Chapter 36: Angry Storm

A loud clap of thunder jarred me awake from my fitful sleep. I saw up and glanced around the room. I was so disoriented, I didn't know what time it was or what was going on. I barely could remember where I was as I looked around the pitch black room. I had slept too long. I searched for the familiar blinking light of my digital alarm clock, but I couldn't find it. The power had gone out. During a particularly bright strike of lightning, I was able to read the hands of the watch on my wrist. It was only dinner time.

The storm began to get even louder, to the point where I realized that this wasn't a normal thunder storm. This was coming from Tancred Torsson. Something was happening and I didn't know what. I reached inside my night stand and pulled out a flashlight that would guide me through the dark, twisting corridors.

The closer I got to the Great Hall, the louder the storm got. Not only was it heavily raging outside, it was inside as well. Something bad was happening. I felt my stomach turn with anticipation. Had something happened with Charlie after he was sent to the Headmaster? Had Tancred decided to give Dagbert his gold sea creature back in exchange for Charlie's moth and something had gone wrong?

I picked up my speed a little bit and ran into the main hall. I was only half surprised to see that I was standing in water and had almost walked directly into Dr. Bloor. "What's going on?" I asked.

He looked down at me with surprised and angry eyes. "Where have you been all day?" He demanded. I went to answer him, but the sound of loud thundering footsteps approaching the landing above the hall drew our eyes elsewhere. I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

I had only met Mr. Torsson once. It was after the spell the Enchanter cast over me broke when he was forced back into Badlock. Even if I had never met Mr. Torsson, I would have known that he was Tancred's father just by sight alone. He was at least seven feet tall and every bit as thunderous and boisterous as Tancred. He had a shock of moon-yellow hair and a beard that radiated with electricity. Right now, he had a look of dread on his face. He was holding something, or someone.

"You'll pay for this!" Mr. Torsson roared, raising the boy he carried. It was Tancred. From here I could tell that he wasn't moving or breathing. Electrified water rushed down the stairs and towards the staff. Everyone moved back except me. I couldn't believe this was happening. Tancred was dead and by the look of his face, I knew he had drowned. Dagbert did this.

"Get back, you stupid girl!" Dr. Bloor growled as he yanked me back towards the crowd. "Do you want to get electrocuted?"

"Mr. Torsson!" I called out. "I can fix this-"

"No, you can't." A strong hand came down on my shoulders. It wasn't Dr. Bloor. I looked back to see Dr. Saltweather with a grim expression on his exhausted face. "If he's already gone, no amount of magic can bring him back. Don't let the man have false hope, Infinity. Get out of here before you get hurt."

I didn't want to move. I stayed planted where I was. I couldn't believe that Dr. Bloor would have allowed this to happen.

Mr. Ezekiel wheeled through the water and stared up at the thunder man. "Why should we have to pay?" He shrieked. "Your son obviously made this mess. Must have left the tap running and slipped in the water."

I could feel my blood boiling. If I was this angry, I couldn't imagine how Mr. Torsson felt. "LIAR." He bellowed. Large hailstones rained down on us. Half of the staff screamed and ran for the nearest safe hallway, but I didn't move. Dr. Saltweather shielded his own head and mine. Like me, he wanted to see what would happen next.

Bolts of lightning stripped down the paneled walls, burning the signs above the coatrooms and some of the paintings on the walls. The last of the lights went out and shrouded us in darkness, but I could still see Mr. Torsson thumping down the stairs in between more strikes of lightning. Paintings were knocked off of the walls, furniture blew over and cabinets blew open. Tiny fires started all over the main hall. Dr. Saltweather grabbed my shoulders and tried to steer me away from the danger. I was too awestruck to move on my own. With a final deafening crack of thunder, Mr. Torsson stepped through the large main doors and left us all in the darkness.

Once Mr. Torsson had left, the staff scattered around trying to extinguish the tiny fires caused by the lightning and tidy up the soaked furniture. I caught Dr. Bloor trying to sneak off to his study and I followed him. "Not now, Infinity." He warned.

"No, right now. You're going to talk to me and tell me why you just let that happen." I demanded. I only now noticed that I had tears streaming down my face. "How could you just go and say all of the things you said to me last week about ruining the school's reputation and then go and allow Dagbert to do that? Tancred is dead. And you didn't have enough control to stop it-"

"I'm aware of that!" He yelled back at me. "I'm aware that I have no control over this place anymore. I'm not one of you. I can't even control my sons, so what makes you think I can control a handful of you freaks? I didn't allow anything." Freaks. Is that what he thought of us? Dr. Bloor realized what he said and tried to apologize, but I didn't want to hear it. "Do you think this is the life I wanted? Do you think I wanted Salem growing up resenting me? Do you think I wanted to look at Manfred one day and not even recognize who he was anymore? I know I don't have control. I'm just the face. I'm my grandfather's fucking puppet and once he's dead, I'll be my son's puppet. I don't like any of this any more than you do." He turned back to look at me before walking into his study. "Charlie was suspended tonight. He's going to spend the rest of the week back at home. I didn't want you to worry about him." He slammed the door behind him. I beat my fist off of the door.

"You don't get to run away from this." I called after him. "You need to do something. Someone is dead because you let this get out of control. You brought Dagbert here and he killed someone. A fourteen year old boy is dead because of you. What if that would have been Salem or Manfred? What if you had been in Mr. Torsson's shoes and had to carry out your gray, lifeless son while people taunted you?"

"My sons are already gone." Came his stony reply.