Le Début |Skulduggery Pleasant

Chapter 8: Ghastly

I sighed as I got out of my nice warm bed and got dressed. Whenever Skulduggery and I went to Ghastly's, I always went a few hours earlier to train with my good friend.
I grabbed my swords and gun and teleported into Ghastly's shop.
"Ghastly!" I called. "I'm here for our training."
There were a few moments of silence until Ghastly Bespoke came out of the back room and smiled at me.
"Hello, Belle. It's good to see you. I'm guessing that since you're here, Skulduggery will be here later." He said.
I nodded. Despite the way he looked with all of his scars, Ghastly was actually a very nice person as long as you weren't fighting him. He's also one of my closest friends along with my tailor.
"Yes he will be," I paused for a second. "He wants me to train more since last night I almost died." I said quickly.
He instantly stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "What happened?"
"There was this man that went after Gordon's niece and he stabbed me in the stomach. I also had a broken leg at the time so I wasn't exactly in fighting state."
"How exactly did you break your leg?"
"A car crash..."
He sighed. "What are we going to do with you, Belle?"
I laughed slightly. "Love me and protect me."
"This is true."
"Well, shall we fight?"
He nodded, smiling at me. He led me upstairs to the roof top where we usually train. I took out my two swords from their sheaths and stood in a fighting stance. He picked up a similar sword and got into a similar stance. I charged at him and slid underneath his swipe at me. I stood up instantly and turned, aiming to swipe for his arm, but he blocked me.
It continued like this, hand to hand  combat, us swiping at each other and me teleporting from place to place to dodge his attacks.
I teleported to the opposite side of the roof and panted, putting my hands on my knees.
"Timeout." I panted.
My body was covered in small cuts and bruises from all the times Ghastly managed to get a hit in.
"You've improved a lot since I first met you. And that's saying a lot considering you were trained by Serpine." Ghastly stated.
"Please don't remind me of that retched person."
"Sorry."
I laughed slightly and took a drink of water. "I still think that I should introduce you to my friend, Tanith Low. I think that you would like her quite a bit."
He gave a small laugh. "I'm not sure she would like me though, Belle."
I frowned slightly. "She's not like that, Ghastly. She doesn't care about what people look like. She cares about their personality."
He smiled softly at me. "I'll think about it, Belle."
I smiled at him and looked down onto the street and saw the Bentley park. "Well, Skulduggery's here so I think that I might just go get changed."
He nodded. "I have your latest order hanging up in the bathroom for you."
I thanked him and went downstairs and to the bathroom and saw that my latest order was indeed hanging up in the bathroom. I got changed and entered the small living room where Skulduggery, Stephanie and Ghastly were all sitting and talking.
"Is Ghastly making her clothes?" I asked, noticing that Stephanie looked a bit confused.
"He has." Skulduggery answered.
"Brilliant! She'll be well protected and stylish at the same time." I smiled brightly.
Ghastly and Skulduggery laughed at my antics and Stephanie just looked even more confused then she was before.
"What happened to you, Belle? You're covered in cuts and bruises." Stephanie said, seeming concerned for me.
"I'm fine, just a little bit of a friendly fighting with Ghastly is all." I answered with a smile.
I sat down between Skulduggery and Stephanie.
"So what's this all about?" Ghastly asked.
"We're investigating Gordon Edgley's murder," Skulduggery said.
"Murder?" Ghastly asked after a short pause.
"Indeed."
"Who would want to kill Gordon?"
"We think Serpine did it. We think he was looking for something." I answered this time.
"Skul, Belle," Ghastly said frowning, "usually when you want my help you just call and we go off and Skulduggery gets me into a fight. You've never really explained what's going on before, so why are you doing it now?"
"This is a different type of help we need." Skulduggery answered.
"So you don't need me to hit anyone?" Ghastly asked, looking confused.
"We'd just like your help in finding out what Serpine is after." I answered.
"I see," Ghastly said, nodding his head.
"You don't see, do you?" Skulduggery asked.
"No," Ghastly said immediately. "I really don't know what you want me to do."
"We think Serpine is after the Sceptre of the Ancients." Stephanie said.
I felt Skulduggery sink lower into the cushion beside me and I tried to hide by putting my head on his shoulder.
"The what?" Ghastly asked. "You're not serious, are you? Listen, I don't know what my dear friends here have been saying, but the Sceptre isn't real."
"Serpine thinks it's real. We think that it has something to do with my uncle's death." Stephanie replied.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Ghastly said. "I really am. I respected Gordon. He knew there was magic in the world and he wasn't seduced by it. He just wanted to observe and to write about it. That takes a strength that I hope has been passed on to you."
Stephanie didn't answer and neither Skulduggery or I looked at her.
"But," Ghastly continued, "to say that his death has something to do with a legend that has been passed down from generation to generation, and that has changed with each telling, is just nonsense. He had a heart attack. He was mortal. He died. That's what mortals do. Let him have his death."
I sat up from Skulduggery's shoulder to see how she would respond to Ghastly saying that.
"I think my uncle knew where the Sceptre is, or he had it and Serpine killed him, and now Serpine knows where it is and that's why he wants the key." Stephanie replied.
"What key?" Ghastly asked.
"The key to get the Sceptre maybe. We're not sure. What we do know is that he tried to kill me trice to get it."
Ghastly shook his head. "This isn't your world."
"We've already had this conversation." I muttered to myself.
"I'm apart of it now." Stephanie stated with the same stubbornness she had last night.
"You've just stepped into it. You've seen magic and sorcerers and a living skeleton and I bet you're having great fun -but you haven't the slightest idea what's at stake." Ghastly said.
Skulduggery and I didn't say anything. Stephanie got to her feet.
"You know what?" She said. "For me, this is an adventure. That's what you're saying, isn't it? Well, you're right. I do look at all this as a big adventure, and I'm fascinated and excited and thrilled by it all. I've seen amazing people do amazing things, and I've been amazed." Her eyes hardened. "But don't you dare, for one second, think that this is just a game to me. My uncle left me a fortune: he left me everything I could ever want. He did all that for me, but he's dead now. So I'm going to do something for him. I'm going to find out who killed him and I'm going to do what I can to make sure they don't just walk away from it. He's got to have someone on his side."
"This is insane!" Ghastly said, leaning forward in his chair. "The Sceptre's a fairy tale!"
"I believe it exists."
"Of course you believe it exists! You've been dragged into a world where you think anything can happen, but that's not how it works. Your uncle involved himself in this and if what you say is true, he got killed for it. Are you so eager to do the same? You're playing with fire."
"Everyone plays with fire around here."
It took everything I had in me not to laugh at her statement.
"This hasn't gone the way I was expecting." Skulduggery said.
"There are rules for things like this," Ghastly said, ignoring Stephanie and talking to Skulduggery and I. "There's a reason why we don't tell everyone we're out there. She is a prime example why."
Stephanie glared at Ghastly and dashed past him and out of the shop.
"You know I'm right, Skulduggery. We have rules for things like this for a reason. Even when you first took Belle under your wing you had to consult with the Elders first." Ghastly stated.
"So you're not going to help us, Ghastly?" I asked.
He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Belle. But I'm not willing to help a perfectly normal girl walk right into danger." He paused for a moment. "But I know that anything I say won't stop you two, so I will still make her clothes to try and protect her a little bit from what Skulduggery will get her into."
Skulduggery and I nodded, said goodbye to Ghastly and exited the shop. I saw that he was still driving the Bentley and shook my head.
"Nope. Still not going to drive in that." I said.
"Why not?" Skulduggery asked.
"Because I actually value my life. And anyway, I have a meeting in London I have to get to." I paused. "You two go and check out the Art Gallery, and I'll meet you guys at the Sanctuary tomorrow for us to see the Elders."
"Okay Belle. We'll see you tomorrow." Skulduggery said.
I gave him a soft smile and waved at the both of them, I then teleported to London where I would be meeting Mr Bliss.
I can't wait to see Tanith again.