Disclaimer: I own barely any of this story, practically all of the credit must go to Eoin Colfer, who is the genius behind Artemis Fowl.
Authoresses Note: Hello again! And may I say how incredibly sorry I am for making you wait this long! It's been months I know, but hopefully this chapter will make up for the long wait. What else is there to say besides happy reading!
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Artemis Fowl: And The Raven's PropheciesChapter 3: In Which Hostilities are Renewed and Many New Things Discovered
Captain Holly Short sat behind a wafer thin laptop in the LEP Operations Booth. There was something allegedly important their resident centaur wanted to ask her about, but since she was there…she may as well catch up on something she was having a little trouble letting go of.
Foaly had set up a special surveillance system to keep an eye on Fowl Manor after the mind wipes. It was only supposed to last for the six months, but he conveniently "forgot" to terminate the link and so it had been running for the past three years.
Holly connected to the Internet quickly and managed to find a believable cover for why she was using the computer. The magical version of Guns and Ammo came up on screen, but was soon after minimized. She had more important things to do…
With practised ease she bought up the file and preceded to stare at it, not truly knowing what she was looking for. Lost in the seconds of nothing she saw. Until she did see something. Or more specifically someone.
Typing in commands to zoom in, she managed to catch the creature standing by the window. Holly gave a surprised little laugh.
Juliet Butler stood looking down at something on the grounds. Juliet was a sight Holly didn't think she was going to see again. She really quite liked the mud girl. And with the realisation that she was looking at something, Holly moved the camera when…
A voice interrupted…
"Holly - " Came Foaly's voice as he also came into view of the newly un-tinted operations booth. "'Bout those carrots, you still owe me a - " He stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. Looking at Holly who had a stupid grin plastered all over her face.
"What are you doing?" instantly suspicious. He may have stopped wearing the tin foil hat, but was just as paranoid as ever.
Holly's smile faltered a bit but didn't disappear. "Nothing," her voice completely giving her away, "I was just waiting for you. What was that you said about carrots?"
Foaly still continued to eye her suspiciously and began to make his way over to her. She closed the surveillance file, opening the website, she had prepared earlier.
It was a lost cause trying to fool him. Holly tried to school her features into looking interested, but they seemed to have stopped working. She looked up, a defeated look in her eyes.
He pushed her aside and began what looked like him just pushing random buttons. But eventually managed to find what she was looking at before and gave her a somewhat concerned look. He had matured a little over the years.
"Now Holly…" he started, but new figures on the laptops screen drew away his attention. "…Who do we have here?"
"What?" she asked as Foaly moved aside.
The surveillance system was focused on the area outside the front door and there seemed to be a little reunion going on.
The Butlers were hugging and Artemis was a little was off, with a girl neither of them recognised. At least that's what Holly thought; she failed to acknowledge the importance of the girl. Because if she had, she would have resigned right there.
"Ahhhh…has Fowl got himself a girlfriend?" Foaly asked, a little childishly. He looked at Holly and they shared a look before both exclaiming at the same time: "Nah…!"
They turned back around and continued to watch.
Artemis was now talking to Juliet; he hugged her and spoke some more, before leading Butler away. "This isn't as good without sound," Foaly whined.
"What isn't as good?" Came a voice, which made them both jump.
Their Commander, Julius Root, had snuck in on them; his voice like Holly's was notable fake. He continued to look between them, not bothering with the computer, which was very lucky for them. "Nothing Commander," Holly ventured, but after saying that immediately regretted it. For his normal purple hue reappeared on his face and he began to rage about slacking off on the job.
But that was all Foaly need to shut of the computer. His fingers moving so incredibly fast that they didn't seem to touch the keys, looking as if he just passed his hand across the top of the keyboard.
"…Now get back to work Captain!" he ended, the hue slowly ebbing away.
"Yes sir," she replied, sensing that he wasn't in the mood to be denied; passing a pitying smile to Foaly she slipped out of the Operations booth. A pitying smile that promised many, many carrots.
"Now Foaly," Commander Root started, a definite sign of defeat in his voice, "We have a problem."
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Artemis Fowl's Journal. Disk One. Encrypted.
I have decided to keep a diary. In fact, I am surprised that the idea has never occurred to me before. An intellect such as mine should be documented so that future generations of Fowls can take advantage of my brilliant ideas.
Of course, I must be careful with such a document. As valuable as it would be to my descendants, it would be more valuable to the law enforcement agents who are forever trying to gather evidence against me.
It is even more important that I keep this journal a secret from my father. He is not himself since his escape from Russia. He has become obsessed with nobility and heroism. Abstract concepts at best. As far as I know, nobility and heroism are not accepted by any of the world's major banks. The family's fortune is in my hands, and I will preserve it in the way I always have, through ingenious plots. Most of these plots will be illegal. The best always are. Real profit lies in the shadowy areas beyond the law.
I have decided, however, out of respect for my parents' values, to change my criteria for victim selection. It would seem better for the world's ecology if several global corporations went bankrupt, and so I have resolved to help them on their way. Not victimless crimes, but ones where few tears will be shed for the injured parties. This does not mean that I have become a weak, latter-day Robin Hood. Far from it. I intend to reap substantial benefits from my crimes.
My father is not the only one to have changed. Butler has grown old almost overnight. His appearance is the same as ever, but he has slowed down considerably, no matter how he tries to hide it. But I will not replace him. He has been a loyal employee, and his expertise in matters of intelligence will be invaluable. Perhaps Juliet will accompany me when actual protection is needed, though she now claims that a life in personal protection is not for her. Next week she travels to the United States to try out for a wrestling team. Apparently she has chosen 'Jade Princess' as her stage name. I can only hope that she fails the audition. Though I doubt it. She is a Butler, after all.
Of course, I have some ongoing ventures that I can work on without the aid of a bodyguard. In recent years I have developed software to divert funds from various bank accounts to my own. This software will have to be upgraded to stay ahead of the computer crime squads. Version 2.0 should be online within six months. Then there is my talent for art forgery. In the past I have favoured the Impressionists, but now, for some reason, I am drawn to the more fantastical subject matter, such as the fairy creatures depicted by Pascal Herve in his Magical World series. But these projects must be suspended temporarily, for today I discovered that I am the victim of a conspiracy.
The day began strangely. When I awake I experienced an instant of weakness. For a single moment before I opened my eyes, I felt content, my drive to accumulate wealth forgotten. This has never happened before. Perhaps the mood was left over from some magical dream, or perhaps my father's new-found positive attitude is contagious. Whatever the cause, I must be careful to avoid such lapses in the future. With my father in his current frame of mind, this is no time to lose my resolve. I must remain as driven as always. Crime is the way forward for the Fowls. aurum postestas est.
Minutes later, a greater mystery presented itself. As I washed my face at the basin, a tiny object fell from one of my eyes. Close examination in the lab revealed it to be a semi-corroded, tinted contact lens. Not only that, but a mirrored layer had been added behind the tinted lens. Ingenious. Undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman. But to what purpose? It is strange, but even though I have no knowledge of this lens, or how it came to be in my eye, I feel the answer is somewhere in my own brain. Hidden in the shadows.Imagine my surprise when Juliet and Butler discovered mirrored lenses in their own eyes. These lenses are so clever they could have been my own invention, so obviously this unknown adversary must not be underestimated.
I will track the culprit down, make no mistake. No clue will be left uninvestigated. Butler has a contact in Limerick, an expert in the field of lenses and scopes. He may recognize our intruder's handiwork. Butler is on his way there, as I write.
And so, a new chapter begins in the life of Artemis Fowl the Second. In a matter of days my father returns with his new-found conscience. I will shortly be shipped off to boarding school, where I will have access to a pathetic computer centre and an even more pathetic laboratory. My bodyguard seems to be too old for physical tasks and there is an unknown adversary planting strange objects on my very person.
Overwhelming difficulties, you may think. An ordinary person would draw the shutters and hide from the world. But I am no ordinary person. I am Artemis Fowl, the latest in the Fowl crime dynasty, and I will not be turned from my path. I will find whoever planted those lenses and they will pay for their presumption. And once I am rid of this nuisance, my plans will proceed unhindered. I shall unleash a crime wave the like of which has never been seen. The world will remember the name of Artemis Fowl.
And this entry was written almost three years ago. And things had definitely changed. Juliet had gotten a place on her wrestling team and now the Jade Princess only had to defend her title whenever a title bout needed to be fought out. And as for being shipped off to boarding school. It didn't go that far.
Artemis Fowl Seniors newfound conscience had prevented Angeline from sending him away. "I want the family to be closer," were his father's choice of words. And after a few little arguments, mostly to do with how: "he's a growing boy Angeline," and "he lives in a world full girls, he'll have to get use to them sometime," did his mother and father change his school. It was funny how they seemed to know a lot of educators.
As for Butler's battles catching up with him, it had driven Artemis to extreme measures he never thought he'd take, or thought that Butler would agree too. In his words: Defence is my job. Though as much as Artemis hated getting hot and sweaty, for the past three years he had spent almost every spare moment training.
He couldn't shake off an inexplicable feeling of helplessness. So Butler, slowly, was willingly teaching him everything he knew, making full use of their private dojo and when he was not with Butler, he used the facilities available to him at school. Though only to build up his speed and stamina, Artemis didn't see the need to become 'muscular' as such, it was better to stay deceptively lean.
But in saying that, there wasn't much spare time, to well, spare. Especially for the conspiracy that was against him.
Butler spoke to his contact in Limerick, who seemed surprised that Butler had come back so soon. They discovered that it was Butler who ordered the mirrored lenses, but they were none the wiser as to why he had done so. "I feel the answer is somewhere in my own brain." Seemed very much to apply.
Artemis didn't like not knowing something that seemed very important. He prided himself on the fact that he was well on the verge of knowing everything. But school had put itself first and there was nothing he couldn't do about it. It wasn't that any of the work was hard, far from it. It was just the 'catering for the intellectually challenged'. Meaning making posters and such things along those line, needless to say it was a tedious and extremely annoying.
Yet it didn't mean that he was forgetting about it, no. It merely meant that he was keeping it in the back of his mind.
But all thoughts flew straight out of Artemis's head, when sudden screaming penetrated the walls of his room. Juliet had obviously moved Patricia in the room next to his…damn.
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Even though it started like all the others, Raven felt that she had a little more control over what she saw and how she acted. She was still dressed in her uniform and her parents were there as well, looking benignly happy and so…at peace.
It was hard to say how long she just stood there and watched them, but in recurring dreams the same things always happen and so as if on cue, fire erupted. And much as she couldn't help it, this time she screamed.
She did what she always did and flung herself at her parents and clung onto them. She was expecting the arms to take her away, but they never came. The flames felt even more real then ever and the heat was so stifling that she broke out into a sweat.
"There, there Patricia it's alright," her mother said and the next thing she knew, it was. Her father cast a commanding hand out and passed it over all the flames and they disappeared instantly and so completely that you couldn't believe they were ever there in the first place. The temperature dropping rapidly with it. Externally her body stopped struggling.
The onlookers stared transfixed at Raven as she went through a range of emotion, no one knowing what to do or how to help. Her face was calm now and she seemed at peace, she was breathing deeply and had the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. Though they did not know it, she was reliving her talk with her parents, and it was going just as it had when she had died.
"How could you die!" Raven mumbled somewhat angrily. This snapped everyone out of their trances. But before they could say anything she added softly: "But daddy I'm dead, I'm with you and mum forever…aren't I?"
"Dead?" Juliet echoed. But again any further questions were cut short, because it seemed that Raven was trying to suck in every ounce of oxygen in the room at once. And after a few moments of complete silence, she began to stir.
She blinked up at the three staring down at her and found it odd that she wasn't worried how they got there or even why. "Hi," she said softly, in better mood then when she went to bed, even towards The Arrogant One. She remembered her dream and even though it still made absolutely no sense to her, she cherished every second of it.
Though the mood obviously wasn't contagious, Artemis snorted superiorly and walked back towards the door leading to the bathroom, which she now realised linked her room to his. "Butler," he commanded over his shoulder, and the tall manservant joined Artemis through the door, closing it softly behind him.
"So…" Juliet said slowly, "Do you dream you're dead often?"
Raven paled…
,-,
The two weeks passed eventless enough and with no more talk of death. Artemis began ignoring Raven completely, his time was obviously too good to be spent with the likes of her. But that suited her just fine, Juliet was excellent company and Raven even had a feeling she was beginning to rub off on her older brother. At least he bothered to talk to her…when Artemis wasn't looking.
It was the day after her arrival and Raven was settling into Greenwich Mean Time. She had decided to take a shower before lunch and after getting changed, realised that she would have to redress her arm and found she had no real clue how to do it.
Rummaging around in her suitcase produced the rolls of black bandages and looking down at her skin showed that her cuts were pretty much healed and she could bend it…roughly.
Abandoning anything else she would have needed to do, she decided to just wrap her wrist, just so it was protected in the unlikely case that it would get hurt.
Raven did a pretty botchy job and decided to cover it up a bit by putting a jumper over the top of it. She then quickly blow-dried her hair and set off towards the end of the house, she thought the kitchen was in.
As she was coming down the stairs, she caught sight of Artemis and Butler and hoping they were going towards the kitchen, she gave chase at a fair distance away, so not to upset his majesty.
Raven wasn't disappointed when a delicious smell wafted towards her and she picked up her pace a bit.
Lunch was waiting on a half moon granite bench with four bar stools for each of them. Juliet stood proudly on the other side of the counter and motioned everyone to start eating.
Portions of deliciously creamy pasta were already served onto four plates and the group hungrily took their seats and began eating.
Everything was going fine and the food was great! It was quite easily the very best thing she had tasted. But as Raven was eating (her first square meal in a while) her bandages were coming undone. Soon after she used her left hand to get a small second helping, but before she reached the bowl, she heard someone start coughing.
Pausing in midair she looked around and saw Butler, Artemis and Juliet all watching her. Raven felt very self-conscious and couldn't help feeling very exposed. She looked down and saw why the person had coughed. She was trailing her bandage and if she wasn't warned, it would have landed right in the middle of the pasta.
Feeling thoroughly put off eating now, she quickly sat back down, with her hands in her lap, blushing crimson and wanting to leave as soon as possible.
Raven's feelings were slightly exaggerated by the fact that these people were practically strangers to her. Even though her aunt and uncle knew them didn't exactly mean they were her kind of people, even though Juliet was proving to be a real friend.
Raven didn't want them to think less of her, when they knew barely anything about her, as much as she would later try and deny it; she even cared about what Artemis thought of her.
"I can fix it if you like," Raven looked up and saw Butler standing before her.
"Oh no, it's okay, I'll be alright," She managed a weak smile, before starting to tug out her bandages, trying to prove that she would be okay without them.
She failed dismally, as her wrist throbbed painfully and a grimace crossed her face.
"Hand," he wasn't really asking, and Raven couldn't resist. She slowly placed her hand in his larger one and he gently lifted up the sleeve of her jumper. He saw her cuts and looked up at her and if it was possible Raven blushed even deeper.
"It was an accident," she mumbled looking away and he didn't ask any more.
Once her face had lost most of its colour, Raven looked up to find that Juliet was eating again and though Artemis was trying hard not to show it, he cast side long glances in an attempt to find out what was going on. But Butlers bulk shielded his view of her and after a few minutes he too decided against prying.
"There," he commented as he stood up. And Raven saw that he had finished, but felt no different. Her bandages were wrapped in such a way that they felt like they were just another part of her arm.
And oddly enough that was that. Because as Raven tried to offer her thanks, Butler shook his head and went back to his seat and promptly ate the rest of his lunch.
Shaking her head slightly, Raven turned back to her empty plate, still feeling less then hungry. Deciding that she wouldn't eat any more, she slipped delicately from her seat and made her way to the sink and began to wash her plate. "Don't bother," Juliet replied, "We have a dishwasher," and she proceeded to pull out what seemed like a large drawer to show that they did indeed have a dishwasher.
"I don't mind…"Raven began before the plate was somewhat forcibly removed from her hands.
"You are a guest here Raven," she replied with a smile and again that seemed to be the end of it. Raven wondered about this, the Butler family was proving to be a strange one indeed. So with nothing else to say, Raven shrugged, rinsed her hands of soap, drank a quick glass of water before thanking Juliet for an excellent lunch and making her way back to her room. Which proved to be an easier task then she expected.
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A few days after that, Ravens things from America finally found there way to her, along with a letter forwarded to her by Mr Rickman. Her things were in better condition then she expected, but when put in her new room, it only made it seem emptier.
Inside the envelope was a letter addressed to her from a Mr Sirus Rutherford (a rather sinister name for a meek, well meaning man) and a smaller note, written on a Post It from Mr Rickman himself. Raven chose to read that first:
"Patricia Grayson - I was contacted by your Aunt and Uncle and they told me to send all of your mail to this address," He wrote in his small, slightly cramped writing, "I don't think it is really necessary to say how I dislike being used as a messenger, but I thought that I would do this for you once -," abruptly the note ended and was written in a way that suggested that the writer had more to say. It wasn't brain surgery to think what it was that Mr Rickman was about to add, the words "and only once" practically screamed at her from the little piece of sticky paper.
Digging through the envelope again, Raven looked to see if there was any other little scrapes of paper in there that might have been the end of his little note, but she couldn't find any. Raven was just about to abandon it for the actual letter, when on a whim turned to over to find the words "and only once" scrawled on the back of the note just under the sticky tab.
It almost shocked her to see how cheap Mr Rickman was.
Almost.
She had grown up with him around and nothing much about his attitude managed to surprise her now. Deciding to ignore it as a fact of life. Raven turned her attention to the letter sitting patiently in its envelope.
The letter was indeed from Sirus Rutherford, the family lawyer and it read as follows:
"Dear Miss Grayson,
It saddened me greatly to hear about your parents' tragic, tragic accident. If there is anything that I can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask.
"But now on to the reason of this letter, in my copy of your parents Will, it has been written that you will receive only two things. Your parent's joint accounts and in addition to that, your trust fund money. And something I was surprised to read, but it was also your parent's wish that you receive complete ownership of the Grayson Academy. -"
Ravens breath caught in her throat. Her mother (this was definitely her decision, seeing as how her father had barely any sway over the proceedings of the school) was giving her, her school. The one she may as well have built from the ground up.
The weight of that now too settled in her chest as she continued to read:
"- But there is time yet to think about that. You are still to young to accept the money and the Academy so until you come of age, the firm and I will gladly handle any such legal matters that concern you or your recently deceased. On your 18th birthday you will receive full control of your families wealth, your mothers Academy and all your other financial affairs including stocks, but do rest assured we at Rutherford and Rutherford will be here to help you if ever you need assistance.
"There is only one more thing to mention in this letter and that is to mention your allowance. I have indeed discussed it with a few of my colleagues here with children roughly of your age and I have decided that an allowance of the equivalent of 500 dollars US (which is roughly now 325 pounds) will be converted and sent to you biweekly, we hope it would be sufficient.
"Though it may seem a great deal now, it may prove to be a little short in the weeks to come, so I do suggest that you spend your money sparingly Patricia. If at the end of the month though there is money left over that you do not wish to keep a hold of, place it all in an envelope and send it to us and we shall contact some of the banks your money is in and deposit the money ourselves. You maybe wondering about online banking, credit cards and the like, but it was decided that you will get yours when you turn 18 and I must insist that you do not ask otherwise.
"If there is something of particular importance that you wish to buy send word to us and we shall acquire the extra money and send it to you, unless of course it is quite an excessive amount or if you wish to purchase something like a house or a boat.
"I think that is everything I needed to say, so without dragging this on any further I wish you the best of luck with your life,
Yours sincerelySirus Rutherford
"P.S. enclosed in this envelope is your allowance, you shall receive yours on a Monday, provided that the mail is delivered to you on time. And this is also my email address, if there is ever anything you need to know, you can contact me at it and I will try and help in anyway that I can. My address is: if by magic, Raven looked inside the envelope and there in plain sight, (though that was definitely not there before) was a small rolled bundle of still crisp bank notes.
Raven placed the roll in the pockets of her sweats without so much as a smile and after carefully refolding the letter into its thirds, she placed it on her desk and quickly sat down to email a quick reply to the lawyer.
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Life continued uneventfully for Raven after that. She eventually learned to bind her own bandage, but by then it was really unnecessary. It was more to hide the red marks easily visible on her pale skin.
And she was even beginning to feel more at home in the Manor, but that was mainly to do with Juliet. She was the only reason Raven smiled more then once a day. It was when Raven was talking to Juliet that she wondered what she had obviously done to offend Artemis. Because I surely seemed she had.
It seemed that every day he went out of his way to ignore her. But that didn't seem right. Artemis didn't strike her as the person who would go out of his way for anyone. The looks he did actually pass her made her feel like she was holding him back from something. But then again that didn't seem right either…what would her presence be holding him back from…?
Though Raven quite frankly despised the way she was being treated by him, she wasn't about to antagonise him into a response of any sort. The thought "homeless" rang in her mind and until school started (the one which she didn't even know the name of), that's exactly what would happen to her if he decided to kick her out.
In her opinion, Artemis had far too much power…
It was beginning to get late and Raven thought it best to call her friends back home. Which is what she constantly referred to it as. Home.
Picking up her phone, Raven dialled a number she had long since memorised.
The phone rang incessantly in Ravens ears as she waited for someone to answer, which no one proceeded to do. But it did go into voice mail and Raven left a message:
"Hey Conner, it's me…obviously. I guess you're not around…pity; I just got some interesting news. Well you know the drill call me back on this number as soon as you get back. Missing you more and more each day babe, bye…" Raven sighed dejectedly to herself, trailing off before she turned her phone off.
'Missing you more and more each day' really seemed to apply. Would she even attempt to kid herself into thinking that she was trying to start a new life? Almost all her thoughts were on her friends and the ones that strayed away from that were sadly on her parents.
Raven called her friends like clockwork. Usually around the same time every day, if she didn't call them, it would indicate that something was horribly wrong, because she had stressed very clearly during their first phone call that she would call them at least once every day, for what seemed the rest of her life. She was so thankful for global coverage.
Raven paced slightly in her room, almost anxiously awaiting Conner's call. But for all she knew it could take him hours to answer, so she turned and strode back to her desk to do some work, when she realised that she didn't have any…
Soon after she resumed pacing and tried to take her mind off the call.
Oddly enough, the first thing she thought of was Artemis. She quickly covered it up by saying that was only because he was the source of at least part of her misery. For much as Raven had tried to get along, he seemed against it right from the get go. Without even bothering to talk to her or getting to know her, he seemed to already have an opinion of her that he really didn't like.
He was the reason Raven pretty much confined herself to her room, in the hopes of staying out of his way until she was out of the Manor. And the reason she got her friends to call her on her mobile and never to there.
And that was definitely not her! In all her life, she never hid!
Since Raven started living there, it seemed that every snippet of a look he gave her, with his calculating deep blue eyes, picked apart at her character and gave her the odd feeling that he was stealing little pieces of her soul. Making her meek and shy, which she never was before. She seemed to lose all confidence around him and that she reasoned was because this was his house and that she had learned long ago that when she was a guest in someone else's home it was best to stay out of their way.
But Raven vowed to change that. She had only one day left there and she was going to spend the day outside. The outside she hadn't seen since she arrived, two whole weeks ago.
And when school started, she was going to start acting like herself again, whether Artemis was around or not.
"Grrr…!" Raven growled as she came out of her reverie only to find her phone still hadn't rung. She stopped pacing and looked down at the little device and stared at it intently, willing it to ring. And to her surprise it did. Conner's number flashing recognition on the little screen.
"Hello…" she drawled lazily and somewhat coldly.
"Raven don't be like that," Conner answered.
"Well you should have called sooner," she retorted more then a little childishly.
"I couldn't,"
"And why not?" her voice still childish.
"Because Patricia, I was in class…" even though she couldn't see him, Raven knew he was giving her his deadpan look, one he never kept on his face long around her.
"Oh…" she replied softly, a soft blush spreading across her face.
"Yeah, Oh…. You're the only person I don't keep on silent and I just happened to be in Rickman's class-" Raven heard someone cough obviously in the background, "-Mr Rickman's class and when you left your message, which everyone heard by the way, I swear he got even angrier and he confiscated my phone until the end of class." Ravens blush deepened three fold.
"Sorry…" She managed to mumble.
"Apology accepted." Conner said and she could practically hear the grin in his voice.
"Okay…" Came her slow reply, too tired was she to rebut the fact that she had nothing to apologise for.
"You are alright there babe?"
"And if I wasn't? Would you come?" Ravens soft tone a little playful.
"You know I would," He said with all seriousness.
"Well then maybe I'm not…" Conner seemed just ready to answer, but she cut him off and continued, "But then again, school starts day after tomorrow. Maybe things will get better…"
"They better! Or God help me, I'm bringing you back here. Screw Rickman-" Again there was that clearing of a throat in the background and Raven had to ask where he was. "Oh, yeah…I'm in Miss Honey's office. I mean why waste my money when I can waste Rickman's-"
"I will not tell you again Mr Holloway. Stop calling him that…he's just next door! Hello Patricia,"
"Tell Miss Honey I said hello. And you have to stop doing that. That's going to be my money you're wasting soon…" The second part was mostly mumbled, an after thought really, but Conner had heard each word clearly. His reaction was purely a reflex,
"What!" Raven frowned a little as she wondered at this.
"I said to tell Miss Honey I said hello,"
"No, not that part I heard that,"
"Then why haven't I heard you say that then?" Grumbling more then a little, he finally conveyed her message. "Now tell me what you said!"
"I don't think I said anything else…" She pondered this as Conner pressed,
"About, me wasting your money soon…what does that mean?"
"Oh…" Raven started before proceeding to tell Conner all about the letter she had received from her lawyer.
"Oh…" Conner agreed after he had heard the whole story, "…wow…" he added having thought for a few more seconds. He wasn't helping.
"Well I better go. Money is being wasted while you mumble incoherently. And Conner, please don't tell anyone. Even Ed and Azlyn and Aidan, okay?" This seemed to bring him out of his ramblings and he frowned a little. 'Why can't I tell the others?'
"Okay, then," he said slowly, "as long as you take care of yourself babe."
"Bye-bye Conner," she smiled a little as she hung up the phone.
,-,
Golden light filtered through Raven's partially closed curtains and stirred her instantly; she'd slept too late. She had spent far too long inside, so, resolute in her decision to spend the day outside, she showered and dressed quickly in a skirt, a top and a half done up hoody. Deciding to for go the bandage wrap.
Digging through her handbag she found what would probably be her only source of food for quite a few hours. So after shoving a few handfuls of candy into the pockets of her hoody, she slipped out of her room and went downstairs to the kitchen to see if she couldn't find a quick brunch.
Two pieces of toast later she exited the house through the front door and stopped where she stood. 'How long has it been like this?' She wondered. For in all the time she sat in her room and watched the sun, rise and fall in front of the battlements, she had never really noticed the garden.
Inside the meticulously kept stonewall and battlements, was quite a lush garden. There were perfectly watered lawns; a stunning water feature and peacocks she could swear were not there when she had arrived.
Quietly shocked at the size of their wealth, Raven muttered obscenities under her breath as she made her way around the back of the house. To which she was happy to find, was something far less grand. Though not to say not impressive. The vast area was tremendously well kept and the large lone tree never seemed to drop any leaves, for the ground was completely clear.
Sighing a little in the noon sun, she walked towards the tree and sat down, facing away from the Manor. Digging through one of her many pockets, she produced a Cola flavoured lollipop and popped it into her mouth just as a peacock strayed into her line of vision.
By the time she had finally finished her lollipop, the peacocks lazy walk…back…and forth…. Was slowly rocking Raven to sleep. She closed her eyes gently and all she saw was black. Nothing felt out of the ordinary until she found she couldn't open her eyes. Then a voice seemingly coming from everywhere announced: "Be afraid Adriana…" the booming voice reverberated around her head, receding slowly before his voice sounded again, "…none shall be spared…" again his voice toned down a little, "…the Revolution is upon us!" He practically screamed in her head and the beginnings of manic laughter sounded, before it was instantly cut out, with her eyes snapping open.
She shook her head to try to clear it, 'what the hell was that about? Adriana? Who the hell!' she would've continued to ponder it, but as her vision cleared, she saw that the sky outside was grey and stormy and it suddenly rumbled ominously. 'Note to self: eat more then toast before taking naps,'
"Gha! Rain!" She muttered as she looked around blindly for a way to escape the impending rain. Noticing a small door set in the corner of the rotund battlement. Raven stood up a little too fast and the world spun for a second, 'I can just feel a headache coming on,' but she made a quick dash across the lawn and luckily finding it unlocked. Raven mounted the circular stairway and found herself in a covered little tower and to her sheer enjoyment; she had the perfect view of the sunset, which was bound to be soon.
Deciding that the tower's view wasn't as good as the one to her left. She left the cover of her tower and walked across to the next one, where she found a little stone bench. Raven sprawled herself comfortably across the bench, waiting patiently for the sun to set.
,--,--,
Artemis growled softly, his concentration breaking for the umpteenth time that hour. The metallic sound of Fur Elise ringing loudly in his head, even though it was barely audible in his room. Standing it no further, he rose from the lotus position and proceeded into the guest bedroom.
Patricia, as much as Artemis disliked to admit it, she wasn't as much of a hindrance as he had originally thought. Begrudgingly (with a little help from Butler) Artemis did eventually admit that his handling of the situation wasn't quite the best, but he stood by his decision. The exact instant he had heard that she was American, made him unbelievably distrustful. Memories pawed at him, but try as he might, they were just far away enough to stay forgotten. Though the suspicion remained, almost stronger then before. That was the main reason for the background check.
Artemis was trying to sum her up. Figure her out to see if he could justify his suspicion…but so far to no avail…damn.
Butler followed Artemis into the guest bedroom and after a brief period of silence, the metallic noise started up again. Artemis easily located the, what can only be called 'cute', mobile phone. The name 'Conner' flashed above a number and he could almost feel the urgency in the tone. But the sound died out instantly and the flashing stopped, just as Butler spoke, "Should I return this to Miss Grayson?"
Artemis considered it for a moment, before a small smile slowly appeared on his face. "No I think I can manage, but firstly I want to…improve it a little," Fur Elise started up again but Artemis silenced it.
,-,
"Done," Artemis spoke softly, replacing the back of her mobile phone with a satisfying click. "Where is she now?" Butler looked up from the monitors with views from the surveillance cameras.
"She's just entered the northwest tower. I'll get Juliet to take it to her,"
"No, no Butler. I've been neglecting my guest for too long. I'll take it to her," Artemis rose gracefully from his seat at his desk, turning on the phone as he did so. Butler had a very dubious look on his face, but wiped it away swiftly when Artemis looked his way, though he had a feeling he had caught it anyway. But neither he nor Butler chose to comment.
Butler held the door open for him and he walked purposely out the door. Arriving within minutes. The sky grumbled as he walked into the tower, leaving Butler behind at the door. Artemis spotted her easily and for a second, lost all thought.
Patricia sat forward on her seat with her hands behind her back to support her. The plain black skirt she wore was slightly hitched up, revealing far more then she would have intended to if she realised what she was doing.
Shaking his head to stop himself from staring any longer, Artemis stepped forward into the circular area and cleared his throat, making his presence known. The girl in question paused a moment before turning her head to face him. An emotion he couldn't place flashed across her face, just as thunder clapped loudly in the sky and the sound of big droplets of rain hitting things echoed in the growing dark.
Artemis however ignored the noises, maintaining eye contact with her and after a few more minutes, she turned away again. She spoke in a soft voice, "It's beautiful isn't it?"
He turned to look in the direction she was and saw only the setting sun through a curtain of rain. He shifted again to look at her through the corner of his eye and saw her give a contented sigh. Artemis tried again and managed vaguely to understand what she saw in it. But this was going beyond the point. He didn't come here to look at sunsets.
Opening his mouth to say something, Artemis turned to see her pull something out of one of her pockets. Her question caught Artemis off guard and his mouth hung open a little after she had asked: "Lollipop?"
He briefly contemplated replaying: "I don't like lollipops," but even as he thought that he berated himself about it, when out of nowhere, a memory struck him.
"That's right, Mud Boy. Playtime's over. Time for the professionals to take over. If you're a good boy I'll give you a lolly when I come back." And when Holly was long gone, soaring beneath the hallway's ancient oak beams, Artemis said, "I don't like lollipops." It was a woefully inadequate response, and Artemis was instantly appalled with himself. Pathetic really: I don't like lollipops. No self respecting criminal mastermind would be caught dead even using the word lollipops…"
'I knew I shouldn't say it! But who's…'
"Holly…" Artemis breathed, "…why would she," but those thoughts were quickly slipping away, "…Mud Boy?"
"Holly?" Patricia answered, "Mud – what?" - Upon hearing Patricia speak, it snapped Artemis out of his trance like state, making him clear his throat quickly, and cover it up with a quick,
"No thank you," Though not quick enough it seemed. Patricia's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she rose gracefully from her seated position.
But Artemis' breath caught as Patricia stood right in front of him. Far too close for his comfort. "As disgusting as my name is, you would do well to remember it! Why are you here anyway?" her voice soft, but her tone hinting much anger, "Why after two weeks?"
"I came to give you this," Artemis replied his voice clipped at her accusatory tone. He dug into his pocket and produced her mobile phone and Patricia gasped in a second of realisation.
,--,--,
Without saying anything, Raven snatched the phone out of Artemis' loose grip and saw '21 missed calls' on the screen. Now fully ignoring everything, she dialled Conner's number and even Artemis could hear the loud, curt reply,
"What?"
"You're angry," Raven replied undecided whether to be guilty or angry at his tone of voice.
"Baby, no. Just…just worried. Why didn't you call?" Conner sighed heavily and it stung Raven, she was hurting him again, 'what happened to not making him worry again? Hmm…?' Added to the fact that her reason for not calling was pretty weak and frankly pathetic. She opted for feeling guilty…but that didn't mean she wasn't going to lie.
"Conner, I'm so sorry! It's just that school is starting tomorrow; I've been so busy packing. I just must have forgot, sweetie I'm so sorry!" at least one part of that is true, Raven thought, as she turned to face Artemis. She almost smiled sheepishly, but thought better of it. 'Why is he watching me?' It clicked that it was the same look he'd been wearing every time she noticed him looking, the soul-stealing look. Raven chose to get angry.
Covering the phone with one hand, which wasn't truly necessary since Conner wasn't saying anything, she leaned towards him a little and said, "Is their anything else?" As much as she tried, it still came out incredibly rude. She grimaced as his eyes narrowed and he snorted and walked away. What he had just done constituted as being nice, something that didn't seem to happen very often.
Artemis' footsteps had all but faded away, when she heard a little squelch and looking over the edge of the tower, she saw through the softly falling rain the big black shadow of Butler walking Artemis back to the Manor under a similarly black umbrella.
Raven noticed that he didn't look back up at her as far as she could see. But she became distracted when Conner's voice came back to her through the phone. She smiled a little; he'd already forgiven her.
They talked for another half hour and by then full dark had really settled in and the rain falling had crescendo-d back up to loud heavy droplets, making Raven hard pressed to return inside without being fully drenched.
Deciding anytime was as good; she carefully walked down the spiral staircase and almost broke her neck falling forward having tripped on an object lying against the wall. Gaining her bearing she patted her hands along the floor looking for the object, and within seconds, they closed around a slightly wet, materially, type object. Running her hands down it further, the surface changed to a smooth polished, hard something.
Gripping that something that was now so obviously an umbrella, Raven left the comforts of the tower and the second she stepped out into the rain with her umbrella drawn…a hidden sensor light above her turned on…"Grr…!"
,-,
Beep - beep - beep……beep - beep - beep……beep - be - "Gah…" Raven stated incoherently as she cut out the incessant noise and rolled over. She didn't even remember setting an alarm clock, or for that matter if she still had one (having not bothered to fully unpack everything).
'School…' her mind supplied, refusing to let her go back to sleep, "Gah…" she moaned again.
"Get up sleepy head," Someone laughed in her vicinity and Raven was so instantly awake, she screamed, bringing her covers up with her as she tried to scramble away and sit up, all at the same time.
"Don't worry its only me," said the voice she now recognised as Juliet's and the girl laughed again.
"You're evil Juliet," Raven groaned out.
"And you'll be late for school with that attitude," she said, and though her voice still held some amusement, there was enough seriousness in her tone to stop her complaining. "Now your uniform is all laid out here, be dressed soon Raven, breakfast will be ready shortly,"
Juliet left after that and Raven grudgingly left the comfort and warmth of her bed, stopped briefly to get her clothes and ran into the bathroom.
,-,
Raven arrived in the dining room out of breath. Holding the doorframe and trying to appear nonchalant, Raven inhaled deeply, also trying to keep her too big jumper from sliding down her arm to reveal her…scars... She wore plain black shoes and stockings and a black, grey and white checked pair of culottes that sat about an inch above her knee. The blouse she wore under her jumper was a button up top that was mostly plain white except for the black C on the left breast; the sleeves had two thin black rings around them and one black stripe on the collar. The jumper was also mostly plain black except for the grey C on the left breast with a white lion intertwined with it. Added to that was also a black tie which was all but hidden underneath all of her other clothes. Her blue-black hair was up in a ponytail, with her bangs tucked behind her ears, she also wore a pair of silver studs and Conner's necklace, and her black and silver watch.
Raven breathed a few more times before she joined the table, though the only person who was eating was Artemis and he was almost done. 'Note to self: keep check of the time when taking a shower,' It was a good thing that Raven wasn't very hungry, she took one of the nice, crisp looking apples from the bowl in the centre and began to eat and finished at the same time Artemis did.
"Shall I bring the car around sir?" Butler asked rising from the table and Artemis nodded, drinking his glass of water. Raven shivered a little, 'Sir…' Artemis had far too much power. In short minutes Butler was back again and Artemis was the first to rise.
His uniform looked very similar to hers, with its plain grey dress pants and black shoes. He wore a plain white shirt that was probably monogrammed with the same C that she had, a plain black tie and a black blazer with the grey C and the white lion.
Unaware of what she was doing, her eyes raked him up and down, a small smile playing on her lips. 'Such pretty eyes…well fitting clo - ' But Artemis seemed to sense her looking at him and turned, and all prospects of a smile disappeared from her face. 'Am I going mad? Was I just checking him out!' She questioned herself wildly, but all Artemis could do was glare as he walked away, he obviously didn't realise.
Trying vehemently to forget her other thoughts, she wondered if she should apologise for the day before. Chances were he wouldn't listen to her, but it would clear her conscience even if he didn't forgive her. 'But when…and how…?'
That thought followed her all the way to the car.
And then from there all the way through the countryside and the motorways, pretty much all the way to her school, which she quickly caught a glimpse of before it was covered by tall trees, down the windy path that led there. The gravel crunching loudly under their tyres, bought her from her trance. "Wow…" she breathed as she gazed at the school again and closer up. Artemis snorted from his seat. Her eyes narrowed a little at him, he was making it hard not to dislike him. But the third time she saw it, there was no mistaking the beauty of the building, or more accurately, buildings.
As they turned at the little water feature/roundabout, they came to a halt at the front of the main structure. Despite being almost entirely constructed of rose-red bricks, the expected wooden doors were replaced with flash looking metal-framed glass doors, and panels of just glass as the front wall (and a bit). And from what she could see from her seat in the car, the inside seemed to oddly glow white 'How very…sterile…' the little person in her head said, but the look fit.
Butler appeared by her door and opened it. Raven stared, she had completely forgotten about getting out of the car. He held out a hand for her and she gladly took it. Artemis chose to get out the opposite door and come round to join them. Raven took her chance to step a few more paces forward, but even at that distance she could still hear Artemis' low, crisp, curt voice say, "You are forgetting your place Butler! I am your charge!"
But Raven didn't want to hear any more then that. Moving slightly faster towards the beautiful red building, she stood at the foot of its stairs and admired the building. It was from the best she could tell, quite an old three story building, with a lot of windows. The building all but screamed renovation, but the way the new blended in with the old was very fitting. Though, she could only just see the other two buildings, she saw that they looked much the same as the one she was in front of, except for all the glass.
Artemis and a solemn Butler brushed past Raven to proceed up the stairs before her and Raven felt an instant cold wash over her just as Artemis' hand briefly brushed hers. Her skin prickled where their hands had briefly touched, and a slow nauseous feeling was starting to settle over her. Taking a few deep breathes in she calmed herself down and took a few shaky steps. It was a short flight so Raven managed to catch up with them just the door fell closed behind Butler.
A relatively young woman stood up as their little party came through the door, past the two white marble spiral staircases on either side of the vast room, across the floor made from the same kind of marble and stopped feet from her.
She smiled warmly and said in a sweet voice, "Hello and Welcome to St Clare's. Miss Grayson I presume," It wasn't really a question, more like a statement of fact, but she extended a hand to Raven, who shook it politely 'Artemis comes to a girly school, but more importantly, how did she know my name?' For fear she would still throw up, Raven giggled in her head. "And welcome back to you Mr Fowl," She also extended her hand to him and he shook it for as long as Raven did. "Mr Butler," she acknowledged him with a nod of her head, which he returned. "Now with the welcomes over…as you may or may not know I am Hilda Hunt, and you will refer to me as Mrs Hunt, I will be your dean.
"I make it my personal goal to meet all my new students and get to know them. My office is located right next to the Headmistresses. Any minor infringements of school policy, you will be sent to me, but any serious rule breaking and you will get sent straight to the Headmistress. And my punishments will seem mild against hers." Raven nodded her head, her silver studs glittering in the sunlight, just as silence settled over the group and Raven could just see Artemis out of the corner of her eye, itching to roll his own.
"Jewellery." The woman said suddenly, "Is only authorized in the form of a pair of studs, or hoop earrings smaller then your little finger, and a watch. Other religious items are acceptable, but only with a note from a parent or guardian. If you do have a note for jewellery that isn't necessary, you will come here with your note and get a uniform pass." Mrs Hunt paused again, and Raven causally bought up her hand to her chest, and carefully pushed her necklace down further. "Hmm…I believe that is all. There will be no real classes today, you shall spend the day with you're form group. Most of your school work will be done on computers and from what I have been told you already possess one," Again she made it sound like a fact and not a question, "And I do wish to remind you that you are on a scholarship here, which means that you must constantly keep your grades up. Too many slips and I am afraid, we'll have no choice... Well, that is all. You are in the same form class as Mr Fowl here, so he shall show you to your class. I hope you enjoy your time here at St Clare's Miss Grayson,"
With another nod of her head, Mrs Hunt turned on her heel and strolled away from them. Raven watched as she rounded the semi large room she was standing near and disappeared from sight. Glancing around at where Artemis used to be, she almost jumped in fright to find him gone. Turning quickly, she spotted him mounting the left hand side staircase. Growling softly under her breath, she ran after them, 'Grr…that apology is going to be very forced indeed, if it happens at all anymore. The ass should have waited for me! How am I suppose to know where I am going?'
The staircase narrowed quite significantly the further up they went, and as she was passing through the ceiling, the width of the staircase would roughly fit three people side by side.
They walked across a little landing at the top of the stairs and climbed down the beginnings of the one leading further up. They walked down the corridor and stopped at a door that looked much the same as every other door they had passed. The beige coloured wall was only broken by the door and a set of medium sized windows that touched the ceiling and ran across the length of their wall.
Already helping himself to the door, with quick steps he disappeared inside, leaving the door open for her, 'What a gentlemen. But okay take a big breath, you can do this.' Taking the big breath she promised herself, Raven slowly walked inside, shutting the door after herself.
The room that greeted her was of modest size and all its occupants were watching her. Taking a few more steps into the room, what looked to be her new form teacher, come up to greet her.
"You must be Patricia Grayson, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Miss Orwell," the soft-spoken woman led her to her desk and made Raven face the class, she shivered subconsciously over her name. "Now if you'd like to introduce yourself to the class and tell us a little bit about yourself,"
"Um…well, hi." She started and instantly regretted it. It felt sorely lacking and thought it made her sound slow. "As you can no doubt tell from my accent, I am American and I am sixteen years old. I've actually only been in Dublin for…the last three…weeks…" Raven found herself frowning at the thought as her heart throbbed painfully, "I've…lived most of my life…in Madison County…" Glancing over at Miss Orwell, she silently asked if that was enough.
"If you would like to take a seat then," The tables were set up in typical rows, but the last two rows at the back of the class were propped up on two long steps (one for each row), that were just a few inches off the ground. The second to last row had a free desk; which was directly in front of her, in the centre of the row. Glancing around it, she took in the pretty girl next to the empty desk on her right, and the pretty looking guy who sat behind it, who flashed her a charming smile, before her eyes finally fell on deep blue ones that all but glared at her from his seat, daring her to sit down next to him.
She smiled a little as she walked over to her new seat and sat down we a flourish, though her heart still beat irregularly. She could almost hear the scowl on his face as she flashed him a fake bright smile and faced the teacher. "Now…" her teacher started off, but Raven quickly lost interest, she had almost forgotten what a school setting felt like, and how boring some of the stuff they taught could be.
Tilting her head slightly to one side, Raven's eyes glazed over and she stared blankly at the whiteboard, wishing she had someone to talk to.
Her prayers were soon answered when the pretty brunette sitting to her left leaned out of her chair and said in a half whisper, "Hey, I'm Glory, Patricia isn't it?"
"Please, call me Raven," she replied in the same tone, the traces of a true smile, blossoming on her face.
"Raven then - "
"If we're done then girls?" Miss Orwell said, tapping her foot on the hard wood floor. "Now back to the matter at hand, the sheets that are being passed to you should be passed on to your parents. It briefly outlines all the data the school has on you, the courses you have chosen and exactly where all the money you're paying is actually going to, though for you Patricia, it out lines the parameters of your scholarship," to this people sniggered 'why are they laughing' "and the things the school will supply and the things that you will need to get yourself,"
Raven received her designated sheets of A4 paper, held together by a staple in the upper most left hand corner, and noticed she had more sheets. Glancing at the first sheet, she saw the name Matthew Scott written in plain black print, 'Mmm…Matthew…yummy,' the little person in her head said, as Raven shifted in her seat to pass the sheets on to him. Seeing him up close, Raven had to agree.
"Thanks," he replied, and Raven losing herself, almost giggled with delight.
"Now if you all pass these onto your parents or guardians, you can get them to sign the second page, while you can sign the first page yourself, as long as the data there is all up to date. If you've moved, changed you're phone number the school wants to know about it. Plus the options written there are the ones you have chosen. Anything wrong, cross it off and write in the thing that should be in there. I'm hoping to get these all in by tomorrow, so do not forgot them." Miss Orwell said from her position next to Raven.
To this, any traces of a smile faltered from her face and all she could was stare grimly at the sheets of paper. Her heart now pounding painfully against her ribcage, while butterflies danced circles in her stomach. Her hands seemed to move on their own as she slowly crossed off all the information regarding her parents. And signed the first page herself before flipping the page over and beginning to sign the other sheet.
"Oh no dear, that's for your parents to sign," Miss Orwell said placing a hand no Raven's shoulder, to stop her from continuing.
"I guess no one told you," Raven started out in a small voice, "My legal guardians are on a business trip in Japan and I don't have a contact address, so it would be a while yet before I would be able to –" Raven's voice shook accidentally, " – to contact them." She turned her head to look at something other then her desk, but only found the eyes of every other person in the room. She even thought she saw concern flash in Artemis' eyes, but it was gone in a second, 'I'm hallucinating already, why would he care?'
Shaking her head a little, she faced her desk again and this time felt tears prickle behind her eyes, but she forced herself not to cry. Carrying on in a slightly tighter voice she said, "And my parents –" Raven found it hard to form the words to say them, " –…they passed away…almost a month ago…" Looking up Raven saw her teacher's mouth slightly open. "If it's really that important I could send it to my lawyers, they're the ones handling everything. It would be easier to reach them, but they are quite busy, so it's hard to say how soon I could get it back from them too." To Raven's disgust, her last words shook too, so she shut her mouth and stared harder at her desk.
"No, no dear, that's alright. You just sign it, there's no need to bother anyone. I'm sure it will be just fine," Miss Orwell replied.
Raven quickly scanned the sheet of paper, taking nothing in except the price, which the school was covering and found herself thinking that it wasn't that exceptional. Her old school fees where in much the same range. She signed her name in the allocated space and handed back the papers to Miss Orwell, who smiled awkwardly in reply and walked back to her desk.
The class sat in continued silence, watching her. Raven could feel their eyes on her and grew more then a little self-conscious, 'I hate it when people stare like this, what's their problem? Stop looking at me!' Pulling up the sleeves of her jumper to only let her fingers curl over the ends, Raven sunk deeper in her seat.
"What are you lot staring at!" Raven heard glory saying. Glancing out she saw some people mumbling and shift back into the right positions and out of the corner of her eye saw Artemis size her up again, before snorting softly and returning to his own little world. He backhanded the guy next to him in the shoulder who continued to stare. When she blinked though the scene was over and she thought that she was hallucinating again.
"Thank you," Raven said in a stronger voice then before, as she turned to face Glory.
"It was nothing. I'm really sorry for your loss," She replied, with such sincerity, that Raven felt an instant connection with her.
"Alright then," Miss Orwell began again, "With that out of the way. I think it's about time to start some work," The groan that followed only made her laugh, "Not that kind of work," She said and proceeded to explain the activities, she wanted them to do.
,-,
Their introductory games lasted until lunch, when the class joined the masses heading towards the cafeteria. Raven stood behind Glory as they both grabbed trays, and Glory gave a running commentary as they walked down the line, getting their lunches. When they were finished Glory walked down a row of tables ahead of her, and as Raven stood there, the crashing weight of how alone she felt came down on her. She shivered.
"Well are you coming or not?" She heard Glory call out over her shoulder. Raven had to smile as she followed the girl, 'I found friends, guess I dodged that bullet,'
The tables she walked past, were much like the ones back home, but they were broken down into much smaller groups, because the room was far bigger. Raven followed Glory to a table near the centre of the room and saw two other girls sitting there.
"Well if it isn't Glory Adams, long time no see," One of the girls said with a laugh. She had beautiful olive skin and thick black-brown hair, with stunning green eyes.
"Hey who's your friend?" The other said, more quietly then the first. She had pale milky skin, blonde hair and pale blue eyes that watched Raven with a sense of curiosity.
"Sophie Johansson, Anastasia Watson, meet Patricia Grayson," Glory said, flourishing her free hand in Raven's direction.
"Raven meet Sophie," She pointed to the pale girl, "and Anya," She said pointing to the Mediterranean girl, who waved cheerily back. "Sophie here is on a scholarship too,"
"And have been copping it since I got here too," She said softly. Raven frowned uncertainly,
"Should I be worried?"
"No." They replied in unison, "Not with us around," Glory said and slung her arm amiably around Ravens neck, bringing her down slightly and making Raven laugh.
"Oh!" Raven exclaimed and set down her tray, "What's school policy on cell phones?" slowly drawing out her mobile from the pocket of her culottes.
"Considering everyone in school has one, I'd say they're all right about it," Anya said around her spoon.
"Great. I need to make a call. I'll be right back," Raven said and as the others began eating, she walked to the end of their table and dialled Conner's number. Bringing the phone patiently up to her ear, she waited as the phone rang, but the person who answered was definitely not who she expected,
"Hello, Conner Holloway's phone, who's speaking?" The person said in an ordinary voice as if answering other people's phones was what they did regularly. Though that didn't mean that Raven didn't recognised he voice instantly, but her mouth found it oddly difficult to get the words out…
"…Ah…Ed?" She managed to say eventually, and the girl on the other lines breath caught.
"Raven," She croaked out.
"What are you doing with Conner's phone?" She asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"Um…uh…nothing…" The girl carried on weakly, "I'll go get him…" She said abruptly and bought the phone any from her mouth. Yet curiously she heard murmurs in the background, and noticed a lack of movement, which could only mean that Conner was somewhere very close in the vicinity.
"Hey babe," Conner said, but Raven new that today he meant it as a distraction.
"What was Ed doing with your phone?"
"Nothing, I left it in the dining room at breakfast, she was just picking it up when I came back to find it," Raven found it very odd that Conner was lying to her. It was almost always apparent to her when he was, and when he was trying to hide it. He could have almost gotten away with it, if he hadn't lifted his tone near the end of his speech in a way that suggested a question.
Raven found her lips pursing together forming a strict line, and her throat making an "Hmm…" sound. But the better part of her judgement, told her to drop it. Conner wasn't entitled to tell her everything about his life, but that didn't mean she was completely curious about what it was that he wasn't telling her.
"Anyway I just wanted to inform you of my successful reiteration into the institute we call school,"
"Successful huh?" He replied, "How so? New friends?"
"Three of them actually," Raven answered, smiling at the people at her table.
"The Artemis issue?"
"The Artemis issue, is still an issue," She said and pondered the best way to elaborate, when he came striding in the doors of the cafeteria, "Speak of the devil," she murmured angrily, half glaring at him as he made his way through the room. "I guess I deserve it, but I mean he hasn't said three words to me since we got here. If it wasn't for Glory here…let's just say I'd be calling from a bathroom somewhere,"
"What do you mean deserved it?"
"Ah…" Raven started before her mind caught up with her, "…Well I was so busy with packing yesterday…" she continued instead, "…that I left my room to take a breather outside and I left my phone in the room. So if Artemis hadn't bought me it, it would have been a while till I would have called you. So I owe him an apology, I was really quite rude, but he's making it increasingly difficult." Her eyes met with his briefly, and the icy blue of her stare made her shiver.
But they were all saved from further discussion, with the arrival of a messenger. He was of medium height, with mousy hair. The guy seemed to have been running, for her got to their table and made a show of catching his breath. "Please tell me you're Patricia Grayson," he panted.
"I am," Raven said and stepped towards him.
"Oh thank God," he muttered, "I swear I thought she was going to kill me,"
"Who?" Raven asked thoroughly confused.
"There's a lady waiting for you in the main reception building. You should see her, now." He sent her a look which stressed the point.
"Raven, Raven…Raven, Raven…Raven -" A small and distant voice said.
"Shit." She exclaimed as Conner kept repeating her name in various tones of annoyance, "Conner I'm sorry I have to go,"
"I know, I heard everything. We'll continue this conversation later yeah?"
"Of course we will. Bye-bye now Conner, I miss you so much!"
"We all miss you here too babe. Bye for now," He said and hung up. Sighing a little to herself, she put her phone back in her pocket. Facing her new friends again she said,
"I'm sorry to have to cut this short. I am really glad to have met you, I hope we can talk again soon," She said to Sophie and Anya, who nodded enthusiastically, as if they already had something to discuss, "And you I will see in form class again, if I can manage to find my way back," Glory smiled and nodded, so Raven turned back to the messenger and said simply,
"Take me to her,"
,--,--,
Artemis was in a foul mood. 'It's not bad enough that she's completely ungrateful and annoying in every sense of the word, but now I have to sit next to her for the rest of the year!' Artemis growled out loud. He had entered the cafeteria and was in search of his friend. The only one he had ever endeavoured to trust with his secrets. Leo Hunter, was already sitting alone at a table, lazily pushing around something on his tray of food, and looking almost haughtily bored.
Bypassing the line of people getting their lunches, he headed straight for the table near the middle of the cafeteria, when the stare of someone made his head turn. Artemis' deep blue eyes connected with blue-green ones and they narrowed with annoyance. He glared almost maliciously at her before he snapped his eyes away as he found himself near Leo's table.
"I wanna go for a run,"
"Well then run you dolt,"
"You know what I mean,"
"I do, but what did you except of me. No 'Hello, how are you? How were your holidays? It's so good to see you Leo, best friend of friends' -" Leo cut off abruptly, he was looking passed Artemis at something. It wasn't too hard to distract Leo; sometimes he thought he had the attention span of a gnat. But despite himself he turned his head and his eyes found the retreating back of Patricia Grayson.
"She's leaving, lovely,"
"What? You know her and you didn't tell me?" Leo gave a mock shocked face; "I thought it was suspicious when you hit me,"
"Well what did you expect?" Artemis started dryly, "No 'Hello, how are you? How were your holidays? It's so good to see you Artemis, best friend of friends' -" Leo made an unimpressed sort of voice.
"So, what's she like?"
"Trouble," he muttered, "Anyway, I thought you were with Glory?" To this though Leo smirked and examined his fingernails snobbishly,
"Yeah, well, I know she wants me. Bu-t…I'm gonna wait till she comes to me," To this Artemis snorted and sat down just as Leo stood up. "Wait I thought you said you wanted to go for a run?"
"There's no point anymore, the blue haired she-devil is gone and anyway I'm starved. "
,--,--,--,
A/N: Do I sense a bit of hostility? I think I do. You'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out how the plot thickens. Should I be so bold as to say that the bad guy is introduced…well in sorts, but it's the best you'll get for a while so enjoy it.
Again I can't push for reviews, because I haven't even started the fourth chapter, so I'm sorry to inform you, it will be another long wait. Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing so far. I hope you enjoy the story and continue reading,
Thanks a bunch for managing to get this far,
Amanda aka The Obsessive Compulsive Hobbit.
