Light in a Tunnel ch.16

"Chez Grandad"

I ran back to class, meaning to tell the teacher or my dad what I had just seen, but an arm grabbed me from my stomach and a hand covered my face. I tried to scream, but the person ran to a dark corner. He let me go as soon as he thought it was safe.
"Taboo! What are you doing here?" I asked
"Kid, this place is dangerous for you! The scavengers are out and everywhere! C'mon, Bill is nearby." he said as he grabbed my shoulders and shook them slightly. I let go by moving my shoulders and stepping back.
"I don't believe you! I saw you in a vision where you talked with Bill and other scavengers to come and hurt me!" I said, taking out my small knife and pointing it to him. He frowned and pulled out a sword.
"If you're notwith me, you're against me." He whispered. I put down my knife, while I felt tickles on my chest. Taboo put down his sword too, while he took out Bill's dagger. My eyes twinkled when I saw it. I experimented a brand new sensation. The tickles incremented, and I felt dizzy. My limbs turned heavy, and I longed to touch the dagger.

"Can I...grab it?" I asked, whispering. Taboo's eyes shone maliciously and nodded. I grabbed the dagger and pointed it towards my chest. The tingling incremented, and so did my heart beat. But I was happy. I aimed the dagger to fall in my heart, knowing that I could die...
"Drake! No!" a voice far away warned me.  I woke up from the hypnosis to discover with shock that I had stabbed myself in the abdomen. I looked around: Taboo was nowhere in sight. Dad came running towards me and grasped my arm to help me get up from the ground. He ran down the aisle, and got to Dracula's office. I breathed quickly, still frozen in shock for what had just happened.
"Shit! I didn't expected the reelations to occur so fast..." dad muttered as he slowly took off the dagger and pressed my wound. Grandad came with some papers, and stopped when he saw me.
"Drake? What the...oh, don't tell me. I knew it. I knew it." he said, leaving the papers on a table and helping dad with the blood. At last, the dagger got out, all covered in blood.
I looked at Count Dracula: he had semi-long, gray hair and black eyes. He had few wrinkles, and was usually very serious.

"This thing can't go on. It's impossible to keep Drake safe here with those maniacs out there looking for him! And we also have the problem with Bill, and the other descendants..." dad exclaimed as he walked back and forth through the room. Dracula sat down next to me, smoking a cigar. I was with him drinking the wine that grandad had given me.
"Will I stay in the academy, then?" I asked innocently. School's year was almost over, but I still wondered if I would stay here.
"Actually, I was thinking of taking him to the casle. You know, he'll be safe there. Of course, that's the opinion of an old vampire." grandad said. Dad turned to see him as if he were crazy.
"Yeah sure, with the Veranang Woods near!" he said sarcastically. Grandad shrugged. I turned to see dad.
"It can't be that bad where you grew up, dad. I want to see that castle. You promised me that you'd take me sometime, remember?
"You see? The kid wants to go too!" grandad pointed out.
"Let's wait until classes are over, alright? Tom will keep an eye on you at all times." dad said after a silence of thinking.

***
I went silently to the library and took out the big, brown book. Opening it was a secret compartment where the turquoise and the small iron balls were. I hid them in a pouch, which I put in my pocket.
"Good job, Bill. Go back to uncle Gregor's." I thought out loud. Immediately, I went to the window and turned into a bat who flew out of the academy.