Like most bedrooms Alex's was quite spacious until you filled it with his belongings.
There was a four-poster bed against one wall which presently had superhero sheets. There was a large window on the far wall that hung over a well-cushioned reading spot and would provide an excellent view of the west side of the estate if it weren't hidden behind the thick curtains.
There was a three-tier bookshelf opposite of the bed, on the first were a dozen or so mason jars of various sizes containing colorful flowers and oddly-shaped rocks Alex had found in the garden. The two shelves below it were filled with a small collection of books followed by maps. Road maps, topo graphs, satellite images, and constellation guides. All crumpled and stuffed together haphazardly, forcing each other to coexist. Atop it all was a large fish tank with a long crack in the glass that Alex had saved from a dumpster some time ago. He was hoping to convert it into a terrarium, or perhaps put a pet in it. A secret pet, of course.
Next to the bookshelf was a desk made from the light brown wood of a tree he couldn't remember the name of. The only noteworthy things on it were the dog-eared insect guide and a bookmarked copy of "The Vampire's Assistant", which were stacked above the wayward pens and pencils and framed by the small collection of figurines along the back headboard—the Mothman, Robin, a squirrel-agator.
Above the other belongings lost to the floor, buried by not-dirty-enough-to-wash laundry, was Alex. Allowing himself to be swallowed by his duvet as he re-read "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" for the fifth time. As he had made habit of doing since Artemis Sr. went missing.
Even though it had to be near dawn by now, Alex wasn't worried about Butler or his brother interrupting him with a cup of tea. That was what the video loop was for. Besides he'd already given up on sleeping tonight—too many failed attempts.
In theory, Alex could've remained in this state for the entirety of Artemis's scheme—assuming all went according to his plan. But if that were the case, then the come the end of the night, Alex's story would be over.
Fortunately for the younger boy, things did not go according to Artemis's plan.
When Alex was about two thirds through his book a loud noise sounded outside his door, so close it had to be just down the hallway. Not quite an explosion, more like whoopee cushion with considerably more bass.
Alex set his book down, spine up, and rolled his reading-exhausted eyes. Some part of his more-awake brain told him he should be questioning the nature of the sound, if not finding where it came from. Another, much more tired and cranky part, told that part to shut up and go to sleep. A third part didn't care for sleep, it was just hungry.
Rather than be caught in the indecision, Alex rubbed the tired from his eyes and half-way kicked the covers off to go investigate.