"Will you hurry up, Artemis?" Juliet whined, tugging at Artemis Fowl's sleeve. Artemis pulled away, sighing heavily.
"Juliet, I am twenty two years old, you cannot make me go through with this against my will," Artemis said through gritted teeth, eying the carnival ahead warily. Juliet laughed.
"Artemis, if you were any younger, I couldn't make you go at all, you'd still be my master! Thanks to your attitude change, you can't say no!" Juliet grasped Artemis's sleeve and practically threw him forward.
Artemis walked through the carnival gates, his mismatched eyes taking in every detail of the fair. Each booth he saw displeased him further; Ring Toss, Dunk Tank, on and on it went.
Juliet eyed the Kissing Booth thoughtfully, then turned to Artemis and whispered, "Hey Fowl, how about you go get in line?"
Artemis blushed deeply. Ever since he had dumped Minerva, Juliet had been desperate to find love for him. The girl at the kissing booth caught Artemis's eye; her piercing green eyes lingered on his blue and hazel ones for a second, then winked. Artemis's mouth dropped open; the girl was truly stunning. Her long black hair fell in curtains around her tan face, her slender fingers lightly grasping a tube of blood red lipstick.
"You like her!" Juliet screeched. "I so knew it, go get in line!"
"A Fowl would never sink so low, and I do not like her," Artemis said tartly. Juliet sighed.
"Fine. Be that way. We'll do something else," Juliet grumbled. Artemis gratefully followed his friend into the hustling crowd, sparing a moment for a last glance at the odd girl at the Kissing Booth.
An hour later, Artemis was silently fuming as he sat in a small, hot tent, watching Juliet throw ball after ball at little cardboard ducks. Artemis did not get the appeal at all; if she managed to knock down three ducks, all she would get is a stuffed dog with a missing eye. How he loathed carnivals.
After what seemed like days, Juliet finally knocked down three cardboard ducks. The surly carnival employee grumpily handed her the stuffed dog. Juliet looked at it for a few seconds, her lip curling.
"Okay, it looked better from over here," Juliet said, placing the dog back on the counter.
"Wonderful, a perfectly nice waste of thirty minutes," Artemis hissed, pushing Juliet out of the booth.
"It was twenty, and be quiet, you big baby," Juliet said, punching Artemis on the shoulder.
Juliet's eyes widened, and she began to bounce on the balls of her feet. Artemis sighed.
"Juliet, you get that childish look in your face whenever you see a booth you like. Which one is it this time, and may I wait out here?"
"Oh, Artemis, let's get our fortunes told!" Juliet screeched, tugging on Artemis's sleeve.
Artemis glanced at the booth Juliet was pointing at; it was a violent magenta, with beads strung above the entrance. Inside, he could see a fairly young woman in a flowing green dress clasping a man's hand, murmuring something. Artemis cringed; the last thing he wanted was to be in the same room with a magical wanna-be, but he had promised Juliet that he would do anything she had wanted to do. He looked up to see Juliet looking anxiously at him.
"Fine, we'll go in," he sighed. Juliet clapped, and raced towards the little tent.
"All right, then, go in," Juliet whispered." Artemis's mouth dropped.
"I'm not going in there alone," he hissed. "I thought you wanted"-
"Oh, Artemis, just do this one thing for me," Juliet said, cutting him off. Artemis stormed into the tent, fuming.
"Welcome, Artemis Fowl II," the fortune teller said, her eyes closed. Artemis jumped a little.
"How do you know my name?" he inquired, warily taking a seat in a chair lined with beaded cushions.
"Esperanza knows more than that," the woman said. Artemis couldn't help but admire the woman for not taking on a fake accent like most fortune tellers.
"So, what can I do for you today, Artemis?" Esperanza said pleasantly. Artemis stiffened. He was not used to complete strangers calling him by his first name.
"Ah, a simple palm reading will do," he said. And then, "I'm sorry, but how did you know my name? Am I wearing some sort of identification?"
Esperanza laughed gently. "I see you do not believe in the magic of gypsies." Artemis shook his head.
"But why shouldn't you, Artemis Fowl, if you believe in fairies? Know some, even?"
Artemis jumped out of his chair, backing up a few steps. "Show me your ears."
Esperanza obediently pulled back her blonde hair to reveal two perfectly normal, human ears. "I am not a fairy myself, Artemis, but I am familiar with The People. I am a friend; you do not have to be afraid."
"I am anything but afraid," Artemis snapped. "I just wish to know how you know my personal life so well."
Esperanza laughed. "Well, come here and let me show you how I know."
Artemis sat back in the chair, curiosity getting the best of him. "Your left hand, if you please," the gypsy quipped. Artemis gingerly extended his hand, which Esperanza grasped.
"Oh, yes, just as I predicted," she breathed, running a long finger over a line on Artemis's hand. "You see your intelligence line? It practically runs off your hand." Artemis sat up a bit straighter. "And your life line… my, you have cheated death so many times, the line is crooked. And your wealth… amazing!"
Artemis wasn't particularly impressed with this; it was fairly obvious that he was rich, judging by his suit, and the width of his brow should give away a clue that he was extremely intelligent. His life line, perhaps, was something intriguing.
Suddenly, the gypsy gasped, dropping Artemis's hand. "What is it?" Artemis shouted, grasping the twitching woman's shoulders. "What's wrong?"
Esperanza didn't respond; instead, her eyes snapped open, looking directly into Artemis's.
"My god," she whispered. "In all my years, never have I seen…"
"What is it?" Artemis shouted, shaking Esperanza's shoulders again.
"Tell me, Master Fowl," she said, "do you have a female elf friend, about three feet tall, by the name of Holly Short?"
Artemis's stomach plummeted. There was absolutely no way this woman could have known about Holly unless she really was psychic.
"Yes, I do. What's wrong? Is she hurt?"
"No, but she will be," the gypsy whispered. "Whatever you do, you mustn't let her leave your side, or horrible, horrible things will happen."
"What did you see?" Artemis asked. The gypsy shook her head.
"Oh, you mustn't know that, Artemis, it is far too horrible for you to see," Esperanza said. Artemis fell back in his chair.
"Tell me what happened, Esperanza, I need to know," he said quietly. His voice was dead serious, and dangerous. Esperanza seemed to be considering telling him.
"All right," she said. "But I cannot tell you. You must see."
And the psychic lunged at Artemis, pressing her forehead to his. Before Artemis could protest, Esperanza murmured three words in a language unknown to Artemis, and the world seemed to melt away.