Escapism

The next morning, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy wake up and get ready to go home. The doctor checks Marcy's vitals and injuries and lets them know that she's okay to leave. She pulls Anne, The Boonchuy's, and Sasha aside to let them know they need to keep a close eye on Marcy.

Anne and Sasha nod. They're used to protecting Marcy. The doctor tells them while they need to keep an eye on Marcy's physical injuries, it's also important they make sure she's coping with the trauma she has endured in healthy ways.

Trauma is complex. Isolation feels safe and escapism is a coping mechanism that can be taken too far. This was always the case for Marcy. She's always been a conflict averse individual, running away from her problems. Escaping into her fantasy worlds where she felt a sense of belonging and comfort. She's going to need her friends now more than ever to get through this.

Once they're all dressed and ready, Anne and Sasha help Marcy into a wheelchair. She's going to need to build her strength back before she can walk long distances. They follow The Boonchuy's out down the hall and towards the exit. Anne pushes Marcy in the wheelchair while Sasha walks beside them.

Once they get to the car, Anne and Sasha help Marcy get in while Mrs. Boonchuy puts her wheelchair in the back. As soon as they're all settled in, Mr. Boonchuy starts driving.

Marcy stares out the window as they drive, in her own world. Anne and Sasha notice that she's been unusually quiet this morning. They think it's because she's tired, but she seems to be zoning out more than usual.

Anne and Sasha look at each other with slight concern, then Anne puts a hand on Marcy's shoulder. Marcy winces at the sudden contact and Anne pulls her hand away.

"Marcy, are you okay?" Anne asked.

Marcy snaps out of her dissociative state and looks at her friends' concerned faces, feeling a wave of guilt along with some intense emotions she can't process in the moment. She immediately holds back her darker feelings and smiles.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking. I didn't mean to worry you." Marcy said.

Anne knows that Marcy's hiding her feelings again, but she doesn't want to push her if she's not ready to talk about it. Sasha, on the other hand, has never been one to shy away from tough love.

"Marcy, what's going on? You need to talk to us." Sasha said.

"Sasha, calm down. If she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to." Anne said.

Marcy looks at her friends, feeling conflicted. She doesn't want to be a burden to them, or be the reason that they start fighting again. She looks out the window again, wanting so desperately to escape these feelings, but she can't. There's nowhere for her to run this time, so she looks back at her friends with a serious expression.

"I can't talk about these feelings right now. I don't even fully understand them myself. I know you both care about me and I promise I will be honest with you and let you know when I need support, okay?" Marcy said.

Anne and Sasha look at Marcy surprised. They have never seen her so serious, yet so strong and able to stand up for herself and what she needs. It shows how much she has grown.

"Okay Marcy, we understand. Thank you for being honest with us." Anne said.

"Yeah, saying that was really brave. What happened to the shy, quirky, nerd stuck in her own world?" Sasha asked.

"She's still here, just more mature now. And I'm proud of that." Marcy replied.

The three girls hug. They have all grown in their respective own ways, and it's starting to show.

The Boonchuy's look back at the girls, then back at each other and smile.

"I'm so proud of all of you." Mr. Boonchuy said.

"Yes, the way you all support each other, it shows how much you have all grown." Mrs. Boonchuy said.

Anne, Sasha, and Marcy look at each other, genuine smiles on their faces. They know that whatever the future holds, they will be okay as long as they're together.

They soon pull up to The Boonchuy's house. Everyone gets out of the car and Mr. Boonchuy grabs Marcy's wheelchair from the back. Anne and Sasha carefully help Marcy out of the car and into the wheelchair. Marcy smiles, grateful for her friends' support as they all head inside the house.

Once inside, Anne and Sasha help Marcy walk to the couch and the three girls sit down, letting out a sigh of relief and exhaustion in unison.

The Boonchuy's tell Sasha and Marcy they're going to call their parents and let them know they are both safe at their house.

Sasha crosses her arms, feeling conflicted about seeing her parents. Before she left, they were in the process of getting a divorce and their constant fighting made Sasha feel so angry.

As Sasha learned more about herself in Amphibia, she realized her controlling tendencies and rebellious streak were her way of coping with not having control at home. Because of this, she ended up pushing away the people who care about her. But, she has changed, and she's proud of the person she has become. She just hopes that her parents will be able to see that as well.

Marcy's expression becomes sad and nervous as she thinks about her parents. After her parents told her the news they were going to move out of state, she was devastated and fearful of losing the two closest friends she's ever had. Her fear of losing the bond she has with Anne and Sasha, accompanied by her fear of change, led to her impulsive decision to run away from home and use the calamity box to escape to another world.

Marcy remembers hearing her parents call out for her, both concerned, but she tuned out the world around her as she ran. She knows her parents care about her, but her father worked a lot so he was not home often, and her mother was emotionally distant. Both of her parents never fully understood Marcy and her intense focus and special interests in fantasy worlds and video games. They tried to support her, but they were worried her obsession with escapism would hold her back in life. They were strict about her getting good grades and, although this was easy for Marcy, she still felt an immense amount of pressure to please her parents. She used her fantasy worlds to escape that pain.

Anne and Sasha kept Marcy grounded in reality and made her feel a sense of belonging. When the reality of her parents decision to move set in, she felt she had no choice but to run and take her friends with her. Marcy can't help but wonder if her parents moved and left her. She looks down at the floor, holding back tears with a blank stare.

The Boonchuy's go to the kitchen to try and contact Sasha and Marcy's parents.

Anne sees both Sasha and Marcy are nervous and remembers the letters she sent to both families. She looks at Sasha and Marcy with a hopeful smile.

"I sent letters to both of your parents, and I have a good feeling we got a response. I'm going to go check the mailbox. I'll be right back." Anne said.

Sasha nods indifferently and Marcy looks up at Anne with a slight smile, trying to hold back her anxiety.

Anne runs out to the mailbox, hoping that both families received her letters. After everything that's happened since they returned from Amphibia, their parents must know who sent them.

Anne opens the mailbox and finds three letters. Two response letters from Sasha's parents, the Waybright's. And one letter from Marcy's parents, the Wu's. But Marcy's letter is the same one that Anne sent. Anne looks at the letter devastated. This means Marcy's parents are no longer living in Los Angeles, they moved without her.

Anne doesn't know what she's going to tell Marcy. She thinks, after everything Marcy's been through, she doesn't deserve to have her own parents abandon her. It will crush her. But, Anne knows that she has to be honest. As much as she wants to protect Marcy, lies only led to separation in their friendship, and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

Anne takes a deep breath and walks back to her parents house. As she walks through the front door, Sasha runs up to her, noticing the two letters in her hand. She put the one from Marcy's parents in her pocket for now, not wanting to share the devastating news with Marcy yet.

"Anne, did my parents actually respond? That's surprising, but at least I know they still care about me. They've been so distant going through their divorce, I was starting to think they hated me." Sasha said.

"Sasha, they're your parents. Of course they still care about you. They were probably just under a lot of stress going through their divorce." Anne replied.

"You're probably right Anne. I guess we'll see how things go when I see them again." Sasha said.

Suddenly, The Boonchuy's come out of the kitchen to let Sasha know her parents are on the phone and want to talk to her right away. Sasha smiles and runs to the kitchen. She grabs the phone and starts tearing up as she hears the sound of her parents' concerned voices.

"Mom, Dad, I missed you. Yes, I'm home and safe now." Sasha said.

Anne and Marcy look toward the kitchen and smile, happy to hear Sasha reuniting with her family again after being gone for so long.

Marcy looks at Anne hopeful, wondering if she got a letter back from her parents as well. Anne sits next to Marcy on the couch, putting her hand on her shoulder as she pulls out the letter.

"Marcy, I'm so sorry. This is the same letter I wrote to your parents. It was returned, so they must have already moved out of state. I'm so sorry, you don't deserve this." Anne said.

Marcy takes the letter, her hands trembling as she does. Tears run down her face as she starts crying, letting out all of the emotions she kept bottled up. She drops the letter on the floor in disbelief.

Anne wraps her arms around Marcy and hugs her tightly. She can feel Marcy shaking as she hugs Anne back. Marcy tries to speak, but her throat hurts as the painful heartbreak of being abandoned intensifies. The feelings come flooding back to her in intense waves.

"Marcy, it's going to be okay. I promise." Anne said.

Marcy tries to believe Anne. She knows her friend cares about her and wants to protect her, but Marcy can't help but feel like she deserves this. She pulls away from Anne and looks away from her as all of the regrets of her past mistakes come back to her.

"Anne, I know you want to help, but I just want to be alone right now. After everything I've done, maybe I deserve everything that has happened to me." Marcy said.

Anne looks at Marcy in disbelief, shocked and concerned for her friend's well being. She knew it would be hard for Marcy to recover from trauma, but for her to think she deserved everything that happened to her is taking things too far.

Anne starts to feel angry, but she doesn't want to show it. Marcy's already in a fragile state mentally, and arguing with her was only going to make her feel more alone. So, Anne takes a deep breath and holds Marcy's hand. Marcy tries to let go, but Anne holds on tighter.

"Marcy, please don't talk about yourself like that. Of course you don't deserve what has happened to you. And I hope you know that you still have people in your life who love and care about you. I care about you. Please Marcy, don't push me away." Anne said.

Tears well up in Anne's eyes as she tries to get Marcy to look at her, but Marcy keeps looking away, her eyes closed. She's afraid to be vulnerable, especially after telling her truth back in Amphibia led to Anne and Sasha leaving her. She doesn't want to be abandoned again.

Suddenly, Sasha walks back to the living room, a smile on her face after finally speaking with her parents. They're going to come pick her up soon and she can't wait to tell her friends. But she stops, saddened when she sees Anne reaching out to Marcy and Marcy turning away.

"What happened? Are you guys okay?" Sasha asked.

"Marcy's parents moved away." Anne replied.

That was all Sasha needed to hear. She turns to Marcy and tries to put her hand on her shoulder, but Marcy pushes her away. Sasha's shocked by Marcy's sudden reaction, but brushes it off. She knows that Marcy's going through a lot and doesn't want to push her.

"Marcy, I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you okay?" Sasha asked.

Marcy's so overwhelmed by emotions that, when she finally looks at both Anne and Sasha, she feels a sense of panic and tries to run away. She doesn't get far, her legs are still weak from her injuries and she falls to the floor instantly.

Anne and Sasha run to help Marcy up. They carry her back and help her sit back down on the couch, both girls sitting by her side. Anne checks to see if she's injured herself, but she seems to be okay. While Sasha watches her carefully, making sure she doesn't try to run away again.

"Marcy, you have to stop running away. You're still injured, and could have seriously hurt yourself." Sasha said.

"Marcy, you need to tell us how you're feeling. We can't help you if you keep pushing us away." Anne said.

Marcy can't help but feel like she's being a burden, but she's proven wrong when she looks at her friends concerned faces. She pushes that thought away and knows deep down that her friends care about her and only want to help. So she takes a deep breath and starts being honest with them.

"I'm sorry I ran away. It's just, I feel so alone right now. I mean, my own parents, the people who are supposed to love me unconditionally, left me. It's bringing back so many terrifying feelings and I don't know what to do." Marcy said.

Marcy puts her hands over her face as she cries. Anne and Sasha hug her tight, trying to reassure her that she's not alone.

"Marcy, we've got your back. Whatever you need, we'll help you get through this." Sasha said.

"Sasha's right Marcy. We care about you so much, and we're here for you. You just need to let us in." Anne said.

Marcy starts to calm down as Anne and Sasha reassure her that she's going to be okay. She starts to feel a sense of hope wash over her as the sadness slowly fades away. She knows that she still has a long way to go on her journey towards healing, but with her friends support, she finally feels safe and deserving of love again.