Anne woke up face-down in the mud.

She sat up, spitting it out. "Blegh! Gross. Why am I…" She looked around, losing her train of thought as she took in her surroundings. "Where am I? Is this the jungle?" A pair of giant dragonflies zoomed past, and her eyes widened.

She was standing on the top of a cliff, looking out at trees and mountains and rivers– more greenery than she'd ever seen anywhere in LA. "Woah," she breathed, in awe at the sight. "Marcy? Sasha? Luz? Are you guys seeing this?"

There was no response, and Anne turned around in confusion. "Guys?"

No matter where she looked, there was no motion but the wind rustling through the trees, and no sound aside from the monotonous buzz of insects.

"Where are you? Sasha? Marmar? Luz?" A flash of out-of-place bright pink in the corner of her eye had her turning to see what it was. But, unfortunately, it was just her backpack lying in a bush. Anne went over to the bush and hoisted it up by the handle, uncovering the music box that had been hidden underneath it.

"The music box…" she whispered. "I remember you. You were a gift from Marcy and Luz…" Her eyes widened as she remembered what had happened before she'd woken up in the mud. "We fought, then Luz bumped into me, and then… I woke up here. What if it's my fault we're here?"

Picking up the music box and stuffing it into her bag, she shook her head and buried her feelings about the fight deep, deep down. "It can't be my fault. It had to be an accident. Just some kind of, uh, coincidence?"

She slung the backpack onto her back and turned to face the forest, pulling her phone out of her pocket. No signal. She sighed and tucked it away. "No use waiting here. I need to find Sash, Marcy, and Luz. And I need to find out where I am."

Alone in an unfamiliar place, separated from her friends, with her parents not knowing where she was? This was turning out to be the worst birthday ever.

It didn't take long for Anne's 'plan' to fall apart. After several hours of exploring, there was still no sign of anyone other than herself and some very big, very unfamiliar hostile creatures– definitely nothing she'd heard of existing. At least on Earth. Who was to say the magical music box with a portal inside hadn't taken her to a different planet? After all, at this point, anything could be possible. She eventually decided to try and climb a tree to see where she was, and when she was staring out at the landscape from the top of the tree, she realized the sun was setting. Anne was running out of sunlight. Not to mention that with no sign of civilization, she couldn't find out where she was.

Anne accidentally stumbled into a cave after tripping and losing her shoe– it was too dark to try and find it, and there was no way she'd risk tripping again and losing her other shoe– or worse, breaking a bone. She spent that time instead bandaging a long, shallow cut she'd sustained in the fall with scraps she'd torn from one of the many t-shirts in her backpack. She honestly didn't know why she had so many, but she was grateful for it now.

That first night, she could have sworn she heard voices, but with the constant sound of heavy rain, the creepy bugs crawling all over the walls, and her incessant shivering, she chalked it up to her imagination.

In the morning, when she headed out of her cave shelter to find her shoe, it was missing. Nothing left but mud and puddles.

Now that her shoe was gone, Anne could literally feel the mud squishing beneath her sock as she walked. But it didn't take her long to get used to it, surprisingly. At one point, it even felt kind of satisfying. The one thing she disliked was the fact that her sock was wet all the time, but at least it didn't affect how fast she moved. She found herself a sharp rock and a tall, thin branch, and carved herself a makeshift spear to defend herself. That night, she made herself a tiny rock companion in her cave, so she hopefully wouldn't lose her mind. She named him Rocky and gave him long, flowing hair made from some kind of moss, and spent a good ten minutes telling him all about her friends back home.

Well, maybe she was already losing her mind.

That was when she heard the sound of an accordion.

Anne knew it was dark. She knew it was dangerous to go outside at night because she didn't know her surroundings well enough. But an accordion meant civilization, and the allure of finding someone to help her was too much to resist. And she was hungry; the snacks her mom had packed for tennis practice had long since run out, and she'd had to share her lunch with Sasha when they skipped school. So she followed the sound, taking her steps with care.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened when she found the source of the sound– a blue frog-like alien half her height jauntily strolling down a narrow road, playing the accordion. A twig cracked under her foot, and the frog stood still. "H-hello?" he said nervously.

Anne ran around to the frog's other side, preparing to introduce herself and ask for help.

"What's that?" the frog asked.

She tripped on a tree root just before she came out from behind the trees, catching herself on her arms. She pushed herself to her feet. Then she realized she made a mistake.

The frog's eyes widened, and he screamed in fear. "No, no, no, NOOOO!" he yelled, turning and racing down the road. He was gone before Anne could say more than 'hey there'.

She sighed, then perked up. "At least now I know there are sentient creatures here! Even if they're, uh, frogs. Eugh." She shuddered.

She returned to her cave, dejected, but with more hope than she'd had since her first few hours in this world.

Before stepping out of her cave on her third day in this strange world, Anne grabbed her spear. Just in case she needed it. It turned out to be the right decision when, the moment Anne set foot in the sunlight, a giant red praying mantis turned to face her and screeched.

She paled and dodged the arm it shot out to hit her. Anne turned and ran into the forest, shoving branches out of her way as she tried to escape the giant creature chasing after her. Before long, she doubled over, panting, the mantis's screeches reduced to echoes in the distance.

She sat down and leaned against a tree, catching her breath and listening to make sure the mantis wasn't still following. Then suddenly she heard a voice a ways behind her. "Beast with a, uh– what was the list? Huge head, spindly limbs, and face bump! The one that scared Wally! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Fear coursed down her veins and she stood up. Anne kept running, away from the voice looking for her. She ran into a small clearing, looked up, and realized it was the perfect place for a trap.

There were several long vines hanging down from the tree canopy. Anne quickly sliced one off with her spear and tied the end into a simple loop, just like her dad had taught her while talking about his Scout days. Then she laid the loop on the ground, covered it with leaves, and grabbed the other end. Anne scaled the tree, taking care to keep the rope hidden, then looped it around a tree branch and dropped back to the ground. She grabbed her spear and dropped to a crouch in the grass just in time for the little pink frog that had been chasing her to step into the clearing.

Wait. Little pink frog?

She took a closer look at the frog. It was even shorter than the one she'd seen yesterday. Maybe it was looking for her because she'd scared off the other one by mistake.

"Seems like the beast roams these parts," the frog said, looking down. "Probably a good place for a tra-aaAAAAAH!" Anne's trap had worked. Way ahead of you, pink frog.

The frog turned to look at the grass rustling as Anne got to her feet. She stepped into the clearing, holding her spear out. "Caught ya! Thought you got the best of ol' Anne, eh? Well, you didn't!"

The frog gasped. "Giant head! Spindly limbs! Face bump! THE BEEEEAASST!"

Anne leaned closer to the pink frog's head. "Stop following me," she said clearly.

The frog narrowed its eyes at her. "I have bad news for you, beast!" it said. "I taste terrible."

Oh. He's not trying to hurt me. He thinks I'm gonna hurt him. Anne pushed her stick into the mud. "Ew," she said, sticking her tongue out. "I am not gonna eat you."

"You tried to eat Wally!" the frog protested.

"I tried to ask 'Wally' for help," Anne explained. "He ran off screaming the second he saw me!"

The pink frog considered. "That does sound like Wally…"

Suddenly a screech echoed through the clearing, accompanied by the sound of snapping branches and falling trees. Anne's eyes widened. "It's coming back!" she yelled in fear.

"What is?" the frog asked.

Anne ignored him and turned to run, grabbing her spear. Behind her, she could hear the frog call, "Where are you going?"

The mantis screeched again, and the frog screamed. Anne hesitated, turning back to see the frog gnawing on the vine, then screaming again and letting go.

Oh, come on, she thought as she turned around. I'm running right back into danger.

Anne leveled her spear and sliced through the vine, then grabbed the frog boy and started running. Spotting an opening in a fallen log, she dropped her spear and dove in. She put her hand over the frog's mouth, huddling against the side of the log.

She and the pink frog peeked out of two holes in the log, watching the giant mantis walk past their log. The mantis stepped on her spear, breaking it in two, then screeched and moved on. They had escaped.

Anne and the pink frog both gasped in relief, collapsing against the walls of the log. A moment later, the frog stood up. "You... you saved me! You're not a beast at all! You're a hero! An ugly, ugly, ugly hero!"

"Call me ugly again and maybe I will eat you," Anne said jokingly.

"Ha. You're not gonna eat me. You got a name, stranger?"

Anne smiled. "My name's Anne. Anne Boonchuy."

"I'm Sprig Plantar! Put 'er there!" The frog boy– Sprig– put his hand out.

"Uhh, okay…" Anne took it, shaking it, then let go. A slimy substance stuck to her hand when she let go, and she gagged. "So, your hand just barfed on my hand." Wiping it off on her SJMS uniform, she blushed when her stomach grumbled. "Okay, 'Sprig'. You got anything to eat?"

Sprig nodded. "Sure do!" He peeled a section of the log, revealing the rotting insides crawling with bugs.

Anne looked to the side in disgust. Frogs were honestly a menace to society. "Things that aren't bugs…?"

"No bugs, eh?" He ate a beetle absentmindedly as he thought. "We'll have to hunt a bit. C'mon! Follow me!"

Anne stepped out of the log, but hesitated. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Whaaaat?" Sprig put his hands on his cheeks and widened his eyes. "Does this look like a face that can deceive you?"

Anne laughed. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Well then, c'mon!" Sprig grabbed her arm, and she jumped in surprise. "Chow time!" he continued, pulling her along as he ran off.

Anne and Sprig surveyed their bounty. After foraging through the woods, with Sprig pointing out what was safe to eat and what wasn't, they had collected a good amount of mushrooms and roots. Sprig poured them from a bucket onto the ground in the clearing.

Anne picked up a root that looked kind of like a stick. She took a bite. "Hey, this is pretty good," she said, her mouth full.

Sprig nodded. "Mm-hmm. So, first question: What the heck are you, and where did you come from?!" He threw his arms up at the last part, gasping.

Anne wiped the crumbs off her mouth. "I'm a human being and I come from…" She stood up. "Another world!" She thought for a moment. "Either that, or this is a dream." Some dream, she thought to herself. More like a nightmare.

"Wooooow…" Sprig said in awe. "Do you know how you got here?"

Anne shook her head. "Nope. One minute, I was in my world, and the next thing I knew I was here. I don't know how to get home." She sat down, drawing her knees close to her chest. "Or if I even can go home." She sat in silence for a moment, then remembered she wasn't alone. "So, yup, that's my story. How 'bout you? What were you doing in the woods?"

Sprig grinned, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. "Proving that I'm responsible!"

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Uhhhh…"

Suddenly, the bushes rustled, and Anne turned her head just in time to see the same blue frog from last night pop up. "There they are!" he called, pointing at Anne and Sprig.

At the blue frog's signal, more frogs stepped out of the woods, holding torches and pitchforks aloft. They surrounded the two, angry gazes focused on Anne. Someone in the mob shouted "Here come our boys!" but Anne couldn't tell who.

"What? Stay away from me!" Anne screamed as the frogs shoved her to the ground and tied her with rope, hammering stakes into the ground. In moments, she was securely tied up, unable to move even an inch no matter how hard she tried.

"No, you guys got it all wrong!" Sprig called, but the mob ignored him.

When the frogs surrounding her finally stepped back, a suspiciously familiar orange frog with what appeared to be a magenta ball sitting on his head went to pat Sprig on the back. "Ha-ha!" the frog laughed. "You caught the monster! Sprig, I'm impressed!"

Anne couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Dude, what the heck? You set me up? I thought we were connecting!"

Sprig stepped back, stammering. "No, no, no. This wasn't my plan!"

Before he could say anything to explain what his plan had been, a roar caused the entire clearing to fall silent. Anne and every frog in the clearing turned to look at the source of the noise. Anne's eyes widened in fear as a giant green praying mantis rose out of the bushes.

The fancy leader frog– or toad, considering he was a head taller than everyone else– raised his hand. "Hurry! Everyone!" He raised his hands, then called out. "Mantis formation!"

Anne watched open-mouthed as the frogs clambered on top of one another in a pyramid formation to rival Sasha's cheer team's best moves. The frog on top yelled "Hyah!", and for a moment the mantis seemed to stop and consider. Then a glimpse of motion in the canopy above her caught her eye and she paled. It's back. It found me.

The orange frog next to Sprig joined in the frogs' cheering. "We scared it off!" Then the giant red praying mantis that had been chasing Anne all day dropped to the ground, startling everyone in the clearing but Anne herself.

"Nope, that scared it off," the magenta ball on the orange frog's head said.

The orange frog agreed. "Yeah, that makes more sense."

The mantis screeched and swung its arms, knocking the frog-pyramid down. Frogs flew all around the clearing. "It's gonna eat our guts!" someone called in fear. Everyone scattered.

I'm gonna die here. Anne screamed. "NO!" But a sudden loosening in the ropes binding her caused her to look over and see Sprig rapidly untying the knots. She still couldn't rid herself of her suspicion, though. "What is this, another trick?"

"I'll distract that thing," Sprig replied. "You get out of here." Anne sat up, pulling the remainder of the rope off of her and turning to see Sprig running at the mantis. She turned to see a clear path out of the clearing. If she wanted, she could leave. There was no way the frog people would be able to follow her with the mantis on the loose, and Sprig's distraction was more than enough for her to get away. She turned and glanced at the mantis again.

Sprig had knelt down in the mud and pulled a slingshot out from somewhere. "Hey!" he called, shooting a rock. He laughed as the stone nailed the giant bug right in its lavender eye. Then he realized that he'd just made it angrier. "Oops." He screamed as the bug shot its arm down, aiming straight at him. And Anne knew what her decision was.

She reacted fast, throwing herself forward and catching the mantis claw just before it hit the frog boy. She braced herself and pushed it upward, putting herself between it and Sprig. It was taking Anne more effort than she'd thought she could give just to keep the claw from crushing her. She turned to look at Sprig. "Do something!" she called, her voice strained with effort.

"Oh, right!" Sprig said. He added something else, but Anne stopped listening, his voice fading away as she focused on keeping the mantis in place. A moment later, Sprig returned, the remains of the rope used to tie Anne up trailing behind him. He hopped around and around the monster, tangling it in rope. He tried pulling the rope once he was done. The mantis strained against the bindings, not quite tied up, but unable to untangle itself.

Anne glanced at the ground, spotting the other end of the rope. She grabbed it and pulled, falling as she put all her energy into it.

The combined strength of Anne and Sprig was enough to pull the rope so hard that the sheer force of the rope pressed the mantis's limbs to its body and stopped it from moving whatsoever. It screeched, lost balance, and fell over, losing consciousness. Or maybe it was dead. Anne was too tired to care.

The frogs that had fled the clearing popped out of the bushes at the sight of the fallen mantis. "It's down!" they cheered.

Anne got to her feet. "We did it!" she and Sprig chorused. She raised her hand for a high five. "Up top!"

Sprig stuck his tongue out and it hit her hand before he pulled it back, leaving what looked like frog saliva dripping down her palm. "Oh, boy, that's gross," she said in disgust.

The fancy mob leader walked up to them, speaking. "Well, now that that's settled, what the heck are we gonna do with this thing? Maybe we oughta run it out of town just to be safe. Let it be someone else's problem."

At his words, the villagers took up their torches and pitchforks and started to run at her again. Anne backed away, preparing to flee, but Sprig jumped between her and the mob. "Stop right there!" he yelled. "She's not a monster. She's just lost and needs our help. We should take care of her." Anne smiled as she realized he'd been telling the truth earlier. He really hadn't meant to bring the mob to her.

The mob leader scoffed. "Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, what if it goes nutty tomorrow and starts eating people?" the one-eyed blue frog added.

Anne made a face. "Not gonna happen, buddy."

The old orange frog walked up to them and hugged Sprig. "Don't worry yourselves silly," he said reassuringly. "I'll keep an eye on 'em, both of 'em."

"Hmph. Have it your way, Hopediah Plantar, but I don't like it." The leader turned and started leading the mob away, taking the mantis with them. "All right, boys, pack it in."

As the other frogs walked away, Sprig turned to Hop Pop with an ashamed expression. "Looks like I'm back to causing trouble for the family again, huh?" He bent his head as though he was waiting to be scolded.

The orange frog, Hopediah Plantar, smiled. "Trouble? Sprig, standing up to that angry mob to help this creature out was some of the bravest and most responsible stuff I've ever seen!"

"That was pretty cool, Sprig," the magenta ball added. "It was also really dumb!"

"Yes, really, really dumb," Hopediah said magnanimously.

Sprig's eyes widened, and he gasped. "You think I'm responsible?"

While the frogs sorted everything out, Anne pulled her phone out of her pocket. She raised it and waved it around a bit. Still no signal. She tucked her phone back into her pocket and turned around, wondering what the frogs had been talking about. Whatever it was, Sprig had enjoyed it so much that he was currently dancing. She raised an eyebrow, then decided that this was probably just normal behavior for frogs, and turned back to Hopediah. "Welp, this has been great," she said, getting the three frogs' attention, "but just give me a map. I've gotta find my way out of this kooky place."

Hopediah reached into his coat. "Oh, a map won't be enough," he said. He pulled out a map and unrolled it, revealing a map with the words 'The Valley' printed on the corner. "This here valley is surrounded by mountains that are impenetrable this time of year."

Sprig looked at Anne. "It should clear up in a couple months," he added.

Well, that's kind of reassuring.

Hopediah continued. "But until then, you try to cross those mountains–"

"You will die." the magenta ball finished.

Okay. Not reassuring.

"Are you telling me I'm stuck in this crazy place for two months?" Anne asked. "Where am I gonna stay?"

"You could stay at home with us," Sprig answered. "Right, Hop Pop?"

Hop Pop frowned. "Ehhhh…"

"Come on," Sprig said. "Polly?"

"Leave me out of this," Polly replied, disinterested.

"Hop Pop, please?" Sprig begged, dropping to his knees. "Come on!"

"Fine, fine. Stand up, boy," Hop Pop conceded. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Anne," Anne said. "Before we go, can we please go get my stuff from the cave I was staying in?"

Hop Pop pulled a cord hanging from the ceiling, turning the lights on in the basement Anne was supposed to sleep in. Anne surveyed the slightly damp room despondently, the bedroll from Hop Pop held under her arm.

"Alrighty. Kitchen's upstairs. Breakfast at sunrise, sharp." Hop Pop turned and started climbing up the exit ladder.

Anne glanced at him. "Okay, thanks dude," she said, then turned and walked to the end, depositing the mattress not far from the fireplace. The door suddenly creaked open, and she turned to see Sprig poking his head in from outside.

"Hey! Gettin' comfy?" he asked, tossing a pile of stuffed animals down into the basement and then sliding down the ladder. "Brought some toys to keep you company. I'm too old for these. O-oh, except for this one," he said nervously, holding out a bird with a purple plume of fur. Anne cast him a fond smile as he proceeded to pick up every single toy he'd brought. "Oh, and this one. Oops, this one too. Sorry. This one as well. I'm glad you're livin' with us, monster," he finally said, arms full of stuffed animals.

Anne put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, me too, weird little frog boy," she said jokingly.

"Okay," Sprig said, turning and grabbing the ladder. A toy tumbled down from his arms, landing on the floor. "Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite." As though as an afterthought, he added, "Seriously, they can drain a body in seconds." Then he was gone.

Anne shuddered. "Ew." She turned and sat on the rolled-up mattress, putting her backpack on her lap and unzipping it. She pulled out the music box wrapped in one of her t-shirts and unwrapped it, taking in the shiny surface. She held it up and blew gently to get rid of dust, then closed her eyes and prepared herself to open the lid. "Come on, come on!" she said to herself. She heard the creak of the box flipping open, then opened her eyes and looked at the now open box. Nothing. Anne opened and closed it a few more times just to be sure, then sighed. "Looks like I'm gonna be here for a while."

Hop Pop pushed the cart down the aisle, Anne following behind. "Oh, pillbugs are on sale!" Hop Pop said delightedly.

Anne's eyes widened. "Oooh. That reminds me. I'm gonna go grab some of that beetle jerky I like." Then her expression turned thoughtful. "Can't believe I just said that," she said in surprise. I'm getting way too used to this place.

"Okay, kiddo. See ya outside," Hop Pop said distractedly. As Anne turned to walk toward the snack section of the Grub and Go, she heard a loud clatter behind her. She glanced back and saw every single pillbug once on the shelf now in Hop Pop's cart, except for one that was rolling away. She snickered quietly and kept walking.

When she reached the right aisle, she started scanning the shelves for the beetle jerky. "Hmm. Where is that–'' she mumbled to herself. Finally spotting the canvas pouch with the jerky poking out the top, she grinned. "Aha! Score. And I got the last one!" She reached for it, but just before she touched it, a long lilac tongue snatched it away. She turned to see One-Eyed Wally with the pouch stuck to his tongue, a smug little grin on his face. "Hey! That was totally mine, Wally!"

The blue frog took the pouch in his hands. "Ya snooze, ya lose, scarecrow!" Then he hopped off, guffawing, leaving a fuming Anne in his wake.

"Hey!" Anne called after him. "Don't call me scarecrow– oof!" Something thudded against her legs, causing her to lose her concentration. She turned to see it was Mrs. Croaker pushing a shopping cart.

"Hey! Move your big behind, scarecrow! Croaker needs her cookies!" For good measure, Mrs. Croaker shoved her shopping cart into Anne's legs some more. In the cart, Archie chirruped as Anne started walking.

"My behind's not big, I'm big," Anne said to herself, frustrated and annoyed. "Technically it's to scale. Woah!" Before she could say anything else, she'd face-planted into the stone floor, having slipped on a puddle of water.

A small crowd formed around her. "Hey! Didn't you see the sign, scarecrow?" the janitor said. "Classic, clumsy scarecrow," Wally added, and everyone laughed.

Anne pushed herself up and flushed red with embarrassment. She got to her feet and started walking, trying to ignore the jeering of the townsfolk.

She walked out the door of the Grub and Go, feeling dejected. She headed over to where Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly were waiting with Bessie. "So did you get the beetle jerky you–" Sprig's voice caused her to look up at him, and he frowned at the sight of her sad expression. "What's wrong?"

Anne sighed. "Well, it's just...I've been here over a month now, and the townspeople still treat me crummy. I just wish they were a little nicer."

"Oh, that's just the way these frogs are," Hop Pop said dismissively. "Slow to accept, and even slower to respect. It's actually our town motto." He gestured to a sign hanging below the 'Welcome to Wartwood' archway, and sure enough, that was exactly what it said. "You'll find a way to get their respect, in your own weird Anne way," Hop Pop finished encouragingly. Anne gave a small smile in response. "Now, who wants pill bug pancakes?"

"Ooh! My favorite." Anne stopped talking, stunned at the words that came out of her mouth. "I've been here too long."

She clambered onto Bessie's shell behind Sprig and Polly, and Bessie began gliding back toward home. As they passed through the town square, they caught a glimpse of an artisan carving a statue. A closer look revealed that it was a giant stone image of Mayor Toadstool kissing a pollywog held aloft by an adoring frog.

"Well, that statue's new," Hop Pop said.

Sprig nodded. "And tasteless. Woof."

Suddenly, Bessie came to a hard stop in the middle of the road, nearly causing everyone to tumble off. Anne quickly slid off her shell and walked over to her head to try and comfort her. "Woah, woah, girl. Easy. What's wrong?"

Once Bessie had calmed down, her eyes fixed on something in the distance. Anne turned to see what she was looking at and was startled to see a cart rolling down the road far ahead. Usually, almost nobody came this way.

Several frogs crossing the street turned to see the cart and gasped, then bolted off the road and pressed themselves to the walls in fear. Once the wagon was close enough, Anne could see it was some kind of a cart being pulled by a tarantula. Inside were three toads, each one looking tougher and scarier than the last. They were the first toads she'd seen aside from Mayor Toadstool, and her jaw dropped at their rough, stained armor and the silver badges gleaming on their chests. All the frogs nearby hid from them.

The one in front cracked his neck, making her flinch at how loud the sound was. "Ah! Nothing like cracking your neck after a long drive. Ain't that right?"

Before either of his companions could say anything, Mayor Toadstool and Toadie walked out the door to City Hollow. "Oh, good, you're here. Toadie, give 'em the list." Mayor Toadstool proclaimed. Toadie pulled out a scroll from seemingly nowhere.

"Who are those guys?" Anne asked.

"Toads from Toad Tower," Hop Pop said. "They rule over the entire valley."

Anne wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "Toads from Toad what?"

Sprig leaned down, unrolling the same map Hop Pop had used when she'd first met them. "It's a big, scary tower deep in the swamp and the toads that live there are the valley's fiercest warriors."

"Woah!" Anne said. "Cool!"

Hop Pop began speaking. "Cool, yes. But they can be a rough sort. It's probably for the best that we all…" Anne stopped listening as Sprig hopped down to the ground next to her. They began walking toward the toads, excited.

Anne and Sprig stood a little away from the cart while the toads were unloading weapons. "Hey, guys!" Sprig said. "So you're from Toad Tower?"

"Sure are, runt," the red one said, not looking away from whatever he was doing.

Sprig laughed awkwardly. "My name's Sprig, actually," he said.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, sure," the red toad said, glancing back. Then he jumped. "Whoa! What is that?" He and his two buddies walked closer. "It's some kind of gangly new critter I've never seen before."

"I wonder what it tastes like," the green one said with a glint in her eyes.

Sprig pulled out his slingshot. "Woah, hey. She is not for eating." He drew the band of the slingshot back, ready to shoot. Anne followed his example, pulling out her tennis racket.

"Don't come any closer," she warned.

The green one laughed. "Is that a challenge?" She pulled out a spiked club and rushed for Anne, swinging. Anne dodged her first two strikes. The other two toads and Sprig watched openmouthed as she smacked the toad's face with her tennis racket. When she pulled the racket away, the green toad's face was crisscrossed with red marks where the strings of her tennis racket had hit.

The red toad started laughing, and the green toad felt her face in awe. "Woah, that was awesome!" she said.

"Well met, creature," the red toad said. "I don't know what you are, but you've got fire." He and his friend turned and walked away. Anne grinned with pride.

Beside her, Sprig grumbled something unintelligible.

Hop Pop, Polly, and Bessie came up behind Anne and Sprig. "Okay kids, that's enough flirting with death," Hop Pop said. "Let's head home."

"Blech, finally. Come on, Anne," Sprig said, turning and marching toward Bessie.

Anne held back. "I was thinking we could hang out with these guys a little longer. They seem pretty cool."

"Cool?" Sprig scoffed. "More like smelly. Not to mention creepy." As if to prove his point, the toad encased entirely in armor turned to face them, his raspy breathing clearly audible even at a distance.

Anne considered Sprig's words, then something struck her. "Wait a second. Are you jealous I think they're cool?"

Sprig looked almost offended. "No. Ha! If you wanna hang out with some grody toads, Anne, be my guest. No skin off my skin." He turned and hopped back to Bessie.

"Okay," Hop Pop conceded. "But don't dally too long, Anne."

"I'm eating your pancakes!" Polly called.

Sprig had the last word. "Not jealous!"

"Oh, he jelly," Anne said smugly. She turned and walked over to the toads. "Hey. I didn't get a chance to ask your–"

"Name's Bog," the red toad interrupted, shoving a box of weapons into her arms. "The silent one there is Mire. And Fens you already met."

"I'm Anne," Anne said. "What are you guys doing in Wartwood?"

Bog pulled an axe out of the wagon. "Every year, this town sends taxes to the tower. Well, this year, they came up short. So, the Mayor gave us this list of frogs who didn't pay and we're just here to collect." Bog looked her over. "Say, we could use someone like you."

"Really?" Anne asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Bog said. "You've got inside knowledge of this town. It'll make the whole job go a lot smoother." He pulled a shiny badge just like the ones he and his friends wore and held it out invitingly.

Anne awkwardly looked away. "Oh. Um...I don't know. I'm not sure any of this is my business."

"You know," Bog added, "the best part of wearing this badge is how everyone in this town will have to treat you with respect.

Anne dropped the box of weapons. "Gimme that ding-dang thing!"

Anne shoved open the door to the Plantar house. "Guess who became a Toad Tower deputy!" she crowed.

Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop all gasped. "What?"

"Also, check out this cool sword Bog gave me." She pulled it out of the scabbard and gave it an experimental swing, accidentally slicing the coat hanger by the door. The top of it slid off, dropping to the ground. "I can fix that," she said quickly.

"Anne, when I said earn the town's respect, I didn't mean join a gang," Hop Pop said gently, sounding slightly concerned.

Anne scoffed. "I don't believe this. They're not a gang. They're just here to do a job. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some respect to enjoy." She turned and stalked out of the house, hurt. She heard the sound of the window opening, but nobody called after her.

"You done here?" Bog asked, seeing her walking down the path.

Anne nodded glumly. "Yeah. Who are we going to first?"

Fens squinted at the list. "Some frog named One-Eyed Wally? Anne, where does he live?"

"He has a shack on the edge of town," Anne said. "Here, I'll show you."

They spent a few minutes traveling on the toads' tarantula-pulled cart, finally stopping in front of a quaint shack in the woods. "All right, first name on the list," Bog said delightedly.

"So, how does this work?" Anne asked. "Do we remind Wally how much he owes or–"

Before she could finish, Bog kicked open the door. Inside the house, a bathing Wally abruptly stopped singing and screamed. "Jumping June bugs!" he called. "What's all this about?"

Bog chuckled.

"I, uh, guess you owe the town money?" Anne said from behind the group.

"Rubbish," Wally said. "I may live in squalor, but I always pay my taxes."

"The mayor's list says otherwise," Bog replied. "And since you haven't paid, we'll be taking your stuff."

Wally whimpered as Fens drew closer. He offered his scrubbing brush, and Fens snatched it from his hands, grinning.

The toads trashed the house, grabbing everything they could carry and shoving it outside. "Here you go, Anne. Little something extra for you." Bog handed her the bag of beetle jerky she and Wally had fought over earlier.

When she didn't take it, he shoved it at her, and Anne had no choice but to reach up and hold it before it fell. "Oof! Bog, this seems a little extreme," she said nervously.

"It's just the way we do things here," Bog replied. "Plus, it's not like we enjoy it. Now who wants to race to the next house?" he added, immediately contradicting himself. Mire and Fens raced out after him, Mire shoving Wally's stuff out the door and Fens playing with Wally's accordion.

Anne glanced at Wally. The poor blue frog looked dejected and heartbroken, slumped over in the tub. Anne felt so bad. She'd caused his sadness.

Well, it was mostly Bog and his cronies. But still.

She held out the bag of beetle jerky to Wally. "Here, take this back." Before she or Wally could say anything else, Bog called, startling her. "Come on, Anne!"

"Comin'!" she yelled back, then slowly walked away.

Wally looked down at the beetle jerky he held. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Sprig peered through his binoculars, watching the tax collectors walk out of Wally's house with an armload of random junk. The red toad turned and yelled something, and Anne came jogging out of the house.

"That's weird," Sprig mumbled to himself once the cart started moving. "Wally always pays his taxes."

"Come on."

Sprig dropped his binoculars in shock at the sudden voice. He glanced around for a place to hide before diving into the bush he had been hiding behind, hoping the rudimentary disguise would keep whoever was coming from finding him. Especially if it was the tax collectors.

"Come on, Toadie. While the townsfolk are preoccupied."

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief once he realized it was just Mayor Toadstool and Toadie. Though… Why are they in the woods? he wondered. He turned in the bush until he was facing the gap between the foliage and the ground. Toadstool walked past, gold cane periodically thumping the ground, while Toadie followed behind, straining under the weight of a bag that sounded like it was full of bells.

What are they… Sprig's unspoken question was answered when a single copper coin slipped from Toadie's bag and bounced on the grassy ground, rolling until it came to a stop in front of Sprig's hidey-hole. He reached out and picked up the coin, inspecting it. "A copper coin? The mayor? A hole? In the bag? Hmm…" He was starting to have an idea about where all the taxes went.

Toadie rounded a tree, and Sprig stood up once he realized that if he didn't hurry, he was going to lose them. He glanced at the tax collector cart in the distance. "I hope you'll be okay, Anne," he murmured, then put on his most determined face and hopped after the mayor and Toadie.

The toads ransacked every single house they visited. Anne followed with a growing sense of unease as Bog, Fens, and Mire gleefully took prized possessions from every single one of the townsfolk. She did her best to return at least one thing to everyone the toads hit.

Anne hefted the heavy grandfather clock up and walked outside of Mrs. Croaker's farmhouse, looking for a place to put it down. "I don't know, guys," she told Bog, dumping the clock onto the cart. "This whole thing feels wrong."

Bog shrugged. "The law's the law, Anne. It can be tough, but this kind of work needs to get done."

Fens hopped off the cart, some kind of snack in hand. She shoved a handful of something crunchy into her mouth, then spoke, her voice muffled. "Yeah. Needs to get done. Stuff, gotta get it done."

"…Are you sure you're supposed to take this much stuff? From everyone? Doesn't that seem kinda…" She paused, not sure what it seemed like..

Bog's eyes narrowed slightly. "What were you going to say?"

Anne stiffened. "Never mind. Uh, who's next on the list?"

Bog lifted up the list and peered at it. "Eh…" he said, reading the names they'd already been to. "Some nut named Hopediah Plantar."

"Oh, crud," Anne said, her eyes widening. Not Hop Pop. She walked over to the red toad, who was absentmindedly picking at his teeth. "Bog, that list has to be wrong. I know that frog. He's totally honest."

"Anne," Bog admonished, rolling up the list and tucking it away. "The tower didn't get any taxes, okay?" He threw his hands into the air to embellish his point. "And if we didn't get the money, then where is it?"

"I don't know," Anne replied, shrugging helplessly. "But Hop Pop paid his taxes. I know that for sure."

"Look, this is the way it's gotta be, Anne. Maybe the frog lied to you. Okay? We have to get moving.".

Anne sighed. Bog's instant dismissal was starting to feel a little familiar. She needed to think of a way to convince him somehow, but for now, she gave in. "Okay, let's go."

Sprig watched Mayor Toadstool and Toadie hurry into the town square, disappearing behind a curtain around the new statue. He crept closer, standing just on the other side of the curtain when Mayor Toadstool's voice filled the air. "It's flawless, Toadie. The perfect plan. Who would think to look for the missing taxes in plain sight?"

He wasn't making any effort to be quiet, Sprig noticed with amusement.

But never mind that. Sprig's theory was right. Mayor Toadstool had stolen the town's taxes and left the townspeople to be punished in his stead.

"Quicky now," Toadstool continued, catching Sprig's attention. "Let's skedaddle before anyone notices–"

That was his cue. Sprig pushed back the curtain and stepped past. "The taxes! You fiends! Everyone's gonna be furious when they find out about this!"

Toadstool gave a smirk. "Well, then it's a good thing you'll never get to tell them." The mayor lunged for Sprig, but he'd anticipated that well in advance, and was fully ready to make his escape.

Sprig launched himself into the air, slipping through Toadstool's fingers and somersaulting in midair. Toadstool barely had any time to fully appreciate the acrobatics, though, because Sprig had already bounced off Toadie's head and used the extra momentum to sail straight over the curtain. "Well, ya gotta catch me first!" he crowed, then blew a raspberry at Toadstool.

The toad growled. "Hey! Get after him!" he called, crashing straight through the curtain and sending it toppling on Toadie. Sprig allowed himself a moment to grin before hopping as fast as he could away from the mayor. He needed to find Anne and the tax collectors.

The sky rumbled threateningly above as Bog, Anne, Fens, and Mire disembarked from the tarantula cart parked in front of the Plantars' house. Anne could see Hop Pop and Polly through the window, but there was no sign of Sprig. She decided not to think about it; maybe he was somewhere else in the house.

Bog walked up to the door and knocked, then stepped back as Hop Pop opened it, Polly sitting on his head. He stopped and gulped upon seeing the tax collectors. "Anything I can help you with?"

Bog cleared his throat. "Hopediah Plantar, you owe the Tower your tax money. So pay up."

"Now what's all this about? I paid my taxes. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Polly nodded. "Yeah, go away!"

"Guys, wait–" Anne said.

"Get out of the way," Bog told Hop Pop. He held his hand up to stop Fens and Mire from stepping forward. "You didn't pay, so we need to take your stuff to make up for it."

"Like I said, I already paid my dang taxes." Hop Pop threw his hands up to block the door from the toads. "You can't come in here, and that's final." On his head, Polly glared at the tax collectors.

Bog put his hands on his hips. "I don't like your tone, frog. Or did you forget who you're talking to?"

Anne looked at Bog. "Bog, I am telling you, he paid his taxes. He... He made me watch."

For a moment, she remembered what Hop Pop had said. The words "Guess what, Anne? You're a deductible!" would forever be stuck in her mind, cemented in her memory for all eternity. She shuddered.

Bog threw his hands up in frustration. "Anne, they all say they've paid! I don't care what you think you saw. The list don't lie." He glanced to the side in delight. "Now, what should we start with?"

"Well, how about that thing?" Fens pointed at Bessie, who looked up from her meal and chirped at them in confusion.

Hop Pop was shaking from barely restrained fury. "You stay away from her!" Polly puffed herself up and added, "I'll bite your face off!"

Ignoring the two frogs, Bog said, "Good choice. That snail should cover everything. Mire, Fens, Anne, move out."

Mire and Fens started walking forward, but Anne didn't move. She watched as Fens and Mire surrounded Bessie, the snail chirping fearfully at the toads.

Was respect worth losing Bessie? Losing the Plantars? The toads were going to take away someone Anne loved and she wasn't doing anything to stop it.What would Sasha do?

"You monsters!" Hop Pop called fearfully.

The whole thing was so frustratingly familiar. She looked around, wishing she'd never been transported to this strange new world in the first place. At least if she was back home, this would have never happened. She wouldn't have had to commit crimes to earn anybody's respect. Or steal from innocent people…

Oh.

Anne clenched her fists, desperately trying not to think about how she'd stolen things like scrunchies and candy from stores. Or how she'd skipped school on her birthday. The graffiti, stealing coins from the arcade, robbing a store of a shopping cart and nearly running over pedestrians… Well, that was different, wasn't it? After all, it was for Sasha. That was what friendship meant, right? Doing things you didn't want to do so that you could make someone else happy.

Sasha. Sasha always did these kinds of things, somehow landing Anne in trouble just so that Sasha could get what she wanted. For a brief second, she wondered if Luz had been right about everything, if she should have just said no for once-

She decided to put that thought to rest, turning to the toads instead. She'd done all of their dirty work with them, and for what? She recalled Hop Pop's stricken expression. That wasn't respect at all. That was fear. Everyone she'd grown to care about in Wartwood was now scared of her, and she didn't want any of it.

She took a deep breath. "Stop!"

Fens's hand froze inches away from Bessie's neck. She and Mire turned to face Anne, who glared at them. "You keep your claws off that snail. Better yet…," she continued, walking over to stand beside Hop Pop, "get off our property." She stomped her foot for good measure, hands on her hips as she drew herself to her full height.

There was a clap of thunder, then the rain began to fall. Light at first, then heavier until it was a steady pour.

"Care to repeat that?" Bog almost snarled, water dripping down his face.

"I said, get lost," Anne repeated as lightning flashed somewhere behind her. "Now."

The Wartwoodians started trickling in to watch the conflict, whispering to each other.

Wally said, "Oh, she's brave."

"What did she just say?" Mrs. Croaker asked.

Anne didn't let their sudden appearance distract her, glancing down at her sash and ripping the badge off. "All I wanted was this town's respect." She looked at herself in the shiny surface of the badge, the silver metal gleaming innocently. "But just because these people treated me crummy doesn't mean I'm going to do the same to them." She looked up and stared at Bog, directing her words to him. "I'm done with this. I don't care if they've broken the law." She tore off the shoulder pad, tossing it to the side. "You can't treat people like this!" She flung the badge into the mud, staining it greenish-brown.

Bog's eyes widened, and then he glowered and snapped his fingers. Anne felt something shove her face down into the mud. She started to get to her feet, but a sudden weight on her back had her immobile. She glared at Bog.

"Anne!" Hop Pop called. She heard the clang of something metal, then the sounds of struggle. "Hey! Let me go!" Polly called, Hop Pop echoing her words.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How disappointing." A smirking Bog walked up to Anne, his hands hidden behind his back. "Do you know what we do to traitors in the tower, Anne?" He pulled a giant metal warhammer out from behind his back, getting ready to swing, and Anne's eyes widened in fear.

Fens cackled. "You're about to become a pillbug pancake, you little brat," she said excitedly.

Anne turned and glared at her. "Your foot's about to be a pancake." Then she pushed off the ground, grunting as she used her momentum to slide out from under Fens's foot. A moment later, Bog's warhammer came down. Fens yowled in pain as her toes were crushed under its head.

Anne rolled herself away from the toads and quickly got to her feet, pulling out her trusty tennis racket and the toad sword. She held one in each hand, then waited. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, and the tax collectors glowered.

Fens predictably pulled out her spiked club and rushed straight for Anne. She blocked it with her sword and stepped out from the side, Fens's extra momentum sending her tumbling right past Anne and into the mud. Anne felt a prickle on the back of her neck and turned around just in time to block Bog's warhammer with her tennis racket and her sword. She strained against the force, but the toad cackled and hit her weapons right out of her hand. They tumbled through the air, clattering to the ground behind Fens.

"No!" Anne reached out desperately, but before she could do more than take a step forward, she saw Fens rushing towards her with the spiked club. And this time she couldn't do anything about it. She raised her hand to try and shield her face and–

Pain. It felt like fire coursing through her veins as Fens's club smashed into her forearm. She stumbled back, collapsing to the ground as she clutched her arm in a futile attempt to numb the pain. Her vision swam. Where's Sprig?

She looked up, teeth gritted to prevent a cry, and sat helplessly as Fens and Bog closed in around her, weapons raised and grinning with excitement. Bog laughed. "Sorry, creature, it's just business," he said, raising the hammer again. But before he could swing, mud splashed in his face. "What the–"

Sprig hopped out of the forest, slingshot in hand. "You leave her alone!" He pulled back his slingshot, readying another shot.

The townsfolk closed in, echoing Sprig's words. "Yeah, you leave our Anne alone," Wally agreed.

"She's one of us."

"If you got a problem with her, you got a problem with all of us."

The rain slowed to a stop as the Wartwoodians raised weapons, ready to fight, and Fens and Bog finally surrendered. They dropped their weapons, watching all the frogs around them in fear. As Hop Pop and Polly struggled against Mire's grip, the visor on his helmet swung open and he squealed. He let go of Hop Pop and Polly, who immediately tore away, heading towards Anne.

"Anne!" Sprig immediately rushed to her side, dropping his slingshot. Polly hopped over and settled in her hair, and Hop Pop followed closely behind, a smile on his face.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Anne asked.

"Sorry, I got tied up."

He glanced back and frowned as Mayor Toadstool came jogging out of the forest, huffing. "Oh, boy. Gotta cut back on them cricket nuggets. Whoo!" Toadie collapsed face-down beside him.

Sprig pointed at Toadstool. "Arrest that toad. He stole the town's money and was keeping it all for himself."

Everyone gasped.

Toadstool looked up and realized he'd stumbled into the entire town. "Oh boy," he chuckled nervously. "Uh, you don't have proof! How do you know I took the taxes?"

"Ha! I do have proof!" Sprig dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a single copper. "This fell out of the bag Toadie was carrying! And I followed you so I know where you hid the money."

Realizing he'd been backed into a corner, Toadstool raised his hands nervously. "Well, uh…"

"There's an easy way to settle this," Bog said, putting his hands up in surrender as every single Wartwoodian in the clearing leveled a glare on him. "Just show us where the tax money is."

"Let's go, then!" Sprig got to his feet and held out a hand for Anne. "We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us." As they started to move, the skies began to clear, sunlight starting to filter through the trees.

"It's in the statue," Sprig said as the crowd started to spill into the town square. He led the tax collectors to the statue of Toadstool, circling until he was standing behind it. He put his foot on the pedestal. "May I?"

Bog dropped his warhammer into Sprig's arms and he grunted, his hands yanked down by the sudden weight. "I think you should do the honors," he said, voice straining as he lifted the warhammer and offered it back to Bog.

The toad wasted no time and immediately swung it into the statue. It cracked, then shattered. The hidden stash of coppers started to spill out, the waterfall of coins causing a deafening clatter. Everyone gasped.

"No-good son of a slug!" Mrs. Croaker called.

Toadstool backed away. "People, I needed the extra money for my campaign. Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy your love?" A melon soared through the air, splattering against the building behind the mayor. He chuckled nervously. "Uh... And as mayor, I hereby pardon myself of any wrongdoing. Thank you. Good day." He turned and ran off, a barrage of rotten produce and insults following in his wake.

Hop Pop tapped on Anne's shoulder. "Now that that's all over, what do you say we get that arm of yours wrapped up?"

Anne struggled to lift Mrs. Croaker's grandfather clock off the cart with her hand wrapped in a cast. Before it fell, Hop Pop, Polly, and Sprig were all there to help her. Together they all managed to set it on the ground.

Bog walked past, addressing Anne. "If it was respect you were looking for, you sure lost mine. You've a lot of nerve, I'll give you that." He laughed. "We'll be back, Anne, and we won't be alone." He lifted the bag of tax money into the tarantula cart, then picked up the reins and got into the driver seat.

"She don't need your respect," Hop Pop said.

Wally nodded. "Yeah! She's got ours!"

The townsfolk started to clamor, and Bog tugged on the reins. The tax collectors started to move, soon going out of sight.

"Three cheers for Anne, defender of Wartwood!" Wally called. The townsfolk started to cheer, and Anne smiled, touched.

"Aw, thanks, guys." Tears pooled in her eyes, and she sniffled and wiped them away, then raised her bandaged arm. "Now who wants to sign my cast?"

"Me, me, me! I'm her best friend!" Sprig called.

"Out of the way, you plebes," Polly retorted.

Wally laughed. "Oi! I can't write!"

Anne sat in her room that night, inspecting the many signatures she got on her cast. It was so covered with ink that the original white was barely visible, and she smiled as she read through the many names written on it.

She sighed and lay down on the mattress. She closed her eyes, but a moment later looked up as the trapdoor to the basement creaked open. "Uh, Anne? You awake?" It was Sprig.

Anne sat up. "Yeah, I'm awake," she said. "What happened?"

"Nothing, just checking up on you." Sprig hopped down the stairs and stood beside her. "Are you still sore?"

She nodded. "Just a bit," she said, an uncomfortable twinge going down her neck as she twisted to look at him. Then she sighed. "Maybe she was right," she admitted quietly.

"Who? The toad?"

Anne giggled. "No! My friend, Luz. You remember her, right?"

Sprig thought for a moment. "Uh, the spiky-haired one?"

"Spiky-haired–?" Anne glanced at her picture, squinting and tilting her head to the side. "Huh, maybe her hair does look a bit spiky. But yeah, her."

"Okay, so what was she right about?"

"I think she was right about Sasha."

Sprig cocked his head. "What did Luz say about Sasha?"

"Well, back home…" Anne recounted the entire thing to Sprig, from the talk she'd had with Luz and Marcy to the moment right before they'd left home. "So, yeah, I think she's right. About some of it, at least."

"Oh, wow," Sprig said. "That's a lot."

"The whole time I was with the toads…" Anne looked away. "It felt kind of familiar. Then I realized it was because Sasha used to do the same thing, and–"

"Wait," Sprig interrupted. "Your friend used to take stuff from innocent people because they didn't pay their taxes?"

Anne laughed. "Well, no, not the same thing," she conceded. "But it was sort of similar. She'd see something of mine that she liked, and she'd ask for it, and I'd have to give it to her because she was my friend and that was what friends did." And she convinced Marcy and me to steal stuff, and she broke the rules and got off scot-free, and– Anne cut her thoughts off.

"Oh, yeah, you were saying that at the lake," Sprig recalled. "I thought that was kind of suspicious."

"Yeah, I should have listened to you. Anyway, it got to a point where I literally couldn't say no to her. Luz pointed that out, and I refused to believe her. But she was right about that. Not her trying to make me just do things her way," she hastily added. "She listens to me! I think. But never mind that."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Anne thought for a moment. "I think I have to find Luz and Marcy and apologize," she said. "If they're here somewhere. I don't know." She hugged her knees close to her chest.

"That sounds like a good idea," Sprig said, then yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What else?"

"You should go to sleep, dude," Anne said, giving him a fond smile. "You look like you're going to collapse."

"Just a bit," Sprig said, then closed his eyes. "You're right, maybe I should go to bed."

"Good night, Sprig."

"Good night, Anne." He turned and walked up the stairs, the trapdoor shutting behind him with a gentle thud.

Anne sat down on a bench, quietly listening to the cheery Wartwood music. She tapped her finger to the beat and watched as frogs danced and laughed and talked, enjoying the party.

Sprig hopped over and took a seat beside her. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Anne replied, picking at the 'Frog of the Year' sash she wore. "Still feel a little bad, I guess."

"You shouldn't!" Sprig threw his hands in the air to emphasize his point. "You just got carried away, that's all. Nothing for it."

"Thanks, dude. Sorry I tried to rush you into confessing your love to Ivy. You do that when you're good and ready."

"Thanks, Anne. When the moment strikes, I'll know it." He turned and his eyes widened as Ivy walked over.

"Hey, Sprig. There's something I've, uh, been meaning... to ask you," Ivy said, looking away nervously. "I, uh... Do you, um…" She cleared her throat and squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you think you'd wanna go out with me sometime?" She opened one eye hesitantly, watching his reaction.

Sprig gasped, and Anne squealed.

Ivy's entire face turned purple in embarrassment, and she tugged her beanie over her eyes. "Never mind, I'm stupid. This is stupid. This is stupid." She turned to walk away.

Sprig bounced off the table, practically floating. "Ivy, wait! I'd love to." He pulled his own hat down over his eyes. "Mlep!"

Ivy gave a small smile, blushing again.

"Wanna dance?" Sprig asked.

"Heck yeah!" The two ran off, excited.

Anne giggled at the adorable display. Then a voice caught her attention. "Ahem! Miss Frog of the Year?" She turned to see Toadie walking up. "There's someone waiting at the bridge for you. They say they're a friend."

The wind picked up, and Anne raised an eyebrow. "...A friend?"

She got up and weaved her way through the party, curious. It took only a moment before she was walking out of the town, toward the bridge. Fireflies lit up the night, giving the whole place an ethereal glow.

Anne squinted, and she could just barely make out a silhouetted figure waiting on the bridge, facing away from Wartwood. They turned, and then lowered their hood. "Anne?"

Anne's eyes widened, and she grinned. "Sasha?"

Both girls screamed, Sasha fanning her face. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's you!" Anne said as they rushed toward each other, laughing and hugging.

When they finally separated, Anne stepped back with her hands on Sasha's shoulders. "Oh, my gosh. You're here too? I wasn't sure. I woke up all alone and…" She gasped. "Are Marcy and Luz with you? Where have you been? I've missed you so much!"

Sasha giggled. "I'll fill you in later. For now, I'm just glad I found you. We came as soon as we heard."

Anne tilted her head, confused. "'We?'"

Sasha nodded, gesturing to someone behind her. "Yup. Just me and some friends of mine."

A firefly darted past someone standing imposingly in the distance, and a tongue reached out and caught it, chewing. Their eyes opened, and they grinned menacingly. "Nice to finally meet you, Anne Boonchuy." A whole army of toads opened their eyes, each one glowing faintly in the dim lighting.

She watched openmouthed as the toads filed past, flooding into Wartwood. The Wartwoodians started to scream, spurring Anne into action. "Sasha! The toads! I gotta go help my fr–" She was abruptly pulled back.

"Chill out, Anne. They're with me," Sasha reassured her.

Anne's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Before Sasha could answer, Anne heard Sprig calling her name. "Anne, Anne, Anne, Anne, Anne, Anne!" The Plantars rushed up to them, Sprig holding Polly aloft. He set her down when they came to a stop. "Toads! They're everywhere. We barely slipped out while the guards were–"

Polly interrupted him. "Holy toot! Another Anne!"

"Oh." Anne chuckled. "Guys, meet my bestie from back home, Sasha!" She stepped to the side.

"Hey," Sasha said.

"Sasha, meet the Plantars," Anne continued. "This is Hop Pop."

Hop Pop shrugged. "Eh."

"Sprig."

Sprig coughed. "Uh, hey…"

"And Polly."

"'Sup."

"Nice to meet ya. Sasha, was it?" Hop Pop said. "Now, can someone please tell me why there's a toad army invading Wartwood?!" He pointed at the town, a deep frown on his face.

"You're Hop Pop? Thought you'd be taller," Sasha muttered thoughtfully, ignoring Hop Pop's question.

"Huh?"

"Relax, we're not invading anything." Sasha waved off his concern. "Come on, Anne. You too, frogs. We don't want to keep Grime waiting." She started walking off in the direction of Wartwood, expecting everyone to follow her.

"Captain Grime?" Hop Pop exclaimed.

Sprig clapped his hands over his ears. "The cruelest toad soldier of all time?"

"Here?" Polly finished.

"Ah, he's not so bad once you get used to him," Sasha said dismissively. "Now hurry up, nerds."

Anne chuckled nervously. "She's persuasive, right?" Then she started following Sasha, the Plantars trailing after. Sprig leapt onto her shoulder.

"Anne? Is this the friend you told me about, after the incident with the tax collectors?"

Anne froze. "Uhh… yeah?"

"Anne, seriously! I mean, you haven't been away from her for that long. It's not like she's an entirely new person! What if she's just doing the same thing she did before you came here?" Sprig looked at Anne, desperately hoping she could understand the importance of the situation. "You said that your other friend was right about all of that, remember?"

Anne looked away. She wanted to ignore Sprig, or disregard what he'd said, or at the very least, come up with some sort of logical, cohesive argument that would put Sprig's fears to rest. Somehow, though, she couldn't find any way to prove Sprig wrong. She looked at Sasha again, realizing she'd fallen right into the same routine she'd always had with her, always deferring to Sasha, always believing her over everyone else. She sighed. "Okay, look," she said, starting to walk again, "let's keep an eye out, okay? But I trust her. Maybe she just didn't realize what she was doing. I'm not going to accuse her right out of the gate, okay? She's my best friend, and we're seeing each other for the first time in months. Seriously, Sprig, don't be mean to her."

"Okay…" Sprig said as they walked into the town square. "I can do that." He raised his hand in a salute, then gasped. The toads had herded all of the Wartwoodians into a spot by a wall, and they surrounded the townsfolk, keeping them from going anywhere.

"Anne, put the frog down and come up here," Sasha said from the top of the wall, where she was standing beside an imposing toad who Anne assumed was Captain Grime.

"Remember to keep an eye out," Sprig whispered in her ear. Then he hopped to the ground, looking slightly nervous, though he was trying his best not to show it. Anne picked her way through the crowd, eventually clambering onto the stone wall to stand beside Sasha.

"Frogs of Wartwood! We toads have come here to…" He stammered, and Anne caught sight of the Plantars standing nervously in the crowd. "Invite you to a banquet!" Grime finished, pulling out confetti from his coat and tossing it. It gently rained down on the heads of the frogs closest to the wall, settling on top of their heads and on the ground. Nobody moved.

A toad in the crowd blew a party horn and dumped confetti onto a pollywog sitting beside him.

"The moment we heard that Anne was here," Captain Grime continued, "we rushed over to reunite these two friends and hold a celebration."

Sasha and Anne smiled at each other at his words. "Aww, come here," Sasha said, spreading her arms wide. They embraced, and the Wartwoodians let out a collective 'aww'.

Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly, however, were still tense. "Really?" Hop Pop asked skeptically.

"Yes," Captain Grime replied. "Despite my rough exterior, I really am just an "old softy". He made air quotes, dragging out the words. Sasha cleared her throat and gave a small grin, and Grime followed her example, baring his teeth. The crowd gasped, and a young pollywog started to cry.

Probably sensing Grime's speech was going nowhere, Sasha shoved him aside and took his place. "Uh, so what do you say, Wartwood? You ready to party back at the tower?"

A frog croaked, breaking the dead silence. "What does Anne think?" Mrs. Croaker asked.

Anne thought about it. "Uh… Sasha's been my friend since kindergarten. If she says it's fine, it's fine." Probably, she added in her head.

Before she could say anything else, Sasha leaned on her, causing her to get distracted trying not to fall off the wall. "Whoo!" Sasha cheered. "All aboard the party barge!"

The toads began showing the townsfolk to a giant wheeled barge decorated with flashing lights and streamers. Anne and the Plantars moved to follow, but Sasha stepped in. "Psst, Anne, you're with me." She pointed to the most opulent carriage any of them had ever seen, green with gold trim and heart-shaped windows. It was pulled by a giant spider wearing sunglasses. The spider tipped its glasses at them.

"Wow, cool," Anne said."Hey, mind if the, uh, Plantars come along?"

Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly all grinned.

Sasha watched them wordlessly, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she smiled. "Of course, I don't mind. The more, the merrier!"

The Plantars cheered. "First class!" Hop Pop called.

"I call window seat," Sprig said eagerly.

Polly hopped ahead. "No, me! No, me!"

They rushed inside of the carriage, and Hop Pop's voice came filtering out through the windows. "Kids, stop pushing! Ow!" Then the sound of shattering glass.

Anne giggled. "They're fun."

Sasha coughed awkwardly. "Yeah…" she said, sounding irritable.

"You two comin' or not?" Hop Pop shoved the door to the carriage open again. "By the way, sorry, but we accidentally dropped a glass. Hope you don't mind!"

Once the carriage had pulled to a stop, Sasha shoved the door open and stepped out. Anne followed. "So, here we are," Sasha said, gesturing to the imposing tower standing in front of them.

The tower was the most terrifying place Anne had ever seen, but she kept that to herself. "Ominous," she said instead, hoping that didn't sound like an insult.

"Oh, Percy," Sasha called in a sing-song voice.

A yellow-green toad wearing a helmet that looked much too small for him walked up, saluting. "Yes, commander?"

Sasha put her hand on Anne's shoulder. "I'm gonna give Anne a quick tour. Escort these frogs to the banquet hall."

"Hey, I wanna go on the tour too," Sprig said, waving his arms in the air, though Anne was sure his reasoning was less about curiosity and more about worry.

Polly gasped. "Me three!" She bounced up and down, excited.

"Come on, kids," Hop Pop said. "Give Anne and her friend a chance to catch up."

"Don't worry, I'll find you guys later," Anne reassured them. "Go have fun in there."

Sprig groaned. "We'll try." He gave Anne a meaningful look. "Be careful." Then he, Polly, and Hop Pop followed Percy into the tower.

Once they were gone, Sasha raised her eyebrow at Anne. "You certainly seem close with those three," she said. "What happened to 'Ew, frogs are the worst'?"

"They're actually pretty great once you get to know them," Anne replied, chuckling. "I've been living in their basement since I got here."

Sasha's eyes widened. "A basement? Yuck!" Then she grinned. "Follow me. I'm gonna show you something crazy." She started walking off, and Anne followed.

A few minutes later, Sasha was standing in front of a pair of double doors. She pushed them open with a proud, almost smug grin. "This is where I've been living."

Anne gasped. "Hoopa de boopa! Woah!" The room was well lit and surprisingly cozy, with statues of Sasha and Captain Grime, paintings, sofas, plushies, and everything else anyone could ever want in a bedroom. There was even a dining table with a throne-like chair.

"Yo, Brunton," Sasha called, snapping her fingers.

A toad that looked an awful lot like Stumpy if he was a toad came walking over. "Oui, Commander?" he asked in the thickest French accent Anne had ever heard outside of TV, arms crossed behind his back and his stained apron on full display.

"Bring us the usual," Sasha said. Brunton nodded and left the room, soon emerging with several other toads carrying silver-domed platter after silver-domed platter. The toads set the food on the dining table, and Sasha steered Anne over to the chair.

"Pizza? Tacos? Hamburgers?" Anne named each item as she saw it. She gasped as she saw a familiar red condiment. "Woah, you've got ketchup?" She glanced straight ahead with a thousand-yard stare. "It just occurred to me that I've been eating bugs for a month." She reached for anything on the table and started stuffing it into her mouth, hungry for the familiar cuisine of home.

"Anything else, Commander?" Brunton asked.

"Run the hot water, please. For the shower."

Anne looked up. "Shower?!"

Anne sat on Sasha's couch, wearing a bathrobe, her hair in curlers, feeling the cleanest she'd felt since arriving in Amphibia. "Wow, Sash, this is so surreal," Anne said. "I can't believe you're really here." She took a sip of her hot cocoa.

Sasha stirred her own glass mindlessly. "I know, right?" She sighed. "And once this is over, we can finally find a way out of this crummy, gross world."

Anne put her cup down. "Once… what's over?" she asked, starting to get a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Oh, the rebellion," Sasha said nonchalantly.

She chuckled. "The what now?"

Sasha's eyes widened. "You don't know about the rebellion?" She set her cup of hot cocoa to the side. "Look, I'll explain. Just promise not to freak out or anything."

"O…kay," Anne said hesitantly. Sasha only told her not to freak out when she was about to say something that would absolutely cause Anne to freak out.

Sasha walked over to a map of Amphibia on the far wall. "So, you've probably already noticed that the toads in this valley have one job: to rule over the frogs." A small grin spread over her face at the words. "And lately, those frogs have been stepping outta line."

Anne's mouth fell open. Sasha walked back to the coffee table right in front of the couch.

"It turns out these "rebels" have been inspired by a certain frog." She picked up a scroll lying on the coffee table. "You might just know him. Stood up to some tax collectors, even ran for mayor against the local toad." She held out the scroll and unrolled it, revealing a blue and red poster of Hop Pop posing dramatically, the words 'Freedom Frog' emblazoned on the top and bottom.

Anne spit out her hot cocoa, then coughed. "What? Hop Pop's not a revolutionary!" She threw her arms out to the side to emphasize her point.

"Doesn't matter," Sasha said, tossing a bunch of newspapers onto the coffee table. All of them had pictures of Hop Pop or of frogs rebelling in his name. "Word has traveled like wildfire, and we've got to make an example out of him." She walked over to the window, Anne following in her wake. "So, the toads are just gonna feed him to that thing."

Down in the courtyard, Captain Grime and several guards wrestled with a giant, angry venus flytrap. Anne gasped in fear. She had to warn Hop Pop and get him out of here.

"Okay, here's the thing," Sasha continued. "I struck a deal with Grime. I'd help him capture Hop Pop and crush the rebellion, and Grime and his army will help us find a way home. The whole banquet trick– My idea, obvi." Her obvious pride in her plan to kill Anne's adoptive grandfather made Anne sick to her stomach. "Now we've got those slimy frogs right where we want them. Isn't this great?"

Anne glanced at the door out of the corner of her eyes, then started walking towards them, not turning away from Sasha. "Uh, I have to, uh… go to the roomrest– uh, the restroom." She laughed awkwardly, then bumped into the stone bust of Sasha, barely managing to catch it and set it back on the pedestal. "Whoa." She flashed her best attempt at a grin as she opened the door. "Stay. BRB." Then she darted through and let it slam with a thud.

Anne quickly ran down the hallway to Sasha's closet, frantically tugging the curlers out of her hair. She slammed the door to the closet and picked up her freshly laundered school uniform, discarding the bathrobe and tugging it on. Shehad to get the Wartwoodians out of there. She might just be the only one who could.

She tugged on a chestplate, then quickly added a black cloak to disguise herself. In a panic, she grabbed an extra sword from a hook on the wall, cinching the belt of the scabbard around her waist. "Sprig was right," she muttered to herself. "Luz and Marcy were right. Sasha hasn't changed." She grabbed a leftover poster Sasha had left in her closet, then ran out of the room, hurrying as fast as she could.

"Banquet hall, banquet hall…" She all but ran through the tower, trying to avoid drawing attention while looking for the entrance to the banquet hall. Finally, she heard the familiar sounds of screaming and glass shattering, and grinned gratefully. Thank goodness for Wartwood's tendency to panic.

Anne pulled up her hood, then shoved open the door. "Enough!" she cried, channeling every imitation of Sasha's voice she'd ever done. "Guards, leave us. I'll get these frogs to fall in line." She stepped forward, pulling out her sword.

The toad soldiers grinned. "You lot have made a huge mistake," one of them said gleefully.

"Enjoy your time with Commander Sasha," another said.

Captain Grime's soldiers all filed past, shutting the door behind them. The Wartwoodians gulped, and Anne could see faces pale with fear.

Anne tossed back her hood and grinned. "Hey, guys!"

Everyone gasped. "Anne!"

"Anne!" Sprig jumped to the front from somewhere behind the crowd and hugged her fiercely. "Boy, are we glad to see you." Then his grin turned serious. "We've got a situation. We're not guests. We're–"

"Prisoners, I know. You were right about Sasha, Sprig," Anne interrupted. "And it's worse than that. Captain Grime and Sasha are planning to execute Hop Pop!" Anne pointed at him with her sword.

Everyone turned to face Hop Pop, who was standing by the banquet table with arms piled high with seafood and Polly sitting on his head. "Say what?!" he cried, dropping all his food. "But why?"

Anne unrolled the poster of Hop Pop and held it out. "Turns out Hop Pop's been inspiring rebellions all across the valley. Blah blah, it's some political nonsense."

Hop Pop took the poster from Anne's hands and inspected it. "Well, it's a good-looking poster though," he said. There was a beat of silence. Then– "I'm gonna die!"

"Don't worry, youngster," Mrs. Croaker said. "We won't let 'em get you."

"So what do we do?" Felicia asked.

"Nobody panic." Anne held her hands out. "I'm busting us out of here." She looked at the ground and realized she didn't know how. "Somehow. Anyone got any ideas?"

Loggle pointed his finger. "I do…n't. I don't."

"Aw, come on!" Everyone groaned.

"Geez, Loggle," Sprig said.

Wally pushed aside Anne's cloak. "I've got one. What say we plant these boomshrooms around the joint? Blow the place sky-high." He opened his vest, revealing boomshrooms plastered to his jacket and bandoliers of boomshrooms looped around his body.

Anne's jaw dropped. How did Wally even feel safe walking around with those? She gave him an unimpressed look. "With us still inside? We're not doing that."

"Right." Wally put his hands on his hips, then made a weird face. "We're not doing it."

"Seriously. No boom shrooms."

"Loud and clear," he said again, still making that face.

Anne considered saying it again but figured Wally had already agreed, so there was no point. "Okay. Gotta figure a way out. Hmm." She walked closer to the gate. "There's only one door, and the toads are outside it. There has to be some other wa–" An acrid smell filled her nostrils, and she sniffed. Then she gasped. "That's it!" She bent down and tugged at the grate on the floor, pulling it off in a cloud of noxious gas. "The sewer!"

Felicia sniffed, then put her hands up. "Oh, yuck, really?"

"Deal with it, lady!" Polly hopped over to the top of Felicia's head. "It's time to get dirty!" Then she leapt off of Felicia and soared straight into the sewer, yelling with delight.

It took a bit of Anne coaxing everyone into the sewer (Duckweed and Felicia were the hardest to convince) but they were soon all filing down the stairs and to the tunnel system below. She took her place in the front of the group and started leading them down the tunnel, every Wartwoodian following right behind. More than once they ran into some kind of creature that made its home in the sewers beneath Toad Tower, and everyone had to run screaming to another tunnel.

It took at least half an hour of trudging through sludge and muck and who-knew-what-else before Anne could feel moonlight on her face. She looked up and gasped. "Finally! I think we made it!"

"Mantis formation!" Toadstool called. Once the frogs had all assembled into a pyramid, Toadstool added, "Anne, get up there. Open the sewer grate and we'll start climbing up."

"Sure thing, Mayor Toadstool!" Anne clambered up the pyramid, apologizing every time she accidentally stepped on someone's face, and grabbed onto the rungs in the wall. She ascended the ladder and threw open the cover. "Ah, fresh air," she said with relief, then her eyes widened with fear as several dozen toads leveled their weapons at her.

"Boy, those toads really stink," Sprig said, climbing up next to her. Then he caught sight of the threat. "Did I say stink? I meant, are very handsome."

"Anne, Anne, Anne." Sasha walked over, and the toads parted for their commander. "Very disappointing. Now let's move. Grime's waiting for us."

Sprig and Anne exchanged a look.

The toad soldiers shoved the Wartwoodians up the last flight of stairs, Sasha dragging Anne in front. Captain Grime was standing on the far edge of the tower, looking at something down below. "Caught these prisoners trying to escape, Grime," Sasha said, and the toad captain turned to face them, an almost maniacal grin on his face.

"Dude, are you crazy?" Anne asked, pulling her arm out of Sasha's grip.

Sasha poked her in the chest. "Shh. I'm trying to get us home."

Captain Grime finally spoke. "Very impressive, Sasha. Always playing Flipwart when everyone else is playing Bog Jump."

"Huh?"

"Whaa…?"

"Well, see, Flipwart and Bog Jump are games," Grime tried to explain, "but Flipwart, of course, is far more complicated and…" He gave up. "I'm trying to say you're smart!"

"Oh, thanks, Grimesy," Sasha said with a laugh. She walked over to stand beside the captain. "What can I say? Just how I do. Up top!"

Grime looked at the hand she offered in confusion. "Ah… um… yes." He smacked it with his own.

"Sasha, please!" Anne tried to appeal to her soft side. "There has to be another way! Oh–" A pair of toad soldiers blocked her way with their spears.

"There is no other way, creature," Grime said. "Our very way of life is at stake. I don't expect an outsider like you to understand." He snapped his fingers. "Seize the traitor, Hopediah Plantar."

Two toad soldiers walked over and grabbed Hop Pop by the arms. "No! Get your hands off me!" he cried. Sprig and Polly fruitlessly tried to get the soldiers to let go of Hop Pop. "Kids!"

"No!" Anne crouched down and shoved the two soldiers blocking her way, darting between them and grabbing one of their swords. She swung the weapon at the soldiers holding Hop Pop captive and shoved them away. "Stay back!" But the toad soldiers started advancing anyway, forming a half-circle around the Wartwoodians and drawing closer with every step.

She wasn't alone, though. Sprig pulled out his slingshot, Hop Pop a pair of– were those crab legs? And Polly got her flail out from seemingly nowhere. Even the other Wartwoodians picked up rocks and stones, ready to fight.

"In retrospect, we really should have tied them up," a toad soldier said.

"Enough!" The toads gasped and parted, and Sasha stepped through. "Anne, what are you doing? Are you really gonna risk your life for these talking frogs? We don't even belong here," she continued, coming to a stop in front of Anne. "Don't you wanna get back home?" She shrugged. "See your family?"

Anne glanced to the side. "Yeah, but–"

Sasha's voice turned hard. "Then put your sword down now. End. Of. Discussion."

Anne considered it for a moment. Then she thought of what Luz and Marcy had said, back home. And a quick glance at Sprig steeled her resolve. "You know what? Luz was right about you," she said. "I don't know why I didn't see it sooner. So back off. Leave Hop Pop alone. Leave Wartwood alone."

Sasha tried to glare at Anne but still stopped short of looking her in the eye. "Anne, you need to stop this nonsense. I'm just trying to help you, okay? Look, you've known me for your whole life, and you met these frogs, like, what, two months ago? Who are you really gonna trust?"

Anne narrowed her eyes, hating herself for doing what she was doing. She wished she could have been kinder, more understanding, more sensible– anything, really, that would redeem her in Sasha's eyes. Sasha could be mean at times, sure, but she could also be kind and heroic and strong. And somehow, she always ended up asking Anne the questions Anne was too afraid to ask herself.

Who are you really gonna trust?

Maybe she didn't need Sasha anymore. Maybe, for once, she could call the shots in her own life, just like she'd promised herself she would. Maybe she'd stop trying to satisfy everyone just so that she wouldn't be alone. Maybe she'd actually start to answer the difficult questions.

Who are you really gonna trust?

Anne looked back at Sasha, steeling her nerves. "Myself."

"Yeah," Sprig piped up. "Anne's not gonna be pushed around by a bully like you."

Sasha gaped. "Wha– Anne. I said end of discussion. Put the sword down!" Then a mudball splattered her in the face. "What the heck?"

Everyone gasped. Sprig had raised his slingshot and was readying another. "Didn't you hear her? She said back off."

"You know what?" Sasha drew her sword. "I think I've had enough of you, squeaky toy." She stepped forward and swung the sword, aiming it right at Sprig. He gasped, putting his arms up to shield his face.

A clang echoed through the entire tower.

Anne had stepped in front of the sword, pressing it back with her own. Sasha gasped. "Anne, what are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Anne said through gritted teeth, furious. "Standing up TO YOU!" She pushed harder, and Sasha stumbled back, shocked.

Anne turned back to look at Sprig. "Thanks for believing in me, Sprig," she said.

Sprig nodded. "Spranne against the world."

Grime started to chuckle behind Sasha, who spun around to face him. "What are you laughing at?" she spat.

"Looks like you've got a rebellious seed of your own," he said. "You've given me plenty of advice. Now let me give you some." His face grew somber. "Stamp this out. Make her yield. Fail, and nothing will ever be the same."

"Not gonna happen." Sasha turned to face Anne, holding her sword out.

"This should be fun. My friends!" Grime started to address everyone gathered on top of the tower, walking out to the center. "Instead of a messy free-for-all, I have a splendid idea. How about we settle this–" He hopped onto a rock behind him. "–the toad-fashioned way?" With a snap of his fingers, the toads surrounded Sasha and Anne, holding their shields out to form a barrier. "Trial by combat! If your champion wins, you all go home, no harm, no foul," Grime explained. "But if our champion wins, well…" He glanced at the venus flytrap in the courtyard behind him and chuckled. "Baby's hungry."

"Anne, you don't have to do this," Hop Pop said, holding his hands out.

Anne turned away, facing Sasha. "Yes, I do."

Sasha and Anne started to circle around the makeshift arena, glaring at each other. Then they finally stopped, swords held at the ready.

Grime threw his arm out. "Begin!"

Sasha immediately started rushing at Anne, sword held out as though she meant to skewer her. Anne ducked and parried blow after blow, barely getting an opportunity to get in one of her own. Sasha swung her sword at Anne's head and she bent back, then swung. Their swords locked, each pushing the other, neither willing to give.

"What's gotten into you, Anne?" Sasha asked, sweat dripping down her forehead, teeth gritted. "You were never like this back home!"

"Do you ever– stop– talking?!" Anne shoved just a bit harder with the last word, pushing the point of Sasha's sword into the ground. Then she swung at it, hitting it to the other side of the 'arena'. It clattered to the cobblestones, and everyone gasped.

Elated, Anne turned back to Sasha with a laugh, only to find the other girl knocking her sword away with a smaller but no less deadly knife that she'd hidden on her person. She slashed at Anne, who had no choice but to step back. "Oh, come on, a dagger?"

Sasha dashed for her sword, diving into a roll and coming up with it in hand. She immediately bounced back to her feet and rushed straight for Anne, who tried to get her with a blow of her own. But Sasha ducked under Anne's outstretched arm and parried her next blow, tossing her sword to her other hand and tugging her cloak off. She tossed it over Anne's head, blocking her vision. Then Anne felt something hitting her legs and fell, slamming against the ground.

She tore the cloak off her face and tried to sit up, only to be met with the point of Sasha's sword. "They're just slimy little frogs, Anne," Sasha said forcefully, the huge red moon bathing the scene in an eerie red light. She slowly drew her dagger, her sword never wavering. "They don't matter!"

Anne looked down. "They're not just frogs." She clutched her sword tighter. "THEY'RE MY FRIENDS!" Anne surged back to her feet, and with one swing, knocked both of Sasha's weapons out of her hands. Sasha stumbled back and fell, blood welling up in a small cut on her cheek. Her weapons spun through the air and landed blade first, burying themselves in the stone of the tower.

The frogs immediately started to cheer. Breathing hard, Anne turned back to Sasha. "It's over, Sash. You're not gonna push me around anymore."

Sasha looked shocked, then she narrowed her eyes in fury.

Anne glanced at Grime. "So how about it, big guy? We're free, right?"

"Yeah, I don't think so." Grime inflated his throat, then shot his tongue straight at Anne, who dodged. Then she watched, shocked, as Grime's tongue wrapped around Hop Pop, pulling him out of Sprig and Polly's grip. They all cried his name helplessly.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Grime asked once Hop Pop was securely in his grip. Then he glowered. "This ends now."

Right before he could toss Hop Pop to the venus flytrap, the tower started to shake. "What the– what?!"

Anne immediately knew who was responsible. "Wally, what did you do?!"

"What?" came the response. "I thought we agreed. Wait, could you not tell I was winking? Ah, curse you, one eye!"

The tower began to crumble, the stones falling away. People screamed and backed away from the edges, quickly turning tail and fleeing down the stairs. "Where are you going, you cowa-AAAARDS?!" Grime called, losing his balance and falling off the side of the crumbling tower. Hop Pop used the opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp and jump off his head, landing on the tower and quickly rejoining his family. "Ah! Eh, I never liked that guy anyway." He and Sprig pulled open the trapdoor, calling to the scared Wartwoodians. "Everyone! Come, get off of the roof, quick!"

Anne watched the chaos in shock, then fell to her knees as the ground started to tilt. "Anne!" someone called. She looked up just in time to see Sasha falling to the rapidly collapsing tower, screaming.

"Sasha!" she called, then lunged forward and caught her hand. "Gotcha. I've got you, Sash. You're gonna be okay–" Then she screamed as she felt herself starting to fall, just barely managing to catch herself on a loose brick.

It took everything Anne had to keep Sasha from falling. "Can't… hold on… much longer…" she grunted. But she knew one thing– she couldn't let Sasha fall to her death, not if she could do something about it.

She felt her feet slipping off the brick, and she gripped Sasha's hand as tight as she could while the tower crumbled around them. She slipped off the rock, nearly falling off the tower itself, but somehow, perhaps due to some unusual luck, someone caught her, and she suddenly felt something pulling her foot.

It was Sprig. "Don't worry, I've got you– oh!"

Anne's grip tightened, hoping nobody had accidentally dropped her– or, worse, let her and Sasha fall off the tower. Finally, she felt herself stop falling and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Hop Pop's voice.

"Hold on, kiddo," Hop Pop grunted.

Anne saw Sasha glancing down, tense. "Hey, hey. Look at me, look at me." She forced herself to smile. "Everything's gonna be totally fine. Just hang on."

"We got you, Anne." Hop Pop said. "No matter what."

"Uh, guys?" Polly warned. "I think we have a situation."

The stone cracked, and Anne dropped a few inches.

"Hey, Anne?" Anne opened her eyes, and her heart dropped at the sad look in Sasha's eyes. "Maybe you're better off without me."

Then Sasha let go.

"NO!" Anne called. Sasha grew smaller and smaller, heading closer and closer to the ground, right before Grime jumped and caught her. Sasha's alive. But Anne couldn't do anything but sit on the ruins of the tower and watch. The sun started to rise, bathing the ruins in dawn's warm glow.

Grime walked to the edge of the forest, Sasha in his arms, and turned back to look at Anne. Sasha was unconscious. The former captain of the Southern Toad Tower bared his teeth, and somehow, Anne knew this wasn't over.

Sprig walked up to her, his hat clutched in his hands and his hair blowing wildly in the wind. "Anne… are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Never felt be–" She couldn't even finish before she burst into tears.

Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop all hugged her, trying to comfort her, but she couldn't help but feel like she'd just lost everything.

Anne and the Plantars sat on the edge of the fountain in Wartwood, dejectedly staring at the ground.

"I know that was hard for you, Anne," Hop Pop started. "Thank you, you know… for everything."

"Hop Pop, you three are my family. I'd never let anyone hurt you."

Sprig tried to lighten the mood. "So, you guys wanna get breakfast and come up with some kind of plan to get Anne home?"

"It's gonna be dangerous," Hop Pop warned. "Perilous, even."

"Understatement!" Polly agreed.

"Well, whatever happens next, one thing's for sure." Anne enfolded the other three in a hug. "If we're together, I know we'll be alright."

"Hugging a little tight there, Anne."

"No I'm not."

"Sprig, what do I do?" Anne stood on the balcony of the Hemisphere Hotel, looking out over the nighttime city. "I don't know what to think anymore."

The pink frog hopped onto her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I wanted to find my friends. You know that already." She sighed and looked at him. "Now I've found them, and the king said I might not belong with them."

"Well, it could be you or Luz," Sprig said in an attempt to be reassuring.

"But that's the problem! If it's not me, it's her, and then what?"

"I… don't know," Sprig said. "But it's not like you'll stop being friends, right?"

Anne nodded. "That's true."

"Besides, you'll always have me, Hop Pop, and Polly. It'll be fine!"

"Thanks, Sprig," Anne said, giving him a smile. "You're right."

"Now, you wanna ride the Ferris wheel?" Sprig asked excitedly.

"You've been raving about this thing all day. Of course!"

Author's Note

So I was right, I wasn't able to finish this chapter in time to post it last week. Oh, well, hope the fact that this chapter is the longest one yet makes up for that.

Just thought we'd get a little peek at what Anne went through for her first two months in Amphibia. But I knew it would be boring to just read what already happened in canon, so I tried to improve and expand upon it with a few unique scenes and interactions all from Anne's perspective. Such as how she lost her shoe.

Adapted episodes: Anne or Beast, Toad Tax, Reunion.

This chapter literally wouldn't have been possible without i, so thanks so much.

-Reviews-

OMAC001: You're right about that, but to be fair Luz hadn't been put in a situation yet where her suicidal stubbornness would come to light. So neither she nor her friends knew about it.

Thirteen-Seven: Was that a play on my username? :) And yeah, Andrias is definitely planning something sneaky. It won't be long before we see what he's up to, though... Oh, and Marcanne is my preferred ship of the three girls too! Sashannarcy is second, followed by the others.

-Final Notes-

I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to get next week's chapter out on time, but I'll try my best. It definitely shouldn't be as long as this one haha :)

Hopefully see you next week for yet another unnamed chapter (I'll get around to naming them eventually!)