How did we get here? I thought I knew you so well.
Chapter 3
Sew Lane, Sanctum City
Holly woke. The smell of the sea was gone, and she was no longer lying on a hard boulder. Instead, she smelled food. Not just scavenged, flavorless food, but cuisine that has been actually cooked with taste. She was lying in the softest surface ever. The cushion seemed to swallow her, and the sheets felt as smooth as water.
She opened her eyes. The moment she lifted her eyelids, hands pushed her head down and forced her eyes open. Then someone sprayed something in her left eye. It wasn't painful, like pepper spray. It was more like mist.
"There. Better." A voice said. Holly blinked her eyes several times until she could see a mud girl in her twenties holding a blue spray can thing.
"Welcome to Sanctum, Holly Ventura. You are now part of the Society. I'm Narcissa." The mud girl said. She was baby faced, so Holly thought she was a pixie before. Also, pixies tend to name their offsprings self-glorifying, precious names.
A pixie before. Suddenly, flashes of the past days came back to Holly: saying good-bye to a centaur and other tearful people; lying on a surgical table while Merula chanted deep incantations; endless hours on a rocking ship.
"You must be hungry. I just ordered food." Narcissa said. Holly sat up. Strangely, she wasn't hungry at all.
"Oh right. I remember not being hungry too after I was awakened." The girl said, as she sat down on Holly's bed.
Awakened? Holly thought. You make it sound like being humanized is a gift from the gods.
"Could you, like, please say something?" Narcissa suddenly snapped, after a few moments of staring at each other. When Holly just looked at her, she continued. "I'm Narcissa Ciaran. That's also my pixie name. Before the war, I was a fashion student at San D' Klass U. You know, that campus near Stalactite Village. I escaped Haven with Merula, who was my prof that time, since I needed 3 units in Magic. I'm her second client! Now I work in Thread Street, here at Sanctum."
Holly knew San D' Klass U, alright. It was where rich daddies sent their little princesses so they have something to do. For Merula to be a professor there… she might not be the powerful warlock she says she is. She also knew the name Ciaran. The clan owned a department store with branches all over Haven. Great, she was stuck with a bimbo.
When Holly didn't say anything, Narcissa's baby face grew more annoyed. But she tried to hide it by plastering on a big smile.
"Of course, I know all about you, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon unit. You're that Artemis Fowl girl. There was a movie about you, you know. But it was banned by the Council after 3 weeks of showing. Since, you know, you and the human boy ended up together, when you were in his kidnapping clutches. But it was sooo sexy, I swear. It was such a hit that they released an illegal sequel. About that goblin rebellion. I loved that part when you kissed Artemis and rushed into battle."
I'm the Artemis Fowl girl, Holly thought grimly.
"Oooh, you're so lucky. Since you know Artemis Fowl personally, Merula got you this awesome, high-rating job here at Sanctum. You'll have your own place in no time, in Elysium no doubt. She had to change your last name though, since he might recognize you."
They had told Merula their plans. She agreed but warned them hey would fail. Once Holly was inside Sanctum, she can never go back. She can't communicate with the rest of them, either. The elf captain had to take down Fowl Industries on her own.
"What job?"
"Finally. The Fowl thing got you interested, huh? You did have oh la la affairs with Fowl!" At this, Holly would have punched the girl, especially when the only affair Holly wanted with Fowl was a killing spree. But she can't bring herself to punch her only companion here in Sanctum.
"Well, I'll tell you later. Why don't you get dressed and follow me downstairs. I'll give you a tour of the city." To Holly's relief, the pixie-human left the room.
Holly rose from the bed, surprisingly steady and graceful in her new legs. She made her way to the closet, grasping the closet door with fingers that were thrice as long as before. The elf gasped. Inside the closet was the first mirror she encountered since the change.
She was about five foot and nine inches tall. Her long auburn hair was standing up everywhere, falling in unruly waves down her back. Healed by Merula's magic, her battle scars were all gone, including the one in her thumb where her digit was reattached long ago.
Holly stepped closer, touching the fingers of her reflection. She didn't feel different at all. Then she saw her eyes. It was not her eyes anymore. What had Narcissa sprayed on her? Narcissa must have intended to make her look normal. Gone were her mismatched eyes. Instead, both were the deepest blue. For a second, she thought Artemis Fowl was looking into her eyes.
"What the hell are you wearing?" Narcissa said incredulously. After gaping at her reflection, Holly saw an impossibly short, outrageous dress hung on a rack. No way was Holly Short start doing dresses. Instead, she rummaged through the drawers and found a black v-neck, jeans, some sneakers and underwear that wasn't frilly, lacy, pink or only 2 centimeters wide.
"Narcissa, since when have you seen an LEPrecon captain wear dresses?" Holly said, making her way towards the counter top where Narcissa was perched, playing with her pink curls. Yes, her hair was pink. Candy cotton pink.
"Well, none. Since you're the only LEPrecon female captain. Ha. Anyways, I thought you'd like the dress. I made it for you. It was an exact replica of what you wore when you were imprisoned inside Fowl Manor."
Holly would feel sorry for not wearing a dress Narcissa made for her, but then the pixie thinks she was kidnapped in slut clothing.
"Narcissa, forget the movie. Artemis was twelve when he kidnapped me. He was just a kid who liked lollipops, back then."
"Well, not anymore. Can a just a kid who likes lollipops build this?" The girl pushed a button on a remote. Instantly, all the walls around the floor rose up, revealing glass and Sanctum city.
Narcissa stood up and pulled Holly towards the front doors, before Holly could even start gaping at the scenery.
It was even more astonishing when you're in the streets. From what Holly could make out, they were in a suburban area. It was the most eccentric place Holly had seen. Up and down the streets were houses and properties, all different from each other. One was a wooden mansion on top of a huge cypress tree, about 80 feet from the ground. The house across the street was a huge pineapple. The elf looked back and saw that the house they came out from was the most normal. All silver and white and glass in neat squares towering about 8 stories high.
"Beautiful, isn't it? We design our own houses. Our village is Cloth Lane. Where we live is according to our professions. Everyone who lives here are fashion designers and models and make up artists." Narcissa said, as she led Holly to a wheel-less car that resembles a hovercraft. It looked like fairy tech, aside from the Fowl Industries insignia on the bumper.
"The Society made sure that every human gets to live their ideal life, have everything they want, fulfill all their dreams. Under one condition though. Everyone who wants these benefits have to work, have to have a job. They're not real jobs, really. More of a hobby. Money doesn't even exist anymore. All we get are perks and benefits. It's the fairy slaves who do all the real, gruesome ones that nobody wants."
Once inside the car, Narcissa continued to talk. The colorful buildings flashed by.
"Listen, Holly, we're going to the Station. Hovercrafts are only aloud within your village. Intervillage travel, or going to the city proper, everyone rides the train. We might bump into someone I know, so here's your story." Narcissa handed Holly a touch screen tablet.
"I was born on February 27. I'm 20 years old. My name's Holly Ventura, your cousin, from the Satrap in Satrapy 2. My mom is doctor back in our Satrap and my father is a Humane. I got sick of all the lumber and the trees and decided to pursue a career in management at Sanctum."
"Excellent. That's tablet's yours, BTW. Everyone here has. We're here!" She alighted the vehicle.
"Won't you park it?" Holly asked as she walked with Narcissa up the stairs.
"No. The fairy slaves do that Holly."
She hasn't yet seen a fairy slave inside the city. When she looked back, the hovercraft was gone.
"Don't fuss, Holly. Just act normally and follow my lead." Narcissa instructed her mind already far from the subject of fairy slaves.
She went through the glass arc, Holly following in her wake. Once she stepped inside the train, the glass doors closed and whisked them away. The train was wonderful, if a bit scary. Everything was Plexiglas, from the seats to the roof to the floor. She could see everything outside.
Apparently, the entire tour was going to be done on the train. Every now and then Narcissa pointed out a landmark, and said a little description about every village and sector the train stops.
The whole city was a grid. All straight vertical roads, intersected by the horizontal train tracks. First there were just the suburbs; each named something obvious pertaining to who lived there like Paintbrush Estates and Melody Hills. After the colorful domiciles was the expansive Sanctum Academy, where all children undergo primary, elementary and high school. The whole campus was bigger than Haven and Atlantis put together. Then they reached the city proper. Each street in the city hosted specific trade. All the restaurants and food shops were on Fork Street, all the florists and landscapers were on Rose Street, etc.
On the Thread Street station, an overdressed group went on the train.
"Cissy! Who's your friend?" A blond boy who was dressed like a hobo called. He was standing with a group of friends, who were all smiling and waving at Narcissa. The pink headed girl grabbed Holly and made their way towards the group.
"This is Holly, guys. She's my cousin, from Satrapy 2. She just arrived in Sanctum today, for her new job. I'm giving her a tour!"
"Yellow, Holly. I'm Drew." Then he introduced his other friends. "We all work on Thread Street, with your cousin."
"So, what's your job here at Sanctum? Is it fashion, too? Unique taste." Inquired a blonde whose hair was sculpted into a shape of a cat. She eyed Holly's black shirt, clearly disapproving.
"No, no." Narcissa said. "Holly's into corporate stuff. She got this great job inside Fowl Industries itself. Can you believe that? She'll actually get to see the inside of Fowl Complex! Her first day's tomorrow."
There were oohs and aaahs across group. Some people from the surrounding seats even looked at Holly enviously. Holly shifted, uncomfortable in the spotlight.
"No one has ever seen or know what's inside those walls."
"What's her position?" inquired a man seating across the train.
Just then, the train went to a stop. "Fowl Complex" a female voiced announced. Strangely, it was Lily Frond's voice. Holly remembered that Artemis used it on his phone to annoy her. To use it on the train PA? She almost laughed out loud.
She looked outside, but saw nothing. Unlike the previous stations, Fowl Complex was completely walled. The only thing that was visible was the station platform and the insignia of Fowl Industries engraved on the south wall.
All the people on the train started going down. Narcissa followed, pulling Holly with her.
"Fowl Complex is the last station. We have to transfer to a new train to go back to Sew Lane." Narcissa explained.
"So, Holly, your job?" Drew said, once they were settled on the new train.
"You won't believe this, Drew." Narcissa said. "Holly got assigned to be the personal assistant of Artemis Fowl the Second himself. "
A/N: You don't have to point out that this is Hunger Games-esque. I made it that way, but no, there won't be any games here (not that it didn't cross my mind). This would be more of H/A than Save the World thing. The names of the places came from this weird bakery across our street. It's called the "Bakery Bakery" We also have a diner here that's called "Diner Diner". Anyways, Thoughts? Suggestions? It'll help if you point out the flaws you find, and what you don't like about it and what you expect so we could work on it. Artemis is on the next chapter, rejoice guys!
-edited. Artemis was twelve when he kidnapped Holly. Thank you reviewer whose name I forgot. -