bedwetting Afternoon in the Chokey (Updated 4-17-24)

[Infernum]

I've been following this for a while and I'm loving it. Can I ask what is it fanfiction of? At first I thought Harry Potter but then you mentioned a play and stuff so now I'm curious. 

[BabySofia]

9 minutes ago, Infernum said:

I've been following this for a while and I'm loving it. Can I ask what is it fanfiction of? At first I thought Harry Potter but then you mentioned a play and stuff so now I'm curious. 

Roald Dahl wrote a book called Matilda that was turned into a movie, and she reminded me it's also been brought to the stage. Predates Harry Potter by about a decade.

[Infernum]

2 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Roald Dahl wrote a book called Matilda that was turned into a movie, and she reminded me it's also been brought to the stage. Predates Harry Potter by about a decade.

I'll have to see if any library in town has it and dig out my old library card from whatever dark corner that thing has been left in 

[SashaButters]

1 hour ago, Infernum said:

I've been following this for a while and I'm loving it. Can I ask what is it fanfiction of? At first I thought Harry Potter but then you mentioned a play and stuff so now I'm curious. 

It's also a really good movie, directed by Danny Devito of all people lol It was a staple of my childhood and most likely responsible for my love of the found family trope xD She does fit in to the Harry Potter world pretty well. The movie is quite a bit more lighthearted than the book, and you can stream it for free online if you look it up on Google Drive.

[SashaButters]

Matilda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. No! No! No! 

 

“Let me see her!” She begged. Mrs. Rodgers had her by the arms, but no matter how much she threw her weight and thrashed against her, Mrs. Rodgers wouldn’t let go. 

 

“Matilda, you need to calm down!” Mrs. Rodgers said, but Matilda wasn’t having it. “They don’t know anything yet for sure!” 

 

She could barely make out the doctor standing in front of her through her tears. 

 

“We’re still running tests, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find anything. Once she’s out of radiology, and get her settled into a room, then you can see her for a few minutes before visiting hours are over.” 

 

Visiting hours! She wasn’t leaving Miss Honey here by herself! 

 

“Thank you, doctor.” Matilda felt herself get pulled back over to the chairs. “They don’t know for sure.” Mrs. Rodgers said again. 

 

“But I know!” Matilda cried. How had she not noticed the infected cuts? She had so busy looking at the scars, she hadn’t noticed the cuts! As soon as the doctor had asked if she had been around rusty metal, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The Chokey! The night she had been so late picking her up from Hortensia’s. 

 

“Matilda, how could you possibly know? He only said they were checking for Tetanus, it doesn’t mean she has it. He said it could be any number of things.” 

 

“B-but-but I felt it!” Matilda said. “In my throat, and she was pointing at it and-” 

 

“Shh, Matilda, you’re not making any sense. I know you’re worried, but Miss Honey is going to be fine.” 

 

“It could kill her!” 

 

“They don’t know if it was even metal that cut her. For all we know, it could be totally unrelated. They’ve already given her a booster shot just in case.” 

 

“She was late! Miss Trunchbull must have had her in the Chokey, and she got cut!” 

 

“I promise you, Miss Honey was not in the Chokey, she was with me all night.” Mrs. Rodgers said. “The Trunchbull made all the staff sit through a lecture after school let out. We walked off the grounds together. Now, Miss Honey loves to tell me how smart you are. I’m sure you know just how rare Tetanus is, don’t you?” 

 

It was true, but, Matilda had been so sure she had felt pain in her jaw. It was a classic symptom, wasn’t it? She tried to remember what she had read about it in the library after she had gotten all her vaccinations caught up. Was it Tetanus that caused jaundice, or was that Hepatitis? She let her face fall into her hands. She couldn’t remember! Her brain felt so fuzzy! 

 

Even if she was having jaw pain, why did that mean Miss Honey was too? She knew something strange was happening to her. She had been feeling all these complex and foreign things for days leading up to this, and she hadn’t understood why until today. Maybe they weren’t Matilda’s feelings at all. They had been Miss Honey’s. They had been so strong when they were lying next to each other, Matilda wondered why she hadn’t noticed before. 

 

How do you always know?

 

Perhaps it wasn’t only Matilda who had wanted to cuddle last night? Hadn’t Miss Honey admitted she had needed it as well? The sudden urge had overwhelmed Matilda. It was as if she had needed Jenny’s affection like she needed air. Was it because Miss Honey’s complex adult emotions had overwhelmed her? The self loathing. The fear. Feelings of inadequacy, of guilt, of loneliness, of shame. How could one person feel all that? Perhaps that’s why Matilda only noticed it today? Pain was something she could pinpoint. She understood nausea, and headaches, and a full bladder. 

 

Matilda nearly jumped when she heard the door swing open. 

 

“She’s in room 408 if you’d like to come back now.” 

 

Matilda’s heart began to flutter inside her chest. She could feel the sweat forming on her palms. She had been bound and determined to break down the door a mere ten minutes ago, and now as she made her way down the hall, she felt terrified. What was this? Another foreign feeling. She was right outside the door now. She swallowed nervously. It was guilt. 

 

Matilda craned her neck around the door frame, afraid of what she might see. What if she was hooked up to a breathing tube? Or an iron lung? Was she conscious? Would she recognize Matilda, or was she delirious from fever? 

 

Relief rushed over her as she met Miss Honey’s eyes. She practically sprinted to her bedside. She was awake, and sitting up, and even eating Jello! 

 

“Matilda, no, don’t! Give her some space!” Mrs. Rodgers said from behind her.

 

“No, she’s fine.” Jenny said with a croak. She patted the small space on the bed next to her that Matilda had already begun to scale. “C’mere, darling.” There was that longing again. Was it hers? Jenny’s? A bit of both? They wrapped their arms around each other as they rocked side to side. “I’m okay, sweetie, really. It’s all thanks to you.” 

 

“I didn’t do anything.” Matilda mumbled into Miss Honey’s shoulder. 

 

“Yes you did! You were right there by my side all day, and you were so attentive, you even noticed I wasn’t getting better and called for help. The doctor said if I hadn’t come to the hospital when I did, I could have had brain damage from the high fever.” Matilda shuddered. “I’m okay though. They were able to break it, and they’re giving me antibiotics and fluids. They just want to keep me here for observation.” 

 

 “Was it from metal?” Matilda asked. She pointed at the bandage on Jenny’s collarbone. 

 

“No, it wasn’t metal.” Jenny said with a weak smile, “You want to know what it was from?” Matilda nodded, eyes wide. “It was from that darn cat your dear friend Hortensia put in the Trunchbull’s office on Tuesday. It scratched me when I picked him up to put him outside. I didn’t clean it well enough, and it got infected.” Matilda frowned, That couldn’t be it. 

 

“What else?” Matilda demanded. Jenny sighed and ran her hand through Matilda’s hair.

 

“Can’t hide anything from you, can I? Now, I don’t want you to worry, bu- ” 

 

“Jenny! What is it?” 

 

“We have cupboard spiders.” Matilda blinked. 

 

“What? Spiders?” There it was again, the guilt. 

 

“I saw a couple the other day, but I didn’t want to scare you. I was going to go back and kill them once you fell asleep, but then I forgot about them. Looks like one of them found me last night and got me right under my jaw. I had a bad reaction, and It made my throat swell up.” Matilda looked up and noticed a bandage under her jaw line, right where Matilda had been feeling pain. She couldn’t help but laugh from relief. She hugged Jenny again, but much tighter. A spider bite? Really? 

 

“You scared me nearly to death thinking you had Tetanus!” 

 

“Why on earth would you think I had Tetanus?” 

 

“Because of the jaw pain! And the stomach contractions, and the fever!” Matilda could feel Miss Honey pull away from her and stare.

 

“How? What? I never told you about the contractions and jaw pain.” 

 

“Because I felt it.” Matilda whispered. “I can’t explain it; I just knew.”

 

“The bucket.” Jenny said quietly, her eyes growing wide. “It was always ready. You weren’t making it stay up the whole time?”

 

Matilda shook her head. “Three minutes is my limit. I just sort of knew when you were going to need it and got it ready.” 

 

“Matilda, that’s not possible, how could you-” Miss Honey started to say, but stopped as she realized what she was saying. How could you tell a girl who could move objects with her mind what was and wasn’t possible? 

 

“I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over.” A male voice said. Matilda turned to stare at him and then back to Miss Honey.

 

“C’mon, Matilda, say goodnight and let Jenny get some rest.” Mrs. Rodgers said, getting up from her chair. 

 

No! Not yet! A feeling of panic was rising in her. “Can’t I stay here with my mom?” 

 

“Don’t you want to have a sleepover with Hortensia? I’m sure the two of you can get into all sorts of fun trouble together.” Mrs Rodgers said. 

 

Matilda shook her head and looked at the nurse with pleading eyes.

 

“You’re allowed one family member to stay, but that’s up to your mom.” he said. Matilda felt Jenny take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. 

 

“She can stay if she likes.” Jenny said, before giving her a warm smile. “Thank you.” she whispered in Matilda’s ear before kissing her forehead. “I didn’t really want to be alone.”

 

“I know.” 

 

…………………………………………….

 

Jenny was both astonished and slightly disturbed at the knowledge that Matilda had developed the ability to peek inside her mind. Well, it’s a damn good thing I don’t have a sex drive, Jenny thought to herself. She could feel her face begin to burn at the “what if,” scenario that teased her mind. Her near constant isolation from the adult world had really been a blessing in disguise. The last thing she needed to do was get “turned on” and have Matilda start asking questions about a new sensation she didn’t understand. Well, that would make two of them. 

 

She glanced at Matilda, asleep on the couch, and smiled. She was covered in a thin hospital blanket and appeared to be dead to the world. Matilda had slept through almost every time a nurse had stopped in to check her vitals, only raising her head for the briefest second when Jenny had been helped out of bed and led to the restroom. Poor thing must have been exhausted if she could stay asleep through all the beeping and commotion of the surrounding room. 

 

“Hello, Miss Jennifer, how are you feeling?’ she opened her eyes to find the nurse from before standing over her and, Jenny gulped, two uniformed police officers. What? Why? Was this about her having Matilda? Her eyes shot back to the girl as she tried her best to swallow her panic. I haven’t done anything wrong.

 

“The pain medicine is wearing off.” she answered truthfully. She tried to give the nurse her full attention, but her eyes kept  wearily shooting to the officers. 

 

“I’ll have them bring you something else for the pain, but in the meantime, these officers would like to speak to you regarding your living situation.” Jenny felt her heart drop. No! She wouldn’t let them take her! 

 

“Hello, Jennifer, is it?” Miss Honey slowly nodded her head, eyes wide in panic. “My name is Anthony Jameson, and this is my partner, Rebecca Hastings. We have a few questions for you, we were hoping you wouldn’t mind answering for us.” Miss Honey cringed a bit. His voice was loud and carried in the quiet hospital room. She put her fingers to her lips and pointed at the covered lump on the couch. “Ah, sorry,” He said, before lowering his voice. “We received a call tonight regarding a possible domestic abuse situation, and we’re just here doing a wellness check.” Hiss Honey stared at him for a moment in confusion. Domestic abuse? She wasn’t even, or had ever, been in a relationship. 

 

“N-no?” Jenny answered. If this wasn’t about them taking Matilda, then what was it about? “I’m a bit confused, sorry.”

 

“It’s okay. There was some concern raised over the marks on your body. We were called to make sure that you and your child were in a safe situation and offer some assistance if needed.”

 

“O-oh, oh no,” Jenny said in a relieved sigh, “Those aren’t from a partner.” 

 

“Yes, the caller said something about a family member, your aunt? Or your boss?” Miss Honey’s face fell. 

 

“N-no, those, those are from my childhood.” She stuttered out. “I-ts nothing, just an accident.” 

 

“Don’t lie.” Jenny heard coming from the side. She paled as Matilda sat up. “That’s no accident! The Trunchbull did that to you!”

 

“Matilda, please.” Jenny said in a panic. She turned back to the officers. “Everything’s fine, really, it’s from a long time ago and-”

 

“Ma’m, is this person still in your life?”

 

“Well, yes, she’s my boss at the school, but like I said, it was a long time ago.” Jenny said, her voice rising with panic with every syllable. 

 

Jenny could see the female officer scowl. “You’re not talking about Agatha Trunchbull from that school over on Churchill street, are you?” 

 

“Umm, y-yes.”

 

“We’ve had multiple reports and complaints about her over the years and-”

 

“Then why hasn’t anyone done anything?!” Matilda nearly shouted. Everyone turned to look at her. “She terrorizes everyone! She hurts the kids, throws people out of windows! I saw her throw a girl over the fence by her hair, and she’s stolen all of Jenny’s money!” Jenny could see tears running down Matilda’s face. “All the adults are cowards! Why won’t anyone do anything?”

 

Jenny could see the female officer's shoulders slump. “We get reports, but when it’s time to press charges, we think she gets to them first. Either bribes or threatens them to stay silent. It’s not as easy as it sounds, unfortunately, facing the ones who hurt us.” The officer met Jenny’s eyes and nodded in understanding, but that seemed to make Matilda even more furious. 

 

“That’s what I mean, though!” Matilda said, “Everyone is so scared to face her, so they do nothing! And that’s why it keeps happening! Again and again! She knows she can get away with it! If even one person had stopped thinking about themselves and stood up, then maybe the person after would have been spared!” 

 

The female officer gently placed a hand on Matilda’s head. “You’re a very smart little girl.”

 

“Which brings us to our visit.” The other officer said. He produced a piece of paper and a pen and set it on the tray in front of Jenny. “We need your help, please give us your statement. It starts with one person.” 

 

Miss Honey let out a choked sob. “I-I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t!” 

 

……………………………………………………….

 

Matilda sank into the couch in stunned silence. Why? Why? Why? Why? She felt like she had just been punched in the gut. The adults are cowards. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. 

 

They were Hortensia’s words, and she had been silently fighting against them for days. Miss Honey was different! Miss Honey would protect them. Miss Honey loved her. Miss Honey was…Miss Honey was…just like the rest of them.

 

No! No! No! No!

 

“Please,” the male officer said, sliding his card on the table. ”Think about it and call us if you change your mind.”

 

Jennifer said nothing. 

 

“Hey,” Matilda heard. She looked up and saw the female officer looking down at her. “Don’t be hard on your mom. It’s not easy, you understand?” Matilda could feel the terror and helplessness coming from Jenny, but it was held back with her own rage, frustration, and, hurt? There was a deep ache inside of Matilda. She didn’t want to give it a name, because if she did, she would have to face the fact that Jenny, her Jenny, was making her feel…betrayed. Silent tears streamed down her face. “You’ll understand when you’re older.” 

 

You know it's more complicated than that. Life wasn't a story where everything always worked out in the end. There was no hero to swoop in to save the day. Reality wasn't a book where everyone got a happy ending, and good triumphed over evil. It was time to face the facts; she had been living in a fantasy world. Why had she assumed a woman as beaten down and broken as Jenny could somehow face all her fears just for her? Matilda was angry, not at Jenny really, but at herself. When had she lost touch with reality?

 

Matilda sat silently on the couch and watched the officers go. Once the room had emptied, and it was just the two of them alone again, Matilda felt the full force of Miss Honey's emotions. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room. It hurt to breathe. Matilda looked down at her hands and found them trembling. She looked up at the woman who sat on the bed with her head in her arms on the tray, sobbing. Matilda couldn't stay mad, Jenny was filled with enough self loathing for the both of them. Matilda climbed back up onto her bed, squeezing in between the tray and Jenny.

 

"I'm sorry, Matilda, I'm so sorry!" Miss Honey choked out. "How did I ever think I could be someone you could rely on?"

 

"It doesn't change anything." Matilda said. She was relieved to find it felt true. "I still love you," she said, before adding, "mom." Matilda blinked in surprise. Mom? Miss Honey hadn't looked up, but she could tell she had stopped crying.

 

"Why now? When I feel like the furthest thing from it." Matilda herself was trying to understand it. 

 

Why now of all times did it suddenly feel natural?

 

"Because I think before, it felt too much like a fairy tale. Like I would wake up one day and find myself back with the Wormwoods. You were perfect, and everything I had ever wanted, and I think I knew deep down it wasn't real. I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time as a human."

"This is the real me, Matilda. A selfish, lowly coward."

 

Matilda put her arms around Jenny and rested her head in the crook of her neck and shoulder. "I still choose you, mom."

 

She felt a pair of arms slowly wrap around her. There, in the seemingly endless darkness and turmoil, she could feel the tiniest spark of hope ignite, like a lighthouse that had stood empty for years had finally been lit, signaling the way home. Matilda didn't know who was the lighthouse and who was the ship lost at sea, but she could feel the storm ever so slowly begin to ebb away, and for now, that was all that mattered.

 

"I love you so much, Matilda."

 

"I love you too, mom."

 

And as Matilda drifted to sleep in her favorite place of all, a thought crept into her mind. She smiled mischievously in the dark. Spiders, huh? I wonder how Miss Trunchbull feels about spiders.

[BabySofia]

I'm looking forward to Trunchbull getting her due soon! 

[Guilend]

Here I was hoping she ended up with wet pants and had to go home to change and that’s why she was late and instead she gets hurt from the spikes and ends up in the ER.  I definitely didn’t see that coming at all. I hope she gets well soon. 

[SashaButters]

I know this is a fetish board, but I really try and put more into my stories than that. 

[Guilend]

I knew what I was hoping for probably wouldn’t have happened. I didn’t expect her to get physically hurt over it. 

[SashaButters]

It had taken quite a bit of prying on Matilda’s part to get Jenny to tell her where exactly she had seen spiders in the apartment. At first Jenny had been reluctant to tell her and Matilda couldn’t understand why. She worried their link went both ways, and Jenny could feel the need for revenge seeping from her pores, but when Jenny admitted it was because she didn’t want Matilda to be afraid, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

 

“In the bathroom, behind the toilet.” She finally admitted. Now Matilda understood why Jenny didn’t want to tell her. There was something unnerving about needing to keep an eye out for creepy crawlies with your pants around your ankles. It was a good thing she wasn’t afraid of spiders; it was things that flew, Matilda couldn’t stand. Now, if Miss Honey had told her she had seen a wasp in the bathroom, she would also be peeing in the trashcan and levitating it to the toilet. 

 

“Are you sure they aren’t in the cupboard? They are called ‘cupboard spiders’ after all.” Hortensia said. They were both armed with flashlights and were searching the studio for spiders. They had come under the pretense of collecting Matilda’s things, since she would be staying at Hortensia’s until Jenny was released from the hospital, but they had finished packing ten minutes ago. 

 

“They're called False Widows, actually.” Matilda called from the bathroom. She had looked behind the toilet, but she hadn’t seen any. There were none in the shower, or any corner of the bathroom she could see. Hortensia had been on board with the idea of unleashing a horde of poisonous spiders on the Trunchbull in theory, but when it came time to actually searching, she seemed more than a little reluctant. She looked like she’d rather be anywhere than in the small confines of a room with a history of sending a grown adult to the hospital. 

 

“Well, I’m not seeing any.” Hortensia said, not a hint of disappointment in her voice. “Are you sure she even got bit here?”

 

“Have you looked under the bed?” Matilda picked up the bathmat and shook it out, followed by the towels hanging on the rack. Nothing. 

 

If I was a spider, where would I be? Somewhere dark…somewhere like… Matilda’s eyes rested on the cabinet sitting on the floor next to the sink. Somewhere like under there! She got down on her hands and knees and shone the flashlight into the small gap underneath. Her stomach rolled. She wasn’t afraid of spiders, they were useful and interesting, but ugh! She hadn’t expected to come face to face with one so large. 

 

“Hortensia! I need your help.” Matilda said, getting off the ground and making her way to the kitchen. She needed something to catch it in. She grabbed an empty water bottle off the counter before pulling out a knife. Matilda’s hands were too small to hold comfortably without risking injury, so made the blade levitate and begin sawing through the plastic. Once the top neck was removed, leaving a bit enough opening to rehome her new little friend, she turned to Hortensia. “I need you to pick up the cabinet in the bathroom, and I’ll catch whatever comes out.”

Hortensia did not look too keen on this idea. Her eyes darted in panic around the room. 

 

“Unless, of course, you’re afraid.” Matilda added, with a raise of her eyebrows. “I’m sure the other kids in my class would love to hear how the big, tough girl in top form needed a runt in the bottom to catch a itty bitty spider for her.” Matilda batted her eyelashes at her. 

 

“I’m not afraid.” Hortensia grumbled, sounding entirely unconvincing as she eyed the bathroom wearily. “I’m just wondering what you need me for? Why can’t you just use your powers?” 

 

“Because every hero needs a sidekick.” Matilda said with a grin. Hortensia scowled and muttered something under her breath before reluctantly following the smaller girl into the bathroom. “On the count of three.” Matilda instructed, before taking a deep breath herself. “One, two, three!” 

 

Hortensia lifted the cabinet as Matilda used her powers to pull anything and everything into the bottle. She waved her arm out and then back in like the lever on an arcade game as if she was trying to knock a prize down into a door, but instead of tickets, she managed to scoop up dust, cobwebs, a Q-tip, one fake fingernail, a cotton ball and finally two spiders. They were massive, hideous things with large butts and long legs. She placed a washcloth over the lid and tied it down with one of Jenny’s hair ties. 

 

“I’m done, you can put it back down.” Matilda said. Hortensia let the cupboard crash back down to the floor and let out an exaggerated sigh. They both stared at the contents of the bottle. One of the spiders was desperately trying to claw its way out to freedom, while the other seemed content to hang out with the cotton ball and other debris at the bottom. With that done, the girls grabbed Matilda’s things and headed out of the apartment, but not before Matilda muttered, “You’re not a sidekick to me.” 

 

………

 

Jenny flinched awake when she heard knocking on the hospital door, before a tall woman in heels wearing a business suit and a name tag which read Michelle Calver, L.S.W. strode in. A social worker? What was a social worker doing here? Was she here about Matilda? 

 

The woman introduced herself and pulled up a chair next to Miss Honey’s bed. Jennifer could feel her heart begin to pound with anticipation and unease. She took her pillow and hugged it to her chest.

 

“Do you have a moment to talk?” Michelle asked. Well, Jennifer couldn’t exactly say she was busy, could she? She nodded her head, gripping the pillow tighter. She felt so small, fragile, and powerless being in the hospital, and she hated it. Between the nightmares of her past and everyone passing her around to poke and prod, she no longer felt like the 23-year-old grown woman, but one of the wide-eyed and fearful children on their first day of school. Could she really even call herself an adult? What kind of adult didn’t even have enough money to have a bank account? And worse, what kind of adult needed to hide behind a pillow? 

 

Jennifer set the pillow aside and tried her best to straighten up and seem confident. As confident as someone who couldn’t make eye contact with anyone over 5 feet anyway.

 

“As I was saying, my name is Michelle, and I’ve been assigned to your case.” 

 

“My case?” 

 

“Yes, you’ve been flagged as a victim of abuse.”  Jenifer quickly changed her mind. She needed that pillow after all.

 

“O-oh, that. I-it was such a long time ago, really. It’s nothing to be concerned about.” Jennifer could tell the woman didn’t seem to believe her. She kept going on about getting her checked in with a local therapist. Jennifer had spent years not being able to afford to feed herself, how did anyone expect her to afford therapy? “T-that’s a bit out of my budget.” She admitted. 

 

“Oh, no! It wouldn’t cost you anything. There’s a fund for victims of abuse that would cover any costs.”

 

“Th-thank you, but there really is no need.” Jennifer said through a forced smile. The last thing she wanted to do was rip open the box she kept all these dark memories sealed within herself. 

 

“What do you do for a living, Jennifer?” Miss Honey blinked, taken off guard by the sudden change of subject. 

 

“I’m a year one primary teacher.”

 

“Oh,” Michelle said. “Do you like working with the little ones?”

 

Jennifer smiled for real this time. “Yes, very much. I find their energy and innocence endearing.” 

 

“I’d like to reverse the roles for a moment. I’d like you to take a test for me.” Michelle opened a manila envelope on her lap and slid a piece of paper towards Jennifer. “Don’t overthink the questions, just go with your first impulse, and this is very important, don’t lie.” 

 

Jennifer looked down at the test. It was thirty questions related to her mood and energy level, and she needed to answer them with a scaled number ranging from 0-5, zero being not at all and 5 being all the time. She picked up a pencil that had been on her tray and began.

 

In the last month have…

 

1. You often find yourself on guard and easily startled. 

2. You often have nightmares

3. Have feelings of excessive guilt or shame

 

Some questions seemed to describe her perfectly, and she had to give high scores, while others seemed to be as far off as possible. Questions like… 

 

18.  People often say you have a drinking problem.

19.  Do you frequently feel guilty or ashamed by how many you drinks you consume in a day?

20.  You feel your drinking is out of control. 

 

And some that were just a mix of yes and no. 

 

When she had finished, she slid the paper over without a word and sat awkwardly by as Michelle graded it. She examined her finger nails and the surrounded room and anywhere else that wasn’t at the stranger in front of her. She felt completely cornered sitting here in the bed with no escape. 

 

“Jennifer,” Michelle said, looking up from the test. Jennifer grimaced. She didn’t like the serious sounding way the lady had said her name. “It’s clear to me that you are not fine. According to this, your Post Traumatic Stress Disorder score is nearly at the top. You also have high levels of depression and anxiety. Jennifer remained silent. “What if a child in your class had visible injuries, and was clearly struggling with internal turmoil? Would you convince them not to seek help?”

 

Jennifer's head shot forward, and she met the woman’s eye’s for the first time. “No! Of course not! I would absolutely encourage them to seek help! I’d help them if I could!”

 

“So then, why is it okay for a child to seek help when they need it, but not you?” 

 

Jennifer stumbled over her words for a bit. “I’m not a child, though. I’m a grown adult and-”

 

“Age makes no difference. Do you think you’re supposed to have your life together just because you turned 18? You can’t possibly expect your self to go through trauma at a young age, or any age really, and expect you’ll be fine just because it's over. Adults need help all the time, and that’s fine. My whole career is based on helping people in your situation. This position wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t many people experiencing something similar. You’re not alone. ” 

 

“I-I suppose.” Jennifer mumbled. 

 

“I’ll tell you what, let’s do a little exercise tonight.” She brought out a few sheets of blank paper. “Tonight, when you’re alone. Write down your story; you don’t have to show anyone. You can rip it up and throw it away as soon as you’re done, but just focus on how you feel after getting it out, and if it makes you feel any better, maybe reconsider therapy.”

That was how Jennifer Honey spent her night. She was very hesitant at first, but she lifted the lid on the box ever so slowly, letting only the smallest and most insignificant details out as she channeled them through her fingers and onto the paper. It was small things at first, the frustrations of being treated like a servant, but the more she wrote, the more she allowed the darker memories to come forth. The physical and verbal abuse, the threats of her body being sold to the highest bidder, the chokey, her face getting shoved into urine soaked sheets, the constant shame, the hopelessness, the contract, the burns, her escape, and finally, the first glimmer of light she had seen in her life, the day Matilda had walked into her classroom. 

 

Jennifer stared in stunned silence when she realized she had nothing left to write on. She had filled all the pages front and back with her careful, tiny, neat penmanship. Had she really admitted to all of that? The lid was off Pandora’s box now, and yet, she wasn’t cowering in fear. Instead, she felt somewhat at peace as she looked at the pages scattered across the tray. She knew she was going to throw them away and shove everything back in the box, but before she did, she had a strange compulsion. It still felt slightly incomplete, so she signed her name at the bottom. There, it was finished! 

 

A wave of exhaustion took over, and she let herself close her eyes. Therapy, huh? Maybe, just maybe, she could…

[BabySofia]

Definitely a different take on this tale, but some realism here. Glad to see this continued and looking forward to more!

[Shotgun Diplomat]

I am hoping that by signing the bottom, those pages, along with some help from Matilda make their way to the proper authorites. 

[SashaButters]

Matilda had been transfixed watching her new “pets” in their cage. Hortensia had been more excited about planting them, than watching them crawl about. 

 

“This one’s Charlotte.” Matilda said, pointing to the less energetic one towards the bottom. It seemed content, cozying up on its new bed of cotton. “You know, like from Charlotte’s Web.” 

 

“You’re naming them?” Hortensia said with a shudder from her place on the bed, comic book held in hand in the air above her head. 

 

“Hmm, I don’t know any other famous spiders. What should we call this one?” 

 

“Peter Porker.” 

 

“Peter…Porker?” Matilda asked. “Like Parker from Spider-Man?” She knew a lot about literature, but comic books were in short supply in their little town's library, although she had read what little they had.

 

“Kind of, it’s a spin off. See?” Hortensia held up what she was reading. “Marvel Tales Starring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.” she read off. 

 

Matilda grinned. “Is that a pig?” 

 

“Yeah, see, it’s about a spider that gets bit by a radio active pig. Except, it will be the other way, we’ll be sending a spider to bite the pig.” 

 

“Perter Porker it is.” Matilda said with a chuckle. “Hear that, you’ve got an important job to do.” She said to the spider. “With great power comes great responsibility.” 

 

They went back and forth trying to figure out what to do with them. Should they go into her office or in her restroom? Hortensia wanted to use one for when the Trunchbull taught her class lessons, but they didn’t think they would live that long. They settled on tomorrow, when Matilda would go back to school. She’d put one on the inside handle of the water jug, during morning assembly, and use her powers to make it chase her around the stage in front of the school. No one would think anything supernatural about a spider floating around in the air, since it could swing on a web. 

 

“I don’t care if I’m suspended, I’m sneaking in to watch.” Hortensia said eagerly. “I’ll sit in the back.” She was so excited, she was practically squirming. “Hold that thought, I’ll be right back.” She got up from the bed, and bounded down the hall, only to return a few seconds later. “Ugh, moms been in there all weekend!”

 

“Been where?” Matilda asked while setting her pets back in her backpack.

 

“The bathroom!” Hortensia grumbled. “She even made me pee in the backyard this afternoon. Damn, country bumpkin.” 

 

Matilda gave her a sympathetic smile, “It was the sink for me when you were hogging it the other day. Your weird neighbor kept watching me in the backyard.” 

 

Hortensia scowled at the mention of him. “He left with his boat yesterday, thankfully.” 

 

“Are you really going to sneak in the school? If the Trunchbull catches you, she’ll put you in the Chokey, then you’ll wish you had a backyard to pee in.” Matilda said. 

 

“It doesn’t stop me.” Hortensia said with a mischievous grin. “I just pee on the floor.” Matilda’s jaw nearly dropped.

 

“You just go in your pants?” Matilda asked. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of doing it on purpose. On accident was bad enough.

 

“On the days she leaves you in there all day, it’s going to happen eventually. She does it on purpose, so you’ll squirm around and cut yourself up more. It’s miserable. I found out the hard way my first few times in there, I came out so scratched up and bloody, and I was even miserable for days after until they all healed. It’s not so bad if you don’t fight it, though. And it’s not like I go in my pants, why do you think I wear skirts to school? All I have to do is pull my underwear to the side.” 

 

That actually made sense, Matilda thought. Hortensia was much larger than she was, so if she tried to move around in there, she’d get scratched to bits. 

 

“Doesn’t she get mad though?” Matilda asked. “And wouldn’t it get all over your legs and shoes?” 

 

“Meh, it dries by the time she lets you out anyway. It’s better than the alternative, plus you get the bonus of making her office smell like piss.” Matilda chuckled at the thought. She had never thought of using that as a weapon.

 

“Ugh, could you imagine if one of us had been in there when we were sick?” Matilda asked. Just the thought of it made her stomach turn. 

 

“She wouldn’t be able to step foot in her office for like a week! Although, to be fair, I think I’ll just stick to throwing stink bombs underneath her desk. I pity the kid who’d have to get stuck in there after.” She got up again and went to her closet. “See, I wear the hard shoes, so I just wipe them and my legs off with a wet paper towel, but I guess in your case you could just wear a diaper.” 

 

“Eww, no, I’m not wearing a diaper to school.” Matilda said. “I hate having accidents, and doing it on purpose.” she scrunched up her face. “It rubs against your skin and makes it all raw. Show me how you do that thing with your skirt.” 

 

Hortensia scrunched her face up before sighing. “Fine, since it looks like I’m stuck going in the backyard anyway, come on.” She kicked off her shorts and picked up a school skirt off the floor.

 

Matilda was about to protest. She had only meant for her to go through the motions, but was Hortensia actually going to SHOW HER show her?  Matilda silently followed her outback. She’d probably just do the motions and tell her to go back inside, so she could squat. 

 

“I’m only going to do this once, got it?” Hortensia said, coming to a stop in the grass. Matilda nodded and watched. “Let’s say this space is The Chokey,” she took her foot and dragged it along marking the perimeter. You’ve got maybe a foot to spread your legs apart, more for you since you’re small.” She stood in position. “Then you just reach up your skirt or dress, pull the fabric aside and just…” 

 

Matilda’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Hortensia was actually… she was actually… peeing. How brazen! This girl had serious nerves of steel! Matilda wanted to look away out of politeness, but she was too transfixed and curious. It really wasn’t getting on her skirt at all as far as she could tell. She watched in stun silence as it trickled between her feet and into the grass. 

 

“Obviously, your shoes will get a bit wet with it bouncing off the concrete instead of the grass, but yeah.” Hortensia explained, once she had finished. 

 

“R-right.” Matilda muttered. 

 

“Now you do it.” Hortensia said stepping back on the concrete. 

 

“What!? Uh, no i’m fine!” Matilda said quickly. “I-I don’t have too.” she lied. She had been just as disappointed as Hortensia was to learn Eve was still in the bathroom. 

 

“You’re the one who wanted a demonstration, and now you have to try it.” Hortensia insisted. She was smirking down at Matilda, whose face was turning a shade darker with every passing second. 

 

“I didn’t mean to actually do it in front of me!” Matilda argued back.

 

“But you certainly weren’t opposed to watching.” Matilda felt a hand push her towards the grass. “Go on, do it already, you were squirming more than I was upstairs.” Matilda scowled. Was she really that obvious?

 

"Practice makes perfect, and what better place to practice than in the grass." Hortensia said.

"Umm, being alone?" Matilda said, walking towards the lawn. She stood in the grass, shifting from foot to foot. Her heart was hammering. She wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this was. Why was she even contemplating doing this? In front of someone no less! But the thought also gave her a little thrill, just like when she poured peroxide in her fathers' hair tonic. It felt a bit naughty  She locked eyes with Hortensia who was trying, quite poorly, to hide the large smirk on her face. Matilda gulped, and spread her feet apart.

 

"Not that wide, there isn't that much room." Hortensia said. "Yeah, like that." She said, once Matilda had brought her legs closer together. Matilda frowned, she was sure Hortensia's legs were more spread out than this. She looked down at the half foot she had to work with. The urge was growing too strong to keep procrastinating. She reached up underneath her dress and pulled her underwear to the side with a feeling of resignment. She knew she wasn't getting out of this. Matilda tried in vain to block out the fact that eyes were on her and gave in.

 

No! No! Why was it running down her leg? She could hear Hortensia beginning to snicker.

 

"Move your hips forward." She tried, but still no luck. Hortensia's laughter began to grow, until they both heard the patio door slide open.

 

"What are you girls up to?" a very tired looking Eve asked. Matilda jumped and released her underwear, while her legs and arms sprang back into position. Only, she couldn't stop peeing, no matter how tightly she tried to clamp down. Warm urine flooded her underwear and began to streak down both sides of her legs now. She tried to hide the look of panic on her face and appear nonchalant, hoping Eve wouldn't know what was happening.

 

"Nothing, Ma." Hortensia said, but she was nearly rolling on the concrete from laughing. Matilda couldn't hide the look of guilt that plagued her features. She could feel her face begin to burn and watched in horror as Eve's eyes went from her face, before slowly making their way down her legs.

 

"For heaven's sake, Matilda! Do I need to get more diapers for you? I'm getting sick of this, you had the whole backyard, and you still went in your pants! Every time I turn my back you've either pissed or shit yourself. I thought you were five!" Hortensia had stopped laughing now. She stared at her mom, a crease now present in her forehead.

 

"Jeez, Ma, layoff." Hortensia said, shooting a worried glance towards Matilda, who now instead of embarrassed, looked furious.

 

"Do you pull this kind of shit at school? Does Jenny have to stop class and wipe your bottom after every lesson!"

 

"Ma!" Hortensia yelled, now looking panicked. Cracks were beginning to form on the sliding glass door. Matilda's eyes were burning, not with tears, but with power.

"Honestly, you've been nothing but trouble since you got here. I don't know how Jenny puts up with you." She turned to go back in the house, but froze when she noticed the door. "What the hell happened to my door? 

 

"Ma! Get down!" Hortensia charged and knocked Eve down to the ground with Hortensia on top of her. "What the hell did you do that for, get off of m-"just then, the glass door exploded with a loud bang as shards of glass torpedoed inside and out. Matilda winced as shards of glass began to serrate her arms, legs and face. She felt one come dangerously close to her eye before she came to her senses and raised her arms to protect herself.

 

"I think someone's shooting at us! Get inside, both of you!" Matilda silently followed Eve and Hortensia, her accident now forgotten, and as tried to tiptoe around the glass on her bare feet. "Oh, I bet it's that creep from next door!" Matilda saw Hortensia turn around and put a finger to her lips.

 

"Yeah," Hortensia said. "That's why I told Matilda to pee around her underwear in case he was watching, but you came out and surprised her, so she let go. She didn't do it on purpose! Why'd you go and yell at her like that! Just because you're sick, doesn't mean you can take it out on us and-" Hortensia winced as she learned against the wall. "Oww, my back."

 

"Lift your shirt, let me see." Eve said, ignoring her speech. Matilda felt relieved Hortensia had stuck up for her, even if she had fudged the truth to get herself out of trouble too. Then there was the issue with the door. Matilda couldn't believe she had lost control of her powers like that! Eve could have died if Hortensia hadn't reacted in time. She was grateful Hortensia wasn't accusing her of trying to kill her mom. Despite the sharp incessant stinging pain all over her, she remained still and quiet, trying not to draw attention to herself despite dripping more blood than urine on the carpet. This was her punishment for losing control of her powers.

 

"You've got a nice size shard in your back, I'm calling the cops this time, this is the last straw! It's probably those kids with a BB gun again. What about you, Matilda, did any glass get yo-" Her words fell on her lips as she looked at Matilda for the first time.

 

"Sorry for making a mess." Matilda said through clenched teeth. She was trying as hard as she could not to cry, but the pain of the lacerations was making it too difficult. Once the first tear slid down her face and into an opened wound, any self-control she had was lost.

 

"Get in the car, girls. We're going to the emergency room."

 

..

 

Miss Honey sat in bed, squirming from restlessness. She felt much better now that they had given her various I.v. fluids, some kind of medicine, she couldn't remember which, and was eager to leave. She hated feeling confined against her will, and without a book to read or papers to grade she felt rather bored now. She inwardly groaned when there was a knock at the door. She was a private person, and for private people, hospitals were a special kind of hell.

Miss Honey did her best to give a welcoming smile, although she assumed it looked rather forced by now, as the day nurse popped in.

 

"Hello, Jennifer," she said. Miss Honey nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I was curious about something and wanted to run it by you, that girl who was in here before. Who is she to you?" Miss Honey frowned. Why did they want to know now? Was Matilda here trying to see her? Her heart leapt with excitement, despite Miss Honey telling her to stay at Hortensia's and not to worry about her.

 

"My daughter." Miss Honey answered. Not quite true, but she felt more like hers every day. "Why?"

 

"Can you verify her name for me real quick ma'am?"

 

"Matilda Wormwood." Miss Honey answered. They hadn't asked this of her last time Matilda had visited.

 

"I wasn't sure you were aware or not, but she's just been admitted downstairs in the emergency room."

[BabySofia]

Hopefully she's not too injured... I'm sure she'll heal soon enough though. Poor Miss Honey is completely going to be beside herself now though! 

[SashaButters]

Matilda could no longer hide the pain she was in, whether she felt she deserved it or not. There was broken glass in her arms, legs, face, and worst, bottoms of her feet. Quiet tears had been rolling down  her eyes in the car on the way to the hospital, but once she had tried to walk across the pavement barefoot, the glass she had stepped on in the kitchen made itself known, and she had left bloody footprints across the white tiled floor of the emergency room. Now staying quiet and suffering in silence had been impossible. Her skin felt as if it was on fire and the fear of the unknown began to take hold. She couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling getting any worse than this, but she had a feeling it could only get worse before it got better. 

 

Would they give kids pain medicine without parental consent?

 

Matilda tried to think of all the medical and first aid books she had read, but nothing had involved children. Hortensia's mom was up front explaining to triage her version of events. When she was called up front, she had refused to get up from her chair. Her feet were in no shape to walk on, so they had brought her a wheelchair to ride into the back. It looked like Hortensia had stepped in glass too, judging by the way she was limping along. The only person who had been spared was Eve, who had been wearing slippers and a bath robe at the time.

 

Once they had arrived in the back, after what felt like hours of waiting, Matilda had been led to one bed and Hortensia to another with Eve on her tail. Matilda wasn't sure whether it was to comfort her daughter, or keep her from causing problems, but being left alone weighed heavily on Matilda's shoulders, whether she had wanted Eve there or not. Not more than five minutes ago she wished Eve wasn't here, now that she had left, Matilda felt abandoned.

 

She hadn't been left alone very long though, when a hospital personnel had stepped inside. They asked lots of questions and Matilda tried her best to answer them through clenched teeth. She was in too much pain for small talk. Next they asked her to get undressed, but her arms hurt too much to lift. The nurse tried to pull Matilda's dress off, but when it came into contact with the first cut, she let out an involuntary scream. Eventually, they had to cut her clothes off and in the process revealed more cuts Matilda hadn't even been aware of, but once she laid eyes on them, they began to sting and burn as much as the others.

 

If the nurse noticed her clothes were wet, she hadn't said anything. Instead, she tried to cover Matilda with a paper gown, but even that had caused too much pain, so they opted to leave her naked, except for a folded towel they were able to set over her waist. There were so many people in and out, grabbing supplies and asking her questions, she could no longer keep track of who was who. 

 

It wasn’t until she could hear Hortensia begin to howl, swear and scream did Matilda feel true panic begin to set in. She knew she had to do this. Logic and sense told her she couldn’t live with glass inside her, but her flight or fight response told her to make a run for it, naked or not. In the end, logic won out, and she winced and shuddered as someone began to paint her body in orange colored disinfectant. 

 

“We might need to take you to surgery, dear.” the nurse said. Matilda shuddered at the thought, but the nurse went on. “Wouldn’t you rather be asleep while we dig all this out of you?” Yes. Yes she would. 

 

“Wha- ‘bout my fend?” Matilda tried to ask, only to discover she could hardly talk. The nurse shook her head. 

 

“Nah, she was nothing. She’s already done. All that crying you heard? That was just the numbing shot.” Matilda wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. “Something wrong with your mouth?”

 

“I wit my tong” Matilda said. She must have done it while gritting her teeth when they were applying the disinfectant. She could taste the iron in her mouth. Matilda let drool slide down her face, and wiped it away with the back of her hand. Her saliva was bright red.

 

“Open your mouth and stick out your tongue.” The nurse said. “Oh my, you sure did. I’m going to go find something for you to put in your mouth, so you can bite down if you need to. Once your tongue swells, you’re going to keep accidentally biting it. Does it hurt? I can give you some oral medicine if it does.” Matilda nodded with gratitude. 

 

She closed her eyes and listened to the surrounding noises. She could still hear Hortensia sniffling, the beeping of machines, someone a few rows over was moaning. Now someone else had come in, wanting an update. Another nurse, but this one looked slightly familiar. She had probably already been in here earlier, and they were starting to all look the same to Matilda. She closed her eyes again, trying to block everything out. 

 

Someone had begun fussing over her, but she kept her eyes shut. Her tongue had really begun to swell, and now she was drooling for real. She felt the nurse gently wipe the side of her face with a washcloth before stroking her head and running their fingers through Matilda’s hair. Whoever this was, they were much more gentle than the others. She was almost enjoying the sensation, as they hummed quietly by her ear. 

 

“Hello? Can I help you?” Matilda heard. Matilda cracked her eyes open briefly to find the nurse from before standing in front of the curtain. “Are you a relative?” There was only silence, but the nurse seemed satisfied. Matilda figured they had flashed their badge and Matilda went back to closing her eyes. Her body seemed to gravitate on its own towards the stranger's soft humming. She found it comforting in the surrounding chaos. 

 

“Now I know this is going to look silly, but it was the only thing I could think of. I had to go up to pediatrics to find something small enough to fit in your mouth. I’ve put some medicine on it to numb your mouth, so keep this in for a good ten-to fifteen minutes. Alright mom? Make sure she keeps it in her mouth.” Mom? Matilda thought confused. She tried craning her neck around, but couldn’t see behind her.

 

“I’m right here, Matilda.” Her heart leaped. It hadn’t been a nurse humming to her, it had been Miss Honey! She forced herself to turn around despite the pain, and saw Miss Honey sitting in a wheelchair by her side. 

 

Matilda made a sound that was supposed to be, “mom!” but sounded more like a wet sounding gurgle. Miss Honey smiled and wiped at Matilda’s face with the rag. 

 

“We’ll talk later, sweetie.” Miss Honey said softly, running her fingers through Matilda’s hair again. “Lay back down, the nurse has something for you.” Matilda reluctantly turned back around, but before she could even settle, something had been popped into her mouth. She scrunched up her face. It was slimy and covered in some kind of thick gel that tasted like medicine. She moved her hand up to pull it out and examine it, but was immediately stopped.

 

“Fifteen minutes.” The nurse reminded her. Matilda laid back down staring up at the ceiling, occasionally fiddling, biting, and rolling her tongue on whatever was in her mouth. After a few minutes, her mouth had gone numb. On one hand it was a relief, on the other it only made the drooling worse. It almost felt as if she had forgotten how to swallow and spit seemed to be running freely down both sides of her mouth. 

 

“I’ll be back soon, then you’ll be sedated and taken to surgery. We’re just waiting on the surgeon.” And then she was gone. 

 

“Are you scared?” Miss Honey asked. Matilda nodded her head. Her eyes began to fill with silent tears. “I know it’s scary, but it’s better this way. You don’t want to be awake while they try and fish out everything.” 

 

Matilda understood this, but it didn’t seem to stop the panic from rising inside her with each passing minute. She was going to town on the thing in her mouth, biting, sucking and moving the rubber ball of the gel applicator from one side to the other. It did little to calm her nerves, but it was something to occupy her mind with. Once she was sure 15 minutes were up, she pointed at her mouth. 

 

“If you want to, but you look cute sucking on it.” Miss Honey said with a small smile. Matilda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, before pulling it out and staring at it. Wait a minute, this wasn’t a medication applicator, this was a… Had she been sucking on this the whole time? This was a pacifier! Matilda dropped it and flinched away as if it was something poisonous. Miss Honey laughed. “It’s just a soother; It won’t hurt you. Besides, it’s not like anyone is going to see you.” 

 

“Jennifer? Is that you?” Matilda frowned. It was Eve. Was Hortensia with her? “Can we come in?”

 

“Yes, it’s me, but let me come to you. Matilda isn’t decent.” Matilda watched Jenny wheel herself out, before stopping and turning to her. “I’ll be back in a minute, dear, I promise.”  Matilda silently whimpered to herself and tried to close her eyes. Now that she was alone, she was feeling even more scared. Her hand fell on the pacifier. Soother, huh? She looked left and right before popping it back into her mouth and spinning it around with her tongue. That’s when she heard something she thought she’d never hear. Was that the sound of Miss Honey yelling?

 

“How could you say something like that to her!? Who cares if she has a few more accidents than normal? Do you have any idea what she’s been going through?” Matilda couldn’t hear what Eve was saying, but she had never heard Miss Honey sound so angry. “She is only five!” “Don’t give me that reverse psychology nonsense! She’ll grow out of it; it’s just a phase.”  “Then if that’s what she needs, she’s more than welcome to with me.” 

 

Matilda was startled to see Hortensia slip in behind the curtain and join her. “Hope you don’t mind if I join you, it’s a little, uh,” she pulled on her shirt collar before pointing behind her with her thumb. “Guess I shouldn’t have told Miss Honey what happened.” Matilda tried to shrug, but winced in pain instead. 

 

“It’s okay,” Matilda slurred, only just realizing what was in her mouth. She quickly pulled it out, her face beginning to turn bright red. Hortensia smirked, but Matilda could see how exhausted she looked. “It had pain medicine on it.” She tried to explain. Her mouth was still numb, and she had a feeling Hortensia couldn’t understand a word she said. “I bit my tongue.” 

 

“I didn’t see you sucking a pacifier.” Hortensia said, shrugging. “I heard you’re having surgery, you can suck on your toes for all I care.” Matilda smiled weakly, her eyes on the curtain. “Is all that orange where you have glass?” Matilda nodded. “Holy shi- dude, I didn’t realize it got you so bad.” 

 

“My fault.” Matilda mumbled. “I lost control.” 

 

Hortensia cocked her head to the side trying to process what she heard. “I don’t know what you said after, but it’s not your fault. I’m guessing they don’t really have a guide book for this sort of thing.” 

 

Matilda grunted and forced herself up onto her elbows despite the pain. “Plan B.” she said meeting Hortensia’s eyes. Only all that came out was a bit of babble and a trail of saliva. 

 

“Down! Get back down!” A voice said sharply, startling the two girls. Matilda’s arms gave up, and she crashed back onto the exam table with a loud thud. The nurse stood over her with her arms crossed, before shoving the pacifier from before into her mouth. Matilda wanted to pull it out, but her arms were still trembling from the effort of holding herself up. She heard a disapproving tisk, before she turned on Hortensia. Matilda couldn’t see, but she could imagine the large smirk on Hortensia’s face disintegrating from the look she was getting. 

 

“What on earth are those two fighting about?” The nurse asked. 

 

“Ah, well, my mom can be a bit of a jerk sometimes when she isn’t feeling well, and she sort of went off on Matilda for having another accident.” Hortensia explained. Matilda scowled, she didn’t like the way Hortensia had said, “another accident”. 

 

“Why on earth would that matter right now with everything that’s happened?” The nurse asked perplexed. 

 

“It’s, uh, complicated.” Hortensia said. The nurse stormed out to break up the fight, leaving the two girls alone again. “So you want me to just let the spiders go, or…?” Hortensia asked after a quiet pause. Matilda nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll find them a good home.” Matilda hoped she’d release Charlotte with her cotton ball, she seemed rather attached to it.  

 

They both heard the nurse yell something about needing to, “Take your daughter and leave,” and since Matilda was in no shape to go anywhere, they both assumed it meant Hortensia and her mom. 

 

“Looks like I gotta go. Good luck, squirt. Call me later.” Hortensia said before ducking out. 

 

“You didn’t hear all that, did you?” A quiet voice said by Matilda’s ear a few minutes later. Matilda felt relieved to have Miss Honey back beside her. “Hortensia told me what happened and…” Miss Honey said trailing off. “That was so unlike me, but I was just so angry I.” she stopped mid-sentence and sighed, before brushing Matilda’s hair again. 

 

The nurse came in again shaking her head. “Now that that’s all sorted out.” She looked down at Matilda and put on a smile. “This might help.” She raised the upper part of the bed, so Matilda was looking forward now instead of at the ceiling. Matilda looked over and was happy to be able to see Jenny sitting beside her. She instinctively reached for her hand and Jenny took it and gave a gentle squeeze. “Now the surgeon will be here any minute, do you need anything before we get started?” Matilda was thirsty, but she knew from reading she couldn’t eat or drink anything before anesthesia, or she’d risk choking on her own vomit, so she shook her head. 

 

“You don’t need to go potty at all?” Matilda inwardly flinched. She was used to the other kids in her class talking, and being talked to that way, but Miss Honey had never used that sort of language with her. Instead, she talked to her as if she was another adult, and Matilda appreciated it. She could normally shrug it off when an adult spoke that way to her, but now, it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. 

 

“No, I don’t need the restroom.” Matilda tried to say after pulling the soother out and silently cursing her still numb mouth. She felt Miss Honey gently squeeze her hand.

 

“How about you try, sweetie?” Jennifer asked. 

 

“I think that’s a good idea.” The nurse said. Matilda reluctantly nodded  her head and began trying to scoot towards the end of the bed, but stopped when the nurse said, “Woah, no, you stay put!” Matilda rested her head back on the pillow. Were they going to carry her or bring her a wheelchair? Either way, she was glad she wouldn’t have to walk, she could still hardly move. Her relief soon turned to puzzlement when she saw the nurse begin to put on latex gloves. “Since you are covered in open sores from head to foot, we can’t risk them getting infected, so,” she said, drawing out the last syllable as she pulled something down from inside a cabinet “you are going to do your business here.” Matilda blinked. Was she joking? She looked to Miss Honey, who squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

 

“It’s alright, just do what she says.” 

 

“I’m going to lift up your legs and slide this under you, okay?” Before Matilda could protest, she felt her lower half go airborne. She let out a startled cry before being set back down on something hard and plastic. She sat there feeling a bit stunned for a moment, before taking a peek at what was underneath her. It was a plastic, pink bowl of some kind.  “Go on and try and go potty, might be a bit before you get another chance.”  

 

Matilda could feel heat rush to her face. She could feel everyone staring at her expectantly. “I-I can’t.” Matilda stuttered out. 

 

“Just try, dear. It’s okay if you can’t, but we just want you to try.” The nurse said. 

 

Matilda inwardly sighed and tried to focus on something-anything else. Just as she thought maybe something might come out, the nurse asked. “Any luck?” Making Matilda’s body shut down tight again. Matilda was going to tell her no, but she found her throat, in a panic, refused to utter a sound. 

 

“She’s shy.” Miss Honey said, after the nurse looked in the bowl to find nothing. 

 

“Then how about I step out and round up the papers you’ll need to sign. We’ll give her until I get back.” Matilda felt a wave of relief once the nurse had left. She couldn’t go under that much pressure. 

 

“Should I leave too?” Miss Honey asked. Matilda thought it over before shaking her head. “It’s hard, I know. They made me do the same, yesterday.” 

 

“Could you?” Matilda asked. 

 

“Not until I thought it was about to come out my eyeballs.” Miss Honey admitted. “The nurses are very busy, and they can’t always come right away. I don’t want you waiting ‘til the last minute only for no one to come in time. I don’t think you’d feel very happy then.” Matilda shook her head. She felt her heart sink. “I’m not saying this to scare you, but you’re a very logic based person. I trust you’ll make the right decision if you know all the facts.”

 

“I’m not choosing not to,” Matilda said, “This just feels weird, and I can’t. My butts going numb.” Miss Honey chuckled softly. 

 

“Try closing your eyes, and here-” Miss Honey said. Matilda scowled when she felt the soother get put back in her mouth. “Don’t think about what it is and just suck.” Matilda sighed and closed her eyes. “That’s it, just relax.” She felt Miss Honey’s hand begin combing back her hair. It felt nice, despite the peculiar situation. “Now on the count of three, really try, alright. One, two, three!”

 

Matilda jumped and let out an involuntary yelp, before squealing. “Hey, mom! No, that’s cheating!” She cried, “Stop!” She let out another squeal of laughter and tried to move away from Miss Honey’s fingers, which had attacked under her arms at the count of three, but there was no way to escape. 

 

“Not ‘til you go.” Miss Honey said with a cackle. 

 

“I thought you were nice!” Matilda cried, who as a last resort to make the tickling stop, began to push. To Matilda’s horror, instead of urine, all she had managed to do was produce a loud creaking noise that echoed in the empty pan. Miss Honey stopped tickling her and looked down at her before the two of them began to laugh even harder, despite Matilda’s glowing red face of embarrassment. 

 

“I can’t say I’ve ever tickled someone until they passed gas.” Miss Honey said. 

 

Matilda groaned, face hidden behind her palms. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” 

 

“Uh-huh, and I suppose that time last week in bed wasn’t supposed to happen either?” Miss Honey asked. Matilda groaned again as Miss Honey chuckled. “Alright, let's settle down before we get in trouble.” 

 

“Alright, I’ve got the paperwork all ready here. Are you feeling alright, Matilda? Your face is looking flushed.” The two giggled again as the nurse looked on, an amused and puzzled expression on her face. “Did I miss something?” 

 

“No!” Matilda got out before Miss Honey could answer.

 

“Well, I hope you’ve been doing more than just giggling over here.” The nurse spread Matilda’s legs open and made a disapproving tisk sound. 

 

“She really did try.” Miss Honey said. 

 

“She went a little, but not very much.” Matilda felt overjoyed when she had been set back down on the bed. 

 

“Do you think, maybe,” Miss Honey started to say before making eye contact with Matilda. She could see her mouth the word “diaper”. 

 

“The problem are these.” She pointed to several cuts along Matilda’s upper thighs a few inches away from her groin. “They need to be uncovered and examined by the surgeon. Since she’s prone to accidents, I can make note of it in her chart, if anything they might put a pad under her. Has she always had this problem?”

 

“No, I don’t think so. I think it started when she came to live with me.” 

 

“Ahh, okay. Sometimes young kids can regress a little with a big change. It’s normal. I had a young son who started acting out and wetting the bed when his father and I got divorced, but he came around eventually.” Matilda wanted to sink into the floor, but the nurse seemed to sense the topic's effect on her and gave her a warm smile. “You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, alright? These things happen, and sometimes the only cure is time.” 

 

*

 

Miss Honey watched anxiously as Matilda was wheeled out of the room towards surgery. She had promised to be there when Matilda woke up, but was startled when she felt someone pushing her back to her room. 

 

“But my daughter,” Miss Honey started to say,

 

“Arrangements have been made for her to be brought to your room once she’s out of surgery. The doctor decided to release you tonight, so she can have the room. You're welcome to wait on the couch once you’ve signed the release papers.” 

 

“Oh good!” Miss Honey said, relieved. She had been dreading the thought of being separated for the night, as all the rooms only held one bed. Now she could stay with Matilda. “How long do you think they’ll keep her here?” 

 

“It depends, they need to check and make sure no glass got near any vital organs, and they’ll probably give her some antibiotics and fluid just in case.  If all goes well, she’ll most likely be released tomorrow.” 

 

Miss Honey breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad.” The relief was short-lived once she was wheeled into her room. It was a mess. It looked like things from her tray had been violently knocked over and scattered across the floor. Miss Honey stared, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She jumped from the wheelchair, despite the nurse's objections and began searching the floor, the bedsheets, the tray, but it was gone. The letter she had written to herself detailing her aunts abuse; the letter she had never meant anyone to ever see was gone. But who would have taken it? Her stomach tightened into knots as she sat on the edge of the bed.

 

“Was someone in here while I was downstairs?” Miss Honey asked. 

 

“I’m not sure, I’ll have to go ask over at the nurse's station.” Miss Honey raised her head as another voice came from the doorway.

 

“Oh, Jennifer! There you are! Your aunt came by to see you, but I told her you were downstairs with your daughter and to come back later.”

[BabySofia]

Unfortunately I'm guessing the Trunchbull is the culprit... This remaking of this tale is quite the adaptation! I liked the pacifier scene, and I have a feeling some protection is going to start being used again when she's out of surgery. Poor Matilda... 

[SashaButters]

When Matilda slowly opened her eyes, she was no longer behind the curtain in the emergency room, but in a hospital bed in a dimly lit room. She tried to lift her arms to rub her eyes, but found she couldn’t. She looked down at herself and tried to blink her vision into focus, until she could make out the many bandages wrapped around herself making her limbs feel heavy. It took her a minute to remember why she was in this state. She vaguely recalled blowing up a glass door. 

 

With great effort, she slowly turned her head around the room, fighting against the fog that wanted to pull her back down. Matilda was surprised to find, sitting on the couch, was a young thin woman with brunette hair with her face resting in her open hands. Matilda was embarrassed at how long it took her to remember why her school teacher was here. Whatever they had given her must have been powerful stuff. She couldn’t recall ever being this out of it before, even when she was sick.

 

“Mom,” Matilda croaked, her throat dry and raspy. Miss Honey looked up and smiled, but even in this state Matilda could tell the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She couldn’t however, feel her like she normally could. 

 

“Hi sweetie,” Miss Honey said, getting to her feet, before moving to the plastic chair by the bed. “How are you feeling?” 

 

“My throat hurts.” Matilda said, confused. As far as she could tell, they hadn’t operated on her throat. 

 

“You had a breathing tube, that’s why.” She poured a cup of water from the pink pitcher on the tray and tried handing it to Matilda. “Dr. said it might feel a little raw for a day or two.”

 

"I can't move."

 

“You’re a bit bandaged up, aren’t you? You look a bit like a mummy.” Miss Honey said. “Here, try drinking some water.” She held the cup up to Matilda’s lips, who took small sips. “That’s it, there you go.” She set the cup down on the tray. They sat in silence for a bit before Miss Honey asked “Are you hungry at all?” 

 

“No.” Matilda said. Her stomach felt a little funny from the drugs. “Feel strange.” she mumbled.

 

“I want you to try eating something, you haven’t eaten since before you were admitted. It will help you get your strength back.” She could hear Miss Honey opening something. “It’s nothing heavy, it’s just Jello. Might feel good on your throat.” She watched numbly as Miss Honey scooped up a piece of orange Jello with a plastic spoon, and with her other hand hovering underneath, carefully brought it up to Matilda’s mouth. “Go on, open up.” Matilda reluctantly opened her mouth. It felt strange being spoon-fed. Matilda was surprised at how much effort it took to swallow and not let it fall out of her mouth, but it was cold and did feel good on her throat. “That’s a good girl. Just a few more bites, and I’ll let you rest.” 

 

Matilda nodded and let Jenny feed her the rest of the Jello. She could hardly keep her eyes open when she had finished. 

 

“Get some rest, dear. I’ll be right here with you.” 

 

*

 

When Matilda awoke, she was relieved to find her mind was much clearer than it had been, although her body felt like she had been in a car accident. Her limbs still felt heavy and sluggish and her throat seemed to ache even more than earlier. She looked to her right to find Jenny asleep on the couch mumbling something as she often talked in her sleep. It must be late, Matilda thought, or early, she couldn’t tell, it was dark outside and still somewhat dark in her room, but the light on in the hallway was enough to see by. 

 

There was one thing Matilda was certain of though, she really had to pee. She moved the only parts she could move pain free, her feet, and winced as she reached for the remote by her side. She had overheard them telling Jenny they would have her up and walking today. Maybe they could start now? She hit the call button as she had been instructed to if she needed something and waited. And waited. And waited. Matilda frowned. Perhaps she hadn’t pressed it hard enough? She pressed it again, but still nothing happened. She had seen Jenny press it before, but  someone had always answered right away. 

 

Matilda scowled and wiggled her feet again. She’d have to wait until someone came to check on her. If last night was any indication, they checked on her quite frequently. It was hard to sleep when someone kept waking you up every couple hours. Matilda closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but found it impossible. She sighed and looked over at Jenny, who was still fast asleep. She hated to wake her up, but she knew she was playing with fire. It had only been fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours. 

 

“Jenny,” Matilda croaked, before remembering. “Mom.”  There was no answer. “Mom.” She said a little louder. She winced at the pain in her throat. 

 

“Hmm?” Jennifer mumbled. Matilda wasn’t sure if she was still asleep or not.

 

“I need the bathroom.” Matilda said. She watched Miss Honey roll onto her side. 

 

“Go in the sandbox.” came the mumbled reply. The sandbox? What was she, a cat? She would have found it amusing if she didn’t feel like she was about to combust. Matilda often had fun having conversations with Miss Honey only she could remember and had often woken Jenny with the sound of her giggling. She didn’t have time for it now though. 

 

“Mom, please wake up.” Nothing. She pressed the call button again. Nothing. Matilda ground her teeth together. Wiggling her toes wasn’t helping, and she couldn’t get her voice loud enough to wake Jenny. 

 

The speakers above her began to crackle. “We have a code blue in room 204. I repeat a code blue in room 204.” There was a loud commotion outside as she heard shoes running across the linoleum. She glanced over at Jenny dumbstruck. How could she have slept through all that?  

 

“Mooom,” Matilda groaned. She sighed in defeat. She didn’t want to do it, but she didn’t have a choice. She was about to do what Jenny had warned her about downstairs if she couldn’t wake her up. Matilda checked one last time to see if anyone was coming before she focused her eyes on the water jug. It shook and jostled, making Matilda groan, before slowly rising in the air and making its way towards its victim. 

 

“Sorry about this.” she mumbled before ever so slowly tipping its contents over Jenny’s face. She awoke with a start, and sprang to a sitting position, wide-eyed and hair dripping wet. Matilda let the jug fall noisily to the floor next to her. She wiped the water out of her face with her hand and stared around the room in a daze. 

 

“Good morning.” Matilda said with a guilty smile, before her expression fell back into one of misery. She groaned and clenched with all the strength she had as a wave of desperation took hold. All Matilda could do was clench her closed fists by her sides and will herself not to leak. 

 

“Matilda, what’s the matter?” Jenny asked. “Are you in pain?” 

 

“I have to pee.” Matilda moaned.

 

“Honey, why did you wait this long? You could have paged someone to help you.”

 

“I’ve been trying!” Matilda croaked. “No one is answering, and then I couldn’t wake you up to get someone and-” She winced as she tried to wiggle her body.

 

“Let me see,” Miss Honey said, standing up and grabbing the remote. If this was going to be an instance of showing someone something didn’t work, only to have it work perfectly fine, Matilda would scream. Miss Honey pressed the button, waited a few moments and frowned.  “That’s strange. Hello? Is anyone there?” she asked into the mic. 

 

“Could you get someone?” Matilda asked. She’d be holding herself if her arms weren’t bound. She was breathing hard now from the effort of holding it in and starting to panic. 

 

“I’m sorry, of course, dear.” She left the room, only to return a few seconds later. “There’s no one out there.” 

 

“There was a code blue.” Matilda said with a whimper. “Everyone ran down the hall.”

 

“Oh dear, I hope they’ll be alright.” Miss Honey said, before letting her eyes fall on Matilda. “I’m sorry, sweetie, you’ll have to wait.” 

 

Tears stung Matilda’s eyes. “I can’t.” She admitted. Her core was aching and straining from the effort. She knew she wouldn’t last. 

 

“Well, let me check something, hopefully they were prepared for this scenario.” Miss Honey said, before lifting Matilda’s blanket up. She could see Miss Honey’s face fall. “They said they would at least have mats, but there’s nothing.“ 

 

“Could you carry me?” Matilda asked, hopefully.

 

Miss Honey shook her head. “You’re still hooked up to the I.v.” 

 

Matilda gritted her teeth. She had no choice but to ask Miss Honey to do that for her. “Could you give me one of those things from last night?” she mumbled. She felt her face flush. She hated to admit she would have preferred a diaper to asking Miss Honey to do this. 

 

Jenny stared at her blankly for a moment. “What thing? Ohh, one of those. Well, I don’t suppose they’d mind me helping with that. Let’s see if I can find one.” She went into the bathroom for a few seconds and rummaged around for a bit, opened and closed a closet of blankets, before turning towards the sink. “Here it is!” Miss Honey exclaimed triumphantly after checking under the sink. She held up the cursed object. Matilda looked away in embarrassment. 

 

 “I’m glad you thought of this. It completely slipped my mind.” She paused after seeing the look on Matilda’s face. “It’s alright dear, there’s no need to be embarrassed, they wouldn’t have let you up anyway.”

 

 “But you're doing it.” Matilda mumbled.     

 

“Don’t you worry about that. I’m going to lift your legs and slide it under you, okay?”  Matilda nodded and braced herself. “There, you’re all set. I’ll give you a minute to-oh.”  Matilda hung her head, face glowing. There was no reason for Jenny to give her a minute to do anything. Her body hadn’t even given her a moment to step away. As soon as she had felt the hard plastic underneath her, her brain must have given the all clear. Liquid trickled noisily into the basin, magnified by the fact she couldn’t close her legs from all the bandages. There was no need for Miss Honey to ask if she’d had any luck. 

 

As if it couldn’t get any worse, the nurse had chosen that moment to walk in. Matilda inwardly moaned. She only had to wait a few more minutes, and she wouldn’t have had to ask Jenny at all. The nurse walked in, looked as if she was about to stay something and stopped. She looked around the room puzzled for the source of the sound, before coming over to investigate. 

 

   The nurse came to stand next to Miss Honey, who had quickly backed away as if in fear of being scolded for interfering with their patient, and took a peek. 

 

“Oh good, finally.” she said, sounding relieved. “We were concerned when you told us you hadn’t gone since yesterday afternoon and refused throughout the night. Are you done?” Matilda nodded. “Actually, I’m going to press on your tummy a bit, see if we can’t get anymore to come out. Some people can have trouble completely emptying after being put under.” Matilda winced a little as the nurse pressed around under her belly button, before her eyes widened in surprise as the trickling resumed for a few more seconds before stopping for a final time. “See?” Matilda blushed as she felt herself get wiped before being lifted and set back down on the bed. 

 

 “Mom, If you notice any trouble with leaking, try gently pressing on her lower stomach while she’s still on the toilet. It might take a few days for her innards to fully wake up.” 

 

“Well, we haven’t talked about what we are going to do, yet. Things have been challenging in her life and there’s been some minor issues as a result. I’m somewhat considering keeping her in pull-ups for the time being, at least until things calm down. I think it will take some stress off her.” 

Matilda’s head shot up. What? No, she wasn’t! She was fine! She didn’t need diapers during the day! Their eyes met and Matilda gave her a pleading look. “We’ll talk about it later.” Miss Honey said. 

 

“Hmm, let’s go outside for a chat.” the nurse said, putting the still full bedpan on the counter by the sink. Matilda wrinkled her nose. “The lab wants a urine sample.” Matilda shrugged. She didn’t want it. 

 

“I’ll be back in a minute, sweetie, try and get some rest. I need to make a few phone calls as well. Hopefully someone can bring us some clothes.” Miss Honey said, who was also still in a hospital gown despite being discharged, before slipping out the door. 

 

Matilda bit her fingernails anxiously as she waited for Miss Honey to return. Now that needing to pee no longer took full priority of her mind, she could feel the sensation of dread in the pit of her stomach she was sure was coming from Miss Honey. Matilda wondered what was wrong. Anxiety seemed to be a constant state for Jenny, but this felt different. It was as if she knew this was the end of the line, and she was just trying to hide it, but the end of the line for what, Matilda didn’t know. She’d ask when she got back, Matilda thought as she closed her eyes. She was tired now.

 

Just when Matilda thought she would fall asleep, she heard footsteps in her room. Matilda silently growled. They weren’t Jenny’s timid footsteps, but heavy, loud thumps. Now what did they want from her? She kept her eyes closed. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, they’d leave her alone. She heard the tray over her bed get roughly pulled away and moved. Matilda strained to listen, but there was nothing. Had they left? No, Matilda was sure they were still there. She could feel a presence looming over her. She waited with held breath and listened for their departure, but she heard nothing. Something felt off. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Hoping it was just her imagination she opened her eyes. 

 

There, standing over her, mere inches from her face, was the Trunchbull, and she looked furious. Then her face twisted into a smile, revealing a set of rotting yellow teeth.  

 

“Good morning, Miss Wormwood.” She sneered in a sing songy voice. Matilda gulped, eyes darting everywhere. The Trunchbull’s eyes narrowed. “And what do we say when someone says good morning to you?” 

 

“G-good m-morning,” Matilda sputtered out. She could handle the Trunchbull in school without stuttering and shaking, but this felt different. Now she was trapped, unable to move, and at her mercy. She had no time to prepare herself, and now that she was alone and face to face with the beast, she felt all the courage she had gained plotting her downfall with Hortensia immediately disparate. 

 

“Good morning, WHAT?” The Trunchbull yelled in her face. 

 

“Good morning, Miss T-Trunchbull.” Matilda said. Her heart was racing out of her chest. She inched her hand down towards the remote and pressed the call button rapidly, only to remember it didn’t work. 

 

“Now, ask me why I’m here.” The woman whispered.

 

“W-why are you here, Miss Trunchbull?” 

 

“To pay you and Miss Honey a visit of course,” she said, fake smile plastered on her face. “Isn’t that nice of me? I came all the way here, on a very busy school day, to see why, even though I have it on good authority Miss Honey had been released last night, I still find my year one class without a teacher. What puzzles me even more was a message I received on the school's answering machine yesterday afternoon. Do you know what that message was?” 

 

“N-no, Miss Trunchbull.” Matilda croaked. 

 

“It was Miss Honey of all people. Quiet, obedient, Miss Honey, telling me she wouldn’t be able to teach class for a few more days. So of course I called her back to tell her I had better see her no good lazy ass back in class this morning, after all, she had her sick day on Friday. A day I did not give her permission to take mind you, and do you know what she said to me?”

 

“No, Miss Trunchbull.” Matilda said. 

 

“That’s right, she told me, ‘no’.” Matilda could see the glint in the Trunchbull’s eyes growing more and more dangerous. “Sweet, cowardly Miss Honey told me, ‘no’. So, naturally, I had to come right away and see what the problem was. She must be on death's door, I thought. So imagine my surprise, when I come up and find an empty room. So while I was waiting for an explanation from her, a nurse comes in and tells me Miss Honey isn’t here. Miss Honey is downstairs with her DAUGHTER.” She screamed the last part in Matilda’s face, before straightening back up. “There must be some mistake I thought, Miss Honey doesn’t have a daughter. Imagine my surprise when they tell me, ‘Yes, she is downstairs with MATILDA WORMWOOD, who was about to go in for surgery.’ ” Now the Trunchbull was looking livid and purple in the face. “Miss Honey is neglecting her duties for a single disgusting little worm like you!? I couldn’t imagine what in the world had gotten into that air headed, dim witted woman, AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND?” She waved the crumbled pieces of paper wildly in front of Matilda’s face. Matilda took the papers and uncrumpled them. She recognized Jenny’s handwriting. “Read it!” The Trunchbull hissed. 

 

Matilda began to read and as she did, she could feel pieces of her heart begin to break. How could one person withstand so much abuse? She could feel tears begin to form in her eyes until the pages in front of her were just a blur. Once she had gotten to the part about a broom she had to stop and look away. She didn’t want to know! 

 

“I said READ IT!” The Trunchbull screamed. 

 

Matilda choked back a sob and continued. The woman was crazy! How could she have done this to Jenny?! Matilda felt sick to her stomach with rage and hatred. The power behind her eyes was beginning to burn. 

 

“I sat there thinking all night, how can I teach Miss Honey a lesson? I thought, I know, I’ll throw her in the Chokey, but no, I’ve already done that when she told me she wanted to adopt you, and you know what? She went behind my back and did it anyway! This woman’s started to forget just what I’m capable of. I need something good. I need to teach her a lesson she’ll never forget! I need to put the fear of me back into her! Then the answer clicked. It was staring me in the face all along. The answer is you.” The grotesque smile came back. “I’m going to do to you every little thing Miss Honey wrote about in that letter, until you beg for death. That will teach Miss Honey not to open her mouth about things that should have stayed silent.” 

 

Matilda could feel her blood boiling. Images of Jenny being chained to a wall filled her mind. She wanted to fight back, but there was nothing she could fight with except… She stared at the bed pan sitting on the counter and willed it to rise. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had. She watched it soar into the air before coming closer and closer as the Trunchbull rambled on. It was directly over her head, when the Trunchbull forcefully grabbed Matilda by the chin.

 

“PAY ATTENTION WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU!” The Trunchbull screamed. Matilda forced her eyes up, until ever so slowly, the pink pan began to tip, spilling its contents right onto the Trunchbull’s head, before falling to the floor. The Trunchbull let out a gasp and spun around to see who else was in the room, but there was no one there.  She stared down at the floor, yellow droplets of liquid falling to the white linoleum, then to the pink pan until very slowly, realization dawned of just what had been dumped on her. 

“You!” She growled, lunging for Matilda and wrapping her hands around her throat. “I knew it was you who threw that newt in the cup at me, just like I know it was you who put those spiders in my car! You’ve been nothing but trouble since the day you showed up! If Miss Honey wants you so badly she can pick up your body at the morgue!” 

 

Matilda gasped as she felt the Trunchbull’s hands beginning to squeeze. She weakly fought with all her might. She couldn’t breathe! This was it, she was about to become another victim of the Trunchbull. No one was coming to save her. The world around her was starting to go black. She could vaguely make out a white figure in the doorway. Was that an angel, coming to collect her soul? The figure in the doorway lunged, letting out a primal scream Matilda had never heard before.

 

“LET GO OF HER!” There was a loud crash. The Trunchbull let go of Matilda’s throat and began to stagger. Another crash. Between Matilda’s gasps and coughs for breath she caught sight of the figure. It wasn’t an angel coming for her. It was Miss Honey, and she was… Matilda couldn’t believe it. She had the foldable chair from the hall in her hands and was smashing it across the Trunchbull’s head. The Trunchbull was running for the door, but came to stop. Several security guards were blocking her exit, but she barreled through them as if they were nothing. 

 

“Matilda!” Miss Honey cried coming towards her, but Matilda’s vision was already fading to black. She reached her hand out.

 

“Mommy.” Matilda mumbled before fading into unconsciousness. 

 

 

 

 

[WBDaddy]

Well that escalated quickly! 

[BabySofia]

I had kind of hoped for a rewrite of the school scene she was chased out, but I suspect this might take care of her…

[SashaButters]

15 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

I had kind of hoped for a rewrite of the school scene she was chased out, but I suspect this might take care of her…

It's not quite over yet, but I did want to take it in a different direction than a remake of the school scene

[BabySofia]

28 minutes ago, SashaButters said:

It's not quite over yet, but I did want to take it in a different direction than a remake of the school scene

I'm just really glad you came back to this after your long break! I admire that a lot!!!! (I know that is NOT easy to do!) ?

[SashaButters]

27 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

I'm just really glad you came back to this after your long break! I admire that a lot!!!! (I know that is NOT easy to do!) ?

Thanks ^^ I felt like working on something cute. I just have a tendency to umm... go off in my own direction ?

[SashaButters]

The first thing that came to her was the sound of an alarm beeping. She could feel pressure around her throat. Massive hands were strangling her. She tried to scoot away, but she couldn’t move. The hands were holding her head in place. Matilda tried to yell, but no sound would come out. Why couldn’t she scream? She couldn’t move, or make a sound. She tried to suck in a lung full of air, but the hands around her throat were restricting air flow!

 

Matilda let out a gasp of air and then another! Her eyes burst open, expecting to see the Trunchbull looming over her, but there was no one there. She could feel her heart pounding as she gasped for breath. The Trunchbull’s hands were around her throat, so then why couldn’t she see her? She tried to swing at the invisible threat, until a figure came into view.

 

“Hey! She’s awake!” 

 

Another figure emerged and held her down. No! Someone was helping her now? 

 

“Matilda! Matilda! You need to calm down!” A voice said. Calm down? How could she calm down? She was being strangled! She wouldn’t go quietly! “Matilda! Take a deep breath! You’re safe!” That voice! She knew that voice, but why? 

 

“What’s going on?” Someone knew and unfamiliar. 

 

“She’s woken up, but she’s panicking! She’s going to hurt herself even more!” 

 

“Matilda! Stop struggling, you’re going to pull out your I.V.” 

 

“What’s 297 times 1,294?” The familiar voice said. Matilda paused for a moment. Why would someone trying to hurt her suddenly start asking math questions? The answer was 384,318 but when she tried to answer, nothing but a painful whistling sound emerged. The question had made her pause just enough for her vision to focus. She took in the room. The Trunchbull wasn’t here, but instead one of the nurses from before and… Mrs. Rodgers? Why was she here? And if no one was strangling her, what was around her neck? 

 

Matilda’s hands slowly went up to her throat until they came into contact with something hard and plastic. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, before looking at the nurse and pointed. 

 

“A brace. You’ve been involved in a-” The nurse stopped as if unsure how to explain. “Situation.” Matilda wanted to pull it off, it was confining. She felt like an animal that had been put in a cone to keep from licking its stitches. Then a thought came to her. A new surge of panic. Where was Miss Honey? She couldn’t move her head to see to the left or right. Her eyes began to water before silent tears began to fall. Had the Trunchbull gotten her? 

 

“What is it? Are you in pain?” the nurse asked. All Matilda could do was make raspy whistling sounds that made her throat burn even more. “On a scale of 1 to 10 how do you rate your pain?” Matilda thought for a moment before holding up five fingers, but it didn’t matter to her right now. She had to think. She cursed herself for not knowing more than a few simple things, but tapped her thumb to her chin and spread out the rest of her fingers. Mrs. Rodgers looked at her blankly, but the nurse seemed to understand.

 

“Your mommy will be back soon. She had to go do something, but I’m sure she will hurry right back once she learns you're awake.” Matilda bit her lip. Was she safe? She sank back into her pillow and stared at the clock. It was 2:45 in the afternoon. Had Matilda been out all day? She was sure it was early in the morning when she had been…. She winced at the memory of hands around her throat. 

 

“Let’s get you something for the pain.” She watched the nurse leave before looking up at Mrs. Rodgers. 

 

“Sorry, it was me who sent her away. She hadn’t left your side since then, so I sent her home to get some sleep.” Mrs. Rodgers said before scowling. “She’ll never listen to me again once she learns she wasn’t here when you woke up. ” 

 

Matilda felt the panic ebb away slightly. The room was silent for some time before Mrs. Rodgers spoke again. “You know, in all the years I’ve known Jennifer, I’ve never known her to express emotion, not happiness, or anger. She’d engage in polite small talk if we bumped into each other in the hall, and that’s it. The woman’s been a complete mystery. All the children adore her, but the adults,” Mrs. Rodgers shrugged. “We’ve never been able to get more than a, ‘Hello, how do you do?’ or ‘Good morning’”.  

 

Matilda wondered where she was going with this. Did the other teachers not like Miss Honey? She couldn’t imagine anyone not liking Miss Honey.  

 

“So you can imagine my surprise one day when I run into her in the hall. She’s got her arms full of books and the biggest smile on her face i’d ever seen. I had to do a double take, was that really shy and reserved Jennifer I was seeing? It was such a peculiar sight, I had to stop and ask her about it. You should have seen the way her eyes lit up as she told me all about this extraordinary new student in her class. She talked so fast I could hardly keep track of what she was saying. It was like she had been dying to tell someone and couldn’t contain her excitement another moment. I was just so stunned she was talking at all. 

As the weeks went by, the other teachers started commenting on the change in her as well. It was small things at first. They’d ask, ‘What has Miss Honey in such a good mood lately?’ and, ‘Is it just me, or has Miss Honey been more talkative lately?’ I think my favorite was Mr. Trilby stumbling into the teacher’s lounge looking shell shocked with the pinkest ears I’ve ever seen. We asked him what happened, and he mumbled something about Miss Honey saying he looked cute in his new tie.”

 

Matilda smiled at the thought of Mr. Trilby getting flustered over a compliment. 

 

“Do you know who noticed the biggest change in her though?” Matilda gave her a puzzled look. “Oh I think you do.” Matilda winced. “Yes, Agatha Trunchbull.” Matilda remembered what the Trunchbull had said to her.

 

“Quiet and fearful Miss Honey told me ‘no’.” 

 

“From what I’ve seen and heard from the others, Jennifer had a tendency to, well, I’m trying to find the best way to explain this to you so you can understand. Do you know what ‘dissociate’ means? It’s okay if you don’t, I can’t imagine you would, let me find a simpler word an- Oh.” Mrs Rodgers stopped rambling once she noticed Matilda’s thumb in an upright position. “You know what that word means?” Matilda gave her another thumbs up. “Oh well, right, I shouldn’t be surprised. Jenny really wasn’t exaggerating about you. Let’s see, Jennifer had a habit of dissociating when the Trunchbull went on one of her rampages. She’d just mentally check out as the Trunchbull launched students from windows and picked them up by their ears. It was almost as if she wasn’t seeing it at all.” Mrs. Rodgers said, but then sighed and sat on the edge of Matilda’s bed.

 

“It’s not like the rest of us did much more to stop her, but I never understood how someone who liked the children so much could just stand there and let it happen. Now I understand.” Mrs. Rodger's face paled, and she shook her hands. Matilda had a sinking suspicion that she had learned of Jenny’s past in a similar manner, although she found it very unlikely Miss Honey had shown her what she had written.

 

 “So you can imagine the shock to the Trunchbull when the woman who would normally check out began raising a fuss. The thing you need to understand, Matilda, is that this resentment in the Trunchbull has been building for quite some time. She’s been watching her hold over Jennifer slipping bit by bit every day, and it’s causing a chain reaction.” 

 

“The other teachers have begun sticking up for their students as well, and you know what my   favorite part is?” Mrs Rodgers eyes flashed mischievously. “We’ve all started looking the other way when a certain friend of yours is up to no good. Some have started dropping hints about the Trunchbull’s daily schedule, what she’s afraid of, places in the school she never goes. Even Mr. Trilby has ‘accidentally’ let slip where the spare key to her office was.” Mrs. Rodgers laughed. “The girl thinks she’s being sneaky, but she’s about as subtle as a rhinoceros.”

 

Matilda scowled. All this time she had admired Hortensia for the way she could pick locks and sneak around without getting caught. Now here was Mrs. Rodgers telling her they had been giving Hortensia everything she needed to wreak havoc on a silver platter. Matilda smiled weakly. Despite feeling disillusioned with her hero, she wondered what she could be capable of if she knew the teachers were on her side. 

 

“The point I’m trying to make is that Miss Honey has begun to come out of her shell, and Miss Trunchbull has finally realized who is responsible for that.” Matilda furrowed her eyebrows and pointed at herself, a look of doubt in her eyes. “Yes, you. Miss Honey adores all her students, but she very much loves you. I think only love could have given her the courage to stand up to the Trunchbull and put an end to all this.” Matilda gave her a puzzled look. What did she mean by “put an end to this”? Mrs. Rodgers eyes sparkled again. “Matilda, she’s turned over the note to the police. She’s agreed to testify. ”

 

Matilda sat there feeling stunned. Just a few days ago she had been a whimpering, cowering mess at the mere thought of it, and now? Matilda’s heart swelled with pride. She was going to do what every other adult had been too afraid of. Her Jenny-No, her mom, was going to lead the charge to take down the Trunchbull. Matilda couldn’t hide the smile that spread over her face. Hortensia was wrong. Not all the adults were cowards. Miss Honey had literally attacked the Trunchbull with a chair to save her. Matilda would be dead if not for Miss Honey. 

 

A thought came to Matilda and she frowned. Why had the Trunchbull tried to kill her? It hadn’t made sense. Why attack her in the middle of the day in a hospital? It would be one thing if they were somewhere secluded and no one knew the Trunchbull had been there with her, but people had seen her here. She couldn’t possibly think she could strangle Matilda and just be able to walk out and no one would stop her. Had Matilda really made her so mad she acted without thinking? 

 

Her thoughts were interrupted at the sound of approaching footsteps. Matilda had hoped it would be Miss Honey, but was disappointed to see her nurse pushing a cart inside with different sized basins, washcloths and vials. 

 

“It’s time to get you cleaned up.” the nurse said. “I’ve also got some pain medicine for you.” She sat and watched Mrs. Rodgers stand up and stretch. 

 

“If you’re going to be with her for a bit, I think I’ll go down to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee.”  Matilda felt a wave of gratitude. She recognized one of the basins and didn’t feel like going through this dance again with an audience.  The nurse waited until Mrs. Rodgers had left before rounding on Matilda. 

 

“Let's start with your pain first. Are you still at a five?” Matilda held up 6 fingers now. Her throat was even rawer than before. She watched anxiously as the nurse began preparing a syringe, but relaxed when she explained it wasn’t shot. “It’s what the I.V. line is for.” Matilda watched fascinated as the nurse pushed the plunger, and in less than a minute the drug's effect started to take hold. She could feel her eyes glaze over as a sense of relaxation took hold. The room began to gently sway. This wasn’t so bad, Matilda thought. It almost made the I.V. line worth it, but she was suddenly feeling rather warm. There was another sensation as well, but it felt good, so she closed her eyes and let it happen. She didn’t even mind when the nurse told her she needed to take her blood. The problem came halfway through the blood draw when Matilda’s mind began to clear. The flushing had stopped along with the pleasant lightheadedness, and reality came crashing down when she realized she was sitting on something now very wet. 

 

She sat in stunned silence until tears began to slide down her face. She couldn’t believe she had just done that. 

“I’m almost done, see last tube. Just a few more seconds. There, all done, no more needle.” Matilda’s face began to burn. Oh geeze, the nurse thought she was crying because of the blood draw. “It’s all done, you can look up now.” Matilda let out an audible whimper and kept her head down. “Nothing scary left, I promise! All that’s left now is a nice towel bath and to go potty.” Matilda had begun to cry even harder at this. The nurse was confused until understanding dawned on her when she pulled back the blanket. 

 

“It’s okay, Matilda, see? You're laying on a disposable pad. I wasn’t expecting it to be dry. I hadn’t changed it since yesterday.”  Matilda looked down now feeling even more confused. Was it wet before, and she had only now just noticed it? Or had she peed herself while high? “Or are you so upset because you were awake when it happened?” She didn’t know! “Did it happen when I gave you the pain medicine?” Matilda slowly raised her thumb. “Nothing to get worked up over then. It’s a possible side effect, I’ll just give you something else next time.” 

 

Matilda blinked in surprise. She hadn’t thought of that. 

 

“Let me get this dirty one out from under you.” She turned Matilda onto her side, and replaced the pad with a fresh one. “There, see, no problem. Just let us know if you ever need a clean one. We don’t want you sitting on a yucky one all day.” When she turned Matilda back over, she found herself laying on top of hard plastic. “You still need to try going potty though.” Matilda sighed, resigned to her fate. At least no one was here for this part. 

 

After a demeaning amount of praise for emptying her bowels, she was very slowly wiped down with wet towels as she tried not to irritate the cuts and stitches all over her, and then finally helped into a clean hospital gown. Matilda tried to be polite and say thanks, but all that came out again was an unintelligible rasp. 

 

“Try not to talk. The doctor wants you to rest your throat. Your vocal cords have been injured, and they need rest.” Matilda wrapped her hands around the brace and imitated getting choked. The nurse nodded her head sadly. “Your mom was hoping you wouldn’t remember.” Matilda mimicked writing. “Oh, yes, I’ll get you some paper and a pen.” She left and quickly returned with a notepad and pen. 

 

 How long have I been unconscious? 

 

The nurse seemed suddenly taken aback. Her eyes went wide, and it seemed to take her a minute to compose herself. 

 

“Oh my, Matilda, you have such neat writing, and wow, unconscious, that’s a big word you know how to write.” She stared at the sentence for a moment, before snapping back to attention. “You’ve been in and out of it for two days.”  

 

What happened to the Trunchbull?

 

Matilda could see the nurse shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, but she didn’t drop her gaze.

 

“You know, let’s wait for your mom to come back, and she can answer any questions you have.” Matilda scowled, she knew that meant bad news. She picked up the pen and continued writing. 

 

Why does my throat hurt so much? 

 

“You had a small procedure yesterday, the Dr. went down your throat with a camera to make sure everything looked all right.”

 

An endoscopy? 

 

The nurse stared blankly, now at a loss for words. Matilda let out a silent exasperated sigh. If she wanted answers faster, she was really going to have to dumb herself down. Under normal circumstances, she would have found her reaction slightly amusing, but right now she felt impatient and in a slightly bad mood. She figured it came with being made to poop in a tray. 

 

“Yes, that’s right.” The nurse mumbled, “Did your moms friend tell you?”

 

No, I just like to read. Did they find anything wrong?

 

“That’s amazing, Matilda, you know most kids your age struggle to-” The nurse stopped as Matilda tapped her question with her pen impatiently. She really was in a bad mood. She didn’t want to be told she was amazing, she felt far from it. Matilda wanted answers, and mostly, she really just wanted Miss Honey. 

 

Sorry Matilda hurriedly scribbled. I don’t mean to be so petulant. 

 

“There was some contu- sorry bruising in the windpipe, and the muscles of your neck, but it’s nothing time won’t heal on its own. You’ll just be sore for a bit.” 

 

Matilda sat there and tried to process all the information she had learned today. So the Trunchbull was angry at Miss Honey’s weak protests to stop hurting them? If Matilda hadn’t known Miss Honey so well, she would hardly call, “Miss Trunchbull, please don’t throw children out the window,” sticking up for them or making a fuss. She supposed it was more than the other teachers had done, and if she was being realistic, given Miss Honey’s past, it took serious courage for her to even do that much. If that had upset the Trunchbull so much, she wondered how angry she was after getting hit in the head with a chair. 

 

“This might help you get more comfortable.” She heard Velcroed straps loosening around her, followed by the wonderful freeing sensation as the brace was removed from her neck. She nodded her thanks and closed her eyes.

 

It was nearly 6 pm when Matilda awoke to the sound of hurried footsteps coming into her room. She found herself clenching the bed rail in one hand and the call button, which thankfully now worked, in the other in anticipation. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, until a wide-eyed and out of breath face poked its head around the curtain. 

 

A large relieved grin spread across Matilda’s face. 

 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” Miss Honey panted. “I can’t believe I slept through the call. I woke up to a message on the answering machine and hurried over as fast as I could.”  Miss Honey managed to lower one of the guard rails of the bed and sat down next to her. Before she could object, Matilda had immediately scooted herself into Miss Honey’s lap and thrown her arms around her. It didn’t seem like Miss Honey was interested in scolding her for moving though. She had just as eagerly wrapped her own arms around Matilda and was now holding her tightly and rocking her back and forth. 

 

“Oh, I’m so relieved you’re alright.” Miss Honey whispered before kissing Matilda’s forehead. Matilda had so many questions, but right now they didn’t seem so important anymore. She knew this is what she wanted and needed more than anything. She rested her head on Jenny’s chest and listened to her hum. To Matilda at this moment, there was no sweeter or more beautiful music in the world. 

 

Once they had reluctantly separated, Matilda began to scribble down question after question. 

 

 “One at a time, dear.” Miss Honey said. Matilda pointed to the most significant one. Where was the Trunchbull? Miss Honey sighed. “Probably at home having supper.” Matilda blanched. No! Why? Why wasn’t she in jail where she belonged? Miss Honey could read the anger on her face. “I know, it’s not fair. The police say there’s nothing they can do right now, there were no witnesses.”  Matilda was outraged! She pointed at herself, then at Jenny. She was there! 

 

“I know, but the Trunchbull’s turned it around on me. She says she walked in on me choking you, and I hit her with a chair to keep her quiet.” 

 

That’s absurd! What about the security guards? 

 

“They only saw me attacking her with a chair, but don’t you worry. The police don’t buy her story for a minute, even the part about me being an unfit mother to you. Mrs. Rodgers was kind enough to come down to the station and give a character witness as well.”

 

Matilda sat there silently seething for a moment, before picking her pen back up and pointing to another question. 

 

If she wanted to separate us, why did she attack me? Why not just say you were unfit to begin with? 

 

Miss Honey sat there for a moment before speaking. “I’ve been wondering the same, honestly. She’s always been impulsive and angry, but she’s never done something so brazen as this.”

 

She made me read your letter. Did she really do all those things to you? 

 

Matilda could see the pain in Jenny’s face as her eyes began to tear up. “You were never supposed to read that. No one was. But yes,” Miss Honey said after a long pause, “It was true. My childhood was not a happy one.” Matilda had remembered her saying that before, but now that she knew just to what extent, her heart ached for her. Forget Matilda’s parents never paying attention to her, it was nothing in comparison. “I’ve decided though. Enough is enough! Someone has to be the first to come forward, so it might as well be me.”

 

Why now? What changed? You were so against the idea before.

 

Miss Honey smiled sadly before wrapping her arms around Matilda and whispered in her ear. “Because no one hurts my baby.” 

 

[BabySofia]

1 hour ago, SashaButters said:

Miss Honey smiled sadly before wrapping her arms around Matilda and whispered in her ear. “Because no one hurts my baby.” 

? ? 

[SashaButters]

“Oh, I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Miss Honey said, pulling along the same wagon Matilda, according to Hortensia, had claimed as her own. Matilda smiled, lying atop the many pillows to make it more comfy and spread out her arms. Riding in the wagon was much more fun when she wasn’t vomiting over the edge.

 

“We have to… face her eventually, and the more… you put off going back to work… the more trouble you’ll get into.” Matilda said through several pauses. Matilda was more than ready to be back in class, even if she had just gotten out of the hospital. The thought of spending another day in bed was enough to drive her mad. She missed her friends terribly, so much that she had even agreed to Jenny’s conditions.

 

No leaving the classroom unless accompanied by her.

No using her powers unless absolutely necessary to defend herself.

If anyone asked what happened to her, she had her tonsils removed.

She had no memory of the Trunchbull’s visit.

She’d be wearing a diaper.

 

Matilda had argued the last condition so much, Jenny had put her foot down.

 

“You’ll wear it, or you won’t go to school at all. That’s final.” Matilda had been so shocked she had quickly agreed and hadn’t brought it up again. “I’m sorry, Matilda, but you know I can’t stop and leave the class unattended to help you, and I don’t expect you to be able to hold it all day.”

 

Matilda didn’t like it, but she understood. Walking was still incredibly painful. Her body still felt like she had been involved in a serious car accident, and she didn’t possess the strength yet to pull herself on and off the toilets. Even the strain of walking while needing to go often led to her bladder voiding itself from the effort, so Jenny often carried her to the bathroom, set her on the toilet, and let her try and make her way back to bed on her own, although she stayed close to catch her if she fell.

 

The closer they got to school the more Miss Honey’s anxiety increased. Matilda could feel it building in the pit of her stomach, at least she thought it was coming from Miss Honey. The two of them had gone over their lines and roles all day yesterday. Jenny would have to pretend she “got the message” and slip back into her terrorized, subservient role no matter how much she hated what she saw or heard. The Trunchbull had to believe she was too terrified to lift a finger.

 

Matilda had found it fun giving Jenny ideas. Not only would they have to convince the Trunchbull Jenny was terrified, that was the easy part, she would also have to believe Jenny’s interest in Matilda was merely a hobby.

 

“I never adopted her” Jenny would say. “She stays with me during the week, so I can tutor her in the evenings, then she goes back home on the weekends. It’s only temporary, until her parents find her a proper tutor. I hear they're even looking into sending her to boarding school out of state.” And if the Trunchbull asked what Jenny got out of it, she’d shrug and say, “It’s not everyday I get the opportunity to work with a genius.” That was the plan. Jenny would have to pass Matilda off as some kind of freak of nature Jenny took interest in studying. As for hitting her with the chair, “I had to stop you somehow Headmistress, it was for your own good. Her parents are counting on her to make them loads of money in the future, everyone else might look the other way, but I hear they have connections with the Italian Mafia.”

 

“Matilda, there’s no way she’d buy that! The Italian Mafia? Really?” Miss Honey had said with a laugh.

 

“That part's actually true,” Matilda had said. “They have my dad make stolen cars untraceable for them, although I doubt they’d lift a finger, he’s in hot water with them last I checked.”

 

When they got to the school, Miss Honey turned around. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with Eve?” Matilda wrinkled her face. Matilda was still angry with her, and she knew Jenny was too. It was clearly a last ditch effort to keep Matilda away from the Trunchbull, but she couldn’t hide forever.

 

“I want… to go… to school.” Matilda said, ignoring the butterflies swarming around in her stomach.

 

They made their way in through the back of the building, the only way in with a ramp, and headed towards the year one classroom. They passed Hortensia on the way, peering inside the Trunchbull’s office.

 

“I hope you’re not up to anything already.” Miss Honey said making Hortensia jump.

 

“O-of course not.” Hortensia said, hiding her hands behind her back. She looked down, now noticing Matilda for the first time. “Hey! Your back!”

 

“So…are you…” Matilda wheezed.

 

“Geeze, what happened to your voice? You sound like a rubber chicken being held under the faucet.”

 

“Tonsils.” Matilda mumbled. She hated lying to her friends, but she couldn’t risk the plan.

 

“You’re a walking train wreck.” Hortensia said with a shake of her head. Matilda shrugged. It was true, it seemed to be one thing after another lately.

 

“We’re going to the classroom, you can come along if you’d like.” Miss Honey said. Matilda could sense she was eager to get away from the Headmistresses door. Hortensia gave one last look at the office before following along.

 

“What did you do…with the spiders?” Matilda asked. She had a feeling she knew exactly what Hortensia had done with them, if the Trunchbull was to be believed. The wicked smile that began to spread across Hortensia’s face told Matilda all she needed to.

 

“I’m not even going to ask.” Miss Honey said. She dug in her coat pocket for her keys, before unlocking her classroom door, but when she opened it, she stopped. Miss Honey let out a loud sigh. Matilda couldn’t see from behind Jenny’s legs, but when she was finally dragged in she saw what had upset her. Everything colorful had been ripped from the walls. Where children’s artwork had once hung, there was now only tape residue. All the bright and smiling decorations were gone, and the animal stickers had been peeled off, leaving the room gutted and a depressing shade of brown like the rest of the school.

 

Matilda felt a wave of anger. She knew how hard Jenny had worked to make her classroom look inviting and friendly as possible, despite the lack of money. She had even made most of the paper crafts herself, and now to see Jenny’s hard work sitting ripped to shreds in the waste paper basket enraged her.

 

“It’s not the end of the world, Matilda. Don’t even think about it.” Miss Honey said. “Rule number two, remember.” Hortensia looked from Miss Honey to Matilda before finally asking.

 

“What’s rule number two?”

 

“No powers.” Matilda mumbled. “If I wanted to… come back to school… I have to follow…mom’s rules.”

 

“You know I love it when you call me the ‘M word’, but remember where we are Matilda, it’s more important now than ever.”

 

“Yes, Miss Honey.” Matilda said, trying to hide her smile. She had been out of school for too long, and now calling her Miss Honey felt strange after calling her ‘mom’ and on some occasions ‘mommy.’

 

“Hortensia, would you mind taking this to the dumpster? I don’t want the other kids to see.” Miss Honey said, pointing down to the trashcan.

 

“Sure,” Hortensia said, picking it up with one hand. “Oh.” She began pulling pieces of a picture out and setting it on the desk. “Look.” Matilda was too low to the ground to see, but Miss Honey bent over the desk to examine it. Matilda could see a pained smile on her face and wondered what it was.

 

“I’ll think I’ll keep these and tape it back up.”

 

“What is it?” Matilda asked.

 

“It’s a Get Well Soon card the kids made me.” Miss Honey said, continuing to stare at the pieces. Matilda balled her hands into fists. She was going to have a hard time following rule number two.

 

When the bell rang and kids slowly began to trickle in, shouts of excitement filled the room at Miss Honey’s return. Almost everyone wanted to give her a hug and ask her how she was feeling. Matilda smiled from the back of the classroom and watched as she stretched out in the wagon. Sitting up for long periods was still too taxing. She wanted to be in her desk by Lavender, but she knew she’d be too exhausted and in pain by the end of the hour. So she had opted for a corner in the back with her backpack and a chair, so she could prop up her books to read.

 

“Miss Honey.” Lavender said from her desk once the commotion of their teacher's return had died down. “Do you know if Matilda’s coming back at all?”

 

“Look behind you,” Miss Honey said. Lavender spun eyeing all the faces in all the other desks, before turning around and giving Miss Honey, what Matilda could only assume, was a look of puzzlement. “A little lower.” Miss Honey said with a smile, “No, not on the floor, a bit higher. Keep looking. Getting warmer. Warmer. No, colder. Warmer aannnnnd bingo!” Matilda grinned and waved from her spot in the corner until Lavender’s eyes met hers.

“Matilda! Where have you been?” Lavender said, springing from her seat and charging to the back taking Matilda completely by surprise and squeezing her in a bear hug.

 

“Oww oww oww.” Matilda said.

 

“Ohh, Lavender, do be careful! She’s not quite up to par yet!” Miss Honey called. Lavender quickly released her and looked her up and down.

 

“What happened to you? You’re all green and purple!”

 

“I crashed… my bike…into a rosebush.” Matilda lied. Lavender frowned looking even more concerned.

 

“What happened to your voice?”

 

“I had to…get…my tonsils removed.” Matilda croaked. Her throat was starting to burn from talking so much. She met Miss Honey’s eyes, who mimicked drinking from a glass. Matilda pulled the thermos out of her backpack and took a few sips.

 

“Lavender, you can catch up later, please return to your seat.”

 

“But why is she back here by herself, Miss Honey?” Lavender asked.

 

“Because I don’t think Matilda wants to be eye level with everyone’s bottoms.” Miss Honey answered, creating explicit giggles from the room.

 

“But what if we pulled her desk out, then she could sit in front and see fine.” Matilda shrugged as Miss Honey looked at her questioningly.

 

“If Matilda’s okay with that, then it’s fine with me.” Miss Honey said. Before Matilda could answer, Lavender had already picked up the handle and began pulling the wagon forward. After a quick re-arranging of desks, Matilda found herself directly in the front, with Lavender behind her whispering about what she had missed. Miss Honey gave her an apologetic smile, but Matilda didn’t mind, although it would make discretion a bit more challenging. “There’s no getting in trouble now, Matilda. Not with you right under my nose.” Miss Honey said playfully. She pointed to her eyes with two fingers, then at Matilda. “I’m watching you.” Matilda chuckled along with the class.

 

Matilda found it difficult, probably for the first time in her life, to find the motivation to crack open one of her books. She wanted to just sit and watch Miss Honey in her element. She seemed happier than she had all week, now that she was back with her class. Suddenly, Matilda felt a pang of something she wasn’t quite familiar with. She was certain it was an emotion, and she was certain it was one of her own, but she couldn’t quite place it. She must have sat there for quite some time spacing out, because the next thing she knew the class was giggling, and Miss Honey was waving a hand in front of her face.

 

“Matilda, are you sure you’re up for this?” Miss Honey asked, squatting down to be eye level with her. “You haven’t even opened a book yet.”

 

“Yes! Sorry, mo-Miss Honey.... I just got lost in thought… for a moment. I’m fine, really.” Matilda said, before reaching into her bag and pulling out her math workbook.

 

“Well, if it ever gets to be too much, I can always have Mrs. Rodgers take you to lie down in her office.” Miss Honey whispered. “Or you can close your eyes here for a bit, although I’m not sure how much rest you’d get up front in all the commotion.” Matilda smiled.

 

“I think… if I stayed back there….I’d feel left out.” Matilda said, surprised at how true the words sounded to her.

 

“Well, alright, but keep drinking water, you sound terrible.”

 

It hadn’t taken long for Matilda to forget her surrounding completely once she got into her studies. Her quest for knowledge seemed to outweigh her desire to participate and by the time she looked up, nearly three hours had passed. That was the nice thing about independent studies, if she wanted to focus on one subject, she could spend all day on it if she wanted to. She looked over the pages she had completed, surprised she had gone through a full week of lessons without stopping. While she was reaching over and swapping out subjects, she realized she had to pee.

 

Oh, c’mon! She thought, feeling a bit sullen. If she could wait just two and a half more hours until lunch, Miss Honey would be free to take her to the restroom, as was their agreed upon terms, so Matilda could try and go number two to avoid having to use the diaper. Her classmate Nigel had once pooped his pants and the classroom had smelled horrid all day. Miss Honey had promised her she wouldn’t make her do that, and she’d call Mrs. Rodgers to take her to the restroom if need be. Matilda wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Mrs. Rodgers standing nearby while Matilda tried to poop, but it certainly beat the alternative.

 

Matilda tried to busy herself with other subjects, but she just couldn’t commit all her attention to her work in this state. She tried changing positions, and wiggling her feet, but with limited room to squirm about the urge just kept building more and more rapidly. Matilda couldn’t keep the glare off her face as, one by one, hands began to raise and ask to be excused. When she was about to switch positions for the tenth time, her eyes met Miss Honey’s, and she stopped. Miss Honey seemed to be able to read her like an open book now, and while still speaking to the class, tapped the side of her waist with her index finger a few times.

 

Matilda scowled and looked away. The hand sign had been meant for her, Miss Honey was telling her to use the diaper. Matilda looked up at the clock and sighed. They still had an hour and a half left. She caught Miss Honey waving her finger at her in a “no-no” gesture before pointing at her waist again, all while reciting the three times tables. Matilda kept holding it for another ten minutes, before getting a stern glare from Jenny she hadn’t expected. Matilda gulped and sat still as Miss Honey passed, casually dropping a piece of paper in Matilda’s lap. She opened the crumbled note and sighed in defeat.

 

A Deal’s a Deal

 

Resigned to her fate, Matilda hoisted her book bag onto her lap and pretended to dig through it, using it as a cover to hide the deep blush that was creeping up her face. At least it wasn’t like using a bed pan with someone standing over her waiting for her to go, she thought, until she saw Miss Honey eyeing her. Sort of.

 

Ok, you can do this, she thought to herself. Don’t think about all your closest friends sitting mere inches away from you. She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes, clutching her book back to her chest for support. She fought against the panicked feeling building in her chest as her crotch began to grow warm. It’s not an accident if you do it on purpose. Her heart was beginning to beat faster and faster. She could hear a faint hiss. She clutched the bag even tighter and prayed no one else could hear it either. Miss Honey’s voice was coming closer as she asked the class what 8 times 3 was.

 

Oh no! Matilda realized. The power was building behind her eyes. The burning was beginning to become too much. Her panic was feeding the power. She had to break rule two, or her eyes would melt! She quickly opened her eyes and met Miss Honey’s worried expression. Instead of panicking, Miss Honey reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny rubber ball. She bounced it in front of Matilda, who focused and kept the rhythm going for as long as it took, until her bodily urges, both in her eyes and in her bladder, seemed to be satisfied.

 

Miss Honey bent down and scooped up the ball, before putting it back in her pocket and giving Matilda’s head a reassuring pat before carrying on with the lesson as if nothing had happened.

 

“What was that about?” Lavender whispered in her ear. Matilda just shook her head, now exhausted and closed her eyes.

 

Matilda didn’t open her eyes again until Miss Honey had dismissed them all for lunch.

 

“Oh, you want me to pull you while I run?” Lavender asked her. Matilda was about to say no, but Miss Honey beat her too it.

 

“Sorry, Lavender, but I have to take Matilda to the nurses' office for her medicine, but you two can catch up in the cafeteria after.”

 

“Sorry,” Matilda mumbled as Miss Honey pulled her into Mrs. Rodger's office.

 

“It’s alright, dear, you’re just going to have to learn not to get so worked up next time.” Matilda didn’t want there to be a next time. “I’m just trying to figure out what makes it so uncontrollable. Is it anger? Embarrassment? Any strong emotion? Does it have to be negative?”

 

Matilda wasn’t really sure herself. She sat lost in thought as Miss Honey rolled her into the single bathroom unit in the nurse's office. “Lift your dress, and I’ll get you out of that.” Matilda lifted it above her waist as Miss Honey examined things below. “These are much better than the ones we had at home.” Matilda preferred the ones she could pull on and off herself, but now that she didn’t have much mobility or independence, there wasn’t much of a need. Miss Honey ripped the tabs off and pulled it out from under her. “Are you ready?” Matilda nodded, and Miss Honey lifted her up and set her on the toilet. “Was it really that bad?” Miss Honey asked from the other side of the bathroom to give Matilda some space.

 

“I was scared kids could hear.” Matilda admitted.

 

“Well, maybe you could try and not make it so obvious next time.” Miss Honey said with a grin. “You don’t even need to stop what you're working on.” Matilda let out an audible groan before flushing the toilet. “Done?” Matilda nodded before being scooped up. “You’re braver than I am. When I was your age I was terrified the toilet would suck me down with it.” Miss Honey admitted. “I was so scared I wouldn’t flush, until my aunt-” Miss Honey stopped after realizing what she was saying. “Never mind.”

 

“You can say… if you want.” Matilda said.

 

“No, it’s not very nice. Some things shouldn’t be repeated.” Matilda wanted to ask her if she had given therapy another chance, but her throat was too raw, so she just nodded and stayed silent. “Let’s finish getting you settled, then we can go to the cafeteria for lunch. Lavender is probably thinking I stole you.” Once they had exited the bathroom, Miss Honey laid Matilda down on her back on a cot and pulled the curtain around them.

 

“Did you…have to…deal with this…in the hospital?” Matilda asked, holding her dress out of the way so Jenny could finish.

 

“I think I would have made a run for it if I had, truth be told.” Miss Honey admitted, before seeing the look on Matilda’s face and adding, “You’re just a child, it’s different. You may be mentally years beyond your classmates, but your body isn’t. You haven’t gone through puberty, yet, be thankful for that.” Matilda grimaced as the cold wipes made contact with her skin.

 

“It still… feels weird.” Matilda said.

 

“Would you prefer Mrs. Rodger’s help you instead? Would it make it easier on you? She is a medical professional.”

 

“No!” Matilda answered a bit too quickly. She had been on the receiving end of this sort of thing by four different people now, and Miss Honey was, by far, the gentlest. The others were certainly faster and more sure of themselves, but Matilda didn’t care much for being man handled and flipped around. The rough treatment left her feeling stunned and a tad bit violated. “You’re better…at it. I just wish…I could…hold it better…”

 

Miss Honey smiled as she taped up a fresh diaper and offered Matilda a hand to help her sit up. “You expect too much of yourself, dear.” She saw the look of doubt on Matilda’s face. “When we get back to class, pick a kid, any kid and pay attention to how often they ask to be excused. You’re perfectly fine the way you are.”

 

“You said…in the hospital…you were going to…put me in pull-ups…to prevent…accidents…”

 

“Matilda,” Miss Honey said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “It’s not those kinds of accidents I’m worried about. It’s the more supernatural kind that concerns me. You got seriously hurt because someone reacted poorly to kids just being kids. The idea is to prevent something like that from happening again. I swear, if the other children blew things up with their mind too when they had an accident, I’d make pull-ups a requirement for the whole class!” Matilda giggled. “There’s nothing wrong with you, sweetheart. I’m just trying to make things as easy for you as possible right now, okay?”

 

Matilda nodded her head. “Could…I…” She swallowed and winced. She had really over done it talking today.

 

“What is it?”

“Have a… hug?” Matilda finished, suddenly feeling shy. Miss Honey smiled. “Of course you can. Are you having a rough day?” Matilda nodded. She was in pain and feeling exhausted already. She frowned when Miss Honey wrapped a single arm around her and let go. “Not a…Miss Honey…hug.” Jennifer frowned.

 

“What do you mean? Not a hug from me?” She asked feeling slightly puzzled.

 

“Not a…Miss…Honey hug.” Matilda repeated, trying to get the words out through the pain. “I want a…” Matilda blushed and looked away.

 

“What? Tell me what you want, dear.” Miss Honey asked sitting next to her on the cot.

 

“I want…a hug…from…mommy.” Matilda whispered, face now glowing red. Miss Honey sighed.

 

“You know we’re at school, dear.” Miss Honey whispered, “You know I enjoy all our mommy/ daughter time just as much, if not more, but it has to wait until we get home. I have to be Miss Honey now. You know that.”

 

Matilda nodded, she did understand, but she couldn’t stop her shoulders from slumping. She had grown accustomed to getting to snuggle whenever she wanted this week, but now that they were back in school, Matilda was finding it difficult to have her so close, but so far. Matilda was suddenly struck by a realization, and It made her cringe. The feeling that she couldn’t place from earlier. It had been jealousy. She was jealous of having to share Miss Honey with the rest of the class!

 

“Ugh!” Matilda moaned, hiding her face in her hands. “What’s wrong…with me?”

 

“Hey, Jen, is that you back there?” Mrs. Rodger's voice called out.

 

“Yes! We’ll be right out in a minute!” Miss Honey called back.

 

“Take your time, I just wanted to let you know She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named called out again. Said she had another headache, in case you were worried about running into her today.”

 

Both Matilda and Miss Honey sighed in relief. Miss Honey bit her lip before eyeing Matilda.

 

“Just for a minute, okay?” Matilda nodded, before Miss Honey picked her up and set her in her lap. Much better, Matilda thought, resting her head on Jenny’s chest and wrapping her arms around her as she felt herself being slowly rocked back and forth. She smiled as she felt Jenny softly kiss the top of her head and begin to quietly hum.

 

“I love you, mommy.” Matilda whispered.

 

“I love you too, Matilda.”