The lone techno/pop troll sitting solemnly in the bay window of her second story bedroom sighed deeply as she stared longingly outside through the dirty stained glass of the local orphanage she was unfortunate enough to call 'home'... the young girl watching in envy at all the passing crowds of trolls happily singing, dancing, and hugging... her short cyan hair blowing lightly in the small mid-day breeze...

All she ever truly wanted... was a family to call her own... to love and protect...

Someone... who loved her for her... just like everyone else had... everyone... but her...

After the... 'incident'... back at Techno Reef... all she really had left was her baby brother... that is... until he was adopted... the happy couple taking one look at her... before simply leaving the five year old behind... all alone with no one to take care of her but herself...

They... they didn't want her... no one wanted her...

Many years had come and gone by now... she had almost lost track of her time behind bars... and yet... the ache from that day all those years ago still resided strongly in her heart... never to completely go away...

Another sigh, and the teenager's gaze finally shifted back to the room beyond... most of the other orphaned Trollings already doing their required housework for the day...

Being the oldest in this hair hole... Techno was the one left in charge of her fellow inmates (as she liked to refer to them) whenever Ms. Hairmingway was out doing her errands... as such... she was now tasked with the 'greatest' responsibility of all... make sure the house was absolutely spotless before the wicked caretaker returned... or else...

     Except... looking around the room... there was one troll spotted not doing her chores like all the others... again...

     "Taylor..." Techno grumbled under her breath with a small sigh and slight eye roll before rising up from her spot in the bay window, making her way straight over to the younger girl's bed and pulling away the covers to reveal a tiny purple Trolling cradling a rather large egg protectively in her grasp.

     The little pop troll gasped as the darkness of her blanket fort was suddenly ripped away without warning... her gaze immediately shooting up in worried panic to the thirteen year old who now stood towering over her...

     "Relax... it's just me..." Techno assured soothingly with a small sympathetic smile, slowly sitting down beside her best friend to try and calm her. "I thought you were Ms. Hairmingway..." the much younger child whispered hoarsely in return, slowly relaxing as she cradled her egg close at the knowledge they were both safe... for now...

"Nope... not the wicked witch this time... (pause) but you know what will happen if she catches you with that thing..." the older girl warns firmly, her voice dripping with concern as she pretends to slice her throat with a finger in a clear gesture of disaster. "Scrambled eggs for breakfast..."

"Branchie isn't a 'thing'..." Taylor retorted defensively, looking back down to her egg as she gently stroked it's shell. "And she'll never find him..." she continued at a much softer, gentler tone, carefully tucking her prized companion back under her pillow and out of sight. "I won't let her..."

     "You should keep him in your hair..." the techno/pop troll suggested softly. "It's warmer and safer in there..."

     Taylor instantly stiffens at her friend's words... hesitating for just a moment before finally responding softly...

     "He won't fit... besides..." She pauses with a deep sorrowful sigh, looking mournfully up at the blue Trolling beside her. "You know Ms. Hairmingway checks everyone's hair for contraband six times a day... she'd find him before you could even say 'safety guides'..."

     Techno raises an eyebrow... looking in confusion at her best friend's choice of words as she had never heard another troll mention something so... practical...

"Safety guides...? 🤨"

     Her voice becoming a bit nervous as she looks away from the teenager sitting beside her with a small anxious gulp; "Uh... yeah..." Taylor mutters with just a hint of self consciousness in her soft tone. "You can never go wrong with a bit of safety reading... better to be prepared... just in case... you know...?"

"I wish my dad had read a few safety manuals before... the explosion..." Techno murmured softly under her breath, her head lowering in sorrowful despair at the memory. "He was more of a... 'in the moment' troll..."

     She pauses, looking up sorrowfully at the younger girl who was staring back in sympathy, getting right back down to business...

After all... Techno wasn't the type of troll to dwell on anything that wasn't considered a 'good' emotion... at least... not in front of others...

     "Anyways..." she continues with a bit more of a light hearted tone. "We better start cleaning with the others... or Ms. Hairmingway will have both our heads..."

     Taylor couldn't help but give her friend a doubtful look at that statement... scoffing softly...

     She knew the older girl was just trying to scare her... I mean... she acted like the punishment for a dirty house would be worse than death... which the tiny purple Trolling highly doubted... nothing could be worse than what she had already gone through... she had no doubt seen it all...

     "I know I just got here a few days ago and all... so I don't really know her punishments as well as you and the others do..." Taylor began carefully, trying not to sound rude or condescending, but at the same time remembering how she had only received harsh derogatory shouts of anger the one time she had earned her caretaker's wrath, which, in her opinion, wasn't that bad... considering... "But I do know she can't possibly be as bad as my dad... you should consider yourself lucky..."

The little girl stands up, slowly walking over to the broom which stood leaned up against her dresser with a sigh... ready to get started with her chores regardless... just in case...

"Lucky...? LUCKY!?" Techno shouted out over dramatically, jumping right up to her feet as she snatches the broom away from her best friend, kicking over a mop bucket to another girl's complaint as the water splatters all over a freshly cleaned patch of floor. "Everything is worse than it could be! It's a hard knock life, sister!"

Suddenly... a chorus of music began conveniently playing out of nowhere... the melodic sound filling the air as all the children in the orphanage immediately began to harmonize perfectly with one another while mopping and sweeping along to the unexplained beat that always seemed to show up in the most opportune of moments...

🎶 It's the hard-knock life for us! It's the hard-knock life for us! 🎶

🎶 'Steada treated, 🎶

🎶 We get tricked! 🎶

🎶 'Steada kisses, 🎶

🎶 We get kicked! 🎶

🎶 It's the hard-knock life! 🎶

All the kids rushed through the halls of their so called 'home' as they quickly cleaned up the seemingly endless dirt and grime with perfectly choreographed dance moves (that they never even practiced), actually managing to make the tedious chore fun as Techno held onto Taylor's ankles, pushing her across the floor almost as if she were a mop, the tiny purple Trolling having two cloths under her hands to dust up all the dirt the two passed by together with...

🎶 Don't if feel like the wind is always howlin? 🎶

🎶 Don't it seem like there's never any light?
Once a day, don't you wanna throw the towel in?
It's easier than puttin' up a fight 🎶

🎶 No one's there when your dreams at night get creepy 🎶

🎶 No one cares if you grow or if you shrink! 🎶

Moving on to the kitchen, the kids hurriedly began washing dishes, Techno scrubbing off last night's gruel from the not so shiny ceramic before tossing the plate over her shoulder to another Trolling who quickly dried it off before then tossing the now sparkling dish to another kid who immediately put it away in the cabinet in perfect synchronized harmony...

🎶 Empty belly life! 🎶
🎶Rotten smelly life!🎶
🎶 Full of sorrow life! 🎶
🎶 No tomorrow life! 🎶

In another room, a little green troll worked hard to scrub down the brick chimney... a sad look of longing on her face as she sang the next verse of the spontaneous group song...

🎶 Santa Clause, we never see 🎶

The Trolling immediately jumped in surprise, however, once she finished singing those words as Taylor suddenly poked her head out from up inside the chimney, her little face absolutely covered in thick black soot as she sang in a questioning tone, genuinely confused by the little girl's choice of lyrics...

🎶 Santa Clause, what's that? Who's he? 🎶

🎶 No one cares for you a bit... when you're in an orphanage 🎶 Techno came in singing, helping the much smaller troll out of the chimney before placing her down gently onto her feet on the floor, all the kids shouting out together as they finally finished their chores; 🎶 It's the hard-knock life! 🎶

The door slammed open out of nowhere just as the spontaneous song came to an end, the sudden commotion causing all the children to jump in panic, spinning quickly around on their heals to face the entering troll... backs straight as straight could be as they all stood tall, chins held high at attention...

"Good evening, Ms. Hairmingway!" they all shouted out in unison with the most mock polite tone they could possibly muster, the old green troll with wrinkly which-like skin scowling as she made her way over to the children she alone was entrusted to care for...

"I... heard... singing..." she spoke in a slow, deliberately intimidating tone, walking down the line of orphans like a commanding officer about to take his soldiers to war.

     "So...?" Taylor immediately spoke out innocently, causing the other children to instantly gasp in horror as they quickly cower away from her, knowing what was to come... "What? (Not understanding all the panic) trolls sing all the time..." she shrugs, her words quickly being cut off by a hand slapping firmly over her mouth, the tiny purple trolling being pulled in close to her best friend who simply gave a big strained grin and innocent chuckle to their wicked guardian.

"Kids..." Techno chuckled softly, still holding Taylor close so she wouldn't accidentally dig herself any deeper into this hole she had unwittingly buried herself in. "They say the darnedest things, am I right...? Hehe... 😁"

Ms. Hairmingway growled fiercely at the two children's insubordination before finally standing up straight once more, her voice strong and firm as she got right back down to business...

"Room inspections... now..."