Author Note: Hey, thanks to Simmetra, spirochick39 and Faustus Bailey for reviewing. Love you guys. Anyway, on with the story.

Chapter 4: Captured

Alicia Thomson, now known as Althuna Cutriana, was is a horrendous mood. Her idiot grandfather had not told her where the Ebony Key was and she had not found anything of use in her grandfather's house. On top of that, she had watched a pale youth of about fifteen enter her grandfather's house, accompanied by a veritable giant. She wouldn't have worried about them, if the boy hadn't claimed to be her grandfather's grandson. She knew she didn't have a brother so she had decided to spy on the pair and had over heard them get a description of her hair and then they learnt her name and gained a photograph of her. She knew they weren't with the police, otherwise they would have told the officers there what they had found out, but she had no idea who they were. She had followed them cautiously to a huge Manor house that looked like it had been there for centuries, considering the décor and style of the building. There were a few towers dotted around as well as some gargoyle statues. There were also a few stained-glass windows that probably dated back to the early nineteenth centaury, maybe earlier.

At that moment in time though, she wasn't much interested by the décor. Her main interest was on the pale youth, who had so easily figured out who she was. She watched from behind the gates as the Bentley they were in pulled up outside the house. The gates read 'Fowl Manor'. Now she knew the boys last name. The huge man stepped out of the car and opened the door for the boy. A small smirk played across her lips as she watched the boy enter the house through a huge set of double doors. The giant quickly closed them behind him. Hmm, she thought, this could be interesting.

Ten Minutes Earlier, In The Fowl Bentley

Butler glanced again in the rear-view mirror. He then turned to Artemis who already had Mr Bryson's laptop out and running.

'Artemis?' he said.

'Hmm?'

'I think we have someone following us,' replied Butler. Artemis glanced up from he laptop. 'Blue Vauxhall, back two spaces.' Artemis glanced quickly out of the back window, it was tinted, which meant that he would not be seen. Artemis spotted the car, which was staying behind a four-wheel drive Land Rover.

He nodded. 'Keep going. We can watch them from the security cameras if they continue to follow us. We must be wary though, this could be miss Thomson and she seems very capable of killing since she killed her own grandparents. It was definitely not natural, so be extra vigilant.' Butler nodded in agreement and understanding, keeping his eyes trained on the road but also sneaking glances at the blue car.

Soon, they turned off down a side road towards Fowl Manor. By the time they had turned, the Vauxhall was lost from sight and so they didn't see if it was still following them. They soon arrived at the gates, which Butler opened with a remote control. They passed through them and they closed soundlessly behind the Bentley. Butler pulled up in front of the house, got out and opened the door to the car.

Artemis stepped out and said quietly, 'I'm going straight for the control room to check the security cameras. Keep your eyes peeled too, as these people might gain entry to the Manor. If they do, I have a plan.' Again Butler nodded and then opened the front doors for Artemis. They were then closed swiftly behind him as he made his way towards the control room. He entered the room and sat down, scanning the security monitors that showed the cameras. On the one by the front gates, it showed a young woman peering through them. Artemis instantly recognised her as Alicia Thomson. What he saw next almost made his jaw drop. The woman had glanced up at the top of the gates, which had spikes on the top, had then stepped back, ran full on at the gates and then jumped over them. Considering the gates where almost ten foot tall, including the spikes, this was definitely not natural. Artemis grabbed the walkie-talkie from beside a control panel and changed it to Butler's frequency, since Butler never put it down.

'Butler, Miss Thomson is inside the gates. I just watched her jump clean over them. She is definitely not entirely human so be careful. Come here right away.'

'…' Nothing but static for a moment but then, 'On my way, Artemis.' Artemis put the walkie-talkie back down and leaned back in the chair. He would need to talk to Holly about this but first, he would like to have a talk with his visitor. Butler soon entered the room and came to stand next to Artemis, who was keeping an eye on Miss Thomson.

'Right, you remember Holly's cell that we had made?' Butler nodded. 'Well, it is still furnished so I think it would do well if we caught Miss Thomson and kept her in there for a while. Here's what I want you to do…'

After Artemis had told Butler his plan, Butler and himself got into position. Butler went down to the kitchen, where Artemis had guessed Miss Thomson might come in and he had stayed in the control room, keeping Butler up to date on where the girl was.

Meanwhile, Althuna was creeping across the lawn, towards the kitchen, where Butler stood waiting. She knew he was there, that was the reason she was heading there. The quicker she got rid of him, the quicker she could go and have a chat with the youth she had seen. She could see the giant man through the window of the back door. He had his back to her and was clutching something in his arms. She couldn't see what it was, not that it mattered. Slowly, she crept to the door to the kitchen that led outside and pulled on the handle. It was locked, so she quietly sent a few red sparks into the handle to melt the lock. She pulled on the door and it opened easily, with no sound apart from a few minor squeaks. It seemed that the man wasn't very good at his job, since he didn't even turn around at the tiny sounds. Just as she was about to let loose a few sparks on him, the giant turned around with such speed, she could do nothing to stop him. That was when she saw what was clutching in his hands. He held a dart rifle. Before she even had time to react, he shot her in the leg with a dart. She could feel the curare and succinylcholine chloride-based tranquillizer empty into her leg. Then she felt no more as she sank into unconsciousness.

Author Note: How was that? Please let me know how you feel about my story and thanks again to the people who have reviewed. Don't forget to REVIEW!