Author's Note:

Thanks for your reviews! You'll see in this chapter why and how Cyrenela will change, I hope you'll like it! Suggestions are ways welcome.

Disclaimer: I don not own Artemis Fowl characters -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Holly's HOME

Holly muttered along the way to her house, fully dreading the time that she will have to spend with the Mud People, especially this particular group of Mud People.

At last, they arrived. Holly fumbled with her keys, opened the door and quickly went in.

Artemis, Butler and Juliet entered. Holly's house did look homely, but the owner isn't that welcoming.

"Alright, let me give you the rules you will have to follow here," Holly said gruffly.

Juliet nodded obediently, Butler's expression didn't change, and Artemis had an eyebrow raised.

Holly continued, "Rule number one, don't even think about stealing anything, I'll find out, one way or another," she said this with a dangerous look, particularly at Artemis.

"Second, no one...NO ONE is allowed to enter my room without permission."

"Why, Captain? Are you hiding something that would likely embarrass you?"

Holly scowled, "Shut up, Mud boy. Juliet can sleep with me," she heard a squeak of delight coming from the blonde. "Fectnoperi can sleep at the guest's room. Butler-

Butler shook his head, "I'm not sleeping."

Holly shrugged, "Suit yourself," she turned to Artemis, "And you will sleep, on the couch."

Artemis didn't quite agree, "The couch? You expect me...to sleep in a couch?"

Holly kept herself from smiling, "Yup, get use to it Fowl. Get out more often."

Artemis fumed silently for a minute before regaining his composure.

"Now that that's settled, do what you like. Walk around, just don't get in my way." Then she stomped off.

"We should lie her down on the bed," Artemis suggested. Butler nodded and followed his charge to the guest's room.

The room was actually well furnished, quite cheerful looking too. He laid her on the bed, if you don't look close enough, you could've said she's already dead, seeing that her face was as white as marble, and blood was completely covering her front.

"Do you think we should clean her up?" Butler asked.

"I don't think I will be willing to do the work of a servant, Butler. But if you wish, you could," Artemis answered arrogantly.

Butler suddenly had second thoughts, she'll need to take a bath, and she can't do that asleep, and he didn't really want to bathe her. "Never mind, he mumbled.

Suddenly, they heard Holly's voice yelling, "HEY! DINNER'S READY! COME HERE IN TEN SECONDS OR YOU WON'T HAVE ANY!"

Artemis thought of those films where a mother would say something like that to her children, though in a nicer way, he didn't want to be bossed around, but he didn't want to have an empty stomach either.

When Butler and Artemis arrived at the kitchen, Juliet and Holly were already seated at the table. The meal wasn't anything fancy, just a salad and a small sherbet for dessert, unfortunately, Holly said she hadn't been shopping much anymore, though maybe she only said that because of who her guests are, it lasted for about half an hour, and soon, everyone was full, or at least satisfied.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Holly," Artemis started.

Holly eyed him, "Ask me about what?"

"What did Madam Perfecto do for the People?"

Butler and Juliet decided to listen.

"I don't know most of them, since she disappeared before my time, I only heard about her while doing my studies. She was actually the one who suggested for the People to move underground, and while we still didn't have Foaly to make sure that the Mud Men can't discover us, she made some sort of barrier, that completely conceals anything that relates to us. They said days were easier before, you could actually walk in front of a crowd of Mud People and they won't notice a thing. But then she disappeared, the barriers still remained, but pretty soon, it began to fade, first, it wasn't quite serious, but soon it just disappeared."

"Then what did the People do?"

Holly took a drink from a glass of water before answering, "The People were in absolute turmoil in a several years, then she came back, everybody was quite glad to see her, but she couldn't stay long. To take the place of her magic, she gave us technology, that's the reason we are always ahead of you Mud men, when you catch up, we advance."

Artemis was deep in thought, if Fectnoperi did something like that, what would be the reason she can't save her own friends? Not that he's complaining, after all, after this, he has her to do his bidding, but still...one has to wonder. There's another question to ask her.

They suddenly heard movement from a nearby room, Butler stood up, while the others kept silent, listening.

Butler crept silently towards the open door, if whoever was out there has their mind set in doing harm to his employer, they'll have to get through him first, not that anyone succeeded.

He peeked warily, and relaxed.

"Who is it, Butler?" his younger sister asked nervously.

"Someone who's not going to harm us that's for sure," he answered.

"What do you-?

She was cut off by Cyrenela's entrance, still looking a bit pale with her painful encounter; she still held her usual grace and dignity.

Before they could say a greeting she said, "No need to worry, I am well."

She sat herself on one of the spare seats, and immediately felt four pairs of eyes at her. "You want an explanation, of course," she sighed inwardly as they all nodded, at least when she was asleep she didn't have to explain anything.

"The girl who attacked Master Fowl is..." she said, in a rather sorrowful voice. "Faith," she said in a whisper.

The Butlers and Holly didn't quite get it, but of course, Artemis did.

"Faith," he explained. "Is one of her companions, one of the people we're looking for."

Cyrenela couldn't stop her voice from trembling, "Now I now what happened to them...Satan, he converted them."

"Do you mean they're, like, bad now?" Juliet asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "And it also means, our situation just got worse, if that's possible."

"How could it get any worse?" Holly questioned.

Artemis answered the question, "It's worse because when her companions are mistreated, or in other words, harmed. Madam Perfecto weakens."

"I don't really see your point here," Holly said irritably. "We just find out how to change them back, fight them if we have to...which I'm almost sure we have to," she added with a shrug of her shoulders.

Artemis shook his head, "That is the flaw, Madam Perfecto's powers will serve a major role in my plan. If we harm her comrades, she will be affected, weakening her in the process. In simpler words, we must avoid harming our them, making the task extremely difficult."

"Let me get this straight," Butler inquired. "We can't harm her friends, which were turned into our enemies. Because...it would be like harming Madam?"

Cyrenela nodded her head, "That's why I was really weak after our little meeting in the vertex. I had to defend myself, since I am still more powerful than them, I had enough strength to win. But fighting Faith alone affected me greatly, I shouldn't have lost unconsciousness, and I should've managed to overcome it." Sadness was plain in her eyes, things really aren't looking good. How could you not engage in combat with the enemy, who are, without doubt, hunting you down, while trying to counter him?

"Let's hope Fowl will have the brains to figure this out," Holly muttered.

Artemis opened his mouth to snap an answer, but decided against it, Holly was right, he would need to come up with some plan for them to escape this victorious...and alive.

Butler suddenly remembered something, "Madam, do you have any idea about that scar you have on your cheek?"

"What?"

Holly took a hand mirror from a drawer nearby, and gave it to Cyrenela. Cyrenela gazed at her reflection, there was a faint scar, not quite noticeable at first glance, pretty much like a light pencil drawing of a flame, exactly like what Faith had, she suddenly knew what was going on, and it wasn't good...the farthest from it.

She looked away from the mirror, staring at her friends with pleading eyes.

"Well, what about the scar?" Artemis prompted.

She didn't answer immediately. Too many emotions were churning inside her, grief, dread, and fear...none of them positive.

"I just realized something..." she said, her voice emitted so much tension, Artemis thought he could actually taste it.

They all waited with baited breath, what she was about to say would certainly be not good.

"It's also happening to...me," she said softly, tears were building in her eyes, but they seem to hold back, not wanting to be shed.

Each face was white in a flash. Holly grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, shaking her furiously. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S HAPPENING TO YOU?!"

Cyrenela looked down, "What happened to my friends, somehow it's happening to me too."

Artemis was shocked as well, "Are you sure? How could it have happened?"

She pointed at the faint mark, which strangely seems to have sharpened, "This is the devil's symbol, he places this on his followers, a flame divided by three is the highest rank, with no divisions is like a normal soldier." They saw that hers was faintly divided into three.

She continued, "I'm afraid I'll need to get away from you, there's no other way."

"What do you mean go away?" Juliet said in a voice filled with panic.

"I think I have a few hours before the transformation will take place-

Artemis was starting to feel a bit of panic right now, "What transformation?"

"I'll be your enemy, like Faith..." she said calmly, but inside, she felt absolutely terrible.

"I need to go, you still have a chance," she said, looking up to stare straight into their eyes.

"No," Artemis said firmly.

Cyrenela laughed, with no joy. "No? Master Fowl, the soon I loose my free will, you'll be nothing more than mere specks of dust, I need to get away or we won't have a chance of victory!"

"Do you think there will be victory without your assistance?" Artemis asked darkly.

"Believe me, it is," she said indignantly. "I surely wasn't present when you won above the fairies."

"That's not what I meant."

She sighed, "Look at our situation, if I stay, I won't have control of my actions, so given the order, and I could kill all of you in a minute. If I go away far enough, at least you have a chance to escape or hide yourselves."

Artemis hated to admit it, but she was right, how couldn't she be?

"What are we going to do?" Holly said quickly.

"My foresight isn't working, you'll just have to rely on Master Fowl," she said.

"Can't you fight it?" Butler blurted out.

She thought about it, "I'll try to hold on, but I won't be able to promise anything," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Could you give us any leads?" Holly asked.

"I think so, look into a book titled; A FORGOTTEN MEMORY. You'll find quite useful information written there."

"That's all?" Juliet asked timidly.

She shook her head, "I can give one more thing," she closed her palm together; colors of the rainbow were suddenly reflected around the room, while they gazed in wonder. When she opened her palm, a crystal pendant glowed with soothing colors.

"I can give you magic," she handed this to Artemis.

Artemis held it up for a better inspection; he never saw anything like it.

"That pendant contains almost all the power I could give in my state. I'm sure it would be useful; don't give it to anyone, Master Fowl. I gave it to you, only you can use it."

She suddenly felt rage inside her, she stood up suddenly, "I feel it. I should go now."

She jerked as she felt another unusual feeling, anger, towards her friends. Without warning she released a burst of energy on a nearby chair, engulfing it in flames.

Her friends looked at her in horror. "I really need to go," she changed into the color of magic, silver. "I'll go as far away as I can," she said as she resisted another urge to destroy.

Artemis suddenly took hold of her hand, whispering, so only she can hear, "Try to hold on, we'll meet again, and if you do transform. Remember who you really are."

She nodded and smiled at him, before turning around and slowly fading.

Then Artemis said quietly, "Be safe," so no one can hear, though Cyrenela did...which put a gentle smile on her face.

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Author's Note:

I'm not really sure what's suppose to happen to Cyrenela, any suggestions?

PeanutButterII

Thanks for your review, oh, and a Mary-Sue is someone who is too perfect.

manveri[reachforthesky]estel

Really? Well, I hope you liked this chapter, it shows how she'll change ,so it's definitely going to answer some questions...I think. Thanks for reviewing!

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