(Just a little thing before the chapter begins: The person mentioned in this chapter has my name(s) but is not necessarily me. They may have characteristics of myself but I dont see her as "me". I wanted to include myself because who doesn't want to be in the Skulduggery world? If you find this a little...self-centered then I apologize. I'm not trying to big myself up or make myself look better than I am, I just wanted to write myself into the universe. I dont know if the character I'm talking about will reappear, but if you want her to, or even dont want her to, then let me know. Please review or comment and let me know your thoughts c: )
The person they were searching for, Elise Longden, was still in secondary school. She was fifteen and in year eleven. Valkyrie assumed that she had just taken or was in the middle of her exams judging by the time of year. That kinda sucked considering that Elise was about to have her life changed forever. Valkyrie felt sorry for her.
Walking through an actual school was a strange experience. Valkyrie had many memories of school, thanks to Stephanie, but the feeling of consciously being in one was a peculiar one. She had visited one when Kitana and her friends had gone on a rampage, but for most of that time she was invisible, and for the rest she was fighting for her life. She didn't really count that time.
In all honestly, she'd forgotten about what it felt like to walk down crowded hallways filled with judgemental teenagers. People stared at her as she walked, and when she made eye contact they broke away, looking down and flowing flawlessly into conversation with their friends. She was wearing all black, like always, and people eyed her outfit curiously as she walked down the corridor with Skulduggery by her side. She kept her hands in her pockets, staying casual, and returned any looks she got her way.
Skulduggery stuck out like a sore thumb. His extravagant suit and hat combo looked severely out of place in the the chaos of the hallway. Teenage boys snorted and poked fun at him as he went past, but Skulduggery took no notice. The uniform here was plain enough; a white polo shirt with black or grey trousers or a skirt. Most of the girls were wearing tight skirts that were rolled up at the top, and they showed as much skin as possible. Several girls were wearing black trousers that came in various styles of tightness. Some were wearing black skater skirts of varying lengths. A few year sevens had tried to copy this look, but their skater skirts fell past their knees, making them seem even shorter than they already were. Scarily, some of the younger girls were clad in thick make-up and tight skirts. Valkyrie sighed. She had no problem with people wearing whatever the hell they wanted, but to her there was something really wrong with twelve year olds showing off that much skin.
They approached the school office and went inside. A woman who seemed to be in charge of the administration was talking quietly on the phone, and she waved for them to sit down when they approached. They did. She was wearing a small silver badge that said "Miss Flora Dixon, Adminstration". Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail which curled around her neck to rest on her chest. She had brown eyes, looked a little bit overweight, and had an engagement ring on her left hand. The clothes she wore were unimpressive. A crease formed in her brow as she talked and clicked her mouse. Valkyrie looked away.
She placed her hands on her lap and tapped her fingers against her knees, watching them. Valkyrie raised her eyes and they met with an older female teacher's. Valkyrie gave her a curt nod and the teacher frowned, looking to Skulduggery and raising her eyebrows at him. Valkyrie scowled. She hated the way teachers demanded respect. At least she had acknowledged the teacher. Skulduggery tilted his head at the teacher and shrugged. The teacher pursed her lips and moved on.
"See," hissed Valkyrie quietly with a scowl on her face, "This is why I dislike school."
"You just don't like being told what to do." replied Skulduggery with his voice down.
"Neither do you." she said indignantly, keeping her eyes out for anyone passing. "Did you see the look on her face? Like I was beneath her? At least I let her know I knew she was there. What did she want exactly? Me to stand up and thank the universe for her existence?"
Skulduggery sighed. "If I knew this was going to be a problem-" he began half sarcastically.
"It won't be! It isn't!" she muttered at him. His façade rolled its eyes.
Miss Flora Dixon of Administration had just finished her telephone call. Skulduggery and Valkyrie stood up. They went to her and she regarded them with impatience. "Yes?" she said, "Can I help you?"
Skulduggery's facade smiled and his hands went to his pockets.
"My name is Detective Inspector Me. And yes, that is my name. My family were very arrogant and remarkably unimaginative."
Flora blinked in surprise, temporarily stunned, but soon snapped out of it and opened her mouth to say something. Skulduggery cut her off swiftly, "I know," he said, "It comes as quite a shock. You would never believe that I come from a narcissistic family at first glance. I'm just too...dignified."
Valkyrie snorted but turned it into a loud cough. She looked away and cleared her throat, regaining her composure. When Valkyrie looked back at Flora, she looked confused.
"I am hoping to interview a few students." said Skulduggery warmly, "I was wondering if you could arrange this?"
"What are you interviewing them for?" asked Flora, looking slightly suspicious.
"Errrm..." said Skulduggery, thinking. Flora's eyes narrowed.
"Road safety." said Valkyrie suddenly, and Skulduggery shot her a look that said 'seriously?'. She shrugged. They turned back to Flora, who was looking more bewildered than ever.
"Road safety..?" she muttered almost to herself. She shook her head slightly, as if clearing it. "I'm sorry," she said, "Do you have an appointment?"
Skulduggery frowned. "Do I look like I need an appointment?"
"Everybody needs an appointment."
"But I have natural authority."
Flora sighed as if it was some sort of joke. "Look," she began, "I can't let you see any of the children until you have made an appointment and it has been confirmed. You'll probably need a letter of your superior, informing us why you wish to talk to some of the students about...road safety. We can't just let anybody in here you know." she chucked.
Skulduggery laughed woodenly along with her. "Of course not. We're sorry for wasting your time." he said. Without even a goodbye, Skulduggery turned around and walked out. Valkyrie smiled at Flora and hurried after him, having to skip slightly to catch up.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"What was what about?" he said, turning the corner.
"We kind of have to find this person? You know? So we can't just give up when we're told that we need an appointment."
"We're not giving up." said Skulduggery. He paused by a door marked "storage" and checked that the hallway was clear before slipping inside. Valkyrie followed, frowning. Skulduggery pulled out a cloaking sphere from his jacket pocket. Everything clicked.
"Ohh." said Valkyrie, "Was this the plan all along?"
"Yes." he said, "But I thought if we could try to do it normally anyway, just to make sure."
"Right, okay"
Skulduggery twisted the cloaking sphere and suddenly they were invisible. They slipped out of the storage room, trying not to open it too far in case anyone was outside. The walked out and began down the corridor, Valkyrie close by Skulduggery's side.
"So where to?" she asked, her voice slightly hushed out of habit.
"The entire of the girl's year is taking an exam right now, that's where we find her." said Skulduggery in a normal voice.
"Okay."
They walked to the exam room, avoiding the more crowded routes. They slipped past teachers and students alike, and none of them even seemed suspicious. That was to be expected, of course. Valkyrie still wasn't really used to the invisible thing. It was unnerving knowing that people couldn't see or hear them. They came to the exam room. There was a normal looking door and to both sides of it was a long window where students could be seen scribbling away. Most of them were hunched over their papers and writing furiously, but others were leaning back in their chairs, staring at the clock on the wall with smug smirks on their faces. At the front was another large window that faced what could only be described as a forest. Birds fluttered in the trees and their hooting echoed through the glass. It wasn't a bad view for an exam room to be honest. On a whiteboard at the front was the name of the exam and the time it began. Valkyrie checked the exam duration and then realised that they only had ten minutes left. Some of the students finished up and yawned as they lay their heads against the desk.
"What does this person look like?" asked Valkyrie.
"This person's name is Elise Longden." replied Skulduggery, "And we don't know."
"Then how are we supposed-?"
"I was thinking we'd see her given name on her exam paper."
"That's your plan?" Valkyrie hissed. "Really? There are over a hundred students in there and the exam finishes in eight minutes.
"Well, we'll just have to work fast."
"Work...fast?" she said in disbelief. Skulduggery started forwards and slowly opened the door to the exam room. She stuck close by him, careful not to let any part of herself slip out of the dome of invisibility. She had the feeling that the pupils would panic if they saw a hand hovering in the air.
The students were arranged on single tables, in rows. She tiptoed inside, though it was not needed, and Skulduggery began to check the names written on the front of the exam papers. They could only see the names when the papers were closed. Skulduggery went down the aisle, checking the ones on the left. Valkyrie sighed and began checking the ones on the right. Some of them couldn't be read because the papers had not been finished yet. When that happened, they moved on, hoping that the person they were looking for had finished. After a minute or so of this, Valkyrie began to get bored. She wasn't used to this sort of thing and she decided she didn't like it. She was used to action and fun and other cool stuff. Her mind went blank until she realized she wasn't really concentrating. Her eyes were unfocused and she yawned loudly. Skulduggery looked at her and removed his façade after one side began to droop. Amazingly, his skull still seemed to show an exasperated expression.
"Sorry." she said sheepishly, stretching. Valkyrie tried to wake herself up a bit by pinching her arm. It didn't work very well.
Suddenly, a wave of white hot light flashed in front of her eyes and Valkyrie cried out as her eyes stung. Colours burst forth and swirled in her eyes. Her vision was blurry. She couldn't see. She staggered.
"Valkyrie?" said Skulduggery urgently, his hand around her upper arm, steadying her. "Are you alright?"
She swayed on the spot, grabbing Skulduggery for support. Her vision came back and spots danced in her eyes. She gasped. Her sight was back and it seemed sharper than it was before. Everything had crisp, fine edges like it had been cut with a fine knife. Skulduggery lit up in a brilliant red and his glow radiated colour on her skin. She looked at him in curious surprise, remembering the last time this happened. When they were fighting Darquesse, the sorcerers around her lit up like beacons. She hadn't really thought about it since because she had just assumed it was a fluke. She looked at Skulduggery with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I- I can see..." she hesitated, "you're glowing."
"I'm always glowing." said Skulduggery, tilting his head.
She groaned. "No...just...no. I mean all around you is this red light."
"Oh." he said. He let go of her arm and she stumbled slightly. "Can you walk?" he asked.
Valkyrie nodded. "Yes."
"We need to find the girl. Then we can figure this out, okay?"
"Alright." she murmured, staring at the blood red aura pulsing out from him. "This has happened before, you know." she said, checking some more papers."
Skulduggery glanced at her, interested."When?"
"When we were fighting Darquess- Skulduggery!" Valkyrie said in surprise. "It's her!" She pointed at the blonde head a few rows away from them. "That's Elise! I can see her magic!"
A dark blue glow, not unlike the night sky, was surrounding the girl that was still writing on her paper. Her head was bowed and her long blonde hair hid her face from view.
"Are you sure?" he said urgently.
"Yes, I'm sure. She's the only one who has light around her."
Elise raised her head and looked at the clock, biting her lip as she realised the time. Two minutes until the end of the exam. She sighed with relief and rested her head in her hands. They walked over to her and Valkyrie took in her face. She had long hair down to her waist and a side fringe. Her eyes were bright blue and large shadows were underneath her eyes. She rubbed her temple and stretched out her fingers. They clicked loudly and Valkyrie shuddered. She hated that.
Elise looked out of the window and into the forest, her eyes turning glassy. Outside, rain was beginning to fall from the sky and the pattering could be heard on the rooftop. Drops splashed on the window. Valkyrie turned and tried to see what Elise was looking at exactly but nothing of importance was there. She seemed to look out into some faraway place that nobody else could see.
Skulduggery and Valkyrie stood beside her, determined to stick by her until they had the chance to give her back her memories. Coming out of her daydream, Elise sighed and stretched her arms above her head. She glanced around the room absentmindedly, careful not to let her eyes linger on any students so that she wasn't accused of cheating. She glanced to the side of her, where Skulduggery and Valkyrie were standing, and frowned. A crease formed between her eyebrows and she stared at the spot where they were. Elise seemed to look right at them as they stood there, despite their invisibility. She surveyed them with those blue eyes, and Valkyrie didn't dare move in case she saw. It was impossible, of course she couldn't see them. The way Elise looked at the place where they stood made Valkyrie wonder if she was aware of her and Skulduggery's presence. Elise blinked and moved her eyes to Valkyrie's face, and their eyes met. Valkyrie let out a quiet gasp. Elise turned away.
"Did you see that?" whispered Valkyrie, "She looked right at me!"
"Why are you whispering?" he said at normal volume.
"Because if she can see me then she might be able to hear me too."
"She could of been looking through at something behind you."
Valkyrie shook her head. "It was like she knew I was there. Its hard to explain but I know she knew."
"Well, that's... interesting." he said. "There's no way she could see us Valkyrie. Nobody can see through cloaking spheres. She might of just sensed that we were there."
"Yeah" said Valkyrie uncertainly, glancing at Elise.
"Time." said a teacher by the front. He stood and surveyed them all for a second before continuing. "Please leave everything on the desks and exit in silence. Once you leave you will not be allowed back in. Have a nice day."
There was an almighty scraping noise as all of the pupils stood up at the same time. Elise was one of the last to get up, and she stretched again as she rose. Yawning, she made eye contact with a girl as she walked towards the door. She walked beside the other girl until they were outside. Skulduggery and Valkyrie waited for a moment before following.
Elise and her friend were already conversing by the time Skulduggery and Valkyrie got to them. Elise walked with her head down and her hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes rarely wavered from the floor and her shoulders always had a hunch to them. Her blonde hair hung down to her waist and it was slightly messy, as if she had been running her hands through it.
"It wasn't that bad," said the girl, "but the last question was really-"
"Difficult." finished Elise, "Hard. Nearly impossible?" The girl sent her an annoyed look.
Elise twisted her fingers, and smiled slightly. "Sorry, Amy." she said. She had an English accent.
"I just saw it and like gave up right then. I just knew it wasn't happening." said Amy. "I can't wait until we get into the real world and we have calculators."
"Yeah..." said Elise. "I just hope I'm going to be okay."
"Yeah, well I'm sure I'll be fine." said Amy. "But I always worry. Hey, what's your target grade again?"
"Erm, an A o think. Probably leaning more towards a B if I'm honest."
"Well my target grade is an A. Probably a high one. I'm better than some people at maths."
Elise looked uncomfortable and what might of been a slight blush crept up onto her cheeks. Valkyrie thought that comment had sounded like it was directed at Elise.
"Ah, well." said Elise, a knowing smile creeping onto her face,"Some people are better than you at other things."
"Like what?"
Elise smiled again and looked off into the distance. She kept the answer to herself and shrugged.
"You are very strange." said Amy.
Elise looked at her, "I know." she said evenly. "Are you just getting that now?"
"Surprisingly not, no." Amy muttered sarcastically.
Silence followed until they reached the school gates.
Elise sighed. "I'm so happy we get the rest of the day off."
"I know right? It's great. And tomorrow is Friday, which is great."
"Yeah," she said, "I seriously cannot wait to go home, I'm exhausted."
"Me too." said Amy. "Any plans for the weekend?"
"Hmm, I may marathon Game Of Thrones..." said Elise with a grin.
"Of course you will." groaned Amy. "Fancy coming out on Saturday night?"
"Nah. I mean no. No, thank you."
"Why not?"
"Erm, I'm tired...I have homework and..." Elise hesitated.
"And?" prompted Amy.
"Well, you know...Doctor Who is on Saturday night." Elise grinned sheepishly and Amy rolled her eyes.
"You are so pathetic." she said. She seemed to spot something in the car park. "Anyway, I'll see you on Monday. Bye!" she walked off towards a car sitting the the car park. Elise stared after her with her hands in her pockets before beginning to walk.
"You are so pathetic." she muttered to herself in an imitation of Amy. She contained to murmur underneath her breath but the rest was inaudible.
She adjusted the bag on her back and walked down the pathway. Her head was bowed because of he slight rain and her arms were wrapped tightly around herself. She was walking quite quickly but they did not need to hurry to keep up. Her shoulders were hunched and tense, and she looked behind her occaissonally. She looked nervous.
She approcahed her house just as the rain cleared away. She reached the gate and kicked it open with a loud bang, and shouted "I'm home!"
They followed her and slipped through the gate before it had time to close. They waited a moment before going into her house.
"Hey , sweetheart." said a woman from the couch sipping a cup of tea. She had a battered book on her lap and she smiled warmly at Elise.
"Hey Mum." she said, smiling softly.
"How was your day?" asked her Mum.
"Meh." said Elise.
"Good?"
"Of course not," she joked, "It's school."
Elise's Mum smiled slightly and went back to her book.
Elise turned and went into the kitchen. She pulled off her bag and jacket and tossed them into the cupboard, and soon her shoes followed with two bangs. She went to the fridge and pulled out a chocolate bar.
"Is this mine?" she asked as she walking into the living room.
"Yeah." said her mum, not looking up from her books.
She ripped open the bar and took a large bite. "Aw, thank you." she said, slightly muffled.
"Don't worry about it." said her Mum.
"We should go." said Skulduggery as Elise plodded up the stairs. "We probably won't get a chance to talk to her today."
Valkyrie frowned, "So we followed her for nothing?"
"Not for nothing. We now know where she lives don't we?"
"Well, yes. Are we just going to come back tomorrow?"
"I think we'll have to make a formal appointment with her in the school."
"Ooh fun." Muttered Valkyrie.
"You're really not enjoying this are you?"
"No. It's boring. I'm used to action and adventure."
"This is adventurous."
"Nothing's happening."
"You never know what tomorrow may bring, Valkyrie."
"Hm." she said.
They had decided to spend the night in the rental car. Unlike the Bentley, it was made for getting to places and it wasn't very comfy. Valkyrie had tried to sleep in it, but it was very uncomfortable and the seat wouldn't adjust properly. When she tried to change it, it made loud squeaks. When she moved it up or down it moved too far, so it was always too high or too low. It was extremely frustrating, but Valkyrie was determined to get it right.
"Would you stop fiddling with your chair?" sighed Skulduggery after a particularly loud squeak.
"I can't help it." said Valkyrie irritably, "It refuses to adjust properly."
"Just leave it then."
"I can't. It's not comfortable." she said miserably.
"You're welcome to sleep in the boot."
"Thanks," she said sarcastically, "But I think I'll pass." She leant backwards in the stupid chair and folded her arms.
"Are you sulking?" asked Skulduggery, amusement in his voice.
"Yes."
"Are you sulking at me or the chair?"
She considered, "Both." she said.
In the morning they drove to a spot where Elise would be visible when she walked past. Skulduggery had rung the school the night before and they accepted their request to see her. He had told them that she had won a prize and amazingly, they believed it.
Skulduggery had his old disguise on today. The scarf, the sunglasses, the wig, the hat.
Elise walked past, wearing tight black trousers and a large hoodie. The trousers were not as tight as Valkyrie's. She walked quickly and the wind blew her long hair into her face.
"Let's go." said Skulduggery,getting out. Valkyrie got out.
Skulduggery began walking and Valkyrie looked at him, confused. "Are we not using the cloaking sphere?"
"No point." He said. "She's going to see us anyway."
"Okay."
The followed her down the road. They didn't speak and their footsteps did not make much noise against the pavement. Despite that, Elise turned around and locked eyes with Valkyrie. For a moment her footsteps faltered and she swallowed, but then she began walking again. Her pace was hurried and her shoulders were tense.
"That's weird." muttered Valkyrie.
"It is." Skulduggery muttered back.
They reached the school and Elise disappeared smoothly into the crowd of teenagers. They didn't follow her. They had an appointment after all.
"Here." said Skulduggery, passing Valkyrie the cloaking sphere.
"Er, thanks."
"Activate it."
"Why?"
"She knows you. She doesn't know me. She won't recognise me because she sees too many people each day to remember the sound of their voices."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite. She'll remember you because of road safety."
Valkyrie activated the sphere.
They went to the office and found Flora tapping away at her keyboard. Because of the failed attempt with the façade the previous day, Skulduggery had decided that it woukd be best to start looked up when she heard their footsteps.
"Oh my." she murmured as she saw Skulduggery's disguise.
"Sorry." said Skulduggery casually. "I was badly burned as a child and some people find it repulsive."
"No!" she said nervously, "I wasn't-"
"Think nothing of it." he said.
His shoulders were hunched slightly as if to change his height and he put an accent on his voice just in case.
"Do you...erm...have an appointment?"
"Yes." he said brightly.
"Name?" asked Flora.
"Mr Myself."
"Erm..."
"Strange name I know."
"You're on here." announced Flora, a finger on her screen. "With Elise, is that correct?"
"It is."
"Great. She's in there waiting for you." Flora jabbed a finger to the door opposite the office. She began to type on her keyboard again.
Valkyrie frowned, there was something about the way Flora said there.
"Something wrong?"
Flora's fingers halted. "Not at all. It's just..."
"Just?" prompted Skulduggery.
"Well," Flora lowered her voice, "I'm not really supposed to say this but she's a bit of a weird one."
"Elise?"
"Yes. She's always in her own world, looking into space. Sometimes she looks at things that aren't there...just staring at nothing. She's a daydreamer, and that sometimes effects her work."
"Really?" said Skulduggery with mild interest.
"I just wanted to say. Incase you...erm...don't get a straight answer."
"Of course."
Skulduggery turned around and walked towards the door. He held it open wide and Valkyrie darted in after him. Before anyone could notice, she deactivated the cloaking sphere and went to the corner of the room.
The room was brightly lit and had two couches which had a table in between. There were framed pictures on the walls that had so called inspirational quotes on them. Skulduggery shut the door behind him.
Elise was sat on a couch, leaning forward with her hands rested on the table. Her bag was beside her. Her blonde hair shone in the light and the dark circles around her eyes were not so prominent. She smiled softly as they sat down.
"How did I know it'd be you guys?" she said. Her voice was loud in the small space and her posture radiated confidence. This surprised Valkyrie; she didn't look like the sort of person who would be comfortable in this situation.
"Hello." said Skulduggery warmly. "My name is Detective Inspector Me and my partner is Detective Inspector Her."
"Hello." said Elise, looking at them both.
There was a pause.
"We're here-" began Skulduggery.
"Are you sure you two are Detective Inspectors?" she said, a small smile on her lips.
"We're sure." said Valkyrie.
"Positive?"
"Yes."
"Alright then." she said. "Can I see your badges?"
There was an awkward silence and Valkyrie shifted nervously.
"I see..." said Elise slowly. "Who are you really?"
"Um..." murmured Valkyrie, looking at Skulduggery.
He hesitated and stared at Elise through his sunglasses. He went to the door and bolted it.
"That's not intimidating at all". she said.
"My name is Skulduggery Pleasant and this is my partner Valkyrie Cain."
"And I thought my name was weird." muttered Elise as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Would you say you are an escapist, Elise?" asked Skulduggery. Valkyrie frowned, what did that have to do with anything?
"As in..?"
"As in you try to avoid reality by submerging yourself in fantasy scenarios, not as in you escape from things."
Elise laughed hollowly, "Yeah I'd say so."
"Flora seems to think so too."
"She told you that? That's not very nice."
"She seems to think that you're very distant and dreamy."
"I am when I'm bored, and she bores me."
"Are you bored now?" asked Valkyrie.
Elise looked at her and smiled again. "No, I'm curious."
"Why are you curious?"
"Because two people who followed me to school are sat in a room with me. One of you isn't showing one inch of skin and is wearing an expensive suit, and the other is wearing trousers tighter than mine and an amount of black that would not be unsuitable for Batman. They pretended to be Detective Inspectors and are now talking to me about escapism. That's why I'm curious."
Valkyrie smiled.
"So, who are you?"
"I'm Skulduggery Pleasant and this is Valkyrie C-"
"No, I mean who are you? Why are you here really?"
"It's hard to explain." said Skulduggery.
"I can listen when I want to." said Elise.
"I'm sure you can, but it's best if we show you." said Skulduggery.
"Go ahead."
"Valkyrie? Would you demonstrate?"
Valkyrie held out her hand and Elise leaned in, her eyes wide and curious. She made her magic flow to her hand and began to gently release it. It began to glow and she made it brighter. Flashes of miniscule lighting danced on her palm. Elise swallowed, slightly pale but looking pleased.
"Wow." she said softly as the glow lit up her face. Valkyrie expected more of a freak out and she closed her hand.
"It's not a trick." she said.
"I hope not. I'm trying not to get too excited just incase I'm hallucinating."
"You're not hallucinating." said Skulduggery. He took of his disguise and the bright lights made his skull gleam.
"That's... pretty cool. Are you dead?"
"Yes."
"Right. Just checking."
"Are you not alarmed?" he asked.
"More excited. I mean I'm freaked out, but I've wanted something like this to happen my entire life." There was a pause and she winced. "That sounds pathetic."
"It doesn't." said Valkyrie sharply. "I was the same, trust me."
Elise smiled. "I guess we're all freaks, huh?" she said.
"What do you mean?" said Skulduggery.
"I mean...because of the things that have been happening to me. Isn't that why you're here?"
"What things?" he questioned.
"Well...like this." she said. Skulduggery and Valkyrie watched her and for a moment nothing happened but then Elise's startlingly blue eyes changed to a lime green. They changed to red then purple then black then yellow and then the iris disappeared all together.
"What else can you do?" asked Valkyrie.
"At the moment the only things I can do without really focusing is my eyes. But when I'm concentrating I can change my hair colour and skin colour.
"Your powers are returning?" said Skulduggery, not able to hide his surprise.
"Returning? This has never happened to me before." Elise's eyes returned to normal.
"About that..." muttered Valkyrie under her breath.
"This is what we have been sent to tell you." said Skulduggery softly.
"What?" said Elise urgently, a hint of panic in her voice.
"You're not a freak," said Skulduggery, "You're a sorcerer. Magic exists and it is everywhere. Mortals- that is non-sorcerers- do not know it exists. We hide it from them, for their own safety."
"But how do I not know this?"
"From what we know, you were abducted years ago for an army of sorcerers. They trained you in combat and magic before sending you home with a different identity. They created a life for you and when you were needed they would tell you your name so you could fight for them."
Elise was very pale. "What do you mean by tell me my name?"
"You have three names as a sorcerer." Said Valkyrie. "Your given name, your taken name, and your true name. Your given name is the one given to you by someone else, whether it be a family member or otherwise. Your given name can be used to control you and to prevent this from happening you must choose a name to protect it. My given name was Stephanie Edgley. My taken name is Valkyrie Cain. I chose it and it is a part of me."
"What about your true name?"
Valkyrie tensed. "Um, your true name gives you all of your power and you rarely find out what it is. If you do, then you will be unimaginably powerful. If someone finds out your true name then they will have totally control over you. You can seal a true name so this doesn't happen. My true name is Darquesse."
"Are you unimaginably powerful then?"
"No. My name was too powerful for me so it developed a consciousness and tried to destroy the world."
"Oh." Elise said quietly.
"You have a taken name already." said Skulduggery. You chose it before your memory was wiped. If you hear it, you will remember everything and turn back into who you were."
"And I suppose you know my taken name?"
"We have some options-"
There was a soft knock on the door.
"We're busy!" called Skulduggery.
The knocking continued. "We're in the middle of discussing a private matter. Please leave." he said again.
The knocking got louder and more insistent. Skulduggery stood and headed to the door, obviously planning to scold the person outside. He activated his facade.
There were another three loud knocks and then a noise that sounded like a shove.
"Just bloody kick it down!" hissed a female voice.
Before anyone in the room could react, there was a loud bang and the door flew off its hinges and sent Skulduggery flying.
There were three people standing in the doorway. The one at the front was a petite woman wearing red leather trousers and a black top. She had short blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and slanted brown eyes that glinted. Next to her was a man with messy black hair and a black knuckleduster. Shadows curled around it and he had a sickly smile on her face. On the woman's other side was another woman who had a thin face with high cheekbones. Her head was shaved and tattoos covered the place where her hair would of been. She had several piercings on her face.
"My name is Feral." said the woman with the blonde hair. "Just Feral if you dont mind." Her eyes locked with Elise's and she smirked. Feral pulled out a small bloody knife and twirled it in her hand. "You're coming with us."
Skulduggery stood and fire flared in his hands. "She is not."
"C'mon Elise." purred Feral, "I thought you'd want to know about your past."
"Dont listen to her."said Valkyrie.
"Well, duh." said Elise, giving Valkyrie a look.
"Do you really want to fight us? In the middle of this school? I mean aren't you supposed to have that thing where mortals dont know about magic? What will happen if we all start scrapping here?" said Feral
"We'll figure something out." said Skulduggery. He raised his hands and the fire disappeared. He pushed forwards and a wall of air slammed into the trio and sent them flying back.
"Out." he said and they all followed him.
It was unusually quiet in the reception area and there were no people to be seen. Feral and her companions wrre groaning as they picked themsekves out of the wall. Elise had walked over to the reception desk where Flora sat and she had frozen where she stood. Her eyes were wide and she looked like she was going to pass out. Valkyrie walked over, worry pooling in her stomach, and then she saw what Elise was looking at.
Flora was flopping over her desk chair, covered in blood. Her throat had been viciously sliced and you could see the white bone of her spine. Blood was on her computer screen. Valkyrie went cold.
"Like my work, do you?" teased Feral as she stood up. "She annoyed me. Really. Didn't stop saying that I needed an appointment. Do I look like the sort of person who'd give a damn about appointments?"
Elise turned. Shock was still on her face and she could not seem to come up with words. Valkyrie was also stunned. They were in a school.
"Valkyrie." said Skulduggery softly so only she could hear. "Take Elise and run. Dont argue. Take these." He passed her the list of names. "Try to find out her name. Valkyrie?"
"Yes."
"When I say run..."
Skulduggery lifted his hands and shot streams of flame at Feral. "Run!" he yelled.
Valkyrie grabbed Elise's arm and dragged her away from the scene. For a moment she was shocked but she soon began to sprint beside Valkyrie. They ran down the corridor, their shoes squeaking loudly against the floor.
"Get after them!" screeched Feral as she dived out of the way of the flame.
Her two companions did as they were told, but luckily Valkyrie and Elise had a good headstart.
Valkyrie fumbled with the piece of paper and began to read names when she could. None of them had an effect. They turned a sharp corner and Elise skidded but managed to catch herself before she fell over.
"Now would not be a good time to fall over!" Valkyrie said.
"We need to get out of the school!" said Elise. "The bell will be going in a few minutes and something tells me that they won't have anything against killing people who are in their way."
"Lead the way." gasped Valkyrie as she ran.
"This way!" cried Elise. She grabbed Valkyrie's arm and pulled her to the right down a corridor that she would of missed if she was on her own. Elise led the way past many classrooms, darting around corners with ease. The man and woman were falling behind. They ran up a staircase and Valkyrie stumbled, but Elise yanked her back up onto her feet. They were in a single corridor now and there were no doors on either side. Ahead was a door with a window and Valkyrie could see the balcony.
"Is there a way down?" she said, fighting the stitch in her side,
"Yes." she said. "Just follow me, okay?"
"Gotcha."
They burst through the doors and onto the balcony. Elise ran to the right of the balcony and vaulted over the railing. Valkyrie let out a cry of surprise and hesitated. She peered over the side and saw Elise standing on a large storage box. She vaulted over and landed beside her.
"Jump." said Elise as she leapt off the box. Valkyrie followed her. She landed on the grass and rolled. She brushed herself off and look at Elise, who smiled and turned to run-
A heavy weight crashed into Valkyrie from above and sent her slamming into the ground. The air rushed from her lungs and she thrashed to get the weight off her, but it was too heavy. She was winded and could barely breathe. A man was pinning her down to the ground and he had a weird smile on his face. His hands held down her wrists and no matter how hrd she tried, she could not break his grip. She tried to twist her hips and throw him off, but he just laughed.
"Got you." he said.
Valkyrie heard a cry to the left of her and she twisted her head. The bald woman with the piercings was pinning Elise down and she was writhing in her grip.
Valkyrie poured her magic into her hands and sent a beam of white light towards the man's face. The man twisted his head and avoided it, but he looked angry. Valkyrie concentrated and allowed her magic to flow around her body. She could feel it bubbling and boiling beneath her skin. With great effort, she pushed the heat up onto all of her flesh, and the man cried out as his hands burned. Valkyrie tried to push him off, but his weight still kept her down. The man raised his fist with the black knuckleduster as if he was going to strike her but he didn't. Shadows flowed from it and settled over Valkyrie's body like a blanket, holding her down. She knew she was trapped now.
Across from her, Elise was still struggling valiantly with the woman holding her down. She yelled and yelled as she tried to kick, punch, and scratch her captor. She wasn't strong enough and the woman only laughed.
Valkyrie had a sudden realisation that she still had the list of names clutched in her fist. Acting as if she was giving up, she allowed her head to fall sideways so she could read them. She scanned the ones that she had already read and called out two before they realised what she was doing.
"Hey!" yelled the woman, distracted. "Stop he-"
Elise took advantage of the woman being distracted by placing a hand on the woman's chin. The woman stared for a moment, shocked. Elise moved her hand and Valkyrie saw it close around one of the woman's piercings by her mouth. She hesitated for a second before ripping it out.
The woman screamed and fell off Elise. She rolled on the ground clutching her ripped mouth as if holding it together would make it feel better. Blood dripped down Elise's face and she winced at the woman on the ground. She stood and tossed the piercing aside. The man on top of Valkyrie froze with shock, and Valkyrie took those seconds to shout out a name;
"Lex Avalon!" she cried.
Elise, or Lex, straightened up and tilted her head. She brushed herself off and smoothed her school clothes.
"Well." she said, "This is weird."
She ran to the man and hit him across the jaw. It was a good punch that landed almost perfectly, and the man fell sideways onto the grass with a gasp. He got up and ran at Lex, anger clouding his eyes. She ducked under one of his punches and threw a punch of her own. The man swayed but soon regained his balance. He shadow-walked behind Lex and grabbed her from behind, putting on a triangle choke. She tried to cry out with surprise but it came out as a quiet gasp. Valkyrie still had a wall of shadow on her so she couldn't help. She could only watch.
Lex squirmed in his grip and tried to kick him in the groin. He snarled. Lex's face was red and she seemed to be panicking. She gritted her teeth and, amazingly, long clawlike nails grew from her finger tips. She dug them into his thigh and dragged upwards. The man screamed and released Lex. He fell to the ground and the shadows above Valkyrie disappeared. Lex sucked in a deep breath.
The woman had recovered somewhat during the fight and now stood, her lip still bleeding.
Valkyrie stood and gathered her magic around her fist. She punched her in the jaw and the force from her magic sent her flying across the grass. She turned to Lex, her nails back to normal.
"What are you?" asked Valkyrie.
"I-" began Lex, but she was interrupted by Feral flying through a wall.
Skulduggery floated after her.
"Oh, hello." he said, straightening his hat. "I'm glad I didn't have to save you two."
"Turns out we didn't need your help." muttered Valkyrie.
Feral stood and looked at her friends and the blood on their clothes. She sighed and dusted herself off. She held her arm as if it was hurt.
"Guess we dont win this one guys." she said, pulling up the woman. The man linped over to her. "We'll find you, Elise." she said simply.
"It's Lex now, actually." said Lex.
"Of course." said Feral. "Pleasure fighting with you." she said. She brought out a cloaking sphere and twisted it. They disappeared.
"Damn." murmured Skulduggery.
"What?" asked Valkyrie
"That was my cloaking sphere."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. We lost another one. To a gang of killers. Grand Mage Sorrows will not be happy." he turned to Lex. "So you're you now?"
"Yes. I mean, I think so. I can remember everything, including my time as Elise. But I dont feel like a different person. I'm still me."
"What do you mean?"
"I still love my family. I still love the same food. I still love Harry Potter and Marvel and Lord Of The Rings and Game Of Thrones and Sherlock and Doctor Who and-"
"Good God." said Valkyrie, "Let's not introduce her to Gracious."
"Who's Gracious?"
"It doesn't matter, you will never meet him."
"Right." said Lex uncertainly.
"You say you remember everything?" asked Skulduggery.
"Pretty much, yes."
"In that case, the Grand Mage may have some questions for you."
"Who's the Grand Mage?"
"Currently? It's China Sorrows."
"You'll love her." said Valkyrie, smiling. "You will literally love her."
Please review and point out any mistakes! :) Let me know what you think about Lex.