"Alex! Where is it?" Nat said drawing his attention away from the TV.
"Where is what?" Alex replied emerging out of his save the polar bears bag.
"The lemon lime soda, hand it over Alex." Nat said looking suspiciously at Alex.
"What lemon lime soda?" Alex answered his voice unusually high.
"Hand it over. I told you no more lemon lime soda ever again." Nat replied holding out his hand.
"I don't have any…" Alex replied quickly.
"GIVE IT HERE" Nat shouted waking up the others who had fallen asleep in their seats.
"wha's going on?" Cooper asked sleepily.
"Nothing, Nothing, go back to sleep," Alex said quickly but nervously, trying not to get the others involved.
"Alex is drinking lemon lime soda again." Nat said showing annoyance at his little brother.
"Who says?" David asked rubbing his eyes.
"The Media" Nat says pointing to the TV where they are showing a video of Alex sculling a can of lemon lime soda, with several other cans beside him.
"YOU BELIEVE THEM OVER ME!?" Alex shouted angrily.
"The evidence is there Alex" Quassim said gesturing at the TV.
"WHAT ABOUT THE SANTA THING?!" Alex asked still shouting.
"Alex… calm down, the media is still feeling the pinch for making that up, they aren't going to try it again soon. Just give us the soda…" Cooper said in his diplomatic tone.
"NO!" Alex yelled once again, grabbing his save the polar bears bag and running to the back of the bus.
"It's a bus Alex, there's nowhere to go" Thomas said laughing as he got up to join the rest of the band in chase.
"You were drinking it, when you were in the bag, weren't you Alex?" Nat stated more than asking, remembering seeing Alex appear from inside the bag.
"Get him and get the bag," Rosalina said from behind Nat.
Alex backed up further with a look of deranged anger on his face. Alex kept backing up until he hit the back wall of the bus.
"Hand it over and we'll go easy on you" reasoned Cooper.
"NO! KEEP AWAY! IT'S MINE!" Alex said shouting, while feeling the net closing in.
Nat reached out towards Alex, but before he could take a step, Alex had dropped the bag and had began a running tackle, knocking Nat to the ground, then trying to hit him before being pulled off by Thomas and Quassim.
"LET ME GO!" Alex screamed lashing out trying to hit them and break free.
"Someone get some rope" Nat called getting to his feet looking as though he would love to hit his brother hard.
"Will this do?" David asked holding up ET's leash.
"Yeah," said Thomas panting has he struggled to hold on to Alex. "Tie him to the chair."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! LET ME GO!" Alex screamed as they sat Alex down and tied his arms to the armrests of the chair.
"Shut up Alex" Nat said, now moving towards Alex's save the polar bears bag.
"UNTIE ME AND GIVE ME MY BAG!" Alex continued screaming.
"Put a sock in it" David said to Alex.
"Ok" said Thomas, taking one of Alex's socks of his feet and putting it in Alex's mouth.
Alex continued to struggle against the restraints well trying to yell through the gag, but no one paid any attention to him.
Jessie picked up the save the polar bears bag and emptied its contents onto the floor. Around 30 empty lemon-lime soda cans and bottles dropped to the floor.
"Where did he get all of these?" Jessie asked but received no reply as everyone was searching Alex's stuff.
Another 30 full cans and bottles were found through Alex's bag, pillowcase and bed until the pile mounted up.
They Left Alex there to wear himself out, while they searched the rest of the bus, uncovering cans and bottles in the most unlikely places. Eventually they found that even Alex's milk had been emptied and replaced with lemon lime soda.
"How did Alex manage to get all this aboard?" Cooper asked looking around the bus at all the soda.
"Do you think he's calmed down enough to ask him?" Rosalina asked looking at the seat where Alex was tied.
Alex was still struggling violently trying to break free.
"On second thought let's ask him later?" Rosalina said sitting down.
"No, I'll speak to him… in private," Nat said.
"Nat, I don't think that's a good idea." Cooper said.
"Don't do it Nat," Thomas said,
"Yeah it's not safe," David finished.
"I have to," Nat said walking down the bus before the others could protest any more.
"Jessie, can me and Alex be left alone for a couple of minutes?" Nat asked.
"Yeah sure Nat" Jessie said and moved to the front with the others.
Nat cautiously reached out and pulled the now wet sock out of Alex's mouth.
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU" Alex screamed finally being able to make a recognisable sound.
Losing control Nat slapped Alex hard across the face, leaving Alex stunned for a few seconds. Then he started to sob.
"No don't cry Alex," Nat said panicking and forgetting his anger and annoyance at his brother. Nat then reached out to put his arm on Alex's shoulder, but Alex tried to move away.
"Just leave me alone," Alex said quietly not looking at Nat.
"Alex…" Nat pleaded.
"Don't talk to me" Alex said just as quietly while emphasizing every word.
Nat hesitated for a few minutes before turning around and leaving Alex still tied to the chair.
"How'd it go?" Rosalina asked.
"I hit him now he hates me" Nat said mournfully.
"Nat he doesn't hate you" Cooper said.
"He won't even look at me" Nat said getting a bit choked up on his words.
"That's serious man" Quassim replied gently.
"He'll probably forget it," Thomas said, "my brother forgets all the mean things I do to him."