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Claire yawned. It was ten till five in the morning and she had a Spanish test in three hours. She didn’t have time to study up though, not since he stole her amulet.
Sneaking out of her house through the back door, she headed for the woods. The note said to meet at the rock shaped like a giant arrowhead and she knew of only one in the area. The trees cast long dark shadows against the path, making it hard to navigate without tripping over a stump or rock. Her feet protested beneath her, tired from the long workout she did in the Hero’s Forge the day before. As much as she loved Blinky, he was a slave-driver when it came to Trollhunter training.
She shivered as a cool breeze flew through the air; goosebumps rose down her arms. She rubbed them, resisting the urge to shiver. In a rush to get back her amulet, she’d forgotten her jacket. The note asked she put on something nice, so she had thrown on a white dress and some leggings. Not the most practical outfit when going out to meet one of your enemies, but she doubted he was going to do anything to her without her armor on. He’d promised no harm would come to her this night and she believed it. Despite working with the changelings and Bular, he was at least a man of his word.
The forest opened up to an open meadow field. The lights of downtown could be seen from the south. She gazed further ahead, spying the lone rock, her thief sitting comfortably on top.
Apparently he’d spotted her as well, flipping off the structure with ease and landing on the ground like a cat. She rolled her eyes. What a show-off.
Her eyes drifted to his outfit, which even in the darkness of night was visibly different than his normal attire. A blue sleeveless turtleneck emphasized his musculature, its fabric tight in all the right places. It also brought out the color of his eyes, a strange alluring blue that, while not as glowy as the rest of the changelings, looked darn near close. His arms were bare and powerful, ending in clawed but surprisingly human fingers. Dark jeans covered his long legs and for once he was actually wearing shoes (albeit sandals).
She wouldn’t have recognized him if it wasn’t for his untamable black hair and curved horns. All in all, he cleaned up pretty darn well.
Claire snapped out of her admiring. This was the boy who’d stolen her amulet. Stylish or not, he was her enemy.
“Claire, what a pleasant surprise,” his rough voice drawled. Even in the cover of dark she could see his smirk, his two small tusks making the smile all the more annoying and mocking.
“Cut the crap, Atlas, I’m here for my amulet.” She thrust her hand forward. “Give. It. Back.”
“All in good time, Trollhunter,” Atlas said.
He walked over to her, cockiness in his gait. She fell back in response. Suddenly, her back hit tree bark; she winced. His hand smacked against the area just above her head, shaking the great oak. Her breath caught in her throat, but she refused to scream. He was more than a head taller than she and he lorded it over her. Bending down, he brought his face closer to hers.
“I wanted to talk to you. Alone."
“About what?” She asked, an eyebrow raised. “Seriously, what are you doing? Back up, bucko. This is creepy.”
He blinked, then moved away, muttering something about “Nomura” and “advice”. Claire crossed her arms, all the more confused and annoyed as to why he called her out here.
“Well?” She asked, tapping her foot.
“You look very pretty,” he suddenly said, looking away from her. “Your dress is nice. It looks good on you. You should wear it more often.”
Cheeks reddening, Claire struggled to form words. “I-I, w-what? Huh?”
Was he trying to mess with her head? It wasn't the first time he'd complimented her, but this came straight out of left field. What did he want?
He continued, “Your smile is very cute, and I like the way you swing your sword around. It’s very hypnotic. Like a dancer.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” She threw her hands up, “Where is all this coming from? I mean, thanks for the compliments, but what the heck, dude?”
Atlas brushed a strand of hair past his elfin ears, still averting his gaze from hers. “I saw your drawings.”
She froze. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. No, it couldn't be. Her lucky wasn't that bad, was it? “Ah, which drawings?”
“The ones of me.”
Strike me down God, she inwardly pleaded.
Claire wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Fighting Bular and Anger Rot together in a bikini would be less mortifying than this. She never should have brought her sketchbook with her during her nightly trollhunting. Normally she liked to draw from real life, and since many of her battles were with trolls, they filled up most of her book.
Okay, so most of it was pictures of Atlas, but so what? She fought him like every week or so. He made a good model.
Oh god, who was she kidding? Mary and Darci would be dying of laughter if they were here right now.
Alright, maybe she had a bit of a crush (a huge one, Darci once said, like, why don't you ask him out, girl?) , but that didn’t change the fact that he was an asshole and stole her amulet. Crush or no crush, he was a bad dude.
“How did you find them?” Claire finally asked.
“I went through your backpack.” He said in a matter-of-fact way. “You leave it out right in the open. I got curious.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to look at them. An artist’s sketchbook is sacred!” She shook her fist at him. “Sacred!”
“I just wanted to know.”
“Know what?”
He finally looked at her, eyes searching her own. “If you liked me as much as I liked you.”
Claire bit down on her lip; her heart thundered inside her chest. He liked her? As in, like-like? She struggled to restrain the butterflies inside her stomach. “So what if I do? It doesn’t change anything. I’m still the Trollhunter. You’re a dumb changeling trying to bring back Gunmar.”
"I could care less about Gunmar." He said.“Also, it's half.”
“What?”
“I’m half. Changeling that is.” He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, leaning back against the tree. “My mother. She’s human, I think.”
“You think? You don’t know?”
He mumbled, “Don’t remember.”
That…explained a lot actually. Out of all the Trolls she’d met, Atlas was by far the most human-looking one. He lacked the troll nose and inhuman skin tone of his brethren.
Still though, how was a human-troll hybrid possible? Blinky would be going nuts if he were here, she thought fondly.
Part of her was suspicious, that this was just a rouse, but the majority of her believed him to be telling the truth. He'd never lied to her before, even in battle. Out of all her enemies, Atlas was the kindest. He never hit her directly, and while their battles tended to leave everyone with some scraps and bruises, no one was ever seriously injured. He was different than the other changelings and now she had proof. The anger she felt earlier dissipated.
A small hope arose within her. Could she ultimately bring him to the side of good?
“So, why did you bring me here? Why steal my amulet?”
“I didn’t want us to fight,” he admitted. “Besides, you would have brought the others here. I wanted it to just be us.”
Claire scratched her head. “So…this is a date then? Are you asking me out on a date?”
He threw her a confused look. “What’s a date?”
“Seriously?” She said, “Trolls don’t have dates? Right, okay. It’s when two people who like each other go somewhere to hang out. Like to the movie theater, or a play, or a park—“
“Does a secluded forest count?”
She sighed, “Maybe in horror movies.”
“So, this is a date then?” He prodded, smiling gently. His ears flicked up.
Oh god, he's too cute for his own good, she thought. Why couldn't I just like normal boys?
“Yeah, sure." She relented.
“Good,” he replied, enveloping her hand with his own. “Let’s get going then.”
Her eyes squinted, realization beginning to dawn on her. “Wait a darn minute. You tricked me! Everyone knows what a date is. You just wanted me to admit it.”
His silence answered everything. She blew a raspberry at him, earning a soft snort in return.
Birds chattered in the distance. Morning would soon be here, if the brightening sky was any indication. She looked up at Atlas, admiring the way the morning light filled out the contours of his face. He was immune to sunlight, but rarely attacked her group in the day, preferring nighttime ambushes.
His skin felt cool against her own, firmer than a human’s, but far softer than Troll's. She leaned closer, which caused him to stiffen slightly.
This was nice, she thought. Better than nice. Dating had been the last thing on her mind since the amulet chose her. School by day and monsters by night left her little to no time for herself. Not that she would have it any other way, but still. This felt right. She missed having a normal life, the normal milestones girls her age went through. Her relationship with her parents was less than fair these days. After finding out her brother had been switched with a changeling, she'd spent less and less time with them, and they'd noticed.
Wait a second, was she seriously considering Atlas as boyfriend material? Did she even want to date him in the first place (especially since he tricked her to get here?). Sure, he was cute, and could actually be nice at times, like now, but he was her enemy.
Darn it, why did everything have to be so complicated?
If only she could turn him to the side of good. He didn't care about Gunmar, so perhaps she could convince him somehow. She would need to discuss with Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! later, and maybe Darci and Mary (if they didn't go on an 'I told you so' rant).
“We’re here.” He said.
Claire’s mouth nearly dropped at the sight. She’d seen lots of views of the city of Arcadia, but none like this. Who knew that the little hill right in her own backyard held such a gorgeous view of city? Blue, pink and orange danced across the sky, as if someone had painted them with a brushstroke.
“It’s beautiful.” She exclaimed.
“You’re beautiful.” He said.
Claire laughed. “Who knew you would be such a cheesy romantic.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said.
“Then tell me," she brushed back a stray lock of hair. "When did you, you know, start to like me?”
“Since the beginning.”
“Really?” Claire's eyes widened.
He chuckled. “You act so surprised.”
“Well, I mean, you kind of tried to kill us a couple of times." Well, technically Nomura and Stricklander did, and Atlas tagged along. Suddenly she found herself questioning her entire history with him.
He gazed down at her with a soft smile. “You spared my life. More than once.”
“So? I spared Draal’s too and you don’t see him taking me on dates,” she said, tilting her head. “Besides, you saved me first. Remember when Bular first tried to kill me?”
“How could I forget?” he said, “You kick pretty hard for someone your size.”
“At first, I thought you were trying to throw me against the wall, but you threw me through the portal instead. I never would have made it in time if you didn't do that. Why?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why what?”
“Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?” She said. "Why don't you act like the other changelings?"
He sighed, removing his hand from hers. “It’s complicated.”
“I don’t think it is,” she argued. “I think you’re just scared to admit it.”
He growled, “I’m not scared, Trollhunter, I—“
“You care,” she started. “Despite how you act, you care about us. You didn't want to see me and the others hurt. You care about others, even if you won't admit it. I’ve seen the way you fight. You’re way faster and stronger than you've led others to believe. I mean, you threw a freaking minivan at Anger Rot for gosh sakes! You could have killed any one of us if when you had the chance. But you didn’t, because you care.”
“Just shut up, Trollhunter.” He said, “You don’t know everything.”
Atlas brushed past her. She moved forward, grabbing his wrist.
“I want to, though. You were right: I like you. You like to pretend you don't care, but I’ve seen the way you interact with Mr. Strickler and Ms. Nomura. You protect them. When Ms. Nomura was about to be taken through the Killahead Bridge you pulled her out of the way. And you saved Mr. Strickler from Anger Rot’s wrath by breaking the ring. You also gave me clues about Anger Rot too. If it wasn’t for you, I never would have figured out how to defeat him. Plus, you’re handsome—“
He turned around, eyes wide. “You think I’m handsome?”
She threw him an incredulous look. “Out of everything I’ve said, that’s what shocks you? Seriously?”
“No one’s ever said that to me.”
“Surely, your parents…” She stopped when she noticed his crestfallen expression.
“I don’t remember anything before I was ten. Or I think I was ten.” He took a deep breath. “My first memory was waking up to your human doctors experimenting on me. Like I was some sort of science project. I knocked them out and ran. Before long, my father found me.”
“Your father?”
He flushed. “Ah, yeah. I don’t normally call him that in public, it just slips out, you know. Well, Stricklander sort of adopted me in a way. None of the other Changelings wanted the responsibility of taking care of me, but he stepped up to the plate. Took me from the streets and put a roof over my head. Of course, there are certain things I’m required to do…”
“Like what?”
He put a finger to his lips, smirking. “Sorry. Changeling business.”
She bit her lip, thinking hard. “You do his dirty work.”
He didn’t refute her claim.
As much as she hated Mr. Strickler, she could at least understand the boy's loyalty. If only she could figure out a way to bring him to her side though.
"So you worked for the Janus Order because you didn't have a choice."
He laughed dryly. "The choice was either death or delayed death. Bular hated me. The only thing more disgusting to him than an impure was an impure mix-breed. Even being in his presence risked getting a beating. I hated that bastard."
"Why didn't you tell us, tell me, sooner?" Her hand tightened into a fist. He was forced to join them.
"Would you have believed me?" He asked.
She gripped the side of her dress, shame filling her. No, she wouldn't have. All these revelations had opened up all new doors for her to explore. Could she turn Atlas, and in turn, some of the changelings to Trollmarket's side? That would require Trollmarket accepting them though, and with their own distrust of the race, she wasn't sure it would go over very well.
“You said you lost your memory,” she said, trying to switch the subject. "Is Atlas even your real name?"
"No, but I don't remember my real one. Stricklander likes to call me 'Young Atlas' a bunch. He's a huge Greek mythology fanatic. It sort of stuck after awhile."
“You also said you were ten. So, like, ten years or ten decades? Because Troll ages are pretty different from a human's.”
“Ten years. I recently turned sixteen.” He sighed wistfully. “Fath—Stricklander doesn’t know whether I’ll continue to age like a human or stop once I reach adulthood. He still isn’t even sure I’ll survive puberty. I’m the first of my kind. A few of the changelings are hopeful, that perhaps I'm the start of something new, since most, if not all, are sterile in some way. There's some who pity me too, but not many. The rest are fearful. They think I'm deluding changeling blood. That I'll turn against them because of my treacherous human half. That I will bring an end to their kind.” He snorted. “Load of bloody bullshit, honestly.”
Wow. Compassion filled her. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt growing up, stuck between two races.
“So you’re the same age as me then. Good then, cause if you were like, super old, I probably wouldn’t have you as a boyfriend. It would be totally weird, though Mary is super into that sort of thing, I swear. She and Darci always fangirl about what the newest vampire/werewolf series that comes out. I mean, vampires are okay, but dating them? Ew. I mean,” she covered her mouth. “Oh god, I’m rambling, aren’t I?”
He beamed down at her. “So I’ve jumped to boyfriend status now? That was quick. Looks like I didn’t need Nomura’s help after all.”
Did she let that slip out? Her cheeks reddened. “Shut up, Atlas.”
He drew closer. Her breath hitched in her throat. Up close, as the daylight peaked out, she could see every little detail of his face. She wished she had her sketchpad with her. His eyelashes were a lot longer than she previously thought, and his cheekbones all the more striking. A clawed finger lifted her chin up.
“This has been fun.” He said. “I-I haven’t spoken to anyone like this in a long time.”
“Yeah…same.” she breathed out, her face hot once again. God, was it always going to be like this with guys or just this one?
"This is going to sound kind of crazy," he began, nervousness in his tone.
"Go for it."
“I want to kiss you," he said softly, “can I?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
It was soft, as if he were afraid of breaking her. His lips were dry, but pleasant. She avoided nicking herself on his sharp tusks and instead opened her mouth, playing with his tongue. He shuddered in response. He tasted minty, most likely from breath-mints, which only endeared him all the more to her. A shiver went down her spine. Was she seriously moving this fast with him? Even though it was just a kiss, her entire body felt like it was on fire.
Finally, she broke away, relishing the full blown blush that appeared upon his cheeks. Probably matches mine, she thought.
“Atlas, the other Trollhunters and I would love it if you could join us.” She finally said, eyes hopeful.
Well, no they wouldn’t. She’s pretty sure Blinky would blow a gasket. But Mary and Darci would surely warm up to it and she’s pretty sure AAARRRGGHH!!! would too. Trollmarket, on the other hand, was a whole nother story.
His eyebrows furrowed, “I don’t—“
“Please, just, could you at least think about it?” She asked. “Maybe we could recover your lost memories.”
He frowned, eyes cast downward. “That’s impossible.”
“So is a human Trollhunter. So is killing Bular and Anger Rot." Claire said, "Nothing’s impossible when you have others supporting you.”
Atlas shook his head. “Now who’s cheesy?"
“Think about it, alright?” She said, then added, "If you want to date me that is."
"I do, I do...Just, I need to think on some stuff." He nodded, squeezed her hand, then let go. “Sun’s up. Stricklander will be wondering where I am.”
“Oh my god, my Spanish test!” Claire exclaimed, grabbing her head. “I’m so screwed.”
Atlas walked back down the path, Claire following close behind. “Hmm. It would be a shame if Señor Uhl’s truck got stolen again.”
“You wouldn’t," she gasped. "Wait, again? Were you the one that...Seriously?"
He shrugged. “I could be persuaded not to, like another date?”
“Only if you promise not to hurt my friends anymore,” Claire said, “and you give me back my amulet, which you promised me earlier, in case you don’t remember.”
“Oh yeah,” he said, smacking his palm against his head. “Completely forgot. It’s in the boy’s bathroom at your school. Second toilet to the left. You can’t miss it.”
She cursed.