Part I, "The Secret"
Chapter One, Elijah
Victors' Village, District 3, Panem. Almost six months after the 80th Annual Hunger Games.
Silyah Natho tightened her coat's collar around her neck, careful not to let her cold fingers brush her skin. After pulling up her hood, she dug her hands in her pockets and got out of her driveway. Even though she was feeling a bit better than during her first week back in her district, the girl was going through a tough period due to the snow which had begun to fall and stay on the ground. Each falling crystal brought the young woman back to her nightmares and to the arena. After five months and three weeks, the Hunger Games victor thought that she would have managed to heal most of her traumas, but as it turned out, she had started to wonder if they would ever leave her side.
Sighing, Silyah took a turn at the end of the street, kicking the small amount of snow on the ground with the tip of her black high-heeled boots. She blew a few snowflakes away from her face, seeing the faint trace of her breath in the air. Trying to clear her mind as much as possible, the brunette chose to concentrate on the route she now knew by heart; the road to the Fowl residence. Being only a few streets away from the Victors' Village, the stone house would soon become visible for the walking girl.
Once again losing to the power of her wandering mind, Silyah let her daydreams guide her to the metal gate surrounding the residence and she mindlessly punched in the code she had been entrusted with to open the barricade. After closing it behind her, the young woman quickly walked to the front door, giving it three knocks.
She could barely believe that not so long ago, it was he who had knocked at her door to change her life all over again...
Six weeks after Silyah's return from the Hunger Games
"May I come inside? It seems like you just got out of bed... I am sorry if I come at an inappropriate moment..." Those words had followed the raven-haired boy's introduction and had made Silyah snap back to the real world.
Elijah Fowl.
The girl looked down at herself, mentally slapping her cheek, both to unfreeze herself and because she had greeted this newcomer who claimed to be a Fowl dressed in nothing but her nightwear and sporting the messiest hair-do she had ever worn. It was a miracle the young man had even recognized her; she was sure that she had not even looked that bad during the Games.
Still a bit stunned, Silyah invited the boy in, leading him towards the kitchen. "You can wait here and take a seat... I will... Get dressed..." she uttered, feeling her face getting red due to her embarrassment.
Elijah nodded. "Take your time."
About fifteen minutes later, Silyah emerged from her bedroom dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. She had tamed her hair as well as she could and went through the effort of looking a tad polished despite the fact that she felt like a mess on the inside.
After having walked back to the kitchen, she took a seat in front of Elijah. "So..." She eyed him.
The boy looked back at her, one of his eyebrows slightly raised, clearly waiting for her to say more.
"Elijah Fowl?" said Silyah slowly, having to take a deep calming breath after her statement. "Why should I believe you?"
"I don't see any reason as to why you shouldn't believe me," answered the dark-haired boy.
"I know quite a few..." whispered the girl. "Pressure from the Capitol, a mean-spirited prank, a test to see how mad I became," her voice was low and almost raspy.
"Miss Natho, while I can see the logic in those assumptions, I can assure you that none of them are the case," promised Elijah. "You have suffered quite enough as it is if you ask me, so I would not have come here unless it was an absolute necessity."
Somehow, that last sentence had not done anything to ease Silyah's worries. "Absolute necessity?" she nearly stuttered.
Elijah gave a small nod. "Yes... If it can help with proving my honesty, before I explain anything, I would like you to know that I am aware of time travel and the confusion it can sometimes cause."
The brunette felt her drumming heart sink down to her stomach. If he knew those things, his story was getting more and more convincing, which could only mean one thing... She could not yet voice her quickly shifting thoughts, and thus found herself staring at the young man in front of her, completely speechless.
"Are you alright, Miss Natho? I imagine this is not the easiest of conversations..."
The girl blinked a few times, nodding very slowly. "Where is this going?"
"I am sure you've got some theories regarding the answer to your question," said the boy, his blue eyes resting on hers.
Taking yet another breath, Silyah ran a hand through her long hair. "Go on," she requested dryly. Needless to say, the girl felt like plunging her head in a bucket of cold water. "Wait... First... I need to know; what is your link to Artemis Fowl?" The young woman's voice threatened to give up on her when she spoke the last two words.
"Which Artemis Fowl are you referring to? I am assuming it's the second one," Elijah gave her a look, tilting his head ever so slightly, exposing his faintly pointed ear in the process.
Silyah swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Unless you haven't watched the Games, you know exactly which one," she replied, feeling as though she was being played with.
A vague smile found his way to Elijah's lips. "The second one, then," he nodded. "My 'link' to him is a rather direct one."
"How many years has it been? How many generations got to live before you?" she asked, distressed.
"Well, if my father's father's father was Artemis's son..."
Silyah was torn between sending the guy a deadly glare and collapsing on the table. Collecting all her inner strength, she chose the first option.
"I am Artemis's great-great-grandson, Miss Natho."
Silyah rested her elbows on the table, burying her face deep into her palms. "Why are you here? And why now?"
"I am here now because you know about the People and those in charge of New Haven aren't so enthusiastic about that."
"Meaning?" Silyah glanced up and then looked away from the dark-haired boy, his familiar appearance only reminding her of what she had lost by saving a life.
"To put things simply; you either have to come with me and trust me, or have all memories of Artemis, Fairies and magic deleted from your mind."
The girl's eyes shot back up, taken aback by the drastic second option, but then she started to feel at war with herself. While her memories of Artemis were, for the most part, the most precious things she owned, she was, on the other hand, a mere broken girl; a Hunger Games' victor... One memory wipe could save her so much pain... However, there was another variable in the equation. Silyah got up from her chair and walked to the kitchen sink in which dishes were still piled. "I have to show you something."
A subtle frown appeared on Elijah's face. "Alright, but quickly, if you don't mind."
The girl grabbed a knife from the utensils, trying to suppress the flashes of her last day in the arena that usually accompanied such a gesture. Taking a deep breath, she placed the point of the knife on her index.
Elijah started to feel slightly uneasy as he saw the girl handle the silver blade. He hadn't pushed her too far, had he? He knew victors were often emotionally unstable... Thankfully, the girl didn't seem to have the intention of taking her life, or his for that matter. The raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow, observing the small red line that had appeared on the girl's finger.
As a drop of blood fell from Silyah's hand and into the sink, a pale blue spark escaped from the cut, sealing it shut in less than three seconds. "I might have accidentally taken something from Artemis before he left," she breathed.
Elijah let go of a light gasp as he realized what had just happened. He had not anticipated this turn of even at all... A minor flaw in his original mission... "You have magic," he mumbled, mostly just to confirm it to himself. "That's interesting, if not slightly alarming."
"Alarming?" Silyah tossed the knife back in the sink. "Just consider how alarming it was when they picked me up from the arena without a single scratch. The Capitol is on my back; they've got me on a case study, both for that and for the fact that I have yet to explain Artemis's last moment in the arena," she snapped, letting go of the steam that had been rising inside her.
Not wanting to upset the girl any further, Elijah chose to speak in a calm manner. "The People might do more than that, Miss Natho," he said. "If they deem you to be too much of a risk for their well being, they might eliminate all options save for the one in which they wipe your memories. They have gotten rather paranoid over the years."
"I don't want to forget. I can't. That's the last thing he told me: 'Don't forget me.'" Silyah was now resolute about the idea.
"I know you don't, which is why it would be preferable if you came with us to New Haven on your free will. Once we get there, we will be able to get things sorted out with the Council and you might not have to lose your memories of Artemis. In fact, staying in New Haven might even enlighten you about him."
Silyah furrowed her brows. "Alright..." she said after a moment of silence. "However, what am I supposed to do with my victor status? I've got engagements, interviews, a tour and, most importantly, I have to pretend that everything about my life is as normal as a victor's life could be."
"That's the good thing about having easy access to fairy technology," said Elijah, his lips forming a smirk. The grin combined with the faint glint in his eyes, made him resemble Artemis Fowl the Second even more. "Given that a trip to New Haven would indeed look suspicious, I think that it would be a good idea for you to come with me so we can contact them and temporarily sort things out."
"And who is 'them,' exactly?" Silyah lightly tilted her head to the right.
"The Fairy Council," said Elijah, staying a bit vague.
"Okay..." Silyah's head was spinning. She felt that her life would never, ever be the same again.
"A lot to take in, I imagine..." the boy sat up in his chair as he crossed his left leg over his right one. "I can speak with the people in charge and see how long they will allow you to walk around freely until they have to come for you in person."
"Come for me?" asked the girl, a dose of panic in her voice. She remembered the hovercraft and the caretakers who had tried to restrain her after the Games to feed her some morphling.
"Yes," Elijah gave a small nod. "But no need to panic, they won't harm you, they just need to act with caution. I will help you, they owe me."
Silyah walked back to the chair she had previously occupied, rattling her long nails on the table. "What have you got me in into?" she gritted her teeth, unsure as to whom she was asking the question to between Artemis's memory and Elijah.
"What have I gotten you into, Miss Natho?" asked the boy, raising an eyebrow at her.
Silyah was about to shrug away his statement, but she could not help herself. "To be fair, you're the one who's... Family member got me involved in this fairy business," she replied.
"And you believe that this situation is my fault?" Elijah sighed. "Perhaps I hold some of the responsibilities, but you chose to save Artemis back in the Games."
"What would have happened if I had not saved him?" she retorted, now raising her own eyebrow. "You would certainly not have any responsibilities to take care of right now." Ouch, that was bitter, thought the girl. Is that who I am now; a bitter victor?
Elijah looked at her, trying to hide the fact that her last comment had felt like a sting. "True, I would not be around to interfere with your life, but here I am, so we will both have to live with the decision you made."
The brunette furrowed her brows again. "So, what do you think the council will require of me?" she asked, annoyed.
"For now and until we have this mess cleared up, you'll mosy likely have to act like everything is normal... Well, your definition of normal, of course. Eventually, you will have to go on your Tour since cancelling it would probably raise more suspicion than anything, however, I have a feeling they will request for someone to travel along with your group to keep tabs on you." Even though Elijah was only 16 years old, he spoke like someone double his age, much like the first Fowl Silyah had known.
"A bodyguard of some sort?" Silyah made a strange grimace. She would have to travel with the whole District 3 team and a fairy-protecting bodyguard?
"I'd say you'd be more like a guarded prisoner... Although, that will highly depend on who will be accompanying you."
Prisoner! thought Silyah, feeling that a hysteria crisis was on its way. "Prisoner!"
"Not you, it's just the situation. It was the closest thing that came to mind. You will be... Held under observation just to be sure you won't say things you aren't supposed to," the boy corrected himself.
"Never in a hundred years will you see me betray Artemis," mentioned the girl, feeling a bit offended by the lack of trust the People seemed to have towards her.
"Well, technically, it's already been 119 years since he came back from the Games," corrected Elijah. "And they can't take any risks, for all they know, you could get upset and blurt something out by accident."
The remaining part of Silyah's rationality attempted to calm her down. "Fair point..." she said through clenched teeth. "But I've got one more question for you; if you don't think you are responsible of this situation, why are you here?"
Elijah looked at her, a thoughtful expression printing itself onto his face. Why had he come? He could have waited for someone else to pick up the job... Maybe he wanted to do something new and different for a change, perhaps he was just bored and tired of his twin sister's constant talking and curious about this "mission." "Part of my job," he shrugged. "And obviously, I thought I had more chances of convincing you because of my resemblance to Artemis."
"They would actually want to hurt me..." mumbled Silyah to herself, her voice barely audible as she sank back down on her chair, clutching the aremèsia pendant hanging from her neck. "When Artemis told me about them, the People, he described them as his most precious allies and friends. They've changed since his time, haven't they?"
Elijah Fowl gave a short lifeless laugh. "Change is merely to tip of the iceberg. They aren't as peaceful as they used to be; if they see no other option, they will neutralize an enemy, but that is what near extinction and war does to a species, I suppose."
Silyah looked up to Elijah through her lashes.
"To save us both some time, may I suggest we go call them now?" offered the raven-haired boy.
The new victor tapped her nails on the table. She had the feeling that the answer to that question would change her entire future...
Silyah realized that she had been standing in front of the Fowl residence's open door for quite some time when Elijah's voice yanked her from her memories and back to the present. It hadn't taken too long before the door had been opened by the boy.
The brunette shook her head and looked over to the young man. He seemed tired, the slightly darker shade under his blue eyes made it noticeable. "Ah, Silyah, right on time. Come in," he stepped back, allowing her inside the house.
The girl walked in, removing her boots on the entrance's doormat.
"May I take your coat?" asked the boy.
"Yes, thank you," said Silyah, sliding the said coat off her shoulders and tucking her navy blue scarf into its sleeve.
Elijah took the girl's coat, arranging it on a hanger before putting it into the closet. He then gave the watch on his right wrist a short glance. "Actually, we have a few minutes before Kelp calls..."
Silyah fought against a sigh. Elijah hid a small smirk by turning his head away from the girl. He knew that Silyah wasn't the elf's biggest fan. "Care to wait in the living room?"
"Sure," nodded the girl, trailing behind Elijah. As she eyed every detail in the boy's house, she suppressed yet another sigh. It was unbelievable how much had changed in the five months and three weeks that had slowly passed between the Games and the present day.
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