Prologue

Haven City, an hour ago

“No!” N°1 insisted. “You don’t understand. The People saved us!”

“Saved us?” A larger demon snapped. “Sure they saved us. If you can call getting our home destroyed and being put in this dump being saved.”

“Our home was being destroyed already. If the People hadn’t gotten us off that island we would have been dead,” Qwan said calmly.

“Abbot would have found some way out!” Another demon said.

“N’Zall wouldn’t have done anything. You know that.”

“Tell them, Abbot, you would have gotten us out of that.”

Qweffor, in the body of Abbot, sighed. “I told you. Hybras is gone and there’s nothing any of us could have done. Qwan and N°1 saved us. We’re lucky we got away while we could.”

“No!” A very large demon said. He turned to the majority of demons. “Even if we cannot get our home back,” he yelled, “we can get revenge on those who took it from us!”

Demons roared and beat their chests in agreement. “You can’t!” N°1 cried. “They saved us!”

It was too late. The war had started.

Prologue over with! Please review! The more reviews, the better the story! lol!

Chapter one: Allayne and Bryan

San Francisco, California, now

School had started again. Lauryn walked through the gates of the school campus in her black uniform pants, white uniform shirt, red uniform sweater, and backpack. A short girl with long dark hair and a taller boy with short black hair and glasses ran to meet her.

“Lauryn!” the girl said. “Hi!”

“Hi, Allayne,” Lauryn smiled. “Hey, Bryan.”

“How did you spend all winter break without us?” Bryan said.

Lauryn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, how could I spend a whole two weeks without you?”

Allayne looked up at Lauryn. It sometimes bothered Lauryn that all her friends had to look up at her. It’s not like 5’8 is unusual for a fourteen year old girl. Is it? “I heard a cousin of yours was staying at your house for a week,” Allayne said.

“Well,” Lauryn said. “He’s not exactly a cousin. He’s my dad’s cousin’s husband’s third and twice removed cousin’s son.”

“Wow,” Bryan’s eyes opened wide. “That’s complicated.”

“Is he cute?” Allayne asked hopefully.

“Allayne!” Lauryn gasped.

“Well sorry, isn’t it an eighth-grade girl’s job to ask if her best friend’s distant cousin is cute?”

“Would you think a black-haired, blue-eyed, Irish vampire was cute?”

Allayne drew back in disgust. “No way!”

“You wouldn’t think my cousin’s cute.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“So what did you do over break?” Lauryn asked her best friends.

“Well,” Allayne began, “I went to Disneyland, then I went to China to visit my aunt.”

“I just stayed home and did more work on my article for the school newspaper,” Bryan said.

“Well, what do you know,” Lauryn said. “Me too.”

“Yeah, right,” Allayne rolled her eyes. “Lauryn Jeffreys staying home all two weeks. As if!”

“Okay, okay,” Lauryn looked around nervously. Then she leaned towards her friends and whispered, “would you believe I spent my weeks saving a secret, underground species from being discovered and destroyed, then went to that tourist attraction, Alcatraz, and rescued my fairy friend’s partner from a gang and lost a ton of brain cells when my fairy friend saved me from being killed?”

Allayne and Bryan shook their heads. Lauryn sat back up and dug her spork into her school lunch. “I stayed home.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lauryn and her friends walked out of the gates after school ended. A Bentley was parked outside. “Hey,” Lauryn said, “Artemis came to pick me up.”

“Artemis?” Allayne asked.

“My cousin.”

“Oh.”

Artemis Fowl II was leaning against the car. “Hey,” Allayne said. “Lauryn, you liar. He is cute! How old is he? Fifteen?”

“Eighteen.”

“God, he’s old! Where’s all the white hair and wrinkles?”

“Hello, Lauryn,” Artemis said. “Your mother asked me to take you home before my family and I return to Ireland.”

“Hi!” Allayne said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and blinking her long lashes. She was obviously taking advantage of her good looks. “Are you Artemis? Lauryn has told me so much about you. So you come from Ireland? I’ve been there before. It’s simply gorgeous. I’m so glad to have met you. From what Lauryn says, you’re very charming and intelligent. What a lovely car! Do you drive?”

“Allayne!” Lauryn hissed. “Shut up!”

“Ah,” Artemis raised one eyebrow, “yes, and yes and no. Very nice to meet you too.”

“So you don’t drive? Who’s driving your dad?”

“No, my bodyguard.”

“So you’re rich?”

“Allayne!” Lauryn snapped. “Will you shut up?”

“Yes, actually,” Artemis said, checking his manicured nails. “I believe if you were of higher intelligence and less concerned of your appearance, you would have heard of me.”

Allayne scowled.

WHOOHOO!! First chapter done! How was that? I like Allayne. She’s funny. Hopefully I’ll find room for her in the future. R&R!!

Chapter two: That One Chance

San Francisco, California

“Charming friends you have,” Artemis smirked as soon as Lauryn got in the car.

“Gee, thanks,” Lauryn rolled her eyes. “At least my friends are human.”

“Human? They seem more like Martian.”

“You’re a Martian.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Haven City

“I can’t figure out this case!” Holly said. “Somehow this guy left no trace whatsoever!”

“How do we find a trace?” Mulch said, sipping his smoothie.

“Shut up, Mulch. You’re not being any help at all.”

There was a knock on the door. Holly put on her most charming smile and opened the door. “Why, hello, Mr. Manure. How are you today?”

“Not well, thank you,” Mr. Manure replied. “Someone seems to have broken into my shop. Stole some plant fertilizer.”

“Oh dear. We’ll have to look into it. Can you tell us how this happened?”

“I wasn’t there. It was during my lunch break.”

“A robbery in broad daylight? That’s peculiar.”

“But the robber did leave a trail of fertilizer. Until he got to the corner, that is.”

“Thank you, Mr. Manure. We’ll have a look as soon as we’re done with this jewelry theft.”

“Thank you, Miss Short,” Mr. Manure said as he walked out the door.

Holly sat down and sighed. Ever since she returned from Hybras, people had been turning up at her office with some impossible case. There was another knock on the door. Holly groaned. “I hope it’s not another case.”

Mulch answered it this time. “Hey, N°1! How’re you doing?”

“Not very well at all,” the little warlock answered. “Lucifer wants to get revenge on you and Artemis. He thinks you took his home from him.”

“That stupid idiot! Has he done nothing but listen to that jerk Abbot?” Holly interrupted.

“Excuse the elf,” Mulch whispered to N°1. “She’s in a bad mood.”

“I heard that!” Holly snapped.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

San Francisco International Airport

“I’ll see you this summer,” Lauryn said to Artemis. “See ya.”

“Good bye,” Artemis replied. “It was nice to meet you.”

Butler ruffled Lauryn’s hair. “See you, small stuff,” Butler smiled.

“Small stuff? Hardly. You’re the only one I look up to besides my dad.”

The parents were exchanging tearful farewells. Lauryn rolled her eyes. Grown ups. How dramatic. “You know, Artemis,” I said, “What if something bad happens in Haven while you’re in the air?”

“Unlikely,” he smirked. “The chances that anything will happen while I’m in the air are a million to one.”

“There’s still that one chance.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lauryn smiled devilishly to herself. She held a little book in one hand. She opened it. There was Gnommish written inside. Using her Gnommish translating chart she carefully decoded the words.

Uh, oh! What is this book she has? Is it the Book of the People? Has Lauryn turned bad?

Chapter three: The Ingredients of Fun

San Francisco, California, USA

After an hour or so of translating, Lauryn came out with the whole book in English.

Holly Short

Address: 856 Brussell Sprout Drive, Haven City, Lower Elements

Phone #: (951)-023-4592-737

Email: hshort@lep.net (A/N please don’t try to email this or any other email listed here)

Mulch Diggums

Address: 430 Dirt Road, Haven City, Lower Elements

Phone #: (951)-811-2369-444

Email: mulchiepoo@cmail.gnom

Foaly

Address: information not given

Phone #: information not given

Email: foalygenius@horsense.gnom

Minerva Paradizo

Address: 743 Chateau Paradizo

Phone #: (33)-734-1127

Email: minerva.paradizo@paradizo.com

Butler

Address: Fowl Manor

Phone #: (912)-009-3451

Email: dbutler@fowl.com

Juliet Butler

Address: Fowl Manor (unless she’s touring)

Phone #: (912)-009-3452

Email: wrestlergal@fowl.com

Lauryn smiled as she flipped through the pages. This was going to be fun.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Above the ocean, a few hours from Ireland

Artemis felt like he forgot something but he couldn’t think of what. He felt his pocket. Nothing. Wasn’t that where he put his… “D’arvit,” he murmured.

Yay! Next chapter’s gonna be fun!

Chapter four: The News Spreads

Police Plaza, Haven City, Lower Elements

“This is bad,” Foaly muttered to himself, “very bad.”

“You got that right, Foaly,” Major Trouble Kelp said. “What are we going to do about it?”

“Going to do about it? You can do whatever you want. Me, I’m going to find a safe place to hide.”

“Quit it, Foaly. This is no time for jokes.”

“Joke? Who said it was a joke?”

“Should we just put all the demons in some sturdy straitjackets so they can’t do anything?” Holly asked.

“That would probably just make them angrier,” said Trouble. “Who knows what they plan to have in store?”

Suddenly something in Holly’s pocket rang. “I think that’s mine,” she said. It was Artemis.

“Hey, Artemis,” Holly said cheerfully, “what’s up?” She listened and her face became thoughtful. “Gone? Did you leave it at Lauryn’s house?” She listened then smiled. “You don’t know? Since when did the great Artemis Fowl the Second not know something?” She hung up and turned to the others. “Artemis is missing his address book.”

“So?”

“He’s worried he might have left it in San Francisco.”

“So? No one’s going to be able to understand it.”

“Yes, well, it’s in Gnommish.”

“So…oh, no.”

“Yes. Oh, no is right.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

San Francisco, California, USA

“Hi, Minerva Paradizo?” Lauryn said. “Hi! I’ve wanted to meet you so badly! I’m Lauryn and you’re my absolute idol! When are you coming to San Francisco? I need your autograph! I got a thousand posters of you in my room! You rule!”

“Um,” Minerva muttered on the other side of the world. She hung up.

Lauryn did too and chuckled to herself. Now what next? She dialed in Juliet Butler’s number. Juliet picked up after three rings. “Yo, this is Juliet.”

“Hi! Juliet Butler? You’re my absolute idol! When are you coming to San Francisco? I’ve got a thousand posters of you in my room!”

“Oh, uh, thanks. Gotta go,” said Juliet. She, too, hung up. Lauryn chuckled again. This was too fun.

She dialed in another number.

“Mulch Diggums. You stab ‘em, we slab ‘em. Some go to heaven and some go to hell-o?”

“Mulch Diggums? Oh my god! I am your ultimate fan! I have a hundred posters of you on my wall! Are you the Mulch Diggums? Oh my god!”

“Oh, um, yea. Thanks for callin’. I always love to hear from my glorious fans.” A voice shouted at Mulch from the background. “Mulch! Stop it! We’re supposed to be working on this demon case remember? Our whole world is at stake! Hang up now!”

Lauryn’s eyes widened. Demons? Haven at stake? Lauryn flipped her phone closed and just stood there in silence. She had to help! Holly was her friend! How could she?

Damn. Now I got writer’s block.

Chapter five: Volume Problems

“What—is—wrong?” Allayne asked obnoxiously for the thousandth time.

“Nothing,” mumbled Lauryn. “Stop nagging me.”

“Come on, Lauryn. You’ve been so…unsocial today. You’re not your usual chatty annoying self.”

“Stop it, Allayne. You’re not helping one bit.”

Allayne tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and marched off pouting to her other, more popular, friends.

“You like him, don’t you?” Bryan said.

“Like who?” Lauryn suddenly perked up.

“Artemis Fowl, your father’s cousin’s wife’s cousin’s son or something like that.”

“What? Like him? He’s my cousin!”

“He’s not blood related.”

“You’re not helping much either. I haven’t liked a boy since the fourth grade. And he totally ruined the whole year for me. Why do you think I would like a boy now?”

“If you don’t like him, what is it?”

Lauryn was silent. How could she tell him? She couldn’t. Simple as that. What would she say? Oh, it’s nothing. Just one of my friends is in danger of her whole species being wiped out by a mob of angry demons. Hardly.

“I, um, got to make a call.” Lauryn got up and quickly left. She stepped around the corner and dialed a number. “Hello, Holly Short?”

“Yes. I’m kind of busy at the moment.”

“Yeah, I know. Demons and stuff. This is Lauryn.”

“Lauryn? What…How did you get this number?”

“Yeah, well, that’s not what matters now. It’s the demons. I know I’m a mud girl and I know I’m no genius anymore but I really, really want to help. I like the People and I don’t want to see them all being killed while I sit around.”

“Listen, Lauryn. This isn’t for you. You’re too…unique and…nice. I don’t want to see you killed just because you got in the way. There’s only one human who might be able to help and he’s in Ireland right now.”

“Please! I don’t care if I die. At least I’ll die trying. I can’t live my life if I know I could have done something.”

“Yeah? I’ll tell you what you can do. You can leave this to the pros.”

“C’mon, Cap. I really want to help.”

“Commander Kelp won’t like a human down here…”

“I don’t have to go down there.”

“I’ll see what you can do.”

Lauryn smiled a smile too big for her face. “Sure thing, Miss Short.” She flipped her phone closed. She turned to leave and almost ran into Bryan.

“You know what, Lauryn?” Bryan said. “You should really turn the volume down on your phone. I could hear every word.”

Uh, oh. I love cliffies! Even bad ones! R&R, people. R&R.

Chapter six: Explaination

“B—Bryan! What are you…?” Lauryn stammered.

“You gotta be kidding. Demons? Mud Girl? Holly Short?” Bryan sneered.

“Why did you…I thought you were my friend.”

“I am. I was worried. I don’t like seeing a friend of mine like this. You’re all suspicious about this phone call and you end up talking to this person who has something to do with demons. Demons, Lauryn? This some sort of code?”

“No.” Lauryn couldn’t hide it anymore. The cat was out of the bag. The secret was exposed. “Look, you can’t tell anybody about this.”

“What’s keeping me from telling the principle about this?”

“I’ll give you a bag of Pocky sticks.”

“Nope.”

“I’ll tell you what’s worrying me if you don’t tell. Please. Just don’t tell.”

“Fine.”

Lauryn pulled him around the corner. No one would look there this time of day.

“You see,” Lauryn began in a whisper, “there’s this…” she paused. “Do you believe in fairies?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I don’t.”

“Well, fairies exist. They call themselves ‘the People’ and they live underground in a place called the Lower Elements. There are eight species of fairy. Elves, pixies, sprites, gnomes, dwarves, centaurs, goblins, and demons.”

Bryan raised one eyebrow. He looked remarkably like Artemis. “demons?”

“Just shut up, Briey, and let me continue. Now where was I? Oh, right, there are eight species of fairy. My friend, Holly, who I was just talking to, is an elf. She’s also a former leprechaun but that was just a job.”

“Leprechaun?”

“I’ll get to that! Now Holly, her partner Mulch Diggums the dwarf, Artemis Fowl and the LEP are in trouble. The demons, you see, are really, really mad because they think Artemis and Holly took their home away when it was really disintegrating at a really fast rate and they would all be blown to pieces or something like that. Now they want to kill everybody.”

“Explain this leprechaun thing to me.”

“It’s not just recon, there’s LEPretrieval and LEP internal affairs and stuff. Holly, however, used to be a LEPrecaun captain. LEP stands for Lower Elements Police.”

“Fairy police, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do I find this hard to believe?”

“Look, at first I found it hard to believe, too. But then Holly and Artemis made me believe it when they took me to Haven City and I helped them with this whole thing about this fugitive dwarf and his sprite friend. Then I found this thing that prevented me from being wiped of all my memories which I later found was made my this evil pixie, I think, and so I wasn’t wiped of my memories and then I helped Artemis and Holly again get their friend out of the hands of this gang who thought he took the money and then I got shot and I lost consciousness and then Holly’s centaur friend saved me and now I’m not a genius but I’m kind of happy about that because now I’m not the classic Mary-Sue and so now Artemis is gone and he’s probably going to help with this demon crap and now I’m stuck here with nothing to do while my friends are battling these angry demons hungry for revenge.”

“So your cousin is involved?”

“Duh, weren’t you listening?”

“How’d he get involved?”

“Well, he told me that his father had been lost in the arctic and so he needed money so he kidnapped a fairy, which just happened to be Holly, and held her for a ransom of one ton 24 carat gold. He got the money and gave Holly some so she would heal his crazy mom. Holly told me that she had brutally shot her unconscious and dragged her to his big mansion in Ireland and tortured her until the LEP came and rescued her. Then he goes and forces her to heal his mother.

“Well the story goes on and he gets Holly to help him rescue his dad and then save a piece of stolen fairy technology from some crazy American millionaire and then they mind-wipe him and then someone important dies or something (Holly didn’t want to talk about it) and Holly goes and rescues Artemis from being dissolved into dust by an evil, mad pixie who had humanized herself and wanted to expose the fairies so the humans would put them in zoos and then Artemis and Holly are put in this closed down amusement park in Haven and are left to be eaten by a group of hungry trolls while the evil pixie watched and then Mulch Diggums and Artemis’ bodyguard rescue them and they arrest the evil pixie and Holly quits LEP because the new commander, don’t ask where the other commander went ‘cause I don’t know, is such a jerk and so she goes into business with Mulch, who used to be a criminal by the way, and then they save the demon world, called Hybras, from a twelve-year-old girl genius who had no idea what she’s getting into and Artemis and she make friends and now the demons are mad and stuff and here I am sitting on my butt while my friends are fighting for their lives against a whole population of demons that want to kill them.”

Bryan looked sideways at her appearing amused. After a while of silence he said, “You should really watch your run-on sentences.”

“Yeah, well. That happens sometimes.”

“You know, Lauryn. You didn’t have to tell me the truth. If you lied I wouldn’t have known.”

“Who says what I told you was the truth?”
“It’s too crazy for even you to think up.”

“Now that’s hard to do.”

Now Bryan’s in on the whole story! Sorry I haven’t been updating too much lately. Been busy with all this school crap and stuff.

Chapter seven: Hostage

LEP Commander of Internal Affairs Caitlyn Sool was substituting for Commander Trouble Kelp while he was under America visiting his sick cousin. Caitlyn Sool just happened to be ex-Commander Ark Sool’s niece. She looked remarkably like him, the same tall, skinny stature, and the same whatever-it-is-I-don’t-care expression on her thin face. She also had the same attitude towards Foaly’s inventions. Possibly the only difference between them was gender.

“So you say the demons are angry at us for taking their home?” Commander Sool questioned.

“Yes, well that—.” Foaly began but Sool interrupted him.

“They wouldn’t be angry if they were dead. And they would have been dead if you had just listened to my uncle,” she argued. “Even he listened to your opinion too often. Just like Root.” She stormed out of the ops booth mumbling to herself, “men. Who can understand them? Crazy! All of them! Not a single brain cell in their whole being.”

Foaly sighed. “Problems?” said a voice from the door.

Foaly swiveled around in his chair to face Holly. “You have no idea,” said Foaly. “Commander Sool in a bi—.”

“Yeah, she is,” Holly interrupted. “You remember Lauryn Jeffreys?”

“The mud girl from the US? Yeah.”

“Well she somehow heard about our demon problem and she is determined not to sit on her butt while we battle for our lives down here.”

“She’s brave.”

“Yup.”

“You think she could be of help? Maybe we could give her to the demons as a sacrifice.”

“Foaly!”

“Just kidding, just kidding. Don’t get your ears in a knot.”

“Hostage,” Lucifer growled.

“What?” one of the other demons said.

“We must take someone hostage. Someone harmless.”

“Who?”

“That’s what I want us thinking about, idiot!” Lucifer snapped.

The other demons, which would be about fifty, sat around in the main room of the demon housing building while homes for them were being built. It was a dirty place and smelled of rotten eggs and garbage. No wonder they wanted to leave.

“A child,” Lucifer said.

“What?” another demon asked.

“Shut up! Are you deaf? A child, idiot!”

“What child?”

“Does it matter?”

The other demons were silent.

“You demons are pathetic,” a voice spat. “You’re stupid and lazy and ignorant. Have you no sense? Have you no brains?”

The demons all turned toward the voice. A woman stood there. She had an evil scowl upon her thin face. Her strait hair was black and hang down her back. She wore a LEP uniform. “You all just sit around in this dump asking yourselves questions. Wouldn’t it be better to ask another? Someone with connections maybe? Connections to LEP?”

The demons stared at her like she was crazy. “I have connections with the LEP. It should be obvious. I know things. And, as you should know if you had any brains, I know who we should kidnap.”

Their blank expressions were her cue to continue. “I know someone who would be ideal, who is a friend to ex-Captain Holly Short…and she’s a child.” Their faces were still blank. “Lauryn Jeffreys, the mud girl.”

I need to work on my cliff hangers. Summer vacation’s almost here so I will have more time to write!!! YAY!!! R&R!

Chapter eight: Kidnapped!

“Has your friend responded?” Bryan asked Lauryn as she arrived at school.

“No,” Lauryn sighed. “Actually, I have a feeling she won’t. After our last adventure, I doubt she’d be willing to take me on another one.”

“You’re right, she probably won’t. She is a cop. Safety is obviously her number one prior—” He was interrupted by a shout.

“Lauryn! Bryan!” screamed Allayne as she ran up to them. She wrapped her arms around the two of them so tight they couldn’t breathe.

“What is it?” Lauryn gasped for air but couldn’t find any.

“My mom got me a new phone! Watch this.” She took a black rectangular prism, as thin as a pencil is in diameter out of her pocket. “It can take pictures, take video, record sound, play movies, and it battery lasts up to two months! And you want to see something beyond cute?”

“Um, sure,” Bryan said.

Allayne flipped open her phone and showed them her screen saver. “Isn’t he the cutest ever?” Her screen saver showed a large, furry grey cat lying on the floor with his eyes shut closed and his tongue sticking out slightly. His paws were tucked close to his body and they cuddled a little stuffed doll. “And,” Allayne continued, “it can call any number, anywhere. And when I say anywhere, I mean it can call, let’s say, some guy at the top of the Empire State Building from hundreds of miles underground.”

Lauryn looked at Bryan with a look that said ‘impressive’.

“You’re lucky it does,” a voice behind them said coldly. “You’re gonna need it.”

Everything went black.

Sorry about the short chapter. The next one’s going to be longer! I promise! R&R, people!!!

Chapter nine: It Doesn’t Work

Allayne woke up in what looked like the bottom of a bottomless pit. She looked up but couldn’t see anything but black. The only light came from a candlestick in the corner. She tried getting up to look around, even though the room’s diameter must have been ten feet at most. Then she realized her hands were tied. So were her ankles. She spotted two figures lying at the other side of the circular room. Even in the dim light, their features were unmistakable. Lauryn and Bryan both similarly tied and gagged, both unconscious. A rectangular piece of wall came out and three more figures appeared. It took a little while for her to realize that it was a door.

The figures approached and Allayne could tell that the one in the center, the shortest one, was a female. The peculiar thing about the figure in the center was that she was only little more than three feet tall. The other two were five feet tall. The female stopped in front of Allayne, looking at her with a cruel and evil expression.

“Good evening, child,” she said. “I assume you are wondering where you are.”

“Mmmm,” was all Allayne could manage through her gag, “Mmm!”

The female in the center never took her eyes off the prisoner. “Untie her gag. Let her speak.”

The others obeyed and Allayne saw their faces up close. They were hideous. Their eyes were dark and slightly green and their skin was a sort of greenish-grayish. Their ears were pointed and had spikes along the edge. Their teeth were large and sharp.

“Who are you?” Allayne asked. “Where am I?”

“You, I believe, are Lauryn Jeffreys, am I right?” said the female.

Allayne decided that it was not the right time for her to tell her real name and it was the time to do her first heroic, maybe fatal, deed. “Yes,” Allayne said.

“Very well, Miss Jeffreys. Do you know why you’re here?”

“No.”

“You’ll find out soon enough. Right now the LEP are completely unaware that you are my hostage. And I assure you, you will be dead before they get to you.”

Allayne suddenly was more afraid than she had ever been in her life. She was a goner, and she knew it.

The phone rang once. It rang twice. With each ring, Artemis grew more and more impatient.

“Yello,” Lauryn’s phone’s answering machine said. “This is Lauryn. I’m not holding on to my phone right now so leave a message or something.”

The phone beeped and Artemis said, “Hello, Lauryn. I believe I may have left my address book at your house. It is in Gnommish and it would be disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. Thank you, please call me back.”

Artemis’ phone rang. “That was quick,” Artemis said as he picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Artemis!” Holly said. “Lauryn’s not answering her phone. I tried her home phone and both her parents phones. I also checked her school’s attendance and she wasn’t there today. Neither were her friends. I don’t think she skipped school. And she wouldn’t leave her phone anywhere.”

“Oh dear,” Artemis sighed.

“‘Oh dear’ hardly covers it. This is horrible! Who knows where she is! The demons could have captured her! She could be dead!”

“Yes,” Artemis said thoughtfully. “She could be dead.”

After a few minutes Allayne’s friends started to stir.

“Mmm,” Lauryn tried to say but couldn’t with her gag. “Mmmm! Mmmm?”

“Lauryn! Bryan! You’re awake, finally!” Allayne said.

“Mmm,” Lauryn mumbled.

“Here, let me.” Allayne tried to get Lauryn’s gag off and after a few unsuccessful tries, she managed.

“Oh, my god! Where are we? What happened?” Lauryn asked.

“Oh, god it was so totally freaky. This short lady came in here and said something about this LEP thing and her two bodyguards or whatever untied my gag and they were, like, so ugly and they said I was going to die.”

“They said something about LEP?”

“Yeah,” Allayne shrugged.

“Holly,” Lauryn whispered to herself.

“What?”

“You have no idea where we are, do you?”

“No, do you?”

“Yes, actually, I do.”

“Where are we?”

“We’re underground.”

“Well, yeah, I can see that. I mean, the walls are made of dirt and the roof is nowhere in sight.”

“No, I mean, underground. Hundreds of miles beneath the surface.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been here before.”

“Yeah right,” Allayne sneered. There was silence for a few moments.

“Hey, do you still have that phone on you?” Lauryn asked.

“Yeah, I think.”

“Now might be the time to use it.”

“Okay,” Allayne tried desperately to free her hands. Eventually Lauryn had a go at untying her friend’s ropes. They came undone. Allayne reached for her phone. “What number should I dial?”

Lauryn told her Holly’s number and Allayne dialed it in. It didn’t work. Allayne looked at her phone in shock.

“Anywhere, huh?” Lauryn said.

I got writer’s block again. D’arvit.

Chapter ten: Doing Nothing

Holly worriedly paced the ops booth. “Stop that, will you?” Foaly said. “Just watching you makes me dizzy.”

“Then don’t watch,” Holly retorted.

“Fine, let out all your anger on me. The only one here who has done nothing.”

“That’s exactly it,” Holly finally stopped pacing to yell at the centaur. “You have done nothing. The mud girl may be in danger, even dead, and you have done nothing!”

“No need to yell,” Foaly defended himself.

“I do have a need to yell. A criminal is just as bad as someone who stands around and does nothing. If you just sit on your hairy butt here while whoever kidnapped the mud girl is sitting on his pile of ransom gold you’re just as bad. If she is dead, you are the murderer.”

Foaly was deeply offended but he knew she was right. He didn’t trust himself to say anything while she stormed out of the ops booth. As soon as she left, Foaly began desperately searching for the mud girl and who could have kidnapped her. He didn’t have to look far. The kidnapper came to him.

The centaur heard footsteps coming to the ops booth. He checked to see who it was…Commander Sool. “Hello, Foaly,” she sneered. “I assume you’re looking for the missing mud girl.”

“And if I am?”

“I know where she is.”

It didn’t take long for Foaly to put two and two together. “What did you do to her, Sool?” he growled.

“Oh nothing,” the Commander checked her nails innocently. “She’s my prisoner. And if you don’t pay the ransom money, she’ll die.”

“Why are you doing this? What has she ever done to you?”

“Two reasons. One: for money. Who doesn’t like money? And two, to help my…ahem, friends successfully get revenge on those they hate. Namely, your elf friend and the mud boy.”

“So you’re willing to murder an innocent girl just for revenge and money?”

Sool thought a moment. “Yes,” she said finally.

Foaly glared at her so hard that if looks could kill she would have been dead in a second. “How much is the ransom?” he asked. Immediately, he felt as though he had given up. He couldn’t give up now.

“Ah, now you see the light. The ransom is half a ton of gold…for each child.”

“You kidnapped more than one?”

“Of course. There are three children. That adds up to one and a half tons of gold.”

“You have to be kidding.”

“I’m not. It’s not too much. It’s only one half greater than the amount Artemis Fowl demanded those years ago.”

“Artemis hadn’t abducted kids.”

“Oh, shut up and get the money.”

Foaly’s hand ‘accidentally’ brushed the plasma tiles button and the plasma tiles flickered into life…they didn’t affect her.

“Really, Foaly,” Commander Sool sighed. “I thought you were a genius.” With that, the image of Commander Sool disappeared.

I don’t have writer’s block any more!!!!!!!!!! Yippee!!

Chapter eleven: From One Dilemma to the Next

“How are we going to get out of here?” Allayne asked.

“How should I know?” Lauryn replied, annoyed.

“You said you’ve been here before.”

“Not this particular part.”

“Oh.”

“Mmmm! Mmmm!” came a sound from next to Lauryn. It was Bryan.

“Oops!” Lauryn smiled. “Sorry, Briey. Forgot to untie you.” Lauryn quickly undid his knots.

“Finally,” he pouted. “I think my blood circulation was cut off. I’m going to lose my hand!”

“Will you just shut up, B?”

“Now here’s the question. How are we going to get out of here?”

Bryan stood and walked along the wall, feeling it. Lauryn and Allayne raised an eyebrow. Suddenly he stopped. He stepped back slowly and then ran at it with all his might. The wall didn’t budge. “Guys,” he said, “help me here, will you?”

Lauryn and Allayne looked at each other with that he’s-gone-crazy look. Lauryn shrugged and got up to help him. Allayne followed. The rammed against that part of the wall again. It moved. Not much but it moved.

“A few more tries should do it,” Bryan grinned.

And a few more tries did do it. The door gave way. Lauryn punched Bryan in the shoulder. “Nice going,” she smiled. “Not bad for a nerd.” Bryan scowled at her.

Now the kids had a chance to notice their surroundings. They were in a hallway. A few yards in front of them the hallway crossed another one. It was very bright. After the dark dungeon they just escaped from the light hurt their eyes.

Suddenly a group of grey-skinned, horned creatures came around the corner. The kid’s wouldn’t have been noticed if Allayne hadn’t accidentally let out a quiet, “oh my god.” The last thing they saw was the creatures sneering faces leaning over them.

Sorry about the short chapter. I again have writer’s block. I should work on my plot BEFORE I start writing.

Chapter twelve: Saved…Or Not

The three kids woke up hanging limply over the shoulders of the grey-skinned creatures.

“Oh dear,” Bryan sighed. “What a problem.”

“Shut up, mud boy,” one of the creatures growled. His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

“Mud boy?” Bryan gasped.

The creatures dumped them on their behinds in a small room with a long conference table and chairs. At the head of the table, the thin woman sat. The other chairs were occupied by the grey-skinned creatures. The woman looked amused.

“Ah,” she said. “I see Miss Lauryn and her friends tried to escape.”

“Where are we?” Lauryn asked.

“You are in Haven, my dear girl,” the woman said. “Oh, I am being rude. I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Commander Caitlyn Sool. I am currently filling in for Commander Kelp at the moment. The demon to my left is Lucifer. He is the only demon you should be entirely worried about. The rest are just stupid imbeciles. Of course, if you get on the bad side of any of them they will crush your head between their teeth.”

Without thinking about the consequences Lauryn spoke up. “Isn’t that a dwarf’s job?”

“I see the mud girl knows quite a bit bout us. How would that come to be?”

“I—” Lauryn began but Allayne interrupted.

“I told her about you,” she said. “We were in trouble and I thought maybe it might make the chances of her death smaller.”

“Thank you, Lauryn,” Sool smiled but the real Lauryn just looked at her friend confused.

“Lauryn?” she hissed.

“Just shut up and play along,” Allayne whispered.

“W—what are you going to do to us?” Bryan asked.

“Well, first,” Sool said checking her nails, “I’ll keep you in your little cell until the LEP get here. Then, after I’ve collected the money, I’ll kill you.”

“K—kill us?”

“Exactly,” Sool smiled.

Lauryn leaned closer to her friends. “On the count of three, we run for it,” she whispered. “One…two…three!” The kids ran. They ran out the door of the room and through the hallways. They could hear Sool back there screaming, “Get them! Don’t let them escape.”

“Where do we go?” Allayne panted.

“If we see a flight of stairs, we go up. We ignore the elevators,” Bryan replied, still running as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Why ignore the elevators?”

“Once we’re on an elevator, our only choice is to go the way it’s going instead of reversing.”

Sooner or later, they passed a flight of stairs…going up. They sprinted up the stairs.

“Sool took them?” Holly gasped.

“Sool took them,” Foaly confirmed.

“Sool took them?” Holly repeated.

“Yes? What part of that do you not understand?”

“I always knew she would follow in her uncle’s steps,” Holly growled. A cold shiver ran down her spine every time she mentioned the gnome’s name. “Where is she keeping the mud kids?”

“I…don’t…I…er…”

“You don’t know.”

Foaly winced and nodded. “I hate those words.”

“I know you do.” The ex-captain began pacing again. This time, Foaly knew better than to say anything.

“Where would be the last place they’d hide the kids?”

Foaly thought a moment. “There are various places: the Haven amusement park, Police Plaza, the elementary school down the block.”

“Which ones would be impossible?”

“Well the amusement park has too many people, but there are some places where one could hide. Police Plaza doesn’t have too many people but there are cops everywhere. The school has too many people and there aren’t that many hiding places in a school.”

“Yes. So, maybe we should send teams to each of those places.”

“Yeah. What happens if the kids are at one of those places?”

“You contact the other teams and alert them. Then lay low until the others get there.”

“Got it. Who are the teams.”

“We’ll leave that up to a LEP officer.”

“Where are we now?” Lauryn whispered as they reached the top of the stairs. It looked a lot like the floor they’d just left.

“I have no idea,” Bryan said. “I’m not the one who’s been here before.”

“We’re on the forty-fifth floor,” Allayne said.

“What? How do you know?” Lauryn and Bryan said in unison.

Allayne pointed to the elevator. A small plaque next to the elevator door said ‘45^th floor’.

“Is it just me,” Lauryn said turning to Bryan, “or is Allayne acting a whole lot smarter these days?”

Bryan just grinned while Allayne glowered at the two of them.

“I think we should go up a few more floors,” Lauryn said thoughtfully. “I’ve got a hunch.”

“Since when has a hunch gotten anyone anywhere?” Allayne grumbled.

“I think we should trust Lauryn. She’s been here before anyway.”

Lauryn and Bryan took the stairs up two at a time. Allayne obediently followed mumbling something like, “I dunno why Lauryn gets everyone listening to her. She said herself she’s never been here in this building. Why am I always ignored?”

Eventually, they reached the last floor. Actually, it wasn’t really a floor. It was the roof. “Gee,” Allayne said, “it’s so still. I’d think the top of a building over 45 stories tall would be really wind—” Something caught her eye that rammed the words back down her throat. Looking around, she saw buildings dozens of stories tall, freeways jammed with vehicles, flying little green people. The vehicles she saw were unlike any car she had seen before. They seemed to hover over the ground and were made of shiny metal. The people she saw were small, maybe three feet tall, and they all had pointy ears.

Allayne glanced over at her friends. Bryan seemed as amazed as her. But Lauryn was looking at this sight like it was an everyday thing. She walked over to the side and looked down. Allayne saw a wide grin spread across her face.

Lauryn smiled back at her friends. “We’re saved.”

Team B crept as silent as a cat about to pounce on a mouse on the top floor of Police Plaza. These top floors were empty. They had once been the Section 8 HQ, before Section 8 found a better building. LEP had been meaning to tear the top floors down but they never got around to it. It would be the perfect place to hide a group of kids.

Holly Short and her team, Trouble Kelp, Chix Verbil, and a few other recon officers followed the hallways full of empty cubicles. Holly grinned behind her helmet. How she missed her recon days when she could fly above ground with the wind in her face searching for a troll to fight. She wished she could go back to LEP. She would, if not for her partners, Mulch Diggums and Doodah Day. If only it could go back to how it was…when the Commander was alive. Holly’s smile faded until it was nothing more than a frown. Every time she thought of the Commander, tears filled the corners of her eyes and her muscles felt weak. She was distracted by a shout from above.

“Help!” came the cry from the roof.

“To the roof,” Commander Kelp ordered. “Let’s see what’s going on.”

A few seconds ago

“What do you mean by ‘we’re saved?’?” Bryan asked his friend.

“Look down and tell me what you see,” Lauryn said.

Bryan peered over the side of the building. “I see a really long drop.”

“Look at the floor beneath us.”

Bryan leaned over more. On the floor below him was a group of little people clad in suits with an acorn on the shoulder and guns in their hands.

“Who are they?”

“They’re the LEP,” Lauryn smiled. “Shout ‘help’, ok?”

“Help!” Lauryn, Bryan, and Allayne shouted in unison. The little people down below suddenly looked alert and the one in front pointed towards the stairs. Seconds later, the group of seven or so three foot tall people came onto the roof.

One of them raised the visor on her helmet. It was Holly. “Lauryn,” she said. “You’re here.”

“Yeah,” Lauryn shrugged.

“Before you introduce me to your friends we’d better get you back to LEP HQ.”

Lauryn began to nod when she noticed something behind the ex-captain. Her eyes opened wide and she pointed a finger behind them. “It’s—” she began but before she could finish a pair of demon hands grabbed Holly’s helmet and threw her to the side. He did the same with the “Hey!” she shouted once she hit the ground.

“You’re coming with us,” the demon growled.

Yay! School finally ended and now I’ll have a lot more time to write…before I have to go get my school uniform and a bigger backpack and all that other stuff.

Chapter thirteen: Back to Square One

The demon grinned a cruel, merciless grin. “You’re coming with us,” he growled. His thick grey fingers grabbed Allayne by the arm.

“No!” she screamed. “Let me go!”

The demon silenced her screaming by hitting her over the head. “Hey!” Lauryn shouted before she was similarly knocked out.

By now, Bryan knew better than to speak. Instead, he made himself as small as possible by sitting curled up in a corner of the roof. The little person who had talked to Lauryn was standing now and drawing her weapon. “Let them go,” she commanded the demon and his three comrades, pointing her gun at them.

The demon holding the girls held Allayne like a shield. “I don’t care about the others,” the demon snarled. “And you can’t hit me without hitting the girl first.”

The helmeted person put her gun back. Then she ran over to Bryan and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him to his feet. “C’mon,” she said. “We’re going back to LEP HQ.”

“Leave with the boy, Captain,” another three said. “We’ll handle the demons.”

Slinging Bryan over her shoulder, she jumped over the edge of the roof. Bryan covered his eyes with his hands. Climbing down the wall of a 50 story building is one thing, but climbing down the building on the back of someone two feet shorter than you is another. Before he knew it, he was dropped on his backside into a swivel chair.

The little person took off the helmet. “Ok, boy,” the little person said crossing her arms, “talk. Are you one of Lauryn’s friends?”

“Yes,” Bryan said. “Wait, you’re female.”

“What’s so special about that?”

“Nothing, just…I assumed you were male.”

“That’s what everyone says. What’s your name, mud boy?”

“Bryan.”

For the first time, the officer smiled. “Bryan,” she repeated. “Nice to meet you. My name’s Holly. Holly Short.”

“Hello. Where are we?”

“You’re in Police Plaza. You have been for the last few hours.”

“Could you explain what’s going on here?”

“Actually, I’m trying to figure that out myself. But I know something. Commander Sool, the gnome who captured you, is trying to hold you for hostage for a ton and a half of gold while she helps the demons get revenge on your friend’s cousin and me.”

“I see.”

“You do? Usually humans start questioning their sanity when they find out about us.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’m just the kind of person who doesn’t question their sanity. Of course, I wouldn’t say the same for my friend, Allayne.”

Gradually, Allayne regained consciousness. “Oh man,” she groaned rubbing her aching head. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in the same dark ceiling-less pit she had just escaped from. “Lauryn?” she said. “Are you there?”

“Yeah,” came the soft reply. “I’m here.”

Allayne scooted over to where the voice came from. She found Lauryn sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

Lauryn looked at her. “Tell you what’s going on? How can I tell you what’s going on? I don’t even know the time of day.”

Allayne seated herself next to her frustrated friend. “Well, sorry for asking. I just wanted to see if you knew anything.”

Lauryn remained silent. “You know,” Allayne went on, “those grey-skinned things don’t seem very smart. Maybe we could ask them.” Lauryn was silent. “Then if we know what’s going on, maybe we could find a way to escape.” Silence. “Then when we escape from here, we could find a way back home.” Lauryn remained silent. “Your friends in the black suits will save us…right?”

Moments passed. “I don’t know.”

Sorry about the lack of humor in this one. The funnyness (heehee! Funnyness) will come back…hopefully…

Chapter fourteen: The Delivery of the First Half of the Plan

“We have to save them!” Bryan demanded. He had just been in the ops booth for the past half hour attending a conversation between Foaly and Holly about the mud girls.

“That’s what we’re working on,” Holly said. “But it’s impossible.”

“There has to be some way!”

“Listen; even if we did somehow get into the place they’re holding your friends there would be a dozen demons guarding the door. There. Is. No. Way.”

“I don’t suppose you could…sneak in there and get them out without the demons noticing.”

The ex-captain thought for a moment. “I couldn’t,” she said. “But I know someone who could.”

“So that’s the plan?” Qwan asked. “That’s it?”

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’?” N° 1 gasped. “That is one hell of a plan.”

“It shouldn’t be too hard,” Artemis Fowl said over the communicator, which Holly put on speaker phone, “as long as you get it right. This plan is one of my more delicate ideas. If you get one thing wrong, the whole rescue might fail.”

“So when do we start?” Bryan asked eagerly.

“Why, now, of course.”

“That’s our plan?” N° 1 gasped. “What…how…that’s too complicated!”

“Be quiet, N° 1,” Qwan chided, “the mud boy isn’t done yet.”

“Quite right,” Artemis said over the communicator, which Holly put on speaker phone. “Now, I must remind you, that this is one of my more delicate plans. If you mess up, the whole plan might collapse.”

“So much for confidence booster,” Holly mumbled.

“That’s it?” Qweffor, one of the demons in on the plan, asked. “That’s the room?”

“Yes,” Bryan whispered. “Now remember the plan. I can’t lose two of my best friends.”

“Of course,” the demon said before stepping out into the view of the two demons guarding the door. “Hello, gentlemen,” he said. “Commander Sool wants me to bring the mud girls to her.”

“Sure, Abbot,” said one demon. The demons apparently had a hard time realizing that it was really a warlocks mind in a demon body. “Why would she need the humans though?”

“Confidential,” the warlock growled. “Get out of the way.”

The two demons obeyed and stepped out of the way. Qweffor pushed his way through.

Lauryn and Allayne sat in silence in the dirt cell, both homesick, and both hardly looking forward to their deaths. Suddenly the cell door pushed open. A five foot tall demon stepped inside the tiny room. He was short but he looked tough. He had a frown on his face which gave the girls an idea that he didn’t come with good news.

“C’mon, mud girls,” the demon snarled. “I’m taking you to the commander.”

“Why?”

“You’ll find out when you get there.” With that he dragged the girls to their feet and pulled them out the door. He was very strong for his size.

“No!” Allayne shouted. “She’s going to kill us isn’t she? I don’t want to die!”

“Shut up,” the demon growled. Once the three of them were out of sight of the two guard demons, the demon loosened his grip on the girls. “Are you ok?” he asked. “I didn’t pull you too hard did I?”

“What are you talking about?” Lauryn said. “Why would you care? You’re a demon.”

“I’m here to rescue you. Now follow me close behind and stay quiet.”

The girls did as he asked. “Where’s Bryan?” Lauryn whispered.

“I sent him back with Holly. You’ll see him when we get back.”

They crept silently through the building. A few times a group of deadly looking demons passed by them but no sensible demon would question Abbot. They descended flight after flight of stairs until they got to LEP HQ.

“Bryan!” Lauryn and Allayne said in unison. Holly smiled.

“Ohmygosh!” said Allayne. “I was so scared! We could have been killed!”

“Hey, Holly,” Lauryn grinned at the elf. “You didn’t want me to help but here I am!”

“Yeah,” Holly shrugged. “That happens sometimes.”

Allayne was the only one who didn’t seem to rejoice. “What’s wrong, mud girl,” Holly asked.

Allayne looked at her. Her expression was one of fear. “I…I just want to go home.”

“Allayne,” Lauryn said gently, “these fairies are friends. They’re not going to try and kill you.”

“That’s right,” Holly agreed. “But don’t worry. We’ll send you home.”

I need help with the title for the next Fairywings. It will be basically continuing this story, same story, same bad guys, same characters, etc. If you have any ideas, review them to me. Whoever comes up with the best title gets…uh…a special thanks in the credits.

Epilogue

Commander Sool walked down the hallway of the 45^th floor of Police Plaza. Her stilettos made a tapping sound on the white tiled floor. She stopped by a door and entered without a sound. She shut the door behind her. The room was almost completely dark except for a small lamp on top of a desk. A shadowed figure sat at the desk in a swivel chair, her back to the commander.

“Well?” The figure said. The voice was feminine and pretty, but had a wickedness to it.

“The children,” the commander said, “they—”

“I know they escaped,” the figure growled. “My question is how did you let them escape?”

“Ma’am, there was nothing I could do. I had put the best and smartest demons on guard. They know nothing of their escape.”

“Do they know anything of the girls leaving the cell?”

“Yes, they said Leon Abbot arrived to take the girls.”

“You’re a smart fairy,” the figure said in a quiet voice, almost a whisper, “You should be able to put two and two together. You know how they escaped.”

Sool stared at her feet. She knew. But she didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to admit that the great demon leader Abbot had betrayed them.

“I want you to get them back. We need them to complete my revenge. We will get them back; get the money, and my revenge.”

“But—”

“And if you fail,” the figure interrupted, “you shall pay for it…with your life.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sool said nervously as she exited the room. She couldn’t fail.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sorry about the sudden ending. I have my reasons. The story will continue in Fairywings IV: Demon Overthrow.

Credits-

Writer: Artyfowl3!!!

Editor: If there was an editor, their wouldt b os many mitsakes.

Special thanks to:

Mom and dad-for keeping my sister out of my hair while I wrote

My best friends-for allowing me to use the misspellings of their first names when I needed them

Princess Abbie of Stars and FreakyD45663 on fanfiction.net-for commenting BEFORE the story was done

Domovi, MMK, and Captain Holly Short on fangathering.com-for commenting BEFORE the story was done

All the fan fiction readers who will in future times comment

FreakyD45663-for the amazing title for the next (and probably last) Fairywings!!! Thank you, FreakyD45663! You’re a life saver!

Thanks!

Some other stories by artyfowl3:

• Updates
• Doorway to Cittàgazze
• Early Train
• Like Father, Like Daughter
• Lost Colony Poem