Disclaimer: Since I don't own Artemis, then… I don't. What else is there to say?
Replies to latest reviews:
vampire outlaw of london: I totally did not know that. Thank you so much. I'm pretty ignorant in the ways of the UK and most other places in Europe, besides Germany. So, thanks so much for that. Good thing Artemis is almost 18, then, otherwise I would've had to rewrite some of the story. Phew.
Ms.RealMadrid: I'm happy you find them useful. I'm pretty iffy on if people actually look at anything like the 'Author's hype' or the little notes, since it's not like you need them to have the story process in your brain, but ah well. Nice to know someone reads them. xD
A Cup of Earl Grey: Thanks! Elizabeth is 100 thought up in my head. I wanted a psychologist that could throw Artemis off-guard enough to make him actually open up, if a little cautiously. One of my author-friends wants to be a counselor/psychologist, so Elizabeth has thrown in how I think that friend would act as a psychologist.
cheekytriangle: Thanks for those stars. Maybe I'll be able to win more than seven and a half, ne? xD Yeah, I try not to overuse phrases too much, because it takes away the significance of them.
Artemis Fowl's Girl: More is coming!
Artemis
"Artemiiis…"
"What?" Artemis entered Reece's bedroom, going to the small form hidden beneath the comforter.
"I want some strawberries."
"Fine." Artemis left Reece's room to get her a bowl of strawberries.
Reece disregarded them. "I want chocolate covered strawberries."
"…"
Artemis left to heat chocolate until it melted, then dipped the strawberries in, and then brought them back to Reece.
"Actually, I want some soup."
I may just have to kill her… Artemis clenched his teeth, did an about-face, and strutted back to the kitchen of their apartment. Reece was in bed with a bad cold. Artemis had unwillingly been drafted to be a nurse. Neither of them were going to school today. Reece couldn't because she was sick. She had called Kelvin to ask what to do, but Butler had stolen the line and wanted to talk to Artemis. Artemis glowered, remembering what Butler had to say. The point had been made that if Artemis didn't stay there with her, Butler would personally go over there and force him to. Artemis didn't want to. He would probably get sick as well from being in contact with Reece.
"Here are your strawberries, your chocolate covered strawberries, and your soup," he proclaimed, setting the tray down on the bedside table. He could've saved his breath. The blonde was out like a light. Artemis smiled wanly and walked silently to his room, which looked more like an office with a bed stuck in it. Lots of dark brown wood, black leather, and black electronics, such as his laptop, gleaming on the top of his desk. He sat down in his chair and started it up.
He could at least finish some schoolwork, if he couldn't be at school directly. Yes, he finished his work faster than the others in his classes, but that didn't mean they weren't time consuming. He was halfway through an essay on the fall of Rome when the communicator vibrated in a drawer. He frowned and took it out.
"Holly?"
"What, do you have someone else calling you on a fairy communicator?"
"What is it, Holly?" He was not in the mood for this. He had spent the morning taking care of a sick teenager, not to mention the night before, when she couldn't fall asleep and kept him up watching movies with her. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and he wanted to take a shower.
"Have you found out anything more of importance on our jewel thief?"
"No, I haven't," the afore-mentioned replied, feeling traces of guilt. He hadn't had the time for it, what with schoolwork and Elizabeth and Reece falling ill.
"This isn't like you, Artemis."
"Other activities are demanding my attention at present."
"Fine… Well, I called to say that I visited America and found traces of the lost GPS signal. The jewel is in eastern Canada, near the Great Lakes. Be ready; I'll come pick you up in thirty minutes. We can be in Ontario just as dusk is falling and wrap this thing up."
"That sounds fine-" Artemis hard a cough from the other room and stopped short. He couldn't just leave Reece here, ill, alone, not knowing where he went. She'd never forgive him. Butler would never forgive him. Kelvin would undoubtably never forgive him. He had left his charge in Artemis's care. A fine way to repay that trust, by leaving her to go prancing off to North America. No one would forgive him. Even Artemis wouldn't forgive himself.
"Holly, I can't go," he said bluntly.
"What! Why not! I am a civilian now, Mud Boy. Do you know what it takes to get an aboveground pass and a ship!"
"Yes, I know. But I'm preoccupied at the moment."
"Screw whatever you're preoccupied with! What is so much more important than this!"
"I'm taking care of a friend. She's ill."
There was a pause on the other line. "…She?"
"She is female, Holly," he said, rolling his eyes.
Holly looked to be weighing the options. "Fine. We'll bring her with us, then. I have your location. Be out front in thirty minutes."
She logged off, leaving Artemis dumbstruck. Had the loss of her captain status addled her mind? She was suggesting to reveal herself, and therefore the People, to a human. Artemis conveniently forgot that he himself was human. Perhaps Holly was counting on the illness factor; with Reece so ill she might just think the entire ordeal a sickness-induced hallucination.
It could work. If it didn't, Artemis would explain everything to her, and trust that she wouldn't misuse the information. Elizabeth was encouraging him to trust other people more, and had put forward the idea that he could start with Reece, seeing as he already knew her, but not as much as Elizabeth would like. Artemis was alright with it. It would be easier to get along with Reece than it would be with one of the idiots in his classes. Reece wasn't an idiot at all. In fact, he was starting to find her-
"Artemis?" Reece asked. She was in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe for support. Her hair hung limply to her shoulders, her normal variety of shades of blonde replaced by a dark honey colour, stark against her ashen face.
"I heard vo-voices," she yawned. She slid down the wall to sit on the floor.
"You shouldn't be out of bed." Even though she's going to have to be for an indefinate period of time in thirty- he glanced at his rolex. Twenty-six minutes.
"I have to get better sometime." Reece flapped a hand at him. In doing so, the sleeve of her overly large shirt slipped down her forearm.
Artemis grimaced, seeing that she was in her nightclothes. It hadn't mattered before, but they were going to Canada in less than half an hour, and Reece was not going in her pajamas.
Artemis moved to crouch next to her. "Ah, Reece?"
"Yes?"
"We have to go somewhere very soon. You need to get dressed." Artemis kept his wording as simple as possible, as Reece wasn't feeling well and therefore most likely not in the correct frame of mind to keep up with his extensive vocabulary.
"Where are we going?"
"I'll tell you when we get there. Oh, and also, some other people will with us as well. They're my friends."
"Alright Artemis. Is it time to go?" She got to her feet and was about to go to the front door.
"No, not yet. But Reece, you have to get dressed." Artemis prayed that she could dress herself. If not, the situation would get very awkward.
"Okay Artemis." Reece smiled at him and managed a weak trot to her room. She returned wearing cargo pants and a form-fitting black shirt.
"Ready." She smiled that same odd smile, as if she had one foot in reality and the other in a dreamland.
"Alright. One moment." Artemis grabbed a backpack from the depths of his closet and walked quickly to the apartment's bathroom, stocking it with Advil, Tylenol, aspirin, cold medicine, flu medicine, and whatever else he thought Reece might need. He slung the backpack over his shoulders and walked back to his room to grab the briefcase that held his laptop. He might need it.
Through it all, Reece trailed behind him, not knowing what else to do.
Artemis pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and ran a mental checklist, thinking of anything he had forgotten or anything else he might need. He dropped the bags on the black leather couch next to Reece, who had gotten bored and curled up there until it was time to leave. Artemis retrieved a fleece blanket from Reece's bed and stuffed that in the backpack, and tried to think of anything else. There was nothing. Alright, time to go.
"Reece. Time to go."
"Five more minutes."
An hour later.
Artemis sat in the co-pilot's seat, feeling better than he had in a while. He had been feeling overwhelmed previously, what with Reece and having to get ready quickly. Now, he could relax for a while. They were still four hours from Canada. With a normal plane, it would take eight hours. With a fairy shuttle, it took a little over half the time.
Artemis was catching up with Holly and Mulch, and they him. Reece was in back, taking up two seats as she slumbered. Artemis felt much gratitude towards her; when she met Holly and Mulch, she had acted very differently than he thought she would. He had presumed she would ask numerous questions and cause a whole affair. Instead, she had smiled, waved, and went to sleep. Artemis was unnerved by this behavior. He would almost rather if she had asked a hundred questions. Almost.
"Want something to eat?" Artemis heard Mulch ask from the back of the shuttle. He was about to respond when he found that he wasn't the one Mulch was speaking to.
"No thanks, I'm fine," Reece answered. A moment later, she appeared in the entrance to the cockpit. "Hi." She waved, smiling lightly. She was still visibly sick. Her face was pale while colour bloomed on her cheeks and forehead. She clutched the fleece blanket around her. Artemis was suddenly very glad he had brought it.
"Hi girl," Holly replied, not unkindly.
Reece nodded to her and looked over at Artemis. "So, what'd I miss?"
"We are four hours from Canada. How are you?"
"I've been better," Reece admitted. She made shooing motions to Artemis. Artemis raised a brow and scooted over in his seat. Reece perched herself on the edge of the seat next to him. Holly snickered, keeping herself from making any noise. Reece turned toward her, and Artemis took the opportunity to place the inside of his wrist against Reece's forehead.
"I'm fine," Reece said dourly to him.
"You'd feel better if you slept the whole way there. I suppose it matters not, though. You'll have more than enough time to sleep. You'll have the ride back to sleep during, as well as the time we'll be gone on our errand in Ontario."
Hearing this, Holly turned, crossing her arms. "Negative, Artemis. No way. She's not staying behind."
"You are suggesting to bring her with us on this little adventure?" Artemis demanded, his voice rising.
"It is unavoidable. I am not leaving her alone on this ship," Holly retorted, her own voice rising. Their glares mirrored each other.
"Why not? All she will do is sleep. I never knew you to be so sensitive to feelings of loneliness for a human you don't even know."
"That's not the reason. Artemis, this is a fairy shuttle. One curiosity attack, one flip of a switch and she could be hurtling into a wall. Mud Men are too curious for their own good. This ship is made from fairy technology, and I will not allow any Mud Man –nor girl– to have access to all this without my supervision. And that is that." She glared openly at Artemis, daring him with her eyes to challenge her.
Artemis opened his mouth, but Reece spoke. "You aren't leaving me behind. I want to come."
Artemis transferred his glare to Reece. "No. Kelvin would never allow it."
Reece's chin jerked up mulishly. "But Kelvin is not here."
The sole male occupant of the cockpit –as Mulch was in the back gorging– looked from Reece's face to Holly's. Both bore the same expression. He glowered. The females won this round.
They saw the expression on his face and brightened victoriously. Reece turned to Holly, holding up her hand for a high-five casually. Artemis saw Holly hesitate only slightly before she grinned and high-fived Reece.
Reece may not have realized it, but fairies and humans haven't exchanged such a friendly gesture in aeons. Artemis felt a smile lift the corners of his mouth. For an unexplainable reason, it made him feel better that Reece and Holly were getting along.
After a moment of comfortable silence, in which the three watched as Holly coasted the shuttle easily through the empty chutes that lead to Canada, Reece spoke.
"When will we get there?"
"A little under four hours, give or take," Holly answered.
"This'll take forever." Reece didn't bother going to her area in the back; she made herself comfy where she was. She shifted, changing positions to get maximum comfort. Artemis noticed that she was half in his lap and was past the 'too close for comfort' line, but disregarded it on grounds of her being delirious with fever. He didn't admit to himself that he wasn't uncomfortable with their current positions, and instead looked out the window. He soon became lost in thought as he tried to see past the total blackness of the chute beyond the shuttle's headlights. They would be in Canada in less than four hours, and he needed to come up with another infamous plan.
Author's hype:
I wrote a lot in reply to each review. Ah well. I was in a writing mood. This chapter is alright. I want to add more fluff, but I always forget, and then I don't want to go in and change it. There shall be more next chapter.See, the thing is, I don't want to add too much at once, because it'll be totally fake. Nevertheless, Artemis is warming up to Reece more and more… Who knows what the next chapter will bring… Who knows, besides me of course. Heehee.
This chapter is unique in that it is completely told in Artemis's point of view.
Oh, by the way. The reason I haven't updated is very simple: I've sold my soul to Ragnarok Online. xD Sad, really. But oh so fun. I'm obsessed. Of course, I barely understand it. I have to have my friend help me through it, and if she isn't on, then I'm pretty much screwed and can't go on until she gets online, for fear of messing up big-time. For my first job, I'm a swordsman. Oh yeah. Me and my rapier kick butt. x3
...Am I the only one who hasn't seen the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie? xD It sure feels that way. I just don't like seeing movies in theatres... I'll wait until it comes out on DVD... Tschüss!