Aperfectattitude, thanks. It's not real physical suffering though. But it could be.
Disclaimer: There was this girl called Absolute Power, you see. She had a dream last night about owning Artemis. She was so happy. Then she woke up, and she realized it was only a dream. Fortunately, she does own Chrysanthene and her house.
Chrysanthene
Yes, it was drastic. But it would work. She almost regretted ever starting this project. She should have just gone along with her initial Let's Be Julius Root plan. Unfortunately he had died. So she had spent the following months thinking. It was back to the old goblin versus dwarf game that she had played so many times that she detested it. Until she found out about Artemis and Holly.
This should be fun, she had said to herself. I'm going to love this.
Now, Chrysanthene was a good person. It was in her nature. But she wasn't satisfied, really. She was quite ambitious, and more than greedy. And everyone had a dark side. Eventually hers overcame her. But still, though she used to take delight in hurling fireballs at dwarf criminals, she couldn't bear to actually make someone suffer so much. She liked scaring people, but that was about it. She would have loved to eventually rule the world, but she promised herself she would not be a tyrant. In her mind, tyrants were very low creatures. Imagine, harming others just for power! True, she did that, but she only possessed them. Besides, she took good care of her toys.
So she opened the door in her normal fairy form. She was pretty, with curly blue-black hair and white skin. She wasn't pale, but she was just right. Her lips were pink, her figure was good enough, and her eyes were such a dark brown that it could be black. A lot of boys liked her. Actually, they would have liked her if only she was stupid. No such luck. She was intelligent, the top of her year. Boys could be so sexist sometimes. If only all boys could drill it through their thick skulls that girls have worth. If it weren't for girls, no one would exist!
Enough of the rant, she scolded herself. You're wasting time.
She strode down the corridor, changing as she went. First her head went. It would have been quite a scare for someone to see a headless girl walking, but there weren't any people yet. Then everything went, gradually, until her toes changed too. Now she was nothing but a shadow. One of her three amazing gifts.
Then Artemis and Holly came into view.
"You don't think…"
"I do, Holly. I know now, that's why I've been waking up so exhausted every morning. That's why I'm exhausted, hungry and extremely thirsty right now."
"But you have such a strong mind…"
"Then whoever possessed me must have a stronger mind."
Chrysanthene noted Holly's amazed expression. "But… That would have been an amazing person. You've got the strongest mind I know."
Well you don't know me, the shadow thought smugly.
"You don't know them then."
She didn't notice this because she was positioning herself so that Artemis's head would go straight through her. If she had noticed though, she would have laughed in delight.
Contact. Skin on shadow. She dove in through his forehead, settling between the left and right side of his brain. Artemis stopped. That was the last voluntary movement he made.
"Why?"
"I just noticed we haven't been going through any doors."
"So?"
"We might be able to catch them if they're hiding somewhere there." Chrysanthene spoke calmly, mentally congratulating herself. Which was hard to do, as she was occupying someone else's brain. Of course, the boy's brain wouldn't congratulate itself. She knew because she was a professional. She knew how to do it.
"Artemis…" the elf hesitated.
"What?"
"You know I don't trust you, right."
He scowled. Or rather, she scowled. "Correct. Even though we have already agreed that I was being possessed and manipulated."
"Look, I know that, but I still can't bring myself to trust you."
"Holly, I seem to have been a slave for quite a while. A slave to a fairy. A slave to my own mind. Or rather, the fairy's mind. Do you think I like the idea? I much preferred my 'idiotic plastic surgery suggestion' to this."
"It honestly sounded idiotic…"
"Well I'm not an idiot." There. She was doing it again. Losing control. Chrysanthene mentally kicked herself. Another difficult thing to do in someone else's brain.
"Really, Artemis, I only meant-"
"Holly, let's face it. I am an idiot. You say so. I know that you usually tell the truth, so it must be true. I hate the idea very much, I should tell you. I'm an idiot. I just let someone possess me as if I were some kind of toy! Who would have thought? Artemis Fowl the Second, a slave! If I had been told that earlier, I would have laughed. Now I know. I'm an idiot. I may be a genius, but I'm an idiot."
The elf's face fell. Chrysanthene supposed that she wasn't pouting, even if her bottom lip was jutting out a bit. "You and I know that's not true."
Now she decided it was best to improve things. An angry Artemis could foil up the plan. She made him sigh. "Of course. I was just getting… carried away."
"That's better."
"Now, we really have to try these doors." Of course, Chrysanthene had lengthened the argument a bit. Now they were facing a steel door. It was the end of the corridor.
The door was slightly open. A shadow fluttered in. Half of Chrysanthene. Another of her three amazing gifts.
"I don't have a good feeling about this door…" Holly began.
"I don't either." She made Artemis grab her hand and lead her to the door. "That must mean it's the right place."
Then they were plunged into total darkness as they entered the room. The door clanged shut behind them.
Chrysanthene tightened his grip on the elf's hand, making it more realistic. Then she left and joined her other half.
The transformation began somewhere near her toes, unlike earlier. Soon she was standing there, looking at them. Then she realized it was pitch black and they couldn't see her.
She flicked the switch.
ArtemisArtemis blinked in the sudden light. There stood a girl in the center of a green room that looked like a kitchen. She was pretty. In fact, she was beautiful. Mesmerizing. But he wasn't interested. He was interested in what she was doing there.
"Hello Artemis. Holly," the girl said, acknowledging them with a slight nod. She did, however, grace him with a smile.
"Excuse my asking," he said politely. "But who are you?"
The girl laughed. "Of course. How could I have forgotten? I am Chrysanthene."
"Any last name?" Holly asked. Artemis realized he was holding her hand quite tightly.
"No."
There was silence. "Are you the one who has been possessing me?"
"Yes. Quite an interesting memory you had there, you know. That one about the eggs in the hotel last year. I think I laughed out loud. Oh yes, and I'm sorry to say you've grown an inch in the space of a few minutes. I got carried away with that interesting pituitary gland."
"Oh."
Another pause, this time longer. "Would you care for some water? And food, you must be hungry."
Artemis suddenly realized how ravenous he was. Odd, he thought. So many realizations in one night. "Yes please."
Holly held his hand tighter, which, impossible it may have seemed, could be done. "It could be poisoned."
"Holly, dear," Chrysanthene said. "I don't poison my subjects. They are, after all, my body. Well actually, this is my body. But, you understand what I mean."
There was another pause.
"Spring rolls, I'm afraid. I have a fondness for them, and they're all I have. Now this," there was a smug gleam in her eye as she raised the glass. "Is a glass of Irish spring water. From my own well. Very clean, very sweet. I'm sure you'll like it."
"Thank you," he said, taking the offered food quickly. The first bite of spring roll tasted like heaven after having nothing to eat when he was walking the miles down to this place.
"Tasty, isn't it?"
"Very delicious."
Chrysanthene smiled. "I suppose my stock is down two rolls. But that doesn't matter," she said, making a quick mental calculation. "If I'm right, then I had 106 rolls. I should have 104 now."
Artemis raised his eyebrows as he took another bite. Holly had let go of his hand already, eyeing his food suspiciously.
"Enough of the boring talk of spring rolls. Please, sit down on the chairs here. We have to talk."
Author's notes: Chrysanthene seems nice enough. She's polite, anyway. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE MY LAST. If you really like this story, though, you'd like to know that THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL. So, I decided that I'll put up the two stories together, so I can link you. Ah better not. I'll just pester you to click on my name and read my profile. You might find something interesting in there, refloc.