Chapter 1
Feathery wings
You, there on the bridge
Where have you been, what's your name?
And you, there on the wall
Where will you go once you fall?
You, lost at sea
Do you need me, do you need directions?
Hey, put down the gun
What are you thinking?
You were someone's son.
The small elf approached the mudboy, he was in a blanket shivering, with a gun to his head. His finger was on the trigger.
"Don't do it Fowl!" she said. He looked at her with his cold, heartless eyes.
"Why do you care Captain? You hate me remember?" she looked up at him, staring at his blue eyes.
"Because I can't let anyone die, even if they aren't exactly my favorite person in the world…why are you doing this?"
"You know exactly why I'm doing this…no one cares about me." Holly stepped towards him and sat next to him. She looked at her captor's face, at the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Artemis," she said quietly "People care about you, you may not know it, but they do. Someone does."
"Who?" the twelve year old spat "I cannot think of a single person."
"…Butler cares about you, your mother cares deep down, she's just…sick. And one day you'll find someone that loves you deeply, but you'll never find that person if you end your life now." Artemis lowered the gun
"You…you are correct." Holly stood up to leave, as she felt that her job was over. "Captain?" She turned and looked at him
"Yes?" Artemis wiped his eyes
"Thank you, for saving my life."
The taste of tears
The sting of pain
The smell of fear
The sounds of crying
A long, long time ago I fell to this place
From another dimension
And thrust amongst the beasts
And the way they behave borders on dementia
Now through all these years
I can barely take it
I don't think I can make it
Take me away from here
I want to go home
Holly sat in her office after Julius Root had died, she was starting to give in and blame herself.
"It's all my fault," she said with her head in her hands "I could've stopped it…somehow."
She eyed the Neutrino on her desk. She held it in her hands, she took the safety off. It was pressed to her temple when she heard a knock at the door.
"Go away!" she said, taking a deep breath, ready to take the shot that would end her life.
"Holly," said a familiar voice "It's Artemis, please let me in, or I will let myself in."
"No!" Holly yelled, on the brink on tears "Go away! I'm busy!" there was silence until Artemis asked
"Holly? Are you quite alright in there? You sound upset."
"I'm….I'm fine" Holly lied. Artemis tried the door and slowly opened it to see Holly with the plasma gun to her head, her eyes shut tight.
"What…what are you doing? Put that down." Holly slowly opened her eyes as tears poured out. She looked at him and whispered
"I can't do it, it's all my fault…just let me end it" Artemis almost glared at her, he reached over and took the gun out of her hand.
"It's not your fault. Come here." she looked at him confused
"Why?"
"Just…Come here" she slunk out of her chair and walked over to him. He picked her up and wrapped her in a hug, which was odd for him. "You can't do it, okay? Too many people would mourn you. Including me…"
He set her back down, he looked at his watch. "I have to go…goodbye"
"Artemis, before you go, I have a question."
"What is it?" she looked up at him.
"Why did you do this?" he smiled and said.
"Call it a debt repaid…"
I'm so sick and tired of the
Taste of tears
The sting of pain
The smell of fear
The sounds of crying
As you're standing at the edge of your life
What do you remember?
Was it all you wanted?
Holly came home from Hybras, to find all of her friends had moved on with their lives. Trouble was wrapped up in his job, Chix was hitting on everything in sight, and Foaly had a family…
"Maybe they were better without me." she thought to herself "Maybe I should've stayed dead back there." without giving it a second thought, she pulled a knife out of her boot and put it to her throat, thinking of all the people who were doing so much better without her, she was about to cut, when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Foaly:
Didn't get to say this earlier. Glad you're back. We missed you everyday :]
Holly put down the knife, crying. She went out the door to go give her centaur friend a hug.
I'm trying to earn a set of feathery wings
I wish I could protect you here
Oh, please don't cry
Now smile as you're standing
At the edge of your life
Your troubles are over
Mine are just beginning
I'm trying to earn a set a set of feathery wings
To take me away from here
It's me you leave behind
Holly was in her bedroom crying, for Artemis sacrificed himself for the world, he was gone. But he left her all alone, mourning him, wishing he was back. She sobbed, letting all of her pain out. She had always promised herself to be strong, but she couldn't be strong, not when he was gone. He was her strength. She wished for death to come to her as she lay in the corner, curled into a ball.
"Why?" she sobbed "Why?" she reached over for a bottle that contained just enough whiskey to kill her…
If only I could have been there
I'd be a hand for the sinking
If only I could have been there
I'd be a prayer for the dying
See the pain etched in my face
I'm so sick and tired of
The taste of tears
The sting of pain
The smell of fear
The sounds of crying
As you're standing at the edge of your life
What do you remember, was it all you wanted
Artemis watched from the afterlife, not wanting to see his best friend go through the same horror he's going through. He wanted her to go on living, in case the plan worked. He couldn't stand to see her suffer, especially knowing that he was the cause of all of her suffering.
"Don't do it!" he screamed, knowing she couldn't hear him
I'm trying to earn a set of feathery wings
I wish I could protect you here
Oh, please don't cry
Now smile as you're standing
At the edge of your life
Your troubles are over
Mine are just beginning
I'm trying to earn a set of feathery wings
To take me away from here
It's me you leave
You're gone from here
Don't leave from here
Don't leave me here
I hate it here
You're gone from here
Don't leave me here
I need you here
I need to see you smile
"I'm sorry…" Foaly said, taking his foil hat off for a brief second "It…didn't work, he's not coming back" he placed a hand on Holly's shoulder, as tears fell from her mis-matched eyes.
"Never?" she whispered
"I'm sorry" Foaly repeated.
~ a day later~
They found her body in her apartment, bottle of whiskey in one hand, gun in the other, there was note by her, scrawled on it were the words
I loved him.