Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl or anything related to it. Well, except for this story, of course…
Coral POV
Coral Short was with the LEPMarine – as a doctor. Her job was to patrol the Atlantic, clean up after humans and to protect endangered species.
This job had seemed simple enough, she thought – and it was. You get paid to be in a submarine all day – something few other fairies would ever do in their lifetime. Plus, it seemed like a pretty low-risk job – especially compared to LEPRecon. Sometimes she wondered how she ever got into this predicament.
The answer was simple enough. Her sub had been shadowing a human tanker, which accidentally doused radioactive waste straight at her sub. Dirty radiation was poison to fairies, and she had been mortally injured. I never thought that I would die because of my job. Not like Danny. Danny was Coral's nickname for Brendan Short, her husband, and father of her daughter. He was from LEPRecon, a Major, and was killed by a troll whilst aboveground.
He had died over 5 years ago, and now she was going too… She was tired, so, so tired…She had days, maybe hours to live, but time seemed to pass by so slowly when she was waiting.
She held on to life by her fingernails.
Holly POV
Holly burst through the doors of her mother's hospital room in Haven clinic. The doctors had called to inform her that her mother had hours, if not minutes left to live, and to come if she wanted to be with her mother for the last hours of her life. Her mother had lain in hospital for a week, slowly dying, wasting away, and Holly blamed the humans.
"Mum," Holly said. It was all she could manage. She studied her mother. She was no longer the willowy elf she used to be, the one that looked like she was Cupid's granddaughter. In her place was a pasty-skinned, skeletal figure on the brink of death. Holly felt a lump in her throat and struggled to keep her tears in. They will pay, she thought.
Her mother motioned for her to come closer. It was as if she did not have the energy to even talk. She walked closer, as if mesmerized. She reached for her mother's hand, and only then did she realise that she was crying. "I will make them pay," she vowed. "I will hunt down every last one of those Mud Men."
"No," Coral Short replied with a surprising strength. "I spent my career saving creatures. You must do the same. Destruction cannot be my legacy." Holly nodded mutely. It was the least she could do.
Holly sat with her mother for a long time. It was quiet, with Holly trying to hide her tears, and her mother daydreaming. As Haven's sun strips' light began to fade, so did Coral Short.
"I am so proud of you, Holly…"
Coral POV
It would be the last thing that Coral Short would ever say to her daughter. She was so tired, her eyelids felt so heavy, and the pain was overwhelming. She closed her eyes, and let herself go. At last, I rest.
Holly POV
It had been over a year since her mother died, and Holly was still trying to get over the fact. The Omnitool that her mother gave her for her graduation was not helping, just another stab in the back.
Saving creatures…Destruction cannot be my legacy…I am so proud of you…these words swirled around in her head. Her mother's last words to her. Her mother had spent her life, and most certainly given her life, saving creatures, and Holly would do the same. She applied to Recon.
Well, this is my first fanficion ever, so if I did anything wrong, please correct me. xD Oh, yeah, this is based on The Time Paradox, when Holly remembers her mother's death.