My parents seemed to struggle with themselves for a moment but my mother steeled herself and walked forward to sit on the couch opposite me. My father followed a moment later and sat next to her.

The maid girl awkwardly set down two cups for my parents and poured them each some tea.

“Would you like some biscuits to go with the tea?” She asked politely.

“No thank you Rachel, please can you go and keep the food on the stove warm for us?”

“Of course Mistress.”

The girl left and an unsettling quiet came over the three of us.

I let a few seconds pass to gather my thoughts once again. There wouldn’t be pleasantries, there was no true desire for them.

“I understand that you do not wish for me to be here. I myself do not wish to stay here longer than necessary.”

My father opened his mouth, but I raised a hand. They didn’t flinch, but they did zero in on the hand as if it would strike them.

“Why…”

Why didn’t they love me. Why did they throw me away. Why did they never write to me. Why wasn’t I good enough.

“Why did you allow me to go to the Rising Dreamer Academy, and why did you pay for it?”

The question had been on my mind for months. Parents were not required to send children that were accepted into the school, but it was heavily encouraged, and those that were even in bad financial situations could even get support from the government.

Why would my parents, that had shunned and sent me away, to go to the school for freaks.

I could think of a few things, but I wasn’t sure on any of them.

“We wanted you to be happy,” my father said simply.

My face must of shown my disbelief, because my father continued.

“We know that we are not good parents for you, but I won’t apologize for that. You are not normal Monty.”

I really didn’t need them to remind me of that.

My mother looked at my father sharply, but released a quick breath our of her nose.

“Monty, with you being so different you were a possible hindrance to our business should the information of your… hobby, got out. Empyreans already have it hard enough in this country, most countries actually. However as a Dreamer we could write off any of you eccentric actions as it is normal for Dreamers to be abnormal. With that we knew that you were the kind of person that would be interested in becoming a Dreamer so it was also a chance for us to make up a bit of what we were unable to give you as a child,” my mother said.

I stayed silent as I stared at them, my father opening then closing his mouth. They must’ve remembered how I would make there be large bouts of silence in the middle of conversations as I thought.

Logically what my mother said made sense, it was one of the theories I had onto why they had not only allowed me to go to the RDA but also paid for it. It hadn’t been likely in my mind though.

“There is more,” I said, my eyes growing hard. “I do not believe that is it. You do not wish that I am happy, but never even once write me.”

“We-“ his mother began.

“I am not done speaking,” anger laced my words.

That was odd, most people I met told me my voice was as dead as the remnants of the Coal Empire’s capital city. My hand clenched my watch, and I had to stop myself from reaching out into my Dreamscape, there was no need for it here. It wouldn’t solve anything.

“There is more, there is more. I think that if I became a Dreamer you could use me. Use me for connections, for your business, for security. When I graduate I am sure you would expect me to provide some benefit to you.”

My vision had begun to darken, my breaths were heavier despite me not raising my voice. I felt trapped. My parents said a few words, but stopped as they saw I wasn’t paying attention. When my breathing had steadied I was able to focus on them.

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Guilt was plastered on their faces. Why? Guilt implied being guilty, so they must’ve expected something like that. I took a deep breath.

“Have you been receiving reports on my time at the school?” I asked.

“N-no, we have been informed that we will receive reports each quarter, unless you are seriously wounded or killed during your time in the Academy,” my father said.

“Hmm,” I would have preferred if they didn’t know that I was a Dreamer for as long as possible, however it seemed that they would get a letter soon.

I wanted to see what their reaction was when I told them.

“I can officially be called a Dreamer now, but I still have a lot of training to do.”

The two of them looked at one another and my mother visibly gulped. Were they scared? Worried that I would kill them? Or dissect them like animals? Did they need to be?

Even after years I still didn’t know how to explain to them that I didn’t want to just go around and kill people to dissect them. It wasn’t even that I didn’t want to I felt no inclination to. There were the brief moments like with Brax or Cystella, but those were rare.

I looked at both of my parents in the eyes then drew on the Intent of my Dreamscape. The familiar white haze flowed upwards off me like a candle flame, and my parents flinched. Shame ran through me, I was scaring my parents to get some minuscule amount of satisfaction. This wouldn’t change their feelings for me, and if it did then it wouldn’t mean that they truly care for me now.

I let the flow taper off and sighed.

“For paying and not refusing to allow me to attend the Rising Dreamer Academy, thank you. I will not delude myself into thinking I am suddenly welcome here. Do not think of bringing me to parties to show off. Do not think about marrying me off. Do not call upon me like I am your servant. Let me be happy and leave me alone.”

“Monty-”

“I am not normal! I understand that, but I’ve met children that bully others for no reason and yet their parents still show them love. There are children out there that really do just kill cats for no reason, but their parents still protect them from others. Is it because I didn’t show as much emotion? Is that why you thought it was okay to send me off and never speak to me again? Because you thought I wouldn’t really care? Well I did, but you never even gave me the chance to show it. I was seven, I was lucky enough to be able to read the proper signs at the train station. Maybe you wanted me to get lost.”

The maid woman had come in now, I didn’t know if she was trying to make sure everything was okay or if there was something she wanted to say. I didn’t have the right frame of mind to let her speak right then.

“I will take things apart, Nightmares, animals, even people, but I will also help people. I will use my knowledge to save lives. Even if you and every other person looks at me with disgust I will still dissect things with a smile on my face. I will put them back together, make them better. My name will go down as someone who pushed the field of biology further than anyone else in history, and I will also go down as someone who has done some of the most morally ambiguous things in history in order to achieve those results. They will not call me a son of a silk trader. I am Monty Niko, everything I make in my life will be because of me, not you.”

A door opening made my tirade halt, and I realized I was standing again and this time I was drawing Intent unconsciously. My words still had not gained the volume of someone yelling, but that only seemed to make my parents more afraid.

I looked to the door, which was barely visible from where I was, and saw a young boy of around five with an older maid that I recognized. It was the one that had taken care of me as a child.

“Mama, Da, I’m home!” the boy said happily.

My Intent was snuffed out like a candle dunked into a bucket. The boy looked just like me, almost an exact replica only his eyes were more like my mothers. His head tilted when he saw me, but he ignored it to run into my fathers arms who had stood up when the boy had entered.

“Hey Qui… how was the zoo?” my father asked, giving me a fearful glance.

“It was amazing! I saw a Nightmare! It was a giant green spider!” The boy said enthusiastically. “Who’s he?”

“This is…”

“No one, I’m leaving.”

The moment I had seen the kid my entire body became numb and it felt as though flies were buzzing in my head. I felt sweat trail down my back and the edges of my vision darken. I needed space, I needed to leave.

Before I knew it I was in the hallway about to wrench the door open when I took one last look behind me. My father was still holding… my brother, and my mother was giving me a complicated look with her mouth set in a thin line.

From the corner of my eye I caught a familiar rectangular form. The grandfather clock I used to work on. Without thinking I once again drew on my Dreamscape, this time focusing on the river stone. I walked back, my father moving my brother to be behind him, but I moved past the sitting room and to the clock. Even with my powers the clock was rather heavy, but I was able to get it on my shoulder.

I’d do any adjustments with it once I got back to the dorms.

“Why is he taking the clock?” I heard the boy ask.

“He- I- Um Monty is uh,” my father stuttered.

I gave them a final hard look and walked out the open door, the older maid had opened it once she realized what I was and what I was doing.

“It’s his Qui,” my mother told the boy.

I continued on, opening the small gate into the road with one hand and started down the street carrying the grandfather clock. A few raised voices and the patter of hard soled shoes on stone told me the boy had followed.

“Are you my brother?”

I froze and turned, the boy was looking at me with somewhat wary, but still excited eyes.

“Father called you Monty, that’s my brothers name. So you’re my brother right?”

Yes. No.

I saw my two parents hurriedly walk out of the front door and look at me. The young maid and my old nanny also came and stared at me.

Their stares made me feel as though I was drowning in warm mud.

Turning back, I left, not saying a word to anyone.