I do not, nor do I claim to, own the rights to DK's Flight 29 Down.
One of the most memorable moments in which Taylor discovered exactly what she could do came about when she was six years old. She was at the library. Her mom was in the car, sunglasses covering her eyes and a cigarette in her hand. Taylor was sitting next to her in the front seat, and she was glad Mommy was distracted and didn't notice her six-year-old daughter riding shotgun. Taylor rolled down the window and smiled at the scent of smoke tingling her nose. She liked that smell, it made her feel grown-up.
Taylor noticed a man sitting on a bench as they pulled into the library parking lot. When they got out, Mommy handed Taylor a book and told her to return it. She gave her an absentminded pat on the back. Taylor watched Mommy smooth her hair and walk over to the man. She hung back and watched Mommy take a seat next to the man and beam at him, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. That man isn't Daddy, Taylor thought, but wasn't too concerned. She looked down at Mommy's book, which had the picture of two grown-ups laying in a bed. Taylor got an idea.
After she returned the book, she smoothed her hair the way she had seen her Mommy do and something inside of her, the part she was just discovering how to use, clicked. She was ready to play her favorite game.
She ran across the green grass and knew her hair was sparkling in the sun. She could feel the man's eyes on her back. She turned around and sat down in front of Mommy.
"Mommy, are we going to leave now?" she asked, turning her face up, making her eyes wide. The man stared straight into them.
"No, Taylor, not yet." Mommy replied. Taylor sighed dramatically and leaned back. She put her arms under her head, crossed her ankles, and batted her eyelashes coquettishly up at the man as she had seen Mommy do. It all happened in a second, but it was slowed down in Taylor's eyes. Slowly, so slowly, Mommy put her hand on the man's shoulder, and he let his eyes travel down Taylor's body before turning back to Mommy.
Taylor wasn't in the least bothered by this. She knew what he was thinking, and she didn't care. She had put on a show for him, practiced her skills, played her game, and she was done.
It was the beginning of something for Taylor.
She began to target just about everyone she met with her skills, and boys and men were her favorite. Over the years, just for the heck of it, she entranced and ensnared taken boys, married men, even the teachers at school. She'd move from one boy or man to the next, working hard at bending his will and gaining is affection, before becoming bored and finding another. In her opinion, the male species was the best form of practice for her. She vowed that when she married, it would be someone that was a challenge for her. She fantasized about meeting someone who used others just like she did, who knew the trade and therefore would be a challenge for her. She never doubted that there was someone out there like that, purely for her.
Taylor was certain she could find him, that it would only be a matter of time.