Chapter Four
"My shovel!" three-year-old Ettie said, reaching her chubby arms to snatch the plastic red shovel. Six-year-old Artemis held it high over his head. He didn't need to. He was still a head taller than Ettie, and she still had short, pudgy baby arms.
"My laptop!" Artemis said. "If you get off my laptop and out of my room perhaps I shall give you back your stupid shovel."
Ettie crossed her arms and sat back against the laptop like it was a deck chair. "No."
"I will give you five seconds, you imbicile, before I do something regrettable. Such as..." He gestured toward an open window, "throwing your beloved shovel out the window. Five..."
Ettie stuck her tongue out at him.
"Four."
Artemis stepped a bit closer to the window.
"Three."
Ettie began to grow worried. Would he really do it?
"Two."
A sly grin spread across Artemis' face. Vampire teeth seemed to grow from his gums.
"One."
He didn't throw the shovel out the window after all. Instead he whacked Ettie in the head with it. Then he threw it out the window.
Ettie let out a squeal when he hit her and could only watch in dismay, holding her swelling forehead, as Artemis tossed the shovel out the third floor window. She grabbed his arm and bit it with her two front teeth.
Mrs. Fowl smiled at the memory. She remembered putting a band-aid on Artemis' bleeding bite wound as he whined and argued that his mother should spend more time punishing Loretta than tending his wound.
"I am able to take care of myself, mother," he had said.
"Coffee?"
Mrs. Fowl looked up and accepted the mug of steaming black liquid Mr. Jensen handed her. He sat down as well.
"Thank you," Angeline said. "I was thinking about when Artemis and Loretta were children. It seems as if it were only yesterday. Amazing how time flies."
Mr. Jensen nodded. "The red shovel?"
"That's the most memorable memory."
"They're getting along now."
Angeline smiled. "It's wonderful. Though don't you miss having children?"
"Loretta's still my child." Mr. Jensen sipped his coffee. "But she doesn't want to be. Now that Lauryn is off at college Loretta is wanting to be taken more seriously. She's not the 'little' sister anymore."
"And then she'll be off at college and you'll be childless."
"Until the holidays."
Angeline looked out the window that smelled like Wind-Ex. The fog was thick and suffocating the top of the pear tree.
"And Lauryn?" Angeline said. "What of your older one?"
"She's a junior now at Harvard Business School," Mr. Jensen said. "She's going to be flying back here in a few days for the holidays and to see all of you before you leave. We're hoping Loretta will follow her to Harvard but she's not interested in that. She wants to play in the WNBA for a career."
"She does seem to like the sport."
"Maybe a bit too much. She doesn't love anything else."
Angeline nodded. "I see."
A/N: Yes, I know, kind of a slow chapter. This chapter was meant solely as character development and a preview for a character who will appear later on as the series progresses (omg! Did you know this was a series?? I have it ALL written already!). Pretty soon I hope to be able to combine character development and character preview with plot building.
Thank you to thewrongvine, Gold is power, A. Thorn, and Tears Parallel for their excellent reviews.
-Demented Cookies
