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...
Butler studied his young charge as he waited for Holly. Artemis was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. He had cuts and gashes all over him and of course the stab wound in his side and the crippled leg. He looked skinnier than was healthy; his sharp cheekbones looked like they might just poke through the nasty slash on his face.
Butler remembered seeing how badly the shirt was ripped in the back when he found him and gently turned him over a little. The flesh was shredded and raw. There was dried blood crusted over some of the deep gashes and there was an older one up near his neck that was slightly healed and left a red line.
Butler picked up the injured boy slightly so he was lying on his stomach and positioned the wadded up gauze on the stab wound to where Artemis was on top of it and could still add pressure to it. Butler saw him grimace a little when he was completely settled.
Juliet walked in with wet washcloths. She started to clean the grime off Artemis' face.
"He certainly doesn't look good does he?" she asked quietly.
"He looks a lot better than if he were dead," Butler replied.
They both looked up when they heard a knock on the door. Juliet put the soiled cloth on a nearby table and went to answer the door. When she opened it, she didn't see anything until Holly unshielded and fizzled into view.
"Come in, he's in there," she said pointing behind her.
She took off her helmet and walked quickly into the room Juliet had directed her to and when she saw him on the couch, her stomach dropped. She ran over to him and grabbed his arm and called up her magic supply.
"Heal," she whispered under her breath. She watched the blue sparks jump from her hands to Artemis' arm and spread over his body. They sunk into his skin and she felt him jerk unnaturally. She held on tight to his arm and pushed her magic out, making him jerk even more. He moaned loudly.
She looked at his face, smashed against a pillow, and saw his eyes pop open, though they were dazed and unfocused. His mouth was moving, but no words came out. Finally, he blinked and in a hoarse, strangled voice, he said "Stop!" Bewildered, Holly stopped the flow of magic and took her hand away.
"Don't" Artemis coughed and fell unconscious again. Holly looked at his bloody back and her eyes widened and her jaw fell when she saw that nothing had been healed. She got up and looked back at Butler standing behind her. He was just as confused as she was.
"Holly? Are you out of magic?" Juliet asked.
"No, he told me to stop, but the magic I got out before that should have healed him at least a little. But it's just the same as before. Maybe even worse, he's bleeding Butler." She didn't even have to say it; Butler was already holding another towel to his back.
"Why didn't your magic work?" Juliet asked.
"I don't know." She put her helmet back on. She had told her commander what had happened on the flight over there.
"Trouble, we have a problem. I tried to heal Artemis and nothing happened. Get Foaly, I think he could help."
"Okay Holly, I've already called him in, he's on his way," the commander replied.
She took her helmet off again and looked at her friends.
"Trouble's getting Foaly; I think he can help with this. He's already gone home so it might be a while until he gets there. Until then, what exactly happened? The L.E.P. have Artemis' body in the lab, how is he here alive?"
"I found him right outside the gates. He caught my attention by throwing a rock at them, but he was unconscious when I got to him. I think he walked here from where Opal was keeping him." said Butler.
She nodded and looked closer at her human friend, inspecting the injuries.
"Wow Juliet, you weren't kidding. He looks horrible. What's wrong with his leg?"
"I think he broke it in the wreck. It was left untreated, so it healed wrong," said Butler.
"I wonder why he told me to stop," she wondered, mostly to herself.
"It didn't look like he was enjoying it exactly. Maybe it hurt. Do healings usually hurt at all?" asked Juliet.
"Well, major healings can be a little uncomfortable sometimes, but not outright painful," Holly said.
They were interrupted by a low moan. They all looked at Artemis and saw that his mouth was moving and he was making small noises. Holly got closer to him trying to understand what he was saying but she couldn't tell.
"Holly? Foaly's here, I told him what happened," interrupted Trouble's voice from her helmet. She started to put it back on, but stopped when Foaly told her to wait.
After a second, Foaly's face appeared on the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall across from them. He sported a small, smug grin at having been able to hack Artemis yet again, but it quickly disappeared when he saw his friend on the couch.
"Wow, Arty has definitely seen better days. Okay, so you tried to heal him, he told you to stop, and you found out nothing had healed,"
"Correct. He was jerking and thrashing like it hurt. Do you think maybe Opal did something to him?" Holly was worried about this idea.
"Most likely. I'll check it out," he sighed. "Well, since you can't heal him the easy way, you should probably wrap him up big man," he said to Butler. The giant bodyguard nodded and started to attend to his charge, first using the towel to clean off Artemis' back.
"Am I allowed to call the family doctor, Foaly? I could patch him up but not like a doctor could," said Butler.
"I think that would be fine, he doesn't seem to have any magical symptoms that a human doctor would find odd,"
Butler called the doctor, telling him to come over as quickly as possible and that he didn't care what time it was. He hung up when the doctor said he would be right over.
"He doesn't live too far away, so you had better make yourself scarce Foaly," Butler said to the centaur.
"Go find out whose body the L.E.P. found in that building and why he looks like Artemis," said Holly.
"I have a thought about that. Do you remember how Opal broke out of the clinic when she was in that coma?"
"Yeah, she used a…clone. You mean you think that body we found is a clone?" she said.
Foaly nodded, "It is possible, but I don't see how the clone grew so fast, unless she had someone else grow it while she was in jail, or it's some new type of clone that grows extra fast."
"But which Artemis is the clone, and which one is real? You could have the clone, or this is the clone right here," said Juliet.
"I'll go run some tests on the Artemis we have and see if it is the clone while the doctor is here. It's highly unlikely that you guys have the clone seeing as how he can talk to you, and you understood what he said," said Foaly. Holly almost couldn't bare the thought of losing Artemis all over again, and if it turns out that they had the clone, that is exactly what would be happening.
The doorbell rang, and elegant music filled the house and rang in their ears. Butler went to open the door, and Foaly's image winked off the screen. Holly shielded and stood off to the side and Juliet stood near the couch. Holly heard Butler greet the doctor and saw them walk in. The doctor hurried over to Artemis when he saw him and started to look him over.
"He's been stabbed in his side. I covered it with a towel and I don't think it's bleeding as bad as it was earlier," Butler told the doctor.
"His leg looks like it needs surgery to fix. You'll need to admit him to a hospital to be treated," the doctor said.
"We have a medical room with medical tools and other equipment. Do you think you could fix him in there?" Juliet asked.
"I'll have to see it first."
"I'll show you to it," Butler said as he walked away and the doctor followed.
Holly whispered to Juliet who stayed in the room, "You have a medical room?"
"Yes, but I don't remember when it was put in. It's always full of the newest and the best things. It's a doctors dream in there."
She saw Butler walk in and go straight to Artemis.
"The doctor has agreed to treat Artemis in the medical room. You can unshield Holly, He will be in there for a while," he rumbled, gently picking up Artemis and carrying him out of the room.
Holly unshielded and went to sit on the couch, only to find that there was blood on it. She frowned and sat in a chair next to the couch.
"Do you want something to drink Holly?" Juliet asked, walking towards the kitchen.
"No thanks," she wasn't in the mood for eating or drinking. She wasn't even tired, even though she had been awake all day and now almost all night. She wanted to know what was wrong with Artemis. The reaction he had had during the healing was not normal. What did Opal do to you Arty?
Juliet walked back into the room carefully holding a cup of something warm, she could see steam curling from the mug. She sat down in a different chair, blowing on her drink to cool it. Butler walked in and looked at the blood stained couch. He sighed.
"It's a good thing I know how to get another with the same design," he said. "Do you think Foaly is done with his tests?"
"I'll check," she said, activating her helmet and flipping the visor out so everyone in the room could see it.
"Foaly? You there?"
"Yes Holly, I know you understand how hard it is to tell a clone from an original unless they start talking. I couldn't take a blood test; the DNA would be almost exactly like the original and I can't make him talk. The Artemis you guys have can talk, but this may be some new form of clone she invented or-"
"Foaly, get to the point," Butler interrupted.
"Right, well, you know how Arty and Holly switched eyes in the time tunnel? Well, your bodies may have accepted the new eyes and their DNA, but that DNA stayed right there in the eyes, not spreading anywhere else. Opal somehow got DNA to copy into a clone, and it was Arty's original gene code, and the extra DNA wasn't included so…" he trailed off, emphasizing that he wanted someone to answer.
"So… both of the clone's eyes should be blue? Not blue and hazel?" Holly finished.
"Exactly! All I had to do was check the eyes, and I am pleased to say…they are both that wonderful blue we all know and love. I really don't see how Opal overlooked that! Such a simple mistake really,"
While Foaly rambled on, complimenting his ego, Holly breathed a sigh of relief. Artemis was alive and officially no longer in Opal's metaphorically dirty hands.
"Thanks Foaly, have you found anything about the healing mishap?" asked Butler.
"There are a few things that can prevent a healing; either make the person immune to healing, or some of them prevent healing for a certain amount of time, but almost all of them would kill a human. There are only three things that a human could take to ward off magic that wouldn't kill them. Two of them don't exist anymore, and the other is an extremely hard to come by liquid that no one knows how to use exactly, so she must be using something else."
Foaly continued to talk to the group for a while, Holly occasionally joining in on the conversation but mostly listening. All of a sudden, she felt the day's emotional turmoil and physical wear come down on her, making her eyelids weigh ten pounds and droop closed.
"Holly? Holly. Hooolly," she heard a gentle voice calling her to consciousness again. She looked up, bleary eyed, at Juliet with her hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her.
"Holly, I think it's time you go to bed. Come on, I'll take you to a guest room," She said.
"No, no I want to see Artemis," Holly said, yawning.
"Holly, you need to sleep. Besides, he'll still be there when you wake up."
Holly sat there for a minute and finally decided to go to sleep. She followed her human friend up the elegant staircase and to a beautiful room with white carpet and light blue walls and a king sized bed with soft looking white sheets and blankets. There was some furniture like a bookcase and a nightstand with some drawers to put clothes in.
"I took the liberty of putting some of my old clothes in the drawers so you wouldn't have to wear your suit the whole time. Goodnight Holly," she said walking out the door and closing it.
Holly mumbled a goodnight and searched through the drawers and changed into a random outfit that fit her rather well. She climbed into the comfortable bed and turned off the lamp, falling asleep almost instantly.
…
Holly yawned and stretched. Where am I? She thought as she felt the unfamiliar, silky sheets she was wrapped in. She cracked open her eyes and remembered where she was when she saw the room she was in. She got up out of the bed and looked for another outfit besides the tank top and shorts she was currently wearing.
She opened the door after changing and saw Butler walking briskly past the door and down the hall to a room two doors away from her own. Curious, she decided to follow him, and walked into the room. The first thing she saw was monitor after beeping monitor, eventually seeing the sleeping teen attached to them on the bed.
"Butler? Is he okay?" Holly asked, walking towards Artemis. He was lying on his left side, and looked as pale and skinny as death.
"Yes, I have a device downstairs that alerts me if he's waking up. It started beeping, so I came up here to check on him," the large man said, looking at his charge.
"So he's waking up?"
"Well, I thought so, but he doesn't look like he's going to. I suppose he's just dreaming."
"Has he woken up at all?"
"No, the doctor gave him some anesthesia, but that was a while ago. He could wake up soon."
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud growl from Holly's stomach.
"Come downstairs, I'll make you something to eat," Butler said.
"Okay, I'll eat, but I want to be here if he starts to wake up," she said. She was reluctant to leave, but she needed to eat
"Good morning Holly! Those clothes look good on you," said Juliet when she entered the kitchen and saw Holly sitting at the table eating a fruit salad.
"Yeah, thanks for lending them to me," Holly replied. She speared another strawberry and popped it in her mouth. She was about to repeat this process with a kiwi when she heard a persistent and rather annoying beeping. Butler was immediately alert. He put down whatever he was holding and walked briskly back up the stairs. Holly looked at Juliet for an explanation.
"It's the thing that tells us Arty's waking up, so come on!" she said following her brother, Holly trailing after her. They hurried into the room, all eyes immediately on Artemis. He did appear to be waking up this time. He groaned and rubbed an eye.
"Artemis?" Butler said.
Artemis peeked out of an eye, looking at his bodyguard with a confused look on his face. He opened both his eyes slowly, eventually looking at each of his visitors. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead let out a weak cough.
"Artemis? Are you okay?" Butler asked, worried.
He nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm fine."
"How do you feel?"
"Like I was run over by a steam roller. I think I am ill," Artemis groaned.
Butler put a massive hand to the boy's pale forehead. "You're burning up"
"Butler, could you get me something for a headache?" he said, rubbing his temple. Butler left the room and Holly found herself alone with Artemis, as Juliet had left with her brother. She looked over at her friend.
"Hello Holly," he said looking up at her with a tiny smile. She smiled back.
"Hey Arty. Welcome back to the land of the living," she said, reaching out to some light humor to fill the awkward atmosphere of the room.
Artemis became even paler than Holly thought was even humanly possible. "You saw the clone, didn't you?" he whispered sadly.
"Yes, I did, but it doesn't matter. You're alive, and safe."
"Holly, I need to tell you why Opal kidnapped me in the first place. She's-"
"No, we can talk about that when you feel better," Holly chastised him. She wanted desperately to know what was going on, but Butler said that he was sick. He was also healing the old fashioned way, which, if she remembered correctly, required a lot of rest. Artemis sighed and rolled over to where he could lay on his back. He winced and hissed as he settled down.
"Arty? What's wrong?" she walked over and stood next to him.
"My back hurts, and it feels harder to breathe than normal. Is there something wrapped around me?" He rolled to his side again and propped himself up on his elbows. He pulled the blankets back from him and looked down at himself.
He wasn't wearing a shirt, instead clean white gauze was wrapped around his torso, covering his stomach and most of his chest. He frowned and reached a hand back to his neck, feeling the stitches the doctor had used to close the gash on it. He had never looked so confused in his life when he looked at his friend. He pulled the covers over himself again. It was slightly awkward as he was not wearing a shirt and it was also cold.
"Holly, were you not able to heal me?" he asked. He had naturally assumed she would heal him, considering he had been bleeding to death when he had made it to the manor gates.
"No, you started screaming at me to stop. You acted like it hurt, so I stopped and we called a doctor."
Butler finally walked in with some pills and a glass of water. Artemis took a drink and gulped down the pills and winced.
"Ouch, I defiantly have a fever," he croaked.
"Sore throat?" asked Butler.
"Yes," he coughed again, this time harder.
"Ugh, I'm already congested," Artemis said while sniffing.
"Go to sleep Artemis, we can talk later," said Holly.
He shook his head. "No, I need to eat something. Opal was a horrible hostess."
Holly raised her eyebrows at him. "Of all the times to develop a sense of humor," she said giving him a grin.
"What do you want to eat Artemis?" asked Butler.
"Something light, my stomach isn't up for a big meal."
"Okay, I'll be right back," and Butler left the room again.
Holly dragged a chair next to the bed and sat down. Artemis laid there on his shoulder looking at her.
"Are fairies susceptible to human illnesses?" he asked after a minute.
"No, I'll be fine. It does seem kind of weird that you are though."
"I'm not invincible."
"I know, I've just never seen you sick before."
"I'm not sick very often, but I might have picked up something."
Butler walked in, but he didn't have food with him. He looked a little annoyed.
"Foaly wants to speak with you Artemis," he said.
"It's okay old friend, I need to talk with him too," Artemis sat up and leaned against some pillows, facing the television mounted on his wall. Foaly's face appeared on the screen.
"Hey Artemis, feeling okay?" he asked.
"I have been better Foaly, but that is not what you wanted to talk about is it?"
"No, I wanted to ask you what Opal did to you,"
"Foaly! We can talk about it later! He needs to eat if you haven't noticed," Holly said, glaring at the centaur.
"I know, but I need to figure out what's wrong with him! It could be life threatening, this is Opal we're talking about here!"
"It is in fact life threatening, very much so, but don't worry, I don't think Opal could get it to work," Artemis piped up.
"What do you mean Artemis?"
Artemis explained what Opal's plan was, and what she was making.
"So you're most likely okay?" asked Foaly when Artemis was finished.
"Yes, but we should still be wary of it.'
"So that stone thing prevents you from being healed? Is it supposed to hurt too?"
Artemis thought about all the times Opal tried to heal him. "No, I don't believe so."
"Then why did you yell at me to stop?"
"Well, Opal never used more than a few sparks. It might be uncomfortable in large quantities," Artemis said
Holly nodded. Artemis started coughing again, holding a fist to his mouth. When the fit passed, Holly gasped as she saw that there was blood on his hand.
"Artemis!" she shrieked. Butler grabbed a tissue and handed it to him. Artemis wiped his mouth and hand and took a gulp of water, choking on it. He started hacking again and more blood came out. There were tears in his eyes as the fit subsided. He wiped his mouth again, and clutched his burning throat.
"I think he has more than just a fever," said Foaly.
...
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