Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,27

bed, pecking at the shiny buttons on a discarded shirt.

‘No, I’m trying to look like a human,’ Freya explained. ‘And you really aren’t helping.’

‘Why should I help you?’ the raven said. ‘The moment Odin sees us, he’ll have our wings.’

‘He’s not going to see us. We won’t be here that long.’

‘We’ve already been here too long!’ the bird complained. ‘Heimdall is bound to realize what happened. He’ll tell Odin and he’ll send out a Dark Searcher for us.’

‘All you do is worry,’ Freya said as she continued to go through the Steampunk clothing. ‘This is exciting. I’m going to a human school, filled with human kids my own age.’ She held a frilly black shirt up against herself and admired the look in the mirror.

‘There are no humans your age,’ Orus said. ‘You are over six hundred human years old.’

‘All right,’ she surrendered. ‘But at least I look their age.’

‘And act it,’ Orus muttered.

Freya threw the shirt over the raven as she continued to search through the closet. She felt butterflies of excitement rising in her stomach. This was a new adventure and one she’d never imagined she could be part of. Archie said he knew of a way to get her into school without too many questions. She just hoped she could stay with him. Though she had been tutored in Asgard, it sounded very different from the way Archie described a his school.

Freya and Orus spent the rest of the night going through the house. Not a cupboard or drawer went unexplored. Finally they settled in the lounge to watch television.

When Archie rose the next morning, he found Freya and Orus huddled together on the sofa watching a movie.

‘I thought I’d dreamed you,’ Archie said breathlessly. ‘But I didn’t. You’re really here and you did beat up JP to save me.’

‘Good morning, Archie,’ Freya said as she stood, yawned and gave a long stretch that had her wings touching the walls of the room.

‘Hey, I was watching that!’ Orus complained when she turned off the television. The raven hopped over to the remote and clicked it on again.

Freya shook her head. ‘If I am going to try to look human, we need to go back to Alma’s. Some of your brother’s clothes won’t fit over my wings. Oh, and I need your help with this.’ She tossed a box to Archie. ‘I found this in your brother’s drawer and want to try it.’

‘Hair dye?’ Archie said. ‘You want me to dye your hair crimson red?’

Freya nodded.

‘Why would you want to do that when your hair’s already beautiful? I mean, it needs a bit of styling but apart from that, it’s lovely.’

Freya shook her head. ‘Every Valkyrie in Asgard has long, flaxen hair. Since I’m the only one with black feathers, I want my hair to be different too. Will you help me?’

‘Sure. I think you’re crazy for wanting to change it, but if that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get. Besides, it’s what I want to do when I grow up.’

‘What’s that?’

‘I want to be a hair stylist. And you can be my first victim!’

Before breakfast, Freya joined Archie on his paper round. She wore Brian’s long velvet coat over her tunic and breastplate, and pulled on Archie’s thick winter gloves. She stood on the rear axle-rod of his bicycle as he tossed the papers to the doorsteps.

‘Faster!’ she called in excitement as he rode his bike down a steep hill. ‘Go faster!’

She was pressed up against his back, but careful not to touch Archie’s skin while she tapped his shoulder to urge him to go faster.

They squealed with excitement as they wove madly through the early-morning traffic and howled with laughter at the blaring car horns.

When they arrived home, Freya climbed off the bike, her eyes still wide with excitement. ‘That was the most fun I have ever had on the ground!’

‘Me too!’ Archie agreed. ‘I usually hate my paper route, but not today.’

After breakfast, Archie pulled on his heavy kitchen rubber gloves. ‘You’re still sure you want me to do this?’ He was holding scissors and a comb. ‘Once I start, I won’t stop.’

Freya looked up at him from where she was sitting on a backwards chair, with a towel over her sholders protecting her wings. ‘Are you sure you are completely covered and won’t touch my skin?’

Archie showed her that he was wearing two turtleneck sweaters with the sleeves pulled down past his wrists and the thick rubber gloves. ‘The only skin that’s showing