A/N Hello everyone, this is our first joint fanfic so we're not quite sure how we'll be bouncing off each other yet, just be patient with us, read review and most of all… enjoy!
Love Elisha and Naomi
I screamed, it was probably the loudest noise I had ever made!
"Now, now Kinsey, is there really a need for all the dramatics? Anyone would think that you were the victim here!" Artemis Fowl said, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips. I couldn't say anything, tears blurred my vision and pain… unbelievable pain was pulsing through my whole body. The huge man, Mr. Butler, increased the pressure he was using to drive my right arm up my back and I groaned loudly, a fresh burst of tears welling up in my eyes.
"Answer my question, Kinsey, and I'll make it stop," Artemis said calmly. He sounded so casual it sickened me, I couldn't stop myself from sobbing. I couldn't tell though, I couldn't betray my family, I reluctantly, silently shook my head.
"You will change your mind," Artemis said matter-of-factly. And I screamed again as Mr. Butler added yet more pressure, suddenly there was a strange splintering feeling in my right arm and I gasped, my body felt cold as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice all over me. He'd broken my arm! Surely he would let me go now… surely… but no. He carried on pulling my arm up my back and I could feel the many splinters that had, moments before, been the bones in my arm, work their way into the muscle and tissue.
"Please! Stop!" I screamed.
"You know what I want," Artemis said, "The situation isn't going to change so I don't know why you are causing all this unnecessary trouble."
"I can't!" I sobbed. Mr. Butler increased the pressure again, I was going to be sick. "Alright! Alright!" I screamed, "Ill… I'll tell." Mr. Butler didn't decrease the pressure, Artemis just observed me quietly, casually, waiting for my answer, a smug expression plastered all over his face. He was certainly an infuriating individual.
" I was sent by Hibernius Tall, the Cirque Du Freak owner, he wanted me to see what you were like, he's considering selling part of the Cirque to you but not without evidence that you'd look after it!" I sobbed.
"Thank you," Artemis Fowl said, almost as though I'd offered him some sweets. "Butler."
Mr. Butler let go of me and I collapsed onto the floor, trembling, crying, and retching from the sickening pain.
"You may return to your room now, Master Owington," Artemis said but I didn't move, I couldn't.
I was sat at one end of a freakishly large, oak dining table, opposite Artemis Fowl; he was observing me over laced fingers. My arm was in a hideously inconvenient sling, which made it difficult to eat but I wasn't hungry anyway, my stomach was churning too much with anxiety to feel hunger.
"Kinsey, let me get straight to the point," Artemis said after a long, awkward silence, "I want the Cirque Du Freak, I'd do anything to get it, pay any price. The show fascinates me… the people fascinate me. I want you to help me, Kinsey, and I'll reward you well." Artemis took a sip from a tall glass of cranberry juice and waited for my reaction.
"Hibernius won't ever let you have the Cirque, it's too precious to him and you're not the right sort of person to be handling it. You can manipulate and bribe as many people as you like but it won't…"
"I will manipulate and bribe as many people as it takes," Artemis Fowl interrupted, "And as for Hibernius Tall I've been doing some research, Kinsey, and I have some news."
"What's that?" I asked, suspiciously.
"Hibernius Tall is no longer the owner of the Cirque Du Freak, he was killed two days ago. It's going to make my goal a lot easier to achieve but at the same time I can't help but feel a certain sadness that a man who created such a wonderful source of entertainment would depart so suddenly," Artemis said silkily, almost purring. I was silent for a while before suddenly shaking my head.
"You're lying!" I spat.
"Why would I? At the end of the day Hibernius Tall would have still been there whether I'd imagined he wasn't or not, there's no use pretending something doesn't exist, but there's no use pretending it does either," Artemis smiled.
"But he gave me my home, he was like part of my family I… he can't… no, it can't be right!" I moaned, a wave of grief suddenly breaking over me.
"Don't complain to me, Kinsey, there's nothing I can do about it," Artemis shrugged.
"I need to go to the Cirque! I need to work this out… what will happen to the Cirque now? I have to go!" I cried, tears welling in my eyes.
"Yes, yes you must, but first we will have to wait for the trouble to die down." Artemis said, I could tell by his tone that he hadn't finished dishing out the bad news.
"What trouble?" I asked, dreading the answer.
"The news is that every member of the Cirque Du Freak is being held in a football stadium by an extremely large squad of police officers." He said, matter-of-factly "Apparently they caused the murder of many people, one of whom was a famous football player, Tommy Jones."
"They couldn't have done, none of the Cirque members are murderers!" I cried.
"I don't doubt that for a second, but like I said earlier, there's not really much I can do about it. It's not particularly good news for me either to be quite honest, Kinsey," Artemis said, sounding partly frustrated, "The news reporter suggested that the police were going to go in as hard as they would and probably kill every person they were holding inside the stadium. If that happens it means one thing… no more Cirque Du Freak."
My mouth dropped open, I was so shocked, the room started to spin around me, I was going to lose everything, my stomach churned and I felt a dizziness sweep over me, then I blacked out.
A/N So that was our first joint chapter, this one was written by Elisha so the next will be written by Naomi, we'll update soon!