The Usual Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Amara.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I have two AP exams to prepare for, finals to study for, etc. School sucks.
The Bentley pulled up into the driveway. Amara stared at the large, elegant manor before her. Whoa, she thought.
"Welcome to Fowl Manor, Miss Amara," said Butler, smiling as he watched the surprised look on her face.
"Thank you," she responded, still awed. Butler got out, performed his usual check on the car and property, and began to unload Amara's luggage. She couldn't wait to look inside of the manor. Or explore it, as she was wont to do when she was bored. Although, she thought with a silent groan, Lord Ratface will probably overload me with enough paperwork and homework that I won't have time to be bored, or do anything else, for that matter. Lord Ratface, or Lord Fenton as he was better known to most of the world, was her personal manager and assistant, as well as constant source of annoyance, a superiority complex and pomposity.
For Amara was none other than a Princess of England. A low-ranking one, but she was still a princess. It was an honorary title, bestowed upon her because of her work in the Middle East and with other world-wide charities.
"Earth to Amara, are you there?" Artemis interrupted her thoughts and waved his hand in front of her face. "Would you like to go in, or just stand here admiring the masonry?"
Amara smirked and replied, "Of course, Master Fowl." She stepped in ahead of Artemis, carrying two of her bags. What she saw inside astounded her. And it took a lot to astound Amara, who had lived in Buckingham Palace and Whitehall for a short period of time.
The entrance hall was a light khaki color, with a few mahogany pieces of furniture, matching the trim. There were several paintings on the wall, depicting previous owners of Fowl Manor. She walked next into the parlor, which was a slightly darker, cozier shade of tan, with fancy leather chairs and sofas. There were also many pieces of beautiful glass and crystal. Amara looked at those very warily, mentally warning herself to never go in that room if possible. She was not the most graceful person on the planet.
Walking quickly through the rest of the manor, Amara could see that most of the rooms were out-fitted the same way. Except the room that she would be staying in. Because of her tastes being very different to the Fowls', Amara had requested that her room have as little precious and antique furniture and pieces as possible. Her room was a pale yellow, with a blue, green and yellow comforter and matching curtains. There was a cherry wood desk with a new, state-of-the-art computer there for her use, and a place for her to put her laptop. Upon closer inspection, the window had its own seat and the closet was a small walk-in.
Artemis stood at the doorway, watching her take in her new surroundings. "Does this match your expectations, Highness?" he asked mockingly. Amara whirled around, startled at being addressed as so. "How…?" she wondered out loud.
"Do you think I don't do background checks on someone who will be living in my own house for the summer?" he replied with a smirk.
"Please, just call me Amara," she said. "I don't like Your Highness, Princess, or whatever other royal title you can think of."
"Why not?" asked Artemis, genuinely curious. He thought that almost all girls would be in heaven addressed as Princess or Your Highness.
"Because it goes against what I believe in. I think that everyone is equal and I don't like the divine right policy or whatever," she answered.
"And someone knows her history," remarked Artemis sarcastically. "Congratulations. I am truly proud of you. After all, I thought that the only things you would know would be about which stars are going out with who and what movies are coming out soon."
Amara glared. What was his problem anyways? "Would it kill you to be decent to another human being?"
Artemis thought about this. He was fairly kind to the People. Good thing she only said human beings. "Yes."
"Good," she snapped. "I hope it does." With that, she whirled around, whipping her long red-gold hair into Artemis's face and slammed the door.
Amara couldn't sleep. She attributed it to being in a new place, but she knew it was because of Artemis. It wasn't in her nature to be a bitch to people she just met, and she loathed it. She rolled over to look at her alarm clock. 6:05 am. She sighed. Might as well go for a run to calm myself down, she thought. With that, she got up and threw on some running clothes and shoes, and snuck quietly out the back way.
As she jogged, Amara looked around her at the small forest that surrounded Fowl Manor. She decided just to run around the manor and later that day, explore a bit to find a trail she could run on. Breathing in the fresh Irish early morning air, Amara felt much better and more awake. She snuck back into the kitchen, only to find Artemis and Butler there, eating breakfast. She glanced at her watch. It was only 7:30am.
"Why are you up so early?" she inquired of both males.
"Perhaps I have some 'business' to attend to this early in the morning. It is none of your business what I do anyways," replied Artemis waspishly. He was not a morning person by all means.
Amara studied his face. Although he had light purple circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, his sky-blue eyes were still brilliant. His dark hair was slightly ruffled from the tossing and turning of a sleepless night. He was still in his robe.
"Didn't sleep well last night, either?" she asked emotionlessly. Artemis started. This girl could read him like a book.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked her. Now it was Amara's turn to look surprised.
"I think that is the first kind thing you have said to me since I've been here," she said in mock wonder. "Now I know it won't kill you!"
"Don't make a fool of me," snapped Artemis.
"Yeah, you can do it all by yourself," she retorted. "What a big boy!"
Butler glanced at his charge, trying not to laugh. He was obviously not used to this kind of talk. Butler thought how good it would be for Artemis to be exposed to this banter. After all, it was how the real world was run. And it would be a source of amusement for him.
Artemis saw his bodyguard's face and looked indignant. "Butler, you find this amusing?" he asked with a glare. Butler hurried to straighten his features.
"Sir, I think that it would be a good idea for you to be nice to her," Butler said. "After all, she will be spending the summer here."
Artemis sighed. Butler's irrefutable logic had once again won out. He held out his hand to Amara. "Truce?" he asked her.
Amara stared at his hand, and then stuck out her own. "But I will still be sarcastic and all, okay?" Artemis sighed, and then they shook.
"Awesome," remarked Amara. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to eat. Or I will be über-grouchy and mean as a bear. And believe me, you don't want that." With that, she started rummaging the cabinets for some breakfast food and dishes.
The phone rang. Butler picked it up, and, covering the mouthpiece, said to Artemis, "Could you get Amara? It's for her."
Artemis sighed, put down his New Yorker magazine, and trudged up the stairs. He knocked on her door. No answer. He pushed it open and saw her bathroom door closed and heard the shower running. He knocked, and yelled, "The phone is for you!"
"Okay, just a sec!" she yelled back. Amara opened the door, clad only in a towel, with her hair dripping and her skin shining with the water. She saw him stare, then snapped, "It's rude to stare."
For once, Artemis did not have a witty retort at the tip of his tongue. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing a female clad in only a towel, and his knowledge that there was no other clothing underneath. Maybe it was the fact that he decided to honor the truce they had made.
His thoughts were once more interrupted by Amara. "What do you mean, I have to have this document read and understood by Thursday! It's bloody Tuesday, and it's at least two hundred pages long!" Tense silence. "Fine. Whatever. I don't care. I am going to get this done as soon as possible, but it definitely won't be done by Thursday!" With that, she slammed the phone down, glared at Artemis, and slammed the bathroom door shut.
