I… am amazed. The sheer number of reviews I have for this story makes me stop and gawk. (tear)

And so, the same day that I posted the last chapter, I start writing this one. Very pleased am I. Why? Because the plot is starting to MOVE! WOOHOO! EVERYBODY CHEER! Therefore, this chapter is a little long.

Alright, the romance is going to start in this chapter. Hope it pleases y'all (I'm Texan, sorry), I'm not too good at writing romance. Makes me squirm. But overall, I'm happy with this chapter.

I found a couple mistakes. It says in one of the earlier chapters Root was a Captain before being promoted to Commander. Actually, he was a Major. Now Sool is a Major, some guy is a Captain, and Trouble is a normal Recon officer. A little hard to understand, but yeah.

And one itsy-bitsy note (nobody report me!) to FetishFemale: (whacks head) Mulch! I'll try to add him in sometime.

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 Six

She entered the room warily; nervous for anything technological that might come crashing on her head. Three weeks, she told herself. Just three weeks you have to stay, and then Trouble wins his bet.

Out of nowhere, the energetic centaur came cantering out. He seemed euphoric that she had actually come.

"Now, what was your name?"

"Holly Short…"

"Okay. Well, I'm Foaly."

"I, er, knew that."

He beamed. "Well, yes, I suppose I'm rather famous, aren't I?"

Holly tried a half-smile, though she thought it felt more like a grimace. "So, what do you want me to do first?"

Foaly was mildly surprised by the question. "Do? Whatever you like, I suppose." Now it was her turn to be rather taken aback. She had assumed Foaly wanted people in his office to do chores and things for him.

"Well, then, I'd better give you a tour around the booth, shouldn't I?"

Holly looked around. The booth was just that… a booth. Every inch of wall that she could see had some sort of electronic screen on it, displaying every room in the building. It wasn't really very big. She sat down in a wooden chair in the middle, blinking from the sheer brightness of the computer lights.

"You know, that chair ejects its seat." Hearing this, Holly jumped right out of the chair, and began to stand awkwardly. Foaly watched her in amusement. "Here."

A panel opened on the ground next to Foaly's expensive centaur-rolly-cushiony chair. Out came a chair rather like it, except designed for an elf.

She sat down uneasily and waited. What for, she wasn't sure.

And suddenly in one fluid motion, her chair spun around. She shrieked and grabbed the handles of her chair, even though it was only a hundred-eighty-degree turn. This was doing nothing for her nerves.

Apparently oblivious to her discomfort, Foaly began to introduce her to his things.

"This is my main computer, from there I can access all the computers in Haven—but you probably don't want to hear about that." He added hastily. Holly blinked at him; you'd think he'd want to talk about his computers all day.

He continued to talk about his many inventions—Holly, actually, found the half-finished iris-cams rather interesting. He seemed to be eager about this too, and asked if she would like to stop by more often to see it progress. She agreed, if a little reluctantly.

Yet he seemed a little off-center and overzealously nice during the entire time, with an almost hunger for approval. It was only when she was about to get in bed and was in her deep-thinking mood when she realized why.

She realized why Foaly had been taking in the new kids. She realized why he had refrained from going on about his inventions.

He didn't want a servant or a slave—he wanted a friend.

And she, Holly Short, was staying with him for a bet. An unfortunately familiar feeling welled up in her gut: guilt. Her deep-hidden girl side couldn't help but feel shameful.

After a couple moments of thinking, she realized the answer was easy. She'd simply go through the bet and Trouble would win, then, if she liked Foaly's company enough, keep on visiting him.

Of course, then she'd have to explain that to the group, who no doubt think she'll stay three weeks on the dot to make Trouble win.

They would probably laugh at her. Think she was crazy, to befriend the centaur. Foaly teased many of the officers and was on good terms with a few, but she had just realized that he was truly lonely. Just another thing to go on her conscience.

And now she was torn. Torn between her desire to be accepted, and her sense of right and wrong, which was telling her that if they scorned her for making a friend, then they didn't deserve to be friends with her.

So Holly drifted off into a restless, turning sleep, haunted by dreams of indecision and contempt. Due to this, she was tired the next day, and almost got in trouble with one of the other Commanders. By the time it was lunch, she was rather crabby. And after work, she had to tell Foaly that she wasn't feeling well (people could tell just by looking at her), and couldn't make it to his office today. Yet apparently he hadn't even thought she would come back, and seemed happy that she would've come, had she been feeling better.

And that next day's evening was even worse. Why? Because Holly Short was going insane.

She didn't know why or how. Holly knew that she was an observant person naturally; it was another reason why she had passed the Academy. But this was going a little too far.

And it wasn't like it had started that day exactly, well, she didn't think it did, but it was all so very confusing, 'cause she knew it wasn't normal… and thinking about it just made it worse. Not to mention she didn't think wearing a hole in the floor with her pacing would help either.

At lunch that day, Trouble had decided to purchase the clam chowder for his meal. Again. Like for the past five or so days. And as Holly watched him, she noticed he kept his right elbow on the table, and moved it every five seconds or so. Plus, this one stand-out piece of hair kept coming out of where he tucked it behind his ear, and he stirred his soup five times before taking the first bite, and Holly thought, 'No, doofus, you're supposed to stir it six times like you do every day,' and then it was 'How did I know that?' and then she decided she was going crazy. People weren't supposed to notice these things.

So when he looked up when she was wearing this shocked expression on his face, and asked 'Is there something wrong?' and she realized there was this faint little crease between his eyebrows where he pushed them slightly together when he asked a question. So it wasn't really a big deal if she freaked and fell off her chair… right?

And it wasn't a big deal if she went home and every single movement or little habit of Trouble's kept popping into her head at random intervals… right?

She didn't really know the answers to any of those questions.

But what she did know was that if they didn't stop, Holly was seriously considering checking herself into a mental institution. Not to mention possibly suing Trouble Kelp.

END OF CHAPTER SIX

What a way to end a chapter—with a random idea.

Now, I don't want to plead and ask for reviews, because I don't want to become one of those people who become obsessed with reviews. I like the writing better, and I plan to keep it that way. But if you could drop off a suggestion, a few comments, anything bad about my story at all, I would be honored. :)