A life in the shadows

24

Matteo and Damon walked over to their rooms. Matteo was about to open the door to his own room when he felt something. He couldn't pinpoint it, but all he knew was that he wanted to scream. He held it in, surprisingly easily. This must have been what Emily meant when she said the witches would help him with his banshee side.
"You okay?" Damon asked his brother.
"Courtyard." Matteo said before running ahead. Damon followed his brother. Matteo leaped up onto a clock tower kind of place. Damon frowned- he'd never seen a vampire jump like that. Matteo made vampires look like awkward, bumbling humans. Damon shook his head and jumped after his brother who was cradling a student in his arms. Matteo nodded at Damon to leave, not wanting to agitate the kid further.
"What's going on Callum?" Matteo asked the young teenager.
"I can't- I can't do this." He sobbed into Matteo. "The witches hate me. They fear me. I don't fit in with them. I don't want to be a warlock anymore, Mr Salvatore."
"And you thought death would be the answer?"
"I thought maybe I could turn into a vampire. I'd still be supernatural. Maybe I could still come to this school, but I don't want to be a warlock."
"I'm sure the witches don't hate you."
"They do. Here, they just don't like me, my best friend is a vampire and my mother was a werewolf. They're all afraid of what would happen if I triggered my wolf gene. If I was a vampire I wouldn't have to worry about that. I'd be untriggered forever."
"Callum, vampirism isn't always a gift. You're a warlock, it's who you are. If you turn, you'll lose that link to nature. You'll regret it later on."
"I don't want to have a link to nature, Mr Salvatore. It doesn't feel right. Sometimes I feel I was born wrong. That I'm not really supposed to be a witch."
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you Callum. Nothing whatsoever. Don't let anyone tell you there is."
"But what if there is? I mean, I don't fit anywhere. I don't fit in with the other witches, or the other untriggered werewolves or even at home with my family."
"Callum, you are a good person. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. So what if you don't 'fit in'? This is not a school for fitting in, it's a place where you can stand out." Callum sighed and shifted onto his other foot.
"It doesn't feel like it." He frowned.
"Tell you what, give it a year. Okay? I've seen what happens to witches and warlocks who turn into vampires. And it almost never ends well for them. So just give it one more year. Explore your magic. And if you still hate it... You will always have a place here, kid." Callum looked up at the founder of his school and slowly nodded.
"Okay."
"Now what do you say we get down from here?"
"Thank you, Mr Salvatore." Callum said. Matteo smiled at him and grabbed him, gently lowering the both of them to the ground.
"Go on, get to the rec room." He slightly nudged the young boy.
"Who's he?" Callum nodded at Damon who was staring at them.
"He's my brother, Damon."
"Awesome." Callum grinned before rushing back into the school. Matteo walked to his brother.
"You're here for three hours and already you've talked a kid from suicide?"
"Your point, brother?"
"There's a lot I have to get to know of you."
"And you will."
"How'd you know the kid was gonna kill himself?"
"I just did." He shrugged. "Go to sleep. We'll be up early in the morning, tomorrow."
"Sure, whatever." Damon said walking off to his room. Matteo walked after him to his own room. He walked inside. The walls were red, Siobhan had insisted on decorating when he made it clear he had no intention of painting the bleak, white walls. He gave a soft chuckle as he remembers the last time he was in the room. He'd been with Siobhan and she had insisted they stay for a month. He never could say no to her. And the more he thought about it, the clearer it was becoming to him. He and Siobhan always had a bond no one could explain. They were best friends, bed buddies, and there was no one either of them trusted more. He couldn't believe he didn't realise that in the decades they'd been together, he was falling in love with her. Taking out his phone, he dialled her number with a smile.
"Matty." She greeted, a smile creeping on her face too.
"Hey, darling."
"How's it going with Damon?"
"I took him to the lanes, reintroduced him to just about everyone. We hung out a little. We're sleeping over at the school, tonight."
"Of course you are."
"What's that supposed to mean? I brought him here to show him who I am."
"If you want to show him Matteo Salvatore, I think the London institute would be perfect."
"Yeah, except we don't have time to go to London." Matteo walked over to his bed and lying down on it. "I just want him to know I'm still his brother. Sure I've changed a little, but not completely."
"It's only been a few weeks Matteo, give it time. He'll soon see you to be the brother he loved."
"I hope so. So what are you doing right now?"
"Getting ready for bed."
"What are you wearing?" He asked, flirtatiously.
"Shut up!" She scolded. "Goodnight, love."
"Night darling." Matteo hung up with a grin. He went on his messages and sent Jessamine a quick text.
Could you dig up info on Lockwood werewolves. Where they might be right now. There's one in Mystic Falls, thought he should know more about his family.
~M