1. shimmer (a taylor swift au)

-chapter twenty four-

Ellie walked into the elevator in Taylor's hallway, Kate beside her.
"Your parents are really excited to see you," Kate tried to say, but Ellie couldn't help but feel betrayed by the woman. She couldn't help but feel like she was being captured and stolen away from this life that she wanted so badly. She couldn't see Taylor anymore, the life was slipping from her fingers a moment at a time. She hated Kate for doing this.
However, she didn't want to be rude. Taylor had always been respectful, and she would too. So she nodded. She hoped that Taylor wouldn't be too sad - she also hoped that their plan would work and they'd be back together soon enough. Ellie wondered when Taylor would read the letter, and what she'd think about it. She hoped she'd really like it. She smiled when she thought about calling Taylor Mom.

The car ride back to her parents house was cold, and Ellie felt dread in her tummy. She felt like she was about to go back into a scary, haunted house. She was terrified, but she was doing her best to be brave. She was doing her best, but she didn't feel very strong. She was scared. Sure, a CPS worker said her parents were better, but Ellie didn't believe it for a second. She couldn't believe it. She still had scars on her body that hadn't healed from the last time she'd been in this house. The scar that trailed down her foot, or the one of her shoulder, or the one on her back... they were reminders of that desolate life.

She recited the plan in her head, trying her best to keep breathing. Taylor had taught her how to breathe slowly, she'd given her breathing patterns. But still, this was one of those times where she couldn't get herself to calm down. She had a plan. Taylor had a plan. She knew what to do, she just had to make sure that she didn't get scared. She couldn't be scared.
"Alright, Eloise."

That red door. The red door with the letterbox that wasn't even properly in the ground. The dark house was just as haunting as it had been when she'd fled it all those months ago. Except now, her parents were waiting outside. Her breath caught in her throat.

Her mother was almost completely different. Her hair was straight and tied in a ponytail down her back. She was wearing jeans. Ellie knew her mother hated jeans. She was wearing ballet flats, too. Her mother only liked heels because they made her tall. She was smiling. Her father was wearing fancy pants and a top. His hair was cut - it wasn't long and raggedy anymore. His beard was shaved, and he'd lost weight.

Ellie held onto her seatbelt. It was all becoming real. She might not see Taylor again. The woman she wanted so desperately to be her Mom.
"Eloise!" Her mother grinned with a wave. Ellie turned away, refusing to take off her seatbelt.
"Come on Eloise, they're ready to see you!" Kate tried to encourage her.
Ellie shook her head. "I don't want to get out."
Kate sighed. "They've been working really hard to be able to look after you again, baby girl."
Ellie hated that nickname. "How do you know that?"
"Because we've got lots of tests and lots of people that are paid a lot of money to know these sorts of things."
"But no one asked me about it." Ellie shrugged. "I dunno, I guess I would've thought my perspective would be important too."
Kate seemed taken aback. She moved uncomfortably in her seat. "Oh honey, of course we care about your feelings."
Ellie narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She didn't say feelings, she said perspective. There was a difference. Besides, Ellie thought that her feelings had been pretty clear.
The eight-year-old took off her seatbelt, biting her lip. There was no way out of this... she had no choice. All she knew was that she didn't want this to happen to other kids. She didn't want them to have to go back to their houses like this. Not everyone had a Taylor. Not everyone had a grownup who stayed up the entire night to ensure a plan was ready.

Ellie took small steps leading up the path towards her parents.
Kate was holding her suitcase and had a hand on her back, ushering her forward. Ellie tried to move as slow as possible, praying that a miracle would happen. But she knew that was just a dream, and this was going to happen whether she fought or not. She knew the plan would work better if she behaved, if she was calm. She had to pretend. She had to, because this was how she'd get back to Taylor. She knew her parents would slip up, she knew they'd not be changed forever.
"Elly belly!" Her mother cried out, and Ellie flinched as the woman came towards her. Her mother had never called her that before. Ever. It was, aside from her parents' outfits, one of the first signs that they were putting on an act for Kate. Ellie figured that this must have been what they'd been doing the whole time. Acting. So they could get back to their house, and the drugs, the alcohol and the clubs.
Ellie didn't speak as her mother and her father hugged her. It was the first time they'd ever really hugged her. She was beyond frustrated that Kate was smiling. That she thought her parents were being loving and kind. That she didn't even listen to Ellie's point of view. On what the child thought of her parent's behaviour.