Baby Talk

It will be good news, I'm sure it will be good news... And those who suggested there might be a naughty squirrel or fox that hurt a little, I hope you all apologized to them. Staying up to find and read the next bit. Better be good news in it. Aww... Good! The ABI is looking better than the agencies in many stories.  Hopefully there is good news in the morning too. That should help a lot. Cat is a good and smart friend! Those poor confused Bigs. Baloo the pilot Bear is from the jungle. He lives with a cub named Kit, is friends with a human named Mowgli. Fozzy is from the Muppet Show. Clearly the neither watch enough good TV nor read enough good books. Page 13 finished. I want to read page 14, but it's bed time. ☹️

The timer was set in the kitchen to tell me when the brownies would be done, so I wasn't worried about that. I flipped through the channels looking for anything good.but there wasn't a lot to choose from on Sunday morning. I settled for some Scooby-Doo on the Cartoon Network and had to stop near the end to take the brownies out. I let them cool.leaving them on the counter in an arranged manner so I knew exactly which end was my "special" end. I grabbed the empty box of laxatives off the table and headed back up to my room to hide it somewhere. As I was putting it in some empty boxes in my closet I came across some pictures and quickly got lost in the past. It seemed like only minutes, but when I looked at the clock I realized that an hour and a half had went by. I was surprised, and headed downstairs to have some of my brownies. When I got into the kitchen, I was surprised at what sight awaited me. The brownie pan was now sideways, and there was a large chunk missing from one side. The bad thing was, I didn't know what side or who had ate them. I heard noise from the living room and went in to see who was there. I found my brother and his friend Scott sitting watching television with brownie crumbs all over them. I wondered for a second which half of the brownies they ate, but I didn't have to wonder long. At about the same time Jerrod and Scott both got a look of pain on their face that told me they would be in the bathroom soon. I smiled and sat back, ready to have fun watching this situation play itself out. As I stood there watching the two boys sitting on the couch, I realized that there would soon be a race to the bathroom. Scott had been over enough to know where it was, and without my mom around he wouldn't have to worry about being polite and asking to use it. He stood up, and at the same time Jerrod stood up too. Both boys looked at each other and seemed to know what the other was thinking, and they both took off for the bathroom. There was a lot of pushing and shoving along the way, and Jerrod almost shoved Scott backward down the stairs. Scott regained his balance and managed to take Jerrod to the ground at the top of the landing, and then he got in the bathroom. Jerrod stood there looking defeated and hoping that Scott would get done soon. "Hurry up Scott! I really have to go! How long are you going to be in there?" Jerrod kept shouting for Scott to hurry up, but 5 minutes went past and he still wasn't showing any signs of leaving. By that time Jerrod looked near tears as he was obviously almost past the point of being able to hold it in. "Hey Jerrod.I have an idea for you. Wanna hear it?" I looked at him and smiled an evil smile, but he still was curious what I had in mind. "What? Anything would help now!" He looked like he was in severe pain, and I smiled even more at his situation. "Well, you are going to poop your pants here in a minute if Scott doesn't hurry up. Since he appears to be as bad off as you are, I am guessing he won't be done for a while. You might as well use one of my diapers and at least you won't ruin any of your clothes." I smiled again as I was having the best time I had in days. "No way! I am not going to wear diapers like a little baby!" He looked determined, but it seemed to be more pouting than protest. "Alright, be that way. But when you have to explain your dirty clothes to mom don't ask for my help. After she sees what you are about to do you will be in diapers too. But I guess it is your choice. I don't see why you wouldn't use one diaper when the alternative is a whole package from mom after you poop your pants." I knew I had him hooked by the look on his face. He frowned and got a defeated look on his face, and then started walking towards my room. "Okay, I guess you're right. Will you help me at least so it doesn't end up making a mess?" "Sure, whatever you want." I had to use all of my restraint to keep from laughing at this point, but somehow I managed. He walked into my room and proceeded to drop his pants and then stand there with just his underwear on. "Why don't you take the diaper and pull it into place, that way I don't have to see you naked or anything. That should be the easiest for both of us." I gave him the diaper and turned my back, and waited for him to get it to where it was at least decent. "Alright. Help me tape it up now." I turned around and faced him with a wicked smile on my face, and his face turned bright red. "I think you should ask a little more politely or else I might not help you. Now ask like a good baby boy would." I actually did laugh here, and my brother looked quite embarrassed. I didn't really care though, since he had been a brat to me all morning long. "Pweeze change my diaper big sis!" He used the most adorable voice to make the request, so I quickly taped the sides of the Depend up. He stood up after that and grabbed his pants, and then ran into his room. I heard an interesting sound from downstairs.and it appeared that either Scott had suddenly left or else mom was now home. I smiled to myself as I heard Jerrod making noises that suggested he was filling his diaper at the same time my mom walked up the stairs. For once I hadn't tried to plan anything out, and it appeared that this would be the best situation that had ever happened. I started down the stairs to meet my mother as she came up. "Mom, Jerrod took one of my diapers and I think he was going to use it. I am not sure what's going on.but he's wearing it in his room right now." My hushed voice had no chance to carry up the stairs, so I knew that Jerrod would still be unaware when mom made it up there. She headed up the stairs and then stood in the doorway of his room as he faced the corner and filled his diapers even more. "Young man, what do you think you are doing? Why are you wearing diapers and pooping in them too? I think you have a lot of explaining to do!" My mom was yelling at him now, and I could easily hear from where I was standing. The look on my brother's face as he turned around was priceless, and I eagerly awaited finding out what was going to happen next. "I asked you a question, Jerrod, and I suggest you answer it this very minute before I spread the poop in your diaper around with my bare hand. Just so you know, it won't be a soft motion spreading it around either. It will be something that makes what I did to Tali the other day look like a walk in the park. Does that sound fun mister? If not, I suggest you give me an answer!" I started regretting this a little in the pit of my stomach as I watched a near disaster arise. I had the choice of saving him and telling her what I had done, or preserving myself. I wasn't sure which one to do, but luckily I had a chance to think as the bathroom door opened up behind us and Scott walked out. "Uh�I think that maybe it is time for me to go." The look on his face was one of amusement, horror and fear all in one. He just stood there for a minute without moving, waiting for some sign that it was okay for him to leave. "Alright Scott, thanks for coming over. Tell your mom I said thanks for having me over today." "Certainly�and I promise you that I won't forget ma'am!" He continued standing there looking at Jerrod standing in nothing but a dirty diaper, and couldn't seem to move to leave. "I suggest you quit gawking and get out of here Scott, before something similar happens to you too. Go while you can!" I urged him on, hoping that he would leave before too long so the scene could play itself out finally. If my mom had to hold her temper for too much longer it would be a horrible sight when she finally got to release it. Finally he started down the steps and I heard the door slam behind him. "I can explain mom, I swear. Me and Scott had some brownies and we were watching tv�and then all of the sudden we both started having really horrible stomach aches. I tried to get to the bathroom first but Scott got in before me and was taking forever. I knew that I couldn't hold it any longer�so Tali told me that I could use one of her diapers so that I didn't mess my clothes and make a mess for you to have to clean up. I didn't do it for fun or anything�I just didn't want to go to the bathroom in my pants like a little baby." My brother was near tears, and it took all the fun out of the situation. My mom still looked angry, but she appeared to be calming down quite a bit. She looked away from Jerrod and started staring at me. I realized that this plan might have been as bad as my last one to mess with my brother. "Is this true Tali? Did you really do that?" I gulped and looked at her, and prepared to bite the bullet. I figured that maybe the truth at least would calm her down some if she was going to lay this blame on me. "Yes, mother." I lowered my head to the ground, and therefore didn't see my mother come over to give me a big hug. I was stunned into silence as I looked up at her face and saw a smile there. "I think you finally are figuring out how to be considerate Tali. I think that this punishment is working a lot faster than I expected. For this reason, I think that your sentence should be lessened. I am going to get rid of one of your packages of diapers so that you do not have to use them." I continued examining her face to see if she was kidding, but she appeared to be sincere. I gave her a huge hug and smiled myself, glad to end this punishment a lot sooner than it would have been otherwise. "Thank you mommy! I really have learned quite a bit!" I could hardly keep from jumping for joy, but somehow I managed. Then my mom started talking to Jerrod again and I decided to keep still. "You, however, obviously need to learn something. Trying to pass this off on your sister somehow when she was just trying to help you. You need to be more considerate of others, and more aware of other people's feelings. I think the best way would be to make sure you are constantly considering what others are thinking�and the best way to do that would be with you wearing diapers. Maybe as you try to decide what other people think about you wearing diapers you can figure out how to be considerate. Plus, we can't waste the package of diapers I am taking from Tali. Starting now, you will be in diapers along with your sister. Perhaps there will even be a reward for whichever one of you finishes their diapers first�or a punishment for the one that doesn't. Either way, you will join Tali in diapers from now on. First thing is to get you out of that messy one though, and you can do that yourself. Go take a shower, and get very clean! If there is any of that mess still on you I might reconsider that spanking I was talking about earlier." My mom finished this with a threatening tone, and my brother instantly ran to the bathroom. I smiled to myself at the turn of events. "I love you mom." I gave her my sweetest smile, determined to make the best of things while she was pleased with me. "I love you too honey. Now come here so I can take off those plastic panties, I think that your brother might be needing them more than you right now. Just remember�if you decide to go without diapers any time soon you will be spending a lot more time in them than you are now." "I won't mommy�.I learned my lesson." With that finished I went back to my room and got my pacifier, and then came back into the room where my mom was waiting. As the shower ran in the other room my mom unlocked that plastic pants and took them off of me, preparing them for their newest occupant once he was done with his shower. I stood in the doorway of my room as my brother came out of the shower, and I smiled as I saw him walk towards his room. He looked like a prisoner walking down death row to approach the electric chair, that's how much dread I saw in his face when he turned back to look at me. Anger quickly replaced that though when I smiled and waved at him. As he entered his room, I walked down the hallway and moved to his doorway. I stood there smiling at him, and glanced over to make sure my mother saw my dazzling smile too. "I figured I should watch this in case you need any help in the weeks to come. I know how busy things will be during the week, and anything I can do to help you out is good I guess." I looked away after the statement, making it seem like I didn't even care if I got praise for the statement. "Thank you very much honey, I am glad to see that this experiment hasn't been lost on you. If only your brother is able to gain as much from it I will have the two best-behaved children in town. Now go lie down Jerrod, and get rid of that towel. You won't have any use for modesty in the weeks to come." My brother went over to his bed and sat down, but he didn't remove the towel and he didn't lie down like he was supposed to. My mother looked at him once, and that was all it took. He dropped the towel and lay flat, waiting for it to get over with. "Tali, bring me one of your full bags of diapers, and the baby powder too please. Hurry if you would." I smiled and nodded, and tried not to sprint to my room. I grabbed a full bag of the Depends diapers that were there, and found the baby powder too. I hurried back and handed them to mom as she stood right next to the bed. She opened the package and took one of the diapers out, and I leaned against the wall so I could find out what the process looked like from this side of the diaper.

Evelyn had just got the last of the changing supplies when she heard a little knock at the door, opening it she saw Amber, oh hello Amber do you need something?"

Hey everyone! Sorry for not getting this chapter out yesterday. I’ve been trying to be more social… but that meant getting back late yesterday, so while the chapter was complete… it wasn’t edited. I’m sure by now for anyone still reading this… you can definitely tell when my edits have been made late at night. So, apologies for that, but I will be making it up to you all with a chapter today and another sometime Saturday. Looking ahead more… there is another poll out for what I next write. This may be the last one, but for now, the three options as well as the link can be found back in other chapters as well as most recently in chapter 27. And just in case you forgot my method or are new here, this poll will remain open until I post my final chapter. When that will be exactly will be posted at the latest during the second to last chapter. Now… last but not least and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter of my story! Chapter 29: Bad Notes All Around Addy huddled tight and held onto her stuffed bear, sniffling and trying to block out the world. Both her arms still hurt from the doctors earlier and while her mommy had promised her it was necessary and she trusted her mommy completely, she still didn’t like when they gave her shots. A crack of twigs was heard nearby and Warren peaked into their makeshift fort. “Hey there, kiddo. You okay?” Addy nodded but then pointed at the two Band-Aids just after the two cuffs of her pink shirt, one on her left and one on her right arm. “Shots, today, Warren…” He nodded and sighed before entering the fort they had cobbled together last summer. “Not fun at all, huh?” Addy shook her head, her ponytail flapping behind her as she did. Warren smiled and sat next to her before rubbing her shoulder like the good older brother he was. “I remember when I had to get my own. Hurt for a while… but you remember why we have to get them, right?” Addy sighed and nodded. Her mommy and daddy had been very thorough in their explanation this morning. “It’s ‘cause of the war and whatevuh happened. A lot of people… died,” she made sure to whisper that ugly word, “and Mommy and Daddy are just trying to protect us.” “That’s right,” Warren confirmed. “Dad’s brother died from whatever the fallout was and now… he’s just trying to protect us. Mom too…” He sighed, likely seeing that an explanation like that still wasn’t helping his sister feel any better. “Doesn’t make it hurt any less though, huh?” Once again, Addy shook her head. This time though, she hugged her bear and leaned into her older brother for comfort. Warren smiled at the tiny gesture from his younger sister. With a ten-year age gap between them, she was mostly just annoying to him… but she also had her moments. “It’ll be okay, sis. The pain will go away soon, but… you know what always made me feel better?” Addy sniffed and then backed away from his arm and looked at him with wide eyes. “What?” “Cookies,” he noted confidently. “Mom’s cookies… the ones she keeps above the refrigerator in that jar of hers that she always keeps stocked. One or two… and I guarantee a smile all over your face again.” Addy’s face lit up. “Promise?” Warren backed up a little and crossed his heart before holding up his right hand like he was making a solemn vow. “Cross my heart and I swear on the pact of siblings.” Addy smiled more, excited for the prospect of a fresh chocolate chip cookie. Her mommy had made them only yesterday and with the sealing capabilities of the jar, she knew they would still be slightly soft. Plus, the chunks of salt on top made pretty much everyone weak at the knees that tried them. But… one thought crept into her mind and her smiled faltered. “But Warren… those are only for special occasions and after dinner if we’ve been good.” Warren smirked, as if he had encountered the same problem dozens of times before… and then had overcome it. “That’s right… but I won’t tell if you won’t, okay?” Addy’s smile quickly returned. She trusted her brother implicitly and besides her toys and her mommy and daddy and one or two friends at kindergarten already, he was her closest companion. “Deal.” The two then lay back in their fort, looking at the various treasures they kept inside. Mostly balls and strange-looking tree branches that were swords or wands or jousting lances… whatever they felt like at the time. Warren had built the fort with their dad when he was younger, but when Addy came into the picture and she was finally allowed to come out here by herself, the fort had only expanded.   “Warren?” Addy finally asked her brother, cutting the silence. “Yeah?” He seemed preoccupied with something else… these days that was high school or girls or when he was going to get his first car. “You think mommy and daddy are okay?” she asked bluntly. Warren seemed to snap out of wherever he was and quickly turned to face his little sister. “What do you mean by that?” Addy shifted on the ground and clutched her teddy closer. “It’s just that… ever since the picnic last Spring… they seem really nervous around Dikos and that Thermos guy…” Warren smiled only for a moment. “Drakos and Thanatos…” he corrected before his smirk vanished completely. “But wait… you’ve seen them around here?” Now, there seemed to be fear lingering behind his eyes in that question. “Well, yeah… they come around and I seem them when I get home… usually arguing with Mommy or Daddy.” Addy’s half-days at kindergarten gave her a unique perspective that Warren no longer had full access to. That being said, he was also more aware and informed than Addy was. “Addy… promise me that if you ever see them again, don’t ever go near them. Stay behind Mom or Dad,” he warned, the second time Addy had been waved off the two of them. Addy felt fear begin to eclipse her, but once again, she trusted Warren completely. “Okay. I promi…” A scream then shattered through the branches. Loud and long, it was one of pain and distress and who it came from, even if it was distant, was immediately obvious to both siblings. “Mommy!” Addy heard it first and bolted off toward the sound, clutching her teddy ever tighter. “Wait! Hold on Addy!” Warren had heard it as well, but his maturity had taught him that running towards screams was humane and brave… but could just end up leading to more trouble and danger. He knew what his parents did, and while they were the good ones, the same couldn’t be said about all their coworkers. Fortunately, Warren, being the older and currently taller sibling, soon caught up with Addy. He quickly snatched her hand and held her back. “Don’t you run off like that again,” he warned, still walking with her though. “Running towards mom is usually a good thing, but… don’t just run into those situations again, okay?” Still pacing fast back toward the house, albeit with a little more restraint now, Addy nodded. She felt a little bad for apparently scaring Warren, but the scream was definitely from her mommy. ‘What if she needed help?’ Not long after, the fort being only a little way away from the house, both siblings came and saw their mom clutching a paper of some kind and their dad soon approaching with dread written all over his face. She clutched the note tight and showed it to him… the color soon draining away from his face nearly entirely. ‘ As the two began to whisper, Addy, not even thinking of anything more than her mom’s scream, soon wrenched free from Warren’s grip and walked up to them. “Mommy! You okay?” Her mommy looked back at her with panic and quickly hid the note. To anyone above the age of seven, they might have caught the fact that her mommy then tried with all her might to force a smile back onto her face. She was successful… but the transition was obvious. Only being five and three quarters though… it was completely lost on Addy. “I’m fine sweetheart. Just…” Her glance shifted to her husband. Addy’s Daddy then smiled, apparently being the better liar of the two of them… but Addy didn’t know that. “She saw a bug, honey. A really big bug too!” “You did?” Addy, not having dealt with some of the more subtle nature of human emotions, viewed things more as black and white. A person was happy or sad… a good person or a bad one. A smile and a bright tone meant happy… so she was happy too and bought their fib completely. “Yeah, honey… I did…” Out of Addy’s sight, her mommy then handed her daddy the note as she escorted her daughter inside. “Let me tell you all about it inside. Maybe we could even have some of those cookies you like so much, huh?” “Cookies?” If Addy was worried at all anymore about the scream, her face and her tone certainly didn’t show it… especially after a nod of confirmation from her mommy. “Yay cookies!” At this point, she only cared about the chocolatey goodness she was about to consume. On the outside though, Warren emerged from the trees and saw his dad looking at the note. Accidentally cracking a dry twig underneath his foot, Warren looked at his dad with worry. Warren didn’t know everything… but he knew enough about Juventas. His dad sighed and looked up from the note to his son after hearing the twig crack. Then, with only a single nod, both knew the contents of the letter. A threat… one against Addy. One had come for Warren years ago. The sender anonymous but the Pepperidge family was smart, and they could guess well enough. The point was not a threat to them today… but a promise of future pain if they should ever step out of line. *              *              * Addy shifted nervously as she sat at the doctors. Ever since she was young, she hated the building she was currently at. Her dad joked a few years ago that Addy had specifically become a nurse to give better shots than the office next door to the one she was currently sitting in ever did. She didn’t find it very funny, but never having come to the Little side of things before, she held onto Oliver in her lap with cautious intent, hoping he wouldn’t be skewered like she had once been. “Now then… let’s see here,” the doctor began, entering with a smile and a stuffed animal inchworm stuffed inside his white coat pocket next to his pens. “I think we have a new patient today, huh?” Addy nodded. She looked at Oliver, expecting him to answer as well, but today he looked almost frightened as he clung on tightly to Stripe. Not trying to make a big deal about it, Addy smiled and responded for him instead. “That’s right. Oliver. New caregiver here and I… well, I just want to make sure he’s all okay.” She wanted to tell him that she was nearly frightened herself that Oliver was regressing and she had no idea why… but that type of information felt dangerous. “And that’s your right as his mommy,” the doctor said back, setting his files down and then smoothing out the crinkling sheet on the examination table as a nurse entered with a tray of items. “But let’s get started then.” Addy could have corrected him about the whole ‘mommy’ part, but when Oliver didn’t object either and just let himself be plucked up by the doctor… she didn’t say a word. In fact, with the whole exam, she just stayed back, helped when asked, and tried to see if Oliver would respond to any of it. First, the doctor checked his vitals. Heartbeat… good. Blood pressure… more than good. Measurements were tabulated and everything was marked for his new chart. Next, the doctor began to prod and poke Oliver in various ways, using his stethoscope and depressors to check his heart, lungs, teeth, and abdomen. He even flashed a light in his eyes and checked each carefully. Oliver responded with some fussing, but mostly, when the doctor pressed on his tummy, Addy just noted that his diaper dampened a little more. The last part of the exam was all about abilities. For Littles, that became complicated fairly quickly. Normal babies and toddlers… most achieve milestones according to their age. For Littles though, a 42-year-old could very well be less mature than a 20-year-old… and it might not even be close. For Addy, this was the part she was most interested in. Coordination and gait were checked first. Mostly normal, at least with the consideration of a wet diaper… but Oliver failed a few of the checks. “No big deal, Ms. Pepperidge. Totally normal if he’s ever seen a cartoon or two in his life here…” Addy kept her mouth shut on that one… at least for now. Then came the questions and interactions with balls and dolls… and how he interacted with other Littles. It was a little more difficult in an isolated setting, but the doctor seemed a pro at each question and check that he performed. If Oliver answered strangely, no matter how cute, the doctor just had the nurse jot it down. At most, he would praise Oliver for answering him back. Sadly, even for something as simple as ‘who do you trust,’ Oliver’s response to point at Addy and beam wide up at her was considered a ‘pass.’ “So?” Addy asked, nearly pacing through the floor after the doctor had initially left after his examination. “Perfectly healthy Little on your hands, Ms. Pepperidge,” he noted with a smile. “Some delays and some issues with coordination, speech, and connections to words and emotional responses… but I would expect such things from Littles these days. All those hypnotic cartoons, you know?” “But doctor…” Now was the time. Addy knew she needed to tell him. “I worked for Psyche New Beginnings. I know full-well what those cartoons do and I’ve been monitoring him very closely sense he first arrived here. I can guarantee… he’s never seen any cartoons like that. In fact, he was almost normal until about a few weeks ago…” “He…” The doctor blinked back a few times at Addy. “Oh… I see…” He then bit his lower lip and called the nurse in right away before turning back to Addy. “Ms. Pepperidge… if that’s the case, then I have some serious concerns. I’m going to need to take some blood from your Little, but if he’s regressed that fast this soon without hypnotics and I’m assuming without drugs… then more tests may very well be needed to ensure his safety at this point.” Addy clutched Oliver tight, the Little still seeming mostly oblivious of the world beyond Stripe. “Do you really think it’s that serious?” She knew it was and this point… she was almost hoping the doctor would deny her deepest fears. The doctor sighed though as the nurse entered and he made a few motions for her to start prepping to draw blood. “Let me put it this way… if you started exhibiting those symptoms… wouldn’t you be concerned?” “Oh… right…” Addy walked a fine line with Littles. On the one hand, she knew they were adults, but on the other, she also knew that the Psyche program and others showed that humans worked well with regression… like they were made for it on some level, conscious or not. But with something like that put so bluntly about her Little’s condition now, Addy nearly froze as Oliver was then maneuvered around for the blood draw. Only when the needle appeared and Oliver freaked out did she come back to reality. “Addy! Addy! No needle! No needle!” he wailed, thrashing around on the examination table. “Please! Please! No needle!” Addy’s heart was shattering… but she needed answers. She would try to explain it to him later, but right now, she felt confident that she knew his needs better than him. Today, with his blood being taken, while painful and against his wishes, would ultimately help him in the long run. So, with the help of the nurse, held him down as the doctor drew his blood… and Oliver screamed. Once it was all taken, receiving some notes with instructions for what to look out for with further signs of degradation to his mind, Addy soon left, cuddling and hugging Oliver in her arms about as much as she could. Needless to say, in his regressing state, drawing blood was just about the worst thing ever to happen to him… and his words remained unintelligible through his tears for the next 30 minutes. They only stopped once he had passed out tucked away in his car seat on the ride back home. Even still, Addy barely wanted to rustle him awake once she got back home. But even still, there, waiting for her expectantly, was her dad, looking every bit concerned as Addy had been earlier. “So? What did the doctor say?” Picking Oliver up from his car seat, still passed out, Addy pressed her one free hand to tell her dad to shush and not to wake him. He gratefully nodded back and helped her bring in Oliver’s diaper bag and a bag of cupcakes she had picked up for tonight. Considering how Oliver reacted, she knew it was the least she could do for him. Placing him down in his crib, Addy tiptoed away and sighed as soon as she saw her dad, needing to unload a little from what she had seen and heard at the doctors. “Dad… you should have seen him. His speech wasn’t slurred… but I would have sworn I was dealing with a regressed Little today at the doctors.” Her dad, previously occupied with going through what were likely bills on the kitchen table, stopped and looked back at his daughter. “That bad, huh?” “Yes,” she confirmed, his relative casualness over something so monumental getting under skin a little. “You’ve seen him, right? He’s changed! In no time at all, and no drugs or hypnosis… he’s changed!” Now, his vague curiosity seemed to focus more, completely shirking off any of her concern. “And you’re sure of that? No drugs or anything else you can think of since he’s been here?” He paused and folded his arms. “You know I won’t judge you if you did. But…” “Dad!” Addy nearly wanted to toss a book at him for even insinuating such a thing. “I haven’t done anything! And that’s my point! He shouldn’t be this way!” She was nearly seething by then. Pursing his lips for a moment, her dad got up and then almost walked past her before patting her shoulder gently. “Just take some deep breaths, Addy. If you need air though… I can watch Oliver for you if you’d like. But… try not to worry about this. If there’s something… I’m sure it will pass…” Now, Addy was downright suspicious of her dad. He seemed less like the panicked man she thought he’d be and more like someone who already knew what was happening… and that everything would be okay like he’d promised. If she didn’t know any better, it was as if he had experimented with Oliver and that the trial would soon be over and everything would be back to normal. But right as she was about to fling an accusation at him, her watch beeped… reminding her of the other major task she had to do today. Sneering for a moment, she then purposely relaxed her face and looked back at her dad with the most neutral expression she could muster. “That… that would actually be nice. I… yeah… some air would be good I think…” Her dad smiled and nodded. “Then you go. Oliver and I will be perfectly fine here while you get that air and ease your mind. Maybe a walk through the woods, huh?” If Addy wasn’t so furious and confused and uncertain about everything, she might have raised an eyebrow with the connection between her task and what he had just suggested. But… that’s not where she was at right then. So, she stormed off and into the woods without a second look back, huffing as she went. After taking a moment to breathe in and de-stress and focus on her next task, Addy stepped into the woods behind her dad’s house. While she was technically ‘going for air,’ instead of just wandering around, she knew exactly where she was headed… her brother had been perfectly clear with his message yesterday over the phone. ‘Meet me at our place… the special one where we used to meet… only the two of us know about it…’ She sighed as she pushed back one of the branches of an overgrown pine tree. While in theory, only they knew that it was a common meeting spot, like when she had been pissed with her dad yet still wanted to talk to her brother here close to home… their dad had helped build the fort when they were younger. First with Warren… then later with her. As she approached, walking along the trail that had long since needed to be trimmed back, yet giving it almost an extra layer of secrecy now, she gazed at the remains of the fort. Still intact throughout the years and the several storms that had passed through here, including two hurricanes since she had left for college, it was showing its age now. It was essentially just a grouping of beams their dad had brought in and had joined together on the ground. The once sturdy roof seemed to have several holes in it now and nature looked as if it had moved in on nearly every corner. Careful to avoid any snapped twigs from the previous fall that had littered the floor, Addy stepped inside and admired how little had been removed since she last visited. A dusting of pinks and purples from her days at the fort remained. She was sure the empty beer cans were still buried near the east wall from that one get-together she had with her friends. Of course, as she looked around, squirrels and birds seemed to be masters of the domain more than anyone else. “Addy?” Addy spun around and saw her brother standing there. “I’m glad you came…” “Warren…” She wanted to hug him, but there was also a part of her that was supremely upset with him as of late. While he had been supportive of her through the years, even if their dad hadn’t always been, recently, their dad had been making up for lost time. Oliver got along great with him and there wasn’t an aspect of her life that he didn’t support any longer… even saving her hide in Juventas more times than she could count by now. More recent documents he collected showed there were times he had saved her and she didn’t know about. But her brother… ever since Christmas and when she and their dad had reunited, he had been mostly absent. At one point, he had even met Patrick when he visited her at Psyche back in the fall. With Oliver though… she could count the number of times the two had met… and he was actually her Little now. And all that was added onto that they were now both board members and he seemed to be actively avoiding interactions with her. First, the meeting in the secret bunker beneath the house and now the picnic. When asked, her dad just said to ‘talk to Warren.’ Now, she was here and facing him. And she wanted answers. “So… hey…” he responded sheepishly. “Hey? Hey?” Addy could feel a fury building up in her chest. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy. When Warren did something, he typically had a pretty good reason, but this time… she couldn’t think of anything except that maybe she had done something wrong… or that he was ashamed of something he had done. Either way, she needed to know. “After multiple absences and a distance that was even rare for dad and I last year, that’s what you’ve got to say?” Warren sheepishly walked toward Addy, his head drawn downward and almost looking weary and even a little ashamed. Finally, he collapsed onto one of the log stools that their dad had made for them years before. “Addy… I… I barely know how to begin with this…” In that one moment, Addy saw her brother… the one she remembered from when they were young. While the years of stress being on the board had worn him to the bone and he was no longer the spry and enthusiastic jock that he was, she could still recognize that he was overwhelmed. She wasn’t sure what, but not being six anymore, she knew something was going on with him. Sighing and setting her own emotions to the side for a moment, she walked over and sat on the other log stool right next to him before taking his hand, her nursing instincts to care, comfort, and help where she could, was now taking over. He wasn’t the youthful jock anymore, but neither was she the scared six-year-old either. “Warren… please… talk to me. I can tell something is up. Let me help. Is it dad? The board? Or…?” “It’s everything, Addy!” he said, his word dipped in frustration. “I…” He then winced and reached into his pocket before pulling out an increasingly familiar device… the signal blocker. Letting out a breath, he then nodded. “Okay… now we can really talk. I just… I’m not even sure who to trust anymore…” “You can trust me…” Addy tried to encourage. Warren looked at her. There was a spring of hope in eyes… but one that also seemed to be immediately thrashed down in favor of suspicion and gloom. “I… I wish I could, Addy. I want to but… you’re on the board now. How can I trust you knowing that now?” Addy blinked back at her brother for a moment, and things began to click into place in her mind. “Wait… is that why you’ve been so distant with me since I reconnected with dad?” Warren looked completely guilty… and then nodded. “I want to trust dad, but… the company is rotten, Addy. I’ve seen it firsthand. I… we’ve all had to do something we’re not proud of being on the board. I know Elena and Josh are doing their best to resist… but they’re still new. I can already see Josh caving in sometimes and Elena… she works way too closely with Mr. Allen to be so clean for very long either.” “They’re friends, Warren,” she tried to defend. She knew the score and she knew she needed allies. She hadn’t made those tough calls yet, but from her dad’s instructions recently and her further insight into board decisions as well, she knew there were levels of good on the board. ‘Question is… how good is my brother?’ She wanted another ally, but just as he was looking at her with suspicion, despite her highest hopes, Warren might have been just as tainted as he was painting her out to be now. “I know, and… I know they’re working towards the good side of things. I just…” He looked at his sister with the weariness of years of dealing with inner office politics at the most supreme level. “I just… I don’t know who’s responsible… I don’t know who to blame… I don’t know if someone’s approached you yet… I don’t even know about dad anymore…” Addy was about to respond to each, but each unknown he listed, she couldn’t help but feel the same… except he seemed more in the weeds than her. It was a proverbial wall going up around him… and she had enough. Squinting her eyes and pinching her lips and flaring her nostrils, she bolted out of her seat and shot her hands to her hips in frustration against her brother. “Damn it, Warren! Speak to me! This is our special place! We could always talk here, and you know me! You know I want only the best for Littles. I’m your sister and I haven’t even had my first day! Do you really think I’m so weak that I’ve already been corrupted before I’ve even started?” From his look back at her, it was clear he hadn’t thought about any of that. “Addy… I… I… I’m sorry.” Once more, Addy saw that something more was happening with her brother. He wasn’t showing bravado or strength or really any of the kinds of traits she normally associated with him. Now, instead, he was showing panic and uncertainty and distrust… even a little fear, something she would have never imagined seeing in her big and tough older brother. He was always so sure about things, but now… Realizing she needed to take another approach, Addy marched up to him and took his hands. “Warren… I’m trying here. Please… please trust me in this. I can be your ally. You know my record, and… I’ll even sear on mom that I’m clean here…” For the two of them, their mom was basically sacred at this point. She was the one that had got out and had started her own company. Yes, it was tied to Juventas, and she was still on the board until her death, but she had stood up for her principles and was an incorrupt near saint-like figure to both of them. Swearing on her image and name… it was never to be taken lightly. And with Warren, it finally seemed to do the trick. “Okay…” he breathed out, almost like he was on a rollercoaster and preparing for the inevitable drop. “I’m going to trust you. I just… whatever happens, please don’t tell anyone about this. Not the board… not Elena or Josh… not dad… not even Oliver, okay?” Addy readied herself internally. Whatever he was hiding from her, seemed to be something he would take to his grave… or at least was seriousness enough that he couldn’t really trust anyone else with it. Remembering back to when they were younger, she smiled and crossed her heart before holding up her hand for her own oath. “I swear…” Warren took a deep breath in and then let it out. “Okay…” His face pinched with regret and uncertainty. “I support dad’s organization… I support Little’s rights… I even support some of the more radical decisions that have come to the board.” He paused and now visibly winced. “But I can’t do anything about any of it…” Addy frowned. “But why?” Her mind raced with all the possibilities, and each, even with the new visage that was forming of her brother, seemed more impossible than the last. He was fearful… not a coward. He was hardened… not a monster. He was worn down… not out in the fight. ‘So, what then?’ He then reached into his right pocket and pulled out a note. “I received this last year. It’s not much but I’ve received other messages since then…” Addy reached out and took the note and read it carefully. “Dear Mr. Pepperidge… It has come to our attention that you have been voting against us for the better part of your time within the company. Before, we could allow your vote as it was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Now, you will vote how we say to vote. Any deviation away from this and your wife and Little will be summarily taken and tortured until you comply. Their deaths may be inevitable in this process… do not test us. The Board…” Addy nearly dropped the note a few times as she read it over. It was neat and yet utterly barbaric… and signed by the board… as in the totality of everyone there. She tried to look for clues… but it revealed nothing. It was a threat and one as plain as day. For Warren, it was now to be compliance or the loss of everything he held dear in life now. Addy looked back up at her brother, tears now glistening in her eyes. Suddenly, everything with him since then made so much more sense. “Oh Warren…” She went to hug him, but Warren stood up off the stool and backed up. “Please Addy… I… I can’t. Not about this… I… I’ve been doing a good job I think of keeping it together but… if I hug you now… I’ll break for sure.” Addy hated that stubborn and macho quality in her brother, but in this case, she knew she had to respect it at the very least. “Okay… but the note, Warren. Please tell me you’ve tried to figure out who sent it at least.” He nodded. “I did. Lots of times and pulled in favors and resources even beyond my position on the board. But even after all that… nothing. Generic paper and emotionless writing and no hints of who is the true culprit… or culprits.” Another item clicked in her mind. “Oh… it says, ‘the board’ and you think it could be more than one of them… or all of them…” She paused and the meaning of that truly dawned on her. “So that means you think…” The very notion nearly took her to her knees. “Wait… Elena? Josh? Dad?” Warren nodded again. “All of them could be involved. I only got this note right after Elena joined last year. Josh was already on the board by then, so I think when the votes were tallied, the upper members realized they could be in the minority. And with me with people that actually were vulnerable…” “They targeted you…” she filled in to his confirmation. Addy remembered back to the note her parents received when she was six. The board hadn’t threatened Warren… but that day, both she and Warren were targeted due to an upcoming vote. Addy didn’t find out about it until years later… but seeing Warren with this note now… she knew the board wasn’t above these sorts of tactics. She just had hoped that with Mr. Thanatos missing to wherever, Juventas would have been past this by now. “And lately…” Warren walked away and looked through one of the holes in the fort to the outside. “I just wonder about some of the votes. Pro-Littles have been losing several times now… almost to the point where I wonder if there is any true pro-Little vote on the board now.” “But Dad? Elena? And Josh?” Addy knew that her dad sometimes needed to side with the board to keep within the inner circle and fight when he knew he could win, but Elena and Josh seemed unmovably pro-Little. ‘Did I get them wrong?’ She could already feel the suspicion beginning to cloud her mind. Warren sighed. “I… I’m not sure. Dad is flexible in his vote, and mine? I get an email occasionally… untraceable, but it tells me what to vote for ‘or else,’ so I do. It’s not every vote… just a lot of them recently. And my mind working overtime here, I can’t help but feel that maybe Josh and Elena are plants. Show pro-Little tendencies on the outside and secretly side with pro-Big tendencies when it comes down to a vote. We rarely know the votes… more just if a motion passed or failed.” “So, you don’t know who to trust…” Addy sighed. “And between that and the threat over your family… you stay away from things that would just make it worse…” Warren nodded, pain in his eyes. “I… I still hand things off to Dad and his little group here, but… I can’t make any moves myself. At least… not until I know who’s actually threatening me. Today… I just have guesses… and I can’t take that risk now…” Addy was accepting of it all… but she could see there was something more he was leaving out. A note was powerful threatening your family… but Warren now seemed completely different. Something had to have happened to show the threat was real. “Warren… what happened? I know you. Something had to have happened beyond just a note and a few emails telling you how to vote… isn’t there?” Warren winced… and then nodded. “You know me so well…” He then took in a deep breath. “Jakey… last year’s Spring picnic… Julia and I went there with him. All dressed up, he was telling us about a massive battle he had with his toys on the way over…” His eyes looked distant as he recalled the story… and Addy had to pause herself for a moment. She hadn’t met Jakey until July due to a particular turbulent Little she had been working with at Psyche last year. ‘But Jakey is regressed now… but then he was talking about battles with his toys? What happened?’ She pressed in, her mind already starting to panic as she desperately tried not to make a connection between Jakey and what was happening to Oliver now. “Go on…” Warren’s lower lip trembled for a moment. “He was a rescue but normal in his head. A Little, yes, but coherent and smart. He dreamed of going back to Earth one day… and Julia and I were trying to make that happen. He didn’t need our help normally, but after the picnic…” He trailed off for a second, his voice breaking a few times when he tried to continue again. “W… we don’t know who or when… but when he came home with us that night, he regressed fast. It almost looked like he was having a stroke or something. Deep regression within hours…” “No…” Addy had heard of that thing before… but those drugs were banned within Juventas. They had existed at one point, and it was true that the pure form of FOY that existed now could produce similar results… but that was heavily monitored after the Losantiville incident. Everything added up… it was an uneasy conclusion about who was responsible.    “I wish I could say otherwise, but yes… we tried everything to help him… but it was too late.” Warren sighed and came back over from looking outside the fort. “We got him examined and…” He squeezed his eyes shut in pain. “Doctors say its likely irreversible. Jakey needs our help now. Earth… Earth is gone to him forever…” “I’m so sorry Warren…” It was a common enough story, but with it combined with the note, Addy’s deepest fears were practically confirmed. “It was a confirmation of their threat to you, wasn’t it?” Warren winced and nodded. “I thought so too. No threats came afterward though… just an email the next week telling me how to vote… and I did.” “So now you don’t come to company picnics anymore…” Addy felt a little bad for thinking of the worst of her brother, especially once he nodded to her notion. “Warren… I thought the worst of you. I’m… I’m so, so sorry. Please… forgi…” But Warren held his hand up to stop her. After a moment, he looked back at her and shook his head. “No, Addy. Don’t apologize… don’t feel bad. I kept this to myself. I shut you out when the two of us should have been the strongest allies on the board. But…” “But the threat still stands against your family…” Addy’s mind already began to piece things together to find out who was responsible for the threat. Warren needed to be an ally. While Elena and Josh were likely allies, Addy knew that she needed to confirm them first. She wouldn’t reveal Warren’s secret… but she needed to know for herself as well. “Yes… and I don’t know much, but I’ve been on the board long enough to know that if I did tell you and became your ally so publicly… the board might go after you as well,” he warned, his voice shaking even to just get the words out to her. “Dad’s protection only goes so far, and… with him gone off the board and you with Oliver now…” His words hung in the air and Addy nearly felt a jolt of pain directly in her chest. “I’m vulnerable as well…” She knew that on the outside. Her dad had practically already warned her, but hearing Warren’s story and seeing the depths the board would go to in order to win more company votes… the threat now felt more personal and real than ever before. Now, it wasn’t a rumor of their cruelty to even members of their own board… it was a fact. “I’m afraid so, and…” His watch then beeped. He grimaced and it and then turned it off before looking back at Addy. “That’s my cue. I gotta go, but… I wanted to leave you with this one warning… stop feeding Oliver those bars he’s been eating.” “The…?” Addy thought back and they were just simple nutrition bars… nothing on them mentioned anything dangerous. “The bars? But… but why, Warren? Do you know something?” He sighed as he stepped toward the doorway out of the fort. “No… I don’t know. At least… nothing concrete yet. More like a guess but… my guesses usually are pretty good with these things. I may not be able to help you or dad directly, but if I sense something wrong… especially off the record…” He paused and picked up his anti-listening device. “Then I want to tell you all. Don’t spread it around… but it might just help you out. Coming onto the board… you’ve got enough to worry about.” Addy wanted to question things, but maybe not able to take more questions or really needing to be elsewhere now and not gain suspicion, Warren then popped off the anti-listening device. Even out in the woods, in theory at least, they might not have been safe. It was a remote possibility they were been listening to or watched out here… but it was clear neither sibling wanted to risk it at this point. “Well, thank you, Warren,” Addy said back to her brother graciously, knowing the time of their conversation had now passed and needed to wrap up. “I will consider that brand of Little clothing for Oliver as well. Tell Julia to give me a call up soon. Maybe we could go shopping for the both of them…” Warren smiled and nodded, now seeing the skills of a good cover story that Addy had obviously been practicing for just such a moment. “I will. Give love to Dad and Oliver for me. Gotta get back to the office. Big things happening soon…” And with that, Warren slipped out the back and likely made his way through the gap in the fence of the property that Addy had once used herself when meeting up with him. Back then, she was the one sneaking in and Warren was the one with their dad. Now, as Addy made her way back home, it was the opposite. Looking into the room where Oliver was snoozing and her dad was reading a book; she stopped just short of being seen. Warren had dropped a lot on her today, and while she was grateful, she couldn’t help but look at their dad with some sort of suspicion now. ‘I need to get my hands on those files at Juventas. I need to see who specially is responsible for threatening Warren’s wife and Little. If I can do that, maybe he’ll trust some more people again. Maybe no involvement… but maybe he could help out more.’ But looking in, she also saw a half-eaten nutrition bar next to Oliver. Sleeping peacefully in his playpen, he looked perfect… except for the fact that even in his dreams, the sleepy Oliver appeared regressed. A soaked diaper, drool on his front, signs of playing with his toys chaotically when he had been awake while she was gone, and worse… a hand perched so close to his lips… like he was moments away from sucking his thumb. A normal Little? Fine. But Oliver… all that should have been far away. Concerned, Addy immediately bolted to her computer and used her new log-on credentials to the Juventas website. The first thing she did… searched for the nutrition bars. But she came up empty. No signs and not even a single mention of them. There was one item that seemed sort of to do with it, but clicking in… she was blocked. ‘Hmmm… that’s weird. Usually that’s only for something classified with the government… not a silly nutrition bar…’ For a moment, she worried that maybe Warren was playing her… at least until she started looking elsewhere. And sure enough, several Littles seemed to be unexplainedly regressing. There wasn’t a clear link, but a closer look at several of the pictures accompanying each story… there were the bars. Her first day on the board was two days later… on Monday. She wanted with all her might to bring the evidence at her disposal to light. She wanted to find out what was happening. Problem though… she really didn’t have any evidence. And for the first time, she could begin to understand the frustration on the board. Access to more information than ever before but no way to execute and not seem crazy or an alarmist that needed to be dealt with. So, for the moment, Addy snarled and marched directly into the kitchen. Grabbing a trash bag, she then rifled through the cabinets and disposed of each and every box. ‘Sorry Dad… I know you just bought these for Oliver to tide him over between meals and feedings with me… but I just don’t trust them anymore.’ With the last of the bags tied and thrown out, Addy returned to wake up Oliver. She wasn’t sure what was happening to him and her position on the board seemed more dangerous than ever, but Oliver… his love for her was a sure thing. And going forward, she knew she would have to rely on those sorts of things. The board and its members, as she was finding out, were anything but a sure thing.

Omaha.