A/N: Hey! It's me, back from the dead! How many readers did I lose, I wonder, during my hiatius type thingy. I could spout excuses for you, but that isn't what you want to read. The point is, I'm back, and I hope to stay back. Well, finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Artemis and Helen actually meet! Please, read and review!

Disclaimer: After reading this story, does it really seem like I wrote Artemis Fowl? Yeah right.

Chapter 10: They Finally Meet

Central County Middle School

Helen ran into school. When she reached her hallway, she let her eyes scan the crowd of people, looking for one specific person. She ignored the waves of her friends and the smile from Cory.

There! There he was, impeccably dressed in an Armani suit. His black hair and bright, piercing blue eyes stood out against his deathly pale skin.

She made her way over to him. When he saw her, his eyes widened briefly, then returned to normal.

"I do not believe that we have met," said Artemis, his voice cool. It sent shivers down Helen's spine. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Artemis Fowl II." When he said that, all of her suspicions that this was some sort of prank disappeared. "And you are?"

"Helen Short," said Helen. Yet again, there was that swift widening of his eyes, almost impossible to notice.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Short," Artemis said, offering her a hand. Helen took it, shaking his hand. His skin was ice-cold.

"I believe I'm your new neighbor," Helen said. "Juliet is your sister, correct?" She held her breath, waiting to see his reaction.

"Correct," said Artemis without hesitation. "Well, I should get to homeroom. We can talk later."

"Bye," said Helen, staring after him. Geez, she thought. He was so... Formal. Helen knew that was just how Artemis was, but... He hardly seemed human.

Artemis decided to go to school on Wednesday, even though he still felt slightly ill. When he arrived at school and was at his locker, he was approached by a girl.

Holly! He thought at first, his eyes widening, but after a second glance, he knew that to be false. The wasn't Holly, just someone who looked incredibly like her. She was a little taller than Holly was, and her hair was longer and wavy. Her eyes weren't full of hatred at the sight of him, and her ears were slightly less pointed. But other than that... Same skin tone, same eye color, same hair color, pretty in the same, pointy way. It was pretty close.

Artemis recovered quickly. "I do not believe we have met," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Artemis Fowl II." The girl's jaw dropped slightly, and she stared at him. She seemed to shake whatever her problem was off fast. "And you are?" he asked the girl, eager to move on.

"Helen Short." Artemis never thought he could be so shook up by something as simple as someone stating their name. The world swam in and out of focus for a second. Short? Helen SHORT? he thought.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Short," said Artemis, offering her his hand. Helen took it. Her skin felt flaming hot on his own. It was as if she was made of fire. She began to shake first, squeezing his hand a little harder than he thought was necessary. He pulled away, his fingers aching slightly.

"I believe I'm your new neighbor," she said. "Juliet is your sister, correct?" She watched him, as if waiting for him to screw up.

"Correct," Artemis said automatically, the answer falling from his lips as if it were true. This girl must've been the one Butler had mentioned Monday, Artemis thought.

"Well, I should go to homeroom. We can talk later," said Artemis awkwardly. He hadn't been quite sure how to end the conversation, a first for him. This girl made him slightly uncomfortable, as if there was something right beyond his reach, something about her that would make sense if he could just think of what it was.

"Bye," said Helen as he walked away.

At lunchtime, Artemis made his way to the lone table at the far end of the cafeteria. It was empty, as he had expected. Yet just a few minutes later, Helen made her way toward his table. She sat and smiled at him. "Hi!"

"I'm sitting by myself on purpose, you know," he told her.

"I figured as much," she said. "I sat here to bug you."

Artemis sighed. "Sit here if you want."

Helen grinned. "So, what do you think of the United States? Not as beautiful as Ireland, I'm sure."

"Ireland has more history. The United States is nice, but it is nothing compared to Ireland." Artemis wasn't sure why he had responded, why he indulged her in conversation, but he did.

Many students were staring at Helen, most likely wondering why she was sitting with him. Artemis wondered that as well. What could she possibly want with him? Her eyes kept scanning him, focusing on his eyes, hair, and suit.

"What of the Irish legend of fairies?" Helen asked him, snapping him back to reality. "Is there any truth to them?" The topic hit close to home. Most of the time, Artemis would have thought nothing of it. But the way Helen reminded him of Holly added to the way she was staring at him...

"Legends are typically based off of facts, just with the truth stretched over time. These "legends" can hardly be called legends, as there is hardly any truth to them," Artemis said, not letting his composure slip.

"Hmmm," said Helen. "Good to know." Her eyes flickered over to meet his. "So, I hear you got into Enrichment. I'm in it too!"

"Are you now?" he asked, slightly intrigued. "And what do you do in Enrichment? Who else is in it?'

Helen pointed around the cafeteria. "There's Maddie, Elizabeth, Gina, Lindsey, Luke, Ty, Carl, and Cole." Cole? Thought Artemis, not recognizing the name. Helen was pointing at a shaggy haired, blond kid with dark brown eyes across the room. "Cole used to scare me, but now we're friends. Everyone thinks we're more than that though."

"We do all sorts of stuff to "enrich" our brains because the regular classes aren't enough of a challenge for us. You'll like it a lot, I think." Artemis was still looking at Cole and the cold way he was looking around the room. Hm, he thought. He could be of help to me.

Helen chatted on, but Artemis didn't pay her words much attention. He studied her face instead. She was searching for something, he could tell. Finally, her one question brought him back to reality. "Have you heard news on your father yet?"

"Excuse me?" Artemis wasn't sure how to react to this question. Sure, it was big news that his father had disappeared, but he hadn't expected young teenagers to have heard of it, and he was certain he hadn't mentioned it. "My father? He's at home. Why do you ask?"

"I don't mean him. You know who I mean. The real Artemis Fowl I. The one who was on the Fowl Star when it sank in the Bay of Kola."

Artemis decided to stick to his story. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Helen would not be deterred, and pressed on. "Don't lie to me. I know that he was on that ship."

Finally, Artemis had to ask. "How would you know? Most children our age don't follow the news."

Helen seemed to hesitate. "My dad was a police officer," she said finally. "H-he liked to update us on current events, especially ones like that one, one that involved a crime of some sort." Artemis couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not, but one thing she said intrigued him.

"Was a police officer?" Artemis asked. "What is he currently?"

"He's dead," Helen said bluntly. "Killed by someone he arrested on the way to the prison."

"I'm sorry," said Artemis. He knew what it was like to lose a parent.

"It's fine," grunted Helen, pain in her eyes. "Forget I even told you about it. So, if your father was on that ship, then who's posing as Artemis Sr?"

"A friend of the family," Artemis said, not truly lying. He hadn't anticipated this... A girl who knew of him. He would have to investigate further. There was something about her...