Chapter Eleven: Ensuring

Jamie took one last steadying breath before ringing the doorbell of the Nunez Household. The place was enormous, denoting wealth that Jamie's single mother could never hope to accumulate, even as a doctor. It made the girl feel more out of place that she ever did at school. At least I got my tooth fixed before showing my face here, she mused wryly.

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing the face of a handsome Hispanic man in his early forties. His dark eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to Claire's, seared suspiciously into Jamie. "Can I help you?" He asked bluntly, a slight accent lilting his voice.

"Hi, there, Mr. Nunez…" Jamie began uncertainly, her voice squeaking slightly from stress as she prayed he did not remember who she was from her childhood friendship with his daughter. "I'm here to study with Claire?"

He grunted and turned. "Claire-bear!" he hollered. "The Lake-kid is here to study with you!"

Jamie winced. He remembered her. Great. Maybe he'd forgotten the screamo-music-noise-complaint fiasco?

Claire bolted down the stairs and joined her father and Jamie, smiling and flushing excitedly. "Hi, Jamie!" She said cheerfully. "C'mon! We've gotta prep for the History exam-!"

"Now, hold on, girls," Mr. Nunez said sternly. "I don't wanna hear any noise outta you two the entire time you're here, comprende?" he glowered down at Jamie's wilting form. "Especially you!"

Nope. He totally remembered the screamo-music-noise-complaint fiasco.

"Yes, sir!" Jamie said as respectfully as she could, catching Claire's pained expression of embarrassment out of the corner of her eye. "Not a peep! Promise!"

Before her father could say anything else, the Latina grabbed Jamie's hand and dragged her up the staircase at full speed. "Thanks for letting Jamie come back, Papa!" Claire shouted over her shoulder, shoving her friend into her bedroom before slamming the door behind them.

"Whew!" Claire practically collapsed against her bedroom door. "Sorry about that, Jamie," she said apologetically. "He's just super paranoid about everything with Mama's election on the horizon."

"Oh, yeah!" Jamie said. "Your mom's in the running for Councilwoman, right? How's that going?"

Claire rolled her eyes, grabbing a book off of her perfectly-organized desk. "It's going a lot better than we thought it would since Enrique was born. I just have to juggle babysitting, schoolwork, and play practice. Heaven forbid I get a B!"

Jamie sighed, "I know what that's like," she said forlornly. "Ever since Mom got into med school, I've had to pick up the slack around the house, make sure she actually eats since all she does is work, and train for track. Now, I've got this LARPing thing to worry about…"

"You roleplay?" Claire gasped, eyes alight. "That is so cool! It's like acting for nerds!"

A nervous chuckle bubbled out of Jamie's throat. "Yeah," she said, scratching the back of her neck, "basically."

Before Claire had the chance to ask any more questions about Jamie's new "hobby," Mrs. Nunez burst into the room without bothering to knock. "Claire, Sweetie?" She said in an overly-sugary voice. "Could you watch Baby Enrique for me for an hour while your father and I run back to the office? We have to grab…" she trailed off as her eyes landed on Jamie, her smile replaced by a suspicious glower. "Oh! Ms. Lake," her tone did not sound pleased. "I didn't realize you were already here."

Jamie forced herself to grin (not grimace, definitely not grimace) at the woman who had single-handedly destroyed her friendship with Claire. "Hi, Mrs. Nunez!"

"Mama!" Claire whined. "Jamie and I have to study for History! I can't watch Enrique right now!"

Mrs. Nunez cocked her hip, leveling her daughter with a stern look, never ceasing her repetitive patting on her infant son's back. "If you can't keep up with your responsibilities, mi hija," her voice took on a threatening tone. "Perhaps we'll have to pull you from the play."

Jamie felt her lips part in shock. She totally rescinded her earlier understanding of her friend's situation—Mom would never use track as leverage against her.

Claire let out a frustrated groan. "Fine," she conceded, holding her arms out to receive Enrique reluctantly.

"Gracias, mi hija!" Mrs. Nunez gushed in that same overly-sweet tone as before. She cast one final resentful look at Jamie before departing, closing the door behind her.

There were a million things Jamie wanted to say in that tense moment, but none seemed quite appropriate. Instead, she simply watched and waited while Claire bounced her baby brother affectionately, smiling adoringly at his giggly baby voice. "Sorry about that, Jamie," the Latina finally said, cuddling the baby to her chest and propping the book open in front of them. "Like I said, Mom's been really busy with the election…"

"It's all good, Claire," Jamie said softly. "At least Enrique has you."

The girls exchanged a smile. "What did you want to work on first?" Claire asked, breaking the comfortable silence as Enrique cooed loudly in her arms.

Jamie dragged her backpack to the fore and opened it, gasping when her amulet came tumbling to the floor between the two of them. The blue glow of the amulet shimmered in Enrique's luminous eyes as the baby stared in wonder at the mysterious object on the floor. "Aaah!" He grinned and garbled, reaching toward the shiny item.

The Trollhunter smiled and handed the amulet to the baby. "Isn't it so pretty, Enrique?" she asked, taking on that baby-talk voice girls inevitably used around infants. "So shiny! So pretty!"

The baby giggled in delight and hugged the weapon to his chest. Claire gazed at her baby brother, a look of surprise overtaking her features. "Wow!" she gasped. "I didn't realize he was so strong! What is that thing anyway?"

"Oh," Jamie said offhandedly, "just a LARP toy. I should probably let him play with something else…" the girl rifled through her bag once more, looking for something with which to replace the amulet in the baby's grasp. Her eyes landed on the gaggletack, which while less shiny than the amulet, had similar qualities and weight that should satisfy a baby. "Aha!"

With lightning speed so as not to disturb the infant in his amulet-cuddle session, Jamie swapped the two items and about died from shock when the baby in Claire's arms suddenly shifted into a tiny, green troll with bulbous eyes and jagged teeth.

Claire shrieked and dropped the baby-turned-troll. Jamie donned her armor and held the sword out at the changeling on the floor. "Claire, run!" the Trollhunter demanded as her friend clambered across the floor in shock to escape the being who had once been her brother.

"Oopsie!" the changeling said in a gruff voice as he scampered across the room toward the window. "Guess me secret's out!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Jamie cried, blocking the exit with her body and holding Daylight up defensively. "Claire! Lock the door! Don't let him get away!"

To her dismay, Claire merely stared in frozen terror at the tiny changeling, who approached the floored Latina with a sinister chuckle. "What's wrong, Sis?" the green being said tauntingly. "Changeling got yer tongue?!"

"Where is my brother?" Claire cried in alarm, finally standing to glare at the changeling. "Where is Enrique?!"

"Psh," the little troll scoffed at the Latina. "'E's in the Darklands with all the other babies we steal! Looks like you'll never see your little brother again!"

Jamie snatched the changeling out of Claire's reach just in time to keep her from leaping on him. "Claire, wait!" the Trollhunter cried desperately. "Maybe we can use him to find Enrique!"

"What do you mean?" the Latina asked, eyes wide with panicked confusion. "Why do you have magic armor? Why do you know so much about this?!"

"I'll explain later," Jamie said quickly. "Right now, we need to get this guy to talk!"

The little changeling cackled low in his throat as Claire began to hyperventilate. "Looks like Sis is 'avin' a conniption fit!"

Jamie rolled her eyes in exasperation and adjusted her grip on the changeling so that she could help her friend calm down. "Oi!" the little cretin crowed. "Not by me scruff!"

"Claire, look at me," Jamie said, ignoring the changeling in favor of holding her friend's hand. "Just breathe. I know this is a lot to take in—believe me, I've been there—but right now, your baby brother needs you. He needs you to focus on helping me find him and get him home safely, okay?"

She could tell by the look in those mahogany eyes that Claire was becoming more aware of her surroundings, fighting through the shock and championing her brother. Nodding, the girl gave Jamie a dazed but determined look. "Okay," she said shakily. "What do I do?"

"You can start," the changeling said, still squirming, "by makin' 'er let go o' me!"

Claire gave the little green monster a nasty glare. "This is the most comfortable you're gonna be for the rest of the evening," she growled, "unless you tell me where my brother is and how to get him back!"

"Pfeh!" the changeling scoffed. "I ain't sayin' squat! This ain't even 'alf as bad as what those freaks in the Darklands did to me!"

That got Jamie's attention. "You said he's in the Darklands earlier," she said hurriedly. "Is he alright? He's not being tortured or anything?"

The changeling turned his bulbous eyes toward Jamie, a sly look in their depths. "If ya let me down," he said, "I could show ya…"

Jamie and Claire shared an uncertain look. "How?"

"Get me yer mirror, Sis," the baby-like creature said to Claire, "the one ya keep by yer bedside."

Jamie gave Claire an encouraging nod and, with one last suspicious glance at the changeling, turned and raced across the hall. "This had better not be a trick," the girl growled threateningly at the tiny troll in her grasp.

"It ain't!" he crowed, reaching up to grapple with Jamie's hand. "I can prove it!"

At that moment, Claire returned and held the tiny mirror out to the being who'd been posing as her brother for who-knows-how-long. To both of the girls' shock and disgust, the changeling spat upon the reflective glass of the mirror and swabbed the loogie around until the image began to shimmer and shift. Claire gasped, tears brimming in her eyes, as the reflection revealed a tiny blonde baby, swaddled in a cradle with the words "Enrique Nunez, 2016" engraved upon the side.

"Enrique," the Latina whispered, relieved and horrified, and held the mirror possessively to her chest, "mi hermanito…"

"Great," Jamie released her grip on the little changeling, but did not move from her place in front of the window. "Now, tell us how to get him out."

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell ya!" the changeling guffawed. "It ain't worth what Bular'll do to me if 'e finds out I's helpin' you lot!"

The words gave Jamie pause as her conversations with Strickler and Draal shot to the fore of her mind. She'd practically flayed her friend alive for calling the changelings "impure" and judging them before he even had a chance to know them. Now, here she was, doing the same, when all this little guy wanted was freedom, respect, home, family—just like Stricker, just like everyone.

With a sigh, Jamie put Daylight away at her back, hoping to demonstrate good will without giving up the advantage of having a weapon handy. "Look," she said slowly, eyeing the changeling with as much compassion as she could muster. "I know that following Bular seems like your best bet. I've already had this conversation with changelings. But things are different now, especially in Trollmarket! There are plenty of trolls who don't view changelings the same way they used to. You don't have to live in fear anymore! You could-!"

"Uh-uh!" the little green changeling interrupted. "No way! I am not fallin' for this load o' crock! Ain't no way they'll accept a changeling. And there ain't no way some puny human's gonna defeat Bular the Butcher!"

"We already have changelings on our side," Jamie continued, choosing to withhold the fact that there was only one who was only sort of on their side at the moment, "you won't be alone—we won't be alone. We've already taken down the Bridge and we will defeat Bular."

"You just don' get it, girly," the baby-like shape-shifter drawled, "the Janus Order has 'undreds o' changelings all over the world workin' to bring back Gunmar! They're rebuilding that stinkin' Bridge right now. All they need's a couple more pieces and then boom—the world's gonna end!"

Jamie couldn't stop the steely expression that overtook her features. "And you're okay with that?" she asked seriously. "You're okay with some murdering psychopath that scares you and kills you guys like you mean nothing taking over the world? You're okay with him killing the family that's cared for you since you showed up here?"

The changeling's large, shiny eyes shot toward Claire, indecision visible for the briefest of moments before that same guarded slyness from earlier masked any trace of concern. "Pft," he scoffed. "Why should I care what happens to a couple o' 'umans, aye? You don't care nothin' 'bout me now that ya know what I really am…"

"Maybe she would," Jamie cut off the retort written clearly across Claire's angry features, "if you'd give her a chance. I'm gonna explain everything—to both of you—but first," the girl gave the changeling a stern look, "I want to make a deal with you."

The changeling eyed the girls warily, but seemed to relax a little bit. "Alright," he said finally, "what kinda deal?"

"Don't tell anyone about this—about who I am, about us working with changelings on the inside, about Claire finding out, about anything," Jamie said, "and we'll keep your cover. If we manage to take down Bular and you've kept our secret, you'll be welcome in Trollmarket as one of us. If we do fail, which we won't," Jamie added in a squeaky voice, casting a reassuring look at Claire, "then you'll be as safe from Bular as it's possible to be."

The deal sounded good to Jamie. All the changeling had to do was keep his disproportionately-large mouth shut and everything would be fine. The only catch was Jamie couldn't be sure if he wouldn't sell them out later. "So, all's I gotta do," the changeling said slowly, "is keep pretending to be a baby and I'll be safe?"

"Pretty much," Jamie said with a smile, "call it an act of good will."

The baby-like troll nodded and smiled a disconcertingly jagged smile. "Sounds like you's got yerselves a deal!"

"Great!" Jamie cried, dismissing her armor in a flash of blue. "Claire, how are you holding up through all this?"

"Um," she moaned, placing a hand against her colorful hair, "I just found out a tiny monster kidnapped my baby brother and put him in some dark place and there's another scarier monster trying to take over the world and you're some sort of monster hunter, so…"

Jamie laughed nervously, "That great, huh?"

"Pretty much."

"If this is gonna take a while," the changeling said, "You wouldn't mind gettin' me some socks outta the dirty laundry, would ya, Sis? I'm starvin' and I don't think I can stomach another drop o' that soy formula Mom keeps force-feedin' me!"

At Claire's questioning look, Jamie shot her a reassuring smile. "It's a troll thing," she explained. "We'll wait 'til you get back."

Once the Latina departed to retrieve the requested snack, the little changeling turned back to the Trollhunter. "So," he said slyly, "who all 'ave ya got workin' for ya on the inside?"

Jamie cocked an eyebrow at the tiny troll. "I'm not telling you," she said, crossing her arms. "That way you won't know who's safe to tell if you wanna rat us out."

The changeling rolled his bulbous eyes and settled down, crowing victoriously as Claire returned with a handful of stinky socks. "Argyle!" he exclaimed, popping one into his toothy mouth.

"Alright, Claire," Jamie said, feeling a thrum of excitement at the opportunity to share her story. "Get comfy. This is gonna take a while…"

Upon leaving the Nunez household, the first thing Jamie did was get out her cell phone and call her best friend. It felt like an eternity before Toby finally answered. "Wassup, Jamie-Jam?"

"Claire knows everything," Jamie said without preamble, speed-walking down the sidewalk back toward her house. "Like, everything-everything."

Toby's responding gasp was so loud it forced Jamie to pull the phone away from her ear. "Omigosh!" he exclaimed. "You told her about my secret crush? How could you Jamie?! I thought we were friends!"

Jamie rolled her eyes in exasperation. "No, Tobes! I meant about trolls!"

Again Toby gasped, but not nearly as loudly as last time. "Is she a changeling?"

"No," the girl said, glancing around the darkened street before continuing, "but her baby brother is—and he changed right in front of us!"

There was a long, confused silence before the ever-exuberant boy burst, "Why would he do that?!"

"Ah…" Jamie coughed awkwardly. "I may have given him a gaggletack… to distract him from playing with the amulet..."

"You did what?!"

"It was an accident!" the girl cried defensively. "I didn't think they'd pick a baby to be one of their spies!"

"That is literally exactly how it works, Jamie!" Toby argued.

Jamie was totally over the direction of this conversation. "Whatever," she hissed into the phone. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Why don't we meet in Trollmarket tonight? We need to tell the trolls what happened. And figure out what to do about Claire."

"Sounds good. I'll-" Toby started only to be interrupted by the sound of Nana shouting at him in the background. "Ugh, gotta go. Aaarrrgh ate the kitty litter again."

Jamie found herself torn awkwardly between laughing and gagging as the line went dead. Why are trolls so gross?

Upon arriving home and seeing the state of her basement, Jamie was forced to confront the blue troll that had taken up residence in her abode. "What the actual heck, Draal?!" the girl cried as her eyes landed on the giant hole that had suddenly appeared in the wall behind the furnace. "I thought you were here to watch over the place, not tear it apart!"

"It only leads to the sewers, Trollhunter," Draal said dismissively. "No harm done."

"That is definitely harm, dude," Jamie replied, crossing her arms. "What if my mom sees it?!"

"I've been residing here for over a week," the troll said with an eyeroll. "Not once has the Bah-bur-ruh come down here for any reason other than to find her missing socks."

The teen face-palmed. "Seriously—we talked about this," she cried. "Eat the recycling! Mom doesn't even know when trash day is! She won't even notice it's gone!"

"But I will notice…"

Jamie gasped as Strickler's voice echoed down from the top of the stairs, startling both her and her trollish protector into defensive stances. "And I will also notice the lingering stench of troll in my own consort's home," he snarled disdainfully as his eyes collided with those of Draal.

"What do you want, Strickler?" Jamie asked before Draal could retort, cocking her hip defiantly.

"I want to know," he said, mirroring her posture perfectly, "why there is a troll living with us."

"You mean living with me and mom," Jamie said flatly. "You don't live here. You're too busy helping Psycho McMurder-Face escape from the Darklands."

"I am only ensuring you survive when the inevitable occurs," the man defended himself, nose in the air, eyes narrowed. "Whether I assist or not, Gunmar will escape. There are too many changelings working to release him and help him reclaim the surface lands. You cannot hope to avoid this."

Jamie wanted to cry at the ever-certain look with which her father-figure fixed her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. If only trolls weren't so hard-freaking-headed, maybe the changelings wouldn't feel backed into such a dark corner.

"If you'd just help us," she implored, feeling pathetic, "we could show Trollmarket that changelings aren't bad. You could have a home again, where you could just be yourselves! You wouldn't have to work for the bad guys!"

Strickler's gaze softened as he regarded the girl with pity. "I am helping you, Little Athena," he said sadly.

For a moment, Jamie could only stare at the desperate being before her, feeling equally desperate in her own right. How could someone for whom she cared so deeply oppose everything for which she stood? The crushing unfairness of the situation made it impossible for the girl to be in her father-figure's presence any longer. "C'mon, Draal," she said, turning toward the hole in the wall so she wouldn't have to pass by Strickler. "We have a meeting in Trollmarket."

With that, the two departed, leaving Strickler to stew in their irresolvable conflict.

Despite his burning curiosity and the subsequent desire to follow the Trollhunter and her protector, Strickler had a meeting of his own.

At first, he had been surprised when the youngling stationed at the Nunez household had contacted him to request an emergency meeting; however, after learning from Barbara where the Trollhunter had spent her day studying, all he felt was dread. There could only be one reason the new changeling would want to meet after being in contact with Jamie Lake.

Strickler could kick himself for not having forced an interaction with the girl before then. Yes, her blatant avoidance of him certainly made his endeavors to communicate difficult, but there were ways he could have informed her of the identity of the Order's newest spy without incurring her ire. Unfortunately, his shame had been motivation enough to remain distant. Now, for his cowardice, they would both pay the price.

Lost in his thoughts, the changeling traversed the museum halls as if on autopilot. It was only when he arrived at the Bridge room and noticed Bular's presence that he managed to reign in his riotous mind. "What news do you have of the officer's daughter and her friend?" the troll asked Nomura just as Strickler entered.

"Officer Scott agreed to Krav Maga lessons twice weekly. His daughter had some experience with self-defense already," Nomura answered simply, speaking as little as possible so as not to incur the wrath of the prince. "Her friend was abysmal."

"If she is not the Trollhunter, she may run in her circle," Bular noted. Abruptly, the Gumm-Gumm turned his glowing red eyes upon Strickler. "You're late."

The changeling rolled his eyes. "I am earlier than he who so urgently summoned us," he drawled and quickly changed the subject. "How close are we to finishing the Bridge?"

"Waka chaka!" The new-new-Fragwa piped up from amidst the gaggle of goblins piecing together the stone portal.

Nomura scoffed at the goblin leader's response. "You can work faster than that."

At that moment, the young changeling stationed at the Nunez household raced under the curtain on all fours. "So kind of you to finally grace us with your presence," Strickler snarked to the nameless spy, drawing Bular's attention to his entry.

"This had better be important," the black troll growled threateningly. "I will not stand your presence if you waste my time, impure."

"I'm pretty sure tha', after t'night, yer gonna think I'm the only one not wastin' yer time," the tiny changeling said slyly, jagged teeth gleaming in the low light of the room. "One week on the job and I already know who the Trollhunter is."

Fears confirmed, Strickler's mind got to work plotting his response. He would survive tonight—he had to.

"What?" Bular gasped, shock giving way to satisfaction. "Who is she?!"

"She came over t' study with my familiar's big sis," the changeling said with a smirk. "Name's Jamie Lake."

Strickler forced his jaw to drop. Unfortunately, in his peripherals, he noted the glimmer of recognition in Nomura's eyes as they shot to his form. "Lake, as in Barbara Lake?"

"You know this child?" Bular's suspicious eyes scrutinized the curator in an instant.

"I do," Strickler stated flatly, "and if it were true, I would have certainly seen so for myself, given the fact that she is my own consort's daughter."

"It's true!" the Nunez spy crowed. "I saw the amulet meself!"

Internally, Strickler cursed Jamie's carelessness. His eyes shot to Bular, no longer capable of concealing his fear.

The Black Prince fixed Strickler with a hard look before chuckling darkly. "You mean to tell me," his voice rumbled low in his throat, "that you've been inside the Trollhunter's home, visiting her on a regular basis, teaching her at school, and you never even noticed what she was?"

"She's been absent from her home," the changeling struggled to maintain his composure as Bular stalked threateningly forward, forcing his back against the museum wall. "We've hardly had any interactions for weeks-!"

"You are a worthless spy," Bular's teeth were inches from Strickler's neck, "and you are unworthy of serving my father…"

"Wait!" the changeling cried, suddenly desperate to escape what would certainly be his bloody end if he did not speak quickly. "I can still be of use! I already have access to the Trollhunter's home! It would be a waste of time and resources to kill me now that I know who we're after!"

Bular snorted in disgust, "You'd say anything to save your sorry stone, impure."

Motivated by the troll's hesitation, Strickler argued further, "Who else here has such easy access to the Trollhunter? I can get to her at school, at home, on the streets—all without drawing attention or rousing suspicion! "

"He's right, Bular," Nomura's voice resounded from the far side of the room. "None of us could ever hope to gain such access to her in a timely manner. We still need him."

The prince's struggle to resist his violent instincts warred in his glowing red eyes. Strickler held his breath, not daring to shift the delicate balance in which he hung. Finally, his fate was decided as Bular huffed angrily one final time before backing away. "My father's escape will not be delayed any longer by your incompetence," the troll stated threateningly. "Get me the Trollhunter, Stricklander, or you will be replaced."

Strickler could not suppress the natural urge to caress his neck soothingly where Bular had come so close to mauling him. His eyes scanned the room, landing first upon Nomura, who kept her gaze carefully averted. When he caught sight of the look upon the Nunez spy's face, however, his heart constricted with fear. His bulbous eyes, narrowed with suspicion, were fixed upon Strickler. For the first time in centuries, the changeling felt exposed.

"Well then," the young spy piped up without breaking eye-contact. "I've gotta get back t' me crib before the 'rents find out I'm gone."

Strickler and Nomura watched as the tiny changeling departed behind Bular, hyperaware of the tension that lingered. He had no desire to confront the obvious debt he'd incurred but not doing so ran the risk of her future reluctance to assist, should he ever have need of her again. "You saved me," Strickler turned to his coworker without preamble. They'd lived too long to ease into these sorts of discussions.

"I wasn't saving you," Nomura hissed caustically, eyes narrowed. "I was salvaging our plot from Bular's mindless temper tantrums. We no longer have the luxury of training a new spy to get close to the Trollhunter."

Though she was passing up an excellent opportunity, Strickler could respect her response. There was no denying the kinship every changeling felt with one another, born of their shared desire for belonging. To acknowledge it, however, would be the worst sort of weakness. They could thank the Father of Modern Changelings for instilling such walls within them all.

The fact that the young changeling was so newly released from the Darklands meant that the Father's lessons still remained fresh in his mind. If the Nunez spy were ever to learn of Strickler's treasonous affection for the Trollhunter, he would not hesitate to inform Bular.

Now that Jamie had blown her cover, Strickler would have to watch his back more carefully than ever.

Dearest Readers,

Love this chapter. Love NotEnrique. Love changeling culture. Tell me your thoughts and theories…

To 17: Yeah, Jamie needs to start being more careful (but, let's get real, she's not gonna). Have a glimpse of Draal, dear one, and enjoy seeing Nomura be a little human for once. ;)

To merendinoemiliano: Thank you so much for your advice! I will definitely take it into consideration. Just know, if you're looking for Jamie-flaws, you're gonna LOVE the next chapter.

Yours,

Elora Story