"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." (Khalil Gibran)

He should be more excited.

No, that's not correct. A normally constituted person should be terrified at the prospect of leaving the castle and facing some unknown dangers.

That's why Nassiba looked like she was on the verge of regurgitating her way too heavy breakfast. The chubby guy next to them - Akira, was it? - was now so pale, Zephyr's ass probably looked tanned in comparison.

Wow, that was a really disturbing image, especially after the kiss they had shared the night before.

Stop. Zephyr's ass wasn't something he should be thinking about. Especially not right now, when they were about to start their first mission, and Akhenaton was giving them his instructions.

What if Master Akhenaton could read his thoughts, and discover that Fayez had been trying to determine the exact color of his boyfriend's ass? He couldn't help but snicker as he tried to picture Akhenaton's reaction.

That would be hilarious. Fayez's fun would surely be short-lived, but that would definitely be worth it. Anything to piss the arrogant prefect off.

Fayez, contrary to most of the other rookies here, wasn't feeling anxious about the mission. The reason was that after kissing the blond vampire at the party, he had been too agitated to get any sleep.

In consequence, he was now too tired to even care about his soon-to-happen death - a concept that supernatural creatures, unsurprisingly, found difficult to grasp. Still, they were all aware that a painful ending wasn't something to look forward to.

"Alright, guys, the rules are pretty simple, so even the dumbest among you should be able to follow them." Akhenaton suddenly declared, his eyes briefly flitting to Fayez, who tightened his fists against his sides at the implied insult.

That bastard.

Also, why did Akhenaton have to look so hot in a simple black jumpsuit, with his hair tied in a thick braid that danced against his back everytime he moved? Fayez was also convinced the reason the prefect had put some black eyeliner was because the coquettish Zephyr had begged him to do so. The result was certainly impressive, the make up sublimating Akhenaton's piercing brown eyes.

"Rule number one: closely follow Prefect Saphos' students. Rule number two: make sure nobody from the city notices you. Prefect Saphos' s students shouldn't be left unsupervised at any time." Akhenaton ordered, his voice suddenly solemn, as he looked closely at his students to make sure they were all aware of the importance of this mission.

When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he then motioned them to follow him, which they did in an absolute silence and obedience.

Fayez gasped, then turned to Nassiba, as the eight other new recruits hurriedly went after Master Akhenaton.

"What? Is he serious? That's all the information he is going to disclose about this mission? Follow Saphos' s students? What's even the point? We have to follow students from our own Institute now? This is beyond ridiculous"

"I have no clue, but we better not question Master Akhenaton's orders, if we want to remain under his command" Nassiba advised him sternly, as if she could sense that Fayez was feeling rebellious. "I'm sure Prefect Saphos has been informed about it and that it has an importance we're not aware of just yet"

"Aggh, fine, Mrs Goody two shoes"

"Now, let's follow them quickly, or they will leave the castle without us and our participation in this mission will end before it even began"

"Still, Nassiba, this so-called mission seems pointless to me. What a bullshit job he gave us! I believe my skills could be better exploited"

"That's capitalism for you, darling. Now shut the fuck up, and let's focus on the task at end"

Fayez decided to follow his friend's advice, because she was right, it wasn't their role to question direct orders from their prefect, and he did want to remain a part of the ISB as long as possible.

Tonight was a turning-point, and he hoped he wouldn't fuck up his best chance at protecting the human race. So far, apart from the disaster that was his first day of training, he had been doing a great job at proving he was full of potential.

Even Master Ashur had been congratulating him on a few occasions for his technical feats in bare-handed fighting, while Master Zephyr had looked impressed when Fayez had managed to find his way out of a winding underground in no time.

After making sure Ashur could no longer hear him, the little mongrel had then winked at him, whispering "you're really well-trained, Fayez" in his ear.

Of course, this not so innocent comment had been enough to make Fayez turn redder than a poppy, which had undoubtly been the devilish vampire's main intent.

Needless to say, he hadn't received a single compliment from Master Akhenaton. Actually, the only time the man had looked at him during training had caused Fayez to loose all his sense of focus. He had ended up quickly loosing a fight against a pretty weak opponent.

Akhenaton had then smirked at him with a knowing expression, as he was laying on the ground. Fayez had felt so humiliated by his defeat he had spent the rest of the day locked in his bedroom - because he was a very mature young vampire.

However, despite the prefect's lack of enthusiasm, there was no doubt that Fayez had been making great progress already, during his short time at the ISB.

Yet, he had so many unanswered questions it was getting frustrating. Each day spent in this school added new questions to his already long list, and so far, he didn't have the beginning of an answer.

For instance - why did they have to follow Prefect Saphos's students ?

What were these guys going to do outside, which was deemed so important Akhenaton's new recruits weren't even informed about ?

Why only ten of the new recruits were present? Were the others deemed not ready for the mission?

Or maybe it was the opposite - maybe Fayez, Nassiba and the seven other persons had been summoned tonight because Akhenaton wasn't entirely convinced by their abilities. Was it some kind of test?

It didn't make sense, though. Fayez was one of the best among Master Akhenaton's new students - in all modesty.

No, only the best new students were here tonight, although the task didn't seem that complicated.

Follow Saphos's team members. What a stupi-

"Ouch!" he whispered-yelled, as he felt a sharp pain on his skull.

"Newbie, you better start focusing now, because I won't have time to save your pampered ass tonight" an exasperated voice hissed in his ear.

Fayez turned his face, and in doing so, his cheek brushed against Akhenaton prickly jaw, making him shiver.

He tried to move away from the brunet, but the grip on his hair only tightened, bringing fresh tears to his eyes. He thought wiser not to pursue any further his attempts at getting free.

"I am very focused! " he weakly protested, making the other snort in disbelief.

"Yeah? Then how did you not even notice that you are far behind your teamates already ?"

"I - fuck" Fayez cursed, as he realized that indeed, he could barely see retreating Nassiba's figure anymore, even with his enhanced sight. As for the others, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Yes, that's not a very good start, newbie."

"You're here, though. Were you worried about me ?" Fayez asked with a mocking tone, before grimacing when the brunet sharply pulled his hair back, as he was pressed even closer against the toned chest.

"Please, Akhe - Master Akhenaton, I would rather not turn bald too quickly. I've been told my mane is my biggest asset."

"I swear, under any other circumstances, I would have made you loose that cheeky attitude of yours, which you only seem to display to me" Akhenaton growled, but he sounded more impatient than mad. "Apologize, now."

"I'm sorry" Fayez mumbled, without conviction.

"Try harder. You can do better than that, brat"

"I'm sorry - M- Master Akhenaton" Fayez said quickly, as his pants suddenly felt too tight.

What on Earth was he getting aroused for? Since he had arrived at the ISB, his body had shown several signs of disfunction. Maybe he should see some specialist.

"That's much better, newbie. I knew you could be obedient" the prefect cooed, sounding as smug as ever.

To Fayez's relief, the grip on his hair loosened, but before he could think about moving away, he found himself tightly wrapped in strong arms.

He felt so confused he stood as motionless as possible, because he wasn't even sure Master Akhenaton himself realized the strangely intimate position they were in. He could feel the prefect's breath against his nape and smell his unique scent, a mix of cedar and fresh grass.

It felt good to touch him again.

If he didn't move, maybe he would be held a little longer? It was pathetic, enjoying the embrace of someone who didn't even like him. Yet, he couldn't help feeling at ease in the prefect's close proximity, just like the other times after the training and in the forest.

It was as if the mission no longer mattered. All that existed was the two of them, and the foreign desire growing in Fayez's chest.

Of course, because good things always come to an end, the prefect eventually let him go, although not without unknowkingly showing some signs of reluctance.

"What the fuck am I doing?" the prefect asked himself, an incredulous expression on his usually blank face.

Fayez didn't have an answer to this question, so he stood there in silence, staring at the prefect who looked as confused as he himself felt.

Because of Akhenaton's embrace, Fayez had now lost all of his sass from earlier. He didn't want the prefect to find out how meek he had become from a simple physical touch, so he stayed silent, trying to keep his face as expressionless as possible.

"You're one of our best climbers, so stay on the roofs" Akhenaton eventually declared in a blank voice, breaking the tense silence. "Try to be as discreet as possible and remember, your mission is to keep an eye on Prefect Saphos's team members. I advise you to pick one student and keep your eyes on them at all times."

"But - can't you at least tell me why? Am I being evaluated? Is it because I've failed in some way during training? Also, am I supposed to interract with Prefect Saphos's students, or look at them from afar?"

"That's for you to figure out" Master Akhenaton retorted, before jumping from the roof they were standing on and gracefully landing on the cobbled street, a few hundred meters down.

Fayez looked at him as he disappeared into an alley, feeling an unexplicable pang of sadness at the knowledge that the infuriating prefect was getting further and further away from him, as seconds went by.

The prefect was rude, cold, and even a tad bit cruel, yet, just like with his other lovers, Fayez was inexplicably attracted by him.

He kept telling himself it was a mere crush, but deep down, he was scared of his own level of neediness for people he barely knew, and who were already in a relationship.

When he saw the three of them together, he could feel a burning need inside of him, as if he was only now realizing that something had been missing his whole life. He knew daydreaming about the prefects was pointless, and wouldn't do him any good, as they were definitely out of his league.

Still, he was needing, and wanting, and aching.

He was suffering, sometimes to a point where he thought it would be better to leave the Institute, so he could forget about these three men and focus on his ultimate goal, which wasn't getting involved into a relationship.

He didn't have time for love, or even bits of affection, something which these three men would most likely never give to someone as boring as he was.

They were just playing with him, and he should know better that to fantasize about how it would be like to be part of their lives.

They would hug each others at night, fight over some silly things and make up the next minute. He would be able to touch them without feeling guilty for his dirty mind, learn more things about them and hopefully discover the world in their company.

They would do many things together, but what he would enjoy the most would be simple things of the everyday life, like the four of them watching a movie on their comfy couch, taking baths together or doing small talk during shared meals.

What the fuck am I doing? I'm on a mission, not on my psychologist's sofa.

He eventually roused himself from the trance he was in, and took a look at his surroundings.

It was his first time in the city, and it wasn't anything like what he had imagined from the books he had read at home.

The city was huge, and it was standing behind walls so high Fayez wondered what the inhabitants of the city were so afraid of.

Right now, the streets were quiet, and the small houses looked rather inoffensive, giving very welcoming vibes with their thatched roofs and colored doors.

As Fayez once more wondered why the presence of the squad was even needed in such peaceful-looking environment, a defeaning scream came from the alley just beneath the roof where he was standing.