Disclaimer: …snore…don't feel like saying it…snore…
Yep! I'm back! Sorry as this chapter is mostly dialogue. Also I apologize if Artemis is a bit OOC in this chapter -sweatdrops-. Couldn't help it.
Oh yeah, and this chapter might be a bit on the boring side. But next chapter will be funny! At least I hope.
OMG I wrote a chapter in three days! It usually takes me bout a week! I guess it's cuz all my other fics are complete. Then again, this chapter is shorter than usual. So anyway, enjoy!
Warning: Might be a bit of rushed-ness, which my stories still suffer from.
Switched
Chapter 5
Artemis:
Artemis landed helmet-first onto the ground. While his head may have been protected (though he may just have caused a large dent on the helmet), the rest of his body wasn't that fortunate. Owww… I must have broken all my bones…So this is how Butler felt when he was nearly killed by that troll.
"Ooh." Foaly winced. "Pain sensors went right off the scale there. Musta hurt."
"And you're just figuring this out now?" Amazing that even now, Artemis held on tight to his sarcasm. Blue sparks hurried to heal the plentiful wounds on his body. Even though Artemis didn't know how to control his new fairy powers, healing was a natural instinct in Holly's body that took over whenever she was hurt.
"Holly, you're really going too far with this whole trying-to-convince-me-you-and-Artemis-have-switched-bodies thing. You could have been seen by a Mud Man, for goodness sakes!" Foaly sounded outraged.
Artemis, however, stayed quiet, letting the fairy magic do its work.
"You know what? Forget it. Let's just hurry and finish up this mission."
Holly:
Holly followed Butler into his bedroom, then watched as he locked the doors. Butler didn't have the ordinary bedroom for a forty year old man. Though nothing suggested that he was a vicious, protective bodyguard, Holly had a feeling there were all sorts of dangerous weapons hidden in the most unsusceptible places. Just being in the room gave Holly the creeps.
Butler sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him. Obligingly, Holly sat, facing the bodyguard.
"Artemis…" Butler began. With a mental jolt, Holly realized the manservant was actually nervous. He was playing with his hands in his lap. So this is what it's like to be someone like Fowl… "I know it may not be my place to ask…but you've been acting…strange… since this morning. I was just wondering if something was bothering you."
What to say, what to say… "Butler, don't-don't worry about me." Riiiiight. She didn't blame the man for doing just that. "I'm…perfectly fine." What a lie. But it was better than some of the things she could say. "Tomorrow I'll be back to normal." Hope that didn't give away the fact she wasn't exactly 'normal' right then…If it wasn't already given away.
Butler let out a deep breath. "Good…good." They sat there for a moment, each not sure what to say. The silence stretched out between them. Finally Butler made a move to conversation. "So, enough about that. Are we still going to rob the Swiss Bank today when your parents are out for dinner?"
"Rob…rob…" Holly stuttered, feeling Artemis's face turn different shades of red. She'd thought the Mud Boy had gone legitimate! Apparently not…one more person to add to her must-kill list. She tried to say something, though her voice chose this time to abandon her.
"The Swiss Bank." Butler finished her sentence as she seemed to have lost the ability to. He watched his 'master' struggle with 'himself' for a while, then 'he' finally regained 'his' composure. Before 'Artemis' could say anything, Butler said, "So that's a no?"
"Um…wh-why don't we, uh, do it tomorrow instead?" Then it'll be Fowl's problem…this potion had better last for only 24 hours…but who knows? Mental note: Kill Foaly.
"Alright, Master Artemis." Butler replied, standing up. "Just wanted to clear things up."
As Holly also stood up and exited the room, she sighed and found herself wondering once again what Artemis had possibly done in her body. One thing in particular she was anxious about. She wandered into Fowl's bedroom and pulled out the fairy communicator she had thrown on the bed…
Artemis:
Had finally finished the goblin mission and was now back at Holly's desk pretending to be doing paperwork while really going through extreme nervousness of what lay ahead for him to do that day. Artemis had found out during the mission he could use his fairy magic by willing it to happen. How interesting… Also, on his second attempt he had discovered how to use the wings. Correctly, for a change. Foaly was always bugging him about some mistake or other he had made, but it went smoothly enough after a series of…episodes (hint, hint, don't ask.)
Holly's communicator rang. As Artemis opened it, the screen flashed the words, 'You have a call from Artemis Fowl.' His heart pounding a couple beats quicker, Artemis accepted the call.
Before Holly could say anything, Artemis blurted out, "HollyI'vegotahugeproblemhere!"
"Slow down, Mud Boy. Is it about…you know, the date?"
Speechless, he nodded.
"I thought so. Okay, so Trouble's going to pick you-ah, me- up at seven and take me out for dinner at the Fairytale Grill (A/N: Sorry for the lame name. Couldn't think of anything else at the moment). Just…act normal and-"
"But it's 6:30 right now!" Artemis said, panicking.
"…I know."
"Why didn't you call me earlier?"
"I thought you were still on that mission! By the way, how did it go?"
"…"
"Not so good, eh?" Holly smirked, taking pride in the fact that she was still better than Artemis in at least that aspect.
"By the way, Holly- I still don't know who this 'Trouble' person is." Artemis hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ah…he was the person who walked in on you in the men's bathroom."
Artemis turned a shade of red that would not have disappointed Root. "You saw?"
"Yes," Holly let out a giggle. And believe me, she was not the giggling type. "You should have seen the expression on your face!"
"Holly."
"Yes Artemis?"
"What do I do?"
Holly rolled her eyes. "Like I told you. Just act normal. Surely you can just pretend."
"Easy for you to say. I don't know your definition of normal."
"Okay then." Holly took a breath, thinking of what to do next. A lightbulb appeared over her head. "Look in my desk drawer."
Artemis obediently pulled out Holly's desk drawer. Inside were the most high-tech gadgets he had ever seen. Think of all the money I could make by patenting these on the surface…
"Don't even think about it, Fowl." Oops. He was on last-name basis. Meaning Holly hadn't missed the red gleam in his eye. "Now, find my hazel iris-cam. It should be below a set of mini-earphones. Take those too."
Artemis did. "Why?"
Holly ignored this question. "And there should be some Latex at the bottom. Take some of that too."
"Now will you answer my question?"
"Fine. But first put in the iris-cam, the earphones, and put the Latex on." Holly directed.
"You understand what the word now traditionally means, right?" Artemis grumbled while inserting the contact-lenses-like iris-cam into Holly's eye. Then he turned to the mini-earbud, which was actually a piece of Latex that had been designed to clamp onto the piece of skin nearest his earhole. Artemis popped in the earbuds, then ripped a piece of Latex off from a roll and attached it to Holly's neck. It immediately assumed the color and texture of Holly's nut brown skin.
Holly gritted her teeth at Artemis's comment. The Mud Boy could get on her nerves like no one else. "As a matter of fact I do, Artemis. I want to keep in communication with you on the date."
Artemis's mouth was about to complain, but with effort he closed it. "Good idea."
"Wow. A compliment from the genius boy. I'm honored." Holly said sarcastically as she fiddled with her communicator's controls. "There. Just keep the communicator with you at all times. You'll hear me through the earbuds, and I'll see and hear you through the iris-cam and the Latex microphone. This way I can give you advice and everything without Trouble noticing.
"Oh, and Artemis?"
"Yes Holly?"
"Butler told me about your plans to rob the Swiss Bank."
Oh no… "Ahem. Yes, that."
"Didn't you tell me not so long ago that you'd gone straight?" The tension was building up in Holly's voice.
"Ha-ha. Did I really?"
"Artemis-you-"
Ding-dong.
Artemis opened the connection from outside Holly's locked cubicle door. Through a buzz of static, he heard a male's voice. "Holly? It's Trouble."
Artemis looked around wildly, the look of panic on his face so strong it made Holly want to laugh out loud. He caught sight of Holly's digital wall clock. 7:00, it read.
Time for the inevitable.
Yeesh. This turned out shorter than last chapter. So, ditto all my apologies from the end of last chapter. Please read and review! Oh yeah…I'm afraid there might be like only two more chapters…and that's it due to lack of ideas. Sob! Sorry.