#marso

“You can’t actually think this is a good idea, right? Your whole life is here! You don’t just wake up one day and decide to pack up and leave because of some random inheritance letter!”

The hum of the diner did little to soften Penny’s incredulous tone. A few customers glanced over, unimpressed, and from behind the counter, Ms. Geeta - owner of Diner Rasoya - narrowed her eyes in warning. Penny ignored her, too caught up in her dramatics to care.

Ruby picked at her gummy pancakes, trying to find the words to say. “I mean… I wouldn’t say ‘choosing’, more like ‘inheriting under weird circumstances and kinda out of options?’”

Across from her, Salim adjusted his glasses, his brows knitting together. “But Strangerville? It’s basically the middle of nowhere. It’s all cowplants and conspiracy theories out there.”

Salim was holding the stack of papers Ruby had brought with her earlier that morning -  a letter from a lawyer in Strangerville addressed to her that she was entitled to inherit a sizable house that belonged to her (apparently) late (estranged) biological mother (can you even call her that?).

Ruby watched as Salim flipped through the pages, his expression unreadable. It was the same look he gave when he was deep in thought, the kind that usually meant he was about to say something annoyingly reasonable.

“You’re sure this is legit?” he asked, scanning the letter. “Not some weird scam?”

“It’s real”, Ruby nodded, tapping her fingers on the table. “The lawyer’s legit, and an Aminta Zubiri - did die in Strangerville a few months ago. Found it on SimBook.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, like she hadn’t spent hours scouring the internet just to confirm that the woman who abandoned her was actually gone. “Apparently, she left everything to me.”

Penny snatched the papers from Salim’s hands, squinting at the legal jargon before setting it back down on the table. “Wait, wait, wait. So, she just disappears from your life for—what? Over a decade? And now you get a creepy house in the middle of nowhere?” She huffed. “What a parting gift.”

Ruby exhaled sharply. “Yeah, well. Better than nothing, I guess.”

Salim took a sip of his own coffee while giving Ruby a careful look before asking, “But do you even want it?”

Ruby let out a slow breath, watching the steam curl up from her coffee. “I don’t know,” she admitted, voice quieter now. “I mean… it’s not like she was ever in my life. This isn’t some big, emotional homecoming. It’s just—” She gestured vaguely at the papers on the table. “A house. In the middle of nowhere. Left to me by a woman I barely remember.”

Penny crossed her arms, lips pressing into a thin line. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it. You could just sell it, right?”

“Sure.” Ruby exhaled a short, humorless laugh. “And where would that leave me? Still here, still barely scraping by, still one bad month away from losing my apartment.” She shook her head. “I don’t have the luxury of turning down free housing.”

Salim’s expression softened, but he didn’t look entirely convinced. “I get that, but… Strangerville?” He glanced down at the papers again like they might hold some kind of hidden answer. “It’s not just far, it’s—”

“Weird,” Penny cut in. “Look, what I was saying about those government cover ups earlier, I wasn’t joking! Apparently people there are kinda going crazy.”

To that, Salim started snorting. “Sure, let’s all believe the mini conspiracy theorist over here.” Penny narrowed her eyes at Salim. “Are you sure you haven’t been getting too into that weirdo Ernie- no - Arv - Erwin Pries on SimTube or something?”

Penny snapped her fingers. “Erwin Pries! He’s always going on about ‘the truth they don’t want you to know’ and whatever. And I hate to say it, but—” She gestured wildly. “The dude might actually have a point! People in Strangerville are acting weird. Like, full-on blank stares, creepy smiles, mumbling nonsense weird.”

Salim rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. You really think a whole town is secretly brainwashed or whatever?”

“I don’t know, but something’s off.” Penny leaned in, lowering her voice. “And if your mom lived there—” she tapped the stack of papers “—maybe she got caught up in something. Maybe that’s why she left.

Ruby’s stomach twisted, but she forced a dry laugh. “Okay, now I know you've been getting too deep into SimTube.”

Penny shrugged. “I’m just saying. Strangerville isn’t exactly high on anyone’s dream destination list. Why would she choose to live there, and without contacting you or your dad for over a decade?”

Ruby didn’t have an answer for that. She’d spent years trying to push those questions aside—why her mother left, why she never called, why she had seemingly erased herself from their lives. And now, out of nowhere, she was supposed to inherit everything she left behind?

She shook her head, staring down at the letter. “I don’t know, Pen. But I guess I’m about to find out.”

Salim sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

Penny scoffed. “Obviously! But when has Ruby ever listened to us?”

Ruby managed a small smirk. “When do I ever?”

She clapped her hands together, cutting him off. “And that’s why you guys love me.” She shot them both a pointed look before sliding out of the booth. “Now, come on—help me pack.”

Penny muttered something under her breath before downing the rest of her coffee like it was the only thing giving her strength. “I hate this.”

Salim shook his head but stood anyway. “This is a bad idea.”

“Maybe,” Ruby admitted, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “But it’s my bad idea.”

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