Half-Sister // Trollhunters

/1/

It was a sunny day in Arcadia. Jim was peacefully making breakfast while his mother sat at the table. It's been seven weeks after Jim got the amulet and he was already finding it difficult to juggle both lives. Being a Trollhunter, a son, a friend, and a student. It was getting hard for him to handle.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Barbara stood up from her chair. "I'll go see who it is." She said before heading towards the front door. Jim continued making his famous egg white manchego omelet as his mother opened the door. "Hello?"

"Good morning miss, sorry to disturb you." A man in a police uniform said. Jim, not recognizing the voice peeked out of the kitchen to see who it was. Behind the policeman stood a girl, maybe two years younger than Jim. Her dark blue eyes were glazed over, dull, emotionless. Her lips pressed in a thin line and her dark brown hair bunched up in a sloppy bun.

"Um, may I help you with something?" Barbara asked in confusion.

"Are you Barbara Lake?" The officer asked and she nodded her head in response. "I am Officer Montes of the Arcadia Oaks Law Enforcement. May we come in?" The officer asked.

"Yes, of course, come inside." Barbara said as she stepped aside so they could enter. The girl trailed behind the officer. She was tense and she occasionally glanced at her surroundings in mild curiosity but other than that her expression remained blank. Barbara then offered the two to sit on the sofa and they did so.

Jim entered the room, curious as to what was going on. He sat down next to his mother who was sitting across from their new house guests. "There are some matters of importance I wish to discuss with you." Officer Montes said.

"Has Jim done something wrong?" Barbara asked, earning a look of disbelief from her son.

"Not that I'm aware of." The officer chuckled and shook his head. "No, this is about your ex-husband." Barbara and Jim were confused and a little annoyed. Eleven years passed by with no mention of James, so it was only natural for them to be a bit angry. They were even more confused though at the officer's next sentence. "And his daughter." Montes put his hand on the girl's shoulder. She looked away, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze.

"Daughter?" Jim asked as he looked over at the girl.

"This is Annabelle. Daughter of your husband and his girlfriend Janet. Born on the fifth of January, 2001."

Barbara gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Tears started collecting in her eyes. Jim was born in 2000. James left them on Jim's fifth birthday. So that could only mean one thing. "He was having an affair? Are you saying he was sleeping with another woman?" Barbara asked in disbelief. The officer gave a sad nod, confirming Barbara's worst nightmare. She covered her face as she cried, unable to remain calm after the news.

Jim put a comforting hand on his mother's back. The girl, Annabelle, looked down at her feet, feeling a tad bit guilty. Even if it wasn't her fault, she still felt bad. She didn't want to feel bad though. She didn't want to feel anything. So she tried her best to ignore the woman's cries.

Once Barbara finally started to calm down and she looked over at Annabelle. She felt a small stab of hate toward the girl but she quickly realized it wasn't the girl's fault. It was her own fault for not knowing any of this. Jim also looked over at the girl, who is actually his half-sister.

"I'm sorry that this is how you had to find out." The officer said sincerely. "But your ex-husband kicked Annabelle out of the house a few weeks ago. She has no other family. If you can't take her in we understand. Just know that she will be put into foster care so we can find an appropriate home for her."

Barbara sniffled and rubbed her eyes which were now red from all her crying. "This... this is too much for me." She mumbled.

"Can we have some time to take this all in?" Jim asked, knowing his mother needed time to digest the news.

"Absolutely. Take all the time you need. But we can't keep her at the police station forever." He said before standing. "Give me a call when you've made your decision." He handed Barbara a small card with his personal number so she can reach him at any time. Annabelle stood and followed Officer Montes out the front door.

Once they got back into the police car Annabelle sighed and slumped down in the passenger seat. "Don't worry. The people in this town are really nice. Once they clear their heads they'll accept you with open arms. I'm sure of it." The officer said but Anna didn't believe him one bit.