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Chapter Twenty-Four: I didn't feel well. The bottle made me queasy and I had nothing but baby food all day. My stomach grumbled and I felt a familiar need on my bladder. But wetting myself in public was different than the studio, or the hotel, or at Jessie's house. I looked around nervously as Betsy pushed the stroller into a toy store. It was well after noon, but all the kids were still in school. Thankfully, I thought. My poor Leona, she looked so distressed. So when we got to the toy store, I kicked into gear. Without concern for being seen on camera, I leaned down and unbuckled her from the stroller and spoke in an excited tone. "Okay, you can walk, and we can go look at the dollies and the legos. But you gotta promise to hold my hand, okay? You're too little to be on your own." I knew the cameraman would follow me and her, but I would do anything to cut out Betsy. Bitch. I pouted up at Jackie as she helped me out of the stroller and took my hand. But... well, I guess it was better than being pushed around like a baby. I tugged down the dress as far as I could, but no matter what I did, the padding poked out underneath the hem. The camera followed me and swooped in low to get a shot. I curled up to Jackie's arm shyly. "This is so dumb," I muttered. “Luvs,” I hated using that name, “you're one of the cleverest girls I know, especially at your age." Which was a kind of code for 'be clever, realize I'm giving you an out' or something like that. "Which toys do you want to look at first?" Truth be told, most of the audio here would probably be edited out, overlaid with babyish music and lots of up-skirt shots of her diaper. But it was fun to play a little too, especially knowing how I could make her feel. "This dolly is cute," I said in my baby voice and smiled for the camera, playing up the shy attitude perfectly. I was an amazing actress. Honestly, I should be in movies. "Ohh, but dis one too!" I hurried to another shelf and picked up a box. But each harsh step in my Mary Jane shoes made my stomach turn. Oh, I had to pee... "How about this one down here?" Honestly, I didn't know much about the human body. I was a photographer, not a doctor, and that meant that I didn't know the stresses all the ups and downs would put on her. I didn't know all the strain it might cause for her to have to kneel down. That, I was afraid, was Betsy’s forte and not mine. I looked around first, careful to scope out the aisle. No sales associates. No one had even approached me yet. Probably because it was a bigger store, I told myself. So I climbed down on my hands and knees, which flashed the seat of my diaper perfectly for the camera. I got up on my feet, on my tippy toes, and reached for high shelves. On one hand, this was super embarrassing. But on the other, well... I was going to be very popular online. "Show me which ones you like, okay?" For my part, I tried to stay out of view. She was the star of the show, and I think I had faith that most shots with me in them would be edited out anyway - I wasn't a part of this. But I liked interacting with her, too. "Oh hold still, peach." I took her by the cheek, licked my finger, and rubbed away a spot of food from her cheek. "There we go, much better." "This one is my favorite," I told Jackie in my babyish lisp, holding up a dolly. "She gots diapers, juss like me!" "Okay, well put the other one back then." I took the second baby doll and put her back on the lower shelf, but when I stood back up, I felt a little sick. I leaned against the racks of toys to hold myself up. Ow... when I got back to Jackie, I tugged on her sleeve. "Dun feel good," I muttered. "I bet it's just because you had a big lunch, honey." Or Betsy had something to do with it. But there was no point getting her upset about that, especially when she was already struggling to stay in character, while out in public. “Did you want to look at legos now? Remember, you have to hold my hand." "Uh huh..." I held Jackie's hand as she walked me to the other side of the store. I saw a woman at the counter, but she was on her phone, texting or something. Thankfully. "What do you think about that one?" Jackie asked, pointing to a big lego set on the bottom. I tried to crawl down there to take a better look, to give the camera a better shot, but my tummy grumbled and I was hit by a wave of cramps. Oh... oh no. "I wanna go," I told Jackie as seriously as I could. "I wanna go home now please." "Well," I looked at Betsy, who had a knowing smile on her face. "That's not up to me, sweetie, not today - so let's just focus on looking at toys, okay? Do you like Brio Trains? I loved those when I was a kid, did you want me to show you? And I bet they have Calico Critters. You can buy whole families of animals.” "Jackie, I really want to leave. I really-" She gave me a look, then looked behind me. I turned around and saw Betsy by the stroller, watching with a smile on her face. My cheeks turned crimson. She... she did this?! I puffed out my cheeks and stormed over to her and spoke as quietly and sternly as I could. "I wanna go home!" "Oh didn't you hear, my little lovely girl? You should listen to your little playmate over there and focus on toys and worries your own age. Don't you worry, girls your age are always ignorant and clueless when it comes to what happens in their diapers.” Her smile deepened. “Maybe you can't find the toy you'd like? I could call for an assistant? Would you like that?" My hands were balled at my sides. I kept eye contact with Betsy and her stupid smile. But if she called someone over... I felt another cramp in my tummy and dropped my gaze to the floor. Damnit... I walked back over to Jackie and bit my lip. I really didn't feel good now... but what was I supposed to do? Find a toy I wanted... then we could leave, right? Right... I just had to hold it until then... "Come on, let's go look at the Calicos okay?" I took her by the hand and lead her through the aisle, to the end of one, turned right, went through another, and found the little section for the wooden and boutique toys that only rich parents brought for their kids that probably wanted Xbox anyway. "Ta-da!" "I like this one," I said immediately, pointing to the first thing I saw. "Less go now." I picked it up off the shelf and felt another cramp. My tummy was aching and bubbling. I was already out of breath... "C-come on..." "Oh, this one is your favorite, huh?" Betsy took the little Puppy Family from her charge and held it up. "And who are these lovely people? I'm sure if they're your favorite, you must know all their names? Tell me about them, tell me about their family, Baby Luvs. Which one of these little puppies is the baby?" Gosh I hated that woman. I whimpered and shifted from foot to foot, wincing whenever the cramps would hit me, which was more and more often. "I... I dunno. Um, that one... um..." I tried to look up at the box and make up names on the spot. "That's Bingo, and that's Rally, and she's Megan, and... and can we go now? Please...?" I hadn't meant to, but I sounded no different to a child asking their mommy for permission. "Oh come now, you've been such a good girl recently, you know, with your playdates, and sleeping in your crib, wearing your diapers, making big stinky messies in them…” Her words were all picked out so perfectly. "You deserve a lot more than just one toy, let's keep looking. Go on, ask your little friend Jackie to help." I couldn't believe she said my name!! I was so furious! Ugh! "I..." "Go on now, little one." I looked up at her with pleading eyes, but Betsy didn't budge. I looked nervously at the camera and went back to the shelves. The ache in my stomach was constant and I saw stars in the corners of my eyes. "Th-this one," I muttered, pointing to another family of animals, but Betsy knew better. "How about that house on the bottom shelf?" I looked up at Jackie. She... she'd save me, right? I did all I could do to push Betsy's hand and force her action: I hit her where it would hurt Abe. "This one, and this one, and how about this one? You can have them all, Luvs, as many as you want - Uncle Abe is paying for all this, after all, and Miss Betsy has to explain to him how much you spend, so you pick out as many as you like!" Betsy would have to say no. Abe would throttle her if she didn't. And with no reason left to be here, she'd have to let us leave. I'd be Leona's savior, and she'd kiss me. And the light in her eyes, despite the sweat on her forehead, gave me hope that she knew what I was doing. "Uh huh," I said with a faint smile, picking up two different sets and putting them in the stroller. Betsy crossed her arms and looked at me sternly, and then her scowl turned into a smile. "If you're going to get so many things, you might as well get the biggest one." I looked at her with bewilderment and she pointed to the wooden train set on the bottom shelf. "Grab that and let's get going." Going? Oh, thank god... I was so sure that we'd won. I was so sure that we'd beaten her. What I didn't count on was Betsy’s wording, her cunning, her talent at this. That she asked a girl who was fighting back shitting her diaper by sheer willpower, to pick up something heavy. Heavy enough for her to struggle and strain to lift it, heavy enough that when she dropped it into the cart, she'd lose her battle and the cameras would be watching. I didn't know it, but we were about to be outplayed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like & Comment! Please also consider supporting us on Patreon!

ch 15 (nearly 3 months! i need to fix my work scedual...) Ramonita and I woke up, ate breakfast and left the city as soon as we could to get our head start. Elroy and Bab would be taking a carriage, so if we didn't go now, we might not make it in time. The plan was to meet up at the halfway point between Pa'a and Parïtet. It will be about a day's walk, a day and a half if we have to stop. Since Ramonita isn't much bigger then Bab I don't expect her to keep up with me and will most likely have to take multiple breaks. I thought about strapping Ramonita to my back like Bab, but I decided not to. We didn't talk much for a long while. Me not knowing what to talk about and Ramonita hoping not to bring up what happened last night. “So, um, what does dark do?” I asked Ramonita trying to make small talk, “What?” Ramonita responded. “The dark element, your magic,” I reply before showing her the stats screen and showing her that her elemental magic was dark. “I have no idea, I've haven't learned much about magic,” she told me. “Really? I would have thought your family would teach you all types of things like that just in case.” I tell her. “No, since I would never need it in my daily life so there would be no reason to teach me,” she told me. “Want to test it out?” I asked. “How?” Ramonita asked. “Well, Bab was the one to teach me. She said ’You have to focus on the magic and use your mana to make the spell appear. So try thinking of releasing dark energy.” I told her. Ramonita did as I suggested and tried to focus, But nothing happened. We sat there for about 10 minutes but still nothing. “I guess we'll have to ask someone else about it later,” I suggested since I barely had any idea on how to use my ice magic myself. Just then I noticed a slime start to appear out of the ground below us and realized we must be standing above a slime nest. Deja vu. Ramonita also saw and grew very scared seeing more monsters surround us. “Don't worry they're weak and easy to kill,” I tell her as I take out my knife and stab the one between us. “Why don't you give it a try.” “No, it's your job to protect me, I'll leave that job to you,” she told me as she tried to back away from the knife before stepping on a slime. I then had an evil idea and sat down. “What are you doing?” she asked. “My job is to make sure you make it to your destination, not protect you. If you want protection, then protect yourself.” I told her, half lying. Personally, I didn't mind protecting her. But this seemed like an excellent way to teach someone to not just to rely on someone else and to defend themselves. Plus I wanted to see how Bab found this funny when she did something similar to me. I watched as Ramonita began to freak out a little as more slimes started to appear sensing something wasn't moving above them and thinking it was either a dead or injured animal. Slimes started to appear on me as well, but unlike last time I knew how to deal with them and watched as Ramonita took out her dagger and began to stab the slimes. “Please help me!” Ramonita yelled at me as some of the slimes got on her before she noticed the slimes all on me. “OK, on one condition. You learn how to defend yourself after this.” I tell her. “YES! Anything just please get them away!” she screamed before feeling a cold wind blow all around her. I was using my frost breath and killed a lot of the slimes. I then stood up and used frost to freeze the ones on me and break them off before holding out a hand to Ramonita to lead her to a safer spot. Using beast vision, I was able to see where the slime nests are underground and stayed away from them. “You did better than I did my first time taking on those slimes,” I told Ramonita. “R-really?” she asked me as she tried to catch her breath from the scary situation. I then told her about what had happened not so long ago and even what had happened to Bab, which made Ramonita laugh. “I know you normally have guards and other people to protect you, but I still think you should at least learn how to defend yourself. What would you do if your guard disappeared and those slimes surrounded you?” I asked. Ramonita was about to say something but stopped when she realized I was right. Being surrounded by those slimes had terrified her. If this had been any other time, she would have also been unarmed. Those slimes would have quickly killed her. But for me? I wasn't scared of them because I knew what to do while she didn't. “We still have some time to kill, want to learn how to defend yourself?” I asked. After a moment of hesitation, Ramonita nodded yes. Alexander March Stats- lv16 HP-90 (+4) Attack-45 (+3) Defence-42 (+5) Speed-51 (+2) Regen-9 (+1) Manna-46 class-hunter Skills-beast vision Weapons- sword (C) Element-ice Partner- Ramonita Maynard Stats- lv5 HP-45 Attack- 8 Defence- 8 (+100) Speed- 8 Regen-5 Manna-15 class-princes Skills-royal blood Weapons- dagger Element- dark *********** “YES, YES, YES!” Ramonita yelled and was jumping around after she defeated a big bug monster. “Good job Ramonita.” I congrats her. It took Ramonita a moment to get used to fighting, but the moment it clicked for her, she’s been on a roll. “So how do you like fighting now?” I asked her as we sat down for lunch. “I love it!” she told me with a big smile and dirt on her face. “This is so much fun!” She was covered in dirt and had a few scrapes and scratches, but she was legitimately having fun. “What do you do for fun back at the castle?” I asked, and suddenly her smile started to fade. “Nothing like this. I spend most of my time inside taking lessons on how to be a proper lady and how to be Parïtet’s possible future ruler,” she told me. “When I'm not studying I'll sometimes take a walk around the castle, read a book, or play a board game with my sister. If my parents, teacher, or even Elroy saw me like this, they would be appalled.” “I'm sorry,” I tell her now feeling bad. Such a sheltered life, it's no wonder she’s this excited to be fighting monsters. It's probably the only real fun thing she’s done in years. “No, thank you Alex. in such a short time you’ve let me do so many new things I never would be able to do. I'm having a lot of fun with you,” she told me, and I remembered something. “You also seemed to be having a lot of fun last night,” I tell her. Suddenly Ramonita’s face went bright red as she remembered what I saw last night. She even tried to stutter an excuse, but I stopped her. “I saw you wet the diaper and then play with it. You don't have to lie to me, you're fine to tell me the truth.” I tell her. “It...it was...a...weird experience,” she told me before I saw the faintest of smiles on her face. “I don't know how to describe it.” “I'm guessing you liked it because it's something you can't do at home,” I suggested. “What do you mean?” “You said it yourself, you don't get to do much at home. You're so used to the norm that when anything new comes your way you get excited to try the experience.” I tell her. “ just look at how much fun you're having fighting monsters. You never got to do that at home.” “But that's different than the diaper,” Ramonita told me. “Is it? You were so embarrassed yesterday when you had your accident because it went against your norm. You resisted fighting the slimes because it went against your norm. But once you’ve had the experience you want to try it again just to get that new experience back again. because it goes against everything you were told was wrong, and this is the first time you can rebel.” I explained. She didn't say a word, just looked down, partly ashamed. “Don't be upset, for once have a little fun and enjoy your freedom while you can. If you want to fight then fight. I'll help you when you need it. If you want to use your diaper go ahead, I'll change you if you need it. See what it's like to be a real kid for once in your life.” I tell her before reaching over and giving her head a gentle rub. Seeing the faintest of smiles on her face. *********** Over the next few hours as we made our way to our destination Ramonita took what I said to hart and did start enjoying herself more. She began to examine the world around her. Running from one new thing to the next. She even picked up a slime just to hold it. As she went on the smile on her face grew bigger with each new experience. I couldn't help but laugh on the inside when comparing her to Bab. Bab hates her situation, has had everything taken from her, and hates having to use her diapers. Ramonita, however, has everything, and hates her position, never able to experience anything new. Heck not too long ago she even peed in her diaper, and when I asked if she needed a change, she told me no. She wanted to feel what walking around in a wet diaper would feel like. I couldn't help but wonder what they would be like if they hung out together. I watched as Ramonita was looking in a stream at some fish swimming around when I noticed a man walking towards us. “Good afternoon,” I told him. The guy was huge. Tall and full of muscle. He almost looked like ‘The Rock’ from back home just with a full head of hair. “I want the girl,” he told me. “Excuse me?” I asked as Ramonita turned around and saw me talking to the big guy and came running over. “You heard me, hand the princes over.” the man told me yet again. “Ramonita, stay back,” I told her as I reached into my storage and pulled out my sword. “I don't know who you are, but I won't let you touch her.” “I won't repeat it again. Hand over the princes and no one will get hurt,” he told us as he lifted out his hand. I was hoping flashing my sword would at least deter him, But he didn't even flinch when he saw it. He must be very confident in his strength and ability. So I did the only smart thing to do and yelled RUN! Ramonita and I both turned away from the man and tried to run as fast as we could to get away from him when daggers flew right in front of us and stopping us cold. “I won't let you get away so easily,” the man behind us said as he began to walk closer to us. Okay, big guy, wind element, and uses daggers. The wind and daggers will make it hard to run, but if I can hold him off, then the princes could hopefully escape. “Ramonita run back to town and form a bond with someone else,” I told her quickly before charging at the man with my sword. The only thought in my head was to keep him busy just long enough for her to run away as I swing my sword at the guy. Instead of cutting him however he caught my blade mid-swing with his bare hand. Before I could even react, I was kicked into the air and landed right beside Ramonita who didn't have a chance to move. “Such a dull blade.” the man said as I sat up and threw up on the ground from the kick. When I looked back up the guy set my blade to his side and stomped down on it, Shattering it completely. Is this guy even human!? I stood back up just as the guy walked up to me and backhanded me away again. Ramonita was screaming as the guy picked her up by her hair. “Put her down!” I yelled as I tried to stand up. “What could you possibly do?” he asked. I tried running at him again but this time stopping just in front of him. “TUNDRA!” I yelled as I released everything I had. Last time I tried this I at least froze Alisha’s arms. Maybe I can do the same here. The man dropped Ramonita and using his free hand hit me again sending me to the ground again. My body was screaming in pain from just those three hits. Why is this happening? Why am I so weak? “Pathetic,” he told me as she smashed the ice off of himself before feeling a sight pain in his leg. Looking down he saw Ramonita next to his leg as she had just stabbed her dagger into his leg. “Leave him alone!” she yelled at him until she was backhanded by him. With no emotion at all, he pulled the dagger out of his leg and threw it to the side. Ramonita was now unconscious after that hit as he walked over to her. He was about to picker up when I told him to stop once more. He looked over at me and saw me stand up again. “Y...your fight...is with me,” I told him barely able to talk. My legs were shaking badly. I had Ramonita dagger in my left hand that I could barely raise half way. Blood was coming out of my head and got in my eye. Another puddle of puck and blood was below me. No magic, no strength left, and I had no way of ever winning. “Stand down little man, or you will die,” he told me. “I...i still have...one last trick...to kill you.”I lied out my teeth knowing this man was going to kill me. “Interesting.” the guy said with a small on his face. “I am Monarch, the Berserker. I have heard you cry for death and I shall grant you a warrior's death.” Suddenly as if out of a horror movie his body began to grow. He grew nearly a foot taller as his muscles started to expand and his skin turned bright red. His eyes turned white as he let out a mighty roar. I roared back at him as I took a step toward him! ***************************** Bab was being loaded into a carriage with Sherry. Elroy was driving the horses up front while the princess's royal guards and Noah all rode horses. Just before she got in, she heard a thunderous roar coming from the forest. “nrycky by crluwvj Cryf.” she said out loud before getting into the carriage and sitting down on the padded seat. The double padding still felt weird to her as she sat down in the dress. ************************* I opened my eyes and wondered if I was still alive or not. I turned my head to the side and saw a guy cooking something over a fire. I let out a slight moan and got his attention. “Look who’s back from the dead.” the guy said as he got up to walk over to me with a small bottle of water. Grateful I drank nearly the entire thing. “Where am I?” I asked the guy. He had dark hair and looked strangely familiar. I think I might have seen him somewhere. “you're at our camp. You’ve been out for a while,” he told me. “Wait what about the girl!” I yelled as I suddenly remembered Ramonita and tried to get up, but the guy stopped me. I was on some palet and was stripped down to my underwear and covered with a blanket. “She’s fine, she woke up before you and I had Aeva take her away to help her change her soiled diaper, she'll be back in a moment.” he told me. “Where are my clothes?” I asked. “They were covered in puke and blood. We had to take your clothes off of you and got rid of them since you wouldn't be able to use them.” he told me. I then began to wonder why my clothes would be covered in puke and blood before remembering what had happened. “What happened to the monster?” I asked, wondering how anyone could survive a fight with that thing. “Watch who you call a monster.” the man said behind me as I spun around to see him carrying a huge log. “You will make people mad.” I tried to jump up and run but my body was too heavy, and I collapsed once again. “Wow, now easy buddy. Just relax and let us explain.” the man said as he tried to help me move back into a lay position. But I fought him as well. Just trying to get away when suddenly Ramonita came running up out of nowhere to me and hugged me and try to calm me down. “Alex, it's alright, we are safe here. They won't hurt us,” she told me. As I looked at her, I saw her face partly swollen, but she was still fine. After a few more minutes of calming down, I got some help to sit up while these people introduced themselves. The first was Monarch. The hulking man that nearly killed us. Next was Aeva, a short woman with a big smile she too looked familiar. Lastly was Chet, The leader of their group. And I finally remembered where I saw them. He and Aeva were the couple I met a few days ago when I gave them directions. “Why did you attack us?” I asked. Wanting to know why I had to go through so much pain. “We needed to test you.” Chet told me. “Elroy trusted someone they didn't know that well to escort the princess. I wanted to see if you could be trusted.” “And you passed.” Aeva cheered happily. “What the fuck do you mean? You beat me within an inch of my life and say I somehow passed a test!” I asked now perplexed. “Monarch wouldn't have killed you, the test was to see if you were trustworthy or if you would just try to run at any moment,” Chet told me. “You tried to run away with the princess at first, but when you were blocked off by Aeva’s daggers, you tried to fight Monarch. Even after he kicked your ass, you keep going. Three times no less! Most people would have run away or given the princess up at that point. Hell even when Monarch went Berserk Demon mode you still took a step at him before collapsing instead of running away. You have my respect.” “I don't give a shit about your respect. He nearly kills me, and he hurt Ramonita!” I yelled as I pointed to Monarch. Just then Monarch got up from his position. I was terrified thinking he was now mad at me and was about to kill me. Instead, he walked over to a tree and began to hit his head on it. “Ya, he’s sorry about that. He’s actually a major pacifist and hates hurting people. But to test you, he had to do what he did.” Aeva told me before going over to comfort him. “There's another reason we wanted to test you,” Chet said. “We wanted to know if we could also trust you.” “For what?” I asked. Just then Ramonita got up and walked to Chet’s side. “Alex, this man is the former prince of Pa'a. I have heard what he has to say, and I ask that you please listen to what he asks.” she said before both he and she got on their knees and bowed their heads to the dirt in front of me. “PLEASE HELP ME KIDNAP MY BROTHER LAUREN!” Chet begged. Alexander March Stats- lv16 HP-90 (+4) Attack-45 (+3) Defence-42 (+5) Speed-51 (+2) Regen-9 (+1) Manna-46 class-hunter Skills-beast vision Weapons- sword (C) Element-ice Partner- Ramonita Maynard Stats- lv6 HP-47 Attack- 9 Defence- 9 (+100) Speed- 9 Regen-6 Manna-17 class-princes Skills-royal blood Weapons- dagger Element- dark ******************* Back in Pa'a all preparations are finished. Prince Lauren just received word about meeting with the princess early and give him very little time to prepare. Luckily the bodyguards he hired to replace his missing retainer had arrived and were ready to follow any order. Blake and Eva bowed to the prince ready to finish this job and help Alex and Bab as soon as they were done. “We are at your service!” they both told the prince before heading out.

I smash neutrons into U-235 (mostly) to release safe, clean, and reliable energy for use by the public.

Wow. At 8% ABV that's the same ethanol quantity as 10 shots of vodka, more than 1/3 of a USA 40oz bottle. For someone not used to alcohol that's enough to be actually dangerous, as in passing out, possibly choking on your vomit, and dying. So folks, don't take that as a recommendation! FWIW I've had "success" on much lower quantities of ethanol, especially when tired from a few double shifts and heavy gym workout. 2-3 * 330ml Belgian 9% beers will work wonders then. As I stated in another thread the key point is to prehydrate. Once you are copiously peeing clear, then drink the beers in close succession, pee again, then go to bed. I have found that being extra tired (such as after a 175km bike race, heavy crossfit session etc) can minimise the alcohol requirement. Also kava can help, but with great caution as low quality kava mixed with ethanol has the potential to cause liver injury. Only use the purest stuff from Hawaii, not cheap caplets from vitamin stores. And no, don't mix ethanol with sleeping pills... that's really asking for trouble. A wet diaper isn't worth the risk.

Why did the beer bottle and window have to run in the school corridors? Because they were late for glass What’s the difference in weight between a hippo and a zippo? Ones heavy and the others a little lighter

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and for reading. There will be more of this, but I am trying to get a few other things written also. I will have another chapter by the end of the month.

Betty is 100% right! I have all ways said this

It always surprises me how the average person immediately associates infantilism with pedophilia. What they are unaware of is the fact that--at least in my case--my interest in wearing diapers began around age six or seven, which was way before puberty kicked in and a long time before I had any sexual feelings while wearing diapers.

Re-potty training is a sometimes thing, unpredictable and with no way of knowing which way will be you. This is why we are so adamant about being positive that you want incontinence before you begin this journey because it might be a one-way trip with no return. And that can leave you prone to depression and other things which can essentially ruin any chance of happiness for the rest of your life if you can't handle it well. Bettypooh

Evenin'! Here is Chapter 3 for you! Chapter 3 Interesting, isn’t it? The lives we lead others to believe we live, all while hiding or struggling with something that most people don’t even know about. I’m a geek, and while most people know that, they don’t have a clue about my seemingly unhealthy obsession with having to research the hell out of something to get my answers. I don’t really see a need to share it with anyone and everyone around me, but I know that guys I’ve dated in the past would eventually find out. Some took it well, some didn’t seem to really understand or care, and others said it was really weird and would soon end our relationship. It never really hurt me, though, but it also wasn’t a big deal for me, because it’s who I was. It was a part of me that I would never let go of. Michael’s a genuinely good guy who also liked being cared for, and held, and diapered, and waited on hand and foot. Aside from his little pizzeria post, he was actually very good at keeping his double life a secret. And a lot of posts in the community he was part of reflected this, as well as him feeling constantly torn between accepting it and hating it. It’s strange (even stranger than all five feet of me), but reading more into Michael’s “other life” as he called it, it became evident that even with many failed attempts of him trying to walk away from the diapers and adult baby stuff, he simply could not. He’d even gone so far as to recently write that he didn’t even care if someone he was in a relationship with wasn’t into the fetish. He just wanted them to acknowledge that it was there so he wouldn’t have to hide it from them (although, he did also mention that having someone indulge him would be a nice bonus). Something stirred in me, though I couldn’t put my finger on what at the time. Part of me figured it was my overwhelming curiosity, or maybe I even felt bad for the guy, having to hide a part of him forever. I wanted to help him bring it out, even if that’s all I could do for him. Granted, there was a chance that he’d get very upset if he found out what I did to discover his secret, but I had a few ideas to see if I could draw it out of him and see it for myself. Thus began my plan! The next day, I decided to pay Michael a visit at his store again. Despite having his number and not really even needing to buy anything else at that time, I thought it better to see him in person. Walking into Roman’s RAM & More, there were three other people in the store this time, one with Michael and the other two perusing. When Michael saw me, his cute baby face lit up immediately. He gave a genuine smile and waved, whispering, “I’ll be with you in a sec!” before helping his current customer. Being the awkward, living antithesis of a social butterfly that I am, I paced from section to section, taking a peek at different video cards printers, mouse and keyboard combos, and other things I had no need for at the time. It wasn’t long before Michael finished up with his current customer, and he hurried over to me, a bottled water in his hand. The bottle was clearly cold, as condensation on the outside dripped with every little movement. Before he got to me, I called out, “Uh oh. You’re leaking!” I was of course referring to his water bottle, but he didn’t know that, and the comment caught him off guard. Michael’s face burned as he chuckled nervously, not quite understanding what I was referring to right away. “Your water bottle, silly!” I joked, pointing to the drops of water getting all over the floor. “Oh! Haha! Yeah, it happens sometimes! But anyway, um, hi, Erica!” he said in a flustered tone. “Hello there, Michael.” “Did the thermal paste work okay?” “Like a charm,” I replied, “it took longer to take my rig apart than to put the actual paste on!” Knowing that being too straightforward would make Michael suspicious, I chose to only dance around his little diapered secret a little at a time, adding a few fibs here and there, just to see his reaction. “Ugh, I know how that goes,” he sighed, “all that work for one measly step! But, I’m glad it worked, and it’s good to see you again!” “Likewise! I mean, it’s pretty cool in here, and before a couple of days ago, I never really checked the place out. Hell, I haven’t checked a lot of places out in a while.” “Oh? Busy?” “Yeah, especially this past week. Between work, messing around with my rig, and babysitting.” Michael looked a little surprised by the last part of my sentence. Just to be clear, I hadn’t been babysitting. This was another means of toying with him a bit, to which I continued. “What? I don’t look like the babysitting type?” I smirked. “O-ohh, it isn’t that,” Michael replied quickly, “it’s just that I saw how you were with that unruly customer, and I know some kids can be quite unruly themselves.” With surgical precision, I made my next move with a fib, remembering some of Michael’s fantasies he’d posted. “Kids can indeed be unruly. But, babies are pretty easy…..and so adorable! I’ve been babysitting my little nephew. He’s just a little over a year old. Babies are a lot of work, but I just love giving them snuggles, and patting their little diapered butts, and bouncing them in my arms, and feeding them, and, ugh! Listen to how ridiculous I’m sounding.” “N-no, it’s okay, Erica!” Michael said, pulling at his collar. I was getting to him, alright. His face was a dead giveaway, as if what I was saying triggered something in him. “Michael, you’re looking flustered! Is someone jealous?” I made a pouty face, eliciting a huge blush from Michael. He looked down and coughed into his arm a bit, trying to distract himself from what I was saying. “N-not at all. It just-you just sound like you’re a great babysitter, is all.” “I like to think I am. Most little ones I’ve babysat have taken a liking to me. And I almost have a sixth sense when it comes to knowing when someone's got a wet or stinky diaper, too! Well, not so much the stinky part. That just takes a few sniffs. But I’ve got no issues with changing any diaper that comes my way. No matter how big or small, how wet or messy!” “U-um, yeah.” Michael nodded with a shy laugh. His face was still quite red. Was he imagining me doing all of this to him? Most likely. The way he subconsciously hid his face, looked around, and wiggled during my part of the conversation told me he was getting very embarrassed. And again, it was so darn cute! I could’ve just pinched his blushing red cheeks and coaxed it out of him some more, but I didn’t want to get that much into it while the poor guy was at work. One thing I did notice was that he didn’t appear to be wearing a diaper. I couldn’t hear it if he was, anyway, and I wasn’t about to check out his butt. “Ugh, there I go again. Sorry. I tend to go off on rants.” I lied. “Like I said, it’s fine. So, um, just checking things out here?” “Yeah. That, and I wanted to tell you that you saved me a lot of trouble by not having to order what I needed online! So, thank you!” “You’re welcome. And, thank you for the other day, Erica. I really appreciate that. It’s been a pretty rough few weeks, and I don’t think I could’ve made it through the other day without your help.” “Aww, I’m sorry, but I’m glad I could help!” “More than you might think! And actually, um…” Michael stammered. “What is it?” “...well, as a thank you, would you be open to grabbing a coffee or drink sometime?” Didn’t I tell you? Interesting stuff! Now personally, I didn’t have a real desire to get into any type of long and meaningful relationship. No, that doesn’t mean I like to fool around, either. I just wasn’t really looking for anything in particular. But again, this desire to help Michael and to further delve into the world of curiosity was too big to ignore. “Ohhh, is someone asking me on a date?” I asked with a wink. “W-well, I mean. It doesn’t have to be a date, per se. Maybe just get to know each other a little more outside of work. But, I mean, I’m totally cool if you’re not okay with that.” “How cute! But, I think that sounds good, actually. I’m not terribly good with remembering certain things, so here.” I dug through my purse, pulling out a small piece of paper before looking around for a pen. Michael conveniently had one in his shirt pocket, so I pulled it, making him laugh. I scribbled my number down, writing my name with an awful drawing of a face smirking and handing it to him. “This is my number. Just shoot me a text or something later when you’re off work. We’ll figure out a time. And don’t ghost me, because I’ll beat you up if you do.” “Wait, what? I’d never-” Michael looked surprised as he took my number. “-Ha, I know! I’m only kidding. Or am I?” I gave a menacing stare and did my best impersonation of an evil laugh, making Michael laugh and everyone else in the store look over at us. “W-well, I will definitely reach out to you a little later. Thank you.” “Any time, Michael! I’ll see you soon, or else!” I winked before leaving the store. Phase one was complete. I toyed around with him, and was now curious as to whether he’d post something about it online. I’d press the issue a little more during this little get together. It did make me wonder how he’d react if he found out I was researching him so much. My guess at the time was that he’d be equal parts upset, angry, and terribly nervous that I’d say something to everyone. That isn’t what I wanted, though. No, I wanted to see if this man was as genuine, as “him” in real life as he was online. And while I still couldn’t quite put my finger on it, I wanted to explore my own motivation for wanting to help Michael.

"Prisoner of the Machines" Started: https://www.dailydiapers.com/board/index.php?/topic/65841-prisoner-of-the-machines/

Shuffle playlist for this chapter: 3 Doors Down, Digital Underground, Three Days Grace, Jay-Z, Green Day, Seether, Daft Punk, Dr. Dre, Flogging Molly, Beastie Boys, Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Saliva, Run The Jewels, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Guns N' Roses, Kanye West, American Hi-Fi, SR-71, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Offspring, Papa Roach, All-American Rejects, Childish Gambino, Bush, Horrorpops, Killer Mike As always, if you have anything to say, positive or negative, leave a comment. If you like the story and have a like available, I'd appreciate you floating it my way, but I know how likes tend to disappear. Also, the next chapter won't come until the back half of next week because of my work schedule. Part One: About A Girl Chapter Six: Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble "Perpetual motion, the image won't focus A blur is all that's seen But here in this moment like the eye of the storm It all came clear to me I found a shoulder to lean on An infallible reason to live all by itself I took one last look from the heights that I once loved And then I ran like hell" Rise Against - "Ready to Fall" Over the weeks after school started I learned a few things, I mean, I learned a lot of school related things, but we're talking about life things right now. The most important thing I learned is that the divide between first and second grade is, well, it's like two separate planets, celestial bodies traveling millions of miles apart from each other but still within sight depending upon weather conditions and times of day. The times of day in question being lunch and recess, where I would finally get to see Dawn, but was also open to attacks from Amber and Danicka. With a new pecking order in place, me remaining in first grade and them having moved on to second. The change in my peer group was also quite noticeable, the other girls in my class seeming so much smaller and younger in comparison to myself. I felt worse about my static position with each passing day. The first day was the hardest by far, having to look Ms. Thomasson in the face knowing that she'd mutually agreed with the Principal that I wasn't prepared to move on, couple that with the fact that I had to stand in front of a class of new faces in damp training pants trying to come up with something to tell them about myself that didn't involve "Hey, I had a massive mental breakdown and regressed to a two year old for the Summer, do you like me? Check "yes" or "no"!" I slipped a few times into my littler speech patterns and felt another small tickle in my training pants, but the other girls were smiling and clapped politely when I finished, so I went to my seat with a good feeling in my heart. My seat this time was in the second row rather than the back and I felt weird about having people behind me, not knowing whether they could tell I was wearing training pants beneath my skirt or if they were making faces at me or giggling secretly about me because they somehow knew what had happened to me. When that first recess period came I made my way out onto the playground, finding Dawn seated on our swings, looking to the door I'd come out of for me, her face lighting up as she reached over to the vacant swing beside her and patted it. As I started to move to her I tripped and fell flat on the ground, my hands and knees skinning. Getting up on all fours I felt my skirt pull up to the center of my back and heard a familiar, braying laugh and a malevolent giggle and knew instantly that my day had officially turned bad. "Well look what we have here, Danicka, it seems the baby class gets to have playtime outside too!" Amber said in an overly exaggerated tone of syrupy sweetness bordering on the type one reserves for an infant that only knows tones rather than actual words being spoken to them. Danicka guffawed once again. "She looks like she's getting ready to poop!" she suggested stupidly, laughing at her own joke just as hard as she'd laughed at Amber's. I stood up, tears welling in my eyes from the stinging burn in my hands and knees as much as the feeling of helplessness I felt in the face of these two awful girls. My extended departure from maturity level interaction left me woefully unprepared to mount any kind of defense against them, and I felt myself breaking as I looked at them, wondering if they seemed taller or if that was just a trick my mind was playing on me. "You gonna cry, baby?" Amber asked, her finger jutting out and poking me in the chest. I was going to cry, I could feel it welling up in me, threatening to spill over with every passing moment. I knew I couldn't hit her again, that wouldn't help me in any way, and I worried that if I tried to go toe to toe with her verbally I'd slip and prove to her just how right she was about me being a baby. I wanted my pacifier more than anything in that moment, my thumb dirty from my fall and therefore off limits as a replacement. My eyes were starting to fill with tears, my vision blurring, the familiar tickle in my training pants returning and growing to a complete flow of liquid shame that I wondered momentarily whether it would overpower the garment and I'd feel the liquid run down my legs. "Hey!" Dawn's voice called out from behind me. "Leave her alone, right now!" she shouted as she appeared beside me, her arm going around me. Amber scoffed. "And if we don't?" she spat. Dawn paused, clearly having come unprepared to go further than her initial defense. "I'll tell!" she finally said. Best friend or not, this girl was terrible at defending me. I made it a point later in our lives to remind her of this moment and enlighten her that snitches were deserving of stitches and she really should have known better than to threaten anyone on a playground with tattling. Amber and Danicka began to laugh at her and then Amber shoved her down to the ground, Dawn landing hard on her butt and continuing her momentum till she was on her back with her head hitting the blacktop with a thunk sound that made even Danicka cringe at. "You're just as much of a baby as she is!" Amber said with a sneer. Dawn was crying now, and I turned to go to her and felt my skirt being grabbed again from behind me, a tearing sound filling my ears and suddenly there was air on my upper thighs and bottom. A look down showed my swollen and discolored training panties on complete display and by the time I managed to turn around to try and get my skirt back, the laughter of all the girls nearby was filling the playground. "You should thank me, baby, now everyone can see you need a change so you don't get a rash." Amber said between her own giggles. My legs were wobbly, my heart was racing in my chest, and Dawn was still crying, and I did the only thing I could think to do in that moment, I turned and lowered myself to the ground and crawled to my friend, the rest of the world falling away as I hugged her and we cried together until Amber and Danicka left and a teacher came to get us. ****************************************************************************** My mother had returned from her vacation, something I discovered when my aunt and I arrived home from that first day of school much earlier than intended given the events of recess. I sat in my carseat on the way home in a dry diaper, my training panties thrown out in the bin of the nurses office when my aunt arrived to pick me up. My scrapes had been treated and I had curled up in a little ball on one of the small beds that kids laid on when they were sick or injured, sucking my now clean thumb without hesitation or concern. My aunt had brought my diaper bag and replaced my thumb with my pacifier, retrieved once again from its hiding place somewhere in the house, before she changed me into a diaper and put a pair of my pajama pants on me, carrying me out of the school with my head buried in her ample chest. When we entered the house and I saw my mother sitting on the couch I was very happy to see her but also very nervous that she was going to be angry or disappointed with me for once again being very much a baby. "Alina, honey, your Mommy has something she'd like to say to you." my aunt said as she set me down on my feet in front of my mother and removed my pacifier from my mouth. My mother looked at me for a moment and then looked behind me to my aunt and then back to me, her face softening before she leaned forward and opened her arms, wrapping them around me and pulling me up from the floor and onto her lap as she hugged me tightly. This was what I'd wanted all those months ago, my mother holding me in her arms and loving me, but it didn't feel right. It felt like mall Santa. It felt like knowing that this person whose lap you were sitting on was pretending to be someone they weren't, not for any nefarious reason, but just for the sake of general subterfuge in the name of keeping the fantasy alive. In this case, the fantasy was that my mother loved me and was once again on board with her role as caregiver and provider of nurturing compassion. My aunt cleared her throat. "Mattie, tell Alina what we talked about." she said, using my mother's first name, which I couldn't remember ever hearing before. My mother shifted me from her embrace and sat me on her lap facing her. "Alina, Mommy-" she paused and looked up at my aunt again and then back to me. "I need to tell you that I'm sorry." she finally said, drawing out the simple statement over many grueling seconds. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and sighed heavily, looking back up at my aunt. "I can't do this!" she declared, her voice cracking as she shifted me off of her lap unceremoniously and onto the couch cushion beside her before she stood. "Mattie!" my aunt said in a raised tone. "You can and you will." she added firmly. My mother visibly froze and tensed at the calling of her name and slowly turned back around, her eyes now leaking tears down her makeup free cheeks. She was wearing my father's sweatshirt again, and loose sweatpants, and she'd sucked her arms up into the sleeves of the sweatshirt so only her fingers could be seen peeking out as she used the sleeve to wipe her eyes. "I can't, it isn't right to make me say this to her!" she protested. My aunt crossed the room to her and took her by the arm and forcefully dragged her back to the couch and sat her back down. "Listen to me, Mattie, you owe this girl a proper apology and explanation for your actions and if you can't do that then you can just pack your things right now and go back to your "vacation home"." she said quietly, not actually using air quotes, but the emphasis was certainly there in her tone. My mother sighed and turned her attention back to me. "Alina, I can't be your mother anymore, I'm sorry." she said, firing the words out as fast as she could to get them out of her mouth and off her mind, her apology sounding very hollow, like when your parents make you apologize to another kid for something you did but you don't feel the need to apologize but you do it just so they'll leave you alone about it. "It's just that every time I look at you, I see your father and I see you acting like a baby and it just reminds me of a life I don't have anymore." she explained as she broke into full sobs. I had already stopped listening after "I can't be your mother anymore", if I'm being honest. Her resignation from the duty of being my parent brought a coldness to my heart that never faded after that day. Even at my young age I had decided that if she didn't want me I didn't want her either and knowing that her love was gone for real and certain meant I didn't have to worry about trying to attain it anymore. "Okay." I said quietly. My aunt and mother both looked at me in stunned silence, my mother rubbing the tears from her eyes and looking like a cartoon character trying to get rid of the mirage they were witnessing. "Okay?" my mother asked. I nodded and scooted off the couch, walking to my aunt and taking her hand. "You can go, we'll be okay without you." I said bluntly. "I'm hungry, aun-Mommy." I said, looking up at my aunt. My new mother later praised me for being such a big girl with the way I handled my old mother's exit, and she made sure to let me know that it was okay to cry about the situation and talk about my feelings, but I just told her the truth, I was fine and wanted to get on with my life. I didn't see my birth mother for a very long time after that, but that's a story for another time. ****************************************************************************** Returning to school the following day was a vast improvement over the prior day. For one, Amber and Danicka had both been expelled, I'd later learn that Amber had been sent to a very strict boarding school while Danicka's family moved so she could attend a school for kids that needed to learn to straighten up and fly right. Like my birth mother, I wouldn't see either of them for a very long time, but unlike my birth mother, the experience wasn't altogether terrible. The second positive was that Dawn was there and was okay, she had a bump on the back of her head but thankfully didn't need to have stitches. I met her on the swings at recess finally, and we sat beside each other in contented silence for a few minutes before she finally piped up. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. I was getting a little tired of hearing apologies by this point, but I could tell she was sad about something and that wasn't okay with me. I twisted the swing around to face her and put my hand on her shoulder as a way to reassure her but also to keep from spinning back around like an idiot. "Why are you sorry?" I asked. "I wanted to protect you from them yesterday but I just made it worse." she said glumly. I shook my head. "No you didn't, they were gonna do what they were gonna do no matter what, you were sweet to try and rescue me." I said, thinking for a second and swinging toward her to kiss her cheek. "You're my hero." I told her with a small smile and giggle to accompany it. She blushed and shook her head. "I'm not a hero, Alina, I'm weird." she said. I knew what she was referring to, and the happy butterflies in my stomach that had, for reasons unknown to me at that moment in time, fluttered away because of the encroaching tightness and discomfort that settled in. "Dawn, if anyone is weird, it's me." I told her. "Just because you-well, you know, but just because of that doesn't mean you're weird." I added. She remained silent and looking down at the dirt beneath her feet. "Hey." I said to get her attention. "Would you like it if you could stay over this weekend and have my new Mommy baby you?" I asked. She looked up in confusion. "New mommy?" she asked. I nodded. "My old mom doesn't want me anymore so my aunt is my mom now." I said matter of factly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Oh." she said simply. "Well, I'd like to, but my mom likes to be the one to handle that kind of stuff, she says it's important to re-goo-late my baby time so I don't stop being a big girl." she explained. We both let the memory of my life over the Summer pass through our minds without saying anything and then I turned back around and got off my swing as the bell started to ring, going to her and hugging her tightly as she sat on the swing. "I don't care if you're weird or a big girl or a baby, Dawn, you're my best friend and I love you." I said and kissed her cheek once more and delighted as the butterflies returned and I made my way back to class. ****************************************************************************** Dawn would later explain to me that I was her "gateway drug" into the world of diapers and playing baby, something that came up in more fights between us than in romantic moments, which I would then argue was bullshit and revisionist history because she obviously was doing this stuff before we even met, and round and round we would go. At any rate, she would also later explain that she knew she would never want to live without me after that moment on the swings, but I again call bullshit because she did plenty of living without me in the time between our present and that moment. For my part, looking back with an adult mind, I knew that I loved Dawn then but I didn't know what love was, go figure, the twice abandoned Little Orphan Alina didn't know what love was. The butterflies are a dead giveaway, I get those anytime a girl flirts with me or romantic advances are made toward me to this day, but back then I just assumed I was happy, and for the first time in a while, I was. The real concern was how long that happiness would last.

This chapter was made possible by Pandora and the shuffle feature which including the artists: Linkin Park, Arctic Monkeys, Yellowcard, Beck, Nekromantix, Rise Against, The Offspring, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Sublime, Tone-Loc, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Green Day, Flogging Molly, Seether, Oasis, and Foo Fighters. As always, it's very much appreciated if you share your thoughts in the comments and a like if you like the story. If you don't like the story comment that too, there's no wrong way to interact with me on here. Thank you for reading! Part One: About A Girl Chapter Five: Broken "My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me Till then I walk alone" Green Day - "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Here's something to think about, we all reach a point in our lives where we put away childish things and start on the path to becoming the adult we're going to be once enough time has passed. Some people maintain a small hold on that childhood, collecting things that satiate their nostalgia, playing games in video or board form, really there's too many examples to name, but they're on an end of a spectrum and adult babies are on another end, just as an example. There's a weird point in a lot of people's childhoods where they slip back to babyhood for whatever reason, some people do so to compete with a new sibling that's just been born, others do so due to trauma, again, the number of reasons it too high to calculate, but it's pretty common. What's far less common is a child rationalizing that they're seen as a baby by friends and family and should play that role to appease everyone. I woke up suddenly when my bedroom door cracked open, the hinges having shifted over the years, going unrepaired without my father around, causing the door to press against the frame and stick. The sharp snap of the door freeing itself shook me awake, watching with wide eyes as my mother entered the room, her work clothes gone and replaced with her more comfortable at home wear, yoga pants and one of my father's old t-shirts with her hair loosely pulled back behind her head. The moment between seeing me in my bed and smelling what I'd done in my diaper is one that stuck with me for the rest of my life. My mother's face had the look of love on it that she used to have before we'd come home from the Principal's office, she'd calmed down and the sharp edges of her emotions had smoothed out and I swelled with happiness, pushing the covers off of me and rising to my knees on the bed with my arms outstretched for the hug I'd wanted earlier, the one I needed now to reassure me that everything was back to normal. Her nose scrunched up and her smile faded, contorting into a frown of disappointment and beyond that to a grimace of disgust. She moved to me and guided me so I was leaning forward on my knees, my shoulder against her stomach and my head facing down to the floor as she pulled the waistband of the diaper out and sighed heavily. "Alina Marie Benez, do you have something you'd like to tell me?" she asked, her arms folding across her chest as she looked down at me. I was very confused. I was sure that she'd be happy to see that I'd accepted my role as baby without protest, but she seemed to be upset with me for doing the most babyish thing I could think of. I looked up at her, unconsciously donning my wide puppy eyes, and sucked my pacifier vigorously as I thought of what to say. A lightbulb went off in my head suddenly, an idea so simple that I kicked myself for missing it initially, I let my mind wander back to my actual baby days and tailored a response I was sure would seal the deal and bring her love flooding back. "Awina go boom boom!" I declared through my pacifier. The silence in the room was deafening and dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. My mother's face openly showed her internal struggle with trying to rationalize what she was seeing and hearing, her mouth hanging open slightly as she was rendered speechless by the sight of her schoolage daughter wearing a soiled diaper, sucking on a pacifier and proudly declaring in near perfect babytalk precisely what she'd done. If it weren't so devastating to me emotionally, it would have been comical that she just backed away a few steps, her eyes not leaving me before she turned and bolted out the bedroom door, slamming it behind her. Alone. Unloved. Wet. Messy. The silence in the room broke after several broken heartbeats, and my now genuinely infantile wails filled the air. ****************************************************************************** This is the part of the story where I skim. You may think it's poor storytelling, and you may be right, but this part of my life was scary, traumatic, and really just plain fucked up. In my memories it's a black hole, I can vividly recall the events before and the events after, but without therapy and regressive hypnosis, which we'll discuss later, I can't recall the details. I know that I was in and out of doctor and psychologist's offices, I know that I spent some time in a hospital, and I know that I missed the remainder of the school year, beyond that, I'm not really sure what specifically happened in that window of time. What I can tell you is that my mother was different after that and our relationship never really recovered. She cried a lot after the time I can't remember, and probably did so a lot during that time too. Bits and pieces stick out to me, like rocks jutting out in a raging river that you try and grab hold of to keep from going over the edge, like my aunt being around a lot instead of my mother, terms like "psychological break" and "regressive behavior" were used a lot, though I didn't understand them at the time, and Dawn. Amid the chaos and confusion of the time that can't be recalled she was there. I remember her visiting me in the hospital, enough times that it stuck in my memory despite a swirling void of blurred recollections and featureless shapes moving about me, she was there. In a time of scary situations and not understanding what was happening to me and around me, Dawn was there. After I came home, but before school started back up again, I remember her visiting the house a lot. Her mother brought her and stayed with her the first few times, concerned that her daughter's playmate was, for all intents and purposes currently an infant, but after a few supervised visits her mother would drop her off and let her stay for a few hours under my aunt's supervision. I remember that she had a look on her face both in the hospital and right after I got out, it wasn't quite worry and it wasn't quite pity, but it was some kind of amalgamation of the two. Seeing a girl her own age dressing and behaving like a baby had to be shocking to her, but she never seemed like she was weirded out by it, she looked curious, but never in a way that made it seem like I was an oddity on display for her. The first full fledged memory upon my return was sitting on the floor of the living room and seeing her walk over and being so happy to see her face, the animosity I felt toward her for betraying me erased completely by the far more pressing issues in my life. She smiled down at me and sat next to me and leaned forward and hugged me with all her might, her warmth and compassion filling me with so much happiness that it seemed like nothing in the world could ever match it. "I'm sorry." she whispered in my ear. "I don't know if you know what I'm saying, but I'm sorry for telling Amber and Danicka about your bedtime problem." she said. The words resonated, and I felt tears begin to form in my eyes, but the pacifier in my mouth kept me from responding. She broke our embrace and took my hand in hers, looking me in the eyes, the cool blue orbs soothing me and drawing my attention to her, entrancing me. "Before we moved here, I had a best friend, and she knew that I wet the bed and wore diapers, and she knew other stuff about me that you don't know, but she got mad that I was leaving and told everybody in class that I was a baby and she told all my secrets and it hurt me really bad and-" she stopped talking and started to cry, her beautiful little face contorting in sadness and anguish as she tried to finish her thought. "I was afraid that you were going to do the same thing and Amber and Danicka were talking about the other girls in class and I told them about you and told your secret so if you said something about my secret they wouldn't believe you." she confessed, her tears flowing freely now as she looked away from me and wiped her eyes with one hand so she could still hold on to mine. "I'm so sorry, Alina, and I know it wasn't a best friend thing to do, but if you can forgive me, I promise I'll never do anything to hurt you ever again and I'll be the best best friend you ever had!" she said pleadingly before she hugged me again. The gears in my mind worked like someone had poured molasses into them, but I hugged her back, desperate to keep her from going back to not hugging me, and I gurgled something through my pacifier to her, though neither of us knew what it was supposed to be, she apparently believed it to be positive as her hug tightened and she thanked me. Just like that, Dawn and I were best friends again, and day by day, little by little, I crawled out of the pit I'd fallen into and back to solid ground with her holding my hand every step of the way. ****************************************************************************** By the time the first day of school began to loom on the horizon I was mostly back to normal. I still wore training pants during the day, and diapers at night or during naps, but the pacifier had gone back into hiding, and the floors of the living room and my room no longer looked like a daycare had thrown up on them. Dawn had stopped playing with baby toys with me and had started helping me get my reading and writing skills back to where they had been, patiently guiding me over tricky words that were now difficult for me to navigate on my own and showing me that writing was easy if I held my pencil between my fingers like chopsticks as opposed to in my fist like I was carving the words onto the paper with a knife. We shared something that Summer, a connection that never faded, a bond usually reserved for sisters of vastly different ages with me looking up to her and her taking me under her wing to teach me how to be a big girl like she was and like I was supposed to be. I had bad days from time to time, but she handled them in stride, never making fun of me for having an accident or for slipping in my speech and reverting to simpler words or even just emphatic whines when I wanted or needed something. It was a process, and she was there for every step of it, never expecting anything from me, just being there to support her friend, her very best friend. One night, a few days before school started she slept over, and after my aunt had tucked us in, the two of us sharing my bed, she rolled over to face me while I sucked down my bottle of warm milk and she stroked my hair and kissed my cheek before she hugged me. "Alina?" she asked, her head resting on my chest listening to my heartbeat as she stroked my hair softly. I made a quizzical sound between sucks as a response to her question. "I'm really proud of you." she said quietly. "You went away for a while and went back to being a baby but you grew up again and I'm really proud of you." she explained. The bottle whistled softly as the last of the milk disappeared and air began to come through the nipple, and I dropped it to the floor beside the bed and nodded. "It was hard but you helped me do it." I said, a belch escaping me causing us both to giggle. "'Scuse me." I said quietly. "That's what best friends are for." she told me. I rolled to face her, scooching down so we were face to face. "You're not just my best friend," I said. "you're my only friend." I told her. She smiled and hugged me. "Can I tell you a secret?" she asked quietly, her arm still holding her to me. "Dawn, you know all my secrets, you have to tell me one of yours!" I said with a giggle. She giggled too but quickly stopped. "I've been jealous of you." she confessed. "Why?" I asked her, genuinely confused. She parted our embrace and looked into my eyes, the cool blue shimmering with forming tears. "The other thing that my old best friend knew was that I-" she stopped, her eyes scanning mine in the nightlight glow of the room for some sign that I knew what she was about to say and would finish her statement for her to spare her having to divulge it herself. "I like to be a baby sometimes." she added before burying her face in my chest. For the second time, my room was filled with deafening silence broken only by the crying of a little girl. ****************************************************************************** The first day of school arrived, and my aunt took me by the hand and walked me into the building. My mother was still MIA, no one telling me where she was or why she wasn't at home, save for the boiler plate response of "sometimes mommy's need to take vacations", which to a six year old that just spent most of her summer living like a two year old was about as helpful as a book on advanced thermodynamics. Waiting in the office with my aunt, I watched the kids milling about out in the hall, hugging and laughing and generally just being excited to see their friends and wondered if anyone but Dawn would be happy to see me. I was obviously worried that people would know how I'd spent the remainder of the past school year and almost my entire Summer, or that they would discover the training panties under the Tartan skirt of my uniform, but if Dawn was there I knew she'd make everything okay. The Principal stepped out of his office and gestured for my aunt and I to enter, and my aunt took my hand and led the way, sitting me down in one of the chairs in front of his desk before she sat down in the other one. "First of all, I'd like to welcome you back, Alina, we missed you." he said with a warm smile that was partially obscured by his push broom mustache. I smiled. "Thank you, Principal Wilkins, I'm vew-very happy to be back." I said politely, blushing at my infantile slip in speech. His smile remained for the appropriate amount of time for someone to engage before having to deliver less than pleasant news. "Yes, well, as you know, you missed quite a bit of school last year because of your-" he paused as he tried to find a tactful way to tell a small child that she'd basically lost her damn mind. "incident." he finally said. "Your teacher Ms. Thomasson and I discussed this at great length, including the second grade teacher, Mr. Grant in the discussion, and we believe that it would be best for you to remain in Ms. Thomasson's class, at least for a little while to get a fair assessment of whether or not you're ready to join your peers in second grade." he explained. A wet tickle formed in my training panties and I looked to my aunt for guidance and help dealing with this news. "Alina, it'll be okay, all you have to do is show them what a big girl you are and that you're ready for second grade and then they'll move you to be with your friends." my aunt explained, patting my knee gently. I heard her words and I saw Principal Wilkins nodding in agreement, but all I could think about was being separated from Dawn but knowing that if I cried now or if they found out I'd wet a little they might move me back to preschool or send me home entirely, so I put on my bravest face and forced my sadness and fear down deep and made myself smile. "I'll show you I'm ready, Principal Wilkins." I told him, hoping I wasn't making a liar of myself.

This chapter was made possible with the help of Pandora and the following artists: Run The Jewels, Franz Ferdinand, Flobots, Flogging Molly, Green Day, Beastie Boys, Sublime, Crossfade, Childish Gambino, Linkin Park, Kendrick Lamar, Everlast, Macklemore, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Tag Team, Run D.M.C., Three Days Grace, Blink 182, Semisonic, Nirvana, The White Stripes, Def Leppard, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I figured I'd include that information since otherwise I'd just be hitting you guys up for comments and likes again, and that's no fun for anyone. I swear to all of you that we're going to get to happiness and love, but just like real life we have to go through some shit to get there. Hang with it? I can't promise you'll be happy you did, but I promise I'll appreciate you if you do. <3 Part One: About a Girl Chapter Four: If I Could Turn Back Time "The hint of these new tears are sharp. I try to choke them back. But it's useless. I am useless against them. They are beating me with ease." Dashboard Confessional - "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" When a friend wrongs you, that is, when a person you consider to be a friend says or does something that utterly devastates you on a personal level, how do you react to that? How do you deal with something like that when you're still learning how friendship and peer interaction works? Can something like that happen and you still remain friends with that person, or do you pull the ripcord and hope not to perish in the fiery plummet to Earth? Earth in this scenario being friendlessness and going back to being all by yourself. Maybe a more important question might be, whether or not a friend that would behave in this manner or treat you in this way is someone you really should try and maintain a relationship with. We're taught to treat others how we want to be treated and to forgive those that wrong us, and on paper that's a great way to live one's life, but in practice it's much more difficult to not only weather the emotional storm of the inciting event, but to survive the fallout of it and come out the other side unmarked and whole. Couple this with being goddamned six years old, and you have yourself the makings of what we in the business call "A Bunch of Bullshit". Let's get one thing straight, I didn't punch Amber Barrington in the face, breaking her perfect little nose, because my newly discovered best friend was sitting with her or talking with her or laughing with her, or whatever they were doing before I arrived, I didn't punch her in the face because I was jealous that my newly discovered best friend was cuddling up with the possible literal Anti-Christ, and I didn't punch her in the face because she made fun of me for having an actual medical issue. I punched that overprivileged little sow in the face because she talked about my dad, plain and simple. I was too young at that point in my life to know what a "trigger" was, or to know how to keep my emotions in check despite desperately wanting very bad things to happen to a person at my hands, but I will say that no person that I've physically hurt throughout the course of my life has brought even a fraction of the satisfaction that clocking Amber Barrington did. Sitting outside the Principal's office after the "incident", as everyone referred to it, I realized that this marked the first time in my young life that I'd been in actual trouble. Sure, I'd acted up at home when I was overly tired or thrown a tantrum because things didn't go my way, but I'd never been to the Principal's office, and certainly never had my mother called away from work to come and meet with the Principal. This realization brought genuine fear into my chest and the pit of my stomach. My mind began to race with possible outcomes, suspension and expulsion not among them as I knew nothing of those words as consequences, but I knew what a spanking was, and I knew that being grounded was like timeout for older kids. As it turned out, the pasts of myself and Amber ended up working in my favor. I was a good student that never had a blemish on her report card even for attendance, where Amber had a "checkered" past, which I would learn much later on was a nice way for an adult to call a small child a bitch without actually using the word. So it was that the school let me off with a slap on the wrist, two days of after school detention. My mother was an entirely different story, she spent the entire trip from Principal's office to our house completely silent. I expected yelling, tears from both of us, the phrase "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed", which was a parent's way of verbally slicing your belly open to dance in your viscera. The silence broke as soon as our front door closed behind us, my mother tossing her purse onto the couch and grabbing me by the wrist roughly, pulling me up the stairs to her bedroom where she sat on the bed and pulled me across her lap. "Is this where you want to be, Alina?!" she shouted, "Do you want to be over my lap ready to have your butt smacked?!" she again shouted. I was terrified at this shocking shift in my mother's tone and demeanor. I'd only ever heard my mother yell a handful of times in heavy traffic or that one time when my aunt had babied me after my father's death. She had never yelled at me before, and the sound of it shook me to my core, causing me to wet myself from fear as I began bawling and apologizing and begging her not to spank me. "Alina, stop!" my mother shouted in surprise, lifting me from her lap and hauling me, leaking helplessly onto the carpet, to the bathroom nearby. "I am at my wits end with you right now, Alina!" she declared in an exasperated tone. I looked up at her, still crying from fear and now from shame as the last of my liquid rolled down my legs, a small puddle having formed beneath my shoe, a trail of yellow drips on the tile leading out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. "Mommy, I-" I choked out between heavy sobs. My mother shook her head. "I don't want to hear it, Alina." she said sharply as she began undressing me none too gently. "You're going to take a bath and then you're going to take a nap." she said. "Please, Mommy, I'm sorry!" I cried. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking down at me sternly. "Listen to me, Alina, I don't want to see or hear you right now." she said coldly. "I'm very angry and I'm worried about how I'm going to react to you, so I need you to take a bath and then a nap while I calm down and collect my thoughts, am I understood?" she asked me. I sniffled and wiped my eyes with the backs of my hands. "Yes, ma'am." I told her, my head facing downward as more tears began to form and roll down my cheeks. The water was turned on and gotten to the desired temperature before the drain was plugged and my mother left with my clothes to put them in the wash. When she returned she put some bubble bath in the water and let it fill before helping me into the water and down onto my butt. She mechanically bathed me from her seated position on the lip of the tub, neither of us saying anything to one another. Bath time was normally very nice, she would bathe me and talk to me about things we were going to do on the weekend or I would talk to her about school, sharing things I thought were funny or that she might like to know about, but now we were sitting in total silence save for the periodic plink of water dripping from the spigot into the water below. The tub was drained and I was helped out of the tub and into the large bath towel she was holding. Normally she would wrap me in it and hug me as she dried me off, but the towel was wrapped around me and I was kept at arms length as she unceremoniously dried me off, again saying nothing and making no attempt to look at me aside from what was required to accomplish the goal of getting me dry. After being hug dried, I was normally scooped up into a warm bundle in her arms and carried to my room so I could get dressed, but this time I was gently nudged out of the bathroom and prodded along by her as she followed behind me. The void left by the absence of her love was causing a heaviness in my chest and a dull ache in my throat as the overwhelming sadness I was feeling built and built with every little difference in our well practiced routine. She hated me, I knew it but didn't want to know it, I felt the distance between us, a deep pit of resentment and disappointment that my little body couldn't hope to navigate to get back to her. "Lay down on the bed." she said simply, her tone emotionless and bland. As she took the towel from me I finally lost my battle to keep my feelings in check, I was practically hyperventilating from the feeling in my chest and my legs suddenly felt like wet noodles beneath me as I turned to her and threw my arms around her, burying my face into her stomach as I clung to her desperately, my eyes pouring hot tears as I was wracked with sobs and babbled incoherently to her in a desperate attempt to convince her I was remorseful and wanted her to love me again. She sighed heavily, as though I was some person off the street that had interrupted her to ask a banal question, and separated me from her gently, but with enough effort to make the break quick and clean despite my protestations. She turned me around and nudged me to the bed, turning me again and sitting me down on the edge of the bed and guiding me down onto my back with a press of her hand on my shoulder. "Don't move from that spot, young lady." she warned before she left the room. I continued to blubber on the bed, completely unable to regain control of my emotions. My mind was a whirlwind of terrible thoughts and feelings of abandonment as I watched her through eyes blurred with tears return to the bedroom and to the bed, setting a small bundle of things next to me. I blinked and flushed the tears from my eyes a rubbery material entered my mouth, a moments confusion passed before I realized it was a pacifier. I looked up at her, trying to see if she was going to offer some sort of explanation for why this was something she even had let alone why she thought I needed it now, but she said nothing and instead moved to stand over me at the end of the bed, her hands grabbing my ankles and raising my legs up and pushing them toward my body. "You're going to take a nap and you're going to stay in your bed until I come and get you for dinner." she explained as she performed the task of diapering me in a real baby diaper. The scent of powder and rash cream filled my nostrils and brought the memories of my aunt rushing back to my mind, the pacifier bobbing rhythmically between my lips as I struggled to come to grips with what was happening, to understand why she was doing this to me. She pulled me to a seated position and put a nightgown on over my head, threading my arms through the holes and moving me to the center of the bed as she pulled the covers back and watched me lay down before bringing the covers back up over me and then she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving me to cry myself to sleep. ****************************************************************************** I was an orphan now. My father had died and my mother was done with me on a parental level, her love for me having dried up like a puddle on a hot day, and now she was cold and indifferent to me. I'd been shipped off to a run down orphanage, sleeping six kids to a bed in soiled and tattered rags of clothing like some kind of Dickensian street urchin as we periodically were lined up to be displayed for potential parents. The parents for this particular viewing were Dawn's, with her standing next to them, a teenager now, disinterestedly tapping away on her cell phone. "What about that one?" Mrs. Lassiter asked her husband as she pointed to me. Mr. Lassiter approached me and knelt down in front of me, taking my chin in his hand and turning my head from one side to the other, examining me intently. "What's her development level?" he asked the sharp featured old woman that was running the child auction. The woman folded her hands behind her back and walked down the line of children to stand behind me. "Despite her age, I assure you that she's little more than an infant." she told him. Her bony and gnarled hands clutched the garment I was wearing and tore it from me roughly, revealing a soaked and discolored baby diaper, the weight within causing it to droop almost to my knees. Dawn looked up from her phone and her face lit up when she saw me. "Oh my gosh, I want that one, Daddy!" she squealed as she ran over to me and knelt down beside me. Her father looked at her and shook his head doubtfully. "Dawny, this one is going to be so much work." he told her. Dawn pouted. "Please, Daddy, Amber has one just like her!" she whined. Her father stood up and looked down at me. "Well, we can't have our angel going without when her best friend has one." he said. "We'll take her." he told the old woman. "Yay!" Dawn cheered happily as she picked me up and hugged me to her. "I promise I'll play with her every day!" she said. Something inside me shifted and suddenly I was falling to the floor amid Dawn's screams. "She got poop on me!" she cried out in disgust. I hit the floor and shattered like a porcelain doll, my limbs scattering across the floor, my head spinning in a small circle, stopping near the exploded diaper I'd been wearing when I was whole. I looked up at the towering figures above me, their faces masks of disgust and disappointment. "Sorry about that." Dawn's father said to the woman running the orphanage. The woman put up a hand. "Worry not, sir, that one was already quite damaged, we should have thrown her out when she arrived." she explained. Dawn looked down with disdain and sneered. "You gross thing, I'm glad you're broken." she spat before she raised her foot over my head and brought it down hard. ****************************************************************************** Sun dappled the room through the closed curtains as I woke with a start. The memory of my dream brought tears to my eyes and I frantically searched the bed for the pacifier I'd been sucking on when I fell asleep, finding it on the floor next to the bed and quickly replacing it in my mouth as I curled up into a fetal position and cried. My mind began to run down a checklist of all the things I'd lost, my father, my mother's love, my friendship with Dawn, the acrid smell of urine reminded me of the loss of my continence both during sleep and when face with the fear of my mother spanking me. Maybe I really was just a baby pretending to be a big girl. Maybe my aunt had been right to do what she'd done. As far as Dawn, Amber and Danicka were concerned I was a baby, and my mother clearly believed I was one as well given her readiness to pacify and diaper me. Even my father had died because of what a baby I was, his final moments on Earth spent completing a trip to the store for something to keep his daughter from ruining the sheets. Why was I fighting against what everyone seemed so convinced was true then? Why was I trying so hard to cling to the notion that I was a baby that happened to keep growing on the outside? If everyone expected me to be a baby why not just give up and accept it? Maybe my mother would love me again if she saw that I accepted the role she expected for me. Maybe if I showed her that I was ready to be the baby she believed me to be things would go back to the way they were with bath time talks and drying hugs and love, oh god how I wanted her love back, I'd do anything just to have her hug me again and tell me she loved me. Anything pressed against the interior of my diaper, forcing it to bend to its will and expand outward to accommodate its mass, and I just lay there sucking on my pacifier, my fear and sorrow leaving me as my bowels emptied, the last thought before I closed my eyes and went back to sleep being that Mommy would be so proud of her baby.

Bleak and Eva's side chapter “EVA! SLOW DOWN!” Blake yelled to Eva as she was charging through the woods in her ox monster form. “I can't! We have to hurry and get this job done so I can see sissy!” Eva happily cried out. That's when Blake noticed what was up ahead and jumped off of her just as she ran right into more trees. “Eva, you okay?” Blake yelled as he got up and looked at what happened. Eva had smashed right through the trees, not even caring they were there and continued to charge forward. If he was still on her, there's no doubt in his mind that impact would have killed him. Blake just sighed as he watched Eva run off again leaving him behind. He would have to wait until she got too far away and realized what she did and goes back for him. “You're so in trouble when you get back here,” he told himself as he dusted himself off and began to walk after Eva. As he walked, Blake couldn't help think of the conversation he had with Alex not too long ago, about when he first met Eva. **************************over 2 years ago. Blake was excited. Both he and his partner Jeremy had finally joined a guild!. Pyāratā had about 63 members now including them. Guilds always got the better jobs that paid better because they were more reliable than some random group from an inn or a mercenary. Blake was hoping that with the guild’s help he might be able to make a name for himself in the world finally. Possibly even be ready to go after a dark crystal when someone finds one. “Hurry up and pick one, Blake!” Jeremy told him as he got a bit angry. They have been looking at the job board for 20 minutes looking for the right job. They took turns picking the jobs they wanted to do and today was Blake's turn, and he wanted a good one. There was one to take on giant Bees and kill their queen, a Gnoll was spotted just outside a small town, and lastly, the possibility that a Cockatrice might hatch from an egg and a town wanted to get rid of it fast. Each one sounded tremendous, but Blake was having a hard time deciding which to pick. Just before he could pick a mission, a man ran into the guild and demanded to speak to the master. The master was an extraordinary one-armed man that ran the guild. The man handed the master a Guild level threat job. The guild’s job listings are ranked from C, B, A, S, and Guild. Any average person may take on the first three jobs as they see fit. The guild master holds onto the S jobs and only gives them to people he deems worthy to take them on. But the Guild level is worse. It's a threat that will take an entire guild just to deal with. Not many of them are given out. Especially not on Misae. With a threat this big the guild master called for all members of the guild to report back and to prepare for Battle. 57 total members showed up for this job. The only members not able to come were those already out on jobs or to far away to make it back. “As you all know this job is a guild level threat. A monster has appeared out of nowhere and has started wreaking havoc on the village of Pipi. This threat isn't something to ignore. However, I will not force anyone to take on such a threat if they do not wish to do so. So you may leave the guild now if you do not wish to die.” the master told us. I watched as three people left. Fearing for their own lives. They were booed and yelled at as they left. “Enough!” the guild master yelled. “They feared for their lives, their family’s lives. They may have left, but they had their reasoning. Now those of you remaining, go into town and get anything that may help you in this quest. Anything to make you even just a little stronger will be enough. Just get anything.” We spent our entire savings on new gear. Anything that would boost our stats. We also got new weapons. I got an A class bow. Jeremy however got a B class shield and sword, both with elemental magic engraved in them. “If this job doesn't make a name for ourselves nothing will,” Jeremy said as he lit his sword on fire. “I couldn't agree more,” I tell him. The next morning the remaining 54 members marched their way to the monster. No one knows why it suddenly appeared, but some type of giant monster appeared in the mountain region of Pipi and has been sending all the monsters up there down the mountain. This, in turn, leads to massive attacks by the monsters as they try to claim new territories and have already killed quite a few people. By executing this one monster hopefully, it should make things right once more. When we reached the mountain where the monster was spotted, we began our search by having the hunters search the area for it. The hunters, however, were confused, all the tracks it had made it look like it was changing its size. Maybe it's not one monster but more? When we did finally found the monster it shocked us all to see a wyvern! They shouldn't even be on this continent! The wyvern was sound asleep bathing in the afternoon sun and didn't notice our arrival. “Everyone get into positions. We attack it hard and fast before we search for possibly more of them.” the guild master told us. Everyone split up into groups where they would be of use. Archer and mage class found higher ground where their attacks would do the most damage. While the others all circled the monster all ready to attack as soon as the guild master gave the order. The master pulled out two things out of his storage. The first was a bucketful of water that he used to form a new arm for himself before picking up his battle ax. “NOW!” the master yelled as the archers and mages fired their mightiest attacks at the monster. All the attacks hit the wyvern dead on causing a massive explosion. For just a single moment I thought that would be enough to kill it. But it just stood up and roared without so much as a scratch on it. “CHARGE!” the master yelled as everyone surrounding the wyvern charged into battle. I tried my hardest to keep shooting arrows, but I watched as the wyvern shrugged off every attack that hit it. Nothing we seemed to do could hurt the fucking thing! That is until the strongest of the guild managed to get a hit in. Lynn Palmer, an ex-paladin managed to knock it back using a holy mace. The wyvern staggered a bit and before it could study itself. Earnest Hodges, the beast berserker went all out on pounding on it. He only stopped when Meghan Howard, the Saint finished charging her most potent attack, ‘Storm Preacher.' It was a small ball of heavily compressed air at the end of her staff that she threw at the wyvern. The moment it made contact the ball exploded with a massive force that sent the monster straight into the mountain wall. Those of us still left standing from the fight all walked closer to where the monster lay motionless. Its tail and left wing missing as blood poured out of it. I looked around at all my fallen comrades. At least 30 of them lay dead on the ground, all killed by this damn monster. I watched as Lynn, Earnest, Meghan, and the master all got close to the monster. The guild master was raising his Axe to make the finishing blow and end this monster's life once and for all. But they all suddenly made a slight jolt before they all stopped moving. What was wrong? “Humans….” I heard a gravelly voice say as we all watched the four strongest members of our gild suddenly began to rise in the air. “You...hurt….me….” Suddenly my blood ran cold as I watched as something stood up out of the hole where the wyvern should have been. Instead, a different monster rose up. It was 8 feet tall with a humanoid body shape, instead of arms however it had two long tentacles on each arm. Each limb was piercing our heroes in the hearts as they are raised in the air. This monster had three eyes and a mouth that split sideways as it opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing screech! My body was cold except for the warm piss my bladder had just released as I watched the monster throw the bodies in the air and lunge at the rest of us! The sounds of screams filled the air until Jeremy finally grabbed my arm and stabbed me back into reality. He yanked at me, and we both started running as fast as we could away from that thing. We thought we had gotten away, we felt that if we could just get off the mountain then maybe we had a chance! But we went the wrong way and wound up on the edge of a cliff. We tried to turn back and go a different way but behind us was that monster. Its body covered in our friend's blood as it slowly walked toward us. “Humans hurt me....” I heard it say. I was too terrified to do anything. “We’ve got to do something!” Jeremy said as we looked around. There were only 5 of us left. All of us on the edge of a cliff with this monster blocking any way forward. “Just hit it!” I yelled and began to use my wind magic to try to blow it away, but it still kept coming. Suddenly everyone was using anything, and everything they had to kill it but nothing would hurt it. “EARTHQUAKE!” I heard the man next to me yell as he slammed his fist into the ground. **************************** I only woke up when I felt my arm in so much pain. As I looked at it, I could see the black curse spreading from the bracelet all over my arm and part of my chest. I maybe had a few minutes before the curse killed me. ‘Mourn later’ was the first thought in my head as I got up. I already knew if I was alive right now that must mean Jeremy was no doubt dead somewhere. If I don't find a new bound soon, I was going to join him. I took a quick look up and saw the bright red sky as the sun was setting. On the side of the cliff, I could see where that guy caused a rock slide sending us all down. How I survived, I have no idea. I began to limp around just trying to find anyone still alive. I even started calling out for them not caring anymore if that monster showed up. If I didn't find someone I was dead anyway. But I did find someone. I quickly limped over and saw it was a beautiful naked woman. She was covered in blood and was out cold and wouldn't wake up even when I shook her. I was running out of time and needed to form a bond now. I looked at her arm, however, and she didn't have a bracelet. I didn't think much of it, many people in the gild have taken a quest to remove them. She must have been one of them. I began to look around for a bracelet frantically, and I spotted one close by. It was attached to an arm sticking out from a boulder that fell on top of someone. I wanted to puke as I removed the bracelet and quickly limped back to the women and put the bracket on her. I know this is a bastard move forcing anyone into a bond when they can't consent, but it's a matter of life or death. They should understand. “by the light of the god, we both vow a boding, give us the power on our journey, and we fight for the right,” I spoke the bonding vow as our bracelets caused a bright flash of light, signaling that we were now bonded. ************************ That was when we first met, but only where our story begins.