Chapter Text
“Go! go!” One troll shouts. Their voice is drowned by the thundering sound of a hundred footsteps. Pants and grunts from exhaustion can be heard. Some are pushed, some fall over, but one thing is certain: they need to get out of the tunnel. Fast.
During all the chaos, a troll in the front row holds the pink baby troll up in the air. “We got Poppy!” they yell.
Upon hearing that, King Peppy, a dad and the leader of all trolls, responds, “Pass her to me!” His arms reach out, ready to hold his dear daughter. Every troll from the front to the back swiftly passes Poppy to the King.
Once she is in his arms, she coos softly, feeling happy to see her dad again. He rocks her gently, “There’s my princess.” King Peppy’s heart can’t help but melt at his daughter’s cuteness, playing with her nose with such love. He then keeps her inside his hair for protection before taking off towards the exit.
Of course, being a King means he must put his people first. Whenever someone falls over or needs help, he helps all of them along the way. Even when shovels are being shoved into the ground, he is not afraid to risk his life to help his subjects. Luckily, the King manages to evade every shovel until—
Thump!
A shovel strikes King Peppy’s legs, leaving him immobile. He cries out in pain, alerting the female troll in front of him. “King Peppy!” She runs back to him, trying to help out as much as she can, but the King only holds his bare hand to her.
“No, don’t help me. You have to run. I only have one request for you…” His hand reaches into his hair and pulls Poppy out. He pulls his baby in for a hug as tears stream down his face. Poppy, despite being a baby, can feel the sadness radiating from him.
“Da-da…?”
The king shakily hands her to the female troll, whose name is Autumn. His arms tremble from the pain that is slowly eating him. He looks into those bright pink eyes, the eyes that he has come to love ever since she was born. He whispers, so soft that only she can hear,
“I love you.”
Before turning his volume up so that Autumn can hear.
“Now, RUN!”
She nods, holding Poppy firmly over her shoulders. Her legs quicken as much as she can towards the exit. Poppy, seeing herself being further and further away from her dear dad, the one who has always given her a warm embrace. The one who has always laughed at everything she does. The one who comforts her when she cries. She doesn’t know what death is, not yet. But she knows she wants to be right by his side again.
For the first time in her life, the princess’s smile fades. She cries out, hoping her dad will come back to her like he used to.
“DA-DA!”
The orange silhouette becomes smaller and smaller in her vision. They become increasingly blurry from the tears in her eyes. Autumn can only hold her tightly, giving her silent support for what she is going through.
It takes some time before they finally see a group of trolls at the end of the tunnel. Autumn sighs with relief, loosening her hold on the Princess a little. She walks onto soft green grass, feeling refreshed after running for so long.
It’s not long until someone notices the lack of the King’s presence. The purple troll holds up their hand and asks, “Where is King Peppy? Where is he?” Their question creates murmur among the group as well as worried expressions.
Autumn can only shake her head. “He didn’t make it. I saw him. He…” She squeezes her eyes shut, refusing to finish the sentence. Other trolls’ eyes are blown wide. Some gasp, some try to stop their tears from flowing. It’s their first time to touch freedom, yet freedom comes with a price. And King Peppy was willing to make a sacrifice for it.
Another troll asks again, trying to find hope. “What about Princess Viva?” The glittery troll looks at them and explains, “She went to help others. But then the soil collapsed, and we don’t know where she is.” They gaze down at the grass, feeling as hopeless as the others.
Almost instantly, one young boy asks a question, an important question that no one dares to ask: “Then, who is going to rule us now?” His dad shushes him by putting his hand on his son’s mouth.
Every troll looks at each other, unsure of the answer. The King is dead, the elder princess has disappeared, and what they have now is a baby princess who can’t even properly talk yet. When all hope seems lost, Autumn speaks up,
“How about we wait until Poppy is 18 and we crown her as a queen?”
Silence. Everyone stops moving and focuses only on Princess Poppy. The baby looks left and right, confused about all the attention she is getting. Autumn continues to explain,
“Sure, right now she is too young. But we can take turns taking care of her until she’s ready. Plus, remember, she is the happiest, the most positive, sweetest troll! It’s basically in her blood to rule! So, I think no one is as perfect as her.”
She tickles Poppy’s tummy, earning her an adorable laugh. Just that laugh alone can make everyone go from despair to happiness. Only Poppy can do that. Autumn smiles at that and concludes,
“So, that settles it.”
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Poppy has had many families. Almost too many, in fact. But she will never admit it. She knows they only mean well. She can get along with every family just fine. Eating dinner, making jokes, planning small parties; she can do all that. What she can’t do is get rid of this hollow feeling inside her chest. It has always been there, but it keeps getting worse, almost like it’s going to swallow her whole. She has always wanted to tell these feelings to someone. But those fleeting moments with each family have never made her feel deeply connected with anyone. Besides, what kind of a queen will she be if she burdens her families with her worries? It'll be unbefitting. That’s why she keeps it inside her heart and locks it shut.
“Poppy! It’s time for dinner!” A loud yet gentle voice comes from downstairs, causing Poppy to flinch with surprise.
“Yeah! One sec, please!” She answers the voice below before looking at herself in the mirror again. It can’t be. It just can’t be. She turns her back around and stares at the small spots on her back; their colors are gray. She shudders at the sight. It must have been paint, right? Maybe she got it from a paint bomb or something! She grabs her towel and wipes it violently. And there they are, the gray spots stay still on her skin, mocking her attempt.
Her eyes widened, shocked by what she saw. She is becoming gray. But why? What has she done wrong? She smiles a lot, she hugs a lot, she talks a lot, like how trolls are supposed to be. Even if this empty void inside keeps eating her alive, she believes it will eventually go away. Right? Right?
It must be. She must believe so.
Just like her hidden feelings, she believes these gray spots will go away someday. She sighs as she puts on her dress. Luckily, this dress covers all of her back. No one will definitely see those spots. She smiles at the mirror and is startled by the sound of the door opening behind her.
“There you are! What’s keeping you so long?” Mrs. Marigold’s brows are creased in worry, making Poppy almost feel bad for letting her wait.
Poppy scratches her head, grinning widely, “Sorry! I was just getting prepared for my birthday party!” She chuckles, almost awkwardly, but Mrs. Marigold doesn’t notice that. Who would when she has become her family for just 2 weeks? Mrs. Marigold smiles, inviting her to the dining room below.
“Well, well, someone sure is excited! But let’s put aside the clothes and let’s go get some food first, yeah?” Mrs. Marigold flashes her a beaming grin. Poppy nods and follows her down the stairs.
After dinner, Mrs. Marigold presents her with her favourite, chocolate mousse cake. On top of the cake are two candles that read “12”. Mrs. Marigold encourages her to make a wish. Poppy closes her eyes and makes a wish silently, “I wish for these feelings and gray spots to go away, or at least, I wish I could find someone whom I can talk to about my feelings.”
She blows both candles, sending her wish to the sky.
…But it doesn’t come true.
On her 14th birthday, the gray color starts to spread to her arms. Once she notices it, her worry increases. She has to wear a sweater to hide it. When some trolls ask why she wears a sweater in Summer, she just says she likes it very warm.
On her 16th birthday, it spreads to her legs. Her anxiety grows; she only has two years left until she becomes queen. What if it never goes away? The voice inside her head starts to surface. She shakes that thought away, still firmly grasping her belief. It will get better. She counters the voice. It will, I believe so. She then grabs legwarmers from her bed and put it on. Now no one will see those gray colors on her legs. Moreover, since legwarmers are currently trending, no one will question her. She smiles at the reflection of herself in the mirror and walks out of the room, hoping all of these gray colors will melt away once she turns 18.
It doesn’t.
On her 18th birthday, her whole body is devoid of color. She stares at herself in the mirror before looking away. She doesn’t even want to see herself anymore. Her face, her hair, her nose, all gray. She can feel her belief crumble. It doesn’t go away, and she has to be coronated this evening. What is she supposed to do now?
At that moment, her eyes glance at the paint buckets in the corner of her room. She ordered them to paint her new pod’s wall. What if… She slowly walks to the buckets. The paint smells of strawberries and wild berries. She gradually picks up a brush, dips it into the paint, and paints herself pink. She tests it by wiping away the paint on her arm. It comes off easily.
Her eyes then search for the next item: her hair dryer. It’s on her bedside cabinet. Her hand reaches for it, turns it on, and blows the paint on her arm. After three minutes or so, she tries wiping the paint off again. It doesn’t come off this time. A happy smile is plastered on her face. Now she doesn’t have to worry about hugging or touching other trolls anymore.
However, she still has one last question. She walks to the bathroom and turns the shower on, watching the color pink melting away down the drain, revealing the gray color underneath. So her assumption is true, she has to stay away from water if she doesn’t want anyone to see her ‘true’ color.
She nods to herself, keeping that fact close to her heart. She walks back to the bedroom and picks up the brush again. Perhaps I need to mix it a bit, she thinks as she mixes the paints as close to her true pink color as possible. After feeling satisfied with the colors, she starts to work on herself.
Before she knows it, the sun has set. She checks herself in the mirror again, looking for any gray areas she might overlook. Nope, she looks pink. Perfectly pink. Unlike this morning, she looks into the mirror and can only see a smiling Poppy. She puffs out her chest, ready to be crowned before walking out of her pod with confidence.
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Poppy stands tall on a giant mushroom platform. Every eye is on her. Autumn, the troll who saved her life 15 years ago, proudly volunteers to be the coronator. Poppy looks at the place Autumn is standing, where her dad is supposed to be if he were alive. Poppy’s chest tightens, and the painful lump starts to form inside her heart again. No. She shakes her head. Today is my important day. I can’t mess it up. I’m going to be a queen that dad and everyone will be proud of. She breathes in before letting out a long puff of air.
Autumn squeezes her shoulder gently with a soft smile, giving her support just like back then. Poppy smiles back, perfectly hiding the silent whirlwind of emotions inside.
Poppy then nods, signaling that she’s ready to finish the ceremony. Autumn nods back, holding the crown above her head, and carefully places it on top.
“I hereby announce that Princess Poppy has now become our Queen!”
Every troll cheers with joy. Some dance, some hug each other. It’s a sight Poppy wants to see: everyone being happy.
Her eyes scan around the big group of joyful trolls, absorbing their smiles into her heart.
That is, until her eyes land on someone. Someone at the edge of the woods, far away from everyone. She focuses on the small silhouette, taking in every detail she can. Wait. She rubs her eyes just in case the darkness is tricking her. No. Her eyes work just fine. So that means…
That troll is gray too? Just like her?
Before she knows it, the mysterious gray troll walks away from her line of sight, disappearing into the woods.
Her heart dances with joy, confusion, and curiosity at the same time. Does that mean she’s not alone after all? Who are they? Why don’t they join the group? What are they doing out there? Wh—
Her train of thought is cut off by Cooper’s question, “What are you staring at, Poppy?” Her head snaps back to her friend, almost forgetting that her friends came to support her as well.
“Oh, uh, nothing! Just spacing out, that’s all.” She gives him a tiny smile, wishing Cooper wouldn’t question her any further. Luckily, Cooper doesn’t question anything; it’s in his nature. He only nods, satisfied with her response.
Still, Poppy can’t help but think of that gray troll she saw. It’s quite risky, but perhaps Cooper will know about this troll? She has to give it a shot.
“Say, Cooper… Do you happen to know any gray trolls in our village? Anyone?”
Cooper scratches his chin, eyes looking up, searching for an answer inside his brain. “Hm… I think there is one named ‘Branch’? I’m not sure, but I heard he’s very mean. Like, he warns us about Bergens all the time, he doesn’t go to parties, and he doesn’t even like hugs!” Cooper grabs Poppy’s shoulders and shakes them lightly to get his point across, “Hugs, Poppy! Who doesn’t like hugs?! Nobody likes that guy.”
Her face frowns upon hearing that. Nobody likes him? So does that mean he has no friends? It’s the fact that he is gray just like her, which means he has gone through the same thing. Yet, the difference between them is that he has no one, and she has everyone. She grips the front of her dress above her heart. She has everyone; she should be happy, so why can’t she? He can, so why can’t she?
Her doubts spread fast like wildfire. She tries to hold onto something, something that doesn’t destroy her soul. Until she grabs something, an idea that pops up against all chaos.
What if I become his friend instead? Now he won’t be alone, and maybe I can find a way to bring our true colors back! Her eyes light up, excited to bring the idea to life. The only thing she needs to know now is his location. Probably in the woods somewhere.
“Cooper.”
He focuses on her, tilting his head. “Yeah?”
“Do you know where I can find Branch?”
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After several inquiries with the trolls in the village, she has found where Branch is usually seen. He normally collects berries and branches in the forest, a bit to the left side of the village.
On one sunny day, Poppy has finally found Branch. She introduces herself with a wide grin. Her hands present him with a handmade party invitation letter. She has heard about him before, but she doesn’t expect this.
A scowl.
Branch scowls at her and tells her he won’t go to any of her parties. No matter how hard she tries.
“What will you do if some Bergen hear us from the loud music? I don’t want to be eaten. No, thank you.” That’s what he says as he walks away as if she isn’t even there.
Well, it seems like it'll be harder than she thought.
But she won’t give up just yet. Right now, it’s her noble mission to become his friend. Even if they can’t get their true colors back, at least she wants to make sure he doesn’t feel alone.
So, from that day onwards, Poppy has always given him many invitation letters. He rejects them every time, casually throwing sarcasms and eyerolls her way. Even so, just the fact that now they know each other gives Poppy hope.
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One year later, Poppy is now 19. She is the happiest, most positive, and sweetest troll ever. Or at least that’s what everyone aside from her believes. Poppy wakes up, ready to tackle her royal duties. But first, she needs to get ready. She showers, paints herself, and dries herself just like the first time she did it. The only difference is that she does it much faster now. She twirls herself around in front of the mirror, checking for any gray marks. No gray spots in sight, perfect.
After checking herself out, she tries to straighten her ears up as well as tries smiling in front of the mirror. She has been practicing smiling lately since she feels like it isn’t ‘natural’ enough. The smile in the mirror looks fine, though, she thinks. Not quite reaching the eyes, but it’s the best she can do.
She pats her dress, making sure it looks good, before walking to the table. On the table lies an invitation to today’s Summer party. She picks it up and gazes at it. Right, she definitely can’t forget this. A soft smile spreads across her face as she places the letter inside her bag. She then steps out of her home, ready to make today a perfect day.
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During her walk to ‘the usual spot in the woods’, Poppy notices Satin and Chenille chatting with Creek. Poppy calls their names and waves. Their heads turn to her, and they wave back, beckoning her to join them.
“Where are you going, Poppy?” Satin asks, noticing the bag on Poppy’s shoulder.
Poppy flashes them the usual smile, the one that is contagious to everyone around her. “I’m going to give this invitation letter to Branch!” She picks up the letter and shows it to her friends.
Their reactions, though, are not quite positive.
“I’m sorry, Poppy, but I need to be REAL honest here. He doesn’t want anything to do with us.” Chenille says while standing with her arm on her hip.
Satin nods, agreeing with her sister. Her hand is placed firmly on her chest. “Yeah, it isn’t worth it, Poppy. Why keep chasing him when you have us?”
Poppy’s smile twitches. This is not the first time her friends have said something like this about Branch. He’s distant, sure, but that’s not something other trolls should say about her friend. She can feel heat bubbling inside her. She opens her mouth to talk back.
“He’s not—”
“And isn’t he all gray and moody, too? Like, just being near him makes me feel like my energy is all sucked out.”
Poppy’s smile completely disappears.
Her movement is entirely motionless.
Only her eyes are directed towards Creek, with her mouth utterly shut. She has no witty comeback, no shouts, nothing.
Oh, she thinks, so that’s what they’ll think of me if they know what color I truly am.
Three of her friends are shocked at Poppy’s reaction, especially Creek. They can feel they have done something wrong, but don’t know exactly what. Creek opens his mouth to apologize. “Poppy, I’m sorr—”
“I have to go.” Poppy casts her eyes down to the ground, quickening her pace out of the place where her friends are standing, ignoring any calls from them, and goes straight to where Branch is.
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She is standing behind a bush, watching Branch collect branches and berries as usual. Her enthusiasm for inviting him to the party is completely gone. Despite that, she wants to do it just to distract herself from those words Creek said. She slowly walks up to Branch, no jumping this time, and makes a small wave.
“Hi, Branch.”
Branch turns his head in her direction, glaring at her. “Finally out of the bush, aren’t you? What is it this time?” He says while bowing his head, continue picking up berries on the ground.
Poppy rummages through her bag and hands him the party’s letter. “I made this for you. It’s today’s Summer party. You don’t have to come if you want.” Her eyes stare at the berries down below, ready for the rejection to come at her again.
Instead, she can feel his head snap right back at her, eyes staring. “You give me a choice? Wow, that’s new.” He focuses on her, noticing how her shoulders are slumped. He also notices her lack of cheerful jump and usual cheery voice. He asks, “Are you okay?”
Poppy stays silent. Nobody has asked her that before. Still, she doesn’t want anyone to know what she’s going through right now. Not even Branch. So, she closes her eyes and gently nods her head.
Branch’s knitted brows relax, his eyes becoming a bit softer. He gazes at the party’s letter and grabs it from her hand. Poppy’s eyes widened with surprise.
“I’m not going to your party, but I’m going to keep this since you worked so hard on it, OK?” He shields his bashful face with the letter, averting his eyes to the left side. “Just this one time, got it?”
Poppy can’t believe her eyes. Branch, the one who has always rejected her, accepts her invitation letter. He won’t go to the party, but still. She feels so happy, so happy that her body could explode. Her heart jumps with unexplainable joy. She did it! She did it! Someday, they’re going to be friends for sure! Oh, how she can’t wait!
Right at that moment, her smile is so wide it almost hurts, but she doesn’t care. All she cares about is how her happiness is totally off the charts. Branch, seeing her cheery self back, forms a very, very small smile for a second before going back to his default moody face.
Her hug-time bracelet chimes, alerting Poppy that it’s time to start the party. Poppy hops away from the woods, waving goodbye to Branch. He doesn’t wave back, only focusing on continuing his work. But, she is too happy to think too much about it.
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The Summer party starts, and she can say nothing is as perfect as this. All drinks are filled, all music is carefully arranged, and everyone is having a blast! Poppy greets everyone with a beaming smile, making sure everyone has the absolute fun.
She sees a group of her friends and waves, determined to leave everything bad behind. After all, her mission is to make everyone as happy as they can be. Everyone waves back, except Creek. That’s fine, she doesn’t care. She shrugs as she continues to inspect the party.
While she walks, a screeching hot wind blows right past her. Its smell is fresh and earthy, almost metallic. She squeezes her eyes shut, shielding herself from the heat. When she opens her eyes, she blinks. There can’t be rain in Summer, right? Her body shudders at that thought. If it’s going to rain, not only will the party be ruined, but she too. To make it worse, she didn’t bring an umbrella with her today, since she thought there was no way there would be rain in this intense heat.
So, right now, she can only hope her fear won’t come true.
However, seems like fate is not on her side.
It doesn’t start with a drizzle; it comes down heavily without a warning, very, very heavily. The dance floor is ruined, the DJ controller can’t be used, trolls are running to shield themselves from the rain, and her color is coming off.
Poppy’s brain turns into a jumbled mess. She turns her head left and right to find something to cover herself. And there it is, a large leaf big enough to cover some of her body. It covers her all right, but it doesn’t shield her from the rain enough. Amidst all the chaos, Poppy notices how the rain pours so heavily that she can barely see the way or anyone. So, she does what her first instinct tells her to do.
Run.
Run away from here. Fast.
She doesn’t care where she’ll end up. That doesn’t matter. What she needs to do right now is get out of here as fast as she can before someone sees her in this state. She runs, runs, runs, runs, and runs until her energy is all out.
She pants, eyes searching for a hiding place. She sees a larger leaf than she currently has; behind it is a space big enough for her to hide. She gets behind it, slowly lowers herself, and sits on damp grass. Her head cranes up, staring at the dark gray sky, wishing no one would find her.
Poppy hugs her knees, head buried between them. She wonders why it comes to this. She puts so much sweat and tears into making parties perfect and everyone happy, so why? She tries so hard to be a good queen, but it tires her sometimes. Having to smile all the time, having to hold parties all the time, and having to hide who she truly is all the time. It’s just too heavy. Sometimes she wishes she had someone who would teach her how to be a proper queen. Someone kind, someone gentle, someone close.
Someone like her dad.
Only if he were here.
Only if…
Poppy shuts her eyes tight, trying not to let her tears out. Ever since she learned she is going to be a queen, she has never shed a tear once. Even when she desperately wants to. They said she is the happiest, the most positive, sweetest troll. She feels like she has to live up to that sentence as a queen. She has to smile a lot, play a lot, laugh a lot, even though her heart says otherwise. It hurts sometimes, but what can she do? It’s her duty as a queen. She bites her lips, trying to stop her chain of thought until—
“Who’s there? I can see you moving.”
Poppy’s whole body flinches. It still rains heavily, so she can’t see much. Even so, she definitely recognizes that voice. Branch. Her brain runs wild, desperately trying to think what she can do to get out of this situation. She thinks, If I stay quiet, maybe he’ll ignore me. So, she keeps her mouth shut.
Sadly for her, she can hear his feet stomp on the ground towards her. They keep coming closer until she can see his gray feet. His feet stay still for a moment before asking her,
“Poppy? What are you doing here?”
Fluff. How did he know?
Now her hands are over her mouth, not letting any voice come out. She can hear him sigh.
“Poppy, I know it’s you. Your pink legs are sticking out. No one is as pink as you.”
Poppy looks at her legs. Oh god, they really are still pink. Even though other parts of her body, such as her face, arms, or hair, are gray in several areas. Her legs are, thankfully, still pink. Yet, that doesn’t make this situation any better. If he knows it’s her now, what should she do? Push him and run away? Annoys him and hope he’s irritated enough to go away? Before she can decide, Branch continues his talk.
“Look, I don’t know if this is your tactic for making me go to the party or not. But, I’m NOT going to the party. I keep your letter, yeah, but I stand my ground.” His legs shift with slight movement. Looks like he’s putting his hand on his hip.
Poppy ponders for a moment. It appears she can’t keep silent anymore. But what can she do to make him go away without exposing herself? Maybe just responding to him will make him go away. If she acts casual enough, he’ll see there’s nothing wrong and go home. Her mouth trembles. She inhales a long breath and puffs it out, trying to push back her fear.
“I-I mean, it’s okay for you not to go, B-Branch. I-I don’t mind, n-not at all.”
Goddammit, that was pathetic.
Branch’s feet shift again, facing towards her. This time, his voice becomes gentle. The kind of voice Poppy has never thought she would hear from Branch. “Hey, is everything alright? You’ve been like this ever since this morning.”
She wishes she could answer him confidently, but her fear won’t let her. “I-I’m fine!” Her reply comes out weakly.
Immediately after her response, his feet are coming closer and closer to her. Poppy’s heart beats faster with every step he takes. He stops short just a few inches away from her. Even with the heavy rain, she can now see his legs as clear as day. His legs bend down a bit, almost at the same height as her. Poppy shrieks and scoots away until her back hits a soil wall. Her heart beats so loud it might jump out any second. His tender voice asks her,
“You don’t seem fine to me. Are you sick? Or wait, do you…” He pauses.
“Do you have a fever? Poppy, you need to get out of that stuffy spot, or else your fever is gonna get worse!”
She can see his body move. Her eyes see the shadow of his hand instantly coming closer to the leaf.
Oh god.
Nononononononononononono.
She can’t let this happen. He can’t see her, not like this. She has to— She needs to— She needs to do something. But what? Anything! Anything is fine!
She cries out, “Wait, Branch! No—”
But it’s too late.
Their eyes meet.
He stares at her.
He has seen her true form.
A pink and gray mess.
He— She—
Poppy’s brain shuts down. Everything from her arms and legs has stopped functioning. Her heart pounds wildly in her chest, so much so that it hurts. Her lungs desperately try to grasp for air as her breath becomes shorter and shorter. She doesn’t want him to see her in this form, in this state. Now he probably feels disgusted by her.
What she doesn’t expect is his coarse hands on her shoulders.
“Poppy, what is today’s date?”
She blinks. Once, twice.
“H-Huh?”
“Just tell me the date.”
Her brain gradually wakes up. Trying to find a simple answer for a simple question. Is it June? No, almost. Is it July? Yeah, right. What about the date? First? No, that’s too early. Sixteenth? That seems about right.
“It’s… July, sixteenth…” Her mouth shivers, still not getting all her senses back to her yet.
He nods. “Now, follow after me, okay? Breathe in, really deep.”
Poppy breathes in until her belly is sucked in.
He continues, “Breathe out. Make sure your breath is long.”
Poppy lets out a long breath of air. Her eyes start to work, her eyelids flutter close.
“Repeat that 3-4 times.”
Poppy does as he said. Her brain’s fog is slowly lifted. Her blurry vision becomes clear. She can see Branch’s worried face in front of her. She sighs one last time, finally feeling like she is in control of her body again.
Her hand raises to hold his left wrist. She stares right into his eyes. “Please…” She pleads. “Please don’t ever, EVER, tell anyone.” Her grip tightens, emphasizing every word she speaks.
He shakes his head, eyes looking elsewhere but at her.
“Queen Poppy, do I look like someone who has friends to tell?”
Oh. Oh.
Now she kind of feels bad for him. He really is alone. She thinks. Her brows knitted with guilt. She lets his wrist go at the same time with him releasing her shoulders.
Silence stretches long between the two. Finally, for the first time since she has known Branch, he is the first one to break the silence.
“What do you use to cover yourself?”
“Paint buckets. The one we use for painting walls.” She whispers.
He clears his throat. “I have them in my bunker. You can re-paint yourself and wait there until the rain stops, if you want.”
Poppy blinks repeatedly to properly look at him. His face is dead serious. First was unexpected rain. Second was her color coming off. Now, Branch is inviting her to his bunker? Just to help her? What kind of day is this?
However, she sees there is no other choice anyway. The rain doesn’t seem to stop anytime soon. She can’t go back without someone spotting her. She doesn’t have any paint to cover herself. So, there is only one choice.
“Okay.” She nods, standing up to follow him.