𝗦𝗡𝗢𝗢𝗭𝗘 ★ 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗬

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙤 - 𝙣𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚

Yeah, I'm coughing, I'm bleeding
Band-Aids won't heal it
'Cause they hate me, so I'm fakin'
All of-of this so they take-take me
Take me home, home, home
Give me that pink slip of permission
This is old, old, old
I'm tired of wishing I was ditching
— Melanie Martinez

(Events are before the movie, during the Great Bergen attack)

☆

"BERGENS!" Someone screamed, immediately the trolls had started their plan to evacuate.

Melody hadn't been this anxious since the day her parents died, and her older brother went missing, the tunnels were bustling with panicking trolls, a mother pop troll gathering her five children and ushering them before her hurriedly.

She held Clay's hand tightly, the trolls shoved one another forward as they heard yells in the back.

All of a sudden, the roof teared apart, a pitchfork being stabbed through it and blocking their escape, a big thin hand extended through the hole that was created and reached out toward the audience of trolls.

"RUN!" A female troll had yelled, causing the trolls to run away in panic.

Some being snatched up, Melody gasped as she was tugged away from the Bergen's hand by her childhood best friend, "Mel, run!" Clay encouraged, which made my head snap to him and start running beside him.

My footsteps slowed once I recognised the same family of 6, the mother troll noticing one of her children are missing, with a hand covering her mouth and eyes trickling tears.

Melody's eyes searched the crowds of trolls, noticing a purple haired small boy trapped underneath the rubble of the collapsed dirt.

As if on instinct, Melody sprinted toward him, ripping her hand out of Clay's as she raced to the boy with all her strength. Managing to reach him as she pushed the heavy chunks of dirt off of the boy and picked him up in her arms, dashing away, two Bergen hands reached out to snatch her away.

Clay called for his best friend, only noticing her missing presence, his worried sick expression scanning the area till he noticed the situation that she was in.

His heart almost stopped, before he ran down the hill - that led to the pipe that was their only exit.

Before Melody was caught, who covered the little troll with her own body, but two ominous figures kicked both hands away from her, saving her life.

She took this opportunity to rush the troll to his mother, who smiled with gladness, thanking Melody. Clay quickly hugged Melody, his breath uneven from thinking his best friend was going to be taken from him before his eyes.

"Mel, you're safe." Clay relievedly said, grabbing Melody's face, both of his hands on both of her cheeks as he checked for any injuries for reassurance, "Don't do that again!"

Suddenly, their only escape was blocked by the debris of the many times the Bergens stabbed the ground above.

Melody shook her head, tears brimming her eyes as Clay quickly connected their hands again, running the opposite way of where most of their friends were.

The ground above shook, meaning that everything was going to collapse on them, Clay, Melody, and a few other trolls had survived the attack from the Bergens and were led by the Princess of the Pop Trolls, Viva, unknowing of her status though.

☆

They found themselves a new land that was deserted by the Bergens.

Viva, accompanied by a purple skinned troll, who had the same eye colour and hair type as Melody, led the group of troll survivors toward the abandoned golf course.

Starting to build over it with walls to protect them and decorating it for a while to Viva's interest.

"My name is Viva, and this is Hayden. We've been best friends for a while, what about you two?" The young blonde troll said excitedly, introducing her friend, which struck Melody in the face.

Her expression morphed into one with realisation, "I'm Clay, nice to meet you, and that's Melody, also my best friend since childhood."

Viva and Clay shook hands, causing Melody to puff her cheeks out and huff out in jealousy, averting her deep blue eyes elsewhere, causing Hayden to laugh and extend his own hand to hers.

Melody blinked at his features, he had the same stature as every other troll but the same dark purple as her and his hair was straight and then curly at the end, sprouting downwards, just like Melody's.

However, his hair was teal-ish blue.

Her eyes darted toward the same deep blue eyes as her, staring in awe at how identical they looked, Viva & Clay noticed before calling it out, "Woah! You two look so identical, are y'all twins or something?" Clay pointed. Which Viva agreed to, "That's so cool, you guys are like so alike."

"What did you say your name was?" Hayden asked, politely.

"Uh.. My name is Melody, but my friends call me Mel." She shook his hand before retrieving it back with an awkward grin.

"That's so cool, that's my little sister's name and nickname too!"

"..oh. Not to be rude, but do you have any parents?" Melody uncomfortably stepped back, sweeping a stray hair behind her ear and answered, "No, they sadly passed away."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." Hayden touched his heart, as if feeling the pain that Melody felt, "If it helps, my parents aren't alive as well." He assured which Melody weirdly connected the dots.

"Uh-huh." Glancing at Viva & Clay, aware that Clay had also connected the puzzle pieces, Viva was tilting her head in confusion and trying to figure out what's happening.

"Uh...- Mel, is that you?" Hayden asked, getting closer to familiarise her face, only remembering the chubby baby face of his younger sister, Melody.

Currently, she froze in shock, "You're... alive?"