CHAPTER XIII
hidden secrets.
"Whoo! C-minus." Toby celebrates.
"What about you Claire?" you asked.
"C-plus. What did you get Jim?" she replied and turns to her boyfriend.
"D, and probably summer school." he answers, sighing after.
"Ouch." you tease.
"Señor Uhl said that next week's final counts as twenty percent of our grades." Claire informs.
"Well that's great. There's still hope for Jim." you pointed out even when it's obvious.
You stopped, parking your bicycles in front of the Lake's house, then came in.
"But how will I study?" asked Jim.
"Let's bring our books to training, multitasking couldn't hurt that much." Claire suggested.
As soon as you stopped chatting, you all noticed and look at a purse hanging by the staircase.
"Mom?" Jim calls out.
"In here, kids!" you heard a reply to your right.
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Dr. Lake crosses her arms.
"Oh, hello." you heard an elderly woman say. Looking over to the side, you looked at your aunt, uncle, and Toby's nana, Mrs. Domzalski.
You all let out an awkwardly laugh and wave over them as a sign of greetings. Then, you all looked at Jim's mother, Miss Barbara Lake.
"We need to talk." she said, sternly.
"Those four words are never good." Toby mumbles.
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As the four of you are seated in separate seats, letting the adult to talk amongst themselves.
"Barbara, what's going on?" your aunt asked Barbara, "In the phone you said our children's lives were in trouble."
"My Toby-pie would never be in trouble. He's an angel." Toby's nana defended.
"Actually, Mrs. Domzalski, I'm afraid they're in serious danger, but it'd be best if they explain. Kids?" Dr. Lake sent y'all a glare with her last word.
As the adults await for you to speak, Claire is the first one to talk, "Uh, I don't know what she's talking about." she denied.
"Neither do I." Toby went along. "Jimbo!" he elbows Jim, "Maybe you could help us out?"
"Umm... uh..." Jim stammers.
"It's the drugs, isn't it?" your uncle steps in.
Dr. Lake turns to him and corrects him, "It's not drugs, it's trolls."
Toby, Claire, and Jim gasp in unison.
"The internet! I knew it." uncle says and sat back down on the couch.
"Not internet trolls, real trolls." Dr. Lake told.
The three adults look at one another, in no time, laughter fills the room. Not wanting to get caught, the four teens decided to join in.
"Trolls? Barbara -" the elderly women takes a sip of her tea and ask, "Are you on drugs?"
"No. There are these creatures that live beneath us. it's not entirely clear in my head, but our kids are helping them and fighting them." Barbara explains.
"Oh no," your uncle whispers, "It is the drugs." he said to his wife.
"I believe you, Barbara." Ophelia stood up from her seat.
"You do?" she asked.
"I, too, have dealt with stress and anxiety and have the number to an excellent therapist." aunt concluded.
"It's not stress, Ophelia." Barbara waves off.
Toby laughs, "Hahaha. Trolls living beneath us? What? That's crazy town banana pants fosters."
Claire joins in, "With extra nuts." she adds.
Dr. Lake turns towards her son, "Jim, tell them... please." she pleads.
"Uhh.. um..." Jim sighs, "The hospital asked her to take some time off."
Javier: "Oh, no."
"Oh, dear." said Mrs. Domzalski.
"What?!" Barbara shouts in confusion. She gave the teens a stern look and march over to your belongings. "Look in their bags, search them! I'm sure you'll find a few surprises." she throws Claire's bag over to your aunt and uncle, while she threw Toby's to his nana. She searches Jim's bag and throw his amulet on the coffee table.
You sigh in relief and thought, 'Good thing I don't have one.'
"Mom." Jim protested.
"That's an invasion of my privacy!" Claire says over to her parents.
"Nana, don't!" Toby runs over to his grandmother.
"Oh, my." Mrs. Domzalski exclaim as she hold out Toby's war hammer.
"I don't know what's going on, but what do you call this?" your uncle Javier took out a protractor from Claire's bag.
"That's a protactor, Dad." Claire answers.
"I think he meant this." her mother told, holding out Claire's shadow staff. Then Ophelia turn towards you, "Are you in this too, Y/N?"
"Nope," I lied, "I am not included in their... play."
"A play?" your aunt repeats.
"Yeah, we're... LARpers. We're LARPers. Live Action Role Players. We play a fantasy game during lunchtime." Claire invented.
"Yeah. She's a sorceress, that's her wand," Toby points to Claire's staff. "And I'm a war king. That's a thing, right? And Jim has a metal... He's a metalizer."
"They're lying, this is not make-believe." Ms.Lake insisted.
Jim walk away from the living room, followed by his mother.
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"Our parents deserves to know what we do at night." Jim tells.
"What do you do at night with my niece and daughter?!" your uncle enrages.
"We fight trolls." Jim confesses.
Uncle sighs in relief, "Well, at least that's better then the alternative." Ophelia smacks her husband over to the chest, causing him to grunt. "What?" he says, looking towards her.
"Everything that my mother said is true. I am - I mean, we are... Trollhunters." he clarifies, standing straight up.
"Ta-da!" said Toby.