Hello, everyone! I'm so glad that I'm back to writing again! My exams are all over, and I'm free! So, this chapter's a bit long. It's actually my longest, but this is important for the plot. I'd like to thank all those who have read my story till now.
I've been interrupted a LOT while writing this chapter; I started from Thursday, and now it's Saturday! Please tell me if the story feels a little disconnected or faulty. Your constructive criticism is always appreciated!
I'd mainly like to thank flymetothemoon77 and my best friend, as they have been quite supportive and encouraging!
Don't forget to read, review, and rate & to follow, favorite and of course, FAN ART!
Enjoy this chapter!
Thalia was walking through a dark graveyard. The cold was bitter, but she did not notice that. The wind kept pushing her back, but she ploughed on. The marble gravestones were in her sight, but she could not reach them. Mist started to gather around her. The wisps swirled into the shape of a face. "You'll never get there," taunted a voice.
"I will!" shouted Thalia, and swatted the hazy face aside. The face grew menacing. There was a murderous glint in those smoky eyes. "You will not. You're too weak, too fragile. You were never strong enough." said the voice, in a strong tone. Thalia was fighting against the wind. She stretched her hand out through the mist, but it hissed, and she withdrew it. It was coated with a thin layer of ice, and it felt heavy. No, fight it!, thought Thalia, but the mist drew denser, and it started to suffocate her. She gasped for breath, but the mist blocked her throat. Then, a musical sound broke through.
Thalia's eyes opened slowly, and she found that the musical sound was, in fact, her alarm. She sat up, and stretched. Holly was turning and twisting in the bed. Thalia gently shook her. "Holly, get up," she said. Holly opened her eyes, and groaned. "Is it 6:00 already?" she asked. "6:30," corrected Thalia. "And yes, it is." Holly jumped out of bed. "Fine by me," she said.
"You were sleepy one minute, and then you jumped out the next. How?" asked Thalia. "Training," she said, simply. "Ok, then. I have to take a bath, and then we'll go down for breakfast." said Thalia. "Way ahead of you, Thalia," said Holly. "I already took a bath." "When?" asked Thalia. "Earlier. I woke up early today, and took a bath, but when I saw you sleeping, I decided that I wanted a nap." said Holly. "Fine. I'll meet you in the dining hall," said Thalia, and pushed Holly out of the room. "I'll be down in twenty minutes."
Holly sighed, and walked down to the dining hall. Meanwhile, Thalia took a quick, hot shower and put on her black suit. She tried to tie her hair like how Juliet had taught her to, but she got confused, and decided to just tie it normally. She was about to leave when she remembered her laptop. She went back, and took the chrome device down with her.
Artemis and Holly were already down there, and there was a bowl of salad in front of her. Holly took a bite of it, and wrinkled her nose. "This isn't exactly my favorite salad," she said. "Who made it?" Artemis put on a bland face and said, "I did. Butler is working on the jet right now, and you were complaining, so I was forced to make it myself." Thalia jumped into the conversation. "I'm lucky I'm not you, Holly," she said, winking at Holly. "Very funny, Thalia," said Artemis drily.
"So, what about the jet?" asked Thalia. "Are we going to New York?" Artemis nodded. "Yes, we are. We also have a little investigating to do." he said. Thalia nodded, and sat down. "So, where's the food?" she asked. They both looked at her, waiting for the message to sink in. "Oh, yes, Butler's working on the jet," she noted. "So, will I have to make it myself?" she asked. "Yes, Thalia." said Artemis. Holly got up, and went after Thalia. Artemis raised an eyebrow, and Holly replied, "Sorry, Artemis. I'm hungry, and I want proper food."
Artemis sighed. He decided to follow Holly, as he was free, and had nothing productive to do. Thalia was going through the smaller fridge, and was picking out items. "Some cheese, lettuce, and bread," she said, and took them out. She walked over to the hooks and chose an apron. She wrapped it around the suit, and started to gather them together.
"I think a simple sandwich is enough," she said, and washed the lettuce. Holly opened the bag of bread, took one out, and started eating it. Artemis stood in the doorway and listened carefully. Even with all his genius, he could not make even a sandwich for himself. He would never openly admit it, but he thought it was a survival skill, in case he had to feed himself.
Thalia kept the leaves aside, and heated up some bread in the microwave. Then, Holly spread cheese over them, and kept the lettuce in between. She started to eat it right away, and nodded. "Better," she said, after she gulped the last mouthful. Thalia grimaced. "Really? This isn't my best recipe, Holly." she said. "At least it's better than the salad," she said, and Thalia suppressed a smile. Then, she spotted Artemis.
"Here, I made one for you as well." said Thalia, and passed him a sandwich. He held it in one hand, and looked at it. "How do you eat it and stay clean?" asked Artemis. "Put it on a plate," said Holly, and Thalia washed one and gave it to him. Artemis kept it on the plate, and proceeded to stare at it some more. "What is it?" asked Thalia. "I can work out the ratio of the width to the length, and I can work out how to cut it into equal slices, but I do not know how to ingest it," he said.
Thalia sighed. "Just eat it with your hands," she said. Artemis looked appalled. "Fine, eat it with a fork." she suggested. He went and got a fork and a knife, and cut it into equal pieces, whose length to width ratio was the golden ratio. "How did you learn to make food?" asked Artemis. Thalia laughed. "I just picked it up. Besides, I'm not an expert chef. I only know how to make sustenance," she said. Artemis took a bite of the sandwich, and immediately regretted it. He managed to choke down the piece, and commented, "It tastes quite bland, and has too much of a crunch." Thalia frowned. Holly replied quickly, "It has too much of a crunch, is bland and cannot be called a salad." "I am not a chef, Holly," retorted Artemis. "I'm not a chef either," snapped Thalia. Artemis replied, "Well, I'm sorry then." He knew a lost argument when he saw one.
Butler came in, and stopped. He smiled, pointed to the sandwich, and asked, "Who made it?" "I did, but someone here wants something less bland and crunchy," said Thalia. Butler laughed. The very situation was comical, and it was rarely that one came across one involving Artemis Fowl. "There's food on the jet," he said. Artemis recomposed his features, and put on a neutral expression. "Very well, shall we depart?" he asked.
"I'm ready," said Thalia. "Me too," said Holly. Artemis gestured towards the door, and they all went out. They went out into the wide area near a hill, and Thalia spotted a barn. "Why is there a barn there?" she asked. "Artemis does his training there," said Butler. "He is supposed to do it every day." "Well, can I train there?" asked Thalia. "Sure. I'll train you. But beware, it will be tough." replied Butler. "It does not matter. I will do it." said Thalia, determinedly. Holly smirked. "But Arty here isn't very tough, is he?" she asked, tauntingly.
Artemis rolled his eyes, and snapped, "Let's get going, shall we?" Thalia smiled. "Okay, Artemis," she said, and started jogging up the hill. Holly took after her, and Butler started jogging as well. "Catch up if you can, Artemis!" shouted Holly. Artemis sighed. He tried running, but he resembled a dog running in quicksand. He tried to speed up, but his muscles were screaming for rest. I really need more exercise, he thought.
They reached the barn, and they went behind it, to see a white jet, gleaming in the sunlight. Artemis took some time to stop panting, and composed himself. "A private jet. How rich are you, Artemis?" asked Thalia, surprised. "Let's not talk about that, shall we? The figure alone will scare you." said Artemis. Thalia rolled her eyes, and stepped in. It was quite luxurious, and each seat was extremely comfortable. Holly sat down in one, and immediately recognized its style. "Artemis, this is gel suspension, isn't it?" she asked, suspiciously. "Yes," replied Artemis. "Why are you using fairy technology?" asked Holly. "No one else uses this jet, except me and Butler. The fairies are completely safe. Also, I have improved upon Foaly's design, so it is not all fairy technology." he said.
"Nice. So, how long does it take to travel from Ireland to New York?" asked Thalia. "About 6 to 7 hours. We have a lot of time." said Artemis. "I see. So, where do we stay for the night?" she asked. "At The Towers," said Artemis. "The Towers. You are quite rich." commented Thalia. "Shall I start, Artemis?" asked Butler. "Yes, Butler. Take the most direct route." advised Artemis. Holly got up. "I want to see how you fly this bird," she said, and went to the front and strapped herself into the other seat.
Artemis reclined in his seat. He steepled his fingers, and closed his eyes. Thalia looked at him. He was calm, cool, and smart. He always tackled a problem logically, and was a genius. She, well, used to be all that, but she was jittery, scared, and weak after Opal. She could not show her genius fully. She knew that she matched Artemis for intellect, but she lacked his calm, and cool. Why? Why should you aspire to be like him? asked a rebellious voice in her. I am not aspiring, I'm trying to adopt those qualities, retorted another voice in her head. Thalia leaned back, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, and there were sparks in them.
I am calm, she thought. She took the extra time as a chance to contemplate, and to come to terms with her feelings. She closed her eyes, and her mind got to work. She re-watched her terrible experiences, relived her worst nightmares, and reconciled with her mind. She steeled herself, and opened her mind to the world. She embraced the diversity of life, and the different paths that she had travelled down. She felt a tingling sensation at the base of her neck, and it was faint at first, but started to intensify. What is that sensation? she thought. It grew painful, and she yelled.
Her eyes snapped open, and she rubbed the back of her neck. "Is everything fine back there?" asked Holly, looking back. "Yes, Holly. My neck just got tired," she said. Artemis was looking at her, concerned. "It was nothing," she said, and leaned back again. She could almost feel Artemis's suspicion. She opened her eyes again, and he was still looking at her. She said, "It was nothing, Artemis. I think my spine was stressed," she said. Artemis nodded, and got up. "Where are you going?" she asked. "I wanted some water. Do you want anything?" asked Artemis. "I would also like some water, Artemis." she said.
Artemis nodded, and went to the back of the jet. He returned in a few minutes, holding two crystal flutes with some water in them. "Irish spring water," he said, and offered one to Thalia. "Thank you," she said, and took it. Artemis sipped some water, and looked Thalia in the eye. "What just happened, Thalia?" he asked. "I don't know. The back of my neck just started to hurt," she said. Artemis nodded, and sipped some more water. Thalia tried some, and she nodded in agreement. "This water tastes….different," she said. "It tastes more….pure, more clean." she said. Artemis smiled. "This is the closest thing we have to pure fairy water. Almost void of toxins and beneficial to the body's systems." he informed.
He pointed at the laptop. "Why did you bring that?" he asked. "Oh, this? I just wanted to check it, browse through all the files and folders." she said. She booted the system, and the password screen came up. "T, H, at the rate sign, L, exclamation mark, and at the rate sign," said Artemis. To anyone else, it would have sounded like gibberish, but it was Thalia's laptop password. She keyed it in, and looked at Artemis. "Can you please not try to hack into my system? I need my privacy," she said. "Fine," said Artemis, and walked over to a shelf on the wall. He opened it, and took out a PowerBook. He started it up, and got to work.
Thalia watched the familiar desktop open after many years. The files were exactly the same as she left it the day she came back to Ireland. She opened the Pictures folder, and was browsing through the photos. Many of them were of the iconic buildings in New York. There were also pictures of her school, Macy's Department Store, and her flat. She saw a folder named 'Leaving Home'. She opened it, and photos of her old house came up. She scrolled through them, and she stopped at a picture of her and Artemis when they were smaller. She guessed that they were only five, the same age as the twins.
Artemis was dressed in a normal shirt, and pants. He was standing beside Thalia, smiling. Thalia was wearing a frilly frock, and she was smiling so hard, that her father used to call it a 'sunshine overload'. She smiled, and called to Artemis. He looked up, and looked at the picture. A smile spread across his face as he looked at it in detail. "I remember this day. This was during Easter, when you came over to my house for a celebration for the first time." he said.
"Yes, it was. I didn't know I had all these old pictures," said Thalia. Artemis smiled, and went back to his screen. She sat and looked at all the pictures. She moved on to some of the Word documents. Most of them were worksheets, or reports. She then stumbled across a file of huge size. She frowned, and opened the file. She gasped when she saw the contents. It was almost the entire code that she had written for Opal. She scanned each line carefully.
After two hours, she had processed every line in the code. All of it was intact, except the execution code. Thalia had made this as a sort of draft code for the actual program, and the file type was converted more than once, causing it to corrupt. She had no idea how it had come back to normal, but she decided not to worry about that.
Thalia quickly encrypted the file with True Crypt AES, but that was only temporary. She planned to write out a whole new program to keep it hidden, as she suspected that Artemis would try to hack into the system, even if he had promised not to. An Eternity Code, she thought. It would be the safest way, even though it was hard work.
She isolated her system from all networks, and the internet. Any connection could be used in reverse, to access her computer from the Internet. She changed her password to a more secure one, and shut it down.
Thalia was exhausted after all the work, and got up. Butler had left the flight on autopilot, and Holly was at the wheel, if anything went wrong. A delicious smell drifted into the cabin from the jet's kitchen. "What is that?" asked Thalia, almost drooling. She had only eaten a lettuce sandwich in the morning, and she was tired.
"Butler's making something for us," informed Holly. "What is he making?" asked Thalia. "I presume it's some kind of pasta," said Artemis. "I can smell the sauce." "That's great. I'm really hungry," said Thalia. Butler soon came out with three bowls of delicious pasta, and placed them on the jet's table. "I have to pilot now. If you need anything, get it yourself," said Butler. "Thank you, Butler," said Artemis, and Butler went back to the wheel.
Holly came back, took a fork from a shelf in the kitchen, and started to eat. Thalia also got a fork, and began to eat. Artemis did some work on his laptop, and then joined them. After the bowls were empty, they all washed up, and sat in a circle.
"So, how much more time, Artemis?" asked Thalia. Artemis looked at his watch, and said, "About three more hours." "Why don't we talk?" asked Holly. "That's fine by me," said Thalia. "Tell me about your Recon adventures, Holly."
Holly told them her story, from her initiation, when she stopped Turnball Root, and her corporal days, her flight classes to the time they got stuck at the Eleven Wonders, and the time Artemis had turned into Orion.
Thalia looked at Artemis incredulously when Holly told her what Orion was like. "Are you still in there, Orion?" asked Thalia, waving her hand in front of Artemis's face. Artemis drew his head back, but he thought he heard the slightest voice replying, "I'm still here!"
"No, he is not. Thalia, mental illnesses are not funny. You of all people should know that." said Artemis. Thalia withdrew her hand hastily. "Of course," she said. Their discussion eventually drifted off into talks of magic, and alchemy.
"Has anyone found the secret of alchemy yet?" asked Artemis, hopefully. "No, they haven't, and even if they did, I would not tell you." said Holly, making a face at him. "So, what do you think Opal would be doing right now?" asked Thalia.
The atmosphere immediately changed, and became darker. "I do not know, but I would guess that she still is in her trance. This is an event of the highest priority. We have to stop her." said Artemis. "That is one of the reasons that I agreed to bring you here. There might be some magical imprints left at your house by Opal, or maybe even evidence," he continued.
"But what if my flat has been rented by someone else?" asked Thalia. "No, it's not. Apparently, Opal had a fund for your flat payment. It still is in your father's name." replied Artemis. "But don't they know?" asked Thalia softly. Artemis and Holly immediately understood what she had meant to say. Holly elbowed Artemis, and he glared at her. "I apologize for being blunt, but it is the truth," he said. "It's fine," said Thalia.
Artemis could see the sadness in her eyes, and for a moment, he imagined what it would be like if he had lost his family. He shuddered at the very thought, and he looked at Thalia in amazement. He could hardly picture the event, but Thalia had experienced it.
"Anyway, we've talked so much. Why don't we all rest for some time?" suggested Holly. Thalia rubbed her eyes. "Good idea." she said, and set the seat into a horizontal position. Artemis looked into the distance. After their reunion, he couldn't help but notice that the older Thalia acted a bit less intelligent than usual. Thalia used to point out mistakes, and hypothesize at a moment's notice. He had been slightly shocked when he was impressed by Thalia's feat the previous day. He never felt impressed; Thalia was always at the top. He looked at her sorrowfully. What if one day I find out that she is a burden to me? What then?, he thought.
No, don't think that way, chided his other side. You said it yourself; it takes some time to recover from such an illness. Artemis looked at her again. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly apart. He noticed that she wasn't breathing through her nose, but through her mouth. She has a cold, he noted offhandedly. Artemis walked up to the first aid box. He opened the shelf next to it, and extracted a tablet.
He asked Holly to go get some water, and he woke Thalia up. "What?" she asked. "Here, have this," he said, and offered the tablet to her. Thalia hesitated for a moment, and then took it. "How did you know I had a cold?" she asked. "You weren't breathing through your nose," he stated, somewhat lamely. Thalia blushed. "Oh, okay," she said, and ingested the little capsule.
"Can you heal colds with magic?" asked Thalia. Holly looked confused. "I don't know, I've never tried that before," she said. "Maybe you should ask No1, because I don't want to try it." Butler interrupted their talk with an announcement. "We'll be reaching New York in about fifteen minutes. We'll land at the La Guardia airport." he said.
Artemis, Holly and Thalia strapped themselves into their seats, and they landed in a few minutes. Artemis removed his seatbelt, and got out of the jet. It was about 7:00am when they left, now it was almost 2:00pm. Thalia got out, and stretched. The sun was still up, but it was lower in the sky. "New York. The city. I'm back." she said. Holly took a spare LEP helmet, and put it on.
They went through all the airport routines, and finally emerged into the city. They took a taxi, and went into Manhattan, where Thalia lived. They stopped right outside Central Park, and the three people got out. Holly was shielded all the time, and she made sure that she was near Butler. Thalia walked into the park, and turned. "Central Park," she breathed. "I love it here." She walked down a path that she had walked down countless times, with her friends, her family, and on her own. Thalia noticed a blonde girl running down the path, and she stopped.
The blonde girl saw her and broke into a grin. "Hey, Thalia! You're back! Wow, dude, I missed you." she said. Thalia grimaced, and took a step back. "Oh, uh, hello?" she said, uncertainly. "Don't tell me. Did you forget me?" asked the blonde girl, hands on her hips. "No, Fiona, I remember you." said Thalia. Artemis was watching with interest. He had not seen Thalia interact with others before. He decided to stay out of it.
The blonde girl, Fiona, noticed Artemis, and pointed, gaping. "But isn't this that boy? Your old friend?" she asked. Thalia quickly stepped in between. "None of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me," said Thalia, and turned around to walk out of the park. Artemis followed her, and so did Butler, leaving the girl standing there.
"Who was that, Thalia?" asked Artemis. "Just an old friend." said Thalia. "She's one of the fake friends. Don't mind her; we have more pressing matters on our hands." Artemis noticed that Thalia was walking briskly, and more angrily than he had ever seen her. "Why does she anger you so?" asked Artemis. "She's terrible," said Thalia, and left it at that.
They followed Thalia for quite some time, and she stopped at a grey building. She took a deep breath, and entered. She took the lift up to the 7th floor, and led them to a door. "This is it. My flat." she said. "Where's the key?" Artemis extracted a little key from his pocket. "Here, I had this one made for the door." he said, and put it in the lock. Holly became visible, and she looked at Thalia. "Shall I?" asked Holly, and Thalia nodded.
Holly turned the key, and pushed the door open. The lights were all off, and it was dusty. "Can you switch on the lights, Thalia?" asked Artemis. "Just wait a minute," she said, and went searching for the switch. She flipped it, but nothing came on. "They cut the electricity," she stated. "Very well then, we'll just have to use flashlights," he said. He took out his mobile phone, and switched on the flashlight. Holly took her helmet off, and switched on its lights. Thalia walked straight to her room, and it looked exactly the same.
The bed was messy, and there were a lot of books on it. The computer table was filled with papers containing codes for different programs, and her wardrobe was bare. Artemis walked over to the papers, and blew the dust off. He took one pile, and started reading it. "Nice program," he said, as he scanned the sheets. Thalia looked over her shoulder, and smiled. "Yes, it is. I'm particularly fond of that one," she said. "What does it do?" asked Holly.
"It simulates the Big Bang and the epochs afterward, and you can change certain parameters to see how it affects the universe," explained Thalia. "Nice," said Holly, not sure what else to say. They searched around for a few more minutes, and decided to go to the hotel. "Artemis, can we visit my parents before going?" she asked, softly.
Artemis nodded, and relayed the command to Butler. They flagged another cab, and went down to 123 Williams Street. All of them got out, and went into the graveyard. Thalia walked to three pure white marble gravestones at the back of the cemetery. As she walked, the wind grew stronger, and it suddenly felt chilly.
You can't do it, Thalia, said the voice from her dream. You're too weak. "No, I will see them," she whispered, and reached the marble stones. She bowed her head down, and started to sing. It was a plain melody; there were no words, but the tune was filled with sorrow and grief. At one point, she stopped, and started sobbing.
Holly walked over to her, and kept a tiny hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Thalia. They're at peace now." she said. "I know," she sobbed, and kept her head in her hands. She recomposed herself after a few minutes, and got up. Artemis watched all this carefully. He decided not to bring up the topic anymore.
Thalia walked over and said, "Let's go now." Artemis nodded, and they went to the hotel. They reached The Towers, checked in and went up to the third floor. "Thalia and Holly, you have room 312 and Butler and myself will be staying in 313." said Artemis. Thalia nodded, and took the room key from Butler.
They went into their room, and Thalia sat on the bed. She looked tired, and emotionally drained. Holly, being a fairy, could sympathize with her, and she sat next to her. "Why me? It's so unfair," said Thalia. "Why did my life have to get ruined?"
Holly felt sad. She tried her best to comfort the grieving girl. "I know. I lost my parents too. It's hard to get over. I'm sure that if your parents were here, they would not want you to cry; they would want you to become stronger, and move on." she said. "I know," whispered Thalia. They sat in awkward silence for some time, and then Thalia got up.
"Are you hungry?" she asked. "Not so much. I've already eaten a lot." said Holly. "Well, I am, so I'll go down." said Thalia. Holly shrugged, and Thalia washed their faces, and went out. Thalia went down for dinner, and she noticed that Artemis was not there.
"Where's Artemis? I expected him to be here," said Thalia to herself, looking around. She sat down at a table, and a waiter came over and took her order. Artemis and Butler stepped out of the elevator a few minutes later, and they sat down with her.
"Where's Holly?" asked Artemis. "She's still up in the room; she said she's not hungry," replied Thalia.
Meanwhile, Holly took the chance to do a little snooping around. She took Thalia's phone, and put on her helmet. She opened a link to Foaly, and waited. The centaur's face appeared, and he grinned. "Long time, no see, Holly," he said. "Sorry, Foaly, but things tend to get a little busy whenever Artemis is concerned," she replied.
"So, why did you call? I'm pretty sure it wasn't to wish me Happy Birthday." he said. "Actually, I need your help, Foaly. Can you crack the password of this phone? I'm sure that it's something hard." she said. "Whose phone is that? Not Artemis's, for sure." he said. "Thalia's. She knows something more. She has something on her laptop, and I'd bet that her phone is connected to it." she said.
Foaly flexed his fingers, and got to work. He instructed Holly to hold the helmet's built-in Omnisensor over the device. He looked at it for a few seconds, and mused, "Clever. She's made a whole new base language for the device. But she's not clever enough to escape me. You see, any computing language is based on a common frame-" Holly cut him in the middle. "Just open it, Foaly," she said.
"There's no appreciation for genii anymore," he said, and cracked the passcode. He remote controlled the device, and checked for connected networks. "Her phone isn't connected to her computer. I would bet she's isolated her system. Any network can be used for two-way access, and she's made sure that there are no ways to get into her computer," he informed. "That's fine, Foaly. Thanks anyway," she said, and cut the line.
You're hiding something, Thalia, she thought. But I'll find it.
There's a very important plot idea starting in this chapter. See if you can find it!
By the way, I'm getting my story into a book format, because my English teacher insists on that. Also, please review! They give me happiness, and you don't want me to be sad, right? (I'm just joking, but try to review; it does not matter whether you're a guest or a member.)
Thank you!
Author1720
