Homecoming
"Butler. Can't you drive any faster?"
Artemis Fowl was having trouble staying in place. Usually, coming home wasn't something he particularly looked forward too, even when he was leaving St Barteby's. But this time, a little rest would be welcome. He had spent the last six months planing the Goblin war by email with Holly Short between classes and putting up with his excrutiatingly dull teachers, who insisted that he take tests like the rest of the students although they knew his I.Q was higher than anybody else in the school, faculty included.
"Artemis, we're almost there," Butler replied. "Now calm down and stop tapping your fingers on the arm rest, it's a nuisance to my concentration."
Artemis couldn't explain why he had been so jittery lately. Maybe it was because his father was off on a business deal in Singapour. Or maybe because he didn't like for his mother to be alone in the house.
But Artemis knew that if he was perfectly honest with himself, he had to admit it wasn't his parents that were causing him worries. He was having some bothersome preoccupations lately, preoccupations that could hardly be solved in a school for young gentlemen only.
Holly and him had become friends over the many hours they spent communicating by Internet. While Artemis had hoped for a little more at one point, seeing that she was the only person he knew whose intelligence matched his own, he quickly realized that dating an ancient magical being who lived under the core of the earth might present some incovenients. He suspected Holly had guessed his intentions, but she had casually dismissed it as a normal occurrence for a lonely teenage boy, releaving in advance every tension it might have created between them.
Artemis concluded from this experience his lot was to look for someone actually human and under 80, even though he had no idea where and how. The other boys made it sound pretty easy. Artemis figured it must've been like planing out LEP unit attacks; all you needed was a little planing.
The only problem was, Artemis also needed a target.
"Artemis?"
Butler was holding the car door open, staring at him expectantly. Artemis realized his bodyguard had pulled up the Bentley in front of Fowl Manor.
"Sorry, Butler. I was."
"Lost in your thoughts, as always," Butler smiled. "Come on, your mother must be waiting."
His mother, in fact, was standing in the front hall, wearing a blue silk dressing gown, arms outstretched.
"Arty! It's so marvelous to see you, my darling!"
Angeline Fowl wrapped her son in a warm embrace. Artemis patted her shoulder, feeling akward with such a display of affection.
"Likewise, Mother."
Butler was struggling with the many suitcases. "Where's Juliet?" he asked, looking around for his younger sister. "I need a hand carting the luggage to Master Artemis's room."
"She's in the kitchen, fixing some lemonade," his mother replied. "Ju-liet! Come here!"
Seconds later, Juliet came scurrying in the hall. She was staring down at her feet, and her cheeks were slightly red..
Artemis raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange quiver in his stomach. He hadn't seen Juliet since Christmas, but vividly remembered how she had put the decorator in a full nelson after he had jokingly misplaced his hand somewhere. Artemis was starting to understand the poor bloke. Juliet's skirt was more lethal than her wrestling moves, and the rest of her wasn't half- bad either.
"Yes, Madam?" she asked, looking up to give her brother a smile.
"Help Butler carry these bags to Arty's room," his mother ordered.
"Yes, Madam," Juliet said.
Before he could say anything, Artemis felt his mother's strong grip around his arm. "Come, Arty, the weather's wonderful," she said happily, dragging him towards the patio. Artemis glanced over his shoulder. The hall was empty. Juliet was gone.
Artemis was getting a cramp in his jaw. He was trying to look interested in his mother's iddle and continuous chatter, but it was hard to keep from yawning. Artemis focused on his glass of lemonade. It was actually pretty good. A little sour, but just the right amount of sugar.
"I bet you're thinking that Juliet is more than just a good maid, aren't you?" his mother asked suddenly.
Artemis burst out into coughts. "What?" he managed to say.
Angeline looked confused. "Why, yes. You seem to be quite fond of her lemonade."
Artemis closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Yes. The lemonade. Of course."
"Arty, your face is all red. Is something wrong, darling?"
Artemis smiled reassuringly at his mother. "You know being out in the sun isn't really my cup of tea, Mother. I think I'll go take a nap in my room."
"Of course, Arty. Don't forget dinner is served at seven."
Artemis rushed into the house, trying to get a hold of himself. This was not going very smoothly, to say the least. He had to calm himself before he made any more blunders. Any false move would ruin his image.
Halfway to his room, Artemis realized it wasn't empty upon hearing some footsteps on the polished floor. Stepping to the door frame, he saw Juliet shuffling her feather duster about his furniture, meticulously swipping away the dust and making sure none of it spilled on the crisp white bed sheets. With her hair curling down her neck and the sun drowing it in golden light, she looked like an angel. But definitly not assexuated, Artemis thought, swallowing hard.
"Really, Juliet, you shouldn't go through all that trouble," he said aloud.
Juliet froze, which Artemis guessed was a good sign.
"No, no, I assure you," he added, encouraged by her reaction. "It's quite bizarre to see you with a feather duster while I know very well you'd take on any reasonnably proportionned man on the planet and get him on the ground in two moves."
Juliet turned around, locking her bright blue eyes with his. The funny quiver was making a comeback to his stomach.
"That. that's an exageration," she replied, her voice slightly wavery.
"Are you sure?" Artemis smiled, cocking his head to one side and trying to disguise his own nervousness. "I, for one, believe you have many hidden talents. It's really too bad to let them go to waste, don't you think?"
Juliet blushed. She obviously knew what he was implying, but Artemis wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.
"I'm just doing what your family pays me for," she said, turning back to her dusting, her voice hardly above a whisper.
Artemis gulped at the tension that had built up in the room. But it wasn't dissuasive. It was empowering. Even turning her back on him, Juliet seemed to be giving him an open invitation to make his move, something Artemis felt she was waiting for but that frightened her all the same.
"Well, then,"Artemis replied, stepping closer to her, "keep up the good work."
He tentavily stroked the curls at the nape of her neck, and let his hand linger all the way down her spine, making her shiver.
"I. I have some chores to do." Juliet mumbled, hurrying away and clutching her feather duster like her life depended on it.
Artemis was left alone in his room, wearing what he believed was a goofy smile on his face. It was a small victory, but curiously, he felt incredibly good. Better then he had in a long time. Seeing that he had missed out on so much during all those lonely years, there was alot to make up for. But Artemis welcomed the challenge.
"Butler. Can't you drive any faster?"
Artemis Fowl was having trouble staying in place. Usually, coming home wasn't something he particularly looked forward too, even when he was leaving St Barteby's. But this time, a little rest would be welcome. He had spent the last six months planing the Goblin war by email with Holly Short between classes and putting up with his excrutiatingly dull teachers, who insisted that he take tests like the rest of the students although they knew his I.Q was higher than anybody else in the school, faculty included.
"Artemis, we're almost there," Butler replied. "Now calm down and stop tapping your fingers on the arm rest, it's a nuisance to my concentration."
Artemis couldn't explain why he had been so jittery lately. Maybe it was because his father was off on a business deal in Singapour. Or maybe because he didn't like for his mother to be alone in the house.
But Artemis knew that if he was perfectly honest with himself, he had to admit it wasn't his parents that were causing him worries. He was having some bothersome preoccupations lately, preoccupations that could hardly be solved in a school for young gentlemen only.
Holly and him had become friends over the many hours they spent communicating by Internet. While Artemis had hoped for a little more at one point, seeing that she was the only person he knew whose intelligence matched his own, he quickly realized that dating an ancient magical being who lived under the core of the earth might present some incovenients. He suspected Holly had guessed his intentions, but she had casually dismissed it as a normal occurrence for a lonely teenage boy, releaving in advance every tension it might have created between them.
Artemis concluded from this experience his lot was to look for someone actually human and under 80, even though he had no idea where and how. The other boys made it sound pretty easy. Artemis figured it must've been like planing out LEP unit attacks; all you needed was a little planing.
The only problem was, Artemis also needed a target.
"Artemis?"
Butler was holding the car door open, staring at him expectantly. Artemis realized his bodyguard had pulled up the Bentley in front of Fowl Manor.
"Sorry, Butler. I was."
"Lost in your thoughts, as always," Butler smiled. "Come on, your mother must be waiting."
His mother, in fact, was standing in the front hall, wearing a blue silk dressing gown, arms outstretched.
"Arty! It's so marvelous to see you, my darling!"
Angeline Fowl wrapped her son in a warm embrace. Artemis patted her shoulder, feeling akward with such a display of affection.
"Likewise, Mother."
Butler was struggling with the many suitcases. "Where's Juliet?" he asked, looking around for his younger sister. "I need a hand carting the luggage to Master Artemis's room."
"She's in the kitchen, fixing some lemonade," his mother replied. "Ju-liet! Come here!"
Seconds later, Juliet came scurrying in the hall. She was staring down at her feet, and her cheeks were slightly red..
Artemis raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange quiver in his stomach. He hadn't seen Juliet since Christmas, but vividly remembered how she had put the decorator in a full nelson after he had jokingly misplaced his hand somewhere. Artemis was starting to understand the poor bloke. Juliet's skirt was more lethal than her wrestling moves, and the rest of her wasn't half- bad either.
"Yes, Madam?" she asked, looking up to give her brother a smile.
"Help Butler carry these bags to Arty's room," his mother ordered.
"Yes, Madam," Juliet said.
Before he could say anything, Artemis felt his mother's strong grip around his arm. "Come, Arty, the weather's wonderful," she said happily, dragging him towards the patio. Artemis glanced over his shoulder. The hall was empty. Juliet was gone.
Artemis was getting a cramp in his jaw. He was trying to look interested in his mother's iddle and continuous chatter, but it was hard to keep from yawning. Artemis focused on his glass of lemonade. It was actually pretty good. A little sour, but just the right amount of sugar.
"I bet you're thinking that Juliet is more than just a good maid, aren't you?" his mother asked suddenly.
Artemis burst out into coughts. "What?" he managed to say.
Angeline looked confused. "Why, yes. You seem to be quite fond of her lemonade."
Artemis closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Yes. The lemonade. Of course."
"Arty, your face is all red. Is something wrong, darling?"
Artemis smiled reassuringly at his mother. "You know being out in the sun isn't really my cup of tea, Mother. I think I'll go take a nap in my room."
"Of course, Arty. Don't forget dinner is served at seven."
Artemis rushed into the house, trying to get a hold of himself. This was not going very smoothly, to say the least. He had to calm himself before he made any more blunders. Any false move would ruin his image.
Halfway to his room, Artemis realized it wasn't empty upon hearing some footsteps on the polished floor. Stepping to the door frame, he saw Juliet shuffling her feather duster about his furniture, meticulously swipping away the dust and making sure none of it spilled on the crisp white bed sheets. With her hair curling down her neck and the sun drowing it in golden light, she looked like an angel. But definitly not assexuated, Artemis thought, swallowing hard.
"Really, Juliet, you shouldn't go through all that trouble," he said aloud.
Juliet froze, which Artemis guessed was a good sign.
"No, no, I assure you," he added, encouraged by her reaction. "It's quite bizarre to see you with a feather duster while I know very well you'd take on any reasonnably proportionned man on the planet and get him on the ground in two moves."
Juliet turned around, locking her bright blue eyes with his. The funny quiver was making a comeback to his stomach.
"That. that's an exageration," she replied, her voice slightly wavery.
"Are you sure?" Artemis smiled, cocking his head to one side and trying to disguise his own nervousness. "I, for one, believe you have many hidden talents. It's really too bad to let them go to waste, don't you think?"
Juliet blushed. She obviously knew what he was implying, but Artemis wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.
"I'm just doing what your family pays me for," she said, turning back to her dusting, her voice hardly above a whisper.
Artemis gulped at the tension that had built up in the room. But it wasn't dissuasive. It was empowering. Even turning her back on him, Juliet seemed to be giving him an open invitation to make his move, something Artemis felt she was waiting for but that frightened her all the same.
"Well, then,"Artemis replied, stepping closer to her, "keep up the good work."
He tentavily stroked the curls at the nape of her neck, and let his hand linger all the way down her spine, making her shiver.
"I. I have some chores to do." Juliet mumbled, hurrying away and clutching her feather duster like her life depended on it.
Artemis was left alone in his room, wearing what he believed was a goofy smile on his face. It was a small victory, but curiously, he felt incredibly good. Better then he had in a long time. Seeing that he had missed out on so much during all those lonely years, there was alot to make up for. But Artemis welcomed the challenge.