Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction ❯ To Save an Assassin ❯ A Bit of Fun ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Neither Tora nor I own Artemis Fowl and company. They belong solely to Eoin Colfer.

 

Summary: [AU] the fairies and humans live together in harmony. Except two. What happens when those two are thrown together on a strange twist of fate and must attempt the most daring jailbreak in history? Will they succeed, or will their differences tear them apart?

 

TheEvilestGirlChild: Sorry for Tora's incredibly short chapter. I was trying to make up for it, but then I realized that I was going too far in depth and that some of this has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual plot line. I hope you are satisfied with this, and hopefully Tora will have the next chapter out within two weeks or so.

 

Chapter Five: A Bit of Fun

 

Juliet squirmed. She had been in this stupid prison for two days now, and she was still sitting all by her lonesome. She gave the cafeteria a cursory glance and added another thought: she had nothing. Zip, Zilch, Nil, Nada, Nothing. Of course, she knew nearly everything there was to know about this damn hole in the ground, but that couldn't help her at the moment. Her gaze swept the room once more, settling on a few people. Some of them were assassins, just like her. Some others were members of foreign espionage centers. Once, she would have scoffed at their incompetence. Now, she watched them, hoping beyond hope that they knew something that she didn't.

 

There was a small group of girls who always sat together, usually bent over diagrams of some sort. They were always clean, unlike many of the other inmates. She had briefly toyed with going over to sit with them, but, when she had gotten close, she had realized that they were talking about everything and nothing, and that the subjects changed on a dime. Instead, she now watched them from a distance. She knew that one of them went by the name Pichu. She was thin, as were the other girls. Her most prominent feature was her one eye, which seemed to be a fake, but was probably real. It was a shocking blue, the kind you only see in the best of doctored commercials. Another was Pacifica. Like Pichu, she seemed to be Oriental, most likely Chinese or Taiwanese, but possibly Japanese. She wasn't quite sure. Like most of the other girls, she was predominantly Asian. However, when she shifted, you could almost feel red sparks weaving in and out of her hair.

 

There were other Asian girls too, all with shocking tints of color somewhere in their faces. Though she had no idea how they had gotten there, she admired them. However, there were a few girls who looked rather more normal. More human, if one were to think of it that way. Though, really, she had no idea as to why some of the girls seemed less human. Anyhow, she knew that one of them was called Redhairedfreak, though she had no idea why. Her hair was a rather normal shade of brown. Of course, Juliet had never had the chance to look very closely at Redhairedfreak, or she would have noticed the rather oddly shaped birthmark that she had on her wrist, shaped like a tear drop, and colored like blood. But that's beside the point.

 

The point is that, while she was preoccupied with watching those odd females, who seemed to float instead of walk, a gang of large males had snuck up around her. They wore torn wife beaters, and even more torn pants. She looked away, and up at the face of the one she randomly decided was the leader. Fortunately, she had guessed correctly. He was ugly. Correction - he was very ugly. He had slightly crooked teeth, and straggly hair that was neither the color of mud nor the color of wheat, and was therefore absolutely horrible. He placed his hands on the table and leaned down. A detached part of her mind noted that he was holding a spork, and commented on the absolute stupidity of designing something that was to be used as a substitute as both a spoon and a fork, but was actually useful for the functions of neither.

 

The rest of her consciousness counted heads and decided that she was overmatched. Cold steel filled her eyes and she smirked up at him. “Yes?” He leered at her, “Hello, Princess. How are you doing on this fine autumn day?” She raised an eyebrow in a cynical manner, “Why, I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much.” The creature in front of her raised an eyebrow in return, “No thanks necessary. In fact, I was hoping very much for the opposite.” In the blink of an eye, he had reached out, preparing to strangle him. Instead of blocking his attack, she opted for ducking, knowing that she could never match him in brute strength.

 

He signaled for his friends, and the detached part of her brain noted that the cafeteria was nearly silent. They leapt on top of her. She kicked and ducked, hoping beyond hope that she could find somewhere safe. She saw a fist traveling toward her face, and, knowing she could neither duck nor block, winced. The impact never arrived. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. It was as is time had stopped. Pacifica stood in front of her, the man's fist cradled in her hand. Pichu was standing at her back, holding another man's fist, with her foot pressed firmly against another's spine. Redhairedfreak was standing in a perfectly balanced position, along with nearly half a dozen other girls.

 

Time started once more, and she noted dismally that the girls were protecting her, in some strange way. They moved in perfect sync, and, very soon, the leader stood alone. Pichu, Pacifica, and Redhairedfreak walked up to him, very calmly, as the rest of the group looked on. Pichu turned to a red-eyed girl, and Redhairedfreak turned as well. Sighing, she walked over and looked up into his face and gripped his chin firmly in her hand. She looked up at him and fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously before leaning in to whisper in his ear - Pichu and Redhairedfreak looked suspiciously blank - and daintily raised her hand, slapping him across the face and propelling him all the way across the cafeteria. He slammed into a wall and she turned to Pichu, hooking their arms together. “You'd think they'd learn.” Noticing that the rest of the cafeteria seemed to be busily staring at them, she flapped her hands, “Go ahead and eat. I don't bite.”

 

This, of course, caused a chorus of low chuckles. She fisted her hands and propped them onto her hips, amending her statement, “Much.” Pichu nodded approvingly. “If you say so…” As one, they turned to Juliet. Pichu stuck out her hand, talking very quickly, “Hi, I'm Pichu. You're Juliet. It's very nice to meet you. Sorry about not greeting you sooner. We've been trying to put down that group for a while, but they haven't given us a good excuse for quite a while.” Juliet stuck out her hand, appreciating the fact that she could feel the calluses on the younger girl's hand. “Yes, I'm Juliet. I appreciate your help.” She turned to leave, but a soft-spoken green-haired girl touched her arm. “You do not have to leave. From now on, you can be one of us, if you wish.”

 

Juliet thought it over and nodded. “And you are?” The green haired girl nodded and beamed, “I am Effeminate.” Juliet raised her eyes at the odd name, but the girl chose not to elaborate. She turned to the four girls that had not been introduced. “The girl red eyes is named Femme, and her twin is Fatale. The only way to tell them apart is that Fatale had darker eyes and lighter hair. Do you see the girl standing in the shadows? She's Minx. And the last one, the silver one?” Juliet nodded, “Her name is Renee. The most conventional of all of us, at least in terms of names.”

 

Fatale slid up to her, “It is very nice to finally meet you. We have been watching you for weeks now. It is good to finally meet the girl behind the mask. Please feel free to ask us for anything, should you need it.” Femme nodded her face, which was an exact duplicate of Fatale's. “Perhaps you should like a change of clothes?” Juliet glanced down and grimaced. Pacifica glided up alongside her, adding, with a small grin, “And a bath?” Looking her over, she added, “With lilac, and maybe a spritz of rose.” Turning to the rest of the group, she looked them over with a critical eye. They groaned, “Yes, Mother, we are fine.” Pacifica sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “You can't blame me for being worried!”

 

Minx glared drolly from her corner, and Pacifica made a small noise, possibly of frustration. “Never mind. Forget I ever cared, and show Juliet to our place.” Juliet watched in curiosity as the small group swarmed around her, forcing her with the inexorable force of a wave toward the exit of the cafeteria. They stepped out and turned left, as their movements turned suddenly more predatory. She could have imagined it, but she was reasonably sure she didn't. Anyway, she thought, this is a prison. We are protected by some of the highest technological advances of the century. Nothing whatsoever can go wrong here, right? Effeminate would have laughed at her, if she had heard that thought. Fortunately, she didn't. Or, if she did, she gave no notice of it.

 

The girls walked down a long hallway, past various cells. Juliet noticed that Pacifica gave longing glances toward each of them, and made sure to walk as close to the cells as she could, ignoring some of the dirt that seemed to rub off onto her. Effeminate walked closer to her, muttering, “Don't mind her. She's just too tenderhearted for her own good.” She winked, “She makes a very good nurse, doctor, surgeon, medic, and whatever else you need!” Juliet got a feeling of rather forced happiness. A calming aura swept toward her. She glanced up to see that Pacifica had appeared alongside her silently. She smiled softly before floating off once more.

 

They turned off into another corridor. The guards glanced up at them briefly, leveling their guns at them. Juliet started, tensing. Femme and Fatale smiled seductively. The guards put down their guns. They walked on, stopping at a rather conspicuous door. Juliet stared, “This can't be your `secret”?” Minx cast a single glance at her, and then stepped to the fore of the small procession. Instead of walking to the door, she stood less than a foot to the left of it, brushing her fingers against the door. “We aren't humans.” The girls laughed, baring small fangs, “We're hybrids. Human-Fairy hybrids, to be exact.”

 

Juliet smiled, “Would you happen to know someone named Holly?” Pichu fixed her with an approving smile, “It's good to know that you already know of us. We suspected, but some are rather… oblivious to the fact that they share this world with others. Many others, in fact. It's safe to say that Pacifica is a Guardian Angel-Human hybrid.” Juliet watched Pacifica with a small smile. “It's good to know I'm not alone.” Femme and Fatale smiled, speaking in unison, “We have been waiting for you. Now, you will help us escape, when you're brother comes for you, no?” Juliet smiled, “Of course.”

 

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“Which prison did you say that was, Artemis?” Artemis glanced over at Holly, who suddenly looked slightly ill. “The Ryu. Why?” Holly blanched, “I have some… friends there. Friends who I owe a large favor to. Several large favors, in fact.” Artemis raised his fine, light, “Why?” Holly smiled sadly, “They saved my life. In fact, it's probably a safe gamble that Juliet is in very good hands at the moment.” Artemis frowned, letting his worry show through for a moment. “I've heard that the guards and inmates there are very rough.” He didn't like the pause between the last two words. They showed something he didn't want seen. Something he didn't even know.

 

Holly smiled, unaware of his inner turmoil. “They are,” she assured him, “But my friends have them wrapped around their little fingers. Literally.” She moved ahead, leaving him to wonder how exactly that had happened, and what exactly she was talking about. He wasn't often confused. He didn't like the feeling.

 

He sighed. Ever since Juliet's disappearance - no, her arrest, his mind amended - he had been feeling these foolish emotions altogether too often, in his mind. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed the cheerful girl, who he loved… As a younger sister, right? Right, of course… On account of Butler being one of his best friends, right?

 

He tried to ignore the feeling that he was lying to himself. And rather badly, too.

 

 

Last Notes: Ryu means dragon in Japanese. Wouldn't you love to know why the prison is named that?