Tales of the Trollhunter 1: To Tell the Truth

Chapter 2

"Jim?"

"Right here, mom." Jim closed the basement door behind him, meeting his mom in the kitchen. She smiled at him, then nodded towards the basement.

"Everything okay down there?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." It was on the tip of his tongue to add something along the lines of how he was just putting some stuff up, or thought he heard a raccoon, but he bit back the lie. Today was about making a fresh start free of lies.

Barbara didn't notice his lack of elaboration, instead paused to lean against the wall by the door and push up her glasses to rub at her eyes.

"Long day?"

"Hectic. Multiple car accident and an emergency birth, on top of the usual assortment or illnesses and injuries. What I really could use is -"

" - a cup of tea?" Jim finished for her, gesturing towards the pot sitting on the stove, already streaming.

Hey, if he had to tell her something so brutally shocking, it would only be to his benefit to have her in a calm, relaxed mood first.

"Exactly!" Barbara went to get her favorite mug and preferred tea bag, then poured the streaming water over it and turned to look at Jim, leaning against the counter while she stirred the bag around to steep it. "Okay, kiddo. I know you love to cook but you wouldn't do this unless you had something to tell me." Jim couldn't help but give her a lopsided grin. Barbara smiled in return, though Jim could see in her expression that she was expecting more excuses and feeble lies in answer. "So, what class are you failing or which teacher do I have to conference with?" A shaky joke, but Jim was glad he could at least reply honestly.

"No. No, mom. I'm doing fine in school. Not failing anything and I'm good with my teachers." He took a breath. "But yeah, there's something I wanna talk to you about." He looked away for a moment, then looked her right in the eyes, drawing up every bit of courage he'd ever developed during his time as Trollhunter. "I - I'm ready to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"The truth." Barbara stopped stirring her tea, eyes widening as she realized what Jim meant even before he elaborated, "About where I keep going, and why I come home late and have bruises and cuts and got that concussion. All of it."

"Oh." A moment of silence. "Should I sit down?" Jim nodded.

"Yeah, probably. But first just so you don't worry -" Jim ticked the points off on his fingers. "I'm not on drugs or in a gang or anything illegal, and I'm not getting into fights or being bullied or anything at school. So you don't have to worry about that."

"Well, I suppose that's good." Jim opened the door between the dining area and the kitchen for her, then followed her out. They took their customary places across from each other at the table. There was a tenseness between them which stood in stark contrast to ask the casual meals they'd shared in the past. Jim took a moment to gather his thoughts, then took a deep breath.

"Before I start, I want you to promise that you won't interrupt or ask questions until I'm done, okay? Even if it sounds really out there or like I'm making stuff up. I promise I'm not, and I have with me four pieces of evidence to prove what I say." Barbara look a deep breath too, stirring her tea again but not really paying attention to it.

"Is this something bad?" Jim shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"I...I promise."

"Thanks. Okay, it started one morning when Tobes and I were running late for school, and we decided to take a shortcut through the canal..."

Over the next two hours Jim told his mom everything about him being the Trollhunter, about the society that existed beneath their streets, his friends and the battles he'd come through victorious. To her credit even though there were moments when Barbara took a breath as if about to speak she bit back her comments and questions, though her hands tightened frequently on her long-empty teacup. Jim noticed this because after he'd started he looked mostly at the table, each phase of the telling replaying in his mind line a movie reel. But at last he had caught up to the present and wrapped up the story with,