The Girl In Chains (Artemis Fowl x Female Reader)

5. Artemis Fowl POV

Afternoon classes are always a slight pain, you just start to have fun trying to discover a new law of algebra, then you have to pull yourself away and go to class.

The professor is either late, or can't make it to class today because the front stage is very much vacant. I keep checking my schedule to make sure i didn't come to the wrong class, when i look up and find Morrigan taking a seat right beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her, forcing my voice to sound monotone and nonchalant. She matches my tone.

"I don't know what you mean, im here for class"

"You know what i mean"

"No i don't"

"Yes, you do"

"Nope" She pops the "P", making me wince.

I sigh. Before i could reply, someone at the back of the class lets out a yell of triumph. I glance around to see a group of five people circled around something, trying to get a good look in.

"They're playing chess" Morrigan answers my unspoken question without looking back, very focused on death-staring forward.

I glance at her and feel compelled to ask her. I'm not trying to put her to the test; I just want to see how I compare to her; she could be the true test I've been looking for.

"Do you want to go up against me?" I'm smirking. This could be one of the best matches of a lifetime. Is she really good enough to beat me? and i'm surprised to find myself considering that someone could beat me in the one game i specially excelled in.

I see the same challenging flame flicker to life in her beautiful eyes that must be present in my own. Her lips twitch at the edges into a teasing grin.

"Sure, but i won't be going up against you, i'll be leaping up to fucking space"

"Where your blood boils due to lack of air pressure, your body freezes, and you combust"

She lets out a laugh, and for once, i get a glimpse of the real Morrigan, she looks up at me with a genuine smile on her face, her eyes sparkling, her hair falling across her face. My heart skips a beat and i forget to breathe for a second. She looks divine.

But the second passes as fast as it lasted, replaced by the familiar mask she has super-glued to her face. My heart drops in an unexpected wash of disappointment.

"Ar mhiste leat smartass a bhaint amach!" She says as she stands, "I'll crush you"
("C'mon you over achieving smartass" In Irish)

I shake my head and follow her.

She walks to the circle right as one of the two people playing whoops and punches the air, "I win! 50 Euros baby!"

She slides up behind him and pats his arm. He swerves to look at her, she gives him a huge and flattering smile, instantly softening him. 

"Hey, can me and my friend play a round? I need to whip his ass" She turns to smirk at me.

His gaze follows hers and nods at me, his own carefree smile plastered stupidly over his face. His eyes travel over my formal, pressed suit and tie, a question creasing his brows.

"Sure. Y'all doing a bet?"

I raise my eyebrow, "Not that im aware of"

"I wouldn't mind" Morrigan shrugged, "15 Euros?"

I shake my head but agree. 

The person who won the last round moved aside as i settled into the seat opposite Morrigan. She's shaped her lips into that prominent smirk and her left brow is lifted, it seems to be a habit of hers. We right the pieces on the black and white board, this one is magnetic and made out of cheap plastic, i'm used to something a little fancier, but this will have to do.

"Let's do this shit" Morrigan cracks her fingers and stare at me, her head tilted and challenging. 

I'm white, so naturally i get first move, I bring out a knight.

She stations out a pawn two spaces forward.

I bring out my own pawn right beside my knight, creating a C4, one of the best opening moves.

We continue, moving piece after piece, never giving the other a chance to retaliate. When she took my first piece - a bishop - my eyes widened in disbelief, but instead of feeling anger, i only felt surprise. I step up my game.

After 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, i don't know, we are both reduced to having only kings on board with the exception of a pawn-turned-queen on my side. 

She throws her head back and stretches, arching her back against the chair, her crop top creeps up her body, barely covering up her breasts. i turn away and blush, the teenage boy in me leaping with joy. I try to push him down. I try to remind myself that Morrigan is a killer, a killer, a killer.... The thought feels like bile in my throat.

Taking a human life, i wonder how someone could do that....

"I'll give you the 15, it's in my bag" My thoughts snap back to the present.

"What do you mean? This is a tie"

She points at my queen, "You still have her, it counts as a win in my book"

"Alright" I stand up and offer her my hand, "You put up a good game, but in the end, you really did shoot up to space"

She takes my hand, "Yeah, i guess. At least we both got what we want" 

"That we did" I started to walk away when the person from the last round clasps their hands on my shoulders and speaks into my ear, 

"You gotta stop being so formal if you wanna get the girl, man, live a little, loosen up, you look like there's a stick up your ass"

I lift my eyebrows, affronted, "I'm not trying to 'Get the girl'"

He shakes his head, "Everyone sees it, man. You want her, the sooner you realize the better"

Everyone sees what?

"I do not"

He chuckle, "Sure, man"

"And what's with this excessive use of the word 'man'?"

"You're hopeless, man" He walks away.

Hopeless?

For once in quite a while, i'm at a loss of what is happening. I break out of it and look around, Morrigan is rummaging in her bag. I walk up to her, 

"I don't need it" 

"What?" 

"The money"

"Sure?"

"It's just 15 Euro"

"What's the catch"

"What makes you think there's a catch?"

She glares at me pointedly.

"I need to speak privately to you"

"I'm not going in anymore allies with you"

"i know. How about a vacant classroom?"

"No, how can i make sure Butler and Holly aren't hiding in wait?"

"You can't" I admit. 

Just then, one of the people in the back of the class yell, "Class over according to schedule!"

Everyone immediately start to move out. Morrigan turns away from me to pack her own barely-opened bag. I shake my head in defeat and pick up my own bag, i leave with one last sentence, "We're not done with this conversation, we'll pick this up next class"

I hear her whisper a reply so quiet i don't think it's mine to hear, "If i last 'till next class"

The image of her chained in my dream pops prominent and uninvited into my head. 

That girl with one red eye, one blue eye, pulled so far apart on the colour spectrum, united only by how dark the colour and the fear and sorrow etched in deep.