DISCLAIMER:
**Juliet is my friend,
A kind and caring soul,
She does not belong to me,
But she's worth her weight in gold!**
Chapter 5: An Unpleasant Surprise
Artemis studied the distraught elf and felt a wave of ….was it possibly guilt? He was the cause of this, after all. But maybe, if they didn't yet know she was here…
"Holly," he said, gaining her attention, "Do you have some way to see if the LEP has noticed your disappearance yet?"
"I'll need my equipment, but… yes, I think so. Why?" Hope glimmered on the officer's face. "You think that we can convince them this never happened?" she asked.
Artemis shrugged. "Yes…we can mindwipe the Council." he proposed sarcastically.
"Let's just kill them." came Butler's calm suggestion. Holly buried her head in her hands again.
"I hate you both."
Artemis ignored her last comment and motioned for the two to follow him. "This way." he said and turned to Butler. "How are you, old friend?"
"A little confused." Butler responded. "Did both of us manage to regain our memories completely?"
"Much to the captain's displeasure." Artemis replied smoothly, and cast a look towards Holly. She glared back at him.
They arrived in the study where Artemis had stored the fairy technology to look at later. Holly scanned everything quickly and then picked up her helmet. She flicked the mike on. And nothing happened.
"Hmm. That's odd." A closer examination revealed that something very important was missing. "Mud Boy, where's the battery?"
"I removed it so the fairies couldn't track your helmet locator."
"My helmet doesn't have a locator."
"As of two hours ago, how was I supposed to know that?"
Holly sighed and held out her hand. She didn't have to say anything. Artemis placed the tiny battery in her palm. She inserted it into the appropriate groove and, after scanning through the mike frequencies quickly, discovered that no one was trying to contact her at the present moment. That either meant that they hadn't noticed her missing yet, or they were already on their way.
"How long was I out?" she asked.
"Long enough to get you from the site to here. You woke a few moments after we arrived."
Holly took a deep breath. "Well, since I haven't been gone for very long, they probably haven't noticed yet." She studied the Mud Boy with a wary eye. "Although I should leave as soon as possible…"
A phone rang in the background, shattering the tense silence. A moment later, Juliet's voice came over the intercom. "Artemis, it's your parents on line 1."
Artemis frowned. "They shouldn't be calling yet. It's only been a few days."
"Yeah, where are your parents, anyway?" Holly asked as she went through her equipment belt. "And where is my Neutrino?"
"France." Artemis muttered absentmindedly as he picked up the phone.
"WHAT!!!!"
"Mister and Mistress Fowl, Holly, not the gun." Butler soothed, pulling the weapon from his belt. Holly held out her hand impatiently, and he reluctantly gave it back. He eyed the elf warily as she expertly checked the weapon, just in case she decided to put a precise hole through his charge's head for making her life such a misery. Again. As usual.
"Hello?" Artemis said, placing the call on speakerphone for Butler to hear.
"Hi, sweetie. Hello, Butler." Angeline chirped. "I know we're calling a bit earlier than expected, but Timmy and I have something to tell you two."
"Really?" The teenager did not sound pleased.
"Yes. You see, Arty, your father and I have been talking about this for months now, ever since he returned home, and we've finally got all the paperwork in order. It's actually one of the reasons we decided to go to France."
"You bought the Eiffel Tower and are having it moved here over the weekend?" Artemis inquired blandly.
"No, Arty. You see, you may think this silly and impulsive at first, but I think you'll consider it worthwhile. I know it will help with your…communication skills."
"Mother, you didn't buy stock in Jon Spiro's communication company, did you? I told you not to."
"No dear, we didn't. Actually, I checked the stock a while ago, and the price has dropped dramatically. Their miraculous new technology has never appeared, and it appears that Jon Spiro has been checked into a private clinic for the…disturbed." There was a brief pause. Artemis could practically see his mother connecting his advice with Spiro's untimely incapacitation.
"Is that why you told me not to buy? Did you know about this in advance, Arty?" Holly was trying hard to mask her chuckles. Even Butler was grinning.
"No, Mother. I did not."
"Oh. I see."
"So, what is this great surprise?" Artemis asked patiently.
"Well…we're coming home early…"
"All right." Artemis said, mentally planning how long it would take him to put all his affairs in order. And hide his newest projects.
"And…we're bringing home a foreign exchange student."
Artemis's mouth fell open, and for one of the very few times in his life, he was speechless. Holly could contain herself no longer. She started laughing quietly, shoulders shaking as she attempted to control her mirth. Artemis spared her a warning glare. Butler shushed her.
"Artemis? I know this is a surprise, but…are you okay?"
"Fine, Mother." Artemis said through clenched teeth. "Just slightly surprised." He glared at Holly again, who had shrunk from her normal three foot to about half that as she doubled over laughing. "Holly, be quiet." he hissed.
"Arty, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Mother." he repeated. "A foreign exchange student?"
"Yes, Arty. We're coming home tonight, so you'll get to meet her then."
"Her?" Artemis echoed. He could feel a headache starting. "A girl?"
"A girl." his mother confirmed. "A very sweet girl, by the name of Simone. She lives with her mother. Her father is a high official in Interpol. Isn't that interesting?"
The mention of Interpol had drained the blood from Butler's face, and Artemis looked paler than ever. If the girl had ambitions like her father, or even if she conferred much with her father during her stay, she had the potential to cause major problems.
"Arty?" The teen wrenched his mind from thoughts of damage control and back to his mother.
"Yes, Mother?"
"Your father said to let this be a surprise, but I went ahead and called because hearing something like this can be a shock, no matter how wondrous it is. Was it a good idea to call?"
"Yes, it was, Mother."
"Good, I'm glad. You can get used to the idea of having another person around the house. After all, it will be a big change, almost like having a sister. Isn't this exciting?!"
Artemis said nothing. Luckily, his mother didn't notice his silence.
"We'll be coming home as soon as we can, so tell Juliet to be at the airport at 10:00 tonight. Okay?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Don't sound so enthused, Arty!" Angeline admonished. "And do try to vary your vocabulary a bit more. When you 'Yes, Mother' me all the time, I get worried. Anyway, she's a wonderful girl. You'll get along very well; I know it."
"Of course, Mother." Artemis said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'll see you tonight."
"All right, Arty. Bye!" She hung up, and Artemis resisted the urge to drop his head onto his arms. Instead he glared at Holly, who was still laughing.
"You…should have…seen…your face!" she gasped out between her laughter.
"I fail to see the amusement in this situation." the teen said stiffly. Holly took several deep breaths and calmed down, and she tried to keep the smile off her face. She failed. Miserably.
"It was the first expression I've ever seen on your face other than amusement and relief." she said. "It was the most interesting mixture of horror, fear, and nausea."
Artemis sighed and tossed the fairy her wings. Holly yelped as she caught the delicate machinery just before it hit the parquet floor of the study.
"Watch it, Mud Boy! These are expensive!" she snarled as she checked the wings for damage. There was none, of course. The great Artemis Fowl would never abuse technology that he hadn't taken apart and learned to duplicate first. "Really, don't take your frustrations out on me." Artemis raised his eyebrows at her words, his face an impassive mask.
"I am not frustrated, Holly. Just…surprised."
"I think that was obvious." The elf said, grinning as she remembered the look on his face.
Artemis sighed again and turned to Butler. "Will you ask Juliet to get one of the guest bedrooms ready, and be ready to pick up my parents at 10?"
Butler nodded. "Any particular room?" he asked, his voice deliberately devoid of any amusement he might have found in the situation.
"No. Just pick one…wait, put her in one of the east bedrooms." Butler nodded and strode out of the door. Without another word, Artemis shut down the study computer and also headed for the door. Holly activated her wings and followed.
"What's the significance of an eastern bedroom?" she asked innocently. Artemis ignored her and headed for his room. On the western most side of the manor.
"Oh." she said knowingly. "Don't want to be any closer to the common teen than necessary, hmm?" She got the distinct pleasure of seeing Artemis's shoulders tense, and he turned.
"I thought you had to leave as soon as possible?" he asked pointedly.
Holly shrugged. "You're right. I really do need to complete the Ritual and check back in before Foaly figures out I'm not answering my comm." She turned. "I guess I'll see you later, Mud Boy." With that, the fairy flew off down the hall, heading for the side door.
Artemis waited until he heard the door slam before continuing toward his room. It was strange that the fairy had left with so little fuss. He had been expecting her to be a little bit more upset about the situation. However, it wasn't like he was purposely trying to ruin her career. Maybe, hopefully, the captain understood that…
Artemis opened the door to his room, and an auburn haired elf hung two inches from his nose.
"By the way, I'm still mad at you for kidnapping me. Again." Holly announced, and then disappeared out the open window. And left, this time.
AN: And so, the plot twist appears. This will either cause all people to become hooked for life, or get disgusted and leave. Don't worry, Simone will not be a very likable character. Think…Dorothy Catalonia.
Anyway, is it just me, or are the disclaimers getting progressively worse? To all the reviewers, thanks for your comments. Here are separate letters (comments, answers, whatever) to each person.
To the Reviewer: I appreciate your suggestions. I like the one about Amnesty International. However, there was a copy of the Booke in the Swiss vault; it said so in the first book. Besides, I figure Eoin Colfer will do the medallion with Mulch in the 4th book.
To huntress: Sorry about accessing the account from the internet; I don't have a Swiss bank account, so I didn't know if you could do that. What the hey. Also, I don't understand the comment about anonymous guests. Please explain?? And Foaly's virus worked, I guess. I just decided that it wouldn't apply to the Swiss bank account. After all, if I decided it did, I wouldn't have a story!
To ArtemisFowlWorld: Thanks. I really appreciate the enthusiasm!
To Spirit of the Autumn: I'm glad someone likes the poems.
To Roxanna: Sorry, no A/H in this. I'm writing with my sister, who's not into that. Sorry.
To The Wolf Child: With all respect, you sound a little loopy. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to know people think I'm portraying characters correctly.
To MysticAngel: Go read the Eternity Code. Now!
To Thorned Rose: Thank you for the congrats. I'm glad you enjoy it.
To Abigail Nicole: My story is an addiction…I like it. Thanks!
To charliegirl: Thanks for the review. Keep reading, it gets better! (Well, I think it gets better.)
To violomana: Sorry about beating you to the punch. And I wanted Holly to stimulate Artemis's memory, so I wrote the Booke as not strong enough for a recall.
To Jenni: Thanks for the praise. I'm working on writing more ASAP, so just keep reading!
Again, thanks to everyone. I love all your suggestions. If you ever want to ask me anything in great detail, email me. I'll email you back and try to give you an answer.