Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

that part of her subdued. To use magic, she couldn't afford to let anything ruin her calm.
    And then that voice, drifting up the stairs like
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    the whine of a dentist's drill, and the pebble fell back into her hand. Muttering to herself, Valkyrie stood up and walked into the bathroom, her practice done for the day. She took a shower, then pulled on her school uniform before heading down to the kitchen.
    Her mother was there, and sitting beside her was Valkyrie's shrill, sharp-featured aunt, Beryl.
    "Morning," Valkyrie said as she passed them, going straight for the cupboard.
    "Hi, love," her mother said.
    "Good morning, Stephanie," Beryl said primly.
    "Beryl," Valkyrie said in greeting.
    "How is school going for you?"
    Valkyrie poured some cereal into her bowl, and added milk. She didn't bother sitting. "It's okay."
    "Are you studying hard? My girls are always studying. They get it from my side of the family, I have to say. It's a valuable work ethic I've instilled in them."
    Valkyrie murmured and scooped a spoonful of cereal into her mouth, doubting the validity of just about everything Beryl had just said. Her aunt didn't like her, and Valkyrie didn't like her aunt. Her aunt didn't like her because Valkyrie had inherited her
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    late uncle's estate, and Valkyrie didn't like her aunt, or her aunt's husband Fergus, because they were dislikable people.
    Her father came in, dressed in smart trousers, undershirt, and a tie around his bare neck. He winked at Valkyrie, then noticed his sister-in-law.
    "Beryl," he said, utterly failing to hide his dismay.
    "Desmond, good morning."
    "Beryl, what are you doing here? It's not even eight o'clock. You know I don't like seeing you before I've had my first cup of coffee."
    Beryl laughed that hideous fake laugh of hers. "Oh Desmond, you're such a messer! I'm just here to talk to Melissa, that's all. We've got a lot to organize for tomorrow night."
    "Oh dear God, the family reunion thing."
    "It'll be wonderful!"
    "But you'll be there," her dad said, puzzled, and Valkyrie nearly choked on her cereal.
    Her mum looked up at him. "You forgot your shirt."
    "Oh yes, the reason I'm here. I don't have a clean one."
    "Behind the door."
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    He turned, saw the crisp white shirt hanging on the coat hook, and rubbed his hands together. He took it off the hook and put it on, sliding the collar up beneath the tie as he buttoned it. He didn't like wearing ties-- he owned a construction company, so he'd always thought he'd be in work boots and jeans. But every now and then he had to dress up and pretend-- as he put it-- to be civilized.
    "So Steph," he said, "looking forward to a great day in school?"
    "Oh yes," she said with mock enthusiasm.
    "What do you think you'll learn today?"
    "I can't begin to guess. Maybe how to subtract."
    He waved his hand dismissively. "Subtraction's overrated. It's like adding, only backward. You're not ever going to need it."
    "Desmond!" Beryl said sternly. "You shouldn't take that attitude. Stephanie is at an easily influenced age, and she needs to be taught that everything she learns in school is valuable. Joking around is all well and good, but some things just have to be taken seriously. How can you ever expect Stephanie to be responsible when all you ever do is set a bad example?"
    "I don't know," he answered. "Luck, I suppose."
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    Beryl sighed in exasperation and looked like she was about to try to give a lecture. Valkyrie and her father both pounced on the same opportunity before Beryl could utter another word.
    "I'm going to school," Valkyrie said quickly, shoveling the last spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
    "I'm going to work," her dad said, only a millisecond behind.
    Valkyrie slipped her bowl into the dishwasher and walked for the door.
    "But Desmond, you haven't had any breakfast," Valkyrie's mother said with a frown.
    "I'll get something on the way," her father said, following Valkyrie out.
    They got to the hallway and Valkyrie turned for the stairs as her