Lady Ellie Crawley

Chapter 2: 15 years later...

RING! RING! RING! I woke up groggily and stretched. I turned off my phone alarm, rolling out of bed to stretch on my feet. My hair was entirely loosened. I grabbed my scrunchie off the nightstand and wrapped it in a bun. No maid is showing up at 8am to prep me for the morning because I rather liked getting myself ready for the mornings. Except if I'm having trouble looking for outfits or hair troubles. I went to my bathroom and did my morning routine. I showered, changing into this outfit:

I wore small diamond earrings Aunt Edith got me for my 14th birthday. My door knocked. "Come in." I said. It opened, revealing Sybbie. She smiled sweetly. "Good morning!" She said. I returned the gesture. "Morning. How's your sleep?" I asked. She sighed happily, flunking herself on my bed. "Refreshing. I'm surprised Marigold didn't bother me." She joked. We chuckled. Marigold is rather a night owl who likes to be up stargazing all night. "So, what should we do today? It's Saturday! No more school!" I said. She smirked. "Until Monday." She said. I playfully rolled my eyes. "You really kill my vibe." I muttered. She giggled. Hm, we can't always hang around the staff all the time or visit Granny Violet. Not that I never loved it. Granny Levinson usually got bright ideas whenever she come visit. Classic because she's American. Then again, this is the 21st century. We're British Americans. My brain clicked. "I know! Grab your phones girls, we're going to the cafe." I said. Sybbie fake smiled. "Wow! A cafe! Great idea!" She said sarcastically. I chuckled. "Nope. The Starbucks cafe where we'd get frappes or sandwiches." I said, smirking. She happily hopped off the bed. "I'll go tell Marigold! Mom can get our ride with a security guard and buy our breakfasts. Hurry up!" She quickly said. I laughed as she rushed out. My phone buzzed. It was Mommy.

Mum😇♥️: where are you darling?? Lol

I chuckled. Typical mommy. She get concerned easily about me. I applied light makeup and brushed my hair. I walked out and closed the door.
Johnny seemed to walk out of George's room.
He saw me and smiled. "Ellie!" He said. I waved. "Hey, how are you?" I asked. His looks are undeniably handsome. None of us had crushes on him growing up in our house...well, except Marigold though. He'd always call us by our names instead m'ladies because we're like family. He huffed. "George Crawley is impossible to wake up sometimes. He once threw pillows at me." He said, raising an eyebrow. I laughed and nodded. "He's not a morning person." I said. Johnny nodded in agreement. "Anyways, he'll be out out soon and where are you going?" He asked, noticing my outfit. I smiled. "To Starbucks with Sybbie and Marigold. I'm about to let Mom and Dad know." I told him. He returned the gesture. "Need help?" He asked. I looked at him confusedly. "Do I?" I asked. Johnny raised an eyebrow. I laughed and punched his arm. "Stop!" I said, giggling. He chuckled. "I gotta go. Have fun!" He said. I waved as he walked downstairs. I followed behind to make my way to the drawing room. Mr. Carson smiled kindly. "Good morning Ellie." He said. I kissed his cheek kindly. "Good morning Mr. Carson." I said. He opened the door, letting me go inside. My whole family was here except our grandparents. But they are coming sometime this week. Mom saw me and smiled. "Hey my darling!" She said. I chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Hey Mama." I said. Dad smiled happily and looked up from his laptop. "Good morning sweetheart." He said. I kissed his cheek. "Morning Daddy." I said. The person sitting beside him was nonetheless my big sister Maya. The beautiful lady next to Mom is my Aunt Sybil. She smiled warmly, opening her arms. I hugged her. "Hello my cutie." She cooed. We parted. "Where's Uncle Tom?" I asked. Mom smirked and crossing her legs. "Car duties as usual. It's holding him up." She told me. Dad hummed in response, rubbing his thighs for a second. "I should go visit him today. We could check out new cars he got." He said. New cars? Yay! It's not too late for me to think about my sixteenth birthday car while taking Drivers Ed. I smiled excitingly. "Ooh, can I come?!" I beamed. Maya looked up from her phone. She chuckled, smirking. "Why? They're not looking for a child mechanic." She said rudely. Slightest hurt fulfilled my face. Mom sighed. "Maya..." She trailed off. I fake smiled and shoved my hands in the pocket. "No, you're not a brainiac either." I sassed. Her eyes widened. "Anyways, I was about to ask you guys- I was cut off when the girls rushed in through the door. Sybbie smiled. "Mom, did you did it?" She asked. Aunt Sybil chuckled. Mom smirked. "Did what?" She asked. Marigold inhaled a deep breath. "Ellie was thinking us three could go to Starbucks for breakfast. Mrs. Patmore's already aware. You could send security with us and we'll be back." She told her. The whole room fell deeply silent. Mr. Carson sighed nervously. He was aware of how we sometimes like to do things differently outside of Downton. He was also hoping our parents don't pull our heads off. Maya smiled innocently. "That'll be fun. Won't it be Mom?" She asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. Mom ignored her comment and shrugged. "Well, at least they'll be safe. Carson, fetch a ride for the girls." She said. We cheered excitingly. Aunt Sybil and Dad chuckled. Mr. Carson bowed. "Of course m'lady." He said, heading for the door. Sybbie hugged Aunt Sybil. "Thanks mom. Is Dad coming later?" She asked. She nodded. "Yes. He texted me earlier." She told her. Dad smirked and placed me on his lap. Maya rolled her eyes annoyingly. "Remember to be- I cut him off. "On your best behavior, don't speak to strangers and stay safe." I mocked his accent. Mom hid her giggles. Dad smiled and kissed my forehead. "That's my little princess." He said. The door reopened, showing Mr. Carson and George. "Master George. M'lady, their ride is waiting outside." He told Mom. She smiled. "Good! Off you go ladies and call me once you get there." She said. I nodded as we waved and followed Carson out. We walked outside where a Rover was in front with the designated driver. Marigold cheered. "Hell-I mean yay!" She corrected. Sybbie rolled her eyes. "Language Mari." She said. I laughed. Our driver bowed, opening the doors for us. We thanked him and got inside. I waved at Mr. Carson as he drove off. He smiled and waved back.

He parked in the parking lot. Starbucks cafe stood outside. Marigold cheered excitingly. "Yay! Let's go!" She cheered. I laughed. "I know. It's been a while since we went here." I said. Sybbie nodded in agreement. "Maya took us here three times after her sixteenth birthday." She added. I sighed sadly. Growing up, Maya isn't ever nice to me. She's the epitome of a bully. Everything I could do, she makes rude comments. Sometimes I think my own sister hates me. I snapped out of my thoughts when we walked in the cafe. Sybbie led us to a table with three chairs. We sat as the waiter came. "What can I get you girls?" She asked nicely. We ordered sandwiches and chocolate frappes. Our orders will come in a minute so we waited patiently and talked. Marigold kept gushing about One Direction. Sybbie once joked Niall could be her brother since he look exactly like Uncle Tom. I suddenly realized I needed the bathroom. "Guys, I need the bathroom." I told them. Sybbie nodded. I got up from the table and nearly bumped into someone from the bathroom stall. "I'm so sorry!" I quickly apologized. He nodded his head no. "No it's ok. It's my fault." He said. We made eye contact. My cheeks blushed like a red apple. I smiled shyly. "Hi." I said. He cleared his throat and returned the gesture. "Hi." He said.