Hey, you

Chapter 6 - The big apple

The sound of the alarm clock interrupted a dreamy doze that Ellie wasn't really ready to be awakened from. As she sat up in her bed, her eyes still heavy, she began to smile. It had been the first time in as long as she could remember where she had woken up feeling full of happiness. She stretched her arms, climbed out of bed and left her bedroom to congregate with whoever else was in the kitchen downstairs.

Ellie sat at the large breakfast bar and poured some cereal into a bowl. 'Morning!' she said cheerfully as she began to tuck into her cornflakes.

'Well, someone is full of beans this morning!' replied Tom, who was drinking coffee whilst leaning against the kitchen side. 'Are you all excited for your flight?'

'I mean, I guess? I don't really like doing all this promotional crap if I'm honest, the way I see it, if people are gonna watch the show, they'll watch the show right? I don't think me appearing on a talk show talking about what colour my nails are this week is going to make much difference,'

'But it pays!' said Arthur who had waltzed into the kitchen carrying two large luggage bags before dropping them to the floor. 'And let's be honest, New York is nice around the holiday season...'

'Yeah, maybe we'll bump into Mom whilst doing a spot of Christmas shopping! Last we heard she was in Manhattan right?' snapped Ellie sarcastically. There was a moment of awkward silence, The family rarely spoke about Ellie's Mom. It had been nearly three years since she had decided to take off one afternoon, never to be heard from again.

'Thank God there are over 8 million people that live in that city, the chances of seeing her are pretty damn slim,' Arthur eventually said, easing the tension.

'How long are you leaving for, Ellie?' a young voice asked. Ellie got down from the barstool she had been perched on and kneeled down in front of her younger sister.

'Not too long, I'll be back in about a week, and then we can have a full day under a blanket and have that Harry

Potter marathon we keep meaning to make time for,' she said to Daisy. She was almost like a mother figure to her little sister since her Mom had left.

'Promise?' asked Daisy peering back at Ellie.

'I promise! Come on, let's go and get dressed,' said Ellie, picking Daisy up and carrying her upstairs.

***

The doorbell chimed along with a simultaneous knock. 'Driver's here!' Arthur shouted up the stairs. 'Come on, Ellie, let's get moving!' he gathered his bags and handed one to the driver as they walked down the path to the car. A few moments later, Ellie emerged wearing a Luis Vuitton tracksuit and a large pair of sunglasses, her hair in platted pigtails.

Ellie turned and kneeled down once again to talk to Daisy, 'Now you be a good girl for Tom whilst I'm away,' she said before kissing her on the forehead and heading for the car waving to her brother and sister as they pulled out of the driveway.

***

One thing that Ellie really couldn't stand about airports was the boredom whilst waiting for a flight. It was one big rush, getting through security only to sit in a departure lounge for two hours. As she sat with her hood up in the airport VIP area, with only her Dad for conversation, Ellie thought it was a good opportunity to check in with Will. She hadn't seen him in a few days, due to her busy schedule. She unlocked her phone and began to type a message to him.

'Excuse me,' she heard a voice say as she moved her sunglasses to the edge of her nose and peered over the top of them to see where the voice was coming from. 'Sorry I couldn't help noticing you over here, my daughter and I are huge fans of yours,' said a middle-aged woman who was now almost leaning over Ellie. 'May we get a picture?'