Valkyrie glared at Skulduggery as he arrived outside her house in the Bentley. A door was hanging off, the front window was smashed and it was making a desperate hissing noise. "I'm not going to school in that." She sighed. "Besides the obvious embarrassment issues, I don't think it's safe."

"I crashed it yesterday." Skulduggery got out of the car. "Come on. It's perfectly safe. I promise." He shut the door.

It fell off.

...

"I can't believe you're making me get the bus!" He whined as they waited at the bus stop. "No-one gets the bus anymore."

"Why?"

"Everyone drives." He said.

She ignored the somber tone in his voice and asked, "how did you crash it?"

"Valkyrie, it's 8am on Monday morning. I do not want to give you the thrilling and exciting car chase story."

"Okay."

"What do you mean, okay?"

She turned to look at him. "I mean okay then, don't tell me the car chase story."

"But...it includes a dashing young skeleton and...I caught a criminal."

"Well done, Skul. Now shut up. I've got a headache and your voice in my ear isn't helping."

He stayed quiet until the bus came. Then he turned on her in horror. "I'm not getting on that. It's bright yellow."

"Baby!" Valkyrie sighed and dragged him on. She paid for their bus fares and then they sat at the back. Soon, an old woman came to join them.

"Hello." She said cheerfully. "I'm Margaret."

"Valkyrie," Valkyrie smiled back. "This is my friend Skulduggery."

"Are you from that gifted school where you're all geniuses and whatnot?"

"Erm, sure. It's a great school."

"We tried to get my granddaughter in there but she's not like you lot."

Skulduggery looked up. "What do you mean?"

"She's not a freak." Margaret hissed and produced a knife from her bag. Valkyrie stared at her. Then had to hide a smile.

An old lady wearing a raincoat and slippers was pulling a knife on them on a yellow bus.

"You're smiling. Stop smiling." Margaret screeched. "I'm really mad now you're smiling!"

"Good work Cain," Skulduggery muttered.

"Oh shut up."

"You."

"You."

"You." Skulduggery snapped.

"Hey? Remember me? The woman with the knife?" Margaret said and Valkyrie looked at her.

"The old woman with the knife."

"You teenagers are all the same." Margaret sighed. "Anyway freaks! It's time to die!"

Skulduggery pressed the red button on the pole and the bus swung to a stop. "This is our stop I'm afraid." He said and dragged Valkyrie off.

"She was a bit deluded-" Valkyrie started then stopped and looked around. "Skulduggery, where are we?"

"Oh yeah...I didn't want you to get stabbed so were kind of in the middle of nowhere?"

"We have to be at school in fifteen minutes!"

"But...I saved you from getting stabbed" he said. "And we can walk."

"I hate walking. Can you carry me?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I hate you."