Valkyrie slung her bag over her shoulder and, scowling, reached down to grab Skulduggery's bag as well. She went to lift it off the ground, but was immediately thrown on top of it.

"What did you put in this thing?" Valkyrie said. She tried to lift it again but with the same result. After another few tries, she tested pulling the bag. Didn't work. Shoving the bag. Didn't work either. Valkyrie growled and sat down, bracing herself against the airport wall and putting her feet against it. Nothing.

She glared at the others, who all seemed amused in their own way. "Shut up," she snapped.

In the end, Sanguine had to help her pull the bag onto the escalator. He looked at her as they ascended. "Why are you carrying his bags?"

Valkyrie scowled again and crossed her arms. "Because I lost a stupid bet and now I have to carry his stuff when we travel."

"What was the bet?"

"That I could go a whole week without using electronics. I broke on the first day."

"Bummer."

"Yes. Bummer."

They boarded the plane headed to London quickly, Valkyrie still having trouble with the suitcase. Vendetta, Ray-Roy, Sanguine, Ghastly, Fletcher, Dusk, herself and Skulduggery were going out to London. The rest were staying behind to see if they could find anything else out in the area Wreck had last been in. Valkyrie flopped into the seat next Skulduggery and looked around. Vendetta and Dusk were across the aisle from Valkyrie. Both were sitting quietly. Ray-Roy and Sanguine were in front of those two, Ray-Roy annoying Vendetta. Ghastly and Fletcher were in front of Valkyrie talking.

Finally, Vendetta snapped at Ray-Roy to shut up. Valkyrie looked in front of her and saw a movie player so she picked one and watched it for a while. Skulduggery read a magazine next to her. Everything was fine until Fletcher ate too much chocolate and soda and started to have a hyper-attack, running around and jumping and yelling crazy things.

"Wee! I am Fletcher Renn!" Fletcher yelled as he ran down the aisle. "I am The Last Teleporter and I have the greatest hair in the world! No one is more awesome then me!"

"Hey!" Skulduggery snapped. "I am the greatest person in the world. Not you!"

Fletcher stuck his tongue out.

"Why you little-

Skulduggery lunged across the seat at the hyper teenager, scaring Valkyrie and accidently knocking over Sanguine's soda. Valkyrie groaned. "Not again….." she mumbled.

Skulduggery chased Fletcher around for a good twenty minutes, ticking everyone in their compartment off and knocking over numerous things. Eventually, Skulduggery caught Fletcher and threatened to give him a swirly in the airplane toilet unless he calmed down. Fletcher agreed for fear of ruining his hair and ended up falling asleep in his seat.

Valkyrie sighed in relief. She looked over and saw Fletcher drooling in his sleep. Valkyrie took a picture of that. Ghastly had taken Valkyrie's idea and was watching a movie. Ray-Roy and Sanguine were arguing about something while Skulduggery meditated. Valkyrie looked over and saw Dusk and Vendetta talking quietly.

Vendetta tensed as Dusk said something. She muttered something back, Dusk said something Valkyrie couldn't make out and Vendetta crossed her arms, turning to look out the window. Dusk rolled his eyes and took out a magazine.

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow at that then went back to watching her own movie. They finally landed and disembarked and Valkyrie came face to face with her enemy once again. Skulduggery's bag. She growled and grabbed the handle and began to pull.

"What is in this thing?" she snapped. "Skulduggery doesn't even change his clothes that often! Did you put cinder blocks in here just to mess with me?"

She finally managed to pull it off the luggage carrier. As it hit the ground, there was a loud "OW!" heard. Their group paused and turned to look at the bag skeptically. Valkyrie frowned, but shrugged, and continued to try to get the bag to the escalators. After a few minutes, Sanguine once again came over and they drug it to the escalator. He put it down and turned to Ray-Roy to say something but was interrupted when the bag fell down the escalator.

Loud yells were heard as it crashed down the moving staircase, and the group watched it come to a stop at the bottom. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow. "Seriously Skulduggery, what did you put in that thing?"

Skulduggery shrugged and they went outside, retrieving the bag on the way and dragging it through the parking lot to the rental car Skulduggery got. Valkyrie took the keys.

"I want to drive."

Skulduggery looked at her. "No way. I've seen you drive. I'm not ever letting you drive me anywhere."

Valkyrie snorted. "Okay, I crashed a car once. But I was thirteen at the time and I was being chased by a pack of Infected."

"Don't forget the time you and Tanith decided to take the Bentley on joy ride at two in the morning."

"Hey!" Valkyrie said. "In my defense, Tanith distracted me by waving a donut in my face."

"And that time you two hijacked Ghastly's van."

"But-

"And China's car."

"I-

"And your parents' car."

"They-

"And do I need to remind you of that time when you drank the wrong kind of punch accidentally at one of the Sanctuaries' parties and you and Tanith thought that the smartest thing possible would be to take my Bentley and check if it was an all-terrain vehicle by riding it across a fallen tree."

"Hey," Valkyrie said. "I learned something that day."

"What? That you and Tanith are the stupidest people on the planet?"

"No, that trees are not a terrain."

"You were in the hospital for three weeks!"

"Yes, but I learned something so it was worth it. And you are always telling me that I need to learn new things."

"Yes, by going to school instead of sending your reflection. You need to give that thing a break."

"But I don't like homework!" Valkyrie whined, stamping her foot angrily. "Or school!"

"Get in the car."

Valkyrie grumbled dark things under her breath and slid into her seat.

….

They stayed at an old apartment provided by the Sanctuary. The English Sanctuary was providing them temporary allowance to be on England's soil to find their Grand Mage. But if any of them stepped out of line, they had warned. They would immediately be hunted down and thrown in jail.

"Should be easy as cake with criminals!" Skulduggery said cheerfully as they unpacked. The apartment had an upper floor as well so the guys were staying up there while the girls bunked down below. They were all currently in the kitchenette on the bottom floor. Sanguine, Fletcher and Ray-Roy were sitting on the couch while Dusk was in the armchair. Vendetta sat on the window sill.

"Yeah," Valkyrie responded sarcastically. "Easiest feat in my entire life."

"No need for the sarcasm. You're just grumpy because I'm making you do school work in your free time."

Valkyrie scowled. "I still don't get why you're making me."

Skulduggery shrugged. "You need to give that reflection a break. Besides, you should do more normal things."

"Like homework," Valkyrie muttered bitterly.

"Exactly." Skulduggery leaned down to open the bag that had been causing Valkyrie so much trouble.

"Wait!" Valkyrie said.

Skulduggery looked at her.

"I want to open that bag," she said. "Find out what was causing me so much trouble."

Everyone looked over to see what it was as Valkyrie opened the bag. She screamed and jumped back. The others frowned and looked over to see what had spooked her. Shoe popped her head out of the bag and looked at them.

"You know," she said. "You really didn't have to drop me down the escalator."

"What are ya doin' here?" Ray-Roy said with a frown.

Shoe blushed. "I, uh. Thought you guys might need me. Ya know, since I'm from London and everything."

They continued to look at her.

"Well don't just stare! You're freakin' me out!"

Skulduggery cocked his head to the others. "What should we do with her?"

"I say we should get rid of her the old fashioned way," Vendetta said from where she sat in the window sill, sharpening a wicked looking knife.

"Why don't we just let her stay?" Valkyrie asked. "I mean, it would make sense and everything, since she grew up here."

Skulduggery shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

Vendetta growled and began to sharpen her weapon with a new vigor. Shoe grinned. She hopped out of the bag and walked right over to Ray-Roy.

"Okay," Skulduggery said. "Let's get settled here and we'll invade Wreck's headquarters as soon as we get a plan. Now, has anyone seen my hat?"

"I think you left on the table," Valkyrie said.

"I did? Oh, I did. Good. Very good." Skulduggery walked off to go get his hat while Ray-Roy walked out of the room, Shoe trailing behind. Dusk and Sanguine went back to watching TV. Valkyrie sighed as she went to her math. She scowled and leaned back in the couch she was sitting on. She glanced at the window where Vendetta had been sitting and realized she wasn't there anymore. Valkyrie frowned. Where was Vendetta?

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