The late September sun hung low over the neighborhood, casting long shadows across the sidewalks as a black car pulled into Penelope's driveway. The engine hummed a moment before cutting off, and out stepped a man with a calm, quiet presence—tailored coat, well-polished shoes, and silver-threaded hair combed back with precise neatness.
"Uncle Ellis," Penelope whispered as she opened the door and stepped onto the porch.
"Little dove," he smiled, setting down his leather briefcase as she threw her arms around him. "You've grown... again."
She laughed softly. "You say that every time."
"And every time it's true." His voice was warm but low, as if guarding something behind every word.
Veronica peeked out from behind the curtain, eyes narrowing. "That's the infamous Ellis?" she muttered to herself. "Looks like he came straight out of a spy novel."
Inside, Ellis took in the familiar scent of Penelope's house. His gaze lingered on a framed photo of her with her parents—a painful memory, yet he smiled gently.
"You're here for work, right?" Penelope asked as they settled in the living room, her hands fidgeting. "You said something about a project nearby?"
He nodded slowly. "Just a few weeks. My office has me overseeing a reconstruction project downtown—something to do with infrastructure upgrades. Pretty dull stuff, really."
Penelope tilted her head. "You? Dull? Never."
But in the quiet moment that followed, Penelope noticed something in his eyes. A flicker. The kind people have when they're trying not to lie, but also can't tell the truth.
Ellis changed the subject quickly. "You mentioned a Scott. And a Marc. Which one are you seeing?"
Penelope groaned. "That's…complicated."
"Ah, youth." He chuckled, folding his hands. "Then I'd say you're living life the right way."
Meanwhile, Scott Rivers walked alone through the park, his thoughts heavy. He hadn't seen Penelope much lately—not since that fight with Julian. And Veronica… that kiss they shared still lingered on his lips like a ghost.
He stopped near the fountain and pulled out his phone. A message from Veronica lit up the screen.
Veronica: You promised you wouldn't disappear. And yet, here you are.
He sighed and typed a reply.
Scott: I didn't disappear. I just… needed to breathe. Want to meet tonight? Just us?
Back at Penelope's, Veronica had shown up with takeout—an excuse to meet Ellis and observe. But what she found unsettled her. Ellis was charming, intelligent, and perceptive. Too perceptive.
"So, what do you do, Mr. Ellis?" she asked casually, unboxing the food.
"I manage... systems," he replied vaguely.
"Like computers?"
"No. Bigger systems. Think cities."
Veronica raised a brow. That answer told her everything—and nothing.
Later that night, while Penelope slept and the house fell quiet, Ellis sat at the dining room table alone. A file spread out in front of him, filled with satellite images, schematics, and a photo… of a boy with sandy hair and sharp blue eyes.
Scott Rivers.
He stared at it for a long moment before opening a secure tablet and typing a message:
To: Unknown Contact Subject: Rivers Boy Located Initiating Phase Two. Continue surveillance. Do not engage unless necessary.
Outside, in the moonlit quiet, Scott and Veronica walked along the boardwalk near the lake. She wore a red cardigan, her hair down in waves that caught the breeze.
"So," she said after a stretch of silence. "Are you just going to keep pretending you don't feel it too?"
Scott looked at her, eyes unreadable.
"You think I don't?" he said. "Veronica, every time I see you, I forget how to breathe. But you're Penelope's best friend. And I'm…"
"You're not Julian," she interrupted. "And you're not a ghost. Don't keep haunting me when I want you to stay."
Scott took her hand, the tension finally breaking like a dam. They leaned into each other, not for a kiss—but for something deeper. A pause. A closeness neither had expected to feel again.
"I'm scared," she whispered. "Because the boys I love always seem to fall in love with Penelope."
Scott smiled faintly. "Except one."
She blinked. "What?"
"Except me," he said softly. "I fell for you, Veronica."
Back at Penelope's, Ellis watched the window as if sensing the shift in the wind. Something had begun. And the heart of it wasn't Penelope. It was Veronica.
And her connection to Scott Rivers.
Something the world wasn't ready for.
To be continued...