All Trolls go to Heaven (Rewrite)

Chapter 16

Branch swam upwards as fast as he possibly could, bursting to the surface of the lagoon as he coughed fiercely, gasping harshly for air, frantically trying to breathe, his heart pounding painfully inside his chest as if someone was squeezing it tightly in their grasp like a stress ball...

Finally, he managed to crawl up onto the shore, laying on his back as he looked up at the sky, his vision slightly blurred and each breath taking a great deal of effort, his colors seeming to be more grey then blue...

     Torture... it's the only word he could think of to explain what he was going through right now... pure torture...

     His watched ticked slowly around his neck, stopping for a few seconds before continuing only a few moments later, until the hands were finally moving normally...

     Branch's colors quickly flooded back into him with a whoosh, the little troll finally able to breath, no longer in any pain whatsoever...

Slowly, he sat up, grabbing hold of his watch so he could look at it.

It was ticking... he was alive!

He smiled at the sight, as he rose to his feet, quickly running off towards Poppy's pod as fast as he possibly could. He had to save her... before it was too late...

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In her pod, Poppy lay on her bed, her face buried into her pillow, as she cried about the fact Branch had stood her up on what was supposed to be their first date.

     Did he not actually care about her? Was what he told her a lie? Did... did he even love her?

Suddenly, a quiet knock rung through her pod, signaling someone was at the door.

"Branch?" the young queen whimpered softly, looking up to see who was visiting her so late at night, desperately hoping it was the blue troll she loved so much coming by with a reasonable excuse to explain why he had missed their date.

     But as she wiped her tears away, she noticed that it wasn't Branch standing in her doorway... instead of seeing her friend there to apologize... she was horrified to see... Creek...

     Quickly, she jumped out of bed, her eyes wide as she stared at the purple troll before her in disbelief.

"C... Creek?" she stuttered in terror, slowly backing away from the jerk troll who stood, smiling evilly in her doorway. "But... but how?"

"I came back for you, Poppy," he told her with a flirtatious smile. "I'm sorry I ever left you. I'm sorry I sold you out... just to save myself. It... it was wrong. And I swear... now that we're together again... I'll be the best boyfriend any troll could possibly dream of having. So much better than that grey freak you formally went out with..."

     Poppy gulped, as Creek made his way into her pod, his hands folded smugly behind his back as he smiled at the young queen.

"Get... get out of my house, Creek," she said nervously, backing away even farther from the jerk troll. "I... I don't want you anywhere near me..."

     "Now, now, deer," he said with a cunning smirk. "Is that any way to talk to the future king?"

     And there it was... the true reason he wanted to date Poppy... not because he truly loved her... but because of her title. He wanted the power... he wanted to rule all of Troll Village... he wanted to be King... and he wasn't going to give up until he got his 'rightful' place on the thrown...