Chapter 34: Lilith's Cousin

Noah who couldn't sleep after dreaming of the past and went to fetch a bottle of water received an unexpected call from an unknown number.

''Huh? Who it can be at this hour? I don't know this number.'' He looked at the number flashing on his phone screen while contemplating whether to take the call or not but finally decided to take it, it could be important, maybe it was his father calling with an international number, he does this sometimes upon traveling to far place.

Noah accepted the call and frowned immediately upon hearing the call's voice.

''Hello Noah, it's me Stilson, I'm calling from Britannia to congratulate you on your successful awakening.'' Said the owner of this voice.

Noah was able to put a face on this voice, he frowned, it was a voice he wished he didn't have to hear. Some bad apples he hung out with during his darkest period.

''Yeah, yeah why are you calling me at this hour? What do you want?'' Noah wasn't going to be polite with someone who trying to anger him by calling so late in the night after not meeting for many years, he had a goal in mind.

Whatever it was, it didn't sound good to him.

''Come on man, still rude as ever. I'm contacting you after so long to congratulate you and this is how you respond to an old mate?"

The caller on the other side tried to sound dramatic but Noah wasn't having it.

''I see,'' Noah responded and was about to cut off the voice but the other party begged not to.

''Please Noah hear me out first. I'll be frank I indeed contacted you with a goal in mind. Pretty please! I've got the number from your father, so please do hear me out.''

Noah who heard his father's name being brought up decided to wait, to hear the man first before deciding.

''So, what do you want to talk about?" Noah cut right to the chase but the other party requested a video call and Noah accepted, refusing him right in the face should lighten his mood, Noah secretly chuckled as he accepted the video call.

''Fine."

Upon accepting the video call, the face of a young man appeared on the floating screen.

Silver, short hair slightly covers a thin, menacing face. Lidded amber eyes, set charmingly within their sockets.

This is the face of Stilson Evangeline, Lilith's cousin.

''So what have you done this time?" Noah asked.

''How rude, nothing much I just escaped from the campus to go on a biker gathering but they are threatening to expel me. So, I need your help can you talk to Lilith and she will plead my case with our grandfather and have me not get expelled?"

Noah stayed silent after hearing Stilson blabbering.

Gulp!

Stilson gulped audibly afraid of Noah's reaction. He knew the man better. He could be brutal under his angelic features.

''I refuse, I'm not your messenger, you must have your cousin's number so try contacting her, and do not bother me ever again if it is for something so trivial,'' Noah responded after a long moment of silence. He watched Stimson's reaction and upon seeing how shocked he was with a pale face as if he had just sealed his fate, Noah felt refreshed, all the heavy mood from the previous dream vanished.

''Please, dear leader help me, or else I'll die if my parents find out, I'm afraid they'll send me to a far place, somewhere I'll lose the little freedom I have.'' Stilson even got on his knees to beg Noah to help him which shocked him, this showed how truly severe the situation he was in was, he must have done many bad things in his school for them to decide to expel him this time. Not that it mattered to Noah, the farther this man is the better it was for Noah. He was someone with a bad influence on him.

''Sorry, can't help you. Stop messing around for once and focus on doing something productive, you gangster.'' Noah immediately hung up, ignoring Stilson's desperate cries from the other side.

''Sigh! This call made me recall a bad memory.''

°°°

It was a few years back then. Somewhere in the slum.

The people behind Noah grabbed at him, to hold him.

He did not feel like laughing, but he laughed.

"You mean it takes this many of you to fight one Third?"

"We're people, not Thirds, turd face. You're about as strong as a fart!"

But they let go of him. And as soon as they did, Noah kicked out high and hard, catching Stilson square in the breastbone. He dropped. It took niah6 by surprise he hadn't thought to put Stilson on the ground with one kick. It didn't occur to him that Stilson didn't take a fight like this seriously, that he wasn't prepared for a truly desperate blow.

For a moment, the others backed away and Stilson lay motionless. They were all wondering if he was dead. Noaj6, however, was trying to figure out a way to forestall vengeance. To keep them from taking him in a pack tomorrow.

'I have to win this now, and for all time, or I'll fight it every day and it will get worse and worse.' Noah knew the unspoken rules of manly warfare, even though he was only 12. It was forbidden to strike the opponent who lay helpless on the ground; only an animal would do that.

So Noah walked to Stilson's supine body and kicked him again, viciously, in the ribs. Stilson groaned and rolled away from him.

Noah walked around him and kicked him again, in the crotch. Stilson could not make a sound; he only doubled up and tears streamed out of his eyes.

Then Noah looked at the others coldly.

"You might be having some idea of ganging up on me. You could probably beat me up pretty badly. But just remember what I do to people who try to hurt me. From then on you'd be wondering when I'd get you, and how bad it would be."

He kicked Stilson in the face. Blood from his nose spattered the ground nearby.

"It wouldn't be this bad," Noah said. "It would be worse."

Later after this meeting, Stilson kept pestering him until he finally accepted to be the boss of this little gang, they went around causing trouble, fighting all the time. Because of his mother's death, he needed an outlet to let it out so he found it in the form of playing gangster.

°°°

''Hah! I don't want to think about the past anymore. Better stay away from Stilson or who knows how bad it will be this time.''