“You’re a smart girl.”
“Do you get sad?”
“Sometimes.”
“You should be happy like me.”
“I should, shouldn’t I?”
“What do you get sad about?”
“Different things. But it all goes away, isn’t that right? Even when you’re really sad about something, you always feel better after a while.”
“I don’t know,” said Alice, looking puzzled. “I’m always happy, I said.”
Valkyrie laughed. “Of course. Sorry. I forgot.”
“Do you want to see my other toys?”
“Sure.”
They stayed up there until they were called downstairs. In the kitchen, the table was already set and Melissa was carving the roast chicken.
Valkyrie’s stomach rumbled. “Oh, wow, that smells amazing.”
“How amazing?” Desmond said, his eyes narrowing.
“Very amazing.”
“Then would you be interested in a trade? This dinner for a teeny, tiny favour?”
“Des,” Melissa said. “She’s getting the dinner anyway. She doesn’t have to do anything for it. She’s our daughter.”
“What favour would that be?” Valkyrie asked, tensing despite herself.
Her parents exchanged a glance.
“We were wondering if you’d be free to babysit on Thursday,” Melissa said. “It’s our anniversary, and we thought we’d spend the day getting pampered in the Lakeview Hotel.”
Valkyrie hesitated. “Babysit?”
“If you’re not too busy.”
She looked at Alice. “Babysit this squirt?”
“I’m not a squirt,” Alice said, frowning.
“You’d have to pick her up from school at quarter to three,” Melissa said, “and we’d be gone until the next morning.”
“So I pick up this squirt from school, and then I get to spend the rest of the day with her? And she gets to spend the night at my house?”
Alice’s eyes widened. “Your house? Would I have my own bed?”
“You’d probably have to, wouldn’t you?”
Alice nodded quickly.
Valkyrie grinned, and shrugged to her folks. “I think I could manage that.”
“Yay!” Alice cried, thrusting both hands in the air and dancing.
Melissa laughed. “Everyone sit. Hope you’re all hungry.”
“I’m starving,” said Valkyrie.
“I’m starving, too,” said Alice.
Valkyrie sat at the table in her usual spot. It felt strange, especially with Alice settling into the chair beside her. But as soon as Alice was seated she hopped up again.
“I forgot Sparkles!” she said, and ran upstairs.
“Have you met Sparkles?” her dad asked, helping Melissa serve dinner.
“I have.”
“All her schoolfriends have them. They’re like that elf, you know, at Christmas, that comes alive when all the humans leave the room? Creepy little things. Expensive, too. You never had anything like that when you were a kid, did you?”
“Nope,” said Valkyrie. “No elves. No fairies. I didn’t even have an imaginary friend.”
“I did,” said Desmond. “His name was Barry. He was always getting me into trouble.”
“I didn’t have time to have an imaginary friend,” Melissa said. “I had a very full social calendar, even back then. I’ve always had lots of friends, actually. Then I got married and they all kind of drifted away.”
Desmond grinned. “That’s the effect I have on people.”
“I know you’re joking,” Melissa said, “but you can be quite rude.”
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