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House isn't made of gingerbread now is it? And you weren't leaving a trail to find your way out of the woods? 🤪

This is one of the longer chapters so far of this story, but it didn't feel right to split up in the way that I have for a few other chapters. I wanted to post this earlier on Saturday, but the editing took a little longer than I had anticipated. As such, I'm a little behind, so I probably won't post another chapter until Monday. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Chapter 7: One Step Forward, One Step Back The next few days moved similarly to how the first full day had gone. Routine seemed to be the chief motivator and nearly law around here, but on the fourth full day of being here, Addy directed Patrick to go into a room he had never been in before. “No group today?” Patrick asked as he turned a corner that he couldn’t quite remember from his initial tour. “Actually, it will just be later. Today will be the first day of your therapy to get those legs moving again. It’s not something we can skip.” Patrick felt an immediate flutter in the pit of his stomach. “Really? I mean… how fast do these things take? Will I be good in a month? Two?” “That all depends on you, sport,” a man’s voice said from behind him. Patrick strained in his chair but finally got a glimpse of an evenly muscled and dark-haired Big walk and then stand before him. “Hey,” he said, holding his hand out to shake, “I’m Bruce.” Patrick liked the strange but comforting look that he before continually and shook the hand before him back. “Patrick. Good to meet you, Bruce.” The two smiled at each other and after a moment, Bruce then looked up at Addy. “I got it from here, Addy. I don’t think we’ll have any worries about this one trying to stab me or anything. Beep you when we’re almost done.” “Okay,” she said with an almost hesitant but still sing-song tone. She then bent down a bit and looked at Patrick directly. “I’m going to leave you here with Bruce. He might be full of muscles, but he’s got a good heart for all that. He’ll start helping you out.” Patrick nodded. “Thank you, Addy.” She then smiled back at him and tottered off. Bruce quickly took control of the wheelchair in her stead. “You’ve got one of the good ones my man,” Bruce said after wheeling him through the door and then flicking on the light switch. “Oh?” Patrick said with a bit of fear that he was being duped once again or something like that. “I thought they were all the ‘good’ ones?” “Well…” Bruce hesitated as he wheeled Patrick around the large room full of therapy and exercise equipment, “that’s the company line. I’m sure you’ve seen a few of the others. All above board, mind you, but… might not be the best if you can still remember your own name at times…” “Oh… I think I saw that with Terra’s nurse. Seems nice at least…” Patrick tried to justify. “Yeah… well, just thank your lucky stars you got Addy… and me.” He then gave Patrick a playful smile at his small self-referential and ego boosting joke. Patrick smiled back in acknowledgment. “Good. Glad to see your brain is still working and you’re not just responding to the first thing that shines in front of you. You might be surprised how many of those I get each month here. I can get them all the way in the end… but it’s just a lot of work.” “Is that a possibility around here…?” Patrick shuffled about his wheelchair uncomfortably. “After all this, I mean?” “Eh,” Bruce said, walking around to get a small black device from one of the nearby honey-colored wooden cabinets. “Depends on a lot of stuff, but sometimes with you portal types… I’ve been doing this for a while. Some of you used to come in with some… stuff.” “Stuff?” Patrick said while raising his eyebrows. “Yeah… not sure if your old enough to remember, but your planet used to be a bit deadly. If it wasn’t something nuclear, you all had the whole pollution thing as well. Surprised you all didn’t come to see us with three eyes or something like that. I think some of the drugs we used had more… negative reactions. We had a few problematic candidates.” He paused but then quickly added, “All sorted now! Promise!” Patrick laughed uncomfortably at the whole notion between the problem candidates and the joke about the three eyes. ‘Ah… the days before the big clean-up, but wait… I barely remember that…’ “Hold it… You don’t look older than 30… maybe 35… how could you know about or even remember that time?” “Ah… right. Well, the wonders of our science here. I’m actually pushing 66 in three months’ time. Not bad looking, huh?” He spun around a bit and flexed his muscles. Patrick was nearly speechless for a moment. “Uh… yeah! For 66? I almost don’t even believe you on that one.” Bruce smirked. “Good. Keep that instinct around any new Bigs, but I’ll promise right here and now… I will always be truthful with you, but I want the same from you. Even if that means the end of what I hope will be our friendship, okay?” Patrick thought about the offer that Bruce had just put out there. He knew that hard truths were just sometimes unfortunately a part of life, but from what he had seen so far with Dr. Halgen and some of her mannerisms, a person to tell him those hard truths around here would probably be useful to uncover some trap or pitfall. “It’s a deal.” “Excellent.” Bruce then sat down on a small stool nearby and retrieved a small black device. “So… today, I just want to get some readings and then we can go over your plan while you’re staying with us, okay?” Patrick nodded and Bruce started to press a few buttons, on what turned out to be a scanner, and then hovered the device over various points around his body. Some parts he could feel an odd sensation, while others… he would only realize the device was there if he could directly see it. This continued for about twenty minutes and nearly every square inch of Patrick’s body had been analyzed. For a few spots, after Patrick’s consent, Bruce had just held him up with one hand while he went about his work. Even for a Big, it was still an impressive feat, no doubt a byproduct of the muscles now bulging in front and whittling away on a tablet nearby. The door to the room then flung open and Dr. Halgen calmly walked in. “Morning you two. How’s everything going this morning, Bruce?” “All good, ma’am,” Bruce replied courteously. “Just about to beep you to get you to come in when I share the results.” “And?” she said impatiently and eagerly, now taking a seat beside Patrick. “Here. I’ll show you as well, Patrick.” Bruce then hit a few buttons on the tablet and a nearby larger screen came to life with the results. The first page was just a bunch of numbers, but Bruce quickly swiped to the second page. It was a large 3D scan of Patrick’s entire body. Bruce scrolled through a few different options and then pointed to the screen when a large ‘No Anomalies Found’ appeared. “As you can see, I don’t see any brain anomalies for paralysis and nerve function appears as it should for someone of Patrick’s age.” “You can tell all that?” Patrick asked, still looking nearly dumbfounded and the almost pulsating image before him on the monitor. “Just from a little scanner?” “Yep! Scan gives us the result and the ones it doesn’t analyze automatically… just look right here,” Bruce said as he pointed to an arc of light heading down one part of the arm of Patrick’s body in the picture. “That’s a nerve signal, but,” he then pointed down to a darkened and almost steampunk-looking section of the scan, “this is your injury. See below?” Patrick nodded. “Little to no nerve activity. Bruce then turned to Dr. Halgen. “It looks like they used one of our methods to try and restore function, but that clearly didn’t work.” “Clearly…” Dr. Halgen said, almost sounding frustrated. Shen then turned to Patrick. “Looks like they tried to fix your spine with tech we stopped using almost 50 years ago. Probably the best they had, but it could explain one of the reasons you were in pain and needed those meds. It’s one of the side effects of prolonged usage.” “Oh…” It was a shock to hear the news, but Patrick was at least partially relieved that his doctors had at least tried something. It might have been faulty and had caused other issues since, but they were at least trying to give him a chance. “Yes… well, from your previous scans right after your injury, we know we can’t remove the hardware until long after you can walk. We need it healed almost all the way before we risk potentially hurting you once more… or even further. The spine can only take so long…” Bruce said sadly. “So… does that mean this program won’t work for me?” Patrick asked warily, feeling a deep-seeded fear that all this hassle and potential torture amounted to nothing. “Oh, definitely not!” Dr. Halgen exclaimed, almost sounding offended. “Right, Bruce?” “Right you are, ma’am.” Bruce then pointed to a brief spark on the scan. “That is hope. We could help you out no matter what, but this is a kind of middle ground situation.” Patrick saw the spark but still wasn’t sure what to gleam from all this. “Meaning?” Bruce sighed. “Meaning that we can get you walking, but it might take some time. We were kind of hoping from your medical history that you would be up and about by the second month without any assistance device. Not sure if we can guarantee that anymore.” Bruce sighed. “We’ll of course try all we can, but I just want to say that I’m sorry…” Bruce then looked down in what almost looked like shame. A similar look also appeared on Dr. Halgen’s also lowered face. Patrick then realized that according to their standards, his prognosis could be viewed as a failure. They were clearly forgetting what technological level that earth was at currently, let alone before the exchange of technology before portal travel. He knew he needed to say something to ease their consciences. Bruce seemed nice and he might not have been buddies with Dr. Halgen, but she deserved at least some relief. “Relax you two. I mean… you’re still saying I can walk… right?” Both nodded solemnly. Patrick felt a flutter in his stomach, and he grinned widely. “Well, geez! No worries then!” “But we want to get you happy and all…” Dr. Halgen said wearily after looking up from her look of failure. Patrick sighed. “And walking will help that absolutely, but for me, walking again in any capacity seemed like a miracle at best even with the most advanced technology in my dimension. Now, you’re telling me that I could be walking in two months, right? I mean… shit… that’s something else.” Patrick could feel a giddiness rise inside of him. He hadn’t felt this good in years. Maybe it was the food, the air, the clarity from not taking his pills anymore, or just the fact that he would be walking again, but everything felt so alive now. He almost wanted to giggle in joy, but a part of him held this feeling back in front of the two Bigs before him. They were handing him a miracle but if the other Littles he had met here that were further along in the program were any indication, he still didn’t want to give the Bigs an excuse to treat him that way. He might trust them one day… but for now, caution seemed the best option. “Well… that’s unexpected, but I’m glad to hear it!” Bruce said, patting me on the shoulder in a kind of relief. Patrick could quickly see that his words of elation over getting to walk again at all had relinquished a huge burden from both Dr. Halgen and Patrick. “So, now what?” Patrick asked. Dr. Halgen smiled and looked down at her notes. “Well, let’s make a plan, shall we?” Patrick nodded along with Bruce and the three began to discuss the plan for getting him better again. Dr. Halgen covered the more medical and medicinal side of the equation while Bruce covered more of the therapeutic techniques that he would use to ensure those medications would work and be strengthened all around before he would use the machine to fix his back and legs with the final steps. To say the least, the two lumpy and scrawny sticks attached below Patrick’s waist, that were once his strong and athletic legs, needed some bolstering before even just standing up right could be accomplished. It was a long plan, but if it meant success, Patrick knew that he could do anything they asked of him. After the session, the three then parted ways and Patrick made his way back up to the main floor of the house where several Littles were now playing about. Suddenly, however, many dispersed as a few knocks could be heard at the front door. Intrigued, Patrick discretely wheeled himself over for a better view. Due to his attempt at being stealthy, Patrick could only see the aftermath of what had happened, but it was immediately apparent that the prospective future caregivers of the other classes had come over today. Therapy and medicine were basic enough concepts to grasp from this program, despite their lofty and almost miraculous goals, but this caregiving aspect was still something else entirely. Patrick had to know more about this entirely foreign concept. After spotting Eddy toddling off out back, Patrick wheeled himself to the back patio perched overlooking the rear lawn. He had grabbed a book from his backpack that he had snagged earlier to pose as a cover for his time out here, in case someone started asking questions, but Patrick also knew that in truth, he would likely be reading very little of its soft pages. Not that the history of portal travel wasn’t interesting to him, but the man hoisting Eddy onto his back for an obvious piggyback ride was definitely more thought provoking. ‘Are they having… fun? Together?’ The thought nagged at Patrick’s soul, but he had forgotten to take one thing into account. More regressed Littles don’t always have the best boundaries and reading can be super boring if there aren’t several pretty pictures. As a result, some of the other more progressed Littles just wanted to meet the ‘wheely man.’ Clearly, Eddy had talked about him to his friends. After a seemingly unending barrage of questions from a few of the others about his wheelchair, his legs, his favorite color, or favorite superhero finally ceased, only one Little remained. “I’m Matilda. You must be Patrick!” She practically bounced up and down in place when Patrick nodded his head. “Oh goody, goody, goody! Eddy was talking about you so much last night.” “Oh? I couldn’t tell from all the others just now.” Patrick grinned, but Matilda had just focused elsewhere and hadn’t paid attention to his last statement at all. Patrick looked more closely where she was looking and spotted the aforementioned Little now pointing at the sky with the man on the lawn. He suspected they were trying to guess what the clouds looked like. Snapping out of her trance, Matilda just looked back at Patrick. “Oh… yeah… Patrick just likes to brag about people he meets.” Matilda’s face then dropped a little. “He’s a bit more on the Little side around here so I thought I’d pester you for a bit myself.” She then sat down on one of the built-in benches nestled between two boxes with large bouquets of flowers growing out of them. Patrick nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that. You sure he’s more on the Little side compared to…” He then viewed the denim skirted Little before him, who also sported pink-bowed barrettes in her hair, and more importantly, the bulge around her waist. He didn’t want to offend her, so he had to choose his words carefully or more vaguely. “Uh, others around here? You know… like… uh…” Patrick sighed and then just semi gestured to her appearance to save time. Matilda quickly let out a little giggle and Patrick sighed again, but this time out of relief. “Oh, silly. We all go a little native around here, but what’s going on up here,” she gestured to one side of her head, “is far more important to consider. Sure, I’m dressed like a toddler, but I’m still mostly intact in the ol’ melon.” She then looked back at Eddy and the man playing with him. “Eddy… well, that man out there wanted a more regressed Little and Eddy didn’t mind the change one bit. He might have fought a tiny bit in the beginning, but now… take a look. He was just scared and now… he’s the happiest Little at Psyche.” Patrick looked back over at the two and Eddy was now laughing sporadically as his caregiver was tickling and horsing around with him. There was not a single ounce of sadness or anger in either of them. It was strange to see, but it was still nice. “Fine… but…” Matilda held her hand up to stop Patrick. “You have the same question we all had when we first agreed and came over here. Is it all worth it?” Patrick leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Well, is it?” Matilda sighed. “I won’t speak for everyone who has come through here, but it was for Eddy, and it was for me.” She then looked downward at her body and her knee quivered slightly. Patrick noticed. “Eddy said you were in a wheelchair as well, right?” Matilda quickly seemed saddened, and Patrick quickly regretted asking at all in the first place. “I’m sorry… you don’t have to…” “No,” Matilda interrupted gently. “It’s okay.” She then took a breath. “You see, I had Parkinsons… well, have, but it’s going away and back to its early stages. Stages I haven’t felt in over ten years.” She sighed and briefly massaged her knee that had now stopped twitching, but then almost seemingly absentmindedly moved her hands to her hips and briefly caressed them, eliciting a slight crinkling noise. She sighed. “There’s not a Little here that doesn’t leave in diapers, me included… but my Parkinsons was so bad. It had advanced as far as it could, and I was in pain. Everyday…” Matilda then paused and looked away for a moment. Patrick felt his own heart reach out to her. “I’m sorry to hear that and can understand what you’re saying a little bit… but what about all the other stuff? Isn’t it kind of like trading one life of problems for another? This one with more rules and less freedom? And diapers?” Matilda sighed but also smiled. “I suppose you could think of it that way. It’s one of the reasons that most who come here are terminal, but for better or worse, just remember this. By the time you and your group all get to where Eddy and I are… you won’t be asking that question anymore. You’ll just be happy that you’re alive and, in your case, walk again.” Patrick looked at the ground past his feet confined into the straps of his wheelchair and could still hear and see the laughter coming from Eddy and his caregiver playing on the lawn nearby. Suddenly though, Eddy stopped for a moment but after less than a minute, he just continued about as if nothing had happened. Patrick almost questioned the event but not long after, his caregiver performed a quick diaper check as if it was the most normal thing to do. He then realized that he had also previously just witnessed Eddy using his diaper like it was no big deal, so he just unsteadily turned his head back toward Matilda. “I just… it’s a lot to take in…” He shut his eyes as if to block out the world. Matilda smiled sympathetically and reached out and clasped Patrick’s hand. He quickly opened his eyes back up. “Patrick… it is a lot to take in. No one here is asking you to play peekaboo or drink from a bottle today.” She then smiled mischievously. “I mean if you want to… then definitely go for it… but no one is going to force you. The staff here are excellent but my biggest suggestion to you and everyone else in your group… just give in.” Patrick arched his eyebrows in disbelief and almost wanted to pull his hand back from hers. “Give in? Just like that?” Matilda smiled again and let out a tiny laugh. “No, silly. It’s never just like that but let them help and have some fun at the same time.” She briefly glanced at his ever-present wheelchair. “I know I don’t need to tell you by now that life is tough, so while you’re here, just have some fun… for your own sake if no one else’s. Don’t you deserve that by now?” Patrick slowly nodded, but it was still a lot to process and after a little more chit chat, Matilda happily bounded away to find some chalk. Part of Patrick wanted to follow her and work on an art project himself, but her notion of ‘just giving in’ still rattled about in his mind. Soon though, the day stretched onward, and after a small lunch and a few prescribed pills from this morning, Patrick wheeled himself back into group therapy. The session stretched on interminably and most of the group still seemed stuck in their ways from before. Cara and Quentin seemed a bit deeper into their own thoughts today, but to Patrick’s relief, Ian kept the conversation going to prevent being asked questions by Dr. Halgen. That being said, the group discussion grinded to a halt when Darren spoke up next. “I’d like to talk about, uh… diapers.” The simplicity and boldness of the statement threw everyone off, including Dr. Halgen, but being a professional, she just smiled. “Oh? And what would you like to discuss about them, Darren? Wanting to try them on perhaps?” Darren oddly blushed at the question, but then managed to utter, “No… I… uh…” He stammered about roughly for a minute, but after a little more coaxing from Dr. Halgen, he seemed to find his footing again. “I just want to talk about their… usage.” The group looked on for him to continue. “Right, well, this morning… I saw one of the Littles just use them like they were no big deal.” “I did too. Right before this…” Patrick commented, quickly remembering with what he had witnessed less than an hour ago with Eddy on the lawn. He didn’t even want to mention the diaper check that he had witnessed afterward… “Same…” Cara added quietly. “It’s the water. It’s poison I tell you,” Ian said without the slightest hint of a joke. “I hear there was a spillage not long ago in Losantiville out west.” “Nonsense, Ian,” Dr. Halgen interjected. Patrick was a little uneasy about how fast she had tried to deny that one. “We have found no proof of that. We just find that most Littles tend to stray that way and most of our caregivers don’t mind one bit.” “I’m sure they don’t…” Ian said under his breath. A quick look from Dr. Halgen, however, made him sink into his chair and cross his arms. He didn’t say another word. Patrick found the scene quite amusing as Ian seemed to be trying to maintain his maturity as much as possible with his stance and overall demeanor but only ended up looking like a frustrated preschooler who had been told ‘no’ when they had asked for another cookie. Despite Dr. Halgen’s acceptance of the question and its implications during the group session, it was only briefly discussed for a few moments longer. It seemed that all in the group had witnessed their usage with the more progressed Littles and were uneasy about them. When it was implied that diapers were in their own futures though, it practically became an unmentionable subject any further. Now, it might have been the meds that he was off, or the meds he had taken during lunch, or the simple fact that they had just been discussing bathroom habits, but Patrick swore he could feel a tingle, or at least a spasm, in his bladder when he got off the elevator on his floor after group had ended. He had been so ready and focused on relaxing in the quiet of his room away from the more advanced Littles in this program, but now he realized that regardless of whether he actually felt something or not, he had neglected to empty his bladder when he normally would have. Now, little else mattered. Patrick practically hurled himself down the hallway and was worried that he had shattered the placard outside his room to let him in when he thrust his wristband on it once he got to his door. He didn’t but he only felt relief for a single moment before he felt another tingle below his waist. It would have been something amazing to behold, but instead, it was just a reminder that the restroom had to be his priority. Patrick then got the door open, and he quickly wheeled himself into his bathroom. A shuffle about later and his supplies gathered, Patrick removed his pants to get ready for the catheter to relieve himself as usual. By then, however, it was too late. A flood of pee soon escaped beyond his control. He could now only sit there in horror. “No…” While the training pants had caught a few unfortunate but minor accidents since he had gotten here and first put them on, this one proved to be too much for the limited padding. The dark gray and blue piping around the seams soon darkened as the absorbency proved no match for the still-flowing accident. It might have even been fine under his present circumstances if it had just stopped there, but Patrick’s bladder had other ideas. Soon, his accident even began to leak onto his chair and quickly soaked into the padding underneath him. It was a complete failure on almost all fronts and Patrick could feel a single tear cascade down his cheek. “Oh God… what do I do?” After a moment of just sitting there in shock from not only the accident but the fact that he had felt anything, his emotions started to takeover. More tears began to fall and the weight of what this could mean for his future here eclipsed any other previous positive feelings he had about his day. That being said, after a moment of helplessness, he knew what he had to do, regardless of what it may cost him. So, with a heavy sigh, he quickly pushed the side buttons on his wristband twice as he had been instructed to do in situations like these. Less than three minutes later, he heard a knock from his door. “Patrick? Honey? You, okay?” It was Addy. Patrick blinked through the tears that still fell down his already moist cheeks. “No…” he said, his voice weak and slightly cracking. “Okay. I’m coming in then.” Patrick wanted to tell her to leave him alone and to just wallow in his shame, but he knew he needed help if he was ever going to sleep tonight. He was already feeling emotionally drained and physical exhaustion wasn’t too far off either. After a beep from outside, the front door to his room opened and Addy quickly spotted him in front of the toilet in his bathroom. “Okay… so what… oh…” Her face dropped in sadness. Patrick hung his head in shame as she rounded on to the other side of him and turned his wheelchair around. “I tried to make it… I… I even felt… something…” Patrick tried to say coherently. Addy’s previously sad eyes lit up in amazement. “You mean…?” Patrick tearfully nodded his head. “It… it was only a spasm, but… I needed to go… actually felt that feeling, but…” Patrick turned away and blinked back more tears. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. “But you had an accident?” Patrick sputtered incoherently but then nodded pitifully, still seated in his now wet wheelchair. Addy didn’t care about any of that though and quickly flung herself on her patient. “Oh, honey! That’s okay! It’s all going to be okay.” “No, it’s not!” Patrick sobbed as he broke down almost completely in her large and firm but warm arms. Other times, he would have protested the hug, but now… it just felt nice and safe. “Yes, it is, sweetie. Please believe me.” She broke the hug and looked deeply into Patrick’s ashamed and mournful eyes. “These things happen. You’re paralyzed. It’s no fun, but you don’t have a feeling there regardless of your age, perceived or otherwise. That’s why I gave you the training pants. They’re not punishment. They’re a precaution.” “And I flooded them!” Patrick then pointed to his exposed and soaked garment. “See? I’m in so much trouble!” Addy did see but only smiled warmly and patted his arm in sympathy. “And that’s okay. No one is mad, but certainly not me.” Patrick’s lower lip trembled precariously. “But…” “Hush now,” Addy interjected with a tone of force, once which seemed closer to that of nurturing than of domination, while also placing her finger on Patrick’s lips. Patrick was too shocked to dare remove the digit away. “There, that’s better. Now, we need to get you all cleaned up and I’m going to help you with that.” Her tone made it clear that she wanted to help but that this plan was not up for any kind of debate. Patrick whimpered slightly at the prospect of what all that could entail, but the Big’s presence in front of him in his exposed and wet state had left him very vulnerable, so he only meekly nodded. Addy smiled. “Good. Now, let’s get you out of those wet things, shall we?” Patrick once again nodded, and she then proceeded to lift him up and place him on the bench in his shower. After a round of shimmying and small lifts, Addy had stripped Patrick of all his clothing and then popped him into the shower. If his nudity bothered her one bit, she definitely wasn’t showing it. Satisfied she walked over to the door. “I’ll let you soak for a minute while I deal with these other things.” Patrick only nodded and leaned into the soothing water to try and forget about everything that was going on around him. Meanwhile, Addy went about her tasks for what she knew needed to be done. She removed his wheelchair from the bathroom and closed the door behind her to leave Patrick alone with his thoughts. She still had the ability to monitor his safety with her own view from one of the emergency cameras on her touchpad watch, but she knew that he needed time to absorb what had just happened. It was something that happened to most Littles at one point or another and her years of experience knew that pushing him now could be disastrous. Littles under strain either broke or lashed out. If she played her cards right, she knew that she would eventually only be viewed as a helpful figure instead of just a nurse and a terrifying Big. Once hidden from Patrick’s sight, she opened the door and had the awaiting tech help her exchange the back and seat cushion of his wheelchair. Only the seat had been soaked, but the new cushions that the tech was quickly installing were a single set. Unlike the previous black designs, these could be fitted with replaceable, and more importantly now, waterproof covers of different designs. For now, she opted for a simple design with golden knots and sailboats dotted over a dark blue background. Once satisfied, she wheeled the chair back in and let it stay in the hallway for now. She then went into the main part of his room and accessed a hidden panel in the wall. There were several items stored in there, all which Addy wanted desperately to use now, but didn’t, as she knew that she couldn’t push Patrick before he was more ready. Resolved in her desire to only help her charge out, she simply grabbed a new set of various training pants and put back the pairs that Patrick had currently been wearing. They were the exact same except in two ways; they were thicker and like the wheelchair cushions that had just been installed, had more juvenile designs on them. Smiling at the subtle cuteness that lay ahead of Patrick, she opted for one of the simpler pairs adorned with small penguins on them. Back in the shower, Patrick briefly wondered where Addy had gone off to but was still too shaken up by everything to really question anything beyond all the events that had just transpired. She was showing tremendous patience with him and like Nurse Patricia at Oasis Opportunities, she exhibited a sense of caring and tenderness that Patrick had quietly desired now for many years. He didn’t want to be a Little, but a personal connection of that level of kindness just felt nice after everything else that had happened since the accident. Amidst his thoughts, Addy then reentered the bathroom. “Hey there, honey. How’s the water feeling?” “Good… feels nice… I just…” Addy closed the gap between them and stroked his back. “Shhh, shhh. No need to worry. I’m here for you. I just want to help. Remember that, Patrick. I won’t judge and I can help you with anything, no matter how embarrassing it may be. I just want you to be safe and happy. Okay?” Patrick briefly worried about his nakedness in the shower in front of this Big as he sat on his chair, but he just nodded. At this point, he knew he needed to start making nice with at least some of the Bigs around here. Tonight, with Addy, seemed like a good place to start. “That’s good.” Addy then grabbed a nearby scrubbing ball and poured some of the shower gel into the center of it. She briefly rubbed it together and immense amounts of the pleasant-smelling foam began to escape its confines. “Now, just take some breaths and let me wash you all off.” Patrick wanted to tell her no, but his delay in responding to her request had clearly been taken as a ‘yes’ instead. Patrick would have just said it right after, but as soon as the sponge hit his upper back and began to gently rotate around with Addy’s strong arms under the still pouring water, his muscles quickly relaxed. So, instead, he just closed his eyes to take in the luxuriating feelings he was now enjoying. Addy didn’t see any rejection of her ministrations and smiled widely at this prospect. Many Littles came here for a cure and would have agreed to almost anything. While Psyche would do some background research to eliminate some from being candidates in the first place, some came in here and would simply reject all aspects of being a Little. They had ways of subtle manipulation to get the outcome they most desired, but Addy was quickly deducing that Patrick probably wouldn’t be one of those. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, he even seemed to be enjoying some aspects here. Regardless, after a thorough scrubbing of his whole body, Addy rinsed his hair and Patrick just closed his eyes to take it all in. His nakedness was still an embarrassment, but he had just pushed through the awkward moment when she had cleaned between his legs. She had been a professional through and through, but the situation was still something more than what Patrick would have chosen when he woke up this morning. Soon, Addy was satisfied and turned off the water before grabbing an enormous and fluffy light blue towel from behind her. Wet and naked, Patrick didn’t protest when she began to thoroughly pat him dry all over. She then wrapped the towel around his shoulders and retrieved his wheelchair from the hallway. Patrick immediately noticed the new cushion design, but his current predicament left him few options to protest, so he just rubbed the towel on his shoulders a bit more to distract himself. Addy then positioned herself between Patrick and the wheelchair. “Alright, buddy. I’m gonna lift you off the chair and hold you against me while I dry off your midsection to then pop you on the chair, okay?” Patrick just tiredly nodded and held out his arms. Addy nearly wanted to squeal from the sight before her of Patrick’s vulnerability and willingness in all this, but she collected herself once more and picked her charge up to dry him off. She did not want to mess any of this up now. Patrick reveled in the warmth emanating from her body heat and despite the helplessness he felt in that single moment, Addy’s caring nature was still readily apparent. He was starting to tell that she genuinely just wanted to help him and her tender patting of his lower half while she held him close only seemed to further exemplify this. Satisfied that he was mostly dry, Addy then set him back on the now waterproof cover of his wheelchair. Like her current bird-themed scrub top, the material allowed water to simply wick away from it while still maintaining its breathability and wonderous soft texture. Sitting nearly completely naked in his newly modified wheelchair, except for the towel that he was now using to cover himself up with, Patrick could feel the new cushion and its immense comfort. Despite the design imprinted on it now and his hesitancy for what it could mean for his future, he almost felt like he could just let it go that Addy had changed it without asking him. It was still something that rubbed him the wrong way, but with this new feeling he was getting from it, it was just passable in all this mess for now. Addy then wheeled him into the main part of his room and helped him get dressed. Patrick once again noticed the new patterns of the training pants as she slid them up his currently practically useless legs, but in this case, he just thanked his lucky stars that they weren’t pull-ups or diapers. Once in his new pajamas, also adorned with a few penguins, Addy tucked Patrick in and turned to leave. “I know tonight was a lot, but I promise, just stick with the program and everything will be okay by the end.” Patrick wasn’t sure what to say or even think about in this moment, but he knew that he could at least show his gratitude toward his kindly and caring nurse. “Thank you, Addy. It means a lot with all… this.” Addy just warmly smiled. “You’re very welcome, honey.” She then placed her hand on one of the light switches near the room’s tiny hallway. “Now, get some sleep. You’ve got a lot ahead of you and you need your rest.” Patrick nodded and he felt that Addy wanted to say more, but after taking a breath, he saw her smile once more and flick off the light before exiting the room. Once the entry door closed fully, the last external light went out and a tiny blue light turned on near the flooring. It was strictly for safety purposes, but Patrick couldn’t help but notice the similarities that it had with a child’s nightlight. ‘Typical…’ Shaking the safety nightlight out of his head, Patrick just tried to get comfortable in his bed. Addy had handled everything like the caring professional he was finding her to be, but it all still worried him. He had been here for less than a week and already had an accident and at least from the look of them, he was now wearing a thicker pair of training pants. They weren’t diapers, but their new addition along with his wheelchair cushions and pajamas sent a chill of what could only be described as fear running up his back. He wondered what his parents would say about all this, but the notion felt too depressing and pointless at this juncture to even contemplate further. From past thought experiments of ‘what if’ scenarios, he knew it never led to anything good. With a heavy sigh and with a creeping exhaustion, Patrick got comfortable in his bed and only hoped for a better tomorrow and then the next few months. Whatever would come though, and no matter how hard he wished, Patrick had a gnawing suspicion that things were only about to get harder. After all, he hadn’t even met a single candidate for who would one day become his… caregiver. ‘Shit.’

My wife and I are replacing the shingles on a one story addition on the house we live in. It has been leaking so we really needed to get it done. We bought a range hood to install in the kitchen which we wanted to vent through the roof so having the roof stripped to the wood decking was the perfect time. We started on Friday morning stripping all the asphalt shingles and the tar paper. It's been so hot out here on the prairie that we start early in the morning when the west facing roof is in the shade. We stop at about 11 or 11:30 when there is not an inch of shade on the roof. Then we go back to work around 5 when the sun is less intense and work until sunset. We put all the exhaust pipe in for the hood on Saturday. It's been so hot we are constantly drinking water but we hardly pee because we are both sweating so much. We would laugh at our diapers because the padding is hardly discolored but they were destroyed with all the Fluff broken away from the backsheet and in huge clumps. We both wear Betterdrys and we would waste a lot of wipes trying to get all the sap cleaned off ourselves. Today (Sunday) we got all the the new tar paper and my wife's grandfather came by to help out with some of the singling. He didn't want to stop when we usually do so we were out longer. I had gone down below in the yard to pick up some more shingles when my wife waved to me. She laughed when she had my attention and shrew something white at me. It was a little clump of Fluff and sap from my diaper lol. I guess it was falling out of my shorts and I was leaving a trail. I don't thing her grandfather noticed but I went right in and changed. Hugs, Freta

@babykeiffLOL I have plastic pants but on a roof with just black tar paper in the blazing sun I didn't want to risk spontaneous combustion by adding another layer of non breathable plastic. Hugs, Freta

Chapter 25: Sanctuary Parum Mortis – LittleFallenPrincess As we walked through the dingy corridor into what I could only describe as an old dump… I couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work that would need doing to this place to turn it into… well… anything. Nevermind whatever crazy idea my girlfriend has for this place. We took a few steps into the large, open room that looked a bit like it was a foyer for when this used to be a hotel. There was a large counter running along the side of the room, and a massive open floor, with some ruined sofas and large elaborate chandeliers that looked fake. “Okay… so you inherited a pile of trash. Well I don’t feel envious anymore…” Beatrice laughed as she looked around the enormous hall. “I… didn’t want to say anything…” Lucy muttered, nervously, as she took her protective blanket off her shoulders and dropped it on the floor nearby, before realising her mistake and picking it up off the disgusting floor. Beth then looked at me for what I could only assume was affirmation… for reassurance that maybe whatever she had planned for this place was a thing we could pull off. Problem was… I didn’t want to lie to her. So I shrugged my shoulders awkwardly. “Not you too! Oh come guys! Can’t you see the potential?” She said, trying to raise our spirits in that cheery way she does. “What potential? Unless you want somewhere to hide bodies… which I will totally help you do, by the way…” Bea joked. “What… what did you have planned for this place?” I asked. “Right… imagine this…” Beth was winding up to her big reveal, trying to get us excited with a bit of over-the-top arm motion. “We open this as… a nightclub!” “A nightclub? Seriously, sis? We don’t know the first thing about running a nightclub.” Bea rolled her eyes at her sister. “AH! But it won’t just be a nightclub!” “Eh? I don’t follow…” “It’ll also be a hotel!” “You’re not selling this idea to me, sorry Sis. Because again… we lack the experience of running a hotel too. Great… TWO things we have no idea how to run merged into one thing… that possibly couldn’t go wrong…” The sarcasm coming from Bea’s lips could have made even the Devil shiver. “But really…” Beth continued. “If you say it’s a third thing, I’m going to throw my shoe at you…” “It’s a sanctuary.” “A… wait… what?” Beatrice was in the middle of taking her shoe off, before putting it back on and looking up… genuinely shocked and baffled by this last reveal. “What do you mean by sanctuary?” Lucy asked. “Right… so Lucy… you’re being hunted…” Beth said, still trying to sell us on this idea. “Thanks for reminding me, but yes, go on…” “Imagine you had a place to go to be safe. A place always there for you if you ever needed it. Whether to socialise with non-humans, to hide out from unwanted attention from hunters or whatever, or…” Beth trailed off. “Or what?” “Or… you wanted to be yourself.” “What do you mean?” “I know this sounds silly. I’m shoving a lot of ideas together, but at least hear me out. I want a safe place for all non-humans… and maybe some humans who are allies… to come to. A place where they won’t be judged. Where they will be safe.” “So you want a hotel… nightclub… sanctuary thing?” “I initially thought maybe we’d make it a safe place for the little ones to gather.” “OH… so you want it to be a kink club too? Because that’s not a convoluted mash up of things.” Bea looked down at her shoes again. “Shush! Right… So this room we’re in here? Nightclub. Non-humans can come here, have a drink, dance, socialise, whatever. Every night, this place is here for them. Think about it Bea… do we have any clubs specifically for our kind?” “There’s the vamp club…” “Which doesn’t let anyone who isn’t a vampire in… same with the Witches’ Brew, that only allows us Witches in. We all have our own clubs… but they’re exclusively for our own kind. Now imagine we allowed everyone in. Vamps, Witches, werewolves… everyone included.” “I guess people would enjoy that…” “Now imagine someone like Lucy here… on the run from a hunter…” Lucy looked down at her feet, awkwardly. “Yeah?” Bea asked, confused still. “Imagine she had a place to hide out. Think about it… the amount of us non-humans who have been discovered and kicked out of our houses. The amount of us who have been driven from our homes. All those who need a place to crash or a place to get back on their feet or to process their new existence if they were recently turned.” “So that’s the hotel part?” “Yes! We give people a place to stay. It’s only temporary, but we don’t charge them anything.” “Won’t people abuse that?” “So? What system isn’t abused? Plus it’s better than making it so those who need help can’t get it.” Beth made a good point. “Yeah… I agree. Okay then, so nightclub for the majority of our ‘customers’, hotel turned into mini apartments for people to move into if they need it, for whatever reason.” “Yeah. We let them stay as long as they need, but at the same time… we help them.” “Help them?” Bea was taking it all in, as were we all, but this plan seemed… ambitious. We all wore a confused face as Beth tried explaining her idea as best she could. “With whatever it is that’s caused them to run and hide. Whether it’s a hunter, housing, jobs, family, whatever. We support them.” “That’s a lot of work… are you sure you’re up to it?” “That’s why we get help. We have friends. We have support. I’ve spoken to some to help fix up this place and they were eager to help, I’m sure some of them would love the chance to help others like us.” “You were always a goody two shoes…” Bea smirked. “But so far… Yes, I like this idea, despite it being a lot of work. But I have to ask… what else do you have planned for this place? You said something about the little ones…” “Ah… yes. So this is where I kinda wanted a bit more of a personal request…” “Go on…” “I was thinking… Maybe this could be the place we all gather. All of us in the community. I guess the whole kink community as a whole too. Anyone non-human… and allies, can come and not be judged. There are plenty of big event rooms in the back and upstairs that we could use for stuff like that.” “So you want a dungeon?” “I guess so? I’m not super into the BDSM side, but yeah, we could have a dungeon for that part, we could have a big playroom with changing tables and a playpen and everything for the little ones, and we could hold events here, instead of just munches. I mean… munches too… I like how casual they are, but we could have everything here. A sanctuary for all I guess. Though we’d keep the existence of the kink rooms known only to those in the community as to not scare off any vanilla non-humans.” “Anything else? A sauna? A circus perhaps? An evil lair? Anything else you want adding to this dreamhouse you’ve imagined?” Bea rolled her eyes again. I swear at this point her eyes were going to unscrew themselves and fall out with the amount of eye rolling she was throwing at her sister. “No, that’s it. I think. Seriously though, tell me it doesn’t interest you.” “Fine, you’re right… It definitely sounds nice. But like I said, we have no experience running anything.” “So we ask for help!” “Is that why you want to ask my friend for help?” Bea raised her eyebrow in suspicion. “Oh no… I want spellwork from her, remember?” “For what exactly…?” “Umm…” Beth was suddenly quiet. Which after the sales pitch she just performed… was a bit worrying. “OH OF COURSE!” Beatrice yelled out, making it echo through the whole hallway. “Huh?” I asked, after being awkwardly quiet whilst the two of them discussed this whole thing. Honestly… I felt a bit left out, I hadn’t even had my opinion asked for. “She’s doing this for you. And for Lucy now I guess.” Bea explained. “For me? But we’re still not sure if I’m gonna get into this baby stuff…” I shrugged. “Not the baby room, silly. Not even the nightclub.” I shrugged my shoulders yet again. Was it the hotel? Was she offering me a job or something? “The Sanctuary. It’s for you.” Bea said, making Beth blush slightly. “Huh?” “She wants warding put everywhere, don’t you?” Bea turned and asked her sister. Beth nodded awkwardly and smiled at me. “Warding? Sanctuary? Can one of you explain, please? In dumb human terms?” I asked, still confused by everything. “She wants to protect you from Death.” “But… we banished them, right?” “Death won’t stop coming for you. They’ll return eventually, back at full strength.” “But…” “So she wants to create a safe place for you to live. You want to move out of your house and into here, don’t you, sis?” “...Yeah.” Beth replied. “So you want us to move into this… shithole?” I asked. “Once we’ve got it looking somewhat more like a normal building, yes. We can have some serious warding that will keep even Death out. My stuff will only hold them back for a time, but Luci… she can keep her out permanently. At least I’m hoping so. I need to keep you safe.” “But that just sounds like this would become my prison…” “Oh baby, no! I would never do that to you. This would just be a safe place for you to stay. You could still go out, though we’d have to be careful.” “We could always anchor her here… You know… a home spell.” Bea suggested. “You mean a safety harness spell? Do you think… that would work?” Beth replied. “And for those of us not magically inclined…?” Lucy asked. “If you’re ever in danger, all you’d have to do is think of home… and you’d be transported back here.” Bea explained. “Oh like the red shoes and Dorothy!” I called out, excited that I could actually reference something. “Yeah, sort of! But you wouldn’t need any shoes, you’d just wish to be home and you’d appear here.” “But then I have to ask why you two don’t have that spell on you, it’d make getting places a lot easier and quicker, especially if you don’t need reagents.” “Oh you do need reagents, but you only need to refresh the spell once you’ve used it and then it’ll always be ready for you again. Means you can’t use it twice in a row without recharging, but it’ll be good in an emergency situation. The reagents are even harder to get than basic portal ones, hence why we don’t anchor ourselves to our homes.” “Is it safe then?” I asked. “Oh yes. A lot of vampires centuries ago, ones with a lot of power and resources, would get Witches to cast it on them so they could hunt until the break of dawn, then quickly teleport back into the safety of their castle just as the sun came up.” “It does sound useful… not that I hunt, but still…” Lucy said, smiling and shrugging at me. “Fine. As long as I can go out whenever I want, you can cast this anchor spell thingy on me. As for this being our new home… Where exactly are we going to stay? In one of the hotel rooms?” “In the penthouse, of course. We’ll have the entire top floor. Big enough for a nursery for you, a whole apartment for us, and the privacy we need by only being accessible by us.” Beth answered. “N… nursery…?” I blushed. “I mean… if you want one, of course. Though this time we’d make it to your specifications. The one back at home is one I always pictured, but I would rather have one that was made to make you feel comfortable and babyish.” “I… we’ll see. Maybe.” Beatrice looked at Beth and gave her some weird excited face, before quickly returning to her serious expression. “So… let’s say we do this. We make this our ‘sanctuary’. For non-humans, for babies and kinksters, and especially for you three.” Beatrice said, pointing at all three of us in front of her. “Where do we start? You said you got in touch with some people to help?” “It was a bit last minute, as it was only this morning that we got attacked, but they quickly heard about it and were eager to start helping… so they should be here very… very soon.” Beth replied. “Gossip does travel fast. I better get in touch with Luci then… so I’ll be back in a bit. You three… get started, I guess?” Beatrice said, shrugging, before walking off back out of the building, leaving the three of us standing in the middle of what would eventually be a freaking nightclub! That we own and will run! “So I… I can live here for a bit?” Lucy asked, nervously. “Until we throw the hunter off the scent, and you’re safe again. We’ll even help you find a new place.” Beth smiled at her, in that reassuring way that she does best. “I appreciate that… but what about Susie?” “What about her?” “Is she okay with your ‘save the world’ plan? Because like Beatrice said… you’re going to be busy running a nightclub, a hotel, a sanctuary, and also helping out those in need…” “I… well I was hoping to get some to help with the running of the nightclub, and probably the sanctuary. I could always help those in my spare time, it’s not like I need a job as a Witch…” “I’ll help…” I spoke up, awkwardly looking down at my shoes. Though it was more of a whisper rather than me actually speaking up. “Sorry, baby? What was that?” Beth asked, turning to me. “I want to help.” “Help with what, precious?” “I want to help. With the people. With those in need. Those who need help and guidance and whatever.” Beth’s face lit up at the prospect that I’d do this with her. “Are you sure, baby? It’s a lot…” “I don’t care. I know how scary it was for me. And it’s not like I have a job anymore, I’m legally declared dead after all. So I’m going to have a lot of spare time. So when we’ve got this whole thing up and running… I want to help people… with you.” “I’d love that. We can help people, together.” Beth smiled at me. You know that smile? The smile you see that makes your heart beat faster? The smile that makes you feel like your whole existence is on the same wavelength as them? The smile that makes you feel… alive? Well seeing that smile of hers… I swear I felt my heart beat for the first time in weeks. ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Thank you to all my patrons for their support! Don't forget, the remaining chapters are available on my Patreon which can be found here if you go for the second tier. New chapters of Parum Mortis every Wednesday/Sunday! Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

"Are you in here, honey?" I called as I opened the door to our hotel room. I had a fight with my new bride a couple hours ago while we were supposed to be enjoying the beach. She said she needed some time to herself in order to cool off, and left me alone on the beach. After that, I realized I had been acting like an ass, and so I sat on the beach for a couple hours trying to give her the space she said she needed. I was hoping she would be in here, but from the empty room it seemed like she was still out cooling off. So, I sat on the patio of our hotel room, watching the waves come in and out, and waited for her to return. Half an hour later, I heard the electronic clicking of the hotel room door unlocking and opening, so I headed back inside. My wife had evidently used shopping as her method for calming down, because her arms were laden with several big sacks laden with items. "I'm sorry dear," I said. "I've been acting like an ass this entire time. I was upset that they switched our room from a king size to two double beds, and then forgetting to put our order in at breakfast this morning, and all of that has been stressing me out because I just want us to have a good time. But I have been taking my frustration out on you and I am sorry for doing that." "Well thank you baby. I really appreciate that apology." My newly wedded wife said in her normal sing-song tone, rather than the angered tone of voice she used whenever she was mad. "I know you just want us to have a good time. Yes, the double beds sucked, but I think they are actually going to work out for us." "Oh, why is that," I asked surprised. She was so upset when the concierge told us that she had been ready to book another resort. "Well, I realized that this is my fault. I've been letting you pretend to be the big strong man in control at our wedding, and now on the honeymoon, but all that responsibility has been frustrating you. So now you're at your limit and starting to throw temper tantrums. I never should have let you be anything other than my little diaper boy," she said. Then, she opened one of her shopping bags and pulled out a large package of adult diapers. This was followed by diaper rash cream, baby powder, baby wipes, a couple jars of baby food, suppositories, and two baby bottles. "So, here is what is going to happen. I am going to spank you for throwing temper tantrums. Then, you are going into a diaper, and then your face is going into a corner to think about what you've done. After that, I am going to feed you this baby food for lunch. Then we can continue on with the rest of our honeymoon. Understood?" She asked. I stared at her, a bit in shock. My wife had never been against my abdl fetishes, but she had also never been the instigator of anything. Let alone giving me a punishment for my behavior outside of a roleplay scene. Apparently though I was silent for too long, because she walked over to me and started pinching my ear. Pulling me down to look her in the face, she asked again, "is that clear little diaper boy?" "Yes mommy," I responded. "Good. Arms up, legs apart then so I can get those clothes off you." My wife ordered. I adopted a pose similar to the one you have to make when going through the TSA security screening. My wife then stripped me naked in a business-like, efficient manner. Then, before I could react she took me by the arm and had me pinned against her lap on the bed. Her hairbrush then began delivering sharp, stinging swats up and down my legs, but most were focused on my bare ass. Soon I was squirming and twisting across my wife's lap, trying to avoid as many direct hits as I could. I have no idea how long the spanking actually lasted, or how many hits I took. I was exhausted though when my wife was finally finished. I tried to get off her lap when no blows had landed for a minute, but she held me tight, saying "what do you say little baby?" "Thank you for my spanking mommy," I said, wanting to get up and rub my stinging cheeks. "You're welcome baby," my wife said. She released me from her lap, but I didn't have long to soothe my stinging cheeks. It only took a minute for her to pull a diaper out of the package and have it spread out on the bed. After that, I was laying down on top of the diaper, holding my legs up in the air while diaper rash cream was spread all over my bum and my crotch was liberally coated with baby powder. I also felt a finger penetrate my sphincter as a suppository was none too gently inserted inside of me. Once my mommy/wife felt that I was properly prepared, the diaper was taped tightly around me. The thick padding rubbed and touched every inch of my red and sore bottom, adding to the discomfort of the spanking. Washing her hands clean of powder and cream, my wife took me out onto the patio of our hotel room. It was secluded enough that no one was likely to see me in nothing but a diaper, but the prospect still existed making me feel uncomfortable. Mommy took a coin out from her purse, and put it on the wall at waist height. She held it there with her finger, until I got down to hold it with my nose. The coin was at an awkward height. It was too high for me to hold it against the wall while on my knees. This meant I had to hold an awkward, hunched squat to keep the coin against the wall. Once my nose was securely holding the coin against the wall, mommy took the shirt that I had been wearing, and covered my eyes with it. My hands were then tied behind my back with the rope we had brought to have some kinky sex on our honeymoon. Until now, it had remained in the suitcase. "Alright honey," My wife said. "I am going to go get some lunch. You are going to keep that coin against the wall until I return, unless you want a maintenance spanking every morning and evening. Is that understood?" "Yesss Mommmmmy," I said, strained from worrying about losing the coin. Without another word, I heard the sliding glass door close and lock behind me, leaving me to endure my punishment alone. I had no concept of time, as I squatted there, concentrating on holding the coin to the wall. After what I would guess was around five minutes, I started feeling the strain of my position on my legs. After five more minutes, I felt the rumbling of the suppository, working within my bowels. After another five minutes, my bowels were ready to release. I tried holding it, but already in a squat and overwhelmed with the fatigue in my legs and effort of keeping the coin on the wall, I only made a feeble attempt. Soon the hot, soft mush was erupting out of my bowels and into the seat of my potty pants. My ass was tender from my spanking, so I could feel the gross mush as it spread around my diaper. The contact against my bruising bottom also made the welts sting more. At this point, my emotions overcame me, and I began crying like the baby I was. I was so overwhelmed the only thing I could think to do was keep my face pressed against the wall, holding the coin up while tears streamed into my blindfold and I sobbed uncontrollably. That's how my mommy found me. I had been crying like that for what felt like a while when she found me. Without saying anything, she gently pulled me away from the wall, and onto my butt, spreading the mush all around my tush as I put pressure on my diaper. This truly spread it everywhere. I felt dirty, gross, embarrassed, tired, and in pain, and my crying intensified. I imagine I truly looked like a toddler. My wife/mommy pulled a chair up next to me, and tenderly cradled me against her legs, gently patting my back and telling me to let it all out. We stayed like that for a while, until I had calmed down. "Are you ready for your lunch now baby?" My wife asked me. "Yes, mmmommy," I said, still sniffling a little. I heard two pops as she opened the cans of baby food she had purchased with my diapers. Still blind folded, I was unable to see what mommy was feeding me. When I felt a spoon press against my lips though, I obediently opened my mouth for her to shovel a spoonful of baby food into me. I tried to swallow it as quickly as possible to avoid tasting it, but thankfully, Mommy was taking mercy on me in this portion of my punishment. She was feeding me peaches, and a berry puree. I swallowed all the baby food, and drank a baby bottle of water, but after wetting my diaper Infound I was still hungry. My stomach even rumbled. At this, mommy said, "awe, my little man's cry must have taken a lot out of energy for him to be this hungry. Would you like some more lunch diaper boy?" "Yes mommy," I said meekly, humbled by my punishment and current state. "Open wide baby," Mommy said before feeding me a waffle fry. She must have brought them back from her lunch, because she had a lot of them to feed me. After the fries, and a second baby bottle of water, I was stuffed. Embarrassingly, some gentle patting from my mommy against my back even forced a burp out of me. She then untied my arms and removed my blindfold, but didn't let me get up off the ground just yet. "Ok baby, before we get you showered, we need to go over the ground rules for the rest of our trip." Mommy said. "I am not going to order you into diapers. You have to ask for them yourself. These diapers are only coming back home with us one way, and that is wrapped around your waist. So unless you want to be waddling around the airport in a diaper so thick your pants won't fit around, you are going to have to ask me to put you in one any time we are not at the beach. Also, we are not wasting any of these diapers. That means you are not going to get to take a diaper off unless it has been pooped and peed in. The rest of the suppositories are to help you with this. If you think that going to the beach means you will get changed out of a diaper that's only been peed in, think twice. Once your trunks are ready to come off I will tape the wet diaper right back on you. So think carefully about when you want a diaper, when you want a suppository, and how many liquids you are consuming. Is all of that understood?" "Yeth mommy," I replied, mortified at the thought of how much I would be forcing myself to pee and poop my diapers in order to get through them all, and avoid having any used ones taped back on me. With that, Mommy eased me up off the ground and led me to the shower to get me cleaned up. I knew I would be asking my mommy to put me in a fresh diaper as soon as I dried off.

Burning Man for 4 days in just a diaper and t-shirt. Went camping at a BLM nude camping area outside Quartzsite AZ https://clothesfree.com/blog/f/today-we-are-at-the-largest-clothing-optional-area-on-blm-land got up in the morning and had breakfast in just my wet diaper then changed into a dry diaper and kilt and went into town. Came back to camp and spent the rest of the day nude and put on a diaper for the evening.

? Hello~ I'm Popokin, you can simply call me Popo, I'm an ABDL myself and a professional artist focusing on Diaper, wetting, and ageplay story. I'm going to share some of my art, and comic page. I have 2 comics so far, ? Nappy Boarding House Chisa, a 21 years old mangaka (comic artist) who one day became incontinence due to heavy work, rent a room in a mysterious boarding house that offers free rental cost and food in exchange of you becoming the landlady's baby ? The Princess is a Baby An adult girl from a wealthy family is forced into diapers and act like a baby by two alien entities disguised as her parents who wants to raise the girl as their own offspring If you're willing to support me, for a weekly page, my Patreon is https://www.patreon.com/Omocomic Or read for free to give it a try at www.Deruupanda.art

I really could not stop laughing. 😆 the song that popped into my mind while i followed the trail of fluff (trying to pick it up before my grandpa saw) was little bunny foofoo. I dont even know why that song... Which just made me laugh even more. Diaper fluff....just leaving a trail everywhere she roams.

Thank you for all of the comments and feedback. Delighted to hear that you're all enjoying the story. For those interested in getting ahead of the story and supporting my writing, Chapter 12 is now live on my Patreon with Chapter 13 due to be posted today. Thanks

If you enjoy my writing then please consider subscribing to my Patreon to read Chapter 26 with Chapter 27 due to be posted shortly. You will get access to early releases of all of my stories, exclusive stories and posts and it will help me continue to keep writing. I really appreciate your support. Thank you www.patreon.com/BacktoBabyhood Chapter 25 Just as he was about to swing the gate open and make his escape inside, he heard Audrey's voice piercing through the air, calling for him and Karim. "Will, Karim, à l'intérieur maintenant!" Given the situation, hearing his name being called by Audrey was the worst possible sound. She was stood about 100 metres away and seemingly unaware of Will's accident, as she called him and Karim inside. He exchanged a quick glance with Karim, their unspoken understanding clear – they were being summoned for a reason they both knew too well. Will's heart sank, the brief escape back to normality shattered as he followed Karim back inside, with the wet pants only making the situation more desperate and embarrassing for the young boy. Audrey had already made her way upstairs to wait for the boys. The walk back up the stairs felt heavy, a weight of apprehension settling in his chest. His shorts occasionally dripping on to the wooden stairs beneath him. With a sheepish glance at Karim, Will headed to his bedroom, the same room where he had faced the fate of being changed several times by now but this felt different. It was only 7pm and he had just wet himself in the daytime like a toddler who couldn't control himself. He lamented himself as there was no-one else to blame this time. The only person he could blame was himself. He was so engrossed in the tennis that he had totally ignored his need to pee. Walking into the room, Audrey's eyes moved from Will's face to his shorts before she gave a disapproving shake of her head. Will's face flushed a vivid red, and he cast his gaze downward, overwhelmed with embarrassment. She put a towel on the floor and directed him to stand over it, in an attempt to avoid him ruining the carpet in Karim's room with the continuous flow of urine dripping from his accident. He stood timidly by the side of Karim's bed, watching as Audrey changed her son into a nappy. Will was confused why Karim was being changed into a nappy so early tonight. Audrey normally changed them much later. The air was filled with the warm, comforting scent of baby powder and clean linen. Will glanced over at Karim, whose eyes twinkled with a carefree innocence that seemed unaffected by the world around him, in contrast to the panic that engulfed Will at this particular point in time. Audrey's hands moved with the practiced grace of years, buttoning up Karim's shirt and tying his shoelaces into neat little bows. It was as if time had decided to hold its breath, allowing Audrey these tender moments with her son, who appeared entirely content to let his mother take charge. Despite it not being the first time that he had watched Karim get changed by his Mum, he found the whole situation strange. At his age, most kids would have insisted on dressing themselves, asserting their independence with all the fervor of youthful rebellion. But not Karim. He seemed to find comfort in these simple routines, as if the act of being cared for was a love language spoken quietly between him and his mother. As Audrey smoothed down the collar of Karim's shirt and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead, Will couldn't help but wonder what lay behind this intimate ritual. Was it a symbol of unspoken bonds, a nurturing spirit, or simply a habit that neither had outgrown? Will certainly didn't want to be treated like a baby in the way that Karim seemed to like. He was old enough to dress himself even if he had now accepted that any nappy changes would be handled by Audrey. For the first time, part of him was desperate to climb onto the changing table so that he could be cleaned up. While he didn't necessarily want to be put in a nappy, this latest accident had reminded him of the value of wearing protection. His shook his head as he reasoned with his own thoughts. He couldn't believe that he had fallen so far that he was starting to want to be put into a nappy. What had happened to him? Audrey turned her attention to Will. "À ton tour," she said softly. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions—comfort at her maternal care, yet a touch of embarrassment as his wet "big boy" clothes were pulled down and exchanged for a nappy after Audrey had completed the clean-up operation using an abundance of wet wipes. As Audrey skillfully fastened the nappy around him, Will's eyes drifted to the pair of Karim’s "big boy" underwear neatly folded on the bedside table. A sigh escaped his lips at the thought of his short-lived independence. It was as if the underwear were a symbol of a freedom temporarily relinquished, a reminder of what could have been but wasn't—at least for now. While contemplating this, he noticed that Audrey had already laid out his clothes for the evening—smart attire, with a crisp button-down shirt and chino style trousers. They must have been Guillaume's as he didn't recognise them. He couldn't believe that she had picked out clothes for him. She was now treating like Karim. It was if she thought he was not grown up enough to choose what he wore. Audrey couldn’t have known about his accident when she came outside and even if she did, it did not explain why Karim had been put into a nappy earlier. As he looked closer at the outfit and then over at Karim, he started to put the pieces of the jigsaw together. They must be going out somewhere which is why he and Karim had been put into their nappies early. Audrey clearly didn't want to risk either of them having an accident in public again. Having finished changing him into a nappy, Audrey picked Will up by the shoulders and turned him around so that he was now sitting over the front of the changing table, his legs dangling over the edge as they didn't touch the floor. She picked up a pair of smart chino trousers next to Will. "Lève tes pieds," she instructed. As he complied, she slid the trousers over the nappy, pulling them up to his waist, after briefing lifting his bottom so that she can secure them around his waist. Will felt the fabric strain around his crotch, the material taut over the bulk of the nappy. The trousers fit, but barely, and the nappy was unmistakably outlined against the fabric. Next, she picked up a crisp white shirt and signalled for Will to put his arms in the air. She then pulled his arms through the holes and began buttoning it up. The shirt felt somewhat soft against his skin, and loosely fit around his chest, in contrast to the uncomfortable tightness below. "Reste assis un moment," she said, reaching for a pair of socks. Will again complied, feeling like a life-sized doll as Audrey put the socks on his feet. "Debout," she ordered. Will obliged, standing there in a state of abject vulnerability. Audrey took a leather belt and cinched it around his waist, tightening his trousers and making the bulge in his crotch even more visible. The final touch took Will by surprise—a bow tie, which Audrey deftly fastened around his collar. With the bow tie fastened neatly around his collar, Will presented a captivating blend of contrasts. The bow tie lent him an air of old-world sophistication, as if he were a miniature adult attending a formal soiree. Yet, juxtaposed against his youthful features and the undeniable bulk of his nappy peeking through his trousers, the bow tie also accentuated his childlike qualities, making him look like a large but cute overdressed toddler. It was as though the bow tie was a sartorial bridge between two worlds, straddling the line between childhood innocence and adult refinement. In this moment, Will managed to embody both—looking simultaneously like a dapper gentleman and a cherubic toddler, leaving anyone who caught a glimpse of him charmed and a little perplexed by the delightful paradox he presented. As he looked down to inspect his attire further, something else caught his eye. The trousers had poppers in the crotch area, a feature clearly designed to facilitate changing his nappy more easily. He felt like a toddler, utterly infantilised. "Viens," Audrey directed, her voice gentle but authoritative. She led him towards the stairs, with Will following close behind like a puppy behind its owner. Though Will couldn't thwart the initial release, he had mustered enough control to partially halt the resulting stream of urine. This partial victory showed that he still possessed some mastery over his bladder functions, a slight silver lining in an otherwise terrible situation. However, the drawback of this small victory was that he hadn't completely emptied his bladder, and the nagging need to relieve himself had come roaring back, making it abundantly clear that he'd soon have no choice but to wet the diaper he was wearing. He had no idea where they were going, but already, a sense of dread was settling in, punctuated by the increasingly uncomfortable sensation in his lower abdomen. Stepping out the door and making his way to the car, Will was struck with the realization that he had a big problem. His bladder wasn't the only thing demanding relief. A sudden stomach cramp indicated a mounting pressure in his bowels. Given that his faith in his ability to control his bodily functions had already been shaken, he couldn't help but worry that he might end up with more than just a wet diaper before the night was through.

Apologies for the delay, life has gotten me sidetracked. Good ways but it has been distracting. Anyway heres what you guys want.... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Ch. 18 To be or not to be or what's love got to do with it? The Gersons were obviously not happy about Joshua not being there when the door opened. It was written on their faces. Both in a set of fancy clothes themselves. "Would you like to come in? It's hot outside, and dinner is almost ready." Tina kept her voice flat. Better to just appear unamused than angry, she thought. Stepping inside, Mr. Gerson sighed, "I'm quite certain we will get to the bottom of this, dear. He has always been smart and we can definitely save him if he truly wants to be saved." "You didn't see him, he was distraught." This fight seemed to have been an all afternoon thing that hadn't ended when they got to the Vacation home. "He sat there with his head in his hands." "Yes but you said he was in nothing but a diaper. How in the world would it not be embarrassing for him. Now please be nice. We have a lot of power here if what you think is true actually happens to be the case." Mr. Gerson appeared to be a voice of reason. There may be hope yet, thought Tina. "I guess we shall see." She did not sound like she was dropping it, more of biding her time. Tina closed the door behind them, "I know you'll be anxious to see him again. I also know he is anxious to see you. Gary, my associate, went to bring him downstairs. While we wait, would you like some appetizers? A drink? I have wine, fresh pineapple juice, and some cold tea. "I'll stick with water, easier to taste anything in it." Mrs. Gerson spat out. "I'd prefer you have the wine, might actually settle you down a bit." Mr. Gerson laughed. The glare he received in return let everyone know it wasn't an appreciated comment. However, he never seemed to notice it. "I would love some wine, but would you throw a splash of pineapple juice in it?" "That doesn't sound half bad." Gary remarked entering into the kitchen with a laughing football of a little under his arm. "I'll have one too." Holding Joshua to eye level. "I should probably put you down, you're supposed to be a big boy tonight." Joshua seemed happy to Tina's eyes, that oaf had been able to pull it off again. Gary was one surprise after another. Seeing him with her little man had made her smile in spite of herself. She had to admit it was even a little endearing. He settled Joshua on the floor and straightened his shirt for him. Joshua turned and his face sobered. "Hi mom, hi dad." It was a simple greeting, born of someone who was embarrassed. "SON, it's so good to see you!" Mr. Gerson never missed a beat. He was hugging a stunned Joshua. Mrs. Gerson followed suit but she seemed to hesitate more. "Let me look at you." She said, eyeing him up and down. "Well you look well fed, hearty and cared for. You even look like a man. Your mother said you'd been made into a baby and I was shocked." Mr. Gerson retorted. "It does appear you are not as babyish as I had thought." She seemed suspicious. "I'm not convinced yet." Tina piped up. "Let's eat dinner, it's hot and ready. We can talk business afterwards." Cindy and Joshua sat on one side of the table while the Gersons sat on one and Tina shared with Sarah so Gary ended up alone. The dinner started off awkwardly quiet. No one really talked much, only Cindy seemed immune, she simply hummed and ate with an air of oblivion. Gary broke the ice, "Well how is the hotel? You guys have everything you want? Those places are a little crowded for my taste." "Gary, you wouldn't believe the level of service there. It's incredible!" Tina had a hunch Mr. Gerson and Gary were going to be fast friends. That could be troublesome. They chatted about all sorts of things, from shopping to fun excursions, to good places to take a nap. Everything you could do on a vacation really. "Hey, I have an idea, why don't you join us tomorrow morning? I have a guy thing planned for Joshua and I." That peaked Joshua's interest, he sat bolt upright but kept his head down so it looked like he wasn't interested. Not that anyone could miss the excited intake of air or the upright posture. He often got stuck doing the "girl things" since he was the only boy in the house. "What's that?" Mr Gerson asked, obviously just as excited. "Weeeeell, I have a couple ATVs rented for the morning. It wouldn't be hard to add one to it if you could be persuaded." Gary sounded very business-like. Tina just rolled her eyes. "I might have to push a meeting around or cancel my golf game, but it could be arranged." This was trouble in the making. "Deal!" Gary's boisterous shout and a slap to the table made everyone jump. "Mrs. Gerson we do not have as adventurous of plans but we are going shopping if you'd like to join us." Tina made sure to sound polite and invested. She really didn't want to ostracize the little. "I will think about it, I had planned to do some shopping and it seems my husband has made other plans on me." The guilt trip she was laying out was quite obvious. "Are we really going to drive ATVs? I've always wanted to try that!" Joshua's face lit up. "I mean can I?" The last directed at Tina, nodding her approval she smiled at his exuberance. "You sure can." Mrs. Gerson did not miss the exchange. Joshua had asked Tina for permission, he hadn't looked at anyone else for even a fraction of a second. That was not the behavior she had expected. It brought a confused look to her face. Dinner wound down and desert was taken out to the porch, the sun was settling down and the moon was in full force. "I know you'll have a lot of questions, and we want to answer them all. However, I need you both to sign something simple before we do. Without it, the hypnosis all of us share will block our ability to communicate fully." Tina removed contracts from her bag. "We have all signed the exact same at one point or another." Placing them before the Gersons. They didn't respond other than to start reading. In the meantime, Tina crossed the room and checked both littles. Right as she laid hands on Joshua his body let go and performed its duties. "Well that won't do. Sarah, will you handle him while I take care of Cindy?" Sarah nodded, motioning for his hand she led him off. "Hey, we aren't done yet!" Mrs. Gerson yelled. "Mrs. Gerson, the air here is quite wonderful with the smell of flowers, if we do not leave for a few minutes it will be heavy with the scent of fertilizer." Tina responded with an amusing and long suffering tone. "Don't worry Sarah will bring him back soon enough. As I and Cindy will also be back." Tina took the girl upstairs, leaving Gary to entertain the guests. Cindy knew the drill well, which was half of why Tina had chosen to change her. The other half was the desire to hatch her plan to put Cindy in something thick enough to make that dress waddle. Cindy's legs went up and the diaper came off, "Mommy? Do you think Joshua liked my dress?" Tina's brow furrowed. The girl was not tame-able, she did her own thing regardless of who was watching, or who was involved. "I don't know, princess, did you want him to?" Tina asked honestly probing the girl. She ignored the question, giggling, she responded, "he was very handsome. I liked his pants, they made his butt super cute." To Tina she sounded like a teenager in the midst of a crush. Tina grabbed the thickest diaper they had, meant for a 12 hour stint, and began her labors. "Baby girl, don't be upset if he didn't, he has a lot on his mind right now. Remember he has not seen his parents in years." "I know." The obvious disappointment in her voice tore Tina right down the middle. Her heart felt for the little girl, but she also needed to keep the unity in the family. How could this end well? She didn't see a good ending but she also couldn't see a way out. The girl had rejected 3 suitors already, ones she had carefully placed in her path that had tried their best. One had even ended up with a pie down his diapers. The story had been outrageous, and Tina had to stifle a laugh the whole time she had spent cleaning him up. Oh, how mad that little one had been. Just reminiscing had brought a smile to Tina's face. "What's funny mommy?" Her charge brought her attention back to the present moment. "Oh nothing, my wild child." Finishing the task up she helped Cindy sit upright. Being as well versed in the role as Cindy was she knew better than to question the thickness of the diapers she was wearing. "Now let's get back to our guests." "Mommy, can I still wear my heels?" Now that was going to make that waddle something to behold. "Of Course sweetie." Off they went back down the stairs, the dress now a noticeable amount shorter than it had been. If she bent over, that diaper was going to show itself, Tina may have to manufacture a reason, it was just too cute. Watching the waddling tiny girl in the red formal dress, with a butt so overly padded, Tina resolved to make it happen. —----- Back downstairs Gary was stomping around like a maniac, telling some thrilling tale that probably never happened. Mrs. Gerson did not look amused, but Mr. Gerson was on the edge of his seat. ".... the bear was going to pounce on me, and I was flat on my back! I had no idea what to do. Right as it was about to drop itself down on me…" that was the moment he realized he'd gained two more audience members. Tina had been watching long enough to now know he wasn't telling the truth and none of it was real. "What happened then, Gary?" Mr Gerson pleaded for the end of the story. "Well, he decided I would make a bad meal, and we shook and became friends, I also gave him my lunch." Not the answer he had hoped for, obviously not as thrilling as the rest of the story had been, Mr. Gerson sat back dissatisfied with the resolution. "Well I'm sure the bear was happier. Good story though." "Gary," Tina interrupted. "You were supposed to stay on topic." "Oh, well we covered the basics, and we got sidetracked somewhere along the line." Rolling her eyes, she followed the little back to the chairs on the patio. "How far did he get, Mrs Gerson?" She had been the only responsible party out here. "He told us about the coalition, and the mission it had. He even let us know you employed a bear once and that it went rogue. He had to make sure it never hurt any littles." Her sarcastic tone hinted at amusement but definitely bordered on being exasperated with Gary. "He has that effect on a lot of people, I assure you." Tina winked at Gary and they both shared a knowing laugh. "All right then, let's get back on subject, at least until Joshua and Sarah can get back. The coalition is intent on finding ways for both littles and amazons to work, live, play, or just plain exist in harmony." Tina started up. "We know this is hard to believe, and we are working to make it more known. Have you seen this emblem?" She held up a charm with the symbol of the coalition on it. Mr. Gerson took it, "we've seen it everywhere, in our hometown even. It was in the plane, our suitcases had been marked with it, and the hotel has it next to their main door." He paused. "You don't mean to tell me….?" "Yes, it is the coalition's mark." "If that's true you are a much larger part of this world than I thought. We have never been able to uncover the meaning behind it. Believe us when we say we have investigated it." Mr Gerson went on with wonder in his voice. "How did you keep it a secret?" "Well, there have been considerable efforts there. One we use contracts like the one you signed, hypnosis to keep mouths shut about the inner workings, which is actually Gary's doing, and not for the reason you'd think. Probably the biggest is passion for our work." Tina said it proudly, like a mother hen showing off the egg she had just laid. "What about us? We haven't been hypnotized" Mrs. Gerson was skeptical of it all, and her tone made it evident. "That's what the contracts are for. If we truly felt threatened by you, we would remove your knowledge of the coalition tonight. However," Tina added quickly, "I really don't see that happening. None of us want that, we want to reach an understanding before we part ways." The silence was like a giant blanket no one could get out from under, it took mother nature sending a bird by singing its song in the night to lighten up the mood. "How can we trust you? Littles suffer so much at Amazon hands." Mrs. Gerson for the first time that night sounded curious. "I believe the best way for you to do that is coming down the stairs." Tina never missed anything. Sarah returned following the now clean Joshua down the stairs. The Gerson's attention shifted to their son, their attitude had changed. It wasn't accepted but it was at least curious. "Son, will you come sit beside your mother and i?" Mr. Gerson patted the seat. "Sure," there was no hesitation. "I want to tell you both something. It matters a lot to me." "We are listening." Mrs. Gerson had affection in her voice. It was motherly, and Joshua responded well to that. The boy launched into a speech, it had obviously been prepared, it came out way too smoothly. "I know this isn't what you wanted for me, but it's what I want. Mommy saved me from having to run from amazons all the time. I was always hiding or having to out smart them in the worst cases. Even my job was doing the same." The memory of that moron Handicraft burned again for a moment. Tina made a mental note to check on him. "I was wearing down, getting tired but I wasn't getting anything I wanted. No family, no friends, I wanted more, Mommy is giving me that. I know you are worried I am hypnotized and, truth is I am, but only to the degree I want to be. My continence was taken in a different manner." He paused long enough to allow himself to be interrupted. "How was it taken?" Mrs. Gersons concern was evident. She was about to be disappointed. Joshua went flat faced, his voice came out just as flat "I cannot speak about the inner workings of the coalition with those not in the coalition." Turning on Tina she yelled. "What the hell is that?!? What have you done to my boy?" "Firstly, you need to understand that everyone here will give you the same response. If you were to ask. Try Gary." His shocked face said she had won the moment, and of course the question was asked, and he blanked and responded exactly as Joshua had. It was his law after all. He had known the problems associated with blabbing lips and wagging tongues. So as a founder, he had instituted Gary's law. Simply put, to ensure the coalition's success, no outside entity could hear or be made to understand the inner workings of the coalition. It helped to keep the coalition safe. Hints still leaked but only what the coalition allowed. "Are you going to do the same to us?" Mr. Gerson asked. "We would prefer to, otherwise we will need to wipe the info. Because of the contract he and I have, I need to make sure he gets this chance." She motioned to Joshua. "Contract? You have a contract with him?" Mrs. Gerson this time seemed surprised. "Quite so" "I'm game. When can we do the hypnosis?" Mr. Gerson was eager. "Mind you I have no intention of diapers or adoption but I want to be more informed." Gary responded then, "I figured you would be, and we are always out for adult littles too, aren't we Tina?" Well there went the leverage, sigh, well she would make the best of it. "I would prefer you both at the same time, it would cause strife between you two and I will not be party to ruining a marriage." The statement made her think of Cindy's statement earlier, was she stopping them? Should she allow them to be together? She'd have to contemplate it later, this wasn't the time. "Do you think we can trust them?" Mrs. Gerson was incredulous. "No." "Then why are you so eager?" He gestured at Joshua, "he trusts them. Do you remember him? He was smarter than both of us when it came to dodging them. If he can honestly sit there and say the things he said I can trust them." That gave Mrs. Gerson pause. Tina could see the tears form in the corner of her eyes. This was either good or bad. She got up and fled to the far side of the house. Mr. Gerson went to retrieve her, but Tina stopped him, "Mr. Gerson, I wonder if I might try, woman to woman, mother to mother?" He looked quizzically at her, paused only for a moment, as if considering the two personalities here. Then he simply nodded and looked to Gary, "the night seems to have taken a fun turn," he held his glass up, "you wouldn't have something more fitting would you?" "Ha! You're on!" Gary responded with way more enthusiasm than Tina was comfortable with. Those two were going to be a problem. They left for the kitchen, Joshua toddling behind, Cindy and Sarah started counting stars. Tina left on her mission to bring another into the coalition. —--------- I wasn't sure what to do, but mom and mommy seemed to need to sort it out on their own, and I wanted to hear more about the ATVs, I had been patient all through dinner and not asked but I couldn't hold back. "Gary, when we do the ATVs do I get to drive one?" I asked my excitement leaking out, I felt like a kid again "Ofcourse big man! We have a spot picked out." He poured two glasses of something from a bottle, then remembered I was "big" tonight. "Would you like to join us?" I thought for a minute, it would be a welcome treat, and it may make sleeping easier tonight. "Sure." "This is gonna get interesting." Was Gary's only response. I was handed a glass with what I assumed was alcohol, by the smell it was definitely a strong drink. We clicked glasses and they downed it all in one go. It dawned on me that it was a shot, not a sipping drink. I followed suit. It burned the whole way down. It made my insides all warm, and made me cough like I'd just inhaled water. "Good stuff huh?" Taking my glass from me and handing me juice, Gary asked. That was probably more than enough for me anyway. I sat listening to dad and Gary talk. Not really paying attention much, after a few minutes I could feel the effects of the drink and I was pretty certain I needed to do something fun, like jump in the pool. That sounded fun, it was hot in these clothes anyway. Not waiting, I started to remove my shirt and head in that direction. My shirt didn't take long, removing my pants was pretty easy too. In nothing but a diaper I headed to the pool deck. Why was the earth moving? I wondered if they had a whole lot of earthquakes out here. After one particularly big shake, and just managing to stay on my feet I was in the clear, the pool right in front of me. I steadied myself in the middle of the earthquake and took off for the pool. I heard something dinging in the background about the time I got close to the pool. I didn't bother to figure it out, I wanted to swim. I launched off the side of the pool in full padded glory, bringing my knees to my chest and I screamed "Cannonball!!" The water rushed up to meet me as I splashed in. It felt glorious, the hot night air was banished. Weirdly though, it didn't reach my man bit, or a better way of saying it might be, it slowly crept into my man bits. Oh yeah, forgot to take the diaper off. Ha! It's soaking up the pool. I reached the bottom of the pool and kicked off to the surface again. Taking in a lung full of air, I could hear shouting behind me, but only for a second. As the diaper swelled I lost my ability to keep my head up. Uh oh, I thought. Guess I'll have to walk myself out. With that I let myself sink, the only problem was it was too dark to see the stairs. Hmmm, maybe I can find them. I started to waddle myself around, but I was rapidly needing more air, and I was finding it more uncomfortable by the second. I distantly heard a splash above me. As I looked up, I could see bubbles and a hand. Oh good, someone else wanted to swim! It was a party now! Mommy's face appeared out of the bubbles as she grabbed me and hauled me out of the pool. Well I wouldn't need to find the stairs anymore. Mommy stood up with me and the now sodden pillow between my legs, she did not look happy. Hmm, maybe a joke. "What did the elephant say to the walrus?" I began, she always laughed at this one. "Oh no, little one, you're in big trouble. Wait a second, ARE YOU DRUNK??" Mommy yelled. She was probably scary right now but I didn't care. I was carried out of the pool and inside, soaking wet, isn't she going to listen to the punchline? That was the best part. "Gary! Did you get him drunk?" Both dad and Gary stood there trying to suppress smiles. Both failed miserably, when dads snicker slipped out they both started laughing hysterically. Which served to make me laugh. Mommy growled at all of us, which only made us laugh harder, me laying on her chest clutching my sides as I laughed. My padded rear was the size of a mountain, the whole situation was so bizarre, I couldn't help but laugh. "Mrs. Gerson it seems the males in our lives have gotten a little bit too happy tonight. It also seems like a good time for bedtime for these two. If you wouldn't mind indulging me as I get changed and put them down?" Mom was thinking, I could see the wheels turning, it was like digging up a treasure chest full of memories all night long, I could remember this look. "Actually," she started pausing ever so slightly. "Can I help?"

Two days after being put in diapers the person has already lost control and is now incontinent 🤣

I wanted to take a moment to comment on the quality of the onesies (snap-T's, diaper shirts) that I've bough from Rearz over the years. The very first one I ever bought, a white one, in medium, is finally starting to show its age, with one of the snaps developing a hole behind it. This probably has much to do with the fact that it's my only medium-sized onesie, and I still wear it occasionally, although it's snug, and I'm a large, these days. The white ones aren't crisp white anymore, but I've long since moved to buying them in black or dark grey, because a white onesie will betray the ghost of a printed or coloured diaper, whereas the darker material remains opaque. The aforementioned white onesie has been in my inventory for probably 6 years or more - I bought it in person in the Rearz store, before they moved, and way before I imagined I'd ever go 24/7. It's been washed hundreds of times. Onesies that look like plain t-shirts have since become an indispensable part of my "out in public" wardrobe. So, this is a product line that they do well, over at Rearz.

Had another "Universe tapping me on the shoulder" experience; my wife was streaming a show, a comedy from a few years ago, wherein at one point, the main characters, who have a kid in their teens, get asked to look after a baby, and hilarity ensues. "We can do this... how hard can it be?" kind of stuff. So of course, the "baby", who looked about 3, was running all over the place getting into stuff, wearing diapers, and covered himself in diaper cream at one point, etc. There were lots of references to him needing a diaper change, and people passing him around like a hot potato when that was the case. Of course, I'm watching this with half an eye, sitting on our bed in essentially a big toddler diaper, a Rearz Mermaid's Tale. My wife said nothing to me, but I felt like the elephant in the room... This week, I have some unanticipated business travel on my docket. Something blew up (not literally) at a plant we had nothing to do with building, and now they want us, meaning, me, to come and figure out why things aren't working. I used to do this stuff all the time, but recently have been largely conducting these types of consultations via Zoom and Teams, from home. However, the EPC who has been made to look bad by the issues that have arisen, would really like it if someone physically went to the location and offered that personal touch. Even though they don't have any of the telemetry I've requested installed yet, so, I'm not going to have the information I need to actually troubleshoot the issue. So, this is more of a political visit than a technical one. Kabuki theatre. Next step: pull out dress pants, brush dust off of them, see how they look over various diaper options... I think I've lost weight since I bought them? Passing through security with a stack of diapers in my carryon luggage, while travelling with colleagues, also introduces an element of stress. Presumably, it won't be an issue - never has been - but I'd hate for them to have to open it up and have a look after something looks odd in the Xray machine... always make sure all the liquids are in small bottles in the clear back in the tray.... wish me luck.

All of the players here are flawed, but the good ones are genuinely trying to listen to each other. I love this chapter and the previous one for those reasons. And if I may be ominous and cryptic: There's one particular bit of potential backlash that this comment hasn't predicted. There are many bumps ahead in the road and obstacles to overcome, but believe me when I say that this moment is very much a turning point for all involved.

I'm currently in a wet pink megamax with a green onesie over the top. I love my onesies and I love my diapers so much, they make me feel comfortable, but I have to be careful because of the fact that I wet my onesies through sometimes, so I need to put on my trifectas over the top of diapers if I want to keep them dry, but I've noticed that even sometimes without noticing they sometimes get wet anyway.

Part 4: “Miss Elassen, did you tell Kirsti about your findings?” Elna asked Sigrun while they were walking towards Kirsti’s house. “Yes, I did. She told me she had found information on that disease when she browsed Internet. There were links to sites about more children across the world and a link to a scientific meeting. According to that information, Approgressia infantilis is a very rare genetic-related disease and few people know about it. My son is a newbie, and he possibly doesn’t know about it yet. However, I’ve got a bad feeling.” “Did you try to ask the social services or police?” “Why, Elna? Apparently, nothing wrong is going on. A child isn’t growing, but she is in a good condition, there are no signs of abuse or neglect of care.” “Yeah, Sigrun, I’m good except for the uncomfortable diapers. I love my mom and I loved all my nannies,” Amanda interjected. Elna shrugged; after all, Sigrun was right. There was a mystery there, but neither police nor social services would find anything except for the disease. Was it fake indeed? Sigrun’s son didn’t know about it, but he was a newbie doctor. She had found a link to the disease, but it was a single one. Kirsti stated she had found more links. ------------------------- “Welcome, Sigrun,” Kirsti smiled at Sigrun when she answered the door,” Hi, Amanda. I’m glad to see you again. You seem to have a new babysitter.” “Yeah, miss Kirsti. My name is Elna,” Elna introduced herself. Sigrun put Amanda onto the floor and the little girl jumped to Kirti and hugged her. Two small boys appeared behind Kirsti. “Oh, this is Olaf and this is Filip,” Kirsti patted their heads, “they are four.” “Can we go play? Amanda, do you join us?” Olaf took Amanda at hand and pulled her away. She smiled and followed him. “Kirsti, Elna would like to know more about Amanda,” Sigrun turned to Kirsti. “Of course, come in and let’s have a coffee,” Kirsti invited them; they sat down in the living room and Elna started the discussion. “Miss Kirsti …” “Call me Kirsti, please.” “Okay. Kirsti, how old did Amanda look like when you started your job? She looks like she is two now.” “She looked like two and she hasn’t changed since then. She had stopped growth before I started my job.” “Do you remember any other babysitter before you?” “No, Mrs. Haagen didn’t mention anybody, and to be honest, I didn’t ask her. Why should I do it?” “Maybe out of curiosity.” “I had a strange feeling I shouldn’t ask too much.” “Do you know something about the mysterious disease?” “Yeah. Sigrun objected that her son didn’t know that disease. However, I found a lot of information when I browsed the Internet.” “Well, did you use the computer in your room then?” suddenly, an idea hit Elna. “Yeah, why are you asking?” “I browsed Internet on my computer at home and I found only one single link. This is odd.” “Well, let’s check it,” Kirsti stood up and Elna with Sigrun followed her. She switched on the computer in her room and stared in utter disbelief at the search results. “Right, only one single link. The computer in your room has been hacked somehow, but why?” Kirsti shook her head. “Why? They wanted you to believe the disease was real,” Sigrun replied instantly. “Well, I was a bit naive, but maybe it was good. I could babysit Amanda and not think of problems,” Kirsti shrugged. “Maybe it was good indeed. At least, I know I should be very careful,” Elna nodded, “but, do you remember anything else?” “Sorry I don’t, … wait. I remember a strange mail. One day I spotted an envelope sitting on the table in the living room. The sender was A.H.C. Mrs. Haagen appeared seconds later and she grabbed the envelope quickly. I guessed she didn’t want me to see it. I was a bit worried and didn’t ask her. The next day everything seemed to be okay, and she never mentioned that incident.” “A.H.C? What does it mean?” Elna looked at Kirsti. “No idea, Elna; however, Mrs. Haagen hid the letter quickly. It is something she wants to conceal, and I guess it is related to Amanda.” “I think so,” Elna nodded, “try to do a search for A.H.C.” “Nothing,” Kirsti looked at the search result. She tried it with A-H-C, AHC, but the result was the same. Nothing. “Okay, let’s find another way. We should return home anyway,” Elna sighed. “Elna, I need a clean diaper, please,” Amanda appeared in the doorframe. “Okay, sweetheart,” Elna walked over to the living room and took the diaper bag. Amanda lay down on the couch and spread her legs. “Oh, why is she wearing cloth diapers?” Kirsti asked Elna while watching the diaper change, “we used disposables though.” “No idea, Kirsti. Mrs. Haagen told me about environment-friendly behavior, but I don’t believe it. Amanda, how long have you been wearing the cloth diapers?” “I don’t remember exactly; maybe two months.” “Well, the environment-friendly behavior started two months ago. It is funny,” Kirsti laughed, “however, there has to be another reason for it,” she added. “Maybe we will find out more later. Thanks for everything,” Elna took Amanda at hand and headed towards the exit. “Come again. I’m also curious about my little Amanda,” Kristi smiled at Elna and the little girl. “Well, my first day is almost over,” Elna smiled at Amanda while walking home, “it’s time for you to become a lovely toddler. Don’t worry, Amanda; we can enjoy it together. It won’t be unpleasant.” Sigrun also left and headed home. Elna and Amanda hurried up; it was getting late and Elna didn’t want to make Mrs. Haagen worried. “Where were you? It’s almost dinner time,” Mrs. Haagen was waiting in the entrance hall already. She was watching Elna and Amanda closely and she looked thrilled. “Sorry, but Amanda was enthusiastic, and she kept playing with the children outside,” Elna replied and smiled at Amanda. “Yeah, mom; it‘s been fun,” Amanda added and walked over to Mrs. Haagen and hugged her. Mrs. Haagen noticed the dirty clothes and stroked Amanda’s hair. “Okay then. Elna changes your clothes, and you can go to dinner then,” she smiled, and relief appeared on her face. “Okay then. Dinner is ready in the kitchen,” Helga appeared in the doorframe. “Well, I’ll change Amanda’s clothes and we will come to the kitchen then,” Elna led Amanda to the bathroom to wash her hands and to the nursery; she pulled Amanda’s dress over her head and pulled her tights down. “Do you need a clean diaper, sweetheart?” “Not necessary, it’s only slightly wet, Elna. Let’s wait after dinner, Amanda smiled. “Don’t forget; you are a cute toddler,” Elna put a T-shirt and pants on Amanda and led her to the kitchen. Amanda relaxed, let Elna sit her into the highchair and feed. She remembered Elna’s words and enjoyed the care. Maybe the toddler life wasn’t that bad. Mrs. Haagen peeked into the kitchen while Elna was feeding Amanda. They didn’t notice her, she smiled and left quickly. After dinner, Elna gave Amanda a warm bath, put clean diapers and a pajama on her and carried the little girl to her bed. “Good night, my little girl,” Elna kissed Amanda’s forehead, covered her, and left the nursery. Amanda relaxed, closed her eyes, and dozed off minutes later. She was glad she had an ally and didn’t mind the spectacle anymore. Elna switched on the computer in her room and checked the search results for the disease. She really found more links, just like Kirsti had told her. She also tried to search for A.H.C. but there were no search results there. On the other hand, she found some files left behind by another babysitter. Her name was Mia Olsen. Elna shut down the computer and went to bed as well.

Freedoms do not protect things you like. It protects everything, including the thing you don't like - as without it, there would be no freedom.

Oh come on. I was hoping for Sarah, Rita and Vickie to sit down and talk at the end of this chapter lol. Now you're making me wait till at least the next chapter. You are so mean and evil. Oh the torture lol. So if Ian can't masterbate while wearing those locking diaper covers, that means Vickie won't be able to either. I guess if Vickie is also locked in her diapers 24/7 and Sarah has the only key then she will need Sarah's permission to masterbate. That could get interesting and embarrassing for Vickie. Maybe Vickie will find out she gets turned on by Sarah having all that power over her and find out she has a humiliation kink. I'm already certain she enjoys getting spanked, probably as much as giving spankings lol. I wonder what assurances Rita could give Sarah or would Sarah also require Rita to wear diapers? I just had an evil idea for Sarah to do to Vickie onve they're all moved in together. While Rita and Sarah or having a threesome with Ian, make Vickie watch while wearing her locking diapers. Get her to beg to get it removed and Sarah would be like, that diaper is dry and clean, there's no reason to take it off you now. Vickie will then fill her diapers and Sarah finally removes the diaper covor, but to Vickies humiliation and shock, instead of letting Vickie join them, she makes Vickie cum in her wet and poopy diaper before changing her and putting her down for a nap while Rita and her finishes with Ian lol. I really don't know how Ian will be. He's going to have a rough time transitioning to his new life. Especially after they move in together. There will be days he will resist it has hard as he can, without actually hurting anyone of course. Part of me is sorry for him, but I think he needs this.

Thanks to @fordsd1966 for donating $40 And thanks to @Crinklz Kat for donating $83!

I use dental floss. Once the coating has dissolved, the Kevlar cord remains. I know it looks quite rough, but once it gets wet it becomes very soft and smooth and causes almost no irritation. Kevlar is very strong and virtually unbreakable.

Part 3: Elna sat down on a bench in the small park and tried to sort her experience and impressions. Amanda was a big mystery and Elna hoped she would be able to find out more. She even considered to quit immediately, but the little girl was nice and cute, she needed the money, and she was getting curious. About half an hour later, she stood up and returned to the nursery. The smell hit her nostrils and she realized Amanda had messed her diaper. The little girl was lying on her bed and her eyes were closed. “Amanda,” Elna whispered, and Amanda opened her eyes immediately; Elna noticed the tears on her face. “Don’t cry, sweetheart; I’ll change you in a jiffy,” Elna lifted Amanda on her arms, kissed her forehead and wiped away the tears, “let’s go to the bathroom.” In the bathroom, Elna undressed Amanda, put her into the tub and removed the rubber pants and dirty diapers and used the diaper to remove most of the poop. She showered Amanda, wrapped her into a large towel and carried her to the nursery. Amanda cuddled to Elna and calmed down. “Well, let’s put on clean diapers, dress you and go for a walk now,” Elna turned to Amanda while diapering her. She found a diaper bag and packed spare diapers, baby wipes and the powder into it. “Hey, where are you going?” Helga looked surprised when Elna and Amanda encountered her in the entrance hall, “there is a nice park and a playground in the backyard though.” “I know, Helga, but Amanda should meet other kids. She would play alone here,” Elna objected. “Did Amanda ask you to go outside?” Mrs. Haagen approached them as well. “No, why are you asking, madam?” Elna pretended surprise. “Forget it, sorry,” Mrs. Haagen turned away and went to the living room. Amanda showed Elna the cabinet with her shoes and pointed at her jacket. Elna dressed her and led her outside. They headed towards the nearby park. “Elna, thank you for taking me out. Now we can talk together without cameras,” Amanda suddenly spoke almost like an adult. “Okay, go ahead, Amanda, but I’m quite surprised by your worries. Anyway, let’s talk about you first,” Elna realized Amanda was much more mature than two, “can you tell me how old you are? Your mommy told me you suffer from a disease and won’t grow up. However, your mind seems to be more mature than your body.” “Sorry, Elna, I don’t know exactly. However, I remember four babysitters and each of them had been working for a year or two.” “Well, I guess you can be about 8 then; maybe even more.” “Yeah, I think so, Elna. Unfortunately, my mom still wants me to be a toddler. For example, she didn’t like when my babysitters taught me reading.” “Well, you can read and probably you can even more, sweetheart. What else?” “I can eat on my own, dress myself as well as use mobile, tablet, and computer. The only thing I can’t is potty training; I hate my diapers, but all my attempts to potty train have failed so far.” “Wait; does mommy know about your abilities? She can watch you by the means of the cameras though.” “I hope not. It is hard, but I’m the cute toddler at home. My former babysitters took me out to the playground, and they taught me there.” “Wow, I admire you, Amanda. However, was your reaction to my arrival a spectacle, too? You still wanted to play the toddler role.” “It was,” Amanda looked to the ground, “aren’t you angry now?” “Of course not, sweetheart. Even if you were ten, you still would need love and hugs. What about your mommy?” “Elna, I feel like a pet with her rather than her child. She likes to cuddle with me occasionally and show me to her friends like she would show a doll or dog.” “That’s odd,” Elna shook her head. She sat on the nearby bench and took Amada onto her lap. The little girl relaxed and cuddled to her. “This is no spectacle,” Elna smiled and kissed Amanda’s forehead. “No, Elna; I like you a lot,” Amanda returned the kiss and Elna realized they won’t need to pretend anything at home. “Amanda, can you tell me about the four babysitters?” Elna hoped for some useful information from Amanda. “I try to recall my memories. My first babysitter was Kirsti Viste. She was very nice young girl and she taught me a lot. Two years later she married and couldn’t do the job anymore. The next one was Inger Elden, a former teacher. She was a bit strict, but she also taught me a lot. Thanks to her, I can read and write. Unfortunately, she got seriously sick and died of cancer later.” “Okay, Amanda. Let’s go back to Kirsti. She was babysitting you for two years and, according to your body size, you stopped growth at the same age. She had to babysit you from your birth then. How could she teach you?” “No, Elna. She kept teaching me and I wasn’t smaller; at least I don’t remember it.” “Well, do you remember what happened before Kirsti started babysitting you?” “Sorry, Elna. I don’t remember anything as if it was in a fog.” “Maybe, small kids don’t remember their early period of life. However, we could find Kirsti and ask her.” “It’s good idea. I try to recall where she lives. She talked about her home.” “Try to recall your memories. Anyway, we should go to the playground; you should be a bit dirty like any other toddler when returning from a playground. Let’s go.” “Can you change me first, Elna? I’m wet again,” Amanda made puppy eyes, crawled down from Elna’s lap and lay down on the bench and spread her legs. “No problem, sweetheart,” Elna smiled, opened the diaper bag, and pulled down Amanda’s pants. The diapers were soaked. “Amanda, did you ever consider changing your own diapers?” Elna got curious. “No, Elna. It is a bit hard, and I couldn’t do it on my own anyway; I couldn’t clean myself properly, and mommy would notice it.” “Right,” Elna finished changing Amanda’s diapers, Amanda pulled up her pants and jumped down from the bench and headed towards the playground. There were many children on the playground and Amanda sat down to the sandbox and she started playing. Despite her maturity, she liked playing in sand and joined a small group of children. Elna sat down and watched Manda; an older woman sat down next to her. “Sorry to disturb you, miss. This is our little Amanda, isn’t she?” “Yeah, do you know her?” “Of course. I know the poor girl. You are the next babysitter, isn’t you?” “Yeah, my name is Elna,” Elan smiled at the woman. “I am Sigrun Elassen and I come to this playground often. I like to sit and watch the children play. However, I’m surprised by Amanda. The former babysitters talked about a mysterious disease.” “Do you mean Approgressia infantilis?” “Exactly. My son is a physician and I asked him. The disease doesn’t exist.” “How so? Why doesn’t Amanda grow up then?” “No idea, but something is wrong with her, and it is not the disease.” “Miss Elassen, can you tell me about the former babysitters? I’d like to find them and ask them about Amanda. Amanda told me about Kirsti.” “Of course. I know her. She married six years ago, and she lives in a house next to me. I can lead you to her if you want to.” “That would be kind of you, miss Elassen. Amanda, come please. We will go to Kristin.” Amanda stood up and ran over to Elna. When she spotted Sigrun, she smiled happily and crawled onto her lap. “Hello, sweetheart. Auntie Sigrun is glad to see you. Elna has asked me to lead you to Kristin.” “Great, I can’t wait to see her after all the years,” Amanda kissed Sigrun instinctively. Sigrun lifted Amanda on her arms and stepped forward; Elna followed her.

Chapter 52: Bad Days BETH SAT AT her computer, working on some of her coursework, when her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she saw it was her home number, so she picked it up, and it projected her parents, Laura and Jason. They seemed to be sitting in their living room back home. “Hey,” she said. “Hi, Beth!” Laura said happily. “Hi,” Jason said as if he was being forced to stay in the room. He looked to have his goggles beside him, and Beth was sure he was grouchy that his gaming had been interrupted. “How is it going so far this week?” Her mom asked. Beth shrugged, “Okay, I guess? Classes are classes, but studying with Connor this weekend helped in some of them.” “He’s in your classes?” Laura asked. “Only one, my elective filmmaking class.” “But he helped you with homework?” Jason asked, surprised. “He’s like a math whiz…? It’s kind of scary how smart he is with math, actually! He’s really good at anything math-related, as well as programming. He also took Signals and Systems back home, so he knew what I’m studying already?” “Well, that’s handy,” her mom said. “How about everything else?” Her dad asked. She shrugged, “Nothing else has happened that I know of? I really wish you hadn’t stuck me with Rachel, but it is nice to see the hamper already empty today.” “I told you that would be a good part of it,” her mom said, “I know you hate doing laundry!” The four talked for a bit; it was almost like the conversations they would have growing up at home after school were done each day. It was getting later for them, though, since they were in a different time zone, so they ended the conversation, and Beth returned to her homework. She took a bathroom break and was startled when she opened the door to see Rachel standing there. Beth quickly closed the door to prevent anyone else from seeing her. “Hi Rachel, I thought maybe you were powered down or something?” She shook her head, “No, just giving you some space and privacy. I heard you tell your parents about your laundry; it’s all hung up in your closet and put away in your drawers.” “Thanks,” she said, feeling nervous with the caretaker hologram randomly doing things. “Would you like a snack while you study?” she asked Beth. Beth shook her head, “I just had dinner, thank you though?” “Something to drink? Your Luxuria account suggests you like hot chocolate?” Beth thought briefly, “You know, a hot chocolate might be nice right now!” Beth sat back down at her desk and was shocked at the speed at which a coffee mug filled with hot chocolate appeared. “Thanks!” Beth told her. “Umm… It’s not that I don’t like you or appreciate you, but can you disappear so I can study quietly?” “Of course, Beth,” she said. “I’ll be back to help you get ready for bed.” “Huh?” she thought for a second but just shook it off and returned to work on homework. Beth worked on studying until close to midnight before shutting down the work she’d been doing and switching to scrolling through some websites to relax. She’d just come across a cute hairstyle she wanted to try sometime when she felt a tap on her shoulder and jumped! “Wha…?” She said before realizing it was just Rachel. “Umm… hi Rachel, I thought you were giving me some quiet so I could study?” “I did, and now it looks like you’re just scrolling through the web. It might be a good idea for you to get some sleep? I believe you have some of your more challenging classes tomorrow?” “I do, but I’m an adult; I don’t need a bedtime?” Beth told Rachel. The AI hologram smiled, “It’s not a bedtime, just some good advice?” Beth looked at the time and realized it was after midnight, and she usually tried to get to bed by then. A part of her thought about rebelling and saying ‘I’m a big girl’ to the AI again, but common sense that the AI was right prevailed. She sighed, “You’re right; it is getting kind of late.” She stood up, found her way to the bathroom, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled her hair back for the night. Rachel wasn’t visible when she reached her room so she could change into her pajamas in peace. She was just climbing into bed, though, when she reappeared. “All ready for bed?” The AI asked her as she climbed up the loft and noticed her bed had been entirely made up with fresh bedding. “Yes,” she said, “Thanks for remaking my bed,” she told Rachel. “You’re welcome; thank you for noticing,” she told her. She beat Rachel to pull the covers down and waited while she slipped into the covers. Rachel pulled the covers down up to her neck and tucked her in like a little girl. Beth blushed, “You don’t have to tuck me in?” “But it made your emotions improve, didn’t it?” Rachel said, “I could read your biometrics that your hypothalamus released a dopamine rush?” Sighing, “Okay, it’s kind of nice, but you don’t have to do it?” “It’s no problem. I’d be happy to read a bedtime story if you would like?” “I’m nineteen, not two?” Beth told the AI, “I don’t need a bedtime story.” “Okay, if you ever change your mind, I’d be happy to!” Beth was about to call for the room lights to turn off, but Rachel beat her to it even as her hologram disappeared. She was burrowing a little bit into the covers when she noticed something didn’t feel right on the bed. Beth froze, realizing it seemed like a waterproof mattress cover. ‘What the hell?!?’ she thought, but decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. She needed to look over the settings for the AI at some point to avoid any more of the nannying the hologram clearly was defaulting to! I HADN’T HAD any trouble getting to sleep on the previous nights since I’d arrived. In fact, it had been making me suspicious that I hadn’t remembered staying awake long after the ‘pod’ was closed! So, when I tossed and turned for a couple hours that night, I found myself bored, thirsty, and really wanting a bathroom. It wasn’t urgent, but it was distracting! My arms eventually went around the stuffed griffin she had pushed on me the first day I had arrived. I was still squeezing it when she woke me on the changing table, “Good morning, sweetie. You want to let go of your friend so I can get your jammies off you?” “Huh?” I asked sleepily before blushing. “Aww! It’s okay, sweetie! I’m glad to finally see you cuddling it in your sleep. Did you name it?” “Not yet?” “You should do that!” She smiled, and I handed it over. “I’ll think about it,” I told her. She pulled down the zipper of the sleeper and pulled me from it to expose the diaper. “You must have the strongest bladder of any Little! You’re the first I’ve seen make it this long without any nighttime issues?” I fidgeted then, “I really could use the potty right now, though?” “Of course, sweetie!” She noted my need and said, “I’ll pull off your diapee right by the potty just in case!” I blushed but was grateful my bladder did hold until she had it off, and I sat on the potty! That morning, while swimming, I had the pleasure of Lilly again keeping pace with me. When Mackenzie said it was time, Lilly came to the edge. “How are you doing, Connor? I love it when I can swim with you!” “I’m doing good, just studying as much as possible and trying to do well here?” “Well, if you study as well as you swim, I’m sure you will! Have a good day!” Mackenzie was already wrapped in a towel, and she wrapped me in my own before carrying me to the elevator and the nest. “I think almost every nest mother that encounters you is crushing on you.” “Huh?” I asked. “You’re adorable,” she said. “Enjoy it.” She didn’t elaborate as she chose to dress me again that morning and put one of those things on the front of my Pull-Up. “What is that?” I asked again. “Just a little insurance; don’t worry about it or tamper with it, please,” she told me. I looked suspiciously at her but took advantage of the time to study after she brushed my hair for me and left it hanging loose. “Did you do something to your face?” she asked me as she sat me down on the ground with a light pat on my butt. I blushed, “My cousin was having a birthday party this weekend, and things got a little weird with some stuff they put on my face. We couldn’t get it all off, and we’re just hoping it’ll be gone when my skin replaces itself in about a month?” She looked like she wanted to press more but shrugged and giggled. “Sounds like a story! I need to finish a couple of things before I wake everyone up. Can you be a good boy and quietly study?” I blushed but nodded and took advantage of the half-hour before she woke them up, and then the additional hour it took to get all of them ready to study. ‘I’m going to have to do my best to finish all my studying on the weekends,’ I thought. My class schedules otherwise left me just seven-and-a-half hours of not being asleep or in class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and six-and-a-half on Tuesdays, with just an extra hour available on Thursdays. That time included meals! I kept cramming some more study time after we were led on our embarrassing rope to breakfast together. I sat in a corner in a mixed-height booth but was left alone by everyone that morning, not even seeing Beth, Cassie, or her other friends. I checked my phone then for the group chat app we started using for our studio. I found Charlotte and Sebastian had set up a poll for which script idea we wanted. I put my vote in for mine and was pleased that mine was ahead with eight votes. Kelly’s had three, and I was a little bothered by that, but I hoped it would matter. Another script about a serial killer drama was in third with one vote. ‘Nine votes to go!’ I thought to myself. BETH WOKE UP with Rachel, shaking her again and wondering what had happened to her alarm. “Why didn’t my alarm go off?” She asked Rachel as she realized she only had forty minutes before class! “It did, but I could tell you needed more sleep, so I turned it off for you!” “You can’t do that!” “You needed more sleep after staying up later than you should. Go get a quick shower; I have breakfast being delivered for you,” the AI told Beth. Beth wanted to rage at the hologram but didn’t have time to waste! She skipped washing her hair and got dressed as quickly as she could. Only then did she notice the date on the calendar and groaned, switching her panties when she noted it was time for her cycle. She took care of her preparations and hoped this month would be smoother since she’d started some medication last month. It wasn’t that she dealt with the worst pain of the girls she knew, but her menstrual cramps had been getting worse the past year. After a diagnosis of endometriosis, she’d been given a nanite treatment over Christmas in the hopes of treating it to the point she wouldn’t be going down a long slope of losing days at a time each month to being wracked with pain! Beth was not in the best of moods on an average period. Still, her nerves over whether the treatment had worked, along with an AI who made a decision for her to oversleep, started the day off wrong. The only positive thing was the breakfast sandwich and the coffee waiting for her at her desk. She checked her backpack that Rachel had packed, “Everything is in there,” she’d assured her. Beth looked and shook her head, reaching into her drawer for a package of monthly supplies and adding some additional to her bag. Since seventh grade, she had vowed to never be caught short again in that department! However, her mood wasn’t much improved as the day went on, and she had to deal with a couple of Bigs who accused her of being grumpy. ‘Of course, I’m grumpy!’ she thought to herself. As she was finishing up math that afternoon, she was at least happy to see Connor. He seemed to be having his own bad day, though, too. “Hi, Beth,” he said as they met outside Euler. “Hi, Conn,” she said to him, her expression softening. “You look like you’re having a day too?” he asked. She nodded, “Yeah…” “Say, I have those gift certificates on me. There’s some restaurant called Savory that’s supposed to be good?” “Don’t you have to be back for your early lights out?” “According to the Bruber app, we could have a car in two minutes and be back well before then?” She thought momentarily, “Sure, let’s do it!” Adding, “Let’s just use my Luxuria subscription though.” Beth pulled her phone out, and a few minutes later, the two were speeding down the road in their vehicle. Connor looked slightly sour at being stuck in an infant carrier again. Still, she’d been annoyed to be latched into a booster seat herself. “I don’t remember you being stuck in one of those before?” Connor asked her even as he was messaging Mackenzie like he was required. “I normally don’t have to… Someone must have tampered with the preferences my parents set!” I WAS GLAD to be off campus, and the Luxuria was convenient enough to drop us off at the restaurant. I hadn’t realized it was attached to the mall and hoped things would be okay with us alone. I nervously checked my student ID band as we approached the hostess’s desk. “Well, hello, you two!” a shorter Big greeted them. She was taller than Beth but not nearly as much as most. “Hi, table for two, please?” Beth asked for them. “Taking your baby brother out for a meal today?” “Something like that,” Beth said. “Give me just a second to bring a highchair to a table?” “A booster seat is fine,” Beth told her. “One for you as well?” she asked. Beth blushed, but I saw her nod, “Sure.” “Such a mature big girl!” She rolled her eyes as the hostess walked away, “This is why I tend to only come off campus with Cassie,” she told me. I nodded, “I hadn’t even thought through this part.” “Don’t worry, this place tends to behave themselves, or I would have told you, let’s go somewhere else. They were soon seated, and both had selected things from the gigantic menu. “I’m going to hit the restroom,” I said. “If you’re not back in five minutes, I’ll come looking,” Beth told me. I felt my stomach twist but nodded. I grabbed my bag since my collapsible stool was inside of there. To my relief, other than the massive height of things, the trip to the bathroom and back was handled without incident. We had arrived at the restaurant. So it wasn’t until I returned to my seat and the waitress delivering our order insisted on picking me up to place me in my booster that I even dealt with a Big. “So, everything okay?” I asked Beth. She shrugged, “It’s just a rough day. Mom and Dad insisted on me getting that stupid AI Holo-Unit to watch over me with everything going on. She has a lot of these basic nannying protocols in her system, and she’s getting on my nerves. Last night, she basically sent me to bed like a little girl. Then, this morning, RACHEL turned off my alarm so I could get the sleep I didn’t get because I stayed up too late. I was almost late for classes!” I noticed her blush, “Something else too?” “Just my time of the month,” she said with an embarrassed look. “I live with a house of women,” I found myself saying sympathetically, “I hope it’s not too bad for you.” She smiled, “It’s a little bit better knowing we have chocolate cake coming!” I laughed; we had ordered a cake at the end of the meal, and she clearly needed the chocolate. We both took the time to also have our books and notes open, reviewing everything. “Did you vote for your script yet?” She asked me. I nodded, “Yeah, but I haven’t had a chance to check since this morning how the vote is going?” “I haven’t either,” she said. I watched her fingers fly over her screen, and she smiled, “Looks like yours is the first choice with sixteen votes!” “Cool!” I smiled. We studied and chatted while overfilling our stomachs and soon returned to campus. Before we parted, we enjoyed a few minutes exploring each other’s mouths with a kiss after being unbuckled from our seats. “See you later,” Beth told me as we parted ways, and I headed into Sanders Hall. I was practically bouncing with happiness and was still in the dorm two hours before lights out. The room was empty; I figured everyone must have been at dinner. I took advantage of the time to study some more and prepare for the following script project we would be working on. I appreciated that our screenwriting professor gave us a heads-up on all of our projects for the semester, so I’d made a start on the short film that was our second project already. The nest returned as the hours wore on, and it was when I came back from the bathroom that I heard it. “See Miss Mackenzie!!!! I told you! Connor isn’t a ‘big boy’ after all! There are two used Pull-Ups in here!” Elijah said “I saw him put one in his pod to hide it too!” Levi jumped in. “Yeah, if we have to wear diapers for our accidents, he definitely belongs in them too!” Jack said. Several others just passively nodded while Liam looked like he had no clue what was happening. “Connor, come here,” Mackenzie said to me then, and the look on her face made me sure that whoever had set me up had been successful! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I decided it was as easy to post this before I go to work today as it would be on the weekend. (I figure my European readers will like the timing!) I love seeing readers guess where things are going! I appreciate your patience for about the next month and a half with postings; my work schedule is long until then, and posts will shift days weekly. Reminder: if you haven't already purchased my latest published book, 'In-Between,' you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) All of my books except this one are now available on Amazon Kindle!

I just got caught up on this. Wonderful story so far. Seems like we are just getting into the really interesting stuff but so far, the buildup has been great. You are doing a very good job writing. It’s flowing very nicely and has been a pleasure to read. At this point you can’t help but wonder if Patrick might have made a mistake. There is no doubt that given an opportunity to walk again for giving up five years that I wouldn’t have made the same choice. Still a lot could go wrong for him. All that just makes me want to read more.

Chapter 100: A Much Needed Screaming Match “f**k YOU, MELONY! YOU’RE A f***ing MONSTER! YOU CAN GO f**k YOURSELF YOU GODDAMN PSYCHO BITCH I HATE YOU! f**k YOU! I HATE YOOOOOOOOU!” The snot was already beginning to bubble. The tears were boiling but felt cold on my face because of just how red my cheeks were. With every condemnation and swear that I threw in, I stomped my foot until it looked like I was marching in place. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” I balled my fists and leaned forward, doing my best to roar like a lion but succeeding only in screaming like a toddler having a grocery store meltdown. “Oooooooooooooooo,” Billy sneered. “Gibson. Is. Pissed.” I could barely see anything because of how watery my eyes were and I refused to blink or wipe away the droplets. I could barely hear anything save for the furious thud-thud, thud-thud. Rationality didn’t keep me from throwing my body straight to the floor, but rage did. Hitting the floor would have broken eye contact with Beouf. My body would have wanted to tuck my face in the crook of my elbow or roll over on my back so that I could better kick and scream and fuss until all of the pain and frustration. Rage wouldn’t let me do that, however. Children do such things when they have no viable target for their anger. They throw themselves down and weep and scream and thrash at nothing when they are overwhelmed and the entire world seems against them. The entire world was against me, but I’d found a single drop of salt-water in that entire ocean of inequity to focus fury upon. I could not beat an ocean, but I could at least disperse this single bead; dry it out or drink it and withhold it from the ocean until I pissed it back out. “FUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOU!” I couldn’t pinpoint where all of this was coming from. I didn’t know why I chose then and there to throw my total and utter hissy fit. The emails I’d just read? The slip-up from Skinner? Recent memories of what I’d heard over the baby monitor? Guilt? Shame? Resentment? The feeling of love suddenly being lost and there being a hole in my heart where so much of who I was and how I knew myself was located? Several holes? At least three? Each one shaped like a person who had either vanished from my life entirely or reoriented themselves in such a way that I barely recognized them? Anything that I could say then or now would be a complete rationalization on my part. The only true thing is that it hadn’t been planned in advance, and it came so suddenly and naturally as to feel wholly involuntary on my part. More than involuntary, it felt right. It felt like coming up for air after swimming in the deep end. The other kids didn’t laugh. Nor did they shirk, mostly. Statistically speaking, every one of them had done something like this at some point since being enrolled into Beouf’s care. I was no longer ‘new’ in terms of socialization and acceptance, but I was still the ‘freshest’ in terms of treatment and gaslighting. They’d all had this moment at some point or another. Some had had it more than once. Even Ivy, I’d believed had at some time or another where compliance, malicious or otherwise, had given away to a maddening anger at the outright unjustness of the situation. Oftentimes, that had been what would get them sent to my room where I’d give them a stupid hackneyed pep talk about degrees of suffering and how a certain crazy but kind Amazon was better than a cruel one. Better to be a baby that was still you on some level. Better to go full native or pretend to buy into the hype than to be a programmed husk with a heartbeat; a doll. How f***ing naive I’d been. Dolls didn’t suffer, and if they did, they at least didn’t have hope to constantly freshen up the pain. After a certain layer, a burn is a burn. Heal it and let it cool, and suddenly that red hot poker feels just as intense the hundredth time as it did the first. “AAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Neither did my classmates cheer me, (except for Billy). Some stared. Some turned their gaze in the opposite direction out of politeness. A few swore exclamations of moderate surprise under their breath, I’m sure. None were particularly offended this time. We weren’t actually babies that were upset by loud noises or expressions of negative emotion because we couldn’t understand ourselves or others; just prisoners conscripted into becoming the ultimate method actors. They’d all had this breaking point at some time or another. They’d gone through this, too. They’d raged and bargained and despaired and denied and back again until a warm acceptance washed over them, and they’d become happy enough until they weren’t. That was kind of the point of Beouf’s class: To numb and reduce outbursts, and to find outlets and replacement behaviors; to condition and desensitize until a Little could be trusted to go to a full time daycare without causing any more fuss than the average Amazonian two year old. I wasn’t a revolutionary, or a saboteur, or a class clown or a bully. I was just a Little with lots of Big Feelings. I was just someone currently unable to either deny or accept just how fucked he was in the grand scheme of his personal fable. No different than any of them. To the culture of the classroom, this outburst was no different than someone getting sick and vomiting or getting a case of the runs. It happened. It was slightly disturbing. But it was normal enough. Save for the intensity, I’d done this sort of thing enough times already. Save for being verbal and visibly angry instead of panicked into paralysis or sad to the point of being insensate, I’d done much of this my very first week back in diapers. This was nothing new. For anyone. Just a remix. The only surprising element might have (might have) been the timing. Amidst all of it, In the back of my head a thought: I wonder if Tracy can hear me from here. And would she be surprised? Proud maybe? Probably not. Maybe sympathetic, not that it mattered. “I’M NOT DEAD!” I screamed. “I’M NOT DEAD! I’M NOT DEAD! I’M NOT DEAD! f**k YOU SIDEWAYS AND THE HIGH HORSE YOU RODE IN ON! I’M NOT DEAD! I’M! NOT! DEAD!” Beouf gave me nothing in return. No negative energy to feed off of. No questions, or demands, or anything that could be shouted down. She did not make a point to ignore me and continue her propaganda distribution in storybook form. An emotional rope-a-dope. My feet were lead and all the adrenaline I was pumping into my body had magically frozen me in place. If I hadn’t been, I may have marched up to her and smacked the glasses right off her face. For all my bravado and aggression, there wasn’t much a Little could do against a fully grown Amazon. We aren’t even strong enough to take off our diapers by ourselves. A slap in the face, a poke in the eye, or a punch in the nose still hurts no matter who you are. And Beouf wouldn’t have written me up for it, either. Not for slapping her. Getting slapped at by tantruming Littles was pretty much in the job description. That and what Amazon would want to admit on paper that they’d been hit by a Little and cared? “YOU WANT ME TO BE! BUT I’M NOT DEAD!” I didn’t even fully understand what I was saying, but I felt there was a truth to it. The biggest truths often come not from what we’re supposed to say, but what we actually think and feel. ‘Out of the mouth of babes’ is just another way of saying that children haven’t been conditioned enough to lie to themselves or factor in basic societal expectations and assumptions to their responses. In my case, it was a momentary lapse in giving a f**k. “STOP MOURNING ME! I’M RIGHT HERE! COME AT ME BITCH! STOP! MOURNING! MEEEEEEE!” Beouf closed the story book and leaned it against the bit of wall beneath the whiteboard. She stood up. I didn’t move. I didn’t know if I could. “Mrs. Zoge,” she said curtly. “Take over.” Zoge was already hurrying to take Beouf’s place next to the storybook. No reply required. “Miss Winters? Miss Sosa? Can you do me the favor, and take as many of the children out for therapy as you reasonably can?” Her voice had all the command and precision of a surgeon calling for a scalpel. The Physical and Occupational Therapists had yet to leave the classroom. They stood mortified and horrified at what I’d said. They thought they’d done right by either me or Beouf in peeling back the curtain and telling me how much she’d been trying to help me ‘adjust’. No good deed goes unpunished they say. “Uh, yeah. Sure. We can do that.” They came deeper into the room and started herding Littles out like cats. “But I don’t wanna go,” Billy whined, “I wanna see!” “Billy.” Beouf said. “Go. Now.” Billy gulped. “Yes, ma’am.” I let out another roiling wordless scream. Nearly half the class was out the door within thirty seconds. Beouf stood firm. So did I. Give us a pair of six-shooters already. Three steps and she was on me. She snatched me up and tucked me under her arm like I was a basketball. I could have thrashed and kicked but chose to go limp and just let out yet another ear piercing scream. “We’ll be back,” she announced. I didn’t look up but heard the door open again. Saw her feet take titanic, angry strides over concrete. Then up a metal ramp. Then pivot left. Then through mulch. When the world went upright for me again, I was being sat down on the bench she and Zoge favored in the corner of the Littles’ Playground. Beouf stood over me, frowning, breathing hard and crossing her arms. She had removed me from the classroom, but was keeping me in an environment that I couldn’t escape or disrupt. Nothing I could mess up besides wood chips. She had proximity to stop me from hurting myself. I could scream and curse as loud as I wanted and my voice would be eaten up by the open air and go unnoticed by the second graders playing kickball at the far end of the P.E. field. Basic school culture etiquette would cause most students trusted enough to travel campus unaccompanied by an adult to look the other way and go about their business. Any other member of faculty or staff would more than likely do the same or briefly greet Beouf as a subtle form of asking if she needed help. Parents would see a Little in need of a spanking shouting at a woman with the patience of a saint. Brollish, if she were on the prowl, might choose to intervene. The teacher in me recognized it as a good move. Were our positions somehow miraculously reversed and I had the power, it is the move I would have made. Isolate me. Let me wear myself out. Then bring it up on Wednesday’s conference because f**k you, kiddo, the house always wins. I was so terribly, viscerally upset that I didn’t actively notice the constant buzzing in the back of my brainstem despite being on the playground. “Okay, Clark,” she said. “Let’s ta-” I dashed to my right to jump off the bench. Beouf sidestepped and shot her arm out to block me. “Nope.” I backpedaled and started twisting to leap off the other end. Her other arm penned me in. “No, sir.” I stopped my turn and tried to climb the.back of the bench. Hypothetically, I could jump from the back, and leap the chain link fence and hit the steel incline ramp on the other side without breaking any bones if I rolled with it. I was plucked back up and sat down on the mulch. “No. Unacceptable.” My feet were already kicking, propelling me backwards to the old oak tree, giving me distance that she could cover in a handful of steps. I was fighting the stupidest, most misleading grin, from sprouting on my face. It didn’t match how I felt on the outside at all, but just like my swearing it felt automatic. This was no fun, but I was taking a sick enjoyment The dash to the playground exit was no dash at all. Beouf was blocking it before I was halfway there. Not that I could have opened the gate by myself. “Clark. Stop. Please.” “NO!” My body changed course and I crawled into the cement play tunnel. I was at exactly the halfway point when I saw her legs at the other end. I wasn’t going to get away like this. I wasn’t going to get away at all. People just do stupid stuff when they hurt enough. I hope no one reading this ever hurts that much. Ever. I wouldn’t wish how I felt in that moment on Beouf, herself. I stopped and rolled and twisted to get comfortable. The space was meant for someone my size. I could technically stand up and walk upright if I was willing to hunch over. I parked myself on my pillowed keister, crossing my arms and leaning back in a sort of fetal position. Beouf’s knees bent and touched the ground, and she looked inside. She could just barely crawl in after me if she’d wanted to but the woman wasn’t fool enough to try without help. I didn’t expect her to either. She might get stuck and I might get away. “You okay in there?” she asked. Her voice was even more grating to me when reverberating off of molded concrete. “f**k off.” “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” She stood back up, leaving her legs blocking one end of the tube. It’s sometimes hard for me to imagine the world from an Amazon’s point of view, to have everything so small and effortless, to have the ground so far away, but I figured she had to be blocking one end while watching for me to exit the other. All was silent. For about five minutes. She sidestepped and leaned over. “You still okay, buddy?” “Have you fucked off yet?” “Alrighty then.” The silence lasted another minutes. I knew because I immediately started counting to myself. “Clark? Are you ready to talk?” Only three minutes? She was getting impatient. “Clark?” “I can wait you out, Mel,” I taunted. “I don’t have to go to the bathroom.” “That’s fine.” One….two… …one-hundred-seventeen, one-hundred-eighteen… “How about I come in there?” Beouf offered. “I just want to talk.” “Bullshit,” I yelled back. “You don’t know how to talk to me.” More to myself I said, “Just at me.” Beouf dropped down to her rump, her knees drawn all the way up to her chest, and her head cocked so that she could still see inside the cylinder. “What is that supposed to mean?” I looked away. “Did I stutter? Do you need me to say it in baby talk so that you can pretend to understand it? Will you believe me then, Mel?” “Mel?” she didn’t sound offended the way Sosa did when I invoked her given name. She was more perplexed than anything. I barely called her by her first name when we were co-workers. “Why are you calling me that? Is Mrs. Beouf getting too hard to say? You can just say Mrs. B if that’s easier.” “I need to call you Melony.” I spat. “Or can’t you take one of your Little babies calling you by your first name?” “Clark…” “MISTER! GIBSON!” And just like that I was close to crying again. I clutched at my chest in a pointless gesture to try to control my breathing from the outside. “I’M! MISTER! GIBSON! “No.” My old mentor said with an air of finality. “You’re not. Not anymore.” “At least I used to be a teacher,” I said. “A real one.” Her eye twitched and her composure faltered for a moment. “I am a teacher, hon. I’m your teacher.” “You’re a goddamn animal trainer.” I felt the light echoes gave my words a sense of gravitas. “The only thing you teach is that it’s pointless to resist and that if you’re a good forever puppy you get treats. And that Amazons and Littles can never be friends.” Beouf was taken aback. “Clark,” she said. “I’m your teacher. Of course I’m your-” “YOU WERE NEVER MY FRIEND!” I propped my elbows up on my knees and buried my face in the palms of my hands. “Not really.” “Honey.” Beouf’s heart was slowly breaking right in front of me. “That’s just not true.” “It is.” I snapped back. Against my hopes, she didn’t try to contradict me. “Why do you feel that way?” “f**k you, that’s why.” I wasn’t going to get drawn into an argument where nothing I said really mattered. “Come on out,” she repeated. “Let’s talk about this. Just you and me.” “No.” “Okay.” One…two… …eighty-eight…eighty-nine…ninety…ninety-one… “How about now?” Beouf asked. “Ready to talk to me like a big boy? Use your words instead of just saying mean things to try to hurt my feelings?” The operative word there had been ‘try’. She wasn’t going to admit that anything I said was having an effect on her. “Your classroom management is pretty good,” I said. “That’s about it, though. Everything else is snake oil.” Calling the legitimacy of her profession into question had struck a nerve. So I struck again. “Why do you think you have an indefinite timeline for student graduation? Why does Ivy get to stay forever? It’s because you don’t actually have a curriculum. You don’t actually teach anything.” She didn’t have anything to say to that. Not right away. I raised my head up out of my hands and re-established eye contact. “You’re not even a glorified babysitter like people joke about real teachers. Because you’re not even taking care of actual babies.” Beouf’s reply was immediate. “All those diapers of yours that I’ve changed would beg to differ.” Silence from me. I held my breath until eight….nine…ten seconds. “I’m ready to come out now,” I said. “We’re not going back inside until after we talk,” Beouf said. “Actually talk.” “Okay,” I sighed. “Deal.” I shifted my weight and crawled out towards her. My cheeks dry again and the crinkling coming from my pants were the only sounds I made. Gently smiling, Beouf offered me her hand; an unnecessary but kindly gesture. So I bit her. I bit her as hard as I could, right on the most tender part of the hand on the fleshy part between her thumb and forefinger, and hoped to break the skin. “OOOOOOOOW” Beouf howled. “MOTHER FUUUUUUU….UUUUDGE!” Even with me trying to make her bleed, she didn’t dare drop an f-bomb around me. I’d brought Ivy to tears like this, but Beouf was a trained teacher with nearly twenty years of dealing with folks like me. Ignoring the normal and natural reflex to try and yank her hand away, she fed into the bite, grabbing the back of my head with her free hand and shoving her palm deeper into my jaw like a wedge until it hurt so bad that I had to loosen up and release her. The Amazon examined her hand, looking at the tiny tooth sized indentations I’d left on her flesh. Astonishingly, I’d failed to draw blood. More astonishingly, she didn’t press her physical advantage. Beouf stayed seated there on the mulch by the tunnel. I was permitted to stand up. She kept her unmarred hand on my chest but attempted no grip to restrain me. “WHAT THE HELL, CLARK!” She shouted. “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” I brought my foot down on the mulch like it was a hammer. “YOU’RE MY PROBLEM, MELONY! YOU ARE! JUST YOU!” “WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME THAT?” She shouted back. My ears throbbed like I was right up next to the speaker at a heavy metal concert. She was a better screamer than me. Bigger lungs. More practice. Less tired. But I didn’t back down. “BECAUSE I’M AN ADULT! ADULTS CALL EACH OTHER BY THEIR FIRST NAMES ALL THE TIME IN PRIVATE!” It was getting harder and harder to yell. My throat was already raw. My normal speaking voice was becoming raspier and raspier with each shouted syllable. Still worth it. My shouting was not reciprocated. Beouf pouted out her lip in thought. “You didn’t before your Maturosis flared up.” My own lip threatened with a quiver. “Because before I didn’t need to,” I replied. “Back then you at least pretended like you thought I was an adult.” “You are an adult,” Beouf answered. “Physically. For your size. But on the inside, you’re a-” “Don’t say it, Mel.” I threatened. “Don’t. Stop it with that Maturosis bullshit. It’s not real.” I was allowed to take a step back. “It’s a fantasy you tell yourself so you can feel better about what you do. That’s it.” “Science suggests otherwise.” She dryly adjusted her glasses. I did not retreat. What I wanted more than anything was to wipe that smug look off her face. “Goddamn it, I hate you so much.” My growl was practically a hiss. “You haven’t had a dry day since you were enrolled,” Beouf said matter of factly. “Not one. I bet you're wet right now.” I blanched but admitted nothing. The state of my pants was besides the point. “Why would I? It’s not like you’d let me go to the bathroom.” “You haven’t asked to go since your first day,” she said. “Where you made me poop myself and sit in my own mess!” “Because you lost your potty training.” All of this happened so fluidly. Clearly, my ex-mentor had been thinking about this almost as much as I had. Why wouldn’t she? It was her job to make Littles believe in her fantasy world. “Which if you actually believe,” I countered, “you’ve made no attempt to help me back.” “Potty training isn’t my job.” Beouf shrugged. She seemed so calm and control, sitting there on the ground. With me standing up at my full height, I was the closest to her eye level that I could remember. How ironic yet appropriate. “If your Developmental Plateau merited it, you’d have a natural interest in trying for yourself. You haven’t.” “Because I know you won’t listen!” I said. “You never listen! You just find a conclusion you like and then make up whatever you need to make it true!” It felt amazing to say such a thing out loud. “I’m your co-worker one second, and then you think I’ve been stealing diapers because someone poisoned me and made me poop my pants? How does that make sense?” Beouf rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. I was a child talking of closet monsters. “Honey, there’s no evidence that you were poisoned. That was just a major flare up with your Maturosis is all. It’s what helped you get diagnosed.” I scoffed at the word ‘helped’. She tried to lean over and place her hand on my shoulder. I wasn’t having it. “No,” I said. “I don’t care that you were sneaking diapers out of my bathroom to try and stop it,” she kept going. “That was perfectly reasonable given the circumstances.” I tugged at my hair in disbelief. “See?!” I said. “You literally just did it. You predetermined and ignored all other evidence!” I smacked the back of my right hand into my left palm for emphasis. “You figured out that Forrest slipped me one of those wonky chocolates! You told Janet about it the second week of school, remember? Did it occur to you that she somehow might have done it before? Put one in my coffee or something?” “You know that’s impossible, honey.” Beouf said. “I brew a fresh pot every morning and all that sugary junk and syrups you liked were single use packaging that was tamper evident.” I was getting jittery and antsy. I wanted to keep shouting and pace the playground like some sort of courtroom drama. Beouf remained seated on the ground in her jeans and t-shirt. Beyond a minor outburst, she’d regained and retained her calm. She seemed comfortable. Reasonable. It was unnerving. “Okay, maybe she didn’t poison me,” I conceded. This wasn’t about Raine. Raine was beside the point. “Or maybe she did it some other way. Or maybe it wasn’t her. Maybe it was you!” Beouf clicked her tongue. “Do you know how silly you sound when you say that? Why would I do that?” she asked. It didn’t sound rhetorical to me. “You were a good teacher and this year just started.” “Yeah,” I stammered. “but-” “If I’d wanted to ‘frame’ you,” she said, “I could have just let Brollish and Ambrose get their way before Spring Break. I could have done something any day or any time from the first time we met.” Damnit, she had a point. Beouf had technically had my balls in a vice for years and never once squeezed. Any rationale I could devise sounded convoluted, even by Amazonian standards. “How did you know my wife’s name, then?” I demanded to know. “Cassie! How did you know about her?” I hadn’t figured that part out yet; had barely given myself time to wonder about it. It was a good question but one that felt irrelevant somehow, like I was grasping at straws. “Honey,” she replied as if the answer were painfully obvious. “It’s no secret you were married. You had a ring. You talked about going out with your wife plenty of times.” “But…but… Cassie! I never told you her name.” Now I had her! “Are you sure?” “Yes!” “Positive?” Suddenly I wasn’t. “Yes.” “You don’t think that once, not once, you maybe mentioned her name in passing? On accident? For as long as we worked together?” I squinted at her. I was being gaslit. I could feel it. “Did Tracy tell you or something?” It was too late to hold it against her, but it was a possibility. “She was your emergency contact, buddy,” Beouf spoke plainly. “On your personnel file. You filled it out pre-employment.” She gave me a second to process. “When I heard you’d had your accident I checked it because I knew you were married. Maturosis onset is an emergency.” The fire inside me was dimming and I hated it. “Okay,” I said. “Good point. An accident. Maybe I was just sick with a stomach bug. Remember the week before students came back when I ran to your bathroom? People get sick. Accidents happen. It doesn’t mean that…that…their personal block tower is flipping upside down or whatever!” “With Littles it usually does.” “You think I was stealing diapers?!” I screeched. I took a step closer. “Why?! Do you even count them?” I cut her off before she could say anything. “No. Don’t answer. I’m positive you don’t.” My feet kept moving. I was pacing. Doing laps around her while my emotions ramped up. “Did you think for even a second that your count seemed low that week for other reasons?! Maybe there was a defective one, or Zoge accidentally ripped a tape on a couple, or somebody peed in the middle of a change?” I stopped right in front of her. “Maybe some poor janitor snagged a couple overnight for their own kids?” She gave me no reply, verbal or otherwise. She might have been listening. She might have been going into neutral in another attempt to de-escalate. “Did any of that cross your mind?!” I said. “Doubt it. You had the vaguest of f***ing suspicions that you were down a few Monkeez and pinned it alll on me, the only mature Little you know!” She took a deep breath through her nose and gave me the most honest response she could, all things. “It just made sense.” “No,” I said. “It didn’t. It doesn’t.” “I’m sure it feels that way to you.” Just like that, I’d lost her again. “You don’t listen!” I wanted to roar. I settled for pacing laps and tugging at my hair. “You just pretend to when it’s convenient and then do what you were gonna do anyways.” “I bought those line leashes so you wouldn’t have to hold Ivy’s hand everyday,” Beouf said, like it disproved my entire thesis. “I did that for you.” My heels dug in when I was to her right, not that she turned her head. “No. You only do things for me when it benefits you. You only listen to the Littles in your class if it makes things easier or you can twist it in some way to make us act more babyish. You disregard literally everything else.” “You have to understand, honey,” Beouf said like she was reciting something. “I’m an expert on Maturosis. A professional. I know more about your condition than you do and you just have to accept that.” “I don’t have a condition!” My cracking voice protested. “Maturosis. Isn’t. Real. I do not have it because it’s not real. You can’t be an expert on something that isn’t real!” Was she just this self-deluded or was she more devious than I’d ever given her credit for? “If you really think that’s true, what does that say about you, Clark?” Now she turned her head to look at me. Really look. “If Maturosis is made up, and I’m some terrible crackpot who forces Littles into something that’s unnatural to them, then why did you work with me for so long?” A beat. “Why were we friends? Me being who I am and teaching what I teach wasn’t a dealbreaker for you until it directly impacted you.” My jaw dropped, but only for an instant. “And you treating me like I was an actual person with legitimate thoughts and feelings and a soul was just a game to you,” I fired back. “It was pretense. It was a side hustle. Don’t you dare shake your head no!” I growled. “The second I checked enough of your boxes you disregarded everything we’d been to each other and everything you knew about me. Ten years, Melony! Ten years down the drain like that!” I snapped my fingers and pictured flames leaping up from the tips. My so-called teacher, my friend that never was, averted her gaze. “It’s been…challenging for me, too, kiddo.” “Challenging?” I walked around to her front. “Challenging?! You threw me under the bus, Beouf! And in return you got allll this!” I spread my arms out wide and turned around a full circle. “You finally got your fancy playground!” “Wait just a second!” she seemed genuinely offended. “That’s not fair!” Oh the irony. “I’ve been lobbying for this playground for years. It’s not my fault Brollish decided to approve it when she did. That had nothing to do with me.” I didn’t want to admit that. “Okay,” I sneered. “Was it challenging for you to be my teacher instead of shipping me off to New Beginnings like you’d wanted to? Was it challenging to include me in your lesson plans instead of screwing me over and forgetting about me?” The Amazon flinched like I’d struck her. The gears in her head were turning and she was revisiting the fateful afternoon when my old life had ended. My personal apocalypse really had just been another Thursday to her. “Oh,” her expression softened. “Oh you poor thing.” She was shaking her head and untensing her muscles. She looked like she wanted to give me a hug. “Honey. No. I never would have let them send you to New Beginnings. I was just trying to stall until your Mommy got there.” I turned my back. This revisionist history wasn’t worth the spittle coming out from between the giantess’s lips. “If worse came to worse,” Beouf kept on, “I would have lied and let her Adopt you the next day. If she got cold feet for some reason I would have Adopted you for real. I would not have let them take you there. I promise.” I didn’t know how much I’d wanted to hear that until the words reached my ears . I just couldn’t bear it. “How the hell am I supposed to believe that?” I asked. Without thinking I’d spun around to look at her again. “You hurt me! Literally! Worst physical pain of my life!” My arms were wrapping around me, fingers digging into my shoulders and scratching as a way to relieve myself from that awful memory. “You shoved me in a tube!” I choked. “You stripped me naked, stole my wedding ring, and then zapped off all of my body hair within minutes of me having an accident! You couldn’t wait to get rid of me!” IIt was hurting to breathe again, getting harder and harder to say something without my voice warbling. “That’s not true,” Beouf said. Her composure was finally starting to mirror “Not at all.” “How is it not true?” I cried. “Even if everything you think about Maturosis is correct, even if I was doomed to need daycare for the rest of my life, why did you have to do that? Huh?” I would be crying again soon. I could feel it. Months away from the incident and the trauma felt as fresh as ever. “Body hair retains odor.” She sniffled, sounding unsure of herself. “Getting rid of it makes it easier to keep you clean and happy.” How dare she cite happiness? How dare she? “But why then?” I pressed. “Why right away? At school!? Five feet away from where I’d…” I couldn’t finish that thought, so I jumped to the next one. “You couldn’t have given me a day? A night?” My whole body was on fire. Phantom follicles screamed out in remembrance. “Or done something that hurt less? Some kind of cream?” I was so angry I was shaking. I released the grip on my shoulders and yanked down the front of my pants to show off that morning’s Monkeez. “Would these not fit if I still had my pubes?” I yanked my pants back up. It felt good to dress myself. “And you couldn’t tell me about Janet when we were alone? You couldn’t have given me even that comfort?” “I didn’t want you to accidentally give something away,” Melony sniffed again. “I didn’t know if Brollish had said anything or tried anything.” The confidence was leaving her and her voice was taking on a more wistful tone. “That and I wanted it to be a nice surprise. I knew Janet would be the best Mommy for you. She loves you even more than I do.” Love is not what I wanted to talk about; least of all Janet’s. “Admit it.” I leveled a finger at her. “You just couldn’t wait to take away my adulthood!” There it was. Ahead of schedule. My voice had regained some strength but my face was puffy and red and tears were trailing down me again. “Admit it!” “Some things hurt less if you just get them over with.” I could just barely hear her. “I was ripping a band-aid off.” “For who? You?” “Yes,” she said. “For me.” “What?” I started wiping my nose. Wiping my face and eyes. Shaking my head. Something must have been clogged. I wasn’t hearing what I thought I was hearing. “You’re not…” I stammered. “You’re not supposed to say that.” “Clark, buddy.” Beouf sighed. “Honey. Baby. Try to see it from my point of view.” She lowered her knees and made her legs flat. “I’ve known the whole time since we became friends that something like this might happen.” The corners of her mouth, once stuck in neutral, started to ooze towards the ground. “ I was ready for it for a while, but I started to think that maybe it wouldn’t happen to you.” Another wistful sigh. “Maturosis can lie completely dormant in a Little. Skip a generation. Skip several.” She moved from side to side. The whole world did. I felt dizzy and off balance, shaking my head and trying to make the confession not feel true coming from her. It didn’t matter that I’d heard or thought or deduced something similar. It didn’t make anything better. She’d never said all this out loud. Not to me. “So when it finally happened,” she explained, “I was in almost as much shock as you were.” She paused and her eyes clouded over. She was back there with me, on the other side of the tube. “To get through that day I had to let my training take over and I went on autopilot.” She gulped. “I’m sorry, honey. You’re right to be mad at Mrs. B. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I did.” “And I’m sorry.” Like me, her voice was strong, but her eyes had begun gently weeping. “I’m doing my best. We’re all doing our best. This is new to all of us. But I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel bad. I’ve never had a student who I knew before their Maturosis kicked in.” The wind was the only thing that answered her “If it makes you feel any better,” she cut the silence, “I still love you as a student and I want you to be happy. You really were my best fr-” ‘I’M STILL HERE YOU IDIOT!” I screamed and stomped. “I’M STILL HERE! RIGHT NOW! RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! I’M NOT DEAD!” I would not attend my own funeral twice. I refused. Unlike earlier when I yelled, Beouf looked shaken. “I know,” she replied meekly, almost a whisper. “NO. YOU DON’T! YOU TALK ABOUT ME LIKE I’M SOMEBODY DIFFERENT THAN I USED TO BE!” I had to stop yelling to keep myself from sobbing wordlessly. My next words came out soft yet somehow even harsher than my screams. “You talk about me like you don’t know me. I heard how you and Janet talked about me that night on the baby monitor.” I had to keep rubbing my eyes to see straight. I felt so stupid and pathetic and small. “You both talk about the old me and how I used to be. There is no ‘used to be’. There is no old me, Mel. There is no new me. There’s just…just…just me.” I wanted to lose myself to this sadness; this renewed grief. My knees gently buckled and I was sitting down on the ground across from my oldest companion. “The only thing that’s changed is how you think of me. That’s it. That’s all.” Beouf started quivering and crying for me. She took off her glasses and dabbed at her puffy pink eyes with her shirt sleeves. She allowed her own breath to lose its rhythm. And unlike every other time, she didn’t run or hide from me. “I’m still Clark,” I half-whispered into the gyre between us. “I’m still your friend. Why can’t you see that? Why are you mourning me when I’m right here in front of you?” “I don’t know what to do,” Melony wept. “There’s no training or documented research on this. None of this was supposed to happen.” Did I look that sad,I wondered? That pathetic? I must’ve looked worse. “I don’t know what to do.” “I’ve lost my job, Mrs. Beouf. I’ve lost the love of my life. My dignity has been stolen. I…I…” I had to wait for my throat to unclench. “I’m losing my f***ing toilet training. I don’t even have my last name anymore. This is the worst thing that could happen to a Little. You have no idea.” Not entirely true, I thought to myself. I’d seen more than enough proof to know that she had some idea of the horrors I’d gone through. “I’ve had nightmares about this my whole life,” I squeaked. “What I didn’t have nightmares about was you. I’ve lost you. And Janet. I feel like I’m about to lose Tracy again. f**k it, I even lost Zoge and I barely had her. And every day, I have to deal with you treating me like I’m a diagnosis.” Something in that spoke to her. “What do you mean?” “I’m not ‘Clark’ to you, anymore. I’m just his Maturosis.” A quiet sob followed by a river of hurt. “Everything you do or say to me or talk to other people about me is through some filter of how you think I’ll act because of it. Nothing is really my decision to you. Nothing is my fault. Nothing is me. It’s just my Maturosis. You don’t see me. You just see this pretend disease that you think I have.” It was then that Beouf said the two most surprising words I’d yet heard from her. “You’re right.” My lungs collapsed in shock. My brain wanted to shut down then and there. “You’re absolutely right,” she said. “I am so sorry. I’ve been trying to help you without really thinking about you.” She wiped her nose and replaced her glasses. “I miss you.” Nothing made sense. How could I feel what I was feeling? How could I be so angry with her and not hate her? How could I say I hated her to begin with? How could any of this be happening and why did it have to be now instead of never. How could I be nodding in agreement? “I…I…I miss coffee!” I blurted out. “I miss just sitting with you and complaining and talking about nothing. Or not talking at all and just sitting! I miss being with you! I miss being something besides your f***ing job! A project! I don’t even have coffee anymore! I WANT IT SO BAD!” “I MISS COFFEE TOO!” Any pretense of control left both of us and we both started full on ugly crying on the spot. She scooted closer and scooped me up into her lap. I let her and buried my face into her chest, wiping my nose on her shirt while she held me close in a hug that I didn’t want her to stop. “I’M SORRY! I’M SO SORRY, CLARK! I LOVE YOU!” “I LOVE YOU, TOO!” “YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND! I DON’T CARE THAT YOU HAVE MATUROSIS! YOU’RE STILL MY BEST FRIEND!” “I DON’T HAVE MATUROSIS! BUT YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND, TOO!” All words left us for a while. We just cried. And cried. And cried. And cried. Ten years of friendship and two months of animosity all rolled themselves into one tidal wave of emotions. And just when one of us thought we were done, the other started things going again. At some point, the therapists walked the others back to Beouf’s room. We heard their voices but no one called out to either of us. We wouldn’t have responded anyways. Words were too hard. For both of us. We just kept crying. Happy and sad tears. Relief and regret. We left nothing to chance. Nothing uncried. Finally, after we were both all out of tears for the day, I said something. “I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole,” I apologized. “I’m sorry I made you cry.” “I forgive you,” my mentor, my oldest friend said. “You’re not first.” “What do we do now?” She shifted me on her lap so she could check her phone. “Lunch.” “Then what?” “Nap. Recess. Dismissal. Faculty meeting for me. Babysitting for you.” “You know what I mean,” I said, too emotionally spent to be offended. “I don’t know, buddy,” Melony Beouf sighed. “I really don’t. That’s a tomorrow problem. Deal?” “Deal.”

Hi there, readers! I'm here with a little one-off inspired by the picture and story in the following link https://www.furaffinity.net/view/7854418/ . The picture was drawn by Oni-kun for Seifer, who wrote the story, and included a character from a friend of theirs that they lent to them. Thank you so much, Seifer, for letting me write out this story that yours and the pic sparked in my mind! And to everyone reading, I hope that you all enjoy it! The Games We Play by Panther Cub Ibilisi laid there on the grass, glaring at her squadmates. She could hear snickers and laughter coming from the crowd behind her, but she paid them no attention. She raised an eyebrow and looked at her fellow cheerleaders expectantly. "Well? Don't keep me waiting, dammit! You wanted this to happen, so you get to deal with it!" The it she was referring to was the fully loaded diaper, a Poopers' Brand no less, on display for all to see wrapped snugly around her waist. Despite having addressed the entire squad, she instead zeroed in on the vixen responsible for her current situation. I can't believe that Sheila was able to trick me! She's a damn idiot! As she was thinking this, she looked over to the open pack of diapers, proudly displaying the brand name, as well as the tub of wipes and the canister of baby powder that were all set up right next to her. "You pooping yourself is not my problem," Sheila said with a scoff, looking away, only to see that the other girls in their little group were icily looking at her. "What?! Don't tell me that you all think I should be the one to... change her!" It was after saying that a realization sparked to life in the cougar's mind. Wait a second... Sheila is an idiot! "It seems to me, Sheila, that it's only fair that you clean up your own mess," Ibi said with a smirk. The vixen whipped around to scowl at Ibi. "I don't think you're going to be acting so smug when the pictures people have taken and are still taking start making their rounds. You can pretend that you're not humiliated, but you, me, and everyone else here knows otherwise!" Sheila put her paws on her hips, swishing her tail with a self-congratulatory grin on her muzzle, which was quickly whipped away when Ibi rolled her eyes and snorted. "The worst that could possibly happen with this little prank of yours has already happened, Sheila," Ibi stated matter of factly with a smirk. "And sure, people will joke and laugh and bring up me filling my diaper in front from time to time, but in the end, that will fade. Someone will do something else to get everyone's attention, and then another, and then another." "So?" Sheila asked, trying to maintain her haughty attitude, and failing. "So... what if it didn't end? At least not right away." Ibi fought to maintain her cool and aloof demeanor. She may have fallen for Sheila's trap earlier, but she was still a veteran when it came to laying her own. "What do you mean?" Sheila asked, looking back at the other girls, who all seemed just as confused as she did. "What I mean is this. You clean up your mess right here and now, and not only will I continue to wear a diaper for the rest of the game, as we agreed, but I'll also be willing to make another, similar bet." She watched as Sheila stepped forward cautiously, but curiously. "What kind of bet?" As the vixen's tail slowly began to swish back and forth in excitement, Ibi knew that the bait had been taken. "If our team manages to win, I'll stay in diapers for all of next week. If they lose, you'll be the one to wear them. All week long." The vixen rubbed her chin as she mulled this over. "Well, that sounds like more of a risk for me than for you," Sheila said, crossing her arms and turning her nose up, surprising the cougar. "What?" Damn! Ibi thought. "You just said that the worst has already happened for you. People saw you in a diaper, that you pooped, and, if I agree to take this deal, will then have changed, right here in front of a stadium of witnesses! A week wearing diapers to school is nothing compared to that!" Sheila huffed, irritating Ibi. "Fine then, a month. And the winner gets to pick outfits for the loser to wear!" Even if she somehow lost, which didn't seem likely due to their team's performance so far, Ibi could do a month in diapers and ugly or humiliating clothes easily. Grinning internally, she knew she could make anything look good. "Yeah, no. That's not good enough for me. How about..." Sheila began to scratch her chin while looking thoughtful, her tail still swishing with excitement. "Loser has to wear diapers for the rest of the game season, as well as becomes the cheerleading squad's unofficial mascot, with all of us on the squad getting to be the loser's babysitters, pick outfits for said loser, and regularly check to see if they need a diaper change." At this, the other girls started to smile and whisper to each other in excitement. "O-oh, really?" Ibi tried to think about how confident she actually was that their school's team was going to lose this game. "Unless, of course, you don't think you can do it?" That got Ibi's attention, and indeed, her entire focus, on the smug grin Sheila was now sporting. "Which is understandable for a little Pawper-packer like yourself." So she thinks she's going to get me to chicken out?! We'll see about that! Ibi let her bitchy nature take over again. It helped see her through what would have been the most humiliating moment of a weaker girl's life, and it'll help her again. "Well then, why stop at just the end of the season? Why not until the end of the school year?" Ibi practically snarled. "How about the rest of this year and all of next?" The other cheerleaders couldn't believe that they were witnessing Sheila and Ibi haggle over how long the loser of their next bet would have to be in diapers. Most were amazed at how she tried to remain intimidating while laying there on the grass, next to the changing supplies, still waiting on a diaper change. "All the way through to graduation night!" Ibi said. That made the vixen pause, as though she only just now considered how much time in diapers that would be, and the considerable power that the winner could have over the loser. She looked pensive as she turned to look at their school's team, spotting her boyfriend talking to some of the other players on the sidelines. Ibi wasn't sure how much longer halftime was going to be, but it couldn't be much longer. That was when she thought of one more card she could play. The cougar followed Sheila's line of sight and caught the eye of the vixen's leopard boyfriend. She waved to him while winking suggestively. He looked at her confused, before he smiled and waved back. Diaper or not, Ibi was still practically a professional when it came to flirting. Sheila could see that he was looking away from her and realized just who he was waving at. Her tail bushed out and she had to bite back an angry yip. "DEAL!" Sheila dropped to her knees in front of Ibi and grabbed the container of wipes as well as a fresh diaper, making a big show of fluffing it out. Ibi, the crowd nearest them, several players, and the rest of their cheer squad, watched as the vixen tore both tapes and, with one paw, gathered up Ibilisi's legs at the ankles. Ibi couldn't help but blush a little from some sounds of disgust once her diaper was opened, and chose not to look down. She let out a sigh as she spotted a few people in the stands with their phones out to snap some more pictures and record her public diaper change. The cougar was surprised at how thorough Sheila was during the process. She used the front half of the diaper to clean up most of the mess, setting it aside. She then set about using a couple pawfuls of wipes to rigorously continue cleaning Ibi's bottom and other affected areas. She took a moment to use her free paw to ball them all up into the used diaper and tape it shut. Sheila slid the clean diaper under Ibi's bottom, and proceeded to give her a very liberal dusting of baby powder. After her legs were lowered and her front was also dusted, the front of the diaper was pulled up, and the tapes snugly attached. After taking a second to check the leg gathers, Ibilisi was rolled onto her side, so that Sheila could then affix the tape right above the tail. With that, she gave Ibi's padded bottom a hearty slap, signifying that the change was over, and smiling a little from the puff of powder that escaped as a result. "No different from when I have to babysit... well, aside from the size that is. Anyways, I think you're a big enough girl to be trusted to put her own skirt back on... for now," Sheila said in a sickeningly sweet voice used for very small children. She grabbed the balled up used diaper and carried it over to a nearby trash can, before jogging off to a nearby restroom. Ibi assumed it was so the vixen in question could wash her paws. Ibi blushed a little as she fastened her skirt back on, shooting the milling other cheerleaders a death glare. They scurried back to their squad's proper spot. As she started walking back towards them, crinkling a little as she did so, Ibi started to wonder if she'd made a mistake. "... Nah," she muttered to herself, ignoring the laughs she got as she picked up her pom-poms. "There's no way our team's going to win this one." * * * HOW COULD THEY WIN?! THEY FUMBLED ALMOST EVERY FREAKIN' PASS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAMN GAME!!! Ibi was livid, and blushing furiously as she heard the coos and excited chatter about what adorable outfits they could pick for her coming from her own squadmates. Her sour mood and the growing feeling of dread was a stark contrast to the players and fans in the stand celebrating the landslide, come-from-behind victory. When it became apparent that their team was going to win, Ibi had started to panic internally, not being helped by Sheila constantly catching her eye and grinning at her. Maybe she could talk Sheila out of this bet somehow... "Hey everyone! It looks like our squad's got a new mascot, Baby Ibilisi!" Ibi turned around to see Sheila holding the bullhorn that she was only supposed to use to help pump up the crowd or lead them in a cheer! The vixen seemed to be doing just that, as she practically skipped right over to the speechless cougar and, in one fluid motion, whipped Ibi's skirt off before throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Little Ibi here promised that if our team won, she was going to wear diapers all the way to graduation! Now that's dedication and some serious school spirit!" The stands erupted into cheers, and Ibi stood there, the rest of her squadmates practically beaming with elation, she forced a confident smirk and waved to the crowd. She wasn't sure how, but she knew that she was going to make Sheila pay. Monday Morning... Ibi confidently strode through the school's front doors, ignoring whispers and laughs she could hear from her peers as she passed. Any she fixed with a glare immediately shut up, bringing a smile to her face, despite the faint crinkling that came from under her skirt as she walked, albeit with a slight waddle. She was determined not to let this little setback ruin her meticulously crafted social life, nor let Sheila think for a moment that she won. The cougar may have lost the bet, but she would be damned before she would show a shred of weakness in front of that airheaded vixen. So what if she was stuck in diapers for the foreseeable future? Heading towards the locker room, her ears picking up on the faint sounds of excited chatter and giggles coming from her squad mates, she smirked. If they thought for one moment that her being the squad's unofficial baby mascot would mean she would no longer be calling the shots, or that she would be acting more meek, they were dead wrong. She pulled the double doors open and walked inside, her tail swishing as she entered her full bitch mode once again. She came to a stop just as the room fell silent, her paws on her hips. She looked at her squadmates, glowering at them as if to dare them to say anything about what they all knew she was wearing at that moment. Most quickly became uncomfortable and looked away, the exception not being at all a surprise to the cougar. "There she is!" Sheila practically skipped over to a duffel bag set on the ground near Ibi's locker. Ibilisi simply raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms, silently waiting for Sheila to continue. "Well don't be shy, little Ibi." Sheila spoke with a coo as she reached down and unzipped the bag, pulling out what at first Ibi thought was their cheer uniform. It was a bit wrong though, as the top and the skirt were connected, with an odd extra flap of cloth hanging down, clearly coming from within the skirt itself. On the chest was a print of a pacifier, almost identical to the one that was clipped to the top of the outfit, dangling from a pink lanyard. Ibi cringed internally as she realized what she was looking at, ensuring to maintain a cool outer demeanor. "Isn't it cute? We chipped in and got this made custom onesie just for you! And the skirt is even detachable, to make diaper changes easier," Sheila said, practically beaming with excitement as she pulled the skirt off, which Ibi only now realized was much shorter than their usual uniform skirts. "Well, that is pretty adorable, although I am curious about where you got it from," Ibilisi said after a moment of thinking it over. Like back at the game, the other cheerleaders looked at each other, confused at Ibilisi's response. Instead of humiliation or outright rage at the prospect of being made to wear such an infantile outfit, the cougar simply smiled and removed her skirt, revealing the padding underneath. "Uh, w-what are you doing, Ibi?" Shela asked this, also confused, and more than a little annoyed. She had been certain that this would have gotten more of a reaction out of the bitchy cougar. "We need to make sure it fits, don't we?" Ibi stated this simply, like she was talking about the weather. She unbuttoned her blouse, leaving her in just her pink bra and puffy white diaper. After folding up her clothes, she stepped over to the annoyed vixen and stood there expectantly. "Well?" Ibi asked, annoyed, once more putting her paws on her hips. "Well, what?" Sheila asked, confused. "In our deal, we agreed that the loser would be the squad's baby mascot, with all the other squadmates acting as the loser's babysitters," Ibi said with a bored tone, rolling her eyes. Sheila frowned, not liking the attitude she was getting. "Yeah?" Ibi rolled her eyes again and began to speak slowly, like she was talking to a child. "Since when do babies dress themselves?" Sheila scowled at that. "Fine!" She motioned for Ibi to raise her arms, to which the cougar was more than happy to comply, and then began to pull the onesie on her charge. Ibi's head popped through the neck hole, and her arms through the arm holes of the tanktop upper part. She looked down, being surprised a little when the pacifier was shoved into her mouth. "Be a good girl and keep that in for now for big sis Sheila, and maybe you'll get a special treat later," Sheila said, her tail wagging as she saw a slight blush on Ibi's face. The cougar complied, regaining her composure while Sheila made a show of taking a moment to check her diaper, before tugging the flap up over the front and snapping the buttons connecting it into place. It was a slightly snug fit, but Ibi found that it at least wasn't too tight. Sheila then clipped the skirt part back on, and Sheila saw that her earlier assessment was correct, it was a much shorter skirt than their usual uniform ones. This little piece of fabric barely covered the top third of the padded bulge around her waist, making it very clear to anyone looking just what Ibi was wearing. "Oh good, we got the measurements correct! Now we can order some more cute outfits!" Sheila gushed, grinning up at Ibi, while some of the now snickering other girls started to take pics of the babified cougar. Ibi saw that Sheila wasn't ready to back down, and she most certainly wasn't going to either. She really wants to commit to this game? Then so be it. "I'm glad, Sheila," Ibi said, spitting her brand new binky out, taking a dominant stand with her arms crossed. "I can't wait to see what other cute outfit ideas you all can come up with." The other cheerleaders were starting to look confused, due in no small part to the fact that even dressed in large baby clothes, Ibi seemed to radiate authority. As Ibi looked on, she could see that a few of the other girls realized that they had been poking a sleeping cougar alpha bitch who, despite wearing a diaper and onesie, was wide awake and more than a little intimidating with the grin on her muzzle. "Alright girls, I hope you're all pumped and bringing your A-game today. Our pyramid collapsing like that during Saturday's game was inexcusable and pathetic! We're going to be doing drills today, again and again and again. In fact, we're going to keep doing them each day until we can form a pyramid blindfolded and asleep. Am I understood?" "Uh, actually, little Ibi, I thought--" Sheila started, only to be cut off. "Thought what? That because of my new role that my old one as captain would suddenly be yours?" Ibi let out a chuckle at that, making Sheila's tail bush out in anger. "I don't think so. All that's really changed now is that you all are responsible for dressing me and changing my diapers, as far as I'm concerned. And everyone, be sure to thank Sheila for this new changeup for our squad. None of this would be possible without her." With that, Ibilisi gathered up her blouse and skirt and folded them, quickly putting them into her locker. She gave the other girls a wave before exiting to head to class, not at all acting concerned about her new outfit. All the while, the rest of the squad was glaring daggers at Sheila, who at first looked bewildered, and then annoyed. Without saying it outright, Ibilisi had challenged Sheila to a new game, to see who would break first and ask for this whole thing to be called off. "Ball's in your court, Sheila," Ibi muttered under her breath as she let her bitch mode take over again, not bothering to acknowledge any of the other students who stopped to stare. Epilogue... "Will you hurry it up? I don't want to be late!" Ibi complained from the pink changing mat she was laying on, her legs being held up by Sheila, who was in the middle of using one paw to deftly ball up the used diaper. She set it off to the side and grabbed the baby powder, giving the cougar's bottom a good dusting. "Hey, I'm not the one who picked right now to poop themselves, baby butt!" Sheila snapped, dusting the front of Ibi's diaper area, before setting her legs back down and pulling the front of the fresh diaper up. "You wanted this to happen," Ibi said, the pink plush wolf toy in her arms. However, internally, she was feeling anxious. Not that she would let Sheila see it. Ibi rolled over once the taped on the front were secured, so that Sheila could secure the last one above her tail. With the ever familiar pat to her padded posterior, Ibi began to get up. Currently, she was just wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the words Big Stinker on the front, and her new diaper. Once Sheila had tossed the balled up one into a nearby trash can, she then helped Ibi put on her dark blue cap and gown, a match to Sheila's own. "Alright, let's get this over with," Sheila said with an annoyed huff, taking Ibi by the paw, and leading her out of the ladies' room. They walked back to their seats, the vixen clearly annoyed that the names were already being called. "You just had to cut it so close," she hissed under her breath. Part of Ibi wanted to pop her thumb in her mouth, but instead kept it on her wolf plush. "When you have to go, you have to go," Ibi said simply, feigning a smug grin. When she heard her name being called, she passed the wolf to Sheila, who simply rolled her eyes and took it, before making her way up the stage. She flashed a confident smile as she looked out on her classmates, giving Sheila a wink. Inside, however, she felt a growing sense of dread. Sometime during the last year, she had found that she would start to have accidents. It started during the night as she slept, which the cougar was quick to write off. But then they started to become more frequent, and would sometimes even happen in the daytime when she was too focused, to suddenly realize she needed to go very badly. After that, she would start to wet or mess without even realizing she was doing it. Sheila and the other girls from their squad had thought she was doing it without telling them just to be a little more difficult. And as graduation had approached, the prideful cougar had found herself stuck in a rather unique situation. She and Sheila both refused to back down, and so Ibilisi couldn't allow for a moment of weakness to be shown. But, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she was gradually losing control of her potty training. After today is over, this whole thing will be over, and I can just switch back to non-disposable underwear soon, she thought to herself, accepting her diploma. She held it up with a look of triumph on her face as she looked directly at Sheila once more. As she started to step off the stage and head back to her seat, however, Ibi realized that her diaper was no longer crinkling, but instead was making a soft squish as she walked, signifying she'd wet herself. Maybe after a little adjustment period... As she walked, a certain vixen watched, almost missing her own name being called. She could see that Ibi was walking with a slightly more pronounced waddle, and she was trying to hide a blush. Sheila got up and passed the stuffed wolf to Ibi, who quickly took it, trying to look annoyed. But the gears were starting to turn in Sheila's head. Heading up the steps of the stage, the vixen's tail began to slowly wag. The vixen grinned as she accepted her diploma, looking for and quickly spotting Ibi, who had her thumb in her mouth. Their little game wasn't over yet, and it might be heading into overtime. And there you have it folks! This was a fun little one-shot!

So, this is the last chapter of part one. Fear not though, I already have almost all of part two completed and I should keep posting at least semi regularly. I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 4: Just Go Through and Find Out The next week was practically a blur for Patrick, but an odd feeling had been creeping in the pit of his stomach that persisted to today when he was leaving. Now, like all trips, there was a lot of preparation to be done, but having dealt with several aspects of his family’s house and belongings after his mom had died in the accident, this also felt far too eerily similar as if he was at least preparing to die himself as well. Based on the help that Brett had given him on the day he had accepted the offer, several processes had quickly fallen into place. As Patrick didn’t have a job currently, that was one less task to complete over most, but his insurance and medical dealings had been a nightmare to explain to what he was doing. Needless to say, he had to run a battery of tests and purchase some ‘kidnapping insurance.’ As the paperwork was filed, Patrick couldn’t help but feel that at least part of this was a mistake or that he should have at least asked more questions before agreeing to the deal. Next, his possessions were to be stored in a long-term facility provided by Psyche and all. “Just trust us and you can decide after your five years what you want to do with it all…” Those words had hit Patrick probably the hardest of most. Due to both his parents’ deaths and the few other family members who were still alive, he had inherited most of the historical stuff that had been passed from one generation to the next. While the cast iron skillet didn’t mean as much to him, items like old photos from holidays and parties long ago and his grandfather’s dog tags did. They were stored carefully and in a sealed room that could apparently withstand a nuclear blast, but it was still a sinking feeling as the door closed and all those items. Finally, the last person to inform was Mr. Stacci. Psyche had paid his rent to ensure he wouldn’t be thrown out for any unforeseen circumstances, but Patrick still had to inform the touchy and obese landlord. “You’re doing what?” “Leaving, Mr. Stacci. I’m going to be able to walk again but I’m going to the other dimension for a long time. I won’t be living here anymore. I can give you it in writing, but I just wanted to let you know first.” “The other… You stupid idiot! You’ll be their plaything in no time. Worthless little peon like you, I bet you’ll be sucking some broad’s tit in a week! Good riddance to you!” It had honestly gone better than he had expected, but the words still cut through him. It wasn’t like he didn’t think the same thing in his own way every night before he went to bed, when he woke up in the morning, or any free moment he had in the week since he had accepted the deal, but it was actually almost a fortuitous moment. Patrick had been filled with a bit of doubt after all the cogs were moving into place, but Mr. Stacci’s outburst over the news had only seemed to solidify why he had to go, nerves today be damned. Walking again was wonderful, getting off drugs was the icing on the cake, but a new start in some regard was swiftly becoming apparent as a wonderous byproduct of all this. Patrick sighed and smirked as he looked over his apartment one last time. All his possessions had been removed last night except for one box that would be shipped separately to the treatment facility and the few items that he needed for last night and this morning; OO would be by later to collect those. After one last check, Patrick grabbed his confirmation papers, keys, and wallet, and then headed downstairs. Not wanting to confront Mr. Stacci today, or for that matter ever again, he simply dropped a final bill into his small metal mailbox outside his first-floor apartment. It was a major relief and so, just like that, he was now fully committed to leaving and taking off on this new adventure. As discussed beforehand with Brett, a white van with ‘Oasis Opportunities’ painted on the side was waiting outside for him. “Mr. Patrick Henderson?” a suited man asked as he stood in front of it. “Yes, that’s me,” Patrick noted as he wheeled toward the driver and rear door next to him. “Excellent. You can call me Greg but first, just let me get the door for you.” Greg then turned around and pulled open the side door. A push of a button later and a small ramp extended down. “Thank you, Greg, and you can just call me Patrick.” “No problem, Patrick.” Patrick smiled at his driver and then wheeled himself into place. “Perfect. Let me just get those…” Greg then reached down and attached the appropriate straps and buckles to Patrick’s wheelchair and then offered him one more to serve as a seatbelt. After a click, Greg stood back. “There. That should all be good, so, with your permission, I think we best be off.” “Sounds good to me.” Greg smiled and then closed the door. A minute later, he was in the front seat starting the car engine out of its neutral position. Soon, the two were driving out of the city and toward the distant and slightly glimmering portal facility. After a moment of looking around him and seeing the city pass by his window, Patrick noticed a few hooks and other slots for what he knew could only be medical equipment. “I take it I’m not the first person with something medical to sit here, am I?” Greg looked into his rear mirror. “Not so much. I’ve been transporting a few people in this van to the portal facility for a good bit now. I’ve got some normal seats for those utilizing other programs, but Psyche has been growing steadily over the past year. Five new candidates in the past two weeks alone.” “Are there really so many of us willing to sign up for this program? I mean, even with all that’s been in the news?” “Eh. It’s not a flood mind you. Just a steady stream, really since about six months ago. I would say in the past months, you’re still only my third paralyzed passenger. Most have cancer, some autoimmune or genetically terminal disease lately. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same if I was in your all’s position.” Patrick frowned. “I didn’t come by it lightly you know…” “Oh, I get that,” Greg defended. “I’m just saying… five years in return for a better life, or even life itself? Who wouldn’t take that deal?” After a moment, Patrick knew that Greg could give him a straight answer that he had been wondering about for a bit that he knew he couldn’t have asked Brett. “You don’t think it’s rash, do you?” Patrick asked hesitantly. He had confirmed his willingness to go and signed all the documents, but there was still a hint of doubt running about in his mind. Greg could have been biased, but he was another person that could give their opinion for whatever that was worth. “Not really… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I would be hesitant as well. Lots of unknowns and going to an entirely new dimension. That’s some sci-fi level stuff right there.” He then looked in his rearview mirror and lowered his voice. “I probably shouldn’t even be saying this, but it gives me the willies to just think about it. Though… maybe take what I say with a grain of salt? After all, I’m the type of person who hesitates to even fly to see my parents in Tampa, so…” “No, I’m glad to have another opinion with this. Thank you.” The two smiled at each other in understanding. “Honestly, I think in any other circumstance, I wouldn’t touch that dimension if I was being paid a million dollars, but… my legs… it was just too much of an offer.” “Exactly. It’s a big pull that negates a lot of the other stuff. It’s a chance, so, I wouldn’t think too much on it. Psyche has got some great security if you just follow their rules. Stick to them and I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Patrick smiled at the kind advice given by Greg and just sat back in his wheelchair in the van. The next twenty minutes flew by and the two talked about pretty much everything from the growth of the city to who could win the next Superbowl with football season just starting back up again. Before he knew it though, the van had pulled up to the large portal facility. “Here we are. Let me help get you out.” Greg then hopped out of the van while keeping the engine running and made his way over to the side and opened the door. After a few fumbling’s, Patrick was finally released, and he rolled down the once more extended ramp. “Thank you, Greg. You’re a good driver and I appreciated your opinion and you talking to me. Kept me distracted from all… this,” Patrick said, gesturing to the large almost airport terminal style of building from this side. Greg smiled in gratitude for the compliment. “No problem, Patrick. You’ll do fine. Just listen to the rules and I’ll probably be the one to see you in five years.” The pair then shook hands and with a nod of his head, Greg returned to his van and drove off. Now relatively alone, Patrick turned about and viewed the building before him. The drop-off zone was a long stretch that surprisingly had several other people offloading as well. Portal travel had become an increasingly tempting vacation destination, despite the risks. Like most airport terminals, the drop-off zone was cordoned off into particular destinations. Previous travel could really only link one portal on this side to one portal on that side. Even ten years after, portals could be highly finicky over where they sent you when more than one was involved. Patrick had even heard about one couple that had been sent to Honshu instead of Gaule. Fortunately, the travel company was prepared and soon had them sent free of charge to their intended destination before they could be claimed by a Big for being ‘neglected’ as they had put it. Now, Patrick stared up at the large sign about to embark on his own journey. “Gate 6, Libertalia.” With a sigh, he then wheeled himself forward through the automatic doors and to the check-in area. Once inside, he quickly found the front desk where he would check in and then hopped in line. After a few minutes in the small line, he was up next. “Hello, sir. Where are you off to today?” the kindly travel receptionist asked as Patrick got closer. “Uh, I have this…” Patrick then handed her a laminated card that Brett had sent him the other day. Due to the specialized nature of the program and possible medical concerns, all travelers needed to go to a specific gate for ‘extra precautions’ as Brett had explained. ‘Whatever that means…’ The receptionist looked at the card with wide eyes. “I see. Well, let me just get you all checked in and we’ll have you out of here in no time.” Several clicks and clacks later and she handed the card back to Patrick. “Okay! You’re all set, so just go right through those doors with the big ‘13’ on them. There should be several other helpers over there to guide you, but just follow the signs if you get lost or turned around for whatever reason.” Patrick then took the card from her. “Thank you.” “No problem. Enjoy your time!” Patrick nodded and then wheeled himself over to the doors marked with a large and orange-colored ’13.’ Fortunately, they were automatic and opened wide and long enough for Patrick to pass through without any issue. A brief ride down the corridor later and Patrick arrived at the waiting zone and parked himself in the area designated as ’13C-2.’ Soon, a helper came up to him. “Ticket please.” “Patrick then handed the man his laminated card.” The man took it without a word and scanned the barcode on the bottom. “To confirm… Libertalia, state of Crescentia, station 2.” Patrick hesitated over those last two bits but just nodded. He had heard them briefly talked about as the location for where his Psyche facility was located at when he did some research online, but he was still a little frustrated at Brett for not giving out that information and at himself for not asking more questions once again. Of course, Patrick knew that sometimes state names were the same in Libertalia as they were here in the US, but other times… they really did mark the dimension as being a foreign land in an entirely other dimension. “Good. Just wait here and a shuttle will pick you up.” The man then looked at his watch. “Should only be a minute or more, so just stay here. Don’t go wandering off to check out the shops or eateries. I don’t want you to miss your window.” Patrick nodded and stayed put. There were only three portal exits, so their locations had to be rotated to take in the most people they could at one time. Sometimes, according to Brett, one could wait up to three hours to be called up next, but Patrick soon saw the small transit car pull up to the glass door in front of the door and the flooring around his area lit up. The doors then opened, and after the nearby attendant confirmed this was his, Patrick wheeled himself into place. Two others got on, but neither seemed sick. Likely, they were probably just visiting Crescentia and were not a part of Psyche. ‘Would any of us ever make the return trip back here?’ Patrick shook his head at the morbid thought and decided to distract himself by looking out the window. Large and glowing blue cables ran alongside them as their train car moved toward another large building. This one was smaller and squatter and almost even appeared as just a warehouse type of building, but all the glowing cables leading to it gave it an almost unearthly aura. The train then shuddered to a stop and the front doors opened. Patrick let the other two off first and then rolled out himself. To his surprise, a few others were already there, but most surprisingly, Nurse Patricia was standing on the platform with a large smile. “Hello, Patrick!” “Patricia? What are you doing here?” Patrick asked as his wheelchair cleared the train car. “Oh, I work here for half the week a lot of times, but I knew you were going, so I thought a friendly face might do you well. Any nerves?” “A little…” Patrick admitted. “Awww. Well, that’s okay, and to be honest, kind of expected, but you’re in good hands with me.” Her smile would have almost been frightening if it didn’t also convey a vast sense of warmth and comfort at the same time. Patrick eagerly took in her kind gestures with thanks. Despite her near saccharine nature, it did kind of feel good before embarking on this journey. “Thank you, Patricia. So, what’s next?” “Well, I’ll have you just follow me.” She strutted off and waved for him to follow. After a second, she stopped at a small metallic table with various implements on it. “So, normally, we would just give you a pill these days, but because of your medical history and all, we don’t want to take any chances!” “So, a shot?” Patrick asked, warily looking at the syringe filled with an ominous green liquid. “I’m afraid so, but I don’t want you exacerbating your injury, so just relax and I’ll have this over in a jiffy!” Patrick nodded and tried to center himself to calm down a bit. Patricia noticed and took the opportunity to quickly wipe his arm down with an alcohol swab before deftly inserting the needle. A hot pain surged through his arm but strangely enough, Patrick swore he could taste strawberry afterward. He then smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to get rid of the random flavor. “Is that…?” Patricia giggled. “Yep! One of the newest things from the other dimension. A shot that gives you the sensation of sucking a lollipop right after. A bit odd and I’ll still hand out a sucker back in my usual practice normally for those who want one, but it’s a nice flourish here with all this…” she gestured around, “scary stuff.” “Fair enough.” Patrick looked around and saw a large circular metallic ring at the end of the room. Dozens of wires pulsed with the same glowing blue that he had seen outside and leading into here. Everything seemed to hum as he edged closer to it. “So, is that it?” “Yep!” Patricia said excitedly. “That’s the portal. It’s just taking a second to recharge, but soon, we’ll have you on your way in no time.” She then reached back over to the metal tray. “Now, say ‘ah.’” Patrick hesitated but complied. “Ah,” he said as he trustingly opened his mouth. Patricia smiled and wasted no time by quickly inserting a small probe into his mouth and giving it a tiny swirl. “There,” she said, removing the device after about a minute of her probing. “That should be all I need…” Patrick sputtered a little bit after the intrusion. “What was that thing?” “Oh, just a little check.” Patricia was giddily tapping a few of the buttons on her touch screen before it loudly beeped. “There! All done.” She then surveyed the results that flashed before her. “Excellent. To answer your question further now, it was just a device that can give me all your vitals and all your medical stats. If you had anything from a cough to cancer, this thing would register it, but good news, you don’t have any of that other stuff!” “Would that change anything if I did?” Patrick asked, thinking back to the other people that Greg had ferried here lately that he had talked about. “Not really… just would need to give those people another booster is all. Portal travel used to be much harsher on the human body. The Bigs can withstand it more, but some of the first of us humans were nearly torn to shreds when they first went through.” Patrick looked at her with a sudden and immense amount of panic. Patricia only laughed when she saw his reaction. “Oh, Patrick! No need to worry, honey. It’s much better now. The shot I gave you and the other, if you had been sick, are just to ensure that without any doubt, okay?” “Yeah… okay,” Patrick responded, still looking at the portal with a new sense of dread. “Hmmm… not sure if I believe you completely, but it will have to do for now.” Patricia then turned back around to the metal tray and set the device back on its surface. In exchange, she then picked up a small cup that contained two large gray pills. “Here,” she said turning back around and handing the pills to Patrick. “Take these. I have a glass of water to make them go down easier.” “What are they?” Patrick asked, taking the pills but still eyeing them suspiciously. “Just further help with the portal. Everyone going through takes them. If you didn’t, you’d be fine going there, but there would be a high chance that we couldn’t get you back over here.” Patrick then raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Please don’t ask me to explain that one. A bunch of scientific stuff that goes way over most people’s heads these days, but I promise, they’re completely safe.” Patrick hesitated for a moment but then nodded and took the pills. He then readily accepted the glass of water next being offered by Patricia to wash everything down completely. After a second, Patricia smiled. “Excellent. Let’s go over to the portal now.” Patrick nodded and wheeled himself over to the base of the portal. It was raised slightly, but possibly with people like him in mind, a small wheelchair accessible ramp went up to the platform near its opening. Suddenly, the room began to vibrate and hum with a furious vigor that almost seemed like it wanted to tear the room in two. The previously open circle then filled with an almost mercuric liquid that quickly shimmied off the glowing blue cables underneath it. It was all very otherworldly and mesmerizing. Still though, everyone plugged their ears for the twenty or so seconds that it all lasted. Finally, though, the noise stopped and the near liquid matter inside the large metal circle halted and then only rippled slightly afterward. “What the hell was that?” one of the people in front of Patrick asked in a state of panic. One of the men in lab coats then stepped up. “No need to be alarmed. All perfectly normal in these proceedings. Doesn’t always happen, but we had to turn the portal off to recharge it. What you all witnessed was essentially the portal device puncturing a small hole in our universe. Most of the recent advancements in technology have only been in effort to better reseal the hole.” The two people in front of Patrick seemed less than convinced but Patrick was just glad the noise had ceased. The vibrations alone had shaken his chair to the point that he was even worried that it would collapse in a pile of rubble. “Now,” the scientist continued, “we shall proceed. Each of you shall come forth one at a time and go when we tell you. Only when we tell you. Understood?” Patrick and the others nodded their heads in silent acknowledgement. “Good. First up!” The man walked forward cautiously and made his way quickly to the scientist and the portal entrance. “Just step into the liquid looking part. Physics should take care of the rest.” The man nodded, took a breath, and stepped right in. No scream or cry of any sort could be heard, and the liquid only seemed to ripple more heavily as it encased his body entirely. “Wow…” Patrick said, almost without thinking about it. “Indeed,” the scientist mused. “Next!” The woman then stepped up and the process was repeated. “Next!” the scientist shouted again. After a few moments, it was now his turn. Patrick hesitated but quickly rolled up to where the others had gone. It took him a minute longer with the ramp, but soon, he was face to face with the large and nearly mirrored surface. The scientist stared down at him. “Okay… a bit different for you, but just wheel yourself into the surface. You might experience a little more delay in the effects of it all, but don’t panic. It will all still work. Just take a breath and proceed on through.” Patrick nodded and took a breath as instructed. The surface showed a hazy outline of his reflection and arcs of neon blue bathed him in the near mystical lighting. The past week and his future all depended on this, so with another breath, he wheeled himself into the rippling substance. * * * At first it felt like he was just being dunked into the surface of a pool, but all his insides soon felt like they were being stuffed into a tiny glass beaker at a very high speed. The world seemed to drop and then plummet forward as if he was a giant asteroid ready to destroy whatever lay before him. Instead, he just opened his eyes once more when the pulling sensation stopped. A blast of white smoke enveloped his entire body and left him coughing for a moment with whatever it was. For some strange reason, it almost tasted oddly like burnt marshmallows. “Sorry there,” a voice said from above, “got a little too carried away on that one.” “Wha…?” Patrick looked about but the smoke was still around him and partially blinded him. As he looked around though, he quickly noticed that his arm was smoking on its own. “Oh, shit! I’m on fire! I’m on fire!” He quickly smacked his arm, but it only seemed to make the smoke grow in intensity. “Oh, whoops! Let me get that for you,” the voice said again. Patrick fought his entire bodily instinct but stopped patting the spot to put out the smoke. Gratefully, a hand pierced the veil of the surrounding smoke with a green cloth and patted the small smoke cloud completely out. In his panic over the smoke, he hadn’t noticed anything about the hand, and it just seemed like any other. With the smoke out and the fog dissipating more though, it was immediately apparent of the enormity of the appendage now placed on his own arm. The nearly nine inches across blue-gloved hand moved about. It wasn’t immediately threatening him or anything like that, but it was still disturbing to see something up close that was almost twice the size of the own width of your hand. Normality is what you get used to, so being an adult, size differences were mostly subtle, barring athletes or world record holders. This hand disparity, however, was anything but subtle. With a gulp, Patrick then absentmindedly traced the hand back to the arm and then the face at the top of the body before him. Embarrassingly but fittingly enough, Patrick let out a little squeak. “Oh, easy there, little one. No need to panic. All is good, sweetheart,” the woman coaxed gently. She wasn’t even tall, but the portal had a slightly unknown effect on travelers in that it would heighten their emotions in the five or so minutes after they stepped, or in this case, wheeled through the portal. Patrick was no exception, and his system started to quickly pump adrenaline through his veins to cut through his slight daze. Patrick’s eyes widened and he gripped his wheelchair firmly and shot backward to the side of the portal platform. “Stay back! Now! I’m not just some Little you can kidnap!” The woman chuckled as if all this was scarily coming from a child. Patrick gulped and he could feel the fear rising in his body as she got closer to him, her height nearly blocking out all the light in front of him. Getting the ability to walk back was huge, but this was only the first few minutes of his first day here of the next five years. So far, it was not going how he wanted it to, and deep down, he couldn’t help but ask himself, ‘Have I made a mistake?’

Chapter 51: Competitions I WAS SLOWLY eating a plate of pasta while waiting for Beth to catch up. She’d left her stuff down, and I figured she’d be back any moment. That was when Jack, Levi, and Elijah from my nest and another boy I vaguely remembered being introduced as Ezra came and sat down without asking at the table. I hoped maybe they were there as friends, unlike Grayson and Liam, who had stood up and left with some others before Beth came by. “So, you’re nothing but a helper, huh?” Elijah said in a tone that quickly dispelled any hopes of friendship. “Huh?” I asked, “What’s a helper?” “Stupid baby doesn’t know what a helper is?” Ezra sneered. “It’s you!” “How?” “How is right! How is it you are the only one in our entire dorm not in a diaper yet?!?” Jack asked. “Not to mention the only one still allowed a potty chart,” Levi complained. “Honestly, I have no idea why I’ve not had accidents like you guys…” I started to say. “Accidents are actual accidents, you little helper; these are full-on brainwashing, and you are in league with the enemy!” Elijah accused. “What…?” I asked. “My friend saw you at the welcome back night! After lights out in our dorm! Your future mommy Mackenzie took you as a treat for you being a helper!” Jack accused. “Yeah, and you’ve been up every morning before us. I asked Liam, and he said you get to go swimming with your mommy every morning!” Elijah said. “And you get to go off-campus on the weekends?!?” Levi piped in. “I didn’t ask for…” I was genuinely feeling like I was a little kid getting ready to get jumped for something on the playground right then. Just as I was about to try and say something else, I heard a voice clearing, “Well, hello, boys!” the sickly-sweet voice of Miss Madelyn cooed at us. “Are you all having fun together?” She came closer and knelt by the end of the table, “Playing nicely together?” “Yes, Miss Madelyn,” Levi said nervously. “Huh… Because I get the feeling you’re not. Why don’t you three leave this nice little boy alone and come eat lunch with me here? I’m guessing he has lots of important studying he needs to do based on what he’s reading. As soon as I finish lunch, I’ll even change those soggy diapees you’re all wearing!” They all looked at each other before Ezra said, “Sure, Miss Madelyn, that sounds great!” Elijah was a straggler, and he left saying, “You better watch your back, helper. I will make sure you aren’t on some pedestal much longer!” I was stunned and trying to figure out what the hell happened since Friday when Beth returned with a concerned look. “What did they want?” she asked. “To warn me?” I said tentatively. “They think I’m some kind of ‘helper?’” She made a face at that. “What exactly is a helper?” I asked. “Think teacher’s pet… but worse. Littles think they’re sell-outs who help Bigs capture and destroy Littles. It’s probably one of the worst things they can think of a person?” “Great!” I said. “I just hope I don’t have to beat them up…” “What are they angry about?” “Mackenzie letting me swim, taking me to the welcome back night, me getting to go off-campus for the weekends… and of course, the fact I’m still using the potty.” “This semester sucks,” she said to me. “Yeah, parts of it do…” We ate quietly, and I asked her, “Would it be better if I just gave up the potty and went back to diapers?” She shook her head, “At this point, I don’t think so… maybe if you’d been here this weekend.” “I just hope they don’t do anything too stupid,” I worried. I looked at the time, “Guess I need to get to the seminar… I’ll see you in cinema class? Save a seat for me?” “Of course,” she said. I walked over towards her, said, “Thanks,” and hugged her before disappearing via a bathroom stop and heading to Destiny Hall. Several nest mothers were at the door and doing diaper checks. We had about ten minutes before class, so they thought they had time to change them. I was stopped by Miss Lucy, “Well, hi there, Connor!” “Hi, Miss Lucy.” “I just want to check to see if you had an accident? Do you mind?” She asked sweetly. “I didn’t have one, but I know you’ll check anyway.” She smiled. I expected her to pull my pants down, but instead, she just reached her hand inside and felt the Pull-Up, then turned me around to look at the back. “Well, look this big boy! All clean and dry, and the only one still wearing big boy pants, too!” I blushed, “May I go sit down now?” “Why sure, sweetie!” As I walked away, another wasn’t so clean. “Wow, Tina! What a messy diapee! Let’s just change that real quick!” I turned and was stunned that the girl was just pushed onto a changing mat spread out on the floor by the door. She was stripped naked in front of the other entering students for her diaper change as if she were a toddler with no privacy concerns! I blushed but found a seat next to Ava and Amy. “Hi,” I said, nervous they would hate me too. “Hey!” Ava said, “How come we didn’t see you this weekend?” “Went home with my grandma again,” I told her. “You’re so lucky!” Amy said. “I don’t know what they did to us… but everyone is in diapers now!” “I heard,” I told them. Anxious to switch subjects, I asked, “How are your classes going?” “Great!!!” Amy said. “Physics here is so much fun!” She paused, “even if I don’t understand half of the terms they use?” “I’ve had that problem in some of my classes, but I think I’m catching up with a lot of studying,” I told her. “I need to study more, but they keep putting us to bed sooooo early! Especially since whatever happened this weekend? We lost three girls from our nest, and now the whole dorm has to go to bed by 6?!?” “Yeah, that will be rough for me today; my last class doesn’t end until 5!” I mentioned. “How about you, Ava?” I asked. “History here is so intriguing, but it is also really hard to keep track of differences. It’s like we have parallel cultures on some things, and they’re the exact same names and events, but then bam! One change and everything is out of whack! Like this whole Base Sixty math that never disappeared after the Babylonian civilization…?” Ava could have nerded out on a conversation for hours more, but Dean Northrup came to the lectern right then. “Good afternoon, boys and girls!” She said in a sweet voice that made me want to gag. “Good afternoon,” everyone, in unison, said back to her. “We have a bit of special information for you all today! We seem to have had a setback in using the potty for nearly everyone in the dorms, so we wanted to make sure we talked about when and who may change you!” I was sure no one was in the room looking forward to this conversation! “Now, first of all, please do remember once you lose your potty privileges, we feel it’s best that adults now take care of your needs. That’s why you are not allowed to change your own diapers. We’ve found that if you all do that, too often you end up with rashes because…” Dean Northrup droned on and on, and on, and on… and on! For the better part of the hour, she sold every one that diapers were good, and she was so happy everyone was willing to trust their needs to the adults. Mom had tried to explain the gaslighting at Emerson to me, but I never could have imagined how deep it went without seeing it in person! When she finally finished and dismissed us, I only wanted to get as far from there as possible. Of course, Dean Northrup had to find me and corner me! “Well, hello, Mister Slane,” she smiled at me, “And just how are you today?” “Good, ma’am,” I told her with a forced smile. “I’m glad to hear that! I was so amazed when I heard one Little wasn’t wearing diapers yet, but when I heard who it was, I wasn’t overly surprised! Your mother was a resourceful little girl, too, wasn’t she?” “So, I’ve heard,” I said. “Well, keep on doing well with the potty! You can hold that torch for everyone else, and maybe they’ll want to grow up and be a big kid like you someday, too!” By the time I left the conversation, I had a headache! BETH SAT IN a chair and kept an eye out for Connor to come join her. They’d been directed to split up about the room within their ‘studios.’ Kelly had been in the room already when she came in, and she was intentionally sitting as far away in her group as she could from her. “My script is definitely going to be the best we could do!” she told a group mate. “I guarantee it’s good enough to be a real pilot!” “What’s yours about again?” The guy who Beth couldn’t remember his name asked. “It’s about…” she said when Beth was distracted as someone poked her. “Hey,” the voice asked, “Anyone sitting here?” She looked down to see Connor, “You?” She shook her head before adding, “Dork!” she watched as he put together his very innovative folding booster. “I’ve been meaning to ask, where did you get that? I don’t think I’ve seen one like it before?” “I brought it from home. Mom and I hoped I wouldn’t shrink, but we decided to be prepared in case I did.” “It’s really cool how it folds and assembles!” “Thanks, it’s something the inventor figured out via origami, I guess. I love how flat it packs since I’m hauling it everywhere.” Beth found herself nodding, “It does seem convenient.” She leaned in, “How was seminar?” “Horrible,” Connor told her just as quietly. “Special?” “I’ve only been to one other one. Today was about how great it was that everyone had failed potty training but one Little…” “Oh…” “Yeah, I’m really worrying about sticking out,” Connor told her. Before he could talk more, Dr. Wyler stepped up to speak. “Good afternoon, everyone! Today, we will have a class focused on how you can use advanced holo-imaging to create your scenery for your shoots. In the past, for a class like this, you would be severely limited in locations to shoot, ability to construct sets, etc. Fortunately, we’ve advanced holo-imaging in the past decade, so you can construct sets holographically using our design suite!” Beth had been well aware of what was possible with holoprojection. Still, even she was amazed at how easy it was to construct sets in one of their three soundstages within the building. Dr. Wyler had each group experiment with the software before they traveled as a class to one of the stages and took turns displaying it. Connor seemed in heaven throughout it! She thought it was adorable how excited he was by everything he could do with the technology. Their class was an extended time on Tuesdays. After a generous ten-minute break in the middle, when she and Connor hit the restrooms, they returned to the primary classroom. ‘At least this class is fun with Connor in it,’ she thought to herself, ‘almost enough to forget Kelly is in here!’ “OKAY, SO TODAY was about showing you the tools you’ll have available for set design. Nothing will be out of range of the scripts I’ve seen from the screenwriting class. In the past, we’ve had some groups who have wanted to do the same script, and I’ve had to come up with some unique ways to decide how you can get ‘first dibs,’ so to speak.” I sat up, wondering what he was going to do. “So, this year, I’ve decided to devise a series of challenges that your groups will compete in for the rest of the class today. There will be four challenges, with first place on any challenge earning one million ‘dollars’ towards your budget, second place earning seven-hundred-fifty-thousand ‘dollars,’ and third place earning two-hundred-fifty-thousand. We will then have an auction on Thursday in class with the directors bidding on the script your group wants.” ‘That’s actually kind of cool,’ I couldn’t help but think! Looking at our group, I felt like the girl who was our producer was a good asset. I still hadn’t looked her up, but I’d been assured she’d been a successful tween and teen TV and movie starlet. The director also seemed to have his act together, but we had a few others, like Kelly, that could be roadblocks. “So, first challenge!” Dr. Wyler activated a projected scene in the middle of the class. “You’ve got one minute to memorize this scene, starting now!” I stared at it intently, taking in every detail I could before it cut off. “Using the cameras you have for your group, recreate that scene! The closest to it wins!” “You have fifteen minutes, starting now!” Sebastian did an excellent job of instantly asking, “Okay, what do you remember about it? Will, can you write it down?” We spent five minutes making notes, with Will asking everyone about details about the focus fields. After two quick takes of us filling in the actors’ spots and trying to get the camera fields correct, we heard, “Time!” “I hope we got it well enough!” Mason, our lighting director, said. He’d done his best to use the portable lighting equipment to put the shadows in the right spots. The second challenge involved recreating a sound effect. Charlotte was fantastic for this because she’d hung around enough sets that she actually knew how the specific effect had been made originally. Dr. Wyler had left us supplies, so she’d gone straight to a chicken bone and said, “We just need to break this and record it!” We had seven extra minutes in the round, which cost us in the next challenge. Kelly began opening her mouth about how great she was at things, and about half the group was already sick of hearing her talk. Since the third task involved acting and randomly chosen group members to do so before recording it, it set us back when Kelly was selected as an actress. She wasn’t the worst, but she wouldn’t take direction whatsoever! We had fifteen minutes to record thirty seconds of dialogue, and we didn’t finish the full amount in the end! “Listen, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, little girl,” Sebastian was pissed, “But you will listen to direction, or we will make sure that Dr. Wyler knows you don’t deserve credit for any of our projects, and you WILL fail!” “You can’t…” Kelly tried to gripe. “Yes, we can!” Charlotte said coolly. To her credit, Kelly finally shut up! The final task was one that the rest of the group allowed me to get my hands dirty. It was a task to create a specific set of scenery. The others had seen my curiosity and understanding before in the demonstration, and I was quickly filling in every bit of extra detail to the scene I could. It was a garden scene with a huge multi-tier water fountain that bubbled water downwards into a pond with some koi fish that swam through the water. Grass surrounded the sidewalks; there were flowers, roses, and quite a few details, like wind blowing through the scene and pollen being visible. When time was called, we went down to the soundstage and took turns viewing and taking pictures and videos of the scenery. We were back in the classroom for the last ten minutes of class. “Okay, a few other professors are helping me judge these tonight. I will tell you the results on Thursday in class, and we’ll hold the auction. I highly recommend taking some time and reading the summaries of the scripts. There is one that is completely finished on the page you can read. Honestly, I have a feeling it’ll be the script that takes the most money to win the rights!” “I recommend getting a group chat or something going so you can all talk in the evenings. That’ll be it for class today; we’ll see you Tuesday!” Our group quickly got together on an app that Sebastian thought would work well, and we could now chat more easily. As Beth and I were leaving, Charlotte approached me, “That was really impressive that you programmed that scenery that quickly!” “Thanks!” I told her. “Thank you for you and Sebastian taking charge; it helped us do well in there.” “If only the little prima donna had listened better,” she said with a shake of her head. “That completed script, it’s yours, right?” I nodded, “I think it should be a lot of fun to do?” “I agree! It’s my first choice. Hopefully, we won enough today to win the script during the auction! “Yeah,” I said. I looked at the time, “Listen, I’ll see you Thursday. I have to run if I’m going to get anything to eat before these early lights out they’ve given us…” “I heard about that; sorry you’re stuck there. See you Thursday!” “Come on,” Beth said, “You really don’t have much time…” “I know,” I sighed. I hurriedly grabbed a burger and inhaled it before heading to the dorm with thirty minutes to spare before lights out. As I visited the bathroom, no one talked to me, and Mackenzie added gold stars to my chart. I frantically tried to get some studying in for my first class on Wednesday. I was grateful she put me off till the last for the night diaper after another quick potty trip. “Swim again tomorrow?” she asked me. I thought about how it was pissing everyone else off, but I didn’t know that could be helped, “Please?” “Sure! I’m down seven pounds in the past couple of weeks; I think a lot is due to swimming with you!” I smiled at her, “Glad to hear it’s helping you too.” She pulled the front of the pod down after I climbed in. “Do you need anything?” she asked. I shook my head, “No?” “Well, since we’re sending you all to bed early, I’m going to give you a cup of water in case you get thirsty,” she said while handing me a sippy cup complete with cartoons. “Umm… thanks.” “Good night, sweetie,” she said. “Good night,” I told her. For some reason, I didn’t fall asleep right away that night, but I still wouldn’t drink that water, no matter how thirsty I was! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I love seeing readers guess where things are going! I appreciate your patience for about the next month and a half with postings; my work schedule is long until then. I will probably post late Saturday night next week. Remember In-Between is now available on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) All of my books except this one are now available on Amazon Kindle!

Chapter 23: Testing the Waters Parum Mortis – LittleFallenPrincess “Auntie Bea…” Lucy asked in that cute way kids do when they want something. “Yes sweetie?” Bea replied, turning away from the screen. It had been about an hour now, and we mostly just sat in silence the whole time, watching cartoons. We didn’t say a word to each other, probably because Lucy was attacked earlier, and I… well I don’t remember what I did, but according to Beth, I was a badass! So I think we wanted to take a little breather for a bit, to relax and process things on our own whilst we snuggled on either side of Beatrice, watching cartoons. “Do you have any idea what Auntie Beth is up to?” “I have no idea. Especially seeing as she mentioned our Grandmother.” “Didn’t you have a meeting the other week regarding stuff?” “Yeah, it was the reading of her will.” “So has Beth been left something?” “Oh shit… yeah… well that makes sense.” Bea replied, as if she had put two and two together and realised something. “What does?” Lucy asked. “I’ll let Susie’s Mummy explain when she gets back. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Though what she has in store for it… I don’t know.” Beatrice said, before looking at me awkwardly. “Sorry hun. I… it’s natural for me, when I’m around littles. I know you’re not up to that stage with her and…” “It’s okay.” I assured her. “I… I was thinking of calling her it soon anyway…” “REALLY?” Lucy asked, jumping up and kneeling on the sofa, all whilst staring at me. “WHEN?” “I dunno… I…” “Only do it when you’re ready. I mean hell… you’ve never even tried being a baby… consensually of course. You need to try that first!” “Yeah maybe you’re right. Maybe I should actually try it out. I just… wanted to make her happy.” “Oh dear… is the spell still in effect?” Bea asked, looking concerned. “No, it’s all me now. I… the past few days, the attack at the cafe… it all confirmed that I love her. And I want to make her happy. I won’t go out of my comfort zone to do so, but… I dunno… this whole baby thing doesn’t seem that bad. The nappies are…” It was still embarrassing talking about nappies, as they are usually only worn by babies and old people. And I’m neither. “...they’re not as bad as I thought they’d be. Kinda comfortable.” “Right?” Lucy chimed in, smiling. “Maybe I’ll give this baby thing a go then.” “You’re reacting very well to all this, sweetie. Are you sure you’re okay?” Asked Bea. “Yeah. I think my mind is clearer than it ever was. Knowing about your world, and this kink world… it feels… good. Even if I don’t end up into the kink stuff, it’s nice knowing that part of Beth, especially as it’s something she’s kept secret, at least to partners… or maybe just me.” “Well I’m proud of you.” “Plus the first time I found out, it was a bit of a shock, so I will admit… I reacted badly. Then the second time, when Death woke me up from that spell… I also may have reacted badly then too.” “Understandably so though.” “Yeah but even so… I’ve had time to think. I want to at least try this out with her. If it’s not for me… then I hope she’s okay with me not taking part. If it is… then I guess you’ll have a… baby niece, I guess?” “Haha, I suppose I would!” Bea laughed. “I must ask though… this ‘Auntie’ thing…?” “Yes, sweetie?” “Lucy called Beth… Auntie Beth. So is…” “Oh it’s just a friendlier term than say… Miss or Sir. Lucy is one of our closest friends, so she calls us her Aunties. I suppose it’s different from you dating my sister and being her baby, that would make me your Auntie too but… Oh I don’t know. Look, if and when you’re ready, you can call me Auntie Beatrice or Auntie Bea for short, okay kiddo?” I blushed and looked down. “Okay, thanks. So… what do you call other… adults, I guess?” I asked Lucy. “As Auntie Bea said, sometimes just Sir or Miss or Ma’am. Or most likely… their names. Auntie is reserved for my bestest friends.” “That makes sense.” I said, smiling up at her. “So how does… this whole thing work? Like… I heard there was a community or something…” “We have a munch at a local pub every month. We just talk normally, chat like adults, maybe discuss some kinky stuff, and then we arrange playdates between us.” “So has…” “Don’t worry, Auntie Beth hasn’t been sneaking out to baby someone whilst you’ve been dating her. She attends the munches, but she hasn’t been active in the community for a while, and because of that, neither has Auntie Beatrice.” “Yeah it’s not exactly my thing. I love doing it when I do, but I’m not interested in the same way my sister is.” Bea spoke up. “How did you know…?” “That she was into it? Too many drinks when we were younger. She knows all my stuff too.” “What are…” “What things am I into? You’ll have to find out at a later date, sweetie.” Bea grinned down at me. I pouted at her and crossed my arms. “Perfect baby, see…” Lucy teased, making me pout even more. “But yeah, Beth arranges the munches and stuff, she’s very much the Mother Hen of the community. She makes sure everyones safe and protected. But she doesn’t actively baby anyone, other than talking down to us like we’re babies. Not since she started dating you. She’s been saving that part of herself for you, if you ever got into it of course.” ‘She has?’ I thought to myself. “But again, no pressure! We don’t want you forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to. Only if and when you’re ready. Remember that.” Bea added. “Thanks Beatrice. I appreciate it. Especially after the past few weeks…” “I understand, sweetie. And again, I’m sorry. I promise you… she never meant to do that.” “I know. That's why I’m open to trying this with her.” “Trying what with who?” I heard from behind me. Spinning around to see who the heck had snuck into our house and disturbed us… I saw… Beth? “How…?” “BETHANY!” Beatrice yelled at her. “That’s not my name, sis…” “BETHANIEL!” Bea looked serious, but you could see the corner of her mouth rising into a smile. She was having fun with this. “I’m going to kill you. And then bring you back to life. Just so I can kill you again. I know how to do it now. Be warned.” Beth said with a deadpan face. “You portalled here, didn’t you?” “I needed a book! And traffic… Well the traffic is really bad today.” “But you know the reagents are hard to get!” “Wait… Witches can make portals? As in go from one place to another?” I asked. “We can… but the reagents are rare… which makes them very expensive…” Bea answered, staring daggers at her sister. “I know, so bill me. I’m here to get a book, then I’m portalling back.” Beth was just about to walk off… “OH NO YOU’RE NOT!” Beatrice whisked her hand over the empty tub of ice cream in her other hand, making it completely disappear, before standing up quickly and turning to face her sister. “But…” My girlfriend was just about to plead her case, but Bea clearly wasn’t impressed by her use of portals. “NO! I’ll drive you.” Bea ordered, sounding very… dominant. “Ugh, fine. But only because I want to show Susie and Lucy something. They can come with us.” “Really?” Lucy asked. “Yeah. I’ve got in touch with a bunch of people, I just need… Beth’s ‘friend’. Then we can get started. I want both of your inputs though.” “Fine. I’ll drive us all there then. Little ones… grab your coats.” Bea ordered. “Can… can we hold off for a little bit though, if you’re driving us?” Beth asked. “Uh… sure? Why?” “I want to make sure Susie is okay. Plus… I missed her.” I blushed as she said it, trying to look away from everyone suddenly looking at me. “Fine, thirty minutes. Cup of tea, I’ll snuggle this little tyke…” Beatrice said, sitting down once again and grabbing Lucy, pulling her close to her, into a cuddle. “...and you can go talk to your girlfriend.” “Oh… do you need to talk…?” Beth looked anxious suddenly. “I… I mean… Do you?” I replied, just as awkwardly. “Are they always this bad?” Lucy asked Beatrice. “Not usually. RIGHT YOU TWO, GO TALK IN YOUR ROOM.” Bea ordered… very loudly. Beth and I looked at each other, unsure as to follow her sister’s orders or not. Thankfully Beth took the initiative and held out her hand, so I quickly took it and followed her away into our bedroom. “So you wanted to…” We both said at the same time. “...talk?” “You first.” I said. “I… look… I… I want to make sure you’re okay.” Beth said, holding either side of me with her cold hands. “I’m okay.” “And you? What did you want to say?” “Are… are you okay?” I replied, very awkwardly. “Right pair, we are. I’m okay, thank you baby.” Being called ‘baby’ felt… right. Every time she called it me, it just felt… right. Not just because it flowed so perfectly from her luscious lips… but because it made the butterflies in my tummy flutter around. “Umm…” “What is it, baby?” “Umm… the baby thing.” “Oh, do you want me to stop? Sorry.” She let go of me and put her arms to her side, as if she retreated back into her shell. “NO! No! I… was…” “You were, what?” This conversation was the most awkward conversation ever. Even more so than trying to get Lucy out of her shell at university, more so than when Beth and I started dating. “I was wondering if…” Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for this. “...We could try… the… umm… baby thing…?” “You… want to try it? Right now?” “I mean not right now… unless that’s what you want… I mean… I was thinking more…” “I can try it whenever, sweetie.” She quickly interrupted. “I… wouldn’t even know where to start…” “How about we get you dressed into something not too babyish, but not too adulty… and then snuggle on the sofa? Maybe I could feed you a bottle like Lucy’s?” I imagined what I’d look like, sitting on her lap, drinking from a baby bottle. It was weird, sure. I mean… it’s a weird fucking kink… but it didn’t gross me out. It didn’t terrify me. So pushing myself to the edge of my comfort zone, but not completely out of it… I said… “Sure.” “Like… now?” “We’ve got thirty minutes, right? Why don’t we try it now. It may make Lucy feel a bit better and more relaxed too.” I suggested. “Okay baby… right… how about… hmm. How about a pair of dungarees? They’re in fashion at the moment, right? So that with a cute t-shirt, with your thick nappy… maybe put your hair into pigtails? We can take the pigtails out when we go out.” “That’s not too bad. Wait… so I’d wear the dungarees out?” “We’d put a jacket on you, maybe change your top to something less babyish, but yeah. Dungarees are worn by big girls too.” “I guess.” “So come on, how about we get you into the nursery, get you changed, then get you on my lap with a bottle? Baby steps…” She grinned. “No puns. Otherwise, deal.” “Okay then… no puns. Maybe.” I walked out of the nursery with a slight waddle, wearing the new outfit Beth had picked out for me. Like she promised… it wasn’t too babyish. And hell, if I do as she suggested and just put a jacket on when we go out, the babyish top I’m wearing wouldn’t be noticeable. Blue dungarees, a pink top with puffed sleeves that looked more babyish than I thought under the dungaree straps, and my hair up in pigtails. It wasn’t much, thinking about it, but it felt like it was a drastic change. I felt… younger… smaller. She did ponder the idea of giving me a baby dummy, but in the end, she didn’t want to force that on me, so she clipped one on my straps, hanging down from a cute, multi colored piece of ribbon or something. For now… I’d let it dangle there. Maybe… just maybe… I’ll consider trying it later. If I’m interested. Maybe. “We saw you try to sneak into the nursery… and I see why! Oh my gosh, she looks so precious!” Beatrice said, smiling at me. Lucy was speechless, but had very much the same expression on her face. “We’re dipping her toes in the pool. So please, take it slowly and easy with her, okay?” Beth replied. I really appreciated it, and I really appreciated her being willing to take this slowly. Although to be honest… this didn’t feel slow. But we weren’t out of my comfort zone… yet. “Good idea! I really wasn’t expecting you to try it so soon though, you eager beaver!” Bea teased me. Guiding me to the sofa, Beth sat down and gently pulled me onto her lap, the thick padding making her legs even more comfortable. “Oh, Bea?” Beth asked her sister. “Yeah?” “Could you get us a bottle?” ======================================================== I'm glad you're all enjoying this story so much! And yeah, because this is a prequel, you can work out a lot of how this will end... mostly. But that's half the fun of prequels! Figuring out the connections and links to the other stories! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Thank you to all my patrons for their support! Don't forget, the remaining chapters are available on my Patreon which can be found here if you go for the second tier. New chapters of Parum Mortis every Wednesday/Sunday! Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

Chapter 50: Sticking Out BETH AND HER friends had all quietly shared their observations of horror when they realized the Littles were all in trouble for something. “Beth, why don’t we get out of here?” Reila suggested. “I really don’t like some of the looks we’re getting.” Beth hated to admit it, but it felt like there was a sudden discomfort for her, with now being the shortest people in the room. It seemed like most of the other Tweeners were all getting the same idea and heading out, too. Just before she got to her dorm, her phone buzzed, and she looked at it. Heads up, you have guests in your room. They’re safe but need to talk with you; call us afterward. Love, Dad “What the hell?” asked aloud. “Huh?” Livy responded. “Something else is happening in my room, but my parents are okay with it.” “Do you want us to come with you?” Reila asked, even as Beth could tell she wanted nothing of the sort. She shook her head, “No, Dad says it’s safe…” Both of them gave her quick hugs and split off as she came to her room where her door was open, and she found Penelope, President Barnes, and… Amanda?!? “Umm… Hi? Can I help you?” “Good evening, Miss Sylvester. I’m glad we caught you,” Barnes said. “Umm… okay?” Amanda took over, “Your parents asked me to be here for this meeting,” she told her. “Since I’m a professor here and a family friend.” “What’s going on?” She asked. “The incident at the end of last week has your parents understandably concerned in regards to pranks going too far…” He started. “Pranks?!?” She hissed but kept her voice reasonable. “Someone is making a really good attempt to run me out of here!” Amanda said, “Yes, I would say we are well past prank status here, Ryan.” He looked at her, and Beth suddenly understood that Amanda may have been even more invaluable of an ally than her father was. She couldn’t imagine many people calling the university president by his first name. She rarely even heard a simple ‘Doctor Barnes’ being used! “Perhaps you are right; I shouldn’t have worded it that way… Be it whatever it is, it’s clear that you are being bullied by someone. We have investigated multiple people, but whoever has hacked into our systems and allowed the previous student access to your room or student records this past time is so far unknown. Your parents made what I would consider a bit of an… unusual… request in having a HoloAssistant for you.” “I don’t…” “Need one? Yes, I’m guessing you don’t. But I think they want someone who can monitor your room while you’re out? And, let’s be honest, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind having something to clean up and do laundry for you?” He shook his head, “I sure would have when I was single…?” He sighed, “Anyway, it’s approved, and I’ll leave that to Amanda here to set up. I do want to say with Penelope present, any further incidents will not be tolerated by others. We will get to the bottom of who’s behind these issues.” “I promise there won’t be a repeat of what you dealt with when Desi came,” Penelope said. “We’ve met with all of the R.D.s and made everyone aware of this while dealing with other problems. They’ve all been told that if anything happens, it goes directly to me or President Barnes.” “What about Tracy?” Beth asked. She shrugged, “From what we can tell, she was just following policy. She received the notification that you were having potty issues and were required to wear protection at all times. Students in that situation in a regular dorm are required to stay in on weekends and not attend parties or off-campus.” Beth just shrugged, “If you’re sure…” She paused before saying, “I guess thank you for your help and for coming by,” she said. “You’re welcome,” they said, and soon it was just Amanda and her in the room. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, Beth,” she told her. “I’m currently looking more into the records hacking myself; hopefully, I’ll have more luck than they’ve had so far.” “Thanks,” Beth said. “Anyway, it’s time to introduce you to R.A.C.H.E.L.!” She watched as Amanda pushed a button on an emitter setup that she appeared to have physically attached to a wall. A tall woman about Amanda’s height suddenly appeared. “Hello, I am R.A.C.H.E.L., your new Robotic Assistant for Childcare, Housekeeping, Education, and Learning!” She looked at Amanda, “I believe you must be my owner?” “No, Rachel, this is Beth. She is your owner.” The assistant looked down at her and said, “Oh, are you in need of special care for some reason?” Beth wanted to slap the A.I. but said, “No, I need someone to ensure nothing happens to me when I’m in my room. I’ve been dealing with attempts to attack my maturity and need you to guard the room and defend me should anyone try and say I’m having potty problems.” “That will be no problem at all, Beth! I’m also happy to help if you do have potty problems! Changing diapers or guiding you to potty times is well within my programming.” “That will not be necessary,” Amanda told the A.I. “Beth is an adult, and you will treat her as such. Only she or I may change that status with a verbal command verified by the other person.” “Yes, ma’am,” the A.I. said. “In the meantime, I suppose I can help clean up around here, too? It looks like your room hasn’t been dusted or deep-cleaned in some time?” “Sure, Rachel, that would be fine, just don’t throw away any of my things without asking me first,” she added. She remembered one time an A.I. back home had thrown away a set of pages she’d been coloring as a kid. The last thing she wanted was for the A.I. to throw away a project or her homework! Amanda hugged Beth, “I know this seems a bit over the top, but I’ve added some additional programming here to help protect you. Hopefully, this all dies down soon.” “If it doesn’t?” Beth asked. “You know you’re not a Little; you could come live with us and commute?” she suggested. “That’s a long commute each day?” “I did it for many years, and it’s a pain, but you have Luxuria service anyway, right?” Beth nodded, “I’ll think about it.” “By the way, you are coming back to our place next weekend.” “I am?” “You are! How else will you get to hang out with your boyfriend?” “How…?” She wanted to ask, but Amanda was already out the door. “Guess we don’t have to worry about telling her!” She thought. Rachel was occupying herself and taking a fair amount of space in the room as she noiselessly found every speck of dust and straightened her room. Beth sighed, ignoring her, and got to studying. She’d been given many practice problems and reading to do and knew she needed to get to it! I WOKE UP to the hands of Mackenzie, massaging my back as she sat me down on the changing table. “Good morning, Sweetie,” she said with a smile, “I assume you still want to go swimming?” I nodded, “Please, and thanks! I didn’t know if I would still be allowed?” “You weren’t here over the weekend; I hated even making you have the early bedtime last night. But that’s effective for every Little for the next two weeks.” I grimaced, “That’s going to make it hard to find time to study.” “If it’s something really important, tell me, and I’ll try and find a way out like we did the other night,” she told me. “Now, let’s check on your diaper. So far, you’re the only one staying dry in the entire dorm!” She pulled the zipper down, and I could certainly feel a full bladder. “Still good!” she smiled. “Let’s get you on the potty so you can stay that way.” The morning repeated what we had been doing until I got out of the pool, and another nest mother was coming in. “Why’s he down here? They’re all grounded!” she hissed. “Connor wasn’t on campus this weekend; he literally had nothing to do with it all.” “Kenzie, you need to be smart with this…” she almost growled, “You both could get in trouble?” “My nest, my rules,” she said. “I don’t say anything about what you do with yours?” There was a bit of a staring contest, but she stopped arguing, and Mackenzie took me upstairs to shower while she did the same. When I was finished and ready to get dressed, I couldn’t find any of my Pull-Ups! I kept the towel wrapped around me until she came out, “Where are my Pull-Ups?” She grimaced, “Sorry, Connor, but I have to keep track of Pull-Ups for everyone wearing them… which is only you now. Let me get it for you.” I watched her actually have to unlock a cabinet and pull one out. “Come here. I want to take care of this before I wake the others up.” She picked me up and stood me on the changing table, pulling the blue garment up my legs and leaving it where I was proudly displaying the childish garment to the world. I thought she would let me down, but she said, “Lay down for just a second for me here?” I complied, and for a moment, I wondered why I was lying down like I was having a diaper change, but she dug out something and pushed an odd little plastic ribbon to the Pull-Up. She kept her hand holding me down, gently dug her phone out, and waved it over the device. There was a beep from her phone, and I watched her type for a second. “What’s that?” I asked her. “Insurance,” she told me. “Huh?” I asked. “Don’t worry about it... hopefully, you won’t need to worry about it.” “That’s not a good way to get me to not worry about it,” I grumbled as I walked back to my desk and decided to take advantage of the hour of waking up the others to study! At one point, my attention was drawn to the potty chart wall, and I felt myself double-take as I realized it was bare except one chart. Mine! As the guys were getting up and taking their turns with diaper changes, I couldn’t help but note glares directed at me. Jack was getting changed, “Where did our potty charts all go?” “In the recycling bin,” Mackenzie said as she held his feet in the air, “none of you are going to be using a big-boy potty until at least summer at this point.” “That’s not fair!” he complained. “It’s supposed to be after so many weeks! They just talked about that again recently!” “Sorry baby, those are the new rules after your friends were bad the other day.” “But something you all showed us made us have accidents…? It had to have been that movie!” “We were there and watched the same movie?” Mackenzie told him, “I know you, Littles, have urban legends about us magically taking your potty training away, but sometimes you have to just accept you aren’t ready for the potty. It’s okay. We’ll be happy to change your diapers here and at the changing stations! Plus, think about how much time you won’t have to waste leaving classes to find a potty you can reach!” As Jack walked away from the table in his uniform, it was clear he was not happy about any of it! I felt daggers in my back as I used the bathroom again before we left for breakfast, and Mackenzie checked my Pull-Up and announced, ‘What a big boy!’ I was relieved when I saw Beth and Cassie sitting at a table, “Can I join you guys?” I asked. “Sure,” Cassie said. She smirked, “I think someone would be grumpy if I said no,” and nodded towards Beth. I smiled at Beth, who I slid beside after putting together my booster. She gave me a quick sideways hug and said, “We’re going to have to find other places to get together… I just need to vent; last night sucked!” “Tell me about it,” I told her, “I’m the only Little still in Pull-Ups.” “The only one?!?” She hissed. I nodded, “Mackenzie tore down everyone else’s potty charts after we went to bed last night! I’m a little nervous about some of the glares I was getting.” “Be careful,” Cassie said, “I’ve heard of nests getting catty before.” Beth nodded, “Well, at least you don’t have a full-time holographic nanny looking over your shoulders in your room?” “I just have a real one, unfortunately,” I told her. She nodded with a sigh, “You’re right.” “What do you mean by that?” Cassie asked. Beth filled us both in on her holo-protector nanny, and I did feel a bit bad for her if anyone found out about it. “At least as long as she’s in your room, you should be safe,” Cassie said. I nodded. I looked at my phone, “I guess I need to head to class.” “I’ll walk with you out,” Beth said with a smile. When we had left the building, I walked closely beside her. If we were the same height, I would have reached over to try and hold her hand, but given our height differences, I was afraid that would be weird. Instead, she took her hand and rubbed my shoulder as we walked. When we reached a path we needed to split off, she said, “Have a good class. I’ll try and catch you for lunch?” I nodded, “I have to leave early for that seminar.” “I’ll get there right after this class,” she smiled. “Great!” I said and walked to my screenwriting class. “Good morning!” Doctor Gibney said to us a short while later. “Today, we will discuss some of the nuances of stage directions in a script. Many times…” I took notes and paid attention to examples from our professor as the lecture went on. I noticed that there seemed to be a good chunk of the class skipping that day, which, given the project being due on Thursday, I assumed meant they were mainly concerned with that. To my great joy, Kelly was one of my absent classmates! At the end of class, he said, “I’ve received completed scripts from just one of you so far. Make sure you have those done by Thursday! If you want to have a chance of your script being filmed, I recommend having it in on Wednesday by midnight. I know they’ll discuss how they choose scripts in the film class this afternoon.” He smiled, “If no one has any questions, we’ll end class a few minutes early today!” I was helped down and packing things up when he approached me, “Connor, I am really impressed with your script. I’m hopeful one of the groups here will film it, maybe even yours?” “I’d like to think so, but we’ll see what happens?” I told him. “I have a feeling yours will get made one way or another. Good work!” “Thanks,” I said. I talked casually with some classmates but exited quickly and found the bathroom. I used it and then again noted the thing Mackenzie had attached to the front of my Pull-Up. ‘I’ll have to look it up later,’ I thought. BETH WAS GRATEFUL that her Signals and Systems class was improving for her now that she’d spent some time studying with Connor. Being woken up by Rachel instead of an alarm clock this morning had been an unexpected surprise. The holographic aid shook her shoulder gently like her mom and dad used to do to get her up back home instead of her alarm clock going off. ‘Still do,’ she thought, a little embarrassed. Three Littles were in her class, and she knew they stuck together to help each other. As they’d been waiting for class, she’d listened to a conversation. “I’m telling you, it had to have been the movie Friday night?” the one girl said. “The nest mothers were with us!” one of the boys replied. “Maybe they were wearing protective contacts?” the girl replied. “Maybe… I still think it’s something else. They added those nightlight things to the Pods this semester... Do you think it could be them?” The third member of their group said. One thing was clear to Beth: there was a definite push for getting the Littles into diapers, and it had seemingly succeeded for everyone but one Little at this point. As far as she knew, this was the worst problem Littles had in about ten years. If she’d known things would deteriorate again so rapidly for them, she might have stayed home for school! She arrived at lunch in time to see Connor try and sit down with a group of Littles, and they all stood up and left like some middle school kids bullying another one. “What the hell?” she swore quietly. “Those jackasses!” She could see in his posture he was definitely affected. “Hey Connor, I need to get some food of my own. Can I leave my bag here?” She said to him. The fact that his face lit up at her presence made her smile. “Sure, of course, Beth!” he said. “Unless you want to move to a taller table?” He was sitting at one of the Mid-sized tables. You could sit there okay as a Little, a Tweener was comfortable, and a Big would be like squeezing into a first-grade chair. She was small enough that the table was more than okay, “This one is fine; be right back!” When she returned with her food, she found Connor having a tense conversation with a boy a bit larger than him, and she felt her emotions rise that anyone would pick on her boyfriend! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I love seeing readers guess where things are going! I decided this week's post would be early this morning where I live. Next week will definitely be on Sunday sometime in the afternoon my time if I had to guess. Thanks for your patience! Remember In-Between is now available on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) All of my books except this one are now available on Amazon Kindle!

Their is another reference in the movie. Jennifer Lawrence is talking to his old babysitter. He threatens Jennifer, Jennifer responds by saying "what are you going to do throw a pacifier at me."

This is a bonus chapter as a thank you to all of you who have supported my writing by purchasing In-Between on Amazon since it was released! Thank you for your support!!! Chapter 49: Lone Potty THE NEXT MORNING, I was beyond relieved that I went to bed and woke up with a dry Pull-Up. I had no idea what happened the previous day, and I hoped it was a fluke and wouldn’t happen again! Grandma dropped Beth off by her dorm while parking in the faculty lot and walking me over to my nest to check back in just as Mackenzie was about to send everyone off to breakfast. “Oh, hi, Professor! Connor, it’s good to have you back! We miss you on the weekends!” “Hi, Miss Mackenzie,” I said to her. “How did he do this weekend?” She asked. “Just fine. Please go ahead and put those stars on his chart? I emailed you?” “Very good! I just changed the last boy here; we’re just heading off to breakfast. Sorry, I can’t stay to chat?” she told her. “No worries, we’re just going to put his stuff away here, and then we’ll see you Friday again?” “Every week?” She asked. “I’m making up for nineteen years of missing Grandma time,” she told her. “I guess I can understand that; this little guy is definitely a cutie!” she said and looked at me. The way she scrunched up her eyes made me wonder if she recognized the slightly odd look my face now had. Truthfully, I had stared at myself in the mirror for a while that morning, really liking the effect my loose, long hair and the smooth skin had together. The problem was that I worried someone would assume I was intentionally wearing makeup! I watched, a bit shocked, as my nest mates grabbed the ring rope and followed her out like a bunch of preschoolers in line. ‘What’s that about?’ I wondered. With a sigh, I helped Grandma unload bags and things. She’d bought another large box of my brand of Pull-Ups for me and some bottles of water that she had now marked in a way that, if they were tampered with, would turn green to warn me. All-in-all, I headed off to class that morning feeling pretty confident that I was in as safe of a position as possible! Leaving Holo-Field Theory, I was startled when one of the girls in my class said, “Let’s check that diapee and see if you need a change!” “Huh?” I said. “Your diapee! I heard all of the Littles in your nests are in them now?” “I’m in a Pull-Up and planning to hit the bathroom right now?” I added, “And it’s dry!” She had already pulled down the front of my pants and exposed the Pull-Up to the world then, “So you are! What a cute Pull-Up you’re wearing too! I’ve babysat a lot of baby boys who wear these!” I sighed, “Can I go now, please?” “Let’s just make sure you make it okay!” She told me, “I’m Izzy, by the way,” as she gathered me in her arms and carried me not to the men’s restroom but to the women’s! I was mortified as she sat me down on my feet in a stall and said, “Can you be a big boy and show me how you pull your pants and your big boy undies down?” “I don’t need your help,” I tried to complain. “It’s okay if you’re too little for that; I can help?” I sighed, pulled them down, and then squeaked a yell as she picked me up and sat me on the gigantic potty like a real toddler. “Go potty,” she told me. I sighed and did my best to go, but I couldn’t with her watching me. “I can’t go while you’re watching!” I complained. “Keep trying just a little longer for me, baby?” She said. The bladder did not want to let go, so she said, “Well, that’s okay. I’m sure you can try again later!” She pulled my Pull-Up and pants back up for me and said, “Let’s still wash our hands for practice!” Thankfully, she opened the bathroom door for me, and I could peel away from her in the dining hall. I desperately needed to pee by then and was relieved I somehow held it long enough to get into the dining hall bathroom. ‘Maybe a diaper would have been easier…?’ I couldn’t help but think. I sat down and ate with Amy and Ava a short while later and noted that they looked to have a fair amount of puff out from their bottoms as they sat down. Looking around at the other Littles, I could see it seemed like they did too. “Did something happen over the weekend?” I asked. “Huh?” Amy asked. “Am I the only one still in Pull-Ups?” I asked. Ava looked around and said, “Probably… Almost everyone has gotten caught with the three-per-day or per-week rule at this point. I know several of the last stragglers in the girl’s nest got caught pooping their pants twice Saturday?” “Oh,” I said. “The diapers aren’t so bad,” Ava said, blushing deeply. “Honestly, it beats trying to use those gigantic potties they have, and the changing stations have really nice holo-attendants.” “Mine made me giggle earlier; she was actually treating me like I do when I’m changing my baby sister. It was kind of cute?” I wanted to throw up then but kept my voice even. “Oh,” I shrugged, “I guess I can see that point of view.” As I left for my next class, I couldn’t help worrying about what was happening to everyone. I guessed I would inevitably be next and was probably drawing attention because I wasn’t already in diapers like them! In my math class, we discussed some new concepts, and I was glad to have some time to study with Molly afterward in the hopes that two heads are better than one. Molly was already sitting down in the classroom when I arrived. I pulled my portable booster from my bag, and she said, “Here, I’ll get it for you?” I looked at her a little skeptically, but she had no problems deciphering the folds required to assemble it and placed it on the chair beside her. I moved towards the chair and was about to climb up when she lifted me up and put me in it instead. “Sorry, I can’t help myself sometimes,” she apologized, realizing what she’d done. “It’s okay, thanks for understanding. I’m nervous about things like that?” She nodded, “I guess I can understand that. You’re an exchange student, so you probably weren’t child-sized back home?” I laughed, “No, I was way above average! I was six-foot-six, back home, and shrank when I came.” “That’s tall for your dimension?” “Average male height is under six feet,” I nodded. “So, most of the people there are Littles?” she asked. I remembered her major in Portal Physics and felt a little guilty in saying, “Yes, but we don’t think of ourselves like that.” “No, I guess you wouldn’t. I sometimes wonder if there isn’t a dimension out there where I would be considered a Little.” I felt my stomach twist at that, “That would be terrifying… I’d be like a child’s doll at best!” She laughed, “Probably!” We talked for a while longer before class started, and I was grateful that I seemed to be staying up with an understanding of the material the professor covered. “We still good for a study session?” Molly asked me as she helped me down. I nodded, “I think so?” I looked at the clock, “I’ve got about an hour till I plan to get dinner?” “Should be plenty!” She said. “Where do you want to study?” I thought about public places and said, “See if the library has a study room available?” “Sure!” she said. I made an excuse and used the bathroom quickly before we walked out of the building and were blasted with a burst of cold air. “Brrr!!!” I complained as I pulled my coat tighter around my body and zipped it up. She agreed, “I heard it’s supposed to get colder this week, too, and maybe snow later this week!” “Ugh!” was all I said to that. We signed into a study room and began going through notes and problems in the materials we’d been given by the professor. There were a few things she didn’t understand that I helped her with, and then she helped me with a few things, too. “You’re a great study partner!” she told me as we parted ways at the dining hall. “So are you,” I told her. “See you Wednesday!” “See you, cutie,” she said. I blushed but tuned it out as I entered the dining hall. I saw Mackenzie standing near the entrance, “Well, hi you!” she said to me. “I was beginning to think you were avoiding us?” I shook my head, “Just been busy. Was studying with a classmate in the library for a bit? I messaged you?” “Oh?” I nodded, “Her name is Molly; she’s in my Math class.” “Hmm…” she said. “Just studying?” I laughed, “Just studying! She’s the only one besides me in the class that seems to be getting things. We’re helping each other stay on top of that, though.” “Well, let me know if she gets pushy or something?” “Umm… sure?” “Now, I do need to check you?” “Does it have to be here?” I asked in front of everyone. “Do you have something to hide?” I sighed, “Nope.” BETH SAT ON a booth seat on the other side of the room but could clearly see Connor’s pants being pulled down. She could see the blue of the Pull-Up from where she sat and shook her head. “What’s wrong?” Livy asked her. “Oh, just watching the diaper check that Mackenzie is forcing Connor to endure in front of everyone.” “Oh, is he wearing diapers now too?” Reila asked nervously. “No, I can see the Pull-Up from here though.” “Nothing he can do about it,” Reila said. “He’s probably the only one wearing Pull-Ups at this point. I think everyone else got put in diapers this weekend.” “What happened?” Beth asked. “No clue? We watched about a quarter roll into lunch on Saturday, only wearing a onesie top and a diaper. By yesterday, all of them seemed to be wearing thicker padding?” Reila said. “I think I heard something about a Little movie night on Friday?” Livy said quietly. “Oh…” Beth said. “Good thing Connor wasn’t here?” “Maybe...? He’s going to seem like more of a challenge now, that might be worse,” Reila said. “True…” she said worriedly. Right as she said that Connor was coming towards them with food, Beth couldn’t help herself with the enormous smile she gave him. “Hi,” she said. His smile was just as wide as he said, “Hey, can I join you?” His face still had that smoothed-over look, and she noted it made him more attractive to her as she said, “Of course!” Beth scooted over to make room for him to sit his booster on the seat next to her and climbed up. Beth couldn’t help herself as she gave him a sideways squeeze, “You have a good day?” She asked him. “Mostly?” He said. “You?” “Yeah, someone helped me enough this weekend that I didn’t feel completely lost in classes today.” She smiled down at him, and he smiled just as brightly back. Livy made a face, and Beth hoped she could avoid answering questions until later. Seeing she was about to ask, she mouthed, ‘Later’ to her. Livy raised an eyebrow but nodded. The four talked about things that stayed entirely from conversations about disposable underpants for the rest of the meal. Beth thought awkward discussions were at a close, but Reila asked, “So what did you two do all weekend?” Beth looked to see what Connor would say and noticed that the blush showed through, even with the makeup effect on his face. “Went to a birthday party?” He offered. “Birthday party?” Livy asked curiously. “My… cousin had her fifty-fourth birthday party?” “A party for being fifty-four?” Reila asked. “More like her thirty-third, ‘first’ birthday party?” Beth suggested? “Oh, she’s a Little?” Livy asked nervously. “Yeah,” Connor said. “So, what did you two do while the babies played?” Reila asked nervously. “Sort of babysat? Met my relatives… swam?” Connor said. “What is it with you and swimming?” Livy asked. “He’s a dolphin,” Beth smirked, squeezing his hand underneath the table. “What?” Reila snorted. “Long story, going back to my mom’s time here,” Connor said. Fortunately for them, Mackenzie interrupted, “Hi girls, I hope you don’t mind, but I need to take Connor back to the Nest?” “It’s only five-thirty?” Connor asked. “Unfortunately, while you were out, some things happened, and the Nest has an earlier bedtime the rest of this week, sweetie.” “Oh,” Connor said. “So, I can’t study when I get back?” “You’ll have a few minutes, but not much time tonight, sorry.” Connor looked stricken by that, but at least Beth knew he should be okay for his Tuesday classes from the weekend. He looked up at her, “Guess I’ll see you all later,” he sighed. Mackenzie didn’t really wait for him to be ready; she picked him up and sat him on the ground, handed him his booster to fold away, grabbed the tray of food he’d finished, and prodded him to the entry area where Beth could see a whole bunch of nests all holding onto the babyish ring line leashes. “What the hell happened over the weekend?” Beth asked them. I CLUNG TO the pink ring of the rope and followed as we all took turns going up the elevator to the nests. I could smell more than a few filled diapers around me, and the stench going up the elevator was pretty intense! From how they fidgeted, I thought I could tell five of the other members of my nest were in a messy diaper. There was a big sigh from everyone as we reached the room and were told, “You can let go now, boys.” I let go and moved towards the bathroom to go pee. “Where are you going, Connor?” Grayson asked. “Bathroom?” I said. “What? Aren’t you wearing yours like the rest of us?” Jack asked. “Huh?” I asked. “Wait, Miss Mackenzie, how come Connor isn’t in a diaper?!?” Grayson asked, clearly pissed off about something. “Huh?” she asked, looking up from the changing table where she was changing Liam. “Connor isn’t wearing diapers?!?” he pushed. “No? He hasn’t lost his potty privileges yet?” “But…?” “Grayson, I’m sorry that Connor is a big boy and you’re not? But you don’t need to pick on him?” “I’m not…?” Grayson protested. “Do you need to go to a time-out?” I looked over at him. I could see he was so angry, but I watched him shake his head, “No, Miss Mackenzie.” “Connor, go ahead and use the potty. Come see me when you’re done so I can ensure you’re still clean and dry!” “Yes, Miss Mackenzie,” I told her and walked into the bathroom. When I used the toilet, I couldn’t help but think I was now the only one using them from what they had said. It kind of scared me the way they had reacted. I felt my blood grow cold as I feared the jealousy from them could cause me more problems! I flushed, washed my hands, and found Mackenzie waiting by the door. “Let’s just pull those pants off since you just need to put on your jammies anyway.” I blushed as the Pull-Up was displayed to everyone. The sides were fraying a little bit from having been worn all day, but the indicators were still showing as unused. “What a good boy!” she told me. “Since you used the potty, let’s go ahead and get your night diapee on, though, and those jammies.” She called out louder, “Fifteen minutes till lights out, my little kits!” I sat at my desk a few minutes later while she changed everyone else and tried to review my notes for Screenwriting for the morning. I was done with the assignment due on Thursday, so I was sketching out some notes for the next project. Logan approached me, “Sorry about Grayson, we had a rough weekend…” “What happened?” I asked, noting that Mackenzie had Grayson’s feet over his head and was wiping his bottom. “We had a movie night Friday, and everyone was kind of woozy afterward. Some of us were afraid there was some hidden hypnosis in it…?” I felt my blood chill then. “I’m guessing there was?” He nodded, “Must have been; by the end of Sunday, all of us had at least two messy accidents in a day or hit the wet accident count to land ourselves into diapers.” “Ouch, I’m sorry?” He shrugged, “Personally, I always figured it was a matter of time? Anyway, about ten people from other nests staged a walkout protest yesterday. Let’s just say they’re gone, and now we’re all stuck with additional evening restrictions.” “That…” I was about to say when Mackenzie walked over. “Time for beddy-bye boys; hop into your pods!” I looked at the clock and realized it was ninety minutes earlier than usual. Climbing into the pod, I grimaced that with everything going on this weekend, I’d never had a chance to do anything about the SleepTight device inside. ‘Hopefully, my nanites keep it at bay a little longer?’ I thought to myself. Even as I thought that, though, I was out like a light! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I love seeing readers guess where things are going! Also, a SUPER HUGE thank you to everyone who pre-ordered/ordered In-Between on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) I am now in a crazy stretch at work until Thanksgiving of 6 day work weeks, so I may have a very uneven posting schedule. This week I think I'll be able to post late on Saturday. The next week will have to be on Sunday. I apologize for the lack of consistency, but my hours are long right now! Thanks for your patience!

Art by Omopurr!

hypnosis always works And continence control is always diminishing very quickly when they is a strong parnter

Very well done.

Really well done! Love the style.

Thank you so much! I'm specialized in eastern style ></

I've always struggled with capitalization, and i've been writing these in .txt Most of what i write is really spur of the moment, and then i go back and make sure it makes sense or change a few details to make it more logical, so it's not always fully sensical. I have 5 or so friends that i send the chapters to early, to get some feedbac, and i try to do a proofread, but sometimes i'm really excited and skim too fast @__@ Anyways, i've finished chapters 4, 5, and 6, and will post them below. My original plan was write until the story has reached the ending, and i had no idea how many chapters it would be, between 5 - 25, but now we're a bit closer and i believe the story will have 10 main chapters, and then maybe a few alternate epilogues, and maybe one or two 'bad ends' thrown in too, if i feel ambitious after everything else. Chapter 4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Camilla woke up with her head under the blanket and drenched in sweat. 'it wasn't *that* warm last night, right? wait....since when does sweat exclusively pool around your crotch..? NO NO NO' She practically ripped the covers off of the bed and turned on the light. The first thing she noticed was the other 2 beer bottles, which she now vaguely remembered going back downstairs for, but the main thing was the massive dark spot on the bed, staining the sheets and blanket. 'm-maybe i just spilled my beer? Y-yeah! that must be it, there's no way i wouldn't wake up and go to the bathroom, i'm an adult!. I-i'd better get changed and take the sheets and blanket down to the washing machine. 'satisfied with the excuse that even she didn't truly believe, she stripped down and threw her clothes on the bed and started on a quick shower, and afterwords she rooted through her dresser for new clothe's and was able to find everything but a clean pair of panties, so she put on a pair of sweat pants and a blouse. 'i guess this'll have to do... but a-am i really out of clean underwear? i guess my hamper *is* pretty full, but how did i run out of clean underwear so fast? i guess i'll bring those down too' She dumped some of her dirty panties on the bed too, and balled up the sheets, blanket, and dirty clothes and walked down to the basement, throwing the ball into the washing machine as she sat down, waiting for it to be done. "Everything okay, dear? A strange time to do laundry." Maria spoke up, startling Camilla. "O-oh! y-yea, i spilled the glass of water that i keep on my bedside t-table, so i wanted to get it out of the way. O-oh, and i threw some of my other laundry in there too."Camilla said, looking away from Maria "Well, this coincides nicely with something i should have brought up when you moved in: I have a.... I guess you'd call it a plastic protector sheet, that i could put on your bed. I know you might find it a bit unnecessary or embarrassing, but taking precautions and being safe is more adult than anything else you could do, so will you do it?" Maria looked at her with a smile. 'i-i don't really want to have padded bedsheets, it was just a spill...But she looks like she'd start crying if i said no, and it's not like it hurts anything....' "Okay, i'll put it on the bed later tonight, b-but i don't need it, it's just to feel safer." Camilla blushed and started moving the clothes into the dryer. "I won't stand for that, dear. I'll swing by your room and make your bed and put the sheet on myself, and i can drop your clothes into the dresser while i'm at it. You work so hard, it's the least i can do. Now go run along, sweetie, you still need to see veronica this morning. 'Well, at least i don't have to make my bed...Wait, how did she know i haven't seen veronica yet? is it that noticable that i'm not wearing training pants? If it's that noticable that i'm *not* wearing them, does that mean it's also obvious when i *am*?' Camilla thought about it on the way to room 202. She'd spent the previous night preparing herself for this, and it was necessary to do this. *knock knock knock* The door opened, and veronica looked around, but she didn't see anyone at the door. "Cammy? Are you hiding from your big sis? Come out!" Hearing her voice didn't make her any less anxious, but it did give her mind plenty of things to imagine Veronica doing to her if she didn't come out, so she shyly stepped around the cormer. "M-my name is camilla, p-please call me that." "Aww, but cammy has such a nice ring to it, and it fits you so well, and it's normal for sisters to have nicknames! If you'd like, you could call me Roni! Anyways, was there something you wanted me to do or did you just come to visit your big sis?" She smirked, knowing exactly what camilla wanted, but being as uncooperative as possible. Camilla looked up at Veronica, scowling, but relented. "V-veronica, could you p-please help me get padded? I-i have work soon." Veronica froened for a second, but went back to her chipper attitude, and pulled one of the black training pants out of the package. "Alright sis, strip. And no need to be embarrassed, i'm just being a good older sister and helping you get changed. And besides, babies don't have modesty anyways." "F-fine..." Camilla unbuttoned her shirt, wiggled out of her pants, and waited patiently for veronica to help. The amazon gently lifted her up, wrapping an arm around her stomach, and slid the trainer up her legs, before setting her down and putting her shirt back on, and putting her pants....on a high shelf. "H-hey! give me back my pants! I can't go out like this, give 'em back!" Veronica moved right up to camilla, and knelt down so her face was right next to [but still a good foot or so above] hers, and said "Oops~ looks like you forgot to call me 'big sis', and i forgot to give you back your pants. Welp, tougfht luck for you, maybe you'll remember next time" Veronica pushed Camilla out the door, and promptly locked it. 'great, now i've gotta run all the way back to my room like this. The huge apartment is great, but it means the hallway is gigantic, it's gotta be 250 feet to my room. I just hope no one notices me.' She started running down the hall, annoyed at how loudly her padded panties were shifting and crinkling, but once she was halfway there, she heard footsteps coming from the stairs! They'd be headed in the direction of her room! Camilla ran as fast as she could, but when she was about 40 feet from her door, she looked up to see two figures right in front of her. It was Maria and another amazon that the little didn't recognize. She tried pulling her shirt down to hide the pull-up, but it really didn't help, and her padding was on display to both amazons. Maria was the first to say anything. "Ah, camilla! I'm glad you visited veronica today, you're so smart, keeping yourself safe like that. There's nothing wrong with preparing for negative things to happen.. Oh! and i haven't put that plastic sheet on your bed yet, but by the time you get home, it'll be all set. Have a great day at work, dear." "Ahaha! you're adorable, i assume you work as a rattle tester, right? And you know you're not wearing any pants, right? Ooooh, it's so maria can know when you're wet, right? Good girl, making less work for mommy." The amazon continued laughing. "H-hey! i do NOT wet mys-" "It's okay sweetie, i'll handle this" Marie cuts her off as she turns to the other amazon. "There's no need to bully her about it, i'm sure her pants just wouldn't fit over her padding. And for the record, she almost never wets herself!" Camilla's face was completely red, and she turned away from the two. "There's no need to worry about her teasing you, Honey, she's the building inspector, unless something is wrong she only shows up once a year. Camilla wanted to yell at the inspector, to say she's never (fully) wet herself, or at least to dispute Maria's 'Almost never wets herself', but instead she ran right past them, slamming the door and running to her dresser. 'AAARGH, i'm always so weak, i couldn't even get veronica to give my pants back! i-i need to be stronger against these amazons.B-but i can't even fight back too much or i'll get punished! either way, even if i can't tell them off i still need to be less passive and obedient. After that incident, which i will never be thinking about again, i'd like to wear pants today. A skirt is a bit risky, and i don't want to ever be seen in training pants again. At least it wasn't another little that saw. Amazons will always see me as a baby, but i've got friends who respect me, and the last thing i need is some jerk sharing pics of me in padded underwear.' The best pants she can find is a pair of jeans. They're loose enough, but it's hard to keep the top of the pull-up hidden, so she tucks her shirt into her pants and heads off for work. 'Ugh, the padding keeps rubbing against me, these pants are too tight... It wouldn't be so bad but it keeps reminding me what i'm wearing, It's okay, if i can stay dry for a few days i'll than i'll know this fluke is over, It's just stress from moving in and starting the job. Everything's gonna be fine...' She arrived at work with little issue, powered on her computer. She worked hard, and made sure to take regular bathroom breaks, even through the office mandated half-hourly drink breaks, where she usually went with apple juice. After returning from a bathroom break, Camilla was confused about something. 'Where did this calander come from? I guess it's not hurting anything, except for the stupid "motivational" image, but it's easy enough to ignore. Wonder who put it up though'. The calander had no days crossed off, as it was still the first of October, but the thing that stood out most was the october picture: It was a little with a pacifier, onesie, and diaper, and she was sitting on a plastic potty, with 'hang in there' written underneath. "Hey! How's my favorite coworker? It looks like you're done for today, so stand up. Someone needs to be checked and changed." Camilla was startled to hear Jessica yell that from behind her, and she spun around to see her, though even when standing up she only came up to jessica's waist. "H-HEY! i'll have you know you i'm completely dry! i-i only need to be checked! i-i mean...n-neigher, but since we agreed i-i guess you can check me." "Alright, pants down." Camilla stammered a bit. amd didn't move. "Either you pull your pants down right here so i can check you, or we can do it privately. In my house. And i can't promise you'll end up coming out any time soon or wearing anything but a diaper and onesie, got it?" "y-yes ma'am, i'm sorry." She moved into the corner of her cubicle, and slowly wiggled her pants downm exposing her padded underwear. Jessica moved next to her, reaching down and pulling the waistband forward to check the state of the pull up. "Well, there are definitely a few wet spots, but i think we can count iut was dry, i try to be forgiving." She reached into her bag pulling out a package of stickers. There were suns, white rainclouds, and dark storm clouds, She pulled out a sun, and put it on the first square for the month. "N-no, no! i'm dry! i took lots of breaks, i didn't drink too much, a-and i would have felt it! you're wrong!" Camilla stomped her foot and pulled her pants back up, though it did take considerably more effort than usual. "A-and i'm taking down this..p-potty chart." She whispered the last bit, and despite what she said, made no move towards it, too nervous to physically defy the amazon right in front of her. "You could do that, but if you can get 3 suns in a row, you can go back to big girl panties, and if you get 5, i won't even check you anymore. And there's another benefit for you: Other amazons will see the sunny potty chart and say "wow, she's such a grown up, let's move on to messing with a different little", you'll have a much safer time at work." "B-but what if they take it as a challenge instead? I-if they want to make me go from getting sunny stickers to storm clouds....." "Trust me, i know what i'm talking about. Now let me walk you to the door." Jessica extended her hand down. Camilla would have preferred to fight it, but she was exhausted, and it was probably the least bad thing an amazon had done to her all day, so she just took her hand. They walked out to the parking lot, holding hands "Are you sure you can walk home? i can drive you. i think i still have a carseat in the back from when my sister borrowed the car. I know how much you littles love feeling safe and secure in a tight carseat. She grinned at Camilla, who looked away nervously. "I-I think i'm good, see you tomorrow." She Walked away, reaching her apartment pretty quick, and opened her door. What she was not expecting to see was an upset maria, holding a plastic shopping bag. "Camilla bennet. Do you have an explanation for this?" She opens the bag, revealing the beer bottles from last night. "I-i don't really know what you mean, i had a few drinks before bed, b-but i'm 24, and i-" Camilla was cut off as Maria dragged her to the couch by her hand. "I am very disappointed in you, you've been such a sweet girl since you moved in, but i cannot tolerate something like this. You should know that someone like you drinking alcohol is very bad, and is one of the most dangerous things you could do! I hate to resort to this, but you need to learn that some things aren't okay for you to do. She lifted camilla up, setting her stomach-down on her lap, and pulled her pants down to her ankles. "H-hey! you don't n-need to do this! i-it was just a drink!. A-and i...won't do it again?" Camilla struggled, but even with one hand Marie held her tight. "I wish i could believe that, but you need something that makes you remember why you should never do naughty things like this. Since you're normally very nice, and you haven't been a trouble maker, you can keep your training pants on, now hold still and it'll be over soon, okay?" Maria raised her hand, and it came down hard. Again. and again. loud enough for the sound to fill the room. After 5, camilla's quiet whimpering could be heard. after 10, she was openly crying, and after the 15th and, mercifully final spank, she was begging her to stop. She was on her feet with her pants pulled up before she realized it was over, and Camilla was left in her living room, wet face, red butt, and no real idea what to do next. "I'm sorry about that, dear. I just don't want you to get yourself into serious trouble. I know it hurts, but i do this because i care aobut you, what if you got drunk and fell for some amazon's trap because you weren't aware? I'll be going, and i hope you won't like me any less. I've set up your bed, but your laundry away, and i even put some yummy soda and juice in the fridge, okay?" "O-okay, see you later maria." She waved as Maria walked out the door, smiling. 'Hmph. If she wanted to help she could start by not bruising my butt... Though it is kind of nice to have an amazon care so much about my safety, and she did help me out yesterday, so i guess she really is just trying to help. Still, i feel like i fell out of a 3 story window and landed on my butt...' She walked to the fridge and grabbed a soda, it was a glass bottle one, which she always liked. 'It does taste pretty good, even better than i remembered, but it's still not the same..." She turned on the tv and laid on the couch (on her stomach of course) The tv was playing some saturday morning esque cartoon, with an amazon superheroine, who would always stop crime, and her little sidekick 'padded justice'. The sidekick would always get in the way, and was never really truly helpful [except for the one episode where the villain's weakness was cuteness'], and the moral of the story was always "let the adults handle everything, and don't try to do grown up things when you're not strong enough to". Though, the way the show portrays it, every single little counts as a child, but that's not surprising. After zoning in and out while the cartoon was playing, she slowly fell asleep... Chapter 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next 2 days passed by very similarly to the previous. Camilla would ask veronica to pad her up, she would go to work, mostly make it to the bathroom on time, and she'd get a sunny star on her chart(she still couldn't decide whether she hated jessica rubbing the front or pulling the waistband forward more), and then she would go home, see maria as she walked in (Subconciously rubbing her butt), and afterwords she would relax with a soda or apple juice. Camilla woke up on Monday morning refreshed, excited, and with an unusually full bladder. Aftertaking a quick shower, she got dressed, and put on a pair of panties, very excited to be back to thin underwear. 'I'll go with jeans again today, it's nice weather and they'll work better with thinner underwear. i-i'm pretty happy to be out of pullups!.......i can't believe i just thought that.' Camilla snuck past Veronica's door, and walked to work, seeing jessica standing at her desk worried her, but she hoped it was just something minor. "Hey favorite coworker, i've gotta go pick up some supplies in another town, it'll be about 3 hours each way, and office rules mandate that i choose another person to go with me, buddy system and all that, and i choose you! Six hours pay for sitting in a car, that sounds pretty good, riiiiight?~". Camilla was suspicious, but it did sound pretty easy, and while the idea of being alone with jessica was scary, she was also scared of declining. "A-as long as you promise not to pull any tricks. Amd that we can get some food on the way there." Jessica smiled, and forcibly grabbed camilla's hand, and they walked out together. "Of course, lil cammy". Camilla scowled at her, and tried to stop walking forward, but it backfired a bit when jessica didn't and it made camilla trip. "Gosh, are you okay?" Here, let me help." Jessica lifted her up, carrying her with her arms wrapped around the Little. "M-my name is camilla, call me that. And put me down!!". "I'll call you camilla when you're grown up enough to not need me checking your underwear every day, until then, you're cammy. And yes, i will put you down." They reached jessica's car, and she walked over to the passenger side, where a carseat was set up. Camilla's eyes widened as she opened the door, set camilla down, and buckled her in very tightly, and Camilla immediately knew that she wouldn't be able to break out of it even trying her hardest. "Do you have to put me in this? it's not like i'd unbuckle myself, w-why do i need a carseat?" Camilla asked, looking pleadingly over to jessica, who was by now in the driver seat, and had started backing out of the parking lot. "Oh, i don't need to, but it's plastic, so if you can't hold it, my seat won't get ruined. And it's cute to see you squirm around too~." Camilly pouted, but realized there was no way to get out of it, so she sighed, and just relaxed. "Here" Jessica tossed her a handheld, with a game already launched on it, some colorful 3d platformer where you play as a cute diapered animal. It was fun enough for the first hour, but by the time she cleared world two she was getting pretty bored. "Hey, we're gonna stop for food, right? There's a wcdonalds over there." They pulled into the drive thru. 'hmm... The problem is that this is mainly an amazon fast food brand, so they don't have anything i could reasonablyh finish. I mean, i could always get something big, but then i- "We'll have a cheeseburger, a medium fry, and a happy meal with an XL apple juice." "You didn't have to order for me! I can make up my own mind." Camilla said, a bit annoyed, but not really angry. 'It's probably what i would have gotten anyways, but she still could have asked.' They pulled up to the window and the lady at the window looked over to cammy "Aww, she's so precious! Enjoy your toy, little one." Camilla scowled at her, but if you'd asked either of the two amazons, they'd have said it made her look even cuter. They Parked, and slowly ate their food. 'the view is pretty nice,and i do like the food, though i wish i didn't have to eat something designed just for little kids. Hey, what's this at the bottom? Great, a purple pacifier, i guess this is what she meant by the toy. This is going in the trash first chance i get.; She looked to jessica, making sure she was looking away, and stuffed it in her pocket, worried that jessica might use it on her. "Alright, back on the road! We've got quite a while to go." Another hour passed uneventfully, but camilla had a problem. "Jessica? I have to go to the bathroom, can we stop somewhere?"Camilla sked hopefully. "Not right now. We'll stop when i have to go, and we can both go. okay?" "B-but amazons can go way longer! That's unfair." "Okay, fine. We'll stop when i have to go to the bathroom, *or*, if you can finish your apple juice, okay sweetie? Now go back to your game, i need to concentrate on driving," 'It's a little better of a deal, but the problem is the size! She ordered me an xl AMAZON sized drink, this has to be at least a half gallon of drink!' Cammy sighs and picks up her cup. 'Well, better get started. I guess i'll just play the game some more and try and try and finish it. Eventually, the car stopped again, and Jessica got out. "I'll just be a minute, i'm gonna run in and grab the supplies, you stay in here". After 25 minutes, she finally came out holding a huge cardboard box, which she threw into the trunk, and got back in the car. "Are you sure i can't go to the bathroom? T-they must have one in there, right?" Camilla was practically pleading at this point. "We've spent enough time here, any longer and we'll be late for clocking out at work, we can stop at a gas station when you've finished your juice" Camilla grumbled, but kept sipping. 30 minutes passed, and she finally drank the last of her apple juice. "Done!!! pleeeeease please stop now, okay?" Camilla's legs were pressed together, and she looked like she was really struggling. Jessica laughed and responded "Alright, fine, you did earn it. She pulls into the station, unbuckles camilla, and guides her into the station by grabbing her hand. They make it about halfway between the front door and bathroom before Camilla stops moving. her hands press against her crotch. "n-no no nooooooo" A small dark spot appears on the front of her jeans, which gets bigger. And bigger. And a puddle forms at her feet. 'I-i wet myself...I fully wet myself. I know it wasn't my fault, b-but i still did it, and 10 feet from a toilet...I feel like the worst part is that if i'd been wearing pull-ups like i had the last few days, there might not have been any leaks... A-and what happens now? am i going to get in trouble w-with the gas station? what if......' While camilla was completely lost in thought, jessica was talking with the employee. "Miss, we require all littles to be padded while in our store, for scenarios just like this, are you not used to having a Little child?" The employee asked, clearly upset about having more work to do. "Oh, she's not mine, she's actually my coworker. She didn't realize she had to go until it was too late, do you have anything for her to wear? It looks like everything but her shirt is ruined, In fact, if you have a trash can we can use we can just throw it all out, she won't be wearing any of it anymore, at least not at work." "I am so sorry, i can't imagine working with a little, it's just sad that they pair her with you, probably just pity, i'll check the back, we usually have an emergency stock of diapers at least, follow me please." Jessica picked up camilla, and carried her into the back room. Camilla was mostly paying attention now, but she didn't have the energy to resist. She could feel her wet clothes clinging to her body, and she felt about as little as she looked, so she just let them do their job. The employee pulls out a white diaper, some rainbow socks, and some light up velcro shoes. Together with jessica's help, they removed and threw out everything but Cammy's shirt, and got her into the childish outfit, taping her up and applying baby powder. Jessica takes the pacifier that she knew was in her pocket, and sticks it into Cammy's shirt pocket. "Thank you, i owe you one. I think our cute little Cammy needs to explain her situation to the boss" She laughs, and the employee laughs too. "n-no pants? B-b-but..." The employee ruffles Cammy's hair, and chuckles "It's okay, sweetie. Even if you had pants, they couldn't hide your diaper, so what's really the point?" Camilla looks down and frowns, unable to respond. They walk back to the car, and Cammy is buckled back in, and they drive off. 'T-this feels so weird, it's so bulky a-and soft, and i can't even fully close my legs! I-i can't even walk normally, and if i'd been wearing this when i'd....um.... earlier, i would have lost control a lot earlier, because i can't even press my legs together.' "U-um, jessica? D-do we really need to talk to julia? Can't you d-drop me off at home? a-and just say i was sick? please?" Camilla asks. Jess thinks for a minute, and completely shocks camilla. "You know what? Yes. I'll drop you off at home, and hopefully tomrrow will be better for you. You're required to be padded tomorrow though, since you got a raincloud today." Camilla lights up, smiling at her "Thank you! y-you won't regret it, tomorrow i'll be completely bone dry for sure!" The drive passes a bit quicker this time, and eventually they're about a half mile from Camilla's apartment, but the car stops early. "U-um, my apartment is another half mile." Cammy says, to which veronica responds "Oh i know, but your new diaper looks so cute that i want you to show it off to all of your neighbors!" "N-no....." "Yep!! have a great day~" Jessica says, getting out, unbuckling Cammie, and setting her on the sidewalk, before speeding off. Cammie runs as fast as she can with her diaper, but she's not used to it, and she trips, lightly skinning her knee. She sits there for a minute, not quite in extreme pain, but her cheeks definitely aren't dry. "Oh my! are you okay?" Camilla turns around to see the large amazon woman that she first saw on her way to work almost a week ago, she was pushing a stroller again, with a little in it, sipping a bottle full of milk. "I-i'm fine, thank you for asking, i'm just walking home." "why don't you climb in here and i'll push you, hm?" The amazon offers, and the little in the stroller laughs, pointing the bottle towards her. "No thank you, i'm not used to wearing....this, i'm an adult, e-even if i'm dressed like this, but it's a long story, t-trust me, i can handle it." Camilla states. The amazon stares at her for a second, before relenting. "Oh, fine. But i'm walking with you, i need to make sure you're going to be safe. Camilla didn't really want that, but it didn't really hurt, so they walked together, the amazon stopping to play with her daughter a few times, but eventually, they reached her house, and Camilla was able to go inside, finally home after all that. 'God, today was awful, i just want to get this thing off, get into some pants, and have a drink' She grabbed the diaper, yanked on the tapes and......It didn't budge. She tried harder, but she couldn't get it to weaken even a little. Her next idea was to look around for some scissors or a sharp knife, but after checking everywhere she could think of, all she could find were butter knives and children's safety scissors. 'I can't stand it, but i'm going to have to ask either maria or veronica for help with this... Maria is much sweeter, and unlike veronica, i can actually trust her to put me in regular underwear when i'm done, and not another d-diaper' She opened the door to leave, and standing right in the hallway, looking directly at her, was veronica. Camilla yelled in surprise, her plan to avoid veronica failing almost immediately. "That's not a very cute diaper! It's all white. And you know you're not wearing pants, right? cmon, let's go get you some pants that'll fit over it. okay cutie?" Camilla tried to run away, but veronica caught her and started walking to her room" Loud footsteps came from the stairs, and maria walked up to the two of them "I heard a scream, what's wrong?" Maria asked, sounding concerned. "Me and this little cutie were going to my room to get this little-proof diaper off, and get her into something more adult, right?" Veronica winked at her. She sighed. 'With maria there i can count on veronica doing what she says, and at this point i'd take anyone getting me back into panties, and i feel like if i tell maria the truth veronica will find a way to really punish me, and it might be the best i'm gonna get' "Y-yes, that's what was happening, thank you for worrying about me, Maria" Camilla said, and Maria smiles. "I'll go get you some pants, i'll be back in a jiffy!" Maria walked off, and veronica carried camilla into her room, shut the door, and set her down on the coffee table, which was a good 4 feet into the air. "Alright, fine. I can't let you stay in your nice, fluffy diaper now, but that doesn't mean i'm upset~ First, let's get this thing off." She rips the tapes off with ease, and throws it in the trash. "Now, i'm going to assume you landed yourself in that diaper from pissing your pants, right?" Camilla nodded instinctively, and immediately regretted it. Being at the mercy of an amazon always made her nervous. "Well, i think it's safe to say that these thin, flimsy 'training pants' aren't strong enough for a pants piddler like you, but they're all we have. So, you're going to wear two." She picks the package up and dumps out the only 2 left, before removing camilla's shoes, sliding the underwear up her legs, and putting them back on. "H-hey, i didin't use all of those, where are the rest?" "Sorry, but little miss 'won't use a pull-up every single day' though an 8-pack would be fine. And i assume that you don't have the money for any more right now, right?" Veronica asked, similing in a way that scared poor Cammy. "I-i get paid tomorrow! i-it's fine, i can buy more then." "But there's a cute little girl i know that wouldn't last 5 minutes in big girl panties, so you really need some new padded undies. Hmmmm, i guess we're gonna to have to go grocery shopping. Tomorrow, right after you get out of work, we'll meet up." Camilla was about to respond, when the door slowly opened. "I've got your pants, dear." There were a few things camilla could say to that. 'Those aren't my pants' 'I don't want to wear those' 'Why did you pick such immature pants' but she was really just happy to be out of her diaper, back into (somewhat) thinner underwear, and she was about to be in her own apartment again, so she took the Pink, glittery sweatpants from Maria's hand and slid them on. They really didn't hide her doubled pullup situation, in fact almost anyone who saw her would think she was wearing a slightly thin diaper rather than two pullups, though she wasn't sure if people knowing the truth was really any better... "Goodbye, veronica, see you tomorrow. Goodbye maria, thank you for the pants!" Camilla said, walking out, before she was grabbed at the shoulder by maria. "Aren't you going to thank veronica for helping you out?" Camilla winced, but suffered through it so she could get home soon. "Thank you veronica, i appreciate your help". Maria smiled, and veronica replied "You're welcome, cutie! Come back any time you need a change, okay?" Camilla turned away and walked home, finally back to her room and out of that diaper. She immediately went to her dresser to change her pants, but everything was replaced. lots of pants and skirts equally as shildish as the one she was wearing, with three exceptions: A rather short skirt, which seemed odd, but she wondered if it was to more easily see the little's diaper. A pair of purple shortalls, perhaps the baby-est thing in the wardrobe, and finally: A pair of footie pajamas, and they even had a section on the back that you could unbutton to check the wearer's diaper. "Did maria do all this? I-it must have been veronica somehow, maria wouldn't replace all of my clothes without asking!" Camilla decided her current pants were good enough, and went to lay down, but when she did, something fell out of her shirt pocket: The pacifier! though this time she noticed a small piece of paper, with a web link claiming to have a 'fun video for littles' She was just interested enough to type the link, and she was greeted with a black box with a play button, which she clicked. A half hour later, camilla shook her head, trying to remember what she had just been doing... Her phone was on the home screen, and she was laying in bed, so she must have dozed off while browsing the internet. She picked up the pacifier and set it on the bedside table 'Eh, i'll throw this junk away tomorrow, i'm already in bed and there's no point getting up just for that.' She said, as she laid down, quickly sliding her thumb into her mouth. And why shouldn't she, it was a perfectly normal thing for adults to do, and it helped her relax....... Chapter 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Camilla woke up, dried her thumb on her pants, and got up. 'Hey, i only somewhat have to pee, maybe i'm getting better at holding it in!" Which is sound logic, ignoring the state of her underwear, not quite soaked, but definitely the wettest they'd been of any morning this week. She gets ready, grabs her purse, puts on her shoes (still the velcro light up sketchers, she'd only had one pair of sneakers and they were replaced by these) and heads out the door. On her way to work, she sees a little who looks distressed. "Hey, are you okay? what's wrong?" Camilla asked, concerned. "N-no, you've gotta help, me and my friend were going for a walk, a-and this amazon lady pushing a stroller picked her up and took her, but she left the stroller there, and my friend had just enough time to throw her phone into it so i could call for help, but i'm not strong enough to lift myself into it, you need to help!" * 'This seems a little suspicious. First of all, why would she be pushing a stroller she didn't intend to carry them away in, and secondly, this girl is throwing me off, she seems both too calm for the situation, but also too frantic to just be sitting here. Hey! there's an amazon staring at us over there. She's trying to hide behind the building! This must be a trap, i'm not sticking around for this' She bolted, running to the other side of the street, and not slowing down until she reached the office. She was glad to be back in relative safety. When she got in the elevator, there was an amazon woman with her, and before camilla could hit the 3F button to go to her job, the other girl hit the button for the daycare. Camilla didn't think much of it, until she felt herself being picked up and carried to the reception for the daycare. "H-hey! i work here you know, i'm not a baby! Put me down!!" She pulled out her card identifying her as an official worker "UUGH, fine. You can't blame me for mistaking you, what would YOU calll someone who wears a diaper to work, huh? And you're just gonna end up down here eventually anyways, why not just skip the pointless struggle and give up now? I hear they've got swingsets and even a trampoline in here, sounds pretty good to you, huh?" Camilla groaned and walked back to the elevator, pressing the correct button, and waiting to get to her actual job. 'That was rediculous! I'm telling julia about that, there's no way that's allowed. I do kinda wish i had my own swingset though, now that i think about it.' Camilla's eyes widened as soon as the elevator doors opened. Right in plain sight, as soon as you entered the floor, was a calander. 3 sun stickers, and one rain cloud. And right above it, the text: "Lil Cammy's potty chart, Updated every day" She marched over to the chart, and started trying to figure out how to take it down (it was 9 feet in the air after all) when a voice behind her said "You lay a finger on that chart, you get a storm cloud for that day, pipsqueak". It was jessica! "T-take that down! I-It's disrespectful, and rude, and a total i-invasio"- Camilla was interrupted by Jessica pulling the waistband of her pants and padded underwear. "Jeez kiddo, i think i'll have to count that as a raincloud, and work has barely started! Do you even try to make it to the bathroom anymore? I guess that's why you've doubled up, huh?." Camilla was nervous. Now that her chart was public, it mattered 10x more, and she really didn't want her coworkers to think she was a pants wetting baby. "c-come on, work just started, w-what if i keep it this dry for the rest of the day?" Camilla asked hopefully. "You'd have a better chance of beating me at arm-wrestling, but sure, and while we're at it, why don't i show you the new addition to your workspace". She led camilla to her cubicle, where there was...a plastic potty, sitting next to her chair. "Yeeea, management says that with how many bathroom breaks you take, and how far away it is, you're wasting about $30 a day worth of time just in the walks to and from the bathroom, so we got this! Now you can justmove a few feet and squat down, isn't that great? Oh, and the bathroom now has a numpad lock on it, and no one is supposed to tell you what it is." Camilla was speechless. She simply sat down in her chair, and waited for jessica to walk off. She would start doing her work, and would get quite a lot done (and of course sometimes she would pop her thumb into her mouth, "to help her focus") But she couldn't bring herself to use the potty. About halfway through her workday, she was practically on the edge of what she could hold, and she finally worked up the courage to use it, as her bladder felt like it was about to burst. She pulled down her pants and trainers, squatted down, and let go. "Aaaah~". Partway through, camilla could hear a few people laughing. 'Jerks, they're not the ones forced to be doing this. It's a lot quieter than i expected. And why does my butt feel so warm? I-i didn't forget to pull anything down, right? My pants are down, so are my training pa- SHIT, i'm wearing two pairs....no no no no no' She reached her hand up and confirmed her fear, she'd only pulled down one pair of training pants. Jessica arrived with horrible (or perfect) timing. "i'm sorry, kiddo. I'm afraid that counts as soaked. And i think we'll need to diaper you up, you're not gonna be able to put those back on." "I-I um...If i had access to the bathroom this wouldn't have happened! A-and couldn't i just use the training pants that i took off back on?" Referring to the ones around her ankles. "If i were nice? i'd probably say yes, but i've got 2 good reasons why i'll say no. One: Two full wettings in a row demonstrates that you're not ready for training pants yet, and two: watching you waddle around, trying to get used to your diapers is so fun. Now come on, we've gotta talk to the boss about this." Jessica leads them into Julia's office, and explains the whole situation. Julia smiles at Camilla, and speaks. "Most bosses, in this position, would mandate you wear diapers, and if i'm going to be fair about this, i'll have to agree. Don't pout though, Camilla, some bosses would use this opportunity to give you a permenant ticked to the daycare downstairs. Cut down on liquids before bed, pay attention to when you need to go, and actually try, and maybe you'l lstand a chance of getting back to training pants" Julia stated. "Y-you mean panties, right?" Camilla asked nervously. "Yeah, of course. Now show camilla to her new workspace." "New workspace? What do you mean?" Camilla asked, to which Jessica replied "Well, since you'll be in diapers that you can't remove, you'll need to see me any time you want to go to the bathroom, so we're moving your stuff into my cubicle, and we'll be working together! Well, your duties will be scaled back a bit and you'll essentially just be helping me, but..." "W-why not just give me...d-diapers that i can remove?" "Do you know how to diaper yourself?" Camilla shook her head. "So you'd be able to remove the diaper, and then you'd have to walk all the way to where i am, with no underwear on, and have me put it back on. This is simpler, easier, and a lot more fun, so get used to it. "But you're going to put me into training pants after work, right? How would i go to the bathroom at home?". "Nope, sorry. We have tons of diapers from the daycare downstairs, but we can't change you into anything else because the daycare doesn't stock training pants" Jessica lied, smiling at her. "Now come on, let's get back to work. They worked for the few hours that were left, and they both packed up. Camilla thought about asking to go to the bathroom, but she figured she could get maria to take the diaper off, and put her back into her panties. The walk home was uneventful, and she saw maria at the counter. "Ah, camilla dear! What can i do for you? those pants look adorable on you sweetie, we just need to find a matching shirt." Camilla ignored her comment, more worried about getting out of this diaper before she needs to pee again. "Can you please get this diaper off? they put it on me at work and i can't break the tapes." "Did they put it on you because you wet your pants, sweetie?" Camilla blushed hard and nodded. "I don't think i should then. Learning from mistakes is important, and without consequences, you won't learn. This diaper is meant to teach you how important it is to make it to the potty on time, and i don't want to interfere with that lesson. But you can come to me whenever you need to go potty and i'll take it off for you, okay? And you'll stay nice and dry!" Camilla was too embarrassed to say anything, and she just stood there for a minute, before finally gathering the courage to ask to go to the bathroom "There you are cammy! We've gotta go shopping, remember? We gotta go now or they'll close!" Veronica walked over and picked cammy up, walking out the door. "W-wait, i-" Cammy was cut off again by veronica. "It's okay, mommy maria will be here when you get back, you can play more then." And like that, they were walking to the store. Both veronica and cammy were facing away from Maria, but had they looked to her, they would have noticed a big smile and a slight blush at being called camilla's mommy. "They spent the next 20 minutes just getting regular groceries, but camilla really had to go by the time they'd gotten everything. "U-um, big sis veronica? p-please come with me to the bathroom, i need you to take off my um.....yknow." Veronica had a wide grin. "I don't know, what's in it for me? i stop you from emptying your bladder directly into your dumb kiddie pants in the middle of a crowded store just to be nice? Doesn't sound like me." "P-please, anything you like, i need to keep this dryyyy." Camilla begged. "How about i pick everything i'd like from the store, and in return you keep your diaper dry? Fair, right?" 'It's not the most unfair deal she's ever given me, and even if she picks out some infantile booties or something, i can just have maria take them off. Apparently she doesn't want to interfere with punishments, but i think she'll take my word over veronica's, and it would just be her bullying me, so she'll take them off." Camilla nods, and they head to the bathroom. Veronica pulls down her pants, untapes the diaper, and lifts her onto the toilet. She turns around, but she doesn't leave the stall. It takes a few minutes, but eventually the sound of liqiud hitting liquid echoes through the bathroom. 'G-god, this is embarrassing! She didn't even leave the stall! but at least i stayed dry, that's the important thing. Just three more days and i'm back to training pants...i wish i didn't have to be excited to wear pullups.' They finished up, and veronica re-diapered Cammy, as they headed out into the store. Veronica looked like she was having a blast, picking out all kinds of things for little Cammy to wear. Padded mittens that would make it hard to even turn a doorknob, even using both hands. Babyish plastic booties, though they looked a little weird, especially the bottom of the insides. A pink onesie with a few frills along the butt. and finally, and worst: Night-time diapers, probably as thick as two of the ones camilla was wearing, with stars and moons on them, which doubled as wetness indicators. Camilla would have argued it, but she'd agreed, so she settled for quiet pouting. Veronica finally finished, and they paid, and carried the bags back home. When veronica finally handed the receit to Cammy, she found out it was almost exactly all of the money she'd been paid that day. 'Great, aaaand back down to broke." And of course veronica insisted on carrying Camilla back to the apartment, along with all of the bags. 'Well, at least it's a bit nice to not have to carry anything. They went inside, and as soon as veronica set her down, Camilla ran to her room, But she heard a knock on her door about 30 seconds later, and remembered they'd also gotten food groceries. She opened the door for Veronica, getting deja vu of the first time she'd allowed veronica to help with groceries. "You're adorable" She booped cammy's nose, to which cammy just blushed and looked away. Veronica put away all of the groceries, grabbing all of the babyish items, and walked to the hallway. "Do you need help getting into your night-time diapee, lil sis?" Veronica practically yelled, smiling at her. "NO!" she slammed the door and locked it. Happy to be safe again in her room, she walked into the bedroom, prepared to sleep. Though her bed was a bit different....There were rails on each side, at least a foot tall, and bolted into place. Camilla grumbled, blaming Maria, but not really that upset, it's not like they actively hurt anything, and it was just to proctect her, even if she didn't need it. She stuck her thumb into her mouth, and slowly drifted off to sleep....

I've thought of doing a sequel set 3 years down the road, perhaps when I finish my current story I will due to your encouragement

Oh yes I adore being in a poopy diaper for hours on end. I love the way it mashes up on my butt and then gets crusty after just a few hours. On weekends I like to take a nap in a messy diaper. Sometimes after the nap I wake up and deposit some fresh poop. Pee is no fun and the ammonia in pee burns after an hour or two, so poop for me rules !!

Chapter 69 Amanda held a finger to her lips as Mel walked through the front door. Jamie was asleep on her chest, his back rising and falling with each breath. “Hey,” Amanda said quietly. “It’s not his nap time. Why so sleepy?” “He didn’t have the best day, but how was your first day?” “Good! Spent a lot of time learning store policies and how to work their computer system.” “Did you get to help any customers?” “A little. Was looking over the other person’s shoulder.” “Gotta start somewhere. You feel like a grown up yet?” “No. What’s that feel like?” “How should I know? Did you at least like it?” “Kinda boring, but just the first day. A week from now it will only be me.” “We should go out and celebrate.” “We’ve celebrated, like, four times. Maybe you need to just get out more.” “I’m bored,” Amanda responded. “Don’t think I’ve ever been bored in the summer before. Maybe that’s a sign of being a grown up.” “Too bad school doesn’t start for another month.” “I do have packing to keep me busy, but I’ve packed everything I don’t need for the next month. Except winter stuff. Figured I could take care of that after the move, once I’m settled. You been looking at places?” “Just a few online. Haven’t looked at anything yet.” “You could be in the same complex as us. You could afford it.” “Maybe. It’s not too far from work.” “If I refer a friend I get $100 off one month’s rent. I’ll split it with you,” Amanda joked. “We’ll see. Where’s your mom?” “At work. Should be home soon.” “So what happened to Jamie,” Mel asked. “I had to go to campus today, and Mom had to go to work, so we took him to littlecare. Stupid bully there just said something mean.” “And that got under Jamie’s skin?” “Yeah.” “I wonder if littles where he’s from are all so sensitive. I mean, he’s a grown up. Not regressed. You’d think he could let that stuff roll off him more.” “Maybe when he first got here. Think he’s grown down a bit, which is good. I like him like this way. No bottling up feelings. And I like that he needs us.” She looked down at him and rubbed his back. Jamie sighed in response and snuggled deeper. “What did the kid say?” “He overheard Jamie telling his teacher about moving, and the kid found him later and told him it must be because his bigs don’t want him around anymore.” “Little fucker.” “I know,” Amanda said with disdain in her voice. “Still, Jamie knows that’s not true.” “Yeah. I think maybe the whole foster kid thing maybe makes a comment like that sting a little more for him.” Mel grimaced. She still didn’t fully understand the concept of foster care. She knew most of what had happened to Jamie, though. “Ella was there,” Amanda continued. “She told the kid off in language not appropriate for a little, and then when I got there to pick him up he needed just his big sister time.” “I don’t like it when people are mean to him.” “Tell me about it. Makes me kinda lose perspective. Have to remind myself the other one is just a little.” “Can I hold him?” “Sure.” She lifted Jamie gently, trying not to wake him. She passed him in a cradled position to Mel, who laid him on her chest. “This always feels so good. I love this.” She played with his hair before settling back against the sofa cushions. “Is he still dealing with move ok?” “On the outside. If he were dealing better with it inside, I don’t think that little’s comment would’ve bothered him so much.” “Is he being open with you guys, or is he doing that thing where he won’t talk about stuff?” “He’ll talk about it. It’s just a hard transition for him. Not exactly what he signed up for when he came here.” “Oooo,” Mel said with a laugh as she patted his butt. “Ought to feel better after that.” “Does he need changed?” “Just gas.” Amanda was relieved. She didn’t want him to start doing that in his sleep. “Anyway,” Amanda continued, “I don’t think he saw this coming when he adopted himself out.” “How’s your mom doing with it?” “Talks about it less than Jamie, but I think she’s having a harder time than she lets on.” “Maybe she just talks to her friends about it.” “Maybe ... We’ll get through it. Everybody does.” “Are you still excited?” “Yeah. It’s just ... managing other people’s feelings makes it less fun. Maybe if I’d lived in the dorms during college it would be different now.” “I’m here to help ... Maybe we need to plan a house warming party for when you’re settled. Give you something fun to look forward to.” “Yeah, that does sound kinda fun.” “You can invite the mysterious Ryan.” Amanda made an unhappy, uncertain face. “Why haven’t you brought him around all summer,” Mel asked. “Because it wasn’t supposed to last beyond the summer, and I didn’t want to give Jamie one more thing to be upset about.” “He’ll be happy for you.” “To a point. He doesn’t like sharing his people.” “I think you need to follow your heart on this one. If you want to stay with him, stay. Just getting into a relationship doesn’t mean marriage is down the road. Or is there more to it than that?” “If we decide it’s serious, than he’s gonna wanna be around a lot. I don’t want to give Jamie someone else to be attached to, and then if it doesn’t work out that person goes away.” “So you’re gonna stay single your whole life instead?” “No ...” “Just saying, it’s gonna happen at some point.” “Not this summer, though. One thing at a time ... and if Ryan isn’t that patient, then he’s not the right person for me anyway.” Mel smiled a whatever-makes-you-happy smile and changed the subject, asking, “You ever hear from Ella’s family?” “They sent a thank you card.” “And how is Ella.” “Seems back to normal to me. Happier, even.” “Spunky little thing that she is.” “I think I need to wake him up if I want him in bed anywhere close to on time.” She reached over and ran her finger the length of the sole of Jamie’s foot. He wiggled. She did it again. He kicked a little and made a face, and Mel laughed, and Amanda did it again. Jamie’s eyes opened. “Hello there, Jamie Bear,” Amanda said. “Hi, Mel,” Jamie responded. “How did you know it was me?” “You feel a certain way. How was your first day?”

Chapter 68 Manda seemed doubtful, but both Jamie and Becky were adamant the time was now. It had been overlooked in the lead up to Ella’s family visiting, but with the move approaching, it was time. They’d driven up to the school Becky taught at and were on the playground. “Of course I’m sure,” Jamie said. “I’ve taught lots of kids how to ride bikes before.” He was taking the pedals off her bike, not easy for him given its size. He’d already done the same to his. It had shown up on his doorstep, and Becky was cagey about how she’d gotten it. She would only say it was a present for being such a good and brave bear, and Jamie detected a hint of apology, as though the gift were some kind of offering to assuage Becky’s guilt at all the changes Jamie was subject to. “How do I learn to ride without pedals?” “By learning to balance first.” He got the second pedal out, his arms tired from holding them up over his head. “I should’ve worn something else,” he said as he looked at the grease on his hands. Becky got some wipes from his bag and cleaned his hands off. “Okay, watch me first,” Jamie said as he straddled his own bike. “All you’re gonna do is push off with your feet and try to balance until you get to the swing set, and then stop with your feet.” He showed her. Becky looked on. It made her feel once more like her little was special, being able to ride without training wheels. Manda got on her bike and pushed off with her toes. She went a few feet and lost her balance as the bike wobbled. “Push off harder,” Jamie obstructed her. “The faster you go, the straighter the bike will go.” “Okay,” Amanda said skeptically. She tried again and went farther. “Nicely done,” Becky cheered from a bench. “Let’s see if you can make it the rest of the way,” Jamie urged her. She tried a third time and made it to the swing set. “Now what,” Amanda asked. “Keep doing it until you make it all the way.” Ten more tries, and Amanda got the hang of it. Jamie put one pedal back in the bike. “This time, instead of pressing off with your feet, I want you to press this pedal down to start you going.” Amanda managed, correcting her steering when the momentum took her to the left. Jamie had her repeat the process several times before he put both wheels on. “Scared,” he asked her. “A little.” “Just go slow. Use the entire playground.” She did, and when she got to the far side, she tried to turn too sharply and lost her balance. She fell off but stayed on her feet, the chain scratching the inside of her right calf. “How do you turn,” she asked. The answer seemed obvious - the handle bars - but it hadn’t worked. “You lean into the turn as you turn the handle, but don’t lean too much yet. Ride back.” She did, heading straight for Jamie. She got close and wobbled but didn’t stop. “Stop!” Jamie yelled as he stepped out of her way. She put her feet down and skidded to a halt a few feet past where Jamie had been standing. “Sorry,” she said with blushing cheeks. Jamie showed her how the brakes worked, telling her to use them like the brake on her car, coming to a gradual stop rather than a sharp stop. Amanda managed on her next few rides to make a wide circle of the playground until she could make several laps. “I’m done for today,” she announced when she stopped again. “You did so good,” Becky cheered. “Ready to try a trail? Paved, of course,” Jamie asked as they mounted both bikes onto the back of Becky’s car. “With people and sticks and things? I don’t think so.” “Maybe we can set up a little obstacle course on he playground so you can get used to steering around things,” he suggested. “That would be good.” “You did really well,” Jamie assured her as she buckled him into his car seat. A few dings and scratches, but she’d done fine. If she were a kid, she’d be wanting to ride everywhere. As an adult, she didn’t have that bodily confidence. Jamie didn’t want to hurry her, but he wasn’t allowed to ride his bike without a big, and Becky had so far not gotten a bike for herself. Jamie was hesitant to ask her to take out Manda’s bike with him, and she had uncharacteristically been firm in telling him if he rode his bike outside their yard alone that she would take it away. A little on their own, especially on a bike, would get the police called, and that would mean a visit by the social worker. She wouldn’t disagree with them. Littles shouldn’t be out in the world alone, at least the dependent ones. Their yard wasn’t big enough to make riding his bike in it fun, and it would chew up the grass, so he’d wait for the time being. Becky drove them to the pool, and Jamie did his best to do his business in the car on the way so he would be changed into a clean swim diaper. Manda changed him in the locker room, and he was glad to be clean again. It still wasn’t his favorite thing to do. “Wanna swim,” she asked as she held out his suit for him to step into. “I’m kinda hungry, actually. Is it too early for lunch?” Jamie had never had a watch in Itali and maintained only the barest awareness of time. The day passed in stages - wake up, breakfast, bath, maybe a morning nap, lunch and so on until bedtime. He didn’t need to know the time because he didn’t do any of those things alone. When he’d first arrived, that made him feel out of control, and Becky especially hadn’t been keen to tell him the time. She always passed it off with an answer like, “Close to dinner time.” It took Jamie a week to realize that toddlers like bigs suppose littles to be don’t know the time, can’t tell it and don’t care. They care about events instead. Keeping the time from him was a way to make him feel little, less responsible. He grew to be comfortable with it. “A bit, but we can if you want. Why so hungry,” she asked as she tied the drawstring on his swimsuit. She smiled and gently swatted his butt as she picked him up. “You are still so darn cute in this thing; I could eat you for lunch.” “You can’t have your bear and eat it, too. I was explaining that to Mel the other day, when I was her bear. Briefly.” “And whose bear are you now,” she asked as she handed him his sunglasses and carried him into the light. “I’m your bear.” “And what does my bear want for lunch?” “Something green.” “How about we split a salad, and maybe get some french fries to go with it?” “Sounds good.” They walked over to their spot. Becky had arranged their chairs and laid out their towels. “Is my stinky bear all clean again,” she asked. She held out her arms and Amanda passed him over. “All clean,” he answered. “We’re gonna get lunch. Will you come with us?” “Of course,” she answered and pinched his belly. “We need to get you some more energy to play this afternoon. How many laps do you think you can do,” she asked as she carried him toward the snack bar. “A million, I bet,” Amanda answered. “I think two million,” Becky replied. “Forty,” Jamie said. “Forty million it is,” Amanda rejoined. “You guys are the silly ones,” Jamie said, “not me.” “Said the bear,” Becky replied as she patted his butt. ”Am I your bear or Manda’s bear? I’m confused,” he said cutely on purpose. “You’re a jointly owned bear,” Manda said. ”We went halvesies on you,”

Chapter 67 Jamie was nervous, and he wasn’t sure why. He was spending the night with Mel like they had said, and for some reason it felt different this time, elegaic. He knew he needed to snap out of that feeling before she arrived. For one thing, this wasn’t changing. Her working didn’t mean they couldn’t have sleepovers. He’d still see her weekends, evenings, days off. He could even go see her at work. So she wouldn’t be able to drop by last minute any day of the week anymore; that wasn’t such a big change, Jamie told himself several times. Jamie suspected he was projecting his own feelings onto Mel. Working life hadn’t worked out for Jamie. Looking back, he saw college as the golden age of his life before Itali and the end of it as a sharp decline. It wouldn’t be that way for Mel, or at least he had no reason to believe it would be. He was resolved to make their sleepover a celebration. “Hello,” Mel called out when she arrived. She’d stopped knocking a very long time ago. “I’m here to pick up the Jamie Bear I was promised for the night.” Jamie felt suddenly mischievous and decided to hide. He could hear everything. “Hi,” Amanda greeted Mel. “Here’s his bag for tonight.” She handed over his overnight bag with everything he’d need: jammies, clean clothes for tomorrow, two bottles of milk, a few changes, and his bear. Mel took the bag. “How are you,” Mel asked. “Good. Got a date tonight.” “I thought you were breaking that off.” “I know. I can’t decide.” “And he doesn’t want to end it?” “I don’t think so. Ever since we talked about it being just a summer thing he’s avoided the topic. I think he’d be happy for it to continue.” “Hmm.” Mel didn’t understand Amanda’s logic. She didn’t see why she couldn’t have a serious boyfriend right now. The move, getting Jamie adjusted, starting grad school - sure, it was a lot, but having someone she cared about would make it easier, not harder; or so Mel thought. “Jamie’s in his room,” Manda said. Jamie heard them coming down the hall. He hid on the far side of the dresser. “Jamie, Mel’s ... He was here a minute ago,” Amanda said. “Jamie,” she called out. “Mel’s here!” They started to walk out of the room, and Jamie crept from behind his dresser until he was right behind them. “Boo!” Jamie shouted. He got a jump from each of them as they spun around. “O, you are so dead,” Amanda told him as she stooped down to sweep him into her arms. She got behind him and sat down on the carpet, pinning him on his back between her legs. “Get him, Mel!” “Nooooo,” Jamie cried as Mel lifted his shirt and gave him a pink belly. “Get in on this,” Mel said. Amanda got her fingers into Jamie’s underarms and tickled him as ferociously as she ever had. Jamie squealed like a regressed little as he writhed. Mel was holding his ankles down as he thrashed and almost kicked her. “What do you say,” Amanda asked when she was done. You can get a lot of tickling down in less than a minute. “I give,” Jamie said, out of breath. “I give.” “Good,” Amanda said, “because I wanna have a talk with you. Are you listening?” Jamie nodded. “Are you listening,” Amanda asked Mel, who nodded. “Okay. In celebration of Mel’s accomplishment, for tonight, and only for tonight, he can be your bear.” “He can?!?” “ONLY for tonight. He’s my bear again come morning.” “My very own bear,” Mel said as she pulled Jamie away from Amanda and into her own lap. “Whose bear are you,” she asked. “Yours,” Jamie responded with a giggle. “Ooh, that feels so good,” Mel said. “I love hearing that.” “Gimme a goodnight hug,” Manda’s said as she held out her arms. Jamie stood up and gave her a hug and a kiss. “Be a good boy tonight.” “I will.” She let him go after giving him another kiss. “What are we doing tonight,” Mel asked while she backed out of the driveway with Jamie in the backseat. “I was thinking we could go get pizza,” he said. “I like that place next to A Little This A Little That, and I need something from there.” “What do you need?” “It’s a surprise. Manda gave me some money to get it.” “I like surprises.” She wondered what this funny little boy had in store. “Remember the first time we went out together just the two of us?” “Yeah.” That was one of his favorite memories. Without really trying to, she made him feel especially little that evening. You might even say it was the night they fell in love. She dismissed the need for a booster and knew what to order at the restaurant. She put him in her lap and spread the tiny box of crayons on the table. “What should we do first?” “The animals,” he said and started coloring a lion yellow. She took the red crayon and started coloring a mammoth. “Are you excited,” he asked. She started work in three days. “Very. Nervous, too.” “That’s okay. No one is expecting you to know everything on your first day. You’ll learn.” “I know. I’ll be on my own in a week though. The person training me is moving to another store.” “You’ll be great by then. It’s all about people, and you’re great with people.” “Thank you.” “Just wait until you get to decorate your first room for a little.” “How should I decorate it?” “I like the cloud wallpaper trim in my room. And I like having a rug on top of the carpet.” “That’s to make clean up easier if you spill.” “But it also makes the floor more comfortable to sit on. I’m down there a lot.” “Building with your blocks?” “And my erector set. And drawing sometimes.” “You’re a good drawer.” “Ella taught me. She’s much better.” “How are you coming on that picture you’re gonna draw for my desk?” “I’m almost done. You can’t see it yet.” Jamie finished the lion and moved on to turning a monkey blue. Their dinners came, and Jamie just sat back. He knew she’d feed him, and he wanted her to. He wasn’t exactly trying to re-create that first night together, but he sort of was. It was just perfect in a lot of ways. Ever since then, some things were just a given, like her feeding him if they were alone and often when they weren’t. She patted his belly and proffered a piece of pizza to him. “Open up for the space ship.” “It’s a space ship,” he asked as she put the end of the slice in his mouth. He bit down and got a face covered in sauce when she pulled the slice away. “Messy eater.” “Is mezzy piza,” he said as he chewed. He swallowed and added, “That’s why it’s so good.” She fed him the whole slice before she started on her own. “How’s that feel?” His was little food. “Good. Fuzzy in my tummy.” “You’re a sweet boy.” “You’re a sweet big.” She smiled brightly and patted his thigh. “You’re one of my favorite people ever.” “I am?” “Yep. You didn’t know?” “I thought I was, but I wasn’t sure. You’re one of my favorite people, too, and do you know why?” “Why?” “Because you make everyone around you happy, and you’re so brave and strong and kind.” He blushed and ate more pizza. They put their leftovers in the car, and she carried him into the store, heading straight for the changing room. “I think someone wet their pants at the dinner table,” she said as she sat him on a changing table. “Why didn’t you ask to go to the potty,” he asked with a grin and a giggle. “You little stink rat. Lay down for me.” He did and she yanked his shorts down and off, then rolled his shirt up, exposing his tummy. Not really tickling him, she walked her fingers up his belly, singing, “Who’s my favorite bear in the whole wide world?” “Me!” “Who’s the bestest bear in the whole wide world?” “Me!” “Who’s Bear are you?” “Yours, for tonight.” “All mine?” “All yours!” “And how big is this bear,” she asked as she poked his belly button. Jamie giggled and put his hands above his head, singing along with her, “Sooooo big!” “And such a good bear,” she said as she continued with his diaper change. “Want your paci?” “Mhmm.” She retrieved it from the pocket of the diaper bag and put it between his lips. With dry undies on him and his shorts back up, Mel carried him into the store. “Do we need a cart for your surprise?” “No.” “Where are we heading.” “The teddy bears. It’s a surprise for Mom.” “Aww. Why a bear?” “I got one for Manda as a surprise, too, for when I’m not at her house, so she has someone to sleep with. I wanna get the same bear for Mom. It’s gonna be a surprise for both of them.” Mel felt a little ball of emotion in her chest and gushed, “You are so thoughtful ... And freakin’ adorable, too. One day someone is just gonna eat you up.” “No they won’t.” “They won’t?” “Because you won’t let em.” “But it could be me!” “You’d never do that. It’s that one,” he said as they turned into the bear aisle. “I’ve always wanted to taste a bear.” “You can’t have your bear and eat him too,” he told her. He reached out and picked the bear off the shelf. “Is that everything you need?” “Yep.” When they got to her house, he greeted her family, who he’d come to know enough to exchange polite talk with. “How’s life treating you,” her dad asked. “A little messy, but it’s good right now.” “Sometimes that has to be enough, right?” “Definitely.” “You can continue this over breakfast,” Mel told them, “but this bear needs to get ready for bed.” “Night, Jamie,” her dad said. He liked watching his daughter with him. This strange little had somehow become integral to his daughter’s life, and he liked Jamie because he made Mel happy. Not that he wanted it anytime soon, but it made him look forward to the day he was a grandfather. “Goodnight,” they wished each other. In her bedroom, Mel said, “Let’s see what Manda packed you,” as she unzipped his overnight bag. “You want jammies?” “I think just the diaper cover.” “Is it too warm in here?” “A little.” She turned on the ceiling fan. “Thank you.” She undressed him, checked his diaper, and slid the cover over it. “Want me to warm up your baba?” She’d put the second one in the fridge after he was in bed. “No, I like it room temperature sometimes.” Mel put his bags on the floor and sat down on her bed. She rested her back against her pillows and cradled Jamie in her lap. He was rarely held like this anymore, but he liked it. “Open up for Aunt Melissa.” She put the bottle between his lips. He writhed gently and stretched out his arms and legs and hands and feet and toes. “You little milkhead.” He grinned and kept drinking. He started to look tired, a little earlier than his usual bedtime, perhaps just by twenty minutes, but twenty minutes is a long time to littles. “Are you sleepy already?” “Mhmm,” he said. He’d been with Ella all day, and then the heavy little food dinner and now his bedtime bottle. “I love you, my Jamie Bear,” she said when he finished his baba and blinked his sleepy eyes. “I love you, too, Aunt Mel.” “I’ll hold you just like this until you fall asleep.” He turned to his right, toward her, and sighed as she patted his butt and rubbed his back. “Good,” he said as he snuggled deeper into her arms. “Whose bear are you?” “Yours.” “Good bear.”