is my face.’
‘Then go ahead,’ Freya said. ‘Start cutting.’
Orus moaned, ‘Your mother is going to kill you! Then she’ll kill me for not stopping you!’
‘What did he say?’ Archie asked.
‘He wished you luck.’
‘Thanks, Orus,’ Archie said as he stroked the raven.
Orus huffed at Freya. ‘I never realized you were such a liar.’
Two hours later, Freya stood before the bathroom mirror. Her hair had been cut to just below her shoulders and neatly styled into flowing waves. It was now bright crimson.
‘Well?’ Archie asked nervously.
‘It’s perfect!’ Freya cried excitedly. ‘Not even my sister could get my hair to behave.’
‘You’ve just got to understand how hair works,’ he said proudly. ‘I’ve read lots of books on cutting and styling. I figured a Valkyrie’s hair can’t be that different to humans’.’
‘It’s magic!’ Freya said, hardly recognizing herself in the mirror. ‘I wish my sister could see this. I really look like Gruesome Greta!’
‘No you don’t,’ Archie said. ‘I told you, she’s gross. You’re not. You look like Gee.’
‘Well, whoever I look like, I like her,’ Freya said. ‘And . . .’ She paused before turning to him, stunned by the sudden revelation. Finally she dropped her eyes. ‘And I really like you too, Archie. Thank you.’
At her shoulder, Orus made gagging sounds. ‘Oh, please, I’m really going to be sick.’
Freya swatted him.
Archie blushed and looked away. ‘You’re OK too.’
‘Ready to go and meet Tamika?’ Archie asked. They had arranged to go to Alma’s for lunch.
Freya finished getting ready. ‘All done.’
As they walked down the quiet street towards the Johnsons’ house in full daylight, they could see that many of the empty and abandoned houses had also been badly vandalized.
‘They’re doing a good job of clearing the street,’ Archie observed.
Freya nodded. ‘But they won’t get Tyrone’s house. Not as long as I am here.’
‘Which won’t be long,’ Orus said from her shoulder. ‘I hope you can save them quickly.’
This time Freya told Archie what the raven had said. ‘I agree with him,’ Archie said. ‘I don’t want you getting into trouble with Odin. I did more research last night. It says he has a big temper and gives out harsh punishments.’
‘He does,’ Freya agreed. ‘But his temper’s not as big as Thor’s. He can rattle mountains when he’s angry!’
Archie’s eyes went wide. ‘You know Thor? I’ve read all about him too. Does he really carry a huge hammer?’
Freya nodded. ‘It’s called Mjölnir. He won’t let anyone touch it. Loki’s taken it away from him a couple of times, but Thor always gets it back.’
‘Wow,’ Archie cried. ‘I read about Loki too. It says he’s a troublemaker.’
Freya nodded. ‘He can be, but he helped me come here, so he’s not all bad.’
Archie sighed wistfully. ‘After everything I’ve read, I would really love to see Asgard. It sounds amazing.’
‘It is – but I’m sorry, you can never see it. Not unless you die valiantly in battle. Valhalla is only for dead warriors.’
‘Valhalla!’ Archie cried. ‘What’s it really like?’
Freya shrugged. ‘It’s just a huge banquet hall where the dead drink, dance and play all night and fight all day. It is my least favourite place in Asgard.’ She paused and looked at the almost deserted neighbourhood. It looked like a war had been fought and lost. ‘But it seems that here is very much the same. Perhaps it is the way of most humans.’
Archie shook his head. ‘Not all of us.’
Freya raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh no?’
‘Really,’ Archie insisted. ‘There are good people here too, I promise.’
Freya looked doubtful, but said no more as they approached the house.
Archie knocked and a pretty dark-skinned girl answered the door. She was shorter than Freya with her dark hair styled in long cornrows with multi-coloured beads at the ends. She wasn’t much younger-looking either. Freya could easily see traces of Tyrone in her face – and she had the same cleft in her chin as him. It was Tamika.
‘What do you want?’ Tamika demanded. Her eyes lingered on Freya and then moved to Orus.
Archie spoke first. ‘Hi, Tamika, we’re friends of your grandmother’s. She invited us for lunch.’
Tamika’s eyes were still on Orus. ‘I don’t like birds. He has to stay outside.’
The raven cawed in protest.
‘Orus goes where I go!’ Freya’s temper started to flare. Tamika was nothing like she’d expected and not the same smiling girl from the photographs on the phone. ‘If he is not welcome, I will not stay.’
‘Fine, go then. I didn’t invite you.’
Freya turned to leave. But before she reached the porch steps, Archie caught hold