"Oh my god," Asaria breathed as she watched Mrs Mahy attend to her friends. She watched the nurse check Valkyrie's pulse, and a worried expression stretched across her face.
"She's alive, barely," she explained.
"What about Skulduggery?" Asaria asked, her voice hoarse.
"He'll be fine," the nurse answered.
"Mrs Mahy, I know how much you dislike Skulduggery, but please just make sure," Asaria pleaded. Mrs Mahy looked at the begging blonde girl in front of her.
"Miss Wreck, I will not let my personal issues get in the way of a student's wellbeing. And that's a promise."
Asaria nodded. "Thank you."
She knelt by Valkyrie's side as Ghastly and Mr Finlay knelt by Skulduggery. She knew without a doubt that they would take care of him. After all, he was Mr Finlay's best student, and Ghastly's closest friend. Just then, Valkyrie coughed. Asaria's eyes widened as the dark haired girl woke up. She stood back as Valkyrie moaned.
"What happened?" She asked weakly.
"Nothing honey, you were caught in a fire is all," Mrs Mahy explained. Then she turned to Ghastly and Mr Finlay.
"Can you two please take these two somewhere quieter, preferably the Infirmary down the road?" She asked them.
Ghastly nodded, in too much in shock to speak, and he walked towards Valkyrie, and lifted her up into his arms. Mr Finlay helped Skulduggery to his feet, and together, they walked down the long gravel road, towards the Infirmary.
***
Valkyrie lay on the bed, the sheets covering her body, as Skulduggery sat on the chair beside her. She tried to block out the screams and wails of the night, and focused on the sound of her own breathing. She felt sick, and her head pounded, making her feel worse. Her breathing was still a little ragged, and Skulduggery looked at her with a sorrowed expression on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said, much to her shock.
"For what?" She asked, turning her body to look at him.
"I should have waited for you."
"I shouldn't have taken a nap."
"It's my fault you almost died tonight."
"It is not! You didn't start the fire!"
"I could have carried you the whole way, and you would not have inhaled so much smoke."
"It's not your fault Skulduggery. I should've kept up with you."
"I'm a coward, I should have been looking out for you Valkyrie."
"But you were looking out for me! You came back for me when you realised I wasn't following you. You saved me Skulduggery."
"I would not have had to save you if I had have just grabbed you in the first place."
"Stop beating yourself up! I'm fine, you're fine. Let's leave it at that okay?"
Skulduggery nodded.
"Good," she said.
"Now what do we do?" He asked. She smiled.
"We live."
***
China smirked as Ambry stood beside her and they watched the school burn.
"You did this, didn't you?" Ambry asked. China turned to her, and smiled a triumphant smile. Ambry sighed.
"China, you could have killed somebody. Heck! You almost killed Skulduggery!"
China's smile disappeared.
"Maybe it was a bad idea to start the fire in their room," she admitted. "It was worth it though," she continued. "I almost killed Valkyrie Cain."
"What is it with you and that girl? What has she ever done to you?"
"She took away the one thing I cared about."
"Let me guess, a certain boy."
"Exactly. And she had to pay. Luckily, Prince Charming was there to save her little behind."
"Don't you think you went too far this time China? I mean, setting fire to the school?"
"You take risks to get what you want."
"Not risks like that."
China turned to her, eyes blazing.
"Do you, care about those guys Ambry? Do you, love them?" She teased. Ambry hesitated, then she nodded. China snorted.
"Wimp."
Ambry stiffened. That stung.
"So what do we do now?" Ambry asked.
China smirked.
"We plot."