Chapter 12: An End to Persistent Madness
(Thanks to Blue Yeti for pointing out that Holly's sensitive to sunlight)
(Holly's point of view)
Holly felt her body shudder as she regained control of her own mind, and found herself in the middle of a desert. The golden shield around her disappeared, and she figured that she must be aboveground. As she looked up, the blinding sunlight forced her to shield her eyes from the brightness. As if on cue, she felt the searing tendrils of heat ensnare her skin, eating away at it like a ravenous acid. She hated herself for being sensitive to sunlight. It was pure...pure torture.
"Father...what are you doing to me!" Holly said weakly, pain overwhelming her senses, the redness of her skin further serving to remind her of how mind-numbingly painful it was.
Enjoying your stay in the Sahara Desert, Holly? her father cackled, the voice overtaking her consciousness.
Holly's hazel eyes burned with a vengeance. "I h-hate you. I hate you! Wh....where...where are you?!"
Somewhere. Think you have the ability to find me?
Holly watched as her skin turned a hideous shade of burgundy and yellow. Any moment now, it would split open, giving way to the layers of muscle underneath, blood throbbing through it in a merry stream, before it seeped through the skin like it couldn't be happier there. Holly gulped as her imagination ran wildly, causing her eyes to see through her skin like an X-ray.
"Coward!" Holly whispered savagely. "C-coward, coward, c-coward!" She muttered those words repeatedly as she crawled over to a cactus. A man on a camel headed towards her, and rubbed his eyes disbelievingly, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. But after all, Holly was a fairy who was unshielded. He jabbered excitedly in Arabic before a blast of white light came out of nowhere and shot him down, dead.
Holly saw where the direction of white light had come from. It had come from the north-west. She crawled towards that direction, and as her skin began to scream in agony, she started to wish she was back Underground, tucked up in her bed, safe in her home. Too late for wishes, though. And she was alone. Sand was being a nasty intrusion on her burning skin, but what more could you expect from a desert?
You are going to betray me, aren't you, Holly? I knew that a long time ago.
"Betray...betray you for what?" Holly said through gritted teeth.
Don't act dumb, Holly. I knew it from the start. You think I haven't been watching you? You and your repulsive circle of friends. That red-faced pug of a guy you call Root. Then there's Trouble, who's as manly as a hibiscus flower. And let's not forget Butler, whom I wouldn't have insulted except that he follows that gay boy everywhere....which in case you haven't figured out, is Artemis. Have I passed fair judgment on your friends, Holly?
"You piece of filth! I don't even care if we're father and daughter anymore! I would rather gouge my eyes out with chopsticks before I acknowledge you as my father!"
Tsk tsk, Holly. Such heartbreaking words. I must let you know, I don't tolerate hypocrites. I know you are going to give me up to the LEP the moment you catch me. Do you really think I'm so stupid to give up my dream of world domination and play right into your hands? No. So, you shall die. Hahaha! What's one death to me if I have killed so many thousands?
"You're insane," Holly choked out the words as a scorching pain shot through her, and she saw the gentle cover of her skin tear slightly, blood rushing to take its place. The sun beat down on her mercilessly, and if Holly wasn't going to die of dehydration, she would live without her skin. Holly shuddered, and decided she preferred the first option. At least she could die in dignity.
Where are your friends now, Holly? Where are they?! They seem to have abandoned you! Hahaha! Such very disappointing 'friends' you have!
"Shut up!" Holly screamed, as she tried to use her magic to heal her wound. But her magic wasn't being cooperative, and Holly felt too tired and overheated to try harder. Her magic seemed to work only when it was cooler. Looks like I'm going to die like a sunburnt prune after all, Holly thought sadly. And with no last words either.
I like watching people suffer, Holly. It gives me a sort of...silent, domineering power over them. So I'm going to watch you die, Holly....I'm going to have fun watching you die!
Holly curled up into a ball, her skin burning raw. She felt hopelessly helpless. Her skin began to feel so taut that Holly was afraid that if someone were to just lightly touch her, her skin would explode in a million pieces. The pain was excruciating and unbearable. As Holly waited for her death, she began to wish she had done better things in her life. As recent events played out in her mind, regrets were aplenty.
She heard a voice awaken in her mind.
Artemis' eyes clouded with confusion again. "Stop playing around, Holly, what's wrong? Do I disgust you?"
Holly felt ashamed of herself, and she cradled her head in her lap as the fight with Artemis floated back into her mind.
"I came this far, Holly, because I believed what you said. I thought we could have something together, but...are you telling me now that whatever you said were complete lies?" Artemis said angrily.
"No...no," Holly replied, her mind berating herself for straining her relationship with Artemis to the limit.
"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Holly said, pushing him away. "Don't you realise that this...this thing called love between us cannot be possible? Let me remind you that we're barely even of the same species! Things will never be the same again!"
"So? Being of different species does not alter our personalities! And I had no idea you placed so much emphasis on what people thought about you!" Artemis said furiously, letting go of her.
"No, it doesn't alter our personalities. It doesn't," Holly replied, agreeing, wishing she had said the right things. Yet all she heard now were icy voices in her head. All she heard were Artemis' words of shattered pride.
"You know what? You're right," Artemis said coldly, icy emotions evident in his eyes. "Don't let me disturb your pathetically perfect and successful life then," he spat derisively, standing up and walking away, his back towards hers.
If she could take her words back, she would've. She could've before, but she didn't. She should've before, but she didn't. All she was left with now were the tormented spirits of her heart, chiding her for not cherishing that certain chance with Artemis. All she was left with now were the ghosts of her memories, haunting her, punishing her for being so foolish.
Why aren't you dying yet, Holly? her father asked evilly. Do you want me to speed up your death?
"Feel free to do so," Holly said bitterly. "I have nothing more to live for."
Oh, come on, this is not the strong Holly I knew! Look what love has done to you.
"Shut up!" Holly screamed.
No one tells me to shut up and gets away with it! her father's voice reverberated in her head. As if on target, the ground beneath Holly began to shake violently, throwing Holly off balance.
"Wh-what's going on?" Holly asked, confused emotions reigning over her heart.
I'm tired of waiting for you to die, Holly, so I'm going to play a little game, her father whispered dangerously in her head.
The ground groaned as a deep crack in it appeared, giving way to a large crevice which began to swallow the earth around it, turning it into nothingness. Holly's body shook violently as she tried valiantly to stay on ground. Suddenly, she wanted to live more than anything. She wanted to clutch at the thin strand of hope that lay before her, before it was blown away by her father's insanity.
"Help!" Holly screamed, swallowing her pride for once and relying on others for help. As if there was anyone in the biggest desert of the world. A cold hand of fear gripped Holly's heart tightly as she gulped and began to feel resigned to her untimely fate. Rising particles of sand whipped her face cruelly as the ground beneath her tore apart like a torn newspaper.
Suddenly, a whirring sound resounded behind her. Holly's head whipped around, and her eyes barely registered a jeep before the incessant quaking of the ground caused her to lose her balance and collapse into the deep crack of the earth. Beneath her, she heard the low rumble of volcanic activity as her legs dangled vulnerably in the hot air of the ground below. Instinctively, she reached out and hurriedly grabbed the surface of the desert before she could plunge into the fiery depths below. Her hands clutched feebly at the surface of the desert, but the slipping sand wasn't making things any easier. Her voice cracked as she shouted a plea for help once more, and the skidding sound of people moving gave her another splinter of hope, and she held on to it greedily, hopeful that someone might save her.
"Holly!" a man wearing sunglasses thrust out a hand to her, and gratefully, she latched onto it like a leech on a leg. For a moment, the jerking action caused his sunglasses to fall off his face, and the man watched as it fell into the depths below without a breaking sound. Looking up into the majestic blue of the man's eyes, Holly allowed an involuntary shiver to run down her spine before she concentrated on keeping herself alive.
"Damn! And those were Armani!" Artemis cried.
"Excuse me? And I'm worth less than a pair of branded sunglasses?!" Holly retorted incredulously.
At her reply, the slight warmth that flickered merrily in Artemis' cold eyes gave Holly a sense of relief and comfort before the blue eyes she loved so much hardened like steel again. "You're hardly worth anything to me, Captain Short," he said scathingly, yet ironically keeping a firm grip on her hand.
Ouch, Holly cringed inwardly. So he was still smarting from the blow of rejection she had given him. She supposed she could understand that, even though she was aching to apologize. Yet, her pride got in the way again as she yelled at him instead, "Aren't you going to pull me up, jerk?"
"And I thought fairies could fly," Artemis said icily, struggling to pull her up as the ground relentlessly continued to shake.
"Well, throw away your little fairy tales and bedtime stories because that's not how it works in the real world," Holly spat back.
Artemis had almost pulled her up when the ground gave a violent lurch, sending Holly spiralling back into the crevice. Luckily, Artemis' reflexes were extremely quick and his hand shot out to save her.
"Why can't you be lighter, Holly?" Artemis grunted.
Fuming, Holly replied, "You need to build up your muscles because they're definitely not working!"
"At that remark, I'm almost tempted to drop you."
As the ground shook threateningly again, Holly dropped her strong facade and screamed, "Don't let go!"
To which Artemis replied seriously, "I won't." A flicker of warmth was reminiscent in his icy blue eyes before it died out again, and Holly wondered if she would ever get the chance to reconcile with Artemis.
You wish! Holly thought. Just at that moment, the ground gave a final, aggressive, massive quiver, and Holly's hand slipped out of Artemis' reach. Holly's shriek pierced the air of the desert as shocking blue eyes shot up in alarm, watching the girl he loved fall victim to the raging hellhole below.
~*~
(Artemis' point of view)
Artemis felt a blow to the back of his head as he turned around and saw Trouble coming at him.
"You son of a -" Trouble's words were cut off as he hit Artemis another time. "Why did you let go?!"
"Stop it Trouble! We need to save Holly before it's too late. Instead of fighting among ourselves let's be civilised and kill the common enemy - Holly's father!" Root shouted.
"I should have known not to trust you!" Trouble shrieked, beyond control. "Stinking Mud Boy, now Holly's dead, because your stupid clammy hands couldn't find it in their power to hold on! HOLLY WAS DEPENDING ON YOU!"
"Stop it, Trouble!" Root repeated wildly. "It's not Fowl's fault! Stop wasting time. There may be a chance Holly's still alive!"
Trouble turned wildly towards Root, a glint of desperation in his eyes. "A chance? A CHANCE? And how big is that chance, huh, Commander? 0.9%?!"
Butler stepped in between Trouble and Root before things could get any uglier. "Trouble, the Commander's right. We need to get to Holly!"
Root checked his map, the one Foaly had sent to them via laptop. By feeding Holly's records to the computer database, this map could track down Holly's exact temperature and heartbeat, which was how they could track Holly. His map said that Holly was still alive, but barely.
"Come on, come on, let's equip ourselves and get down there. Trouble, get the safety rope, we need to latch to aboveground and abseil down the crack. Wear your fireproof suits so we don't get burnt by the heat emitting from the Earth's centre. You're used to this, Trouble, it's like LEP raids Underground. Go, go, go!" Root ordered.
"Shall I go with you?" Butler asked.
"Damn right you should!" Root barked. "I was talking to you, wasn't I?"
"Actually, you kept referring to Trouble..." Butler trailed off as Root cut in, "What the D'Arvit, there's no time for arguments now, just get moving!"
Artemis stepped in front of the Commander, who was busy getting ready. "What about me, Commander?" he asked anxiously.
Trouble glared at him and answered his question. "You just sit here and damn bloody well shut up!"
Artemis stared at Trouble, alarmed at his vehement reaction.
"How do you expect us to trust you now, huh? And anyway, you're so scrawny, you'd add to the problem instead of solving it!" Trouble spat viciously.
Artemis opened his mouth to retort furiously but Commander Root held up a hand to stop his barrage of words from pouring forth.
"No! Don't add fuel to the fire, Fowl," Root said immediately. "Trouble's right. Stay here and be a good boy and maybe I'll buy you a what d'you call it - ah! - PlayStation."
Artemis was tempted to slip out of his icy composure and roll his eyes, but that would have been too childish. "I already have the PlayStation 2, Commander, as well as the Xbox and the Gamecube. And by any chance, I'm already seventeen," he said incredulously. "Incentives like computer consoles no longer interest me."
"Ah, you're thinking about the other stuff now, eh?" Commander Root chuckled, and gave him a cheeky wink. "Maybe a free entrance into Honeybee Inn then," Commander Root grinned. "We'll be back soon, Fowl."
"Why can't I go with you?" Artemis whined, forgetting himself for a moment.
"Because you're not exactly LEP material," Root said distractedly as he put on his equipment and latched on a safety rope.
"I'll get Holly for sure this time, Fowl," Trouble spat, having not entirely forgiven Artemis for his accidental folly. "At least she can count on me."
"Oh, give him a break, Trouble," Butler retorted, anxious to protect his charge's feelings.
Artemis waved the comment off. "It's ok, Butler," he snapped. "I'll live."
What Trouble said is true. I'm so useless.
Butler, Trouble and Root began to abseil down the cliff while Artemis watched them, silently praying for their health.
Come back soon. Come back with Holly, Artemis thought desperately, and began to feel rather jealous as he watched the trio save a girl who couldn't even depend on him.
I hate myself, Artemis thought savagely. Why couldn't I be stronger?
Staring determinedly at the hole, he gingerly ran a hand over the excess LEP equipment, before common sense abandoned him and the desire to prove himself grew stronger. He put it on, and got ready to slide down the crack to save Holly.
~*~
(Holly's point of view)
Holly's body slammed against hard rock as she succumbed to the law of gravity and fell to the depths below. The threat of impending death seemed imminent as Holly's nose was buried ungraciously in a heap of soil. Glowing red rocks gleamed around her, as if to welcome her to the pit of anguish she was about to face. Holly couldn't move. She felt the tiniest of blue sparks rush along her body to heal her sore wounds, but it seemed to be insufficient as Holly had forgotten to replenish her magic, since the recent spate of events had caused her to forget entirely about self-defence.
"D' Arvit," Holly groaned in pain as she tried to move her immobile back. She sat up gingerly, her ankle feeling crushed by the impact. Her blue sparks ended its run at her ankle, which meant that she was healed, except for her twisted ankle. Holly lay against the magma wall for support, thankful for the fact that she had at least not forgotten to rub on fireproof lotion on her body. It seemed like ages ago now, but before her date with Trouble, she had rubbed it on mainly for the sweet scent it produced, since women like Holly never bought perfume.
Holly tried to stand up as she supported herself against the wall. "Hello?" she called out beyond the depths, hearing her own muffled voice get drowned by the raging noise of rushing magma in the Earth's core.
You made it, Holly? I'm so surprised. I thought you were a goner for sure. Now I'll still have to prepare your funeral.
"Shut up!" Holly shouted, gingerly walking. "You....you coward, where are you?!"
Come and find me, Holly, her father taunted. Come and find papa.
"Garrrrrrgh!" Holly screamed in frustration, pressure increasing on her injured ankle. She limped forwards, and promptly, a bursting sound of a bomb went off, which shocked Holly, causing her to collapse.
Smoke surrounded Holly, and she coughed and wheezed as she inhaled it. It left a burning trail down her throat, and she felt choked and suffocated as a sea of grey floated before her vision. Tears streamed from her eyes as dust particles rose up and gathered to irritate her eyeballs, and Holly blindingly stumbled forward, trying to see her way through. Her father must have used a smoke bomb to throw her off balance, Holly thought as she crashed headlong into a wall. Holly felt her chest grow tight as her breathing difficulties increased, and all she could smell was the acrid, burnt stench of smouldering matter. it threatened to consume her, to overwhelm her, and to kill her. Her head grew cloudy like the columns of thick, grey smoke surrounding her, numbing her senses. Smoke seemed to ravage her body everywhere: her eyes, her brain, her nose, her mouth, her lungs. Holly needed freedom; she felt the need to get out, but she was trapped in an endless world of smoke which had formed a shield around her and was slowly draining the life out of her.
"Help," she whispered, crouching on the floor, feeling helpless, having no idea who she was talking to. "Help, help, help."
All that answered her were the ghostly wisps of grey smoke that loomed dangerously over her, as if they controlled her fate and were about to menacingly take it away from her.
While she contemplated her destiny, she felt someone forcefully and suddenly grab her by the waist, lifting her out of the clouds of smoke; then she felt her saviour slam into a wall behind her. In doing so, her twisted ankle screamed in acute agony as her saviour accidentally put pressure on it.
"Arrrrrgh!" she shrieked in pain. "Watch the foot!" she shouted as she turned around to regard her saviour. No prizes for guessing who.
"What, no thanks?" Artemis said sarcastically, gently putting her down onto the ground before walking away.
"Where are you going?" Holly asked, her pride hurt at Artemis' cold treatment.
"Come and see," Artemis challenged, flashing her a malevolently wicked grin.
"We have to get my father," Holly said matter-of-factly, trying to steady herself, but fell on Artemis, whose face met the ground.
"Geez," Artemis muttered through a mouthful of soil, "next time at least give me a warning so I can turn my face the other way."
"Sorry," Holly said, rolling off him and blushing involuntarily. He got up and lifted her up, and as he did, she leaned on him for support. He kept a firm grip on her waist as she limped along, and her cheeks felt surprisingly warm as being this close to him made her feel.
Snap out of it, it's a mistake, remember? Holly chided herself.
You don't want to go through that bullshit again, her sub-conscience nagged. Remember how you thought it would turn out for the better, and how you're tearing up inside now?!
"Where is he, Holly?" Artemis asked softly, distracting Holly from her thoughts. "Can you hear him?"
"He doesn't want to tell me where he is," Holly admitted, feeling her heart beat irregularly as her hazel eyes met the chilly blue of Artemis'. For a moment, she thought he saw a slight warmth in Artemis' eyes as he regarded her, but was quickly replaced by an icy emotion that was enough to send Holly into a freezing motion. She hurriedly looked away, embarrassed for having revealed so much of her soul to Artemis in just one look. As if he couldn't see through her already. As if Artemis hadn't uncovered all her secret personalities and character traits; as if he had never seen how this headstrong woman could be reduced to a shivering mass of vulnerability as she faced the ones she loved.
I think it's something I almost hate him for, Holly thought as Artemis continued to help her along, walking forwards in the deep crack that stretched endlessly. I think I almost hate him for somehow having the ability to unscramble me apart and remove me from my safe shell. Maybe that's why I rejected him.
Sweat gathered on her face as the rising heat from the Earth's boiling magma contained within the soil threatened to burst forth and drown them. Although her sub-conscience was nagging away at the back of her mind to seize the opportunity and make up with Artemis, something was holding Holly back.
Her fears. Her insecurities. Her unspoken uncertainties. In her entire life, she had only ever loved three people: her mother, who was now dead, her father, who had misused that love and turned it into something more horrible, and the childhood friend of her past, which she had never revealed to anybody.
She had grown up with and eventually fell in love with this friend. His name was Riley, and from the tender age of fourteen, he had believed in her ambitions to be an LEP officer even though it was a job no female had ever taken up before. His firm belief in her dreams, and his deep understanding of her fears and reservations, as well as how he could comfort her when she was depressed, triggered an emotion that had turned Holly's life upside down. She had loved the way Riley could express difficult emotions through the form of writing, and because it was his hobby, she had chosen to reveal her feelings to him when he was at his most emotional. That evening, Riley had told her that he would be writing, and she had gone to Riley's house to give her heart to him. That was when she had suffered her first, and most likely worst, heartbreak. As she stood there with only the silence of the night to accompany her, she realised that Riley already had a girlfriend, a girlfriend he had never told her about. Unable to accept the fact that he was kissing a different girl - which she rightfully felt should have been her - on the doorstep, Holly had run off home, and forever closed her heart so as to not suffer anymore heartbreak.
That is why, loving Artemis was taking a lot more out of her than he would realise. If she accepted him, if she opened up, if she gave him a part of her heart, she could never take it back again - he could only take it away from her. Holly had learned not to trust love that easily. There can't be many more pieces of my heart left to go around, Holly thought. In the event that his love for me runs out, my heart would collapse as yet another part of my heart has been removed.
A searing pain jolted Holly back to reality, and she left her musings as she shouted in pain. She realised that she had been leaning too much on her injured ankle, and she gripped on tighter to Artemis as she tried to regain her balance. Suddenly, she heard a couple of voices ahead, and she realised Commander Root, Trouble and Butler were looking around for her with their helmet lights switched on.
"Holly!" Trouble's voice broke as he ran to her, and pushed Artemis out of the way. He hugged her, and accidentally trod on her injured ankle, which caused Holly to shriek with pain. Root was beaming as he looked at her, and Butler was tending to an Artemis who had been knocked askew.
"I thought you were gone for good, Holly," Trouble said, hugging her tightly.
"Nice to see you, Trouble," Holly choked, feeling the air choked out of her by Trouble's embrace. He really was quite sweet, Holly rationalized. If only he wasn't so clumsy, and if only she wasn't in love with Artemis, she could have given him a chance.
Suddenly, a blast sent them apart, and Holly screamed as she was flung away from Trouble. Her ankle seemed to wrench painfully as she fell backwards, her mouth bleeding as she hit the ground. She saw Trouble crawling towards Root, who was on the ground, writhing, and Butler, who was clutching his arm in agony. No Artemis. She looked frantically around for Artemis.
"Where's Artemis?" she yelled out hysterically, but received no answer. Her heart began to pound anxiously.
"What a nice little gathering," a deep voice resounded. "It's all very convenient, of course, with the five of you here, ready for me to kill you. I hate betrayals, if you must know. No one will get in the way of my thirst for power," the voice laughed maniacally, "Oh, I love watching the drama of your lives unfold. Did you like Act One? I pride myself on finding the best bombs there are. Didn't you see what happened to lovely Haven? That should give you an indication. Hahaha! Are you ready for Act Two?!"
"Father," Holly spat ferociously. "Leave them alone, and just deal with me."
"Why, Holly," the voice grew clearer as a lone figure stepped out of the shadows, and finally revealed himself to them. "Doesn't someone seem to be missing?"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH ARTEMIS?" Holly screamed, lunging towards him, before the intense pain in her ankle threw her off balance and nearly split her head open.
"Hahaha! Never try to take on Daddy, Holly, you should know that," her father said viciously, his hazel eyes, so much like Holly's, narrowing dangerously. "I'll show you where your dear....Arty is," her father laughed again. With a snap of his fingers, he transformed into a ghostly-looking, pale reflection of the Artemis she loved so much. But something wasn't quite right. Something was wrong with the maniac glint in the icy blue eyes that regarded her. Something was wrong with the way he picked up a Neutrino 2000, the way he powered it up, and the way he cocked his head to one side as he prepared to shoot...
Holly scampered to a safe spot as Artemis began randomly shooting around the place, the laser light ricocheting off the earth walls in a frenzy. She felt Trouble hand her a fairy gun, and she clutched in her hand tightly.
"Shoot him," Trouble hissed. "He's not himself! Shoot him before we all die."
"Why can't you do it?" Holly hissed back.
Trouble tossed his head casually, giving his arm a pointed look. "I've got only one good arm, you've got two. Do it, Holly!"
"Hurry up Holly!" Root barked.
"I can't....!" Holly replied furiously, her hand shaking. Her vision began to get blurry as tears of frustration overtook her eyes.
"You can! Don't disappoint us now, Holly!" Root snapped. "Kill the Mud Boy!" She knew Root and Trouble had no affection for Artemis, but what about her? She valiantly tried to concentrate as the vision of Artemis floated before her. A possessed Artemis. An Artemis she had to shoot because of her father's greed. An Artemis she had to shoot because her father was making use of him to taunt her again, to tear her heart apart, to punish her for thinking of betraying him. An Artemis she loved.
Well, she had learned her lesson. There was enough heartbreak. Why couldn't her father forgive her? Why did things have to come to this stage? Why did he have to take away everything she had ever remotely loved? Holly's heart twisted as she tried to focus.
Holly's hand shook as she tried to take aim, trying to stay professional, trying to be the good LEP officer she was before Artemis came into her life and pulled her out of a life of normalcy. She was the good LEP officer, the one everyone looked up to. She couldn't let her fellow colleagues down now, after they trusted her to get the job done. And like the good, successful LEP officer she'd always been, she would have to obey them.
Even if it was to shoot the Artemis that would never smile at anyone else but her, because he trusted only her. The Artemis who didn't care how much of his soul was borne with that smile, as long it was directed to her. The Artemis who taught her to understand that beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and that to bear a prejudice against one person, no matter how hard it is not to, was unfair. The Artemis whom she could exchange verbal abuse with, which in their own twisted way, was just as entertaining to them as playing kickball was to a child. Then, she had fallen for him.
I didn't even say sorry. I didn't even make it up with Artemis. I didn't do the things he wanted me to do. I didn't say I loved him back. Oh God, I all but hurt him and to top it all off, I'm going to finish him off now. His blood will be spilt on my hands, the stain never removable. And he would have only lived a young life of seventeen years. Only seventeen years.
Holly ducked a laser light that was shot at her, and as her hazel eyes met the icy blue she knew so well, time seemed to stop for her. All Holly could hear was the incessant pounding of her heart in her ears as her fingers pulled the trigger, and the blast of the fairy gun as a light shot out and travelled squarely in Artemis' direction. She bit her lip to keep from crying. She had to keep her emotions in check. A good LEP officer knows how not to let her emotions get in the way. With a deep gulp, she shut her eyes as she refused to register that Artemis might not make it to the age of eighteen. And it would be all her doing...the guilt would torment her forever.
Author's Note:
Guess why I decided to put this here? Because my Author's Note will concern what happens in the next chapter. I know, what a cliffhanger, I actually wanted to continue but I was feeling evil so you have to wait for the next chapter. :) Whether Artemis dies depends on how Holly shot, and to find out how Holly shot in the state of mind she was in, you'll have to read the next chapter. I'd like to take this moment to thank you for the 15 reviews I received in the space of three days. It's a pretty overwhelming response considering that when I first started with this fic, I only received 4 reviews. :) So I'm really very grateful. And yes, I know I promised this chapter yesterday, but I have a nasty habit of being very critical with my work and so I had to keep on rewriting it until it came out the way I wanted it to.
By the way, Gliniel, I don't get what you mean when you said the tone was too serious and you weren't really in a crying mood. Did that mean that my story's getting too, to put it simply, draggy? Please explain, thanks.
Thank you to Magic Girl2, who's been really supportive by sending me a whole truckload of reviews, and to the usual people: Hermione Weasley, Gliniel, Angel of the Storms, and Rhapsody. flamaria13 for pressurizing me into getting a new chapter out as soon as possible, and butler for an encouraging review.
Does anyone bother to read this long note? :)
-The End of a very long A/N-