Rise Up: Hamilton Cast Fanfiction

Dropped in the Middle of a Forgotten Spot

Ella's POV:
I woke up with a splitting headache. I turn to see my baby sister in a the bundle of blankets next to me. I quietly plant a kiss on top of her forehead and move to see the clock of my nightstand.
5:42
I sighed. I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon seeing that I'll have to be up in 15 minutes. I covered my sisters eye lightly with a sheer blanket and reached to turn on the lights. My room was the attic. There was only one small vent up here and I made a bed (2 yoga mats, pillow and two blankets) on the floor by it for me and a large basket with pillows and blankets for my baby sister. Elizabeth was only 4 months old and smaller than most babies. A nightstand stood by my bed. It held a digital clock and lamp. I had two drawers. The first one held my phone, my laptop, headphones and the chargers.
The second drawer was my traveling backpack, some spare makeup, a hairbrush and some toys for Elizabeth. Beneath my bed was a loose floorboard that contained pictures of my family, and an Hamilton playbill that was signed by Lin Manuel Miranda.
You may ask why am I living in an attic with my baby sister?

The answer is simple. My parents were killed by a drunk driver only a month ago. I'm currently in a group home for girls. It was the only way for me and my sister to stay together. No one wanted a 16 year old and 4 month together. Life here is rough. There are bullies, gangs, and cliques. I survived by keeping my head low and doing what I'm supposed to be doing without question.
I knew today was a special day. The president of Graham Windham Foundation was coming to visit. This usually meant someone was looking to adopt. I throw on a dark gray Schuyler Sisters T-shirt and tie it in the back. I had seen Hamilton with my parents a week before their death and I had fell in love with it. No one knew what it was here. Uncultured people. I paired it with a pair of light washed jeans and my brunette hair half up. I checked my reflection in the mirror. My blue eyes found themselves and spoke only tiredness. A little makeup won't hurt, I thought. So I applied the thinnest layer of foundation, mascara, a tiny bit of eyeliner, filled in my brows, and completed with a tinted chapstick. And then I woke up Elizabeth and dressed her. The clock read 5:55. I had to make breakfast anyways today. Might as well start now. Elizabeth played with my hair as I climbed down the stairs fromthe attic for breakfast.

After finally laying out the final plate, the girls started to walk in. The three oldest girls were 17.
Emily was the pretty one. She was most likely to be adopted in my opinion because she was nice, pretty, and well-behaved.
Ava was the bully. She was rude and liked to putto everyone in their places by beating the crap out of them. She always thought she was the next one out but clearly not.
Amelia was the sidekick. Always backing Ava up whenever she needed it. But when Ava was caught, she pinned it on Amelia. I felt sorry for her sometimes. Key word is sometimes.
The others just minded their own businesses and try not get beat up by Ava.
After breakfast we were told to wait in the parlor. I rocked Elizabeth till she was silent in my arms. The other girls talked amongst themselves. Suddenly the door opened and we are jumped to attention.
The president of Graham Windham stood in the doorway. Beside him was a a man with a dark haired ponytail. Lin Manuel Miranda, as I live and breathe. I saw at the musical and when he signed my playbill but never in a situation like this.

"Girls, introduced yourself." the president, Eric Higgs said.

Lin's POV:
The girls were told to introduce themselves. Some were polite, some were a little fake, and some were just downright rude. 

The girl at the end of the line caught me eye. She was wearing Hamilton merch and she had a baby in her arms. She couldn't be older than 17.

"I'm Ella and I'm 16. This is my baby sister, Elizabeth. She's 4 months." Ella said. There was something about her. A vibe, that I couldn't quite place. Layers of emotions under her simple and polite introduction. 

Eric nodded. "Please resume your normal schedules, girls."

"Any luck, Mr. Miranda?" He said, turning to me.

"Can I take a look at their rooms?" I asked.

Eric looked puzzled. "Of course. Right this."

The girls slept in rooms up to four people. As we walked around, some were cleaning while others were talking quietly. But I never saw a crib, which was crucial for the baby. When I questioned Eric about this, he gave a outrageous response.

"Oh, none of the girls wanted to share a room with the baby and Ella wasn't willing to part with her sister. So they are in the attic." He replied as if this was the simplest thing in the world. 

"May I see it?" I asked

"Sure. Right here, Mr. Miranda." Eric pointed at a ladder hanging out of the ceiling.

I climbed up the ladder and saw Ella tending to her sister with a bottle of formula.

"Mr. Higgs! I was hoping for the chance to tell you that Elizabeth has been running a high fever for days and there isn't any medicine for newborns downstairs." Ella said, in distress.

"Ella! We will talk about these things later. There is a guest present." Eric scolds.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Higgs." Ella hung her in disappointment.

"Mr. Higgs, would you mind giving me a moment to talk with Ella here?" I ask.

"Of course, Mr. Miranda, take your time." And he left the attic. 

I turned to Ella. "Quite ironic that you wear a shirt with Eliza on it. She started this program after all." I said. "This is just horrible, kicking you guys to the attic."

"Better than a cupboard under the staircase." Ella replied with a smile. 

"Why, a girl after my own heart, Hamilton and Harry Potter?"

"I also know In the Heights, Mr. Miranda. I come to believe that is something you are quite familiar with?" Ella said.

"Why yes. I wrote it. But doesn't living in the attic feel a bit like a fairytale?" I countered. 

"Well, certainly my name is Cinderella. I wouldn't dare to get any ash on this shirt, so I am just Ella."

"Well, I best be on my way, Miss Ella." I said in my best British accent.

She laughed. "Get out of my attic!" she joked. 

*timeskip to the Miranda House: dinnertime*

"Can you believe that, V? A sick baby in the attic? We have to get them out of there!"

"Yes, Lin. We will. Did you grab her file so I can start the process?" Vanessa said as she tried to get my son Sebastian to eat his food. 

After dinner, we looked at the file together. Ella was 14, and her parents were killed in a drunk driver accident about a month ago. There were people willing to foster and adopt her but none for her baby sister, so she choose the group home. Elizabeth, her sister was only 4-month old and did not have very clear doctor records, unlike Ella. She had a small history of depression and slef-harm which seemed to have cleared up. 

"Do you think we'll be able to handle another baby?" V asked worried. "You've already got so much on your plate with daily shows and that gig from Disney."

"I'll be fine, V. Worry about yourself, smarty-pants."

And from then it was decided we would adopt both Ella and Elizabeth. They couldn't last in that horrible place they were dropped in.