Eclipse: A TrollHunters Fanfiction

Chapter Four: The Fetch

It had been a month.  A month since Jim had gone into the Darklands.  A month since Arrrgh had died and Toby hated every single second of it.  Strickler had moved into Jim's house to keep an eye on Barbara, but Draal still kept watch from his place in the basement.  Strickler still had work, so Draal kept an eye on the place while the changeling was gone. 

Toby was sitting in class, head in his hands and staring blankly at the board.  He wasn't really listening to the lesson, he just let his mind wander.  He thought about Jim, about how he was doing in the DarkLands.  He wondered if he'd found Claire's brother yet.  If he'd seen Gunmar.  If he had—Toby was broken out of his thoughts Claire slamming her head into the desk next to him with a groan.

"Claire?" He asked with a soft tilt of his head, reaching over to rub her shoulder soothingly.  Claire grumbled a bit.

"Do you think Jim is ever going to come back?" She whispered, turning her head so her cheekbone was pressing into the desk.  Her watery, fear-filled eyes stared into his.

"He has to," Toby said, stomach twisting at the thought of Jim never coming out from that bridge.  "If he doesn't kill Gunmar, then..."

"Domzalski, Nuñez!" They jolted up straight when Coach Lawrence, who was teaching them about the cardiovascular system, yelled their names.

"Perhaps you two can name the four chambers of the heart and what they do." He barked, putting his hands on his hips and waiting for their answer.  Toby groaned and Claire flipped through her open textbook.

"Well, the left atrium-" Claire was stopped mid-sentence when Principal Strickler entered the room.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, Coach Lawrence, but I need to have a word with Mr. Domzalski and Ms. Nuñez," Strickler said cooly.  Claire and Toby glanced at each other before they hurriedly gathered all of their things.  The eyes of everyone in the classroom watched them as they did so, following them as they left.  Strickler smiled down at them as he held the door open for them as they exited.

"Continue on, Coach Lawrence," Strickler mused with a smile. "I believe Mr. Palchuck may know the answer." Steve's eyes went wide as he jolted with the mention of his name.  He was already leaning back in his chair, the force of his jolt nearly sending him to the floor.  Strickler chuckled as he watched, leaving the room and closing the door behind himself.

"So what's this about?" Claire asked once the door shut, adjusting where her strap sat on her shoulder.  Strickler fell into stride beside them, since the teens had already started walking towards his office.

"Blinky just informed me that something came through the Fetch today." He hummed, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Did Gunmar choose another changeling?" Claire nearly growled.  That would be yet another problem they would have to deal with. Strickler shook his head.  He unlocked the door to his office and held it open for the two students. They stepped inside and watched as Strickler pulled a wallet and a set of keys out of a drawer, placing them on his desk.  Claire's eyes went wide once she saw them.

"Those...those are-"

"Jim's!" Toby yelled, running and picking up the wallet. He opened it and was met with the smiling face of Jim on his learner's permit. 

"These must be the keys to his house and Vespa," Claire said, scooping them up.  She looked down at the Gun Robot keychain on the carabiner and sighed.

"It appears so," Strickler said, taking a seat behind his desk and fiddling with his fingers.

"So these just...fell through the Fetch?" Claire asked while she tucked the keys into her bag.  Jim would get them back when he came out of the DarkLands.  Strickler nodded.