Oh wow... I was so happy when I got this chapter done. I read the last Artemis Fowl book the other day (made my cry for a while...) and I got inspiration once again to pick this back up. Like I said, I want to get this story done asap so I can get on with my new idea. =)

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Audrey

I had not planned on being awake to see the sunrise. It was a scene I was becoming all too familiar with. Nearly every morning since we had been on the run, I had seen the sun come up. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, but since I was very sleep deprived, it was not something I welcomed with open arms. I wondered how everyone else was managing to sleep when I couldn't.

The only other person who was awake was Holly. She had been up longer than I had. She had been pacing up and down the beach, talking aimlessly to someone through her helmet. Although I couldn't tell who she was talking to, or even what about, I was sure that she was just as panicked as the rest of us. Her facial expressions said it all.

I glanced down beside me, checking on Artemis. He was still asleep, thank goodness, but even in his sleep he didn't look relaxed. His face was still etched with a frown and a furrowed brow. I honestly couldn't wait for this ordeal to be over; then I would be able to see him smile again. That was... if we ever got out of this alive, and with every passing day, that chance became ever smaller.

I wasn't sure exactly what Horcruxes were, but the fact that there were seven of them and we only had destroyed two so far was not a good sign. The better question was how did we know what they were? And once we got that far, how did we destroy them? There were too many questions and not enough answers. I was hoping Holly would be able to crack some of the mystery involved, but seeing as she wasn't exactly familiar with the wizarding world, I could only expect so much from her. She really had no clue what she was getting herself into.

Holly finally came back over to where we were resting, a troubled look resting upon her face. She took a seat next to me, shaking her head in the process. "You know... Artemis and I have been through a lot together. We've dealt with kidnappings, goblin rebellions, hostile businessmen, crazed pixies, demons, multiple personality disorders, angry spirits, and several deaths, but for once I don't know how we'll be able to get out of this."

I looked down at her. I was always curious to know what Artemis' life must have been like outside of school. Something told me there was no way that she had possibly listed everything that happened to them. "I know... it's a sticky situation to say the least," I answered her. "I've been wondering for months now whether or not Voldemort would seek his revenge, and now that he has, I'm fairly certain we're doomed for."

Holly frowned. "Now I wouldn't go as far as saying that, but the odds aren't in our favor, that's for sure. We've beaten some ridiculous odds, more than once. I was even sure for a while there that I had lost Artemis for good. You may recall a short period of time he wasn't in school?"

I thought about it. There was a brief portion of our sixth year that Artemis hadn't been in school with the rest of us. I had never asked him why, as I thought it might be rude. I suppose now was as good a time as any to inquire why he wasn't there. "Yea... why was he gone?"

Holly bit her tongue. "Artemis sacrificed himself for the good of mankind. Remember that Opal Koboi we mentioned? Well... she was only mere moments away from conquering the world, both fairy and human. And Artemis was able to get close enough to foil her plot, though in the process he took his own life as well. He had been dead for an entire six months before we were able to get him back." Holly wiped a tear from her eye. "But I'm glad to have him back. That's for sure. I didn't know what to do without my best friend."

I glanced down at the sleeping boy next to me in disbelief. How could Artemis have done so much in just a short time? How could he have died? I just couldn't understand everything that he had been put through. I placed my hand on his cheek, rubbing it slightly with my thumb. "I honestly don't know what I would've done without him either. Artemis has pulled me through a lot over the past year or so," I said quietly. "Without him, I'd probably be locked away at St. Mungo's after that ordeal with Voldemort last winter."

Holly didn't speak for several moments. "Artemis told me he tortured you with a curse?"

I hardly nodded. "The Cruciatus Curse. Something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemies." I felt my voice beginning to shake as I started to break down in ways I hadn't done in months. Tears streamed from my eyes, unchecked. "All of this is just too much, Holly. I just wanted to have a normal life, but I should've known that was too much to ask for. I mean... I love Artemis, but this was not what I had planned for."

Holly placed her hand on mine, trying her best to comfort me. "It's Artemis. As much as I want to tell you it's normal, it's not. With him, you have to learn to expect the unexpected. Even if things seem completely easy and fool-proof, you just start getting used to the fact that with Artemis Fowl involved it's never as straight forward as you want it to be." She took a breath before continuing. "Now... I've seen Artemis grow up a lot over the years, and I've known him just about the same amount of time you have. Believe me when I say he doesn't always plan on things going haywire. With him... they just do."

I frowned slightly, glancing at him once again. "I just hope we can get out of this one so maybe I'll have the chance to experience normality with him."

"I can't promise you anything, but if I have it my way, you all will be fine," Holly assured. "I'm going to tell you now, once upon a time, had Artemis told me he was in love... I would've laughed at him and told him to go drill holes into his head. But when he told me about you... I knew right away you weren't just some girl."

I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not as I took my hand from Artemis' face and used it to wipe my eyes. "I always thought I wasn't good enough for him... he was just the image I had always had in the back of my head as the perfect guy. When he asked me out, it was a dream come true." I toyed with the necklace on my neck, pulling the heart shaped charm around. "We've had some ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade him for the world."

"I wouldn't either," Holly smiled. "He's a good guy deep down in here." Holly tapped the place in which her heart would've been. "That boy is a better person than he lets on. Believe me. He's a million times better than the cold-hearted individual I had the misfortune of meeting those many years ago."

We were getting off topic, and actually having a girl talk, one I so desperately needed since I really wasn't close with the other girls in our group. And nearly all of my friends had basically abandoned me since the whole ordeal with Voldemort. Holly was the closest thing I had to a real friend, if we weren't counting Artemis.

"Anyhow, what do we plan on doing with the Horcruxes?" I asked, not meaning to change the topic as abruptly as I did.

Holly took a deep breath, as if debating on how she wanted to answer the question. "Well, I have Foaly locating the remainder of them as we speak. I can't guarantee that he'll be able to, but I'm hoping we can at least locate a few more of them." She paused for a moment. "We have determined that two have been destroyed, and your companions here have two more in their possession, but they need to be eliminated."

"So that covers four of the seven," I breathed. "But what are the other three?"

Holly shrugged. "No idea, that's why I have Foaly searching for anything that might be part of this Voldemort guy's soul. We have a few ideas, but we need to confirm the suspicions first before we just jump into it."

"Good idea. Can't walk in there blindly," I agreed. Suddenly, I felt a lot better about our situation. I felt more confident, a new spark of hope inside of me. We were growing ever closer to defeating Voldemort, and the sooner we were able to destroy the Horcruxes, the better.

Holly lightly punched my arm. "See, don't worry about it. We have this situation under control. Right now, you are in the safest hands the universe can possibly give you."

I glanced between Holly and Artemis. Although I knew our journey was far from over, I knew that I was sitting in possibly the safest place for me right then, between a teenaged mastermind and an elfin police officer; I couldn't imagine a place more secure.