13. S1: A Potion-Maker

Hewwo, it's me. The President of the United States. I'm here to give you this gift for being here and as a thanks for staying this long. If you're a new reader, then welcome! Have a seat and grab some cookies. We're all here for a grand time. This episode is based on "Plantar's Last Stand". I hope you enjoy the show :)

"Here ya go, Mrs Croaker. One gangly gourd." Hop Pop said, handing over an oddly-shaped pumpkin to the old lady.

For many generations, the Plantars had always been farmers. Even after finding the secret underground tomb full of ancient Plantar family heirlooms, it's still safe to say that they were all farmers in one way or another. Scientists playing god with a bunch of gourds, warriors who used their pillaged money to buy land, etcetera.

The Plantar's vegetable and fruit stand was no exception. Hopadiah Plantar had worked in this stand for decades and thus, maintaining the tradition of a farmer's family.

Hop Pop eyed the gnarly gourd and smiled. "Oh, I sense a batch of Croaker stew coming on."

"Well, aren't you bright? Ol' Brutus loves his stew." Mrs Croaker answered. She was a loyal customer to the Plantar's stand, always buying the freshest of ingredients there.

"Wait, now hang on there, Sadie. Let me just…" Hop Pop said, grabbing back the gourd. After a few knocks and a lick, he then split it open, revealing a worm-like creature in the centre. "A-ha! A gourd maggot! It would've ruined the stew if you put that in."

"Here, take this one. It's maggot-free." He said, giving a different one.

"Oho my, thank you kindly, Hopadiah. I've been to this stand since your father was running it. And y'all never steered me wrong."

Once she left, Sasha the human and the two Plantar kids Sprig and Polly joined the seen. While Sprig and Polly had seen Hop Pop's business attitude countless of times, Sasha, on the other hand, was impressed. If it were her, she would never have noticed.

"Nice job, old man." Sasha praised with a nod.

Hop Pop nodded back, accepting the praise with no trouble. "Honesty is the best policy, as my pop would say. It's been this way for generations, even before the stand was first built."

"Still, it doesn't look like that honesty of yours is doing the business any good." Sasha replied. She then pointed at the back with her thumb. There beside the cart, several crates worth of produce remained untouched. "I mean, that's a lot of unsold fruits and vegetables."

Hop Pop understood what she meant but simply shrugged. "It can't be helped. Farming is a serious competition. Everyone here in this market is trying to sell as much as they could." He then smiled at the girl for he had a plan. "Just because we got some extra, don't mean it's a waste. We can make some Plantar stew with it!"

"Okay first off, if you're going to make a stew, I'm cooking because I don't want you to kill me. Second, outside of being turned into mulch, that is a waste." She argued.

Whenever the Plantars had unsold goods, there were two options; either resell them at a fraction of the price in bulk or simply repurpose them. This meant eating it themselves or turning it into fertilizer – feed for the next batch of fruits and vegetables. One advantage of having your own farm was that you never had to grow your own crops.

No piece went to waste, that's for sure. But no profit was made either which meant there was no net positive unless sold.

Suddenly, Sasha had a brilliant idea.

Noticing this, Hop Pop frowned. "I don't like that look on your face. That's the Sasha-has-a-bad-idea look."

"Now that's just rude. Also, it's not a bad idea. How about you give me these leftovers and I make them into something sellable like, uh…"

Sasha grabbed the half-eaten gourd from before and squished its contents into a glass bottle. From where she got the bottle, it didn't matter. Corking it closed, she then shook the bottle, mixing the contents till homogenous.

Raising her arm, she presented her little product to the Plantars. "Behold! Sasha's 100% organic and vitamin-rich juice bottle! Guaranteed to give you all the nutrients you need to start the day full of energy!"

"Really?" Polly asked in awe.

"Well, kinda. Companies like to pump in a bunch of sugars and stuff and I guess that gives you energy." Sasha answered half-heartedly.

She recalled Marcy and her habit of drinking sugary drinks. The intelligent black-haired girl and her hobby for video games probably fuelled that habit. The sugars provided her energy, allowing Marcy to use her mind more effectively but at the cost: a sweet-tooth with an addiction.

Sasha always carried a few pieces of wrapped candy in her pocket, should she ever need to give Marcy a treat. Though most of the time, Anne filled that role for her, being sweet herself.

Hop Pop scratched his chin, sceptical of the human girl's plan. "I don't know… That sounds like lying."

"It's not lying. It's creative marketing." Sasha urged with a slight change of wording. "I won't lie about this. Come on, Hop Pop."

"Promise?"

"Promise." She vowed, not a single beat of hesitation in her voice. Her confidence was astounding. "Believe me, it's going to sell like hotcakes."

"What's a hotcake?" Sprig, who had been left out from most of the conversation, genuinely asked.

Sasha went to answer but even she was left speechless. "I… actually have no idea. Huh, what is a hotcake?"

In contrast, Polly crossed her little flippers, the answer obvious to her. "It's a cake that's hot, duh."

That probably wasn't it but Sasha did not have the heart nor care to challenge otherwise. She internally shrugged and moved on, back to the topic at hand.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Count on me, Hopadiah Plantar. By the end of the week, I'll successfully sell all of your leftovers into juice bottles!"

"I can't believe you didn't sell a single one in the past 4 days. I mean, what are the odds?"

A few days, Sasha had a brilliant idea; she would squeeze out all the delicious and somewhat nutritious juices from the unwanted crops and pour them all into bottles before selling at the highest, reasonable price range. It was ingenious, really. No one in Wartwood or even Frog Valley, in particular, had the same idea.

Unfortunately for every new piece of invention or innovation, it would either be met by harsh criticism or a pathetic disheartening flop.

"These frogs have no taste, that's why." Sasha yelled out loud, deeply in a bad mood, followed by an exasperated groan of disappointment. "Ugh! I mean, it's something new and cool! Most kids back in my school would go crazy for the hottest-selling candy or TV show. How come the juice isn't working?"

"Maybe because no one in Wartwood drinks juice?" Sprig reasoned. That was a safe assumption. Juice was very easy to make and yet, not a single frog, newt nor toad ever made any. Even if they did, none ever tried to commercialize it at this market.

"Maybe, maybe…" She said out loud, wondering as well. "We'll just have to switch strategies. Any ideas?"

"Threaten everyone with violence until they buy our juice?" Polly suggested.

"No."

"Be super friendly with them to the point of being family so they'd buy out of pity?" Sprig suggested afterwards.

"No."

As they continued their brainstorming session, the yells of a deranged one-eyed frog interrupted their train of thought. One-Eyed Wally, as the townsfolk called, was the local coot. The conspiracy theorist, the naysayer, you named it. He was an oddball that claimed to see things like demons and anthropomorphic socks.

Most of the time, the townspeople of Wartwood ignored him. But the moment Sasha came into the picture and he was right, people started to trust him more.

"Everyone, everyone! There's a horrible, horrible monster on the loose!" He screamed in a panic.

"A monster?! Like her?!" One random frog exclaimed, pointing at the Sasha the bystander.

"Hey…"

Wally shook his head. "No, no, far less scarier than that."

"HEY!"

Wally ignored her cries. What he had to say was far more important. "No… it's a MUSHROOM that can CONTROL MINDS!"

People started to trust him before. Shame that it was misplaced.

"A mushroom that controls minds? How ridiculous!" A member of the town said.

"Oh, Wally! Your craziness has truly done it this time! If you were a comedian, I would've paid you!" Another laughed. He then pulled out a small feminine purse, opening it with a click. Awkwardly, it was empty. "Do you, uh, accept credit?"

The three Plantars watched as the crowd laughed at the poor one-eyed frog. None of them was particularly close to him, Sasha especially. She only knew him from the day of getting mobbed. She could never forget the face of the man that yelled at her to be lynched.

"Hmm…" Sasha hummed. Wally might be crazy but he did bring in some excellent material.

"A mushroom that controls minds? And you're all laughing? No wonder you folks don't live long. Every time you see a threat, you just laugh at it and DIE!" On top of her table, Sasha yelled loudly, instantly garnering the attention of all the townies nearby. "I mean, if I wanted to eat frogs, I bet none of you would even try to stop me!"

"Hey, I resent that fact but refuse to act out of fear of my life!"

Sasha continued without pause. "If you don't take precautions, who knows what other nightmare will gobble you up when you're asleep?! Thankfully, we got a solution for you."

Sprig turned to her, looking both surprised and confused. "We do?"

"Just roll with it." She whispered before returning to the masses. "Introducing the limited-edition Sasha's monster-repelling elixir! Made 100% organic fruits and vegetables. Guaranteed to protect you from all sorts of dangerous beasts and wild frog-eating bugs!"

Looking around, she could hear the crowd discussing amongst themselves, talking on whether her words rang true. Some were doubtful and saw it as too good to be real. After a while, one stood out of the group and distrustfully called her out.

"Guaranteed, eh? Prove it." The brave soul dared, seeing her, the monster, as shifty and creepy.

In response, Sasha nudged the boy frog, quietly handing over a bottle. "Sprig, drink the juice."

As ordered, the boy frog drank the juice in a single gulp. He knew it was harmless and so wasn't at all bothered. However, he did find the juice to taste quite delightful. Maybe once all this blew over, they could make juice in their free time.

The townies waited for a response.

And waited, and waited.

…

To their surprise or the lack thereof, there was none.

"Nothing's happening!" A townie called angrily in an accusatory tone. Murmurs echoed around her in agreement. The monster had lied to them for no reason other than her own amusement.

Yet, Sasha was unfazed. She clicked her tongue, feigning displeasure. "Don't see it happening?! Sprig drank the juice- I mean, elixir, and no monster is trying to kill him! That means the elixir is working!" She explained, full of vigour.

If you wanted to convince someone in something ludicrous, you needed confidence. If you acted as if you believed in something so passionately, you planted the seeds of doubt in their minds. Sooner or later, even the staunchest of dissenters would come to your feet.

All you need was a little. A little lie to make a brand new truth.

"The beast has a point!"

Bingo. "Of course I have a point. I'm Sasha and I'm always right." She stated, her arrogance showing, one of her main personality traits. Sensing a momentum, she kept pushing hard.

"You're all lucky that we're here! If it was tomorrow or the next day, I bet one of you would already be DEAD!" She shrieked, scaring the townsfolk. As expected, the uneducated were afraid of what came after life. Exploiting that was essential.

Sasha grabbed a bottle, uncorked it and began drinking right in front of everyone. Her gulps were loud and visible, made to look as refreshing as possible.

"Ahh, delish…" She breathed, then turned back to the crowd, throwing the bottle behind her. "We only have a limited stock and since you're here, might as well buy a bottle. I mean, a few coppers cost nothing compared to the safety of your children."

"Not the children!"

Instantly what came after was a full-on riot. Everyone broke from the positions and ran towards her makeshift stand, pushing each other like a herd of scared cattle. Precious coins jingled in their pouched, ready to be traded for a bottle of emotional security. Real or not, they wanted what she had and she was willing to provide for a price.

Then again, not everyone was in on the plan. "Sasha, this sounds like lying. You promised you wouldn't lie to Hop Pop." Sprig exclaimed, feeling apprehensive at the whole ordeal.

Sasha scoffed. "And I won't. I just won't tell him the whole truth, that's all. Now come on and help me sell this stuff." Lifting a bottle up high, she yelled at the constant stream of customers. "By the way, you buy 5, you get 1 free! And it lasts for life so you better make it count! Also, no refunds!"

While everyone else was fervently attempting to buy the human girl's miracle elixir, Wally was no fool. He knew that the elixir would just be a temporary stoppage and not the solution they needed. This parasitic mushroom he saw had taken a poor frog as its host, growing larger from the nutrients absorbed through its roots.

If not dealt early, the fungi could easily infect everyone in town, creating a legion of zombies.

"Welp, time to go mushroom hunting." He said to himself, grabbing an axe from nearby. "The backyard needs a little trimming."

The very next day, the three kids told Hopadiah the good news. Having sold all the juice bottles, they made quite a large sum, easily quadruple the initial costs. Not like there were any, though. The Plantars had a surplus of bottles for some reason and the raw materials — vegetables and fruits — were basically free.

Being so successful, it's only expected that they celebrated with a trip to Felicia Sundew's fancy tea shoppe; the only place where Sasha liked the bugs.

Even Bessie was excited.

"I'm impressed, Sasha! I didn't you had it in ya! I mean, selling all those leftovers and making a huge profit? That's a miracle." Hop Pop exclaimed, full of praise.

In truth, he didn't expect the project to have a high return. He had a feeling it was either a total loss or a marginal gain. Yet, Sasha somehow made it work, exceeding his expectations.

Sasha puffed and blushed, shamelessly accepting the words. "Oh, you know me. I'm a godsend."

On their way to town, Hop Pop saw a figure on the horizon. Looking closer against the glare of the sun, he realized it was just his friend Leopold Loggle. Though for some reason, he looked positively chipper today.

"Oh hiya, Hop Pop!" Loggle greeted, waving a hand with a cheerful smile.

Hop Pop waved in return. He then pulled the leash, ordering Bessie to stop. "Hey there, Loggle. What are you, uh, doing out here?"

"Oh, me? Well, you know how a giant stick bug destroyed my shop?" Loggle asked. "I'm heading off to the Doom Tree to give that big bully a piece of my mind!"

Hop Pop gasped in shock. "Doom Tree?! Isn't that place dangerous?!"

"Oh, it's fine! I got here Sasha's monster-repelling elixir! That bug won't even be able to touch." Loggle explained. He then checked his wristwatch and was surprised. "Oops, gotta go! Don't want to miss my lunch. See ya, Hop Pop!"

"Wait, elixir? What elixir?! Loggle!" Hop Pop frantically yelled but it was futile. The axolotl had entered the forest, brimming with fearlessness.

Meanwhile, in the back, Sasha felt an ominous chill as if a pair of daggers were drilling through the back of her skull. Having heard the whole conversation, she had a good guess where it was from.

"Saaashaaa..." Hop Pop growled.

She nervously puckered. "I see nor hear nor speak no evil."

"SASHA! What did you do?!"

Sasha turned to the old frog, followed by an offended gasp. "Hop Pop! Why'd you have to assume I did something? Doing stuff is, like, the least favourite thing I like to do."

Sadly for her, it did not work. Hop Pop continued to glare at her, a deep frown on his face. His piercing look had the force of a thousand suns, boring into her guilty soul.

Sasha was used to these kinds of looks but coming from him was especially hard. Still, for not being related, she lasted far longer than Sprig and Polly ever could. Inevitably, she relented.

"Ugh, fine! I rebranded the juice bottles into 'monster-repelling elixirs' so that it sells better. You know, normal marketing biz!" She gave up, waving it off in an effort to make it look less serious.

Too bad for her as an opposite reaction occurred instead of what she wanted. Hop Pop's eyes widened in shock and betrayal. His poor old heart stopped beating for a second, only to return, full of rightly-placed anger. Even his orange skin turned red slightly.

Sasha tried to avoid looking him in the eye but no matter where, she just couldn't shake it. "Don't look at me like that! You're making me feel guilty."

"YOU LIED, SASHA! You promised you wouldn't lie about the juice! You. Promised." Hop Pop stated, absolutely furious. "I can't believe you can't even stay honest about it! Something so simple and yet apparently, too hard for you!"

Hearing that, Sasha felt a switch flip. She wasn't going to take this lying down. Her pride wouldn't let her. Instantly, her face scrunched up, expressing displeasure. "Well, maybe that's a lie too. Ever thought of that?!"

Hop Pop gave out a horrified gasp, then whipped the leash, telling Bessie to start moving again. "FINE! Have it your way! But I'm giving everyone a refund!"

"Well, FINE! See if I care!" Sasha shouted back.

The rest of the way to town was quiet after that. Sasha and Hop Pop refused to speak to one another, spending their time glowering in their anger. They refused to even look at each other and so, Sprig and Polly, unable to do anything nor knowing what to do at all, simply sat with them, sharing glances with the same silence.

From an outside perspective, Sasha was in the wrong but the mind of a teenager was hard to understand. She did what she believed was best and to her, that was what mattered. It wasn't about morals. The money earned could continue to fund her stay in the Plantar household for even a 14-year-old girl like herself knew full well that the money they had would not last forever.

Almost reaching the borders of the town, Hop Pop was unsure of where to go. They went out to celebrate but instead, ended with arguments. He has held onto his belief regarding honesty in the practices of businesses and thus, planned on repaying everyone. He just wasn't sure where to start.

Luckily for the two of them, something else came up. All of which in the form of giant highly-aggressive insects, preying down on the townies.

"The horror! THE HORROR!"

"My beautiful hair! It's turned… less beautiful!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

Wartwood was in chaos with everyone running for their lives. The streets were littered with splintered wood and shattered stone, and the surrounding structures from wells to statues were all left broken. Screams echoed off the walls, fires raging out in the open.

It was anarchy.

"What's going on?! Why are there so many mutant bugs in town?!" Sprig screamed in a panic, shocked at what he was watching.

"The Plantar's beast!" One nameless frog called out, crawling towards them in pain. "Beast, you got to help! I bought your elixir and decided to walk into the creepy forest to try it out but instead, all the monsters started chasing me!"

"I too did the same thing with the same result!" A female frog added from elsewhere.

"I grow tulips!" Another said, oblivious to the turmoil around him.

Sasha's eye twitched. While what she did was morally wrong and even she knew that, she never expected for it to go this far. Who in their right mind would do such a thing? One did not purchase armour and stabbed themselves to see if it worked. It was common sense or at least, it was to her. But then again, she was anything but common.

"You did what?!" Sasha yelled at the injured frogs, baffled beyond belief. "Are you crazy?! Just because it's a monster-repelling elixir, doesn't mean you should walk into a dangerous forest full of beasts for fun!"

She looked up and stared in horror at the damage her actions had wrought. This… was her fault. It was unintentional and quite literally an accident but she masterminded this, even though she never realised it.

If there was one thing Sasha hated, it was being wrong. But here, she knew she was wrong. And whenever she was wrong in a way she couldn't convince herself she was right, there was only one thing to do.

"I'll be right back." She growled, taking centre stage.

Grabbing a loose coil of rope nearby, she tied its end into a lasso and tossed it to where an unsuspecting green mantis would place one of its prickly legs in it. Pulling it tight, she ran across the field and towards the rest of the insects. From beetles to centipedes, dragonflies to locusts, Sasha gracefully manoeuvred around them, the ropes grasped tightly in her hand. Around and over and under their chitin bodies, she avoided every thrust, every bite and every stomp of their gigantic feet.

At the same time, she stole their attention and made sure to lure them all together. Their focus was entirely on her and being not so bright, they followed her lead, not a second of complex thought. Sooner or later, the hungry bugs all gathered, their arthropod eyes directed only at her.

She was cornered but not trapped. In any other day, they were the predators but right then and there, she was theirs.

Sliding underneath their multiple legs, Sasha pulled her rope with all her might. The tangled web that ran all over every single one of them took a sharp turn into becoming tighter, forcefully pulling them closer. They struggled and roared in defiance but the more they moved, the more the ropes knotted around them.

Sasha did not need to pull too much; they did most of the work. And in mere moments, they were successfully ensnared.

"There! That outta do it!" She exclaimed, pulling harder for good measure.

From behind, Sprig and Polly cheered at her, awestruck by the display. "That was incredible, Sasha!" The boy frog said. Alongside him, Polly nodded in approval.

"It's just like that time with the tomatoes, except you didn't get eaten this time." The pollywog stated.

Sasha scratched the cleft below her nose, aloof. "You know me. I'm Sasha and I can do anything."

It's funny, really. A month or so ago, she was deathly afraid of man-eating insects but after facing killer fruits, aggressive lampreys, a really angry bird and a giant mutated pumpkin, it didn't faze her as much. Maybe she was getting used to the craziness of Amphibia.

"SCRREEEEE!"

"AHHHH! SOMEBODY, PLEASE SAVE ME! THIS DIDN'T GO EVEN CLOSE TO AS PLANNED!"

Or maybe not as it continued to throw curveballs at her. Loggle came into town, screaming for help, and behind him was a walking stick whose body was covered with a dark hardwood exterior, standing taller than any bug she had ever seen. Sasha had genuinely forgotten about Loggle from before and to her shock, he had led the beast straight to her.

The walking stick, whilst on its charge, crashed through her brilliantly captured prey, snapping the rope into twain. Free once again, the insects were quick to target the one that placed them in those binds – Sasha herself.

"Uh oh." She muttered. Slowly, she retreated backwards, only to fall over due to shaking legs.

"Oof!" Sasha blurted, the impact leaving her with a sore bottom. Yet, she skidded back in a vain effort to make space. Sweating nervously, she began stuttering. "Uh…! I-It was a p-prank, bro?"

The bugs did not look amused.

"YAAAA!" Suddenly from outside her field of view, Sprig leapt into action, kicking the mantis in a face and forcing it to tumble down like dominos. On the ground, he readied his fists and tongue for a fight of his life. "Leave Sasha alone!"

"S-Sprig?!" Sasha muttered in surprise.

"HIYA! WHA-CHA!" At the same time, Polly appeared from another side, launching her entire body at them like a cannonball from her bucket. Beneath her, Hop Pop mercilessly hit the centipede on its trunk with his cane like the old man he was.

"Take that, and that!" Hop Pop shouted, repeatedly slamming his cane as hard as he could.

Sasha blinked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. "Polly? Hop Pop?! What are you guys doing?!"

"Saving your life, duh!" Polly replied with a shrug.

"Y-you too, Hop Pop? I thought you were mad at me."

The old frog punted a moderately-sized stone, hitting a dragonfly in the head and causing to come crashing down. "I am mad at you! But that don't mean I want you dead!"

This… feeling… This, oh-so-familiar feeling! This had happened before under different circumstances and reasons. Each time she got herself into trouble, the Plantars were always there to save her, just as she was there to save them. While the quarrel they had left a fresh wound, they would never leave it to rot.

No matter how much they argued, Plantars watched over Plantars.

"You guys…"

In that moment of sentimentality, she didn't realize an opening was available. In frustration, the mantis swiped its razor-sharp claws, hitting Sprig by its dull end and sending him flying.

"Argh!" Sprig yelled, crashing into a pile of conveniently-placed pillows.

Simultaneously, a beetle charged at the remaining duo and in response, Hop Pop grabbed his grandchild and jumped out of the way, losing his cane and leaving him defenceless. Hop Pop gulped fearfully. "Oh, dear…"

"HOP POP! POLLY! SPRIG!" Sasha worriedly called out.

Sprig was temporarily out of commission while Hop Pop and Polly were the next meals. This was the worst-case scenario and she was the shepherd to their demise.

Infuriated, Sasha gritted her teeth and her eyes glowed pink.

"How dare you…"

The temperature in the air dropped without warning. An ominous cloud hung over those involved and the bugs shifted their attention back to the young human girl. As if part of a pack, the others opened a path, allowing the green mantis to walk towards her unbothered.

The mantis leaned down to her level and screeched. "SCRRRREEEEEEEEE—!"

BAM!

In retaliation, Sasha punched the mantis right in its twitchy face and screeched back.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Sasha roared and for a long moment, the entire town was quiet. Not a single peep or even the flap of a bird's wings was heard. The mantis recoiled, shocked and perturbed. As it stared into the girl's pink glaring eyes, it felt a sense of unquestionable certainty, one that did not belong to it but wormed itself in nonetheless.

Slowly, one by one, the insects fled, back to the dark pits from whence they came. It was not fear that motivated them to leave but something else; a shared sense of empathy.

Once the bugs have all left, her eyes turned back to their baby blue. Sasha felt an immense migraine as if her head cracked open but that was not important. Immediately, she turned and ran towards her adopted family. "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?! PLEASE BE ALIVE!"

"U-huh…" Sprig affirmably groaned, rubbing his tender head. "I-I'm fine."

"Ugh, so am I…" Hop Pop exclaimed, letting go of Polly as she hopped back to retrieve her bucket. Upon standing up, however, his spine gave out an audible snap. "Argh, my back!"

Sasha breathed out in relief. She was glad that the Plantars were all mostly uninjured but it didn't remove the feeling of guilt that etched in her heart. She could not care for the townsfolk that belittled her at any moment but it'd be a lie if she were to say that all of them were unfriendly with her.

Mrs Sundew, Maddie… Apparently only those two. While they were apprehensive at first, they ended up being the only few frogs that respected her outside of the Plantar family. Through her actions, she was sure all of them were affected.

Onto an overturned wooden cart, Sasha yelled out to the public, grabbing their eyes and ears. Metaphorically, that was. "Attention, everybody!"

With so many tired and judging eyes on her, Sasha felt herself choke but ploughed through. "My name is Sasha Waybright and I…" She hesitated for a moment. "I lied. About the monster-repelling elixir, its effect, everything."

Sasha lowered her head, unable to stomach their stares. "All I sold to you that day were just bottles of juice and nothing else. It was supposed to be harmless, a simple scam. I… I never thought it'd get this far."

"I'm sorry."

Briefly, the town was silent, not a word spoken. Their grief turned to rage, all directed towards her. Fuelled not only by her actions but also her gangly appearance, they exploded.

"Boo! You suck!"

"You horrible, horrible monster!"

"The Plantars should never have taken you in! It was a mistake from the start!"

No matter their sneers or insults, their cries of justifiable anger and hate, the 14-year-old girl accepted it all. Some even went as far to grab rotten tomatoes or literal mud to throw at her, some hitting its mark while most missing entirely. However, she did not move from the cart and it was only due to the hands of a kind frog boy did she sullenly step down.

It was ironic, wasn't it? The family of farmers and their human companion all went into town to celebrate a successful business venture but one thing led to another and now, they left after what was basically five minutes. It was eerily quiet, the way back. Sasha sat in the backseat, her legs folded up her chest and her face hidden behind her knees, arms wrapped around them.

Hop Pop was conflicted. He wasn't sure what to say nor do but he had to try. That's what it meant to be the adult. To care for a child, even when it's not his, was his responsibility.

"Sasha? You doing alright there? You've been, uh, mighty quiet." Hop Pop asked, hoping to get some response.

"…"

"Hey, how about I make you some of my famous hippity-hoppity gumbo? That always cheers me up!"

"…"

"Maybe we can play some board games later on. What do you say, Sasha?"

Despite his attempts, all he received were the sounds of her breaths, indicating she was, thankfully, still alive. She didn't even twitch, her body still as a statue. However, he saw a slight crack above her knees, revealing her desolate tearful eyes.

"Sasha?"

"… They were right. About me being a monster and stuff. I've done nothing but bring trouble to you guys. I'm not even sure why you guys even tolerate me." She mumbled, her mouth hidden.

Her words rang true. She had, in fact, gotten them into dangerous situations. Sometimes accidental, other times purposely. All of which occurred mainly due to her hubris. She risked their lives countless times and never once did they risked hers. It was unfair how much she has taken from them when she has given back nothing. And when she tried to pay back their kindness, even though it was motivated on a whim, everything went wrong.

Her eyes swelled. "You should've just left me in the forest from back then."

Without hesitation, Hop Pop pulled Bessie's leash, halting the snail. He turned around to face the young girl, an arm slung over the backrest.

"Pardon my language but that's just POPPYCOCK!"

Sprig gasped loudly in shock. "Gasp! A Plantar swear!"

"Sasha, it's true that you did get us into a lot of trouble but you also got us into a lot of good situations too! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be stinkin' rich!" Hop Pop stated.

"Yeah and if it weren't for you, I would never have been friends with Maddie." Sprig added, his innocent smile enhancing the mood.

The two male frogs then looked at the youngest of them all, waiting for her addition. Polly blinked at their general direction and crossed her little flippers with a sour face.

"… What? I never had a life-changing adventure yet! You guys keep leaving me behind!" She exclaimed annoyedly. Sasha felt a small tinge of guilt about that but one that tickled her instead of weighing her down.

"The point being, we're lucky to have you with us. It might have not been easy but then again, nothing is! We wouldn't have it any other way."

Sasha raised her head, staring at the three frogs that accompanied her for her entire stay. There was no frustration in their brows, no teeth bared in opposition. Just soft smiles and clear eyes pointed directly at her.

Her mouth quivered and her throat felt tight. The swelling of her tear ducts rapidly grew and soon, it would burst uncontrollably. Before it could though, she wiped the waters clean, leaving only red eyes and a partially blocked nose.

Sasha smiled, looking healthier by the minute. "Thanks. I'm sorry about lying and breaking a promise."

"I'm sorry for getting so mad at you." Hop Pop replied with an agreeing nod. "Now, let's head back. I think we all deserve a good day's rest."

Today might have not been the best of days but it was certainly not entirely bad. Mistakes were made but then again, when wasn't it? She has withstood the consequences of her actions and grew as a person. At the same time, the Plantars learned more about her and they themselves matured.

People made mistakes. That's normal. That's life. It was not the nature of the mistakes that defined you but it was the actions taken afterwards that did.

After just that small talk, the mood brightened immensely. Sasha could now return to her sleeping bag and blanket with a peace of mind, knowing full well that she lived under the roof of those she trusted and cared for. Her legs lowered and face exposed, Sasha sported a genuinely happy grin.

The beautiful moment, unfortunately, was interrupted by One-Eyed Wally, mysteriously appearing from the neck of the woods with a leathery gas mask, his form covered in a glittery powder and wielding a woodcutter's axe. In short, he looked like a psychopath.

Hop Pop screamed. "AHHHHHH! Woah, Wally! You scared the living daylights out of me!" He then eyed Wally's entire body. "Why are you covered in glowing purple dust?"

Wally took off his mask, smiling underneath. "Oh, it's nothing. Just had to deal with a mushroom problem. You can all sleep well tonight, that's for sure!" He explained in confidence. "Oh, morning, Sasha! Say, you look a bit unwell."

Sasha raised a brow. "You… actually know my name?"

"Of course I do! That's what the Plantars call you, after all. It'd be rude to call you anything else." Wally looked at everyone and realized they were all just as dishevelled as the teenage girl. "You should all get some rest. Looks like you had a rough day."

Sasha chuckled. A rough day for sure.

"We did but… I think we're going to do just fine."