A Secret for Christmas

Chapter Two: Snowed in and Glaring at the Blizzard

Andrew and Artemis stood to greet Edwin. "Hello father." Andrew said lightly, avoiding his father's fiery gaze. The power to amaze and scare a person with your eyes was one of the Fowls' many talents, including Artemis, as we all well know. Artemis did pity his cousin and brother. Andrew called Edwin father for different reasons then why Artemis called his parents father and mother. Dad wouldn't justify the man that stood in the doorway. He was brutal, and he was cruel. He had no heart, but a dark, black hole where it used to be, if there ever was one. His mind was a place no one dared enter, fearing of what layed there.

Andrew had many reasons for hating him- which is obvious. Though, he wasn't always as cruel. He was very nonchalant and non-caring, but not mean or cruel. All hell broke lose after his mother was killed. That was when the real Edwin was unleashed. The Edwin that made his own brother, Artemis the First, cringe away in fear. The Edwin that flirted with his brother's wife.

Little Andrew stood there crying. He was only a poor boy who had just lost his mother at the small age of ten. Edwin sat on the sofa, not looking the least bit disturbed. Skye stormed into the room. Her tears were of anger; not mourning. "Why aren't you doing anything?" She yelled at her father. He looked up at her, still calm. "Why aren't you trying to look for the killer?" She screamed.

Edwin looked down at his daughter. "What's done is done. It doesn't matter. She's gone." Skye's face was red with fury.

"I know you killed her! You never loved any of us at all! You just got mad because she was going to take us and divorce you!" Edwin broke his carefully balanced emotion and glared at the little girl before him. He stood, towering over her and slapped her across the face. Skye was shocked. Her father was a bad man, but he had never hit her. She looked up at his scowling face in fear.

He cocked his hand back ready to hit her again, but Andrew ran forward pulling on his arm. "Please! No, don't!"

Andrew winced at the painful memory. Fear was all over the two boys' faces, and that made Edwin proud of himself. He left the room without another glance and was clearly satisfied with himself. He was like a monster from another world that fed off of others' fear and pain. This is a total exaggeration, of course. He was a Fowl. Edwin did leave the room slowly, looking as menacing as ever. Artemis turned to Andrew and put a hand on his shoulder. The brothers locked eyes again and Andrew felt better at once. It was amazing what Artemis could do with his eyes. Artemis sighed and they started walking out of the room. "I don't know what to say, Andrew, but I think I know someone who can help."

Artemis lead him upstairs to his room and shut the door making sure it was locked and feeling more confident since the his room had sound barriers in the walls. You never know who could be spying and listening. At first, it was just to make sure none of the other scientists and brilliant minds (not as brilliant as Artemis, of course) stole his work. Now he used the walls for more privacy when he was talking to Holly… or Minerva. Artemis grimaced as he almost called Minerva. Oh no, this girl was getting into his brain…Infecting it.

He recoiled from the thought of his new and first ever crush and instead he dialed Holly's number, knowing that she had gone through the similar problem with her little brother years before.

"Umm, you stand up straight and you walk with too much coordination. Most men stumble when they walk. Women do it too, but not as often. Other than that, you don't look gay. You could walk down the street and no one would know, unless you were holding your boyfriend's hand." Andrew looked down at the little elf warily. You don't look gay…Andrew was gay? The concept was utterly new and strange to him. He didn't even think about the things the redhead had said. It all sounded like gibberish. Luckily, this was just him and Holly wasn't talking in Gnommish.

"Does posture really determine your sexual preferences?" Artemis asked, engaged in his usual probing. Artemis was curious, no word of a lie, but he was always curious. Holly couldn't help laughing. The boys stared at her as she chortled.

"Do you always have to make everything so formal? And yes, it does most of the time." Holly said matter-of-factly. She liked to do that every once in a while because Artemis got to be the smart one all the time. She turned to the gloomy Andrew and caressed his cheek. She looked at him with caring eyes and smiled reassuringly. "It's alright Andrew. It was hard for my brother too. Believe me, finding a decent man in Haven is hell and trying to find a decent gay man is even worse."

Great, thought Andrew, his mind dripping with unexplained sarcasm. So he was gay. How was Holly supposed to help? Wait, Andrew remembered reading something about Holly… Yes, in Artemis's diary. Artemis wasn't supposed to know that Skye and Andrew were snooping around his personal stuff. But no secrets were kept from Skye, and Skye had a really big mouth. When Holly had said Haven, he didn't really know how to react, but then he remembered she wasn't even human. Ugh, why did his family have to be so abnormal? And why couldn't Skye just have kept the information to herself? Andrew was going to have a word with his sister later. He didn't like to get caught up in these types of things.

"So what happens now?" Andrew asked, his mind elsewhere… Holly just sighed a second time and shook her head.

"There's nothing we really can do. You have officially come out of the closet. Once you feel more comfortable, so should start looking around. Although, take it from me, finding men is like poking around with a stick in the dark. But maybe it's different for humans." Holly hugged Artemis and before he left, he chuckled.

"I didn't know that your soul searching has been so helpless. You do work with many men, you know."

Holly just jumped on the ledge of his window and snorted. "The men on the force are obnoxious."

"You are picky, do you know that?"

Holly just smiled and jumped out the window mumbling, "That's what I've heard."

The full moon was out and Holly took that chance to perform the ritual. It would have been a perfect night, but the white clouds that had mocked them the previous day were now about to unleash their cold full throttle. In just an hour, the snow was pilling up on the empty manor and its inhabitants. Although everything had seemed alright, the tension in that big house was enormous. Upon Edwin's arrival, everything turned quiet. The cooks were cooking, the maids were cleaning and the Fowls were all doing something different.

Artemis was thinking; his favorite occupation. Andrew was still getting over the fact that he was finally free of the confusion, but thrown into another web of lies, secrets and questions. Skye was drafting for her new book since she had nothing else to do and of course Artemis's parent were with dealing with Edwin. Oh, did I say dealing? I meant entertaining.

Angeline was proud to bring them to dinner which she prepared (and when I say prepared, I mean she chose the menu). Butler had just arrived before the snow started to pile. He said merry Christmas to all of them and saved the last greeting for Artemis. Butler never let himself be fully relieved of his old job. He would always be Artemis's bodyguard, and otherwise, a brother. The bond that they had always shared was strongly intact and Artemis was pleased to have Butler over for Christmas. A friendship like theirs couldn't easily be broken, and Artemis was sure that it never would be; not until the day they were both dead.

Butler was back at Madam Ko's training camp where he helped the trainees succeed with good advice and demonstrations. He enjoyed where he was, but still kept consistent contact with Artemis and his sister, Juliet. Juliet had taken a very surprising turn. She wrestled on the side as a hobby, but worked to become a teacher. Not any kind of teacher; a martial arts teacher. She could teach classes at a time, teaching them any martial art they wanted to learn. She taught Karate on Mondays, Tae Kwon Do on Tuesdays, Judo on Wednesdays, Kung Fu on Thursdays, Jujitsu on Fridays and Aikido on Saturdays. Juliet took Sundays off to relax from a hard week's work. Of course she was the building's best teacher, but had the holidays off. Unfortunately, she was unable to come until the day of Christmas Eve, on the night of Angeline's party.

The dinner Butler had made against everyone's complaints was delicious, of course, but slightly awkward. Few words were said, and this continued all through the dinner, plus the minor desert they consumed also. Butler knew the silence wasn't because everyone enjoyed his food. Something was happening in the house, although he was unaware that the two boys were the only ones keeping a secret. Butler dismissed this thought and wondered if the silence was from Edwin's return. At the same time he agonized over when he would see Holly and the rest of his fay friends again. It certainly had been awhile, and he did miss them.

After dinner, the family retired to the main living room to enjoy each others company. And when I say enjoy, I mean deal with. Artemis just blocked all unpleasant things from his mind and day dreamed; something he was beginning to do more often.

In his wonderings, Artemis stared out into the dimming sky. The snow was pilling up how. There was not enough light to make them glimmer. The moon; it was barely visible though the holey clouds. The faint glow of the moon shined in Artemis's sapphire and hazel eyes. The winter season made him feel gushy inside. He hated that feeling and knew what it was. Love and warmth for others like his friends and family… and Minerva, ugh. Artemis glared at the falling snow. It was really falling now. More than it should in Ireland. It was quite frightening. Never had Artemis seen so much snow. Not since his family trip to their cottage in Switzerland when he was seven. It could have stopped, but fate wouldn't have that.

Fate won the battle in the end. In a matter of three hours of the whiteout, they were practically snowed in. Angeline was worried about her party. She was a very sociable and charismatic person, therefore loved to have company. Their house power failed to be unharmed and they were all wondering about their sanity. How much could one endure in this tiny house with their completely surreal family and no electricty? One family member was a genius, completely oblivious of others feelings and opinions. Another was a non-caring man that disliked everyone. Although Angeline was naturally bubbly, she really didn't know what to say. The eerie scene was completed by a writer's fingers which were flying over the keys of her laptop and the wind blowing harshly against the windows. One truth remained.

Andrew soon would slowly turn insane.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Holly sat in her most comfortable arm chair. A little glass of red wine wouldn't hurt. Of course that turned into a whole bottle, but what could she say? She wasn't an alcoholic, but she did like how the liquid gave a nice stinging sensation to her tongue and made her forget her loneliness. Artemis couldn't have been more right (as always) and Holly hated to admit that she was lonely. It made her feel weak, but a bad kind of weak. A type of weakness that made her want to roll over and just die. Well, maybe not die; that was a bit too strange and dark for Holly. She wasn't a bad person and did not approve of self-harm. Instead, she liked the weakness alcohol gave her, like she was naturally weak. Being weak doesn't really appeal to people, but Holly was strong. Maybe she wanted to be protected instead of always protecting.

Holly was thrilled on not being alone this Christmas. People must have thought she was really pathetic relying on humans for her happiness. Holly and her brother always spent Christmas Eve together, and then parted for day of. This Christmas, Holly wasn't going to be alone; even before Artemis asked her to come to his party. She had thought he would spend time with her boyfriend.

It had been so long since Holly last dated. She didn't even expect this particular man to ask her out, but he did and she accepted. Their relationship was still in its early stages yet and Holly was hoping for the best. Her heart had been tampered with too many times for her liking. She hadn't dated anyone since high school, probably because all the boys there wanted Holly for a different reason than just going out. Her brother always told her she was too good for them, anyway. And for once, she believed him. What else could it be? Unless… unless it was her.

No, he was a good man. Holly had originally known him through Trouble Kelp, her good friend. And then they were co-workers. He was a major, and a good one at that. Trouble's popularity had taken him out of the light, and Holly was glad that he didn't want to be in hot seat. Most people that knew him thought he was modest, honest, sincere and funny. He had great a great sense of humour. He was quite attractive, but Holly really liked his name the best. Ash. Major Ash Vein. In her opinion, he was… incredibly sweet.

What Holly had said to Artemis and Andrew about finding men was very true. But Holly had dropped her stick long ago and moved out. How she picked the stick back up, she had no idea, but she hoped that she had poked the right man.

Tired, and a little tipsy, Holly stumbled to her futon and collapsed, falling into sleep immediately.

Thank you all for your kind reviews! Please keep it up and my posts will be quicker.

Well, I hope you liked it! Edwin is really a monster, eh? Just like in Monster InLaw (if anyone has read that one). Thanks for reading! R&R

Your Evil Authoress,
Shannon