This is an updated version of Chapter 2 so R&R and ENJOY

Fear surged into her chest and threatened to strangle her as she ran down the stairs hearing her father yelling out behind her. Apollina was taking it two steps at a time and thundered as she jumped onto her landing and started to bolt towards her door. She ran into her room and slammed the door behind her and looked for her secret trapdoor. She knelt down and tugged at the side of one of her fluffy pink rugs which lifted to display an open space which she crawled into silently closing the door behind her as her bedroom door was slammed open.

"Lina!" her father yelled. She silently cringed inside her little room.

The sounds of retreating footsteps reverberated against her polished wooden floors and she almost opened the door when she heard a slight tinkle of bells as her father clearly sat on her bed. He was waiting for her to reveal herself. She smiled and stayed where she was, counting. He usually gave up after a minute.

She heard him moving above her as quietly as possible, scanning her room for her hiding place, picking up various items and looking in various places and then she heard his footsteps retreat earlier than usual.

She lifted the top of her hiding place slowly and found herself staring at her father's designer loafers. One of which began to tap as he waited for his daughter to emerge.

"Lina, come out. I know you're down there."

"Why don't you come down here and make me!" Apollina cringed at the use of such a juvenile response but stayed where she was.

"This isn't a game Apollina," Artemis scolded but Apollina stayed huddled in her cove. Artemis sat on her bed again, "Apollina Angeline Fowl get out here now or I'll send Butler down there."

She cringed then employed one last tactic, "which Butler; yours or mine?"

"Your brother's." Apollina cringed in disgust. Her brother's Butler had to be the rudest most horrible Butler to ever gain service to her family.

She pushed open the trapdoor and glared up at her father who was smirking at his defeat of his child.

"That's right, laugh up the fact you beat an eight year old."

Artemis felt the smirk slip off his lips and a hard gaze filled his eyes. He could feel a heat pulsating through his veins as he looked upon her dark head.

"Lina, why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't get it," she sighed looking away from her father and sitting down in her armchair, "Your baby girl, a criminal genius, you wouldn't have listened even if I tried to tell you."

"But-,"

"Just let it go father and leave me be."

Apollina rose from her armchair as shock slipped into her fathers gaze. She knew as well as he did that this was the first time he had ever been rendered speechless; the man was looking upon his child in amazement and almost fear.

"Let it go," She whispered tilting her head up and kissing him on the forehead before leaving the room. Her father sat there for a few moments before regaining his composure and looking out after his daughter. She was his one weakness and he would never let her genius hurt her as his had done for him.

Apollina rushed away towards her favourite room and sat in an armchair looking around at the wide expanse of books that filled many shelves from the floor to the roof. A man walked in silently behind her and put his hand on her shoulder causing her to leap up off the chair and spin around.

"Butler," she heaved taking in a deep breath, "you startled me."

"I had no intentions to," her body guard replied in his deep soothing voice, "do you want to talk about it?"

The girl looked up at her bodyguard and couldn't help wishing that it was his uncle instead. The older Butler just had more understanding of human emotions than the one assigned to her. And right now what she could use was a little understanding. But that didn't stop her reverting to childlike behaviour and spilling out the last few minutes events to her bodyguard.

By the time she was finished she was holding back sobs and looking desperately into her bodyguards eyes.

"Well," the awkward man began, "it's ok Apollina."

"Please," she whispered wiping the tears from her eyes, "I've told you to call me Lina."

"As a bodyguard it is in my duty to-."

"Blah blah blah," she continued to whisper feeling an undeserved anger blooming in her chest, "yeah I know."

Apollina wanted to hit her guard, but held her urge back glaring at the man and stalking off to find another victim to reap her anger. The anger that was coursing through her veins as the emotionally ignorant bodyguard followed his young charge. He had no idea how to handle such a situation as he had no experience in the matter.

"Go away Butler."

Her voice was silent yet conveyed some powerful emotion that Butler could not understand and in his idiocy he replied.

"I can't do that. I have to watch over you -,"

"In my own house?" The girl screeched turning towards the man for only a split second to allow him time to see the anger in her eyes as she descended the stairs.