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“I’ve already apologized,” Valkyrie shot a glance at Militsa, “But I have to do it again. I’m so sorry”
Militsa shook her head, “Again, it’s okay. It was just a mistake.”
“But I’m still really sorry. We were supposed to go on a date tonight, and I messed it up. We haven’t gone out in awhile, because I’ve been so busy with Skulduggery.”
“Seriously, you are way too stressed. It’s not a big deal, Valkyrie. We can plan something soon. Plus, we’re still spending the day together.”
“It won’t be romantic with Alice,” Valkyrie said.
Militsa shrugged, “Maybe not, but I love seeing Alice.”
“She’ll be so happy to see you.”
Militsa smiled, “See? Happy mistakes.”
Valkyrie grabbed Militsa’s hand, eyes on the road, holding her tight. The ride to Valkyrie’s childhood home was short, but most of it was spent in silence. Not an awkward silence, exactly, but a comfortable one. Valkyrie was lost in her thoughts, thinking about her newest case, and Militsa’s mind was on Corrival Academy. The silence lasted all the way there.
Pulling into the driveway, Valkyrie finally spoke, “Alice hasn’t seen you in awhile. She’s going to be so excited.”
Militsa smiled. Her red curls were pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a black dress, cut short below her knees. The front door opened, and Alice came running out. A wide smile spread across her face as she skipped down the stairs. Mellissa followed her out the door, wearing a sweater and jeans. She laughed as Alice ran to Militsa for a hug.
“
“Hey!” Valkyrie exclaimed, “What about me?” Mellissa came down the porch stairs, still smiling. Valkyrie knew that her mother was excited. She and Desmond were going to be gone for the night. As far as Valkyrie was aware, they hadn’t gone out together in a long time. A few dates, here and there, but they were finally getting out of the house. Valkyrie wondered when the last time her parents slept somewhere else was.
“Thanks again, Steph,” Mellissa said, “I don’t think I could feel safe with anyone else. Not after everything that’s happened. A normal babysitter won’t cut it anymore.” Mellissa’s hair had streaks of gray, and circles were beginning to form around her eyes. Smile lines had formed around her mouth and they creased as she smiled. It was always shocking to see how old her mother really was. Valkyrie found herself thinking, bleakly, that when she becomes her mother’s age, she wouldn’t look any different. Physically, their appearance would grow more and more unlike each other. As a child, Valkyrie was always compared to her mother. They used to look very similar.
“It’s no problem, mum. I’ll keep her safe… Alice is probably excited to get away from you guys.”
Mellissa laughed, “Probably. She’s so independent. Just like you were.”
Valkyrie nodded, “She’s growing up so fast. Soon, you’ll have a teenager.”
“No, don’t make me think about it!” Melissa laughed, as Alice ran up and hugged Valkyrie. “So now you’re giving me a hug?” Valkyrie crossed her arms jokingly.
“Patience is a virtue,” Alice replied.
Valkyrie laughed, surprised. It was weird to hear those words coming from an eight-year-old’s mouth, “Well, Alice. You are very wise.”
Desmond poked his face out the door, “Hey, Steph! Nice to see you, Militsa! Mellissa, I can’t find my shoes. I’ll be out in a second.”
Mellissa sighed, looking at Valkyrie, “Your father is the same as always.”
A few moments later, Desmond ran out with his shoes on, ready to go. “Well,” Mellissa said as Desmond gave Valkyrie a quick hug, “We’ll be off now.”
“Bye!” Alice shouted.
“Don’t be too excited,” Desmond hugged her. He got into the car, and waved goodbye, followed by Mellissa. Militsa and Valkyrie watched calmly as they pulled out of the driveway, but Alice was full of excitement. She grabbed Militsa by the hand and pulled her inside. “Come on. Want to see my stuffed animals?”
“Of course!” Militsa exclaimed, “Do you have a lot?”
“Yes, my polar bear is my favorite… oh! I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s have a tea party.”
“A tea party?!”
“Yes. Us, and my stuffed animals. Wait here, I’ll bring them down,” Alice ran up the stairs, on all fours, her feet thumping loudly against the floorboards.
Valkyrie sighed, “And there it is. No romance here. None at all.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Tea parties are very romantic.”
“They’re not. You’re a teacher. Aren’t you sick and tired of children?”
“My students are hardly children. They’re closer to your age than Alice’s.”
Valkyrie shrugged, “My brain is more developed. I’m smarter, wiser, prettier, and stronger than all of them.”
“Very bold statement. For the sake of my job, I’m not going to tell you the truth. That you’re right.”
Alice came down, her small arms full of too many stuffed animals. They were stacked high over her head, and she was poking her head to the side so that she could see her way down. “Alice, be careful! You’re going to trip,” Valkyrie called.
“Don’t worry. I can do it.”
“Let me help you, Alice,” Militsa ran up the stairs and met Alice halfway, taking a bundle of stuffed animals.
“I’ll get the tea ready, then,” Valkyrie smiled, watching them. She felt like the luckiest girl, at that moment, to have Militsa. Her heart felt warm seeing her little sister and her girlfriend, two people she loved so much, together. Seeing them was a form of comfort, of distracting herself from her detective work, while simultaneously encouraging her to work harder. Protecting people was her biggest motivation, and although she has hurt many people in her lifetime, the fact that she has saved many sisters, mothers, and fathers helps her stay adrift. Alone, she would be depressed and self-hating, lost in her own guilt.
She walked to the kitchen contentedly, pouring water into a kettle and setting it onto the stove. She heard Alice and Militsa in the dining room, probably putting each stuffed animal into their respective chairs. “What sort of tea do you want?” Valkyrie called to them.
“Come ask my stuffies!” Alice called back.
“Okay,” Valkyrie grabbed a wad of sticky notes in the cabinet and ran over, “Polar Bear, what kind of tea do you want?”
“His name is Francis.”
“Francis, what kind of tea would you like?”
Alice leaned into Francis, as though he was whispering to her, “Green Tea. He wants Green Tea,” she announced.
“Odd choice for a polar bear,” Militsa joked.
“Don’t judge him,” Alice frowned, “You’re going to hurt his feelings. Life is hard enough for him. Without his friends from the north pole.”
“I don’t think there are polar bears in Antarctica,” Militsa whispered to Valkyrie.
Valkyrie laughed, “Alice, why don’t you take the stuffies’ orders? And run them up to me when I’m done. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Militsa nodded, “That’s true. You’ll be like a waitress. I was a waitress once.”
Alice widened her eyes, “Really?”
“Yup, when I was a teenager. Soon, you’ll be old enough to wait on people. It’s good to practice now.”
Alice grabbed the sticky notes from Valkyrie’s hand, “Okay, I’ll take orders like a waitress. Militsa can set up the table. Stephanie will make the tea.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Militsa saluted, making Alice giggle.
It took about 15 minutes to set up the table. Each stuffed animal sat around the table with a cup of tea. Alice sat in between Valkyrie and Militsa.
“This is a tea party,” Alice nodded to herself, “We need entertainment.”
“What sort of entertainment?”
“We’re all going to have an act. Like Ireland’s Got Talent. I’ll dance.”
“Do you want to go first?”
“Sure,” Alice slid out of her chair.
“Do you want some music? What song do you want to dance to?”
Alice paused for a moment, “Shake It Off.”
Militsa looked up, “By Taylor Swift?”
“Real fans call her Taylor,” Alice crossed her arms and frowned.
Valkyrie laughed. “I didn’t know you were a Taylor fan!”
“I am! Now play the song!”
“I will. I will,” Valkyrie laughed again, pulling up the song on her phone. Alice started to dance, moving in an obviously choreographed dance.
Militsa clapped, “Wow! Where’d you learn that, Alice?!”
Alice did not respond. Instead, her face remained stolid. Her expression was one of pure determination. It was adorable. Militsa slid onto Alice’s chair and rested her head on Valkyrie’s shoulder.
“She’s really good,” Militsa smiled.
“She is an Edgley. Natural talent runs in the family,” Valkyrie said proudly.
“It’s easy to tell that you’re related. You both look alike. And you are both incredibly stubborn. Very sassy. Smart…”
“You like my brains?”
“I like everything about you. Brains, beauty, brawns… How could I not? Look at these muscles,” Militsa grabbed Valkyrie’s arm and pulled Valkyrie deeper into her. Their shoulders pressed together, and their hands were clasped together in Militsa’s lap. They stayed in this position, leaning against each other, happily watching Alice until Shake It Off was over.