Morning, once again. My alarm clock had just gone off. Strange, I could have sworn I hadn't set it. I checked my phone, and the messages I received yesterday were gone. Highly suspicious. I was contemplating the consequences of this when Butler arrived.
Butler entered. "Is everything fine, sir?"
"Fairies."
"Are you sure you're all right, Artemis?"
His micro momentary expressions showed he had no recollection of yesterday's events. Curioser and curiouser, as Alice said. Suddenly, I had a small idea.
"Yes, yes. But I would like some breakfast. A small continental breakfast delivered to the room. Order it from room service please, I'm sure they would not like your culinary skills as competition. Ensure they have apricot jam."
Once Butler had ordered the food, I told him my suspicions.
"In exactly two minutes time, a waiter will arrive. He will be worried, as there is no apricot jam left. If this is the case, either I have had a highly accurate, prophetic dream or have lived through this day before. We must then leave immediately."
Two minutes passed, exactly. The waiter arrived. He spoke to Butler. He was clearly terrified, once again.
"I, I, I apologise sir. We are out of apricot jam. We do not keep much in storage, and today it has been unusually popular. I will personally ensure more, much more is bought today."
He turned and fled. Butler often has that effect on people – but this was the first time a specific incident was becoming often.
"Do you require that I phone the bank?"
"Yes. Postpone our appointment. I believe that this morning will be busy enough, without their involvement."
A small crowd was assembling in Foaly's booth, including Trouble and Holly.
"Artemis is recalling from the previous iteration. Butler is not."
"And that is what we wanted, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then why did you bother to call me over here to tell me?" Root was getting slightly annoyed about the constant status reports.
I knew that the second message was referring to the arrival of Opal. It showed her passing over a boundary – could this be the boundary of the peculiar timestop? She crossed over this boundary at 10:48. This was the only timing we had, so whatever we did, it would have to be there and then.
"Butler, we need to travel north-east." That was where she crossed the boundary, if the diagram was accurate. I hoped Foaly had put some time into it. "We need the four by four, and the camouflaged hide from the boot."
I had captured a fairy before using this hide, but never like this.
"What's he doing? That'll never work! Why did we put our trust in him?"
"He knows what he's doing. He's faced her before. And he knows how to capture fairies." He shot a meaningful glance at Holly.
Holly blushed. It was indeed meaningful.
"I need to sit in the rear of the vehicle," I told Butler. "We should not pass down any one-way-streets, as when I tell you to, we will have to reverse." We set off.
Fifteen minutes later, we were passing through a narrow alleyway. The front of the car vanished as we went past a lamppost. Butler appeared not to notice. He carried on, and even the driver's seat and occupant disappeared. I told him to stop and reverse, and from wherever he was, he heard me. We began to reverse. Once I could see the whole car again, and we were a few feet back from the lamppost, I told him to stop and I got out.
If there were any bystanders, this would be a very strange sight. I was walking forward, with my arms outstretched. I hit a wall – this was the boundary. But there was no wall – just seemingly empty air. I could not pass through it, because I was not controlled by the fairies. Butler could, because although he was behaving differently to yesterday, that was due to my influence. Others, who had no involvement with us, would behave exactly as yesterday, including passing through the boundary. Outside was exactly the same as yesterday, so when Butler and the car passed through, they were not there.
However, Opal would be.
"He's found the boundary."
"Yes, I can tell."
I got out my compass. This should help determine whether this was north-east or not. I stood with my back to the wall, holding the compass in front of me. We were slightly out. "We need to move."
The next suitable area along was a deserted car-park. This was a slightly run-down area, where no-body came unless they had to. The direction was perfect. The location was perfect. She would be coming this way.
"10:40, local time? Isn't he leaving this a bit late?"
"Calm down, commander. He's only got one more thing to do."
I requested that Butler park the vehicle nearly up to the boundary, bonnet first. I then removed the hide from the boot, ensured that it was in its properly collapsed state, and placed it on the bonnet. I sat inside the car, in the drivers seat.
"Which button releases the spring-loaded bonnet?" I asked, and he showed me, bemused.
"10:45! He's not going to make it! I can see Opal from here."
"If there's one thing I know about Artemis, it's that he always makes it. Besides, we can always have another iteration."
10:45. Opal was a black speck on the horizon, heading straight for us.
"Thanks Foaly." I muttered under my breath.
"Did everyone hear that! For once I'm getting the credit I deserve."
Everyone ignored him, and continued to watch the screens.
Opal was practically on the boundary now. She had not seen me – I assume that she was seeing the first iteration, in which this was a completely empty car park. Why else would she continue straight for me?
Opal hit the boundary. I hit the button. The bonnet flicked up, throwing the hide up into the air. The hide opened out, enveloping the rogue fairy. The hide returned to the ground, with contents unconscious, but still alive. Later, the LEP sounded reassured by this, but I am unsure whether that was their true view.
"Holly, Trouble, you're going in now."