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Chapter One Elizabeth Harris had a plan. Though she got the well paying manager job at the tech company thanks to her family’s connections, all of her successes since then had been due to her own talents. Mostly by being a hard ass, and sometimes deceptively exploitative depending on the situation. Leading with a stern demeanor and harsh criticisms for the smallest mistakes was how she believed she needed to act in order to get respect. Due to her youthful visage, Elizabeth had struggled to be taken seriously for most of her life. Her mother was quite conservative from a fiscal standpoint, and would often make little ‘Beth’ pretend to be younger in order to get cheaper movie tickets, meals, and any other discount offered for those twelve and under. Once in high school, she had been walking past her old middle school on the way home; she was flagged down and pulled inside for skipping school–due to bus rotations, the middle school students were released an hour or two later in the day than the high schoolers were–and had to deal with nearly half an hour of them chastising her and trying to figure out which class to return her to before finally listening to her and looking her up in a different section of their system. Obviously, she started taking the long way home. More importantly, that was when she put her foot down. It was one thing for someone to mistake her as younger; it was something else entirely for it to cause such a frustrating and humiliating ordeal. Ever since then, she started spending an extra half hour in the morning carefully constructing a more mature image of herself. Better make-up work than the simple applications she used to do, push-up bras with a hint of padding, and at least two inch lifts or heels to boost her height. Her bitterness over the middle school office treating her like a lying tween caused her to act a little more jaded and bitchy the next day, which only snowballed from there. Fast forward to the present. Elizabeth’s size hadn’t changed in the slightest, although her clothes and her personality had escalated plenty. The 23 year old wore professional business attire, and was not afraid to chew out anyone who looked at her wrong. She was also quite thirsty for money, and was more than happy to spend it as well. Especially since she had a company card and very little oversight, meaning she could treat herself on their dime and then treat herself with the personal funds she saved by using that card. She was poised to get a fat bonus as well. All she needed to do was fire June at the opportune moment. Due to some restructuring after a couple of promotions, the company had gone with Elizabeth’s suggestion to bring in June as a combined assistant/admin role. It was quite cost effective, as the 24 year old hire could just do all the admin work whenever she wasn’t tending to whatever Elizabeth needed. Poor June had tried so hard to negotiate a salary that was comparable with her old job, but Elizabeth had known she had been laid off from her former place of employment due to budget cuts. It had been easy enough to lie and say the lower figure was the best they could offer at the time. Between the young woman’s desperation for the job, as well as the vague hope of a future raise that had been dangled in front of her, June had accepted. The problem was, June was annoyingly good at her job. No matter how much busy work Elizabeth offloaded on her, she always managed to get all of her admin responsibilities completed in a timely manner as well. And then some. June really was making the best of her situation, and it wasn’t long before she lucked into being included on a large project that was going to be presented to an investor in the coming weeks. Instead of keeping her mouth shut and handing out coffees like a good assistant, June made some offhand suggestion that someone higher up the food chain than Elizabeth ended up liking. It was such bullshit. June was clearly busting her ass to come up with ideas for both the project itself and the impending investor meeting, and her assistant role gave her an unexpected edge as well. Since she was the one making the copies and putting the documents together, there was a degree of visible credit whenever she handed out packets and binders as things became more and more finalized. When all was said and done, it had been decided that June and Elizabeth were going to fly out for a week to try and pitch the idea. Elizabeth was still going to be heading up the meeting, while June would merely be present to communicate any of the finer details. Her fucking assistant, being sent on a business trip instead of one of the actual higher ups in the company. It was ridiculous. So, Elizabeth quickly concluded that the best course of action would be to fire June. At minimum, it would get rid of the girl who was dangerously close to being promoted from the subservient role she had been hired to fill. If Elizabeth played her cards right, maybe she could do the deed before the investment was fully processed and, ideally, do some creative accounting and take June’s project bonus for herself. On top of Elizabeth’s own bonus, of course. What she didn’t plan on, however, was June catching wind of her scheme. Firing someone without cause would open the company to a potential lawsuit, so Elizabeth had started laying the groundwork here and there. She never thought June would actually find out before being called into Elizabeth’s office for the bomb to be dropped. The last thing Elizabeth expected was for June to go down swinging. —----------------------------- June was hit with so many emotions when she learned that Elizabeth was setting the stage to fire her, probably the moment they returned from their trip. Shock, considering how she had learned how to anticipate Elizabeth’s every need as an assistant, all while basically doing a second job by being the admin for their branch of the company. Despair, in that she could barely afford the ever increasing bills; living in the city was expensive, and inflation certainly didn’t help. And frustration, because her boss was clearly doing this out of jealousy or something adjacent. ‘June, the assistant’ was being noticed by someone who had the power to give her a higher paying and more fulfilling position in the company. Rather than letting June climb the ranks, however, Elizabeth was going to block her in the worst way possible. At first, she considered trying to somehow save her job. Without any real clout in the office outside being an up and coming player, however, there wasn’t anyone she could turn to that might defend her against Elizabeth. So June decided to take matters into her own hands. If she was going to be fired and potentially lose the promised bonus she was expecting, then she really didn’t care if the deal with the investor went through or not. Rather than putting her energy into further preparations for the meeting, June started brainstorming ways to humiliate her boss throughout their travels. It wouldn’t be the same satisfaction as a huge bonus check, but she figured that she might as well get what she could under the circumstances. The beauty of being an assistant was that it was just as easy to make things go wrong as it was to ensure that they went right. June started by convincing Elizabeth to stay at her place the night before the two of them were supposed to fly out. She lived much closer to the airport than Elizabeth did, and it made more sense for the company to pay for a single car to be parked over the long weekend. Playing up the role of generous host and submissive assistant, June went so far as to prepare her own bedroom for Elizabeth. June could suffer through an evening on the sofa if it meant Elizabeth continued feeling like she had all the power. She also made sure to pick up a brand of wine she knew that her boss loved. But just for fun, she drank the expensive wine herself over the week leading up to their trip and proceeded to fill the bottle with a much cheaper alternative. Sure enough, June’s stuck up boss couldn’t tell them apart. Smirking to herself as she prepared dinner for Elizabeth, June made sure to constantly refill her boss’s glass like a good waitress throughout the night. By the time it was getting late, little Elizabeth had polished off the entire bottle. June could have easily handled that much alcohol, as she was taller than Elizabeth, which statistically made her tolerance higher. She wasn’t just relying on probability, either. June kept a careful eye on Elizabeth throughout the night, and could clearly see when her cheeks were flushed and her words had a faint slur to them. To Elizabeth’s credit, she kept up her overly proper posture and judgmental attitude despite how tipsy she became. At some point, she must have realized the wine was catching up to her. Announcing that she was turning in for the evening, Elizabeth got up from where she had been lounging in the living room after her meal and headed for the bedroom. June guessed that her boss wouldn’t be amenable to being seen after stripping out of her business attire, so she made her move before Elizabeth reached the hall. “Miss, wait,” June said. Though they were no longer at the office, she was still in full assistant mode for the sake of her amusing scheme. Not that it was an official scheme by any stretch of the imagination. June had only planned things out through the following morning; from there, she’d have to play things by ear. She did plan on tanking the investor meeting, naturally, but there was a lot of time between then and now. For now, it was still ‘Ms. Harris,’ or ‘Miss’ for short. “What . . . ?” Elizabeth asked. She paused, but barely glanced over her shoulder. “Do you want something to stave off a hangover? Just in case?” June asked. Tacking on the follow-up to avoid fully implying that Elizabeth couldn’t handle her wine, she partially answered the question herself by heading to the left-most kitchen cabinet. “I want your flight tomorrow to be as comfortable as possible, Ms. Harris.” It worked. Of course it did, since June had been handing her things for the last six months. In fact, she had been sent on a couple pharmacy runs, as Elizabeth didn’t want to waste her own time after work running such an errand. June had proven time and time again that she was a perfect assistant. Since this was the first time she had ever considered sabotaging her selfish boss, there was no reason for Elizabeth to distrust her. Besides, June was technically telling the truth. One of the pills would combat the hangover. The other, however, was a sleeping pill that was safe to take with alcohol. In June’s opinion, a full bottle of wine wasn’t enough to knock Elizabeth out. She wanted to be sure that her boss didn’t wake up until June wanted her to wake up. Elizabeth downed both pills with zero hesitation, then proceeded to turn in for the night like she had been trying to do before June interrupted her. The second the bedroom door clicked shut, June grinned. So far, everything was going according to plan. ------------------- “Miss Harris . . . Miss . . . ELIZABETH.” Elizabeth was jostled from her slumber by someone using her shoulders to shake her. Even something that forceful wasn’t enough for her to snap awake right away. “Mmm . . . ” she half hummed, half groaned. Her eyes felt glued shut, and it took an extraordinary amount of effort for her to will them open. The guest bedroom was dark save for a dim lamp by the door that had been switched on. As she came to, and blinked her blurry vision away, she saw that June was standing over her with a worried expression. Her assistant was wearing a blouse and a pencil skirt, and had clearly already showered and groomed herself for the day. “Elizabeth, you slept through your alarm!” June said, “We need to go. Like, NOW. We can’t miss our flight.” Rather than waiting for Elizabeth to realize the gravity of the situation, June yanked the covers off the still fully horizontal girl. “Come on, get up!” In case the sudden wave of cold wasn’t enough, June grabbed one of the young woman’s wrists and yanked her upwards and towards the edge of the bed. It wasn’t until Elizabeth’s feet hit the floor that everything caught up with her. “Hey!” she snapped. “Back off, June.” Amidst the rough way she was being handled, she hadn’t caught the fact that June had addressed her normally a couple times. For the first time since she started her subservient role at the company, June didn’t hesitate to talk back. “No,” she flatly said, “Making sure this weekend goes smoothly is my job. That means getting to the airport on time. Now go pee and brush your teeth, Elizabeth. I’ll throw our stuff in the car.” “But-” “Elizabeth. NOW. And hurry! We’re already running behind.” It was way too much to handle at once. She was still barely awake at this point. Freezing, too, with bare feet and with the abrupt loss of the comforter. Elizabeth was also several inches shorter than she was in public, including her time in June’s apartment yesterday, and wearing nothing but her silk pajamas. They were classy enough, but didn’t remotely compare to the professional ensemble of her assistant. Plus June was wearing heels, making her tower over Elizabeth as she bossed her around. Elizabeth reluctantly did as she was told. She headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, letting out an annoyed sigh. How had she overslept?! And how dare June talk to her in such a way? Elizabeth made a note to reprimand her later, but she had to admit that the slightly older girl was right. Missing their flight would look really bad to her superiors. There was really no rebelling against June’s directives when they were exactly what Elizabeth would do first thing in the morning. She relieved herself and brushed her teeth more quickly and erratically than she would do under normal circumstances. There definitely wasn’t time for her usual extensive make-up routine, though she could at least spare a minute for some foundation and concealer where necessary. About halfway through the process, June opened the door without knocking in the slightest. “Almost ready, Elizabeth?” “Miss Elizabeth,” she replied, finally catching the too-casual way she was being addressed. “Right. Sorry, Miss. Just a little frazzled right now.” She stepped into the bathroom, once again not waiting for any sort of permission. “Here, let me do your hair real quick. It’s a total mess.” “I can do it myself,” Elizabeth said. She had already seen her reflection, and was well aware that the pillow hadn’t done her long locks many favors overnight. June sighed. “I know you can. But you’re doing your make-up right now, and we’re way behind schedule.” She positioned herself behind Elizabeth and ran her fingers through her hair to work out a couple of the tangles she could see. “Wait, what are you-” “Hold still, Miss Elizabeth. This will just take a minute.” Not taking ‘no’ for an answer, June proceeded to separate Elizabeth’s hair out into three strands for a basic braid. Innocent on the surface, as it was an easy way to tame messy hair, but she was also well aware that Elizabeth preferred more mature and complicated styles. Her boss had never once worn braided hair to work. Elizabeth’s abridged beauty routine was done about the same time June was tying off the tightly braided strands, and then she was being rushed out the door. First, June told her to leave the make-up bag and her toiletries. Every second counted, and there was no time to pack up the bathroom. Plus airport security would be easier if there were absolutely no liquids in Elizabeth’s suitcase. June explained that they could buy the essentials once they got there, and Elizabeth could borrow anything else from June’s stash. It wasn’t until they were standing by the door to June’s apartment that Elizabeth brought up another issue. “Wait!” she exclaimed, “I need to change.” Not only was she still wearing her PJs, but it was also just dawning on her that she was currently bra-less. “Change into what?” June asked. “Your suitcase is in the car. Come on, Elizabeth. Put your shoes on.” Elizabeth bit her tongue about the lack of a title. Now wasn’t the time to chew out her assistant. That could wait until they were in the car. She felt absolutely ridiculous as she stepped through the threshold and out into the public hallway. Wearing heels with pajamas was awkward enough, but her designer purse was also meant to go with the outfit combinations she had packed for the trip. It didn’t pair nearly as well with her sleepwear. Thankfully, no one was around to see her. It was quite early in the morning, so she and June were able to make their way down to the underground lot without running into anyone. Temporarily back in submissive assistant mode to balance out everything from the last ten or fifteen minutes, June opened the back door of the car for her. “After you, Miss,” she said. Elizabeth got in and buckled up. She let out an exaggerated huff when June closed the door. This was definitely not the way she had envisioned the business trip starting. Meanwhile, June was circling the car and resisting the urge to smirk at how unprofessional her boss looked compared to normal. So far, so good. If June played her cards right, Elizabeth would be stuck as she was until at least the end of the flight. ------------------------ Check out my website: www.ladyluciastories.com And my Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=73056590

Chapter 17 - Completed and Ready The next morning, Darlene arrived before Avery, wearing a light green blouse, black pants, and black-heeled shoes with her hair up in a bun. She grabbed her coffee and began to go over yesterday's IT reports. Combing through them and looking for things that should be brought to her attention. She then got out her planner and began planning her day, making any adjustments to meeting times changes and deciding what she wanted to accomplish. Darlene was very methodical about this process every morning. As she finished, she started to type a memo to her employees about an IT policy change she would like to implement soon. While typing, she looked up and saw through her office window that Avery had arrived, set his stuff down, picked up his Lego coffee cup, and walked into Darlene's office. Avery said before Darlene could speak, "Good Morning, Ms. Malatetsa." Darlene was taken aback. This was the first time he had ever started a conversation. Darlene paused as she was typing to her department. She turned to face Avery as he was getting a K-cup from the cabinets. She watched as he placed the coffee cup on the small refrigerator, leaned down, and exposed his diaper for a second as he grabbed a small bottle of milk. "MGM." Avery idly read as he opened the top, poured a little in, closed it back up, and placed it back into the fridge. He seemed less stiff around here right now. When he turned around to take his coffee cup and K-cup to the Keurig, Darlene turned away quickly to pretend to type. She didn't want him to be ashamed about accidentally revealing his diaper again. Darlene pretended to finish her email and then turned to face Avery. "Well, good morning to you also," she said as she gave him a pleasant smile. What happened next was very unexpected when Avery returned a warm smile. "I won't be long. Just getting my morning coffee." Avery said with a confidence he had rarely shown before. Darlene thought to herself. "Should I push it and engage in conversation or just call this a win?" "I have to know," Darlene finally said, "What kind of coffee did you pick out?" "I got one of your Green Mountain dark roast cups. I have been enjoying those the best. Especially in the morning," Avery replied as he looked at the Keurig to see if the cup of coffee was done. Again, Darlene was shocked. It wasn't just an answer but an answer with reasoning. He would never have done that before. "I tend to like the hazelnut roasted coffee in the mornings unless it is cold outside, and then, for some reason, I like the dark roasted coffee." She smiled as she picked up her own coffee and took a sip of the warmth. "I never had the hazelnut. I will have to try that sometime," as Avery took his coffee that had just finished, blew on it, and took a sip. He started to walk out. "Ms. Malatetsa, can I get Christy a cup of coffee when she shows up to work on the program with me? I will pay you." Darlene was pleased that he even had the nerve to ask this, and there was the occasional eye contact before he would look away. "Avery, you don't need to pay me, and yes, please help yourself in getting a coffee for Christy. I don't mind since she is up here working with us. I mean… with you, sorry for the slip-on that." Darlene quickly reminded herself that Avery doesn't work for her, as she corrected herself. Avery gave her a warm smile as he left. "Thank you." It almost sounded like he was excited to get something for Christy. Darlene chuckled at this little boy's excitement over something so simple. She stroked her hair. I wonder what Christy knows and how that poor man is falling for her. No one would be that excited to get someone coffee. Avery tugged on the back of his shirt as he walked out, letting Darlene know he was still conscious about his diaper possibly peeking out, but maybe he wasn't concerned in her office, and when he walked out, he may feel more self-aware of it being exposed. Darlene told herself she was reading too much into it, but the conversation was a definite real improvement. Darlene turned around and started back on her department email. If one day had this kind of effect, what would Avery be like by Monday? It wasn't long before Christy showed up at Avery's desk. He smiled and stood up to greet her. "Hey, before we get started, would you like me to get you a cup of coffee?" Christy was taken aback by this behavior. He seemed chipper, and his eyes almost looked puppy dog-like... She had a hard time not laughing at him. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. "Uh, ok. I would love a cup of coffee; that is so sweet of you." Christy wanted to smack herself for the last part by saying it was sweet of you. Stop talking to him like he was a kid, and she had to tell herself he was only four years younger than her. Avery quickly walked away, tugging again at the back of his shirt. Christy watched, thinking to herself, "he just needs to wear a size larger shirt and tuck it in, and he wouldn't look so silly walking around everywhere pulling on the back of his shirt." She giggled to herself. She wonders if he even knew he was doing it now that he has been doing it for almost a week. She thought about telling him but then didn't want to embarrass him. He seemed so fragile, and he was doing so well this week away from John and his team. Christy sat down and started to boot up her computer and take out her notes. She had the awful thought that Avery may be taking a liking to her. He obviously hasn't had many girlfriends, if any, and she hasn't been interested in a relationship with him or anyone else since she got out of a relationship just a few months ago. The last thing she needed was someone asking her on a date. She pushed that thought down, telling herself that she was being paranoid. besides, the way he was acting was silly and cute, and she couldn't help but giggle and smile at that. When Avery stepped back into Darlene's office, he had a bright smile. He didn't talk to Darlene because Darlene had her headset on and was talking in between conversations on the headset. Avery pointed at the spare coffee up as if to say. "Can I borrow this for Christy?" He said quietly. Darlene smiled back and hit the mute on her headset. "Yes, Avery, you can have that. Did you ask what she wanted?" Avery blushed as he realized he had no idea what Christy wanted. Avery almost dashed out of Darlene's office, which made Darlene giggle inside. She had just unmuted her headset when she heard Avery yell out. "Christy! What kind of coffee would you like? And what type of cream?" Darlene almost blushed for Christy as he was shouting like a child. Darlene muted her headset quickly as she knew the people on the phone could hear that. "Just go back and talk to her. You can't yell at her across the office," Darlene said in an authoritative tone. Avery blushed as he realized he had done something that wasn't appropriate. "I… I… I’m sorry." He looked back at Darlene. "I am sorry. I'm so sorry," as he saw Darlene wave him away from the office like a little child. Avery didn't care as he tugged the back of his shirt and started to walk quickly, he suddenly remembered the diaper he was wearing, and it was possibly crinkling loudly. He forced himself to slow his walk back to Christy. His yelling across the office caught several employees' attention as they watched him go from a quick walk to a slow walk. Christy wanted to hide under the laptop when Avery screamed out at her. She, too, was blushing for different reasons. He came up to his desk where she was sitting. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to yell that out. I don't know why I did…" "It is ok. But what kind of coffee does Darlene have." Christy asked. "Ah.. ah." Avery closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Dark roast, hazelnut, a morning brew, espresso roast, blended, original roasted, and decaf," he paused, “And she had regular creamer, hazelnut creamer, mocha creamer, and French vanilla creamer." Christy was taken aback by how fast he went through all this. She paused for a second and thought and then decided. I will take the morning brew with French vanilla creamer... not too much, please." "Great, let me get it for you. I will be right back." Avery turned around and walked back to Darlene's office, trying not to run back to the office. Darlene was still on the office phone when she nodded, acknowledging his presence. Avery did quick work and grabbed a morning brew K-cup and one small cup of French vanilla creamer. He opened the Keurig and noticed the K-cup that he had used was still in there as he pulled it out and threw it away. He put the new K-cup in the Keurig, closed it, placed the coffee cup underneath, and pressed start. He watched Darlene talking on the phone with such a commanding voice to whomever she was talking to. He could tell she would be a hard person to say "no" to. The coffee finally finished as Avery grabbed the hot coffee and slowly walked back to his desk, making sure not to spill any. He carefully placed the coffee down by her and handed her the French vanilla creamer. "I thought you might want to pour what you wanted." He smiled and sat down, feeling the diaper underneath him as he sat and feeling self-conscious about it. He reminded himself. If he makes it next week without having any major accidents, he will go back to pull-ups and feel much better. Christy wondered what got into Avery. He was being so unusually chipper. He usually would want to get straight to work, but today, he seemed like he wanted something else. She found his behavior cute but unsettling. She didn't want to lead him on accidentally. This could be Avery’s awkward way of flirting, and she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. "OK, shall we get started? I have integrated most of your calculations." Christy paused as she pointed to the screen. “I made sure all the old code was out and then recompiled it with some simple formulas to make sure I didn't miss anything. It ran perfectly." Christy paused as she took a sip of her coffee. Avery was leaning over to look at her laptop screen. He could smell Christy's perfume or body lotion. She smelled rather nice, which made Avery a little nervous because he tried to remember if he had put underarm deodorant on or not. He couldn't remember. He was absent-minded, and it wasn't the first time he would have forgotten to do this. He wanted to smell his armpits so badly but refrained from doing it and instead enjoyed Christy's scent. "Then I started to add back all your calculations with the additional logic you gave me back yesterday. It was taken away because I found some programming logic problems but fixed them. It now compiles and runs without error." "Wow, that is awesome." Avery looked excited. "So can we give it some data to see what the final calculations are and if it is the same values I would get?" "Yes, I think so. If you can create a table with the input in a CSV format like this," Christy opened up an example file. Avery was excited to see his calculations and her programming would yield the same results. Avery started working on initial conditions to give the program something from the real world. He then did his calculations. After about two hours of sitting side by side with Christy, Avery downloaded his CSV file and handed it to Christy on a thumb drive. "Here, I think this should work." Christy took the thumb drive. "Great, I will load it up after lunch." She turned to face him. "Guess what I brought us for lunch?" She said as Avery smiled. "You don't need to bring me lunch every day." Christy looked back at Avery with a stern look. "Did you bring you lunch?" Avery was silent. "That’s what I thought, and we are not going to solve these world problems on an empty stomach every day." Christy leaned down to grab her insulated lunch bag. She took out two cloth napkins that looked well used and folded one out in front of everyone and one out in front of her. "Today's lunch surprise is... Toasted Ham and Cheese with a side of pickles if you want. And a mixed fruit cup." She places each item on Avery's napkin. Avery noticed that his sandwich was cut in half while Christy's was not. He had to admit, though, it was nice to have lunch and lunch with someone he was comfortable with. He knew he wasn't comfortable with many people. As they ate lunch, Christi started to chat about the program before suddenly ceasing. "You know, we really don't banter beyond work. Why not let me know what you enjoy doing outside of cracking complex math queries that no one else seems to solve?" she asked hesitantly. Avery almost coughed hard on his last mouthful of ham and cheese sandwich as Christy observed, feeling like she had stepped out of line. "There must be something! Do you like cooking meals? Exercising? Movie nights?" She said cheerfully. Avery stared at Christi's inquisitive face and paused for a moment. Her brown eyes sparkled with curiosity. Slightly ashamed, he stared at his food and took another bite from his ham and cheese sandwich. "Well...I really don't do much other than work and school." Avery mumbled slowly. "There must be something!" She said cheerfully. Avery silently swallowed the last piece of cheese before replying to her: "Walking? I used to love walking in the park when I was younger; I could take hours meandering through the paths around the river, examining bees hovering above blossom clusters or watching squirrels busily rustling for their winter stock of acorns in the oak trees." Avery thought for a second. "I do like movies, but I wait for them to come out on Netflix or HBO Max or something like that. Sometimes, I buy the digital copy if I can't find it anywhere." That was at least something for Christy, so we decided to go further into the conversation. "I like movies as well. What kind of movies do you like? I like mystery, suspense, comedy, and action movies. To be honest, I like going to the movie theater. I love the big screen and surround sound. It is so much better than what I can get at home." Avery ate the last mouthful of his sandwich and took a sip of his soda to wash it down. "Well, I like fantasy, sci-fi, animation, and action movies," he said. Avery did not mention that he also liked children's movies because they were fun to watch. "Well, it seems we have action movies in common, at least." He seemed eager about this because he blurted out, "We should go see an action movie together." Christy nearly choked on her water when she heard that. She had not expected him to be so forward and suggest something that sounded a lot like a date. His voice was high-pitched again as if he was excited about being able to spend more time with her. It made her feel touched and guilty for a moment because she wanted to be with him, too, but she quickly recovered. She stalled by saying, "Well, maybe if we can find the right movie and some friends to come along. Movies are always fun in a group." She hoped that the answer was neutral enough so he would not get upset or offended. Christy steered the conversation back to their work as best she could, considering how awkward it felt now. Avery seemed eager to talk about going to an action movie, but eventually, he got back on track. They discussed the technical aspects of programming and making sure that cancer cells were thicker than normal cells. Once they had finished discussing their progress, Christy took a deep breath and told him she would work on the rest so they could submit it in time for their deadline. She thanked him for his help while making sure to give him credit for his ideas in case anyone else wanted to use them in future projects. Avery smiled warmly at her, grateful for her hard work and understanding. Still, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that she hadn't taken his suggestion of seeing an action movie together. He thanked her again before getting up from his chair and giving her one last nod before heading out of the room. Christy closed her laptop and put it in her work bag. "Well, with these changes, we should be able to fully execute the program now and test it out at the lab. I will talk with Bryan about the next steps. I am sure he is eager to move onto the next phase." Christy paused. "I know I don’t speak for Bryan, but we couldn't have resolved these issues without you. You should feel proud about that", feeling slightly regretful for not taking him up on his invitation. She had enjoyed their conversations and was grateful for his help on the project, but she couldn't help but feel like something was missing.

Actually, reviving an old thread on a subject is OK in my book for several reasons. People will open it as they see the latest comment from someone so that makes it as good as a new thread. It keeps there from being 10 or more different posting and threads on the same subject, and members may want to go back and see what people have previously said over the years, especially people interested in the subject for the first time. For an example, it could be a thread on the best diaper had Confidry 24/7 as the world's greatest diaper 8 years ago and now others like TREST or Betterdry seem to be a better choice.

Chapter 3: Work... Little in Love 2 – LittleFallenPrincess I awoke with a bit of a hangover. “Ugh….” I groaned, finding a dummy lodged in my mouth. “Wai… when did dis…” “Well good morning, sleepyhead!” Charlie said, enthusiastically, from the doorway. Her upbeat, chipper voice grated against my brain and I wanted to screech. It was like nails on a blackboard. So I groaned back at her and covered my head with my pillow, protecting my hungover brain from all this enthusiastic torture. “Come on, get up, breakfast is nearly ready. Then we need to get you ready for therapy. And if you’re a good girl… I’ve got a surprise for you…” And as if someone had just set fire to my bed, I shot up and dashed out of bed, finding myself waddling out of the bedroom with all the speed of a drunk gazelle. “It’s amazing the speed you move with such a swollen nappy… all for a slight mention of a surprise…” Charlie said as she casually wandered into the kitchen, finding me sitting in my open highchair, waiting for breakfast. “I like surprises, okay?” I grinned at her. “How’s your head, pretty girl?” ‘She called me pretty…’ Again… very gay for my wife. Especially when she has this amazing ability to shut my brain down completely with just simple words. Without using hypnosis either! “Could do with some food and a drink, and then I’ll probably be feeling right as rain. I may be a bit of a lightweight, but I’m still fast at recovering from it, like I used to.” “Well good job I decided to make you a proper breakfast…” “Wait… proper one? As in…?” “Yes, the whole thing. Bacon, sausage, beans… I know you’re a picky baby so I left off the egg and the tomato, don’t worry. But here… let me just finish plating up.” Quickly plating our breakfast, she redirected herself and walked over with her hands empty as she grabbed the tray for my highchair and placed it in, locking it securely, trapping me where I sat. “You can feed yourself this morning, but you’re staying in there.” She informed me. “Okay… Mummy!” I grinned back at her. “So Eve was telling me she wants you to speak to someone new?” “Wait, she didn’t say that to me. Just that she wanted to try something new. She told you she wants me to talk to someone else? Is she no longer my therapist?” “Did she tell you anything else? She didn’t even tell me who this person is, let alone why she wants you to talk to them.” “Nope. I just got a ‘we should try this new thing’ and that was it.” “Maybe she got some specialist or something? Because whilst Eve has been an amazing Doctor… she isn’t a therapist. Not that that stopped her from doing it anyway.” “Maybe. I’m actually sort of excited to find out who it is.” I said, feeling good about today. “Me too.” Breakfast wasn’t eaten, it was more… sucked up. Even Charlie was telling me to slow down, that I’d get indigestion and stuff, but damn… it was good. Especially with this hangover, I needed to fill my stomach and this was hitting all the right spots. Finishing off with a glass of orange juice, I sat back and patted my belly. And then after Charlie laughed and pointed out how my stomach is a bottomless pit, she carefully scooped me up out of the highchair and carried me off to get ready for the day. --------------------------------------------------------- “Mrs Clarke?” The receptionist called out as we sat in the clinical reception area, on these slightly-comfier-than-normal seats. It was still weird being called ‘Mrs Clarke’ and not ‘Miss Clarke’. We had discussed if we’d take one of our surnames like straight people do, or if we’d do one of those double barrelled surnames like ‘Clarke-Williams’. I mean sure, it has a nice ring to it, but in the end we opted for Mrs Clarke and Mrs Williams. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, along with my favourite black coat, I hopped off the chair to my feet. “Here!” I called out. It was then that the usual door opened and out walked Eve, in her fancy suit and glasses, looking around until her eyes closed in on me. “Ah Liv! Perfect timing. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” She said, smiling and waving me over. “I’ll see you in a bit, sweetie…” Charlie waved to me. “Charlie… Why don’t you join us for this session?” Eve suggested, taking Charlie by surprise. “Really? I mean… I don’t want to get in the way… this is to help her…” “And I think it would be good for you to meet her new therapist.” “...Okay then.” Charlie said, standing up and grabbing my hand, smiling down at me as we followed Eve into the corridor. Walking past her office, where I’d usually have my therapy sessions with her, we continued on until the next door down, a room I hadn’t been in before. Escorting us in, Eve walked over to the empty desk in the corner. “Take a seat…” She instructed. Charlie and I sat on the big sofa in the middle of this gorgeous office. It looked a lot like Eve’s in fact, but it definitely wasn’t as it didn’t have her little personal touches like photos of Zoey and Sarah and her doctorate. Eve then walked over to the desk and seemingly talked to… someone? Like… I couldn’t see anyone. Not until the chair moved and suddenly a pair of legs dropped down, appearing in the little gap under the table. “Ah, so soon? Sorry, I was reading your notes on… nevermind. Shall we then?” Said a voice a lot less booming than Charlie’s or Eve’s. The little legs moved around the desk as Eve followed closely behind. “Olivia, Charlie… I’d like you to meet my latest member of the team… Miss Graves.” Out walked a very beautiful woman. Smartly dressed in a blouse and trousers, her gorgeous brunette hair pinned up into a bun, her beautiful eyes really standing out… but she was less than half the size of Eve. She was a little! Like me! “I…” I stuttered, unable to speak due to a mix of confusion and excitement. What I wanted to think was ‘A Doctor… who is a little? Someone who did that well and got that far… the world really is changing for the better! I’ve never heard of a little who became a Doctor!’ But instead my brain just… shut off, and it was like static was playing up there. “Hi! I’m…” Miss Graves began, before looking at me, confused. “Wait… aren’t you the…?” “Am I the what?” I replied, my brain finally working enough to form words. “The little from…” “Charlie’s book? Yeah.” I smiled, blushing. “No, the coffee sho… ah nevermind. Just my mind playing tricks on me again. Anyway, please let me start over. Hi, I’m Miss Graves, I’ll be your new therapist from hereon, hopefully. I can’t believe I can finally put a face to the name. The infamous Olivia Clarke! And Charlotte Williams!” “You know of us?” I asked. “Only from hearsay. Obviously we can’t trust the news, so I’ve never actually seen your face.” “Not even in newspapers?” “I don’t read them. Too much bias. Plus my Mummy doesn’t like me reading them.” “Your… Mummy?” Charlie asked, confused. I was glad she asked, because another second later and I definitely would have. “Oh yes, Miss Graves is an adopted little. But it was purely consensual. She got adopted by her Mummy and Daddy when she ran into an old flame of hers. Now they’re dating each other, adopted by their caregivers.” Eve explained. “Oh that’s an interesting story! You’ll have to tell us all about it!” I said, smiling up at her as she walked over and sat down in the chair opposite where Charlie and I were sitting. “Maybe… not that you’d believe it…” Miss Graves mumbled. “Huh?” “Anyway, I must be off. Got important hospital business. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Miss Graves here. And Liv?” Eve looked at me, sternly. “Yes?” “Be good…” “I always am!” Eve laughed and walked out, leaving us alone with my new therapist. “So Dr Graves…” I began. “Not a Doctor. Just… a therapist.” “Oh… I assumed…” “Nah it’s okay, it was a big risk Eve even taking me on like this, but I’m good at my work and hopefully I can be a good therapist for you! Helps that the legality behind giving littles therapy is… muddy. And please, call me Elise.” “Elise? That’s my middle name!” I cried out. “No way! Small world, eh?” “So… where do we start?” Charlie asked, seemingly feeling a bit left out. “Well I’d like to get to know you both a bit first, if that’s okay? Get a basic understanding of what’s going on in your life, what’s bothering you, that kind of thing. And if you’re okay with it, I’d like to extend the session.” “Sure. Go for it.” I replied. And so we talked for a while. Charlie and I discussed our relationship, our difficulties, all the scares and everything… Obviously we left a few things out, like the existence of our sisters and everything, but hey, Elise isn’t in our inner circle… yet. Though she seems really cool, and very intelligent, which was nice. Plus I was dying to know what this situation of hers is with her girlfriend and her Mummy and Daddy… It was nice meeting another gay little, though this seemed really damn common in my little circle, it was like I pulled lesbians in. Like a little sapphic magnet. “Wow… you’ve been through so much. And hey, I understand how difficult all this is. You’ve had so much to process and it feels so… overwhelming sometimes, doesn’t it?” Elise asked. “I guess. Thankfully I have Charlie to help me through it all. You sound like you’ve also been through some stuff.” I replied. “Yeah. Though it’s a bit too weird to go into right now.” ‘Haha… weird… yeah… sure… as if she can compare to me finding out we have other versions of us out there…’ I thought to myself. It was at that moment that there was a knock on the door. “Oh… one second…” Elise said, putting her notepad down on her chair and walking off to answer the door. Upon opening it, she seemed… surprised. “Oh hey babe! What are you doing here?” “You forgot your Lunch. Mummy told me to bring it up for you.” Came a voice from the other side of the door. “Aww, you didn’t have to, but thanks. Sorry, I’m a little busy right now…” They were both trying to be quiet, but we could clearly hear them from the other side of the room. It was adorable how badly they were doing at the whole whispering thing. “Oh you’ve got patients… sorry…” The voice replied. “Don’t worry. Oh wait, one second… I need you to take something back to Mummy…” Elise said, turning around and walking back towards her desk. “Sorry you two, this will just take a second…” She apologised to Charlie and I. As Elise grabbed something from her desk, the door slowly creaked open, revealing another beautiful girl, one with warm, golden-brown skin, a dummy hanging from her dress with a dummy clip. The girl looked over at us as we looked back at her and her jaw… dropped. “FREYA?” She cried out, rushing into the room and standing in front of Charlie. “Fr… Wait, you know Freya?” Charlie asked. “You’re… not Freya?” The woman looked confused as she looked Charlie up and down. “I… umm…” “What’s up, Danielle? You shouldn’t be here, these are my…” Elise said, walking over and putting her arm around her girlfriend, before being cut off mid-sentence. “This is her!” Danielle pointed at Charlie. “This is who?” “You know… the one who… did the loop…” Danielle winked at Elise. “The one who… OH…” That’s when Elise’s jaw dropped,as she turned around and looked Charlie in the eye. “So you’re the one who did that to me…” “Did what?” Charlie asked, feeling accused of something that neither of us had any idea about. “But she had brown hair… not red…” Danielle added, looking confused. “So you do know Freya…” Charlie replied, giving me a quick side glance before looking at the two accusing us of… something. “Sorry, I’m confused, I thought you said this was her?” Elise asked her girlfriend. “I’m not who you think I am. But… I know who you’re talking about. So you actually met her? She was here? When?” Charlie asked this Danielle girl. “Months ago. She… looped the day for Elise so she…” Danielle looked guilty all of a sudden. “So that I would learn to accept that I wanted to be with Danny… to be adopted by her parents.” Elise sighed. “Ah… yeah that sounds like something they’d do…” I rolled my eyes and laughed with Charlie. “They? And wait… how are you so accepting of the time looping thing?” Elise crossed her arms at us both and glanced down with suspicion. “You two may want to sit down…” I said, smiling awkwardly. “So let me get this straight… you are ‘variations’ of these two… and there are other worlds out there… and… and… and…” “I know it’s a lot to take in. It’s why I left it out during therapy.” “Yes, but that’s also a lot to deal with! A lot of stuff you NEED THERAPY FOR!” Elise raised her voice, frustrated. “I guess, but hey, we weren’t to know you two had been put through a time loop like that beaver story from the other side of the portal! How were we supposed to explain the whole multiverse thing without you thinking we’re crazy? Just wondering… how many people outside of this room know about your time loop adventure with Freya and Ophelia?” “...No one. I didn’t even know it was caused by anyone until Danielle finally admitted it to me a while ago, I originally thought it was the universe teaching me a lesson. It was a lot to process at first, but when she told me she had made a wish to some fairy godmother person, it all fell into place. So wait… this ‘Ophelia’ was in on this? So that little from the coffee shop was her all along… oh my god…” Elise slapped her face in frustration. “They did say they wanted to get out and explore the universes. I guess they stopped off here again and saw a little in need. That’s very… them.” I smiled, feeling a heartwarming feeling as I was relieved the two of them were out there, enjoying themselves. “Because that’s very… us.” Charlie laughed. “So you’re them… but not?” Elise asked. “Exactly. Basic building blocks, but different outcomes due to genetics and upbringings and worlds.” “That's so… wow… like…” “I know, we were the same when we found out. But hey, the time loop must have been cool?” I asked Elise. “No. Not as a little. It was scary. Sure… I had a bit of fun with it. No consequences and all that… but some of it was pretty damn scary. Every time my mind got regressed, it’d loop. Still… if that hadn’t happened… I would never have this perfect life with my amazing girlfriend…” Elise said, grabbing her girlfriend and squeezing her, kissing her on the side of the head. Danielle squealed in delight… whilst also looking extremely guilty. “Sorry babe, I gotta go, Mummy is still waiting outside. She’s gonna be worried.” She said, quickly kissing Elise back on the cheek. “Ah yes, sorry, you get going. Don’t forget to give this to Mummy…” Elise handed something over to Danielle and I looked at her, confused. “Ah, it’s just a… drawing I did… for the fridge…” “D’awww!!!!” Charlie and I squealed at the same time. “Hey! In return for cute, babyish things like that, we get stuff like alcohol for our date nights and maybe the house to ourselves.” “Ah… that’s a fair system!” I replied, making Elise blush. Danielle grinned, before kissing her girlfriend on the lips and skipping out of the room, Elise’s drawing in hand. “So… back to our session… I guess you can tell me everything you’re feeling now…” Elise sighed before collapsing back into her seat. ======================================================== So... this chapter feels familiar... :3 Also if you haven't seen, I'm now up and running on Subscribestar! ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total). Thank you to all my patrons for their support over the past couple of years! Seriously, your support meant the world to me, and I hope to be set up somewhere new soon. New chapters of Little in Love 2 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!

Worst. Playdate. Ever. “Oh no!” Lindsay cried. “Not again!” You watch as Lindsay stands there, bow legged on the playground, yanking her skirt down as best she can even as the wetness indicator along her formerly fresh diaper turns blue. She looks like she’s on the verge of tears…again. Come on! It’s not that bad! You keep the thought to herself. Lindsay has been grieving lately. “Stop it!” Dave screams. “Stop it! Nnnnnn…” Dave’s protests are cut off by his Mommy’s nipple entering his mouth. Lightweight that he is, you know that Dave is going to pass out soon after his Mommy burps him. So much for that playdate. “Please!” Monica screams atop the picnic bench. “I can use the potty! I mean toilet! Toilet!” Her Daddy ignores her, as grown-ups tend to do and continues to change her diaper, a soft satisfied look on his face. You see Lindsay’s face wracked in revulsion in seeing Monica get her poopy bottom wiped and re-powdered. Yours is also contorted, albeit for a completely different reason. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. “Couldn’t he have at least taken her to a bathroom?” Lindsay wonders aloud. “Why would he?” You ask. “He doesn’t have to go.” “Yeah…” Lindsay drops her head. “Neither do I, anymore.” Her laugh is low, bitter, and short. You allow your hope to flicker on. Maybe she’s finally starting to get used to it! See the bright side! “Do you wanna go play or something?” you ask. Lindsay looks like you just slapped her “Play? How can we play at a time like this?” “I..uh..” “I just pissed myself! Everybody seems to think we’re babies and we still have no idea why! Dave’s getting breastfed over there for gosh sakes! Why would we play?” The beads of sweat you’re breaking out into have little to nothing to do with the heat. “I dunno. I just thought it could be…fun?” “Fun?!” Lindsay shrieked. “How could any of this be fun? We’re in friggin diapers! Dave is getting breast fed! Monica is being forced to expose herself to everyone! And you…did you just shit yourself?” Your cheeks flush. The word ‘just’ was doing a lot of lifting there. “Yeah…” you whisper. “Ew! Go get changed!” She takes several steps back from you. Her compassion suddenly kicks in. “Sorry,” she says. “Are you okay? You seem to have been um…slipping more these past few days.” You really have, though maybe not in how Lindsay is using the word. “Yeah,” he sigh. “I’m okay. It’s just tough.” “It really is,” she agrees. “It’s like we’re being punished or something. Like we didn’t appreciate our adult lives and so somebody took them away to teach us a lesson.” “Yeah…” you half heartedly agree. “Do you think we’re getting worse? Like, if we stay like this, we’ll forget that we’re really adults?” You shrug and say “Maybe,” to prevent lying. If only it was so easy. But if that happened, would they really still be your friends? You wistfully look over at the slide. Should have gone down that first. “I should go.” “Oh yeah,” Lindsay says. “Go ahead and get that taken care of. Don’t want to get too comfy in a dirty diaper.” “Nope…” You lie and trudge off to find Daddy. Lindsay throws her head up to the sky! “WHY ARE WE LIKE THIS?!” To all outside observers her existential crisis looks more like a tantrum. The better question is: ‘Why do they keep choosing to be miserable?’. All of you were run ragged by your adult lives. Lindsay in particular should have been happy to not have any responsibilities. Her deadbeat boyfriend turned it around too in becoming her Daddy. But she bitched and cried about her job all the time. The only difference between now and a few days ago is the aesthetic. You really thought they’d enjoy it, or at least give up on trying to figure out what turned y’all into babies; maybe give it half a chance. But two weeks later and their resolve has yet to break. All you wanted to do was share this side of yourself with them. Treat them to the nostalgia of Sesame Street and nap times. But they’re still resisting. To hear them talk, sleeping in a crib is akin to a prison cell. Being bathed, dressed, and fed by someone else is some kind of torture, and laying down for a diaper change is a fate worse than death. Yet Heaven forbid you keep playing in a diaper that isn’t perfectly pristine. Worst. Playdate. Ever. As you approach Daddy to get his attention, you notice that Lindsay has sat down on the ground and started sulking. That’s good, at least. The first time she wet herself she was bawling uncontrollably. Now she’s up to sitting and pouting while wet. Probably because her Daddy won’t change her until she actually needs it. You definitely like her boyfriend better this way. It’s progress though. Maybe a few more weeks of this and they’ll come around to the upside of it all. Then you can stop pretending to struggle, too. “Awwww,” Daddy coos. “Do you need a change? Smells like it?” He picks you up and grabs for the changing supplies. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up you little stinker.” “Yes Daddy,” you say. Then you remember yourself. “NO! WAIT! STOP! I’M NOT A BABY! I’M NOT A BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABY! PLEASE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

I think as long as there's diapers in the story somewhere, readers here will like it.

This chapter is being posted early because I won't be able to post on Friday. I will however also post on Sunday! Chapter 66: Welcome ‘Home’ WE FOLLOWED SHELBY as she led us to where Grandma’s home office space was. The door was closed, so she knocked, “Grandma?” We heard the door beep a second later, “Hi, you three, what’s going on?” Sighing, I said, “We may have a problem?” “What’s wrong?” She asked, very concerned. “Well, it’s with our project?” Beth and I explained the expectations of the crew and what was supposed to be happening. Grandma’s face did not inspire confidence right then. “That’s really not a good idea,” she said after a few minutes. “I’m getting that,” I told her. “Why don’t you contact that girl leading the group tomorrow and ask if she can call me?” I nodded, even as Shelby made a face, “No fair, you get to talk to Charlotte Perez!?!” She was joking, but I got the feeling she was also kind of seriously jealous. “Somehow, I’m sure she’d be willing to meet you,” I said, “I don’t even think it would be an instant adoption, actually, either?” Shelby stuck her tongue out at me. I just laughed, “So you think there might be a solution, though?” I asked Grandma. “Maybe… While you’re here, I want to connect to your nanites. I’m still a little nervous about your sudden diarrhea earlier, plus the accident you had.” I blushed, “Me too…” “Just stand here for a second,” she told me, bringing over a tablet that she worked through some menus. I watched her facial expressions for clues about what she might have seen. She ranged from a no-worries face to suddenly squinting her eyes up and then, at one point, raising an eyebrow. “Got it! Let me look through the data with your grandfather. We’ll talk more tomorrow,” she added. “Why don’t you three head back downstairs? I’ll bring some more hot chocolate?” “Okay,” I said. “Actually… can you help me first with something?” I asked, embarrassed. Thankfully, Grandma was a bright woman, and she walked back to my bedroom and helped me out of the thankfully dry diaper to the potty. “Good boy,” she couldn’t help but say as she watched me wash my hands and then helped me back into a new diaper. “I’m not sure why you had your accident earlier. Hopefully, it’s just an isolated thing?” I nodded, “Hopefully…” “Go ahead and go find the girls!” A short while later, after sipping some hot chocolate, we returned to our private ‘theater’ to read the script together. “You know this script is horrible, but you two get to be in a film with Charlotte Perez! That really is amazing!” “If it didn’t involve being a little girl who never learns to use the potty, I think I might be excited,” Beth admitted. “She really is cool and not stuck up at all!” “You still have to show me some of her work tomorrow?” I told Beth. “You have to show him episodes of Life with Charlee first!” “What is that?” I asked. “I think you have a channel called Dinsey over in your dimension?” “Disney,” I replied. “We have a similar channel over here. She was on a sitcom that lasted from when she was four until she was fourteen. It’s why we all feel like we grew up with her?” Beth said. “Oh, that’s kind of cool… and creepy for her?” Beth laughed, “I agree in some ways. I can’t imagine having the entire world watching me grow up! They even had her have problems like bedwetting and a couple freak bathroom accidents at one point in elementary school.” She shrugged, “I guess maybe she’ll understand a little bit what we’re going to deal with here.” I nodded. “On with the show?” Shelby asked as she munched on some popcorn. “On with the show!” Beth and I said together, beginning to read the script as it rolled up the screen. MONTAGE OF SCENES OF MOM AND NEW DAUGHTER AT HAIRDRESSER AND LITTLES SUPERSTORE, BRIEF SHOTS OF TRAVELING TO A HAIR SALON, AND THE NEW GIRL’S HAIR BEING STYLED TO BE LIKE CALLIE’S. ‘BRIANNA’ LEAVES WITH A BIG BOW IN HER HAIR THAT MATCHES THE DRESS THEY DRESS HER IN SHORTLY AFTER THAT. A TRIP UP AND DOWN THE AISLES OF LITTLES SUPERSTORE FOR CLOTHES, DIAPERS, AND A STUFFED ANIMAL PASS BY. SCENE - SARAH’S CAR BRIANNA HAS FALLEN ASLEEP IN THE CAR AND IS CURRENTLY SUCKING ON A PACIFIER SARAH HAD CURIOUSLY GIVEN HER AGAIN TO SEE IF SHE WOULD LIKE THEM AS MUCH AS HER DAUGHTER. SEEING HER NEW BABY GIRL SLEEPING MAKES HER SMILE. SARAH GENTLY PICKS BRIANNA UP OUT OF THE CAR SEAT, AND THE LITTLE WAKES UP ENOUGH TO HOLD ONTO HER AS SHE PLANTS HER ON HER HIP. THE RECEPTIONIST SEES HER. RECEPTIONIST: “Well, hello there, Miss Ingels! I didn’t know you had another daughter? She’s adorable!!!” SARAH (MOM): “Well, she just joined the family this morning. She’s actually a bit of a surprise for Callie?” RECEPTIONIST “Oh?” SARAH (MOM): “Hoping maybe she can help Callie get the hang of the big girl potty?” RECEPTIONIST “Oh, so we have a new buddy, huh?” SARAH (MOM): BLUSHES “Yeah.” “Of course, everyone knows about the Potty Training Buddy system!” Shelby choked out. “It’s not cliché at all, huh?” Beth shook her head. RECEPTIONIST “Well, let me get little Miss Callie up here to meet her!” SARAH SETS THE NOW AWAKE BRIANNA ON HER FEET BESIDE HER AND WAITS FOR CALLIE. SHE’S PASSED THROUGH THE ENTRY DOOR TO HER MOMMY WHO BOTH HUG EACH OTHER TIGHTLY BEFORE SHE NOTICES THE NEW GIRL. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Who are you? You look just like me!” BRIANNA DROPS HER PACIFIER OUT OF HER MOUTH AS SHE OPENS IT TO TALK. IT HANGS FROM A PACIFIER STRAP THAT SARAH HAD THOUGHTFULLY USED TO CONNECT IT TO HER DRESS. BRIANNA: “Hi Callie, I’m Brianna.” CALLIE LOOKS UP AT HER MOMMY CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “She looks like you too, mommy!” SARAH (MOM): “Well, that’s because she’s your new sister, sweetie!” CALLIE STANDS FOR A SECOND, LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE BOTH BRIANNA SARAH WORRY SHE’S NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT IT BEFORE JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND HUGGING BRIANNA. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “I have sister!!!!!” THE CAMERA ZOOMS OUT TO SHOW THE RECEPTIONIST WAS FILMING THE MEETING ANDCRYING. SARAH IS ALSO CRYING AS SHE HUGS BOTH GIRLS AND SOON LIFTS THEM UP. SHE STANDS AND LOOKS AT THE RECEPTIONIST. SARAH (MOM): “I never had a chance to look at the TykeCare App. Did Callie try to use the potty at all today?” RECEPTIONIST: LOOKS AT SCREEN “No, she’s had three wet diapers and one poopie, but no potty tries. In her class, we don’t exactly expect any, though?” SARAH (MOM): “I know that - just checking. I need to get these two girls home, feed them dinner, and let them play a bit before night-night time.” SCENE - SARAH’S CAR SARAH CARRIES BOTH GIRLS OUT TO THE CAR, AND CALLIE RECOGNIZES HER OLD CAR SEAT. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy, that’s my seat!” SARAH (MOM): “It used to be, but then you got too big for it! Now it’s the perfect size for your sister, Brianna!” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Oh, okay, I’m happy to have a sister. I’ll share toys, too!” SARAH (MOM): “That’s very nice of you, sweetie.” SARAH BUCKLES CALLIE IN FIRST SINCE SHE CONSIDERS HER TO BE MORE LIKELY TO DO SOMETHING UNSAFE. CALLIE SEES HER PACIFIER IN THE CUPHOLDER OF HER SEAT, PUSHES IT INTO HER MOUTH AND SMILES. BRIANNA STANDS ON THE FLOORBOARD OF THE CAR PATIENTLY BEFORE BEING LIFTED UP INTO HER SEAT. SEEMINGLY ONLY THEN REMEMBERS SHE HAS A PACIFIER HANGING FROM HER OUTFIT. SHE BLUSHES AS SARAH PICKS HER UP AND PLACES HER IN HER SEAT. THE PACIFIER GETS GENTLY PUSHED BETWEEN HER LIPS BEFORE SHE FASTENS THE STRAPS. WHEN SHE’S DONE, SHE CLOSES THE DOORS AND GETS INTO THE VEHICLE, TELLING IT TO GO HOME BEFORE TURNING AND FACING THE TWO GIRLS. SARAH (MOM): “So, how did your day go, Callie?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “I had so much fun, Mommy! My new class is way better than my old one!” SARAH (MOM): “Oh? Why is that?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “No one makes fun of my diapees! Everyone in there wears them! They also have more fun toys!!!” “Obviously, putting her back with the toddlers is working perfectly!” I said aloud. “Duh! If it wasn’t for all the bad things that came with it, going back to daycare would be way less stressful!” Shelby replied to me. “The price tag is only your potty training, dignity, and freedom?” “Yeah… I’ll take college stress!” I told her. SARAH (MOM): “Oh? What else?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “I got to sleep in a crib again!!!” SARAH PRACTICALLY CHOKES THEN. SHE CLEARS HER THROAT. SARAH (MOM): “Huh? Why would you want to sleep in a baby’s crib?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “It’s safer for us little ones, Mommy! I can’t fall out!” She pauses and makes a face. “How much gaslighting are they doing to the poor girl in that school?” Shelby asked. “A lot?” Beth replied. SARAH (MOM): “Do you need to go potty, Callie?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): SHAKES HEAD “Nope! I just went, Mommy!” SARAH (MOM): “Callie, why can’t you just use the potty like a big girl?” she mutters. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy! Does Brianna wear diapees too?” SARAH (MOM): “She does, for now, I’m hoping to potty train you both at the same time now!” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Icky, no wanna! Potty bad!” SARAH (MOM): “It’s going to be a while yet, Callie, we’re going to let you both take a break from the potty monster.” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Yay!!!” BRIANNA HAS SAT THERE SILENTLY THROUGH THE EXCHANGES AND NOW THE CAMERA ZOOMS INTO HER CONTORTED FACE AS SHE JUST NOW BEGINS TO REALIZE WHAT SHE’S BEEN DRAGGED INTO! “You know, if she hadn’t realized already that her life was over, she’s dumber than I think,” Beth said. “Yeah, my character is not exactly seeming the brightest here.” “On the plus side, I’m looking forward to seeing you two in cribs?” Shelby kidded. Beth reached over and started tickling her. I stood and joined! “Staaaahp!!!” Shelby cried. “I don’t want to pee!” A few moments of breathing later, the three of us resumed reading. SCENE - SARAH’S HOUSE AT SARAH’S HOUSE, SHE HAS THE CAR SELF-PARK INSIDE THE GARAGE AND UNBUCKLES BRIANNA, THEN CALLIE AS THE GARAGE DOOR CLOSES. GRABBING BOTH LITTLE GIRLS BY THE HAND, SHE GUIDES THEM INSIDE. ONCE INSIDE, SHE CHECKS THEIR DIAPERS AND LEAVES THEM BE FOR THE MOMENT. SARAH (MOM): “Callie, why don’t you go show Brianna the playroom, and you two can play until I have din-din ready?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Yay!!! Come on!” CALLIE PULLS BRIANNA’S ARM PRACTICALLY OUT OF THE SOCKET AND DRAGS HER TOWARDS THE UPSTAIRS AREA WHERE HER PLAYROOM SITS BESIDE HER BEDROOM. SHE’S ENOUGH BIGGER THAT THE STAIRS AREN’T THAT DAUNTING, BUT BRIANNA IS SMALL ENOUGH THAT SHE HAS TO CAREFULLY CLIMB UP. CAMERA MOVES BACK TO SARAH, WHO GOES OUT TO THE GARAGE AND UNLOADS THE PURCHASES OF THE DAY. ONE OF THE LARGE BOXES OF DIAPERS IN BRIANNA’S SIZE, BAGS OF CLOTHES, ETC. ALL GET BROUGHT IN AND TAKEN UPSTAIRS TO THE GIRLS’ NURSERY, WHERE SHE HAD SOME HELP DURING THE DAY WITH GETTING CALLIE’S OLD TODDLER BED SET UP ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF HER NEWER BIG-GIRL BED SHE’D GOTTEN FOR CHRISTMAS. THE CAMERA SHOWS CALLIE ENTHUSIASTICALLY SHOWING BRIANNA EVERY DOLL AND STUFFED ANIMAL SHE OWNS. MEANWHILE, BRIANNA IS CLEARLY STRUGGLING WITH A DECISION. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “What’s wrong, Bree?” BRIANNA: “Bree?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “That’s your name!” SHE SMILES BRIANNA: GIVES A SMALL SMILE. “I like that.” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy calls that potty face?” BRIANNA: “Umm...” SQUIRMS CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Just use your diaper, silly! Potties are boring. Playing is much more fun!” RIGHT THEN, CALLIE SQUATS DOWN, AND BRIANNA’S EYES WIDEN. BRIANNA: “Did you just?” BRIANNA SITS DOWN AND HOLDS A TOY BOTTLE TO HER DOLLY’S MOUTH. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Poopy!” SHE SMILES BRIANNA: “I...” BRIANNA MAKES A FACE THEN, AND SUDDENLY, SHE BENDS HER KNEES TOO AND ENDS UP MAKING A MESS IN HER OWN DIAPER. SHE STANDS THERE OUT OF BREATH FOR A MOMENT. A LOOK OF SHOCK IS ON HER FACE AS SARAH ENTERS THE ROOM. SARAH (MOM): “Pee-eew! It smells like a stinky baby in here!” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Uh-uh, we don’t stink, Mommy!” SARAH GOES TO CALLIE AND PULLS HER DRESS OUT OF THE WAY TO SHOW HER DIAPER AND PULL ITS WAISTBAND BACK. SARAH (MOM): “Well, you certainly do, Callie!” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Well, so does Bree!!! She’s stinky too!” SARAH (MOM): “Oh?” SHE WALKS TOWARDS BRIANNA AND LIFTS HER IN THE AIR TO SMELL HER BOTTOM. BRIANNA: SNIFFLES SARAH (MOM): “Well, it looks like you’re right, Callie! Brianna is a stinky baby, too! Let’s get you both changed and fed some din-din!” SCENE OF SARAH CLEANING AND CHANGING BOTH GIRLS BEFORE CARRYING BRIANNA ON ONE HIP AND CALLIE ON HER OTHER DOWN THE STAIRS. AT THE TABLE THERE IS NO LONG A SEAT WITH A BOOSTER, INSTEAD, TWO HIGH CHAIRS SIT ON EITHER SIDE OF WHAT MUST BE SARAH’S CHAIR. ONE IS SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE OTHER, BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT BOTH ARE MEANT FOR BABIES. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy, where’s my chair?” SARAH (MOM): “Right here, sweetie!” SHE DROPS HER INTO THE LARGER HIGH CHAIR AND PUTS BRIANNA IN THE OTHER BEFORE BUCKLING BOTH GIRLS IN. CALLIE BEGINS FUSSING. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy, I don’t sit in a high chair any more, I’m a big girl!” SARAH (MOM): LAUGHS “A big girl, huh? I think my ‘big’ girl just went and made poopy in her diapee a few minutes ago?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy!” SARAH (MOM): “Callie, we’ve been trying to use the potty like a big girl for several years! It’s obvious you’re not ready to be a big girl! That’s okay, Mommy loves her baby girls! You and Brianna, wear diapees like babies, and now you can eat in your special baby chairs too!” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Bu...” SARAH MOVES OVER TO THE TABLE AND PLACES THE TRAYS ON THE GIRLS’ CHAIRS BEFORE BRINGING OVER MATCHING PINK BIBS THAT SAY ‘MOMMY’S LITTLE BUTTERFLY’ ON THEM WITH BUTTERFLIES AND FLOWERS DECORATED AROUND THE WORDS. BRIANNA MEANWHILE LOOKS TO BE IN SHOCK AT EVERYTHING AND JUST SILENTLY LETS SARAH VELCRO THE BIB BEHIND HER HEAD. CALLIE FUSSES, BUT SARAH DOESN’T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS FORCING IT AROUND HER NECK. THE TAMPER-PROOF DESIGN KEEPS CALLIE FROM PULLING IT LOOSE. SHE POUTS FOR SEVERAL MOMENTS UNTIL THE BOWL OF MACARONI AND CHEESE IS PLACED ON THE TRAY. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Maccy Cheesy!!!!” SARAH (MOM): “Like clockwork...” SHE MUTTERS AND LOOKS AT BRIANNA AS SHE PLACES THE IDENTICAL BOWL ON HER TRAY. “You okay?” she whispers. BRIANNA: SHAKES HEAD “No...” she replies quietly. SARAH (MOM): “A bit much?” BRIANNA: “You could say that...” “I don’t think she was this kind to Brianna in the first draft?” Beth said to me. “I just skimmed it before, but I think you’re right that there’s been some improvements there. I think Sarah just gloated over Brianna in the first draft?” “You can almost like the mom character?” Shelby said. “Almost,” I said. “She’s still onboard with taking an adult’s freedom away in the hopes that she can potty-train her daughter.” “And I kind of doubt her daughter is even trainable,” Beth squirmed as she said that. “It wouldn’t surprise me that they eventually discover she has a genuine medical issue?” Shelby said. “If so, that makes her mom even worse to me,” I told them. SARAH PATS BRIANNA ON THE HEAD AND GIVES HER A REASSURING HUG BEFORE SITTING DOWN AT HER CHAIR WITH A MORE GROWN-UP BOWL OF SALAD IN FRONT OF HER. SHE WATCHES AS BRIANNA GINGERLY EATS WITH HER SPOON AND IS COMPLETELY FREE OF ANY MESS ON HER FACE, HANDS, OR BIB WHEN SHE IS DONE EATING. MEANWHILE HER DAUGHTER CALLIE HAS CHEESE ON HER HANDS AND FACE, AND SOMEHOW EVEN IN HER HAIR! THE CAMERA ZOOMS IN AS SHE USES A BABY WIPE TO WIPE UP ALL OF THE MESS. SARAH (MOM): “You’re a messy baby, Callie! I’ll have to give you both a bath before beddy-bye!” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): SMILES “Yay! Bubbles?" SARAH (MOM): “Seems like your sister at least deserves bubbles!” SARAH MOVES TO THE OTHER HIGHCHAIR AND NEEDLESSLY WIPES BRIANNA’S HANDS AND FACE LIKE SHE DID CALLIE’S. BRIANNA SQUIRMS AND SEEMS LIKE SHE IS OVERWHELMED THEN. AS SOON AS SHE FINISHES SHE, UNBUCKLES HER, AND SQUEEZES HER LIGHTLY IN A HUG. SARAH (MOM): “You’re overwhelmed, aren’t you?” BRIANNA: (NODS) “Yes... this is hard.” SARAH (MOM): “Sorry.” PLACES HER ON THE FLOOR “Why don’t you go see if there’s something you want to watch on TV? I will take Callie upstairs to change her outfit since she somehow made a mess of her clothes!” BRIANNA: “Umm... Thanks.” CAMERA SHOWS BRIANNA WALKING TO LIVING ROOM AND MANAGING TO CLIMB ONTO THE COUCH. SHE TRIES THE STANDARD VOICE COMMAND. BRIANNA: “Mike, turn on the TV.” COMPUTER VOICE: “New user detected, scanning.” A QUICK FLASH OCCURS, AND AFTER A MOMENTS PAUSE, THE VOICE RETURNS. COMPUTER VOICE: “TV Protocols set for Age TV-Y. What’s your name, princess?” BRIANNA: “Ugh… Brianna.” SIGHS “Show me the TV Guide?” A CHILDREN’S HOLO-GUIDE OF YOUNG PRESCHOOL AND BABY SHOWS POPS UP WITH NO TEXT. BRIANNA: “Any news networks?” COMPUTER VOICE: “Those may not be watched without your? Mommy, sweetie.” BRIANNA: “Pennycade, please, then?” COMPUTER VOICE: “Pennycade Junior showing now.” BRIANNA: “I mean...” SIGHS “Whatever!” CAMERA CUTS TO SARAH CHANGING CALLIE INTO JUST A NEW T-SHIRT AND LEAVES OFF BOTTOMS. CALLIE SEEMS TO BE HAPPY WITH THIS AND HEADS DOWNSTAIRS TO FIND HER NEW SISTER SITTING THROUGH THE LATEST DIAPER COMMERCIAL OF THE BRAND THEY’RE WEARING. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Those are the bestest ones!!!!” SHE LOOKS AT BRIANNA AND GETS HER ATTENTION TO POINT TO THE DIAPERS THEY’RE BOTH WEARING. BRIANNA: “I’ll take your word for it, Callie.” MIDWAY THROUGH AN EPISODE OF A SHOW THAT ASKED THE VIEWERS TO TELL THE CHARACTER WHAT TO DO, BRIANNA CLEARLY FROZE. SARAH SEES THIS, GATHERS HER IN HER ARMS, AND SITS DOWN ON A CHAIR WITH HER IN HER LAP. CALLIE IS TOO ENGROSSED IN THE SHOW TO GET JEALOUS. SARAH (MOM): “Are you okay, Brianna?” BRIANNA: “I have to pee again...” SARAH (MOM): “You know you have to use your diapees for a couple more weeks until the daycare lets us try potty training Callie again?” BRIANNA: “Do I have to wait that long?” SARAH (MOM): “Sorry, I hate to do this...” BRIANNA: “Huh?” SARAH BEGINS TICKLING BRIANNA MERCILESSLY, CAUSING HER TO GIGGLE. CALLIE SEES THIS AND HOPS UP TO COME TO HER SISTERS AID. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy! Don’t be mean to Bree!” SARAH (MOM): “Oh?” WITHOUT WARNING, SHE BEGINS TICKLING CALLIE INSTEAD AND EVENTUALLY ALTERNATES BETWEEN THE TWO GIRLS. CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Mommy, you’re a meanie head!!!” BRIANNA: “Uh-huh!” SARAH (MOM): “Well, I guess I am. Would a hot chocolate make it better?” CALLIE (DAUGHTER): “Hot choccy!!!” BRIANNA: “No, but I’ll take one anyway?” CAMERA SHOWS HER PUTTING THE GIRLS IN THEIR HIGHCHAIRS AGAIN AND EACH BEING GIVEN A BABY BOTTLE WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE CHOCOLATE MILK. BRIANNA MAKES A FACE AT IT BUT DRINKS JUST LIKE CALLIE DOES IN THE END. WHEN THEY’RE BOTH DONE, SHE WIPES THEIR FACES AND TAKES THEM UP TO GIVE THEM THEIR BATHS. A MONTAGE SHOWS THEM PLAYING IN THE BUBBLE BATH WITH SOME SQUIRTY TOYS THAT GET USED ON EACH OTHER AND A SCOLDING SARAH WHEN BRIANNA SPRAYS HER. THEY’RE BOTH DRESSED IN MATCHING DIAPERS AND T-SHIRT ONESIES BEFORE BEING PLACED ON SARAH’S LAP, GIVEN ANOTHER BOTTLE OF MILK APIECE, AND READ A STORY. CALLIE INSTANTLY GOES TO SLEEP AND IS PLACED INTO HER BED, EVEN AS BRIANNA SEEMS WIDE AWAKE AND HASN’T DRANK MUCH OF THE BOTTLE. SARAH SMILES AT HER. SARAH (MOM): “Here, hand me your baba.” BRIANNA: HANDS IT TO HER. SARAH REPOSITIONS BRIANNA, SO SHE’S CRADLED. HER FIDGETING SHOWS IT CLEARLY MAKES HER UNCOMFORTABLE. BRIANNA: “What are you doing?” SARAH (MOM): “Feeding you your baba,” SMILING BRIANNA: "Bu..." THE NIPPLE INTERRUPTS HER AS SARAH BEGINS ROCKING THE CHAIR AGAIN. SARAH (MOM): “I know you want to be a big grown-up again, and I promise you will be, eventually, but right now, you’re going to be my little Bree. Enjoy letting go a little sweetie.” BRIANNA’S EYES CONVEY HER NERVOUSNESS, EVEN AS SARAH BEGINS HUMMING A LULLABY. BRIANNA’S CHEST GRADUALLY BEGINS SHOWING SIGNS OF HER SLEEPING EVEN AS SHE FINISHES DRINKING THE BOTTLE. AFTER AN APPROPRIATE LITTLE BURP, SHE PLACES THE SLEEPING GIRL IN HER BED AND TUCKS HER IN. SARAH (MOM): “They’re right, Mommy’s milk does it every time?” “Ugh, ‘Mommy’s Milk?!?” Beth snorted, “Nothing original here at all, is there?” “No… Does that mean Sarah’s still giving her daughter breastmilk, too?” I asked. “Probably?” Shelby said. “There are a lot of Bigs with kids up to age five or six that like to keep breastfeeding them as long as possible.” “Doesn’t that cause potty problems?” I asked. “Yes,” Beth said. “If she’s never weaned her, that’s probably why she’s not in any hurry to potty-train.” “My character is soooo screwed!” They laughed. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks for reading! Please press the Like button and leave me a comment! I very much appreciate everyone who takes the time to press the Like button and leave a comment!!! Due to a busy week, I can't post on Friday, so I decided to post an extra one today and Sunday to compensate! Hopefully, my posting schedule will settle out again in the next few weeks. If you’ve enjoyed this or any of my other works, consider supporting me by purchasing copies of them on Amazon Kindle! All of my completed works are available here: https://www.amazon.com/author/babysofia (And if you do so pretty, please consider leaving me a 5-star review (you can leave the stars, and no public reviews are viewable then!))

Long time listener, first time caller! (I just realized how old that reference is. Ouch.) I hope that it's okay if I share this story with Y'all. It's been in my head for a while and I hope you enjoy it! Chapter one: John Smith was a thoroughly unremarkable young man. At five foot eight he was certainly not tall, and he was neither muscular nor scrawny. His tuft of unruly brown hair blended into the woods around him. He was never really an athletic person, and he could not even spend enough time sitting still to be called a gamer. He tried his hand at fishing because he enjoyed being outdoors and found that he was okay at it, but only rarely caught anything worth cooking. He tried cycling but never felt comfortable on a bike. John had only found one thing he ever truly enjoyed. Being outside and walking through the woods. Once his girlfriend of three years moved away for college, they promised to stay in touch. They were still friends, but left with little else to do with himself, John took to his only hobby with some enthusiasm. None of his clothes were expensive, and his vehicle was a thirty year old small truck that was only remarkable in that it still works fine. John had, in fact, only made one glaring error in his twenty four years of life. He got a job at a store that sells his hobby. He was certain that it was a good idea at the time. After all, he could get hiking supplies at an employee discount! His boss was a very nice woman that would offer damaged inventory to the employees after writing it off. With his workplace being closed for an upcoming Monday, and having won the lottery of having a Friday off, John found himself with a very rare opportunity. And with no one to answer to for the next four days, he was determined to try something new. John was going hiking and camping for three days. After he explained his plan to his boss, she cautioned him very sternly about bringing plenty of water, a compass, a map, and all the camping supplies he would need to sleep out on the trail. “If you are going to be out there for three days, you bring food and water for five. Stick to known trails, and never once put your camp knife down. If you see wildlife, you go the other way.” And so he left work with a dented wagon that was written off with large wheels to be pulled on a beach, camping supplies for several days, a small tent, and a cheap but sturdy ice chest with three gallons of water in it. Parking at a nearby nature trail and getting his supplies out of the back of his small truck Friday morning he tied a lead to the handle of his wagon and started walking down a trail that he had been down a dozen times. But this time was different. This time he didn't have to turn around after three hours and come back before it got dark. This time he was out for the weekend. So happily humming to himself as he patiently walked along the trail, he cheerfully picked up acorns as he went and tossed them to any squirrels he passed by. The squirrels wouldn't really care that he threw them acorns, but they were cute and it was fun to see them grab the acorns and scurry away with them. As the trail led our intrepid adventurer along a wide creek come mid afternoon he couldn't help but stop and sit down on his ice chest and take a break to eat a couple of granola bars and drink a bottle of water. He was so happy in that moment that he emptied his right cargo pocket of acorns next to a nearby tree and sat to just enjoy the view for an hour. Stopping to take a couple of pictures on his cell phone, he noticed that the trail curved off to the right away from the stream, but that the land by the stream was flat and wide open. So why not just walk along the stream, and the next day simply follow the stream back? So with a wave to a squirrel that was watching the intruder from a pile of acorns, he set off at a leisurely pace along side the stream. Two hours of walking later, the stream was very shallow. Barely even ankle deep and no more than ten feet across. And it was here in dimming evening light that John noticed something strange on the other side of the stream. The air over there looked … different. Almost … Shimmery? So, pausing to take another deep drink of water, he slowly walked across the stream, wagon still pulled by his belt, and had very little trouble of it. And there, several miles from any known trail, he found himself staring at … nothing. Or something. Everything looked the same, but that shimmer was still there. And what was more is that if he squinted as he looked through the shimmering spot it was strangely like a magnifying glass. “How does the air do that?” he asked out loud. And then he made another mistake. He walked up to the spot where the air looked distorted and shimmery. For a brief moment nothing seemed different … and then he felt dizzy. His insides felt like they twisted, folded, and compressed. It all came on suddenly, violently, and in that instant everything in his stomach seemed to take up too much space. And just as suddenly he was on hands and knees as everything in his stomach decided that it had other places to be. None of which were where he had put them. After several very unhappy moments, John stood back up, wiping his mouth on his forearm and looking around himself. Something was not quite right. The stream behind him seemed much larger than he had remembered moments before. The trees looked … larger. Why would the oak trees look larger? And more importantly … wasn't it just getting dark? The sun was now high in the sky. Taking a few steps he found himself slipping and noticed that his boots seemed quite loose. He had to pull all of the laces in as tight as he could and retie them to make them a bit snug again. So much for his good quality boots, the darned things got loose for some reason. It took several minutes for John to get his bearings and walk back to the stream he had just crossed. It didn't make any sense, he had just come across that very stream, and now as he looked back in the now bright daylight … it was easily thirty feet across and moving much faster than when he crossed it. Suddenly feeling very concerned, he decided that he had enough adventure for the moment and started walking back along the stream the way he had come. Back toward civilization, shivering a bit in the suddenly cold air. Walking back along the stream the way he came, but now stuck on the opposite side of the stream, John Smith was growing more confused and concerned as he went. He picked up an acorn out of habit, but this acorn was abnormally large. The size of a lemon. Why would an acorn be so large? Figuring this was some sort of fluke, he tossed it into the wagon behind him and kept going. After a couple more hours and several more freakishly large acorns, John felt just far too tired to keep going. He could see smoke off in the distance but he just couldn't walk any more. Despite the sun being still up in the sky he felt like he's been walking for twenty or thirty hours straight. So he found a small clear spot between some trees about ten feet from the stream and popped out his little tent, easily stepping on the stakes to anchor his little tent into the ground. He set about clearing a patch of dirt and using his camp knife to chop some of the large twigs into manageable chunks. A few minutes with his zippo and a pile of leaves and he had a tiny fire surrounded safely by a wall of dirt. Sitting next to his wagon drinking water and eating another granola bar, John started to doze off. After what seemed like moments to him, he opened his eyes to see that his fire had gone out and on the other side of the ashes was something looking at him. Something bigger than it ought to be. With a yelp of surprise John scrambled to his feet and fumbled to get his camp knife out of its holster and hold it up between him and the wild animal. Gray, and easily the as big as a medium sized dog, there stood before him the largest squirrel he had ever seen. And with its low body and nose working fervently, the squirrel was staring straight at him. After several moments of being stared down by a squirrel almost half his size, John calmed down enough to reach into the wagon behind him and pull out an acorn. The squirrel stared at the acorn now instead of him. Very slowly he leaned, holding the acorn out and preparing to roll it, the squirrel instead reached out for it, grabbed it and in a flash was gone up the tree next to him. It took a minute to breathe normally again. Now shaking and very confused, he pulled the wagon up in front of the entrance to the tent and did the only thing he could think to do. John freaked out as quietly as he could manage until he fell asleep hours later.

PART ONE Summer. Finally. And not just any summer. The next two months were going to be amazing for a number of reasons. One, I had just graduated high school, which meant none of the usual AP work that was required before the first day of school. College would present its own challenges, of course, but I could at least take a huge breath in the meantime. Two, our parents were going to be out of town for eight full weeks on a business trip rounded off with a vacation at the tail end. While I wasn’t exactly a party girl, it would still be nice to have some extra freedom. Paige was the only complication. My step-sister and I were the same age, and absolutely nothing alike. At first, I had been excited to finally have a sibling. That is, until we actually started living together. She and I were polar opposites, to put it lightly, and I was the one who was always stuck dealing with her since our parents were rarely around. I didn’t mind getting her in trouble for ‘borrowing’ my homework, or for breaking curfew, or for plenty of other transgressions. However, our parents were usually the ones who handled the punishments. There was no way Paige would listen to me, and it’s not like I could be calling our parents every day for help. As much as my irresponsible sister often felt like my responsibility, this was also my summer. Maybe it would be better if we just stayed out of the other’s way, and coexisted to the best of our ability. My friends could have the main floor, and she could have the furnished attic, or vice versa. I could always keep a journal of anything inappropriate she did in our parents’ absence, and report the notable ones when they got back. Of course, it was difficult to ignore Paige when she was already messing with my plans on the first day of summer break. It took three back to back phone calls to get her to pick up, and she didn’t answer the last one until the fifth ring or so. “What’s up, Alyssa?” she asked, “Are you dying or something?” “No. Paige, you said you’d pick me up at four. It’s nearly 4:20.” Unfortunately, we only had one car between the two of us, and it had gradually defaulted to being ‘hers.’ I had so many after school activities that I usually got a ride from a friend. The more I didn’t drive our car, the more ownership Paige felt, which made things frustrating when I eventually did need it. Like after my ballet class, where I didn’t really know any of the other girls that well. I offered to drop my sister off at home first, but she insisted that it would be easier for her to drive and swing by the studio on the way back to the house. Except, as expected, she clearly didn’t keep track of time, and now I was stranded without a ride. “Ooh, 4:20?” she giggled, “That means it’s time for something else. Sorry, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Actually, why don’t you just get someone else to drive you? I’m comfortable, and I really don't want to put a bra back on.” “Paige, I’m the last one here! Come on, it’ll just take a minute.” “Hmm, let me think. How about . . . No. You can walk.” “What? No! Paige, it’s hot, and-” “Tough, little sis. Use the time to think about how you should stop being a stuck-up brat and an obnoxious tattletale. Bye, Alyssa!” “Wait-” Before I could get past the first word, I heard the low beep of her ending the call. Groaning in frustration, I re-dialed twice to no avail. After sending a very pointed text that included a threat to get our parents involved, I leaned against the nearest wall and scrolled through my contacts to see if there was anyone I could think of that might be both free at the moment and close enough to the studio. Aside from it being hot, I was also going to tell Paige that it would be about an hour’s walk back to the house. Thankfully, I had shorts and a tank top to wear over my leotard, but I’d still rather avoid such a long commute. And yet, that’s what I ended up doing. I figured it made more sense, as otherwise I would potentially spend even more time in the sun calling various friends and waiting for them to get their shoes on and drive over. Paige’s parting words echoed in my head as I began the walk. That attitude towards me was exactly why there was no way I’d ever succeed in getting her to listen to anything I said. My driver’s license said that I was five feet tall, but the truth was that I hadn’t even made it that far yet. Standing at a painfully under average 4’11 and ¾, pulling off ‘intimidating’ was an impossible task, especially against my sister who seemed to grow another inch every year. Even when I wore heels and she was barefoot, Paige towered over me. Her body was a lot more womanly as well, while I was stuck looking like a tween who had barely started developing. It was fine at school, as my nice outfits worked wonders in offsetting my unfortunately tiny body, but ballet was a prime example of times when I had a lot less going for me. In just a leotard and with pinned up hair, I was constantly mistaken for one of the younger girls any time the studio hired a new teacher or assistant. And, while my classmates respected me and didn’t care about my size, the same couldn’t be said for my sister. She was only a month older than me, but acted like it was years thanks to the way she looked in comparison. Silver lining, there were advantages to being a small dancer. So far, that was about the only perk I had been able to find as the shortest person I knew. Little did I know, however, that my size was about to work against me in a way I never would have imagined. ------------------- Check out my website: www.ladyluciastories.com And my Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=73056590

What happens when a twelve-year-old boy suddenly starts wetting his pants again? Mark Davidson is twelve years old and just finished the sixth grade. He is leaving elementary school and will soon be a teenager. Sure, he had some toileting problems when he was younger, but he has long since outgrown that, or so it seems. The Background One of my earliest memories is a tantrum I threw when I was four and a half. I wanted to play in a playroom, but I couldn’t unless I was potty trained. I still wore diapers and wasn’t potty trained. I saw kids younger than me playing and started to cry. My mom got frustrated with my tantrum and said, “Big kids don’t wear diapers!” After we got home, Mom said “I’m disappointed with you. You acted like a baby and threw a tantrum. You can’t be a big kid if you are not potty trained.” She took away most of my ‘big kid’ privileges and treated me like my little sister, who had just turned two. At the time, there wasn’t a whole lot of difference. Mom still put me in a stroller, and there were rails on my bed to keep me from falling out. All she had to do was pull up the rails to convert my ‘big kid’ bed into a crib and bring out a second highchair. I also had to use a sippy cup, but I used to spill a lot. I don’t think it worked very well because it took another year to get out of diapers. Yes, I didn’t get out of diapers until I was five and a half! My little sister was now three and had just become potty trained. I didn’t want to be the only one in diapers, so I started to use the potty as well. Even so, I still had accidents, and sometimes needed diapers. My mom had a different approach than most parents. She wanted us to take care of the potty by ourselves, although she still helped my sister with some of the details. She was only three, so that made sense. Mom wanted me to do everything by myself. She would take me to the bathroom when we were in public, but that’s about it. I had to wear Pull-ups if I had an accident. I didn’t get to wear underwear until I stayed dry for three days. If I had two accidents in my Pull-ups, it was back to diapers. I stayed in diapers until I proved that I was ready to use the potty, which usually took about a week. My mom treated me like a big kid when I wore Pull-ups. I even got to do things that some of the older kids didn’t. However, I lost all of those privileges when I wore diapers. Diapers were for babies, so I was treated just like a baby. I slept in a crib, sat in a highchair, and rode in a stroller when we left the house. I think my mom preferred the stroller because I didn’t wander away. It wasn’t just the highchairs and stroller, little kids aren’t allowed to open doors, and I wasn’t either. I had to wear diapers at night until I stayed dry for five nights in a row, which didn’t happen until I was eight years old. I got to wear underwear after keeping my Pull-ups dry for five nights, but it was back to diapers if I had three accidents in my Pull-ups. Since diapers were for babies, my bed was left in the crib position when I slept in a diaper. My mom changed my diaper just after waking me up when it was dry, but when I woke up in a wet diaper, she waited until I ate breakfast. Diapers are for babies, so I had to sit in a highchair for breakfast. My sister was out of diapers by my sixth birthday, which was when she was three-and-a-half. I don’t think she had very many accidents after that. However, when she was older, she would occasionally wet her pants. It didn’t happen very often, but mom made her wear Pull-ups when she did. She was nine years old the last time it happened. We had to wear a diaper at night if we wore a Pull-up during the day, so Emily ended up sleeping in a diaper for about three weeks that year. It was harder for me. I wore diapers pretty much all the time while I was in kindergarten. I occasionally got to wear Pull-ups, but I always had accidents and went right back to diapers. Things got a little better for me in first grade, when I was seven. I still had accidents, but I usually could go back to underwear before I had to wear a diaper. I only had to wear diapers a couple of times that year. However, we lived in Asia, and we went back to the United States in the summer. I had a series of accidents that summer and was put back in diapers. My mom didn’t want to deal with potty training while we were traveling, so I stayed in diapers for six weeks. I wasn’t potty trained again until we got home. That didn’t happen until my birthday, so I was still in diapers on my eighth birthday! I guess that helped because I stopped having accidents after that, or at least mostly stopped. I only had a few accidents in third grade. I even started to stay dry at night, and my crib was finally converted back to a bed. I only spent two weeks in diapers that year, and that was on purpose. I wet my pants on purpose because I wanted to wear diapers again. It happened during school breaks, so I wouldn’t have to wear diapers to school. I did it again in fourth grade, during spring break. My mom never got mad about it. She just said, “I guess you’re not ready to be a big kid,” and put me back in diapers.

https://mschf.com/shop/super-baby/ Regression foot wear

i am in a very stinky squishy poopy and wet tykables overnights diapee. which i have had on all night. Mommy is here now to change me. I hope she is ready to glove up cause this diaper is extremely messy

Great story!

Hey there! So the good news is, I'm alive! The bad news is Patreon decided to ban ABDL content with no warning. They purged all the major writers on 28 November, a bunch of artists, and video models as well. They're continuing to find and delete ABDL and ageplay creator accounts. I've moved my stories to Ream. I just got it up and running yesterday. I'm loading all my old content and the new chapters I was working on before this mess happened. You can sign up at reamstories.com/lexibridges. The first 30 subscribers get a discount for as long as they stay subscribed. I really appreciate it. Losing my Patreon has been quite a blow mentally and financially.

my mom uses a lot of babyish pet names for me still which i LOVE. when we're together too i get lots of hugs and kisses and holding hands. even cuddles on the couch. she does know about my abdl side but doesnt know how big a part of my life it is still since we havent talked about it in like 10 years. however when i drop little hints like i still have a sippy or a suck my thumb when im sad, she def accepts it and doesnt discourage it

Yeah me too.

Re: posting to old threads, I have no problem with it. The ever-popular “what diaper are you wearing now” thread is 3 years old now and nobody seems to mind. There are other recurring topics like who have you told/how was your first time/why am I a DL. I see no reason to create a new thread each time. Maybe the solution is for these topics to be pinned so that they’re always visible? Re: wearing in public, I have done so for years, but today was a milestone: I wet in public for the first time. Just wanted to try it for kicks to see how it felt. Was a bit weird. Kept checking my jeans to make sure I hadn’t leaked. I went home soon afterwards and took the diaper off straight away. Probably won’t do it again.

2 or 3 for me, Lean a little more to 3

They're cool, but I'd be more inclined to buy them if they had flashing lights in the heels.

I intend to. I am just agonizing over what to title it as. It it mostly already pre-written, and this will be a cross posting of it form my DeviantArt page. But the title that I chose for it there is so very lacking, and I want to try and 'Jazz' it up some.

I definitely like her being under Suzie. I think library. Also I think the rest of the gang, since they like stealing diapers, they can work off their "debt" to the crime boss by working for him in the diaper company, be spanked of course and have to wear diapers at all times. Might even find out during the spanking that one of them really likes it and during an embarrassing messy diaper change by their boss they now work under or whoever is in charge of changing them, it's discovered the same one gets quite excited in her messy diapers lol. Which of course the one doing the changing happily points out and teases her about it in front of the other girls lol.

In the 21 years I have been here I have NEVER seen anyone frown upon answering an old post.

MY FEELS!!! You got me right in my feelings. This was very VERY well written!

Final: Susan was quite impatient while waiting for Allan and Mike to fall asleep. Unfortunately the men were careful and Allan kept guard while Mike was asleep. She waited and tried to roll to Penny. It was quite difficult in her condition when she couldn’t use her arms. While Allan was looking away, she reached for the arm ropes and knots. However, the ropes were tight, and she wasn’t able to do anything with a single hand. Susan shifted her body to reach Penny’s gag. It was a bit easier, and she opened the clip. Penny tried to push the ballgag out of her mouth, but it was too big. Susan had to hold the strap. “Susan, is it a good idea?” Penny whispered and looked at Allan. Susan shrugged; suddenly she wasn’t sure. Anyway, she shifted her body so Penny could reach her ballgag. At that moment Allan looked back and noticed their attempts: “Hey, what are you doing there?” He dragged Susan away from Penny, took a piece of rope and tied Susan’s ankles to her boxtied arms in a strict hogtie. After that he regagged both Penny and Susan. “Hey, don’t dare to do anything fun; you will be spanked otherwise,” he turned to the captives and returned to the fireplace to keep guard. Susan kept struggling but it was useless; she got exhausted only and her eyes closed. For the first time in her life she had nightmares. In the morning she realized she had peed herself in her sleep. The next day the captives had to endure the same morning routine and the captors tied them to the horses and rode off. In the afternoon they reached the Crochetope Pass and stopped near the cave. “This is your final destination, sluts.” Allan and Mike helped the captives dismount and made them sit down on the ground. Their legs were tied up again and their horses were tied to the nearby trees. “Good luck. Somebody would find you; I guess the robbers will be the first ones who appear here,” Allan laughed, mounted his horse, and rode off along with Mike. The captives were in a hopeless situation. Susan’s arms were tied in a boxtie and the other women had their arms tied behind their backs at wrists and elbows. All the ropes were tight. Their legs were tied at ankles and knees, and they also were ballgagged. Penny recalled their former experience at the same place and hoped that they would be luckier that time. Sun was setting already and there was no living soul around. The captives didn’t know if it was good or bad. -------------------------------------------- Luisa, Mary and Constance were riding fast. They wanted to catch up with Allan, Mike and their friends. They found the camping place where the captors and captives had spent the night. In the evening they stopped and decided to overnight on a small clearing. While eating dinner they started talking about their plans. “I think we will reach the Crochetope Pass shortly after them,” Luisa turned to Mary. “Probably yes but what should we do?” “Hopefully they stop there. When we come closer, we make a plan.” “We should stay legal,” Constance interjected. “Of course; I wouldn’t like to use guns,” Luisa replied, “If we free the captives and escape, nobody could accuse us of a crime.” “The men will keep guard though.” “I’d wait; maybe they make our task easier in some way,” Luisa smiled. The next morning, they continued their mission and hurried up. As they were riding through a forest, Luisa stopped: “Hey, somebody is coming towards us; let’s hide quickly.” Mary and Constance nodded, and they turned towards the dense trees. Fortunately, their tracks weren’t visible on the hard lane surface. Allan and Mike appeared and passed the place where Luisa and her companions were hidden. Constance and Mary were taken aback. “What is going on?” Constance couldn’t hide her surprise. “I’d guess they left the captives behind and hope that robbers or hunters will find them. They wouldn’t like to ride as far as Lake City,” Luisa replied. “Let’s hurry up. We have to find them before the robbers. They are in big danger.” The small group returned to the lane and rode off again; they had to reach the Crochetope Pass as soon as possible. It was almost dark when they finally reached the pass and noticed the three figures on the ground and three horses tied to the trees. --------------------------------------------- Two days later: Priscilla was struggling against the tight ropes. Her behind was on fire after a thorough spanking and she had to pee like a racehorse. The thick diaper between her legs was wet already and it would leak soon. “You useless slut; you weren’t able to guard two tied up women; now you would be in their shoes,” Allan’s words kept sounding in her ears and tears were running down her cheeks. Her moans were muffled by a big ballgag. --------------------------- Epilogue: The mission was over, and Penny and Millie could return home to Lake City. Susan also had her new home on Luisa’s farm. However, Mary and Constance didn’t have any place to go. They wouldn’t like to go back to Carlote and they also didn’t want to try their luck in Lake City. If Penny told Allan about Lake City, he could try to look for his wife there. Luisa offered Mary and Constance a job and life on her farm. Both women agreed to that idea; both were strong and skilled at riding so they became cowgirls. In that way the farm grew and became even more profitable.

No need, it is incoforlife.

I figure that if I'm going to get stuck there and my potty training taken away then it may as well be pancakes made with amazon milk, and not knowing what chocolate does to littles. I know that in some stories they do it on purpose. But not all Amazons are going to know, or even need to know, what their milk does to littles. They're just told that it's insanely nutritious for them. The rest of it is just goign to happen on its own to try and keep their littles healthy. She's a lot more familiar with the concept of what a little is supposed to behave like in her world than he is. She's not trying to push him too hard, but maybe fresh milk is helping them out, even if they don't know it. (*imagine that I'm hummin ghte twilight zone theme here**) *salute!* I'm recovering from surgery and should be able to see without pain in a couple of weeks! If I ever wind up in that dimension I will make absolutely, positively certain to never, under any circumstances, challenge a Big by telling them I'm not ticklish. I'm a little bit crazy, but that just seems like asking for it.

Ugh. Was so close to posting this yesterday, but right before I started editing it, I realized I couldn’t find one of my shirts for a family photo on my upcoming trip. Oh well, but at least I’m still making my goal of at least one chapter a day this week before I leave and go on my little hiatus with this story. That being said, looking ahead, things will be a little busy, so I ask for your patience in posting the rest of this story even when I return. By now, my goal is to get it out and completed before the New Year, but things will be posted when I feel comfortable with them. I’m sure most of you would prefer better storytelling to a rushed narrative full of holes and mistakes. Additionally, I just want to note that due to how this story is about to flow, I want to warn you all that there will be some time jumps like that occurred in Chapter 5 previously. I figured in an operation like this and one with so much security with the research facility and caution with both Jennifer and Megan, things wouldn’t proceed very quickly. As such, I just want to warn you all to make sure you pay attention to some of the times I note so you aren’t thinking it’s still February when in fact it’s June for example. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 11: Anything? Jennifer was a professional agent for sure, but I was quickly noticing her other more compassionate and understanding side as well. Her question of ‘how was my day,’ still hung in the air as the car rounded the few streets and then parked in our driveway. Others may have pushed me for an answer right away, but likely seeing the delicate nature of the mission, she just allowed me to take my time. “It was okay,” I finally managed to say once we were back inside and sitting on the couch facing each other. “I see… my day was just okay too…” she answered. There was then a pause between us for a moment. I had declined the snack offered at the daycare today, fearing that it could have been spiked with something as I heard could be the case sometimes in other locations. I used the experiment day juice at lunch to justify that I was still full to the daycare workers at the time, but now, creeping closer to dinner and becoming ravenous, my stomach let out a loud and empty growl. Jennifer smiled at the noise and taking it on herself to take the risk first, she spoke up so that I wouldn’t have to with what actually happened. “You know… my day was a bit difficult if I’m being completely honest.” I looked up and raised my eyebrows. “I saw a bunch of experiments, Megan… some really concerning stuff on my tour today, but… nothing actionable still on the portal though. Maybe the authorities when all this is over, but nothing for our mission.” I nodded. “Same here. Lots of concerning things… they even tested us and yanked out one Little while we were watching a movie. It was…” I wanted to say scary, but the word didn’t feel right to say as a truly non-regressed Little or without being on my drug. “I guess… concerning is the word…? I’m still here and all, but it makes me wonder… how much longer until that Little is me that gets dragged away?” Jennifer then reached forward and patted my leg. “That must be really terrible, but I’m still proud of you, Megan.” “Proud of me?” I asked, not sure what she would even be referring to after what I had just told her about. Jennifer nodded. “Yes. You survived your first day of daycare here. You survived their tests, and that’s no easy feat.” She then paused. “But I understand that you may feel a little down about it all, so I’ll tell you what.” She then stood up and headed over to the kitchen. “We’re going to do something that my family used to do whenever one of us had a rough day.” I racked my brain for what she could be referring to, but after a few minutes, I heard a loud beeping coming from the kitchen. A pleasant smell then wafted over to me, and Jennifer soon returned with two mugs of something steaming from inside them. “We used to have a nice soothing cup of herbal tea, and you might think it to be a little weird, but it helps a lot to cope with what happened.” Now, tea was still around, but it was certainly a much rarer commodity back home, so I rarely drank it, but as soon as I accepted the tea from Jennifer and placed my lips upon the steaming hot beverage, I knew that drinking tea here would probably start to become part of my routine. “Thank you, Jennifer. I don’t think it’s weird at all, and besides, the tea is delicious.” She then smiled back at me warmly after taking a sip of her own tea. “I’m glad. Just don’t be shy about asking for a cup from now on if you need it after I pick you up.” I nodded back and after blowing on my tea a little bit, I took another sip. I then briefly wondered if from what Jennifer had described to me that she now considered me part of her family. It felt too soon in some ways, but it was an admittedly minor thing to truly be worried about. What soon tickled my brain more though, was that based on my first day alone, I wondered just how many teas Jennifer and I would share in the coming times of our mission here. As it turned out, it was quite a lot. The weeks rolled by, and January soon passed into February when Jennifer received a coded message for a time and place to meet up with Amy once more for our debriefing. I hadn’t seen her or even had a single debriefing since my initial encounter with her the night I was captured. Needless to say, even with my thoughts plagued by my own worries at daycare with yet another testing day, our meetup once Jennifer picked me up weighed heavily on my mind. “Hello? Earth to Megan! Earth to Megan!” Kelsey almost shouted at me as she also snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Wha…?” I then realized the rest of the group was staring back at me. “Oh… sorry… just thinking about getting picked up today. Jennifer said we might get a treat afterward,” I partially lied. Jennifer did promise a treat, but it was only after our first debriefing, but the group didn’t need to know the little details like that. “Oh! So jealous of you! Chrissy did something like that the other day but then ruined her new dress all over.” Ben cried out. He… well, technically she was becoming my best source of gossip around here. Ben had been curious about dresses since he was six but had never dipped his toe into anything more than an occasional glance or curiosity. When his caregivers had found out after they took him in though, he was now slowly becoming ‘Beatrice,’ or ‘Bea,’ as most of the staff now called him. Needless to say, he was still struggling with part of it from the suddenness and fast pace of it all, so we still referred to him as a ‘him’ and as Ben until he was more comfortable with what was happening to him. “Which one?” Jasper asked as he adjusted his glasses once more. “Spencer’s or that new place for Littles near the salon on main street?” He was the most mature of the group and I often questioned why he was even here at daycare in the first place or why more daycare workers didn’t focus on him more to try and trick or regress him as they did with others above the preschool level here. We were still friends, but I also knew I needed to keep my distance in case he was used as some sort of Big trap to get other mature Littles to reveal themselves after having a conversation about physics or the meaning of life. “I think Spencer’s…” I said unsure. “Jennifer didn’t say… I just know I’m getting a treat though, so… yay for me either way!” I had to take my victories now where I could. “Ice cweam?” Harry then asked from off to the side of the group. I nodded. “Yeah, buddy. Ice cream.” Harry had only gotten worse since I had first met him. I could still hold a conversation with him, but I kept noticing as each week passed, his abilities seemed to only be decreasing. It almost seemed like dementia or ALS, but he still had his memories and all… but more and more, I couldn’t help but start to think of him as the baby of the group. Jasper, Kelsey, or I had even begun to ensure his safety while we played outside so that he wouldn’t get hurt anymore. It only took a single errant dodgeball to his head last week for us to realize his potential new problems. “Right… anyways…” Ben said, clearly uncomfortable with the downward progress of his friend. I suspected that being the only other one in diapers of the group, at least from what I could see from my view so far, only added to his discomfort around the Little that potentially broadcasted out his own future. “Anyone hear a rumor of the new toys they’re making up at the lab?” “Toys?” Harry asked excitedly. Kelsey chuckled a little bit. “Yes, Harry, toys, but I heard they may not be ready for another few months. Something about wanting even more features and getting stuck with another department.” “Sounds like more than a rumor to me,” Jasper interjected. We all knew he had no real love of toys, but his need to be right or discover things was something that I had noticed as one of his primary drives around here. “That’s because my caregiver, Drew, is some big wig up there,” Kelsey explained. “Management or whatnot, I think… I kind of tune that part out though. More curious just about what new thing he’s making for us down here to try and test out.” “Your Daddy sounds really important then,” Ben noted. “Caregiver…” Kelsey corrected swiftly, “but yes, I think he is. Would never directly share his work with me, but I’ve taken a peek at a few things.” “Just a peek?” I asked, doubtful that it was all she did. Since I had come to know her a few weeks ago, I had learned a lot, but her curiosity was nearly insatiable at times. It had even earned her a timeout two weeks ago when she opened a door she shouldn’t have when she was bored one day while I had been reading a book. Kelsey looked back at me with a twinkle of guilt in her eyes and a smirk growing on her face. “No… I looked through his files when he was watching the track and field event on the TV, but that’s what I just told him when he caught me.” “And he wasn’t mad?” Jasper asked skeptically. “Oh no,” Kelsey clarified, “he was really mad… even said my punishment might be the ‘reverse of the machine’ if I wasn’t careful. Whatever that means anyway… Still, I got a timeout for about an hour.” Before I could ask more questions about Drew, Mrs. Louder then came over to the group and handed Ben and Jasper two pieces of paper. “For your uh, caregivers… all aces today you two.” “Thank you, Mrs. Louder,” both said in unison. Mrs. Louder only smiled and ruffled the ever-growing hair of Ben as she had done on the past few testing days as part of some subgroup that they were in. She probably would have ruffled Jasper’s hair as well, but I found her to be one of the more caring Bigs working here and paid attention to what each of her Littles actually like or didn’t. She could still dole out punishment for sure, like she did when Harry began writing on the walls one day, but she also knew her limits and had a soft side that knew how to actually forgive some of the Littles… unlike Mrs. Harrington. Mrs. Harrington… if there was ever a Big I had truly come to fear so far here, it would have been her. Her rigid and bony form seemed frail from an outsider’s perspective, but every Little she disciplined knew better. In fact, she was even known throughout the daycare for the love she gave to her favorite-colored red paddle that she administered out her justice with, whom she even creepily nicknamed ‘Crimson.’ Today, as a testament to the fear she instilled, she had even taken another Little, Hector. Harry was close to him, so I even played with him after his nap to distract him from the fact that his friend had left without warning only hours ago as Mrs. Harrington had warned of anyone acting out in the next hour would be taken as well. Fearing for his safety, I also knew that while Harry might have been regressing at an alarming rate, he still had his memories and would have certainly reacted sorrowfully regarding his friend Hector. In fact, from his still intact memory, I could even still see glimpses of his original self before all this happened to him. As the group began to be picked up by their respective caregivers, or now for some of them, mommies and daddies, Kelsey and I were the last to leave and looked after Harry to keep him entertained and out of trouble. “You like trains, don’t you, Harry?” Kelsey asked as Harry made cute little chugging noises with the tiny plush train he now was pushing forward on the floor. “Yeah… wemine’s me of da pass… pass…” Harry struggled with saying some words more than others now. “Past?” I offered in order to help him along with what he was trying to say. Harry nodded. “Yeah… use ta be a dwivah… you know… a co… con-duc-to…” I could see him struggle once more and he even looked at me this time to help him out. “Conductor?” I offered up once again. It was times like these that I hoped beyond anything else that I would never reach this level here. I wasn’t sure how long Harry had been at the daycare, but the more I learned about his past, the more I knew that whatever was happening to him, could happen to anyone. It was a fact I was slowly coming to terms with, but also something that was beginning to plague my dreams since I first saw Erin being taken on my first day. Jennifer had rushed in a few of the times during those fearful nights, much to my embarrassment, but she ended up being very comforting about the whole business. I waited for her to console me like a child, but to my relief, I was only offered the sympathy of a caring partner. “Do you aww… dink… abou’ da pass?” Harry asked, his concentration briefly wavering. If I was a betting person and seeing that face like I had in the past few weeks, he was likely just wetting his fresh diaper after his post-naptime bottle of juice. “It’s best not to, Harry,” Kelsey said with a sad look on her face. I still didn’t know why she was here in the first place after moving out of New Eboracum City, but I had a learned that it was better not to ask those types of questions as I had found out when another new Little asked one of the younger ones about their past. It turns out that particular Little, Marcy, had a criminal past and was here as a punishment of sorts by her new caregivers, which the other Little learned of too late and ended up with a black eye and a crayon jammed into her thigh. She ended up in the infirmary with a lollipop afterward. Marcy had gone up to the research facility and still wasn’t the same, though most gave her a wide berth now. Still, all that could have been avoided if just more personal questions weren’t asked in the first place. Harry looked sadder than I had seen him in a long time, so I took it upon myself to try and cheer him up. “I do sometimes, Harry. Kelsey is right that we shouldn’t dwell on it, but I think that just occasionally reminiscing isn’t too bad either.” I quickly looked around as I realized a larger word had slipped into my vocabulary as the drugs that I had taken this morning began to wear off. It wouldn’t automatically give me away, but it could still raise suspicions, something I was still cautious of even a few weeks in here and not even being the newest Little anymore. I felt that one could never be too careful in a place like this. “I’m glad I’m nah da only one…” he said, slightly stroking a stuffed cat I had occasionally seen him with in here before called… Noodles… maybe? The time passed by quickly, and soon, Jennifer picked me up once again. I waved goodbye once more to Miss Ginny by the front desk and then buckled myself into the booster seat waiting for me in Jennifer’s still-running car outside in the parking lot. As we sped off, I instantly noticed that we were oddly leaving town, the first time since I had arrived here. “Evening, Miss Gallup,” Bob, the security guard greeted Jennifer as we approached the gate. “Headed out to the city tonight?” Jennifer shook her head. “No. That’s a little far for us. Just taking a spin out to good old nearby Centerton. I saw from one of the store’s websites that they just got the most darling light fixture that I think would be perfect for my living room.” “Ah,” Bob acknowledged while double checking Jennifer’s ID, “Makes sense. Just be careful driving tonight. I heard a storm might be brewing to the west of here.” Jennifer then took back her ID. “Thanks, Bob. Will do.” She then waved goodbye and we sped off further toward the nearby town. Once we were out of view, my curiosity got the better of me. “So… are we actually going into town to get a light fixture, or…” Jennifer gravely smiled in her rearview mirror. “We actually are going to stop in town to get a light fixture, but it’s also to establish our cover story if anyone asks… like Bob just did. Plus, I did promise you that treat.” I smiled over the treat, but I still wanted to know more. “Oh… so, we’re still seeing Amy, right?” I asked, noticing the openness of everything still out here. If the portal ever did collapse or blew up, I doubted many people would be in harms way for a decent distance outside of the research facility. “We are but remember to keep that a secret… and I mean from everyone, understand?” she questioned me with her serious voice that I had learned to always pay close attention to now. “Absolutely. Won’t even tell Kelsey… even if she asks,” I added on. Kelsey and I were becoming closer friends through all this, and I was very glad about that fact, but at the same time, I just knew there were things she couldn’t know about in my life. After more straight roadways surrounded by little more than trees and grass, the town of Centerton soon came into view. It was barely bigger population-wise than the research facility’s own numbers, but it also served as a hub of sorts around here for some of the bigger brand name stores and dining options. The research facility town had everything a person could need in life, but shopping for that special dress or eating somewhere fancy beyond the one place in town, meant driving here. Instead of heading into the main part of town though, Jennifer veered off into the older section of the town that had fallen on hard times. Few people lived here anymore after the factory had shut down that produced oil-run cars, so most buildings were either dilapidated or even on the verge of collapse in most areas. To the detriment of my nerves though, Jennifer soon parked right outside the old factory building with her lights pointed inward to the almost nearly completely open inside now. With night rapidly approaching, I clearly saw Jennifer flash her lights in a burst of one short, one long, and then two shorts. The other car only flashed theirs twice, but Jennifer quickly seemed satisfied and turned around to face me. “Alright. They’re here. Just answer Amy’s questions as well as you can. She shouldn’t be expecting anything major this time, so just tell the truth.” I nodded my head and quickly unbuckled my booster seat. “I got it. Only the truth.” Jennifer warmly smiled back at me once more and then exited the car. I soon followed and we walked together over to the other car. Halfway there, a voice I didn’t recognize shouted back at us. “Hold. Identify.” Jennifer froze in place, but quickly and confidently replied. “Jennifer. A6G348. Verify.” “HQ. Code word, bumble bee,” the voice replied. I was a little confused, but then quickly remembered back to when Amy had explained there were two sides to all this mess. They were likely confirming each other’s identity to ensure that the mission still wouldn’t be compromised. To my relief and soon, the passenger’s side door of the other car opened, and Amy stepped out. “I’m glad you all could find this place,” she said, walking over to us. “Still in one piece as well, I see, huh Megan?” I just wordlessly nodded my head. “Good. Well, this first time shouldn’t be too long, but I definitely want to hear what you all want to report back to me.” “It’s been a month…” Jennifer quickly tried to justify, understanding Amy’s tone to mean that she wanted results, while also knowing that neither of us really had any at this point. “Yes… and we’ve given you all the resources we could without practically breaking down the door with all our agents,” she noted. “So, why don’t you?” I asked without thinking and more just reacting. I could immediately feel the tension in the air, and I didn’t have to look up at Jennifer now to know that she was likely now grimacing over what I had just asked. Amy just stared back at both of us for a moment and seemed both shocked at the question and my boldness for even asking it in the first place. “Well, she finally said, “if we assaulted the building now, our detractors… enemies more like… might use it to brandish us as traitors or at least disruptors of the peaceful scientists brilliantly working so hard to better progress our society. We would be outcasts and then they would proceed with their testing with a new practically cart blanche sort of attitude in our government. The public would probably even support them and then there would be no stopping anything. Is that what you want?” I hadn’t thought about all the consequences of what it could mean for a government agency to suddenly storm what amounted to a civilian organization… possibly governmentally backed, but still run mainly by ordinary citizens. In embarrassment over what now seemed like a foolish question to the division leader of this mission and sector, I wiggled back a little bit and more into the shadows. Seeing her opportunity to speak up and fill the void from the aftermath of my question, Jennifer spoke up. “Well, ma’am, we’ve both successfully infiltrated the research facility in both our respective positions. We have made several points of contacts and have made several discoveries about events there.” Amy stood and seemed to be waiting for something more. Finally, her impatience gave out. “Is there something more for me, Agent Jennifer?” she asked seemingly less than impressed. Jennifer seemed to stumble around to find her courage to inform Amy of the truth. “We…” she then bowed her head a little bit. “No, ma’am. The intelligence we have gathered is just cursory and possibly only incidental. It may lead to more paths and even actionable intelligence in the future, but not at this time.” Amy’s eyes seemed to quiver in the steadily growing darker abandoned and caved-in factory. The car’s lights were turned on but low, but still cast her in an almost menacing shadow. “How… disappointing,” she said with a great deal of dissatisfaction in her voice. “I expected more from this mission… from you Agent Jennifer…” I wanted to defend her against this woman who barely seemed to make any effort with this project other than its outset. We were the ones infiltrating a highly secure facility. We were the ones on the ground. We were the ones taking the risk… not her. Amy seemed to ponder it all and kept silent for about a few solid minutes. She even looked up at the giant hole in the once strong roof overhead, but then finally looked back down and spoke up. “You two have infiltrated the building in a manner that is at least satisfactory for now. You haven’t been caught, and that says something as well, but,” she emphasized, “we need that actionable intelligence you were talking about previously. I want to know the ticks and the subtleties of that place. I also acknowledge though, that further measures may need to be taken to ensure that success.” She then heavily sighed. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell either one of you of the stakes here. More Littles have gone missing and more bright lights have appeared.” She then paused and looked at me. “You, Megan, might want to start there. Find out who is a portal Little and who is a native. It might give you a pattern to follow of sorts, but it could also give you some common ground as well to get more intelligence with.” She then turned to Jennifer. “As for you… well, by now, I should hope I don’t have to give you suggestions for ways to do your job, do I?” Jennifer then became rigid and practically clicked her heels together as if to salute as some countries used to. “No, ma’am!” “Good,” Amy said with a smile. “The consequences of your failure here could be grave indeed, so I will discuss further options with our intelligence sectors back at HQ. It may take some time to formulate a plan that could be both beneficial to you all while also maintaining your cover and not putting you into immediate danger or as a set up for failure though.” I quickly shook my head to indicate that I didn’t want that, and then Jennifer did as well with a little more grace and rigidity. “Perfect!” Amy exclaimed. “So, with that, your debriefing is done. Go back to the facility but also make sure you get what you needed to ensure the believability of your cover story. I don’t need to hear it, but just get it done, agent.” “Yes, ma’am!” Jennifer called out. Amy only nodded her head and then got back in her car. Before we could even turn to each other once again, their car had sped off into the darkness of the night. Jennifer and I then wordlessly went back to our car and soon drove away as well. I hated the silence, so I spoke up first. “Well, that was… interesting.” Jennifer continued to concentrate on the road getting out of the downtrodden factory district and over to the more brightly lit shopping district. “Yes,” she said sternly. I could tell she was holding back, but I decided to wait until she had parked and maybe even had time to decompress a little bit. Once we had parked though, it turned out that I didn’t need to prompt Jennifer to start speaking again. “That was… ugh! I hate it when those meetings go like that!” she said as she banged her fist on the dashboard of the car. “That happen often?” I asked, unsure about the usual occurrences within the ABI. I had been undercover before, mostly with a gang like most rookie cops were required to do straight out of the academy for practical experience and understanding of the life, but those were usually faster assignments with the high rates of turnover with gangs in the city. “Not very, but more than you might think.” She then sighed. “Still, she at least seemed understanding by the end. Probably an expectation thing, but we do need to try and figure out more. You think that would be possible from your end?” I shrugged. “Maybe? I mean, it’s a daycare after all… not the central hub of intelligence for the facility or anything.” Despite my instincts to the contrary though, I still tried to think of a possibility, and I only came up with one. “There is one thing… but I don’t think I would be willing to do it right now.” Jennifer’s eyebrow rose and she turned further to face me more directly in the car. “What is it?” “Well…” I hesitated even telling her this in the first place out of fear that she would actually want me to do it. “I saw a program… almost like a job for the Littles there at the daycare. We have experiment and testing days but the research lab offers a few more incentives for further testing, but there’s a catch.” Jennfier motioned her hand about for me to continue. “They only accept the more regressed Littles.” “How much more?” she shockingly asked me as if she was actually considering it. “Uh…” My brain still reeled from the possibility of her signing me up for it. “I think a lack of potty training is a requirement… but I really, ummm, I would, uhhh… prefer not…” Jennifer seemed to then clue in about my nervousness quickly and held up her hand to stop me from spiraling further. “Easy, Megan. I’m not considering it myself. I just know that look that Amy gave us. I might not be down for something like that, but when the stakes are this high and there’s even a possibility of learning more… she’ll usually take it.” Not liking that answer at all, I didn’t want to think about it any further and quickly ended the conversation not long after. Jennifer and I then shook off our negative feelings about the debriefing with Amy and went into town to do some shopping. She quickly purchased the lighting feature for her cover story, but then also purchased a candle for herself and a new shirt for me. As we finished our evening with a chocolatey treat at this location of Spencer’s, I thought back to the day that I just had. Kelsey was my friend and my circle of other friends only seemed to continue to grow, but Harry felt like he was regressing more each day now. Then, we had finally met up with Amy, but our lack of progress had been met with more pessimism from her than I was originally expecting. Still, all things considered, I had Jennifer at the end of it all, and the gooey slice of chocolate cake that I now devouring was mostly making up for everything that had been bringing me down. As I looked ahead toward the future though, I only hoped that more days would be of the ending with a chocolate cake rather than be composed of the disappointing day that I had instead. Somehow though, I doubted it.

Chapter Twenty One Amanda held John to her chest as he fell asleep. If she could purr, she would definitely be doing it at this exact moment. She rocked in place for a while, patting his butt. With a kiss to the top of his head she finally gave in half an hour later. Carefully standing up, she got him up over her shoulder and started to the nursery. With her left hand pinning the unconscious little to her shoulder, she reached out with her right hand and gave the mesh gate a tug from the top. “Okay, that’s very convenient” She couldn’t help but observe out loud as half of the gate swung open effortlessly. Reaching in and laying her passenger down, she took a moment to experimentally lift his left arm between her thumb and forefinger and let go. It flopped down completely limp. Satisfied that he had passed her impromptu ‘flop test’ she stepped out of the room and hurried back with Rupert and the blanket from the couch. Placing Rupert against Johns side and covering him with a blanket she couldn’t help but lean over and give him a kiss on the forehead. Swinging the gate back closed she heard it latch with a faint click. Experimentally she gave the gate a few tugs in places other than where she had been shown. Sure enough, no matter where she pulled but that exact spot. Just to be more thorough she stood up on tip toes and reached inside to push on the correct spot from the back. It didn’t even budge. With a satisfied nod, Amanda spent the next thirty minutes moving clothes and diapers into the closet and putting several extra diapers into the bay on the changing table. A couple of Monkeez, a goodly sized stack of Little Pups, and a few Sleepy Pup All Nighters. Asking no one in particular “I wonder if I should use the sleepy pups for nap time?” She went back to the crib and, just for good measure, popped the gate open and gave her new son one more kiss on the cheek before sliding the side back shut and walking back into the living room. Biting her lip, she held an arm over her chest. They were getting tender. VERY tender. So she sucked up her pride and went to the bedroom and got out the breast pump. She read the instructions carefully, cleaned everything thoroughly and finally sat down in front of her computer. Making absolutely certain that her camera was off AND facing the other way, she turned her computer on. While it was booting up, she went and closed the curtains and fed Xerxes before returning to her desk to do her work. With a resigned sigh, Amanda pulled her shirt off and reached back to unhook her bra. Tossing both of them onto the back of her office chair she looked at the breast pump dubiously. “I never wanted a little. But now that I have one, he’s worth any amount of trouble.” As she spent a moment getting the pump exactly so, she gasped as the cold plastic pressed against her. “Okay. Next time this gets soaked in hot water first.” And with that, she hit the button on top with her thumb… And now it was time for a different kind of gasp. Resorting to biting her finger to keep from making any sounds she turned the pump back off and grabbed her shirt and bra and moved over to the couch to lean back with her feet curled under her. She tossed a throw blanket over herself before getting ready to try again. With a shake of her head, came the admission “There’s no way I can do this and work at the same time.” And finally the pump was put back in place and turned back on. As it pulled her nipple in and started to repetitively suck on it and release, her toes curled up under the blanket. The machine was suppose to be automatic and it started off fast and shallow until milk started to let down. As soon the machine got some milk flowing it switched to longer, slower motions. The relief of pressure in her breast was slow at first, but within a couple of minutes she noticed that the tenderness was gone. With a sigh, she leaned back and let the pump do its job. Documenting everything and logging in for work would have to wait a bit. ~~~~~~~~~ John knew he was always a bit small. But this was ridiculous. He found himself looking up at Amanda's waist. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get her attention. He spent an entire day not being able to reach anything. He couldn’t even get a drink of water. And after what seemed like forever he finally just gave up and couldn’t hold his bladder anymore. All he could feel was warmth spreading all around him. He sat down right on the floor and gave up. He broke down and cried on the spot. Unable to go home, this was his life now. He was helpless. Worse still, he was useless. But then there was Amanda. Like a saint with the light behind her highlighting around her body, she scooped him up into her arms and held him against her chest. He had his face pressed against a breast bigger than his head. He couldn’t shake the mental image of Kate wrapped in a blanket and sucking on a nipple as he was cradled against a giant chest. It was conflicting to say the least. ~~~ John woke with a start, and tried to sit up. Flailing around a bit he couldn’t manage to sit up so he groggily flopped back onto whatever bed he was laying on. He became acutely aware that his morning wood had nowhere to go and was VERY uncomfortable. It took a few moments of trying to push on it through wet padding to get it into a position that at least didn’t hurt, but that was the best he was going to get. Looking up at the blank ceiling, and waiting for things to settle down he felt trapped with the memory of his dream. “What the hell was that?” he mumbled to himself. Looking over, there was a large black and white dog face smelling at him through the mesh. Apparently Xerxes heard him have a … whatever that dream was and came to check on him. Still a bit milk drunk and with absolutely no concept of time, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep with the feeling of warmth spreading in his diaper. ~~~ Slowly coming around and opening his eyes now, John found himself face first into something blurry. Reaching up to rub his eyes he found a stuffie in his arms. Apparently he had rolled over and snuggled it at some point. Pushing against the blurry barrier he managed to get one eye to open up halfway as he used the mesh to push himself up into a sitting position. As his butt hit the mattress he grimaced. His diaper was apparently very used. Resorting to crawling on all fours, he made his way to where the two halves of the gate connected and gave it an experimental push. Of course it had no give. With a resigned sigh he called out “A…” and stopped. Looking down at the diaper he was trapped him, he felt like this was a ‘more flies with honey’ situation. “Mom?” he called out toward the open door through the transparent mesh wall keeping him in. Almost immediately he heard back “Just a moment sweety, Momma’s making some breakfast.” from somewhere in the distance. Mumbling “Well. Okay then.” he spent a lot more time than he wanted to admit trying to figure out the most comfortable way to wait. Sitting on his butt wasn’t an option. He tried laying on his side, but with his knees held nearly a foot apart by the padding that didn’t last long. Finally he pulled on the mattress to lay on his front with his butt up in the air. Again. It didn’t put any pressure on his lower portions and was honestly felt like the least bad he was going to get. Reaching out a bit he got Rupert with his finger tips and pulled him over to use as a pillow. And there he waited for a couple of minutes trying to ignore the occasional waft of unpleasant scent coming from behind him. Or rather from his behind. “Ugh. I wonder if I can just skip eating forever.” he grumbled to himself. Immediately from the kitchen, Amanda said loudly “I heard that!” Pushing up onto his arms, John looked around as best he could before asking in a whisper “How did she hear me grumbling?” “State secret!” was all he heard from the doorway as Amanda walked in. “I request security clearance.” He could see her smirk through the mesh. “Request denied.” The gate that he had just pushed on didn’t swing open this time. Reaching up to one corner, there was a click and the entire side slid down until it would have been at the height of his waist if he were standing. In a sweet, and obviously amused tone, Amanda looked at his butt up on the air “Well, that’s an unusual way to start your morning!” At this moment John was afraid that he had wound up with the most dangerous kind of person in the known universe: A morning person. He groaned. “No want put weight. Is gross.” Reaching over the rail, she got one hand under his chest and the other around his thighs and lifted him straight up and carried him just like that over to the changing table. His shirt was scrunched up against his armpits and the clearly messy diaper was on full display. Even just being the two of them it was still pretty embarrassing. Suddenly he felt her fingers on her left hand start walking along his torso as she rotated his legs. It felt like being a rotisserie chicken. It was hard to look indignant while just waking up and being carried hilariously. But John gave it his absolute best try. As his back hit the changing table, the two soft padded bars just flopped over him, pinning him in place to sulk. “Excuse me.” She smiled as she asked “May I have a smile this morning?” Closing his eyes, he protested “No. No awake, no smiles. I do not consent to morning.” There was a feather light touch traced along the bottom of his foot up and down. His entire leg immediately jerked up and away on its own. As the tickling started on his other foot he started giggling half awake “No fair!” Amanda's smiling face filled his view as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and said plainly “Life isn’t going to be fair for a little as ticklish as you.” “I’m not ticklish!” he protested vehemently. And that was when the fingertips found one foot with one hand and one set of ribs with the other hand. “Are you SURE you aren’t ticklish?” Now trying to roll side to side, with the bar just pushing him down a little more, he protested further “No-o-o!” and after a moment that the tickling just switched sides he caught his breath and shouted “Yes! I surrender!” as he slammed his fists down onto the padded table. As she stopped and ruffled his hair, he realized something and asked out loud “Oh hey … I thought this thing had those wrist strap things.” With a pat on his slender belly, she said “It does. But I’d rather my little boy was just well behaved and didn’t need them, so they’re above you. Here, put your arms up.” As she bumped something on the table with her knee, the bars went back upright and he reluctantly lifted his hands from his sides and put them above his head. The instant that he felt plastic, the thin material coiled up and pulled his wrists into the middle of them, holding them in place. Then to add insult to injury, the bars flopped back over him. “So I need to ask, are you more comfortable with your hands down by your sides, or over your head like that?” She asked seriously. Moving his shoulders around a bit, he admitted “I mean … this is more comfortable? Minus the umm… straps.” With a nod she popped the tapes on his diaper and set about cleaning up what felt from the inside as the mother of all messes. As she wiped him down and lifted his legs like it was nothing, she explained “This is a lot easier for me, but I wanted to give you the option first. I do want you to at least be comfortable where we can manage it.” Squirming slightly to pull against the wrist cuffs he asked “Is it possible to just remove them?” with a touch of hope in his voice. She nodded “I think so. And as long as you keep being a good and cooperative little on the changing table, there’s no reason for them anyway. I just didn’t bother with them yet.” Having used the front of the diaper to scrape most of the mess off of him, he could feel her scrubbing him pretty firmly to make sure he was good and clean. She lowered his now clean bottom onto the changing mat and tightly balled up the diaper that was big when it was dry, but the glance he caught it looked truly massive. As far as he could tell the used diaper just disappeared into a container somewhere and his bottom was soon lifted by the ankles and lowered onto a fresh diaper. Quickly he was lifted up and some lotion applied to his bottom. As she started sprinkling baby powder on him, he realized something and interrupted her “Hey! Can I use the toilet before you tape that up?” She stopped and looked at him. Then at the diaper. Then up at him. While staring into his eyes she slowly started to lift the front of the diaper up …. John stared at her while she was being dramatic and grumbled. And then she just let go of the diaper, squeezed the base of the cuffs and bumped something to make the bars holding him down pop up. As she lifted him up with her arm under his knees so his lotion covered butt wouldn’t be pressed against her arm. John flopped his head against her shoulder and halfway laughed at her antics as he was carried, naked from the waist down, out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. He was deposited gently onto the toilet and held in place. “You know” He started “Where I’m from, being carried naked across the house isn’t a normal event” He wasn’t looking up, but he could hear a sigh “John, do you actually have to use the potty? Or did you want to make this weird?” Biting his lip he pushed with everything he had, but honestly his back side was completely empty and he only managed to get out a little pee. Everything down there felt just a bit unresponsive for some reason. Looking up at her when he got out what he could, he admitted “Mostly I wanted to at least try to use the potty once or twice today. But I guess I’ll settle for it being weird?” She rolled her eyes at him as she got some toilet paper. She had him wiped, the toilet flushed and was carrying him back through the living room half naked. As she walked into the bedroom he actually paid a bit more attention to the changing table. The wrist straps were almost the exact same color as the table top. Combined with being over a foot wide, it seemed pretty sneaky. Clever, but sneaky. As he was tilted back onto the changing table and laid onto the waiting diaper, he was told “Arms up” so this time he balled up his fists and held his arms against his chest with his hands below his chin. The instant he hit the table, the bars fell over the top of him, conforming to every bend in his arms and pinning him exactly like that. It was somehow more uncomfortable than just letting the wrist straps grab him. All he heard from his right was ‘Mm hmm.” as his ankles were lifted and powder was applied to his nether regions. Squirming a bit, he admitted “Mistakes were made.” He was left in the awkward position that he had gotten himself stuck in until she was done and he was taped up firmly. Instead of hitting the bar, she took advantage of the moment to tickle his foot again to tease him. He squealed and tried pulling his feet up and twisting his lower body away from her toward the wall. “Still not fair, I’m trapped!” Mercifully, she stopped. But her smile was very telling. “Oh?” she lead in “So if you weren’t pinned down, you would stop me?” Foolishly, he opened his mouth “Yeah! I mean no. But I could at least make it hard for you.” He felt her knee bump the table with her knee. Her face was eerily passive as she reached out and picked him up. Placing him on the floor standing up, she said “I’m going to count to five.” She held up one finger. “One.” John looked confused “Wha….” She held up a second finger, a grin spreading across her face. “Two.” “W….No…” A third finger came up and he realized what was about to happen. As she said “Three” he was running awkwardly out of the door, a loud crinkling sound declaring his presence. As he heard “Four!” called loudly from the room, he was waddling as fast as possible by the couch. And finally as she sang out “FIIIIIVVVVVEEEE” he was passing the couch and could heard loud footsteps behind him. Running into the kitchen, he went left in front of the island and could hear her coming behind the couch, already closing in behind him. So he went right, hoping that he could at least make the corners faster than her, but she was just a couple of steps behind him and she wasn’t even running. John saw his opening, he ran full tilt under the dinner table, just ducking slightly to keep from banging his head. As he came out from under the table and ran to the couch he felt a giant hand grabbing his right upper arm. And just like that it was already over, he was scooped up, spun around and plopped onto his back on the couch. By the time he knew he was on the couch, there were fingers under his shirt tickling his ribs on both sides. Already cracking under the tickling, he was giggling “NOOOOOO” All the he knew for the next several minutes was tickles moving from his ribs, to his feet, his neck, back to his ribs. There was no concept of time, just rolling around and flailing uselessly against the onslaught. Eventually he was left gasping on the couch as the tickles stopped. At some point he had started to hiccup from all the flailing and being tickled. He felt himself being picked up and laid with his head on a shoulder and a hand firmly patting his back. “Breathe. Deep breaths. In. Out.” she instructed him. Every time he tried to breath slowly he would have another hiccup strong enough that it was starting to be hurt. Finally breaking into one more fit of laughter at the absurdity of it all, he tried begging for “Wa-hic- wa-hic” -gasp.. gasp ...*HIC* WATER!” John was carried over, then unceremoniously deposited in the booster seat. The strap was clicked into place, regardless of how hard it was to get out of the booster seat anyway. And Amanda stepped across the kitchen to fill a sippy cup with water. All while he kept trying to take a deep breath and hold it, only to have a hiccup mess him up. The instant a sippy cup was put in front of him, he grabbed it with both hands and turned it up to suck water down as constantly as he could manage without stopping to breath. At first he hiccuped and water came out of his mouth, but by the time he was finished drinking the water as fast as he could manage, he tried to put the sippy cup on the table and missed. As the cup clattered onto the floor, John leaned back in the seat with his eyes closed, panting. He felt fingers ruffling his hair and could hear Amanda walking around him and picking up the cup on her way to the kitchen. “Okay. Now that you have made it oh so hard for me to catch you and tickle you, I believe that it’s time for your breakfast surprise!” She didn’t sound like she was trying to tease him, but the end result was still embarrassing. After a few moments of silence, he finally sat back upright and looked over to ask “So what is this mysterious surprise?” “You’ll find out in about two minutes.” was all that he got out of her. It was hard to wait two whole minutes while hearing nothing but Amanda humming cheerfully and some sizzling coming from the stove. Sitting there trapped in the booster seat, and swinging his feet while he waited, he leaned down and wiggled his fingers to summon Xerxes. Twisting in the seat as far as he could, he tried to spot his four legged buddy. “And just what are you looking for, young man?” Amanda asked as she walked over holding a plate up high so that he couldn’t see what was on it. “Ummm….” He tried to think of a funny lie, but gave up and answered honestly “Xerxes?” “Xerxes is outside so that he can use the potty like a big puppy. And because you are absolutely not allowed to give him any of this and make him sick.” came the plain and honest answer. “Okay, so what is it that I’m not supposed to share with Xerxes?” She gave him a look “You mean aside from people food?” “Errr… yes. That.” With one hand Amanda pushed the chair right up to the table. And then with a little flourish she sat the plate down in front of him. On the plate was a huge pancake in a heart shape with little bits of chocolate chips peeking up through the batter here and there. Almost an inch thick and still steaming from the griddle, the heart shaped pancake beckoned to him with a mouth watering aroma. It seemed to bulge up in the middle from the edges, declaring to the world 'I am soft and fluffy.' while the occasional bubble here and there just completed the image. “Oh my God! That’s …” was all he could words out at the moment. Leaning down, Amanda gave him a big kiss on the forehead “Try it while I get the syrup. Without hesitation, he grabbed the plastic fork and ripped off bit of the edge of the pancake and immediately shoved it into his mouth. It took less than a second for him to be hit with the flavor. It was like every individual component of the pancake had its flavor dialed straight to eleven. The chocolate was obviously delicious. The cake part wasn’t mushy at all, just moist and springy. And behind it all there was a flavor that he simply could not quite identify. It was, in a word: GOOD. Looking up from the pancake, he saw Amanda simply standing there holding a sippy cup and a bottle of syrup. “I suspect that you approve?” she asked. He could only nod enthusiastically as he ripped off another bit with his fork. “Would you like me to pour the syrup on your pancake, or on the side of it so that you can dip it?” She waggled the bottle of syrup at him while asking. The pancake halfway to his mouth, he paused “On the side, please!” Watching impatiently, he dipped the chunk of pancake the instant syrup was on the plate and it was in his mouth in a flash. He knew he wasn’t allowed to talk with his mouth full so he settled for pantomiming with his hands in big gestures and making the occasional ‘mmm.mmm’ sound. “John.” Amanda placed her hand on his shoulder “Slow down. Do you want coffee milk with your breakfast or afterwards?” He managed to hold up two fingers and she walked away. By the time she came back with a sippy cup filled with juice, he was already on his fourth mouthful. As he swallowed, she took the fork out of his hand and put the cup in it “John. Drink!” Obediently he took the sippy cup and got a few gulps down before putting it down and looking at the fork expectantly. “How is this so good?” he had to ask With a smile, she answered “Because it’s made with love. And milk instead of water. And vanilla. But mostly the love!” Nodding he reached for the fork in her hand but had to wait patiently as she used the fork to rip off some pancake and dip it in the syrup and held it up to his mouth. He wanted very much to complain that he could do it himself … but … that pancake called to him with a type of food lust he’d never experienced before. So john obediently opened his mouth and let her feed him. The fact that she was probably doing it to slow him down to a reasonable pace never occurred to him. And so breakfast continued with a smiling Amanda feeding him and making him drink some juice every few bites and occasionally wiping his face with a napkin. Halfway through the food marathon, he started to lose steam. It must have been obvious to Amanda, because she put the fork down. And started to pick up the plate. “Wait. One more?” he all but pleaded. “Well… okay, but it’s going to be a small one. One more big bite and I’m afraid you’re going to explode!” It was teasing, but didn’t matter. Pancake was, in this instant, life. And so he was left with one mouthful of pancake and a stomach as full as it could go. His head was kind of leaning to one side as he was unbuckled from the booster seat and lifted up against a shoulder. With a kiss on the cheek, Amanda scratched at his head as she told him “You don’t know how happy it makes me that you enjoy my cooking.” Resting his head on her shoulder he mumbled out a snarky “I’m just doing my part.” He could feel a pat on his butt “Okay, so I think You should digest for a bit before coffee milk. Would you like to help me make jars of pickles this afternoon?” Nodding enthusiastically he answered honestly “Yes please!” With a pat she slid him down off of her and onto the couch “Okay, you go try coloring your Iguana and then in a bit I’ll bring you coffee milk. And then either before or after your nap you can help me with pickles. It’s hard for me to measure out the small amounts in each and every jar, so you will be a real big help.” Now he was full, serenely happy, and he had a task. He held up his hands, for a hug. He was picked back up and he hugged her firmly. After a moment he was deposited on the floor and with a firm pat on the rump told “Go practice coloring with those pencils. Momma’s got work to do.” Turning to waddle over to his room, he mumbled “Yes Mom” as he went. He didn’t see her great big smile behind him but he deposited himself at his desk and opened his box of 3D coloring pencils. This time he carefully traced the iguana as lightly as possible before beginning. ~~~~~ An hour later Amanda had the dishes cleaned up, a large pot of brine prepped, and all of the pickling cucumbers in a sink full of water. She walked across the house to collect her little man, bottle of coffee milk in one hand, and a cup of straight coffee for herself in the other. Walking into the bedroom she was just in time to watch Johns head sink to the top of the desk and she could hear him groan. “John, you okay?” She asked while patting him on the shoulder. Without picking his head up from the desk, he held up the picture. “I may be a little bit dim.” Amanda looked at the picture. At first it looked fine, but then she noticed that the outline that he had traced looked like it was floating an inch off of the paper. “It’s just the outline floating, aside from that, it’s …” Amanda started John interrupted her “Look at the Iguana.” Amanda held it up at an angle and looked closely. “Ohhhhhhhh” As John sighed, she scooped him up into a hug, and she couldn’t help giggling. “It looks inside out!” John whined. Still unable to stop giggling “Aside from that, it looks really good! I printed you a spare. And as good as this looks, I bet you can do the next one really well!” (This episode brought to you by homemade pancakes.)

I thought I could post in any threads 😔

Please Read this before reading that! Hi everyone! This has been a busy year for me that's led to a lot of inactivity as far as the DD board goes. I've been neglecting a public release schedule that I've promised before, and I plan on making good on that now. I'm sure many of you have heard about many creators from this community losing their Patreons, and I wasn't an exception. The situation sucks, but I'm working on putting things back together. That includes a new Subscribestar which is live now with all the latest chapters of Sheltered and Illegal Immigrant. Slowly moving forward I'll be reuploading previously lost content and stories alongside new stuff that will be coming in more regularly. If you are a previous patron and want to know where I am now, that's where I'll be! There is a public post on that page which goes into a little more detail about everything and my plans moving forward, but regarding here on the board, I'm planning to return to a regular release schedule. With that included, I have Patreon stories that I've featured on here in an incomplete state; I'll be trying to find those and post the remaining halves since it has been quite some time now. But for starters, please enjoy two chapters from Sheltered and Illegal Immigrant. I never imagined myself reaching quite this point as being a creative with diaper stuff, but to everyone that reads or plays my stuff and in some way is entertained by it, has thoughtful feedback, comments or considerations, thank you! Maybe in a way this reset will get me back into some better habits. As per usual, please stay tuned, and consider dropping by the Subscribestar! Thank you! Also, I'm making space for some short-story commissions at $15/1000words (10k words or less) if you're interested! For those who have discussed and we've agreed upon commissions prior, yours will not be affected. Admittedly this is a way to recoup missed opportunities given the circumstances. But aside from all that, please read and enjoy! 19 - Jumping Around “Okay…” Dayna started from her rocking chair, postured like a queen before her masses, all condemned to diapers, bottles and sippy cups whilst she delivered her royal decree. Dawn listened to each and every familiar noise, though. The laminate skin covering the book as it slightly crinkled from opening the book; a much more nostalgic noise than the kind of crinkling she was hearing from her neighbors practically every two seconds. The sound of a flipping page as the air caught underneath it was pushed and moved. It looked and sounded certainly like a real book. Maybe if she closed her eyes, she could disillusion herself into thinking that it was a normal book. But imagining things was hard when reality kept knocking on the doorstep to her brain. The side of someone’s hand right next to her gently pressed against her temple as a not so quiet whisper was funneled into her ear. “I really like froggies!” Kailey, the Little right next to Dawn admitted in a not so secret whisper, giggling, even. And Dawn, too kind to kick a disenfranchised Little while they were still eternally down, offered a weak smile and nodded. “That’s…cool.” It was a small gesture, but it made the girl shiver with excitement like she’d just formed an unbreakable bond with a new best friend. Dawn nearly tipped over to her side once Kailey nudged just a bit closer. Their hips were full on touching now, and the final adult of the two was trying to ignore whatever friendly actions she was trying to take. Even acknowledging Kailey was apparently enough to send the wrong signals, and yet flat out rejecting her felt horribly wrong. “Dawn…?” A voice above the book in an actual quiet voice edged, and Dawn’s eyes drooped, seeing that it was Dayna addressing her. “I want to see that juice gone by the end of this story, okay?” “I’ll finish it when I do…” Dawn quietly seethed, but just to get the Amazon off her back, she reluctantly lifted the bottle, turning her head away from the crowd just to sneak a suck. “Okay, kids?” Dayna addressed everyone this time, trying to get back the oddly short attention spans from all the former adults sitting in attendance. “Are we ready for a story?” “Yeessss!” all but Dawn cheered back in mismatching unison. “Then let’s all be good boys and girls and be good listeners, okay?” Dayna asked clearly and carefully again, perching her hands on either end of the book. “Okayyy!” Another response from the hive mind, and it only brought a toothy smile to the Amazon’s face. “Okay…!” Dayna, the woman a day away from vacation, chuckled. Dawn cringed the moment she stared up at the woman, ordering and bossing her around. The eyes, the smile. The easy going attitude she had despite it being just another weekday of work. What did a little bit of trouble matter at a shift of work if it meant having a whole week– no, two? A holiday or a vacation right after? It suddenly made the day-to-day so easy and doable just from knowing that nothing but freedom and relaxation came right after it. That was the problem, though. Dawn got it. She understood it. Staring up at the Amazon, for once a sickly feeling of empathy stabbed her like an invasive needle. It made her grimace, turning away for another swig of her bottle of juice. It made her feel weak. Incompetent. Disenfranchised and debilitated, sitting in a diaper at a storytime circle while the “adult” in the room told her how to act and behave. Dayna got to be the king of the castle and was free after today. She was her own person, and right now that was so much more than Dawn could speak to. The only thing that slightly tugged her out of her mental misery right then was Dayna interrupting her thoughts with a beginning narrative. “There once was a pretty little pond hiding away in a big green and lush forest! Snails, beetles, fish, dragonflies, and of course,” she paused for just a brief moment, just to look right at Kailey whose knees were already quivering excitedly, “frogs!” While they were asked to be quiet, that didn’t mean Littles weren’t allowed to express emotion, hence why Kailey could giggle and bounce without reserve. “And in that pond…” Dayna went on, smiling over such an engrossed audience, “lived the bounciest, most jumpy frog there ever was; Jeremy!” “Can we see? Can we see?” Kailey was practically begging, bouncing on her bottom and soon enough getting the other Littles to join in. “You’ll all get to see, just be patient now!” Dayna laughed, and Dawn couldn’t look more disinterested. Nevertheless, she watched the Amazon turn around the large and wide story book, holding it lower to the ground to showcase the illustrations that she was privy to first. It was a print of a watercolor painting of a pond inhabited by all its usual fauna and foliage. Fish were swimming, birds were chirping, ducks looked like they were quacking, and so forth. But of course they weren’t the realest depictions of their counterparts. Rather, the illustrator must have decided beaks and bills could curve enough just to smile, and all eyes had pupils like people. The showcase was long and slow, starting on one end of the crowd, slowly panning to the other end where Dawn was sitting. Heads and faces were turning and poking out just to watch the still image for as long as possible, leading to Kailey’s head and hair knocking against Dawn who was trying not to bother looking. But of course, Dayna stopped right when it reached Dawn. “Dawn, sweetie? Don’t you wanna see the pictures?” “I saw it a second ago.” Dawn answered right back, looking squarely up at Dayna, specifically avoiding the book. “No you didn’t!” Joe Schmoe, the adult in diapers down the aisle, loudly accused her. “I saw!” he announced again that he saw what he didn’t see. “She didn’t look!” “Liam?” Dayna butted in with a slightly stern voice, “We don’t point at others.” “But she didn’t…!” he whined right back, like it somehow mattered. “And that’s okay,” Dayna said calmly right back. Apparently now she was an advocate for Dawn which rubbed her the wrong way. A bitch was a bitch if she kept being a witch. Kindness killed the momentum and muddied the waters, but Dawn was still quite certain that she didn’t like Dayna, just like every other Amazon, even if she kept bratty adults off her tail. “But Dawn,” Ah, thank goodness. It’s easy to hate her again. “It’s rude to turn your head when someone tries to show you something?” “--But you just said I didn’t have to?” Dawn blurted right back in an incredulous voice. “Yes I did, but that doesn’t mean you have permission to be rude,” Dayna scolded her, and Dawn was fighting back the urge to use a vile set of words. She had yet to say anything, but whatever story her face was telling, Dayna was picking up on it like blood in the water. “Dawn?” Dayna gave her a look, and Dawn was doing her best to internalize what was dying to burst out. Make good choices… Make stupid…fucking stupid good choices… Dawn exhaled instead of speaking, feeling all the eyes on her. The only reason she had no supporters nor opposition could have only been because of the Amazon sitting in the chair. Her words built a wall that kids were simply too trained, disciplined and scared to try climbing. The fact that her “peers” were victims to that same concept spoke volumes about how warped things were here. She lifted her knees, laying her arms on them and finally perching her chin on them. Putting on her best ‘I’m totally not pissy voice’, she said, “Okay. I’m looking.” Her eyes were certainly pointed at the pages. Her face was undeniably aimed at the thing that Dayna was holding. But that was it. She wasn’t “seeing” anything. Nothing more than red, and her imagination speculating all the cool and cunning things that she could have said or could have done. “Can we see the next page…?” Kailey asked Dayna in a shy voice, and whatever “smile” Dayna was giving Dawn, it looked a bit more genuine once the other Little was on the receiving end of it. “Not until we read it, silly!” And like that, the tension was cut and Dawn was freed from the magnifying glass. Thank God for Kailey’s curiosity. But either way, even if Dawn was calming down, her bladder certainly wasn’t. It was feeling fuller and she was becoming more squeamish with each second. Internally, of course. That didn’t stop her from glancing at all the other littles, wondering for just a second in morbid and fearful curiosity. Do they actually…use them? Willingly? They had to. It was a given. The looks on their faces, the way they acted…they were so…subdued. Like nothing bothers them. Like this was normal. All of this. The treatment, the talks. Their clothes, their circumstances and undeniable demise. But confronting that apparently didn’t matter. Not when they had stories being read to them. Not when they had stories, and not when Dawn had to stay under the radar that she was flying dangerously close to. Staring at her own personal demise, finally she lifted the bottle again, disappointing herself with the touch of a silicone nipple. “And Jeremy said to Mr. Birdy,” Dayna’s voice flipped from her narration to impersonation, and upped her pitch with a twinge of croak, “Why don’t you like to eat flies? They’re so yummy!” And while the crowd erupted into a fit of giggles and laughs, half of Dawn’s brain was trying to see the humor in something so simple while also trying to remain inconspicuous. She didn’t have much time, unfortunately. There wasn’t much to read on each page of the book, meaning they were fed quite often some sort of image to look at, just to tickle their curiosity into being excited for the next. Big moments in the story had more than just Kailey bouncing now and the Little Learners Corner sounded like it was experiencing a localized thunderstorm “Let us see!” “We wanna see!” “Please? Please?” They’d stick their heads out with pleading eyes just to be the first to see what Dayna had to show. Dawn wasn’t coincidentally looking away anymore, but she was maintaining her practice of seeing “through” whatever fiction was being advertised to her.. “Boys, hands to ourselves, please!” Dayna would remind them unfortunately often, which referred to every time they were putting their hands on the legs of their neighbor just to lean over for a view of the book for longer. “And then…splat! Splat! Splat!” Dayna’s voice popped with each audible sound effect, She showed the next image. Jeremy the frog demonstrated his culinary interests to his flying friend by feasting on the nearby flying insects with his super stretchy tongue. “That one’s my favorite!” Kailey declared, bold enough to make such a claim before the book was even half over. “No, the bird one was better!” Liam, the Little rediscovering a “phase” was busy with the ‘n’ word again. Both spoke of their opinions like they were facts, and in that simplified context, maybe they weren’t far off from being actual adults after all. And Kailey, a devout believer in the church of froggies shouted right back, “Nooo-uh! Frogs are better!” “No! Birds!” “Kids?” Dayna tried cutting in, and Dawn was seeing an opportunity. Subtly… Slowly… Finally she was feeling less of Kailey’s hip smooshed against hers as millimeter by millimeter she tried scooching across the carpet to a place where she could afford herself some privacy. Her time was limited as she could only keep her bladder calm for so long… In a wild turn of events, Kailey’s head spun on Dawn, far too fired up to notice the couple of inches that’d formed between them. “Dawn? Frogs are better, right?” She spoke like Dawn was a sister in arms ready to lay down her life for a greater cause. For the reputation of frogs that risked being removed from its pedestal by some annoying guy and his equally irrational and fanatical love for birds. “Kailey? Liam? It’s okay to like both, you know?” Dayna reminded, but the two seemed steadfast in their claims. Yes…just keep arguing over stupid stuff some more… Almost! Now it was Dawn’s turn to watch Dayna like a hawk. She scrutinized where she looked and where she didn’t. Kailey and Liam were stubbornly debating to a point that Dayna finally interrupted to scold them both, leaving the other poor Little out of a story on account of the selfishness of two others. Well, as Dawn finally leapt to her feet and scampered off to one of the bookshelves, she knew her time was limited, which is why she dropped to a squat, sighing as she tried to grunt and bear down what she wanted to stay inside of her. It was like running up against a wall, but it wasn’t strong when it was already cracked from having to sit still and keep on drinking juice. Finally a hot, uncomfortable spurt escaped her, and the stream started. It flowed and seeped, absorbing and soaking her underwear, if only for a brief moment. It was quick but that didn’t make it any more emotionally painless. She was peeing herself. Wetting. Just like every Amazon wanted. Just like fucking Dayna wanted…! She stood back up and felt her face quiver at the unusual warmth between her legs. She was wet, but she wasn’t. She couldn’t feel the liquid, but it’d been absorbed and wasn’t going anywhere. Not until she got an exact replacement for what she’d do the same exact thing in. It was an unfortunate inevitability. “Dawn?” And her time was up. “Honey? Where did you go?” “Is she playing hide and seek?” Kailey, innocent and clueless, asked loudly and curiously. “I’m here, I’m here,” Dawn quickly spoke up once she reappeared and tried playing it cool. “What?” “Dawn, the story isn’t over yet, honey? Come sit down,” Dayna beckoned her back on over, then noticed another thing. “Sweetie, why did you bring that book?” Holding an excuse in her hands, Dawn glanced down at it. “Oh. I wanted to read something, so I went and grabbed it.” “But we’re already reading something?” Dayna with her unending intellect countered her. “You can read that after. Come on back to the circle.” “But I finished my juice?” Dawn, picking up a bad habit, pointed at the empty bottle where she had been sitting. “So shouldn’t I be able to go read my own stuff now?” “Then we have to wipe your hands, sweetheart, so let’s wait until this story’s done so I can clean you up.” Clean up. What, did she roll through a mud puddle, or something? She certainly felt filthy given what the diaper she was wearing was like, but by Amazon standards she was probably as clean as a whistle. Well, save for her hands, if Dayna’s opinion was anything to go by. “Where are the wipes?” Dawn huffed, looking around for the dreaded diaper bag. “I’ll wipe my own hands…” But apparently Dayna wasn’t as cunning as she made herself out to be. Either that or she didn’t care to be particularly crafty. “Dawn, do I need to tell Mommy that you were misbehaving?” If she didn’t feel like playing a game to convince Dawn of what the right thing to do was, she needed only to hang a stupid, pointless threat over her head. She grit her teeth and they stared each other down for just a few seconds. Dawn opened her mouth and said, “Well, Dayna, I understand that it may seem like I’m misbehaving, but my Mommy wanted me to find a book on my own that I enjoyed? Unfortunately, I haven’t found the right book yet, so it’s really important I have some time to do that?” “And you’ll have plenty of time to find a story that you like,” Dayna answered dismissively. “Do I need to count? Sit back in the circle, please.” Count? A very frustrating memory resurfaced, and flashes of Katherine giving her the dreaded one-two-three which ultimately ended with her nose in the corner came back as well. An unbelievably unjust punishment that never survived the journey to a court of appeals that’d never support her cause. It was a debatable act of kindness, given how atrocious all these books were, but Dawn had enough grace to set the book back down without dropping it disrespectfully, ultimately walking back to the circle, choking down a pissy look and attitude. “Dawn…are you mad?” Kailey quietly whispered as the story continued. “No…I’m fine.” Dawn tried to dismiss her as best as she could. “...Okay…” And back to her thousand yard stare she went, feeling more and more disturbed the longer she had to sit with a warm pad pressing against her behind. On and one the story went. More and more pictures that Dawn pretended to see. She was quiet and emotionless, letting the time pass by as her brain starving for meaningful stimulation rotted away. And finally… “And Jeremy hopped back to his home in the pond, happy as could be!” Dayna declared, softly shutting the book. Finally…it’s over…. “Can we read another one?” The other boy who had yet to be openly named asked the question. And unfortunately his opinion wasn’t unpopular. “Yeah! I wanna read another!” “Can we? Please?!” The Littles were begging and Dawn was revolting. Another one? Another stupid, simple and dumb story that had nothing to teach other than what maybe lived in a pond? Kailey got her stupid high from hearing a book about frogs, so why did she need any more?! But before things could sway too much, Dawn quickly piped up. “Dayna? Can you wipe my hands first?” Dayna’s head swiveled and followed each person who had something to say, giving them the attention their words probably didn’t deserve, but she was impartial anyway. “Tell you what, we’ll read another one soon, okay? You all must be pretty thirsty, huh?” She stood from the rocking chair, dusting off her spotless skirt. “Why don’t we get you all something to drink for a little bit then we can choose another?” “Okayyy!” Dawn was the first of the Little few on her feet and tailed Dayna like a caboose over to the line of diaper bags on the book shelf. “Oops! Careful, Dawn!” Dayna chuckled as she turned, nearly colliding with the relatively tiny woman. “Coming through!” she walked ahead of her, baby bottles and sippy cups in hand. “Let’s see…this one is for Liam…” she muttered as she distributed, and Dawn impatiently waited for her to finish. But as she did so, Dawn noticed each trip to give something to a Little ended with circling right behind them. Peeling back pants or lifting the hem of a short dress. Padded rumps and plastic white flashed on each and every one of them as Dayna wordlessly administered a diaper check to each and every one of them. Not only that, but Dawn looked far from happy to see a bottle with an all too familiar juice inside of it. She was one Little away from supposedly being done, yet she had that bottle of juice and a sippy cup that she knew wasn’t hers. As ignorant as Dawn was to this world, she wasn’t foolish enough to not notice a deal that wasn’t being upheld. Not only that, but she was bound to be getting a diaper check, and that meant… “Dawn?” Dayna was already in front of her, holding out the bottle. “Wh…what? I’m full,” Dawn promptly refused and declined. “I don’t want any more juice.” This was somewhat true, actually. “But you may want it later?” Dayna tempted and deceptively omitted the consequences of taking such a thing. “Maybe later, but not now. Besides, you said you’d wipe my hands after the story so I can go read my own stuff?” “Sweetie, I promise there’s going to be time for that later?” Voila. The goalposts did in fact move. “I want to read books by myself. Now. You promised,” Dawn tried to reason, having nothing more than Dayna’s supposedly good word to fight against. Yet it all felt like a game that she was destined to lose. “Dawn…” Dayna’s patience was dwindling with each consonant as she crouched to her knees, holding out the bottle like a literal olive branch; one that was only a benefit to one party. “Take your juice.” But Dawn had been pushed enough. The consequences of telling Katherine exactly what happened were starting to bother her less and less now. If she was told exactly what happened, maybe, just maybe Katherine would be on her side, or at least incredibly lenient. Dayna wasn’t playing fair and she knew it, and therefore Dawn was undoubtedly in the right. “No.” “No?” Dayna repeated. “Do I need to count?” And feeling especially annoyed, Dawn fumed as passively as she could right back by spouting, “One. Two. Three. There, I counted for you. I said I didn’t want any juice, and I’m not listening to another story. I’m trying to be as nice as I can right now, but you’re making that pretty difficult…!” Her argument was a mix of reasoning and sass, and unfortunately just a drop of that was all she needed to spoil her entire case, assuming there would even be one without. Dayna’s eyes went wide with surprise, likely astounded that Dawn had the audacity to be so bold. “That is no way to talk to a grownup, young lady!” Sure enough, Dayna wasn’t happy. “Dawn, you march your bottom over here right this instant!” She wanted her within arms reach, and the implications of that made her shiver. “A…absolutely not,” Dawn muttered as she stepped back. “I-I made a fair point! You said I only had to listen to one story! If I take that juice I have to sit in that stupid circle again!” “We do not say ‘stupid’!” Dayna reprimanded. “Dawn, do I need to come over there, or are we going to be a good girl and do as we’re told?” “I’m doing exactly what you promised me! Waiting for my hands to be cleaned so I can read a book!” “Does this mean I’m going to have to tell your Mommy how you’ve been misbehaving for me?” There it was, her best weapon to “control” Dawn. But the novelty was gone and its excessive use dulled the edge it once had. Whether that meant Dawn was the idiot for no longer caring didn’t change what she was going to do. Constant exposure made her forget the fear, which is why she crossed her arms. “Yeah, I guess so.” There was a gasp, but neither from Dawn nor Dayna. Kailey, though, held her hands up to her mouth, watching with a sippy cup sneaked away in the crook of her arm, watching like it was a soap opera. “Kailey, sweetheart?” Dayna turned her head, back to a professional smile that Dawn was learning to be maybe not as sincere as she once originally thought. “Could you go play with Liam and Tommy, please? Dawn and I need to have a little chat.” A chat. Alone? With her? She spun her head, looking for a witness that wouldn’t be willing to disappear at just the beck and call of an Amazon, much less one with a nametag. But it was just them as Kailey quickly crinkled off. “Okay…I’ve tried being nice, young lady…” Dayna started as she started to stand. The moment she took her first towering, country-crossing step forward, Dawn worriedly blurted out, “I-I want Mommy!” Dayna froze, but only for a second. “Mommy’s not here right now. Does she need to know that you’ve been bratty for me this whole time?” “I…I don’t care! I want…I want Katherine!” It was an instinctual response that she was praying for like a get out of jail free card. Well, maybe not get out of jail, but escape whatever shit she’d just brewed with Dayna. But it wasn’t fair…! She did everything she was supposed to! Dawn quickly paced back, finally to the point that she was practically jogging down the aisles just to avoid Dayna. “Dawn, come here right this instant!” “No!” Dawn yelped back, occasionally weaving past the few Littles in the pen. Shit! Shit! Why was this happening? Was she going to be punished? Was a literal stranger going to spank her? Spanking or not, she certainly wasn’t letting someone touch her privates or go anywhere near her nether regions. No matter how much Katherine and James liked to overstep her boundaries, it didn’t make it any more okay than when they did it. But Dayna, someone who Dawn had even less experience with; none, actually, she had absolutely no right to that. Besides, wasn’t she doing far more than Katherine asked her to? Either way, she refused to be caught and she was willing to do anything to avoid it. She just needed something clever, because the only thing she had was playing musical chairs around a few different bookshelves that gave her enough time to outmaneuver Dayna. In theory, at least. It wouldn’t last for long though, which is why her frantic and panicked mind resorted to a simple, stupid, yet hopefully effective trick. Kailey was coming up as Dawn sprinted with a crinkle, busy sucking down her sippy cup as she watched curiously while the Little on the run raced right by her. Like a soft glancing blow, Dawn’s hand shot out, lightly tapping Kailey’s bare shoulder while she zoomed on through. Only after she was about to round the corner again, she shouted: “TAG! You’re it!” For maybe just a fraction of a second she thought it hadn’t worked, like somehow she just tempted an adult into a juvenile game that no one would fall for. No one other than an actual kid, obviously. But Kailey in the grand scheme unfortunately met Dawn’s expectations. Not more than a fraction of a second and it was a shrill, disappointed gasp from the girl. “Heyyyy…! You didn’t say we were playing!” Kailey cried, but Dawn could hear the girl on her feet. Maybe she was chasing after Dawn, or maybe she wasn’t. She couldn’t have been that committed though because next Dawn heard her shout the same mantra, only it wasn’t Dawn she’d touched. Now another Little was part of the game, and quickly another. Soon enough a whole flock of Littles were racing around the corner like it was chaos. “Tag!” “Tag, you’re it!” “No backsies!” “Liam’s it! Liam’s it!” It didn’t change that Dayna wanted Dawn, but the learning corner was only so big. It didn’t change that the Amazon with only so much vision around entire bookshelves had to start being wary of darting Littles that could or could not have been the one she was looking for. “Kids? Boys, girls, this isn’t where we play tag! It’s snack time, remember? Don’t you want another story?” Dayna tried to appeal to their sense of reason, but clearly she’d forgotten that somewhere along the way it’d been killed like their probable distaste for diapers. Pandemonium ensued and the one woman in charge couldn’t convince them to cease the commotion. Dawn paused and raced, finding just the right moments to dart from one spot to another. She avoided Dayna much more deftly now, especially with a few other diversions racing around. They giggled and laughed, and Dayna was trying to scold and be stern, but it was hardly working. But the madness could only last for so long. “Boys, girls?” Dayna raised her voice, much more than she had before. It was iron-willed and stern, and the giggles and laughs stopped almost immediately. The pattering of feet stopped instantly and the game died on the spot. “Do I need to tell your Mommies and Daddies that you’ve been misbehaving?” She waited for just a few seconds, letting the suspense sink into their fragile hearts. “Do I?” Her head panned across the room, like she was looking for someone to call her bluff. Probably someone other than Dawn, who was still at large, now hiding out of sight. There were quiet murmurs and whimpers. While a resistance was started quickly, so too was it killed. “Dayna?” A voice out of sight spoke, and salvation had been reached. “Is everything okay?” She needn’t hear another word. Dawn was careful to take the right path down an empty aisle, slipping by Dayna and right for the exit. The joy in her voice was really just the relief from narrowly avoiding punishment, as Dawn cheered, “Katherine!” She raced right up to her and planted her feet right by the Amazon’s side, looking nothing but surprised. “Katherine?” Dayna from the other end repeated, sounding with a bit of disbelief. “Katherine, you let her call you that?” The Amazon far too late to the party with none of the story blinked, then stuttered, “N-no, I…it’s something we're working on, so… Is…is something wrong?” Dawn’s eyes met Dayna’s for just a second, then she looked back up at the other giantess and spoke. “Well yes, actually… Katherine, I’m sorry, but your daughter has been misbehaving.” “What?” Katherine sounded surprised, and the tone actually made Dawn feel uneasy, like it’d suddenly become an open and shut case without any presentation of the facts. But before the train could run away with the verdict, Dawn blurted back, “No! She’s lying! Kath…” Dawn started to say, but she could see the wrinkle in Katherine’s brow, “M-Mommy!” Whatever it took to win her over. “I’ve been doing what she’s asked, but she’s doing stuff she’s not supposed to!” For a second Katherine glanced over at her coworker, then down back at the Little. “Like what?” “She doesn’t have permission, but she was touching me! She was giving me juice when I didn’t ask for it, and she’s been forcing me to sit and listen to stories instead of letting me read! She doesn’t have permission to do that! I gave in and did what she wanted, but she’s not even being fair! She said I could read after, but she’s just gonna make me listen to another one instead!” “Katherine,” Dayna’s words stepped right over Dawn’s, “She was using a little bit of language, as well…” “Dawn!” And yet somehow the tables had been turned entirely. It wasn’t even a defense. It wasn’t a rebuttal. Her argument was side-stepped just so this underhanded Amazon could claim something even more damning. The disapproval in Katherine’s voice made Dawn recoil, but she doubled down. “She’s lying! Yes! I said ‘stupid’ once! But that’s not language, or whatever stupid thing you guys call it! Naughty words? I’ve been behaving! I’ve been calling you Mommy! All I want in return is peace and quiet! I don’t want to deal with someone like her!” she shouted, stomped and pointed at the other Amazon, finally pissed as could be. “She…! She was going to check me! Then she was going to change me, and she’s not allowed to do that! No one is! I said ‘no’ and she wouldn’t listen! I…I tried! I really did!” She did try! She really fucking did! Dayna stepped forward, walking over to the Amazon and Little, and Dawn immediately backpedaled herself behind Katherine’s leg like a tree she could chain herself to. “Katherine, I can take care of her, okay? I know you’re busy, so just let me handle this?” Dayna offered, and Dawn was feeling more genuine fear to be trapped with this woman by the second. And as horrible as it felt to say, or to ask or maybe even beg, Dawn muttered, “Mommy…please!” Dawn’s defense had crumpled. Her legs that she used as walls turned around and fell out of reach, but only because an arm swept her from behind to lift her up, taking her to the same heights as the one she wanted nothing to do with. “I appreciate it, Dayna, but I think I’m gonna take an early lunch.” Katherine smiled at her hesitant coworker, stepping into the penned area just to lift her deposited bag from the shelf. “Are those one of her bottles?” Katherine asked, pointing out what Dayna had in her hand. “It is,” Dayna answered, handing it over. “But Katherine, I really don’t mind watching her?” “I know you don’t, and I’m sure I’m gonna have to impose on you again,” Katherine spoke as she adjusted Dawn in her arm, more thankful than she would have liked to have been liberated. “I just think she needs some downtime right now, though. I’m sorry for giving you such a handful!” Dawn didn’t care if she was a handful. Whatever it took to be left alone. “It’s fine, really!” Dayna waved her hand, looking pleased to find something related to workplace banter again. “Thank you for watching her! If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start that lunch break early!” Katherine announced, and with a miraculous turn of events, she was free. “Th…thank you…” Dawn whispered against Katherine. The atmosphere and the situation had become far too much for her to handle. That instance of tag was her final wind at trying to prolong an inevitable horror she wasn’t ready to face. It may have been instigated by herself, but it wasn’t right that she had to bend over backwards for everything…! “K-Katherine, I promise, I was doing what I was supposed to! I–” “Dawn, please? Please call me Mommy?” Katherine reminded. It wasn’t directly from a place of wanting it for herself, but the undertones of conformity and appearance were also there. But most importantly, it was something that’d been asked of the Little, and she needed to do everything she could to maintain Katherine’s good graces. While she saved her, she didn’t look the happiest, either. “Mommy,” Dawn spoke with the same emphasis, “I…I tried…! She…she just wasn’t cooperating!” “Dawn…” Katherine sighed, taking them someplace where there were no people, of which Dawn noticed there seemed to be considerably more now. “I’m…I’m sure you did what you thought was right, but you know you can’t misbehave for other grownups.” “I wasn’t…!”Dawn tried to stress. “I did what I was supposed to! I listened! I drank from those bottles when she gave them to me, even when I didn’t ask for them! She kept touching my diaper even when I told her not to! I was looking through those dumb books just to find something that I could tell you about! Like we promised! She made me put them down just to sit in a circle and listen to a story I didn’t even want to read! I did all of that! I did all of it for YOU!” Dawn finally heaved, feeling the air leaving her lungs. “And…and when I finally said no…!” she winced, and hating herself for it, she sniffled. “She…she was gonna punish me… I was scared. I was so…so scared…!” It was James all over again. The painful spanking. The soap in her mouth. Stacy taking her clothes. Stacy smothering her face with hand soap, degrading her in front of the mirror in the bathroom… A needle up her ass, and all the same humiliation she had faced with that plump woman in the bathroom. The very first thing that sent her down this mortifying, unforgiving spiral. She did it all to avoid that. To avoid all those things that made her into the mess she was, and trained her to be so fearful of every single person more than double her height. Her hands were clutching the fabric of Katherine’s uniform, and before she knew it her eyes were watering. Everything thus far had made her doubt this world and everything that came with it. Everyone included. Katherine was no different, no more than what circumstances afforded her. If Dawn took just a second to think, she could conveniently turn this woman into yet another object of hatred, distrust and fear, but her selfish and frazzled nature is all that she needed to ignore the truth. Even if it was temporary, despite what Katherine had done herself, it wasn’t enough to deter Dawn from thinking she was safe for at least a little bit. Katherine would scold her. She’d be stern and rocksteady. She could give punishments and she could be bossy. She lied and she was deceptive, but in spite of that she was still willing to offer mixed messages disguised as kindness, and Dawn wanted to be the fool. Just for a little bit, she wanted to fall for the illusions and convince herself that this was a refuge. The hand on her back under the right lens was caring and assuring, and the crook between her neck and shoulder with the right filter was a safe haven for her head. If Katherine wanted to trick her, Dawn would trip over every wire and step on every plate. Anything if it meant taking just doses of Katherine’s reality, and none from no one else. Just while her mind and body recovered. And her ache subsided for just a second once she felt the woman’s squeeze. “We’re gonna talk about this in a little bit. Understood?” “Uh huh…” In just a moment of weakness, Dawn could feel the fingers hook the back of her diaper and jeans, tugging them back. It was foolish, delusional and pathetic, but the only thoughts that registered in the Little’s mind was that it wasn’t Dayna. It wasn’t some complete stranger. It was someone she didn’t want looking at her private places, but it was the same person she was seeking rescue from. The words made her feel small and shudder, but that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. The thought of how much more it could have been with Dayna made her feel far more uncomfortable. “Just a little wet…” 20 - Dumb and Difficult “...Where are we going?” Dawn finally mumbled over Katherine’s shoulder. It was a fair question. After all, with the way she was being held and carried, all Dawn could see were the places they had been rather than the ones they were headed to. “We need to go to the break room. There’s a fridge that has the lunch I made for us in there,” Katherine explained as they walked, and Dawn had the misfortune of seeing the Amazons that had amassed while she spent the early day in total confinement. All of them, teasing her so unfairly. They didn’t give her looks, wave or say anything, but their hands carried books, thin and thick, wide and slim, fingering through pages just to tease the poor girl. “I’m not hungry…” Dawn moped, only with an appetite for reading that she’d never get to satisfy. Had Katherine not made her agree to some stupid, pointless promise, the tiny girl would be leveraging their agreement to let her see some of the other books right about now. “You’re gonna eat something…” Katherine calmly insisted, shuffling the Little sitting on her arm just a bit. “I know I didn’t pack you any snacks?” “I still don’t wanna eat…” Dawn mumbled again. Knowing Katherine, it was either going to be some horrendously spicy food, or…or eggs, even? An egg salad? Something just to grind the girl’s gears. Everything just put her off to everything. Especially the warm feeling from her underwear. Underwear she couldn’t do anything about. But it wasn’t going to keep her from trying. Even if it was futile, it was still the principle. “I want to go change.” “We’ll change you in a little bit, okay? Maybe after lunch.” “Why just ‘maybe’?” Dawn sulked, “Why do you have to say it like it might not happen?” “Because, Dawn, we can’t bring your entire nursery everywhere we go? I only brought so many of your diapers, sweetie.” “Please…” After just being graciously rescued from one tyrant, the Little being carried right then wasn’t looking to totally sour the mood with the other. “I don’t wanna argue…I don’t need diapers…I’m not gonna go through however many you brought…!” “I don’t want to make you upset either,” Katherine insisted as she rubbed the back of the girl’s head. “Okay, I promise we’ll change you after lunch. Deal?” “...Fine.” Hollow victories. At some point they reached a door, not that Dawn would know other than through audible cues. A digital beep of some kind and one turn of a door handle later and the pair were in a different room set aside from the public sphere. “Oh hey Katherine!” A woman called, and Dawn just tried to admire the decor. Even their break rooms had just as much time and money spent on the design like the front end of things. Expensive looking ceiling designs with intricate wooden fixtures, polished tiled floors, and even beds of fresh greens to liven things up… “Hi Lucy! Coffee time?” “Coffee time…!” The Amazon sighed back, sharing in a mutual understanding. “I swear, it’s starting to become my vice… Can you believe that there’s Littles who drink this too? Well, once they can though, it’s mostly cream and sugar at that point!” I use cream and sugar… Dawn looked bitter, but kept her voice down, trying to remember what a supposed blessing it was just to be here and not with Dayna. “Mm…I don’t think I could handle mine tasting sweet,” Katherine agreed, but there was no slight or mocking comment. And just when things felt as normal as they could get, “Oh! Oh my gosh! Is that your new daughter!?” “Yep she is!” Katherine replied chipperly, and Dawn reclining herself a bit more could watch the fridge open from the corner of her eye. “Her name’s Dawn.” “Well hi there, Dawn!” Lucy, a fellow coworker of Katherine’s pivoted around to a spot where Dawn couldn’t do anything but look at the woman. Her smile was wide and her cheeks were rosy. It was like another Dayna. “Hi.” Dawn waved, then went mute again. “Not so chatty, huh?” Lucy sounded like she was keeping the indifference in stride. “It’s her first time here, so she’s a little shy…” Katherine explained apologetically, but the woman was already waving it off. “No, no worries! Are you having lunch already?” “Yes, we are,” Katherine nodded, and once she had whatever she needed, the door was closed. “It was my first time leaving her with someone else, so I think I missed her a little too much…” And maybe it was just playing things up to Lucy, but Dawn felt Katherine’s affectionate squeeze with her final words. “Oh, Dayna? She’s on diaper duty today, isn’t she?” Diaper duty…at least this one doesn’t try to make it sound like anything that it isn’t. “She’s running the corner today, yeah. I just picked Dawn up from there, actually.” “I’m sure she’s excited to be on vacation after today. Did Dawn get to hear any fun stories?” “I…actually didn’t get the chance to ask her yet,” Katherine paused for a second, and Dawn hoped it would stay at that. “Did she read anything fun, Dawn?” And just like that, the spotlight was on her. Not just Katherine, but another coworker now too. “We read about frogs…” Frogs. Froggies, and all their friends in the pond. Stupid smiling faces about learning what all the other imaginary animals and insects do in their habitat. Call her a skeptic, and maybe just ignorant of the way animals live their lives in this dimension, but somehow Dawn still doubted that ducks mingled with playing cards. “Ooou~!” Lucy wow’ed, slipping her eyes from Dawn and up to her guardian like they were trying to appeal to the excitement in the girl that didn’t exist. “That sounds cool! I know we have lots of stories about animals, so I think you’re gonna have a lot of fun here!” “She really likes to read, actually,” Katherine included, and Dawn just wanted them to leave. If only she could say that without being chastised for being “rude.” “Really? So like Mommy, like daughter, huh?” Lucy quipped, then laughed. “That’s so cute!” Cute? It was cute? Then did that mean Amazons liking to read was cute? Or was it for them somehow dignified? Intriguing? Fascinating? Something more than what Dawn got, surely. Fuck, the most it ever could be was cute, assuming what she had for reading variety now was all that she ever got. How badly she wanted to go home. Her actual home. “And I promised her we were gonna go look at some books after we eat, so I’m sorry to cut this short…!” Katherine apologized, and Lucy only laughed. “No, no! Go, go! I’m so sorry for butting in! Bye Dawn, it was nice meeting you!” Thankfully, they were gone and moving elsewhere. They left with a lunch in hand, but now a nugget of confusion was sprouting in Dawn’s head. “...Hey,” “Hm?” Katherine rubbed her back. “Are…are we really looking at the books?” “After we eat?” Katherine cocked her head a little closer. “You’ll need to eat something if you want to, though.” “...But I didn’t keep my promise…” Behave and find a book to tell Katherine about. That was the deal, as dumb as the second half was. So was the first, but it was more reasonable than telling the girl to get down and dig deep through a sea of sewage misunderstood as reading material. “But you tried, didn’t you?” Katherine reminded, striking a weird chord with the girl. “I wish you could have behaved the whole time, but I know this is a lot for you…so I can be patient. As long as you’re trying.” Trying felt wrong to say, or at least Dawn didn’t want to admit to anything like it. She wasn’t trying to accept any of this. She wasn’t trying to deal with diapers or submit herself to so many attacks of embarrassment and humiliation. She was just trying to bide her time. She wasn’t behaving, she was just enduring. What mattered most was being true to herself, but hearing the way others saw it from the outside looking in didn’t feel great either… “Besides, it sounds like you found a story you liked, right? If you eat your lunch we can look for something about frogs?” “I don’t like frogs,” Dawn admitted in a burst of honesty. “We just had to listen to a stupid story about them… Some other person liked them. That’s the only reason why…” “Yeah? Why didn’t you like the story? Because you don’t like frogs?” “No,” Dawn stressed, “I-I didn’t not like it because of frogs! It’s because it was just…just some boring story that you read to kids! It wasn’t advanced; there wasn’t any substance! That’s all those books! Just…just mindless, pointless words on paper…” “Uh-huh?” Katherine nodded and listened, surprisingly, and Dawn was half expecting the admonishment that never came. “We’ll find something you like, I’m sure. And I’m sure it’s not all bad? Don’t worry, I can be a picky reader, too!” Katherine chuckled, and Dawn hung in her arms with just as little hope as she had a few seconds before. Holding out hope for anything in that tiny prison was nothing but a fool’s errand. Trying to convince any Amazon of that was impossible. Dawn liked reading, but maybe Katherine wasn’t seeing it that way. It was just Dawn who likes “reading.” Reading as much as “coloring” is when you let a toddler scribble inside, around and outside the lines. “Where are we going now?” Dawn finally pressed on Katherine’s shoulder just to sit herself up in her arm to look around. With jealousy and envy, she spotted tables off to the sides, spotted with folks in chairs, quietly absorbing enjoyment, entertainment and information from pages and pages of the deemed forbidden fruit for Littles. Some had computers out. Laptops and phones. Notebooks and pencils and pens… Some were students, maybe? Just like…Dawn. “Remember that big tree you saw from the car?” Katherine rubbed her shoulder, “I wanted to take you there. They have tables we can eat at.” “You let people eat here, too?” Dawn asked with a sideways look. If she wasn’t attacking it from that angle, she’d be far too pissed about Amazons not only being the only ones allowed access to real books, but to even risk food and drinks near them as well. Meanwhile, Littles were discounted for simply being too small. “Yes, but not while they’re reading. That’s a very important rule,” Katherine explained carefully, despite there not being much to say. And while they walked, or rather, Katherine walked them both, Dawn was unfortunate enough to witness some folks who didn’t rely on the Library’s endless services so heavily. With an uneasy feeling in her stomach, she watched one Amazon in particular, quiet and focused on her reading, pausing just to scribble something here or there in her adjacent notebook. And yet, all the while using her foot like a pendulum, quietly and slowly pushing a stroller back and forth. Inside it was of course a man, not a boy, gagged by a pacifier with shut eyes, hiding under some stupid, soft-looking blanket covered in trucks and cars. Christ, it actually looked like he was sleeping. Slumbering. Like it was somehow normal. Like he could be at ease enough to actually fall asleep in a public place. Like it didn’t matter that his entire life was over likely before it’d even reached the halfway point. Like…! “--Look, Dawn, see?” In spite of seeing the horror stained in her vision, blinking once was enough to wash the echoed horror out of her eyes. There it was, the tree. Sitting on a large oasis of bright green grass on a short, sloping hill, the centerpiece was a massive tree made up of girthy and thick, winding roots that skidded across the surface before disappearing into the ground. The only separation between what was natural and manmade was a circle of large, uniform stones establishing the perimeter. A dense shade was offered by the overarching head of leaves supported by countless branches, but allowing slivers of sunlight to slip on through. Folks were chatting and eating, just like Katherine said. There weren’t any Littles in this spot though, thank goodness. Just to watch someone so…complacently suffering was enough to make the girl’s blood boil and her mind to panic. And yet while the living nightmares were dotted all around her, at least she had a pretty tree to look at. “I still can’t believe we have this here…!” Katherine marveled at the sight. It was more than double her height, which meant Dawn was but a mere fraction to it. “What do you think? Isn’t it pretty?” “Mm…” Dawn nodded, keeping her feelings reserved. She wanted to believe that even a place like this couldn’t pervert nature itself, but operating on assumptions so far had only shocked the girl even more when supposed absolute truths were nothing more than fallacies. “Did you wanna pick where we sit?” Katherine offered, and Dawn, far from wanting the opportunity, pointed off to a corner anyway with at least some kind of sculpture as a usable privacy shade. As a bonus, it left at least a full table’s width from any others that were sitting there. “Is…is it okay for you to be eating out here?” Normal people were nearby, either eating or reading, but normal people meant a public place. Wasn’t it weird for a worker to be eating in the same space? Separation of spheres, or something? “It’s okay, we’re allowed,” Katherine assured. And without asking, Katherine took her seat, meaning Dawn took hers as well. Right on her lap. “Are there…any…higher chairs?” Dawn carefully asked, but it didn’t change how heavily she was toeing the line. Two letters less and Katherine probably would’ve been overjoyed to hear such a question. “Sorry, sweetheart, we don’t have chairs here like the one you have at home,” an apologetic explanation came, and Dawn’s modicum of hope had gone. “Is it okay if you sit in my lap?” “...Uh-huh.” There was hardly anything else to say. If she refused there wouldn’t be an alternative. Katherine would be put into a difficult situation. As appealing as that was, it meant delaying Dawn’s food, and no food meant no books; the one reason for experiencing all this suckiness. So she sat in her lap, watching all the luggage unload on the table. First was the diaper bag, then it was slid to the side. Next though were a couple plastic containers and a bottle of water. An Amazon bottle of water. No nipple to go with it. “And I made sure to keep one cold for you too,” the Amazon added as Dawn watched a baby bottle descend from the heavens, loaded with more of the same juice she’d been getting all day, only freshly chilled now. “...Thank you,” and Dawn accepted the drink just to keep her hands full with an excuse to do nothing else. And dare she ask, “What did you bring?” “I made a…salad! And a sandwich, too. You can share with me.” One lid after another came off, and true to Katherine’s words, Dawn could see what looked like greens in one container and bread in the other. The sandwich came out first though, which was an uncanny similarity Dawn could remember, albeit much bigger than the one she was served. “This is the one I made you yesterday. You liked it, right?” Like was a very strong word. Her body simply needed food. Sustenance. Energy because she didn’t have a deathwish and believed in at least living just to reach the other side. “Yeah…it’s fine.” That was more than enough for Katherine to bring the food to her mouth, and Dawn finally bit off a corner. True to her word, it had the same taste, albeit slightly more bitter than she remembered. “It’s not too much, is it?” Katherine was already asking the same time a surprise napkin wiped away the imaginary crumbs off Dawn’s face. “I put a little seasoning on mine…” she said in an almost apologetic voice. “It’s…” Dawn choked down a small cough, “fine,” and then took a swig of her cold juice to wash it down. “Once it’s time to go food shopping, I’ll make sure we get some stuff you’ll wanna eat, okay?” Then Katherine took a bite herself. “I’ll need to remember to ask James about getting you some of those Little Lunches…” “I don’t need anything special, this is fine,” Dawn tried to insist. The moment she found something livable was the same time she sought for the status quo. Nothing more needed to change or slip further than it already had. “You don’t need to be so reserved, honey? We just want you to have some things that you’d like too?” “And I like this sandwich, so it’s fine. I don’t need anything else.” Dawn spoke firmly, and Katherine didn’t push. Not any more than offering her an occasional bite from the shrinking sandwich. “Can I have some of the salad, too?” Dawn asked of her own accord, purely for the sake of variety. She looked up at the fork moving to and from the food and Katherine’s mouth, all above her as the motions ensued. “You can try it?” Katherine accepted, somewhat. It was a loaded answer with lingering effects and conditions. “I think there’s a dressing on this you’re gonna think is yucky, honey…” And Dawn, just as ignorant and stubborn as ever, insisted, “I’ll be fine.” Just like breakfast that morning, Katherine fed her a bite with a fork held out to her mouth. With a small bushel of greens, sliver of onion and chunk of tomato, all dressed in some kind of unifying substance, Dawn took the mouthful and swallowed. Her face felt like it was imploding. Her lips were folding in and the prickly, sour, bitter taste was traveling up and down her system like a frantic chicken with its head cut off. The only thing keeping her in Katherine’s lap was the very Amazon’s arm around her stomach. “Drink your juice, sweetie?” Katherine helpfully reminded, and not a second later and the girl was self-soothing her tongue with cold, refreshing fruit-like juice. “Wh-why is all your stuff so bitter? And so…so spicy?” Dawn tiredly complained, taking another bite of sandwich as she started to feel bitter herself. “You people even make your food to discriminate against Littles?” “Dawn, it’s just what Amazons like? We like sour and bitter stuff. Just how Littles like sweet things?” It was a pointless discussion because that’s the only place it could have gone, and Katherine skipped right to the end. Instead Dawn was watching the tree, angling her head up high just to see the entirety of it. “Do you like it?” Katherine smiled down at her. “It’s…whatever,” Dawn turned her head away sheepishly. “You must, though?” After all, Dawn spent last night briefly on the back deck while Katherine watered her garden. “I like it a lot!” The Amazon answered honestly and without reservation. “You know, if I could, I’d want one just like it at our house. I’d want it right in the center of the backyard, too.” “And do what with it, just look at it?” Dawn, a person hardly of greens, but not a denier of their use, openly debated. “Wouldn’t it like…suck up all the nutrients, or something?” That was common sense, right? “That’s a very good point,” Katherine complimented the thought with a rub on her head. “But there’s plenty of food for all the plants and a tree. That’s a little silly though, huh? Even plants need to eat, too.” “Yeah, like photosynthesis. I know.” “Uh-huh, very good,” Katherine praised her again, despite Dawn not looking for any of it. “But they need more than just the sun, you know? Flowers, veggies, trees, and everything else that lives in the ground also has roots. You know how trees have branches?” she pointed out all the forking limbs of thinner and thinner wood, “Imagine all that, but also in the ground! They’re like a bunch of straws that like to suck up the water in the ground and other yummy stuff that they need to grow. Does that make sense?” Yeah. I know already. “Yeah. It does.” “I like growing all sorts of stuff.” “For free food?” Dawn could at least see the use in that. “Mmm…maybe!” Katherine laughed, “I never thought of it like that! It doesn’t have to be something we can eat, though. I like big plants, small plants, colorful ones and silly ones. As long as I get to start with the seed.” “Why just the seed?” If memory served, Dawn could always remember her mom getting flowers, though that just meant bringing back pre-grown ones from the store just to plop in the dirt. Did they even do much growing after that? It definitely didn’t make much sense to her, but everyone had their hobbies… Katherine included. “...Because that way I get to grow it all on my own,” Katherine spoke, and Dawn could hear the smile. “It’s a very good feeling when you can raise something, because you get to see them from start to finish. Going from just a seed, and then a little bit of green…getting bigger and bigger…until tiny buds start to form, and blossom into lots of pretty flowers.” “So you just like the process?” “Kind of!” Katherine smiled, then put them both through the motions of taking another bite. “All the plants in the garden need a little bit of care and love for them to grow big and strong. They can’t get all the water they need on their own, so that’s my job. Sometimes there can be bugs or weeds that can make them feel sick, so then it’s up to me to fix them and make them feel all better.” Dawn took another swig from her bottle. “Sounds like a lot of work.” The Amazon holding her chuckled as her first response. “It is a bit of work, but if anything is worth doing, then it won’t be easy.” Well, not exactly. Dawn could think of a million different things worth doing that were in fact easy. Case and point, brushing your teeth every night and day. So simple, yet it saves your teeth from a lifetime of dental issues… “...Dawn?” Odd. The pause there was before speaking put the Little a bit on edge. “...Yeah?” “Can we talk about what happened with Dayna, now?” Ugh. And just like that, the next forced bite of Katherine’s sandwich felt just a bit more bitter. Dawn was brief and fast, just so she could fill her mouth with juice. “It’s her fault, not mine. I did what I was supposed to.” “Honey, I’m not mad… I just want to understand what happened?” Finally, for once, Dawn could see the most obvious trap if there ever was one. Maybe she wasn’t mad, and maybe she was speaking calmly and soothingly, but that didn’t change the certainty there’d be consequences anyway. Punishment was sure to follow for telling the truth. Undoubtedly. Call her a coward, but the thought of another spanking made the girl visibly uncomfortable. It was a trap, definitely, but Dawn was supposed to talk. She was supposed to tell her story. Share her frustrations, and just thinking of them was getting her riled up again. “She…she just kept…getting in the way!” “Mhm? How was she doing that?” It was a neutral question, completely without any indication whether she felt differently or not. As far as Dawn could tell, she really did have the entire floor. “Just…the way she talked to me. The stuff she made me do…! Did you not tell me to go looking for a book to read, or something?!” “I did,” Katherine nodded, agreeing simply. “Well Dayna didn’t get that I guess. You…you gave her all that stuff in that bag, and she wouldn’t stop bothering me! As soon as I’m reading, she makes me take some juice that I didn’t even ask for! And after she gives it to me, she says, ‘You can have food or drinks with a book’!’” Dawn scoffed with a pissy look. “She GAVE me a drink just to force me to stop reading!” “Do you think she may have thought you were just thirsty?” “I–I don’t know? But it doesn’t even matter! Because she kept doing it! And then I started to say ‘no,’ but she wouldn’t listen to me! She wouldn’t take that as an answer! She…she just kept holding you over my head! Like she was gonna tell you what a brat I was being, or something! A-and wait, that’s not even everything she did!” She was on a streak and her memory was flipping stones in a flurry of residual rage. “Okay…take your time. I’m listening,” Katherine said as Dawn was too driven to even care about the hand on her back. “There was some ki–... There was another person who showed up when I was reading; some…some Little,” it felt wrong to say. Horrible, but in what other way could she communicate it without giving in to what these people wanted? What, call her a fucking kid? “There…a Little was bothering me. She kept talking to me and trying to get me to do stuff…!” “Were you nice to her?” “Yes! I was nice! I even went to the corner just so no one would bother me! But she said Dayna told her to come over! She made her walk over to me just to bother me!” “Dawn, maybe Dayna just wanted to help you make a playmate?” The Amazon softly reasoned. “No! Because I told Dayna that I didn’t want to be bothered! I just wanted to be left alone! But she kept doing stuff! She…she even touched me!” “Touch…?” Katherine’s voice was slow and hesitant. “She…touched you?” “Yes! When she wasn’t supposed to! You said you were gonna check on me. But she did it anyway! She kept grabbing my–the stupid diaper! She pulled down my pants and just did whatever she wanted! Like it didn’t even matter what I said or did!” “Sweetie, when you say ‘touch’, you mean when she checked your diaper, right?” “Yes!” Christ, Katherine, what else could it mean?! A was low and quiet, but a sigh left the Amazon’s mouth. “O…okay. She checked your diaper and you weren’t comfortable with that, right?” “No, I wasn’t! And aren’t you too?” It sucked appealing to her on whims and means that Dawn denied and was against, but she needed support. She needed to be justified. “Didn’t you say that only people we trust can do that stuff? I don’t trust her! Not now and not ever!” “Dawn…Dayna is someone I’ve worked with for a long time now? She’s safe to trust.” “Well she isn’t!” Dawn huffed and crossed her arms. “She was being…ugh, so manipulative! She was making me do stuff just so she could make me do other things! She gave me juice so I couldn’t read, then used that as an excuse just to get me sitting in some stupid story time circle! Then she promised I could go back after the story, but then just tried to give me another bottle! She didn’t listen! Nobody listens!” “I’m listening right now, aren’t I?” Katherine leaned over just to get her head a bit closer. “Maybe…but is that gonna change anything? It doesn’t make me any more right, does it? Are you gonna go ask Dayna what happened next? Because whatever she says has more credibility than me, right?” Frustration was a good motivator for the stomach, because Dawn was already reaching for another bite. “Honey, you need to know that what you have to say always matters, okay? It matters to me and James. Just like what you’re saying right now matters.” “And that’s the problem! You…you and James can say whatever you want, fine,” it was a whole other issue entirely, “but what happens when I’m around someone like Dayna? What happens when she doesn’t care about what I say?” “I’m positive she cared, Dawn. Dayna was just doing what anyone would? It’s our job to take care of you guys when you’re there?” “Even if I don’t consent to it? Even when I tell her not to?!” “It’s because she’s not just going to ignore you, Dawn? What if something happened? What if you got hurt, or you needed a grownup to take care of something?” “Then I would take care of it myself!” Dawn raised her voice, and a hand on her shoulder brought the levels right down. “So what, she gets in trouble if I don’t let her baby me? She was doing stuff you were gonna do! I could have asked you for a drink when you came by! I would have said I needed to change when it was your break! She had no business and didn’t care that I told her not to!” “And you’d really want to be in a wet diaper until I came and checked in on you?” “N-no! Don’t twist it like that!” Dawn cried, “It’s not the same and you know it! I already said I don’t trust her, and no one is allowed to touch me or…or change me!” “But how about when I change you?” “I don’t want that either! But I can’t stop you, and there’s no one that can stop you from doing that to me…! So…at least with someone else, there’s supposed to be you that can stop it from happening…” It always sucked. It fucking sucked so much to keep on confronting the same, undying sense of helplessness. It wouldn’t die because as long as she was stuck here, that feeling would be validated. The only sense of empowerment she could have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting was by living vicariously through the Amazons that’d kidnapped her. It was supposed to be them that put a stop to the injustices committed against her, so what was the point if they listened to outside opinions first and foremost before their very own captive? The one that they “swore” to protect? And maybe it was late, and it certainly wasn’t needed, but both Amazon arms came around Dawn, pulling her against Katherine’s torso. “I know it feels tough…I know it’s scary being in a new place with new people, but I promise you, Dawn, I wouldn’t ever put you in a place that I didn’t feel comfortable with. I know we made a promise, and it makes me really happy how you were trying so hard to keep it, you know?” Happy, great. It didn’t change the fact what things had become, though. “But as much as that makes me happy, I don’t want you to make trouble for others because of it, okay?” It felt like a harsh one-eighty, which is why Dawn spun her head up with an incredulous look. “But–!” Dawn tried to speak, but Katherine calmly continued. It wasn’t even a rude interruption, it was simply the woman speaking with such inertia that the Little felt compelled to go quiet. “I think Dayna just really wanted you to fit in, sweetie. She wanted you to make a friend, feel included, and have a good time? Would you ever want someone you’re looking after to feel sad or left out?” “No, I wouldn’t, but this is different than that!” Dawn wanted to be left alone! And great, what an opportune moment where she could have pointed that out, but just missed. “And Dawn, be honest with me: were you using bad words?” “N-no! I–” “Dawn?” Katherine interrupted, much more sternly. “Don’t make me turn you around to look up at me. Answer honestly. Were you using bad words?” She…she wasn’t! She didn’t say anything bad! No fuck, no shit, no ass, no nothing of the sort that she’d been reprimanded for so many times already! What was this, coercing a false confession? There was no crime, yet Katherine talked like it was certain. Like…like Dayna could only speak in absolute truths. “I…I said stupid! That’s all I said! I didn’t swear! Not since…not since last night!” “Dawn…no bad words means no bad words,” Katherine emphasized with disappointment. “It doesn’t count!” Dawn legitimately whined. “I did what you told me! Why can’t I even say that? What, can I not say ‘dumb’ either? Is that too much of a bad word?” “If you know that it’s a mean thing to say, you shouldn’t be saying it at all,” Katherine softly scolded. “I’m very proud that you did stop saying so many naughty things, but I know you can do better, sweetie? I know that you have so many nice things to say?” The disconnect couldn’t have felt any greater, because Dawn most certainly did not have anything nice to say. Whatsoever. Henceforth she wouldn’t be saying anything at all, apparently. Her language had been thoroughly policed once already and now it was time for crackdown number two. How unfair. How so unbelievably un-fucking fair. “I’m not mad, and you’re not in trouble, but we’re not putting up with bad behavior anymore, Dawn. Do I make myself clear?” “It’s… Fine! Yes! You do! But why do I have to get in trouble for doing what I’m told?” “Because, Dawn, if James and I aren’t there, then you need to listen to the grownup in charge. Even if we make a promise, that doesn’t give you an excuse to misbehave or backtalk.” It was all just framing. She was being framed for crimes she didn’t commit. It was all for the sake of self-defense and preservation. And it sucked, just to think for even a fraction of a second that Katherine was on Dawn’s side. And yet, even with them alone in just the company of themselves, the woman still wouldn’t crack under the many fallacies that Dawn just couldn’t shine a light on. “So…so even if I think it’s a bad idea. If it’s something that’ll hurt me, you still want me to listen? You still want me to just give in?” And a pair of lips pressed against the top of her head, right before hearing, “James and I will never put you in a situation like that. Just listen and behave, okay?” “I’m done eating…” Dawn moped, crossing her arms one last time. “Okay,” and Katherine graciously moved on, “Drink your juice while I finish my food, okay? Then we’ll go look at some books.” And again, Dawn felt that the chance had somehow been squandered by their little heated debate, yet apparently not. Katherine didn’t seem to let grudges linger, not nearly as long as they admittedly did with Dawn. By the time the Amazon could be as cool as a cucumber, Dawn would still be trying to stomach the frustration and negative feelings, much less truly start to digest them. Her frame of mind was still stuck in a bitter place that would never be so gracious to herself like Katherine was being. She knew she was in the right, and Dayna was wrong. Katherine was misguided, but she was wrong about so many other things too. And yet, Dawn couldn’t seem to reason with any of that. Dawn just didn’t understand. Dawn did the wrong things even when she did as she was told. How many times would the goal post move? How many times would it shift? It was constant bouts of self-sacrifice, and the only compromises were just Dawn letting herself slip more and more. Regardless, Katherine got to focus on eating, and Dawn was able to keep to herself; the very thing she wanted since the start of today. “So we’re really going?” “Mhm!” “Do I get to touch them?” “You need to promise to be gentle.” “I am gentle! I–! I…I promise, I’ll be gentle.” Did she somehow think Dawn’s books back home could withstand nuclear warheads and she didn’t understand the concept of paper being torn easily? “Okay, I believe you,” Katherine laughed, and Dawn was simply too on edge, dearly hoping that this was going to be what she was actually promised. Finally, something just as advertised without any cruel or mean tricks. “We’ll look for a little bit, but then I need to change you before my break is over, okay?” “Fine, fine. Can we go now?” The experience of wearing a wet diaper hadn’t left her, but even the most tortured could endure something so simple if it meant being offered food on the brink of starvation. “Is there somewhere you wanted to look at first?” “Fantasy,” Dawn blurted out. Something. Anything, just so they didn’t waste their precious time deliberating on where to go. “Fantasy? Mmm, okay!” All it took was a hum and thoughtful look around, and Katherine with a blueprint of the building seemingly in her back pocket, departed and moved with purpose. Finally, Dawn with a personal escort had been sprung from jail and was about to have the time of her life. What a sweet reprieve it would be from all the baby books and propaganda that place was filled with. There wouldn’t be anything out here about the diapered divas battling the potty monster or Hansel and Gretel finding a daycare in the middle of the forest. The genuine excitement was enough to shield her eyes from all the Amazons getting to roam about the library so freely, including all the fake parents carrying their Littles off, likely to a particular corner ruled by an evil witch of an Amazon. “Okie-dokie… See everything on these two shelves?” Katherine pointed from floor and nearly to ceiling of two long and tall faces of pure literature. Dawn nearly squealed. The spines were titles, the covers looked textured. Hardcovers, paperbacks, authors and more. The images she could see weren’t pastels, some were wonderfully plain, and others seemed modest. “That one!” Dawn hurriedly pointed, and Katherine laughed, looking delighted as could be to pull one from the shelf. Katherine leaned over and slipped the book from its socket, leaving the hivemind of words and wisdom to be united with Dawn. It was big, certainly. Amazon big. A bit much, but Dawn could easily stomach that if it was just like the real thing in every other sense. The synopsis! The synopsis! Dawn desperately fought the urge to touch it right then herself. A Tale of Ten Towers, by Sofia Suffix She was practically bouncing like a junkie just about to get their best fix yet. Sofia, please don’t disappoint…! What unfortunately put a damper on things though was when Katherine robbed her of the chance to open the cover herself. Fine, whatever, Dawn would get the chance later, but she couldn’t necessarily complain about getting straight to the reading part. But Katherine stopped right after opening up the cover. Then she muttered, “Let me just take a look at something, honey…” And Dawn watched what she was looking at, but it was practically otherworldly to her. Stamped on the inside had to have been somewhere around a twenty-ish letter code of some kind. Sixteen? It was a seemingly scrambled string of letters and numbers with some symbols, even. It made absolutely no sense to Dawn, hence her frown, but also including Katherines? Before Dawn could even touch the page though, Katherine gently closed the cover and slid it back into place. She was speechless for a moment, ready to wonder why the hell she had gone and done that, but Katherine said so herself. “Why don’t we take a look at a different one?” Katherine smiled, but it didn’t add to any explanation for her decision. “Wh-what? Why? What’s wrong with that one? We didn’t even read the back?” “I didn’t like some of the things that were in that book,” Katherine explained simply, and Dawn gave her a weird look. “W-well, like what?” Hate speech? Radical ideologies that’d somehow transmit indoctrinated teachings to the reader? The only acceptable reason for putting it back was that, and nothing else. No other reasoning would excuse it. “Mmm…naughty grownup stuff,” Katherine was fast and quick with her words, like she was trying to shift focus fast and quick. Naughty…grownup…? “You mean like se–” “Ahp!” Katherine gasped before Dawn could finish. “Dawn? No naughty words, understood?” Did the book have sex, was that it? How did Katherine even know? She was a self-described avid reader, but surely that didn’t mean she had read everything that there is to read in this place? You’d need three lifetimes and then some, just maybe. “M-my bad. But wait, I wanted to look at that book.” “We’ll find a better one, okay?” Katherine was already stepping out of its reach, and Dawn watched her forbidden knowledge miraculously disappear. Normally the loss of opportunity or being told she couldn’t do something she knew that she could handle would put her right back into a pissy mood, but being allowed to come into close contact with legitimate literature just felt too good. “That one,” Dawn pointed out a new title, “Silver Stars,” feeling much more eager to take the book herself this time. And like a well-oiled machine, or one of the book buddies that Katherine always worked on, she retrieved the book, sitting it in her hands. And just to get the feeling, Dawn, despite Katherine needing no help whatsoever, joyfully partook in peeling back the front cover. She nearly cried. The flimsy, cardboard cover was just like at home, if not a bit tougher, but that was a bonus, not any kind of mocking detriment like it would’ve been at the Little’s corner. Instead, Dawn got the feel of the thin, textured paper with her fingernail as they flipped the first page up to a similar…long and complicated code. “C-can we take this one over to a table so I can–?” Dawn tried to set up their next destination with a treasure in hand, but twice her expectations had been resurrected and removed because Katherine with a small, disapproving look started to put the book back. “Wait! What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Dawn begged for an explanation, but watched as her book slipped back into the shelf. “I didn’t like some of the things I saw there either,” Katherine frowned. On some level she must have known what this was doing to Dawn, but it didn’t change the impression that the Little figured the Amazon was just being too overprotective. “Katherine, whatever it is, I can read it! I’ve read plenty of books before!” “I’m sure you have, honey, but some of these stories just don’t seem very appropriate…” Time was ticking and not a single book had yet to be experienced or even read just a tiny bit…! “How can you even tell? Y-you’re not even reading them!” “Did you see all those letters and numbers on both books?” “Yeah?” “We call those ‘Sequence Series,’” Katherine explained slowly and carefully, like Dawn had regressed into being a preschooler again. “Those codes can tell us what a story is about and what kind of themes or genres might be in them.” “Wh-what?” Didn’t having a fantasy section count as enough? They tagged the contents of their books individually, more specifically than that? “Let me see. Show me.” “Okay,” Katherine had no hesitation and grabbed a new book from the shelf. She turned the page, and in the same fashion as the others this one was another string of gibberish. “See that code?” her finger landed on the one thing that was actually on the page. “We use sixteen letters and numbers to keep track of what this story is like!” “H-how?” Dawn peered down at the page, finding it no less insightful than the other two were. She wasn’t even seeing a pattern. All three books that were in the fantasy section should have at least one unifying trait, right? “See these first four letters here?” Katherine traced her finger. “Y…yeah?” Even the first four seemed to have no meaning, yet Katherine spoke like it was the easiest thing to understand. “That tells us the year and place when this book was written.” A location for the author? A time of completion? A year…and an address? All in just four spaces? Using only four characters? There weren’t even any numbers? How was a number stored in this? “So these two letters mean it was written about…twenty years ago. That’s a long time, huh?” Katherine chuckled, and Dawn tried to focus on the teaching moment. “And then these two right after that mean it was written in a place called Catalon. Does that make sense?” “I…guess…” Dawn murmured in a shy voice. How did a ‘Z’ and ‘Q’ imply a time period two decades ago, and letters and symbols like ‘#’ and lowercase ‘I’ indicate a place called Catalon? They weren’t even an abbreviation? “Now the next twelve spots tell us all about the story. These three let us know there’s a hero…these two say it has a little bit of mystery, and…mm. This one says it’s a little scary, so how about we find a different one?” Horror was obviously manageable for the girl, but she was still feeling overwhelmed by the system, yet driven to try and understand it. “W-wait, so…” Dawn tried to trace her finger. “So…so these three characters mean it has mystery themes?” “Yup! Very good!” Katherine was quick to praise, but the shine missed Dawn completely who was still trying to cement the understanding. She tried not to let her confusion get the best of her. Katherine was so casual and confident with her words, it only made Dawn more hesitant as she looked at it over and over. It was all a continuous line of letters, numbers and symbols. There were no spaces or breaks, and yet Katherine was somehow able to piece it apart like it was nothing? “Okay…” Dawn said quietly, and Katherine was putting away the book and pulling out another. And almost immediately when they flipped to the sequence series, Dawn spotted the same chain further along the 12 characters. “Wait, so that says there’s mystery in this one?” Dawn pointed it out, suddenly too preoccupied to even enjoy the touch and feel of the textured paper. Just like she remembered. It wasn’t smooth or rigid like all the ones back at the baby corner. What a joy, though. Not only did she get to interact with genuine books, but she was learning, too! But then Katherine made a noise, like she was proud of Dawn for trying, but she was un-arguably incorrect. “Oh, good eye, Dawn! But actually, right here are two different ones. It doesn’t say mystery, but actually this one says it has dragons, and this one says it has two main characters.” “...Oh…” the disappointment and embarrassment was hard to hide. She felt so certain, and yet she couldn’t have been more wrong. “Then…what about the first three after the location? So these…?” And just like Katherine explained, Dawn traced out the following three spaces after the first four. And instead of making the answer direct, the Amazon started with, “You’re really close!” It was like textbook childcare. Praise them right before delivering the bad news. “This time though it’s only just two characters, not three.” “But…how do you know?” Dawn frowned, looking down at the page. “How do you know where the spaces are, or…which ones stop and start?” Was she missing something obvious? Sure, Katherine had more experience with this, but…it just looked like nothing? “Well…sometimes you can just recognize them.” Recognize? Like Dawn just tried and horribly failed at doing? “Or, what we can do is take the first letter and the fourth, and that tells us the kind of ordering sequence the letters use…” Katherine’s voice was slow and careful, pointing each and every piece of the puzzle out, but the confused look on Dawn’s face was reflecting in the librarian’s eyes. Suddenly Katherine was looking sympathetic, almost as if she embarked on a subject far too complex for poor little Dawn. “But that’s a lot of tough stuff to remember, huh?” she quickly pepped up her voice. “You wanna keep looking for a story?” It was an unexpected detour that left Dawn feeling oddly clueless. It was the first time something in this dimension had intellectually stumped her, other than that stupid bread tie thing from that one morning… Obviously if she tried hard enough, she could figure it out, though. This sequence series stuff, that is. The bread tie too, of course… “I guess, yeah,” Dawn nodded, and was given the privilege of trying to seek out more books. And as They searched, more so Katherine skimming, peeking at the multi-digit code on each one, disapproving of each one someway and somehow, the Little in her arms was starting to fidget. As more time went on without a result, the girl was feeling more and more anxious “Don’t you guys sort by those codes, or something? Is it really just sorted by random?” “Some libraries do that,” Katherine answered while she filtered through book after book, “but that’s what all our special helpers are for!” she looked up to the ceiling, and by coincidence one of the drones was quietly sliding by on its rails. “It’s a little tricky for us to remember, but these guys can remember where each and every book is, and they remember that long line of letters, too! Soon though we will be organizing our books like that,” she chuckled, “but it’s a lot of books to move around!” After enough time Dawn was losing hope that there’d be anything Katherine might approve of, and that was only adding to her worries about Amazon books altogether. Was it just a bad section? It had to be! It’s not like Amazon teens and preteens went straight into text about murder, politics, and sex? “Mmm…oh! This one looks good!” “What? What is it?” Dawn, not even paying attention anymore finally glanced down at the book she was holding. “This is an older one…” Katherine passively mentioned, finally skimming through the actual text. It was all ink-letter print; some offshoot of Times New Roman. Times New Amazon? Just maybe. Either way it was just like Dawn expected, and she wanted to consume it so badly. “Helmsman of the East…” she commented curiously, looking the front and back over. “Can I read it now?” Dawn asked. The title alone was enough to send prickles up her spine. It sounded like an actual title. No signs about learning to like diapers, Littles learning to love their new “families,” or anything as disgusting of the sort. Just an unbiased, normal story, and Katherine could actually be the very reason she could escape from that. “In a minute, honey,” Katherine said, and Dawn watched the book disappear in the diaper bag. “You’re getting a little squirmy; time for a change!” she announced in a sing-song voice, and the accused tried not to blush, hoping the aisle was empty. The slightest perk to Katherine working here was having a full understanding everywhere everything was, and that included bathrooms. Once they entered the long bathroom, every step and click from Katherine’s heels was like a punch to her gut, skipping each and every bathroom stall on their way to a station not equipped to deal with the urgency of bodily needs, but only the aftermath of it. “W-wait!” Dawn whispered nervously, and Katherine cocked her head. “What’s wrong?” “It’s…it’s not…! It’s not private…!” It didn’t sound like anyone was in there with them, but what was to stop someone from walking in? A plastic foldable table bolted into the wall hung on the far end wall, right next to the mirror lining a long row of sinks. The only thing that would be keeping her from the public eye was Katherine herself. All it took was the right angle though from an all-encompassing mirror… “No one’s here now, sweetie, it’ll be fine.” “B-but what if somebody walks in?!” The argument didn’t stop Katherine from unfolding the table. “Then that means they need to use the potty too?” Use it too? Katherine could be so innocent and so nonchalant, yet somehow be just as insulting at the same time. Dawn used the bathroom just like every other Amazon, only in a completely different way. Christ, she didn’t even get to use it, she was the one being used. “Please, then just let me change myself! I’ll be quick!” “Dawn…” There wasn’t even a debate this time, just a soft warning from Katherine that just may have reminded the Little how that went last time. The devastation from not even being able to take off her own diaper. “W-wait, I don’t, I don’t need the–!” And the strap went on. “Shh,” Katherine soothed, brushing her shoulder. “It’s just so I can be quick, okay?” “So you mean I’d just get in the way?” Admittedly, there was a small amount of hurt, but mostly pissy attitude, and not including the diaper. “No, you do not get in the way,” Katherine was quick to correct, “But I can be super fast all on my own! And…off we go!” Her shoes quickly popped off after the laces were undone, and Dawn tried pressing her knees together to stop it, but the diaper bulk between them prevented her from stopping Katherine’s quest to take off her pants. “Please…just hurry…!” Dawn begged with her eyes shut, flinching as each tape ripped and popped. And then, if it couldn’t have been any more emotionally overwhelming, her toes hiding in her socks curled the moment she heard the front door open. She wanted to mindlessly beg Katherine to do something. Anything. Hell, exercise her authority as an employee to kick the stranger out. But she was too embarrassed, too mortified to do even that. The cool air on her crotch was suddenly the paralyzing chill, even if Katherine’s shadow was hiding her from the rest of the room. In a perfect world it would have been someone just going to use a stall. If only the world was perfect, though. So instead, a girl, or a mini woman was tearfully whining instead, “Mommy…!” “I know, baby, shh… Be patient, okay? We’ll change you right after they’re done, okay?” “Sorry!” Katherine, the social butterfly she was of course, had to acknowledge the people behind her, and Dawn stared up at the high, high ceiling trying to do nothing else but disassociate from reality just to hide herself away. It didn’t matter if she wasn’t being seen right now. Someone was waiting on them, waiting to use this exact changing table. Whoever it was, they would without a doubt see Dawn on their way out. They would know that it was Dawn just getting her bare ass wiped and her privates rubbed down with baby powder. They’d know that the crinkling diaper they heard unfold would be around Dawn’s hips. “Hm?” The Amazon behind them made a noise. “Oh? Oh! No, no!” she laughed, and Dawn watched Katherine’s head up above turn so that they could converse, and somehow it didn’t impede the diapering process by much. “Please, take your time!” “I promise we’ll be done soon!” Katherine lightheartedly apologized anyway, and Dawn felt no need to contribute. “Mommy…!” The girl complained again. Just maybe, what if she could be an actual baby? An Amazon-born one? Not one just picked up off the streets? It would have been nice to know this casual chatter wasn’t so morbidly fucked like every other Amazon, but by the same token, it’d make Dawn feel even worse. What a thought: she was laying in the same place that not only babified Littles got changed, but actual babies too. What made her any different from them? “Uh-oh, cranky?” Katherine laughed. “Cranky…” the other mommy agreed with a sigh. “Nothing we’re not used to, though.” And then in a not so quiet whisper she said, “She gets like this whenever she makes a stinky!” “Awh…poor thing!” She said it right as Dawn felt her thumbs smoothen out the freshly applied adhesives. A new prison for her posterior. After her pants went on, the strap was undone and she was lifted up. Dawn’s head was perched over her shoulder, forced to come face to face with the mother and mind-fucked behind them. Some random person in glasses with what looked like a laptop carrier hanging over her shoulder, paired with a much more bright and green diaper bag to boot, all the while held at her hip…? The sulking, grumpy girl’s face then lit up like the sun once she saw the fellow Little. “DAWN!” the voice shrieked, and collectively all three other folks in the room winced, albeit Dawn a bit more. “Kailey!” the Amazon holding her scolded the girl, only in a much more level voice. “What did we say about shouting inside?” “But! But she’s my friend!” Kailey, the same girl in the dress and yellow sandals from before; frog-lover Kailey, pointed squarely at Dawn. The mommy blinked in surprise, so did Dawn, and especially Katherine. “What? What are you talking about?” Kailey’s guardian gave her an off look, then said to Katherine. “I’m sorry…she’s a bit energetic…” “No, that’s fine!” Katherine laughed, though she sounded a bit confused as well. “Do you know her, Dawn?” and with her own charge held against her hip, Dawn was bounced like a physical cue to have her chime in. All Kailey did then was giggle and wave, and the smell was finally starting to catch up to Dawn. Not her own clean backside, but the one that was still in need of it… “...Y-yeah, we met.” “We’re friends!” Kailey, sounding not very helpful, added to it. Dawn never once remembered becoming friends, more so just this girl forcing herself into an acquaintanceship. Then the girl gasped again, pointing at Katherine this time. “Do you talk to the robots?!” Unless Katherine had some extra job Dawn didn’t know about, that was simply incorrect. She fixed them and performed maintenance. Robots didn’t talk, and even this dimension didn’t seem to have that. It was impossible. And yet in a shocking turn of events, “That’s right!” Katherine smiled, and Dawn gave her a weird look. The answer made Kailey squeal while the Amazon holding her only looked more and more apologetic. “Oh, wait–!” The other Amazon scrunched her face like she was filtering out a memory. “That’s right!” she laughed. “My daughter was saying something like that when I picked her up. She did say she met somebody at the daycare!” And finally acknowledging the Little herself, she smiled as she asked, “Your name must be Dawn?” Daycare? Dawn flinched, resolving it as just a generalization. She did not do daycares, so that was simply impossible. It was the Little Learning Corner, and nothing else. “Yes…I’m Dawn.” Katherine was quiet up until that point, looking from one person to another, only finally jumping in now. “You know my– you know Dawn? She made a friend?” No, she did not. Dawn did not make a friend…! “We sat at story time!” Kailey proudly reminisced like it was meeting a soul mate, only that one of them had ever felt the magic. “I think I was the first one to drop someone off,” Katherine explained, “I work here, so I can’t bring her in any later.” “Ahh!” The woman nodded like the final piece of the puzzle had been found. “I think I remember being in second place, actually!” she laughed. “Oh! And sorry, I don’t have any manners!” Maybe that’s why Kailey didn’t have any either… Ew, low blow. Suddenly Dawn was hit with internal guilt for kicking someone that was already down… So far down. “My name’s Sandra?” the Amazon offered a hand, and Katherine reciprocated. “Katherine. So nice to meet you! I can’t say I keep track of regulars, but do you come here often?” “Not too much, no,” Sandra shook her head. “I just needed to do some research on a drug for my work, and Kailey here was being a little fussy; didn’t wanna dump that on the folks at her usual daycare…!” And the pair shared a motherly laugh, one that Dawn wished Katherine couldn’t participate in. “Yeah? Well she seems like a real sweetheart to me?” Katherine complimented with a grin right at the girl, suddenly going from bold and brave to shy and demure. “A little time with me is usually enough to mellow her out. Well, that and clean diapers.” And just so Dawn wasn’t a decoration as much as Kailey, feeling the need to differentiate, she said to Katherine, “She’s a doctor.” The one other thing she remembered from talking to Kailey. “Oh wow!” Katherine marveled, and Sandra grinned with a crease in her brow. “Do you work at one of the nearby hospitals?” Suddenly the woman was laughing. “Ugh, please…!” Sandra groaned, giving her charge a playfully stern look. “I swear, behind my back Kailey tells everyone she sees that I’m some kind of superhero… I’m just a boring old pharmacist!” A pharmacist. Not a doctor. Dawn had vouched for her, and now she looked just as silly as Kailey, spurring along tall tales and make-believe. Meanwhile, Kailey the culprit simply looked distracted trying to simultaneously follow the conversation and dangle her foot around the edge of Sandra’s sweater jacket. “Awh, don’t act like that!” Katherine laughed, “She’s just proud that her Mommy does something so exciting!” “Mm, well…” the woman chuckled, “As cute as she is, she really knows how to inflate an ego…! Sometimes I wonder just who her actual mommy is! I wish I was a doctor! Just like talking to robots, huh?” “Right?” More shared laughs, more discomfort from Dawn. But the novelty was finally gone for poor Kailey, back to whining with a full diaper now everyone could certainly smell. “Oh, gosh!” Katherine gasped, stepping aside and hooking Dawn’s sneakers off the table with her free hand. “Sorry! All yours!” “Sorry you had to smell mine!” Sandra stepped forward and down Kailey went. “If I had known she was gonna do this, I would have picked her up a little bit later…” “Nothing we’re not used to,” Katherine dropped on a dime, spilling more secrets between her and Dawn like they were free samples. Her cheeks were hot and embarrassed, but at least they were stepping away, thank God. “Nice meeting you!” Katherine waved, and Sandra stuck a hand up from the operating table. “Likewise!” And suddenly Dawn was breathing fresh air again back outside. “Dawn…!” A disappointed voice was suddenly closing in on her. “You never said anything about making a friend!” “Wh-what?” Dawn stammered right back. “I…no, I didn’t. She’s the one that Dayna forced to come over to me? We…we barely even talked.” “She seemed nice, though? Her mommy, too?” Her “mommy,” the pharmacist, not actual doctor “mommy.” Dawn frankly wanted nothing to do with them, but forgoing the route of saying something mean or rude, meekly shrugged. Katherine tucked her mouth into her cheek right back, making a small, pensive look. “Well…okay. My break is just about over, sweetie. Ready to go back?” “Go…back? Where?” “Back with Dayna?” Katherine turned her head. “Wh…what? Why? You came and picked me up, though!” Was this a joke? Didn’t she set her free for a reason? “Dawn, that was just for lunch? It’s not that much longer?” “N-no! Please! Don’t make me go back!” It was an immediate plea. She knew the mess she had caused and the fire she started. If Dayna was vengeful, what if she tried to get back at her for being such a disruption? Was she going to be fair? What if she was like Stacy? Treating Littles like kids all up until they were an adult nuisance, and only then did they dish out cruel treatment. “Dawn…I can’t. Please don’t be upset?” “Wh…why though? I won’t bother you! Can’t you just let me sit with you, or something? A-at a desk? I’ll be quiet! Just don’t bring me back! I don’t want to go!” “Why not, honey?” “Because Dayna! What if she tries to do something to me?” “What do you think she’s going to do?” The look on the Amazons face communicated that she hardly understood what Dawn was getting at. Like any clueless parent, she was just trying to figure out what irrational boogie man was inside her head. “I…I don’t know? Just…something! I made her mad! If she does something to me, I can’t fight back, and you won’t be there! I’m…I’m scared!” It was the truth, and the thought of being delivered right back into the den made her clutch Katherine’s shirt. “Please…! Please don’t make me…!” “Dawn…” Katherine exhaled sadly, and Dawn was nearly quivering from understanding what that implied. There was no alternative, no other answer. She was going back and would be left at the mercy of a stranger she’d started and ended on the wrong foot with. And so they walked, embarking on Dawn’s departure to deathrow. She couldn’t watch. How could she witness her own demise? Keeping her head down, she sulked, not even trying to beg as Katherine’s mind had been made. She likely chalked it all up to babyish behavior blown out of proportion, and that ultimately the grownups knew better. Maybe it was all Dawn’s fault though. Maybe if she had fallen in line there would be the worries or fears of what was to undoubtedly come. She dug her own grave and now all she had to do was lay down and be buried. It was inevitable, and the thought of seeing Dayna again made her heart ache to a point that didn’t even feel right. Why was she scared? She shouldn’t be! She didn’t even do anything that bad…! Kids act up all the time, don’t they? Wasn’t that all Dawn was to her too? So she’d be let off lightly, right? Right? “Excuse me?” Dawn went limp when Katherine spoke up. They were back, weren’t they? Time for dropoff. Back to the internment camp. “Hey, Katherine, have a good lunch?” Wait, that wasn’t Dayna. It sounded like…Grace, was her name? “Oh? Bring back a little snack with you?” “Kind of,” Katherine chuckled, but started to whisper. “Do…do you think you could do me a favor? Dawn’s feeling a little groggy right now… It’s either take her back to Dayna and put her down for a nap, or keep her nearby while she does it. She’s being a bit clingy though,” and there was a soft pat on her padded bottom to boot. “Would you mind if she napped here while we run the front desk?” She…she didn’t take me back to Dayna? Was she covering for me? Actually? “Yeah, sure, that’s fine,” Grace agreed nonchalantly, and Dawn was ready to squeal a bit herself about Katherine’s best friend, and now Dawn’s. “I’m fine with it, but are you okay if someone else sees?” “I’m gonna give her a corner under the desk…” Katherine explained, though she didn’t sound so keen about it either. “I’m glad I packed her a pillow and blanket though.” “So now’s her usual nap time?” Hardly. Never was nap time because naps didn’t happen for Dawn. “Working on it,” Katherine said as they sat down in an adjacent chair. “It was either gonna happen now or start on the car ride home… But you’re sure you don’t mind?” “Yeah, no biggie for me. I wouldn’t try to let anyone else see, though. Awh, she asleep already?” “She’s definitely tired,” Katherine hiked her up some, and Dawn kept her eyes shut, opting for as much believability as she could. If Katherine was giving her a way out, Dawn was finally going to cooperate. “From the sound of it she’s been drinking juice all day and I just fed her some lunch… Sorry, could you hand me that jacket from the diaper bag?” “Sure…” Dawn quietly listened to the rummaging. “This one?” “Perfect,” Katherine took it and did something close to the floor. “And down we go…” And down Dawn did go. Right on the somewhat hard floor, but she was cushioned by a thin layer of material underneath. Katherine’s jacket, apparently. But her head did get a pillow. Did Katherine really pack something like that? Was she really planning on a nap? Dawn stretched her legs, remembering her lack of shoes, and suddenly that question felt a little bit more answered. This really was premeditated? “Dawn?” A soft voice whispered into her ear. “Not a peep, okay? Naptime, understood?” She had half a mind to ask if she could read that book, but Dawn wasn’t looking to earn herself a trip back to jail. “Mhm…” Dawn murmured back. Fine. The next best thing to reading really was sleep. No expectations to do anything but keep to herself. For once she would concede to a nap, only because it suited her wants and nothing more. It wasn’t giving in or being obedient, but instead furthering her own interests. Call it a low blow though, one Dawn couldn’t react to without making a scene, but with her eyes closed and unable to anticipate what might come next, she had no way of dodging the silent peck on her cheek. “Sleep tight…!” Katherine softly whispered, and Dawn tried to not make a face, pretending even to Katherine that she was already out like a light. The desk hanging over her was like a pseudo artificial darkness, offering a good amount of shade just to simulate the darkness. It was enough if she turned the other way to face the wall of the desk. But this was it. All she had to do was close her eyes, and just maybe, hopefully, once she opened them the day would be over. The library will have been conquered and triumphed, and she will have survived. A…victory?

Please Read this before reading that! Hi everyone! This has been a busy year for me that's led to a lot of inactivity as far as the DD board goes. I've been neglecting a public release schedule that I've promised before, and I plan on making good on that now. I'm sure many of you have heard about many creators from this community losing their Patreons, and I wasn't an exception. The situation sucks, but I'm working on putting things back together. That includes a new Subscribestar which is live now with all the latest chapters of Sheltered and Illegal Immigrant. Slowly moving forward I'll be reuploading previously lost content and stories alongside new stuff that will be coming in more regularly. If you are a previous patron and want to know where I am now, that's where I'll be! There is a public post on that page which goes into a little more detail about everything and my plans moving forward, but regarding here on the board, I'm planning to return to a regular release schedule. With that included, I have Patreon stories that I've featured on here in an incomplete state; I'll be trying to find those and post the remaining halves since it has been quite some time now. But for starters, please enjoy two chapters from Sheltered and Illegal Immigrant. I never imagined myself reaching quite this point as being a creative with diaper stuff, but to everyone that reads or plays my stuff and in some way is entertained by it, has thoughtful feedback, comments or considerations, thank you! Maybe in a way this reset will get me back into some better habits. As per usual, please stay tuned, and consider dropping by the Subscribestar! Thank you! Also, I'm making space for some short-story commissions at $15/1000words (10k words or less) if you're interested! For those who have discussed and we've agreed upon commissions prior, yours will not be affected. Admittedly this is a way to recoup missed opportunities given the circumstances. But aside from all that, please read and enjoy! 46 - First day on the Job “And you’re not forgetting anything?” Joyce warned her one last time. They stood on the final frontier; the point of no return. “No, I’m not…” Emily tried not to sound pensive, folding her hands in her lap. Why was she nervous? Ugh, it’s because Joyce was making her nervous! “Did you bring your phone? I wanna call you at lunch.” Joyce explained, then blurted out right after, “–But don’t think that means you can’t call me any sooner, okay?” “Joyce, aren’t you overreacting?” “Overreacting?” Had she not been sitting, Joyce would’ve taken a step back in shock. “Emily, it’s your first day! I want to make sure you have everything you need!” “And I do…” Emily puffed her cheek as she glanced at her side. Her arm and wrist were covered by sleek and puffy coat material. Pastel blue, because even in her everyday wardrobe now the colors were getting more and more livelier. One second she was hearing the cars and traffic nearby, but the next was a loud zipper traveling up her front. “Joyce! Stop!” “It’s gonna be cold, Emily! Don’t you wanna stay warm?” “You’re worrying too much…!” Emily pouted, but even she couldn’t deny the humor, especially when Joyce could get so “serious” like this. “The door is right there!” And she leaned out from her seat just to let her finger travel across Joyce’s lap and out the window, right on the other side of the sidewalk. Joyce turned her head to follow, showing her face again with a much more conflicted expression. “W-well…what if the wind gets really strong once you get out?” And all Emily did was sigh as she pulled down the zipper enough to free her face. “It’s not gonna be that bad…” “Urgh…I know,” Joyce grumbled, too disappointed with how the world worked and how little she could do (but of course, doing so “little” was a personal assessment by Joyce). Then with a hopeful smile, she asked, “Did you wanna bring Pip with you?” Instantly Emily’s head whipped and spun on a swivel, taking a second for the same motion to reach the ends of her hair. She turned and latched her hands on the corner of her seat like a gargoyle perching on the edge of a building. “Joyce! You didn’t actually bring him!” Emily cried in nothing short of embarrassment. Her first guess was to look in the back seats where contraband and stowaways were the easiest to hide, but thankfully they were empty. “Th…that one was a joke,” Joyce gave it up quickly, though she tried not to giggle with a hand covering her face. “Does that mean you would’ve wanted me to?” “No,” Emily pouted, “it doesn’t.” Then she settled back into her seat. The car was parked and wouldn’t be going anywhere. Not until Emily got out. “...Now you’re making me nervous…” A comforting hand dropped on her thigh. “Don’t be…it’s just the mommy in me?” Joyce gave her an apologetic look, but all Emily could see was the emptiness in her partner’s eyes. There was no mommy hiding inside of her because it was already out and about, worn on her sleeve like a badge. She’d already taken out all the tools from her shed and was tinkering with her little project like always. “You’re gonna do great. You’re gonna have fun, and then you’re gonna tell me all about it tonight. Understood?” “Mhm…” Emily nodded, tightening her grip and filling the car with a crinkle. And quite surprisingly, the noise almost made Joyce wince. It was far from the crinkles she liked to hear. While it came from her little girl’s lap, she was unfortunately out of diapers today and back to playing pretend grownup. The crinkle coming from her lap was a folded paper bag filled with only the finest cuisine to tide Emily over at lunch time. The crude, last-minute solution they had to use because Emily refused to bring anything else. “You know…” Joyce side-eyed the paper bag in her lap and hands, “we can still pick out a nice lunch box after work today?” “I said I didn’t need one…!” Emily groaned right back, remembering the “argument” they already had about this multiple times already. Frankly, bringing homemade lunch to work was somewhat of a novel concept to the girl. More often than not it’d been finding someplace nearby to eat outside the office; a time that felt like a millennia ago. “Why? Do you think it’s embarrassing?” Joyce was quick to the point when she asked. “N–…yes. A little…” Emily admitted bashfully. The last time she had a lunch box was when she was in elementary school. The only association she had was from being in the fourth grade with a small meal prepared the night before by her mom. She remembered the zippered lid, the ice packs her dad always kept in the freezer, and the slight bit of condensation that always lined the pouch when she opened it up. Since Emily was putting herself out on a limb, it was one of the few times when Joyce didn’t completely devour her. “Em, adults use them all the time? They make ones without designs on them, you know?” And Joyce was hating herself every second for suggesting it. A lunch box without a cute look to it? If only Emily had a favorite cartoon…! Dreams were often easily forgotten, but even with a slight blur Joyce could recall the “Day-One Daycare” dream. Such a good one, too. If only this Emily could be just as excited about it… But that was the challenge, and of course the real Emily was always the best. “I know they do, I’m just being…weird. I haven’t used one since I was a kid, so…yeah.” “Mmhm,” Joyce nodded understandingly, though that didn’t make her look at the paper bag with any less disdain. It was like a personal stain on her record as a mother. As Emily’s mommy. The looks she would get. The stares. The judgment. Her ability to care for her baby would be called into question, and the anxiety would eat the woman away because she would doubt herself too… Just like she was doubting herself now. Be forceful? Buy her one anyway? Then Emily would be upset…but how upset? The kind that she’d easily forgive and forget? Ugh! Balancing the grownup and toddler inside Emily was always so difficult… Though, only with time had she been slowly nurturing and caring for that smaller voice inside her partner’s head. Ironically, the baby in Emily’s brain was growing up. That was always exciting to think about. Little by little, slowly but surely, another side of Emily was becoming more and more prominent. But again, Joyce wasn’t malicious, nor was she cunning with any ill-intent. It was all a natural progression with just a little guidance… This was all a product from mutual hard work, and to even have these “difficult” discussions and think that these sorts of things were just a testament to what things were like now. Every day was a gift, and every exhaustion, crying fit, problem, trial or tribulation was only possible because they’d come so far. And so much further they could go… And by the time Joyce was done appreciating the moment, her lips were pulling back from Emily’s. “Don’t be so self-conscious, okay?” The energy had clearly shifted, now after a kiss Emily could see the soft and tender look on her girlfriend’s face. Something clearly must have struck a chord for her, and that always tempered Emily awfully fast. “I know…thank you.” “No, thank you,” Joyce smiled, and it finally gave her the strength to undo her seatbelt. “Can I give you a hug on the sidewalk?” And yet she didn’t feel the need to ask for permission to kiss. That contradiction didn’t go over Emily’s head and she burst out laughing. “That’s what you ask permission for? Yes, you can.” A few seconds later both women were by the car, embracing each other like it was the last time they’d see each other again. “...Shouldn’t you hurry?” Emily worriedly asked, pressed against her partner’s bosom. “I feel bad you’re going in late today…” “Emily,” Joyce scoffed, rolling her eyes. “This is obviously more important than that.” And on a similar note that she would not be sharing, Joyce shuddered when it crossed her mind. Knowing Sheila a bit better now… She’d likely even understand… “Have fun today, okay?” Joyce reminded her, and Emily didn’t look too pleased to hear the encouragement. “It’s work, Joyce, I’m not here to play!” Emily stressed, but even she had her initial doubts. She just wanted it to be what she’d been searching for this whole time. But by the fact of how supportive Joyce was being right now, the truth was obvious. Joyce was clear already that she didn’t like Emily’s relationship with work, or at least in searching for it. If they found a medium that made Emily feel productive and put Joyce at ease, maybe it wasn’t actual work at all. But then again, maybe it wasn’t an actual job that Emily needed… Regardless, this was temporary, and Emily in the back of her mind was still coaching herself to keep pumping out applications. Without a doubt she would be going right back to it. Even if Joyce felt differently… “Okay, then how about this: have a good day?” “Mmm… Okay, that one works,” Emily nodded with approval, and Joyce laughed, hugging her tighter. “You know, I could always just pay you to be my pretty office decoration?” “Yeah, but then I’d have to live in your office all the time?” “Emily, I own the company…I’m allowed to take things from my office back home.” “But what if you forgot me one time?” “I wouldn’t.” “But what if you did?” “I wouldn’t because I won’t forget.” “But what if–!” “Okay,” Joyce in a much more stand-offish attitude lightly shoved Emily back like she was leftover lunch, and Emily couldn’t stop giggling. “Nuh-uh. I’m done with you. Go! Shoo!” And despite the laughing, Joyce played the part of the disinterested by crossing her arms and turning the other cheek. It’s exactly why she was nearly thrown off balance when Emily collided with her again. “Sorry!” Emily giggled, squeezing her all over again. “Wanted one last hug.” Joyce hugged back, but finally let her go. “Okay, and for real this time: have a good day!” She gave her a small wave while watching her charge walk just a short distance over to the brick steps of a familiar store. “Bye!” Emily waved again, opening up the door with a jingling bell. “Tell Amy I said hi!” Then the door closed and Emily was gone. Finally alone, the goosebumps and the butterflies were sprouting in full force. If she didn’t get back in the car, poor Joyce would’ve been pacing. Her first day…her first day…! Joyce’s lips quivered, tightening her grip on the wheel with no clear sense of self. It wasn’t like daycare, unfortunately, but how couldn’t she be proud…?! Emily. Her Emily was starting her first day of work! And an emotionally frustrated whine took the sound of her car’s silent ignition. “Today better go by quick…!” Emily waited long enough to turn and look out the front store display to see that Joyce had left. It was silly, but the absence hit her with a strange sense of loneliness, like she really had just been dropped off for the day. A whole day away from home, without Joyce, and in a not so familiar place with a fresh face that likely had more than the bare minimum expectations Joyce always kept for her. But those same standards were being kept with Emily and held against Amy, who was characteristically not at the front of her own business. “Amy?” Emily called out somewhat quietly. What if she had someone with her in the back of the store? That’s what she did for all of her clients, right? Joyce was one of hers…and come to think of it, Emily was too. Though, she didn’t quite handle any of the actual business that had to do with herself. She turned her head around, almost expecting a scare to sneak up on her, but there wasn’t anything. This was feeling eerily similar like the first time Joyce brought her here, only now it was just Emily to figure out the mystery. Should I call Joyce…? Wait! What?! What was she thinking? Why did Joyce have to fix her problems? Who even said there was one? It was just an assumption; one that Emily out of reflex didn’t even try to solve herself. Awkwardly, she walked behind the front desk, almost expecting some kind of alarm to go off, but either Amy wasn’t paying for upkeep on her security system, or it was all just part of Emily’s imagination. Either way, the only noise was from her own footsteps and bagged lunch slipping deeper into the domain. And just in case if the universe still needed justification for her bold behavior, the girl muttered quietly, “I do work here after all…” Sort of, at least. The questionable employee peeked inside the workshop, dressing and display room. The sofas were empty, a nearby table with pins, threads and tiny cushions looked busy, but ultimately unattended. The multi-tiered stage surrounded by mirrors had no doll to debut clothes, and frankly the store was feeling quite empty. “How does she just leave this place unlocked…?” Emily found herself making comments again, mindlessly tidying a small pile of sketch papers. It was a messy workshop, but Emily could only guess that there was a method to the madness. She peered up and around at the wood panel ceilings, only then seeing the one truly spotless place in the room that she herself sure wasn’t one to talk. Emily made messes too, only that she had a mommy to clean them up for her. “Amy?” Emily called with another sigh, finally making for the stairs up to her apartment. Keeping her manners first, she knocked on the front door, waiting patiently by its side. Then…she knocked again. And…again. “Come on…” with a tinge of impatience, Emily went for the handle and turned. And all forms of security and privacy be damned, this door had been left unlocked too. It was the same, cleanly and modest industrial apartment she remembered from the first time. The same couch where she waited for Joyce and Amy to talk business downstairs… But finally, after wandering from the entrance, through the store and finally to the proprietor’s very home, Emily was finally greeted. The uncertainty fizzled a tiny bit and her frown perked into a cute smile. With a sparkle in her eyes, Emily cooed out, “Ashes!” Obviously it wasn’t Amy, and obviously Emily would have to keep searching, but that didn’t change that she was suddenly catching up with an old friend. The black ball of fur was patrolling on the square of countertop in the open kitchen, meowing as his pursuit was instant. His gait was sly and smooth and despite the speed his paws moved with grace! From off the counter he hit a chair, and from the chair and onto the floor. With no more jumps needing to be taken, the cat wasted no time in strutting right on over to the girl. Emily dropped to her feet, already pleased to be remembered so fondly. Even in her jeans she could feel his body brush against her legs, clearly working hard to cast a new coat of cat on her to reclaim ownership. Joyce just couldn’t win… “Did you miss me?” She giggled as she held out her hand and Ashes walked right through it from head to tail, arching his back just to feel it brush his body all over. He purred while she pet, and the reunion was sweet and refreshing. “Ashes, do you know where Amy is?” Yes, it was silly to ask a cat that sort of thing, but it was even sillier to think your stuffed animals could be as jealous as your girlfriend. Ashes didn’t speak human tongue, but at least he was something animate and sentient. But instead of a verbal answer, the only thing Emily got was a wiggle from his tail. Though, while Ashes didn’t have anything to say, now when she stopped for a second, Emily could hear a distant noise… Like a rhythmic repetition. “It’s not my fault if she didn’t meet me at the entrance, right?” Emily asked Ashes, and thank goodness the silence didn’t mean no. After one last pet Emily rose to her feet and that sent Ashes pacing circles around her like a shark in the water. Though once she started moving, suddenly he had become her personal escort, taking to her side the whole trip down the hallway, venturing closer to the mysterious noise. She stopped short of a seemingly normal, inconspicuous door. But alas, if her personal secrets taught her anything, that meant anything seemingly normal could lead to the farthest things from it. So instead she knocked this time. “Amy?” Emily called as she knocked, waiting for an answer. Nothing, but the noise was certainly behind this door. She looked down at Ashes who was already looking up at her, giving the feline friend a “what gives?” kind of face. “It’s not my fault if she’s not gonna listen…! Amy!” Emily raised her voice, knocking louder again. And finally, something changed. The noise a second later had stopped, then finally she heard naked feet moving across the floor. Closer and closer…right until–! The door swung open and Emily reflexively took a step back, face to face with her person that she was supposed to meet. “Oh, Emily!” Amy blinked then smiled. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with a pair of headphones resting around her neck. She smiled, but then frowned as her eyes looked like they were trying to see her own thoughts. “Wait…oh, wait,” she looked up and down, recalling where they were and where they were meeting right then. “Oh shoot! What time is it? Agh…! Sorry! Really sorry! I was supposed to be waiting for you downstairs!” “Uhm…it’s okay, I just…wasn’t sure if I should come up here or not.” “No, no!” Amy waved her off dismissively. “It’s good that you did. I usually listen to music while I work… Sorry I didn’t hear you knock at all. Uhm…” she pursed her lips as with her body taking up the doorway, she peered back into the room behind her. “Think you could give me a sec?” she gave an apologetic smile. “I’ve got uh…top secret stuff. Just lemme go hide it, kay?” “K…ay…?” Emily repeated, and her own awkwardness didn’t impact Amy’s delight. “Thanks! See Ashes already found you!” she laughed, then shut the door again. Both pets standing in the hallway exchanged another wordless look with each other. But turning on her shoe, Emily with her escort walked back down the hall. It may have been making use of an expired offer, but Emily sat down on Amy’s couch with a stiff posture, holding her hands on her knees while she waited. With enough space between her backside and the couch, it left ample room for Ashes like any other cat to make surgical and affectionate movements by creeping behind her just to sit on her right side. “Why do you like me so much…?” Emily wondered with a grin, petting the cat some more. At least with Joyce Emily could try and ask her questions, even if she didn’t always fully understand the answer. Maybe the magic in that mystery made it all seem unconditional. Fitting for a mommy, but perplexing for a cat she’d only met on a few occasions. An affinity for pets, perhaps? “Sorry, sorry!” Amy returned with the same energy Emily always seemed to know her for. She was short of her headphones and just in some loose pants and a long sleeve shirt. “Were you waiting long? Not just now, but like,” she twirled her finger in the air, “since you got here?” “No…not too long,” Emily shook her head. “Do you really keep all your doors unlocked though?” “No, not usually!” Amy pleaded for mercy as she excused herself to the kitchen. “I knew you were coming, so I left things unlocked just in case…” she explained over the noise of her fridge filling a glass with water. “I know, it’s bad. I’m scrambled enough to forget to keep track of the time, but reasonable enough to keep from having you locked out… So…?” She shifted her tone and hung her head over the window looking into both rooms. “How’ve ya been?” “I’ve been…good,” Emily answered, though in a very delicate manner. She was brave enough to have done what she did when she called Amy the first time, dressing in Joyce’s clothes, but she sure didn’t want to share it. In fact, it felt like there was a whole lot of her life that was just off limits to conversation topics now. Every talking point now somehow involved her in diapers with Joyce… Maybe if she just skirted some of the unnecessary details… “Hmm?” Amy hummed curiously, but kept a knowing look on her face. “Yeah? That’s good. How about Joyce? Has she been busy or are you two up to stuff regularly?” Stuff? What did she mean by stuff? Was she implying…? Or was it just a normal kind of “stuff?” “She’s been…good. U-us too, yeah. Yeah…” “Would it be easier if I talked about myself?” Amy politely asked, and as shameful as it was, Emily had an appreciative look. So right after laughing, Amy took the lead. “I always seem to be working on something! But it’s the good kind of busy. Lots of different things people want, so, you know, gets the creative juices flowing and stuff.” Emily found herself asking, “Do you take breaks?” “Sometimes!” Amy groaned with a stretch leaning from side to side. “I take the usual holidays off, but other times I might take an unscheduled sorta thing. Can’t say I go far though,” she pointed her finger right at Emily, or rather, the animal right next to her. “Got my hands full with that little guy.” Emily nodded, petting the cat again. “Thanks again so much for agreeing to help me out, by the way! Having the occasional assistant is a huge help for me,” and then she caught Emily right before she could interject, “--even if that assistant can’t sew!” “Yeah, of course,” Emily smiled, but the awkwardness didn’t subside. Does she even really need my help? This isn’t even a job-job…it’s just to keep me busy… Did Joyce ask her to do this? Was this all some big plan just to get me out of the house? “Oh!” Amy stammered, and Emily blinked back in surprise. “What’re you still doing with your jacket on?” She walked over immediately, beckoning with her hands as a sign for Emily to disrobe. “Be comfy, okay? Not like there’s a dress code, or anything…” and suddenly a second set of hands was taking the jacket off her, and Emily watched her deposit it on one of the few hooks still empty by the door. “Shoes too!” she barked without even needing to turn, and with a jolt Emily was already fidgeting with her laces. Apparently Amy put the “Fuck that!“ in formal. “Is this your lunch?” Amy was already picking the bag up off the floor. “W-wait, I can get that!” Emily reached for the bag, but she was too late. Maybe if she could’ve kept her mouth shut it wouldn’t have happened, but the urgency must have compelled Amy to look. She lifted the bag just a bit higher, softening her look once she saw it. “D’awh…!” Amy fawned at the seemingly normal paper bag, then kept leaning out just to see the look on poor bashful Emily’s face. “Did Joyce write this? Does she always do stuff like this?” “N-no…” It wasn’t even the right word, but for lack of a better one given how embarrassed Emily was suddenly feeling, Joyce had exacted her revenge on being denied a dedicated lunch box for her girl. “How else are we gonna know which lunch is yours?” Joyce said in a not so distant memory. “Guess we’ll know which is yours,” Amy chuckled, and Emily wanted to go back into hiding. On the front of her bag, illustrated in thick black marker was a large heart with Emily’s name, all in big capital letters scribbled right on it. Maybe I should have just turned the bag inside out… “Does it need to be refrigerated?” Amy asked as she was already taking it away. “Yes please… Only if you have the space…?” “Yes, I have the space! Emily, don’t be so stiff! Can I get you something to drink? Sit back on the couch some more!” “Sorry…” Emily muttered as she did as she was told and “got comfortable.” “Don’t apologize either,” Amy said as she shut the fridge door. “So how’d you get here?” “Joyce dropped me off… I feel bad because she’s going in late today because of me.” An alternative could have easily been worked out, especially just either from taking the train or a bus; something Emily in a pre-Joyce era wasn’t a stranger to. This wasn’t even considering being a burden to Joyce’s chauffeur. “Well I think she wouldn’t have if it would’ve actually been a problem, Emily,” Amy said as she forced a glass of water into Emily’s hands. And having an unfortunate track record with open cups on solfas, Emily was quick to stand up with her drink, wandering over to one of the bar stools. “You don’t work on weekends, do you?” Emily asked after sipping her water. “Mmm…well,” Amy’s eyes started to dramatically drift, “If it tends to be something fun, I can sort of be a slave to it… It’s kinda like a fifty-fifty.” “Is it okay for me to ask what you were working on in there?” Emily pointed past her shoulder and at the door just a little bit further down the hall. “Sure, you can ask,” Amy smiled, then smirked, “but that doesn’t mean I have to answer? Top secret is top secret, unfortunately. More importantly, it’s still a bit early, isn’t it? Did you have breakfast already?” she pulled back and turned in place, surveying her kitchen like it was her first time seeing it. “We…have…stuff. Mm, yeah. We have stuff if you’re hungry. Want anything?” “No, that’s fine,” Emily politely refused. “Uhm…Joyce already made me something.” “Oh yeah? Is she a good cook?” “Yeah, she’s honestly really good… She’s really amazing at everything she does, it feels like.” In spite of her flaws, those felt like the only pesky little technicalities that kept her girlfriend from seeming like genuine perfection. Maybe that was just the love talking, though. “Oh,” Amy suddenly scoffed, and Emily gave her a weird look. “Hm? Oh! No, definitely, Joyce is an awesome person. Buuut…” Amy started, then pursed her lips. “Actually, never mind!” Emily raised an eyebrow. “What? But what?” She was a gullible and innocent type of girl, hence why she could be baited so easily. Well, that may have been describing her to an extreme, but Joyce had certainly gaslighted her into being one. “Truth be told,” Amy laughed apologetically, “Joyce already gave me a preemptive talking to… Something about not telling you details about her.” “What? She didn’t!” Emily suddenly retorted, and her boss giggled. “She did, I swear!” Amy said, and while she didn’t know, the whole reason for the restriction was all in part to Emily’s curiosity and Sheila’s unexpectedly loose lips. “So sorry, nothing specific about the J-word.” “Really?” Emily asked again, but was already frowning. There wasn’t anything against Amy, of course, but it’d become yet another interaction filled with redactions by someone not even present to be censoring things live. “Really,” Amy confirmed, “really…ish.” “-ish?” Emily squinted just so she could read better in between the lines. “-ish as in: keep chatting me up and yeah I’ll probably let something slip,” Amy shrugged like it was something simply inevitable. Emily was certainly here to work and get things done, but she’d be lying if she said that Amy’s casual approach wasn’t comforting. All the same though, it was wearing down any sense of officiality that this got together may have had. Shifting topics, Emily asked, “So if I’m gonna help clean up, you mean your workshop downstairs?” “The workshop? Oh, the studio?” Amy clarified. “That sounds like a great idea, actually! Would it work for you if I showed you what you could sort downstairs, then I come back up here to finish some work?” “Top secret stuff?” “Super top secret,” Amy nodded affirmatively like her life depended on it. “Don’t worry though, once I finish up what I need to on an order, I’ll come down and work with ya. Makes it easier to chat that way. You can give me dirt on Joyce while you’re at it, too.” “You want me to give up secrets on Joyce?” “Of course! Just because I’m not supposed to talk about her, doesn’t mean you can’t? Unless…did she give you a gag order too?” “No, she didn’t,” Emily grinned, suddenly learning just all the mischief Amy seemed to have. “But actually, would you rather I waited to start…? I don’t wanna take your workspace from you.” Was it the reason why she was working out of a room in her apartment this morning? Because she planned on Emily coming over? “You’re not taking up my workspace, though?” The confusion wasn’t exclusive, but soon it was once Amy struck something inside her head. “Actually, guess I never told you or Joyce. Downstairs is kinda just the dressing-slash-studio area. I use that to let clients try their stuff on in-house where I can get feedback pretty quickly. Up here in my apartment is where I really get work done. Actually, we took your measurements downstairs that one time, didn’t me?” “Uh…yeah, we did…” Emily answered much more weakly once the memory hit her in full. It was the first time they had met and all three of them were in the back room. It was the same day Joyce wanted to run some “errands” and that was the last one of the day. Errands were all well and good, however what wasn’t was when Joyce was pushing the envelope on things. All she remembered about her clothes was that they were snug and one of her first dreaded diapers was hiding underneath… And just seeing Amy from across the kitchen window made her feel squeamish just remembering how close this woman was against her in one of her most vulnerable moments. Her padded rump contributed to those very numbers she’d been measuring and could have skewed her sizes… But they didn’t. They didn’t because she had worn something made by Amy before and it fit her perfectly. In other words, Amy knew about the diaper factor, and that was either because Joyce had told her or it was easy enough to determine that herself. Was it because of that day Amy had started to know? Or was it something else? Coincidence? Bad luck, or calculated plans? She was peppy, cheery and funny; all the things that made it so difficult to read any kind of ulterior thoughts and feelings. It made Emily want to ask, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. It was a double-edged sword. Just to satisfy the morbid curiosity she could learn to ignore, she’d be throwing the spotlight on something so touchy all over again. And when her back was turned, Emily gave Amy another judgmental look. This was the first time with each other alone and she was as lax as could be; like it was just another day with another friend. How could she just do that? Unbeknownst to Emily, Joyce often felt conflicted by the same exact things… “Ready to take a trip downstairs?” Amy asked. “Sure…oh, I can take care of that?” Emily reached for her own cup as Amy took it away. “Don’t worry, I’m closer, anyway!” “Okay… Thanks.” “No problem! If there’s anything you want, just let me know, okay? Or you can get it yourself, if you’re feeling brave,” Amy chuckled, and Emily smiled back. “Wait, what happens if someone comes to the store when you’re upstairs?” It was an important question as they were headed down the stairs. “Mmm, that shouldn’t happen. No one’s scheduled to come in earlier today. Just in case though, shoot me a text or give me a call, kay? I can take care of it from there. Either way, it shouldn’t come to that!” “Mhm…” and Emily hoped the same. She didn’t like the idea of dealing with people on day one, especially in a role that felt as formless as a block of untouched clay. Where was the training? The orientation? She really was just coming over to a friend’s house…except without all the experience as friends…and she was getting paid. How much, she had no idea, but nor was she planning on asking. Being paid to stay busy in general right now was technically what she’d been looking for, and given how pseudo supportive Joyce had been, it probably wouldn’t end well if Emily outright refused. Not that she wanted to. “Didn’t you say you needed me to try on some stuff for you?” Emily added as she watched Amy tidy up stray ends of her messes. “Yyyyes! Yes, I did. That’s actually what I’m gonna bring down later. Oh–” and Amy turned her head to follow something around the room, casting a scowl. “Don’t suppose you mind company?” “Hm?” Emily asked but was answered by a purring head rubbing against her again. “Ashes? S-sorry…” She apologized, and her four-pawed friend didn’t seem to mind much when she lifted him, gently holding his hanging body against hers. “I didn’t close the door; do you want me to bring him back up?” “Believe me, I love him, but he’s always playing with my fabrics! I swear, he does it just because he knows it bothers me…!” and Amy made sure to give her seemingly innocent pet a death stare. “But nah,” she smiled again, “he can stay down here since there’s no customers. If you get tired of him though, just lock him back upstairs. So, that means best behavior, got it?” Amy warned her cat, and all Ashes did was meow right back. With an understanding probably having been reached, Emily set the cat back down, leading him to quietly slip away, always hanging nearby and in sight. Amy’s gaze followed her pet with the same playful disdain she always seemed to have for him. “Y’know, maybe I can convince you two to babysit him just so I can go on a real vacation…” “Really?” Emily asked honestly, and Amy laughed. Amy chuckled, sounding like she wasn’t quite serious until Emily. “Yeah? I’m sure he’d be low maintenance around you two. Whenever Joyce comes by he always wants to play with her.” “Really? Does Joyce like pets?” It never quite crossed Emily’s mind. They didn’t talk about that much, if at all. “She seems like it…but, I don’t think she’s super keen on having one permanently.” “What’d she say?” “Mmm…I’m gonna leave it at that,” Amy deflected, looking like she was reminiscing on a sweet memory. “However! Joyce likes cute things. That’s your little factoid for the hour.” “So that means you’re gonna tell me more?” “That means my head is gonna be on a stake if I tell you too much. Gosh, you really don’t know how scary your girlfriend can be, you know?” “Yes I do!” Emily quipped back with a laugh. And going for a case and point, Emily started to say, “Like a few weeks ago, Joyce went to this investor thing, and she left the nurs–” and as fast as she fell into the story the realization hit her like a brick wall. Her eyes went wide and the panic was immediate. In her haste to contribute to the conversation and share a story she’d gone out on a limb she wasn’t supposed to. The room was quiet, and Emily was afraid to look at Amy head on. Did she notice what she was about to say, or was she just confused? Was it obvious that Emily messed up? Was she just going to let it go? “Yeah? What about your nursery?” The word was used and a sentence was finished, but it didn’t come from Emily. It didn’t come from Ashes, either. It came from the one other person privy not only to Emily’s diapers, but apparently her nursery now, too. If Amy didn’t know about it before, Emily clearly tipped off to it now. Emily balled her hand as she crookedly straightened out, glancing up at Amy who looked just as interested and curious like it was any other conversation topic. She wasn’t seething with judgment, strangeness or disgust. Just simple, transparent interest. Like any good listener would be. “Uh-uhm…nevermind…” Emily retreated with a quiet voice, but the attitude Amy had didn’t shift. “Okay,” Amy shrugged with a smile, acting like they’d just been talking about the weather, or something equally normal or socially acceptable. Did…did she even realize what she just said? She used the N-word! Nursery! Was that lingo for a workshop or something in the seamstress world, or did she actually know? She had to…she’s seen Emily in a diaper before…! “Want me to show you the best spots to start?” Amy didn’t skip a beat in asking the next question, moving on like they hadn’t hit a single bump. Carrying the conversation and keeping the rhythm as always. “Sure…” Emily agreed and followed her over to some shelves in the wall, now coming off as much more self-conscious. “So…it’s a lot of bits and bobs. Like,” Amy looked around the immediate space. “A lot. You can use these if you want,” she pulled out plastic drawer after drawer, showing and explaining where most stuff once was, and probably should still be. “And don’t worry about those high shelves…!” Amy groaned as she stretched on her toes, failing to reach as a live example. “I gotta get on a chair for those…” And another fun piece of information that Emily didn’t get to know: Joyce would kill Amy if Emily had to be in a high place… “So yeah? Just try to piece things out and maybe just sort what seems like they should go together. Anything’s better than what I have now, honestly.” “Uhm…okay, sure. Yeah, I can do that,” Emily nodded, and Amy smiled appreciatively. “Great! I’ll try to hurry up and finish upstairs so we can get started on some things down here. Remember: call me if you need me, and kick this guy out if he gets too annoying.” After one more nod, Emily let Amy leave, focusing herself on the mess Amy had left her to work on. “Oh, and Emily?” She turned her head, finding Amy crouched on the final step. “With everything I’ve done with Joyce, I don’t mind chatting about stuff like that?” And just in case there was room for misunderstanding, “Now you’ve got me all curious about the nursery!” she grinned and laughed. “Promise I’m good for venting, so if ya feel like it, chat away!” Then she left, and Emily stood by herself, feeling her anxieties stalking her from the high shelves out of reach. “How…” Emily whispered, “how can she just say it so easily…?” Talking was difficult. Very difficult. Good thing she didn’t have to do that now, though. The only conversation she had to have was one with Ashes, remembering to pet and pamper him and his fur every moment or so while she became engrossed in a therapeutic deep clean. Working for the woman holding second place in the diaper-spotting contest… And just as casual about it, apparently… “Thank you for moving my meetings up, Sheila…” Joyce dropped the passing remark as she walked by her employee’s station and into her office. “Of course, Ms. Summers,” Sheila answered on her tail with a bundle of papers in hand. “Do you want to hear what you have today?” “...Sure,” Joyce answered as she took her seat behind the desk. “There was an earlier brief this morning on adjusting the amount of volume we’re producing for ventilators… After that you were scheduled to take a look at a few internal reports, but that can be done at any point this week…” Sheila rambled and listed, but Joyce was already staring off in space. “Ms. Summers?” “H-hm?” Joyce’s head perked up and the finger leaning against her temple fell back on the polished wood. “Yes?” “Do you need me to repeat any of that?” “...No. A volume report, right? Just give me some advance before it’s time for that… Is there something I can do from my computer?” Work was stupid. Make no mistake, Joyce liked it, and sometimes even loved it. She absolutely did, but not as much as she loved Emily. She loved her so much that any new situation for her girlfriend was just secondhand shakes and worries for the supposedly dominant one in the relationship. Joyce could be fragile when Emily was, and at least to her attentive, snooping secretary the signs were just as obvious. “Is everything okay, Ms. Summers?” Sheila asked, but naturally a whirlwind of thoughts were going through her head. Not only for whether things were truly fine, but also what might be causing it… For starters, it wasn’t hard to imagine that coming in late today was part of the equation. “Everything’s fine, it’s just…” Just…nothing. “Nevermind.” There was no change in the look her secretary was giving her, but Joyce knew immediately she had already given her more than enough crumbs to work with. How was she supposed to hide secrets from someone she had to work so closely with? From the person responsible for managing her entire day? In order to separate Sheila from what she partially slipped herself into, it required Joyce to impede what was her very job. How ironic. How difficult. And in Sheila’s shoes, she was deep in thought. Crunching numbers and considering alternatives, but every simulation seemed to end in upsetting her boss… Sheila remembered their meeting after her night with Emily quite vividly. It was a clear sign she had crossed a line, both because she overstepped her bounds and her boss had already been pushing her in that direction. A mutual making of the circumstances, but it was what it was. And Sheila had been forthright and honest to a fault. There would be no more lies, no more secrets or absences of truth, and that started with confessing her interest and love for what happened with Emily. How much fun it was, how nostalgic. It was being just as honest when she also said that she didn’t quite understand why, or to what degree and what she liked particularly. It was shameful, but she wanted more. Another chance to experience what she had yet to fully grasp. It was a poor analogy, and a bit cheesy, but she needed more experience. More data? A conclusion couldn’t be reached quite yet, but she wanted another chance… So she looked at her boss quietly, wondering if something like that was even remotely possible anymore. “Okay,” Sheila nodded, letting it stay at that. “Should I bring you something to drink?” “Please.” And Sheila was gone. And Joyce was working, or at least trying to. Too busy thinking about Emily with a head stuffed full of worries, excitement and thoughts she couldn’t even begin to vent. Like many other times it was distracting, and even if she didn’t vent about it normally, just knowing she had to walk on eggshells around Sheila now was what made it that much more difficult. It was simply knowing that she couldn’t talk about it. But it was for the best… It was separating the spheres that mattered. It wasn’t fair to involve Sheila if Joyce was just going to get upset all over again… Lord, she hadn’t even told Emily the full extent yet… So distracting… So distracting… But as conflicted as she felt, it didn’t stop the passage of time. Like all plans though, most seemed to fall through. She had a chance to call Emily during lunch, but it wasn’t long. Of no fault of Sheila’s, but a shifted schedule meant less time to eat and less time to chat. Past the midday, however, what was peculiar was a phone call again from Emily, and so soon? “Emily?” Joyce answered the phone mid-walk down one of the halls of the building. “Hi Joyce…” “What?” Joyce was cradling the phone with both hands. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” “Yeah…” Emily murmured, sounding awfully reserved. “Uhm…can I ask you something?” “Of course you can?” “Can…can I wear a diaper?” 47 - Lunch “Pins should go…” One turn. Two turns. Negative half a turn, and she found the bin. “There.” Sifting through the little things was obviously the biggest problem. In trying to sort and clean through Amy’s workspace, it gave the clueless girl an awful lot of insight into the job of a seamstress, and possibly someone that just lacked organization. To the best of Emily’s knowledge Amy didn’t own a dog, but if she did, a rainbow-colored husky could have very well been the breed. Stringy strands of different colored thread were just about everywhere. God forbid her understanding of the craft was far too shallow, Emily stuck the miscellaneous of the miscellaneous in a different bin conveniently located right next to the waste basket. There were random buttons that seemed missing from a pair or set, but unlike socks at least they had enough individual character to possibly be deemed worthwhile. Hence why Emily had a separate tub just for that, too. After the initial mess was gone, to the untrained eye at a distance, you’d might think Amy’s display room was actually clean. Far from it, however, once you took a fine-toothed comb to it. Or specifically once you had Emily on her hands and knees looking underneath the couch. “How does this get down here…?” She looked down at a spool still thick with unused thread and added it to the rest of the pile. Accumulated messes meant over time the most bizarre things could wind up in the most random places. And as Emily walked around in her thin and flimsy socks, she was hoping dearly that with each logistical failure she found that Amy was at least professional enough to never leave a sewing needle out on the floor… Only halfway through the cleaning though did a simple yet strange thought pop into her head. When was the last time I saw a mess…? It was a broad question to ask with likely a thousand different ways to shoot it down, but thankfully in just the company of herself (and Ashes), she only had to deal with a biased critic. Just about nothing ever seemed to spiral out of control, as of late. When blankets, sheets and comforters got rustled, nine times out of ten Joyce had them straightened out at some point in the day. Emily helped too, but management seemed to be very strict about her doing much of anything other than recreational activities. Such as…playing with toys, or getting handsy with her mommy. But even the toys. Re-learning how to enjoy handheld things that weren’t electronic, or at least didn’t have a digital screen was embarrassingly a novel concept for the modern-age girl. She’d play with Pip, drag him around from one room to another in the apartment, sometimes bring a bottle with her too, but also forget it in other places. Sometimes she may have forgotten Pip too… Emily could leave small messes quite often, but Joyce moved like the wind in her wake to take care of it. And to repeat, it wasn’t like this for a lack of trying. Emily was discouraged from helping clean up. From cleaning up her toys, cleaning her own face, or…actually, on the topic of…not clean, even her own diapers… Maybe that was it? Joyce just liked cleaning? Did that explain why she wanted to be a mommy? And while Emily missed the mark on her thought exercise, she petted her assistant who had yet to contribute anything to the effort other than meows and demands for more affection. Who would ever want someone like that? Emily kept petting the cat anyways, possibly just so she didn’t read into the thought too much. “I wonder what her actual workshop room is like upstairs…” Emily mused, nearly straddling the top of the same couch Ashes was resting on. Then she stroked his fur some more, getting a tad bit distracted. “I wonder if we’d ever get a pet…?” Maybe. Maybe not. Emily wasn’t even sure how Joyce felt about pets, though if personal experience was any indication of anything, she sure was good at taking care of stuff… I wouldn’t want her being the only person who takes care of them, though… Case and point, Emily was certainly a good pet petter. A single finger for chin scratches could make Ashes pur like an engine. But maybe Joyce didn’t want a pet? After all, she essentially had one already. A bubbly, blushing, embarrassed pet that helped out on rare occasion. I’m not a pet… “Emily? You down there?” And she may have sprung off the furniture in a totally not cat-like fashion. “Y-yeah!” the startled employee called up to the banister. The wooden steps whispered tiny creaks and squeaks with each foot dropping by a level. Amy was hunched over, leaning her head into the room with pure awe and an open smile. “Woow! Look at this place!” her head kept turning until it finally ended on Emily with her hands sandwiched between her legs. “It’s almost like I never even touched it!” And while Emily smiled appreciatively, Amy had no qualms in laughing at her own expense. “You did such a great job!” Amy said it again, and it was another pleasant tickle for the girl. “Thank you…but uhm, I still need to organize a few more things…and I didn’t fully check over–” “Oh, that’s fine, it’s fine! You don’t need to do that now,” she shrugged it off. “I wasn’t keeping track of the time; it’s just about time for lunch, isn’t it? Wanna come upstairs and eat?” Was it really that time already? Sure enough, a glance at her phone was indicating a time just shy of noon. Time really did fly by… “Er…” Amy interrupted with an exaggerated worry, “Please come upstairs and eat?” Then her eyes darted around, looking for the bugs or plants that were assuredly listening in on their most secret of conversations. In a not so whisper she said, “Joyce said I should make sure you’re free soon to call her…” “O-oh,” Emily stammered back, remembering what Joyce had asked her to do earlier that morning. Call her during lunch. They talked about that in the car, so… “W-wait, Joyce told you that?” “You work for a very strict union, Emily! Now scooch!” Amy paced around surprise and shock personified and was the caboose kicking the locomotive into motion. Then like an afterthought, showing affectionate disinterest like her partner in crime did the same for her, she glanced back at Ashes. “Oh, and I suppose you’ve earned a break too, freeloader.” And after a dramatic stretch the cat hopped from its pedestal to the floor. “Do…do you always talk to him like that?” Emily half-stumbled up the steps, watching for the cat that assuredly followed. “Do I sound crazy?” Amy laughed as she brought up the rear. “It’s either that or I start talking to my mannequins, but at least Ashes is alive!” Then with reluctant honesty, each word from Emily was another step down the slope of decibels, flattening out into an almost muted whisper. “No, I mean…I…kind of do it…too…” “Hm? Oh yeah? Who’s your sound board?” “Huh? I guess it’d be…–! It’s Ashes! I mean, I was doing the same thing with Ashes…” Was it really lying if she bounced from one truth to another? Poor Pip. If only the world was ready for their relationship. It was on the straight and narrow from then on to the second story, watching the door ahead like nothing mattered. Just as Emily crossed the threshold a light brush on her back sent her through. “One chickling…” Amy sang, then hung by the doorway, waiting for the last soldier to scurry in, “Two…” Then with a soft click the door was closed. “Okay. Lunch time,” she clapped her hands and departed for the kitchen. “Oh, if you’d prefer to watch something while you eat, feel free to turn on the TV. After you call Joyce?” and Amy gave her the kind of look any expectant mother might. Thank goodness she was just an employer, though. And before the phone could touch Emily’s ear Ashes was meowing, ever so impatiently at his owner. “Shut it, I'm working on it!” the proprietor complained all the way to the pantry. One buzz… Two buzz– And not a third. Instead Emily had the misfortune of dialing the wrong number out of her contacts list. Rather than her mommy elsewhere in the city, sitting in her skyscraper office ready to eat right around the same time, it was instead a prim, prip and posh female fellow warmly receiving the other end of the line. “And to whom is this that I have the utmost pleasure of speaking with?” But alas, there was no danger afoot, as Emily was well-trained in the art of stranger danger. “Sorry, wrong number!” “Wait–” Too late. Bye-bye. “Wasn’t Joyce?” Amy asked on the trip back with a large bag of pet food in her arms. “Nope,” Emily shook her head and swung her legs off the bar stool. “It was.” “It was?” she cocked her head up over the pouring bag. “So then why’d you…?” Then Emily’s hands got the jitters, but not from nerves this time; technological vibrations. The phone had to have been cursed. There was simply no other explanation. Radioactive? Haunted? Those kinds of bomb defusals weren’t her wheelhouse, so with caution she held out the phone far away and made for a blind swipe with her finger on the screen. “Emily Sen!” A stern tone erupted from the speakers, and even without the mode in effect Amy had heard enough to laugh. “Emily, you didn’t!” Amy as a new spectator was equal parts shocked and amused, and having a supporter made the culprit grin sheepishly herself. “Joyce? Hello?” she choked down a laugh. “Did you just hang up on me, missy?” Joyce, a woman that when she sneezed wiped her nose with millions and could make the world move on a whim, had finally met her match; a tricksy little girl who thought herself apparently untouchable just because they weren’t in the same room. “NoOOo…” Emily exaggerated, just as poorly as Joyce did her impression. “Someone else picked up the phone!” “That so? Guess that means my voice must’ve been that good!” Certainly. If Joyce didn’t make it as an entrepreneur, at least by Emily’s story time standards she’d be a shoe-in as a voice actress. Come to think of it, Joyce would be great at a lot of different things… “Buut… Next time you hang up on me, you’re gonna make me sad. Understood?” “Gotcha,” Emily giggled, and her girlfriend was a bit toothy herself on the other end. “Are you on your lunch break now?” “Getting to the end of it, actually,” Joyce sighed, staring down her digital clock at the corner of her desk like it was evil incarnate. “Should I have called sooner?” “No, you called at just the right time,” Joyce opted for a not so honest answer. The last fifteen minutes had actually been spent drawing circles with her finger in her binder, hoping the stars would somehow align before time ran out, and thankfully they did. “So? How’s your first day?” “It’s been fine, but I can talk about that stuff at home. How’s your day?” “Boring,” Joyce flatly answered. And very busy. Who knew coming into work late meant a compressed schedule? “And yes, but you can also talk about it now?” Hiding her enthusiasm around Emily was a sport she was more than happy to lose at. “Soo, what have you been doing?” “Cleaning, sorta,” Emily shrugged, even if the gesture didn’t quite translate over the phone. “Amy said she was gonna have me help her with what she really needed later, so it’s probably gonna be after lunch. You know that room she took us to? Behind the front desk? She’s having me organize that.” “Well that’s nice of you to do!” Joyce beamed, and Emily as appreciative as she was, embarrassingly side-stepped the comment. “I mean, I guess, but she’s paying me…” “True,” Joyce admitted, “but still doesn’t mean I can’t be proud of you!” “Oh, and Ashes was downstairs with me too, so I had some company.” Very unhelpful company. “Well that’s nice; I think he plays favorites with Amy, though. She always says that he tries to give her the cold shoulder when someone he likes shows up,” she laughed, thinking of all the times he’d be nuzzled right against her leg, purring so sweetly. “He’s a nice cat, though,” Emily started to spin in her seat. “But really, is today just boring?” Her partner’s lips popped from the other end. “Unfortunately, it just is! More importantly though,” seemingly important, Joyce’s tone lowered an octave and the matronly might became heavy. “And Emily Sen, do not lie to me, understood?” Emily knew that voice. That horrible, worrywart-inducing voice. Instantly it was a moment of self-reflection. The girl’s mind raced from cabinet to cabinet inside her head, searching for the one, itty-bitty piece of incrimination; something she had done to warrant the scolding she was just about to get. But she couldn’t think of anything and the search was fruitless. What could she want? “Did you climb up on anything today?” And suddenly her big ball of panic popped like a balloon. “Joyce!” Emily whined, losing her composure with her back to the stage, leaving Amy to quietly watch with a speculating grin. “Wh-what are you talking about?!” “Is that your way of telling me you do?” “No! I didn’t!” she cried into the phone, cognizant enough to process the embarrassment, but not to remember who was listening in on her pout. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t!” “Oh yes it absolutely does. Emily, I said I didn’t want you climbing in the kitchen before, didn’t I?” “Y–!” she was about to agree, but for once she could see the tripwire lying in wait. “That…that was different! That was when I…” Finally, her memory kicked in and her audience was acknowledged. Her rage sputtered out into a quiet ember as she whispered into the phone, “I thought that was different…?” Hopefully it wasn’t vague enough, coupled with that the only real secret they ever tried to keep had to do with diapers. Joyce made rules during baby time, so seeing them flare up during grownup days was certainly alarming. “Emily, no.” And Joyce leaned out from her seat, looking for a silhouette that wasn’t there on the other side of her foggy glass door. It’d become an opportune moment so she rose from her chair, pacing around the office. “Rules like that are to keep you safe and from getting hurt. No diapers is no excuse to put yourself in dangerous situations. Do I make myself clear?” Were they really doing this now? Emily tried to stay inconspicuous, turning her head just slightly to see if Amy was hopefully distracted. She saw a phone in her hand and her eyes on it. Perfect! Amy was distracted. “Joyce…” she started up again, wary of her words, and jealous that by the sound of it Joyce didn’t have to be. “I’m fine, okay? I don’t need those kinds of rules when I’m like…this…” And it was the pushback. The tiny, itty-bitty retaliations that tickled Joyce so sweetly. Danger was danger and her fear was real, but discussions like these always made her giddy. How couldn’t mothers not love it when their kids throw a tantrum? The indignance, the back-talking, and rebellion. It was a chance for their kid to make their opposition clear, and by the same token it was the perfect moment for the parent to make a crushing, iron-willed teaching moment. “Emily?” Joyce’s voice was patient, but the expectation for a response was thick and heavy. And while she waited with her loving intensity, she peeked outside her office one last time, making sure there was absolute secrecy. And Emily, with her sixth sense finally active and detecting the shitstorm she just waltzed herself into, delicately slipped off the stool and nervously walked herself away to Amy’s couch. “Yes…?” It’s too fun getting to come up with this stuff… “Who wears the big girl pants?” Big girl…? And let it be Emily’s one and only allowed moment of weakness, but her eyes as if needing a second opinion other than her own sanity slowly glanced down at herself. “Me…?” “Nuh-uh. Try again.” “Us…both?” “Halfway there!” Joyce praised the answer, yet patronizingly beckoned for more. “Come on, sweetie, who?” “...You?” “Ah-huh, that’s right. Mommy wears the big girl pants, and that means Mommy makes the decisions. And because I do, you need to understand that I don’t make those decisions lightly, okay?” “Joyce…” Emily leaned from side to side, dearly hoping that Amy was really invested in something interesting on her phone… Emily in a hushed voice tried to rush the conversation along, “Can’t we talk about this later? I get it, okay? I understand…” And all she got in response was more syrup and sugar, making her feel smaller and smaller with each passing syllable. “I know you do, baby, but I also know that sometimes you need reminders?” Maybe she didn’t, but Joyce certainly needed recharges like this. Who was this really for? “But, okay, I think I’ve made my point. But Emily, who makes the rules?” Every question was like pulling a tooth, assuming the feeling was hardstuck and difficult, but erupted in a euphoric feeling. So probably not quite like pulling a tooth… “...You do…” “Mhm,” and by the tone of her hum, Emily could practically hear the solemn, motherly nod happening at the same time. “And who’s job is it to follow them?” “...Mine…” They were in separate rooms and separate buildings, but even that sense of distance didn’t seem to add any more slack to the emotional and mental harness Joyce had her strapped in. “Good. Very good!” Joyce beamed, then chuckled, as if the harbinger to announce that all was well and peppy again. “Okay, go eat your lunch now, alright? And make sure to have a good rest of your day!” If it was within the means of being a Mommy, Joyce was scarily adept at flipping her mood switches. Emily was still trying to come off the headspace she’d just been forced into, but was stable enough to close out the conversation. “Okay…” Emily exhaled quietly, “Mhm. You too.” “And Emily?” Oh no. More? “Yeah?” And then a quiet hum started, growing and growing in noise and joy as Joyce made a happy cheer. All courtesy of a private office on an executive floor. “Mommy loves you soooo much!” “J-Joyce, are you actually at work?” Emily couldn’t hide the concern given how liberal her partner was being. Was there really no one around to hear this? And all Joyce did was laugh. “Yes, would you believe it, I am! Now I’ll say it again since you didn’t say anything back; Mommy loves you!” And just like the first, Emily was glad she was sitting to hear it. The mantra made her legs weak with joy. To consider how warped she was to be so happy over such a little thing had a hand to her head like she was ready to catch the loose parts ready to fall out of her ear. “I love you too…” “Mwah!” Joyce kissed into the speaker. “Bye-bye!” And they hung up. It was like returning to another dimension once she put down the phone. Emily looked around the open apartment like she’d forgotten where she was. Another second gave her time to remember that it wasn’t her home. She was working, with Amy, and it was time for lunch. The atmosphere was cooling down and she had a look to keep up. A persona to maintain. Something with a semblance of maturity and composure just long enough until Joyce came and picked her…– “Emily?” Amy made a small wave from the kitchen. “Still want lunch?” “Y-yes, please,” and Emily with a half-broken mind was back on her feet and rushing over. “Sorry about that…” “Sorry about what?” Amy chuckled and motioned for Emily to sit. “Thank goodness you called Joyce; she probably would’ve thought that I was slave-driving you, or something. You really have no clue how scary she can be–!” then with a self-disgusted gasp Amy clamped down on her own mouth. “See!?” she giggled, setting Emily’s bagged lunch down. “I told you stuff like that was gonna slip! And I hereby use my unlimited ‘Please don’t tell her I said that’ pass for the first time!” “Okay, okay, sure,” Emily laughed right back and finally went into her lunch. “So, she make you anything good?” “Don’t know,” didn’t know what it was, but knew it’d probably be good, “she made it early this morning so I didn’t get to see.” “Gosh, she keeps everything a secret, doesn’t she?” and Amy watched for the reveal, perching her chin on her knuckles. Until the secret was no more. Before her was a hearty spread. A ripe banana, a cup of yogurt, sandwich, and a thermos. Though, when she wrapped her digits around the metal it didn’t feel warm. A drink? “Oh wow, that looks good, huh?” Amy remarked as she turned away. “Here, lemme get you a plate to eat that on…” “That’s fine, you don’t need to…” Emily insisted as she shuffled her lunch around, finding even a small stack of complimentary napkins as well. On top of a plastic spoon, Joyce really did think of everything… “Emily, quit being such a stranger!” Amy chuckled with a firm quip, and dishware clattered until a wide black saucer was placed in front of the girl. “And also, keeps crumbs off the counter.” Finally though she bit the bullet and ceased her complaining. “Thank you,” Emily settled and set her food on a new foundation. “I’ll make sure to wash it when I’m done.” “And you shall do no such thing,” Amy’s eyes rolled with a smirk. “Either I’m gonna clean it, or my dishwasher will, and you are neither of those things,” she enunciated with a fat finger. “You’re gonna eat, enjoy yourself, chat with me a little, then we’re gonna go downstairs, work some more, and chit-chat the whole time. Do I make myself clear?” The talking-to was swift and unexpected, leaving Emily in a daze that felt eerily nostalgic from just minutes prior. For a moment she was back to being in an obedient and attentive place, but only after Amy cocked her head did Emily snap out of it. “O-okay, yeah… Thank you,” Emily finally accepted with a smile, then slightly sunk her head while she fumbled with the top of the cyan thermos. “Good,” Amy didn’t seem deterred, then made the short trip back to the island where her food was. “So was Joyce on lunch too?” “Yeah, I think so,” the girl with her dedicated sandwich container said as she pried off the lid. “I think she was busy, though…all because she took me here today.” “Well if she is, I highly doubt she’d be surprised,” Amy shrugged. “She knew what she was getting into, Emily. Obviously you matter more than a tighter schedule?” It felt awfully narcissistic to agree to a comment about herself, so Emily didn’t say much of anything to that. Instead she was reflecting on all the ways she’d been a bother today. Making Joyce get up earlier than usual just to make her lunch, making her even more busy at work just to drive her around, and effectively killing whatever attempt Amy made at trying to be friendly simply because she couldn’t disassociate from all the baby brain Joyce was infecting her with. “Amy? Uhm…sorry, by the way…” “Sorry for what?” Here she was, apologizing for something she couldn’t even put into exact words. And yet, Amy undoubtedly knew it, and obviously Emily too, and yet the girl had hardly the courage or want to mention any of it in specifics. “Just being…” her hands had fallen into her lap where her thumbs could mingle. “Reserved, and stuff? I’m just…” she sighed, “I’m being weird.” “Yeah, you are,” Amy agreed, shoving Ashes off the counter and from her food at the same time. Cue the annoyed meow, and promptly ignored. “But it’s not like I wasn’t expecting that,” she chuckled. “Emily, I’m not gonna force you to talk about anything, but it’s the baby stuff, right?” Again, her words were like ripping off a bandage, and to that point Emily nearly flinched. But slowly, she nodded remorsefully. “I just want you to know it’s not like a taboo or anything, with me. If you’d like though I could be honest with you. Joyce pays for it, but I’m still kind of your seamstress, and all…” She let that sink in, staring Emily in the eyes, then sinking down to her lower half hiding on the other side of the counter. “Emily, need I remind you that the day we met I was taking your measurements when you were in a diaper?” And what was thought to be a national secret was apparently public information. Emily’s eyes were as wide as her plate with a frightened gasp. “Y-you knew?!” “Your clothes fit, don’t they?” And Amy watched with a hand on the counter as Emily couldn’t keep her mouth closed, slowly slipping out of reality. She knew that Amy knew about the diapers. It was obvious. She could have found out a million different ways, and yet…but…! “Emily, you-houu? Hey?” A pat on the shoulder was what roped the girl back in. “I know about the diapers. I know about the clothes, because hey, I made them? The nursery,” possibly because somebody admitted to it… “and how much Joyce cares about you, too. I’m not saying this stuff to hold anything over your head, hon, but I’m trying to make a point that there’s no real secret between us?” “B-but…” But what? But nothing! She knew. Obviously. Of course. The reserved attitude, the anxiousness, all of it today had just been formality, especially with how forthcoming Amy had been. She was standing at the halfway point since the day started, patiently waiting for Emily to finally open up about what she already had an understanding of. It was just being polite and maintaining formality. “Look, we’re friends, aren’t we?” Amy stood back with her hands still glued on the marble top, smiling warmly. Friends? Wasn’t she friends with Joyce, though? Kids weren’t friends with their mommy’s…– Lord, how bad was Emily? More aptly, wasn’t it weird to be friends with your girlfriend’s commissioned seamstress? Sure, maybe, but wasn’t it also weird for them to know about the diapers you wore, the nursery you had, and all the big baby clothes you needed too? Absolutely. Relatively speaking, friendship was the lowest in the pecking order. By monumental magnitudes. “No?” Amy grinned, letting enough silence go by. “We’re not?” “We are!” Emily stammered, then quickly settled herself back in. “I just…how can you talk about it so easily?” “Because I am who I am?” Amy gave another clueless shrug. “Emily, I love making clothes for you. The cute ones, specifically,” she pointedly corrected. “If you asked me why, all I’d say is because I like cute things? I don’t know? Making them for an adult is just a…really cute juxtaposition,” she pinched her chin while she thought about it. “Point is, I like it, and that’s all there is to it. You wear diapers,” and Emily really did flinch that time, “and that’s also all there is to it, too? There’s a reason, I’m sure, but I don’t care, and you don’t need to either. I hope that I’ve made it clear already, but just so there’s no misunderstandings: Emily, you’re into baby stuff and that’s fine. I am too. So let’s not put up any walls around us because you’re nervous about spilling any secrets, okay? So who is it you talk to other than Ashes? Who, a stuffed animal?” “N-no!” “Ah! See?” Amy accused her with a finger, “No lying,” with a playful finger she sliced her own neck. “Who is it?” And finally with her back against a wall, Emily bit her lip and made a nervous leap of faith. “...P…Pip. It’s Pip.” It was supposed to be a gateway into a relaxed discussion, yet Amy drilled further like it was an interrogation. “What animal are they? Do they stay at home?” “He’s…not an animal. He’s stuffed mochi. And yes, he stays at home.” “Mhm?” Amy nodded attentively. “Wait,”she had a double take, “Mochi? What’s that?” “It’s like a dessert, so it’s not really an animal…” “Do you play with him?” “Not…not completely…” “But a little?” “No, not a little.” “Not a lot?” “No, not a lot.” Emily shook her head skeptically. Didn’t they start with that? “Well what do you do with him?” “I dunno? I just…bring him into other rooms, and stuff.” Why did she even want to know? “Here,” and in the midst of the questionnaire, Amy had Emily’s yogurt in her hand, peeling off the foily top. “Have that while we talk.” And Emily, the demure and domesticated, actually accepted it. “So you take him with you around the house? That sounds like playing to me?” “How? I just…use him like a pillow, and stuff.” “So cuddles?” Amy clarified, like she was about to pull out a dictionary. “Sorry, Em,” she gave her a hopeless look, “sounds like playing to me.” “Wh-what does it matter if I play with him, or not?” “That’s the whole point,” Amy frowned right before grinning, “it doesn’t.” It didn’t matter who or what Emily played with. It didn’t matter what she did, what she wore or how she acted. Amy was clear from the start that she didn’t care to the point of foregoing all judgment completely. She made it clear that she was interested and willing to bounce back on any kind of conversation, as long as Emily was brave enough to pull out what Amy already knew. So many obstacles and so many gymnastics over a pointless chase. “Emily,” Amy sighed with a hand against the nearby beam, “you’re kinda putting me on the spot here? Can’t I just chat with my friend, or am I gonna have to be bored and keep to myself all day?” Then she turned the pressure up just a little more. “Still wanna know about the nursery…!” Amy sang, and Emily was either on the brink of shutting down or blowing up completely. She needed a heaping helping of yogurt to deliberate. “That strawberry?” Amy peered over the chunks of red hiding in the creamy white. “Yeah…think so…” Emily murmured from her seat. It was their constant sidesteps and casual shifts into much tamer topics that kept throwing the girl off. She couldn’t code switch like Amy could. Amy was a sewing machine, rapidly and vigorously tying together all topics entirely; until there was no more distinction and separation between casual and confidential. The entire day was just a melting pot of emotions and ideas. Casual was exactly that, even if it meant the weather or Emily’s latest punishment. She swallowed her treat, and Amy was already fussing with removing a banana from its peel. “Do…do you really wanna know?” But first, with a naked fruit in her hand, Amy asked, “Want me to cut this up?” Damn it. Another juggle in topics. Every swap was like a lossy translation. Every switch meant some kind of steam was lost. She had to be secretive and guarded, but not when it came to things as mundane as her own lunch. She couldn’t keep going from sharp to dull without slowly averaging out in between. What kind of mind games was this woman playing? “N-no…” “Okay,” and the woman took the trash with her. “And yeah, Emily, I’ve asked like twice now! Tell me what’s up! Or don’t? But if you don’t then we’re gonna need to find something else to talk about because I don’t wanna just hear my voice all day.” More yogurt was consumed and so was some of her banana. Perfectly ripe. Soft, but not too soft and with just the right amount of firmness… Joyce probably wasn’t that methodical, but even in times like these Emily couldn’t help but think about her. This was her chance, wasn’t it? Someone to talk to? To vent? Joyce was always her number one confidant, but even with her, especially with how intimate they were– with this, she for lack of a better explanation was too close to the crime… “Well it’s…it’s not even that big of a deal…” “Ugh, perfect then!” Amy slapped her counter, “that means you can tell me! The more you make me wait, the more curious I get! Right, Ashes?” Amy barked at her pet with a sharp pivot on her neck, and on command with impeccable comedic timing, the cat meowed right back. “Oh! He actually meowed!” Amy laughed in a moment of self-surprise. “But I swear, I’m not a crazy cat lady or anything!” Even Emily in her mental muck, stuck at a crossroads found it in herself to smile and even giggle. Her toes were anxiously pressing against the wooden panel underneath the counter and her bare elbows hung off the edge, but all those adrenaline-fueled sensations were starting to drop as the tempo relaxed and her guard was being disarmed. So she wiped the corner of her mouth and finally and truly surrendered herself. “...So do you remember how I mentioned about Joyce going to an investor thing…?” “Yes,” Amy nodded attentively, but didn’t spare another second in interrupting. “Actually, wait!” she held out a stopping finger. “Let me make some coffee real quick?” And like a cold splash of water Emily was halted on the tracks. “Oh, uh, sure. Actually…could I have some too?” “Yyyes…” Amy answered half-heartedly, obviously with her head in a different place, and her eyes on something else. “What’d Joyce pack you in that thermos?” Emily looked over at the blue metal tube, “Oh right, I forgot…” and she fumbled with the cap and unscrewed the top. It was hard to see, but it certainly wasn’t anything hot. “Want a cup?” Amy, a lot like Joyce, seemed to shoot while she asked her questions. “Thanks,” Emily accepted the glass which became the perfect moment for Amy to take the thermos for herself. “Think it’s wine?” Amy tried to tempt her with an excited look, and Emily gave her a skeptical smirk. “Yeah,” she dropped the suspense, “probably not…” And out poured into Emily’s cup a familiar amber substance. Juice. Apple, to be specific. “Apple juice, too?” Amy sounded nothing but impressed. “Jeez, she really does treat you like a royal, huh?” and so did she by screwing the cap back on for Emily. “Alrighty, actually, just chat with me anyways while I make my stuff. I’m listening!” Apple juice, yogurt, a banana, and a sandwich. A spread fit only for the most kingly of kings, or princy of princesses. While she balanced her intake of all the different sides of her meal, Emily finally opened back up. “So you remember the event I mentioned?” “Yeah, the one Joyce went to?” “Mhm. So it was an overnight thing and she had to take a plane early in the morning. And when we…” the first roadblock was always the hardest because it meant covering new ground. “Whenever we…do our thing, the nursery is open… So when we aren’t, Joyce keeps it locked…” As honest as she was being, her voice and volume were hardly up for the challenge. And yet Amy seemed to be hearing it all without issue. “Do you guys have like a key for it?” Amy asked over the noise of her squirbling coffee machine. “Yeah, but Joyce has it, and as far as I know there’s only one…” Maybe they had two, but Emily didn’t even know where Joyce kept the first. On her person at all times? It was bad timing, but a small, mischievous activity was suddenly coming to mind. Now she had a small scavenger hunt she could try and do someday… “That’s a good idea, though. To keep people from accidentally walking in, and everything,” Amy openly thought. “Yeah,” Emily nodded, though she could imagine a few more reasons why she had a key for it… “But anyway, I think she was in a big rush that morning, because she forgot to lock it.” “Oh!” Amy gasped, despite hardly knowing the gravity. But she wasn’t ignorant to storytelling, which is why she kept looking back excitedly from her coffee pour. “So did you go in? Do you guys have a rule about that sort of thing?” “W-well…” Emily was certainly good at following rules. Even as a kid, barring her occasional upsets that was fair to expect from any typical child, held them in high regard. She understood the concept of cause and effect; consequences. Breaking rules begets punishments. Simple as that. “Since it was just gonna be me there the whole day…” Why was she looking away? Why were her eyes off to the side? “I may have gone in…” “Emily!” Amy gasped again, and the sound of surprise was almost paralyzing. It sounded like round two with Joyce all over again, except with a totally different vibe. The disappointment and disapproval was all there, but unlike Joyce’s cool, tough and teasing love approach, Amy’s was lush and uncut. She sounded like an actual…you know. Like little Emily, the sweetest girl she’d known for the toddler’s entire life had just committed a crime so severe, sitting so far above whatever standard or expectation she held her to. “I-it wasn’t even that bad!” Emily cried and an instinctual switch put her on the defensive. “I-I went in because no one would know!” It was round two all over again, as if Amy were Emily’s second shot at making a plea to a case that had already been solved and shut. “Yeah, but I’m guessing she did?” Amy raised an eyebrow, and all it took was the guilty look starting to show for the woman with a mug a coffee to laugh again, shaking her head. “What’d you even go in there for if you’re not supposed to?” “Just for clothes! Those pajamas you made me!” “One of the onesies?” “No, the footie ones!” “Ahh! So you guys keep that stuff in there?” she brought a hand to her chest, “I’m touched!” “I think it’s the only clothing we keep in there…” Emily propped up her head on a knuckle, chewing her bite of sandwich. “It was just a lazy day and Joyce made the mistake, not me! I just wanted to wear something soft!” “Yeah, but it was supposed to be locked up, right?” “Yes!” Emily threw out her hands at the sign of a growing comradery. Great! So Amy was seeing it too! “So you knew you weren’t supposed to be in there?” And suddenly the spark had fizzled and Emily’s mouth was sagging by the corners. Meanwhile, Amy was giving her an expectant look. “But she left it unlocked…” the girl tried her line of reasoning again, like the result would somehow be any different. “Yeah, but it sounds like you knew it wasn’t intentional,” Amy chuckled. “All I’m hearing is that you broke the rules?” “Maybe, but doesn’t Joyce get in trouble for making a mistake too?” “Ahp!” Amy caught her like Ashes swiped her tongue. “That’s different, though! She made a mistake and you made the choice to do what you did! Gotta say, Em, didn’t think you had that kinda mischief in you…!” “Yeah well,” Emily puffed out her cheek, “Guess I’ve been getting it from somebody.” And the side remark had Amy in stitches, giggling before and after a sip from her mug. The she asked the million dollar question, “So she obviously found out, right?” And like it was admitting to a stain on her flawless record, after crossing her legs, un-crossing, then finishing the rest of her yogurt, Emily muttered without eye contact, “Yes…she found out.” “Well now I gotta ask how? Does she memorize the way she organizes them, or something?” God forbid, Emily had yet to test the waters like that. If Joyce really was that superhuman then there really would be no secrets to guard from her. No, instead, Joyce as deductive as she was had actually been thrown a very obvious bone by a very clumsy criminal. “No…I…took it off at one point because someone came over and didn’t want them to see me like that… So I…left it under the bed in the room Joyce and I sleep in.” “What?” Amy pulled back her head, “Emily, no!” She couldn’t stop laughing. “That’s like borrowing rule number one! Put it back where you found it!” “She found it under the bed,” and Emily sighed, remembering the consequences that eventually led to her wetting the bed, including her pajamas, “and she wasn’t happy…” “Learned your lesson, I take it?” The implication of a punishment was clear even without directly asking. A solemn nod came back. “Mm. Well, then for both our sakes, let’s not do anything to get you in trouble, huh? Or I guess me, for that matter… Almost done with your lunch?” “Yeah, and thanks for helping me get it together…” “Yeah, of course! It’s nice getting to help every now and then. Oh, actually, do you mind if I ask a kinda personal question? Just cuz it’s related to the clothes, and all.” “Uh, yeah…sure? What is it?” How personal could it be? Emily just got finished explaining the whole nursery debacle and practically felt secondhand scolded because of it. “When you wore those pajamas, were you in a diaper?” Bold and unashamed. There was hardly a cloud in Amy’s mind when she asked, and Emily as per usual was taken aback. “Uh…no…” “Mhm,” Amy nodded appreciatively, taking down internal R&D notes. “Just wanted to know how the fit felt without them. Any reason why ya didn’t?” “It fit fine, but…” But what? Was it truly fine to tell Amy whatever she wanted? “We…sort of have a rule about…diapers…” “Uh-oh, you didn’t go breaking another one, did you?” Amy looked as if she feared for the worst while she nursed the edge of her coffee mug. “Ah, don’t forget about that juice, by the way,” she quietly pointed out the cup that still needed some draining. “No, not this time.” Probably because I can’t even imagine how severe the punishment for it would be… Emily paused to finish her cup of juice. “I’m not…uh…” her fingers started weaving, “I’m not allowed to put on my own diapers…” And instead of an awkward noise, an offhand comment or general disgust, all Amy did was, “Ahh…” and she nodded. “Yeah, Joyce kinda sounds like a real Mama bear. I’d be wary if I were in your shoes, too… So uhm…actually…how does that rule work?” How does it work? “I mean…it’s just that I can’t put on a diaper…Joyce said she wants to…be in charge of that stuff.” Not like Emily was looking to assume any of that responsibility, though. “So even if you asked, Joyce wouldn’t let you put on one?” “No…probably not.” And Amy quietly nodded, though for once she wasn’t immediate with a follow up. Like she was thinking. “Well, uhm, hey, how about we clean up here and move downstairs?” Amy clapped her hands together. “Thanks for being so open with me, but the way,” and she stepped beyond the barrier again by patting Emily on the shoulder. “It’s fun getting to hear stories from you, you know! I take it that you’ve got more for me?” And in spite of the subject material, Emily’s smile was slowly starting to come back. “If…if you just let me think a little?” “I think I can manage that,” she agreed herself with a serious nod. “And also, Emily? You’ll do what you think is the smart decision, but please,” she leaned in closer, “don’t break too many rules? I still need Joyce leaving you in one piece if you’re gonna come over and help me out…!” And all it took was that to get both women laughing. A tense lunch had dissolved and become something far more freeform than Emily could have ever imagined. With far less restraint she somehow managed to actually talk about her own experiences. She opened up for once! She got to complain and vent about something so bizarre, and yet Amy listened wholeheartedly, even if she seemed to be a little more in Joyce’s camp… But with no other way to describe it, just having someone like Amy…who knew it could have felt this…good? “Oh, I can get that, honey,” Amy assured her by taking the empty plate out of her hand. “By the way, don’t forget to bring your juice downstairs!” And obediently, Emily took the thermos and dropped down to her feet without a comment. After rinsing her hands she was the first one headed for the stairs, giggling a small bit once Ashes was fast to find her and join the carpool. Hanging out with Amy isn’t all that bad…?

Maybe. I've tried continuing it and never really gotten anywhere. It never had much of a plot, just a meandering fantasy honestly. I can't really write that way anymore. Anyway here is the next chapter of this story: Part 7 "Patty,” Aunt Linda exclaimed to the plumpish woman who answered the door “Thank you so much for inviting us.” “My pleasure Linda,” the woman replied. She looked down at me “And this must be Jason.” She leaned over to address me “Don't you look handsome in your little bunny sweater.” I squirmed slightly but Mommy gave my hand another reassuring squeeze. I looked at her and saw her beaming proudly at me. “Thank you,” she said as she smoothed my hair “he picked it out all by himself.” The woman chuckled as she motioned us inside “Well come on in,” she said, “it's getting chilly out there.” She led us down the hallway and into a cozily furnished living room. “I put out some old toys for Jason so he has something to do while we yak,” she motioned towards a pile of brightly colored playthings in one corner of the room. “That's very kind of you,” my mother said letting go of my hand “Can you say thank you to Mrs. Powell?” “Thank you,” I murmured while I surveyed what had been set out for me. One item stood out. “Your mommy said you liked your farm set while we were talking on the phone,” Mrs. Powell explained, “so I got out the one my son used to play with a long time ago.” I sat down on the floor next to the toys and started to poke through them. While Mrs. Powell went into the kitchen Mommy took a bottle from the diaper bag. “Just a little juice in case you get thirsty,” she said as she sat it down beside me. As continued to tentatively go over the pile of toys Mrs. Powell returned with coffee for the four of them. I looked back at Mommy as she sat back with her coffee chatting and then to the bottle she'd left me with. Everybody was so relaxed and natural and I began to feel relaxed and natural as well. I took my bottle and drank from it as I contemplated the toy farm in front of me. In a few minutes, I was back to where I was that morning, playing out a little story and taking comfort in being watched over by people who cared about me. Sometime after becoming absorbed in playing, I felt my diaper being checked. “I saw you finish that bottle and I knew you'd be soaked,” Mommy said as she reached into the diaper bag. My cheeks burned. “Yeah, I guess I should have told you.” “Oh sweety, that's not something you should worry about,” she took a changing mat from the bag “You were too busy playing.” She laid out the mat nearby and retrieved some baby powder and wipes. I quickly looked back at the three women who were seated nearby. “Just lie back baby,” she said sweetly as I sat motionless. “We've all seen little boys getting changed.” Suddenly I felt silly for all my reluctance. This seemed like the way things were meant to be, and nobody but me had any qualms about it. I settled onto the mat. “Good boy,” Mommy cooed as she unbuttoned my pants “We'll have you all clean and dry in no time.” She quickly unfastened the tapes and pulled the diaper away. “Diapers today are so much more absorbent than they were when mine were little,” Mrs Powell opined. “Lucky for your carpet I think,” Mommy laughed as she rolled up the sodden diaper and stuck it in a plastic bag. She smiled at me. “Somebody liked their juice, didn't they” she said as she gave my tummy a tickle. She didn't bother to wait for a response before taking a wipe. “Lift up honey,” she requested. I complied she began to gently clean me up. “It is nice not to worry so much about diaper rash. This little guy has always had such sensitive skin, he'd be all red already if these weren't so good.” I was already blushing but now my cheeks were burning. She sprinkled a generous helping of baby powder onto my bottom. “Still needs a little of this to keep him truly dry though,” she said as she rubbed it into my skin. She pulled a fresh diaper from the bag and unfolded it. “Those designs are just adorable,” Mrs Powell exclaimed. “What brand are you using?” “Pampers,” Aunt Linda answered. “That was Sarah's idea.” “We had some extra in the nursery. Just his size, and dependable like you said.” Sarah added. Mommy slid the diaper under me and fastened it snugly in place. “Want to come sit with us,” she asked as she pulled up my pants and snapped them up. “Sure,” I shrugged as she helped me to my feet. I followed her over to the couch and sat down beside her. “Not like that silly boy,” she said and pulled me onto her lap. “That's better,” she said as she wrapped her arms around me. Mrs. Powell smiled “Nothing like a cuddle with a freshly changed little one is there?” Mommy hugged me tighter “I think we both feel very lucky, don't we?” “Yes Mommy,” I said bashfully, prompting delighted awwws from the four women. “I almost forgot something,” Mommy said reaching into a pocket of the diaper bag. She took out a pacifier and held it to my lips. “Here you go baby,” she cooed. I took the pacifier and smiled as I began to nurse. “And maybe something to do while we talk?” she said pulling a large pop-up book from the bag as well. I inspected the cover for a moment “Johnny's Christmas Wish” read the title above an intricately detailed picture of a small town. It was definitely a book for small children but I was immediately drawn to it. I smiled at her from around my pacifier. “Thanks, mommy,” I said. “You're welcome sweety,” she said “feeling all nice and cozy?” I simply nodded. She kissed my cheek. “Good,” she said before returning her attention to Aunt Linda. “What were you saying? Something about investing?” The conversation trailed off into some adult discussion that meant little to me. I rested my head on Mommy's shoulder and enjoyed my pacifier as I paged through the book, simply taking in the illustrations. I could scarcely remember why I'd been worried that morning. Time slipped by while I turned the pages and soon I felt a gentle pat on my back. “Ready to go,” Mommy asked. I looked up to see the adults already getting up and saying their goodbyes. “Oh yeah, I guess,” I replied surprised that I'd been so absorbed. She quickly checked my diaper before letting me down. “Dry for now. Let's get you in your coat.” “Just one last thing,” Mrs Powell announced before turning to me. “When your aunt told me you were coming I just had to get you a little Christmas present,” She said before reaching into a shopping bag and producing a a little brown teddy bear. I couldn't help but smile. “Thank you,” I said, taking the bear and holding him to my chest. “You're welcome dear,” she smiled back and patted my head. “So cute, and so polite. You're all welcome back anytime,” she said to Mommy. “Thank you so much for having us,” Mommy said as she helped me into my coat. I think we all had a great time.” I trotted along beside her back to the car, one hand in hers. The other holding my new teddy bear. I glanced up at her and saw her smiling proudly down at me. She helped me into my car seat, strapped me in, and gave me a little bop on the nose. “Ready to go home, baby boy?” I simply nodded and settled into the seat with my teddy in my lap. Back at Aunt Linda's house everybody began to settle back into their daily routines. Mommy brought some toys down to the living room and turned on some cartoons for me. I began to aimlessly put some blocks together while I watched. After a time mommy sat down next to me. “What are you making?” She asked pointing to the glob of bricks I'd pieced together. “Nothing really,” I shrugged. “You remember what you used to like to do,” she asked smiling and giving me a quick tickle on the ribs. I felt a tinge of embarrassment as I remembered my enthusiasm for the game I used to play with her when I was small. “Mommy,” I moaned She laughed “You used to love it when we each took turns putting a brick down and then just see what we made. We had lots of fun didn't we?” “Yeah, I said bashfully “I really liked it, but then I thought you were just doing it cause I asked all the time.” “Oh no sweety,” She putting an arm around me “I had a great time. I miss it. Wanna give it a try?” “If you really want to then that sounds like fun,” I said I pushed the pile of blocks in between us. I took two bricks and put them together. Mommy thought for a second and added her own. “Thanks for being such a good boy today,” she said “It's such a pleasure to share my sweet little baby with the world.” I rolled my eyes, but I loved hearing her say that. “Mrs. Powell was really nice,” I said snapping another brick into place “I thought she she might think this was all... weird or something.” “It's not weird at all baby,” she replied taking her own turn“You're so cute like this, I don't think anybody would ever disagree.” I smiled and gave her a hug “Thanks, mommy.” We continued chatting and building. After a while, we'd built a small house. “We make a good team don't we,” Mommy said as she ruffled my hair. I took a moment to admire our creation “Yeah, that was fun,” I replied “I'm glad you thought of it.” A second later a Pampers ad began to play on the television. Scenes of babies in diapers happily playing with their parents went by while the virtues of the diaper were extolled. “That reminds me of somebody I know,” Mommy said as she put an arm around me I blushed and squirmed. The ad ended with an invitation to follow Pampers on social media. I looked up at her “Mommy, you wouldn't.” She grinned “Maybe I already did.” I gasped “But people can see that.” “It's not like it's much of a secret, baby boy,” she said patting the bulge in my pants. I blushed “I guess you're sort of right.” “Of course I am,” she said. She gave my bottom another pat, paused for a moment, and checked my diaper. Without a word, she took a diaper from the stash near the couch and gently pushed me onto my back. “I hear there's a Christmas festival in the park down the street,” she said as she undid my pants and slid them down “Maybe we could go tomorrow for Christmas Eve.” “Sure, that might be fun,” I said as she removed the sodden thing and set it aside. She gave me a quick dusting of powder and unfolded the fresh diaper. “Good, sounds like a plan,” she said as lifted up my bottom and she slid it under me. “I'm so glad we can spend time together like this,” she said as she taped the new diaper into place “How are feeling about all this.” “Really good, mommy,” I said as I sat back up “It just feels right, you know?” “I know exactly how you feel,” she said. “I just wonder why all this started,” I said “Do you think it's anything to worry about?” “Not at all honey,” she said with a knowing smile as she rubbed my back “Sometimes things just fall into place.” Before I could respond Aunt Linda walked in to announce that dinner was ready. Mommy helped me to my feet and began to walk me towards the kitchen. As we walked I looked at her curiously, not sure what she meant. But I let it go. Maybe she was right. We were both happy Maybe things had just fallen into place.

Oh no. Hope he's not in too much trouble. Would be cute seeing a diapered cyclist and you wouldn't need the padded bike pants!

Oof. Sorry for the lateness of this post, but tis the season, and baking cookies tonight took much longer than anticipated. This is also a bit of a longer chapter, but again, I needed to ensure that I set up a few elements that flowed together nicely. I had originally described one scene as basically just a list, but that felt too preachy or not impactful enough to even include, even though I knew I needed to on some level. Regardless, I also want to give a warning here before you all read on. This chapter is going to start a bit of a darker tone with some events here. Being an origin story of sorts, certain technologies don't exist yet, so everything is a little more 'analog,' if you wish. As a result, some ways of regression are a little more graphic during this time period. So, I just want to give you all a warning for this chapter and the others going forward now. I will try to approach these topics with as much tact as I can, but sometimes all the tact in the world can't blunt the content's sharp edge. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Chapter 8: Not Bad... Yet Now loaded into the car, I could firmly say that I was not a fan of the crotch strap now snaking its way between my legs and over my training pants. Their humiliating bulk was only accentuated, but as the door closed once more, I could only look out at the precinct station and sigh in relief that I was at least leaving that horrible place with my mind still intact. Subject to a loose ‘contract,’ if it could really even be called that, but I was still out of there. Plus, based on the near drooling Little that exited the station right behind me only to be loaded into a ‘etiquette services’ van, I knew I was a very rare case indeed. Still, as both Jennifer and the other agent loaded into the front of the car and then sped off, I couldn’t help but think of the fate that awaited. Already, within 30 minutes, the city view was in the rear view of our car. The city, in my own dimension or this one, had been my home for the better part of my entire life. It was literally an island of refuge in some of my darkest days, but now, heading north, I knew I was to leave all that comfort and safety behind. The fact that we were leaving at night didn’t help matters any, but I was still hoping for some signs of hope or that I at least hadn’t made a terrible decision when I agreed to this mission. Regret of what I had done plagued my mind for the better part of an hour, but either as a latent result from the truth serum that I had been subjected to or just from the lateness of the hour, I soon fell asleep. The car then jostled about as it hit a single bump. My eyes fluttered open and while it was still night, I could tell that we were no longer within even the peripheral edges of the city. Around me, there were no bright lights of distant cities. Instead, only trees and large open fields seemed to dot the landscape. Jennifer then noticed that I was awake. “Hey there… it’s good that you’re awake now. We’re almost at the house, but please just stay quiet until we get inside,” she asked of me. “You can even pretend you’re asleep if you don’t think you can do that, but we’re almost at the security checkpoint of the facility, so we need to be on our guard from now on, okay?” I took her caution to heart and only silently nodded my head. Despite my still tired body, my mind clicked into gear right away. It was a good thing too, as not minutes later, the car halted in front of a single booth and gate. A guard then stepped out of the booth and shined a flashlight into the car. “Evening folks. You all get lost or something?” he asked as he scanned inside the car. Jennifer then bent over the driving agent and showed a badge ID to the guard. “Sorry… I’m new here, along with my Little,” she said while gesturing to my form in the backseat. The guard quickly looked back at me, but I only smiled at him, and he smiled back. I figured being friendly wasn’t going to be a problem at this hour and my confirmed status as a Little likely would only help things out around here. “I’m actually one of the new security guards for one of the facilities and I figured I would come here and get settled in before I start on Monday.” “Ah. That explains it.” The guard then peered down at the driving agent. “And you are, sir?” The man turned as if made of stone or metal and just stared at the security guard and spoke plainly. “Just her cousin. I live up the road.” He then slowly reached into the front of his suit jacket. “Here, I have a visitors’ badge. Just dropping them off at the house and then heading back out of here. Shouldn’t be long.” The guard flashed his light over the badge and squinted at the writing. “Hmmm… I guess you’ll be fine, but don’t make it a habit of coming here at night unless you have previously authorized access. Usually, visiting hours of this facility are limited to daylight hours only.” The agent then took his ID back and pocketed it before nodding his head. “I understand. Shouldn’t happen again, but I didn’t want my cousin to have to stay in some hotel back in the city for the night.” “I hear that.” The guard then thankfully backed up. “You all have a pleasant night. Drive safe.” “Thank you!” Jennifer called out just as the car began to lurch forward once again. She then turned around and smiled at me. “Good first job, Megan. Whatever you did, just keep it up with any strangers you meet around here at first. Not sure who we can exactly trust yet. Could be a lot of them… could be none of them…” I nodded my head. “I figured. Just kept it to a smile. Happy Littles are safe and easy. I’ve seen most other emotions are frowned upon or suspicious by most Bigs.” “Good thinking.” Jennifer then turned back around, and the car proceeded along the two-lane public access road. From what I could tell, a small town had been built within the research facility, and it honestly reminded me of something akin to the Manhattan Project and the Los Alamos set up from back on Earth with the first nuclear bomb testing. This town was clearly more advanced and permanent, but the idea of cooping everyone up like this together just made a certain amount of sense when one thought about it. Still, the comparisons of this place to one that was responsible for the nuclear bomb, were not lost on me. The car then turned down one road that branched right off before entering the main town. I could see a faint glow in the distance from atop a misty hill beyond the town and I instantly knew that it was the main testing lab that I was here to see. I wanted to run up there and get this done as soon as possible, but my more mature and calmer instincts fortunately prevailed. Soon, the car rounded a few more streets and then finally parked at a single dwelling that honestly looked like most of the others on the street, cutely named Maplewood Drive. It was two stories, had a front porch, was color coordinated, and also had a nice driveway leading up to the main part of the house. It didn’t have a garage like some of the others, but I did notice a small car already parked in the driveway. As such, the other agent just parked behind it and he and Jennifer quickly got out. Opening the door, she then retrieved me, when I only then just remembered that I was still only wearing my previous blouse from before and my new training pants. I internally groaned when I realized that the security must have seen me like that in the back seat, but I also realized that situations like that were likely something that I would just need to get used to in my new role here. The agent then swung around the car and set a single suitcase at the feet of Jennifer. “Ma’am… your to-go suitcase as requested, as usual. Now, I can’t stay, but your briefings are inside as well. The house should be ready with your specifications, gas is in your car, and you should have some food for a few days at least. Uh… Amy will contact you for your first debriefing sometime within the next month unless an urgent message is sent before then.” Jennifer looked down to confirm the presence of the suitcase as if it was one of the most important things now, but then just looked back up at the agent in front of her. “Thank you, Reed. You’ve been as helpful as you always seem to be.” A man of few words, Agent Reed then just smiled, nodded at both Jennifer and I, and got in his vehicle before once again speeding off into the night. So, just like that, Jennifer and I were now on our own. Jennifer sighed heavily and then turned down to me, still being held in her arms after she took me out of the car. “Alrighty then. I guess we better go inside, huh?” I only nodded, still fearful of anyone who could be watching us. Needless to say, I was on high alert. Jennfier then picked up the suitcase with her other hand and headed to the front door. Setting the suitcase down, she inputted a code onto the keypad before her and I could then hear the lock unclick. “Perfect. Let’s just hope they got everything that I requested.” Without another word, she picked the suitcase back up and walked into our new home. Flicking on a few lights, I could tell that it was a very standard home and almost looked modest compared to some of the other dwellings I had seen where other Bigs had lived in the city. I was honestly almost disappointed, but I also realized that the point of this mission was to blend in better… not stick out like those other, more modern buildings would have. “Ah…” Jennifer said happily. “Home sweet home. Not bad for two hours’ notice, huh?” “Two hours and all this?” I asked as I looked around at the fully furnished house before me. Curtains, rugs, plants, and even framed photos were now all laid out before us. It was clearly done by someone who had taste, but I also got the opinion that they didn’t want to come off as too stylish and therefore possibly artificial to a typical suburban home. As such, it was clean and well put together, but also lived in somehow as well. “There’s a whole division at ABI for just things like these, and just if you were curious, we have continual bug sweepers in here to ensure we aren’t being monitored. Plus, no unwanted signals can get in our or out of here with some of our latest tech that was installed.” She then paused and looked very proud for a moment. “Requested those specifically myself for this mission.” I nodded my head. “Sounds like a good idea to have.” No listening devices could mean freedom, but I needed to be sure first. “Does that mean I can… you know… be more normal in here?” Jennifer smiled and nodded happily. “Absolutely! You were one of the main reasons I got that package for this place. Besides, we need to practice tomorrow and Sunday before the real deal on Monday. I’ve seen footage from your other stints of acting out there whenever you met a Big up to no good. You were good… but we need near perfection if you want to stay safe here.” I was honestly a little embarrassed that she had seen those acts that I had put on to fool other Bigs, so I just meekly nodded. At the same time, however, I also yawned. Jennifer quickly noticed and looked at a nearby clock. “Oh my! I know you’re not regressed or anything, but you Littles still need way more sleep than us Bigs.” She then looked at the nearby staircase off to one side of the main section of living space by the front door. “In fact, your room should be all good to go upstairs.” “My room?” Jennifer nodded and then carried my speechless form up the stairs after putting down her own suitcase without another word. Now, I had never even considered my whole part in this scenario or that I would have my own room in this dimension as well. It wasn’t that I thought I was going to live in a cardboard box or anything, but I was realizing that it was just one of numerous things I hadn’t yet thought about with all this. So, when Jennifer opened the door to my new room at the top of the stairs, I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting. Inside was most decidedly meant for a toddler girl, or in this dimension, a girl Little as well. Slightly purplish light gray walls covered most of the room and canvas images of animals hugging stars and moons cutely covered the rest. The floor was carpeted nicely and was the bedrock for the furniture above, which included a dresser, a nightstand, and a single bed. I was honestly just grateful it wasn’t a crib, but the white wooden frame, small railing running along part of the sides, and the purple canopy net adorned with golden stars above it all wasn’t mature by any means either. It… was a lot to take in and I think Jennifer could tell. She then set me down on the soft carpeting and let me look at everything in silence for a moment before speaking up. “I hope you like it… We could make some changes if you wanted, but I basically had three designs to choose from and honestly, I didn’t think you would have wanted the animal lover or pink princess designs.” She paused for a moment and then hesitantly asked, “Was I wrong?” “I…” I started to say, but I knew I really couldn’t express my all my true feelings in that moment, which was just to tear it all down and give me something more mature in what was supposed to be my new home. I knew that was just fantasy though, so with all things considered, I just shook my head. “No… just a lot all at once, and… I’m uh, tired…” I wasn’t sure if Jennifer bought that line, but she played along like she did anyway. “Okay… I’ll leave it up to you for tonight with how you want things to go. We’ll need to practice other things going forward, but you need your sleep.” Jennifer then walked to the door but paused for a moment and looked back at me. “I really am sorry how all this turned out, but for tonight, just try and get some rest.” She then walked away without saying another word. I wanted to thank her, but I guess she also knew that I was likely overwhelmed by everything and that more words could always come later. It turned out that she was absolutely correct about my tiredness however, and as soon as I laid down only briefly in my new bed to just mull things over, I was fast asleep. The next morning came bright and early, and I stretched out in my new bed. My purple and subtly pink sheets were a quick reminder of what had happened last night, but I also noted that my shoes were now off, and the covers had been pulled over me. In most other circumstances, my alarm bells would be going off in my head right about now, but seeing my shoes neatly placed to one corner and a tiny note on my bedside table, I quickly deduced that Jennifer had only just kindly helped me out last night after I had passed out. In a way, it was almost a little endearing and reminded me when I would do the same for my friends back home after a late night of some kind. I smiled at the thought of at least one ally in all this and then looked over the note that she had also left me. “Megan, by the time you are up, I should be downstairs. As you didn’t take a shower last night, I would suggest you wash up this morning, but I will leave this up to your discretion. Breakfast will be waiting downstairs whenever you are ready. Jennifer.” It was written in her hand, and I was impressed with her flowing penmanship, but then noticed another tiny note at the bottom. “P.S. I am leaving certain decisions up to you this morning to determine what things we need to practice today. Please don’t do anything that you wouldn’t normally do. I need a baseline and not a performance.” I mulled the note over and realized that our training would indeed start today. It was a sobering thought, but I knew for any of this to be successful, Jennifer was absolutely right that she needed to see what she had to work with. So, with that thought in mind, I picked out a nice outfit from the ones I had found and then quickly showered as I usually would have in the mornings. After dressing in just some jeans and a plain T-shirt I had found, I put my hair up in a loose bun and went downstairs, quickly putting a single object I had spotted out of my mind as I did so. I normally would have put some makeup on, and I knew that Jennifer wanted me to do everything like I normally did, but I just hoped that she would allow for that one concession. Slowly walking down the gigantic steps, each likely almost 15 inches in height, I finally made it downstairs and smelled something wonderful coming from the kitchen. Walking in, I saw Jennifer busy at the stove right away. “Good morning.” Jennifer then spun around and spotted me entering the room. “Good morning to you too. Sleep well?” I nodded and stared at the near transformation of the woman before from the night before. Instead of her pressed gray suit and holstered gun, she was now wearing just a plain blouse and a pair of comfortable looking jeans. Her hair was no longer in a bun, and her chestnut locks just flowed freely beyond the strands loosely gathered behind her head with a brown clip. “You look…” “Normal?” Jennifer asked with a bit of a grin. I nodded and she chuckled. “Yeah… well, this is honestly how I normally dress on the weekends, but I figured that I might as well start playing the part full-time here as well. I might be part of security at the facility, but I’m also supposed to be your caregiver.” I then found a place at the large round table in the corner of the room and hopped onto one of the seats there. I was a little short, but I could still see over the edge. “Are there standards or something for that type of position here as a Little’s caregiver?” Jennifer shook her head but then returned to the stove with her spatula. “Not really, but we also need to blend in around here. Normalcy might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it will be very important going forward to maintain our cover.” I nodded and then waited in actuality for only a few minutes before Jennifer brought over a large steaming plate to me. My eyes practically bugged out of my head when I saw the proportions in front of me, but I didn’t say anything before I greedily dug practically headfirst into everything laid out before me. To say the pancakes, eggs, or even fruit was simply divine would have been a major injustice. It was the best food I think I had ever tasted, so in no time at all, my plate began to empty. After a moment though, I could see Jennifer eating her own food, but then would pause occasionally and grin right at me. Finally, I had to know what she was thinking. “What? Do I have food on my face or something?” Jennifer only laughed. “No, nothing like that. I honestly just need to see what I’m working with.” She paused and then set her fork down. “I suppose though that we should start off already, so,” she then reached over and brought out a single manilla folder, “this is you.” Quickly wiping off the syrup that coated my hands from the unwieldy fork I had managed to eat with, I gazed over the file and then looked back up at Jennifer once I had opened it up and looked inside. “So,” she continued, “as you can see, we’ve basically just pulled most of the information from what the shelter gave you. It was a pretty solid background, and we found that it would actually get the least number of questions asked.” I nodded and then read over the file further. “The island of Aegis? Where the heck is that?” Jennifer smirked. “Well, you definitely need to know that one. It’s one of the largest islands in the Pacificus Ocean and is basically known as a Little sanctuary. In fact, it’s one of the few islands remaining that is entirely composed of Littles, which is also where our advantage comes in.” “How so?” I asked. I knew next to nothing about this place, so it didn’t seem advantageous to me at this juncture. “Well… because no Bigs are allowed on the island, there are no records to verify against back here, but also, the island is so big that it wouldn’t be unheard of for another Little to have never seen you before in case you ever met someone else from there.” She then took a final bite of her own pancakes and quickly chewed and swallowed. “Lastly, it’s so diverse there from all the influx of Littles, that your stories about growing up wouldn’t necessarily have to match either.” “I see…” The island did seem very nice for Littles to live on, but it also posed another problem as well. “So why would I ever leave if it was so great.” Jennifer nodded. “Valid question, but that’s all in there as well. For now, just remember you were looking for another job. In fact, it also plays into why you are here now because you couldn’t keep up with your new job and were overwhelmed.” “That’s it?” I questioned. “That doesn’t feel like enough of a reason for someone, or even you, to just take me off the street and wind up here of all places.” Jennifer then looked a little uneasy. “Well… it’s been known to have happened before. A few bits of corruption and maybe an emotional Little, or one who is seen as slightly immature… and that’s all it takes sometimes.” “That’s terrible… but couldn’t it be… I don’t know, something else?” I really didn’t want to be known as the Little who couldn’t do their job before I even made a first impression in person. “No,” Jennifer said flatly. “We’ve looked into this a lot and if you went with something else, you would be seen as a problematic Little. If you were fired, arrested, peed your pants, sucked your thumb accidentally, or any number of other events, you would be a prime target to be regressed right off the bat. You don’t want that, right?” I quickly shook my head. “Good. Now, let’s begin your training.” Okay… I wasn’t sure what I expected in this whole arrangement, but in retrospect, I guess I should have seen that there would have been another side to the usually sweet ABI agent before me. After all, this assignment was critical, and she had a job to do as a Big in teaching me all about being a Little. Still though, I wasn’t prepared for the next few hours of my life. After my debriefing on my role as a Little I was shown a chart that I knew had to be legitimately placed in some correctional facility someplace in this messed up world. In essence, it was divided into four categories: adult, preschooler, toddler, and infant. “Now, these are just guidelines,” Jennifer explained, “and you can of course act younger to some extent, but acting older than your given category could be problematic. The next two days will be to guide you away at least from those more unwanted or frowned on behaviors.” I gulped as I looked over the chart. Seeing as I was still new to all this, even with my cover story and perceived immaturity in society, I could still maintain at least the preschooler category, but that was still something that I knew would be harder in practice than just a base promise to abide by the rules, such as no cursing, fighting, or minding your manners in every situation. So, first up in all this, was word replacement. “Okay,” Jennifer instructed, “preschooler level Littles will never correctly use slang phrases or dirty words to describe objects or actions. For example, it is always the potty. Bathroom, maybe, but potty is usually a good all-encompassing word for most things that you will need to describe.” “Such as?” I questioned. It had been a number of years since my younger brother was at this age and few of my coworkers, neighbors, or relatives had kids this age anymore back home. “Well,” Jennifer explained, “going to the potty could mean using the toilet or training potty, but it could also just mean going to the room as well.” “Ah,” I said as the lesson clicked a little bit more now, but her explanation also brought another point up that I needed to know about. “What about… you know… going to the… ummm, potty… as an action?” “Oh… did you see…?” I nodded to confirm what I had seen in the upstairs bathroom. “Right… well, at this Little age, a training potty may be required for some Bigs. I wanted to keep it up there for at least appearances sake, but you can still use the smaller sized toilet in that bathroom as well when it’s just us.” I did wonder why it seemed lower to the ground than usual for a Big, but now it made perfect sense, though I also knew it also wouldn’t be like that everywhere I went now. “And at daycare?” I tentatively asked. Jennifer quickly looked uncomfortable with the notion, but finally nodded. “Yes, training potties will likely be available, but you have been marked down as being able to use either a toilet or those instead. I hate to say it, but it may depend more on the Big than what the actual regulations are there.” I nodded and the lessons quickly continued afterward as such. We soon covered a variety of topics pertaining to other common words or phrases and then certain expectations for my new role, such as skill levels I could still possess and others that I should now avoid. For example, those like that I had been taught at the academy to be a police officer. Useful, but utterly not suited for the role of a true Little in daycare. I noted it right away and just prayed the meds would curb these impulses as well. Next was regulations and general knowledge that I should know about while posing as a native Little here. This period was mostly spent with me reviewing my case file and the background that I had been given. As it was based off the version the shelter gave me, some of it came much quicker. Others… well, they tended to be a little more unique. “See, you have to think about the details,” Jennifer explained during one of the lecture parts of the segment. I looked at her questioningly. “Right, well, you need to think of any other story you tell. Beyond the fact of flowing naturally like one of your own memories, you’ve got to include the other bits as well.” I held open my folder and looked at the dozen or so of pages of details about Aegis Island and my created life there. “For example?” “Okay… well, it says you went to Aristotle High School. If someone asks you about it,” she continued, “you need to know the details, like their school motto, Signa Just Alius Martis. That type of stuff is important to verify, but to make it your own, you need to remember it because it was posted on the wall of the gym that smelled like sweat most of the time, except when it smelled like cleanser on Tuesdays and Thursdays when it was cleaned by the janitor, Mr. Marcum. Or that your girlfriend had it on her notebook that she carried everywhere with her.” “That’s all in here?” I asked as I then brushed through the folder and found it on the back of page 16. “Wow… you all are thorough. I’ll give you that at least.” Jennifer nodded. “We have to be. We Bigs haven’t unified all our technology and knowledge together yet, but we’re getting closer, which means your background can be checked out if they think something is funny with it. Think of details like those as little buffers between them and the truth about who you are.” I then realized the gravity of what was being asked of me, and like many other times in the past few hours today, the meds were seeming more and more like a blessing rather than a curse. Lastly of all today’s lessons, Jennifer then handed me a small booklet that I quickly recognized as the advertisement brochure for the daycare I was going to on Monday. I then looked back up at Jennifer. “I want you to look over this on your off time,” she explained. “It’s not critical that you know it by Monday, but it might just get you out of a bind or two… or prevent you from getting into one in the first place.” I was nervous to even look inside, but even when I did, I knew firmly that I had good reason to be. Right there in the center section was the list of punishments they could perform. It filled half the page and included spanking, timeouts, loss of privileges, and many others. What frightened me the most though, that of the at least 15 listed, the whole list ended with a final bullet point of “& More!” I shuddered to think of what ‘more could really imply. Before I could even ask though, Jennifer walked back up to me. “Okay, Megan,” she said with both her hands on her hips. “Now to put all that you’ve learned into practice. No pressure but let’s just see where we are.” I almost was about to introduce myself, but from its perched position on a nearby coffee table, Jennifer picked up a glass of water and then threw the liquid inside of it right at me. “What the…!” I exclaimed, now soaked, dripping, and in disbelief. “Megan!” Jennifer scolded. “We don’t talk like that here! You didn’t say a bad word, but I know you were thinking about it. I better not catch you actually saying one next time or that’s at least going to cost you a serious timeout.” I was shocked at this sudden shift in her demeanor. My mind quickly panicked and ran right to that all this was some elaborate setup by ABI. ‘I gotta get out of here! I’m so screwed. I’m…’ I then took a minute to actually think about it all though, and I realized what she was doing. In essence, she was role playing now as one of the Big daycare workers. So, once I made that connection, I quickly got into character myself. “I… I’m sorry, Miss Jenn,” I said, calling her what she had instructed me to before all this. It was an unlikely scenario, but she noted that most teachers or caregivers would want to be called by shortened versions of their names to help the more regressed Littles still be able to address them properly. She even made the note that if I ever had friends over from daycare, that would be the name I should tell them to call her. Seeing my genuine apology and also my recognition of what was now happening, Jennifer only smiled back. “That’s okay, sweetie. Just remember that for next time. Accidents happen all the time around here and as a Little, it’s just something that we need to expect happening.” She then examined my soaked clothing and pursed her lips as if she was thinking hard about something. “Hmmm… you’re absolutely soaked Meggy. Why don’t we get you all cleaned up and get you into some fresh clothing as well, huh? How does that sound?” I nodded my head as happily as I could, real or not. “Yes, Miss Jenn. That would be really nice. Thank you.” “Perfect,” she beamed. “Now, let’s get you to the bathroom where I can help you out. I’m sure your mommy packed you some extra dry clothes for just this type of thing.” I panicked a little at the notion of where this was heading, but as Jennifer had noted, I just needed to focus my energy into something else, particularly with my feelings over her use of the word ‘mommy.’ I knew I had to expect the same treatment from the other real life daycare workers, but it still just sounded strange knowing that others could refer to Jennifer as just like that. So, I then took the initiative and reached out my hand. Jennifer quickly smiled and soon led me upstairs and into the bathroom. Without hesitation, she then got to work and laid out a fresh set of clothes and procured a single towel. “Take off your clothes, honey,” she said without skipping a beat. I immediately blushed and hesitated to do so. Jennifer quickly noticed. “Now, Megan.” Her words were straightforward, but they carried such a weight and even a slight hint of a threat. I knew I had messed up in the scenario, but I quickly put it out of my head and stripped down to my underwear and single cami. Now, I had never exactly been ‘gifted’ in the department regarding my feminine curves, but I would still never be mistaken for a guy ever back on Earth. So, when I had agreed to all this, I had been a little worried about that factor of seeing some of the other Littles and their unabashed nudity. This society though had apparently also thought of that, and this version of the cami I now wore was deemed the perfect solution. It was comfortable, supportive, and yet did nothing to say ‘woman’ about the user… just ‘girl.’ Seemingly now satisfied, Jennifer proceeded to dry me off the rest of the way. To my surprise, she even slipped in a quick training panties check today but found my pink and flower adorned pair to still be dry. I knew she wasn’t really checking, but her invasive touch was still something I knew I would need to expect in this type of environment. Though, just like all this had started, it ended, and Jennifer now sat across from me in the family room on the large and comfortable couch in there. “So… do you know where you messed up?” I quickly nodded, remembering that I needed to be told twice to take off my clothes. We both knew that it was likely to be an issue, so she didn’t make an issue of it, but she still seemed to be deep in thought about something else in particular. “Penny for your thoughts?” I asked innocently, still wearing the butterfly embroidered jeans and unicorn T-shirt that Jennifer had dressed me in. My hair was even still done up in the single rear ponytail she had done afterward to test if I would still stay still for a Big messing up my hair. Jennifer sighed. “Well… you did really well, but I’m having two thoughts right now…” I gestured my hand for her to continue. “First is that I think we should go out tomorrow. Just something simple… the park maybe.” I could feel my heart begin to beat more swiftly for a moment, but I also knew that she was right to want a field test of sorts before the real day. “Sounds reasonable… and second?” Jennifer then reached behind her and produced her purse that she had placed on a nearby end table earlier. “I was thinking… everybody is different and reactions…” I could tell she was trying to dance around a single issue without just coming out and saying it right away. “I think we need another type of test, but today instead.” She then reached into the fashionable accessory. and seemed to type in a code of some sort before I could hear a whirring noise of sorts. After, she reached in once again and produced a single slim silver case of some sort and popped it open. “I think we need to test out the meds… now.” I could feel my breath stop for just a moment and the air was deathly still in the room. I knew that with each scenario we had run today, I had desired the pills, but now, the white triangular capsules marked with a ‘1’ just seemed like a step too far. “Maybe not today… I think maybe tomorrow… or we could just try on Monday…” From anyone observing me in the slightest, they could tell I was first, nervous, and second, stalling. Jennifer sighed and set the case down. “I thought you might say that… ABI as well.” She then got up and went over to grab the remote for the large flatscreen TV that was mounted on the opposite wall from the couch. “There are some who think you shouldn’t see this, but Amy and I… well, we want to show you what you’re up against if you slip up.” “Slip up?” I could guess what that probably meant, but I still didn’t like the sound of it. Jennifer only wordlessly nodded and turned on the TV. What appeared before me next was something I could never forget. Now, I will spare some of the more gruesome details… my pain after all shouldn’t be shared in some cases here, but my head justified taking that risky medication for a rational and understandable reason. Before me on the TV now seemed to play archival footage that had been spliced together, clearly for the purposes of training for the ABI with this one and other similar assignments. It seems that before I was recruited, as they had mentioned, they had tasked other Littles with infiltrating the research facility. In what almost appeared to be the same cell, a rebel Little leader was seated and was then offered an almost identical deal to my own, the only difference is that his home was back on an island somewhere I think they called Atlantica. Regardless, he accepted the deal as I had. He seemed to mold into the daycare well and even appeared to create several contacts, one of which I even recognized as one of the ‘tweakers’ that I had seen a case file on back on Earth. The Little performed admirably, but I noticed the clock continue to tick away and small signs that the Little was cracking in two ways, both in his state of regression and his willpower to resist acting out. Finally, the latter crumbled. It was just lunch one day like any of the others that I had viewed in the past ten minutes, but it appeared to be pea soup… and I guess he wasn’t a fan. The tray was quickly shoved away in a single act of defiance. “Get that crap away from me! I’m a Little, not an invalid! I…” I could see the panic set in across his face as soon as realized what he had just done. The diaper he now wore during his third month at the daycare noticeably became discolored as the Bigs’ faces turned sour and began to descend on him. From the footage, I couldn’t really see faces, but one woman seemed to be a little more in charge than the others. “I have him. This Little and I are going to have a… chat. Isn’t that right, Bri-Bri?” Bri-Bri, or I guess Brian, began to profusely apologize. No act, and no contempt or any sign of hesitation or lie in his words, but he seemed to be too in the moment to realize that his words were now all too late. The next frames seemed to be pieced together more haphazardly and almost as if they had been restored and then stitched back together. The timeline jumped a few times, but Brian and the woman were still both perfectly clear as the two figures in the frame. “We did some… ground checks on you. Further this tim… You are a liar and a… What do you… to say for yourself?” the large and imposing woman asked Brian, who was now seated before her. “Please… ple… I don’t know what you… alking about…” he pleaded, but clearly all in vain. The distortion began to get really bad, but I still noticed the timestamp clicking away. Ten minutes turned into an hour… hours into days… “You are rebel scum, and we only have one treatme… Little like you!” the woman boomed next. Brian was now strapped down onto an operating table of sorts. “Please… please… Miss…” The feed cut out for a quick second. “I’ll be a goo… oy for you! It was j…t one mistake! Have mercy. Aren’t I yo… pecial boy?” The woman then leaned in and almost sickeningly placed her hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him. “Not anymore…” The feed cut out a few more times, but now, the horrifying still awake Brian was currently being operated on. Bloody bandages were wrapped around several of his joints already, but his head was now open with several probes in it as doctors looked in and adjusted or cut in very specific areas as shown on the several monitors on display. “Now, Bri-Bri. I want you to sing your ABC’s,” the doctor instructed. “No… I… please!” The doctor shook his head in clear disappointment and clicked a single dial next to him. An almost whistling electronic noise could be heard as the tune pitched upward. “Ah! Please stop! Please stop! I’ll sing, I’ll sing!” Brian took a breath and began to hauntingly sing as the doctors began to mess with another probe. “A, B, C, D, E… E… H… M, N, Q?” Brian was clearly struggling, but the doctor and many others were also clearly pleased. “Very good, Bri-Bri. A few more sessions and you should be…” The feed then cut out again, but when it came back, I noticed only a week had passed. Brian, if one could even ascribe that name to the same figure on the screen before me, lay on his back. From a distance, he looked very much like he was just relaxing on a blanket, but the camera then zoomed in. It was then very clear that Brian, at least who he was, was no more. Blank and unfocused eyes dotted about the nearest shiny object in the soft and jingling toy now in his hands. His mouth attempted to bite the object, but it was soon clear that him attempting to gum at it would be a more accurate statement due to his now clear lack of teeth. The formal rebel Little leader had been reduced to a mere infant… newborn even on some level and there was no return for him. There was no more of what made him who he was and no salvation either. The Bigs had effectively eradicated him, and I just felt sick. Before, I could only guess what went on behind closed doors and in secret labs, but now… Amy then turned off the TV and gave me a second to process what was just burned into my head for the rest of my life. Finally, though, she spoke and held out the case. “There are about ten more you can watch… all about the same… some worse even, but this is still a pretty good middle ground with the stakes here for you if you slip up.” She paused again and clearly read the shock on my face. “This is your decision, Megan, but after seeing all that, do you really still want to wait and take a chance these don’t work come Monday? I don’t want to force or hurt you, but Brian made one false move, and… well you saw the rest.” I didn’t want the pill today, but what I had just seen… it put all this on a whole different level than I was or ever could have been prepared for. I was human and I was delving into a society that was far beyond what humanity could even scarcely dream of these days. From my research at the library, they had cures for so many diseases that had claimed the lives or minds of humanity for centuries now. It wasn’t a utopia or anything by a long shot, but I thought I had seen everything. Apparently not… So, as Amy levied the single white triangular pill closer to me, my options, in a world of so much promise, now seemed so limited. I was an adult in almost every sense of that word, despite my current attire and living situation, but this pill… it felt like a chance to erase all that in a second, but the video… Like before, I didn’t really have a choice in fear of it not working and my cover being blown. Resigned to my lot in life and without any other real option though, with hesitancy and a hefty amount of fear, I took the tiny pill and quickly swallowed it.

I just enjoy being able to use my diaper for its purpose.

What's weird is the fact there are many still on there... Who honestly I consider to be more likely to be booted than Personalias? His works never included any images or captions that I recall? MaybeMee had some graphics for the game they were working on? I don't know if maybe it was the profile banner for some? Elfy is still okay last I looked, and definitely has much more hardcore writings, so it's really odd... As soon as the dust settles and I have the spare time to find all those I was supporting I'll try and go to the other platforms to continue to do so. So sorry that this happened to you all!

Hey everyone! This was originally supposed to be a shorter chapter, but I realized that with the more serious and hardened character so hell-bent on invesitgating and trying to leave, making a decision so lightly just seemed out of character. I also wanted to lay out a bunch of things so all the stakes were out in the open and there wouldn't be any of the usual form of betrayal you tend to see in these stories. This is an origin story after all, so I wanted to showcase some differences between the modern events and those that took place at the start. Anyways, hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 7: An Offer I Can't Refuse The woman before me took a deep breath and I could see the carefully pressed suit of hers wrinkle slightly under the exertion. Her imposing and athletic frame practically dwarfed me, and I felt every little bit of the child that they thought me to be. I of course would deny that notion vehemently if asked, but I couldn’t lie to myself and say that I wasn’t at least a little nervous just being in her presence at the moment. “Now,” the woman continued, “I have the deal all prepared right before me, but I suppose introductions should be our first priority if we are to continue this path, huh?” I nervously looked at the stack of documents and folders before her but then nodded my head. I needed to know more, and I would take any opportunity for her to talk instead of me. With any luck, the burning truth serum that I had been given had a short half life and I could stall long enough to at least attempt to evade or lie to her. I still wasn’t sure what was going on, so I knew it was my best plan for the moment. “Well… you already know me… what should I call you?” The woman pursed her lips and thought for a moment, clearly making up a name on the spot but also clearly being experienced with having to do it before. “Well, there’s a bunch of things you can call me, but let’s just go with… Amy… yes, Amy, for the time being at least.” I sighed and knew that wasn’t likely her real name, but I accepted it, nonetheless. “Okay, Amy. Uh… if we’re on a first name basis, could you… at least remove the restraints?” Amy immediately blushed and ushered over to the woman who had questioned me. “Sorry… we needed to take some precautions before you accepted the deal… Hard to know how anyone would react to these types of situations. I’m sure you can understand our precautions.” The padded restraints were immediately removed, and I rubbed the area where they had been. They weren’t painful themselves, but they had only added to the pressure from an entire night of other, harsher ones. Satisfied though with my relative freedom, I paused for a minute and glanced around the sterile and stark room I was in. “Thank you for that, but where are we, or at least who are you all? Can you at least tell me the truth about that?” Amy smiled coyly, clearly noting my distrust of her name, but she gratefully only nodded. “I won’t tell you where we are specifically, but I can tell you that we are part of the ABI.” I looked at her questioningly over what that could even mean, and she noticed immediately. “Oh, right. Sorry… forgot that you actually aren’t from around here. ABI, or Amazon Bureau of Investigation. From our government’s infiltrators in your home dimension, we are basically this dimension’s version of your FBI… or at least the FBI as it was before your all’s downfall that is.” It was a lot to take in at once, but it all somehow made perfect sense. I wondered if I knew any of their infiltrators back on Earth personally, but it raised another huge question; if they had people in our own dimension, then why would they care so much about portal travel? I felt like I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle before me. “I also do apologize for the bluntness of Agent Violet’s interrogation,” she continued as she gestured to the woman in the corner of the room, “but we just had to be sure that you were actually from another dimension, rather than just a Little with an overactive imagination. Once you were given the truth serum in the station, illegally I might add, and you mentioned going through a portal, we knew we had to act fast. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for some time, but we couldn’t let them hear any further information that you might divulge about all this. Make sense?” I nodded, but I was still awash with an array of questions. Still though, one weighed more heavily on my mind now. “Why did you need to confirm I was from another dimension if you’ve been following me? I don’t think I’m that good at deception and hiding where I’m from.” Amy just seemed to nod over the legitimacy of my question. “Well… I guess since you’ve already accepted the deal, you’ll need to know a few more details about what’s actually going on.” She paused and leaned forward. “You see, we at the ABI don’t normally divulge what I’m about to reveal to you, but desperate times and all, as I’m sure you’ll soon see, has now brought us here…” She then paused and passed over a single folder from the stack before her. I quickly opened it up and the contents seemed to quickly confirm most of my suspicions so far in my own investigations. “We’ve known about portals for years. Some are naturally occurring but entirely random. In fact, a little over 30 years ago, we began sending agents to your side specifically to investigate what was out there when we learned to exploit these ‘soft’ spots. Learned a lot, but each of those was a separate instance and carefully controlled.” I looked down at the folder before me again and saw that a few humans were actually taken to this side every year and questioned about life from our side. It was a lot to take in, but a tiny part of me, the one that had responded to who knows how many missing persons cases, was relieved to know that it was just possible that some of them had ended up here rather than in a ditch somewhere. I know some would have probably preferred death to this place, but the notion they could still be breathing was at least some comfort to me who had seen to their grieving families over their loss. “Anyways, we’ve been tracking these recent and unauthorized portal disturbances for about a year now but with little success on discovering their origin.” She then heavily sighed and pointed to one name in the folder before me. “We suspect that ‘Project: Open Sesame’ is being continued illegally, but we can’t confirm that. We only know that these portals are occurring worldwide, but in the last year at least, most are happening within about 250 kilometers of here, or about 140 miles, if you will. Further, we’ve also been tracking shipments from Albion to this area to a local research company facility located just north of here. It’s not enough evidence to break down the door, but it’s a start…” I had a bad feeling I knew where this was headed, but I needed to know one thing that had been tickling the back of my mind since she began. “So… you all have portal traveled before. So… why the urgency and all now?” Amy sighed once again. “You are asking the wrong person for the specifics on that, but from what I’ve been briefed on at least, tiny portal travels are fine. Let’s see… ah!” She then leaned back and made a sphere with her hands. “Imagine each dimension like a blob of Jello. When…” “You all have Jello here?” I asked, interrupting her, and admittedly missing the point at that moment. Amy chuckled. “Yes… took it from your dimension a few years back when we discovered that Littles couldn’t get enough of it.” She paused and then refocused on her hands, still encircled in a sphere-like shape. “Anyways, each dimensional travel is a poke through one side of it. A few breakthroughs a year and the form will basically congeal back together given enough time and other extraneous factors.” “But those pokes are happening more now?” I asked warily. “With the unauthorized portal travels?” “Exactly, Megan,” Amy confirmed. “In fact, there are so many now that the form of this dimensional blob is starting to collapse, and if enough breakages occur,” she then collapsed her hands with a loud smack, “no more dimension.” Science was never my strong subject in school, but her smacked and collapsed hands were enough of a bad sign for even me to know that it wasn’t a good thing at all. “That sounds terrible…” “Yes…” her eyes suddenly looked very sad. “We’ve tried to make progress on the inside of their organization with other Littles… from this dimension… but they haven’t managed very well…” She paused and looked at me directly. “It’s actually another reason I’m telling you all this. Figured you could use all the advantages that we could offer before we move on here.” I could feel my breathing stop for just a split second when she said that. I silently crossed my fingers in the hope that my instincts were wrong, but I wasn’t exactly feeling lucky these days. So, I had to know. “Why… why am I here?” Amy seemed to then snap out of her previous melancholy when talking about the other Littles she had sent in, and then leaned back over the table and her files. “Well, we raided your house about an hour ago.” My eyes bulged at what they had found there, and Amy noticed and chuckled a bit. “No need to worry, hon. It was all very impressive actually.” She then opened another file, and I quickly could see my picture in it. “Now, we were able to deduce that you likely had some background in law enforcement, which is also why Agent Violet just wanted to confirm that particular question with you.” She then pushed a picture in front of me. I instantly recognized it as the large map on my bedroom wall of the various abductions and sightings of bright lights from the area, partially from my own research and partially from Clara’s. “That’s my map! It’s all the points that could be found and tracked over the past few years from various sources.” Amy nodded. “Yes… it’s very impressive for sure, but we also saw that you couldn’t see a pattern from the various notes that you left.” I looked back up at her from the photo and she smirked. “Well, we did. In fact, with our extra resources and data points, we confirmed that there is indeed a pattern.” I looked her dead in the eyes. “It all goes back to that research facility I mentioned earlier.” Months of investigations had now all led to this one moment. I felt like I could touch my ticket to get home, but the deal… it still nagged in the back of my head. The two extreme offers she had made me earlier… It felt wrong somehow. “So, what’s the catch? What’s the hold-up if you know what’s going on and even where it’s happening?” Amy then scratched her head and squinted as if she was covering up a dirty secret. “Well… I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Bigs dealing with Little’s affairs are not always so straightforward. There’s a bit of a break in our society right now where many of us Bigs feel that Littles should all be regressed. Babies or playthings at best.” “It’s terrible,” I said without thinking if she was setting up a trap for me or not. Apparently, the truth serum was still working its poisonous magic with my words. Fortunately, Amy only nodded. “Yes… but there are those of us Bigs who believe differently. Unfortunately, this research group in question is backed by a section of our government who is more of the latter category of Bigs. They seem bent on opening a portal to other dimensions. For peace or conquering doesn’t matter fully right now, but as a result, we need hard evidence of this to make any types of arrest or even official inquiries.” She then paused for a moment and as if clairvoyant, I knew what she was about to say next. “Which is where you come in…” I sighed. I knew this was coming, but to hear it firsthand was something else entirely. Amy had been forthcoming on all details except to what I had agreed to before all this. She had upped the stakes and made it personal for me as well. In essence, she had sweetened the deal I had already agreed to. I knew that would only occur in this type of scenario if the task offered was immensely dangerous, difficult, or even both. Still, I had to know more. “Why… why me then?” Amy breathed heavily and looked back down at my folder. “Well… frankly, there are a lot of reasons, but I’ll tell you two. First off, you are the first we have managed to reach in time that was actually still, well… you. No regression or alterations from past punishments, which makes you very unique in this society, especially as a portal traveler. Then, when Agent Victoria asked you your previous job and combined with what we found in your apartment, we knew you were perfect for this task.” My mind swirled with the possibilities of what they were asking. I practically felt seasick from what all this could mean, but I needed to know the specifics. I needed to know what I had chosen instead of being regressed. Only a fool would have chosen to be regressed over any other option… unless that option was even worse. “And what is that task specifically?” I asked with a great deal of hesitation. Amy slowly nodded. “That’s only fair at this point…” She then reached into the back of my folder and pulled out a single sheet of paper. “This, for all intents and purposes, is your ‘contract’ with the ABI. You can look over it if you wish, but it basically amounts to one simple task; find out what you can and confirm the presence of an unauthorized use of a portal device.” Amy let the deal hang in the air for a moment. It seemed simple enough, but as I contemplated it all, I realized it was too simple. This research facility was presumably well-guarded, and she had already confirmed the presence of it being backed by at least a portion of the government here in Libertalia. “Is that all?” I pressed. Amy winced and I knew I had struck where I needed to in order to understand the full scope of what was being asked of me. “Well, yes and no.” I looked at her with a puzzled look. “You see… as I said before, we’ve sent in others beforehand, but for one reason or another, all those Littles were regressed, and from what we could find, it was because they easily gave in to the pressures of the assignment. They didn’t give up any information, but their favorite activities from what I’ve heard recently are chewing on some fabric blocks or batting around a tinkling sunflower from their play gym. Not exactly ripe for actionable intelligence.” The weight of what they were asking me to do was hitting me with its full force now. Others had gone in and failed, but here in this odd dimension, failure meant regression. If I was to go in as well, I could face the same challenge and fail just as well. “Oh…” “Yes… oh…” She then slid the paper of my contract closer to me. “As I said, feel free to look over it, but we’ve left it simple and vague for a variety of reasons, and you should know at least what a few of them are.” I raised an eyebrow to indicate that I wanted to hear them now. Amy nodded. “Yes, well, first off, we don’t want to overcomplicate things. More stipulations or regulations on either side could curtail our ability to protect you or your ability to investigate the research company more properly. We want results, not a bureaucratic nightmare, so we’ve allowed you some leeway. The other reason, however, is that in the pursuit of those results, we may ask you, or at least suggest to you, some methods that could aid in your search for evidence or proof of their guilt.” Amy was being very open with me, and I desperately wanted to know specifically what methods she had in mind, but as I gazed over the ‘contract’ before me, I quickly noticed that none of these methods were listed. In all likelihood, if Amy and the ABI wanted to or even could tell me about them, they would have had listed them on the contract. So, with that option seemingly not even on the table, another thing she said, immediately jumped out at me. “Uh, what do you mean exactly by ‘protecting’ me?” Amy smiled and nodded. “That is an absolutely fair question. After all, we are asking you to enter a guarded research facility under false pretenses. We know enough now that a random Little would stand no chance whatsoever and would likely just be regressed and adopted within a month. So, to that end, you won’t be alone.” Amy then gestured to the corner of the room behind her. Agent Victoria stood still and looked a little annoyed as the fourth woman then stepped into the light. Her chestnut brown hair curled out of the bun on the back of her head and her eyes seemed to sparkle as they gazed back at me in an almost unusually friendly way for a Big. Amy then spoke back up, “Megan, this is Agent Jennifer. She’ll be your… partner in all this.” The Big walked up to me and extended her hand outward in a graceful and non-threatening manner. I slowly took it but still shook it politely. “Hello, Megan. I know all this may be a little much, but I’m hoping we can at least become friends during this assignment.” Her words were gentle and kind, and I felt no threat from her. I wanted to say more, but Amy quickly cleared her throat. “Yes. Thank you, Jennifer.” The Big woman looked away, nodded her head, and then quickly returned to the corner. “Anyways,” Amy continued briskly, “Agent Jennifer is one of our top agents in this area and she will be providing you a form of protection during this undercover mission that we are tasking you with.” She then pulled out yet another folder and opened it. “She has an undergrad background in Little education, along with a graduate degree in forensic and investigative studies and is one of our highest ranked undercover field operatives in the ABI.” It was an impressive background for sure and I was nearly stunned that she had been assigned to me for this one mission. I knew it was important after the whole Jello analogy that Amy had used, but Agent Jennifer’s addition to this mission seemed to somehow elevate the whole thing to another level entirely. “That’s… very impressive…” Amy nodded. “Yes, and that’s the point. I’m actually very glad that you feel that way about her.” Amy then paused and seemed to hesitate for a moment. “You see… Agent Jennifer will be more than just your partner. To cement your cover more in fact, she will be acting as your… caregiver on this mission.” Now, the word ‘caregiver’ was still non-threatening in the worst of times back home. It was meant as a title for those who were simply, as the name suggested, caring for others. No sinister overtones or malice about it in even the wildest of imaginations. Here, in this whacked-out other dimension though, it was a badge of horror and terror. Caregivers were the demons come to fruition for every wayward Little. For those regressed, they were the saviors, the cooks, the cleaners, the feeders, the wipers, the whole world to them, as intended. For those Littles not yet ensnared though, they were a blazing cautionary sign and represented the deeply flawed system over in this dimension as much as a manacle represented the odious practice of slavery back on Earth. To now hear this word ascribed to such a gentle soul and one who would be responsible for my well-being… it sent me into a frenzy to say the least. “What! No!” I wiggled free of my seat and dropped to the floor. “No deal! No deal! Screw this! You’re crazy if you think I’m going to comply with this. This is a trap! Get me out of here! Now!” Of course, as soon as I sprang down from my chair, the whole room erupted into a chaotic panicked mess of sorts. I knew I was outmatched, but I stood toe-to-toe with the two armed guards by the doorway. Each drew their holstered stun weapons, but Amy barked out, “Stop!” before they could fire. Both re-holstered their weapons and the turmoil calmed for a moment, but I was still on my guard. Curiously though, in all the commotion, I spotted Jennifer still stuck in her corner. Of all those in the room, she appeared neither angry, trigger happy, or even frustrated. Instead, she almost appeared sad. I wanted to question why in my head, but Amy’s voice boomed in the tiny room first. “Stand down, Megan!” I shook the thoughts out of my head for the moment about Jennifer and looked back toward Amy. She clearly had at least a stun gun holstered about her waist, but she only motioned for me to calm down. “I’m not doing this under any caregiver. I know what that means in this society! I never would have agreed to this deal if I had known that was what it entailed.” “Okay, okay… I understand that Megan, but just hear me out,” Amy said calmly as she held her hands aloft. By her lack of any real action in response to my own and her still-calm demeanor in all this, I knew that she barely felt threatened by my actions and that she had also was highly experienced in these intense and critical types of scenarios. “Can you try and calm down and listen to me? Please. I don’t want this to escalate further.” I pondered my options, but I could only think of the ‘tweakers’ I had found back on Earth. Something was telling me that those in this destined research facility were the ones responsible for their state of being. It could mean my ticket home, but it could also mean that I would spend the rest of my days as one of those ‘tweakers’ as well. Knowing the conditions back home, death almost seemed the preferable option at this point, but still, I wanted to know what she had to say first. So, with some reluctance still, I eased my body posture. Amy smiled a tiny bit and nodded her head. “Good. Very good, Megan.” She then readjusted her clothing and presented herself to me with her more usual stalwart appearance. “Now, as I see it, you haven’t signed the contract yet, so in theory at least, you still have the deal I gave you beforehand.” I itched to immediately choose the other option now, knowing full-well that likely only experimentation and eventual decrepitude would await me back on a dying planet if I chose the other option. Amy seemed to notice however, and quickly spoke up. “Just hear me out first before you go making any rash decisions that you will regret for as long as you still know that word at least.” Her thinly veiled threat hung in the air for a moment, and I just nodded my head for her to continue. “Good. Now, if you say yes, you will help dismantle an organization that is primarily responsible for the abduction of hundreds of others by now from your own world. Considering that their portals are most likely destabilizing both dimensions, your efforts would even go on to save both worlds. You would be a hero to billions.” Amy paused for a moment, obviously in order for the word ‘hero’ to percolate in my mind a little further. “Additionally, you would even have revenge upon those that ripped you away from your life, but if that’s not enough motivation…” she then took a giant lungful of air. “Finally, we could offer you a one-way ticket back home afterward once the portals go back to their usual regulation.” I was very impressed with the way she had presented the positives to saying yes. They were almost larger than life, but we both knew very well of the risks involved. When there was a possibility of losing everything that you were or were to ever be, the flipside to that equation had to be just as equally powerful, if not more so. As much as I hated to admit it, she had done exactly that. “If you say no, however,” she continued a little more sinisterly, “many things will happen. You will be left in the police station as we found you, but we will make it so that you will be unable to talk anymore about portals at all. It would really be for your safety, as without an ID, you would likely be terminated as a public hazard on the spot, rather than just be considered a dangerous rebel Little.” I felt fear begin to creep up my spine. “In all likelihood, with your years of built-up maturity and your already-demonstrated role as a protector for the injustices you would do doubt witness, you would soon end up in another conflict with an even more stern Big. I’m afraid that in a best-case scenario with those facts, you would likely end up in a downtrodden foster home with several other Littles or in one of those new etiquette schools. Either way, your mind wouldn’t last long, and the story of Megan Reynolds of Earth would end very quickly and very sadly, with your only comfort being the diapers you would then have to wear or the stuffie that would be your only true remaining friend in the entire cosmos of realities.” She paused and let the silence of the room overtake me. “That is your other option. So, Megan, which will it be?” My panic from earlier over a caretaker had now turned to fear over this alternative option. Going back in the state that I had left it, I knew I would be doomed. Going back home wouldn’t be an option in any scenario I could think of with it, and I knew that I would likely be regressed and stuck here… forever. It was a truly no-win scenario from what I could tell, but of the two options, only one presented a ray of hope, regardless of how slim it truly was. So, with a heavy sigh, I nodded once more and conceited my defeat of a sort. “I accept…” Amy smiled and I couldn’t help but see her in a different light now. Maybe not the villain like other Bigs had shown themselves to be, but certainly not a comfort to me either. She would be an interesting handler to say the least moving forward in all this, but curiously, I only saw Jennifer grimace a bit as Amy had made my options clear to me. If I was indeed to submit to a caretaker, one who flinched over some of those horrifying possibilities would be better than most others from what I had seen. A small concession perhaps, but a pleasant one at that. “Good.” Amy continued to smile and shoved the single sheet of paper of my ‘contract’ toward me. “Now, to confirm one last time, we need you to sign this paper. No tricks here, but we need it for legal reasons and in fact, it could be your one salvation in the future if everything should go wrong.” I wasn’t sure if I believed that last part, but I could see the seriousness behind her eyes still. So, without further hesitation, I walked back up to the table, managed to sit in my highchair once again, and then sign the document with the provided pen. It took less than three seconds, but I pondered the ramifications to such an action and how long they would haunt me in the coming future of my new life undercover. “There,” I said with a bit of disgust laced in my voice, “I’ve signed the paper. Now tell me what you need from me.” Amy briefly reviewed the document, and seemingly satisfied, placed my ‘contract’ back in my folder. “Agent Jennifer can go over some of the more day-to-day specifics with you later, but for now, you will be assigned to a multi-age daycare establishment located within the research lab facility that we suspect is housing the portal equipment. Agent Jennifer will be assigned to security to facilitate your entry to the daycare, as well as work the problem from her own end.” I questioned what I could learn from one of the dreaded daycare facilities that I had heard so many nasty things about in the past few months. “A… daycare…” I said with skepticism, “how…?” “Well,” Amy continued without letting me finish, “from our previous undercover Littles and their debriefings, we know that the daycare is also a front for various amounts of testing they are doing in other sections of the facility. Further, we highly suspect that many of those within the daycare have been adopted by the personnel there but are also many of those who have been taken from your Earth. You won’t be the only one there as a native, but we suspect that you may discover more from them than just pure files would ever reveal. That being said, actual documentation would also be ideal to have.” It was a lot to take in, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I had to question everything, so I quickly blurted out, “So, I am to interview these Littles and find out what they know?” I asked. “Won’t that be suspicious?” “Yes, but Littles can often go unseen in certain scenarios.” I then remembered several times when I had gotten out of a jam when I acted younger in front of other Bigs on the streets in the city. “And I’m sure you’re acting abilities are decent, but we also don’t want to take any chances this time...” I was jolted by the sudden implications of what she was saying. “Are you…? Do you…? How…?” Amy chuckled at my obvious stumbling and held up her hand to stop me. “Easy there, Megan. We’re not going to butcher you or anything like that. Instead, though, you’re just going to take a drug.” ‘Crap.’ To a certain extent, taking a drug was even worse and I eyed my folder and the ‘contract’ that I had already signed. “Not the biggest fan of that… but can I know what the side effects are at least?” Amy seemed hesitant to divulge what they were, but then finally relented. “I suppose you should know so you can monitor them yourself…” She then pulled out another sheet from my file and I could see a picture of a white triangular pill at the top. “Let’s see… well, the overall effect we are looking for is to curb your learned traits to fight back. If you do get into an emergency scenario, however, the drug shouldn’t affect you.” Her words were of little comfort right now. She then took a deep breath and sped through her next sentence. “But the other side effects are a 2% chance of incontinence, an increased lack of discernable speech, loss of coordination, and a greater flux of emotions if abused or interacting with other drugs.” She took another huge breath but said this part at a normal speed, though my mind was still trying to process what she had initially said. “We’re not sure what the effects could be after a year, but this should all be over by then.” I had already signed the ‘contract,’ and from what I knew about this world and from what Amy had just told me as well, I knew my other option would almost certainly guarantee those side effects no matter what I did. At least with this scenario, chances of them happening were in the single digits. It wasn’t much, but I was quickly getting the feeling that small victories had to be savored when they occurred from now on. “Fine… I don’t like it, but a lack of me punching someone would probably be a good thing with all this.” Amy smiled but I swear I could hear a small chuckle come from Jennifer. To my surprise, Amy then stood up and began to walk out of the room, but curiously left behind a single bag behind on the table. Just as I was about to ask, Amy snapped back to me. “Oh, probably should have mentioned this in the first place, but training pants need to be worn at all times.” She then gave me a cutesy wave. “Good luck!” The door then slammed shut after Amy and the other two agents had walked away. I was nearly speechless as I eyed the bag in front of me and Jennifer walked up the desk. Her nervousness was readily apparent. “Ugh! I’ve been undercover with drug smuggling and kidnapping ops, but I can’t stop worrying about all this.” I then chuckled to myself over that statement given all that had just occurred in my life. “You? What about me? I just agreed to the very thing I’ve been trying to avoid and then run back home to get as far away from as I possibly can!” Jennifer immediately looked taken back and a little embarrassed over her own relatively minor problems. “Ah… puts my little issues to shame, huh?” I acknowledged her position and smiled a bit at our shared problems with all that was going on. At the very least, it was nice to know that she was ‘human’ in a way. Hearing all that was ahead of me, it was an oddly comforting notion, but still, I knew we couldn’t stay here all day. “Yeah… but I guess we just need to get this over with. Probably going to be a lot of awkward moments to come, so maybe just rip it off like a band-aid and dive in headfirst?” Jennifer smiled back and nodded. “I was just thinking the same actually.” She then moved to the bag and removed a single plastic package. “In fact, we’re going to have to start now with everything, including the whole training pants business. Sorry…” I quickly groaned at the prospect, particularly when I saw the purply mass of padding now laid out before me that even seemed to sport a single kitten on one side at least. “Can’t we just leave out of here… without them?” Amy shook her head with a fair amount of reluctance. “Sorry, Megan, but no. A lot of the officers saw you come in here and you can’t just disappear into thin air. I walked into the interrogation room as well and we have an agent waiting outside the door, but we still need to be seen exiting the precinct station.” I knew she was right of course and thought back to Officer Jake and his nasty ways. I knew he needed to see me leave under Jennifer’s care, if no one else at least, as I certainly didn’t want to have to continually look over my shoulder in fear that he was suddenly lurking there. “So, what’s the plan?” Jennifer smiled and handed me the training pants. “Well, we need everyone to see that you’re wearing these… wearing only these…” I looked at the garment before me. “You mean…?” Amy then realized she needed to clarify a bit further. “Uh… I mean, just your pants and underwear need to come off. Your blouse is long enough to cover it them up a bit for your dignity, but the officers need to see your new ‘protection’ to sell all this. It may not seem like a big difference, but it should satisfy most of them.” I sighed and nodded. “Let’s just do this…” I then hopped out of my highchair and grabbed the training pants before quickly shedding my slacks and underwear. Kindly enough, Jennifer had the good grace to turn around after nodding back to me, but I knew that type of privacy wouldn’t last long once we were undercover. Still, it was a nice gesture that only made me like her a bit more. Regardless, finally, the training pants were up, and while I hated their bulkier presence and what they represented, I knew it could have been much worse. “Alright, you can turn around now. Let’s just leave here as quickly as possible at this point.” Jennifer turned around and smiled at what she saw. It wasn’t cruel or anything, but I swear she was about two seconds away from cooing. Still, ever the agent, she righted herself and grabbed my old pants and underwear and tossed them in the bag. “Right. Thank you for doing that. It makes me really hopeful for this assignment, but we need to do one last thing.” I remained quiet and just let her tell me rather than take a guess. “I need to carry you out of here.” I wasn’t surprised in the least, and it seemed to go along with the whole idea of submission and my new form of undergarment. I didn’t like it, but I knew it was inevitable, so I just raised my arms up. “Just do it.” Jennifer meekly smiled at me and bent down to pick me up. Her touch was soft and warm and somehow made me feel secure, despite her apparent apprehension over what she was doing. “Sorry for all this. I truly am, but I’ll really try my best with this assignment. I don’t think this means much to you with all we have ahead, but I promise to be there for you through all of it.” I nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, but you’re wrong.” She immediately looked nervous about what I was about to say. “Relax. I meant with you being there for me and not meaning anything. It’s small, but with what I’ve seen in this world of yours, it does mean a lot.” I could see an ounce of emotion threatening to breakthrough her overall calm demeanor, but she just cleared her throat. “Thank you, Megan. That means a lot to me as well.” She then collected the bag the training pants had come in and that now contained my old slacks and underwear. “Alright. That should do it.” She then took a deep breath. “You ready for all this?” I sighed. “Not really, but I don’t think I have a choice at this point, so let’s just get going.” She nodded as if to confirm my predicament and then walked out the door of the barren room. This time, I could see where we were going, but to be honest, the elaborate maze of tunnels and corridors we passed made me very doubtful that I could ever truly find my way back out if I ever needed to in the future. Finally, we made it to a familiar looking door that I had no doubt would lead to my original interrogation room. Jennifer then paused. “Okay, Megan. This is it,” she said with a little more resolve in her voice now. “Through these doors, I need you to act like a scared or submissive Little.” I didn’t know I would have to do that and the apprehension on my face probably showed. “That’s okay. We’re going to practice over the coming weekend with some of this stuff, but for now, how about you just lean into me? If you feel you’re going to break or get angry at any time, just close your eyes, and while I hate to add this scenario into the mix, if it helps, just think you took the other deal and are about to be regressed.” My mind became a clouded mess of confusion and nervousness. Obviously, it was the reaction Jennifer was looking for to maintain our cover, and she soon entered the door and then exited out into the precinct room. As she had noted, another agent was waiting outside, and he and Jennifer just calmly walked together through the room crowded full of officers. All eyes seemed laser focused on me… well except for one it seemed. “I don’t care who they are. In Jupiter’s name! We had her, you stupid excuse for a Big!” I instantly recognized the heavy yelling and red-faced cop in the background berating his younger partner. To my delight though, another clearly more seasoned officer intervened. “Officer Jake! You will shut up this instant!” Officer Jake swung around to confront whoever had just yelled at him, but when he saw the glistening double bars on the epaulets of his captain’s uniform, I could even see him swallow hard from this distance. “Now, you will conduct yourself in a manner becoming of that uniform and this precinct right now! You know of the new corrections we can offer those who don’t toe the line, right?” I could only see a blustering Officer Jake try to retract everything and almost cower in fear over what had just been spoken. I wasn’t sure what they were referring to, but it clearly had spooked even that old cantankerous Big. Then, before we exited, I finally saw the even tempered and kindly Detective Paul give me a tiny salute. As the three of us then exited into the cold night air, I wondered what that gesture could mean. The response time for all this was rather quick, but he seemed so normal. ‘Was he in on all this? Or was he just friendly?’ Jennifer and the other agent soon ushered me to an awaiting black SUV parked out front. It was enormous in comparison, and I didn’t need to be told to know that it was clearly government issued. Still though, it gave me a sense of protection and a way to move forward, but I guess that was too naïve of me at this point. Only seconds after first seeing the vehicle and all that ‘safety,’ the back door was soon opened, and waiting inside, was a comfortable looking, but undeniable car seat waiting precisely for me. The night air was a pleasant reminder of my freedom, but the device in front of me now was a stark reminder of the price that I had paid for that freedom and just what lay in store for my future.

Mistake Three "Are you doing this on purpose?" Judith asked. Her voice was full of anger, holding up the note I'd left her the night before. I played dumb, of course; it was early in the morning and I'd only just entered Judith's space for the day. "And good morning to you too, Judith," I said. "What's the matter? You seem upset." "I know this isn't English," Judith said, waving the note. "Whatever you were writing on the clipboard too. You know I can't read this." "You can't read it?" I asked, perfectly faking concern. "That's... unusual..." "Cut it out," Judith said a little louder. "I can read other stuff just fine!" She put the note down on the counter, went over to the bags of chips, and picked up the Tostitos. Then she turned it over and started rattling off the ingredients list. She sure was thorough... but I had accounted for that. "But you can't read this?" I asked, turning the note on the counter to face me. "Because those aren't letters! Those aren't words!" "And you couldn't read my form yesterday? Why didn't you say something?" Judith froze. She was embarrassed, obviously. People don't like not knowing things. But now I'd caught her out on it. After a moment to collect herself, she crossed her arms defensively and glared at me. "It doesn't matter. It's not readable." "Good morning," I said, my eyes on the note as if I were reading it. "I've stocked your kitchen with some food and given you the supplies to write your letter. If you finish it today, I can send it out tomorrow. Please try to enjoy yourself until I arrive. Signed, Maria." Judith was speechless. I looked up at her and she shook her head a little. Then she held herself tighter with her arms over her chest. "Read it again..." she mumbled. "If it's a real note, you won't mix up any words." I sighed. "Good morning," I repeated. I'd memorized the fake letter this morning. "I've stocked your kitchen with some food and given you the supplies to write your letter. If you finish it today, I can send it out tomorrow. Please try to enjoy yourself until I arrive." Then I looked back at Judith. "Signed, Maria." Judith didn't look back at me. She stood there and looked at her feet. It didn't make sense to her, and I could see her unraveling. With a cautious smile, I approached her and put my hand on her shoulder. It was the first time I'd ever touched her. She was warmer than I thought she'd be. "This doesn't make sense," Judith mumbled. I could hear the frustration in her voice. It quivered. "Maybe your mind is just trying to protect you from something," I said calmly, rubbing her shoulder. "But the chips, and... and all the other stuff..." "Are familiar to you," I finished her sentence. "But I'm new. All this is new. Perhaps you're struggling to interpret new things?" "Maybe..." Judith was caving in on herself. It was precious to watch, and it gave me an opening. I reached down and took Judith by the hand. I curled my fingers around hers. "Let's sit down and talk about this, okay? Don't worry, I'm here." "Yeah..." Judith let me walk her to the couch. This time I sat next to her, practically touching. We went through some of the alphabet together, but whenever I would write a letter or a word it would be scribbles. In the end, we came to the conclusion together: she couldn't read anymore. At least, not anything I wrote down. We would test it again later with some other forms from other colleagues. She would find the same problem. "I know this is scary," I said, "but I'm here for you, Judith. I am here to support you, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen. We're going to get you through to the other side of this." Nothing I said was untrue. That was the easiest type of deception to get away with; the sort that you could do entirely with truth. Lying was inevitable, but there was a kind of certainty that only the truth could get across, and that was how you got people to trust you. "I really hate this," Judith mumbled. She looked away from me, out the large glass door wall, at the waterlogged horizon. I wondered what she was thinking. "Let's talk about the treatment plan," I urged. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can resolve this whole thing." "Right... yeah..." That brought Judith's attention back to the present, back to me. It was foreshadowing, in a way: soon, I'd be the most important thing in her life. "I'd like to start today by asking you how you're feeling." "I'm feeling... I don't know." "That's why I'm asking," I smiled. "So we can figure it out." "I'm feeling... confused. But, not confused. Like..." "Lost?" I offered. "I guess so..." Judith sulked. "Well, you have me to guide you," I said brightly. "Now let's get started." Judith's treatment plan involved three goals: One. We wanted to restore Judith's memory of the events that never happened. It was an impossible goal. Two. Reduce anxiety and uncertainty. These things would interfere with the first impossible goal, but they would allow me to exercise a lot more control over Judith. Three. She wanted to fix her reading and writing. I didn't care about that, but it did provide me an opportunity to establish a dynamic. Me, her teacher. A position of power. That day, we worked on the second goal. I needed to establish a relationship with Judith and plant some ideas in her head. Meditation was my means. "Sit here," I said. "Hold my hands like this." "Um... sure..." We were both on the floor, legs crossed, and facing each other. She put her hands in mine and I gently brushed the backs of her hands with my thumbs. A certain degree of intimacy was good for building a connection, and building connections was good for building intimacy. It was a feedback loop. So holding Judith's hands was a good place to start. "We're going to start with a breathing exercise, could you do that for me?" "Mmhmm..." Judith and I went through breathing exercises together. I helped her relax her body. I would sometimes open my eyes and glance at her. She looked quiet, serene. Like when she was sleeping. Every time I closed my eyes, I stiffed my back and pushed out my chest just in case she decided to open hers. "How are you feeling?" I asked. "Alright, I guess..." Judith said quietly. "I'm going to take you through a guided meditation. Just listen, imagine what I'm telling you... no need to do or think about anything else." "Okay..." There wasn't all that much difference between guided meditation and hypnotic suggestion; just the ratio of conscious to subconscious thought when it came to the narration. Hypnosis was never really in our toolkit because it was rudimentary, but guided meditation was an excellent way to make a candidate party to their own downfall. "So we're going to try and visualize the beach outside your beach house…" Judith didn't say anything else, but her hands were still softly placed in mine. I peeked at her and I could tell by the concentration on her face that she was doing her best. Wonderful. "You can feel the sand under your bare feet... you can smell the salt of the ocean... you can hear the waves rolling gently against the shore..." I had worried that Judith could have been a difficult project, but she listened and obeyed as I spoke. "This is your beach, this is your safe space. Whenever you feel worried, or upset, or scared, you can always come to your beach, Judith. You can always close your eyes and be here. And nothing can harm you here, not a thing at all." "There are no storms here," I continued. "There are no tidal waves or bugs or anything scary at all. But I can be here, whenever you need me. I can be here to hold your hand, to reassure you, and to help you overcome anything. I am here." The meditation went on a while longer. As I described them, I thought about ways I could use the warmth of the sand or the sound of waves or the blue of the sky. But that would come later. "You can open your eyes now, Judith." I watched her open her eyes. Her expression was calm and tired. Her eyes were a little shiny with water as her pupils adjusted to the light of the beach house. I got up first and patted her on the head, like it was a normal thing to do. Then I said: "You did so well, Judith. I'm very proud of you." Proud was such a wonderful word. It was a word a teacher could give to a pupil, or a word a friend could give to another. A boss could give it to a worker, and a wife could say it to her husband. It was also a word a parent could say to a child. I wondered where Judith and I would fall in that vast sea of possibility. After our lesson, which is what I had begun calling the time working on her goals, I had to go. That was when Judith asked: "Can I go with you? Like, can I see the rest of the hospital?" I flashed her a pained expression, and then shook my head slowly. "Not yet, Judith; with your mind as fractured as it is, we need to keep the variables to a minimum or else your brain is likely to start filling in gaps with the information it can find. And like sugar and salt poured out on a plate, we might never be able to sort through that mess." "But..." Judith hesitated. Since she had come to accept so many other truths I had given her, this one seemed almost too logical to argue. So she didn't. "You're right," she relented. "Write your letter," I said cheerily. "Put it in an envelope and I'll have it delivered. No one else will read it." Judith nodded and I left through the front door. I reviewed the case files for a few hours, planning my next steps. That was when I had a visit from Eli. "It looks like you're taking kindly to this place," he said, taking a seat across from my desk. "It's very quiet," I sighed. "I have to admit, I miss the chaos..." "Then you'll be happy to know that we have already tracked down sixty-six other candidates." "Wow... in a week?" That was impressive, and way ahead of schedule. "Some of them are easier to get to than others, but Kenzō's tracker is working miracles." Kenzō was our tech guy. Or, the head of a few dozen tech guys. He hated managing things, but he was damn good at everything else. He was the one that invented the markers, and was instrumental in creating the Memoriam. Eli nodded at the file on my desk. "May I?" "Oh, sure." I passed him my notes. While he perused, I checked Judith's security cam. She was exploring the upstairs. Two bedrooms and a bathroom; nothing interesting. "This reading game you're playing..." Eli critiqued, "why not just use a marker? You wouldn't have to work so hard if you actually took away her ability to read." "You get how many Touches?" I asked. "Twelve?" "Experiments are showing closer to nine or ten," Eli said solemnly, which wasn't too different to how he usually spoke. "Rerouting neural pathways takes a greater toll on the brain than we imagined." "Right. So why would I waste one of those precious advantages on something I can manage myself?" "You make a good point," Eli admitted. "But I know you, Maria. This isn't a game of pride. Don't gamble when you don't have to." "I'm not." "You ordered antidepressants?" he asked. But it wasn't a question. "Is that why you're here?" I sighed. "It's been two days." "One Touch," he negotiated. "It doesn't matter what you use it for, but it'll make the higher ups a lot less nervous." "She's not dangerous," I argued. "Don't be naïve, Maria. One Touch." I had everything under control, and playing with Judith's consciousness ran the risk of starting fires. One lie begets another, and another. And, well... I'd never done it before. I'd worked for the Academy for years, plotting and planning and organizing. But now, I had an actual candidate in front of me. Now, I was at a moral crossroads. The worst part was, no matter what decision I made, it would be the wrong one. I spent most of that night thinking about the markers. Kenzō built twelve of them from fragments of the Source. One of them belonged to me. One to Eli. One to ———. One to Kenzō, who promptly gave it to Penny. One belonged to Academy M, for safety reasons. One belonged to Academy I, for practical reasons. One belonged to Academy T, for bureaucratic reasons. One was traded between Academies A through E. One was traded between Academies W through Z. Two were traded between all the remaining Academies. And the last one belonged to the Magistrate, as... well, the closest comparison would be a nuclear deterrent. The markers could alter the neural pathways in a candidate's brain. More than that, they changed the candidate's reality. It wasn't brain surgery so much as creating a new version of the subject. There's a subtle difference between Judith not remembering how to read and not being able to read. But even the Source has limitations. So too do the markers. They can't change who the candidate is on a fundamental level. In other words, there are some things about a person that are inescapable, no matter what version of themselves they are. Free will is the universal example. The markers can't alter free will. I couldn't use the marker to alter Judith's reading without also altering her memory of the past two days. That would be two Touches, and likely two wasted ones at that. I had to come up with something else... Then I remembered why Eli assigned me to this case in the first place. Judith had a thing for tall women. I pulled out my tablet and clicked the marker onto the top of it. It snapped into place. I opened up one of Kenzō's apps and started tuning the dials. The cap on the marker shifted from white to red. The next morning, I entered the beach house from the upstairs bedroom. Judith was in the kitchen, and she was startled again when I came down the stairs. "How did..." She shook her head. "Nevermind. You should announce yourself when you come in, since you keep popping up in unexpected places." "I'm sorry," I laughed. "But that's a good idea. I'll call out next time, okay?" "Yeah, okay..." Judith put down the spoon into her bowl of cereal and swiped an unmarked envelope off the countertop. She walked over to me and held it out. "For your dad?" I asked. "Yeah. He lives at—" "We know," I smiled warmly. "Kensington, right?" "Yeah..." Judith looked a little awestruck, but she had no reason to be. I'd already proven that our agency was very knowledgeable, and Judith had already given us the information. She just didn't remember it. She handed me the letter, and then I paused. I looked at the front, at the word "Dad" in cursive. Then I turned it over. "Judith," I said cautiously. "I don't want to worry you, but… does this say something?" "What? Yeah! It says Dad. Wait… you can't read it?" I shook my head and Judith looked absolutely baffled. "So… so it's not just me?" Judith asked, trying to piece the puzzle together. "You can't read either?" "Perhaps. Or…" "Or…?" "Or you can't write," I suggested, my smile full of pity. "I… of course I can. Obviously, I can! I wrote that whole letter!" Judith snatched the letter out of my hand and unfolded it. She handed it to me. It was short. Dad, Hey, it's Judith. I'm so sorry I didn't call. I can't call right now. I'm safe, but there's something happening and I can't talk about it. I don't know what I can say in this letter, but if you give me a few days I'll try to give you more information. Be safe and maybe check out the beach house? I know that's a weird request. Anyway, I love you. I'll write soon, I promise. Judith It read like any other letter, but there were tones of uncertainty all through it. Suspicion. She didn't trust me yet. Smart girl. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, holding the letter up for her to see, "but this is just scribbles." "Bullshit…" She snatched the letter back. I'd never heard her swear before. She said hell once, but I wasn't sure that counted. It was incongruent, and I didn't like it. Maybe I'd train curse words out of her. But for now… "I'm sorry," I repeated. "I'll show some of my colleagues if that's okay? Maybe this is a localized effect… something about you and me?" "How can I just… I can read it just fine…" Judith wasn't talking to me. She was trying to understand. But it wasn't understandable. She turned the paper over a few times and gave it back. "You're sure?" she asked. "You're absolutely sure you can't read this?" She locked eyes with me. She was trying to tell if I was lying. But I'd been lying all my life; she didn't have the skills to see through my deceptions. "I swear, Judith. I can't read this." We were both quiet for a moment. She was halfway between anger and disbelief. None of her was on board with what was going on, so I thought it best to just change the subject. "We will work on writing along with your reading, okay?" "Whatever…" Then I snapped my fingers. It was the starting point of the program I'd written into the marker. She wouldn't remember anything after that snap, and I had some recon to do. "Judith? Do you find me attractive?" Judith blinked. It was a forward question, of course it caught her off guard. And I expected her answer too. "What? No! I mean... I mean, you are. I mean... you're... you're nice looking. Uh..." She was stumbling over her words and immediately looked away from me. "It's important to be direct, Judith. Could you do that for me? Let's try one more time: do you find me attractive?" Pushing like this wasn't the best bedside manner, but with the ability to hit an invisible undo button after the conversation, I didn't really mind the risks. "I guess? I don't know!" She was clearly flustered. "Why does this matter?" "It doesn't," I said simply. "But if you could have me... if you could throw me down right there on the sofa and rip off my clothes... would you?" She stood there, awestruck, so I added: "Or, should I be the one throwing you on the sofa? Should I be ripping your clothes off?" "This... this is crazy! You're acting crazy!" But Judith's face was warm with embarrassment. She turned on her heel and walked back to the kitchen, just to put distance between her and me. I followed, of course. "If you want to put your memories back together, the truth is important," I said. "It's how we ground you, your reality, your feelings. Be truthful with me, so you can be truthful with yourself." "I'm not engaging in this conversation," Judith said sharply, though she was still blushing. "First off, you're my nurse. Second off, isn't there an ethical problem here if I have amnesia or something? And like, what the hell? We met two days ago!" It seemed like Judith's rational mind was winning over her emotional one. That was good information to have. "Are you telling me you've ever needed two days to know if you're attracted to someone?" I asked. "You're extremely unprofessional," Judith said with finality. "Sometimes," I shrugged and reached into my pocket. I took out the red-capped marker and took a few steps closer to Judith. She shied away, which was expected. "I'm not going to do anything," I assuaged her. "No matter how attractive I find you, you're right. I should be professional." I watched her eyes change. Nervousness. Anxiety. Then, to confusion. Uncertainty. And just a bit of flattery. I smiled warmly and took another step closer. "What are you doing?" she asked, but she didn't shy away this time. "It's just a test," I said very professionally. I uncapped the marker, but the tip wasn't felt or colored. It was a silver orb held in place with metal coils. I took her hand in mine and touched the tip of the orb to her palm. Nothing flashy happened. There wasn't a magical light or a spark or a glow. There wasn't a sound like a click or a ring or a chime. But I watched at close range as the curious light in Judith's eyes faded away. Her eyelids fell halfway and her hand went limp in my own. It was like watching someone die. After that, it was like having a doll. When I moved her, she moved with me, and it was easy to lead her back to the stairs where I had snapped my fingers. I still had her letter in my hand. When we were in position, I tilted her chin up to look at her. That faraway look in her eyes. That cute little empty head. A part of me felt guilty, having done this to another human being. But Judith was no ordinary human being. Maybe she wasn't a human being at all anymore. And that made me feel powerful. In retrospect, I wished I had snapped my fingers right then. I wished I hadn't Touched her at all. If I hadn't used the marker in that moment, maybe I never would have. Maybe I would have made different choices. It was just another mistake. "Judith..." I said her name so softly, like the quiet space between us was fragile. Like she might wake up. But she wouldn't, not until I snapped my fingers again. "What are you most afraid of?" I asked. "Being alone," she said. Her words were soft and full like a stuffed animal. Being alone. Perfect. "What is something you find particularly attractive on women?" I asked. "Lipstick," she whispered. It was like she could speak clearly without making a single sound. "And what do you think of me?" I asked. "You're very pretty and kind," she spoke so deliriously, and so articulate. "You're generous and you try to help. You're always... doing your best..." I hesitated. It sounded like she was buying my performance. It sounded like she found me attractive. Everything was on course. But that last bit... I don't know why, but it felt a little too insightful. Like I wasn't accounting for something, and it would sneak up on me and ruin everything. A leftover variable nobody thought to control for. I'm overreacting, I told myself at the time. But I wasn't. I snapped my fingers and Judith's eyes blinked. She looked at me, at the letter in my hand, and nodded her head. Just like that, her brain reconnected to her mind, her body to her soul, and her self to the present. I, meanwhile, had to pretend that no time had passed at all. I was a pretty good actor. "Thank you for always being so cooperative and helping to work toward your recovery." Judith rolled her eyes and returned to the kitchen with a remarkable resemblance to the way she had done just a few moments prior. A small pang of terror shot up my spine, but she went instead to the sink to fill a glass of water. I took a breath and followed her. If the marker had done its job - and I had no reason to believe it hadn't - then Judith would be just a little more attracted to me than before. I wasn't sure how it would manifest yet, but I was eager to find out.

Chapter Fourteen: Amanda leaned back in the chair, clutching John tightly to her chest, and trying to calm him down while the nurse tried to get the pacy in his mouth. Doctor Galanis put his cold stethoscope against his bare back and the moment he gasped, the pacy was in. She stroked his hair, humming softly as he fought. Oh he fought. He thrashed, she could feel him trying to bite through the pacy. She held him tightly throughout all of it. She would keep him safe, she had promised him. As he slowed down, she softly rubbed his back, whispering “shhhh, shhhh. It's going to be okay.” She could hear the nurse asking Doctor Galanis “How did you know that would work?” He chuckled a little and answered “Tricks of the trade. That paste will calm down any little. I just had to grab a pacifier and dip it in.” Amanda looked up to see the nurse correct the doctor “No, I meant the cold stethoscope.” That made him laugh a bit more. “Not my first panicked naked little.” And now Doctor Galanis quickly warmed his stethoscope up by rubbing it hard against his palm rapidly until it was definitely not cold any more and he used it to listen to Johns breathing for a minute. Finally he nodded. “Okay, let me get my tablet to make notes on his file. How long has he been having these … little attacks?” He seemed to be asking somewhat gently. Amanda thought back a bit to the notes that she had “I have a file I started when I found him with exact notes. He was having one when I found him, one the night I found him. A few the next day. The one this morning I saw coming, and was able to calm him down. This one … I guess he was just too stressed. We even came first thing in the morning when it would be less crowded.” Doctor Galanis nodded along patiently, typing all of this into his tablet. “Well, with littles, these panic attacks are not unheard of. We had a little girl in here three months ago with the same problem. Poor thing screamed in that exact playpen until she threw up. It took the same treatment to get her to calm down. Poor thing was so scared she tried to bite anyone's hand that came near her.” She gasped “That's terrible! What would make her react like that?” With a shrug he answered “Apparently when she got lost here in our dimension, LPS just threw her in a nursery for several days and never even explained to her that it was for her own good. Typical LPS, they're so determined to protect the littles that they forget that they're little people too.” Amanda hugged John to her chest firmly. “Is … is my little John going to be okay?” Now it was the Doctors turn to be encouraging “Don't worry, we'll send you with a couple of samples and you can obviously have that pacy. Once used, we can't exactly put them back in the package. After about a month of use, we'll check on him when he comes back in for his next vaccine. He needs more examination then, as well.” She felt him shivering still, and when she looked, his eyes were still closed. He wasn't limp like he usually was when he was asleep, though. “Can we get him dressed? He's cold.” With a nod “Oh absolutely. Let's go ahead and give him his shots now, though. Nurse!” Standing behind him with two prepped syringes, the nurse was already prepared. “Lay him down and we'll get him in each hip, that way he can't scratch at the band aids if he panics again.” Amanda quickly went over to the table and the nurse unfastened his diaper, commenting “Oh. Someone sure needed this diaper.” before scrubbing each hip with an alcohol pad and giving him the injections. “All done! Let's wrap him back up.” With Amanda and the nurse working together he was in a fresh diaper and dressed in no time. When that was done, Doctor Galanis looked at his file, then to Amanda. “Okay young lady now it's your turn. You just found him on the weekend, so I am guessing that you have not been to the adoption center yet?” Amanda simply shook her head “I wanted to make sure he was healthy first. That is important.” He nodded at her “You're going to make a great Mommy. But we need to make some notes on his files. How far regressed is he? That diaper was obviously wet, but you said he had gone a few times. Does he talk much? Can he speak fluently?” Amanda laughed a little “Oh, he can definitely talk. I think the only time I don't hear him either talking or crinkling around the house is when he is about to get into trouble.” Doctor Galanis just chuckled “That's the thing with children. When you stop hearing them, it's time to worry. I'm not going to prescribe something simple that you can get over the counter, but I would like you to put him on a multivitamin every day. We'll have to do blood work when you bring him back next. Does he stay indoors, or does he play outdoors?” “Oh he seems to love being outdoors! He's great with animals. I have a video of him climbing the dog to reach the doorknob, and a video of him hand feeding a squirrel!” Now everyone laughed “Okay, I have to see that. You show us that video and I'll get the paperwork done stating that he needs to be adopted, and that I recommend you as his new mommy. That usually speeds things along if LPS gets involved. You'll still have to get him registered with a new social security number. The new Adoption Center in town can do both of those at the same time. And with this being Monday morning the line is going to be short.” Amanda smiled “Oh, if I can bypass the courthouse, that will save him a lot of stress. And I already made an appointment at the adoption center on the recommendation of a friend of mine. I don't think he is going to have an easy time adjusting.” The doctor reached down and gave the pacifier in johns mouth a little wiggle “Just keep using this when he has panic attacks and after a few months just having his pacy with him will calm him down. They associate the pacy with being calm and eventually just suck on it when they feel stressed. She nodded now “Thank you very much Doctor Galanis. I hope we can help him adjust. Is there anything else we need to do here today?” “Just one. That medicine didn't put him to sleep, he was just worn out. We can leave you alone in here to hold him, but you have to wait until he opens his eyes and looks around before you can leave. We'll have the paperwork for you up front. And I think we have a box of pacy straps somewhere. If we find one we'll put it with the paperwork.” “Thank you again Doctor Galanis.” He nodded “We'll leave you two alone. When he's awake you can head to the front desk. If he doesn't wake up within ten or fifteen minutes, just walk over to the nurses station with him.” She nodded as he slipped out and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone with John. She sat there holding him against her chest. And rubbing his back. Every so often she would give a cursory glance at the clock on the wall. She knew this moment needed to be brief, but it was nice to hold him like this, even if the chair was uncomfortable. After a bout twelve minutes he opened his eyes and looked at her, then rested his head against her shoulder. That seemed like the sign she was waiting for, so she slowly stood up, got the strap of her diaper bag over her shoulder and eased out of the door. She was waved past the nurses station but then she stopped and whispered to the RN at the station “Hey … can I give him coffee? He's been asking for it constantly.” The RN chuckled and answered “ten to one milk with coffee, plenty of sugar. Just make sure you have a fresh diaper handy, our coffee goes through them quite fast.” With that she took her spaced out charge around to the front desk where she was told and they gave her a manila folder with the doctors notes and a sample tub of a powder to dip the pacifier in. She also remembered to get a receipt printed out to bring with her. May as well take the research team up on their offer. Out in the car, she buckled John into his car seat and leaned over to take a look at him. He was quite. He hasn't been quiet this entire time. She pulled the pacifier out of his mouth and asked “John? Sweety?” He looked at her “Hmm?” “How are you feeling big guy?” He looked at her for a moment and gave her a weak smile “I'm okay. I think I got scared.” She couldn't hide her slight frown. This John was … TOO calm. In the few days she'd known him he only ever seemed to be powered by a spring and determined to be doing anything other than sitting still. Below his view she wiped the pacy off on her shirt and put it next to him in the car seat. “Hey, are you thirsty?” The calm, almost monotone response kind of worried her “Yeah... I'm pretty thirsty.” Reaching into the diaper bag she pulled out a sippy cup and held it out. He just … calmly accepted it and started sucking it down. HE didn't look like he was planning to stop so she just went around to the drivers seat and buckled up and started the car. It took several tries to get the address of the new adoption center to come up, since phone GPS isn't updated often, but eventually she found it and easily memorized the route to get there. “Okay, the doctors appointment took an hour, twenty minutes to the adoption center. Lunch for John, then Littles R Us let me schedule a delivery for today in exchange for … ouch … that's going to hurt.” Looking over her shoulder, she asked “John, we're off to the adoption center. You going to be okay back there?” She could hear the little bubbles continue in the sippy cup for a moment before they stopped and she heard a calm voice “Yeah. That sounds scary.” Amanda didn't realize how long she was holding her breath before she finally exhaled and put the car in gear, mumbling “Please don't have any more panic attacks today.” The drive across town was honestly slow going due to traffic. And catching every. Single. Red. Light. Finally, as she pulled into the adoption center parking lot she looked up at the mirror to see John trying to look around, his cup apparently long since empty. He seemed lucid. “Hey Buddy, how are you feeling?” John sprouted the smirk. He was definitely feeling more like himself as he spoke “Do you want the truth, or my side of the story?” Okay, her little seemed to catch her off guard with that one, and she replied “...first your side of the story. Then the truth.” “I'm not thirsty, which is a sign that I had enough to drink.” “And your side of the story?” “I have no idea where I am, what is going on, I saw an adult with no teeth in nothing but but a diaper staring at me from a baby carrier, and now we're at an adoption center. I am kind of scared.” Wow. He's seemed relatively calm. The medicine was still having a bit of a calming effect. She put the sample tube from the doctors office in the diaper bag. Just in case. Leaving the care and going around to his door, she opened it and reached down to unbuckle him from the car seat. She helped him sit up since he kept just sliding back into place in the seat. This is apparently a really good car seat. She made sure that he looked somewhat comfortable before breaking a truth of the world he was in to him somewhat gently. “Okay John. It's fair to be scared. Completely understandable, even. Where you come from, do you have a social security number?” “Yes.” “Do you have one in this world?” “No Ma'am.” “If you don't have a social security number here, and by here I mean this entire world, what does that make you?” “Uhhhh... an … a … Lost? Uhhh... Illegal?” She put a hand up now “Lost. Lost little.” She watched to see if he was following along. Before continuing “Okay. If in your world you found a lost child, what would you do?” He didn't even have to think “Try to help find their parents.” “And if their parents were in another dimension?” “Uhhh... I guess … call child protective services and say 'hey I have this … oh.” NOW he was getting it. She slowly nodded until he was nodding along with her. Once he was nodding she continued “If you brought a small child to child services in your world, what would they do?” “Foster care and try to find someone to adopt ...” She cut him off with one hand raised “You may be startled to know that the adoption laws here allow Amazons to adopt littles. Like you.” “Ah, but I'm not a child.” “But you are still a little. You were lost in the woods. You had an accident in your sleep. And you're not big enough to take care of yourself in my world. You also have no way of returning to your own dimension. Yes?” He stopped nodding now. Completely. “Yeah ….” She decided to try and be a bit more direct. “John, if you try to make your way in this world someone my size is going to see how small you are, take you and adopt you. Whether you like them or not will not be a factor. You know the 'adult' little that you saw in that baby carrier?” Johns only two reactions were a frown and a nod. “Well … If someone sees how small and cute you are and adopts you, they could do that to you. I think that you're precious the way you are and I am willing to adopt you to prevent that from happening to you.” John just stammered a bit “I … I … uhhh... I don't want to be like that. But … I don't understand...” She reached out and tussled his unruly hair. Goddess that was fun to do. Stay focused. Protect your baby first, mess with his hair second. “One challenge at a time, baby." “Not a baby.” She slumped a bit “Poor choice of words on my part. One challenge at a time, sweety.” He was trying so hard, she could see it in his eyes. He may still be a bit numbed from the medicine. Maybe that would help him. “John. What we are going to do is go into this building and get you a social security number and some identification. I'm going to have to loan you my last name. You'll be part of my family. You and I and Xerxes. And Aunt Cat and Kate, sort of.” “You're going to loan me your last name?” He kind of puzzled. She nodded with a great big smile “I promise that you can use is at long as you need it. I can't avoid you using someones last name, but I can make sure it's the last name of someone that will take good care of you.” She knew that all of this was true. He just didn't realize yet how long he would be needing it. He still looked a bit shaken, but nodded anyway. “If there is ever a way to send me home, or make me my old size, will you promise to help?” She took that as her cue and picked him up and put him down standing next to her. “Not only do I promise, I think I'll mention it to the research teams I work with. You never know what they may cook up.” He nodded, now much more confident. She hated the fact that he had basically no chance of getting what he wanted. But she liked him more than any native little she'd ever known. He loved being outdoors and for some reason animals all seemed to trust him completely. And that was enough. As another precaution, she grabbed the pacy from the car seat and slipped it into the diaper bag as well. Just in case her little had a rough time in the next hour or two. Diaper bag slung on her shoulder, manila envelope with printouts from the doctor and a copy of the contract with the research team in hand, she reached down and offered a hand. Awkwardly John reached up and took it. She had to suppress her urge to just pick him up and hug him. Protect your baby first. Then spoil. Protect first. She had to repeat to herself as if on loop. She had the advantage of knowing what Amazonian instincts were. That didn't make them easy to fight. And so they walked up to the adoption center doors at the slowest time they were ever going to get. An hour before lunch on a Monday. They walked through the sliding glass door and up to a front desk to meet the receptionist that watched them walk in hand in hand and she had the biggest grin on her face. As they approached the desk, the woman behind it couldn't hold in her excitement “Awwww! How can we help you today, Ma'am?” “Hello, I'm Miss Taylor and I have a tentative appointment for today. I'm here a bit earlier than I expected, is that a problem?” “One moment please!” the Receptionist chirped out with a smile while typing at her computer for a moment and then staring at the screen for a moment before declaring “No Ma'am, that's not a problem at all. In fact if you can wait ten minutes we should be able to get you taken care of.” Amanda was then handed an electronic tablet and told “I just need you to go have a seat and confirm that all of your information is correct here. Then hand it back to me when you're called back!” With a nod, Amanda took the tablet and said “Thank you very much!” and steered John over to a nearby chair. Without thinking she reached to help him up but saw him jumping and sort of scrabbling to get up onto the hard plastic chair. She reached out with a foot under his feet to step on so that he could lift himself up while feeling like he hadn't been helped. Baby steps. Sitting down next to John she told him “Here, scoot toward me.” and then she set the diaper bag on the amazon sized chair on the opposite side of him. Partly to keep it off of the floor. Mostly to block his vision of a male little on the far side of the lobby dressed as a little girl and pulling and tugging on a pacifier that they just could not get out of their mouth. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her right hand for a moment and mumbled to herself “Pick your battles Amanda. Pick your battles.” and then with a deep breath patted John on the head and explaining “Okay, I need to fill this out. Do me a favor and stay put right here with me?” He nodded and tried to watch her filling out details on the tablet, but soon got bored with that and started looking around the lobby. He even stood up in his chair (cutely like a toddler would have to) and looked around the lobby. Within moments she heard him whisper “Miss Amanda.” “Yes, Sweety?” she whispered back. Still keeping it low, he replied “There's a man over there dressed as a little baby girl clawing at his face.” She had to take a deep breath to stay calm “I know.” He looked confused “But … “Sorry dear. That is legal and normal here. Now let Mo … Me fill this out so that I can loan you my last name.” He was silent but she could sense him turning around while standing in the seat next to her. Then she heard him gasp and suddenly flop down onto his butt and pull his knees up to his chest. She whispered to him “Saw back and to our left?” He nodded mutely. “She's my age, but she's naked.” With a shake of her head “No sweety, she's not naked.” Amanda spared him a glance. His face was turning red. Oh Goddess that's cute. And he looked up at her, almost frantic and told her, still trying to whisper “She's only wearing a diaper. That's naked.” This time she placed her right hand on his head and left it there while whispering “I promise that I will never make you go anywhere in only a diaper if you don't want to. But what they're doing is legal here. Littles are not necessarily Grown ups.” He looked nervous. He was starting to look like a small animal. Like he wanted to run, but had nowhere to run to. After finishing with the tablet she held it up for him to see “You know. It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, every appointment they ask you to fill out in person what you filled out online to save time from filling it out in person.” Maybe a little levity will lighten him up. He looked like he was ready to give and smile when the door opened and in walked a man carrying a squirming little under one arm. And oh that little was thrashing. Probably being newly adopted. She took it all in at a glance. The little was, from the top up, wearing a suit and tie. From the waist down only a diaper. Guaranteed that the little failed to live up to expectations at work. At least now the little couldn't get fired and wind up homeless. Looking back down at John though … he was staring. She leaned and whispered “John?” He barely glanced at her before staring at the flailing little. “John, you look nervous, do you want to sit in my lap? Will that help you feel safe?” The head shaking no that she got was very animated and he turned around and flopped back down with his knees pulled up to his chest. Amanda silently reached over and put her hand on the back of his shoulders. At first he tensed up and then relaxed, leaning back into her hand. Then there was the sound of a door opening behind them and she heard their (soon to be both of theirs) last name called. “Taylor!” Amanda immediately stood up and picked up the diaper bag before offering her hand. “Want to walk, or if you're nervous I can carry you?” He shook his head while sliding out of the chair. He did take her hand and as they walked through the door to the back. It seemed to take a bit longer to get through the door and to the back than it would have if she had just picked him up, but letting him control the pace they walked might help him stay calm. A very nice woman dressed in business casual greeted them. Her hair was done up in a loose red bun. She leaned down at the sight of Johnny and cooed “Oh my goodness you look so precious! Come on, let's get you and your Mommy into the office. You get to meet the director herself today!” She could feel Johnny's hand squeezing hers as hard as he possibly could as they walked. They were shown to a well furnished office in the back. Immediately her eye was drawn to the large wooden desk in the middle of the room, with two large chairs in front of it, and a smaller chair with a booster seat on it. The playpen in the corner behind the door didn't really register with her. “ Miss Taylor, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Miss Kassia.” A woman easily a foot taller than Amanda came around the desk and held out a hand to shake. 'Always remember to observe protocol' she mentally reminded herself as she took the hand gently to shake. “I'm pleased to meet you as well! I didn't expect to be shown to the director!” Miss Kassia, now that she got a good look at her, was a very serious looking woman with just a few streaks of gray in her hair. The fact that she didn't dye it was probably intentional, given Amazon society. She was wearing a business skirt, a blue blouse, and heels. She probably does not have to go deal with children all that often. For the life of her, Amanda could not shake the mental image of a woman whose job it was to keep the adults in line, not the children. Kassia waved to a chair “Please, you and your son have a seat.” as she went back around the desk without waiting to see if she actually sat down. This was a woman that fully expected complete obedience. She unslung her diaper bag and slid it on the floor next to the chair nearest the booster seat and moved to pick up John. Poor thing was shaking now. As she moved to lower him into the booster seat both of his hands grabbed her arms and he curled up his entire lower body, staring down at it while trying not to touch it. She held him out with one arm and looked him in the eyes. “Lap or booster seat.” She made sure to not sound like she was asking, given their audience. He looked at her with those big gray eyes and immediately said in a gasp. “Lap! … Please!” With a nod she pulled him in and sat back in the chair with him sitting sideways across her lap. With an approving nod, the director finally spoke. “I don't usually do this directly, since the staff is very efficient. However the paperwork you submitted shows something I've not seen before. You have papers not only from the Doctor, but from a research group. And I'll be frank with you, I want to make absolutely certain that a little is not going to be a guinea pig to some illegal studies.”

Chapter 3: Taken by surprise for a moment, Amanda stood still looking at the little disappearing between the trees. She tried to follow at first but then with only a thought pointed and shouted “Xerxes! FETCH!” In a flash, the Collie was gone. Dashing between the trees like a nose guided missile. Amanda heard a scream and some thrashing about four seconds later. A few moments after that, carrying the little by the back of his belt, Xerxes trotted happily back into the clearing. The poor scared little was a flailing and screaming “Bad dog!” and “Let me down!” over and over again. Once the dog had brought the flailing little back by his belt Amanda got down on one knee and took him as gently as she could under his shoulders and held him upright, just above the ground and spoke softly to him, trying to calm him down. “Hey. Hey, Sweety? Look at me. Take a deep breath, you're safe. You're safe. Deep breaths. Like this, see?” And she tried to take a few deep breaths in hopes of him mimicking it and calming down. He tried to push her arms apart and twist to get free constantly while she was talking. Finally he started slowing down and running out of steam. She kept talking to him in hushed tones and hoping he would stop hyperventilating. Eventually, after several more minutes the panicked little looked up at her and started breathing less erratically. She soothed him a bit more “Deep breaths, in …. out … come on, you can do it. Take a minute. When you're ready, try telling me your name.” Finally he looked her in the eyes long enough that she could see his steely gray eyes and managed between gasps “I... I'm …. J-John” Nodding slowly, she said very softly “Hello John. I'm Amanda. Do you know how you got here? The poor stressed little tensed up like he was going to try to run in the air for a moment before giving up and answering. He struggled to make a sentence. “I … I was hiking … I … day off... and there was like a shimmer and then everything felt wrong and hurt an I threw up and I fed an acorn to a giant squirrel and … I … and I don't know how to go back … and … and everything is so huge!! What … what's happening, why are you so big!?!” Finally piecing together what the little was saying, Amanda stopped and stared “Sweety, did you get trapped in a rift?” “I don't know what a rift is!” He answered, still frantic. “Okay, okay. My house is just around the way. Do you mind if I carry you? I think we need to get you somewhere safe. You're safe, okay? I'll get you inside and we can talk, I think you need a moment.” He answered “I … I can walk.” while still shaking from head to toe. Very delicately, she put him down, but did not let go around his ribs to make sure he was stable “Let's see if you're okay. You promise not to try to run off into the woods where it's dangerous again?” On wobbly legs he stood and nodded “Yes, Ma'am.” “And you are certain that you don't need me to carry you? I'm here to help.” He silently shook his head no. “No you don't need help?” He nodded his head yes. “Okay. I'm going to let go. If you fall, I'll catch you. Ready?” Once again, he nodded. Very slowly she let go around his ribs and stopped as he tensed up like he was going to flee again, but as he relaxed and started to look around she stood back up and gave him a little pat on the head. He tensed up a moment but finally just started gathering the things strewn about and putting them into his little wagon. Taking a step back and looking around at the scene, it started to make sense. The tent. The camping supplies, even the little fire in the dug out hole. She frowned as she saw a knife on the ground by the nearest tree. As long as her hand. Dimensional rift or not, a little should never be in a position to need a knife. She picked it up and carefully placed the small (to her) knife in her back pocket, making sure not to poke herself or cut her jeans. Looking over, the industrious little John was already folding up his tent, letting go, and growling at it as it popped halfway back out before he could tie it up. Reaching over with her right hand she closed her hand around the tent to pinch it shut so that he could tie it off. He jumped at first, but almost immediately tied a little cord around it and let go. With a nod Amanda placed the tent in the little wagon and turned to see him now burying the fire in the dirt so that it would go out safely. Such a cute little, trying to be responsible! Oh the poor thing is about to have a lot to digest. How in the world is she supposed to explain this to him? He looked around and finally grabbed the handle of the wagon and looked up at her. He was shivering and covered in dirt, but he looked so brave in that moment that Amanda felt her heart melt a bit. “You ready big guy?”She hoped maybe that would encourage him a bit. With a nod he answered “Yes Ma'am” “Okay, it's this way. Xerxes. Home!” and she waved him along, walking slowly to make sure he could keep up and absolutely making sure she didn't let him fall behind. It was only a few hundred feet, but the going was slow with him pulling his wagon. They eventually made it to her house and as they walked through the gate she looked at his face to see what he was looking at. His jaw was open and he was staring first at the fence, and then the gate that was half again taller than him, and then back at the fence. When he saw the house he stopped in his tracks. Standing there shivering he eventually peels his eyes off of the house and looked at the garden and then the fence again, and then to Xerxes, mumbling “Is this a dream? Did I shrink? … aliens?” to himself. Closing the gate, she leaned down and carefully picked up the wagon with both hands and moved it over by the porch. Turning back to the lost little she knelt down again “Okay, do you mind if we wipe you off with a hand towel before bringing you inside? You look like you lost a fight with the ground.” Looking toward the sun getting low on the horizon, she nodded and held her hand out to him “Come on, the stairs are a bit tall, let's get you inside.” Hesitantly the scared little reached up and took her hand and uncomfortably accepted her help up onto the porch. Stepping inside she dashed over to the kitchen and got a hand towel and stepped back outside. In the five seconds that he was out of her sight, Xerxes was next to him and he was reaching up and scratching two large fluffy ears. He may be scared, but no one can resist petting a dog. As she gave him a quick scrub down with the towel,he tensed up for a moment. But a quick lick from Xerxes and he went back to petting and she was able to get most of the dirt off of him and give him a little pat on the head. As he put his hand on the dogs nose, he smirked as he felt the wet nose. Until he got a face full of lick. Rolling her eyes, Amanda wiped off his face and taped him on the shoulder “Come on, inside we go! I'll get you something to drink and we can sit on the couch while I explain where you are.”

2 for bed time 3 for not going anywhere 1 for a trip to walmart as it is the closest match to the tranquility ATN I was already in at walmart about 1 hour ago 😂. ( had a doctor's apoointment and the mag citrate I drank to replace the lactulose unitl I got the script refilled didn't exit my system by the time the taxi picked me up, not shure about anyone else but wrecking the chairs at a dr's office is not something I want to experience😂)

Part Nine A second later, I realized that my sister’s face wasn’t lighting up due to the fact that she had managed to keep me out of my room for the foreseeable future. It was because she was not only going to be the one to decide what I wore for the rest of the afternoon, but finding me an outfit would mean going into my bedroom without express permission from me first. We were both incredibly finicky about our rooms, and the size difference between us paired with the fact that we really didn’t get along meant that there was no reason to borrow clothes from the other or anything else that would require invading the others’ space. On the rare occasion one of us had to disturb the other behind a closed door, it would usually be by text rather than knocking. But this? Paige was going to waltz into my room alone, and while I was right there basically allowing her to do so with my silence. No, not my silence. Miley or not, I was still a sister who deserved her privacy. “Paige isn’t allowed in my room,” I said. It was the truth, technically. Although it’s more that we were step-sisters with boundaries, as eighteen was a little old for our parents to enforce something like that. Surprisingly, Paige agreed. “That’s true,” she said. Her grin faded to a casual smile when Noelle looked her way, and then Paige went on to focus on Noelle to ask, “Permission for an exception, Noelle?” “Of course,” Noelle nodded, “We’ll get Miley started on her first science assignment downstairs. She can change up in a few minutes.” Once again, they were talking about me like I wasn’t even there. And, even worse, Paige had instantly figured out a way around my reply by using Noelle as the authority figure in the room in the absence of our parents. It didn’t take much, obviously, as a high school graduate would be plenty responsible in her ‘younger sister’s’ room. But she and I both knew the truth, and how frustrating and insulting it would be to know that she was making herself at home in there while I literally wasn’t allowed until later. Trying one more time to protect my drawers and my closets from the disorganized mess that they would turn into within five minutes of Paige being in there, I said, “I’m actually fine wearing this until later. Really.” Noelle hadn’t seen my room yet, but it was immaculate compared to the teenage mess that Paige’s currently was with all the clutter strewn about. Nothing about it was dirty, per say, but the organized chaos was the exact opposite of how perfect and tidy my space was. I could already see how finding a single outfit would entirely mess up the system I had in place for my clothes, whether Paige was planning on being intentionally careless or not. Although she couldn’t trash my room, as then Noelle would see the malicious efforts and perhaps wouldn’t take my sister at her word as easily. Noelle said something in response that I didn’t hear due to how my attention had briefly drifted, to which I blushed and replied with an awkward, “What?” I was too busy overthinking what Paige might be planning, and trying to interpret the little smirk on her face while Miley’s babysitter’s attention was on me. “Go down to the kitchen, Miley,” Noelle frowned, crossing her arms, “I won’t ask again.” She was hardly asking. And as she sternly repeated herself thanks to how I spaced out, Paige made the point to head out into the hall and stand in a way that the only way I was getting to my room was to somehow shove or squirm my way past her. She knew. She knew as well as I did that there were countless things in there that would set this humiliating mess straight, and was now physically making sure I couldn’t get there now that the manipulative bit was out of the way. Reluctantly, I did as I was told. Noelle was a lot more intimidating now that I knew how easily she could manhandle and spank me. Despite my real age, I had been completely powerless to stop her or even slow her down. I definitely didn’t want to go through that again, especially not with Paige watching like before. In the name of protecting my backside and whatever dignity I had left amidst this mortifying misunderstanding, I left Paige’s room and didn’t give my sister the satisfaction of looking her in the eye as I turned the corner. Knowing her, I’d get whatever smug look she could manage while still playing it cool while Noelle was looking. I had barely hit the top step on my way downstairs when I heard one of them following me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Noelle was coming with me. As Alyssa, it wasn’t like I was about to run away in a leotard and nothing else. But as Miley, I clearly wasn’t trusted alone. It made sense, of course. The real Miley could easily be capable of fleeing her house and going to a friend’s place to hide out and borrow some clothes while she was at it. I didn’t have that potential luxury. Even if Noelle had opted to stay upstairs with Paige for a moment, I didn’t have any friends my age within walking distance. My only hope would be pounding on a neighbor’s door and getting them to defend me to Noelle. Actually . . . that wasn’t a terrible backup plan if I was kept from my bedroom. But I’d wait until I at least had something more presentable to wear, and for a moment when Noelle wasn’t poised to catch me before I made it that far. She had mentioned she wasn’t below chasing, after all. I entered the kitchen and waited a few seconds for Noelle to join me. She told me to sit at the table and stay put. I was not to get up from my chair until I was given express permission from her. Apparently she was still laying down the law, in terms of putting difficult, rebellious Miley in her place. It really was a lose/lose, like I had thought about a few minutes ago. Doing as I was told made me look like a girl who was behaving for her babysitter. Trying to prove who I really was just made me look more like the deviant thirteen year old she believed me to be; ever since I answered the door, Noelle had assumed that I was lying and trying to trick her. The way I sat down wasn’t particularly fast or careless, as my ballerina self aired towards doing movements properly and gracefully in all aspects of life. Additionally, I hoped that my usual posture would separate me from the slouching habits I assumed a teenager like Miley had. However, the tail end of what was mostly a habitual move caused me to slightly jump and flinch when I began putting weight on my backside that I had temporarily forgotten was still a bit sore. “That will only get worse with more spankings,” Noelle said. She obviously figured out immediately why my mature descent was undermined by the awkward reaction. “Good thing you’ll be behaving from now on, right?” “Right,” I blushed. Apparently not even something as simple as sitting could be done without further digging the hole I was in. And now I was stuck at the table for as long as Noelle was supervising me. ------------------- Check out my website: www.ladyluciastories.com And read more of "The Babysitter" and other stories on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=73056590

Unconventional You fall off the spinning disk, giggling like an idiot on the floor, and dizzy as hell. Thirty something rotations! New record! You toss your hands up to the ceiling in celebration and your laughter redoubles in on itself when it hits you that you were actually pointing at the nearest wall. This is the best convention ever! Presently, you’re in the Nursery Playroom, where the littlest of the little ones like to play. That’s you right now. Definitely you. People are playing on rocking horses the size of thoroughbreds, riding around on tricycles that are far too big, and bouncing in walkers that could double as flying saucers. And nobody is hiding their diapers. Not fifteen minutes ago, you found yourself lying beneath a baby gym, in your t-shirt, and wet Alphagatorz, babbling to yourself and smacking around dangling jingly toys. And it felt so gosh darn, wonderfully normal! I belong here. I really belong here. I really do. That’s what you thought. Somehow, it finally feels like you’ve come home. Amazing! But your attention has never been steady at the best of times, so you drifted over to this sick sit and spin and went to town until you could barely stand up straight. A gurgle from your stomach reminds you that you’re not allowed to go full baby. No number two’s allowed in convention spaces. That bodily reminder snaps you right out of headspace. Shouldn’t have had those nachos last night. The spinning didn’t help either. One way or another, something is about to exit you, and it’s probably out the back. Oh well. Nothing to be done about it. Still dizzy, you stand up on unsteady legs; you’re legs locked while your torso wobbles. You already know what you’re going to do: Waddle to the bathroom, drop the kids off at the pool, wipe, and then come back and play. Minimum interruption! On second thought, maybe you’ll go back to your hotel room for a few minutes. Nothing about the rules says you can’t poop in there. It’d be more practical too, considering you’re already wet. Pooping in a toilet and then pulling up a wet Alphagatorz would feel…weird. You’re not in Pull-Ups, you’re a BABY! (That’s the headspace you’re looking for anyway). As the last of the dizziness recedes, something catches your eye. In the back corner of the play room is an adult sized changing table. Not a repurposed massage table like in the changing rooms, a full on changing table, hand crafted and painted to look just like something a baby might use. You pivot and face it. How long had that been there? You swear you cased the room and examined each and every piece of oversized baby furniture as if it were an art exhibit when you first came in. A wave of sadness washes over you and your knees bend slightly as you start to push. The feeling of your cheeks spreading makes you groan under your breath while you stare enviously at the prop. A prop. That’s all it is. The convention was also quite clear about public nudity. Your next sigh comes out as a grunt. Your feet are still planted, your knees bent more than before. It still hasn’t occurred to your body that you could walk and get a closer look. Attached to the side of the adult sized changing table are several little hooks. Each hook has a diaper bag hanging from it. The shelves beneath the top are likewise packed with diaper bags. It seems the littles who brought diaper bags for quick changes all stowed them there. You wished you’d have brought a diaper bag. Or someone to carry it for you. Another sigh escapes your top, while your bottom feels warmer and your belly feels better. To the right of the table is an unopened pack of Little Kings. Diaper bag be damned, someone just didn’t give a damn. To the left is what appears to be a large diaper genie. Wow. This place goes all out. Morbidly, you wonder if anyone has snuck a used diaper in there. Oh yeah! Used diaper! You shake the cobwebs out of your head and stop sighing wistfully of what you can’t have. Time to… It finally hits you. That grunting and pushing you’ve been quietly doing and the meaning behind it. You’ve been messing this whole time, and inertia and gravity is carrying the last of your mess out of you beyond your control. For the first time in decades, you’ve just pooped your pants. In public. Without realizing it. Your body tenses and you slap your thighs to keep from feeling the back of your diaper. You need to get out of here. Now. If you’re caught like this you’re sure to be banned! You quickly start telling lies to yourself: It’s okay. It’s okay. No problem. You just need to casually walk out of the play room, and find the nearest stairwell, then you’ll just go up five flights of stairs, take out the keycard in your lanyard, and slip into your hotel room for a change…maybe a shower too. Point is that as long as you don’t dawdle or get trapped in a confined space, no one will be the wiser. You pivot around to start walking towards the playroom entrance, quietly tensing with every step. You can feel the mess shifting around. You look down at the floor and stare at the carpet so as not to draw any attention with your uncomfortable facial expressions. This isn’t going to work. This isn’t going to work. You’re going to caught. Caught and banned. You raise your head a little so that you don’t bump into anyone and are forced to stop dead in your tracks. The double doors leading out into the wider convention area are now shut. You don’t remember them closing. Your speed doubles and you power walk to the door. Your heart leaps up into your throat when you grab the handle and find it locked. Why the fuck is it locked? “Oh honey!” A voice calls out. “What are you doing?” You turn around and press your back to the door. “Nothing!” You say instinctively while your mess presses against you more tightly. “Can I please get out?” Coming towards you, is a woman in white sneakers, blue jeans, and a hot pink t-shirt with the conventions name on it. Oh shit! (Poor choice of words!) A staff member! Something seems familiar about her too. Wasn’t she the receptionist at the front desk? You thought the hotel was a separate entity from the convention for purposes of play… “I’m sorry, sweetie, but you have to wait here,” she says. “Why?” you ask. She’s close. Too close. You wish you could just phase through this door, or sink into the center of the earth. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing’s wrong, baby,” she says soothingly. “Those are just the rules. You get to play here while all the grown-ups play out there.” If it weren’t for the crippling fear you’re currently experiencing, such talk would send you deep deep into headspace. “I need to go to my hotel room!” You yelp. “Awwww,” the stranger replies. “You’ll get to go back to your hotel room, eventually. Don’t worry. Do you want to lie down somewhere? I can make a space that’s nice and quiet for you?” This lady isn’t getting it. She is far too committed to the bit. “I need to go change!” You all but. scream. “Oh?” she says. “Let me see?” Quick and casual as anything she kneels down and squeezes between your legs. You’re too shocked to react while she examines your diaper and sticks her fingers past the leak guards. “Hmmm…you’re wet, but you’re not that wet.” She determines. “Why don’t you let the grown-ups decide whether you need changing?” She stands up and thumbs back over her shoulder. “Go play.” “But…but…but…I want to see the rest of the convention!” You have to get out of here. Noses are sniffing and time is ticking! The staff member waves your concern off. “You don’t want to go out there. It’s all boring grown-up stuff. Stay and play here until your Mommy or Daddy comes to pick you up.” The sincerity in her voice throws you off. “What?” “This is a grown-up convention, baby,” she says. “You’re at the convention daycare so that your Mommy or Daddy can go do their grown-up stuff and know that your’e safe.” Was that even a thing? Not the point. “I don’t have a Mommy and Daddy!” You’re single, but saying as much feels like a confession of a crime or an admission of guilt.” “Mmmhmm…” The lady nods, clearly not believing you. “I’m sure. You’re very big.” She drags you out away from the door and swats you on the butt. “Now go play.” You need to regroup. Need to get out and change. Need to avoid getting caught. Too late. “Hold it!” You feel your diaper being pulled back. You freeze and hold your breath. It wasn’t exactly fun while it lasted, but it’s over now. “Hmmmm….guess I was wrong. You do need to be changed.” Your jaw drops open. Her hand clamps down on your wrist, and before you know it you’re being dragged to the back corner. It’s all you can do to keep your feet moving. “Wait. Stop!” you try to say. “What are you doing?” “Changing you,” she says. “You need it!” “Here?” “Yup.”: “Everyone will see.” “It’s okay. No need to be shy. You’re just a baby.” All of your skin is tingling. “No I’m not!” “Okay, honey.” So in command of the situation is she, that she boosts you off the ground and onto the changing table in one fell swoop. Your mess mashes against your backside. “Then let’s change that big kid diaper. Lie down.” Your body lies down. There’s no disobeying. You try to sit up, but a hand on your chest is all that’s needed to keep you pinned while she roots around on the shelves beneath you. She stands back up and looks at your convention name tag dangling from your lanyard. “Rhonda?” she calls.Another woman in a similar uniform jogs up. You’re pretty sure you saw her vacuuming the hallway when you first checked into the hotel. “I can’t find this one’s diaper bag.” “What’s the name?” the other woman asks. Then they say your name. You’re real name. The name you introduce yourself by outside of the scene. You grip and grab at the nametag and read it. It’s your name. Picture too. The badge wasn’t like that before. You’re smiling in the picture. Your eyes look vacant. Rhonda rifles through the bag. “Hmm, I don’t see it either, Debbie” Debbie frowns. “Maybe Mom or Dad forgot to drop it off?” “Maybe,” Rhonda shrugs. “But that’s why we have the emergency spares.” “I’m sorry!” You babble. “There’s been a mistake. I won’t do it again. Please just stop!” Both strangers soften towards you. “Awwww, that’s not what we mean. You’re not in trouble, pumpkin. Your Mommy or Daddy just forgot to drop off your diaper bag.” Rhonda rips open the package of Little Kings. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.” The tapes scritch scratch as your diaper is opened and your soaked genitals and messy bottom is exposed to everyone. You scream and babble while these strangers touch you in ways you haven’t been touched in a long time. “It’ll be alright.” “It’s just a diaper change.” “You’ll feel so much better when it’s over.” “Nothing to be embarrassed or shy about.” “You’ve had these all your life.” “Don’t you want to be a good baby so we can tell your Mommy or Daddy when they get back?” “Just a little more, and then you can go play. Promise.” The other convention goers, the other littles, don’t take much notice. They’re all trapped in their own world of blocks and bead mazes. Right as your bottom is finished being wiped, and the Alphagaztorz is being balled up and tossed away in the very real diaper genie by your feet, you see another little stop crawling and puff their cheeks out while the back of their diaper expands. The fresh new diaper is slid underneath you and a torrent of powder rains down on your back and front. The little you just witnessed shit themselves keeps crawling as if nothing happened. “There we go!” they chirp at you, finishing the change as quickly, efficiently, and sexlessly as one might an actually baby. “All done.” They help you off the changing table. “Go play.” You stumble about in a daze. The fresh diaper is too stiff. They always are at first, but usually you feel more connected to it because you’re the one who put it on. You’re not kicked out. They seem to think you’re a real baby. They know your real name. You don’t know what to do with this information. Just as importantly: Who’s going to pick you up at the end of the day?

PART FOUR “This is bullshit.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. The better play was to present myself as the more mature sister, which I easily was in comparison to Paige. I had better grades, was more sophisticated, and overall was just the more responsible girl. But she got under my skin so easily, and this was no exception. “Noelle, my sister thinks it’s funny to tease me about my size. The truth is, we’re the same age, and-” “Ha!” Noelle let out a single bark of laughter. She covered her mouth in an instant, no doubt to get herself back into at least some semblance of ‘serious babysitter’ mode. Still, an amused smile remained present when she lowered her hand and looked me over, “You know, I almost believed you when you said you were a different girl. But come on, Miley. How can you expect anyone to believe you’re as old as- Paige, was it?” “Mm hmm,” my sister hummed. There were traces of a smile on her own face, but for much different reasons. “You do realize I’m eighteen, don’t you, sis? Seriously. You’re not going to look even close to this mature for at least a few more years,” she said, gesturing to her body. “Maybe you could pull off ‘fifteen’ with a makeover and a major attitude adjustment, or . . . you could just act your own age, for once, instead of screwing with everybody?” “PAIGE.” I could not believe her. She knew how old Miley was, obviously, so she was just making me sound like the middle school girl Noelle was supposed to be in charge of by referencing what most of the neighborhood knew about the lying brat who lived a few doors down. And, unlike the usual instances where my ballet leotard made me look more youthful, there was no one else around to help with the misunderstanding. “Stop! I’m not-” “That’s enough, Miley.” Neolle’s sharp tone was even more biting than her scoffing laugh, and she took a step towards me. “You’ve tried enough of my patience. This is your first and last warning–are you going to behave, or do you want to find out why your parents hired me?” “I’m not Miley! I’m ALYSSA.” Unfortunately, Miley’s babysitter was blocking the path out of Paige’s room. If I could just get back to my own space, get my driver’s license . . . However, I distinctly remembered Noelle making a point to say she wouldn’t mind chasing. If she really did think I was Miley, would she pursue me if it seemed like I was merely trying to run away? Because my license was in my clutch, nestled in an inner pocket of my backpack. It would take a minute to retrieve. “Just-” Pausing to take a heavy breath, and having enough clarity through my frustration to take the more mature and diplomatic approach, I looked Noelle dead in the eyes. “I can prove it. In my room.” With a sigh of her own, Noelle calmly asked, “What’s your name?” Of all the- Resisting the urge to groan, I repeated myself. “Alyssa.” Noelle glanced towards my sister. “I’m sorry to be doing this in your room,” she said, “You may leave, if you wish. I imagine this won’t take long.” Then, out of nowhere, she lunged forward and grabbed my ear. The flicker of shock was nothing compared to the unexpected pain and pressure that came as she began dragging me by such a sensitive part of my body. Wincing and stumbling forward to avoid the feeling getting worse, I found her other hand gripping my arm and slightly digging her nails into my skin as a secondary measure to get me moving. “Ow! OW.” I yelped and cried as I more or less had no choice but to let the girl manhandle me; any bit of resistance seemed to cause more in both spots. “Noelle!!!” I shrieked, simultaneously horrified and stunned that I was being treated in such a way. “Oh my God! Noelle, STOP.” And then we were falling. Both of us. For a second, I thought it was because my squirming had somehow knocked her off balance. I braced myself for a rough landing; the light carpet in Paige’s room wouldn’t do much to soften a fall onto the otherwise hardwood floor. Instead, we landed on my sister’s bed. Well, that’s where Noelle ended up. I, on the other hand, fell right onto her lap into a position she had no doubt aimed for. Gasping as I realized what she planned on doing to me, I immediately scrambled to get off her legs, only to be scooped back into place by one of her hands and set into an even more vulnerable spot the second time around as she adjusted both of us on the bed. “Miley, you’ve used up all of your warnings. Both with your parents, and with me.” While one strong arm firmly held me in place despite my efforts to get away, her other hand yanked upwards on the lower half of my leotard. “Noelle, don’t!!” I begged. This was not happening to me! Eyes widening as the leotard dug into my backside and simultaneously shifted uncomfortably against my most private area, my mind began racing. I was eighteen years old!! Way too old to be spanked. Especially by a girl practically my age. And for this to transpire while Paige got a front row seat to the whole thing? I would never, EVER live this down. “What’s your name?” Noelle growled. In response to another round of my struggling, she hoisted me back into position on her legs and hugged me against her torso. She wedgied the fabric hard enough that I could feel it more or less disappear between my cheeks, could feel the hint of Paige’s bedroom air on my all but bare ass. I couldn’t give into the intimidation. Lying would only make this all worse. “I’m Alyssa!” I insisted. A high school graduate. Not some notorious troublemaking tween. “Wrong answer.” Noelle said. And then her hand cracked down onto my backside. ------------------- Check out my website: www.ladyluciastories.com And my Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=73056590

Chapter 24: Bite Size Trials Thief in Service - by LittleFallenPrincess I awoke, feeling more refreshed than ever. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was back in the nursery. I was lay inside the large crib, with the sides pulled up. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the mechanism was on the outside of the crib so it could be difficult to get myself out of this. But before I could even sit up, I heard the door open and Miss Carver walk in. “I heard you stirring. So I came in to check on you. Did you sleep well?” Miss Carver asked. “I... wait... you drugged me!” “I did tell you there was something in it...” “Whatever it was... that was the best, most relaxing sleep I’ve had in years!” “Told you. Now, are you ready to start work?” Normally I’d have groaned and whined, tossed and turned, basically thrown a big tantrum until I ended up staying in bed. But whatever she had used to help me sleep, it made me feel more rested than ever. I was sat up in a matter of seconds, peeking over the side of the large crib I had been put in. “What’s with the... umm... you know...” I tried asking, but it was still difficult to talk about all this stuff. “We didn’t get enough time to show you your room, so I thought I’d just pop you in your nursery for your nap.” I started blushing as she walked over and pulled the side of the crib down, reaching in and lifting me up. “Oh dear, someone’s a soggy little princess! Don’t worry, the sleepy medication does that. It’ll wear off in another hour.” As she squished the outside of my wet... ‘thing’... I blushed and found myself quickly burying my face into her shoulder. “Come on then sweetpea, let’s go get you dressed for work, shall we? I need to open up very soon.” “What... what time do you usually open?” I asked. “Morning usually, but with you being here, I made an exception. Don’t worry though, the shop doesn’t get very busy. No one is going to care that I opened up in the afternoon rather than the morning.” “W...” “What is it sweetie?” She asked as she carried me over to the changing table. “Why do you have your shop if you’re so wealthy and have a security firm?” “I like running it. It gives me something to do during the day, I like interacting with customers and I enjoy buying and selling rare books and interesting antiques.” She smiled at me as she changed my wet nappy. “I was going to ask... is it just a book store or what? I saw the statues and artwork you’ve got stored.” “It’s mostly a book store. But I don’t limit myself to just books.” “Why books? What made you want to open a book store?” “Because I enjoy reading. I enjoy learning more about the world, about people, about everything. And I love a good story. Do you like to read?” “I... haven’t read in years. Not since school really.” “Oh sweetie... then whilst we’re downstairs we’re going to find two books, okay? One for you to read in your spare time, and one for me to read to you in the evenings.” For some reason, despite never really being interested in books or novels or anything, I loved the thought of her reading to me. “And before you ask, I still run the security firm. But I’m a lot more hands off these days. I’ll occasionally have to go in. Anyway, why don’t we get you dressed for working?” “Already? It feels like we’ve barely had any time in...” ‘My baby outfit and this nappy. Say it Paige. Say it.’ “You already don’t want to get out of your little outfit. That’s adorable. Sorry sweetpea, the plan is to give you little bite size trials of each role that you’ll be playing with me. That way you can decide if you want to proceed with this arrangement or not.” “Hmph. Fine.” I pouted. She looked at me as though her heart was melting, but quickly shook her head and glared at me intensely. Suddenly the Mummy in her seemed to disappear in an instant, and instead, stood before me, was ‘Miss Carver’ again, the scary dominatrix who made me weak at the knees with a single glance. “No pouting. Otherwise I’ll make sure your time at work is... uncomfortable.” I gulped as she helped me up and escorted me back to the doll’s room to get changed. ‘When did she finish changing me...? Wait... I’m not wearing a nappy... This woman is a ninja!’ ------------------------------------------------- I stood there, on the shop floor, beads of sweat manifesting on my forehead, anxious as to what this afternoon would bring. “Just help people find things, look pretty, and serve customers. If you have any issues or problems, just come find me. Okay?” Miss Carver instructed. “Yes...” “That’s Miss Carver whilst we’re at work sweetie...” All that was needed was a stern look from her... just like the one she was giving me right now. “Yes, Miss Carver.” I corrected myself quickly. “Good girl. Good job washing the maid’s uniform, it looks good on you.” I blushed, trying to pull the hem of the dress down so it showed less skin. I mean, sure, I was fortunate that it didn’t reveal the silk lace panties that Miss Carver had picked out specifically for me to wear for work, but if I bend over too far there is a good chance it may. Flipping the sign on the door, Miss Carver walked over to the counter where the till was and began reading, so I went about my first task... dusting and cleaning the shelves. “Oh and whilst you’re at it, another job for you is to pick out those two books. You remember right? One for personal reading, and one for me to read to you. Your choice.” So as I cleaned the shelves, I thought carefully about what books I should pick. Sure, she said they were my choice, but if I was to impress her more, I’d have to pick something that would get me on her good side. ------------------------------------------------- It was about 20 minutes since we opened that we received our first customer. Miss Carver wasn’t lying, it wasn’t a very busy store at all, but then again it’s not a bookshop chain or a well advertised store that stocked the latest bestsellers. The people who shopped here must be people looking for specific rare books; so mostly specialists and avid readers. The bells above the door rang and I quickly hid behind a bookshelf, peeking out over the top to get a glimpse of the customer. “Ah, Miss Carver!” The woman said with a very posh accent, in a way that indicated that she was familiar with her and this shop. “Lady Barnett. Good to see you again. It’s been a while.” Miss Carver responded, putting her book down to greet the large lady wearing a rather expensive looking fur coat and heels. “It has! How are you doing?” “I’m okay, yourself?” “Grand.” “So what can I do for you today, Lady Barnett? I have a copy of ‘Realms of the Shadows’ somewhere I think.” Miss Carver smiled at her. “It’s like you read my mind, Miss Carver! I was hoping you’d have something suitable for me, and it turns out you’ve already procured it! Just like always!” “I knew one of my best customers would be back for another book of the arcane, so I made sure to find one of the best. Took me a while, but it should be on one of the shelves. Let me just find Paige...” Miss Carver looked around the store and locked eyes on me, wagging her finger at me, indicating for me to come over. “Paige? Oh have you got another temporary assistant?” Lady Barnett asked with a smile on her face. “I’m hoping she’ll be a bit more of a permanent fixture here.” Miss Carver replied, smiling at me. “Oh I do love when you have assistants. In their cute little outfits. Is she...?” I crept over slowly, standing in front of the two intimidating women. “Oh she’s as cute as a button! I can see why you want her to stay!” The Lady looked at me and practically squealed. I blushed instantly, looking at Miss Carver for instructions so I could get out of this situation. “Will you please find a copy of ‘Realms of the Shadows’ please? It should be in the mythological section. I nodded and walked off, but I kept my focus on the conversation as I found the correct section. “I don’t know why you keep my favourite books in the mythological section. They’re not myths you know!” Lady Barnett whined. “Sorry, I’m just not a believer of magic and the arcane.” Miss Carver shrugged her shoulders and pulled that awkward face people pulled when they didn’t want to offend someone. “Well at least you’ll entertain an old woman like me with my beliefs. So you’re not all bad.” Lady Barnett laughed. I quickly found the book and returned, handing it to Miss Carver. Smiling awkwardly, I rushed away as quickly as possible, before they could say anything else about me. Lady Barnett purchased the book and left. Miss Carver went back to her reading, but I occasionally caught her diverting her attention to me whenever I was reaching up high or bending over, so I made an effort to do it more often. I couldn’t believe what a tease I was becoming around her. ------------------------------------------------- The rest of the afternoon was completely dead. No more customers entered, I organised books and cleaned every single shelf. I worked harder than I’ve ever worked in my life... but then I suppose this is the first proper job I’ve ever had. If you’d even call it a proper job. “I want you to go get out of that outfit and find an outfit from the wardrobe in your bedroom.” Miss Carver ordered. “You... bought me clothes?” I asked. “I worked out your sizes and bought you some things I thought you’d like. Once you’re dressed, I want you to meet me in my study. Make sure to knock.” She spoke so... devoid of empathy. Like she was taking the domme role to the extreme. Which was a shock to me as earlier on I had experienced someone so warm, kind and loving, when she was Mummy. But since then, it’s like she’s withdrawn and created a shield around her. So I nodded and walked out, up the stairs to the third floor. ------------------------------------------------- “Time to see what this room is like...” I said as I opened the door to what was supposed to be the room I was ‘renting’. I must have died and gone to Heaven. This... room... was larger than my whole apartment. And calling it a room is an understatement. This was basically a whole apartment, with multiple rooms splitting off from the main room. First there was a kitchen branching off from the entrance, then a bathroom, a bedroom, a living room... this place had everything. And in contrast to my grungy, dirty, broken down apartment, this apartment was full of furniture that looked brand new. From the sofa... to the ridiculously large TV... everything was spotless and untouched. I couldn’t believe it. This... this was mine. Provided I agreed to be her sub. Not that it would be like I was being paid to be her sub, this was more like... an added bonus in my opinion. “Oh shit, yeah, I need to get changed!” I said as I rushed into the large closet in the bedroom. This closet was very different to the doll room one and Miss Carver’s bedroom. This... was mostly empty. Whilst it was as large as the others, and looked identical in design... it held about five outfits, all of which looked similar to stuff I’d normally wear. Well... all but one. One was a cute white dress that was somewhat between formal and casual. Smart enough to wear somewhere fancy, but casual enough that I wouldn’t be stared at for being overdressed. Opting for one of the pairs of jeans and a black tee, I quickly changed out of the uniform, making sure to carefully place it on the bed. I grabbed some basic underwear too, as I still wasn’t used to the fancy lace stuff she had picked out for me. Wrapping a flannel shirt around my waist by the sleeves, I closed the closet doors and headed out of my new apartment, walking down the hall to the office where Miss Carver was waiting for me. I knocked. Not too loudly, but not too quietly. I wasn’t sure why she was being so distant all of a sudden, so I was making sure not to make things worse. “Come in.” I heard from the other side of the door. Quickly entering, shutting the door behind me, I saw Miss Carver sat down behind her desk. Pointing at the chair in front of us both, she instructed me to sit down. Sitting down, I closed my legs together and put my hands on my knees, looking at the floor the whole time, too nervous to look up. “So... Paige...” She started. “Yes, Miss Carver?” “How was today?” “I...” “Be honest with me.” “I... enjoyed it.” I still couldn’t believe I was admitting all this and embracing it all so quickly. It all felt natural to me, so I suppose that helped. “Every part of it?” “I...” “Speak up.” “I... don’t like when you’re this... mean.” I must have pressed a nerve or something, she looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Sorry. But... other than that... have you enjoyed your first day? Is this something you’d like to pursue full time?” “...Yes Miss.” “You’re willing to work for me, be my submissive, my little, everything?” “Yes Miss.” “And you’re willing to take the apartment I am offering you, as well as a generous paycheck for working in the shop for me?” “Yes Miss.” She took a second, looking me up and down. “I... think I’m willing to give this a chance. Do you have any questions or comments?” I don’t know what it was in me, I don’t know what spurred me to speak up, to try this very risky strategy. But before my brain could catch up with me, I blurted out something I was already feeling I was going to regret. “I HAVE A COUNTER OFFER!” I shouted, not realising my tone or volume. Miss Carver placed her hands on her crossed legs and looked at me, silently judging me. The next fifteen seconds were the most excruciatingly uncomfortable fifteen seconds of my life. And I’ve had to listen to Jack talk for like an hour about that toxic video game he plays. The clock ticked every second, and every tick made me feel more and more anxious... more and more like I had fucked up. “Go on then...” Miss Carver finally spoke up. “What’s this offer...?” “I... I... agree to being your sub. Your little. All that. I’ll work in the shop. Everything is fine. But I want one thing extra. I get that one thing and I’m all yours.” “...and that would be?” She asked, her eyebrow raising. I gulped, nervously trying to keep my legs from shaking. “I WANT A DATE WITH YOU!” ========================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this story as it goes on! 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 next 4 chapters are available on my Patreon, which can be found here if you go for the second tier. You get 4 chapters early access to chapters of Thief in Service. New chapters of Thief in Service every Monday/Wednesday/Friday! 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! ? Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! ? Thank you so much! Nothing else... ...Except for the side effects... maybe. That would be eeeeeeeevil! ? Most of this story is about Paige and Alex's relationship, and all the struggles they face to get to where we know they end up, and the difficulty with the relationship. It's not so much focusing on a 'big bad' like my other stories, but yes, there may be that kind of conflict too. But it's not the main focus of this story. I really enjoyed writing the parts where the characters are vulnerable, their weaknesses and them opening up about them. Tony is suspect no.1 for 'big bad' of this. Could I be that obvious? But yeah, as I said, the focus for this story was the relationship between the two, and the difficulties they face in opening up to each other, rather than a big bad. Oh I love classroom stuff. I went to a kink event that had a little quiz and people got spanked for wrong answers and it was so much fun. I'd love to explore that a lot more! Maintenance and adjustment spankings should be a requirement

Chapter 23: Tour Thief in Service - by LittleFallenPrincess Enjoying the rhythmic suckling motion and the sweet taste of the milk, I lost myself in the moment. All worries, anxieties, even thoughts seemed to just disappear, as if nothing else mattered at this time. I even forgot about the bacon barm that was sat in front of me on the highchair tray. “Is it good, babygirl?” Miss Carver asked. Of course the only thing to bring me out of my own little world would be her voice... Getting my focus back, I nodded happily, before continuing to suckle the bottle. “Looks like you’re not going to eat that food; you’re enjoying your baba way too much.” I blushed, but continued to suckle despite the embarrassment. Sitting across from me, Mummy just sat there and watched me, smiling. “All finished?” she said as I put the bottle back on the tray. “Uh huh... fank you...” “You’re very welcome baby. Shame about the food, but don’t worry about it.” Taking both the bottle and the cold, uneaten plate of food, she wandered over to the sink to put them down. She then walked back and unlocked the tray from the highchair, carefully picking me up again and placing me back on her hip. “I... I thought we were gonna talk...”I asked. “We are, but I thought why not show you around properly whilst we do?” I nodded and managed a tiny smile before she walked out of the kitchen with me on her hip. “So baby, I just wanted to make sure you’re having fun. I’ll be asking you again later, as I need to know you’re fully on board with everything.” “I...” I struggled to admit that I was enjoying it; thankfully she seemed to pick up on this. “Just a nod will do baby...” I nodded and buried my face into her shoulder. “Good. Want to know a little secret?” I nodded again without moving my head from this comfortable position. “I’m enjoying it too.” I wiggled a bit. “Now, let’s show you this second floor, then we’ll make our way up, then I’ll show you the shop, okay?” “Yes.” She just stood there, without saying a word or moving a muscle. I realised my error quickly enough though. “Yes... Mummy.” I said, correcting myself. “Good girl, let’s go then shall we?” Walking down the hallway, she showed me the door to the big room where I was made to be the centrepiece. “This is my event room. I mostly use it to hold kink events for my friends, as you know very well from my birthday party.” Miss Carver said, opening the door to reveal a mostly large, mostly empty room. “Do you... do you hold parties often?” I asked. “At least once a month, sometimes more.” “And... would I be expected to go?” “Yes sweetie. But you don’t have to play if you don’t want to. You can just sit by my feet and be quiet if you want.” Something about that thought made my insides feel... squirmy. Closing the door and going to the room opposite, I was shown the room I thought I saw upstairs when I broke in to give her the note. “Wait... who’s bedroom is this?” “Mine, sweetpea.” Mummy said. “So wait, whose bedroom is upstairs?” “You mean the one you tried peeking into the other night?” She grinned. I blushed and looked down at the floor in a flash. “H... how... how did you know?” “I’ll let you in on that little secret soon, baby. But no, that room you peeked into is going to be your room. This one is mine.” I looked at her luxurious bedroom. It had silk and what was probably Egyptian cotton or whatever nonsense you hear rich people buy for their beds. It had an enormous walk in wardrobe, a bed bigger than any I’ve ever seen... Just standing in the doorway I felt like I was probably the cheapest thing in here. “If you’re a very good girl, you may spend some time in here.” She added. My head shot up and looked at her, my hopes building up. “If you’re extra good, you may be able to sleep on the end of my bed instead of the floor.” I didn’t care, that was still closer than I ever expected I’d get with a woman like her. “Anyway, I won’t show you the other rooms on this floor, they are just guest bedrooms.” She continued. “Why isn’t my room one of those?” I asked. “Because these are for guests, sweetie. Guests are only allowed on the second floor. Except for my closest friends, who are allowed in the special rooms on the fourth floor. The third is off limits, and I don’t want anyone disturbing you when you desire privacy.” “Oh. That makes sense.” “Plus you’ll understand better when I show you your room.” ‘Colour me intrigued...’ I thought as she carried me down the hall towards the stairs. Carrying me up to the third floor, I was surprised when we carried on up to the next floor, completely avoiding this one. “Huh?” “We’ll end the little tour with your place. For now, I think you’re way more interested to find out what all the rooms upstairs are?” I nodded excitedly. I couldn’t believe this was happening; I was finally going to find out what the other rooms were. And I could get a proper look at the rooms I had already seen, as this time I wouldn’t be sneaking around, only getting glimpses. “You’ve seen the nursery already, so we’ll skip that. How about the dungeon first?” Miss Carver suggested. I nodded nervously. I mean sure, I was mostly sure that I wanted to be her sub. I liked the... and I can’t believe I’m admitting it, even if only to myself... I liked the adult baby stuff. I liked the idea of the petplay stuff a bit. The doll and latex stuff definitely interested me. But the dungeon... whilst the dungeon excited me and I was intrigued to explore the side of me that seemed to be somewhat interested in bondage... I was still scared to go any further. “It’s okay poppet. You’re much too little to play in there today. And when you do play in there, I’ll make sure you’re ready. We’re just looking for now, okay sweetie?” She seemed to know exactly what to say, how to say it and when to say it. She was either a mind reader or she was a damn good Mummy and domme. My money is still on the latter. Opening the door, she walked in with me still on her hip and I stared at all the furniture again, the stuff I hadn’t seen since the first time I broke in. “This is where my friends and I have some... rougher... play. When you’re ready, we’ll play in here too. I’ve got lots of furniture to tie you up to, and lots of fun toys to try on you...” I blushed and buried my head again, but I kept one eye looking at the room. “You really are a blushy little thing, aren’t you?” She cooed. I nodded into her shoulder as she walked out of the dungeon. “How about... a room you’ve not seen yet?” “Yes please... Mummy.” Opening the next door along the corridor, Mummy walked in and suddenly I felt like I had gone back in time a decade or so. “Is this...?” “A classroom, yes.” She said what I was just about to say. It looked like something ripped from my old high school. Wooden desks and chairs were lined up neatly in rows, all facing the front where a large blackboard hung on the wall. A teacher’s desk was positioned next to it, facing the rest of the classroom. Along the walls were posters, drawings, artwork and informational charts and stuff, very much like you’d see in a classroom, but not a high school one... these were more suited for primary school. Simple times tables and all that stuff. There was even one of those ‘A for apple, B for banana, C for cat posters’ on the wall. “I... what is this room for?” I asked, despite having a fairly good idea already. “It’s a mix of Primary and High school. I didn’t want to focus on one, as I know a few littles who like to do the whole school thing, but don’t want to play as middles.” “Middles? I understand the term ‘littles’ from the little bit of research I did, but I don’t know what middles are.” I asked. “Middles are like littles, but they play older than a toddler usually.” Miss Carver explained everything so clearly, she was great at informing me about all this kink stuff, as well as making me feel comfortable and wanting to learn more about it all. “Oh. And what, you play teacher in here and make them do work?” “Exactly. Depending on their play age, I give them little tests or homework sheets. Get them to work in groups. And it varies by subject too. Sometimes we do art, sometimes we do maths, sometimes English. It can be a lot of fun.” “Do... do they get detention if they’re naughty?” I just had to ask, I needed to know. “No. But they do get the ruler...” She grinned at me. “Ruler?” Walking to the front of the class, she lifted up one of those long, wooden rulers, the ones that looked perfect for spankings...” “Oh.” My face dropped. “Now that face is adorable. Don’t worry... only very naughty littles get the ruler.” I blushed as she put the ruler back down and carried me out of this room. Next she showed me the doll room. Just like I remembered, it was a perfect recreation of a doll’s room, complete with the large doll box that stood against the wall. “If you’re a good girl, and you are happy being my sub... it’ll be your name on that box...” she said, making the butterflies in my tummy go crazy. Showing me the various dresses and outfits she had for an adult sized dolly, I couldn’t help but get excited by the thought of being her little doll again. The fifth room, the one opposite the pet play room, was the only one I hadn’t seen at this point, and thankfully it was the one she was showing me next. It was revealed to be a large medical room. “This is my medical play room.” She said. “Medical play?” “You know... Doctors and nurses? I don’t do it often, but I like to play Doctor for some littles. Take their temperature, give them a sweet or something and pretend its medicine, then give them a lollipop for being really good. I mostly made this room for a couple of my friends to play in, but I sometimes make use of it too.” “You made an entire room just for a couple of friends?” My jaw couldn’t drop any lower. “They’re my friends, and they needed somewhere to play with their kink. So I made this for them.” “Rich people...” I muttered under my breath. “What was that sweetie?” Mummy raised her eyebrow at me and gave me that look. “Nothing. I... I just never imagined someone would make an entire room for someone in their place, well... I mean like... a kinky room.” “My friends are important to me. Everyone in my life is. And that includes you now, that’s why I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised soon...” “Huh?” “Shhh....” she tapped the dummy in my mouth and proceeded to walk out of the medical room and into the pet play room. “You’ve seen this room, but...” Mummy walked over to the collars I had seen before. “These two are for my friends... this one however...” she lifted up the pink ‘Princess’ collar and held it in front of me. “This is for you, sweetie. I’ve been saving it for the right sub. If by tomorrow, you’re happy for this to continue, then we’ll see about getting your name put on this tag.” ‘Really? My name? She’s promising a lot, but she keeps mentioning the bit where ‘if I’m sure’... is she really expecting me to back out?’ The rest of the tour was pretty uneventful. We looked at the top floor; it was just storage as I guessed. She showed me the first floor, the one above the shop. It was mostly just the stock for downstairs, along with some artwork and statues she was storing. Then she showed me the ground floor, where the shop floor was. But as I had already seen a lot of this at the party and during the reconnaissance, nothing new stood out. The third floor was the only floor left... and it was next on the agenda. First she showed me the bathroom, and then the study, but as I had been tied up in there a couple of times now, I was well aware of what that looked like. When we entered the room with her computer in, she looked at me and stopped. “So sweetie... I’ll let you in on a little secret...” Before I could say anything, she pressed a button and part of the wall moved away, revealing a large amount of monitors. Each monitor showed a different part of the building, including the alley out back and the street at the front of the building. “Wait... how?” My jaw dropped again. “When you work for and own a security firm...” “WAIT WHAT?” “You really never saw a single camera?” “NO! Is... is that why we couldn’t get any info on you, or the building, or your finances?” “I’m good at what I do sweetie. It’s not my passion, my passion is knowledge, books, art... kink. And when you’ve got these kinks, you like to keep them private. Thankfully, my business allowed me to do just that. It’s why you couldn’t spot the cameras, it’s why you couldn’t find out information on me or the building, it’s why you didn’t stand a chance against me sweetie...” There was that grin of hers again... “I... can’t believe it.” “It’s also why I know I can trust you and let you into my life. And why I knew you’d be the right sub.” “Wait... have you been spying on me?” I asked, taking the dummy out of my mouth to show I was serious. “Only from information I could gather from your hideout. I know all about your little group. When your friend tried accessing my details, it allowed me into his system. I knew exactly when you were going to try again, and my cameras picked up when you entered. Motion sensors were tripped and I just had to wait.” “You... you played us.” “Oh sweetie. I also knew about your purchase, the...” she patted my nappy and smiled, “the padded kind...” “So you have been spying on me?” “I didn’t hack into your phone’s camera or anything, don’t worry. I just wanted to find out a little more about you, as it’s what I’m used to doing in my line of work. So I looked into your bank statements, your lack of criminal record, and where you live. It’s why I offered you a room here so soon, I hate the idea of you staying in that dingy apartment any longer. I did however listen in to your little conversations from your hacker friend’s computer.” I blushed, not knowing whether or not she had heard parts about me having a crush on her or talking about that spanking in front of the crew. “I also did a little digging into that man you mentioned. All that information, along with your actions around me... I knew I could trust you. I knew I could let you in to my world.” “I... can’t believe...” I was gobsmacked. “I understand sweetie. It’s a lot to take in. But I promise you, I did everything with only good intentions. I needed to be sure you weren’t trying to steal from me again.” “Oh... wait no, I don’t care about that. I’m more pissed that I never spotted the cameras!” Miss Carver started laughing. “Wha?” I was confused as to why she suddenly burst out laughing. “You... you really care about how good you are as a thief, don’t you?” She asked, wiping tears from her eyes. “Well... yeah!” “Well if it means anything sweetpea... you got the furthest any thief has gotten.” She said, kissing me lightly on the cheek. I wiggled a bit, trying my best to at least be proud of myself for that accomplishment. Even if in reality... I didn’t stand a chance. She was a security expert with all the money and resources in the world. “Now, why don’t we go show you your room and you can lay down for a nap?” She suggested. “But it’s still early?” I said, knowing that it wasn’t long after lunchtime. “I know sweetie, but that milk I gave you earlier should start to kick in...” “Milk? Wait... what did you put in it?” “Just a little thing to help you sleep. I thought you should have a nap before you try working later. It’s a delayed effect, so we should have just enough time to...” I slumped onto her shoulder, my arms dangling by my side as I drifted out of consciousness. ========================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this story as it goes on! 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 next 4 chapters are available on my Patreon, which can be found here if you go for the second tier. You get 4 chapters early access to chapters of Thief in Service. New chapters of Thief in Service every Monday/Wednesday/Friday! 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 22: Baby Paige Thief in Service - by LittleFallenPrincess She shuffled me over to the full length mirror by the door. ‘Am I ready for this? I mean... it was one thing wearing one of these things at home, but to be wearing one even thicker than that, as well as this babyish outfit...?’ I closed my eyes as she stood me in front of the mirror. “Open them up; see what an adorable little babygirl you make...” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. Her touch made me feel... safe? Safe enough to open my eyes at least. If it was too much, I could always close them again... So opening my eyes slowly, I was taken aback by the image in front of me. Sure, I had seen myself in the maid uniform... and the dress I wore to her birthday party... but I had never, ever dressed like this. Similar colours to what Mimi would wear, I stood there in a pastel pink frilly dress, something that looked a bit similar to the maid’s uniform, but much more floofy, frilly and colourful. A cute, babyish motif of a crown adorned the chest of this outfit, and to match it, Miss Carver had picked out some white tights to put on over the nappy, a pink hair band for the top of my head, and my hair had been put into pigtails. If anyone looked more like an overgrown baby or toddler... it was me, right in this moment. Head to toe was either pink, white or frills. I looked like I had just won first place in a toddler’s pageant or something, I looked... ...well if you’d asked me a month ago, I would have said I looked ridiculous, an absolute joke, pathetic. But as I looked at myself in the mirror, with the warm, accepting and maternal smile Miss Carver gave off standing behind me; I couldn’t help but feel cute. Pretty darn cute. My cheeks started turning red as Miss Carver lifted the dress to check the nappy and tights were on properly. “You look perfect, my perfect little angel.” She whispered to me softly. Terms of endearment I wasn’t used to, especially ones I usually hated with a passion, now turned my insides to jelly as I felt my knees go weak. “You ready, sweetheart?” she asked. “Umm... for what?” I quickly realised my mistake. “...Mummy?” “That’s better. Good girl. And for playtime, obviously!” “Umm... what is playtime exactly?” ‘Is it some kink term? Is it something like bondage, like I heard at the party?’ My mind started thinking of possible situations I could be led into as Miss Carver... I mean, Mummy, led me over to the playpen. Opening the gate, she pushed me in gently and pointed down, obviously she wanted me to sit. “There you go. Play with your toys sweetie.” She instructed. “Play... toys?” She pointed behind me, so I turned around to see what she meant. Seeing the large amount of building blocks, dolls and other assorted toys, I couldn’t believe my mind had gone to kinky things before it had come to the obvious, sensible, and more reasonable answer of actually playing with toys. I sighed and slapped my face with my palm in disbelief. “Sweetie... did you think we were doing naughty things?” Mummy asked. “Umm...” “Be honest...” she gave me that look, the look that made me want to be good for her. “I... yes, Mummy.” I answered. “Silly little baby. Maybe later. But for now, you’re my little baby. And little babies don’t think about naughty big girl things like that. You sit in your playpen and play with your toys.” “What... what’s M...m... Mummy going to do?” “She’s going to watch, play and take care of you, silly!” My heart felt happy at the sound of that. Part of me was worried she was just going to leave me here to play on my own. Nodding and turning around, I picked up the first toy I could reach, a doll. “So sweetheart... what’s her name?” Mummy asked. “Umm...” I tried to think of a name for this pink-haired doll. But because I was suddenly on the spot, I answered with the first name that came to mind. “Mimi...” “Mimi is a cute name.” I blushed and started playing with the doll, much like I did when I was actually a little girl. I dressed her up, acted out things with her, and M.... Mummy just watched, smiling and occasionally asking me questions. This little interaction made me feel really small, almost like I was a toddler. The more she used her ‘Mummy’ voice on me, the smaller I felt. And the smaller I felt, the happier I became. At one point, Mummy stood up as I was building a tower out of the building blocks. Surprised at this sudden change, worries started flooding my mind. That she was leaving. That I was being a bad sub, or a bad baby for her. I felt like I needed to cry. I had never felt like this before, usually any feelings like this I’d try and suppress until it wasn’t a problem, but right this minute, I felt like I could burst out in tears at any moment. Thankfully, Mummy saw this and crouched down beside the playpen. “I’m not going anywhere sweetpea...” She reassured me. Her tone indicated she wasn’t lying. She really wasn’t going anywhere. “I just think it’s lunchtime, and a certain little baby is probably very hungry.” I hadn’t realised how into the role I had gotten, I was so engrossed in playing with these toys that I had completely ignored the feeling of hunger that had crept up on me. I nodded back at her. “I thought so, now, I have something special for baby, but it requires me to go get it from downstairs... can you be a good girl and stay here?” I don’t know what overcame me, but I quickly found myself pulling the puppy dog eyes that I hadn’t used since I was a kid, raising my arms up towards her in a grabbing motion. ‘What... what on earth am I doing? Stop it Paige!’ But I carried on, motioning towards Miss Carver. “Okay then sweetpea. Do you want to come with me?” I nodded and sniffled a bit as she leant down and lifted me up with ease. ‘How... how can she do this?’ “You weigh barely anything, sweetpea. I’m definitely going to have to improve your diet...” I blushed as she lifted me onto her hip and wrapped her arms around me, holding me in place. Wrapping my arms around her for safety, and resting my head on her shoulder, she smiled as she walked us out of the nursery. Carefully carrying me downstairs to the kitchen, I couldn’t help but feel this weird sensation. Looking around, I was no longer breaking into this place. I was no longer trying to steal anything. I was no longer being punished and having to work here. I... I lived here now. I’d still need to go back to my place, pack my stuff and tell my landlord I’m moving out, but I’m sure Miss Carver would see to that soon. I actually lived here, with her. I hadn’t even seen my room yet, but I wasn’t worried about if it was a good room or not, I had seen most of the rooms in this building and I loved every one of them. So as I stared at the walls and the doors that I had previously either tried to break into or had to clean, I felt this weird feeling deep inside. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was definitely weird. “So... what’s my little princess going to have for brekkie?” My tummy felt butterflies at the name she had just called me. I had never been called anyone’s princess. I had been called ‘Princess’ by dickheads who wanted to belittle me, to take the piss out of me... but the way Miss Carver said it, I really did feel like her princess. “Umm...” “Well I’ve got one thing for you to have, but you can pick whether you have cereal, toast or a full English...” “Umm... can... can...” I looked at her awkwardly. I knew what I craved as soon as she mentioned full English. “Go on sweetie... what is it you want?” The more and more she acted like ‘Mummy’, the more and more the domme persona she put on just... evaporated. No longer did she seem like this big bad domme, she now felt like... well... like my Mummy. My protector. Like she’d do anything to protect me, care for me and love me. “Can... Can I have a... bacon barm?” I asked, sheepishly. “Barm?” She responded. I forgot that she was from the south. Whilst I had lived in London since I was twelve when my parents died, I was born in the north. Mimi had learned my regional terms for things over the years, but Miss Carver... she was from here and she had no idea what I was on about. “Roll?” I corrected myself. “Oh I know what a barm is, silly. Of course you can sweetpea. But that’s a regional term not often heard here, so I have to ask... where are you from?” “The... n... north.” “I thought so. Your accent shows a little. It wouldn’t be noticeable to most, but I spent a good while up in Yorkshire.” I laughed inside; people would often think Yorkshire when people say the North. “What’s so funny?” She asked. She must have noticed me smiling or something. “I... I’m not from Yorkshire.” “Oh I know, I’m not that bad, sweetie.” She winked at me. “But whilst I’ve heard all sorts of accents from many northerners, I’ve only ever been to Yorkshire.” “Wha... what for?” “Business.” “Business? What sort of business? What do you do?” “Maybe I’ll tell you eventually. But for now, let’s go get you a bacon... barm.” She said, mimicking me in a generic sounding northern accent, pulling a funny face, causing me to giggle and blush. Walking into the kitchen, what I noticed first was the large highchair that stood by the table. “That... that wasn’t there before...” I said. I was finding it easier to talk around the dummy that was still in my mouth. “I figured we’d need it soon. So I set it up last night once you had gone.” I blushed again as she walked over and placed me down. “Now, are you going to be a good girl and eat what Mummy gives you? Or are you going to be a bratty baby who needs restraining and feeding?” I’m not going to lie... the thought of being restrained made me excited. I rubbed my legs together, trying to prevent myself from getting any worse, but that just ended with me getting even more excited. Thankfully, my decision was made for me as she locked the tray in place but left me free to move around. ‘Aww...’ I thought to myself, slightly disappointed that this wasn’t going that way. ‘Maybe next time...’ I was yanked back into that innocent feeling of childlike wonder though as soon as I watched Mummy start to cook breakfast for the two of us. It was almost hypnotic, watching her work, even if it was just cooking, because I felt a similar feeling to when I used to watch my Mum cook. It was relaxing, Mummy made me feel like she was completely in control, making me feel like I was to just sit and be good for her, that I was just a little baby. And that’s not even taking into account how skilled she appeared in the kitchen. I mean sure, it’s just bacon, so it’s not exactly gourmet or anything, but she seemed so focused... so in control. It’s that that made me admire her that little bit more. She had prepared a bacon barm for me, just like I asked. Even asking if I wanted ketchup or brown sauce. Being a very picky eater, I opted for the ketchup as she pushed a plate in front of me, followed by something that surprised me and caused me to dive straight back into the headspace I was in before. “Now... I have something extra special for you. There is something a little special in it to help you settle down and relax. You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want, I just think it may help you relax a bit. I promise it’ll be good for you.” ‘What?’ I thought to myself as she walked over and placed something in front of me. Before me stood a bottle of milk. Not a normal bottle that you’d buy from the corner shop. This was a baby bottle. Teat and everything, just sized up to fit an adult’s mouth better. Babyish designs adorned the bottle, pink animal shapes with baby block letters. It was freaking adorable, I must say. “I’ll... I’ll drink it.” For some reason I felt like I could trust her. I mean... how bad can it be? “Can you drink that yourself, baby? Or do you want Mummy to feed it you?” I was too embarrassed to say what I really wanted, so I grabbed the bottle and stuck the teat in my mouth. “Okay sweetpea. You eat that all up and drink your baba, I’m going to make myself breakfast. After that, we’ll have a little talk, okay? Nothing bad, just want to make sure you’re happy and enjoying yourself.” The sudden worry at the mention of a ‘talk’ was suddenly eased out of existence as she assured me it wasn’t anything bad. So now that I could relax and enjoy this food and this... this bottle... I started suckling the warm milk she had prepared for me. ========================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this story as it goes on! 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 next 4 chapters are available on my Patreon, which can be found here if you go for the second tier. You get 4 chapters early access to chapters of Thief in Service. New chapters of Thief in Service every Monday/Wednesday/Friday! 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 21: The Room Thief in Service - by LittleFallenPrincess “Shoes off before you come in.” I quickly stepped back and took my shoes off, before stepping back into the room. “Sorry, Miss.” I muttered. “It’s okay. You’ll learn all the rules over time. Follow me.” Miss Carver instructed, taking my hand again and leading me further into the pink, infantile room. I kept my eyes on Miss Carver as my bare feet walked across the softest carpet I had ever felt before. We stopped in the middle of the room and Miss Carver turned around to look at me. I then looked up to meet her beautiful green eyes, and my heart melted in an instant. “So I assume my hunch is correct?” she asked. “What hunch would that be, Miss?” “The baby powder. You saw this room and something stirred within you, right? You decided to try one on...?” “...” “Don’t lie to me sweetie... I know the powder marks left by a nappy.” She grinned. “Yes Miss. I ordered a couple of samples of... them... and tried them on.” “D’aww, you can’t even bring yourself to call them what they are, can you? No littles can at first. But don’t worry, it’ll eventually be natural and you’ll be calling them ‘your’ nappies in no time.” I blushed a crimson red as I felt my legs get wibbly. “I... I...” “Shh. Now tell me, what did you think of the ones you tried?” “I... I liked them.” I couldn’t believe I had just said that. I mean... it was true. But ever since I took it off, I was trying my best not to think how good it felt, how much I enjoyed it. I wanted to pretend I hated it, that I wasn’t into it. But without a moment’s hesitation... I admitted this embarrassing fact to Miss Carver. “Good. But I have to ask... why did you not clean yourself up properly after?” She asked. “I... wasn’t thinking.” “Obviously. Good job I’m here. So... what does this room make you feel?” It was at that point that I realised I had purposefully chosen to keep my eyes directed at Miss Carver’s face. I was deliberately avoiding looking anywhere else, because I was too nervous about what the room was going to make me feel. I knew exactly what this room was. I knew how excited I was to be in here, and how much I had wanted to see this room properly. But now that I was in here? I just focused on Miss Carver so I wouldn’t have to feel any of these embarrassing feelings trying to rise up inside. “Go on... have a look around.” Miss Carver ordered. Using all my might, I managed to pull my eyes away from her, and towards the sea of pink and white. Before me was a nursery. But it wasn’t just any nursery; this one was scaled for an adult. A large pink and white crib stood in the corner, restraints that looked like the ones I had been wearing yesterday were attached to it, but they were pink and white. A changing table stood against the wall opposite, with similar restraints. A highchair with yet more of these pink and white restraints attached to it sat in the corner. I sensed a common theme. “I see you staring at the restraints...” Miss Carver commented. I nodded, sheepishly. “Don’t worry sweetpea... they’re only for naughty babies who like to resist. I don’t see that happening with you. At least not at first. Very rarely are babies that bratty when they’re first introduced, that behaviour comes later as they like to push boundaries and their love of kink expands. Babies like you are always good... at first.” I blushed and nodded. Focusing less on the restraints, I looked around the room, focusing on the little details like the babyish border on the walls, the cute little lightshade above us, and at the large amount of stuffed animals, powder, wipes, baby toys, and general supplies a nursery would have. Impressed that she had apparently thought of everything, I looked around for what I was dreading. “What are you looking for poppet?” Miss Carver asked. “Umm... nothing.” I lied. “Be honest with me. I expect honesty with my subs.” “I... I saw the multiple collars in the petplay room. I... I was looking for signs of other... other... babies.” “What I do with other subs is of no concern of yours. But I will tell you that I occasionally have the odd baby boy or baby girl around, spending time in my nursery. Sometimes the baby boys like to be baby girls and the other way around.” I felt like I had to ask. “Umm... how many subs do you have though?” I blurted out. Miss Carver didn’t look shocked by my outburst. She didn’t look offended or hurt or angry. “You want the honest answer?” she asked. I nodded. “None.” “Oh okay. Wait... what?” I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t have any subs.” “But... but the collars...?” “Are friends of mine.” “Friends?” “Yes. Not everyone has the ability to have all these spaces to play with. Either through lack of money, their partners just not being into it, or because they live lives that a secret like this would ruin. I offer friends a place to play and be themselves occasionally, people I trust. Those collars you saw belong to a few friends of mine who leave them here because they can’t take them home with them.” “You... you mean... you really don’t have a sub?” “Well not before today, no.” “But... but why do you have all these rooms?” “Because I occasionally play with my friends. I’ve had subs in the past, but for a while now, I haven’t. Sometimes a Daddy will bring his little girl around and I’ll play Nanny. Sometimes I play directly with the subs, sometimes I play with them and their owners. Sometimes I just leave them to it and do my own thing in a separate part of the building. It varies.” “So... you reeeally don’t have a sub?” I asked yet again. “You really don’t like the idea of me having another sub, do you sweetie?” “I... it’s not my place to judge. I’m just your sub.” “I mean... yes you are, but your feelings are just as important. I know I come across as this big bad domme... but if you’re not happy, I’m not happy. And whilst I said it’s none of your business what I do with other subs... you have all the right to say if you’re not happy with the arrangement.” “I... didn’t like the idea of you having another sub...” I admitted. “How about the idea of me playing with other subs, but not being their domme?” “I... that’s not too bad. I... I don’t want to be a hassle. Sorry.” “Shhh...” Miss Carver pulled the hand she was still holding, yanking me towards her, where she wrapped her hands around me and held me close. “Shhhh... it’s okay sweetpea.” She started rocking me gently from side to side. “Why... why are you being so nice?” “That’s what Mummies do...” “M... mu...” I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “It’s okay, baby...” That name. A few weeks ago, that name would have made my blood boil. But now, coming from her lips... it was as if every cell in my body felt... at peace. I felt my arms tingle. I... wanted to hear it more. “But... why me then? You are so loved and people obviously want you... I saw as much at the party...” I asked nervously. “After so many subs, I stopped looking. They just weren’t what I was after.” “So yeah, why me?” “Because I saw something within you, something that attracted me to you, something I had never felt before. Ever since I let you go that first night, I hated myself for doing so. But every time I caught you, I knew I couldn’t keep you. I sensed that you may be into all this, or at least some aspects of it, I could read it on your face. But... you needed to come to the realisation yourself.” “So... I can be your sub then? Even though I don’t really want you having any other subs? I’m sorry. It’s all new. I don’t know what is okay and what isn’t.” “Sweetie... Maybe I didn’t say it right. If you want to be my sub, you have to be okay with me playing with other subs. If you’re not, maybe you’re not the sub I was looking for. But when it comes to having my own, I prefer to only have one sub at a time, so you won’t be sharing that title with anyone else.” “So... I’ll be your submissive... and no one else will? But occasionally friends of yours will visit and you’ll...?” “Depends on the friend and the role.” She sounded so... calm... so... confident. “And if I’m not okay with you playing with other subs?” “Then you leave and find another domme.” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to think. I mean... something about her made me want to stay, but a large part of me didn’t like the idea of her playing with anyone else. But at the same time, we weren’t in a relationship, this was purely just a... kink relationship I suppose? So did I have any right to ask that of her? She had all these friends, and she was their sanctuary, could I do that to them too? My mind was swirling, my eyes darting about from side to side. “Right, how about we just get you sorted for now, and then you can decide later?” I let her take my hand and lead me over to the large changing table. Turning me around, she quickly removed all the clothes I was wearing until I was completely naked. Normally I would have been blushing, but my brain was still in overdrive at this point so I couldn’t think about how embarrassing this moment was for me. Lifting me up gently onto the table, she lay me back, popping what felt like a large dummy into my mouth. The soothing, rhythmic sucking helped calm me down, my heart slowing to a normal pace and my thoughts becoming less scrambled. It was then the built-up embarrassment flooded back, causing me to blush and hide my face behind my hands. ‘Oh my god. I’m naked... in front of her... about to be put in a... a... thing...!’ Expertly lifting my bum off the table, she slid a nappy underneath me and gently set me back down. Wipes and powder were used liberally before she pulled the front up, taping the sides down and securing me in this infantile garment. “There we go. Much better. How does that feel?” She asked with her soft, soothing voice. “Umm... weird.” I said from behind the dummy. “...” she stared at me, raising her eyebrow. “Wha?” “You will address me as Mummy when we’re in these roles...” “Yes...” I struggled to say it, but the look she was giving me helped me push past the embarrassment. “...Mummy.” “Good girl. Now, let’s get you dressed and into something much more suitable for playing.” I wasn’t sure what she had in mind in regards to ‘playing’, but my heart was racing again as the soft, thick nappy crinkled when she lifted me down off the changing table and onto the floor. “Follow me sweetheart. But no walking, babies crawl...” My cheeks turned crimson as I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled slowly behind her. Thankfully the soft, luxurious carpet made it almost comfortable to crawl; I’d hate to have done this on those wooden floors outside this room. Walking over to the wardrobe, she opened it up to reveal the cutest, most babyish outfits. “Hmm... what shall my baby wear today...?” I stared in disbelief at some of the options she was pulling out, showing me. From onesies to dresses, dungarees to t-shirts with babyish prints and messages on them. Whilst she kept asking me if each thing was cute and if I liked it, I felt like I had no real choice in the matter as she ignored my input and put aside a bunch of things I said I didn’t like. Mostly because they were very pink and very frilly. Something I would not be caught dead in outside, something more akin to what Mimi would wear normally, albeit a lot more infantile. “There. I think I’ve got a good outfit for your first day as my baby...” She picked up the outfit of choice and my face started burning with embarrassment. “I... I...” “That’s the exact reaction I was hoping for. Perfect!” she said as she looked down at me, smiling. ========================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this story as it goes on! 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 next 4 chapters are available on my Patreon, which can be found here if you go for the second tier. You get 4 chapters early access to chapters of Thief in Service. New chapters of Thief in Service every Monday/Wednesday/Friday! 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 38: Olivia's Parents “What do you mean?” “Mum... I’m dating someone.” “You are? Oh that’s lovely!” “She.... she’s an Amazon...” “WHAT?” “Mum, calm down! It’s okay!” “It’s certainly not okay! Your father and I are coming to get you right now. Are you safe? Have you been altered at all?” “I’m safe, and I’m fine, there was only one bit of hypnosis.” It quickly dawned on me that I had fucked up. That I spoke before I had thought. “OH MY GOD! WHERE ARE YOU? WE’RE COMING TO GET YOU!” “MUM!” I shouted down the phone. She instantly shut up. I never spoke up to my mother, so it came as a bit of a surprise to her. “I am in a healthy, consensual relationship with a woman who I love with all my heart. Yes, she is an Amazon, and yes, that’s not considered normal. I am not regressed, and she has done nothing to harm or alter me. There was one tiny bit of hypnosis that gave me an oral fixation, but that’s it, and that wasn’t through any fault of Charlie’s.” “But that could have made you say that and give in to her!” “Mum, call Malcolm. Call Malcolm right now. He’ll confirm everything. Don’t worry, you can stay on the line here, use the house phone. I’ll wait.” I could hear my mother call Malcolm in the background, but I couldn’t make out anything they were saying. Thankfully I had Malcolm to back me up and help get her on board, otherwise my Mum would have been here in no time to grab me and run away with me. She trusted very few Amazons, really only Malcolm and Luigi. But I didn’t blame her after everything she had gone through with my Dad. “Okay, Malcolm wouldn’t tell me everything, but he insists this girlfriend of yours is genuine and can be trusted. I’m still not sure, so I think we need to meet her. If she seems off in any way, I’m taking you and running.” “Fine, whatever. If that’s what it takes for you to trust me and trust her, how about we meet at my shop tomorrow? Malcolm can be there to make you feel better. I’ll be there all day, I’m working. I can ask Charlie to meet us at lunchtime, so come in whenever you want, either before or after she gets there.” “Just promise me you’re okay right now Olivia.” “I promise, don’t worry. You may think I’m being an idiot, but trust me, you’ll love her.” “We’ll see. See you tomorrow love. Be careful. Please.” “Bye Mum.” “Who was that?” Charlie asked as she walked into the living room from the bath, still wearing a towel around her as water in her hair dripped onto the floor. “Umm... are you busy tomorrow?” I smiled weakly. Charlie had agreed to meet my parents, and had understood how hesitant they were. She would meet us at lunchtime at the shop and try to help me calm them down a bit. ------------------------------------------------- The morning after passed by quickly. My head was worrying so much about my parents’ reaction that I had no time to take in anything that happened. It was just a normal morning; breakfast with Charlie, her driving me to work, the shop was quiet too. It wasn’t until about 11.30am, when my parents walked through the front door to the shop, that things got interesting. “Malcolm, where’s my daughter?” I could hear the panic in her voice. “She’s in the back Mary, she’s fine. I promised you. She’s just working on a design, I think she’s expecting you so just go on through. Oh and hey Peter!” My Dad waved and followed my Mum through to the back. I was watching the whole interaction on the CCTV. “OLIVIA!” my Mum screamed as she ran over and hugged me. She held me close with her arms wrapped around me, as she slowly ran her hand down to my backside and I realised what she was doing. “MUM! I’m not in a nappy!” “Just checking sweetheart. You can’t be too sure with Amazons.” “You trust Malcolm!” “Yes but he has proved himself time and time again to us.” “Well Charlie will be here sometime in the next 30 minutes. Gives us time to talk about some stuff.” “Stuff? What stuff?” “Mum, Dad... have a seat. I’ll get you updated on everything.” They took a seat on my workshop sofa as I pulled up a chair from my desk and sat in front of them. “So this woman. She’s called Charlie. She’s a couple of years older than me roughly. She’s an Amazon, so she’s like 12 foot tall. And yes, I know it’s uncommon. But... I love her.” My Mum’s worried expression was quickly replaced by a look of pure shock. I couldn’t tell what was going through her head at this point. “You... you’ve never talked about anyone like that before. You’ve never used that word before.” “Because until now, I’ve never felt it with any of my partners. She... trust me, she’s something special. You’re going to love her.” “So... what’s she do? What’s she like?” my Dad asked. “She writes. She’s got red hair. She’s got a smile that makes my heart melt. She’s so kind, so compassionate, so...” “You really do love her, don’t you?” my Mum’s face changed once again. “I do Mum, I do. But I need to tell you something...” “What?” “When you said you thought you saw me last night... well... you did.” “But you said she hasn’t adopted or regressed you?” her face turned to confusion, my Dad kept silent, but copied her face every time. “She hasn’t, I promise. But...” I told her everything. About the baby treatment and the plan we had. “This is, by far, the most ridiculous plan you have ever come up with.” Before my mother could go on and berate me further, we were interrupted by Malcolm. “Liv, Charlie’s here.” Malcolm shouted towards the workshop. “Mum, Dad, be nice. Please.” I said to my parents before running over to the door and opening it, revealing Charlie. “Hi, I’m Charlie.” She said with a not-so-confident smile. I had never seen her so nervous. “Charlie, this is my Mum, Mary, and my Dad, Peter.” “Nice to meet you.” They both said in unison. “It’s lovely to meet you. Also hey babe, everything okay?” Charlie asked, quickly kissing me on the cheek. “Yeah, I just filled them in on the plan.” “Plan?” “THE plan. You know. B-A-B-Y plan.” “OH. Oh dear. You sure it was wise to tell them so soon?” “Figured we may as well get it out in the open.” Charlie nodded, sitting down on the floor next to my chair so she was at a similar height to my parents. I quickly sat back down. “So... Charlotte... what spell have you cast on my daughter here?” My Mum was no stranger to blurting out her thoughts. “I can assure you Mrs Clarke, I have cast no such spell. I love your daughter very much and I have no intention on adopting her or regressing her. I love her beautiful mind and I love everything about her.” “She said something about hypnosis? What happened there?” “I do apologise for that Mrs Clarke, we ended up in a situation with a few old Amazon friends of mine, and one of them tried to hypnotise Liv because she was being bratty. I can safely say there is no long term damage that won’t be fixable, and I am happy to say they are no longer my friends anymore.” “After the threats she made, I don’t think they’ll be doing anything to any other littles anytime soon.” I chipped in. “Well it’s nice to hear you’re standing up for my daughter. But I don’t like this plan of hers that basically means she’s adopted.” “I assure you, I have no intention of actually adopting her. If I did, our relationship would become illegal, and more importantly, I would never do anything she didn’t consent to.” “Charlie has been through a lot, Mum. She’s an ally to littles, trust me. She saw the way her parents abused her little brother, and since then has always been a supporter of little’s rights.” “Is that so? Well you certainly surprise me Charlotte. I don’t quite trust you yet, but you’re not a threat. So far.” “I will take what I can, Mrs Clarke.” “Mary. Call me Mary.” I smiled. This was a good sign that my Mum was open to the idea of Charlie and I being together. “Thank you Mary, please call me Charlie. But seriously, Liv came up with this plan of hers all by herself, after talking to a couple of littles in similar situations. And I can safely say, it has provided a bit more safety for her in public so far. We even got to have a date last night, sort of. Until Luigi and his daughter interrupted us.” “Luigi?” “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, we went to an Italian restaurant last night for a sort of Mummy/baby date, and we ended up at a place now owned by Luigi! We caught up and he gave us his contact details to give to you!” Charlie rooted around her bag and pulled out the card with the details on, handing it to my Mum. “Oh my. Well that’s wonderful. And certainly unexpected. I haven’t seen him in years! I’m glad he’s doing alright for himself. I’ll have to give him a call later!” “He was surprised when he saw me dressed how I was. But he understood and now we’ve got a place we can go on Sunday for an actual date in public, this time I won’t have to dress like a baby!” “Charlie... have you got any pictures of that?” I saw the grin on my Mum’s face and I knew I wasn’t going to get away from this that easily. Charlie looked a bit surprised by that, before quickly looking through her phone, finding a picture Eliana had taken of us both last night, before showing it to my Mum. “Oh my... you certainly are cute dressed like that. I’m sure that if it wasn’t consensual, I’d be terrified, but you look so... happy together in it. What do you think about all this, Peter? You’ve been awfully quiet.” “I’m always quiet Mary, you’re the chatty one. Plus... I... I don’t see the problem. Liv is a big girl. She’s clearly happy with Charlie. And Charlie seems wonderful. You were always the more cautious one, but this time... I have to side with Liv on this. She’s taken steps to ensure her safety so she can pursue a relationship with her girlfriend in public, whilst also ensuring she doesn’t get adopted by anyone else. It may seem crazy, but I can see how much they love each other and I can see why she decided to do this.” “I suppose. You do look beautiful together. And Liv, you look adorable dressed like... well like you did in the photo. I never got to dress you like that when you were a baby.” I blushed and Charlie noticed, wrapping her arm around me and pulling me close to her. “I promise you I will look after your little girl. Even if it means treating her as my little girl.” “You better. If anything happens to her...” “I’d be devastated Mary. I love her with all my heart. She means the world to me.” “Good.” ------------------------------------------------- We all chatted for a good hour or so. Charlie told my mother about all the cute outfits she had for me, my father wanted to know more about Charlie and her parents, and I spent most of the time blushing. We caught up on the past half a year, as I hadn’t had a proper talk with my parents in a long time. “We better get going now Liv, we’ve taken up far too much of your time. But it was nice meeting you Charlie.” My Mum said, standing up and grabbing her bag. “Likewise.” answered Charlie. “I’m still not sure about this whole thing, but it is not my place to judge. As my husband put it, Liv is a big girl. And from what I’ve heard, you are trustworthy and capable of helping my daughter stay out of trouble. So I know you don’t need it, but you have my approval.” “And mine.” Said my Dad. “Thanks Mum, thanks Dad.” I hugged them both tightly, both of them giving me a kiss on the forehead. “Please be good to my daughter.” My Mum said, looking at Charlie. “I promise I will.” She said. ------------------------------------------------- My parents left, handing me a note on the way out. I waited until they left to read it. ‘If anything happens, you know the safeword. Get in touch. I like your girlfriend but you never know. Please be safe.’ I loved my Mum, and she was rightfully overcautious, but it still hurt me a bit that she didn’t trust Charlie the way I do. Even if she trusted her as much as Malcolm does I’d feel better, but I suppose it would just take time for her. “Well that went okay.” Charlie said, pulling me onto her lap. “Yeah. Best I could ask for this early on. Sorry about my parents.” “Hey, it’s understandable. They’ve been through a lot, and I now understand what littles go through, or at least the best I can without being a little myself.” “Thank you for putting their worries at ease.” “Baby, I love you, and I want your parents to like me. Over time I’m sure they’ll warm up even more.” “I love you too Charlie.” “You’ve got about 5 hours left to use that name, after that... I think you need some baby time. So when you get home, be prepared to have that cute little butt of yours put back in nappies.” I blushed deeply and buried my face into Charlie. “Yes... M...Charlie.” ========================================================== I hope everyone enjoyed the latest chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Been working on banner/logo art for my patreon and setting it up and I think I've worked out how to do everything (I had no idea it would be this stressful and difficult! ?). But basically I could get it started at anytime. I'm going to continue writing my 2nd story (12 chapters in so far out of 40!) and probably start posting it soon. I am SO excited to see people's comments and thoughts with this next one, I'm really enjoying writing it! As for this story, next chapter will be posted tomorrow. And I don't think people will want to miss it... ?