke up from the other side of Tory. Alexa looked his way from next to Hawk.

"By any means possible." Kreese said in return. "No rules."

Alexa grinned.

"Use your judgement. This is just a training exercise." Johnny reassured them all quickly.

"Correct, but remember, this is your life." he held up his own red headband. "If you loose this, you die."

"Hey, guys. Sorry i'm late." Raymond called as he hurried over, the end of his beard in a sharp point, pulling his sunglasses off. "Traffic on the 118 was a real bitch. Put Coyote Creek into the nav. Nothing came up."

"What happened!" Alexa laughed loudly at him.

"What have you done to yourself?" Johnny added in alongside her words, nodding to his beard.

"Oh, the.." he nodded to his new look. "Yeah, you know what, I just decided to flip the script, Hawk-style. Respect. Heretoforce, you can refer to me as Stingray."

It was silent a second before Sensei Lawrence nodded. "Yeah, all right, Chubs. He's on your team."

"Miguel." Alexa mocked as she made it through the woods, already having quite a few black headbands in hand. "Where are you hiding?"

"Boo." a voice rung from behind her as she spun quickly, face to face with him. Her eyes widened in a grin, ducking down as he swung over her. Her arms wrapped around his waist, secured tightly as she tackled him. Miguel locked his legs around her face, tossing his back as Alexa groaned. "Your confidence got the best of you."

Alexa grabbed his neck, yanking him down and rolling them over so she was ontop, grabbing his wrist. "No such thing."

Miguel smiled up at her as Alexa gave him one in return, her lips falling when she felt a hand from behind her pull her headband off. Letting Miguel's wrist go, she looked back at her new found friend with a headband in hand. "Oh, you little cheat."

"No rules." Tory flashed her a grin. "Red does look good on you though."

"That's what I said." Miguel agreed as he rolled Alexa off him, standing up. "Sorry, Lexi."

"I'll find a way to make you pay." she held her hand up to him. "Help me up?"

Miguel reached down, having his arm bent as Alexa pressed her feet into his abdomen, tossing him over her. Tory nodded. "How did you not see that one coming?"

"What the hell?" Alexa got out of Hawks car quickly when he drove her home, seeing police cars all around the apartment. She ran up the stairs quickly. "Ty!"

"Alexa!" he met her outside of the apartments, her eyes gapped at the clear sight that the police were in her apartment. "Look, stay back."

"What's happening?" she asked in worry as he pulled her back. "What's going on?"

"They're looking for mom." he dropped his voice to a whisper. "Don't say anything."

"Are you Alexa?" one of the police approached. She nodded. "Do you know the whereabouts of Deena Castillo are?"

Alexa blinked. "No-no, I don't."

"When was the last time you saw her?" he asked her. "Would you be willing to come down to the station?"

"Like hell she will." Ty made him back off. "She's a minor and she hasn't done anything wrong."

Alexa hated how clammed up she was getting, trying to find that voice, that fire. "Last time I saw her was....was three days ago. She-She was watched a show."

The officers engaged in conversation again, Alexa looked to Ty. "What's going on?"

"They think she did it." Ty stared down at her, watched as the gun Alexa found under her moms bed was brought out in a plastic bag. "They think she killed dad."

Alexa looked back at Hawk in a panic as he stood by his car.

"Did you do it?" Alexa asked her mom. Ty was quick when the police arrived, calling Josh he swerved around back, picked her up, and was now hiding her in his parents basement.

"Alexa." Ty tried to silence her.

"No." Deena stared at her daughter. "I didn't kill your father."

"Then why do the police think you did?" she asked in return. "Why did you have a gun under your bed? Why did you take a shit ton of money out and skip town the day he was murdered?"

"Alexa, you're too young." she tried to spare her daughters innocence.

"No, shit." she gapped at her. "Yet here we are."

"Mom, just tell her." Ty shook his head at their mother. "She's gonna keep digging, it's not fair."

Deena gave a hesitant look to Alexa. "You remember your Granny May?"

"Yeah." Alexa shrugged.

"The day your dad was killed, he got real mad at me." she looked away at the memory. "Hit me a good few times, said some real bad stuff to me, broke one of my ribs. Your Granny came over to bring some laundry detergent because we were low on money and jobs weren't falling through. She saw the whole thing happen."

Alexa looked to Ty as he gave her a nod. Deena shook her head. "She shot him and skipped town."

"How do you expect me to believe you?" Alexa asked her honestly. "You could be making this entire thing up."

"I can't tell you what to believe, baby." she shook her head gentle. "But, all i'm asking is for you to know me. I might be a shitty mother, but ain't no way I could ever kill someone. Especially not your dad."

Despite it, Alexa knew she loved him more then she loved anyone else.

"Granny May is up in Germany." Ty informed Alexa as she looked over in his direction. "Josh's uncles are gonna drive Mom to the beach, they're a boat driver that won't know anything about the police looking for her."

"How will we know if you get there?" Alexa looked to her mom in worry, the weak feeling taking over her body and heart. "I don't want you to go."

"I know." she met her in a tight hug, holding the back of her head as Alexa gripped her mom tightly. "I'll call you as soon as I can. Just until it cools off here, and i'll come back. I'll dye my hair, get a new ID. I don't know, but i'll be back."

Alexa squeezed her eyes shut as Deena kissed her head, Ty joining in on the hug as she held both her children tightly. Josh walked down the stairs. "Deena, they're ready for you."

"You two be strong, and stay safe." she held them longer, her voice cracked. "Answer any random numbers, okay? I'll be one of them."

"Be carful." Ty encouraged as they pulled back. Deena held his face a second, kissing Alexa on the forehead again before she quickly left before being able to change her mind. Ty turned to Alexa and hugged her tightly, his eyes starting to water while her body jolted in gentle cries.

"Right kick, hi-ya!" Johnny called to the the class the next day.

"Hi-ya!" they all yelled, doing the kick.

"Side k-" he started, stopping as the doors opened. "Something I can help you with?"

Alexas heart fell at the two officers that walked in.

"Alexa Castillo?" the one from the day prior recognized her, walking into the mat as she backed up in fear.

"What's going on here?" Kreese spoke up.

"You're under the arrest for tampering with evidence." she was spun around and cuffed.

"You can arrest her!" Johnny called.

"Lex." Hawk gave a panicked look as her rights were being read.

"It's gonna be okay, Castillo." Kreese called to her. Alexa shook in fear and panic as she was drug away.

"What do we do?" Tory spoke up in fear as her, Miguel, and Hawk crowded together.

Miguel shut his eyes. "We have to call Demetri."

•

kylie speaks

AND ITS GETTIN GOOD