THE ESCAPE: A TAYVIS STORY

Chapter Four

taylor's pov ౨ৎ

the next morning, hazel came downstairs her hair was all messy from sleep, but she didn't seem to care. she had this big smile on her face, and just seeing that made my whole morning better. it had been so long since i'd seen her this happy, and it felt like maybe things were starting to turn around.

we sat down at the kitchen table, hazel eating her pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, her favorite. i watched her for a moment, just happy to see her enjoying something without the weight of everything that had happened. she looked up at me, smiling between bites, and i couldn't help but smile back.

"so, how did you like your first night in your new room?" i asked, keeping my voice light, not wanting to make it a big deal but still really wanting to know.

hazel's eyes lit up even more, and she dropped her fork to clap her hands together. "it was amazing, mama!" she said, her voice full of excitement. "the lights are so pretty, and the blanket was so warm, and the walls are so pink! i love it!"

hearing her talk like that made my heart swell. it was exactly what i had hoped for when i redid her room. "i'm so glad you love it, sweetie," i said, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "you deserve a space that's all yours."

she grinned and took another big bite of pancake, but i could tell she was still buzzing with excitement.

"you know what?" i said, leaning back in my chair, an idea popping into my head. "how about we have a girls day today? just you and me. we can go out, get ice cream, and maybe even get our nails done. how does that sound?"

hazel's face lit up even more, her eyes going wide. "really? just us?" she asked, like she couldn't believe it.

"just us," i nodded, smiling at how excited she was. "what do you think?"

"yes! yes! yes!" she practically bounced out of her chair. "can we get sprinkles on the ice cream?"

i laughed, shaking my head. "of course, we can get sprinkles. anything you want today, baby."

hazel was practically vibrating with excitement, and i couldn't help but feel a little lighter myself. today was going to be special, no matter what. it was time to make some good memories.

hazel's pov ౨ৎ

mama said we were going to have a girls' day, and i was so excited i couldn't sit still. it felt like forever since we did something like this, just me and mama. daddy wouldn't let us have fun. i couldn't wait to get ice cream, and the idea of getting our nails done made me feel even more excited.

we got dressed really quick, and i made sure to wear my favorite shirt with the flowers on it. mama always said it made me look beautiful, and i liked that. we got into the car, and i could barely sit still, thinking about all the ice cream flavors i wanted to try.

but when we got to the mall, i saw them. the scary people with cameras. there were so many of them, standing around the entrance with their big cameras pointed right at us. i didn't like them. they made everything feel... scary. i felt my stomach twist, and i grabbed mama's hand a little tighter.

"there's a lot of them today," i said, trying not to look at the cameras.

mama squeezed my hand back and smiled at me. "i know, sweetheart. but don't worry about them, okay? today's about us, not them."

i nodded, but it was hard to ignore them when they were everywhere. they were shouting mama's name, asking her questions, but she didn't say anything. she just kept holding my hand and walking, and that made me feel a little safer. if mama wasn't scared, then i didn't need to be scared either.