When the Camera's Aren't Rolling || Elizabeth Olsen x Child Star

What would you wish for?

MONDAY || JUNE 21st || 2021

[6 weeks before the incident]

Elsie De Angelis' POV ~

As the dim glow of moonlight illuminated the kitchen, Elsie tiptoed around the counter, her small hands trembling as she collected her ingredients. It was 3am, and she hadn't slept a wink since stepping off the plane from New York the night before. Two months of long days filming and late nights babysitting had left her exhausted, yet her determination kept her going. She had been planning this moment for weeks, and nothing would stop her from making today as special as she could.

The soft hum of the refrigerator was her only companion as she sifted flour into a large mixing bowl, each movement precise and careful. The crack of an egg on the side of the bowl seemed to echo around the silent kitchen, making her wince. Glancing over her shoulder, she cast a wary look down the hallway, where her mother lay sound asleep. Elsie didn't want to disturb her, not when she could handle this on her own.

Taking a steadying breath, she returned to the task at hand, cracking another egg into the bowl, making an effort to be quieter this time. She'd never made a cake before, and she was starting to question how this soggy combination of ingredients could possibly turn into the marvellous creations she had seen online.

Sighing, she stirred it all together, trying to ignore the dread in her stomach as she poured the batter into her new baking tin and placed it in the oven, holding her breath as she closed the door. 'Maybe it would still turn out okay,' she told herself, even as the nagging voice in her head whispered that it wouldn't be good enough.

Time was slipping through her fingers, and she couldn't afford to indulge her inner critic today. Instead, her mind raced through the meticulously memorized to-do list she had crafted during her return flight from New York. Today's list was nearly double its usual length, so many responsibilities loomed before her, but none would be neglected.

Standing on her tippy toes, she reached into the pantry to get the icing sugar and food colouring, before stepping back onto her step stool and depositing them as gently as she could on the kitchen counter.

'...sugar, butter, milk...'

'...1 ½ cups, 125g, 1tbsp...'

'...Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea...'

'...Violet, Violet, Violet...'

Chelsea and Violet.

Her mind flickered between the two. The former being the name of the character she was set to play in her new film. Pre-production started today, and just the thought brought a flutter to her stomach. She'd been chosen—handpicked by none other than Greta Gerwig, her favourite director of all time, to play a key role in the movie she and her husband had written. The knowledge filled her with an excited, nervous energy, the kind that made her chest tighten and her thoughts spiral with both thrill and dread. This was a role she had to get right; so she'd studied and prepped until she knew the character like the back of her hand, and she wanted desperately to make Greta proud.

But the frosting she was carefully mixing reminded her that Greta wasn't the only person she wanted to please today. There was someone else, someone who had given her the greatest role she'd ever played in her entire life; being a big sister. And that was why Elsie found herself in the kitchen hours before dawn, with the scent of vanilla and sugar filling the room. She inhaled deeply, letting the warm aroma wrap around her and steady her racing heart. The soft yellow glow of the oven beckoned her, and despite her rush, she still found herself mesmerized by the cake rising within, its surface turning a beautiful, golden brown.