The Collaboration Files

We're Almost There!

Keep going, everyone! Sorry this took so long. I was watching Face Off, and it was the finale, and I had to go to California to see it in the theatre, and.... yeah.

So anywho, enjoy the little I've written.

(FYI, I'm REALLY bad at capturing this new character's persona. Sorry if it doesn't seem right)

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The ground exploded.

Clods of earth flew in the air, covering us all in loose dirt. Artemis had sat down hard with his legs poking up in the air when Izzy had pulled him down. He had knelt and begun to brush soil off his suit.

"You know, If you didn't wear a suit, you wouldn't have to pay so much attention to yourself. You're so... you have lots of vanity."

"What was with that switch-up?"

"I don't know how to say vanity in plural!" Liz kicked him and left a dusty sneaker tread on his tie.

"People! We are being attacked by some unknown creature and you're all fighting about.... Vanity?! Really?!"

"I'm telling you, I already know who it is," Artemis told me calmly. A fresh wave of dirt splashed on us.

"THAT'S IT!" I screamed. I stomped over to the hole and reached inside. What I pulled out was... weird.

It was a small creature, very short, with MASSIVE tombstone shaped teeth, a antennae-like beard, and a sort of coverall outfit, like pajama's. A flap of cloth was hanging in the back of the creature, and suddenly I realized what it was.

"You're a dwarf."

He looked me in the eyes. "Thank you for not calling me a midget."

He looked at Artemis. "I still owe you, Mud Boy?"

Artemis chuckled. "No, I'm merely in a very sticky situation. With these two." He indicated us.

The creature stared good and hard at me. "That one looks like you. You two together?"

I blushed and punched the dwarf. He rubbed his shoulder.

"Punch like that, you could be Holly," He grumbled.

"Mulch, why are you here?"

"To save you, of course. Now are you coming with me or not?" He indicated the hole in the floor.

Artemis crinkled his brow. "Don't you recycle the dirt back in the tunnel?"

"No," Mulch clutched his belly suddenly. "That was the only vein under the building. Otherwise it's built on slid granite. And granite sticks like wet concrete in your gut. You need to help me."

"Sure," Artemis looked at us. "Get going. You need to go. Rush is after you, and Reboz will be down soon."

Liz stared at him. "If we leave without you, Butler will kill us."

"Butler will understand. Now GO."

I pushed Lizzy down the hole, and took another look at Artemis. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, We'll be down soon."

I nodded and jumped after Liz. We'll see him again. I was sure of that. And I knew now... Mulch wasn't here because he wanted (Though he might have been), he was here because someone sent him. And I think now I knew.

They trusted us.

So why didn't I trust them?