K.. I reread this chapter and realized that it's sort of messed. Like this
takes place in the early summer and I have Tessa carving pumpkins O.o Plus
you're probably all thinking What is WITH the hummingbird. Just trust me
okay? Read!
Chapter 7: New Revelations
The mastermind found himself being guided before he stood in front of two middle-aged women, both with slightly graying hair. One was clad in a coral sweater-she had pinned her still-brownish hair up with a silver fish barrette. Her facial features marked her as what could only be Tessa's mom. The other had curly hair, a large red sweater, and a light, stern voice. Obviously Jen's mother, from the thin waist to the solemn eyes.
Meanwhile, Tessa's own eyes were dancing. She stood on tiptoe and whispered into Artemis's ear, softly so only he could hear.
"Shhh, now don't say anything and Jennie will do the talking. We know what to do."
The two mothers broke off their conversation and stared suspiciously at the three teenagers before them-Holly sat inconspicuously in the front hall, and Allison stood to one side. "Yes?"
"Mom," said Jennie, "Where's Artemis going to sleep?"
"Who?" Now both were staring.
"Remember.That boy from church, in my science class? You said he could stay here for two days while his parents go back to Ireland on their cruise."
"What?" Her mom was scowling. "I never-"
"Oh, Mom, you talked to his parents last Sunday! You said it was fine!" Allison added her own illustrations as Jennie whispered to Tessa urgently.
"No, I didn't!"
"Yes you did!" The girls chorused.
"His parents left this morning! He's been at the library getting out books and just got here a little while ago. Oh, you must remember his parents.The couple with the black and silver hair?" Tessa assumed an innocent face.
"Can I contact them?" Tessa's own mother was rushing toward the phone.
"Now, Kristin," the other said, wandering after, "his parents have already left on their cruise.surely we can house him for just two days."
Kristin scowled. "Leah."
The adult turned around and glowered down at them. Jennie almost smirked as her mom threatened, "If you're lying to me, Jen, believe me, I will find out. Now, lunch."
The whole family gathered around the table. Through some miracle, Holly remained unnoticed; she helped herself to the fresh greens and bread that were passed from hand to hand.
Suddenly Tessa gave a yelp and pointed at the window, her mouth bulging with pickles. "Look! An ORANGE hummingbird!" She dove for a Guide for North American birds, opening it up as Jennie excitedly joined her. The adults craned to see, and Ally actually stood up; Holly, caught by their excitement, raced after the cousins in a flurry of multicolored overalls.
Artemis looked bemusedly at the picture thrust under his nose. It was a small and orange, a Rufous hummingbird.
"What's so cool about this?" he muttered.
"It's a hummingbird."
"So?"
"So?" Tessa gave him a look. "Don't you ever think about how awesome the colors of life are, these creatures that are painted green and purple and red, flying, pollinating, migrating across the world and totally unique?"
"Tess," said Jennie, bored, "you're getting sentimental."
The teen flushed. But Artemis looked out the window with bright eyes, and then sighed - the hummingbird was gone.
And for some reason he felt unhappy.
*
Foaly, meanwhile, had been extremely lucky; Root so far had not returned to ask him about Holly. But his luck had run out.
"She WHAT?" roared the commander, pinning Foaly to the Ops booth wall.
The centuar tried a smile. "She. she."
"WHERE IS SHE?"
"Them."
"Them who?"
Foaly prised Root's fingers off his neck and trotted over to the computer. "Holly. Artemis Fowl." He typed in a few words under the search box. A green light scanned the screen, blinked, and immediately a data chart came up for CAPTAIN HOLLY SHORT.
His mouth opened slightly. An O of surprise.
"WELL?"
"Shut up, Julius!" he snapped.
The commander's mouth fell open too, his color darkening. Extremely put out, he strode over to watch behind the centaur's back.
"Cross reference position with Artemis Fowl as witness," Foaly said to the machine, his brows knit with worry. So far he hadn't checked up on Holly, and the information was stunning. He hoped fervently his computers were lying, but the bare ink evidence on the screen was undeniable.
It whirred and began downloading information. Even Root was silent now.
Captain Holly Short
Lep Officer
Last seen by the People in Tara E1
taking transport to Fowl Manor
an original red-flagged building.
Current position; Denver, Colorado,
the United States of America,
in company of two cousins and Artemis Fowl II
Status; tired, dehydrated
For more information, give password under file B 6.537
"The nerve!" Root exploded. "Look at this - Last seen in Tara E1 - why, there must have been millions of elves there!"
"Two cousins?" remarked Foaly worriedly. "Denver, Colorado?"
They both looked at the computer.
For more information.
"Hmmm," muttered Foaly. "6.537?"
Root leaned in until his nose was inches away from Foaly's. "Do you have file B 6.537?"
"I run all files," said Foaly, and said the password.
The screen shook as spots of light sparkled over it. The snow settled slo-o- owly and the two fairies leaned in to read:
Degraded for revealing the existence of the People
Foaly paled. This was not good.
Not good at all.
Who were these cousins?
"Cross reference with cousins in Denver, Colorado," he said to the computer...
*
Tessa yawned.
She, Jennie, Artemis, and Holly were all out in the backyard, the cousins sitting together in a gleaming white hammock. The captain was high in a cherry tree, breathing in the night air jubilantly; the mastermind was crosslegged in the grass.
"Your mother's apple crisp is good," he commented, looking up at Tessa.
She smiled. "Made from our own apples. Jennie spent a whole afternoon picking them, didn't you, Jen?"
The other smirked. "That was when you had to reclean our whole room after the pumpkin carving. We'd forgotten the paper towel to put underneath the guts," she explained. "Stupid, huh?"
Above them, Holly looked into the full moon, eyes bright. She felt slightly dizzy and wished there was an oak tree around - her power was beginning to wane. Or was it dehydration? Anxious, she shimmied down the tree and went for a water bottle.
"And then my mom found a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds, and we had to collect every single one of ours for her to try it," Jennie went on. "Those turned out disgusting."
The captain took a sip of water and made a face. Mud Man chemicals everywhere. She wasn't that thirsty.
Even so, as she put the bottle gently down, her knees shivered and folded. Holly sat disgusted on the ground. What sort of a wimp was she turning into? Even on the job LEP officers needed only a pint of water a week, for safety reasons - magic was disrupted by frequent toilet stops. And -
Her head hit the ground very suddenly, and she blacked out.
***
Tessa looked over, saw the still figure, and she screamed.
***
Foaly's eyes became wide at the sudden gibberish that paged itself over the screen:
Cousin names referenced Tessa and Jennifer Chumilka living in Denver Colorado together at ages 15 and 14, currently outside their immediate habitat with Artemis Fowl II age 15 and Captain Holly Short unconscious as of the immediate time.
Referenced Captain is not available at the moment
"Unconscious?" muttered Foaly. "Oh no."
Artemis Fowl was, for once, using his brains for something legal; running a diagnosis out of pure memory.
"Definitely no disease symptoms, no need of sleep, no need of food." he murmured, scanning the elf and prodding her hard. The cousins had loosened her collar and taken off her shoes, which apparently were supposed to help the tight breathing of an unconscious person. Jennie, meanwhile, had run for a glass of water; Tessa stood nearby, ready to bolt for anything he asked her for.
Then the other cousin returned. Artemis looked at the glass of water she held and choked.
----
Yes. Well. Whaddya think? Pretty weird? Oh just wait till the NEXT one!
Chapter 7: New Revelations
The mastermind found himself being guided before he stood in front of two middle-aged women, both with slightly graying hair. One was clad in a coral sweater-she had pinned her still-brownish hair up with a silver fish barrette. Her facial features marked her as what could only be Tessa's mom. The other had curly hair, a large red sweater, and a light, stern voice. Obviously Jen's mother, from the thin waist to the solemn eyes.
Meanwhile, Tessa's own eyes were dancing. She stood on tiptoe and whispered into Artemis's ear, softly so only he could hear.
"Shhh, now don't say anything and Jennie will do the talking. We know what to do."
The two mothers broke off their conversation and stared suspiciously at the three teenagers before them-Holly sat inconspicuously in the front hall, and Allison stood to one side. "Yes?"
"Mom," said Jennie, "Where's Artemis going to sleep?"
"Who?" Now both were staring.
"Remember.That boy from church, in my science class? You said he could stay here for two days while his parents go back to Ireland on their cruise."
"What?" Her mom was scowling. "I never-"
"Oh, Mom, you talked to his parents last Sunday! You said it was fine!" Allison added her own illustrations as Jennie whispered to Tessa urgently.
"No, I didn't!"
"Yes you did!" The girls chorused.
"His parents left this morning! He's been at the library getting out books and just got here a little while ago. Oh, you must remember his parents.The couple with the black and silver hair?" Tessa assumed an innocent face.
"Can I contact them?" Tessa's own mother was rushing toward the phone.
"Now, Kristin," the other said, wandering after, "his parents have already left on their cruise.surely we can house him for just two days."
Kristin scowled. "Leah."
The adult turned around and glowered down at them. Jennie almost smirked as her mom threatened, "If you're lying to me, Jen, believe me, I will find out. Now, lunch."
The whole family gathered around the table. Through some miracle, Holly remained unnoticed; she helped herself to the fresh greens and bread that were passed from hand to hand.
Suddenly Tessa gave a yelp and pointed at the window, her mouth bulging with pickles. "Look! An ORANGE hummingbird!" She dove for a Guide for North American birds, opening it up as Jennie excitedly joined her. The adults craned to see, and Ally actually stood up; Holly, caught by their excitement, raced after the cousins in a flurry of multicolored overalls.
Artemis looked bemusedly at the picture thrust under his nose. It was a small and orange, a Rufous hummingbird.
"What's so cool about this?" he muttered.
"It's a hummingbird."
"So?"
"So?" Tessa gave him a look. "Don't you ever think about how awesome the colors of life are, these creatures that are painted green and purple and red, flying, pollinating, migrating across the world and totally unique?"
"Tess," said Jennie, bored, "you're getting sentimental."
The teen flushed. But Artemis looked out the window with bright eyes, and then sighed - the hummingbird was gone.
And for some reason he felt unhappy.
*
Foaly, meanwhile, had been extremely lucky; Root so far had not returned to ask him about Holly. But his luck had run out.
"She WHAT?" roared the commander, pinning Foaly to the Ops booth wall.
The centuar tried a smile. "She. she."
"WHERE IS SHE?"
"Them."
"Them who?"
Foaly prised Root's fingers off his neck and trotted over to the computer. "Holly. Artemis Fowl." He typed in a few words under the search box. A green light scanned the screen, blinked, and immediately a data chart came up for CAPTAIN HOLLY SHORT.
His mouth opened slightly. An O of surprise.
"WELL?"
"Shut up, Julius!" he snapped.
The commander's mouth fell open too, his color darkening. Extremely put out, he strode over to watch behind the centaur's back.
"Cross reference position with Artemis Fowl as witness," Foaly said to the machine, his brows knit with worry. So far he hadn't checked up on Holly, and the information was stunning. He hoped fervently his computers were lying, but the bare ink evidence on the screen was undeniable.
It whirred and began downloading information. Even Root was silent now.
Captain Holly Short
Lep Officer
Last seen by the People in Tara E1
taking transport to Fowl Manor
an original red-flagged building.
Current position; Denver, Colorado,
the United States of America,
in company of two cousins and Artemis Fowl II
Status; tired, dehydrated
For more information, give password under file B 6.537
"The nerve!" Root exploded. "Look at this - Last seen in Tara E1 - why, there must have been millions of elves there!"
"Two cousins?" remarked Foaly worriedly. "Denver, Colorado?"
They both looked at the computer.
For more information.
"Hmmm," muttered Foaly. "6.537?"
Root leaned in until his nose was inches away from Foaly's. "Do you have file B 6.537?"
"I run all files," said Foaly, and said the password.
The screen shook as spots of light sparkled over it. The snow settled slo-o- owly and the two fairies leaned in to read:
Degraded for revealing the existence of the People
Foaly paled. This was not good.
Not good at all.
Who were these cousins?
"Cross reference with cousins in Denver, Colorado," he said to the computer...
*
Tessa yawned.
She, Jennie, Artemis, and Holly were all out in the backyard, the cousins sitting together in a gleaming white hammock. The captain was high in a cherry tree, breathing in the night air jubilantly; the mastermind was crosslegged in the grass.
"Your mother's apple crisp is good," he commented, looking up at Tessa.
She smiled. "Made from our own apples. Jennie spent a whole afternoon picking them, didn't you, Jen?"
The other smirked. "That was when you had to reclean our whole room after the pumpkin carving. We'd forgotten the paper towel to put underneath the guts," she explained. "Stupid, huh?"
Above them, Holly looked into the full moon, eyes bright. She felt slightly dizzy and wished there was an oak tree around - her power was beginning to wane. Or was it dehydration? Anxious, she shimmied down the tree and went for a water bottle.
"And then my mom found a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds, and we had to collect every single one of ours for her to try it," Jennie went on. "Those turned out disgusting."
The captain took a sip of water and made a face. Mud Man chemicals everywhere. She wasn't that thirsty.
Even so, as she put the bottle gently down, her knees shivered and folded. Holly sat disgusted on the ground. What sort of a wimp was she turning into? Even on the job LEP officers needed only a pint of water a week, for safety reasons - magic was disrupted by frequent toilet stops. And -
Her head hit the ground very suddenly, and she blacked out.
***
Tessa looked over, saw the still figure, and she screamed.
***
Foaly's eyes became wide at the sudden gibberish that paged itself over the screen:
Cousin names referenced Tessa and Jennifer Chumilka living in Denver Colorado together at ages 15 and 14, currently outside their immediate habitat with Artemis Fowl II age 15 and Captain Holly Short unconscious as of the immediate time.
Referenced Captain is not available at the moment
"Unconscious?" muttered Foaly. "Oh no."
Artemis Fowl was, for once, using his brains for something legal; running a diagnosis out of pure memory.
"Definitely no disease symptoms, no need of sleep, no need of food." he murmured, scanning the elf and prodding her hard. The cousins had loosened her collar and taken off her shoes, which apparently were supposed to help the tight breathing of an unconscious person. Jennie, meanwhile, had run for a glass of water; Tessa stood nearby, ready to bolt for anything he asked her for.
Then the other cousin returned. Artemis looked at the glass of water she held and choked.
----
Yes. Well. Whaddya think? Pretty weird? Oh just wait till the NEXT one!