"I've tried joining. Didn't work out."(Game of Thrones, Season 6 Episode 8, 'The Hound')

"Our son is strong enough as it is, Camelia. Did you see him beat all the tutors we hired to train him in martial arts? Besides, he just turned three-hundred years old. He's no longer a child you constantly have to worry about."

Fayez, who had been packing his belongings for the last thirty minutes, stopped what he was doing to intently listen to his parents' barely whispered words.

It humoured him, how they spoke about him as if they were unaware that he was just in the next room. When he was a toddler, he was always annoyed by the fact that everyone seemed to be all too aware of his presence, talking about him behind his back and looking at him with frightened expressions.

Everything changed after that dramatic event, when he accidentally killed a little girl, the only friend he ever had. After that, not only did he wisely kept his gloves on at all times, but he also did his best to keep his social interractions with the others residents of the castle to the strict minimum. Gone was the daring, lively little boy. Even his parents didn't get more than a few words out of him on a daily basis.

Gradually, the beautiful but doomed creature, about whom there was so much gossips, became a mere presence, one that you could easily forget about. He turned into a docile, studious teenager but, as vampires age much more slowly than human beings, you could tell that there was still a fire burning under this impassive exterior, and that being the perfect little child was boring him to death - no pun intended.

Now, he was three-hundred years old, which equated to twenty-one years old in the human world. He was a powerful, educated, level-headed young lad. Although his business required most of his energy, and he was a very busy man who didn't have much time to devote to his family, Fayez's father was very proud of him. As for the servants, they saw Fayez as a polite and impartial young master, and that was more than enough for them. The only person who sometimes seemed to regret the old Fayez was his mother.

"Robert, please. Fayez might look strong and intimidating on the outside, but he is my son and I know him - although, not as much as I used to. Under his though appearance, there's a wild, wary little boy who's still traumatized by -"

" You're being overly dramatic. All I see is a fine-looking adult vampire."

"Then you're being in denial"

"Camelia! Must I remember you that you're the one who suggested that it was time for him to go face the real world?"

"I know, alright? I know, and I am sure that it's the right thing to do, as he is not happy here. Still, I can't help being worried about him leaving the castle. We're all he's ever known! He might be clever, but compared to the other students, he will be too innocent, too unexperienced. Besides, how will he handle being around strangers all the time? Can you really picture him in a dormitory? For Christ's sake, I think the last time I heard the sound of his voice was two days ago, when he asked me to pass him the salt during the dinner. He's not fit for community life"

Well, thanks for the boost in confidence, mum, Fayez thought with a sour expression, before taking his luggage and discreetly entering the room where his parents were still arguing about him.

"... like a sheep in a den of wolves!"

"Mother, Father, I'm ready to leave now"

Upon hearing their son's monotonous voice, his parents startled and looked at Fayez with a guilty expression.

"Oh, hi, darling. Didn't hear you coming." his mother sheepishly told him.

"We were talking about how we believe in you, and are convinced that you will have an amazing time at the Institute for Supernatural Beings" his father had the audacity to add, which almost caused Fayez to snort, because did they really believe he was that gullible?

Because he was trained in behaving the way his father wanted, though, he merely nodded, his air of confidence never wavering.

"Well, at least you don't seem anxious about finally leaving the castle" his mother commented, sounding relieved.

"Of course, he isn't. My son knows his own strenght. He is aware that he has nothing and none to be afraid of" his father proudly declared.

Instead of replying, Fayez nodded again, not noticing how his mother seemed to be saddened by his lack of verbal answers.

The truth was, right now Fayez was a bundle of nerves - only, even if he had intended to tell his parents how he really felt, which wasn't the case, he wouldn't have known how to express himself.

For the last few days, he had been pacing in his room, his mind reeling at the prospect of what was awaiting for him outside of these walls. The servants of the castle didn't have a problem with him being asocial, but he doubted things would be as easy at the Institute, with other supernatural beings. He had a vague knowledge about the kind of life most people his age led, even in the supernatural world. They had friends, rebelled against their parents' authority, flirted, had sex, got a heartbreak and came back for more new experiences.

Fayez didn't have any of this, not that he was interested in having this kind of experiences anyway. Maybe a small part of him still wished his life was different. Maybe, on gloomy days, at night, when the castle was quiet and he thought that if he died, nobody would really care, maybe then did he longed for love, or at least a semblant of affection.

Those occurences were rare, though. For the most part, he had accepted the fact that he was doomed to lead a lonely life. It was fine with him, as long as he could be uselful to others, for Fayez had a dream: he wanted to help the human race. He felt he had a debt to humans, because of Ana's premature death. He wanted to become so strong that he could protect these weaklings against the supernatural creatures, as he knew that for some of them, humans' lives didn't have any value.

This was the only reason he had accepted his mother's proposition to enter the ISB, where he could receive a more complete training. Of course, his parents knew nothing about his secret intents, and, although they had been surprised to see him agree so quickly, they had been thrilled about it.

"What about my gloves?" he asked in a neutral voice. "Won't it be suspicious if I keep them on all the time?"

His parents looked at him in silence for almost a minute, and Fayez had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. True, it was not common for him to utter so many words in the same day, but they could have at least the decency not to look so stunned.

"Don't worry about it, honey" his mother eventually replied, her voice shaking slightly. "I talked to the director of the Institute- about it. He will make an excuse for the rest of the teaching staff. Besides, he told me that some students have a very unique dressing style, so I'm sure you won't get too much attention with your gloves. I even bought you a fancier pair of gloves, so it can be part of your attire"

"Your mum is right, we took care of the situation" his dad confirmed, with a much softer expression than before. "All you have to think about is having fun, learning new things and making good friends. Sounds awesome, right?"

Fayez felt it, then. A little twinge of sorrow. Until now, he had been convinced that his parents had been secretly happy to send him away. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe they still loved him, despite the fact that he was not only a taciturn person, but also an abomination, who was a danger to himself and to others.

"Thank you" was all he replied, but his parents looked at him with a fond expression.

"Of course!" they exclaimed in a single voice, before his dad motionned for him to come closer.

That was it. The moment he had dreaded for weeks. His dad and him would teleport to the Institute for Supernatural Beings. It would be the first time Fayez would use teleportation, as he never went anywhere, and he hoped it would go well. Theoritically, he knew how to do it, but he wasn't naive enough not to be aware of the fact that there was a world between theory and practice.

"Don't worry, son, I will guide you" his father reassured him. "Just follow my lead. Come on, stand in the circle that I traced on the ground"

They stood close to each other, much too close for Fayez's comfort, for he was not used to such proximity with other beings. He took a look at his mother's face. She saw him looking at her, and took a step in his direction, raising her arm before letting it fall limply against her hip. Fayez quickly looked away, so she wouldn't see his suddenly too bright eyes. As for his father, he did not seem to notice the emotionally charged atmosphere.

She wouldn't touch him. Even in such circumstances, even though he had his gloves on and wasn't technically dangerous, she wouldn't touch him.

"Goobye, son. Take good care of yourself and keep in touch" she whispered, looking on the verge of tears.

Well, she could cry, for all he cared. She could pretend all she wanted that she still loved him, Fayez would never be fooled again.

"Mother" he nodded curtly.

She let out a pained cry, before hurrying outside of the room.

"Son..." his father started, before stopping as he met his son's cold glare.

"Never mind" he mumbled, closing his eyes and putting his left hand at the spot where his heart would have been, if he was a human. Fayez did the same, and they stood there in silence for a minute, trying to focus enough to realize their teleportation, which was a tricky thing to do.

"Are you ready, son?"

Fayez nodded, then, as his father was still looking at him, he reluctantly added: "I am"

"Remember, you have to picture the ISB in your mind, and you have to really want to go there, otherwise you might be teleported somewhere else."

"And how do I do that?"

"Just remember the reasons why you want to go to the Institute in the first place"

Fayez closed his eyes again, and immediately Ana's little face came to his mind.

"Let's go, father. The teleportation will work. I know it will."