Skulduggery Pleasant- Daughter Of Darkness

LITTLE GIRLS, ALL ALONE

That afternoon Roselyn, Stephanie and her mother took the fifteen-minute drive from Haggard to Gordons estate. Their mum opened the door and stepped back. "Owners of the house first," she said with a little smile and bow, And Roselyn and Stephanie stepped inside. it was crazy to think that at just 15 and 12 she and Stephanie had a house, what other 15 year old and 12 year old owned houses? It was too silly an idea. Too far fetched. Too crazy. Exactly the kind of thing Gordon would have thought made perfect sense.

The house was big and quiet and empty as they walked through it, she, Stephanie and her mother spent so long looking around the ground floor that by the time they got to the bottom stairs, it was already five o'clock, with their exploring done for the day, they locked up and walked back to the car. the first few drops of rain splattered against the windscreen as they got in. Roselyn clicked her seatbelt closed and her other turned the key ignition.

The car spluttered a bit, groaned and then shut up altogether. Her mother looked at them. "Uh oh" They all said, getting out and opening the bonnet. "Well," her mother said, looking at the engine, "At least that's still there."

"Do you know anything about engines?" Stephanie asked.

"That's why I have a husband, so I don't have to, Engines and shelves, that's why man was invented." Roselyn chuckled as she Stephanie rolled her eyes.

Her mum dug her mobile phone out of her bag and called the girls dad, but he was busy on site and there was no way he could get to them before nightfall. They went back inside the house and her mother called a mechanic, and they they spent three quarters of an hour waiting for him to arrive. The sky was grey and angry and the rain was falling hard by the time the truck appeared around the corner. It splashed through puddles on its way up the long drive, and Roselyn's mum pulled her jacket over her head and ran out to meet it. Roselyn who was standing beside Stephanie could see a great big dog in the cab of the truck, looking on as the mechanic got out to examine their car. After a few minutes, her mother ran back inside, thoroughly drenched.

"He can't fix it here," she said, wringing out her jacket on the porch, "so he's going to tow it to the garage. It shouldn't take to long to fix."

"Will there be room for the both of us in the truck?" Stephanie asked, "You can sit on my knee."

"Mum!"

"Or I can sit on your knee, whatever works."

"can't me and Roselyn just stay here?" Stephanie asked.

Their mother looked at them. "By yourselves?"

"Please? You just said it wont take long, and I'd like to have another look around."

"I don't know Steph..."

"Please? I've stayed on my own before, I wont break anything, I swear, Plus Roselyn's going to be with me."

Their mother laughed. "OK fine. I shouldn't be any more than an hour, all right? An hour and a half at most." Their mother gave them a quick kiss on their cheeks.

"Call me if you need anything."

She ran back outside and jumped in the cab next to the dog, who proceeded to slobber all over her face. Roselyn and Stephanie watched their car being towed off into the distance and then it vanished from sight.

The sisters did a little more exploring, now that they were on their own. They climbed the stairs and went straight to Gordon's study. His publisher, Seamus T. Steepe of Arc Light Books, had phoned them earlier that day, passing on his condolences and enquiring about the state of Gordon's last book.