In the slums of Crystal city, which was located in the North-Eastern side of Silver Gardens - where the five boys had their apartments, two black same sleek cars drove through the poor neigh - hood.
The first car, being driven by Micheal with Leona in the passenger seat directing the path to their destination. Michael and Leo at the back, with Leo chipping in every now and then whilst Philip sat quietly beside him, looking thoughtfully out the window.
" Hey Micheal," Leo called, uncomfortable at the curious stares the two cars were receiving by pa-sserbys and the neighbourhood dwellers. Raising his concern for the boys' safety and his and is sister's in case of a possible attack from some crazy neighbourhood goons. In the best case scenario, it would just be parts of the the cars getting stolen. " Couldn't you people get a bit low key cars? This is attracting to much attention. Ah!"
" Oh trust me, this is low key." Philip answered with a chuckle, looking at Leo's uncomfortable expression.
" These cars are for Richmond and Raymond. Their personal guards brought them because they asked for normal cars as you and Leona re-quested." Micheal answered, looking around and trying to memorise the route.
" Over there!" Leona suddenly said, pointing at a two - storey wooden building beside a few others not too far away from the narrow street they were on." Park right here."
" No, " Leo objected. " You people should pack in the compound instead. It's safer. We can all avoid unnecessary accidents this way."
" Alright." Micheal agreed, driving carefully into the dusty compound with the other car following closingly behind.
Just when both cars parked, the wooden door to the house opened and a short chubby middle aged woman with her messy hair greying hair held in a messy bun,dressed in a fading black and white checkered ankle - length dress. A big smile on her heavily made - up face.
" Hello there!" She waved enthusiastically at the cars without even seeing the occupants of the cars. The doors to the car Micheal was driving opened and first and Leo and Leona stepped out with serious faces. Having told Michael and Phi - lip to wait for a while before coming out, they had called the boys in the other car and relayed the news. Which resulted in only the two of them facing the older woman whose expression chan-ged drastically after seeing them.
" You two? What, do you kids want here again?" She asked her displeasure showing.
" Good evening Mrs. Klaus." Leo greeted indefe- rently. " We're here to see Stella."
" Keep your stupid greetings to your selves! And by the way, Stella no longer lives here. We've thrown that ungrateful insolent brat out. So you can leave!"
" What!" Leo and Leona exclaimed in shock.
" No..... you can't do that! She's not even feeling well! " Leona continued, her little hands clench - ing beside her.
" Why can't I? " Mrs. Klaus asked with a trium - phantom look on her caked up face." This is my house. My property. I was kind enough to let a fifteen years old homeless orphan girl live here. I have been very kind to her with the weekly thirty dollars rent. But that girl is owing me and has re- fused to pay last week's rent. Why then should I allow her to continue living in my house?! "
" Mrs. Klaus that's not fair! " Leo snapped just as Micheal opened the car's door and stepped out, Philip doing same. A short moment later, Rich - mond and Raymond stepped out their car with Chris.
Seeing the five young rich-looking handsome boys stepping out of the car, she stood rooted to the spot with her eyes wide and frozen. Even when they stood right in front of her she remai- ned frozen. Until hurried footsteps sounded to-wards the door from inside. As the footsteps sounded closer, so did the sound. A few seconds later, the door flung open and two overly-dressed fake - blond girls struggled to out-do each other to get out of the door first.
In their haste, they forgot all about their mother who was then starting to unfreeze from the sho- ck and stumbled right into her. Causing all three of them to fall forward - towards Leo and Leona. Leo instinctively retreated to the side whilst grabbing Leona with him.
It was a great and caring move, but lacking the necessary skill for perfect execution both bro - ther and sister began swaying and stumbling comically towards the ground - towards Rich - mond and Chris.
The action amused the five boys more than Mrs. Klaus and her daughters' scene just did, so much that Chris and Raymond burst into a barely con - trolled laughter as Chris steadied Leo whilst Richmond steadied Leona. But Micheal and Philip soon regained their composure back.
" Lion..." Richmond started inbetween laughter but Leo pushed his hands away from his shoulders angrily and adjusted his shirt before snapping ;
" Thanks for the rescue, but I'm not Lion!"
" Alright.... super boy." Richmond answered calmly this time after noticing the glare Leona was sending him. " But your rescue....." He intentionally trailed off. Knowing most definitely one of his friends would continue for him, and he wasn't disappointed.
" Was great." Philip continued with a serious look, no sign of mockery on his face. His words would have been hard not to believe if not for glint and slightly mocking looking in his eyes.
" Yeah, an excellent move." Raymond said, nodding his head seriously.
"You really take care of Tigress." Richmond agreed with a small smile tugging at his lips.
" I'm not Tigress!" Leona objected with a stomp of her right foot in anger.
" Okay.... Okay... Tig....no I mean.... Leona." Rich-mond said with his hands raised in surrender.
" Guys....concentrate, please!" Michael hissed from his side whilst helplessly helping Mrs. Klaus off the ground.
" Get off me....you fool!" The older looking daugh- ter yelled at the slightly shorter and younger look- ing one, her voice filled with disdain." You've ruined my make up!"
" It was your fault for being so restless!" The younger- looking daughter, refusing to be at a lo- ss retorted whilst getting angrily off the floor." What were you rushing for! There are many of them here and mom called us all here! That stupid Stella isn't here to steal them away like with the previous times....."
" Shuuuut up!" Mrs. Klaus yelled on top of her lungs, anger and embarrassment evident on her caked face. Her make up now wiped off on her left cheek. When her daughters looked wide - eyed at her, she gestured to the boys standing with various degrees of displeasure showing on their faces. She thought her gesturing was sub-tle, but it was anything but that under the watch-ful eyes around them.
" Oh...hi there....handsomes!" The older - looking daughter immediately gaining control of her self said with what she assumed was a bright and lovely smile. " I'm Glenda-eighteen. And this is my younger....."
She was moving on to introduce her little sister when her sister hip-pushed her to the side sudd suddenly. Before she could stabilise herself and complain, her sister was standing right in front of her introducing herself more flirtatiously than she had. Even though there was enough space for them to stand side by side and still be seen.
" Hi.... I'm Alexa, I turned seventeen last month. Sorry for what happened earlier. It was just a mistake. Which school do all go to? It must be very expensive right? Your uniforms.... Oh I now remember! You're all from Crystal Heights Senior High! My goodness! I'm the top student in my cla-ss and the most beautiful too. I'm more talented and presentable than that Stella. She's a full - on trashy girl. Always flirting with our suitors. She's nothing but a disgrace. I'm available to anyone of you here. You should choose me!" She beemed proudly at the end of her long flirty speech.
" Hey Ray." Chris whispered to Raymond. " Are we at a brothel or something? "
" From the look of things, I think we are. Stella just found herself in the wrong place." Raymond answered in a whisper.
Having finished her flirty speech, Alexa walked seductively to Michael who was closer whilst eyeing Philip as she went. However, just as she reached out to touch Michael who had reached the end of his patience, she was shoved to the side,causing her to almost fall.
" Where's Stella?" He asked impatiently.
" I've thrown her out!" Mrs. Klaus snapped in reply upon seeing her daughter rejected so harshly. " I don't care where is she is! She's not my daugh - ter!"
" You knew she isn't feeling well, yet you ruthless- ly threw her out? " Richmond asked in anger and disappointment." What kind of a woman are you?"
" Hey young man!" Mrs. Klaus snaked, pointing her left index finger at Richmond.
" Mom....mom....what are you doing? "Her daugh-ters whispered and rushed to her side, trying to let her control her temper so as to not destroy whatever little chances they had with the boys. But the woman didn't seem to care anymore ;
"Move aside!" She snaled, pushing her daughters aside, then continued ;- " I took her in for just thirty dollars a week, but that ungrateful brat refu-sed to pay this week's rent and faught with my daughters. She's an ungrateful little brat!"
" Faught with your daughters? Hah! What a joke!" Leona asked with a loud scoff while moving for-ward and stood frearlessly in front of Mrs. Klaus. Then continued ; " Do you think my brother and I don't know you make her do the laundry for your whole family recently? All because her payments has been delaying.....you greedy vippers!"
" That was only normal!" Glenda said unapologe-tically, folding her arms in front of her. " She was supposed to pay fifty dollars per week for rent and bills. Since she couldn't afford it and has been delaying her payment recently, she had to do some house chores to compensate! How does that make us Vippers?"
"What!" The five boys and the twins couldn't belie-ve their ears.
" Fifty dollars for week's rent?! She was just fifteen then!" Chris asked in sheer disbelief.Thou-gh it was hardly an amount he or his friends would look at, for Stella, he knew it was close to an impossibility.
" Yeah. But as good as my mom was, she redu- ced it to thirty dollars. It was either that, or she or she would have been on the streets!" Alexa snapped.
" Look her." Michael began, moving slowly closer to the Klaus family. Standing in front of them, he spoke in a low and frightening calmness with his gaze cold and dark. His aura chillngly suppres - sive ; " I can get the police here within ten minu-tes to arrest each one of you here for maltreat - ment, fraud and attempted murder."
"Attempted murder?!"All three of the Klaus family members exclaimed in synchronisation.
" Wow! " Of all three crimes they could be arrested for, they chose murder." Raymond said sarcastically, leaning casually against his car.
" Either you give me useful information about Stella, or I call the corps." Michael continued. "She was sick and you threw her out. I consider that as trying to kill her."
" Okay....okay.....I think she might have gone to work for her money." Mrs. Klaus said.
" Which of her works?" Leo asked.
" How will I know?!" She retorted angrily. But upon seeing the look on Michael 's face, she controlled her temper." She does a lot of works."
" I heard her arguing with her restaurant boss this morning." Alexa said quickly. " They seemed to be arguing about her payment."
" Which restaurant?" Philip asked seriously, his deep eyes looking like they might stare right into her soul.
" The old yellow painted one on your way here." Alexa answered, looking eager to finish up so they could get going. She had lost interest in them. What was initially attraction had turned to fear. They were just so scary!
" Let's go." Micheal said simply after turning back to the rest. Without sparing second looks at the three anxious at the three anxious and scared Klaus family members, they got in their cars and drove off.