Artemis came out sounding so sassy in this chapter lol! I just channeled my inner Louis Tomlinson and Scott Disick and this chapter happened haha! I was also listening to sassy music while editing ha. Swagger Jagger by Cher Lloyd is quite the tuuunnnee! This chapter is where the action really starts!
Dedication: Sassy people everywhere.
Artemis's POV
I was examining the intricate cravings in the wood beside the door when Louisa walked into the ball room, late as usual. She looked healthier today, wearing bright but simple makeup again and her hair in a messy bun which I assumed was fashionable, but then again could have just been put up in a rush. Who knows with Louisa? Her messenger bag looked exceptionally chunky and whatever it was was heavy by the loud thump it made when she dropped it on the floor.
I walked up to her and said, "Hello. You seem better today." I kept with the idea she presented yesterday of "starting fresh." It was the best approach to extract more information about what she knew, or didn't, about fairies.
Louisa was frowning and had her pale eyebrows bunched together. "Hmm… Oh, hi," she said distractedly. She seemed to snap out of it and turned sharply to me. "Hey, do you-"
The rest of her sentence was cut off by a loud violin solo. One of the instructors rushed to turn down the stereo while she shouted, "Places people, places! Reviewing what we learned yesterday, we'll start with the Quadrille then the Waltz."
Louisa rolled her eyes and walked to her favorite place by the window. The wind had blown the storm clouds from yesterday away so the bright sun shone through the windows leaving colorful designs on the shiny floor. It was beautiful so I see why she would prefer here.
When we started dancing, rather badly as we were both horribly uncoordinated, Louisa seemed to remember that she was asking something before she was interrupted.
"So, uh," she stuttered, suddenly bashful. "What do you know about, er, fairies? Just, you know, for conversation and whatnot." The last sentence was rushed together and sounded more like one word.
I raised my eyebrow. "Fairies?" So she actually remembered something about yesterday? Quite peculiar since she said she had not remembered anything during her fit a few days ago.
"Well," she started then looked over her shoulder. "When I had my, er, meltdown a couple of days ago, I said some things and I remember you looked like you recognized them. Among other things…"
I gave her a droll look to keep up my act. "Why on earth would I care about little make-believe creatures? Also, I thought you did not remember anything you said then."
Louisa shook her head impatiently and waved her hand dismissively. "I pretended to forget so people would stop bugging me. As for why you would care, I…" She stopped abruptly.
"Go on," I said after a second, a bit curious now. The music had suddenly gotten scratchy for a few seconds before returning to normal.
"Well," she drawled. "Don't tell anyone official looking but, someone slipped an old picture of this girl who studied here but went missing. I looked for her files but there were none even though one of the gardens is named after her. But when I, er, nudged one of the cabinets aside, I found a hole in the wall with a box in it. It had all of the girl's files in it and then some!" Louisa paused and took a breath before continuing at her rapid fire pace.
"Apparently when she went missing she was reading a fairy book and it was in the box, too. She had written a bunch of notes and she found a fairy rule book of sorts and was deciphering it. According to what she wrote, and the little of it I read so far, she had actually met a fairy! Can you believe that?!" She looked very excited but slightly confused as to why I wasn't as excited. Do I really look like the kind of person who would show so much excitement about something or "fangirl" as young people called it, over something? Please.
I stared at her in shock but quickly covered it as a look of unbelieving. But I still was in shock from her outburst of information. Could Louisa have really found a book with all the secrets of the People just waiting to be discovered? Could this girl who gathered this information have really met a fairy?
"Do you have this book with you?" I asked, genuinely curious and a tad worried.
Louisa grinned. "Of course I do. It's in my bag," she said matter-of-factly.
I hesitated for a second before asking, "Can I see it when this period ends? I have study hall then."
She looked up at the vaulted ceiling in an exaggerated thinking position, tilting her head this way and that, "hmm"ing overdramatically.
"Well," she began, still staring at the ornate ceiling. "I have lunch next and I'm really hungry and they're serving bacon sundaes today, but I don't want people seeing that book so…" She tilted her head down and looked me straight in the eyes, emerald green to blue and hazel, eyebrows arched in a goading expression. Oh, I get it. She wanted to see if I really cared enough about this book to beg. Well, two can play at this game.
"Oh, it doesn't matter," I said dismissively. "It's just some story book. What interest do I have in silly fairy tales, anyway?" I gave her an equally goading expression.
The music failed again. Pretty much everyone, including Louisa and me, stopped dancing while the instructors went to try to fix it.
Louisa shrugged indifferently. "Oh, well. I thought you'd be more interested in it. Guess I'll have to decode it myself." She wandered over to the window when the music did not resume.
"Okay, listen up ninth grade!" one of the instructors called from across the room. She ran a tanned hand through her dark hair. "The CD player has broken so class is adjourned for today. Be prepared for a vigorous review tomorrow." She and her tall companion went to examine the damaged CD player.
"Awesome! More time for me to translate that book," Louisa muttered excitedly. She started to meander to the huge double doors at the front of the hall, her hair falling out of its bun as she twisted locks around in thought.
The curiosity was too much. I caught up to Louisa by the door and tapped her shoulder. She turned, her heavy messenger bag slipping from her shoulder.
"Yes Artemis?" she queried, her Boston accent making my name sound more like "Ah-temis."
"I have decided to take a look at your book," I said exasperated. "A quick look."
Louisa smirked. "I knew you would," she said sounding very self-satisfied. "Meet me at the far corner of the White Lux Garden in a few." She pivoted and flounced away.
I was left standing there, shaking my head. There was something wrong with that girl.
I strode through the wide arch of the White Lux Garden. Spread out in front of me was an ocean of diverse white flowers. Woven into the light brown arch were flawless white roses, the thorns almost double that of the size of normal roses. A strong breeze sent the perfume of many flowers across to me. I followed a variegated stone path to the farthest corner of the garden that bordered against the Creative Arts Building.
Louisa was sitting on a weathered old bench reading a thick tome. Beside her was a wooden box inlaid with ornate mother-of-pearl about the size of a shoebox.
She looked up when she heard me approaching. "Finally. Come look." She scooted over moving the box with her to make room for me.
I sat on the bench next to her and peered at the book. On the left was a half-finished key for the Gnomish alphabet stapled in. The right side was hollowed out in a circle about five inches in diameter. Louisa herself was holding a sheaf of yellowing paper with translations scrawled across.
"Interesting," I said, absent-mindedly checking the translations. "Where the Book?"
She looked at me quizzically. "This is it." Then realizing what I meant. "Oh, you mean the rule book." She half turned to rifle through the box. She turned back, Book in hand. "Say, how did you know it was called the Book?"
"I, uh, just didn't think to add that I meant the rule book," I stuttered, mentally cursing myself for letting the word slip and then cursing myself again for stuttering at all. Artemis Fowl does not stutter.
Louisa eyed suspiciously. "Sure," she said slowly and handed the Book over to me. "I read through some of the notes and found out the name of it."
I took it and flipped through the pages. Indeed it was the Book. I wonder what poor fairy got conned into losing their Book.
"Oh!" Louisa exclaimed while she shuffled through a bunch of paper. "I had found something really intriguing earlier but now I lost it… Found it!" She held up an exceptionally old piece of paper.
Right at that moment, a forceful gust of wind blew all the papers across the picturesque garden.
"Catch them!" Louisa cried. She ran towards the woods after a clump of notes.
I calmly walked over to a few pages flying around an apple tree in full blossom. I gathered a cluster that had lodged themselves in the branches and stood on my toes for one floating above my head. I walked swiftly back to the bench and stowed them neatly in the box along with the others.
I was composing myself after almost running when I heard a rustling originating from a nearby bush. I walked over to investigate when something with bright red hair jumped out at me with a loud shriek. I tripped over backwards and tumbled to the ground. Louisa landed next to me on all fours. She was laughing.
"What was that for?" I asked stunned. Luckily I had missed a giant mud puddle by inches. Not that I'd care if this suit was ruined; it's not even designer. Bu my dorm was half way across campus and walking around covered in mud was most indecent.
"Sorry," she said convulsing with laughter. "I couldn't resist! You're just so easy to scare." She sobered enough to stand up and offered a hand. I noticed she had the cord attached to the Book around her wrist.
I ignored her assistance and stood up on my own. I gestured vaguely to her and the bush and asked simply, "Why?"
"I was caught all the papers in the woods when I heard something rustle. I found a little white bunny but it hopped away before I could get close. Then I heard you coming… And simply couldn't resist," she said innocently but with a mischievous grin.
Another rustle came from the bush. Louisa turned and crouched down to investigate.
"Awwh! I think the bunny's come back. Here bunny, bunny," she cooed. A small tuft of white peeked out of the bush. "Here dearie. Come here."
Suddenly a pale hand shot out and grabbed Louisa's wrist. "What the-" She shook her arm but the hand was firmly grasped. She tried to pry off the fingers. In retaliation, the creature slapped Louisa's prying hand. Louisa fell back and cradled her abused hand, the Book still attached by the thin cord.
I knelt down and peered into the bush. "Did you see what it was?" I asked genuinely concerned.
"DEFINITELY not a bunny," she cried. "I think it wanted the Book though." Her eyes looked worried. She braced her hands on the ground to push herself up. Immediately the hand shot out and grabbed Louisa's wrist, the one with the Book attached. Louisa dropped back and straightaway tried to pry the short, scaly fingers off.
"Artemis, help me!" Louisa grunted. I kneeled down and tried to help her. The other hand reached out and slapped my hands away and tried to slap Louisa's away but it was in vain; Louisa was determined. Aggravated, the creature bit Louisa's hand hard. She screamed and fell back. The Book dropped into the bush where the creature snatched it up and started running.
Louisa cursed and started after the creature. I caught her shoulder and spun her around.
"What are you doing?" she growled. "I got to get the Book back!" She wrenched herself away from me and sprinted in the woods.
Without thinking, I ran after her. Every now and then I would catch a glimpse of the creature running. It was pale with snow white hair and claret colored eyes behind round metal glasses. It was pulling ahead because I was no Usain Bolt and hardly fit enough to run this much. I should've listened to Butler and worked out a bit; it would come in handy in times like these, I thought as I struggled to keep up with the creature and Louisa.
Abruptly, the forest opened up to a wide field with a giant oak tree in the middle. The tree bark was black, unlike any tree I've studied. The leaves were also black and slightly luminescent because the veins seemed to shine silver. And Louisa was chasing the pallid creature right up to it.
"Louisa, wait!" I yelled across the field. She paused at the foot of the massive tree. I reached her and the tree, panting and muscles on fire.
"Help me climb up," she asked urgently. "He's getting away!"
"Why do you want the Book so much? It's probably just a storybook for children" I asked while gasping for breath. No sense in hinting that the Book was real and very important.
She looked confused and a bit scared. "I… don't know. But I need to get it back." With that, she started climbing the tree, grasping for hand- and footholds where ever she could find them. Knowing I couldn't climb the tree, I stayed on the ground.
Up close I could now clearly see the surface of the tree. It looked sick and diseased with gray and white spots dotting the bark but clearly was still alive because there were new sprouts on the trunk. I was tapping the trunk trying to figure out what was wrong with it when something hard hit my head.
"Sorry!" Louisa hallooed from far above while clutching a branch for dear life. Wait, not a branch… It was a railing! It was cleverly disguised as a branch with leaves and a rough texture. And apparently very old because what had hit me was a section of the railing that broke off when Louisa grabbed it for support.
My thought was interrupted by a shriek. I looked up and found Louisa suspended in midair by a semi-transparent sheet of black. She sat up and bounced.
"It's a trampoline! Who the hell puts a freakin' trampoline in a tree?" she cussed from high in the tree. She jumped up and started climbing again, leaving my sight. Now that I looked, webs of the stretchy black material covered many areas between branches.
I walked around to the other side of the tree. Surprisingly enough, there was a steep staircase carved into it. I climbed up the stairs, which wound it's the way to the top. There I could see Louisa and the pale creature running around in a frantic cat-and-mouse chase.
All of a sudden, the creature tackled Louisa, knocking her on a thin walkway. I now could see the creature. It was an elf! Albeit an albino one but one of the People nonetheless. The elf must have been arguing with Louisa because she very loudly and rudely suggested the elf do something anatomically impossible with himself.
Louisa managed to get up only to be grabbed from behind and dragged… into the trunk of the tree? I carefully climbed the branches to see where Louisa had gone. It turns out there was a hole in the trunk. The albino elf stopped on the edge of it.
Without turning around he said, "Well, well, well. We finally meet, Artemis Fowl." He turned his head to look at me. His skin was scaled and milky. "Too bad it will only be for a second." With that, he jumped into the trunk.
I scrambled closer to the trunk and peered over the edge of the deep hole. Louisa was collapsed at the bottom, injured but conscious. She looked up, saw me, and leapt to her feet to try to climb out. I reached out a hand to assist her.
The wall opposite her started rumbling and broke open. A hairy face with tombstone teeth grinned up at me before seizing Louisa and dragging her down the tunnel.
"Go get help!" she screamed. "Help me, Artemis!" Her screams faded as the dwarf pulled her swiftly down the tunnel.
The elf stepped into view. Grinning, he said arrogantly, "Nice meeting you, Artemis Fowl. And thanks for lending us your girlfriend. I hope neither I nor she ever sees you again." He saluted pompously and strutted down the tunnel.
I slumped back on the branch, head in hands. What was I going to do?
Hoooo that was long! Took so long to edit and totally worth it to me. Mind telling me if it was worth all that time to edit or not? :) And this was the last planned chapter. I have no idea what the fuck I'm writing now :-)))))) But hopefully it turns out good and coherent. And preferably done quickly. Mostly likely not. Aha ha. Til next chapter PEACE OUT YOU SEXY MOFOS xxx