A Place in This World - A Taylor Swift Adoption Story

Can't Remember to Forget You

I couldn't believe it. Okay, yes, my parents were complete pieces of shit, but hiding my brother from me was not something I fully expected from them. I opened my phone, going on Facebook and Instagram to try and find someone. I looked through my parents accounts, no trace of him. None of my accounts was followed by anyone with my last name. I didn't even know his name, I realized. I asked Taylor, who texted Tree, then she got back to me. "His name is Tyler Williams." That was all I needed.

At first, the first person that came up was this famous actor. Not him. I scrolled, and bingo, an Instagram page. The profile picture was a boy, looking a little younger than me, spitting image of my dad. I followed him, and right as I was about to reach out, I felt myself disassociating, tried to ground myself and found myself in a flashback.

~~

"You don't do shit! How many times are we going to come home without food on the table?" A sharp sensation. I could feel my face burning and pulsing. "Get to the kitchen and make me something."

"Don't!" I tried telling myself, but this was a memory. And you can't change the past.

I had started to boil some water to make spaghetti when my mother walked in, somehow just as angry as my father was. "Your room is a fucking pigsty! We're having guests over, and you can't even keep your own floor clean!" I peered slightly behind her, revealing two lives of clothing on the floor as well as two or three toys. And a boy... I had never remembered him before...

"I'm sorry, mom," I heard the memory continue, and I started to panic, knowing what was coming. She yanked my arm and led me to the stove, where the water for the spaghetti was starting to boil. She made my hand touch the bottom of the pot, and I screamed. Both in the memory and I think out loud. My hand was there for a few seconds, then was pulled out. I had almost forgotten that wasn't the end yet. My mother picked me up. I knew what was coming.

"Get me out!" I yelled, knowing they couldn't help but still scared. I almost said the next words in unison.

"David! I think it's time to bre-"

~~

"ROSE!" I heard, and Taylor was holding my hands, tears in her eyes. The memory faded, but the emotions, the panic? Still there. I yanked my hands out of her, and I could feel myself shaking. My hand. I looked down at it, relieved deep down that it was smooth and warm, not burnt and blistered. "Rose, you're shaking..." And crying, I added mentally, rubbing my eyes. Colin was nearby, bottle of water ready for me to take whenever I was ready.

"You're safe now kiddo." I smiled through my tears at Colin, taking the water, but not drinking it just yet. "Breathe." But I couldn't. All I could do right then was cry. Taylor let me, rubbing my back and taking deep breaths to help my body regulate. I realized as I came down from my panic that I hadn't had a flashback since my last nightmare. And I had never seen that boy. But I knew who it was.

"You need to bring him," I said, through tears but not sobs. "I need to see him." Taylor shushed me gently, rubbing circles on my back.

"Rose, shh... I'll get Tree on it. For now, don't wanna talk about it?" she asked gently, not forcing, but out of the care and love she had for me. I shook my head, feeling the horrific memory fleeting anyways, away with the rest of my past. I finally took a sip of my water, with turn into drinks, and soon after, the water bottle was empty. Crap, I realized. I would be ready to go onstage on time. "You're not going onstage," she said, reading my mind. "Your voice is still shot, and your brain is in panic mode. Don't wanna make it worse with all the noise." I nodded, then Miss Andrea walked in.

"Taylor, sweetie. The show's about to start. Come
on." Taylor looked at me, and I nodded, reassuring her that I would be okay. She left, and I took a deep breath before sitting in a chair. I tried calling Harley, but she didn't pick up. Weird. I didn't pay much mind to it. I texted her saying that I wanted to talk to her, and right as I was about to put my phone up, a notification rang. Two.

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