So! If you didn't notice, I have changed this story's summary and the genres associated with it. Why? Because I realized that I would rather write an adventure story than a slice of life one. And this works out because these beginning chapters can show how everything started, hoe people fit together, and who they are before I throw them head first into a crazy adventure! So if the chapter after this takes a while, it's because I'm still planning out that crazy adventure. This first section will be a small taste of what everything else will look like. Enjoy!
Reaching Through the Veil
Holly had only been on this job for ten minutes and already she wanted to shut down her shield and strangle her targets. Goblins on the best of days were annoying. On the worst of days, they could be downright impossible to deal with. But it wasn't even Holly that was dealing with them, humans were. And that was infinitely worse. Especially when the goblins had snuck into a… convention? Yes, that's the word. Where people dress up as characters from books, and, in this case, most were some kind of human-turtle combination. Humans were definitely strange.
"Can't I just stun them and be done with it?" Holly whispered into her helmet microphone. Her targets were aimlessly walking through crowds as she hovered ten feet above them, invisible.
"No, you wouldn't be able to stun both at the same time, not in the crowd at least. And goblins, while having a low intelligence, generally have fast reflexes. The other would be throwing fireballs when he saw his friend go down," Artemis responded to her question from a hotel room. Even though he was seeing and hearing everything through the hotel's cameras, he didn't have to listen to this stupidity up close.
"Goblins don't have friends."
"What would you call them then? They seem to move everywhere together, as a pair. They've avoided capture in at least twenty different countries in the past ten years."
"Dumb luck is all it's been. And the whole friend thing is a very unusual goblin behavior. You should study it and try to figure it out. Write a paper on it and publish it."
"Please keep an eye on our targets, they're interacting with humans again. LEPRetrieval is on their way."
Holly clenched her fist in frustration, another stupid conversation coming up, before unclenching slowly. It was becoming a kind of meditation for her. When the urge to knock someone's head in comes and her hands form a fist, let it go slowly and release the anger. And it worked…sometimes. She looked down in time to see four humans dressed as human-turtles approach the goblins.
"So you're supposed to be Mondo Gecko, right?" one of the humans asked. This was the one with the blue bandana. Holly had since gathered from conversations that each human-turtle had a colored bandana, to differentiate themselves, and blue meant leader. So it made sense that he was the first to speak, right? This whole humans-in-costumes thing was complicated.
"I'm not a gecko," the darker and smaller goblin, Dinkleburg, answered. From what Holly had observed, this one was the brains of the two, the leader. Even then, the two goblins combined didn't have enough intelligence to run away from a troll. At the time, they tried to bargain with it; miracle they got away.
"Oh, so true, you're not just a gecko. Part human too. I can see all that intelligence."
"Thanks," the other goblin, Sparky, answered. Holly knew that he took the comment personally; he was too dumb to understand the joke.
"Idiot, the comment was for me," Dinkleburg elbowed the other goblin, his tongue mindlessly licking at its eyeball. Sparky bowed its head; he knew he was the dumber of the two. Somehow.
"Well, great costumes anyway. See you around!" With that, the humans were gone and the goblin pair shuffled off, Dinkleburg swiping a pen from a nearby table. It infuriated Holly that she was only allowed to watch as he committed petty crimes like this, but it would do no good to let go of her emotions and fly in now. Instead, Holly recorded everything they had taken so far for their record later. In this one day, they had stolen a rock, a bandana, nunchucks, glasses, a few water bottles, permanent markers, and a statue outside. When one of the humans asked about it, the goblins replied they were moving it and bringing it right back. The human believed them.
It was in this volatile state that Holly would find herself in one of the worst predicaments she had ever been in. And this time, it was through no fault of her own, Fowl's, or some deranged pixie. Actually, it could be said that it was everyone's fault and no one's at the same time. But that would have to be explained more in detail later, when Holly herself found out what was going on.
To her, she was simply doing her job, discreetly hovering over the crowd of people to track the goblins, when all of a sudden people began to stare at her. At first, it was just one human, and Holly could convince herself that he had zoned out, but as he (she?) stared longer, others began to follow. Dozens, hundreds, it felt like thousands of eyes staring up at her. Her shield must be gone, but how?
Panicked, Holly desperately remembered her training. All she had to do was a mass mind wipe; Retrieval could fix everything else up later. I can do this, just stay calm Holly thought to herself. Done a million scenarios like this. Caught unarmed in a room full of angry goblins? Get them to fight each other. Suddenly thrown up against a troll? Use your head, although that one shouldn't have worked. Surrounded by humans? Mass mind wipe.
"Greetings, humans. I would like to give you a demonstration now, please follow my hand," Holly commanded with the mesmer as she lowered her visor. It wouldn't cause immediate obedience, but they would be more inclined to listen to her. And many of them did follow her hand as she reached into her suit to pull out the little sphere and hold it at arm's length.
"Good night," she said, a little too jovially, before pressing the button that activated it. She closed her own eyes for safety, and was satisfied to see most of the room fall to the floor. A few people held their ground, but in the time it took one of them to read the Starbucks coffee sign in front of him, Holly already zoomed out the room and through an open window to the outside. Holly landed on the roof of the convention center with expertise.
How could this be happening? Even Foaly had a hard time building a machine that would suck magic out of a creature, and his was big, clunky, and about as powerful as trying to blow air into a raft with your mouth. Not that Holly had ever done that, but she watched Beckett try once… no, off topic. The point was that something was definitely wrong here, and where was her back up when she needed it?
"Artemis!?" Holly nearly shouted the question into her helmet mike, fully aware that it could up even the quietest of whispers. Silence. All of her anger from that day was suddenly release in a giant wave taking the form of a rant. Even if most of it didn't make sense.
"Well, FINE, then. I'll just sit here, unshielded, losing all my magic for reasons I can't understand. You can sit in your chair, absorbed in whatever you're doing that's more important than-"
Bang. Holly jumped at the sound, pressing herself into the roof to minimize the target. Quickly though, she realized that the sound had not come from anywhere around her. It came from Artemis' end. Suddenly afraid and panicking, Holly tried to compose herself. How could all of this happen so fast? It was only a few minutes ago she was annoyed with goblins stealing, and now she was losing magic and Artemis was under attack?
But she could not lose her nerve, not yet. Artemis always had a plan, always had a way out. Surely he had one now, even for things he had not accounted for because he was always able to plan several steps ahead and prepare for scenarios. Or so Holly hoped.
"Artemis? Answer me, you idiot, I have to know you're alright." I've lost too many good friends, Holly thought bitterly. Too many people have gone out on missions with me and never come back. But you have come back with me every time. We've always been okay, why wouldn't we be now? And then the static in her helmet came back, the small noise right before transmission connected her with someone.
"Oh my sweet girl, Artemis is asleep right now. I promise I'll call you when he wakes up. I promise." The voice was not her friend's. It was not anyone she knew, even. It was a female voice, surely, but made to sound robotic. Devoid of emotion. So either the voice was telling the truth, and the person had simply knocked Artemis out for the moment, or it was maniacal, mocking Holly by trying to get her to believe that her friend lived when he was just murdered. The former was easier to deal with, so that is what she would believe. She had to hold that hope. Because if the world lost Artemis Fowl now, when things were getting strange again, who would take his place? Well, there was one candidate.
Fowl Manor
Joss knew from the moment she saw the Fowl Manor that she would never fit in there. Ignoring the fact that the building had an obnoxiously long driveway that could have been an interstate, the steel gate with dozens of security checks she could only guess about (probably electricity running through the top,) and the black Bentley, sleek and shiny on the outside, with every luxury amenity they could cram into it (excessive amounts of cup holders,) the mansion itself would have told her that these people lived a different kind of life. Joss could tell from a distance that the base of the mansion was an old castle, the towers planted on the back corners and the middle of the sides. From this, she ascertained that the front of the manor was newly built, a brick chimney and three floors high, and Joss was no expert on houses but it just looked expensive and screamed old money. There were hints of recent developments too, like a few security systems and the sprinklers going on around the massive front lawn. Seriously, is there anything these people made that wasn't so huge?
The car passed through the gate by a remote and parked at least a minute later in front of the house, but even as the driver, who could only be descried as a giant, exited, no one else made a move. Joss tried to get out, but she was seated between Myles and Beckett in the back. They didn't trust her not to run away when the door opened. Smart on their part. Still, shouldn't they be getting out by now? Peering past Myles, or was it Beckett, she saw the driver walking around the car and then perform some kind of check underneath it. Joss nearly slammed her head back in frustration; stupid rich people!
"When the door opens, don't even think of running," whoever the black haired twin was, Myles?, said, "those gates aren't for show and even where the metal ends, the gate continues." Left with this cheery thought, Joss let her brain absorb the environment. She was visiting a wealthy family's house. For dinner. It wouldn't be right to be rude to them so she would have to be on her best behavior. It's been a while since she had to use her manners, who needs manners when people had been treating her like dirt, but her mother and father taught her well enough. Mom. Dad.
And the reverie was over when the driver giant opened Fay's door and helper her out, a signal of some kind because Myles and Beckett exited at that time, too. Joss scooted over and shuffled after them, the manor she had seen on the drive in looming over her. I'm not afraid of you, she whispered to herself. And why should she? It was a dumb dinner to appease people with too much time on their hands. And a free dinner. Can't forget that.
"Joss," Fay called out to her and Joss noticed she was walking on her own with a white stick out in front of her, "when we get inside, why don't I give you a tour of the manor? There are lots of interesting things to see in there, though I doubt we'll get through half of them."
"Uh, sure. Alright," Joss agreed, wondering if anyone was going to help the girl. But no, she looked content and both twins were watching her to make sure she was okay. Did Fay know that? Know that even when they weren't helping her, they were always watching over her? Even as the thought came, Joss knew it must be true. How else would she be able to be so confident in her steps?
"Mom, we're back," the taller twin called out as he opened the door, his voice reverberating in the house.
"I'm in the kitchen, be right there! I want to see your new haircuts!"
Joss' breath was taken away when she took her first step into the house. There, right in the entrance, was the grandest staircase she had ever seen. It rivaled all those cheesy movies because it looked so in place here, she could see where the footsteps had tread on the red carpet down the middle. Could picture Fay and her dainty steps as a hand rested gently on the banister. Imagined the boys younger, especially the one who chased her on rooftops, running up and down these stairs as a game, perhaps setting a trap or two here and there. They were majestic. They were beautiful. If only she could sneak away for a bit and take out her sketchpad… But that would have to be dealt with later.
"Let me take a look," a woman's voice rang out as she stepped into the lobby from a door to the right. She was definitely older, and could only be the mother they had mentioned, but her age did nothing to hinder her beauty. Even wearing an apron, Joss could tell she was ingrained with a sense of grace, that she moved fluidly, much like Fay did. She was neither tall nor short, neither large or extremely thin; she looked perfectly content with herself and an elegant smile graced her lips as she carried in a tray of something.
"Mom, were you baking again?" one of the twins asked, the dark haired one, with a little apprehension. It was a problem that Joss couldn't remember their names. She'd have to pretend and wait for some kind of clue again.
"Yes! I made some brownies. It was a new recipe I found in one my magazines. Hmm, they took too much off the front again. I'll have to give them a call." The woman flitted from topic to topic easily, and inspected her other son and made her comments about his hair, which he took with some haste and tried to back away.
"I'm sorry, mom, I'd love to have some brownies, but I, uh, have to, you know, clean my room."
"Beckett, your room is already kept spotless."
"Vacuum?"
"We have cleaners that vacuum."
"Wash the bath tub?"
"I did that two days ago."
"Well, then, I better make good use of it. See you later!"
So Beckett was the tall one! And Myles was the raven haired one. And why was Beckett avoiding his mother's cooking?
"Myles, you'll have one of my brownies, won't you?" his mother asked, doing her best to make a face that said if-you-don't-eat-my-brownies-I'm-simply-going-to-die-from-the-shock. Joss saw Myles' grim jawline almost crack, but at the last second he held it together.
"Sorry, I already had ice cream today with Fay. I don't want to intake too much sugar." And then he proceeded to race up the stairs after his brother, and by race Joss means the fastest she's ever seen someone walk/climb stairs.
"Why won't anyone try my brownies?"
"I'll have one, Angeline."
"Oh thank you, Fay, you're such an angel. And who might this be?"
"Angeline, this is Joss. Joss, Angeline, Beckett and Myles' mother and my second mom. I met Joss at the park today. She was making some lovely chalk drawings."
"Well, then," Angeline, (Mrs. Fowl?), cut out a piece of brownie and handed it to Fay before turning to face Joss. It was then that Joss became painfully aware of what she looked like. Clothes that didn't quite fit, patches everywhere, covered in dirt and grime because it had been a while since she scrounged for clothes. And here she was in this beautiful place. With everything so pristine and glowing, especially the people, that it seemed more like a doll house than a real place. And now there was this… adult judging her, staring down at her, evaluating her to see if she was good enough to be here. Well, screw it. Joss knew she wasn't, knew that this was all some twisted Cinderella thing, except that the fairy godmother would never come and she wouldn't have a dress and no prince and tomorrow would be just another day-
"Welcome, Joss. I'm not the best cook, see how my own children avoid it? But I did try very hard to make it, and I would like you to have some."
Joss' attention snapped up, she didn't realize she had been looking down, and locked eyes with Angeline. And all she saw was the beauty and grace she had earlier. Nothing of the ugliness that usually lines someone's face when they see her, but she was still an adult. It may have all the right intentions, but there was a hint of rigidity to it, like a face she wore so often she could call up at will. Still, it was a better attempt than most people would make.
"That's all right, I'm not very hungry." But even as Joss said the words, she could feel her stomach protest and rumble. Damn body is too freaking honest.
"No, please, you'll be doing me a favor. If I don't give it away to other people, I'll have to eat it all myself!" Angeline was already taking out a piece for Joss. Pushy person, but she didn't necessarily hate that right now.
"Or I will," Fay piped in, taking small bites of the brownie, seemingly unfazed. Well, if she was eating it regularly, it couldn't be that bad, right?
Joss accepted the piece with a small nod and took a bite. It was awful. The two boys running away and making those stupid excuses made complete sense now. It had all the looks of a brownie, but there was something off about it. Still, even as her mouth was rejecting the taste, she rejoiced that she could have something this sweet again; it had been quite a while. As she slowly chewed, contemplating how to not finish the whole thing and still be polite, Fay interrupted her thoughts.
"You put too much sugar in it, didn't you? And then something about the combining, perhaps over mixing? I can't be sure. And is this lemon?"
"Yes, I heard that lemon was good for hot days, and a little more sugar isn't bad, is it?" Angeline protested.
"Cooking is a kind of science. While some things can be improvised, changing the basic structure of the recipe isn't good. Like if you took water and said that oxygen is good for you and added an extra one. It suddenly changes what it is."
"Oh fine, you win, Fay. I'll get the kitchen cleaned up so be here in an hour to help make dinner."
"Okay, Angeline. Joss, the rest of the manor is this way. The rooms up the stairs and off this first lobby are innovations the Fowls added to keep up with the times. For the most part, the rest of the manor is left untouched. See, long ago…"
And Joss began to feel very much like a tourist as Fay led them through all the rooms, narrating the significance of them as she went. They passed by an old kitchen, complete with a brick oven, and a large banquet hall somewhere near the back with one of those stereotypical long tables and a king's seat at the end, many rooms where the only furniture were beds piled high and closets for personal belongings, libraries whose books were so old the pages fell apart in your hands, rooms that could have been laundry areas or sewing areas, a room with every kind of sword imaginable hung from hooks on the wall, and the list goes on and on.
What intrigued Joss the most were the towers. Fay couldn't lead her to the top of them, she went blind before she could find the way herself, but the Fowl family assured her that it was possible and that Butler had done so on several occasions. Fay had begged him to tell her, but he refused because he didn't want her to get hurt. If only Joss had more time, she could search for it herself, take her sketchbook up there, and lock herself away for hours at a time, lost in her thoughts and her hands as she drew or brushed out her ideas.
And then the sensation was lost and they were back in the lobby area.
"How did you like the tour?" Fay asked.
"It was… interesting."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Well, I have to help Angeline prepare dinner now, would you like to help?"
"Uh… sure."
"Great! This way to the kitchen."
Joss didn't question how the blind girl knew where to go; she had just given her a tour after all. Joss watched as she avoided the doorway and maneuvered around the table to the kitchen area with only her outstretched hands. Joss entered the kitchen and found Angeline at the countertop chopping vegetables and a pot of water boiling on the stove. Everything about it reminded Joss of what a home was like; the light sound of chopping, the bubbles on the stove, the smell of the vegetables... It has been so long.
"Fay, there are some chicken strips in the fridge I need breaded."
"Okay. Joss, help me out?"
"Yeah, ok." So, Joss followed after Fay and grabbed the chicken out of the fridge for her. Together, they filled the bowls with the breading and cheese combination and another with oil. Fay took each piece and dipped it in the oil and then the breading and laid them out on an aluminum pan. Next, they were supposed to make macaroni so Joss turned the stove on high and Fay filled a pot with water. It has been so long since Joss did something like this. She can remember watching her mother make dinner as a kid, sitting at the table patiently, but after her parents died in the plane crash, she never got to experience that again. It was a nice change of pace.
Joss was chopping up some vegetables with Fay when she heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. She couldn't quite figure out why it alarmed her so much until she saw the most gigantic man she had ever seen. She flashed back to the driver thinking it must be the same man, but it was only now that she had a good look at him. He looked rather old, but no less intimidating with a strong body and exaggerated height. Was everything about this family so massive?!
And then came the stare. Even behind a pair of sunglasses, Joss knew she was being studied. She forced her eyes to break away so she could continue chopping the vegetables, but the scrutiny still irked her. As a result, the vegetables came out a little uneven, but it didn't really matter to her. Joss just wanted him to get on with it and go off on her like she knew Myles did. Instead, she got a completely different reaction.
"Did you wash your hands?"
"Yes, Butler," Fay replied, unable to tell the question was directed at Joss. Joss knew though, so she gave a nod, too. And then Butler, was that his name or title, moved on to Angeline.
"Mrs. Fowl, you can't add sugar to everything."
"Why not? Sugar always makes things more delicious! And stop calling me Mrs. Fowl, must I remind you every time? It's Angeline, I don't like feeling that old."
"Mrs.- Angeline, sugar combines with the other food to give it certain qualities. If you put too much of it in, it won't taste the way it should."
"Nonsense, it tastes just fine. A little sweet, but just fine."
"Angeline," Fay started as she finished her chopping, "why don't you leave the rest to Butler and go find the twins? Beckett's disappeared again."
"Oh, alright. We'll eat unsweetened food today, but I want to cook tomorrow."
With that, Angeline departed and Joss almost thanked Fay for it. She may not eat three square meals a day, but eating an overly sugary dinner was too much for her at the moment. Butler picked up where Angeline left off sans the sugar and the rest of dinner went off without a hitch. Joss began to actually look forward to it, wanting to eat what she had tried so hard to make.
Joss and Fay set the table just in time for Angeline to drag her two boys in and set them down at the table. With all the food trays laid out on the table, Joss couldn't help but wonder if this was a common thing in this house or if they had done it nice just for her. She almost worked up the courage to ask, but the words were lost in throat when everyone else was talking together so nicely. She decided she should just shut up and be grateful for the food; she wouldn't get this chance every day.
Joss took the time they were talking to really get a good look at the people who had invited her to their home. She was most familiar with Fay, who reminded her of a fox because she was so soft looking, but also very cunning, like how she tricked Angeline into leaving. Angeline reminded her of a… swan maybe? The way she looked so elegant and carried herself with grace. Still bored and unable to join in the conversation, Joss continued on in finding animals for people, even though the boys were a little harder. Beckett seemed mostly like a dog, a bigger one like a golden retriever, because of his friendly nature and obvious athletic ability. Myles… doesn't deserve an animal. Ok fine, maybe a crow or something, one of those tricky and obnoxious ones. Butler was a bear. Not just because of his size, but it was clear as the conversation went on more that he cared about the kids at the table in an almost protective manner and mother bears where known to do that. You don't want to anger a bear, and Joss was certain an angry Butler would be just as terrifying.
"So Joss, Fay tells me you're an artist?" Angeline said, pulling Joss out of her thoughts.
"Um, yeah."
"That's nice, Fay's mother is an artist as well, taught her daughter everything she knows." That would explain why a blind girl was so knowledgeable about art.
"Stop it, Angeline, you know I gave up art when I became blind. It's all business now." She became blind even? There must be an interesting story behind that. Joss was really very curious about it, but at the same time didn't want to be intrusive.
"And you're doing such a wonderful job, too. How did you get into chalk drawing, Joss?"
"I liked drawing, and chalk drawings make good money, so it just kind of worked." Angeline gave her a nod, seeming to accept the answer and then got distracted scolding Beckett who dropped a large piece of chicken on the floor. Which was good for Joss because she really didn't want another question asking about her art. It was her escape from reality, when things were tough or something was bothering her. Also, more questions meant speaking up about her past, and she wasn't quite ready to explain anything to them just yet.
As she was lost in thought, a melody started playing from Butler's and the twins' phones. It was obviously classical and sounded rather sad and heavy, but it was intense. The twins took a moment to glance at each other and whispered something about art and bolted out of the room and up the stairs.
"Boys! What was that music? What about Artemis?" Angeline called after them getting out of her seat. Butler, too, left silently and while he didn't sprint like they did, Joss could see his muscles tense up.
"It's a ringtone Artemis uses to get their attention, Angeline. It means that he found something he really wants to show them," Fay said as she, too, stood up from the table. Joss followed suit not knowing what else to do.
"Well, why doesn't he just call like a normal person? Honestly, I don't know where they get being so dramatic from."
"I don't either, Angeline. Do you need help cleaning up?"
"Thanks, Fay, but I know you want to see what's so interesting, too. I'll clean up here."
"Thanks, Angeline," Fay said and held out her hand. Joss stared at the hand for a moment before realizing that she was supposed to grab hold of it. Why, though, she really couldn't understand.
Fay led her up the stairs and down the hall to a door with a little keyboard on the wall. Joss watched her as she put her hands on the keyboard and frowned.
"Can you type in 'requiem?'" Fay asked as she backed away from the keyboard. Right, the girl was blind and there's no… braille? Yes, that's what the bumps are. But that lead to another problem. Joss wasn't sure how to spell 'requiem.' She wanted to just give it her best guess, but who knows what might happen in this family? The stupid thing might explode in her face if she got it wrong. She was about to just tell Fay no when she looked and saw some small signs of worry on her face. That ringtone must have meant more than what she told Angeline. It hurt her pride, but she would just have to ask.
"Yeah, but I'll need some help on the spelling of it." Fay smiled and began to spell it out for her. At the last letter, a little light turned green and the door made a small clicking sound. Fay immediately reached for it and dragged Joss forward, only to trip on some stairs. Joss managed to catch her in time and then began to lead her up the stairs, now very curious as to what was going on.
As they reached the landing, Joss was greeted by what appeared to be a TV or computer store. In front of her were at least a dozen monitors, with a super computer off to her left and a long desk in front. There was an extensive bookshelf to her right and a filing cabinet tucked away in that corner, too. Whoever lived here must have some serious issues. At the moment, only one monitor was on and the three boys were crowded around it.
"Fay! How'd you get up here?" Myles exclaimed as he turned around to see them.
"Obviously I knew that was Mozart's Requiem, being in the music business and all. I also happen to know the backstory of it, that Mozart died before its completion. And with you two muttering 'Artemis' under your breath, the only logical conclusion was that something has happened to him. Is he alright?"
And Joss saw Myles smile for the first time, though it was probably something he did only for Fay. And then his expression went somber as he moved out of the way for Beckett to take over the keyboard.
"No, something has happened to him and he's gone missing. He could already be dead."
"Stop being so dramatic! He's not dead, he's still got a pulse. And we're tracking him now, but that might take a bit," Joss heard a voice from the screen say. As she peeked over Beckett's shoulder to get a look, what she saw was most definitely not human. It looked more like a child, definitely female, but the proportions on the head were wrong, and then there were the ears. Pointed. No, this was definitely not human, but then what was it? And more importantly, what the heck was she being dragged into?
Reaching Through the Veil
And there's the end of the chapter boys and girls! And so we start the first part of this adventure. I've thought up lots of new characters for this, you've already met the goblins, but there are more fun ones on the way. Like a crazed centaur. So tell me what you think or if there's anything you'd like to see. If it fits in, I'll try to include it!
