Artemis Fowl: The Unpredictable Future

Chapter 23: Survival Kit

Artemis awoke, sitting up on the bed. He winced and held his face, groaning.

"Next time, I would think twice before upsetting her. That little elf is stronger than she looks." He looked over to the side of the bed to see Rachel sitting backwards on the swivel chair, leaning against the head rest as she was spinning side to side. "She said you deserved it." She hovered off of the chair and sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

He rubbed his cheek, still groaning, "Where is Holly anyway? There was one more thing I needed to explain."

Rachel shrugged and placed her hand onto his face, "She said she desperately needed to do the Ritual. I think Mr. Foaly told her of a place she could go to." She closed her eyes and whispered, "Heal." Tiny yellow sparks transferred from the sprites' fingertips and seeped into Artemis' cheek. His face slowly returned back to its normal pale color as the knuckle shaped bruised began to fade and the swelling went down. He could also feel a couple of his teeth tighten back into their roots.

He breathed in and stretched his jaw, "Thank you for that Rachel. I feel much better."

She smiled and kissed his forehead, "Oh don't thank me. You gave me back my daddy and honestly, this one is more of a father than he was before. He says that where he came from, he lost his daughter to a house fire when she was barely old enough to fly. I guess it just sort of works out for both of us!"

He smiled as he slipped out from the bedside, "I'm glad to have been able to help." He cleared his throat and turned towards her, "Rachel, would it be rude of me to ask a more personal question?"

She stood on the bed and held her hands behind her back, bending down so she was just below eye level with him. She gave him a smile, "Certainly not mud man!"

He cleared his throat once more. "Well... I was wondering if... you were always interested in other women?"

She reared back and placed a finger on her lips, looking down, "Hm... I suppose I always have been curious. It wasn't until I met you and Holly that I decided to give it a try." She looked up at him, "Why do you ask? Were you hoping for some alone time?" She laughed. Noticing his pale cheeks turned red.

He couldn't help but mirror Holly's face when she pouts. "Of course not! I'm no wild animal, Rachel. There was just something I needed to check." He walked towards the door and opened it before looking back at her, "Come on, we should see if we can lend a hand with the cleanup." She jumped off the bed and skipped her way past him, humming a mindless tune. He let out a chuckle and shook his head as he followed behind her.

As he walked into the destroyed living room, he saw Fulton through the broken window, being escorted into the back of an LEP shuttle, properly hand cuffed this time. Caballine was standing by the window with a furious look on her face and her arms crossed. Beside her, Foaly was sitting.

Artemis held in a laugh at the sight of this defeated looking husband. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn, Foaly.

The centaur looked back and saw Artemis. His eyes widened as he whispered loudly, "Go back into the room, the LEP can't see you right now!"

Artemis blinked, but didn't question his order. He slowly backed up towards the bedroom once again. Rachel continued skipping her way to Caballine's side at the window. She stuck her tongue out at Fulton as they closed the shuttle doors. She giggled at the sight of his sneer.

Artemis waited several minutes until he heard the shuttle take off. He made his return to the front of the house, "Is there a reason the LEP are unaware of my presence and should not be informed?"

Foaly stood and stretched his legs, "If they knew Artemis Fowl was here in my home, they would've taken us both in for questioning. You are technically supposed to be dead, having disappeared for a hundred plus years. It was dumb luck that Holly left earlier, although she has been gone unusually long. She took that horse, Ottoman, with her." He looked over to his wife who was pouring a cup of coffee for Charlie in the kitchen. Foaly leaned down and whispered to Artemis, "We had him tied to the fence in the backyard. Ottoman made quick work of her tomato garden, I blamed it on Fulton."