Tyler turned on the radio. Lilly curled up on the siège and her eyelids started to droop. Soon, she was asleep.

Tyler glanced at Lilly. He looked at her pale skin, her long raven hair that flowed over her shoulders, and her slender body that curved just above her hips. He studied her face. The freckles that speckled along her cheeks, her full rose lips, and her dark lashes. He bit his lip and stared back at the road, his mind filling with doubt.

Lilly found herself in a small dark room. She got up and slowly felt her way along the walls. There was no door. She jumped up with her arms above her head, trying to touch the ceiling. It was too high. A bright light turned on above her. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get use to it. Lilly looked around at the white walls. Three figures stood in different corners. Hoods covered their faces. Lilly recognized one of the figures.

“Mom?” she said, hesitantly. Juliet looked up and stepped out of the shadows. Her face was etched with sadness. Tears on her cheeks glistened in the bright light.

“Lilly,” Juliet said. “Why did toi leave? Please come back home.” Juliet extended her arms towards Lilly. Lilly ran to her adopted mother’s embrace. Just as she was about to emballage, wrap her arms around her, Juliet disappeared, leaving a small wisp of smoke. Lilly stared at her hands, her eyes wide. She whipped around at the sound of footsteps. The other two figures had stepped out of the shadows. One was obviously a woman and the other was a man.

“Who are you?” Lilly asked, backing into the corner.

“Don’t toi recognize us? We’re your parents,” the woman said. Lilly bit her lip.

“Really?” she asked, her voice cracking with excitement.

“Of course,” the man said. Both figures lifted their hands and removed their hoods. Lilly gasped. They had no faces!

Lilly sat up. The car was no longer running. She rubbed her eyes.

“Are we there yet?” she asked.

“No,” Tyler said, smiling. “I just need to get gas. Why don’t toi use the restroom while I fill up the car.” Lilly nodded and walked into the gas station. She quickly used the restroom, then studied herself in the mirror. Her hair was flattened and sticking up in the back. She ran her fingers through it, trying to straighten it. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and walked back to the car. Tyler had finished pumping the gas and was waiting for her.

“Let’s go,” she a dit as she hopped in the passenger’s seat. They drove off down the highway, blasting music. It took another heure to get to Dublin. Tyler drove through the streets, trying to find a nice hotel to stay at. Suddenly, Tyler’s car slowly came to a stop.

“What’s wrong?” Lilly asked.

“I don’t know,” Tyler said, getting out of the car. Lilly followed him. He lifted up the capuche, hotte and started to tinker with different things. Lilly shivered as the winter wind cut through her chemise like a hot couteau through butter.

“I’m going to get my manteau from my suitcase,” she said. Tyler nodded and closed the hood. He then got back in the car and started to mess with things in there. Lilly grabbed her bourse, sac à main and opened the trunk. Lilly lifted her suitcase out of the car and placed it on the ground. Just then, Tyler started the car and raced off down the road. The tronc door slammed shut on its own.

“WAIT!” Lilly yelled, running after the car. She stopped and watched as Tyler turned the corner and disappeared. Her arms hung limp par her sides. She stomped back to her suitcase and yanked out her jacket. She then ripped open her bourse, sac à main to find her phone. Her mouth dropped open. She sat back on her suitcase.

“That no good, lying jerk!” She screamed. The makeup bag with all of her money was gone. Lilly dragged her stuff onto the sidewalk. She sat behind a mur in order to blocking the wind. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.

“This jour could not get any worse.” Something cold landed on her nose. She opened her eyes to see quarter size snowflakes slowly drifting to the ground. Lilly buried her face in her knees and cried.

Artemis Fowl II had just finished his dîner at a small family owned business in the older side of Dublin. He paid the waiter and glanced at his watch. It was 7:23 and Butler didn’t expect him accueil for another half hour, so he decided to take a walk.

He sauntered down the empty rue casually glancing at the old-fashion buildings, Lost in thought. Suddenly, he heard someone crying. He turned a corner to find a teenage girl with long raven hair and pale skin much like his own. She sat on haut, retour au début of a suitcase with her knees pulled to her chin.

“Hello?” He asked, hesitantly.

Lilly looked up. A strange man with raven hair was looking down at her. She jumped up and assumed the fighting position that Juliet had taught her. The man chuckled.

“Tai Chi, right?” he asked. Lilly lowered her hands.

“How did you…”

“I have a butler that is a master,” he smiled. Another wind blew, causing Lilly to shiver. “Come,” the man said. “You shouldn’t be outside in this weather.” Lilly picked up her suitcase and followed the man. For some reason, she trusted him, completely.

Butler looked at the grandfather clock. It read 8:05. Artemis should have been accueil par now. He folded his newspaper and contemplated whether to go looking for him. Sure, he wasn’t technically Artemis’s bodyguard anymore, but Butler never felt comfortable leaving Artemis alone. Especially not after all of the stuff that happened with the fairies.

Butler got up and walked over to the front door. His hand hesitated on the handle. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Artemis stood in the doorway, fumbling with his keys. He looked up, blinking in the light coming from inside the house.

“Oh, hello, Butler,” he said, smiling. Artemis stepped inside and a girl followed him. “Butler, I would like toi to meet Lilly. I found her out in the snow.” Butler’s eyes widened for half a second. Lilly had found Artemis, her father.