Val and Poppy discover that Branch has more family out in the world and was once part of the famous boy band, BroZone. When one of his siblings, Floyd, gets kidnapped by a pair of nefarious villains, the three of them embark on a journey to reunite...
I stare back at the card in thought. "But what should I get him? I hardly know anything about his interests."
Just then, running footsteps get louder and louder by the second. Those footsteps are followed by a familiar roar.
I smile when Rhonda jumps out from behind a few tall bushes. She pants happily and licks my face.
"Hey, Rhonda. How've ya been?" I say with a laugh.
She roars before opening her mouth. Sliding out is John Dory, who greets me with a nod. "Sup, Peacekeeper."
"John Dory! Perfect timing. I actually have to ask you something." I say almost urgently.
John Dory leans against Rhonda and says, "Well, ask away."
After I take a few seconds to gather my thoughts, I start my explanation. "Okay, so for the holiday gift swap, I got Floyd as my secret person. And since you're the oldest, you should know almost everything about your brothers. So what should I get him?"
John Dory thinks out loud. "Hmm. Well, he does like singing, but that's pretty obvious. He also has a thing for stars. I remember him going up into a tree to watch the stars almost every night. He says it helps him calm down."
I stare in amazement. "Really?"
"Yeah," he says with a nod. His face then perks up with an idea. "Oh, you know what? Before BroZone broke up, he had a guitar. He would play it every once in a while."
"A guitar? Thanks, John Dory!" Without even a second to lose, I run to Pop Village to find Poppy.
After a few minutes of roaming around, I see Poppy in the distance wrapping a present.
"Poppy!" I shout once I'm already a few feet away from her. I had to run over, so I'm a little out of breath. Between breaths, I say, "I need your help."
Poppy smirks at me as she crosses her arms. "So who did you get?"
I stand up straight and give her a playful glare. "You know darn well who I got."
"I wanna hear you say it," Poppy says.
I sigh before muttering, "Floyd." And as I watch her smile up at me in triumph, I say, "Let me guess...Branch was with Floyd just to make sure he got me as his secret person."
Poppy nods energetically.
"And does he know I got him for the secret person?" I ask.
"Yup! And you need my help trying to figure out what to get him, right?" Poppy says.
"Oh, I already know what I'm getting him. I just need your help telling me where I can get a guitar," I say.
Poppy thinks, putting a hand to her chin. "Well, you could ask Val Thundershock. She knows a lot about them."
I nod before looking around. "Is she around here somewhere?"
"Hmm, let me see. Thundershock!!!" Poppy yells out.
It doesn't take long for Thundershock to appear with Barb. "What's up, Poppy?" she asks in a calm manner.
Poppy puts her hand on my shoulder. "Val here is looking for a guitar."
Thundershock perks up as she looks at me. "Sick! Follow me. I have a ton of guitars that I don't even use anymore. So you can pick from one of them."
As Thundershock walks away, I follow her. "Wait, I can have one of yours? Are you sure?"
"Yeah! Anything to help out the Peacekeeper of Music," Thundershock says.
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After a while, I finally found the perfect guitar for Floyd. It's simple and light purple. I also added small star stickers around it, remembering what John Dory mentioned earlier.
I sit on the ground in Pop Village finishing up any final touches on the guitar. It doesn't take long, and I stand to my feet before going to look for Poppy once again. I need her to help me wrap this present since that is one of her specialties.
"Hey, Val," Floyd's calm voice says from out of nowhere.
I get startled and turn to face Floyd, who stands next to me. The guitar is hidden behind my back and I try not to act so nervous. "Oh. Hi, Floyd. How's it going?"
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Floyd does that cute smile of his. "It's going great so far. I've been...looking for a present for the gift swap..."
I laugh nervously, remembering that he knows we are giving each other gifts. "Yeah...the gift swap. Um...I can't wait for it." I don't know why I'm acting this way. I'm nervous that he might have seen the gift, but I also feel a blush on my face.
With a nod, Floyd heads over to the direction of Branch's bunker. "Don't worry. I didn't see it," he says to me before leaving out of sight.
Finally releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding, I move the guitar from behind my back. "That was close," I mutter. I take the chance to look for Poppy now.
I eventually find her helping Clay wrap a present. And once she finishes, she spots me walking over to her. "Val! Is that what you're getting Floyd."
I look down at the guitar in my arms. "Yeah. Can you help me wrap this?"
Poppy uses her hair to grab a nearby box and places it in front of the both of us. "This will be perfect for that." After I place the guitar in the box, she wraps it up with blue wrapping paper and a purple bow. "Here you go, Val."
I stare down at the present with awe. "That's amazing. Thanks, Poppy." I notice how Poppy hasn't really been busy trying to find a gift, so I'm curious to ask. "Hey, who did you get as your secret person?"
"Oh, Branch and I got each other. We decided to just stick with exchanging songs for each gift swap we do," Poppy answers joyfully.
I perk up in thought. "That's right. I forgot you two were going to be doing that."
Before I can walk away, Poppy stops me. "Oh, and I forgot to mention. For the gift exchange, you and Floyd are going to be exchanging gifts in the bunker."
I tilt my head in confusion. "Huh? Why's that?"
"Well, I thought that would be easier for you to confess your strong love for him," Poppy says with a smirk.
My eyes widen and I feel my face flush once again. "Wait, how do you know?"
Poppy shrugs. "It's pretty obvious. And I'm just here helping you out."
I laugh to myself and shake my head. "All right. I guess it would be easier. Thanks again, Poppy." Once I take the wrapped-up box, I walk to Branch's bunker.
I recall Floyd going that way when he left. So I sneak my way into my room the moment I land inside. Hiding the present is the next thing I do, which is under my bed.
Finally calm and ready for the gift swap, I sigh and sit on my bed. All I need to do now is wait three days until the event starts.
(Hello fellow readers!!! I will post the final chapter soon. It will more than likely be out tomorrow for Christmas Eve. I was also thinking about wanting to do a face reveal at the end of the final chapter. What do you all think?)
