The Half-Blood Princess, Mihaela Bogdan [good books to read for young adults .TXT] 📗

on the inside. His face was pale as mine, the hair was black, only that it had white sidebars. Then my eyes began to shed tears when I saw that he had reddish eyes, just like my mother told me.
  To be sure that I wasn’t dreaming I asked him: Is your name Vladimir?
  He approached and said with a smile: Welcome home, my dear Valentina!
  Finally I have found my father, I was so happy that I start crying loudly while he hugged me lovingly at his chest. It was the best birthday present I had in my entire life and I truly believed that life with father would be pink.
  My instincts, however, told me that something bad was going to happen, but I was so happy I didn’t care.
  Father broke the silence and asked me about my life until now and of course, about my mother. He’s face was full of curiosity and joy from my return home. Soon his happy face disappeared. As I described mother’s last moments of life, he became more and more sad.
  -Even in her last minutes, she still remembered me and said my name. He said softly while caressing me on the head. Normally I hated when someone does that to me since I was little. But since the person doing this now is my father, I let him do as he pleased.
  Now it was father’s turn to cry in my arms. After he will calm down, I won’t cut him any slack in asking him all the questions that I had gathered all these years in my head. III/3

After I served breakfast, father gave me a quick tour of the castle. It had many rooms, most of them bedrooms, in dark gothic colors. But I noticed something strange about the decorations: all windows were covered with black velvet curtains. Although it was morning and the sun was shinning, the curtains made darkness inside the whole castle. My curiosity made me talk before thinking:
  -Father, why don’t you let the sunbeams illuminate the rooms?
  He looked into my eyes and answered calmly:
  -Because I hate the sun. You have many things to learn about us so until then ... please no more questions. Do you like our castle?
  -Our castle? I asked forgetting that twenty years ago I was born in this place.
  -Of course you forgot, my dear! You were only a couple of days old when your mother run away with you.
  -Why did she done that? My curiosity intervened again.
  -No need to rush things, Valentina. We just reunite. We have all the time in the world to know each other better.
  We continued the tour and I was silent, letting father do all the talking. Even when he let me see the castle from outside, alone, I didn’t ask why. It was almost lunch time and the sun was powerful. My eyes began to hurt so I returned quickly inside.
  After lunch, I helped the butler wash the dishes. He was as tall as father only he looked like an old priest with baldness in the middle of the head. Since breakfast he was quiet and not at all surprised that his master had a daughter. Maybe he knew about me all these years, but act cool now because that is what butlers do: not intervened in the master’s family life. I gathered some courage to break the ice:
  -Where did father went, grandpa?
  -Master Dracula always takes a nap after lunch; he answered with a soft voice. His name was Daniel, but he preferred to be called grandpa. I didn’t ask him why. Having a grandfather is great, although I haven’t had one since now. I know this from other children’s stories, they bragged in my face many times with their huge families and that made me hate them even more.
  Letting my sad childhood memories aside, I continued talking to my new grandfather to know him better:
  -You’re not like the other butlers, you’re sweet and kind.
  -Because you and master Dracula treat me like a family member. And being the eldest it is logic for me to be the grandfather.
  ”Vladimir and Valentina Dracula. Finally I have a last name.” Suddenly I remembered the days when all the children in the village made fun of me because I didn’t have a father nor a last name. Now things are going to be much better. As hard as I try, I can’t get rid of my past and focus on my present and future as I desire to do.
  -The dishes are washed Miss Valentina. Do you wish to be escorted to your bedroom?
  -Of course grandpa.
  Grandpa Daniel took me upstairs to the first level. The second and last level were composed in many attics. My door was made from cherry wood and painted in pink. When I entered, my room let me speechless. It was medium sized, with cherry wooded floor, walls painted pink and a crystal chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. On the other side of the room there was a simple bed with white sheets and a pink blanket with flower pattern on it. Near the bed was a large wardrobe filled with beautiful dresses. Each dress was black with few colors printed on the corset. By now I got used with father’s gothic style so my new wardrobe didn't surprised me at all.
  On the left side of the room was a desk with a small chair under a large window, covered with a purple velvet curtain. In parallel with the desk was a make-up table containing perfumery, make-up kits and dark colored jewelry. Above it was an oval shaped mirror in a black curled frame. When I looked into it my face reflected transparency.
I turned to grandpa, whom was watching me with a smile on his face, as I was admiring my new bedroom. I was acting like a little girl. Seems like these years of traveling all by myself didn’t made me mature enough for my age. I couldn’t care less.
  As I was searching every inch in the room, I asked grandpa countless questions about every item and every detail I could lay my eyes on. To my surprise, grandpa answered my every question with calm. Usually, when I ever ask someone about something, they just ignore me or make me go away to let them continue what they were doing when I start interrupting them.
  In the end, I lay down in my bed and took a deep breath. I was surprised to see how tired I was because of my little exploring. Grandpa Daniel took a sit near me and pointed my mirror again. My transparent appearance was still there.
  -What is so interesting about that mirror?! I asked grandpa, trying to guess what he wanted me to do.
  -Mater Dracula left a note for you in it, Miss Valentina. He said giving up. He told me to let you find it by yourself, but it seems that this room caught your whole attention instead.
  My face went red from the embarrassment that I felt in that moment. This is why he stood calm all this time while I acted like a curious little girl.
  -Sorry grandpa, I just got carried away. This is my first own bedroom and I couldn’t control myself.
  -Miss Valentina. I know what kind of life you had until Master Dracula brought you home. He told me everything while you were having lunch. Enough talking, go and read the note. Maybe it says something important.

IV/4

I ignored my strange reflection the minute I saw a white card with a red rose caught in the mirror’s frame. I opened to read the few lines written so elegant:

  ”Happy birthday, my beloved daughter Valentina! For years I dreamed that one day you will come back to me. I am aware that you may have many questions about your mother and I, the reason she left me and why we are different from other people. All these questions will be answered at midnight tonight, when you will be exactly twenty years old and discover with your own eyes who you really are! I will be waiting on the rooftop, Daniel will escort you, if you want.
With love, your father, Count Vladimir Dracula!”

  Five minutes before midnight, grandpa Daniel escorted me to the rooftop. I choose to wear a frilly black dress, I let my hair loose on the back with a silver headband to make it look nice. My new ear rings and necklace were also silver with bat shaped pendants on them. And the black middle heeled shoes were comfortable, making me feel that I was walking on air. I didn’t know mother had gothic tastes in fashion like father; as I can remember she always wore old boring clothes.
  -This dress fits you better than Lady Maria, grandpa Daniel said while opening the door which lead to the rooftop. I will let you and Master Dracula some privacy.
  -Thank you grandpa! I answered.
  After the door was closed, I stood there trying to see something in the dark of the night. As far as my eyes could see, the rooftop was made of bricks and in front of me father was staring at a white sheet hanging on the wide wall of the tower. The castle had four towers, two of them were leading to the rooftop, while the other two were supply rooms. I start moving closer to father, the shoes heels making little noise on the ground.
  When I was almost one meter apart of him, the full moon began to shine and it illuminate the whole place. Father turned around and looked deep into my eyes:
  -Now you are prepared to see yourself as you are!
  He took the sheet off the wall, unveiling a large mirror. When I looked into it I noticed that father’s face and hands reflections were missing, only his clothes were visible. And next to them was my black dress and silver jewelry reflecting as they were; my face, hair and arms were transparent.
  -As you can see I have