Faye Penetrante stood up and smiled, her golden eyes triumphant. She gave a
loud cheer and pumped her fist into the air, looking around in satisfaction
in the small room, especially built for this purpose. She heard a sound
behind her and she turned around, knowing whom it was already.
Migi Lim came in, carrying with her two glasses of lemonade. She handed one over to her friend and she drank her own, waiting somewhat wearily for her friend to begin an explanation, even if she had a sinking idea she knew what it was going to be. Faye took a grateful swig on the juice and took a deep breath.
"It's finished," she said, a little calmer. "The device we're going to use to capture Artemis Fowl! Who would've guessed!"
Faye laughed heartily, her hands on her hips.
"This is great, this is amazing- fantastic!" she raved.
Migi was dumbfounded. She simply stared at Faye, trying to think of a way to put what she had to say into words without offending the other.
"Err. Faye." she began. She was about to tell Faye about a psychiatrist down the road, but then she changed her mind. It was better to just stall the poor thing and make her passion die down than to shatter her dreams. "There's a test tomorrow in Chemistry, and you'd better not screw that up.and then there's a reaction paper in Filipino for that movie we watched.and you're just wasting your time building a toy that might not even light up."
Faye looked at Migi, her finger shaking at the red haired girl, as if she wanted to say something. Migi stood patiently, ready to counteract whatever Faye was going to say. Finally, the latter left the room in a huff, bringing with her her cup of lemonade.
"I'll show you!" Migi thought she heard Faye say, but then decided that it was her imagination. She stepped forward to the contraption, trying to see how far her friend had gone beyond the line. It was a steel machine, probably done with some help from the poor blacksmith that lived in the alleys of downtown. There was an opening door from the rounded sides, like the ones you see in the movies. There was a big jumble of wires, and a whole lot of buttons. A makeshift slot had an arrow pointing to it, bearing the words: "Artemis Fowl".
Migi shook her head yet again. Her head was clouded with a thousand scientific reasons who it was impossible for Artemis Fowl to come alive using this machine, so many that she couldn't even start to know where to begin. So this was what Faye had been devoting her time to for the past several months, she thought.
Faye came in seconds later, holding her softbound book copy of Artemis Fowl high over her head. She nodded to Migi and gave a subtle jab at the book.
"Just give it a try, will you?" she asked. Migi couldn't think of anything to say. Faye's black hair was slightly tangled, obviously having been through a furious last minute attempt to be matted down. Migi shrugged. If this was the way it was going to have to be to show Faye that these things don't happen in real life, then so be it.
"Great!" Faye said. She clapped. Migi set her cup of lemonade on the floor, away from the electrical outlets, and proceeded towards the machine. Faye handed the book to her and took off her working jumpsuit. She jumped out in a pair of white shorts and a tank top. Again she tried to set her hair straight.
She grabbed the book from Migi and placed the book into the slot. There was a whirring sound, and then the two doors opened, closing as soon as the two friends jumped into the red platform, leaving a seriously spooked girl and her bouncy companion.
A zillion tiny lights blinked at them for all directions, making Migi squint. Faye was staring directly into the lights, her face in an expression of pride. When the lights went off, Faye began an explanation.
"Listen, Migs, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen. We're going to be into the one place where Butler CANNOT go to."
"."
"Which basically means, we're going to the shower," Faye continued after the silence. "After two minutes and seven seconds, the safety feature of this machine is going to activate, and we get transported back to where we came from."
Before Migi could even take in what had been said, the doors opened. Migi sort of craned her neck a bit, fully expecting to see the small cramped room from where she had come from. But then. a ray of light. Her heart dropped somewhere to the place her intestine was supposed to be. She and Faye stood out of the machine.
"Juliet?" Came a voice from somewhere off. There was the sound of a shower, then the sound of the water being turned off. Silence. "Juliet? I thought I told you not to get the laundry while I was still in the shower."
More silence.
Split seconds before it actually happened, Migi had this strange feeling she knew what was coming next. She was able to knock a stunned Faye to the ground an instant before a tranquilizer came whizzing towards their heads, or to be exact, where their heads used to be.
Faye and Migi were smart enough to recognize what the vial the clear liquid that solidified then became liquefied again was. Faye had been keeping all sorts of potions and vials in their house the day after they had watched the trailer of the second Harry Potter.
Faye looked up from where she and her friend were on the floor, and to her utter embarrassment and horror, a slightly tanned but relatively pale boy walked out from the shower area, wearing nothing but a towel. He looked at the both of them, holding a tranquilizer gun, the kind used on animals, not on people, in his hand. In the cock, from a distance, she was able to see that it held one last vial.
And from the look on his face, Faye could tell that he was trying to decide who to shoot. It would have been easier if he hadn't wasted that one shot that had failed. Now he was thinking about who was the leader. It was always a good idea to shoot off the leader and deal with the lesser people later.
Faye stood up. Slowly. Her hand were held above her head in a giving-up position, backing away from him. She spared a minute to look over her shoulder, and Migi, from the floor, followed the glance. Their hearts started to pound hard at the same time. The machine had disappeared. There was only the bathroom counter, and a few small potted plants stood innocently on the tiles.
"We're not doing anything wrong here," she began. She stole a look at Migi.
Migi stared back, dumbfounded, until she realized what was being told to her. Think- to be able to catch Artemis Fowl. So what if she would be hit by the dart and be slipped into unconsciousness? Then the last of the dart would be used on her, and that would give Faye a chance instead to make a grab for Artemis until the safety feature activated and they would go back to their home in New Jersey. Migi stood up, her arms in the same position as Faye's.
"Yeah," she mumbled. Then fate had something in store for the lucky friends. Artemis actually opened his mouth to say something, like he was about to pronounce the letter 'b'. Migi guessed that he was about to call on Butler. She dashed forward, aiming completely for the hand with the tranquilizer.
A blur at her side told her that Faye had also managed to think to be able to catch Artemis in his moment of distraction. Migi was lucky. Artemis had shot the dart on impulse and instinct the exact moment Migi landed on his arm. The two fell to the ground heavily. Artemis held the empty gun, and the dart had crashed to the ground, sharp tip and tranquilizer both wrecked. Artemis, the stronger one, summoned enough strength to push Migi off him. Or he tried to. Faye had tripped over Migi, and had landed on Migi, who was over Artemis, who had the breath literally knocked out of his chest.
Faye, horrified, struggled to get up, and find a weapon. She was able to grab onto one of the potted plants. Faye lifted the pot high over her head.
"Migi! Move it!"
(Migi: Eh?)
Migi moved to reveal a very livid Artemis under her. His yes barely had time to widen in surprise when the pot came down on his head. As the dust cleared, everything was quiet in the large bathroom.
"Eek, you've done it, you idiot," Migi said, leaning over Artemis, her hand on his forehead. Faye moaned, dusting the dirt off her pants.
"Don't remind me, that I'm stronger than I look," she said. Migi nodded soberly.
Migi looked like she was about to say something, but a white light engulfed them all- Artemis- Migi- and then Faye, and they disappeared.
PRESENT DAY- SMALL CRAMPED HOUSE UP ON THE HILL IN THE MOUNTAINS ^_^
"Ack!! What the heck are we supposed to do about this?!" Migi screamed. They were in the small room where the short-circuited machine stood. On the ground was the unconscious figure of Artemis.
Migi pointed to him.
"We cant keep him here! What do we do?! Think about when he wakes up! He's going to find a way to make us miserable or suck all our money before he figures out a way to get back to his own world!"
Faye regarded Migi rigidly, a happy, oblivious look on her face.
"I KNEW this would happen, somehow," she said. "I've prepared for this a bit."
She went out of the room and came back with a pair of handcuffs.
"We've got to handcuff him first," she explained. "If he's free when he wakes, he's sure to find a way to some place in this house that I can't follow his actions."
She knelt down next to the body and took one wrist. She slid one loop, then the other. Migi gaped.
"He's not wearing anything but a towel," Faye mused, turning red. "Migs, get some of my shorts and one of my really loose t-shirts and just dump it in this room."
Migi, not knowing what to say, attended to the tasks automatically.
Faye was left alone with Artemis. From a pocket, she fished another hand-cuff. She chained it to one of his ankles, then found a pipe pole where she place the other end. Complete domination over the hostage.
"Here," Migi said in a monotone voice as she came back. She dumped some faded home clothes on the dirt floor and squatted to watch Faye watch Artemis.
"Don't you think you over did it a bit with the cuffs?" she asked lightly.
Faye shook her head and turned serious, frowning slightly.
"No, we cant underestimate him. I've set up a hidden camera in this room, in the wall. Yeah, I've also set up cameras in the other rooms. This will be his place to stay from now on."
"In this crowded room?! Look at it! It still has all the equipment you used to make that machine of yours! He's sure to use it to his advantage, all those wires and sharp parts!"
"Yes, yes, I thought about that too."
"Eh?"
"We're going to move it out of this room."
"To where? There's no other place except the kitchen, my room, your room, and the bathroom."
"To the garage!"
"The car-!"
"We'll park it outside," Faye said cheerfully.
Migi shook her head, but she was slightly amused.
"Okay, fine. Let's start moving this junk out of here."
LATER ON, WELL PAST MIDNIGHT
"Unh."
The dark- eyed teen grunted and put a hand to his head. Where was he? He couldn't move around, realizing that he was completely bound by the hands and his feet her literally cuffed to the pole.
He looked around. He was in the center of a completely empty dirt room except a small pile of clothes, with no windows, only one door to the side. There was no ventilation at all. The ground was made of brown packed dirt. He started in alarm.
"What the-"
"You're awake."
The wooden door opened, and a black-haired girl with golden eyes came in.
"I'm Faye," she said, holding out her hand, which he refused to look at. He summoned a breath.**spit effects**
**Ptooey** the saliva landed on her palm. She looked at it.
"Are you losing your diplomatic skills, Artemis?" she asked pleasantly. Artemis watched her every move, his lie-detector section of his brain rising to catch every mistake she made.
:: she's wary of any move I'm going to make,:: he thought.
::It's going to be easier to trick her then.::
He looked at her. Directly. For these people who didn't know how to handle hostages, it was better to take control.
"Where am I?" he asked in a deadpan voice.
Faye looked to her left.
"England, of course."
::she's lying,:: came Artemis' automatic voice inside his head. But he didn't say anything. He just shrugged.
"Why am I here?"
Faye looked down, then she looked at him.
"I thought it would be cool to show you off in my high school."
::Darn, she's not lying.::
"What the heck makes you think you can keep me in here?"
"Because you have to do whatever we say."
::Anyone can tell she's bluffing.::
"And why's that?"
"Because my friend and I are the only people who know how to get you back to where you came from." Her voice was matter-of-factly.
::Dammit, NOW she's telling the truth.::
"I can figure out where I am, then I can get back myself," he said instead through clenched teeth. He was red from embarrassment. He had realized that he was just in a towel. Faye, realizing what he was thinking, turned red in turn.
"WE weren't going to be the ones to change you," she pointed out.
Artemis looked away, looking completely adorable in Faye's eyes. ^^
".That door. Is that lock made out of brass?" He asked.
Faye looked to where he faced.
"Er."
She didn't know what to say. What was the question for? Did he know how to escape from a brass lock? While she sputtered like an idiot, the door suddenly burst open. It was Migi, carrying a tray of food.
Migi looked harassed. Her red hair was in a mess, and her eyes had smudges underneath.
"Your food," she said. She roughly set the food in front of Artemis. "And don't go around asking so many questions," she said crossly. "You're the prisoner here, not Faye, and stop trying to see if you can intimidate her."
Migi had seen what had been happening through the hidden camera.
"Faye, get out. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep. Let me talk to this guy."
Faye left without saying anything, without any hesitation. She was sort of relieved for the help, and she wanted to sleep as well.
The door closed with a sort of dull click of the lock. Artemis forced himself to look at the floor as if nothing had happened, but thoughts ran through his head. He knew. The lock was made out of brass.
Migi was watching him intently, tired eyes sharp.
"Well, I guess that means I'm going to have to put another lock from the outside," she said.
Artemis fowled at the sudden realization, sooner than when h could have hid the scowl. Migi smirked, he saw, as he looked up at her. She was kneeling beside him.
"How did you know?" he asked. Since she already knew, it was better to know what he source was instead of trying to deny it. He kept his face impassive, hoping to encourage the girl for the answer, thinking that it was unimportant.
"I just know," Migi said in a matter of fact voice. She herself was smart enough not to reveal she knew about his nature and about his thoughts, because of the Book. Migi settled down on her knees.
"Eat up," Migi said suddenly. "I'm not leaving you here with the utensils."
Artemis said nothing. He reached out with a pair of cuffed hands and used the utensils to eat. Migi turned away to be polite. It was rude to stare when someone was eating.
Artemis made small talk.
"Is it possible for me to escape and report this to the police?" he asked. Which, of course, was actually a threat of him to accuse them of kidnapping, or he was trying to ask if he had arrived in the place by any normal means, which was believable enough.
It was a good thing Migi was facing away from him. Her eyes had suddenly taken on a slightly guilty hint.
"No," she said, her voice betraying nothing. "No, you cannot."
Artemis nodded. He was a genius. Of course. She had answered the purpose. Unknowingly, she had told him that he was in a strange place, without any support from his friends or contacts.
"Oh. Okay," he said, continuing to eat. "How long are you going to keep me here before anyone finds out?"
That question, of course, had a different side to it as well. He was asking if anyone had a chance to find out that he had been kidnapped, or that people knew if he was missing.
"No one will find out." Migi's voice was decisive.
Artemis knew then. She had answered yet again another one of the silent questions. She had admitted to him that they were in a secluded area where there would be no one to question them if they were to be gone for a couple of days. Even if Artemis felt a little triumphant about how well he was dissecting her answers, the chances for him were looking bleak. He picked at the empty tray.
"Are you going to bring me back to England?" he asked. He knew that they weren't in England, despite what Faye had tried to tell him. He wasn't so stupid.
"Yes, we will."
Her voice was indecisive, which meant only two things. One, she wasn't sure that she herself could, or the other was, she wasn't sure if she was going to let him go back. Artemis decided on the former.
"Are you finished yet?" Migi suddenly broke in. she turned around to face him. He saw the empty tray. "Great," she said. She took the tray and looked the utensils over. Fork, spoon, foil. Yes, everything was complete.
Artemis looked up at her. In the palm of his hand, he held a tiny chicken bone, slim and perfect for picking a lock unless it were to snap. He knew that she wouldn't be checking the bones individually. Personally, he was grateful for the food, but he didn't want to show any sign of softness to his captors.
"I'm going to unlock those handcuffs on your hands," Migi said. "It ought to give you enough freedom to change into those clothes (she turned red) that are here."
Migi bent down again and set the tray beside him. She was jumpy, knowing that he was smart enough to know when to fool or trick her. But he said nothing.
"Hey," he said.
Migi looked up. Their eyes met for a while, and they held.
"I think Faye called you Migi. Tell me. Am I going to get out of here?"
Migi looked at his serious eyes. They were telling her something. She read both the message and the threat.
"Yes," Migi said finally. Then a sudden bout of wit came over her. "You will get out of here, but you only think you can. There's a difference between knowing and thinking."
Artemis scoffed in her face. "What makes you so sure?"
That was another tactic, he knew. But Migi wasn't stupid enough.
"I just know. Don't kid yourself, dear. It's unbecoming of you."
Artemis looked away. Could he use this girl's emotions to play against her?
"How do you feel about kidnapping a person anyway?" He asked. He was going for her conscience.
"Who do you think I am, Mother Teresa?" Migi answered in reply. The metal cuffs unhooked with a snap. Artemis just let his hands fold in his lap neatly.
"You don't look like you're a Caucasian. Are you from an Asian country?"
Migi gave him a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow. She decided to humor him for a while.
"So what if I am?"
"Then I'm guessing you're Vietnamese."
"Just because my skin is brown and my eyes are a bit slanted, doesn't mean I'm a Vietnamese."
"Are you a Chinese?"
"Since when do Chinese have dark skin? I don't even go out in the sun very often."
"Oh. Then you must either be an Indonesian, Malaysian, or Filipino person."
"Maybe."
Migi looked away and held the handcuffs and the keys. She put the keys in her pocket and picked up the empty tray.
"Just tell me your religion then!" Artemis said, his patience nearly exhausted. He was tired and annoyed at the closed up nature of these people. They were too wary of his and his questions, and how could that be? He wasn't even that suspicious.
Meanwhile, a girl named Migi had snapped.
"Listen!" she said, as annoyed with him as he was with her. "Stop fishing around for answers, alright?! It wont help you to use my beliefs against me, no matter what you do! Yeah, Artemis Fowl, if you really want to know, then you're not getting out of here, at least not without asking my help or Faye's"
Artemis just stared at her.
"Are you serious?" He asked. Migi huffed.
"Yeah." Migi looked away. "Sorry, Artemis. I can't help you. Too late."
She stood up and started to walk out of the door. Artemis' plead: 'Wait' stopped her.
"I don't know what's happening here, but then if what you're saying is true, then I'd have to do whatever you guys tell me to do or else I'm not getting out of here."
Migi sighed. "And even if you run away, you're not getting very far. Not in this world we're in. Even if you're armed with a zillion bullets and a rifle, some gangsters are going to appear, with double your bullets and half a dozen men, and they're going to take you down for the fun of it."
Artemis stood up, but stayed where he was. The restraints weren't going to allow him to go any further.
"Tell me what I'm going to do," he said sullenly. "Just promise me that you're going to tell me how to get back where I came from."
Migi looked at his serious face, his piercing eyes. "Okay," she said. "This is the deal."
END CHAPTER ONE
Migi Lim came in, carrying with her two glasses of lemonade. She handed one over to her friend and she drank her own, waiting somewhat wearily for her friend to begin an explanation, even if she had a sinking idea she knew what it was going to be. Faye took a grateful swig on the juice and took a deep breath.
"It's finished," she said, a little calmer. "The device we're going to use to capture Artemis Fowl! Who would've guessed!"
Faye laughed heartily, her hands on her hips.
"This is great, this is amazing- fantastic!" she raved.
Migi was dumbfounded. She simply stared at Faye, trying to think of a way to put what she had to say into words without offending the other.
"Err. Faye." she began. She was about to tell Faye about a psychiatrist down the road, but then she changed her mind. It was better to just stall the poor thing and make her passion die down than to shatter her dreams. "There's a test tomorrow in Chemistry, and you'd better not screw that up.and then there's a reaction paper in Filipino for that movie we watched.and you're just wasting your time building a toy that might not even light up."
Faye looked at Migi, her finger shaking at the red haired girl, as if she wanted to say something. Migi stood patiently, ready to counteract whatever Faye was going to say. Finally, the latter left the room in a huff, bringing with her her cup of lemonade.
"I'll show you!" Migi thought she heard Faye say, but then decided that it was her imagination. She stepped forward to the contraption, trying to see how far her friend had gone beyond the line. It was a steel machine, probably done with some help from the poor blacksmith that lived in the alleys of downtown. There was an opening door from the rounded sides, like the ones you see in the movies. There was a big jumble of wires, and a whole lot of buttons. A makeshift slot had an arrow pointing to it, bearing the words: "Artemis Fowl".
Migi shook her head yet again. Her head was clouded with a thousand scientific reasons who it was impossible for Artemis Fowl to come alive using this machine, so many that she couldn't even start to know where to begin. So this was what Faye had been devoting her time to for the past several months, she thought.
Faye came in seconds later, holding her softbound book copy of Artemis Fowl high over her head. She nodded to Migi and gave a subtle jab at the book.
"Just give it a try, will you?" she asked. Migi couldn't think of anything to say. Faye's black hair was slightly tangled, obviously having been through a furious last minute attempt to be matted down. Migi shrugged. If this was the way it was going to have to be to show Faye that these things don't happen in real life, then so be it.
"Great!" Faye said. She clapped. Migi set her cup of lemonade on the floor, away from the electrical outlets, and proceeded towards the machine. Faye handed the book to her and took off her working jumpsuit. She jumped out in a pair of white shorts and a tank top. Again she tried to set her hair straight.
She grabbed the book from Migi and placed the book into the slot. There was a whirring sound, and then the two doors opened, closing as soon as the two friends jumped into the red platform, leaving a seriously spooked girl and her bouncy companion.
A zillion tiny lights blinked at them for all directions, making Migi squint. Faye was staring directly into the lights, her face in an expression of pride. When the lights went off, Faye began an explanation.
"Listen, Migs, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen. We're going to be into the one place where Butler CANNOT go to."
"."
"Which basically means, we're going to the shower," Faye continued after the silence. "After two minutes and seven seconds, the safety feature of this machine is going to activate, and we get transported back to where we came from."
Before Migi could even take in what had been said, the doors opened. Migi sort of craned her neck a bit, fully expecting to see the small cramped room from where she had come from. But then. a ray of light. Her heart dropped somewhere to the place her intestine was supposed to be. She and Faye stood out of the machine.
"Juliet?" Came a voice from somewhere off. There was the sound of a shower, then the sound of the water being turned off. Silence. "Juliet? I thought I told you not to get the laundry while I was still in the shower."
More silence.
Split seconds before it actually happened, Migi had this strange feeling she knew what was coming next. She was able to knock a stunned Faye to the ground an instant before a tranquilizer came whizzing towards their heads, or to be exact, where their heads used to be.
Faye and Migi were smart enough to recognize what the vial the clear liquid that solidified then became liquefied again was. Faye had been keeping all sorts of potions and vials in their house the day after they had watched the trailer of the second Harry Potter.
Faye looked up from where she and her friend were on the floor, and to her utter embarrassment and horror, a slightly tanned but relatively pale boy walked out from the shower area, wearing nothing but a towel. He looked at the both of them, holding a tranquilizer gun, the kind used on animals, not on people, in his hand. In the cock, from a distance, she was able to see that it held one last vial.
And from the look on his face, Faye could tell that he was trying to decide who to shoot. It would have been easier if he hadn't wasted that one shot that had failed. Now he was thinking about who was the leader. It was always a good idea to shoot off the leader and deal with the lesser people later.
Faye stood up. Slowly. Her hand were held above her head in a giving-up position, backing away from him. She spared a minute to look over her shoulder, and Migi, from the floor, followed the glance. Their hearts started to pound hard at the same time. The machine had disappeared. There was only the bathroom counter, and a few small potted plants stood innocently on the tiles.
"We're not doing anything wrong here," she began. She stole a look at Migi.
Migi stared back, dumbfounded, until she realized what was being told to her. Think- to be able to catch Artemis Fowl. So what if she would be hit by the dart and be slipped into unconsciousness? Then the last of the dart would be used on her, and that would give Faye a chance instead to make a grab for Artemis until the safety feature activated and they would go back to their home in New Jersey. Migi stood up, her arms in the same position as Faye's.
"Yeah," she mumbled. Then fate had something in store for the lucky friends. Artemis actually opened his mouth to say something, like he was about to pronounce the letter 'b'. Migi guessed that he was about to call on Butler. She dashed forward, aiming completely for the hand with the tranquilizer.
A blur at her side told her that Faye had also managed to think to be able to catch Artemis in his moment of distraction. Migi was lucky. Artemis had shot the dart on impulse and instinct the exact moment Migi landed on his arm. The two fell to the ground heavily. Artemis held the empty gun, and the dart had crashed to the ground, sharp tip and tranquilizer both wrecked. Artemis, the stronger one, summoned enough strength to push Migi off him. Or he tried to. Faye had tripped over Migi, and had landed on Migi, who was over Artemis, who had the breath literally knocked out of his chest.
Faye, horrified, struggled to get up, and find a weapon. She was able to grab onto one of the potted plants. Faye lifted the pot high over her head.
"Migi! Move it!"
(Migi: Eh?)
Migi moved to reveal a very livid Artemis under her. His yes barely had time to widen in surprise when the pot came down on his head. As the dust cleared, everything was quiet in the large bathroom.
"Eek, you've done it, you idiot," Migi said, leaning over Artemis, her hand on his forehead. Faye moaned, dusting the dirt off her pants.
"Don't remind me, that I'm stronger than I look," she said. Migi nodded soberly.
Migi looked like she was about to say something, but a white light engulfed them all- Artemis- Migi- and then Faye, and they disappeared.
PRESENT DAY- SMALL CRAMPED HOUSE UP ON THE HILL IN THE MOUNTAINS ^_^
"Ack!! What the heck are we supposed to do about this?!" Migi screamed. They were in the small room where the short-circuited machine stood. On the ground was the unconscious figure of Artemis.
Migi pointed to him.
"We cant keep him here! What do we do?! Think about when he wakes up! He's going to find a way to make us miserable or suck all our money before he figures out a way to get back to his own world!"
Faye regarded Migi rigidly, a happy, oblivious look on her face.
"I KNEW this would happen, somehow," she said. "I've prepared for this a bit."
She went out of the room and came back with a pair of handcuffs.
"We've got to handcuff him first," she explained. "If he's free when he wakes, he's sure to find a way to some place in this house that I can't follow his actions."
She knelt down next to the body and took one wrist. She slid one loop, then the other. Migi gaped.
"He's not wearing anything but a towel," Faye mused, turning red. "Migs, get some of my shorts and one of my really loose t-shirts and just dump it in this room."
Migi, not knowing what to say, attended to the tasks automatically.
Faye was left alone with Artemis. From a pocket, she fished another hand-cuff. She chained it to one of his ankles, then found a pipe pole where she place the other end. Complete domination over the hostage.
"Here," Migi said in a monotone voice as she came back. She dumped some faded home clothes on the dirt floor and squatted to watch Faye watch Artemis.
"Don't you think you over did it a bit with the cuffs?" she asked lightly.
Faye shook her head and turned serious, frowning slightly.
"No, we cant underestimate him. I've set up a hidden camera in this room, in the wall. Yeah, I've also set up cameras in the other rooms. This will be his place to stay from now on."
"In this crowded room?! Look at it! It still has all the equipment you used to make that machine of yours! He's sure to use it to his advantage, all those wires and sharp parts!"
"Yes, yes, I thought about that too."
"Eh?"
"We're going to move it out of this room."
"To where? There's no other place except the kitchen, my room, your room, and the bathroom."
"To the garage!"
"The car-!"
"We'll park it outside," Faye said cheerfully.
Migi shook her head, but she was slightly amused.
"Okay, fine. Let's start moving this junk out of here."
LATER ON, WELL PAST MIDNIGHT
"Unh."
The dark- eyed teen grunted and put a hand to his head. Where was he? He couldn't move around, realizing that he was completely bound by the hands and his feet her literally cuffed to the pole.
He looked around. He was in the center of a completely empty dirt room except a small pile of clothes, with no windows, only one door to the side. There was no ventilation at all. The ground was made of brown packed dirt. He started in alarm.
"What the-"
"You're awake."
The wooden door opened, and a black-haired girl with golden eyes came in.
"I'm Faye," she said, holding out her hand, which he refused to look at. He summoned a breath.**spit effects**
**Ptooey** the saliva landed on her palm. She looked at it.
"Are you losing your diplomatic skills, Artemis?" she asked pleasantly. Artemis watched her every move, his lie-detector section of his brain rising to catch every mistake she made.
:: she's wary of any move I'm going to make,:: he thought.
::It's going to be easier to trick her then.::
He looked at her. Directly. For these people who didn't know how to handle hostages, it was better to take control.
"Where am I?" he asked in a deadpan voice.
Faye looked to her left.
"England, of course."
::she's lying,:: came Artemis' automatic voice inside his head. But he didn't say anything. He just shrugged.
"Why am I here?"
Faye looked down, then she looked at him.
"I thought it would be cool to show you off in my high school."
::Darn, she's not lying.::
"What the heck makes you think you can keep me in here?"
"Because you have to do whatever we say."
::Anyone can tell she's bluffing.::
"And why's that?"
"Because my friend and I are the only people who know how to get you back to where you came from." Her voice was matter-of-factly.
::Dammit, NOW she's telling the truth.::
"I can figure out where I am, then I can get back myself," he said instead through clenched teeth. He was red from embarrassment. He had realized that he was just in a towel. Faye, realizing what he was thinking, turned red in turn.
"WE weren't going to be the ones to change you," she pointed out.
Artemis looked away, looking completely adorable in Faye's eyes. ^^
".That door. Is that lock made out of brass?" He asked.
Faye looked to where he faced.
"Er."
She didn't know what to say. What was the question for? Did he know how to escape from a brass lock? While she sputtered like an idiot, the door suddenly burst open. It was Migi, carrying a tray of food.
Migi looked harassed. Her red hair was in a mess, and her eyes had smudges underneath.
"Your food," she said. She roughly set the food in front of Artemis. "And don't go around asking so many questions," she said crossly. "You're the prisoner here, not Faye, and stop trying to see if you can intimidate her."
Migi had seen what had been happening through the hidden camera.
"Faye, get out. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep. Let me talk to this guy."
Faye left without saying anything, without any hesitation. She was sort of relieved for the help, and she wanted to sleep as well.
The door closed with a sort of dull click of the lock. Artemis forced himself to look at the floor as if nothing had happened, but thoughts ran through his head. He knew. The lock was made out of brass.
Migi was watching him intently, tired eyes sharp.
"Well, I guess that means I'm going to have to put another lock from the outside," she said.
Artemis fowled at the sudden realization, sooner than when h could have hid the scowl. Migi smirked, he saw, as he looked up at her. She was kneeling beside him.
"How did you know?" he asked. Since she already knew, it was better to know what he source was instead of trying to deny it. He kept his face impassive, hoping to encourage the girl for the answer, thinking that it was unimportant.
"I just know," Migi said in a matter of fact voice. She herself was smart enough not to reveal she knew about his nature and about his thoughts, because of the Book. Migi settled down on her knees.
"Eat up," Migi said suddenly. "I'm not leaving you here with the utensils."
Artemis said nothing. He reached out with a pair of cuffed hands and used the utensils to eat. Migi turned away to be polite. It was rude to stare when someone was eating.
Artemis made small talk.
"Is it possible for me to escape and report this to the police?" he asked. Which, of course, was actually a threat of him to accuse them of kidnapping, or he was trying to ask if he had arrived in the place by any normal means, which was believable enough.
It was a good thing Migi was facing away from him. Her eyes had suddenly taken on a slightly guilty hint.
"No," she said, her voice betraying nothing. "No, you cannot."
Artemis nodded. He was a genius. Of course. She had answered the purpose. Unknowingly, she had told him that he was in a strange place, without any support from his friends or contacts.
"Oh. Okay," he said, continuing to eat. "How long are you going to keep me here before anyone finds out?"
That question, of course, had a different side to it as well. He was asking if anyone had a chance to find out that he had been kidnapped, or that people knew if he was missing.
"No one will find out." Migi's voice was decisive.
Artemis knew then. She had answered yet again another one of the silent questions. She had admitted to him that they were in a secluded area where there would be no one to question them if they were to be gone for a couple of days. Even if Artemis felt a little triumphant about how well he was dissecting her answers, the chances for him were looking bleak. He picked at the empty tray.
"Are you going to bring me back to England?" he asked. He knew that they weren't in England, despite what Faye had tried to tell him. He wasn't so stupid.
"Yes, we will."
Her voice was indecisive, which meant only two things. One, she wasn't sure that she herself could, or the other was, she wasn't sure if she was going to let him go back. Artemis decided on the former.
"Are you finished yet?" Migi suddenly broke in. she turned around to face him. He saw the empty tray. "Great," she said. She took the tray and looked the utensils over. Fork, spoon, foil. Yes, everything was complete.
Artemis looked up at her. In the palm of his hand, he held a tiny chicken bone, slim and perfect for picking a lock unless it were to snap. He knew that she wouldn't be checking the bones individually. Personally, he was grateful for the food, but he didn't want to show any sign of softness to his captors.
"I'm going to unlock those handcuffs on your hands," Migi said. "It ought to give you enough freedom to change into those clothes (she turned red) that are here."
Migi bent down again and set the tray beside him. She was jumpy, knowing that he was smart enough to know when to fool or trick her. But he said nothing.
"Hey," he said.
Migi looked up. Their eyes met for a while, and they held.
"I think Faye called you Migi. Tell me. Am I going to get out of here?"
Migi looked at his serious eyes. They were telling her something. She read both the message and the threat.
"Yes," Migi said finally. Then a sudden bout of wit came over her. "You will get out of here, but you only think you can. There's a difference between knowing and thinking."
Artemis scoffed in her face. "What makes you so sure?"
That was another tactic, he knew. But Migi wasn't stupid enough.
"I just know. Don't kid yourself, dear. It's unbecoming of you."
Artemis looked away. Could he use this girl's emotions to play against her?
"How do you feel about kidnapping a person anyway?" He asked. He was going for her conscience.
"Who do you think I am, Mother Teresa?" Migi answered in reply. The metal cuffs unhooked with a snap. Artemis just let his hands fold in his lap neatly.
"You don't look like you're a Caucasian. Are you from an Asian country?"
Migi gave him a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow. She decided to humor him for a while.
"So what if I am?"
"Then I'm guessing you're Vietnamese."
"Just because my skin is brown and my eyes are a bit slanted, doesn't mean I'm a Vietnamese."
"Are you a Chinese?"
"Since when do Chinese have dark skin? I don't even go out in the sun very often."
"Oh. Then you must either be an Indonesian, Malaysian, or Filipino person."
"Maybe."
Migi looked away and held the handcuffs and the keys. She put the keys in her pocket and picked up the empty tray.
"Just tell me your religion then!" Artemis said, his patience nearly exhausted. He was tired and annoyed at the closed up nature of these people. They were too wary of his and his questions, and how could that be? He wasn't even that suspicious.
Meanwhile, a girl named Migi had snapped.
"Listen!" she said, as annoyed with him as he was with her. "Stop fishing around for answers, alright?! It wont help you to use my beliefs against me, no matter what you do! Yeah, Artemis Fowl, if you really want to know, then you're not getting out of here, at least not without asking my help or Faye's"
Artemis just stared at her.
"Are you serious?" He asked. Migi huffed.
"Yeah." Migi looked away. "Sorry, Artemis. I can't help you. Too late."
She stood up and started to walk out of the door. Artemis' plead: 'Wait' stopped her.
"I don't know what's happening here, but then if what you're saying is true, then I'd have to do whatever you guys tell me to do or else I'm not getting out of here."
Migi sighed. "And even if you run away, you're not getting very far. Not in this world we're in. Even if you're armed with a zillion bullets and a rifle, some gangsters are going to appear, with double your bullets and half a dozen men, and they're going to take you down for the fun of it."
Artemis stood up, but stayed where he was. The restraints weren't going to allow him to go any further.
"Tell me what I'm going to do," he said sullenly. "Just promise me that you're going to tell me how to get back where I came from."
Migi looked at his serious face, his piercing eyes. "Okay," she said. "This is the deal."
END CHAPTER ONE