Team up {36}

An hour after xerxes left the school grounds, Millie, sem, Philip and Noah did the same thing, making sure to not be spotted in the process of sneaking off the school grounds.

Everything looked to be heading in the right path for them, that's what they thought at least. Because not less than thirty minutes into their haunt for Leah's mother, they got lost in the unfamiliar area. Making more than a few turns and asking around, Noah was starting to turn impatient, because he believed that the longer time they spent lost, the more closer xerxes was to getting a lead on Leah's whereabouts.

"Damn it Millie! I thought you said you knew the way!?" Noah yelled frustrated at the girl, making her flinch.

"i…i.." Millie stammered as she tried to apologize for not remembering the way, but Sem stepped forward to defend her. He had a bitter look on his face.

"Don't yell at her Noah…it's not her fault she's a bit lost and besides, if you'd stop breathing down her neck she might actually remember…" More than Noah, Sem was even more frustrated, first he was dragged here with them and secondly Noah was being a total jerk to Millie which pissed him off.

The girl in question had a slight tint of red as she stared at the boy who had come to her aid, Philip on the other hand didn't bother to say anything on the topic, even if he agreed that Noah was being a bit too…extra at the moment.

"it's okay Sem…" Millie placed her hand on his arm and Noah sighed.

"no, he's right, I'm sorry for raising my voice at you…"

"if you guys are done, I think I might have found the house…" Philip said dryly as he looked in the direction of a house that looked isolated from the rest. The house was surrounded by white picket fences and various planted flowers. Nothing about the house would have peeked his interest if not for the fact that he recognised a certain species of red and white peppermint roses. The same kind that Ivy brought to plant in the garden right outside their dorm building.

"what do you mean?" Noah questioned him as they all followed his line of vision.

"I remember when ivy…I mean Leah, once brought a bunch of those flowers to the dorm, it's safe to assume that this has to be the house, right, I mean it's not everyday you find peppermint roses lined up in someone's home and even if that's not the house, we could ask the owner questions, right…" Philip explained it to them and they took his words into consideration.

He might have been a bit carefree with his education, but he had a surprising nose for investigating as well as analytical thinking. Philip shrugged off the curious look he got from his peers.

"you're right!! They must be a new addition to the house and maybe that's why I got confused about it…" Millie grinned sheepishly, jogging towards the house. Or rather, running ahead of the boys who tried to keep up with the young girl.

They walked up to the porch and stood there, mumbling amongst themselves on who gets to ring the doorbell.

Finally they decided, Noah was the one to ring it, after all he was their fearless leader. The others moved slightly down and away from the door to give him space.

-ding-dong-ding

The chime from the doorbell rang, but nobody answered. He tried one more time, but there was still no response.

"are you certain this is the house?" Noah turned to Millie and she nodded her head.

"off course I am…I think"

Letting out and exasperated sigh, Noah decided to give the bell another ring when the door was pulled open abruptly. The first thing he was greeted with was a rather sharp point of a knife to his throat, threatening to cut him up if he made any sudden movements, he stood frozen out of shock.

His eyes grew wider than sauce pans as he remained unmoving, the others too where equally stunned as they saw their class captain with a knife held up against his throat.

Today was just a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone. Was this really Leah's mother? She had to be, those reflexes were crazy fast and precise as if, if any of them where to make any sudden movement's, Noah would drop dead.

With the way Lilith looked them down with her cold blue eyes sent chills down sem's back.

"who sent you?" demanded Lilith, even though they might have been wearing the school uniforms of P.S.A, Lilith couldn't be too careless about it, not especially at a time like this.

Noah gulped softly as cold beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his temple.

"i…ahem…" he cleared his throat "Mrs scarrow? I assume…my name is Noah Cobain, a student of the pro supes academy and a classmate of your…daughters…"

"Noah?!" xerxes exclaimed after stepping out of the shadows with an irritated look after hearing the familiar voice of an annoying buzzing fly. What was he doing here? and he was alone too.

"xerxes!!" Noah exclaimed. For fuck sakes, how did this delinquent make it here before they did? Noah wondered in his mind as his face morphed into a deep scowl, glaring heavily at xerxes who in turn glared back with raging hostility.

The others were a bit surprised, but still relived to see xerxes here.

"friends of yours?" Lilith turned to xerxes as she lowered the knife away from Noah's throat.

"more or less…" replied xerxes, wondering why they had followed this idiot and how they had found their way here in the first place.

"what the hell are you doing here?" he questioned them angrily. Millie quivered from the loudness of his voice and hid herself behind Philip.

Even Noah wasn't as scary as Xerxes was. Most of the times she had interacted with the red eyed boy, he always looked irritated and annoyed with everything. Not to mention that he had a scary power. Even still, he had somehow managed to get with Leah and he seemed a little less…angry. She gulped softly as she looked at him.

"W…we came to help…" she answered his question.

"What do you mean help…?" he growled. Forget what she said, he looked even angrier and scarier than he usually did.

Millie retreated behind Sem, Asif he were her saviour. Sem on the other hand tensed up, feeling how her chest pressed up against his back. He gulped softly, it wasn't Asif he hadn't noticed it before, but Millie since the first time they met had suddenly 'grown' in certain areas, but he hadn't expected her to be this... soft. He blushed at his own scandalous thoughts.

"Your help isn't needed here, get back to school and take protection from the…heroes…" xerxes hadn't meant to sound as if he were looking down on them, but having them here would only be a hindrance.

Right now he saw them as dead weight. not Asif they couldn't handle themselves, but what if they were taken captive as well. deep down he worried for their safety, even if he didn't admit that openly.

Noah was the first to pick offence by his words and accused him.

"you just want all the credit…Leah's our friend too, you can't just expect us to sit back and watch you do all the work, can you?…besides, the heroes don't look like they are planning anything right now" Noah put his foot down, refusing to back down from this.

The two boys locked horns, neither agreeing to take a step back. Strom hissed at noah as a way of supporting xerxes.

"hang on hang on…what is this the meaning of this?" Lilith was a bit lost for words after watching the boys hiss and claw at one another like two back alley felines.

"mrs scarrow…we were all witness to Leah being taken today, it pains me to admit that in that time we were helpless to do anything to stop the S ranked from leaving with her…" Noah, whom still wore a frown on his face managed to calm himself down a bit, taking a step back to address her with due respect.

The way he acted before her was a bit uncivil. He too felt ashamed for leaving Leah, for not being able to do anything.

"yeah…I mean, even if she left on her own accord with them, they hadn't exactly given her an option and instead drove her up a wall…she did that to protect us…" Millie had a sad look on her face as she spoke, finally stepping away from Sem.

Leah was a good friend, no, she is a good friend. Yes it was a bit surprising to find out that she was the Phantom, one of the S ranked villains, but still.

"…we thought…if we were at least able to find and tell you what happened to her… maybe we could join forces to get her back and Charlie too…" Millie stepped away from Philip as she spoke, a little bit fired up and determined in her words.

"yeah!! If we were to join our strengths and come up with a plan, maybe we could have a fighting chance…" Philip added.

Lilith sighed as she looked at the children in her home and deep within her, she was proud. In the past three years, leah was able to grow and a form such good bond with her classmates, that they were willing to risk everything despite acknowledging the truth about her daughter.

Even after knowing of the truth about their family, here they were in her home, talking of how they wanted to go save her, despite knowing of the dangers involved.

She let out an airy chuckle as the lot began to bicker about working together.

she sighed as she closed are eyes.