𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 10 | Down for Dinner?

Liz Walker POV

Down the street, the three humans walked with their bikes. It would have been easier if Liz teleported them to their homes, but she didn't want to spook them after everything that happened tonight. It's been a long day for everyone. Despite this, Liz remains guarded during their walk.

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into?" Jim says, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Um...trolls, cool underground city, indigenous gemforms, Heartstone?" Toby listed excitedly and nudged his friend. "What you've gotten yourself into is total awesome-mania, man!"

"If I survive." Jim points out.

"Come on! You're going to get trained by the best. " Toby says, gesturing to Liz walking behind them. "Liz and Blinky is --"

Jim interjected. "His last guy got torn limb from limb...on his first night!"

"Hey, at least you got a butt-kicking guardian angel to defend you." Toby points out. Then a thought came to mind, looking over his shoulder at said guardian angel. "Speaking of guardian angels, Liz, how did you become the Guardian in the first place? And how were you able to be accepted by trolls as a human? They seem alright with you."

"It's a long story. But long story short, I was rescued by Kanjigar from a car crash caused by Bular ten years ago. He brought me into Heartstone Trollmarket and raised me there. It was hard at first, of course, since trolls were not used to a human living among them, but eventually, I gained their acceptance. More so, after I was chosen as Guardian and they came to respect me as their protector. Since then, I've been training and fighting alongside Kanjigar until I was sent out to investigate a Heartstone growing in New Jersey. I was living there for the past two years until I came back to Arcadia." Liz casually explains. 

"Wow, sounds like you went through a lot," Jim says, silently telling himself that it was no longer a coincidence that Liz could be who he thinks she is. His long-lost childhood friend, Lizzie. She has to be. He was sure of it. "What was your life before you were rescued by Kanjigar?"

Liz brows furrowed at the question, having been wondering herself about that for years. "To be honest, I can't remember my time before the crash. It's like...a blur to me. I think I had dreams about them, but I always end up not remembering most of them. Only bits and pieces."

Jim's heart sunk at her response. No wonder she never recognized him and his mom. She is an amnesiac. There has to be a way to get her to remember her past. He has to. But how?

"What do you remember--" Jim begins to ask, but Toby interrupts him, noticing Barbara's parked car. "Oh, no! Looks like your mom's home."

Immediately, Toby thinks of a plausible excuse. "Okay, quick, I was bike-jacked by three--no, make it seven--members of the Bratva. That's the Russian mob. And then, you broke into their hideout to try to save me--"

"Or I could tell her your bike got hit by a car, but you're totally fine," Jim suggests. Thinking about it, Toby nods. "That works, too, I guess."

"Night, Tobes," Jim says as Liz says her goodbye as well. "Good night, Toby."

"Night, you two. See you guys tomorrow!" Toby replies, waving goodbye as he walks towards the familiar green house across the street. So Toby lives there. But why does that house seem so familiar to her?

"Liz?" Jim calls out to her. She turns her head away from the house toward Jim. "Yeah?"

Jim rubs the back of his neck. "Thanks for, uh, saving me back there with Bular. I would have been a goner if it wasn't for you."