Today's chapter is short. Which is why it is called "Sampler" - it's really too short to be called a chapter. Inexcusable, I know, I'm sooo sorry I haven't had time to update. Naturally, my teachers dumped tons of homework on us the week before break started...but I have started work on the next chapter and will try to get that to you ASAP!
So I wanted to give a shout-out to tolemic, who followed my story a while ago...I didn't know you could actually see who had favorited/ followed your story until today. Please don't judge, I'm new. :( Anyway, thanks so much for the support, tolemic! I will definitely be reading/reviewing your stories. And MissMinoque999 favorited...today! Thanks! And I guess it kind of goes without saying that Motomo gets a shout-out again, because they have reviewed consistently and with awesome feedback! Thanks so much Motomo! And if you're looking for a good Percy Jackson story to read, then look no further, because Motomo has an amazing Percy Jackson fic that you should definitely look into.
I will stop ranting now and let you read the story! Thanks for reading! :)
-Seshat
Kassia brought the tea into the parlor on a silver tray. Two saucers, one full of honey and one full of milk, balanced between four elegant china teacups. Butler and Juliet sat silently on a sofa at the far end of the room; when she entered the room, they nodded in unison and went back to regarding the elegant marble floor.
Kassia set the tea tray on the coffee table in front of them, then took a cup to a soft chair nearby and sat down gently. Artemis entered the room minutes later. He muttered thanks to Kassia, then sat across from her with his own cup of tea. Three of them sipped the tea methodically, cautiously. Kassia merely regarded it.
"Is your mother all right?" Kassia asked, breaking the silence.
Artemis nodded. "Yes. She seemed to be having some sort of lucid dream, or a nightmare, perhaps. She seems sane enough, for the time being. Even so, I administered tranquilizing drugs to eliminate the risk of future...sleepwalking."
Kassia shook her head. "It's impossible to change your state of consciousness while you're inside a time stop." There was a slight pause before she added, "Perhaps it was some sort of hallucination, then? It seems likely, considering her recent encounter with a magical healing. And it was definitely a good idea to put her on tranquilizers. Obviously she isn't mentally stable quite yet."
Once again, there was silence, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock at the end of the room.
Tick, tock. Tick tock. Crash! (clock noises followed by something dramatic cliché. Sorry)
Kassia tore her gaze from the elegant clock to find that Juliet had dropped her cup, causing it to shatter on the ground. Her body began to droop. Butler attempted to catch her, but seconds later, he also slumped over, eyes closed. Artemis rose suddenly in alarm but soon began to sway, clutching his head.
Suddenly, his icy eyes focused on Kassia."You..." was the last thing he said before he began to drop towards the floor. Kassia caught him hastily; luckily for her, he was light. She had almost no upper-body strength. Or much of any strength, for that matter.
She set wrestled Artemis roughly into the chair. She didn't even stop to admire her handiwork as she stalked out of the room and out the back door.
Sneaking back into the LEP's "base" wasn't exactly difficult; everyone was focused on preparations for the blue rinse. Kassia merely had to skirt along the outer edges of the mansion, careful not to be seen, and slip nonchalantly near Foaly's equipment, making it appear as though she had been standing there the entire time. Casually, she glanced around to observe the proceedings. They had made considerable progress since she had been gone. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed her absence.
Well, almost no one.
"Kassia, where have you been?" Foaly exclaimed as he spotted her by his workstation.
Kassia gave him a cheery smile. "Oh, hello Foaly. I was just talking with Trouble. Didn't you see me?"
Foaly shrugged. "Well, no...that's fine. Anyway, can we get your assistance with the bio-bomb? There's some minor program tweaking that needs to be done, but I have to oversee the satellite coordinates, and-"
"Don't worry about it, I can handle it. Just...go do what you have to do," Kassia interjected.
After returning a grateful nod from Foaly, Kassia set to work. She wasn't surprised to find that most of the programming was flawless; to her, it could even be considered beautiful. The largest issue she found was a minor miscalculation. Finally, it was ready.
The launching of the blue rinse was a solemn affair. It wasn't every day that the LEP decided to kill a human, let alone a child. But it had to be done. For the good of the People.
It was a rather simple process; the bio-bomb was simply projected from the launch site and through the left-most third story window. There was a loud boom and a bright blue light. And that was it. Every living thing in Fowl Manor was dead.
So what did you think? Share your thoughts please, I love feedback! :)
