The Man With The Gloves (mxmxmxm)

3. The Institute For Supernatural Beings

"A guy needs somebody - to be near him. A guy goes nut if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick" (John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men)

Much to Fayez's relief, when he opened his eyes again, he was laying on the ground in front of the Institute for Supernatural Beings. There was no mistaking it, as the Institute was exactly the way he had pictured it, based on his parents' words. It was a castle, but it didn't look the slightest like the castle in which Fayez had grown up. This castle was much bigger, but there was something unwelcoming about it, something so cold about his dark brick walls and huge towers that Fayez almost wanted to run back into the forest.

And meet this crazy Faya again? I'd rather try my luck and see for myself what's so great about the institute.

There was a problem, though. As far as he could see, the castle had no doors, and there wasn't a single soul around to show him the way.

Why is everything so fucking complicated already? I'm getting fed up with all these puzzles. First, the weird lady who tries to get into my head, now, a castle without any doors. Is this supposed to be a 'genius only'  kind of Institute? That would be a problem, cause I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, as Faya so kindly put it. I am, after all, a Slytherin at heart, not a freakin Ravenclaw who spends his days solving riddles.

After closely examinating a wall where a huge door was DRAWN - the people who designed this castle probably had a weird sense of humor - Fayez eventually noticed that there was a small inscription above the painting.

Show your arm - was all that was written.

Feeling even more confused, Fayez did so and ....

... nothing happened.

"Oy! How much longer will it take you to finally get it? You have to show your other arm, you moron! The one with the sign on it"

"Huh?" was Fayez eloquent reply, as he looked up and startled when he saw a small young man sitting on top of the ramparts.

"Do it now, so we can both get inside" urged the guy, with an exasperated voice. "I'm freezing my ass here."

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to just obey some stranger's commands, but Fayez still lifted up the right sleeve of his coat, while being careful not to remove his glove in the process.

As soon as his arm was bared, he heard a high-pitched cry and a few seconds later, the small guy was graciously landing next to him.

"Huh"

"Huh. Huh. Is that all you can say? What are you, some sort of caveman?" the red-haired insolently asked.

"How comes you managed to land unharmed? These walls are so high!" mutters Fayez, who still felt so shocked that he forgot he didn't like talking, especially to rude strangers.

"It talks!" exclaimed the young mand, clapping his hands with a mocking expression, before unceremoniously grabbing Fayez's arm.

His expression turned more serious, then, as he ran his thumb against the purple dot.

Fayez winced at the contact, and did his best not to shake too violently. For someone who hadn't been hugged or kissed in centuries, even the most delicate touch was downright unbearable, but he didn't want to be regarded as a freak on his very first day at the Institute.

" Weird" commented the nameless guy under his breath. "I would have bet The Spirit of The Woods would have place you under Zephyr's command or maybe even Saphos'. I mean, looking at you, I could have never expected... -  well, she's supposed to be always right, so we better not question her decisions." he eventually declared, before finally releasing Fayez's arm, much to the latter's relief.