Chapter Text
Wow.
That was… awful.
Like, genuinely dreadful.
What the hell was the writing team thinking? You weren't the type to become some kind of movie snob, but that one pushed you damn near the brink.
Oh! And how charming, you’ve stayed up late- well past midnight just to wait till the movie showed up on Netflix. What an utter waste of time.
You flopped backwards- there was a few candy wrappers and a half-empty can of soda on your nightstand, but you’d save the latter for a night where you woke up with a mouth like cotton, thirstier than a middle aged divorced woman.
You closed your eyes, letting sleep claim you as you would leave the traumatic events of the movie for morning-you. You had used the last sliver of mental band-width, and now was the time to reboot your brain.
…
You know the feeling of falling that you get, just on the brink of sleep? Usually, it's where you'd startle awake and bump your head against something?
That didn't happen. You didn't wake up this time. Rather, you were suspended in what you assumed was space. Your movements felt sluggish, like you were deep beneath an ocean.
You could see nothing, even when your eyes were wide open.
It was… peaceful, actually.
There was nothing to disturb you.
And so, you floated in the void. content to just be.
There was a chime-
A faint jingle-
A bell. Or the sound of a kalimba?
Another ring followed after that, and another.
A dim light floated into your range of vision. A dainty pink petal, drifting in the black like a tiny bird on the wind. It emanated a soft glow, and when others followed it filled your once dark vision with light.
And it was so bright.
You tried to make a sound of awe- any noise would do, really -but you had no voice.]
Can’t speak in space, you suppose.
Through the cloud of petals, something emerged. The only word that really came to mind was bloom.
A small, delicate creature with short antlers and a body covered- or made of? -leaves. Big umber eyes smile back at you.
“You’re here.”
Nari, your inner voice says.
They nod.
“I cannot stay, work is to be done.” She says, drifting towards you. They grasp your hands in her own- their hands are so small.
“You have work.”
Work? You tilt your head.
Nari chuckles- there it is, that ringing sound. It's a laughter that fills a pit in your chest with warmth, that releases the tension in your muscles and brings a clarity to your mind that wasn't there before.
“Time unfolds differently, like a flower. You are that difference.” She says, squeezing your hands.
“The Trollhunter, he is grieving. He will need help."
A panic settled into your bones as you felt your weight drop, like you were dropped from the talons of space and sent down back into the atmosphere.
"Y/N of the Third View, you must help the Trollhunter!”
Energy surges through you- tiny hands and umber eyes bursting into petals and sending shock and power deep into your bones as you fall.
And fall.
And fall.
Your back hits the ground. It’s wet, seeping into your clothes. You quickly realise that it’s mud that you’re laying in, not a bed damp with sweat like you might have first thought of.
It’s raining, too, you come to realize.
You lay there for what feels like hours- in reality, maybe a minute or two. What the hell happened? Why were you outside? What the hell was Nari doing in your dream?
You sat up. It’s a backyard- certainly not yours , but a backyard nonetheless.
“Y/N? What are you doing out in the rain?” A voice calls out- a woman. Your head turns to face her.
She… kind of looks like you. Your mind subconsciously supplies her identity, mother , but you know that sure as hell isn’t your mom, even though those E/C eyes that mirror your own draw closer.
“Uh. It’s nice.” You answer intelligently, rising from the dirt like a corpse. You don't notice the blooming of flowers from the you-shaped indent in the mud.
The resemblance to you was uncanny, she had the same facial structure and hair colour- she was like you, but if you were an angry old-ish woman. You felt a little mean even thinking of calling her old.
She held the door open for you. “Why are you even up so late?” She chastised, grimacing as you tracked mud into the house.
“Why are you up so late?” You shot back instinctively, partly in genuine confusion.
She looked irritated, her brows creasing. “I’m leaving for work?"
Your brows furrowed in confusion. You’re not dreaming, but you feel like you are. With a strange mother you’ve never met before, in a strange house, in a currently unknown town. “Uh,”
More thoughts- memories? -flashed in your mind, supplying you with information. She’s your mother, works a job you have no knowledge about, and only shows up one day a month to make sure you’re not dead.
What a caring mother.
“...alright. Have fun, I guess.”
Your ‘mother’ sighed in exasperation, turning away from you and to the front door. “Please, just clean up the mess before you go to bed, okay? You’ve got to get up in-" She looks down at her watch. "-five hours, and I don’t want you skipping out just because it’s your first day here.” She informs, grabbing a duffle bag and opening the door. “I’ll see you next month, okay?”
“Okay.” You reply weakly, watching the door slam shut.
And so you were alone. In a strange house. In a currently unknown town.
What the hell, man.
…
You didn’t go to bed. Honestly, you didn’t really feel tired in the first place.
Instead, you took to investigating your newfound life. There were scarce pictures hung up in the house- primarily just school photos of you, and a few pictures of your ‘mother’. There wasn’t a single picture of you and your mom together, though. No sign of a father, either. You're not sure your mother has a family of her own, given the lack of any other people featured in the photos.
Next, you decided to take a look at yourself- after you took a shower, that is. You stared at yourself in the fogged mirror after wiping through the condensation, groaning as you realised you’re in your mid teens. About 16 years old, it seems. You aren’t particularly fond of the idea of puberty at this age, but you suppose it's only a few more years.
Physically, you don’t look terribly different. Your hair is a bit longer, and your skin a little healthier. But then you took a look at your eyes-
Oh, that was different.
They were still E/C, but there were flecks of gold and green in them. Curiously, you turned off the bathroom light and were somewhat horrified and mostly fascinated as you found that those flecks seemed to dimly glow in the darkness. You’re kind of a freak of nature, but you have to admit that’s pretty cool.
There’s two bedrooms in the house, and only one seems to be actually decorated. You figure that must be yours, then. It’s still somewhat empty, but you have a heating blanket and a weighted blanket, the best possible combination you could've asked for. There’s a laptop on your dresser, and you find a phone on the night stand beside a piece of folded paper.
With bated breath, you unlock the phone with ease and go into the maps app.
Arcadia Oaks.
You were in Arcadia Oaks.
So the Nari fever dream wasn’t so crazy after all. You’re not insane- well, you might be, but this isn’t a delusion. Or is it?
It’s the middle of September, and from what your mother said, you have school in a few hours. You already apparently have everything packed up, and a lunch in the fridge, so you’re covered on that front.
Now all you can do is try to find out more about… whatever the hell is happening. You wonder if the events of the series have already begun, or if they have even started yet. If you find Toby with the amulet, you’ll probably attack Jim on sight.
Oh, shi- you’ll end up meeting those two, won't you? Nari said you had to help the Trollhunter, so you can’t really avoid that lest there be consequences. Great, you’ve been here less than three hours and you’ve already been put into danger’s way.
With a heavy sigh, you grab the piece of folded paper on the nightstand to find that it’s a schedule. Huh, only four classes. Physics, Algebra, World History, and P.E. You’ve no idea what the schedules of your current Amulet-wielding suspects are, so you figure you’ll have to wing it when the time comes.
Armed with your backpack, phone, and lunch, you step out of your house at 7:30. According to your maps app, the school is only 15 minutes away, and given the lack of a bike at your disposal you’ll just have to walk.
With surprise, you find a few houses down a somewhat familiar house with a familiar girl walking out of it.
Claire.
Apparently, you live on Claire’s street. Good to note in case of emergency, you figure as you keep walking.
Eventually, you arrive at the entrance of Arcadia Oaks High. It’s not very intimidating, but you’re jittery as you step into the courtyard, and into your newfound destiny.
It’s time to go Jim hunting.