Artemis Fowl: Blue Eyes

Chapter 4- Now it's Interesting

Time seemed to stop and speed up at the same time for Holly. Her plans were nothing but one big whirl windy mess and it seemed time was running out. The plane was soaring smoothly above the towns and small farms of Europe, but it was going slow! When she thought about it, it seemed like they were never going to get there. She could hardly think of a better place to have plenty of time, but her brain was fried. Maybe it's the human spell taking effect, she thought as sleep fought a winning battle with her eyes. It must not have completely sunk in, because I used the Mesmer on Butler. She yawned and lazily looked around the plane. Maybe it doesn't completely sink in at all... Sleep wouldn't win so easily.

Artemis was wide awake, despite what little sleep he'd had, and he was studying a small disk that had bits of gold leaf still on it. Holly frowned. She still wasn't convinced of the fact that he'd actually beaten the Mesmer. Despite the splitting headache forming in her busied mind, she started to develop a plan to dispose of the disk. That, and get rid of Mulch and...him.

She turned completely around to see where the two magical creatures had gone. They were snoring loudly, leaned up against the back wall of the plane. Holly shuddered. That fairy was the only fairy that could possibly annoy her more than Chix. How he got hooked up with Mulch, she didn't know. He'd disappeared around the time Artemis first appeared and caused the great uproar. They scared her. A little.

Artemis growled in frustration. He took the disk up to the front of the plane with Butler, and came back empty handed and disappointed. Or maybe just impatient. Holly couldn't tell.

"What's got your undies in a bunch?" she asked casually. Her answer was a soul-piercing glare. She decided to play the part she'd set herself to, "What was that thing?"

"A disk."

"Why would two strangers bring you a disk?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you keeping it? It could be a bomb or something!"

"If it was a bomb, I'd know."

Holly stared at him for a minute longer. He seemed so much...older. Artemis' age in fairy years was in the infant stage, but he was far from that. His dark bangs drifted just above his icy eyes and the rest of his hair was long enough to almost cover his ears. She assumed he'd been letting it grow out. He never glanced at her again. He simply looked down, trying to burn a hole in the bottom of the plane. Holly pretended to ignore him, but she listened intently as he sighed every few minutes.

Holly's attention was diverted when Fowl Manor suddenly came into view over a hilltop. Panic seized her by the throat. My only chance to save the world, and it's landing! She dashed to the pilot's seat as quickly as her feet would take her. There were only minutes left. She failed to notice Artemis staring after her suspiciously.

"Butler-eh," Think, Holly! "Um, Artemis told me he needed his disk back."

"Why?" Butler didn't even glance at her.

"Why! I don't know! He's Artemis!"

"He told me to keep it safe." There was a note of offense in Butler's voice.

"Well, he told me he wants it back."

"I want nothing back from you, thank you."

Holly jumped and spun around to face an angry Artemis. His menacing snarl was louder than what it should've been. He leaned forward as Holly tried to lean back, inches from her face, and whispered in that same snarling tone, "I don't know who you are, 'Hollya,' and I don't know what you're up to, yet, but mark my words, I will find out, if I don't know already. I haven't believed a word you've said, and I get the feeling any questions I might have will be answered shortly." A quick smirk ended that conversation. Artemis grabbed the disk and headed toward the back to prepare for landing.

Holly stood there, horrid realization settling in. Physically, Artemis was perfectly fine, but the one thing she'd hoped wouldn't happen, had. Erasing the changes he went through over the past few years changed him. His old, money/power-obsessed self was reborn, in a way. And even if he read the disc, would he change?

Holly was worse off than she thought...

Foaly just didn't understand. And that was saying something. The situation before was: Artemis Fowl is dead. That was that. A computer couldn't lie. But that changed fairly quickly. Suddenly, every computer around the centaur went haywire and shut down, all because of the one up front. Foaly had noticed Artemis' light appear halfway across the screen, but then it blew up. Smoke filled the room, and no sooner was he trying to fan the smoke away, than he was being dragged out of the room himself.

"Where's Holly?" He recognized that voice because he heard it more times a day than any sane person would want to. And he sounded urgent.

"I don't know, I thought she went to talk to you." Foaly sounded slightly sarcastic.

"Don't play games with me, you mule, she's gone!"

"What!"

"Yes! Gone! I don't know where, but none of the other officers have seen her. The last person who saw her was me, and that was over five hours ago!"

"Calm down, Commander. I'm sure she's just out for some fresh air. What did she talk to you about, exactly?"

"She wanted to know..." Commander Root paused. It seemed as if the answer to Holly's location just dawned on him. "The surface..." He mumbled. "Of course!"

"Hmm? You say something? Surface, what?"

"Shut up, Foaly, and follow me."

The first step into Fowl Manor was the hardest step Holly had ever taken. It was like trying to walk into a viper pit: knowing there are snakes in there, but still going anyway. Surprisingly, she didn't feel nautious. It must be where I'm human now... If I enter Artemis' house, then the sick feeling doesn't take effect. She was behind Artemis, who casually, albeit a bit warily, walked behind Butler. Mulch and the other fairy were staying as far behind as they could, watching everything around them suspiciously like they'd stolen a billion dollar jewel.

Angeline was waiting in the center of the room for her only son to return. She had the red eyes and tired look of someone who went through a great tragedy. When Artemis appeared around Butler, she ran to him and flung her arms around him. "Oh, Arty, I'm so glad you're all right! When Butler told me you'd been in an accident, I thought I would die then and there!"

"I'm fine, mother, really. Though I did..." Their conversation faded from Holly's mind as Artemis was led to another room, no doubt to have his injuries tended. A young woman a few years older than Holly-in-her-current-state appeared in the room from around a corner. Holly grinned a broad and mischievous grin.

"Hello," She said.

"Hi," The girl answered. An old acquaintance indeed.

"My name is Hollya. I'm your host's mother's friend's daughter." Holly put a big ridiculous smile on her face.

"Oh, I'm Juliet. Will you be staying here for a while?"

"Yeah, I was on a nature walk when I ran into Artemis. Of course, he didn't know who I was, but I'd been told a lot about him."

"All right. I guess you'll need a room then."

"I guess I will." Holly shrugged. This whole conversation seemed...odd. Maybe it was just the feeling of speaking with someone you knew but they didn't know you.

"Who are the two short fellows?" Juliet asked as they climbed the spiraling staircase.

"I don't know. They wanted to talk to Artemis about something. I think they're salesmen."

"Salesmen? Ok. I think my bro was complaining about something like that." She paused, then continued, quoting, "'Damn telemarketers trying to con us out of our good money with their stupid antics; I'll show them a piece of my mind, I will, you just wait...'" Holly laughed with her at the joke, but they'd reached their destination.

"If you need anything, just tell Artemis to tell me. His room is just down the hall on the right."

"I will. Thanks, Juliet." Holly turned and stepped into the room.

It was exquisite. Too exquisite for a guest room. Who in the world did Artemis have over for guests? Governors? Kings? There was a white laced canopy on the queen sized bed in one corner, and the whole room seemed to be decorated in the creamy lace theme. Finely carved furniture decorated the guest room very nicely, along with a few lamps that gave the room just enough light to almost seem...romantic.

She slowly walked to the bed and sat down, enjoying the softness of its foamy mattress. Then she blinked, and reality smacked her awake. This was the home of Artemis Fowl. That was not something to be taken lightly. She knew that.

"Enjoying your stay?"

Holly jumped. Artemis two; Holly zero. She jumped, but she turned slowly. Artemis leaned lazily against the polished door frame. He seemed to be trying to keep a blank expression, but the grim happiness was there. He knew something. Holly didn't dare answer.

"Tell me who you really are."

"Hollya."

"Liar. I spoke with my mother just then about a friend who's daughter's name was Hollya, and she said she had never heard of anyone with such a name. She then asked me who the young lady friend was and if that was her. I told her your name was Elaine, and you were a school friend whom I'd brought back with me. I talked with Butler again, and he doesn't seem to remember."

"Why did you tell her—?"

"I want to know who you really are. I get the strange feeling that you're stalking me, no matter how much I may wish to deny it."

"Stalking you? Why would I—"

"I'd like to get to know you, Elaine, and learn about the real you, and the you I'm going to create. This should be a very interesting experiment, don't you think?"

"WILL YOU LET ME SPEAK!" Artemis blinked several times at the intensity of her voice. Then nodded, smirking. "Thank you. First of all, I'm not gonna be your stupid guinea pig for some 'experiment' you have. Second, I'm Hollya, NOT Elaine. And finally," Holly stopped. She didn't know 'finally.'

"Finally, I have you in my grasp, and you can't do a thing about it. If you were a smart person, you would've never tried to mess with me. And, if you by some chance have any brains at all, you will play along with the part I've given you." He gave a small laugh, "Guinea Pig."

"So I'm supposed to just play along with your little charade?"

"Yes."

"You'd like for me to do that, wouldn't you?" Artemis' grin faded and was replaced with a thin, flat line. He glared at Holly, searching her features for some sort of an explanation. He didn't get one. "I'll be gone in the morning," she said carefully. "Even your security won't keep me here."

"I beg to differ. I'll keep you here myself."

"Why are you so interested in me?"

"Because, you have potential."

"What?"

"You've got the skills. You could've stalked me well, had you had a little training."

"I wasn't stalking you!"

"You don't have to lie anymore either."

"I'm not—oh, forget it." The room fell silent for a moment longer. Artemis was the next person to speak, and he spoke in a quiet whisper.

"You know, you are kind of pretty."

He was gone before Holly could answer back. She just glared after him. You won't win that easy, Fowl. You don't know it, but I have had training. You don't know it— Something blocked her mind from further thought. She gulped as she remembered the disk he was supposed to get tonight. Whatever's on that disk would cause the memory of a fairy named Holly to come rushing back. He would know it, then...

She leaned back on the bed and mumbled in a hoarse whisper, "D'arvit..."

Next time—Fowl's been a crafty little boy of late, and time is running out for Holly. And what are Root and Foaly up to? The evil fairy working with Mulch may just reveal himself in neon lights...

a/n—One reviewer lost, but never fear! I adore A/H (duh, I'm the author of this fic!) and I wouldn't stop writing for anything. Though I do hope the rest of you will at least stick around until it's finished. Chao!

Also—(for any Fowl fan who is also an anime nut) anybody else think that if they made Artemis Fowl an anime that Artemis should have Ren's English dub voice from Shaman King? (He also does Noa from Yugioh.) I don't know his real name, but I can't watch either character without thinking: "Fowl..."