Ellie follows Ana and Zadie up the stairs, clutching her coffee like it's a life raft. She's exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying very hard to look normal.
Zadie unlocks the door with a flourish.
"Welcome to Casa del Chaos!"
"Please don't call it that."
They step inside.
The apartment is exactly what you'd expect:
plants everywhere (Ana)109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUP42H7tsuy
mismatched throw pillows (Zadie)109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeuQdycDcQ
a candle burning that smells like "forest witch" (Ana)109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpuT9z5UcM
a half‑finished craft project on the table (Zadie)
Ellie drops onto the couch like her bones have given up.
Pluto immediately jumps up beside her — he knows this place like home.
"Okay! Story time. Why do you look like a Victorian orphan who's seen too much?"
"I'm just tired."
Ana gives her a look — the kind that says I know that's a lie but I'll let you have it.
Zadie plops down next to Ellie, way too close, legs criss‑crossed like a kid at story hour.
"Do you want tea? Snacks? A blanket? Emotional support? A sword?"
Ana looks annoyed and confused. "Why would she need a sword?"
"You never know."
Ellie laughs — a tiny, tired sound — and leans back into the couch.
Ruth isn't here, but her presence is felt; there's a Tupperware container on the counter labeled "For the girls — don't let Zadie eat all of it."
Ana heads to the kitchen.
"I'm making tea."
"You don't have to—"
"I'm making tea."
Zadie leans over, whispering loudly:
"That's her love language."
Ana shouts from the kitchen:
"I can hear you."
Zadie grins.
Ellie is sipping her tea, finally starting to relax, when Ana opens the fridge to grab something.
She freezes.
"...Zadie."
Zadie perks up from the couch.
"Yes, my love?"
"Why is there... a single slice of pizza... in a bowl... floating in water."
Ellie chokes on her tea.
Zadie shrugs like this is normal.
"I was defrosting it."
"It wasn't frozen."
"It felt frozen emotionally."
Ana closes her eyes like she's praying for strength.
"You cannot keep doing this. The fridge is not a science experiment."
"It's not an experiment if it works!"
"It does not work."
They start bickering — not mean, just classic sitcom roommate chaos.
Zadie defending her "methods."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9Q1x3a9dh
Ana lecturing like she's on a cooking show.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zLx8tXA2j
Pluto watching like it's his favorite soap opera.
Ellie sits there, blinking, overwhelmed but also... weirdly at home.
Finally, she speaks up — quiet, tentative.
"...you could just put labels on the shelves?"
Ana and Zadie both stop.
They look at her.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2oZMKvS6Q
Then at each other.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IYN13I0pG
Then back at her.
"...that's actually a good idea."
"Yeah! Like 'Zadie Shelf' and 'Ana Shelf' and 'Do Not Put Pizza In Water Shelf'!"
Ana sighs, but she's smiling.
"Fine. We'll try it."
Ellie shrugs, suddenly shy.
"It was just a thought."
Zadie beams at her like she just solved world peace.
"Ellie, you're a genius. You should live here."
Ana shoots Zadie a look — not annoyed, just startled by how true that sounds.
Ellie laughs it off, but there's a flicker in her eyes —109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYvnXIPVbo
a tiny, aching wish she tries to swallow down.
The goose argument fizzles out.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQXnPTjq97
The fridge‑label solution has been accepted like a peace treaty.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRD8Gk9k1I
Zadie is humming to herself, reorganizing the pillows in a way that makes no sense.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5Mo6OHbLW
Ana is wiping down the counter even though it's already clean.
Ellie sinks deeper into the couch, Pluto curled in her lap like a warm loaf.
For a moment, everything is still.
"You want lunch? We have leftovers."
"We have mystery leftovers."
"We have perfectly normal leftovers. Zadie has mystery leftovers."
Zadie shrugs proudly.
"Chaos is a seasoning."
Ellie smiles, but it's tired — the kind of tired that sits behind the eyes.
Ana notices.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sdQfF2KLi
Of course she does.
She sits on the arm of the couch, close but not crowding.
"You okay?"
Ellie nods too quickly.
"Yeah. Just... long day."
Ana doesn't push.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjz8QCb8Wby
She just hums in that way she does when she knows someone is lying but loves them too much to call it out.
Zadie plops onto the rug, stretching like a cat.
"Let's do something fun! Movie? Board game? Summon a demon?"
"No demons."
"Fine. Uno."
Ellie laughs — a small, real sound — and that's enough for Zadie to beam like she caused world peace.
Zadie starts pulling out the Uno deck.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bxYOmnkkK
Ana grabs snacks.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmR0jZuOe2
Pluto hops off Ellie's lap to investigate the coffee table.
Ellie watches them move around the apartment — the easy rhythm, the familiar chaos, the way they fill the space without thinking.
She feels it again:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchj9ZlGmfx
that ache in her chest, the one that says I wish I belonged somewhere like this.
She doesn't say it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mI3oo6Z8j
She doesn't have to.
Ana sits beside her, handing her a handful of pretzels.
"You're sitting out?"
"No. I'll play."
Zadie gasps dramatically.
"Ellie joining a game voluntarily? Mark your calendars!"
Ellie rolls her eyes, but she's smiling.
They settle in.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn8XqeJoD8
Cards shuffle.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WkKmkSvpv
Zadie talks too much.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXbe9nkzmy
Ana shushes her.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKG5UzafcDp
Pluto sits directly on the draw pile.
And Ellie...109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfVarFb4vp
Ellie feels something she hasn't felt all day.
Safe.
***
Ellie leaves Ana and Zadie's apartment with Pluto tucked under one arm and a leftover container Ana forced on her. The hallway feels colder than it did on the way in.
She walks home slowly, dragging her feet like she's trying to delay the inevitable.
The door creaks open.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawB9AhR7PA
The apartment is dim, quiet, and too still — the opposite of the warm chaos she just left.
Ellie sets her keys down.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwiove2sc8
Pluto trots inside like he owns the place.
She stands in the doorway for a moment, staring at the space that suddenly feels smaller than it did this morning.
The eviction notice is still on the counter.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOc7mmMTuGL
She avoids looking at it.
She puts the leftovers in the fridge.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoTEonY6oF
The fridge hums loudly, like it's judging her.
She sits on the couch.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIu1EZUH7b
Pluto jumps into her lap immediately.
Ellie exhales — long, shaky.
"I'm fine. I'm totally fine."
Pluto blinks at her like he knows she's lying.
Ellie pulls the eviction notice toward her, smoothing the creases.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3ECDu2gYV
She reads it again even though she knows every word.
"I don't know what to do."
She folds it back up.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrr61Ct2XBn
Puts it under a stack of mail.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg86GgHhbmb
As if hiding it makes it less real.
She curls up on the couch, hugging her knees.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBTgWx6dQs
The apartment feels too quiet.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJNMhLaUAU
Too empty.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauV9gHcqXj
Too much like she's failing.
Her phone buzzes.
A text from Zadie:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDGp2bs9UK
"UNO rematch tomorrow???"
Another from Ruth:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwEEcqPeBM
"Eat something real tonight."
And then Ana:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfN5Uqrypk
"Let me know when you get home."
Ellie stares at that one the longest.
She types:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg25WBdFztx
"Home. All good."
She deletes "all good."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITIx8rhSml
Re‑types it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUR5oJyQNh
Sends it.
She puts the phone face‑down. Sighs.
***
A soft knock at the door.
Ellie freezes.
Another knock — gentle, familiar.
"Ellie? Can I come in?"
It's Ana.
Ellie's breath catches.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ807JzMVOF
She wipes her face even though she isn't crying.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBFIRb7HhR
She opens the door.
Ana stands there with a small bag of groceries — nothing dramatic, just essentials.
"You left your scarf."
Ellie looks down.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCurByma5sO
She's not wearing a scarf.
Ana holds it up anyway.
Ellie knows what this is.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUhitnlx6R
Ana knows she knows.
"You didn't have to come all the way here."
"I know."
Ana steps inside.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4R5giLaYDs
She doesn't ask questions.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVor4UeDpGe
She doesn't push.
She just sets the groceries on the counter and starts putting things away like it's the most normal thing in the world.
Ellie stands there, overwhelmed.
"Ana..."
Ana turns, soft and steady.
"You don't have to tell me anything. I just didn't want you to be alone tonight."
Ellie's throat tightens.
Pluto weaves between their legs like he approves.
Ellie nods — small, grateful, undone.
Ana gives her a tiny smile.
"Come sit. I brought tea."
Ellie sits beside her on the couch.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRxiKRhLmw
Ana hands her a mug.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDDxjcEhbu
They sit in silence — warm, safe, enough.
Ellie and Ana sit on the couch, tea cooling in their hands.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNx4iWfgFf
The apartment is dim and too quiet — the kind of quiet that makes the walls feel closer.
Ellie is trying to look normal.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhV0C8mZkSm
Ana is trying not to stare at how not normal Ellie looks.
Then—
A sharp knock at the door.
Ellie goes rigid.
Ana looks over, confused.
Another knock.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYcuP4wbMp
Harder.
"Are you expecting someone?"
Ellie shakes her head, panic rising in her throat.
The knock comes again.
"Miss Ellis? We need to discuss the notice."
Ellie's breath stutters.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzedBizcQB
Her eyes go wide — terrified, caught.
and then Add to home screen.