Having to stay behind from the quest stunk, but it was necessary. We needed to keep Strickler off our trail and I needed to keep my job. I don't know what Strickler would do if he found out that Jim, Claire, Toby, and I were gone for a few days and I definitely don't want to know what he would do if he discovered what we were gone for.

        After they left and I was done with grading papers, I took advantage of being alone in the house. I did a very crazy version of karaoke. I only ever do this if I'm home alone. Mainly because if Jim or Mom ever saw what I did, I would never hear the end of their laughter. I'm not the best singer, but I do get into my songs. And by getting into my songs, I mean that I dance and sing as crazy as I can, jump onto our coffee table, and pretend that I'm playing the electric guitar. Like I said, I hope that Jim and Mom never find out about this.

        While I was doing my third song for karaoke, I heard someone in the basement. Crap! I forgot that Draal was here, which meant that he probably was hearing the entire thing. I stumbled around and turned off the TV and I headed downstairs. I opened the door to the basement and I caught Draal on the other side. Why was I so stupid? I couldn't believe that I forgot about him. I could feel my cheeks heating up and I nervously scratched the back off my head.

        "How much did you hear?" I weakly asked. I'm pretty sure he could tell that I was rather embarrassed.

        "I was here the entire time. May I ask what you were doing?" Draal wondered. Oh right. He's never heard of karaoke. An idea suddenly popped into my head.      

         "I'll show you what I was doing, if you swear never to tell anyone about this. Especially Jim." I bargained. Draal thought for a moment and agreed to it. I brought him to the living room and turned on the the television. I explained to him what karaoke was. He was resistant to the idea of singing at first, but I managed to persuade him by offering to buy him some tacos. Then, I played him the song, which was Don't Stop Believing by Journey.

        This is one of my absolute favorite songs. After we finished listening to the song, Draal and I went to the machine, clicked on the song, and began to sing the lyrics. Together, we were Dranica, the worst singing duo in history! When we were finished, we both looked at each and started laughing. We should do this more often.

        Looking outside, I asked, "Hey, Draal. Do you want to go for a walk? It's a nice night out." Draal smiled and nodded. We went outside and started walking through the woods. It was beautiful outside.

        "How does it feel now that your father's remains are placed in the Hero's Forge?" I questioned after realizing I'd never actually asked him about it.

        "He has taken his rightful place among the fallen Trollhunters, but there are times where I still miss him. I just hope that I am making him proud." Draal admitted. I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder,

        "I'm sure that you are, Draal. I mean, look at what all you've done. You retrieved the Amulet from Killahead Bridge, you have been protecting the Trollhunter and his family, and saved all of us time and time again. It would be insane to think that Kanjigar wouldn't be proud of you." I assured him. He was quiet for a moment, then asked,

        "If you don't mind me asking, what was your father like?" I stopped walking unsure of how to respond. Finally, after a couple minutes, I answered,

        "My father was in the military. When he was around, he knew how to make the whole room laugh with his stories. He would always play games with Jim and I and he made Mom the happiest woman in the world. He left our family for another woman when Jim had just turned five and I was ten at the time. When he left, Mom told us that we would have to take better care of each other. She would try to act brave for us, but in the night, I could hear her sobbing in her room. Jim did his best to take care of the both of us while I was in denial of the whole thing. I didn't want to think that Dad would just abandon us. He used to tell me that we were his whole world and that nothing could replace it. Over time, I realized that he really wasn't coming back and I broke. I felt betrayed. I secluded myself from everyone and fell into a state of depression. I wouldn't eat and I barely slept. It would've gotten worse, if it hadn't been for Jim. He's the one who got me through everything. He would do his best to try to make me smile and he was the only one who got me to eat. I made a promise to myself that I would always be there for Jim when he needed me and that I would be a better sister to him. So that he would never feel alone."

         When I was finished, I realized that tears were streaming down my cheeks. I had never opened up that much to anyone other than my mother or Jim before. Draal put his hand on my shoulder and said,

         "You are lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, Monica. I can now clearly see why the Thriskule chose you to be it's Wielder." My cheeks turned tomato red. Before I could respond, I noticed my mother coming up the street.

           "We need to get back to the house." I stated. We ran back to the house as fast as we could and we managed to beat my mother home. Before Draal was about to head into the basement, I said, "Thank-you." He turned to me and replied,

             "No problem. If you ever need anyone to talk to, you know where to find me."