A frail young boy with pale skin, messy red hair, and deep eyes was sitting on the cold step outside his house. Volg kept his hands trembling the entire time.
Then he heard his stepfather's harsh voice coming from inside.
"He's not staying here! I'm not living with a freak under my roof!"
Volg clenched his fingers. Ever since that morning—when the spider bit him and he, startled, swatted it… a single slap that disintegrated the creature in midair—the man hadn't stopped looking at him as if he were a monster.
The door suddenly opened. His mother appeared, her tired face trying to hide the tears.
"Volg… sweetheart… it's better if you go. At least for now."
He didn't reply. He only lowered his eyes.
His mother knelt in front of him, holding his hands.
"I managed to speak with the director of Hard Club Boarding School. They accept young people of all levels. There you'll learn etiquette, discipline… and you'll be around rich students. They have structure, safe dormitories, trained teachers."
Volg slowly lifted his gaze. There was fear on her face, but behind it… there was hope. A small, fragile hope, but a real one.
"Do you really think I… can live there?"
She smiled. A short, trembling but sincere smile, and brushed a strand of hair aside.
"I know you can, you're strong, he won't…"
He understood the unspoken part. His stepfather feared him now—but feared even more what Volg might become.
His mother then stood up, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse. She handed him an old, carefully packed backpack.
"I put together what I could. Clean clothes, documents, and…" — she forced a timid smile — "…some snacks. I wish you had more, but… you know."
"I know, Mom. Thank you for everything."
A rideshare car stopped on the street. The driver looked through the window, confirming the name. It was time.
Volg stood up. The backpack didn't weigh much, but his steps felt unbearably heavy.
He got into the car. His mother stayed on the sidewalk, trying to keep her face steady, though her eyes revealed everything.
The car drove to the end of the street. When Volg got out, he saw a steel sign with the words:
HARD CLUB BOARDING SCHOOL — Welcome