|St. Bartleby's School for Young Gentleman|
Artemis Fowl paused typing, his slender fingers poised over the one of the keyboard of his laptop. It was not something that one was allowed to have in St. Bartleby's. But what the dean didn't know didn't hurt him.
He thought for a moment before finishing the email, and sending it directly to the Fowl Manor.
Artemis pressed two manicured fingers to his temples, wishing that he could be there, at his ancestral manor, right then. St. Bartleby's struck him as pathetic, but he tried to lower his guard and socialize. Heaven knows he tried. It was not his fault that the students and teachers alike didn't seem to follow his lectures when he contributed to class discussions.
Artemis scowled slightly, reviewing the email he'd sent to his family and. Butlers at the traditional Fowl residence.
Dear Mother, Father, Juliet and Butler;
School is not exactly a joy for me, but I am coping. Unfortunately
the teachers or students here do not seem to appreciate my genius, so I have withdrawn from speaking openly in class; instead I only offer comments when called upon. Of course, I have not revealed how clever I am; as you
know, that simply would not do.
I can hardly wait until the end of final term in two weeks; I admit I miss you all very much, as well as the social comforts of Fowl Manor. The studies here at St. Bartleby's are sadly lacking, so I have composed a ten- page article on the importance of family values for Father and Mother to
read through and approve.
With love, your son and friend Artemis Fowl II
The heir to the Fowl empire settled back in his chair, carefully smoothing the creases of his school suit. It was after school hours, and typically Artemis had finished all of his work. Child's play, he mused, a faint smile curling his lips. Prodigy he might be, but the fact remained that he was still a boy.
In the absence of. better things to do, he slipped out of his dormitory and entered the garden greens, calculatingly surveying the garden design. They shouldn't have put the chrysanthemum next to the phlox, he observed silently, and some Japanese irises would have looked much better than those roses. He'd just finished an online degree in botany, specifically for this purpose, and enjoyed exercising his newfound knowledge.
He strayed farther into the shade of a few evergreen trees, noticing a few holly bushes, radiantly adorned with glossy green leaves and blood-red berries.
Artemis knelt to finger the leaves of the holly. Holly, he thought. Holly. Where have I heard that before?
| Streets of Haven City, East Bank |
Holly hurried through the crowded streets, weaving her way to a small apartment complex set farther back in the teeming city. She hurried up the neat second-floor hallway to a door somewhere in the middle of them all.
Flipping down a black plastic hatch to reveal a gel pad, the captain pressed her left index finger directly in its centre. She waited a moment before the door swung open, admitting her. Holly paused to flip up the black cover again.
The LEP captain flopped down on her futon, making a very unprofessional face at the mirror that reflected her image back at her. "What're you staring at," she muttered, before turning away to finish up some paperwork.
Paperwork down, Holly proceeded to shower. She stepped out five minutes later, wrapping a robe around herself. Settling down on the chair in front of the mirror, she had a sudden whim do to something that she never thought she would.
And of course, she did it.
Resting slender fingers at her temples hairline, she breathed deeply, then sent infusions of magic scurrying down her tapered fingers. Auburn hair snaked down to caress her jawline and the nape of her neck. Holly examined herself in the mirror with a pleased expression, running her fingers through her auburn locks.
A sudden noise from the street caused her to rush to the window. The crowd swirled in a frenzied motion around an axis of something that Holly couldn't see.
She rushed to the mirror, nudging a few holders out of the way she swiveled it, revealing a black plasma screen on the other side. The elf captain secured it, and then flicked a metal touch sensor set into the table.
Almost instantly Foaly's face flickered into view. "Holly! What'd you do with your hair?"
Holly'd practically forgotten it. "Whatever, Foaly, but what in the name of all the gods is going on out there?"
Foaly turned to consult his street cams. "Oh, just another one of them goblins. Nothing to worry about; I'll just send one of the night guys on over there to sort it out."
Holly wasn't convinced. "What happened?"
Foaly sighed. "He apparently smashed something very large and very cheap, okay? It looks to be a glass antique bottle."
A glass bottle causing the city crowds to panic? Holly snorted. That was pathetic.
Foaly punched some keys in. "I'm sending Vein down there right away."
Holly knew Vein. He used to be the LEP's number one officer, until he got kicked down to fourth when she, Captain Kelp and Commander Root came on the picture.
"So what else is going on?" she asked, flicking another eye towards her closed window.
Foaly's head snapped up. "Oh, you are not gonna believe this."
"Try me."
"Oh, you ain't gonna believe this one."
"Foaly!"
"There's a chance that Mulch Diggums might be let go."
Holly caught her breath. "What?"
"The search date for his Beverly Hills residence appears to be the day after his arrest in that particular case," detailed Foaly. "Because of the help that he gave us in those Artemis Fowl cases, practically all of the other charges have been taken off of his profile."
Holly could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Mulch? Innocent?"
Foaly raised an eyebrow. "Apparently so, Captain Short. Were you following me or not?"
"Of course I was," snapped Holly. "What does Commander Root have to say on this, then?"
The plasma screen in front of her became a split-screen picture, Foaly's head sliding to the side to allow a tape of Julius Root to play.
"Hello, convict," said the head. Holly could hear Mulch Diggums' voice exclaim, "Why, Julius!" after a short pause. "Enough," the commander growled, "I hear you have some news with dates in your file. Well, I'm telling you now, there is only a twenty-three percent chance that you're being released, and if you are -if- I can remind you that you will be closely monitored by the LEP for the rest of your life."
"What?" asked Holly. "No yelling? No blowing his top?"
"I know, " said Foaly glumly. "I thought the same thing."
Holly suddenly realized that her robe was riding up her thigh. With a start she hurriedly pulled it back down, looking up just in time to catch Foaly's smirk.
"What!" Holly glowered at the centaur, a rose tinge washing her cheeks in spite of herself.
"What's up with you, Short?" asked Foaly, horsy hands drumming his aluminum desk. "First you did that thing with your hair, and then with your ro-"
"Shut up, pony boy," snarled Holly, hazel eyes glaring practically through him.
"I was just asking. No need to get all upset."
"Well you know what? I did, okay? Honestly Foaly, fairies would like you a lot better if you just dropped the whole smart-alecky façade!"
"Holly-"
She slammed her palm down on the power sensor, flushing the centaur's image out in the middle of his speech. Turning away, she bit her lip, a single word going through her head.
Why.why.why.
Artemis Fowl paused typing, his slender fingers poised over the one of the keyboard of his laptop. It was not something that one was allowed to have in St. Bartleby's. But what the dean didn't know didn't hurt him.
He thought for a moment before finishing the email, and sending it directly to the Fowl Manor.
Artemis pressed two manicured fingers to his temples, wishing that he could be there, at his ancestral manor, right then. St. Bartleby's struck him as pathetic, but he tried to lower his guard and socialize. Heaven knows he tried. It was not his fault that the students and teachers alike didn't seem to follow his lectures when he contributed to class discussions.
Artemis scowled slightly, reviewing the email he'd sent to his family and. Butlers at the traditional Fowl residence.
Dear Mother, Father, Juliet and Butler;
School is not exactly a joy for me, but I am coping. Unfortunately
the teachers or students here do not seem to appreciate my genius, so I have withdrawn from speaking openly in class; instead I only offer comments when called upon. Of course, I have not revealed how clever I am; as you
know, that simply would not do.
I can hardly wait until the end of final term in two weeks; I admit I miss you all very much, as well as the social comforts of Fowl Manor. The studies here at St. Bartleby's are sadly lacking, so I have composed a ten- page article on the importance of family values for Father and Mother to
read through and approve.
With love, your son and friend Artemis Fowl II
The heir to the Fowl empire settled back in his chair, carefully smoothing the creases of his school suit. It was after school hours, and typically Artemis had finished all of his work. Child's play, he mused, a faint smile curling his lips. Prodigy he might be, but the fact remained that he was still a boy.
In the absence of. better things to do, he slipped out of his dormitory and entered the garden greens, calculatingly surveying the garden design. They shouldn't have put the chrysanthemum next to the phlox, he observed silently, and some Japanese irises would have looked much better than those roses. He'd just finished an online degree in botany, specifically for this purpose, and enjoyed exercising his newfound knowledge.
He strayed farther into the shade of a few evergreen trees, noticing a few holly bushes, radiantly adorned with glossy green leaves and blood-red berries.
Artemis knelt to finger the leaves of the holly. Holly, he thought. Holly. Where have I heard that before?
| Streets of Haven City, East Bank |
Holly hurried through the crowded streets, weaving her way to a small apartment complex set farther back in the teeming city. She hurried up the neat second-floor hallway to a door somewhere in the middle of them all.
Flipping down a black plastic hatch to reveal a gel pad, the captain pressed her left index finger directly in its centre. She waited a moment before the door swung open, admitting her. Holly paused to flip up the black cover again.
The LEP captain flopped down on her futon, making a very unprofessional face at the mirror that reflected her image back at her. "What're you staring at," she muttered, before turning away to finish up some paperwork.
Paperwork down, Holly proceeded to shower. She stepped out five minutes later, wrapping a robe around herself. Settling down on the chair in front of the mirror, she had a sudden whim do to something that she never thought she would.
And of course, she did it.
Resting slender fingers at her temples hairline, she breathed deeply, then sent infusions of magic scurrying down her tapered fingers. Auburn hair snaked down to caress her jawline and the nape of her neck. Holly examined herself in the mirror with a pleased expression, running her fingers through her auburn locks.
A sudden noise from the street caused her to rush to the window. The crowd swirled in a frenzied motion around an axis of something that Holly couldn't see.
She rushed to the mirror, nudging a few holders out of the way she swiveled it, revealing a black plasma screen on the other side. The elf captain secured it, and then flicked a metal touch sensor set into the table.
Almost instantly Foaly's face flickered into view. "Holly! What'd you do with your hair?"
Holly'd practically forgotten it. "Whatever, Foaly, but what in the name of all the gods is going on out there?"
Foaly turned to consult his street cams. "Oh, just another one of them goblins. Nothing to worry about; I'll just send one of the night guys on over there to sort it out."
Holly wasn't convinced. "What happened?"
Foaly sighed. "He apparently smashed something very large and very cheap, okay? It looks to be a glass antique bottle."
A glass bottle causing the city crowds to panic? Holly snorted. That was pathetic.
Foaly punched some keys in. "I'm sending Vein down there right away."
Holly knew Vein. He used to be the LEP's number one officer, until he got kicked down to fourth when she, Captain Kelp and Commander Root came on the picture.
"So what else is going on?" she asked, flicking another eye towards her closed window.
Foaly's head snapped up. "Oh, you are not gonna believe this."
"Try me."
"Oh, you ain't gonna believe this one."
"Foaly!"
"There's a chance that Mulch Diggums might be let go."
Holly caught her breath. "What?"
"The search date for his Beverly Hills residence appears to be the day after his arrest in that particular case," detailed Foaly. "Because of the help that he gave us in those Artemis Fowl cases, practically all of the other charges have been taken off of his profile."
Holly could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Mulch? Innocent?"
Foaly raised an eyebrow. "Apparently so, Captain Short. Were you following me or not?"
"Of course I was," snapped Holly. "What does Commander Root have to say on this, then?"
The plasma screen in front of her became a split-screen picture, Foaly's head sliding to the side to allow a tape of Julius Root to play.
"Hello, convict," said the head. Holly could hear Mulch Diggums' voice exclaim, "Why, Julius!" after a short pause. "Enough," the commander growled, "I hear you have some news with dates in your file. Well, I'm telling you now, there is only a twenty-three percent chance that you're being released, and if you are -if- I can remind you that you will be closely monitored by the LEP for the rest of your life."
"What?" asked Holly. "No yelling? No blowing his top?"
"I know, " said Foaly glumly. "I thought the same thing."
Holly suddenly realized that her robe was riding up her thigh. With a start she hurriedly pulled it back down, looking up just in time to catch Foaly's smirk.
"What!" Holly glowered at the centaur, a rose tinge washing her cheeks in spite of herself.
"What's up with you, Short?" asked Foaly, horsy hands drumming his aluminum desk. "First you did that thing with your hair, and then with your ro-"
"Shut up, pony boy," snarled Holly, hazel eyes glaring practically through him.
"I was just asking. No need to get all upset."
"Well you know what? I did, okay? Honestly Foaly, fairies would like you a lot better if you just dropped the whole smart-alecky façade!"
"Holly-"
She slammed her palm down on the power sensor, flushing the centaur's image out in the middle of his speech. Turning away, she bit her lip, a single word going through her head.
Why.why.why.