They finally got out of that highway full of traffic.
Anne tried to catch her breath. It felt like it took forever just to get out of there. As she caught her breaths, her phone blew up with tons of notifications. Anne grabbed it out of her backpack and there were tons and tons of messages flowing in. They were coming in so fast she couldn't see who sent what right away. As it kept going, she looked over to the Plantars.
Polly was resting beside Hop Pop as he held Sprig, keeping him close. He took deep, quiet breaths. He tried so hard not to cry, not in front of everyone, not in front of Sprig. Hop Pop almost lost another loved one and it was killing him on the inside. He was thankful for Marcy saving him, but at the same time if Sprig hadn't made it like he did, Hop Pop wouldn't know what he would do. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself knowing he broke his promise of keeping the two safe, even if there wasn't much he could do at that moment.
Even if he had to at some point, he never wanted to let them go. He never wanted to stop holding Sprig in his arms. Despite trying his hardest, he could feel some tears running down his face.
On the other hand, Sprig was still shaking after what he went through. As much as he felt better in Hop Pop's arms, his terror stood where it was. When he fell through the sky, he could've sworn that he saw his life flash before his eyes. He didn't know that was possible, even though there were times he could've died, but he didn't want to experience that again, that's for sure. All he wanted right now was to be in a comfortable bed. The idea of not only sleeping in a warm bed, but also being in Hop Pop's arms and feeling safe, sounded good to him.
He closed his eyes and buried his face into Hop Pop's chest. Sprig wanted to be held for as long as he needed it, even if it was short. If anything, he just wanted that whole day to be just a nightmare. Nobody actually died, he wasn't tossed out of a flying castle, nothing of that sort. Then again, everybody wished the day ended up differently.
Anne felt like crying thinking about it, considering she saw one of her best friends get stabbed right in front of her. Everything she said and did, it all needed time to fully sink in. She quietly swallowed, holding any tears back. No, she couldn't start crying now, it wasn't a good place for that. She had to get everyone back to her home before anything else. Oh, dear, it just hit her; Anne didn't realize how her parents might react to not only her being gone for months, but bringing back a family of talking frogs as well. It reminded her that since they're in her world now, she'd have to talk to them about certain things.
For now, however, the girl let them have their first moment of peace there. Everyone needed it, after all. She'd have hers later, when she was able to be in her room. She'd be able to curl up into a ball and cry then.
Anne had to focus on them instead of herself.
