[Preston] From Jo to Joella (Ch. 36 added 8/27/20)

[Little Giammy]

I like the behavior of Charice, it seems that she is empathetic against Joella Unlike her sister. Maybe Charice could convince Megan to switch to the side of the sister. 

[Sarah Penguin]

Enjoying this chapter.  Charice seems pretty sane. *presses the floor switch to portal  the author back  to the dimension of plushies and teddybears*

[CynthiaCM]

6 hours ago, Little Giammy said:

I like the behavior of Charice, it seems that she is empathetic against Joella Unlike her sister. Maybe Charice could convince Megan to switch to the side of the sister. 

She's a fun character to write. In the original outline of the story, readers were going to "meet her" before the family was set to move, but it really slowed the pace of the story without much payoff. But she will definitely be in the story more, even if only in bit parts like the one in this installment.

4 hours ago, Sarah Penguin said:

Enjoying this chapter.  Charice seems pretty sane. *presses the floor switch to portal  the author back  to the dimension of plushies and teddybears*

Thank you. Charice is definitely sane, thank goodness. And thanks for pressing that floor switch. LOL!

[CynthiaCM]

CHAPTER 20

If Mom changing my diaper was weird — and believe me, it was — my little sister changing my diaper was off-the-fucking-charts weird. She laid me down on the bed, unsnapped the crotch of the onesie and untaped the sides of the diaper. As soon as she exposed my crotch, she winced at the smell that greeted her. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find that to be satisfying. Hey, if she’s going to force me to sit in the same mess for hours on end, she’d better be ready to cope with the aftermath.

I must have had a self-satisfied expression or something, because she glared at me and said, “I’m glad this amuses you, baby sister. I hope it amuses you as much as it amuses me that you have the beginnings of a pretty gnarly diaper rash.”

It’s true that I had felt some discomfort and a burning sensation down there, but I hadn’t been moving around much, so it didn’t feel like much of anything. For emphasis, Megan dragged her fingernails on my rash-riddled flesh and it hurt like hell. I yelped in pain, which elicited a smile from her.

“See?” she chirped, “Now we’re BOTH amused.”

Going back to the task at hand, Megan winced again at the odor as she used baby wipes to clean the mess from my skin. Holy shit, did it burn! How could I not have felt it much before now? One thing became evident right off the bat. She was not nearly as skilled at changing diapers as Mom was. It took her forever to finish wiping me up, which prolonged the embarrassment of having my little sister cleaning my most intimate areas as if it was the most natural, normal thing in the world. 

At long last, she finished, sliding a new diaper underneath me before realizing she had it backward. With a few expletives, the diaper was turned around and replaced beneath my butt before being shut and taped. She fumbled with the tapes and had to reattach them several times before getting them on right. I hated the idea of having yet another diaper put on me, but at least it was clean. Plus, I knew I had to get used to wearing them, because according to my parents’ choices, they would be the only “underwear” I would ever wear again. How depressing was THAT?

I was taken downstairs and placed back on the couch to presumably wait for my parents to come home.

The wait wasn’t long, that’s for sure. I heard the car pull up within ten minutes, which signaled the end of my sister’s reign of terror. For now, at least. My parents came in moments later, bags in hand. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” Mom said to me in her sugary voice, “I missed my baby girl. Were you a good baby for your Big Sissy while Mommy and Daddy were gone?”

I didn’t want to respond, because I wasn’t yet ready to acquiesce to being a baby whose little sister is being called my big sister. I was hoping Megan would pipe in and take over the answer, but instead, she just looked at me and said, “Well, answer her, little girl.”

I was backed into a corner with no place to go, facing yet another indignity. 

“Y-yes.”

“Did she act good for you?” Mom asked Megan. Jesus! Why even ask me in the first place? 

Megan looked down at me, as if analyzing my behavior before replying, “She didn’t give me too much trouble. We got off to a rocky start, but she learned who was the boss pretty quickly. After that… no problems.”

That was a relief. I half expected her to make up a bunch of crap that would have gotten me in trouble with Mom and Dad, but she stuck to the truth. It’s not easy being “good” when every fiber of your soul wants to rebel. But having failed two separate escape attempts made me less confident in my ability to successfully stage another one, especially now that we were in Preston. At this point, I just wanted to get through all this, like Charice said. 

Mom and Megan talked about the stuff they had purchased and other stuff that I couldn’t care less about, all the while Dad made trips to and from the car to bring in more bags. I should have paid closer attention to their conversation, though, as I’m sure much of it had to do with me. However, I was lost in thought… lost in despair. Just the fact that I was trying to be a good girl so I wouldn’t be punished by my sister and parents was enough to crush my soul, so that was the particular pool of anguish I was wallowing in at the moment.

I was brought back from my dark dwellings by Mom approaching me and telling me, “Daddy and I bought you everything you’re going to need to transition into your new life, baby. I can’t wait for you to see all the pretty clothes and all the fun toys.”

Behind her, I noticed Dad bringing in a large box that said, “Simms’ Artisanal Baby Bed”. It looked quite heavy. So much so that Megan stepped in to help him carry it down the hallway, presumably to my bedroom.

Mom noticed too and added, “Oh, my goodness. I almost forgot about your baby bed! You’re going to love it!”

The weird thing is that Mom seemed to exist in this delusional bizzaro-world in which I actually LIKED being treated like a baby. When she said stuff like “you’re going to love it”, I was of the belief that she genuinely thought I would. It’s like she had completely flipped her lid. Rationally speaking, she knew good and well how I felt about all this crap. I’d made it pretty clear. But she has somehow convinced herself that I’m fucking overjoyed to be stuck reliving my babyhood. It’s a little disturbing, to be honest.

Dad and Megan came back into the living room, both a bit out of breath from struggling with the stupid crib. 

“I’m going to get Joella’s bed put together,” dad said.

Mom seemed somewhat frantic. “Don’t go just yet. Since we’re all here, I wanted to give Joella the good news. The big surprise.”

Dad sighed, “Honey, you’re making it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is,” Mom was always guilty of that. I remember back when I was in Third Grade, she promised Megan and I a HUGE surprise if we were good all week. We spent the whole week pondering the possibilities. Were we going to Funland Oasis? Maybe a trip to the zoo? Or how about a big shopping trip at the mall? Nope. It turned out to be her renting a movie for us and buying some pizza rolls. Boy, were WE let down!

I think Megan had the same realization as I did, because she looked at me in a way that almost made her seem normal instead of being all dominatrix-like. It was a look that said, “I know how this is going to go.”

But Mom wouldn’t be deterred. “So,” she said, placing her hands together excitedly, “while we were out and around, your Father and I met a really nice couple named Vince and Bianca Mazzanti. Like us, they have two kids, but one is a boy and one is a girl. Marco is 16 and Gia is 19. They’ve lived here for about six years and know a lot about how things work around here.”

“Get to the point, Mom,” Megan said, rolling her eyes.

“Do NOT talk to your mother that way, young lady,” Dad said sternly. “That’s a quick way to get your butt spanked.” She merely sighed in response.

Mom continued her long-winded story, “Anyway, Gia was started over, age-wise, the way we’ve done with Joella… except that she’s three years old. After talking with them for a long while, they invited us to their house tomorrow night for supper. Kind of a getting-to-know-each-other party of sorts. And that means baby Joella and Gia will be having a playdate! Isn’t that so sweet?”

She was apparently expecting Megan and I to jump for joy or something. When she realized her big announcement fell flat, she became a little defensive and a tiny bit pouty. “Well, she said with some hurt in her voice, “*I* thought it would be exciting anyway. I guess I’m the only one.”

Ugh. The guilt trip. No one did it like Mom. 

“Yeah, that’ll be nice,” said Megan, attempting to feign enthusiasm but only halfway succeeded in being convincing.

I just nodded and added, “Yep.” That seemed to perk her up somewhat, which was the goal.

The idea of a playdate should have been mortifying and it WAS to a certain extent. However, the prospect of talking to someone who could relate to what I was going through wasn’t altogether bad. Maybe she would give me advice for handling all this baby nonsense. Or maybe at least let me vent to her. I really didn’t know what to expect, to be truthful, but it filled me with both dread and hope. What a fucked up combination, right?

“The Mazzantis are even going to help us plan a big party for Baby Joella’s second birthday!”

Oh, for the love of fuck! She just HAD to piss in my Cheerios, didn’t she? I mean, I should have expected her to have a party for me because she’s so into all this second babyhood bullshit, but dragging other people into it is absolutely NOT what I was expecting.

“Megan, you and I can go out and buy her a special dress for her party before the big day arrives.”

Megan sure liked THAT. “I would LOVE to do that,” she said, looking at me sadistically. “We can get the poofiest, frilliest most babyish dress in the entire town for this, huh?”

Mom was ecstatic at her sudden interest. “Absolutely! And we can get a ruffled bonnet and lacy gloves too. Wouldn’t that be precious?”

“Why, yes, it would,” she said evilly. “I wonder how many petticoats we could fit on her?”

“Petticoats? That’s a wonderful idea! I think we could manage at least five or six.”

They continued with all the “party dress” talk while I slunk down into the couch. My sister was playing my mother like a violin, using her as her own personal instrument of torture for me. She DID say that she planned to be in our parents’ ears, whispering ideas to make my life a living hell. Well played, you malevolent bitch. Well fucking played.
 

[BabySofia]

Her mom is off her rocker crazy... Only good thing is at some point she's probably not going to like seeing her little baby being neglected and ending up with diaper rash.

[CynthiaCM]

23 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Her mom is off her rocker crazy... Only good thing is at some point she's probably not going to like seeing her little baby being neglected and ending up with diaper rash.

True on both counts.

[Sarah Penguin]

Hmm wonder if mom got mind controlled to make her think her new "baby" daughter will love being 2 again forever. *tickles the author until they flail and fall back into the teddy bear and plushie portal*

[CynthiaCM]

So, I felt super ambitious and whipped out another chapter of the story. I'm REALLY fond of this one.

CHAPTER 21

*ding dong*

My father rang the doorbell and then waited. We stood there on the porch of the fanciest house I had ever been this close to. When I say “fancy”, I mean fucking FANCY. One might even call it a mansion. That might be an exaggeration, but not much of one.

My mother had gone all out on making me look as idiotic as humanly possible. The dress was all frills and ruffles of pink and white, a color combination she was disturbingly fond of, judging by the wardrobe she purchased for me. White tights and more high heeled Mary Jane-style shoes (pink ones this time) were added to my body as well. A goddamn oversized pacifier dangled from a ribbon that was clipped onto my dress. 

And then there was the diaper. 

According to Mom, these diapers were made at that Simms’ Baby Emporium place, and were rather high-tech. I’ll say this: the diaper in question was much different than the ones I had previously worn. It was a lot thicker, for one thing. “It can hold five times more than most overnight diapers,” I heard my mom tell Megan. It also has some kind of tech crap that suppresses the smell of a well-used diaper. The other thing I noticed was how loudly it crinkled. Mom was so tickled about that: “This brand has a ‘Crinkliness’ rating that lets you know how loud they are… we bought ones with a rating of 5 because I thought it would sound so cute.”

The door opened up and standing before us was the most handsome teenaged boy I’d ever laid eyes on. He was slightly dark complected, probably from Italian lineage, considering their last name. His black hair was curly and a bit untamed. He wore a nice button-up shirt and dress pants.

“You must be the Myers family. Please come on in. My parents are in the living room.”

We entered, finding ourselves in a sizable foyer. Just beyond was the living room and, holy hell, was it ornate! Even the furniture reeked of class. 

Sitting on the sofa was a broad shouldered man of about 45, also with dark locks, but kept much shorter than the teenager’s. He wore similarly dressy clothes. His eyes were so piercing and hypnotic. I could tell even from all the way across the room.

Sitting at the man’s feet was a woman with an exotic beauty. Her long, dark-brown locks spilled down her back in magnificent curls. She wore a longish red dress that hugged her bountiful figure and black heels, the height of which I found shocking.

About six feet away from the sofa was a large playpen, clearly designed for adult-sized inhabitants. I could see someone in it, but the netting prevented me from getting much of a look.

The man on the sofa rose and instructed his wife to follow suit. She obeyed without hesitation. Damn, was she tall… yet not nearly as tall as he was. If I were to guess, she would be about six feet tall flat-footed, while he stood at least 6’5”. They both smiled warmly and moved in to shake hands or in the man’s case, kiss my mother’s hand. I could tell my father, who had already shaken hands with the woman, felt awkward, like maybe he should have kissed her hand. 

“It’s good to see you too again,” the man said. “We’re both very excited to get to know you more and to meet the rest of your family.”

They went through all the introductions. I was so embarrassed. It was one thing to be dressed this way at home around my relatives, but it was quite another to be around perfect strangers, even if those perfect strangers acted as if all this was normal. To them, I guess it WAS. I already knew their names, thanks to mom’s blabbering last night, but I acted as if I didn’t. The last one they introduced was Gia. 

Vince picked her up from the playpen and brought her over to meet our family. She was such a little bitty thing, even smaller than myself. Like the others, her hair was dark and curly, pulled up into two wild pigtails. She was wearing a light blue dress that was fashioned not too differently than the one I was wearing, though much shorter. I was pretty sure she was wearing nude pantyhose with socks over them, but the hose was so sheer that I couldn’t have been too certain. In her mouth was a large pacifier that said “Baby Princess” on it. The shoes were unlike anything I had ever laid eyes on. They were fashioned to look like Mary Janes, complete with the classic t-bar. However, the heel was so high that it put her foot in the “en pointe” position. How could she walk in those/ Or COULD she walk in those? I had so many questions. 

“This,” Vince paused with a proud smile, “is our darling baby girl, Gia.”

“Hewwo, evwybody,” she said shyly.

Mom fawned all over her, going on about how cute she was and how sweet she sounded when she spoke. I watched for a reaction from Gia, but couldn’t really detect one. I guess it was kind of old hat for her, so she didn’t get flustered or embarrassed by stuff like this. That girl had some serious resolve.

Everyone chatted for a while. I was on Mom’s lap, while Gia was on her father’s lap. She just sat there, behaving and sucking on her pacifier. I looked down at the pacifier and wondered if I would be expected to do the same. Ultimately, I decided to forego the pacifier unless told to pop it into my mouth.

I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who thought Marco was hot. Megan couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. She giggled at his jokes, asked him all kinds of questions and made herself look as appealing as possible for him. It was kind of pathetic really. Falling all over yourself to be noticed by a guy is one of the lamest things ever.

Eventually, Vince suggested that they put Gia and I in the playroom. They had a fucking playroom? They WERE loaded. The room in question was unbelievable. It contained more toys than some toy stores and a gigantic dollhouse was at the epicenter. It was lavishly furnished and generally a pretty remarkable sight, I had to admit.

We were placed on the carpeted floor and told to be good girls and to play nice. With that, Gia and I were left alone. I didn’t know what to say really. Should I try to talk like she did or just talk normal. I didn’t want to assume that she hated this lifestyle, so I couldn’t start off with some wisecrack about how life sucks or some shit like that.

Luckily, Gia took the initiative by taking out the pacifier and saying, “You look nervous.” She used a normal voice, a far cry from the one she used in front of our families earlier. I was relieved.

“Yeah,” I said, “this whole thing is new to me and I really, really hate it.”

She smiled. “I understand. I hated it too. I was 13 when we moved here and I wanted to go back to Jersey so bad.”

“Why did they move you here? Were you… difficult too.”

“Not really,” Gia said, “I was just kind of a tomboy and my father is really big on gender roles. He’s so old school with everything. Really big on what he calls tradition. The truth is, they never actually told Marco and I why they moved here, but I once overheard a super uncomfortable conversation between Mother and Father. Apparently, she had been cheating on him, sneaking men into the house when he was working, which was a lot. During the conversation, he was praising her for changing her ways after their ‘fresh start’ here is Preston.”

“Oh, I see. But why did they make you a baby?” 

Gia took a deep breath and explained. “The excuse he gave for moving here was that he wanted to get back to tradition and that since I had become a tomboy, he was going to re-raise me ‘correctly’ and that his new job here wouldn’t keep him away from home for long periods the way his old job did. He wasn’t going to have his only daughter turn into a dyke. His words, not mine.”

“Wow,” I exclaimed, “That’s quite a leap. I guess nobody told him that most tomboys are straight as an arrow.”

“Yeah, well, in his mind, the world is black and white… clear-cut. Men are men and women are women.”

We both giggled. It felt good to laugh.

“So…” I asked, “What will happen if our parents catch us talking like this?”

“Nothing,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “They expect it.”

“Really??”

“Yes,” she answered, “Father says that it’s good for Little Ones to have a chance to speak normally, away from grown-ups. He says it gets the ‘big girl out of their systems’. Again, his words, not mine.”

“Do you socialize with others… you know, like us?”

“Little Ones,” she said emphatically. “Look, Joella, it’s important for you to normalize all this. We’re Little ones, whether we like it or not. Dancing all around that fact only prolongs the unhappiness. We are Little Ones. They are grown-ups. Please, for your own good, get used to that, because it’s not going to change. There is no escape from Preston. I’ve known at least five girls who tried. It did not end well for them and I don’t want to see you make the same mistake.”

I just stared blankly, not saying anything. Frankly, I didn’t know WHAT to say.

She became less intense and said, “But to answer your question, yes, I socialize with other Little Ones. Our parents sometimes organize sleepovers, parties or just playdates. It happens quite a bit, actually. At first, I hated these get-togethers, but over time, I’ve found that I look forward to them.”

I looked confused. “You… don’t LIKE living this way… do you?”

“I don’t HATE it. Not anymore. It’s just the way life is. I don’t spend time actively resisting it or trying to find a way to escape. I get three meals a day, snacks, a nice house, pretty clothes and my father protects me. They’re always giving me attention, talking to me, doing things for me. And I'll never have to work or struggle financially. There are worse lives than this. You’ll come to see that in time.”

“But isn’t it weird having your little brother be your older brother?” I asked, getting to the real crux of my issues with all this.

“No, Marco’s cool. He teases me a bit, but never makes his authority a big deal, you know?”

“I wish I could say the same thing about my sister,” I said, looking down. I guess I felt a pang of jealousy.

“Is she on a power trip?”

“It’s way worse than that. She blames me for us having to move here and is taking it out on me big-time.”

“Oh,” she said, alarmed. “That’s not good. *Was* it your fault?”

Goddamn, it was hard to admit this. “Yeah,” I stated glumly. “I kept messing up and getting into legal trouble. Nothing my parents did worked and, well, someone told them about Preston. I think it was my friend’s uncle. Anyway, he saw this as his last chance to save my soul or some silly crap like that.”

“Do you honestly think you’d have ended up in prison or worse when you got older?”

“No,” I lied before changing my answer, “Maybe. I don’t know. I guess it would have been possible.”

“Then,” she said bluntly, “it was probably a good thing that they moved here. Which do you think would suck worse? Being a Little One or spending years in prison? Those places are JUNGLES! I had relatives that spent time in the pen and I heard the stories, Joella. You’d have been eaten alive in there. So ask yourself which fate is worse. Diapers or orange jumpsuits.”

She made a good point, even though I was loath to admit it. “Prison would be worse, I suppose.”

“I’m not saying this will be easy, okay? I’m not. I remember how tough it was. I cried myself to sleep every night and every time I had to drop a load in my diaper. But it gets better. I promise you.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I mumbled, “Megan isn’t your sister.”

Gia looked deep in thought. This lasted a minute or two until she finally said, “I think I may have an idea that will keep your big sister at bay.”

“She’s actually my younger sister. You see, Im…”

Gia cut me off. “No. She’s your big sister now. Stop clinging to the past. She’s one of the grown-ups. You’re not. But remember. We actually wield more power than you’d think. And that power is what’s going to make your life a million times better. Trust me.”

I was all ears.
 

[Horizon]

This is very quickly becoming my favorite story. Fantastic job.

[BabySofia]

32 minutes ago, CynthiaCM said:

Gia cut me off. “No. She’s your big sister now. Stop clinging to the past. She’s one of the grown-ups. You’re not. But remember. We actually wield more power than you’d think. And that power is what’s going to make your life a million times better. Trust me.”

I was all ears.

Hehehe... Someone's going to become a little tattle tell here very soon! 

I liked this chapter, and it brings the new girl inline with the way the original did. You can keep writing chapters this quickly! I'm sure @Sarah Penguin has some stuffies she's willing to pummel you with to 'encourage' you! (She's vicious with them!)

[bobindiapers]

On 7/6/2020 at 7:52 PM, CynthiaCM said:

“Okay, yes, she looks cute, okay? But I’m not on board with all this. I know you’re pissed because of the laws in that backward-ass hillbilly one-horse town, but you gotta put most of the blame where it belongs. And I think you know where I’m talking about.”

“Whatever. I don’t want to talk about that stuff in front of the baby.”

I'm a little confused, I think Charice was saying that the blame belongs on the people who came up with the laws, but the part "I think you know where I'm talking about", and then Megan's response makes me think that they might be talking about Megan, or maybe her parents deserving some of the blame too. They seem like they might be talking kind of cryptically, but maybe I'm reading too much into this and looking for hints and foreshadowing where none exist.

Great updates, it will be interesting to see what Jo learns from Gia for fighting back against Megan, and it's kind of ironic that someone Jo thought would be a great ally in her hatred of the baby treatment is the one that managed to convince her that it's not the worst thing in the world, and that her parents might actually be trying to help her.

[Sarah Penguin]

Hmm.

Presses the banishes everyone reading this thread into the portal to the dimension of teddy bears and plush animals button.

[Scarlet]

This chapter was really good. I love Gia, she brings in a good perspective and I think that Joe and Megan would get long so much better if they just talked all their issues out. Preferably when Megan is babysitting.

 

Clearly, Joe felt like her parents didn't value her/appreciated Megan more, which made her act out, Joe acting out made Megan seem more responsible which out pressure and unwanted responsibility on Megan, which Joe hated and made her act out even more. A cycle that their parents are ultimately responsible for and this bs about reraising is their bail out excuse for not addressing that.

[CynthiaCM]

6 hours ago, Sarah Penguin said:

Hmm wonder if mom got mind controlled to make her think her new "baby" daughter will love being 2 again forever. *tickles the author until they flail and fall back into the teddy bear and plushie portal*

Not mind control at work, but there's a reason for it.

5 hours ago, Horizon said:

This is very quickly becoming my favorite story. Fantastic job.

Wow, thank you!

5 hours ago, BabySofia said:

Hehehe... Someone's going to become a little tattle tell here very soon! 

You might be surprised.

5 hours ago, BabySofia said:

I liked this chapter, and it brings the new girl inline with the way the original did. You can keep writing chapters this quickly!

I appreciate that. I won't normally be able to write chapters that fast. My two jobs take a lot of my time and I love spending time with my family as well. So it all comes down to how often I have some free time to work on the story. :

5 hours ago, BabySofia said:

I'm sure @Sarah Penguin has some stuffies she's willing to pummel you with to 'encourage' you! (She's vicious with them!)

Yes, she is.

4 hours ago, bobindiapers said:

I'm a little confused, I think Charice was saying that the blame belongs on the people who came up with the laws, but the part "I think you know where I'm talking about", and then Megan's response makes me think that they might be talking about Megan, or maybe her parents deserving some of the blame too. They seem like they might be talking kind of cryptically, but maybe I'm reading too much into this and looking for hints and foreshadowing where none exist.

Good eye. There's foreshadowing there and all will be revealed. It's not who you think it is.

4 hours ago, bobindiapers said:

Great updates, it will be interesting to see what Jo learns from Gia for fighting back against Megan, and it's kind of ironic that someone Jo thought would be a great ally in her hatred of the baby treatment is the one that managed to convince her that it's not the worst thing in the world, and that her parents might actually be trying to help her.

Thank you. I try to offer some fun twists in my stories. Hopefully, that little twist is enjoyable for readers. I also like to write stories in which each side has understandable perspectives, even if we disagree with those perspectives.

3 hours ago, Sarah Penguin said:

Presses the banishes everyone reading this thread into the portal to the dimension of teddy bears and plush animals button.

Eep!

1 hour ago, Scarlet said:

This chapter was really good. I love Gia, she brings in a good perspective and I think that Joe and Megan would get long so much better if they just talked all their issues out. Preferably when Megan is babysitting.

I'm enjoying Gia as well. She'll be around quite a bit moving forward. And you're right about the two sisters, though don't count on it happening.

1 hour ago, Scarlet said:

Clearly, Joe felt like her parents didn't value her/appreciated Megan more, which made her act out, Joe acting out made Megan seem more responsible which out pressure and unwanted responsibility on Megan, which Joe hated and made her act out even more. A cycle that their parents are ultimately responsible for and this bs about reraising is their bail out excuse for not addressing that.

I'm glad the vicious circle aspect is being picked up on. It's not easy to get that across sometimes.

[BabySofia]

53 minutes ago, CynthiaCM said:

I appreciate that. I won't normally be able to write chapters that fast. My two jobs take a lot of my time and I love spending time with my family as well. So it all comes down to how often I have some free time to work on the story. :

Believe me I understand! If it wasn't for this pandemic I'd be getting ready to start five months of 7am-10pm days 5-6days a week. As it is I have no clue what's going to happen... Take your time! (Just not too much! ) 

[ppbenn]

Fantastic chapters. Thank you for taking the time to write them. I enjoy how you have created characters that able to show empathy and compassion, and also characters that have more of a mean streak. Thanks again for writing thia and taking the time to post it here.

[CynthiaCM]

8 hours ago, BabySofia said:

Believe me I understand! If it wasn't for this pandemic I'd be getting ready to start five months of 7am-10pm days 5-6days a week. As it is I have no clue what's going to happen... Take your time! (Just not too much! ) 

Ouch! Those are some looooong hours. I hope it all works out for you, what with the pandemic and all. We live in strange times.

1 hour ago, ppbenn said:

Fantastic chapters. Thank you for taking the time to write them. I enjoy how you have created characters that able to show empathy and compassion, and also characters that have more of a mean streak. Thanks again for writing thia and taking the time to post it here.

Many thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story as well as the different characters.

[kerry]

18 hours ago, CynthiaCM said:

I could tell my hand, who had already shaken hands with the woman, felt awkward,

my father, i think

21 hours ago, CynthiaCM said:

“The Mazzantis are even going to help us plan a big party for Baby Jolene’s second birthday!”

Joella

Aside from these small errors, I have to say that these were my favorite chapters so far, especially the last one. The addition of other characters, and especially Gia, provides a fresh perspective that should help keep this piece from becoming too insular. And though the indication is that there is nothing Jo can do to escape her fate, at least there is some hope for her to accept and even enjoy it. (And, who knows, maybe she'll be the first to actually escape Preston. I mean one can hope.)

[CynthiaCM]

48 minutes ago, kerry said:

my father, i think

Joella

Aside from these small errors, I have to say that these were my favorite chapters so far, especially the last one. The addition of other characters, and especially Gia, provides a fresh perspective that should help keep this piece from becoming too insular. And though the indication is that there is nothing Jo can do to escape her fate, at least there is some hope for her to accept and even enjoy it. (And, who knows, maybe she'll be the first to actually escape Preston. I mean one can hope.)

Thanks for pointing those errors out. I fixed them.

And I really am happy that you're enjoying the story. Having a variety of characters (even supporting characters) is crucial for keeping a story fresh. The trick, though, is to ensure that each character has their own personality and voice. 

[CynthiaCM]

I know it's mostly just dialogue and it's kind of long, but I really wanted to get more into some of how things worked and let the girls bond more. Consider this a bonus chapter.

 

CHAPTER 22

“You’re the baby of the family now, so deal with it,” said Gia, “because once you HAVE, you’ll be able to play what Marco calls ‘The Innocent Baby Card’.”

I looked at her quizzically. “What’s that?”

She flashed a wide smile and explained, “You see, one of the most basic instincts for human beings is the urge to protect babies. They’re helpless, they’re cute and they’re in need of being taken care of. That is our secret weapon.”

“I still don’t see how this is going to help me get even with my sister.”

“It’s not about getting even with her. It’s about making your life better, especially when it comes to how she treats you.”

Now, I was starting to see her angle. “Ohhhhhh,” I said with that realization.

“But for this to work, you’re going to have to try to act more childlike because your parents clearly still see you as a resistant near-adult trying to hang on to your former life. And that’s not going to cut it. You have to change their perception of you so that they see you as the helpless baby girl they want you to be. Once you master that, the world is your oyster.”

I giggled. “I doubt that.”

Looking me right in the eyes, she said, “I’m serious as a heart attack here. No parent can resist an adorable baby when said baby is complying. They just can’t. Build up their trust for a few weeks. Let them see you’re really trying to make the most of your new life. And then when your sister is cruel to you...”

My eyes lit up as I finished her sentence, “... they’ll want to protect me from her.”

“Now you’re getting it! When she does whatever it is that she does to torture you, cry your little eyes out. If they aren’t at home, then bawl like crazy when they return home, blubbering about all the mistreatments.”

“What if they don’t believe me though?” I asked, realizing that such a possibility could shoot the whole plan down.

“Oh, they’ll believe you. Make sure they’re real tears though. Grown-ups can see right through fake ones.”

I nodded. “It’s worth a shot.”

Gia smiled at me. I really liked being around her. She made me feel less like a freak for having to dress this way and it was nice to have an honest-to-goodness conversation again. 

“So,” I said, changing the subject, “why do your parents make you wear those weird heels?”

“So I can’t walk. They want me to either crawl or be carried around and there’s no way I could walk in the ballet heels.”

“That’s what they’re called?” I asked. I guess the name was fitting, considering the position in which they forced her feet. 

Gia nodded. “They took a long while to get used to, but they're still pretty uncomfortable. Way more uncomfortable than the ones like you’re wearing.”

“I’m confused about something though,” I admitted. “You’re supposed to be three years old, but aren’t allowed to walk. Most three-year-olds can walk without a problem.”

She smiled and said, “Oh, right. I see what you’re getting at. As far as I can tell, the age thing is kind of meaningless. Well, maybe not meaningless, but more of a guideline. Parents and owners seem to cherry-pick the stuff they want their Little Ones to be able to do, regardless of the age they choose.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep,” she assured me. “My parents sure didn’t stick to three-year-old stuff. Otherwise, I wouldn’t breastfeed.”

My jaw dropped. “You… breastfeed?” She said it so matter-of-factly that it took me off guard.

“Mm-hmm. I have since we moved here. I can’t eat actual food. It would make me sick. They gave me these injections that made it so that my stomach wouldn’t be able to handle solid foods. Sometimes, they give me baby food, but even that doesn’t always settle well.”

“Don’t you miss real food?” I asked. I know i read about this in that silly booklet, but to see someone who was given the injection somehow made it feel real to me.

“I used to. I guess on occasion, I still do. But I’ve kind of forgotten what most things taste like after six years of not having it. The worst part of it was feeling left out early on.”

“I totally get that,” I exclaimed. “I was made to eat a hotdog at a restaurant while everyone else had steak and I was burning up with rage.”

I wanted to ask if it felt creepy to drink from her mother’s breasts, but backed out. She must have figured out what was tumbling around in my brain.

“No,” she said with a smile.

“No, what?”

“No, it doesn’t feel weird to breastfeed.”

I was dumbfounded and fumbled with my words, “I… you know.. I…”

“No need to be embarrassed. I’m an open book. If being a baby again has taught me ANYTHING, it’s that nothing is weird. You can always ask me anything.”

“Okay, thanks. I still feel odd asking about something so personal.”

Gia chuckled. “It’s not personal. It’s just eating. There’s nothing sexual about it or anything like that. I need food and that’s how Mother provides it. I’ve even had to feed in public before. Around here, no one even bats an eye.”

“I have another… question,” I said, clearly embarrassed.

“Shoot,” she replied.

“So… when you get, you know, worked up… I mean sexually…” I trailed off, hoping that was enough information for her to go off of. Fortunately, it was.

“Well, people who are physically underage aren’t allowed to have orgasms here. I think that’s even mentioned in the law book. So until your birthday, you’re out of luck. Even masturbation is outlawed. And if you get caught… well, let’s just say that you should just abstain.”

“Do you have orgasms,” I queried. 

“Once a day, there’s a lady who comes to oversee my orgasm. She’s about the same age that I am physically and is really strict. Not mean or anything, but she’s all business. She puts a rubber glove on my hand and guides it down into my diaper.”

“Wait,” I interrupted, “What if you’re, you know, messy? She changes you first, right?”

“She doesn’t change diapers. It’s not a part of the job description. So, yes, if I’m messy — and I often am — I just have to masturbate anyway.”

“Doesn’t that… spoil the mood?”

“No,” she said with a shrug, “because there is no mood. It’s clinical, for want of a better term. She comes in, sticks my hand down there, rubs my nipples and tells me how much of a good baby girl I’m being or how nice it is that I’m playing with myself in such a filthy diaper. I’m pretty sure the talking part was my dad’s idea, because I once heard him tell her that doing so will be a reminder that I’m still a baby even though I get to have orgasms like a big girl.”

“Doesn’t all that make it hard to climax?”

“When this first started, it sure did. Having to reach down into my dirty diaper was a buzzkill, if you know what I mean. And Father makes me stay in the same diaper until it can’t hold any more, thanks to the injection I was given that makes me immune to diaper rash and infections down there. So, by the time my session begins, the poop is almost always plastered to my vaginal area too.”

“How do you manage to have one? An orgasm, I mean.”

She let out a girlish laugh, “Sweetie, if you’re horny enough, nothing’s going to get in the way of you cumming. Believe me.”

We both laughed and she added another piece of information. “Besides, the overseer is stunningly sexy, so that helps.”

“Are you a lesbian?” I asked, though not in a condescending way. 

“Bisexual, actually,” but I’ve never told my parents.

“Cool. I’m not like a homophobe or anything. I was just wondering. My best friend back home is a trans male.”

She smiled and said, “Homophobe and transphobe are two different things, but, yeah, I get ya. I didn’t take you for either one.”

“Good,” I said, fearing I had put my foot in my mouth and made myself look ignorant of knowing that homophobia and transphobia aren’t the same thing.

We conversed for another 30 minutes or so, before I heard Vince’s voice coming from down the hall.

“Ten minute warning, girls.”

I was confused. “What does that mean?”

“Father believes in giving me a heads-up so I can get back into the baby mindset after being able to speak freely and using my ‘big girl voice’. It really helps. It’ll help you too.”

“I… have never gotten into a baby mindset or whatever it is you called it,” I admitted.

“Well, it’s a good thing you have me to help you then.”

“How do I do it,” I asked, panicking a little.

“First of all, calm down. Take some deep breaths. Try closing your eyes too.”

She saw that I was doing as she suggested, so she continued. “Okay, that’s great. Now, let go of who you used to be. You are no longer that person, no longer a big girl. You are a baby and you always will be. Say it with me.”

I damn near choked on the words, but still said it with her nonetheless. 

Gia’s voice changed, sounding much like it did when she greeted my family. Very little girlish and with a pronounced lisp.

“Should… I try to sound that way too?” I asked.

“Just soften your voice wike I am. Twy to forget all the fancy words and stuff. Find your baby voice. And as wong as you’re awound the gwown-ups, use that voice. It will take pwactice, but you’ll get it. Twy it for me.”

“Otay,” I said, feeling silly already. I felt less silly, though, knowing I wasn’t alone in doing this. “I will twy to be a good girl.”

“Dat’s good, but repwace the ‘r’ in ‘girl’ wiff a ‘w’. Wike this: girwl. It sounds cuter dat way.”

I gave it another try. “I will twy to be a good girl.” Part of me couldn’t believe I was practicing freaking babytalk! It was surreal. But if our plan to make my life easier with my sister was going to work, I knew I had to put more effort into all this. 

“The next step is to pway wiff deese toys until dey come back to get us.”

Gia and I picked up some toys and played with them. I wasn't too sure how to go about playing with babyish toys, but it proved to be an easy enough task. It wasn’t necessarily fun, but it wasn’t necessarily NOT fun either.

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps. It was my dad and Vince. They scooped us up off the floor and proceeded to bring us back into the living room with the other grown-ups. Gia looked at me and nodded, as if to say, “you got this.”

I nodded back. I did indeed have this.

[BabySofia]

Looking forward to seeing this plan working. The injection against infections would be a double-edged sword since apparently being kept in a messy diaper becomes okay from a health standpoint. Have the same problem with it in this case as I do in the Diaper Dimension though, if they're really babies why would you do so? Hopefully she learns to play along a bit here. These were good chapters and a helpful friend for her! 

[CynthiaCM]

14 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Looking forward to seeing this plan working. The injection against infections would be a double-edged sword since apparently being kept in a messy diaper becomes okay from a health standpoint. Have the same problem with it in this case as I do in the Diaper Dimension though, if they're really babies why would you do so? Hopefully she learns to play along a bit here. These were good chapters and a helpful friend for her! 

Thank you very much. 

You're right about the injections being a double-edged sword. I think in most cases, it's just preventative and the Little Ones are changed regularly anyway. In Vince's case, you'll find that he is kind of a control freak and, as Gia stated, is super traditional. To him, his family would suffer extreme shame for Gia being a tomboy and he is convinced that he'll be able to raise her better this time. A part of that is REALLY doubling down on certain aspects of the baby treatment. The final factor is that Vince may be wealthy now and likes to have a nice house with nice things, but he grew up poor as dirt. Therefore, he can be quite tight-fisted and these high-tech diapers are extremely expensive, so he wants to get as much use out of each one as possible. I hope this helps.

[CynthiaCM]

53 minutes ago, Nicole Kolibri said:

Wow, what Gia learns in 6 years, Jo learns and accepts in less than 24 hours.
Your pace in the last 3-4 chapters has become very fast again.

One can only speak of luck (in the case of the reader, bad luck),
that Jo's family, the Mazzantis family, met before all the other residents.
I'm sure, if I'm a real tomboy, would be really more skeptical and would be at first to draw the weapon of silence and not try to make new friends.
Especially since the short conversation with Charice opened deep old wounds on her old life.

I'm really curious to see how many soft toys you caught that weren't just thrown by Sahra.

It can be interesting to see how a little child handles its stuffed animals because it is upset.

The conversation with Gia was very good, but just too early for my taste.

No one has really arrived in Preston yet.
My littel opinion, sorry

 

Please don't be sorry for voicing your opinion. Opinions are always welcome.

Regarding the pacing, I view the story like a roller coaster. It's going to speed up and slow down and speed up and slow down. Otherwise, either nothing much happens or things happen too fast. I try to strike a balance.

As for Jo being open to making friends, well, she has been made to feel alone through this... made to feel insignificant. Suddenly, here's someone who shres a similar experience and who she can relate to. That can be profound on someone who has been through what Jo has.

Also, I think you may have gotten the wrong idea about the conversation with Charice. It didn't open wounds of her old life. It actually made her feel better.

I'm also confused as to how the interaction with the new family happened too early. It was twenty chapters before they were introduced. To each their own, of course, but I don't feel it was too early.

What do you mean by "no one has arrived in Preston yet"? I'm not sure I understand.

Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.

[Sarah Penguin]

[WBDaddy]

11 hours ago, CynthiaCM said:

I'm also confused as to how the interaction with the new family happened too early. It was twenty chapters before they were introduced. To each their own, of course, but I don't feel it was too early.

I think he was trying to say that it seemed a bit sudden to have this little family get-together the day after they showed up.  There were quite a lot of events packed into that 24-hour period.  

Personally, it didn't bother me.  Preston comes off as a super-churchy kind of town, and social gatherings "welcoming the newcomers" are a very big deal in those kinds of circles, so...