Just for those confused, Skulduggery isn't dead. The younger version of him was just very badly hurt. If the younger version of him died the older version wouldn't be there.

Skulduggery walked back to the gates, thinking about what he had done. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do after all… He'd just killed a kid… He didn't know if he'd failed but a gut instinct told him so. At least now he knew why "Miss Jenkins" sounded so familiar. The bully that tortured him and his friends for eighteen whole years…

He hung his head in shame, figuring everyone would be fuming with him. He'd just changed time and killed the kid. He wasn't meant to do that. He's probably changed the time in the future. Maybe he's changed himself. He was still a skeleton, wasn't he? He glanced in a puddle. Yep. Still a skeleton.

The two women raised their heads with smiles slapped across their faces. "Well done, Skulduggery. Apparently, you have completed the task to open the first gate. Well done."

Suddenly, Skulduggery remembered that he couldn't have changed time. That was what he had to do! He had been so stupid! This wasn't normal life, this was his head! He could change what he wanted when he wanted and how he wanted. Now that was out of the way, he didn't have to feel bad anymore!

The Doctor skipped towards them, grinning. "So, the past's all good then?"

"Yep."

Skulduggery sighed a sigh of relief.

The gate entering the school seemed to buzz with electricity as suddenly a blinding white light came from no-where. When their visions had cleared, the gate entering the school grounds had a blue swirling portal in it.

"We can now pass through." The women smiled.

Skulduggery's jaw would have dropped if he was wearing his façade. The Doctor seemed to giggle like a small school girl and skip through, enticed and inquisitive. "So, this is something in the present?"

"…Yep…"

"I really feel bad for you, you know." Miss Jenkins smiled very slightly.

"Why?"

"Because of all you have been through. You're a very unlucky man, Mr. Pleasant."

"I know." Skulduggery cocked his head sideways, then turned to the portal and sighed.

"Here I come.." He murmured to himself under his breath. Suddenly, in flashes of red, green, purple, yellow and blue, Skulduggery shielded his eyes. The world seemed to spin ten times faster than a round-a-bout being pushed by The Hulk whereas Skulduggery himself did his best to stay upright, dizziness overwhelming him and clouding his mind. When the world had stopped spinning, The Doctor was visible only barely. Skulduggery barely managed to soften the fall. When the world had stopped spinning, he looked up at…

Himself?

What on Earth?

Where were they!

The Doctor jumped around with a kind of glee he shall only ever know. "Gordon Edgley! I've read a good few of your books and I have to say I loved Decades of the Elders!" He ran over to attempted to shake a confused and dazed Echo Stone's hand. "I say! Is this Tanith Low? May I say, My Lady, it's an honour!" He ran over and kissed Tanith on the hand. "Wow, Skul, who's your friend? He's pretty cute… I like his bowtie." Tanith flirted. Ghastly's eyes burned holes deep into the hearts of The Doctor.

The Doctor's face became a smug figure of its former self, turning to Skulduggery who was still on the floor staring at himself. "Bowties are cool." He said while pulling his bow sideways.

"Why am I… Where are we…"

"Skulduggery, we're in Gordon's study."

It hit Skulduggery like a Frisbee. He jumped up and stared at the green rusted type writer. When Valkyrie said… that… that thing. He glared at the typewriter, tempted to grab it and throttle it until it changes what was said. Why now? This could be so easy…

Hold on!

A second Frisbee hit Skulduggery at the same time as an amazingly brilliant idea. This was his imagination. If he concentrated…

…Poof! Fletcher appeared doing some kind of ridiculous Irish dancing with a red curly wig and big princess dress on. Skulduggery couldn't help but let a low velvet chuckle slither through his skull. He got back to the hand on task. He was about to change it when The Doctor looked over his shoulder. "Skulduggery, I hate to break this to you but you're meant to stop it haunting you, not change it."

Skulduggery glanced at him. "I don't care. I'm doing this my way and my way only."

Poof! The writing changed and the two women appeared yet again.

"It seems as if you have completed your second challenge. How on Earth are you doing this so quickly?"

"I'm smart."

"Well, you're cocky, that's for sure. Your ego can bite you in the bum one day."

"Heh, bum."

"Skulduggery, take this seriously. You should lower the bar of your ego. One day, it'll come back to bite you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard it all before."

"Take this seriously!"

"I refuse."

"Ugh!"

The women gestured to the archway entering another room and again, in blinding lights and rainbows, the portal slowly inched into existence. "Go ahead. Step through."

"Hold on…" Ghastly stepped forward, leaning in and reading what Skulduggery had changed. He opened his mouth and inhaled largely, ready to read aloud. Skulduggery leaped forward and clamped his hands around Ghastly's mouth. "Don't you dare."

"Mmm! MmMMmM!" Ghastly bit Skulduggery's bone. Nothing. He licked his bone.

"Eww…"

Ghastly bit off one of Skulduggery's fingers and his velvety voice crashed through his skull in a jagged yelp. He grasped his hand, cradling the wound. "No no, Don't!"

Ghastly grinned as he read… ""How do you know for sure, Stephanie?" She tried ever so hard not to answer, knowing Skulduggery was writing what was happening thanks to her clues. "How do you know for sure, Stephanie Edgley?" He repeated. Damn it, if she didn't spill it he would keep on asking and it was going to come out sooner or later... She had to answer. "Because I love him."

Suddenly, Skulduggery burst into the door and leaped in front of Valkyrie, protecting her. He gripped his revolver, the pressure dropping on top of him like an anvil. He stood his ground, making sure Valkyrie wasn't in his reach. "Now, what were you saying?" He gently pressed the gun to Fletcher's head. Fletcher stumbled back, tripped and fell to the floor. Bang.

He untied Valkyrie and picked her up. She loosely hung her arms around his neck, just barely in consciousness. She rested her head upon his ribcage, whispering. "I love you, Skulduggery."

Skulduggery glanced at her before whispering back. "I love you too."

Everyone stared at him, their eyes making holes in his bones.

"What?"