47. The New Normal

Chapter 46 - The New Normal

Months of finding a way to return home, months of being apart from families, months of fighting amongst themselves. All have paid off. Darrel and Anne have officially returned to their home world. The two couldn't believe it with their own two eyes. They gazed in magnificence and shock, knowing that it's too good to be true.

However, their journey home came with a hefty price. For their journey was not over, it was just the beginning. Not only did they return home, but so did Tint and the Plantars. Now the shoe is on the other foot, because it's the amphibians that are stuck in this world and need to get back.

And not only that, Sasha is still stuck in Amphibia. She tried to fight off against Andrias with all her might, but it wasn't enough. And Marcy and Cronaxx…. Well, we know what happened. Darrel made a promise to come back for them, and one way or another he was going to keep it.

We continue our journey to the city of Los Angeles, California. Cars were gridlocked on the freeway, planes were flying, waving inflatable tube men were dancing in car dealerships. It was insanely confusing for the Plantars and Tint. "What the!?" "What is that thing!?" They've been asking.

"I don't believe it!" Anne cried. "I can't believe it," said Darrel. "We're Home!?" "This is your world, Darrel?" Tint asked. "It's so loud." Darrel suddenly realized, "THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE ON THE FREEWAY!" "Let's move!" Anne shouted. Anne takes her bag containing Frobo's head and grabs Polly, while Darrel takes Tint, Hop pop and Sprig, and make their way safely out of harm's way.

The group makes it to a safe walkway, then turns around to gaze at the magnificence of the Los Angeles towers. The Good Day Blimp flying across, and the sun shining on the windows. Sprig was in awe until he fell flat on his back. "Am I dreaming?" Anne asked. "If you're dreaming, then I am too," said Darrel.

"There's only one way to be sure," said Anne. She takes out her phone and looks to her reception bars. They instantly went from no service to full 5G. Darrel looked at her phone and the two were amazed. They weren't dreaming after all, they really were home. "WE'RE HOME!" They shouted.

The group starts walking down a walkway. Polly keeps jumping with her new legs, Sprig touches everything he could get his hands on, and Hop pop and Tint continue to gaze at their surroundings. Darrel took a quick glance at Tint and was nervous at how he was acting. Sprig then jumps in a manhole cover, only for Hop pop to pull him out.

"So what's our next move, kids?" Hop pop asked. "I mean so much has happened. Do you think Marcy's…." "She's alive, Hop pop," said Anne. "She's just got to be." Darrel squinted his eyes and grinned his teeth. "We don't know that, Anne," he said.

"Darrel, I'm just trying to be hopeful," said Anne. "Well, I'm being realistic," said Darrel. "I can't think of one person who survived being stabbed in the back like that. Even if they survived, it's going to take a huge life support system to keep them alive."

The group was shocked at his response, and Darrel shook his head. "I'm sorry guys," he said. "But Hop pop is right, a lot has happened, and I need time to process this. I promised Sasha we would come back for them. Now that she's stuck there..."

Anne places her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "One thing's for sure, we're gonna find a way back," she said. Darrel smiled, along with their amphibious friends. "No doubt about it," said Tint. "Sounds like a plan," said Hop pop.

"But before we do any of that," said Anne. "First thing's first." "We finish our objective we made in Amphibia," said Darrel. The group stops walking and stands directly in front of a blue house with Thai decorations on the front lawn. Darrel and Anne smile, knowing where they are.

"Anne, is this?" Sprig asked. "It is," said Darrel. "My house," said Anne. "This is really happening, I'm gonna see my parents."

Suddenly, Darrel realized that he has to return home as well. And given the fact that his mother is terminally sick, made Darrel's worries increase tenfold. Months of being away made Darrel start fearing that he may be too late. That she either fought hard to fight her illness, or that she gave up because of his disappearance.

"Anne, I gotta get home," he said. "I need to know…" "Anne nodded, "Of course Darrel, and I hope and pray that you see her again." Darrel hugs Anne, "Thank you for being there for me," he said. "Come on Tint." "I'm right behind you," he said.

Darrel ran to his home as fast as he could. Tint followed shortly behind him. Lucky for Darrel, he and Anne don't live too far apart. Darrel wasted no breath and time as he approached his house. A two floor white house with blue window panels on the second floor. The main entrance is a blue door with a wreath that says welcome. Darrel smiled with tears in his eyes and ran up to knock on the door. "Mom! Dad! I'm back!" he shouted. But there was no answer.

He rushes over to his driveway to find only one car parked. "Shouldn't anyone be home?" Tint asked. "No," said Darrel. "Dad's car is gone, the lights are out in the house, that can only mean one thing."

Tint looked in Darrel's eyes, knowing that he knows his worst fear is coming to life. "I know one other place to find them," he said. "But I fear it's where I think it is." Darrel finds his bike back from the school, hiding from plain sight. "Darrel," said Tint. "Someone once told me that being aware of your fear is smart. And overcoming that fear is the mark of a successful wizard. I read about it in a wizard's journal entry."

Darrel took a deep breath, climbed on his bike, grabbed Tint, told him to hold on tight, and the two rode off to where his family could be.

After a few minutes of bike riding, Darrel and Tint arrive at the Los Angeles Community Hospital. Darrel knows that the hospital is a crowded place, so he needed to come up with a way to sneak Tint inside.

"Tint," he said. "This is going to be tricky, but I think we can pull this off." "What is it?" Tint asked. "If anyone sees you walking and talking, the police will get involved, which leads to scientists experimenting on you, then the government discovering your powers."

Tint gulped in fear, until Darrel put his hand on his shoulder. "But, if you just lie still, they'll think you're a stuffed animal. I think that's how we can sneak past the front desk." "So you just want me to not move at all?" Tint asked. "Exactly," said Darrel. Tint shrugged, "Okay, so long as we don't stick around for too long."

Darrel grabs Tint around his waist and Tint remains motionless as they enter the hospital. They approach the front desk and the receptionist gets off the phone in time to help him. "Can I help you young man?" she asked.

Darrel takes a deep breath and asks her, "Is Sarah Loyalitat here? I'm her son." The receptionist was stunned, thinking that he wouldn't want to be here. "Well," she said. "If you're here to see her, then you're not too late. She's at her final moments, if you came to say goodbye."

Darrel could not believe the words out of her mouth, his mother was at the final stage of her illness. Now his fears are realized, and started to choke up. But he knew he must keep going. "Where is she?" he asked. "Room, A113," said the receptionist. She points to the elevator, "Take the elevator to the top floor and turn left, you'll find her there."

Darrel did as he was told, he took the elevator with Tint still in his arm and his staff in hand. He reached the top floor and turned left until he saw room A113. He turns left and right, hoping that no one he doesn't know is around before he sets Tint down. "It's all clear," he said. And Tint stands beside him. Darrel takes his hand on the door handle, turns it and opens the door.

Inside the room, Darrel finds his mother, sleeping in the hospital bed. She lost all her hair, and her skin was all wrinkly. A heart monitor beats at a slow pace, and IV needles are injected in her left hand. She was all alone in that room, which made Darrel more upset.

Darrel approached her bed slowly and started to sob. He lets his staff lean on the wall and kneels by her side. "Oh mom… I'm so sorry. I did this to you. To our family." His eyes were shut still spouting tears in his eyes. "You've always been there for me. You never gave up on me. You taught me to stand strong, to find my voice. Now hear mine, please. I want you back. I love you."

Tint watches in sadness as Darrel sobs beside his mother. Then he looks at his staff and decides that right now, he doesn't care if he gets caught. He lost someone he cared about, and he felt that he can't let his friend lose someone he cares about.

He waves his hands and gives off a bright green light from his fingertips. He takes his aura and places it on Darrel's mother. The aura travels up to where the sickness is located and the light purges from her pancreas to her head. The light dies down and everything stands quiet.

While Darrel was quietly sobbing, he starts to hear the heart monitor beep at a steady pace. He didn't take notice of it. But what he did feel was a hand patting on his head. He shot straight up to see his mother smiling. Her hair was magically returned, and her wrinkles were gone.

Darrel's sadness suddenly turned to joy and excitement. "Mom, you're back!" Darrel cried. "Oh Darrel," said his mom. "We both are." The two hugged so tight, Tint started to shed some tears too. "How do you feel mom?" Darrel asked. "Better than before," she said. "It's like the cancer was never there."

The two laugh until they hear another familiar voice. "Sarah? Darrel?" They turn to see Darrel's father and his two sisters. His father was dressed like a professional aviator. His first sister was dressed like a basketball player with the LA Lakers colors and a jersey with the number eight. Darrel's second sister was dressed like a ballerina. They came to check on their mother, only to find two miracles. Their mother healed up, and their brother came back safe and sound.

"Dad! Amelia! Jane!" Darrel cried. "We're back!" The family hugged so hard, Darrel couldn't breathe. "Where were you Darrel?" Sarah asked. "You were gone for five months," said Jane. "What are you wearing?" Amelia asked. "And...who or what is that next to you?" His father asked. The family takes notice of the fire salamander beside Darrel. Jane and Sarah were fascinated, while Amelia and their father were surprised.

"You guys wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Darrel. "Matthew, I think we should believe him," said Sarah. "I'm willing to believe anything," said Matthew. "Start from the beginning, Darrel." Darrel smiled and went straight to his story.

While Darrel talked to his family, they sat and listened. Jane and Amelia were most fascinated to know that Darrel ran into wizards. Matthew and Sarah were very thankful to Tint for looking after Darrel when no one else would. As Darrel continued with his story, he left out a few major details, such as how he and Anne are together, and the last moments on how he escaped the king.

"If it's alright with you, I would like to tell you how I came back from Amphibia another day," said Darrel. "A lot has happened, and I just want to spend time with my family." Sarah nodded, "Of course Darrel. You tell us when you're ready."

"So can you still do magic here?" Amelia asked. "I think so," said Darrel. He tries to make a simple light spell, but it only goes as big as a marble. "I guess magic isn't as strong here as it is in Amphibia," said Darrel. "Uncle Cronaxx told us that magic always comes from our inner emotions," said Tint. "Maybe it's just because we're tired." Darrel nods in agreement.

Later on, Darrel, his family, and Tint leave the hospital while Sarah stays behind to let the doctors know she's okay, and is ready to fill out release forms. Until then, Matthew takes the kids and Tint home.

Tint started to grow fond of Darrel's family. He played his flute and Jane danced to the melody like the pied piper. Then, Tint and Amelia play some basketball in the backyard. Luckily, the yard was fenced off so no one could see him. Darrel was happy to see Tint and his sisters get along.

Eventually, Darrel gave Tint a disguise using Jane's old yellow raincoat, gloves, headphones to cover his gills, a mask to cover his face, and socks with sandals. Darrel got out of his wizard robes and dressed into something more casual and clean. However, to remember his journey in Amphibia, he takes a piece of his robe and wraps it around his right arm.

Darrel felt happy returning home, but somewhere in his mind told him that his adventure is far from over. He suddenly gets a sharp pain in his mind. Amelia and Tint take notice, and Tint assures Amelia that Darrel's been through this before.

Darrel delves deep into his mind and sees flashes of images back in Amphibia. The Newtopian castle was heavily fortified by robot frogs. Andiras sends a robot to hunt down him and Anne. And finally, something Darrel didn't expect. An image of Marcy inside a strange tank, attached with wires and a breathing tube.

Darrel comes back to reality after being shown those images in his head and shows a feared look on his face. "Darrel," said Tint. "What's wrong?" "Anne is in trouble," said Darrel. "Andrias sent a robot to hunt us down."

"Wait, are you talking about King Andrias from your story?" Amelia asked. "Yes," said Darrel. "The king is a tyrant conqueror. And he won't stop at nothing until he destroys us." "What do we do?" Amelia asked. "What you're going to do, is get Jane and stay inside until I come back. Tint, get your disguise. We're going to find Anne."

The three kids get in the house and Amelia goes directly to Jane's room. Tint gets his disguise on and follows Darrel to the front door. Before they could go, Matthew stops them. "You're not going anywhere without me," he said. "If there's danger going on in this town, I want to protect you."

"The least you can do Dad," said Darrel. "Is take us to the Boonchuys. Anne is there with the Plantars and they don't know what's coming." Matthew smiles and takes his keys to the car. "Let's roll."

The three arrive at the Boonchuy's house and find that their car is not there. "They must've left somewhere," said Matthew. "Yeah," said Darrel. "There's no way that Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy would leave Anne and the Plantars alone." "But, where did they go?" Tint asked.

Darrel looks around and finds a piece of paper on the ground. He picks it up and it turns out to be a shopping list. Then Matthew has an idea, "I think I know where they could've gone."

The three make their way to the supermarket called the 99 Ranchers. "The Boonchuys always go there during food shopping," said Matthew. "So, what's the plan Darrel?" "There's no doubt that Andrias' robot is targeting me and Anne," said Darrel. "So we'll keep that robot out of sight, and try not to scare anyone. Meanwhile, you go find Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy and you keep them safe and distracted."

Matthew nods, "I'm so proud of you for stepping up Darrel. Usually you're very quiet." "What can I say," said Darrel. "Amphibia made me the man I am today." "But Darrel," said Tint. "These robots are impervious to magic, and we don't have any swords to slice them. Plus our magic powers are scarce." Darrel took a deep breath, "We have to try. Whatever it takes."

The three enter the supermarket and the three split up to find the Boonchuys. Darrel and Tint look around for a few minutes and find Anne and the Plantars at Noodle Time, a small place where people dine out on fresh noodles.

"Anne! Plantars!" Darrel cried. "Darrel!" Anne replied. The two hug with happiness. "You look like you're in a good mood today," said Anne. "That's because I healed his mom," said Tint. "What?! How?" the group asked. "Uh, hello," said Tint. "I'm a wizard. Healing is part of our training."

"Darrel that's great news," said Anne. "Thanks, Anne," said Darrel. "But that's not why I'm here. I had a vision, something had arrived in this world, and was sent by Andrias to hunt us down."

Suddenly Sprig shouted, "Killer Robot!" The two humans turn around and find nothing. Anne thought he was being superstitious, "Sprig for the last-" Darrel squashed Anne for a second and squinted his eyes. He peeks around only for him and Anne to be grabbed by a mysterious force.

Sprig and Tint throw noodle bowls at it, only to reveal the robot Andrias sent. "It can camouflage!" Darrel cried. The robot lets go of Anne and Darrel and throws a bowl back at the amphibians.

The group gives chase from the robot and tries to make it very discrete. Matthew sees them running away, so he tries to keep the Boonchuys from noticing. To drown out the noise, Anne plays music over the intercom. The shoppers either jam out to the music, or leave at a quick pace.

The fight soon led its way into the employees-only section. Inside a large freezer. The group hides from the robot as it starts scanning the area. Anne and Darrel hide behind boxes. "I'm getting real tired of this guy," said Anne. "Me too," said Darrel.

The two humans look to see the amphibians frozen solid and remember that they're in freezing temperatures. The robot catches them and throws them across the room. Anne tries all she can to activate her blue powers. Darrel had to think of how they were able to unlock them in the first place.

Tint and Sprig try to stop the robot with what little they can do. Only for the robot to turn its targets on the amphibians. Seeing their friends in trouble made the two humans tick. Their eyes started glowing blue and red, and their fists glowed as well. Darrel's staff was at full strength.

The robot sensed their energy sources and turned around. "If you think we're just going to sit here and let you hurt our friends…" said Anne in her calamitous voice. "You've got another thing coming!"

Anne and Darrel use their super speed and slide under the robot. "Hey Andrias!" Darrel shouted. "If you're listening, this is your only warning! Stay away from MY HOME!" The two punch the robot causing major damage to its hull. The robot retreats, knowing the longer it stays, the more chance it'll be destroyed.

Darrel and Anne leave the freezer with what little strength they have after the fight. The amphibians thaw from their frozen blocks and are amazed with what the two humans accomplished. However, Anne and Darrel collapse from exhaustion.

"They're okay, said Hop pop. "I think using those powers takes a lot out of them," said Tint. "We gotta do something," said Polly. "If her parents see them like this..." "I've got just what they might need."

The amphibians look to see Matthew holding open durian fruit. The Plantars grew nervous until Tint spoke up. "It's okay," said Tint. "It's Darrel's father." He puts the fruit under the kids' noses and the two wake up instantly.

"Ugh, gross!" Darrel shouted. "Dad? Tint?" "Guys?" Anne woke up too. The amphibians hug their human friends. "Oh hey, there you guys are," said Mr. Boonchuy. Darrel smiled seeing Anne's parents again. "Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy," said Darrel. "It's great to see you again." "I'm so happy to see you've returned home," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "And to bring my daughter back safe and sound. I can't thank you enough."

"It's nothing, Mrs. Boonchuy," said Darrel. "All that matters is that she's home safe." "Speaking of safe," said Mr. Boonchuy, "How was your supermarket journey?" "It was great," said Anne. "Walking around a boring old supermarket is just the thrill we needed."

"By the way," said Darrel. "I noticed you needed fish on your shopping list so I got some for you." He hands the Boonchuys the fish and they take it. "Thank you very much," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "By the way, your father told us everything about you and your adventures in Amphibia. So if ever you want to stop by and see the frog people, you're more than welcome to." "Consider this a thank you for bringing our daughter home," said Mr. Boonchuy. "Thanks, you two," said Darrel.

As the group leaves the store, Darrel and Anne grow concerned about their calamity powers. "Anne, about our powers," said Darrel. "How did you feel? Like at unease?" "You two didn't look too good back there," said Hop pop. "Yeah," said Anne. "I'm thinking we shouldn't use those powers if we can help it. I don't know how else to describe it, but using them feels bad."

"Well," said Darrel. "We've got a lot on our plates. But whatever happens next, one thing's for sure." He takes Anne's hand. "I'm glad you're here with me." Anne smiled. "Thanks, Darrel. So can you open the door for me? I'm trying to move my arms, but nothing's happening."

Darrel opens the door for Anne and she and the Plantars hop on in, ready for the ride home. Darrel and Tint wave goodbye, and then Matthew comes to collect the two. "So, are we going to see that robot again?" Tint asked. "Definitely," replied Darrel. "But until then, we'll be ready." "I'll get my tools," said Matthew. "You're going to need all the help you can get." Darrel and Tint smiled, knowing that they're not alone. Not anymore.