Thirteen Years Ago
Taylor's POV
I sat at the end of a long table in a conference room waiting for someone to come. I spun around in my chair, bored out of my mind. On my second spin, I came face to face with a tall, serious-looking man in a business suit. He carried a pen is his left pocket, a briefcase in his right hand and a manila file folder in his left. He closed the door behind him and tossed the folder on the table so that it landed directly in front of me.
It was just the two of us at this long table in the empty room.
"So, do you know why you are here Taylor?" The man asked straightening his tie before taking a seat across from me.
I shook my head no. What would a business man want with me? I'm just a 19 year old finishing up high school and trying to make it as a singer. I came to this meeting because my agent told me that a record executive wanted to meet with me. I had already signed to Big Machine, but I was still happy to take meetings with anyone who would be willing to meet with me.
"You are special, or so we've heard." The man opened the folder. They had my picture and information about me and my family.
Who is we? I wondered. This was a little bit creepy.
He started to read the information aloud, "Taylor Alison Swift. Age 19. Born in West Reading, PA. Into musical theater and playing music. Very smart, good writer."
I already knew all of this information, so I zoned out for a bit.
"Taylor, we want you to work for us," brought my attention back.
"Um," was all I uttered. If I had been listening I would probably know why.
"You would make great asset for the government. You are clever and have talent. Your music is starting to get popular. We can push that for you. A cover as singer would be perfect. Your travels wouldn't be suspicious. You can get close to other top notch people without them suspecting a thing."
He wanted me to work for the government? What was happening?
"You're not a record label executive are you?" I had to ask.
"No," he chuckled. Did he think this was a joke? Was he trying to kidnap me or something? "I work for the CIA. You know what that is right?"
I nodded yes. I wasn't that stupid.
"We are always looking to recruit new agents. We think you would be a perfect agent. You have plenty of potential as an agent, and you can have your singing career. All you have to do is report to us on jobs we ask you to do. Sound like a deal?"
Well, that sounded like a good deal. It seemed easy enough. I knew that my music was starting to reach people, but maybe this would be a good safety net in case Big Machine couldn't make me as big as they led me to believe. I had just released the first few singles of my next album Fearless.
"We already have plans for an international tour for the album you are about to release. We have all the resources you could ever need," he added.
That did sound appealing. Touring has always been my dream and not the kind that I had been doing with my mom out of our car. A big tour bus with a stadium filled with screaming fans. That's what I wanted.
He opened his briefcase, pulled out a crisp single sheet of paper and handed me his pen.
"Just sign on the line," he directed.
Silence hung in the air as he waited for me to sign the paper. Could it be that simple? I had to think, what would my parents say? I couldn't talk to them now obviously, so I had to make a decision for myself. I really wanted to be a singer and reporting back to the CIA didn't seem like a bad deal.
The pen felt heavy in my hand. I turned it over once and then scrawled my name at the bottom of the page.
X Taylor Swift
"Thank you," the man slid the signed sheet into his briefcase. "Welcome to the CIA." He extended his hand for a handshake. "We will be in touch Miss Swift. You cannot tell anyone about our deal."
I never got his name.
Little did I know how much that signature would control my life.