It has been two years since the trolls left Bergentown. Branch turned seven, Benjamin turned five, and Merry turned twenty two. Merry was putting on her coat.

"Come on you two we have to get ready!"

Branch hurried out of the room wearing a royal blue jacket to remind himself of his true colors.

"Come on Benjamin we're going to be late!"

Benjamin raced behind him wearing a yellow hoodie. "Coming!"

"Copycat," Branch murmured under his breath.

"Come on kids it's time to go!"

Merry was already walking out of the pod. Both Branch and Benjamin ran to their mother and held her hands.

"Love you," she told them as she dropped them off at school.

"Bye mom," said the boys as they walked to their new school.

At school Branch sat by himself like he did at his old school.

"Hey Branch!" yelled an familiar enthusiastic pink troll.

Branch threw his journal in the air and caught it before it landed on her head.

"Hey Poppy. How's it going?"

"Can I sit next to you?"

Branch slid back a chair next to him and gestured her to come sit down.

"I can't believe your four years old already."

"What do you mean?"

"You were only a baby when we met. As a matter of fact you were in my daycare when you was two."

"Wow, really?!"

Branch nodded.

"Cool!"

The teacher clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Okay everyone. Let's continue on today's lesson."

The day was a blur to Branch. The trolls sang songs, played in the play corner, learned how to read, and learned how to spell.

At the bell the children ran outside in a hurry to get to the playground. Branch sat at the swings and started to write in his notebook. He suddenly felt something push him from behind.

"Hey! Hey! What in the troll hair is going on?!"

Benjamin pushed Branch harder. "Swing, swing, swing!"

"If you wanted the swing you could've told me."

Branch tried to kick his feet to get him to stop but Benjamin pushed him faster so he wouldn't have the chance.

"Get out the way Benjamin."

Benjamin stepped out of the way. Branch jumped off and landed on his feet.

"Branch can you please play with me?" Benjamin begged.

"I don't feel like it."

"You always say that. It's been two years now and you still won't hang out with me."

"Alright what do you want to do then?"

"Can I swing you again?"

"My stomach's queasy."

Benjamin gave an inaudible sigh.

"Well can you at least talk to me?"

Branch went to the slide.

"What do you want to talk to me about then?" Branch's patience were wearing thin.

"Know what. I'm not even going to force you to hang with me. If you want to go on and mope around about your parents then that's fine by me. I'm even younger than you are but do you see me moping around feeling sorry for myself? No! Your parents are probably gone man! I went with you just to make sure that you return home."

Branch felt his own anger rising.

"First of all I didn't ask for you to come. I told you that I wanted to do this alone and yet you came."

"At least I'm not the one grey," Benjamin murmured under his breath.

Before Branch could stop himself he tackled the five year old troll to the ground.

Benjamin flipped Branch over on his back an inch from his head. He quickly rolled over and pinned Branch's arms on the ground. Branch rammed his knee hard in Benjamin's soft belly knocking the breath out of him. They tussled on the ground until the teacher hurried over and broke up the fight.

Merry was called to go to the school and neither she or Lief were happy.

"Wow I never thought I'd see you two fighting," Merry told Branch and Benjamin as she led them home.

Neither of them said a word all the way home. When they got to the house they put their coats up without saying a word.

Merry walked past Branch's room and saw him sitting on the bed with his back turned to her. She went to Benjamin's room and saw him reading a book beside his bed.

"I'll let them have a cool down tonight."

Leif came up to her. "What in the hair happened?"

Merry sighed. "Branch and Benjamin got in a fight and now they won't speak to each other."

Leif put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"They'll get over it soon."

"I'm just stunned that Branch was the one who made contact first. Usually he's so well behaved."

"Well the oldest can't always be the most mature remember?"

"I know but this is so unlike Branch. I just wish I could bring them close together."

"Can we take them to the park and get them to play?"

"I don't think Branch is going to be running around the playground with the rest of the kids like Benjamin."

"How about we make them go berry picking together? It will probably take a long time for them to finish so maybe they'll be able to spend some time together."

Merry's eyes were filled with determination. "Alright, let's do it."

The next day Branch and Benjamin were brought to a orchard where the cherries were grown.

"Why are we doing this again?" Branch asked.

"I just want you two to have a good time and spend some quality brother time together," explained Merry.

"I've been noticing that ever since Benjamin came into the family you haven't been spending much time with him so I just want you to at least talk to him."

Branch gave an inaudible sigh. Subconsciously he knew the reason why he didn't want to be near anyone but didn't want to argue with his mother.

"I want you two to pick some cherries so we can make some pie."

Branch rolled his eyes. "How many do you need?"

"Can you pick twenty cherries for me?"

"Twenty?!" Benjamin repeated.

"We'll be picking cherries all day!" Branch argued.

"Work together and maybe this would go by faster. Have fun you two."

Merry went to the other adults that were already chatting.

"How are we going to reach up there?" Benjamin asked.

Branch looked at the closest branch on the tree.

"Can we climb?"

"You know my hair can't stretch that far!"

Branch closed his eyes and took a deep breath to soothe himself before saying something nasty to Benjamin.

"So what do you propose we do?"

Benjamin shrugged.

"How far can your hair reach?" Branch was loosing his patience.

Benjamin whipped out his hair and latched it on a branch that was two feet off the ground.

"Unbelievable. You know what, stay down here. I'll climb up and throw the cherries down and you better catch them."

Benjamin let go of the branch and walked to the basket.

"Sheesh! I bet Poppy can reach these and she's younger than both of us."

Branch scrambled up the tree. He picked the cherry off the tree and dropped it.

Benjamin caught it in the basket. Branch tossed another one over his shoulder.

Benjamin ran this way and that laughing a bit.

Branch decided to pick up the pace a bit but not too much. He threw two cherries at a time so it wouldn't cause that much trouble and Benjamin could still have fun.

After the last cherry had been picked Branch made a staircase with his hair and walked down.

"That was pretty fun."

Branch smiled at him. Merry came over to them.

"Looks like you two finally made up."

There was a familiar ding. Branch looked at Benjamin's hugtime bracelet and felt arms around him.

Okay maybe just this once.

The next day Merry was walking the kids to school.

"Love you Branch. Love you Benjamin."

"Love you too mom," the boys said as they walked in the school building.

"See you later Benjamin," Branch said as he walked him to class.

When Branch walked into his classroom he tripped over someone's foot and nearly fell on his face.

He regained his balance and looked at the troll who tripped him.

"Watch where your going you little dork!" snarled the blue troll with light blue hair.

"Your the one who tripped me!"

"Oh stop acting like a baby!"

Branch whipped his hair and wrapped it tightly around his neck.

"Branch, stop this right now!"

Branch looked in the direction of the teacher then back at the troll he was strangling. His hands were tugging at his hair as he struggled to get himself free.

"She saved you this time brother," he hissed as he released his grip on his throat.

The blue troll gasped for air. Branch turned away from him and went to his chair.

"Nice one little B," everyone said proudly as they smiled at him.

Branch had a feeling that the troll who just recently tripped him was going to be a lot of trouble for him later in time.

At lunch Branch sat by himself so he wouldn't run into that kid. Benjamin, who saw Branch eating alone, decided to go over to him so he could have some company.

"Hey Branch."

Branch patted his hand on the chair next to him. Benjamin sat next to him and tried to stay quiet so he wouldn't bother him.

Finally Branch had something to say.

"Wow it's been five minutes and you haven't said a word. Are you feeling okay?"

"I just don't wanna be a bother."

Branch smiled. "Now are you understanding?"

Benjamin nodded. "You have depression. No wonder you haven't been spending time with me all these years."

"Now your catching on."

Benjamin remembered Branch telling him about how he doesn't have any parents.

"So who were you raised by before mom?"

"My grandma."

Benjamin decided to change the subject when he saw Poppy walking off towards her friends.

"Your smittened," Benjamin commented to Branch.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Come on! You know you love her."

"How can I love someone who is already in love with someone else?"

Benjamin gave Branch a confused look. Branch pointed to where Poppy was hanging out with a group of trolls called The Snack Pack.

"What do you mean in love with someone else?" Benjamin was still confused.

"I've been noticing that Poppy has been spending time with Creek then the rest of the Snack Pack and now I feel like that she's starting to develop feelings for him."

"I don't think what they're having is going to last Branch."

Branch was skeptical. "I don't know Benjamin. Besides who would want to be with a miserable grey troll."

After school was over Branch caught a glimpse of Creek booping Poppy's nose. Branch had a feeling that he never felt before but didn't know what it was.

When they boys got to the orphanage Branch was very bitter at what he just saw.

"Oh boy," said a familiar voice.

Branch looked at his mother.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Branch replied bitterly.

"Why are you scowling then?"

"Who's scowling?"

Merry gave her son a look. "Branch..."

"It's just I have this friend I like but now I have a feeling that she likes someone more than she likes me."

"Give it some time. She'll come around."

Branch sighed. "Guess so."

"Wow your seven years old and act more of a teenager than my brother's son."

Branch cracked a small smile at her joke.

"Aww there's my smile. How about some after school cookies?"

Benjamin quickly jumped up and down. "Yay! Yay! Yay!"

Branch went over to the cookies that were sitting on their bed.

"Wow! All these kids actually missed these while we were gone," Benjamin commented.

"I hid them so the other kids won't bother them," Merry explained to a very perplexed Branch.

"Well that explains why they aren't touched."

"Go on," Merry urged them.

Branch and Benjamin started to snack on the cookies. After they finished their snack Merry took Branch and Benjamin to the park.

Branch felt his heart race when he saw the same troll who he was about to get in a fight with at school at the park.

"Now play nice Quillan," said the mother.

"Alright."

Branch went to the sandbox and tried to ignore the troll coming to him.

"Hey kid let me get in too."

Branch crawled to a corner and started to dig in the sand. Quillan had a confused expression on his face. This wasn't what he meant.

"Can I dig with you?"

Branch nodded.

"Can you talk?"

Branch nodded again.

"Can you say something then?"

Branch stopped digging and looked up into his eyes.

"What's there to talk about?"

Branch's voice had no emotion in it.

"Never mind. What's the point? Your not even going to be excited."

The troll glared at him as he walked away from the sandbox to the swings where the rest of the troll kids were playing.