Trolls Band Together (OC Insert)

Chapter 13

(Third Person POV)

"I'll go get Poppy," Branch says as he goes to find Poppy.

But Clay quickly grabs his arm. "No, no, no, wait. Hold on. There's no way Viva's gonna let her go."

"What? What are you talking about?" Branch asks.

"Like I said, she's got some stuff going on, man. If we don't wanna get trapped, we should sneak out now," Clay says as he grabs his bag.

Just then, lights shine down on them, and a Putt-Putt troll up on the chain closes the metal door.

"Guys!" Val's voice calls out to them as the door slams shut. "I'll meet up with you guys at Mount Rageous!" she says from behind the door, her voice barely audible.

As the Putt-Putt trolls surround Branch and his brothers, Viva steps forward with a serious glance.

"Oh, hey...Viva. What's up, girl?" Clay says with a nervous chuckle.

Out of nowhere, Poppy arrives and stands with the others. "Viva! What are you doing?"

"You're not leaving here no matter what, because...because it's just not safe out there. You're welcome," Viva says, crossing her arms.

"Wait, is this about the Bergens?" Poppy asks. "Because they stopped trying to eat us. That's all in the past."

"Yeah, right. That's hilarious, Poppy. I'm laughing really hard," Viva says sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Viva. Bridget, my best friend I was telling you about, she's a Bergen." Poppy pulls out her scrapbook and shows Viva the many pictures of Poppy with Bridget. "Look. Bridget and I do a million fun things together. We talk and we play games and we sing songs. And make up these really bad dances. It's a lot like...Well, actually, it's a lot like what you and I have been doing." Poppy smiles while giving the scrapbook to Viva before saying, "The world's a lot different than it used to be."

Branch walks over to Poppy's side. "Viva, look, I used to be just like you. I built a bunker, and I lived in it for years because I knew it was safe. And, sure, it kept me alive. And I never had to wear pants."

John Dory and Bruce exchange concerned and confused glances after what he said.

Branch quickly clarifies his previous statement. "That was before I met Val. But I was living...without pants. Does that make sense?"

Tiny looks down at himself. "Well, I feel judged."

"You don't understand. I just got my sister back.  I'm not gonna lose you. For anything," Viva says, worry written all over her face.

As they are chatting, Clay takes the opportunity to sneak onto the chain and open the door for them. And because of that, all of the Putt-Putt trolls back away from the entrance.

"Clay?" Viva asks as she looks up at him.

With a soft glance, Clay says, "I'm sorry, Viva, but we have to leave. I don't wanna lose my brother either. Let's move!"

Branch, Poppy, John Dory, Bruce, Clay, and Tiny, run out of the entrance and toward Rhonda.

"No. No, Poppy, wait!" Viva tries to stop them but stops right before the line that separates the doorway from the outside. "Poppy, please! I want you to say!"

Poppy stops running and looks at her sister. "Viva, I can't do that. But you can come with us."

Viva clutches onto Poppy's scrapbook as she looks around nervously.

"And I know you think it's risky, and maybe it is, but it'll be worth it. Family's always worth it," Poppy says hopefully. She steps closer to Viva and extends her hand out to her.

Viva shakes her head and gives the scrapbook back to Poppy. "No, no, no, I--I can't." She backs away, and the door slowly closes between the two.

Poppy sadly looks down at the scrapbook and lays it down against the door.

Branch approaches Poppy and places a hand on her shoulder. He gives her a soft smile, and they both walk back to Rhonda, who has the door open for them.

From inside the vehicle, Bruce asks, "Didn't Val say she was going to meet us at Mount Rageous?"

"Yeah. But who is she going to get there?" Clay asks.

After a quick moment of silence, John Dory opens a small trapdoor leading to a large storage compartment. "She took the motorbike!"

"You have a motorbike?" Branch asks as he and Poppy step into the vehicle.

John Dory hops out of the compartment. "You bet! That thing is super fast, so she should be almost halfway there already. We should get going now.

"On it!" Tiny says as he jumps out of the baby carrier and onto the driver's seat.

"Whoa, whoa, are we seriously letting a baby drive?" Clay asks his brothers.

"We'll be fine," Branch says.

(Val's POV)

Okay, I didn't think I would get here so quickly. That motorbike was faster than I expected. And it's a good thing I didn't fall off, too. It took only about one hour to arrive. 

Mount Rageous is so much bigger than Pop Village. And everything is highly advanced. There are bigger vehicles and highways that go both right-side up and upside down. Not to mention, the buildings are so high that they reach up above the clouds.

Even the people that live here are different. If anything, they look more humanoid than troll. I doubt they're human because they have some sort of cartoony, doll-like appearance to them.

Driving down one of the roads, I spot a giant, diamond dome in the distance. If I remember correctly, Velvet and Veneer are supposed to be performing there in a couple of hours. The sun is just rising right now, so I need to hurry.

There aren't a lot of people around, but I don't want to risk sneaking in through the entrance.

After hiding the motorbike somewhere safe, I quietly sneak around the back of the dome. "There should be a vent around here somewhere," I mutter to myself.

I look up and see a small opening to the ventilation system. "Of course, it's up there," I grumble. But I don't let that stop me. I pull out the grappling hook Rhonda gave me and aim carefully.

Pulling the trigger, the hook shoots up and latches onto the opening. I retract the grappling hook, and I fly up to the vent.

Now inside, I look down the dark and empty ventway. There's no way I'm turning back now. I can't, anyway. So I quietly make my way through the vent.

Hopefully, it doesn't take so long to find Floyd.