HEYOOOOO! It's my birthday! I'm officially 19! And here's your chapter. And as promised, this is were it gets good. And it only get's better from here folks! Make sure you're paying attention to each character added, they may be important later. ;)

Let The Chaos Ensue...

Chapter 6: Amara

June 9th, 11:48pm, I-5 Northbound in Kern County CA

It was a few days after Jim left that he was hitchhiking on the top of a semi when he heard the loud crunching of old Subaru Jutsy. He immediately jumped from the semi, it was a rough landing but he was able to get up quick enough. He threw his backpacks' behind the guardrail and jumped the rail to get to the car. The car's front tire had blown, and they rolled into the ditch on the side of the freeway, and was now resting upside down.

Man he was glad they were all wearing their seatbelts. A father and a mother dangled unconscious in the front seats. A toddler and two kids in the back.

Jim ran closer, not entirely sure what to do. All he knew was that in movies, cars explode when they're upside down, and he had to get these people out.

He pulled -ripped- the back door off its hinges. The two children, who were awake, screamed at the sight of Jim, and the toddler just laughed. He rolled his eyes, "Hey kiddo's, are you alright?"

They looked confused for a moment, the older looking one, no older than 10-11, spoke first. "I… I don't know. My leg hurts really bad, and Ben's head is bleeding. But I think Jack is ok." She pointed to her brothers. The younger, Ben, had a gnarly gash on his forehead. And the girl's leg was definitely broken, the only thing keeping her calm was probably shock.

"Alright, I'm going to get you out of here. What's your name?"

"Amara."

"Alright Amara, I'm Jim." He smiled with all his teeth. "Can you get your buckles undone?"

She nodded, "I can, but I don't want to move." She shook her head, "My leg hurts really bad." Jim took a closer look at her leg, it was spilling blood and it looked like something had been shoved into it to break it. The smell of blood put him on edge, and drove him to get them and himself out of there quickly.

"Ok, I'm going to slide in and I'll catch your brothers, then you." he said, and crawled in and laid down on his back in the cramped space. His head was just underneath Ben's, he reached up and held Ben's shoulders as he unbuckled. He tumbled down and Jim's tail steadied his fall.

The boy crawled out and Jim instructed him to wait to take Jack. The buckle's mechanism was shattered though, and Jim couldn't get it undone. Getting frustrated, he gave a snarl and ripped the entire five point harness off the car seat, and caught the toddler with one hand. He passed him to Ben, "Go back aways." He told him. He didn't know if the car was going to explode or not, but he should hurry nonetheless.

"Jim, I'm getting dizzy." Amara said holding her head in one hand and her leg in the other.

"I know, you got too much blood going to your head. It kinda hurts, right?"

She nodded.

"Ok, I'm going to catch you. And my tail," He waved his tail around her and tickled her face making her giggle. "My tail is going to hold your leg so we don't make it worse. It's probably going to hurt coming down though."

She gave a firm nod, "ok, I'm ready."

"Alright." Jim wrapped his tail carefully around her leg, acting as a temporary splint. She winced but didn't cry out, moving her hand to the buckle she looked at Jim. He nodded and held his arms out to catch her. Amara undid the latch and fell directly into Jim's arms, his tail twitched around her leg, holding it firmly. He wriggled out and carried her to where her brothers were.

Jack was crying and Ben was trying to comfort him with no success. He set Amara down next to Ben and unwound his tail. It was covered in her blood.

He dashed back to the broken hatchback and pulled open the driver side door. The man, who clearly couldn't see very well, shook his head and mumbled, "No, help Kristie. Help her first."

Jim did as he asked and darted around to the other side, and the undercarriage of the car started to spark and a small fire started.

-That's not good.- he thought.

He tore the other door from the car and grabbed the unconscious woman, then ripping the belt with his claws. He ran her back to her kids and then went back for the father. The fire was getting bigger.

He tried to get the man but the steering wheel was keeping him in. Jim growled and pulled the whole mechanism out. The man tumbled down before Jim caught him. He pulled him out and helped him walk back to the others, his tail making it's usual wide sweeps. He set him down next to his kids. Quickly backing into the shadows.

The man hugged and kissed the kids to death, "Oh, thank the heavens. Amara, Ben, Jack-Jack." he took a shaky breath. "You're all ok." he looked around and found his wife. "KRISTIE!" He scrambled over to her unconscious body. He started to panic when she didn't wake.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Jim said quietly, watching from a distance.

"What do you mean she's fine, she's not waking up!" the man yelled to nowhere.

Jim shook his head, "She's just unconscious. Her heart rate is good and she's breathing."

"Wha…" He checked his wife's breathing and pulse. "How… how did you know?" he looked around for the voice.

"Daddy, he's a superhero!" Ben exclaimed.

"What? No, he's just a good man. Wherever he is."

"But he's got horns and a tail, what else would he be? He helped us get safe." Amara huffed.

"Blue!" The toddler babled.

The man looked confused.

"Jim! Where'd you go?" The girl cried.

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to come out kiddo." Jim said.

"No, you saved my family. I want to see the face of the man that did that."

"You aren't going to scream and tell me to get away and call me a monster?" Jim joked bitterly.

"I don't see why I would. They're just exaggerating."

"Their not." he said, his tone unwavering.

Silence ensued until Amara called out again, "Jim, please."

Jim sighed and came into the light provided by the fire of the burning car. The man gasped and stared, Ben ran up and grabbed Jim's hand, pulling him closer.

Jim stood straight, his tail flowing naturally. A nervous whine in his throat.

The man stood, squared his shoulders and walked toward Jim. He braced himself for some kind of attack, verbal or otherwise. Instead the man held out his hand for Jim to shake. He stared at it for a moment before taking it. The man stared intensely at him, fearsome eye contact. "Thank you."

Jim nodded.

"Jim, why do you have horns and a tail?" Amara asked.

"And why are you blue?" Ben added.

Their father looked aghast at his kids permissive questions.

Jim chuckled and walked toward the kids, He smiled and let his tail relax at his feet as he crouched down. "Well, I used to be a regular human like you." The kids gasped and Jim nodded, "But then I found a magic amulet, and I went on all sorts of crazy adventures" She smiled and waved his arms around. "Then, I got turned into a troll." He lulled his neck and shrugged, slumping his head.

The kids giggled, "Really? You're a troll?" Ben asked.

Jim nodded, "Yeah, that's why I'm blue, have horns and a tail."

He stood and walked back toward the shadows, "Wait." The man called.

Jim stopped and turned, "Yes, sir?"

"Bryan, Please. I really appreciate your help, but is…" Just then, the car exploded interrupting him.

Bits and pieces of debris flew in all directions, some larger than others. Jim immediately donned his armor and sliced anything that came his way, protecting the family again. He growled as he blocked a large part of the frame with his shield. After the comotion died down again, and he pulled the amulet off his chest.

Bryan held his children close while sitting in front of his wife, he gripped them as if for dear life. Jim replaced the amulet in his pocket and stalked over to him, "Is everyone alright?" he said through an anxious growl.

Still clutching his kids he nodded, "I think so." He slowly let go.

Amara winced as she shuffled around on the ground.

"Hold on, I'm going to call an ambulance for your wife and Amara."

Bryan looked down at her and noticed for the first time her leg was broken, "Oh my gosh! Amara, sweetheart, are you ok?"

She nodded and said, "Jim helped me get out of the car without hurting it. He wrapped his tail around it and held it still." She smiled.

Bryan looked back at Jim with total confusion as he called for help.

"911 What's your emergency?" the woman said.

"I've got a family here, two adults, three children. I pulled them from their car after they crashed. Everyone is alive and well, the mother is unconscious. There's a young girl about 10 with a broken leg, and her brother has a head injury. I haven't checked if he's sustained a concussion yet, but he will need medical attention."

"Alright, what's your location?"

"We're on the… uh, the east side of I-5 heading northbound. I passed Buttonwillow about twenty minutes before they crashed. I don't know what mile marker it is though."

"Alright, we'll have someone there as soon as possible. Thank you for calling."

She hung up and Jim walked back to the family, "Alright, someone will be here soon. Which means I need to get going. Most people don't react well to seeing a troll."

"Wait, Jim." Amara called.

Jim looked at her, "Yes?"

"Will you stay and keep us safe for a while… I… I'm scared of the dark."

Jim growled out a sigh, shaking his head. "Why? Do your eyes not glow in the dark to make you see better?" he closed his eyes and opened them again, now glowing he saw everything in night vision.

"Woah," Bryan said.

"Cool!" Ben said.

"Of course not silly. I'm human." she laughed.

Jim sat next to her and pulled the amulet from his pocket, he handed it to her. "Here, you can hold this. Before I could see in the dark it made a great flashlight."

She moved it around looking at the dirt rocks and brush surrounding them, the car still flaming and smoldering in the distance.

"Isn't that the thing that you had on your… armor a bit ago?" Bryan asked.

"Yeah, it's what gives me the armor. But the less you know about me the better. Humans aren't actually supposed to know about trolls."

"Well, we already know about you. What's a bit more knowledge?"

"It could put you in danger, and I don't really…" Suddenly, Jim felt a small hand grab and pull his tail. He jumped up and snarled at the small child, his tail ripping itself from his grasp.

Jim saw it was just the little boy, curious about his tail, Bryan looked at Jim with caution.

"Sorry. My tail, it's… sensitive." he said.

Jack sat down next to Amara, slipping to sleep.

Bryan nodded with eyes wide., "It's also really, really long." He watched as it flowed behind Jim in large sweeps.

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"Ugh, my head… what happened? The car. The kids!" The woman, Kristie, finally woke, bolting upright.

Bryan rushed over to her, "Kristie, Honey, are you ok?"

"I'm fine… the kids..."

"Are fine too, look." Bryan pointed to where they were sitting. She let out a sigh of relief, until she saw Jim. she saw his feet and her eyes traveled to his tail and then his face. She let out a scream of bloody murder.

Jim's scruff stood on end, his ears folded against his head, and his tail started to beat agitatedly. He made a quick dash for the shadows and the amulet disappeared from Amara's hands.

Bryan got to his feet and ran in the direction Jim left, "Jim, wait!"

Kristie got up, "What was that thing? A monster?" She panicked.

A laugh was heard from no direction in particular, "Told you, they all say I'm a monster." his voice was being thrown and Bryan couldn't discern where it was coming from.

"Jim, come back please!" Amara cried out.

Kristie looked really confused. "What's going on?"

"Moma, you scared Jim away. He got us out of the car." Ben said.

"J...Jim." Amara started to cry.

He came out of the shadows behind her, "Cutie pie, why are you crying?"

She jumped and turned to see Jim sitting on his calves next to her. "Jim!" She hugged him.

"Oh my gosh!" Kristie Jumped.

"Hi." Jim waved, he turned back to Amara, "Hey, I've gotta go at some point. And I'd feel awful bad if you cried." He used his tail to wipe the tears off her face. "You've gotta be brave, the thing about the dark is. There are some things that are bad, but there are a lot of great things in the dark too."

She giggled as the tail tickled her face, "like what?"

"Like the stars," Jim pointed at the sky, the stars shone brightly in the cloudy night sky, no moon could be seen. "Or, trolls," he smiled at the thought. "And I'm in the dark too. I can disappear into the shadows, and you wouldn't know if I was there or not."

"What's going on?" Kristie asked.

Jim gave Amara a smile and a nod, he stood and walked in the mother's direction, letting his tail drag on the ground so he didn't hit anyone. "Well, I was hitchhiking on top of a semi, and I heard you crash, so I jumped off and pulled your kids and you to safety. An ambulance and some officers should be here soon, the sirens are getting closer And I've really gotta be going.."

"I don't hear anything…" Ben said.

Jim looked down at the boy and chuckled, "Well, you don't have super hearing, or long pointy ears."

"I think my ears are kinda pointy." he said.

Jim crouched down, and brushed his fingers over Ben's ears, Kristie seemed opposed but Bryan stopped her from doing anything. "You know what, those are pretty pointy. I know you can't see them, but mine are a lot more pointy. Do you want to feel them?"

Ben nodded, he stepped closer and gently ran his small fingers along Jim's ear, up to the point. "You're right, those are really pointy." he laughed. "Can I feel your horns too?"

"Benny. I don't think that's a good idea." his mom said.

"It's fine." Jim smiled and lowered his head, he was enjoying the contact.

Ben slid his hand up his horn and laughed some more, "It's bumby, but soft too."

Jim pulled away, "The other humans are going to be here soon. I need to go."

"Wait, Jim."

"What?" Jim laughed, he was just trying to leave.

"How can I ever repay you? You saved us all. You exposed yourself to us. And you treated my kids with such kindness."

"It's what I do, you don't need to repay me. And as for your kids, they're nicer to me then my best friends were. And you've been better then my mother."

Kristie suddenly had compassion, "Oh my gosh… I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, it's why I left." Jim gave a sad smile and walked over to Amara. "Alright, I've gotta go now. Are you going to be ok?" She put on a brave face and nodded.

"Will you come visit me?"

Jim chuckled, "I don't know about that kiddo," he looked over at the couple. They nodded. "Alright, where do you live?"

"I live in Gasquet. It's always rainey there." she wrinkled her nose.

The sirens were now audible by human ears, and Jim was getting anxious.

"Well tell you what. I'm headed north. So when I get there I'll track you down."

"How you gonna do that?" Ben asked.

"Well, I know what you smell like. And I can track you like that." Jim put a finger on the side of his nose and tapped it.

Bryan pulled a face.

"Are you sure there isn't anything we can do to repay you?" Kristie said.

The lights and sirens were getting closer, "I'm sure. But I've really got to go." Jim was stepping closer and closer to the shadows.

"Jim, I wanna give you a hug." Amara said reaching for him, she couldn't exactly get up.

The cars and ambulances were pulling off the side of the road.

Jim rushed over to her and Ben. He hugged them both, and nuzzled her cheek. "You get feeling better," he said.

"Bye Jim." She said.

The officers and first responders were running down the hill with flashlights, "I found them!" one called.

Jim disappeared into the shadows, "see you later Amara." his voice came from the void.

He stayed close for a minute, he waited for the paramedics to get a splint on Amara's leg and when they helped her up he let his eyes glow for a second. He saw a smile pass her lips before he went to retrieve his bags.

He listened to the comotion back a way, "Where is the man that called 911? I need to get his statement." an officer said.

"Oh, um…" Bryan paused.

"He had to go help other people." Amara said.

"Well did you get his name?"

Jim heard Ben take a deep breath in, about to speak. He panicked for a moment.

"No, we didn't get his name. He was just an amazing young man, he saved me and my family. We would be dead without him." Bryan said it firmly. "I just hope I'll be able to repay him someday, buy him lunch or something." he shrugged.

Jim laughed, he let out a loud happy snarl.

"What was that?" The officer looked around.

"That was him!" Amara smiled.

"I have no idea." Bryan had a grin plastered to his face, he was trying to keep a straight face but couldn't.

Jim covered his mouth and smiled, he made his way back to the freeway and started walking.

After about a mile, he saw another semi coming up behind him, he started running and when it was about to pass him he jumped as it carrened by. He grabbed onto the back and climbed to the top. He looked back and saw the bright lights heading back to Bakersfield.

Please please please, leave me reviews on the story. I'd love to know how I'm doing.