"I don't get it." Anne sat at the kitchen table and poked at a sealed envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Wu. Stamped across it in red ink were the words return to sender. "Why didn't Marcy's parents read my letter?"
Hop Pop was sitting across from Anne with Polly on his shoulder. "Something probably just went wrong with the postal service, kiddo. Back in Wartwood the mail was always getting delayed because of the herons nesting by the mail route."
"Yeah, the mailman probably just got eaten or something." piped up Sprig, who was drawing giant birds on the back of an old water bill.
Anne shook her head. "That… doesn't really happen here. Ever."
She picked up the letter and turned it over. "If they didn't get the letter, they probably have no idea what happened to Marcy. Someone has to tell them."
The Plantars went quiet for a moment. Despite Anne's insistence that Marcy was tougher than she looked, the odds of that poor girl still being alive seemed slim at best. None of them were really sure how to approach the subject— or even if they should.
"Anne…" Hop Pop tried to talk to her, but the human girl was already on her feet. She went running out of the room and came back with the human disguises that her frog family used to go out in public.
Eyes flashing blue for a millisecond, Anne stuffed a few granola bars into her backpack and threw on her jacket.
"Come on!"
She was already halfway down the block on her bike by the time the Plantars caught up to her. As usual, Sprig jumped right into the bike basket.
Anne slowed down just long enough for Hop Pop and Polly to squeeze onto her bike behind her. Sprig adjusted his face mask and checked his pocket to make sure he had his trusty slingshot(he did). "So, where are we going?"
Anne pedaled down a path that she'd taken countless times with the rest of the trio. Her muscle memory was already kicking in, even after months in Amphibia. "Marcy's house."
Anne took a deep breath and slid the letter out of her pocket. It was weird coming to Marcy's house by herself.
She and Sasha only ever went to Marcy's house if they needed to drop Marcy off at home. Marcy preferred to sleep over at one of their houses if she could. The one time they ever had a slumber party at her place, it didn't really go well.
Marcy's parents seemed okay enough. They'd made Anne and Sasha a bowl of popcorn and then left to run errands for a few hours. It was normal for Marcy to fidget and she was always easily distracted, but that night she had tensed up every time a car came close to the house. When Anne asked about it, Marcy told her that it was just a little louder outside than usual. After he parents came home, Marcy seemingly quit listening for cars outside, but she didn't seem well-rested the next morning. Then again, Sasha always insisted that you didn't fall asleep at a successful slumber party. Maybe Anne was just overthinking it.
Snapping out of her memories, Anne approached the front door. Taking a deep breath and tightening her fingers around the envelope, she rang the doorbell.
Nothing happened.
Usually whenever she or Sasha rang the doorbell, they would hear an enthusiastic "I'll get it!" coming from inside, followed by the sound of running footsteps and sometimes a small crash from Marcy accidentally knocking something over in her rush to the front door. It was never quiet after the doorbell rang.
Anne waited for a minute longer, unsure if she should try the doorbell again.
"Anne?" She felt Polly tugging on her sleeve. "I think this is the wrong house."
Anne shook her head. "There's no way, Polly. I've been here a gazillion times."
She turned around and started to walk back to where she'd chained her bike to the fence, but then she suddenly stopped. There was a small sign in the yard that she'd somehow missed when she tried the front door.
Heart pounding in her chest, she somehow already had an idea about what it was doing there. Whether it was Calamity powers or just an unlucky guess, Anne knew exactly what that sign said on the side facing the sidewalk.
It was a small white nondescript sign with a phone number printed on it. Above the number were two words that made Anne's heart drop.
FOR SALE
Now she noticed. There were no lawn ornaments in the front yard, no car in the driveway and nothing to light up the windows inside.
Hop Pop picked up Polly and took Sprig by the hand. "We should go, Anne." He didn't want his adopted granddaughter to stay here any longer. It was clearly painful to be here in front of this house and staying wouldn't help anything.
When he first met Anne back in the woods surrounding Wartwood, he had no idea how young she was. She later told him that she was 13 years old, but Hop Pop hadn't really known what that meant for her species. From the way she'd talked about herself and her friends, he sort of assumed she was old enough to barely still need care from her parents.
He knew he was wrong as soon as he met the Boonchuys. Anne wasn't just young, she was little. She was so much smaller than most other humans and it was becoming more and more obvious just how much had been suddenly placed on her shoulders.
Anne was brave, caring and had gained quite a lot of confidence while she lived with the Plantars. She was one tough kid, but she was still a kid.
Now she was standing in the middle of an empty front lawn staring wide-eyed at the sign. She whispered something to herself under her breath that the Plantars couldn't make out.
Sprig took a few steps closer. "What was that?"
Anne swiveled around to face him. "They abandoned her." Her eyes were glowing a radiant blue.
She kicked the sign, accidentally splintering the cheap printed plastic into shards. A blue glow surrounded the girl, who dropped down to her knees.
She felt three pairs of slightly slimy arms around her. Leaning into the hug, Anne slowly felt the blue glow dim.
The Planters stayed there with her for a long time, comforting her the best they could.
After all, they were family.
