Chapter 8
The Dark Side of the Bright Side
I turned off the music and rubbed my eyes. Suddenly, I got this strange stinging sensation in my eyes. I looked down at my ringed hands. Oh shit. My mascara…
Curse this foul concoction called make-up!
I rushed to the sink and grabbed a towel blindly. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow… I wet the towel and rubbed my burning eyes furiously. I sighed. Now, THAT'S better. Whew!
I turned around. Was someone watching me?? The hair on the back of my neck prickled. Yes…someone was DEFINITELY watching me. I set the towel down on the massive counter. I bet there's a camera…ooh, I bet there's a camera…
I peered up. There it was! A tiny silver camera peeped out at me from the corner of the embellished wall. Fowl…he is truly a criminal mastermind. Looked like my mission was going to be much, much harder than I anticipated. I mean, how was I supposed to hide a knife? Who KNEW how many cameras were around?! Good question, I thought. Maybe I should look.
I searched the shower, closet, and bedroom; I found two more. (And I thought I was paranoid…? Wow.) There was a miniature black one in the closet and a larger second silver one in the ceiling of my bedroom. Oh well…at least Fowl had his wits about him. But look at the bright side…his gadgets and gizmos wouldn't be able to save him when I had my knife to his throat.
My stomach growled. Hmmm…maybe a snack might help me think better. I heaved open the heavy wooden door to my bedroom and walked out into the hallway. I did a double-take. I have no clue why, but I just did. The air of the manor made me feel uneasy.
I took my time going down the circular staircase. I had never liked those. They got thin on the inside and I was always worried about falling, especially from great heights. I guess I was so concentrated on not losing my balance (or what I have of balance), that I didn't acknowledge the fact that someone was approaching me on the stairs. I ran smack into them and tumbled down the stairs. Luckily, I was almost at the bottom when I fell, so I wouldn't have too many bruises in the morning.
I looked up, all the while holding my head. "Sorry…sorry…," I muttered, not noticing who it was. I started to get up when my fellow collision partner responded to my grumbled apologies.
"Maybe you should watch where you're going next time. Oh yes, and I'm quite sorry, too. Sorry for the bruises, mostly." Artemis replied.
"Wh—What?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The shock of it all sent me back to the painful sitting position I had landed in. Where was the I-Can't-Take-A-Hint Artemis Fowl II I had met a few hours before? Where did he go?
"I suppose I should probably help you up." He said icily.
"Yes, I suppose. I would appreciate that wholesomely." I said, trying to match his chilly politeness.
He offered me his hand and I reluctantly took it. After all, I couldn't kill him yet. Official orders. (Unfortunately, because I was DYING to get my hands around that neck of his.)
He pulled me up, and I brushed myself off. Artemis suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked me close to him. What is this?? I wondered.
"I know what you're up to and let me tell you now. You won't succeed. I won't let you…if it's the last thing I do. Personally, I'd like to see you TRY to get past Butler." He whispered into my ear. I glared at him. If looks were knives, he'd be to hell and back about 4 times, I thought maliciously to myself.
He put his hands on the waist and pulled me closer. "My they have good taste in assassins nowadays." He examined me from head to toe. I glared at him in disgust. He let me go and strolled back up the stairs and away down the dark hallway. To his own room I guess. As for me, I glanced in the direction of the kitchen and frowned.
Suddenly I wasn't so hungry anymore.
DUN DUN DUNNNN......And the plot thickens! Wh-hoo. You guys know the drill..REVIEW.