"So... Who exactly lives in this monstrous house? It's bigger than yours..."
"Duke Edward von Lohengrin, his wife Gertrude, and their four children. Two sons and two daughters. Dietrich makes five. He is the youngest."
"And if Dietrich's family is still alive, and they seem to be fairly well-to-do..." Cain was staring up at the three-story, sprawling mansion from the end of the lengthy drive, just inside the wrought iron gate. The drive led to a large four-car garage, and forked off to pass in front of the stately-looking doorstep, columns supporting the overhang that sheltered and enormous set of double doors in dark wood with stained glass windows. "...Then why would they allow him to join an organization like Rosenkreuz? I thought they were terrified of his abilities, and that's what we look for in our members."
"They do not know that is why we took him in," Isaak said simply, elegantly taking a drag from his needle-sharp cigarillo, "They are under the impression that he is attending a boarding school for boys with mental disorders. They believe his genius and his special abilities to be an illness." Isaak sighed. Cain made a soft, disgusted noise in the back of his throat.
"What does Dietrich do exactly? His 'special ability,' I mean."
"He can create a thin fiber, no thicker than spider's silk, which he can insert into the skin of a person he touches. It connects to their nervous system, and he can control both their sensory and motor nerves. I would have to agree with them that it is horribly troubling that he could punish his parents back if they chose to reprimand him, but..."
"Intelligence isn't a disease, and most human parents would be happy to have a child with Methuselah powers... They're just stupid," Cain scoffed.
"Indeed." Isaak nodded once, his glossy sheet of black hair rippling with the small movement. Isaak tossed his finished cigarillo on the ground and crushed it beneath one of his shiny dress shoes, and then the pair made for the front door at a steady pace.
"So why are we here, then? And without Dietrich?"
"They believe us to be his teachers, and also the owners of the school. That is what I told them in the letter, however... They believe that I am the headmaster, not you... Forgive me, but I did not feel that you looked old enough to convince them."
"No, that's fine. You do more work in Rosenkreuz anyway," Cain waved it off.
"Well, then... We are required to visit his parents to update them on his 'progress,' so we will be staying for a day or two. Di will be along in a few hours; he had things to tend to before he came here. That, and I believe he is stalling for as long as he can. His entire family treats him poorly and he has no desire to be here for very long." Isaak's brow crinkled noticeably, and Cain saw it when he turned back to glance at the vampire.
"It hurts you, doesn't it? Knowing he has to come back here and be treated badly when he has a loving father already... I know you love him, and he knows too."
"Yes... That poor boy. They do not deserve such a son. He is a true gem." Cain rested his hand on Isaak's shoulder as they stopped at the foot of the porch stairs, concerned because of the pained expression on Isaak's face. Isaak sighed, straightening his suit and changing the look on his face to the flawless, porcelain facade he had so skillfully crafted for the public.
"Come. We must make a good impression and not be late."
"What are we going to say we do?"
"I am professor of writing and literature. You might as well teach mathematics or computer programming, since you are so skilled."
"But would they believe a 'mentally ill' child can learn the lost art of computer programming?"
"I do not see why it matters. They will not likely care what we teach the boy, as long as we 'fix' him." As they reached the front door, Isaak raised his hand and rapped sharply on it with his knuckles. A man of average height with thin, graying hair answered the door. He was wearing an exquisite suit similar to Isaak's—though it was in warmer shades of tan and brown, not the melancholy black and red of the vampire—and he had a pair of rounded spectacles on his nose. He smiled when he saw them.
"Ah! You must be Dietrich's teachers! Come in, gentlemen!" Isaak and Cain stepped across the threshold, Cain wearing a rather skeptical look a he examined the cavernous entryway, looking around with a bit of distaste, probably due to the knowledge of what they thought of 'different' people. What would they do if they discovered Cain and Isaak were different too? At least Dietrich was human.
Unlike Cain, Isaak maintained a polite smile, looking around too, but with skillfully feigned interest, trying to be as courteous as he could muster.
"My name is Edward von Lohengrin, and you are...?"
"Isaak Fernand von Kampfer, Professor of writing and literature, and headmaster of the school." His speech flowed flawlessly, and he bowed low, his long hair nearly touching the floor.
"Uhm... Cain Nightroad. Professor of mathematics and... Computer... Programming." He, too, bowed.
"Really?" Edward looked impressed, "A computer programmer? At your age? Ah, I envy you, sir!" he chuckled. "Well, come and join my family for dinner, would you?" He led them to a spacious dining room with a long, rectangular hardwood table where Edward's wife an four of his children were seated, already enjoying a delicious-smelling meal that Isaak was more than pleased to be allowed to join in on. Cain, however, always found human food to be unappetizing, and tried to hide the wrinkle of his nose. He would definitely have to hunt later.
There were a few empty seats—three to be exact—near Edward's end of the table, and Isaak and Cain took the ones to Edward's right, sitting side-by-side as they couldn't back in Thurm.
"Everyone, this is Mr. Von Kampfer and Mr. Nightroad. Gentlemen, this is my family. My wife, Gertrude," a slight woman with ringlet curls wearing a long silk gown in midnight blue, the low cut neckline showing off a gaudy diamond necklace, "My eldest son, Danzig," a young man of fifteen with a hairstyle remarkably similar to Dietrich's. He may have been Dietrich's older twin, but his features were not as pretty, and his eyes were dark, not bright, liquid amber, "My eldest daughter and firstborn child, Camille," she looked just like her mother, and was practically a woman already, of seventeen or eighteen years old, and her nose was upturned slightly in a snobbish fashion, though the vampire and Krusnik did not miss her interested glance in their direction, "My other son, Christian," a dark-haired boy, of twelve or so, looking rather bored as he played with his fork, "And my youngest daughter Sylvia." She was about ten, and bore the same rounded face and friendly smile as her father.
"I am pleased to meet all of you," Isaak said politely.
"And so am I," Cain said softly.
"Why have you not brought Dietrich with you? Is he not coming?" Gertrude asked, setting her fork down on her empty plate. Isaak had started to fill his own.
"He is coming, but he will not be along until later. He is actually a very busy boy."
"Is that so?" Edward raised his eyebrows, "Does this mean he's getting better?" Cain eyed Isaak as he prepared to respond, knowing his dark-haired vampire didn't like the condescending tone Edward had used.
"...Yes..." Isaak sad softly.
"Good. As long as he's behaving himself."
"Oh, he is. He is a good boy, I promise you." Isaak ate in silence for a while, glancing around the table. Perhaps it was just Isaak's fatherly affection for Dietrich, or maybe even the fact they both had unusual abilities for their kind that made Dietrich so easy for him to love and relate to, but he thought it was ridiculous that any parent could dislike their own child, no matter what they could or couldn't do. It was because of them that Dietrich had formed a twisted nature, and a slight sadistic edge.
"Is there something the matter, Mr. Von Kampfer?"
"No... It is... It is nothing. Nothing at all." He smiled, realizing he must have had a troubled look on his face.
Suddenly, the front door clicked and swung open, heavy footsteps sounding on the wood floor, along with the loud thuds of several heavy suitcases. He had offered to bring all of Isaak and Cain's things with him when he arrived. A familiar, boyish voice echoed in the vaulted entryway,
"I'm home!"
"We're in the dining room!" Gertrude called back. Isaak didn't miss the flash of red fabric on a black suit jacket as Dietrich stuffed his uniform in one of his bags and dropped it on the floor too. Isaak cast him a look, warning him to be careful where he showed his uniform, to which the boy smiled sheepishly, and jumped into the empty chair across from Isaak.
"I decided to just come already. I couldn't focus on my homework. Professor von Neumann's science is hard..." he chuckled.
"Hard for a nine-year-old boy?" Edward all but demanded. Dietrich could tell is father was testing him, and he spoke carefully.
"Yes... Hard for a boy my age."
"And what about that... Thing... You do?"
"Gone. I don't do it anymore."
"Wonderful." he turned to Isaak and Cain, "I am so very pleased you have managed to turn my son around for the better. I was concerned for his mental health," he chuckled. Dietrich glared at the plate in front of him that he'd already filled with dinner, seething resentment toward his father.
"So, Di, what did they do at this school to make you better?" Danzig asked. Dietrich took a deep breath, preparing is reply.
"Well..." Dietrich did his best to muster the same polite attitude that Isaak had, "We just... Don't focus on things like that."
"What do you mean?" asked Edward, interested now.
"You see, when we treat them like normal students, any abnormalities clear up on their own," Isaak added, "He is very well-behaved, and I am proud of his progress." Isaak smiled at Dietrich, conveying his fatherly feelings toward the boy. Dietrich smiled, satisfied.
"I see..." Edward was definitely displeased by Isaak's friendly smile. Was he jealous? Disapproving that Isaak thought so highly of him? He should be. Isaak was even more convinced now that these people did not deserve to have Dietrich in their family.