Floyd had been in his cell for so long, he had almost forgotten what it was like to be free. For twelve years he would wake up in that cell, tired, scared, and so alone. The only hope he had was that he might have a good dream when he slept. It was the only type of escape he would ever have.

He dreamed of freedom. He saw his brothers. They held him protectively in their arms, and he felt like they would never let him go. In his dreams he knew they cared, and they would do anything for him. He felt safe and content in a way he had never been as a child. His dreams were pleasant, and made him wish that he would just never wake up. He just wanted to stay in his dreams, even if they weren't real.

He had his freedom now, and it still didn't feel quite real. He was a little afraid of going to sleep, because he was scared that when he woke up he would be back in his cell and none of this would be real.

Every time he woke up he would still be free, but it always took him time to realize where he was and that he was okay. That this was real. Sometimes he got over it within just a few seconds. Sometimes it took several minutes, or even up to an hour, for him to be sure of where he was.

On their fourth day on Vacay Island Floyd woke up and he didn't feel that few for one second. He knew he was free. He knew he was safe. It wasn't the first time he'd had that knowledge, but it was the first time that he woke up with it, and that was when he realized that maybe he wasn't damaged beyond repair. That he could move past this and just live in peace.

Floyd smiled to himself and stretched. He felt so good. He felt happy, just for the sake of being happy. He had forgotten that that was even a thing, that someone didn't necessarily need a reason to feel good.

Floyd sat in his bed for several minutes, just quietly taking in the day. He could hear Poppy still fast asleep. Branch wasn't in their room, but that was normal for him. He was an early riser, and he'd been getting up especially early since they'd come to Vacay Island so he could help his friend, the other troll.

He hummed to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. It felt especially fluffy today. It hadn't felt like this in forever. Maybe the fresh island air was doing it some good. Floyd absentmindedly twirled his hair around one of his fingers and pulled it down in front of his face without really thinking about it. He froze and grew silent when he saw the strands.

"P-pink." Floyd looked at the color for a long moment before he recovered enough to scramble to the mirror. He almost crashed into it in his rush to look, but it was worth it. He'd been avoiding looking at his reflection ever since getting out, not liking the reminder of his lack of color and hope. For the first time he really looked at himself, and he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw.

He was shorter than he probably should be, but not as gaunt as he'd been terrified he would be. His skin was still grayish, but only a few shades more muted than Branch's. What really caught his attention though was his hair. It had been gray for so long, and he had started to think the color would never really come back. That even if the color returned it would be very dull and muted, like Branch's hair, or their skin. Floyd would have been content with that much, happily accepting anything that was more than the monochrome that had been plaguing him.

Looking at his hair now Floyd was stunned at how colorful it was. It wasn't just a muted shade, almost like a maroon. It was pink. Maybe not as bright and light as it had been when he was a child, but it was still vibrant.

He looked…he looked like himself. He hadn't felt like himself for so long, and more often than not he wondered who he even was. That troll he was looking at in the mirror was who he was. It felt real. It felt right.

He was hopeful, and happy, and he felt an intense urge to share it with someone else.

"Poppy!" Floyd forced his gaze away from his reflection, though he kept some of his hair hanging in front of his face. He could look at that color forever. He jumped onto Poppy's bed, shaking her shoulders to wake her up. He felt like a little kid, back when he would excitedly try to wake up John Dory far too early because he had a fun dream and couldn't wait to share it.

She wasn't a deep sleeper, and it didn't take her long to get up. Poppy groaned sleepily and her eyes opened blurrily. As soon as she saw him she was wide awake. She gasped dramatically and jolted up.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Poppy squealed. "Your hair!"

"I know." Floyd was nearly squealing himself. He giggled slightly. "The color's back."

"It's pink. I knew it!" Poppy spoke very quickly. "We're matching!"

"We are!" Floyd had already been excited about his hair, and seeing Poppy's excitement just made him feel it more intensely. It was pleasantly overwhelming.

"I love it." Poppy reached a hand out towards his hair, though she stopped before touching it. Floyd nodded, giving her the go-ahead. If there was anybody he could trust with his hair, it was her.

Poppy gently pet his hair, and Floyd nearly moaned. He forgot how good it felt.

"That's amazing." Poppy gave him a proud smile. "I'm so happy for you."

"I didn't think I'd get my color back at all." Floyd said. "And then it just happened. I just woke up like this." He smiled slightly to himself and looked at the hair in front of his face. "I guess it finally feels real." He knew it probably wouldn't last. He'd seen how Branch's colors fluctuated. Some days he was more Gray than others. Maybe Floyd would wake up tomorrow and there wasn't a hint of pink in his hair. For right now though he was okay, and it was an amazing feeling. It made him feel brave, and strong, like he could do almost anything.

"Can I tell you something?" Floyd asked in a hushed tone. Poppy took his hands.

"Of course." She said seriously. Floyd looked over his shoulder to make sure that Branch wasn't there. As brave as he was feeling, he wasn't ready to open up to his brother. Soon. Maybe very soon. But not yet.

He could talk to Poppy though, and he was surprised at just how desperately he wanted to.

"Floyd." He said. It was weird how odd his own name felt on his tongue. He hadn't said it out loud in so long. "My name is Floyd."

Poppy's eyes seemed to shine. "Floyd." She said. Her smile was so encouraging. "It suits you so well. I love it."

"I didn't realize how much I missed it." Floyd said.

Poppy's eyes were understanding, but curious. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

Floyd fidgeted slightly. "I don't know if I want Branch to know yet." He didn't even wait for her to ask why. He gave her the truth, even if he was leaving out a crucial detail. "I knew him. Before. But he doesn't recognize me, and I don't know how to tell him the truth."

Poppy's gaze had nothing but sympathy. "Are you scared he'll be mad at you?"

"I don't know." Floyd admitted. The thing is, I left. I promised I would come back, and I never did."

"That wasn't your fault." Poppy said earnestly. He wanted to believe her.

"I was gone for a long time before everything with the rock trolls." Floyd said. Eight years was plenty of time to go home or send a letter. Anything. And he hadn't.

"I was trying to find myself." Floyd said. Even after all these years he still didn't really know what that meant. "I don't know what I was missing, but I didn't feel whole. I thought about going back a few times, but I was scared. What if I found what I was looking for with Branch, even though it wasn't there when I was with my older brothers?" He wrapped his arms around himself. "Does that mean that I can't be whole if I'm with my whole family?" He didn't want that.

"And what if I didn't find it at home?" Floyd asked quietly. "Would I just have to settle down and be miserable and incomplete, or would I walk away again and really hammer it into Branch's head that he wasn't enough for me to stick around." Floyd would never see it that way, but he knew that Branch would. He would blame himself, and that was the last thing he wanted.

And I didn't want to come home a failure." Floyd was ashamed to even admit it. "I was so selfish when I left. If I came back without having anything to show for it, then what would have been the point of me leaving at all?" His eyes were starting to itch and fill with tears. He hated how easily he cried.

Poppy squeezed his hands. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sure Branch will understand, but if you're not ready to tell him you don't have to. It's fine. You need to do what feels right for you." He hadn't realized how much he had needed her validation. Hearing her words it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

There was a mischievous look in Poppy's eyes. She leaned closer to him. "So, older brothers. Are you the baby of the family?"

"Not exactly." Floyd shook his head. "I have a little brother, but I'm a lot older than him, so I was the youngest for eight years, and sometimes I still feel like I am."

"How many older brothers do you have?" Poppy asked. "I mean, if you don't want to talk about them that's fine, but I think you want to talk about them, and I'm all ears if you do."

Floyd grinned. He did really want to talk about his brothers. "I have three big brothers. Clay was closest in age to me."

"Clay. He's the one who was at the golf course, wasn't he?" Poppy asked. Floyd nodded and pushed down the pang in his chest. Thinking about Clay hurt just a little. At least, thinking about present Clay hurt. Maybe it wouldn't hurt as much to talk about the way that things had been.

"He likes books." Floyd said. "He was in a sad book club. He thought we didn't know, but we did. He had book clubs with his friends, and our oldest brother, John Dory, noticed that he was always crying when he picked him up. Of course he asked the parents about it, and then told him all about the sad book club."

Floyd smiled to himself as he remembered that time. He had only been in on the secret because John Dory hadn't understood the whole sad book club thing, so he and Spruce went to talk to Clay's friends' parents about it, just to make sure it was safe. And because Floyd was too young to be home alone, he was brought along to learn about what Clay had been up to.

"He always acted so secretive about it." Floyd's smile dimmed slightly. "Maybe he thought he wouldn't be allowed to go. So we didn't tell him that we knew. But maybe we should have, because then he got mad that we didn't respect him, I guess, and take him seriously."

Floyd was lost in his memories for a moment. When he looked at Poppy he was stunned to see how wide her eyes were. She looked shocked and almost in awe. "What?" He asked.

"You're Floyd." Poppy said. "And you have three older brothers, two of them are named Clay and John Dory. What's the last one's name?"

Floyd honestly didn't know where she was going with this. She sounded so serious. "Spruce?" He cringed when Poppy squealed before he even finished saying the name.

"No way!" Poppy said loudly. She leaned so close to him that their heads were right against each other. "You're not…you weren't in Brozone, were you."

Oh. Oh, that made sense. "You're a fan?" He asked. "Weren't we before your time?"

Poppy laughed and hugged him intensely. "That's amazing! I don't believe it." She was so excited, and it was contagious. Floyd laughed. He'd met fans before, but he'd always been a little uncomfortable around them. It felt like they saw him as a character instead of a troll, and it was confusing. But he didn't think Poppy would be like that. She knew him. Her opinion of him wouldn't change so easily. And it would be nice to talk about his brothers without hiding something that was so vital about their lives.

"What was it like?" Poppy asked quickly. "Was it fun, singing with your brothers?"

"I mean, I liked it." Floyd said. "Being with them is my favorite thing in the world. But it was a lot of pressure. John Dory was…harsh. He always wanted things to be…" Perfect. "...just right. I was fine with it, but it was too much for Spruce and Clay. They were always fighting."

Poppy's enthusiasm slipped away. "But you guys had fun times, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah." Floyd said. He was sure none of his brothers would probably agree, but Floyd had always preferred to focus on the good. "John Dory loved camping. I bet he's probably been camping for the past twenty years." Hiking and being alone. That was when his oldest brother felt most at peace. "He was always so brave and stubborn. He used to sneak out of the Troll Tree, unnoticed by the bergens, just to go camping."

It wasn't until he saw Poppy's shocked expression did he realize just how crazy John Dory's camping trips were. It had seemed so normal to Floyd. His brother had been doing it for as long as he could remember.

"He took me with him one time." Floyd said. "It was just a few months before everything fell apart. I'd never seen him so comfortable. And because it was just the two of us there wasn't any fighting between him and Spruce and Clay. It was…it was great."

Poppy gave him a soft smile. "That's so sweet."

"It was." Floyd said. "All of my favorite moments with my brothers were when it was one-on-one. They were all great, but when we were together…I don't know. Everything seemed to fall apart, and I still don't really know why."

Floyd rubbed his arms. He wished he had grabbed his blanket that reminded him of Spruce. Or his leather gloves. They were just on his bed on the other side of the room, but he would have to step away from Poppy to grab them, and he didn't want to lose this contact.

"I miss them." Floyd said. "But I'm scared of reaching out to them." He couldn't even tell Branch who he was. He didn't know what he was so scared of.

Floyd sighed. He felt weird. He was sad, but he still had the same feeling of contentment that he had when he woke up. He didn't know how to express how he was feeling. For someone who was so emotional he had always had a really hard time knowing how to describe his feelings. He felt so much so often that it was too much to find words for.

It was overwhelming. He needed to breathe.

"Do you want to go for a swim?" Floyd asked. The room was a little warm. He needed the cool water. "I can give you some juicy gossip." Nothing malicious or harmful, but something.

Poppy smiled. "Of course." She pulled Floyd off the bed and they ran out of the room. They'd been staying at the restaurant run by the troll and his family. The troll had insisted. He said it was because his place was one of the few that could accommodate creatures of their size. Floyd thought there had to be more than that, but he wasn't going to complain. He liked being here.

They walked through the restaurant. Floyd thought he would see Branch, but he wasn't in sight. He and his friend must have gone out for some reason. The other troll liked surfing, and Branch had mentioned that he was going to learn how to do it. Maybe that was where they went.

Poppy grabbed them some smoothies for breakfast and they went to the pool. It was empty this morning. Floyd dove into the water without hesitation, basking in the suddenly too-cold feeling that washed over him. That was so much better than the warmth and head that he was used to and hated. Floyd surfaced and swam to the edge, leaning against it. Poppy sat on the edge and rested her feet in the water, kicking gently.

"Okay, so spill." Poppy sipped on her drink. Floyd grabbed his cup, feeling rebellious as he drank while treading water.

"You know, Spruce would have loved this place so much." Floyd said. He looked at the Vacaytioners walking by.

"Did he like the beach?" Poppy asked.

"He liked the thought of it." Floyd said. "But he would have loved the people."

"They are really nice." Poppy said.

"They are.' Floyd agreed. "But that's not what I was talking about." He looked around before leaning closer to Poppy and lowering his voice. "Spruce has always had a thing for larger creatures, you know what I mean?"

Poppy's eyes widened and she chewed on her straw. "No way."

"Way." Floyd grinned. "Why do you think 'the heartthrob' never had a serious relationship? He wasn't into trolls." Maybe he shouldn't be saying this, but it had never seemed like a forbidden thing to him. Spruce had known that he liked larger creatures ever since he was twelve, and he had told their family as soon as he knew. He had talked about it so casually. It wasn't a strange or taboo thing for him, it was just part of who he was. They weren't supposed to tell outsiders, but Poppy didn't seem like an outsider. She was Branch's girlfriend. She was part of the family.

Poppy had put her cup down and she had her hands over her mouth. She didn't look horrified or disgusted. She just seemed surprised and a little excited.

"Was it all large creatures?" Poppy asked. "What about the bergens?"

"How do you think he figured out his preferences?" Floyd asked. "Spruce used to climb out onto the branches to get a closer look." Poppy's smile was peeking past her hands. "John Dory used to be worried that Spruce would run off during Trollstice."

"Wasn't he scared of getting eaten?" Poppy asked.

Floyd's smile widened. He was feeling a little mischievous. "I'm not so sure that he would have seen it as a bad thing." He wasn't sure if his meaning would get through to Poppy. When she made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and an excited scream he knew she understood.

"Stop!" Poppy said cheerfully. She kicked her legs, splashing Floyd. He stiffened, his body reacting like there was a threat. He was safe. He knew he was. He didn't even feel fear, but it took a long time for his body to get the message.

Poppy gasped and put her drink down. She reached out to Floyd. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…Are you okay?"

Floyd blinked. He was…fine. He really was fine. His body was slowly relaxing, and his brain didn't think for a second that he was back in the dungeons and in danger.

Was he getting better? Did this mean that someday he actually could be okay? That he could be something that resembled normal?

Floyd smiled to himself. He put his cup down, grabbed Poppy's feet, and with one yank he pulled her into the pool. Her yelp in surprise was cut short as she fell into the water. She surfaced and gasped. The offended look she gave him was hilarious, and Floyd couldn't help but laugh. He splashed water at Poppy. She squealed and splashed at him too.

"I'm okay." Floyd said honestly. Maybe he won't be tomorrow. Maybe he was going to completely fall apart. But right now he really was okay. He couldn't remember a time when he had ever been better. "I'm okay."