It's 10 am when it feels like 6 am I have a big 5 year old chocolate lab laying on my lap and I'm using him as a table. Ha! Nothing but snow here. Talk about from coast to coast.
GEPOV
"Is it even possible? The last known, or believed Death Bringer was Melancholia." Vendetta countered.
"Yes, but Valkyrie was believed to be one." Skulduggery said.
"But she wasn't, right?" Alison asked.
"I wasn't, but you might. Lets just hope you're not."
Alison gave a half laugh than said, "Yeah, me too. I really have no intention on killing three billion people just so the other half will live.". she tried to shrug off the thought but couldn't, "Is that why they took me? To, like, train me?"
"Looks like it." Skulduggery said.
"C-can we go inside? I'm freezing my ass off now." Vendetta shuffled in and snapped her fingers, making a small flame.
"What were you expecting? You only wear jackets when we're fighting." Valkyrie slightly snapped.
"Mrowr." Tanith clawed to make her point, "What happened to you guys? Aren't supposed to be patrolling?" Rife nodded and didn't say a word from the cold.
"Melancholia died." Skulduggery said.
Ghastly lightly ran when he heard what Skulduggery said, "She's dead?" he huffed, "Right, Emera, here." He tossed her a paper wrapped box tied with red twine.
"Thanks, I'll be right back." Alison rounded a few corners to find the washroom to change. The jacket draped around mid-thigh with a renegade feeling to the look. The sleeveless tunic was a zip-up turtle neck. Her pants were extremely tight yet comfortable. Her shoes were black canvas high-tops with the waffle tread. Unlike her sister's, she had fingerless gloves. Like always everything Ghastly made fit perfectly. Alison put her old clothes in the box and carried it back with her.
"Well?" She asked.
"I know I'm awesome." Ghastly said, bemused with himself.
"God, Skulduggery's ego is contagious!" Tanith joked, "But you do look good."
"What sad is that when I give Vendetta her clothes she finds a way of purposely ripping them." He glared at Vendetta who scratched behind her head to look innocent.
"Yeah, but they still work!" She countered, "Besides clothes were meant to be ripped. It happens all the time."
"Yes it does. But it's basically impossible to tear my fabric!" Ghastly snapped.
"Can we get back to business?" Skulduggery suggested. Ravel overheard and joined them.
"What business?" He asked. Valkyrie glanced at everyone and gave a slight nod.
"Melancholia's dead and we think my sister is the next Death Bringer."
"Oh dear god. Really? That's both good and bad… Emera, I don't believe I properly introduced myself." He held out his hand and Alison shook it.
"Um… Hi…?" She awkwardly said.
"Hello." He said with a creepy smile. Her hand broke from his and she plunged it in her pocket, "Right, so what are we going to do?" he asked.
"Actually we don't need your help. Sorry." Valkyrie answered. Ravel sighed and walked away.
"Thank you." Skulduggery sighed with relief. Vendetta laughed in agreement.
"Great, now that's done we have a bigger matter at our hands."
"How do we really know that that I'm the Death Bringer?" Alison asked with a panic in her tone.
"I don't know. Skulduggery?" Valkyrie glanced at him.
"Hmm? Oh, I don't know either." He answered.
"There is always the possibility of suppre-" Ghastly suggested.
"Don't say suppress, OK? She's too damn curious!" Valkyrie snapped.
"Are you OK? Why do you always get work worked up about being suppressed?"
Valkyrie calmed down and sighed, "I don't know. I had a few close calls to getting it, I guess." Tanith and Alison felt sympathy while the others turned their backs and pretended not to listen due to the awkwardness.
Another beat passed and the subject changed.
"So we have new plans, right?" Tanith asked.
"No, not yet." Ghastly admitted.
"Gasp! No plans?" Vendetta sarcastically said.
"Maybe I am contagious?" Skulduggery thought randomly. Alison couldn't help but smirk with a barely audible snicker.
"OK, so what are we going to do in the meantime?" Vendetta asked.
"I guess training Alison." Tanith said, looking mischievous.
"What kind?" Alison curiosly asked.
"Combat?" Skulduggery suggested.
"Than who's going to teach me then?"
"I had three." Valkyrie added, "I don't know if I can teach but I know for surely you can..." She weekly pointed to almost everybody and continued, "I'm somewhat expecting Vendetta and Rife to teach her." Drawing her voice to the two, "Rife, you can solve anything like mad and Vendetta, I don't think I've seen someone throw so much shadows at once. You two are perfect." Skulduggery loudly cleared his throat to catch her attention, "Safely, not insanely." She ended.
"That's a good idea, I think. Rife?" Vendetta's head turned to face him.
"Oh, yeah. Sure." Rife plunged his hands in his overcoat and said, "But, why not you two?"
"Skulduggery and I have some dirt to dig, Ghastly and Tanith are doing God knows what, and you might not have the right training for being a field agent, this'll be good for you. Trust me." Valkyrie glared at Ghastly and Tanith who scurry off to do something, "All right since that's all settled, shall we?"
"I think we shall" Skulduggery started flinging his keys around his gloved finger and they rounded a corner and left.
"It's like nine and I am so bushed, can we do nothing physical?" Alison begged.
"Sure, I'm lazy today." She turned her attention to Rife, "Can we use your office? I like sitting in that comfy swivel chair of yours, plus you have all those books an' stuff."
"OK, yeah." They didn't have to walk far to his office. Inside was a metal desk with a desktop on one side and a globe at the other. At the back there was shelves of heavy books and maps.
"Nice den." Alison said as she dragged a pull-out chair from the side and Vendetta took his swivel chair, Rife dragged a different swivel chair and rolled to the desk.
"OK, what first? I have books on Necromancy, Elemental, detective work or…"
"Japanese mythology?" Alison joked. Rife shrugged and splayed his hands and made the book vaguely land on the desk.
"Just need some more practice." Vendetta muttered. Alison raised a brow and looked at him, "I didn't mean it"
"Oh, well. If you're ever looking for it, find me." He started reaching for the book but she grabbed it before him, "No, actually can I borrow this?"
"Yeah, sure. OK, how 'bout books on the names? It might help you understand more on how to do magic."
"Cool, OK." She yawned and started flipping through pages till she got to the True Name chapter.
"It says here that, like, our True names are ancient Latin names and is our source to all magic. It also says that anyone can overthrow you if they know it. What happens if I discover my True name?"
"First of all you'd have insane powers and you might want to seal it too."
"How do you do that?"
"You need symbols engraved into your heart." Vendetta shivered at the thought of Nye, "You would have Nye do that for you…"
"That thing? Do you know anyone who did that?"
"Your sister, actually. I believe she was 16, right Rife" He nodded back, "This was when Professor Kenspeckle Grouse was alive, Skulduggery hated the fact that she did it on Christmas day and never told him until a few days later. I think that she was cheating on her teleporterer boyfriend with and obsessive vampire. That time I was traveling in Nova Scotia, Canada."
"Fletcher? My Gordon told me about him. I wonder where he is."
"I don't know. Rife?"
"Last time I heard from him he was caught stealing some rainbow dust from the Australian Sanctuary."
"Idiot. Like thirteen years ago he tried to get Valkyrie to love him again when she just told Skulduggery that she loves him and he did the same. Fletcher flashed Valkyrie to Australia in a beach shack and kissed her, it broke her heart so much and it broke his heart as well. Ever since I don't believe I've seen him since. Have you, Rife?" He glanced away from a map and answered, "I think in the paper for doing something illegal, but that's it. I never actually met him. Did you know he's the last Teleporterd alive?"
"I've seen his picture before, his hair defies all laws." Rife and Vendetta laughed in agreement than things went silent.
"Hey, Rife. Remember the '93 case? You tracked me down and almost got me killed by Skulduggery?"
"Good times. It's how I met them than I met you. Oh, hey. The Sanctuary dance that year?"
"God, don't remind me! I almost killed you!" They started laughing and Alison was extremely confused.
"What the hell? You guys think that's funny?"
"Almost as funny as torture." Vendetta joked, "I remember Donny Dulcifer, worst thing he did to me was gassing me. All I can say is that my fingers snapped and I almost blew up." She wiped a tear from her eye. "How did you get that nasty cut?"
"Sanguine, Temple, Melancholia, razor blade. The usual." Alison joked. "OK, you two are awesome, I think we'e going to make good friends."
"What about Skulduggery and the others?" Rife asked.
"Skulduggery, too intense. Ghaslty, too quiet. Tanith, too crazy. And my sister is treats me like I'm little. What I like about you two is that you're both single and we'll have more time to hang and whatnot. You know what I mean?"
"I guess so, never noticed that. Huh." Vendetta glanced at Rife and checked his clock, "Wow, time goes by fast, it's quittin' time. Rife can you drive me?"
"Yes." He started putting papers away into his satchel, "I'll get the car running in five minutes, go nuts." Rife walked out of his office and handed Alison the book and cornered left.
"Are Skulduggery and Valkyrie still out?" Vendetta asks.
"I haven't seen them. I'll hitch a ride with Tanith." Vendetta waved good-bye and walked the direction of Rife's car. Tanith joined Alison's side.
"From what I hear you need a helmet." She said, more of a hint than a question.
"Yeah, can I borrow one?"
"I have and extra one, C'mon." Tanith began walking and Alison hopped on the bike and reached for a helmet and strapped it on. Tanith revved her bike and swerved down the roads and dropped off Alison at her home.
Alison found her reflection in doing some homework quietly.
"Hi." it greeted and stepped into the mirror and Alison tapped the surface. It got into another fight and is now grounded for a few days.
"OK, since you are Alison Edgely, I need you to slowly become a better person and make mom and dad happy, K?"
"Yeah, sure OK. By the way, Andrew Sims asked you to the Valentine dance."
"What did you say? Valentines day isn't till next month."
"I said no and whipped that dog crap in his face. That's how that fight happened." It was exactly like Alison but it look so innocent.
"Good girl. When people ask about the scar, just say that I got into a biking accident, OK?" it nodded back and said, "You did get a B in science today."
"Good. I'm going to bed, don't make a sound." Alison changed and slipped under the covers and slept instantly.
"Do you think Alison got a ride home?" Valkyrie asked, checking the time.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she got a ride with Tanith or something."
"Something?"
"Nye could've, just saying." He dropped off Valkyrie at her house and went home himself. Gordon was standing in the middle of the hallway when the door opened.
"How was your long day?" he asked.
"We did a five hour drive to the temple for asking questions. Then Melancholia died so we had to drive another five hours back." Valkyrie said while she flung her jacket and boots on the ground.
"She died?" Gordon frowned.
"Yes, her body couldn't handle it, she needed the meds to live or something."
"What did you three ask her?"
"We asked why she captured Alison and she replied 'didn't you know' than she died." Valkyrie poured some coffee and gulped it down.
"Please don't tell me what we're all think." He pleaded.
"What? She the next Death Bringer?" She snapped.
"I hope we're wrong. Imagine what the Necromancers would do." Gordon went rigid and watched Valkyrie slam the mug on the table, "You OK? You seem extremely grumpy tonight."
Valkyrie sighed, "I'm sorry, I've been stressed out these last couple of days. I mean Alison knows what I do then she gets captured, tortured, cut by Sangiune, she has magic and she's good for her experience and now there's a possibility of her being the Death Bringer! Even when we were saving the world we had, like, a week to do it!" She slumped into the couch and Gordon sat down beside her.
"It's alright.", he cooed, "She's an Edgley, she'll do something wonderful. I know it."
She swung her head to him and said, "Look what happened to you?"
"Yes, but, I wrote horror fantasies and still do."
"Right." Valkyrie dragged the word, "I'm going to sleep, g'night!" She called back.
"Bye." The blue light dimmed to nothing and left her in the dark.
"Peachy." She muttered. Valkyrie climbed the three flights and fell under the sheets and basically fainted from exhaustion.
Bad ending (as usual). Anyways, if you hadn't read my first fanfic you probably have no clue on who Donny or what happened at the dance, that's why I didn't fill in every detail plus it might be a give away. I have a new 4th cousin name Emrys, the name I thought was good. Turns out that Emrys is Merlin's real name, maybe I'll create a new one-time character for it and using it as a first name, leave me details!