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*** Marcy Marcy ran out of her house, devastated by the news. "No! You guys are ruining my life!" she yelled at her parents, who were forcing her to move. She ran all the way to the thrift store, where something caught her eye. Earlier she had been at the library, and had seen something about this thing called 'The Calamity Box' that could send people to other dimensions. She had taken a picture of the box from the book, so she pulled it up in her phone to see that the box in the library book was the same as the one in the thrift store. Then, it hit her. If she couldn't stay here with her friends, then she could dimension-hop with them. Then they would never be apart. But Anne. Nowadays Anne was as toxic as they come. It wasn't hard to see, even if Anne tried to hide it from her. Marcy had even accidentally walked in on one of Anne and Sasha's arguments, and they seemed to be frequent. It didn't matter. Marcy was determined to stay with her friends, no matter the cost. Marcy went to her texting app and clicked on Sasha's contact and began to type. "I think I just found the perfect birthday present for Anne." she said aloud, before sending the text and a picture of the music box. Marzbar I think I just found the perfect birthday present for Anne.
A few minutes later, Anne and Sasha showed up and Sasha handed her a frappuccino. "Thanks, Sash!" Marcy said, doing her best to smile. She hoped they couldn't see through it. "So are we gonna get it?" Sasha asked. "We didn't bring any money, and it looks pretty expensive. For a thrift store item, I mean." Marcy reached into her pocket and rummaged around. "I should have some ch--" "I'll get it!" Anne interrupted. "You brought money?" Sasha asked. "No. I'll just take it! The old lady's clearly asleep." Marcy's eyes widened. Lying, arguing, manipulating, graffiti--all that was one thing, but stealing? That was a whole new level. Anne was really going to extremes now. "Um, ok. Don't blame me if you're caught." Sasha shrugged. Marcy followed Sasha up to the window as Anne went through the door, her backpack slung casually over her shoulder. She gave Marcy and Sasha a smirk and a wink as if to say "I got this!" Sasha gave Anne a half-hearted thumbs-up. Marcy felt a wave of relief wash over her as Anne slipped the box into her bag and left undetected. Marcy wouldn't have to move away. They could all talk about their emotional baggage later--in another dimension! How awesome is that?
Anne giggled as she took the box out and set it on her lap. Marcy and Sasha crowded around her and the bench, leaning in close. "Whoaa, are these gems real? Who cares if there's an ugly frog on this thing, we could sell it for hundreds of dollars!" "No no no!" Marcy shouted. Anne gave her a weird look. "Uh, sorry. But c'mon, let's open it! What if there's treasure inside or something??" Anne snorted. "Aw, Marce, that's sweet, but there's no way it would still be inside. Thrift store, remember?" Sasha groaned. "Just open it already!" "Let's do it!" Marcy reached for the lid, but Anne grabbed it first. "Hey! My gift, I get to open it. Okay, Marcy?" There it is again. Well. It'll be okay soon. "Yeah, sure!" Marcy moved her hand away, and Anne relaxed. Marcy leaned in closer, her heart beating faster. What if it didn't work? She'd run away, right? But who would she stay with? Her parents would get her from Anne or Sasha. She would find somewhere, right? No, none of that matters right now. The box creaked gently as Anne opened it. She lifted the lid slowly as if to increase suspense. "Is something...glowing?" Sasha said as she squinted hard at the box. "You really should get eye contacts or something." Anne said, rolling her eyes. She opened the box the rest of the way, and... "Nothing's in there, nothing's happening. I'm gonna have to sell this." Anne grumbled. She turned around and looked at Marcy. "You didn't really think this through, but we can see how much it'll make on the market." "Um, Anne?" Sasha said, staring at the box. "What?" Anne said. "The box is doing something weird! Who could've known? Not me!" Marcy blurted. Anne gave her a weird look before she actually processed what Marcy had said. She whipped back around to look at the box. It was glittering. Sparks flew and flashes of light darted out. There was a loud whooshing noise, and the lights came together. Soon the three girls were enveloped in shimmering light--green, blue, and pink, merging into white. And just like that, the playground they had opened the box in was gone, and all Marcy saw was a glorious kingdom.
