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Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Fifty-Two

A Close Call

"Ahh!" I leaped into the air, jerking my hand away from my heart as I twisted in midair to see a group of trollings behind me. They were hanging by their hair from a tree some distance away down the hill toward the village, but it obviously wasn't far enough. All of them were gaping at me.

Oh, no! They heard me!

Worse, I knew one of them; Leafe's younger sister, Maple. Like the brilliant leaves for which she'd been named, thirteen-year-old Maple was a bright red-orange color. She had the same mid-blue hair and teal-blue eyes as Leafe, complemented by a warm turquoise nose.

With her was a small female trolling about seven or eight years old, and male glitter trolling. He was about Maple's age, with light-green skin, raspberry eyes and nose, and pinkish-lavender hair. The little girl was a pale, cool pink, with sky-blue hair, big violet eyes and a medium-pink nose. For the life of me, I couldn't remember either of their names.

All of them were naked except for towels draped around their necks. They looked as if they were on their way to join the party of trolls playing in the lagoon. I should have known there'd be more trolls using this path. How could I be so careless?

The trollings finished lowering themselves to the ground and began to walk up the path toward me. I started to sweat, and it wasn't from the heat. How much did they hear? What am I gonna do? What if they tell Poppy?

It was the littlest trolling's voice I'd heard. "Is that Branch, Moonglow?" she asked the glitter trolling, looking puzzled as she pointed toward me.

Hope flared. If they didn't recognize me – and why should they? I wasn't acting anything like the Branch they knew – maybe I could pretend I was some random troll they'd never met. But my hope was squashed at the glitter trolling's reply.

"I think so, Celesta. He's dressed like Branch. What other troll wears the same old overalls every day?"

I looked down at my patched, frayed clothing with a frown, then crossed my arms, trying and failing to hide the biggest of the patches on my stomach. I liked wearing nature-based colors because they were useful for camouflage…in the forest. It hadn't occurred to me that I could be so easily identified by my clothing "style", but to defend my fashion choice now would only make them sure it was me, so I said nothing.

I actually did have other outfits, but they all looked pretty similar. I tended to be rough on my clothes. Since they got torn regularly, I'd decided it was a waste of time to keep making new clothes. Why should I care if I look like a… It's not like anyone's ever cared how I look, anyway. Except for-

A certain perky pink princess' voice echoed in my head. 'You should get a makeover, Branch! You'd look so cute!'

…Okay, maybe they're not the most flattering clothes ever, but… Oh, I don't care. Really. I don't. My clothes are perfectly functional. Nothing to be ashamed of.

"Are you sure, Moonglow?" Celesta didn't sound convinced. "He's dressed like Branch, but he didn't talk like Branch."

Moonglow pointed at me. "Look there – see how his mouth does that weird upside-down smile?"

As the little trolling studied my face, I tried to control my grumpy expression, but I don't think I was that successful.

Maple added, "He's the only gray troll in the village, Celesta. Of course it's Branch."

Celesta squinted at me. "Are you sure? He looked like he was about to start singing. Acorn says Branch never sings. What if someone else has gone gray?"

All three of them gave me worried looks.

"No, it's me…" I said awkwardly. "Hi."

As the trollings stopped in front of me, I quailed under the weight of their avid stares, trying unsuccessfully not to squirm. This is bad. Time for some damage control. Maybe I could use a diversion to make them forget what they'd heard.

"Whew, it sure is hot out today, isn't it?" I said casually, making a show of wiping my arm across my sweaty forehead, ironically grateful for my nervous sweating. It was just the touch I needed to fool them.

"It sure is," Maple agreed, and the others nodded.

I snapped my fingers. "Hey, I bet I can guess where yooou're going… To play buzzyball?"

"No," Moonglow replied. "Try again."

"To paint with watercolors?"

"You're getting closer." Maple grinned. "There's water involved."

"Then it must be… Swimming!" I cried with as much fake enthusiasm as I could muster. "Am I right?"

"Yes!" Celesta jumped up and down, clapping her hands and beaming at me. I couldn't help but smile down at her. She reminded me of Poppy at that age. And now, too.

The others were beaming at me, too, and I silently congratulated myself on my clever strategy. All trolls loved guessing games.

Moonglow explained happily, "Princess Poppy is having a CAYA party in the lagoon. It means 'come-as-you-are'."

"I know what CAYA means," I said, a little defensively. "I got the invitation this morning." Along with seven others. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this up. I'd decided to skip the swim party to recuperate a little from the past few months. Being social was exhausting.

Maple smiled. "Hey, Branch, want to come with us?"

Reflexively, I gave my usual excuse. "Well, gee, I would, but I don't have my swimsuit with me."

"Didn't you read the invitation?" Moonglow said cheerfully, "You don't need a swimsuit. That's why it's a CAYA party. No clothing necessary, see?" He twirled around, his glittery bare skin sparkling in the sun-dappled light filtering through the leaves above.

"Yeah," Celesta agreed, looking me up and down. "You should come with us, Branch. You look awfully hot."

Oops. Apparently my acting is too good.

"Well…"

I looked longingly at the water. I was actually tempted to take them up on their invitation. It really was getting hot out. A plunge into cold water would feel fantastic right now. Plus, I'd get to play water games with Poppy. But I didn't dare.

Being that close to a naked Poppy is risky. What if I go all lovey-dovey and start trying to woo her with poetry? Or I might sprout in front of everyone, even in the cold water. They'd all wonder why. I mean, I know no one would actually say anything to me…

Sprouting in public happened to every male once in a while, for all kinds of reasons. It didn't necessarily mean the male was aroused by someone nearby. They'd all be polite and ignore it, but they'd notice. And wonder. Rumors would spread. Actually, I don't even need to sprout – just the fact that the village recluse actually came to a party would be enough to get gossip started.

I can't let that happen. Not until I know for sure how Poppy feels about me.

"Thanks for the invite, but no. I, uh, I've got some work to do."

The un-trolly statement seemed to surprise them. I could practically hear their thoughts. What kind of troll chooses work over fun?

Despite myself, old habits kicked in. "…Before it gets too hot, you know?"

The minute I spoke, resentment flared up. I shouldn't feel like I need to justify a perfectly logical choice. I hate being judged. This is one of the reasons I left the village in the first place. I felt a pang of intense longing for the easy, uncomplicated freedom of my bunker. No one ever argued with me there. No one ever tried to make me do anything I didn't want to do, or made me feel bad for the choices I made.

I must have been scowling at them again, because they all looked at one another, as if for emotional support. For a thick, uncomfortable moment, no one spoke.

Then, maybe looking for a diversion of her own, Maple asked, "Hey, Branch, what were you doing when we first got here?"

My irritation vanished in a flash of panic. Oops! I shouldn't have lost my track of thought. I got distracted from my own distraction! Desperate, I played dumb. "W-what do you mean?"

"It sounded like poetry," Moonglow said helpfully. "Something about dancing dolphins with rosy skin?"

"Rosy skin?" Maple echoed, glancing toward the lagoon, where sparkly rainbows shimmered in the air from the gleeful antics of a dozen happily splashing trolls.

The other trollings followed her gaze. As I turned to look too, it suddenly hit me that Poppy was the only pink-skinned troll in the group. Oh my gosh. I froze, then tried to brush it off. They're not gonna notice. Are they?

Maple's eyes widened and she turned to give me a look of surprise.

I gulped. Oh no!

"I don't see any dolphins. Do you, Maple?" asked Celesta.

"No…" Maple answered thoughtfully. "Not pink ones, anyway." She gave me a snarky grin, and I felt my own skin flush deep lavender. Oh, man, she's definitely on to me!

I wasn't close to many trolls these days. Some trolls were even a little intimidated by me. But Maple knew me better than most. She used to visit her big brother Leafe back when I lived with him, along with their older brother, Hearty. I'd helped her with a few of her school assignments. Maple was smart and perceptive, and had a mischievous sense of humor. She'd enjoyed teasing me the same way Poppy loved to sneak up and surprise me.

Maple cocked her head to the side, a bright smirk on her face. "You know, now that I think about it, Branch, you've been spending a looot of time in the village lately…" she said sweetly, her voice a singsong lilt.

"Oh, ha-have I?" I put a slightly shaky hand to the back of my head. "Heh heh. I hadn't noticed."

Celesta answered in all innocence, "Yup, I see you playing with Princess Poppy and her friends all the time."

Maple gave me a sassy look. "Is there some special reason you've been coming around so much lately?"

My heart started thumping like Cooper's biggest bongo drum. "Oh, I… I can't think of any. Must be a coincidence," I stammered.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, ready to call me out for fibbing.

Sensing something was up, Moonglow and Celesta looked curiously back and forth between us. I broke into a profuse sweat and took a step back, coasting on the edge of a total freak-out. My heart was pounding so hard I was practically shuddering under its force. Another moment, and I was going to scream. I gave Maple a pleading look, shaking my head slightly.

Maple hesitated a long moment, but then decided to take pity on me. Her gaze softened and she relaxed from her stern pose. "…Well, anyway, it's nice to see you, Branch. You should come with me and Hearty the next time we visit Leafe and his family. I know he'd be glad to see you."

I practically melted on the ground. Crisis averted.

But the reminder that my old roommate Leafe had a family of his own bothered me on another level. It was a sign that his life was moving forward, leaving me further and further in his past. Where, to be honest, I probably should be.

"Maybe I will," I replied vaguely, knowing I wouldn't.

Maple knew it, too. She opened her mouth to object – honestly, she could be just as pushy as Poppy sometimes – but just then a joyous whoop blew through the trees in the wake of a bright yellow troll swooping by his hair toward us. "Whooo!"

He spotted us and waved. With a bounce and a flip, Leafe and Maple's big brother Hearty landed in front of us in a grand pose, with a big grin, his arms out wide. "Ta daaaa!"

I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile. What a ham.

"Hi, Hearty!" chorused Celesta and Moonglow, looking a lot more pleased to see the big troll than they had been to see me.

Hearty ruffled their hair affectionately, and then turned to me. "Well, hey there, Branch. Long time no see." He took a step forward, smiling warmly at me. He was taller than his brother, but he was the same banana-yellow as Leafe, along with magenta hair, a red-orange nose, and gentle plum-purple eyes. He was also Acorn's step-father, and as warm-hearted as his name.

I nodded genially. "Hey, Hearty."

"Yo, bro." Maple greeted her big brother. "Where's the family?"

"Oh, they went on ahead of me. I had to go back to get Kiki's water toss-rings."

Moonglow's mouth dropped open. "You mean Princess Poppy forgot to provide water toys for a swim party?"

The trollings exchanged shocked glances.

"No, no, there are plenty of toys there. But my little girl insisted on having her own special toys, and well, I couldn't refuse, you know?"

We all nodded. "So how is Kiki?" I asked. She was one troll whose name I would never forget.

Kiki was Hearty's five-year-old daughter. We almost lost her last year, and ever since then, many trolls had been especially nice to her. Hearty and the rest of his family, especially Acorn, doted on the little girl. I knew her near-death had been especially hard on my poor Little Nut.

During last year's Beadfest, little Kiki had almost choked to death on a bead that looked like a berry. It caused a huge uproar and upset many trolls. Almost losing a member of our village had scared me badly enough to make me push aside my usual reluctance to attract the eye of the king. I'd worked through the night on a plan to soothe everyone's fears and make the village a cleaner, safer place at the same time. I called it Cleanup Day.

I'd even practiced a speech to get King Peppy to listen to my idea, but to my surprise, I hadn't needed to use it. The king had gratefully accepted my plan and implemented it immediately. He'd also thanked me an embarrassing number of times, repeatedly asking what he could do for me in return. I told him I'd appreciate him keeping my name out of it. I didn't want the entire village to react with such overenthusiastic gratitude.

A few months ago, we had our second Cleanup Day. For once, it was a holiday I was happy to participate in.

Hearty looked pleased at my interest. "She's just fine, Branch. Thanks for asking." He looked around at the group. "So what's going on, guys?"

Moonglow began, "We were asking Branch about his poe-"

"We were just inviting Branch to come with us to Princess Poppy's CAYA party," Maple interrupted.

Moonglow looked surprised, but didn't correct her.

"That's a great idea!" Hearty looked pleased. "I'm glad to see you getting out of that stuffy old bunker of yours, little buddy. Why, I was just talking to the princess about you the other day."

"You were? Really? What did she say?" My heart leaped. I didn't know Poppy talked about me with other trolls. This was my chance to gather some solid information. Maybe she's told someone she has a crush on me!

"She said she's really happy to see more of you."

My mouth dropped open. "She is?" Excitement sparked in my belly. If seeing me makes her "really happy", maybe she is in love with me! Maybe I have a chance after all!

What was this feeling, like I was floating above the ground without wings? Was this what hope felt like?

Hearty beamed at me. "Yes, the princess is very pleased that you've been participating more in village activities lately. She said we should do all we can to encourage you to be more social, so you can make more friends."

Friends.

Friends.

Friends.

"Oh."

My soaring hope shrank and shriveled like a balloon on Balloon Squeal Day. Poppy thought we were just friends? Shoulders sagging, I looked down at the dirt. My heart ached. Oh, Poppy.

Would I ever hear her sweet, sincere voice say the words I most wanted to hear?

I love you, Branch.

I need you, Branch.

I want you, Branch.

You're so special to me. No one else can take your place in my heart.

Leaden anguish rolled over me, and I felt myself go a little grayer.

"Hey, Branch… Are you okay?" Maple asked, a little uncertainly.

I didn't answer.

"Little buddy?" Hearty asked. "What's wrong?"

Again, I didn't have the energy to respond.

I didn't have to look up to sense the quick glances exchanged above my head. It always made others uncomfortable when I shut down like this, falling deep into the dreary pit of glum despondency, especially when it happened without warning. None of them understood my rapid shifts. None of them knew how to stop it, or help me come back. Except, sometimes, for Poppy.

Hearty must have understood that, at least, because he did the one thing he must have thought would make me feel better. "Well, hey, I see the princess is already there. Hellooo, Princess Poppy! Look who's here!" he bellowed loudly, startling me. He waved vigorously, and used his hair to point toward me.

"What? No. Hearty!" I jerked my head up to see Poppy waving at me. I fell back a step, almost stumbled. "What did you do that for?"

Hearty looked surprised. "Well, you're coming with us, right? So I was just-"

"No, I'm not coming. I told them 'no'."

"What?"

Past him, I saw Poppy get out of the lagoon and start up the path toward us. Her nude body was shining wet, with drops of water on her skin sparking in the sunlight. Oh, no! If she stood in front of me like that, I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off her. She'd lure me in, and the next thing I knew I'd start babbling about her perfect face and body right in front of everybody. Her soft pink skin, her sunshine smile, her glorious sunrise hair. I knew it!

I've gotta get out of here!

"Sorry, I – I've got to go." I started backing away, only for Hearty to put a paternal hand on my shoulder, trapping me.

"Are you sure, son?" Hearty's face betrayed his concern. "You're sweating, and your face is so flushed I can see the lavender through the gray. Maybe you're overheated?"

"No, I - I'm good," I stammered.

"If you're hot, you should definitely come swimming with us," Celesta declared.

They gathered around me, hemming me in. I was starting to panic now. I could see they weren't going to take 'no' for an answer. Poppy would be here any second!

Moonglow chimed in, "Yes, I can't wait to jump into the water. It'll feel so good! Come on, Branch. Swim with us!" With an enthusiastic poot of glitter from his butt, he twirled in a circle, spraying me right in the face.

That was the last hair. I exploded. "I said I don't want to swim! Stop trying to make me!"

Everyone froze. The silver-mint cloud of glitter settled to the ground amidst dead silence. I was surrounded by familiar expressions of bewildered hurt, bringing back the same rush of ear-burning shame I thought I'd left behind for good.

I grimaced in apology. "Sorry. I didn't mean…"

Suddenly I couldn't take it any more. I let out a wordless growl of frustration, mostly at myself, and darted away. I heard Hearty call after me and reflexively dove into a thick cotton-leaf bush to hide, crumpling into a ball of misery on the ground.

What are you doing, Branch? I scolded myself. I thought you were over this. You've been getting along so much better with everyone lately, trying to be someone Poppy would be proud to be with.

Yet after three years of relative peace, I was still spewing negativity, still blasting well-meaning trolls in the face with undeserved hostility. She won't be proud of you now. Why can you never-

"Branch?" came Hearty's voice again, closer this time. I stopped my self-beratement to listen, ready to break cover and make a run for it if I was discovered.

"Well, that was weird." I recognized Moonglow's voice.

"Hey, Hearty?" came Celesta's little voice. She sounded confused, and a little wistful. "Why did Branch get so mad? All we did was invite him to a party."

I heard Hearty sigh. Of all of them, he came the closest to understanding me. He was three years older than his brother Leafe, which made him seven years older than me; the same age as Cherry Blossom.

Like me, Hearty had been born in the troll tree, an unknowing captive of the bergens, whom he'd thought were our friends. Unlike me, he'd been lucky enough to not lose any members of his immediate family. He'd been able to make a fresh start here in Troll Village, and be totally happy and content. But he did remember what it was like, back when fear was a daily part of our lives. Back when a happy future wasn't so sure.

"Well, honey, Branch is…complicated. He has a lot of bad feelings inside him that sometimes just come out. That's why he's gray."

"Aww. Poor Branch." There was a pause, and then she continued, "I wish he wouldn't have those bad feelings. Isn't there anything we can do to make him feel better?"

"Just be nice to him. Deep down, Branch is a very caring troll. He just has a hard time showing it."

Moonglow said, "I suppose so. But he's just so weird, you know?"

"He's not that weird. I like Branch," Maple said unexpectedly, warming my heart.

"You do?" Moonglow and Celesta asked together.

"Yeah. Branch used to play checkers with me sometimes, back when he used to live with Leafe. He used to help me with my homework, too. He's really good at explaining stuff. He's a lot nicer than you think."

Moonglow obviously didn't think so. And I didn't blame him. "Nice? The troll who's always scolding us? The troll who always wants us to use our inside voices outside?"

The air filled with giggles. I rolled my eyes. Apparently they found that hilarious.

I remembered that incident. The trollings had been playing at the edge of the village and making such a racket I could hear them from my bunker. It was distracting me from my work, so I'd gone out to ask them to be a little quieter. Okay, maybe I'd mentioned the bergens, too. But still, was that any reason to laugh at me?

Moonglow added, "My dad says he's a little eccentric."

Celesta asked, "Eggs-centric? What's that mean?"

"Crazy, I think."

"Oh."

"Now, now, he's not crazy," Hearty gently corrected the trollings.

Despite myself, I smiled a little. Good old Hearty. He'd always treated me like another little brother.

Maple added, "Leafe says Branch just has a different way of looking at the world than most trolls. That doesn't make him crazy."

A warmth filled my chest, easing the turbulent roil of feelings inside me. Aww, you guys. And Leafe, too. I was glad that someone besides Poppy understood me. Suddenly I wanted to talk to my old friend again. Maybe I will go visit him…

"He's really kind, and smart, too," Maple added. "He knows how to build all sorts of cool stuff. He showed me how to build a trap to catch sparkbugs without shocking myself, so I could use them to charge my new headphones."

"That's cool." Moonglow looked thoughtful. "But if he's so nice, why doesn't he ever want to do anything fun with us?"

Maple replied, "Well, Leafe says Branch likes spending time with one or two trolls just fine. It's just, big groups can be kind of tiring for him. It's called being introverted."

"Oh, really? Well, gee, that's too bad. Trolls do lots of stuff in big groups," Celesta said sympathetically, and the others murmured in agreement.

I felt a little insulted. Hey, I can be social if I want to be! What do you think I've been doing these past few months? I swiped an impatient hand across my face to dislodge the hated glitter still clinging to my skin, but a moment later my irritation was forgotten as my ears perked toward the sweetest sound in the world: Poppy's voice.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

As everyone greeted her I quickly shifted until I could see a patchwork of pink skin through the bush. It made my heart flutter to see my favorite person so close. It was all I could do to stay put, safely hidden by big clumps of fluffy white cotton-leaves.

My heart leaped when I heard her say, "You know, I thought I saw Branch up here."

"Yep, he was here," Hearty answered.

I tensed, but to my utter relief, no one said anything about dancing dolphins, rosy skin or emotionally effusive gray trolls.

Instead Maple merely commented, "We invited him to go swimming with us, but he said he had work to do, and he left."

I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for her untrolly discretion. Thank you, Maple.

"Oh." Just for a moment, Poppy seemed disappointed. I couldn't help a flash of hope.

Then she shrugged and smiled brightly. "Oh, well. Who wants to play water-polo?" she exclaimed with her usual exuberance.

"Me!" the other trolls shouted gleefully.

My fluttering heart plummeted to the ground, silent and still. She's giving up? Isn't she going to come after me?

Apparently not. Wistfully I watched Poppy's cute little butt disappear down the hill after the other trolls. She didn't even look back.

Instantly an intense longing surged up inside me. Wait! Don't leave me behind! Come back!

I burst from the bush and sprinted toward the lagoon, only to screech to a stop; slapped in the face by the explosion of color and commotion ahead. Exuberance and elation, soaring and splashing, racing and singing galore.

Try as I might, I couldn't force myself to take another step. Fear made my legs weak and wobbly. Fear of not only what I might do in front of everyone, but of what her response might be. If I threw caution to the winds and declared my love for her and she rejected me, my beautiful dream would be over for good.

I wavered. Common sense (or cowardice) took over. …You know what, I really should hold off for now. Wait for a better moment. It's too crowded down there. Too noisy. She probably couldn't hear me anyway.

Besides, I may not have to say anything. Maple might let my secret slip. I knew most trolls weren't very good at keeping secrets.

…Then again, I hadn't actually admitted that I had feelings for Poppy, so even though Maple might be suspicious, my secret was probably still safe. For now.

That was a really close call, Branch. You need to be more careful.

I sighed, turned around, and began to slowly trudge home. If Maple did tell Poppy what she suspected, it wouldn't be long before I'd hear a certain pink princess pounding on my door.

Honestly, part of me was even hoping for it. It would almost be a relief to have the decision taken out of my hair. If Poppy knew I was in love with her, all this secretive spying would be over. I would finally have the answer I'd been seeking for months now.

I spent the rest of the day nervously waiting in my bunker, but Poppy didn't come. I was both relieved and disappointed. Maple had kept my secret, but that meant the burden was mine to bear alone.

With every passing hour, my shoulders slumped a little more.

Author's Note:

This is the start of a big downward spiral for poor Branch, coming right after the euphoria of falling hair over heels for Poppy. This terrible crash crushes our poor lovestruck boy's fragile hope so harshly that it took facing his own personal nightmare, the bergens, to shake his solidly pessimistic view of the world. Poppy helped him see the hope again, true. But I honestly think part of it was seeing the similarities between himself and the bergens. Seeing his own negative attitude reflected in an entire town made him take a good long look at himself, and he really didn't like what he saw.

I also thought this chapter would be a good opportunity to introduce a few minor characters. Celesta Starchime had a brief appearance a while back. She's the troll who grows up to become the girl Branch's "Little Nut" Acorn falls in love with.

Kiki is part of Branch and Acorn's backstory, and the reason Cleanup Day exists.

Maple and Hearty are there to show a connection between Leafe's and Acorn's families, and also affect Leafe and Branch's backstory, which I'll briefly get into later. I feel like Maple picked up some of Branch's snarky attitude, back when he lived with Leafe, haha!