ImprobableLemon

That's pretty strange for that random assortment of letters to mean that. However, I don't know why people keep freaking out about hidden messages and other odd things. Certainly I believe it best to chalk this chapter and the [[Witch]]'s recording to odd circumstance and ignore any odd things people might claim to see. And forget about them.

Weird, don't think she added that. Probably just a glitch from when she sent the recording back over to her world. I wouldn't worry about it. Those hex strings almost look like words. But again it's probably just a glitch, I wouldn't try to figure it out.

Oof, that's rough and really unprofessional of them. Good on you for landing someplace better. As far as hating the job goes I'm in a similar boat. They gave me a shot out of college but they're really not great to work for and stressed me the hell out with their particular brand of nonsense. Thanks, I have hope that things are going to turn out well.

Why does my chest feel so tight? The hardened expression on his face. The memories I’ve made with these three. The connection, friendship, and familial love shared between them. His resolve to put all of it to a grisly and unsatisfactory end. “You’d really do that…?” “Covert operatives complete their duties under the assurance they will be euthanized in the worst case. It is a mercy in their… Our eyes.” “Whatever is done to them, couldn’t it be undone? Amelia fixed herself up after she was exposed to hypnosis at the party. Surely there’s a way, right?” He shakes his head. Slowly. Sadly. “Research to undo Amazonian hypnosis is mostly underground and quite underfunded. Those under the watch of our operates are powerful and wealthy. They spare no expense in destroying the minds of prying eyes. There is, essentially, no hope for their victims.” This is… Too much. That Franz is capable of speaking so calmly about this. That this is the reality of the world he lives in. That they live in. It is entirely too much. But still, despite feeling smothered by the weight of his words. I need to know. “How many times, Franz? How many have you…” “…” While I trail off, he pauses. Thoughtfully. His eyebrows knitted together, furrowed. I sip from my drink, seeking salvation from the dryness in my mouth. “This is the fourth. Fourth island. Fourth Solstice. Fourth pair. It will be the last. I swear it.” Franz looks ahead. In my direction, but past me. Into the distance. His closed fist rests against the table. Tight, so much so the veins push against the skin. “I’m sorry.” I say. While not entirely sure what for. For him having been put through this? For the world he has found himself born into? For not arriving sooner? Leaning forward I stretch across the table. With much strain I place a hand atop his tightened fist. He blinks, looking down at my form stretched across the Amazon sized table. Franz gives a polite laugh. “Nothing for you to be sorry for, partner.” “Partner?” “The two of us are bound now. United by our desire to protect those two from the worst this world has to offer.” I pull my hand back, sinking back to a more comfortable position in the chair. “I guess you’re right. I’ll help in any way that I can. Anything to ease your burden and help our friends. You can count on it.” “Then a toast. To our lives continuing in steady course.” “To our intervention being unnecessary.” Our mugs clink together lightly, ringing an end to the toast and this meeting between Amelia and Gale’s self-appointed guardians. ~~~ Entry – (DISTORTED) With things settled down for the most part, I’ve decided to resume writing journal entries. Maybe ‘writing’ is the wrong word. Amelia gave me some voice recording technology thing. … If my memory is to be trusted, the last entry was recalling my experience dealing with them, so it’s been a while. I think this entry will be a little more hopeful than that one… Anyway, months have passed with little note since my meeting with Franz regarding Amelia and Gale. True to our toast, life has continued in routine and normal fashion. With his burden shared, Franz has lightened up a bit and become more expressive. 01000110 Amelia has been spending more time at Gale’s. Leaving me at her apartment for quality alone time. Aside from this, their relationship has continued furthering at a snail’s pace as they complete assignments and attended Amazon gatherings under my watchful presence. 01101111 The partnership between Franz and I has… Grown into something perhaps slightly more. I got the date he promised and that turned into another and that into another and so on. Maybe I’ve spent some time at Franz’s place while Amelia was at Gale’s. Maybe. 01110101 Martin has continued his treatment under Amelia. His mind and body were altered a lot. But the damage done isn’t beyond fixing. I’d even assisted. Delving into his mind to untie some knots as well as healing his body where it’d not yet become used to its new shape. Progress is still being made and he continues to work as a Solstice maid. 01101110 Speaking of which, Heather, another Solstice employee graduated from retraining. She’s really proven herself and completely changed her attitude. No longer receiving complaints from the customers… But… Sometimes when walking with or near her, I hear odd rustling… She no longer has to wear diapers though... Not quite sure what’s going on there. 01100100 The Summer I’d arrived and crashed into the lives of my friends has burned out. Replaced instead by a crisp and colorful Fall. Halloween was a thing that happened. Amelia was true to her promise, and I had my first taste of the little lifestyle. It was whelming to say the least. Perhaps it’s just not for me. Amelia looked cute though. 00100000 That Fall bled into Winter. It arrived fast after some ‘thankful’ Holiday. Thanksmus? I’m not sure. Back to Winter; temperatures have dropped rapidly and snow’s begun falling from the grey skies. 01011001 … Maybe it’s the dreary weather, or maybe it’s the cold, but I’m feeling off as of late. More accurately, I’m getting a strange feeling. Something akin to a sense of dread. Probably just the seasonal atmosphere. Everything is fine. More than fine in fact. I shouldn’t feel this way. I’ll try to stop worrying, like they keep telling me to. 01101111 … Really, I hope that things continue like this… Well, forever. Every day is fun. Filled with interaction and stimulation. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to preserve the happiness of the ones I love. 01110101 … I suppose that’s it for now, running a bit low on time. Promised Amelia that we’d have another magic class today. Can’t be late of course. As for what to do with this recording… I think I’ll send it back to my world, in some random buried location. It’s not like I make these entries because I want them read… Or listened to in this case. If anyone finds this, know that the [[Witch]] is doing well. And if the situation is dire on the other side, you know what to do. … 5452414548204e45504f20444e494d204e45504f2053455945204e45504f2053524145204e45504f0d0a0d0a5241454e205357415244205941442044455353454c42204548540d0a0d0a5445592052455045454420444e49422053544f4f522052554f … Chapter 19: Guardian 'Angels' ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I'm glad that you all continue to enjoy the story, and thank you for the praise. No pressure to comment every chapter, although everyone's comments are always wonderful to read. I might have to agree. It's been a hot minute since my last chapter post and boy do I have a tale for you readers. I went on the previously mentioned Thanksgiving trip with my GF and during a Black Friday excursion we were involved in a 'Mall Shooting'. Thankfully it was only a gang incident and not a mass shooting, but the experience was still shocking to say the least. And then, upon returning from that vacation, I was let go from my job of 3.5 years with only an hour's notice at the end of the day. So again, to say the least, the end of November/start of December has been a bit rough. Don't worry too much about me. Working in Software Development means I've made a fair bit and with my frugal spending I have a good cushion to job search with along with unemployment. Also there are many openings in the industry. I'll be fine. This also might mean more time for chapter writing to give things a slight positive spin. So thank you all once again for reading and commenting. I hope this chapter was worth the wait (a bit short though it is). Seeing the readership this has garnered across the various sites I've posted to has surpassed my wildest dreams. And I cannot thank you all enough.

“Really…? You would do that for Amelia?” She says while wiping tears that formed unwittingly in the corner of her eyes. “Yeah, now let’s hurry it up. We should get this done before I change my mind.” This is an impulsive decision. Bestowing magic to someone from this world. A place lacking in widespread magical use. It could grant her the ability to live her life as she pleases. But it could very well lead her down a path of persecution and ruin. If she were to be found out… Maybe she won’t have the potential. Don’t overthink it. I jump up and dust myself off. Sand and dirt particles from our spot overlooking the beach sprinkle into the wind. Then I offer a hand to Amelia which she accepts. “So… Urm… What do we do now?” “Leave it to me.” Reaching forward with an open palm, I place my hand over her chest. Seconds begin to tick by as the lengthy incantation runs in my mind. “Amelia has to say, this is a little awkward. Wait… You’ve done this before right? Amelia isn’t a guinea pig is she!?” “Plenty of times. Some need help dragging their latent abilities forth.” “What makes you think this will work anyway? Amelia isn’t from your world, why would Amelia have abilities or powers?” “Even in this world all living things appear to have gates. Spiritual, intangible organs capable of processing magic. Internally or externally. They’re in severe disuse, but they’re there. With that train of thought I’m fairly certain this will unlock something in you… That is if you’d stop interrupting!” “Sorry, sorry! Amelia will stop now.” Despite what I’d said, the words flashing through my head cease. The spell done. A dark glow envelopes the hand hovering over Amelia. I plunge the hand further forward. Into her body. It slips through the flesh with ease. “Oooh cold! That’s so cold!” Amelia exclaims. Seemingly not otherwise bothered by the arm buried half-forearm deep in her chest. Rummaging around I try and feel for something to bring forth from within her. An ability or talent buried deep inside her. It brushes up against my hand. Something cold. Colder than the space it resides in. Something to drag out. I grab hold and tug. Grunting with effort as it fights to remain sealed. However, with countless millennium of experience the fight is easily won. My arm flies from her chest. The force I’d been pulling with sending me backpedaling. Rather than exit, what I’d grabbed onto prefers to settle into her body. Merging with her and becoming a source of strength. I step back, surveying my work. Appraising Amelia’s power. “Ah. Of course…” “What? What is it?” Could it be the guiding hand of fate? For our paths to cross and for it to lead to this. “You have some sorcerer potential. And even more so as an artificer.” “Awesome! That’s great! Uh… What is an artificer?” “Someone that uses magic to create magical tools and artifacts. Your tinkering may have had an influence on your potential… Or your potential had an influence on your hobbies.” “Thank you, Witch! This is the best! Amelia is beyond overjoyed!” The girl dances slightly in place. Clearly happy with the outcome. Let’s see how happy she’ll be in a moment… There’s one final thing to do. “There’s something else we have to do, Amelia. Your gate needs opening.” “What?” “I told you, it’s in disuse. If you’re to use magic, I need to break it open and force it into working shape.” “H-Hold on… Break? Why’d you say break? Is it going to hurt? This is going to hurt!?” A bead of nervous sweat trickles off her forehead. As she looks at me nervously. The previous excitement waning in favor of fear over an unknown and potential pain. “Just… Close your eyes. It’ll be over shortly.” Forcefully I step towards Amelia. Preparing to grab her hand to begin pumping her gate with mana. To jumpstart it, kind of like jumpstarting one of this world’s cars. “AHHHHHHH!!!” Her cries echo over the beach. ~~~ It was a necessary evil. And after much screaming and begging and crying, the job was done. She is now able to use her gate to its fullest. Forging magic within and drawing it from her surroundings. With training that is. I gather up Amelia’s exhausted body in my arms. Once I’ve ensured our invisibility, I leap to the sky. We’re too far out to walk home. Especially with Amelia in this state. “We have to lay down some rules, Amelia. Well, a ‘rule’. I really only have one in mind anyway.” “What is it?” “Don’t try to use magic without me around.” “Hm, Amelia supposes that can be done.” “Magic can be very dangerous. I’d rather be there to clean up and prevent any incidents.” “That’s reasonable. Thanks again, Witch.” “No big deal. However, there’s one last thing. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s only for my peace of mind…” “Go on, don’t leave Amelia in suspense.” “Form a pact with me. It’ll allow me to grant you the use of certain spells and regulate the flow of your mana by granting you some of mine. Consider it magic training wheels.” “Amelia thought only warlocks did that. Is that not the case?” “Anyone can receive pacts. Warlocks are better at not being taken advantage of and getting the most out of their patron. Since I’m not a demon or fae aiming for your soul, this pact will be harmless.” “Okay… Wait. This won’t hurt, will it?” The girl shudders and moves about anxiously in my arms. I don’t even have to look at her face to know she’s probably wearing a worried look. “No, no. It’s painless, see.” With her ‘okay’, the pact is already forged. Generating a connection between the two of us, one that I can manage directly. Amelia sighs in relief, happy that the process was painless. I sigh in relief, happy that Amelia accepted my request. Having run through all the formalities we’d arrived back at her apartment. Carefully I descend, landing at the top of the staircase before her apartment door. Once Amelia is back on her unsteady feet, she stumbles to the door with key in hand and unlocks it. “Fwah… Amelia is beat…” No sooner than we’d stepped in, she’s already throwing herself into the couch. Exhausted by the lengthy and full day. In response to this, I summon forth my bag from earlier. Upon tipping it over a flood of plastic bags spill out. Covering the living room floor. “Oooh… Um. Well… Amelia will get that tomorrow.” “Am I detecting a little regret at all these purchases?” “No! No regret ever!” Despite appearing dead on the couch, the little manages to produce enough energy to refute my prodding. “Get some rest, I’m going to hit up Franz.” “Ooh la la!” “No, no, not like that. I’m going to tell him about what we’ve done today, specifically your new lease on life. You can have the same conversation with Gale.” “Yeah, yeah. Amelia will tell her tomorrow.” I wave goodbye as the sofa bound girl pulls her cellphone out, returning the gesture before her fingers flick across the glowing screen. With a locking spell the door shuts with a click of the deadbolt behind me. Now to get to Solstice. … Which is quite far for as much activity I partook in today. I’m feeling lazy, let’s make it quick. And since I’m alone, I’ll teleport today. Plus I’m already invisible, so it works perfectly. [[Teleport, Solstice]] While visualizing the location in my mind, I speak in a tongue foreign to this world. Like a flash the scene before me changes. Going from the top of the staircase overlooking Amelia’s parking lot to the front of Franz’s store. Shaking away the feeling of vertigo I take a step forward and trip, landing on a knee. As if the ground beneath my foot was deeper than anticipated. Confused by my apparent clumsiness I look to the ground. I see nothing to trip on. Nor a step that I missed. However. What I did see forces a sharp intake of breath through clamped teeth. The leg I’d used to step forward was missing a foot. When I’d teleported in it’d clipped through the ground. Shearing it off at the ankle. “Tch khhhhh…” It didn’t hurt, until I’d become aware of it. Now my body shakes, wracked with pain. Air wheezing between the teeth I’ve clamped shut to keep from screaming. Teleporting is dangerous magic. While relatively safe if you can see the location you wish to be at, it can become quite random without proper sightlines. Doorways are safer but require an object or person on the other end to act as your anchor. Franz and I aren’t close enough for that yet. I probably could with Gale and definitely could with Amelia now that we’re bound by a pact. Amelia might think my requests regarding her magic use are a bit much, but magic is dangerous. I’d never forgive myself if she hurt herself, or worse… While locked in thought over my foolishness and worries the foot quickly regenerated. Restoring to its full usefulness. Shoe and all. I rise, standing on the new foot and ensure that all traces of blood are gone from the sidewalk. With this inconvenience out of the way I enter the building. Since it’s past closing time, most lights are off. The only illumination coming from a few smaller lights littered throughout that remain on 24/7. Heading through the dining area I make my way to the kitchen. From there I’ll go up to Franz’s quarters. I throw open the door to the kitchen and- “Ack!” I jump in surprise. An exclamation rising from my throat. Franz is seated in the kitchen. At a small table near the entrance that he’s pulled up. Eyebrows raised slightly with a smirk. “Damn Franz. If I wasn’t immortal, you would’ve given me a heart attack…” “So says the woman attempting to sneak into my home.” “… That’s fair enough. How’d you know I was coming?” His hand reaches below the table, aiming for his pocket. He pulls out a cellphone and places it on the table. It clicks instantly. “Amelia.” “She sent me a text the moment you left. Though I am quite surprised at how soon you have arrived.” Probably I should’ve remembered that phones are a thing… I see that Franz has another chair pulled up to the table. Higher than his own, clearly meant for me. With a clean line of sight, I’m in the seat with a flash. This time sure I haven’t lost anything in the short trip. “So that is how you did it.” He doesn’t seem very surprised. The words were a self-confirmation of his previous thoughts. Then again, he might not be surprised by anything after witnessing my spectacle from the other day. “Amelia didn’t tell you anything else, did she?” “No. Just that I should expect company shortly.” “I guess I’ll take it from the top then. We went out today. Wandered around town, visited places she can’t go alone.” “She made you dress up. You appear quite stunning dressed like that.” Franz appraises my appearance. I’d still yet to change back to my usual attire. The slick words from him in any other setting may have tinged my cheeks, but the serious matter at hand prevented that. “We went to the mall. Shopped around. She saw the little store.” “A place where the worst of us congregate. Gale tries to keep that from her. She worries it will trigger bad memories in Amelia.” Franz reaches over to the counter beside us and grabs a pot of coffee still attached to the machine. Steam flows out the holes at the top. While he pours the beverage into two mugs I continue. “That may be part of the problem. Amelia wants a life. She doesn’t want to be cooped up just to survive.” “That is understandable. But a difficult dream to achieve in Amazon territory.” He sets the pot back into its slot in the machine. Then passes a steaming mug my way. We sip slowly. It’s decaf. “Against my better judgement I gave her power. I couldn’t do nothing. I sympathized too much.” “Hm.” “I’m going to teach her how to protect herself. And maybe she can have the life she yearns for.” “…” “What do you think?” He sets the mug down on the table. His hand runs through his slicked back hair. Gears turning in his head as he thinks. Finally, he opens his mouth, with words I did not expect. “Thank you.” “H-Huh? What do you mean? I thought you’d be against it.” “It is as I said, I am grateful. What you have done puts me to ease, if only somewhat.” Confusion. That feeling fills me and invades my thoughts. “What’s your game here Franz? When Amelia and Gale first brought me to Solstice, they said it came highly recommended by their organization. I thought it was because you sympathized with littles or their cause. But you haven’t appeared overly surprised by anything the past few days.” “…” “Why is someone as talented, someone so surrounded by the stench of death working in a place like this. None of it adds up.” “No, I suppose it would not make sense. Now would it.” Franz sighs. Eyes turning down, viewing his half-empty mug. He continues, gaze still low. “The LRS helped me regain myself. I owe much to them, and to this day work under their orders. Half of which are to assist members working in the area. Give them a safe place to frequent.” “That’s why Amelia and Gale see you as just some helpful old man…” “Precisely. They must not know how deep my involvement goes. I was only meant to offer a sanctuary to those girls. But they shouldered their way into my heart and thoughts. I became too close. Much too close.” “Why does it matter how close you get? You’re still doing your job right?” “Should the stationed operatives ever be discovered, captured, and broken beyond repair…” He looks up from his drink. Meeting my sight. His steely grey eyes burning a hole in mine. The sound of his voice growing cold. “It is my duty to eliminate them.” Chapter 18: Birth of a Mage ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you, I'm glad that people enjoyed that extra chapter. Not every holiday will get an extra, but some will. Christmas for sure, so look forward to that! After that treat of a chapter, we're back to our regular narrative. I hope to have another chapter out next week before I leave on a week-long out of state trip to visit family. Once again a hearty thank you to everyone who continues to read, comment on, and follow this story. And if somehow I don't post again before the holiday, have a Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate and a good week regardless if you don't.

Without explicitly saying anything or giving too much away... While the events do occur in the overarching narrative, this story is self-contained. Any confusion may be cleared up by re-reading starting at this part near the end: If there's any confusion after that feel free to shoot me a message. I can give further hints or outright say it there. While I'm here, the next chapter should be released towards the end of the week. I'll try to have another one as well next week before I do a bit of a disappearing trick over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Extra Chapter #1: Halloween If I’m being completely honest, this feels a little insulting. The thought crosses my mind while checking my reflection in the mirror. How exactly did this happen again? Truthfully, I know fully well how this happened. But to really understand, you’d have to go back. Back to the start of the month… … Amelia had started getting into a festive spirit of sorts. If you’d visited her apartment the day before the start of the month, and then the day after; you wouldn’t believe it to be the same place. Pumpkins, bats, ghosts and ghouls, and leaves the color of amber. In paper and plastic, these objects were strewn around the space. Hanging from the ceiling, displayed on shelves, in corners of the room. Blankets and pillows on the couch swapped out for ones with swirling leaves. Rags in the kitchen and bathroom swapped similarly for ones decorated in smiling pumpkins. She’d changed the look of the apartment everywhere. I had questions of course. This imagery was something unheard of in my dimension. Excitedly and with much vigor she’d explained the concept of ‘October’ and ‘Halloween’ to me. The changing leaves, spooky media, apple cider, pumpkins and carving, candy, and more. She spoke at length about this holiday and time of year that she proclaimed her favorite. With her explanation I was able to understand. And also connect it in a way to the festivities of home. The harvest before the great freeze was a celebrated event in roughly the same time of year. There was less fanfare and commercialization, but there was alcohol. So, so, so many ‘spirits’. After the explanation, Amelia smiled devilishly. An idea having brewed within her. I was weary of course; that look was something I’d begun to associate with things I’d be less than ecstatic about. Noticing my apprehension, Amelia quickly jumped into damage control mode. She sold it as a simple and fun time. A way to involve myself in the holiday and get the full experience. She could even use it to give me the ‘little experience’ she promised over the Summer. We could make it a double date. Amelia and Gale with Franz and myself. Foolishly I’d agreed. Knowing that if I were to suffer, at least Franz would be there to suffer alongside me. Also, I was weak to the pitiful and sad look Amelia gave me. Curse those eyes… Those three did planning and prep. Purposefully leaving me out of it for a surprise. It was only a week before the event that I learned of my fate. We were to go Trick or Treating. An event where littles and Amazon children parade around the city and suburbs obtaining candy while dressed as monsters. My costume was of course hand picked by Amelia and Gale. I’d rolled my eyes at their choice and gone along with it, much to their delight. In exchange I was allowed to choose Franz’s costume. I’d not gone easy on him of course. Small revenge for his support in Amelia and Gale’s hijinks. … Alas. Today was that day… Halloween… I’d spent the later half of the day at Gale’s house while waiting for Amelia and Gale to return from the Halloween party their LRS alter-egos had been invited to. With the time for their return ticking down, I’d finally decided to get into costume. Thus, bringing the story of how I’d found myself in this situation full circle. The costume had seemed benign when Amelia and Gale first presented it. Looking at myself in the mirror, I was having second thoughts on that first reaction. It’s a ‘witch’ costume. Ha. Ha. It consists of a very short purple and black dress that ends at my upper thighs with long sleeves that end in a jagged pattern. Black spiderweb patterns overlap purple fabric around my stomach. The bottom of the dress flares out, full of ruffles. On my feet are a pair of childish black boots. And atop my head is, of course, this world’s stereotypical pointy black hat. The only thing keeping me from being mad about this, is knowing what Franz will be showing up in. If it looks even a fraction as good as I believe it will, this will all be worth it. Surely. I hear the garage door open and the roar of Gale’s car as it enters. Then nothing until the car doors open and close. They’ve yet to see me in costume. And actually, I’ve not seen them in theirs either. Franz and I spent the early part of the day together. That interaction much more adult than what was about to take place tonight. Excitement building, I quickly and carefully head for the living room. The outfit and boots making walking a bit difficult. The door opens and Gale walks in carrying Amelia on her hip. We stop, seconds ticking by as we look each other up and down. Then we burst into laughter. The ridiculousness of our outfits sending us into a fit. Both girls are dressed as their alter egos, while also donning their costumes. Technically a double costume. Gale wears jeans and a flannel shirt doing its best to contain her fake breasts. Overlapping the makeup her alter ego wears is black painted on stitching. Straw pokes out from the ends of her sleeves, neck hole, and where her jeans meet her brown boots. A scarecrow. Amelia wears a large, poofy, orange fabric. Darker lines run vertical down the length of the costume. It covers her entire body save for the legs and arms that poke out. An orange and green pacifier hangs from a clip near her neck hole. The hat typically seated atop her head is replaced with an orange hat with a green stem. A pumpkin. “I was almost mad about this costume… But seeing the two of you I think I might’ve got off lightly.” “What’re you talking about? We were a hit! We won the costume contest!” “Ugh don’t remind Amelia, it was hell! Torture!” The small girl held against her taller girlfriend’s side runs her hands down her face. Bemoaning her experience at the party. Gale scoffs, a wide grin forming on her face. The fake stitches giving an even wider appearance. “It wasn’t that bad, and I was there to keep my little pumpkin safe.” “She said that… Every! Single! Time! Someone asked about our costumes! Set me down, I can’t stand you!” “Ha ha ha! Alright, alright. Down you go pumpkin pants.” The Amazon carefully sets Amelia down on her feet. She stretches and soon after waddles over to the couch, throwing herself into it to decompress. Gale closes in on me in a few steps and kneels down to my level. Quickly, with both hands, she flips my dress up with a smirk. Displaying my choice in underwear. My eyebrows raise in response. “You want a picture? It’ll last longer.” “Pft, you wish. Amelia’s the only girl for me. Even if she’s turned to a pumpkin. Just checking to see if you need help with the final piece of your costume.” “And that was easier than asking?” With ease, the larger woman yoinks me into the air. Holding me against her hip much like she’d held Amelia earlier. In response to my question, she gives a laugh. “It was more fun than asking. Let’s get you ready before Franz gets here.” The Amazon carries me through the house and into Amelia’s ‘for show’ nursery. She sets me atop the plush changing table and pushes me into a laying position with her index finger. Gale bends down, opening a large sliding door beneath the table. I hear her set several objects onto the table and lean forward slightly to get a look. A container of wipes, powder, and a massive purple and black diaper with the same spiderweb pattern as my costume. I lean back again, and feel the larger woman reach into my dress and pull my black panties down my legs. As a piece of my usual outfit, they disappear. Joining my clothes. Then I jump slightly at the feeling of the cold wet fabric being wiped around my nether regions. “Oooh god that’s cold…” “Poor baby, poor baby. You took it better than Amelia. She absolutely loses it haha.” White, scented powder is then sprinkled around my lower half and massaged in. With that done, Gale lifts my legs and bottom off the table, sliding the unfolded diaper beneath me and pulling the skirt up. My butt sinks into the soft padding. She pulls the front of the garment over and secures it with two large tapes, one on each side. Gale then slides a finger on each side, pulling at the leg gatherers and ensuring the fit. Satisfied she gives the front of my new underwear a pat. I sit up and give my legs an inquisitive press together. The diaper absolutely prevents that; walking in this would be a feat in of itself. It’s not uncomfortable, and Gale did a good job from what I can tell. “At my age you kind of stop caring about modesty and things like that, but this was certainly the oddest way someone has seen me naked.” “Glad to be of help then. Let’s get back to the pumpkin princess.” Once again, she lifts me up and carries me out in a similar position. We enter the living room and Gale stands in front of the couch where Amelia has spread out. She sets me down on bowlegged unsteady feet. Carefully and with little grace I waddle to the couch and sit alongside Amelia. She of course laughs and giggles gleefully. “Ahaha! That certainly completes the outfit! You look like such a baby right now!” “Do I hear someone throwing stones in a glass house? I remember a certain little girl needing her ‘Mummy’ to change her twice at the Halloween party not long ago…” At that admission from Gale, Amelia’s laughs cuts off in a gasp. Her face going the usual embarrassed crimson. She fidgets and crinkles in her seat, looking every bit ready to refute the statement. As she opens her mouth, Gale quickly and expertly shoves the pacifier in. “That’s better… Now how about some pictures of you two cuties to celebrate and remember the night!” Behind the pacifier Amelia continues to blush with raised eyebrows, mumbling embarrassedly. I take the lead and hop off the couch. Then grab Amelia’s hand and get her down as well. “How about the two of you sit in front of the fireplace, we can get a few good ones there I think.” And so, that is what we did. Gale got in the photographer’s spirit; taking pictures from various angles and barking out pose orders. To her credit, Amelia complied, albeit with some prodding required. By the end of the session Gale had probably accrued enough pictures on her phone to fill an album. With a pop, Amelia removes the drool-soaked pacifier from her mouth and glares with manufactured anger at her girlfriend. “Amelia has had enough of this nonsense! Amelia would like to slowly die on the couch while we wait for Franz.” “I guess I’ve tortured you enough tonight. It’s your own fault for looking so damn cute when you’re embarrassed though.” I roll my eyes happily at the sight of their obvious flirting. Amelia on the other hand is sent into another fit of blushes. According to Amelia’s wishes we jump on the couch and Amelia finds a channel playing a scary film. Something about ghosts I believe. It’s certainly interesting to see this world’s take on specters. Of the three of us, Amelia seems the most involved in the movie. The moment things started being thrown around the room in the movie she paled visibly. Then when the ghost started speaking through a little, she threw herself into Gale’s side. The larger girl patting her on the back sympathetically, still with a smirk. It was during a commercial break that Amelia spoke up, her voice quivering. “W-Witch… You w-would probably know. A-Are ghosts r-r-real…?” “Hm… In my world they were quite common. Only the strong could interact with the physical world, however. Ethereal beings with a strong will or who held great power in life.” “W-What about this dimension… Have you… H-Have you seen any g-ghosts here!? “That’s a tough one. I haven’t seen any in the time I’ve been here. But I also haven’t seen anyone die. No idea what process a soul undergoes in this dimension during death…” With a sigh of relief, Amelia sinks back into her seat. Cuddling close to Amelia, less worried of a ghost attack. I can’t help myself. “… But they could still be out there…” The color my little friend had managed to reobtain is once again gone. She jumps atop Gale, worming her shivering body into her girlfriend’s arms. “Alright, alright… As much as I love Amelia acting all needy and cuddly let’s not scare her too much too soon. The night’s just getting started.” “Sorry, Amelia’s reactions are too much. I couldn’t possibly resist.” “I understand, it’s enough to get drunk on.” We share a laugh as the movie starts up again, watching half heartedly as Amelia is drawn in. Despite her self-proclaimed love of the season and holiday, it turns out she is quite the scaredy cat. Before we knew it, the movie was at an end. The ghost had been vanquished by a priest during a harrowing finale. Amelia wiped sweat off her brow and sighed in relief. Her small body losing the tension it had accrued over the course of the movie. Ding-Dong. “KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!” Amelia shrieks, with a look of pure terror. Gale and I both jump. Whether it was due to the doorbell or Amelia’s cry of terror I’m uncertain. “It’s probably Franz, I’ll get it.” I jump up and waddle for the front door. Crinkling all the way. Leaving Gale to console the panicked and frantic Amelia. With the peephole on the Amazon sized door being so high, I enhance my vision with a bit of magic and look through the door. Inadvertently a smile pulls at the corners of my mouth. It’s Franz alright. And he’s in costume. I unlock the door and swing it open. I look up at Franz, the smile still on my face. He looks down at me, the grimace on his face twists upward. Gale is a scarecrow and Amelia is a pumpkin. That is a matching pair of costumes. I am a witch. What do witches in this world have? Familiars. Franz is a cat. A witch’s black cat familiar. The man wears shiny black shoes and black slacks with a black button up shirt. A black cat ears headband sits on his head, tucked into his white hair. He’s painted black whiskers on his cheeks. I don’t ask him to turn around to verify if he’s put on the tail. This is perfect enough, even without it. “I must say, you look quite adorable, Witch.” “And you look very… Domesticated.” “… Touché.” We begin walking for the living room where our friends wait. Seeing the trouble I’m having walking, Franz picks me up, setting me in the crook of his right arm. We cross the doorway into the living room and the two girls perk up. We look at each other. The pumpkin patch crew and the stereotype witch team. The room explodes into fresh laughter. Even the stoic Franz releases a particularly hearty chuckle. Once we gain enough control over ourselves, Gale pushes us to action. “We’re all here, we should get a move on. Trick or treat started a bit ago. And I know Amelia wants to collect as much candy as possible.” “Amelia has waited all month for this! All! Month!” With that declaration, we head for the garage. Gale pulls two strollers from storage, one pink the other purple. Amelia and I are strapped in, the nylon pulled taut against our diapered bottoms. The device seemingly built to constantly remind the user of the state of their underwear. Clear of the garage, we head down the sidewalk. Off on our journey to satiate Amelia’s sweet tooth for the year. ~~~ “Trick or treat!” “Oh my, what an adorable set of costumes! And you match!” “Trick or treat!” “How cute…” “Trick or treat!” “Aw, a widdle pumpkin and witch!” Again and again. Over and over. Amelia and I shouted the magic words, and the Amazons delivered their treasures upon us. Amazons and their littles flocked the streets. Dressed in costumes and begging for candy alongside us. It was a staggering sight to behold. Amelia, who would usually be beyond embarrassed at the treatment she was receiving was playing her part perfectly. Could it be the training she has taken part in to maintain her cover? Or could it be the candy motivating her? As that thought crossed my mind, we pulled up to a particularly fancy and luxurious house. “It’s showtime…” I barely made out the words whispered by Amelia. With a look of concentration on her face she stares out at nothing. It passes and she settles back down, looking excitedly to the home as we draw closer. We arrive at the screen door and an older Amazon in her 40’s sits on a stool. A cauldron of candy placed next to her on a small table. Amelia speaks up first, giving her best performance of the night. “Twick or tweat!” “Trick or treat!” The lady peers at the four of us overjoyed. “Ah, Ms. Farston and little Allie! It’s wonderful to see you! The two of you knock it out of the park every year with your costumes.” She throws out the names of Amelia and Gale’s alter egos. Apparently knowing their work aliases. “It’s good to see you as well Mary. We’re hitting the usual spots this year.” “That’s lovely, I wish the two of you luck this evening!” The pleasantries out of the way, Mary digs around in her cauldron. Eventually she pulls out two large bars of chocolate. Amelia shivers in anticipation as a bar enters each of our sacks. Before the screen door closes, Amelia speaks up. Thumb entering her mouth and a shy expression on her face. Her free hand wetly squishes the padding her bottom is wrapped in. “Awwie go pee-pee, mommy!” Mary stops in her tracks, an ‘aww’ forming on her lips. She plucks another chocolate bar from her cauldron and places it into Amelia’s sack. “She’s such a little cutie, I hope you don’t mind me spoiling her like this.” “It’s no problem at all, ma’am. She’s a good little girl; she could use a little spoiling. Have a good evening!” We roll down the brick path back to the sidewalk. Amelia laughs lightly to herself, removing the thumb from her mouth and wiping it on her orange costume. Speaking softly to herself once again. “Heh, too easy…” I think I’ve found the answer to my previous question. Gale leads us to a secluded section of the street and kneels before the stroller she’d been pushing with Amelia seated inside. She slips a finger past the bottom of the costume and into Amelia’s sodden garment. “Do you wanna head back? You’re fairly wet.” “Amelia is nowhere near satisfied enough! Trick or treating in a wet diaper is a small price to pay for a surplus of candy.” “I can not say that I have witnessed this side of Amelia before... Has she been hypnotized?” Franz speaks up, with a minor look of confusion. Gale laughs, standing up. “Ha, no. She’s a little sugar gremlin. She’d do anything for candy, even if it means pissing her baby pants and putting on a show.” “Hey! Don’t say it like that!” The little all but shouts from her position in the stroller. Cheeks certainly red. ~~~ After several hours of walking up and down the streets, we’d now found ourselves on the edge of the suburb. Few houses were giving out candy and even fewer Amazons with their littles were strolling around. It had the appearance of a ghost town. We were about to turn around and strike out for new lands but decided to hit up one final house in the area. It was a rather plain looking house. Unassuming. The light was on though; so clearly, they were giving out candy. “Trick or treat!” We parroted the words that came so easily. Having repeated them ad nauseum this night. The door opens slowly, with a creak. An Amazon woman in her early 30’s wearing a small smile and a tan dress is revealed in the doorway. A pale, gaunt little in a long white dress stands at her side. Looking up at the Amazon beside her and holding onto the bottom of the larger woman’s dress. “Ah… Hello. It’s good to see trick or treaters. Not many have come here tonight…” “This part of the suburb is a bit out of the way. Are you new to the area?” Franz replies. The woman perks up slightly, seeming to welcome the conversation. “Yeah, I moved here a few months ago. I… I just needed a change of scenery.” She hesitates, turmoil reflected in her eyes. The girl next to her steps closer, folding her arms around the Amazon’s leg while closing her eyes. The woman shakes her head. Burying the sadness in her expression and forcing the smile on her face to become more genuine. “Never mind me, the four of you look great. It really makes me happy that you came out here… You should take the rest of the candy.” “Are you sure? What if- “ “It’s alright. I don’t think anyone else is coming tonight. I think I’ll… Call it for tonight.” She cuts Gale off, opening the door and upending her bowl of candy equally into our sacks. “Thank you!” “Have a good rest of your evening.” The screen door closes, and she stands on the other side. Waving to us as we walk back to the sidewalk. The little next to her, nowhere to be seen. Gale sprints ahead, pushing Amelia fast down the street. Laughing maniacally while Amelia shouts in horror for her to slow down. Franz and I trail slowly behind at our leisure. Chuckling at their antics. A good distraction from the scene I’d just witnessed. I can’t stop thinking about it. I won’t be able to. Something must be done. “Can you stop for a second, Franz.” “Of course, what is it?” “I want to do something for them.” I say, gesturing at the house we’d just departed from. He furrows his brow. “Them? You mean that woman?” “Yeah… Can you run back and give her this? Tell her it’s good to eat before bed or something.” I grab a wrapped chocolate from my bag. After giving it a quick enchantment, I hand it over to Franz. Dutifully he jogs back to the house. He rings the doorbell, the woman answers, and he hands over the candy. The woman appears surprised but accepts it. They part and Franz returns, once again pushing the stroller. “Are you going to explain what just went on?” “I’m just a sucker for a good reunion is all.” ~~~ Trick or treat had finally come to a close. Amelia, Gale, Franz, and I were back at Gale’s house. Viewing the spoils of war. With our bags combined, Amelia had accrued quite the motherload of candy. “This is the part I’ve been dreading.” I lamented. Standing before the stacks and piles of candy. I reach forward, to the floor. Where the shadows cast by the candy lay. Tearing them from the sweets, I compressed the dark mass. Adding more and more shadows. Compressing all the while. Leaving me with a small black sphere which I chewed up and quickly swallowed. The mixed flavor of hundreds of pieces of candy all rolled into one graced my tongue. I blanched, the sugar overwhelming. A fair bit of the candy was safe. But there were candies laden with laxatives, diuretics, and other fun little poisons harmful to littles. I purified the lot of it, making it safe for Amelia to consume in mass qualities. “You’re the best. Amelia can’t thank you enough.” “I don’t get the love of candy, but consider it thanks for fulfilling your months long bargain.” “Did you have a good time? Did you… Like the treatment?” “Hm… I had fun. But I always have fun with you guys. It might not be for me; I don’t think I got much from it.” Gale shrugs, throwing in her two cents. “You don’t need that kind of half-assed treatment to feel liked or cared for. We’re here for you.” “I suppose you’re right. Really, I am more than satisfied right now. Thank you, everyone.” The four of us basked in the warm glow of the family we’d found in one another. Even if it may not last. The memory and these feelings exist carved within each of us. … And across the suburb. In a plain house, a woman eyed the candy she’d been given. That white haired black cat had come back after their visit and gifted her this candy. Informing her that it’s best enjoyed before sleep. Oh well, he’d given it to her. Might as well not waste it. So, she’d unwrapped it and placed it in her mouth. The chocolate melted fast against her tongue. The flavor agreeing with her Amazon tastebuds. It seemed to leave a warm feeling in her stomach. But perhaps that was just the warm feeling of receiving kindness from a stranger. She finished her nighttime chores. Bathroom used, teeth brushed, etc. After she slipped under the covers. Thinking about how Halloween was always her favorite holiday, and the fun they’d shared celebrating together. It brought a tear to her eye. One that was blinked away by the closing of her heavy lids as she drifted off to a fast sleep. Then… Her eyes opened. It was a familiar scene. Home. Her old home. She walked through the rooms, hesitating before a decorated door. Internally fearing what she would see. She pushed it open hesitantly. Held within the room was not medical equipment. No nurses. It was a nursery. Her nursery. Like before the... Akin to a blur, a little in a long white dress flew into her arms. Feeling more real than any dream before. Slowly. Certainly. Her arms wrapped around the small girl. And like windchimes, a soft voice spoke. Its familiarity setting her cold heart ablaze. “Mommy!” ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I'm glad you found it worth the wait and enjoyed it. I'm sure we'll see her again in some capacity... I think everyone has felt like Amelia in some capacity at some point in their lives. I'm glad people enjoyed it and could understand the feeling. That's a good application of the saying. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Alright, here we are. I finished the fabled and promised Halloween chapter on time! If people want to know where in the story this extra chapter takes place, probably some time between chapters 19/20 and the end of the story. Since it is a future event I've kept it pretty spoiler free. I hope you enjoy this fun little romp of a chapter. Thanks again to everyone who continues to read and comment on this story, I'll see you in the next week or two with the next installment.

I shrug my shoulders in reply to her question. My social knowledge of ‘going out’ is probably a bit incompatible with this dimension. A night out at the tavern or killing a monster. Also… “Don’t worry about me, this is your day. What else do you want to do, Amelia?” “Wwweeeelllllll… If you insist.” The girl scratches her head, deep in thought. Brows furrowed and mouth pulled to a slight frown. Intent on determining our next course of action. Moments later she stops. An excited look on her face. “Aha! The mall! It has to be the mall!” With that declaration she resumes walking. Further into the city, in the opposite direction of her apartment. I follow suit. “I’ve heard that term that on tv, but what’s so special about it?” “Malls are not the most ‘little friendly’ locations. Amelia has never been, even with Gale.” “Do they even sell anything you’d want then?” “Of course! There are stores that sell little clothes exclusively out of the mall. Some of the more ‘adultish’ little clothes come from there. But good luck getting there before… You get…” Amelia trails off, forlorn. The cruel reality of this world once again sinking in and dragging the girl down. Not on my watch. Not today. “I’ll get you there. No worries.” She flashes a quick smile. Understanding I’m trying to pick up the mood. “Thanks. Amelia can’t wait. Gale bought clothes for me there a while ago but going in person is different. Trying them on… Seeing the variety… It’s not the same having someone else go.” I nod in agreement though not fully understanding. The cloak and clothing I wear are imbued with magic. In every thread. Transforming them into any outfit just requires will. We continued on in silence. Enjoying the warm weather and the downtown scenery. Though distracted I was, it did not prevent me from spotting a devious expression cross Amelia’s face as she snuck short glances at me. And hear the girl quietly murmuring to herself; words that would freeze the blood in my veins. “What should Amelia have her try on first…” ~~~ It was enormous. The size of this building would likely engulf the largest Colosseums from my dimension. At least any in the Material Plane. It’d make any king blush in embarrassment. This was of course, the Mall. “We should keep whatever magic you’re using up the entire time, Witch. At least until we enter the store we’re looking for.” Amelia warned. If it’s as dangerous a place for littles as she implied earlier, then I agree. Too much hassle otherwise. With that, we took our first steps through the forbidden doors. Entering a new world. Whether it’s the world of Amelia’s dreams or the world of her nightmares, I’m sure that will be revealed. Aisle upon long aisle, decorated with pristine blue and white tile. Countless shops of limitless variety. Fountains gushing water, plants hanging overhead. As if a church dedicated to extreme opulence. Amelia’s eyes sparkled at the sight. Excitedly looking from name to name at the shop signs overhead. Almost dancing in place. The slight fear and anxiety she held of this place earlier, gone like that. It was all I could do not to blanch at the sight. I thought I’d become used to the crowds here, but this was something else. And the number of things to look at… It was all just so much. “There! We’re going there first!” My friend excitedly points up, to a store just visible on the second floor. Deeper into the building. She all but runs ahead to a set of staircases. I trail behind slower, taking an appraising gaze of my surroundings. No littles. At least, none that aren’t being paraded around by an Amazon. Looking closer at these Amazon/little pairings, Amelia’s previous judgement of the ‘types of littles’ seem fairly spot on. Precious few littles seem to be enjoying their day with their Amazons without the use of drugs or hypnosis. Most here seem to be trapped in a never-ending stupor or dragged about against their will. While thinking to myself I arrive at the staircase Amelia impatiently waits at. She grabs my arm and pulls me onto the staircase which… is moving? Or more accurately the step is moving. The whir of machinery underfoot becomes apparent to me. She smiles and giggles at what must be a bewildered expression on my face before elaborating further. “It’s an escalator, stairs that do all the work.” “This doesn’t feel right… Is this safe?” “Sure, just don’t get caught at the top. You’ll get sucked in.” “What!?” Through the forest of Amazon legs ahead, I peer through trying to get a look at the top. Amelia’s giggles turn to a full laugh. She’s doubled over, her arms overlapping atop her stomach. “Haha- Amelia is kidding! He hee… Just kidding! Ooh man…” I shake my head, an unwitting smile forming. It’s probably fair she gets one over on me after all the laughter I get at her expense from Gale’s hijinks. Despite knowing it was a jest, I can’t help myself as I carefully hop from the step onto the second floor. We move to the side, allowing those behind us to pass, to get a few seconds to collect ourselves. I take another gander at our surroundings on the second floor. It’s much like the first floor but lacking any fountains. One difference jumps out to me. The store Amelia pointed out, Vertical, has several benches placed out around it. Seeming to be arranged in a pattern to make it less obvious. A handful of Amazons are sitting around. Reading, sipping beverages, seeming casual. But beneath the casual actions and looks, I get the feeling they’re waiting in eager anticipation. Amelia must also notice, as she speaks with a disgusted look and tone as we pass them by. The oblivious Amazons continuing their vigil. “Damn vultures.” “Mhm…” “When we enter can you drop the magic?” “You think it’s safe?” “Our status as littles is overridden by our ability to be paying customers. We’ll at least be fine inside the store. Plus… Amelia has her own personal bodyguard today.” With a wink Amelia passes through the open door, and I end the spell. The blonde woman standing behind the register near the entrance blinks. A fleeting confusion in her eyes that quickly dissipates as her mind fills in the blank space left by the magic. “Welcome to Vertical, let me know if you need help finding anything. Everything is buy one, get one half-off.” Amelia nods appreciatively at the girl and like a flash, moves deeper into the store. Walking past the cashier I can’t help but notice she’s only a bit taller than us. Two heads at the most. Noticing my look, she gives a slight wave with a matching smile that doesn’t feel too genuine. It doesn’t reach her eyes. I return the wave and avert my gaze; moving to catch up with Amelia. Who is already digging through dress racks with several outfits hanging from her free arm. “The selection here is insane! Amelia wants to try on… Everything! Can you hold this for a moment?” Nodding, I accept the mass of cloth that she offloads into my awaiting arms. While staggering at the weight, I silently boost my physical abilities to shoulder the burden. This continues for a time until Amelia has successfully cleared out the dress section of anything of interest. With a satisfied ‘hmph’ she turns around and gasps lightly. “O-Oh, Witch. Are you alright?” From behind the tower of clothing that stretches into the air over my head I speak. “This much is nothing. You’ll have to lead me though…” I feel her lightly grip my arm and pull me through the store. We must reach our destination as I feel the burden lessen bit by bit. Eventually enough clothing is removed from my grasp that I can spy Amelia’s sheepish expression. “Amelia may have… Uh… Overdone it… Just a little…” She trails off, looking at the various dresses hanging from the rack in the dressing room. The sheer number of which threatens to pull the rod out of its fixture. “Well… I guess you’re getting the most of this, right? Now if you’ll excuse me-” With that I turn and take a step towards the curtain leading to the changing section of the store. A step is as far I get before a hand like a vice stops me in my tracks. Amelia in a sickly-sweet and slightly menacing voice speaks up from behind. “Not all of these are for Amelia my dear friend, Witch. Don’t forget to take your half…” “Ah.” The sound leaks from my mouth, lacking any possible enthusiasm, as I turn and accept ‘my half’ from my ‘dear friend’, Amelia. Arms full, I leave and close the curtain behind me. With one final order from Amelia. “Show Amelia every outfit! And Amelia wants your opinion as well!” “Aye Aye, captain…” I enter the changing room beside hers and hang the clothing given to me on the rack. It’s… So… So much. Well, time to get to work I suppose. I dismiss the clothing around my body and pick up the first dress. A knee length white dress with flowery patterns. Slipping it on, it’s crafted to be a tight fit. Hugging closely to my body and displaying ample cleavage. The dress succeeding in enhancing my below average bust. I’m a product of my time. We lived in a harsh environment where food was frequently scarce. Any nutrition went to musculature and not… Anyway… Amelia and I step out nearly the same time. She’s wearing something similar, but in a light green that matches her eyes. Immediately she begins to gush. “Ahhh! It’s perfect! It’s excellent! It’s amazing! Just like Amelia thought, you look great!” “R-Really? It’s pretty tight… And the white...” “Tight is fashion, tight is adult! And what’s wrong with white!?” “When blood gets on it, it’s going to be hard to get out.” “You aren’t fighting in that! No blood touches that dress! We aren’t shopping for combat!” “But what if- “ “No buts! Except for yours trying on more outfits! Is Amelia clear!?” “I… Uh… Yes ma’am.” If I’ve learned anything today, it’s that Amelia can be scary when her interests are involved. ~~~ For hours we continued like this. Trying on clothing, showing them off. Rinse and repeat, we tried on everything from dresses to sleepwear to sportswear. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. I must admit, I even got into it a little. Perhaps Amelia’s infectious energy had something to do with it. She even roped in the cashier woman, Jenna. Her assistance was needed to get clothing stored higher than Amelia could reach or locked to displays. While initially cold, she warmed up quite nicely. Opting to insert herself into the show. Giving her input to the outfits we’d tried on. Amelia liked nearly everything, so it was difficult to restrain her and limit her purchases. With a little prodding I was able to drop her total from half the store to a mere 20 items. I on the other hand chose five items. Fully ready to copy them however, Amelia insisted she buy them for me. ‘Repayment for going along with her selfish requests’ or so she said. Her bank account was loaded since she never goes out on her own. Just racking up money from the LRS. With assistance from Jenna, we carried our purchases to the front for check-out. And while scanning our items and removing lock tags, she looked down at us. Her serious eyes not matching her service smile. “Just nod and don’t look panicked, got it?” “Uh… Got it.” Amelia and I both agree, confused. “Good, just act like we’re having idle chit-chat for the cameras… You two are in danger. Those Amazons sitting outside are here to get you - any little that comes here.” “Amelia thought as much, it’s a pretty obvious trap.” “Hell… If you knew that much you shouldn’t have walked in…” Jenna sighs sadly. Her face dipping into a frown for a split second before perking up for the cameras overhead. “Why are you telling us this?” Amelia interjects, interested. “I… I… Look, I try not to get involved with the clients. It… Knowing what happens after…” She trails off, silence filling the void in the store. The soft drum of store music ringing overhead with the electronic beep of scanned clothing. She exhales deeply and continues. “No love is lost on me for Amazons. Littles come last on their totem pole, but Betweeners aren’t much better off. Selling ‘adult little clothing’… That’s work beneath an Amazon. Make a Betweener watch people just a bit shorter than them get carted away so they remember their place… What a crock.” “Huh… Amelia never thought about that…” Jenna waves her hand, dismissing Amelia’s introspection. “Don’t pity me too much, it’s still better than your situation… Anyway, these past few hours have been the most fun I’ve had working here… And I just… Amazons suck but I can’t just help you escape or it’ll be my Betweener bottom filling diapers beside you. You’ve already entered the trap, the most I can do is tell you what’s going on and maybe try to find you a nicer Amazon… Some real creeps hang around this place…” “Don’t they already know about what you’re doing from the security cams?” “No audio. It’s easier to force an adoption without the full context of an Amazon/little interaction. Anyway, your total comes to $1,200. Not that it matters if…” Amelia slides her card over to the cashier, smiling despite the situation Jenna has perceived. “It’ll be alright. We’re fairly good at escaping. You’ll be okay when we get away, right?” “They can’t blame me if they can’t catch a couple of littles, but you two are crazy... Crazy to come here and crazy to think you’ll get away.” The transaction done, Jenna slides the card back and hands the bags of clothing to us from behind the counter. We step back and begin to head for the door. Before crossing the threshold, we bid our goodbyes. “Thank you for the help.” “Thanks for everything… And maybe… Visit a little joint called Solstice. Amelia could work some magic and get you a spot there. It’ll be better than this depressing place.” “I… I should like that very much. I hope you escape Amelia, Witch…” The smile radiating from her face was finally one that reached her eyes. As uncertain as she was of our ability to escape, she wanted – needed to believe we would. A shining hope in this dreary, despair ridden place. As we once again passed through the door, I reactivated the spell. The awaiting Amazons outside overlooked us as we left the store behind. Their looks still hungrily pointed at the door. Awaiting the exit of littles that would never come to pass. While walking I grab the bags from Amelia and upend them into one of the pouches I summon forth. She watches in open mouthed shock as the small bag consumed every article of clothing with room to spare. “What!? What the heck!? That’s amazing!” I chuckled at that, amused by the perspective of someone unused to such items. Commonplace in my dimension, this one lacks such commodities. With the job done, I de-manifest the pouch since this dress lacks a belt to hang it from. “Amelia was ready to leave so we didn’t have to carry all that… But how about some window shopping?” “Alright.” She’d got me in the shopping spirit. Seeing what this place held would make for an interesting experience. I was here for it. And interesting it was. We spent another few hours just wandering the mall. Entering every store, roaming their aisles, and learning a bit about what Amazons purchase. It was all huge; the products and the stores themselves. Every other store was tailored to Amazons. Giant kitchen appliances, giant furniture, giant clothes, giant games, etc. Even a giant sex shop. Which we visited at Amelia’s insistence of course. I wasn’t interested. No, not at all… With that out of our system, we began towards the exit. But on the way, Amelia stopped me. “We have to visit the ‘baby store’.” I feel a smirk pull on my face. An easy setup. “What? I thought you weren’t into the whole getting babied thing?” Her face immediately goes red at the low hanging fruit. She stomps her foot and shakes her fists in her typical overacted outrage. She’d had her fun earlier; who could blame me for having some myself? “Amelia isn’t! Amelia hates it! Very much so! But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Littles don’t just walk into those stores, at least not with hopes of exiting free. Amelia wouldn’t even enter a store like this with Gale.” “Gotcha, gotcha. We’ll go then.” The store was located near the entrance. Littles R’ Us. The décor was a sickening pastel blue and pink. Being later in the evening, the place was full of Amazons. Some with and some without littles. Walking through the doors, the two of us are immediately assaulted by the scent of powder. We cough lightly and step further in. Amelia knows she is safe. But that doesn’t stop her from instantly anxious. Still, she powers on. Unsure exactly where we’re headed, we take it an aisle at a time. Starting on the right front-half of the store. Which to contrast our first store of the day, is a section for babyish clothing for littles. Due to the store being made for a larger clientele, Amelia has to stretch her arms out and stand on the tips of her toes to sift through the racks. Which she does so, while giving a nervous laugh. “You know, Amelia was a bit nervous coming to the mall. But that faded quick with you being here, Witch. But this shop… That feeling is coming back a bit. Just a little…” “We can go, you don’t have to- “ “Amelia has to. Amelia feels… Obligated.” That said, she smooths out the clothing she’d disturbed and moves further down. Past the childish onesies, pajamas, dresses, and overalls. Clothing sized for people that should be adults but styled for a younger crowd. Several aisles of clothing later, and Amelia remains unusually quiet. Uneasiness in her features and mannerisms. Jumping at sound of Amazons calling out to each other or their littles. These sounds and the soft music overhead keeping us company through our journey. After the last of the clothing, we enter a new section of the store. The scent of powder we’d grown accustomed to growing stronger yet. The start of the numerous aisles dedicated to diapers and the related supplies. Amelia visibly pales looking at the countless packages before her. A herculean feat given the pallor of her skin since entering the store. Diapers with fruits on them. Diapers with animals on them. Diapers with flowers on them. Diapers with aliens on them. Diapers with ghosts on them. Diapers with cartoons on them. Diapers with different colors. Diapers with different styles. Diapers with itching powder. Diapers with pleasure. Diapers with- “Holy fuck…” Amelia whispers, trailing off. She’s moved closer to the displays, inspecting the packages carefully. I move behind her to see what she’s reacted to. It doesn’t take long for me to understand. Each package has a picture of the product. But also, a picture of the product on a model. Men and woman, all of which in their 20’s and 30’s. Their choice (or lack thereof) in underwear fully displayed. Some of the models stare ahead blankly with dumb, innocent smiles. Others worse yet stare at the camera with intelligent and fearful eyes contrasting the smile forced on their faces. “We should move on, Amelia.” Grabbing the girl’s hand, I pull her away. Away from the aisle. Away from that part of the store. She doesn’t resist but her vision is firmly planted on the faces we pass. In the left-half of the store Amelia seems to snap out of it a bit. This section of the room appears to be equipment. Cribs, highchairs, strollers, etc. In many different styles and types. However, there seem to be two main categories. Childish and punishment oriented. The mix of colorful, playful, and comfortable furniture offset by the darker, more nefarious equipment with straps. Amelia inspects the furniture with a morbid and fearful fascination. She moves quicker through this section of the store than the previous two. Reaching the end, we arrive at a long line of screens stretched from the floor to the ceiling. At the very back of the store. I step forward, blocking Amelia’s view until I confirm that none of them contain hypnosis. No reason to play hypnosis in a store where littles are already caught, I suppose. Nothing unusual could be detected. That is, aside from the very ads themselves. Each screen plays a different ad for a product presumably found in the store. Much like with the diaper packages, the little actors appear to vary in their consciousness. Some dumbly playing along; swinging toys, accepting spoonsful of mush from their loving captor, playing on a playground. You name it. Others appear more defiant or embarrassed; being disciplined, forcefully displaying their used padded state to the camera, or breastfed despite the struggling of their smaller bodies. And more. Amelia took all this in, eyes wide. Breath growing more ragged. As if viewing a window to her past trauma. She seems to be focused in on one ad in particular. It is a girl. Maybe a year or two younger than her. Dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Similar to Amelia in all regard aside from those features. Her eyes shine dumbly, reflecting the studio light overhead. Her short pastel purple dress doing nothing to hide the thick purple diaper around her waist. She sits atop a large stuffed animal just larger than her; her legs straddling the fuzzy bear. I watch in confusion, wondering what this commercial is for. When suddenly the padding pushed against the stuffed creature begins to droop and sag and discolor. The diaper visibly appears to thrum, buzz, and shake. Setting the girl off as she eagerly and rabidly rubs herself against the bear beneath her. Even without audio it is clear that she grunts and groans and whines with a raw animalistic passion. Desperate for the finish. In no time at all she slumps down, seeming to breathe heavily. Words appear on the screen. ‘Good boys and girls need a reward every now and then… Now available, Softe: Pleasure Diapers for him and her’. The ad pauses with a zoomed image of the girl’s face. Her thumb locked in her mouth. Doing little to hide the relaxed, content smile on her face. I feel myself stare just as dumbly at the commercial as the girl stared at the camera. That was… Wow. I turn to Amelia, ready to comment on what was just witnessed but stop myself. The fingers of her left hand gently stroke the screen while her right clutches the space above her heart. The emotions that flicker across her face are difficult to pin down. Horrified would be the best descriptor. “That would’ve been Amelia… If not for…” “…” Without my enhanced hearing the words would’ve been impossible to hear. Her trailing sentence leaking softly from her inner thoughts. I think it’s safe to say this store visit was a bit of a mistake. Time to salvage the day. “This is the end of the store, how about we move on?” “Uh y-yeah…” Leading Amelia by the hand, we exit the store. And with it being so close to the exit we’re outside the mall quickly as well. With all the time spent inside, the day has moved on quick. Night encroaches and the sun will be setting shortly. Even having left the mall and the oppressive store, she still seems depressed by the experience. Lost in deep, worried, and frantic thought. This will call for drastic measures. “You want to do something crazy?” “Eeeh, it’s getting late. Amelia should probably go home…” “No no no, we’re not ending the day on a note like that. It’s my turn to pick what we do.” “Okay, fine. You win.” With her half-hearted agreement, I lift her into a princess carry. Her surprised gasp turns to a scream as we shoot into the air like an arrow. Her arms tightening around my neck. “WHAT WHAT WHAT HOLY SHIIIIIII- “ “Don’t bite your tongue, we’re almost there.” Having heard that warning, Amelia’s ceases her external screams and likely continues them internally. Another few seconds of fast climbing and we settle, high into the sky. Roughly 5,000 feet in the air. The skyscrapers of the city and flying birds far beneath us. The sun shines low on the horizon in the distance, painting the sea in a sparkling orange glow. “What the hell is this!? What if we get caught, what if we fall!?” “Haha, don’t be such a worrywart. I’ve made sure we’re completely invisible and we won’t fall. Now open your eyes and look.” Shakily the girl in my arms opens her eyes and takes in the beautiful scenery. The tension in her body slides out of her as she breathes out in wonder. “Wow… It’s amazing. It’s all so small up here… Do you do this often?” “Sometimes. It helps me feel better so…” “Ah… Sorry about that.” “Don’t be, I’d rather hear thanks over an apology any day of the week.” “Aah, thank you. For doing this and giving me an amazing day.” Watching the world below, the minutes trickle by as we remain high above the world. Carefully I begin to descend as an idea crosses my mind. “This day isn’t over yet. How about a sunset?” “Hm… Only if Amelia can get a snack…” “Easy.” “Take us to the boardwalk on the west. Gale and I went once. They have great ice cream.” Following Amelia’s instructions, I drop us before the entrance to the boardwalk. I place her back on her two feet and she stumbles, taking a few shaky steps before she reorients herself. She leads us through the crowd of Amazons, to a relatively calm spot overlooking the beach. Amazons and littles play and frolic in the warm water and sandy shore. Some littles even seem unattended, a nice change of pace from the sights we’ve seen today. Carefully, I sit down; legs dangling over the edge. “Amelia will be right back, don’t move!” “Where would I go!?” With a laugh she jogs off, towards the buildings situated on the raised wooden platform. After making sure she’s still covered by the spell, I lay down on my back, staring up at the reddish-orange evening sky. There were some hiccups, but it was a good day. Hopefully Amelia had a good time. Really though, this dimension is so weird. These Amazons treat those smaller than them as children. But also, are okay with doling out harsh punishments and… Whatever the fuck that final ad was. I’ve not quite seen anything like it. It’s interesting. It’s curious. It’s odd. It’s madness. If they ever showed up here… The untapped power… Stop. Everything is fine. Don’t think about it. Don’t obsess. … That aside, the sunset here is just as beautiful as the ones back home. I wonder what Elizabeth would say. “Huff… Huff… Amelia is… Back!” Still on the ground, I turn my head and verify that is the case. Amelia, out of breath, holds out a white ice-cream to me. Hers, a smaller one, held in her other hand. “Are you alright?” “Amelia… needed to run back to keep them from melting all over… Amelia’s hands. Whooo… The man kept forgetting about Amelia while he was serving Amelia… Your magic was… Huff… Too good…” I sit up and gratefully accept the cone. She takes a seat next to me, carefully sitting to as not fall or drop her frozen treat. Then she breathes deeply and lets out a long exhale. Finally, having caught her breath. “Do you need me to check that?” “Nah, this place is safe. It’s a little friendly brand.” As if proving a point, the girl takes a large bite out of her near perfect sphere of chocolate ice cream. I follow suit, giving mine a tentative lick. Worried about the overwhelming sweetness but not wanting to offend my guide/friend. However… “That’s not too sweet. How did you do that?” “Ha, Amelia didn’t do anything. That’s an Amazon cone. Amelia figured that would better suit your taste. Is it good?” “It’s perfect, this is great. Thanks!” “Aw it’s nothing. The least Amelia could do for today.” At that, we enter a comfortable silence. Enjoying our respective ice creams, obtaining brain freeze, and watching the sun sink slowly down the horizon. Before I know it, the ice cream is gone along with the crispy cone it resided in. Amelia of course finished ahead of me, in record time. Noticing I’m done, Amelia speaks up. Almost hesitantly. “Could Amelia ask something personal…?” “Go for it.” “Are you sure, don’t feel like you have to.” “It can’t be that bad, let’s hear it.” “Okay… What did Franz tell you to get you to come back? You two were in there alone for a while.” Lowering my torso back to the ground, I think. How to sum it up and put it simply. A few moments of humming, hrming, and deep thought is what it takes for the words to form. “He helped me realize a few things. And since our talk, I’ve done a bit more reflection.” “About what?” “Hm… Amelia, how many people do you think a person gets close to in their life? Really and truly close.” “Amelia is… Not sure. Anywhere from one to ten perhaps?” “That sounds reasonable, but what if you live longer than a single lifetime. How many people then? Twenty? A hundred? A thousand? Tens of thousands?” “It would be a lot.” “Yeah… And it always felt like I gave a piece of myself to anyone that grew close to me. Then when they died, that piece died with them. Never to return. Before I knew it, I’d given away so much of myself. The hollow feeling in my chest, in my heart hurt more than any physical wound. I felt empty, monstrous, inhuman.” “Oh… Witch…” “I was too absorbed in the pain. I’d failed to see that I wasn’t just giving myself away. They’d all given a piece of themselves to me in return. Their passing was sad, terribly so. But the good times I’ve shared with them will never fade. The pieces of them live on, in my heart.” Amelia smiles, satisfied with this answer. Leaning back herself, she joins me in laying on the ground. Her arms outstretched above her. “That’s nice. Amelia is lucky then.” “How so?” “Even after Amelia is gone… Amelia won’t really be gone. Not completely. It’s kind of reassuring in a way.” “I’m glad you think so. Anyway, you had your question. Now it’s my turn.” “Uh oh.” “Are you sure you’re feeling alright from the mall trip? Don’t hold anything back, alright. You’ve heard my baggage; you don’t have to hold yours in.” At that prompt, she pauses. Much in the same way I’d had to think and process my feelings, she appears to be doing the same. “Maybe Amelia didn’t really know how bad it was out there. For littles.” “What do you mean?” “Amelia lives an isolated life. Not really going out. Even before you arrived; Amelia and Gale would only really hang out at Amelia’s house, Gale’s house, or Solstice. It’s safer that way, you know.” “What about your Amazon party missions or whatever, for the LRS?” “Nothing bad really happens in the party daycare. Aside from littles most showing up to the parties with their minds wiped, they don’t get the worse end of the little treatment from the party nannies or maids.” “I see.” “Seeing all that punishment equipment, the faces of suffering littles on… Diaper packages, and those ads… It was a lot. A lot that Amelia’s been protected from.” “Gale?” “She cares about Amelia tons. She knows Amelia’s sensitive to that stuff, from when Amelia was caught. Hell, we have those kinds of ads blocked. Our ‘for show’ nursery doesn’t have those packages on display, no punishment or ‘pleasure’ devices, nothing too offensive.” “She saved you and others from bad situations. Situations where those things are used gleefully. She probably doesn’t want you bearing a huge burden. I understand if that’s the case...” “The cat’s outta the bag now… Amelia can’t stop thinking about littles that are forced to use those… Those… things. Can’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if Gale hadn’t saved Amelia…” “There’s no use letting yourself be consumed by ‘what ifs’. I’ve spent several lifetimes like that. The two of you are making positive change in this world. You should focus on the good.” I lay a reassuring hand on Amelia’s shoulder. Which she accepts with a grateful expression. That expression sours slightly as tears leak from the corner of her eyes. Rolling down her face and falling to the dirt. She turns her face away, quickly rubbing her eyes. “Is Amelia really living…? Or is Amelia just surviving…?” “We can have days like this again. You don’t have to owe me or anything, I had fun. It’s-” “Amelia wants a life! Not just a day! Is Amelia not allowed that!?” “…” “Living on eggshells, afraid that any day Amelia could lose everything. You, Franz… Gale… It’s too much, too, too… Too much to bear.” My mind races. What should I say? What can I do? The poor girl sniffles, trying to hold back the floodgates. Her mind taking a dark path. The hand I’ve reassuringly placed on her shoulder feels empty, like a bogus gesture. A glimmer of hope, an idea, builds up. I have no idea if it’s a good idea or not. However, if it’ll make my friend feel better… Help her gain the life she seeks… Then… “Amelia. I can’t promise anything. It depends solely on you and your latent potential… With that said, would you wish to become my student?” Chapter 17: Disciple of the [[Witch]] ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed that aspect. To be honest it was fun to write! I'm glad you enjoyed, and I think a nice break from heavy stuff is important. I wouldn't want to depress anyone! It also makes it hurt all the more when the downtime from pain ends... Not a very good establishment. Rated highly by Amazons, but very low from littles (at least for customer service). We are once again back, with the latest chapter. Per the poll, it'll be full chapter releases. I hope it was worth the wait! Thank you all for continuing to read and support the story with your views and comments. There is still a final Halloween trick up my sleeve that I hope to have out before the month ends. One that I believe everyone will enjoy quite thoroughly. Until then!

Glad to see the distrust of Sadie is paying off lol. What a chapter.

So it begins... Not entirely sure how lucky Penny is, but I guess we'll find out shortly.

I have a feeling this was not the surprise Evie had in mind. Like everyone else is saying, I think Sadie could be behind this. Just gotta hope that Evie can do a 'Taken' and save the day.

At least she scanned the document, but it doesn't fill me with great confidence. I instantly become worried when people sign things without reading in stories. Bad news always follows.

While I agree with Evie that Sadie isn't really great, this seems like a pretty drastic intervention lol. Robots gaining sentience always make for interesting stories.

We spent the better part of the ride to Amelia’s apartment in silence. It was an awkward silence. The two girls could tell the final topic of the night delved a bit further than I’d have liked. And I was locked in deep thought over my brush with that horrid place. Of all the memories still fresh in my mind, that one in particular feels the most tangible. As if I’d never truly left that maddening space. As if one day, I’d wake up. A puppet to that thing. I- “Thanks again, Witch.” “Huh?” Gale speaks up from the driver’s seat. Giving me a thankful reprieve from myself. “For telling us about yourself. I may be a bit obtuse and unable to read the room sometimes, but you look conflicted. Just wanted to tell ya we’re thankful is all.” “Yeah, Amelia thinks so too. No reason to look so down, today has been a great day.” Their comforting words upturn the corners of my mouth. Twisting an uneasy grimace into a slight smile. They’re right. Today, despite starting so poorly, has become something entirely else. Something worthy of joy. I should focus on the good things. What I have now, before me. And not on the long gone past. “I… Should be the most thankful.” The silence that followed was not one out of awkwardness. No. It was a mutual, comfortable one. As we enjoyed the presence of one another in the close quarters of the car. ~~~ After assuring the exhausted Gale that we could walk to the apartment without trouble, Amelia and I began the trek through the confusing alleyways. Gale will probably be able to drive home okay… Right? “Amelia isn’t exactly sure how to ask… But what were you doing at Lenna’s house after helping Martin?” “Ah well… I was intent on leaving but before that I wanted to experience things from a captive little’s point of view.” Amelia’s head spins to me, in open mouth shock. Perhaps it is with a mixture of her tiredness and surprise, but the girl trips over her own legs and falls to the ground. Her hat flying off her head and hitting the ground with a solid thunk. “Are you okay?” “Oof, Amelia is fine. Just didn’t expect that response.” “Uh… Is your hat okay?” While reaching a hand down to the little on the ground, I can’t help but notice trace amounts of white gas leaking from the large poofy hat. She accepts the hand and I pull the girl up. Her face contorting into a cute pout as she runs over to her headgear. After carefully and cautiously turning the hat over Amelia sighs in audible relief. “Thank goodness it wasn’t the tear gas.” “The what!?” Casually the little reaches in and plucks a small metal sphere out. That just barely fits in the palm of her hand. The gas is leaking from one of the holes that line its sides. With her other hand she sets the hat atop her head and starts adjusting it properly. “It isn’t easy being a little you know. Even in Elmsbury, which is quite progressive as far as little rights go.” “There are worse places than Elmsbury?” “Ha… In some places just being a little is enough to get you grabbed off the street. At least here they have to have reason to believe you can’t take care of yourself... Or fabricate one.” “Hm. While I was away, I saw littles that still seemed to be themselves. They were at a playground, and they seemed happy with their lives. Where does that fit?” “Amelia believes there are four types of littles. Littles that enjoy the attention and life that being ‘owned’ offers them. Ones that get adopted despite their own wishes. And some that seek out a kind Amazon to avoid being grabbed by someone like Lenna… Or worse.” Amelia stops fiddling with her hat, satisfied with its position on her head. With both hands free she begins tinkering with the device in her hand, attempting to stop the slow flow of smoke. “And the fourth?” “Others like Amelia that live in tenuous freedom. Knowing that any day they could be taken and lose everything. Maybe it’s foolish. Maybe it’s silly. But that is why Amelia creates things like this. Amelia can’t… Won’t be taken again.” As she finishes sealing the leak, she flashes me a pitiful and sad smile before slipping it back under the hat atop her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make light of your life or what you’ve been through. It was just curiosity mixed with a moment of weakness.” “It’s okay, Amelia knows you didn’t mean it like that. And Amelia doesn’t blame the other types of littles for their lives and decisions either. We don’t have a lot of choices...” With that, we resume our jaunt through the alleys. However, my walking companion goes silent. She seems to be caught in inner turmoil. As if she wants to say something. “What is it, Amelia?” “Augh! Amelia has a proposal for you, Witch. And Amelia hates that she thought it up!” I chuckle as she plants her hands on her head and shakes it about as if tormented by her own thoughts. “A proposal?” “Gale has practiced being a… Mommy… With Amelia to make our performances more believable. We could ask Gale to practice with us again if you really want to see what it’s like…” “That’s nice of you, Amelia. But don’t you hate that kind of stuff?” “Amelia loathes it! Despises it! And would want something in return!” “Uh alright, what would you want?” Amelia unlocks the door to her apartment, and we enter. She carefully locks it behind us before turning to me. Her eyes sparkling and full of joyous anticipation over her desire. “In return Amelia wants to go out and live! Really live! Do anything that Amelia wants without fear of Amazons poisoning me or framing me for something and kidnapping me. Without having to have another Amazon keep me safe. Can you do that?” “Of course, we can do that. This doesn’t have to be a trade you know; you don’t have to ask Gale about the practice session, or subject yourself to it.” “We are friends! The last thing Amelia wants to do is leech off you and use you without offering anything in return. That isn’t how Amelia treats her friends!” This sentiment touches me. It fills me with a warm feeling. Many would and have used me to fulfil their own wants. Most of which were not nearly as pure as Amelia’s. How could I turn her down? “Then it’s a deal. We can go out tomorrow since Gale’s going to be too busy sleeping all day to come over.” “Hooray! Amelia can’t thank you enough!” “Right now, let’s get to sleep. We stay up any later and we’ll sleep all day too.” “Ah, goodnight! And thanks again!” With that, Amelia departs to her bedroom with a wave. I fall into the couch and make myself comfortable. No longer afraid of the memories that may come to haunt my slumber. ~~~ My eyes open. It’s morning, or more accurately just before eleven. There were no dreams, at least any that I can remember. Perhaps they’re choosing to stay away now that I’ve found support for my weak heart. Or just luck. Who can tell for sure. Getting off the couch I cross the room and knock-on Amelia’s door. She would probably want to start this day as soon as possible. “Hey Amelia, it’s almost eleven. We should grab something to eat and start your day, right?” The call combined with the knocks is effective in rousing the girl as a commotion can be heard coming from within the closed room. “Oh shit, almost eleven!? We have to hurry; there’s so much Amelia wants to do! The pancake place stops serving at 12:30! Ow!” Her excited cries are punctuated by a quick painful shout and the sound of someone falling to the floor. Before I can ask if everything is alright, the door opens. In all of her bed-head glory, Amelia is running about her room frantically throwing together her outfit for the day. “This is fine, Amelia is fine! No time to clean up; would there happen to be any spells to help out here?” “Can do.” Taking pity on the rushing little, I spare a bit of magic and she is bathed in a soft light. It quickly disperses leaving Amelia as clean as if she’d just exited a shower. With even her hair brushed. Using just a bit of time she runs over to a full-length mirror sat against the wall and looks approvingly at the results. “This is amazing, Amelia didn’t actually expect that to be a thing…” “Ha, It’s a bit of required magic for any long excursions away from a town. Weeks on end without bathes covered in grime and blood… Bad times…” Amelia’s face pales at the thought and she shakes her head, banishing the thought from her mind. “Amelia is almost done. Witch, if you have anything else to wear then put it on.” “Hm? Why, what’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” “Nothing, nothing at all. However! Today is a special day! We are looking our best and going all out!” “Aye aye captain.” Satisfied that I’ve given in to her demands, she disappears into the bathroom to finish ‘going all out’. I let out a long sigh, ugh. I don’t know what to wear. Maybe I’m a product of my dimension. Only nobles really cared about fashion. So, I guess I’ll cheat. Taking a step into the room, I survey it quickly before spotting her closet. Throwing it open I have to shake a feeling of vertigo over the sheer amount of clothing hung and folded. There’s way too much to sift through, but thankfully it seems that she’s categorized the space. So, I check out the dressier section. Dresses of various type, stylish jeans, shirts with staggering patterns, and even a suit. I suppose a dress is the only option here. Everything else is too restrictive. Quickly, since I may be running out of time before Amelia returns, I flip through the dresses. One of them catches my eye. Shorter than I’d like but fulfilling all other criteria. At my will, the cloak and clothing around me melts and shifts around my body. Matching the appearance of the dress. The trinket hanging from each of the cloak’s shoulders shift into earrings. Boots transforming into black sandals with white straps. The end result is a black shoulder strapped dress, with a white sash around the waist, that ends just above my knees. Showing off more skin than I’d shown in thousands of years. I return Amelia’s dress to the closet and close the door just in time. Amelia walks out of the bathroom moments later. “Holy shit, Witch! That’s what Amelia was talking about!” “Enjoy it while it lasts, drastic outfit changes aren’t becoming a habit. You look good yourself by the way. Why exactly are we doing this again?” Returning the compliment is easy. Amelia is going fairly far out of her typical style of jeans and a shirt, but she’s pulled it off. She did little with her short hair, aside from clipping her bangs to the side to keep it from her eyes. However, her usual hat is noticeably absent. The work she did on her makeup is top notch. A frilly albeit mature tank-top and a pair of fairly short shorts completes her look. “Amelia doesn’t get to wear clothes like this out. Dressing like an ‘adult’ is a sure-fire way to earn the ire of Amazons and a one-way ticket to adoption.” “Ah, I see.” “Now let’s go, we are not missing pancakes!” ~~~ We’re standing near the mouth of the alley, looking out to the busy street and sidewalk. Amelia is dancing around, antsy. Concerned. “Do you have anything to keep us from being noticed? Amelia doesn’t want the day to start with us immediately being grabbed by an overeager Amazon.” “[[Inconspicuous]]” I nod and cast the spell. Until I call it off, anyone looking at us will not exactly see us. We become something akin to a background object to them. They’ll still move out of our way and recognize someone is there. But to them, we are nothing of note. Nothing out of the ordinary. To ease Amelia’s worries, I jump out of the alley. Waving my arms at the Amazons that pass. No one gives me a second glance. The tide of large bodies moving around me, like a river parting for a stone. Laughing happily, Amelia runs out of the alley. Grabbing onto my outstretched hand and spinning me around. “Has Amelia told you that you’re the best?” “Something like that, but please tell me more.” After dropping my hand, she takes the lead on directing us to the mythical pancake establishment. Finally, I ask the question burning in the forefront of my mind. “What’s so special about this pancake place, Amelia?” “What’s so special? What’s so special!? This is Littlestacks. The Littlestacks. Said to be home to the most irresistible pancakes across all the islands, and dare Amelia say- even the mainland.” “Uh…” “The very few and very rare littles that have tried their pancakes and escaped adoption afterward describe each bite as pure heaven. A golden ticket to salivating paradise! These are not mere stacks, no. They are a life altering experience!” “You do know that I’m not from here, right? None of this is making sense.” As if pulled from a stupor, Amelia coughs into a closed fist. An embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks. “S-Sorry, Amelia lost herself a bit there. Anyway, these pancakes are said to be incredibly delicious. The only problem: they are a delightful trap. They only serve in-house and no takeout. Each pancake is chock full of laxatives and diuretics and who knows what else. Adoption and diapers are all but guaranteed after a single bite of those tantalizing, syrupy, cakes.” “I can do something about that.” “Amelia was hoping to hear that, otherwise Amelia would have been devastated. Depressed. Crushed even!” While conversing, we must’ve made it as Amelia released an exclamation of joy. Pointing at a colorful building with a playful font emblazoned above the entrance, “Littlestacks”. We push our way inside and immediately I see what Amelia meant. We look very out of place here. It has the appearance of a stereotypical family restaurant. At least from what I’ve seen on the television. Amazons and their regressed, or at least adopted, littles fill the entirety of the establishment. Not a single unaccompanied little in the building. My friend whispers to me before we get too far in. “Can you make us more visible again, Amelia doesn’t think we’ll get service if they can’t perceive us. Plus, this is the fun part.” “Ah right, [[Conspicuous]]. Wait fun part?” With that, we are once again visible to the Amazons around us. A hostess standing near the entrance levels her gaze at us. She makes a face, leaving me unsure if she’s dissatisfied with our dress or the tattoos covering my visible skin. Ultimately, she covers it up with a broad service smile, clearly happy to have seemingly captured two unsuspecting littles with the promise of food. “Welcome to Littlestacks, darlings. Are you here with your Mommy or Daddy today?” I give a look to Amelia, deferring to her. This is her rodeo; she can take the lead here. She gets the hint and returns the smile, looking up at the hostess. “Sorry, but we are alone today. Is there still seating for two available?” “That’s perfect, and of course there’s seating available for two little cuties like yourselves. Follow me, and I’ll get you girls to a table immediately!” We follow behind the tall woman, through the restaurant. Amazon heads turning to watch. Salivating; not over their meals, but at the thought that two littles might be momentarily up for grabs. Several of the few non-regressed littles look wide eyed. Probably terrified and sad for us. After walking to the far-left side of the room, we stop, and the hostess directs us to an empty table. Noticeably far from the bathrooms on the complete opposite side of the room. Two booster seats are already waiting in the booth. “Let’s get you bab- ladies seated and your waitress will be with you momentarily.” Without warning the two of us are scooped off the floor and deposited into the booster seats. The hostess making sure to make it as uncomfortable as possible by blatantly checking the type of underwear beneath our clothing. She places two paper mats before us and colorful writing utensils. The mats have pictures and instructions on them, as well as a menu to the side. Satisfied with herself, the hostess disappears. I give Amelia another look. She’s struggling to contain herself, that much is certain. “It’s for the pancakes, do it for the pancakes Amelia. Just hang in there. You can do this.” She whispers to herself, under her breath. We don’t have much time to talk before our waitress arrives. A younger Amazon, perhaps in her late teens. Probably working a summer job to earn some spare cash. She wears the same look as the hostess. On a whim, I read her thoughts. A simple task against someone lacking the will to fight it and unexpecting such an invasion of their minds. This never happens, what an opportunity! Mom would definitely let me adopt one… Or even both… I honestly don’t know what else I expected to hear. “Welcome ladies! My name is Maddie, and I will be your waitress today. Can I start you off with something to drink?” “I would like a water, please.” “Can Amelia get milk, please.” “Oh, how cute. Of course, you can! Now, do you little cuties need bottles, or can you be big girls for Maddie and use sippy cups?” I should probably speak up here. Amelia looks as though the interaction with our waitress is slowly killing her. “We’ll take the sippy cups, thanks.” “Okie dokie, I’ll be back soon with your drinks to take your order. Sit tight!” She all but skips away to the back room, where supposedly their beverage dispenser must be. Amelia finally exhales, the tension leaving her shoulders. “Are you going to make it?” “Amelia is fine. This is fine. Pancakes are fine.” “O-Okay... Do you know what you’re going to get?” I ask while looking down at the menu. Which is quite limited. Amelia wasn’t kidding, this is a pancake establishment. The options only really seem to be the number of pancakes and the desired toppings. “Amelia is getting everything. The works.” “Ooh…” While focusing on the menu and trying to make up my mind, Maddie reappears. Plopping a sippy cup before each of us. Water for me and milk for Amelia. “Are the two of you ready to order?” “Yes, Amelia would like three stacks with everything, please.” “Sure can do, and what a polite little thing you are. How about you?” “I’ll have a single stack with just butter and syrup, please.” “Okay, we’ll get that out to you in a jiffy. Enjoy your drinks!” The energized waitress heads off to the kitchen with our orders in hand. Amelia slides her sippy cup to me. “Could you check this for anything extra? Amelia doesn’t trust anything here.” “I was just about to suggest that…” Taking hold of Amelia’s beverage, I take a quick sip. My head drums with a sharp pain as my protections flare up against foreign substances. It seems to be some sort of drug that messes with the consumer’s hand-eye coordination. Amelia must notice me wince, as she interjects. “Are you okay?” “Don’t worry, all part of the process…” The feeling subsides in no time at all. Now that I understand what’s been done, detoxifying the liquid is simple. Even a third-rate sorcerer could handle it. Amelia gratefully accepts her drink back and I detoxify my own. Just in the off-chance Amelia gets a drink of mine. I inform her as to what her milk contained, and she quietly scoffs and leans closer to keep our conversation from being heard by the onlooking Amazons. “Amelia suspects it’s an excuse to give us bottles or even feed us when we make a mess… Their goal is to trap littles by forcing immature behavior after all.” She sits back with a sigh, and we talk casually. Despite the intentions of those around us, we both want to enjoy our day. Soon after Maddie arrives once again. A plate of pancakes in each hand. Amelia immediately begins to salivate with an excited albeit hungry look in her eyes. The waitress clicks her tongue and almost seems irritated that we haven’t made a mess of our drinks. She quickly disguises her feelings with a smile and sets our food on the table. Amelia is too entranced by pancakes to notice or mind. “Before I leave you little girls to your pancakes, let me just help you with one last thing…” Says Maddie as she digs around in the large pocket around the waist of her apron. With a satisfied ‘aha’ the Amazon bends over the table towards Amelia and blocks my view of her. As she straightens back up, I feel the corners of my mouth tug up impulsively. A snort escapes the back of my throat. Amelia does not look nearly as amused as I am. Probably because the waitress tied a pink and frilly bib around her neck emblazoned with ‘Mommy’s Girl’. The pink of the bib certainly matches the fiery pink that her cheeks have become though. “Aw you look adorable! No little messies now for this girl. Now it’s your turn…” Ah hell. I shouldn’t have laughed, not that it would’ve prevented this outcome. Before the Amazon’s bosom obscures my vision, I see Amelia. Her hand doing little to conceal the smirk plastered on her face. ~~~ After complementing our matching bibs and wringing more embarrassment from Amelia, Maddie leaves to attend to her other Amazonian clientele. “Can Amelia get a poison check here please and thanks.” She slides her plate forward towards me. For the first time I get a look at what she’s ordered. It’s a monstrosity. Three stacks of pancakes with blueberries and chocolate chips baked in. Covered in white marshmallow fluff, chocolate sauce, peanut butter sauce, and of course maple syrup. Chocolate grated over the top of the whole thing as well as rainbow-colored sprinkles. “By the gods…” Using my fork, I collect a little bit of everything onto a bit of pancake and take a bite. Way… Way… Way too sweet. Then my brain delivers a similar unpleasant reaction. Like Amelia mentioned earlier, it seems the pancakes contain a laxative and diuretic. Also, surprisingly a drug that would make the consumer more compliant… I detoxify both our plates and slide Amelia’s plate back. Which she accepts excitedly and with much gusto. Immediately digging into her stacks. “That is horrifyingly sweet. How can you eat that?” “Huh, you think so? This has been perfectly tailored to appeal to the tastebuds of littles. Amelia is overjoyed and in heaven!” For the meals I’ve shared with them in this dimension thus far, we’d always made food at home or visited Solstice. It seems that whatever predilection towards sweets that littles seem to have did not get passed to me when I entered this dimension. Now I can’t help but wonder if that is something inherent to all non-Amazon inhabitants of this dimension rather than being an effect of getting transported here. The food in my dimension is not nearly this sweet. Taking a break from my thoughts, I look over to Amelia. Who is already nearly halfway through her meal. Scarfing it down quickly but cleanly. Her bib and hands tidy and without syrup stain. I should probably hurry, or I’ll be left in the dust. “Amelia can’t recall you really getting embarrassed much, Witch. What’s the deal?” “Ha, probably a product of my age. At most I find it amusing the way Amazons tend to treat me.” Using the utensils sat aside, I cut apart my pancakes and begin the consumption process. Even my plain pancakes with just butter and syrup are almost sweeter than I can handle. If anything, Littlestacks succeeded in making me thankful for my inability to become ill. By the time I’m 3/4ths of the way through my meal, Amelia puts her fork down atop the syrup-stained plate. Leaning back in her seat with a satisfied look while patting her stomach. “Where did you put those pancakes, Amelia? I don’t know who the greater gourmand is; you or Gale.” “Hey! Amelia’s food habits are nothing like that glutton, nothing! This is a special circumstance. You got that, special!” “Uh huh…” Reaching the final bite, I cheer internally. No more, no more sugar. And it is done, the plate is clean. Looking around, the place is nearly empty. According to the clock on the wall the place should be closing soon. Time to roll Amelia out of the restaurant and move on to the next event she has concocted. “You ready to go?” “Tut tut, Witch. We still have yet to reach the finale here.” The little admonishes me with a slight smile. Clearly, she knows or is anticipating something that I’m not. Oh well, this is her show. As if sensing our desire to leave, Maddie once again makes an appearance. “Did the two of you enjoy your pancakes, I sure hope you did!” “Amelia certainly did, they were fantastic… So good…” “It was good.” I say, wanting to be diplomatic. Whether our waitress realizes that or not is unknown as she nods her head to our words happily. “Excellent! Now are you cute girls ready to come home with Mommy…?” “Amelia thinks we will have to pass on that, a check would be nice though.” The server stops; the joyous expression on her face drooping and cracking. “W-What?” “The check please? Amelia wouldn’t want to keep you past closing after all.” “Why… You were supposed… Y-You can’t leave, not after you’ve had an accident!” With her script failing due to the compliance drug not taking effect and the pretense removed, her true colors show. She points an accusing finger at Amelia, who remains laid back in her booster seat. Relaxed. “Hm? Accident you say? Amelia did no such thing.” “Bull- Nonsense! Of course you did, and I’ll prove it!” The Amazon shouts, irritated. She reaches down to Amelia’s shorts and from the sound of it unzips them. “No… No way! This is impossible!” From my seat I can’t tell, but presumably Maddie uncovered a clean pair of undergarments. Rather than the ‘accident’ she was anticipating. I can however see Amelia’s face. Which is somehow more satisfied than when she had a mouth full of pancakes. Almost feeding off our waitresses’ misery. Was this what she was waiting for? A man in an apron and white chef hat sets a hand on the waitresses’ shoulder. With the other he puts a check on the table. Clearly interjecting due to the commotion she’s causing. He looks the two of us over, displeased and scowling slightly. “Come with me Maddie. And you two, pay up and hit the road.” “But-“ “Now.” Grumbling, the Amazon girl complies, walking to the back room with the taller gentleman. Not before looking back at our table, shooting us an angry and disbelieving look. Amelia soaks it in, waving innocently in response. Then pulling her pants up at the same time she reaches for her wallet. She throws a handful of bills atop the check and motions for me to follow her. Making sure to yank the bib off from around her neck, depositing it onto the table as well. I do the same. We hop down from our booster seats and head for the exit. My friend taking the lead. As we pass by the kitchen, we barely make out raised voices from behind the door separating the two rooms. “Calm your ass down, they didn’t exhibit any immature behavior. We didn’t get em’ this time. “Calm down? Calm. Down!? What the fuck didn’t the kitchen do to their goddamned pancakes!? Littles don’t just walk in here every day. They were going to be mine! Mine! Mine! MINE! Son of a-“ Amelia happily waltzes to the door, holding it open for me. Passing her gives me a good look of the conniving and ‘pleased with herself’ expression on her face. A mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Ahhh, like music to Amelia’s ears…” My eyebrows raise at her visage and the words whispered just below her breath. She can’t have… There’s no way… Did she? “Was this the plan all along…?” “What? No, no no… Of course not. Just a beautiful side product of Amelia having breakfast with her very best and dear friend.” The girl turns away and begins to walk down the sidewalk. I hurry after her, reapplying the spell from earlier. She turns her head to me and speaks with a sly grin. “Daylight’s burning, Witch. Where to next?” Chapter 16: Just Breakfast ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you, that means a lot to hear. I hope the story continues to hold your interest. I'm glad you enjoyed it and the cosmic horror aspect. It was quite fun to write. Thanks, that took a bit to write up lol. I have a poll for you, dear readers. To see how people are interested in receiving chapters. Chapters tend to run long and because of that tend to take a while to write. However, I could probably release half chapters and they might come out a little quicker. Frankly I think waiting for the full chapter is better since it makes for a more continuous read. But then again, I'm not the one waiting for chapters to come out. With that said, leave your vote and I'll perform as the masses desire. This might also show me the level of reader engagement so that I may poll at a critical junction in the story later on... Anyway... Thank you all for reading and commenting, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of October.

It was built as an upside-down pyramid, carved deep into the earth. Originally a Dwarven city, they built it so as to easily access the ore locked beneath the surface. Mineshafts were dug into the walls of the slope alongside the carefully and expertly crafted cliffside houses. As with all things, time was the downfall of this city. It would become a ghost town, abandoned by its creators for one reason or the other. Large arachnids would take hold of it. Spinning their webs and using the tunnels dug by the Dwarves as their own. Perfect for chasing down disoriented prey. It would stay like this for several hundred years. The spiders grasp on the mine growing ever stronger. A coalition of Humans and Dwarves was sent to retake the Dwarven land. The Dwarves wished to gain access to the mine and forge its metals. The Humans wanted Dwarven tools in exchange. The mission was successful, albeit time consuming. Eradicating the beasts from the darkness of the shafts was hard work. But with the job done, the Dwarves moved back in to resume their craft and digging. That should have been the end of it. However… Contact was lost with the city. Adventurers sent to perform recon never returned. They were unwilling to accept the loss of the city. Not after spending so much capital on the campaign to recapture it. Unwilling to look like fools to the other races. The Humans along with the Dwarves sent several adventurer parties, an army scouting party, and an envoy from the Sorcerer’s Guild to the site. Surely this much manpower would be able to return with news. What they found. Was the worst possible outcome. Of all who were sent, less than ten returned alive. Among them, the envoy. Who was more than capable of understanding the threat looming before them. He spoke in a hurried, hushed tone. As if fearing the very words spilling from his lips. When they had arrived, the town was quiet. No sign of struggle. No bodies. Despite the lack of the physical, the envoy felt something. The mana in the air was disturbed. It felt wrong. His gate, the metaphysical organ which handles the input and output of magic for all living things, trembled within him. The source was a tunnel near the bottom of the inverted pyramid. Freshly dug compared to the other tunnels. A new shaft created before the Dwarves of the city lost contact with the outside world. Tentatively the envoy and the others entered the earth’s maw. The miasma growing stronger and stronger as they descended. The light of their lanterns guiding their path through the pitch black. Strange, foreign plant life was soon overtaking the rocky earth beneath their feet. Flowers and leaves not of this world. Beyond mortal comprehension. The deeper they went, the worse it became. The foul corpse-scent they gave off made the party lightheaded and anxious. A new, faint light appeared deeper into the tunnel. Cautiously they approached. The envoy gasped and drew pale. The Dwarves had made a fatal, fatal mistake. It was an arch. Covered in ancient runes and symbols. Which the envoy could not begin to understand. What he did understand, however, was that the arch was a hole. A portal. A gateway. Leading to a place that should never be touched. In their digging, they had stumbled upon this arch. And activated it. Either on accident or intentional. Seeking what treasure and ancient secrets they could find within. Sealing their fate. And potentially the fate of all worlds, all planes, all realities. Horrid, terrible, vile creatures stumbled about the vast cavern that the tunnel bled into. Expanding it and spreading their taint. Twisted spires built into the earth, honoring gods with names unpronounceable by mortal tongue. Strengthening their position in the realm. Writhing masses of purple-black tentacles. Human shaped or otherwise. Insectoid monstrosities fluttered about. Undulating flesh shambling about, moaning in agony. Pure. Unadulterated. Madness. The envoy averted his gaze. Knowing that exposing himself to these sights would erode his mind and soul. Even with his quick gaze, he felt as if he was on the edge of falling into a great abyss. Others in the party were not as lucky. Some began to scream and shout in sheer terror. Panicking and running about. Drawing the attention of those below. Soldiers and adventurers with stronger wills, capable of fighting against the mental assault, urged the envoy and a few others to act as his guards to leave. They would hold the creatures back, for however long they could. The world outside must know what was found here. So, they fled. Leaving them behind to their deaths. Or worse. His story finished; the envoy whispered five words. The Far Realm is here. ~~~ “I must say, I am quite impressed.” Franz and I survey the room. What was once a fully stocked nursery for a little, is now a fully stocked nursery for an Amazon. “What can I say, I’ve outdone myself.” Honestly, I’m quite proud of this room and the solution. “If you are now finished, we should return to the car. Amelia and Gale must be confused as to what is taking so long.” “Right, right. I think that’s the last of it.” I send one final glance to the crib where I’ve placed Lenna, and we exit the room. Closing the door behind us. As we make our way through the house, Franz turns his head to me. Confused. He then asks the only question capable of breaking me. “If you are capable of resizing these objects, could you not have resized yourself into an Amazon?” “Ah…” My mind immediately returns to the day I first arrived. The dismay I felt at losing a foot of my original height. The annoyance in my heart. Am I an idiot? Mouth agape, I look up towards Franz. Who notices the turmoil he’s sparked within me. While I internally freak out over this blunder, he is clearly bemused. “Erm, not that it really matters. You are lovely no matter how tall you are, Witch. In fact, I would say your current height is… Cute.” “That… Is not exactly helping.” It helped a little. As I internally debate the possibility of carving this memory from our minds, we arrive at the car. Amelia and Gale both seem ecstatic. Franz opens the door and assists me in getting seated, while I am assaulted by the combined voices of the two girls. “ARE YOU OKAY!? WE WERE SO WORRIED! WE MISSED YOU!” “I’m okay, now. Franz and I talked. He helped me see things a bit differently. I’ll come back… That is if you’ll have me.” Gale speaks up first, in an almost offended manner. “Of course, we’ll have you! You’re our friend.” “Amelia is sorry… You were hurt by Amelia’s reaction to you… And you didn’t deserve that, especially after all you’ve done for Amelia. Will you forgive Amelia?” The smaller girl lowers her head, as if fearing rebuke or retribution. She is truly remorseful. Not that I believe she should be. “I understand your reaction and I can’t fault you for it. The things I do can be scary, terrifying even. Especially to people unused to magic and conflict. So, there’s no need to apologize.” Amelia sighs in relief, shoulders slumping down. The tension in her body released. Then she looks up sharply. Rapidly looking back and forth between Gale and myself. Gale is in sync and looking between the two of us as well. Their voices blurt out in unison. “Magic!?” “I’ll explain everything back at Solstice. It’s the least I can do. And I’ll answer any questions you have.” “Okay, but what did you two do about Lenna?” “I re-routed her jealousy towards littles so it is internal rather than external. That along with a few false memories, and she now enjoys acting… Slightly younger…” “Magic is busted, what the hell is up with that!?” “Please teach Amelia!” Franz interrupts the excited murmuring from the couple in the back. Gazing at them from the rear-view mirror. “Was there any trouble while I was inside?” Gale returns the look. Now serious, all signs of joking around gone. “There was one older busybody nosing around. Wanting to know why we were sat out here so long. I convinced her that we were having car troubles and that you went to get help. And when she started nosing around about Amelia, we had to act like I’d just grabbed her off the street for an adoption.” “Amelia was not a fan! Can’t a little just enjoy a nice car ride with a couple of Amazons!?” “You know it was the easiest way to get her off our backs. Heh, I tried to convince her to wet her pants to really sell it… But Amelia refused. Not a true actor, I guess.” Amelia’s face burns bright red, remembering the recent experience. Gale’s words getting a rise out of the little. “Y-Y-Y-You! How about you wet your pants for once! Amelia refuses to default to that plan!” “I thank you for not tarnishing my car, miss Amelia.” Franz throws a quip of his own into the fray. Eliciting a chuckle from Gale and myself while Amelia prepares to further the commotion. We continued to converse in a relaxed and enjoyable manner for the remainder of the car ride. I could find no regrets within me; this was the right choice. I love these people. ~~~ “The Material Plane is sort of like this dimension, only larger in scope. The lights in your night sky are stars, our lights are other worlds. You have other dimensions loosely connected that Amazons grab littles from. Our worlds are connected by an astral highway of sorts that people in large flying ships use to sometimes traverse the worlds, it’s all in the same dimension.” “That sounds kind of wishy washy, why only sometimes?” We’ve arrived back at Solstice. Martin helped himself to Franz’s couch upstairs while the four of us talk downstairs. Franz brewed coffee for us, to help fight the fatigue. He and Amelia seem to be very interested in my dimension. Starting off easy talking about the world I come from rather than myself. Gale couldn’t look more tired if she tried. Any moment now she might slip off her seat. Ignoring her snores, I answer Amelia’s question. “Gods can only interfere with the worlds. The astral space between them is outside their dominion. If you die outside of their influence, your soul can’t be collected for the afterlife. It’s much safer to use portals and gateways, but those can be difficult to open.” “Your diagram is very helpful, but could you explain what it means by positive planes and negative planes?” Franz looks up from the diagram I’ve drafted of my dimension. He’s been studying it intently since I scribbled it out on a sheet of notebook paper. “The planes are different places within the dimension. The Material Plane is roughly the center. Above are the positive planes and below the negative. They exist in inter-mingling layers. Each plane is its own reality governed by its own rules.” “Amelia is confused, how can someone travel to a higher or lower plane? Do you have to fly up or dig down?” “If you go up, you’ll just run into the astral space. Think of the planes intangibly. They aren’t places you can walk to; magic or an invitation by a higher power are required to ascend and descend.” “Tell us about the world you come from in particular. I believe Amelia and Gale have exposed you to fantasy media, how accurate are our tales?” “The races are fairly accurate, though there are many others as well. Humans, Elves, Orcs, Beastkin, and Dwarves have kingdoms of their own. There are periods of war, but it typically isn’t as common as your media portray and most conflict is internal to the kingdoms.” “Where did you come from?” I see what Franz is doing. Angling the conversation towards me… I guess this is it. Even this question stirs Gale. Though she was bored by the finer details of my dimension, she perks up when it comes to my history. “I predate the kingdoms. Amelia and Gale, I am ancient. I was born within five thousand years of the creation of my world. It has been just under 300,000 years since.” Franz nods, having already heard this information. Amelia and Gale’s mouths open in shock. Silence fills the room for a second before Gale tentatively speaks. “Well… You uh… Look pretty good for an old lady.” “Damn it, Gale! Now you pay attention!?” Amelia turns to her girlfriend and admonishes the larger woman. Gale sheepishly rubs the back of her head. I chuckle, not minding the sentiment. Preferring it to the typical vitriol and disgust sent my way in regard to my appearance. “Anyway, Amelia wonders; how did you live so long? Amelia can’t imagine that everyone in your dimension is so long lived, even with something like magic…” “It’s because of these. I was something of a magic prodigy in a time where magic wasn’t well understood. Using ancient magics and techniques I forged these tattoos all over my body. Everything about my original people is lost to time. Our language, magic, arts, and even gods. What I did to myself is not reproduceable.” I shed the cloak, revealing the symbols covering my body. It feels awkward to be stared at so intently by the three of them, but I swallow the sensation. Franz is the first to speak. “Hm… Even with a closer look I really cannot read that script. It is unlike any other written word I have come across in my travels.” “That sounds kind of sad. Having everything that you come from disappear…” “I have drowned in loneliness and despair for much of my life. Watched many a friend and loved one pass. But not for a second have I felt that way about the people I come from. So don’t feel too sorry, Gale.” “Ah, alright then… Wait I get to ask a question now, how does magic work? In a rare sense of understanding the mood, Gale switches topics to something less personal. Perhaps noticing my discomfort. I pull my cloak on, preferring to leave the hood down. “There are many different types of magic, and magic users. Necromancers, Druids, Clerics, Summoners, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks are the main categories of magic user. Your media portrayals are fairly accurate, almost to a scary degree. However, all living things use gates to process mana internally and from the atmosphere. Spells can be cast vocally or internally. Vocally is typically more powerful but if a spell doesn’t need a lot of power then internally will suffice.” The answer seems to sate Gale’s curiosity, but she almost immediately retorts with another question. “What kind of magic do you use?” “I am a bit of an outlier. Most spend their entire lives pursuing a single magic, but living for so long has allowed me to research them all. People refer to me as a [[Witch]]. The [[Witch]].” Hearing the unfamiliar tongue, Amelia and Gale look at each other in slight recognition. Franz however appears confused by the word. “That’s right, Amelia remembers. You introduced yourself with that name… And Amelia heard something similar at the nursery when Amelia was about to be hypnotized.” “It was the name given to me by my people. The only piece of my language to survive in the common tongue. They gave it to me in malice. The term for a cursed child whose parents died, leaving them behind.” Gale scoffs, an annoyed expression on her face. “No wonder you don’t miss them. They sound like a bunch of pricks. You don’t want to be called by a different name?” “This name has come from the lips of all those who’d cared for me. It no longer holds the painful meaning that those who despise me use it for.” “If I may intrude, you said that was your name? But it is also a title for a type of magic user? Could you please explain?” “Of course, Franz. A [[Witch]] is someone who uses unconventional magic. They are typically hated or feared for being cursed.” “Man, I guess people suck no matter what dimension you’re in.” Gale’s insight gives everyone a good chuckle. Looking to the clock I see that it is very, very late. Time for an executive decision. “How about we call it here for the night. It’s getting late and I’m sure you’re all tired. If you guys have any other questions later, I’ll answer. But I think we’ve just about covered all the major stuff, right?” Everyone murmurs their agreement. Gale and Amelia both rubbing their eyes, ready to drop at a moment’s notice. As the three of us turn to leave, back to Amelia’s place, Franz clears his throat. The man was finishing the cleaning of the space we’d used. In his hands he holds the paper I’d used. He stares intently at the diagram I’d drawn. “My apologies, Witch, but I seem to have one last question. This smudge far from all the other planes of your dimension caught my eye. Is that anything relevant, or truly just ink?” The question freezes me. I’d drawn that without thinking. I must have quite the look on my face because Franz immediately backpedals. “You need not answer if you are uncomfortable. Consider it the curiosity of an older man, I am sorry.” “No… It’s fine. What I say next gets no further questions, and we do not speak of it again.” I walk towards Franz, returning to the main dining area of Solstice. Amelia and Gale follow suit. The atmosphere quiet and serious due to the tone of my voice. The pause hangs in the air while I find my words. Then I speak. “That smudge is called the Far Realms. A place that exists far from the rest of the planes. It is a realm that defies all logic and reason. Existing outside the bounds of time and space. A realm of pure madness and insanity. Opening paths there, interacting with it in any way, is forbidden. Yet… On occasion they find weak points…” Gale sets a comforting hand on my shoulder. The palpable fear in my voice leading her to ease my emotions. “It’s okay, you’re here now. Nothing to worry about.” I appreciate the sentiment but… “I got here, somehow… And if they ever find this dimension… I… What would you call a dimension where the entire reality is based around adults being abducted and treated like children?” The room is still as they ruminate over the question. Finally, Franz seems to put it together, understanding what I’m getting at. “Thinking objectively… You could say such a place is insane, or mad.” I nod my head, affirming his statement. Turning around, I head for the door. Amelia and Gale close behind. The unspoken implication turning the mood somber. “Goodnight, Franz. All other questions are free game from here on out, everyone. But that, is the last we speak of that.” ~~~ The [[Witch]] was nervous being around such a large and diverse army. Many of those making an appearance that day hated her with every fiber of their being. Yet it was the common enemy that brought all the races together. Forces of good and evil joining together to prevent the end of all things. The Far Realm. It had taken time for such a large army to gather, and to coordinate this last-ditch effort with such a diverse cast. As such, those god-awful creatures had been able to fortify their position and invite more horrifying aberrations into the fray. Even erecting an anti-magic field around the area; preventing teleportation into the depths of the tunnels, stopping the remote closure of their gateway to their insane hellscape, and reducing the effectiveness of magic users. Their existence in this world was already have negative ramifications on the land. The flora had grown beyond the confines of the tunnels, and the foreign greenery thrived beneath the light of our more ordered world. Eating away at the very fabric of our reality. If left untouched, they would continue to expand and consume all. Turning our world, and all the planes into a carbon copy of the Far Realm. I… The [[Witch]] was nervous about the foe before them… … No. I can’t do this. For some time now I have been writing about my… More formative experiences… To just get them out of me. Perhaps to feel better and get these feelings off my chest. I’ve tried writing formally. Objectively. With some being greater successes than others. But this… I can’t be objective here. What happened that day… If you’ve found this journal, I am sorry. It may be a bit more of mess than the others I’ve hidden throughout the planes. … I was nervous. I was afraid. Of course, I’d felt these emotions before. Living so long it would be hard not to, right? But it was different now. I was afraid for myself. With the anti-magic field in effect, my abilities were very limited. I could wring some magic out of myself at the cost of spitting up blood, but it would be horribly weak. At that moment I was nothing more than a simple girl. Powerless. They asked me to join a special team that would descend into the tunnels and close the arch while the main force distracted the enemies on the ground and another team sought out the casters behind the anti-magic field. As one of the only people that would be capable of understanding the arch while also being able to force enough magic out to close it if they failed to restore magic usage. So, we snuck to the bottom of the city and entered the shaft. The sound of otherworldly screams mingling with the battle cries of the allied forces echoing behind us as the battle began to rage. We walked, hurriedly through those musty and dark tunnels. Fearful that at any moment we would be ambushed in an unforeseen way. Roughly halfway to our goal, we had to stop for a break. The air was thinner now. Likely due to the Far Realm’s influence. I pulled food and water from the small sacks tied around my waist, bags of holding, and shared the supplies with my impromptu teammates. Our spirits were lifted momentarily. And that was when they struck. I felt something snake up my leg and grab me. With the dim lantern light, I barely made out the shape and color of a dark purple tentacle. It led into the darkness, further down the tunnel. My body acted instinctually, attempting to kick the offending tentacle off to no avail. I felt it tug, suddenly yanking me to the ground. Pain blossomed in my head as it smashed into the rocky floor below. The fear I’d felt before was nothing compared to this. A scream blossomed in my throat as I was pulled further into the tunnel. My vision momentarily dancing and watery from the fall. Horrors filled the tunnel, blocking my teammates off from me. They cursed, attempting to dispatch the creatures in their way of me. I cried out desperate, tears of fear and horror filling my eyes. No, no, NO! Not like this! NOOOOOO! My fingers dug into the hard and rocky floor, gouging the earth in a meager attempt to slow my unwilling descent. Breaking nails and bones against the stone. I chanted spell after spell, my insides rupturing and breaking with the extreme overuse of magic. Anything I could think of to escape the grasp of this monster. But more latched onto me from the shadows. I was caught. I was trapped. I was doomed. Then a glow ahead distracted me from my despair. It was the arch. The slimy tentacles wrapped around my legs led directly through it. I desperately closed my eyes as they pulled me through. Immediately I felt sick. The magic on the other side of the portal was all wrong. Sullied and tainted. And my eyes opened. The sights I beheld at that moment… Will haunt me forever. Layers upon layers of differing thickness transposed atop and around each other. Overlapping universes miles and inches wide. Entities and aberrations floating freely in these spaces, some existing in multiple universes at the same time. Planets colliding into explosions of light and fiery power. Black seas split by twisted spires extending high into something akin to a sky and descending low into a dark depth. It attacked my mind, my very soul. My immortal body was doing its best to keep the effects of the Far Realm at bay, however it was a losing battle. I’d known this to be the case since the start. I’d feared this would happen. My body stopped moving, or more accurately I was not being pulled anymore. Tearing my vision away from the insanity surrounding me, I saw the thing that had grabbed me. It was… Horrible… Indescribable… He wanted me. Wanted what I could do. Her voice echoed throughout my mind. Ripping away at every meager protection I could muster. I bashed my head against the floor at its feet. Attempting to banish the corruptive thoughts. While my hands dug around the small bags tied around my waist. Hisherits voice was winning. I was losing myself. Quickly I found a dagger. With no hesitation I plunged it into my head. The most desperate action to end the thoughts and voices worming their way in my mind. The last thing I heard was it screech in pain as its connection to me was forcibly terminated by my short death. I blacked out for a moment as an enormous tentacle slammed into me, tossing me away from it. As I came to, mentally exhausted, I took notice of my surroundings. I was near the arch on the Far Realm’s side. The… Being… That wanted me was coming my way. Intent to continue the job of molding me. If I didn’t do anything now, this would be it. I’d be done and so would everything else. Everyone else. But my magic was sealed, the effect of the anti-magic reaching here. My mind was foggy, and I couldn’t think clearly. I unclenched my hand and the dagger I’d used clattered to the ground. That was it. An idea breaking through the cluttered thoughts. The bags of holding. I untied two bags from my waist, making sure to grab the less important sacks. Stumbling my way to the arch in a final, desperate maneuver. He chuckled, a wet, disturbing sound. Finding joy in my desperation. But I would have the final laugh. Standing near the arch, I opened one of the bags. Then, I shoved the other bag inside and dove away. An explosion occurred. Something akin to a black hole formed as the extradimensional spaces clashed and imploded upon each other. Destroying the arch and the connection between the two places. Her torturous laughter ended as it raged over the destruction of its carefully laid plans. Feeling its howl in every fiber of my being. My body collapsed to the ground, physically and mentally weak. I grabbed the dagger and aimed it haphazardly at my foe from my position on the ground. Completely defenseless. The hole behind me loosed the sound of rushing wind, forming a vacuum that threatened to suck me up. Unwilling to let me go, a tentacle wrapped itself around my arm as my body lifted off the ground and began to get dragged into the hole. Turning my head back, I looked into the void that wished to consume me. Then I looked at the creature that wanted me. And I knew there was only one way to go. I slashed the tentacle with the dagger. My body bounced off the ground and was pulled into the aggressive vortex, the dagger that saved me embedded itself into the dirt. Pushed to my limit, I passed out. Thankful and knowing that no matter where I end up, it will be better than that place. Chapter 15: The Place We Do Not Speak Of ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It is extremely early in the morning, and I just finished this chapter. I didn't exactly have all the time in the world to proof read it so I'm sure there are one or two misspellings/oddly worded sentences. But I wanted to get this out to you guys before I went to the convention! I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Thanks again for reading and being active in the comments.

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you. That was the other option I was thinking, but I figured this option was a nice change of pace. And thanks. Well... Last night it happened. That's actually the one item on the list for this month I thought was going to take a while. But here it is, after a week and a half. A day after the latest chapter released lol. It is a sign, work on this story must be done.

She stops in her tracks. Glowing hand hovering above the Amazon’s face. Recollection flashes in her eyes as she is seemingly pulled from whatever darkness that held sway over her mind. Abruptly the light in her hand vanishes and she turns away from the door. Reaching for the hood behind her. Realizing that he has already seen, she instead futilely covers her face with her hands. “You should go, Franz... I-I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to see.” “We came for you, you know. To be honest I am not entirely sure what to say.” “Then stop. Please. This isn’t the time for… I’m… I have to leave.” “Amelia told us what happened. Having peculiar powers from wherever you were pulled from is no reason to run off. Amelia and Gale… No, we. We want you to come back.” “…” Franz takes a step forward, entering the room. In response Witch takes one back. Panic and fear dance in her dark eyes as the tattoos covering her body continue to perspire. “She knows that you protected her. And she is sorry that she reacted how she did. We can go back and talk this out.” “No. She was right to be afraid… Of me. For so long I’ve just been playing human. I accept that now... There’s nothing to talk about. Just please…” “I know how you feel, Witch. For much of my life I have felt the same, but-“ “You don’t… Franz. You really don’t… How old do you think I am?” “Based on our last conversation I would have to say mid-thirties early forties max. What does this have to do with anything?” In response, the little laughs. A hollow and robotic sound. Her arms wrap around her stomach as she leans forward. Disingenuously laughing while poised as if hearing the world’s greatest joke. “Haha… No… Ha! It has everything to do with this.” “…?” Franz looks at Witch, questioningly. Still maintaining the even expression on his face. The laughter comes to an abrupt end as she leans back, upright again. Arms hanging loosely at her side. Like a marionette suddenly pulled to attention. “The last birthday I counted was when I turned 276,539… And I’ve long since stopped counting…” “Ho…” His grey eyebrows raise at the exceptionally high number. Despite the absurdity of the claim, his intuition screams that the woman before him is telling the truth. “So many years… Franz. Years spent in isolation. Years spent grieving friends and loved ones. Years spent spilling blood and having my blood spilled. Years spent being used...” “I do understand.” “How. How can you…?” Her quiet, trembling voice echoes throughout the room. She looks him square in the eyes. Pinning him to the floor with a look. An eon of turmoil reflects in that gaze. Tears pool at the corner of her eyes and begin to spill forth. Mingling with the curses that run down her body. “…” “How can you comprehend it? All of you, again and again claim to… But no one… None of you… GET IT!” “Tch-“ Franz grits his teeth as powerful gusts of air fill the room. Centering around Witch. Desperation and despair twisting her tearful features. Her voice comes out in sorrowful sobs. “A thousand years passes in the blink of an eye. Everyone who touches my heart disappears just like that! Tragically, painfully, quickly, one after another! Their passing… All of them… They who I’ve failed to save! They who left me behind! Those who trusted me! Cared for me! Loved me!” “…” The Amazon tries to speak, to comfort the shattered girl. But the words and air are sucked from his lips the moment he opens his mouth. A black pool spreads under her as she slumps to her knees. Her hands trembling as she clutches her shoulders in a self-hug. “I hate it! I hate it, Franz! It all feels like it happened just yesterday! Why do I still long for the touch of those no longer present?? Why can I still feel their warmth in my arms!? WHY!? WHY!??” She implores. Begging for an answer from a man who has none. The torment wracking her heart and mind laid bare. Survivor’s guilt. How many has she been forced to watch fall beside her? Burdened with this feeling for so long and being so long lived that the wounds still feel fresh. Such pain… With that thought, Franz braces himself and pushes into the room. The wind doing its best to keep him from Witch. “And… Most of all I hate myself! I hate my body! This filthy, ruined, body! These goddamned tattoos a constant reminder that I threw away my humanity! I don’t need to eat! I don’t need to sleep! I can’t die! What do I have left!? I’m a shell, a husk of a human!” Franz makes it halfway through the room. Just getting by Lenna, who has long since passed out. Her limp body still bound to the floor. The room creaks and groans under the wind pressure being exerted within. She looks away from Franz, staring at the floor beneath her feet. “It’s not just my body, my mind is just as tainted and monstrous! All this time I’ve allowed myself to kill so many! Using my powers to play with the hearts and minds of others! Justifying all my actions in any way that I can! I’m a putrid, disgusting, and rotten hypocrite! No better than the lowest of the low! No better than her!” He stands at the edge of the shadowy pool that has grown beneath Witch. Knowing that taking a single step forward would surely be his end. Her voice softens. Defeated. Exhausted. Tears flowing freely, disappearing into the swirling void. “No matter how well I try to hide it, everyone knows… Everywhere I go… That I am a wicked, malevolent, and incomprehensible [[Witch]]… Not worthy of anyone or anything... Not worthy of salvation… I deserve every cruelty I bring upon myself. I do. I do…” “That is not true.” His voice cuts through her verbal abuse. Now able to speak in the eye of the storm. Surprised she looks up. Only now realizing how near Franz has drawn. Taking advantage of Witch’s surprise, he continues. “I did not, could not understand. Not truly. Of that you were right. But you have explained and told me a bit about yourself. A bit about your story. Now I can understand, if only a little. And I can sympathize.” “S-Stay back. Don’t l-look at me…” “Your companions would not want this. They would not want you to tear yourself apart over them. Nor would they hate you. I may not know them personally, but surely they would want you to remember the happiness you shared.” “That’s… Not…” “I do not think you hideous. That could not be a more incorrect assessment. And even if it were true that you have the body of a ‘monster’; your emotions, your feelings are without a doubt human. I have yet to see a monster capable of shedding tears and showing such grief.” “…” “We do not choose the life we are given. Sometimes we are forced into the role of killers. Or manipulators. Much of my life has been spent soaked in blood. But… We choose to be better. We choose to be more than what we were made to be. What we were forced to be.” “Franz…” “You are a beautiful, kind, and well-spoken women. There is no evil there. The time you have spent with the three of us has been short. However, I make this judgement from my own heart. The conversations we have shared at Solstice. The meals we have shared. The looks… I do not wish for it to end.” “I… I… Should go. You… Gale… Amelia… All of you will someday die anyway… And I’ll be alone. Again…” “While the day will come when we may no longer meet, you cannot write us out so quickly. This old man still draws breath. As do the girls outside waiting on our return. Our time together can and will be filled with happy memories. Memories that will leave you incapable of mourning our passing.” Without hesitation, Franz reaches towards Witch. She flinches. Worried for the curses running along her body that would hurt if not kill him. But as his hand reaches her stained cheek to stroke and caress her skin, they disappear. “Ah…” She sighs in relief. It’s over. Once again, she has regained control over herself, and the curses sealed within. She places her hand over the much larger one on her face. More tears collecting on the edge of her vision. Tears of happiness. “So… Will you come back? Will you stay with us?” “All these years of holding everything in… How I’ve waited for someone to break through the grief built up within me… To tell me they understand even a little. And to hold me close and take me back… Of course, I’ll return. Let’s go home. To Amelia and Gale.” “Of course, my lady.” Franz offers his hand to Witch, which she accepts. He pulls her up with ease, and she wraps her arms around him, burying her face into his upper thigh. A large hand is gently placed along her back. “It’ll be tough. Changing my outlook. About myself, my life. But… I want to try. If I must live, I want to live in the moment. With you all. And I don’t want to miss any of it.” “We will do our best to hold you to that. You will not be alone here, you may be certain of that.” The pair part, and they head towards the exit. However, they stop when spotting the unconscious form of Lenna. Still laying on the ground. “Huh… I kinda forgot about her. Any ideas on what to do about her, Franz?” “I believe killing her would be the best course of action. From what Martin has told us, she is certainly beyond redemption and without worth. You need not sully your hands with that. I will take care of it.” “What was all that about us choosing to be better!?” “That is the luxury of choice. Sometimes, when necessary, we can choose not to be better.” “No, no, no. We aren’t going to ruin the moment like that… Hrm… Give me a second. I think I’m getting an idea.” “Might I ask, or is it a surprise?” “She told me a small bit about her past, specifically her jealousy towards littles. I think there’s a way to avoid killing her while also making sure she doesn’t create more victims in the future.” “Oho, now I am intrigued.” Witch cracks her fingers and shakes the tension from her shoulders. Prepping herself for the magic she’s about to use. While solidifying the plan in her mind. “Time to get to work…” ~~~ Light streams in from the cracks of the closed pale pink blinds. Just another morning for the owner of this home. The room, a nursery, is well put together for anything that a baby would need. A crib, soft blankets and pillows, changing table, rocking chair, a vast assortment of toys, etc. It is well decorated as well. Soft pinks and purples, princesses and unicorns. Exactly how an adorable little girl would want it. A pile of blankets and stuffed animals in the crib moves slightly. It takes some time, but eventually they are tossed aside as the occupant beneath sits up. Yawning beneath a pretty pink pacifier and stretching her arms in the air. The pink onesie with white trim around the collar and shoulder sleeves taut around her body. The girl, the Amazon, rubs the sleep from her eyes. The bed-headed girl turns and looks happily to the name stenciled on the headboard of her crib. Lenna Groggily she lays back down, without covers, and fishes around the strewn about pile of cloth with an outstretched hand before successfully pulling out her water baba. She pulls the drool covered paci from her mouth with an audible pop and lets it dangle by its clip. Taking long suckles from her bottle. With her free hand she reaches down, slipping it past the snaps of her babyish uniform and feels the padding wrapped around her bottom. Aw man, dry again? Hold on, I can fix that… With a far-off look of concentration and minimal grunting, the diaper beneath the Amazon’s onesie changes from a crisp white to a pale yellow. Eventually her concentrated look ends and is replaced by a look of satisfaction and delight as she continues drinking her morning water. The garment around her waist straining against the buttons that contain it, soaked. Much better! Maybe I’ll change in a bit when I’m tired of being a lil’ sog baby. Bottle finished; she unsteadily climbs to her feet in the crib with a squish. Wiggling her bottom with a smile and feeling the warmth; a constant reminder of her current state. She hangs over the crib bars and surveys her nursery and all of her Amazon sized little gear. I can’t believe I was able to find all this stuff in Amazon sizes… The crib, the changing table, the cute diapers! But wait… How did I find this again…? For a split-second confusion works its way into the girl’s mind, but she shrugs it away. Contributing it to morning tiredness and confusion. Since of course she’s always been an adult baby. Ever since her parents gave their little more attention than she received. And the moment she moved out to her own place she started putting together this space for herself. With her pacifier once again bobbing away in her mouth and the empty bottle ditched to the soft bedding, she unlatches the crib railing and carefully steps down. Excitedly running over to her closet and sifting through all the adorable outfits she’s collected over the years. If only I had a partner that would do this for me… Damn I need a mommy or daddy… Maybe it’s time to join the community and find the right one! She settles on a pair of baggy shortalls that does a fair job at hiding the state of her disposable underwear along with a pale-yellow shirt. Childish, but not too childish. Since she has to do some grown-up errands today. The girl removes her onesie and tosses it into the laundry basket near the closet. Ugh, I guess I should change… These don’t have buttons for easy changes and I gotta be a big girl for at least a bit today... With a sigh she hoists her saggy butt up onto her changing table, picking a yellow diaper with cute daisy patterns along the way. She lies down, powder and wipes already in position, and she gets to work. The first of many diaper changes for Lenna. Not that she is aware of that, anyway. Chapter 14: An Outstretched Hand ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it and that it had the desired effect! Thanks for your kind words! I'm glad to see people are still along for the ride! Thank you, I'll keep that in mind for future chapters with a similar theme/pacing. Cops and LPS for the most part always seem pretty ineffective in these stories. I wouldn't expect too deep of an investigation into much of anything haha. Thank you all for waiting, but I once again believe this chapter benefited from being late. It took a lot of drafting to get it to a place I liked it. I have a bit of sad news regarding updates this month. I will be unable to stick even closely to my upload schedule: I'm heading to a boardgame convention this month! For the convention I need to finish working on the costumes for myself and my girlfriend! Labor Day celebrations with family! Orchard visit with my special lady! The desire to finally complete my Pokemon Emerald shiny Mew hunt! These are all the outstanding issues I'm facing right now. And the ever present, ever haunting work. But do not fret, work on the story is not halting. It's just going to be slow and I can't promise a weekly chapter. So I thank you all for your continued readership and your wonderful comments and your fun theory posts.

Your stories so far have all had really interesting settings, these past two in particular. I'm quite excited to see where this goes!

Throughout the years. The endless years. I’ve always wondered. Why would sentient lifeforms choose evil? Why choose cruelty? Is it their upbringing? Is it their nature? A combination of both? I’m hitting my limit; I can feel it. Being worn down without pause or break. I need to finish this quickly. Leave as soon as possible. I’ve swept everything in the room aside. Keeping the nursery floor clear for my interrogation. Held to the ground by shadowy tendrils, Lenna struggles in vain. Indignantly. Unused to being the one not in control. Perhaps the holes I’ve created in her memories are confusing her. “Y-YOU LITTLE BITCH! I don’t know what you think you’re doing but-“ “[[Silence]]” The Amazon’s mouth moves but no words come out. Confusion and fear mingle together on her features. A more appropriate response. “You are… An evil person. Cruel. Unnecessarily so, to those weaker than yourself. For lack of anyone more suitable to judge you, that duty will be mine and mine alone.” The childish clothing covering my body vanishes and is replaced by my leather armor and cloak. I don’t bother pulling the hood up. I don’t care if she’s uncomfortable looking upon my face. The tone and pace of my voice is deceptively calm and cool. Inside I feel as though I’m about to fracture apart, the past few days have caught up with me. “I’m going to allow you to speak again. And I’m going to return the memories I’ve meddled with. I have questions. Questions you will answer.” Lenna opens her mouth to speak, for a minute nothing comes out. However soon she has her voice back. She glares up at me with a burning hatred. She remembers again and knows that I’ve freed Martin. The veil on her perception goes with it, she now sees me for what I am. A monster beyond human comprehension, not the childish little she’d been made to see. “You’ve really done a number on your body little girl. Carving yourself up like that is-“ “Do not speak out of turn again. This is your last warning.” I cut her off swiftly and sharply. The scowl on her face quickly disappears as she is reminded of her situation. After taking a few deep breathes I begin speaking again. “Why and for what purpose do you own those tools of torture?” “They’re BDSM equipment I bought for a relationship. It-it’s none of your business!” “Have you ever used them on a little before?” “No.” The girl appears anxious. Appearing to understand where the line of questioning is going. Perspiration builds up on her forehead. “Did you want to use them on a little?” “… No.” There it is. I can taste her lies, the foul air they give off churns my insides. “How many littles have you kept captive?” “Four, Martin was the fourth.” “Why do you torment littles? Why make their difficult lives all the harder?” “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I love my children.” Another lie. Annoyance flickers across my face. She’s being difficult. Still must believe me to be just another little she can push over and lie to, even in her current state. I want to hear the truth. I need to hear it. The entire truth. She can’t, won’t hide anything from me. Not from a [[Witch]]. “Lenna. You had your chance. You’re going to tell me the [[Truth]].” The girl’s body goes rigid. Straining against her restraints. Her eyes widen and search the room frantically as the magic begins to affect her. Finally, she slumps to the floor, relaxed. Her eyes move lazily now and appear clouded. I strengthen my weakened spirit as much as I can and ask again. Knowing very well no answer will satisfy me. “Why do you want to use those tools on littles?” “I’d always hoped that a little would push me far enough to use them… But they were always easy to embarrass… Easy to break and torment… My partner left because I was too rough in bed and with littles… And to be honest… I’m not happy if someone else isn’t unhappy…” Her voice comes out floaty as if she’s not quite there. The truths locked within herself spill forth with ease. I waver before the answer. From what I’d seen on television, and heard from Amelia and Gale, I knew many Amazons went out of their way to belittle those smaller than them. But hearing it admitted, so contentedly… “Why? Why do you go after littles?” “I hate them… My parents treated their little better than me… Pushed me too hard to succeed… Always put me second, and I was never good enough… But their little always got attention… Affection… Anything… They all deserve it… If only they stopped escaping from me…” I look at her, multiple emotions rising within me. Disgust for her. Sympathy for the littles she’d taken. Anger that no one had stopped her yet. Rage that this world seemed to encourage this behavior. And despair that I have to hear this. My feelings can’t be contained and gush forth. The volume of my voice rising with the feelings. “They didn’t ask for this you know!? They are people! Like you! With lives! With families! With hopes and dreams! They just want to live! Do they ask too much!?” The question hangs in the air. The rhetorical question and Lenna’s lack of interest in answering fail to trigger a response from her as she stares lazily around the room. “Your lives are so short. All of you. Gone in the blink of an eye. What gives you the right to ruin what little time someone else has!? For you to spend your own short time doing these terrible things… For what!? Jealousy!? GIVE ME A GOD DAMN BREAK!!!” My tirade culminates in a heart wrenching shout. Unbidden tears roll down my cheeks. The importance of life, its fragility, and its impermanence is deeply ingrained within me. Something that can only be learned and truly understood by the aged. Her flippant disregard for something so precious and so sacred tears me apart. The blatant disregard shared and supported by those in this dimension. ... Amelia, Franz, and Gale made it easy to ignore some of the more awful sides of this place. Knowing that good did exist here. But if this is how so many feel here… Within my heart I can feel walls erected long ago begin to crumble. I’m on the verge, I need to stop. I need to- “Amazons are superior… Without us they wouldn’t have anything… Wouldn’t be anything… They should be overjoyed they get to suffer for me… It’s the least they can do to make up for being so useless… Littles should know their place and accept being the playthings of Amazons…” “You… You…! You you you! YOOUUUUUUU!” “Hrk.” Without any possible words to reply I scream. A scream of anger or misery, I’m not sure which. Hands cover my eyes to avoid seeing the Amazon before me. My nails dig into my face creating small beads of blood, the wounds disappearing just moments later. Anything in a desperate attempt to unhear her words. The truth magic casted on Lenna wears off and she makes a sound with her throat. Made uncomfortable by the magic that’s bound her, which now digs into her skin. There is only fear in her now, realizing what she has unwittingly said to her maddened captor. My heart is shattered. I can’t contain it anymore. I pull my hands away from my face and look down. My hands are not covered by translucent tears. Rather they are covered in dark, inky black smears. The curses are spilling forth. I swallow back the putrid liquid I can taste already forming in the back of my throat. “Guh… Not again…” The cloak wrapped around my body warms up and tightens its grip on me. As if embracing me in a close hug. It absorbs the pseudo-liquid quickly, allowing nothing to spill to the ground. Powered by the lingering fragments of a long dead friend. The feelings, those terrible feelings creep forth. Even as the cloak does its job, horrible thoughts jump to the forefront of my mind. Hey, hey! How about we wipe it all out? Let loose on this terrible, horrible place. Come on, they deserve it. Destroy everything. “Not… Happening… Get it… Together.” Images of the friends I’d made and lost here pass through my mind. I won’t hurt them. I can’t. Even if everyone else deserves it, they don’t. And the other good people here, as few they are… “I-I didn’t m-mean it! P-Please let me go! I’ll stop going after littles, I s-swear!!” I look to Lenna, the frightened Amazon cowering on the floor. The cause of my anguish. Her vile thoughts and beliefs are antithetical to life. Or they should be… I stand, swaying in a nonexistent breeze. Feeling dead on my feet. “How many…? How many littles begged for you to stop…? Pleaded for their lives…” Understanding the futility of her plea, the Amazon tightly closes her eyes and turns her head away. Knowing what is to come but unable to do anything. Tears created in fear leak from the corners of her eyes. While I won’t destroy this world, for better or worse, I can’t let her go… And maybe… I’ll feel worse better after she’s dead. Kill her and this will not stop. No more pain over this. No more suffering over this. And then I leave. For good. Droplets of black oily substance spill from the tattoos and run down my skin. Still contained by the cloak. Rather than slowing down, it appears to be speeding up. I need to hurry. I stumble towards her. Reaching my hand forward, I prepare myself and my magic. A death spell to finish this quickly. “Witch.” A voice calls out from the doorway. I stop and turn. ~~~ Amelia and Gale rushed to Solstice. As quickly as could be expected after being called so early in their morning. While they rushed, Franz had called his employees and given everyone the day off. By the time the girls walked through the door at 8, a table was set, and food spread out. Sausage, eggs, toast, hashbrowns, and a pot of coffee. All cooked to perfection. Everyone takes a seat, Martin in particular salivating at the glorious scents. Prepared to fully enjoy his first real meal in a week. “Thanks for the food Franz, now what news do you have to get Amelia and I out of bed so early? And who’s the girl?” “Seeing my meals so enjoyed is a reward in itself. The news and this gentleman are actually related.” Gale picks up on Franz’s wording and is stilled for a moment. Fork halfway to her mouth hanging in the air as her brain struggles so early in the morning. Eventually food reaches her mouth, and she takes a closer look at Martin. “Franz… Is there a reason you made your guest wear one of your maid uniforms...?” Martin winces noticeably. Fiddling with the edge of his skirt with one hand while the other spears food with a fork. “H-He didn’t make me wear this… Franz allowed me to change when I showed up and this is what I picked. Part of the conditioning I went through makes me anxious and uncomfortable in clothing that could be considered more ‘masculine’.” “Amelia is sorry for Gale. She’s very used to shoving her enormous feet directly into her mouth.” “Shit I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I promise I’m not so thoughtless all the time, just not thinkin’ right now.” Martin waves his hand in a forgiving manner, looking towards Gale and Amelia. “I was actually told that you guys might be able to help with what’s been done to me. That is true… Right?” “Of course, and whatever we can’t do we’ll set you up with someone that can. Amelia’s been tinkering a bit lately with hypnosis reversion. In fact, this little lady regained her continence just yesterday after a run in with light hypnosis.” “Gale! Anway, Amelia mostly follows the guides we were given by the LRS. Amelia prefers to tinker with machines over brains.” “Madams, I believe we are getting ever so slightly sidetracked. The one that Martin heard about the two of you from was none other than Witch.” “That’s right, she appeared in my-Mommy’s nursery. We talked for a bit and before I knew it, I was outside the house. I came here like she said to and here we are.” Gale smacks her palm against the table loudly. Amelia jumps, not expecting her girlfriend’s explosive reaction while being closest to the impact zone. “Really!? That’s great! Do you know the address?” “Y-Yeah, it’s not too far.” “If I may, I would recommend that we stake out her home. It is uncertain that Witch is still there thus, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves we should keep watch until we have a better idea of the circumstances.” “Amelia agrees, but what if we don’t see anything? Are we going to hang out there all day and night?” “If that comes to pass then I will go in at night. I am accustomed to such things; if need be, I can be quite persuasive.” The girls agreed and small talk continued till the meal concluded. With practiced speed Franz quickly takes care of the dishes while stopping any attempt to assist him. Martin tells the group everything he knows about the Amazon that had grabbed him, including what she had done to him. Amelia logs the address for the home of Martin’s former mommy onto her phone. He didn’t want to go back; afraid to jynx a good thing and also see his captor again. No one could blame him. Leaving Martin at Solstice they take Franz’s silver car. Slightly aged in appearance, but very well taken care of. Gale grabs Amelia’s booster seat from her vehicle and the pair hop into the back seat. As they pull away from the sidewalk Gale speaks up with a confused expression. “Uh… Franz, what kind of car is this? I’m not a big ‘car person’ but I’ve never seen anything like this. The design is different, and I don’t recognize the manufacturer’s logo.” “And that would be for good reason, my dear. I brought this back from a job, one that took me… Quite far away.” “I feel like you’re not going to explain further…” “My, how astute.” “Franz! Amelia has some concerns! What’s with the dark red splotch on the floor?” “Spilled wine is all, nothing to worry about of course.” And despite further pressing revolving around his car and their shared history, he would divulge nothing further. ~~~ The day passed by somewhat uneventfully for the trio parked on the street, just outside the home. Late morning slowly and painfully bled into the evening. Amelia pulled out a laptop and using her phone as a hotspot has managed to pull up information on the homeowner, Lenna. LPS, Little Protection Services, has been called on her a handful of times in the past few years. It seems she has scraped by with a warning each time. Franz kept steady and close watch on the home. Even pulling out a pair of binoculars from his glove box. He witnessed Lenna moving inside, sometimes carrying objects indicating she had someone over, specifically a little. Gale for lack of anything to do with her skillsets, hovered over Amelia’s laptop. Reading any information that popped up. While also on several occasions voicing interest in breaking down the door and ‘getting this over with’. She also shared granola bars that she always carries on her person. Professing that snacks are vital in any successful stakeout. The sun was starting to go down. Franz hadn’t seen Lenna pass the windows in some time. He was also beginning to get a bad feeling. Even if Witch wasn’t in there, she clearly had a new little. If he could do something, he was going to do it. He opens his car door and turns to the Amelia and Gale. “I will be going in now, keep watch for me. Text me if there are any problems on your end.” “Will do, you do the same.” With that he exits the car and casually strolls up to the front door. He pauses at the front door, stilling his breath to listen for any sounds. Hearing nothing, he pulls out a long thin tool and plunges it into lock. With a few expert twists he removes it from the lock and pulls the door open. Closing it gently and silently behind him. “-GIVE ME A GODDAMN BREAK!!!” An anguished cry sounding much like Witch echoes from the second story. Using great care and silence, he makes his way through the home. Verifying that no one else is on the first floor. Once sure, he goes up the stairs and onto the second floor. He spots a door slightly ajar situated in front of the staircase. From his vantage he spots Lenna’s legs. The conversation between the two continues as he carefully and meticulously checks every other room. Finally with the house cleared, he stands before the opened door. Ready to intervene. “Not… Happening… Get it… Together.” The physically and mentally exhausted voice of Witch spills from the opened door. A pitiful sound. Soundlessly Franz opens the door fully, getting a perfect view of the situation. Lenna is on her back held to the carpeted floor by dark shapes wrapped around her limbs and neck. Witch stands a few steps away, crouched low, her head in her hands. “I-I didn’t m-mean it! P-Please let me go! I’ll stop going after littles, I s-swear!!” Lenna begs for her life, exuding fear in droves. Pulling against her tight restraints in a desperate attempt at remaining alive. Slowly she stands tall again. Giving Franz a good view of her face, for the first time. Beautiful features marred by odd inscriptions covering most available flesh. Dark tear-stained eyes full of intense anger. Boundless grief. Terrible pain. And a black pseudo-liquid that seemed to leak from the tattoos. “How many…? How many littles begged for you to stop…? Pleaded for their lives…” The assassin turned butler was taken aback. To him, she held an otherworldly beauty. And those eyes reminded him of himself. The Franz of long ago. Transfixed by the girl, he watches as she takes unsteady steps towards the Amazon before her. Her eyes focused on her and her alone. Her hand giving off a pale blue light. With shaking hand, she reaches towards Lenna when- “Witch.” Franz finds his voice. Chapter 13: The Breaking Point ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thanks for the well wishes. And I believe this chapter did turn out a lot nicer due to the wait. Just finished reviewing Chapter 13. Checking for typos, checking sentence structure, and doing last minute additions/subtractions. And I am now satisfied with the turnout. As thanks for being patient and expressing your interest in the story, I'm going to post this here a wee bit early; before I go to bed instead of after work tomorrow like everywhere else. Once again thank you readers for enjoying the story and continuing to follow each installment.

Thank you, that means a lot! Oof, I got some slightly bad news for this week... Next chapter release is getting pushed to next Wednesday sadly. I've been fighting a summer cold and on top of that work has been a pain in my butt this past week. Despite how busy I've been, I've managed to get about halfway done with chapter 13. So there's only the other half left to do! Thanks again to everyone who is enjoying the story, and I hope the next chapter is worth the wait.

I'm glad the chapter was well received, and people liked the war flashback. Despite putting out the chapter early the war sections of the chapter went through quite a bit of editing in order for me to be satisfied with the end result. It makes me feel like it was worth the effort! There are several diaper dimension stories I've read that hint to wars having occurred in the past. But none of them really went into detail if I'm remembering right. I think it's an interesting and important part of the setting. I love me some Madoka Magica (beyond hyped for the upcoming releases). I'm a big fan of tragic/sad media and that's certainly one of many tales that have inspired me to write this story. I couldn't resist throwing that reference in since I think it fit the scene so well. I'm glad that there's at least one person here who isn't on the edge of their seat begging for a murder lol!

The story of Franz truly started 34 years ago. He was a different man. A boy really, just graduated high school. Brown hair and not a wrinkle on his face. Popular, athletic, talkative, and sociable. He was the typical beloved popular kid. Throughout his education and formative years, he was taught that Amazons were the greatest of all sapient life to have ever graced the dimension. After all, it had only been 20 years since they had discovered they were not alone. Many dimensions existed alongside their own. Teeming with life, teeming with littles. The lesser lifeforms as they were called. While not yet at the level where they could travel and bring others back, it was only a matter of time in the eyes of the Amazonian public. As they were just that great and capable. Franz bought it wholeheartedly. Clearly Amazons existed to be at the top. To run the show. To put the littles in their place and show them how to live. Amazons knew what was best and could do no wrong. It was around this time, when Franz had graduated, that the mainland went to war. The numerous islands that populate the vast oceans were to be brought under the far superior Amazon control. If mainland littles were lesser, inferior, and childlike versions of Amazons; then Island littles on the other hand… Island littles were no more than feral animals. They needed Amazon influence and assistance. It was the duty of the men and woman of the mainland to save these poor souls from themselves before it was too late. Amazons enlisted fast and far across the country. Proud to be able to intervene and help save those poor littles from themselves. Mainland littles also joined the effort; more than happy to enlist if it meant they were free from the threat of adoption. A practice that was on the rise. Franz of course, did his part. Proud to join in the effort. To bring peace and salvation to these animals. He was sent to the front lines. Providing long range support, sniping targets from afar. Over the months he would island hop with his unit as the Amazons made their way through little controlled territory. For Franz it was battlefield after battlefield. Trips back to Amazon controlled territory were few and far between but morale was high. The men and women serving were eager to perform. To be heroes. However, he would pick up things along the way. Despite being feral animals, these littles had weaponry of their own. They had tactics. They even seemed to have language, though he couldn’t understand it. This bothered Franz ever so slightly. But they were just copying what they saw the Amazons do. Obviously. So, Franz thought nothing more of it. He killed, killed, and kept killing. Small body after small body. Battlefields covered in reddish brown mud and empty shells. It isn’t for nothing. It isn’t. It isn’t, it isn’t. This is for the littles. They need to be shown the Amazon superiority. They need to accept help even if it means being forced to. This is for the good of all of us. Everyone. Justification after justification ran through his head. Anything to justify the carnage he witnessed and partook in from afar. One fateful day… Franz would get cut off from his team. While providing cover his team had to evacuate, leaving him behind in the trees. He would have to travel through the forest to get back to them. He travelled carefully. Through the quiet forest. With just the sound of the wind overhead. The animals long fled due to the near conflict. However, he wasn’t careful enough. A sole little burst from the trees behind him, making a mad dash for the Amazon with a knife in hand. Franz had become an excellent marksman with good reaction time. His practical experience the past few months forging the boy into a capable man. The little made it only a few steps before several bullets tore through his torso. The force knocked his small body back, and into the dirt. He gurgled and coughed, flecks of blood spraying forth onto the bright green grass. Franz levelled his gun at the male little. He looked him over, taking the man in. He was wearing simple clothing albeit somewhat singed. There were burns on the right half of his body that appeared to still be healing. The holes created by Franz oozed blood, the smell of iron mingling with the fresh forest air. There’s no sense in shooting him again. Soon he’ll succumb to these injuries. It would be a waste of valuable ammunition. Franz thought to himself. After checking the dying little’s body for other weaponry he lowered his gun and turned around, heading back in the direction his comrades had fled. “Bast…rd” A small voice speaking a slightly broken version of the Amazonian language rang out. Franz turned around in surprise and spied the little attempting to pull himself into a sitting position. Hatred welling up in his bloodshot eyes. “Giant bastards… illed family… Stol frends…” The little took several wet gasps of air. Painful wheezes echoed from his mouth. Blood pouring unfettered from the wounds in his torso, oozing from around the fingers that clutched the injury. He stared at the Amazon before him with intense pain, hatred, and sadness. Emotions beyond words. Transfixed, almost hypnotized by the man’s final moments, Franz watched. “Wy… Wht id… e……. do………….” Slowly the strength and fight seemed to exit the small, furious body. He dropped to his back, staring up at the tree canopy. He reached up. Towards the light filtering down from the treetops above. “Jauna…” A single tear rolled down the left side of his face. His arm collapsed over his stomach. The sound of his pained, labored breathing began to dwindle. Until only the sound of the trees swaying in the breeze overhead remained. Franz stood there and looked at the man. All this time he’d done this. So far away. So removed from the situation. Hundreds of lives. Lives that now, seemed so much more tangible and like his own. This wasn’t the death of a mindless animal. Shutting these thoughts out, he refused to confront the reality before him. He stumbled away and once more walked in the direction he had last seen his comrades go. Though slightly disoriented he was now lost. He saw smoke rising ahead, in the space between the tops of the trees. Thank god, it must be them. Franz began to jog towards the smoke. Everything would be okay. Just get back to everyone. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe this was all just some exhaustion illusion. Franz began to run towards the smoke. He broke through the thick tree line and immediately shouted out for his comrades. But no one replied. There was no one to reply. Franz stopped. The scent of burnt flesh sending him to a screeching halt. He fell to his knees and retched. Hands over his mouth in a feeble attempt to block the smell. The overpowering scent already ingraining itself into his memory. Unfortunately, he acclimated to the scent. And looked up at the burned out remains of a town. It was small, of course, because it was a town built for littles. By littles. Something that the island littles should have been incapable of. If what he’d been told was to be believed. A town very much like any other town you would see on the mainland, but smaller. He forced himself to his feet. Despite knowing deep down, he had to try. He had to find survivors. With vigor. With desperation. He walked up and down the streets. Calling out with a voice bordering lunacy. Footsteps large and small left trails throughout the town in a mad stampede. Men, women, the old, the young. He found them in the rubble. Some with bullet wounds, some without. But the number of bodies didn’t add up. A town this big should have had more people. It clicked. The broken words of the little flashed in his mind. Now clearer than ever before. Killed family. Stole friends. He clutched his head in his hands. Eyes wide and mouth agape in terror. This can’t be. This can’t be! THIS CAN’T BEEEE!!! It can’t! Franz put it together. How could he not when it stared him in the face so blatantly. The little’s town had been burned to the ground. Civilian littles were taken and those who resisted were killed. This town was the final nail in the coffin. Despite what he’d been told, island littles were clearly people. Smaller people, but still people. Amazons… Were the villains of this story. And Franz a useful fool happily doing his part. Why? Why? Why!? It is all a lie? What are we here for!? What is the point!? Why would Amazons- Why would we- WHY WOULD I DO THIIISSSSS??? The memory of the hundreds he’d killed to this point flashed through his mind and floored him like a punch to the gut. The rivers of blood he’d created all in the name of this critical misunderstanding and his blind faith. No, no no no! No! NO! What have I done? What have I done!? With my hands. With my fingers! With my guns! How many lives have I taken!?How much have I destroyed!? On his hands and knees he cried out. In misery. In torment. In anger. Franz was a ruined man. His belief in his country. His belief in his people. His belief in everything he had known. And his belief in himself. All shattered in an instant. His heart and mind went with his belief. The chaotic storm rolling through his mind subsided, a clear silence took hold. No more thoughts. No more guilt. Stretched to the very limit and broken, he was a new man. A colder, focused man. No… not a man. A weapon. He followed a road leading out of the town. Following muddy tire tracks back to Amazon encampments. ~~~ Franz opens his eyes, now awake. He turns over and looks at the clock on his bedside table. 6 in the morning, a new day. The aged Franz stands up, surveying the tidy but small bedroom. Part of an apartment above Solstice, the eatery he owns. A slight grimace twists his face, replacing the typical neutral expression. It is an expression full of regret and disgust. Can I ever atone? He moves to the living room and from there the kitchen, beginning to brew a cup of coffee by hand. While waiting for the water to boil he prepares toast and jam. The taste of the coffee and light breakfast brings a small smile to his face. The wounds inflicted by his dreams already dulling and fading. Afterwards he gets dressed. Trading his pajamas for his typical butler-esque working uniform. The Amazon opens the door to his apartment and heads out, down the staircase and into the back room of Solstice. With few hours till opening, he gets to work. From the kitchen he opens the door leading out to the alley. So that he may take trash to the dumpster. To the right of the door, he finds a little, wrapped in a blanket and asleep. Leaning against the brick wall. A girl in her early 20’s by the look of her face. “May I help you?” The girl jumps awake, fearfully. She looks up at Franz who is still half inside the restaurant. “D-Do you work at Solstice? I-I was told to ask for F-Franz.” “My apologies for frightening you, I am Franz. How may I help you miss?” “Aah thank goodness. And… Despite how I look, I’m a guy. My name is Martin…” Without missing a beat, Franz offers the little a hand, helping him to his feet. He ushers the little inside, taking a quick look around the alley before he enters as well. “My apologies sir, what brings you to my humble establishment?” “A mysterious little helped me escape from my… Mommy… And told me to come here.” “Witch?” “Sorry? I didn’t catch her name actually. I didn’t get a good look at her face, she was wearing a cloak if that helps.” So, it was her. Franz thinks back to yesterday. Amelia and Gale had visited early in the day. Witch had left in the middle of the night, gone into the city. They were desperate to find her and would start searching that morning. They told the man to keep his eyes peeled and let them know if she entered the eatery. The older Amazon wasn’t particularly worried. He could tell that Witch was capable of handling herself. But… He owed the woman an evening. Martin begins to speak again, breaking Franz from his thoughts. “Actually, I was also told to ask for someone named Gale? That little also said that Gale helps people like me and that maybe some of what was done to me can be reverted…?” Franz smiles warmly. “I believe that is the case. And you may be of quite some help yourself.” Franz pulls out his phone and begins dialing, this news requiring a phone call rather than a text. As he does so, Martin looks embarrassed as he asks the Amazon a question. “Is there a bathroom I can use to… Clean myself up in…?” Franz looks down at the feminine man, a saturated diaper sagging beneath the hem of his nightshirt despite his best attempts at pulling it down. The Amazon mentally scolds himself. “My apologies, of course. We have an employee bathroom you may use. Wipes and spare… Undergarments… Beneath the sink as well as a uniform closet with spare outfits for new employees. There is anti-tape glue solvent beneath the sink as well.” “T-Thank you so much!” Martin books it towards the bathroom, waddling as fast as he can. Franz waits on Gale to pick up, the phone ringing in his hand. Until finally the connection goes through. “What’s up Franz? You know it’s only 7 in the morning, right?” “And good morning to you Gale. I know how important sleep is to you, but there is news about Witch. You and Amelia are going to want to come over, breakfast will be waiting.” “Shit why didn’t you say so, we’re on the way. And don’t forget the sausage!” ~~~ - This isn’t what I wanted - Before I freed Martin, I had entered the room of his captor, Lenna. I didn’t want her waking up since Martin was sure to make noise when a stranger breaks in and declares their intent to free them. So, I threw her into a deep sleep so that I could deal with her after letting Martin go. But now that he’s gone, I’m not entirely sure what to do with her. She’s a bad person. Rebuilding her from the ground up wouldn’t be the worst thing. But I’m not them. I’m not going to make someone into something they’re not. And I won’t meddle with good people. Not anymore. They don’t deserve to have their lives interrupted by me. All this time it should’ve been clear, but I ignored it for my own whims and desires. I bring pain and misery to all around me. Alter her memories. Make her forget about Martin. Give her new memories, fuzzy memories. Memories of adopting me. It is done. The night is still young, plenty of time until she wakes up. I spend an hour exploring the house. Every nook and cranny. It’s a single story, 2-bedroom house with a single bathroom and kitchen. One of the bedrooms of course is obviously a nursery. Inside her bedroom closet I find a find a suitcase. Having probed her mind, I have a suspicion on the contents and its purpose, but I leave it. Hoping that she will behave. I dress myself in a similar fashion to Martin. Pink nightie and diaper, the whole shebang. The cloak, leather armor, and lengthy skirt that usually covers my body is absorbed into myself. I spend the remainder of the night in the nursery’s crib. Feigning sleep, waiting for the day to begin. Waiting for new experiences, new stimulation. - This is not what I wanted - “Good morning little one, how did mommy’s baby girl sleep?” I’m awoken by Lenna, roughly 8 in the morning by the look of the sunlight streaming through the blinds. I coo and giggle in response. Doing my best impression of a ‘proper little’. This seems to irritate the Amazon slightly. Thinking back to what Martin said, perhaps she only enjoys the domination. Her Amazonian parental instincts twisted and bent into an ugly thing. “Did a certain little lady leave an accident for me?” Still, she maintains a sickeningly sweet voice. She takes her hand and inserts a finger past the leg gatherers near my upper thigh. She tsks and withdraws her hand finding the diaper dry. I haven’t used the bathroom since before my body became the way it has. Since before the curse. Anything I eat or drink is converted into mana. She’s going to be awfully disappointed. It’s just as that thought passes my mind that she slaps me in the face. “Mommy expects her girl to wake up wet, otherwise mommy is going to be mad.” Physically the act did not hurt. However, it was mentally painful. - This is not what I wished for - The morning did not go much better or improve my worsening mood. While feeding me a disgusting mushy paste she purposefully missed my mouth and smeared food all over the bib around my neck. In her eyes that was worthy of punishment. For that perceived crime I was spanked and placed against the corner of a wall. Then after my time was done, I was picked up and held against her breast to feed. I had only seen a few cognizant, happy littles do this with their Amazons. But even I could feel the love and emotions that radiated off them. But with Lenna, the only feelings I could detect were thinly veiled contempt and joy at the thought of degrading me. As her cruel smile looked down upon my feeding form. The putrid milk spilling into my mouth. - This is not the caring or love I desired - Then it was playtime. I was sent back to the nursery. Ignored for hours. Playing with the mind-numbing toys that littered the floor. Hours later, perhaps remembering that I existed, Lenna returned. “It’s naptime little lady, don’t want a grumpy girl on our hands now do we? If you nap like a good girl then there will be a reward!” The nighttime diaper I still wore was removed and I was carried over to the changing table where a new, different albeit equally thick diaper was unfolded and wrapped around my bottom. She made no remark about me still being dry this time. I was deposited into the crib, bottle in tow. Not finding the girl’s milk palatable, I turned the contents of the bottle into vapor. Then remembering the exchange this morning, I used a water spell to soak the diaper. The moment the water hit the garment, there was an intense itch. As if a swarm of mosquitoes or fire ants had descended on my nether regions. Why would she buy these? How could she do this? To someone not even fighting back. - I hate this. I hate myself - Lenna would return after the completion of nap time. Again, she checked the diaper around my waist, and found it wet. The girl still appeared unhappy. Perhaps because I did too well a job hiding my discomfort. But still she spoke in that same sickeningly sweet manner. “Good girl, good girl! You napped very well and went wee wee for mommy! I think you deserve that reward.” After changing the terribly itchy diaper out for a normal nighttime diaper, she left me on the changing table. Wide smile on her face. For once the feeling reached her eyes. It was an unhinged look. She turned on her heel and exited the nursery. She returned with the suitcase. - I am anything - - But happy - She beat me. Savagely. Cruelly. Painfully. Excessively. Maliciously. Again, again, again and again and again. As if her life depended on it. Whips, paddles, gags, clamps, and ties. All crafted for pain. All from that damned suitcase. But it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t enough it was never enough. My lack of reaction to this point had driven her to this. Her need to derive emotional pain from her littles. It made her desperate to see me suffer. I did this. I winced. I gasped. I bled. But I didn’t cry out. And that pissed her off. Has anything changed for me? Ever? All this time. I’m still the same. The same foolish young girl getting used and abused. That’s where and how this all started. In that cave so long ago. And here I am now. Exactly where I belong. With exactly what I deserve. Always running from those who wish to get close to me. Whether it’s Lumina or the people I’ve met here. Hurting them. Ruining every opportunity of happiness, sabotaging myself at every turn. No matter how many wounds I take upon myself I can never atone for the countless sins I’ve accumulated. Can I? My thoughts go unanswered. My body is limp and battered against the changing table. Lenna is breathing heavily, worn out from the constant abuse and torment. One thing is certain. Lenna. Can’t be allowed to run free in this world. Someone capable of such vitriol and evil needs to be stopped. Will be stopped. I will. Kill her. ~~~ Franz arrived back at an Amazon base. Not the one he and his unit had been staying at, but a different one. They welcomed him back. He had been reported missing for several hours and they feared him dead… But were unnerved by him, they could tell he was off. His brown hair had turned white. His eyes were cold and lifeless. He lacked any noticeable expression on his face. Franz was allowed to walk around. He could tell things were different than the bases he had known. This wasn’t just a military base. This was a supplies base. Or more specifically. A supply export base. Little exports. Littles of all sorts. Men, women, young, old, from all over this island. Locked in cells and awaiting transport back to the mainland. Their foreign cries echoed throughout the cell blocks. But Franz felt nothing. Thought nothing. Not anymore. The higher ups were ecstatic. What Franz had gone through in the forest had broken him down fundamentally. He was only capable of obeying orders. And without any regard for himself or anything, without any thoughts in his head to get in the way, he could outperform anyone. He was now the perfect soldier. And he would make an excellent assassin. They disclosed to him the truth of the war. It wasn’t like Franz would do anything about it in his current state. Everything he’d been told was propaganda. All of it. The Island littles weren’t animals. They didn’t need Amazons. But… Amazons needed littles. With decreasing birthrates and the Amazonian drive to care for children, mainland little supplies couldn’t keep up with demand for ‘permanent children’. Even the morally questionable breeding facilities couldn’t build up enough stock. Selling the mainland Amazons on the war was easy. The politicians and war machine would profit from the new little imports. And the captured land could be annexed to the mainland and transformed into new tropical Amazonian land. The economy would thrive on all fronts. All the while the Amazon people would sit back and sleep soundly. Believing that they were helping those poor island littles. Franz followed all orders and throughout the remainder of the ‘war’ he assassinated countless littles. From close quarters to long range. He killed and killed. Till rivers ran red with the blood of his victims. Coating him from head to toe. Ultimately it was a breakthrough in the portal technology that ended the war against the island littles. After just 4 years. Who needs to waste money putting soldiers on the ground when you can just pay the power company a few extra dollars a month and keep a portal open from which you can grab an endless amount of littles. Officially for the Amazonian public, a treaty would be forged between the mainland and the island littles. Really, it was just a promise that island littles would be left to their own devices. And no, captured land and captured littles would not be returned. The end of the war brought no relief to Franz. An assassin’s work is never done. He was sent back to the islands, as if he hadn’t wrought enough havoc. Many little dissenters to the treaty were slain by his hand. He was sent through the portals. Abduction of guarded individuals, assassination of those who found out about the Amazons and their dimension. He did it all and without question. On his 30th birthday, he was allowed out. For the first time in a long time. Free to determine his own fate. He wasn’t needed anymore. Robots were in. People were out. He’d spent so long not as a man, but a tool of war. A blade to be pointed at enemies. Franz was left at his home, to waste away. Doing the bare minimum to keep himself alive. As last ordered. The LRS was an upcoming organization. Leadership knew of Franz and his inability to think for himself. The man had made quite the name for himself, and they knew they had to get to him before another organization did. He was recruited and given the resources to heal. With healing comes the pain of remembrance. The pain of becoming human again. Franz could finally think for himself once more. To him, the amount of blood on his hands could never be cleansed. He’d allowed all this to happen. So many littles doomed and damned. All by his hand. He could never hope to atone, but he vowed himself to the LRS. He moved to the island where it all started and opened a small diner where littles and LRS agents could convene with nothing to fear. Forever he would be haunted by his actions. Forever. Chapter 12: Atonement ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I finished this up a little early so decided to release it early to 'atone' for last week's split release. It's a bit on the longer side, but I just couldn't stop writing. I'm particularly happy about this chapter. Thanks to all those who continue to read this story and those who comment. I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I think in my last reply I mistook people's speculation for confusion lol, which is why I tried to help connect a few dots. In the future I'll try to do a better job at reading confusion vs speculation. Aside from that, I'm wary of giving out spoilers myself. The only answers I will ever give are ones that have already been expressed in the story such as her refusal to mess with free will. And ones that may be more contextual to the universe, such as finding a good Amazon matching criteria taking a long time. (Which is unlikely to be outright mentioned in the story.) I really love the speculation, I could never have dreamed that people would be so interested in the story and it's really motivational! I can't thank you all enough for giving it a shot and sticking with it.

There's several factors at play here. As a general rule the number of 'good' Amazons is outnumbered by the bad ones. Finding a good one also willing to temporarily adopt a stranger would be extremely difficult if not impossible in a reasonable time frame. And she's unwilling to rob people of their free will to fulfill her desires. So no forcing a bad Amazon to be good. There's also the bonus of helping someone while accomplishing her own goals. There's more, but I won't outright say it. It'll become clear. I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy the chapter, thanks everyone for your interest!

It’s a new day. Only half a day or so from when I left everyone… But a new day, nonetheless. Ordinarily I’d be moping and lacking in any possible motivation, but there’s no time for that. There is a plan. A plan that requires action. And that’s why I’ve come to the park. Still in my gaseous state of course. This is not a place a little would want to go, not from anything I have heard, read, or watched since coming to this world. The last thing I want is for an overzealous Amazon to try and grab me. So, I stick to the shadows of the tree line where my incorporeal body is less visible and watch. I want to experience life from the perspective of these littles. Feel loved. Cared for. Before I leave this place. Sure, I could choose any Amazon. Bending their mind and will to my own would be simple. As simple as breaking a twig beneath my heel. But I can’t. I can’t. I’ve done that before, been forced to do that before. It feels wrong. Robbing another of their free will… Could that be the work of anything other than a monster? Instead, I will find an Amazon here. One with an unhappy little. I’ll free that poor soul and take their place for a time. It’s just after lunch, and surprisingly empty. I count 10 littles playing at the playground and about 13 Amazons watching closely. No Amazon children. Perhaps it’s the summer heat keeping most people trapped in the luxurious AC. I spy carefully from the sideline. Reading the actions and spirits of the Amazons and littles. Most seem to be regressed. Their wills robbed of them by their adoptive parent. Four at most seem to have their faculties in shape while enjoying their time playing. More than I anticipated honestly. Over the course of an hour, I place closer attention on the four ‘children’ that still retain their sense of self. They play much like the regressed others. Swinging, sliding, messing about in the sand. On occasion taking breaks to check in with their ‘parent’ and receiving a bottle or sippy cup of water. Some even received a change, right on the bench. Blushing but still clearly enjoying the attention of their adoptive parent. My heart throbs and twinges painfully in my chest. Love. A parental bond. I want to experience it. But they are not in need of rescue. They are where they want to be. I tear my vision away from the four I’d been watching. New faces are entering the playground. An Amazon and her little. The little appears no older than 20. She wears a short pink dress that does little to hide the childishly patterned and thick diaper around her waist. Shoes that light up with every step. A head of brown curls nearly hides the girls face. I spot fear in her eyes, from what is visible from behind the curtain of hair. At the urging of her ‘Mother’, the girl toddles off to the sandbox. Plopping herself down amid the sand. With feigned and minimal energy, she plays halfheartedly. Looking over her shoulder and back at the woman every so often. Anxiously. Worriedly. This might be the one. To be sure I check her soul to see how bright it shines. I’m not about to free a criminal. But my worries are without warrant. The girl’s soul isn’t blinding but its shimmer is enough to signify she is a decent if not good person. Her adoptive parent on the other hand has a tarnished soul. Any luster has long since faded due to the decisions made throughout the woman’s life. This is the one. I continue watching the girl. I’ll follow them home and strike at night. The little’s meager attempt at playing comes to an end as her mother grabs her from behind. Carrying the girl on her hip, she walks back to one of the benches at the edge of the playground. With practiced movements the Amazon hikes her shirt up and frees a breast from a maternity bra. The engorged nipple already leaking. With clear and great joy, she pulls the little towards her, the girl in her arms struggling slightly. At the first sign of struggle the woman quickly and sharply delivers a smack to the smaller girl’s thigh. This song and dance ultimately is all in vain, as her face is pressed against the massive boob. The other coherent littles at the playground send the poor girl a sympathetic look. The process repeats itself as the now dazed girl is switched to the other side. Clearly the Amazonian woman is making a show or spectacle out of her charge. Deriving satisfaction and joy from her embarrassment. Once free, the girl is let down from the larger lap. Toddling drunkenly and childishly towards the playground. This charade continues for several hours until finally the milk seems to wear off and the poor girl realizes she’s been forced to act the fool. Defeated and close to tears she is picked up and returned to a stroller. I follow behind scurrying from shade to shade. Until after a short walk they enter a home together. Guess I’ll wait until night. Sinking down under a tree, I sit and look to the sky. Unwittingly a sigh escapes from my gaseous lips. I miss them. ~~~ The little tosses and turns in the large white crib. Stickers and decals covering much of the free space. The nursery is pristine and clearly not very used. This is hell. It’s only been a week, but I can’t live like this. I can’t. I can’t. My only wish is that this crazy bit-mommy would wipe my mind. Dressed in a long pink nightie and thick nighttime diaper, the little ruminates in the crib. Though it’s the dead of night, sleep eludes the little. When suddenly the little gets a strange feeling. The feeling of being watched. Slowly the little turns away from the wall, looking out over the nursery. A night light illuminates a good portion of the room. With straining eyes, the little notices a dark shape on the far wall. Darker than anything else in the room. The shape moves closer, the sound of slight footsteps echoing in the room. Surprised, the little looses a surprised shout and accident into the nighttime underwear around the little’s waist. The shape stops just shy of the crib. It speaks in a soft voice full of warmth. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m here to help… If you need it.” At the closer range, the little gets a better look at the shape. Strange clothing and a cloak covers much of the woman who has broken in. Face hidden behind a hood pulled low over her face. “Ha… There’s no way. This is a dream; it has to be.” “I assure you, this is no dream.” The little pauses, still uncertain. The cloaked woman reaches a hand through the crib bars and pinches the little’s arm. “Ow… This… This is real. Oh, thank god!” “Do you have a house here, anywhere you can go?” “I’m not from around here, I was grabbed on another island. I doubt there’s anything for me to go back to though. She’s reduced me to this and burned all my bridges to home.” The cloaked little rubs the back of her head, seemingly feeling bad for the little trapped in the crib. “I think a cute girl like you is just asking to get grabbed, you’re going to have to be careful when you get out.” “That’s…” The little looks at the interloper with sad eyes. The silence carries for a moment before the little finds the words. “My name is Martin, I… I’m a man.” “Oh…? Oooh.” She looks up at the feminine little in the crib, appraising the boy. Martin can tell the hooded little is honestly surprised. But he can’t blame her. She speaks again. “I have good eyes but even I was fooled… And your voice…” “Yeah… I know. In just a week she’s done a lot of work. Fast acting hormones, nanite injections, and curse word rerouting… I’m barely me anymore… She won’t brainwash me just for the satisfaction of knowing I’m forced into this and hating every minute.” “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.” The crib railing lowers slowly before the girl who doesn’t raise a finger. Martin’s eyes widen slightly. He hops down before his savior. “You didn’t do this, don’t worry. You’re doing me a favor helping me here. She was talking about making an appointment for the final surgery soon… The removal of my… Penis… And a tracking chip. She may have even done my legs to prevent escape.” “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Take this, it’ll help you blend in. Go to a place called Solstice. I’ll write down directions. Ask for Franz and ask to see someone named Gale. She… Helps people like you. Maybe they can undo some of what was done.” A blanket seems to materialize from under the woman’s cloak and into her hands. She wraps it over Martin’s head and fastens it in place. She also presses a note with directions into his hands. “I can’t thank you enough… And I’m still not entirely sure this isn’t a dream… Who are you? What is your name? How are you doing this?” “Maybe we’ll meet again. But it’s time to go, Martin.” A cool breeze blows across his face, and he blinks. He opens his eyes again, now viewing a different scene than the inside of the nursery. He’s outside the cursed house. Free. What… What is happening? What’s going on…? Not sure how or why this is happening, he takes a step away. Following the directions given to him. Towards his newfound freedom. He hears a voice faintly echo out, one final time. “Be careful, Martin. Be careful.” Chapter 11: Escape ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I agree, it's usually never a good idea. John seems like a creative guy, I'm sure any punishment from him is a bad one. I'm more than happy to deliver. Here's the second half of the chapter, thanks for the patience and for waiting. It took a lot of tweaking to get the second half in a place where I was happy with it, but I think I finally managed. Also Martin is a name suggested by Moon3ye, who won the minor contest a few chapters ago by guessing the teased plot point. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the latest installment.