A/N: Alright-- finally got a chance to update!! Happy New Years everyone! Hope that all of you had an excellent holiday season. As for me, it was great to see the family again, but after going to visit both my father and mother's families (in Spain and Taiwan/Japan respectfully) it feels great to finally be back in the states, in my dorm, with my computer. International travel is tiring!! Well, I hope that you enjoy this next chapter and that the wait wasn't too long!
Why, Why Love
Chapter 9
Sam just sat there, eyes wide, unable to move. Here she was, dressed as a boy, sitting in a dorm halfway across the world from where she grew up, being kissed by the one guy she told herself she could never fall for. And for some reason the whole situation didn't seem entirely bad.
"Get away from Sam you pervert" Jin cried, pushing Artemis away. Artemis fell back against the bed, his head making a sickening crack as it hit the hard wood of the bunk.
"Artemis!" Sam cried as the boy slumped to the floor, "Jin, what have you done to him!"
"Relax, he's just knocked out," Jin answered, gingerly looking at Artemis, "plus, I don't see why you are so upset, I just saved you from that molester"
"Oh yes," Sam said weakly, looking at Artemis lying on the floor. The scene of the boy pulling her closer to him kept playing in her head, making her cheeks flare red.
"You are probably traumatized by this," said Jin said solemnly, "we all were when it happened to us"
"He's kissed all of you?" Sam asked. All the boys nodded collectively.
"And the worst part is that he doesn't even remember it later on, which makes it impossible for you to beat him up over it" said Jonathan, one of Sam and Jin's fellow track mates.
So that doesn't make this kiss special at all, Sam thought, Artemis would kiss any moving thing whenever he drinks.
"Don't be so upset, Sam" Liam said gently. Sam looked up at him quickly, wondering if he could have heard her thoughts.
"Yes, yes, no need to get upset over this," Jonathan added in, "if you don't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with him tonight, you can bunk in my room. My roommate went home for the long weekend"
"No way!" Jin cried, throwing his arm in front of Sam, "if anybody is going to be protecting Sam it's going to be me! I am his best friend after all. He is going to stay in my room tonight!"
"No need," Sam said, pushing away Jin's arm, "I'm not afraid to sleep in the same room as him. It's not like him kissing me was anything special for him. He does it to everyone. I'll just throw the wine out. Plus, he's unconscious anyways"
"Are you sure?" Jin asked quickly, "you don't know if he will wake up again, and what state he will be when he does. You might not be safe here—come stay with me tonight"
"Jin," Sam said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulders, "I will be perfectly fine here"
"Oh okay" Jin said faintly, smiling widely as Sam put his had on his shoulder. Getting a girlfriend was supposed to help with this, Jin thought bitterly, but it hasn't at all.
"I think it is time for us all to go," Liam said suddenly, casting a wry glance at his poor, confused roommate, "it is late and I am sure we all need some rest."
All the boys got up grudgingly and started to make their way out of the door. Jonathan grabbed to bottle of wine—"for safe keeping"—and Jin "accidently" kicked Artemis's unconscious body on his way out. Sam walked over to the door, biding everyone goodnight as they went back to their rooms. Liam was the last one out the door.
'Take good care of him," Liam said, nodding towards Artemis, "his head is going to be throbbing in the morning."
"Oh, okay, I will," Sam assured Liam. The boy nodded his head and made his way out the door. Now to deal with his own roommate…
Sam closed the door behind Liam and slowly walked back to the beds. She looked down at Artemis again. Why was it that she was so upset that their kiss hadn't been special. She didn't like him. She couldn't like him. And who would like a boy like him, she thought, always so cold and aloof.
But she did have to admit that Artemis had his moments of tenderness, and when he did—it made him wholly attractive.
"All right, enough of this," Sam said out loud, "come on, Sam, let's just put him in bed and forget about this whole thing." She nodded resolutely and went over to Artemis trying to pick him up.
Sam wasn't a frail girl, she wasn't necessarily very thin or delicate. But still, picking up Artemis Fowl was a challenge. The boy was quite thin, so weight wasn't a problem, but he was so tall that Sam had trouble lifting him up. Finally, after a few laborious moments, Sam managed to get the boy on his bed. She wiped her forehead and pulled the covers over him. A lump had already formed on the side of his head where he had hit the bed. Sam held out her hand and gingerly touched it. Artemis cried out and Sam immediately retracted her hand.
"Sam?" Artemis whispered, opening his eyes. They were gazed over and cloudy.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked the boy, "you took a nasty fall"
"Myheadhurts" Artemis slurred. Sam looked at him in amazement.
"You only took one swig of wine and are already drunk!" she said in wonder. How was it even possible for someone to have such a low alcohol tolerance level?
"It's late, Artemis. You should get some rest" Sam said, getting up. She walked a few steps away when she felt a strong hand grab her wrist.
"Sam… I think… I think I might…"
Sam quickly turned around to face Artemis and found her head making contact with the top of the bunk instead. The girl never did have great depth perception, and this was a clear example of it. Sam's head felt as though it had been set on fire and she felt her eyes blacken.
"Oh wonderful" she mumbled before she lost consciousness and fell with a thud on Artemis's bed.
Artemis winced slightly as Sam fell right on top of him. The girl was heavier than she looked. Perfect, he thought, she had to bump her head right in the middle of my… of his what? What was I planning to do, he thought, what was I about to say? Artemis's mind reeled. Usually he was a very methodic boy, he had a plan and a purpose behind everything he said. But just right then, he didn't even know what he was doing.
It's probably a good thing she fainted, Artemis thought quickly, or else who knew what I would have said. I must be really very drunk. He looked down at the small girl on his chest. Her short, choppy hair fell on her face, covering the small bump that was forming on her forehead, and she was breathing deeply.
"Sam," Artemis said, shaking the girl, trying to wake her. It was fruitless, though, she was out cold. I should probably put her on her own bed then, he thought. But even sitting up shot arrows of pain through his body, and his head was pounding for some reason. Did I fall down too? What happened to my head? he thought.
Sighing, he slumped back down onto his pillow. He gingerly moved Sam off his chest onto the pillow next to him.
If I did bump my head, then the pain will reside if I rest a bit, he thought, quickly doing calculations. If I sleep for roughly 5.5 hours, the pain would be at a semi-manageable level. At least enough for me to be able to put Sam back in her own bed.
He nodded and looked at the small figure next to him. Alright, wake up in 5.5 hours and drop this girl back into her own bed, he thought before closing his eyes and drifting off into a very fitful sleep.
"Alright, wake up everybody! Liam gave me special tea to help Artemis's head and…AHHHHHHHH"
Sam shot up, looking around her in fear and confusion. What was happening? The first thing she noticed was that her head was throbbing. The second thing she noticed is that she wasn't in her normal bed. The sheets were a stark navy instead of a bright yellow.
"What are you two doing!?!"
Sam looked up to see Jin standing next to the bunk, his mouth open wide in shock. She heard a groan next to her and looked down, only to see Artemis lying next to her. The boy rubbed his eyes and sat up. He turned and looked at Sam and his eyes grew wide.
"What are you doing in my bed?"
"What am I doing in your bed?"
They both cried at each other at the same time and quickly scooted to opposite ends of the bed.
"Did you two sleep together last night?" Jin asked, his tone harsh. He glared at Artemis. If looks could kill, Artemis was have been long gone.
"Impossible" Artemis muttered, though his mind was already reeling. What had happened last night? All he remembered was coming back into the room and seeing Sam and a few other classmates drinking. Everything that happened after that was a blur.
On the other side of the bed, Sam was deep in thought as well. She remembered putting Artemis into bed. But she had no recollection of what had happened afterwards.
Jin suddenly yanked Sam out of Artemis's bed, causing her head to spin.
"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone in here after he kissed you. Who knows what else this pervert did!" he cried. Artemis quickly looked up at him.
"I did WHAT?" he asked, in complete shock. He had kissed Sam? Impossible! Totally impossible!
"You drank some wine and kissed him," Jin said, "and then did god knows what to him afterwards"
"Ah, my head," Sam cried weakly. Immediately Jin knelt down and inspected Sam's head.
"Both of you have matching bumps on your heads too!" he wailed. He frowned deeply. His mother had always told him that lovers shared everything, including injuries. And though he was trying his best to get over Sam, Jin couldn't help but feel incredibly jealous of Artemis. He looked over at the boy and wanted to rip him apart limb from limb.
"I must have bumped my head on the bunk after I put Artemis in bed," Sam said quickly, "I probably lost consciousness and fell in his bed by accident"
"Yes," Artemis said quickly, thankful and a little surprised at Sam's rational statement. Usually the girl never thought very clearly, "that is most likely what occurred". Besides, what other reason would there be for Sam being in his bed?
"Really?" Jin asked, looking at Artemis with slitted eyes.
"Of course, Jin" Sam answered, pulling the boy farther away from Artemis, "that's the only reason I ended up in his bed"
"Even still, I don't like this," Jin said, turning towards Sam, "come on, let's go"
"Go?" Sam asked. Jin nodded.
"I'll ask Liam to make some tea for your head too. Plus, it would be best for you to keep away from Artemis right now" he said. Sam turned towards Artemis, who was still sitting up in bed, an aghast expression on his face.
"Go with Jin," Artemis said, "I think I am going to sleep more anyway"
"Alright then," Sam answered, taking the cup of tea that Jin had brought and putting in on the bedside table near Artemis, "be sure to drink this, though. Hopefully it will work"
Artemis just nodded and pulled the covers over his head. He couldn't take more of Sam's warmness at the moment. He had kissed her? And he thought that he couldn't have made his conundrum any more confusing. He heard Sam and Jin walk out and close the door behind them.
"I kissed Sam," he said to himself quietly, "and then ended up sleeping in the same bed as her". Groaning deeply, he turned over. He was utterly confused, not at the idea that he has kissed Sam, but by the fact that the thought of him doing that didn't totally repulse him. He tried to push all thoughts of his roommate out of head as he drifted to sleep yet his dreams were still filled with grinning emerald eyes and the familiar sound of laughter.
After the whole kissing incident, the tension between Sam and Artemis was high. It was very obvious that the two of them wanted to spend as much time apart as possible for neither one wanted to admit that they might have some sort of feelings for the other. They avoided each other and except for the occasional, "you can have the shower now" and "get your things off the floor", they really didn't talk much.
Which was exactly the reason Sam was so surprised when Artemis grabbed her on her way out of class one day. The boy draped his arm across her shoulders and led her away from the crowd of students.
"Artemis, what do you want?" she whispered, trying not to notice his arm on her shoulder.
"You need to go and pack immediately" the boy whispered to her when they were out of everyone else's earshot.
"Pack?" Sam asked, confused. But then it dawned on her. She looked up at the boy with excited eyes, "is today the day? Are we going to see the faeries?"
Artemis nodded fractionally. "Butler will pick us up in exactly half an hour"
"What should I pack? How long will we be gone?" Sam asked.
"I don't know any details of a time line, but I don't expect us to be gone for long. Just pack some essentials and a single change of clothes in case," he answered.
"Alright, got it!" Sam said, her voice shaking out of excitement. Today was the day!
"I will meet you in front of our room in 25 minutes then," Artemis said before quickly turning and walking away.
Sam hurried to the room and threw a few things in to a small duffel bag she had brought. She couldn't believe that the day had finally arrived. All the research, all the trouble she had gone through—it was all going to lead up to whatever was going to happen next. Throughout the past two years, her grandmother's wish had almost become her own. The thought of seeing a real faerie was so exciting that she couldn't contain her happiness.
After exactly 25 minutes, Artemis showed up in the room. He grabbed his own bag, which he had packed earlier, from beside the door and motioned for Sam to follow him out. Sam zipped up her bag, threw it on her shoulder, and followed him.
The two teens were nearly out of the dorm before they ran into Jin. The boy looked at Sam and Artemis, frowning when he saw their bags.
"Where are you two going?' he asked suspiciously.
"To my house," Artemis answered quickly and smoothly, "as you could probably tell Sam and I have been having some difficulties in our roommate relationship. I thought a trip to my house in the country would be exactly what we need to relax"
"You two are going on a trip together?" Jin wheezed.
"Don't worry, Jin. We'll be with Artemis's family the whole time," Sam said, playing along. Jin pulled her aside, eliciting a sigh from Artemis.
"Sam," he whispered, "why would you want to go on a trip with him?"
"Artemis suggested it, I thought it would be good to go along with his idea. After all we are roommates, having a good relationship is important," Sam said, feeling slightly bad that she was lying to Jin.
"But…but it's Artemis" Jin moaned. Sam looked up at him. Was Jin jealous? Probably, Sam decided, after all I am his best friend. Of course he would be upset that I would want to hang out with Artemis instead.
"Don't worry Jin—when I come back you and I can take a trip as well, okay?" she said. A wide smile spread across Jin's face.
"Really?" he asked. Sam nodded.
"Of course, you're my best friend. Who else would I want to spend time with? I am just doing this because Artemis asked me to," she said quickly.
"Sam, Butler will be waiting, we better get going," Artemis said. Sam nodded to him.
"I have to go now Jin" she said.
"Oh alright then. Have fun" Jin said. He walked over to Artemis and leaned in close to him.
"You do anything to Sam and I will kill you" he whispered harshly to the boy. Artemis just shook his head and continued on his way. Sam quickly followed behind him, waving bye to Jin on her way.
"That was a good story you made up," Sam said to Artemis as a moment.
"I had already practiced it beforehand. I knew that Jin would try to stop us. He is too protective of you," Artemis said curtly.
"It's just because we're good friends. That's why he's always trying to shield me," Sam said. Artemis just kept walking. Was Sam really that slow? Could she not see what was completely obvious?
"Oh look—there's Butler!" Sam cried, pointing to the gates. Butler was waiting outside in a black car. Sam hurried over to him. Over the past month the bodyguard had been giving her weekly lessons about faeries, and during that time Sam had learned to stop fearing the man.
"Hi Butler" she said warmly.
"Hello Sam," Butler said, "you two better hurry. Our appointment is soon"
Sam nodded and went into the back seat of the car. Artemis opened her door and threw his bag in the seta next to her before going over to the front seat and sitting down.
"Alright, let's go" he said. The drive wasn't too long, but it was completely silent in the car so it felt like eternity. Sam stared out the window, taking in everything. She hadn't had much of a chance to explore anywhere since she came, so everything was brand new to her.
Butler drove the car out of the city, through rolling fields. They really are as green and beautiful as everybody always describes them, Sam thought, looking out at the scenery. She has always thought that the "rolling emerald hills" of Ireland was just a cheesy stereotype, but it was in fact the only way she could describe the landscape that surrounded her.
Butler drove down a small, winding dirt path until he pulled up in front of a tiny stone cottage. It was grand or elegant like the buildings of SB, but it was a quaint little thing and amongst the lush green Sam thought it look perfect.
"Where is this place?" Artemis asked, looking at the cottage in distaste.
"An old farming house," Butler said, getting out of the car, "it's been abandoned for years, by humans that is. LEP uses it to house faeries that have to come over ground for missions in the area"
"How do you know that?' Artemis asked, cranking his window down.
"Foaly briefed me a bit on the place," Butler answered, doing his customary bomb check. Once he saw everything was okay he let Artemis and Sam out of the car. The three of them made their way to the front door of the cottage.
"This place is so cute," Sam whispered.
"So dilapidated is more like it," Artemis countered ruefully, opening the door. The inside of the cottage was not much more spectacular. It was small and cramped full of furniture and little knickknacks. The walls were painted an obnoxious crimson and the wooden floors looked a bit warm.
Sam thought it looked homey, Artemis thought it looked homely.
"What a sickening place" Artemis said, gingerly poking a bright pink love seat near the door.
"Don't you know the polite thing to do before entering a home is to knock?"
Sam looked towards the source of the voice and gasped slightly. Standing in front of her was what seemed to be a very pretty lady. She was a short thing, barely over three feet and she moved very gracefully, with the stance of a skilled dancer or gymnast. She had short auburn hair that was cut in a fashion that Sam knew she could never pull off herself, and her eyes were large and a dazzling hazel color. The lady brushed a stand of hair behind a pointed ear and walked towards the group.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Holly" Butler said, nodding his head towards the lady. Sam frowned slightly. So this was Holly, was it?
"As it is seeing you, Butler. And you too, Artemis," Holly said lightly before turning to Sam.
"So this is who you brought with you," Holly said, looking Sam up and down, "interesting choice"
Sam frowned even deeper at that statement. What was that supposed to mean?
"Captain Holly Short," Holly said holding out a small hand to Sam.
"Sam Doroster," she said, quickly shaking Holly's hand.
"I look forward to working with you, Sam" Holly said brightly.
"Oh, me too" Sam said, equally as brightly, though on the inside she was already starting to form a grudge against the small fairy in front of her. Why exactly, she didn't know. All she knew for sure was that for some reason, she didn't really like Holly Short.
Butler just looked on the scene in utter amusement. Ah, this was going to be fun.
A/N: Okay, so there it is. Hope it was worth the wait! As always please review. I love hearing all your comments. Gracias y besos!!