Authoress' notes ~~ Yay! I never thought I'd get this far!! I'm really
peeved because I just read the official description of a Mary-Sue, and it
describes Circe almost to a point, but I know what I'm doing, she's got a
couple of MAJOR flaws, they just haven't come up yet. One of them is very
common, one is pretty unique, and the last is something the world has not
yet seen. Or at least I'm pretty sure it is. I haven't read *everything* on
the Internet, so you may have heard of something like it before.
Moving on. I'm going to steal Nyghtvision's idea of putting a song in every chapter.
Here it is.
CHAPTER NINE ~~ A VOICE WITHIN
Young girl, don't cry/ I'll be right here/ When your world starts to fall/ Young girl it's all right/ Your tears will dry/ You'll soon be free to fly/
When you're safe inside your room you tend to dream/ Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems/ No one ever wants or bothers to explain/ Of the heartache life can bring and what it means/
~~ Christina Aguilera, A Voice Within
A VOICE IN MY HEAD.... ~'~'~'~'~'~'~'
Circe was in high spirits. She now had more than enough clothes, she'd come up with a good practical joke that she'd never use, and in two days it was New Years!
She changed into the fishnets, mini, and button-down and slid on her leather jacket. It was time to have a little fun with the senior Fowls. The thought made her shiver. This was gonna be great.
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"
Artemis, on the other hand, was brooding. He knew something was *different* about Circe, but he couldn't really place it. This really peeved him, because, as we all know, he is not used to being one step behind anyone, especially fairies (or, in this case, dryads).
See, he knew that *something* was wrong with her eyes, though he hadn't figured out what yet, and this whole split personality deal was a bit confusing. She seemed *too* happy during the day, but cried all night long. Odd, really. Ah, well, he'd unravel the mysteries of the universe later. Now, it was time for dinner.
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"
Angeline Fowl stepped into the dining room to see a rather odd sight: her son talking to a *girl* and her husband *paying attention*. 'It must be the sign of the apocalypse,' she thought amusedly.
It wasn't often that Arty talked to anyone, let alone a *girl*, and it was even less often that Timmy paid attention to anything other than his PDA or his food at mealtimes.
"Hello, Timmy, Arty, ah...." she waited for the girl to supply her name.
"It's Circe, ma'am," the girl told her cheerfully, "Circe Archer."
"I see. Delighted to meet you. Would anyone care to explain to me why this delightful young woman is eating with us tonight?" she inquired with a smile.
Artemis complied. "Mother, Circe is an exchange student from New York City. I sent in the application a few months ago, do you remember?"
Angeline couldn't, but that wasn't any big surprise. Arty did a lot of things, and though he mostly told her what he was doing, she promptly forgot the next minute. A lot of technical talk did that to her.
"Yes, well, she is going to stay here with us over the summer holiday so she can learn about Ireland. High-schoolers in America do exchange trips for history class, am I right?"
Circe nodded enthusiastically, playing along. "Yeah, that's right. And my MUN** class wanted a report on the touristy stuff, because the whole class is coming here for a conference next year." ((**A/N ~ That's Model United Nations, folks. High-school class. It's like history, debate team, current events, and leadership classes all rolled into one. Fun stuff. Lots of trips to other countries.))
The Fowl matriarch nodded. This explanation seemed to work. "That sounds like fun. Arty, dear, why don't you take her into Dublin tomorrow? There's plenty to do there." She smiled. "Though you might want to bring Butler. There are all kinds of people in our lovely capital, and I can't say all of them are too pleasant."
Her son rolled his eyes discreetly. "Yes, Mother."
Circe giggled to herself. What an amusing family.
At that moment Juliet came in with two bowls of tomato soup. She set them down in front of the elder Fowls and signaled for Artemis and Circe to wait a second. "Be right back," she said, hurrying back to the kitchen for their bowls.
When she came back, it was with a large grin to accompany the teenagers' soup. She set Circe's down with a whispered inquiry. "So you're the girl I've heard so much about from my darling brother?"
Circe nodded. "Indeed I am, your grace. Thank you for the lovely soup. It smells great."
The older girl just smiled and disappeared once more into the kitchen.
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"
8:00 THE SAME NIGHT
Circe was amusing herself by trying to get lost in the humongousness of Fowl manor. It wasn't that hard, to tell the truth. All she had to do was close her eyes, spin around a few times, and go in whatever direction she stopped at until she was thoroughly lost. Easy peasy lemon-squeezy.
After about thirty minutes of random passages and the occasional dead end, Circe heard a sound she recognized vaguely. It seemed to be coming from a corridor to her right. She took that way and pressed her ear to every door, starting with the left side of the hall.
She could tell that the sound was getting louder, but she still couldn't tell which door it was coming from or even what it was.
She came to the last door in the hallway and pressed her ear to the solid oak. Yes, it was definitely coming from here, and she now recognized what the sound was: A piano.
Circe opened the door as quietly as possible, (Which was pretty quiet, considering all the sneaking around Circe had done in her life) and peeked inside. She nearly gasped, which would have been bad, but luckily she caught herself in time.
She found herself looking into a dimly lit room absolutely full of musical paraphernalia. There was a wall lined with shelves containing musty musical scores, ancient records, and CDs and soundtracks of classical and orchestral music. The far wall had glass-faced cabinets with every imaginable instrument in its proper case visible through the dusty panels. Another wall was bare of shelves or cabinets, but against it were a harp, an ancient-looking harpsichord, a bass, a double bass, and several cellos.
And, in the dead center of the comfortably-sized room, was a lovingly polished but obviously very old midnight-black Steinway grand piano.
Circe's eyes widened. The piano was amazing enough, but the real shocker was who was sitting on the bench, his back to the door, tapping away on the keys. The one and only Artemis Fowl the Second.
Luckily, he hadn't heard her coming in over the piano, and kept right on playing. It sounded like a Christmas song to Circe, but it was a little hard to tell, as she wasn't exactly an expert on music of that kind. Her parents had never been big lovers of Christmas carols.
Style aside, the music was beautiful. It reminded Circe of the days when she'd get away from the house just in time to see the sun set from a nearby rooftop, and the crisp October wind on her face, and tramping happily through snow to get to Central Park.
These memories fresh in her mind, Circe sat cross-legged on the floor with her back resting against the door to listen. The flowing music seemed never- ending, and she wished this were so, because it was magical. She'd never heard anything like this music before. Nothing that could catch and hold her attention in this way. First the tune was slow, sad, and thoughtful, then it was filled with the purest joy, the sweetest light tinkling sound, and the feeling of spring. The tune was ever-changing, but always the same in heart.
The dryad was so caught up in the melody, so enchanted by the shivering quality of it, that she didn't notice immediately when Artemis stopped playing. He rubbed his tired fingers for a second or two, then got off the piano bench and turned around. Artemis stiffened when he saw his sleepy one- girl audience.
"How long have you been here, Circe?" he asked, trying not to let annoyance creep into his tones.
She thought about it. "Oh, maybe fifteen minutes. What's that song called?"
He didn't bother trying to hide his annoyance now. "It hasn't got a name. I composed it last week and haven't come up with anything to call it yet," he very near snarled at her.
Circe was impressed. "Seriously? You just came up with this music last week, and you can not only remember it, but you can play it like you've known it all your life?"
He smirked. "That's just about it."
Which merited some astonishment from Circe. "Wow. Only Artemis Fowl."
"The one and only. Are you ready to pick your jaw up off the floor and leave now?"
"Sure, but only if you come too. I can't find my way back to my room, or anywhere, really, without your help," she admitted sheepishly.
"I was planning on leaving anyway. Here, help me close the piano. It'll get dusty otherwise." He gestured to the Steinway.
After closing the cover, Circe looked around in the instrument cabinets, apparently searching for a particular instrument.
"Looking for something?"
She looked up. "Yes, actually. Do you have a flute or a B flat clarinet here?"
"But of course. The flute is on the shelf directly above your head, and the B flat is, I think, over here." He opened one of the cabinet doors and found the laptop-sized case. ((A/N-- Not as *thick* as a laptop, mind, but as wide and all that. It was around four inches thick.)) "Here you are. Boosey and Hawkes Paris B flat clarinet. It's never been used with that mouthpiece, so it's completely clean. Wood, mind you, not a cheap rubber or plastic, so take care of it." He handed the case to her.
"Thanks very much. I assume there's a reed in the case?"
He closed the cabinet door. "You assume correctly. VanDoren 2 ½."
They then exited the room, Circe carrying the two instrument cases like twin briefcases. "Thanks for not getting all mad at me for sneaking in on you and stuff," Circe said quietly, "Most people would lose it right then. You've got some patience if you would take me in, pay for my clothes, put up with my oddities, and then allow me to go sneaking around and spy on you. Anyway, just thanks. I really don't know why you're doing this for me."
Artemis was pensive. "I don't really know why I'm doing it either. I guess my father's influence is starting to rub off on me. Charity and nobility are not things that I normally associate myself with."
Circe agreed. "You know something, Fowl; I read your file in New York. A fence hacked the LEP mainframe for me, and you alone have gotta be at least half of the 'highly dangerous' files."
"Is this a surprise to you? I'm in every police file in Ireland, and likely quite a few in the States. And then bloody Interpol, who never get off my back. Even MI6, if you can believe that. I may be a criminal, but MI6 has nothing on me."
"Well, I guess that's your viewpoint. They probably think you're a menace to society. And not without reason..." she grinned teasingly.
He just shook his head. After another ten or twenty seconds of silent walking, they came to a spot where a smaller corridor branched off to the left of the one they were in.
Artemis indicated the left branch. "Go that way until you reach stairs going up. The stairs will take you to the corridor your room is on. Third door to your right. The number to my cell phone is on a card next to the phone. If you need anything, use it. Just don't call after ten PM or before nine AM, please. I need sleep, just like regular human beings normally do. You may be able to run on two hours of sleep and a cup a coffee, but I can't."
"Okey-dokey. Bye now!!"
And with that she skipped off to fully explore the technology of her borrowed room.
~'~'~'~'~'~'~'
Okay, this chapter was *supposed* to be three chapters, but since my laptop has an internet porn virus, I cannot post, and therefore have enough time and ideas left over to make it all one big chapter. Six pages on MS Word. Not bad. I have another site recommendation. Make that two.
Makingfiends.com
Muffinfilms.com
When you put these in your browser, stick a WWW-dot in front of them. As you know, the screening of our wonderful site kills Internet addresses. So just bear with me.
I love all you reviewers.
And something I noticed while checking out the latest on a friend's computer, SOMEBODY STOLE MY TITLE!!! I am fully aware that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but that is SOOO unfair to me!! Hey, you could've at least, you know, like E-mailed me to ASK if you could use that title, which **I** CAME UP WITH, but NOOO.
Okay, that aside, all is well in the world for me. I got everything I wanted for Christmas, I visited my boyfriend, I saw Return of the King.... I just have to say it.... LEGOLAS IS THE SEXIEST!!!!!!!!! ^^* yay!!
I'm done with all my update crud now.
~~Mornie Utulie~~
GypsyMoonshine
PS~ Mornie Utulie is pronounced more-nee-ay ooh-too-lee-ay. Not how it's spelled.^^*
Moving on. I'm going to steal Nyghtvision's idea of putting a song in every chapter.
Here it is.
CHAPTER NINE ~~ A VOICE WITHIN
Young girl, don't cry/ I'll be right here/ When your world starts to fall/ Young girl it's all right/ Your tears will dry/ You'll soon be free to fly/
When you're safe inside your room you tend to dream/ Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems/ No one ever wants or bothers to explain/ Of the heartache life can bring and what it means/
~~ Christina Aguilera, A Voice Within
A VOICE IN MY HEAD.... ~'~'~'~'~'~'~'
Circe was in high spirits. She now had more than enough clothes, she'd come up with a good practical joke that she'd never use, and in two days it was New Years!
She changed into the fishnets, mini, and button-down and slid on her leather jacket. It was time to have a little fun with the senior Fowls. The thought made her shiver. This was gonna be great.
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"
Artemis, on the other hand, was brooding. He knew something was *different* about Circe, but he couldn't really place it. This really peeved him, because, as we all know, he is not used to being one step behind anyone, especially fairies (or, in this case, dryads).
See, he knew that *something* was wrong with her eyes, though he hadn't figured out what yet, and this whole split personality deal was a bit confusing. She seemed *too* happy during the day, but cried all night long. Odd, really. Ah, well, he'd unravel the mysteries of the universe later. Now, it was time for dinner.
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"
Angeline Fowl stepped into the dining room to see a rather odd sight: her son talking to a *girl* and her husband *paying attention*. 'It must be the sign of the apocalypse,' she thought amusedly.
It wasn't often that Arty talked to anyone, let alone a *girl*, and it was even less often that Timmy paid attention to anything other than his PDA or his food at mealtimes.
"Hello, Timmy, Arty, ah...." she waited for the girl to supply her name.
"It's Circe, ma'am," the girl told her cheerfully, "Circe Archer."
"I see. Delighted to meet you. Would anyone care to explain to me why this delightful young woman is eating with us tonight?" she inquired with a smile.
Artemis complied. "Mother, Circe is an exchange student from New York City. I sent in the application a few months ago, do you remember?"
Angeline couldn't, but that wasn't any big surprise. Arty did a lot of things, and though he mostly told her what he was doing, she promptly forgot the next minute. A lot of technical talk did that to her.
"Yes, well, she is going to stay here with us over the summer holiday so she can learn about Ireland. High-schoolers in America do exchange trips for history class, am I right?"
Circe nodded enthusiastically, playing along. "Yeah, that's right. And my MUN** class wanted a report on the touristy stuff, because the whole class is coming here for a conference next year." ((**A/N ~ That's Model United Nations, folks. High-school class. It's like history, debate team, current events, and leadership classes all rolled into one. Fun stuff. Lots of trips to other countries.))
The Fowl matriarch nodded. This explanation seemed to work. "That sounds like fun. Arty, dear, why don't you take her into Dublin tomorrow? There's plenty to do there." She smiled. "Though you might want to bring Butler. There are all kinds of people in our lovely capital, and I can't say all of them are too pleasant."
Her son rolled his eyes discreetly. "Yes, Mother."
Circe giggled to herself. What an amusing family.
At that moment Juliet came in with two bowls of tomato soup. She set them down in front of the elder Fowls and signaled for Artemis and Circe to wait a second. "Be right back," she said, hurrying back to the kitchen for their bowls.
When she came back, it was with a large grin to accompany the teenagers' soup. She set Circe's down with a whispered inquiry. "So you're the girl I've heard so much about from my darling brother?"
Circe nodded. "Indeed I am, your grace. Thank you for the lovely soup. It smells great."
The older girl just smiled and disappeared once more into the kitchen.
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"
8:00 THE SAME NIGHT
Circe was amusing herself by trying to get lost in the humongousness of Fowl manor. It wasn't that hard, to tell the truth. All she had to do was close her eyes, spin around a few times, and go in whatever direction she stopped at until she was thoroughly lost. Easy peasy lemon-squeezy.
After about thirty minutes of random passages and the occasional dead end, Circe heard a sound she recognized vaguely. It seemed to be coming from a corridor to her right. She took that way and pressed her ear to every door, starting with the left side of the hall.
She could tell that the sound was getting louder, but she still couldn't tell which door it was coming from or even what it was.
She came to the last door in the hallway and pressed her ear to the solid oak. Yes, it was definitely coming from here, and she now recognized what the sound was: A piano.
Circe opened the door as quietly as possible, (Which was pretty quiet, considering all the sneaking around Circe had done in her life) and peeked inside. She nearly gasped, which would have been bad, but luckily she caught herself in time.
She found herself looking into a dimly lit room absolutely full of musical paraphernalia. There was a wall lined with shelves containing musty musical scores, ancient records, and CDs and soundtracks of classical and orchestral music. The far wall had glass-faced cabinets with every imaginable instrument in its proper case visible through the dusty panels. Another wall was bare of shelves or cabinets, but against it were a harp, an ancient-looking harpsichord, a bass, a double bass, and several cellos.
And, in the dead center of the comfortably-sized room, was a lovingly polished but obviously very old midnight-black Steinway grand piano.
Circe's eyes widened. The piano was amazing enough, but the real shocker was who was sitting on the bench, his back to the door, tapping away on the keys. The one and only Artemis Fowl the Second.
Luckily, he hadn't heard her coming in over the piano, and kept right on playing. It sounded like a Christmas song to Circe, but it was a little hard to tell, as she wasn't exactly an expert on music of that kind. Her parents had never been big lovers of Christmas carols.
Style aside, the music was beautiful. It reminded Circe of the days when she'd get away from the house just in time to see the sun set from a nearby rooftop, and the crisp October wind on her face, and tramping happily through snow to get to Central Park.
These memories fresh in her mind, Circe sat cross-legged on the floor with her back resting against the door to listen. The flowing music seemed never- ending, and she wished this were so, because it was magical. She'd never heard anything like this music before. Nothing that could catch and hold her attention in this way. First the tune was slow, sad, and thoughtful, then it was filled with the purest joy, the sweetest light tinkling sound, and the feeling of spring. The tune was ever-changing, but always the same in heart.
The dryad was so caught up in the melody, so enchanted by the shivering quality of it, that she didn't notice immediately when Artemis stopped playing. He rubbed his tired fingers for a second or two, then got off the piano bench and turned around. Artemis stiffened when he saw his sleepy one- girl audience.
"How long have you been here, Circe?" he asked, trying not to let annoyance creep into his tones.
She thought about it. "Oh, maybe fifteen minutes. What's that song called?"
He didn't bother trying to hide his annoyance now. "It hasn't got a name. I composed it last week and haven't come up with anything to call it yet," he very near snarled at her.
Circe was impressed. "Seriously? You just came up with this music last week, and you can not only remember it, but you can play it like you've known it all your life?"
He smirked. "That's just about it."
Which merited some astonishment from Circe. "Wow. Only Artemis Fowl."
"The one and only. Are you ready to pick your jaw up off the floor and leave now?"
"Sure, but only if you come too. I can't find my way back to my room, or anywhere, really, without your help," she admitted sheepishly.
"I was planning on leaving anyway. Here, help me close the piano. It'll get dusty otherwise." He gestured to the Steinway.
After closing the cover, Circe looked around in the instrument cabinets, apparently searching for a particular instrument.
"Looking for something?"
She looked up. "Yes, actually. Do you have a flute or a B flat clarinet here?"
"But of course. The flute is on the shelf directly above your head, and the B flat is, I think, over here." He opened one of the cabinet doors and found the laptop-sized case. ((A/N-- Not as *thick* as a laptop, mind, but as wide and all that. It was around four inches thick.)) "Here you are. Boosey and Hawkes Paris B flat clarinet. It's never been used with that mouthpiece, so it's completely clean. Wood, mind you, not a cheap rubber or plastic, so take care of it." He handed the case to her.
"Thanks very much. I assume there's a reed in the case?"
He closed the cabinet door. "You assume correctly. VanDoren 2 ½."
They then exited the room, Circe carrying the two instrument cases like twin briefcases. "Thanks for not getting all mad at me for sneaking in on you and stuff," Circe said quietly, "Most people would lose it right then. You've got some patience if you would take me in, pay for my clothes, put up with my oddities, and then allow me to go sneaking around and spy on you. Anyway, just thanks. I really don't know why you're doing this for me."
Artemis was pensive. "I don't really know why I'm doing it either. I guess my father's influence is starting to rub off on me. Charity and nobility are not things that I normally associate myself with."
Circe agreed. "You know something, Fowl; I read your file in New York. A fence hacked the LEP mainframe for me, and you alone have gotta be at least half of the 'highly dangerous' files."
"Is this a surprise to you? I'm in every police file in Ireland, and likely quite a few in the States. And then bloody Interpol, who never get off my back. Even MI6, if you can believe that. I may be a criminal, but MI6 has nothing on me."
"Well, I guess that's your viewpoint. They probably think you're a menace to society. And not without reason..." she grinned teasingly.
He just shook his head. After another ten or twenty seconds of silent walking, they came to a spot where a smaller corridor branched off to the left of the one they were in.
Artemis indicated the left branch. "Go that way until you reach stairs going up. The stairs will take you to the corridor your room is on. Third door to your right. The number to my cell phone is on a card next to the phone. If you need anything, use it. Just don't call after ten PM or before nine AM, please. I need sleep, just like regular human beings normally do. You may be able to run on two hours of sleep and a cup a coffee, but I can't."
"Okey-dokey. Bye now!!"
And with that she skipped off to fully explore the technology of her borrowed room.
~'~'~'~'~'~'~'
Okay, this chapter was *supposed* to be three chapters, but since my laptop has an internet porn virus, I cannot post, and therefore have enough time and ideas left over to make it all one big chapter. Six pages on MS Word. Not bad. I have another site recommendation. Make that two.
Makingfiends.com
Muffinfilms.com
When you put these in your browser, stick a WWW-dot in front of them. As you know, the screening of our wonderful site kills Internet addresses. So just bear with me.
I love all you reviewers.
And something I noticed while checking out the latest on a friend's computer, SOMEBODY STOLE MY TITLE!!! I am fully aware that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but that is SOOO unfair to me!! Hey, you could've at least, you know, like E-mailed me to ASK if you could use that title, which **I** CAME UP WITH, but NOOO.
Okay, that aside, all is well in the world for me. I got everything I wanted for Christmas, I visited my boyfriend, I saw Return of the King.... I just have to say it.... LEGOLAS IS THE SEXIEST!!!!!!!!! ^^* yay!!
I'm done with all my update crud now.
~~Mornie Utulie~~
GypsyMoonshine
PS~ Mornie Utulie is pronounced more-nee-ay ooh-too-lee-ay. Not how it's spelled.^^*