CLEAN || Taylor Swift Adoption

EIGHTEEN

"You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now..."

~TAYLOR~

August 5, 2019

Shortly after hanging up the phone with Tree, I started in the direction of the stairwell, deciding that the sooner I could get an answer from Everleigh, the better it would be. I knew that despite all of our worries, and the phone call Tree and I had that turned into an argument at some point, that we could have just been worrying for nothing. Maybe Everleigh would actually want to go to the Session, and then the only problem we'd have would be figuring out how to get her intermixed with the rest of the fans.

But who was I kidding? There was so much about that idea that just seemed so unlikely. If Everleigh had been keeping to herself since she got here, I didn't know what part of Tree or me thought she would want to go to the Session, but I figured that was something we could deal with when the time came.

I walked up the stairs, scaring Meredith, who had been sitting at the top of the staircase and looking down at me with a very judgemental look. I laughed lightly as she scampered down the hallway and into the nearest empty room that she could find, and then I turned my attention to the closed door of Everleigh's room.

I knocked on the door. "Everleigh? It's me. Can I come in?"

There was no response, and I tried to listen at the door to see if she was sleeping, or preoccupied with earbuds in and couldn't hear me. Or maybe she just didn't want to respond. There was always the possibility of that, too.

"Everleigh?" I tried again.

This time, I could hear what sounded like strained breathing, almost wheezing, from the other side of the door. As soon as I heard it, I couldn't unhear it, and it worried me.

I kept one hand on the doorknob but didn't turn it, deciding that I would try knocking one more time before I went in. The last thing I wanted to do was invade her privacy, especially with how reserved she had been acting for the entire day, but I also knew that if she needed help, I wasn't going to leave her alone.

"Everleigh?" I asked. "Can I come in?"

Again, there was no response, but I could hear her breathing getting more rapid. Shit.

"I'm coming in," I said, not sure if it was more to myself or to Everleigh, but the words coming out of my mouth regardless as I turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

I was met with the sight of Everleigh sitting in the far corner of her room, curled up into a ball, with tears streaming down her face. I approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her, but also wanting to make sure she knew that I was there. "Ev?" I asked gently, sitting down on the ground in front of her. "Can you hear me, honey?"

Her entire body was trembling with fear as she sobbed, inhaling sharply every so often. "Everleigh," I said again.

Everleigh's head shot up when I spoke again, this time, my voice registering in her head. She scooted away from me in fear, cowering into the corner.

"Hey," I said gently. "Honey, it's just me. There's no one else here. You're safe."

Everleigh squeezed her eyes shut in response, her hands shaking as she tried to use them to stabilize herself on the floor. Or maybe she was holding herself in place. Either way, I could practically see the tension radiating through her body.