Chels in Ribbons

So, to clarify a bit of the lore since it's been a while since this has come up in the story, what The Hayes Act did was increase the age of majority for girls to 28. It didn't stipulate or even suggest that they should be diapered, that was kind of separate cultural movement that's been building for decades. But yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to convey! I've thought about it before, but ultimately I'm not sure I want to be under pressure to produce writing regularly. I don't know, maybe I'll do it in the future. I usually publish my books on amazon and make a little bit of money that way, but, tbh, I feel bad for making Bezos money, even if it's just a drop in the very large bucket, and, besides, this project has gotten away from me, it's going to be a long time before it's done XD I'll tell you what, if anyone enjoys my writing enough that they feel like throwing me a few bucks, they can buy me a ko-fi Absolutely no pressure, but be assured that 100% of your donation will go towards keeping me high and in diapers, both of which help me write XD I like that this is where you went for evidence that Riley is a bad influence and not the, ya know, domestic terrorism XD

but, in some ways, isn't she just doing her best? isn't she kind of a victim of this culture too? *shrugs* I like to think she's more complicated than just a terrible mother Anyway! Here's a short update! I plan to do more writing tomorrow, so hopefully I can give you another tomorrow! Chapter Twenty-Six Rei’s heart somehow simultaneously leapt into her throat and sunk into her stomach as she opened the front door of her house to find her mother standing in the foyer, arms crossed and face scowling. “Hi, Mom,” she said weakly. “And where have you been?” “At school,” Rei responded, knowing it was probably the wrong answer but not knowing what else she could say. “So, you went to class today?” Rei chewed her bottom lip and said nothing. “Well?” “…no,” Rei admitted. “Where did you go instead?” “I was just…hanging out with a friend,” her mother clearly knew the score, maybe telling the truth was the best option, but Rei wasn’t going to give any details she didn’t absolutely have to give. “What friend?” This question was a little harder to answer. Rei knew that her mother knew that she didn’t have many friends, just like Rei knew that her mother would be suspicious of any friends she met at college, especially given the recent arrest of two girls Rei had unfortunately admitted to at least knowing of. Rei desperately wished she knew more of what her mother knew; for example, had she seen Riley dropping her off? “Just…a friend,” Rei finally replied rather weakly. “A friend from school? From college?” Rei nodded. “A friend you met while skipping class?” “No!” Rei shook her head, “we’ve been eating lunch together.” “Ah,” her mother said, “and, this friend, did she convince you to skip class?” Rei chomped down on her bottom lip. “And stop chewing your lip,” Ms. Akiyama commanded, “it’s unbecoming and you’ll tear your lip up.” “Yes, Mom,” Rei forced herself to stop. “So?” Rei knew very well that she was backed in a corner and there was no answer that wasn’t going to get her in trouble. The thing was, Rei never used to worry about getting in trouble. Mostly because she had always been well-behaved and a good student. For most of Rei’s life, she had been an ideal daughter—the envy of other parents, even. She wasn’t used to getting in trouble, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it, nor did she have any practice maintaining her cool under the kind of pressure and scrutiny she was now dealing with. So, she did the only thing she could think of; she shrugged. “You don’t know?” Rei nodded. “I see,” Ms. Akiyama pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Was it the girl who drove you home?” Shit. Her mom had seen Riley dropping her off after all. Rei nodded again. “So, you’re hanging out with girls can drive? How old is she?” Rei shrugged, genuinely uncertain how old Riley was. She was pretty sure the girl was twenty-two, but her top priority was still withholding as much information from her mother as she could. “Is she emancipated?” Ms. Akiyama probed. Rei hesitated but nodded. It was either admit Riley was emancipated or give her mom the impression she was driving without a license. “I see,” Ms. Akiyama said plainly. “I don’t think I like you hanging out with girls like that, Rei; she seems like a bad influence.” “She’s not!” Rei broke her silence without thinking about it to leap to Riley’s defense. “Then how else do you explain why you are suddenly skipping classes and lying to me?” Rei bit her lip again and shrugged. God, what she wouldn’t give to be anywhere else right now. It had been a mistake to skip class, and Rei was very much regretting it right that second. She felt a burning behind her eyes that warned her tears were on their way. Ms. Akiyama sighed and threw her hands up in the air at Rei’s stonewalling. “Here’s the deal, Rei,” she spoke firmly and slowly to hide her uncertainty, “I’ve allowed you to go to college so far despite my best judgement, but I think you’ve proven that you are not yet mature enough for such an environment.” Rei’s stomach twisted in knots as she realized where this was going, “mom,” she said weakly, “please…” “You’re hanging out with a dangerous crowd,” Ms. Akiyama continued as if Rei hadn’t spoke, “you’re skipping classes, you’re getting all sorts of dangerous ideas in your head, and I’m afraid you are going to get yourself in trouble. I won’t allow you to do that, Rei. You are going to be safe and happy and healthy if it kills me, do you understand?” A tear rolled down Rei’s check. She wiped it away but said nothing. “Do you understand?” Ms. Akiyama repeated more loudly and more insistently. Rei just nodded weakly. “Good,” Ms. Akiyama nodded perfunctorily. “I’ve gone against my best judgement so far, Rei, in large part because I knew how much college meant to you, but, since you are now skipping classes, apparently, I was mistaken about how much it meant. So, from now on, I’ll be using my best judgement, which means I’m going to be withdrawing you from all of your college classes.” The words reverberated in Rei’s head, and she started to quietly cry. “If you wish to continue attending school,” Ms. Akiyama continued, trying her best to ignore her daughter’s crying, “we can sign you up for an extended high school program.” Rei just nodded, and the only sound in the Akiyama house for a long moment was Rei’s sniffles. “Good,” Ms. Akiyama said, finally breaking the silence, “now, go to your room; you can come out when dinner is done.” Chapter Twenty-Seven Rei spent much of that evening trying to work up the courage to text Riley and let her know why she wouldn’t be seeing her around campus anymore, but she was never quite able to muster it. Instead, she fell asleep early, slept fitfully, and woke up soaked. “I’m sorry, Rei,” her mom said when she heard the news, “that’s the third day in a row,” she added, as if Rei needed to be reminded of that particular fact. Rei marched into the kitchen to join her mother at the breakfast table with the grim determination of a soldier marching into battle. She expected a repeat of yesterday’s awkward breakfast, but today she did not have the retreat of needing to rush off to school. Today, she had nowhere to go to escape her mother’s needling. She sat down in front of a plate of toast, scrambled eggs, and some fresh strawberries, and silently reached for the jar of jam in the center of the table. Ms. Akiyama said nothing as she watched her daughter spread the jam across her toast. She bit into her own and chewed thoughtfully. She had already made plans to run into Heather and Megan Eckridge this afternoon completely spontaneously and entirely coincidentally at Babies R Us, but how best to broach the subject? She had considered simply telling Rei they had to run some errands and springing it on her, but she quickly realized how many ways that might go poorly. No, it was best Rei get all her pouting and sulking out beforehand. Rei at first welcomed her mother’s silence, but as it stretched out, it began to make her anxious. She could chalk it up to her mother being extra tired or simply not talkative that morning, but she hadn’t even greeted Rei. She tried to focus on eating her breakfast and not letting on how her nerves were stretching to a snapping point. “So,” Ms. Akiyama said at last. Rei held her breath. “I have some errands to run this afternoon,” Ms. Akiyama said, deciding to come at this sideways, “since you don’t have anything else to do today, I figured you could go with me.” Rei shrugged, that didn’t seem too bad. But she was still on high alert. “Okay,” she agreed tentatively. “I want to run by Target and pick a few things up,” Ms. Akiyama went on to explain, “and do some light grocery shopping, and then I thought we’d swing by another store to pick you up some supplies.” Rei’s stomach dropped. She didn’t mean…did she…? An awkward silence ensued. Rei was too worried about the answer to ask the question she wanted to ask, and Ms. Akiyama was too worried about how her daughter was going to react to move on. The moment stretched on for eternity before it was finally broken. “Sound good?” Ms. Akiyama asked just as Rei was asking, “Supplies?” “You know,” Ms. Akiyama responded, gesturing vaguely with her fork, “for your, uh…well, nighttime supplies, you know.” Rei felt the color drain from her face. This was exactly what she had been dreading since the first morning she had woken up wet. Of course, she had known it was inevitable if it kept happening, there was no sense in her washing sheets every morning if it could be avoided. Rei had just desperately wished it could be avoided. It had been embarrassing enough wearing pull-ups to bed the last time she had had this particular problem, and, somehow, the fact that she knew she’d actually be joining the majority of girls her age didn’t give her comfort considering the other things most girls her age did. “Mom,” Rei began, trying to keep her voice steady, trying to make sure it didn’t sound like she was whining. “It’s only been three nights, can’t we…wait for that?” “It’s already been three nights in a row,” Ms. Akiyama repeated the same fact Rei had recited but with different enough inflection to make it seem like a valid counterpoint. “I know you aren’t thrilled about this, but it’s got to be better than waking up in wet sheets, right?” Ms. Akiyama was actually pleasantly surprised by how well Rei was taking this, but she hadn’t let her guard done yet, it was still possible Rei was waiting to explode. Rei sighed with resignation. She wanted to fight, she wanted to resist, but having college taken away from her the same week she started wetting the bed again was a double punch to the gut that had effectively taken the fight out of her. For the moment, at least. Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, her mom was right about that last part. It wouldn’t be too bad being back to wearing pull-ups at night, and certainly no one had to know. More specifically, Riley didn’t have to know. “Yeah, okay,” Rei stabbed a bit of scrambled egg with her fork and ate it pleasurelessly. It wasn’t like she’d be expecting to have a good day.

Hello all! Getting back into the swing of writing regularly is hard, but it feels pretty good! This story has really gotten a lot larger in scope than I anticipated it would be when I began it, and I'm really excited for you all to see where it goes! I know my last update was a bit short, so hopefully this one makes up for that! Chapter Twenty-Four Riley left the meeting with Professor Lewis feeling trapped and scared. She had the distinct feeling she was in way over her head. She wanted to scream, but if she opened her mouth, the water would rush into her lungs and drown her. With shaking hands, Riley fished her phone out of her bag, opened her messaging app, and tapped Rei’s name. “Hey, you on campus today?” Of course, she already knew the answer, but didn’t want Rei to know she had seen her get off the bus earlier—it just felt weird admitting she had been watching her from afar without her knowledge. “Yup, what’s up?” The reply came quickly. “Wanna hang out?” “Sure, want me to come to you?” “Nah where are you?” “Library” Riley nodded, put her phone back in her bag, and started making her way to the library. It took her a few minutes of looking around, but Riley quickly found Rei sitting by herself in corner tucked into the far back corner of the library. Riley felt a fluttering in her stomach as she caught sight of the girl and slowly began approaching the table. Rei was wearing a loose v-neck sweater and loose-fitting jeans with battered sneakers. A heavy coat was draped across the back of her chair, and her black hair was up in a messy bun. She seemed almost startled when Riley pulled out a chair and plopped down. “The morning I have had,” Riley sighed, rubbing her face. “Sorry. Just,” she smiled weakly, “nevermind, how are you?” Rei smiled, genuinely feeling liking smiling for perhaps the first time that day, “I can very much relate to the feeling of a just…not fun morning.” “Everything okay?” Rei almost nodded instinctively but paused. For a very brief moment, she debated spilling everything to Riley, telling her all about the return of her bedwetting, but…what would Riley think of her? Rei had been having this debate with herself on and off ever since the first incident, and each time she came down on a different side. Rei knew that, technically, a lot of girls her age wet the bed these days, but that was because they had been brainwashed or conditioned or drugged into it by the parents. Rei was just…well, she was just a bedwetter, plain and simple. Riley would likely pity her if she was the former, and that would be bad enough, but if she knew she was just a regular bedwetter? Well, maybe, just maybe, she’d be understanding and sympathetic—in fact, Rei felt certain that in a different political climate, Riley would likely be the kind of person who wouldn’t judge someone for something like that, but, these days, being a bedwetter made her an argument in favor of the Hayes Act. So, Rei nodded, eventually. “Yeah,” she said, “just…mom was being annoying, and taking the bus in this weather, and just…everything, you know?” Maybe she’d tell Riley one day, but today wasn’t the day. “What about you? Everything okay with you?” Riley almost nodded instinctively but paused. Could she confide in Rei what was truly happening with Rebel? Could she tell Rei how in over her head she was? Could she trust Rei with the knowledge that she was, in effect, being blackmailed into being the figurehead for a domestic terrorist group? Would Rei understand how absolutely terrified Riley was? Would she still respect Riley if she knew how badly Riley wanted to run away from it all? How badly she wished she had never started Rebel? Would she think Riley was a coward? And, maybe, Riley was a coward; that was part of the problem. But, then again, wasn’t it perfectly reasonable to be terrified of spending the rest of her life at Brighter Days? Riley wasn’t Katniss Everdeen, and she didn’t want to be, but other people certainly wanted her to be. Rei seemed to want her to be, and Riley couldn’t bear Rei’s disappointment. So, Riley nodded, eventually. “Yeah,” she forced a smile. “How are things with your mom anyway?” Rei shrugged, “same, I guess. She’s still really pushing me to switch to an extended high school program.” “That sucks,” Riley replied, unsure of what else to say. The truth was, Riley felt like she’d prefer an extended high school program over being the unwitting leader of Rebel. “You know,” Rei said, somehow sounding both wistful and exasperated, “when I was in high school, I thought I was going to go to a competitive four-year university, maybe go to grad school even. Now, I’m going to a community college and on the cusp of going back to high school.” Riley laughed under her breath, “I was a shitty student in high school,” she said, “community college was the only school that would let me in. Which, you know, was cool. I didn’t really care about school, it was just what I was supposed to do, you know?” Riley laughed, “no, I don’t. School has always been really important to me, so I can’t relate to that at all.” “God, you’re such a nerd,” Riley rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. “So, what, competitive college, grad school, then what? What was the plan?” “I wanted to be a teacher,” Rei responded, “specifically a high school English teacher.” Riley thought about that for a second, “yeah, I could see you as a teacher,” she grinned, “ya know, ‘cause you’re a nerd and all.” Rei stuck out her tongue at Riley before bursting into a small fit of giggles. “What about you?” She asked as the giggles subsided, “what was your plan for after college?” Riley shrugged, “honestly? I never thought that far ahead.” “Well, what’s your major?” “Art.” “Oh! So you want to be an…what do you do with an art degree?” Rei laughed. Riley laughed with Rei, “I don’t know. I just like making art, so I figured…” she trailed off. “What kind of art do you make?” “Uh, you know, like…I do some painting, some graphic design, just…all sorts,” Riley was blushing, talking about her art always made her feel vulnerable. “I bet you’re really good,” Rei could easily see Riley as the artistic type. She definitely had that vibe. “I’d love to see some of your work.” “Ha, yeah, um, maybe some time,” Riley responded, evading a clear commitment. “So,” Rei asked, “how did you go from being like this directionless art student to the leader of…well, of our club?” Riley frowned—this was really the last thing she wanted to talk about. “I don’t know; it just sort of happened.” “Doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that ‘just happens.’” “Well,” Riley said with a resigned sigh, “our…club started out as just a way for me to like…I don’t know, I wanted to use my art to promote change. That’s how it all started; I was just making propaganda posters and stuff.” “Oh, wait, you’re the one who designs all of our posters and propaganda?” “Well, not just me anymore, but yeah, I still make most of it,” it was the only part Riley still enjoyed. “Oh! Then I’ve seen your work!” Rei said excitedly, “I really like it! It’s really powerful stuff!” Riley couldn’t help but blush crimson at that, “thanks,” she said quietly. “Sorry,” Rei could sense the other girl was a little uncomfortable with the praise, “I don’t mean to embarrass you, but just…it is really good. And I think it’s really cool that you started this club as a way to use something you enjoy to, like, make things better for others.” “Hey, look,” Riley interjected. She desperately needed a change of subject but wasn’t sure which direction to go. “You wanna…” she floundered for some suggestion, “…just get out of here?” She said finally. It wasn’t exactly the cleverest suggestion, but it was a suggestion, and certainly a change of topic. Rei looked surprised, taken aback even, “like, leave school?” “Yeah,” Riley nodded. Now that the thought was in her head, she knew it was exactly what she needed right then. “Let’s go to the mall; we’ll go to some stores that are more friendly to customers our age and get you some make up to try, okay?” “I have class…” Rei began weakly then trailed off. The truth was that a large part of her did want to go with Riley, but there was still part of her screaming about the importance of attending class. “Screw it,” Riley reached across the table and flipped the book Rei had been reading closed, “don’t be such a nerd,” she said with a mischievous grin. “Come on,” she coaxed when Rei didn’t immediately jump up. Rei chewed her lip and briefly considered how furious her mother would be if she found out, but then she looked up into Riley’s bright green eyes, framed by heavy black liner, and smiled. “Let’s go.” Chapter Twenty-Five Ms. Akiyama had, at first, been furious when she’d received the email from Rei’s professor, who was reaching out over his concern that Rei had missed the last two classes. But then she quickly saw it for the opportunity it was. Suddenly, she found herself staring at the screen of her computer, one tiny click away from unenrolling her daughter from all of her college classes. Suddenly, she was having second thoughts. As the pointer hovered over the button that would alter the course of Rei’s life, Ms. Akiyama pondered whether she was really doing what was right. Rei would be furious, but could Ms. Akiyama afford to let that matter? She just wanted her daughter to be happy and healthy, and she was willing to take on Rei’s ire to achieve it. Increasingly, it seemed like that school was dangerous for a girl like Rei—that is, a girl with too much brains and passion for her own good. She was liable to fall in with the wrong crowd—if she hadn’t already. Which brought Ms. Akiyama back to the inciting event: Rei had skipped school. Had Rei ever skipped school? Ms. Akiyama was quite certain that her daughter had never. Her daughter loved school; why would she ever skip? So, why was she now? And where had she gone? What was she doing? And who was she doing it with? Ms. Akiyama felt a pit in her stomach as she considered these questions and their possible answers. She had thought about calling Rei’s cell phone, but part of her didn’t want to let Rei know that she knew Rei had skipped class until she could confront her about it face-to-face. She looked at the time; on a normal day, Rei would be home any minute now, but Ms. Akiyama had no idea what to expect today. Giving the computer screen one last lingering look, Ms. Akiyama got up from her computer, left her little home office, and walked out into the living room. She turned the TV on, then walked over to the large bay window and looked out, wondering if she would see Rei coming from the bus stop. The street was empty, though. Sitting on the little padded bench in the windowsill, Ms. Akiyama allowed her attention to drift towards the TV while keeping the street in her peripheral vision. On the screen, a girl about Rei’s age with freckles across her pale cheeks was looking out at the audience from a horizontal position as she talked about how much she loved her new Huggies Overnites. The camera panned outward to show an older woman just finishing taping the freckled girl into a thick diaper. “She’s not the only one who loves Huggies Overnites,” the mom figure tucked the younger girl in and planted a kiss on her cheek, then started walking towards the doorway as she continued to speak, “their super absorbency means I know I won’t be spending time in the morning washing her sheets.” She flipped the light off and shut the door, bathing the bedroom scene in darkness. Shadows quickly began shifting in the room as a full moon rapidly passed by the bedroom window before the morning sun started peaking in. “In fact,” the girl sat up in bed and stretched sleepily in the early morning light, “Huggies Overnites are so absorbent,” the camera zoomed in on her face to show her conspiratorial smile, “that Mom never needs to know you wet the bed after you wake up, too.” “Huggies Overnites aren’t bedwetting pants,” the voiceover said as the camera held on the girls face as she bit her bottom look and did her best to look mischievous and slightly embarrassed at the same time, “they’re real diapers; so why worry about why or when you use them?” “With Huggies Overnites,” the girl continued, “lazy mornings in bed can stay lazy.” She gave one last beaming smile before the Huggies logo flashed on screen and the TV segued to the next commercial. Ms. Akiyama watched the commercial with an interest she had never given to such commercials before, as commonplace as they had become in recent years. She had spent no small amount of time over the past few days wondering when it would be time to buy Rei her new nighttime underwear and how to broach the topic with her daughter. Part of her was hoping Rei might suggest it herself; after all, it wasn’t like Rei hadn’t worn pull-ups for her bedwetting before. Ms. Akiyama, of course, had no experience with either wetting her bed or wearing absorbent underwear (that is, no experience she could actually remember), but she felt certain that no matter how embarrassing or uncomfortable it would be for Rei to start wearing protection again at night, it had to be better than walking up in wet sheets. But, of course, that was then, when wearing diapers wasn’t as…political. It wasn’t like it hadn’t been political at all the last time Rei had wet the bed, but it had become a lot more so in the intervening years. When Rei was fifteen, there was no federal law giving mothers the right to put their adult daughters back in diapers. Sure, some states had passed such laws, but they were still in the minority. When Rei was fifteen, regressive behavioral therapy still wasn’t common—not, at least, in the area they lived in. Ms. Akiyama had first heard about regressive behavioral therapy when Rei was young enough that her bedwetting was still pretty normal but old enough that her reliance on pull-ups during the day was starting to become concerning. Back then, it was a weird fringe practice only really performed by the most conservative of families. Ms. Akiyama, and all of the mothers she knew, found the whole thing to be a laughable oddity; imagine wanting to go back to changing diapers, they would joke. That was fifteen years ago, and here Ms. Akiyama was, no longer finding it as ridiculous as she once did. Here Ms. Akiyama was, watching commercials for diapers marketed for girls who once would have been considered young adults and pondering how many nights she had to let her nineteen-year-old daughter wet the bed before she put her back in bedtime diapers. Ms. Akiyama sighed and turned back to the view from her window. It had stopped raining, but the world was still grey and dreary. She watched as the number 9 bus rolled through the intersection at the end of her street; if Rei was coming home on the bus, she’d be turning the corner any moment now. But seconds ticked into minutes and still no Rei. Now Ms. Akiyama was definitely concerned. She jumped, startled by the sudden vibration in her pocket as her phone began to ring. Ms. Akiyama nearly fumbled her phone as she quickly dug it out of her pocket, hoping to see her daughter’s name on the caller ID. Her heart sunk as read Heather’s Eckridge’s name instead. Nonetheless, she swiped the accept button. “Hello?” “Hey, hun!” Heather chirped from the other side, “hadn’t heard from you in a couple days, just figured I’d see how things were going with Rei’s new treatment!” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “well, she woke up wet for the second time this morning,” she reported, “but she skipped class today and didn’t come home on her usual bus.” “Uh oh,” Heather said simply, “bit of a mixed bag, then.” “Mm-hm,” Ms. Akiyama confirmed. “I’m sitting here waiting for her to come home right now. She’s never skipped school before; this is just so unlike her.” “Hun, I hate to say it, but I think maybe you went to Brighter Days just in time.” “Maybe…” “You seem uncertain, what’s wrong?” “Nothing, it’s just…” Ms. Akiyama shook her head and sighed, “I never thought I’d be doing this.” “Does Rei suspect anything do you think?” “She doesn’t seem to; she genuinely seems to think she’s just started wetting the bed again like she did when she was a teen.” Heather laughed, “I told you, Brighter Days does good work.” “They do,” Ms. Akiyama agreed, “I know they told me it wouldn’t take long, but I was still surprised she started wetting the bed again so quickly. A little relieved too, though; the anticipation was killing me.” “I know what you mean,” Heather said in an empathetic voice, “I was really nervous how Megan would take all of this when we first started. How’s being back on diaper duty?” “Funny you should ask,” Ms. Akiyama replied, “I haven’t had that talk with Rei just yet, but I was just sitting here thinking about when was the right time.” “The sooner the better, I’d say. Especially if she’s starting to skip school; it’s clear she needs a little bit more discipline than she has right now,” Heather paused for a beat, then added, “no offense, of course.” Ms. Akiyama smiled wanly, “speaking of, I simply have no idea how to punish her for skipping class. She’s never done anything like this before; it’s so out of character for her.” “It is,” Heather agreed, “which makes it all the more concerning,” she continued, echoing Ms. Akiyama’s own thoughts on the matter. “But, you know, maybe this is exactly the kind of excuse you need to put her back in an extended high school program. If she’s not going to attend her college classes, maybe she doesn’t deserve the privilege of going…” Heather trailed off. “I had the exact same thought,” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “but…I don’t know, I guess I’m going to wait to hear her side of the story before I make any decisions.” “Hun, you gotta remember, you’re the parent, and Rei could really be getting herself in trouble at that college of hers. If she’s skipping class, there’s no telling what else she is doing. Not to mention what kind of people she’s doing it with.” Ms. Akiyama made a thoughtful noise in her throat. It was hard to argue with Heather—especially not when Ms. Akiyama had been thinking the same thing just moments ago. “You’re doing the right thing by Rei,” Heather continued when it was clear Ms. Akiyama wasn’t going to say anything, “so don’t get cold feet now that’s you’ve started.” “I suppose you’re right,” Mrs. Akiyama replied. “Damn straight, I’m right,” Heather laughed. “Seriously though, we both know Rei won’t be happy about it at first, but, you’ll see, once she’s adjusted, she’ll be much happier than she is now.” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “That’s all I want for her, Heather, you know?” “Then taking control and helping Rei accept her new place in the world is the right thing to do, hun. That college is no good for her; she needs to be in an environment where they aren’t filling her head with nonsense and where she can make friends that are a good influence. You’ll see! Rei will thank you in the end.” Ms. Akiyama chuckled a little at that; she couldn’t imagine Rei ever thanking her for turning her back into a bedwetter. Of course, if everything went smoothly, Rei would never know that had been her. But there was sense in what Heather was saying, and Megan certainly did seem happy… “Look,” Heather said, “you wanted Megan and Rei to meet up this week so Megan could kind of soften her up to the idea of going to an extended high school program, right?” Ms. Akiyama made an affirmative sound. “Well,” Heather continued, “you’ve got this new opportunity in your lap—if Rei is skipping classes, that’s the perfect excuse to pull her out of her college classes, right? You said yourself that you had the same idea.” “I did, yes,” Ms. Akiyama agreed, “to be honest, I almost already did, but I hesitated before making it official and decided to wait to hear her side of the story first.” “No offense, hun, but that sounds like you are making excuses to not do what you need to do because it’s going to be a little hard.” The truth of that statement hit Ms. Akiyama directly in the stomach. “I…suppose you’re right…” “If you want my advice, you need to pull the ripcord on this and take her out of college. Then, instead of softening her up, Megan can help her realize it won’t be so bad.” There was a certain sense to that, Ms. Akiyama had to admit. “Have you already got bedtime supplies for Rei?” Heather asked, seemingly segueing the conversation suddenly. “No, not yet,” Ms. Akiyama replied. “You’ll want to do that soon,” Heather said, then laughed and added “if only so you don’t have to waste too much time washing sheets! Look, I need to stock up myself, why don’t we arrange for the girls to run into each other tomorrow at the Babies R Us? Megan can help Rei adjust to her new nighttime underwear and her new school.” Ms. Akiyama thought about it for a moment, “and you’re sure we aren’t putting Megan out by asking her to do this?” Heather laughed, “Honestly? Megan is really looking forward to reconnecting with Rei. Trust me, she’s excited to help.” As Ms. Akiyama mulled this plan over, she saw a purple four-door sedan turn down her street. It began to slow as it approached her house and finally rolled to a stop in front of her driveway. From her seat in the window, she could make out her daughter in the passenger seat; she couldn’t quite make out the driver, but she knew she didn’t whoever it was. “Hey, Heather? I’ll have to call you back; Rei is home.”

Thank you all for your understanding and patience. I hope you all know how much I appreciate every single person that is reading this story, and I especially appreciate those who take the time to comment or even like my posts. I don't write for the accolades, but they are are nice! XD Today, I reward you patience with a new update. It's a not a long one, but, you know, gotta stretch those muscles. I've also decided to retroactively call everything so far "Part One: Early Sunsets Over Greenham" And with that, I present you with a new chapter! Chapter Twenty-Three Riley sat in her car with the music blaring loudly enough to drown out the sound of the rain splattering against the windshield. She watched students prepared for the weather shuffle through the parking lot and towards the campus buildings buddled in coats and rain slickers under umbrellas. She watched the less prepared dash through the rain, some with backpacks or other makeshift umbrellas held over their heads. She watched as the number 9 county bus pulled up to the campus bus stop and people streamed out of the bus and into the rain. Her heart caught in her throat a bit as she saw Rei get off the bus and huddle beneath her umbrella—yellow with black polka dots. It felt a bit voyeuristic watching her friend move through the throng of people and head towards the library. Riley had been thinking about the other girl a lot lately and seeing her like this felt…serendipitous. Riley had been thinking about what the other girl had said the last time they had hung out; the stuff about looking up to Riley. Riley wasn’t sure she had ever been looked up to before; at least, if she had been, this time felt distinctly different. Knowing Rei looked up to her made her feel like she was doing something right. She wanted Rei to look up to her, or, at least, she very much liked the fact that she did. She wasn’t sure she deserved it—in fact, she was quite sure she didn’t, that if Rei knew the real Riley, she would no longer look up to her—but it made her feel special in a way she didn’t entirely understand. Riley thought about shutting off her car and bracing herself for the rain to chase after Rei, but…she wasn’t quite ready to get out of the car yet. It wasn’t just that her car was warm and dry and everything the outside was not, although that did, admittedly, play a role. Getting out of the car meant facing the meeting she was supposed to be arriving at in just a few minutes. A meeting she was dreading, and the way Rei made her feel was part of why she was dreading it. Riley spent a few more minutes in the car, but when the clock read 2 minutes after the meeting’s start time, she decided she couldn’t put it off anymore. She threw open her car door and popped her umbrella open, getting splattered with more than a few shockingly cold drops of rain in the transition from her car to under the umbrella. By the time Riley made it to the building she was heading towards, she was shivering from the cold. She had definitely not dressed warmly enough for the day. Despite wiping them on the floor mats at the entrance, her Doc Martens squeaked against the tile floor as she walked through the little commons area where students were doing work and waiting for appointments with various student services and made a left down a mostly empty hallway, then a right down and even emptier hallway. There were benches built into the walls along this hall and the doors had the names of various professors printed in big block letters against the frosted glass. Riley finally stopped in front of one that read “Natalie Lewis,” took a deep breath, and knocked. A voice beckoned her in without hesitation. “Riley,” the voice said brightly as the girl entered the dimly lit office, “good to see you, I was beginning to worry you’d been caught in this bad weather.” Riley smiled weakly, “traffic was pretty bad,” she said simply. “Well, thanks for coming,” Professor Natalie Lewis gestured towards a chair in the corner of the room, “please, take a seat.” Riley did so as Professor Lewis turned towards her computer and started playing some music—Riley recognized it as some pop-punk from a couple decades ago—before turning back to Riley. “So,” she said, clearly getting right to business, “have you heard from Melanie or Josie?” Riley shook her head, “no, I think they know better than to try to make contact.” “And you’re sure they won’t talk?” “Yeah,” Riley nodded, “they are solid.” Professor Lewis nodded, “then there’s no reason we should let this deter any further plans.” Riley shifted uncomfortably in her seat, dreading exactly what kind of plans Professor Lewis had in mind. The bombing of City Hall had been her idea, and Riley had not quite been on board at first. Hell, she wasn’t sure how on board she had been the night of the bombing, but Professor Lewis had convinced her it was the right thing to do. “About that,” Riley said after a moment, “I was thinking we should maybe…back off a bit?” “Back off a bit?” Professor Lewis repeated the words as if she was unsure of their meaning. “It’s just…that was really risky,” Riley knew there was no need to explain what she meant by “that” in this room—that it was, in fact, better if she didn’t, “and Melanie and Josie make it pretty clear that maybe we weren’t ready for that big of a risk.” Professor Lewis gave Riley a disappointed look, “Riley, now is not the time to get cold feet.” “I’m not,” she was, “I just think…we should lay low for a bit longer.” Riley had spent most of the night before laying awake in bed thinking of how to frame her unwillingness to escalate their activities in the best light possible, in a way that Professor Lewis was likely to accept. But Professor Lewis sighed and turned to her computer, the keys click-clacking rapidly as her fingers flew across the keyboard. “Have you seen this?” She said at last, gesturing to the news article she had pulled up; the headline read “Adjudicatory Hearing for Greenham City Hall Bombers Delayed as Congress Convenes to Discuss Hayes Act Amendment.” Riley nodded; she had seen it just that morning and was hoping Professor Lewis wouldn’t bring it up. “Now is not the time to lay low,” Professor Lewis continued, “now is the time to show these pricks that they can’t bully us around, that we won’t take this kind of think laying down.” Riley sniffed and shook her head, not sure what to say. It wasn’t that Riley didn’t believe in Rebel’s mission, but…well…the stakes were a lot higher now than when she started Rebel. Not only because they were pulling bigger jobs, but also because of exactly what that article said. Riley meant what she had told Rei the other day: she did feel like she was obliged to use her privilege to help the girls who didn’t, but was she willing to risk life in a minimum-security facility run by Brighter Days? Even the thought of that possibility sent shivers through her very being. But then…then there was Rei. Rei, who looked up to her, who thought she was impressive for standing up for what she believed in and for those who couldn’t. Riley felt an inexplicable need not to disappoint Rei. “Look,” Professor Lewis said, crashing Riley’s train of thought, “our sponsors,” Riley knew this was code for The Vantez Collective, “are really interested in our club,” Rebel, “and are ready to pour a lot of resources into our work. Being so close to the nation’s capital, not to mention being in the backyard of Brighter Day’s headquarters, makes us important to their plans, okay?” Riley nodded; she had heard all of this before. “We made a big statement with our last activity,” Professor Lewis continued, “and this,” she gestured back to her computer screen, “is retaliation for that. It’s a scare tactic. And we have to show them that we aren’t scared and that we are going to continue to stand up for ourselves and our rights. Now isn’t the time to rest on our laurels or lay low—it’s the time to push forward, to really put the pressure on them and make it clear that they can’t do this kind of thing without consequences.” Riley just nodded as Professor Lewis spoke. She’d heard some variation of all of this before: they couldn’t take this laying down, they had to act, they had to show the government they would fight for their rights, they had to take advantage of their momentum, they had to strike back, they had to go big if they wanted to be heard. What it came down to was that Professor Lewis wouldn’t take no for an answer. What it came down to was that Riley no longer controlled Rebel. “Isn’t that why you started Rebel in the first place?” Professor Lewis concluded. Was that why she had started Rebel? Back when Riley had created Rebel, the Hayes Act wasn’t yet federal law. Back then, a few states had passed similar legislation, but nothing so broad and sweeping and, quite frankly, dangerous. Back then, Riley was fighting a cultural war, a war of propaganda; her weapons were vandalism and art and solidarity, not bombs. Back then, the penalty for her crimes would have been a proverbial slap on the wrist. And then Professor Lewis got involved shortly after the passage of the Hayes Act and everything had changed. Suddenly, they were fighting a guerilla war, and Riley was looking down the barrel of life in a minimum security “rehabilitation” center. Riley was an art student with a belief in the power of propaganda and a radical leftist agenda; she wasn’t Katniss fucking Everdeen, and she didn’t want to be. She sighed, “I don’t know.” Professor Lewis sighed a very different kind of sigh, “Riley,” she said firmly, “let’s not mince words, okay? You’re useful to The Vantez Collective; these girls believe in you and look up to you. They’ll follow your orders. It would be very hard to replace you. But if something were to happen to you, if you were, for example, taken into custody, you’d become a kind of martyr to Rebel, and we could rally them around your sacrifice.” Professor Lewis paused for a long moment, letting her words sink in. The silence was tangible and heavy, like a thick fog. “So,” she continued once the silence had become unbearable, “what I’m saying is that it’s in your best interest to make sure you are more useful to the collective as a leader than as a martyr.” Riley felt a weight sinking in her stomach. “Understand?” Riley nodded.

Emphatically no. To be honest, I've been dealing with some very heavy irl things, and it has really put a damper on both my ability and desire to write. However, I do believe the worst is over, and I am currently looking forward to getting back into writing. It might take a few weeks before I'm ready to share anything new, but I will be doing my absolute best to update this story in tje very near future.

Misogyny is the answer. Characters frequently talk about how this social movement was in large part a backlash against feminism.

That's really interesting! I wish I could say I did that on purpose, but I didn't!

My initial like concept for this was "what if handmaid's tale but abdl?" so it makes me really happy when people compare this story to Handmaid's Tale! Thanks so much!

But...she's just trying to do the best she can for Rei 🥺 Haha, fr tho, there are a lot of really horrible and abusive mothers (or maternal figures) in abdl fiction, it's a well established trope at this point, and while certainly Ms. Akiyama is part of that literary tradition, I've tried really hard to make her more complicated than most and maybe, just maybe a little sympathetic.

Well, it took a bit longer to get back into the swing of writing than I expected, but, guys, gals, and non-binary pals, we're back! Thanks for the patience! Chapter Twenty Ms. Akiyama was just sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when she heard Rei’s bedroom door creak open. She glanced at the time: just a little past 7am. Way too early for Rei to already be up on a Sunday. She listened carefully to soft footsteps making their way down the hallway, and smiled when she heard the folding doors in the hallway that hid the washer and dryer slide open. “Oh, Rei,” Ms. Akiyama sighed sleepily, not having to fake the last part, as she found her daughter in the upstairs hallway, wearing fresh pajamas as she shoved a bundle of sheets into the washing machine. “Oh, sweetie, did you have an accident?” She asked as casually and nonjudgmentally as she could manage. Never treat the first accident like a big deal; it was a piece of advice Emma had given her and one that had been reinforced by all the parenting blogs she had read the day before. Rei’s eyes were as wide as a deer’s in oncoming headlights as she stared back down the hallway at her mother. She braced for an explosion, for anger or frustration. “Well, that’s okay, honey,” Ms. Akiyama said as she approached and shooed Rei away from the laundry machines, “let me take care of it, okay?” Rei blinked, confused. “Sorry, Mom,” she said weakly, unsure of what else to say and off-balance from how just utterly…blasé her mother was being about this. Ms. Akiyama had never expressed true anger over Rei’s nighttime accidents back when they had been a regular thing, but she had certainly been frustrated. Why would she be anything less than that when it seemed to be returning out of nowhere years later? “That’s quite alright, Rei, accidents happen,” Ms. Akiyama replied, acting like this was completely natural, like nothing was out of the ordinary. Because this was the new ordinary, right? Ms. Akiyama had been nervous about dealing with the first accident, but she found herself coming to it naturally. Old maternal instincts from when Rei was a toddler were kicking back in like they’d never been offline. “Why don’t you just go take a shower, and I’ll handle everything, okay?” “O-okay…” Something was off, her mother wasn’t responding the way she would have expected her too, and Rei couldn’t explain why. Rei wanted to say that Ms. Akiyama was acting like this was a regular thing, but Rei knew how she acted when it was, and it wasn’t like this. Rei continued to mull it over as she took a quick shower, but was no closer to an answer when she got out than she was when she got in. Towel wrapped around her, Rei made her way back to her bedroom, where she found her mom just finishing up cleaning the mattress. “Once it dries, I’ll help you make the bed, okay? And I pulled your old mattress protector out of the closet, so if this keeps happening, we won’t have to worry about ruining the mattress, okay?” Rei nodded, looking down at the all too familiar mattress protector she had been so happy to take off all those years ago. “Get dressed and come downstairs,” Ms. Akiyama said as she walked past a flummoxed Rei, “I’ll make pancakes!” “What is happening?” Rei asked out loud to her empty room once her mother had left. Why was she suddenly wetting the bed again? Perhaps more importantly, why was her mother so unconcerned, so blasé, so calm about it? Shouldn’t she be having more of a reaction? She didn’t even seem surprised that it had happened. Wait…could her mother be behind it? Could her mother be making her have accidents? No, that was ridiculous. She knew the methods parents used for regressive behavioral therapy: her mom hadn’t started giving her any new medications or ‘vitamins,’ no recent doctor’s visits, no recent memory lapses. But…if her mother hadn’t somehow caused it, then Rei truly was regressing back to her longtime bad habit. And last time she had been a bedwetter, the world was only just beginning to lose its collective mind; what would it be like being a bedwetter in this brave new world? Maybe that was why her mother was acting this way. Lately, Rei’s Mom had seemed to be increasingly swallowing the propaganda, so maybe, to her, Rei wetting the bed was just a normal thing for a girl her age. Rei’s face blanched at the thought of where that might lead if Rei truly was becoming a bedwetter. Of course, the thought of how much her mother was swallowing that propaganda lately led Rei back to the idea that maybe, just maybe, this could be her mother’s doing. Rei genuinely wasn’t sure what was worse: the idea that her mother might be behind her accident or the idea of what her mother might do to her if Rei was starting to have accidents again. Maybe…maybe she should talk to Riley about it. It would be an embarrassing subject to broach, but maybe she’d have something helpful to say. She picked up her phone, opened her messaging app, and immediately put her phone down again. What if she really was just wetting the bed again? What if there wasn’t anything suspicious going on and she just told Riley that she was wetting the bed again for no reason? Why would Riley think of her if she knew Rei was a bedwetter? Rei chewed her bottom lip. She was at a bit of a loss for what to do. She wished she had someone to talk to about this, but the only friend she’d ever had that knew of her bedwetting was Megan, and texting her… Well, either she’d never understand, or she’d understand all too well, and Rei wasn’t sure which was worse. It’s fine, Rei told herself, everything is fine. She did, after all, drink a lot of soda last night. Surely it wouldn’t happen a second time, right? She just had to hope it wouldn’t. Chapter Twenty-One The Greenham Post Monday, October 16th Adjudicatory Hearing for Greenham City Hall Bombers Delayed as Congress Convenes to Discuss New Bill To Amend Hayes Act Originally planned for later this week, the Adjudicatory Hearing for Melanie Wright and Josie Stone, two young women accused of participating in the Greenham City Hall bombing earlier this month, has been delayed pending debate of a new bill, the Hayes Reassessment, Protection and Rehabilitation Act (or HaRPR Act), in a special session of Congress set to convene on Monday, October 16th. When Melanie Wright and Josie Stone were taken into custody early last week, the Office of Juvenile Affairs initially moved swiftly to push the girls through the juvenile justice system, hoping to get them to an adjudicatory hearing as quickly as possible. Late Sunday night, however, the Office of Juvenile Affairs issued a statement saying that they would be postponing the adjudicatory hearing pending the outcome of the special session of Congress set to convene today. In the wake of this decision, Wright and Stone find themselves in indefinite limbo in a juvenile detention facility given that the judge denied the girls bail during their arraignment. The Office of Juvenile Affairs has not yet given any indication that further consideration will be given to the issue of bail given the new circumstances. This decision has been criticized by some as the HaRPR Act, if passed, would implement harsher penalties for Wright and Stone. Critics argue that the two girls should face their consequences under the law as written at the time of the crime, while supporters of the decision argue that we should be given the chance to decide as a country how to handle this rising domestic threat before passing judgement on the girls. If passed, the HaRPR Act would have two major effects. The first effects target acts of domestic terrorism with the specific aim of protesting the Hayes Act. The new bill would implement harsher penalties for such crimes, up to and including permanent revocation of majority status. Upon reaching the age of 28, girls convicted under the HaRPR Act whose parents are unwilling to maintain their status as legal guardians would become wards of the state. Opponents to this clause of the bill criticize it as effectively disenfranchising anyone who disagrees with the Hayes Act, but the popularity of the Hayes Act makes it unlikely that this concern will prevent the bill from passing. The second effect would be to establish both a rehabilitative path for those convicted under the bill and provide a way for the state to care for the aforementioned wards. While Congress has not officially revealed any specifics of this plan, inside sources suggest they may tap behavioral therapy experts Brighter Days to establish a minimum-security rehabilitation center. The HaRPR Act is expected to pass quickly, with most people considering this special session to be largely a formality. Chapter Twenty-Two It was raining again, and this time it wasn’t a dream. Rei was shivering under her umbrella as frigidly cold rain splashed on the ground around her. It was nearly freezing, and even under multiple layers of clothing, the wind sliced Rei to the bone. Any colder, and the roads would have been bad enough to cancel classes that Monday. Rei was grateful it wasn’t any colder. Any other day, she might have chosen not to wait at the bus stop that morning. After all, since her mother had removed her from Professor Lewis’ class, she had no real reason to be on campus this early on Monday. She could have waited to go to campus until later that afternoon for her second class; especially since the weather had said the rain would clear up by late morning. But there was a reason Rei had still been going to campus early on Mondays and Wednesdays since her mother had unenrolled her from that class: lately, school was a reprieve from home. And that Monday morning, Rei needed that reprieve more than ever. Rei had been sound asleep that morning, oblivious that her alarm was about to go off in just ten minutes, when Ms. Akiyama had silently slipped into her room. Rei had no idea that Ms. Akiyama had gently lifted back her daughter’s covers to reveal Rei in a pair of soaked pajamas laying in the center of pool of pee. So, of course, Rei had no idea that her mother had been waiting outside her room when her alarm did go off. Rei had no idea that her mother was just on the other side of the door as she struggled to consciousness with a rising sense of dread as she realized the bed was, once again, soaked. Rei climbed out of bed, her wet pajamas sticking to her; she absolutely reeked of pee. Sighing, she set to the task of stripping her bed for the second day in a row, a chore she was already becoming quite tired of. When a sharp knock rattled at Rei’s bedroom door, she froze, her soul having left her body for a moment. She shouted, “Don’t come in!” Or she tried too; it came out in a strangled cry. Not that it would have mattered—the door was already cracking open. And then Rei Akiyama found herself staring down the gaze of her mother with pee-soaked pajamas clinging to her skin. For Rei, it felt like high noon at the Akiyama house. “Oh, you poor thing,” Ms. Akiyama said gently, “I’m so sorry this happened again.” Rei had simply looked back at her mom and burst into tears. The wheels of the number 9 county bus sprayed water as it pulled up against the sidewalk. Fortunately for her, it stopped well short of her person, keeping her from being caught in drenched clothing a second time that day. Rei climbed aboard the bus, awkwardly collapsing her umbrella from inside the stairwell and uselessly shaking it a bit before bringing it still dripping into the bus. She smiled apologetically at the driver, wished him a good morning, and swiped her bus pass. There was hardly anyone on the bus that morning, and Rei wasn’t particularly surprised. She was sure no one who didn’t absolutely need to be out in this weather would be. She quickly found a seat as the bus pulled away from the curb and went splashing down the street. Her mother hadn’t been frustrated or angry or disappointed, just sad for her. In that moment, Rei had felt so utterly horrible that she had ever even thought to suspect her mother of doing this to her. And that meant Rei really was wetting the bed again, and it was her own fault. Rei really wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “You’re probably just stressed out from school,” her mother had said over breakfast. “I’ve told you studying so hard isn’t good for you.” “But…I like school…” “I know you do, but maybe you’re just not ready for college yet.” Rei saw where her mother was going with this and had wanted to get angry with her mother for trying to use this as excuse to get her to agree to an extended high school program, but…she just couldn’t quite muster the anger under the circumstances. “Maybe,” her mother continued, “something like an extended high school program would be less stressful for you? I’m sure then you’d enjoy school even more, right? If it was less stressful?” “Mom, can we just…not have that discussion this morning?” Ms. Akiyama frowned, “then when can we have this discussion? Because I really think it’s one we need to have, Rei.” “Never” was what Rei wanted to say, but she knew that was the wrong answer. So, instead, she shoveled a spoonful of cereal into her mouth, determined to avoid answering at all. Ms. Akiyama sighed; her daughter was stubborn and hard-headed, for sure. She briefly considered dropping it—after all, hopefully her little playdate with Megan would loosen her up. Oh! That was it! “You know,” she said with a cadence that suggested she was changing the subject, “you’ll never guess who I was talking to the other day.” Rei crunched down on more cereal. Her mom was right; she would never guess. Ms. Akiyama pretended not to notice Rei’s attitude, “Heather Eckridge! You know? Your old friend Megan’s mom?” Rei tensed up. What was this about? Why had she been talking to her and why did it matter? “Well, you know, she was telling me Megan goes to one of those extended high school programs, and she loves it.” Megan? Megan Eckridge? Megan, the last time Rei had seen her she’d been being pushed through the store in a stroller with a onesie straining over her diaper, Eckridge? Rei had to admit, this ploy caught her off guard—for a few reasons. “You too used to be such good friends!” Ms. Akiyama continued, “wouldn’t it be nice to have such a good friend at school again?” Rei wanted to point out that she had friends at school. Friend, at least. She had Riley. But Rei already knew what her mother really meant: friends she would approve of, friends who weren’t a bad influence. “I was even looking into these programs the other day,” Ms. Akiyama kept talking, and Rei kept cringing as it got worse, “I know you think they are just housewife classes, but you know they offer a full catalogue of classes similar to Greenham community college? They even have clubs and extracurricular activities!” Rei had continued to slowly crunch her way through her bowl of cereal as Ms. Akiyama had continued to extol the virtues of the extended high school program and how great it would be for her to reconnect with her old friend. Rei wasn’t interested in any of it and was out the door and into the frigid rain as soon as she could be. But even as the bus sloshed its way down the street towards her college, Rei couldn’t shake the conversation. Part of Rei knew she was fighting a losing battle, and her recent spat of bedwetting had cost her serious ground, but she couldn’t go silently back to high school without a fight. She refused to give her mother an easy victory.

I do! As I said before, the end of the semester was keeping me very busy, but thats over now so I should be back to working on this story very soon. Thank you all for your patience!

Hi all! Just wanted to provide a quick update so that yall know this story isn't dead! It's the end of the semester for me, which means I'm very busy and haven't had much time to work on this story. I apologize for keeping you all waiting, but, once the semester ends, I should have a lot of free time to make good progress on this story. So while it might be a few weeks before the next update, after that they should continue pretty regularly. Thanks for your patience!

I'm glad to hear that! It's a very slow build up to what I know y'all are here for, so I'm very glad to hear it's not too slow. Speaking of what y'all have been waiting for.... Chapter Eighteen Ms. Akiyama awoke early that Friday morning and paced between the kitchen and living room, anxiously waiting to see what morning would bring. Emma had said it would likely take a few days, but she had said it was possible that it might happen the first night, especially given Rei’s history of wetting the bed. Ms. Akiyama almost hoped it would the first night. She was anxious about the whole thing, and the sooner it started, the better. The sooner she knew how Rei would react, the sooner she could stop worrying about it. And she was definitely anxious about Rei’s reaction. Emma had reassured Ms. Akiyama that as long as she played her part, Rei would never be the wiser, but Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but worry. She had known plenty of parents who had used behavioral therapy on their daughters, but, to her knowledge, none had gone to these lengths. Of course, as Emma had said, Rei was a tough case. Of course, on the other hand, Ms. Akiyama wasn’t sure she was prepared to deal with Rei’s reaction, especially if she reacted poorly. So, it was with a mix of relief and impatience that Ms. Akiyama greeted Rei that morning as the latter walked down the stairs in the same pajamas she had worn to bed the night before. Competely dry, of course. Before long, Ms. Akiyama was seeing her daughter out the day for her day at school. Then, it was time for her to get to work. With the rise of regressive behavioral therapy as a mainstream practice, more and more mothers across the country found themselves suddenly in need of, so to speak, maternity leave. While some of the more liberal supporters of the Hayes Act had argued for stipends to help mothers who needed to leave the workforce to care for their daughters, ultimately the conservatives won that issue, and instead many work places were forced to offer work-at-home options for women so they could do it all. Strictly speaking, Ms. Akiyama didn’t the extra time at home to care for her daughter—at least, she hadn’t at the time, and she still hoped things wouldn’t go that far—but she had still taken advantage of these work-from-home options. So, Ms. Akiyama, having seen Rei off, retired to the her office, which doubled as a guest room, and logged onto her computer for her day of work. It was a slow day at work, and when a couple hours into her day the name “Heather Eckridge” showed up across the screen of her cell phone, she was happy for the distraction. “Hi, Heather,” Ms. Akiyama answered. “Hi, hun, not catching you at a bad time, am I?” “Not all,” Ms. Akiyama lightly laughed, “it’s a slow day at work, I’ve got plenty of time to talk.” “Oh, hun, same here! And I was just sitting and started thinking about you and thought I’d call and ask if you had made an appointment at Brighter Days yet?” “Oh, actually…” Ms. Akiyama proceeded to fill Heather in on the happenings of the last few days. “If I’m being honest,” she concluded, “I’m still a bit nervous about the whole thing. I mean, they said Rei won’t have a clue, but I’m just not sure…she’s so smart and perceptive, I can’t imagine a little hypnosis fooling her.” Heather made a sympathetic sound, “I thought the same thing about Megan, but I don’t think things would have gone as smoothly as they did without it. And I’ve talked to other moms who used it, and they all swear by it!” “Well, I guess we will see, won’t we?” “For what it’s worth, darling, I think you’re doing the right thing by Rei. She always was too smart for her own good, and it sounds like nothing has changed on that front. Of course, Megan was always the same, that’s why I made sure I nipped it in the bud with her early.” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “Maybe I should have done this sooner.” “Don’t be hard on yourself; I don’t think it ever would have been easy with Rei. She’s always been so…headstrong.” Ms. Akiyama laughed, “that she has,” then sighed, “how was it with Megan? Did you have trouble with her?” “Honestly? Very little. She was definitely resistant at first, angry even, but with a little help and strategic planning from Brighter Days, she was practically back in diapers before I knew it.” “That’s…wow, I’m a little surprised.” Ms. Akiyama could practically hear Heather shrug through the phone, “well, that was when I knew for certain there really was something to this and that I had done the right thing. And so are you.” “I certainly hope so,” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “I just feel so powerless to protect her when she’s off at that college learning who knows what and hanging out with God knows what kind of bad influences.” “Darling, I do not understand why you let her go there, especially if you are so worried about it!” “Rei loves her education; I’d just hate to take it away from her. I mean, I know that sounds absurd, I’ll make her a bedwetter but I won’t take her out of college, but I just…I’ve always been so proud of how much Rei loved school, and it would break my heart for her to lose that love.” “Then send her to an extended high school program! Megan loves hers!” Ms. Akiyama paused, briefly caught off guard, “Megan goes to…a high school program?” “Absolutely! You sound surprised.” “Well, no offense, I just figured Megan more for an elementary program, maybe even a preschool.” Heather laughed, “Megan lives like a toddler in a lot of ways, but she’s still smart as a whip. Unfortunately,” Heather’s voice took on a serious tone, “she does get picked on a little bit. She’s far from the only girl in her high school who wears diapers, but she’s definitely not as mature as most of her peers. Still, it’s what makes her happy.” “Huh,” Ms. Akiyama was genuinely at a loss for words. “Well, as long as she’s happy.” “You know, Megan could use a friend at high school, and Rei might be more open to the idea of a high school program if she already had a friend there…” Ms. Akiyama rolled that around in her head for a moment, “you might have a point there,” she said at last. “And Megan was asking about Rei the other day…” “Mm, maybe we should schedule a play date for the girls for this weekend,” Ms. Akiyama suggested with a smile. “This weekend doesn’t work for us,” Heather replied, “but, besides, call it a hunch, but I think Rei will be more open to the suggestion once she’s started wetting the bed. So, maybe sometime next week after school?” “Perfect.” With that, the two cemented their plans for the next week, exchanged some pleasantries, then mutually agreed they should both probably go back to focusing on work, regardless of how slow it was. Ms. Akiyama went through the rest of her day feeling pretty good about her plans for Rei. She was still nervous, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe Rei would take to it just as naturally as Megan had. And maybe, if she could rekindle that friendship, Rei would be more willing to go to an extended high school program. Not to mention, with Megan as her friend again, Ms. Akiyama could stop worrying so much about the company Rei was keeping. That evening, Ms. Akiyama dutifully mixed Rei’s new medication in with the mound of mashed potatoes on the girl’s plate, then called her down to dinner like she did every night. Rei ate the potatoes without comment or hint of suspicion, yet come Saturday morning, she was still dry. Undaunted, Ms. Akiyama went about her Saturday. A little bit of light housework in the morning, followed by some errands (she invited Rei along, but her daughter cited being under a pile of homework to stay home), and then back home. She spent the first half of her afternoon holed up in her office, reading parenting blogs and articles about other moms’ experiences with behavioral therapy, and the second half splayed out on the couch, reading the latest Stephanie Queen novel. As dinnertime approached, Ms. Akiyama found herself knocking on her daughter’s door. Without waiting for a reply, she cracked the door open and stuck her head in. Rei was at her desk, a word document open on the screen of her computer and two books laying open on her desk. “You’ve been working all day?” Ms. Akiyama asked. Rei swiveled around in her chair to look back at her mother, “yeah, I’ve got an essay due this week.” “I worry about you working too hard,” Ms. Akiyama opened the door the rest of the way and stepped into the doorframe, “you’re going to stress yourself out. That’s not good for girls your age, it’s not good for your brain development,” that, at least, was what she had this afternoon. Rei frowned, “Mom, that’s not true—” Ms. Akiyama raised her hand to silence her daughter, “I don’t want to hear it, Rei, I know what’s best for you.” Rei felt her cheeks heat up at the memory of where it had led last time she had argued against that. She felt her anger rise a bit, too, but not enough to overcome the shame. She just nodded and held her mouth closed. “So,” Ms. Akiyama continued once she was sure Rei wasn’t going to protest, “I think you should take a break, okay?” “But, Mom, I need to finish this essay…” “When is it due?” “Wednesday.” “And how far along are you?” “I have,” Rei looked back at her screen, “700 words written.” “And how many do you need?” “A thousand.” “Oh, well, then you’re almost done! You can easily finish that essay tomorrow, can’t you?” “I…I guess…I just would really like to get it done tonight.” Ms. Akiyama sighed, she really was proud of how studious her daughter was, she just regretted Rei no longer lived in a world where that would lead to happiness for her. And, besides, most parents seemed to agree their daughters were much healthier and happier when they weren’t so stressed. Of course, Ms. Akiyama had an ulterior motive here. So much of what she had read earlier that day had stressed the importance of mother/daughter bonding during regressive behavioral therapy. After all, part of the reason this kind of therapy was so effective is that is taught daughters to be more reliant on their mothers and give up some control to them, that could only happen with sufficient bonding. So, Ms. Akiyama was determined to try to engage in more bonding time with her daughter. Thankfully, this could also serve the purpose of keeping Rei from unhealthy habits like studying all day. “I’ll tell you what,” Ms. Akiyama said, deciding negotiation might be the best way to go here, “why don’t I order us a pizza, and you can keep on working until the pizza gets here, okay? But, once it gets here, you put the essay away for the night, and come downstairs and watch a movie with me, okay? I’ll even let you pick the movie.” Rei gave her mother a genuine if slight smile, seemed to consider the offer for a moment, then finally spoke, “Can we order from Lucia’s?” “Of course.” “Focaccia bread crust?” “Absolutely.” “Extra pepperoni and jalapenos?” “If that’s what you want.” “…gelato?” Ms. Akiyama laughed, “of course, can’t order from Lucia’s without getting some gelato.” “And I pick the movie?” “Yes, of course, any other demands?” “Soda.” Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but chuckle at that one: she had stopped keeping soda in the house when Rei was around ten and the doctor’s suggested she stop giving Rei soda to help her with her wetting problems and had never picked the habit back up after Rei’s problems had cleared up, keeping soda an occasional treat at the Akiyama house. “You got it,” Ms. Akiyama nodded, “we got a deal?” Rei nodded, “yeah, okay, deal.” Roughly fourty-five minutes later, the pair found themselves huddled under a blanket on the couch, eating pizza, and watching a new horror movie Rei had been looking forward to. Rei chugged her first glass of soda, laced, of course, with her new medications, and drank three more glasses after that. Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but watch and wonder if Rei was sealing her fate. When the movie was over, Ms. Akiyama was shocked when she suggested the two play a board game and Rei agreed almost immediately. They hadn’t played board games together since…well…truthfully, not since Rei’s father had passed. Really, Ms. Akiyama thought as they set up the board to play Life, that had been when the two had first started to truly drift apart. Ms. Akiyama missed how close they used to be, maybe more than she had realized before that night. But all that was about to change; she was certain of it. After two games of Life and one game of Clue, a drowsy looking Rei yawned, bid her mother goodnight, and retired to her room. Ms. Akiyama smiled and watched her daughter sleepily drag herself up the stairs. She had a feeling the next morning was going to be a new beginning for the mother and daughter. Rei, on the other hand, cluelessly went through her bedtime routine. She brushed her teeth, washed and moisturized her face, used the toilet, changed into pajamas, climbed into bed, turned her white noise machine on, and snuggled into her blankets, just like she did every night. Chapter Nineteen. It was raining. Big fat raindrops plopped against the windows of Greenham Community College’s cafeteria and ran down the glass in streaks. The glass was cold against Rei’s forehead as she stared out across the empty patio. “Rei, are you paying attention?” Rei’s head snapped forward, “yes, sorry,” she looked up at Professor Rosenstine, her math professor, and nodded. “Good, then you won’t mind coming up to the board to solve this problem?” “Oh, o-of course not,” on shaky knees, Rei slide out of the booth and made her way to the freestanding whiteboard set up in the middle of the lunch tables. Around her, everyone suddenly got silent and put their lunches down, turning their attention instead to her as she approached the board. “Quickly, now, Rei,” Professor Rosenstine said impatiently. Rei was weaving her way through the desks, but the board didn’t seem to be getting any closer, “you’re dawdling, Rei!” “Sorry, Professor, I—” before she could continue her sentence, her foot tangled with a foot thrust into the aisle at the last minute and she went tumbling head over heels to the floor. Laughter erupted from around her. Professor Rosenstine looked down at her as she lay sprawled on her back, “are you quite done causing a spectacle, Rei?” “Yes, sorry,” Rei scrambled to her feet, brushing her clothes off quickly before taking the dry erase marker from the professor and turning her attention to the math problem on the board. Numbers and letters swam in her vision. Focus as she might, they wouldn’t stop moving and shifting. “We’re waiting, Rei.” Rei turned around to look to her peers for assistance, but found herself staring into a mirror, a line of closed bathroom stall doors behind her. Why was she here again? A girl came out of one of the stalls and gave Rei a weird look as she approached the sink next to her to wash her hands. “Are you in the wrong room?” The girl asked, then added, “the changing rooms are next door if you need to be changed.” What was she talking about? Changed? Rei froze as a hunch formed. She looked down and, sure enough, the plastic waistband of a diaper stuck out from her jeans, which bulged comically around her crotch and butt. “No,” she protested, “I don’t…this is a mistake…” “There you are!” A woman’s voice boomed and echoed off the tiled wall and floor as she burst into through the restroom door. Rei didn’t recognize the woman, but she knew who she was; she was her daycare teacher. The woman grabbed Rei by the wrist and effortlessly dragged her back through the door, “what are you doing, running off like that?” Rei protested and tried to wriggle free from the woman’s grasp, but nothing she said or did seemed to phase her. Up ahead, Rei saw Riley talking to another girl she didn’t know. She called out Riley’s name, but when Riley looked at her, there was no recognition there. Riley merely watched, vaguely disgusted, as Rei was dragged past her. “Ugh,” Riley said to the other girl once Rei had passed them, “kill me if I ever become like that.” Rei watched the two girls recede down the hall. “Here we are,” the woman who had been dragging her cooed as she finally stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, “back to class with you.” She pushed Rei through the door, and Rei looked around at the room around her. It looked like a daycare, but everything was sized up. There were about a dozen girls her age, all dressed like toddlers, sitting in four rows in the center of the room and looking forward at a kindly looking woman in front of a chalkboard. “Ah, Rei, welcome back,” she said as she looked up at Rei. “I…I think I’m in the wrong room,” Rei said weakly. “Nonsense! We transferred you here after you were unable to solve that tricky math problem! This classroom is much better suited to girls your age, anyway! Speaking of, why don’t you come to the board to do the math problem?” Rei swallowed hard, but her feet started moving on their own. She couldn’t help but notice that she waddled slightly, an unfamiliar but somehow also familiar bulk between her legs. As she approached, she took the chalk the teacher offered, and turned to the board. This time, the numbers came easily into focus: 3+5= Oh, Rei thought, this was easy. Smiling confidently, she grasped the chalk in her hand, and drew a great, big, curvy 8. She looked over to the teacher for approval. “Mmm,” the teacher said, her mouth a tight-lipped frown, “that’s not quite right, Rei.” “What? But…” Rei turned back to the chalkboard: 3+4=8. “Wait, that’s…” “It’s okay, you’ll get it next time! Why don’t you go ahead and sit down.” In a daze, Rei plopped down on the floor with the rest of the girls. What was happening? As she ruminated on that question, she felt a sudden and urgent pressure in her bladder. Instinctively, she clamped her muscles down, but it was taking all her effort to keep the floodgates closed. But…why was she holding it? She was wearing a diaper, after all, so shouldn’t she just… The thought wasn’t even done before Rei felt the dam burst and a torrent flooded out of her. The feeling of warmth and wetness spread out through her crotch and across her butt, continuing down her legs. She looked down in panic as the dark spot in the crotch of her jeans spread out. But…hadn’t she just…? “Professor!” A voice rang out to her left, “Rei just peed her pants!” Rei’s whipped towards the voice and saw Jennifer Duffy sitting next to her. Rei looked around herself. She was in Professor Lewis’ class and everyone was looking at her. She looked to her right and found Riley chuckling and looking at her like she was a freak. At the head of the classroom, Professor Lewis just looked at Rei with disappointment on her face. And then Rei was back in her bedroom, panting and covered in cold sweat. It had all been a dream. Rei sighed with relief. She tried grasping at the details of the dream, trying to remember what had reacting like this, but found it already dissipating into the night. But as Rei calmed down, she began to notice something was not quite right. Rei didn’t really need to throw back her covers to be certain of what had happened, but she did so anyway, refusing to believe until she saw for herself. Rei Akiyama had wet the bed.

I'm posting this from my phone, so hopefully it's not weirdly formatted! Enjoy! Chapter Sixteen The next day, Ms. Akiyama made another trip to Brighter days to pick up her supplies. That night, Ms. Akiyama made one of Rei’s favorite dinners: a simple spaghetti with meat sauce. As she cooked, she thought back to her conversation with Emma the day before. “Now,” Emma had said, “a girl like Rei is likely to get very suspicious if you suddenly start trying to get her to take new medications. For less resistant girls, we often suggest parents start giving them a ‘vitamin supplement,’ but even this is likely to set off Rei’s suspicions, don’t you think?” Ms. Akiyama had nodded agreement, “how do we get her to take the medicines then?” Stepping away from the stove, Ms. Akiyama checked the living room to make sure Rei wasn’t there, then walked up to the base of the stairs; Rei’s bedroom door was closed, meaning Rei was safely and obliviously inside. On her way back to the kitchen, she grabbed the white paper bag Brighter Days had sent her home with out of her purse. Back in the kitchen, she withdrew three glass bottles with droppers out of the bag, crumpled the latter, and tossed it in the trash. “Well,” Emma had sounded almost excited, “we actually have a brand new tool in our arsenal just for girls like Rei. We’ve formulated the medicines we use into tasteless, odorless liquids.” Ms. Akiyama filled a bowl with noodles and ladled the red sauce over it. “You’ll want to add three drops of each medication. The first is a minor muscle relaxer that is formulated to specifically target the bladder, making it just a little easier for her body to overcome her potty training.” Ms. Akiyama carefully counted out three drops of the first medication. “The second is a minor sleep agent to make sure she sleeps very deeply; this will help the induction take root. And finally, diuranuretine, which is the generic name for Tinklex, which I’m sure you’ll be familiar with from the commercials. This medicine will really seal the deal. Make sure you do not give her more than the prescribed dose, or you might be dealing with wet pants before you’re ready, okay?” Ms. Akiyama added the last medication with the care of a rocket scientist working with extremely volatile chemicals. She gave the top of the sauce a light stir to mix in the liquid, then held the bowl up to her nose; sure enough, she couldn’t smell a thing wrong with it. “Rei!” She called when everything was done and set on the table (and the bottles of medicine safely stowed in the very back of the spice cabinet), “dinner!” The two made polite small talk about their days as Ms. Akiyama watched her daughter eat the laced spaghetti. She felt a pang of guilt in her gut, but said nothing, even as Rei mopped up the last of her sauce with a piece of garlic bread. With dinner done, Rei excused herself from the table, citing having more homework that she had to attend to, and Ms. Akiyama didn’t see her again until she came out of her room a few hours later to announce that she was going to bed and wish her mother goodnight. An hour later, Ms. Akiyama crept up the stairs, the white noise machine in hand. “Rei?” She whispered as she cracked the door to her daughter’s bedroom, “Are you awake?” The only response was the sound of Rei’s long, deep breaths. Tiptoeing, Ms. Akiyama made her way across her daughter’s room, set the machine on her nightstand, found the outlet behind it, and plugged the machine in. “Don’t worry about hiding it,” Emma had said, “part of the standard induction package is to make the girls think it’s been there all along. After all, many people have trouble sleeping without white noise!” Low static filled the room, and Ms. Akiyama got out as quickly as she could.   Chapter Seventeen Rei’s head jerked up and a bit of panic rose in her chest. She was sitting in class and her professor was droning on about something she couldn’t quite force herself to pay attention to. She must have dozed off for a moment. In front of her, Jennifer Duffy scribbled notes with the crinkled waistband of her diaper sticking out at least two inches above the top of her skirt. Rei could remember when a girl Jennifer’s age would have been mortified to have their diaper showing, now it seemed to be a fashion statement. Speaking of, Rei had to pee. Slipping out of her chair, Rei quietly and quickly made her way to the door, trying to distract her fellow students as little as possible. “Rei?” Her professor stopped mid-lecture to call her out as she weaved between desks, “where are you going?” “Um, sorry, just going to the restroom,” Rei replied, squeezing between two desks that were particularly close together only to find the next two desks two close together to squeeze between, she turned and tried another direction. “And were you going to ask for permission?” The strap of a backpack tangled Rei’s foot and she almost went down, but caught herself on her professor’s desk, finding herself face to face with the man. She tried not to huff in frustration; most professors in college didn’t make students ask to use the restroom, Rei must have forgotten this one did. “May I go to the restroom?” She asked. “Absolutely not,” he replied, “just use your diaper and you can change after class.” Rei stared at him, slightly aghast. “Sir, I don’t wear diapers.” “No?” He looked at her confused, then let his eyes wander downward. He sighed, “well, if you truly must, you can use the restroom,” he reluctantly acquiesced before going back to his lecture. With relief, Rei turned to walk away from the desk, only to find her way blocked by Jennifer Duffy. “You can use one of mine,” she said, her tone helpful as she held up a bright white plastic rectangle of fluff. “Ew,” Rei sneered at the girl, pushed past her, and finally found herself in the hallway outside the classroom. Except…wait… “Where am I?” She didn’t recognize this hall, and it seemed to stretch out to the left and right infinitely. Where was the nearest bathroom? She chewed her lip and crossed her legs as she considered her options. Neither seeming more promising than the other, she picked right, and made her way down the hallway. The hallway was lined with doors on each side, and Rei glanced through the tiny windows in each door as she passed. Behind each one, a class was in progress. She stopped when she got to one that was clearly not a college class. About a dozen girls around Rei’s age dressed in juvenile clothing sat in a circle while a middle-aged woman in pencil skirt and blouse read to them from a picture book. Since when did her college offer elementary school classes? Slightly confused but mostly dismayed by this news, Rei continued down the hall. “Rei!” A voice came from behind her. Rei turned to find Riley running up to her. “Hey, Rei,” she said breathlessly as she caught up, “wanna go to the mall?” Rei chewed her lip and looked down the hall behind Riley, then back towards the way she was going. “Did you see a restroom that way?” She asked Riley. “No, why?” “I need to pee,” Rei responded matter-of-factly. Riley seemed to think for a moment, then grabbed Rei by the wrist and started dragging her down the hall back the way she had come, “I think I know where one is,” she called over her shoulder as she turned right down a hallway Rei would have sworn wasn’t there a moment ago. Riley dragged Rei through the unchanging hallways, turning left and right seemingly at random. Rei’s legs pumped hard to keep up with the other girl, and her need to pee became more desperate with each jarring step. “Here we go!” Riley stopped so suddenly Rei almost collided with her. “The bathroom!” She gestured to a small alcove where, sure enough, were two doorways: a men’s bathroom and a women’s. “Finally,” Rei said, pulling her wrist from Rei’s hand and pushing open the door to the women’s bathroom. Except, the room beyond wasn’t a bathroom at all. The long, narrow room had six adult sized changing tables, three on each side of the room. Two were currently in use; girl’s Rei’s age laid atop them while women in white nurse’s uniforms changed their diapers. “Hi,” a third nurse greeted them, “which one of you needs your diaper changed?” Rei just shook her head and slowly backed out of the room. “Rei?” Riley said, watching Rei as she backed up, “where are you going? Didn’t you need to be changed?” Cold sweat dripped down her forehead. Rei looked to her right, then made a break for the men’s room. As long as it had a toilet, she didn’t care. She burst through the door and into a typical bathroom. Sighing with relief, she dashed to one of the stalls and tugged the door open. Or tried to; it was stuck fast. “Rei?” Riley and the nurse had followed her in, and the former was smiling calmly at her, “come on, it’s okay. The nurse will take care of you.” “I don’t wear diapers!” Rei shouted, but even as she did she felt her bladder spasm and push a squirt of pee out into her panties. Her hands darted to her crotch and she pressed her legs together. “Uh oh,” the nurse said in the same tone of voice you’d use with a toddler in Rei’s predicament, “look like she’s about to have an accident.” “Go on, Rei,” Riley said encouragingly, “just let it go, then we can get you changed.” Rei shot up in bed, panting and covered in cold sweat. What a fucking dream. As her breathing slowed down, she became aware of how painfully full her bladder was. No wonder she had been dreaming about it. Throwing her covers off herself, Rei got out of bed and hobbled with her thighs pressed tightly together to the bathroom down the hall from her bedroom. Relief washed over her as she flopped down on the toilet, her bladder releasing the second she did. Her business done, Rei wiped, stood up, flushed the toilet, pulled her pants back up, and froze. Her panties were just slightly damp. She remembered starting to lose control in her dream and realized that must have been real. She didn’t need a mirror to know how bright red her cheeks got at this discovery. Gotta be more careful about what I drink before bed, Rei thought as she made her way back to her bedroom. The last thing she wanted was for her bedwetting to come back. Somewhere in her mind, she wondered if she should be more concerned about this; after all, this was the…what? Second? Third time this week? Or was it? She had the distinct feeling this wasn’t her first close call lately, but her mind was too foggy with sleepiness to mull it over sufficiently. Rei got back in bed, pulled the covers over her, snuggled into them, and let the gentle sound of falling raindrops from her white noise machine lull her back to sleep.

Funnily enough, I was just recently having a conversation with Altered States (whose work this world is based on) about how me being American and the political climate of America has shaped how I've interpreted his world building, and it really speaks to the role of dystopian literature in our lives. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it, but I certainly don't blame you if it becomes a little too on the nose to enjoy it! Thanks! I appreciate that! So, anyway, I'm working on a small side project: a soundtrack for this story XD just a fun little thing I'm putting together. I won't share it yet because some of the songs won't make sense or might give away the direction I'm going, but if you readers have any songs that you think fit the vibe of this story, I'd love to hear it! Of course, the namesake of this story is already on the list! XD New updates coming soon! I'm off work next week, so hopefully I'll get a lot of work on this story done!

Emma was a lot of fun to write. She was supposed to be a one-off character, but I think you'll be seeing her again 😉

It's my birthday and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just came out, but I'm still taking time to give you all an update. You're welcome XD This chapter was really fun to write, and I hope you all love it as much as I do! Chapter Fifteen Ms. Akiyama was having a very different afternoon. About the time Rei was first finding Riley on the patio, Ms. Akiyama was pulling her car into a spot directly into front of a colorful, three-story concrete building. The outside walls were a continuous mural of girls of various ages playing. There was a large, wooden privacy fence that extended out from one corner of the building before wrapping around and connecting at the corner diagonal from the first. As she stepped out of her car, Ms. Akiyama could hear the gentle cacophony of girls playing from the other side of the fence. A large neon sign hung on the façade of the building with “Brighter Days Academy” spelled out in a rainbow. A smaller, more professional sign hung below that read “Institute of Behavioral Therapy for Young Adult Girls.” Ms. Akiyama walked through the tinted glass front doors into an immaculate and brightly-lit lobby. There were a few plush chairs set around the perimeter of the room that looked as though they had never been sat in, and neat piles of uncrumpled magazines sat on end tables by the chairs. There were wooden doors with spotless silver door handles to Ms. Akiyama’s right and left, and a reception desk directly in front of her. The desk was occupied with a young woman who clearly was the most organized receptionist any office had ever seen. Everything on her desk was neatly laid out and organized, not a thing seemed out of place, and everything seemed to have a place. She sat behind the desk, back straight, in a white blouse that left her warm beige arms bare. Her smile crinkled the corners of her brown eyes and showed off pearlescent brilliant teeth. Her nails were short but well-manicured, and her black hair cut in a shoulder-length bob. “Akiko” was printed on a name tag that was pinned to her chest. “Hello, welcome to Brighter Days Academy,” she chirped brightly. “How may I help you today?” Ms. Akiyama smiled at the young girl, vaguely wondering if she was old enough to be working as a receptionist in the first place. “I had an appointment for a consultation? Under Hana Akiyama?” “Fantastic,” Akiko replied as she turned towards her computer and began typing rapidly. “Yes, I see that appointment in the system. Thank you so much for coming in today, Mrs. Akiyama; we’re very excited to meet you and your child’s needs!” “Oh, Ms. Akiyama,” Ms. Akiyama corrected. “Oh, I’m very sorry,” the girl turned towards the computer, hit a few keys, and turned back, “I’ve corrected that in our system so it won’t happen again. Now, I see that,” she glanced towards the screen, “Dr. Welles will be your consultant today. I think you’ll like her; she’s very brilliant and will definitely be able to help you. I’ve already notified Dr. Welles that you are here, so she should be with you soon. Might I get you something to drink while you wait?” “A water would be wonderful, Akiko,” Ms. Akiyama responded with a smile. The young girl was so bright and cheerful, it was contagious. Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but wish Rei could be more like that. “Excellent, I’ll—” Before Akiko could finish the sentence, the door on Ms. Akiyama’s right opened, and a fit woman with brown, curly hair wearing a white lab coat over a tight black dress emerged with a clipboard in her hand. “Ms. Akiyama, I presume?” “Oh, um, yes,” Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but be caught off guard by their promptness. “Yes, that’s me.” One thing was certain about this place; it was efficient. “Are you Dr. Welles?” “Please,” the woman said, extending one arm to shake Ms. Akiyama’s hand, “call me Emma. If you’d like to follow me, we can get started!” The woman couldn’t match Akiko for bright and cheery (and who could?), but she was doing her hardest. “I’ll bring your water in to you,” Akiko said as Ms. Akiyama began following Emma Welles through the door. The door led to a short, carpeted hallway with walls adorned with what looked like the art projects of children of various ages and proficiencies. At the end, the hallway turned left, and Ms. Akiyama found herself staring down a much longer hallway with doors along each side. “This is really just the administrative wing,” Emma explained, “the real fun stuff happens through the left door. But still, we need offices to get some work done, right?” She said it with the cadence of a joke, but Ms. Akiyama wasn’t sure she got the joke. She chuckled politely anyway. “Thank you for coming in today,” Emma continued as she led Ms. Akiyama down the hall, “I’m always excited to help new clients get started on reaching their goals. And I’m sure you’ll find that we are well equipped to help you reach those goals, regardless of what they are.” “Well,” Ms. Akiyama replied, “I’m not really sure what my goals are, yet…exactly…” “And that’s okay!” Emma exclaimed. “We can help you with that, too. Here we go,” Emma stopped at one of the many doors, swung the door inward, and gestured for Ms. Akiyama to go ahead. The office was darker than what Ms. Akiyama had seen of the rest of the building by far. In contrast to the bright white, fluorescent lights of the hallway and lobby, Emma Welles’ office was lit by a few table lamps and the natural light streaming through the tinted windows that spanned the wall across from the door. A large desk made of dark wood dominated the room, flanked by shelves absolutely brimming with books. “Please,” Emma said, gesturing to one of the two plush chairs in front of the desk as she made her way around the desk to sit at the high-backed leather chair behind it. Ms. Akiyama noticed there were three more chairs pressed against the wall: all wooden, hard-backed chairs that looked better for your posture than your comfort. “So, Ms. Akiyama,” Emma said as she settled in to her chair, “tell me about your daughter.” “Well,” Ms. Akiyama started then stopped speaking for a long beat, trying to figure out where to begin. “What’s her name?” Emma prompted when Ms. Akiyama was coming up short. She was used to this from new clients; so many of them were just in so over their head that they needed to be guided by the hand. “Rei.” “What a pretty name,” Emma managed to keep it from sounding like a practiced response, “and how is she?” “She’s nineteen.” “Ah, what a magical age,” Emma smiled warmly and began typing on her laptop, recording Ms. Akiyama’s responses. “And I assume she is not emancipated?” “Correct.” “Excellent,” of course, it wasn’t truly a barrier since parents could revoke emancipation at any time for any reason, but Emma always liked to get any potential complications out of the way first. “Does she attend school?” “Yes, Greenham Community College.” Emma made a disapproving sound in her throat as she typed, “mm, that’s risky, you know. She could be getting exposed to all sorts of…problematic ideas there. I don’t want to make any official recommendations until we’ve talked about your goals, but I definitely recommend removing her from the college setting. Most girls Rei’s age can’t handle that kind of environmentl; they aren’t mature enough to make the right choices, you know?” Ms. Akiyama smiled awkwardly, “it’s just…she likes school, I feel bad taking it away.” “Oh!” Emma exclaimed, “well, that’s wonderful. We love a little girl who loves school; but there are a lot of healthier options that will be better for her and her development into a happy adult that we can explore, okay?” “Oh, well, okay,” Ms. Akiyama said uncertainly. “Don’t worry, Ms. Akiyama,” Emma reached across the desk and gave Ms. Akiyama’s hand a reassuring squeeze, “I’m here to help and guide you through this. I know it’s a lot and that it can sometimes seem hard to make these calls. So many of the clients I see come in and tell me that they feel like bad parents, but you know what I tell them?” “What?” “That just by walking through those doors they’ve shown me that they are a great parent,” Emma smiled reassuringly. “Just by walking through that door, they’ve shown how much they care about doing what is right for their daughter, and isn’t that what makes a great parent?” “I…I guess so…” Ms. Akiyama had to admit it did make sense. “I know how hard it is these days, Ms. Akiyama. Things are so different than when we were kids; the parenting lessons we learned from our parents just don’t apply anymore! Even the things we learned as parents don’t seem right anymore. I’m a mother myself, Ms. Akiyama; I know how it can feel like you’re lost and don’t know how to be a parent anymore. But you’re still that great parent you always were; you just need new tools to deal with new problems. Don’t worry, we’re here to give you those tools and teach you how to use them.” Yes, that was exactly what Ms. Akiyama needed. She nodded, feeling a sense of resolve; she was doing the right thing. “Thank you, Emma,” she said, sincerely, “you don’t know how hard I’ve fought with myself over the decision to come here today.” “Well, we’re glad you’re here, and, more importantly, you’re going to be glad you’re here. And most importantly? Rei is going to be glad you came here, I promise. This can often be a rough road, and especially if Rei is used to being in college, she’s likely to throw a temper tantrum or two, okay? But every girl I see come through here leaves happier, healthier, and better adjusted.” “It’s a relief to hear you say that.” “So,” Emma said, turning back to the matter at hand, “Rei is 19 and attends community college. Is she…willful?” Ms. Akiyama chuckled, “a little, yes; she can be very hard-headed and stubborn.” “Mmm, I see,” Emma typed for a moment, “and does she get good grades?” “Oh, yes! Like I said, she loves school. If anything, she studies too much.” “Mmm, yes, we see that a lot in girls like Rei,” though Emma didn’t say quite what she meant by ‘girls like Rei.’ “Does she have a father figure?” Ms. Akiyama shook her head, “her father died of cancer some years ago.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” Emma gave her a consoling smile. “Any other guardian or caretaker figures in her life?” “No.” “Any behavioral problems?” “No…well, not really, but…” “Go ahead, Ms. Akiyama, you can tell me.” “I recently found out she was taking a gender studies course—” “Goodness!” “—and she lied about it too.” “Oh my,” Emma shook her head, “that’s troubling. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what kind of filth those classes fill young girls’ heads with. I simply don’t understand why they still allow them to be taught. I’m glad you came in when you did, Ms. Akiyama; it sounds like Rei is need of major intervention.” “Well,” Ms. Akiyama said nervously, “I don’t know about major. I was thinking more of…well, just something to curb her worse tendencies and make sure she stays out of trouble.” Emma turned away from the computer and fully towards Ms. Akiyama. “Let me ask you this: what are your goals for Rei? What do you want for her, ultimately?” Ms. Akiyama considered the question for a moment but gave the answer that had come to her immediately: “I just want her to be happy and safe.” “Girls like Rei have often already been exposed to ideas and radical leftist propaganda that can make it hard for them to be happy. Call it the legacy of so many years of misguided feminism. There are still some fringe elements pushing that feminist narrative, but we, as a culture, have moved past it, thank God. We know now that all the feminist dreck pushed by unhappy women was exactly what was making them unhappy; but some women refuse to accept that, and they push it on to young girls, girls like Rei, If you want Rei to be happy, you have to help her realize that all that stuff her college has put in her head is the reason she’ll never be happy. To put it bluntly, girls like Rei will never be happy until they accept their place in the world.” Before Ms. Akiyama could finish processing everything Emma had just said, there was a polite tapping at the door. “That must be Akiko with your water,” Emma said before calling out for the girl to come in. The door opened to admit Akiko, who Ms. Akiyama now saw was wearing brightly polished Mary Jane shoes, black knee socks, and a pleated black skirt that came to mid-thigh. She was carrying a small tray with a glass full of ice and a bottle of water that was sweating with condensation and walked with a bit of a waddle that explained the rustling Ms. Akiyama could hear from under the girls’ skirt. “Ms. Akiyama, your water,” she said as she set two coasters on the table before setting the glass and bottle of water down on top of them. Tucking the tray under her arm, she picked the bottle back up, cracked the seal, and poured it over the ice. “Is there anything else I may get for you, Ms. Akiyama?” “No, thank you so much.” “You are very welcome,” she beamed at Ms. Akiyama, then turned to Emma. “Dr. Welles, may I get you anything?” “No, thank you, Akiko, you may go,” Emma smiled as she watched the girl leave, then turned back to Ms. Akiyama. “Akiko is one of our students; she’s part of a work education program through her extended high school program. She’s a lovely girl.” “She seems so…happy,” Ms. Akiyama remarked, “I almost wish Rei were more like her,” she added giving voice to her earlier thoughts. “Rei can be,” Emma smiled, “after all, Brighter Days is responsible for molding Akiko into the girl she is today. It takes a lot of work though, Ms. Akiyama. You were saying you weren’t sure if you wanted to do any kind of major behavioral therapy for Rei, but I’ll caution you now that, based off what you’ve told me about Rei, she’s going to need more than just some minor adjustments to make sure she stays out of trouble.” Ms. Akiyama considered this for a moment. “What do you suggest?” she asked at last. “Well,” Emma leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers, “as I already said, I think the first and most important step is getting her out of college.” Ms. Akiyama’s brow furrowed, “Rei won’t be happy about that.” “As I said, Ms. Akiyama, temper tantrums are just part of the process. Think of it this way: if she reacts poorly, that’s a sign that she’s not mature enough to handle herself.” “That…makes sense…” “And like I said, we love little girls that love school! We certainly don’t want to squash that love of learning and education; we just want to make sure it’s nurtured in a safe and healthy way that will help her grow up into a well-adjusted adult.” “Something like an extended high school program?” “Extended high school programs are really best for girls who are already on their way to growing up to be happy, healthy adult women. I recommend them most for girls whose parents are choosing to extend their teen years. It can also be a good starting point, a way to test the waters, if you will, for more drastic measures, or to see if they really are necessary in the first place. I’ll caution you, however, that this often isn’t enough for girls like Rei. If you really want to make sure she learns and more important accepts her place and grows up to be a healthy and happy adult, I highly recommend incorporating other behavioral therapies. In fact, in girls like Rei, we often see the problem behaviors become worse if you don’t use other behavioral therapies.” “Like what?” “Well,” Emma leaned forward in her chair, “potty training regression is certainly our most potent tool.” Ms. Akiyama nodded; she had expected this conversation to come up. She tried to picture Rei in a tshirt and diaper like Megan had been and just couldn’t muster the image. “I’m just…not sure about that…” “I understand, Ms. Akiyama, it seems drastic. But girls like Rei often need drastic measures.” “Rei is a good girl though, really,” Ms. Akiyama said. “She’s a little misguided right now, but she’s a good girl.” Emma gave her best reassuring smile, but she couldn’t keep all of the condescension out of it. “With respect, Ms. Akiyama, we here at Brighter Days have a lot of experience in these matters, and we’ve found that potty training regression is the backbone to any behavioral therapy treatment. While it’s true that it was once considered a radical technique, it’s not considered quite mainstream! Really, it is! Over 80% of young girls ages eighteen to twenty-eight wear pull-ups or diapers. Here, see for yourself.” Emma reached into her desk and produced a glossy pamphlet that she slid across the table. Ms. Akiyama picked the pamphlet up: the cover featured a girl in her early twenties whose body language spoke of a desperate need to pee and a older looking woman standing behind her with a knowing smile. The pamphlet was titled “Fast Facts About Potty Training Regression Therapy.” “To be honest, Emma,” Ms. Akiyama said, setting the pamphlet back on the desk, “I just don’t get it. It’s really only been lately that I’ve even considered any kind of…regressive behavioral therapy for Rei; I never quite understood why other parents thought it was good for their children. I think I’m finally starting to see the benefits of this kind of therapy, but…” Ms. Akiyama sighed and shook her head, “I just don’t understand why it’s necessary to put Rei…back in diapers.” Emma nodded understandingly, “Believe it or not, many of our clients have only recently begun to think about this therapy, and many express that same sentiment. You see, the whole reason we see so many behavioral problems in girls in the eighteen to twenty-eight range is that they still see themselves as adults. They have notions of independence and freedom that girls their age simply aren’t ready for. That’s why they are so susceptible to all the feminist drivel we were talking about earlier, right?” She chuckled dismissively. “So, you see, potty training regression is a way of kind of…dissuading them from such ideas. It’s hard to think you’re an adult who is ready to make decisions for themselves when you can’t keep your pants dry; I mean, just imagine that. Of course, that’s just the main benefit, there are numerous other benefits as well. For example, potty training regression strengthens the bond between mother and daughter by creating a feeling of dependency, and being reliant on mom for diaper changes can minimize time spent away from home. Not to mention, it discourages intimate behavior with boys.” Ms. Akiyama had picked up the pamphlet again and was scanning over the pages of the pamphlet as Emma spoke. What she was saying made sense, but…could she really do this? “I don’t know,” Ms. Akiyama set the pamphlet down again and looked at the woman across from her. “I guess this is a silly question but…is it…permanent?” “Oh, no, of course not,” Emma waved her the very notion of the idea away with her hand. “Once a girl is old enough and ready for it, she can always be re-potty trained. Of course,” Emma laughed, “some girls do have more problems with re-potty training than others, but that’s no different than the first time.” Ms. Akiyama smiled fondly and laughed lightly, suddenly she was a mom just gossiping about her kinds to another mom. “Rei was such a hassle to potty train; she’d die if anyone knew, but she was accident prone until she was 12 and wet the bed until she was 15.” Emma giggled and nodded, “that’s actually excellent news! Girls who were late potty trainers and/or bedwetters tend to be more susceptible to potty training regression. It suggests you will have excellent results!” Ms. Akiyama’s smile faded and she sighed. She was silent for a long moment; Emma recognized that thoughtful look from countless clients before Ms. Akiyama and gave the woman time to think. “Let’s say,” she said finally, “that I was actually considering doing this, and, really, that’s all I’m doing right now, how…how does it even work?” Emma grinned from ear to ear. “Well, Ms. Akiyama, we have so many tools and resources to help you with this process. And it is a process! While most of our clients see results within the first thirty days of starting therapy, you can’t expect results overnight. With the proper tools and strategies, most girls do see regression fairly quickly, but for some girls that first accident can take weeks. More importantly, the process is unique for each girl. For example, for some girls its enough just to put them in pull-ups and inevitably they give in themselves; that, of course, is not the kind of girl Rei is. For girls like Rei, it’s best to start with inducing accidents, making her doubt her own potty training, and leading her to pull-ups or even diapers from there.” “But…inducing accidents? How do you even start to do that?” “Well, if you decide to buy a therapy package from us, we will individualize a plan for Rei that will include a mix of methods, mostly likely including some medicines that will help loosen up her bladder, white noise induction machines for bedtime that will encourage bedwetting, a regiment of diuretics, and actionable plans to keep her distracted from using the toilet. If we couple this with enrollment at an extended high school program, we can write doctor’s notes instructing teachers to reinforce the therapy through prohibiting restroom breaks during class and other such strategies.” And that brought them to the question Ms. Akiyama had been dreading, “and, uh, how much do these therapy packages cost?” Emma smiled warmly, “there’s a misconception that these kinds of individualized behavioral therapy programs are expensive, and that’s because, well, that used to be the case! But the fact is, insurance companies are actually required to cover regressive behavioral therapy under the Hayes Act! You’ll pay a small copay depending on your insurance, and any prescription drugs we prescribe as part of your therapy plan will be covered as per any prescription. Of course, that is not to say there aren’t some financial burdens to this kind of therapy. For example, insurance companies usually do not cover things like new furniture for Rei’s new lifestyle and most other supplies you’ll likely need.” “Furniture?” “Oh, yes, you know, things like playpens, cribs, changing tables.” Ms. Akiyama shook her head, “well, I don’t think Rei will be needing any of that.” “Mm, of course not, but it’s good to know what’s covered and what’s not, just in case you decide to change your mind. And as for the other supplies, while insurance doesn’t cover things like bottles, sippy-cups, or pull-ups or diapers, we at Brighter Days partner with many manufacturers to offer starter packs and discounts on regular purchases. We can even sign you up for a delivery service that will keep you and Rei stocked in pull-ups or diapers. Or a mix of both!” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “I don’t know, this is a lot, isn’t it?” “It is,” Emma leaned forward in her chair and gave Ms. Akiyama a sympathetic look, “and that’s why we are here to help.” “I’m just not sure that Rei needs all of this…” “This can be a difficult decision for many parents, Ms. Akiyama, but keep in mind that the longer you wait, the more drastic the measures you may have to take.” Emma let that sink if for a minute, then continued, “Ms. Akiyama, may I make a suggestion?” A little hope flickered in Ms. Akiyama’s eyes amidst the confusion, “yes, please, I just…don’t even know where to start.” “That’s natural, Ms. Akiyama,” Emma said as she reached into her desk and pulled out a thick three-ring binder, “and that’s why so many parents come to us. This may all be very new and overwhelming for you, but we here at Brighter Days have seen it all and been through it so many times with children of various levels of resistance to this kind of therapy; we’re experts! You may not know where to begin, Ms. Akiyama, but we do.” She gave Ms. Akiyama her biggest, most confident smile and opened the binder to exact page she wanted (it was one of her most frequently used selling points, after all, so why not have it marked?). The top of the glossy page read “So, you’ve decided you want a daughter who wets the bed.” “Bedwetting?” Ms. Akiyama asked. “Bedwetting.” Emma replied confidently. “This is an excellent starting point, Ms. Akiyama. It can be perfect for minor attitude adjustments; so, if you’re right and Rei just needs a little push in the right direction, this might be all you need to get her there! It doesn’t impact her life outside of bedtime, still allows her to be independent and feel like ‘big girl,’ but still gives her that little bit of a nudge towards being the obedient daughter you are looking for! And if the worst case scenario happens and Rei needs a little stronger push, this establishes the foundation for further behavioral therapy perfectly.” “I suppose…I suppose that does make sense,” Ms. Akiyama replied after a moment of thought. She sighed. “I guess…my biggest reservation is that I’m still not sure how this all works. It’s not like she doesn’t know that this kind of…therapy exists, won’t she immediately suspect what I’m up to when she walks up one morning to find she’s wet the bed?” Emma smiled reassuringly, “that’s a concern many parents have. That’s one of the reasons why for so many girls, it’s best to introduce diapers and let the girls come to using them on their own. But as I’ve said, we’ve dealt with girls of varying levels of resistance to therapy; that’s why each plan is individualized for each girl, so that we can figure out ways to keep them from suspecting anything until it’s too late!” Ms. Akiyama shifted in her seat a little, slightly uncomfortable with the ‘until it’s too late’ part, but…who was she kidding? The phrasing might be blunt, but it wasn’t incorrect. “Thankfully,” Emma continued, seemingly unaware of Ms. Akiyama’s temporary discomfort, “with Rei, we have a perfect, shall we say, alibi for you.” “We do?” Emma nodded, “After all, didn’t you say Rei wet the bed until she was fifteen? It’s certainly not inconceivable that she return to that little bad habit, don’t you think?” Emma got a mischievous smile, “It’s especially common in girls who are dealing with all the pressure and demands of college. Of course, you’ll have to do your part to sell her on it, but we can include it as part of her nighttime induction to make it easy for you.” “You mentioned this…nighttime induction earlier. What is it?” “Oh!” Emma reached into another drawer and brought out a small, white plastic appliance, about the size of a digital alarm clock. “The first night you start treatment, you’ll put this in her room, plug it in,” she swivel in her chair a bit to plug it into an outlet behind her desk, “and turn it on,” she pressed a button and a sound like falling rain filled the room, “and it will play this white noise. However, while what you are listening to right now is, I assure you, just harmless static, Rei’s will have subaudible suggestive inductions playing underneath the static to help plant ideas in her head.” “Subaudible suggestive inductions? Like…hypnosis?” “Well,” Emma replied, smiling with a hint of condescension, “it’s not dissimilar from hypnosis, but hypnosis is, well…it can be effective, sure, but its powers are very limited compared to what most people believe. For example, no amount of hypnosis can truly affect a sleeping person; contrary to popular belief, a person must be conscious and capable of hearing hypnosis in order for it to work. Subaudible suggestive induction is a patented technology perfected by Brighter Days scientists that can do everything hypnosis can, but better and without the patient ever knowing. The downside is that, like the name implies, it’s just a suggestion, so we must reinforce it while the patient is awake in order to cement the idea in place. Here,” Emma pulled a brochure out of the top drawer of her desk and handed it to Ms. Akiyama, “you can read all about it in this, but the bottom line is that it’s completely safe and very effective.” Ms. Akiyama took the brochure and glanced over it for a moment before putting it on the desk. “Is all of this…reversible?” “Oh, yes! Behavioral therapy targets cognition, not the physical body, so it is very reversible. However, that is not to say the body isn’t affected; once girls stop using those muscles that keep them from having accidents, those muscles tend to start to weaken, hence why re-potty training is necessary. That said, when a girl only experiences potty-training regression in the form of bedwetting, it typically only takes two or three weeks for the bedwetting to clear up once treatment has stopped. Of course,” Emma added, “as I said, how easy a girl was to potty train the first time remains a good predictor of how quickly they’ll recover, so, for Rei, it might be a couple months, but it will definitely clear up eventually.” “Does anyone ever…not recover?” This was one of Emma’s least favorite questions to answer, but she smiled and did her best, “Well, Ms. Akiyama, the truth is that, yes, some girls never quite recover their potty training. But I assure you, the number of girls who are unable to fully re-potty train is really, truly statistically insignificant, and our behavioral scientists believe these cases to be more related to an emotional or cognitive resistance to re-potty training rather than a physical inability. That is to say, some girls don’t seem to even want to re-potty train!” Emma’s laugh was a little forced. “I don’t know…” Ms. Akiyama sighed. She thought back to when Rei was still wetting the bed. It had been a huge source of embarrassment for the girl, especially in the later years when regressive behavioral therapy started becoming mainstream. She had been so happy and relieved when she finally stopped. Could Ms. Akiyama really do that to her again? But, then again, if it could keep her from filling her head with all sorts of impossible ideas that would prevent her from finding happiness in this new world or, God forbid, falling in with the wrong crowd and getting herself in serious trouble… And after all, Rei may have been embarrassed by her bedwetting, but she was still able to live a normal life outside of that, just like Emma had said. And that was when most of her peers didn’t wet the bed, technically Rei was in the minority for not wetting the bed now. Ms. Akiyama took a deep breath and nodded, “okay, let’s do this.” Emma grinned, “I think that’s an excellent decision, Ms. Akiyama. Now, let’s talk details and make an action plan. Because each induction machine must be program specifically for each child, you won’t be able to get started until tomorrow, but I’m confident you’ll be changing Rei’s wet sheets before the weekend is over.”

It's an interesting setting! I have a feeling this won't be the only story I write in this setting because there are a lot of other kinds of stories to explore in this universe. And don't worry, this will get smutty. Ah, gotcha! Thanks for the explanation! Alright, kiddos. I really do apologize for taking such a long hiatus from this story. I've been very busy with work and, honestly, I'm going through some shitty things in my rl. I had originally really wanted to do weekly updates, but, at least for right now, I'm not sure I can promise that. BUT! Don't worry, however long I go between updates, I will definitely not be abandoning this story. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you find it worth the wait! But, alright. Here we go. Neeeewwwwwwww chapters; go! Chapter Twelve Rei thought about texting Riley that morning; she had wanted to text Riley, but she thought it prudent not to—that is, the questions she wanted to ask Riley were not questions she wanted a record of asking. So, instead, Rei sought out Riley at lunch. She wasn’t even sure Riley would be there, but most students at her school had the same schedule Monday and Wednesday, so it was safe to assume Riley would be having lunch around the same time the two had run into each other earlier in the week. And, as predicted, she found her easily enough. Riley was sitting alone on one of the patio tables in the farthest corner. The day was warmer than it had been for the past two weeks, but still chilly enough to keep most of the student body off the patio and inside. Riley sat on the black crisscross tabletop with her cafeteria tray of food next to her and her combat boots on the attached bench. Her mop of curly blue hair was free today, and she wore an oversized black and red knit cardigan over a band shirt at least three sizes too big tucked into a black pencil skirt over fishnets. She sat facing perpendicular to the direction from which Rei approached, giving the latter plenty of time to admire the former as she approached. And admire she did. Riley was so different from the other girls; she oozed maturity and a sort of effortless cool. Riley was confident, sure of herself, in a world that pressured her to be anything but that. Rei couldn’t explain it, but she found herself craving Riley’s approval. Rei found herself getting nervous as she approached; she was self-conscious of her light pink blouse and black maxi skirt, worried that Riley would find it childish or immature or just…not cool. That’s what it came down to: Rei desperately wanted Riley to think she was cool. “Uh, hey,” Rei said, off to a great start. Riley turned towards the girl and grinned, “hey, Rei, what’s up?” She slid down from table to sit on the bench itself, albeit backwards, and gestured for Rei to sit next to her. “I see you went for the chicken tenders today too,” Riley said lightheartedly, gesturing to a half-eaten plate of the same on her tray. Rei laughed, a little nervously, “yeah,” she said, and immediately had nothing else to say as she slid on to the bench next to Riley. “You okay?” Riley asked, sensing some tension in the other girl. “I don’t know, are we?” Riley sucked her teeth. “You worried about what happened with Melanie and Josie?” Rei nodded. “They are solid; they won’t give up any names.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah,” Riley said without hesitation. “Look,” she added a beat later, “I know it’s scary, but…we all knew what we were getting into, yeah? Melanie and Josie certainly did, and they were ready to accept those consequences. They aren’t going to give up any information that might hurt any of us or the group, okay?” Riley was only mostly certain of what she was saying, but she needed to sound confident to put Rei at ease. Rei getting worked up and worrying wouldn’t help anyone, and, besides, Riley felt a sort of instinct to protect the younger girl. Riley was, after all, the apparent leader of the group. “Thanks, Riley,” Rei said after she had digested the other girl’s words for a moment. “That makes me feel a little better.” “And, hey, look, if you ever feel like you are in over your head, no one will judge you if you want out, you know that, right?” Riley wanted Rei to stay with the group, it gave Riley a reason to keep talking to her, but it was important to her that Rei knew no one was forcing her to stay. Riley was already in to deep, but it wasn’t too late for Rei. Rei took a bite of one of her chicken tenders and chewed slowly. She was scared, of course she was scared, but she was just as scared of what would happen to the world if girls like her and groups like Rebel stopped fighting back. And then there was the simple fact that she didn’t want to let Riley down. She didn’t want to let any of her fellow Rebels down, for that matter. “So,” Rei said after a long moment, “what’s the next job going to be anyway?” Riley snorted laughter. “I don’t know yet,” she said when her laughter died down, “but…probably something smaller. We need to lay low for a bit, I think.” Rei nodded, embarrassed by how relieved she felt to hear that. “I don’t know,” Riley continued, “just check your burner every Friday, like usual; we’ll probably announce the next meeting soon.” The two sat in silence for a long moment after that, Rei picking at her food while Riley stared off across the lake behind their campus. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but it wasn’t, exactly, a comfortable silence either. Rei was desperately searching her brain for something to say the whole time, but it was Riley who finally broke the silence. “So, how are things with your mom?” And it was the topic Rei least wanted to talk about. She shrugged, “She hasn’t really mentioned what happened, but she did pull me out of that class.” A second shrug, “I guess I’m just lucky she let me stay in college at all.” “You really think she might put you in one of those extended high school programs?” “I don’t know,” Rei replied honestly, “I wouldn’t have thought so at one point, but…then Monday night happened, and…” she trailed off. “And now everything seems topsy turvy?” Riley picked up the thought, and Rei nodded in agreement. “You don’t think she’d…do…ya know, anything else, do you?” Rei blushed at even the thought of what Riley might be referring to. “God, no, mom thinks all that stuff is like…kinda weird.” “More than kinda,” Riley interjected. “So, I don’t think she’d ever go that far, thankfully.” “Well, hey, you know, if you do get sent off to one of those extended high school programs, I mean…you know, you’ve got my number, so we can still be friends.” Riley was trying desperately to sound nonchalant, like it didn’t matter that much to her, but she was terrified her new friend would one day disappear without warning and she wanted, no, needed the other girl to know she could still reach out. “Yeah?” Rei asked, trying to hide how excited she was that Riley had said they were friends, and more so at the implication that Riley wanted to continue being friends even if Rei could no longer attend college. “I’d…really like that.” “Sure, of course,” Riley smiled. “Besides, you can brag to all your new high school friends that you have a friend in college.” Rei couldn’t help but laugh; it was exactly the kind of thing the popular girls at her high school would have bragged about. It was probably an even bigger brag these days. “What kind of classes do they teach in those programs anyway?” Riley asked. “I mean, I know it’s basically housewife training, but is that it?” Rei shrugged; she hadn’t really looked into it much. “I think it’s like…cooking classes and stuff like that. Probably a whole semester on how to get stains out of different fabrics. Probably child raising classes, as if I would ever want to have children.” Riley pulled out her phone while Rei was still talking about began tapping furiously on the screen. “Well, I don’t know about a whole semester on getting stains out, but you’re partially right; it’s a lot of like home ec kind of classes. But they do also have continuing education in the core subjects like Math, English, History, and Science, and other electives.” “Wait, really?” Rei was surprised. She had genuinely thought it was just to get you ready to be a housewife. “Yeah, this website says ‘extended high school programs are designed to give your daughter a high-quality, college-level education free from the radical leftist bias prevalent in so many colleges and universities’” she read off the screen of her phone, then added, “Kinda creepy, if you ask me.” “Why creepy?” “Like, they act like colleges and universities are brainwashing us to be leftist radicals, but can you honestly tell me this isn’t its own form of brainwashing? Raising girls who can’t and won’t question their own infantilization, oppression, and marginalization? That’s all these schools do. ‘High-quality, college-level’ my ass. I’ll tell you what it is,” Riley shifted on the bench to face Rei directly, “it’s just a reflection of the anti-intellectualism this whole bullshit movement has been built on, ya know? They have their whole “facts over feelings” mantra, but it’s a façade, because in reality, in truth, the facts don’t back up what they say, so they change the facts, change the narrative, and say anything that says otherwise is biased. It’s fucked up. It’s downright sinister, ya know?” “You’re right,” Rei agreed enthusiastically, “God, I wish I could get my mom to understand that. She thinks the education I want to get is political, but you’re right, it’s only political because people who don’t like the conclusions it teaches have made it political!” “Damn right, girl,” Riley encouraged the younger girl. “I just…” Rei sighed, losing her momentum, “I just wish she could see that.” “I wish a lot of people could see that,” Riley responded, faint frustrating in her voice. “You wanna get out of here?” She asked suddenly. “Wait, what do you mean?” “I mean, let’s blow off afternoon classes, go do something fun.” Rei laughed nervously; was Riley joking? “I…I can’t skip class.” “Why not? It won’t hurt to miss a class. Besides, this time next week you could be at an extended high school program, so who cares?” Rei internally flinched at Riley’s jab or joke or whatever it was. She had a point, but it was a point Rei didn’t like having pointed out. “Sorry,” Riley said, picking up on the girl’s lackluster reaction. “It’s just…I don’t know, I feel restless, I guess.” And I want to spend more time with you, Riley thought but didn’t say. Rei chewed her bottom lip, tempted to go, but certain her mother would somehow find out. Wait, that was a good question, did colleges report when you were absent like high schools did? Once upon a time, she would have assumed not, but now it was anyone’s guess, especially for students who were still minors. “I…really don’t want to miss class…” Rei said at least, more than a little regretful. “Look, if you’re worried about your mom finding out,” Riley said, as if she could read the other girl’s mind, “then just go to class, excuse yourself to the restroom after attendance, and, poof, you’re gone.” “Won’t they notice me taking all my stuff to the restroom?” Riley shrugged, “leave your stuff with me.” Rei’s stomach was full of butterflies. She had never skipped class, not even in high school. But here was Riley, who she desperately wanted to think she was cool, inviting her to skip class and go hang out. Rei glanced at her phone screen; her afternoon class started in thirty minutes, she had to decide soon. “Come on,” Riley coaxed, “it’ll be fun.” “What would we even do?” Riley shrugged, “hang out, chill, maybe go to the mall? I don’t know, anything is better than being here today, if you ask me.” Rei took a deep breath, then laughed nervously. “Okay,” she said, “let’s do it.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.” “Come on then,” without a moment of hesitation, Riley grabbed Rei’s wrist and ran off giggling, pulling the other girl behind her and leaving their discarded lunch trays behind. Chapter Thirteen Riley sipped on her lemonade and handed Rei the last bite of the pretzel they were splitting. “Aliens,” Riley said. Rei laughed and popped the last piece of pretzel in her mouth, chewing while she thought out her reply. “Probably real,” she said once she had swallowed, “well, almost certainly real, but only probably have visited Earth before.” “Probably isn’t the game,” Riley shot back, “do you personally think they have?” Rei took a sip of her own lemonade and pondered the question. “Mmm, yes, but I don’t think they’ve abducted people.” “You think they just like…observe?” “Yeah! Like scientists, ya know? Observing wildlife in its natural habitat.” “So that’s what we are to them?” “Probably!” Rei giggled at the thought. The mall food court was nearly empty on this weekday afternoon, but a few tables were occupied throughout the mass of them. Rei couldn’t help but keep looking over at a mother a few tables away spoon-feeding her daughter, who seemed to fall into helpless giggles every time her mother flew an airplane her way. Rei wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have gone to high school with the girl. “What do you think the aliens think of all that?” Riley said, noticing the trajectory of Rei’s distant stare. Rei didn’t answer immediately; she was considering the scene in front of her, trying to assess it like an alien who didn’t quite understand the cultural history that had led to this tableau. As Rei watched, the girl in the oversized highchair stopped giggling and scrunched up her face. For a moment, Rei wasn’t sure what she was watching, but it only took her a moment to figure it out: the girl was filling her diaper. Rei’s soul wretched a little, and she forced herself to turn away. “Um, how about ghosts?” she asked Riley, ignoring the other girl’s previous question. “Oh, definitely real,” Riley said, easily rolling with Rei’s change of subject. “But I don’t think most of them can, like, hurt or affect us. Hell, maybe none of them can.” Rei chuckled, “I thought I saw a ghost once when I was a kid.” “Tell me everything.” Rei felt her cheeks heat up; she normally didn’t tell anyone this story out of fear of being made fun of. She studied Riley’s face, trying to determine if Riley was baiting her into telling an embarrassing story or if she was genuinely interested. Riley seemed nothing but the latter. “Well,” she began, tentatively, “I mean, first of all, you have to understand, I was like seven at the time.” “Uh huh,” Riley nodded and gently encouraged Rei to continue. “And it was like shortly after my grandmother died.” “And then you saw her ghost?” Rei blushed but nodded. “I woke up one night in the middle of the night…something like two or three AM, and I think I went downstairs to get a glass of water or something. Like, I went downstairs, but I don’t remember what for.” Riley was nodding along as she listened. “And…sorry, this isn’t, like, an exciting story or anything.” “No, no, go on!” Riley urged. “Well, I went downstairs and…well, the first thing I noticed was the all the kitchen cabinets were just standing open.” “Oh, creepy,” Riley replied. “Yeah! And then like, I saw her just…sitting at the dining room table.” “You’re sure it was her?” “Definitely! I…” Rei blushed, “well, it scared me so bad I went running upstairs, crying the whole way, and jumped in bed with my parents.” “Wait, but how was that scary?” Riley asked incredulously. “I don’t know!” Rei laughed and threw up her hands, “I was like seven and I just saw a ghost! What about you, have you ever seen a ghost?” Riley smiled and shrugged, “nah. Some friends and I once tried to do a séance in a graveyard when I was in high school, had a Ouija board and everything, but all we saw was some cops that chased us off.” “Maybe you should try again one night.” “Oh yeah? What, you wanna join me?” “Maybe,” Rei said coyly. Riley grinned, “yeah, whatever, you’d probably scream and run away the moment we heard a noise or something.” “I was seven!” Rei cried in her defense. “I’d totally be brave enough now.” “I’m pretty sure I do still have that Ouija board…” “I’m serious! I’d totally do it.” “Alright,” Riley replied, sounding a bit smug, “but don’t complain when I drag you out to a graveyard one night to summon spirits.” “I can handle it,” Rei insisted. She took another sip of her lemonade, sucking up the last little bits, and leaned back in her chair, looking out over the food court again. The mother and her daughter had left; Rei could guess where they had gone off to easily enough. “Wanna go check out some stores?” Riley said after it was clear the conversation was in a lull. “What time do you need to be home by?” Rei looked at her phone, “not for another hour or so,” she replied. “Where’d you have in mind?” Riley looked at Rei for a moment, studying her face, before speaking, “you ever think about how good you’d like in eyeliner? We could go shopping for some make-up for you.” Rei let out a single sarcastic syllable of a laugh. “Yeah right, mom would kill me. She’s always been against me wearing make-up.” “So? She doesn’t have to know. Put it on in the school bathroom at the beginning of the day and take it off before you go home.” Rei chewed her lip a little embarrassedly, “and then there’s the fact that I have no idea how to put any kind of make-up on.” “Wait, really?” “Really! I told you, mom was always against it, she never taught me. Hell, she doesn’t really wear make-up either.” “Okay, well, we definitely need to fix that, okay?” Rei didn’t have time to respond; Riley jumped up from the table, grabbed their trash, and walked off with it, giving Rei the option of either staying behind or following. She caught up to Riley just as she was dumping their trash. “Come on,” she grabbed Rei’s hand and started leading her through the mall without needing to consult a map. A few moments later, the pair approached a store Rei had passed before, but had never entered: Sephora. The storefront was not huge, but it was bigger than Rei imagined was needed just to sell make-up, a thought that demonstrated just how clueless Rei was when it came to cosmetics. “Hold on there, girls,” a stern voice stopped the pair in their tracks as they approached the doorway. An older woman with crow’s feet creasing the pale ivory of her skin wearing a beige skirt suit with white high heels approached the pair, stopping directly in their path with her arms crossed over her chest. “Sorry, unattended children are not allowed in this store. You’ll have to come back with your parents.” Riley made a noise that was halfway between annoyed and disgusted as she fished her wallet out of her purse and flipped it open, “I’m emancipated, okay?” The woman raised her eyebrow at Riley, studied the ID being held out in front of her, and sighed. “Fine, but what about her?” “She’s with me,” Riley replied. “No unaccompanied children,” the woman shot back. “What the fuck?” Riley exclaimed, making the older woman visibly flinch at the profanity. “I’m an adult, so I’m accompanying her!” “Are you her parent?” The altercation was beginning to draw on-lookers and rubber-neckers. Rei could feel them staring at her, and, worse, she couldn’t tell if they were sympathetic or accusatory stares. “You just said she had to be accompanied; you didn’t say anything about a parent!” Riley loudly insisted. “Well, I am now,” more store employees were making their way to the front of the store now, flanking the older woman who Rei assumed was in a managerial position over the less formally dressed workers with nametags on their shirts. “And quite frankly, young lady, emancipated or not, I’m not so sure I want you in my store if this is the way you conduct yourself.” Rei was standing a foot behind Riley, blushing and holding back tears as Riley and this stranger debated over her like…well…like she was a child. Her reaction to it only made her feel more childish, but she couldn’t help how hot her cheeks were burning under the gaze of the audience and the judgement of this woman. “This is fucked up,” Riley growled, “just let us in, okay?” “Watch your language, young lady, or I’ll—” “You’ll what? Tell my mom? I told you, lady, I’m emancipated, bitch.” The older lady furrowed her brow hard, “I won’t ask you again. If you insist on being vulgar, I’ll call security and have them check just how authentic that emancipation card is.” Riley stared the woman down for a long moment, her jaw clenched and eyes on fire, “are you seriously accusing me of having a fake emancipation card?” The woman just smirked in response, “there’s a Forever 15 down that way,” the lady pointed the way they came, “and a Justice and a Claire’s that way,” she pointed in the opposite direction. “I’m sure you’ll find them better suited to…clientele such as yourself.” “Go ahead,” Riley planted her feet and crossed her arms in mimicry of the older woman, “call security. They’ll confirm my ID is real and you’ll have to let us shop here.” “Riley?” Rei managed to quietly croak out from her tightening throat. Neither woman seemed to notice her. “And what do you think is going to happen to your little friend, hm?” The lady responded smugly. “You may be emancipated, but she’s a minor; do you think her parents will be happy to pick her up from mall security?” That clearly caught Riley off guard, her anger dropping for just a second before it came roaring back in defense of her friend, “just…fuck you, okay?” It was just too bad all of that anger was impotent, and Riley knew it. “Come on, let’s go find some place to shop where the employees aren’t all fucking cunts.” Then Riley turned on her heel and stomped off. Rei gave the older lady, who was positively fuming, an apologetic look, not because she felt bad about what Riley had said, but just…well, she wasn’t sure why. Then she hurried to follow after Riley. “I can’t believe that bitch,” Riley muttered when Rei had caught up to her. “We’ll find another store, okay?” “Hey, Riley?” “There’s like three other make-up stores in this mall, okay? Not all of them will be staffed by conservative old bitches.” “Yeah, but…” “I can’t believe she threatened to call security, what a bitch move.” “Hey, Riley, stop,” Rei reached out and grabbed Riley’s upper arm to get her attention. “Please, can we just go?” Riley turned to face Rei, and all the anger immediately went out of her. Rei was close to trembling, and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “Shit,” Riley said quietly, pulling Rei into a hug. “I’m sorry; I didn’t even think about how that affected you.” “It’s okay,” Rei hugged Riley back, burying her face in the soft fabric of Riley’s cardigan. “But…please, I just want to go home, okay?” “Yeah,” Riley said softly, “we’ll get you home.” Chapter Fourteen “So, is this your mom’s car?” Rei asked as they cruised down the street, wind whipping in through the open windows. Rei’s hair was put up in a messy bun to keep it from tangling; meanwhile, Riley’s hair whipped haphazardly around her face. “Nah,” Riley answered, “it’s mine.” “Oh, that’s really cool,” Rei couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. She didn’t even have her driver’s license anymore; under the Hayes Act, minor girls couldn’t have licenses. It was just one of the many perks of being emancipated. “Yeah, well, you know the grandfather clause in the Hayes Act?” Rei nodded. In a true grandfather clause, everyone who had already reached the age of majority would have stayed an adult; Rei would have stayed an adult. But the grandfather clause of the Hayes Act was…well…not quite so comprehensive. Girls who were twenty-four or older at the time of passage got to remain an adult; likewise, any girls who owned property in value of at least fifteen-thousand dollars got to remain an adult. “Well, after the Hayes Act got passed and my mom emancipated me, she thought that me owning property might be a layer of protection if they ever tightened the laws or something, you know? So, it was really important to her that I own my own car.” Rei chuckled, “it’s still pretty cool.” “Yeah,” Riley laughed, “I guess I just…sometimes I feel bad. I’m really lucky to have a mom like mine; I’m really lucky to be emancipated and stuff, and it makes me feel…guilty that other people don’t have that,” she glanced over to Rei. “Does that make sense?” It did make sense. Rei would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little jealous of Riley. And, yes, in part she was jealous because Riley was pretty and confident and effortlessly cool; but she was also jealous that Riley didn’t have to worry about getting moved to an extended high school program. Riley didn’t have to worry about getting spanked. Riley didn’t have to worry about any of the things Rei had suddenly found herself worried about. But that wasn’t Riley’s fault. Rei shrugged, “I get it, but, like…you shouldn’t feel bad or guilty. Like, you of all people, you know? You are using those privileges to help girls that don’t have them. And don’t get me wrong, like, you shouldn’t feel bad or guilty no matter what, ‘cause it’s not your fault, but I’m saying especially because of what you do to try to help people who don’t have those privileges? It’s really impressive, you know? I kind of look up to you, if I’m being honest.” “It’s not that impressive,” Riley waved her hand dismissively, “And certainly nothing to be admired for. But…what you’re saying makes sense. It’s just…” Riley stared at the road for a long moment before continuing, “I don’t think it can be logicked away; I don’t think it’s based in logic. And maybe Rebel is all just my attempt at soothing my guilt over it all. And, then there’s…” Riley sighed. “Well, nevermind that.” “No, what? You can tell me.” There had been a shift in the atmosphere of the car. Rei no longer found herself looking at confident, effortlessly cool Riley, founder of Rebel, she was looking at vulnerable, honest Riley, a girl who was as scared as everyone else. The significance of Riley letting her in like this wasn’t lost on Rei. “We’re friends, right?” And then there’s the fact that Riley was terrified of facing the consequences of her actions with Rebel. That was what Riley was going to say. That Rebel was a lot more fun when it was just her and a few others committing acts of vandalism, theft, and destruction of property. And, to be honest, sneaking into a Target after hours and slashing gouges through every pack of diapers designed for girls her age felt like it did more direct and immediate good than blowing up a building. Riley knew you couldn’t build a revolution on such small acts of defiance but they should be leaving the big things to groups with more funding and strength. Or was that just Riley’s fear talking? “It’s nothing, really,” Riley forced a smile. Rei felt that momentary vulnerability close. She couldn’t help but feel a bit sad, but she was thankful Riley had opened up to her at all. More importantly, Rei respected the boundary Riley was setting. “Okay,” she said, “but, if you ever change your mind, I’m happy to listen.” “You know,” Riley said, “you’re pretty cool.” Rei blushed so hot she thought she was going to catch on fire.

I'm not sure what you mean by Preston! I'm unfamiliar with them/that. But I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I should have new chapters up tonight or tomorrow!

I absolutely intend to continue, just, yes, irl is being a bitch right now. I do apologize for the delay; I'll have some new chapters for yall soon!

Hi all! Sorry for not posting any new chapters lately; the new semester started and I've been kind of swamped with that! I'll be doing my best to post a 2-4 chapters every week from here on out! Chapter Ten Ms. Akiyama’s sunglasses blocked out the brilliant reflection of the sun off the still remaining banks of snow as she walked up the concrete steps of a cute little three-story townhouse. Cute little handmade Halloween decorates hung in the windows, like pumpkins and ghosts cut out of construction paper and black and orange paper ring chains. Ms. Akiyama reached out one finger and jabbed the white plastic doorbell and heard a series of chimes call in response from inside. A gust of wind cut through Ms. Akiyama’s peacoat as she waited; the snow was melting, but it was still unseasonably cold for this time of year. “Well,” a tall woman with strawberry blonde hair, tanned pink skin, and big glasses wearing mom jeans and a slightly wrinkled white blouse exclaimed with a slight southern drawl as she opened the door, “if it isn’t Hana Akiyama. Darling, how are you doing? Please come in,” she pushed open the screen door and stepped aside for her visitor, “I was so pleasantly surprised to hear from you last night.” “Hi, Heather,” Ms. Akiyama gave a tight lipped but polite smile as she stepped past the other woman and into her home. Ms. Akiyama immediately checked the floor around herself and the door, noting no discarded shoes and a pair of off-white New Balances on Heather’s feet, cueing her to leave her own shoes on. She then surveyed the room she had stepped into; a large living room with a dark grey couch flanked by a matching dark wood set of end tables and coffee table facing a sleek black entertainment center with a large flat-screen TV currently playing cartoons. “Thank you so much for inviting me over today, I really appreciate the chance to pick your brain.” “Oh, no worries at all, darling; I’m so happy to help you! Come on,” Heather beckoned Ms. Akiyama further into the house, waving her in with pale pink acrylic nails, “we can talk in my office! May I get you something to drink?” Ms. Akiyama followed the other women deeper into the house, but as she rounded the couch, her eyes were fixated on the large, open space in the living room where a girl Rei’s age sat in a playpen. The playpen itself was made of interlocking, hard plastic squares and could be configured to various shapes and sizes. The walls stood a little more than three feet high: taller than one would need to keep a toddler-sized toddler from mantling the sides, which was good since the toddler sitting in the middle of it was taller than Ms. Akiyama (though, admittedly, she was not a very tall woman). Megan Eckridge didn’t seem to notice Ms. Akiyama at first. Her gaze was fixed on the TV and a line of drool fell from the corner of her mouth around the thumb firmly planted inside. She was wearing a cropped t-shirt and a bright pink diaper with bunnies on it. It was clearly wet. On the floor in front of the girl’s crossed legs was a coloring book and a box of colored pencils. “Hi, Megan,” Ms. Akiyama said tentatively, giving the girl a little wave. The girl turned her head towards her name and immediately withdrew her thumb, wiping it on her shirt and trying to pretend she wasn’t just sucking it. “Um, hi,” she responded, but there was no recognition behind those eyes. “Oh, silly me,” Heather came back to where Ms. Akiyama had stopped, “I didn’t even think you might want to say hello to little miss Megan over here. Megan,” she addressed the girl with a saccharine voice, “do you remember your friend Rei?” Megan smiled and nodded, understanding dawning on her face. “Yes, um,” she turned her head towards Ms. Akiyama, “hello, Ms. Akiyama.” Her diction was far better than everything else about her appearance (size aside) would suggest. “Hi, Megan,” Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but find herself bending over the girl a little bit in mimicry of Heather’s stance, “how are you doing today?” Nor could she keep a certain cooing quality out of her voice. Somewhere in her brain, she knew this was a nineteen-year-old girl, just like Rei, and yet the illusion of toddlerhood was so convincing, she couldn’t help but respond to it. “I’m good,” her cheeks were turning a warm red, “just…watching TV and coloring.” “She’s being a good girl for mommy while mommy works, isn’t that right, munchkin?” Heather chimed in. “Mommy…” the girl whined embarrassedly, yet seemingly unembarrassed to be heard calling her mother ‘mommy,’ Then the girl’s eyes suddenly went wide, as if just remembering something, “is Rei here?” She leaned over, her diaper crinkling under her, to look behind Ms. Akiyama. “Not today, sweetheart,” Ms. Akiyama responded. “But,” Heather chimed in immediately, “maybe it won’t be too long before you two can have a playdate, right Hana?” Ms. Akiyama let out a little breathless laugh, “yes, maybe, would you like that, Megan?” Megan put her finger to her lip, pantomiming being deep in thought, and Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but notice how truly toddler-like Megan was in that moment. “Sometimes,” Megan said at last, “I miss Rei, it would be nice to see her.” “Well, then we will just have to make sure to arrange that for you two,” Heather reached down and grabbed the pacifier hanging from Megan’s shirt and popped it in the girl’s mouth. “Now, Ms. Akiyama and Mommy are going to go talk in her office, you be good and watch your show, okay? And no more thumb sucking, little lady, that’s what your paci is for.” Heather booped her daughter’s nose, eliciting a gleeful giggle in response, then straightened up and beckoned Ms. Akiyama deeper into the house. “Now, Hana,” Heather said as she led Ms. Akiyama into the dining room and pulled out a chair for her, “can I get your something to drink? Coffee? Iced tea?” She dropped her voice and held her hand to her mouth as if whispering a secret, “a glass of white wine? I won’t judge, darling!” Ms. Akiyama chuckled politely, “a coffee sounds lovely, Heather, thank you.” “Coming right up,” Heather walked into the kitchen, pulled out two mugs and began fiddling with a pod coffee machine as she spoke. “You know, I was a little surprised to hear from you last night. And don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t unwelcome, I was just…surprised, you know?” Ms. Akiyama did know. She had once been pretty good friends with Heather Eckridge. Their daughters had met in middle school and become inseparable for years after that. Heather might not have been the kind of person Ms. Akiyama would have become friends with under more natural circumstances, but their daughter’s friendship had put them in close proximity and the two had eventually grown fond of each other. And then everything changed, and their friendship changed with it. It wasn’t like they were strangers now, but they…well…aside from the run-in a few months ago at the store, the most the two had communicated since their daughters had graduated from high school was through liking each other’s social media posts. Which, for Ms. Akiyama, just added to the surrealness of this reunion; she felt like she knew every major life update Heather had gone through for the past couple of years, and vice versa, while also having drifted away from the woman they had happened to. “Yes, I’m…sorry I didn’t keep in better touch,” Ms. Akiyama replied, mostly because she felt like that’s what she should say. “No worries, sugar,” Heather said as she came back into the dining room and set two glass of iced tea down. “I understand life is just hectic these days; I mean, you see what I’ve had my hands full with,” she chuckled as she gestured back towards the living room. “Speaking of, you said this was about Rei? What’s going on with her?” Ms. Akiyama sighed, blowing the steam from her coffee cup as she did, “I’m not sure I even know, Heather,” she replied, “and that’s kind of the problem.” Heather made an sympathetic sound in her throat and sipped on her coffee. “I’ll be honest, Hana; I always thought you were against…well, the kind of treatment Megan gets,” Heather said bluntly but neither accusatorially nor defensively. “To be honest, I thought it was part of the reason we drifted apart.” “I was never against it,” Ms. Akiyama replied, “and it certainly wasn’t the reason we drifted apart.” Of course, neither statement was entirely true; though, in fairness, neither was entirely false, either. “I guess I just…never understood it,” she said, a little more honestly, “but, lately…well…” she shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. “Why don’t you tell me the whole story, darling? Right from the beginning.” So, Ms. Akiyama did. “I’m just worried about her,” Ms. Akiyama said some few minutes later as she was coming to the conclusion of her tale, “worried she’s going to start hanging out with the wrong crowds and get herself in trouble, not to mention fill her head with ideas that will only lead to being unhappy and frustrated. I know Rei’s independence is important to her, and I’ve tried to be respectful of that, but if these are the kinds of decisions she is making with that independence, maybe…maybe she’s not mature enough to handle it, after all. “I understand exactly what you mean, darling,” Heather reached out and placed a sympathetic hand on Ms. Akiyama’s, “that’s why we never let Megan go off to college. Her and Rei are so alike, I just know Megan would have ended up taking those kinds of classes, probably gotten herself involved with that Rebel group—” “And that’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Ms. Akiyama interjected. “It’s bad enough that Rei is even taking these kinds of classes, but going behind my back and lying about it is so unlike her that I’m worried what else she might be capable of doing. It makes me worried she’s already gotten her head full of ideas that are going to get her hurt or worse.” Heather nodded along sympathetically as Ms. Akiyama spoke. “It would certainly be a tragedy to see poor Rei go down that path.” “So,” Ms. Akiyama continued, “I started thinking last night, and it just…kind of clicked. You know, like I said, I never was really against this kind of…behavioral therapy,” Ms. Akiyama used what she believed was the politically correct term for it, “I just…didn’t understand. But…” Ms. Akiyama went on to explain her thought process, finishing with a timid, “does that make sense?” “It makes perfect sense, darling, and that’s exactly why we decided this was best for Megan.” “Do you ever…regret it?” “Goodness, no! Megan and I are closer than ever, and I know she’s happy and staying out of trouble.” “Is she though? Happy, that is.” Heather smiled, “come on,” she stood up from the table and headed back into the living room. Ms. Akiyama pushed her chair away from the table and followed Heather, finding her kneeling down next to the playpen, where Megan’s focus had shifted from the TV to her coloring book. “Honey?” Heather said gently, getting Megan’s attention. “Hi, Mommy,” the girl mumbled around her pacifier. “Sweetheart,” Heather reached out and gently pulled the pacifier from her daughter’s mouth, “how do you feel about being a little girl again for Mommy and Daddy?” Megan’s smile positively beamed, “I love it, Mommy.” “Do you ever,” Ms. Akiyama chimed in as she settled on the floor next to Heather, “miss being a big girl?” Megan scrunched up her face in thought, “well, I used to, but I really don’t anymore. Besides, Mommy says I’ll be a big girl again. When I’m ready.” She added the last bit as an afterthought. “Of course,” Heather added, “that’s still quite a few years away, huh little one?” Megan just giggled and nodded. But, Ms. Akiyama wanted to ask, are you really happy? But what did that question even mean; how could Megan possibly answer it? And why was Ms. Akiyama so bent on not taking Megan’s response at face value? Especially when every piece of evidence seemed to verify the truth of it. “Thank you, Megan,” Ms. Akiyama said as she pushed herself up off the floor, “I’ll let you get back to playing.” “Um, Ms. Akiyama?” Megan asked as the two mothers began moving back to the dining room. “Yes?” “Is Rei going to…are you…is Rei going to be a little girl again too?” “I don’t know, sweetheart, why do you ask?” Megan looked down at her hands, which fiddled with her pacifier. “I miss Rei. I didn’t want to stop being friends with her, but I thought she wouldn’t want to be friends with me after…you know…” Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but feel her heart breaking from the young girl. “Don’t worry, Megan,” she replied, “even if Rei doesn’t become a little girl again, I’ll see what I can do about you two being friends still, okay?” Megan smiled that beaming smile again and thanked Ms. Akiyama before popping her pacifier back in and returning to her coloring. “See?” Heather said as the two women sat back down in front of their coffees. “I wouldn’t have guessed she’d be this happy when we started, but…well, here we are.” Ms. Akiyama sighed, “I can’t deny that, I just worry Rei won’t…share those kinds of feelings.” “Listen,” Heather replied, leaning forward to convey her seriousness, “almost every mom I talk to says the same: before long, every girl accepts her place and is happier for it. I’m not going to tell you it will be easy; if you are really thinking about this…well, I mean, you tell me, are you really thinking about doing this?” Ms. Akiyama looked away from Heather, staring at the wall that hid Megan from sight. “I am,” she said after a long moment, surprising even herself. “I mean, maybe not taking it as far as you have with Megan, but…” “Well, that’s another thing,” Heather said, “early on, a little bit goes a long way, but if Rei is taking those kinds of classes at college and going behind your back, I think you need to think about how far you want to go, and then be prepared to go further, if necessary.” Ms. Akiyama considered this, “well, how far do you think would be far enough?” Heather shrugged, “it’s different for every girl and every family, you have to figure out what’s best for you. Look, darling, I’m happy to help you with this if you need it, and you certainly look like you need some help, but the best thing I can suggest is to get some professional help.” “Professional help?” “Yeah! We went to Brighter Days School and Behavioral Therapy for Girls; they were fantastic. Richard and I couldn’t have done this without them.” “Oh, no,” Ms. Akiyama quickly brushed aside the suggestion, “I don’t think Rei would respond well to being sent off to a school like that.” “That’s the thing, you don’t have to send her there.” “What do you mean?” “When Richard and I first decided to handle Megan with this kind of behavioral therapy, we went to them for a consultation. We told them what kind of girl Megan was and what our goals were for her, and they gave us just so many tools and resources we could use. Megan had no idea, and we couldn’t have gotten the results we did without them.” “Huh,” Ms. Akiyama took this in as she sipped at her coffee. That, she had to admit, sounded like exactly what she needed. “If you want,” Heather offered, “I have a referral code I can give you; should get you a discount on the initial consultation.” “I guess…it can’t hurt, right?” Chapter Eleven “Reports coming in early this morning that late last night Greenham Police Department made two arrests in conjunction with the October 4th bombing of the Greenham City Hall. The suspects, seen here, are twenty-year-old Melanie Wright and twenty-one-year-old Josie Stone. Both women are assumed to be members of the domestic terrorist group Rebel and are confirmed to both be students at Greenham Community College. Given national intelligence telling us that most splinter groups of The Vantez Collective form around colleges, speculation is rampant that our own Greenham Community College could be the recruiting ground for these homegrown terrorists.” Ms. Akiyama had been watching the news cycle surrounding these arrests all morning, feeling a sense of dread that built every time the news anchor mentioned the connection to Greenham Community College. And everyone knew that these kinds of gender studies classes that Ms. Akiyama had pulled Rei from spoon-fed them all sorts of radical nonsense. Exactly the kind of nonsense that led to your signing up to be a terrorist. Why did they even allow those classes to be taught anymore? Ms. Akiyama took a breath. That was neither here nor now. She’d made the right choice to pull Rei from that class; but maybe that wasn’t quite enough for a girl like Rei. Especially if they already had their hooks in Rei. But, of course, Ms. Akiyama was jumping to conclusions. Right? Rei was headstrong and at times stubborn, but she was a good kid, she knew better than to get herself wrapped up in this kind of business, right? Ms. Akiyama wanted to say that was so, but a knot of anxiety in her chest said otherwise. “Wait, what’s going on?” Rei’s voice from behind her shocked her from her internal monologue. “Oh, um, they arrested two girls for the bombing of City Hall.” “They did?” Rei’s hair was still a mess and her pajamas crumpled on her small frame. “Who? Did they say their names?” Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. “Why? Worried you know them?” “Well,” Rei shrugged, “there aren’t a lot of girls at my school, mom…” Ms. Akiyama frowned at that; Rei had a point. She picked up the TV remote and rewound until she saw the two girl’s pictures pop up on screen. “year-old Melanie Wright,” the voice on the TV narrated, “and twenty-one-year-old Josie Stone.” “So?” “Uh, yeah,” Rei replied, too shocked to even consider whether she should have lied. “I didn’t really know them, though. I had a class with Melanie and um…just saw Josie around.” The instinct to lie kicked before she could blurt out where she really knew Josie from. “What class?” “Um, you know, the…gender…class…” “Oh.” Ms. Akiyama felt that knot of anxiety in her chest tighten. Rei had known these girls. They could have tried to recruit her! These girls could have gotten Rei involved in this whole mess. They hadn’t, had they? She studied her daughter’s face as she stared at the news coverage of the arrests. It wasn’t possible Rei had been involved, was it? She’d come home late that night, Ms. Akiyama remembered that, but she had been with her professor. Her…gender studies…professor… But, no, that was ridiculous. Those professors might fill these girls’ heads with all sorts of nonsense, but certainly they’d never go so far as to encourage much less participate in these sorts of acts. No, Ms. Akiyama was jumping the gun there, surely. But Rei had known them. These were the kinds of girls Ms. Akiyama was letting Rei be around if she kept letting her go to college. If she didn’t do something to make Rei understand that Ms. Akiyama knew best. If she didn’t help Rei learn a new way to be happy in this world. For her part, Rei was glued to the TV, as oblivious to her mother’s stare as she was to her internal dialogue. Was she safe? Were they going to arrest her next? Were they going to arrest Riley next? The truth was, Rei had hardly been involved. She had been in a car with three other girls three blocks away in case something went wrong. She was on the B team. Surely they couldn’t have any evidence against her, right? But what if Melanie or Josie turned on the rest of them? Some kind of plea bargain? They had all promised not to name names or cooperate in any way in the event that this happened, but what would they stick to their word if it meant getting themselves out of trouble? Rei just had to trust that they wouldn’t.

Would love to! Can't figure out how! XD Nevermind! Figured it out!

Hi All! I was talking with some people about this story in a discord server and I thought, ya know what, let's give 'em some more, so here's a big update for you! Chapter Six Ms. Akiyama, Thank you for reaching out to me with your concerns. First of all, I can, in fact, confirm that your daughter, Rei Akiyama, was with me this past Wednesday evening. I was running a workshop for a number of students to give them a chance to work on their midterm essays under supervision. As to your second question, I understand a lot of parents have concerns about the curriculum their children are learning in college these days. Please, allow me to reassure you on this matter. While we do deal with political issues and current events in my classroom, my goal is to provide students with a balanced perspective of the issues and help them formulate their own thoughts on matters. This is a tough and confusing time for everyone your daughter’s age, but especially for girls, and I like to think of my classroom as a place where they can work through their thoughts on these matters in a safe and educational environment. Of course, my first and utmost priority is to make sure your daughter receives a high-quality education, and I only include politics as much as I think is appropriate for this course. On a more personal note, I would like to add that your daughter is an exemplary student, and it has been my pleasure to teach her thus far this semester. I can tell that she is very passionate about her studies, and I very much look forward to continuing to work with her through the semester. You should be very proud of her. I hope that my answers have allayed some of your concerns; if you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Sincerely, Professor Natalie Lewis, PhD She/Her/Hers Associate Professor Gender Studies Department Greenham Community College Chapter Seven Rei slipped through the front door of her house as quietly as she could and slipped off her shoes. She stopped for a moment and just listened, trying to see if she could tell where her mother was. Hearing nothing, she carefully peered into the living room, expecting to perhaps see her reading on the couch. Nothing. On tiptoes, Rei made her way to the kitchen and looked through to the dining room beyond. Nothing. The downstairs bathroom was empty too. The car had been in the driveway, though, so Rei knew her mother was home. Maybe she had gone to bed early? Feeling uneasy, Rei crept up the stairs. She didn’t even know for sure that she had anything to fear from her mother; maybe Professor Lewis had managed to quell her fears without revealing that Rei was taking exactly the kind of class her mother had told her not to. The kind that put ideas in your head, according to her mother. Relieved to see the second-floor hallway clear of her mother, Rei breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door to her room. A gasp caught in Rei’s throat as she registered she was unexpectedly not alone in her bedroom. Then her eyes caught up to her panicked brain and that panic faded and sunk into dread. Her mother was sitting on the edge of her bed; sitting on the bed beside her were some of Rei’s school books—specifically the kind that taught feminist theory. The two looked at each other in silence as the moment stretched on forever for Rei. “Mom…what…?” Rei finally managed to force out a few strangled words. “How was class today, Rei?” “Uhm, okay, how was your day?” She replied, trying to redirect. “Tell me again, what classes did you have today?” “Uh…” Rei chewed on her bottom lip nervously, knowing she was caught and unsure how best to minimize the damage. “Stop chewing your lip, Rei, and answer the question.” “I had class with Professor Lewis and Professor Slater today,” evasion, she had decided, was her best bet right now. “Uh huh, and what class, exactly, does Professor Lewis teach?” Damn, that didn’t work. “Rei! I’m tired of telling you, stop chewing your lip and answer the question.” “English.” Ms. Akiyama clicked her tongue and shook her head; she had hoped her daughter would come clean, but instead she had lied through her teeth right to her own mother’s face. Who was her daughter becoming? Whoever it was, Ms. Akiyama didn’t like it, and she wasn’t going to let her daughter go down a bad path. “So, you are reading,” Ms. Akiyama picked up one of the books on the bed next to her, “The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir for English?” Rei nodded; she was committed now, and the only way out was through. “I see,” Ms. Akiyama set the book down and picked up the next, “Gender Trouble by Judith Butler?” Rei nodded, her eyes wide, glossy discs. “And A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects by Mary Wollstonecraft?” Rei kept lying, but there was no light at the end of the tunnel yet. Ms. Akiyama sighed and set the books down. “Well, don’t you worry; you won’t be needing these books anymore. I called the school today and withdrew you from that English class.” “What? Mom! That’s not fair!” Rei was trying to keep her voice calm, but she couldn’t help but let it crank up a few decibels. Her heart was suddenly beating way too fast, and she felt vaguely beside herself with frustration and anger. “Life isn’t fair, Rei,” Ms. Akiyama spat back. “And you don’t just get to do whatever you want without consequences. When I agreed to let you continue going to college, you promised me wouldn’t be taking courses like that. You don’t need to be filling your head with the kind of dreck these classes teach! It is bad enough that you took that class after I had expressly forbidden you from taking any such classes, but then you sat there and lied to my face about it. You abused my trust, Rei; you have to learn there will be consequences to this kind of behavior.” “I wouldn’t have had to lie about the class if you would have just let me take it in the first place!” Rei shot back impotently. Tears were threatening to run down her face, and her hands were balled into fists at her side. “Excuse me, young lady? Are you saying it’s my fault you lied?” “No, that’s not what I meant!” As upset as she was, even Rei had the sense to know when to back pedal. “It’s just…” her mouth worked for words her brain wasn’t providing. “Just what? What do you have to say for yourself to justify this behavior?” “Just…ugh! Why can’t I just take the stupid class? You don’t even know what we learn in there!” “I have a good enough idea, young lady. And I’ve already told you, I don’t want that school filling your head with all sorts of ideas about what the world could or should be; the world is what it is, and you have to accept that! You have to live in reality, Rei; don’t you understand I just want what’s best for you?” “You don’t know what’s best for me!” Rei saw the look in her mother’s eyes and immediately knew she had said the wrong thing. It all happened so quickly that Rei’s brain had to race to keep up with her body. Ms. Akiyama’s hand shot out, catching Rei’s wrist in an iron grip, and tugging the small girl forward and across her mother’s lap. On Ms. Akiyama’s end, the motion was surprisingly instinctive despite it having been the better part of two decades since she had needed to perform it. “Mom!” Rei protested as she realized what was about to happen. “I’m sorry!” But her pleas fell on indifferent ears. Ms. Akiyama flipped her daughter’s skirt up, yanked down her cotton panties, reared back, and smacked her daughter hard enough to fill the room with a thunderous clap that nearly swallowed Rei’s pained yelp. Then she did it again. And again. And again. By the fifth hit, Rei had started kicking her feet, desperately trying to get away, but Ms. Akiyama held her firmly in place. By the fifteenth, Rei’s yelps had turned to cries, quickly approaching sobs. By the thirtieth, all the fight had gone out of the girl, and she lay limply across her mother’s lap, tears cascading freely down her face, praying it would end soon. By the fiftieth, Ms. Akiyama had to help her shuddering daughter get up off of her lap and stand on her own feet. “I am your mother, Rei, I will always know what is best for you,” Ms. Akiyama held her daughter by her shaking shoulders as she looked into her tear-filled eyes. “You, Rei, are a child and do not understand how the world works. You do not have the experience, knowledge, or maturity to make these kinds of decisions. I had thought that maybe, just maybe, you were ready for that responsibility, but this whole fiasco demonstrates very clearly that you do not. So, from now on until you grow up and can make important decisions yourself, I will be making them for you. I will make your decisions because I know what is best for you. And what is best for you is that you never go to that class again. Do you understand?” Rei nodded weakly. “Say the words, Rei. Do you understand?” “Yes, Mom, I understand.” “Now, I think you should thank me for allowing you to continue going to all your other classes, don’t you?” A fresh round of sobs racked Rei’s body, but she nodded, “t-thank you,” she managed to get out. “You’re welcome.” Ms. Akiyama let go of her daughter’s shoulders, and the girl crumpled to the ground. Without another word, she gathered up the now confiscated feminist texts and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Rei lay on the floor for a long moment after that, but eventually crawled over to her discarded backpack. She grabbed her cell phone from the front pocket and opened her texting app. Chapter Eight Ms. Akiyama quietly closed the door behind her, cutting off the worst of Rei’s sobs. Clutching the confiscated books to her chest, she resisted the urge to run to her bedroom at the end of the hallway and instead forced herself to make her there in slow, measured steps. Stay calm, she told herself, just stay calm. But when the bedroom door closed behind her, Ms. Akiyama could no longer keep her composure. She slumped against the closed door and let out a little sympathetic sob; she couldn’t believe what she had done. She had just lost her cool. She hadn’t spanked Rei since she was a toddler, but now she had done it without even thinking about it. She just wanted what was best for Rei; she wanted her daughter to be happy and safe. Rei needed to understand that; her daughter needed to understand that she wasn’t as smart as she thinks she is, nor was Ms. Akiyama as clueless as her daughter believed her. Maybe…maybe it was for the best, maybe Rei needed a good spanking to get the lesson through her head, but…but Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but feel terrible for what she had done. Wiping her eyes, Ms. Akiyama sat down on her bed. She’d always thought of herself as a good mother, but now…now she wasn’t so sure. Things were so different than when she was a kid. The parenting she’d learned no longer seemed to apply; she felt like she was starting over as a new mother, as clueless and rudderless as she was when Rei was first born. But on the other hand, maybe she wasn’t giving Rei enough credit for how hard this must be for her. It was no wonder Rei was being so rebellious; the world had changed a lot since she was a kid, too, and she was having to relearn the ways of the world just when she was at an age when she was starting to figure things out. In as much as Ms. Akiyama was, in many ways, a new mother, Rei was…well, a child. Huh…wait…that was an interesting thought. Could it really…? Could she…? She wouldn’t know where to begin. And after all, when she thought of it like that, there was a certain sense to what some mothers were doing to their daughters. Ms. Akiyama had been stunned to find that some of Rei’s friends from high school had begun to go through this kind of treatment; she had been baffled to know that women Ms. Akiyama had worked with in the PTA were doing this to their daughters. She hadn’t gotten it then; she hadn’t understood why someone would do that to their young adult daughter, but, suddenly, she could see the sense in it. And then there was…well…Ms. Akiyama couldn’t help but think back to a few months ago when she had been shopping with Rei when the pair had run into one of Rei’s best friends from high school and her mother: Megan and Heather Eckridge. Ms. Akiyama had been shocked, to say the least, to see the former being pushed in a stroller sized for a young adult. Megan had been like Rei in high school: bright and ambitious. But for all appearances, Megan had looked happy. It had been the first, but certainly not the last, time Ms. Akiyama had seen someone so close to her and Rei regressed so far, and Ms. Akiyama still remembered the sort of surreal feeling she had. She was cognizant of how horrified she might have been to see a girl she had known to be as driven and mature as Rei sucking on a pacifier with what was obviously a very soaked diaper pressing against the snaps of her onesies, but Megan had seemed so…happy. And that happiness had diffused the horror of the situation, leaving only an uncanny echo. And all Ms. Akiyama really wanted for Rei was to be happy. But Rei would never go for it. No, Ms. Akiyama knew what was best; if she thought this was what was best for her daughter, her daughter would do it. She wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. Rei might hate it at first, that was true, but Ms. Akiyama was sure she would come to find happiness in it. More happiness than she was bound to find if she kept filling her head with all sorts of dreck and detritus. And it wasn’t even like Ms. Akiyama was thinking of going as all in as Heather Eckridge had; she was only considering going deep enough to put Rei back in her place and keep her in line, make sure she grew up to have a nice, happy life despite the new twists and turns the world had thrown at her. But…was this best? Rei was mostly a good kid; she was just too curious for her own good. Maybe she could handle this in a more conventional way. Rei would see reason if Ms. Akiyama talked to her. But, then again, Rei hadn’t seen sense yet, despite Ms. Akiyama trying to talk to her. In fact, she usually got pouty and sullen when Ms. Akiyama tried to talk to her about these things. In fact, Rei acted like a child who didn’t get her way; maybe, if Rei was going to behave like a child… There was a time Ms. Akiyama would have found this suggestion ridiculous, laughably so. Indeed, that had been her initial reaction a few years ago when this thing first started becoming popular enough to gain national attention. And yet, perhaps for the first time, she saw the sense in it. But one thing was for certain: Rei would fight tooth and nail every inch of the way. Luckily, one thing was the same today as it was when Rei was a child: Ms. Akiyama was not too proud to admit she didn’t know what she was doing and seek help. When she was pregnant with Rei, she had devoured parenting books and blogs and guides of any format. And certainly, they had been helpful, but, once Rei was born, Ms. Akiyama quickly found that the best source of wisdom was the other women down in the trenches of motherhood with her. So, Ms. Akiyama did the one thing she could think of: she picked up her phone, opened her contacts, and navigated to Heather Eckridge. Chapter Nine (Author's Note: My apologies if there are any formatting issues in this chapter. This chapter contains a text message conversation between two characters; in the original Word document, I took the time to put the messages in colored boxes like in a messaging app, but, unsurprisingly, this didn't translate. I think everything should be fine, but just in case, my apologies!) Rei’s thumb hesitated over the send button. She barely knew the girl; should she really be texting her about…this? Somehow, though, she was the only person Rei wanted to talk to about it. Somehow, Rei knew she’d understand how awful Rei felt right now. Somehow, she would know what to do. Rei took a deep breath and hit send. “Hey, riley, it’s rei” Rei immediately regretted hitting send. She stared at the screen of her phone, desperately wishing there was an unsend button. She even long-pressed the text box to make sure there wasn’t. After a few more long moments spent looking at that unchanging screen, Rei put her phone to sleep and set it on the floor next to her. It was stupid, Riley was probably busy, and, besides, it was dumb to even bring this up with her. But, who else could Rei talk to? Megan Eckridge had been Rei’s best friend throughout both middle and high school; the two had been inseparable for six years and had planned to go to the same university. But the last time Rei had seen Megan had been a few months ago when she ran into Megan and her mother in Target; the latter had been pushing the former in a stroller. The look on Megan’s face had been embarrassed and slightly apologetic, but she had simply sucked her pacifier and let her mother do the catching up. Rei had met Brian Redburn during their freshman year of high school; they were lab partners in biology and entered the science fair together, taking home third place. The two had stayed close after that, even though Rei always suspected Brian was aiming for more than friendship. In senior year, Brian started to be very vocal about his support for groups like Mothers for America that lobbied for the kind of social policy change that would eventually lead to the passage of The Hayes Act. That had been the end of their friendship. Sally Walker had been her partner in the debate team; they’d always had a bit of a frenemy vibe going. No, that wasn’t quite right, they were never enemies, but frequent rivals, challenging the other to get better grades and perform better in their debates. They were fast friends when it mattered though. Sally’s mother had emancipated her when The Hayes Act was passed, and Sally went off to the kind of fancy university Rei herself would have gone to if not for…well, everything. They had lost touch. Maybe Rei could have reached out and tried to rekindle that friendship, but…no, Sally could never even begin to understand what Rei was feeling. But, for that matter, could Riley? Riley had been emancipated too, but…there was something about her. She wasn’t fighting this fight for herself, but she was still down in the trenches fighting for girls like Megan. Girls like, it seemed, Rei. Rei dived on her phone like a live grenade as it vibrated. “Hey girl good to hear from you, hows it going?” Rei let out a sigh of relief; part of her had been worried that Riley had only given Rei her number to be nice and didn’t expect Rei to use it. Rei’s fingers danced across her screen. “Tbh it has been a weird night. I was…kinda hoping i could talk to you about it, if that’s okay” Rei was relieved to see the three bouncing dots that told her Riley was typing back appear almost immediately. “Yeah of course, sounds serious, everything okay?” Rei’s fingers remained motionless as she thought through how to respond to that question. Everything was definitely not okay, but…how to explain what had happened? Rei started typing, her fingers flying, as she narrated the events of the evening, starting with coming home. Wait, no, hold on. Rei held down the delete button until what she had just written disappeared. She had to explain the lead up to today, or else Riley wouldn’t really get how things had led up to this point. Rei started typing again, then started deleting before she had finished a sentence. Okay, she thought to herself, just keep it simple. She typed out for words, let her thumb linger over send for a long moment, then let it drop. “My mom spanked me” “Shit. You okay? What happened? And so, for the second time, Rei launched into her retelling of the events of the day. Riley remained silent on her end until Rei finally reached the end of her story. Rei pressed send on her final message and set her phone down to wait for Riley’s response. The burning, stinging sensation on her ass was finally beginning to fade, but the deep muscle ache was still very present. Rei couldn’t help but wonder if her butt would bruise. Riley did not keep Rei waiting for long. “Shit. That’s so fucked up, im so sorry rei. What can I do to help? Do you need me to come get you? You can stay at my place for the night if you need to. We will figure out how to get your re-enrolled in that class, okay? So don’t worry about that.” “No, no, that’s okay…I just needed someone to talk to about it, and tbh I didn’t know who else I could talk to about this. Anyway, there’s no way my mom would let me leave the house tonight and I don’t want to think about what she might do if she caught me sneaking out tonight. As for the class..idk, maybe it’s better I just obey my mom on this one.” “Okay, if youre really sure…” “I’m sure. I just…really needed to tell someone about this that I knew would be on my side, if that makes sense” “Yeah, it does. And rei? Never doubt that I’m on your side.” “Thanks riley. Thanks a lot” Rei smiled weakly and put her phone down. Riley hadn’t been able to make anything tangibly better, but Rei hadn’t expected her to either. Just sharing what had happened and having Riley affirm that it was, indeed, fucked up was enough. That was all Rei had really needed. Well, that was all Rei needed that she was going to get right then. The two continued texting throughout the night, but conversation quickly turned on to other matters. When Rei finally went to bed that night, she fell asleep with her face bathed in the light of her phone screen as her eyes danced amongst those three bouncing dots. When five minutes passed without a response from Rei, Riley started to think the girl had fallen asleep. She had, after all, said she was lying down in bed; it was the obvious assumption for Rei’s sudden silence. When another ten passed and Riley’s phone remained silent, she was quite sure of it. Riley got out of her own bed and, leaving her phone behind, wandered downstairs to find a snack. As she made her way down the stairs, she could hear the murmur of the TV coming from the living room and see the flickering light illuminating the hallway. Riley’s socked feet moved silently over the hardwood floor as she crossed the hallway and entered the living room, where she found her mother sitting in an otherwise dark room with a bowl of popcorn watching what appeared to be some old sitcom. She looked up at her daughter as Riley came into the room and paused the TV. “Hey,” Anne, Riley’s mother, said, “you’re still up. I thought you went to bed a while ago.” “Nah,” Riley said, plopping down on the couch next to her mother, “I’ve just been in my room, texting a friend.” Her mother extended the popcorn bowl towards Riley, who grabbed a handful. “Everything okay?” She couldn’t quite place it, but her daughter had an odd tone in her voice. “Yeah,” Riley crunched down on a piece of popcorn and chewed thoughtfully. “Yeah,” she repeated once she had swallowed, “my friend is just going through some things.” “Sorry to hear that,” Anne replied. “Is this a friend of yours I know?” Riley shook her head, “nah, I just met her recently. She goes to school with me.” When it became clear that Riley wasn’t going to continue, Anne picked the TV remote back up and pressed play, and the two sat in silence watching the TV and munching on popcorn for a long moment. As they watched the show in silence, Riley’s mind drifted back to the whole reason Rei had texted her. Truthfully, Riley had been excited to see Rei’s text; their meeting had been brief, but she felt a connection with the other girl. If she was being honest, she had been slightly sad that Rei was coming to her because she had a problem. It was silly, but she wanted Rei to…well…genuinely want to talk to her. Would Rei had ever texted Riley if this hadn’t happened? Riley knew, however, that this thought was unfair and ungenerous to her new friend. Furthermore, it downplayed the significance of the fact that Rei had trusted Riley enough to come to her with this. Riley was sure the other girl had plenty of other friends she could have gone to. All of this was, of course, overshadowed by Riley’s concern over the implications of Rei’s mother’s actions. Riley knew she was lucky to have a mother like hers; one that respected not only Riley’s adulthood but her personhood as well. The sad truth was, what had started as something practiced by only the most conservative families had become rather mainstream, and most girls had parents who had supported The Hayes Act to some degree or another. There was a reason The Hayes Act had soared through both houses of congress with the most bipartisan support of any bill in recent memory. Of course, not every family went so far as to completely regress their adult daughters to giant infants. This extreme of the spectrum was still, technically, in the minority but large enough that it was considered perfectly normal. Large enough that adult sized baby products and clothes had become big business. Large enough that that they still outnumbered the families on the other extreme of the spectrum who had emancipated their daughters. The majority of families fell in sort of a middle ground that included varying degrees of regression: some families stopped short of fully regressing their adult daughters to babyhood, instead merely regressing them to toddlerhood; some treated them more like elementary age girls; some merely extended their teen years; and, of course, there were those who combined elements from ages to their liking. The fact was that it was estimated that 82.7% of girls ages 18 to 28 wore pull ups or diapers. The fact was that only 8.5% of girls age 18 to 28 were emancipated. The fact was the companies like Kimberly-Clarke and Proctor & Gamble, companies that produced brands like Pampers, Luvs, and Huggies, were raking in record profits. The fact was that their profits had been having exponential growth over the last five years as this movement started gaining traction. The fact was that those rising profits had been reinvested in propaganda and lobbyists. And that’s not even to mention the role of the pharmaceutical companies and private education institutes. The fact was that Riley was well aware of all of these facts; they were ingrained in her memory, and just thinking about them was enough to make her furious. She forced herself to unclench her jaw, then took a deep breath. She willed herself to calm down. It kind of worked. Rei had told her today that her mother was a bit on the fence, but this was a sign that she was picking a side. This was a pretty drastic and pretty sudden declaration. How far would Rei’s mom take it? Were diapers in Rei’s future? Pre-school? Elementary? Maybe Rei would get lucky and her mom would just send her to an extended high school program. Riley hoped that’s all it would be, for the sake of her new friend. But either way, in in the best case for Rei, Riley would lose her. Even if Rei went the way of Jennifer Duffy, being regressed to infancy in some ways while still allowed to attend college, it was only a matter of time before the two couldn’t be friends anymore. Rei was far from the first friend Riley would lose to this trend, and once their parents started dragging them down, it was only a matter of time before they stopped being friends. Sometimes, it was because their mother forbade them from hanging out with Riley, citing her as a bad influence. Sometimes, it was because the other girl couldn’t handle being friends with Riley, either out of embarrassment or jealousy or some other complication. And sometimes, it was because the other girl started drinking the kool-aid and decided Riley was a bad influence on their own. That was how it had been with Jennifer Duffy. Riley didn’t want to lose another friend, especially not one she had just made. “You know,” Anne spoke up suddenly, startling Riley out of her thoughts, “I loved this show when I was a kid. I saw it was on streaming now and decided to rewatch it.” “And?” Riley prompted. “How is it holding up?” Anne chuckled, “not well. I remember it being a lot funnier; but maybe I was just easier to amuse back then. Either way, the show didn’t age well.” Riley snorted a short laugh. “Yeah, well, some things are better left in the past.” Anne looked at her daughter thoughtfully, wondering what was going on in her head. Something seemed to be weighing on her. Of course, it didn’t take a genius to see that Riley wasn’t thinking about TV shows when she had said that. Anne frowned, uncertain what to do for her daughter. Riley was smart and mature and passionate; Anne was proud of all that. She had given her daughter every opportunity she could give her to be independent and seek out her goals, but Anne could only do so much, and the world was against both of them. It couldn’t help that Riley was one of only a select few amongst her peers whose mother gave them such freedom. “Your friend,” Anne said after a long silence, “is she…are her parents…” Anne gestured vaguely, uncertain how to put this euphemistically. “No,” Riley responded, getting the gist of what her mother was trying to say, “at least, not yet. I don’t know. I hope not.” Anne frowned deeper. She knew how many friends Riley had watched have their adulthoods stripped from them. She knew how furious the whole thing made Riley. “You know you can’t interfere, right?” Riley reached over and grabbed a small handful of popcorn. She shoved it in her mouth and chewed silently, staring at the TV. “Right?” Anne said again, louder this time. Riley swallowed pointedly and gave her mother a withering look, “it’s rude to talk with your mouthful.” Anne sighed, “but seriously, okay? Right?” Riley flopped back on the couch, “right, whatever.” “I know it’s hard, Riley. I’m really sorry.” “It’s fucking dumb is what it is.” “That doesn’t make it any less real.” “I know, mom.” “I just worry you are going to get yourself in trouble. Even I can’t protect you if you get in trouble.” “I’m not gonna get in trouble.” “Uh huh, sure, you’re not, little miss Rebel.” Riley rolled her eyes but said nothing. She hadn’t wanted her mother to know she was member of Rebel, much less figure out that she was its founder and leader; she would very much have preferred if that had stayed a secret. But Riley’s mother wasn’t stupid. “I’m serious, Riley,” her mother continued a moment later, her tone dropping to reflect the gravity she intended for her words, “you know I’m proud of what you are doing, but I want you to scale it down, okay? That was dangerous and risky.” Riley just sighed. Her mother hadn’t said anything about the bombing yet, but of course Riley knew her mother knew Riley was behind it. Of course, Riley knew she wasn’t going to stay silent about it forever (how could one stay silent if they knew their child had masterminded an explosive act of domestic terrorism, after all, and Riley was, quite frankly, shocked it had taken her this long), but Riley really wasn’t in the mood to talk about it tonight. “Hey, you listening to me?” Anne pressed. “This is the only way we are going to effect change, mom,” Riley replied calmly. “You are not fighting this fight alone, Riley; let the larger groups with more resources do stuff like that. Stick to vandalism and anti-propaganda, okay? That’s what you are good at anyway.” “We had to do something big, mom!” “No, you didn’t. I told you, if I thought this was getting out of hand, I would revoke your emancipation. It would kill me to do it, but I’d rather you hate me than see you in prison…or worse.” “It’s not getting out of hand.” “You could have killed someone, Riley!” Her mother was trying to keep her voice level, but that one tested her. “We made sure we wouldn’t. We did our research, made sure no one was in the building.” “What if someone had stayed late?” “Well, no one did!” “But, what if?” Anne huffed angrily. Fighting was going to get nowhere. And the truth was, it really wasn’t like Anne disapproved of what her daughter had done, she just didn’t want to see her daughter get in trouble. “Look, I don’t want to fight, okay? But you know what could happen if they catch you, right?” “Yeah, mom, I do.” Best case scenario? Prison. Worst case scenario? Fostered with a family that would send her to some place like Brighter Days Academy where they’d force the kool-aid down her throat. “Are you really willing to risk that?” Kill me if I ever become like that. Those were the words Riley had spoken to Rei just that day. Riley wanted to say yes, that this fight was important enough to her that she’d risk the ego death of complete regression, and maybe there was some part of her that truly was dedicated enough to the ideal to risk it. But the truth was, the bombing hadn’t even been her idea, and she had been against it at first—not out of principle, but out of fear. But it was safer that her mother think it had been Riley’s idea—safer that Anne not know who truly led Rebel. Finally, Riley sighed and gave her mom a half smile, “can we go back to doing robberies?” She was making a joke only she would get; she had been against that too. Anne sighed in exasperation, “You know I didn’t like it when you did that either, but I’d prefer that to this. But I’d really prefer you stick with vandalism and anti-Hayes propaganda.” “Yeah, okay,” Riley agreed, genuinely hoping she could keep her end of that agreement but also genuinely worried she might not be allowed to.

Huh! That's an interesting thing to point out, and I think it says something interesting about how cultural norms would shift in this alternate history. I didn't even think to mention whether Rei was in panties, pull-ups, etc., because, in our world, panties is the default, thus it's assumed that if I don't mention it, that's what she's wearing! But that might not be the default assumption in this world! To clarify, yes, Rei wears panties! In retrospect, I wish I had added a scene of her getting ready so we could clarify that--maybe if I ever do a revised edition XD Thanks for pointing that out; it's an interesting thought!

Most of the world building credit goes to Altered States! The narrative and characters are completely mine, and I'm filling in some holes or putting my own twist on some details here and there, but I really am trying to stay as close to his vision for this world as I can, and I do want to make sure he gets that credit. But thank you for your continued interest!