A/N: For anyone concerned about my co-author's health, she has tendinitis in her shoulder. She's got physical therapy appointments coming up for it and also wants to let everyone know that God is helping her heal it after she viewed a conference called "Healing is Here." For my part, I'm just glad there's less writing for her to be doing at this stage.

I wanted to do this whole night as one big chapter, but it was shaping out to be way too long, so I split it. Anyway, enjoy! We don't own Trolls.

They got lucky that first day—nothing exciting happened, and everyone made it to a spot Branch deemed safe, where a nearby stream provided water for washing and drinking. By this point, Branch was rather annoyed. They'd stopped every hour for Hug Time. That itself had slowed them down immensely, and it would have been annoying enough on its own. But Poppy insisted on hugging Branch every time, which raised more suspicions among the others. As if Branch didn't have enough to be getting on with just trying to get a bunch of trolls who hated him back where they belong, he had to endure the sympathetic looks several of them offered each Hug Time. Really, he just wanted them out of his hair at this point.

We've been stopping for Hug Time every hour! Branch thought, irritated, as the others cheered at the sight of the stream. We should be further along than this! Why do trolls have to hug so much, anyway!? And why can't Poppy keep her hands off me anymore? She didn't force Hug Time on me on the way to Bergen Town. She even left me alone when I asked her to! So why now is it impossible!? Does it have something to do with her time in isolation? Or what I told her about my grandma? It can't be what everyone else is thinking, so it has to be either guilt or she's trying to make me feel better. I mean, sure, there was that dance in Bergen Town, but she still wants Creek back... Besides that, I'm banished. He shook his head. Okay, enough! It doesn't matter! I've got more important things to worry about!

Like keeping everyone alive long enough to get home.

The twins were especially ecstatic at the sight of the water before them, fresh and clean. They'd been bothered by Bergen Town's mildly polluted water.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Chenille cheered. "Clean water for a change!"

"We can finally bathe and actually get clean!" Satin added.

Branch rolled his eyes. By his standards, Bergen Town's water had been very clean. Any swamp water he tried to use for anything needed run through a filtration system to get rid of as much of the muck as possible, and even after that, his sweat supply was still cleaner. Talk about whining.

Thanks, you spoiled, pampered rainbow trolls. You're a great distraction, he thought.

Guy leaped right in, excited. "Whoo-hoo! Finally! I was starting to worry that I'd never be super shiny again! Those guys' water was reaaaaally dimming me down!" He pulled some glitter-covered soap out of his hair at random and started scrubbing away, not caring who saw. After all, he was a glitter troll, and they never wore clothes. It wasn't like they hadn't already seen him in the nude every day of their lives.

Branch rolled his eyes, tossed his pack down on the ground, and started rummaging through it for supplies. "Oh, yeah, and what a tragedy that would be."

Satin and Chenille took some fabric they'd brought from Bergen Town and used it to curtain off a section of the stream to Guy's left. Once that was done, they went to wash up.

Smidge ran over there eagerly, calling, "Wait for me! Wait for me! I'm a major mess, too!" She leaped back there, tossing her dress off.

Cooper and Creek walled off a section to the right of Guy for the non-glitter troll boys, smiling.

"Here's the boys' bathroom!" Cooper called with a smile as Creek headed off to bathe. "Come on down!"

"Yeah, you guys have fun with that," Branch said. "Meanwhile I'll go get some firewood."

He needed a break from these guys, so he headed off to gather some firewood by himself. He was, after all, the only one around here with any real survival skills, so it wouldn't get done if he didn't take care of it.

Besides, he couldn't care less about getting a bath right now. The only thing he wanted was to put some food in his stomach. It was only through sheer willpower that he'd made it all day without eating anything, especially considering he hadn't eaten in days, but he knew he didn't have much left in him. He needed to eat, and soon. First, though, he had to make sure they had everything they'd need for the night.

Fuzzbert decided to be helpful. He dug around in Branch's bag and found some rocks (which likely qualified as weapons) and used them to set up a fire pit.

Poppy looked after Branch, concerned, as Biggie headed for the stream. He'd been in a bad mood ever since that incident in the root tunnels; and, even though she'd tried using the 5 hug times they'd had since then to cheer him up some, it didn't seem to be helping any. Typical Branch, she figured. He still hated hugs and affection, even when he really needed it. "Branch? You o—"

"Poppy?" the twins asked, their heads poking out from around the curtain. "Are you coming?"

Looking that way, Poppy saw that even DJ had gone to bathe when she hadn't been looking. "Uh, yeah!" she answered. "Coming!"

And she ran over to join the other girls. She could talk to Branch later. Right now, she was covered in dirt and sweat from her time in isolation and her two-day panic attack. She'd been so unhinged that she hadn't been capable of bathing, so she was now the smelliest troll here. She smelled about as bad as bergen town sewage, and that really reeked! Gristle's bathroom had smelled horrible, like no one had cleaned it in at least a year.

Now that she thought of it, why hadn't anyone commented on that smell? Had they all gone nose blind, or did they just not care?

Just like that, her mind was on other things.

Branch came back with firewood and was pleasantly surprised to see that somebody else had thought about setting up camp. Fuzzbert had made a fire pit, fetched some water, and gotten out some cooking utensils. Maybe they weren't all useless in the wilderness, after all.

The two finished setting up their rudimentary camp together, then Branch started a fire while Fuzzbert went to get cleaned up. By this point, some of the others were done.

Chenille cupped her hand to her sister's ear and said, "Satin, make Branch get a bath. He smells like cuddle pup droppings."

Satin glared slightly at her sister. Sure, being in an isolation cage for two days had left Branch dirtier and smellier, especially with all the exercise they'd gotten today, but that didn't make it her job to convince him to bathe.

"Branch? Aren't you going to get a bath?" Biggie asked.

Branch didn't even look up, busy with the fire. "Why?"

"Well, it has been awhile since you've had one, I'm sure," Guy answered. "I mean, you look like you went roooolling around in a pile of dirt to wear it as a coooovering. I mean, sure, you have on an even coat of it, but—"

"It's cool, Branch. We can watch that for ya for a bit," DJ said, giving him a reassuring smile as she walked over to stand beside him. "It won't kill us."

Branch looked at her, surprised at the offer. These guys were showing genuine concern for his needs. That, or they just really thought he smelled bad. Still, looking at DJ, she seemed sincerely concerned about him.

"Admittedly, Branch, you could use a bath," Satin said gently. "We'll be okay for a few minutes."

Branch looked at her next, wondering if it was possible for two trolls standing here to be concerned about him and not just for their own sake. Then he shrugged and said, "Yeah, okay." He left the fire and headed for the stream, adding, "Don't set anything on fire, alright?"

"Oh, don't worry, Branch! We'll be just fine!" Biggie assured him with a smile as DJ sat down to watch the fire.

If Cooper came back before he did, Branch doubted that. The pyrotechnic expert also happened to be a bit of a pyromaniac. But he left them to it, figuring he'd come back to a meal entirely composed of s'mores or something. At this point, though, even that sounded better than nothing—not that he was about to admit that, and he'd be cooking his own food if that did happen, but still.

Poppy and Cooper walked over then, and Poppy was back to her cheerful self. "Hey, guys! What's up!?" she asked.

She felt better after her bath. The fresh smell of flowers replaced the scent of sweat, really drilling the point home about just how blind she'd been to her own stench. Sure, she'd noticed she smelled bad, but it hadn't bothered her until she got a whiff of herself clean again. Maybe that was why Branch didn't care so much about his odor.

"Wow, Guy, you look a lot shinier now!" Cooper observed.

"Why, thank you, my friend! I just knew that water would help!" Guy said, putting his hands on his hips and posing proudly. The glitter of his body caught the fire, making him shine magnificently.

"Yeah, I mean, it's a wonder those bergens are alive at all!" DJ said. "Their water tasted so bitter, it was like drinking cough syrup when ya don't need it."

"And they smell like sweat, tears, and mildew!" Chenille added, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"Bridget didn't smell so bad, but everyone else?" Satin shuddered. "It was horrible! Even worse, I started not noticing it!"

"There is nothing worse than going numb to such a disgusting scent!" Chenille said in a tone that brooked no argument, and both she and her twin grimaced at the thought.

Poppy fully agreed with them on that one. She'd smelled as bad as the bergens, but no one had noticed that, either. It really was gross.

"Ah, yes. That would be bad," Guy agreed. "Wonder if that's why Branch doesn't seem to care also? What's it like in a swamp, anyway?" He looked toward the stream, where Branch had gone, curiously.

Guy had also noticed just how quickly their noses had grown accustomed to horrible smells. Branch and Poppy had been rank, but he hadn't cared, either. Did that mean that, if he lived in a swamp, he might start to like the smell of sweat and manure? That was an unpleasant thought.

Poppy headed over to her bag, looking at Branch curiously as he made his way to the stream. "Don't know. But speaking of, you guys? While he's off bathing, who's up for s'mores!?" Beaming, she pulled out chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers. "Branch wouldn't let me make any before, so, if ya want 'em, we need to hurry." She grinned in amusement, thinking of the health-food loving grouch. What did he have against sweets, anyway? A little sugar never hurt anyone!

Her friends eagerly agreed, and they got to work roasting marshmallows.

While the secret s'mores were being made, Branch arrived at the stream to find Creek looking for something. He looked concerned; but, given that it was now dark out, he was having a devil of a time finding whatever it was he'd lost.

"Did ya find it yet!?" Smidge called from the other side of the girls' curtain.

"Not yet, love! It appears to blend into our surroundings, and I can barely see a thing!" he answered, concern showing in his voice.

Branch raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you looking for?"

Creek turned to Branch, startled. He glared a bit before continuing his search, answering, "Well. Not that I'd expect you to care, elf, but Smidge appears to have misplaced her clothes in her haste to get clean. I was busy helping her look for them, but it's so dark out, I can't really see a thing." He started feeling around on the ground, trying to find Smidge's elusive dress, a bit of frustration creeping in now.

Hearing the situation, Fuzzbert came over to help.

While those two—and probably Smidge on the other side of the curtain—pawed around on the ground for a dress they'd likely never find, Branch looked around for something that could help. Seeing a plant he recognized, he walked over, pulled off a piece of it, and started shaking it. Within a few seconds, it was lit up, providing enough light for him to search for the missing pink dress.

As it turned out, Smidge's dress wasn't on the ground. Within a few seconds, Branch saw it hanging from a tree branch close to the girls' curtain. He walked over, pulled it off the branch carefully, and headed over to the curtain, careful to keep his gaze averted.

"Smidge? I found your dress."

She reached out with her hair and grabbed her dress, pulling it back behind the curtain. "Thanks!" she said, cheerful and relieved.

Fuzzbert and Creek walked over, both amazed, though Creek tried his best to hide it.

"Fine work, I guess. But, uh, what exactly is that, and how'd you know it was luminescent?" Creek asked.

"It's a glowstick," Branch answered, gesturing to the plant in his hand. "When you separate it from its roots and shake it a bit, it'll start glowing. They last about 30 minutes before they go out for good."*

Now fully clothed, Smidge came out, smiling and looking impressed. "Wow! Didn't know they had that kinda thing in the woods. That's kinda neat. And a real lifesaver, too. Thanks," she said, smiling slightly.

Branch shrugged and said, "No problem." He pointed back toward the campfire and added, "Poppy's probably making s'mores by now, if you want some."

Given how many times she'd asked if he was going to make s'mores that first night, it wouldn't surprise him in the least, especially since he was sure she'd grabbed graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows when they'd been in Troll Village.

Fuzzbert leaped into the air excitedly before taking off.

Smidge's eyes lit up, and she let out a gasp. She hopped from one foot to the other, cupping her hands to her cheeks. "Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy! I can't wait! I love s'mores! Come on!" She waved for Creek to follow as she ran off.

Creek's face lit up as well, and he hurried to follow, saying, "Oh, yes! Wait for me! Poppy's s'mores are simply to die for!"

And, with that, everyone was gone, giving Branch some privacy.

"Huh. Guess Poppy makes good s'mores," he said. He shrugged it off. What did he care if she was good at making unhealthy treats that were so easy to make? He didn't want any, he told himself as his stomach gurgled at the thought of anything edible.

He'd eat in a bit. For now, he went to get a bath.

When he got back, the others were roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs without a care in the world.

"Does your hair stand high? Can you let it touch the sky? Can they see it far away? Does it let the furrels** play? Can you spin it like a chopper, fly away like Trollen Carper? Does your hair stand high?

Ah, yes. The song that mentioned the troll who invented the concept of hairacopter flying. Branch remembered "Does Your Hair Stand High." It was one of those songs little kids sang all the time.*** And, as he predicted, there was a plate filled with s'mores sitting on a tree stump nearby.

But the most important part was that Poppy was involved in this ridiculous camping tradition.

Well, looks like she's feeling better, Branch thought, smiling a bit. He hung back, though—he didn't want Poppy trying to make him join their fun. Nobody would be having fun anymore if he was involved.

Poppy saw him, however, and beamed at him as she waved him over, calling, "Branch! Hey! Come on! You're just in time for desert! We're all roasting marshmallows! Come and get some!"

Creek looked away with a humph, but, other than that, nobody else reacted to his presence. This was moderately reassuring for him.

Branch smirked, crossing his arms. "Does that mean you already had dinner?" he asked, walking over. He tried to keep his eyes off the s'mores plate, hungry as he was. At least he could confidently say he wasn't drooling.

"Yeah, dude! It's sitting right over there, if ya want any!" DJ answered happily, pointing at the s'mores. She pulled her marshmallow from the fire and started blowing on it to cool it off.

"Help yourself!" Biggie agreed with a smile as he fed a marshmallow to Mr. Dinkles.

Branch looked at the s'mores, briefly tempted, and shook his head. He hadn't eaten anything with sugar in it for so long, he wasn't even sure how his half-starved body would react to its sudden reintroduction to his system. Besides, Branch eating sweets? That would clue them all into a problem in seconds. "Yeah, thanks, but I think I'll have something other than candy for dinner."

So, even though he was on his last legs, he headed over to his bag and pulled out some rations, grabbing a pan to cook a real dinner for himself.

Poppy whispered in Satin's ear, grinning somewhat amused, "See what I mean? He won't eat a single sweet. I don't know how his poor stomach can take it! I got sick on that stuff the first time I ate any!"

Satin shook her head and whispered back, "Well, let's be glad he can adjust to such harsh conditions."

Branch wanted to just eat straight from his rations, but he figured Poppy would ask awkward questions if he didn't make an effort to cook them first, so he headed over to the campfire. Now surrounded by the others, he got to work cooking his dinner.

"Ah. But, ladies. What if he didn't?" Guy asked. "What if that's all he's ever eaten, so his body was made to accept it and reject anyyyything else?"

Biggie gasped and said, "Oh, I hope that isn't it! That's just awful!"

Branch rolled his eyes. Talk about dramatic. His body could accept sugar just fine. He just hadn't had any in about ten years, and he didn't feel like tasting it again right now. It would ultimately be snatched away from him when he went back to his banishment. Besides, a dinner filled with sugar after avoiding it for so long? That couldn't be good for him, he was sure.

"Who could live without ever eating something sweet!?" Chenille asked, appalled.

"Apparently Branch," her sister answered.

"Maybe he's allergic!" Cooper suggested. He looked at Branch, concerned, and asked, "Are you?"

The concern was a welcome change from the dopey attitude of earlier, so Branch just ignored the hated giraffe that time. Besides, he had more important things to worry about—like eating.

Poppy looked at him, concerned. That would be horrible if it turned out to be true. A troll allergic to sweets? How cruel could his life possibly be!? She asked, "Branch? You're not, are y—"

She was cut off when everyone's Hug Time watches went off. Everyone looked at their watches as all conversation came to a halt. Then they turned to the troll beside them, grinning or smiling. In Poppy's case, she looked at Branch with a mischievous smile.

Branch had been removing his pan from the fire, but this event earned his attention, too. He looked at the glowing flowers and leaned away from Poppy. "No, no, NO! I've got a pan in a hot fire! Now is not the time!"

Still grinning, she got up and moved to his side, saying, "Fair enough. Then I'll be extra gentle this time." She slowly wrapped her arms around him, careful not to touch anything hot or cause him to drop the pan.

Poppy loved hugging in general. But, in Branch's case, she was considering the healing effects hugs could have on someone, especially if they were hugged by someone they liked. Branch could use all the affection he could get. Besides that, she just really wanted to hug her strong, muscular hero. In her opinion, it was a win-win.

Everyone else hugged those nearest to them. Branch groaned, frustrated. He'd had more hugs today than he really wanted, in love with Poppy or not. Besides that, he just wanted to eat, for pity's sake!

Poppy pulled back then, holding up a freshly roasted marshmallow in his face. "Okay! Now that that's all done, Branch?" She started waving the marshmallow in his face, smiling brightly. "Care for a marshmallow? They're real tasty, and I'm sure one won't hurt. Your body might even decide it likes sweets, after all!"

He already knew his body liked sweets. His problem was that sweets were harder to come by in the swamp he lived in. Why torment himself more by tasting Troll Village, the place that didn't want him back?

"Thanks, but no," he said.

"What gives, dude? Are ya allergic?" DJ asked out of concern. Like Poppy, she felt that would be an unspeakable horror.

"Do you need sugar-free foods?" Satin asked.

"No. I just don't consider marshmallows food."

And then, finally, he started eating his own food. He was careful not to eat too fast—not only would that be bad for his health, but it would also make Poppy ask why he was so hungry. He had no intention of telling her that he'd been starved by the bergens. Ever.

As to what he was eating, while he thought it tasted okay, the others disagreed. The odd-looking vegetables he'd stuck in that pan didn't look all that appealing to them.

"If you say so, sicko," Guy said. He shuddered, looking disgusted. "No wonder Poppy got sick after eating that! It don't look so appealing at aaaaaalllll!"

While Branch was grossing Guy out, Biggie slipped a surprise into a s'more and held it out to Smidge, saying, "Here, Smidge, this s'more has a special ingredient I'm sure you'll love!"

She snatched it eagerly and bit into it. Tasting the special ingredient, she gasped. "Sparkle melon filling!? This is the best s'more ever!" She munched it happily.

"Hey, hey, hey! And what was that for, big guy!?" Guy demanded, glaring as he got up in Biggie's face. "Don't tell me you aim to win Smidge's heart by buttering her up with tons of sweets! That's not fair at all!"

"That's not what I'm doing at all! I just still have some sparkle melon frosting left, that's all!"

Branch gave them both a warning glare. Feeling his gaze on them, both trolls gave a start before slowly turning to face him, worry etching their faces. Branch raised an eyebrow at them, silently daring them to continue.

"Save your arguments for when you're not in the middle of the wilderness," he said.

Guy looked away, rubbing his head with a fearful look. "Right, right. Sorry about that."

Biggie held Mr. Dinkles closer and answered, "Yes, of course, sorry, Branch."

Concerned, Poppy looked from Biggie and Guy to Branch. "Uh, guys? Is everything cool?"

Smidge just kept munching on her s'more, completely oblivious.

"Hey, Poppy, everything's cool if they don't make Branch mad!" Cooper assured her.

Branch glared at Cooper, who sweat and recoiled. By this point, he could tell when Branch wanted to hit him.

"Uh, I mean...Branch rocks?" he amended.

Branch rolled his eyes. He knew full well that wasn't true. Nobody other than Poppy even held any such illusions.

"Oh, yeah! We're all good here!" Guy said. He looked at Biggie with a nervous smile, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. "Right, Biggie, my man!?"

"Yes, of course!" Biggie answered, equally as uneasy as Guy. "Everything's great!"

The two wrapped their arms around each others' shoulders and laughed nervously, eyeing Branch out of the corners of their eyes. Both wore big, nervous smiles.

"That's better," Branch said.

Poppy just stared at the guys, concerned. Biggie and Guy were acting like Branch was going to hurt them for fighting, but she highly doubted he'd do that. Sure, he could be a bit scary when he was mad, but he didn't normally hit anyone unless they hurt him.

"Hey, y'all! Who's up for tellin' some scary stories!?" DJ asked excitedly, changing the subject.

"Ooh, yeah! Let's do it!" Cooper answered.

"Sure!" said Satin.

"Of course!" Chenille agreed.

Branch rolled his eyes. Getting to his feet, he said, "Well, have fun with that. I'll just—"

Poppy grabbed his hand eagerly and pulled him back down roughly, cutting him off, "Oh, no, you don't, mister! You've missed out on enough fun stuff already! So there ain't no way I'm letting you miss out on this one!"

There was no way she was letting him leave right now. Branch needed to experience a taste of what he'd been missing for so long if she was going to have a hope of getting him to come back with her. Sure, she knew he hated stuff like this, but she hoped that spending time together would help everyone get along. Then the others would finally start to see that Branch wasn't so bad after all, and he would see that they didn't hate him as much as they did before.

This is a huge risk I'm taking, but hopefully it'll all work out and Branch will decide to come back with us after all! Here's hoping everyone can remember the good times we used to have together. For his sake, anyway.

"Poppy, I don't want to tell scary stories!" he protested.

Poppy held his hand tightly, waving eagerly at the others. "Okay! Who's first!?" she asked, ignoring Branch's complaint.

"Ooh! Ooh! I got one!" Smidge said, waving her hand in the air in excitement. "This is the story of the troll who went looking for a cupcake and never came back..."

And she went on to tell a take of a troll who dropped a cupcake in the forest. He went looking for it and was never seen alive again.

"They say his ghost is still out here, searching for his cupcake to this very day..." she finished in an eerie tone, a wicked grin on her face.

Cooper shuddered, thoroughly unnerved by this tale. "G-good one, Smidge!"

Branch rolled his eyes and muttered, "'Scary' stories. Sure."

If they called that scary, then they clearly didn't know the meaning of the word.

"Yeah! That's pretty spooky, alright," Guy said with a smile. "But has anyone ever heard the tale of the weretroll from Trollsylvania?"

"No, I haven't. Have you, Mr. Dinkles?" Biggie asked, looking at his worm.

"Meep!"

"Ooh... Sounds real scary, Guy. Tell us all about it," Poppy said. She eyed Branch, a smile on her face, trying to encourage him to start having fun. She also still had a tight grip on his hand. This was for his own good, after all.

Branch rolled his eyes again, thinking that the scariest part of this was the fact that he was being held against his will. I'm being held prisoner by Princess Poppy of Troll Village, forced to listen to not-so-scary stories while sitting around a campfire with a bunch of rainbow trolls packed with sugar. Just perfect.

Yet, despite these thoughts, he made no move to free himself from Poppy's grip.

"Oh! Well, it goes like this," Guy said, diving into a story of a Prank Day prank gone awry. A troll dressed up as an adult cuddle pup for the day and ran around scaring everyone for fun. But she forgot she was wearing a costume and came to believe that she had turned into a weretroll, so she went around acting like one forevermore.

"They say when the moon is full, you can sometimes hear her howling at the moon, and, if you venture outside Troll Village, she might jump out and chase you around until sunrise... Or until you both get tired. Whatever comes first, really." Like any good teller of a scary story, he tried to keep his expression dark and sober to set the mood right.

"Oh! That's terrible!" Biggie said, scared.

The twins hugged each other. In fact, most of the trolls seemed unnerved, but Branch was still not fazed.

"Ooh... Well, I know what I won't be doing from now on," Creek said uneasily. He hugged himself and shuddered a bit. "Anymore yoga classes outside the village on full moons! That story's convinced me to stay home, for sure!"

"So? Does anyone else have a good one to share?" Poppy asked. She turned to Branch with an encouraging smile. "Branch?"

She wanted him to get involved. She wanted him to enjoy himself. Maybe, if he did, he'd feel more like coming home with them. Maybe he'd let her friends see the side of him that she knew—the one that cared for others, the troll hidden inside. After all, he was officially the only troll not cooperating with her plans. If she could get him on board, her chances for success would increase a lot. Everyone else might have been being nice for now, but they'd be a lot nicer if they just saw what she saw in the gray troll.

Branch looked at her in disbelief and said, "Are you serious? Poppy, you don't want to hear what I consider a scary story. You guys can't handle it!"

"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad. And besides! We all just survived nearly getting eaten by the bergens, and we're all okay, right?" She looked around at the others for confirmation.

"Yeah. I mean, it was kinda scary at first," DJ answered, looking a little unnerved, "but it wasn't too bad there at the end!" She threw her arms out, smiling brightly.

"I'm not scared of anything!" Guy said with confidence. "Bring on the fear fest!" He clapped his hands together, excited for more thrills.

"Yeah! No regrets!" Smidge cheered, throwing her arms up in excitement.

"We don't scare that easily!" Chenille said.

"Tell us!" Satin urged.

"Come on, don't keep us waiting!" said Cooper with a big grin on his face.

Even Biggie nodded.

Branch looked around at them all, raising an eyebrow. He'd just watched them get scared by the stupidest stories he'd ever heard—a fake ghost, and a troll in a costume who thinks she's a monster. What did they mean they didn't scare easy?

Regardless, he sighed and said, "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

If you want to see the full version of Smidge's ghost story, you'll have to read the Trolls graphic novels. I don't remember which one, exactly, but it's the same tale as in that story.

* Yes, this is a plant version of actual glow sticks. They last for a much shorter time, though.

** Furrels are critters we made up. They're like squirrels, only troll-sized. Very friendly and love playing with trolls.

*** "Does Your Hair Stand High" is basically "Do Your Ears Hang Low." It's just a rewritten version for trolls.