Trollhunters: Tales of Baniar

Part Fifteen

"For thee against myself I'll vow debate," Merlin concluded with a flourish of his , "For I must ne'er love him whom thou dost hate."

I was hearing, but not listening. The teacher, with his usual stern face, watched the class as the bell rang. We had already learnt that he "dismissed us, not the bell" and had learned it further from the amount of detentions we had received. Merlin, or Mr. Caledonensis as I had to call him at school, watched his students intently. I wasn't really paying attention, and I fiddled with my stationary on my desk to occupy my hands.

"Remember, just because it's Friday, doesn't mean you can skip the homework," he reminded the class, as I scribbled circles on my notebook and sighed, "Finish the sheets given on describing Sonnets, and I will see you all on Monday to mark."

I watched blankly as the class stood up, not moving myself, as my mind was reeling. The words Blinky told me had been spinning through my mind constantly, and it was as if my body and head refused to accept them. My mother, alive. The thought comforted me and terrified me at the same time. If she was alive, why had she left me with Zach? Why hadn't she come and saved me, explained what was happening? I needed a mother, more than ever, and she hadn't been there to save me.

Coming to class all week was but a minor inconvenience, and Blinky had assured me that I wouldn't be taken again. After all, why would I have been let go if he was just going to kidnap me again? It was nice to get out of Gym though, as I had the medical note from the hospital and the doctors decided I wasn't fit for the physical activity. The hospital had, however, deemed me ready for schoolwork. I was glad to go back to school, to the system I knew so well. It was comforting to see the routine I had memorised.

"Romera?" Merlin called softly, and my eyes snapped up to his, wide with suprise.

Concern etched his face, and I shrunk back as his hand reached out. I wasn't ready to face his questions. He frowned for a moment, and my swallow of fear was audible.

"I-" I stuttered, standing abruptly and gathering my things, "-I need to go."

I was out of the classroom before he had a chance to call me back. I knew he would see me when I went back home, but I had to procrastinate that for as long as I could. All week, I had been given pitiful glances from the trolls in Trollmarket, but Jim had definitely been a help. He would stroke my hair to help me fall asleep, and comfort me after a restless sleep with nightmares. Still, there would be questions I didn't want to face.

It scared me how much I relied on him. If something happened to him, I don't think I would ever recover. We had grown so close, he was my soulmate.

My feet thundered over the wooden floor as I sped through the building. Most of the students had already gone home, eager to begin their weekend, so I didn't have trouble sprinting down the halls. I wasn't sure where I would go, just that I needed to get out of the suffocating walls.

"You aren't ditching me, are you?" A playful voice said, and my steps faltered to a stop.

I spun around to see Toby, my assigned "baby-sitter", stretched out over lockers.

"I just-" I avoided his gaze by looking outside the doorway. "-I just needed some air."

"Great!" he smirked, waving his hands, "I'll come with."

"Alone," I stressed, but he jumped off the top of the lockers where he sat and strode up to my side.

I wasn't sure how he had gotten up there, but I just accepted it, as I had most quirks from the athletic boy by now. Toby had been going to Baniar High for a short time, deciding he wanted to stay in the small town for longer than expected, and I wasn't surprised that he had soaked up attention. He was undeniably attractive, and I found even Harriette falling for his charms.

Toby linked his arm with mine, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "Great."

I pulled away from him immediately, though I was slightly amused at his antics.
His face fell slightly, and he frowned. Before I could come up with an acceptable excuse, he spoke.

"What's up?" He said softly, but I shook my head silently and shrugged.

Once more, I avoided his eyes instead focusing too intently on the path in front of me, beginning to walk to the school's gate.

"Ro-"

Suddenly, all my built up anger exploded.

"What? What could be so damn important that I can't be alone? I watched my best friend die, was tortured, bruised and battered, forced into a world that I didn't even know existed until I was nearly killed!" I roared, spinning around and pointing my finger at his chest. "So excuse me if I wanted to be upset! I think I'm well overdue for time alone, where I don't have to care or think about the fact that my mother might be alive."

He stood, silently shocked, his mouth agape. I didn't give him a chance to respond, and quickly stalked away and down the street. A part of me felt guilty for hurting Toby, my boyfriend's best friend, but another part was glad that I finally was able to let it all out. I didn't realise I was crying until the salty tears dripped to the floor. I hastily rubbed my eyes, walking wherever my feet were taking me. However, once I started, I couldn't stop. A choked sob left me, and my body buckled to the ground. My knees stung at the sudden contact with the pavement, but I ignored it and tried to muffle my cries. I sat up and hugged myself, crying into my knees, ignoring the probably weird glances I was getting as people passed.

After a short while, I glanced up at where I had stopped, hicups escaping me from my sobs, and shrank back in horror. My old house. I hadn't been there in a very long time, and was terrified as to what I would find. Still, my legs shakily stood. I felt my body shaking, in what- I wasn't sure, and I took a cautious step towards the door. The driveway had a car. I didn't recognise it, but I ignored it and gripped the handle. It opened with a long, agonising groan.

"H-hello?" I called, slowly walking inside.

I didn't receive a response, so I continued inside. The lights were all on, giving the house a strange vibe, and I could hear faint humming from the kitchen. It was a familiar tune, but I wasn't sure where I had heard it.
Behind me, something clattered to the ground. I spun around to see a woman. Dark hair, green eyes like my own.

"Romera?" She choked, raising her hand to her mouth in shock and ignoring the spilt food over the carpet.

"Mum?"

Words:
Ok, wooo new chapter! Do you guys hate me as much as I think you do? Probably. Anywho, I found myself wanting to continue this story and enjoying it. The amount of reads and support on this story is astounding, and I'm so thankful for everything you guys have given. Now that I have a direction for this story, the updates should be much more frequent. Thanks again, and sorry, for everything. Comment and rate xx