i am whatever i have to be to get by

-In My Veins, Andrew Belle

So….Penny was either directly or indirectly involved in 2 main character departure within a span of a season. Now that’s budgeting!

July 15th 2024 - Los Angeles California

She was running late for work, and she knew her boss wouldn’t let it slide this time, not even if it was her birthday. She run up the escalators trying to be as quick as possible, but slowed down when she heard her phone ring. “Oh great.” she thought “Must be someone from the office calling to warn me that the boss is out for blood.” she checked the number but it read unknown. “Strange… I have the number of every one of my colleagues. Must be a wrong number.” She pressed the green button anyway, ready to politely turn down the mysterious caller.

“Hello?”

The other end was silent for a moment, but she could hear someone breathing, and sounds from a street. She was about to end the call when she hadn’t heard for 10 years now. It had changed of course, but she would have recognized it in a million anyway.

“… happy birthday mom.”

It couldn’t be. He couldn’t be here, it was simply not possible. He was over there with everyone else. She had watched him walk through that portal all those years ago and that was the last time she’d seen him.

“You look good” the voice continued.

For a moment she thought she’d forgotten how to breathe, she looked around, her eyes frantically searching for a 10 year old, before realizing she had no idea what he looked like now. until she saw a man right in front of her. Half hidden by the crown on the sidewalk, a little smile on his face, the one she had seen so many times when he was just a little boy, and that for so long he had denied her, after that book came into their lives. But now it was for her, and for her only. She looked him in the eyes and that’s when she forgot all the doubts, those beautiful green eyes she had missed so much were staring right at her, greeting her after all these years. Her cellphone slipped from her grasp as she let go a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Henry…”