Heya people!

It's my first story, so be nice and review. ^^ I don't care if you flame, as long as it's constructive flaming. If that makes sense. :P but reviewing can come later. First, read my story!

The title of the story's supposed to mean that life is like a dance. Thought you might like to know. :D And also that my chapter names reflect what's going on in the chapter. Thought you might like to know that too. XD

Without further ado, I present to you Chapter One of The Dance Called Life!

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. I wish I did though...


Under a clear night sky, a girl with brown hair rode her bicycle along the outskirts of Dublin, pedalling furiously. If someone had been outside just as she rode past them, they would have heard her muttering angrily under her breath.

As it happened, no one was around to see Sana whizzing along on her bike, legs pumping as she attempted to abate some of the anger she felt when Monsieur picked someone else dance the role that she had wanted for ages for the upcoming performance. But seriously, how dare he pick Clover for the solo part?

Everyone knew she deserved the part, working hard to become one of the best dancers in the class. True, she had wobbled in her arabesque, and landed a bit heavily on her pirouette, but Clover had fallen over just trying one!

Sana scowled. Just because Monsieur thought her face wasn't delicate enough for a fairy queen. Just because she had dark brown hair and a nose leaning towards the stronger side in the spectrum of noses. Just because Clover's nose was a delicate slip, skin creamy porcelain, face a perfect oval. But silvery-blond hair and blue eyes does not a fairy queen make.

Well, Sana admitted to herself grudgingly, Monsieur had said something about me being more of a jumping, spinning dancer than one that based their dancing on their line, but… it wouldn't have hurt to let me be the fairy queen, would it?

A chilly breeze blew past Sana, wakening her to her surroundings. She looked around, noticing that the houses had disappeared. It was all countryside now, with a large tree blocking her view of the road beyond. It had a nice orange tinge to it. Sana smiled. I'm nearly home.

Wait... orange glow? At eight o'clock? In March? In trepidation, Sana pedalled hard, and as she sped down the road, she looked up.

The first thing she saw was a burning building. Then realised it was her home. The fired roared along the roof, blazed through windows, happily burning everything in its path, ignoring the efforts of the fire fighters below trying to subdue it. As the situation finally reached her brain, Sana's grip loosened and her bike clattered to the ground. She ran towards her home, but a fire fighter grabbed her arm.

"Hey, you can't go near there! The roof's unstable and the whole house might collapse any time now!" Sana fought the grip on her arm. This couldn't be happening! Her house couldn't be on fire! Her parents were still in there! The fire fighter restrained her until Sana stopped struggling and began staring into the fire. The fire fighter let her go, ready to grab her if she made another dash for it, but she just stood there, gazing at the fire earnestly, as if waiting for something to happen.

One hand still gripping her arm, the fire fighter looked around until he spotted his team leader. "Stay here, OK?"

Sana nodded dumbly. He led her to the kerb and sat her down, running over to the leader.

"Jess, there's a kid over there. I'll go talk to her, yeah?"

"Sure. You know what to do. The police are going to be here soon, so just help her and stuff." Jess stopped and frowned as a section of the roof collapsed. Throughout the whole exchange, her attention had never wavered away from the fire. No one ever knew what fire would do. It was the most unpredictable element in the world. Now, as the fire steadied, Jess spared a glance at Sana.

"Weren't you going to talk to her?"

"Um, yeah…" David jogged away.

Jess spared another glance at Sana. The girl was still staring at the fire as if staring at it hard enough would be enough to stop the fire. She was lucky that she hadn't been in the house when the fire started. It was a good thing that the rich people all lived isolated, or it could have burnt down many other homes. Jess adjusted her grip on the hose and wiped some soot away from her visor. Then she battled on.

David plonked himself down next to Sana. For a while they sat silently, both of them staring at the burning building, and then he turned to her and asked gently, "I'm David. What's your name?"

Sana answered quietly, "Sana."

The two continued to sit there on the kerb, Sana tensely, David awkwardly. He glanced at the girl again, flames reflected in her eyes. He shivered. It's like she's forgotten everything around her, David thought. The only thing she cares about right now is the fire.

As part of his duty, David sat next to Sana, even though what he wanted to do the most was to join his teammates and help extinguish the fire. He attempted to break the silence between them.

"Was anyone at home?"

Sana kept her eyes on the fire. "My parents, my dog. I'm going to have a baby brother in four months."

David did not miss her use of 'I'm'.

"We think the fire started because of a forgotten stove, or a log that rolled out of the fireplace." David said, trying to distract the girl from the fire, but to no avail. He gave up talking and sat there next to her, just in case she decided to do something stupid in grief or rage.

Slowly, but steadily, the flames began to die down, until all that was left was a smoking, charred black hull of a house. At that moment, David felt the girl next to him deflate. He looked over at her. Sana sat slumped, as if all the energy in her had left her in one instant. David looked at her in alarm.

Just as he was about to try talk to her again, the police arrived. David stood up and beckoned one over. He was ashamed to feel relieved that he wouldn't have to look after the girl any longer, but he wasn't used to treating people who acted so peculiarly. The people he looked after usually just cried, or tried to run back into the fire, or did something. Not stare into the fire and then collapse. The police officer reached David and shook his hand.

"You guys did a good job containing this fire. Did anyone get out?" The officer smiled warmly at David.

"No, no one got out." The smile faded. David gestured towards Sana. "Her name's Sana, and I think she's the only survivor of this fire. She said that both her parents were home, and she's an only child. She wasn't at home at the time."

"OK, we'll take care of her. Leave her to us."

David walked sombrely back to his team. The fire fighters stood in a group facing the black sooty mass smoking in front of them, heads bare to pay respect to the two who had perished. David sent a quick prayer up to God, hoping that the two souls would find peace quickly. After one last bow, the group began to climb back into the fire truck. Later that night, back in his bed, David would wonder about the quiet girl who didn't cry but was breaking up inside.


Sana woke up, dimly hearing birds chirping outside the window. Where was she? The soft surface of the bed felt so vast she felt like she was sleeping on clouds. Sana slowly opened her eyes to see swathes of white fabric floating in mid-air. After a while, the shadows of wooden beams became visible through the hangings.

Sana frowned. Why would she be lying in a white canopy bed? Her duvet was patterned. Her bed wasn't some fancy canopy bed; it was a homey bed. A warm, heavy presence was missing from her feet. Where was Pear? Sana's frown cleared. Pear must have been taken out on a walk by her parents. The frown returned. Her parents never walked her dog. What was going on? Where was Ma and Da?

With that thought, the events of the last twelve hours broke a dam in her memory and washed over her...

Sana sat in front of a desk like the ones in the police movies where they interrogated the suspects. Only the bright light shining in her face was missing, and instead of a bulldog-look-a-like police officer, a kind one sat opposite her instead.

The police officer, Wilhelmina (who told Sana to call her Hilly), explained, 'Yes, I'm sorry about asking you about your family after your tragic loss, but I really have to take down all the details I can get about your family and what happened before the accident.'

Sana felt curiously detached from the whole situation, as if she was in a glass bottle watching the world swirl about her until it had swept her up, glass bottle and all, and carried her to this place of no-emotions.

'So now, please answer as truthfully as you can, okay?' Hilly then took out a clipboard and prepared to take notes as Sana answered her questions.

'What's your name?'

Sana answered mechanically. 'Sana Aine McEwan.' She looked down at the ground.

'Birthday?'

'7th of March, 1990.'

'That would make you… nearly ten?'

'Yes.' Sana felt her heart twist recollecting the excited looks her parents had been sharing for the past couple of weeks. She had no doubt that they had been planning a surprise for her.

Maybe her heart was working after all.

'And your parents' names, ages and occupations?

'Adam McEwan, 36, father, architect and Rowan McEwan, 36, mother, lawyer.' They had always told her they were parents first and everything else second.

'Do you have any living relatives? No?' Hilly noticed Sana's lack of movement, and sighed, taking the girl's lack of movement as an affirmative. She hated telling children their options when they had no living relatives. She looked over at the young girl, looking as though she had the miseries of the world on her shoulders, even though Sana's composure had not slipped once. Hilly sighed and glanced at her clipboard, then gathering herself, she spoke.

'Sana,' Hilly began. It came out scratchy and awkward. Hilly cleared her throat and tried again. 'Sana, because you've got no living relations, you'll need to go to a children's hostel until we find a foster family for you, until you get adopted or until you turn 18. But because your 18th's so far away, you'll probably become a foster child. For tonight, you'll stay with one of our Child Care volunteers, Joanne, who will be here soon, and she will take you to this hostel,' Hilly placed a brochure with a picture of a sickeningly sweet looking hostel on the table in front of Sana, 'Tomorrow. If you've got any questions, worries, or something, tell me now.'

Sana stared at the glossy brochure. Her voice came out hesitantly, 'My mum had a close friend who lived next door to us. Ma and Da always told me to go to them if anything happened. Can I go there?'

'Who's this?'

'Angeline Fowl.' The instant Sana uttered Angeline's name, Hilly's eyes widened and immediately picked up the phone.

'Let me call Angeline and ask if she'll take you in.'

Hilly pressed the numbers that would connect her to the Fowl residence. She would have never thought that she would one day be able to talk to the matriarch of the Fowl family, renowned for their wealth, their ruthlessness for gold and the legend of unbeatable bodyguards that shielded this family from the rest of the world.

The dial tone began to sound…

Kilometres away, over fields of grass and under the walls of one of the most protected estates in the country, the phone began to ring. Angeline Fowl came out of her reverie and reached for her handset on the bedside table next to her.

'Hello?'

Back at the police station, Hilly swallowed. Never had she ever heard such a musical, refined voice! 'Good evening, I'm Officer Wilhemina. Am I speaking to Angeline Fowl?' Her voice sounded positively gravelly.

Angeline frowned. 'Yes, speaking. What's happened?'

'There has been a fire in your neighbourhood, and the survivor of that fire, Sana, told me to contact you. Please come down to the station as soon as poss - .'

Angeline interrupted, 'What's wrong with Sana? You said there was a fire. What happened to Rowan and Adam?'

'Unfortunately, Sana was the only survivor of the fire. I'm sorry, but all other matters will be discussed here, at the station, when you arrive.'

'Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can,' answered Angeline vaguely.

'Good night, Mrs. Fowl.' The phone call terminated with a soft click.

Hilly put down the phone and looked up. 'Sana,' she said softly, 'Angeline said that she would be arriving soon. Before she comes, would you like a drink?' Without waiting for Sana's assent, Hilly left the room to get water.

Back at Fowl Manor, Angeline slowly put down the handset. The McEwans, dead? Sana, orphaned? Angeline stared at the wall opposite her in shock, the words of the police officer swirling around in her mind until it became a soupy mess. Rowan and Adam couldn't be dead! Rowan can't be dead.

Sure, they had talked about what to do if one of them died, but it was too soon! They were only in their thirties! How could anyone take them away at such an age, let alone two of the most beautiful and kindly of all the people on Earth? How about Sana? Why would anyone take the parents from a child so full of life? Sana! She had to get to Sana!

Snapping out of her stupor, Angeline called her husband.

'Timmy, I need to go out for a while.'

'Why? What's wrong? Where are you going?'

'I need to go to the police station. Rowan and Adam's died in a fire. Sana's now an orphan and I want her to be able to come here and grieve for her family in peace here, not in some police station.' She started to cry softly. Artemis Fowl Senior gently wiped away her tears.

'Go. Get Major to come with you. And are you really going out dressed like that?' Artemis looked down at his wife's attire, a silk chemise that skimmed her thighs. 'At least put something else on.' But Angeline was already gone.

Ten minutes later, a black Bentley drove up to the front. The back door opened, and a tall, graceful woman stepped out on to the pavement. Long hair swished past as Angeline rushed into the building, not caring that she was barefoot, half naked or that all the officers in the building had stopped their work to gawp at her.

She hurried to the desk, located where Sana was, and a few seconds later, Sana found herself enveloped in a hug that was as familiar to her as her own mother's. Finally, the glass bottle shattered and all the feelings Sana had locked up broke open. Sana began to cry, and for a while, all Angeline did was rock Sana back and forth gently, stroking her hair. Eventually, Sana's violent sobs gradually subsided, and Angeline directed her gaze at Hilly, wiping away her own tears.

'How long will it take for me to adopt Sana?' Angeline asked.

'It'll take at least nine months before you can formally adopt Sana,' Hilly answered. 'To do that, you have to submit a whole range of forms. Wait, let me get the folder first...' Hilly got up to go to the cabinet, but a movement near the door caught her eye. She stared. It seemed like the whole building was crammed around the door, gawping at this sight of female perfection. Hilly, grabbing a broom, brandished it at the crowd, until every person who had been standing at the door had been shooed away.

Throughout the commotion at the door, Angeline and Sana sat in their own little world, Angeline rocking Sana gently as if she were a small toddler, Sana giving a small hiccough every now and then. Hilly, fuming at the nerve of her teammates, searched for the folder containing adoption procedures, until the relevant documents were found and were placed in front of Angeline.

Hilly opened the folder none-too-roughly and took out the sheets. 'Mrs. Fowl, as you can see, before you can adopt Sana, you'll need to submit an assessment of your suitablity to adopt.' Hilly slid a sheet in front of Angeline. 'This outlines the details of what should be included in the assessment - '

'Excuse me,' Angeline interrupted, 'but I've already completed an assessment of suitability. When Rowan and I had submitted those forms in, in case a situation like this arose, we also requested not to put ourselves down for an adoption agency but just to remain open until the need arose. It was a lot more paperwork, but I have been approved already.'

Hilly blinked. 'Well then, if you've done that, then it'll go through in about four months. Still, to formalise this, you'll need to submit an application for an Adoption Order.' Hilly pushed another pile of sheets in front of Angeline, offering a pen to Angeline. 'If you fill that out, I'll be happy to send it in for you.'

Angeline methodically filled out the form. When she was done, Hilly placed it in an envelope and placed it on the side.

'When this reaches the Adoption Board, a social-worker will come to your house sometime while they're deciding whether they'll approve this application or not. The social-worker will write a report, and that will influence the success of your application.'

Angeline nodded in understanding, and then frowned. 'What about now? I've filled in the form, but where does Sana go now? Can she come home with me?'

'Yes,' Hilly asserted. 'The people who fill in these forms are allowed to take the child home with them.'

Angeline stood up. 'Let's go home, Sana.' Holding hands, the prospective mother and daughter left the station, and drove back to Fowl Manor, as familiar to Sana as her own home. Once there, Angeline led the girl down the hall to the guest room.

'This can be your room now. You'll be next to Arty, and then down the hall will be Timmy and me. If you need anything, you know where it is. Good night, Sana.' Tucking Sana into bed, Angeline kissed her forehead, and then left the room. Artemis Snr greeted her on the landing.

'Is she settled?'

'Yes.' Artemis Snr embraced his wife, and then led Angeline back to their room. 'Come on, go to sleep. It's late.' He stopped at the threshold. Angeline, pausing, turned back to face her husband.

'What's wrong?'

'I need to finish some business first. Good night.' Kissing his wife on the cheek, he turned and left. Angeline crawled back into bed and began to cry.


A knock sounded at Sana's door.

'Come in.'

Butler entered the room. 'Good morning, Sana. It's breakfast time.'

'Good morning, Butler.'

Butler turned to go, but paused and said, 'I'm sorry, Sana. Rowan and Adam were good people.' The door clicked shut.

At his words, Sana began to cry, then, for some strange reason, laugh.

A voice sounded in the midst of her teary laughter. 'Good morning, Sana. Please stop being hysterical, even though that is not the correct term for such expressions. Hysterics actually mean something else, but this is not the time for explanations, proven by your peculiar behaviour. Mother has told me the events which had occurred last night, which provides more evidence that this isn't the time for me to lecture you.

What I would like to say,' Artemis continued clinically, 'Is that I'm sorry for Adam and Rowan's deaths. They were good people. The world has lost two amazing people. Apart from that, welcome to the Fowl Empire.'

Sana hiccoughed and locked her eyes with a pair of brilliant blue eyes.

'Hello, Artemis.'


So... what did you think of it? Anyway, hoped you liked it and hope you will continue reading it! :D

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, all Fanfictioners! (Just in case I don't update closer to the actual date. ;] )