Valduggery ~ Leaving You Behind

Leaving You Behind

Chapter One

Valkyrie

Valkyrie pushed open her window, looked out. Immediately the crisp September wind whipped her long dark hair around her face. A light smile teasing her lips she pushed it back with one hand while trying to manipulate the air with the other. The breeze around her died down as Valkyrie attempted taming her once straight hair.

Being careful to keep her head out of sight she listened for her parents car. Moments later she heard doors open and close, shortly followed by the crunching of gravel on the driveway. Sneaking a look round the corner Valkyrie watched patiently as her parents, Alice, and the reflection drive down the street, heading for town. She waited a few more minutes, in which she surveyed the surrounding neighbours, looking for signs of life, nothing.

A she slipped down, air shimmering as it was used to slow her descent, Valkyrie was quietly grateful for her parents habit of early shopping. She flipped up the collar of her black jacket against the cold, then fumbled with numb hands in her pocket. It was as she reached the end of the drive that her cold fingers had managed to retrieve her phone and call Skulduggery. He answered immediately.

"Hello."

that brilliantly velvet voice made her heart flutter, Valkyrie was grateful that he wasn't see the blush accompanying it.

"Hey, the reflection just left with my family, you can come round now."

"Valkyrie you know that we're only going to file some details on a few frankly petty criminals at the Sanctuary? You don't need to be there."

Valkyrie allowed herself what she hoped was a more than a halfhearted laugh.

"Well knowing us its only a matter of time till the next world shattering crisis! For all we know it could take place in the oh so fascinating Sanctuary! Who knows what dark secrets lurk behind those depressingly boring walls?"

there was a pause and for a moment she froze. In all honesty she just enjoyed spending time with Skulduggery, hoping that he felt the same way.

"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

"Oh how I love your dry humour! Yes I was, but not about the crisis though..."

Valkyrie could almost feel his smile from here. She just wished that that smile was for her, not a joke.

"Indeed.... I'll be there in a minute or so."

she could hear the Bentley roaring into life.

"Ok, see you then!"

the line went dead.

Valkyrie checked her reflection in her phone and frowned, she looked a mess. Holding her phone in her mouth she set about fixing up her hair, trying to fight the blush that had now crept almost up to her dark eyes.

She had known that she loved Skulduggery for a while now, though looking at the progress she had made to telling him, she might as well have no deep feelings for him at all.

"Ah!"

Valkyrie hissed in pain, dropping to her hands and knees, clutching her head. A moment passed, what seemed like such a drawn out moment riddled with pain. Finally, she breathed out, clambered uncertainly to her feet and looked around. No one had seen, thank god...

That was another thing that had been taking her over in the last few months, Darquesse. Day by day she'd been getting worse, her voice was so loud that Valkyrie often found herself turning to look for whoever had screamed when Darquesse talked to her. It was almost like Valkyrie's mind was being invaded, crushed, pushed away to make room for the evil inside her.