Trollhunters: Tales of Baniar

Part Two

I had never enjoyed being in the presence of my dad. Even before my mum died, he would drink too much, and never be around. I once waited for four hours after school had a field trip, which required parents to pick up, in my first year of junior high after waiting for my dad to pick me up. The principal, Mr. Dewatts, ended up driving me home to my dad, who was passed out on the couch. Big surprise. My mum had been working her physician job that night, so she had been unavailable.

Silently, I ate my food. My dad sat across from me, chewing loudly on his own dinner.

"So how was school today?" he asked me, his tone impatient.

I put down my fork and knife, "It was fine. We're doing Shakespeare in-"
"Did I ask for a life story?" his hissed, and I shrunk back in my seat.

"Sorry," I muttered.

We sat in silence for the rest of the meal. Once I finished, I hastily left the table, making my way upstairs to my room. I hated quiet. When my mum died, there had been silence. My dad had left the hospital straight away, the doctors giving me space. When my first boyfriend broke up with me, I had been left in silence at the park. So, when I heard the soft sound of something hitting my window, I was almost glad. I cautiously walked to the window, drawing it open. Almost immediately, a rock nearly hit me, square in the face. I ducked down, just in time, and stood back up to West standing sheepishly at the bottom of my house.

"West!" I growled, and he scratched the back of his neck.

"Sorry," he apologised softly, before straightening up. "Come down, we're going out."
I stared at him incredulously. "It's like, eleven o'clock at night! What happened to 'It's too dark, far too dark'," I mocked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Two words. Jessica. Hartley." West folded his arms. "She called me a 'baby'. Me! A baby!"

Jessica Hartley was a girl in our grade, with both strong arms and words. She stayed after school for at least an hour for extra gym time, and somehow still gets amazing grades for every other class. I had never gotten along with her, neither did West, but it seemed like he was determined to prove the girl wrong.

"And what, sneaking into the woods at night is going to prove her wrong?"

"She dared me to meet her in the woods," he defended.

Resisting the urge to facepalm, I sighed. It wasn't unusual for West to not back down, and I knew one day it would come back to haunt him.

I sent him a look, "You know she isn't actually going to show up, right?"

"Just get down here!"

Rolling my eyes, I threw on normal clothes, tying my long, dark brown hair back, and slipped out my door. I made sure to slip on combat boots, as I knew I would end up agreeing to whatever crazy plan my best friend had coming. I could hear my dad's loud snoring from his bedroom, even across the house, and ducked down the stairs. I hastily exited the house, and joined West in front of my window. Around us, the streets were quiet. I noticed, glancing around, Mrs. Dewinski's cat eating out of a bin. Mrs. Dewinski had often invited my father had I for lunch after my mum died, as I way to give condolences, I guess.

"Why am I doing this?" I asked myself out loud, and West snickered.

"Because," he drawled out, "I'm your best friend, and you are obligated to treat me as such."
It didn't sound very promising. What if it came back? Would it attack with West with me? The thought of whatever had met me last night still made me uncomfortable, and the stories my mum had told me began to play over in my head.

"Promise you'll be safe, my dove?" a soft voice echoed, as warm hands played with my hair.

"A little adventure won't hurt," West continued.