A Spry Secret Part 3
The second Artemis rubbed his head instinctively and sat up slowly. "Where am I?" he asked warily.
Butler answered in his deep rumbling tones. "You are in Police Plaza."
"Where is Police Plaza?" Artemis no.2 thought. The other Artemis was crouched behind him. "Butler, what are you doing?"
"Are you Artemis Fowl?" Butler asked urgently, not directly answering the question.
"Of course I am Artemis Fowl." Artemis replied cynically. "Unless this scene is a figment of my imagination and you do not exist. But who is that small lady over there? And the man who is the mirror image of myself?"
"I am Artemis Fowl." The other Artemis uttered. He did not look confused. Perhaps he knew what happened.
"And I am Holly Short. For goodness sake, Arty, don't you remember me? And small lady? Really?" The elf-like woman hovered above him anxiously, despite her displeasure at being called a small lady.
"Small lady," Holly thought scornfully.
Artemis concentrated but there was no mention of this little woman. And then he remembered.
"You must get me back to my father. Please help me."
"Your, or rather our father is fine." The other Artemis assured him. The woman looked at him questioningly but he silenced her with a shake of his head.
"But he is in the Mafiya's hands! I must get him back! Butler, follow me." Artemis stood up and motioned for Butler, but he did not move. "Butler! What is the meaning of this! We must go! Angeline will be waiting!"
"Your mother is fine, Artemis." Butler said, a little confused. "She is home."
"But her memories!" Artemis couldn't believe how selfishly Butler was acting. "She'll lose her mind if we're not there!" Butler spun Artemis No.2 around. He breathed in deeply and resisted the urge to slap Artemis No.2.
"Artemis, stop hallucinating. Your mother and father are fine and the twins are with them."
"Twins? What twins?" Now Artemis was utterly and completely confused. Angeline had not been pregnant when he had last saw her.
"You know, Myles and Beckett."
"Who are Myles and Beckett? I hope Angeline can explain this."
Artemis tapped Holly lightly on the shoulder. "Holly, I think I know what has happened."
Holly whirled around angrily.
"You mean about your double and stuff?" In all honesty, she was confused and it was not fair to direct that towards Artemis. The teenager replied,
"I know. So you know when Foaly cloned me?"
"Yes." Holly answered doubtfully. It depressed her when the thought of her best friend being gone appeared.
Artemis's voice lowered to a whisper.
"I don't think he cloned me. You see, I still have my memories and everything. I think he took me from the past, you know, when I was dying."
"But you have two blue eyes!" Artemis answered by slowly popping his two sky-blue contact lenses out. One stayed blue, but the other turned hazel. Holly experienced an outbreak of emotions similar to the ones she experienced when she was going back in time. It was like he didn't travel through time, but she did. The first words that came out of her furious mouth were,
"How dare you even try to mislead me like that! I trusted you and… and…" Holly was distraught. The idea that Artemis had lead her on a thread of rope again really was the last straw. "I never thought you would do this again, Artemis. Once, but not again." She stood up and gave Artemis a glare that could have pierced through the LEP's most high-tech armour. Artemis stood up hastily. His chair clattered to the floor behind him.
"Holly! Just wait –". But she was already gone. "Hopefully our good friend Opal doesn't pay us a visit." Artemis muttered to himself.
