Kitty's World Tour

by Kitty Korner

Join Kitty as she goes on a world tour around the Troll Kingdom, but it doesn't all go according to plan. Before she leaves, Branch and her get into an argument and what he says crushes her soul, and that's very dangerous. In fact, it could kill her unless Branch regrets what he said and she is able to turn into a Rainbow Troll. Along the way, she juggles multiple roadblocks.

Kitty's World Tour

I looked at Barb eyes wide and confused, as she grinned a humungous face-splitting grin. "What do you think?" She asked me as if what she had suggested was nothing more than just a simple sleepover. "What do I think? I think that I need to think about it." I said, still very confused about her suggestion. She nodded and said, "Take all the time you need to think, but let me know when you make your decision." She got up, gave me a hug and left, as she had come over to the Bunker to ask me about this.

"Of course I will." I say as she goes out the door, and then I go out to the main area to hang out with my brothers, Poppy and Viva. "What did she want to talk to you about?" Floyd asked when he saw me. Since I had decided not to keep anything from my brothers I said, "She wants me to go on a World Tour to every Troll Village." "Like, out on your own?" Floyd asked looking as confused as I felt.

"Well, she said that her and her band would be with me. And if I agreed to it, since she'd be going with me, her Dad has agreed to taking over running the Rock Trolls while she's gone." I repeated what she had told me. My brothers looked at me with a mix of expressions on their faces.

Floyd looked proud and confused, like he wanted me to go but also didn't. Clay looked proud, but also like he was in pain, don't know what that's about. Bruce, since this was one of his days off, looked proud but afraid. John Dory looked proud, but also like he was planning on following me if I did go. I rolled my eyes and looked at Branch. He wouldn't meet my eyes at first so I said, "Branch?" wanting my twins opinion the most. He finally looked at me, but what I found on his face wasn't pride for his little sister, it was anger.

"You're leaving?" Branch said, more as an accusation than a question. "I don't know! That's why I'm asking for your guys' opinions on this! And if I do go, it's not going to be for very long, Branch! I promise!" I said, on the verge of blowing up after his accusation. He looked away, hurt clear in his eyes.

"I vote no." He said, voice quiet. I nodded and turned to my other brothers, fighting back the tears. Floyd took my hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze, to offer a small amount of support for this argument between Branch and I. "You have my full support." Floyd said, giving me a small smile. Clay then cleared his throat so I looked at him. He smiled and said, "If this is something you feel you have to do, then you have my full support as well." I smiled at him and nodded, giving him silent thanks.

Bruce said, "As long as you stop by on your tour, you don't have to sing if you don't want to, but make sure you stop by." I laughed a little at the way he was trying to get a free show out of me, but I smiled nonetheless which I think was the point. I looked up at John Dory last as he said, "I think you should do it. But, just so you know, I will be following you in Rhonda if you do decide to do this and recording every performance."

I smiled and nodded, then said, "I kinda figured that, yeah." I sighed and looked at each of them again and said, "Thank you for the input, but I have some thinking to go do." and I went back into my room. I sat on my bed thinking, and didn't realize that I had fallen asleep like that until Branch woke me up the next morning.

"Hey." I said, sleepily. He silently handed me my cup of coffee. "Thanks." I said, taking it gratefully and sitting up. "Look, I-" I began but he interrupted with, "I don't want you to go." I nodded and said, " I know you don't. But, I also think it would be a good thing for me to go. I did a lot of thinking last night Branch, and I get why you don't want me to go, trust me I do, but I'm going to tell Barb that I'll do it."

"Why?" He asked, the hurt evident in his voice. "Because, I realized when I was writing those songs, that I felt somehow lighter. It made me feel a whole lot better to get those feelings off of my chest, somehow." I tried to explain my reasoning. "Well, then, you can write and perform here, or at Bruce's." He tried to reason with me. I nodded and said, "Maybe, but I feel like it might be better to do this World Tour with Barb."

"So, you're going to do the same thing our brothers did to us, to me?" Branch said as an accusation. I looked at him with wide eyes and said, "NEVER! How dare you! I'm not leaving for 20 years, Branch! I am coming back!" I threw my cup down and stormed out of my room and ignored all of his attempts to talk to me again for the rest of the morning. I said goodbye to the others, except of course for John Dory, and went on my way to Volcano Rock City.

As soon as I showed up, Barb spotted me with my bags and she smiled. "I'll take your bags as a sign that you're going to do it?" she said, taking in my appearance. I nod and we head to the guest quarters. "You'll be staying here for the time being, until I can let the other leaders know that you agreed. I will assume that the Popsqueak either knows by now or will find out today, so I don't have to tell her, but I will send out messengers to the other villages to let them know that you agreed. This wasn't just my idea you know." Barb said, helping me unpack my bags.

"Yeah, why am I not surprised." I said dryly. "Hey, what's going on?" Barb asked, catching on to my attitude. "It's Branch. He basically said that if I did this I'd be doing the same thing that our brothers did to us, to him." I said, tearing up a little. "OH MY GOD, HE DIDN'T!" Barb said, sounding absolutely pissed off. I nodded and said, "When he said that, it made me feel kind of empty. We've had disagreements before, but we've never fought over something this big before."

She came over and put her arm around me and said, "I know this is going to sound insensitive, but use those those feelings. Write them down, make them a song. You'll fell better afterwards." I nodded and grabbed some paper and started writing. I didn't notice that she had left until she came back into the room some pizza. "OOH, just what I wanted." I said, putting my pen down.

"Ah-ah-ah. Let me see what you wrote." She said, withholding the pizza. I handed over the paper with the right song and grabbed the pizza when she offered it, and started chowing down. "Wow, this is depressing not gonna lie. It's good though." Barb said, looking the song over. "So, where's the first stop on this tour?" I asked through a mouthful of pizza.

"Oh, did I not mention? It's here, tomorrow night. We got to set this to some music." Barb said, and I nodded going with her. After we worked on the music, she was surprised by my choice, I went back to my guest room and basically wallowed in self pity.

When it was time for the show to get ready to start, I was backstage as I heard Barb saying, "What's up Volcano Rock City! Here to kick off her World Tour, please welcome my good friend, Kitty!" and seeing as how most of the Trolls here had seen me around, they went crazy. I walked out onstage, and said, "Thank you, Barb! Hello Volcano Rock City! Thank you for having me, first off. Secondly, this song is new, it's about how I'm feeling right now actually. Uh, my brother Branch and I, are kinda fighting about me going on this tour, and he said something that really hurt me, in fact it made me feel kind of empty. That's what this song is called."

Then the music started, and the lights dimmed, and the spotlight hit me, so I sang,

I can't handle these pressures.

All I can say is this stress hurts.

Things are supposed to get better.

I just need to put myself first.

I'm always trying my hardest,

Not to pick myself apart.

This energy's killing my vibes now.

Sometimes I just wanna drown out,

All of the thoughts in my mind.

Too much going on at the same time.

I wish it would stop and I've tried but,

Life just sucks then we all die.

That's just reality, yeah don't lie to me.

Yeah, I'm fucked up but I don't wanna be.

I wonder if I'm good enough,

But maybe I've just had too much,

to drink, to smoke to swallow.

I'm drowning up my sorrows.

There's rules I'll never follow.

Pretend there's no tomorrow.

I wish there was no tomorrow,

But I'm empty inside.

Yeah I'm empty inside,

And I don't wanna live,

But I'm too scared to die.

Yeah I'm empty inside.

I just don't feel alive,

And I don't wanna live,

But I'm too scared to die.

Wish I could erase my memories,

So I could stop feeling so empty.

I wish that shit wasn't so tempting,

But it's hard to resist when

There's plenty of things

I could do to fuck me up.

I want to let go,

But I'm feeling so stuck,

So all I can do is fill up my cup,

And sit here alone hoping no one disrupts.

That's just reality, yeah don't lie to me.

Yeah, I'm fucked up but I don't want to be.

I wonder if I'm good enough,

but maybe I've just had too much,

to drink, to smoke, to swallow,

I'm drowning up my sorrows.

There's rules I'll never follow.

Pretend there's no tomorrow.

I wish there was no tomorrow,

But I'm empty inside.

Yeah, I'm empty inside,

And I don't wanna live,

But I'm too scared to die.

Yeah, I'm empty inside.

I just don't feel alive,

And I don't wanna live,

But I'm too scared to die.

My body's shaking.

My head is aching.

It feels like my heart is breaking.

My body's shaking.

My head is aching.

I can't fix this mess I'm making,

But I'm empty inside.

Yeah, I'm empty inside,

And I don't wanna live,

But I'm too scared to die.

Yeah, I'm empty inside.

I just don't feel alive,

And I don't wanna live,

But I'm too scared to die.

I let the music fade out and I looked out over the crowd and not a single Troll didn't have tears going down their faces. "Thanks guys." I said, wiping my own tears away as they all started chanting, "Kitty!" over and over again. I caught Barb's eye and she shook her head, so I said, "Unfortunately that's all the time we have for tonight, but make sure to catch one of my next shows!" then I walked off the stage.

"Wow, that was just, wow!" Riff said, coming up to me. Then before I could say anything, Barb said, "Girl you killed it out there!" giving me a hug. "Thanks guys." I said, still wiping away tears. Then I felt a new set of arms around me and John Dory said, "That was amazing, but also so depressing. What's with that?"

I unwound his arms from around me and turned towards him and said, "Branch said, when I told him that I had decided to do the tour, that I was basically doing the same thing you guys did to us 20 years ago to him." Fresh tears rolling down my now dry face. "What? That's ridiculous, and going too far. You're not leaving for 20 years! You're only leaving for what? Six weeks?" John Dory said, looking at Barb as he finished.

"Technically, the tour is six weeks long, but considering the last stop is in Pop Village, it's really only five weeks." Barb explained. "He's just mad. He'll get over it." John Dory said. I nodded and then Barb said, "As much fun as this is, we have a few days before we have to leave for Techno Reef, and I'm sure Kitty would like to take the chance to prepare for it." not so subtly leading us away from John Dory.

I sigh and shake my head and say, "Not that I don't appreciate that little rescue from my least favorite brother, but I already know what I'm going to sing at each stop." "Woah, seriously?" Barb asked, coming to a stop in front of my door. "Yeah. The one I'm gonna sing in Pop Village I wrote when my brothers first left, with the help of my grandma. You've actually seen this one before, After The Heartbreak." I explained, smiling at the memories of her discovering that song.

"OK, what about the others?" Barb asked, walking into the room with me. "I wrote the others today. For Techno Reef, I'm gonna sing a song called Still Here. I kinda wrote it for my grandma. When we get to Symphonyville, I'm gonna sing something called You Don't Know. I wrote it thinking of when Branch and I were bullied by Creek and also because Branch doesn't know what's going on in my mind, no one really does." I continued, starting to tear up again.

Barb nodded and asked, "Both sound very amazing, what about Lonesome Flatts and Vibe City?" I smiled and said, "For Lonesome Flatts, don't let the title fool you, it's called Happy Now. I wrote it thinking back to when Branch got his colors back, and I didn't. For Vibe City, I'm gonna sing something called O.D.D. That one's actually about me, how I'm not exactly a normal Troll."I finished with a rueful grin on my face and handed the papers over to her.

She looked over them, tearing up in some places, grinning at others. "Wow, I've said it before but I really mean it this time. You've really had it rough, Kitty." Barb said after looking over the last one. I scoff slightly and say, "You're telling me. At least now I don't have to worry about writing anything, we just have to set them to music but we can do that along the way." Barb nodded and said, "Try to relax for the next few days, lord knows you could use it."

I smile and laugh gently, then say, "Yeah, I'll try." Then Barb left to go take care of some last minute Queen things before she left on this tour. I decided to write Floyd before bed.

Hey, Floyd. How is everybody? The first concert was a total hit! Not one Troll in the audience didn't have tears going down their face, including John Dory. Speaking of, I'm sure he's going to send a copy of his recording of the concert. Our next stop is Techno Reef. It'll be good to see King Trollex, he was pretty cool. Tell Branch I'm sorry, but I really do think this is the best thing for me to do right now. Also tell Poppy thank you for signing off on the idea in the first place. According to Barb, she consulted all the leaders of the villages before even suggesting the idea to me, so Poppy knew about it before hand. Not sure if it's wise to tell Branch that, but tell Poppy I said thanks. Also tell Clay I said hey as well. I don't expect a response because by the time you get this, we'll be gone and on our way, but I just wanted to write to you and let you know what was going on. Your little sister, Kitty.

I finished writing out the letter, and left it out on the desk, and went to bed. When I woke up, it was to Riff knocking on my door, calling out, "Kitty? It's time to get up. We have your morning coffee." I got up out of bed, opened the door, took the cup, then sat back down. I took a sip and noticed him lingering in the doorway so I said, "You can come on in, I won't bite you know. You brought coffee." He gave a small smile and came into the room the rest of the way. He glanced down at the desk and saw the letter to Floyd.

Before he could say anything, I said, "Yeah, I was gonna see about maybe mailing that." "I could just deliver it, you know?" Riff said, looking a little hurt, most likely thinking that I had forgotten that Barb and I had basically used him as our personal mailman. I nodded and said, "I know you could, I haven't forgotten. But, you're coming with us on the tour right? You have stuff you need to prepare as well, I can't ask you to drop what you're doing to do that. I'll just mail it old school." and went over and folded it up and put it into an envelope I pulled out of the drawer.

I addressed it and handed it to Riff, then before I let go I said, "Don't deliver this yourself. We need you on the tour, and if you spread yourself too thin trying to do everything at once, we're gonna have to leave you behind. Got it?" "Got it, Your Awesomeness." Riff said, smiling. I let go of the letter and he left, presumably to go mail it.

After I finished my coffee I went to the bathroom, and when I was done I glanced at the mirror when I was washing my hands. Then I had to do a double-take. I looked closer, even going so far as to basically climb onto the sink. Nope, not seeing things, my color are fading again. "Hopefully nobody notices." I mutter to myself before leaving the bathroom.

I didn't count on Barb being right outside the door when I walked out though. "You hope nobody notices what? Oh, my god. Kitty. Your colors are fading?" Barb said, starting out as an ambush, but she knows me so well that she immediately noticed. "I guess what Branch said got to me worse than I thought?" I say, more as a question. "It's ok. You're gonna be ok. If you lose your colors again, it's ok. The ones who truly care about you, won't care. I know I don't." Barb said, hugging me.

I nod against her shoulder and think about how Branch would react to this. For the next few days I try to work on the music for the Still Here for Techno Reef, trying my best to ignore the fact that my colors are fading because my twin brother broke my heart. On the day we were leaving for Techno Reef, John Dory came by again and I tried to act normal but I think he saw right through me.

I'm not sure if he noticed my fading colors or not, but if he did he didn't mention it. He hugged me and whispered, "You'll be ok." so I guess he did notice, but decided not to mention it directly. "I know." I whispered back. He let go of the hug and I climbed onto the Angler Bus to make our way to Techno Reef. I sat down and looked at Barb and asked, "How long will it take to get there?"

"A few hours, four tops." She said, without looking up from her guitar. I nodded and stretched out and said, "Good, I wanna take a nap." and closed my eyes. "OK, I'll wake you before we get there so you can get some coffee in your system that way your not a total grump." Barb said, and I could hear the smile on her face. "OK. Night night." I said, tired already and yawning. The last thing I heard was laughter as I drifted off.

I woke up to a worried Barb, shaking me awake. "What? What's going on?" I asked, worried and drowsily. "You were screaming in your sleep." Barb said, almost frantic. I sighed and sat up. "Well, that's just great." I said, sarcastically. Barb and Riff looked confused, not by my sarcasm or my statement, but by the fact that I wasn't freaked out.

"Apparently I'm having new nightmares. Yay!" I said, sarcastic again. Barb and Riff looked at with understanding and pity in their eyes. "How much longer until we get there?" I asked, desperate for a topic change. "About a half hour." Riff said, handing me a cup of coffee. "Oh, you were gonna wake me up anyway then." I said, taking a sip of the coffee.

He nodded, conceding the point and we sat in silence for a few minutes. "Uh, if you don't mind my asking, uh-" Riff began, but quickly cut himself off. I sighed and said, "No, Riff, I don't remember what it was about. I never do." "O-oh, ok. I-I guess that makes sense. Are you ok?" He asked, looking kinda startled. "Yeah, I usually am if I stay awake or if somebody stays with me. It's usually Branch, but I have a feeling that it won't help to have him near if he even would care enough right now." I said, starting to tear up slightly.

I quickly wipe the tears, hoping nobody noticed. Riff nods in understanding and that's when we feel the Angler Bus come to a stop. "We're here!" Barb calls over. We went to the mouth of the Angler Bus and it opened. Waiting there for us was King Trollex. "One of these Trolls is not like the others." He said, coming up to me and giving me a hug as a greeting.

I laughed slightly and said, "Hey, King Trollex. How you doing?" He pulled away from the hug and said, "We're doing good. Look at you, though! Your colors are amazing!" He circled around me, making me laugh more. "Thank you." I said, giggling. "Do you have a place we can set up? I want to run something by you for the song." I asked once I had calmed down. "Yeah, right this way." He said, looking slightly confused.

I grabbed the right sheet for the song, and followed him. We worked on my idea for the next few hours, and it sounded perfect when we were done. He also showed me some tricks with the Techno genre of music. When we were done he showed me where I would be staying in LED castle, right next to Barb. He bade me a good night and we parted ways. I went into my room, ready to go to sleep, but dreading waking up with another nightmare, and saw Barb in my room.

"What are you doing in here? Your room is next door." I said, too tired to think. "Riff told me what you said about having someone else there helping with your nightmares. I figured it would be easier to just be in here from the beginning, instead of you having a nightmare and screaming, waking up everyone else." Barb explained, pulling the covers back for me. "Yeah, don't really want to advertise the fact that I'm having nightmares again. Thanks." I said, sighing, and crawled into bed. "No problem." She said, covering me up.

We spent the next few days doing the whole tourist thing, looking around Techno Reef and getting to know the Techno Trolls, and Barb stayed with me at night. At last the time for the concert came and I waited backstage as King Trollex introduced me. "What is up my Techno Trolls! I want you to give a very warm welcome to Kitty!"

I walked out and sat on the stool I asked for. "Hey, Techno Reef! First off, thank you for having me, wonderful place you've got down here, really it's beautiful. Secondly, the song I'm going to sing for you guys tonight, I wrote thinking about how I lost my grandma. It's a long story, but she died when my twin brother Branch and I were just 4 years old. This song is called, Still Here." I said, starting to ramble slightly. The lights dimmed and a spotlight hit me, then the music started, so I sang,

Musing through memories,

Losing my grip in the gray.

Numbing the senses,

I feel you slipping away.

Fighting to hold on,

Clinging to just one more day.

Love turns to ashes,

With all that I wish I could say.

I'd die to be where you are.

I tried to be where you are.

Every night, I dream you're Still Here.

The ghost by my side,

So perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear

Back to the shadows.

With all I hold dear,

With all I hold dear.

I dream you're Still Here,

I dream you're Still Here.

Hidden companion,

Phantom be still in my heart.

Make me a promise that,

Time won't erase us,

That we were not lost from the start.

I'd die to be where you are.

I tried to be where you are.

Every night, I dream you're Still Here.

The ghost by my side,

So perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear

Back to the shadows.

With all I hold dear,

With all I hold dear.

I dream you're Still Here,

I dream you're Still Here.

Ever slightly out of reach.

I dream you're still here,

But it breaks so easily.

I try to protect you,

I can't let you fade.

I feel you slipping,

I feel you slipping away.

Every night, I dream you're Still Here.

The ghost by my side,

So perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear

Back to the shadows.

With all I hold dear,

With all I hold dear.

I dream you're Still Here,

I dream you're Still Here.

I dream you're Still Here,

I dream you're Still Here.

Ever slightly out of reach.

I dream you're still here,

But it breaks so easily.

As I finished I looked out over the crowd and spotted John Dory having trouble keeping his camera up he was crying so bad, as was everyone else in attendance. "Thank you guys, I'll be here for the next few days if you have any questions, but I'm afraid that's all the time we have for tonight's show. It was a pleasure." I said, fighting back the tears.

I was immediately bombarded by Barb and Riff backstage, who hugged at the same time, almost taking all of us down in the process. "Wow, that song sounded even more amazing live, Kitty. I hope you'll come perform for us again." King Trollex said, coming up to us when I finally got Barb and Riff off of me. "Thank you, for the help with the music as well. It would be a pleasure to come back, your citizens have been extremely welcoming." I said, finally wiping the tears from my eyes.

"It was a pleasure working with you." King Trollex said, offering me his hand to shake. I took it and we shook hands, the he left after looking over my shoulder. "Hey, there's my little sister! Great song! Quick question though, the line, 'I tried to be where you are' That's not real is it?" I heard John Dory's voice behind me.

I sighed and turned around and said, "Sort of. I didn't purposely try to kill myself, but when we made peace with the bergens, the chef, who was also the one who grabbed grandma, went to grab Branch. I pushed him out of the way, just like grandma did, and she tried to make King Gristle eat me. For a couple of seconds, I thought I was going to die and join grandma, but Branch knocked me off of the King's tongue." As I explained, I could see it all happen in my mind's eye.

"Wow, we really shouldn't have left you guys. Don't worry, Branch will go back to being that brother again soon. I know it." John Dory said, and I could see the regret on his face, but I'm honestly tired of seeing my brothers regret their choice whenever they learn about something bad happening to me. I look at Barb and slightly roll my eyes, but silently ask for help. She caught on and said, "Well, like Clay said, you can't change the past. What's done is done. Now I'm gonna get Kitty to her room before she collapses, that had to have been emotionally draining finally getting those feelings off of her chest." and she grabbed my arm and started steering me away, towards my room.

Riff came too, with a cup of coffee and a slice of pizza. Once I was settled in, I looked at them and said, "Thanks guys." Riff smiled and said, "That's what we're here for." Barb nodded and said, "That's right." I finished my pizza and coffee in silence after that, and when I was done Riff took the plate and cup and told us to have a good night. I was already mostly asleep before the door shut after him.

I woke up the next morning, before Barb which was surprising. I got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake her, and went to the bathroom. I tried to avoid mirrors as much as possible now, but I couldn't help a quick glance as I was leaving the bathroom. I started to scream but then remembered that Barb was still asleep, so I slapped my hands over my mouth and had to choke back a sob.

Apparently Barb had either woken up when I was in the bathroom, or my brief scream had woke her up, because she came running into the bathroom at the sign of my distress. "What is it?" She practically yelled, looking around the room for any sort of danger, holding her guitar like a bat. When she noticed that I was staring at my reflection, or more specifically my eyes, she looked closer. When she saw what I had seen, she gasped and said, "Oh my gosh." her voice cracking.

"I'll be the first to admit that I don't really care for my appearance, but I've always loved my eyes because they're the same color as Floyd's hair. I felt connected to him that way, but now- I just, I'm sorry." I said, finally breaking down. Barb just silently hugged me and I took one last look at my graying eyes before I started to sob onto her shoulder. I barely noticed that she led me out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, or when Riff opened the door and dropped my morning coffee when he saw me sobbing.

I did however, notice when he joined the embrace and asked, "Was it a nightmare?" I shook my head before Barb could answer and she stopped herself from answering for me when she realized that I was trying to calm myself down enough to answer Riff myself. I finally got a hold of myself enough to open my eyes and face Riff, but before I could say anything he had already noticed and gasped. "Your eyes." was all he could manage to say, voice barely above a whisper, and he reached out to wipe some tears from my face.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed." I tried to be sarcastic, but my voice was too shaky. They both cracked smiles, but they were weak. I then looked at Barb and said, "I want to write to Floyd. Tell him what's going on." while taking a deep breath. She nodded and said, "OK, we'll go talk to King Trollex about mailing the letter once it's done, and get you some breakfast in the meantime." I nodded and we all got up from our positions on the floor and I went over to the desk that was in the room, pulling out some paper and my pen, while they went out the door. I sighed deeply and started to write,

Hey, Floyd. We're in Techno Reef, and I'll tell you one thing, it's beautiful here. The Trolls here are super nice as well. The concert was last night, and much like Volcano Rock City, not a single person didn't have tears streaming down their faces. John Dory was crying so hard, he almost dropped his camera. Speaking of crying, I just had a complete emotional breakdown. Something is going on, Floyd. I'd prefer it if you read this next part alone, or at least not in front of Branch please. I noticed it last week, after I had already written the last letter and sent it off. My colors are fading, Floyd. It's bad this time, too. The nightmares are back, too, but I don't think it's the same one as before. No matter how hard I try, I can't remember it. Barb stays with me at night, and it's been helping, but it's not the same. But the reason I had a complete emotional breakdown this morning, was what I noticed this morning. I woke up before Barb, so I went to the bathroom, and when I caught my reflection in the mirror I almost screamed. It's affected my eyes now, Floyd. They're graying, and I don't know what to do. Branch really hurt me by not supporting my decision, and it's breaking my heart not to have him with me. Hopefully he's forgiven me by the time we get back to Pop Village, because if he hasn't, I don't know if I'd be able to handle that. I just wanted to let you know beforehand, so when you saw me it wouldn't be too much of shock. At least this way you know what to expect. Barb and Riff just came back with my breakfast, so I gotta go, 'cause you know, Food. Your little sister, Kitty.

I finished writing and folded up the paper, then put it into the envelope Barb had handed me, then I addressed the envelope and Barb took it and said, "King Trollex said tat he'd be happy to mail it for you." Riff handed me my breakfast and took the envelope and said, "I'll go take this to him then." and walked out the door. I smiled and laughed slightly and said, "I think he misses being our personal mail delivery boy." looking at Barb.

"We'll be back to using him like that again soon enough." Barb said, smiling. I took the food and started to eat, then Riff came back just as I finished eating. "Looks like good timing, some of the Techno Trolls were asking me if you were up for some questions about your music." Riff said, looking like he was ready to tell them no if need be. "Sure. No use wallowing in self-pity." I said, getting up and heading towards the door.

"That's one way to look at it." Barb said, following me. "OK then. This way." Riff said, leading me out of LED castle, and towards a group of Trolls. I put on a smile and answered their questions, my favorite of which was ' when did I start writing music?'. When I answered with 3 years old, they were shocked to say the least. Another one I liked was 'what emotion do you use to write with the most often?'. I had to really think for that one, but when I answered with Heartache they all grasped at their chests where their hearts were and sighed wistfully.

It was at that moment that King Trollex came over and said, "That letter is on it's way to Pop Village." I smiled and thanked him, and then the Trolls who were asking questions asked another question, "Who'd you send a letter to?" I smiled and then said, "My older brother, Floyd. Just letting him know how the tour is going so far." They looked confused and one of them asked, "How many brothers do you have? You mentioned a Twin Brother Branch last night at the show, and now this Floyd."

I smiled at their confusion and said, "There is Branch, my twin. Then there is Floyd, Clay, Bruce, and John Dory is the oldest. John Dory is around here somewhere, silly-looking with dark green hair and orange goggles." Then I hear, "I'm not silly-looking!" in a whiny tone from behind me. "Hey, John Dory." I say without turning to look at him, not wanting him to know about my eyes.

"Hey little sister. I heard my name, thought I'd see what you were talking about." John Dory said, putting his arm around me. I rolled my eyes, but before I could say anything, the one who had asked me about my brothers spoke up and said, "I was just asking her how many family members she had, after she lost her grandma. We were just so moved by the song last night, and one of the lines that stuck out the most for us was 'I dream you're still here.' and then, 'With all I hold dear.' so it just made sense to us that she had more family."

John Dory nodded and said, "And you were telling them about me and our other brothers!" completely buying her story. I nodded and said, "Yup!" with a grateful look thrown towards the troll who had covered for me. She then said, "Thank you for taking the time out of your free day to answer some questions for us, in return would you like a guided tour of Techno Reef?" I could tell that they knew I wanted to escape John Dory so I said, "That sounds like a wonderful idea." and Barb, Riff and I went with them on their 'guided tour of Techno Reef.'

As soon as we were out of earshot of John Dory, and making sure that he wasn't following us, I turned to the one who had rescued me and said, "Thanks for that." "It's not a problem, I've got an overbearing brother too." she said, understanding. They really did take us on a tour, and offered to hang out with us until we had to leave for our next stop, which was Symphonyville. We took them up on their offer, and they made us feel welcome.

King Trollex even came to hang out with us a few times, when he wasn't busy. When all was said and done, we had a pretty good stay at Techno Reef. As we were boarding the Angler Bus to leave we were saying goodbye to our new friends and we promised to stay in touch with them. Then as the Angler Bus was zipping its mouth shut, John Dory came and yelled into the gap, "See you at Symphonyville!" and before I could turn away, his gaze locked with mine, for just a split second. I heard him gasp as the mouth closed completely, and I sighed and said, "Just great."

I slumped against the wall, and Barb asked, "What?" I looked at her dejectedly and said, "He saw." She sighed and said, "Man, I'm sorry Kitty." I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of it, and said, "What's done is done. Let's just focus on getting to Symphonyville and the next song, yeah?" Barb and Riff nodded and Riff said, "Of course, Your Awesomeness!" giving me a small bow. I laughed slightly at his antics, and we all went and sat on the couches to work on the next song's music.

By the time we got to Symphonyville, we still hadn't come up with anything that worked for that song. "Maybe ask the Trollzart dude for help, like with King Trollex?" Barb suggested. I nodded and said, "Maybe." as we stood by the mouth and waited for it to open. When the mouth opened, Trollzart was waiting for us along with a few other Classical Music Trolls.

"Welcome, welcome distinguished guests." Trollzart welcomed us, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Hi! Thank you so much for having us, it really means a lot." I said, stepping forward to shake his hand. "You are most welcome, Miss Kitty. We cannot wait to hear you perform!" Trollzart said excitedly.

"Well, I can't wait to perform in a few days! Until then, I can't wait to see Symphonyville in all its glory." I said, avoiding the subject of the music. Barb, knowing that I was intentionally avoiding the subject, brought it up herself, "That is, after we get the music for the song done. I suggested that she ask you for some input on it if you wouldn't mind or weren't too busy." I rolled my eyes at her as Trollzart said, "Oh! Of course I wouldn't mind at all! We could even get started right now if you so wished."

I smiled at him and said, "That would be wonderful, thank you. Give me just a moment to grab the song lyrics and we'll be on our way." I went through my stuff and grabbed the right piece of paper and went with him to work on the music for it. Turns out, asking him was the right call because it sounded perfect when we were done. He even showed me how to play the piano and gave me one, saying he would have it delivered to Pop Village for me.

I thanked him profusely and he showed me where we would be staying, saying it was no big deal, and Barb and I went to sleep. Then next couple of days we did the whole tourist thing, Trollzart himself as our guide. We learned a lot about the history of Classical Music from him, and while Barb and Riff might not have been interested, it certainly interested me. All the different genres of music we can produce interest me.

Then the night of the concert arrived, and I waited behind the curtains as Trollzart introduced me. "Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls of all ages, please welcome our distinguished guest, Kitty!" I walked out and sat on my stool, and said, "Thank you so much Conductor Trollzart, and Symphonyville for having me, it's been a pleasure! This song comes from a time when my Twin Brother Branch and I were bullied. The bully is no longer around, hurray for small miracles right? These were my feelings back then, this song is called You Don't Know."

Then the lights dimmed, the spotlight hit me, and the music started so I sang,

I know you've got the best intentions,

Just trying to find the right words to say.

I promise I already learned my lesson,

But right now I want to be not okay.

I'm so tired, sitting here waiting,

If I hear one more 'just be patient',

It's always gonna stay the same.

So, let me just give up.

So, let me just let go.

If this isn't good for me,

Well I don't wanna know.

Let me just stop trying,

Let me just stop fighting.

I don't want your good advice,

Or reasons why I'm alright.

You don't know what it's like.

You don't know what it's like.

Can't stop these feet from sinking,

And it's starting to show on me.

You're staring while I'm blinking,

But just don't tell me what you see.

I'm so over all this bad luck,

Hearing one more 'keep your head up'.

Is it ever gonna change?

So, let me just give up.

So, let me just let go.

If this isn't good for me,

Well I don't wanna know.

Let me just stop trying.

Let me just stop fighting.

I don't want your good advice,

Or reasons why I'm alright.

You don't know what it's like.

You don't know what it's like.

Don't look at me like that,

Just like you understand.

Don't try to pull me back.

Let me just give up.

Let me just let go.

If this isn't good for me,

Well I don't wanna know.

Let me just stop trying.

Let me just stop fighting.

I don't want your good advice,

Or reasons why I'm alright.

You don't know what it's like.

You don't know what it's like.

You don't know,

You don't know,

You don't know,

You don't know what it's like.

You don't know what it's like.

You don't know,

You don't know,

You don't know what it's like,

You don't know what it's like.

I let the music fade out, and just like before, not a single Troll in the audience was holding back their tears. When I spotted John Dory however, I also spotted Floyd. I forced myself to stay calm and say, "Thanks guys, we'll be her for a few more days, if any of you have any questions feel free to ask." and I walked as calmly as I could off the stage towards Barb and said, "John Dory went and got Floyd!" in a harsh whisper.

Her eyes widened and she tried to rush me out of the backstage area but just as we were about to leave, John Dory's voice called out, "Wait right there, little sister!" "Dang it, so close." I mutter as we stop. We turn around and there was John Dory and Floyd. Before I could say anything, Floyd hugged me and said, "I came here on my own. Figured if you had written and sent that letter from Techno Reef, by the time I had gotten it you would be here or on your way here."

I felt the tears pooling before he pulled away so I said, "I want to talk to just you. Not John Dory." I could hear John Dory gasp, and could hear the hurt in that gasp, but I didn't really care. Everyone knew I was closest to Branch and Floyd, and seeing how Branch was the cause of my hurting no way was I going to be able to talk to him. Floyd nodded, so Barb led us to where we were staying.

Once we had sat down, Floyd looked at me and asked, "What's going on? I know you tried to explain it in your letter, and I can clearly see a difference in your appearance, but I want to hear it in your own words."

I nodded and took a deep breath before I said, "Well, the morning I left, Branch came to talk to me. He said he didn't want me to go. I told him that I was going to go, explained my reasoning, and he said I could just write and perform at Bruce's, which I mean I could, but I feel like I need to do this and that's what I said. He then accused me of doing the same thing you guys did to us, to him. It hurt when he said that, but I guess letting my emotions out with each performance, it's making me realize that what he said broke my heart."

Floyd nodded and said, "I think it's more than just your heart. This time anyway. I think your soul has been crushed this time." I released a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding, and said, "Ok, do you think there's a way I can heal it?" He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "I'm not sure, I'll do some research and see what I can find. You just focus on finishing the tour for now."

I nodded but Barb protested, "If letting her emotions our like she has been is speeding up the process, shouldn't we cancel or at least postpone the rest of the tour?" I held my hand up when Floyd went to answer and he stopped and I answered instead, "NO, I made a commitment when you arranged this tour, and I know there are going to be Trolls looking forward to the performances. We're not going to cancel or postpone."

Barb looked into my eyes and realized that I wasn't going to back down, because she said, "Ok, fine." Now that we had that settled, Floyd looked closer at my eyes and said, "It is a real shame about you eyes though, they were such a beautiful color." I nodded and said, "Yeah, they were the same shade as your hair so they were pretty much the only feature I liked about myself."

Floyd sighed and said, "I know that's the way YOU felt, but you will always be my beautiful little sister in my eyes." I sighed and rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah. Now, question: Are you staying for the rest of the tour, or going home?" Barb's eyes lit up like she was curious too, and Floyd smirked so I knew a sarcastic answer was on it's way. "You trying to get rid of me that quick? And here I thought I was your favorite brother."

I roll my eyes and give him a look that says, 'come on, get real' and he rolls his eyes back at me and smiles and says, "If it's ok with you guys, I'd love to stay with you for the rest of the tour." I look at Barb, because technically she's in charge, and she smiles and says, "Hey, I don't have a problem with it." I look back at Floyd and he's looking at me questioningly, so I say, "You really gotta ask?" with a big grin on my face.

"Guess not." He said, an equally big grin on his face. "Good, now can we go to bed?" Barb asked, yawning. I nod and say, "Yeah, totally second that. I'm so tired." while yawning myself. Floyd nodded, yawning himself and said, "Yeah, I'll go stay with John Dory until you leave, then I'll go with you that way we're not inconveniencing the Conductor for another room that would only be used for a couple of nights."

Barb nodded and said, "Smart. Although I'm sure the Conductor wouldn't mind." "Yeah, but this way I can keep John Dory busy until we leave." Floyd said, a devious smirk on his face. I laughed and said, "Ok, let's get to bed, shall we?" Floyd left and we headed to bed. I woke up to Barb opening the door. I knew it was her because when the door opened she said, "She's still sleeping."

Instead of letting it play out like I normally would have, I said, "No, I'm not." and sat up so I could see who was at the door. Surprise, surprise, it was Floyd and Riff, who, apparently had the same idea, because both had brought breakfast and coffee. I took a deep breath and practically moaned out, "Coffee." and basically floated over to the steaming cups of the heavenly substance.

The others chuckled at my reaction but I ignored them. Until, of course, I heard the sharp intake of breath from all three of them. "What?" I asked, worried. I looked at Barb, but she just shook her head, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Riff had closed his eyes and tears were streaming down his face. I looked at Floyd, but all he could do was stare at me with sadness in his eyes.

I ran to the bathroom to look into the mirror, and what I saw, made tears well up in my eyes. There was barely any tint to my skin now, I looked almost transparent. I saw Floyd come up behind me in the mirror, so I said, "This is almost what you looked like when we rescued you from Velvet and Veneer. You were just more solid." He looked confused for second, then said, "When we hit the Harmony?"

I simply nodded, too upset for words. It was then that we heard a knock on the bedroom door. We left the bathroom, and Barb answered it, only opening the door a crack. "It's the Conductor." she said, pulling her head back into the room, a silent question in her eyes. I nodded and said, "Let him in, I'm not gonna hide anything from the leaders."

She opened the door and let him in, and when he saw me he gasped, but not like the others did. Apparently, I'm not the only one who caught the difference because Floyd asked, "What? Do you know something?" practically leaping forward. Trollzart shook his head, holding his hands up and said, "Not exactly. But, we have a legend."

We all looked at him, and I asked, "What legend?" He gestured for us to sit down, so we all chose a seat and he began, "It's the Legend of The Rainbow Troll." I felt confused and looked around and saw that Floyd and Riff looked just as confused as me, but Barb looked like she knew what he was talking about. Before I could question her, she said, "That's just it, though. It's just a legend."

"What is the legend?" I ask, slightly hurt that she might've known what was going on and didn't say anything because it was based on legend. Trollzart continued, "The legend states that if a Troll had their heart broken and lost their colors, then found their happiness again, and got their colors back gets their soul crushed by a family member, a Twin specifically, when they lose all trace of their colors, and their Twin regrets whatever they did to crush the soul of the other Troll, they would become a Rainbow Troll. Then that Troll would become ruler over all Trolls."

It was silent for a moment, but it felt like longer. I finally broke the silence and said, "There's no way Branch is ever going to regret what he said, let alone forgive me for going on this tour. So I'm not going to become the Legendary Rainbow Troll." tears streaming down my face.

Trollzart looked sad as he said, "You better hope he does, because after a Troll's soul is crushed, when they lose all trace of their color, they die. Unless they have the slightest chance to become the Rainbow Troll, there's no hope left." "So, unless Branch regrets what he said to me, I'm gonna die?" I asked him, voice quiet. "Unfortunately, yes." Trollzart said.

If the conversation continued after that, I don't know because I stopped paying attention and my ears were ringing. I went on autopilot mode after that, barely registering when Barb forcce-fed me. Trollzart must have told his citizens not to bother me, because no curious Trolls came along with questions as far as I know. I slept and woke up on autopilot, not even tired.

The next day went the same, I didn't register anything happening. Then the day came that we had to leave, and I woke up already on the Angler Bus. I looked around and saw Floyd and asked, "What are we doing here already?" my voice scratchy from not using it. He turns towards me and smiles and says, "Finally, autopilot's off. We're already here so we don't run into John Dory."

I sit up and say, "Sorry, it just hit me kinda hard that my existence hangs in the balance and the only one who can save me is the one who caused this and also when he found his own happiness he practically left me in the dirt." Floyd looked confused so I said, "Branch found his happiness two years ago. We told you this. What I didn't mention was that before that mission happened we were really close. Afterwards, we drifted apart, as he chased after Poppy. It was then, two years later that we met Barb, and I grew closer to her. Then we had to rescue you. But for those two years before we met Barb, I was practically alone."

Floyd furrowed his brow and asked, "So not only did he accuse you of abandoning him when you found your passion, but that's basically what he did when he found his true happiness?" I sighed, smiled lightly and said, "No wonder my soul's crushed, huh?" That was when Barb made herself known by saying, "We'll talk to Branch when we get to Pop Village in a few weeks, but for now you have to focus on the rest of the tour. Trollzart sends his best wishes along, but we gotta get going to Lonesome Flatts."

I smiled and said, "It'll be nice to see Delta Dawn again." "What were you thinking for the music on, what's the song again?" Barb asked. Floyd looked impressed and asked, "You already have the next song wrote?" I smiled and said, "I already have the next three songs wrote. The next one is Happy Now. I was thinking of asking Delta Dawn to play some acoustic guitar while I did something with the piano that Trollzart taught me."

Floyd looked doubly impressed after I said that, and asked, "What are the other songs called? And what are they all about?" I laughed softly and smiled, then said, "The songs are called O.D.D., and After The Heartbreak, but I'm not gonna tell you what they're about. You're gonna find out with the crowds." "Yeah, good luck getting her to tell you what her songs are about ahead of time. She won't even tell me." Riff said, coming out of the bathroom.

"Coffee, Now." I said, holding out my hand. They all smiled, glad I was more or less back to normal. "Right away, Your Awesomeness." Riff said, grabbing my cup. He soon delivered me my cup of coffee, and I said, "Thank you." taking it and taking a big drink. We joke around the rest of the way to Lonesome Flatts, and when we get there, Barb goes out to talk to Delta Dawn.

Soon they both come back in and Delta Dawn gasps when she sees me, and says, "Oh, honey." She couldn't have put it more simply, but those two words felt like they weighed a ton. "Yeah, I know." I said, sighing. "You said something about asking her about help with the music for your song?" Floyd said, breaking the tension. I looked at him, grateful, and then turned to Delta Dawn and said, "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind, I would love it if you would play the acoustic guitar for my song?"

Her eyes widened and she said, "I would be honored, and I could even teach you some if you want. Can I see the song? So I know what I'm working with?" I nodded and grabbed the song and handed it over, and she said, "These lyrics are amazing. Do you want to get started now?" I smiled and said, "Yeah, the sooner the better." and we got to work, right there in the Angler Bus. Mainly because for my idea I needed our equipment.

When it was done, we played it back and it was perfect. We decided to just stay in the Angler Bus this time, to make it easier to hide my appearance from John Dory when he got there, which was the next day. The night of the concert, Barb and Floyd had wrapped me up in a cloak and Riff had been sent to distract John Dory so I could get backstage.

It was there that I was waiting with Barb, while Floyd went to watch in the audience, when Delta Dawn introduced me, "Ladies and Gentleman, please give a warm welcome to Kitty!" I took the cloak off and handed it to Barb, then went onstage with Delta Dawn.

"Thank you, Delta Dawn. And thank you, Lonesome Flatts, for having me here. As many of you will remember, I have been here before. I didn't sing back then, but I was with Queen Poppy, Biggie, and my Twin Brother Branch, and Delta Dawn here threw us all in jail. Fun times. Now the song I'm gonna sing tonight, I wrote about a time that was before we came here. My brother Branch discovered his happiness before I did, and he kinda left me in the dirt after that. We drifted apart, because he decided to leave me behind. This song is about my feelings at that time, and it's called Happy Now." I rambled a little bit on the explanation.

The lights went down, the spotlight hit us, and Delta Dawn started playing, so I sang,

Your a world away,

Somewhere in the crowd.

In a foreign place,

Are you Happy Now?

There's nothing left to say,

So I shut my mouth.

So, won't you tell me, babe,

Are you Happy Now?

You're the only one who can up and run,

leave me just as empty as the day you came.

And you hold all the cards,

All the broken hearts,

Strung over your shoulder 'till it's all in vain.

And only you know the strength of your teeth,

The wash in the weight of your pockets, so deep.

And lonely.

You're a world away,

Somewhere in the crowd.

In a foreign place,

Are you Happy Now?

There's nothing left to say,

So I shut my mouth.

So won't you tell me, babe,

Are you Happy Now?

Are you Happy Now?

In the palm of your hands,

You can make me dance,

Spin me around in circles,

'Till I'm wrapped in string.

You keep on talking sweet,

'Till your fingers bleed,

But don't you dare ask me how I've been.

And you know the strength of your teeth,

The wash in the weight of your pockets, so deep.

And lonely.

You're a world away,

Somewhere in the crowd.

In a foreign place,

Are you Happy Now?

There's nothing left to say,

So I shut my mouth.

So won't you tell me, babe,

Are you Happy Now?

Are you Happy Now?

World away,

Somewhere in the crowd.

In a foreign place,

Are you Happy Now?

There's nothing left to say,

So I shut my mouth.

So won't you tell me, babe,

Are you Happy Now?

I let the music fade out and then said, "Thank you Lonesome Flatts, if any of you have any questions for me, just come on over to the Angler Bus and we'll be sure to answer them." and then I headed to Barb and she wrapped me back into my cloak, and her and Delta Dawn escorted me back to the Angler Bus. We made it there with no problem, John Dory or otherwise.

"Thank you Delta Dawn, for your help tonight." I said, offering her a hug. "It's not a problem at all sweetheart. I wish you the best of luck with your brothers." she said, accepting the hug, then leaving. I sat down with Barb across from me, and we relaxed, waiting for Floyd and Riff to come back. We didn't have to wait long for Floyd to show up, and then shortly after, Riff followed.

We talked about the show for a little bit longer and then Riff called it a night. Barb following suit shortly after. When it was just Floyd and I, I looked at him and asked, "Be real with me. What do you think the chances are that Branch forgives me?" He thought about it for a second, then said, "Ok, honestly? Have you forgiven me?"

I felt kinda taken aback, but I thought about it for a minute. Then I looked back up at him and said, "Honestly, for the longest time, I didn't. It wasn't until you said that you were back home to stay, that I forgave you. I went to help save you because your my favorite brother, besides Branch, but I didn't forgive you for leaving until that point." He nodded and said, "Alright, now imagine Branch's answer about you."

I closed my eyes and sighed and said, "I get it. I don't wanna ask this next one, but what about the regret?" He nodded and sighed, and said, "Well, for me, I regretted not telling you the truth before leaving about six weeks later, when I saw two young Trolls, who were obviously Twins, having the time of their lives. But, who can really say for Branch." I yawned and said, "Yeah, we've always been kinda stubborn. I think I'm gonna turn in for the night."

"Ain't that the truth." he muttered under his breath, and he got ready for bed as well. For the first time in a while, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. I wake up to Floyd petting my forehead, like he did when I was sick when I was a kid. "Mmm, morning Floyd." I said, without opening my eyes.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked, amusement lacing his voice. I opened my eyes and looked at him and said, "Because, you petting my forehead like that reminded me of when I was sick when I was a kid, you did it then too." He smiled at me and I asked him, "What's the damage this time?" His smile immediately dropped, and he wouldn't look me in the eyes, which tells me nothing.

Instead of asking him again, or checking to see if Barb or Riff were awake, I go into the bathroom and look myself. This time, it's my hair, which has been relatively untouched besides the first graying. Instead of the grayed out ombre effect I was beginning to get used to again, my hair was crystal snow white, no trace that it had been multicolored left behind. I touch it and it's still soft, softer even.

I walk out of the bathroom and go sit down and say, "at least it's pretty." while sighing. "I liked your regular hair though." Floyd basically whined. I nodded and said, "I know you did, but it was pretty weird hair, ok." Hed sighed and dropped it, knowing we were never going to agree on the subject.

I yawned and said, "I need coffee." under my breath. Next thing I know, Riff is holding out a cup of coffee for me and looking at my hair like he wants to touch it. "Woah! Thanks, you can touch my hair Riff. I won't bite." I said, smiling slightly. He looked embarrassed to have been caught staring at it, but he reached his hand out to stroke a few of the strands and his eyes lit up in awe.

"Wow, it's so soft!" he said, pulling his hand back so he didn't make it awkward. "Yeah, that's what my first thought was." I said, nodding. Then the next thing I know, Barb is leaning fully onto my back, using my hair as a pillow. "Oh, yeah. This is my new pillow now." she said, and I could hear the smile on her face. "What the- Barb! Get off!" I said, laughing at her antics and shoved her off of me.

We joked around like that for the next few days, until we had to leave for Vibe City, with Delta Dawn coming to check on us each day. When we left for Vibe City, she said, "You make sure you come back. I know exactly what's going on, so you make sure that I see you again." while giving me a hug. All I could do was nod and say, "I'll try my hardest."

She nodded and left, and we went on our way. I practiced the guitar, what Delta Dawn had taught me anyway, while everybody else did their own things. When I felt that we had come to a stop, I looked up, but Barb said, "Relax, this is just where we're supposed to meet them." I nodded and went back to practicing.

A little while later, we heard what could only be Cooper's voice coming from a speaker, saying, "Kitty! We're here! Come on out!" I sighed, shaking my head and said, "Cooper, you're so weird." even though I knew he couldn't hear me. We all filed out and were immediately picked up by those weird bubble things. I, of course, was wearing my cloak.

"This brings back memories." I mutter as we float up into Vibe City. "Good or bad?" Floyd asks curiously. "A bit of both." I say vaguely. We drop the subject as we land in front of King Quincy, Queen Essence, Prince D., and I suppose I should call him Prince Cooper. "Hey, what's up guys!" I say greeting everybody, making sure my face is still hidden. "Kitty? We know what you look like with your colors, there's no need to be embarrassed with us." Cooper said, thinking that's why I'm hiding.

"I know, that's not what this is about." I say, pulling the cloak tighter. "What is it then? You know you can trust us." Prince D. said stepping forward. I look at Floyd and he says, "They are your friends." I sigh and nod and pull the cloak down. All four members of the royal family of the Funk Trolls gasp. "What's happened?" Prince D. asks, concern all over his face, while Cooper just comes over and hugs me.

"I had a fight with Branch about the tour. He said something that crushed my soul, and if he doesn't regret it by the time I lose all my colors, I'll die." I say, patting Cooper's back while he cried listening to me. I looked at the King and Queen and I saw the recognition in their eyes, but Prince D. looked angry. "How could he says something to hurt you like that! You're his Twin! I would never hurt Cooper like that!" Prince D. said, practically yelling.

"Hey, calm down! We'll be going there after here anyway. You're more than welcome to join us and give him a piece of your mind then, how does that sound?" Floyd said, intervening before I could. Prince D. nodded and Cooper finally let go of me and said, "Come on, we'll show you where you'll be staying." but before they could start leading us away, I grabbed my cloak and put it back on, and Barb said, "I'm going to have to ask if Kitty and I are going to be in the same room."

She hasn't had time to send a message ahead of time then. King Quincy turned and said, "No, we thought you might want some privacy because of all the traveling you're doing together. May I ask why?" I stepped forward and said, "Because, along with the appearance changes, I'm also having nightmares. I can only sleep through the night when I have someone with me. I've gotten used to it being Barb."

I saw the pity appear in his eyes but he didn't say anything on the matter except, "We'll have a bigger bed moved into your room then, Kitty. We've had it specially prepared for you, at the request of Cooper." I looked back at him and he was blushing slightly. "Thanks." I said, still looking at Cooper, and we headed off towards the rooms.

When we got to the one me and Barb were gonna be sharing, I was awestruck. The walls were painted like our forest back home, the floor had rugs but was tile and looked like the forest floor. The ceiling was black, with glow-in-the-dark stars and a moon on it. "Oh, my, gosh! This is perfect! How did you know!?" I asked Cooper, very confused on how he knew how I wanted to redo my room in the Bunker.

"Well, when we were hanging out, you said you're favorite thing about the first mission with the Bergens was when you Poppy and Branch were camping. Besides when I lit the chef on fire." He said, timidly at first, but almost not being able to talk at the end because he was laughing so hard.

"I can't believe you remember that, I said that so long ago! You really are one of my best friends Cooper." I said, and hugged him. Of course, I know he probably didn't do all this, hoping to stay just friends, but with the high probability that I might not survive past my concert at Pop Village, I figure let him down now so he'll be able to move on easier if I don't make it. I pull away from the hug and see tears in the corners of his eyes, and know that I'm right, so I decide to distract everybody by asking, "Hey, uh, King Quincy, Queen Essence, would you guys mind helping me with the music for my song?"

"Yeah, sure." King Quincy said, and they led me away. We worked on the song until we were happy with it, and I voiced my concerns about Cooper's feelings for me to them as well. They said they undertood my reasoning, and that they agreed that it would hurt him less this way if I didn't make it. I thanked them the help and the advice, and headed back to my room. Barb was already asleep, so I washed my face and followed her example.

I woke up the next morning to a knock on the door. I opened my eyes when they knocked again. I looked over and saw that Barb wasn't there, but noticed that the bathroom door was shut. They knocked again, so I called out, "Just a second." and sat up. I rubbed my hands over my face to try to wake up and answered the door. Surprise, surprise, it was Cooper.

"Morning, Kitty." he said, coming into the room. I just glared at him to get the message across that I was not awake, and I wasn't happy about being woken up this early. Then I noticed that he was pulling a food cart, with breakfast and coffee on it. "Thought I'd deliver some breakfast for you." he said, a giant smile on his face.

I dropped the glare and sat down to eat. "Thanks." I said, taking a sip of the coffee. It was then that Barb came out of the bathroom, saw Cooper, and said, "Huh, thought I heard knocking. Sorry I couldn't get it Kitty." and came over and stole some of my bacon. "Hey!" I said indignantly, slapping her hand as she pulled it away.

"What? We go through this every time, you get bacon, I steal some. That's just how we work." Barb said, smiling. I shake my head and say, "Yeah, even when you have your own bacon, you steal mine. It makes no sense." She shrugs and takes the last piece and says, "It does to me." "Wh-" I start to protest, but then I give up and sigh in defeat.

I eat the rest of my meal in relative peace, Barb and Cooper talking occasionally asking me a question. After I eat, Cooper tried to get me to join him on a tour of Vibe City, to go talk to some Funk Trolls. I politely declined by saying, "No thanks. It's not like I ain't been here before, but if anyone does have any questions for me feel free to send them my way, I'm just going to be here practicing."

Cooper looked a little hurt as he left, but said he understood. As soon we knew Cooper had left from behind the door and was out of earshot, (Barb checked), Barb asked me, "You do realize he likes you, right?" I sighed and said, "Yeah, I know. And before you ask, I'm not sure how I feel about him. I've only ever seen him as a friend, then I realized how much attention he actually payed to what I said, in passing, two years ago. He's funny, sweet and honest. But then I think about how I might not live past the concert in Pop Village, and I don't want to hurt him like that."

Barb nodded and looked thoughtful for a minute, then as if she realized something she sat up and said, "You said, you're not sure how you feel about him, right?" with a twinkle in her eye. I nodded and said, 'Yeah." She grabbed my hands and said, "The fact that you thought ahead, and don't want to hurt him, makes me think you do like him a little bit more than just a friend, maybe." I looked down at my hands and thought for a minute, then said, "Even if I do, I'm not going to say anything right now. Not when there's that looming possibility that I will be dead in a little over a week. I will not hurt him like that, more than friend or not."

She nods and says, "I understand. I won't say anything either." "Thank you." I said. I pulled out my acoustic guitar that Delta Dawn had given me, and started practicing after that. The day passed like that, with Riff and Floyd occasionally popping in to check on me. I switched from the guitar to the keyboard, wanting to practice Classical for a little bit, after the first vist from Riff.

Then Floyd came in with my dinner and some coffee and we talked a little bit. After I ate, Floyd left and Barb and I layed down to go to bed. The next couple of days passed like that, and then it was the night of the concert. I waited in the wings as King Quincy and Queen Essence both introduced me. "Citizens of Vibe City, it is our pleasure and our honor, to introduce our cordial guest, and good friend, Kitty!"

I went out onto the stage and I could hear multiple whispers and gasps from the crowd, most likely about my appearance. I ignored it all as I said, "Thank you, King Quincy, Queen Essence, for having me. The song I'm going to sing for you tonight, is about me. Uh, mainly about my appearance, I normally don't look like this, I normally look much weirder. This song is called, O.D.D."

The music started, the lights went down and spotlight hit me, and I sang,

I was raised by a mom,

Who told me I should never

Listen to another voice but my own.

Now I've grown up,

Now I know,

That when I'm tryna be myself

It isn't so simple, anymore.

Some days I wake up,

I just wanna hide under the covers,

'Cause no matter what I do,

I'll never be like all the others.

I'm a little O.D.D.

Most people really don't get me.

I'm the girl in the back of the class.

Blank stare, don't care, don't ask.

I'm a little O.D.D.

I see the way they look at me.

I can hear it when they talk that trash,

Saying 'any minute she gon' crack'.

My brother, bless his heart,

He was the only one who had my back

When everyone else did not.

Looking back, it's crazy.

I almost turned into the person

People told me I, I should be.

Some days I wake up,

I just want to want to hide under the covers,

'Cause no matter what I do,

I'll never be like all the others.

Because, I'm a little O.D.D.

Most people really don't get me.

I'm the girl in the back of the class,

Pink hair, but I'm wearing all black.

I'm a little O.D.D.

I see the way they look at me.

I can hear it when they talk that trash,

Saying 'any minute she gon' crack'.

I'm a little O.D.D.

I see the way they look at me.

I can hear it when they talk that trash,

Saying 'any minute she gon' crack'.

I'm a little O.D.D.

Most people really don't get me.

I'm the girl in the back of the class,

Fuck bitches, get money, blow cash.

I'm a little O.D.D.

Most people really don't get me.

I finished, and let the music fade out. Now all I heard from the crowd were cheers and chants of my name calling for an encore. "Thank you Vibe City, you were a wonderful crowd! However, I'm gonna turn it back over to my wonderful friends, your King and Queen." I said, and went back offstage as King Quincy and Queen Essence took my place onstage.

I headed to Barb as I heard King Quincy say, "If you have any questions for our guest, don't hesitate to ask her. She will be more than happy to answer any and all questions." that was all I heard as we walked away, me with my cloak on. It wasn't long before we got a knock on our door, so I jokingly poked Barb with my foot (we were stretched out on the bed), and said, "Tag you're it."

She just shook her head and got up to answer the door. "Hi, how you doing?"I heard Barb ask, so I knew it wasn't Floyd, Riff, or Cooper. Deductive reasoning leads me to believe it must be a Funk Troll here to ask me some questions or for an autograph, seeing as that's happened a couple of times before. I sat up as Barb said, "Yeah, come on in."

I saw that it was a Funk Troll, on the younger side, not yet a teenager but no longer a child. "Hey, what's up? You got some questions?" I asked. The young Troll nodded, so I said, "Alright, let me start off with one. What's your name?" She blushed and said, "Maple." in a quiet voice.

I felt my eyebrows go up so high up my forehead it felt like they were trying to fly off my face. "No way!" I said, kind of excited. "Yeah, why?" Maple asked, very confused. "I'mma tell you a little story." I said, getting more excited.

Maple sat down and got comfortable and I told her how my parents threw my egg out because I didn't hatch on time, and when I did hatch I was alone. Then my brother Floyd found me and let me choose my own name, so I chose Kitty. Then I told her that it wasn't until years later that I learned that I was really part of the family that I thought I was only adopted into, and the name my parents had picked out for me had been Maple.

"Wow, that's really cool." Maple said, looking happy about her name now. "Yeah, but don't go spreading around that my real name is supposed to be Maple. I kind of like to keep that under wraps." I said, and Maple nodded. "Ok, now what were your questions?" I asked her. Maple looked thoughtful, then asked, "Judging by what you just told me, you weren't raised by your mom. But did someone really tell you that you should never listen to another voice but your own?"

I smiled and nodded, then said, "Good deductive reasoning. No, I was not raised by my mom or dad; in fact I want absolutely nothing to do with them. I was raised by my grandma, and she is the one who told me that." Maple smiles and says, "Your grandma sounds like a smart lady." I sigh and say, "Yeah, she was. She died when Branch and I were 4 years old. Branch is my Twin Brother." Maple nods and says,"I'm sorry. How do you not let the teasing get to you?" moving on to her next question.

I run my tongue across my teeth and say, "A bully, huh?" Maple nods silently, almost in shame. "Let me guess, because of your name? Just because it's a little different?" I ask, throwing out different suggestions. Maple nods and says, "Yeah, and I'm a little darker for a Funk Troll." I smiled and said, "Girl, have you heard my music? I'm a walking ball of darkness. I used to get bullied for the same thing."

Maple nods and smiles, then sighs and says, "Used to? What happened to your bully? You become friends or something?" with a very confused look on her face. I laugh and say, "Oh Lord, no! I hated his guts with every fiber of my being!" Maple looks even more confused so she asks, "So what happened to him?" I smile a blissful smile and say, "Oh, he's dead now." in a sigh.

"You didn't do it, did you?" Maple asks, concerned. "No, it's a long story. That we don't have time for tonight, I'm very tired. If you come by tomorrow, I'll answer any other questions you've got, as well as telling you that story. Also, warning: my appearance may be different tomorrow, and I will tell you why that is tomorrow as well." I said, yawning a little. Maple nodded and said, "Yeah, it's pretty late. I'm definitely gonna come by tomorrow and we're gonna talk some more." as she stood up.

"Have a good night." I called out to her as she went to the door. She smiled and waved as she shut the door, and Barb said, "What a sweet girl." I nodded and said, "Yeah, she reminds me of a younger me." as I stretched back out and Barb joined me. We both fell asleep soon after.

I woke up to Barb shaking me, looking very panicked. When I opened my eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Is it really that bad?" I asked, concerned because she NEVER wakes me up on purpose unless it's important. All Barb could do was nod. I sat up and looked down at myself, and all that was left of my color, was my heart.

Even that was different though, instead of the red, orange, and yellow that matched my hair like last time, it looked like a rainbow was trying to pop out of my chest. Before either one of us could say anything else, someone knocked on the door. Barb looked at me, so I nodded and she answered the door. It was Cooper and Maple.

Cooper showed no reaction when he saw me, just delivered my breakfast and coffee, sat down and started talking to Barb. Maple gasped and started tearing up when she saw my appearance though.

I gestured for her to sit down, and said, "I told you that my appearance would be different. Now I am going to explain why. When Barb first suggested this tour to me, I asked for my brothers' opinions. Four of them approved, one did not. The one that did not approve, was my Twin, Branch. When I told him that I had decided to do it, he said that I was abandoning him, like our four older brothers had for 20 years. I'll admit, I was mad, but I could see where he was coming from. I told him I'd be coming back in six weeks then I'd be done, but he insisted that I was doing the same thing that our brothers had done to us, to him. It really hurt to hear him say that, and that's when I left. It turns out that he crushed my soul when he said that, and if he doesn't regret it before I lose what little color I have left, I'm gone."

I took a deep breath afterwards, and touched what was showing of my heart. "What do you mean, gone?" Maple asked, panic in her eyes. I grabbed her hands, looked her in the eyes, and said sadly, "I mean, joining my grandma gone." "NO!" Maple practically sobbed. I held her as she cried, until she calmed down.

When she finally quit sobbing, and calmed down enough to understand me, I said, "There is a chance I'll be ok, however slim. If he regrets what he said to me before I lose this last bit of color, I'll become a Rainbow Troll." Maple sniffed and calmed completely down. "Promise me if you make it, that you'll come visit?" Maple asked, looking completely adorable.

I smiled and hugged her again so she wouldn't see my tears and said, "You bet." after I blinked the tears away, I released her from my embrace. "So, what else did you want to know?" I asked, trying to break the tension from the emotions. Maple looks thoughtful for a second then asks, "What happened to your bully?"

I smile and say, "Ok, then. First off, his name was Creek. Uh, I remember the first time he ever bullied me, he was picking on me in the forest, really having a go at me. I was trying to ignore it, but this was when I wasn't very good at it yet. Then this weird looking Troll comes through, he's younger but he acts like he's ten feet tall and tells Creek to back off and leave me alone. Creek listens, humoring him at the time I'm sure, and the Troll introduces himself as Cooper. Then he tells me a secret, for dealing with a bully that I'm going to pass onto you. Don't pay attention to what they're saying, play music in your head if you have to."

I hear Cooper gasp as if he can't believe I remembered that. Then I continue, "As for what happened to Creek, well he tried to sell out Pop Village to the Bergen chef, who is the one who took my grandma, and when we made peace with the Bergens, the chef still had him in her bag and a few Trolls made sure that justice was served and they got ejected from the area. We later learned that a creature ate both of them."

Maple smiled and said, "Well, at least there's some sense of justice in the world." I smile and say, "That's what I said. Anything else you wanted to ask?" She thought for a minute then asked, "Have you ever met your mom and dad?" I lean back and look at her with respect, then say, "Breifly, a couple of months ago. The only thing I've ever said to them was that I wanted them to leave me alone, and I wanted nothing to do with them. They didn't give me a chance, why should I give them one?"

Maple looked confused and asked, "What do you mean by that last part?" "Oh, I didn't tell you? When I didn't hatch on time, mom and dad threw my egg out. So, grandma threw them out. I hatched three months late." I said, glaring at the wall. Then Barb came over and said, "Yeah, when she met her parents for the one and only time, she didn't know how to feel, so she came to talk to me looking like she was going to punch something and/or burst into tears."

Apparently they were listening to our conversation. Maple then engaged Barb into a conversation, most likely about that day, so I turned to Cooper. He was staring at me intently so I said, "What?" curiously, wondering if I had something on my back. He shook his head and said, "I just didn't know you remembered that day, is all." I smile and scratch the back of my neck and say, "Of course I do. That's the first time someone spoke to me with kindness, outside of my family."

He opened his mouth to respond, but my stomach growled so loudly that the other two stopped talking as well. Everybody laughed and I hid my face in my hands. Then the door opens, so I look up, and it's Riff coming in with my lunch. He stops short when he sees the situation and looks at me and asks, "Stomach growl again?"

I cover my face back up again and say, "I can't help it!" This just makes everybody laugh harder. While everybody's busy laughing, I grab my food and coffee, sit down and begin to eat. I'm basically done by the time they're done laughing. Then Maple asked, "Kitty, do you know how to play any instruments?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, I know several, although I'm still learning a couple I can play full songs on them. Why do you aks?" Maple looks a little sheepish as she says, "I wanna write music. Turn my experiences into songs, like you do. I was wondering if you could help me?" I smile and say, "That's a great idea for you! Now you ask everybody who writes songs this, we'll all tell you the same answer: everybody's process is different. For me, I write out the songs, then I figure out the music for them. Others with work on lyrics and music at the same time. Also, more with do the music then writh the lyrics for it. You just gotta find what works for you."

Barb nodded and added, "I'm part of that second category, music and lyrics at the same time." Maple nodded and thought for a second then said, "I have an idea for some lyrics, they've kinda been going around in my head. For the music, I have absolutely no clue." I pulled out my pen and paper and said, "Well, how about we get those lyrics down and we'll go from there."

Maple nodded and we got to work. I had an idea for the music after the lyrics were complete and it was a masterpiece. I couldn't help but ask, "Would you mind if I sang this before we leave? It'll still be your song, I'll even say that you wrote it, but this song is a masterpiece."

Maple thought it over and Barb said, "It's too dangerous! You only have one performance left in your colors!" ""No, it isn't! That's when I let my emotions out through a song. These technically aren't my emotions!" I argued. Maple said, "I agree with Kitty, they're my emotions. She would only be translating them, so to speak."

Cooper got up and said, "I'll go talk to Mom and Dad." and left the room. We talked quietly while we waited for him to come back, Barb still trying to convince me not to do it. When he did come back, his face remained nuetral, giving nothing away. Then he said, "The stage is yours, Kitty." with a small smile and bow.

"Yes!" Maple and I said, high-fiving each other. We left to the stage and King Quincy and Queen Essence were waiting onstage for me. I whistled to get their attention and they saw me and introduced me, the same way they did last night, except adding in a welcome back.

"Hi, hello again! I don't normally do this, but a special young Troll named Maple just wrote this song, and I wanted to share it with you guys because it is as special as she is. She calls this, Worthless." I said, then the music started and the lights went down with a spotlight hitting me, and I sang,

You were everything that I was ever afraid of.

But against my better judgement,

I went ahead and fell in love.

You gave me the world,

I gave you my trust,

I invested in you,

You invested in us.

Who would've known you'd hurt me so much?

Because just one night you decided,

That you'd go ahead and confide in another lover,

Undercover of the sheets.

I'm glad that you told me the truth,

But I hate that you said I love you,

Right after you told me.

Why do you do what you do?

Why do you do what you do?

I'm feeling Worthless!

I don't deserve this at all!

I'm feeling Worthless!

Because you decided to fall,

Back on your promise of us,

Back on your promise of trust.

Oh, I hate you now,

So damn much.

I'm feeling Worthless!

I'm feeling Worthless.

Now a days,

When I look in the mirror,

What I hate couldn't be any clearer.

I don't like what I see,

Shit, I don't like me.

You used to like me a lot,

Until that one night that you forgot,

That I-I-I, that I was worth anything.

I'm feeling Worthless!

I don't deserve this at all!

I'm feeling Worthless!

Because you decided to fall,

Back on you promise of us,

Back on your promise of trust.

Oh, I hate you now,

So damn much.

I'm feeling Worthless!

I'm feeling Worthless.

I'm feeling Worthless.

I'm feeling Worthless.

I don't deserve this.

I don't deserve this.

I'm feeling worthless.

I'm feeling worthless.

I finished and let the music fade out. Before I did my outro, I took a few calming breaths, because now that I had sung it, I got what the song was about. I pasted my fake smile on, and said, "What a wonderful song, right? Again, that was written by the brilliant Maple! Thank you so much for letting me share her song with you before I leave." Then I walked offstage and Barb and I walked back to our room.

As soon as we stepped into the room, Barb said, "One of her parents is cheating, and she found out!" I felt my eyes go wide and asked, "You caught on to that too?" Then I gasped and said, "Maybe this was her way of telling the other parent, without directly telling them so she didn't feel guilty."

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for." I heard from the doorway. I turned and there was Maple. "Except, you didn't quite catch on to everything." she continued, coming in and sitting down. I sighed and voiced my worst fear about her from the moment I met her and learned her name, "It's not a coincidence that your name is Maple, is it?" She chuckled dryly and said, "No." while shaking her head slightly."Who are you, really?" I sneered, fist bunching up.

"My birth father cheated on my birth mother, and I found out, you weren't wrong there. You were wrong about the other thing though, because I told her when I found out. She then killed him and then herself, leaving me behind. I ran away, because in my mind I was going to be blamed because I thought it was my fault. I know better now. While I was running I met this couple, who said that they had made a mistake years ago with their own daughter, so finding me in need of a home of my own was like their second chance for them. Allowing them to rename me, gave me a clean slate. The couple's names were Myra and Brick." Maple said, pacing the whole time, stopping right in my face when she said my parent's names.

"No." I said, shaking my head slightly, and Barb was of course confused. "Who are Myra and Brick?" Barb asked. I ignored her, deciding to explain later as I said, "What the HELL do they want?" my fist clenching tighter. Maple backed off and said, "A chance to talk." "Oh, well then, if that's all. FUCK NO!" I said, moving past her to sit down. "Why not?" she asked, sounding genuinly confused.

"Think back to what I told you. I've been real with you, this whole time. Have you?" I said, looking at her accusingly until she left. "OK, I'm still lost. Who are Myra and Brick? What was that about?" Barb asked, coming to sit beside me. "Myra and Brick are my, I'm sorry I should say our mom and dad. Apparently Maple is my adoptive little sister, Yay me. They sent her here with a message for me, that they still want a chance to talk." I said, flopping back so my legs were hanging off the edge of the bed.

"Girl, your life just keeps on getting more complicated." Barb said, mimicking my pose. "Yeah, I know. I'll tell Floyd tomorrow, I'm too tired right now." I said, sighing. "Alright, let's go to bed." Barb said after a minute. We swing our lefs up and get into the bed properly, and I surprisingly have no trouble falling asleep.

I woke up and Barb was still asleep, so I sat up and looked myself over. I still looked the exact same, so my theory was right. I sighed in relief and wrote a note for Barb stating that I went to Floyd's room, then left. I knocked on his door, and sure enough he was already awake. My face must've shown I had something important to talk about, because he asked, "What's up?" and I told him how mom and dad had adopted Maple and sent her here to see if I'd talk to them, and how my answer still hadn't changed from a couple of months ago.

To say he was shocked about Maple was an understatement. We went over to my room just as Barb was reading the note. We all hung out there until Cooper came in with my breakfast. Barb stole the bacon again, but I didn't really care. When Cooper saw that I had no reaction to Barb stealing my food, he asked, "Are you ok? You don't seem like yourself this morning."

I sighed and said, "Physically yes, I'm ok. Mentally, I've taken a blow." "What is it? I've noticed that Maple isn't joining us this morning." Cooper said, looking concerned. I nodded and said, "Yeah, and that's probably for the best. I'll tell you what's going on, but you have to promise not to freak out." "Alright, what is it?" Cooper asked, looking serious now.

I sighed, took a deep breath, then told him about what Maple had told me about her past, and how she had been adopted by my parents. "That makes her your little sister! What was she really doing here then?" Cooper interrupted, putting together some of the pieces. I sighed and said, "She came here with a message from our parents. That they still want a chance to talk. I sent her with a message back for them: Fuck off and leave me alone."

Cooper puts a hand on my shoulder and says, "When I found my parents, I gave them a chance." I stood up, angrily shoving off his hand and said, "You weren't thrown away! Your egg was lost! There's a big difference there, Cooper!" and I stormed out before he could see the tears in my eyes. I eventually ran into Prince D. and when he saw my face, he silently gave me a hug.

It immediately calmed me down, and I hugged him back and said, "Thanks man. I needed that." He let go and said, "You looked like you did. Cooper say something stupid again?" I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, actually. There's a lot going on." He nodded, catching on, and said, "Alright, let's go talk." and he led me to the room they used to keep the String in.

I told him what was going on, my history, and what Cooper said. "It's two completely different scenarios. He was lost as an egg, I was thrown away! He knows that, I told him when I found out. How can anyone expect me to give them the time of day, let alone a chance to talk when they did that to me as an egg!" I rambled after the explanation.

"I can see both sides here. They are your parents, and they say all they want to do is talk. I also get your point, you feel betrayed because parents are supposed to do anything for their kids, and when you didn't hatch on time they threw you away." Prince D. said wisely. I nodded and looked at him with a new respect, and said, "Yeah, that's exactly it. You know, you're really good at this." He smiled and said, "Yeah, I know."

"Thank you, for listening. I know that you and Branch get along." I said, hanging my head a little. He touched my shoulder, so I looked over at him and he said, "Hey, Branch may be one of the coolest Trolls I've ever met, and he may be one of my best friends, but I will NEVER forgive him if you don't make it because of him hurting you. Twins should NEVER hurt each other like that."

I put my hand on his and said, "I'm gonna try my hardest, but the only way for me to make it is for him to regret saying it." Then before I could continue I heard Barb's voice say, "There you are!" and she approached us. I looked behind her and saw, to my relief, Queen Essence. "Hey, what's going on?" I asked them, wondering why they were looking for me.

Queen Essence answered, "Barb came to us and asked if we minded if you left a day early, because you had some personal stuff going on. Then we couldn't find you, or my other son, so I said we should check in here because if you needed to talk something out, this is where he'd take you." I laughed and said, "Well, I did like this room the first time you showed us."

She smiled and said, "We all noticed. Trust me, we had conversations on it." then while I was contemplating what she said, she asked, "Now, what has got you so upset that you'd want to leave early? You love it here." I nodded and said, "Yeah, I do. But that girl, Maple? Yeah, turns out she's really my adoptive little sister and my parents are trying to contact me again. That's why she was here."

Queen Essence looked shocked to say the least and said, "Yeah, I understand now. I'll tell Quincy and you guys can leave whenever you want." I stood up and said, "Thank you for understanding. Quick question, if you hadn't have lost Cooper's egg, and one of them did'nt hatch on time, would you throw that egg out?" She looked angry at the prospect and said, "Of course not! We would nurture both child and egg, until the egg hatched no matter how long it took!"

I smiled and said, "Sorry, just curious." I'm sure one of the boys will tell her exactly why I asked that question later, but I had to know. We all left the room and we went to where the bubbles would take us down. "All right, we're ready." Prince D. said and I looked at him confused. He caught my eye and said, "What? You think we're gonna miss your last performance?" 'We?' I looked around and saw Cooper behind Floyd and Riff. "Thanks." I say quietly.

King Quincy and Queen Essence activate the bubbles and we go down. Unsurprisingly, the Angler Bus is still there, and I can see Rhonda behind it as well. "These bubble things are kind of cool." Barb said from her own bubble. I nodded and said, "Yeah, kinda weird too." We landed and all went into the Angler Bus, and to our complete surprise John Dory was waiting there for us.

"What do you want?" I asied, laying down on the couch. "I got a note from Floyd, saying that we needed to talk." John Dory said, moving my legs and sitting down, then putting my legs in his lap. "Floyd, you tell him. I need to nap. Especially since I'm going to be seeing Branch soon. I'm going to need my energy." I said, mainly just not wanting to repeat it again, but not lying about needing my energy to face Branch.

I could hear them talking, but I drowned them out, and soon enough I fell asleep. When I woke up, the Angler Bus was slowing down which meant that we were approaching Pop Village. I sat up and saw that everyone was waiting for me by the door. I stood up as the door opened and before it had opened fully, Poppy came rushing in and hugged me then started talking 50 miles an hour.

"Poppy!" I yelled, trying to get her to stop. Then she finally sees me and asks, "What happened?" putting her hands to her mouth in a gasp. I sigh and say, "Someone else explain please. I wanna conserve my energy." Then Barb explained what was going on. Poppy grimaced and said, "It might be a little harder than you think to get him to regret it, he's moved all of your stuff out of the Bunker and to your old Pod. Not the one at the Troll Tree, the one you guys stayed in when we first moved here."

I scoffed and say,"Seriously? He kicked me out of the Bunker? That is so messed up." I shake my head and sigh, then say, "Fine. If he doesn't want to see me that badly, fine. You guys just need to make sure that he's at that concert. John Dory, you've recorded every single one of my performances right?" I was coming up with a plan. "OOH, you've got your scheming face on. Whatever it is, I'm so in!" John said, getting excited.

I told them what I had come up with, and they said that it was a good idea, so long as they could get Branch there for the concert. After we ironed out the details, I had decided to go check on my Pod. Barb, of course, came with me. I led her to it and she chuckled and said, "WOW, you guys really were loners." I smiled and said, "Eh, I still am, just to a lesser extent." and we went inside.

Everything looked the same, just with my stuff piled into it now. Barb helped me move everything so we could get the stuff put into the dressers, and so we could find the beds. It was a bunk bed, so we took it apart and put both beds side by side so it was bigger. We sat down to rest for a second and there was a knock at the door. I was feeling too lazy to get up so I called out, "Come on in."

The Pod opened and Clay came in. "Hey Clay." I said, tired and quiet. "Hey. Floyd filled me in on everything. They really named this girl Maple?" Clay asked, coming in and sitting beside me. "Yup." I said, nodding my head. "And you're really..." He trailed off, but I knew what he was trying to ask. "Yeah." I said quietly.

"That's why you didn't go to Bruce's, isn't it?" He asked. I nodded and said, "I wanted those kids to have a good memory of me. Even if I was gray and grumpy, it's better than watching me crystalize, right?" Clay smiled and said, "Yeah, it is better for those kids that way. Bruce is going to be here for the concert though, and so are the kids, they really want to see you."

I sighed and said, "God, why do children like me?" They both laughed because they had both seen random children come up to me and act like they'd known me their whole miniscule lives. "Well, they are your nephews and neice. They want to be around their aunt." Clay said, after he had stopped laughing.

"Yeah, yeah." I said, then we heard another knock. Clay answered it, and it was Viva. "Hey, this place is really far out there, isn't it? I brought you some dinner, Kitty. Along with some coffee." She said, handing me a dish of lasagna, that I hate, and an Iced coffee, that I absolutely loathe. "Thanks, Viva." I said, taking them to keep Clay happy. "And yeah, this is pretty far from the Village. We didn't really want to be bothered, you understand that right?" I continued.

"Why would I understand wanting to distance yourself from other Trolls? I'm one of the most social Trolls ever." Viva said, rising to my challenge. "Well, it's just that you lived in an abandoned Bergen golf course, too scared to leave, for over 20 years, so I thought you'd understand." I said, turning and putting the lasagna and Iced coffee on the table.

"Hey, you know what? It's getting kinda late, Viva why don't we head back to the Village?" Clay said, interfering before a real fight could break out. "Yeah, you know what? It is getting late, and we've got a long walk ahead of us." Viva said, calming down. "Oh, leaving already? Well, don't walk. Didn't Branch tell you? We have a zip-line that leads from here to the Bunker." I said, going out the door and showing them. "Cool, thanks Kitty." Viva said, looking genuine with me for the first time since I met her.

She jumped onto the line with her hair, and slid off into the distance. "I'll see you later, Clay." I say, and hug him then head inside before he can say anything. I shut the door, and hear him whoop as he slides down the line, then I turn and see Barb eating the lasagna and drinking the Iced coffee that Viva had left. "That's disgusting." I say and lay down on the bed. I'm falling asleep before she even finishes eating.

The next couple of days I practiced on my piano that Trollzart had sent here, while everyone else got everything else together for the plan. Then the day came for the concert and I waited backstage. Turns out, the easiest way to get Branch to the concert was Bruce and his kids. I had already said hey, and they weren't even fazed by the change in my appearance or anything, resilient little suckers.

When everyone had taken their seats, my plan was set into motion. Poppy went out onstage and said, "Hello, everyone! As you all know, Kitty's World Tour stops here. As an extra special treat for us though, she had her oldest brother John Dory record her performances, and they're going to show them before she sings for us. First up is her stop at Volcano Rock City."

Then I could hear Barb talking, introducing me, then myself talking then singing Empty. Then the video went right to my performance at Techno Reef, including my introduction of the song, and I heard Still Here playing. Then it went to Symphonyville, and I heard my explanation for the song there, and You Don't Know played. Then I heard myself thanking Delta Dawn so I knew it went to Lonesome Flatts, and I heard my explanation for Happy Now, and felt myself tear up as I looked out at Branch and saw the shock on his face, then the song played. He had tears in the corners of his eyes at the end of the song. Then I heard myself in the video talking about the song O.D.D. so I knew the video had moved onto Vive City. Then the song played and I saw him tear up even more.

After the song ended, and the video was over, Poppy went out onstage again, tears streaming down her face. "Wow, I've never been more proud to say I know a Troll. I'm sure that we all noticed though, that something was definitely going on there with her appearance though, and I'm sure that she's going to tell us what's going on. Please give a warm, homecoming welcome, for Kitty!" Poppy said, dropping the hint about my appearance, just like I planned.

I didn't walk out right away, but I did grab a microphone. "Thank you, Poppy. And you are correct, there is something going on. Before I agreed to this Tour, I asked my brother's for their opinions. Most of them agreed and said that it was the best thing for me to do. Except for one, my Twin Branch. We argued, and he said something that really hurt. In fact, it hurt so much, that it crushed my soul." I said, and at the last sentance, I finally walked out.

I saw him take in my appearance and gasp, but I continued talking, "I know he probably still doesn't approve of my choice to go, but I learned to play the piano (then Floyd and Riff moved my piano onstage for my song), I learned the acoustic guitar, I learned so much about so many other types of music and other Trolls. I had a wonderful experience in each Village, I don't regret my choice, just the fact that my Twin wasn't there to enjoy it with me."

I then walked over to the Piano, set my microphone up and said, "My song tonight, I wrote a long time ago. When I was 3 years old, actually, with the help of my grandma. It's about the pain that I felt after my oldest brothers left, but it also fits the situation I'm in now. This is called, After The Heartbreak."

Then the lights dimmed, the spotlights went on me, I played my piano and sang,

It's the start of a new day,

But it feels as though everything's ending.

Still picking up pieces from the broken love you gave to me.

My earth feels like it's stopped turning,

And my sun feels like it's stopped burning.

Have you ever seen the sun,

After The Heartbreak?

Frozen somewhere in time.

Have you ever seen the stars,

After the word Goodbye?

Ah-ah-ah-ah,

Ah-ah-ah-ah,

Ah-ah-ah-ah,

After The Heartbreak.

Footsteps are punding,

Like echoes when you came to wake me.

Your shadow surrounds me

And swallows the colors of my dreams.

The space in my bed,

Reminds me that you're gone.

Your voice in my head,

Replays like a love song.

And the screams and the lies,

They tear me up inside.

I'm left with an empty sky.

Have you ever seen the sun,

After The Heartbreak?

Frozen somewhere in time.

Have you ever seen the stars,

After the word Goodbye?

I am lost in the dark,

Wanna be where you are.

So hard to keep it together,

When you pulled me apart.

Haunted by your disguise,

Disappeared with the light.

Days and nights feel like forever,

All my innocence has died, has died.

Have you ever seen the sun?

Have you ever seen the stars?

I've seen them before in your eyes!

After The Heartbreak,

Frozen somewhere in time.

Have you ever seen the stars?

I've seen them before in your eyes.

Ah-ah-ah-ah,

Ah-ah-ah-ah,

Ah-ah-ah-ah,

Ah-ah-ah.

Haunted by your disguise,

Disappeared with the light.

Days and nights feel like forever,

All my innocence has died.

After The Heartbreak.

I let the final notes resonate before I lifted my fingers off the keys. I took the microphone and went to stand up, but collapsed. I looked down and saw my heart's light barely there. Then I felt familiar arms around me, holding onto me for dear life, arms I would know anywhere.

"Branch." I say, my voice barely audible. I felt him shake his head and he said, "No, save your strength. You were right, you did need to do this. I was stupid, I should've gone with you. I'm so sorry, I never should've said any of those awful things I said." "Regret?" is all I could get out but I was trying to ask if he regretted it. "Yes, I regret everything." he said, understanding.

I closed my eyes with a smile on my face, then felt myself being lifted into the air. I looked down and I saw myself being wrapped in a glowing aura, kinda like my brothers were when they did the Perfect Family Harmony, but it was rainbow colored. Then it got too bright for me to see anything, but I felt myself being lowered.

The aura finally disappeared, but not like the Perfect Family Harmony, it was like my skin absorbed it. "What just happened?" Branch asked, looking completely freaked out. "I'll tell you all of it later, but for now just trust me, ok?" I said, looking at him. He nodded so I turned to the audience and said, "Sorry about that folks, thanks for letting me perform for you. It's good to be home."

I grabbed Branch and left the stage as fast as I could. Backstage, Barb, Cooper, Prince D., Riff, John Dory, Clay, Bruce, and Poppy all tackled me in a hug. "Can't breath!" I said, trying to get out of it. They all let go, then Floyd grabbed me and said, "Yeah, I know how that feels. That's why I waited. I'm so glad you're alive. You're even more beautiful now." "Yeah, whatever." I mumbled into the hug.

"Okay, explanation, now!" Branch said, looking even more confused. So we went to the Bunker to be more comfortable, and we told him what had happened. Then we dropped the bombshell that mom and dad had adopted a little girl and called her Maple and weren't leaving me alone. I'm not sure which shocked him more, the fact that his words had almost killed me, or the fact that we now had a little sister and were no longer the babies of the family.

"Vote on talking to them?" Branch suggested looking at me. I sighed and said, "I'll hear them out once, but that's it. Only if you go with me though." Branch nodded in agreement and said, "Not here though. I want them reminded of the biggest mistake they ever made." I smiled and nodded, but the others looked confused so I said, "Our Pod at the Troll Tree."

He nodded so I looked at Riff but he spoke before I could, "Find Maple, give her the message. Right?" I laugh and nod then say, "Meeting for next week." He nods and leaves. "All right, you let me know how that goes, but I gotta go. My dad only agreed to run things for six weeks and that ends tonight, so I gotta get back before tomorrow morning." Barb said, leaving as well. "Tell him I said thanks!" I called after her. "Rock and Roll!" she called back.

"Ok, I'm confused. What exactly does being a Rainbow Troll mean?" Viva asked, going back to the conversation before. I let out a deep sigh and say, "Well, according to what Trollzart told me, I'm technically in charge of all the rulers of the Troll Villages I guess? I don't know, look up the legend." Clay gave me sharp look that I knew meant 'be nicer, she is trying' but I ignored it.

"Wait, so let me get this straight. The leaders of the Villages, like Poppy and King Quincy and Queen Essence, have to report to you now?" Branch asked, sounding incredulous. I shrugged and said, "I guess? We'll have to talk to the others, let them know I made it." Then Prince D. came forward and said, "And that's our cue to leave. We'll let our mom and dad know, and they'll pass on the message." gesturing to Cooper as well.

I nod, avoiding Cooper's gaze and say, "Alright, thanks. Make sure to come back soon and visit, yeah?" "Of course we will." Prince D. said at the same time that Cooper said, "Try to keep us away." I looked at Branch for some help so he said, "Alright, safe travels, guys. We'll see you soon." and they left.

I threw Branch a grateful look and he nodded back, but sent a look that said we would definitely be talking about the awkwardness later. I rolled my eyes but nodded back at him, then tuned back into the conversation. "I'm still confused as to what this Rainbow Troll thing is." Viva was saying.

I sighed and finally lost my temper with her, and yelled, "You know what, Viva? No one here knows! Yes, I'm a Rainbow Troll now, but that doesn't mean that I'm suddenly all glitter and sparkles! I'm still me! So you can go ahead and talk about how weird it is, it won't be any different from what the rest of my life has been like, but if you think I'm going to just sit here and listen to it you've got another thing coming. You might be the sister of my brother's girlfriend, but I do NOT like you, I tolerate you at the best of times, and that's only out of respect for Poppy. Ever since I met you, you have been nothing but judgemental towards me! I tried to be respectful towards you, because guess what? I remembered you from the Troll Tree! When you used to hang out with Clay there! When we first saw you again at that golf course, I recognized you, but I didn't want to say anything because I also noticed that your colors had faded and I didn't know how to bring it up with someone I barely knew. Then I realized you and Poppy were sisters, mainly because of my memories and because of your weirdly similar personalities. You realized it ten seconds after me, then there was no chance for me to try to talk to you. Then I realized that you didn't really care for me because of the fact that I was gray, then because of my weird colors, then because I didn't want to give my parents the time of day, it's always something with you! You have NEVER given me the respect that I have tried to give you, so I'm done trying."

I was panting hard by the end of my rant, and everybody's eyes were wide, Viva's with tears in the corners of them. I turned and left, ignoring any protests they might have made. I went outside, taking deep breaths to try to calm down, then I heard some footsteps behind me. "I'm not going to apologize." I said as I turned around, fully expecting to see Floyd there. Instead, I saw Poppy. "No, I'm here to apologize for my sister. I never realized that she was treating you like that. I'm also here to apologize for not noticing sooner." She said, coming up to stand beside me.

I sighed and said, "I don't see how you couldn't have seen, she's been doing right there in front of everybody. Tell Branch I'll see him tomorrow." then I walked over to the zip-line, grabbed the handlebar and pushed the button. As soon as I got to the Pod, I got ready for bed, and unsurprisingly, ten minutes later, Floyd showed up. I shook my head at him and said, "Why am I not surprised."

He shrugged and said, "Only reason I took so long was because Clay and Viva were fighting and I wanted to watch." "Woah, wait what? Seriously?" I questioned him, surprised. "Oh, yeah. Clay is not very happy with her behavior towards you, and she's mad that he let you go off on her like that. I'm surprised you didn't do that sooner, by the way." he said, smiling a little.

I nodded, smiling and said, "Yeah, I am too." then we both yawned at the same time, so he got ready for bed too. Guess he's gonna stay with me tonight. We said our goodnights and went to sleep. I woke up to him tossing and turning, tears streaming down his face and mumbling, "No, she can't be gone. She can't be." I shook his shoulders and said, "Floyd, wake up! It's just a dream!"

He opened his eyes, saw me and cried harder, still sleep addled from the dream. I sat him up and hugged him gently and asked, "What's going on? Was it another nightmare?" He nodded against my shoulder and mumbled, "I remember this one though. It started out with your last concert, and went exactly the way we did it, except Branch didn't regret what he said and you died." I sigh and hug him tighter and say, "I was having that same nightmare all week. I'm glad it turned out the other way around though."

He nods and releases me from the hold and says, "Me too. You may say you look even weirder than before, but I say you look even more beautiful now." "What? I look different and nobody said anything!" I said, getting up and going to the bathroom, where we had a full-length mirror. I looked at my reflection and sure enough I did look different.

My hair was all seven colors of the rainbow, as were my eyes which was really unnerving to look at. My skin color hadn't changed but it did look like it was made out of diamond now. "Ok, that's a pretty big change not to mention!" I said, walking back out of the bathroom. "Hey, I said we should discuss it, but nobody else thought we should because they thought you might be too freaked out over it." Floyd said, defending himself.

"Who said no?" I asked him, giving him a sharp look. He sighed and said, "Viva." I rolled my eyes and said, "Should have figured that. Anyone else, or was it just her?" He shook his head and I again rolled my eyes. I looked out the window and something caught my eye, a moving shadow.

I got up and started chasing it without a word. I caught up to it and tackled it, then turned it around and pulled the hood down and revealed, "Maple! What are you doing here?" I questioned when I saw my technical little sister. "Gee, nice to see you too, sis." she said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and it was at that point that Floyd caught up to me.

"Wow you are fast! Whew! Who's this? Oh wait, Maple!?" he said when he got a better view of her. I picked her up and Floyd came over to help hold her so she wouldn't run again. We took her back to the Bunker, waking everybody there up in the process, but not really caring. When John Dory saw who we had with us, he immediately got defensive and asked, "What do you want?"

Clay and Branch looked confused so clarified, "Clay, Branch, meet Maple. Our little sister." Recognition immediately dawned in their eyes, and they went on the defensive too. "Ok now. What are you doing here? Especially in the middle of the night?" I asked her, wanting to know what she was doing spying on us. "Mom and dad said they'll be there. Not too happy about the venue, but they're happy you're giving them a chance." she said, sighing and rolling her eyes slightly.

"They're not supposed to like the venue. Is that all you're here for, seriously? This couldn't have waited until morning?" Branch said, grumpy about being woke up. "And you people say I'm not a morning person." I mumble under my breath, but I'm pretty sure Maple hears it because she starts to struggle to keep a smile off of her face.

"That's all they sent me here for. But I don't want to go back to them, I want to stay with you guys, please?" Maple said, looking at us pleadingly. I looked at Branch and he held out his hand in a diagonal, then I looked at Clay and he nodded. I looked at John Dory and Floyd next and they agreed as well so I said, " We'll give you a trial run, but you're not staying in the Bunker. You can stay in guest housing in the Village, Branch can take you to Poppy and explain. For now, let's all try to get a little more rest."

They all nodded, and Maple hugged me, then followed Branch, Floyd and I out of the Bunker. "Oh, sorry about moving your stuff out of the Bunker. You can move your stuff back in." Branch said before leaving with Maple and I said, "Yeah, we'll worry about doing that later." and went over to the zip-line and grabbed the extra handle. Floyd grabbed on with me, giving me an odd look, and I pushed the button.

When we got back to the Pod he said, "That's handy." I nodded and we went back inside, and went back to bed. This time when I woke up, it was actually daytime. I sat up and stretched, then heard Floyd say, "Wonder what made Maple want to stay here?" I think back to the last thing I said to her, and say, "It might've been something I said. The last thing I said to her face to face was, 'think back to what I told you. I've been real with you this whole time, have you?' and that was right after I found out that she was our sister sent by our parents to try to get me to talk to them, instead of a fan like I thought she was."

"Yeah, that might be it." He said coming over. I sigh and say, "Well, whatever it is, she's here now. Shall we go make sure she's not causing any trouble?" He nods and we head to the zip-line. He takes his own handlebar this time. Turns out, she's been an angel all morning. We keep an eye on her the rest of the week, making sure that she stays out of trouble and also that she doesn't lead Myra and Brick here.

Throughout the week I get letters from the leaders of the Villages saying congratulations on not dying, and that we do need to hold a meeting, at my leisure of course. I write them all back, with the exception of Poppy, with the meeting date set for next week. Then I find Branch and we head to the Troll Tree on my bike. When we get there, we go to the old Pod and go inside not bothering to knock.

Myra and Brick were already waiting there and didn't look happy about the intrusion on their conversation. "Branch, Maple." Brick greeted us, trying to be polite. "Don't you know it's rude to call somebody by their dead name? Your other daughter's name is Maple, my name is Kitty." I said, before Branch could lose his temper and blow up.

"Right, sorry. Kitty. You look different." Brick corrected, and I could tell he didn't mean my colors were weird. "Yeah, almost dying will do that to you." I say sarcastically, not wanting to explain anything about the whole crushed soul thing. "Not gonna ask. How's Maple doing?" Brick asked. "She's doing ok, getting along really well with everybody. Clay absolutely adores her." I said, and it was true, in the past week they had grown close.

"That's good. We heard your tour went really well." He said, awkwardly. "Yeah, it went alright. I learned a lot." I said, and Brick winced at the double meaning behind my words. "OK, enough small talk. Why would you throw her egg away without giving her a real chance?" Branch said, finally losing his patience.

"Yeah, I asked Queen Essence if she hadn't have lost Cooper's egg out of the nest and one of the eggs hadn't have hatced on time if she would've what you did and thrown the egg away, and you know what she said? She said, that she would've kept the egg and child until the egg hatched no matter how long it took. So why wouldn't you?" I said, explaining my conversation with Queen Essence.

Branch looked surprised, and we both glared at our parents. "Myra looked down at her hands, silent. And brick sighed then said, "We thought you weren't fertile. Your egg was so much smaller than Branch's and not at all like a Pop Troll egg is supposed to be. We thought that when he hatched and you didn't that it just proved our theory." I shook my head and said, "Alright, I heard you out. Never contact me again." and walked out, with Branch right behind me.

We ignored their pleas and got on my bike and headed back to Pop Village. When we got there, Maple was waiting for us. "Judging by your faces, I'm guessing that was a disaster." she said, helping me park the bike even though I didn't need the help. "Went about as well as I thought it would, but Brick was more polite than I would've given him credit for." I said, shrugging.

Maple nodded and said, "Yeah, until a hard topic came up right?" "Yup, that's right." I said, nodding. "When he explained why they did what they did, it was the stupidest excuse ever. We just left ignoring them." I continued, shaking my head. "Yeah, I don't blame you. By the way, Cooper is here and looking for you." Maple said, smiling slightly. I sigh and say, "One hard conversation after the other. Thanks, I'll see you later." then I go to where I know he's sure to be waiting: the place we first met.

Sure enough, he's there. I approach him slowly and say, "Hey." He turns and sees that it's me, and his eyes light up and he says, "Hey. How'd it go with your mom and dad?" I shrug and say, "About as well as we thougt it would. So, horrible. I'm just glad that it's done and over with. Now I just have to figure out the meaning of this whole Rainbow Troll thing." He nods and asks, "When's that meeting scheduled?"

"Next week. Sent out the letters this morning, gonna tell Poppy later." I say simply. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Gives everybody time to prepare, yourself included. Don't try to say you're not freaked out by all this, I know you too well." Cooper says, smiling. I take the opportunity and say, "And I know you too well to know that you didn't come all the way out here to talk about that. What did you really want to talk about?" wanting to get the hard conversation over with.

I realized something, when I almost died. I realized just how important Cooper is to me and how happy I was that he was there to hug me in that group tackle backstage. "You're right, as usual. This is the spot we met. But this is also the spot I realized just how strong you truly are. I didn't realize until we became friends, but I've never really looked at you as just a friend. You are one of the most important Trolls in my life, Kitty. But if you just want to stay friends, I'll understand and be ok with it." Cooper said, rambling a little, but he made it cute. I guess I was right, again.

"I knew how you felt, Cooper. How could I not, after seeing you go to such lenghths to make me comfortable in Vibe City. Designing my room there, after my dream room that I only mentioned in passing, once, a year and a half ago? The way your eyes light up when you see me. I just didn't want to say anything until I knew my feelings for you, and whether or not I was going to live. Because If I said something before and I didn't make it, or it turned out that we weren't a match, I knew it would hurt you and I didn't want to do that because you are one of the sweetest guys, Cooper." I rambled, not noticing him moving closer until I looked up at the end.

He smiled nervously and asked, "You said somewhere in there, that you had to figure out your feelings for me. Did you?" I smile and nod, then say, "Yeah, I did. You are one of the most important Trolls in my life, Cooper. I wouldn't be able to handle half this stuff without you supporting me." and I hug him tightly, then kiss his cheek and he giggles childishly.

We head back to the Village and on the way back, I hum a tune that starts to play in my head. "New song idea?" Cooper asks, clearly curious. "Yeah, I'm thinking of performing it after the meeting next week, since it's going to be at Bruce's." I say then continue humming. When we get back to the Bunker, I immediately start writing out the lyrics, Cooper reading over my shoulder every once in a while.

"What kind of music are you going to put beind that?" Cooper asked when I was done. "I was thinking a Pop-Rock feel to it." I said, looking it over. "Yeah, that's a good choice for it." he said, agreeing. I put it away and said, "I'll go talk to Barb about the music for it tomorrow. It's been kind of a long day." He nodded, taking the hint, and kissed my cheek, said good night, and left.

Unfortunately, Floyd saw him kiss my cheek. "Did I see what I think I just saw? Did Cooper just KISS YOUR CHEEK?" he questioned, loudly. Branch, Clay and John Dory all came running when they heard. "Ugh." I groaned. "Did he?" Branch asked, looking far too happy. "If I answer, can I please go to bed? I just wrote a new song and I am dead tired." I said, giving up because I know that they won't.

They all nodded, looking very curious about the new song, but knowing better than to ask for a sneak peek. I sighed and said, "Ok, yes. He did kiss my cheek, OK. We talked earlier today when Branch and I got back, and we are together now, ok. Try to hurt him, I'll hurt you ten times worse. Now I'm going to bed." then I headed to my room. I go to bed, thankful that I'm no longer having nightmares and that neither is Floyd, so we can both sleep through the night.

The next morning I woke up to Cooper bringing me breakfast and coffee. "How'd you get past the brother brigade?" I questioned jokingly, digging in. "Poppy, Maple, and Viva." he answered sitting down on the edge of my bed. "Poppy and Maple I believe, but Viva? Really?" I said, looking at him, not believing it for a second. He nodded and I said, "Wow."

I finished my breakfast and we went out to the main area, and I did indeed see Viva there and she came over and said, "I'm sorry for how I treated you, Kitty. I know it's a horrible excuse, but I was just jealous. Because of the way that Clay was paying so much attention to you, and the way you're so talented and so beautiful."

I shook my head, sighed, and grabbed her hands, then said, "Viva, Clay is my brother and we hadn't seen each other in over 20 years, of course he was going to give me some attention. And thank you for thinking that I'm beautiful enough to get jealous over, but you are so beautiful too. If you want Clay, go for it. I can pretty much guarantee that he feels the same. Now, can we start over?"

She was blushing but she nodded, so I said, "Good. By the way, I hate lasagna, and absolutely despise Iced coffee. Just for future reference." Her eyes went wide and she said, "I'm sorry, I was told you like Italian! What do you like?" I smiled and said, "Uh, sort of. I like pizza, or chicken alfredo. And the only cold coffee I will go near is a Mocha Frappe." "OK. I'll keep that in mind." she said, smiling.

"Ok, well I gotta go. I'm going over to Volcano Rock City to work on a new song for next week, after the meeting. Cooper, can you go to Bergentown and invite Bridget and Gristle to Vacay Island next week? I realized last night that they still haven't heard me sing." I said, first facing Viva, then turning to Cooper. "Alright, I can't wait to hear it." Viva said, and went to talk to Clay, presumably. Cooper nodded and said, "Just be careful on the way there and back." as we went outside.

I smiled as I got on my bike and said, "Always am. Tell them I said hey, and you might want to take the audio recordings of my performances to them as well." He nodded and said, "Good idea." and I took off. When I got there, all eyes were on me. "Yeah, I know. I look different. Where's Barb at?" I snapped, not really wanting to put up with the stares. I had just gotten Pop Village to stop staring.

"Hey, that sounds like my best friend." I heard from behind me. "Hey!" I said as I turned around and saw Barb with Riff beside her. "What are you doing here? You didn't get into a fight, did you?" Barb questioned after hugging me. I shook my headand said, "No, just wanted to tell you how the meeting went with dear old mom and dad, had something else to tell you, and wanted to work on a new song with you guys."

Barb's eyes lit up at the middle part and she said, "Color me intrigued. And for once, you actually came here on a free day for me!" "Oh, perfect timing then. Let's go." I said, smiling. On the way to the studio, I told her about the meeting with my parents and what they said. She said that she would've walked out too.

Then when we got to the studio, I told her about my talk with Cooper, and how we were now together. To say she was happy for me was an understatement. When she calmed down, I showed her the song and she asked, "What were you looking to put behind this?" I looked at her and smiled, then said, "Pop-Rock." She smiled back and we got to work on it.

It took longer than we thought it would, but we got it done that night. She offered to let me stay the night because of how late it was, but I knew Cooper was going to be waiting to say good night so I declined. I went home and sure enough, outside the Bunker, there was Cooper. "Sorry, working on the song took longer than we thought it would. But, we got it done, and it sounds amazing." I said before he could say anything.

He smiled and said, "It's ok, I kinda figured it would take a while. I just wanted to say good night." I smiled and said, "You are so sweet. It was a very long day, so good night, I will see you tomorrow." I kissed his cheek and went inside and went to bed. The days until the meeting flew by, with Poppy and Branch, Clay and Viva, and Cooper and I all going on group dates together.

Viva and I were also getting along now, it felt kind of weird. Cooper also said that Bridget and Gristle loved the CD of my performances, and that they would definitely be there for my next one. Cooper left a couple of days early, so he could go with his family, but said he'd see me there. We all made our own ways there, Poppy, Branch, Clay, Viva, and Maple going with John Dory in Rhonda while Floyd and I took our bikes.

When we pulled up to Vacay Island, we saw that the other Troll tribes had already arrived. We went inside and almost immediately I was being dog-piled by Bruce's kids. "Bruce! Control your kids!" I yelled, trying to get out of the hug. I heard Floyd laughing behind me, so I said, "Look kids, it's your Uncle Floyd!" and some of them left me and bombarded him with a hug.

"That was pure evil, Kitty." I heard him say from underneath all the bodies. "You shouldn't have laughed!" I called back to him. "Bruce!" we both yelled, getting kinda desperate at this point. "All right, get off of them, let them breath!" I heard Bruce, finally. The kids finally let us go, and I sat down panting, trying to get my breath back. "Hey, don't worry. The other brothers got the same treatment. As did the new little sister." Bruce said, and I laughed trying to picture Maple getting squished like that.

"Where are the leaders at? I got a meeting to get to." I asked Bruce after giving him a hug. He pointed them out and I went over to them. "Hey guys." I said when I approached them. "Woah." King Trollex said when he saw my new appearance. "Darling you are absolutely beautiful." Delta Dawn said, giving me a hug. "We're glad you survived." King Quincy said, giving me a wink.

"Thanks, guys." I said, smiling and sitting down with them. "OK, we had some questions." Poppy said, gesturing to both me and her. "Ok, what were they?" Conductor Trollzart said, looking between us. I looked at Poppy and she nodded so I took charge and asked, "I get how I'm a Rainbow Troll, trust me, I was there, no need to repeat that. But what does it mean? What exactly do I do now?"

Trollzart nodded and said, "I thought that might be one of them. Now, we continue to rule our kingdoms but whenever we have a problem, we go to you and have you help us resolve it." I nodded and said, "I think I get it. I'm almost like an advisor, but for all of you not just one, right?" He nodded and said, "Exactly."

I sighed and said, "Ok, well that clears up that confusion. Onto the other question: What is my title besides Rainbow Troll?" Trollzart smiled and said, "I was reviewing the legend and it said, 'should a Rainbow Troll ever come into existence, they would get to choose their title.'" I smiled and said, "Sweet. In that case, I'll get back to you on that. Are there any questions for me?"

They all shook their heads so I said, "Barb, shall we?" and she nodded and whistled for Riff and we went onto the stage. Barb grabbed her guitar and Riff went to the drumset while I went to the microphone. I looked out to the crowd and saw Bridget and Gristle, chowing down on the nachos, and then I found my brothers and Maple.

I tapped the microphone to get everybody's attention and said, "Hey, guys! I see a lot of familiar faces out there, but I'm gonna introduce myself anyway. My name is Kitty, and I'm gonna sing a song for you. A lot has happened in my life lately, I went on a tour, almost died, found out I have a little sister, talked to my parents (Still hate them), got a boyfriend, and throughtout these experiences, I have been battling depression. I've had it for most of my life, and I'm tired of dealing with it on my own. I've started going to therapy, which I know is going to make some people happy. But this song is about just what the title says, Sick of Being Sad. I hope you guys like it, it's a little different than what I usually do." by the end of my rambling, everybody was already cheering so we had to wait a couple of minutes for everybody to calm down.

Then the lights went down, and we all had spotlights on us. I nodded at Barb and Riff and they both started playing, then I sang,

The scars you see,

Were made by me.

I'm my biggest fan,

And yet my biggest enemy.

Romanticized,

The tears I cried.

It's not a form of art

When you're just trying to survive.

Save me,

I'll be who I want,

I'll be who I want to be.

Break free.

I'll be who I want,

I'm Sick of Being Sad,

And bored,

And so depressed.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

I'm best when I rise from the dead.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

This bed won't be my grave,

Tired of sleeping awake.

I'm fighting fire with fire,

'Cause these demons are liars.

And they're ripping out the air,

Dancing with despair.

Everytime I care, eh, yeah.

Save me.

I'll be who I want,

I'll be who I want to be.

Break free.

I'll be who I want,

I'm Sick of Being Sad

And bored,

And so depressed.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

I'm best when I rise from the dead.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

Save me.

I'll be who I want,

I'll be who I want to be.

Break free.

I'll be who I want,

I'm Sick of Being Sad,

And bored,

And so depressed.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

I'm best when I rise from the dead.

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

(Sick of Being Sad, Sick of Being)

Sick of Being Sad,

Sick of Being Sad.

(I'm Sick of Being sad. Sick of Being. Yeah)

Sick of Being Sad.

The whole crowd was cheering so loud at the end, I could barely hear the music to know if I was on time or not. Barb tapped my shoulder and when I looked over at her, she pointed down at me so I looked down and saw that my whole body was glowing. "Woah." I said, shielding my eyes.

"I guess you'll glow when you sing now." Barb said. "Hey, that gives me an idea! I know what I want to be called now." I said. "Yeah, what's that?" Barb asked. "The Glow." I said, smiling. She smiled back and said, "Yeah, that fits. I'll tell the others. Here comes your family." and she went off in the direction of the other leaders.

I turned and sure enough, there were my brothers and sister. "Did you like the song?" I ask them, smiling. "I loved it! You have to give me some singing lessons." Maple said, giving me a hug. I laughed and said, "You got it, sis. I heard you got squished earlier." She shudders and says, "Yeah, I did. Did you?"

"Unfortunately." I say, my smile dropping a little. "You get used to it." I say, leaning in. Then Floyd laughs, so I say, "Hey, do I need to call the kids over again?" Using them as a weapon is fun. He shuts up and shakes his head so fast it almost falls off his body. I laugh and so does Maple, then Clay asks, "You're really in therapy?"

I sigh and nod, then say, "Yeah, I started the day after I went to Volcano Rock City to work on that song. I didn't say anything to anybody because I was nervous. Not about what you guys would say, but that I would back out if people knew." They nodded in understanding and gave me a group hug.

Then Cooper and Prince D. came over so I gave Prince D. a hug and Cooper a kiss on the cheek. Prince D. raised his eyebrows and asked jokingly, "You sure about her bro? She's got a pretty big family." I decided to play along and introduce them to the kids at the same time, so I said, "Oh, this isn't even all of them. You haven't met Bruce's kids yet, have you?" and they shook their heads no, so I grinned and yelled, "KIDS! LINE UP!" and they all ran over and lined up in front of us.

"What the-" Prince D. started but I didn't hear the rest because I was laughing too hard because of the looks on their faces. "Please tell me you're joking." Prince D. said, after I finally stopped laughing. I shook my head no and then I heard Bridget ask, "What's so funny?" I turned and said, "Just their faces when they realized just how big my family really is."

Bridget's eyes lit up and she said, "Oh, that means you're dating one of them. I'm gonna take a guess and say it's Cooper. Just how many family members do you have?" I smiled at her and said, "You are correct. I have five brothers, one little sister, twelve nephews, and one neice. Along with a sister in law. I don't count my mom and dad." Bridget's eyes widened then she looked at Cooper and said, "Congratulations, and good luck." I smiled and looked around and realized that I don't need luck because my life truly is perfect now.