A Place in This World - A Taylor Swift Adoption Story

I was too young to see the truth

TW: Mentions of past abuse and nightmares!!! Please skip if you need to.

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Rose finished her day by going down and bothering the night shift receptionist. There was a sense of calm after most of the kids had fallen asleep. Rose always liked striking up a conversation with Elle. "What have you been up to?" she asked,

"Nothing much. Went on a date with that guy I told you about," Elle said, smiling as she typed up some reports.

"Ooh, Spencer, right?" Rose asked, and Elle chuckled.

"Yes. He's really sweet. Real-life genius." Rose nodded, looking at the clock. "Hey, you okay? You've looked at the clock like 10 times."

"Uh, yeah," Rose replied, looking back. "Just thinking."

"Sure you are," Elle said, and she clicked off her document editor, into her email. "I think you're waiting for something. News?"

"No, not really," Rose lied, thinking back to the day before. New York was fairly quick when it came to applications. So even though only one day had passed, Rose was fully expecting a reply already. Rose looked up at the time again.

"You're creeping me out. Go. Go to bed. Sleep it off," Elle told Rose, and Rose yawned, waving as she left the room. She trudged up the steps, hearing yelling from a room. She ignored it, walking to her room instead. She grabbed her PJs, toothbrush, shower showers, and towel as she made her way to the bathrooms. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and reentered the room. Her three roommates were sitting down, waiting for her.

"So?" Danielle asked, and Rose shook her head.

"Nothing," Rose replied, and the girls sighed and lied down on their respective beds. "Girls, I'm tired. Please, no noise."

"No promises," Ellie said. "Them girls have been going at it for over an hour."

"That's great!" Rose said sarcastically, covering her face with a pillow. All the screaming that seeps through the walls reminded her of her parents. Always yelling. Always arguing over her. The only thing that was missing was the throwing things. She tried blocking it out as she drifted off to sleep.

~~

"Get up, bitch." Rose was rudely awakened to her mom yanking her arm, dragging her to the kitchen table, where she sat and started trying to eat her breakfast. "What the fuck are you doing?" Rose's mom yelled, smacking her hand. "No eating! You're too fat to be eating breakfast." Rose was 10. She didn't even know what fat was. Then, the setting warped. Rose was now 12, sitting in her bed as she heard her mom and dad fighting. She heard a bottle smash and heavy footsteps. She ran to hide under the covers. Her door opened, and she could hear breathing above her. From the smell, she assumed it was her dad. She hoped he didn't lay his hands on her. But he did.

~~

Rose woke up to a scream. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that it was her. The other girls groggily checked in with her, and once Rose dismissed them, she got up, heading to the kitchen. 4:52 AM. God, she hated her nightmares. Always brought her back to her past. Her parents. She poured herself a glass of milk and grabbed some of the Chips Ahoy she bought from the cupboard, sitting on the counter to eat them.

"Rose?"

Rose looked up, scared. Elle quickly turned on the light. "You okay, hun? I heard the stairs," she said, walking over. "It's late."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Rose apologized, getting off the counter. Elle waved her off.

"You do you. Think you can fall back asleep?" Elle asked. Rose shook her head. "Alright. Go get yourself cleaned up and you can sit with me until Juliette switches with me." Rose walked over to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and sat down next to her.

"You know, I keep having nightmares," Rose said, swallowing a cookie.

"That's completely okay. And normal after what you went through. Your experiences are valid, hun." Rose nodded as she acknowledged this, talking with Elle as they approached shift change.