Hi people! I know it's been a while since I updated but I've got a life to live, places to see. I've been planning to write this for some time, but I haven't been able to get on to it before now. Anyway, I'd better get on with the story. I'm sure you've been waiting for it for a long time!

Artemis groaned. He had begun the slow, painful journey back to consciousness.

He was awake but he kept his eyes closed. Instead, he used his other senses to tell him as much about the immediate environment as possible before he opened his eyes. There wasn't anyone near him, his ears told him. He couldn't hear any breathing besides his own. His sense of touch informed him that he was lying on something incredibly hard and cold. There was a terrible pain in his head. It wasn't the dull ache of a headache, (although Artemis suspected he would develop one in a few hours), it was the sharp pain of a physical injury.

He forced his eyes open. It didn't make much of a difference. It was too dark to see. Carefully feeling the air above him so that he wouldn't do any more damage to his already injured head, Artemis sat up. Immediately, he felt a wave dizziness and had to fight to keep his eyes open. The pain in his head increased and Artemis reached his hand around and felt the back of his head. His hair was soaked in a wet sticky substance and when he took his hand away he saw it was blood.

As Artemis stared at the blood on his hand a sudden urge to lie down and sleep overtook him.

Abnormal sleepiness. A symptom of concussion.

He thought dreamily, still staring at the blood on his hand. The scarlet blood seemed to blur before his eyes.

Blurred vision. Another symptom.

Artemis slipped sideways onto the ground. An overwhelming urge to sleep overtook him. He would have gladly complied to escape the pain which was reaching an almost unbearable level, but something was nagging at his conscience. Something important. Artemis tried to remember what had happened before he had passed out. But it was like someone had dropped a veil across his mind. Try as he might, Artemis couldn't remember any of the events that had taken place before his subsequent fainting.

I can't even remember my own name.

He realised with a jolt. And it was true. Artemis could remember things like what the sky was and what colour grass was but he couldn't remember his own name, age or any other fact about himself or his family if he had one.

I have to pull myself together if I want to survive. If I am to somehow find my memory, I can't afford to got to pieces like this.

Artemis thought determinedly. Pushing himself back into a sitting position, Artemis reached back around his head and felt the damage. Even without a mirror he knew it was a serious injury. If it was bad enough to give him concussion and possibly amnesia, then it was no laughing matter. Sure enough, by the amount of blood in his hair and splattered on the ground he knew that if he wanted to survive he'd have to get to a doctor. Soon.

Staggering to his feet, still sick from dizziness, Artemis began to search for a way out.

Ajay's POV

White. Everything around me is white. The sheets. The walls. The floor. Everything. I'm in a hospital. There are people around my bed but they haven't noticed I'm awake yet. I don't care. All I can think about is Artemis. He was probably dead by now. Because of me. If I hadn't lost control of the magic… Again ….

And now Butler had brought me here, acting on the belief that I was Artemis. There was nothing wrong with me. Of that I was sure. I was just a bit tired, that's all. Artemis was the one that needed help. Not me.

Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by a shout.

"Mum! Mum! Look, he's awake!"

Beckett is jumping up and down, pulling his mother's sleeve and pointing wildly. Quickly, I try to pretend to sleep but…

"Artemis, honey. How are you feeling?"

I look up at all the faces peering at me. There was Butler, the twins, Artemis' mother and Captain Holly Short dressed as a human, her pointed ears covered by a large beanie.

I open my mouth but nothing comes out.

"The doctor says you're going to be fine, sweetheart. Don't worry about the house, your friends at the LEP have agreed to come in and repair the whole thing. It may take a while, but your friend Foaly has assured me that it can be done with their "highly advanced" machinery. Unfortunately, they can't get here until a few days; something about visas. But don't worry, there's no chance that your father will find out. The LEP conveniently caused some disruption with one of his more larger companies and he had to go sort it out. Foaly says it'll take him several days to sort things out and in that time they'll have Fowl Manor up to it's usual standards."

I listen intently to Artemis' mother's speech. Suddenly, I have an idea. I'll have a much better chance of finding Artemis if there's an LEP squad helping! But then I hear the part about visa problems and my heart sinks. When Artemis' mother is finished, I cry

"Isn't there any way the LEP team can get here now? They have to be here now!"

"Artemis, it's only a matter of days," Butler says "Fowl Manor will be up and running in three days, no more."

"No! You don't understand!" I cry "It has to be now. If it's not now, it's to late!" I finish leaping out of bed.

"Artemis! What are you doing?"

Butler says, angrily. He tries to push me back in bed, but I dodge out of the way and begin to run.

"I have to get to Fowl Manor!" I yell as I dash down the ward. "Or it's to late!"

Everyone except Butler sits staring at me, dumbstruck. Butler, however, starts to give chase. But I've got a head start. I dash down ward after ward, corridor after corridor until finally I reach the lobby. Ducking and swerving around doctors in white coats and nurses carrying white towels, I finally reach the door. Turning to look back, I see Butler embroiled in a group of surgeons in latex gloves. Grinning, I turn to leave but stop as Butler's shout reaches my ears.

"Artemis! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Turning back I say

"To Fowl Manor. There's someone I've got to save."

I turn and dash out the door. Then a thought comes to me. Doubling back, I reach the doors again and shout

"And don't call me Artemis!"

For the second time I dash through the doors. This time I don't return.

Well, I hope that was long enough for you. So, what do you think will happen next? Will Ajay save Artemis? Will Artemis *gasp* die? I'll let you know in the next chapter after I've let you chew your nails in suspense for a bit :)

~ Spinnika