Winter in Northern Ireland is barely ever bearable, but the frigid cold of St. Martha's Academy for girls was even colder, if that was possible. The frozen mounds of snow that covered ever hill in the area was so hard and icy that even the heaviest teacher could walk across them without falling through.

Yet every girl, from first form through seventh waited all year for the winter. Most thought that the frost-covered hills were beautiful, even magical, and it was more than one first-former who was positive of their inhabitation of "snow-elves".

On her first year (though she was in the sixth form), Emalline Amoletas was the only girl not looking forward to the winter break. In fact, in her mind, it couldn't have passed fast enough. For one thing, she loved the school, loved it's hallowed halls of learning (could a genius learn?). But the activities planned, without her knowledge, for her holiday. Her own idea of her holiday involved going back to Georgia to visit her family. The later plans, though they did include visiting family, that family wasn't exactly the one Ema had had in mind. The plans didn't even involve leaving the country.

So, as the final bell rang through the old building, Ema followed the screaming crowd of children, not really looking where she was going. She craned her neck, looking around for Diane. She had given up and was just making her way back to her dorm, when someone grabbed her from behind. Ema screamed.

Diane chuckled, and let go of Ema's shoulders. "Geez, Ema! No need to freak out!" Ema turned around to face her friend, fuming.

"Come on!" Diane laughed. "It's winter holidays! We get to go home!" Her face was alight with the prospect of edible food.

Ema sighed, fidgeting with her fringe. "You mean, you get to go home, and I get to go the furthest place from home. You know exactly where I'm going."

It was Diane's turn to act exasperated now. "Ema, honestly, your dad can't be that bad." Yeah, right, Ema thought. You obviously don't know my father. Though, when she thought about it, neither did she.

"Honestly, you have no idea," Ema muttered, her voice thick with her trademark sarcasm. She brushed her fringe back in front of her eyes.

Ema hated her eyes. At the best of times, their colour was her father's own unnaturally bright shade of blue, luminescent and glowing. And blue was a colour she had grown to despise. Though, when she was angry, they could change to a horrible blood red, like she was some kind of evil vampire. Any other mood changed them any colour in between. They hadn't always been like this, and she usually hid them with a pair of dark sunglasses, but today she had opted instead for a pair of green-coloured contact lenses. May as well that she be able to see for the exams, she reasoned.

Diane had fallen silent, a miracle for her. She must have picked up on her friend's mood, and had decided to leave Ema alone to her thoughts…..

Until two weeks ago, Ema hadn't even known that it was arranged for her to visit her "father" over the break, though it had been planned for months. She had gone down to breakfast one morning to find an envelope on her plate. As it turned out, Artemis had spoken to her family and convinced them to let their adopted daughter stay at the Manor for Christmas. Ema didn't know what about this annoyed her more; the fact that Fowl had spoken to her family (and that they now knew that she had lied to them about "sight-seeing" during the summer in Ireland), or that she was now expected to spend two weeks of solid boredom much with some batty genius and his shopaholic wife.

Diane, not one for being quiet long, suddenly stopped in her tracks. She pulled her friend around to face her, that manic light that usually lit up in her eyes when she had a completely insane idea very much present.

"I have an idea! A total moment of geniosity!" She paused dramatically. Ema raised her right eyebrow, a habit she exhibited when she was both slightly nervous and confused. "Well, if you think that I'm going to let you rot in a rich, comfortable mansion for two weeks while I get to baby-sit my old grandma, then you're even crazier than I thought." She stood with her strong, tanned hands on her hips, smiling as triumphantly as if she had just won some great battle.

Ema just stared at the girl, like she had just grown a tail and two antlers. Was she serious? Did she know just who Ema was talking about when she mentioned her father? Probably not.

But Diane, hurried as ever, didn't wait for Ema to reply, just grabbed her hand and dragged her off towards the main hall. She was thrilled that she would be staying in an actual Manor.

While beginning the worst time of her life.