Artemis Fowl: Opal' Revenge Chapter Nine.

Artemis tinkered away at his lab table, adding ingredients to his beaker.

"I'm getting restless, Arty boy," said Opal in a sing song voice. "Time to hurt someone!"

Artemis gritted his teeth. Not now.

Opal took control. Artemis struggled and for a moment, the two souls fought for control of the body.

"Stop fighting me! How dare you!"

The fight didn't last long. Artemis was forced to watch as Opal grabbed a container of acid from the table and flung it toward Holly.

Holly reached for her Neutrino but it was too late. The acid hit her in the face, full on. Holly screamed in agony and frantically clawed at her face, falling off the stool.

"NO!" shouted Artemis, struggling harder to get back in control of his body. For a second he had it, but Opal screamed viciously and took over again.

"HOW DARE YOU BE SO IMPUDENT!? HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?"

Artemis couldn't figure out himself.

Holly was on the floor shrieking, swiping madly at her face. Blue spark fizzled and healed the burned skin, but the acid was still and burned the freshly healed skin.

Butler came back in the room, having taken a bathroom break.

He muttered a curse word at himself for being lax and launched himself across the room. Opal squealed and flung the beaker at Butler, who dodged. The beaker hit the wall, shattering, the mixture inside, oozing all over the wall and floor.

Butler slammed into Artemis's body, knocking him into the wall. Opal formed a ball of energy, and hit Butler in the chest with it. He gasped and staggered backwards into the wall. Opal made another one and hit him in the face with it.

"Ooh, it is so good to have black magic again," Opal crooned.

Butler moaned and slumped down the wall, blackness eating the edges of his vision.

Holly was still writhing and shrieking on the floor, desperate to get the acid off. Artemis grabbed a piece of jagged glass and clutched it hard, ignoring the thin line of red that blossomed on his palm.

He stabbed Holly in the gut. Holly screamed.

Most of the acid was gone, and her face had been healed a few times already. She didn't have a lot of magic left and was blind, but her eyes were being healed.

Artemis dug the glass shard in deep, twisting it and burying it into Holly's belly. Holly shrieked and clawed at the air blindly.

"Artemis, please!" she shrieked, sobbing.

Artemis, seething in his head, kept trying to regain control. He had done it for a moment earlier, he could do it again. He couldn't bear to see Holly in such pain, or to hear her cry like that. It was his fault! He should have died and stayed dead! If he hadn't come back to life-

He heard a noise downstairs and so did Opal.

Angeline's friend, Mrs. Dunphee, actually had the baby the day she got there. She had gone into labor while the two friends had been gossiping over tea (decaffeinated for Mrs. Dunphee). The contractions weren't close together, so she sat resting. When the contractions got closer together, they would go to the hospital.

Mr. Dunphee got home from work, and Angeline told him Mrs. Dunphee's contractions had started. He got frazzled, and was about haul his wife out to the car to take her to the hospital.

"Calm down, sweetie," said Mrs. Dunphee. "We have to wait a bit."

Beckett and Myles were playing with the Dunphee twins, girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. They were a year younger than the boys.

They were in the green house, playing with geckos. Myles was explaining about the Latin name for lizards and what he thought were interesting scientific facts about them. Lillian, the younger twin (by four minutes) looked bored.

"Ees not Hemmydacy friend," cooed Lillian, letting the gecko crawl across her fingers.

"Hemidactylus frenatus!" corrected Myles.

"Hem daddy friend not us," said Lillian.

Myles shook his head, looking exasperated.

Beckett looked around from where he had been digging up worms. "Lillian simple toon," he said.

"I like toons!" said Heather, the older twin.

When Mrs. Dunphee's contractions got closer, they all went to the hospital. The two sets of twins tore up the waiting room in the maternity ward.

Mrs. Dunphee gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Beckett somehow snuck into the nursery, and snuck a worm into the baby's bed.

"But the baby might get hungry!" wailed Beckett, being hauled out by an angry nurse.

Mother and baby were allowed to go home a couple of days later. Angeline said she would be going home for a few hours to check on her son and the house, and she would be back by night.

The Dunphee's said see you later, and Mr. Dunphee went back to burning the chicken he was trying to cook in the frying pan.

"Mr. Dunphee simple toon," Myles whispered to Beckett.

Angeline got into her car and drove to the Fowl Manor, anxious to see her Arty. She knew he would be fine with Holly and Butler, but she still worried about him, since he had lost him once.

She pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, taking her overnight bag. She needed a few other things.

She unlocked the front door and went inside.

"Arty! It' me!" she called.

A few seconds later, Artemis came rushing down the stairs.

"Mom!" he blurted out. "Go away!"

Angeline stopped. "Now that's not a nice way to greet your mother!"

A strange look came over his face, like he was having some kind of internal debate. Then he raised his hand and, to Angeline's complete and utter shock, a sort of black, lightning bolt shot out his hand.

Angeline crumpled to the floor, screaming, having been electrocuted. She laid gasping and twitching for a moment, unable to move.

Artemis stood over her, observing her for a moment. Then he lashed his hand back and drove a sharp piece of glass into Angeline's throat.

Angeline grunted in pain and clutched at her throat weakly. Blood spilled out, dripping onto the carpet, coating her palms and fingers.

"Artemis," she gasped. "Why-why-…"

She peered up at her son, the edges of her vision already getting blurry. Her own son, her own flesh and blood.

"Artemis-please…my son-"

And then her own son, spit on her and walked away.

"You should never have had this son," said an unfamiliar voice.

Angeline's fingers shook and slowly her arms lay still. Blackness ate her vision and she could feel herself-falling…

Falling…

Falling…

I was seized by writing inspiration and Fowl Stars 57's comment for someone to die, but things are not all they appear to be in this chapter. I apologize for any spelling error as it is late! The next chapter should be out by tomorrow. So read and review!