TW: Therapy/Group Therapy, Mention of Nightmares and Abandonment Issues.
It was a beautiful day outside. The boys were all busy today with Huey's JWG cookout, so I was going to take it upon myself to be responsible for my own well-being. I was nervous and not at all prepared, but Uncle Donald was practically forcing me at this point. Yup, you heard it straight from me, I'm going to group therapy, and then I'm going to spend all day in the lovely city of Duckburg.
That was my plan, anyway. Until I heard Dewey screaming and Webby shouting from the boys' room. I hurried into the room, to see Webby with Dewey in a choke hold. Huey and Louie must've heard, because they were right behind me. I hurried to Webby's side to break up the fight.
"Webby, stop! That is Dewey!" Huey shouted.
"He's just doing a Dewey thing!" Louie continued.
"How are you so strong!?" I asked, while trying to pull her off.
"Oh," Webby let go of Dewey and the boys went flying. I snickered, letting go of her. For someone who's, like, 12, she's ridiculously strong. Although, I would expect nothing less of Mrs. Beakley.
Dewey got up, brushing himself off. "Thank you, good Samaritans. You have restored my faith in the kindness of random strangers."
I looked at Dewey in confusion, then at the others. "Uh...what?"
"Not even one hour in, and your stupid 'Only Child Day' has already almost gotten one of us killed!" Huey scolded. I moved to sit on Louie's bunk to be more comfortable. This was panning out to be an interesting conversation.
"'Only'-what-now?" Webby asked.
"It's a beautiful holiday," Dewey began, dramatically.
"That he made up," Huey deadpanned.
"Where, for a whole day, we get to be sibling-free and do all the amazing things that an only child gets to do!" Dewey explained, spinning Webby around. "Make our marks on the world!"
"Not have to answer to anyone!" Louie declared.
"Be horribly alone?" Huey suggested.
"For once!" Dewey shouted.
"Soooo, was anyone gonna tell me about this, or was I supposed to go sibling-less for the whole day, unknowingly?" I asked. Huey rolled his eyes.
"He's been threatening to do it for years, but I never thought he could get into my password-protected sibling calendar," Huey took out the calendar, and I stood up to get a look at it.
There were all the days and events for this week, such as when I had work, Huey's Junior Woodchuck meets, and whatever the other boys had. On today's date, it had Huey's cookout on there, my therapy appointment, and then a large circle around the date that said "Only Child Day," in all caps.
I turned to Dewey, who blew at the tip of a marker, as if it were a gun. "I have my ways."
"Of course, he put it on the day I need them both, the annual Junior Woodchuck Three-Man Cookout," Huey explained.
"Boooringgg," Louie complained.
"Ugh. Teamwork," Dewey scoffed at the same time.
"Well," Louie began, "as the now sole heir to Scrooge's fortune, I can finally make friends with Doofus Drake, the richest kid in Duckburg," He stood on the desk chair, "He only mingles with other obscenely rich heirs, so..."
"What a snob," Huey commented.
"He's the worst," Dewey stated.
"He's just creepy!" I complained.
Louie gasped. "You see the judgement that I have to live with? Well, today, your heartless criticism can't deny me my dream of being shamelessly spoiled," Louie announced, stepping off the chair. We all lightly glared at him.
I shrugged. "I'm gonna head downtown, do some grown-up stuff, nothing you kids would understand," I ruffled Louie's hair.
"Not that I don't love you all, but if I have a day where I don't have to constantly worry about you all, I'm gonna go hang out at the mall or something. Embrace my one day of teenagedom, before going back to being the responsible elder sister," I raised an eyebrow at the boys, and Dewey stuck his tongue out in response.
"What're you gonna do, Dewey?" Webby asked.
"I don't have to explain myself to you, I'm an only child!" Dewey defended. Huey deadpanned.
"I don't get why you're doing this. Isn't being a triplet awesome?" Webby asked.
"Thank you!" Huey agreed. I rolled my eyes.
"Who're you again, sassy stranger?" Dewey shot back.
"The brother you rudely take for granted! Right, Louie?" Huey asked, grabbing Louie's arm.
"This random passerby clearly loves Only Child Day, right, Louie? Or wh-whoever you are?" Dewey asked, grabbing his other arm.
"Oh boy..." I pinched the bridge of my bill.
"I just wanna use a rich kid for his infinity pool!" Louie began crying. "Why can't I have that for myself!?" He ran to the other side of the room.
Huey looked at Dewey and tackled him, and the boys began wrestling and fighting.
"Boys!" I scolded, but not really stepping in. I mean, Dewey did say Only Child Day, not really sure if that makes it my problem or not.
"Stop fighting!" Louie shouted, still crying.
Webby just looked at the boys, wide-eyed.
Dewey was able to flip Huey over, and pushed his hat over his eyes. "And this is why we need Only Child Day," Dewey explained to Webby. Huey smacked him in the face.
~~~
After the boys finally stopped fighting, and all went off to do their seperate things, I decided that it was time to get ready to go. I figured that today was a high bun day, so I put my hair up, straightened out my outfit a bit, grabbed my purse, and headed out.
I decided to take the bus, because I didn't need Launchpad crashing into the mental health offices, and because I missed seeing Anita, the bus driver.
I greeted her as I got on the bus, and waited for my stop. It took about 20 minutes, but I arrived pretty soon. I thanked Anita, and got off the bus. I walked a couple of blocks up and lo and behold, there the offices were. I took a deep breath, and entered inside.
~~~
I stepped into the room to see a few people there already. There was an area for small snacks and water and stuff, and then there were a couple of chairs in a circle. Very talk-group-y.
This was a talk group I found that was recently starting. It was for teens and college kids to help with socializing and abandonment issues. The more people who entered, the more nervous I got.
"Hey," someone greeted. I turned to the left to see a tall, lanky owl with kinky hair.
"Hi?" I asked more as a question.
"I, uh, couldn't help but see that you looked a little lonely, sorry if I'm intruding. I'm Antonio," he stuck out his hand and I shook it.
"Marina. Nice to meet you."
The leader of the group, a short, parakeet woman, entered and a hush fell over the room. She seemed sweet, but had a strict attitude about her.
"Hello, Bonjour, Hola, whatever language you prefer, it's very nice to meet you all," She sat at the head of the circle. "My name is Julie Perico, and I am 28 years old, but I assure you, I was once your age."
"I have an in-depth understanding of everything you all are going through. We only have an hour and a half, so I will keep this short, and we will continue with introductions. I find that youth talk groups are the best way for your age group to find others like you, and to realize that, hey, you're not alone in this world. So who would like to go first? I would like you to say your name, your age, and why you are here."
Antonio looked at me, and everyone averted their eyes. I sighed and raised my hand. Julie lightly laughed at me raising my hand, but nodded in my direction.
I took a shaky breath. "Okay, uhm, Hi, my name is Marina. I am just barely 17 years old. I am here because...okay, this'll sound crazy." I paused, playing with the hem of my shirt. "...But, uh, we, my brothers and Uncle, just moved back into my old childhood home, and I'm adjusting pretty well. But I keep getting nightmares... about why we left in the first place, which is when my mom left us, 10 years ago. I don't want that to interfere with my job or my responsibility as an elder sister, and my Uncle suggested- well, that's an understatement- therapy, so here I am."
Julie nodded, giving me a warm smile. "Thank you for sharing, that must take a lot of courage for you to have come here. Who's next?"
~~~
I had to admit, talk therapy? It was kinda great. Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. It's kind of awkward opening up to random strangers, but it sort of...lifted the weight of everything off my shoulders, at least a little bit. So, I guess that's a plus.
I learned more about Antonio. He had an older sister, and his mom worked so much to provide for them that he never got to form a relationship with her. Once his sister went off to business school, he was left alone. He was there so he could feel okay with being alone, and learn to trust others. He also was in a band, he played guitar and bass, but mainly played guitar.
There was this one girl, a swan. She was probably the prettiest person I had ever seen. Her name was Cecilia, and she went through the foster care system. Which, by the way, is extremely flawed. She was there because it was required for her to emancipate as a ward of the state.
All of the stories in the group were different, but similar. It felt...really good, actually. To have people who understood. Julie was right, I guess.
After therapy, I walked outside, to see Antonio kicking his car. I raised an eyebrow, and walked up to him.
"I don't think beating up on your car will help you feel any better," I teased. He looked up at me, and grinned. He had a gap tooth, I noticed. It was kind of adorable.
"It's not that, my car broke down, and I can't get it to start."
I thought for a moment. "Got a toolbox?" I asked. I had brought my wrench with me, but that was about it. He tossed me his keys.
"In the trunk. I'll pop open the hood for you."
I opened his trunk, and scanned the contents, seeing a guitar case, a pack of bottled water and a bright pink toolbox. I grabbed it, and returned to the front of the car.
"Mind if I take a look? Free of charge, of course," I added.
He shrugged. "Sure, why not."
I took a good look at the hood of the car, engine and everything, and immediately got to work. I rolled up my sleeves along the way, getting them mildly dirty.
"So..." I began after a while, "You play guitar?" I asked. It wasn't really a question. I just wasn't sure what else to talk about.
He nodded. "Mainly Latin music, old Cuban things... Some newer rock. You play?"
I shook my head. "Used to. Lost a purpose for it. I only knew this one song my Uncle wrote, and a few lullabies. Piano is more my style, I guess. Haven't played one in forever."
"Ah, piano. The most basic instrument," He teased.
"Guitar is pretty basic too," I defended, with mock offense.
I finished everything up with the engine, and took a step back, brushing the grime off my hands. Or attempting to.
"Try to start it," I told him.
He sat in the driver's seat, and started the car, and what do you know, it turned over! I know my way around a car, believe it or not. Growing up with Uncle Donald and living with Launchpad for the past few months has taught me enough knowledge for a lifetime.
Antonio got out and twirled me in a hug. I stumbled back, dizzy, before falling into him, and in turn, getting him all grimy. We looked at each other before bursting out laughing.
"Where'd you learn how to fix a car?" He asked, now grinning.
I shrugged. "My friend crashes things a lot. Cars, Limos, Planes, etc. And my Uncle has got the worst luck. Better to fix something than to pay someone else to do it."
He nodded. "I can agree with that. Say, where are you headed after this?"
I looked at my watch, seeing it was 4:45PM. "Well, I was gonna go to the mall or something, maybe get a bite to eat? Embrace my teenagedom before I gotta go home."
He laughed. "I know this really great diner, you should come with me. I'll pay, since you fixed my car. Hm?" He raised an eyebrow, almost suggestively and I laughed.
"Can't say no to free food." I brought his tools back into the trunk and closed it, before closing the hood of the car. I got in the passenger seat and buckled in, and he did the same on the driver's side.
Just then, we saw the swan leave the building. I couldn't remember her name, though. But she's way too pretty for me to even think of talking to.
"Hey, Cecilia!" Antonio shouted, getting me out of my thoughts. That's her name!
She approached the driver's side. "Yes, Antonio?"
"Wanna head to the diner with us?" He asked her. She looked at him, then looked at me. I flashed her a smile and she playfully rolled her eyes.
"Sure. If you pay."
Antonio shrugged. "Deal."
She hopped into the backseat, in the middle, and looked around. "Where are all the seatbelts?" She asked Antonio.
"Cheap car. Old model. You can fill in the blanks." He turned on the radio to a latin song, opened up the sunroof and pulled out of the offices' parking lot.
We drove around in silence, before Cecilia spoke up.
"So, Marina, what school do you go to?"
"Central Duckburg High School. You?"
"Same. You're a Junior, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, aren't you a Senior?"
"Yup. Trust me, Junior year sucks, but Senior year is the easiest of all. Depending on your classes."
We continued to chat a little bit, before a familiar song rang throughout the car.
"Hey! I love this song!" I commented.
"How do you know this song?" Antonio asked.
I shrugged. "My Uncle I guess? 'Y en eso llegó Fidel' is probably one of his favorite older songs."
So the trumpeted music and latin lyrics rang through the streets from the car, and I smiled, genuinely. I was having fun with these people I had just met, and it was almost normal. Perhaps I should've pondered more on the idea of stranger-danger, but oh well.
Antonio pulled up to the diner, and I almost braced for a crash, until I remembered I wasn't driving with LP. We all got out, and were seated. We chatted, ordered our food, got milkshakes. The diner even had a jukebox, that Cecilia played some underground Indie song on. She was... enchanting? I suppose that word works.
Cecilia was mysterious, sarcastic, cold yet also the girl that lit up the room. Antonio was vibrant and fun to be around, and he made for good company. I found out Antonio and Cecilia used to perform together. A rock song came on, and Antonio burst into song, Cecilia soon joining him. They looked at me, expectantly, and I reluctantly sang the ending chorus with them. We really clicked. It felt great. It was almost normal.
Until the Beagle Boys showed up, of course. I sighed in frustration.
"There's one thing I hate about Duckburg," Antonio concluded, "Can't have anything peaceful without these dummies showing up or Scrooge McDuck's interference."
Cecilia agreed with him.
"Then y'all are gonna hate sleepovers at my house," I chuckled dryly.
"Something funny?" Bigtime Beagle asked, getting up in my face. Oh my god, I really was not equipped for this.
I rolled my eyes in response to him. "The only thing funny around here is that I can't go a day without having to see one of your," I motioned to Burger and Bouncer Beagle, "Ugly faces," I concluded, pushing Bigtime out of my face.
Cecilia snickered, and Antonio "Ooh-"ed.
"Wait a minute, Bigtime," Bouncer began, "Ain't that one of dem McDuck brats?"
"Shut it, Bouncer! I'll do the talking!" Bigtime shouted at Bouncer, who went back to standing at the door to block off police. "Hey, wait a minute! Youse one of dem McDuck brats!" Bigtime realized.
I rolled my eyes. "Nice to see you have enough brain cells to remember a face, Bigtime," I shot back at him. I'm normally not this snappy- well, okay, not outwardly snappy at least, but I was done with this. They only came here looking for trouble, and I just wanted to have a good time with my newfound companions.
"Oh, that's it. You're coming with us," Bigtime concluded. He got way too close to me, and grabbed my arm, so I grabbed my wrench out of my purse and knocked him in the face, making him let go and fall flat on his back.
Antonio whooped and Cecilia full-on laughed. Then Bouncer Beagle came up to us, but Antonio and Cecilia started attacking him full on, Cecilia with a weapon disguised as lipstick and Antonio with a bat that used to be a pair of sunglasses. I nearly did a double take.
I noticed Burger Beagle try to get away, and I tackled him quite easily, pinning his arms behind his back. The police showed up, and took the Beagles away, although I doubt they'd be able to keep them for long. After all, they were young, and Ma Beagle ran the largest mafia group in the entire city.
Antonio and Cecilia approached me, after everything had cleared up.
"So, kin of Scrooge McDuck?" Cecilia asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Great Niece. It's kind of a distant relation. More importantly... where'd you guys get those weapons?"
"Mom's a SHUSH agent. Hence her working all the time," Antonio explained.
"I'm in training to become one," Cecilia continued. "Hence, the emancipation."
"And here I was, thinking y'all were normal," I thought out loud. Cecilia snickered at that.
"We do make quite a team," Antonio commented, signing off on the bill, and exited the diner with us.
Cecilia nodded, and I did so, reluctantly. We were having fun, and... and somehow, us beating up the Beagle Boys with them filled me with a rush of adrenaline. Being around them filled me with adrenaline. I wanted to chase that feeling. Oh god, is this what being an adrenaline junkie is like?
"Maybe we should hang out more often," Cecilia suggested, a sly smirk on her face.
"Y'all are welcome at my house anytime," I answered, concluding my internal argument. I really should let down my guard sometimes. They both looked at me, Antonio breaking out into a giddy smile, and Cecilia giving me a small, amused smirk. I flushed under her gaze, turning to Antonio, who was still grinning.
"Mine too!" Antonio added, after calming down a bit. "You know, as long as my mom is gone."
I snickered. Not exactly welcome, but I'll take it.
Cecilia shrugged, smile breaking. "Let's not beat around the bush. Both of you give me your numbers, and I'll add us to a group chat." I put my number into her phone, and almost shivered as her fingers brushed over mine, before she handed her phone to Antonio.
"Don't you have my number?" He asked, almost offended.
She rolled her eyes. "New phone, genius. Just put it in."
He rolled his eyes, and she smiled as he put in the number. She added us all to a groupchat, which she named "Let's Burn Down The Town." I laughed at the name.
We all got into Antonio's car, and turned up the music again. This time it was rock. By now, it was 7 o'clock.
"Where to?" He asked.
"I dunno. Start driving, we'll figure it out," Cecilia answered.
So Antonio began driving with the music loud and the windows down. We laughed and sang along to the music and everything was our own kind of normal.
~~~
Antonio pulled up to the gates of McDuck Manor just a few minutes before curfew, and I quietly got out of the car. I looked in the backseat to see Cecilia peacefully sleeping and I felt my heart swell. How someone could be so beautiful was beyond me. I quietly shut the door and moved to the driver's side to say my goodbyes.
"Don't worry, I'll get her home," Antonio assured, taking note of my expression. I nodded.
"...Thanks, Antonio. For everything. I had a lot of fun with you guys," I thanked. He got out of the car, and hugged me.
"Don't mention it, Marí. Until next time, my friend."
I waved as he drove off in the car, climbed the gate, and began the trek up to McDuck Manor, which became easier the more I did it.
Mrs. Beakley let me in the house, and I thanked her. I headed up to the boys' room, and cracked open the door.
Huey was in his tent-like bunk, sound asleep, Dewey had the covers all messed up, but was also asleep. Louie, of course, was on his phone.
"Hey," I whispered. He looked up at me, and sat up in bed, setting down his phone.
"What's up?" He asked.
"How was Only Child Day? Is it official?"
He nodded. "It was crazy at first! Doofus Drake is totally creepy! He tried to keep me in his treehouse. And Huey had a run in with the Beagle Boys!-"
"No kidding? So did I-" I laughed at the thought of it. "I hit Bigtime in the face with a wrench."
Louie glared at me for interrupting, before laughing with me. "Yeah. And Dewey got attacked by the new security bot. Luckily, Huey was able to fix it. Although I'm sure you would've been able to."
I nodded. "Probably. So, sounds like a pretty crazy day for you kids. Or maybe a weird version of normal."
He nodded. "Mhm. What'd you do all day?"
"Went to group therapy, fixed a car, went to a diner, beat up the beagle boys, and then just rode around. I made some new friends. But that's about it."
"Sounds fun."
I nodded. I stretched for a moment. "...Alright, I just came in here to check on you boys," I kissed his forehead, then got up.
"Goodnight Marina," He told me, flashing a cheeking grin.
"Goodnight Llewellyn," I teased.
"Harsh," He cringed, before I shut the door.
I just laughed to myself. I could get used to this. Our own kind of normal.