"Are you sure you do not want to go with us? I think you will have a lot of fun."

Penny just grimaced as she took a bit of her lunch. "Mom, considering this is an outdoor thing for your guy's country club, it doesn't sound appealing, especially since I can't drink and the indoor pool still isn't open due to the pandemic. No one my age to talk to since all your friends have little grandkids, and I don't want to play babysitter."

"Hate to say it, but she's got a point, Nicole." Her dad said, tilting his head towards her as he finished his plate.

Her mother just sighed.

"I feel bad. My first day off in forever, and I forgot about that promise about attending the reopening when I wanted to spend the day with you."

"Mom, it's okay; we got plenty of time on your vacation to spend together since you promised to get my hair done and hopefully my nails as well."

The look on her mom's face told her it was a yes, even if she didn't say it aloud. It sucked she didn't see her mom like she used to before the pandemic, but she understood why and her mom spent every moment she could to do stuff with her, so it wasn't like she wasn't trying.

"Besides, I'm just going to work on my history project and other homework all day."

She planned to bring up the Puckett last name but not using Andrea's name. She figured it would be better to wait until her parents questioned her on how school was going.

"How are your classes going? What, just a few more exams before your Christmas vacation?" her Mom asked as she got up to clear their plates from the table.

Penny inwardly took a deep breath, not wanting to seem too suspicious.

"Going good, you know I will always keep up with my grades. We did get a new student so late in the year."

Her dad looked surprised by that. "Really, why so late in the school year."

"I don't know; I think his name is Andrew Puckett," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

They reacted to the last name just as she suspected or hoped they wouldn't. She saw her mom stop momentarily and lock eyes with her dad, who looked just as stunned as she did. As quick as it happened, both busted out into laughter.

"Puckett, what kind of last name is that? John, have you heard of that surname before."

"Never, back in my high school, a kid would get teased for a last name like that."

She just raised an eyebrow at them suspiciously. "What's wrong with the last name? It sounds okay."

Neither one could answer her question; they were trying but failing to come up with something.

Suddenly, her mom had a smile on her face. "John, did you get Penny her gift that we were talking about."

"No, thanks for reminding me, Nicole. I will be right back." He said, relieved as he wasted no time getting up from the table and headed for the stairs.

Penny looked at her mom dumbfounded. "My Birthday isn't until the 14th; that's another week away."

"Your father and I wanted to give you a gift since it's been a rough year since COVID happened, and you know, with your basketball season being canceled, we know that was difficult for you. We're proud of how you handled all this with such maturity, especially with me working all these crazy hours right now."

Her dad then came back into the kitchen holding what she believed was something framed that was already wrapped up in birthday paper.

"Better plug your ears, Nicole, because she's going to lose it the moment she sees it," he said as he placed it in front of her on the table.

Penny knew they were trying to distract her. That was obvious, but her curiosity got the better of her as she started to tear the paper away. The moment she saw what it was, she screamed as she got off her seat in her excitement.

In the case was a copy of Diana Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury Jersey, and on it was a message addressed to her wishing her a sweet 16 and to keep reaching for the stars with her signature right below.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed, pulling her hair harder than she intended in her excitement. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing.

She then turned to her parents. "Are you Kidding me? How?

Her dad put a hand over her shoulder. "Remember, I am still in contact with various managers back in California, and one of them just so happens to be involved with the WNBA, specifically the Phoenix Mercury."

"You are the best parents ever," she said, hugging her parents so tightly that she never wanted to let go.

She spent the next hour admiring the Jersey in the living room as the high from the gift started to wean off a bit, and reality began to sink back in. She knew this was meant for next week, but they only gave it to her now because they did not want to answer her question; they made that obvious.

Her parents were finishing getting ready to leave, so she had the house to herself for a few hours.

"We should be back by 5 or 6, give or take. I left you my card in case you want to DoorDash if you don't want leftovers." Her mom said as she put her coat on.

Penny turned her eyes from the case and said, "Thanks. I hope you guys have a good time."

"Are you alright, Penny? You seem kind of off the past couple of days. You aren't getting sick, are you?" her mother asked, looking concerned as she walked over to the couch and sat beside her.

She shakes her head. "I feel fine, Mom, I promise. You don't have to worry. I've taken all the precautions when going outside."

"I'm your mom; I'll always worry about you whether you like it or not, no matter how old you get. I love you so much," she said, pulling Penny into a hug.

"I love you too, Mom."

They eventually pulled away when they heard the car honking.

"I'll better go; your father is starting to get impatient. I'll see you later. Stay safe, and call if you need anything."

Penny watched as her mother made her way out of the front door. In a rush, Penny sprang from her seat and hurried over to the window, eagerly pulling back the white curtain to watch her mother as she climbed into the car. Without delay, her father maneuvered the car out of the driveway and onto the open road.

Penny quickly ran up the stairs to the second floor and pulled down the ladder to open the attic; she was positive she could find something up there since they stored everything unused.

Typically, she never had a reason to come here unless it was to help one of her parents put something away, but this time, she was determined to see if he could find anything Puckett-related.

There were many boxes and chests around, but thankfully, her mother liked to keep everything organized, so many were explicitly labeled what they were.

She looked around, and all she could see at first were boxes labeled with Halloween decorations, Thanksgiving decorations, and decorations for all the other holidays. She eventually came across a box that said wedding items.

She opened the box and found a flower basket, a cake topper, a ring pillow, and other items, including their wedding album, which she had never seen before.

As she opened the wedding album, she saw the marriage certificate, which was the same one she had found on Ancestry.

"Nicole Jane Wagner and Edward John Puckett, it's true," she said, feeling betrayed that they had never told her anything about this.

She flipped through the album and found one labeled Mr. and Mrs. Puckett First Dance, another one labeled Cutting of the Cake, and the one with all the family. Penny couldn't help but smile at seeing how in love her parents were in these pictures and, as far as she knew, still were.

Putting that stuff away, next was to see if she could find anything on Andrea because now that she knew that was true, Andrea, being her possible sister, was more than likely true as well.

The next few boxes that she thought could contain any information just turned out to be dudes or her stuff from elementary school. This would take longer than she probably realized, so she figured she might as well take a break and then come back up and try again.

As Penny prepared to go down the ladder, her gaze fell upon another chest tucked away in the corner of the room. This chest, unlike the others, was locked. Intrigued, Penny approached the chest and carefully inspected its lock. It looked old, so it might come loose if she pulled hard enough. It took a few tries of pulling, but eventually, she heard something in the lock give out.

She had to admit she was proud of herself because if she didn't have the muscles she did from playing sports, she probably wouldn't have been able to do that.

Opening the chest, she saw two boxes hidden inside. One of them was labeled Andrea Lee Puckett. The other box was unlabeled and much smaller in comparison, and it wouldn't hold much.

Penny eagerly reached for the smaller box and carefully lifted the lid. Her eyes widened with surprise and recognition as she gazed upon the dress inside. It was the same red dress with delicate white frills that she remembered from the old picture she found in her father's box. As she ran her fingers over the fabric, she realized that it was also the exact dress worn by the mysterious girl in her recurring dreams.

She felt her chest tighten, unsure why such a simple dress made her emotional.

As she shook her head in disbelief, she carefully set the small box aside and reached for the larger one. She lifted the lid with trembling hands, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the photograph inside. The woman in the picture had long, tousled, dirty-blonde hair and a captivating, warm smile that illuminated her striking blue eyes. It was the same woman from her dream the night before, leaving her utterly stunned.

Author's Note

Alright, here are the next 2 chapters; this was meant to be one whole chapter, but I felt splitting them up was for the best. So, tell me your thoughts and theories based on some of the things we are learning especially with parents trying to avoid questions.