secrecy - life as taylor swift's twin

{10}

flashback

Taylor and I are at a theme park in Pennsylvania.

She and I both have matching dresses on, and we are both wearing princess crowns.

We are six years old, and she has a tight grasp on my hand, pulling me towards a line for a train ride.

"Momma! Can we go?" She begs my mom.

"Of course sugar, we'll come with you." Dad is holding her hand.

We all walk up to the front of the line and show the worker our tickets, and we all get in the little train cars.

It is a little kid ride, so only three people can sit in each car.

Taylor pulls me into a blue one, while Mom, Dad, and Austin hop into the yellow one behind us.

The train starts moving, and Taylor squeals with excitement.

I smile, feeling the wind hit my face.

"Momma!" I scream. "I'm flying!"

She chuckles and smiles back.

"You can touch the sky!"

Taylor and I giggle as we are paraded around the track, not realizing that we are only going a few miles an hour.

Eventually the ride stops, and we get off, still smiling.

"I want this day to last forever!" Taylor cheers.

I frown.

"Why can't it?"

"Sweetie, life isn't a theme park. People are going to bring you down, and they're going to cut you in line," my dad explains.

This makes me frown more.

"But that's not allowed! They're not allowed to cut in line!" I protest.

"Mackenzie, it's okay. People don't always follow the rules. They might take something that's yours, or do something that makes you upset," Mom adds.

"Why would anyone want to take something that's mine?" I question. "It's mine, not theirs!"

"Because they think they have more power. And sometimes they do. It's just like that time Austin took your ice cream cone, remember? You were mad because he took it. But you never tried to take it back," my dad says.

"So if I don't try to take back the things people take from me," I say, finally starting to get what he's saying. "Then I'll never get them back?"

"Exactly."

•

I think that's how it felt right now.

Seeing Taylor get in that car with some man I couldn't see, and drive away.

I had to take back what's mine.

Taylor was mine.