PamperedPrince

I plan on writing a new chapter this weekend. To everyone who have been waiting for a new chapter, I apologize. I have been busy with trying to transition from part time work to running an online business. Once things transition over, I'll have a lot more time to write. Trust me. This story will get finished, as I would like to return to my other projects as well. Stay tuned everyone... 😃

Chapter 48 Darcy held the Gucci Kids navy blue embroidered dress in her hands. This dress, she thought, was too expensive to celebrate just one night. But an expense that she didn’t have to pay for. Three different times, she asked Mike about the price that he paid for her daughter’s dress, but he just wouldn’t tell her. ‘The price isn’t that important,’ Darcy thought, using his voice. After all, this man that she has been dating wouldn’t even bat an eye at something as trivial as a Gucci Kids dress. That, Darcy knew, was only the tip of the iceberg. Tonight, she would be dining with both him and Charlotte at one of the most expensive restaurants that she has ever eaten at in her life: Pierre’s. Again, she wouldn’t have to pay a penny for the dinner. It would all be on his expense. Charlotte glanced at her mother holding what looked like a very nice dress. ‘Am I wearing that to the dinner?’ Charlotte thought. ‘It looks so nice!’ She was standing in a brand-new Pull-Up, waiting for her mother to dress her. Darcy glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “Charliecakes, this dress came from a very special friend of mine, and you’re going to wear it to tonight’s dinner! What do you think, hun?” Charlotte smiled. “The dress look pretty mommy!” What Charlotte meant to say was “I really like the dress! It looks very pretty, mommy!” Darcy helped Charlotte into the navy blue embroidered dress, being very delicate in getting into it, as she did not want to tear anything on a dress this expensive. After she was in it, she eyed Charlotte up and down and grinned. “Oh, Charlie baby! You look adorable! The friend is going to LOVE it!” Charlotte glanced down at the dress and grinned. ‘I bet it’s a very expensive name brand. Very good taste for clothing this small. Doesn’t look babyish.’ Darcy then asked Charlotte what she wanted to wear for shoes after she dressed her in a pair of white dress socks. Charlotte, of course, pointed to the running shoes. ‘It will be fine,’ She decided in her mind. ‘She’s only a kid, so they won’t critique her on her shoes. Besides, they’re a very expensive brand!’ Darcy then doublechecked her large purse to make sure that she had everything that she needed for Charlotte tonight. For the dinner, she packed two Pull-Ups, a nighttime diaper, baby wipes, Aquaphor, and a small container of baby powder. And if Charlotte needed any entertainment, she would just let her watch videos on her cell phone while she and the other adults talked. Charlotte began to think about this place that her mother was taking her to. ‘Didn’t she say Pierre’s? Didn’t I eat there with Lexi and Maya a couple months ago? I can’t really remember much from that night. I think that I drank too much…’ And even if Charlotte had any memories of Pierre’s, most of them would be fleeting, due to her current age. She glanced down, feeling the softness of the padding of her Pull-Up. She had come a long way from being nearly three decades to merely three years, going on four. Charlotte knew what her friends were telling her in the dream, but she didn’t want to follow their advice. Charlotte knew that the clock was still ticking, and it was only a matter of time before she would cease to exist. ‘I must find the Sky Pendant!’ Charlotte thought. ‘Maybe I’ll find it at Pierre’s?’ Charlotte was gently hoisted into her car seat and buckled in. She felt like a princess wearing a finely embroidered dress, with the white embroidery pattern running from the collar around her chest. A princess on the way to a ball. Only this ball would be a fancy restaurant. Each minute filled Charlotte with more excitement and anticipation. Just who was this friend that mommy was talking about? ‘He had to be very special to give me this nice dress!’ Charlotte decided in her mind. She knew that this dinner at Pierre’s was going to be special. After all, her mother couldn’t stop smiling. ‘Mommy must be very happy about something. Could it be the friend?’ The 4Runner began driving down a road that passed by gated communities, a golf course, a couple luxury hotels, and a few expensive restaurants. Darcy almost missed her turn when she realized the glitzy sign that adorned the property of the restaurant. In very fancy stylized lettering, the word PIERRE’S was proudly displayed across the entrance. She turned in and was almost immediately stopped by a man wearing a tuxedo. The man smiled and glanced at Darcy. “Valet Parking is a service that we offer to every one of our distinguished guests. Can I have your name, please?” Darcy nodded. “It’s Darcy Warren.” The tuxedoed man glanced at his iPad and gave her a nod of approval. “Ah. Miss Warren. It appears that someone has already paid for your valet parking. Please get out and I will gladly park your car. It will be returned to you upon your departure.” Darcy gasped, feeling rather awkward at this kind of treatment. She didn’t want to be rude to the valet parker, so she got out of the car. “Just let me get my daughter out first.” The valet parker gave her a pleasant nod. “Why certainly, Miss Warren! Take your time!” Charlotte was unbuckled from her car seat and picked up by her mother. She then found herself being carried by her mother across the large parking lot towards the elegantly decorated restaurant. Once inside with her mother, Charlotte was immediately captivated by the ambience of the interior of Pierre’s. She could hear Parisian music played by a live band. The mesmerizing classical harmony of the accordion filled her ears as she saw the elegantly decorated décor. Marble flooring, chandeliers, lit candles marking every table, and various adults all finely dressed, dining and conversing between bursts of laughter and merriment. She was still in her mother’s arms, and she was standing behind four other couples. One woman smelled of very strong perfume. Charlotte could smell a similar aroma coming from her mother’s neck. She could feel her mother about to set her down on the floor, but she locked her arms around her mother’s back and clung to her, whimpering. “No!” Charlotte fussed as she felt a creeping anxiety overwhelming her. She didn’t know if it was the restaurant, the atmosphere, or the faint lighting that conveyed the classy ambiance that was starting to become too much for her to take in. Whatever it was, Charlotte knew that her mother was her only means of safety in the moment, so she held onto her for dear life. Darcy laughed, realizing how tight her daughter’s grip was around her. “Well sweetie!” She laughed. “If you don’t want to be let down, mommy will carry you as long as you like!” Charlotte then noticed two of the couples looked back directly at her. She felt self-conscious of being stared at, as if she was going to be judged by them. ‘They’re staring right at me. What is their problem? Do I even belong at a place like this?’ Charlotte glanced around to notice that there was not a single child anywhere else within her field of view. One couple smiled at her, with the woman complimenting her with an “aw”. The man standing next to the other woman didn’t look at all impressed when he saw Charlotte being held in her mother’s arms. “Just what business does that woman have in bringing a baby to this restaurant?” The man growled under his breath. “Just how old is that tyke of terror? Two?” The woman in the pink dress, who could hear her husband’s remark, gave him a gentle nudge in the side. “Excuse me,” she told him. “But you are being rude to that mother and that little girl. Besides, Pierre’s doesn’t have a policy that prohibits bringing children. It’s just highly discouraged.” The husband crossed his arms and growled louder, behaving as if Charlotte was ruining his night. Then he finally pointed his index finger at Charlotte and Darcy. “Excuse me miss, but would you mind taking your two-year-old girl out of this restaurant? I’m sorry if you forgot to get her a babysitter.” Darcy was furious. “First of all,” Darcy said in a stern tone. “That was very rude and disrespectful of what you said. And secondly, Charlotte here is almost four years old. And thirdly, I would appreciate you not speaking to me for the rest of the night!” The woman in the pink dress sighed. “Do excuse him,” she pleaded. “He has no appreciation for children like I do. I actually think that it’s cute that you brought her! Enjoy your dinner!” Charlotte stuck her tongue out at the man and made a raspberry sound. ‘Why thank you for defending me! You tell that bastard!’ Darcy noticed Charlotte sticking her tongue out and scolded her. “Charlotte baby, that is not nice!” ‘Even though I think he’s a total jerk!’ Darcy thought. When it finally got to Darcy and Charlotte’s turn, the female maître d’ stood there behind a fancy wooden booth, glancing at an electronic screen, while focusing on her next customers. “Welcome to Pierre’s!” The black-haired woman said in a warm and pleasant voice. “I am Victoria, your maître d’ for the evening. Can I please have your names?” Darcy nodded. “I am Darcy Warren, and this sweet bundle of joy is my daughter Charlotte Warren.” Victoria smiled and gave a careful glance at Charlotte. “Wonderful, Miss Warren! We don’t usually have too many children frequenting this fine culinary establishment but do have special menus prepared should this rare occasion arise.” Charlotte then glanced at her mother and Victoria, who was pointing at the screen and telling her that she was already under a reservation. Darcy smiled. “He’s already here with her!” “Christina will be taking care of you tonight and all of your wonderful meals will be prepared by our esteemed chef Pierre Bourdeaux. He has earned three Michelin Stars with one of them being at this restaurant in Santa Rosa and the other two being at his restaurants in Paris and Monaco. Christina is on her way and will be escorting you both shortly. Until then, have a wonderful evening at Pierre’s!” Darcy didn’t have to wait too long before a finely dressed woman approached them. ‘This must be Christina!’ “Welcome to Pierre’s.” the blonde woman said with much energy and enthusiasm. “I am Christina, and I will be taking care of you and your party tonight. The first two members of your party have already arrived, and I will take you right to their table.” Christina glanced at Darcy and tapped a few things on her electronic pad. “I will get a special children’s menu for your little one as most of the portions and selections would not suit her palate.” Darcy nodded as she followed Christina with Charlotte in tow. At this point, she could still feel her daughter’s arms dangling around her waist. She had one arm covering Charlotte from her side to her face and the other arm supporting her butt. She followed Christina through the restaurant, seeing smiles from most of the people that noticed her. They passed down a mini corridor which led to a private hallway, leading into a smaller and more private dining area, with tables lined on either side of the aisle. Christina pointed to a table where a man dressed in a tuxedo was sitting. Darcy spotted the man and smiled. “Mikey! We’re finally here! Me and Charliecakes!” Mike smiled and stared at Charlotte. “Charliecakes?” He said with a laugh. “That’s a cute name!” Darcy smiled. “Why thank you, dear! I have just started calling her that since I picked her up this morning!” Christina glanced at both Darcy and Charlotte. “I still need to get her menu. What will I be getting you two to drink? For the little one, we have water, milk, and apple juice.” “Apple juice!” Charlotte shouted. Darcy laughed. “Get her an apple juice and whatever you got for him.” Mike smiled. “That would be a bottle of Pétrus!” Christina smiled. “Why of course! Apple juice for the little sweetheart and Pétrus for you, ma’am. I’ll be right back with the drinks and the menu.” Christina left the table, leaving Darcy, Charlotte, and Mike alone at their table. Darcy sat Charlotte in another seat, which immediately felt more comfortable to her since she was away from the busier part of the restaurant. She eyed Charlotte to get her attention and pointed to Mike. “You see Charlotte? This is my new friend, Mike and we’re going to get married very soon! Do you know what that means, Charlotte? Mike is going to be your daddy!” Charlotte gasped when she glanced at the man that stared at her. ‘A daddy? I don’t ever remember having a daddy. Didn’t mom say that he died from a car accident?’ Charlotte glanced over to see another empty seat next to Mike. “Who sitting there?” She asked, eyeing the chair with curiosity. Mike smiled. “That would be my daughter. She is in the powder room right now and has not returned yet. She’ll be back soon. In the meantime, how are you doing, Charlotte? Do you like preschool?” Charlotte gasped at the very idea of attending preschool. ‘Well, I just became three so I can’t tell him much about that yet.’ Darcy smiled. “She’s learning a lot there. The other day, she colored this wonderful picture for me. She is still experiencing some delays with the potty, but we’re working on that, aren’t we Charrie?” Charlotte nodded as she began to suddenly feel the urge to pee. It was a subtle urge, so she didn’t feel the need to tell her mother yet. She glanced at Mike with curiosity. “Is your daughter lot of fun?” Mike laughed. “Oh, she certainly is, sweet pea. She has actually been looking forward to seeing you. She’s going to be so excited when she sees you sitting there.” Charlotte nodded. “I wanna see her!” “Oh you will,” Mike said, as he glanced at Darcy. “She’ll be out soon.” The minutes passed as Charlotte glanced at her mother talking to Mike. She listened in on the conversation. “So,” Mike said, looking intently at Darcy. “Are you looking forward to the Halloween party? Do you know who you’re going to be?” Darcy sighed. “Not yet, but I’ll think of something. And how about the next day? It looks like we’re getting a heat wave!” Mike grinned as he gave both Darcy and Charlotte equal glances. “I was thinking of a fun camping trip to the Sonoma Coast! It’s not too far away and we can bring the motorhome! I just bought it, and I figured we could get some use out of it. My daughter already knows, and she wants to come too. It would just be for the weekend so we would return on Sunday, since she has school to attend.” Darcy smiled. “Next weekend is going to be fun! I don’t know how I’m going to potty train Charlotte on the camping trip. I guess a few more days in diapers wouldn’t hurt her. After that, it’s back to the potty! And then next weekend is her fourth birthday!” Mike nodded. “I have already bought a few gifts for her. She is going to just love them.” He then glanced at Charlotte. “What do you think about turning four, Charlotte? You’re going to be a big girl!” Charlotte honestly didn’t know what to think. ‘What do I think? I don’t know! I was just seven yesterday! What am I supposed to think?’ Charlotte began to fidget in her seat, feeling the urge to pee become greater and greater by the second. Mike smiled as he glanced at Charlotte. “So are you going to like being a big girl, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded as she squirmed in her seat. “Yeah!” Christina returned, carrying a bottle of Pétrus for Darcy and a small plastic glass of apple juice for Charlotte. Charlotte watched as the waitress sat the cup down next to her. As small as the cup was, it was still a pretty good size compared to Charlotte. Christina handed Darcy the special children’s menu and smiled. “So, will you two be ready to order?” Mike shook his head. “None of us at this table have ordered yet. Plus, my daughter is not back from the powder room yet. Can you please give us a few more minutes?” Christina nodded. “Why certainly, sir! I will be back in a few minutes to get all of your orders.” Christina politely left the table walking away from the aisle until she faded away. Charlotte continued to fidget. She didn’t know why she even bothered to fidget. Maybe she wanted to please the man sitting at the table that would soon be her daddy. And maybe mommy wanted her to use the bathroom soon. She glanced over at her mother, who would’ve easily noticed Charlotte’s fidgeting by now, but she was too mesmerized by Mike and their conversation to even notice what she was doing. Her fidgeting turned into slow shuffles in her seat. ‘Why am I even holding it at this point? I am wearing a Pull-Up! I can just pee in it! My mom can just change me into a new one! I’ll just….I’ll just…” And then a teenage woman was in the distance. She walked closer and closer until she was within her sight. ‘It’s…It’s…her!’ The woman smiled as she approached Charlotte. The woman dressed in a beautiful white Prada floral embroidered dress. She was, someone that Charlotte definitely knew. The woman in the expensive dress. Charlotte then could suddenly remember, and it all came back to her. It was Lauren. Lauren Ashcroft. Best friend forever. That Lauren. Lauren was the daughter of Michael Ashcroft. Michael Ashcroft was the father. Both her mother and Michael were dating, and now they planned on getting married. And worst of all, Charlotte was standing there in a mixture of excitement and surprise as she was peeing her Pull-Up. ‘Aw great. I finally get to see my best friend again and now she gets to see me in a wet Pull-Up!’ Charlotte thought, staring at her friend sheepishly. But all the Pull-Up did was sag between Charlotte’s legs as she saw a growing smile on Lauren. “Is that you, Charlotte?” Lauren said with a smile. “Come over here! I can’t believe I finally get to see you! Hi!” Charlotte felt shy and out of sorts standing next to her best friend, who now towered over her. She could clearly notice the round contours of the mid-length dress. The soft round contours that resembled her friend’s cleavage. Despite her size and age difference, Charlotte tried to put all that out of her mind. ‘This is my best friend!’ Charlotte thought. Sure, they weren’t peers anymore, but that didn’t matter to Charlotte. What mattered was that Charlotte finally got to be with her again. “Guess what, Charlotte?” Lauren said with a smile. “Your mommy proposed to my daddy. Do you know what that means? You’re going to be my little sister! We’re going to be sisters, Charlotte!” Lauren hugged the little girl and picked her up effortlessly, planting her on her lap as she sat down. She could feel the tell-tale squish of Charlotte’s Pull-Up on both of her knees. “Uh oh.” Lauren said, holding out a finger to point at Charlotte as she stared at her. “It looks like somebody had a little accident in their Pull-Up!” Charlotte’s face blushed as she saw her best friend glancing at her with a teasing smile. Sure, Charlotte peed herself by accident when she used to sleep over at Lauren’s house with Monica. But now she was barely four, sitting in a soggy Pull-Up in her best friend’s lap. ‘It doesn’t get any more embarrassing than this.’ Charlotte’s face grew redder as she glanced away from her friend in complete embarrassment. Lauren gasped, trying to have the shy and embarrassed girl look at her. “Aw, you poor girl! How would you like me to help change you into a new Pull-Up?” She glanced at Darcy, noticing the large purse sitting next to her. “May I? My soon to be little sis just peed her Pull-Up.” Darcy laughed. “If you think you can do it, go for it! The Pull-Ups are in the purse, and so are the changing supplies. Oh, why don’t you take the whole purse!” Lauren nodded and grabbed Charlotte by the hand and grabbed the big purse. “Here.” Lauren said, staring at Charlotte. “We’re going to the powder room where I just was, and we’re going to get you into a new Pull-Up, okay Charlotte?” Lauren smiled to try to hide what she knew was a growing anxiety inside of her. ‘Why did I say that I would do this? I know nothing about taking care of kids! Where’s Monica when I need her?’ She increased her smile, which she knew was enough to fool her charge that she was taking to the bathroom. She had to be strong for Charlotte. After all, if she was going to be a good big sister to her, she would have to do everything to play the part, including stepping out of her comfort zone. She then focused on conversing with Charlotte to get the anxiety off her mind. “Charlotte, how do you feel about me being your big sister? You will be my little sister when my daddy marries your mommy. I will have a mommy again and you will have a daddy again!” Charlotte now began to feel a little more comfortable when she heard her best friend talk about being sisters. ‘Little sister. Me? A little sister? And Lauren is going to be my big sister? I’m soon going to live with my best friend, and she’s going to be my sister! This is the best surprise ever!’ She then frowned when she thought of Lauren not having her mother. “What happened to your mommy?” Lauren sighed as she stared at Charlotte. “My mommy got very sick a long time ago when I was little. I was just a little older than you and I couldn’t see her anymore. But she’s in a better place now, and the happiest thing now, Charlotte, is that your mommy will now be my mommy too! We’ll have the same mommy! Won’t that be great?” Charlotte nodded as they both approached a door to what Charlotte guessed was the powder room. ‘Got sick, huh? I know what happened, Lauren. She died. My dad died, too and I never got to meet him! But now, I guess I’ll finally have a daddy.’ She could feel being led by the hand by Lauren into the powder room. Once in the powder room, Charlotte was sat down on the floor. She could see Lauren nervously digging into Darcy’s big purse, pulling out a nighttime diaper. Lauren sighed, giving a frantic stare at Charlotte as she glanced at her expectantly. “No….” She said, glancing at the diaper like she had never held one in her life. “Didn’t she say that there were Pull-Ups in here?” She dug her hand in the purse again to find what felt like a Pull-Up. She stuck the diaper back in the purse and pulled out the Pull-Up. “Here we go! Now Pull-Ups…They’re like underwear, right?” Charlotte nodded as she watched her friend nervously scramble in the powder room, holding the Pull-Up while figuring out what to do next. She couldn’t believe how nervous Lauren was. Why, she was surprised to see her best friend like this. ‘Seriously Lauren, it’s a Pull-Up. Just tear off my wet one and pull on the new one. It’s simple. I have seen mom do this many times with me now.’ Charlotte lifted up her embroidered dress and pointed to the sides of the Pull-Up, trying to help her best friend. “Grab the sides.” Lauren glanced at Charlotte and looked at the sides she was talking about. “What about them, Charlotte? What do you want me to do with the sides?” Charlotte quietly sighed at her nervous best friend. She began to reach for one of them with her small hand and began to tug at it, causing the side to tear. Lauren gasped. “Oh! The sides can tear off? That will be much easier to take this off!” Lauren easily tore off both sides of the leg openings of the Pull-Up and wadded it up. She then found the wipes in the purse and began to wipe Charlotte before grabbing the new Pull-Up. Charlotte gave Lauren a teasing smile. ‘I hope that Lauren knows how to put on underwear. That’s literally all she needs to do now.’ Lauren had Charlotte step into the Pull-Up and pulled it up between her legs. “There you go, Charlotte. Good as new! I’m really not that good at this, am I? If only Monica was here…” ‘Monica would laugh at you.’ Charlotte thought, as she watched Lauren pull the hem of her dress back over to cover her Pull-Up. Lauren disposed of the Pull-Up in the nearby trash bin and then lifted Charlotte up to let her wash her hands since the counter was way too high for Charlotte to reach. She left the water running while she watched Charlotte knead her hands, rinsing the foamy water off. Lauren then washed her own hands before leaving the powder room with Charlotte. As Charlotte was walking back towards the table with Lauren, she could see her smiling. “Charlotte?” Lauren asked her. “Do you like fairies?” Charlotte gasped. ‘Fairies? Is she for real? I’m actually working with one to try and get a wish from her! Mythra!’ She glanced at Lauren, who was patiently waiting for her to answer. ‘Would she actually know where the Sky Pendant is?’ Charlotte then smiled. “I love fairies!” “Well, let’s talk about them when we go back to our table, okay?” Lauren said, giving Charlotte a mysterious smile. Darcy laughed when she finally saw Lauren returning to the table with Charlotte. “There you two are! I thought you got lost!” She gave Lauren a pensive look. “Did you change Charlotte into a Pull-Up or a diaper?” “Pull-Up.” Lauren said in a sheepish voice. Darcy smiled. “Well maybe I’ll have you change Charlotte into a diaper next time. You need some practice if you’re going to be her big sister. Plus, your friend Monica can go circles around you. You told me how good she was at babysitting. You need to be able to babysit her too. She’s going to be your little sister!” Michael gave Lauren a teasing smile. “We had to send our waitress back twice since you weren’t back with Charlotte. But it’s okay! We all know what we want. Just decide what you want, Laurie…” “Lobster Thermidor!” Lauren shouted almost immediately. Michael laughed. “Lauren, you always get Lobster Thermidor every time we go to Pierre’s!” Lauren grinned. “But I like it, daddy!” Charlotte then glanced at the menu, sighing since she realized that the words were written in a language that she couldn’t understand. All the various combinations of letters and words now overwhelmed Charlotte when she looked at the menu. She sighed and looked at her mother. “Mommy, what am I gonna eat?” Darcy smiled. “Charlotte, I have already decided on a couple of things that you would love. On the children’s menu, they have cheesy Au Gratin tater tot crepes and a Chicken Cordon Bleu Croque Monsieur. It’s just a French grilled cheese sandwich with Cordon Bleu Chicken Nuggets! Do you like chicken and ham, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded. “I like ham!” But she frowned when she thought of a crepe. “What’s a crepe, mommy?” Darcy smiled. “It’s like a pancake, so you’re going to love it! This one will be a cheesy pancake with Au Gratin stuffed tater tots! And Au Gratin is just another potato, honey.” Charlotte smiled, gulping down another portion of her apple juice. It was now only half full. Lauren then nudged Charlotte and pointed to her lap. “Over here, soon to be sister!” Charlotte climbed off her chair and approached Lauren, who scooped her up into her lap. She smiled when she glanced at Lauren, realizing how comfortably she could fit in her friend’s lap. It didn’t matter to Charlotte that she was much smaller than Lauren now. What mattered was that she was able to spend time with her again. ‘All we need is Monica and we’ll have the whole gang here.’ She thought as she stared up at Lauren’s smiling face. ‘And she’s going to be my big sister…Well, she already is big for a sister.’ Lauren smiled as she watched her soon-to-be sister Charlotte squint her eyes while she comfortably shuffled in her lap. “Now, do you want to hear about fairies, Charlotte? I’m going to tell you a story about a little fairy girl who became a fairy princess. Once upon a time….” Charlotte smiled as she heard her friend tell a wonderful story about a fairy girl who became a fairy princess. She was surprised that Lauren was so good at telling stories. ‘Wow. You surprised me. All the sleepovers that we had, and you never told any of your stories? I don’t think that Lexi or Maya had any stories like this…’ Charlotte’s eyes began to squint up and down, while Lauren’s calm voice continued the account of the fairy princess girl and her coronation day. Lauren smiled, noticing that Charlotte was fast asleep on her lap. She then felt her lap get warm before pointing at Darcy. “Look mom.” She told her. “She’s fast asleep. I also feel my lap getting warm.” Darcy laughed. “Aw. That’s cute. Charlotte is known to do that when she falls asleep. When she falls asleep in my lap, she will always pee in her Pull-Up or diaper. Don’t wake her. We can just continue talking…Wait! Did you just call me mom? We’re engaged. We haven’t married yet!” She then glanced at Michael. “How do you feel about the wedding? We’re both getting married again after losing the love of our lives. I mean, I still miss Richard. My poor Charlie never got to meet him.” Michael sighed. “I miss Cindy too. So does Lauren. I already told you that she passed away from breast cancer when Lauren was five, right? For a long time, I thought that I would never marry again. But when I met you, all of that changed. You’re different than other women. They only want me for my money.” Darcy nodded. “Michael, I don’t care if you had just as much as Richard. For me, I don’t even look at the money. So, you’re a billionaire? So what? Money’s a good resource, but it’s not the end all be all. But I can say that you have changed my attitude towards rich people. They’re the nicest people that I have ever met!” Michael nodded. “Yes. We’re all very nice and charitable. Most of us, at least. How about a kiss? To this wonderful dinner to celebrate our engagement and you saying yes when I gave you the ring.” Darcy nodded as she cast a lovestruck gaze at Michael. “How could I say no to you, Michael? I love you! In a way, I think that Richard would approve of this. He wanted someone to take care of me, you know? He couldn’t do that anymore so here you are!” Michael nodded. “God sent me into your life for a reason. Now for this kiss…” Lauren smiled as she watched both her father and soon to be mother kiss each other on the lips. “Charlotte? Wake up, honey! Your dinner’s here!” Charlotte found herself still on Lauren’s lap. She got off the chair to realize that her Pull-Up was damp. ‘When did I go? Oh well. I guess that doesn’t matter.’ Her eyes adjusted to her mother, who was pointing to her seat, with two plates covered in brass domes. Her mother removed the first one and Charlotte saw what looked like cheesy pancakes with tater tots poking out. “Pancakes?” Charlotte said, producing a yawn. Darcy shook her head. “No honey. They’re crepes. They’re French pancakes!” Charlotte dug her fork and cut a piece of the cheesy crepe, which was falling apart with the tater tot and scattering on her plate to reveal a little bit of the Au Gratin potatoes. Realizing that Charlotte was having trouble, Darcy began to feed Charlotte her crepe in smaller pieces. Charlotte smiled, experiencing the explosion of cheesy flavor in her mouth with the sweetness of the crepe and crunchiness of the tater tot and soft velvety cheesiness of the Au Gratin potato. It was a delicious flavor melody in her mouth and Charlotte was already looking forward to the next forkful. After Charlotte finished the crepe, Darcy lifted up the brass dome to reveal Charlotte’s next dish, which was the Chicken Cordon Bleu Croque Monsieur. Since it was a sandwich, she let Charlotte eat it herself. Charlotte sank her teeth into the savory grilled cheese sandwich. The melty cheese that was in the Cordon Bleu chicken nuggets oozed out, along with a couple of pieces of ham. ‘This is a good grilled cheese sandwich!’ Charlotte decided. ‘I wonder if mommy will make it at home?’ She began taking bigger bites, enjoying the ham and cheese filled chicken nuggets. Lauren was taking bites of her Lobster Thermidor, and she glanced over to see Charlotte almost finished with her Croque Monsieur. She smiled, very happy that her “little sister” (or soon to be) was enjoying her dinner to the last bite. “Are you enjoying that, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded. “It’s very good!” But Charlotte now realized that she was just holding crumbs of what used to be her sandwich. She found a couple of stray pieces of ham on her plate, along with a couple of globs of cheese that solidified and scooped them into her hands before eating them. Meanwhile, Michael was enjoying a bowl of Bouillabaisse that was cooked to perfection. The savory and spicy seafood in the stew was indeed cooked just long enough and the presentation of it was rather remarkable. Darcy, on the other hand, was helping herself to a bowl of Beef Bourguignon. He saw nothing but smiles from Darcy between bites, indicating her approval of the dish. ‘And I know that my daughter is enjoying her Lobster Thermidor.’ Michael thought as he brought another spoonful of the delectable broth into his mouth. For dessert, Michael placed one order of Crème Brûlée and one order of chocolate éclairs and shared the dessert with everybody. Darcy knew that Charlotte couldn’t eat a whole éclair, so she cut off a third of the éclair and gave it to Charlotte. Charlotte bit into the éclair, tasting the rich cream that oozed out of her mouth and onto her face. “I like this!” Charlotte shouted. “It’s so yummy! What is it?” Lauren smiled. “It’s an éclair, Charlotte. It’s a French pastry that you eat for dessert!” Charlotte also tried the Crème Brûlée. She scooped her spoon into the ramekin and ate the dessert. “This is also good! What is it?” Darcy laughed. “It’s Crème Brûlée, honey. The name is French, and it means ‘Burnt Cream’. It’s a French dessert, sweetie.” Charlotte watched as her mother, Michael, and Lauren all finished their desserts. Christina arrived, holding a large slip of paper contained in a leather bill holder. “Sir, here is your bill. I hope that everything at Pierre’s was to your liking.” Michael grabbed the bill, blocking Darcy from being able to have a glimpse at it. “It was, Christina. Thank you for taking care of us this evening and for another wonderful dinner at Pierre’s. I will be paying with credit.” Michael got out a credit card that was gold-colored and gave it to her, stuffing it into the leather bill holder. Christina nodded. “Thank you, sir. I will be back with your receipt.” Darcy frowned after Christina walked off. “How much was it, Mikey?” Michael smiled. “You didn’t have to pay for this dinner, so there’s no need to worry about it. Let’s just say that it’s more than you would ever spend at a normal place.” Michael then got out his wallet and placed it on his lap, so it was out of view from other nearby tables. Then he got out ten crisp $100 bills and folded them in his hands. Darcy noticed the money he was holding in his hands and frowned. “How much are you tipping her?” Michael sighed. “Again, it’s something that you don’t have to worry about. I like to keep my charitable activity secret in this case, okay? But if you really need to know since you’re going to be my wife…” Michael whispered the amount of money that he tipped into Darcy’s ear. “WHAT?!” Darcy gasped. “Michael, you’re giving her that much?” Michael kindly nodded. “Don’t tell the waitress! I’m just going to hide it in the bill holder when she comes back, okay?” Christina returned with the bill holder and Michael signed the restaurant copy of the receipt. He then took the personal copy and carefully sneaked the folded-up bills into the bill holder. “You’re all set, sir. I hope you had a wonderful evening at Pierre’s. I will inform the valets of your vehicle and hers and they will be waiting for you outside the restaurant. Have a nice evening!” Charlotte was once again in the powder room, but this time with her mother. She was laying on a changing mat that her mother rolled out for her. Her eyes drooped down as she felt the soft padding of a diaper touch her leg. “Legs up, honey.” Charlotte lifted both her legs up as her mother slid the diaper underneath Charlotte, her butt now resting on top of the freshly powdered diaper. She squinted her eyes again to feel the soft aromatic scent of baby powder touch her legs and diaper area as the pleasant smell began to enter her nostrils. She could then feel the waistband being folded between her legs and the snug tightness of the two tapes being fastened at her waist onto the Velcro landing zone. At this point, Charlotte felt tired, but she felt secure. Before this, Charlotte would resent the very idea of wearing a diaper. But now, as she felt the plush and cozy padding around her waist, crotch, butt, and part of her back, it was now a thing of comfort to her. Charlotte was now safe. Safe in her diaper. CLICK! CLICK! Charlotte suddenly awoke to the soft and plush padding of her car seat. She was out of it so much that she didn’t even realize that her mother had just fastened her into her car seat. She glanced around at the dark interior of the vehicle as it began to move. Her mind then returned to the fairy princess story that Lauren told her about. ‘It seems like Lauren knows a lot about fairies! Would she know Mythra? Could she have her Sky Pendant?’ Charlotte continued to wonder about these things as she sank deeper into the plush car seat. *** “Commander Charlotte! Commander Charlotte! Are you there?” Charlotte glanced over and noticed that Bobo was waving at her. Bobo smiled. “Good! I just wanted to know that you were still there. We have already arrived at the passage to the underground cave. We’re just waiting for the current to lessen.” An Bylantian soldier nodded. “That is correct. Every seven days, the current stops for a half hour. That will be your critical time to enter the cave. Make any necessary preparations now as the current is about to stop.” Bobo then glanced at Charlotte with a look of avoidance indicating a trace of reluctance on his face. Charlotte could tell that something was wrong with her best friend. “What’s wrong, Bobo? Go ahead. You can tell me.” Bobo pointed to Charlotte. I don’t want you to get upset, Charlotte, but I had to do it. While you were sleeping, I placed you in the Durable Interspace Attire Pressurized Extra Resistant Spacesuit.” Charlotte nodded. “The D.I.A.P.E.R.S., Bobo? If something like this is absolutely needed for this mission, I have no objections to the suit.” Bobo let out a sigh of relief. “Good Commander Charlotte. I have run some simulations while you were sleeping and it seems that the D.I.A.P.E.R.S. passed those tests. Should you be dealing with extra water pressure, Charlotte, that suit will be able to handle it.” Charlotte glanced at her suit and smiled. “That’s good, Bobo. I’m very glad that I placed you in charge of research!” The Bylantian soldier pointed outside and gasped. “Now is the time, Charlotte. The current has stopped, and you have one half hour to enter the cave. Otherwise, the strong current will push you back out!” Charlotte nodded and opened the lid inside the sub, which resembled a small circular pool. “I’m going in. Wish me luck!” Bobo nodded. “I will be tracking your position and will send you a rescue team if I see you stop moving.” Charlotte frowned. “What about the current, Bobo?” Bobo sighed. “That’s the thing, Charlotte. If you are stuck in the cave, it will take a week to send the next rescue team! Be careful and hang in there!” Charlotte nodded. “I’ll be back with the ancient treasure!” Charlotte dove into the pool and sunk down through a chute that led outside of the Bylantian submarine. Charlotte used her thrusters on her suit and blasted into the entrance of the cave. Once inside the cave, Charlotte emerged out of the water, finding nothing but a dark and rocky surface. She pressed another button on her suit, which turned a light on by her helmet. Charlotte could now hear the strong hiss of the current. “I guess there’s no turning back.” Charlotte said to herself. Charlotte spent the next couple of hours walking through the dark cave, her light illuminating the way. Her path ended when she found what looked like a lake within the cave. She dove into the lake, her D.I.A.P.E.R.S. automatically adjusting to the increase in pressure. Then, the lights in Charlotte’s suit flickered out. “Oh no.” Charlotte could then feel the pressure increasing in her suit as she continued to sink deeper into the underground lake. ‘Pressure…increasing…How much air do I have left?” But it was too dark for Charlotte to see her oxygen levels. And almost immediately, Charlotte began to gasp for air. “No…This is it…..I’m going to drown…..And I never even got to find the treasure!” Charlotte gasped deeply for air as she found each breath harder and harder to take. Knowing that her fate was sealed, Charlotte hung her neck forward, preparing to take her very last breath.

Chapter 47 Charlotte stirred around in her bed, which was a large air mattress in Heather’s room. Something woke her up, and she couldn’t figure out what it was. As Charlotte glanced up at the ceiling, everything around her began to spin. ‘Ugh….What’s going on? Getting very dizzy…” Charlotte got very dizzy and lightheaded, falling back asleep in seconds. *** Charlotte woke up to see a glint of sunlight and hear the birds chirping outside. She found Bobo laying next to her and clutched him around her arms. When she sat up, she heard a soft rustling against her pajamas, and a cold squishiness around her crotch and butt. She then frowned. ‘I forgot to use the potty last night. I need to check my Pull-Up to see if the xylophone is still there.’ But then Charlotte pulled down her pajama bottoms, she saw two tabs keeping her weird Pull-Up from pulling off. ‘Wait a second. I am not wearing a Pull-Up?’ Charlotte then remembered what she did last night. She walked through all the details in her mind. ‘I did it. I pooped in my Pull-Up and Jess changed me into a diaper. That’s why I’m wearing a diaper now, I guess. I’m a bad girl.’ And that was only the tip of the iceberg. Charlotte had a faint recollection of peeing on the couch when she was 15 and babysitting Heather. Instead of fessing up to her Aunt Darlene, she blamed Heather and threw her under the bus. As a result, her Aunt put Heather back in diapers. ‘Is this why? I used to think how much freedom I had when I was an adult. I thought nothing of it when Heather pooped her Pull-Up. But now…I did it. I’m a bad girl…” Charlotte couldn’t even hear Heather. She frowned, her eyes darting around the room, trying to find her cousin. ‘Where is she? Is she already up? How long did I sleep?’ Charlotte got up from the air mattress, feeling her soggy diaper sag between her legs and her butt. “I want a Pull-Up.” Charlotte said. “I wanna be big girl and do it myself!” Charlotte felt something was off. ‘I wanna be big girl? Why didn’t I say “A big girl”? This is stupid. “This stupid.” Charlotte said out loud. Charlotte glanced at the air mattress to notice that it was considerably larger than it was from last night. ‘Did my Aunt Darlene put me in a bigger air mattress?” Charlotte approached the door to find herself just below the doorknob. ‘That’s weird. Just last night, I was taller than the doorknob. Did my aunt get a new door while I was sleeping?’ Charlotte glanced around, looking for her overnight bag. ‘It’s probably in the bathroom.’ Charlotte reached her arm up to grab the doorknob. She turned the knob and walked backward, opening the gigantic door. Charlotte then walked across the hallway and approached the bathroom to find the door open just a crack. ‘Good! It’s already open!’ Charlotte passed through the door and closed it. Charlotte was in awe at the bathroom door. ‘Another bigger door. Did my aunt and uncle install all these doors overnight?’ She glanced at the bathroom counter, where she was just barely taller than the counter now. ‘Wow! They must have been busy last night to install all this!’ Then Charlotte glanced forward to see a giant porcelain chair. As she began to stare into it, she could hear some water swirling and spinning. “Sit on me.” The white chair boomed. Charlotte backed away, gasping. ‘A talking chair?’ Charlotte’s confusion continued as she gazed ahead at the large oval lid that covered the seat. ‘Is that the mouth?’ “Sit on me.” The white chair boomed again. Charlotte was now feeling chills running down her spine. ‘This chair…It wants me to sit on it. I won’t! I will not sit on you!’ “I no sit on you!” Charlotte repeated, immediately realizing how different her words sounded out loud. Just then, the light switch turned on, and Charlotte could feel two arms scoop her up from behind. It was…Mommy. And right then and there, Charlotte felt an overwhelming urge to be held by her mommy. Charlotte acted on every one of these instincts, feeling the warmth of her mother’s arms supporting her. “Mommy! Mommy!” “There you are!” Darcy said with a smile. “I was just about to get you up! The bedroom door was already open, so I began to look for you. Did you have a nice sleepover?” Darcy lovingly pat Charlotte on her diapered bottom. Charlotte reflectively giggled as she fondly stared into her mother’s eyes. ‘Yeah, it was good. The sleepover was good, mommy.’ But what came out of Charlotte’s mouth was different. “The sleepover good mommy.” Darcy then gave Charlotte a suspicious smile. “And were you a good girl, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded. “I a good girl mommy!” Darcy gave Charlotte another pat on her diapered butt. “You were for the most part, hun but you had a little accident last night. You pooped in your Pull-Up. It’s a good thing that mommy packed a diaper for you. Heather’s diapers would’ve been way too big on you.” Charlotte gasped. Too big? No. Her aunt and uncle had to have done some remodeling or something. But as she glanced at her mother, she looked much bigger than she remembered her. ‘Did my mommy get taller?’ Darcy carried Charlotte downstairs to the kitchen, where Daniel, Darlene, Heather, and Allison were all eating breakfast. “The sleepyhead is finally up. I found Charliecakes snooping in the bathroom. Maybe she wants to use the potty? I will need to get her out of her diaper and into a new Pull-Up.” Both Daniel and Darlene laughed at this, with Charlotte looking clueless as to why they were laughing. Charlotte was sat down in a chair that looked even bigger to her than before. ‘A bigger chair? Did they remodel the whole house?’ Heather then ran up to Charlotte and smiled. “Did I help last night? Did the tummy ache go away?” Darcy smiled. “It should be gone, sweetie.” She then turned to Darlene, waving her finger at Charlotte as she talked. “That’s right. Jess told me that last night, Charlotte had a horrible tummy ache. After she pooped, she was fine. But Charlotte was a ‘bad girl’ because she pooped in her Pull-Up!” Darcy said in a teasing voice. This resulted in the adults laughing again. Heather pulled Charlotte out of her seat, which made Charlotte fall onto the floor, butt first. “Let’s go play Barbies!” When Charlotte stood up, she noticed that Heather was now taller than her. Then the reality hit her. ‘This can’t be.’ Charlotte thought. ‘Did I really get younger? Is Heather actually older than me now?’ Darlene sighed. “You need to finish eating breakfast, dear. And Charlotte has to eat! Get back in your chair and finish your breakfast.” Heather got back in her chair and Charlotte got back in hers. Darlene got Charlotte a plate of half a strip of bacon cut into tiny pieces with tiny pieces of sausage, a little portion of eggs, and pieces of toast. “Can you believe it, Darlene? It is now less than two weeks until Charlotte’s fourth birthday!” Charlotte gasped, almost choking on her bacon pieces. ‘Did she just say FOURTH BIRTHDAY? That means…I’m not even four yet!’ Charlotte tried to figure out how many years this was, considering that her math skills were beginning to deteriorate fast. ‘Let’s see. I was seven last night and now, I’m…three? Oh no! If I get younger again, will I even be an infant? I might…*gulp* Disappear….’ The despair from regressing four years overnight began to eat away at Charlotte’s mind. Instead of taking another bite of bacon, Charlotte began to play with the food, mushing all the pieces together. Charlotte didn’t know what she was doing, nor did she care. She was running out of time. Her shock at discovering her new age was the only thing on her mind right now, so she paid no attention to her arms beginning to mush the food up and down. Darcy took the plate of food away and frowned at Charlotte. “Charlie dear, you need to eat your food, not play with it.” What her mother just said could’ve just gone through one of Charlotte’s ears and out the other. She just wasn’t paying attention to what her mother was saying right now. ‘I dropped four more years overnight! Where is that Sky Pendant? I need to make that wish, and soon!’ Charlotte began to whine out of frustration from her predicament. Darcy sighed. “I really don’t know what your problem is, Charlotte. Here. If you’re just going to play with your food and fuss, mommy’s going to feed you. Okay? Is that okay, my baby?” Darcy placed Charlotte in her lap and began feeding Charlotte her randomly assorted pieces of her “breakfast casserole” to her. Charlotte, although an unwilling participant, sat there with resentful eyes while her mother fed her. It just didn’t matter. What mattered to Charlotte was her getting back to normal. Getting the wish from Mythra in exchange for her Sky Pendant. But where was it? Where would she even begin to look? “There you go, Charliecakes,” Darcy said, smiling as she watched her daughter chewing all the food that she fed her. She glanced at Darlene, giving her a confused look. “I really don’t know what’s wrong with Charlotte. She hasn’t been like this at preschool!” Darlene sighed. “Could it be growing pains? Heather has grown a lot over the past year!” Darcy nodded. “I don’t know if it’s that. Charlotte has grown almost three inches since last year! She has a pediatrician appointment the Monday after her fourth birthday.” Again, Charlotte heard the words “fourth birthday” and they stinged her heart like a poison arrow. ‘I am not four! I am…how old? Some number greater than twenty? Urghh…Why can’t I think of it?’ For just a split second, Charlotte could see the number 30 appear in her mind. ‘That’s it! It’s supposed to be my thirtieth birthday! Not fourth!’ Charlotte was so deep and lost in her thoughts that she just finished her last bite of her “breakfast casserole” that she mushed together. Darcy gave Charlotte a pat on her forehead. “Good job, Charlie Char! That diaper of yours feels pretty soggy so let’s get you cleaned up and into a Pull-Up!” Charlotte was glad that her mother was cleaning her up, as she was now unable to even reach the handle to turn on the shower. She watched as her mother lathered her hair and body before washing everything off. After Charlotte was all dried off with a towel, Darcy Sat Charlotte on the toilet seat, steadying her legs so that she wouldn’t fall into the toilet. “C’mon Charlotte!” Darcy said, with a patient and encouraging voice. “Go potty for mommy!” Charlotte sighed. ‘Really mom? Can you just give me my privacy? I can’t go with you watching me!’ But Darcy remained there, intently watching Charlotte until she saw anything resembling Charlotte using the potty. Darcy then snapped her fingers in excitement. “Aha! We’ll sing the Potty Time song! Sing it with me, Charlotte!” Charlotte watched her mom sing the whole song while she watched: “Potty time, it’s time to go Potty time, just let it flow Potty time, check the bowl and wow! Look at me mommy! I’m a big girl now! Potty time, hear the tinkle sound Potty time, we’re just sitting around Potty time, oh I think we’re done Using the potty is just so much fun! Potty time, now it’s time to flush Potty time, hear the water rush Potty time, now it’s time to say yay! I will use the potty each and every day! Potty time, now let’s wash our hands Potty time, it is never bland. Potty time, you better dry them good! I will use the potty just the way I should.” Charlotte sighed at her mother as if she had lost her mind. ‘REALLY MOM? A potty song? How is a stupid song like that going to make me go potty?’ Darcy sang the song a couple more times while Charlotte remained sitting on the toilet, looking bored. ‘Okay mom!’ Charlotte thought. ‘You can stop singing the song! It’s not working!’ No sooner did that thought leave Charlotte’s mind when she suddenly felt a strong urge in her bladder. And then, Charlotte heard the sound of something splashing into the toilet. ‘You have got to be kidding me!’ Darcy smiled. “It worked, dear! It worked! Every time we sing the potty time song, you go potty! That’s another win for the Potty Time song!” After Charlotte finished going, Darcy helped her finish up, while continuing to sing the Potty Time song. She dressed Charlotte in a Pull-Up and a pink shirt with ruffled sleeves. Her pink skirt also matched her shirt, along with her pink socks. Both Charlotte and her mother walked out of the bathroom. Charlotte noticed her mother looking very excited. “Charlotte used the potty!” Darcy shouted. “We sang the Potty Time song and Charlotte started going potty!” Charlotte gave her mother a quiet sigh. ‘You did, mom. I didn’t sing the stupid song!’ Darlene smiled. “You sang the song? I love that song! I sang it with Heather for a while before her little set back began.” Darlene then glanced at Charlotte, trying to keep her in good spirits. “How old are you going to be, Charlotte?” Charlotte sighed. “Four.” Darcy then continued the quizzing. “And what month is your birthday, Charlotte?” “Nuvembah!” Charlotte answered, feeling awkward right after she said it. ‘No no no! It’s November! Can’t I even pronounce words correctly anymore?’ Darcy smiled. “Yes Charlotte. It’s November!” Charlotte gave her mother a tired stare. ‘Yeah mom. That’s what I just said!’ Just minutes later, Darcy was gathering up Charlotte’s things and stuffing them into the overnight bag. Darcy held Charlotte by the hand and glanced at Daniel and Darlene. “Both me and Charlie Bee need to get going.” Darlene smiled. “You’re getting ready for the big night, right?” Darcy grinned. “Yeah.” She then froze as a happy tear began to roll down her cheek. “Last night, I told him yes!” Both Darlene and Daniel nodded. “We were there, Dar.” Darlene said with a smile. “So, you’re going to Pierre’s?” Darcy happily nodded and pointed at Charlotte. “Yes, and Charlotte’s coming too!” Daniel looked happy. “That’s great! You won’t need a babysitter! Is the daughter coming?” Darlene laughed. “What kind of question is that, Danny? Of course she’s coming!” She glanced at Darcy and smiled. “He’s a good man. He’ll take good care of you. Now what are you doing tomorrow?” Darcy glanced at Charlotte. “I’m taking Charlotte to another model shoot. I’ve been taking her every week for a month now. You should see her, Darlene. She’s a natural!” Darlene sighed. “What am I going to tell Heather? She’ll want to come.” Darcy laughed. “Then take her! I’m sure the agency would love to see her.” Darlene scratched her head. “Uh huh. So what clothing is Charlotte modeling?” “Carters,” Darcy answered. “It’s a children’s apparel company.” “Dar,” Darlene sighed. “I know what Carters is. What do you think I have both Heather and Ally wearing? More than half their clothes are Carters!” “Then Heather would be perfect!” Darcy told her. “Heather can do older toddler/preschool girl clothing. Charlotte has been mostly modeling baby clothing since she still fits in 24 months.” “I know,” Darlene told her. “I gave you most of Heather’s hand me downs when she began to outgrow them. 24-month clothing and she’s almost four! What a lucky little girl. So, we have our girls model, and then what?” “I think that we should take them bowling,” Darcy suggested. “It will be fun for both Charlotte and Heather. Don’t you think?” Darlene picked up Allison and nodded. “Let’s do it. Danny can watch Ally again, won’t you honey?” Daniel nodded. “It will be another fun night with my little peanut.” Darlene pointed at the door. “Go! I know how long it’s going to take for you to get ready. Have a fun dinner! See you tomorrow!” Charlotte walked back home with her mother, still filled with worry and uncertainty from the latest reality shift. Her little mind struggled to gather all the new details regarding herself. ‘Let’s see.’ Charlotte thought as she carefully kept pace with her mother. ‘I am three years old now, going on four. And now I’m modeling baby clothing?’ Charlotte knew that she would be attending a new school as part of her new age. ‘Now my mom mentioned a preschool. Which one is it?’ As Charlotte thought about it, she began to smile, knowing that she wouldn’t have any difficult school subjects to deal with anymore. ‘No more English, no more math, no more Science, no more Social Studies! I can now play all day with other kids!’ Charlotte returned to thinking about the other details regarding her regression. ‘So I’m going to be four soon. What else? Well, I am quite smaller. And it looks like we’re going to some guy named Pierre! Wait!’ Charlotte’s mind paused in that very moment. “Pierre. Pierre’s. Where did I hear that before? Why does it sound so familiar?’ Before Charlotte could even think of the answer to the question, her mother was opening the front door to the house. Right after Darcy opened the door, she pressed a few buttons to prevent the security system alarm from going off. Charlotte glanced at the panel. ‘Is that some security system? I wonder if I never got kidnapped…’ This may have very well have been the truth, since the past events regarding the kidnapping were beginning to vanish from Charlotte’s memory. Darcy carried Charlotte all the way upstairs and sat her down in her bedroom. “You go play, Charlie Darlie. Mommy’s got some things to do before tonight. Plus, there will be some fun surprises. If you need anything, please let mommy know, okay?” Darcy kissed Charlotte on the forehead and left Charlotte’s bedroom. Charlotte glanced around her room to notice some big differences. One of the biggest noticeable differences was her bed. Instead of her little girl bed, it was now a toddler bed, which was still very spacious for her. Her My Little Pony Backpack was gone, and a pink heart-shaped backpack was there instead. Charlotte walked over to her dresser. While it was pretty much the same dresser, it was noticeably bigger, since Charlotte was smaller. Charlotte couldn’t even reach the top shelf, so she grabbed a chair and stood on it to open it. Charlotte’s training underwear and Goodnites were gone. In its place were Pull-Ups in one drawer and nighttime diapers in another drawer. A pack of baby wipes, Aquaphor, and baby powder were sitting on top of the dresser with a changing mat sitting on the floor near the dresser. The changing mat was a greenish blue with white star patterns all over it. Charlotte saw that her dollhouse was still there, with a couple of Barbies sitting out. There was an even larger pile of stuffed animals in the corner. Charlotte fished through the pile, hoping to find the one that she was looking for. It was then that she darted her eyes toward her toddler bed to see one stuffed animal that was lying there. It was a stuffed teddy bear. Bobo. “Bobo!” Charlotte shouted, hugging her stuffed friend. She forgot that her mother had already unpacked her overnight bag and sat Bobo right on her bed. Considering how troubled and distracted she was at being a new age, this was an easy detail for her to overlook. Charlotte then walked over to a small table with coloring books and crayons laying on it. She picked up her pink heart-shaped backpack next to the table and unzipped it, wondering what kinds of things she would be learning in preschool. Charlotte pulled out activity books, at least one coloring book, and a Ziploc bag filled with a large box of crayons. In another pouch, she found a Walmart plastic bag with CHARLOTTE WARREN written in a black Sharpie. Inside the bag was what looked like a change of clothes. Also in the extra pouch there were four Pull-Ups. But Charlotte found one more notebook in the main pouch of her backpack. It looked so familiar, and Charlotte knew that she had seen it before. The only problem was that it was now written in a language that Charlotte could not understand. Although they were all Roman letters, they could’ve been Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic, Arabic, Hebrew, or even Greek letters and it wouldn’t make any difference to Charlotte. ‘What does this all say?’ Charlotte said in frustration, trying to figure out the meaning of the Roman letters that all read SUPER SLEUTH CHARLOTTE’S MYSTERY NOTEBOOK – For solving The Mystery! She leafed through all the pages that detailed her tragic chronological decline in age. If Charlotte could read any of the words, she would clearly see the despair that she had dealt with for each one of the episodes of regression that she had experienced. But now, she was feverishly leafing through the pages like she was trying to read an Ancient Greek manuscript. ‘I can’t read any of the words!’ Charlotte said with frustration. “I can’t read the words!” was the only thing she could say as a three year old going on four. She flipped to the most recent page, which was blank and right after her frustrated rant that she left that was dated October 14th. Charlotte glanced at her crayons and coloring books on her table. ‘I can still color! If I can’t write, I will make pictures!’ Charlotte took her chair that was near her dresser and moved it back to the table. She took her mystery notebook and sat down in the chair. She took out her crayons and she went to work. Charlotte began drawing a picture of herself finding the Sky Pendant. She used the peach color for her skin and the black color for her hair. She spent a lot of time trying to get all the details right. Her dress, her eyes, her cute little button nose, and her bright smile as she held the necklace in her hands. Charlotte was just about to finish the picture, but something was missing. The Charlotte in the picture did not have anything on her feet yet. ‘The running shoes! I have to draw them on her!’ Charlotte noticed the pair of running shoes sitting next to her dresser, since she kicked them off after her mother sat her in her room. Charlotte held them and smiled. Despite her regression, the shoes still fit her feet perfectly. She studied the shoes and began to gather the right colors to draw them in the picture. She found the right pink to use and settled on a black to use for the outline of the shoes and a white crayon for the other prominent color in her shoes. She used a tan color for the soles and she did her best to try and draw all the little contours and curves that went into the woven design of the shoes. She used a light and a dark pink, noticing that her shoes used more than one pink. As Charlotte continued to draw her picture, she began to slouch forward. She then drifted off. Charlotte, still feeling very drowsy, woke up in a very fancy bed. She stood up, immediately noticing how different she was. All her womanly features were back as she glanced around and took in her surroundings. “My bedroom!” Charlotte gasped. “I’m back in my mansion at Beverly Hills, aren’t I?” She then glanced at everything, eyeing every detail with pure skepticism. “This isn’t real. I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” “You said it!” A familiar voice shouted. Just then, Charlotte saw a woman entering her room. “Lexi! What are you doing here?” Lexi laughed. “Charlotte, the question is ‘What are YOU doing here’? Just look at yourself, all stuck in the past. When are you going to focus on the future?” Charlotte scowled. “What future, Lexi? I have no future! Haven’t you seen me? I’m almost four years old! I’m afraid if I get any younger, I will cease to exist!” “Now you’re talking crazy, Char.” Another familiar girl walked in. “Crazy?” Charlotte laughed. Maya, look at me. I’m talking to both of you in a dream!” Lexi sighed. “Charlotte, what I think she’s trying to say is to not worry about the future! Seriously, do you know how lucky you are right now? Oh, how I wish that I could relive my childhood days!” Charlotte scornfully laughed. “Is that so? Would you like to trade places with me, Lex? Why don’t you see how hard it is to live in The Twilight Zone!” Maya smiled. “It doesn’t work that way, Charlotte. You’re the dreamer, stuck in the past. And what were you drawing? Were you finding some kind of necklace?” “Yes Maya,” Lexi told her. “A Sky Pendant. Charlotte wants to meet a fairy queen named Mythra and return her pendant to get a wish!” Both women filled the room with laughter. “Both of you, stop!” Charlotte shouted. “It’s not fucking funny!” Lexi sighed and gave Charlotte a serious look. “What are we supposed to do, Charlotte? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” Charlotte sighed. “What am I supposed to do, Lex? I have tried everything to figure out why I’m aging backwards. Everything always changes around me and there’s nothing that I can do to stop it. How do I get back to normal? How do I get my life back?” Lexi pointed to Charlotte’s bed. “Sit down, Charlotte. Let’s sit down.” Charlotte sighed and sat down with her best friend. Lexi spread out her hands. “This room. Everything that you see around you. This is what you want back, right?” Charlotte nodded. “Yeah. I want it all back, Lexi! Everything! Why can’t I get it back?” Lexi sighed. “Charlotte, I think that you’re missing the point.” Charlotte scowled and let out a deep sigh. “What am I missing, Lex?” Lexi exchanged glances with Maya and nodded. “Charlotte, I want you to consider this. What if you’re not supposed to get it all back?” Charlotte let out a frustrated growl. “So, what now? Do I continue to live my life as it is and cease to exist? What kind of life is that? It’s a life leading to nowhere!” “No, it’s not, Charlotte.” Maya argued. “Then explain it to me, Maya.” Charlotte told her. “How is it not a life leading to nowhere?” Maya grinned. “Think of your mom! Think of your friends! What are all the good things that you have going for you right now?” Lexi nodded. “Maya’s right. You need to count your blessings, Charlotte. Also consider that wonderful advice that your mother gave you. Do you remember any of that?” Charlotte gasped as she began to hear all of her mother’s sage advice repeat in her mind. “Charlotte honey, you are growing up. And as you grow up, you are going to experience difficult changes in your life. Changes that you can’t control and changes that you can’t explain. You are going to get very frustrated at these changes. But don’t dear. You are a runner, Charlotte. And as a runner, I tell you to do this as your mother. While these changes that you can’t control or explain are obstacles, you may try to run through them. You may try to run around them. You may try to run past them. But don’t. Let the obstacles catch up with you. And when they do, accept it. Accept all of it. Because when you do, you will find yourself to be a lot better. You will be happier. You will be braver. You will be wiser. You will be stronger. And in that place, you will find true peace and happiness. You will find true happiness and joy when you let your obstacles catch up with you and you accept all of them into your life.” Charlotte sighed, as both Lexi and Maya began to cast expectant looks on her. “Well?” Lexi asked Charlotte. “Do you remember what your mom said?” “Yes!” Charlotte shouted in frustration. “Let the obstacles catch up with me and accept all of them.” Lexi nodded. “And don’t run around them or past them, Charlotte. Every one of these ages that you are revisiting is an obstacle for you. Let them catch up with you and accept them, Charlotte.” Charlotte gave Lexi a mischievous look. “And what if I don’t, Lex? What if I want to find the pendant and get my wish from Mythra?” Lexi sighed. “Then you just get this dream where two of your best friends try and give you advice. The past is all you care about, Charlotte. Let go of the past, and let the future happen to you. Live in reality, and not a fairy tale. Remember Charlotte. Ignorance is bliss. If you’re not going to listen to us, we’ll just leave you in your blissful ignorance. Let’s go, Maya. There’s no changing her mind.” Maya sighed as she glanced at Charlotte. “Enjoy your pitiful bliss, Charlotte.” Both her friends left her bedroom, and Charlotte smiled as she walked toward her vanity. Charlotte took a look in the mirror, but for some reason, she couldn’t see her actual reflection. Instead, she saw a three-year-old girl staring back at her. “I guess the looking glass is showing me reality,” Charlotte sighed. “Is that who I really am?” The reflection then changed to her mother. “Charlotte? It’s time to get ready for tonight. Charlotte? Charlotte?” Charlotte sat up, feeling her mother still trying to shake her awake. A pile of crayons fell off her lap and onto the floor. Darcy glanced at Charlotte and smiled. She was in a beautiful white dress with plenty of makeup on. “Charliecakes, did you have a good nap? It looks like you were trying to draw a picture! I’ll look at it later when you’re done with it, honey! Now, we’re going to a very fancy restaurant so I’m going to help you get ready, okay? She felt underneath Charlotte’s skirt and sighed as she traced her fingers along the soggy underside of Charlotte’s bulgy Pull-Up. “You’re going to need a new Pull-Up, Charlotte.” Then, her face lit up with a smile. “You’re going to just love tonight, Charlotte.” Charlotte stared at her mother in confusion. ‘Just what am I going to love about tonight? What’s going to happen, besides eating at a fancy restaurant?’ “You’re going to love it,” Darcy told Charlotte, who was giving her some kind of shy stare. “We’re eating at Pierre’s!” Just like that, it hit Charlotte. The name. Pierre’s. It was…It was… The restaurant. The restaurant that Charlotte went to with Lexi and Maya. Pierre’s. ‘We’re going to Pierre’s? That one?’ Charlotte now looked forward to the evening and began to wonder what she was going to love so much about tonight. Could it be the food? A large bead of saliva began to run down Charlotte’s face. “Oh honey!” Darcy said, letting out a light chuckle. “You’re drooling.” She took a tissue and wiped the drool off Charlotte’s face. It was now time to get her daughter ready, as this was going to be a very special dinner. A night to celebrate and a night to remember.

Indeed. Karma had to pay her back. Considering Charlotte's negligence, which led to Heather's poopy Pull-Up (which was eons ago in Chapter 5), you could say that karma paid Charlotte back twice.

Chapter 46 “Surprise, Charlotte! I am so happy to be babysitting you tonight! Over here, my Junior Track champion…” Charlotte slowly approached Jess, feeling strangely apprehensive about her friend’s new role. Running with her in Junior Track was one thing. But now, she’s the babysitter. ‘I don’t know what to think.’ Charlotte thought with a quiet sigh. Jess approached Charlotte faster and gave her a hug. “Hey Charlotte! Let’s get inside, okay? Are you going to be my big helper tonight? This is what you need to do if you’re going to babysit like me someday…” Darcy pointed at Charlotte and smiled. “Jess, Charlotte had a rough day at school today so she might be a little tired.” Jess nodded. “Okay.” Jess studied Charlotte, noting her denim blue skirtalls, pink shirt, pink socks, and running shoes. “Oh. You brought the shoes, Charlotte? Heather really likes to run so maybe we can all do a little running before dark! So, Charlotte is wearing the Pull-Ups now, Miss Warren?” Darcy nodded. “Yes. She’s been soaking her Goodnites a lot and I want her to get back to using the potty again. For the sleepover, I decided to try the nighttime Pull-Ups, just to be a little more consistent. See if they work and if they leak, I have an extra overnight Pull-Up with plastic pants.” Jess sighed. “Didn’t you already tell me all this over the phone, Miss Warren? There is not a thing that you need to worry about. Charlotte is under my wing tonight and she’s going to be a good helper! Won’t you, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded, still feeling strange about her running friend in Junior Track babysitting her. “I will. I’ll do a good job!” Jess smiled. “You will, Charlotte!” She glanced back at Darcy. “So go and have fun with Mr. and Mrs. Baker and your friend!” Jess then pressed her hand underneath Charlotte’s skirtalls, feeling a noticeable sag in Charlotte’s Pull-Up. “It looks like Char already needs a new Pull-Up. What did you drink, Charlotte? The Pacific Ocean?” Darcy gasped. “I just changed her into a new Pull-Up! Talk about bad timing…Okay. I’m heading out with Daniel and Darlene. Have fun!” She then glanced at Charlotte. “Be a good helper for Jess, okay?” Darcy gave Charlotte a kiss on the forehead and closed the door, leaving Charlotte with Jess. Jess then took the overnight bag and guided Charlotte to the bathroom, where Heather jumped out in front of them. “Boo!” Heather said, giving both Charlotte and Jess a funny look. She then glanced at Jess and Charlotte. “What are you doing?” “I’m taking Charlotte to the bathroom to change her into a new Pull-Up.” Jess explained. “I will also see if she has to go potty. Wanna watch?” “Yeah!” Heather shouted. “Can Charlotte and me play Barbies afterward?” Jess smiled. “I have a better idea. How would you and Charlotte like to go running in the backyard?” “I wanna run!” Heather shouted. “I’ll go get my shoes after you change Charlotte’s Pull-Up.” Allison tagged along behind Heather with her pacifier in her mouth, wanting to be part of the action. Jess laughed when she saw Allison. “You wanna watch, too? It looks like we’re going to have a potty party!” “Umf hmf!” Allison happily shouted as she nodded her head up and down with her pacifier sticking out of her mouth. Jess entered the bathroom with Charlotte, with both Heather and Allison following her. Jess lifted up Charlotte’s skirtall to reveal her soggy Pull-Up. Heather, looking excited, pointed at the Pull-Up. “I’ve seen that Pull-Up! It’s got Minnie Mouse on it!” Jess nodded as she removed the soggy Pull-Up and helped Charlotte onto the toilet seat. “You have. Maybe you’ll wear them again soon. Won’t that be exciting to use the potty again? Now we need to be quiet and let Charlotte go potty, okay?” Heather nodded, giving her little sister Allison the “shhh!” sound. “Ally, you need to be quiet because Charlotte is using the potty.” Charlotte sat on the potty for what felt like a few minutes. All that came out was a few small trickles of pee. “Good job!” Jess said, praising Charlotte, despite how little she went. “There. I think that’s everything. Let’s get you into a new Pull-Up! We’re going to do it like this. A little powder…” Jess took the cornstarch baby powder that was sitting on the bathroom counter and shook it into the new Pull-Up. She then had Charlotte step into the Pull-Up before pulling it up between her legs. “And there! All good to go! Now we need to wash our hands. Let’s do that, Charlotte!” Charlotte walked over and pumped a little soapy foam into her hands. She rubbed it around and rinsed her hands off. “Now, let’s go running in the backyard!” Jess told the girls. “We’re going to play a game, okay?” “Let me get my shoes!” Heather shouted. She ran out of the room and hurried upstairs to get them. Both Charlotte and Heather were now standing out in the backyard. Heather had her pink tennis shoes on and was running back and forth while Charlotte was watching. Jess was on the deck with Allison, who was bashfully smiling with her pacifier in her mouth. She glanced at Heather and waved her over. “Heather, I want you and Charlotte back on the deck. We’re going to have a race!” Charlotte got right onto the deck, while Heather ran back from across the yard towards the deck. “C’mon Heather!” Charlotte shouted. “We’re gonna run in a race, and I’m gonna win!” “Nah ah!” Heather said with a giggle. “I’m gonna win!” “Nah ah!” Charlotte shouted. “I’m going to beat you good!” Heather ran onto the deck and tagged Charlotte on the hem of her denim skirtalls. “You’re it!” Charlotte frowned. ‘This is a game a tag? I thought we were racing!” Jess laughed. “Okay. Run to that tree by the fence on the far side of the yard and back three times. Whoever gets back by the third time as a winner. Are you ready?” “You’re still it!” Heather reminded Charlotte. “Heather honey, we’re going to start the race, okay?” Jess told her, gently touching the bangs of her black hair. “Ready, set, GO!!!!!” Heather began running just before go and giggled at Charlotte. “You can’t catch me, Charlotte!” “Hey!” Charlotte shouted. “No fair!” Charlotte quickly caught up to Heather and ran past her. Charlotte was already approaching the deck when Heather was still at the tree. Wanting to make the race fair for Heather, Jess ran in front of Charlotte. “Oh no!” Jess said, playfully teasing Charlotte. “You need to run around the giant rabbit!” Jess held out a stuffed rabbit, trying to block Charlotte’s path, which she had to run around. This gave Heather enough time to approach the deck. She circled around and began to pass Charlotte, who was still trying to run around Jess, who kept blocking her. Allison, who was standing next to Jess, pointed at Heather. “Mahmm sssshtrrh rhhhhrnnn!” She said, with her pacifier in her mouth with a big smile. Jess nodded. “Yes Ally! Your sister is running and so is your cousin Charlotte!” Jess quickly darted in front of Charlotte again, who managed to run around her. At this point, Heather was just ahead of Charlotte, about to approach the tree for the second time. She doubled back, maintaining her lead on Charlotte, who was still running around Jess. “No fair!” Charlotte shouted. “You keep blocking me! Get out of the way!” Jess shook her head. “Charlotte, if I didn’t do this, Heather wouldn’t have a chance of winning. You always win at Junior Track. You’re even faster than me! Oh, what’s this! Heather is back at the deck on her final lap!” Charlotte panted with frustration as she just passed the deck, still close behind Heather. “I wanna win!” She kept running, but no matter what direction she ran, she always had to run around Jess. Heather was now just a little more ahead now, about to go by the tree near the fence. “You’re still it!” Heather shouted. Charlotte was now angry. She surged forward, outrunning Jess fast enough to avoid her blocking. Jess was frowning. “No Charlotte! We need to make it fair for Heather!” Heather was already more than halfway to the deck, with Charlotte quickly closing in on her. Charlotte increased her speed, but she didn’t take into account the obstacle that was right next to her. She ran right into Jess, which made her fall on the floor. Heather touched the deck and jumped for joy. “I won the race! I won the race!” Charlotte was now in tears. While her collision with Jess didn’t hurt her, losing the race did. “I wanna win!” Heather ran over to Charlotte and hugged her. “Aw Charlotte, it’s okay! You can win the next race. You can even make me it! Here! Tag me!” Charlotte was still crying as she felt the tight embrace of her four-year-old cousin. Despite the age difference, Charlotte was the same height as Heather. She glanced at her skirtalls and nodded. ‘Despite all the mental differences, I’m still seven. That means my cousin is going to be tall someday.” “C’mon Charlotte!” Heather pleaded. “Be happy! Here! Let’s make funny faces!” Jess smiled. “Charlotte, how about we do another race? Only this time, you can have a head start! Would you like that?” Charlotte smiled. ‘I would love another race! I’m going to beat Heather and beat her good!’ Jess started the next race, giving Charlotte a little head start. By the time that Heather started running, Charlotte was already at the tree by the fence. Charlotte made her way back, lapping Heather when she was only halfway to the tree and fence. Allison waved her hands at both girls while they raced. In the end, Charlotte finished the race just as Heather was halfway through her second lap. “I win!” Charlotte said with a smile. Heather still finished her laps before joining Charlotte at the deck. “We both won!” Heather told Charlotte. “Do you wanna play Barbies with me now?” Charlotte nodded. “Yeah! Let’s play Barbie space adventure! The car can be a rocketship!” Jess laughed. “That’s fine. You girls can play upstairs while me and Ally watch a Miss Rachel video. But first, I need to check all of your butts…” Jess lifted up Charlotte’s skirtalls and checked the Pull-Up. Minnie’s xylophone was only slightly faded. Heather was next. Jess lifted up Heather’s skirt and pinched the diaper around the groin. “Just a little damp. Lastly, we have Little Miss Allycakes…” Jess unsnapped the crotch buttons of Allison’s dress and pinched the diaper around the groin to feel a noticeable squish. “It looks like Ally girl needs a change. You girls can go upstairs. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready!” Both Charlotte and Heather hurried upstairs, running as fast as they did during the race. They both giggled and squealed all the way upstairs to Heather’s room. Heather grabbed her Barbie out of the dollhouse while Charlotte took another Barbie out of a plastic bin that was sitting by the dollhouse. Charlotte glanced at the Jeep that was near the dollhouse and picked it up in her hands. “We’ll play Barbie Space Adventure! This Jeep can be the spaceship. The Century Eagle!” Charlotte smiled, thinking about her recent dream of her travels on Oceania and her journey with Bobo and the Bylantians to find the ancient artifact. “Your Barbie is the commander, and my Barbie is the Super Sleuth Astronaut Assistant!” Charlotte then glanced at Heather’s stuffed rabbit that was sitting on her bed. “Get Hoppy! He can be a Private First Class Cadet!” Heather nodded, going along with what Charlotte said, even though she didn’t know what a Cadet was. She grabbed Hoppy but frowned when she glanced at the Jeep. “Hoppy is too big to fit!” Charlotte nodded. “Let’s pretend he’s small enough! That Jeep is a big spaceship so there’s plenty of room for Hoppy! Your room is the surface of Oceania and that dollhouse is the lost city of Bylantis!” Heather frowned. “What’s Oceania?” Charlotte found a small plush ball in Heather’s room and held it in her hand. “Oceania is a planet,” Charlotte explained, pointing to the ball. “Only it has lots of water on it. So much water that there’s no land to walk on. So, your commander is going to need something on her head when she’s underwater or she won’t be able to breathe.” Heather pointed to a stylish hat that was with Barbie’s clothes. “What about this hat?” Charlotte smiled. “That will make a great helmet. Here. We’ll use this blanket for her spacesuit.” Charlotte and Heather began to play Barbie Space Adventure, with Charlotte recreating Oceania and some of the scenes that she had in her dreams. For the Oceanian Sea Serpents, Charlotte made them using Lego Duplo blocks. Heather made up a rule that Hoppy‘s jump could take out anything, which Charlotte went along with. Just as Charlotte and Heather were being rescued by the Bylantians (which were a couple of Ken dolls), Heather gasped and got up. She threw her dolls and Hoppy down. Then Heather ran over to the foot of her bed and squatted down, covering her face. Charlotte glanced at Heather, knowing exactly what she was doing. She watched as Heather remained very quiet, remaining in her squatting position, hearing soft and quiet grunts. From that, she heard a fart, followed by a sustained longer noise. If Charlotte knew better, her face should’ve been something of disgust. But instead, Charlotte couldn’t resist. A big smile came over her face and she began to laugh. “Did you go poop, Heather?” Heather smiled, and she slowly walked back, her face beginning to blush. “Yeah! I pooped! Let’s keep playing!” Charlotte felt like something wasn’t right about this. After all, she was supposed to be the helper tonight. And that included helping her cousin! “Wait!” Charlotte shouted. “If you went poop, shouldn’t we go and tell Jess?” Heather shrugged her shoulders. “It’s okay. Mommy usually comes and checks me. If I’m poopy, she changes me into a new diaper!” Charlotte frowned. “But your mommy is not here! The grown-ups are somewhere else, and Jess is watching us tonight.” Charlotte began to sniff the air next to where Heather was standing. “And you smell very yucky! Let’s go to Jess and get you out of that yucky diaper and get rid of the yucky smell.” Heather sighed. “But mommy usually…” Charlotte grabbed Heather by the hand and began to yank her in her direction. “C’mon! Jess told me that I’m the helper so let’s go!” Heather crossed her arms and pouted. “No! Mommy’s gonna do it!” Charlotte suddenly had an idea and began to smile. She quickly tapped Heather around the waist of her pink knit skirt, and again on her white daisy shirt. “You’re double it!” And with that, Charlotte ran out of the room, giggling. Heather was not about to remain it. Especially double it. “No, I’m not!” Heather shouted as she began to run out of the room, trying to catch up to Charlotte. Charlotte smiled. ‘It’s working!’ She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Jess was just beginning to put a tray of dinosaur chicken nuggets in the oven. Charlotte tugged on the hem of Jess’s red dress and sighed. “Jess!” Charlotte shouted. “Heather pooped!” Jess quickly set the timer on the oven and turned around. “Oh! She did? What a nice helper you are, Charlotte! Do you want to help me change Heather? You will be a wonderful help to me.” She then glanced at Heather and smiled. “Did somebody poop? I just heard someone who did. It’s a little girl and her name is….HEATHER!” Jess began tickling Heather around her shoulders. “Hee hee hee hee!!!” Heather screamed in laughter. “Stop it, Jess! Stop it!” Jess positioned a baby monitor camera in the living room near the couch where Allison was sitting. Although it looked like she was watching a Miss Rachel video, her face was bobbing up and down, trying to stay awake. ‘She’ll be fine while I change Heather.’ Jess opened the baby monitor camera app on her phone, which showed Allison sitting on the couch in the living room, fighting to stay awake. She then glanced at Heather and smiled. “Okay, I’ll stop. Let’s get you changed, you poopy girl!” About a minute later, Jess, Heather, and Charlotte were all in Allison’s room, where the changing table was. Jess lifted up Heather, laid her on the changing table and then glanced at Charlotte. “Charlotte, you’re going to help me by getting me the supplies to help change Heather when I ask for them. You’re going to be a very big help for me. Are you ready, my helper?” Charlotte nodded, very happy that she was able to help change her cousin. Jess began to explain everything as she began to change Heather. “First, we need to see how much damage she did in there. So, I’m going to peel open both tabs and lift open the front.” After Jess lifted the front forward, the damage was clearly evident. A large streak of poop was smeared all over the inside of the diaper. “Oh! This is going to be a very messy one. But you’re going to be my helper, right Charlotte? Open up those baby wipes and hand me one, okay?” Charlotte nodded, grabbing a pack of Pampers Sensitive Skin Baby Wipes and opening up the oval lid. She tugged at the wad of wipes and ended up giving Jess a handful of wipes. Jess laughed. “That’s a little too much, Charlotte. Now I’m going to use all of those, but next time, hand me them one at a time, okay?” Charlotte nodded. “Okay!” Jess took two of the wipes and began making sweeping motions over Heather’s diaper area. This made Heather flinch at how cold the wipes were. “Cold!” Heather shouted. “So cold!” Jess used the remaining three wipes from the wad that Charlotte gave her. “That’s quite the messy one, you stinker!” She teased Heather. “Charlotte, can you be a helper and give me another wipe?” Charlotte carefully pulled out only one wipe and handed it to Jess, who continued wiping Heather clean. Every time Charlotte was asked by Jess, she handed her a new wipe. After a few more wipes, Jess gave Charlotte the thumbs up. “Okay Charlotte,” Jess told her. “No more wipes. Now, can you be a dear and hand me one of Heather’s diapers? They’re the larger ones with the “6” next to them. Don’t grab the ones with the “4” next to them. Those are Allison’s.” Charlotte nodded and pulled out a new diaper from the sack of Pampers Swaddlers. Fortunately, she could tell the difference between a “4” and a “6”, so she grabbed a diaper out of the one that had a “6” on the sack. She handed the diaper to Jess and awaited further directions. Jess opened the new diaper, stretching it out and opening the front wings up around the waist. “Now, I’m going to roll up the yucky poopy diaper like a burrito.” Jess picked up Heather and laid her on the changing table. She then rolled up the diaper with the pile of dirty wipes and fastened both tabs to the cloth backing, forming a wadded up ball. “Now, I’m going to need some baby powder. Charlotte, can you be a good helper and give me that baby powder? It’s right next to the wipes.” Charlotte handed Jess the Johnson & Johnson cornstarch baby powder with Aloe and Vitamin E. Jess shook powder all over the inside of the diaper and laid Heather on it. Jess then sat the baby powder down and smiled at Charlotte. “One more thing, Charlotte. You are being such a good helper and I appreciate it! Can you hand me that tube of Aquaphor? It’s right next to the baby wipes.” Charlotte spotted the white tube and handed it to Jess, who then squirted out the globs and began rubbing them in all over Heather’s diaper area. Jess finally shook the baby powder again, covering Heather’s diaper area in a light layer of powder. “Now we tell Heather ‘legs up’. Good girl. We then fold the waistband forward between her legs…” Jess spread the waistband evenly around Heather’s waist. “And then we seal her up with the two tabs in the back.” Jess stretched each tab so that the rest of the waistband flowed evenly around Heather’s waist. Both tabs were snugly fastened onto the Velcro landing zone. Jess pointed to the tabs. “See Charlotte?” Jess told her. “There’s just a little gap between the two tabs. You don’t want them touching or her diaper’s too big. You don’t want them too far apart or her diaper’s too small.” Jess then checked the fit of the diaper around Heather’s legs and gave Charlotte and Heather a thumbs up. “You’re all set, dear.” Jess then quickly checked her baby monitor app to see Allison slouched over on the couch, fast asleep. She then glanced back at Charlotte. “How about you, Charlotte? Let’s get you on the toilet and check that Pull-Up!” Jess lifted up Heather and sat her back down on the floor. Charlotte almost forgot about her needing to use the bathroom. Jess hurried with Charlotte and Heather to the bathroom and helped her onto the toilet. To Charlotte’s surprise, she could hear a steady stream of pee whistling against the inside of the toilet bowl. ‘Wow! I’m actually peeing in the toilet?” Jess was filled with the happiest expression on her face. “Good job, Charlotte! You are being a big girl and peeing on the potty! Pay attention, Heather. You will be doing this again soon. Let’s check that Pull-Up.” Jess glanced down and noticed that the xylophone was only half faded. “The xylophone is still there! But I think you need a new Pull-Up. Let’s get you into another one, okay?” Heather watched as Jess dug into Charlotte’s overnight bag to pull out a Pull-Up. She almost grabbed it when she realized that it was one of the two nighttime Pull-Ups. She grabbed a daytime Pull-Up and glanced over at the baby wipes sitting on the counter. Jess pointed at Heather. “It’s your turn, dearie. Can you please hand me those baby wipes?” Heather nodded and handed the wipes to Jess, who began wiping Charlotte clean. Jess then took some baby powder and powdered the Pull-Up before having Charlotte step into it. She pulled up the Pull-Up until it was snug around Charlotte’s waist. After she had Charlotte wash her hands, she glanced at both girls. “You can keep playing with Charlotte. Okay? Dinner will be ready in about 45 minutes. I’ll call you when it’s ready!” At this, both girls nodded. Heather wasted no time grabbing Charlotte by the hand and hurrying back to her bedroom. “C’mon! Let’s play more Barbies!” Both Charlotte and Heather played with the Barbies for just a little longer. Charlotte resumed the Barbie Space Adventure game with Heather. They were just about to begin the exploration of the underwater cave when they heard a knock on the door. “Knock knock! Girls, I have a very yummy dinner! If you make a happy plate, I have a surprise for dessert!” Charlotte gasped and made a break for the door. The dessert surprise was all it took for Charlotte to make a beeline to the kitchen, where Allison was already in her highchair, eating very small portions of what Jess made for the girls. Charlotte was very happy with the dinner selection for the evening. On her plate were a few dinosaur chicken nuggets, a few smiley face fries, a small portion of macaroni and cheese, and a little bit of applesauce. Charlotte glanced at Jess and gave her the biggest smile. “You are the best cook ever!” Charlotte shouted as she began eating her chicken nuggets. Jess laughed. “Why thank you, Charlotte! Now before you eat every one of your nuggets, would you like some barbeque sauce on them?” Charlotte nodded. “Yeah! Gimme some barbeque sauce, please!” Heather pointed to her plate. “I want some barbeque sauce too, please!” Just the way that both girls said it made Jess laugh. She squirted a glob on both plates and watched the girls feast happily on their nuggets and smiling fries. Heather held a smiley face fry and grinned. “This fry is a smiley face!” Jess nodded. “It wants you to eat it!” Charlotte was already eating her last smiley face fry, after dipping it into what was left of her barbeque sauce. Over the next few minutes, Charlotte and Heather managed to finish their macaroni and cheese and applesauce. Jess glanced at both Charlotte’s and Heather’s empty plates. “Good job, girls! Now for the surprise dessert.” Jess walked over to the fridge and got both desserts out. “For finishing your dinner, you girls get…pudding cups!” Jess set the pudding cups down next to Charlotte and Heather. Charlotte peeled the plastic cover off the pudding cup and began licking the chocolate pudding underneath. She then dug her spoon into the cup and scooped generous spoonful into her mouth. Her mouth was full of pudding, with traces of it dripping down her cheeks. By the time that Charlotte was done with the pudding, her face was covered in it. Charlotte then glanced at Heather. Her face was also covered in pudding, but it didn’t have as much as Charlotte. Jess was prepared, holding two wet paper towels in her hands. “You silly girls.” She told them in a teasing manner. “The pudding is for eating. It is not face cream. Let’s get those messy faces wiped off.” Jess wiped both Charlotte’s and Heather’s faces clean with the paper towels. After dinner, Jess had the girls watch a Miss Rachel video with Allison while she cleaned the dinner up. Jess then got all the girls ready for bed. She changed Allison into her nighttime diaper and dressed her in her footed sleeper. She put her in her crib and kissed her goodnight. For Heather, she changed her into a nighttime diaper and had Heather pick out a pink nightgown. Finally, Jess helped Charlotte into a nighttime Pull-Up. Charlotte frowned when she didn’t see the Goodnite or the plastic pants. “Jess, where’s my Goodnite and plastic pants?” Jess tapped her finger on Charlotte’s nighttime Pull-Up. “Your mommy wants me to try the nighttime Pull-Ups. If you wet the bed, I will put you in the plastic pants. Okay? Now, let’s get into those jammies.” Like there being no Goodnites, Charlotte realized that her pajamas were different. They were a two-piece set, which had a floral pattern featuring Daisys, with one big daisy on the top. There was also a saying circling the daisy, which read “Wake me…Wake me not…”. After Jess finished putting Charlotte’s pajamas on, Charlotte tugged at the shoulder of Jess’s dress. “Where are my footies?” Jess smiled. “Your mommy wanted it to be easier for me to check your Pull-Up. You can spend the night in different pajamas, can’t you Charlotte?” Charlotte glanced at the pajama bottoms, which were fitted so that the Pull-Up peeked out above the waistline. “I guess.” She said in a pouty voice. Jess glanced at both girls. “How would you girls like to stay up later? I have a fun game for both of you girls.” Jess had both girls stand in the living room while she stood a short distance behind them. “Okay,” Jess said, addressing the girls. “Before I start this game, I have a question. Which of you two girls like modeling?” Both Charlotte’s hand and Heather’s hand went up. “Good!” Jess said with a smile. “Because this game involves modeling. What you’re going to do is copy all the poses that I show you. But I’m going to keep track of who copies the most poses. Whoever has the most poses is the winner. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? Now you might not know what the poses are, so I will show you each one before we start playing. Then the game will begin. Ready?” Both Charlotte and Heather nodded. Jess showed Charlotte and Heather each pose, one by one until she was done showing them all. The poses that Jess demonstrated included an Over the shoulder, hands on hips, a three-quarter pose, back to camera, facial play, face the camera, hands in pockets, Contrapposto (since both Charlotte and Heather looked clueless on this one, she told them to make a goofy face), and play with hair. Jess began the modeling game, performing each pose that both Charlotte and Heather had to copy, but it was in a totally random order. Charlotte sighed when she tried to copy the poses. Unlike the last time she played the game with Monica, Charlotte had no knowledge of any of the poses. Since she was in elementary school, she had never taken a single modeling class in all of her life. Charlotte wished that she could remember all of her high school modeling classes, but she had no recollection of them at all. She was now drawing a blank with the poses, and found herself just as disoriented as Heather was. Even the easier poses were exaggerated versions of the poses she used to be able to do naturally. Jess called out the next pose. As Charlotte began to place her hands in her pockets, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. “OW!” Charlotte groaned, wincing in pain. Charlotte then cupped her hands around her stomach, feeling a strong surge of pain in her stomach. “OH!!!!” Charlotte cried. “My tummy! My tummy! Aaaaaahhh!!!!” Jess gasped. “Heather, we’re going to stop the game right now. Something’s going on with Charlotte.” Jess reached down and rubbed Charlotte’s belly. “Do you have a tummy ache, Charlotte?” Charlotte moaned in pain. “Yeah….It hurts, Jess! It hurts!” Charlotte was beginning to cry. The pain surged in and out in short bursts, resulting in Charlotte clutching her belly and crying. “Girls,” Jess said to both of them. “You’re both going to bed. Charlotte, I’m going to be checking on you every hour to see if the pain gets worse. If it does, I’m calling your mommy right away and she’s going to take you to a doctor. If it gets better, you’re just going to sleep it off. Okay?” Charlotte nodded as she continued to wince in pain. “Okaaaaay…” Both Charlotte and Heather were now upstairs in Heather’s room. Jess kissed both girl’s goodnight. She then glanced at Charlotte. “Char, I’m going to be in the spare bedroom watching TV. If there’s something that’s very urgent, just come and get me, okay? Good night!” Charlotte lay in her bed, while Heather glanced at her looking concerned. “I hope your tummy ache gets better, Charlotte!” Heather said with a worried look on her face. Charlotte stirred in her bed, feeling the surge of pain subside for a while. ‘Well, it’s getting better. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.’ Ten minutes later, Charlotte felt the sharp pain again. “OWWWWWWW!!!!!” Charlotte sprung out of bed and hurried to the spare bedroom where Jess was. She was lying on the bed, watching TV. “Jess, it still hurts.” Jess gave Charlotte a compassionate stare. “Aww…How would you like to lay down with me and see if the pain gets better?” Jess pat her hands next to herself, indicating a spot for Charlotte to lay. Charlotte plopped herself onto that spot and began to feel Jess’s hands begin to rub Charlotte’s head. Then she felt the gentle touch of her hands on her hair. Then on her neck. Finally, Jess’s hands were rubbing the spot that hurt the most: her belly. “Owwwwwwwwww…..” Charlotte winced again. “Shhhhhhh….” Jess told Charlotte. “It will be okay, Charlotte. Sometimes stomachaches take a while to get better. Just relax, okay?” Charlotte glanced at the TV and realized what was playing on it. ‘Oh my gosh! The Ringmaster Chronicles: The First Age! How could I have forgotten?’ For a moment, Charlotte began to forget the pain as two really good things were going on right now. Charlotte was watching one of her new favorite shows and she was watching it with one of her best friends. Jess. It was good to be with Jess. Not only was she a good friend in middle school, but she was also now a good friend in Junior Track. And now, this good friend of hers was her babysitter. Maybe they were not peers anymore, but that didn’t matter to Charlotte. ‘At least I get to be with her again…” The show continued and Jess noticed Charlotte beginning to fall asleep. She wrapped Charlotte in the comforter and propped her head up with one of the pillows. ‘Maybe that stomachache wasn’t so bad afterall.’ During the last ten minutes of the show, Charlotte woke up again. “OWWWWWWWW!!!!!” Charlotte cried. “It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop!” Jess was at a loss for words. She wished that she could make the pain go away, but all she could do was watch her poor charge writhe in pain. She paused the show and got Charlotte to her feet. “Let’s get you back in your bed. I hope that the pain goes away, Charlotte. It doesn’t seem like it stays.” The door opened to Heather’s room, which woke Heather up. Jess helped Charlotte back into her bed, while Charlotte was in agony. “Owwwwww….” Charlotte whimpered. “Owwwww….Owwwieee…” Jess gave Charlotte a few kisses on her belly, trying to make the pain go away. “There Charlotte. All we can do is wait. I will tell your mom about this when she gets back, okay? Good night, Charlotte. Hope the pain is gone in the morning!” Jess kissed Charlotte on the forehead and left the room. Right after Jess left, Heather glanced at Charlotte. “Let me try to make your tummy better! Hoppy says that he wants you to sleep with us tonight.” Charlotte glanced at Bobo. “Bobo says it’s okay.” Charlotte said, clutching her stomach in pain. Heather patted her hand on her bed and Charlotte crawled in next to her favorite cousin. Heather plopped Hoppy right next to Charlotte. “He wants to sleep next to you.” Heather whispered. “He says that he’s going to make the mean tummy ache go away.” For a split second, Charlotte started to feel relief. “Thank you.” Charlotte told Heather. “You are the best cousin ever.” Heather shook her head. “No. YOU are!” Charlotte then smiled, beginning to forget the pain that she had. She then fell asleep. An hour later, Charlotte woke up to a loud gurgled sound that was going on in her stomach. After that sound, Charlotte was filled with a very strong bowel movement. ‘Oh…I have to poop really really bad!’ Instead of getting up to poop, Charlotte just laid there and pushed. She pushed and pushed, continuing to feel the very strong urge inside of her. After a few more pushes, Charlotte could feel a coil of poop slithering out of her butt. It broke off, falling into her Pull-Up. Charlotte pushed again and another brown coil escaped. It broke off and joined the first log in her Pull-Up. After three or four logs of poop filled Charlotte’s Pull-Up, Heather woke up and began sniffing around. She glanced down and gasped. “Did I poop?” She rolled over and could smell something very foul coming from Charlotte. “Charlotte, did you just poop?” Charlotte was not even realizing what was going on. ‘Did I poop?’ “No, I didn’t,” Charlotte said as she felt the fifth log of poop piling up in her Pull-Up. After that, her groin started to get warm. “You pooped!” Heather shouted. “I’m telling Jess!” Heather got out of bed and ran out of her bedroom. Meanwhile, Charlotte immediately noticed that her stomach wasn’t hurting anymore. But her Pull-Up was getting messier by the second. A sixth log deposited, almost piling to the top of the Pull-Up. The door opened and the light switch turned on. Jess glanced at Charlotte with a concerned look. “Heather told me that you just pooped. Did you poop, Charlotte?” Jess took a single sniff to realize just how bad the room was beginning to smell. “Pee yoo! I smell a stinky girl. A stinky girl that just broke an important rule.” Charlotte gasped, as a seventh log began to pile up, now oozing up out of the Pull-Up. Then finally, an eighth log piled next to the seventh and oozed out, creating a perfect scaffolding from the bottom to the top of the inside of Charlotte’s Pull-Up. ‘What rule did I break?' “Ah Charlotte,” Jess said with a sigh. “Your Aunt Darlene had this same rule with Heather, and you broke it. You are not supposed to poop in a Pull-Up. You know what I have to do now, Charlotte? Follow me. We’re going to Allison’s room.” Charlotte was so tired that the next thing that she saw was Jess wiping her down with a bunch of baby wipes. Charlotte squinted her eyes and could smell the pleasant aroma of baby powder. Then she heard the sound of something being fastened around her waist. “There we go. All snug as a bug.” After another couple of squints, she could see Jess helping her into her bed in Heather’s room again. Jess then looked at Charlotte with concern. “Does your tummy still hurt, Charlotte?” Charlotte shook her head, looking very drowsy. “No. It’s much better.” Jess smiled. “It must have been all that poop. Well, you should sleep well now. Good night, Charlotte!” The door closed and Charlotte rolled onto her side, hearing a soft rustling against her pajama bottoms. There was something strange about her Pull-Up. It felt much thicker. Charlotte rolled over again, noticing a lot more padding in her butt. ‘This is a strange Pull-Up!’ Charlotte then gasped. That’s when it hit her. When she was laying on the changing table and being wiped… When Jess was using that pleasant smelling baby powder… When Charlotte felt like something was being fastened around her waist… Jess was actually changing Charlotte into a diaper. A diaper! ‘Oh my God.’ Charlotte gasped. ‘Did Jess really just change me into a diaper?’ But then Charlotte remembered. Charlotte remembered Heather pooping her Pull-Up and having to follow that same rule her Aunt Darlene told her. The same rule that Charlotte just broke. As a babysitter, Charlotte had to change Heather into a diaper. And now, Jess as a babysitter had to change Charlotte into a diaper. Charlotte could feel the karma striking her back like a poisonous viper. What she had to do with Heather was now happening to her. And worse of all, she threw Heather under the bus when she babysat her, having her blamed for an accident she was responsible for. Heather didn’t pee on the couch. Charlotte did. Charlotte then felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. ‘Am I stuck in diapers now?’ Before Charlotte could think anymore, Charlotte was overcome with fatigue. ‘Too…tired…Think about it tomorrow…’ Charlotte began to suck her thumb as she fell asleep.

Chapter 45 Charlotte sat in her car seat, focusing on the soft padding of the Pull-Up which rustled as she squirmed. That morning before school, Charlotte had once again managed to fill her plastic pants again. It was another wet bed prevented, but at the same time it made something abundantly clear for Charlotte. Her nighttime incontinence was inevitable and uncontrollable at this point. When Charlotte fell asleep, her bladder was on complete autopilot, emptying whenever it needed to. And just then, Charlotte began to feel a little wet in her Pull-Up, even though she couldn’t remember when she started peeing in it. ‘When did I start going?’ Charlotte thought. ‘If I am going to get out of these stupid Pull-Ups, how am I going to know when I have to pee?’ Deep down, Charlotte knew that she was starting to like the Pull-Ups more and more. Afterall, they were just like the Goodnites, only a lot more inferior. As angry as Charlotte was at first about them, she was now finding her frustration beginning to deteriorate into complete apathy. What did it matter if she filled another Pull-Up? ‘I can just get another one! Nurse Brenda can change me…’ The bathroom was the first place that Charlotte went when she entered Langford Elementary after being dropped off by Darcy. Before being dropped off, Darcy shared something important with Charlotte regarding later events. “Honey,” Darcy said as she unbuckled Charlotte from her car seat. “You are going over to your Aunt Darlene’s tonight for a sleepover with Heather and Allison. There is going to be a surprise babysitter there, and you’re going to be her big helper! Someday, when you’re a babysitter, you’re going to be babysitting kids like Heather and Allison so be a very big help for them, okay?” Charlotte sighed, as she could faintly remember living out those days not too long ago. ‘I used to babysit Heather and Allison and now I’m being babysat! And sorry mom. I already know that it’s going to be Monica again.’ “It’s Monica, isn’t it?” Charlotte said, giving her mother a victorious smile. Darcy laughed. “Nope! It’s not Monica! It’s going to be a surprise, okay? We’re going home before we go over there. We will get your things together and then it will be time for another fun sleepover!” Charlotte was now in the girl’s bathroom, closing the door to a vacant stall behind her. Charlotte lifted up her pink skirtall and pulled down her Pull-Up. Minnie’s xylophone was already gone. ‘I need a new Pull-Up already?’ Charlotte hurried to the nurse’s office where Nurse Brenda glanced at Charlotte in surprise. “Charlotte, what are you doing here?” Brenda asked in disbelief. “School hasn’t even started yet and you already need a new Pull-Up? Here. It won’t take more than a minute. Get on the table, missy.” Charlotte climbed onto the table. Nurse Brenda pulled off the wet Pull-Up, wiped Charlotte with a Kandoo Kids wipe, and quickly pulled up a new Pull-Up so that it was snug around Charlotte’s waist. “School starts in a couple minutes, Charlotte. You’ll make it.” Charlotte entered Miss Willoughby’s Second Grade class just as the last couple of students were entering with her. That morning, Charlotte quickly became bored when Miss Willoughby began to review contractions. She began to grab her pencil and spin it back and forth in her hand. She then grabbed it, pressing it onto her desk, before rolling it back and forth rapidly. A larger hand grabbed the pencil, with the other hand grabbing Charlotte’s hand. “Charlotte?” Miss Willoughby said, looking disappointed. “Let’s have a little talk outside in the hallway, okay?” Charlotte walked towards the exit of the classroom while being led by the hand with Miss Willoughby in a quick and firm manner. Miss Willoughby gently closed the door and let out a sigh when she glanced at Charlotte. “Charlotte,” she addressed her in a stern voice. “That kind of behavior is not acceptable while I’m trying to teach class, okay? Yesterday, you were playing with your pencil twice and both times Gabrielle had to remind you to stop. Then, you scribbled on your contraction assignment instead of working on it. I am not going to tolerate this kind of behavior any longer, okay? Now, I’m going to get you an aide to help you and they’re going to help you for the rest of the day in my class. If I see you distracting the class anymore today, you are going home. Do I make myself clear, Charlotte?” “Yes, Miss Willo!” Charlotte said, on the verge of tears. Then Charlotte began to cry. Charlotte cried and whined, thinking about what she just did. Miss Willoughby patted Charlotte on the back. “It’s okay, Charlotte. We’re going to get you help, okay?” Miss Willoughby led Charlotte to a room with a bunch of different colors. There were various sensory and fidget toys laying on the short table, along with various bean bag chairs. Miss Willoughby glanced around to find different faculty working with different kids that seemed to have varying different needs. One young female faculty member in glasses sat there alone, glancing at Miss Willoughby. “Martha?” Miss Willoughby said, pointing to the spectacled woman. “I have a second grader named Charlotte Warren that is going to need your help today. I think that she either has autism or ADHD. I will have to ask the mother later. But work with her and come back to my class with her. I will have her assignments ready when she returns.” Martha gave her a concerned look. “A disrupter?” Miss Willoughby nodded. “She’s just playing with her pencil instead of her paying attention to me teaching her and the class.” Martha smiled, as if a light bulb went off in her head. “A fidget! I’ll give her a fidget toy and her hands can work on that while you’re teaching, okay? I think that Charlotte just needs to stim while you’re teaching. If she gets bored with that fidget, I will give her other fidgets, okay?” Charlotte was already glancing at a fidget toy with small alternating pink and purple curves that all linked into a large oval. Charlotte grabbed the toy and began twisting the curves around in her hands until it was all clumped up. She released it and the curves all twisted back around forming the original oval. She giggled and rotated the curves in her hands again, forming different shapes with each contortion of the toy. “You see?” Martha said with a smile. “Just let her fidget and she’ll have to be quiet while you’re teaching. Is there anything else that I need to know about her?” Miss Willoughby nodded. “Charlotte has some toileting issues. She’s in a Pull-Up right now. You will want to work with her to make sure that she gets to the bathroom at set times. Just wink at me when you’re going to take her to the bathroom, okay? I have Christie, a teacher’s aide watching my class right now. I need to get back and finish the lesson. Work with her and help her, okay?” Martha nodded. “Certainly. I’ve worked with girls like her before. Each kid is different, so you just need to learn what their special needs are.” Miss Willoughby nodded and gave Charlotte a smile. “I’ll see you back at class, Charlotte. Work with Miss Martha!” Charlotte glanced at Martha and quietly sighed. ‘Why am I here? All I wanted to do was play with a pencil!’ “Hey Charlotte!” Martha said in a sing-song voice. “Before we go back to Miss Willoughby’s class, there are some rules that you need to know, okay? Say ‘Okay, Miss Martha!’ “ “Okay Miss Martha!” Charlotte said loudly. Martha got out a pencil and pointed to herself. “Now Charlotte, the pencil is for LEARNING and we’re not going to touch that pencil unless we’re going to write something down. Say ‘Mr. Pencil, I will only use you for writing something down’. Let’s say it together!” “Mr. Pencil, I will only use you for writing something down!” Both Charlotte and Miss Martha said in unison. “Very good!” Martha said in a sing-song bubbly voice. “Now, what are we going to do with our hands when we go to Miss Willoughby’s class?” Martha picked up a fidget toy and began to play with it. “We’re going to play with a fidget! Grab your fidget, Charlotte, let’s play with the fidget together!” Charlotte grabbed her oval fidget toy with alternating pink and purple curves and played with her fidget while Martha played with hers. “Very good!” Martha said in the same condescending tone. “Now Charlotte, when we go to Miss Willoughby’s class, what are we going to do with our hands?” “Play with the fidget!” Charlotte shouted as she contorted the fidget toy wildly in her hands. “But we’re going to be very very quiet when we do it, okay?” Martha said in a soft tone, gradually becoming a whisper. “Let’s be quiet as a mouse, Charlotte. Shhh! Can you go shhh?” “Shhh!” Charlotte repeated. “Very good!” Martha told her. “Now Charlotte, when we play with our fidget toy, what are we going to do?” “Be quiet!” Charlotte shouted. “You gotta say it quietly.” Martha reminded Charlotte. “Let’s try again. When you play with our fidget toy, what are we going to do?” “Be quiet.” Charlotte said in a soft voice. “Very good!” Martha told her. “Now when we get to Miss Willoughby’s class, what are we going to do, Charlotte?” “Play with our fidget toy and be quiet.” Charlotte said in a soft voice. “Now, what are we going to tell Mr. Pencil when we enter Miss Willoughby’s class?” Martha asked Charlotte. “I will only use you for writing something down.” Charlotte said, now starting to look a little restless. “Yes!” Martha told her. “Because we play with Miss Fidget! Not with Mr. Pencil. You want Mr. Pencil to be happy, okay? Let’s go back to Miss Willo’s class!” Charlotte followed Miss Martha back, holding her hand while she held her pink and purple fidget toy in her other hand. Miss Martha also had a few other fidgets in her hand in case Charlotte got bored with the toy. Charlotte entered the classroom to find the students all working on an assignment. When Charlotte got to her desk, there was a chair next to her for Miss Martha to sit in. A worksheet was sitting on the desk already with Charlotte Warren filled out at the top in a red pen by Miss Willoughby. Charlotte caught a glance at her pencil laying on the desk. She waved at it and smiled. “Mr. Pencil, I am not going to play with you!” she told her pencil. “I am only going to use you to write something down!” Charlotte quickly grabbed her pink and purple fidget toy and began moving it around in her hands. Gabrielle, who was at the desk next to Charlotte, smiled. “That looks fun!” Gabrielle said, pointing at the fidget toy. Charlotte nodded. “Her name is Miss Fidget. I’m supposed to play with her instead of Mr. Pencil.” “That’s good, Charlotte!” Gabrielle told her. “All Miss Willo told us while you were gone was about this new assignment. We have to write a short story about the one thing we look forward to this weekend. It has to have a beginning, middle, and end. The end is going to be easy for us since you’re going to be bowling with me at my birthday party on Sunday, right?” Charlotte gasped when she suddenly remembered about the bowling. “Yeah! I will be there!” Martha tapped Charlotte on the shoulder. “Well, your friend just told us about the assignment. So let’s start working on it! Charlotte, what are you looking forward to this weekend? How about we do Friday for our beginning, Saturday for our middle, and Sunday for our end. Can you write the first sentence for me?” Charlotte glanced at the paper and began to panic. ‘How do I write a letter? I can’t even remember how to write an “a”! Charlotte grabbed the pencil and looked at the paper, trying to remember what an “a” looked like. A look of embarrassment came over Charlotte’s face. “I forgot how to write letters,” Charlotte said with a frown. Martha then got Miss Willoughby’s attention, and she came right over. “Martha then pointed to Charlotte and gave Miss Willoughby a concerned look. “Charlotte here just told me that she forgot how to write. Is there anything else wrong that I need to know?” Miss Willoughby gasped. “That’s right! This poor girl was recently kidnapped so she’s experiencing a lot of trauma right now.” Martha nodded. “Ah! Okay! Yes. Sometimes dissociative amnesia can happen as a result of trauma. How about this then? Charlotte will tell me what to write and I’ll write it for her. There is a very good teaching tool for phonics and writing that should get her right back on track. We can start that next week.” “Excellent!” Miss Willoughby told her. “Work with Charlotte and get that short story done!” Martha glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “So what are you looking forward to this weekend, Charlotte? Tell me and I’ll write it down! Let’s start with Friday. What are you looking forward to this weekend for Friday?” Charlotte smiled. “What I am looking forward to this weekend for Friday is spending the night at my aunt and uncles and cousin’s house. It’s going to be very fun and I’m going to play Barbies with my cousin Heather. My mommy told me that there is going to be a surprise babysitter, so I don’t even know who the babysitter is yet. I thought it was Monica, but I was wrong. My mommy also wants me to be a big helper for the babysitter since she wants me to babysit someday. I am also going to watch The Ringmaster Chronicles: The First Age since I really love The Ringmaster Chronicles.” Martha finished writing and smiled. “Good. That’s plenty for Friday. What are you looking forward to this weekend for Saturday, Charlotte?” Charlotte smiled. “What I am looking forward to this weekend for Saturday is playing with my Barbies and stuffed animals in my room. I have a favorite stuffed animal named Bobo and he has always been my best friend. I will also color in my notebook and make lots of pretty pictures. My mommy took me to a restaurant this week, so I hope to eat at another restaurant soon. I hope that it can be with Heather again since it was fun to talk about Barbies with her and play and color with her.” “There!” Martha told her as she finished writing the middle of the short story. “Now for the ending, Charlotte. What are you looking forward to this weekend for Sunday, Charlotte? I think I already heard, but please tell me again in your words.” Charlotte glanced at Gabrielle and smiled. “What I am looking forward to this weekend for Sunday is going bowling with Gabby. It’s her eighth birthday and we’re gonna have a lot of fun bowling. I haven’t really been bowling before but it will be a lot of fun to pick up a ball and throw it to knock down some pins. Gabby told me that her sister does it a lot so it will probably be a lot of fun for me too. I hope there will be a lot of yummy food and cake and ice cream at the birthday party.” Martha finished writing the ending to Charlotte’s short story. “There! It’s all done, Charlotte. See? It’s every word that you told me. Don’t worry about forgetting how to write. I will teach you how to remember again, okay? Now, let’s turn this assignment in to Miss Willo! You did the assignment so why don’t you turn it in, okay?” Charlotte followed Martha to Miss Willoughby’s desk, holding the assignment in her hand. Miss Willoughby took the assignment from Charlotte and smiled. “Did Martha help you write that?” Charlotte proudly nodded with a big smile on her face. “Yeah!” “Good.” Miss Willoughby told Charlotte. “I’m going to be collecting the short stories soon. Work with Martha on something else in the meantime.” Martha then winked at Miss Willoughby, who winked back. “Charlotte, how about we go to the bathroom and try to use the potty? Here. We’ll go together!” Charlotte walked out of the classroom, holding hands with Miss Martha, down the hallway and all the way to the girl’s bathroom. Martha entered the stall with Charlotte and watched as she lifted up her pink skirtalls and pulled down her Pull-Up. Charlotte smiled when she still saw the xylophone. “It’s still there!” Martha nodded. “Yes Charlotte, but it’s faded. See? Try using the potty and then we’ll go to Nurse Brenda and get a new Pull-Up on, okay?” Martha watched as Charlotte hoisted herself onto the toilet and releasing a short stream of pee into the toilet. “Charlotte, can you tell me when you have to go potty?” Charlotte frowned. “I don’t know when I have to go.” Martha began to demonstrate a Kegel exercise, tensing up her groin. “Do you know about Kegels, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded. “Mommy told me.” Martha nodded. “Good! I think you need to learn Kegel exercises to strengthen your bladder muscles. Make your muscles very tight, like you’re holding in pee for a few seconds, and then let go for a few seconds. Keep doing this and you will have stronger muscles. Now Charlotte, I have a niece who’s potty training like you are so I know all about those Minnie Mouse Pull-Ups. My little one is only two, and he’s nowhere near ready to be potty trained. He’s in daycare right now. Now, let’s go to Nurse Brenda and get another Pull-Up, okay?” Charlotte nodded and finished up with Martha watching. She almost left the bathroom but was kindly reminded by Martha to wash her hands. Charlotte lathered her hands and washed them, leaving traces of soap on her hands. Martha noticed the soap and smiled. “We need to get all that soap off, Charlotte.” Martha finished rinsing Charlotte’s hands until all the soap was off. At the nurse’s office, Martha entered with Charlotte. Brenda smiled when she saw Martha. “So are you helping Charlotte today? Let me guess, a new Pull-Up?” Martha nodded. “Minnie Mouse’s xylophone is almost faded away. Better having a new one than a leaky Pull-Up! Trust me. I have a niece who has leaked a few of them already.” Brenda smiled. “I’ve been there with Cindy. She’s in middle school now! But when she was in kindergarten, it was wet Pull-Up after wet Pull-Up.” Brenda quickly removed Charlotte’s Pull-Up, wiped her with a Kandoo Kids wipe, and pulled up a new Pull-Up until it was snug around Charlotte’s waist. “There. Charlotte, you’re good to go. Have fun with Miss Martha!” “Oh, she is!” Martha said as she winked with a big smile. “Let’s go back to Miss Willo’s class, Charlotte!” Charlotte returned with Martha to Miss Willoughby’s class to find them doing her least favorite subject: Math. It used to be her favorite when she actually knew how to solve the problems. Charlotte folded her hands down and pouted. “I don’t like math.” Martha smiled, shaking the fidget toy to try and cheer Charlotte up. She glanced at Miss Willoughby who was standing nearby and spoke to her in a hushed voice. “She says she doesn’t like math.” Miss Willoughby gave Charlotte a curious stare. “Is that so? Martha, before this whole kidnapping incident, Charlotte was excellent at math. Maybe you can help her work out some problems?” Martha nodded. “Yeah. I will show her using the videos that I like to watch with my two-year-old. Have you heard of Miss Rachel?” Miss Willoughby’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes! She’s amazing!” Martha glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “Okay! We’re going to work on some math problems, but we’re going to do it differently today. Okay? Are you ready to have fun, Charlotte?” “Yeah!” Charlotte said with a smile. Miss Willoughby continued her math lesson while Charlotte played with her fidget toy. When the time came to work on the math worksheet, Martha began to walk Charlotte through different math problems with song and dance. She pointed to the numbers and then pointed to the fingers. Since the answer to one of the math problems was five, Martha pointed to her hand and counted her five fingers. “How many fingers, Charlotte?” Martha said in her sing-song bubbly voice. “One. Two. Three. Four. FIVE! Five!” This method did indeed take longer for Charlotte to go through the problems but between her and Martha, they were able to solve five math problems. Martha still wrote the answers down since Charlotte was still struggling with her literacy. When the class was dismissed for lunch, Martha took Charlotte to the girl’s bathroom again. Like before, Minnie’s xylophone was almost completely faded out. Charlotte sighed in frustration. “I told you. I don’t know when I have to pee.” Martha nodded. “It’s okay, Charlotte. Just remember what I told you about Kegels. Keep doing those exercises. Keep doing them. They work!” After Charlotte went to the nurse’s office for a new Pull-Up, she had lunch with Martha instead of with Gabrielle like usual. Her hot lunch was birthday dinner, with a piece of fried chicken, some mashed potatoes and gravy, a slice of birthday cake, and a little single-serve tub of ice cream. Charlotte washed all this down with a carton of chocolate milk. Martha laughed. “You’re a lot like my niece! She’s four you know? Her name is Tiffany, and she would chug that chocolate milk exactly like you just did!” Charlotte laughed. “And she wears Pull-Ups like me?” Martha nodded. “Just like you! She’s been in them since she was three! Before that, she was in diapers. Cute little Tiff will learn some day.” Martha decided to take Charlotte to the bathroom again before recess. Minnie’s xylophone was still clearly visible. During recess, Martha watched at a distance while Charlotte played with Gabrielle. Besides that, there really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary that Charlotte did. After recess, it was time for science class. Miss Willoughby pointed to the egg, which was on the verge of hatching. For the next five minutes, the entire class watched the egg in the incubator as they saw a little beak poking out of the shell, and then the shell cracked open to reveal a baby chick. “It hatched!” Charlotte said with a smile. “The egg hatched!” Gabrielle and a number of other students looked equally happy. Miss Willoughby glanced at the class. “For this assignment, I want you to write down your thoughts about the egg hatching. Were you excited? What did you think about the baby bird? In your thoughts, write down the life cycle of a chicken and what this new life means to you.” In the same way that Charlotte completed the short story earlier, she worked with Miss Martha to have her write her thoughts down for her word for word. “I am very happy about the egg hatching,” Charlotte told her as she began to write the ending. “I wanted it to hatch, and it finally did. That new life means that the chicken gets to start their life as a baby. Like the chicken, I was a baby and now I am a little girl. Someday, I will be like Miss Martha and lay my own eggs like the chicken.” Martha nodded. “Yes. When you’re older, you will lay eggs, but it will be different. That will be something you will learn when you’re older. But at some point toward the beginning of Social Studies, Charlotte was continuing to work on her local map when she felt a sharp tap on her back. Martha pointed to the floor, where a few drops of pee were dripping down from Charlotte’s seat. “You leaked, honey.” Martha told her in a hushed voice. “Now try not to cry and make a scene. I will tell Miss Willo about the seat and then we’re going to Nurse Brenda to clean you up and get you into new clothes and a Pull-Up. Okay?” Martha got up with Charlotte, which resulted in pee continuing to drip down Charlotte’s legs and onto the floor. She whispered to Miss Willoughby and winked, pointing to Charlotte’s seat, which now had a puddle of pee on it. Miss Willoughby gave Martha an understanding nod. “Go with her.” She told her. “I will have Christie take care of the mess.” Martha left with Charlotte quickly and quietly. But by the time Charlotte was in the hallway, she began to sob again. Her sobbing turned into an all-out wailing. Martha patted Charlotte on the back and smiled. “Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Shhhhhhh….Shhh…Relax Charlotte. We’re going to get you cleaned up and into some new clothes, okay? Now you’re not going to believe this, but Tiffany has those same kind of fits after having an accident. But do you know what I tell her? Tiff honey, it’s going to be alright! So Char, it’s going to be alright. Nurse Brenda is going to get you into some new clothes and a new Pull-Up. Okay? We’re almost there. And after this, you have a fun sleepover! Remember what we wrote today?” Charlotte felt a little bit better when Martha mentioned the sleepover. Seconds later, Charlotte was in the nurse’s office, with Nurse Brenda removing her wet skirtall, her wet white shirt with flowers, her wet Pull-Up, and her wet socks. She wiped Charlotte clean and put a new Pull-Up on, followed by some denim blue skirtalls, a pink shirt, and a pair of pink mid-crew socks. By the time that Charlotte was leaving the nurse’s office with Martha, she was smiling again. Charlotte spent the rest of the class working on her local map. Miss Willoughby got the attention of the whole class. “We will finish the local maps next week so don’t worry if they’re not done today. I hope that you all have a nice weekend! I will see you Monday!” Martha glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “And I will see you Monday, Charlotte. Have a fun weekend!” Unlike other days when Charlotte had to wait for her mother in the library, Darcy was right there to pick up Charlotte in the classroom. “Hi sweetie!” Darcy said with a smile. “Did you have a good day?” Martha waved her hand at Darcy. “Charlotte kind of needed help today. Miss Willoughby caught Charlotte playing with her pencil, so she sent her to get assigned a teacher’s aide. I will be working with Charlotte for the remainder of the year to help her with her special needs. Now this may be a personal question…Miss Warren?” Darcy nodded. “Yes. I’m Miss Warren.” “Were you ever diagnosed with ADHD or Autism as a child?” Martha asked her. Darcy smiled. “They didn’t call it Autism when I was little. Now I was diagnosed with Aspergers when I was Charlotte’s age, but that’s pretty much the same thing. Why? Do you think that Charlotte has Aspergers too? Now that you mention it, I do notice a lot of the traits that I had when I was her age. Now did you say that Charlotte was playing with a pencil?” Darcy began to twirl some of her hair through her fingers. Martha smiled. “Yes. Just like you’re playing with your hair right now, Miss Warren.” Darcy noticed her nervous stim and took her fingers out of her hair. She laughed, her face partially blushing. “Yeah. It’s a habit. When I get nervous, I play with my hair. In the second grade, I had to see guidance counselors and go to special education for a while. Is that what you’re doing with Charlotte?” Martha shook her head. “Charlotte is still going to be in Miss Willoughby’s class, but I am going to personally help her. With her schoolwork and with her toileting. She only had one leak today. Also, I think that the trauma is really getting to her. Charlotte forgot how to write! It’s called dissociative amnesia, and I think that Charlotte is experiencing a little bit of that.” Darcy gasped. “So, Charlotte doesn’t even know how to write the alphabet?” Martha nodded. “I spent five minutes with her trying to write an ‘a’. She doesn’t know how. None of the strokes look correct.” Darcy shook her head, looking very worried. “This is not good.” Martha smiled. “But not to worry, Miss Warren. There’s a very good phonics and writing program that I’m going to teach her next week. It’s very hands-on and they’re learning the letters and writing them. It has helped some very troubled students that I have worked with and I’m a firm believer in it. Charlotte will relearn her reading and writing and get her literacy back. I’m sure of it.” Darcy gave Martha a cautious look. “So, how did Charlotte do for the rest of the day?” “She did great, Miss Warren!” Martha told her. “While Charlotte can’t write, she told me what she wanted to write, and I wrote all her assignments out for her today. We wrote a short story, did a few math problems, and completed a short assignment for Science! I think that this kind of help moving forward will get Charlotte back on the right track. I have seen this working with a number of girls, Miss Warren. Your Charlotte is going to bounce back.” Darcy nodded. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’m here early to pick up Charlotte because we need to leave right away to get her ready for a sleepover that I need to get her to. I’m meeting a friend at 4:30.” Martha winked. “A friend, huh? Is it a fiancée?” Darcy sighed. “Not quite. There hasn’t been any proposal yet.” Martha grinned. “Just be patient. He’s probably saving up for the ring.” Darcy just smiled and left with a plastic bag filled with Charlotte’s wet clothes that Martha handed to her. She then hurried with Charlotte in a fast walk. In mere minutes, the 4Runner entered the garage of Darcy’s house. Darcy unbuckled Charlotte from her car seat and took her upstairs to the bathroom. She sat Charlotte on the toilet and checked her Pull-Up. The xylophone was only slightly faded. Charlotte found her mother putting a brand-new Pull-Up on her. “Mommy! I still see the xylophone! It’s not gone yet!” Darcy nodded. “I know, dear. But it’s best that I put you into a fresh one if you are going to a sleepover. Now I want you to pick out some shoes for tonight’s sleepover. Mostly everything else is already packed. Just get your shoes, dear.” Charlotte opened up her workout bag and pulled out her running shoes, which still looked brand new despite her frequent use of them. Charlotte put on her running shoes and felt the warmth surge from her feet all the way up to her heart again. She then watched her mother grab all her other things before she left the room with her. Charlotte was now buckled into her car seat. At this point, Charlotte was now unphased with sitting in a car seat intended for a toddler. She felt the Pull-Up around her waist and… This was it. All of it. Every detail. Her loss of literacy. Her desire to play with toys instead of learning. Her preference for playing with Heather instead of Gabrielle. Despite the time that she spent with her at recess, it just didn’t compare with the fun she had with Heather. The school that she was at – Langford Elementary. Charlotte felt like she just didn’t belong there anymore. As much help as they were able to find for Charlotte today, it’s not going to matter in the end. And…Charlotte could feel her thumb moving closer to her mouth. Her desire to suck her thumb. Rather than resist that desire this time, Charlotte welcomed it. She welcomed all of it as she began to suck her thumb and soothe herself all the way to her Aunt Darlene’s house. And then, Charlotte felt a warmth fill her groin and tickle her butt. If Charlotte could see the outside of her Pull-Up, that xylophone would be vanishing fast. But it didn’t matter to Charlotte anymore. All of Charlotte’s worries and cares faded away. Nothing else mattered…Except for that lingering sense of urgency that Charlotte knew that she had to address. If Charlotte’s change was eminent, she needed to save herself from disappearing in whatever way that she could. ‘The Sky Pendant,” Charlotte thought, as her thumb remained in her mouth. ‘I need to find it at all costs.’ Charlotte knew that she had to find it, as a new wave of childhood was washing over Charlotte like a tidal wave. A wave that Charlotte knew was going to be a lot different. CLICK! Charlotte could hear the sound of the buckles to her car seat being unbuckled. “Charlotte! We’re here! We need to get going, honey!” Charlotte approached the door with her mother. Her mother rang the doorbell. The door opened and Charlotte gasped. Charlotte could not believe it. It was Jess. The same Jess from Junior Track. That Jess. ‘And now she’s going to babysit me?’ Charlotte glanced at Jess as she began to smile back. Ready or not, Charlotte was now at the sleepover and it has now begun.

Chapter 44 Charlotte felt the water from the showerhead splash all over her lathered hair. All of the worries and concerns that she had from last night were all waiting for her in the morning. Her biggest concern was wearing the Pull-Up. Charlotte wished that the shower she was taking could last forever. Then she wouldn’t have to step out of it and wear a Pull-Up. ‘A Pull-Up is the first step towards my final regression.’ Charlotte thought. ‘First, it’s Pull-Ups. What’s next? Am I going to be wearing diapers? Then, I will be unable to walk. I will be a helpless baby, swaddled around by my mom…Then…’ Charlotte let out a deep gulp. ‘I will disappear. I will cease to exist! I have got to find that Sky Pendant soon!’ Darcy watched Charlotte enter her bedroom with a frown on her face. ‘I know that she’s not going to like this.’ Darcy told herself. ‘But I have no other choice! If I keep her in Goodnites, she will keep using them instead of the toilet. She will at least feel more wet in the Pull-Ups, and this should encourage her to use the toilet more.’ She got out a Pull-Up which featured Minnie Mouse playing a xylophone and pointed to it. “You see that xylophone, Charlie? It fades away when it gets wet. If you go use the potty and you don’t see a xylophone, go right to Nurse Brenda and she’ll change you into a new Pull-Up. Now I know that you don’t like them but keep using the potty honey! Then, you shouldn’t be in them too long. Okay?” Charlotte sighed as her mother began helping her into the Pull-Up. It felt just as bulky as a Goodnite, only she didn’t feel any booster pads underneath her. The padding felt the same. But Charlotte knew that she couldn’t pee much in it. ‘When that xylophone disappears, I will need a new Pull-Up!’ Darcy was now handing Charlotte her dress. “Well honey? What do you think?” Charlotte was despondent. “I don’t like them, mommy.” Darcy hugged Charlotte. “I know, dear. Neither do I. But this is going to help you get your bladder stronger. It’s so weak right now that it can barely hold anything.” Darcy scratched her head. “Ah! Yes. Charlie, after school, I’m going to show you an exercise you can do to make your bladder muscles stronger. It’s called Kegel exercises!” Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. ‘An exercise that can help my bladder muscles get stronger? I’m in! I hate these stupid Pull-Ups!’ Darcy finished helping Charlotte get dressed and they both had a quick breakfast. Charlotte was then dropped off at school, while Darcy quickly entered the school to drop off Charlotte’s Pull-Ups and take away some of her extra sets of clothing to encourage her to have less accidents. The day was even more rough for Charlotte than the day before. The English lesson for today felt like it was way over Charlotte’s head, while Gabrielle and the rest of the class seemed to understand it perfectly well. Charlotte glanced at the various words on the board. It was almost like it was a different language. Charlotte had no idea what a contraction was. All she saw were these letters on the board with raised dots next to them. She then glanced at the pencil that was lying on her desk and she smiled. She played with it, pretending that it was a rocket ship, circling around her desk before making its final landing in the center. She was then nudged by Gabrielle. “Charlotte!” Gabrielle whispered. “Stop playing with that pencil and pay attention! We’ll have fun at recess, okay?” Charlotte sighed, and continued hearing Miss Willoughby’s lecture about contractions, which sounded boring to her. She once again glanced at her desk to see a bunch of colorful letters surrounded by roses, rays of sunlight, and rainbows. The letters all formed some kind of word: CHARLOTTE Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and smiled, marveling over the pretty letters that she didn’t know the meaning to. ‘What could they mean? I’ll ask Miss Willo later!’ She continued her play, carefully rolling her pencil back and forth across her desk. She had no idea what these contractions were, but she was now having fun. She then felt a nudge again. “Charlotte!” Gabrielle whispered. “Pay attention! We’re going to be doing an assignment on contractions!” Charlotte passively nodded, as if the subject matter didn’t concern her. “Can I play with the pencil again? Please?” Gabrielle sighed. “No. We are working on the assignment!” Charlotte sighed as the two began on a worksheet which required them to list the contraction for each pair of words that it showed. When Charlotte began her assignment, she just began to randomly scribble the pencil around the page. Gabrielle sighed. “Miss Willo! Charlotte is not working on the assignment!” Miss Willoughby came over to Charlotte’s desk and glanced at Charlotte’s worksheet. She sighed when she saw all the scribbles instead of actual words. “Charlotte, you were supposed to write the contractions. These are just scribbles. Now can you please work with Gabrielle and complete the assignment?” Charlotte nodded and reached for the pencil, which slipped out of her hands and onto the floor. She got out of her seat and stooped down to pick it up. When Charlotte sat back down, she felt a squish. ‘Oh no. I have to go potty! What was the signal Miss Willo showed me again? It was winking!’ Charlotte winked at Miss Willoughby. Miss Willoughby winked back and smiled. ‘Maybe Charlotte just needs a potty break and she’ll focus better!’ Charlotte was now entering the girl’s bathroom. She entered a stall and pulled down her Pull-Up. She only managed to pee out a few small streams of pee. When she checked her Pull-Up for the xylophone, it was already gone. ‘Oh no! I need a new Pull-Up!’ Charlotte finished up and left the bathroom. Charlotte entered the nurse’s office to find Nurse Brenda standing there. Brenda smiled. “Your mom already told me about your new needs. Do you need a new Pull-Up? Get on the table and I’ll get you into a new one, okay?” Charlotte nodded. She laid on the table and felt a moist Kandoo kids wipe brush against her skin before the nurse pulled a new Pull-Up on her. “All set!” Brenda told her. “You can go back to class!” Charlotte returned to class, noticing that the English lesson was over. Miss Willoughby was now on Math, and she was reading different story problems out loud. While Charlotte didn’t understand the addition and subtraction of numbers, she loved hearing the story. This was an easier lesson, since most of it involved the class solving problems. Gabrielle helped Charlotte get the right answers so she wasn’t entirely alone. After lunch was recess. Both Charlotte and Gabrielle took their usual spots on the swings and swung up and down, pumping their legs to gain more height. Gabrielle gave Charlotte a concerned look. “Charlotte, when are you going to be smart again? Before that bad thing happened to you, you were very smart. Now, you want to play. Why did you play during class instead of listening to Miss Willo? Recess is the time to play!” Charlotte glanced at Gabrielle, not knowing how to answer her. Deep down, she knew the real answer, and she didn’t know if Gabrielle would believe her. ‘So, what now? Would I tell Gabrielle that I’m really a woman who’s almost thirty that’s about to become a toddler? I know that my attention span is getting worse and it’s hard to manage in this pathetic body. Would I say to her that I’m getting younger? How would I tell her?’ Then it hit Charlotte. ‘I have my notebook in my backpack and…The story! I’ll show her the story that I wrote about a girl named Chloe! Maybe I can tell her that Chloe is me.’ Recess was only half over, and Charlotte wanted to go back inside to get her notebook. She jumped off the swing and glanced at Gabrielle. “Can I show you something?” Gabrielle glanced at Charlotte with a puzzled look. “What do you want to show me, Charlotte?” “A story,” Charlotte told her. “I’ll be right back!” Charlotte ran into the elementary school and entered Miss Willoughby’s Second Grade classroom. There Miss Willoughby sat, eating her lunch while grading papers. “What are you doing in here, Charlotte?” Miss Willoughby asked, looking confused and concerned. “You should be playing outside with your friends!” Charlotte nodded and found her desk. She pulled her story out of her backpack and pointed to it. “I want to show Gabrielle my story!” Miss Willoughby smiled. “That one that you wrote about Chloe? That’s a good story. You have so much imagination. Next month, there will be another assignment to write another story. I look forward to your ‘bestseller’!” Charlotte beamed and then pivoted around to glance at the letters on her desk. “What do those letters say that are on my desk?” “Are we being funny today, Charlotte?” Miss Willoughby said, almost laughing. “It’s your name! It says “Charlotte”! And you did an excellent job designing it too!” Charlotte glanced back at the letters, wondering how Miss Willoughby managed to string those letters together to spell Charlotte. ‘I’ll work on words later! I need to show Gabrielle before recess is over!’ She approached the exit of the classroom, holding the story in her hands. “Bye Miss Willo! I’m showing Gabby the story!” Miss Willoughby smiled as Charlotte left the classroom. Charlotte ran back out to the swings to find Gabrielle slowly swinging back and forth. Gabrielle gasped when she saw the story that Charlotte was holding. “Was that the assignment where we all wrote stories? Mine was about an elf princess. I got the idea from The Ringmaster Chronicles!” Charlotte gasped. ‘That’s right! The third episode of The Ringmaster Chronicles: The First Age comes on tomorrow night!’ “Tomorrow is a new episode of The Ringmaster Chronicles: The First Age!” Gabrielle smiled. “I know. My mom lets me watch it with Emily now.” Charlotte handed her story to Gabrielle. “Here’s my story. Can you please read it now?” Gabrielle gave Charlotte a kind and thoughtful nod. “Sure Charlotte! I’m sure it’s pretty good!” Gabrielle spent about five minutes reading Charlotte’s story. She then smiled. “It’s a good story! I loved the part with the fairy that granted Chloe’s wish.” Charlotte sighed. “Do you know who Chloe is, Gabby?” Gabrielle nodded. “Yes Charlotte. It’s a character that you made up!” Charlotte shook her head. “No Gabby! I’m Chloe! Instead of using my name in the story, I used Chloe!” Gabrielle scratched her head. “So, you think that you’re shrinking? But Chloe only shrinked until she was seven. It’s just a story, Charlotte. Stuff like that can’t happen for real!” Charlotte sighed. ‘It’s just like the story. Nobody believes me. Not even Gabrielle!’ Feeling defeated, Charlotte took the story back from Gabrielle. “I’m stuck!” Charlotte didn’t even realize that she said that out loud when she heard Gabrielle gasp. “You’re stuck?” Gabrielle said, giving her friend a puzzled look. “How are you stuck? You’re standing right there!” Charlotte sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t belong here. I just want to be normal.” Gabrielle wrapped her arm around Charlotte. “Is this about that bad thing that happened to you? You’ll be normal soon, Charlotte!” Charlotte shook her head. “That’s not what I meant! I feel like I’ve been seven before!” Gabrielle gave Charlotte a curious look. “That’s not possible, Charlotte! How could you be seven again? Are we talking about the story? That’s just made up! It was a good story, too!” “It’s all real!” Charlotte admitted. “Everything in the story!” “Now you’re acting weird.” Gabrielle said, looking concerned. “If you think a made-up story is real, that’s weird.” Charlotte sighed, knowing that there was no convincing Gabrielle. ‘I guess that makes me weird then. How many other people go from adulthood to sitting in a second-grade classroom? Now THAT’s weird!’ Gabrielle gave Charlotte another hug. “It must be everything you’re going through. My mommy said that it is called trauma. Do you have trauma, Charlotte? It’s okay. I’m still your friend and I will help you get through all of it!” Charlotte found herself crying onto the shoulder of her new best friend. Part of the tears came from her past hurts and fears. The rest of it came from despair since Gabrielle wouldn’t believe her story about her regression from adulthood. Despite Charlotte writing herself into the story as Chloe, Gabrielle dismissed all the details as “made up” and “something that could never happen to Charlotte”. The rest of the day was even more frustrating for Charlotte. For science, the egg was just about to hatch, and Miss Willoughby said that it could hatch any day. She just hoped that it wouldn’t hatch on the weekend, as the students would all miss the event taking place. Social Studies was the most boring subject of all. But unlike yesterday, Miss Willoughby introduced an assignment where the students had to draw a map of the community where they lived. Both Miss Willoughby and Christie, the teacher’s aide both used their smart phones to look up where each student lived on Google maps to help them draw their map. Charlotte loved the assignment, as it gave her an opportunity to draw and color. She began to draw lines, indicating the streets and a little square indicating where her house was. Charlotte continued on her local map, coloring it and adding more details. Before Charlotte knew it, the day was over. Charlotte was still coloring when Miss Willoughby tapped her on the shoulder. “Charlotte? The school day is over.” Charlotte frowned, as she wanted to color her map some more. “But I wanna color my map!” Miss Willoughby nodded. “Yes Charlotte. But you have an appointment with Dr. Meyers. She’s waiting for you in the hallway.” Charlotte sighed, putting all her colored pencils away and placing her map into her backpack. Miss Willoughby smiled. “By the way, Charlotte, I really like your map. We will work on it some more tomorrow, so don’t worry about finishing it.” “Okay Miss Willo!” Charlotte told her, as she was walking towards the door. Out in the hallway was a young Dutch woman who was dressed professionally, holding what looked like an iPad. “Charlotte Warren?” The woman said, offering Charlotte a warm smile. “I am Doctor Anna Meyers. Now I heard that you have an appointment with me today, right? Let’s go into the office and we can talk.” Charlotte followed Dr. Meyers with her backpack strapped around her back. They both entered a small room which served as an office and Dr. Meyers sat in the chair and began tapping things on her iPad. Dr. Meyers pointed to a vacant chair that was across from her. “Sit down, Charlotte. Let’s talk!” Charlotte sat down and glanced at the strange woman. ‘Just what am I going to tell her? I have no idea.’ “Here.” Dr. Meyers said with a smile. “I would like to begin by sharing some things about myself. I love skiing, playing chess, and choir! I also love playing strategy games. Have you ever played any of those before, Charlotte?” Charlotte shook her head. “No I haven’t!” “Also,” Dr. Meyers continued. “I was born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Both me and my husband were. I have always wanted to help children, so I went to university for Child Psychology. This is my calling, and I feel very happy and fulfilled in having this position. Do you have a calling, Charlotte?” Charlotte scratched her head. “I like to run, and I like modeling too!” Dr. Meyers smiled. “Running is an excellent thing to do for exercise! Modeling is kind of interesting. Why do you want to model, Charlotte?” Charlotte smiled. “Because my mom does it.” Dr. Meyers continued to tap on her iPad, capturing all of her observations and Charlotte’s responses. “Ah! You want to follow in your mother’s footsteps. Did you know that when I was a little girl, I wanted to be a ballerina?” Charlotte smiled. “Did you become one?” Dr. Meyers laughed and pointed to her professional clothes. “No Charlotte! My family was poor, so dance classes were too expensive! I got numerous scholarships that helped me get into this field. A friend of mine had a mother who was a ballerina, so I wanted to be like her when I grew up. But all my dreams came to an end when my parents told me that the classes were too expensive. Now, Miss Willoughby has told me about your recent kidnapping and how it has negatively affected your grades. Did you want to talk about anything regarding what happened? I am here to listen, so tell me whatever you want!” Charlotte sighed. “I don’t know. I was scared and afraid that the man was going to kill me! He had a gun and kept pointing it at me.” Dr. Meyers gasped. “A gun? That must have been very frightening. But let’s shift our feelings, okay? I want you to create a place in your mind that truly makes you happy. Whenever you feel scared, go to that happy place that you created. Maybe that will help you do better with your schoolwork.” Charlotte nodded and the conversation continued. Every time she talked, she noticed that Dr. Meyers was tapping on the iPad. “What are you writing?” Charlotte said, glancing at the psychologist, who was taking feverish notes. Dr. Meyers smiled. “Oh. This? I’m just taking notes. As a psychologist, I have to take lots of notes.” “What kinds of notes?” Charlotte asked, her mind filling with curiosity. Dr. Meyers nodded. “You want an example? Here’s one. Charlotte is a bright and curious girl who was slow to open up at first. But after sharing with her some details about my life and upbringing, she began to open up. That’s just a little bit, Charlotte. There’s a lot more there. These notes are for the school, who will use them to help you and your mother! Now, let’s talk about your attempted escape from the bad guys again. Take me back to that night. What happened and how did you escape?” Charlotte sighed, as she recalled the painful details. “All of the men were asleep, so I decided to escape. I ran as fast as I could to some grocery place. An old man and old woman was there and I heard a gun go off.” “Oh no!” Dr. Meyers said with a gasp. “Was it the bad guys?” Charlotte nodded. “The mean man that kidnapped me picked me up and…took me back to the van!” Charlotte burst into tears. Dr. Meyers got out of her seat and approached Charlotte. “Is it okay if I hug you?” Charlotte nodded, feeling the warm tears roll down her cheeks. Dr. Meyers gave Charlotte a hug and smiled. “It’s okay. Go to the happy place you created. Yes, it’s painful to share this with me but trust me. Sharing this is like a heavy weight lifted off your back. You will feel so much better with a few more sessions. Now, our time is up for today. I don’t want to keep your mother waiting. We’re at one hour.” Charlotte nodded as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. She stood up and gasped when she saw that the seat she was sitting in was sopping wet. “Uh oh.” Dr. Meyers frowned. “What’s wrong, Charlotte?” She glanced at the wet seat and gave Charlotte a concerned look. “Do you need to go to the nurse’s office? Do you have a change of clothes? Accidents happen, Charlotte. When I was growing up, I lived with a younger sister that had those accidents all the time. Fortunately, she grew out of them when she got older. You will too.” Dr. Meyers showed Charlotte the door and smiled. “Perhaps your mother can get you some dry clothes when you get home. We will cover more in our next session. I have already done an intake for you with your mom so we can focus on just your problem. See you next week!” Charlotte nodded and found her mother standing in the hallway. “Did you have a good session with Dr. Meyers?” Darcy asked her. ‘Charlotte doesn’t have to tell me everything as I’ll read the doctor’s notes later.’ She then glanced at the back of Charlotte’s dress, which was sopping wet. “Did you have an accident during your session? Miss Willoughby told me that there were no accidents all day. Did you forget to use the potty?” Charlotte sighed. “I did, mommy…I’m sorry.” Darcy patted Charlotte on the shoulders. “It’s okay. Just try not to get an accident next time. Now, how was your session with Dr. Meyers? Was it a good one?” Charlotte nodded. “It was good, mommy. I shared something with her, and I got real sad!” Darcy hugged Charlotte. “It’s not always easy to talk about those things, dear. But it’s part of healing, okay? We’re going to heal and you’re going to get better, okay? Let’s go home.” Charlotte sat on a towel which was in her car seat when her mother drove her home. Once at home, Charlotte was cleaned up and changed into a Goodnite with booster pad, some plastic pants, and a footed sleeper. For dinner, Charlotte had some leftover loaded potato soup with her mother. They both ate together. Charlotte managed to get soup all over her face and Darcy had to wipe it off with a wet paper towel. After Charlotte had her milk, her mother showed her some Kegel exercises that she could do to help strengthen her bladder muscles. Charlotte tried them, following along with what her mother was doing. It was then time to get ready for bed. Charlotte entered the bathroom and she brushed her teeth. She glanced at the mirror again to notice that she was still indeed seven, despite all the changes that she has been experiencing. Darcy then tucked Charlotte in her bed and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, sweetie. Good night, Charlie. Sweet dreams.” Charlotte clutched Bobo and was asleep shortly after her mother closed the door. It was a long day for Charlotte. A long day indeed. *** Charlotte glanced around and found herself to be in what looked like a hi-tech hospital bed. The glass next to her gave her a view of some coral and various kinds of seaweed. After letting out a yawn, Charlotte saw a rather tall teddy bear approach her. “Commander Charlotte, you have finally awakened!” Charlotte hugged her trusty best friend. “Private First Class Bobo! I feel like I have slept for a long time. Where am I?” “Commander Charlotte, we are in the lost city of Bylantis! You have been out for 12 days now. Since your blackout underwater, the Bylantians rescued us from the Oceanian Sea Serpents. I didn’t regain consciousness for the next day, but you, Charlotte, have been out for a long time!” Charlotte glanced at the suit she was wearing and gave Bobo a curious glance. “I see that you have made some modifications on my suit?” Bobo nodded. “Such much needed modifications, Commander Charlotte. Your suit can withstand even deeper depths now and there’s a waterproof shield that you can activate in case you have exceeded the maximum depth. Now for your other suits, I had to scale back to a limited model due to limited resources.” Charlotte nodded. “Understood Bobo! We need to conserve all the resources we can! Now, where in Bylantis am I?” Bobo pointed to the room that she was in and smiled. “You are in a medical suite in the Bylantian Medical Center. The king and queen of Bylantis will want to see us both, now that you are finally awake. They might be able to tell us where the lost artifact is!” Charlotte was jumping for joy. “That’s great news, Bobo! Let’s go see the king and queen!” Bobo led Charlotte out of the medical suite, which led to a long and narrow corridor that took them to the lobby of the Bylantian Medical Center. They both left to find themselves in the middle of a large city encased in a large glass dome. Charlotte saw what looked like a large and opulent palace far in the distance. “I think that’s the place!” Charlotte said, pointing at the spire of the royal palace. Just then, an orb-shaped vessel pulled up with the door opening automatically. Two tall creatures with domes around their faces approached both Charlotte and Bobo. In comparison, the two creatures looked even taller than Bobo. The one creature held out his aqua blue hand and smiled at Charlotte and Bobo. “We have been expecting both of you. We are both Bylantian soldiers and we each had a part in your rescue from the Oceanian Sea Serpents.” Charlotte bowed her face to the ground. “I am eternally grateful! Thank you!” “You are welcome,” the Bylantian soldier said with a smile. “You both have an audience with the king and queen of Bylantis! Get into the Orbosphere.” Both Charlotte and Bobo entered the Orbosphere. Once inside, Charlotte found the interior of the Orbosphere to be similar to that of a car. It had a luxurious interior with a TV screen in front of them. “Nice! This would be perfect for mission briefings!” “That will not be necessary.” The Bylantian Soldier told her. “All of the briefing will be done in the throne room.” “It would’ve been done sooner if you were awake.” The other Bylantian Soldier said. “Bobo was not the one in charge, and we wanted all the rescued party accounted for before we begin the briefing.” Charlotte gasped. “The others! Bobo, do we have any word from Finn Loner, D-4RQ, and K2B2?” Bobo nodded. “Why certainly, Commander Charlotte! I have remained in contact with Finn on a daily basis since my quick recovery. They all need to be informed of your recent awakening. Finn is getting rather restless on us acquiring the lost artifact. G.I.R.L.S. has recently contacted Finn on the 100 Grilled Cheese Sandwich debt that he still owes them.” Charlotte nodded. “The Gentle Intelligent Regal Landian Squad? Yes. That Landian group can be rather ruthless when it comes to anything that is owed to them. We will update Finn later when we know more about where the lost artifact is located.” Bobo gave Charlotte a worried look. “And I would make haste on finding the artifact, Charlotte. Just a week ago, Finn told me that the Gigantic Empire had just arrived with a fleet of ships. He had to turn on cloaking for the Century Eagle so that the ship would not be detected. He saw Dark Sader land with his ship.” Charlotte gasped. “That can only mean that The Empire is after the lost artifact as well. And it would make sense, too! If they seize that artifact, they will have enough power to take over the entire galaxy!” Bobo gave Charlotte a hopeful smile. “The Gigantic Empire may have enslaved a lot of the galaxy already, but we’re still fighting! Commander Charlotte, I surely hope that you have brushed up on your training. As a Super Sleuth Astronaut, you are going to need it!” Charlotte grinned. “I think I’m fine, Bobo. During my long sleep, I have experienced numerous dreams that have prepared me for combat. Should I have to face Darth Sader, I will fight him.” “Commander Charlotte and Private First Class Bobo?” The Bylantian Soldier announced. “We are entering the Royal District!” Charlotte glanced at the window of the Orbosphere to see a fancy neighborhood filled with large domed Bylantian dwellings. Each one of the dwellings was well decorated, with a few Bylantian citizens walking around in fancy clothes. Each one of the Bylantians was a similar height to the soldiers and all had aqua blue skin and domes around their heads. All of the streets were clean and made of a special metal that glistened with the light that reflected off of it from the light source shining at the top of the glass dome that encompassed the whole city. It was all wonderful and beautiful. Charlotte then glanced at the dome that was on the soldier that drove. “Why do you all wear glass domes?” The Bylantian Soldier smiled. “Us Bylantians have adapted to need water to breathe. But this ancient city used to be above water a long time ago, along with many other towns that have since died out on this planet. These domes contain fresh water, which is then recirculated to keep it fresh. Why do you need air to breathe, and you don’t breathe water like us?” Charlotte scratched her head. “I would drown in water!” “And we would suffocate without water,” The Bylantian Soldier told Charlotte. “The gills are located around our cheeks, and we extract the oxygen from the water to breathe. You land-bound creatures breathe in the oxygen from the air. Now, we are approaching the royal palace!” Charlotte saw a series of large domes all surrounded by tall fencing. The domes had a crystal appearance and were all shining in bright colors. “This is the royal palace? It’s beautiful!” The Orbosphere continued inside, past the gate where the guards flagged the vehicle in. It pulled up to a large metallic path that led to the large doors that comprised the entrance. Both Charlotte and Bobo followed the Bylantian Soldiers into the Royal Palace and were greeted by a large foyer leading to a grand staircase. After following the soldiers through a series of hallways, they finally turned onto a long corridor that led to a large door at the end of it. “The throne room is ahead.” The Bylantian Soldier announced. “Please prepare yourself to meet the King and Queen of Bylantis!” The Bylantian Soldier opened the door, and they all entered the lavishly decorated throne room. Colorful fine linens were all on the numerous sitting chairs and couches that were in the enormous room. A wide staircase led up to where two large thrones were, where both the king and queen sat. Both Charlotte and Bobo made it to the top of the staircase with the soldiers. Having seen the soldiers kneel before the king and queen, they both kneeled as well. “Commander Charlotte and Private First Class Bobo!” The king addressed. “It is with a kind and generous heart that I welcome you both to Bylantis. I am King Dalphun CCXII and ruling this kingdom with me is the beautiful Queen Orica. Bylantis has enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity since its sinking over 5,700 years ago. Bobo has already informed me of a lost artifact that you are looking for. He has also informed me of a threat that threatens the very harmony of this kingdom as we know it. But that is not a matter that should concern you. I have deployed thousands of soldiers to address the threat coming from the Gigantic Empire.” Charlotte kneeled before the king, looking very nervous. “King Dalphun? May I speak?” King Dalphun smiled and extended his scepter. “You may speak Commander Charlotte, Super Sleuth Astronaut.” “Can you please tell us more about this lost artifact?” Charlotte pleaded. “We are on a very important mission to find the lost artifact.” Bobo nodded. “And we also need a way to make repairs on the Century Eagle, the space freighter that we used to arrive on Oceania.” King Dalphun nodded and extended his scepter to Bobo, understanding that he wasn’t familiar with royal etiquette. “I understand, Private First Class Bobo. We have a very talented team of scientists and technicians that are more than capable of repairing a space freighter. We have achieved space travel more than 3,000 years ago so we as a society are well beyond that area of expertise.” He turned to Charlotte. “Now, addressing your question regarding the lost artifact. This artifact that you speak of was forged in the early years, when this city was first underwater. Not much is known about the artifact, and its name has been lost to history. All we know about it is the incredible power that it possesses. Our early ancestors have created it to use as a last resort should this beautiful kingdom ever experience war. Should we be under siege, this artifact would turn the tides in our favor and save Bylantis.” “Our ancestors have hidden this artifact in a chest in a deep underwater cave. While I can provide you with a vessel to help you with part of the journey, the rest of it will prove perilous and difficult. There are many strong currents that you will have to navigate through on the way to the cave entrance. It is in the deepest deeps of Oceania, so you will need a light source to guide your way. And even if you navigate the cave, some ancient traps have been set up to guard this ancient Bylantian treasure, for it is actually an emblem of power used as a last resort to end all wars. This measure was done to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Should anyone be foolish enough to make it to the underwater cave, they surely won’t make it through the ancient security system. Only the ones that have been chosen can navigate the ancient traps.” Charlotte nodded, feeling a little afraid about the mission she was about to undertake. “It sounds dangerous, but I’m in. We need that artifact!” King Dalphun nodded. “And it will aid us, should the Gigantic Empire threaten this great city. I will leave you with my most talented technicians to make preparations for your journey to the Oceanian Depths. When your submersible experiences strong currents, you will need to make the rest of the journey on foot. Good luck, Commander Charlotte!” Over the next couple of hours, the technicians assisted both Charlotte and Bobo in making preparations for the journey to the Oceanian Depths where the lost Bylantian artifact was. Charlotte knew very well of its importance. Bylantis needed it to end the threat from the Gigantic Empire. Finn needed the money from it to settle the 100 Grilled Cheese debt to G.I.R.L.S. And for Charlotte, she just wanted to complete the mission. She didn’t know what the artifact was, but she knew it was powerful enough to help the Bylantians and profitable enough to settle all of Finn’s debts. The Bylantian sub left, being launched out of the city of Bylantis through a tube like a water gun. Charlotte knew at this point that there was no turning back. The important mission has finally been set into motion, and Charlotte was going to complete it at all costs.

A Goodnite is like a nighttime Pull-Up. It holds more for overnight accidents. It's used for older children that still wet the bed. A Pull-Up is used for potty training. The most common kids that use them are toddlers. They're supposed to hold less since the idea is that the child learns how to use the potty. I think Charlotte is just upset at the idea of wearing them because of what it means for her regression. That, and the idea of feeling wet and the Pull-Ups leaking easier. Thanks for your feedback on Charlotte's progression in getting younger. There's a lot of hints at the next age so stay tuned... 😀

Chapter 43 Charlotte woke up and shuffled in her bed, hearing the rustling of the plastic brushing against her Goodnite. Around her groin, Charlotte felt a large puffiness that kept her two legs spread apart. Several pockets around her crotch and groin were swollen out. Yet when Charlotte felt around in her bed, it was still dry. Charlotte rolled over onto Bobo, grabbing him in her arms before she fell back asleep. Charlotte then squinted her eyes, noticing that the lights were on in her room. “Good morning, sweetie!” Darcy walked over to Charlotte’s bed and pulled back the covers. To her relief, the bed appeared to be dry. But from what she saw with Charlotte, the waist of her footed sleeper and her butt was all puffed out. ‘She probably soaked it again. Better take her to the bathroom.’ She offered her hand to Charlotte and gave her an encouraging smile. “Let’s go to the bathroom, hun.” Charlotte followed her mother into the bathroom, where her mother unzipped her footed sleeper, revealing her pink unicorn and rainbow plastic pants. A few pockets were puffed out, with a swollen area around her butt. Darcy nodded when she inspected Charlotte’s plastic pants. The pockets, she knew were where the Goodnite leaked. Most of the urine had no other place to go but pool around the bottom by her butt, between both leg cuffs. She removed Charlotte’s footed sleeper and pointed to the shower. “Get in, Charlie.” Charlotte was now bare in just the soaked Goodnite and plastic pants. She stepped into the shower and her mother pulled the plastic pants off. Some of the pee splashed out while the rest of it remained inside the plastic pants. The Goodnite looked entirely soaked, indicating several areas where it leaked. She watched her mom pour the rest of the pee out of the plastic pants before wadding them up in her hands. She then pulled off Charlotte’s sodden Goodnite. “Take your shower, honey.” Darcy told her as she grabbed the moist Goodnite out of her hands. It was moist inside and out, and dripping with pee as she clutched it, preparing to throw it away in the trash. Charlotte found a narrow sliver of yellow cascade out of her in small trickles as she began to turn the shower on. ‘Seriously. I can’t hold it at all anymore. What am I, a baby?’ Charlotte began her shower, lathering her hair with Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Body Wash and Hair Shampoo. As she continued her shower, she intermittently peed in small trickles. Charlotte sighed, giving up on complaining about her worsening incontinence. She focused on trying to figure out where Mythra’s necklace was. What did it look like? Whatever it was, she knew that it had a Sky Pendant, which was made up of a sky-blue stone that glowed with light. If and when Charlotte found it, she would be able to get her wish to return to her original age. This would give Charlotte her life back that she so earnestly wanted. Just then, Charlotte was distracted with a fond thought of Heather. “I want to play with her again!” Charlotte found herself saying out loud. The recent memory of her laughing with her favorite cousin began to fill her mind, and it seemed to be more welcoming to her than even Gabrielle, her newest friend at school. Charlotte couldn’t explain it, but she found being with her cousin to be more fun than conversing with a girl her age (or in Charlotte’s case, her physical age). Charlotte finished up her shower, rinsing off the rest of the lather before turning it off. As she stepped out, she found her thumb moving towards her mouth, but she caught herself just as it reached her lips. ‘What the hell am I doing?’ Charlotte repeated what she thought out loud, but it came out as “What the heck am I doing?” Charlotte wrapped herself in a towel and walked across the hallway into her bedroom. As Charlotte glanced at her picked out clothes for the day, she began to see drips splashing onto the carpeting. ‘Am I peeing again? Damnit!’ Charlotte quickly slipped the Goodnite with booster pad on, and the rest of the drips began to slowly fill her Goodnite instead of the carpeting. Charlotte put on a pink Garanimals ruffle sleeve dress with white flower patterns and a pair of mid-crew socks. Darcy glanced inside of Charlotte’s bedroom to check her progress in getting ready. Darcy then glanced down at the carpeting to notice the carpeting darkened by tiny drops of pee that ran from her bedroom to the bathroom across the hallway. ‘She has not done this before. It’s getting worse. I better make sure her Goodnites are packed for Junior Track tonight.’ Charlotte had her usual quick breakfast of Carnation Breakfast Essentials and her slice of buttered toast. As the 4Runner pulled out of the driveway, Darcy asked Charlotte a question that caught her off guard. “Charlotte, how are you doing on your makeup work? Did you make any improvements yesterday?” Charlotte hated this question, as she knew how much her literacy was worsening. The question also made her dread school today. The only thing that she looked forward to was Junior Track at the end of the day, since it was another Wednesday. Just so that her mother wouldn’t bug her anymore, she glanced at her and gave her the brightest smile that she could muster. “I’m working on it, mommy!” Charlotte knew that this wasn’t the whole truth, as she had tried to read what she used to be able to before but failed when she attempted to read her notebook and story last night. Charlotte left the 4Runner with her backpack, almost grabbing the running clothes that were in the extra bag when her mother stopped her. “Leave it in the car, dear.” Darcy told her. “We’re just going to be going to the middle school later on.” Charlotte nodded and entered Langford Elementary School. She walked down the hallways, now filled with sadness. It used to be fun for Charlotte to enter this school and learn! But over the past couple of days, Charlotte has been failing miserably at her schoolwork. What used to make sense to Charlotte just wasn’t making any sense anymore. Charlotte entered Miss Willoughby’s class, glancing up at the clock, which now looked like a circle with numbers on it. Just a week ago, Charlotte was just learning to tell time. But now, it was such a difficult concept for her. ‘There’s a circle with numbers and two hands.” Charlotte said, concentrating on the clock, trying to sound smart in her head. ‘The two hands do things.’ But Charlotte couldn’t remember what things the two hands did. Charlotte saw no one else in the classroom yet, except for Miss Willoughby. Miss Willoughby glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “Charlotte, it looks like you were very helpful in helping that girl go to the bathroom. But now, someone’s going to help you in catching up with your schoolwork. I have paired you up with Gabrielle and she’s going to help you today. If you’re stuck with anything, just talk to her and she’ll help you. Okay?” Charlotte nodded. “Okay!” Charlotte took her seat, just as a few kids began to enter the classroom. About 10 minutes later, class began, and Charlotte did everything she could to try and pay attention to Miss Willoughby. But as Miss Willoughby continued her English lesson, Charlotte began to find it hard to follow. Charlotte heard something about five W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) but it didn’t make any sense to her. Gabrielle, on the other hand, was correctly answering the questions that Miss Willoughby asked the class. Charlotte then had to work with Gabrielle to read a short story and use the five W’s on the story that they read. Gabrielle read most of the story, since Charlotte had trouble reading most of the words. Gabrielle found Charlotte pouting in frustration most of the time. And when the time came for Charlotte to use the five W’s, she didn’t even remember what they were since she forgot them when she read the story. At one point, Charlotte was merely distracted at the pencil that she was holding. She almost began to play with it but grabbed the pencil firmly instead. Since it was a group assignment, Gabrielle answered the five W’s for Charlotte and she turned the assignment in to Miss Willoughby. Math was next, which Charlotte dreaded. There was an introduction to multiplication and a section review for telling time. Charlotte could barely add now, let alone multiply so this lesson frustrated her. When they got to the time section, Charlotte sighed. No matter how many times Miss Willoughby discussed different times, it just didn’t click for Charlotte. She couldn’t tell the correct time, which frustrated her a lot. ‘I could tell time just fine a week ago! And now it doesn’t make sense! I’m pissed!’ Gabrielle was no help to Charlotte either. As careful and slowly as Gabrielle explained it to Charlotte, she just couldn’t put it together in her mind. Gabrielle pointed to the clock that she drew on the worksheet. “See Charlotte?” she said, pointing to both hands. “Both the big hand and the little hand are on the 12, so it’s noon! But what if I move the little hand to the three? What time is it?” Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. “Three?” Gabrielle laughed. “No Charlotte! Three O’ Clock! Now show me what 3:45 looks like.” Charlotte moved the big hand to the three. Gabrielle quietly sighed and shook her head. “No Charlotte. That’s 3:15! Here. I’ll show you where 3:45 is.” She took the big hand and moved it to the nine. “See? It’s like I’m spreading both my hands out!” Gabrielle held both her arms out to mimic 3:45. After math, it was lunch time. Charlotte was eager to leave for lunch but was tapped on the shoulder by Miss Willoughby. “Charlotte?” Miss Willoughby said, looking a little concerned. “You did a good job working with Gabrielle so far today. You’ll be working with her some more after lunch. My concern is that you didn’t do our secret signal the whole morning. Can you show me what that is?” Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, the memory of what she discussed with her last week becoming hazy. Miss Willoughby gave Charlotte an understanding nod. “It’s a wink, remember? Now, I want you to wink when you need to use the bathroom, okay? Now, your mother has told me that you are wearing something to help you with your bathroom problems. Even if you’re not winking to use the bathroom, at least wink to go and see Nurse Brenda, okay? She has the thing that you need, and I think that you should see Nurse Brenda during lunch. So see her.” Miss Willoughby winked as a way of reminding Charlotte. Charlotte had her lunch and then played with Gabrielle on the playground during recess. She was having so much fun on the swings that she forgot to go to the Nurse’s office to get changed. Charlotte’s heavily sagging Goodnite should’ve been enough of a warning for Charlotte, but she ignored it. Miss Willoughby began class for the rest of the day, while she had Gabrielle help Charlotte for the rest of the day. As for Gabrielle’s work, the class work for the day would be sent home with her as homework, which she could turn in for the next day Gabrielle began with math, which Charlotte now began to despise. As Gabrielle began explaining the section review with three-digit addition and subtraction, Charlotte could feel the addition going on in her bladder. The seconds subtracted as Charlotte felt her groin warming up. Charlotte stared down, realizing what was happening. A puddle of pee was expanding in the chair where Charlotte was sitting. But Charlotte didn’t hurry. Charlotte didn’t panic. Charlotte just sat there, letting every last drop of pee escape her until it was all gone. She let everything out and didn’t move. The puddle began to spill onto the floor, which caught Gabrielle’s attention, and then Miss Willoughby. Pretty soon, every student in the class noticed the pee that was dripping onto the floor from the seat where Charlotte sat. “Uh oh.” A boy shouted. “Is Charlotte peeing her pants?” Beth said with a gasp. “She is!” Steward shouted. “Right there! She’s peeing her pants!” “Gross!” Another girl shouted. Miss Willoughby sighed and glanced at the class. “I am going to have to stop class and settle this with Charlotte, okay? Christie, the Teacher’s Aide, is here to help you in case you have any questions. I’ll be right back.” Gabrielle gasped, remembering what Charlotte told her regarding her accident. ‘Oh no! I hope that Miss Willo can help Charlotte!’ By the time that Charlotte realized what just happened, she found herself sobbing uncontrollably. ‘I did it again. Big girls are not supposed to pee their pants! I guess I’m not a big girl anymore. “I’M NOT A BIG GIRL!!!!” Charlotte wailed. Charlotte felt two hands embrace her from behind. It was Miss Willoughby. “Shhhhh!” Miss Willoughby told Charlotte. “Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Shhhhhhh….We’ll talk in the hallway, okay, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded as her teacher led her out of the classroom, the drops of pee still running down her legs and onto her socks. Miss Willoughby closed the door to the classroom and sighed. “Now Charlotte?” she said in a soft voice. “What did you say in the classroom? That you’re not a big girl? Charlotte, you know that’s not true.” Charlotte could feel the hot tears running down her cheeks as the teacher gave her a few soft pats on the back. “Now,” Miss Willoughby told Charlotte. “I want you to know that you are a big girl. Do you know what makes you a big girl, Charlotte? You survived a very scary kidnapping, which you will soon discuss with your psychologist. Your mom has it lined up for tomorrow, okay? You will be seeing Dr. Meyers on Thursdays to talk about the scary thing that happened to you. You are a big girl, Charlotte, and you are very brave. You just have a little problem that a number of kids your age still struggle with. It doesn’t make you a baby, okay? Now, I’m going to take you to Nurse Brenda and we’re going to call your mom to pick you up. I don’t think it’s a good idea to finish the school day after what just happened. I will send the rest of the homework home with you and I will give you extra time to finish it. Do what you can for today’s homework and work with Gabrielle tomorrow. If you need any additional help, I can arrange for an older tutor to help you as well. Would you like that?” Charlotte shook her head. “I want Gabby.” Miss Willoughby nodded. “Okay Charlotte. No older tutor then. So, are you going to work on the homework tonight?” Charlotte sighed. “I have Junior Track!” Miss Willoughby smiled. “That’s right! You can still go to that, but your school day here is going to end early. Let’s get you to the nurse’s office. This way, dear.” Miss Willoughby guided Charlotte to the nurse’s office and stayed there while she called Darcy to pick Charlotte up. After the phone call, Miss Willoughby left the nurse’s office to let Nurse Brenda take care of Charlotte until Darcy arrived. Over the next half hour, Brenda got Charlotte cleaned up with Kandoo Kids wipes and into a dry Goodnite with booster pad. She then helped Charlotte into a fresh change of clothes, which was a new ruffle sleeve dress and a new pair of socks. The door to the nurse’s office opened to reveal a surprised and concerned Darcy. Darcy hugged Charlotte and sighed. “Oh Charlotte baby! I’m very sorry to hear what happened! Let’s get out to the car and we’ll talk.” Charlotte was buckled into her car seat and the 4Runner took off. Darcy tried to keep her focus as she pulled out of the school parking lot. “Charlotte, we’re going to stop at the store first since I’m making a special dinner that we can eat after Junior Track. It’s a crockpot recipe for loaded potato soup!” Charlotte gasped. “I love potatoes, mommy!” About 20 minutes later, the 4Runner pulled into a Walmart parking lot. Darcy glanced at Charlotte, who looked very sleepy. “I’m running in to get some things for the crockpot soup. I’ll only be a few minutes. I’m locking the car so you should be safe, okay?” Charlotte slowly nodded as she began to drift off. The next thing that Charlotte heard was the sound of the 4Runner unlocking and the back door opening. She could hear the sound of her mother placing groceries in the back seat before quickly closing the door. Charlotte slept the rest of the way home and she found herself being carried into the house by her mother. Charlotte was only half awake, and she found her thumb moving closer to her mouth until it entered. Charlotte closed her lips around her thumb and began sucking on it. Darcy took notice and smiled. “Aw, isn’t that sweet? Charlie hasn’t done that since she was in preschool.” But Charlotte was still half awake, so she wasn’t fully aware of what was going on. The next thing that she could remember, she was lying on top of her bed, with her backpack neatly laying there at the foot of the bed. Charlotte heard a soft knock on the door before Darcy entered. “Did you have a nice nap, sweetie?” Darcy asked Charlotte. “Now, I just began cooking our dinner. It’s loaded potato soup. You’re going to LOVE it! How about you work on your homework for half an hour? After that, we have an hour to get to the middle school. We will get dressed here to make it easier. I will remind you in half an hour. Get some of your work done, hun!” Charlotte nodded before the door closed. Charlotte just didn’t understand the assignments, so she decided to play with her Barbies instead. She kept a few of her textbooks opened and her assignments out with her pencil on top to make it look like she was “working on the assignments”. Before Charlotte knew it, half an hour had already passed. The door opened without Charlotte noticing and Darcy came in. Darcy glanced at her open textbooks and the assignments. But she also saw Charlotte giggling as she played with her Barbies. “Are you taking a break from your assignments, Charlie? Good. Just peck away at it and take fun breaks! Now, are you ready for Junior Track?” Darcy approached Charlotte and dug her hand underneath her dress to feel the Goodnite drooping around her crotch and butt. “You need a new Goodnite for Junior Track, hun. Let’s get you cleaned up.” To ensure that Charlotte was all clean for the evening, Darcy gave Charlotte a quick shower before helping her into her workout clothes. Charlotte put on a new Goodnite with a booster pad. The rest of her clothes were the same ones that she wore last week, only the clothes were all washed. Charlotte then put on her running shoes, which gave her a warm feeling as she stepped into them. Darcy smiled when she saw her daughter standing there in her running shoes. “You look so good in those shoes, hun. I’m so glad that I bought them for you. Now let’s get to the middle school.” Charlotte had her worries as her mother drove to the middle school. Just a week ago, she was kidnapped the same night that she had Junior track. Charlotte glanced at her mother, her eyes growing big with worry. “Am I going to get kidnapped again, mommy?” Darcy gasped at Charlotte’s question. “Not a chance, Charlotte. The other day while you were at school, a friend helped me install a security system that will make a loud noise and call the police before they can even enter the house. Don’t worry about what happened, my baby. You are going to be safe.” Charlotte nodded as the 4Runner pulled into Langford Middle School. ‘I’m going to be safe.’ Charlotte told herself. Darcy took Charlotte to the girl’s locker room where Jess was standing there with a smile on her face. “It’s Charlotte the champion runner!” Jess said, giving Charlotte a soft pat on the back. “Are you ready to set some more records tonight, Char? I see that you’re already dressed!” Darcy nodded. “Charlotte had a rough day today, so we decided to change at home.” Jess nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with that! Her smile turned into a look of concern. “Charlotte, I heard about the kidnapping. When I saw the AMBER Alert on my phone, I cried! Charlotte Warren? Kidnapped?! I couldn’t believe it! I prayed for your safety! Thank God you’re okay!” Her face turned to Darcy. “Like last week, Miss Warren. She’s under my wing for the evening. Do not worry about her safety. Everyone at Junior Track knows what happened and all the runners, coaches, and volunteer staff will make sure that Charlotte is safe, okay? So, you can go and root for her in the bleachers and we will take it from here! Also…” Jess whispered something into Darcy’s ear that made her smile. Darcy nodded. “Make me proud, Charlie Darlie!” Darcy left the entrance to the girl’s locker room, leaving just Charlotte and Jess. Charlotte followed Jess into the locker room to find Monica and a few other volunteers standing nearby. Monica smiled. “Charlotte! We all heard about what happened and have all been praying for your safety! We’re so glad that you’re okay and that you can run with us again tonight! Now Charlotte, we are all going to watch you on the track to make sure that nothing bad happens to you.” Renee approached Charlotte and gave her a hug. “And Charlotte? We have made a special adjustment for you. You are going to run all three of your miles at the very beginning. Think you can do that, dear? Take as long as you need. After that, the other four grades are going to run theirs in the same order as last week. Does that work?” “And don’t worry!” Jess added. “We are all going to watch you to make sure you’re doing okay.” “And a cop is on patrol and will be watching the event.” Renee told her. “You are going to be safe tonight, Charlotte.” As Charlotte walked towards the gymnasium with Jess, she smiled at Charlotte. “There’s going to be a big surprise on Friday!” Jess told Charlotte. Charlotte gasped. “Oh boy! I LOVE surprises! Can you tell me what it is?” Jess laughed. “Sorry Charlotte! I can’t tell you until Friday! It will ruin the surprise!” Charlotte was now outside the gymnasium and walking toward the track with Jess and six other girls walking right next to her. When Charlotte approached a lot of the runners, they smiled and gave positive remarks, with most of them being happy for her rescue and safety. As per the adjustments to the program, Charlotte began by running all three of her miles from the start, while the rest of the team will be alternating their three miles for the rest of the evening. As much as the coaches and staff were concerned about Charlotte’s endurance, Charlotte ran those three miles effortlessly. Her form was perfect for her size and every one of her strides were even. Her warmups preceded the three miles and her cool downs came shortly after them. Charlotte felt like she could’ve run a fourth or even a fifth mile. But not a sixth, as that would be pushing the limits of her small body. Having already run her three miles, Charlotte got her times right away. Her first mile was a 6:01.35. Her second mile was a 5:56.04. And her third and final mile was a 5:47.82. Charlotte excused herself from the runners area and decided to watch the rest of the event with her mother. Renee gave Charlotte an understanding nod and guided her to the bleachers where Darcy sat with Danika and Gabrielle. Darcy gasped. “Oh. So, you want to watch the rest of the event here, honey? Nice times, Charlie dear! They announced the special adjustment that they made to the program, and they probably did that for your safety. And do you see the cop over there, dear? I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, Charlie Bee!” Gabrielle waved at Charlotte and smiled. “Are you going to watch my sister run with me? She’s pretty good too!” Danika smiled. “You’re right, dear. Emmy is very good at running.” Charlotte began to fall asleep as the event continued. And like before, Charlotte was bringing her thumb to her mouth. She began to suck her thumb once again while she was mostly asleep. Charlotte then woke up to find her thumb by her mouth, and Gabrielle watching her. Gabrielle smiled. “You still do that? It’s okay. I still suck my thumb sometimes.” Danika grinned. “Sometimes? There are times that I have to remind you to keep that thumb out of your mouth, Gabby.” Gabrielle’s face blushed. “But I do a good job in public and when I’m at school. And besides, mom! It’s how I do my best thinking!” Danika nodded. “Well, you are pretty smart, honey. You’ve been getting straight A’s. I’m proud of you and Emmy.” Charlotte frowned when she thought of her grades. She then felt the tap on her T-shirt from her mother. “Time to go, Charlie.” Darcy told her. “The soup should be done at home, and the event is ending. Let’s have some nice soup and watch some TV in my bed!” Once Charlotte was home, Darcy got Charlotte ready for bed and she enjoyed a special soup dinner in her mom’s bed while watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Charlotte could feel the warm and cheesy potatoes with each delicious bite. There was also sour cream, chives, bacon bits and onions mixed into the delicious loaded baked potato broth. After the soup was over, her mother let her watch one more cartoon. Charlotte decided on Scooby Doo, since she saw that cartoon the other day. When she watched Scooby Doo, it reminded her of her mission and what she needed to do. ‘I need to solve the mystery!’ Charlotte said with a gasp. ‘Some changes are happening already and I’m running out of time.’ After Scooby Doo, Charlotte brushed her teeth before she met her mom in her bedroom to get tucked in her bed. But when Charlotte approached her bed, her mother was sitting there, holding a box. And although Charlotte couldn’t read for the most part, she couldn’t mistake the design of the box. It was purple and there was an image of Minnie Mouse playing the Xylophone. Above that were the two mistakeable words that Charlotte still remembered: PULL-UPS Pull-Ups? ‘Pull-Ups?!!!” Charlotte glanced at her mother in disbelief. ‘She got me Pull-Ups?! Oh God no. Please God, no!!! No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!!!!!!’ Charlotte pouted and shook her head fiercely in defiance. “No mommy! I will not wear Pull-Ups! I am not a baby!!!!!” Darcy frowned, knowing and expecting that Charlotte was going to react in this way. “Honey, I’m sorry. I have no other choice.” Charlotte glared at her mother, knowing in her own mind that she gave her the wrong answer. “The answer is no, mommy! I am not wearing the fudging Pull-Ups!” Charlotte just realized that she said “fudging” instead of the word that she intended to say. But despite that, she was still very upset. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran out of her bedroom. “Charlotte Marie Warren,” Darcy shouted. “You get back in here this instant!” But Charlotte ran down the stairs and plopped herself on the couch in the living room as she began to sulk. ‘I am not wearing them. Not ever. Never. Never. Never!’ Charlotte felt a very gentle tap on her back, followed by a rub on her sides. Darcy sighed. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at her, considering that she had just been kidnapped.’ “Charlotte sweetie, I’m very sorry that I have to do this. Can you please let mommy explain why I have to?” “It’s cause I’m a baby.” Charlotte said, feeling deflated. Darcy now held Charlotte in a warm embrace and shook her head. “Char honey, Look at mommy.” She watched as Charlotte reluctantly fixed her eyes on her. “Just look at me, dear. Mommy loves you. And believe me when I tell you that I have been doing everything I can to help your bedwetting and toileting problem. Now I’m going to explain to you why I have to do this, and it’s not because you’re a baby so please listen carefully, dear.” “Now Charlotte, did you know that between 5 and 12% of girls your age have bladder problems like you do? Five to twelve percent! That means as much as four kids in your class have a bladder problem.” Charlotte sighed. “Four, mom?” Darcy nodded as she began to stroke Charlotte’s hair. “Yes. Now, why do you think they have so many products for those kids with bladder problems? There’s youth diapers, Pull-Ups, and Goodnites. And I can tell you, Charlie dear. None of those kids are babies. Like you, they just need a little extra help, so it’s really nothing to be ashamed of.” “Now Charlotte, a month ago, you started to wet the bed. We had a discussion that you would be wearing Goodnites to bed until the bedwetting stopping. But you know what, hun? It never stopped! Your bedwetting got worse and I had to take you to the pediatrician. From what she told me, I could give you medication or just use diapers, Pull-Ups, or Goodnites. Now I said no to medication since I don’t like a pill messing with your mind and giving you all these side effects. So I decided on the Goodnites. Char baby, I know how much you hate Pull-Ups. The last time you wore them, you were four and you screamed at me. I never wanted to put you through that again, so we tried the Goodnites for a while.” “Then that other underwear,” Charlotte muttered. Darcy nodded. “Yes Charlotte. The pediatrician didn’t want you wearing Goodnites too much, so I only had you wearing them at night. When your daytime accidents started to happen, she recommended that I try training underwear. It was that underwear that held the accidents! Now, I thought that would work but it kept getting worse.” “And since you were wetting the bed at night with Goodnites, I decided to try the boosters. Since your recovery from the kidnapping, you are soaking through even the boosters so that’s why you’re in plastic pants at night. Now, because of your accident today at school, I now have to do the one thing that I never thought I would make you do again.” “Charlotte, starting tomorrow, you are going to be wearing Pull-Ups to school. I will be dropping off some extra Pull-Ups for the school nurse, so she’s already been informed about it. Now remember. The Pull-Ups are going to hold less pee than the Goodnites so if you get them wet, you will want to go to the school nurse. I have limited the changes of clothes so you will just go home if you use up your clothes for the week.” Charlotte turned her face away from her mother. ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, mom. I don’t want to wear them. “I will not wear them,” Charlotte told her. Darcy gave Charlotte a sly smile. “How about this, then? If you don’t wear the Pull-Ups tomorrow, no more Junior Track. I will take you out of the program and there will be no more running. I will also sell those running shoes of yours.” “No!” Charlotte shouted. “I will wear them!” Darcy gave Charlotte a skeptical look. “Can you please repeat that for me?” Charlotte sighed, repeating the four words as clearly as she could. “I. Will. Wear. Them. Okay mommy?” Darcy hugged Charlotte. “That’s my good girl. And how about this? Once your daytime accidents stop, you can stop wearing the Pull-Ups. We will donate them to the diaper bank. How does that sound?” Charlotte nodded, realizing that her Goodnite was getting warm. ‘Using the potty is going to be very hard tomorrow.’ Darcy took Charlotte back upstairs and tucked her in. “So, it will be Pull-Ups in the daytime and Goodnites at night. Now look at me, dear. If I were you, I would hate the Pull-Ups just as much as you. But I would also have a loving mommy that knows what’s best for me and have me wear them to help me. It won’t be forever, Char. Just until you get past this relapse, okay. I love you, Charlie Bee. Sleep well. You’ll be able to speak to Dr. Meyers tomorrow about your kidnapping. Please talk to her, hun. It will help you. Sweet dreams.” Darcy gave Charlotte a forehead kiss and left Charlotte’s bedroom. Charlotte squeezed Bobo tight and sighed. As much as she didn’t want to wear the Pull-Ups, her mother just threatened to take her out of Junior Track and take her running shoes away. With that, the Pull-Ups were a must. Charlotte’s groin and butt began to get warm as she thought of tomorrow. ‘How am I going to deal with going to school in Pull-Ups? Especially after all the kids saw my accident? And what am I going to tell the psychologist?’ The questions continued to run around in Charlotte’s mind, tiring her out more and more. Charlotte tossed and turned in her bed before she finally fell asleep.

Stay tuned! 😀

An interesting theory, but I don't think that a gold Cross necklace would be Mythra's pendant. It would have to be something else, and Charlotte will keep her eyes open to try to find it. Stay tuned. 😀

Chapter 42 Charlotte let out a sigh of frustration as she soaked her Goodnite in Miss Willoughby’s Second Grade class. Her eyes were fixed on her desk, glancing at a math assignment that just didn’t make sense to her now. A week ago, it would’ve been easy for her. But why is it so hard now? Charlotte had to add and subtract three-digit numbers, and every makeup assignment she has done so far for math has resulted in a near failing grade. ‘Just what’s going on?’ Charlotte sighed as she pounded her pencil down on the desk. “Just a week ago, I was doing perfect in math! Now, how do I subtract this again?’ Math wasn’t the only thing that Charlotte was having trouble with. During yesterday and today’s reading circle, Charlotte had to keep stopping because there were certain words that she couldn’t read. They were words that she had already learned, but they now seemed almost foreign to her now. ‘This is just getting too hard! Can’t I just go home and play?’ It was now Tuesday, which was four days since Charlotte was rescued. Friday wasn’t fun, since she had to be treated for rashes. As for Saturday and Sunday, Charlotte just spent it at home in recovery. And it was a good thing that Charlotte stayed home, as Charlotte’s accidents worsened over the course of the weekend. Even though Charlotte was wearing her training underwear at home, she soaked almost every pair and almost pooped in a couple of them. Darcy was getting tired of this, so she decided to put Charlotte in Goodnites during the day, which further fueled Charlotte’s accidents. On Monday, Miss Willoughby gave Charlotte her makeup homework, since she missed Thursday and Friday. She asked for a volunteer to help Charlotte catch up. Gabrielle gladly volunteered. Charlotte now winked at Miss Willoughby. At this point, Charlotte had given up on trying to help the girl out. She didn’t know who the girl was, and she just didn’t feel like helping her. She was just tired and frustrated in trying to catch up with her schoolwork. Miss Willoughby winked back, and Charlotte left her classroom. But instead of going to the bathroom, Charlotte stopped at the nurse’s office to get changed. Brenda glanced at Charlotte and gave her an understanding nod. “You need a new Goodnite, Charlotte?” Charlotte nodded, still looking unhappy. “Yeah. It’s very soggy.” Brenda pulled off the soggy Goodnite and nodded. “Wow! You soaked this one good! The booster is soaked and it’s pretty full! Any longer and you would’ve had a leak! Here, let me wipe you and get a new one on.” Charlotte still looked disappointed as the nurse wiped her with some Kandoo Kids wipes. The nurse then slid a new Goodnite on with a booster pad. She gave Charlotte a thumbs up and smiled. “You’re all set, Charlotte!” She paused as she noticed Charlotte hanging her face down in sadness. “What’s wrong, Charlotte? Your mom told me about your rough time on Thursday and Friday. Do you want to talk about it?” Charlotte maintained eye contact with the floor. “No. I’m fine.” Brenda sighed and shook her head. “No, you’re not, Charlotte. Miss Willoughby has told me. You are failing your makeup assignments for Thursday and Friday. Whatever you experienced must have been very hard for you. If you don’t want to talk about it now, let me know when you’re ready.” Charlotte sighed. “I’m just dumb. Why can’t I add or subtract or read?” Brenda glanced at Charlotte. “You might be experiencing trauma, Charlotte. Now, I know that’s a word you don’t know. All you need to know is that it’s a really scary thing that happens to you that makes you feel upset. It can make you worried or unsafe. I think that the trauma is affecting your ability to complete the assignments. Now, don’t worry Charlotte. Your mom has already told the principal, and she will be setting up an appointment with the school psychologist. All this means is that you’ll have someone to talk to about your troubles, okay?” Charlotte nodded, as she felt a couple of tears roll down her cheeks. “Okay nurse Brenda.” Charlotte was misty-eyed all the way back to her classroom. The kidnapping really took a toll on Charlotte’s mental well-being, and she was beginning to experience the worse of it. But somewhere in Charlotte’s mind, the real Charlotte suspected something else was going on. ‘What if I’m getting younger?’ Charlotte gasped, beginning to worry. ‘I may still feel like I’m seven, but maybe my mind is getting younger first?’ When Charlotte returned to her desk, Gabrielle was there, ready to help Charlotte. “Miss Willo told me to help you since I’m already done with my assignments.” Gabrielle told her. “She already told the class about what happened to you. Now, let me show you how to do that math problem.” Charlotte watched as Gabrielle walked her through three different math problems, adding and subtracting three-digit numbers with ease. ‘She makes it look so easy! Why can’t I do that anymore?’ Charlotte wrote the incorrect numbers, becoming more frustrated with each additional attempt. Finally, it was the end of the day and Gabrielle sighed. “We’ll keep trying tomorrow.” Gabrielle told her. “I know you’re smart. I have seen it!” Charlotte sat in the library after school, waiting for her mom to pick her up. After her mom picked her up, Charlotte was now sitting in her car seat, trying to relax from the rough day of school that she had to go through. Darcy sighed. “Rough day, dear? Miss Willoughby told me about your failing grades and we both agree that it has to do with the trauma from your recent kidnapping. Basically, trauma is something scary that happens to you, honey. It can make you worried or afraid. I have arranged with the principal for you to see the school psychologist. Share your concerns with me and her, okay?” Charlotte nodded as she glanced out the window. “Okay mommy…” Darcy smiled, trying to cheer Charlotte up. “Hey. We’re not going right home, honey. Instead, we are going to a restaurant! Your Aunt Darlene, your Uncle Daniel, and your two cousins will be there too, so cheer up! We’ll get through this, sweetie.” Charlotte almost smiled when her mother pointed her finger at her from the rear-view mirror. “See?” Darcy grinned. “I just saw it! The face of a smiling girl!” The 4Runner stopped at a family restaurant. Charlotte sighed in frustration as she tried to read the sign of the restaurant. “Dee-nyes?” Darcy nodded. “Almost hun! It’s Denny’s. And from the text that I just got, it looks like your Aunt Darlene already saved a table for us. Let mommy help you out.” Darcy unbuckled Charlotte from her car seat and held Charlotte’s hand as they walked into the restaurant. Darcy had a little bag with her, along with her purse. After Darcy entered the restaurant with Charlotte, she softly pressed down around Charlotte’s groin. “Let’s get you into a new Goodnite, hun. That one’s starting to get soaked.” Charlotte nodded, continuing to “go with the flow”. “All right, mommy.” Darcy used the family bathroom stall to quickly change Charlotte into a new Goodnite. She disposed of the old one and helped Charlotte wash her hands before they both left the bathroom. Darcy followed the hostess with Charlotte and found Darlene and Daniel sitting at a booth with Heather and Allison. Heather was haphazardly coloring on a placemat with crayons while Allison was sitting in a highchair, waving her stuffed hippo around while she sucked on her pacifier. Darlene glanced up and pointed at the other table that was next to them. She smiled when she saw Charlotte. “There’s the brave girl! Hi Charlotte!” Charlotte gave a passive glance at her aunt and waved at her. When Heather saw Charlotte, she ran up and hugged her. But since Heather felt something soft underneath Charlotte’s dress, she touched the soft padding and gasped. “Charlotte’s wearing a diaper?” Darlene sighed. “So are you, honey. Now, it’s not nice to say things like that, dear.” Heather then looked at Charlotte. “Mommy said that you were in a scary place. You don’t look happy. If I hug you again, will you be happy?” Heather gave Charlotte another hug. Charlotte couldn’t help but smile seeing how much her cousin cared about her. “Yes,” Charlotte told her, feeling the tight squeeze of Heather’s hug. “I’m happy. Let me go! It’s too tight!” Heather nodded. “Too tight? I’ll let go!” Heather released her grip and climbed back into her booster seat to color. Charlotte glanced at what Heather was doing and frowned. “Can I have crayons and a placemat too, mommy?” Darcy nodded. “Why, certainly you can, Charlie!” The waitress took notice and gave Charlotte some crayons and a colorless placemat. Charlotte smiled when she grabbed the placemat. “Thank you!” “You’re welcome!” The waitress told her. She glanced at Darcy. “Now, do you need more time to decide?” Darcy nodded. “We just got here! Give us a few more minutes. If you need drinks, get a water for me and her.” The waitress nodded. “Two waters? I’ll be right back!” The waitress left to get the two waters. Meanwhile, Charlotte was beginning to color the menu. She found this to be much more enjoyable than the schoolwork that she was beginning to have more trouble with. Charlotte didn’t have to worry about using the wrong colors. Every color was correct. Every crayon stroke was correct. None of the strokes had to make any sense either. None of it mattered to Charlotte. As she continued to mindlessly color her menu, her mother tapped her on the shoulder. “What did you want to eat, Charlotte?” Charlotte glanced at the menu. ‘Nice. I want to be a big girl and order myself!’ But when Charlotte glanced at the menu, the words were very hard to read. Since Charlotte was taking too long, Darcy sighed and grabbed the menu from Charlotte. “You’re taking too long, dear. I’ll just get you a Junior Cheeseburger, some mac and cheese, and a Junior Milkshake. How does that sound?” Charlotte sighed, as if there could’ve been something more appetizing on the menu and she couldn’t read it. “It sounds fine, mommy!” Darcy nodded. “Good. Now I know that you have been through a lot, so let me help you with these things for now, okay?” Charlotte reluctantly nodded, mostly from her frustration in being unable to read the menu. ‘Just what is going on? This can’t be trauma! I used to be able to read those words!’ Charlotte’s attention was interrupted by Allison, who was pounding her stuffed hippo on her highchair, before it flung out of her hand and onto the floor. Her hands began to slap on the highchair, and she finally released her pacifier from her mouth, which dangled from the ribbon of the pacifier clip that was attached to the collar of her dress. “Ah hun-gee mah-mee!” Allison shouted. “Ah hun-gee! Ah hun-gee!” Darlene sighed, as she picked the light pink stuffed hippo up from the floor and handed it back to Allison. “You’re hungry, sweetie? Here. Mommy’s got some Cheerios to eat until your food comes. Here!” Darlene got a small Ziploc bag of Cheerios out from her diaper bag and opened it. She grabbed a small handful of Cheerios and scattered them on the highchair. Allison began scooping up the Cheerios and eating them one by one. Heather took notice of her sister eating and nudged Charlotte. “My sister says she’s hungry and she’s eating Cheerios!” Charlotte nodded and glanced at Allison enjoying her pre-dinner snack. She then glanced at Heather, somehow feeling more intrigued at being around her. She glanced at the picture that she drew and smiled. “Can I see your picture?” Charlotte held out her placemat, which displayed a bunch of random colors all over the placemat. “This is mine!” Heather nodded as she carefully studied Charlotte’s attempt coloring. Unlike Charlotte’s haphazard coloring job, Heather carefully chose her colors and every one was neatly colored within the line. “You didn’t stay in the lines!” Heather said, reminding Charlotte by pointing at her placemat with waving hands. Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t want to stay in the lines. The colors just wanted to escape!” Heather laughed at Charlotte’s explanation. “Why would the colors escape? Are they afraid?” Charlotte continued talking to her cousin as they all waited for their food to arrive. For some reason, Charlotte was finding herself more and more engaged with Heather’s company. Their conversation shifted to playing with Barbies and they laughed when Charlotte discussed a game that she liked to play with her Barbies and stuffed animals. Charlotte’s conversation was cut short when she felt a tap on her shoulder by her mother. “Charlie dear,” Darcy said with a smile. “Your food is here. Eat your cheeseburger.” Darlene was giving Heather a similar reminder and both girls looked equally disappointed at having their conversation cut short. Darlene glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “Aw! It looks like Heather and Charlotte are really having a good time tonight!” Darcy nodded. “Charlotte’s quite the social butterfly! She made a friend named Gabrielle at school and she’s going to her birthday party at the bowling alley this Sunday.” Darlene smiled. “She’s going bowling? That would be fun to take Heather bowling! I’ll have to leave Allison with Daniel at home. And you can come too! Daniel honey, you don’t mind if I have a fun night with Darcy and our girl, do you?” Daniel nodded. “Go head, honey! Me and Allie will have a fun time at home, won’t we?” Allison smiled as she scooped the last of the Cheerios into her mouth. Charlotte glanced at her plate and began eating the Junior Cheeseburger. As she was eating, globs of ketchup and mustard was getting all over her face, along with a couple pieces of melted cheese. She was halfway through her burger when her mother touched her face with a napkin. “Hold still, honey.” Darcy told Charlotte. “You got ketchup and mustard all over your face. You’re quite the messy eater!” Heather, on the other hand, was taking careful bites and only getting a little bit of condiments on her face. Charlotte finished off her Junior Cheeseburger and began eating her mac and cheese. Like the cheeseburger, there was cheese sauce all over her face, which Darcy had to wipe every few spoonfuls. Finally, Charlotte was drinking her Junior Milkshake, sucking the contents up rapidly. She then stopped, pressing her hands against her forehead. “Cold!” Charlotte shouted. “So cold!” Darcy smiled. “You’re drinking it too fast, honey. Slow down, okay?” Charlotte cautiously drank the rest of her Junior Milkshake while glancing at Heather. She then began to drink her water. Heather was slowly sipping her milkshake but then began to crouch down in her booster seat. She began to make grunting sounds. She then got out of her booster seat and ducked underneath the table. Darlene took notice and checked underneath the table. “Heather, are you making poopies again?” Heather nodded as she let out a sigh of relief. “I’m done mommy.” Heather then sat in her booster seat and began to finish her milkshake until her straw began making noise. Darlene then grabbed Heather by the hand. “I think it’s time for a change, Heather Bean.” Darcy glanced at Charlotte and smiled. “Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to check Charlie.” Darcy reached her hand underneath Charlotte’s dress and pressed her padded groin. Just as she suspected, it was soggy and squishy. “You’re wet, dear. Let’s get you changed.” Charlotte gasped, as she had no memory of when she soaked her Goodnite. ‘Was it when I talked to Heather? Or was it when I had the milkshake?’ Darlene slowed down with Heather when she saw Darcy trailing with Charlotte beside her. “Your daughter needs a change too? It’s okay. Both our girls are in the same boat when it comes to potty training.” Darcy nodded and let out a weak laugh. “I would call it a relapse for Charlotte. She knows how to go, but these problems have been happening with her over the past month. I can’t tell you how glad I am in having her in dresses now. It makes this a lot easier.” Darlene nodded. “Right? Dresses make it easier for Heather, too!” Both moms entered the family bathroom with their girls and Darlene laid Heather on the fold-out changing table while Darcy removed Charlotte’s shoes and pulled down Charlotte’s soggy Goodnite. Darcy wiped Charlotte with Kandoo wipes and got out a new Goodnite while Darlene was still working on wiping up Heather’s mess that she made all over herself. Charlotte glanced at Heather lying on a messy diaper and sighed. ‘I’m glad that I’m in Goodnites.’ Charlotte thought. ‘I never want to wear diapers. Ever!’ She felt her mother pulling the new Goodnite with a booster pad up her legs, feeling it hug her waist and feel secure between her legs. Darcy glanced at Darlene, holding the soggy Goodnite. “I’ll meet you back at the table.” Darlene nodded. “Okay. It looks like Heather gave me a very messy one this time.” Heather frowned as her mother continued to wipe her. “It’s all yucky! New diaper, please!” Charlotte sighed as she left the bathroom with her mother. As much as she could agree with Heather on most things, a diaper was where she drew the line. ‘She has her diapers, and I have my Goodnites.’ Charlotte found herself beginning to wet her Goodnite as she sat in her car seat on the way home. ‘Wow.’ Charlotte thought. ‘It’s like I have no bladder control anymore. Is it starting to happen? Am I getting younger again?’ Charlotte began to shudder at the thought of this. ‘If I’m getting younger, that means…I’m going to be wearing diapers soon. No. Just no. I just can’t!” Charlotte sighed as she squirmed in her car seat, the Goodnite continuing to swell and drink up the new moisture. As Charlotte brushed her teeth that night, she was still deep in thought. When she looked in the mirror, she still saw a seven-year-old girl staring back. Part of her has gotten used to this being her new self. But deep down, Charlotte just knew that she had already lived this part of her life before. She knew that she had to focus on getting back to adulthood and living her normal adult life again. But with these recent happenings, Charlotte felt like this was beginning to slip through her fingers. Charlotte was running out of time. She needed to resolve this problem and fast. Charlotte remembered her meeting with Mythra. Or at least her dream of that meeting. She wanted her pendant back. Charlotte had to find her pendant somewhere, but where was it? Charlotte knew that she had to keep looking if she was going to get a wish from Mythra. Whether she was really going to get a wish from her or not, Charlotte had to hold on to some kind of hope, even if it felt like it was some kind of childish fairytale. Charlotte was out of options and was ready to take whatever solution she could find to get herself back to normal. Afterall, she knew that her reverse aging was not normal. If something like this was possible, then magic can’t really be that outlandish for her to believe. Charlotte walked to her bedroom, where her mother helped Charlotte into a new Goodnite. Charlotte waited for her mother to zip her into a new footed sleeper when she noticed her opening another drawer instead. Her mother pulled out some underwear made of plastic. They were pink and had unicorns and rainbows. Her mother pointed to them and directed Charlotte to step into them. She frowned when she glanced at her mother. “Why do I have to wear this, mommy?” Darcy sighed. “You need them, sweetie. It’s plastic pants. You have had so many accidents that you need to wear them to bed, or you will wet the bed again. Now you wore them last night and they worked really well. Now let’s get them on, honey.” Charlotte sighed as she felt the durable plastic rustling against her Goodnight. ‘It’s like I’m in a plastic bag.’ She was then guided by her mother to step into a footed sleeper. She stepped into the legs, letting her mother guide her arms into the sleeves. A sudden thought entered Charlotte’s mind. ‘Didn’t I used to dress myself? Now, I’m letting mom dress me. Well, at least she lets me dress myself in the morning.’ She heard the sound of the zipper zipping up through her legs and all the way up to the collar. Her mother then snapped the flap over the zipper. “All set, Charlie dear.” Darcy told her. “Let’s get you tucked in. “ Darcy tucked Charlotte in her bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I know that these past few days have been rough, dear. But things are going to get better. Trust me, my Charlie Bee.” After Darcy turned off the light switch, she left Charlotte’s room. For the next few minutes, Charlotte could not fall asleep. All she could think about was the recent changes that were going on with her. For some unexplainable reason, she wanted to play with Heather more. And for one of the more negative changes, she was failing her second-grade assignments. Just a week ago, she was getting mostly A’s. And now, it was getting very difficult to read even a restaurant menu! Charlotte scrambled out of bed and dug her notebook out of her bag. She sat by her nightlight and glanced at the letters, trying to read all the words: SUPER SLEUTH CHARLOTTE’S MYSTERY NOTEBOOK For solving The Mystery! Charlotte sighed in frustration as she tried to figure out what the word “mystery” even meant. It was almost like the word was in another language. She glanced at her own name, trying to figure out the letters and combine them. ‘Oh no.” Charlotte thought. ‘Pretty soon, I won’t be able to spell my own name!’ Charlotte glanced at the first page, struggling to even make sense of what the words even meant: Charlotte’s Super Secret Observations (HIGHLY CLASSIFIED) MYSTERY #1 – The Mystery of the Reverse Aging (AKA Fountain of Youth Mystery or Benjamin Button Mystery) ORIGIN AND OFFSET OF MYSTERY: Cause is still unknown. The strange mystery began after my first run with my friends Lexi and Maya in mid August August 16th. DESCRIPTION OF MYSTERY: Being a really busy (on the verge of becoming famous) supermodel, I, Charlotte Warren, decided to take an extended vacation from my mansion in Beverly Hills to my mother’s house in Langford, California. I gave Raymond, my chauffeur, the day off and took my Petra Gold Rolls Royce Phantom Extended north for a 17-day vacation where I didn’t have to think. The traffic in Los Angeles was BAD on the way up but was okay for the remainder of the trip. I got to Langford with the plan of running with my friends Lexi and Maya, followed by a fun night of eating out and spending the night with them at my mother’s house. My mother interrupts me with a wonderful gift: a pair of Bottega Veneta running shoes. She spared no expense with this pair of designer athletic footwear. The shoes didn’t fit at first, but then after I got ready for my run with my friends, they…fit? Anyway, I love my BV’s and I wear them all the time on my runs now. I go on my run, and I find myself already primed for the workout. After running, I appeared to be in some other alternate dimension. A dream world where I was running a marathon in Paris. When wearing the shoes, I seem to be filled with a boundless endurance where I can run fast without tiring from my pace. After the run, reality seemed to have been altered when both Lexi and Maya told me that I have always been the fastest runner. There’s a possibility that I may have been sent to an alternate universe (NOTE: EXPLORE THEORY LATER!). Next event to suggest alternate reality: My mother told me after my run that my Lululemon shoes didn’t fit me and that my BV’s fit me perfectly, even though I can remember my mother watched me slipping on the BV’s when they didn’t fit. Besides the alternate reality, there has been three different episodes where I have undergone a reduction in my age (NOTE: ORIGINAL AGE IS 29 WITH ORIGINAL BIRTHDATE OF NOVEMBER 8TH, 1994. WILL NEED THIS FOR GETTING BACK ONCE THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED). Episode 1: 2-Year Reduction (8/17/2024) New age was discovered to be 27 the very next morning after my sleepover with Lexi and Maya at my mother’s. Alternate reality happened again as my Petra Gold Rolls Royce was replaced with a Diamond Black Rolls Royce Phantom (my older model). Next event to support alternate reality: Birth year was found to be 1996 instead of 1994 on my California Driver’s License (NOTE: THIS WILL BE RECURRING). When I got home, my mother corroborated the allegedly fake license Charlotte closed her notebook in frustration. While she could read a few of the easiest words, the words that she used to know were now difficult to understand. “Fountain”? “Strange”? “Athletic”? “Alternate”? “Allegedly”? All of these words and most of the others made the first page nearly impossible for Charlotte to read now. Charlotte sighed. ‘Why can’t I read my notebook anymore? There’s got to be something I can read!’ Charlotte then remembered the story that she recently wrote for Miss Willoughby’s class. “My Chloe story!” Charlotte gasped. Charlotte got out her story and read it again: Once upon a time, there was a sevin year old girl named Chloe. Now Chloe loved Barbies and Barbie dreemhouses and she maid it a goal two be just like Barbie sumday. So Chloe gru and she gru and she gru until she was 29 years old. From all that gruing, Chloe was now a famus soopermodil and was just like Barbie. She lived in a big house and drived in a very nice car. She was so prowd and happy that she wantd too vissit her mommy for a while so she did. Now Chloe reallee loved two run so her mommy suprised her wif a specsell pressant A brand new pier of runing shoes. Chloe tryed on the shoes and was very happy. She ran with the shoes for a wile. Weeks later, Chloe startd two get smaler. She shrinkd and she shrinkd and she shrinkd until she was only seven years old. When Chloe was shrinkin, no body beeleeved her. Not even her mommy. That’s when Chloe got hersef an idea. I will look for a powerfell fairee two turn me back to nomal Chloe sed. But Chloe didnt no where two find the fairee so she became a super slooth and began her investeegashin. She red a book that was about a fairee so she new where to find her. Chloe in her bedrom that nite had to wish on a star to summin the fairee. Chloe wished very hard and the fairee apaired Chloe was sad and said to the fairee I am not sevin I am 29 and I want two be my nomal age again can you please change me back. The fairee sed two Chloe you need two find the inchanted obbjict and I will grant you one wish. It is a spesell necklelis wif a specsell ston. Okay Chloe told the fairee. The next day, Chloe fownd the necklelis in her clawset and waited until bedtime two wish on the star two summin the fairee agin. Chloe gave the fairee the necklelis and the fairee was very happy. Okay Chloe I will grant you one wish the fairee sed. Chloe wishd that she was 29 years old agin and the fairee grantid her wish. Chloe gru and she gru and she gru until she was 29 years old again. Like the Barbies that she use two play with, she got two liv in her big and butiful dreemhouse and drive her nice car agin. And Chloe lived hapily ever after. The End Charlotte closed the story in frustration. She found herself tired and exhausted, trying to read every word in her short story. Like her notebook, the basic words that had three letters or less were easy. But her difficulty was in understanding the words that have four letters or more. She stuffed both notebooks back into her backpack and let out a frustrated sigh. ‘Reading is too hard now! Forget it!’ Charlotte returned to her bed, clutching Bobo in her arms and burying herself underneath the covers. She loved holding Bobo and smiled as she held him in her arms. ‘I don’t have to think.’ Charlotte thought. ‘I don’t want to think. I just want to play.’ Charlotte decided that math was too hard. Reading was too hard. It was all too hard. But none of it mattered to Charlotte anymore. Charlotte sighed as she cuddled with her stuffed best friend. Nothing else mattered. Charlotte, feeling very exhausted and carefree, fell asleep.

I would chalk it up to experience. Not every one of my ideas are going to be successful. I appreciate your feedback and assessment that you have given on the realism and detail that I put into this story (or lack thereof in this case). I just thought that a kidnapping chapter would be a fun thing to experiment with. Now granted this has been executed a lot better in other stories. At the very least, I feel like it would serve as another catalyst for Charlotte and a obstacle to overcome (at least for this age, as it seems that everything resets everytime Charlotte enters a new age). I have some other ideas for later chapters that I will try, and I'm hoping to achieve more success in the way that the subplot conveys realism to the characters in the story. I appreciate the feedback on this attempt. I'm hoping my other ideas will succeed where this one has failed.

Jump the shark? In what way?

I do agree that the kidnappers were quite dumb, with the leader clearly being the smartest. As for Darcy having an affair, I would reread some earlier parts of the story. It's very clear that there's no affair involved as you will see very soon in the chapters ahead. Stay tuned. 😀