In Between

In Between Chapter 16

16. Easter

Skulduggery-

Can't come to work today. Urgent business to attend to.

-Valkyrie

Skulduggery stared at the text he had received. It didn't make sense. It was a Sunday, which meant that she would usually be visiting her family, so she obviously wouldn't be up for fighting bad guys, but why would she call that urgent business? She might be at a family gathering, but then she would tell him. There was only one explanation: she was in trouble. That would also justify the fact that she was texting him at 5:00 AM.

Skulduggery's mind was in overdrive as he drove to Valkyrie's house. What could be so awful that she couldn't just call? The roads were practically empty, but the traffic lights seemed to take forever.

He finally reached her house. He picked the lock on the front door; this wasn't the time to peer around to see of she was home like he normally did. He burst through the front door, then stopped dead.

Valkyrie looked up at him, her arms stained red.

"Skulduggery? What are you doing here?"

Skulduggery choked. Valkyrie was sitting at the kitchen table, dying eggs bright reds and blues. The floor was littered with cracked eggs, and a pot on the stove was boiling over.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Valkyrie gave him The Look.

"I'm dying eggs. Duh. It's Easter!"

Skulduggery just stared.

Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"Well, don't just stand there. Now that you're here, you might as well help."

An hour later, Alice Edgley came tottering down the stairs for an egg hunt. Valkyrie smiled fondly, as she watched her little sister looking under the sofa. Skulduggery peeked out of the closet.

"Damn, how did she know that I put one there?"

Valkyrie just smiled.

"Happy Easter, Skulduggery."

-

Happy Easter!

Not one of my finest, but I wanted to do something for the holiday.

-ravenwings52