Right, here is the (hopefully) penultimate chapter. I know it's short, but this fits under the category of more father daughter relationship, or maybe just the one Landy has written, so there is no romancical pain. hope you like


Chapter 8: Valkyrie Cain

"Stephanie. Stephanie, are you even listening to me?" Stephanie Edgely looks up from her breakfast.

"Sorry Dad, what were you saying?" He sighs.

"I said, what are you doing today? I'm going to Beryl's," he shudders, "and your mother's out. So what are you going to do?"

"Why are you going to Beryl's?"

"I really don't know, but your mother says I have to; something about family being important. I disagreed, but it didn't really matter. But what will you be doing?"

"I have plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"Girl plans." He immediately leaves the room.

Stephanie slouches up the stairs and enters her room. Valkyrie slams down onto the bed. Another crushing day has passed and another and another and now it's today. The mind numbing repetition of the days has just washed over and hasn't settled in her head. All she knows is that she's tired of listening to people talk about things that don't matter and she's sick of having to act as if it hasn't happened.

She buries her face in the pillow but doesn't scream. She plugs in her iPod but doesn't listen. She pulls out a book but doesn't read. She closes her eyes and tries not to think. She has tried and tried and tried to make it stop hurting but it doesn't ever. She's banking so much on today. If it doesn't make her feel better, she doesn't know what will.

Today is the day, she thinks, today is the time I get to be me. No more pretending. Hurriedly wiping her face, she heads to the bathroom to begin getting ready.