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The first thing Madison remembers after shooting wildly at whatever-the-freak-that-was was looking down at Artemis. Her body was on the ground, limp and seemingly lifeless. Her red hair was splayed out on the ground and falling over her face and clothes, which were tattered and worn. “No, no no no no-” Madison rushed over, stumbling over herself and placed a delicate hand on her back, searching desperately for any sign of life, and was relieved to feel the steady rise and fall of her chest. She withdrew her hand and picked Artemis up bridal style, holding her close to her body.
Everything after that was a bit of a blur. Something about Dr. Henry Edwards coming in and examining her, ruling her uninjured (although the cut on her knee begged to differ), belching in a severely undignified manner, and leaving her alone with Artie yet again. At this point, the adrenaline was wearing off. Madison looked down and saw that her hands were shaking and clammy, and her legs felt weak and like jelly. She slowly moved over to the mirror, where she could clearly see that her face was pale as a ghost, and her breathing was rapid. She leaned onto the dresser and focused on her breathing. After a moment, she looked back up into the mirror and saw Artemis laying down behind her, sprawled out on the bed, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly agape in slumber. In different circumstances that didn’t involve large canine figures and dead brothers, this could be quite domestic. The light was low and comforting in the Dead Canary, and the smell of burning wood and food drifted in from under the door.
There was something about her that she couldn’t really place. Was it her confidence? Her passion? Maybe it was her kindness. Madison wasn’t quite sure, but she did know that something about Artemis attracted her. Her steely gray eyes and her decisive and methodological way of thinking was akin to her namesake, she supposed. There was always something mysterious about her. She just showed up one day, wanting to interview her little hometown and talk about it in her podcast. Of course, Madison had her suspicions at first, but those were quickly stored away in place of some new feeling. Warm and fuzzy. She felt safe around Artemis and wanted to protect her. And seeing her unconscious on the ground after running for her life- it made her feel like a failure. No, no that wasn’t it. It was something worse than that. Something that made her heart drop to her toes and her scream get caught in her throat. And when Artemis sticks up for her in town meetings? It made her heart soar. She may not have known Artemis long, but she knows that Artemis does not break her journalistic integrity for any random joe in a town. So, that begs the question, does Artemis like her? Well, she’s certainly friends with Madison, so that’s something at least. But is there more than that? A part of her, no matter how guilty, wishes that there is. But alas, life cannot be that simple. How would the people react if she, Madison Reynolds, got together with the journalist reporting on their town? The people would FLIP. They would claim biased reporting and fraudulent schemes, and she couldn’t do that to Artemis. She could lose her job.
She stood up and walked over to the chair by Artemis’s bed, and sat down with a sigh with her head in her hands. She wasn’t shaking anymore, but she was exhausted. Propping her chin on the palm of her hand, she looked over at Artie, sleeping peacefully and in fresh pajamas. And for the first time in almost a week, she felt at peace.