Disclaimer: Hey, we don't own Arty, OR Ben Cole. He's in the Vampire Plague Trilogy, only, older.
I know, I know, we've been lazy bums. We haven't been updating, doing this, doing that, la de la. Call us what you like, we don't care. Just read the story and review because it makes us happy. You want to make us happy and you know it.
Regards, Noodle
Okay. Here is the real chapter. Don't worry, I didn't kill her. Yet.
-Frogerita
4/12/06
I don't know why I was having this thought. I realized that I'm fourteen and I'm a former princess, yet I've never been kissed. Is there something wrong with me? Am I icky-looking? What is it! All of my acquaintances and/or enemies have kissed someone before. Do I sound jealous? I think I do.
As I went over this thought I became more and more depressed, and as you can imagine, I'm still depressed. I feel like I'll be left like this for eternity, wondering, dreaming, hoping, but never receiving. Will I drift on…?
Artemis caught Stephanie sitting on the balcony, moping. It was dreary and cloudy outside on that particular day, and light drizzle fell from the heavens. The air smelled cold and renewed. Stephanie's hair was just next to soaked, so Artemis assumed she had been out there for quite a while.
He found an umbrella and shortly after sat down beside the depressed-looking girl. He let it unfold and put it over both of their heads. "Is anything the matter?" he asked.
"If I told you what it was you'd laugh," Stephanie told him. She gently pushed the umbrella over Artemis' head, leaving her open to the rain.
"Don't you want cover? You're dripping wet."
"The rain is calming."
Artemis didn't see how being chilled to the bone by falling water was calming, but he said nothing about it. "Would you please tell me what's troubling you?"
Stephanie thought about it, and then gave in. She took her journal from under her shirt (it was quite small, the journal) and handed to Artemis. "Second entry," she said.
Artemis read through it in under half a minute (Impressive, no?). He closed the journal and gave it back. "To tell you the truth I'm quite surprised," he said.
"With the entry?" Stephanie sat up straight.
"With the fact that you've never been kissed before. I mean, it isn't much of an issue, but I really am quite surprised. Someone with a royal rank such as yours would usually be in an arranged relationship by now. Beside that however, you're attractive, intelligent, creative-" He paused after he realized what he said, and then hastily added, "I'm saying these things as a friend. Anyway, after listing your qualities I really see no reason one wouldn't be that attracted to you. It's rather puzzling."
Stephanie blushed. "You really think so?"
"As a friend, nothing more!" Artemis waved a finger at her. "Now," he said, standing up. "We must go inside before we get sick. I don't feel like being a dribbling snot faucet all week."
After Stephanie had gotten out of her rain-soaked clothes and taken a shower, she sat at the edge of her bed and thought of the previous moment while drying her hair in a towel (Woo, long sentence). Artemis had told her she was attractive, that was the most noticeable comment he made. No one had ever called Stephanie attractive, not even her own father. Aren't parents supposed to do that? It's was startling to hear that come from Artemis.
"Maybe he…" Stephanie didn't finish. She knew it wasn't possible. It's only been three days, she thought. He'd have to be like Shawn to be stuck on me that quickly.
Then she remembered that Ben guy, what she had seen that day. That assured her that it couldn't be possible. Artemis' name wasn't Ben, of course, but Stephanie almost wished it was.
"Maybe Artemis could change his name…" she joked to herself. Seeing as that probably wouldn't happen, tears started to form in Stephanie's eyes.
During the night, as Stephanie dreamed, a human visited her. The human placed various items of "importance" around the room.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Following Day…
Stephanie woke to a room cluttered with the oddest of things. Things such as flowers, chocolates, hearts, balloons, real hearts, cats, gift baskets, and for some odd reason, a really cheesy birthday card.
"What the- KITTY!" Stephanie hopped out of bed and began chasing her new cat around the gift baskets, through a pile of muffins, above the chocolates, and for some reason, away from the real hearts.
Stephanie finally caught the cat and decided to name it Nathaniel. Her next plan was to ask Artemis why in heaven's name her room had been stuffed with gifts and kitties. She opened her bedroom door and a shower of heart confetti spilled over her head.
Artemis had been going by at that very moment. He stared at her and tried not to giggle at the agitated girl. "Why are you covered in small bits of shaped paper?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," she answered, flicking a handful of confetti in Artemis' face.
Artemis scowled and looked over Stephanie's shoulder. "Who gave you all of these-KITTY!"
"Wait!" Stephanie held him back from chasing Nathaniel around the room. "You mean you didn't give me all of this crap?"
"Of course I didn't. If I did I would probably be running a high fever and I'd be at the verge of death."
"Oh, that was touching. I feel so special now."
"Great, you should." Artemis noticed the birthday card. "Isn't your birthday in September?"
"Yes."
Suddenly Shawn came walking by and noticed the chocolates. At that moment he thought of a plan.
"Ehrm, you like your gifts, Steph?" he asked Stephanie.
"Don't call me that," Stephanie said in a bland, irritated voice.
Artemis turned to the seven-year-old. "You act as if you gave all of this to her."
"I did."
"My doubt for that is really, really high."
"I diiiid!" Shawn whined.
"And you got the money to buy all of this where?"
Shawn grinned. "I found your wallet." He then ran, knowing that he would probably be chased and beaten down. Artemis was very sensitive when it came to his wallet. Artemis ran as fast as he could after Shawn and Stephanie followed to make sure that Shawn wasn't turned into a pile of perverted dust.
Okay, Shawn wasn't turned to a pile of perverted dust. We thought we might tell you this, so all "Shawn-we-hate-you" fans will be disappointed. But for the rest of the week, Shawn did have an ice pack on his black eye. Feel good Shawn haters. Antyways. Artemis was in trouble with our dear beloved Stephanie. It turns out, you see, young Shawn did NOT steal Artemis' wallet. Oh dear. So she sat on his head all day. The end.
No, she didn't really, but we got bored and decided to have fun. What really happened was…
"Say sorry."
"No."
"Say it…"
"I refuse to apologize!"
":Fine."
Stephanie turned around and walked out of the Artemis' room.
'She's gone, and I no longer have to apologize to annoy-me-to-no-end cousins
Quite suddenly, Artemis was toppled to the ground and sat upon. "You will, I repeat, will say 'I apologize to you Cousin Shawn.'"
"NO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!"
"Yes." She hissed menacingly
And for the first time in all his life, someone else won. Stephanie. I think we should award her with face cream, a pedicure, a treadmill and medical attention. Both physical and mentally. In your dreams. As if. Artemis is Artemis. Therefore, Artemis always wins. Okay, what really happened
Artemis paused. Stephanie waited for the "Yes, ma'am" she had been wanting. She never got that reply, however, for Artemis had caught her off guard and started tickling her sides. Stephanie broke out in insane giggling that sounded as if it came from a dying hyena. She couldn't move, and that left her defenseless.
Artemis quickly pushed Stephanie off of him and zipped out the door. Butler, who was standing in the doorway, stared at Artemis, then Stephanie. "Err," he said. "Is there a dying animal in here?"
Stephanie just glared at him.
While Artemis lie in bed and let his thoughts carry him into slumber he thought about that previous morning, when Stephanie had her hands on his shoulders. He may have not shown it (he was very good at hiding that kind of thing) but her touch was warm to him and made him feel comfortable and strange at the same time. After only three, maybe four days, Artemis knew he shouldn't feel like this when it's been such a short period of time. Yet, he did, and he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to stop it. The feeling felt nice.
As Artemis' eyes closed and he drifted to sleep, Ben watched him from the darkest corner of the room, analyzing everything he could about the child prodigy.
Oooh, creepy. What's Ben doing, I wonder? We'll have to find out in later chapters. Not the next one though, that's too soon and would ruin everything.
I've written the rest of this chapter by my lonesome because I'm thinking that Frogerita got grounded and couldn't send me our progress. Either that or she's just being mean and won't send the stupid file. If she wants she can edit it, but I'm posting it anyway. We need to update desperately.
Review please!
PLEASE.
For me? I'll love you forever.
Regards, Noodle
Okay. Here is the real chapter. Don't worry, I didn't kill her. Yet. I will though. The chapter 9 may not include Noodle. We just had a fight with the keyboard. Isn't it grand?
-Frogerita