Chapter one: Just a story?
Authors note: Ok before anyone asks… yes I have started this story again for several reasons. 1: I didn't like the way it was planned out. 2: I have new ideas on how to make this story amazing! And 3: I just feel like it. Enjoy.
11 years ago…
It was a cold winters night and it was beginning to snow lightly outside. It was common for it to snow in this part of Ireland at this time of the year. But the cold didn't stop anybody from their day to day routines. Selene Murphy was one of them. She was always a curious child at the best of times, but sometimes curiosity could get her into more trouble than it was worth. Today she was down in the basement of her grandmother's house looking around or sneaking around as some people would call it. Selene always loved exploring and finding out new things but she never knew that she would find something special that would change her future forever.
Selene turned the dim light bulb on which didn't let out much light; it was lucky she brought a torch with her or else it would be terribly dark and gloomy around. Selene looked in some boxes that contained many old ornaments or other objects her grandmother kept in storage. One box in particular caught Selene's eye, it was a tatty box on the outside but inside it had several sheets spread across it. Selene poked her head inside the box and picked up an old book. The book had nothing written on its cover but Selene still looked inside. On the pages were written symbols that looked very peculiar to the seven year olds eyes. She also saw a few pictures and sketches that her grandma had drawn at some point.
Selene stood up and turned around. She was startled to see who stood in front of her.
"Grandma!" Selene said startled by her grandmother's sudden appearance.
"You shouldn't be down here looking at that", replied Edith Wainright who crossed her arms at her mischievous granddaughter.
"I just wanted to know", explained Selene looking guiltily up at Edith.
"Well I guess your old enough I suppose. Tidy this mess up and then come to the living room and I will tell you".
"Yes grandma!" said Selene cheerfully, as her grandmother left the room. As soon as she tidied up the mess she had created, Selene made her way upstairs to hear this fascinating story that she was so desperate to hear.
…
"Ok, it was the 13th of January in 1952. On a night much like this", began Edith. Her grandchild sat comfortably on the floor with the book placed on her lap.
…
A fairy was flying in mid-flight across the fields of Ireland's vast countryside. It was dark and the moon shone brightly. Many people were either asleep or in their houses at this time of night. It was bitterly cold out and many mud men stayed indoors to keep warm. Other than the cold, the stars were very pretty and the moon shined like a silver button against the sunlight.
Mira made her way towards a tree that stood tall on top of a small hill. The reason why she was out here in the first place was because she was low on magic and she had to complete the ritual. Mira was an elf who worked for the LEP and wasn't very high on the list of big shots. She was only a Corporal, but she was the first female Corporal in the LEP and she hoped to one day reach the rank of Captain or even Major.
Mira took off her helmet and breathed in the sweet air for the first time in a year. Air never tasted so good in the country, but these days human technology was booming and pollution was beginning to be a problem for fairies. The mud men had no idea what they were doing and all they cared for these days was wealth and luxuries. Once she put her helmet down, Mira reached up to grab an acorn from the tree. It was lucky it had low branches or else the small elf wouldn't have been able to reach it.
Mira looked at the acorn in wonder but she was distracted from her thoughts by the sound of a twig snapping. Mira grabbed her neutrino blaster and kept it close. If a curious mud man was approaching he would be stunned instantly. But luckily enough it was just a badger that was sniffing around the grass for food. It looked up at the stunned elf and then carried on sniffing. Mira sighed inwardly and put the gun down, she was becoming too paranoid.
She then raised the acorn into the air and slowly returned it to the ground. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she braced herself for the magic surge. But it never came. She was too late. Before she could place the acorn into the ground she fell into an unconscious state, someone stood behind her and whacked her across the head with a small object.
"Got ya!" someone yelled from behind her. This was the last voice Mira had heard before she was unconscious.
"Put her in the plane and bring her items with us. I want to find out what this creature is and where it came from", commanded a man who wore dark glasses and had blonde hair. He smiled evilly; there was money to be made by this. And in this case it wasn't a hoax like the 'Loch ness monster incident'.
"So what do you plan on doing with this creature?" asked a woman with short brown hair. She was running notes on a clip board and looked up at the man with a curious look in her eyes.
"As you know I hired you Dr. Masons to run some tests on her. I want to post this creature to the press and maybe the government. This is certainly not a hoax like big foot or Nessie. So when we get back to base, perhaps you could run that DNA lab you set up", explained the man.
"But Mr. Goodly you know that DNA is a new thing, the government haven't even posted it public yet", Dr. Masons said.
"Oh well get in the aircraft Dr. please leave the illegal and legal stuff to me", Mr. Goodly instructed. The scientist sat inside the plane a little fed up, she disliked her employer. But she did what she was told. In fairness she didn't want to make a profit from this creature like her employers, she wanted to explore the scientific values of her. But like every other employee out their, her opinion wouldn't count.
"Get this thing fired up!" commanded Mr. Goodly "I want to get back as soon as possible". And with that the aircraft was gone; all that remained was the little acorn that had not been returned to the ground by a poor unfortunate elf.
…
"What happened to her grandma?" asked Selene who looked a bit shocked at what her grandma had just told her.
"She was taken away by them people back to a lab on a small island close to England called the Isle of man", explained Edith.
…
Mira woke up in a dark cell. She tried to stand up but found it very difficult. After trying and failing to stand up, Mira decided to just kneel on the cold hard floor. She managed to make her way to the barriers that kept her inside this horrible place. Looking around had surprised Mira. She wasn't the only prisoner to be kept here, but she was at this time. The only way she knew there was any people being kept prisoner here was from the remains of them. Mira looked across from her cell and she could have sworn her heart stopped. She saw her LEP equipment lent against the wall, it was a good thing to know it wasn't damaged and them mud men hadn't messed with it. Wait! Mud men? Suddenly all the memories flooded back into Mira's memory. She gabbed the metal bars that held her back from killing them there and then. She was the first fairy in a very long time to be kidnapped by a mud man. This was sure going to get her a promotion.
"Well now you're awake!" said a voice from a figure that stood peering down at the poor elf who didn't know how to react.
"Would you like us to start the examination now Mr. Goodly?" asked Dr. Masons who approached the man with an assistant close behind.
"Yes. Just give me a second", explained Mr. Goodly "Do you know why you're here?"
Mira didn't reply. She didn't know how to, besides the fact she hated these people. She shook her head in reply.
"You're here because we want to find out what you are and where you came from. And when we do, we will post it public and exterminate you. Or even put you in a petting zoo", continued Mr. Goodly. Mira could see the evilness in his eyes; he was being deadly serious about this. 'The LEP had better arrive soon or else we are all dead', Mira thought to herself.
"Bring it to the examination room", explained Mr. Goodly walking away towards the door.
"Dr. Masons? Can I bring her to the examination room?" asked the assistant scientist.
"Very well then but be quick about it. Mr. Goodly does not like to be kept waiting", replied Dr. Masons who followed Mr. Goodly, leaving the elf alone with this young mud girl.
"Here", said the girl who was just about in her twenties "I'm not going to hurt you".
"Well they sure are", replied Mira for the first time.
"Listen I'm as against this as you are. But it has to be done", explained the girl.
"If you are against this, why are you doing this?" asked Mira. The girl lowered her head in shame.
"Because I was forced to. You don't know what I mean but I had no choice".
"If you had no choice why don't you make a choice and let me go?"
The girl lowered her head even more "I… can't. I'm sorry".
The girl opened the cell and grabbed the limp elf by the arm. She then injected a needle into her arm and after a few seconds the elf was unconscious again. The girl lifted her onto a stretcher and carried her to the examination room.
…
"What did they do to her?" Asked Selene who was now cuddling her favourite teddy and listening closely to her grandmother.
"They ran tests on her", explained Edith.
"Was she hurt?" Selene replied.
"No, I will tell you what happened".
…
Mira woke up on a stretcher. She was being carried back to her cell by Dr. Masons and her assistant. She remembered the conversation she had with the young girl earlier and she kind of felt sorry for her. She was being ordered around like a slave and she stood there and took it.
"The anaesthetic is wearing off we have to be careful", explained Dr. Masons.
"What have you done to me?" asked Mira silently only the girl caught her voice. It was lucky Dr. Masons was partially deaf in one ear or else she would have heard the distressed elf's voice.
The girl looked down and didn't reply. They placed the elf back in the cell and Dr. Masons departed to have a meeting with Mr. Goodly. Her assistant on the other hand stood and watched the elf sit up for a few moments. Mira looked up at the girl with leading eyes, and the girl turned around and slowly walked away. She then turned back round; trying to hide her tears she whispered "I'm sorry".
Mira looked at her arm; there were a few scratches from where the needles had been injected. Her magic was extremely low and she couldn't heal, if she had magic she would have probably been able to get out of her cell. But she wouldn't be able to leave. Not until someone gave her permission first, and she found that highly unlikely in this situation she had gotten herself into.
"What do they want with me?" muttered Mira in a miserable voice as she sat down drowsily. She then did what she hadn't done in a long time. Cry.
…
"Then what happened grandma?" asked Selene eagerly. She frowned when she saw her grandmothers face, Edith was lowering her head a little with a sad expression attached to her face. She then looked up when Selene nudged her in the leg gently.
"What's wrong grandma?" Selene asked concerned.
"Nothing now you like to hear the rest of the story?"
"Yes please".
"Very well…"
…
Mira was huddled in a corner of the room. She couldn't get in contact with the LEP and they had obviously either forgotten her or not able to locate her. She was also hurting from where those D'arvited scientists had been poking her around with needles and other instruments. She also hurt because she had a head ache; after all she had been knocked out twice in one night with not a drop of magic left in her.
"Here…" said a soft voice from the cell. It was the girl again, she was crouched down and she was holding food. "You must be starving, eat this".
"No thank you, I'm not in the mood for food", Mira said clutching her stomach and going back into a sulk.
"Please take it. I feel bad enough already", pleaded the girl crouching down to pass it through the bars.
"Why should you feel bad? I mean all I am is a way for you idiots to make money. And Frond knows my fellow LEP officers haven't even attempted to rescue me from this prison. I fight crime you know where I come from, and I put prisoners away in these kinds of cells. And now I'm being held captive in one by a bunch of D'arvited mud men who intend to run chemical test on me for God Damn science!" Mira fumed taking her anger out on a nearby wall.
"You know, I have never done this before. I mean I was forced to work in this because Mr. Goodly is my uncle and he wanted me to be apart of his team. I originally signed up for it but once I joined there was no turning back. You don't know how much I want to let you go… and to be honest I think I will", the girl then stood up and reached for her pocket to get out a small key. She then unlocked the cell and let the fairy out.
"Thank you!" Mira scrambled to her feet and headed to where her equipment was placed near on a wall.
"Don't worry. They haven't messed with any of your equipment yet so you should still be able to fly as usual", the girl explained.
"By the way", began Mira "I didn't catch your name".
"Edith", replied the girl "Edith Goodly".
"Well nice to meet you Edith I am Mira", Mira and Edith shook hands. It was a historic moment yet only two people knew of it. It was the first time in centuries a mud man or woman in this case) had shook hands with the fairy people.
"Quickly I hear voices", whispered Edith in a panicky tone. Mira quickly got her gear on and then headed for the window. She looked out of it and all that could be seen was the sea. And beyond the horizon was a dim light, it was a sign that soon it would be sunrise and that would be the worst time ever for a fairy with no magic to be.
"How can I ever thank you?" asked Mira.
"By answering my question", explained Edith "how old are you?"
"190 years old", replied Mira.
"Oh one more thing, you might need this", said Edith passing Mira an acorn.
"An acorn? How did you know?"
"Lucky guess", winked Edith.
"Well goodbye then Edith… I hope we meet again someday", waved Mira she then opened her wings and flew away.
"So do I… Mira", whispered Edith.
…
"Wow! Is that it?" asked Selene eagerly.
"No. Mira encountered a very difficult task that was yet to come on her journey back".
…
"Where is the fairy, Edith?" Asked Mr. Goodly from the door "Don't tell me she escaped".
"Yes uncle and she took her equipment", lied Edith.
"Come on! We can still catch her!" explained Mr. Goodly. Edith was a little worried when her uncle was this determined about something he never knew when to give up.
"Uncle it's too late. She is gone!" Edith replied trying to persuade her uncle not to go after Mira.
"Now you listen to me!" Mr. Goodly spat "If our prize gets away I am going to blame you for it! Now let's go before she gets too far away".
…
Mira never felt so free. She was skimming across the water like an excited child. She kept looking back occasionally to see if anybody was following her. Thankfully no one could see her in the middle of the ocean but it was getting lighter now and soon the sun would rise so it would be a good idea to hurry and head back to Tara as soon as possible.
Mira turned on her LEP communicator and tried to get in contact with someone to let them know her whereabouts. She would have done this if it wasn't for a dolphin making a weird noise to distract her. The dolphin was trying to tell her something, its nose was pointing towards the sky. Mira turned around and saw an incoming aircraft. She focused her visor on the cockpit. In there sat Mr. Goodly a determined frown plastered on his face. Dr. Masons who was steering the plane and Edith who was watching with horror in her face as the elf was dodging obstacles around her on a cargo ship.
…
"Fire at will", Mr. Goodly commanded. Dr. Masons nodded.
"Uncle it's not too late", Edith suggested.
"Shut up Edith!" Mr. Goodly snapped. Edith shut her mouth and watched the horror unfold. She felt extremely sorry for Mira and felt like there was a small bond between her and the fairy.
…
"D'arvit! That's all I need", huffed Mira speeding up to try and get the aircraft off her tail.
All of a sudden shots were coming from the plane. Mira managed to get out of the way. "What is their problem?" Mira yelled. More shots were coming from the aircraft and yet again. Mira saw a tower in the distance; she zoomed her visor onto it and sighed. She was almost on land. Perhaps she could loose them when she reached the forest.
Several shots were fired again from the plane and Mira had just about enough. "Alright you want to play it that way huh? Well let's see you try this one on for size". Mira got out her neutrino blaster and began to fire at the aircraft. Mira had no intentions of bringing it down, Edith was on that plane and even though the other two were complete idiots she still cared for what happened to Edith; she did after all let her go.
After firing a couple of shots of her neutrino Mira, was now over land. She decided to swoop lower into the trees so they wouldn't be able to see her. Mira was heading back to the tree that she was originally going to complete her ritual from.
…
"Damn where has she gone?" asked Mr. Goodly impatiently.
"I don't know sir but I think she is heading back to that tree we found her at", replied Dr. Masons.
"Alright head there and land this God damn machine when we do… I want to deal with this fairy myself!"
…
Mira could see the tree insight. She hurried there as fast as possible. The plane was still in pursuit and Mr. Goodly had no intentions of giving up yet.
Mira landed behind the tree and loaded her neutrino. The aircraft had landed not to far away and she knew she had to put up a fight. Once she loaded her neutrino she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. After several moments she opened them and leapt around the tree pointing her gun around to see if there was any movement.
"Well I see you're a very smart fairy. First you escape and now you show great tactics", Mr. Goodly stepped out from a bush. Dr. Masons was behind him and her hand was fixed tightly around Edith's arm.
"Let me go!" Edith yelled.
"Shut it Edith! You have caused enough trouble for one day!" snapped Dr. Masons.
"No I will not shut up! I am sick of you two! This fairy has feelings you know. Do you think she likes having strange scientific tests preformed on her? She isn't some kind of toy that a child would show off to his friends. She is a living person just like us and she should not be treated as if she was a trophy. Please Uncle! Just let her go!" Edith replied.
"No! Edith you don't know how many years I have spent looking for a mythical creature", Mr. Goodly said "Big foot was my first and then the Loch ness monster. But oh no, this creature is completely different to all them. If I turn her in to the government I will be admired and will be respected in the academic community".
"Is that just it to you? The money and fame? You make me sick uncle you really do! I hate you! And when this fairy escapes back to her own kind I will make sure everyone knows how much of a coward you ARE!" Edith yelled. Mr. Goodly smacked her for saying that and Edith held her mouth in pain. Mira could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she would have to do something.
Mira aimed her neutrino at Mr. Goodly "you know she is right", Mira explained and his mouth dropped open in shock at the sound of her speaking. "You really are a coward. Now I am going to shoot you and then my little fairy friends will come and mind wipe you so you will not even know your own name when you wake up. Or that's if you ever wake up!"
Mr. Goodly flinched, Mira was being deadly serious and he was now afraid of what she was about to do. Mira then pointed her neutrino at Mr. Goodly's head and she smiled and said "pleasant dreams". Mr. goodly hit the floor and then Mira did the same thing to Dr. Masons.
Edith looked at her unconscious uncle and his college and then she looked up at Mira. She smiled and walked over to her. "Thanks!" Edith said.
"For what?" asked Mira.
"For shooting him. I have wanted to do that for such a long time!" Edith replied.
"Yeah we will mind wipe him with our technology once the LEP arrives", Mira explained. She then turned to face Edith "Thank you for everything Edith. I never thought I would say this to a mud girl but you're a true friend".
"Truce", smiled Edith.
"Truce", replied Mira. They both knew that they would remain friends for a long time. Even if it meant they wouldn't see each other.
…
"So that is the end of the story" Edith said.
"Wow! Did they remain friends?" Selene asked.
"Yes, for a very long time".
"Grandma?"
"Yes Selene?"
"Are fairies real?"
"Of course their not!" said a voice from the door. It was Selene's mother who had come to pick her up.
"Mummy!" shouted Selene who stood up to hug her mother.
"I trust you have been looking after my daughter mum?" asked Selene's mother in a sceptical way.
"Yes, she told me the story of the fairies. Their real aren't they grandma?" Selene looked at her grandmother and then back again.
"Yes they are Selene", Edith replied softly, ignoring the glares she was getting from her daughter.
"They are nothing but fairy stories mother, when will you stop believing in children's games?" Selene's mother replied.
"When will you stop being so serious in life and actually listen for a change Rachel! I know what I saw. And It's a damn sight more than what you're going to see!" explained Edith.
"Come on Selene it's time to go", Rachel explained to her daughter who looked confused "I will let you say your goodbyes". And with that Rachel left the room.
Selene then turned to face her grandmother. "Grandma are fairies really out there?"
"Yes they are Selene. Do you want to know who that young girl was who saved that fairy from them people?" Edith asked. Selene nodded eagerly.
"It was me", whispered Edith. "I want you to have something", Edith passed Selene a little coin that had a hole through the middle of it. "Keep this safe for good luck and you will never get bad luck again".
Selene clutched the coin and closed her eyes shut. She opened them and looked up at her grandmother "Thank you"; she whispered and then hugged her grandma tightly.
Authors note: Well how do you like it so far? Don't worry Artemis comes in the next chapter so please keep reading because it gets better… Oh and review please. Your reviews do count!