Hello People.
You must listen to Just a Girl. IT IS THE BEST SONG EVER!
Jule:….
Me: Well it is.
Jule:…
Me: Just because Dave dedicated it to you…
Jule:….
Me: I better run. In the meantime, CHAPTER 13!
Also, by popular demand, I've justified the lines.
Chapter 13
La Tortua
Voodoo Thursday was sitting at the mini bar, checking out the accessorized grill gleaming in his teeth. He was something of a spectacle in the Fairy World, what, with the fluffy Afro, flashy seventies suits, and of course Gucci bling stolen from the Mud People. Pimp fairies like Cupid and him liked shiny. Dazzles the ladies, see.
"You set," Aries asked, pouring herself an Ocean Breeze spice mix.
"With who," Voodoo said, twisting around, "a little man like Fowl? I hit Sorority girls harder then that."
"Attractive," The goddess muttered, fiddling with the umbrella in the martini glass.
"Hey, were you talking to earlier? You sounded like you was havin' some private convu'sation or something."
"Who," Aries said innocently, "me? Please. There's nothing private about me, you should know that by now." She gave Voodoo a very seductive wink, which he could only grin to.
In his apartment, Mulch's mouth was hanging open. Wide open, with good reason. Firstly, after two hundred something years, his high school sweetheart had called back. Not only that, but she revealed that Cupid was interfering with Aisling and Artemis and he was sending in the Voodoo Thursday. Plus, she wanted to know if they could have lunch sometime at the Starry Blaze, an exclusive restaurant in the heart of Haven. Needless to say, it took Mulch a few minutes to recover before he could do anything.
But what?
Holly wasn't answering her communicator. Foaly was out somewhere. Once again, it as up to Mulch Diggums to avert Mud Boy's life from certain death. Fun, fun, fun.
Holly crashed into Artemis's room, breaking the widow to bits. The boy didn't even flinch. He was standing in front of the mirror, tying his tie.
"Fox chases rabbit around the hole, rabbit goes in the hole…"
"Artemis!" Holly breathed. "Did you break up with Aisling?" The ex Captain was dreading the answer. If he did, it was all over. A boy couldn't break up with a girl then turn around and beg for forgiveness. It didn't work, especially with a girl like Aisling. Artemis straightened his tie and faced Holly.
"No," he answered. "I didn't."
"You…you didn't?" Holly mumbled, shocked.
"Of course not," Artemis said, turning back to the mirror.
"Thank God because if you hadn't you'd…wait. Wait a minute. You didn't break up with her?" Artemis's temple pulsed. What was it with women and repeating every word?
"That means," Holly, said excitedly, "that you do love her! I knew it."
"Actually," Artemis said, "I realized I made a mistake while talking with Thalia. See, while she was babbling, she said that Aisling said she loved me, which I knew wasn't true, because she had been avoiding me all day. Then I thought about while we were on the hill, and remembered she kissed me. My conclusion was that she was ashamed, and afraid what happened to her mother would happen to her. Also, that she kissed me and Cupid said for me to kiss her."
"Bravo Fowl." Both turned. Cupid was in the corner, smiling. Holly tensed. If she had her Neutrino…
"Ah, sister," Valentino said, smiling. "How are you?"
"I'm not your sister," Holly spat, acidly.
Cupid chuckled. "Of course not," he said. "You're a failure. You couldn't carry on the family heritage, only I could. Pity. You came out so well." Holly's chest was heaving, and before she could axe murder her stepbrother, Artemis stepped forward.
"Enough is enough, Cupid," he said. "Aisling and I kissed. It's over."
"Is it really," Cupid said, tilting his head, smiling. "I'll give you this Fowl---it's as over as it will ever be. Once you kiss that girl, you'll be saved. And you'll only have two choices after that: break her heart, which you've become too morally bound to do, the only other reason you didn't say no today. Or have her attached to you until she wastes your time, money, energy, false love, gets bored, and breaks your heart."
A silence an inch thick walled its way in the room.
"Well, I best be off," Cupid said. "I don't want to make you late for your, ah, date." He was suddenly gone, in the blink of an eye. Though Artemis never blinked his eyes. They were closed, suppressing the tears.
"Aisling…" Aisling ignored the voice behind the door. Maybe if she continued to ignore it for the rest of her life, it would go away. Forever.
"Aisling come on," Thalia cried. "This isn't fair!"
Aisling couldn't stop herself. "It wasn't fair for you to intervene in, uh, my life, was it?"
"Ok, I know what I did was wrong but Aisling…I didn't want you to walk away from a good thing! I know how you are!"
The door swung open in Thalia's face. Aisling was standing directly in front of her, tear stained.
"How do you know it's a good thing?" she asked, bitterly.
"Because…because when you look at him, there's this sparkle in your eye I never see! And you smile and laugh a lot more…don't turn around, Ais you know it's true! Why are you so reluctant? What are you afraid of?"
The love below…
"Nothing," Aisling murmured.
"Then why are you trying to walk out?" Thalia asked.
"I'm not…"
Thalia raised her eyebrows. "You're not?"
Aisling closed her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I am, Thalia. I am because I feel like I'm being pushed into this corner, like I have to go out with him, like there's no choice in the matter. Like everyone's counting on me to go out with him and I…" her hands fell to her side. Thalia put her hand on her shoulder.
"Do you want to, Aisling? Do you want to go out with Artemis?"
Aisling looked at Thalia and, very numbly, said, "I…"
"I?" Thalia urged, leaning forward.
"I…forgot something…" Aisling brushed past Thalia, leaving the sister in wonderment.
"Butler?"
The bodyguard swiftly turned around, and saw Mulch Diggums, panting frantically.
"Mulch," Butler said, surprised. "What brings you here."
"No time. I have to get to Artemis. Where is he?"
"He just left to pickup Aisling…"
Mulch's mouth dropped. Again. "For the love of…" he cried, leaning his head back. Butler blinked. What was that all about?
And there you have it. So many questions, so little time. So until then,
Wandering Mind