Get your tissues ready, this is a sad chapter. I've been feeling distant from my sister and I haven't been talking to my twin on here, so I felt like this is a good time to post this.
McKenzie woke up early in the morning. She knew what day it was the moment her eyes opened. She hurried to get dressed in her new uniform and packed her bag.
She went into her mom's bedroom and shook her. "Mom," she whispered. "Mommy! You have to take me to the airport!"
Melissa stood McKenzie on the doorstep, and Maddie hugged her. Melissa took a picture of them together. "Why can't I come with you, mom?" Maddie asked, starting to cry, holding McKenzie tightly. "You need to look after Mackenzie when she wakes up, honey." Melissa kissed her daughter's tears away.
Maddie picked McKenzie up. "You're still so little, are you sure this is what you want to do?"
McKenzie struggled to answer. She didn't want to leave her sisters and her mom. She would miss her friends and Abby and dancing. But she really wanted to go to school. "I'm sure. I promise I'll write to you all the time." McKenzie kissed just above Maddie's ear.
Melissa strapped McKenzie into the back seat and got into the front seat. McKenzie waved to Maddie and blew her a kiss.
As soon as Melissa pulled down the driveway, McKenzie started crying, still waving to Maddie. She wound the window down as fast as she could and yelled "I love you!"
On the plane
McKenzie cried into her mom's shoulder in the boarding lounge, causing everyone to stare at them, and not just because they recognized her from Dance Moms. One little girl approached and asked if she was okay, but Melissa had to answer for her.
"She's just sad, she's leaving us to go to school."
"Oh," the little girl said. "Does she have to?"
"No, she doesn't have to," Melissa told her. "She just wants to. I don't think she realized how hard it'd be to say goodbye."
The little girl blinked at McKenzie's small body, heaving with sobs. "Will she not be on Dance Moms any more? She's my favorite."
Melissa could tell, the little girl had her hair in the same style McKenzie always did on the show.
"What's your name?" She asked the little girl.
"Alannah." The little girl said.
"Do you want to give McKenzie a hug? Make her feel better?"
Alannah nodded.
"McKenzie," Melissa lifted her daughter's face from her shoulder. "Someone wants to see you, sweetheart."
McKenzie turned to Alannah, wiping her eyes and sniffing. "Hello," she said, trying to smile. "I'm sorry, I don't think this is how you imagined meeting me."
Alannah moved closer to McKenzie and hugged her. Suddenly, McKenzie wasn't worried about crying. She cried.
And Alannah patted her back to comfort her.
"Flight 07A to England boarding now." A voice announced, ten minutes after Alannah had gone back to her seat and McKenzie had finished her chicken nuggets from the McDonald's because Melissa had insisted she eat something before she got on the plane. "That's me," McKenzie said, standing up and gripping her suitcase handle tightly. "I'm so proud of you." Melissa hugged her daughter tightly. "You'll find a way to keep dancing, won't you?"
"Of course, Mom. Give my love to Mackenzie."
McKenzie was okay for the first hour on the plane. Then she started feeling lonely, and there was a gap in her heart the kind women next to her who called her "cutie" couldn't fill. In the time when they were allowed to stand up, several people at a time had come up to her asking for autographs and wanting to take pictures. She'd smiled happily for the photos and she'd even let one little boy sit on her lap, but when she saw the photos of her hugging Mackenzie with Mackenzie kissing her cheek, she wanted to cry again. But she put on a brave face, took the marker pens they offered her, and signed her name just to the left of her smiling photo self.
The plane landed eventually, and McKenzie was one of the first allowed off. She had to meet the family looking after her, the Carson's, just outside the doors. She caught sight of a pink sign with MCKENZIE ZIEGLER on it in swirly letters. It was held up by a man, a woman, a teenage girl and a younger girl. She made her way over to them, dragging her case behind her.
When she reached them, the woman swept her up into a hug. "We're so glad to have you with us, McKenzie!" She said, setting her back on her feet. "You're very brave to make this journey by yourself." The man told her, picking up her case.
"I'm Brittany." The teenage girl said. "I'm nineteen."
"Hi," McKenzie said shyly.
"I'm Rosie, I'm twelve," the younger girl said, hugging McKenzie gently. "We're going to be best friends, I know it! You're sharing my room with me. I have loads of music and magazines and stuff to share with you!"
They led McKenzie to their car, and she sat in between Rosie and Brittany on the way home, telling them all about living in America. She had a feeling that even though she missed her family, she was going to like it here.
Pittsburgh
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Mackenzie woke up with the sun shining in through her window.
Something felt different but she wasn't sure what. It was Friday, another dance day, where she had to get up, get dressed, get her dance bag, hug her mom and Maddie good morning, eat breakfast and then go.
She got out of bed, opened her window, and looked through her closet until she found clothes she wanted to wear.
She went downstairs when she was dressed and collected her dance bag.
"Morning Maddie!" she called into The Store, seeing Maddie bent over a box of dance stuff. Maddie looked up at her and her eyes looked red. Mackenzie guessed she hadn't slept very well last night.
She moved on into the kitchen.
"Hi mom." she said, putting her bag down next to her seat at the table.
Melissa turned around when she heard Mackenzie's voice, and saw her daughter's smiling face remade into shock. She knew her eyes were still red like Maddie's. "Didn't you or Maddie sleep last night?" She asked.
"No, we didn't sweetie." She poured Mackenzie some cereal and handed her a spoon. "Why?" Mackenzie said with her mouth full.
"Maddie had a bad dream and I stayed up with her the rest of the night." Melissa hurried to think up a believable story.
Mackenzie seemed to believe it. "You should have woken me up, I could have helped."
Maddie came in and sat down next to Mackenzie, pouring her own cereal. "How did you sleep last night, Maddie?" Mackenzie asked her.
"Fine. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was asleep." Maddie said, not noticing Melissa mouthing words to her. Mackenzie turned to her mom, looking confused. Then she looked around the room. "Where's McKenzie?"
Mackenzie ran out of the front door. Melissa and Maddie ran after her. "Mackenzie, wait!"
Mackenzie fell to her knees on the wet grass.
"No!" She screamed. "No! She can't be gone! She can't have gone to England! She can't have left me behind!"
Melissa and Maddie didn't say anything.
Mackenzie stared at the clouds drifting over her head in the blue sky that seemed too perfect for the worst day of her life.
She couldn't think of what else to say, she just screamed a long, painful scream that was full of despair.
And then Mackenzie started to cry.
