The local police were called. Detective Divo was on the case, but so was an officer who dealt with magic related crimes. None other than Garrett's brother Koa. With Mariverde still on the prowl, there was no telling if she was involved in Vince's disappearance. The police talked to Vince's family, and some members of the royal family were called in too. Carmine, Boba, and Omega to be precise. Comedia and her father were also called in, and so was Myra with her parents.

News reporters were already looking to find answers. Vince's dad, Armando Hall, was a big record producer, very famous, and one of Melody Academy's most successful alumni. The Hall Family was no stranger to being on the news. Unfortunately, that included scandals such as Derek being expelled from his father's alma mater on criminal charges.

It was all over the news that Vince was missing, and everywhere Armando went, paparazzi and reporters bombarded him with questions, while his wife spent all that time smiling for the cameras and posing.

The officers checked everywhere in the Halls' mansion. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be there.

Gabby came along too. She wasn't a witness, but she was interested in a big mystery. She looked around as the detectives were talking to Mr. Hall and a woman who looked around her Aunt Kara's age.

"You weren't kidding when you said his stepmom was young enough to be his sister." Gabby whispered to Myra.

"I still can't believe it, and I was the one who read the journal first." Myra replied.

The police first questioned Vince's parents

"Mr. and Mrs. Hall... did your son have any enemies? Anyone who might've wanted him gone?"

"That could be any girl in his school, the football team, who knows?" said Mrs. Hall, who must've been Tatiana, Vince's stepmother.

"When's the last time you saw Vince?" Koa asked. "Did he seem to be acting off lately?"

"Well, the last time I saw him would be about four days ago." Mr. Hall said. "I was away for work and got back the night before. And I saw him when I was bringing him to school this morning."

"Have you had any contact with him while you were away? Over the phone, holo-chat...? Anything at all?"

"I had a lot of calls on my phone this week. I might not have been able to pick up if he had called."

"He's sixteen, isn't he? Have you even checked for text messages?"

That was the first thing I did when I didn't see him at school." Mr. Hall said. "He's run off to different places before, but he usually sends a text."

Gabby took a note of that. Vince's father claimed he'd taken Vince to school earlier that day, and in the event he took off somewhere else, he sent a text telling his dad where he was, except for this instance. But if that was so, why hadn't anyone seen him?

"So, you were with Vince up until you got to school?" Divo asked.

"Well, not exactly."

According to Mr. Hall, he'd driven to the school with Vince, but Vince hadn't eaten much for breakfast that morning because Jacob got reckless with his brother's football and made a mess. So, he made a stop at Force of Flavor bakery for some breakfast pastries.

The detectives talked to Mace and Strawberry next.

"You both work at Force of Flavor, right?" said Koa.

"We're co-owners of the place." Strawberry said.

"So, did either of you see Vince with his father?"

"We saw his father. Not Vince so much." Mace said. "But I could tell it was him. He was sitting outside while his father was ordering."

"Did you see anyone acting suspiciously around the bakery?"

Mace and Strawberry had security cameras around the bakery that would help them know for sure. But as far as they knew, no one seemed suspicious around the bakery.

"We're going to need to see that footage." Detective Divo said.

"We'll have it sent over." Mace promised.

Then, the kids were questioned; as far as anyone else knew, they were the last people to see Vince alive before this happened.

Boba and Omega were each questioned by a different detective. Divo took Boba and Koa took Omega.

"When was the last time you saw Vince?" Koa asked.

"After school yesterday. His brother was picking him up." Omega said. "I was with my brother at the time, and Uncle Carmine ran into him. They're apparently old rivals from high school."

"What would you say your relationship with Vince was like?" Divo asked.

"We're classmates, but not exactly friends." Boba said. "Not after he hit on my sister. But, he was acting kind of off yesterday."

Boba wasn't the only one to give this response.

cue the scene dialogue switching*

"Off? How so?" Koa asked Omega.

"Well, he seemed depressed and confused." Omega said. "He even yelled at one of the other football players, which he never does. Most of the time, they're just hitting on all the girls and acting like jerks. But this time, that's the last thing on Vince's mind."

"I was in the hall earlier that day, and I saw Vince walk out of the bathroom, and he was wiping his eyes, like he'd been crying." Boba explained. "I wasn't sure why, and he just walked off."

"Did you notice anything else?"

Omega and Boba answer at the same time: "His journal."

Myra was called in next.

"I had the journal, but I didn't take it from him. Comedia found it and then she gave it to me and I decided to read it."

Myra explained to the detectives how Comedia was the one who first thought something was off and maybe something happened at home to make Vince act like a jerk, and she wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help him. But, she didn't know what else Comedia knew.

Comedia was brought in then, and she told the police everything.

"Vince was acting really off. And then I saw he dropped his journal, and I was going to return it to him, but then we read some of the entries and found out Vince had gone through a lot of bad stuff. And before that, I saw him take off his jacket, and he had bruises all over his arms, and I don't think they were from playing football. And I know bruises."

It was true. Comedia had been bruised herself many times by her parents and by past riders before Master Mundi adopted her. So, when she saw the bruises on Vince, she was alarmed.

"Did you get a good look at them?"

"He was putting ointment on them when I saw him, and he was wincing a lot. Those bruises had to be fairly recent."

That raised some concern in the police.

"This might sound a little off topic," said Koa. "But, when did you start to notice things about Vince?"

"Well, I've honestly had this odd feeling for a while. I've seen Vince hit on girls before since I started school, but usually I only see him do it once and usually he's also with at least one of the other football players when it happens. I guess it might have something to do with image so the team takes him seriously? But, I've also noticed when he's alone between classes, he doesn't tend to pick on anyone, and the few times he's run into me, he doesn't act too jerky. Actually, quite the opposite."

"How so?"

"Well, once he just tried to pet me. Not surprising most of the time since I'm a horse. Lots of people wanna pet me. Once, he even seemed like he was trying to feed me a salad. I'd forgotten my lunch that day, so I didn't really question it, but he disappeared before I could thank him. You can usually tell a lot about someone by how they treat animals. And in a couple of his journal entries, he mentioned Archie. I think it was his dog. From what he wrote, his dog was his best friend. Poor guy... he's really been through a lot. I guess... maybe he just doesn't know how to deal with his feelings in a way that doesn't hurt anyone. He feels like he needs to push people away, like I felt once. Or like how some of my friends felt at one point."

The police took notes of everything the kids and Vince's family told them.

So far, they knew from the kids that Vince had been acting off. But with his family, it was another story. Mr. Hall definitely was worried about his son and it seemed he was paying the price for not paying enough attention to his son. Derek and Tatiana, however, they didn't seem like they cared about the investigation one bit. Tatiana basically referred to her stepson as a spoiled brat and spent more time shopping than watching her stepsons. If anything, Derek and her biological son Jacob. Jacob didn't seem worried either.

"My mommy says a lot of bad words about Vince," Jacob had said, and he actually even listed them, which shocked the police. How could a seven-year-old be so foul mouthed? They were beginning to think it may be a good idea to call Child Protective Services on this matter. And, despite it not being the first time they'd seen it, they couldn't believe Mr. Hall's wife was literally only two years older than his oldest son.

The police then investigated what other clues they had, starting with video footage. Sure enough, when they checked the security footage from the Force of Flavor cafe, Vince definitely was there with his father. And they got back in the limo together to continue off to school. But, according to Mr. Hall, Vince asked them to stop a couple corners away and let him walk. Vince had told his dad he needed to return a book to the library there, and he was fine with walking the rest of the way. So, they checked the footage from the traffic cameras across the street from the library.

Vince's limo pulled up in front of the library and Vince got out of the craft, and the vehicle left him there. But, Vince didn't go inside the library or even near the book drop. Then, they found footage that he had gone to Walker Prep, but he just took out his phone and looked like he was taking and sending a picture, and then he left the school. Mr. Hall had said Vince sent him a pic to let him know he got to school safely, but apparently Vince didn't go inside. Now, the only question was... where did he go?

"I did a little digging." said Divo. "Our missing victim apparently used to work at the local animal shelter."

"Used to?" Koa said.

"Yes. We talked to his old boss, and learned he was the top worker they had, and one of their youngest ones too. Claims the boy has a future in the animal kingdom. But for some reason, he quit his job, saying he had some... issues he needed to work out for an indefinite time period."

"It might have something to do with what Vince has been through." Koa said. "I won't jump to conclusions, but something seems off about Vince's older brother and stepmother. That woman is literally young enough to be his daughter."

The police questioned a few more people over a course of days. Comedia, her friends, and some of the Jedi helped Mr. Hall place up Missing Person posters. Normally, this was just a job for the police, but Vince's dad begged Comedia and Myra to talk to their fathers about helping in the search for his son. A few of the Jedi Council being fathers themselves now, they understood that Mr. Hall was willing to do anything to find his son and bring him home safely. He was even prepared to offer a large reward for Vince's safe return.

Mr. Hall sat at a table with Mace while he was working at the shop over some coffee. The former seemed very worried. He'd taken some time off from work. Everywhere people thought they saw Vince, his father would rush there and call out his name, looking for him. He'd even given Garrett one of Vince's shirts so he, Goldie, Vivian, and any other werewolves or viventias willing to help could get his scent and look for him.

The Batch tried to help too. Tech, Maybelle, and Pinto worked their own magic to get word out to Echo and/or Banjo in hopes of them and Rex's team keeping an eye out of they spotted Vince.

Based on everything the police said, along with new footage spotting Vince getting on a bus pod, he was at least relieved Vince didn't appear to have gotten abducted. But, he was still terrified because of what did happen. Vince ran away!

"Can you think of anywhere Vince might've gone?" Mace said. "Does he have any friends or relatives he might've ran off to?"

"I can't be sure. Vince doesn't talk about his friends much. Somehow he still hasn't managed to get a girl either, and no one from my side of the family has spoken to our branch in years. Heck, my own parents didn't even want to come and meet Jacob when he was born."

"I'm sorry. You know, my wife had a falling out with her parents until a few months ago. I can give you a business card for our therapist."

"I wish it were that simple."

According to Mr. Hall, his parents and the rest of his family was disgusted and angry at him when he came and told them he was engaged to Tatiana. At first, they were happy for him when he told them he met someone special and they were going to have a baby, but when they found out how old she was, they thought he had to be joking; Armando Hall had been a bit of a prankster to his sisters when he was young. It turned out Vince wasn't the only one to call Tatiana out as a gold digger. But, Armando refused to believe it. It was then that the Halls gave their son an ultimatum: either he leave that woman, or they were cutting him off from the family fortune.

In most cases, that choice wouldn't be hard because of love, but Mr. Hall was already rich on his own because of his successful music producing career. Tatiana, however, though her husband didn't know, was not happy that his parents were cutting him out. And then she had the baby and Vince became a big brother.

"Ever since, I've been out of touch with my parents and my sisters." Mr. Hall said. Then he thought again. "But that is a possibility! Vince might be going to one of their houses."

"Does Vince even know where they live?"

"I'm not sure, but Vince is a smart boy, unlike Derek."

"I take it you have a rough relationship with your oldest?"

"That would be an understatement. Ever since he got himself expelled from Melody Academy, it's been a scandal I've had to deal with for years, and it was the one time my family ever called to say I'm doing a terrible job as a parent, and that Vince should come live with them before I mess him up too. I thought I'd done better with him."

"Fatherhood is a challenge. I should know. Whether the child is biologically yours or a stepchild." Mace said. "Granted, I've only been back with my daughter a couple of years, but I've come to learn a lot about dealing with teenagers. What they really need is their parents to listen to them, and I mean really listen. Let's just hope in this case, Mariverde doesn't target your son."

"Even though he's been a jerk, I do hope he's okay." Myra said, going through training with Master Luminara. "I know reading his journal was wrong, but reading about what hell he's been through, and the lack of a sufficient support system, I can't say I blame him for acting out."

"You have a good heart, Myra." Luminara said. "It wouldn't be the first time someone has turned out to be different than you thought they were."

Master Luminara, she knew all too well what it was like when someone turned out to be not who everyone thought they were. She didn't show it, but she still felt heartbroken by the fact that Barris Offee had committed a heinous crime. She felt like a failure as a teacher; she'd grown to love Barris like a daughter. What mother would be able to forgive herself knowing her child turned out bad under her watch? They may often question if they didn't teach them well enough, or maybe they didn't pay enough attention to their child's needs, or what if they prioritized the wrong things without realizing it?

Myra didn't need to Force to note a hint of sadness in Luminara's voice. Some of the Council members began to wonder if maybe a new Padawan would be the cure for Luminara's sadness, so they decided to have her run a couple of lessons with their two later beginners. But, when she heard about what happened with Vince, she also felt terrible about it all. She began to wonder how much to this boy's story there was that the police, the Jedi, and his family didn't even know about.

"Master? Do you... miss Barris?" Myra said.

"At times I do." Luminara sighed. "But, I've learned to let her go. She made her decisions. I must carry on."

"You know... just 'cause it didn't work out with her doesn't mean you won't be able to bring another student to the top someday. You've already helped me a lot with my concentration."

Luminara smiled a bit. As stubborn and headstrong as Myra was, she had a good heart too; she had to for Kade to have a good role model. Luminara was one of many Jedi feeling worried right now. Due to the unpredictability of Mariverde's power, it was very difficult to make a specific training method for the Jedi to prepare for her next strike, even with Garrett's added education on enchanted creatures, spells, potions, and/or plants.

Myra needed to be strong for her family especially now. With more of these escaped convicts running amok, dealing with rumors spreading across the school and on the news about Vince's disappearance, and having to keep it secret for now that her mom had big news to share with the family, she had a lot on her mind.

Already, the school's football team got itself a new captain in the form of Michael Adams, a.k.a. Mike. The football team didn't seem too eager to search for Vince though, but Myra expected that. That particular team was only loyal to having a jerkish, shallow attitude and hitting on every girl in school. People also spread all kinds of crazy rumors. Maybe Vince met a girl, someone kidnapped him, or he joined a pirate gang or something.

Meanwhile, Comedia was laying down, meditating for a bit, when all of a sudden, she began to see visions appearing in her head. She could see... Vince!

Vince was alive! He had gotten off a transport and was walking through what looked like an empty area all by himself. Comedia could also see herself and... Diamond? She also saw the Bad Batch, and they were going on a mission, and Diamond and Comedia were with them. But, then Comedia saw something else. She could see... horses... pegasi to be exact... jewel pegasi, and all of them were in chains in what looked like a factory or facility of some kind... and then... she saw a familiar green pegasus with hair as yellow as a...

"Marigold!" Comedia gasped when she opened her eyes.

Comedia breathed heavily; she knew this wasn't just a daydream, but a vision. She had to find Diamond right away and convince the Bad Batch to take both of them on their next mission.

So, she ran out of her room and rushed as fast as she could to get to the palace, where she found Kara brushing Diamond. When she told Kara there was an emergency only Diamond could help with, she agreed to let her go, on the condition that she keep her safe.

"Don't worry. I will." Comedia promised.

"Hey, wait for me!" Myra said, rushing in.

"Myra?"

"I couldn't help overhearing you shouting about a new mission. If you're gonna be going on an adventure, I want in."

And then, there was the matter of going with the Batch.

With Echo and Banjo away with Rex, Mila came to be Tech's co-pilot and a new member of the team. She was knowledgeable about more than just technology, so they welcomed any skills she could offer. The group was about to leave on the Marauder to pay Cid a visit for a new mission, when Comedia suddenly appeared with Diamond and Myra.

"Hunter, wait!"

"Comedia? What are you doing here?"

"You have to let Diamond and I accompany you on your next mission." Comedia said. "It's a Jedi matter."

Hunter was hesitant at first, but seeing that they didn't have time to argue, he agreed to let the three girls come along. Being that Echo and Banjo were out, they were two friends short, and with everyone else busy with other missions and aiding in the search for Vince, it was just as well.

"Come aboard." Hunter said.

"Little fillies first." Comedia said, letting Diamond board first.

Comedia wrapped her wing around Diamond to keep her warm so she could rest on the way. This was one mission she didn't want to be ill-rested for. If Comedia's instincts were right, and her vision as well, and there was a chance Marigold was still alive, this could be her chance to find her.

"So, you're sure you saw your cousin in your vision?" Myra asked.

"Positive. I just haven't told Emeraldi because I didn't wanna get her hopes up in case we find something she doesn't wanna hear." Comedia explained. "As far as I know, she was the last person to see her alive. But I didn't just see Marigold... I saw Vince too!"

"Really? So did I! Could you tell where he was?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Then we're both out of luck in that area. All I could see was some kind of bridge and a junkyard too." Myra said. "Now I wish I'd paid more attention in Yoda's meditation class."

"It's a learning experience for all of us. We did begin later than most other Padawans. Even later than Anakin did."

"Then let's hope our dads and possible future masters have taught us well in the last year."