Chapter Seven: Facing Facts
Had she been in a normal state of mind Estella would have been beside herself with joy. She had had a crush on Foaly ever since she had read the interview about his new wing designs in The Underground Weekly. Now he was in her house with her, trying to comfort her even, and all that was going through her mind was how to get him out so she could think.
Her father had run away.
She never would have believed it but the evidence was irrefutable. When she had seen the video she had been on the verge of hysteria, now that she had had time to calm down she still felt like she was in shock. She took a sip of the tea Foaly had given her and took some deep breaths. Now was not the time for shock. Right now was the time to think.
However thinking was something very difficult to do with someone hovering over you with a concerned expression. It seemed now would be the time to show off one of her talents besides leg building.
She looked up at Foaly with a grim, tired smile. "Thank you for everything you've done Foaly. This has been a very trying day for me and I appreciate your help, but I'm very tired now and I'd like to get some rest."
The dismissal was gentle but definite, and Foaly did have to admit she looked exhausted. "Alright, I'll get going and you go get some rest. Do you mind if I come by tomorrow?"
Estella nodded sleepily and he headed for the door. Before leaving though he turned around one last time. "Don't worry Estella, I don't know what's going on but we will find your father. Holly and Mulch are top-notch and I'll do whatever I can to help."
He had hoped his parting words would lift her spirits but her head was already down on the kitchen table. She really must have been tired to have fallen asleep so suddenly.
As soon as she heard him leave Estella was up again. Her father had always told her that she should become an actress; she had assumed it was mostly just flattery but apparently her skills were better than she had thought.
She trotted over to her father's old desk and pulled out his laptop. For the next three hours she searched through its files hoping to find some clue as to why he had left. She did have an idea, but she needed something solid to go with.
Growing up Estella had always loved her parents but she knew that there was something they were hiding. They would never talk about where they grew up or how they had met. They had also always been over-protective of her. As a foal she had never been out of her parents' sight for more than five minutes and they had always insisted that she never go out after dark.
When she had turned ten it had seemed they were finally adjusting to living in the open when her mother had died. It had been the result of a freak public transport accident but had still driven her father nearly mad with terror and grief. He had immediately arranged that they move far from their old home under Africa to be lost in the city of Haven.
There Mamilton had become even more of a recluse than ever. Estella had been put in charge of any business that involved leaving the house and store or interacting with other people. He had never explained this drastic change to her but Estella could tell that he had wanted to. There had been a million times when he had let something slip, just a little bit, and she had always been ready to pounce on it. Over the years she had pieced together all the little clues and come to a startling conclusion. She didn't have proof but if it was true then her father had a dark past indeed.
The computer search had yielded nothing, but then her father had always been so careful she hadn't really expected to find anything there. She turned it off with a sigh and began searching his other things. After what felt like a lifetime she found what she was looking for. She hadn't wanted it to be true but the proof was staring her in the face. Now that she knew the truth she was ready to take action. The first thing she had to do was make sure her detectives dropped the case immediately.
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It was now late at night at the Fowl's rented villa. Butler was standing guard outside of Artemis's room while his charge spoke with Holly. The bodyguard went over the day's adventure. It had been a good one, quickly and surely accomplished with an honorable intention behind it. Butler was actually quite proud of the recent change Artemis had made to his criminal patterns. It showed he was maturing into a thoughtful young man.
Butler smirked, he knew how much Artemis would detest being referred to as thoughtful. He would say that being thoughtful and being a criminal mastermind didn't mix. Oh well, thought Butler, one step at a time.
Just then he heard steps along the hall. He turned toward the noise and saw that Artemis Fowl senior was approaching.
"Is my son in his room Butler?"
"Yes, if you would like to talk to him I suggest you wait a bit. He's dealing with some personal business at the moment."
Mr. Fowl looked up sharply. "Butler, is Artemis up to anything I should know about?"
Butler didn't like to lie to his employer but he knew that his principle's latest ventures were far too important to him for his bodyguard to willingly compromise them. He decided to take the middle ground and avoid the question.
"He's just talking with a friend Mr. Fowl, there's no need to worry."
"A friend?" Mr. Fowl looked thoughtful, "I didn't know he had any friends. Has he been opening up at school?"
"Master Artemis has always had trouble trusting others enough to let them get close to him. But I think, though he may not have realized it, that he's let Mr. Burbenshire get under his guard. It's helped to change him for the better lately."
Mr. Fowl smiled. He had hoped something like this would happen when he had first heard that Artemis had agreed to guide the charity student. He had been worried about his son, he was fully aware of Artemis's more recent criminal ventures. He had considered putting a stop to them but they seemed to have a nobler aspect to them now. Artemis senior supposed it was a start and he couldn't really expect his son to immediately give up all the allure he knew crime had.
He had considered dabbling in it again himself several times now. Whenever he had such urges he had only to look down at his new leg and the desire would disappear. Crime had already cost him too much. As he walked away from Butler Mr. Fowl made a silent prayer: that Artemis would leave his current path before it cost him dearly, perhaps even more dearly than a leg.
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Artemis yawned slightly; no matter how many improvements were made to the airlines they always seemed to make him tired and cranky. He was glad to be getting back to school. He had had a good time with his parents but they had insisted that he be back before Monday and so he had taken an early flight and was just arriving back as dusk settled.
He ran a quick mental check list to wake himself up as he trudged up the front steps. The airlines had him registered on the flight his parents thought he had taken to get to France, no evidence there; the painting was now safely on its way back to Boston, the post mark would make it seem as if it had been sent from central Germany and thus would not be traced to him, he had—
Suddenly he was literally torn from his thoughts as Butler picked him up and hid him behind himself. This action could only mean that his bodyguard sensed some sort of danger, Artemis quickly looked around for the threat.
"I—I am sorry," stammered a small voice, "I did not mean to alarm you."
It sounded like the voice of a young girl. The girl was speaking in Russian but it was obvious from her accent that it was not her native language. Artemis moved from behind Butler to take a look.
The girl appeared to be about his age. She was standing behind the bushes that stood beside the school's entrance and it was clear she had been waiting for him. Because of her small stature and large brown eyes Artemis felt she bore a slight resemblance to a mouse.
A Japanese mouse apparently, he thought taking in the girl's face and the kimono she was wearing, but that doesn't explain what she is doing here nor what she wants with me. It was clear that direct means would be the best.
"May I help you?" he asked, flaunting his perfect Russian.
"Yes," replied the girl, "I am very sorry to have to approach you like this Fowl-san but I wanted to make sure you got my message. Since I did not know if you could speak Japanese and I cannot speak English I knew I would have to speak with you in Russian. Because of this I could not write to you, I can write no language but my own, and of course I couldn't call you because someone else might have interrupted. So I knew I had to meet with you in person which I am, of course, doing right now and—."
Artemis held up a hand and rubbed his temple. The girl's babbling was starting to annoy him. "My time is precious miss, and while I am sure you could entertain me for hours with this rant of how you can and can not communicate would you kindly get to the point?"
The girl blushed. "Of course, I am sorry. My name is Kagawa Tomoe, I mean Tomoe Kagawa, and I would like your help with a certain problem I have. This is not the place to discuss it but it requires your particular, ah, talents. Can you meet with me some other time to discuss it?"
Artemis looked Kagawa-san carefully. She seemed to be a normal Japanese girl, a bit traditional maybe but the kimono might have been just a respectful gesture on her part, but if she was normal how did she know about his criminal skills? He knew he needed to investigate this further.
"Very well, next Saturday I will meet with you. Wait outside this school's gates at 3 o'clock and Butler will pick you up and take you somewhere where we may speak. If you can try to wear something less conspicuous, kimonos tend to attract too much attention around here."
Kagawa-san looked positively jubilant at hearing Artemis's agreement to her request. She hastily agreed to the conditions, bowed deeply, and ran off.
Butler turned to his charge, "Do you trust her?"
"She's seems honest enough but I'm going to look into her history before our meeting, at the least she'll need to be watched."
Butler nodded. "Understood."
Artemis pushed the matter to the back of his mind for the moment, he was feeling more exhausted by the moment. He waved good-bye to Butler, who was still not allowed in the school, and made his way back to his room.
Once there he could have sworn there was never a more inviting bed than the one that lay before him. He flopped down into it and marveled at its shear comfort. Maybe he would just lay there forever.
Thump.
Completely ignoring the world around him.
Thump.
He could attain new levels of peace and calm.
THUMP!
Or maybe he would if his bloody neighbor would shut up! Now that his dream-like mood had been utterly spoiled Artemis no longer felt like sleeping. Instead he decided to go next door and put a stop to the incessant thumping.
Once in the hall he realized that the noise was coming from Matt's room. It sounded like there was a bit of a fight occurring. Tentatively Artemis knocked on the door. For a moment there was dead silence and then there was the sound of further scuffling. He was about to knock again when the door opened.
To Artemis's surprise it wasn't opened by Matt but by an older boy whom he had never seen before. He was a tall, lean fellow with sandy hair; though his eyes were partially obscured by the sheen of his glasses there seemed to be a mischievous gleam in them. This was all Artemis had time to take in before he was dragged into Matt's room head-first, soon finding himself sprawled out on the floor.
"Well, well, well," said the strange boy with a slightly ominous air, "you must be the Artemis Fowl II I've heard so much about. It's so nice to meet you after all this time."
"Leave him alone Theo!" Artemis turned around. Matt was sitting up behind his bed looking a little frazzled but otherwise fine. Just what was going on here?
"I suppose my greeting was a bit coarse. What do you say we start over Artemis?" He held out his hand and Artemis used it to get up while he tried to find his voice again.
Finally, after a few deep breaths, he managed to speak as though nothing had happened. "Who is this, Matt?"
Matt opened his mouth to answer but the strange boy cut him off. "I'm terribly sorry about that. Allow me to introduce myself. I am known by many names: in my homeland I am called The Wise One, on the battlefield I am The Great Avenger, and to a select few I am Snooky but you may know me as Theodore Anton Burbenshire the first."
Matt shook his head sadly. "This is my brother Theodore. We call him Theo. He's a prat."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "I'm a prat am I? My dear Matthew you really shouldn't be throwing insults at someone in my position. You should know it will come back to haunt you."
Matt paled suddenly, "You wouldn't."
Theo smirked. "I'm surprised at you Matt. Weren't you the one who coined the phrase "A pig may fly if you throw it and hell may freeze over if they don't pay their heating costs, but the day someone can predict what Theo Burbenshire will do is the day the word impossible ceases to exist"?"
There was then a long moment of silence while Matt made several faces which reminded Artemis of an odd gasping fish he had seen once. Finally Matt hung his head in defeat and turned back to Artemis. He then began speaking in a dull monotone.
"My brother is a very kind, thoughtful individual whom I largely consider to be one of the finest examples of humanity I have ever had the honor to know. They will one day erect a monument in dedication to his glory in our town square. Also, Toad Ball is not the most pathetic idea to have ever been conceived, it is the result of many great minds coming together to form a fountain of originality and entertainment which must not be mocked by myself or any other whom can not comprehend its greatness."
The whole speech sounded like it had been memorized long ago and spoken many times. Perhaps Theodore had forced it upon his brother as part of some blackmail, but what did Matt have to hide?
Artemis was forever a fan of directness so he turned back to Theodore. "Blackmailing is a very bad thing to do, especially to one's brother," Artemis gave his patented vampire grin. "What are you trying to hold over him?"
Theodore burst out laughing, "My brother is trying turning over a new leaf here Artemis, let's just saying he's a bit embarrassed about his past."
"And it's nothing you need to know about!" Matt was now beet red, reminding Artemis of Root.
The boy genius was now quite enjoying himself; for once he had the upper hand and, in an unusual streak of childishness, was prepared to milk it for all it was worth.
"Oh, but I'm quite curious," he said with a grin. "Theo please tell me, what is it that my dear friend seeks to hide from me?"
Theo returned the smile; clearly he was enjoying tormenting Matt as well. "Well, it's sad to say but Matthew was always a bit confused growing up. He always preferred dolls to action figures and was frequently known to raid Mum's closet to play dress up." Theo dodged an attack from Matt. "I think back then he never wanted to be a boy. He certainly never acted like it; he even grew his hair out. It caused me such shame. Despite my best efforts he remained that way until he was nearly ten. Even now if you look at pictures from that time you would swear that really was a girl--."
Matt's pounce hit home with fierce precision and he soon had his brother pinned to the floor. "If I hear on more word from you," he growled, "I'll shove one of your bloody Toad balls so far up your arse they'll have to use the Heimlich to keep you from choking on it!"
Artemis chuckled, as amusing as this scene was he supposed he should give them both a break. He decided now would be a good time to change the subject. "What exactly is "Toad Ball" pray tell?"
Immediately Theo began to glow. "I am thrilled that you asked that Artemis! Toad Ball is the creation of yours truly and will soon be considered the greatest thing to happen to sports since the Olympics. You've probably not heard of it here yet but it's beginning to get quite a following over in mother England. You see the rules are--."
He stopped dead after glancing at his brother. "What's bothering you now Matt?"
Indeed Matt did look decidedly irritated. "As much as I love hearing account after account of how this game works it's now almost ten and we have classes tomorrow. I think it's time you left."
Theo looked puzzled for a moment and then smiled knowingly. "Alright, I suppose it is time I left. I'll be back again to visit soon though. We're trying to expand into Ireland this year so I'll be spending a lot of time around here. I'll be sure to send you two tickets to our first game here."
"I'd like that," said Matt sounding a bit calmer now. "I look forward to seeing you."
Theo then waved good-bye and left with a dramatic flourish. The room suddenly seemed strangely empty without him.
Artemis leaned toward Matt who was looking extremely tired. "So, did you really wear dresses until you were ten?"
And with that comment any hope either had had for sleep that night evaporated and until it was nearly dawn one could have sworn they both just two normal teenage boys having fun. But, of course, neither of them were.
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A/N: My god it's late. I'm so tired now but I just couldn't leave this scene halfway done. I have to say I love Theodore and I love how he interacts with Matt. What a crazy household that must have been.
Also introduced this chapter is the mysterious Tomoe. (I can be that familiar with her because she is my creation.) I can't say much about her now but I think she'll prove interesting.
To those who may be constantly anxious about when I will update I have good news: I have set up a livejournal account. On my profile page it's my homepage and it somehow got set up as a link twice in my profile.
In this account I frequently discuss how my current chapter is progressing and it should give you a better idea of how much longer I'll be. Be sure to leave comments there, I'd love to communicate with my readers. If I'm having a dilemma I'll probably post it there and you can help with your opinions.
I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. I'm going on a trip today so the next one won't be up for a bit more than a week. I'll try to make it worth the wait.