THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY, Levi came home with a black eye.
Despite the fact that he slipped off his jacket quietly and kept his head down as he entered the apartment, it didn't go unnoticed by Lex's sharp eyes.
"Hi Levi," he greeted from his spot on the couch, and Levi froze in the dooropening of his bedroom, his back facing Lex.
"Um... hi," Levi muttered, before walking into his room.
"Wait, I wasn't done yet," Lex stopped him, and Levi shifted uncomfortably, but didn't turn around to face him.
"Why are you home this late?" Lex asked calmly, checking the clock on the wall before continuing, "it's almost six o'clock."
"I um... I was hanging out with some of my friends," Levi answered.
"Really?" Lex asked, sounding genuinely curious, "you should introduce me to these friends of yours sometime."
"I uhh... I can't."
"Why would that be?" Lex enquired, an undertone of sarcasm lacing into his voice.
"Because they um... they might recognize you! You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Levi."
"Just... I'm kind of tired, okay? Could you leave me alone?"
Lex stood up with a sigh, putting his laptop aside and walking up to Levi, who shrunk back slightly.
Lex turned Levi around, and pulled his chin up with his index finger.
"Who did this?" he demanded, studying the bruise that was starting to form around his eye.
"Nobody!" Levi answered a little too quickly, stepping backwards, "I um... I walked into a tree!"
"Levi. If you're going to lie to me, at least use something less cliché."
"Fine, I was beat up by my one of my classmates! Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Name?"
"Damien."
"Surname?"
"What does that even matter?"
"I need to know you're not making this up. Surname?"
"I don't know, something with 'wood' in it."
Lex frowned, his jaw steeling.
"Excuse me, I need to go beat someone up."
"Lex, no!" Levi grabbed Lex's arm before the latter could storm off, and Lex paused, giving Levi an unimpressed glare.
"No?" he repeated, raising both eyebrows.
"No," Levi echoed, "I... I can't let you. Besides... he'll think I'm not strong enough to handle it by myself."
Lex let out a soft hiss of annoyance when he realized Levi was right. Interfering would only make Levi's situation worse.
He glanced sideways, Isabel's gaze meeting his own.
Unless...
"Hmmm," Lex answered, "fine, I won't beat him up. But if you change your mind..."
"You'll beat him up for me anyway?" Levi managed a small smile, "thanks, Lex."
"It's nothing," Lex replied, pulling his hand out of Levi's grasp and averting his eyes, "like I said before, I can't hand you back to Ray in pieces."
"Right."
Levi lingered in the doorway a moment longer, and Lex walked back to his laptop.
"And put some ice on that!" Lex ordered.
"Yes sir," Levi answered, moving to the kitchen.
"Highcrest High, right?" Lex mumbled to Isabel, typing the schools name into the web browser. It took him only a few seconds to find the school website, and only a few more to hack into the database to find all the students in Levi's class.
Stuart Elttil, Jamie White, Neall White -- hmm, must be twins or something -- Lily Robinson -- wait, is this list sorted alphabetically or not? -- Tim Scott... aha! Damien Westwood.
Lex's eyes narrowed in concentration as he noted the phone number written behind the name, and copied it down onto a piece of paper. Then he opened a new window and did some research on the Westwood family. It didn't take him long to figure out that they lived in a mansion on the other side of Highcrest, and that Damien was the oldest -- and only -- child in the family.
Lex walked to the kitchen with his phone in his hand, seeing Levi hold a pack of ice cubes against his eye.
"Levi, I need to make a quick call," he explained, "you can go do your homework, I'd prefer not to be disturbed."
Levi nodded, still holding the ice to his face as he walked to his room, closing the door behind him.
Lex smirked to himself, typing the phone number in on his mobile phone while Isabel watched in confusion.
What are you doing? her eyes seemed to say, and Lex put a finger to his lips.
"Shhhh, I'm on the phone."
A soft beeping sound was the only proof that the call was transmitting, and then a click was heard as the person on the other side answered the phone.
"Damien Westwood speaking."
Lex almost gagged -- those three words, tinted with a light Irish accent, radiated such a high concentration of spoiled brat that it was almost cringeworthy.
"Hi, I'm here to ask if you know a Levi Richards?" he asked politely.
"Oh, I think you have the wrong number--"
"No, I'm sure I don't," Lex answered, and the certainty in his voice made the person at the other end of the line pause.
"What do you want?" Damien enquired, the four words suspended between a demand and a request.
"I want you to leave Levi alone," Lex answered, his voice a low threat.
Damien laughed -- a hollow, shallow laugh that Lex subconsciously associated with psychopaths and bullies from movies.
"Levi sent you? I knew the kid was too weak to take care of his own problems. What a loser."
"Levi didn't send me. He doesn't even know I exist."
Lex could almost hear Damien frowning at those words.
"But then how do you know...?"
"...that you're bullying him? I'm his personal bodyguard," Lex grinned to himself, starting to enjoy his own lie, "I've been shadowing him. And I called you to tell you that this is your first and only warning. Leave him alone."
Damien scoffed, but he wasn't sounding half as confident as he had at the beginning of the conversation.
"Or what, you'll beat me up? You can't do that, my father--"
"...would have my head?" Lex finished with an eyeroll.
There was a silence that confirmed Lex's statement, and he met Isabel's gaze with a minimal shake of his head.
Why do they always threaten to call in their fathers? Can't he threaten me with his mother instead? Honestly, that would be scarier.
"Listen up Damian--"
"It's Damien."
"Do re mi whatever. You're right, I won't physically attack you, quite simply because then you'd know what I look like. But there are other ways. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would be interested in your little... secret."
"You're bluffing."
"Damien, you live on 18 Layor Street, and your father is a businessman that sells weaponry. Your mother is said to have died in a natural disaster in Japan three years ago, but in reality she was assassinated by enemies of your father's. You have no siblings, only a butler named Reltub. Need I go on, or are you convinced I'm not bluffing?"
There was a moment's pause.
"You just want me to leave Richards alone?"
"Just leave Levi alone. That's all."
Another pause.
"I'm gonna need your name."
"Hah, you wish jellyfish. I prefer to stay anonymous, thank you very much. But if you have more to say, give Levi a note addressed to Gavin Lestrade, I'm sure he'll pass on the message. Good evening!"
Before Damien could say another word, Lex hung up. He turned to face Isabel, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"If that doesn't do the trick, I don't know what will."