THE NEXT DAY CAME AND THE TWO ALMOST STAYED UP ALL NIGHT, the two were sleeping next to the tree where they spent most of their time together.
A knock came at their front door and maya went to answer "Hello how can I help you?"
The man smiled kindly "my name is Richard I'm looking for my son and he's been gone all night. Have you seen him?"
"Hey dad." A tired Marc said to the man at the door.
Elizabeth felt herself wake up at the word she didn't expect the two of them to already be on those terms, she hasn't called either maya or John by those terms yet, and she's known them for more than a month.
Richard saw Elizabeth and knew who she was immediately, "you must be Elizabeth right? Marc talks about you alot."
She smiled kindly and shook his hand "nice to meet you to Sir. "
"Please call me Richard. " he told her knowing that he didn't want formalities between him and his sons bestfriend. "I'll see you in the car Marc. Sorry if I bothered any of you."
Marc turned to liz with a goofy smile on his features "if I knew you would be this nice with my dad around, I would have told him to come with earlier!"
She chuckled and shoved him lightly "go! Chances are you are 100% grounded."
He smirked "if it means not seeing you I'm fine with it" he said jokingly before running off "see ya!"
Shaking her head at his childishness she mumbled "how am I? The youngest?" Maya gave Elizabeth a knowing look "what?"
"Are you and Marc a thing?"
Elizabeth choked on her own spit at her words "what no! He's like a big brother!" She yelled flustered, the only relationship she held towards Marc was a familial relationship.
Before she could close the front door she heard toby and Jim shout out.
"Liz wait!"
Opening the door again she asked "what? What's wrong?"
"There's an emergency in..." Toby noticed that her mother was behind her and Elizabeth's hand motions.
Jim interjected "the place with the thing! Not even an emergency actually!"
Maya allowed for Elizabeth to go and they immediately rushed to troll market. Jim took the chance to ask her about last night "why didn't you respond? "
"What?" She asked genuinely confused as to what he meant.
"We called like a thousand times! You didn't respond at all!" Toby said slightly disappointed.
She didn't realise from how much time she spent with Marc that she forgot what they were doing "I think I had my phone on silent, sorry guys.." she apologised feeling bad for ditching them.
Jim huffed and pedalled faster "whatever..."
Confused she turned to toby "it's everything okay? Did something happen to jim?"
Toby sighed as he shook his head "no... it's just his birthday. His least favorite day of the year."
"He might have his reasons?"
"Maybe, but listen I have a plan and you need to go with it!"
Intrigued she listened to what he had to say.
_______________
The three of them watched as chaos, not chaos chaos, but chaos erupted in the forge with aaarrrgghh going mad.
Jim was prepared in his armor while Elizabeth wasn't "i thought aaarrrgghh was at your house!"
Toby didn't listen and screamed dragging liz and Blinky with him while Jim saw Aaarrrgghh try and attack him. He walked back but was stopped by a blade that Elizabeth lifted inconspicuously.
"Oh my gosh was it the kitty litter!?" He asked before being grabbed by Aaarrrgghh who roared in his face.
Behind him he saw the platform lift with balloons all around it "what the!?"
All the trolls and Elizabeth and toby yelled surprise.
"Happy birthday master jim!"
"What?" Jim was still afraid of aaarrrgghh as he lifted him up onto his shoulder.
"Good actor."
Blinky walked up to the two "tobias informed us of your human surprise birthday customs. Are you not surprised?"
Jim was still at a loss for words "Uh. .. that would be a word for it..."
"I was convincing" aaarrrgghh said placing jim down.
"16 years! A propitious mile stone! 16 is when young trolls master command of their bowels" Blinky said enthusiastically.
They all winced in disgust, Elizabeth turned to jim kissing his cheek "happy birthday jim! If you had told me sooner I would have gotten you a present" She said laughing lightly but stopped when she saw jim freeze in his place "um jim?" Her and toby stood infront of him as the waved their hands trying to get his attention, his face was flushed and Elizabeth gasped "did I? Did I break him?"
He finally gained his focus back "oh yeah! Haha thanks lizzie!" He said trying to hide the growing joy he was feeling.
"The heroes forge!" Vendel yelled disappointed at how it has been defamed "sacred proving ground of trollhunters and chaoswielders past, present, and future, reduced to mockery." He said scowling and popping Jim's balloon.
"Balloons," aaarrrgghh said before biting one "pop!"
"You will remove them at once, I don't want anything delaying their training" he stated before leaving.
Jim was shocked to see that he didn't ask about last night "he didn't mention Claires brother." He asked Blinky but Elizabeth was intrigued to know.
"Why would he?" She asked.
"Last night we found that Claires brother was actually a Changeling. " Jim summarised for her still sad that she wasn't there.
"Oh, how can one night feel like I just missed a whole month?"
Jim mumbled something along the lines of "you wouldn't feel like that if you didn't forget about the mission."
She narrowed her eyes at jim as she saw his lips moving but couldn't quite make up what he was saying. "Vendel doesn't believe we have a chance, masters. He certainly won't simply take my word. That Claires brother has been replaced with one" Jim and liz flinched at the sound of a balloon popping. Blinky held both Elizabeth and Jim at his sides "but he's right about your training, and what better way to celebrate Jim's birthing day that to work on forestalling his dying day."
A few moments later jim and Elizabeth were chasing arrrgh but they were not allowed to use their abilities. "If you are without your Weapons! The environment can be your Weapon! "
Elizabeth saw the glint of a blade from the corner of her eye, she used the wall to help her boost up off of it and jump over the blade while Jim narrowly dodged it.
Aarrrrggh climbed up one of the blades that were lifting upwards Elizabeth was quick on her feet and climbed onto another blade while Jim appeared to be lost.
"Master jim, does not appear to be himself, I expected the celebration of his birthing day to add some spring to his step" Blinky said confused about Jim's performance.
"Birthdays really aren't Jim's thing" Toby pointed out.
Elizabeth jumped from platform to platform with ease and hope in her steps while Jim remained in a struggle to climb up. "For creatures with such a short lifespan I would think they would be cherished, my Elizabeth seems to have enough energy to heal her amulet right away!" Blinky stated while observing the two who had a striking contrast to their training.
Toby scoffed lightly before saying "it's because an old friend of hers came back, of course! She's more confident today!" As he explained her excessive energy "but jim, for him they don't matter because they remind him of the day his dad disapeared."
Blinky clearly didn't get the hint "interesting. I did not know Jim's father was a magician."
Toby sighed as he felt sadly said "mm, not 'magic' disapeared. More like 'walked out cause he's a dead beat' disapeared." He spoke solemnly "I'd just moved into the house across the street, and Jim's dad got him a Sweet bike kit for his birthday. And then he just took off. The pieces laid there in the garage for years. Last I heard the guy ran off with his girlfriend to be a ski bum in vermont."
Blinky looked at jim sadly upon hearing his unfortunate story "what a horrible tragedy, made even more horrible that I had no idea." He recalled what Elizabeth was called 'Elizabeth the parentless' and questioned toby "what about lady Elizabeth? She doesn't seem to want anyone to know her parents."
He sighed in response "Shes an orphan like me, but she never said how she ended up being one."
The blue troll sighed sadly but saw how both Elizabeth and Jim were cooperating to gain the upper hand on aaarrrgghh "Yes! That's how you-"
Jim fell off the swinging axes that him and lizzie were standing on but was caught by Aaarrrgghh before falling.
"Gotcha"
Elizabeth pursed her lips as she saw how infuriated jim was but gasped when she felt the amulet begin to drain her again wincing in pain before slipping off of the swinging axe and grabbing onto it with one hand.
Once it had been a safe distance for her to drop down she let go and fell ungracefully onto her back groaning she sat up "great that's happening again."
Jim helped her up "that was some great teamwork we did huh?"
Smiling she answered "sure was partner." Nudging his shoulder lightly.
_______________
After a while both Elizabeth and toby waited for jim to join them in an alley way next to a shop. They were excited for what they toby had in store for jim.
Elizabeth had a different present which she didn't know was worth his while and kept it hidden in her satchel, but she played some part in this by having a back up plan just in case.
Toby chuckled as he held on tightly onto the file he had "Thanks for pitching in with your chaos."
She bit her lip unsure of whether or not to do this "this can't be too selfish right? I mean I am only using it for jim?"
He hugged her side "of course it isn't! It's a kind gesture but remember the back up plan incase he says no!"
Nodding her head she wrapped her arms around her self as she felt an odd presence above them, looking up she narrowed her eyes suspiciously but ignored it thinking that it was just jim near by.
Jim met them in the alley way and they stood side by side with wide smiles "all right chief. Ready for your birthday gifts?" As he joyfully swung from side to side while holding a folder.
"Are we gonna sue someone?" He asked jokingly.
"Nah, that's next year's gift. Hey give me your wallet."
Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly "um I think you have the idea of a gift wrong toby"
He smiled her way "I've got it wired lizzie. Now jim give me your wallet"
The two others shared a confused glance with one another before jim gave toby his wallet.
As he looked through his wallet he pulled out what seemed to be an ID of some kind then told the two to follow, Jim looked towards Elizabeth "do you know what he's trying to do?"
"Not really... but I know half of it and I know you need to go see it to find out." She said smiling towards him.
He sighed and followed toby but stopped when she grabbed his wrist gently.
"Um jim is actually have a separate gift for you." She said her cheeks turning slightly red, he listened as she reached into her satchel "Listen I am not the best gift giver since I'm new to this entire thing but I really hope you like it."
She pulled out a blue rocky charm that glowed slightly "I used some of my chaos to enchant it slightly" she said while placing it in his hand gently "hope you don't mind that"
He observed in his hands and looked at it in awe as it glowed "it's amazing! What does it do?"
Her face lit up knowing that he liked the gift "it's to sort of a memory catcher, the most precious of your memories end up in there it's not dangerous! I think" She said unsurely.
He placed the charm in his jacket before pulling her into a quick hug "Thank you for giving me the first memory liz." He said.
Thankfully she smiled back at him "Anytime jim." They stood in silence but we're interupted by Toby.
"Come on lovebirds! Follow!"
Their faces visibly reddened and Elizabeth rushed to get away before he had noticed.
_________________
After a while of trying to convince the seller into letting jim test the vespa he finally agreed. Liz and toby watched happily as they saw him drive away
When Elizabeth looked at toby she noticed her staring at her with a knowing smirk but she was confused "what?"
"You know, what? You like jim" he said while poking her side, nudging him away she was quick to deny.
"What!? No I dont" She said not sure of her answer "and besides jim likes Claire! "
Toby sighed before walking away "teenagers..."
Her face was red as she yelled after him "What's that supposed to mean!?"
She heard white noise echo in her head and she grew worried 'something isn't right!' Turning to where jim drove off to. She decided that she would do some training until he finished but still felt at unease.
_________________
Elizabeth used her time for training to meditate and tap in to senses that she hasn't managed to access before, in a meditating pose she levitate in mid air while her hair flowed around her.
Her fists pressed together with wisps of purple dancing around her, she felt the amulet drain her but she did not feel weakness overwhelm her. After taking her body back from valoor she figured out that he had used his time to heal the amulet but she didn't understand how he managed to conjure up so much energy to near heal it.
Opening her eyes she let her spirit leave her body but knew that she was currently trapped in time. Leaving her body she searched her dark surroundings and noticed the many encounters shared with both trollhunter and chaoswielder.
But to her shock she found an interaction between Dandril and Agnar. Curious she followed the as they seemed to be walking some where.
'The memories of your past predecessors are open to you, but you must learn to unlock them'
Recalling Drayas words she flyed after them but stopped when they went through a wall which she could not pass through no matter how hard she tried, a loud roar emitted from behind it and she jumped away in fear.
Before she could try any further Jim's voice was heard screaming "Jim? "
Flying back to her body she opened her eyes to find jim trying to shake her awake.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
"I'm up!" She said steadying his hands "is everything okay?" She noticed in how much of a panic he was in.
In between breaths he told her "Stalkling. Attacked me... in daylight!" He told but his words didn't make sense to her.
Placing her hands gently on his shoulder she pulled him down with her and they sat down on the forge grounds "Jim. .. breathe..." she gestured with her hand slow movements in hopes of them calming him down.
He sighed after he finally managed to catch his breathe "okay.. a few moments ago when I was on the vespa, a stalkling! A-a winged troll attacked me.
She narrowed her eyes in confusion "but trolls can't withstand light."
"I said the same thing! But-" he was cut off when they heard Blinky tell them.
"Stalklings are the only species of troll immune to the effects of sunlight lady Elizabeth" he told her as he walked towards the two.
Elizabeth visibly slouched "oh, great another thing to be worried about." She said in slight disappointment.
"If it weren't for master Jim's bravery he would have been disembowled" he told telling them of Jim's possible fate. She cringed lightly in fear and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder as he grew afraid "but fear not! As long as lady Elizabeth or Tobias are by your side you shall be alright" he said assuring the visibly worried teen.
They both got up and Elizabeth got rid of her armor, "want me to walk you home?" She said in comfort to him.
He half smiled at her "Yeah, yeah I would really like that."
_________________
The next day came and Elizabeth and Toby made sure that jim wasn't alone at all.
They waited by Jim's locker for him to gather his belongings, Tobys phone buzzed and he groaned out "ugh, this vespa guy keeps calling about paying for the damage! "
Jim slammed his locker in anger "ugh the mirror he noticed?"
Toby wanted to seem as kind as possible with his next words "you know the $328.32 you saved up? He wants all of it."
He sighed and facepalmed because of his stupidity, Elizabeth pitched in, hoping to make things a bit better "would have been a great time for the back up plan huh?"
Toby turned to her "by any chance could you wipe his memory about it"
"I would but unfortunately I don't know whether or not that's possible tobes." She said adjusting her grasp on the books she held, turning to jim she asked "how are you doing with the whole stalkling thing hunting you?"
"I'll live. I'll just never be alone again."
She chuckled "you make it sound like a bad thing."
They laughed along with her but stopped when jim gasped upon seeing Claire walk up to him "Claire I. .. thought you said you weren't ever going to speak to me again?"
Toby and Elizabeth slowly backed away "well looks like you got a chaperone. Adios! "
As they walked Elizabeth waved to eli who hadn't talked to her in a while, he didn't return it and scurried off into the other direction groaning she asked "Valoor sure made it his job to make me seem like the most horrible person ever if I came back huh?"
"Yep" he answered patting her back comfortingly.
"My foster parents don't even trust me anymore! It's only a matter of time before they send me back" the words hurt to say as she recalled all the times her families threw her out and back into the orphanage "like everyone else has."
Toby looked up at her sadly "hey you never talk about your real parents, why?"
She was hesitant to tell him and thinned her lips before telling him "I never even met them to tell you anything about them"
His eyes widened slightly as they sat down together on the front bench but Elizabeth seemed distant "my parents... my real parents left me the day I was born! I don't even have a last name to even look for them!"
"Thats why you use your foster parents last name?" He asked sadly. Nodding her head she looked at the ground away from him "you know you are probably the closest thing I have to a sister slash best friend" he told her hoping to make her feel better.
She looked up at him with a weak smile "and you are probably the best second brother slash best friend of all time." She said teasingly.
"What!? Who has first place?" He asked in denial as sheet began to get on her bike.
"Marc of course!" She chuckled before racing him back home.
"Hey wait!"
He finally managed to caught up with the speedy blonde and asked if she wanted to spend time with him and Aaarrrgghh playing games, she gladly agreed but did not tell her parents causing them to worry.
"Shes late!"
Maya got up and tried to calm him down "she probably has something to do."
"She has been like this for weeks maya! It is getting concerning how many times she does that!" He yelled but calmed himself not wanting to yell at his wife "I'm sorry.. but I have been too patient. She barely spends time with us anymore."
Maya pursed her lips because she knew he was saying the hard truth "this might be her getting used to having one home, and she's a teen! She's unpredictable John. "
He sighed and rubbed his forehead "when she's getting back home I'm giving her a stern talking to"
"John..."
He ignored her and went upstairs "I'm gonna get some work done."
_________________
Both toby and Aaarrrgghh played while Elizabeth observed not wanting to interupt the fun time they were sharing. She felt an odd wave of pain hit her head, feeling as if so many wrong things were happening at once.
"I gotta learn to control this" she told herself quietly, feeling her phone buzz in her pocket she pulled it out surprised to see that it was Jim.
"Liz! It's following me and I'm alone! All alone!" She gasped and unplugged Tobys tv immediately earning a disapproving glare from the two but she ignored it.
"Jim's in trouble!"
With that they ran out of the house as quick as they could.
________________
Elizabeth quickly doned her armor but froze when she saw that thing lift jim up into the air.
The other to caught up with her and she showed them where he was "up there!"
"How do we get up there!?" Toby asked.
"No wings!"
Elizabeth didn't know what to do because she was close to useless on the ground, and going into spiritual form would do nothing.
Jim struggled as he tried to hit the stalkling with his sword but it dodged him by constantly throwing him around.
The only thing keeping jim conscious was the sound of the thunder rumbling. He recalled their training yesterday as Blinkys words echoed in his mind.
'You don't need a weapon! Your environment can sometimes be the weapon!'
Jim hit the stalklings leg letting go of one hand.
"If I go we go!"
The lightning electrocuted the both of them, Knocking out jim and killing the stalkling. Jim plummeted below.
Toby watched in horror and urged for aaarrrgghh to catch him "hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"
Aaarrrgghh leapped and caught jim before it was too late. Elizabeth wass still in a panic. Not believing what just happened.
They ran to jim, he was still twitching from the electric shock that he has just went through.
She got closer but stood a fair distance away and she was glad she did that for his sword was a mere few feet away from hitting her.
They saw as the stalkling shattered into thousands of pieces, looking over the edge jim stated "this is why I don't like birthdays."
_________________
They all stood in the forge as Blinky held his hands over Jim's eyes "this better not be another surprise. Because I really think I can't handle anymore."
Elizabeth, Toby, and Aaarrrgghh gave one another excited glances waiting for for the reveal. Blinky told jim "now, now, there's only a few more minutes left to your birthing day. Time for one more present."
Jim hesitantly opened his eyes but a quick grin formed on his features upon seeing the sight "I know it doesn't look like much."
"Wait that's a 150 GS. four speed gearbox, classic long saddle original handle bar headlamp unit! " He said excitedly "these are the pieces of a 1955 vespa!"
Blinky chuckled lightly and asked "I thought perhaps one day we could build it together. After your training of course! "
Jim ran to Blinky and hugged him tightly "Thank you thank you this is the best I've ever gotten." He pulled away upon feeling a buzz in his pocket and saw the present that Elizabeth gave him glow.
She smiled "he made another memory." She told herself. Her phone buzzed and she quickly answered it.
"Hello?"
"Elizabeth? Where are you!? It's getting late!" John's voice came through the other end, anger clearly visible in his tone "you better be on your way back!"
Before she could say anything else he hung up, she was afraid because she had never heard him speak like that. Fearing the worst she grabbed her bag.
"I gotta go guys! Have fun!" She said before running out of the forge before teleporting outside and rushing home.
As soon as she got there she left her bike on the front lawn and rushed in "is everything okay!?"
She stopped when she saw them both waiting for her in the living room, Maya was disappointed while John was furious.
"You were gone for the whole day."
Elizabeth tried to find the quickest answer "well um it was my friends birthday today."
John scoffed "is it his birthday everyday? "
She was shocked by his remark immediately realising how far she had gone without consequences until today "I'm sorry..."
"Elizabeth sorry isn't enough. Me and john have been worried sick everytime you get home late." Maya said her voice saddened and disappointed by her.
She sighed and hung her head as she stood infront of the two quietly waiting for their decision, that was already all too familiar with her.
Maya spoke up gently "unfortunately you give us no choice but to keep you grounded for a week."
Elizabeth's eyes flew open not in shock but in disbelief "you're grounding me?"
"Yes, it's the only way we might get through to you. " John said patiently waiting for her teenage outburst.
"They're grounding me" she told herself still in utter disbelief, a smile made its way up onto her face "you guys are grounding me!"
The two looked at her in confusion "this is not the reaction we were hoping for..."
Elizabeth stopped her triumphant dancing and stopped "right... Aww man, why would you do that?" She said acting as if she was against it "well I guess you guys will have to deal with me being around for a week! "
She walked up the stairs with a solemn look in her face but as soon as she was out of their sight she resumed her triumphant dance "Yes! !!"
They remained confused "well not the reaction we were hoping for but as long as there are no outbursts I'm fine with that." He said before falling back against the couch.
Maya chuckled and looked up stairs "Shes a very... odd. kid isn't she?"
If only she knew....