a sound she hadn't heard before

six.

"Okay, and that's that," Levi remarks, shuffling the papers around to make sure that all of the signatures have been completed. "You're all good to leave. The news will break on Playbill in about an hour, and tomorrow, we are going to have to work to put out casting calls for each of the characters. We will see you then."

"Thank you," Taylor says. She can't help but smile as she picks Ayla up in her arms. "All ready, girly?"

"All ready," Ayla replies.

"Great. Let's get home before that news breaks." Taylor exchanges quick goodbyes with the team of people who are now her co-workers and co-creatives, then slings her purse over her shoulder and heads out of New 42nd Studios. The two girls head to the nearby parking garage where Taylor's Toyota is waiting for them.

"Momma?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"When we get home, can we watch a movie?" Her eyes are big and blue as she asks the question in her innocent little voice.

"Of course we can," Taylor replies. "What do you want to watch?"

"Hmmm... I'll tell you at home."

"Sounds good." A few years ago, Taylor built a little home movie theatre in the basement of their house, and she can't help but think that maybe that'll be the best place for them to be when this news breaks. Their house is in a gated community, and she has honestly no idea if the public knows where she's living. All that she knows is that if somebody does end up on their doorstep, trying to gain insight into the private life that she has led for the last five years, the basement will be a better place to be than their living room with big, bright windows that are lovely for letting a spring breeze in, but not so handy for trying to be unseen.

"Can we go swimming after dinner?"

"Maybe," Taylor replies. She really does want to use their backyard pool a few more times before the season starts to change and it's too chilly. She just isn't sure if today will be the right time to be outside. She really is incredibly anxious about the story breaking and what it will do to change her life. She tries so hard to keep in mind what her mom said to her, about how Broadway will have a much smaller following than anything that she was used to in her old life.

She can't help but think back to some other days in her life that big news broke about her. Good ones and bad ones. The day that she announced her album 1989 was really one of the best days. God, it was so much fun, to be with the fans, and to see even more online, absolutely freaking out. Then, there was the day that Kim Kardashian posted that edited video of her. That was the lowest she has ever been. She had never felt so awful- even worse than when Ayla's father left her, and even worse than when Kanye walked on that stage during the VMAs and said she wasn't worthy of her own accomplishment.

She knows that today's news is good news. It's going to absolutely thrill the fans, and it's going to give a lot of hype to this new project, which will lead to lots of auditions when it comes time to find a workshop cast. She knows that, really, she does. Yep, there's going to be a lot of good things that come out of this.

----

"Okay, only one principal role left. We have to do a casting call for the teacher, Mr. Fadler. I'm envisioning him as a low baritone or a bass," Ben says.

"Incredible," Taylor nods, writing down the vocal range in her notebook to help her with composing later on. "Age range?"

"Pretty young... I envision the character as about 35.That would give us mostly auditioners in their 30's, maybe with a few years to cushion either side."

"Great, perfect," she says.

Ben starts to type on his computer, and a moment later, he looks back up at Taylor. "Look at this and tell me if it's good."