"You should've gone to bed," Toby drawled after listening to Jim's ranting. "Seriously, man, I've thought you wanted to keep your injuries secret from your mom!"

There was no need to remind him about the recent fiasco. Jim himself still lamented his own stupidity. Not to mention that Barbara hadn't bought his explanation and was apparently on the warpath, eager to get to anyone who harmed her son.

Jim groaned, remembering her spike of cold rage. Yep, his mom was definitely the type who would go even after Bular.

"Well, the one who attacked you is dead, so it's not like Dr. L can possibly get in trouble there," Tobes mused.

Jim let a bitter chuckle. Sure thing, Draal had obliterated the evil troll, but it wasn't like no more enemies were lurking in shadows - be it Gunmar's bloodthirsty children, the shapeshifting museum lady, or some currently unknown goons.

Speaking about Draal, Jim couldn't help but think about his promise to protect the Lake's residence - something bothered him about the wording. Sharing the suspicions with Tobes got an unexpected result.

"Well, the angry guy is moving into your basement - hasn't he told you?" Toby stated rather matter-of-factly.

Jim tried to remember, but somehow the previous night came as a jumbled mess - the lack of sleep was already getting to him.

Toby looked at his best friend with unconcealed concern.

"I think you should've skipped a day. It's not too late to turn back - and I'll cover for you!" he suggested.

"Mom's at home," Jim waved it off at once. "And after this morning, I'm not ready to face her… Besides, she believes I'm against her dating anyone."

He still felt guilty about the last one. No, they should have discussed it once more when the dust settled.

"Will you be OK, though?" Toby inquired, watching his friend yawning. "Mr. Strickler might forgive you for dozing during his lecture. Uhl or Ms. Janeth, on the other hand…"

He dragged his thumb across his neck to illustrate the possible consequences. Jim understood it well enough - he shouldn't have gotten in trouble with either of his teachers. There should have been a limit to how much his new responsibility ruined his daily life.

Walter had always believed that each of his actions should have brought some profit. Well, obviously, there had been a few hiccups here and there through his carrier as a shapeshifting spy - but even then, he would have found some excuse to deceive everyone and twisted those into smart strategic moves. At times he had managed even convince himself that his spontaneous actions hadn't been mistakes but well-thought advances toward his goal.

Unfortunately, at the moment, Strickler simply failed miserably at doing the same with the last night. Barbara might have left his house a while ago, yet the thoughts of her kept possessing his mind. He was the one supposed to charm that woman, however, somehow, she had effortlessly turned the tables.

No.

Walter shook his head, dismissing ridiculous thoughts. He was Stricklander, the leader of the Janus Order, the schemer who had managed to outwit countless challengers and even kept that imbecile Bular and his unhinged sister on the leash (well, with Barverra, it was more of wishful thinking, but still!).

Barbara Lake was the young Trollhunter's mother, so any advance in her direction was a win-win scenario that should have been prioritized unless…

Yes, somehow, Strickler had totally forgotten about the meeting at the hideout he had been supposed to have instead of enjoying his time with a beautiful and enigmatic lady.

Nomura's message, full of both troll and human profanities, told him that his absence hadn't remained unnoticed. On the other hand, his aide survived the night, so probably it hadn't been that disastrous.

Walter sent her a message inquiring for more details but got no response. Most likely, he would need another bribe to pacify his assistant. At times he wondered if having Scarbach around would be a wiser decision, but no, he couldn't move the polymorph yet without raising any suspicions.

Strickler nearly wondered if he could manipulate the principal into getting a sick leave - right now, he had neither interest nor need to attend his 'human' job. Luckily, he immediately remembered Shen's presence there. The school wasn't his safe playground anymore, not with that snake sneaking around and trying to find out the Trollhunter's identity.

At least, Young Atlas wasn't the idiot to keep flashing his armor right and left, so there was still some time and space for maneuvering.

Of course, some part of Walter's mind was scared of the possibility he had missed too much. No, the chances for that were minimum. Besides, wouldn't Nomura have informed him?

Well, probably not. Whenever she had a foul mood, she wouldn't bother with anything else.

Strickler wished there was some way to check for sure, but with his aide ignoring his calls and messages, there wasn't much choice. He had to go to the museum after work, even if he hated the idea.

For better or worse, Walter got his confirmation that something had happened way earlier. The first sign was a glimpse of an annoyed Shen, whose expression quickly morphed into a nasty grin the second she noticed him.

No, it didn't seem like an expression of a winner, more like the one of a rascal causing trouble. Not that it made everything less complicated. Shen was plotting something - and Strickler had no time or resources to deal with an additional problem.

And the second sign was even more worrisome - the entire school was discussing Jim Lake's injuries, making wild theories about what caused those. Walter, knowing more than others, could connect those to his student's night activities effortlessly. The only question would be if it was caused by an unlucky incident during some training or an encounter with a troll. Strickler would rather bet on the second one, even if that might have meant a major headache.

Actually seeing Young Atlas during the lesson only cemented the theory. Jim had obviously been through the fight - Strickler couldn't imagine any single accident that could have possibly ended in that. Well, his student might have fooled everyone without any battle experience, but that was it.

Walter wondered if he could have a talk with Jim without raising any suspicions. Wouldn't any good teacher be concerned - and he definitely had a reputation as one. Yes, there was Shen's factor, but, well, Strickler was sure he could throw her off here - especially after Jim Lake's name had been brought up in the staff room by other teachers. No one was willing to ignore the issue, so…

Jim regretted his decision to attend the school as if nothing had happened soon after stepping inside the building. No, obviously, he still wasn't ready to face his mom after the morning fiasco, but perhaps, he could spend the day at Douxie's or go to the Trollmarket. Why was he so slow?

And now, because of his inability to think of some alternatives, Jim had to deal with whispers, murmurs, and curious stares. He had already been a bit of a local celebrity after beating Steve, but that attention paled compared to the current situation.

Jim could already imagine all the wild theories and rumors going around. He could bet he had heard something about 'alien abduction' already. Apparently, Eli stayed true to his conspiracies.

It only got worse when furious Steve pushed through the crowd, yelling:

"Lake, don't you dare to tell anyone it was me!"

All the whispers died at once, only to explode tenfold in some seconds. Toby snorted. Jim gave his best friend a dirty look - he had no wish to deal with the fallout of Steve's foolish choice of words. Now everyone was one hundred percent convinced that Palchuk had gotten his revenge.

Steve seemingly sensed something was off, so he added less confidently:

"I mean, I wasn't the one who beat him, OK?"

Some people nodded nervously, but it was evident that he had only made everything Steve got it at last, running away after mumbling some more threats.

Jim groaned, dragging Toby away from the whispering crowd.

"Tobes, just promise me one thing," he stated grimly. "Next time you see or hear that I plan something dumb, be more forceful when it comes to stopping. Tie me up if you need!"

Why hadn't he stayed at home again? Besides, he suddenly realized that there had been an option of having a nap at Toby's house.

"OK," Toby gave him a thumbs up, then suddenly stopped in his tracks as if a thought hit him. "Hey, Jimbo, do you think Psycho Steve will get in trouble? The dude's just dug his grave!"

"I hope not."

"Why so?"

Actually, Jim was surprised by his own response as well. Sure thing, Steve had nothing to do with his current injuries, but hadn't he spoiled his life so many times?

"It's not his fault. Besides, Steve won't only get some punishment from teachers. I bet they'll contact my mom too…"

And the latter was something Jim wanted to avoid at any cost. For some reason, the only thought about the possible consequences chilled him to the bones.

No, Barbara should have never heard those fake accusations.

"Oh, come on, Jimbo! It's not like Dr. L will kill that jerk or something," Toby chuckled, trying to shift the conversation in a more lighthearted direction.

Kill. Jim winced at the casual use of the word he wouldn't dare to formulate in his head. Wasn't that odd though? Why would anyone imagine killing as a possible outcome in this situation?

Sure thing, Barbara had been furious this morning, but…

No, Toby was right. Still…

"That'll be unfair. Even if we talk about Steve," Jim said with a sigh. Steve might have been the ultimate bully who managed to escape unpunished too many times and people would silently pray for some divine retribution for him, but Jim didn't want to shift the blame to him, even if it would create such a convenient alibi.

Someone had to be better and…

"Oh, come on!" Toby seemingly attempted to start a longwinded rant but shut up at once as he noticed a teacher ahead.

Jim half-expected the woman to pass them by - it wasn't someone he knew in the end - so it took him by surprise when she called out to him.

"Mr. Lake, may I have a talk with you?"

"I guess?" Jim replied, casting a glance at Toby in the hope of a rescue. His friend just shrugged, totally confused.

No, of course, it was expected that some staff member would initiate the talk after the entire uproar surrounding Jim's appearance, but he still would have imagined a more familiar face to approach him. The lady in the question - who he finally identified as the new school counselor - seemed friendly, but he had no idea how to deal with her.

Was she easy to deceive? Would she drop the subject altogether once she heard a slightly plausible explanation? Or perhaps, it could be the opposite, with her being clingy until she got the truth.

Jim shivered, already trying to find an excuse to run away. How long did he have until the lesson started? Judging from Toby's slightly panicking expression, that one wasn't an option at all.

A safe came from the most unexpected place.

"Ms. Shen, I believe a student's waiting outside your office."

Mr. Strickler seemingly appeared out of nowhere, approaching the school counselor lazily. Jim could swear there was a shadow of annoyance in Ms. Shen's expression, but she responded with a polite smile:

"I'll come there as soon as I talk to Mr. Lake. I believe my advice is needed here as well."

"My dear friend," Mr. Strickler gave her the most charming smile possible, "here we are used to helping our colleagues. Enthusiasm is good, but you certainly can use a helping hand here. Let me handle this issue."

Before anyone managed to utter a word, he was already by Jim's side, putting his hand on his student's shoulder.

Jim winced as his last night bruises reminded him about themselves. Somehow, he felt that escaping Ms. Shen's grasp wasn't as good as it seemed initially.

No matter how perceptive that lady was, at least she didn't know him well enough. Mr. Strickler, on the other hand, could possibly read him like an open book.

Jim opened his mouth, trying to voice his protest, yet it came as a jumbled mess as his favorite teacher was already dragging him away. Toby attempted to follow only to stop in his tracks as he caught a glimpse of Mr. Strickler's expression.

Yes, Jim should have stayed at home that day, that was for sure.

If not for his decades-long experience in pretending and keeping a cool facade, Strickler would have had a panic attack for sure.

His initial plan of talking to Young Atlas had been foolproof - until he realized that Shen had been planning the same.

No, of course, she didn't know the truth yet - but you needed to be Bular not to notice Jim Lake's state. Anyone would start to connect the dots if they had enough information. And Shen knew that the Trollhunter was one of the students. Investigating injured ones should be a no-brainer.

Besides, apparently, right now, Strickler had effortlessly made his student suspect number one. He had no reason to prevent the talk between Jim and Shen unless there was a need to hide something from her.

She would never miss that.

Strickler cursed under his breath, wondering if Shen could buy the explanation of him just being petty and trying to irritate her.

Sure thing, as if that would ever work!

He nearly wished he could wind the time back and let Young Atlas handle everything himself. His gaze landed on the teen in question, twitching nervously, not knowing if he should have stayed standing or taken a seat.

Oh yes, that was the same kid whose last attempt to invent a convincing story involved 'chess trainers'!

Strickler got a migraine already, imagining how fast Shen would have cracked that nut.

Apparently, both options would have been disastrous, with none of them being the lesser evil. He had been rather lucky so far, keeping the ultimate trump card of knowing the Trollhunter's identity, but who had he tried to fool?

It couldn't last forever in any case, and this fact would come to light. It would simply mean that Jim could kiss goodbye to his mostly safe status, and both Bular and Barverra would turn his life into literal hell.

And Strickler himself? He would go away mostly unscathed - after all, he had told Barverra the Trollhunter's name a long time ago. It wasn't his fault that she had decided he had lied.

However, that would also mean that Stricklander would lose his own safe status, being demoted to an 'expendable' changeling like many of his underlings. His side had no need of his plotting talents with the Herald of Doom around. Obviously, Bular would never miss the chance to pay back for all the years of humiliation.

Walter couldn't help but shudder at the thought. Perhaps, today was the last chance to prove his worth.

No, he had to stay focused. Right now, he should have deduced the level of the current disaster from his student's responses. Obviously, Young Atlas wouldn't tell the whole truth. Strickler wasn't that naive to believe in miracles. Since finding the amulet, Jim kept drifting away, and the previously established cordial and trusting relationship had basically been thrown out of the window.

If anything, the teen before him was more interested in getting away than talking - he kept checking the time, casting occasional glances at the door and fidgeting non-stop.

Strickler nearly groaned wondering how he could possibly deduce what exactly had happened last night without alerting his student. Jim had obviously learned about changelings' existence - and Walter would never shoot himself in the leg, making him even slightly suspicious.

Even bringing up the cryptic 'chess club' was dangerous.

"Young Atlas, you've never struck me as someone dealing with his problems using violence," he started slowly, looking keenly for any signs that might have been a hint.

Jim winced a bit at the word 'violence'. Yes, that was definitely a working method.

"Just to clarify - we didn't fight with Steve," the boy stated firmly.

Oh, poor naive kid, showing such nobility for someone undeserving! Walter couldn't help feeling both impressed and slightly disappointed. Framing Palchuk was probably the easiest way to escape any interrogation, dumping all of the problems to that oaf to solve.

Exactly!

Strickler suddenly realized that it was the only way to shake Shen of Jim's tracks. The entire school knew about Jim and Steve's conflict, so another fight would have made a lot of sense. Besides, rumors were already coursing around.

Jim's confirmation would be the last component of a perfect alibi.

"Oh, I believe there's a tiny misunderstanding here," Strickler said with a friendly smile. "While as a teacher I cannot approve of fighting, I'm sure you tried to defend yourself. You're not at fault here."

He noted another awkward twitch. Now Walter was nearly one hundred percent convinced that Jim's injuries weren't a consequence of an accident during sparring. The boy had fought someone last night. But who? Bular? Barverra? Perhaps, Nomura judging from her foul mood? Though, probably not - she wasn't that reckless to pull something like that.

Strickler expected some response, but his student kept silent, so he continued:

"I respect your wish to deal with your problem yourself. Nevertheless, your teachers are here to help - don't be afraid to ask us for assistance in your time of need. And, let's be honest - Mr. Palcuk has crossed the line too many times. Wouldn't it be better for anyone to put a stop to it?"

He could already see some conflict in Jim's body language. He was just a kid - who would have blamed him for being petty or wishing for some payback to a local bully? Walter was aware of how tempting his proposal should have sounded. It should have worked.

Well, it didn't.

Jim's knuckles turned white as he dug his nails into his palms.

"Mr. Strickler, thank you for your worry, but it has nothing to do with Steve." His voice was calm and steady, his eyes full of determination. "Actually, I haven't fought anyone. That was just an accident."

"An accident?" Strickler repeated, slightly dumbfounded by the response.

"Yes, I've fallen this morning," Jim said with a nod. "From the stairs. Should have paid more attention to my shoelaces."

He was so blatantly lying that Walter felt speechless. Any attempt to further convince the boy to frame someone else would fall flat - he had already steeled himself.

Apparently, lately, nothing wanted to go his way…

Only this morning Claire had been deadset on apologizing to Jim as well. Clearing stuff with Douxie had left her with more confidence. She was a part of the team now, so no conflicts or grudges would be acceptable, and…

Her determination dwindled a bit the second she noticed the state of his face. 'Terrible' was probably the tamest term to describe that. Claire would have been worried even without knowing the context. In her case, though, she had a good idea of what exactly could have possibly happened.

Jim Lake had fought a troll. Claire could have only guessed how dangerous and horrifying the experience was. She unwittingly reached her own neck, recalling the night when the enemy tried to choke her. That wasn't something she wished anyone to experience.

Claire wasn't sure if it was the right time to approach Jim. Hadn't he already gotten too much on his plate? And with hushed gossiping going around, he would probably prefer to be left alone.

No. She shook her head. She wasn't an outsider anymore, so delaying the conversation would be dumb. Besides, even with her limited magical expertise, Claire could have possibly been of some help.

Making up her mind, she went looking for Jim during recess, without much success at first, until someone told her they had seen him together with Mr. Strickler.

Well, that would have made sense - Claire could tell for sure that their History teacher favored Jim, so he most likely tried to help his student.

On her way to Mr. Strickler's office, she bumped into a plump boy who she quickly identified as Jim's best friend Domzalski. Was his name Colby? Coby?

"Hey, Toby," she greeted, finally remembering the correct name.

"Oh, it's you," he replied half-heartedly, seemingly focused on something else. Claire followed his gaze. Figures - Mr. Strickler's office door. Why wasn't she surprised?

"Is Jim there?"

"Yeah," Toby sighed. "And it's a disaster, most likely."

"Why so?" Claire raised her eyebrows in confusion. Jim most likely needed some comfort after whatever had happened.

"After Dr. Lake and me, Mr. Strickler is the third person who knows Jimbo the best," Toby responded grimly. "I'm not sure Jim will be able to deceive him! Hell, even Dr. L hasn't believed his lies!"

"Oh."

Claire wished she had something better to say without making it more awkward, but nothing good came to mind. Should she have told him everything would be alright? No, that would most likely feel too insensitive.

The door opened all of a sudden.

"Mr. Strickler, thank you for your concern, but it's OK. I mean it," Jim smiled at his teacher and turned to face Toby. His expression shifted to a mixture of surprise and awkwardness the second he realized that Claire was there too.

She waved at him feeling awkward as well.

"Can we talk?" she asked quietly. "I'll understand if you don't want or…"

"No, it's OK, really," Jim interrupted her.

'Just not here.' That part remained unsaid, but Claire got a hint immediately as she led both boys away from Mr. Strickler's office. For a second, she couldn't help turning around.

The teacher was still in the corridor, his expression hard to read. For some reason, she shuddered. No, of course, Mr. Strickler was one of the nicer teachers, and she would never suspect anything nasty about him, but… But something seemed off.

Ugh, she already hated all the supernatural stuff - it made her needlessly paranoid.

"So, you've gotten off the hook, haven't you, Jimbo?" Toby asked, breaking the silence.

"Barely," Jim sighed. "He thinks it's Steve's fault, even though I told him it was an accident!"

It really seemed like the continuation of the conversation they had without Claire around, so she wondered if she had any right to butt in. On the other hand, they had no problem discussing it right now.

"Was it because of those guys I think about?" she clarified. Bringing up trolls right now wouldn't be wise, but hopefully, her wording wasn't too confusing.

"Yeah," Jim nodded with a sigh.

"You OK?" Claire asked, her voice full of concern. "Such things aren't easy to brush off…"

She still had trouble sleeping even though her house was protected now.

Jim stayed silent for a while. Claire had nearly given up on getting any response when she heard barely audible:

"For a second, I thought it was the end…"

She knew good enough what exactly he meant - a twisted part of their new reality involving magic and supernatural creatures. The enemies most likely wouldn't be kind only because there were children in the good guys' camp.

Claire never dared to ask for more details - Jim would tell her about those when he felt better. Or perhaps, he wouldn't - not that she could blame him for not being willing to share the traumatic experience.

Yet, there was something she sincerely wished to clarify as some nasty feeling crept up her spine.

"Jim, were you attacked because Douxie had lifted defenses around your house and protected mine instead?" she whispered.

It was something she had been suspecting since she had seen his injuries. If her guess was correct, then it had been only her fault.

"Wait, what?" Jim stopped abruptly, looking at Claire in total bewilderment. "Gosh, no! Tobes, tell her!"

"Yeah, it wasn't anywhere near our houses," Toby confirmed. He stayed silent previously, keeping some distance, but now closed it at once. "We were just unlucky during the investigation - that's it!"

"Besides, all this trollhunting was a life-threatening job from the very beginning," Jim lowered his voice, even though there wasn't anyone nearby. "It wasn't the first troll trying to kill us and, I guess, not the last…"

"Yeah, Bular wanted to make a goblet from your skull or something," Toby added, visibly relieved that the mood had lightened a bit.

"Don't remind me," Jim groaned.

Claire looked at both of them, rather dumbfounded, but then smiled faintly. Sure thing, it was scary and dangerous, to put it mildly, however, they all had survived, and that meant something.