Myles Fowl [On Hold]

Chapter Five - Clues and Lies

Even as Myles went to answer the door, he knew it couldn’t be Artemis. A shuttle took two or three hours, and it had only been a few minutes since he’d hung up the phone.

 Myles answered the door anyway, thinking back to the school day. Pulling the door open, the girl outside didn’t have to say a word before Myles turned around and yelled “Beckett!”

 “I’m busy!” came the reply.

 Myles turned back to the girl. “Name?” he asked.

 “Chloë,” she said, twisting her brown hair around her fingers. “Beckett said I could come over to study for the history test?”

 Myles tried not to roll his eyes, wondering if any studying was actually going to get done.

 “Beckett, there’s a girl named Chloë for you!”

 A moment’s pause, then, “Coming!”

 As Beckett tromped down the stairs to the door, Myles gave him a smirk. “Less busy now, are we?”

 “Shut up,” Beckett promptly turned his attention to Chloë, ignoring his brother. “Did Myles not invite you in? Here, come up to my room, I’ve got a desk.”

 “Our room,” corrected Myles as Chloë and Beckett started up the stairs.

 “You can just hang out in your laboratory, like you always do,” said Beckett over his shoulder.

 At the ‘that’s-weird’ look from Chloë, Myles burst out, “That’s not actually possible right now Beckett!”

 As Beckett froze on the top step, Myles knew he shouldn’t have said anything.

 “Is that what the key you lost unlocks?”

 “No.”

 Anyone else would’ve simply dropped the matter right there, as Myles sounded completely honest. However, Beckett had known him for thirteen years, and could tell when his brother was telling the truth. “Don’t lie to me Myles, it is, isn’t i-“

 Chloë tapped his shoulder, and with one last ‘this-conversation-isn’t-over’ look, he disappeared up the stairs with his friend to “study”, which usually involved talking, texting, and playing games with a few books open nearby.

 Myles sighed, before heading into the kitchen to grab a snack. He would’ve liked to go up to his room to grab his laptop, but he didn’t especially feel like running into Beckett right now. Sooner or later – preferably the latter – Myles would have to talk to his twin, but he had another brother to talk to first...

 Myles thought about what was in his laboratory and groaned. Neither brother was going to like this one bit.

 *****

The next few hours were painfully slow, and when the doorbell finally rung, Myles nearly ran to the door to get to it.

 Of course, Myles didn’t run unless it was absolutely necessary. Which it had been a lot, recently.

 Artemis spoke before Myles could get a word in, stepping inside. “Why would you have that on a key, Myles?”

 Myles looked fairly annoyed. “Of course I don’t only have a key. Finger scanner, keypad, camera. I’m not three, Artemis.”

 Artemis blinked for a moment, before throwing off the déjà vu that Myles’ statement inflicted. “You would be surprised how fast that can be bypassed with the right technology on your hands,” Artemis smirked, and Myles wondered if the stories he’d been told about his brother’s adventures were actually complete. Artemis waved a hand. “Beside the point. Myles, did you have any fairy technology in that laboratory?”