Into the Shadows of Arcadia

Return of the Trollhunter

At Jim's house. The soft sizzle of the pan was the first thing you heard before the view of an omelet being tossed around by the one and only James Lake Jr. He smiled, flipping it a distance away from the pan and catching it while spotting his mom.

"Morning, Mom"

"Hi."

"Made your favorite breakfast."

"Sorry, kiddo. In a rush."

She walked away, not a smile, not even one hint that she was at least the slightest happy. Rejected, Jim set the omelet on the counter, his fist balling as he broke inside. She still wouldn't talk to him. Still wouldn't make eye contact with him. And it scared him. He knew that she was mad that he was shutting her out but that look reminded him why he was. The last time someone treated him like this they left him. While his dad had seen a side that he didn't even know about he had a good reason. He was a monster and if anyone else found out they would all look at him like that. 

He met up with Toby and they started to ride to school.

"She passed up your famous egg white manchego omelet?"

"Yep."

"I mean, it's been like a month, and she's still not talking to you about the whole hospital thing?"

"Not a word."

"Brutal. You know a woman is beyond angry when she starts dishing out the silent treatment."

"I don't know how to fix this unless I tell her the truth. But if I do, they'll send me to the crazy house."

At least what Toby knew as the truth. He had yet to fill his best friend in on the things that Vendal and Blinky knew. 

"Then you had to go and make things worse by promising Claire you were gonna save her brother."

"He's trapped in the Darklands. I can't just leave him there, Tobes."

"You know who else is in the Darklands? Gunmar."

"Don't remind me."

Jim kept slightly ahead of his best friend. Blinky had told him that maybe he should open up and talk to Toby about what was going on. That maybe it would be easier if he knew what Jim was so worried about. But he couldn't, Vendal had told him the probability that he was the Missing was high but their not even sure if they can prove it. Yet everything made sense. 

The dreams how it made sense and now she could understand them better. He had continued to have them and each night he remembered more of what he saw. It plagued him, he hadn't slept well for weeks. He had caught himself when frightened or frustrated, he could see his eyes change to yellow. It explained what his father saw that night. Why he was so skittish around Jim after that night. He must have seen his eyes. Seen that this boy was not his. It was a monster. But if he wasn't then he didn't have to worry about it his father was just a dead beat, the eyes were just his mind playing tricks on him and the Dream would just be a coincidence. But that was just for him to worry about and why have Toby worry about it as well. 

At school, while Jim locked up his bike and got himself prepared, Toby wiggled his eyebrows at passing ladies before looking to the side only to say.

"Oh, no. Dillweed, five o'clock."

Steve and his two friends stepped up to them, the blonde boy making an L with his fingers.

"Lake, Jumbo."

"Hey fixed your tooth. Now, all they gotta do is fix your face."

"What did you just say? When I get you alone, payback's coming. Pooh!"