July 29:

Samuel:

Andy and I both find ourselves standing outside Penelope's door. "Can I talk to her first?" Andy asks. I nod and head outside to take out my stress on the basketball. I take out my pocket knife and cut the side of one of my boxes, my hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey sticks already in my section of the garage. I fold in the cut part of the box to make a slant so the ball will roll out. I dribble a few times and shoot.

"Nice shot!" Someone says behind me. I collect my basketball and turn to face him.

"Uh, thanks." I tell him as I see a family, "Umm, hi," I greet nervously.

"Hi, we're the Donahue family from down the street." The woman greets happily she points out her house. "I'm Nancy, this is my husband Ron, our daughters Shelly and Dottie, and our son, Sean."

"I'm Sam." I tell her holding out my free hand then awkwardly pulling back realizing her hands were full. "Why don't you come in, my mother would love to meet you." I tell her. She smiles even brighter. I open the front door and call in, "Mom more visitors."

"No need to shout Samuel." She scolds walking in pieces of yarn and fabrics attached to her clothes. If that was a shout, I wonder what one of my shouts on the field would be clasified as?

"Crafts," I cough into my hand, she immediately bushes off the excess from her projects. "I'll be outside." I tell her holding up my basketball. She nods and immediately welcomes the Donahues into the house.

"Mind if I join you?" Sean asks.

"Go for it." I tell him as I make a half court layup into my makeshift basket.

"So, where are you from?" He asks as we start playing around the world. He goes first.

"Milwaukee." I tell him making the first shot.

"Nice." He says. "Siblings?" He asks making the next shot

"One older, three younger." I tell him making my shot, "Do you think should we make this harder?" I ask him.

"Nah, any sisters?" He asks missing the next shot, I retrieve the ball and pass it back to him.

"One, she's the baby." I answer.

"How old is she?" He asks.

"Sixteen." I tell him, "Some jerk and his friends were horsing around, broke her window scared her half to death."

"Did you catch the guy?"

"Turns out he's a neighbor, some guy named Axl." I tell him, "Quite a peculiar name."

"Axl Heck?" He asks me.

"Yeah, you know him?" I ask making the next to last shot.

"We're friends, Darrin, Axl, and I hang out all the time, I was with him when he threw the rock."

I miss the next shot staring at him in disbelief, just as I was starting to like him. "What? Seriously?"

"Yeah, Darrin dared him to hit the lamppost, but he missed by a mile."

"He basically sliced open my sister when he hit the window." I exclaim finally sinking the last basket.

"Sam," Andy walks out hands stuffed in his pockets. "Just wanted to tell you Pen's sleeping. You'll have to talk later."

"So, this is Sean, AKA, the last few pieces of the broken window scandal." I tell him.

Sean explains everything to Andy who gives him a strong clap on the back. Sean stumbles forward by the force. "At least we know now it wasn't intentional." Andy says, "Although, Pen still cried herself to sleep." He mumbles to himself taking the basketball and nailing a full court shot. "Nothing but net, box. All in the calculations."

"Why do you have to be such a nerd?" I ask him in good fun.

"Why do you have to be such a jock?" He retorts.

"Touché." I tell him, "Want to go inside for some drinks?" I offer Sean. He agrees and follows me inside.

"This is our son Sean, Sean say hello to the new neighbors." His mother prompts.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs." Sean pauses.

"Lancaster." His father tells him.

"Lancaster." He finishes, "Its so nice to meet you." He holds out a hand to shake with my father. He also shakes my mother's hand. He grins the entire time.

"I see you've met the two oldest. Andrew and Samuel." Mom says. "Our youngest three are around here somewhere."

"Michael!" Dad calls into the house, "William!"

"Pen's sleeping, she's completely drained after the days events." Andy tells dad to no avail.

"Penelope Grace!" Mother calls when our father doesn't. William and Michael soon appear, William with his guitar over his shoulder.

"What's up dad?" Michael asks pocketing his comb in his back pocket. "Wassup, I'm Michael." He greets shaking Mr. and Mrs. Donahues hand.

"William." Will supplies shaking their hands. Penelope comes out in an over-sized sweatshirt, it must be Will's, and sweatpants.

"Yes mother?" She asks sleepily. Her converse not even fully on her feet, she must have just rolled out of bed. She puts on her converse as she sees the new neighbors.

"It's him." Penelope whispers so softly that no one else hears. Andy puts a hand on her shoulder. "Hi, I'm Penelope." She says shaking the parents hands a fake sweet smile plastered on her face.

"I'm Nancy, this is my hu Hesband Ron. Our kids Sean, Dottie, and Shelly." Mrs. Donahue says.

"It's nice too meet you all." Mom beams, "Another family was here a few hours ago around lunch. Would you all like to stay for dinner?"

"Andy," Penelope speaks softly, I turn to look at her and Andy. "I don't feel very good."

"Penny should lie down, she's still exhausted from the days events." Andy says, "Sam," he says. I take the hint and follow them both out of the foyer. Andy picks up Penelope and she rests her head on his shoulder closing her eyes.

"Sleep Penelope." I whisper to her. Stroking her hair.

Andy lays Penelope down on her bed and she curls up with her stuffed owl, Marty.

"Hopefully the rest of the year will be better." Andy says stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"One can only hope." I agree. We both quietly leave her to sleep. Hopefully she'll be able to adapt before anything else happens to her.

"How's Penelope Grace?" Dad asks meeting us at the bottom of the stairs.

"Exhausted, she needs some sleep." Andy says, "Without getting woken up again."

"If it were only up to me," Dad begins.

"We know dad." I tell him, "Sean explained the window." Sam quickly launches into the explanation that Sean had given him.

"At least we know it was a mistake." Dad says. "We've got a replacement window coming in a few days, for now, we've got to make sure that the screen gets put over her window, and that it's in pristine condition."

"Sam," Mom calls up to us. "Dinner."

"Come on boys."

Andy follows dad downstairs, but I turn back to Penelope's door and close it. Behind her bedroom door is the box for the vacuum. Even sleeping, she's always finding things.