Lilly sat in the stables, still fuming about Tyler. A winter wind blew through and she trembling. Lilly walked into an empty stall and sat in the corner shivering. She didn’t feel like going back to the house yet. She rested her head against the wall and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Lilly ran through a dark maze, something coming after her. She turned corner after corner, trying to find the exit. She could see the “Exit” sign but for some reason, she couldn’t reach it. Lilly turned one last corner and found herself at a dead end. Heavy footsteps came from behind her. She whipped around to find a large beast turn the corner, eyes glowing red. She backed into the corner and slid to the floor. She closed her eyes as the beast came closer. She could feel it’s hot breath against her face.
Lilly opened her eyes to find a horse’s nose inches from her face. Bandit snorted again.
“That’s gross,” she said reaching up to push him away. Her arms were so heavy and her head felt like it was about to explode. She groaned. Bandit tilted his head, studying her. He then picked her up by her coat and swung her towards the door. He lay down and gently placed her beside him. Lilly snuggled up next to the warm and rested her head on him.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Bandit flicked his tail in reply. Lilly lay there for 20 minutes, sniffling.
“This is so stupid. I wish my cold would just heal.” As soon as she said “heal,” blue sparks raced up her body and entered her nose. She sneezed twice, then instantly felt better. She sat up and shook her head. She smiled at Bandit and stood up. She draped his blanket over him and walked out of the stable.
“See you tomorrow, Bandit,” she called over her shoulder.

The next day, snow was falling heavily on the ground. Artemis had forbid her to go and visit the horses.
“That’s so unfair,” she whined. “I promised Bandit that I would come and see him again today.”
“Bandit?!” Artemis said. “You have been hanging around that dangerous horse?”
“He’s not dangerous!” Lilly protested. “He’s kind and sweet and he likes me.”
“That horse doesn’t like anybody and I want you to stay away from him.” Artemis crossed his arms. Lilly could tell that there was no changing his mind. She glared at him, then turned on her heel and stomped up to her room. She sat on her bed, seething for half an hour. She then, snuck down the stairs, and peeked into the living room. Artemis was sitting with his back facing her. She got down on her hands and knees and army crawled across the floor. She didn’t make a sound. When she got to the opposite side, she slowly reached up to grab the doorknob.
“Nice try, Lilly,” she heard Artemis say behind her. She let out a quick breath of defeat and turned around. Artemis was still facing away from her.
“How did you know?” she demanding, walking up next to him. He was reading a huge book about physics. Lilly looked closer and noticed pen marks on the page.
“You’re editing that?” she asked, completely forgetting about Bandit. Artemis nodded and made another correction.
“I knew that you were trying to sneak out, because you remind me of myself when I was your age.” Artemis didn’t look up from his book. Lilly sighed and walked back up to her room. You know, she thought, we are a lot alike, in looks and attitudes. Lilly pondered this until she fell asleep that night.

A few days later, Lilly woke up in her bed, a smile spread across her face.
“It’s Christmas!” she squealed excitedly. Her face changed as realization crossed her mind. “I forgot to get Artemis a gift! I have been so distracted with the horses that I forgot.” She jumped out of bed and ran down to the kitchen, not bothering to change out of her pajamas. She prepared a fantastic breakfast, to make up for the lack of a gift. Artemis walked into the dining room and his mouth fell open.
“Wow, Lilly,” he exclaimed. “This is amazing!” Food covered the table. There was pancakes, eggs prepared in different styles, crepes, various breakfast meats, and many other mouth watering treats. Lilly waited for Artemis to sit down, but he simply turned on his heel and walked into the living room. Lilly followed with a confused look on her face.
“Um, Artemis?” she asked as he sat on the couch. “What are you doing?”
“Well, in my family, it is a tradition to open presents before breakfast.”
“Oh,” she said, her shoulders drooping a bit as she sat opposite to him. Butler passed out the gifts. Lilly had a small pile of various sized boxes sitting in front of her. Artemis gestured for her to open her presents first. She slowly unwrapped the smallest box and found a gold diamond flower necklace (pic is here link).
“It’s a lily,” Artemis said, smiling. Lilly placed the necklace carefully back into the box and reach for the next present. She got books about different languages and a Rosetta Stone collection. She opened her last gift and gasped. In her lap sat a long box with a picture of a guitar on it.
“Rock Band 3!” she shouted. She ran around the table and hugged Artemis. “Thank you so much!”
“The PS3 is already set u pin your room.” Artemis said. He opened his gifts, then they walked into the dining room to eat. Lilly sat quietly, deep in thought. She was trying to decide whether or not to trust Artemis with a secret.
“Artemis,” she said finally.
“Yes?” He looked up from his plate.
“Do you believe in magic?”
Artemis choked on his milk. “Why?” he asked suspiciously.
“Because I think I am,” Lilly said. “Now before you say that it’s a ridiculous idea, I want to show you something.” She picked up her knife and pressed it against her skin.
“Lilly! What are you doing?” Artemis yelled, reaching over to stop her. Before he could, she cut a long horizontal slit down her arm. Blood started to run off her arm onto the table. Artemis was freaking out.
“Artemis!” Lilly screamed, getting his attention. “Watch,” she instructed. She took a deep breath. “Heal,” she said. Blue sparks started to run along the cut, sinking into her skin. Before long, the wound became a scar and then, the scar disappeared. Lilly looked up at Artemis. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his mismatched eyes were huge.
“I knew it,” he whispered.
“What?” Lilly asked, eager to know what he thought. Artemis waved his hand passively. They finished their breakfast with out another word. Artemis quickly deposited his dishes into the sink and went to his study. Lilly grabbed her presents from the living room, then trudged up to her room. She plugged in her guitar and started to play her new video game.

Artemis sat at his desk, still stunned by what Lilly had shown him at the breakfast table. His head was resting in his hands as he tried to put everything together.
“Okay,: he said aloud. “Lilly is obviously human, so she must be half fairy.” Then it all became clear. He opened a drawer on his left and pulled out a small golden ring. He placed it slowly on his middle finger and made a phone shape with his hand. He twisted the ring once and put his hand up to his ear. It started to ring.

Holly sat at a cubicle in the LEP Police Station. She was bored out of her mind. Her phone started to ring. Finally, she thought, something to do. She picked up the receiver.
“LEP Police Station, Captain Holly Short speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Holly,” a male voice came through the receiver.
“Artemis!” she exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face. “I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?”
“I’m great, Holly. But,” Oh dear, she thought, there is always a but with Artemis. “I really need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay,” she said, worried by his serious tone. “What is it?”
“No, not over the phone. Face to face.” He hung up. Holly sat there for a second, stunned. She blinked a couple of time, then got up and walked to the Commander’s office. Trouble looked up when she walked in. A small smile on his face.
“Holly,” he said. “How has your day been?” Holly and Trouble had gone on a couple of dates recently, so she decided to use his emotions for her as an advantage.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” She flashed him a flirty smile. “So, Trouble.” He loved it when she called him by his first name. “I was wondering if it would be okay for me to take a couple of days off. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and I think a trip to the surface would do me good.” Trouble’s eyes softened.
“Sure, Holly,” he said, placing his hand on hers. “Take as much time as you need.”
“Thank you, Commander.” She quickly left the room and headed to Foaly’s Ops Booth. “Hey, Foaly,” she said as she entered. The centaur looked up from his computer.
“Hey, Holly. What can I do for you?”
“I need the fastest wings you have and a shuttle.”
“Going to see Artemis?” he guessed. Holly blushed slightly.
“Yes.” Soon, Holly was sitting in a shuttle, about to launch. The heat wave hit the shuttle, sending it shooting upward. She expertly steered the giant metal sphere into the landing platform. Holly jumped out and ran through the terminal. When she reached the entrance, she quickly shielded and shot through the night sky. The open air filled her nostrils. She closed her eyes and let her automatic wings guide her to her destination. Before long, she landed quietly on the front steps of Fowl Manor. She knock gently and heard large footsteps approach the door. A giant man stood in the doorway.
“Hello, Butler,” she said with a big smile on her face.
“Hello, Holly. Artemis is in his study.”
“Thanks.” She pushed past him and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She opened the door to find Artemis leaning back in his swivel chair behind his desk, fingertips pressed together.
“Hello, Holly,” he said as she walked up to the desk.