1. shimmer (a taylor swift au)

-chapter seven-

Tour was starting in one day. One day! Ellie woke up screaming from nightmares every night but was having the best time ever. She didn't know that it could be so fun and free, to live in a home where she was cared for. She was still sleeping in Taylor's bed at night, she'd tried sleeping in a bedroom down the hall, but being alone was too scary for her and she'd ended up in the closet. Taylor wasn't mad at her though, and Ellie was relieved that she didn't have to deal with the bad dreams on her own.
"Good morning, little bee!" Taylor was awake long before she was, and was putting clothes into suitcases when Ellie woke up. Ellie's suitcase was green, she'd gotten so excited when Taylor had shown it to her - she'd never had a suitcase of her own before.
"We're leaving today?" Ellie sat up in bed, giving Wendy a squeeze. There were butterflies in her tummy.
"This afternoon," Taylor told her. "We'll be spending the night in a hotel, just so I can be there bright and early for sound check tomorrow. I've packed your suitcase," Taylor told her.

Taylor had decided that Ellie wasn't going to start being homeschooled until the second week of the tour, just to make sure that the two of them had time to settle into the tour way of life first. Ellie had opened up about her bad experiences with school, and she knew that letting her be homeschooled was the right decision.
Taylor also wanted the next few days to be a really positive experience for the girl, and she knew that being organised was going to help. She'd woken up at four thirty in the morning, just to make sure that she'd have enough time to sort everything out. They weren't leaving until three o'clock, but Taylor had a list of things to do a mile long. She didn't want Ellie to feel rushed, or like there was something to be worried about.

She made Ellie breakfast, and let her watch tv in the lounge as she progressed through her todo list. She had to get the cat crates out of the cupboard in the hall, but they were right in the back. She almost ended up getting stuck under a pile of coats and old memories.
Taylor would get distracted by standing against the door frame and watching Bluey with Ellie, but would remind herself she had to keep moving.
Ellie had quickly become her favourite little person in the world. Taylor's parents were meeting them in Glendale, where they'd all get dinner together before the big rush of tomorrow.
She knew Ellie was nervous about meeting Taylor's parents, but every time Ellie brought it up, she reassured her that there was nothing to worry about.
Ellie was an anxious little kid, and the level of anxiety she saw in her was similar to the sort of anxiety she sometimes felt - and this worried her. She didn't want Ellie to be feeling as anxious as she knew how to be.

Four hours later, Ellie was standing by the front door, her suitcase beside her. She'd never had a suitcase before. Taylor had braided her hair in two braids for her, and she'd tied little sparkly ribbons around each of them. Ellie had never felt more beautiful in her whole life. She was wearing sparkly converse that Taylor had gotten her upon her arrival, and was wearing an outfit that she'd picked herself. A cute little denim skirt and a purple tshirt that had elephants all over it.
Wendy was clutched tightly in her little hands, and she gave her a kiss for good luck.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the bathroom before we leave?" Taylor came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a sweatshirt, with sneakers on.
"I'm sure," Ellie told her. "You look really really pretty."
Taylor smiled, and Ellie couldn't help but smile too.
"Alright then! Let's go!"

Taylor held Ellie's hand as they were taking off. She knew the girl had never been on a plane before, and was likely going to feel scared about the whole thing.
"Taylor?" Ellie asked her softly. Ellie always had so many questions, and it made her happy to get to answer them. "Where will I be when you're up on stage?"
"Well, I've got a special section for all my friends and family that want to come and watch," Taylor answered. "So, you can stand with my Mom and Dad."
"I'm so excited," Ellie sighed. "It's gonna be the best night ever."
"I think so too, especially when I finish performing and get to come and find you!" She nudged the little girl.