The Arcanum Manor

14: The date

Half an hour later, Danny and I found ourselves sneaking through the enormous halls of the ceremony building on campus. And sneaking because, we weren't supposed to run around yet — it was just five pm and our classmates were still in after school activities. As we both should have been.

Danny was strolling ahead of me, carefully stepping to not make any noise. His voice was just a whisper, when he finally spoke to me, but clear enough, that I could hear him. "We should have been in the activity building like others—"

"So, what are we doing here?" I asked and halted in my tracks in the hallway in front of one door.

"I want to take you to the town," Danny turned around to face me and I got lost in his eyes again.

"What if anyone will sees us there?" my voice was tinted with confusion, as I began glancing around nervously.

"That's the thing. Instead of being incognito here in the area, I want to take you to another magic academy," Danny explained with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

That wasn't anything near my expectations. My mouth fell open, but I was able to ask nothing yet.

He turned on his heal with a smirk and took my hand to guide me to one of the big doors in the hall.

"Where is the other academy?" I finally asked, while I was enjoying our entangled fingers.

"Around six hundred miles from here," he replied casually and checked behind him my puzzled expression. His head tilted and he puffed with a chuckle. "We will teleport there."

"We? Will? Teleport? Same like our headmistress Hawthorne?" I asked incredulously as I was held firmly by his hand and guided to a room adorned by grey stone bricks and cold circle stairs leading down into a darkness.

"No, she uses only little tricks to teleport far where she can see. We will teleport long distance by the only type of ancient artifact out here," he clarified with excitement evident in his voice.

I released my grasp on him and bit my lip, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we would be in a different town with just a snap fingers. Maybe literally.

"Wow, just wow," I exhaled while staring to the darkness of the staircase.

Danny saw my fear and smiled, trying to move his head into my vision field. "Don't be scared. It's just very old stone temple under this building."

I nodded hesitantly, but with that Danny took his hand in front of him and formed one little flame to let it levitating beside him.

"See? We will not go to the darkness unprepared," he said with high eyebrows to prove his point.

"Okay," I laughed and peaked on the staircase which was now lightened by Danny's dancing flame.

My heart raced as he took a few first steps and turned around to look at me. He giggled seeing me standing still while I was glaring at him, unable to move.

"Hold on me. Few steps and we are in the chamber, I swear," he reassured slowly.

What had I said? That I would wear my fear with a pride. I took a deep breath.

"I am more scared of the teleportation," I pointed out. Then I gulped and finally moved to walk  slowly with him down the circle staircase.

We walked quietly, trying not to make any noise to draw attention in case anyone was outside in the hallway.  Calculating our steps we soon approached the grand chamber where a circle stone lay. It appeared way too old and the symbols in it were carved haphazardly, as if in a hurry.