Mother's Detachment
Artemis watched the latest transaction take place to his master bank account. He smirked at the thought that the 'honest' bankers from France had been embezzling and giving him fifty percent of their 'earnings.'
Extortion, he learned, was a good thing, especially if he had inside workers. They were loyal so far, and he had no need to use the violence his father had resorted to using at times. His father had never pulled a trigger, but his hired help had done so many times. Artemis remembered overhearing a conversation between his parents about the matter. Angeline was no fool, but her husband could charm her like a serpent.
Angeline had started the conversation with a plea that both of the Fowl males were used to hearing by now. The son of the married couple had planted a bug in their light switch, unbeknownst to both of them until two years later.
"Oh, Artemis, please don't tell me that you're off again! You just came home to our son! He misses you dearly. And it's been almost a year since we've actually-
"Angeline, please, sit down. I want to tell you about this trip."
"Just tell me what it's actually for! I'm so sick o hearing that it's just a business trip! I really want to know what you're doing! In fact, I've heard you yelling over the phone sometimes. Your associates are not just common men, are they?"
"Let me explain, Angeline! You never listen to what I have to say! I'm doing what's best for this family, our son!"
"Is that why he spends his time locked away in his dark room with a computer? I would have never guessed that this was the bright future that you wanted for our son, Artemis!"
"Just listen!"
"Fine, I will. But if that explanation is not clear, I won't be speaking to you for the next few weeks!"
A long pause caused the younger Fowl to wait with bated breath. He wished that he could see what he was hearing, but from the rustle of clothing and slight sniffle he heard from his mother, he deduced that Artemis senior was holding a pained Angeline.
"My love, you simply misunderstand. I have had such a stressful year, and my business partners are not complying. I know that this family needs my support. I am not a man if I cannot produce for you and our son. I love you dearly, and I show that by going out and risking everything for you two. I am not allowed to go into specifics, as I have already told you. My company has many competitors who can bug rooms-
At this, young Artemis flinched, for a moment believing he was caught-
"And they can listen to phone calls, too. I want you two to be safe at home with Butler. I know that when I make this shipment of Coke on the Fowl Star, it will be the last time that I leave you two alone. It is the final thing that my company has asked me to do. Then, I can retire, and we will be set for the rest of our days. You'll see, everything will be so much better when I return. In the meantime, I only ask that you take care of our son, Arty. He's a bright boy who needs a mother's love. Can you do that for me?"
A silence followed by the sound of a kiss told Artemis that Angeline had once again agreed with a tearful nod.
"That's my girl. I'll be back soon, OK?"
"Artemis!"
"What is it?"
Pause…
"Be safe."
"I will, love."
The door shut, and Artemis took his earphones off, deactivating the device. He heard the usual commotion before his father actually left the building. He became glad that he had actually turned off the device before he heard a vase shatter down the hall. A loud scream echoed off the walls, the scream of a wounded wife.
"Be GONE!" Angeline wailed like a banshee. Artemis heard Juliet's quick racing footsteps to Angeline's room. He heard sobbing and hitting through the walls until it abruptly stopped.
"Mistress, please! You're not well! Just calm down. There we go, it's over, OK?"
"Just get me some water…I'm going to bed!" A defeated Angeline sobbed.
"Shhh…don't cry, mother." Arty whispered to himself, trying to console the inner part of him that was pounding wildly. His heart ripped in his ribcage and he covered his ears to block out the sound of his own quiet sobbing.
A few months later, a twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl Junior opened his laptop and logged onto his father's communications page. His eyes snapped open to a fully alert stare as the screen glowed out an ominous message in bold white letters. Fowl Star has been sunk. Master Fowl nowhere to be found.
Artemis stared blankly at the screen before snapping into action. He leapt from his bed, threw his door open, and raced down the main stairwell two steps at a time. He ran into Butler, who was momentarily stunned. Butler looked down at his fifty pound charge with a shocked countenance. Artemis took his time to catch his breath; he was not at all athletic. Finally, he spewed out a combination of barely coherent words in a panic.
"Butler, I must get to mother! Has she been out of bed yet?" young Artemis stared up at the six-foot bodyguard. Butler's expression dissolved to a sad glance. "Mistress Fowl is in the kitchen now. She won't be happy. Just try to keep her happy, OK?" Butler quickly strode out of the way.
Artemis carefully took steps toward Angeline.
He expected her to be in her sweater and pajama pants as usual, but he was shocked to find her dressed in a beautiful Dolche and Gabanna silk dress. Her stunning locks of fire were pinned up in a tight bun with a couple of curls falling upon her cheeks. She had done her makeup perfectly, as though she were going for a night out. But this was not what disturbed the young boy so much. What he laid his eyes upon next guaranteed that Madame Fowl had lost her sanity.
For upon the table before her lay a newspaper article. Instead of the paper being neatly folded, there was smearing upon it. A red mess of lined blotted out the title on the front of the section that was pulled out. Soon, Artemis made out the words written in lipstick. He's not gone. Artemis practically yelped in fear, but kept a tight jaw as Angeline raised her head to him and grinned with an unstable gleam in her eyes.
"Oh, hello, Arty! Did you hear the good news? Your father is coming home today!"
A/N: Hello, dear readers! Should you have ventured this far into my disturbing story, I will remind you that my system of writing for you works the same way food for the body does. When the body works properly, it is well fed. Should you feed my writing with comments and constructive criticisms, I will continue to write. Other than that, let's look at a fourth wall comical break from our twisted story!
The Fowl family is sitting in a room with the author, Dietcokemaniac. She grins in an unsettling manner at the family across the room from her on a couch . Beckett starts to cry. Myles smacks him upside the head and scolds him to be quiet. Master Fowl has one arm around Artemis II and Angeline.
DCM: Hello, Fowls, do you like what I have done with your nice family?
Master Fowl: You're sick, you know that?
END.
OK, so that was my perhaps not funny skit! If you don't like it, then why did you read it?
Sounds like a case for Sherlock Holmes!
OK, I'm done now! See you in my next chapter!