Okay, after much thinking and Rockstar Energy Drinks, I have decided to continue. Okay, that's not how it happened, it was more like: Me watching Monty Python's Flying Circus (Ministry of Silly Walks) and sighing thinking about all my disappointed fans due to my incompetence because of people who need to learn the proper way to be "helpful". So, after dancing around in my living room listening to Suburban Legends, I have come back to the computer one again and decided to make another chapter. Read on Freshness Lovers, Read on.

Dreams of Despair Part Two

After falling asleep in such a strange place, in such a fragile state of mind, it was sure to cause some... strange dreams.

It was as if I was watching my entire life, starting from the beginning and being played in fast-forward. Several blocks of past memories and events played back, mostly concerning me and my parents. Every once and a while ghostly figures would pop out and go over some important scene. Once it was my mother and I, her telling me how important it was to do my best in life. Another father, right before he left for Russia, telling me to work hard for family values.

Next, the important parts began to stand out to me. Butler, and me, spending all that time researching The Book. Finding Holly, kidnapping her. Everything with that, that Troll. Juliet, Foaly, Root, everyone. All of my witty comments and mostly back-firing plans.

All of the images swelled to an enormous size and then come together in one massive implosion. Everything went silent and blinding white for a few moments.

Then, for some reason, I still can't understand...

I was sitting in an lounge chair, surrounded by people. All in a circle, they where all in chairs, just like I was. They had blank expressions, and familiar face.

Butler, Holly, Foaly, Juliet, and my parents. All sitting around me.

Staring.

"W-what is this?" I stuttered nervously. My mother was the first to reply. "This is your dream, Artemis." She said in an empty, drone-like voice. "But, I don't..." I began trying to make sense of all this. "You're sick, Artemis," Holly said this time. I turned my head to her. "I can't understand this state, why and how are you all here?" I asked trying to calm down.

"We are not really your friends," Juliet spoke in a tone the rest of them did. "We are merely your imagination, chosen the form of shapes you can recognize." Foaly said like a robot. "We are here to warn you, Arty." My father informed me. "To warn you of a terrible fate you face now, because of the path you have chose to follow. To pursue a false hope." Butler said, with a small trace of emotion. I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Which hope? In what fate could be so terrible?" I questioned. "You're going to loose your mind," Juliet declared.

"Insane," My mother said. "Batty," My father added. "Crazed," Holly imputed. "Loony," Foaly figured. "Mental," Butler concluded.

"Stop it!" I yelled standing up from my chair, causing it to fall backwards on the floor. "How can you expect me to comprehend all of this right now?" I turned towards my mother and father. "You're dead! You're the ones making me like this, and your here trying to tell me that it's all right? As long as I stop feeling like this I'm going to be fine?"

"No," My mother said plainly. "We're here to tell you that keep walking down this path, you're going to die." She finished. I looked down at the floor, trembling in fury.

"Why should I fear the inevitable?" My head turned to the figures I recognized as my parents and smiled devilishly.

"We have to die sometime, right?"

Then, I was jolted. Shook out of my sleep and back into reality. My eyes ripped open, and I sat up so quickly it made my head spin. Resting my head in my palm for a few moments, I looked around. Surprisingly, I was no longer under the hydrangea. I was on my living-room couch. With one of the quilts thrown over me. The fireplace had been lit in the middle of the room, and I noticed a half-eaten sandwich next to one of the chairs. My hair and clothes where still wet and very muddy.

I kept looking around the house and then coughed a few times into my hand. The room was very quiet. I was still wondering how I had gotten there. My mind raced as I searched the empty dimly-lit room.

(A.N. Then, a tortilla bare!!! -Gasp- Not really, just couldn't help myself. Sorry)

Then, I realized, maybe I was kidnapped. Taken hostage by the same people that killed my parents. They had me and where planning on killing me to! That dream I just had, awkward, probably caused by the state of mind I was in. My eyes darted nervously around the room, I sunk down into the cautions of the couch and waited.

It didn't take very long, in just a few moments, I herd the door knob begin to creak open, slowly. I was sure by now that I had be held agents my will. They weren't taking me, not like they did with my parents. I couldn't fight very well... actually I couldn't fight at all. But, there was an expensive looking vase next to the couch.

The door knob kept turning... I felt my hands begin to shake. I wrapped my hands around the neck of the black, oriental styled vase and held in tightly in my hands. It wouldn't kill whoever was in the room, but I could do some damage. I herd footsteps come into the room.

I tightened my squeeze around the vase, gulped, closed my eyes. I jumped up on the couch and screamed something, I can't quite tell what it was that I screamed. It sounded sort of like a howler monkey and a bunch of cats getting their tails stepped on. But after that I let go of the vase and it flew in the general direction of the door way.

All I herd after that was it shattering, no one said a word. I opened my eyes very slowly. Nervous that the vase had completely missed the target and the person was now holding a gun in my face. Luckily for me, that was not the case. But an equally awkward one.

"B-Butler? Is that you?" I stammered, eyes finally open to their full potential.

The brick-wall of a man was standing at the door with a blank expression and a pile of broken pottery to about a foot to the left of him.

"You're awake," Butler said placing the newspaper in his hand on the end table. I rubbed my eyes some and relaxed a bit.

"Yes, it would seem that way." I replied leaning backwards ageist the couch's arm. Butler walked up some more and decided to sit on the chair next to me.

"I apologize about the vase... I thought you where-" Butler stopped me before I could finish.

"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?" He asked, suspiciously trying to avoid the question.

"I seem to a cough," I replied lightly beating my chest with my fist.

"No, I mean in the head. I found you under a plant you know. In the rain no less, that explains the cough. You could of gotten really sick," Butler looked down at the couch and quilts, crusted with mud and water. "and you've ruined the couch." he observed.

For reasons I can't understand, my mind suddenly changed thought patterns. I turned my head at Butler with an empty almost non-existent expression. "In the head? That's an interesting question, Butler. My mind recently has been encroaching with words and images of pure madness. Is that what you think I am, Butler, mad? Am I insane Butler?" My voice was getting louder and more bitter.

Butler had grown a tab bit frightened in this conversation. Artemis was accusing him of thinking he was insane. Butler stood up, wanting dearly to leave the room. "The rain, Artemis, you're sick. You need to take a warm bath, or something. Change clothes." Butler said beginning to make his way out of the room.

I stood up after him, my mind showing no sign of relent. "Why has it taken you so long to get here? My parents died almost a week ago and you just got here. Dose it even matter to you anymore?" I yelled. And in my head, I was fighting to regain control of myself...

Meanwhile, In Arty's head...

(Just to let you know, there are no persons in this part just Artemis yelling at him self basically. The quotes in italics are well, his conscious. You'll understand in a second.)

"What are you doing! Stop!"

We are making them aware...

"Aware? What do you mean? Let me talk to him!"

They have to know about our condition, before it's too late.

"I cannot perceive this information. I demand to know what's going on!"

Do not fight me, Artemis, we're trying to help you. The one talking to him is the poison, it's the one making you like this. We have to stop it.

"Poison... this is illogical, who are you?"

I am you, your mind, your thoughts, the embodiment of your conscious. But now there is another, and you are listing to it.

"What?"

The poison is not one of us, you must stop listing to it. It shall destroy us. Go back now, and warn the others.

"Wait, what do I warn, what's happening to me?"

Go, warn them...

Back in reality, Artemis stopped talking, and moving, all together.

I was sitting up on the couch, my body pulsed once, I shook my head. It felt at that moment like my body weighed nothing but I could feel gravity holding me to the ground, my head was spinning, the room was getting blurry, Butler was talking, saying something... I couldn't hear him. My legs could no longer support my body, I slumped over on my stomach. I herd Butler, he was yelling now, I still couldn't understand him. He was running at me. The whole room swirled together like a gigantic water colored painting. Then my breath shortened and became ice-cold. I started to feel sweat beads form on my fore-head. I tried to move my eyes but it only made my head feel worse. My stomach began to explode from the inside out. Or at least that's what it felt like. I groaned, trying to call for held. I could no longer sustain my consciousness. My eye's rolled back and I lost all balance and coordination in myself.

I felt Butler's hand on my back, then I rolled off the couch, into the floor.

Then there was nothing... nothing but black.

I finally think I know where this story is going! GO ME! Also, I hinted some foreshadowing in that whole "poison" thing. Ooohhhh, be scared! Anyways, until next time.