Are We Out Of The Woods Yet?(A Taylor Swift Adoption Story)

Coding with Karlie

Amara's POV:
Taylor knew.. Or at least I think she did because right after breakfast we went up to her room to watch a movie. There's a TV downstairs in the living room yet she chose for us to go to her room to watch a movie.

Then she made me lie down before she pressed play.

Yup she definitely knew.. It's just how? I could've sworn she was asleep last night...
I don't know how I feel about this... On one hand I'm happy she found out and on the second I'm kicking myself for being so careless. She hasn't said anything about it and I'm partially relieved because I don't know how I would answer.. like what would I say?

Hey Taylor! So I can't let myself fall asleep for long periods of time because my mind keeps racing and I'll get nightmares  therefore I physically just can't sleep.. Oh! And every terrible memory of Syria keeps playing through my mind on repeat when I'm trying to rest.. But don't worry about me and don't tell anyone!!

I imagine saying that to Taylor and nearly crack up laughing. A big part of why I'm not telling her is because she might tell Maxine and if she told Maxine it would somehow end up in Maxine's twisted mind that Taylor isn't responsible enough and they would take Taylor away from me. Just like what happened to my dad...
Then where would I have to be forced to go? I shudder at the thought.

I actually did manage to get some un-nightmare-affected sleep while curling up next to Taylor but I'll never admit it to her. I don't know how much longer I can keep this no sleep thing going now that there's someone basically watching me 24/7. It's comforting knowing that there's someone who cares for me this much, but at the same time it's kind of uncomfortable not being able to control what I'm able to do anymore.

  Again I consider checking out Google for solutions to the no sleep problem but I've tried that and it would be an absolute waste of time to try again. If only I could get Taylor to take me to the library so I can research more. I mean I would sneak out and walk there myself but the bodyguards, paparazzi, doorman, and Taylor especially kinda make that impossible.

"Amara, Karlie will be here in abouttt 10 minutes.. Do you need like paper or a pencil or something to take along with you?"

Taylor's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I try to remember what she just said;

"Taylor you do realize that we're doing coding... As in coding on a computer"

I smirk at her as I say that and she rolls her eyes before smiling and heading downstairs.

I follow her down and for the first time today I feel super excited.
The doorman buzzes up and tells us Karlie has arrived as I try my hardest to stay calm. I haven't coded in ages!!  It's kind of bittersweet considering the person teaching me won't be my dad, but I know he would want me to continue to learn.
Taylor lets her in and they talk before they turn their attention to me. I've put shoes on and I'm ready to go. Karlie does the same and we both hug Taylor before we head off towards her apartment.

Let me just say that the amount of paparazzi following Karlie are significantly less than the amount following Taylor. It's actually comforting how little paps there are!! We finally get to her apartment and I can't help but laugh at how similar their apartments are... They both love candles and art to an extreme and it shows. I follow Karlie around her apartment and eventually we get to the living room where I see a whole bunch of hard drives and textbooks.

Karlie immediately pulls out two laptops which are already set up with Google Developers, a coding site that I know quite well. Talking a mile a minute she explains that this is the software she uses for college and even though I know how it works, I let her explain because she is so so enthusiastic about it.

One thing I love about the Internet is how similar it is for everyone around the world. It's actually comforting to see the coding software dad taught me on and it brings back such fond memories. I smile enthusiastically at Karlie and we talk about favorite ice cream flavors and pets until the program loads.

Then it's down to business.

The first thing we do is evaluate my level of experience and when she figures out that I'm advanced in Java she turns the tables and asks if there's anything I'd like to learn how to do.

"I want to build effective security firewalls and maybe do a little app development?"

When I tell her this I love that she considers everything I'm telling her. Karlie is just like Taylor in the sense that she really pays attention to what you have to say. They both have a way of making you feel important and heard out. After going through different ideas, we decide to start with app development and incorporate a little firewall building after the mainframe is done. ( A/N if you don't understand what this stuff is comment and I'll explain it)

An hour later we both are sprawled out in front of our different laptops putting the finishing touches on the little mobile robot we decided to call Max. I don't think I've ever been so proud of anything my entire life.  We designed Max as this little mobile icon that you can drag on to your screen, and the main purpose of him is just for fun. When you click anywhere inside the scope of the icon we programmed him to jump around and eventually fall apart virtually before coming back together. The coolest part about Max however, are his security measures. Karlie taught me how to input firewalls allowing Max to be virtually unhackable.

We test out the robot from each of our screens to ensure everything works before Karlie decides that we need to celebrate. During our conversation before programming, we both came across the fact that we like chocolate ice cream and Karlie instantly jumps up to get some as I reach for the TV remote. As soon as I hit the power button I'm greeted by a news program. As I turn the volume up my heart drops and my happy mood comes crashing down. They're reporting from Aleppo. (A/N: Aleppo is a city in Syria)

It's like watching a train wreck. You want to look away but you just can't. As the reporter drones on and on about what's happening there my stomach lurches as I read the death tolls coming in. There was a bombing on a pediatric hospital. 50 are dead so far and the numbers just keep coming in. Aleppo is ten minutes away from Zitan. The bombing happened ten minutes away from home. There is no doubt that the people of my town heard about the bomb.. maybe they even felt it considering how close it was. Who would bomb a pediatric hospital? who would want to hurt children? I desperately need to know if everyone is okay. I'm sure my thoughts are shown on my face and I'm trying my hardest to not shut down and cry.

As soon as I feel that I'm partially calm I turn around. As I turn around I see Karlie standing behind me with two ice cream bowls and a look of pure horror on her face as she gazes at the TV. She then realizes exactly who is in the apartment with her and within seconds her gaze turns from the screen and becomes pointed at me. Walking fast she stands in front of the TV effectively blocking my view before she reaches for the power button. When she's sure that it's shut I see her studying my face, as I tell her I'm fine repeatedly. A moment passes before she tells me she needs to call her 'dad' and makes her way to the terrace phone in hand.

Oh she's most definitely calling Taylor... Great... just great.