Shifting Sands - Chapter 62

[Babypants]

5 hours ago, Dizzy Inhibition said:

lol at the guy above who keeps responding as if this is real life. It’s a site where the usual stories involve magic, hypnosis, or another dimension, and the emotional availability of the parents is your line in the sand? You’re coming on kind of intense (to use a euphemism), my dude.

There is no magic in this story, no hypnosis, and it is not taking place in an alternate universe.  This is fiction in the true sense of the word, and Little Sherri is doing a first class job of exploring conflicts and emotions that are quite real.  The story will have a resolution, and it is up to him to determine what that ending will be.  He has a lot of wiggle room here, because we still don't know enough about Kelly to pass judgment on her behavior.  Cute Kitten is quite right on this point, and I can't think of anything to add to her list of possible explanations for the stepmom's behavior.

As readers, each of us brings our own expectations to any given story.  When I get to the conclusion, what I'm expecting to see is an ending that flows naturally from the entire course of the narrative.  Whether that ending is happy, sad, or falls somewhere in the middle is of little consequence.

1 hour ago, Cute_Kitten said:

Part of Kelly seems to genuinely care for Zack and Maddie, and another part seems to enjoy having control and being obeyed like they're little soldiers and she's a general instead of a parent-child relationship with talking and bonding. She's taking a very authortarian approach, and that could be from her having no parenting experience, or how she was raised, or a variety of factors. Either way, I'm still on the fence about how much she truly cares about the kids- does she have their best interests, or does she just want to be obeyed? Will she bond with the kids, or morph into a stepmonster?

Thanks.  Kelly remains an enigma, but I can't come up with an explanation for her behavior beyond what you've listed here.  There's a hint early on that her parents were very strict with her, but that doesn't really narrow the possibilities much.  Should we consider the possibility that more than one of the motivating factors you cite is in play here?

[Cute_Kitten]

22 minutes ago, Babypants said:

.  Should we consider the possibility that more than one of the motivating factors you cite is in play here?

It's a possibility, but at this point it's all reader speculation and using our imaginations to fill in the blanks to her motivations. It's possible the author will not give any backstory or insights into her desires or what motivates her desires, leaving us to our own conclusions. 

[Babypants]

18 minutes ago, Cute_Kitten said:

It's a possibility, but at this point it's all reader speculation and using our imaginations to fill in the blanks to her motivations. It's possible the author will not give any backstory or insights into her desires or what motivates her desires, leaving us to our own conclusions. 

That's a nasty possibility.  One of my favorite authors, John Fowles, set up alternative endings in The French Lieutenant's Woman, and The Magus.  And he scripted both of them!  When it comes to resolution, this is about as far as I'm willing to go.  

[Little Sherri]

Thanks everyone for the commentary and kind words, and the very interesting exchange of ideas about what people expect from stories and the characters within them; I'm sort of amazed at the quality of literary analysis being brought to bear here, it's definitely a learning experience for me. 

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 18 – A Rising Storm

 Zack sat in the dark theatre, drinking from a large bucket of Dr. Pepper, and munching popcorn. The superheroes were about midway through figuring out how to avert an apocalypse. Zack was paying close attention to the movie, however another signal was tapping his consciousness on the shoulder, and that tapping was gradually becoming more urgent. It wasn’t until a lull in the on-screen action that he realized his bladder was starting to scream for attention. He put his popcorn down on the floor, his pop in the cupholder, whispered to Tanner that he was going to the washroom, and then stood up and slipped around the legs of the other people sitting in his row as quickly as etiquette would allow. Once he was in the aisle, he started jogging, making a quick right out of the theatre, and scanning the ceiling for washroom signs. There was one at the end of the hall, and he sprinted towards it. The corridors were nearly empty and the washroom itself was deserted, which was a relief to Zack. However, as he laid eyes on the row of sparkling porcelain urinals, the tension inside him ended abruptly, and he felt a trickle of liquid spurt into his clothes. He clamped down internally as hard as he could, and urgently pulled down the front of his shorts and the borrowed panties in one grab, so that he could go quickly. The resulting event was long and thoroughly relieving, but the relief was to be short-lived.

He looked around, and seeing nobody, did a quick examination of the situation with the front of his clothes. His shorts, which were a light grey, now featured a darkened area in an irregular circle at the front.

Crap. Hopefully they dry by the end of the movie.

Zack walked over to a paper towel dispenser and pulled a sheet out, squeezing the front of his shorts in it for a moment. It didn’t seem to make any difference. He eyed the electric hand dryer on the wall but decided he did not want to be standing under it’s roaring vent pulling his shorts open if someone came walking in suddenly. Particularly NOT with girls’ underwear on, although at a glance, he didn’t think that they really looked particularly girly. He washed his hands in the sink, dried them with another paper towel, pulled his t-shirt down as far as he could, and made his way back towards the theatre. A lone woman walked slowly up the hall towards him, carrying popcorn in one hand, and a purse in the other. She looked over at him, but her gaze didn’t linger.

It's not too obvious, then.

Zack made his way back to his seat, whispering “excuse me” as he went, sat down, and took a sip from his pop. An idea sprang into his head. He ate the rest of his popcorn, but did not finish the drink. With a slow hand in the darkness, Zack partly dislodged its fitted lid. The superheroes had regained the upper hand and the world just might get saved.

When the credits rolled and the teaser for the inevitable sequel ran at the end of them, Zack waited until Tanner and his mom stood, and then he lifted his pop, ostensibly for one last big sip, tilting it nearly horizontal, but at a somewhat unnatural distance from his face. A stream of dark pop and a couple of ice cubes plopped onto the front of his shorts, and he sprang up from the seat and said “OH NO!” in what he hoped wasn’t an unnatural tone. Tanner and his mom both looked over, as Zack made an exaggerated sweep of the area with the back of his hand.

“That sucks, man!” Tanner noted.

“I’m sorry, Zack. Here.” Tanner’s mom handed him a wad of napkins that she’d been about to put in her purse.

Zack took the napkins and swabbed at the area for a moment, then shrugged and dropped them into his empty popcorn bag.

“No big deal, Mrs. Thompson.”

“We probably have a bag you can sit on in the car, Zack.”

Zack said nothing, and followed, last in line, when Tanner and his mom headed for the door.

Out at their SUV, Tanner’s mom pulled a shopping bag out of the hatch, and laid it out on the dark leather seat where Zack was going to sit. Zack positioned himself on top of it, noting the crinkling noise as he settled in.

It sounds like a diaper.

Tanner’s mom closed his door, and then got into the driver’s seat, and started the engine. Zack looked at the clock on the dash from between the seats; it read 9:08. The ride home was uneventful, punctuated by questions from Tanner’s mom about why certain characters had done what they did, while Zack and Tanner marveled at her lack of canonical knowledge. When she pulled up in front of Kelly’s house, Zack jumped out quickly and headed toward the door, waving over his shoulder and hoping that Tanner’s mom would pull away before seeing him through the front door, however the SUV sat on the driveway, headlights spotlighting the garage door resolutely.

Zack walked up to the door, then placed his hand on the side of his head emphatically, as though he was on stage in a play, and had to show the audience that he’d forgotten something. He turned, waved again, and then walked over to the gate on the side of the house.

Maybe she’ll think I’m going in through a side door or something.

However, the gate latch was seized for some reason. He thumbed the latch mechanism, and then tried to press it with his whole hand, to no avail. He pushed on the gate with both hands, to try to see if he could shake it lose, and then he tried the latch again. It made no difference. Short of climbing over the gate, there did not seem to be any way for him to get into the backyard. Tanner’s SUV continued to idle on the driveway.

Zack raised both arms, palms turned up in an ‘I don’t know what’s going on here’ gesture and walked back over to the front door. He laned forward to punch in the unlock code, when the door opened, and Kelly stepped out.

“Hello, Zack. You can wait right here for me. I’m just going to go thank Tanner’s mom.”

Zack froze, his mind turning at a furious pace. He hoped that his facial expression remained neutral. He’d have to try and side-step Kelly and get out into the backyard from the kitchen. If she offered to unlock his snap-suit before he got outside, he was doomed. Maybe he could feign having left something out there, or maybe the dog would offer an opportunity. Zack edged inside the door as Kelly walked toward the vehicle on the driveway, however he had to halt, because Kelly looked back and said “Stay RIGHT there, Zack.” Her tone was stern. Butterflies started lifting off in his stomach.

She leaned into the window and chatted with Mrs. Thompson for a minute, then stood back and said “I’ll call you later. Thanks for taking him and sorry for any trouble.” The truck backed up onto the street and in moments, it was gone. Kelly walked toward Zack with a commanding stride while fixing him with a cold gaze. He stepped in from the porch and made a quick turn, determined to try and get into the backyard before they had any further conversation, but Kelly grabbed him by the wrist just as he started walking, while at the same time she pulled the door shut with a notable bang.

“Tanner’s mom tells me you had an accident at the theatre, Zack. You spilled some pop on the front of your shorts.”

Zack considered her words for a moment, then said simply “Yes.”

Kelly narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think that’s what happened, myself. I think that what probably happened is…” She drew the ‘is’ out dramatically.  “You stole your little sister’s panties, and you wet them. Isn’t that what happened?”

Zack’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no words came out. He could feel his cheeks reddening, and suddenly, he wished, perhaps for the first time in his life, that he had a diaper on.

“Let’s see, Zack. Drop the shorts.”

“No!” He croaked, and he took a step back. Hot tears began invading his vision. He physically crossed his hands over his hips, as though she might lunge for his shorts.

“Okay, then, you can stand here in a corner facing the wall, in your sister’s underwear, until your dad gets home, which, by the way, will probably be any minute. Then you can show him what you decided to wear out with your friend today.”

Zack took a gulp of air and emitted a stifled sob. “Kelly, please… I hafta go… I hafta get changed…”

“No, Zack, what you ‘hafta’ do is what I asked you to do. Show me what you’ve got on. Now. I know you’re not wearing your diaper or your tamper shirt, because I found them in the backyard. So, what do you have on, Zack? What did you end up wearing?”

“I’M NOT PULLING MY PANTS DOWN!” Zack yelled in a choked voice.

“That’s fine, Zack. We can wait for your dad. You face into that corner and I’ll pour myself a glass of wine. It’s your choice. I’m sure you have a belly full of pop and you’ll wet yourself again at some point as well. I’ll get a towel for you to stand on.”

Zack stood, staring at Kelly, visibly shaking, cheeks beet-red and tearstained. He could feel the pressure in his bladder, slight, but rising. Kelly looked coolly back, hands on her hips, lips pressed together in a firm line.

There was a low thunk from outside, probably someone across the street closing a car door, but it was enough to cause Zack to nearly jump in the air. He was sure for a moment that it was his dad, on the driveway, and in that moment, his blood turned to ice water, and he nearly wet himself. He tilted his head back so that he was looking at the ceiling, and turned sideways, as though to present as little of himself to Kelly as possible, and then he opened his shorts, and allowed them to drop around his ankles. His shirt hung down, but Kelly could see the telltale grey elastics and the white cotton of the missing pair of Maddy’s new panties. 

[A_Pale_Spirit]

What an incredible chapter! Excellent writing again, I love this story!

[keith60]

good story 

[007specialk]

Great story really enjoying it!

[D503]

Oh poor Zack - he's now likely lost his ability to appeal to his father to end this crazy business: Kelly will just threaten to tell his father about his behaviour and possibly exaggerate the panty aspect. (I wonder if she'll take a photo).

I hate to think what other items Kelly had bought. It's possible in Kelly's warped mind, Zack's quickly racked up a series of "offences" here:

 * Wilfully deliberate removal and damage to medically approved clothing, knowingly stealing keys to commit disobedient act

* Stealing, wearing and ruining girls panties (with poorly hidden evidence) - also implicating his sister is his illegal act - not to mention potential troubling psychological use of girls panties. Why did he just not go commando?

* Possiby exposing the house, Maddy, Kelly and Roofus to intruders or letting Roofus out by unlocking and disguising gate clip. Alo exposing Roofus to a potential choking hazard.

* Wetting his pants, knowing full well he should be wearing a diaper and then deliberately misleading and effectively lying to Tanner's Mum and Tanner by spilling drink. Also potential damage to cinema seat and Tanner's Mum's car 

* Apologies to Maddy, Cinema, Tanner's Mum, Tanner and his Father and Kelly herself for the whole affair could be needed. Plus, some repayment for clothing damage may be needed.

[Alutheria]

Another brilliantly written chapter! Poor Zach though. We kinda knew how his little scheme was going to end as soon as it begun, and now he's going to be facing the inevitable consequences. 

I get the feeling Kelly is going to be even stricter with his treatment from now on, going by how she's behaved thus far.

I'm curious if we're ever going to see more of Dr. Paige and her clinic? It would be interesting to see Zach being around others going through the same treatment he is. 

 

[Babypants]

16 hours ago, D503 said:

Oh poor Zack - he's now likely lost his ability to appeal to his father to end this crazy business: Kelly will just threaten to tell his father about his behaviour and possibly exaggerate the panty aspect. (I wonder if she'll take a photo).

I hate to think what other items Kelly had bought. It's possible in Kelly's warped mind, Zack's quickly racked up a series of "offences" here:

 * Wilfully deliberate removal and damage to medically approved clothing, knowingly stealing keys to commit disobedient act

* Stealing, wearing and ruining girls panties (with poorly hidden evidence) - also implicating his sister is his illegal act - not to mention potential troubling psychological use of girls panties. Why did he just not go commando?

* Possiby exposing the house, Maddy, Kelly and Roofus to intruders or letting Roofus out by unlocking and disguising gate clip. Alo exposing Roofus to a potential choking hazard.

* Wetting his pants, knowing full well he should be wearing a diaper and then deliberately misleading and effectively lying to Tanner's Mum and Tanner by spilling drink. Also potential damage to cinema seat and Tanner's Mum's car 

* Apologies to Maddy, Cinema, Tanner's Mum, Tanner and his Father and Kelly herself for the whole affair could be needed. Plus, some repayment for clothing damage may be needed.

Zack and Maddie will be lucky if they don't end up being home schooled.

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 19 - Marching Orders

Kelly pointed up the staircase and then addressed Zack, whose eyes were still fixed on the ceiling.

“I have half a mind to leave you just like that until your dad gets home, Zack, but that wouldn’t be a fair thing to do to him. He works hard and he deserves to be able to come home and relax at the end of the day. March yourself upstairs, and put your shirt in the laundry, and stand facing into a corner while I think about what I’m going to do with you.”

Zack turned, leaving his shorts in a heap on the floor, and sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Kelly shook her head. She wasn’t sure what, if anything, to say to Chris about the situation. Thankfully, she was going to have some time to think about it, because contrary to what she’d said to Zack, Chris was not just about to walk through the door. He’d texted and said that they were going out for drinks, and that he’d probably be home in the wee hours of the morning, and probably in a cab. Kelly went into the kitchen and fed Roofus a late dinner, patting him on the head when he scampered over.

You earned this, buddy.

Zack walked into his room and pushed the door softly shut. Alone, he was finally able to allow his emotions free range. Tears streamed down his face as he walked over to his closet and removed his shirt. He looked down at his sister’s underwear, and he wasn’t sure what to do with them. He wanted them to disappear. Forever, ideally. He briefly considered taking them off and throwing them into his diaper pail, but ignored that compulsion because he didn’t want to agitate Kelly any further.  

Apparently, she keeps a computerized inventory of all our clothes?

He looked at his dresser, and saw the Little Lambs diaper from earlier, folded in on itself, waiting for him. Kelly had taken the tabs off of the side he’d stepped out of, and put them back on their nonstick parking spots. He went over and picked it up, smelling baby powder as he did. Beside it was a purple pacifier. Zack stopped in his tracks.

This again. Jesus.

He decided to pretend he hadn’t seen it, and walked to the furthest corner in the room from his dresser, fixing his eyes on the point where the walls converged. He tried to ignore the coolness of the thin, damp material he was wearing.

The door swung open behind him. Kelly entered the room and wordlessly went to his dresser, walked over to his bed, and laid his diaper out. Zack traced her motions by the sound of her steps and the crinkling of the plastic. His nose almost touched the wall in front of him as he subconsciously tried to jam himself further into the corner.

He jumped a little when her voice pierced the silence.

“Take your panties off and get yourself situated to be diapered.”

Zack swallowed and turned, wondering if she was going to stand and watch him, but she was already heading towards the door.

Zack dropped the wet underwear to the floor, grateful to part ways with them, and crossed over to his bed. He positioned himself over the diaper and sat down on top of it before pulling the front panel forward. Because it had already been worn, it did not seem to want to spring back open, so Zack was able to put both hands behind his head, and put his feet together.

Hourglass position… just do what she wants.

He studied the popcorn stippling on the ceiling and worked to get his breathing under control. If Zack could have anything in the universe right now, he’d ask for a time machine so that he could go back and undo some of his decisions this evening. Going to the movie in a big puffy diaper wouldn’t have been ideal, but, in the dark, under the right clothes… he probably could have gotten away with it. He would have had to use his diaper at the theatre, but, that was notably preferable to wetting his pants.

Or wetting Maddy’s underpants.

“I’m ready,” he croaked. His door opened softly, and Zack closed his eyes tightly. He heard Kelly walk over, and felt her sit down on the edge of his bed. Then, she got up again, walked somewhere briefly, and returned. The silicone nipple of the pacifier was pressed up to his lips. He allowed it to intrude into his mouth. It sat, perched on his lips. He felt the front of his diaper being lifted, and he did not react, but his tongue finally pressed the teat into his palate in response, an almost involuntary reflex. He assumed Kelly had turned her eyes away, but was unwilling to risk a look to confirm it. A dusting of baby powder rained down, and then the diaper was resituated, and Kelly began applying its tapes for the second time that night. Bottom left, bottom right. Top left, top right. He straightened his legs in preparation for getting up off the bed, but Kelly’s hands grasped them, and he stopped his movement. He felt her thread something plasticky over his right ankle, and lifted his head. She was busily fitting the blue gingham plastic panties over his feet, before drawing them up to his knees. Then, she lifted both of his legs with one arm under his shins, and with the other hand, she somewhat awkwardly pulled the stretchy undergarment most of the way up his thighs, before dropping his legs, getting up off the bed, and saying “Stand up, Zack.”

Zack pivoted on his rear and dropped his legs off the edge of the bed, before standing up. He held his hands up at shoulder height, fists clenched, as Kelly tugged the waterproof cover up into place. Then she directed him to take a step forward with her hand on his back, so that she could pull the drawstrings through the locking mechanism until the waistband was snug. Zack stood still, looking at the floor, feeling the shield of the pacifier press lightly into his lips.

“There we go…” Kelly said, seemingly to herself.  She tied the ends of the drawstring into a bow. Then she addressed Zack.

“There are going to be some new rules and routines around here, my friend, because what happened tonight is NOT going to happen again. You’re going to need to rebuild a LOT of trust. Let’s do a little count, shall we? Let’s see… I trusted you at home by yourself for a few minutes so that you could go to a movie with your friend. And in return, you… Took your clothes off. Stole my keys. Took your snap-suit off. Took your diaper off. Hid them. Stole a pair of your sister’s panties, wet them, and your shorts, and then tried to conceal it by dumping pop into your lap. Then you lied to your friend and his mom, and parked your wet butt onto the seat in their car.”

Kelly held her hands up in the air and extended a finger for each instance. “Did I miss anything? Oh, right, and you refused to admit what you’d done or show me that you had panties on, until I said that I was going to tell your dad. Very disrespectful and shameful behaviour, Zack. I wouldn’t accept this from a three-year-old, and you’re eleven.”

“So..” She continued. “I’m going to brush your teeth for you. I still have to think through what to tell your dad, and what to tell your little sister, in particular. But in the meantime, I am going to need to be able to either see your diaper, or, you’re in your tamper pants, at ALL times when you’re in this house or the backyard. Do I make myself clear?”

Zack swallowed and his pacifier bobbed. He nodded faintly.

“Good. When you leave this house, you will ALWAYS be wearing tamper pants of some sort, is that clear? And they will have been locked by a parent.”

Zack stared at Kelly. She took it for a further nod, apparently.

“Good. And under NO circumstances will you borrow ANY of your sister’s underpants, or my keys, again. And I am going to be a lot more goddamn careful where I put my keys, believe me, little man. They aren’t leaving my sight. I’ve already put away all the other clickers, too, in case you get any ideas about finding another one. If anything like… THIS… every happens again, I am going to drive you to your father’s work, march you into his office in a diaper, and leave you there for him to deal with. I hope you don’t think I’m kidding, for your sake. Ask your sister about our jog yesterday. Which was, by the way, because she called you a baby. Which, I now have to say, she may not have been wrong about.”

Zacks cheeks reddened anew.  

“Now, you’re going to wash your wet panties and hang them up in the backyard.”

Zack nodded. Kelly pointed at the bundle of cotton in the middle of his floor, and he went over and picked them up. She turned and strode out of the room and toward the staircase. Zack followed.

He paused briefly as they passed the sidelight by the front door, terrified that someone might be walking by, or toward, the entrance, and then he picked up his pace. He looked around for Maddy… if she found out about this, everybody would know inside of a day, he was sure.

Maddy was parked on the couch, under a blanket, watching cartoons on the TV, with wireless headphones on.

Kelly walked into the kitchen and picked up a bottle of dish soap, before crossing over to the sliding door and wheeling it open. Zack stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking at the sink, confused.

“Tell me what you’re to do, Zack.”

“Huh?” he stammered around the pacifier.

“What are you going to do with your panties?”

“I’m going to wath Mathies panthies and hang them to dwy.”

“They’re your panties now, Zack. Try again.”

Zack swallowed hard. What the hell did she want?

“I’m going to wath… my panthies… and hand them to dwy.”

“Good. You can use the hose in the backyard. When you’ve rinsed them out THOROUGHLY, you can hang them on the line.”

Zack looked out into the late summer twilight with trepidation, not wanting to walk outside in just a diaper and frilly plastic panties, but the rapid approach of nightfall seemed like it offered at least some cover, so reluctantly, he stepped through the threshold.

As though having read his mind, Kelly slid the door shut behind him, and then threw on the floodlights that she used to discourage skunks when she put the dog outside late at night. The patio lit up like a prison yard, and Zack froze, mid-stride. He turned back towards the door, only to be met with the sound of the lock being engaged.

Maddy walked over to the sliding glass door and looked outside. She was amazed to see her brother standing in the middle of the patio, with a pacifier in his mouth, in plastic pants. Her hand went to the side of her pull-up, and suddenly, she felt a pang of sympathy for him.

“What’s Zack doin’ out there?” she asked.

“He has a mess to clean up,” Kelly answered. “Don’t open the door.”

Kelly walked away, and Maddy watched, perplexed, as Zack went over to the hose mounted on the corner of the house, turned his back to her, and started cleaning something small. Water ran off Zack’s hands and tears ran down his cheeks, as he rinsed and squeezed the ball of white cotton in his hands.

 

____

 

After what felt like hours, the lock on the back door clicked, and Kelly slid it partway open. Zack stepped through the threshold, grateful to be out of the glare of the patio lights, but, now he had to contend with the glare in Kelly’s eyes.

“Head up to your room and stand in your corner.”

Zack swallowed and bounded for the stairs. He jogged into his room and headed for the corner opposite the diaper pail again. He heard the sound of Kelly walking past his bedroom door a moment later, but didn’t look over.

Zack was beginning to wonder if she’d forgotten about him when he heard the door move on its hinges behind him.

“I had to look for a couple of minutes, but I knew I had exactly what I was looking for somewhere…” she said, seemingly to herself. Zack turned his head.

“You can turn around, Zack,” she said. He took a step out of the corner.

“I bought Maddy a pretty nightie when we did the summer shopping, but it’s just a bit small on her, so I was going to take it back for a larger size.”

Kelly held up what looked like a light purple t-shirt with both hands, with a pink fringe at the bottom and at the collar.

“Now I think I know what I can use it for. If you want to dress up like your sister, here’s your chance. Dress up like your sister.”

She threw the nightie across the room, which Zack was not expecting, so it struck him lightly in the chest and flopped to the floor. Fresh tears started streaming down his cheeks. He reached up and forcefully took the pacifier out of his mouth, dropping it to the floor in front of him.

“I DID NOT want to dress up like my sister,” he said in a choked strain. “I just didn’t want to wear a big friggen baby diaper out with my friend!”

“Yes, you preferred to wear Maddy’s panties, apparently. Is this the first time, Zack, or have there been others?”

He swallowed a sob and continued. “I chose the plainest thing of hers I could find!”

“Well, we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Do you need help getting your nightie on?”

Zack looked at his feet with clenched hands at his sides.

“And put your pacifier BACK in your mouth. You are clearly incapable of controlling your emotions right now.”

Zack’s shoulders visibly sagged, and his hands unclenched. He simply had no idea how to respond to this situation. He was backed into a corner; Kelly seemed to have a checkmate. Very slowly, and with a lump building in his throat, Zack picked up the nightie and his pacifier. He jammed the silicone teat between his teeth, and then commenced trying to figure out which way the nightie was supposed to go on.

“Buttons to the front, Zack,” Kelly offered. “It goes on like a shirt.”

Zack pulled the purple garment over his head and then fed his arms into the sleeves slowly, enjoying having his face covered, however transiently. The nightdress was snug, but it fit. He tried to tug the bottom of it down as far as he could, but the pink fringe terminated just below his hips. It was indeed a bit small, even for Maddy.

“Very pretty. Now get into bed, no banket, and you stay there until I come back and get you.”

Kelly waited while Zack climbed onto his bed. She made her way to the door, started to walk out, then turned back, and with the door half open, continued her admonishments.

“I have to go now, before it gets too late to call Tanner’s mom and apologize for this ABSURD fiasco, and maybe offer to have her car cleaned or whatever we need to do, because you sat in it in pee-soaked pants like a toddler. But I’m going to tell her she doesn’t have to worry, Zack, because if she’s nice enough to ever take you anywhere again, I’m going to assure her that you will be wearing diapers.”

Kelly slammed the door shut and paused as she heard a muffled wail come from behind it. She smiled slightly, and headed back downstairs to find her phone. She realized she’d forgotten to brush his teeth.

Maybe later, after he’s had some time to think about what he’s done.

Kelly picked up her phone, paused and thought for a moment. She decided to manage communications with Chris first.

Kelly: Hi Babe, need to speak to you when you’re free

Chris: At dinner – what’s up?

Kelly: It’s about Zack. I think we need to change our approach a bit. He wet his pants tonight at a movie with Tanner, and wet the seat in Tanner’s car.

Chris: Jesus, what’s up with that kid? I guess he drank a bunch of pop and got distracted?

Kelly: I had asked him to wear a diaper because of the time he was coming home but he didn’t listen.

Chris: I can understand why he wouldn’t want to wear a diaper out with his friend, but having an accident must have been embarrassing. Is he okay?

Kelly paused to think.

Kelly: He’s pretty upset. I think having accidents is more embarrassing than wearing protection. I even bought him special shirts that snap over diapers to keep them concealed. I’m going to talk to Dr. Paige about it.

Chris: Good idea, whatever she thinks the best approach is, we should stick with it.

Kelly: Can you text Zack that? I think it would help if he heard it from you.

Chris: Sure.

Zack laid on his bed with the lights on, on top of the covers, the pacifier planted between his lips, cheeks flaming. He felt stupid, but he was afraid to take it out, because he knew Kelly would be coming back in at some point. His phone was on his bedside table. He heard it vibrate and picked it up. The facial recognition software couldn’t contend with the pacifier, so he took it out of his mouth for a moment, to unlock the phone. He saw that he had a text from his dad.

Dad: Zack, Kelly told me what happened at the movie. I’m sorry that happened to you. Are you okay?

Zack’s heart froze. What had Kelly told him? Not about wearing Maddy’s underwear, surely?

Did she tell him she put me to bed in a dress…?

Zack took a breath. He had to play this one straight and hope that his dad had not been appraised of his predicament.

Zack: Im ok

Dad: Glad to hear it. Listen, Kelly is going to talk to Dr. Paige about this. I want to know that she’s going to have your full cooperation moving forward. Are we in agreement?

Zack: ok

Dad: Great to hear it. I’m going to be working late tonight. Hopefully we can get a chance to chat before you head up to the cottage. Love you, big guy.

Zack: Luv U 2

He put the phone down beside him and resumed staring at the ceiling.

 

[A_Pale_Spirit]

Absolutely incredible chapter, your writing is excellent! I love the way the characters and their dialogue are written. I'm really looking forward to more!

[littlebopeeper]

Poor kids.  Maddie is going to be outed at school tomorrow, and Zach probably lost his best chance to make a cry for help when he didn't pick up on Tanner's mom's doubts in the car.  What a tragedy.  

[Dizzy Inhibition]

Yes! More Dr. Paige! Can’t wait!

[littlebabyjanner]

Gets better and better with every chapter. Can't wait to see how far Kelly takes the wardrobe change, whether it's kept to bedtime or if Zach is going to slowly or quickly find his whole wardrobe changes!

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 20 - Expanding the Circle

Kelly pulled up the text string with Debbie Thompson, Tanner’s mom, on her phone.

Kelly: Hi Debbie, I’m sorry about what happened in the car

Debbie: Hi Kelly. It didn’t happen in the car, it happened in the cinema. No harm done.

Kelly: I don’t think you have the full story. I talked to Zack afterwards. It turns out that he had a little accident in his pants, and he poured the pop on himself to cover it up.

Debbie: Oh, that’s very unfortunate, sorry to hear that. Zack must have been mortified.

Kelly: He was mortified, but also sneaky. I had asked him to wear protection but he decided not to.

Debbie: I see. Is this an issue for Zack?

Kelly: Zack has been wearing diapers to bed for most of his life, but lately he’s been having accidents from time to time. I’m working with his doctor on it.

Debbie: Poor guy. Is there some kind of treatment, or will he have to wear pull-ups?

Kelly: It’s mostly about behavioural therapy. But in the interim, he may have to be in diapers for a while. Pull-ups probably aren’t going to cut it. I will let you know what he’s wearing when he’s with you, just so we’re all on the same page.

Debbie: I won’t say anything to Tanner about it.

Kelly: It might be better if you do. He’s a good friend to Zack, and if he figures this out on his own, he might come to his own conclusions. It’s better if he knows that it’s for Zack’s own good.

Debbie: How awful for him, and for you. He’s lucky to have you. I know Chris works a lot.

Kelly: He does, and thank you for your kind words. We will beat this. I also wanted to ask, do I need to help you with having the seat cleaned in your car?

Debbie: Not at all. I had him sit on a plastic bag for the ride back.

Kelly: He was supposed to be sitting IN a plastic bag.

Debbie: I guess he was.

Kelly: Thanks again for your understanding.

Debbie: No problem. We really like Zack, he’s a good friend to Tanner. We’ll keep his secret, and he’s always welcome at our home.

Kelly: It’s great that he has somewhere he can go where everyone is on side, it will be less stressful for him. We should plan to get them together again soon.

Debbie: Absolutely

Kelly put her phone down, but then picked it up again because it binged almost immediately. She had an email from Dr. Paige’s website; her rush order had been packaged and would be ready for pickup tomorrow.

Incredible service.

Kelly headed back toward Zack’s room, slowing down as she approached, so as to be quiet, and then quickly swung the door open. Zack remained on his bed as she had left him.

“Come, Zack – let’s brush those teeth.”

Zack stood up and walked over towards her, looking down at his feet. She took him by the hand and led him to the washroom, reaching up to unlatch it. Zack’s eyes darted up and down the hallway. He desperately hoped that Maddy was in bed for the night and would not appear in time to witness either his attire, or, him having his teeth brushed like a toddler.

With some considerable effort, Kelly managed to pick him up under his arms and plunk him on the countertop beside the sink.

Jesus, she’s strong when she wants to be…

She plucked the pacifier from his mouth and gave it a rinse under the tap, then placed it next to him, and took his toothbrush from out of a cup. She rinsed it under water, placed a squirt of Maddy’s berry flavoured toothpaste on it, and then lifted it toward Zack’s mouth. Zack opened wide and closed his eyes.

Kelly began brushing his teeth, as Zack sat and tried to ignore the deeply strange sensation of having someone who wasn’t his dentist poking around in his mouth. He also wasn’t used to the fruity toothpaste; his preferred mint-flavoured product was in a drawer rather than in the cup, but Kelly had used what fell to hand. Eventually, the toothpaste started running down his chin and dripping onto the purple nightie.

“Spit in the sink, Zack.”

Zack leaned over the sink and spit. Kelly rinsed the toothbrush and then filled a cup with water and held it to Zack’s mouth. He took a sip of it, swished, and spit it out. Kelly took a washcloth, ran warm water on it, wrung it out, and wiped his face and the bodice of his nightie. She picked up the pacifier, but before she could put it into his mouth, Zack help up a hand with one extended finger, the gesture a plea for a moment to speak.  Desperation glimmered in his eyes.

“Kelly…. please…. I need to go to the bathroom.”

“That’s what your diaper is for, little man.”

“No, I mean… I need to go number two.”

Kelly pushed the pacifier between Zack’s lips.

“Well, little man, part of showing that you’re ready to use the potty like a big boy is having control over your functions. Maybe you should have thought of this while you were on your little excursion in your sister’s undies. In any case, your diaper is on for the night, I’m afraid. I’m not going downstairs and hunting for my keys. Like I said before, there are no in-and-out privileges with diapers. If you can wait until the morning, that’s fine. If not, that’s also fine. You can do anything you need to in your diapers, Zack. That’s what they’re for. The faster you get used to that, the better.”

Zack swallowed hard, and his gaze fell to his lap again. He slid off the counter before Kelly could attempt to help him, and shuffled back to his room, leaving the door open. He left his overhead light on, climbed onto his bed, and drew his knees up to his chest. Kelly stepped halfway through the door.

“Remember, Zack – you stay in that bed until I come and get you.”

She turned off the light and walked out of the room.

Zack held his legs, closed his eyes, and tried to forget about his predicament and just go to sleep, however, the heavy feeling in his stomach and periodic rumbles kept intruding on this consciousness. He tried to remember when he’d last used the toilet. It had to have been more than a day earlier, because he’d been changed out of last night’s diaper right before leaving for school this morning. He’d felt a vague need to go in the mid-afternoon, but by then he figured it could wait until he got home. Then, he’d been ambushed by Kelly and put straight back into a diaper, as soon as he got home. He probably should have asked at that point, but he was in shock and out of sorts. Then, his disastrous mission to change his underclothes had taken up all the time he had before Tanner’s mom arrived. Since then, he’d eaten a hotdog and a bag of popcorn.

Zack rolled over onto his back and sat up in bed. In the gloom, he could just make out the silence panties covering his diaper below his nightie, now rendered in shades of grey. He wondered if he could get out of them. Lifting the hem of his dress, he slipped his thumbs into the waistband of the panties, and he slid his thumbnails in so that they were between his diaper and the plasticky cover. He gave a tug. There was no give. They were snug, barely allowing his thumbs in. If he could somehow slide them down, then maybe he could extract an old diaper from the Diaper Genie, poop in it, roll it up, and put this diaper back on, saving him the indignity of having to actually go in his pants, and, having to stay like that for a while.

He swung his legs off the bed and stood up slowly, so that no creaking from his bed would alert Kelly that he had gotten up. He tried again to pull the gingham diaper cover down, but it would not move past his hips or over the bulk of his diaper. Next, he tried to see if he could work the entire set down, diaper and silence panties, but a great deal of effort only bought him about an inch of travel, which also suggested that if he got them off, he might never get them back on again.

Then what would Kelly do…?

Zack placed both hands on sides, sighed a deep sigh, and unconsciously took a couple of successive pulls on his pacifier. His shoulders fell and his eyes watered again. Slowly and methodically, he climbed into bed, this time, halfheartedly tugging the blankets up, before again drawing his knees upward. He tried to relax, but whenever he did, he felt motion from below, and he knew that it was only a matter of time. With resignation, he gave the slightest of pushes, and immediately felt some internal relief, as well as external pressure. There was no going back. Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth on the silicone teat in his mouth, he pushed again.

However, having quelled his intestinal discomfort, now he had some skin discomfort to contend with. He could feel that his diaper had contained the load, but, it was parked, hot and sticky, right where it had come from. Having something resting continually back there was not a common feeling, nor one that was easy to tune out. He tried extended his legs, and that helped some, allowing his diaper to tent a bit over the area, rather than being held in close contact. Rolling onto his back was probably going to push everything together again, so he opted to roll onto his stomach. He slid his hands up under his pillow, squeezed his eyes shut, and started suckling fiercely on his pacifier. Eventually, his fatigue overcame his discomfort, and he drifted into a sleep plagued by strange dreams, where he was trying to hide from groups of people, but nothing around him offered adequate concealment.

[Babypants]

If this is war, I wonder if Zack will figure out that he should roll around and get his poop everywhere just before stepmom comes to collect him.  He should make this as time consuming and noxious for her as he possibly can.

[Pierry Louys]

Poor Zack ! Gonna get diaper rash 

[A_Pale_Spirit]

Another incredible chapter!

What a chapter ending for Zack, excellent writing again!

[D503]

Great chapters. Poor Zack, what a traumatic series of events. Kelly is quite evil in her manipulations. Hopefully Tanner isn't cruel.

I wonder if Chris will find out about Zack's pooping incident - Kelly leaving out the bit about not letting him use toilet - and assume that he really does need diapers as pullups won't cut it. He might be very relieved to know theyre in "good" hands with Dr Paige. If Zack tries to set the record straight, perhaps Kelly might threaten to bring up the panties.

I also wonder what Chris will think of the Gingham pants - perhaps Kelly will explain they're just what was available, and they're not that girly, or perhaps that Zack has shown some resistance by removing his diaper and tamper pants are needed in the short term while he adjusts which is also agreed by Dr Paige.

[Cute_Kitten]

Locking Zack out of the house in just his diapers and forcing him to wash the panties out in the yard instead of the sink, turning the lights in to make him easier to see, telling his friend and the kid's mom, after she made Zack wear a girl's nightie and shit the door she smiled- that pretty much convinced me she doesn't give a rat's ass about the kids. She's enjoying her little power trip humiliating Zack. It's pushing into the realm of abuse- the locking him in the yard in just his diapers and forcing a nightie on him just for sheer power display to break his will. There's no pretense or justification that those actions are "for his own good" nor is it misguided good intentions. We have no insights into why Kelly does what she does, but her actions are escalating in intensity. 

To be clear, I'm not bashing this story. I'm simply pointing out what I observe. There are many ways this story could go and a lot of that depends on Kelly's future actions and how the kids respond to that. And how Chris does too- does he even care enough to get involved beyond the bare minimum or is he just happy to dump his kids on someone else so he doesn't have to parent them?

[Babypants]

49 minutes ago, Cute_Kitten said:

Locking Zack out of the house in just his diapers and forcing him to wash the panties out in the yard instead of the sink, turning the lights in to make him easier to see, telling his friend and the kid's mom, after she made Zack wear a girl's nightie and shit the door she smiled- that pretty much convinced me she doesn't give a rat's ass about the kids. She's enjoying her little power trip humiliating Zack. It's pushing into the realm of abuse- the locking him in the yard in just his diapers and forcing a nightie on him just for sheer power display to break his will. There's no pretense or justification that those actions are "for his own good" nor is it misguided good intentions. We have no insights into why Kelly does what she does, but her actions are escalating in intensity. 

To be clear, I'm not bashing this story. I'm simply pointing out what I observe. There are many ways this story could go and a lot of that depends on Kelly's future actions and how the kids respond to that. And how Chris does too- does he even care enough to get involved beyond the bare minimum or is he just happy to dump his kids on someone else so he doesn't have to parent them?

Unfortunately, this is an excellent analysis of a father who is not there and who regards his children as an inconvenience (see my comment on chapter 17), and a stepmother who is certainly shallow and manipulative and possibly a sadist (we still know very little about her, although there was a hint at one point that she was similarly abused as a child).  I would add to your analysis by pointing out that she is doing the same thing to the little girl, who is going to be outed when she next goes to school.  And I would add Dr. Paige into the mix.  Go back and reread the very detailed description of her office.  She appears to be profiting richly from this scam.  Wouldn't you like to know how much money stepmom is laying out for all these "supplies?"

[Little Sherri]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Some of these questions are on the schedule to get answered, or at least touched on, in future chapters. Kelly's background is a fascinating topic for me as well. I feel like I've birthed something that has taken on a life of its own here, and that any of you could run off with it in another direction and do as well, or better, than I could, but I'll try and serve the story as well as I can. 

[Babypants]

2 minutes ago, Little Sherri said:

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Some of these questions are on the schedule to get answered, or at least touched on, in future chapters. Kelly's background is a fascinating topic for me as well. I feel like I've birthed something that has taken on a life of its own here, and that any of you could run off with it in another direction and do as well, or better, than I could, but I'll try and serve the story as well as I can. 

You're doing great.  From start to finish, you have shown a good eye for detail, and keeping readers in the dark about stepmom's motivation is an effective way to keep them coming back for more.  Your portrait of the AWOL dad is spot on-- and unless I missed it along the way, we still don't know what happened to the birth mother.  Is this still another mystery awaiting resolution before story's end?