Secrets

Chapter 34

Just Add Water

Part 1

Early morning at Heartstone Trollmarkt, Talia came to the Hero's Forge to get a some excersize before school starts. The Silver Lion leaped from axe to axe, come down in with a somersault, clawed and slashed through some dummies. The Krubera watched the girl performing with discipline and grace. Yet they were not quite thrilled about it. Their eyes filled with hate and contempt for they hold a very strong grudge against her and her kind. The Krubera remember them being enemies with the Silver Lion's once before. The war, the spite, the blood that was shed on the battle field for the surface created the monster they know and will remember forever more.

The beeping alarmed sound off on Talia's watch indicating her that it was time to hurry back home and get ready for another day of school. She jumped off high from the platform, dived into the air, leaped from platform, to axe, and made a gracefull landing reaching to the controls, pressing the troll sized button, and shutting off the stage.

The Krubera then made their move, as the waltz their way right into the forge towards the young girl grabbing a dring of fresh water, and drying herself with a towel. Talia heard some giant footstep coming from behind, but she knew and could tell right away that they weren't friendly because she could sense it. She turned around and met the eyes Arrrgh's tribe towering over her.

"Can I. . .help you?" asked Talia uneasy.

The Krubera glared and snort at the young cub as if it were a joke. "Just because your friend is the Trollhunter you think, you have every right to be here." One of them said.

"Pardon?" Talia raised an eyebrow.

The other circled her glaring down at the girl's tiny body, "Let's make this one thing clear, cub. We don't like you or your kind around here. Neither your human friends."

"You lions are better off extinct," the previous one poked his finger at her chest.

Talia looked up at the krubera offended and swatted his finger away. "Look!" she said. "I don't have time for this. Whatever it is that you have against my ancestors that's ancient history. I'm already fixing their mess's as we speak." Talia turned her head away and huffed, "Now. If you don't mind. I have class to attend to." She was making her way towards the exit. But the two stopped her from doing so.

"Well if you think you're so tough and can handle the responsebility," the first one said as he pounded his fist into his hand. "Let's test that. . .shall we." Talia backed up from the two brutes coming straight for her making her step back into the arena once more.

"Enough!"

They turn back finding Vendel coming displeased by the troll behaviour with one hand behind his back and staff in the other. Just because the Tribrunal are here counciling does give you trolls the right to go push everyone around." The Krubera moved aside as he stood beside the girl. "I do not care of what grudge you may carry. But this child has nothing to do with what you have endured long ago." Vendel turns to Talia and said, "Silver Lion." "Yes, Vendel?" Talia said in her response. "If you must. . .I believe you are needed else where." He offered showing her the way to the door. Talia smiled gratefully for his help, "Oh! Of course. Thankyou." Just like that Talia left the arena with out any casualties.

. . .

Usurna watched the girl coming out of the forge from the side lines. The idea of having human's associating with trolls disgusted her especially this one. The queen sent her one of her own to test the girl's abilites. She had already seen the Trollhunter's skills and she only saw her performance once at The Killahead Bridge. But maybe she needed a different approach.

. . .

Talia continued walking through the streets of Trollmarket with numerous of crowded trolls along the way. She heard a text from her phone, pulled it out seeing it was from her aunt, Where r u?

At Trollmarket just finished up training from the Forge. I'm coming back home to get ready for school. Talia texted back. The distraction from her phone caused her to bump into one of the civilians making her fall back. "Oof!" she cringed rubbing her head. " Oh! Sorry. My- -"

"Silver Lion," a sophisticated female voice announced. Talia looked up to find the Queen of the Krubera's before her. "Queen Usurna?"

"I've just recieved word. And I am terribly sorry for my guards most disrepectful behaviour," she offered her hand to assist her up. But instead Talia lifted herself up dusting the dirt off her clothes. "Were they always that rough?" Talia asked.

"Well, after the loss of our young. It impaled them directly to their hearts. That's what made us Krubera sworn to do whatever it takes to protect our own, even those not from our tribe," Usurna clarified.

"Like how you guys trashed the bridge leaving me and my friend for dead at the clutches of the Skullcrusher?" Talia retorted crossing her.

Usurna clenched irritably at the girl's words, but she remembered to remain calm and said, "Let's not bring up the wounds of the past. Anyway. I was hopeing I can ask you a favor?"

"What is it?" Talia looked at her curiously.

"Your lion spirit. The Power of Enhancement," she said. "I would like to see it."

"Why would you want that?" Talia asked feeling a bit suspicious.

"I'm well aware of its capabilities and of what it can do," Usurna said. "You're able to control it, yes? If so- -" She reached out her hand towards her. "May I?"

Talia looked at her hand feeling a bit uneasy. What is with the troll and what is she up to? She then quickly looked at her watch say six fifth-teen and she knew that she was running late. "I have to go. I can't waste anymore time." Talia moved around the queen and ran. Usurna leered at the girl and cringed of not getting of she had wanted.

. . .

Today at Health Class, Coach Lawrence had made everyone a very special important assignment with education of. . .Parenthood. With the use of bags of flour as everyone's very own baby.

"Here it is," he announced with a bag in hand as he begings setting them down at his first students desk. "For the next 24 hours, this is your baby."

Mary gasped, "Are we gonna learn how babies are made?"

"At the flour mill, apparently?" Coach Lawrence continues. "Your assigntment is simple. You will name it. You will care for it. You will never leave it out of your sight. Look who you are seated beside. That is your partner." He set's another on Jim's table, fortunately for him he's paired up with Claire leading them to a fist bump. He sets the next on Marshall's, he looks at his partner finding Talia right next to him. Talia blushed pulling her hair behind her ear flustered remembering their night together at the cave. "If it doesn't. . .you fail." He places the last one on Toby's table. Toby smiled leaning back with his hands behind his back feeling confident, "Ha. Piece of cake."

"It's not cake! Don't eat it, Domzalski!" Coach roasted making everyone laugh.

"So you cheaters don't turn in a fake, personalize your babies to begin the joy of parenting." he finished.

Everyone got onto their crayons and markers making their own baby. Toby and Darcy were partnered up and declared husband and wife. Toby brought out a red marker and came up of the idea for their baby, and start drawing. "I'm really kind of worried," Darcy said. "Toby, I really need to pass this class, or else I lose my mascot position.

"Don't worry," Toby assured her. "We're team Darby! We got this!"

Then suddenly Steve Palachuck came in opening the door with a disturbed look on his face. " I'm great with ki- - -" Steve bumped into Toby making him pierce the marker into their assignment poking out their kid's eye. Darcy sighed slamming her head against the desk, "I am totally gonna fail."

"Sorry I'm, u. . .late, coach," Steve said uneasy takeing his seat. "Things got a little weird."

"It's about to get weirder," Coach agreed. "You're raising a baby with Pepperjack."

"What?!" the two unlucky pair said.

"Ugh," Eli sighed disappointed.

Jim colored up and finished making the final touches, presenting Claire their baby, "It has your eyes." "It has your nose," Claire poked Jim's nose making him chuckle.

Mary saw them all mushy and sticked her tongue making a disgusted face sign to Darcy making her laugh. Toby rubbed his hands together gently removed the marker and cover the hole with bandaid before the flour leaks out, and smiled is if he was giving his kid a remarkable recovery, but Darcy on the other hand still had her doubts and slams her head on the table again.

"So what do you think our baby should be? Boy? Girl?"Marshall asked. Talia pinched her chin for a moment, "Well. . .if I were going to be a mom. . .I guess. . .can't decide. . . maybe a boy?" "I was thinking we should. . .have a girl, but if you want it to be a boy- -" Marshall suggested before Talia came to conclusion. "No." she stated. "A girl would be nice." Marshall grabbed a grey marker coloring the top of the bag, drew out the eyes, a tiny nose, and smile. "Hey look. She's a spitting image of you." he showed her their baby. Flattered Talia poked Marshall's face and said,"But she has your smile."

. . .

Claire, Darcy, and Toby met up at a diner grabbing a burger for a bite to eat. Darcy cradled their flour baby in her arms as Toby took a picuter with his phone, "I think our baby looks good as a pirate. Huh? Arrgh!"

The waitress comes in with her tray at their table with a disapproving voice, "No outside food!"

Toby gasps and wraps his arm around Darcy, "This is our son, Sir Isaac Gluten!" He takes another shot of themselves with his phone. The waitress walks away rolling her eyes annoyed.

"Did you hear?" Darcy said to Claire. "Logan and Mary already killed theirs. They gave Dwight D. Eisenflour a bath, and he turned into mush."

"That's horrible," said Claire. "Why didn't I think of that name?"

"Mary just killed her kid? And you still haven't come up with a name for your baby?"

Talia and Marshall arrived with their flour sack baby wrapped in a teal cloth strapped around her upper body. Claire raised an eyebrow with a fists on her hip, "Oh? I suppose you have a better name?"

"Indeed I do. Marshall picked it out. Our little one's name, is Destiny Flora Faye," she said patting the back of their pretend baby.

"Destiny?" Claire's questioned.

"I thought it would be cool to name her after my mom," Marshall shrugged. They watch them walk over to the next available table and took their seat. "Mom?" Toby curious. "He never mentioned anything of his mother before." "Yeah," Claire nodded her head.

Jim then pulled into the parking lot on his vespa, removed his helmet, and almost nearly forgot about their baby before she was about to fall off the seat. He came into the diner and sat right in next to Claire with everyone at the table, and took Claire's beverage from her hand without thinking, "Oh! Milkshakes!" he took a sip from the straw. "Jim! Are you crazy?" said Claire. You let her ride on that without a helmet?"

"Her?" Jim asked holding their child. "I think you mean 'him'. I've been calling him 'Jimmy Lake Jr. Jr."

"You can't call your kid junior twice, Jim!" Marshall overheard them from the table.

"Her name is Petunia," Claire snacthed their flour kid. "Because she's a flour. Get it? Like 'flower'?" she tried to expain it as a joke.

"Boo!" Talia gave her thumbs down as everyone looked at her shaking with a head of disapproval.

"Okay, maybe it's not the best name," Claire said taking her back her milkshake looking away a bit embarassed.

"Do you mind if we take Sir Isaac Gluten, Petunia, and Destiny to a rock show tonight?" Toby asked Darcy taking their baby.

"A rock concert?" Darcy looked at him weird. "Is that really appropriate?"

"No." Toby began to explain. "A rock show at the museum. I'ts an exhibit of gems and minerals." He reached over for his backpack, "As Jim and Tal knows, I've had my own collection since I was eight, and I'm hoping to finally get it appraised by the experts." He opened his bag and began presenting one of his collection. "Look, little guy, here's anthracite, obsidian, oh this is from Bular. . ." Jim and Claire looked at him freaked out of him mentioning that name and one of the remainig pieces of the Son of Gumar out in the open especially infront of Darcy. "Uh. . .I mean, Bular-ium-ite." Toby tried to come up with a lie to cover for them as he puts it away in his backpack. "Yeah, that's a rock."

"Well, a rock show sounds kinda cool," Darcy agreed, her phone vibrate off from her pocket and saw that her mascot schedule was due. "Shoot. Of course. The stupid hacky-sack team made it to semi-finals. I gotta mascot the match tonight."

"That's okay," said Toby as he grabs the flour sack. "I can watch him." Him trips over his backpack, and Sir Isaac Gluten went flying in the air, Darcy reached out to grab him but missed, but Toby got him without a scratch. "Got him!" Toby chuckled as he sighs with relief. Darcy steps out of the table unassured about this. "Yeah, no. Maybe I can fit him into my mole suit." Toby raised his hand and swear, "I promise, nothing bad is going to happen to our little one."

"Toby," she said with her hands pressed together, "I really need to pass."

"Don't worry," said Toby. "I will not let you and Sir Isaac down.

. . .

Later close to a nearing dusk, Jim, Toby, Claire, Talia and Marshall walked down the side walk with Toby pulling a red wagon carrying their little ones.

"It's okay," Jim said. "Doesn't mea we're gonna fail as flour parents."

Claire leaned over and reached for a rock, "Isn't it kind of crazy to think. . ." Her face grew a little concern and depressed. "we might be parents someday?" Jim looked at her strange, "Not like that." she explains, "I'm just saying, have you ever thought about what'd it'd be like, raising a teenager?" They continued walking down the sidewalk over the bridge with cars passing by. "All I know is, I won't be like mine. My mom cant even remember my birthday without checking her scehdule first." She threw the rock from her hand frustrated. Jim looked at her and completely understood what she'd meant. His father abandon him when he was five and the only one he ever idolize was his history teacher before knewing he was a bad guy. "Well, the closest thing to a dad I ever had turned out to be a changeling. And then he tried to kill me."

"Comin through!" Toby came charging in with the wagon passing through everyone.

"At least we have parents," Jim smiled.

Toby cuddled his flour sack baby snapping a photo them together. "What about you T.P?" Claire asked. "Do you remember your mom and dad?"

"Only the stuff Nana tells me," Toby answered.

"You know when Tobes was two, they won the state lottery," Jim mentioned.

"For reals?" she asked.

"They didn't win bazillions, but it was enough," Toby explained. Then he turned all sad as he put Sir Isaac Gluten back in the wagon and said, "To celebrate, they went on a cruise together around the world. There was a storm, and. . .they never made it back." "I'm so sorry." Claire apologized. "I didn't mean to- -"

"It's okay," Toby said. "My nana says they're watching over me." He looks up at the sky with only one star shining above them. "Sometimes when good things happen, I like to think it's because of them."

"It's good that you feel that way, Toby." Talia walked up next to them. She twirled her hair thinking of the thought of her family, "As you and Jim know I only knew my parents for a short time. When I turned five we went out at our family spot for a picnic to celebrate my birthday. But then my dad lost track of time, it was getting dark, we were driving home late and then. . .Bular killed my parents." Claire looked at her astonished and horrified hearing this, before she turned to Jim, "Did that really happen?" she whispered. Jim nodded clarifying that it was true.

"Well for me. . ." Everyone turned hearing Marshall's sad tone of voice. "I never got the chance of getting to know my mom. She died after giving birth to me. The only stories my dad ever told me about her is that she was a great person. How they met and fell in love, but he never even bother telling me the rest of her story."

"Oh, man. Mashall. I'm so sorry," Jim feeling pity for him.

"That's ok," Marshall said, before turning into a slight smile looking over at the sun reminding him to the fire and the memory of his mother's face that save him and Talia from that Changeling the other night giving him warmth, hope, and comfort. "Like Toby, at least I know that her spirit is with me too."

But unbeknownst to them, a stranger wearing a hat and long leather jacket was lurking in the shadows behid the column watching the young teens passing by and disappeared by the blinding light of a cars headlight.

. . .