.
Bold Letters = Gnommish
-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-
However, once he heard the voice of the caller, he felt like he was electrocuted.
"Fowl?"
-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-
"Holly?" Artemis asked, his tone sounded like a mixture of surprise and confusion with a slight tinge of indifference; much different to what he originally intended or what that statement originally sounded inside his mind. For some reason, hearing Holly's voice sent a wave of mixed feelings towards him. The most dominant is the feeling of relief, for reasons more than one, and then followed by a tinge of apprehension; like he was worried about what the female elf would say.
Granted, he had a good reason for such reaction given the female elf's current amnesiac state. So, he was really surprised when his suspicions were proven wrong by that single word uttered. He doubted Holly even know what the said device is capable of - not unless the centaur had anything to do with it. Artemis sighed mentally at that sudden thought; that was probably the case.
Artemis tapped the tip of an eagle figurine's beak sitting on the second row of his bookshelf. For a moment the figurine's glass eyes lighted then it returned to its original state. To the common eye the said figurine is just like what the majority perceives it to be- an eagle figurine - but in reality, it was a switch to the all the security devices Artemis had installed in his room; a switch that only responses to the Irish genius' fingerprint scan therefore only he alone can activate the devices.
"Err," came the said elf's voice at the other end, coming out more like an unsure hum than anything. It was quickly followed by a few shuffling noises, the sound of footsteps, the sound of something being pushed slightly and then the Irish genius heard her call out in Gnommish, "Hey, he answered. What do I do now?"
"Huh?" was Foaly's immediate yet distracted reply, using the said language as well. "That's" great."
Artemis heard a huff from Holly then it was followed by the sound of a large object, a type of furniture maybe, being moved. If he were to guess, he'd say that Holly just went to where Foaly was and made sure he was now paying attention to her; he can even imagine her getting that cross look on her face as she asked again, "What do I do now?"
"I don't know. Talk to him," Foaly answered with a sigh. An audible clang reached Artemis' ears and he was not sure what to make of that, "It's not like he'll hurt you."
"Well, what will I say?" Holly asked which sounded a bit timid that if it weren't for her current state Artemis wouldn't believe it was her speaking.
"Anything." Foaly answered. Without meaning to he immediately picture the centaur grinning at whatever it is that crossed his mind, "Confess to him. Tell him you miss him. I bet he will love to hear that,"
And Artemis Fowl II was right. The Irish genius had a nagging suspicion that the centaur did it to purposely irritate him. The device was very sensitive to sound that it can pick up even the sound of the caller swallowing - if the listener paid close attention to it.
"Why in Frond's name will I tell him that?" Holly shrieked, sounding completely mortified. "I can't even remember him,"
Those words somehow gave Artemis that uneasy sinking feeling, akin to what others would describe as being stabbed in the heart - though not as melodramatic as compared to it. It just felt wrong, for some reason. His mind immediately came up for an excuse of such feelings and the first idea that surfaced was the fact that Holly was his first friend outside his family and the Butlers. Having denied his existence in her life gave him that uneasy feeling. He was thankful no one could see him right now. No matter how hard he tried putting on his mask in front of everybody, there are some things that he could not conceal. He is still a human after all, not a human-like robot like the majority perceived him to be.
Foaly laughed loudly, "Oh? If I recall correctly -"
Holly cut him off immediately, "Shut up. Don't you dare,"
Artemis mentally sighed at how the call turned out to be this ridiculous. It was time for him to remind the two that he was still there at the other end. It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon and he still needs to finish his long list of tasks before they are called down for dinner. The genius would even bet on it that Quin will drop by his room to make sure that he did come down for dinner.
"You do know that I am still here and I can perfectly what the two of you are talking about." Artemis deadpanned in perfect Gnommish that if they didn't know who the caller was, they would assume that he was a member of the People.
Instead of a direct answer, what Artemis heard next was gasp and the obviously surprised tone of someone by the name of Holly Short.
"He speaks Gnommish?" he heard her ask incredulously like she just witnessed a big secret unfold in front of her eyes.
"Yes he does. And he is quite fluent at it too," the centaur answered in a flat tone that made it sound as if the idea was a well-known fact that even children should know, "For a human, that is."
And as simple as that, the conversation is drifting away again. Artemis pursed his lips as he inhaled and exhaled through his nose, keeping his patience in check. He is usually patient, most of the time, but there are certain situations where he would just cross the line and now is not the best moment for that. "Is there any specific reason as to why you called me?"
"Oh, right. That was rude of me. Sorry," Holly said immediately.
"What did the Mudboy say?" Artemis heard Foaly ask and Holly answered his question without missing a beat, relaying what he just said to her earlier.
With that being said, Foaly laughed as if Holly just told him a good joke, "Oh, don't worry Mudboy. You are definitely not forgotten. Right Holly? By the way Arty, Holly misses you."
SMACK!
"Whatever," Holly muttered under her breath but nevertheless Artemis heard it clearly.
"I see," Artemis answered indifferently, "So what do I owe the pleasure of your time?"
"That was so mean of you Holly. After you insisted that I teach you how to use that device so that you can call little Arty -"
SMACK! CLANG!
"Hey, you still there," Holly asked afterwards, her voice clear of the hesitation she seems to be feeling at the moment. Artemis hummed in response as he lay down on his bed, feet dangling at the edge while his other hand subconsciously raked through his raven locks. Holly inhaled deeply then exhaled, "I just want to apologize for my actions that one time. You know, when we you visited my room in the hospital."
"There is no need to apologize. Your actions are quite understandable. Anyone would have acted the same in that situation." Artemis answered immediately, closing his eyes as he did so. "How are you feeling now?"
"I'm a bit okay, I guess, compared to last time. My cuts and bruises healed up thanks to my magic,"
Artemis took a deep breath in, letting his eyes close for a moment, "Have you regained any memories since then?"
"None." was the answer from the other end.
"I see," the Irish genius responded his tone void of any emotion other than indifference. Truth to be told, he was not surprised by the answer just disappointed. Amnesia caused by trauma. It's funny how the person he least expected to suffer from this situation did, "Don't worry. Everything will come around. Just don't push yourself too hard,"
Holly gave a chuckle, "I try not to,"
Artemis felt a small smile starting to form across his lips but that was just it starting. It was gone the second he realized it. Mentally letting out a sigh, he sat up on his bed, subconsciously clenching the bed sheets in his fists, "Can I talk to Foaly?"
"Oh, okay." Holly said, and then called out in the direction where the centaur was probably starting to continue what he had just left off earlier based on the tinkering sounds the device picked up. However, there was no response from the centaur. "Aren't you going to give him an answer?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm busy. I'll call him later," the centaur replied and Artemis could picture him waving his hand dismissively as he said this.
"You heard that?" Holly inquired
"Clearly," Artemis deadpanned, "Just make sure he calls me."
"I will," Holly answered. The line was silent for a few seconds save for the tinkering sounds of whatever it was that Foaly was doing. To fill the awkward silence, Holly cleared her throat, "Yeah…it was nice talking to you. I think I better go now. Bye,"
However, before Artemis could even open his mouth to respond and utter his farewell, the line already went dead indicating that Holly ended the call. The Irish genius frowned at the device in his hand for a moment. Not because Holly ended the conversation before he had the chance to respond but at Holly's shifting attitude. One moment she was feisty then gentle then she turned into a moody and socially awkward teenager. Of course, her amnesia was to blame for such actions and her sudden change of attitudes but still, that sudden change didn't sit well with Artemis.
Oh, he can't wait for the day when the female elf finally regained her memories.
Artemis checked the time on his cell phone. He still has a few hours before the school bell sounded calling them down for dinner in the main hall. Usually he would skip dinner because he had food safely hidden inside his room but he doubts Quin will allow him to stay in his room on the first night he came back to school. Half of his mind hoped that the boy wouldn't drop by his room after the afternoon classes are done while the other half kept insisting that it is inevitable. At any rate, the goal was to finish the task he laid upon himself before five o'clock in the evening.
Without wasting any more time, the Irish genius went to work. Not wanting to risk Quin from finding out, Artemis decided to install upgrades on his security devices first. Normally, students at the school wouldn't need to install security features inside their room but on Artemis' case, having so many enemies from his schoolmates to the fairy folk, it was necessary to have them installed in his room.
If one does not know much about technology, the devices Artemis installed would just pass as any normal security devices - that is, if they manage to find out where those devices are actually installed - but in reality the devices are tapped with fairy technology. Though he is quite confident that none of his enemies will even think of threatening him or confronting him in school without exposing themselves to the general public it never hurts to be prepared. Besides most of his enemies are from the Fairy folk anyway so less are the chances they would come to him in a human school.
The only reason why he had such devices is because of the information he possesses; both regarding his personal ventures and the Fairy folk. If someone did manage to put bugs in his room then a special device will take care of it perfectly and if someone were to intrude (with an exception of his family, the Butlers and Quin), all the closets and drawers will automatically be locked. There is also a device that made his room sound proof and a device that blocks any computer or any other technological device, both fairy and human, from hacking on his own.
Once his first task was finished, Artemis then proceeded in unpacking the things his mother packed for him; for what reason, he didn't know. He already has lots of clothes in his closet, some of them he didn't even consider wearing, and he knew is mother is completely aware of that but nevertheless, that didn't stop the Fowl matriarch from packing. Juliet probably sensed his trouble and annoyance of carrying such a large bag that's why she took it upon herself to carry the said thing to his room while he went to the faculty room.
Artemis suppressed a groan from escaping is mouth at the sight of what type of clothes his mother had packed for him; jeans, shirts, shorts and hooddies - clothes he would never consider wearing not unless the situation calls it. Aside from that the clothes, there was also a pair of black sneakers, three caps and two sunglasses. The bag also some foods - several bags of potato chips, dried fruits, canned drinks, biscuits and sweets - which probably was from the twins since there were several packs of Gummi Bears and M&Ms. He quite thankful that he had Butler install a secret fridge behind his full body mirror the day he started going to school after they had rescued his father or else he wouldn't know where to put all of these things. At the bottom of the bag was a rectangular object wrapped in brown paper.
Curious as to what it is, Artemis unwrapped the object and barely fought a smile at what he found; a picture frame the size of a notebook. It was one of those picture frames that has a hinge in the middle to connect two separate frames together and placed on top of the hinge was the Fowl crest; gleaming with pride. Artemis traced his finger at the excellent workmanship of the object, impressed that someone managed to create such a fine work.
Placed inside the right frame was the latest family picture, taken not so long ago. He was sitting cross legged on a fancy stool with Beckett sitting on his lap while Myles was standing in front of him; both twins had big grins on their faces, eyes full of mischief while he on the other hand just retain his usual stoic expression with a spark of authority and a tinge of mischief in his eyes. The Fowl patriarch and matriarch stood behind their children with such power and grace that one might think they are from nobility. Artemis Sr. had that serious and authoritative look on his face that clearly implies that he is someone you would regret crossing blades with. He had an arm wrapped around his wife and his other hand resting on Artemis' left shoulder. Angeline Fowl simply radiated regal beauty and grace, eyes gleaming with understanding; one delicate hand resting on his son's right shoulder.
The other frame contained a picture of him and the twins at the observatory. It was obviously a stolen shot because he was not aware that there was a camera but he recalled the story behind the photograph. Beckett, the ever playful twin, wanted his older brother to give him a picky back ride; a thought that Artemis immediately turned down. He thought that was the end of that however, Beckett thought differently. When he had the chance, he used a vacant chair that Artemis unintentionally was standing close to and latched at his back. Seeing this, Myles protested on why on Beckett was allowed to do such a thing so he tried to climb on his older brother as well; thus, resulting to the picture inside the frame with Artemis with his mouth open, presumably scolding his brothers, while the twins were happily clinging to their brother.
With a glint of pride in his eyes, he finally let that smile break through his emotionless facade. Standing up, he placed that picture frame on top of his desk - that small smile still present.