Greek (an Artemis Fowl fanfiction) (On Hold)

Miss Marley

Artemis's chest felt tight, and he couldn't help but glare. Approaching a stranger in their home? Asking to stay? He'd obviously have to explain the situation, and that itself would be a pain. Perhaps he could lie? It was a very prominently selected choice for him. Taking a deep breath, he started forward, his eyes focused on the girl.

As he neared the house, his presence was noticed by the young woman. She looked up from what she was knitting and gave him a shy smile. Continuing forward, Artemis returned it with a regretful one.

The young lady was wearing what appeared to be an Easter dress. It was simple, with a full skirt that stopped at her knees. White in color, the gown was dappled with light blue flowers, which formed a pattern across the material. Over the dress, she wore a small blue cardigan, which she hugged to her body at the sight of Artemis. When Artemis finally reached the porch, the girl placed her yarn on the ground next to her chair, standing to meet him.

“Hello,” she said sweetly, a smile on her face. She held out a small, pale hand to Artemis, and he mournfully took it, shaking it only slightly.

“Good evening,” he almost sighed, a sinking feeling in his chest. His eyes had drifted away from her face, so, unsure of what to do, he found her eyes again. The were blue. Like the sky. She blinked, brushing a strand of chocolatey hair out of her face, and began to giggle. That giggling became an uproar of laughter, and she proceeded to grip a porch railing for support. Artemis became worried.

Finally, her laughter subsided to the point that she could speak.. “You need something, don't you?” she asked between giggles. When Artemis didn't respond, she continued. “Well, most of the time when a young man wearing a suit approaches your house, which is in the middle of nowhere, with a look of displeasure and self-inflicted anger upon his sweat-covered face, then it's time to offer some help. Don't you think?”

Artemis swallowed, nodding regretfully. Who talks like that anyway? Oh, wait. He did. In return to his agreement, the girl smirked, leaving him briefly to hold open the house's main entrance. “Please, come in.”

Clearing his throat, Artemis prodded into the house, his dress shoes foreign to the sleek, wooden floors. Clacking and snapping followed him inside, and he stopped when he watched the girl hesitate, remove her sandals, and put on a pair of slippers. She pointed to a white pair. “Those are for guests. I can't ruin my floors, now can I?”

With a nod of understanding, Artemis awkwardly removed his loafers, lightly slipping his feet into the house shoes. As he jogged to catch up with the girl, he found himself amazed by the simplicity of the beach home. The walls were painted light blues and creams, seashells and dried starfish decorating the walls and shelves. The air even smelled like saltwater and sand. The walls consisted mostly of windows, something that made the overhead lights rather useless during the day, for soft white sheets of light calmly lit up the home. His eyes pulled away from the decor to study the young woman before him.

The two, light blue ribbons holding her chocolate hair into loose twintails shimmered when the light caught their silky surfaces. Occasionally, the girl would turn around, smile at Artemis, and say something like, “I found that shell on my trip to Florida. Isn't it pretty?”, or, “I've been meaning to clean, so please excuse the state of my home.” Eventually, her tour guide stopped, and the two found themselves in a large living room, complete with two sofas, one loveseat, and a sleek television. Twisting in a circle, the girl proceeded to collapse into the love seat. Once sitting, she placed her hand on the cushion next to her, patting it to indicate her invitation for Artemis's presence. Sighing, Artemis complied.

When Artemis was comfortable next to her, the girl turned to face him, her blue eyes warm on his face. “I'm yet to introduce myself,” she sighed, her smile heard in her words. “My name is Marley Claryweather. I enjoy singing and reading, and I really love cats. That's all there is about me.” She poked his knee with a manicured finger. “It's your turn.”

Artemis was quick to form a lie, the intelligent twists and turns in his brain speedily creating a false story, background, and name for his new character. “My name is Larson O'Donnell,” he begrudgingly began, meeting Marley's eyes to imply that he was telling only truths. “My parents have been quarreling lately about which university I should attend in order to gain the best education for my obvious future career as a zoologist. I, however, have an affinity with a young woman attending a local college, and wish to go there with her. They discovered our relationship, broke it off themselves, and plan to force me into a future I do not wish to see. I ran away, and that is that.”

Marley had been glaring ever since Artemis mentioned a fake young woman, and, with obvious annoyance, was playing a nonexistent piano on her knee with one small hand. “I see,” she murmured, her voice hollow and coarse in its hushed state. She then stood, smoothing down the skirt of her dress with a small sigh. “I trust you, Larson. There is a guest bedroom upstairs and to the left. Should you decide to reconcile with your guardians, you are free to leave at any time you see fit.”

Nodding, Artemis found himself slipping past Marley and toward the bedroom where he was to be staying. The beach house really was perfect, after all. Out of the way, innocent in appearance, and with an intelligent and generous young woman as a lone occupant. Thoughts of Butler clouded the forefront of his mind, and he had to force himself to push them aside. Though he had been taken by whoever it was that was after him, Butler knew good and well how to take care of himself. He'd be fine.

Artemis wasn't surprised to find the guest bedroom quickly. The walls were the same light blue as the rest of the house, and the dressers, doors, and bed were all bleach white. A painting of seagulls and the ocean decorated the wall, right next to a large windowed door, which allowed light to filter across the bed. Sliding the door open, Artemis discovered a small balcony looking out over the beach.

Something small brushed against Artemis's leg, sending his senses on alert. Jerking quickly, he stumbled back to discover that the intruder was simply a small cat. The feline was white, with long, silky fur and blue eyes. Smiling in relief, Artemis squatted down to pet it, scratching it behind two twitching ears.

A gleam of red caught Artemis's eye, and he fingered the skin around the cat's neck to inspect the discovery. Finding a small collar beneath layers of fur, Artemis criticized himself for his earlier panic. Blinking past his criticism, Artemis discovered that, printed on the collar, was the cat's name.

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