There Must Be Something More ( Bellroc x Jim Lake's older sister Iris Lake)

Betrayal's A Cruel Blade,Part 1

Jim was sleeping peacefully. She was waiting to talk to him,to find out how he ended up like this.
Claire already knew,but Iris could tell that it would be no use to ask. The poor girl looked like she'd just watched the Earth blow up. Like her whole world was suddenly gone,leaving her lost and alone in the infinite realm of cold,empty,lifeless outer space .
Her eyes were dismayed and sorrowful,gaze shifting between her hero,and the photos she was scrolling through. All of which, were under the name of Enrique Nuñez .
A text popped up. As she was reading it,Toby burst in.
"I wish I could've stayed last night. But my Nana would've had no idea where I was ,or how I got involved with the whole Jim-in-the-woods thing. How's Jim? What did Dr. Lake say about him?"

She'd said a lot. Iris began thinking of the best way to summarize it. Toby noticed the presence of Claire.
"Hey Claire,nice to see-why are you leaving?"
She gave a sigh. " My parents are making me come back home. I have to eat breakfast...and get ready for the play...aaand all that." Another sigh.
"By the way,she knows," Iris said.
"Oh,okay,cool beans . Hey,wait,before you go,did you see what happened to Ji- "
Claire was already gone.
" Guess I'll have to chat with her later. Sheesh,her parents must be pretty tough on her. "
He looked at Iris again. " What did Dr L say?"
"Uh..."

"Jim was assaulted. Whoever is responsible,hit him on the back of his skull to knock him out. He suffered a mild TBI,a Traumatic Brain Injury, caused by blunt force from a hard object. The blow resulted in contusion and brief loss of consciousness,and subsequent dazedness and drowsiness. The assault also left some bruises on his body,including a large one on his chest. On top of getting assaulted,he has also been attacked by an animal. Its species hasn't yet been identified,but whatever this feral thing is,it left some painful scratches on him.
Fortunately,although they must've stung a lot,the scratches are even milder than his head injury. Jim's been treated and given pain meds. Don't worry when you see him,he's sleeping for a few hours so he can recover. By tomorrow morning,your brother will be perfectly fine. It isn't his injuries that are making me feel so worried. It's the question of Why. Why was he out in the woods? And What. What was he doing there?
Lastly,Who,Who did he meet with,was it by chance or intentional.
Who knocked him out,and tried to kidnap him? Did they have some kind of pet,that assisted them in their assault?
My mind is filled with all these crazy theories,and I can't stop trying to solve the mystery.
But to solve one of those,you need enough clues. Jim has all of them;tomorrow,I'm having a serious talk with him. Sorry I unloaded all that on you,I bet your head is overstuffed at this point. I have to go,I'll come visit him as soon as I can. Love you,Blossom. Bye for now. "

" Um...Doctor Mom says he's 100% okay,and that all he needed was pain meds and sleep. When he wakes up,he'll be ready for her to discharge him. "
" He's waking up right now. You feelin' alright,Jimbo?"
" I feel alright,yeah," he replied once he'd woken up fully. " Iris?"
" Yes,Jim?"
" I have a story,that I'd like to share with you. All about last night. Want to hear it?"

She felt nervous,for some reason. Jim's tone,the expression on his face. It made her feel like she'd shrunk down to the size of Sally Go-Back and was standing there staring up at him, waiting for him to breathe fire and reduce her to ashes.
Regardless,she nodded.
"It starts when Toby calls me and wakes me up,thinking that I'm staying up late too. He asked if I wanted to spend the night playing video games with him and Aaarrrgghh.
Blinky had declined to game with them,after initially agreeing to give it a try. He wanted to take home the intriguing mask they'd "borrowed" from Strickler's office,and research it via his library.
I had some stuff on my mind,that I urgently needed to discuss with everyone. Or just one thing really,one person. Enrique Nuñez,who should be comfy and safe in his crib,in his home,with his family. Not wherever,in whatever,and with what-or whoever he's trapped with in that place. I suggested ideas for getting in there,and getting him out. But,none of them were viable ones."

Jim sighed,or growled,staring down at the bed with eyes afire.
"My heart was burning. All I wanted to do,was answer Enrique's call. Blinky said he believed that one day,I would. It just couldn't be today. Or tomorrow,or the day or week after that...I mean,Blinky didn't mention two or eight days from last night,but he may as well have. Neither the Amulet nor my "strong heart ", are enough to help Enrique. "

Jim inhaled,exhaled,inhaled sharply through his nose,then continued.
"Identity Theft-Enrique shows up out of nowhere. Says he's been attacked by goblins. He dealt with them-but the rest are seeking revenge. He drops the bombshell,that this vengeful swarm thinks CLAIRE is to blame for what happened. I leave for Claire's house,trying to reach her before the goblins do..."
Toby interrupted. "NotEnrique told us that all the bridge pieces have been gathered. Blinky said we mustn't lose sight of you,since you're all they need now. He told us to protect you,so,we went after you to do that."
" Thank you," Jim said. "Back to the story...

I climb up to Claire's window. She lets me in. I explain the situation,tell her I'm the Trollhunter. I thought she'd be shocked and would struggle to believe me,treat me like a certifiable nutcase.
She said,and I quote:'Your sister and I had a talk after I broke into your basement-long story. This has something to do that "other life " of yours,doesn't it. I'm gonna listen to her. Which means trusting you,believing what you're saying, getting out of here before I'm ,well,whatever these goblins want to do to me. Assuming you're not crazy and those noises aren't raccoons,what now? What about my parents?'
I told her that they weren't after her parents,only her. We ran away from her house,and into the woods.
I was trying to lead Claire to Trollmarket,where she'd be safe. But the goblins caught up with us. I had to stop,and look for a weapon."

Iris stared at him. "Uh,Jim.What about your..."
"...Amulet? Here it is," Toby said. He pulled out of his pocket,and handed it over to its wielder.
"I...I don't understand. Jim,why didn't you have your amulet with you?"
He looked at her. Stayed silent for a moment,before answering.
" Because Strickler stole it,and replaced it with a fake."
"No. No,no no no. You're wrong. "
" Is Nomura wrong too? She told me about the fake amulet. "
"According to Blinky,Changelings are known to be liars,deceivers. There's no proof that he ...well,he is a part of the plot to open the Bridge and release Gunmar. I mean,I won't believe he helped. That he willingly played a part,rather than just being part of this against his will. Nomura's a liar. Her word is no proof ."
"Story's not over yet. Let's continue.
Claire kinda freaks out when she discovers that goblins are,indeed,a real thing. When speaking the incantation still does nothing,I see that the amulet I've got isn't the real one. Good news is,the real Amulet comes flying back ,from Deya knows where or how far away. I just had to summon it really hard.
Bad news is:After I've popped all the goblins like gross slime-balloons,Nomura leaps down from a tree to say hi.
Her greetings aren't very warm and friendly,though. Mainly,they involve handing your own butt to you on a platter. "

He took a deep breath,then spoke further. " I tell Claire to run,and thankfully,she gets away. Nomura wins our fight,and pins me under her hoof. Turns out she's not there to kill me,but to kidnap me.
After that whack to my skull,it's all fuzzy. First I'm still in the woods,and Toby and Claire are there.
The last thing I remember from yesterday night,is lying on a hospital bed under bright white lights,blurry faces hovering over mine as I'm slipping into darkness. Mom said I was going to be fine. Urged me to hold on."

"You're a fighter. Mom said that to me,the day she brought you home from this same hospital," Iris reminisced with a smile.
"She's always known how awesome you truly are,always believed in you. "
"And in return," Jim replied ,shame on his face, "I've told her a bunch of lies. I've kept half my life hidden from her."
"Do you want to tell her?" Iris asked.
He shook his head.
"No,it's not the right time. Not after what just happened. "
"We'll tell her it was coyotes," said Toby. " Six of 'em. No,more like SIXTY. RABID,MAN-EATING BEASTS,roaming the woods looking for their next victim...!"
"Aaand,how do I explain being out there in the first place?"

Toby opened his mouth to answer,but got cut off when Jim's phone notified them of a new message.
He picked it up and checked. He looked at Iris,his gaze boring into her.
"It's a voice message. From Strickler. "
Pointed teeth scraped her heart,and long cold claws trailed down the length of her spine.
Jim stared into her for a moment longer. His finger hovered over the voice message's play button.
Then,he played it.