Year Zero: Another Version of the Truth Chapters 26-35 (Patreon)

Chapter 26.

Elizabeth escorted Taylor to the park.  She held his hand on the way.  Taylor needed a cigarette extremely badly again.  He put his left thumb into his mouth, it helped last time.  It helped again.

Elizabeth wished that Taylor would give up sucking her thumb.  She was getting old, she was eight.  But since she wasn't living with her parents, for the time being, Elizabeth decided not to say anything.  She let Taylor suck away.

"Taylor," she said, "I know you wish you were staying with your Mommy and Daddy right now, but don't worry you'll be back with them soon."

"How soon?" Taylor asked naturally.

"I don't know.  But it won't be too long.  They do love you and want you back."

Taylor hadn't thought about that.  Yvonne was supposedly his aunt, not his mother.  Would he be living with his sister and her husband instead of Yvonne one day?  They wouldn't even know anything was wrong.

But what about the real Taylor, the real eight-year-old who was his niece, what happened to her?  If he moved 'back' where would she go?  Did she ever exist?  Maybe Yvonne is putting her existence in his mind, just like everyone else's.  Taylor couldn't be sure.  

Elizabeth kept trying to comfort Taylor as they walked, but it wasn't helping him any.  It just reminded him that he could be stuck like this for a long time.  Maybe the rest of his life.

Chapter 27.

At the park,  Elizabeth sat on a bench and let Taylor go out and play.

"What did Yvonne say?" Taylor thought.  "Go on the swings, slide, and play on the monkey bars."

Taylor decided to go on the swings first, he could sit and think as long as he kept moving back and forth.

"Taylor, want Nana to push you?" Elizabeth called out.

"No, I want to show you I can go high by myself."

"OK."

Taylor ticked off each thing he did.  He swung on the swings, check. Next, he went to the slide and slid down it a bunch of times.  He climbed to the top of the monkey bars.  That wasn't as easy as it seemed, he wasn't in shape but somehow he lifted himself to the top.  Then there was the sandbox. He needed to make a friend so he could use the see-saw.  Of course, with the difference in his weight with a normal little girl, it would be hard to use it.

Finally, the hour was up and it was time to go home.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes," Taylor lied although he tried to look sincere.

Chapter 28.

Back at home, Taylor returned to his room.  It had changed even more since he had left.  Some children's items had been delivered by Amazon.  Yvonne put them in the appropriate places in Taylor's room.

"How did it go?" Yvonne asked Elizabeth.

"She seemed to have fun."

"Did she play with any of the other children?'

"No."

"I was afraid of that.  She doesn't seem to be making a lot of friends since she got here."

"Well, it's all-new for her."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"The best place to make friends is at planned activities that you go to every week."

'What a great idea."

"She loves to dance.  Why not sign her up?"

"Yeah, Taylor will just love taking ballet.  She'll meet many girls her age.  I'm sure she'll make many friends."

Chapter 29.

Taylor in his room didn't have any idea what was being planned for him, nor that his own mother had suggested it.  He indulged in the one pleasure that was left for him.  He sucked his thumb and imagined he was still smoking a cigarette.  It calmed him just as a cigarette would.

Once calm, Taylor turned on the television in his room. He found to his disappointment that the stations he was allowed to watch were severely limited.  Anything with a more mature theme was restricted.  But Yvonne wasn't going too overboard.  Taylor could still watch old episodes of Gilligan's Island.

Taylor was still sucking his thumb and watching TV when Yvonne entered his room.

"Hey. guess what, grandma made a great suggestion.  I'm enrolling you in a dance class!" Yvonne stated enthusiastically 

"You're kidding."

"No, you are going to learn how to dance.  You'll be able to make new friends."

"Make new friends?"

"Yeah, Grandma said you need some friends your own age.  It'll help you find some."

"You mean you want me to be friends with little girls."

"Naturally."

"That's sick!  I'm a grown man."

"Are you?  Are you really?  When I came in here you were sucking your thumb."

"That's different.  I don't have any cigarettes."

"Don't get me wrong.  I don't care if you suck your thumb or not."

"Whatever, I'm not going to dance."

"Yes, you are!"

"OK, you can make me go, but you can't make me dance."

"You'll dance, you'll make friends."

"...and if I don't?"

"Then you'll be punished."

"I'm already being punished according to you.  What are you going to do? ground me?  I don't want to go anywhere anyway."

"How about no more TV?"

"Big deal."

"I can punish you and you won't like it."

Taylor didn't know what that meant.  Did he want to risk being punished without knowing what the punishment entailed?  "OK, I'll go to dance," Taylor said reluctantly.

"Good, and you'll look to find a friend while there?"

"How can I do that?  What do I have in common with a little girl."

"Well, you'll be in the same dance class for one.  I can make it that you have a lot in common.  Do you want that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind.  We are leaving in an hour?  Be ready."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah, you need some leotards and stuff for your class.  We have to go out and get them."

"You don't need me to get that stuff."

"True, but I can't leave a child like you alone in the apartment.  Wait, do you want me to get you a babysitter?"

"No, I'll go with you."

"Great, be ready in an hour."

"A babysitter?" Taylor thought.  He hadn't thought about that.  Everyone thought he was seven or eight years old, when Yvonne was away he would have to be watched like a little girl.  His babysitter probably wouldn't be a grown woman either, some teenager would probably be watching him.  A person who was hardly more than a child herself.

Then Taylor thought about the other thing that Yvonne said.  He could be punished.  What did that mean?  The punishments for a little girl didn't mean anything to him.  What would she do?  Would she take away his privileges, that wasn't anything?  Could she ground him? He was grounded wherever he went. How about a time-out?  he was an adult.  She could give him a spanking? Come on.

As he was thinking, his thumb moved inside his mouth. He wasn't even thinking about doing it.  It was one of the things that made him feel better.

Yvonne sounded serious about punishing him.  She sounded like she knew it would be effective.  If she could make the entire world think he is a little girl, what could she do to punish him?  He didn't know.  His best bet right now was to play along and see what happens.

Chapter 30.

"Time to go," Yvonne announced.

Taylor pulled his thumb out of his mouth and got off his bed.

"Here take this," Yvonne handed him a teddy bear.

"What's this?"

"You know.  Carry it everywhere."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Taylor put it under his arm and followed Yvonne out.  They went to the car, Taylor got into the back seat once again.

Yvonne and Taylor were getting into a routine.  Yvonne always opened the door for Taylor when he got out.  The back door had a child safety lock, it couldn't be opened from the inside.  Taylor exited the car.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"I don't.."  Taylor remembered his teddy bear.  He reached back into the car to get it.

"Wouldn't want to forget that.  I know how you get when you don't have it!"

She then held his hand whenever they were crossing a street or in a parking lot.

As they were walking toward the stores, Yvonne asked out of the blue, "Do you know how to skip?"

"I haven't done that in decades."

"Ah, so you know, why not skip?"

"I don't want to."

"Go ahead.  You'll look so cute with your skirt flying in the air as you skip."

Taylor gave Yvonne a look.

"Maybe later."

Chapter 31.

They entered the store that sells dance apparel.  Yvonne looked around for what she needed.  It could have taken only a few minutes, but Yvonne prolonged the experience.  She didn't make Taylor try on anything, but she did hold the products up to his body to 'imagine what they would look like if he wore them'.

A sales associate approached Yvonne.  "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm signing up Taylor for dance.  I need the usual stuff."

"Leotards and tights?"

"Yeah."

"How about skirts, t-shirts, and tutus?"

"No, I don't think I'll need them to start."

"OK."

"As you can see Taylor is big for her age.  She might be hard to fit."

"Don't be ridiculous.  We've got every size."

The associate took out a tape measure and measured Taylor's waist and the length from his crotch to his neck.

"So you are going to learn to dance.  Lucky you."

Taylor didn't say anything.

"I think she is nervous.  This will be Taylor's first dance class."

"Oh, I see.  Anyway, we have lots of things, you can find them over here."

The associate showed Yvonne where to go and then left to 'find some things in the back."

"Smile, you're supposed to like this," Yvonne admonished when the associate departed.

"I don't feel like smiling."

"OK, Miss Grumpy.  Suit yourself."  Yvonne gave a sly smile as she spoke.

Taylor was discovering the things he had to do and the things he had an option for.  He didn't have to smile all the time and he didn't have to skip.  But wondering too far away from Yvonne was definitely a no-no.

A short while later, Taylor realized he needed to go to the bathroom.  He didn't say anything to Yvonne though.

But as they walked around the store looking for leotards, Taylor's need grew.

"Is this going to take much longer?"

"Why, do you have somewhere you need to go?"

"No, I have to pee."

"It shouldn't take too long."  Then to the associate, Yvonne said, "I like these, can I see something like that in a different color?"

But as they walked around, Taylor's need grew.

"Yvonne, come on, please.  I really have to go!"

"Call me Mommy or Aunt Yvonne," she instructed him softly.

"But Aunt Yvonne, I have to go."

"OK, just give me a second.  I'll take you.  Just let me pay for this."

Taylor felt the pressure build in his crotch.  While he was standing, he forced his legs together.  When they started to walk, he had to put a hand on his privates to keep from wetting himself.  Unconsciously he was doing the peepee dance.

He was literally jumping from one foot to the other.  "Hurry!"

"Honey, it's not our turn yet."

"I don't care.  Come back later.  Right now I don't have much time left.

Yvonne put her items down.  "Fine, we'll go now."  She made sure to hold his hand as they were walking towards the restrooms.   Taylor quickened his pace, but Yvonne would only let him go so fast.

"Next time I tell you to do something," Yvonne warned in a low tone, "You'll do what I tell you!"

Chapter 32.

When Taylor headed for the men's room, Yvonne redirected him in the proper direction.  There were other women in there, but they didn't pay Taylor any mind.  Although they did notice the need in his face.  

Much to Taylor's horror, all the stalls were taken.  Taylor didn't know what to do.  He had to go very badly.  He cupped his crotch to keep from wetting himself.  But that wasn't enough, he was doing the peepee dance. 

"Let's go to the men's room.  I have to go bad."

"I'm sorry sweetheart.  You'll just have to wait.  It won't take long."

When a stall was finally vacated, Taylor needed to go so bad, that he didn't even bother to close the stall door.  He wanted to reach under his skirt, pull down his panties, and pee standing like a man.  That was his plan, but Yvonne warned him before he got to the stalls.  "I know what you want to do.  Don't you dare?  You know the proper way.  If you don't you won't like what will happen!"

It only took a second, to turn around, plop his butt on the toilet seat and relieve himself.  He hadn't remembered the last time he needed to pee so badly. Yvonne shut the door for him.

"Sweetheart, remember to wipe after you are finished," Yvonne said in a voice loud enough that most of the people in the restroom could hear.

When he was finished and came out of the stall, Yvonne asked him again, "Did you wipe?"

"Yes."

"Good, now wash your hands.  Don't just get them wet, use the soap too."

"OK."

Taylor wondered if this is what Yvonne meant by punishment.  Could there be a worse thing?  Did she make him need to go so bad?  Taylor wasn't sure.  But with what Taylor saw of Yvonne's power so far, it was possible.

Chastened, Taylor didn't just walk back to the store, he skipped.  Although he made sure not to get too far ahead of Yvonne.

Yvonne ended up buying three leotards (in black, white, and light pink) along with six pairs of tights (in the same colors) and two pairs of ballet shoes.

Chapter 33.

Then instead of going home, Yvonne went to a store that caters to children and bought Taylor some more outfits.  Taylor was a 'good little girl' and never left Yvonne's side.

"Yvonne," Taylor asked in the car.

"Call me Aunt Yvonne," she cut him off.

"Aunt Yvonne, did you make me pee?"

"Make you pee?  You've been peeing long before I knew you."

"You know what I mean.  Did you make me need to pee so badly?"

"How could I do that?"

"You know."

"Next you are going to accuse me of giving you a girl's name."

Taylor is a man's name?"

"It is?  Taylor Swift is a woman and you have her name."

"So."

"So can you name a man who is named Taylor?"

Taylor thought about it.  He couldn't think of one.  He put his thumb into his mouth and thought about what Yvonne just said.  "Was Taylor really his name?  How could he be sure?"  They rode home in silence after that.

Chapter 34.

"Yvonne..." Taylor started to say and then corrected himself after Yvonne stared at him, "Aunt Yvonne, my name has always been Taylor? Right?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it has."

"Then OK is was."

"Is it true or are you just telling me that?"

"If you think your name is Taylor, then why wouldn't it be?"

"That's no answer," Taylor told her.  He wasn't a girl but everyone thought he was.  If that was true then anything could be true.

"Does it really matter?  You are Taylor."

"But was I always called Taylor?"

"Sure you were."

"OK, that's all I wanted to know."

Chapter 35.

Taylor went to his room, it had been redecorated some more.  There was a watercolor poster that was broken up into four parts, the top left and bottom right showed a watercolor of a girl in dance poses.  The top right was printed in those same watercolors with an inspirational quote "She Believed She Could and So She Did."  The bottom left had scripted words in watercolors that proclaimed "She Leaves A Little Sparkle Wherever She Goes."  

But that was just a poster.  Actually painted on the wall over the headboard of his bed, was a pair of dance slippers and the words "Dance With Your Heart and Your Feet Will Follow."

There were also books on the shelves about dance.  The comforter on the bed also had a dance theme.  There was even a dance bar across a mirror on the wall farthest from the window.

Besides the obvious dance-themed accents, the rest of the old furniture had been replaced with furniture indicative of a room for a young girl.

Taylor wondered if someone came in and set this all up while he was out, or if it was done magically.  Then a new thought appeared in his mind.  "Maybe none of this is here at all?  Maybe I just think it has changed and it is still the same relatively drab guestroom it has always been.  How was he to know?  Could he really trust his eyes?  When he looks into a mirror his eyes tell him that he is a girl although he knows better.

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