Surprise, Delphian! Hehe! Happy birthday! I hope you day goes well and that you go nuts! Be sure to make most of it because this day only comes once a year! ;) Wishing you the craziest day ever!

Happy Birthday and reading!
TheBlueBottle

"Checkmate."

"...curse you..."

"Cursing is terrible, don't do it..."

Tanith glared at the skeleton before staring at the checked board with chess pieces, scattered. She was thinking hard despite the fact she badly wanted to run and scream like a manic.

"Aha...uncheckmate!" She moved her Bishop to eat the rookie.

Skulduggery smirked inwardly and moved his Queen. "Checkmate...again!"

Tanith screamed with frustration and swatted her king down. "I give up! I cannot play this!"

And she grabbed her sword and ran out of Ghastly's shop.

Ghastly looked up from feeding his pet dog, Scar the German shepherd. "Did you win again?"

Skulduggery nodded smugly. "Well, to tell you the truth, she gave in."

"You ought to give her a chance," chuckled Ghastly, straightening up.

The skeleton stood up and reached for his coat. "Protective now, are you?"

"As you are over Valkyrie."

Skulduggery halted from wrapping his scarf around himself.

Ghastly gave him a smirk. "You haven't told her yet?"

He riffled through a bunch of plans for suits and clothes. "I told Tanith about my feelings," he said, without looking up. "She responded quite...nicely...though roughly..."

Skulduggery sighed. It has been a few weeks now before he realised his feelings for Valkyrie Cain, the girl he had met 4 years ago. It would make him an insane man but he couldn't control no matter what he thought about to make him stop the feelings.

"I have to go to her house to see if they haven't broken it down."

And he left.

Ghastly looked up, surprised. He then looked down at Scar, who panted his doggy grin. "Crazy times, eh boy?"

Scar raised a doggy eyebrow. "Crazier things have yet to happened," he replied reasonably.

"Ugh!! No, I don't want to make that!! I want it like this!!!"

"No- No, don't touch that!!!"

"Girls, what in the world of misery are you doing?

"I'm not a girl!!" Fletcher cried out from batting eggs.

"Mff mffaffing."

Valkyrie glanced at Skulduggery as he took off his disguise, placing them on the counter. "We're setting up a party."

He cocked his head. "Again?"

Neera stabbed the bowl with flour and water, grinding her teeth. "Yip...what's wrong with parties? Besides, today is one of them special ones!"

Amithest popped her head in from the back door. "The mutant veggies and fairy cakes are wanting to come to the party...can they come? Oh pleeease!"

"Donf fe fo mmff!!"

Everybody glanced at the jean-butt sticking out of the bottom cupboard. Lythia rolled her eyes.

"Whhhhaaaat?!" she screamed.

"Huff faf donf fe fo mmf!!"

Valkyrie jumped and dropped the bag of flour she had been holding. "DON'T TELL ME YOU ARE EATING THE SWEETS!!!!"

Freedom popped her head out and her mouth was full and there were icing about her lips.

"No huff noff!!" she exclaimed.

"Yesh, you are!!!" MercyFul accused as she timed the oven. She was having trouble with it because she was plotting to inject the formula into it to make it mutant.

Skulduggery just stood there as if scared and confused. The house was just filled with madness. The night was a special night as it has been on various dates.

People were all bustling here and there. From the distance, they heard a scream in the garden and a crash with some swearing and frantic talking in other languages.

The house was decorated with glitter and colours. There was huge shiny red and blue sign that hung beneath an arch that read: Happy Birthday, Del!

"For the love of the leaf, HURRY UP!!" Neera screeched at the oven where the cake was not functioning.

Valkyrie went to inspect the house with Skulduggery trailing behind her, still confused.

"Alright, people!" Mademise ordered, emerging from the garden. "The place is settled, now we need to clean up and get dressed!"

Flaring scowled as she entered the house, with Crystal laughing and snorting behind her. Seemed like they managed to break down the stereo.

The girls grinned and they left the house to get ready for the big event. MercyFul left the house, grinning evilly, stowing something inside her pocket. The only ones that stayed were Valkyrie, Skulduggery, Fletcher, Neera and Amithest who looked nervous and kept glancing at the oven.

Skulduggery looked around and nodded his head. "You guys did a great job."

Neera grinned. "It'll be the best."

Fletcher looked sceptically at her, resulting a shove on the head.

Amithest suddenly whimpered and ran up the stairs, into Valkyrie's room. Neera frowned and followed her warily and slowly.

Valkyrie looked at Skulduggery and smiled. "It's Delphian's birthday today, you and the rest are invited."

He looked back. "Thanks, Valkyrie...I might as well come along since I have nothing to do and maybe to protect the house."

She could hear a smirk in his voice.

"Har har, Pleasant," she rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder playfully. "I think I can take care of my house myself."

Fletcher glanced at both at them before announcing that he needed to go see someone and will be back soon before teleporting away.

Valkyrie started for the stairs. "Go read something, it's starting in 1 hour."

"Where are you going?"

"To get dressed..."

"Can't I come with?" Skulduggery tilted his head with a smirk in his voice.

Valkyrie looked back with an astonished expression. "Don't be gross!"

And she ran all the way up the stairs before hearing him chuckle.

"She's around the corner!"

"Hey, Freedom, turn the lights off!"

"Shut up, guys!"

Delphian Bleak walked through the forest with Neera snickering about something that probably was funny in her head.

She was extremely miffed because she had realised that all her friends had gotten together for the day without inviting her. She was even more miffed because Neera had forced her into a dress for a "dress up night," so she said, and finally only asked her to come to Valkyrie's house at night.

Neera was in her best dark sea blue, strapped dress with matching pumps. Her black pendant that was wrapped up by a silver dragon hung on her slightly exposed neck. Her necromancy bands had been transferred into the necklace.

Delphian, herself, had been forced to wear her midnight, black strapless dress with her necromancy bead choker. Her usual ankle boots were replaced with matching black heels that criss-crossed around her ankles.

"Why are we dressed up like this?!" She demanded, slightly tripping over a rock.

Neera smiled at her but said nothing and returned to messing around with her bloodstone spheres while still walking.

Delphian sighed in annoyance and decided to not push the subject any further. They came to the gate of Gordon's house and the gates opened automatically. Inside of the house was pitch black except for the lamps that stood outside of it.

"There's no one inside the house, they've all gone out," Del frowned.

Neera snickered and tried to cover it up with a cough. "They're watching a movie."

"There's no sound!"

"Earphones?"

Delphian sceptically looked at Neera who shrugged and dragged her up the stairs. She then knocked on the door and let herself in immediately. The confused Delphian Bleak followed into the darkness.

Suddenly, blinding lights and deafening cheers and shouts exploded in her face. Beside her, Neera laughed and hugged her tightly.

"Happy Birthday, Del!" she shouted into her ear.

Delphian felt her breath rush out as her sight gradually came to a focus. The scene was amazing! Music started playing and everyone was rushing towards her, shouting, hugging, back-slapping, etc...

Everyone was there. Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Tanith, Ghastly, Scar the German Shepard, Fletcher, Professor Kenspeckle, Freedom, Crystal, Flaring, MercyFul, Mademise, Lythia, Amara, Amithest...everyone of her friends. Even Mr. Bliss and his woeful sister, China was there.

Somehow, the mutant vegetables and fairy cakes they created the day before were also presented.

She was going to cry with happiness. The table in front of her were filled with presents and food but what caught her attention was the cake. It was topped with a heck load of icing, chocolate and sweets.

But what more, it was alive. It blinked at her and tried to smile though it was a sharp toothed smile.

MercyFul grinned when it caught her eye.

The party had started.

Tanith and Ghastly had snuck out to Ghastly's shop (though Lythia had shouted out at them but took a swig of vodka and slammed into a lamp). Flaring had managed to kill another speaker though the others survived. Neera was swinging on the chandelier, singing "Hoist the colours" in a different tune with a bottle of rum in her hand. Valkyrie and Skulduggery...disappeared...no one knew where.

Amithest, Freedom, Fletcher and Crystal was playing poker under a single light bulb, smoking cigars and talking in an Italian accent. MercyFul had gone mad and was now injecting candle wicks with her evil chemistry.

Delphian was enjoying her night, making most of it. She even smashed a few shots and was now screaming/slurring her lungs out at Neera about not being in love with Skulduggery. Her make-up was smudged from laughing so hard at a joke that was not funny at all and her dress was slightly ripped from climbing the tree.

The house has gone mad though people like China, Mr. Bliss and Kenspeckle, who preferred a quieter atmosphere had left.

Somewhere on the streets, the mayhem was heard quite clearly. A group of guys walked out of a pharmacy. They glanced in the direction of Gordon's house.

"Party animals..." one of them muttered.

Immediately after he muttered that, a loud fuzzy voice yelled from the intercom. (Don't know how that got there.)

"HAPPY FORKING BLIMMIN' HELLING BIRTHDAY, DELPHIAN BLEACH....I MEAN BLEAK!!"

Hehe! Happy Birthday again, Del! XD

Revieweeewww!!! TO ALL!!