Midnight

34 - Ascending, Descending Days

Blake crossed a large red 'x' on the calendar on the current day, it's only been 8 days but it felt like it has been 20 days ever since Jim left into the Darklands. WIthout Jim, it doesn't feel like Trollhunters without him. Blake sighed loudly, "it's been a trip for you," Blake looks at her door and noticed Sky standing there.

Blake chuckled, "tell me about it," Blake gets up from her chair and turned her full attention towards Sky. She was wearing a smirk. Blake knew that look.

"So, I saw you with a guy, is he your..." Sky looked around and whispered with a cat-like face, "boyfriend~?"

"Ha ha!" Blake sarcastically laughed, "yes, he is, we started dating after a day when Jim went into the Darklands. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to school," Blake grabbed her bag and exited her house and got on her motorcycle. While on her motorcycle someone jumped on the back of her motorcycle and wrapped their arms around her waist.

"Hey, babe~!" Blake smiled softly, she looked behind her and saw her boyfriend, Spenser, "take me for a ride to school?" he asks for permission.

"Yeah, come on," Blake grabs her second bike helmet and tossed it to Spenser, "you gotta walk, man. You can't always ask for a ride with me - we always see each other at school all the time anyway," Blake protested.

"Yeah, but, I like the wind blowing in my face," Spenser remarks.

"You're a dork! Let's go!" Blake says. They both got on the motorcycle and went to school. Once they arrived, they both entered the school and went to their classes immediately. Blake went to her first class where Toby and Claire were. History class. Toby looked exhausted and Claire seemed cheerful - she knew how to be optimistic when it's her new boyfriend even though she never claimed it herself.

Blake waved at them and sat down in her seat. As the class started, Blake immediately started to space out and tap her pencil on her notebook.

"Psst," she blinks a few times and notices Claire looking at her hand, "your veins in your hand; it looks bad. Do you think you should get that checked out?" Claire questions.

Blake looked at her hand and notices the dark purple veins pulsating and it can be easily seen because of her pale skin. Her eyes widen but she was calm about it, "it's probably nothing. Oh! By the way, why does Toby keep throwing those nougat nummies into the fetch?"

"It's stupid but it's a code for Jim in the Darklands, 'keep it crispy' is the code,"

"Heh, well, whatever works for Toby since he is his best friend. I'm sure Jim will understand it," Blake had faith for Toby's coded messages on the nougat nummies. But, ever so slowly, Blake was losing her patience, it felt too long. The bell rang and everyone got up and scurried out of the classroom like a group of mice.

Blake sighed and went to her locker. She suddenly felt her head thumping and the sounds around her were muffled. Her eyes were heavy. She wasn't lightheaded, no headaches, no hearing problems, and she wasn't tired. She was suddenly disrupted by a light tapping on her shoulder. It was Spenser.

"Hey--" he cut himself abruptly when he saw the state Blake was in, "whoa, you don't look so good. You okay?" he questioned with a concerned expression as he places the back of his hand and his other on his forehead to compare the difference.

"I'm fine. Just tired that's all," Blake responded as she went walking toward her motorcycle and went home to rest. She'd have to tell her mother about her symptoms and call the school.

Blake enters the cafe. As she entered, her vision became blurry and moving in slow motion. The customers saw her and stared at her like she was a drunk teenager. Her mother at the counter saw her and immediately went towards her.

"Blake, what's wrong?! You look terrible!" her mother shouts as she felt her face and it was burning hot. She winced at the pain and was highly concerned.

"I'm fine, just feeling fever..." Blake walked past her mother but everything stopped, "...ish," Blake falls to the ground while panting, heart beating fast, and her temperature was killing her body.

"Blake!" She went beside her and supported her head, "Sky! Ash! Help me!" she exclaims.

Everyone in the cafe stood up and looked at Blake and some of them were covering their mouths and muttering.

Sky and Ash arrived in the cafe from the stairs and saw Blake. Sky covered her mouth as tears started to form and Ash screamed.

Everything went silent and became black.

~ ~ ~

Blake groaned and can hear the beeping sound of the heart monitor. She can already tell she was in the hospital and she was having a nostalgic moment from the time when Jim was being taken by a Stalkling on his birthday.

"Oh, you're awake, I'll call your visitors in here," Blake nodded slowly as the nurse went out of the room. She looked around and noticed she was in the ICU room.

Blake's family entered the room and had bags under their eyes, "they stayed here overnight, waiting for you to awake," the nurse says.

"How long have I been out?" Blake questioned.

"Six days, some of your friends came to visit you while you were sleeping,"

"Six days?! I have to go!" Blake ripped the wires that were connected to her and the machines started to beep.

The nurse quickly catches her and tried to push her back in the bed then a few more nurses came in to sedate her from freaking out too much. Blake tried to resist but she calmed down and gave in so she doesn't get a needle anywhere where her skin was exposed.

They all put the wire back on and put the breathing mask back on. While the nurses spoke to her mother, Sky took her chance to go by Blake's hospital bed.

She looked back once more at her mother and the nurses, "Blake, I have something to tell you,"

"What is it?" Blake growled.

"Unfortunately, not right now, I have to wait till mother and Ash aren't here," Sky says as she stepped away from Blake and exited the ICU room.

Then, Blake waited for Sky to tell her. Many hours later, it was close to the end of visiting hours and Sky was nowhere to be seen. Blake sighed as she felt the air entering through her mouth and nose from the oxygen mask.

Knocking emitted from the door, "sorry, I'm late," it was Sky leaning against the door entrance of the ICU room, "you know, mother is worried for you, she closed the cafe ever since you fainted,"

"That long?" Blake chuckled softly, "that isn't normal of her to do, she's a hard working woman who runs a cafe business,"

"Yeah,"

"So, what's the thing you wanted to tell me?"

Sky eyes started to water at the corner of her eyes, "well, the physical symptoms you're feeling, it's related to the amulet,"

Blake's eyes widen but she was confused at the same time. Sky continued to explain about the symptoms that she was feeling and questioned Blake about anything else. Until...

"The amulet will fully consume you in the darkness in a month and I'm afraid..." Sky covers her mouth as she sniffled, she brings her hand away and looked at her shaking hands, "it'll kill you,"

"What...?"