“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“But why wouldn’t you think you’re perfect? Haven’t I spent the last two years telling you how beautiful you are, how smart, how exceptional? Hasn’t Skulduggery been telling you how great you are, and powerful, and amazing? Everyone you meet is instantly impressed with you, because you’re so confident and capable. You can do anything you put your mind to. You go from schoolgirl to sorcerer overnight. You’re descended from the Last of the Ancients. The Necromancers meet you and you’re immediately one of the nominees to be their impossibly powerful saviour. With all these people going crazy over you, Val, I’m actually surprised you stuck with a nobody like me for so long.”

“Right now,” she said angrily, “I’d have to agree with you.”

There were tears in Fletcher’s eyes, but he didn’t cry. “Well? If you’re expecting me to teleport away, you can forget about it. You’re the one doing the dumping, so it’s up to you to walk out first. So go on, Val. Walk.”

There was a silence, and in that silence she thought of all the other things she wanted to say. Instead she nodded, turned, placed one foot in front of the other, and all too soon she was at the door. But she had to say something. She couldn’t let it end like this, in anger, with his eyes drilling holes in her back. She turned again.

“I still care for you,” she said.

“Wouldn’t worry about it,” he replied, back to acting cool, “it won’t last long. You look at Skulduggery and that’s who you model yourself on. He’s brave, you’re brave. He’s cold, you’re cold. He’s ruthless, you’re ruthless. Well done, Val, you share the emotional range of a dead man.”

He folded his arms and did that cocky smirk of his, only now it looked mean, and Valkyrie left her bedroom. When she looked back in, he was gone.

Chapter 35 - Teaching the Twins

Chapter 35
Teaching the Twins

alkyrie ate a lunch she didn’t feel like, then took Alice for a walk. She headed up Main Street, sunglasses on, ignoring the smiles and the looks from the people she passed. Everyone wanted to tickle Alice’s chin and waste Valkyrie’s time. They’d all heard about the mugging, of course. Big news travels fast in small towns.

Carol and Crystal came round the corner and it was too late to hide – they’d already seen her.

“We heard about your mum,” Crystal said. “Is she OK?”

Valkyrie nodded. “She’s fine. She was more shaken up than anything else.”

“Who did it?” whispered Carol. “Was it a sorcerer?”

“Nope, just a regular kind of scumbag.”