Strickler arrives to the meeting room first and watches as the other teachers slowly file in. Everyone is talking and laughing. They speculate what this meeting is about. It was unscheduled; there had simply been an announcement during the final class period.
Strickler for his part is annoyed. He has things to do. Jim knows about the bridge and has been absent for the past two days. He has no idea what the boy is up to and that puts him on edge. He heaves a sigh and stares at the clock. Principal Levit is late. He was the one who called this meeting; it is only common curtesy that he should be on time. Everyone else is here.
The door opens and the talk quiets down. Levit walks to the front of the room slowly. He's holding a single crumpled piece of paper in his hands. He takes his place and smooths it out before him. Everyone looks at him expectantly. He opens his mouth and then closes it. He presses his hands together, takes a slow breath, and lets it out just as slowly.
"A student has been killed."
The room explodes into shocked chatter.
"Quiet," Levit says and everyone goes completely silent. "The student was James Lake. His friend Tobias Domzalski found him. The cause of death has yet to be determined."
Strickler is in shock. His first thought is Bular but, no, if he had killed the Trollhunter he would have bragged about it. Not to mention they wouldn't have found a body.
"When did this happen?" He hears himself ask faintly.
"Last night," Levit says.
The meeting goes on. The teachers discuss how to inform the students, potential counseling services, and other things Stickler only half listens to. He isn't sure how he feels.
He thinks maybe he should be frustrated. Another variable has been thrown into his plans in the form of a new and unknown Trollhunter. Or perhaps he should be disappointed that all his careful planning on how to deal with Jim is now worthless.
None of those feelings seem to fit.
He drifts through the rest of the day and night on autopilot. He informs Bular of the Trollhunter's demise, which fortunately does not result in any violence toward him. He grades his students' homework and prepares an announcement to make in class. He eats a cold dinner and tries to sleep. He spends the morning running through reports from the Janus Order.
Far too many times he finds himself drifting toward the phone.
He should call Barbara or maybe visit her. They have something, so it would be only natural for him to be there to comfort her, expected even, but he can't bring himself to do it. Not when…
Strickler shakes himself out of his thoughts as the students file in. Unsurprisingly Toby is nowhere to be seen. There is none of the usual chatter. The students take their seats quietly as if they can sense something has happened. He waits until the bell rings and then takes a deep breath.
The announcement is met with shock. Most of the students stare blankly, unable to quite comprehend or accept what they've just been told. They are young. It hasn't registered for them yet how quickly a life can end; not one close to them anyway.
A ragged gasp draws Strickler's gaze to the center of the room. Claire Nuñez has her hands pressed to her mouth and tears forming in her eyes. From what he had observed she had been just as drawn to Jim as he was to her. It was a pity that neither of them had acted on it.
Strickler pushes the cap of his favorite pen on with a forceful click. It's far too late for regret now.
He has a job to do.
Author note:
It felt fitting for this to be a separate work from "Sorry that I let you down", so that one shall remain a oneshot.
I'm not quite sure were this story will go, but it wouldn't leave me alone.
Toby and the trolls did try to frame Jim's death as a hit and run, but it remains "undetermined" because despite being "found" on the road, there was not blood on the ground around him and his injuries weren't quite right. The police therefore came to the conclusion he had been moved after he died.