Hey now, you're an All Star get your game on, go play

Hey now, you're a rock star get your show on, get paid...

Sana jogged around the Fowl estates to the rhythm of 'All Star' blaring through her Walkman, which she had had with her on the day of the fire. It had been a month since she had first come out of her room, a month since she had discovered she couldn't speak. Angeline had been hugely supportive, even insisting that Sana kept being a McEwan, her reason being "Sana, even though you're legally a Fowl, I don't want you changing your name, not because you're not an accepted part of the family, but because it is your only link back to your parents. I don't want you to forget your parents. No, not at all…" Sana had accepted it gratefully. Not that she would be able to forget her parents even if she wanted to. Sana was secretly glad that Angeline hadn't forced her to her name, as it kept her parents' memories alive every time they were mentioned. Even though it still hurt whenever she thought of Adam and Rowan, she would never wish to forget them. Sana jogged back into the manor, just in time for breakfast.

"Good morning, Sana," greeted Butler as Sana flopped into her chair, "Good run?"

Sana grabbed her notepad lying on the table. Yep. They had this exchange every morning after Sana came back in from her run. Arty should come with me some morning she added, drawing a wicked grin next to the comment.

"What was that, Sana? I saw my name.' Artemis walked into the room wearing a white polo top and cream pants. "What did you write on your notepad?" He slid into his seat opposite Sana. He still could not get used to the fact that Sana could only talk through pen and paper, still could not get used to her conveying her smiles through drawings on paper. She had not smiled since her parent's funeral a month ago.

Sana showed him her paper. Reading it, his eyebrows rose, and shook his head as he eyed her sweaty form. "My energy is needed for my mental exercises. I do not need physical exercise, nor will I need it."

Sana bent her head over her piece of paper, scribbling madly. But it's good for you! It's proven that exercise releases endorphins, making you happier and less stressful! And you get fitter, improving your heart and muscles and stuff.

"I meditate to release stress. I don't need to improve my cardiovascular capabilities or my stuff."

That's because you can't be bothered and because you're so unfit you can't even run down the stairs without puffing.

As they continued their one-sided bickering, Butler placed their breakfasts, hot-from-the-crumpet-maker crumpets with Canadian maple syrup and butter, in front of them. Sana, smelling food, stopped listening to Artemis, who was listing out why he had no need of exercise, and started eating. Artemis kept talking until Sana finished and handed her plate back to Butler, writing out a request for seconds. He glared at Sana as he started to eat his now cold crumpets. As he ate, Artemis noticed that the dining room was empty except for Sana and him.

"Butler, where is Mother?"

Butler, returning back into the room with Sana's crumpets, answered, "She told me not to prepare breakfast for her because she has a headache. " Artemis frowned. Today would be the second time that Mother had skipped a meal because of a headache.

Sana made a vague hand movement. Artemis, interpreting it correctly, replied absentmindedly, "Yes, I think so. She'll be fine by lunch." Standing up, Sana took her dirty plates to the kitchen and put them into the sink. She was about to wash the dishes when Butler stopped her.

"Don't worry about that. We have a maid for it."

Sana stared, puzzled for a minute, then nodded at him and left. She was accustomed to washing the dishes at home, since her parents had insisted on bringing Sana up like a normal child, instead of a spoiled, pampered one. Her home had been a one storey bungalow with two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a library and a double garage. Even though the house was considerably smaller than Fowl Manor, they had lands as big as their neighbours, which meant that Sana had had huge areas in which to walk, jog, swim (they had a pool), ride or do anything they wanted to. In fact, the land was still legally Sana's, but Artemis had advised her to lease it out, and she had done so. Sana entered her room, her mind projecting colours and paintings on the walls.

Strong arms lifted her up. 'Sana, you like your room?' Adam McEwan swung his daughter around, both of them laughing in delight.

'I love it, Daddy! How d'you know I wanted a green room? It's so pretty!'

Adam winked conspiratorily. 'I have my ways.' He put Sana down heavily. 'Ugh. You're getting heavy, Sana. Soon I won't be able to do that. Anyway, happy birthday!'

Sana wiped her eyes dry. Looking around the completely white room despondently, Sana could not bear to live in such a clinical environment anymore, deciding to redecorate her room to her tastes. She began to make a list of what she wanted her room to be like, the repetitive nature of the list-making taking her mind off the turmoil that the memory had evoked. When she was finished, she ran out of her room, dashing down the hallway to the Fowl parents' rooms. Sana paused for breath, then, sweeping her hair out of her face, she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Sana entered, hesitating at the doorway. The curtains were closed, and, blinking to acclimatize to the darkness, she made out Angeline's form lying in bed. Stepping carefully by swiftly between the vines patterned on the carpet, a habit she had picked up from Artemis, Sana reached the bed and sat down.

Are you okay, Angeline?

Angeline turned towards Sana, slowly reading her words. "Yes, Sana, I'm fine. Just feeling a little under the weather today, that's all."

Can I redecorate my room? Angeline smiled at the statement, reaching up to smooth Sana's hair.

"Of course you can. Do whatever you want to your room. That area's yours."

Sana kissed Angeline's cheek in gratitude and then, flying back over the vines, she collected a few things, including Artemis and Butler, before leaving the Manor, leaving Angeline behind to wallow in her own personal sorrows.

***

Sana walked through the aisles in Dublin's largest hardware store. Behind her, Artemis trailed behind, complaining to Butler.

"Why am I here? How did I get myself here? One minute, I'm at my computer writing a draft for the new psychological analyst book, and the next minute, I'm in the Bentley on the way to Dublin! Why do I let her drag me around? Why didn't I refuse to come? Why…" Artemis continued his rant until Butler tapped him on the shoulder.

"I think Sana needs to talk to you. She's beckoning." With that, Artemis stopped his tirade and walked over calmly.

Sana took out her pen. You look so cute when you switched the emotions on your face from angry and pissed to calm and collected. Sana ruffled his hair.

Artemis reached up and smoothed his hair down. "Stop ruffling my hair!"

What else have you got to complain about me? Your little rant was pretty entertaining.

"Nothing," he replied, flushing at her comment. Sana wasn't even listening anymore.

Look! Don't you think that colour would look awesome on my walls? It looks just like the sea! Sana thrust a colour strip in front of Artemis' face, covered all over with comments. Artemis looked at the colour strip carefully.

"I presume it is the second one from the top?"

Sana nodded, pointing to the colour he had mentioned. She left the strip in Artemis' hands and stood there, looking at the strips of colour, picking out various colours and placing them next to one another. Artemis stood there, looking confused.

Sana, seeing the look, queried, What's wrong? She held her notepad awkwardly, trying to balance it between all the colour strips she had taken from the wall.

"What are you doing?"

I'm redecorating my room. I've already asked Angeline, and she said yes, so it's all good!

As Sana collected and amassed a large collection of items, including ten 10L tins of both 'Sand White' and 'Aquamarine Blue' as well as, inexplicably, midnight blue, it fell onto Artemis and Butler to push the trolley containing everything. Actually, Butler was doing the actual work. Artemis just placed his hand on the side of the trolley. He looked around the hardware store. All the decorating done in the manor was done by professionals, so Artemis had never needed to go to a hardware store. He couldn't believe how many people were there, buying parts to a light, paints, even planks of wood. So many people, wasting their time in redecorating their homes, when that time could be used productively to help solve the world's problems, such as the economic inflation. Maybe it was a form of relaxation, redecorating their homes. Artemis jotted that thought down mentally. It could prove to be an invaluable research topic to the psychological analysis article that he was writing at the moment.

His reverie was interrupted by Sana.

Hello, Earth to Artemis!! Are you still with us? She wrote, waving her notepad in front of his face.

'Yes, I'm still here. What do you want?'

Good. We can go now. Would your majesty deign to walk towards the cash registers? she joked, drawing a smiley next to the comment.

Artemis sighed, then looked around, saw the registers and guided the trolley towards a queue-less register. As Sana unloaded the trolley, Artemis observed his surroundings. Most of the other people in the store were families with children or teenagers. He glanced at his companions. They certainly looked the family, albeit one with a very large 'father' and twins. Finally, Sana was done.

The cashier told Butler, "It's €1324 altogether, sir." Butler raised an eyebrow.

Sana gestured to the trolley, with Artemis interpreting (correctly) the gesture as a request for Artemis and Butler to start loading the trolley. Artemis nodded, and, as they obeyed, Sana turned back to the cashier, pulled out a credit card and handed it over the counter.

Here you go. The cashier, looking bemused, charged it to her account. Sana signed the receipt, then, putting her card back into her wallet, took charge.

Let's go. I still need to go to get fabric. And so, after unloading the trolley's contents into the back of the Bentley, Butler found himself driving to the fabric store. There, Sana dallied until she selected striped and dotted poly-cotton blends, white organza and blue-green chiffon, as well a variety of different buckles, buttons and whatnot. Buying the whole roll of fabric for each, Sana racked up a total of € 739. The cashier looked slightly stunned. The other people in the register lines seemed to be amazed that such a young girl was paying with a credit card. Their amazement congealed when Sana signed the receipt instead of Butler, the only adult in their party. Artemis, oblivious to the atmosphere in the store, looked around in interest. He felt no particular emotion to this shopping spree, knowing already that she had her own account and card. In fact, Artemis did too; he just didn't go shopping.

Finally, the Bentley arrived back to Fowl Manor. All three of them carried items up to Sana's room, taking multiple trips to deposit everything at their destination. Butler carried most of the heavier objects. The only things Artemis carried were the buckles and buttons from the fabric store. When the last roll of fabric, the last tin of paint, had arrived in Sana's room, she wiped the sweat of her forehead, writing, Thanks, esp. you, Arty, for actually coming with me. Butler, you know you're wonderful. I'll start decorating tomorrow. If I need any help, which I probably won't, I'll just need your help, Arty. Butler, I won't distract you from your other jobs. So yeah. Thanks!

Artemis fervently hoped that she wouldn't need any help tomorrow. As he left the room, he heard Sana write something, then call a number, Butler talking for her.

"Hello, is this Build-a-dream? I need to place an order for around 1000 glass bricks…" Hearing that, Artemis' heart sank. His immediate future seemed dark indeed.