between fact and fiction

if the stories are true...

(artemis fowl fanfiction)

You can expect life in the city to be constantly surrounded by a cacophony of useless noises. However, it's a deafening silence—you won't get an ounce of kindness or even a smile anywhere you go. But people here are used to it; we're all too busy to care.

I had been living in this detached world long enough to be accustomed to their mannerisms. The only spark of light had come from the stories I read about daring, otherworldly escapades and fact merged with fiction. I often wished they were real—you can't count on the universe to give you an easy life. Being a young teenage girl with two missing parents (they were last seen searching for signs of life underground) was hard enough—at least I knew my way around a city.

My sister, however, was not content. Ever since she went abroad to complete her studies, she had wanted fresh air and sweeping vistas instead of smog-filled alleyways.

So, she dragged me away from my fast-paced life to a 'quieter place.'

I knew something was peculiar about Dalkey, a small suburb in Ireland, the day we arrived. I could see blinking lights at any time of the day, and I often noticed shadows in the corner of my eye. When I turned around, all I could see was air. But I could also see it move—I sometimes felt an inexplicable magnetism, drawing me to nothing in particular at random intervals in the day. I usually brushed it off and told myself it was just the city girl in me being paranoid, but my gut told me there was something odd about Dalkey.

My sister brought me to a stately manor one day after a long drive across too many highways to count. She said it was to meet her new business partner, but I was slightly doubtful. Who would arrange a professional meeting in their own residence? I assumed they had good reason to do so.

She left me at the front door (after passing a multitude of identification scanners and safety protocols), and I swear I saw sparks of electricity out of the corner of my eye. To my surprise, an exuberant boy about my age greeted me, a wide grin stretched across his face.

"Hi, I'm Beckett Fowl! Welcome to Villa Éco. You must be..." he trailed off suddenly, and his eyes widened; they never ceased to twinkle. "A Believer?" he peered at me. I frowned, unsure of what he meant. "Your ears—" he pointed to them, "they're pointy!"

I touched them self-consciously. "What does that have to do with believing?"

Beckett's face turned serious. "What I'm about to show you is very confidential, and you mustn't tell anyone—not even your sister—about this." I nodded solemnly.

My new acquaintance led me up a staircase and down a winding corridor. Portraits of surly men with monocles and beards peered down at us, but Beckett paid them no heed as he continued running down the hallway. A family crest with an owl and a motto that read 'aurum potestas est' hung above a mirror.

"Laser!" Beckett came to a stop at a door half covered in...slime? "Angel NANNI!" He knocked on it. "I found a Believer!"

"Sure you did," came a female voice behind the door. Beckett shrugged and opened it.

I couldn't help but gasp at the two creatures hovering in the air. One seemed to have blue skin with flecks of yellow and gold and extremely pointy ears. They were wearing protective armor like ones for the police back in the city (when the riots got out of hand once). The other creature had its arms crossed, sporting an auburn crew cut with tan, brown skin. She was wearing similar protective gear, and her ears were also pointed.

Both creatures took one look at me, immediately flitted down to the ground, and sat on the nearest objects: an overturned bucket and a slimy cushion. I raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Ambassador Lazuli Heitz is a Pixel, a crossbreed of a pixie and an elf. Commodore Holly Short, an elf. They're both part of the Lower Elements Police, and are stationed in the underground realm of fairies."

I was speechless—this was a lot of information to wrap my head around. Both pixel and elf were too dumbfounded to speak as well, but the Commodore finally snapped out of her trance. "Beckett! What is the meaning of this? You can't drag a girl you just met here and expose all our secrets—hold on. Let me hypnotize her with the mesmer—"

"NO!" Beckett shouted. "She's like me!"

When both fairies looked confused, he provided an elaboration. "You know how I can talk to all animals because of my inexplicable magic? She has that too. It's not just because of her pointed ears; I just know it. You have to trust me on this one."

"If I can trust you," I slowly started, "Then can you explain why I've seen blinking lights and shadows out of the blue ever since I reached Dalkey?"

The fairies looked stupendously at each other. "We've carefully covered up our tracks for millennia. How did the Mud Girl see our magic?"

"I have no idea," I responded.

"She speaks Gnommish?!" Commodore Short gasped. "You have rare talent, Mud Girl."

Ambassador Heitz nodded thoughtfully. "It seems you have attributes that are similar to Beckett's, so it's safe to assume you are a Believer. Now, Mud Girl, I know you're confused, so let's explain some things to you. Long story short, us fairies live underground, and we all have magic. You humans—Mud people, dominated the earth and lost your magic, but you must be one of the purest in order to still possess some of it."

"Underground? My parents went missing when they were searching for life underground." I replied, thoughts still swimming around in my head.

Beckett gasped. "You are the Believer!" he shouted. 

"We have to get you to Haven immediately," Holly said determinedly.

"When you get there, trust in the magic," Beckett nodded confidently. "All the stories are true."

Was I going to get my parents back?