Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain

Chapter 1 - Meeting the Gang

Just a quick note before we begin - I originally wrote this on Fanfiction.net, and will be continuing to write on there as well as here, in order to reach a wider audience! 

I have not put on any comments at the end of any chapters like I do at FF.net because I thought it would look strange since I published some of these chapters two years ago now! I love hearing from you, so please give me comments, I love feedback!

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Chapter 1

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Stephanie is eight years old

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Stephanie ran into her Uncle Gordon's arms for a hug.

"Oof," he groaned. "You're getting big Steph."

"I'm just so awesome," she said, backing up. "Need more space for it all."

He laughed as he led her into the house, waving Melissa off. Uncle Gordon looked after Stephanie every weekend and most days after school, and had done since he broke his arm a year ago and found he enjoyed the routine. It was a joke in their family now that Gordon was a second father, especially since her real father, Desmond, passed away when she was little. They got on extremely well, so much so that Melissa couldn't deny her only child time with the man even though she was unsure of his books and some of his friends. She loved Gordon as a brother, so after a few weeks of begging, she allowed it, even letting her have a week with Gordon while she went on a holiday to Spain with her friends – and Stephanie was happy for her Mum. She deserved time away to be happy. She worked extremely hard. Gordon told her so.

"What are we doing this weekend?" She asked.

"Oh, I have a few ideas. But remember I have to finish my book soon so I'll have to work too," he reminded her. That was okay, she had brought her homework and a book with her. For an eight year old, she was bright and unusually quick to answer back – though a lot of her humour went unappreciated by her family and teachers. It was probably also why she didn't keep friends long, but with Gordon, she could embrace her full self and trade witty remarks without fear of being told off. He even let her swear once.

They started the morning by taking a drive up to the supermarket and ran around the shop getting everything they wanted. That was followed by ice cream and they returned to Gordon's house to eat lunch and put away the food. Gordon liked to get work done in the afternoons so they had evenings to have fun again. She was sent to her room to do homework, read or play. She wasn't allowed to leave the room.

"This house is so big," he'd say when she asked. "You'll get lost, I'll never find you and your mum will have my head."

So, she never left. It was an amazing room to be fair, and she even had a computer and all the new games and toys she could ever want, and Gordon's friends would bring little things for her walls and all imaginable surfaces. The newest thing, which she found as soon as she ran in, was sitting on her bed waiting for her. A tiny, tiny charm for her bracelet, made of some smooth stone, in the shape of a heart. She knew who this was from.

There were six of them, she was certain. She kept their things separated so she knew who got her what. She didn't know their names though, so she gave them some herself.

This person always got her jewellery and pretty things that were every colour but pink. She called him Bear. It was rare to get something from him, but she always felt he really thought about what he got her.