The NEWBIE

Chapter 39

***39***

JACK

All I could see was complete darkness. There was only silence until I heard voices echoing in the dark. I opened my eyes and the bright light stung so bad.

My vision finally adjusted and I saw my grandparents by my side. I'm in a hospital.

I groaned.

"Good morning, Jackie-boy." My Grandma smiled at me but she still looks worried as hell. Both of them were still wearing their sleeping clothes under their coats.

"Urgh..." I groaned again. I feel really weak at the moment. "What time is it?"

Grandpa looked at his wristwatch, "4:39 AM."

"Did you guys even sleep?" I suddenly asked.

"We would if we could. We were bloody worried about you." Grandma went closer and sat right next to me. I felt sorry.

"The doctor said it was an allergic reaction." Grandpa said.

I looked at them, confused. "Allergic reaction?"

"The doctor asked us what you ate last but all we remember was that you ate gumbo." Grandpa said.

"You can't be allergic to gumbo. If you were, the reaction should've occurred the time you swallowed that dinner." Grandma added.

Of course it wasn't. I was never allergic to gumbo.

"Then what are you allergic of, boy?" Grandpa asked me.

"Chocolate."

"Don't remember feeding ya' chocolate, did we?" He leaned in closer to me as if he's sensing I'd done something wrong. "Did you?"

"Of course, I didn't. Why would I even do that?" I defended.

"Just checking." Grandpa said, sitting back.

"All that happened last night was that I ate the vanilla cake from the fridge." I explained. I began remembering what happened last night.

Grandma suddenly looked like she knew something.

"What was in that cake, Grandma?" I interrogated. I was 100% sure it was the cake.

"I did put a little cocoa powder in the cake mix." She said.

So that's why that vanilla cake didn't taste like vanilla. I've never felt so dumb.

***

HICCUP

"No!" I shouted when Toothless ran around the living room, almost knocking off Mom's figurines.

It's only five in the morning and I'm trying hard not to wake my parents up, but with the work I am doing right now, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them would come downstairs to see what's happening.

"Damn it, Toothless! Stay put!" I quietly shouted.

Toothless ran on top of the TV and then sat there. It was the perfect time to get him down.

"Come down, Toothless." I commanded, calmly. He slowly stood up and looked at me. "Yeah, come on down, little guy."

Slowly, Toothless jumped down from the TV set. It actually calmed me down. My parents still don't know about Toothless but they'll know, eventually. Just not today, I guess, especially when my Mom never liked cats.

***

"I saw that black cat, again, in the garage." Dad said while he was driving me to school. "Aren't black cats a bad omen?"