Chapter Two, District 3

A barricade; a thick and heavy wall pushing back on anything that might had wanted to take it down…

Artemis opened his eyes, letting the dizziness vaporize from his brain. He sat up in his wooden chair, in a room of the mayor's house, which had been accommodated for him. He looked at the rising sun through his window and frowned.

Ever since last evening, he was a permanent resident of Panem's District 3 because apparently, even mesmerized, Theravan Hewatts was taking his adoptive father's job very seriously. He had made a point of following the proper procedure and provided Artemis with an official District 3 citizenship, approved even by the Capitol.

Of course Artemis had planned to delete the file! The only thing was to find an opportunity to delete it without jeopardizing his cover, or his stay in District 3.

"Artemis?" Called a voice from somewhere in the mansion. "The breakfast is ready."

The boy got up. The least he could do at the moment was to go along with the course of the day.

He made his way to the kitchen, not paying attention to the Peacekeepers on duty. At least now they were off of his back and actually gave him some respect. Artemis briefly wondered if this was what it would feel like to be jailed… It's not as if he had never given a thought about that, especially after his businesses.

Stepping into the kitchen, Artemis was greeted by one of Hewatts' assistant, as well as a meal. "Did you have a good sleep?" Asked the woman as Artemis sat at the table. By his reflection on the glass tabletop, the answer to this question could have been easily guessed.

Artemis shrugged. "The room was comfortable," he said with his usual cold politeness.

He ate his breakfast, feeling the assistant's eyes on him. As soon as he finished, the lady handed him a backpack. "Mayor Hewatts was very concerned about your integration time in his household. He wanted you to be ready and in shape for school."

School… Yet another problem to deal with…

Barely giving the boy the time to get ready, the assistant pushed Artemis outside, towards a vehicle guarded by a Peacekeeper.

The car ride lasted approximately fifteen minutes, or two failed attempts to go back to the past. The vehicle had stopped in front of a grey building, not that different from every other grey building of District 3. The only noticeable distinction was that a tall metallic fence surrounded the institution, because not only had Artemis been forced to go to a school from the future, but the school was a public one.

Students were walking in the building, stacks of books and various types of electronic projects in hand, while others who did not seem to care very much, were hanging outside, under the shade provided be the very few trees in the yard.

The mayor's assistant informed Artemis that he would have to stop by the secretary's office to get his schedule and then told him that one of his "father's" employees would come to pick him up at the end of the day. That seems normal enough for me, thought the boy as the assistant opened his door.

Artemis climbed out of the car and followed the students who were entering the building. Luckily for him, the secretary's office was the first one after the main doors.

"Artemis Fowl," He told the woman behind the office's desk.

She raised her glasses over nose and browsed through a pile of paper. Who knew that people from the future would still be using simple papers rather than digital files?

"Artemis Fowl, advanced classes?" She replied with a tone reflecting nothing but pure ennui.

"Yes, I shall be taking the advanced classes," he confirmed sending her back her tone. He was more than one hundred percent positive that even in these classes, he would still ace.

The secretary sent him a strange look as she handed him his schedule. In all of her career, she had never heard such an accent.

Artemis took a mental note before heading for his class; he would have to mimic the district's accent from then on.

"As you all know, tomorrow will be a big day for each and everyone of you." The teacher, Ms. Adata paced in front of the room. "Which is why we have this special class today. Anyone knows what we will be speaking of?" The pathetic try at adding a touch of lightness to her voice was lost in the silence of the room. Artemis took a quick glance around. Everybody knew what she was speaking about, but no one was willing to voice it.

A brown-haired boy finally raised her hand, "Tomorrow is Reaping day," he said trying to sound stronger than he actually felt about the event. Though no one else was aware, that one boy's name would be in the Reaping way too many times for the odds to be in his favor.

"Yes Chip, the Reaping," nodded the teacher. "Tomorrow, two people, a boy and a girl from your age ranges will be selected to go to the Hunger Games."

Artemis swore he heard a collective sigh, and he had been part of it.

"We have this speech every single year," whispered Chip, from the back of the class, amongst many other discouraged whispers.

Ms. Adata turned on a projector and a map of Panem appeared on the front wall of the room. "Today," she began, "We will talk about the creation of the Games and the government of Panem…"

By the end of the class, two of the youngest students had left the room in tears and the rest of the pupils were dragging their feet on the ground, trying to calm down their rage or sadness. Only Artemis and one other girl, a pale brunette with a calm voice, remained.

"I do not see why we are not allowed to learn about what was before Panem…" She said as she walked up to the teacher's desk. Artemis had been curious about this statement and had decided to stick around the classroom to hear a little bit more.

"It simply is, Ms. Natho. The Capitol created a very specific curriculum for each of their districts, I only teach what I am allowed to."

"Aren't we missing on something? Or shouldn't we at least know where we come from? I found this pile of old books, dating from the 20th to the 21st century and I realized that Pan –"

"I am sorry Silyah." Said the teacher. "I cannot help you with that and I would not suggest you to get too interested in the past. You have no idea how dangerous it can be." Ms. Adata looked at Artemis. "Do you need help with anything?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.

The brunette tightened her hold on her books and walked out of the room, a disappointed, bittersweet smile on her lips.

Artemis shook his head and left the classroom. For the first time in so long, he actually had learned something in school. He had learned that people from the districts knew about the unfairness of the Hunger Games. The only thing was that they were completely powerless against it.

After a small recess, a bell rang, announcing the beginning of a new class. Of course, Artemis was already seated at his desk, along with a few other studious pupils. The teacher stepped in the room, and undertook the task of drawing a diagram on the board; a circuit diagram to be exact. It was rather straightforward, actually.

"Today we're going to start with a simple diagram. Can anyone tell me how many amperes would go through ammeter A2?" Said the man once every student was had arrived.

Artemis scanned the diagram. Two resistors were connected in parallel to a power source, along with another wire with no resistor on it. The first ammeter, A1, near the power source had been labeled as reading six amperes, therefore –

The girl with the brown hair, Silyah, was the first one to raise her hand. "Zero amperes would go through ammeters A2, same thing for A3."

"Why would that be?" Asked the teacher, not confirming, nor denying her answer.

Artemis raised his hand and cleared his throat. "Amperes always travel through the path that does not offer any resistance, when there is one in a circuit, that is. The wire on which A4 is attached has no resistor; therefore the six amperes from A1 would travel through A4. It is a short circuit."

"That is excellent!" Said the teacher. "Now, let's move on to actual circuits. All the material is at the back of the classroom."

Artemis smirked. There was nothing like a good lecture to lighten up his mood.

When noon arrived, Artemis was actually feeling relaxed. The challenges of the advanced class, which were not that challenging, had had the advantage of earning him some praise.

Ironically, the only thing that caused a shadow to hover above his otherwise good mood was that the dinning area of the school was outside, in the sun.

He stepped into a shadowy corner, sitting at a small wooden table, ready to take his dinner out.

"Argh," growled someone from behind him. She was so caught up in whatever she was doing that she barely even noticed him when she sat at the table. "Why won't you work?" She said to her project. Her gaze went to Artemis, just as blood rushed to her face. "Mind if I sit here? It is my usual place. Out of the sun." She tucked a strand of copper-brown brown hair away from her pale blue eyes.

"Do you mind if I ask what are you working on, Ms. Natho?" He had recognized her instantly from his two previous classes.

"It's nothing…" She mumbled. Closing a pale hand, as pale as Artemis's skin, around the device. "I mean, it's just something that I am trying to restore." She sighed and opened her hand. "I am not supposed to have this, but you know, music chips are rather expensive and I knew that there was an alternative…"

Artemis looked at the object. It was a music player, probably dating from a few years after Artemis's present time.

"I know that it is nearly an antiquity, but I can't seem to be able to make it work… And yet if I had the necessary materials, I would be able to make my own programs and devices…" Silyah offered Artemis the music player. "I don't think I ever got your name," she added.

"Artemis," he replied, taking the small object between his fingers. "Ah, I see where the problem is… May I?" He took a small tool from the kit Silyah had brought with her and began to work. The wiring was almost perfect, but the power source was not in a great shape. "You would not happen to have the charger with you, would you?"

To the girl's amazement, five minutes were all it took for Artemis to make the music player fully operational, although there was music save on its hard drive.

Restoring the music player had been just as easy as the rest of the day. District 3 was mostly centered on technology and science, and these two things had not changed drastically since Artemis's time.

By the end of the day, the boy had managed to be one of the best students of the District 3 Academical Institution. He could almost feel at home really… If only he was not stuck in a time he never was supposed to belong in…