Becoming Bones
Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Tanith slid into the grimy dark bar. Standing in a row, like a line of police officers they surveyed their surroundings. "You really do take us to the nicest places Skulduggery" muttered Tanith.
"It's Grand Mage, not him. He said that there have been sightings of shifty-looking living skeletons in this side of town." Valkyrie explained, wearily watching a small man hunched over what looked to be a rag doll.
"So… we're investigating sightings of… Skulduggery?"
"No. That's just it. Skulduggery hasn't been here in over 25 years. Right Skulduggery?"
Skulduggery Pleasant was silent, his empty eye sockets searching the dim room. The Grand Mage hadn't told them to investigate the sighting. He doubted if the Grand Mage would even have cared enough to say anything to him even if he did know. No- this information came from China Sorrows. She knew that he was searching for answers. She knew that, before he awoke a skeleton, forgotten on that battlefield, a different skeleton had been sighted. A skeleton that's left arm had been blackened from the elbow down. A skeleton that had danced surrounded by the bones of its once friends and enemies, chanting forgotten spells and throwing colour tinted fire into the dead sky like fireworks in darkness of midnight. Skulduggery Pleasant knew that this was the creature responsible for his current state, and every time a skeleton was seen that shouldn't be alive, Skulduggery investigated.
From what he could see, there was nothing too strange here: there were no dead people drinking at the bar. "Skulduggery?" asked Valkyrie.
"Hm? I mean, yes, no-" Valkyrie glared at the hat and scarf assembled before her, "I haven't been here for a very long time" he paused, cocking his skull to one side, "You make me feel old."
Ghastly shook his head at them, "What are we looking for?" he asked.
Skulduggery was silent again, watching the couple at the bar whose faces were covered with headscarves. They are possibly the most normal people in the building he thought.
"Skulduggery?"
Skulduggery watched as the couple got up, ignoring his companions.
"Skulduggery?"
The couple walked towards the four of them. Skulduggery realised that they were still stood in front of the door.
"Look at those two" murmured Ghastly, "You can't even see that one's face," he gestured towards the lean frame of the man on the right.
Skulduggery only had eyes for the girl. She was wearing a ripped Victorian-style dress, and had a shiny sapphire blue scarf wrapped around her head, as if shielding herself from the world around her. She hurried along, pausing only to turn and hurry her associate on.
As she slid past them, Skulduggery saw her eyes. Eyes such a cool blue that they sent shivers down his spine. Those impossible pale blue eyes, sad yet warm.
Her eyes.
Skulduggery stepped closer but the girl had already gone. Deep in his heart he knew it wasn't her. He knew he was never going to see her again. And it was entirely his fault.
Okay, so I hope you enjoyed that. I'll try and get some more up soon. As always, please review.
-Jaq Neveah