Artemis Fowl and the Dawn Pursuit

Chapter 32: The Icing on the Cake

Butler walked into the staff kitchens at six the next morning after he was unable to find Artemis in his rooms or his lab. Aurora was also conveniently missing from her room, which had led him to believe that the two were together somewhere in the manor. If they had left, one of his door alarms would have been tripped and he would have at least a point of exit to work off.

Laughter greeted his ears.

"Aurora, what the hell is that?" Artemis was asking, and Butler stared at the giant pile of cupcakes on one of the benches. Multiple bowls containing at least twelve different colours of icing littered a second bench.

"It's called 'creative license', Fowl, and that's what I'm utilising," Aurora retorted.

He heard a snort come from Artemis. "It looks like the nozzle exploded off the top of the piping bag."

"Maybe it did. Maybe I'm just super creative and don't take thirty minutes to decorate one cupcake," Aurora replied.

"At least I haven't decorated half the kitchen in icing."

There was an outraged cry that sounded like it came from Artemis.

"Half the kitchen and a human," Aurora said in satisfaction.

Butler decided to step in then, and almost fell over laughing when he saw Artemis and Aurora in their pyjamas, Artemis covered in bright red icing. Aurora was holding a piping bag half full of red icing, which she quickly placed on a nearby bench while plastering the most innocent look she could muster on her face. Her hair was pulled back from her face, her ears fully visible for the first time since that day in the LEP training room.

"Hello Butler," Aurora said sheepishly, picking up a cupcake covered in purple and red icing and offering it to him. "Would you like a cupcake?"

He stared at it, and she walked up to him, gently gripping his left wrist and pressing it into his hand.

"What's wrong, what did I miss?" Holly said, bursting into the kitchen sounding out of breath, brandishing her Neutrino.

She saw the red staining the upper half of Artemis and went pale.

"It's not blood, just icing!" Aurora said quickly, wiping it off his cheek with her finger and licking it to prove it wasn't blood.

"That didn't prove anything, Aurora," Artemis said, laughing at the disgusted expression on Holly's face.

Aurora smirked. "You're right. It's not icing, and instead I'm a crazy, psychotic fairy with an insatiable thirst for human blood," she said, tackling him and knocking him to the floor, which was covered in multiple colours of icing.

Artemis laughed and pushed her off him, clambering to his feet and helping her up.

"Are you both high?" Holly asked in disbelief, staring at the two young people standing in front of her.

"Absolutely not," Artemis said, slipping back into his usual calm demeanour.

Aurora sensed the change and he noticed her straighten up from out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm going to go have a shower," she muttered. "I need to go get ready for school."

"You're not going to school today," Artemis remarked, earning an angry glare from Aurora.

"And why not?" she gritted out.

"We have a meeting with the LEP Council today," he informed her, taking a bite out of one of the cupcakes on the top of the pile.

Aurora paled. "Oh no, not in Haven..."

Holly chuckled at her expression. "Unfortunately, yes. It's quite important, and I have been instructed to make sure that you are in attendance." Her face set into a look of grim authority.