Nevermore

Chapter 1:

Far from Ordinary

Christmas was a time to share with family. You sing Christmas carols, have big family dinners and just spend time together. This was Artemis and Holly's first human Christmas as a married couple. Presents were tucked in under the tree, a star resting on the top. The two made an interesting couple, to say the least. Four months married, still newlyweds and in love. Their troubles with family were over, but the real adventure had yet to begin….

Artemis sat on his couch. He rolled his eyes at the book his friend Mulch had given him and Holly.

Parenting for Dummies

He threw the book to the side and then sighed. He was sure he was going to make a good father, wasn't he? He fumbled with the thought until he felt someone sit beside him. She was warm and lighter than usual. Well her mood anyways. Holly was brighter and more cheerful after they had gotten married. But he couldn't say she had lost all her attitude and anger though. She may have been pregnant, but she still could kick a good amount of evil butt. Or maybe just Foaly's, Mulch's and Artemis's butts.

"Is everything okay?" Holly asked, smiling fondly at him. Her tummy had begun to show now and Artemis was getting a little nervous from time to time. Butler said this was normal, but he had never had a child before. A fairy waits sixteen months to give birth, instead of the human nine. Qwan said this had confirmed the child having a fairy lifetime. Artemis was glad, because if the child had been born with human age, he would have a time limit to find out how to make his and his son's life longer. It was going to be a struggle and this just made things easier.

"I'm okay." He said. He wasn't fooling anyone. Holly could see right through his lies like no one could. She gave him a hug.

"Merry Christmas, baby." She whispered.

Artemis put his arm around her, and laid his hand on her stomach. Artemis smiled. She was only six months in, but he could swear he felt a little heartbeat. The doorbell rang and Holly left to the pizza delivery man's aid.

Once she returned, Artemis was already having second thoughts. "Are you sure you want pizza on Christmas Eve? I thought we would do something else to make it special." He said gently. Holly's was already handing him two plates with two pieces of pizza for each.

"There were many Christmas's I had to spend alone, Artemis." Holly explained. "Just having you here, and the baby, makes it special for me." Artemis smiled. Sometimes he thought he just wasn't cut out to be a husband. How could he be a father also?

The Christmas night had seemed to start off well, but not everyone's Christmas was a blast.

North America, USA- Two Weeks Earlier

A lone criminal sat on his wooden chair. Six years he had been in prison. That dreadful place. All because of that boy. How did he do it? There was no telling how. Only the kid himself knew. Money. All because of money. They both wanted it. Lots of it. A creeping noise made him look up, and distract him from his thoughts.

"Hello, my friend." A voice said.

The criminal looked up to see his imposter. "Who are you?" He asked. Then a small figure loomed out of the shadows. He was a man, small, yet frightening. A smile tugged at his lips.

"It doesn't matter who I am. I doesn't even matter who you are. We share the same displeasure." He snarled. "We were brought down from our once high ranks. Not because we weren't good enough. Oh no. We were better."

"Your talking about the kid aren't you?" the criminal asked, forcing himself not to smile. Perfect.

"Yes," said the small man, "Artemis Fowl is our displeasure." The little man walked up to the criminal. He forced his chin up with one stubby finger.

"I will get you out of here, but you will have to help me in return. We will attack him until he is dead inside. Then we will kill him for real." The little man sighed. "As a wise man once said, no place is as weak as the heart. Of course we will need some assistance. He is smarter than you think. He has people by his side that you wouldn't even imagine. We will kill our help later. No need for witnesses. But first," the little man laid a book in front of the criminal, "you will need to know some things."

The criminal read the title: Elves, Dwarves, Centaurs and other Fairy Creatures

"Interested?"

Christmas Eve

So here the man stood shivering in the winter cold. The little man had muttered something about how Artemis and some donkey named Foaly invented underground weather. Being underground seemed like being on the surface now, though the air was still clean yet stale. The criminal saw the little man leave the warehouse in front of him.

"Your name is Shawn. Remember that. I'm Jacob. These people cannot know our real names."

Shawn followed Jacob as he walked, "But who are they?"

Jacob turned to look at him. His eyes seemed black with the snow reflecting off them. "All in good time." He growled. Shawn was beginning to doubt this plan of the so called Jacob. What were they doing anyways? Ye decided it didn't matter. As long as he was out of jail and it stayed that way.

The warehouse seemed old, but inside, it looked brand new. Screens, computers, and gadgets that Shawn didn't even know of. A man tied to chair was in the middle of the room. It sounded like he was growling. Then there was a man sitting next to him and looking at the growling man-beast closely.

"This guy is a freak." The man snickered. The young man turned his head to see the two. He smiled, "Jacob, hey. This is Shawn right?" Jacob just nodded.

"I'm Jessie. Call me Jess if you like." He took a moment to look around. "It feels weird being out of prison."

"Tell me about it," Shawn muttered. Foot steps were approaching. It sounded like a woman's high heels and a pair of runners. Two people. Then the two women came into sight. One wasn't even a woman. She looked as if she was nineteen and the other was… Shawn didn't even know. Grey skin, black eyes and an evil smirk was enough to throw him off guard.

The other was beautiful, so he tried to focus on her. The ladies stopped in front of them. The pretty young girl whisked a blond curl from her face with a swift move from her head.

Jacob smiled, showing his white teeth. "Minerva, Isis, what a pleasure that you could join us."

Minerva smirked, "Oh no, the pleasure is all ours."

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You know the drill, three reviews for each chapter at the least.

(Everyone gasps) Minerva?! How could you?! I know, Minerva may have snapped since the wedding and everything. We don't quite know yet. Keep your pants on! I'm still thinking about the story line, here. This is the most confusing story EVER. Although idea are bursting from my head, they really don't make the cut. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.

Your evil authoress,

Shannon