This story is really fun to write. This is a good thing for you guys, since you get more updates. You like me! You really like me! WOOHOO! This is my most successful story yet (sniffle). It already has more reviews then my 6 chapter other Artemis Fowl story! (dies)
Summary: Right after Holly gets a job in the LEP, she cuts her hair. Each auburn lock falling through the floor makes her think about choices, and especially their consequences. What will happen after?
Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl.
Haircut
Chapter Four (!)
The next day at lunch, the whole commons was in an uproar.
Commander Yude, their past commander and ex-muscle-man, had retired, claiming about 'faulty novices' and 'idiot rookies'. He wasn't a very nice guy, and everyone was glad to see him go.
Beetroot, now called Commander Root, had taken his place. He was happy because he now had the power to keep people from calling him his nickname.
Foaly, the centaur in charge of the electronics, was ecstatic because he now had a new person to tease. Supposedly, Yude was very boring.
And Trouble was missing.
Not pausing to think about what could have happened to him, the rest of his buddies kind of just picked at their food and talked quietly. Not to her, though. Sometimes Holly thought that they just put up with her 'cause of Trouble.
A loud banging noise awoke them all from their thoughts.
Trouble Kelp came walking through the middle of the hallway, looking extremely pleased and holding a bundle of something in his hand. He came over to the Traffic section.
"Guess what, guys!"
One of his friend's spoke up. "What?"
"Well, Be— I mean, Commander Root put some other guy as a Captain, Sool or something, (1) and I got to replace Sool's spot on Recon!" He was now in the beginning level of Recon, but it was somewhere.
Everyone was shocked. They all knew Trouble was the best of the Traffic workers, and they all knew he was going to be the first to be promoted, but this was major!
It meant he'd have to sit with the other LEPRecon officers.
He seemed to know what they were thinking, because he grinned and said, "Don't worry, I'll still sit with you dorks."
Personally, Holly thought that this promotion hadn't done much to Trouble except a serious boost to the ego, but maybe she was just jealous.
Maybe.
Or maybe she was just feeling insulted that Trouble had called her a dork. This one was more likely, as the rest of the table looked like they were feeling the same way.
Trouble sat down in his normal seat next to her, holding his new uniform protectively. Well, I can't blame him after working in Traffic for four months.
The uniform was rather like the Traffic one, except shinier and cleaner-looking. And it had the big 'LEPRecon' insignia on it.
Holly wasn't the only one staring. The rest of the table—the rest of the hall—was also enraptured by the elf that was still sitting with Traffic though he was now in Recon.
He had impressed many an officer, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was why he did it.
But the thoughts were quickly pushed away. Trouble was a good guy; he could sit with his friends if he wanted.
And after lunch was over, they all said their solemn goodbyes to him, trying very hard to keep a straight face as Trouble walked away nervously into the Recon area like a kid in his first day of school.
Perhaps they weren't so grateful.
After work, Holly stepped nervously into her home, watching the phone as if it were a bomb, ticking down every moment.
Five… four… three… two… one…
And nothing happened. The phone continued to sit there innocently, and she relaxed for the slightest second.
Unfortunately, she had spoken too soon. The phone rang, making her jump suddenly.
But there was a slight chance it wasn't her. She crept up to the phone and looked over it at the caller ID.
'Frond, Lili'
Even the name raised a siege of anger within her. Holly didn't forgive grudges easily, and this was no exception. How dare she question her motives, question her doings! They were her doings and hers only. And only she got to choose what she wanted to do. She could care less what Lili thought.
Right?
Of course.
She had other friends. But they were more Lili's friends then hers, and they were more of acquaintances anyway. Besides, they'd probably think the same way as Lili, the stupid lot.
But the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. She had lost a friend. Yet by doing so, she had gained one. She had lost Lili, who had been there since forever, helping her through everything and likewise, sticking to her even though she had other friends. She had gained Trouble, who was a fun guy to hang around with, as well as one of the only people who were nice to her in her whole job.
Lili had encouraged the job idea at first. Probably because this way females could show that they were as good as men; she thought. But then again, isn't that what I wanted also?
Her thoughts were just getting confusing. Hating the guilty pit that settled in her stomach, she dismissed all thoughts of Lili and told herself that through it all, it was Lili's fault. Everything was her fault.
And it wouldn't change.
The next day at work was incredibly boring. She mainly sat at her post, occasionally walking out in the center of the street and yelling 'STOP' for her projector to hear.
Back at her chair in the blazing sun, Holly watched with leaded eyes. This job was so dreary that it dreared the dreary-ness out of everyone. At least, that was what Holly's tired mind was thinking.
This was a skill she had learned in high school, and it turned out to be very useful. She could sit there and doze off with her eyes open, and practically 'programmed' herself a routine. In this case it was: sit up, walk, yell 'stop', walk, sit down.
Very interesting. She even had gotten herself to get up right when she was supposed to, every forty-five seconds or something the lights changed. Although she was still working on getting herself to watch out for cars---three days and she had already almost gotten herself run over.
At least the cars weren't like Mud Man (2) ones, those would be much more painful to be run over by.
She sighed as her internal clock hit the time that she was to walk up there. Wearily slugging her way into the street and managing a tired 'stop…', her eyes suddenly widened at the sight of someone in a car.
It was Beetroot. Or actually, Commander Root.
It was his first day as a Commander… and he was late. He looked really annoyed about it, too.
Uh-oh. He had seen her half-dozing off at the sidewalk. She grinned sheepishly at him, and he glared at her and mouthed 'My office. Before lunch.' It wasn't in coherent sentences, but the meaning was crystal clear.
It was what, her fourth day here? And already she had managed to get herself in trouble with her new, angry, LATE, commander.
Hopefully, the rest of her week wouldn't be as bad.
END OF CHAPTER
(1)—Okay. I thought this out. Sool becomes Commander after Root dies. I decided this was because Sool became Captain first. Yeah, there are bound to be a couple other Captains that have been in that status longer then him, but they die or retire or replace other Commanders. Make sense? Does to me.
(2)—I am so tired. Instead of Mud Man, I almost wrote 'Muggle'. At least, that's what I was thinking in my head.
This chapter may not be that good. But the next one will be a little deepish, because I'm listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack while writing it. Hope you like it, people.
And Trouble/Holly and the whole six months it is. I want to make it fit with the books, though, so they may or may not be together at the end.
Next chapter: Root and Foaly make an entrance! Or in Root's case, a second entrance!
