Elysium - Chapter 17 (3/19/25)

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

Here is the first chapter of my brand new story - Elysium!

Just a heads up... the first chapter is kinda heavy. But it's needed. There will also be content warnings throughout the story, but I'll make sure to flag them whenever possible.

Now... Elysium... This is what happens when I put a lot of myself into a story. Infernum and Arbitrio were the first ones where I put a lot of myself into it... but this one feels a lot more personal than any of my other stories, so I really hope you like it. It's also a lot longer than my usual stories (Probably aiming somewhere around the same length as Little in Love or Love in Dimensions). It's different in a lot of ways, so I hope you enjoy all the differences to my usual stories. I know this genre is a little overdone in our circles... but this is a story I needed to write. You'll see why as it goes on.

Enjoy!

Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Especially when it comes to new stories!

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1: The Edge

Elysium – LittleFallenPrincess

-------------------------------

Tw: Depression, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide

-------------------------------

 

 

 

Just one more step.

Just the tiniest bit of momentum.

That was all that was needed.

 

Was I being selfish doing this? 

Maybe. 

But it’s not like people will care for more than a week at most. They’ll get over the initial shock and go back to living their normal lives. I was always just a background character to their stories anyway. Always was. Always will be. At least since I lost Mum anyway.

They’ll be like ‘Oh, did you hear about Noah? He jumped off the bridge and died. Such a shame. Had so much life to live.’ The same useless shit people say whenever someone dies. Everyone says the same rubbish especially whenever someone kills themself. That ‘they wish they had seen the signs’, ‘wish they had done something’, ‘they were struggling’, ‘at least they’re not suffering anymore’… and it’s all bullshit. They don’t care. They just feel bad that they didn’t give enough of a fuck about someone who was struggling to do anything before it was too late. It takes the tiniest amount of effort to reach out to someone struggling like this, but none of them can be bothered. 

I bet they’ll say the same things about me.

But I think I gave them enough signs. If they can’t read them… that’s their fault. I pretty much plastered them on the walls in bright red paint in all caps… but they were still oblivious to the message.

Even if they did read them though… At this point, when I’ve reached rock bottom… what could actually help me at this point? Therapy? Ha… sure… I’ve tried like four different therapists and not one of them could help me. Meds? Doc won’t prescribe anything else because nothing seems to be working. Mental hospital? I’d rather di-... yeah… that’s why I’m here on this ledge…

 

I stared out at the empty road below.

Thankfully… no traffic this late at night.

No one’s oncoming car to accidentally fall onto. Which is good, because I already feel pretty fucking guilty for ruining the day of whoever finds me… But hey, at that point I won’t have to worry, I won’t be around.

Part of me worried that maybe this isn’t high enough. Because I had heard somewhere that people had survived large drops… and if I do take that final step, I want it to be exactly that… final. I don’t want to survive it. That will just lead to… complications. Locked away for a while ‘for my own safety’. The thought of that sends a wave of terror through my whole body. One of my biggest fears is being locked away, unable to escape. It’s why I’ve put this off for so long. I could’ve attempted something before… but I was worried of failing and what would happen if I did so. But now I’ve reached absolute rock bottom and I’m like 99% sure I’m done with this life now.

So as my foot hovered over the large drop in front of me, my hands tightly gripping the railing behind me, balancing precariously on the edge of the bridge… I tried to mentally prepare myself.

It wasn’t too late to back down though.

No one would know… it’s the dead of night. There are no cars, no people… it’s a quiet little English town after all. And I picked this spot in particular so that no one could stop me, that there would be no-one around to stop me. But if I backed out… I could just go home, and no one would have any knowledge of what I planned to do. Which means no-one is doing anything drastic to keep me safe that would end up with me getting much worse.

No… I’m ready. I’ve contemplated this for years. Even before I lost my Mum in my teens. Even before I told my Dad about all that stuff… before he kicked me out. I was always depressed. Always wanted to stop existing. It was never a ‘I want to die’, it was more of a ‘I don’t want to exist’, or ‘wish I had never been born at all’. 

Now it’s different, of course, I mean it’s why I’m balancing here on the edge of a bridge.

It wasn’t all bad though. I loved my childhood. Mum made it special. She was my support… my best friend. I loved her so fucking much. Then… she was just gone. Dead. And I was left with Dad. That’s when it all went downhill. Grades slipped, Dad got aggressive. Never violent, but definitely more aggressive. You could tell he didn’t love me the way Mum did. I was just this dumb kid of his, some failure of a son. And he loved to remind me. Then when I told him about all the things going on with my life… he reacted a lot worse than I’d hoped. Kicked me out. Haven’t talked to him in years, but hey, good riddance I say. Mum hated him anyway, it’s why they separated when I was very little. When I had to move in with Dad after Mum died… I think another little piece of my soul died.

I’m still surprised I got into university despite all that. Barely scraped through too, earning myself a useless degree that may have actually hindered my job prospects afterwards. So my education was ruined, as was any job I worked after I left Uni, as were all my relationships.

Relationships…

Ugh, this is the worst timing for me doing this, isn’t it? So close after Abigail broke up with me. She’s… she’s going to blame herself for this. Sure, she broke my heart into a billion tiny pieces, but she didn’t push me over the edge. Even if she did turn all our friends against me. No, I was ready for this for a long time, even back when we were dating. I just didn’t want to hurt her. And now look at me…

I liked her. A lot. But I was always holding myself back with her, keeping a large part of myself locked away in fear of how she’d react. Hell, pretty sure that’s part of the reason she broke up with me. She said I was always so ‘mopey’... which she’s not wrong about, but I think she knew I was bottling things up around her, keeping her from seeing what was going on with me. She always had this big plan. She wanted me to propose soon, then we would get married, have kids… typical heteronormative crap you see on TV, with me as the loving husband who comes home after a busy day at the office. White picket fence and all that. But I didn’t want that. Well no, that’s not entirely true, I like the idea of it… but it wasn’t… me. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m not even… No, but anyway, I wasn’t right for her, she deserves her dream. So I’m glad she broke up with me. She deserves better. I just hope she doesn’t blame herself for what I’m about to do.

 

No. I’m ready.

 

One final breath.

One final step.

One final thought.

Better make it a good one.

…Nope. Can’t think of anything. Mind is racing too much to pin a thought down.

Ah well, go out the same way I came in, eh?

And with that last deep breath, I released my tight grip on the guard rail, the blood rushing back into them after they had turned white just moments ago. 

Momentum took over. It was out of my hands now.

A stillness radiated my entire body. I was ready. This was actually happening.

This is it.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YE’ DOING?”

Something that felt like talons dug themselves into my shoulders, gripping tightly onto my shirt, and yanked me backwards back over the guard rail, tossing me like a ragdoll onto the pavement behind me.

I crashed onto the pavement with my arse taking the brunt of the impact. Then my mind and thoughts rushed back, realising I wasn’t dead.

“I…”

Everything was spinning. I couldn’t focus or think. I had been at peace, ready to end it all, but then something, or someone, came along and literally yanked me from my fate, and now my mind was trying to catch up with my situation.

“Hun… were you seriously about to do what I think you were about to do?” came a soothing voice, from who I assumed was the woman who just prevented me from doing something very stupid. At least I assumed it was a woman from what her voice sounded like, with the slightest twinge of a Scottish accent in there. Though it must have been some woman to have been able to throw me back over that guard rail…

“I…”

Adrenaline was coursing through my body, and I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to admit the truth, lie, or simply just run away. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t focus. All I could hear was this soothing voice. So I couldn’t even put a face to it.

“Sweetie… are you okay?” she said, crouching down in front of me.

“I… umm… I’ll get back to you on that one…” I replied, finally managing a full sentence.

“Hopefully sooner, rather than later… because you were one second from ending up as paste on the road below!”

It was weird hearing such a lovely, almost maternal voice form such crude imagery, but it made me laugh a bit.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Paste…”

“Is your head okay? I didn’t knock it too hard, did I?”

“No… I…”

My vision started clearing as I looked up at who would normally be called a ‘saviour’ in this situation, though right now… I saw her as more of a hindrance to my overall goal.

Freckles.

That was the first thing I noticed.

Well that and the very red hair. Like… proper ginger. She couldn’t look more stereotypically Scottish if she tried. Her voice definitely matched her appearance, dressed in jeans and a simple amethyst-coloured blouse under her black denim jacket.

“Good. Because sometimes I don’t know my own strength. Now… are you going to tell me your name first?”

“N… Noah.”

“Well N-Noah,” she replied, imitating my stutter, “Care to tell me what you were about to do?”

“I think that… is pretty obvious,” I replied, smiling awkwardly.

“I guess it is. And why in the world would you do something like that?”

“Because…”

“‘Because’? Just ‘because’? Oh come on, sweetie… give me a better reason than that!”

It was always hard to tell people this. To admit what I want. 

“I… want… I mean… I don’t want to be here anymore…”

“And why is that? Did something happen?”

“No. I mean yes. But I… I’ve been wanting this for a long time. Please. Just let me go. You shouldn’t stop me…”

That’s when she took my hands into hers.

“Sweetie, I’m not going to let you do anything drastic right now. You’re not in the best place, and I’m here to help, okay?”

She sounded so… genuinely nice? Like sweetness personified. Even her words in her soft spoken accent made me instantly drop my guard around her. Which somewhat scared me… I nearly always have my guard up.

“I… don’t think you can help.”

“Try me.”

“No. I… I don’t want…”

“...To bother me? Shush. Now tell me, precious, what happened to cause such a little cutie like you to take the most drastic action he could possibly take?” I really don’t know what it is about this woman. She… she melts away whatever protection I had guarded myself with. Her voice, her mannerisms, that cute freckled face of hers… “Come on, petal…”

“I… don’t even know your name…”

“Ceres,” she replied, smiling down at me.

“That’s a very… unique name.”

“Well I’ll take that as a compliment then, but only because you’re cute,” as she said this, she sat down in front of me, not letting go of my hands as she parked herself on the cold pavement below.

“I’m… not…”

“Not cute? Lies. Look at you. I bet your girlfriend is all over you.”

“D… don’t have one…”

“You don’t? Well sorry, sweetie, but I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m too depressed for her,” I replied, hanging my head in shame, trying to look anywhere but at her face.

“Her? So there was someone? Is this what it’s all about?”

“No. Yes. I mean… part of it.”

“Then tell me more.”

“It’s just… I’ve felt like this for a long time. Since…”

“Since what?”

“Since I lost my Mum,” I sighed.

She went silent for a second.

“Ah. Yes. I know how much that hurts. No Dad to help?”

“No. He… didn’t like who I was growing up to be. I wasn’t his clone, so he didn’t care. I was always too much like my Mum.”

She squeezed my hand, causing me to look up into her beautiful green eyes.

“Oh sweetie. I understand your pain. But that doesn’t mean you go taking a step onto the motorway below like that. Are you in therapy? Missed your meds?”

“None of it works. Tried it all.”

She looked at me, no smile on her face anymore. As if she was trying really hard to read me. She was thinking about something, but I couldn’t even begin to guess what it was that was going on in that head of hers.

“Right. Come on. Come with me.”

Okay… I wasn’t expecting that. But hey, as long as she doesn’t call the police or for an ambulance… maybe I can get away with just slinking off home once she’s given me a talking to, and no-one in my life will be aware of what nearly went down tonight.

“I… okay…”

“Good boy. Let’s go sit on a bench and you can talk about what’s bothering you. Spare no details.”

 

-------------------------------

 

“So depression, dead end job, no girlfriend, bad degree, shit dad, lost your Mum, facing homelessness, and nothing the doctors are trying is working? Is that everything?”

“That… is pretty much it,” I replied, shrugging at her, not knowing what else to say.

Ceres had found a nice little bench in the nearby park. It was just as dead as the bridge was, probably due to it being like… 3am. She had sat me down, wrapped her jacket around me (as I had been stupid enough to come out wearing just my t-shirt and jeans. Sure, it’s only the start of September, but it’s still pretty bloody cold at 3am in the UK, no matter what time of year it is), and barely released my hands from hers the entire time.

I hesitated at first. I didn’t want to go and bother this complete stranger with all my issues, even if she had just technically saved my life. Despite wishing she hadn’t done so. But something about this woman, who looked not much older than 30, made me feel so… safe… that I eventually just blurted out everything, just one big stream of consciousness. I was worried maybe I had overwhelmed her, but clearly with her little summary… she had listened to everything.

Not that I told her everything. There’s some stuff that I’m not even able to talk to myself about, let alone a cute stranger who just prevented me from ‘becoming paste on the road’.

“Right. Well whilst I can see why you’d want to do what you were about to do… I still think you’re an idiot for attempting it.”

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be all nice and reassuring? ‘Idiot’ isn’t very nice, is it?” I asked, smiling cheekily at her, the first smile I had managed since she saved me.

“Excuse me…” she said, trying her best to hold in her laugh, the one you could clearly see bubbling at the surface. “I’m very good at what I do. Not my fault some cute idiot decided to do something stupid and change my plans…”

That’s when a wave of guilt hit me. The one I had hoped to have missed… after I had done the deed.

“I… oh… sorry…” I replied, hanging my head in shame.

“Oh shush. I was only on my way home from work.”

“Still… sorry. You should be home right now.”

“No, Noah… none of that bullshit with me, okay? You were in a low place, I understand that. Hell, I understand getting to the point where you’re teetering over the edge… but I will not have you putting yourself down just for slightly inconveniencing me. I’m just happy I got to stop you before you became vulture-chow.”

“We don’t get vultures in England…”

“And apparently you also don’t get jokes…” she said, nudging me playfully.

“Sorry…”

“What did I just tell you?”

“S-... ah… yeah… Fine. No more apologies. For now,” I replied, pouting slightly at this cute girl.

“Good boy.”

Shivers ran through my body when she said those two words. And for a moment there… I swear she could tell. But it wasn’t good shivers. It wasn’t bad. It was like… a mix of both?

“Now, sweetie. I’m a bit worried about leaving you alone right now. Have you got anyone you can call?”

“No,” I snapped back at her, maybe a little too quickly.

“No one?”

“I… no. Sorry. I’ll be fine, you can just let me go home.”

“Via the motorway?” she replied, pointing in the direction of where I had nearly jumped. “Oh I don’t think so, sweetie.”

“I’ll be fine…” I groaned.

“Look, I’ll give you my number. If you need someone to talk to, or have a drink or something, you just call me, okay? You’re not a bother. And I want you to be okay. You’re a cute guy.”

I grumbled a bit, before she finally released her hands, reaching into her shoulder bag with both of them, before pulling her phone out with one of them.

“Right, come here. I’m giving you the biggest hug ever. That way you’ll want another one, and be a lot less likely to go stepping off bridges…”

Hey, I wasn’t going to argue with this woman. First off, she’s cute. Secondly… she gives off this vibe of ‘do as I say, or you’ll regret it’. Thirdly… I was still calming down after everything, so if I was going to try this again… I’d need a few days, I think, to get my head back to normal.

And fourthly… and most importantly… she hadn’t called anyone. She hadn’t called the police. Hadn’t called to get me locked away for my own safety. She was just… letting me go. This was the best thing that could have happened once she saved me, and I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

As I stood up, she held out her arms, creating an opening for me to hug her.

Slowly shuffling forward, I got closer and closer until she took the lead and stepped forward, wrapping her rather strong arms around me, squeezing me tightly.

I wrapped mine around her waist and embraced the hug.

With my head pressed against her chest like this, this hug felt like the best thing in the world right now. The best thing I had experienced in years. I felt all the sadness I tried bottling up, all the anger, all the pain, everything… come rushing forward, flooding my body with emotion.

I began to cry into her shoulder.

“There there, Noah, let it all out. You’ve had a stressful life from the sounds of it. Just let it all out. Forget about it. You don’t have to be big and strong with me.”

Her words, along with the soft, comforting accent of hers… made me feel smaller than ever. Even as she stroked my blonde hair, which must have come untied from the ponytail earlier, I felt smaller than ever, despite her only being a couple of inches taller than me. And I’m 5’9! Yet I felt two feet tall compared to this woman somehow.

“I… sorry I’m such a mess. You… you shouldn’t have to comfort me like this.”

She squeezed me tighter, then moved her mouth closer to my ear.

“Sweetie, I am so glad I ran into you tonight. I think fate brought us together. Because I think I can help you.”

A small little pinch.

In my upper arm.

That’s all that was felt before the world… and my body… got really heavy.

Before the world started spinning.

Before everything felt… almost good for once.

And then… the lights went out.

 

 

 

 

 

======================================================

Sorry for the really heavy start to this story. I promise you it gets easier. It's a very emotional story, and may have some darker moments like this. But I promise you, it's worth it.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, despite this!

Like I said... I put a lot more of myself into this story...

 

 

Don't forget I'm on Subscribestar! Subscribers get 2 weeks early access to chapters, and exclusive short stories (Nessa's Tale is currently the only available one).

The next four chapters of my new story posted on my Subscribestar!

========================================================

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total, also not yet running this tier yet, will announce when I'm starting!).

Thank you to all my subscribers for their support over the past few years! Seriously, your support means the world to me.

New chapters of my latest story every Wednesday/Sunday!

Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

[TerranV]

Having read this on SubscribeStar, I'm just want to say to everyone here that this looks like it's going to be a good one!

[Moon3ye]

Interesting Interesting Let's see where it all leads

[P.Bax.bignlittle]

Wow! An intense start for sure but one that looks like it will be well worth it. Nothing like a little pinch to wake up to what you need, and Ceres seems like she might be just what he needs, excited to read more

[LittleFallenPrincess]

I'm glad you're all enjoying it so far, despite the heavy start :3 I hope you continue to enjoy it as it goes on!

[Babypants]

It is a heavy start, but you should not apologize for it.  To the contrary, fleshing out your characters and setting are two of the markers that separate fiction from fetish porn.  A good story will always find an audience, so keep it coming.

[aldl4811]

Wow, brilliant story. Hard topics, but life isn't easy, we all know that. Thank you for the wonderful start and looking forward to more.

[mushy bottom]

Great start.  Take your time getting to the fetish stuff.

   

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Confinement

Elysium – LittleFallenPrincess

-------------------------------

Tw: Depression, suicidal thoughts, mentions of previous self harm

-------------------------------

 

 

 

I groaned as I sat up in bed.

“Holy f-... ugh… my head… how much did I have to drink last night?”

My eyes struggled to open fully. And not due to the light either, as it appeared at first glance there wasn’t much in here. The light was more dim than usual. Though I wondered why the sun hadn’t woken me up like it usually does. Maybe it’s overcast outside? Usually the sun would blind me as it peeked through the curtains, but today it hasn’t.

“Morning, sleepyhead…”

That voice…

Where have I heard that…

 

O… oh.

 

It all came rushing back to me. The bridge, the save… the girl. Then the darkness.

The realisation of what happened caused a surge of energy within me that forced me up, out of bed. But upon opening my eyes… I found I was not in my own bed.

“I… what the fuck… where am I?” I called out.

“Language…” Ceres said, almost like a warning, though she sounded more distorted, as if her voice was being emitted out of a machine rather than from those beautiful lips of hers.

Thoughts of watching her talk last night flowed through my mind, making me blush at how fucking stupid I must have been to her. For the trouble I had caused her.

“I… sorry…”

“Good boy. Now, I’m sure you have plenty of questions, but I’ll give you a minute to calm down and explore your surroundings.”

I was right. This was not my bedroom.

This… this was my biggest fucking nightmare.

 

“I… what is this? WHERE AM I? LET ME GO!”

I began panicking, staring at the white cell I was currently imprisoned in. Soft white walls. Soft carpeted white floor. Even the flimsy bed I was sitting on was covered in white sheets with a white pillow. No windows. One door, made of glass. Reinforced glass by the looks of it too.

No bathroom… only the bed and the door really. And some kind of dim light in the ceiling that was embedded into it so there was no access from the cell.

And here I was… in white hospital gown, with what felt like no underwear on. They had stripped me and changed my clothes whilst I was out! What the fuck?

“Sweetie, calm down… please…”

Her words were so calming.

But right now, this was a living nightmare for me. My worst fear… I was living my fucking worst nightmare!

My breathing became shallow… faster… rapidly getting faster and faster… until I was beginning to hyperventilate.

That’s when something near the door beeped, and a shadow emerged on the other side of the glass. Sliding open, the door allowed access for that person to rush in, fall to their knees, and grab my hands as the door slid closed again.

“Sweetie… it’s okay…”

“It’s…” I couldn’t breathe, let alone get sentences out. “...Not…”

Squeezing my hands tightly, Ceres looked up at me, her dazzling green eyes looking up into mine. As if she was looking into my soul.

“I promise you, sweet boy. It’s okay.”

“H… how… I… I’m… lock… lock… locked up…”

“This… isn’t like any other hospital. This isn’t a prison. I promise you, I brought you here to help you.”

“How… can locking me up… help…?”

“This is only temporary, sweetpea. I just need to finish processing you, then we’ll take you to your room. And I promise I will explain everything. You can hold my hand the entire time, if you want. You trust me… right?”

Before last night, if anyone else had asked me that, I would’ve said no. But there was something about Ceres. She wasn’t like any other nurse or mental health professional. She wasn’t demonising me or judging me. She genuinely seemed to want to help. So… yes, I trust her. For now.

“I…” my breathing began to gently slow. It still wasn’t normal, but it was at least showing signs of improving. “...yes…”

“Then I promise you, I will get you out of this cell as soon as possible. Then I will not leave your side until you’re comfortable and feel safer and have had everything explained to you.”

That’s when I could hear someone outside, out in the corridor, being rather loud.

“Don’t worry, little one, she’s just another caregiver here, helping another person adapt.”

“A… adapt? To… to what?”

“This is a place for people like you, people in need of help, to get the love and understanding they need to get better. I promise you, we’re not going to fill you up with meds and lock you away. I’m going to be here to help you the entire time. Think of me as… your own little guardian angel.”

“A… angel…?”

She really was. She saved my dumb, selfish arse last night on the bridge. And now apparently here she is again, willing to help. I have no idea what the hell this place is, especially if they’re taking people against their will. Can’t be legal, that's for sure. But I was at least willing to hear her out. She promised she’d explain it all, so the least I can do is listen. If I want to scream and try to escape once I’ve learnt more, I can do exactly that. But for now… I’ll listen and be good.

“Yes sweetie, I’m here to keep you safe. And I promise I will take extra good care of you.”

I have no idea why she’s talking to me like a child, but for some reason… it was really alleviating this fear of mine.

“How… how long…”

“How long will you be here? I can’t answer in full yet, not until you’ve been processed. But it will be for a while. But I promise you, you’ll enjoy your stay here. I know how scary mental health facilities are, and I promise you we are not like that. You’re going to have a home here. And by the time you leave, you’ll have a family to call yours too. Now… are you feeling okay? Do you need a drink?”

“I… I’m okay…” I gulped audibly. “So… I’ll get to leave?”

“Yup. Think of it as like a program. You’ll be here for a set time, then you’ll be let go. Promise.”

“What if when I’m released… I went to the police… surely this counts as kidnapping?”

“Would you?”

…Okay she’s got me there. I trust the police less than I trust shady organisations that go around apparently kidnapping people and locking them up in cells underground. So that’s saying something.

“How would you know I’m telling the truth? I could say no… then go straight ahead and do it,” I replied.

“Sweetie… I’m a pretty good judge of character. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have inducted you at the last minute.”

“Last minute?”

“Yeah, we weren’t planning for a 6th boy. But we got one when I saw a troubled one about to step off a bridge…”

So if I’m the sixth, that means there are only six, as they weren’t planning for me. And the fact they said boy rather than some gender neutral term like patient or prisoner or whatever… that means there’s some girls who have been taken too, surely? Or maybe this is a place just for boys?

I made a mental note of this and smiled back at Ceres, who was now wearing something much different to her casual blouse and jeans from last night. No… she was wearing something that looked a little like one of the older nurse uniforms. It was a slim looking light blue dress, with a little white apron pinafore thing on the front. It had a small white collar and a dark blue belt, and a little nametag on her left breast.

“Ceres…” I said, as I read her name tag out loud.

“Yup. And I’m here for you sweetie. I’m going to be looking after you. Well, you and one other boy. We don’t have staff for every person we take in, sadly. So each pair will have one of us.”

“I…”

“Sweetie… you can ask questions later, okay? Once you’ve had your proper introduction. I’m not supposed to spoil anything, and I may have already said too much already.”

“I… sorry…”

“Oh ba- I mean oh sweetie… It’s okay! How about we get my questions answered, then I can take you to processing?”

“O.. okay…” I mumbled.

Ceres pulled one of her hands away from mine, pulling out a small electronic tablet from one of her pockets with it, and began reading the screen carefully. 

“Right, so we did a bit of a background check on you, based on what we found in your wallet. So let’s just confirm some basics okay? Full name is Noah Williams, correct?”

I nodded, smiling awkwardly. 

I hate my name.

“Twenty six years old. Birthday in Feb? Oh that’ll be fun! We don’t have any other February babies! I love February.”

How was this woman disarming me so easily with that cute little Scottish accent and friendly demeanour? She’s kidnapped me, put me in my worst nightmare… and I can’t help but smile at her!

“Depression. Anxiety. No current medication. Mother… passed away. Father, absent. Parents separated at a young age? Sorry sweetie, I don’t want to bring it up, but we need accurate records if we are to help you.”

“Y… yeah… that’s all correct.”

“Good.”

“Do… you have to do this with all the others?”

“No sweetie. You’re a special case. Usually we have time to do a bit of research. But you kinda just… fell into my lap, so to speak.”

“S… sorry.”

“Sweetheart, no. No being sorry. I told you, it’s okay. Just a few more questions, okay?”

I nodded again at Ceres, who gripped my hand tightly with her one free hand as she awkwardly scrolled down the tablet screen with her other.

“Single. Living alone. You have a job but you’re within your probationary period… perfect.”

“Perfect?” I asked, confused.

“Means they’ll just assume you didn’t want the job. Easier to tie up ends like that…”

“...You mean when people go missing?”

“Exactly!”

I don’t know what was worse. Was it the fact that these people were really kidnapping people and holding them captive… or was it Ceres’ smiling face as she admitted openly that they do so?

“Anyway, Noah? Do you have any other health issues that aren’t on your medical records? Any drug usage? Alcohol consumption? Do you smoke?”

“You have… my records?”

“We’re… resourceful.”

“I see that…” I replied, rolling my eyes at her. “No, no other health issues.”

I lied.

Not that it should make a difference. But whatever.

“And the others?”

“No drugs. Very rarely drink alcohol. Don’t smoke,” I replied.

“What about your diet? Any intense dislikes? Anything you prefer?”

“Wait… so if you don’t ask the others these questions… do you somehow find out what their favourite food is by lurking in the shadows?”

“Yup! I know Oliver loves cookies, but hates cheese.”

“Oliver?”

“Oh sorry, he’s my other charge. He’ll be your roommate!”

“I… I’ll have a roommate?”

“Yes sweetie. But I promise you, he’s a nice boy. He just got a little drunk and got into some issues with the police over it that he couldn’t get out of. I’m just glad the one space we had free for you was with one of the nice ones.”

“One of the… nice ones?”

“Oops! Said too much again. Anyway, trust me, you’ll love Ollie.”

I was terrified of meeting this mysterious new ‘Ollie’. I wasn’t good with new people. But again, for some reason, Ceres’ words made everything feel less… daunting.

“Now sweetie… I have something very scary to ask you about.”

“O… kay?”

“When was the last time you self harmed?”

“I…”

Shit. My arms. She must have seen when I was undressed. Or someone else if it wasn’t her.

“My estimate must be… over a year?” she said, as if she had seen this kinda thing before.

“...Yeah,” I replied, feeling pretty fucking guilty and put on the spot right now.

“That’s okay. Just needed to know. Oh shi- I mean oh dear… I forgot to get your likes/dislikes in terms of your diet. Can you press which ones are correct?”

She held the tablet out for me, showing me some kind of questionnaire looking thing, with a bunch of food allergies, along with a text box for specific food dislikes, and one for favourite foods.

Well… this can’t be all bad if they’re asking for favourite foods, right? Maybe they use it as a treat or something for good progress? Either way, I quickly pressed a few likes and dislikes, ignoring the allergies bit as I have none, and handed the tablet back to Ceres.

 

“Right. I think we’re done. I may need to ask you more questions but we can do that when we’ve got you settled in,” Ceres said, before looking out into the corridor behind her. I couldn’t see anything from my position, but she could. “And it appears the rest have been escorted.”

“What about… umm… What was his name, Oliver?”

“I already processed him. Had to do it early so I could get extra time with you. He’s waiting in your new room. First, we need to get a physical done for you, so are you ready? I promise, I’ll be there the whole time, and they won’t hurt you.”

“Fine.”

I mean… how bad could it be? Whatever this ‘physical’ is… it’s better than the fate that I narrowly escaped last night.

And hell… maybe this place could actually help?

 

 

 

 

======================================================

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments. It makes me so happy that this first chapter was so well received, given its such a heavy subject and very personal to me.

I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

 

 

Don't forget I'm on Subscribestar! Subscribers get 2 weeks early access to chapters, and exclusive short stories (Nessa's Tale is currently the only available one).

The next four chapters of my new story posted on my Subscribestar!

========================================================

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total, also not yet running this tier yet, will announce when I'm starting!).

Thank you to all my subscribers for their support over the past few years! Seriously, your support means the world to me.

New chapters of my latest story every Wednesday/Sunday!

Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

[Babypants]

Nice follow on.  Not the dark setting with sadistic staff openly reveling in the humiliation of their captives that has become one of the most overworked tropes on this site.  And no evil stepmothers lurking in the closet.  Hooray!

Ceres is an interesting choice of name.  Wonder if Noah is up on Greek mythology.  

[Guilend]

4 hours ago, Babypants said:

Ceres is an interesting choice of name.  Wonder if Noah is up on Greek mythology.  

That’s Greek? I was curious about the name. It’s definitely unique. 

[LittleFallenPrincess]

4 hours ago, Babypants said:

Nice follow on.  Not the dark setting with sadistic staff openly reveling in the humiliation of their captives that has become one of the most overworked tropes on this site.  And no evil stepmothers lurking in the closet.  Hooray!

Ceres is an interesting choice of name.  Wonder if Noah is up on Greek mythology.  

Yay! Glad you're enjoying it. Yeah there's a lot of sadistic stuff out there. I wanted something different for this, as I don't like doing overdone things. And thanks just wait until you see the other Nannies!

2 minutes ago, Guilend said:

That’s Greek? I was curious about the name. It’s definitely unique. 

It's Roman Ceres is the roman version of Demeter.

[Guilend]

Just now, LittleFallenPrincess said:

It's Roman Ceres is the roman version of Demeter.

That’s cool. I’m always learning something when reading your stories. Thank you 

[Babypants]

7 minutes ago, Guilend said:

That’s Greek? I was curious about the name. It’s definitely unique. 

Ceres is the Roman version of Demeter, the Greek goddess of plenty.  In either pantheon, Demeter/Ceres is a nurturing goddess.  You might be acquainted with Demeter's daughter, Persephone.  The daughter of Zeus, she was abducted and taken across the river Styx to preside over the underworld.  She spends 6 months a year down below, and 6 months a year on Olympus with her mom and dad.    

12 minutes ago, Guilend said:

That’s Greek? I was curious about the name. It’s definitely unique. 

Hey, Guilend, one of the individuals reading my poetry has suggested that you are the stag pierced through in the first poem in the collection.  Not sure whether that's a promotion or a demotion from your current human state.  LOL

[Guilend]

39 minutes ago, Babypants said:

Hey, Guilend, one of the individuals reading my poetry has suggested that you are the stag pierced through in the first poem in the collection.  Not sure whether that's a promotion or a demotion from your current human state.  LOL

Im not in the least bit acquainted with poetry, poems and I have a very limited knowledge of the Greek gods. Other than a few movies I’ve watched, I don’t really know anything. I understand the first comment, but this one, I don’t know anything about the stag to know how I feel about. Looks like I’ll be doing some googling 😂. However, I’m voting for it being a demotion, just because I like it like that 😂 

[Little Lamb]

Really nice start. As always, keeping up with your works is a blast.

Hoping the obvious cat gets out of the proverbial bag soon enough. Things usually dont work well with that much repression going on...

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Physical

Elysium – LittleFallenPrincess

-------------------------------

 

 

 

I took Ceres’ hand as she helped me up off the bed. My legs were still a little shaky after being drugged last night, so I held on tightly to her arm for support.

“You okay, kiddo?”

“Kiddo? I can’t be that much younger than you!” I laughed in response.

She didn’t reply, she just kinda… smirked? Which was cute, but it gave me no answer whatsoever.

That’s when I saw something strapped to her hip, something I hadn’t seen when she was crouched down in front of me.

“Umm… is that…?”

“Is what what, hun?” she asked as we entered the empty concrete corridor.

All the nearby cells were closed, but it appeared that she wasn’t lying, they really had all been taken somewhere else in this place. Wherever this place is. Clearly we must be underground or somewhere in the middle of nowhere, as there are no windows and it looks like the walls are made of very thick concrete. The floor felt chilly on my bare feet as I stumbled my way down the long corridor, towards a door at the end. And outside that door, was a security guard, decked out in a full security outfit, including the same item that Ceres’ had strapped to her hip.

“Is… that a… t…”

“A taser? Yes, hun,” Ceres replied, with no hesitance.

My legs froze in place. I couldn’t take another step.

“I…”

“Noah? Noah… it’s okay. It’s just there for my own safety.”

“W… why?”

“Because some people don’t react well to being kidnapped. But not you, you’re a good boy for me. Some people get frightened, and that can end up in one of two ways. Either they shut down in fear, in which we have to coax them out of it and comfort them. Like how I just talked to you. And some…”

“Get violent?”

“Exactly. Especially some of the boys. So please hun, please be careful around some of them. We’re not here to torture anyone, we’re not here to make you suffer. We’re here to help you. And sometimes they refuse that help. So you’ll see plenty of security guards posted at entrances throughout the facility, and the entire staff carry their own personal taser. Just in case something happens.”

“So you… won’t use it on me?”

“Will you give me a reason to? I don’t think you will.”

“I… I’ll be good.”

“Hun, please don’t fear me because of this. Or because of what I’ve done to you by bringing here. I’m here to help you. I want to help. And I genuinely have a good feeling about this for you. I think you will leave here a much better man than the one who entered.”

I shivered as she said that.

“...Okay… I’ll… trust you. And I’ll behave. Just… if this turns out to be some kind of factory turning prisoners into food or some twisted thing like that, just make sure I go quickly and painlessly?”

She giggled.

“Okay hun. I promise. If I do change my mind about helping you and think you’d be better off as a burger or something… I’ll put you out of your misery quickly.”

I giggled back at her as we walked awkwardly past the security guard. I didn’t look up at his face, I was feeling too nervous to do anything but stumble forward, still holding on to Ceres’ arm. But I’m pretty sure he greeted her like they were friends or something.

 

In the next corridor, we slipped off into a side room, though I didn’t get to read the sign on the door before we rushed in… 

And upon entering it, the first thing I spotted was a Doctor… in a large medical looking room.

There was a large table in the middle of the room, one that Ceres’ appeared to be guiding me towards. I mean, she did say it was going to be a medical checkup. So what was I expecting really? A nice comfy lounge chair and a foot rest?

“Put li- Noah on the table there…” the female Doctor said. She was wearing a typical white lab coat with a turtleneck sweater underneath it, and had large round glasses perching on her nose. She looked like she was probably in her forties? Though if she was, she still looked really good for her age.

“Ready Noah?” Ceres asked as we reached the examination table. I nodded, and she quickly helped me up, with me being able to stretch my legs out as my heart began pounding.

I hated visiting doctors. Always so invasive. Always so… yeah…

“Good morning, Noah. I’m Doctor Ashfield,” that’s when she turned to the only other person in the room. “Ceres?”

“Oh he’s one of the good ones. He’s very good for me, aren’t you kiddo?”

I grumbled at the name, but I still nodded. And suddenly my cheeks felt like they were on fire. It was weird that Ceres knew exactly what Dr Ashfield was asking, without the doc having to say anything but her name. 

“Oh good. We’ve had a few of them this year, which is nice. That Jack though… he’s going to be a handful. You’re going to have your work cut out for you down there…”

“That’s Diana’s problem. I’ve got two little angels this year,” Ceres replied, smiling up at the Doctor as if she was… proud?

“Sucks to be Diana then. Who else did she get again? I can’t remember, she was at the front of the queue this morning. Was it that nice boy, Rowan?”

“Yeah. So at least she’s not got two nightmares to deal with, just the one.”

It was so weird, hearing them talk like this was so normal. Kidnapping people and… well… I have no idea what they do to us to make us ‘better’, but whatever it is, it involves taking some really shitty people, apparently…

‘Does that… make me a shitty person too?’ I thought to myself as the Doctor walked up to my side and looked down at me.

“Noah, you may call me Joy. But only because you’re so good. If you begin to act out, I’m back to Dr Ashfield. And you don’t want that.”

“Don’t worry about her, Noah. She’s a big softie really. She won’t be able to resist how cute you are!”

I blushed, but as I did, Joy looked at Ceres, who quickly looked away, guiltily. I’m not sure who she was trying to tease more… me or Joy.

“Anyway, I’ll explain what I’m going to do, okay? I don’t want you panicking or anything. It’s just a simple checkup.”

I nodded in response, but didn’t say a word.

“Ceres, the paperwork is very bare bones. Wait… is this the one picked up last night? That was you?”

“Yes, Joy.”

“You certainly threw a wrench in the gears with this one. What made you think he’s suitable for Elysium?”

‘Elysium’? Is that where we are? Or is that the name of the ‘treatment’ Ceres was talking about?

“Joy, what I say doesn’t leave this room, okay? Only me, the boss, and now you… know about Noah’s reason for being here. I had special permission to add him to the intake last minute, and the only people that need to know about his reason for being here are us. If he chooses to share it with others, that’s his decision, not ours.”

“And what is his reason…?”

Ceres looked at me, as if asking for approval. She genuinely wanted it too, if the puppy eyes she was giving off were any indication. So I gave her a quick nod to say I was okay with it. Sure, I didn’t like lots of people knowing… but it was only her ‘boss’ and these two in this room… so it wasn’t too bad… I guess?

“Noah here, tried jumping off the bridge near the park last night.”

“But that bridge is over the… oh.”

Joy’s face dropped.

And suddenly I felt guilty again.

“Ceres… we’ve never taken anyone like that. For good reason,” Joy added, sounding quite stern. “We aren’t equipped to handle anyone like…”

“The bosses said it’s good. Extreme circumstances.”

“I bet they’re reeeeally happy with you then?” Joy raised her eyebrow at my… whatever Ceres is going to be to me at this place. Nurse? Helper?

“Oh yes. But when I told them the details, they knew that it was probably best for Noah to be here, rather than be left at the mercy of the NHS…”

“You make a fair point. Fine. But please, Ceres, please be very careful with this boy. He’s going to be fragile. He’s going to need a lot of love and support…”

“Which will make the treatment perfect for him…” Ceres cut her off.

“Noah?” Joy said, turning her attention to me.

“I… umm… yes?”

“Sorry. For talking about you as if you weren’t here. Just… we’ve never taken anyone in who was… in your position. We aren’t exactly therapists. I have a little bit of training but no actual experience.”

“Don’t worry, they’re not any help anyway…” I joked, trying to lighten the already tense mood in the room.

“That’s for damn sure. Fine. Just… don’t bottle it up here, okay? I have a feeling the treatment will help you. A lot. I’ve always theorised it could help people like you but we’ve been reluctant to try it. Because it may also make you want to bottle things up more. So I want Ceres to give me daily reports on your mental health, which means I want you to be honest with her, okay hun?”

“I… I know I’m not supposed to ask what the treatment is. So I won’t. But… Do you genuinely think this will help me, whatever it is?”

“I do, sweetheart. But it will open up a lot of old wounds, and you may get worse before you get better. So I want you to be honest and open minded. Trust Ceres. The girl really does seem to care for you. More than usual…”

Ceres blushed a little, before the Doctor grabbed something from a nearby table.

“Right. A few checks, a quick injection, and we’ll get you out of here so Ceres can give you the proper induction.

 

And it was exactly that. She quickly checked the usual things, from blood pressure to a quick blood test. Though it was a bit weird when she checked my teeth too… though I guess it’s too much money for this place to get their own personal Doc AND Dentist…

The injections weren’t very fun either. Bit more painful than the ones I’m normally used to, and a lot more painful than the one Ceres gave me last night before she kidnapped me. But thankfully, they were over quickly, and I lay there, in my hospital gown, waiting for the Doc to give me the okay.

“Right. It’s time.”

“Are we done?” I asked, confidently.

But that confidence was quickly eroded as Ceres turned around, rather than come help me up. And as she rummaged around a large cabinet behind her, her body preventing me from seeing what was inside, the doctor grabbed my arm and pulled it to my side, wrapping something around it. Before I could turn to see what exactly it was, she had already moved onto the other arm, wrapping something in place on that side too.

…Restraints.

I had been strapped to the table.

“Now baby, this is part of the treatment, okay?” Ceres said, still rummaging around in the cupboard.

“What… What is? Ceres… you’re starting to scare me…”

“Trust me, baby. I promise you, this is needed. Okay?”

“WHAT IS IT?”

One look from the Doc though… told me that if I didn’t calm down, I’d be back to ‘Dr Ashfield’ with her, so I shut up and started shaking with fear instead.

 

…I was not expecting that.

What the hell is this place?

Do they really expect me to wear… that?

Do I have to use it?

All these questions started swirling around my mind, and I quickly began to hyperventilate again.

I was panicking. I had no idea what they have in store for me here… but why on Earth do I have to wear… THAT?

“Sweetie, you’re going to be okay. Breathe…” Ceres said, still holding the white crinkly undergarment in her hand, using her free one to stroke my hair.

“I saw you put anxiety down on his chart. Sorry, I should’ve been ready for this. Hold him still… That’s okay hun… you’re going to be okay. I’m just going to help you drift off for a bit, okay baby?” Joy’s whole tone and body language had changed, she suddenly became a lot more… caring? Soft? Not sure what the word is, but she was becoming much nicer and sweeter the more the world was spinning. 

The lights were blinding me, as if the intensity had been turned up to the maximum, and everything felt like it was coming to an end.

But thankfully, whatever Joy gave me began to work pretty damn quickly, as the last thing I remember was Ceres stroking my hair, smiling down at me, with a genuine look of worry on her face.

 

 

 

 

======================================================

 

I'm so glad you're enjoying the start of this story I was extremely nervous about posting a story that I put a lot of myself and my feelings into. So I'm glad it's being well received.  I hope you continue to enjoy it!

 

 

Don't forget I'm on Subscribestar! Subscribers get 2 weeks early access to chapters, and exclusive short stories (Nessa's Tale is currently the only available one).

The next four chapters of my new story posted on my Subscribestar!

========================================================

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total, also not yet running this tier yet, will announce when I'm starting!).

Thank you to all my subscribers for their support over the past few years! Seriously, your support means the world to me.

New chapters of my latest story every Wednesday/Sunday!

Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

[Little Lamb]

The way Dr. Joy (saw what you did there...) and Ceres talked, to and about "Him" makes me think we've got an egg clocked right from the start...

[Babypants]

2 hours ago, Little Lamb said:

The way Dr. Joy (saw what you did there...) and Ceres talked, to and about "Him" makes me think we've got an egg clocked right from the start...

Explain, please.

[Little Lamb]

Dr. Joy ~ pkmn's nurse Joy... I think.

The rest will probs be spoilers, even if I'm wrong. I really don’t know how to explain it in a non-disruptive way for anyone else...

If some wise and caring grown-up could teach this little silly sheep how to... (if there even is a way, that is)

[LittleFallenPrincess]

10 hours ago, Little Lamb said:

Dr. Joy ~ pkmn's nurse Joy... I think.

The rest will probs be spoilers, even if I'm wrong. I really don’t know how to explain it in a non-disruptive way for anyone else...

If some wise and caring grown-up could teach this little silly sheep how to... (if there even is a way, that is)

I'm glad you got the reference!

 

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

 

 

Chapter 4: Induction

Elysium – LittleFallenPrincess

-------------------------------

 

 

 

I saw Mum.

Whatever they did to me… I saw her again.

Once I had drifted off to sleep, I dreamt I was back at home, when I was younger. I must’ve been nine at the most. And Mum was still there. So was Dad, but his face was blurry.

And in that dream, I was helping Mum make jam tarts with the leftover pastry from dinner. It was one of my favourite things to do with her, and I would always sneak a bit of jam into my mouth with my fingers when she wasn’t looking. I’m pretty sure she knew, but she’d always keep quiet and pretend she hadn’t noticed.

“Noah, dear, mind getting me the jam from the fridge?” she said, with her angelic voice that always made me feel safe and at home. The same voice I hadn’t heard in… years…

And as soon as she asked, I began crying. I miss her. I miss her voice. I miss… everything about it.

“Noah, sweetheart, what’s the matter?” she asked me as she knelt down, wiping my tears from my cheek with her sleeve. “You’re going to cry all over your pretty dress…”

And that’s when I knew it wasn’t real. That’s when my memories of my adult life came rushing back, flooding my mind with sadness and regret.

If I had just known back then… and if I had told her… maybe I could’ve had that childhood… Maybe if I had known back then, Dad would’ve been more supportive with my Mum being there. Maybe if I had known back then… she would’ve been supportive, maybe she would’ve loved me more instead of the son she had. I know she loved me back then… but looking back… even if I didn’t realise it, I wasn’t her son. Not really.

So as I stood in our little kitchen at home, crying my eyes out, wishing things could have been different… she reached in and kissed me gently on the cheek, making my heart feel whole again.

“You’ll always be my special little Princess,” she said, as the house, my Dad, my Mum, and the jam tarts we were making… all faded away.

 

“Oh hi there little sleepyhead…”

A familiar voice. One I’d be able to easily pick out in a crowd. I must be back in reality.

Maybe Joy can give me more of whatever she injected me with if I ask nicely, just so I can go back to that dream again.

“Mrgrr…” I grumbled in response, hoping Ceres would be able to pick up on my tiredness. The same tiredness that made it impossible to open my eyes or move an inch right now. I must have stirred a bit in my sleep, otherwise she’d never know I was awake right now.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“I… b… bb.. Baby?”

I jolted upright, realising what had just happened before I was put under.

“What… what the…”

“Sweetheart… calm down, okay?” Ceres said, from a little chair nearby.

I squinted a bit to get a better view of her, but even then her body was obstructed by some kind of vertical lines. Rubbing them furiously, trying to force the sleep from them, I squinted a bit more and focused my vision to find that they weren’t lines… They were bars.

Wooden bars.

Frantically looking around, I found myself in a prison, one a bit more infantile than I was expecting when I first woke up after being kidnapped.

“Is this… is this a…?”

“A cot? Yes hun.”

“I… why am I in a… WAIT, WHAT AM I WEARING?”

“Shhh… sweetie… volume… otherwise…”

“OTHERWISE WHAT?”

Ceres pointed down, towards my chest. On the infantile onesie that I was currently wearing, rested a dummy, one much larger than I had ever seen before. And it was dangling there from a long blue ribbon, one that had ‘Noah’ written in little blocks on it.

“Otherwise that goes in, and it’s not coming out for a while.”

“I… I’ll be good…” I replied, sheepishly. I didn’t want to make things worse for myself, I was already sitting here in a baby blue onesie and with the thick, crinkly padding between my legs… I assume what Ceres was holding up earlier before they put me under… is now fastened securely between my legs.

“Good boy. Now, I’ll explain everything. I promised, didn’t I? And I don’t break my promises if I can.”

“This is… not what I was expecting when you said ‘treatment’...”

“No, no one really expects it. But trust me, it works.”

“What, you dress people up as big babies, keep them in a crib and… what? They get better?”

“I mean that’s a very very very basic description of what actually happens but… Actually… yes, they do.”

“Is this…?”

I looked around the rather large, spacious room.

The crib I was in was wooden, painted white, and large enough to fit at least two grown adults in, possibly even three. And it was nestled comfortably against a wall that was also painted baby blue, though it was a slightly different shade to the onesie I was wearing. Ceres sat on a large rocking chair, facing me, as if she was watching me the whole time I slept.

“Wait… Ceres… were you watching me?”

“Sweetie, we didn’t get to do your induction before your anxiety attack. And I wanted to make sure you’re okay. You’re my charge after all, and I did promise you I’d look after you.”

“So what are you? Some kind of…”

“Nanny? Yes. I’m Nanny Ceres to you. So from now on, I expect you to call me either Nanny, or Nanny Ceres. The other nannies here are to be referred to as Nanny Diana or Nanny Vesta or whatever their name is.”

“How many Nannies are there?” I asked.

“Six for your year.”

“And how many… umm… people like me?”

“Oh hun, no one is like you! You’re a special little bean! But if you’re asking how many we took in this year… twelve, like usual. We were actually preparing for eleven, but then you dropped on my lap and I brought you in.”

“Wait… this year? How long has this been going on?”

“Let me get you introduced first, okay? I’ve got a whole spiel for this place, and I’m not expecting much resistance from you. Ollie was a bit… bratty… but eventually he settled down. You’re going to be a good boy, aren’t you?”

“I remember you mentioning this ‘Ollie’ where is he? Does he get his own room or something?”

“Oh no… over there, look…”

I looked over to where Ceres was pointing to see another identical crib on the other side of the room. Past the enormously large changing table, past the little playpen with lots of babyish toys in it, past the highchairs… past all the things that would perfectly fit in a nursery… There was another boy, sleeping soundly, sucking on a pacifier identical to mine, wearing very much the same outfit… including the same thick bulge around his waist that indicated he was just as nappied as I was.

Nappied… I was… I am… wearing… a nappy. 

This was going to take some time to process.

 

“So… Noah…”

“Yes…”

She gave me a look, as if I had fucked up already. Then I remembered.

“Yes… Nanny?”

“Good boy. Now Noah… What we do here is special. We take troubled boys and girls, and we help them become better people.”

“Better how? And what do you mean by ‘troubled’? I was listening to you and the Doctor said normally they wouldn’t take people like me in.”

“Yes sweetie… normally we’d try to rely on mental health services for people like you. And yes, before you say, they really do suck in this country. They suck in most countries. But if we were to take every young person who was struggling with depression and anxiety… Well, let’s just say we don’t have the staff.”

“How am I different from that though? Just because you caught me trying to… umm… yeah… that night?”

“Yes. And because you’re cute.”

I blushed at Cer- no… Nanny’s response.

“Grrrr…” I growled in response. I wasn’t good at taking compliments. Thankfully she smiled and started giggling.

As she did this, I quickly took this opportunity to sit up properly and rest my back against the crib headboard, trying my best not to move the nappy or make it crinkle. However, as I did this… I found it to be a lot heavier than I thought.

“Anyway sweetie… We take in troubled young people. Adults only, of course. Usually twenty-something year olds. And we help them relive their childhood… or infancy to be more precise. We reraise you, hopefully giving you the time, space and patience to let you grow up into better, healthier adults.”

“And what then? Release us? Surely people could just go to the police for you kidnapping them?”

“By the end of their treatment, they don’t want to. Like I said, when people leave, after their three years with us, they don’t want to go back to their old ways. They want to be better. And because they reportedly went missing… we set them up with new identities. Or if they really want to, provided it isn’t a life that could help them slip back into their old ways… we reintegrate them back into their old life, with some cover story that explains their absence.”

“What about me?”

“What do you mean, Noah?”

“Will you just let me go after… wait… did you just say THREE years?”

“Volume… and yes, three years. One year down here in the basement. You’re kept as babies. Baby toys, baby food, baby treatment, the whole works. Year two… you move upstairs onto the main floor with the year above you.”

“So there are multiple ‘years’ here?”

“Yes. You’re part of the first year, the babies. The older kids get more freedom and more grown up toys, and the second and third years are upstairs, where they can socialise together. We like to keep first years separate because there can be some… issues… with some little ones who aren’t as accepting of their new life as we’d hoped.”

“Ceres… sorry… can I just talk… as an adult… even if it's the last time I do…?”

“Yes hun. Go ahead. But just this once, okay?”

“Right. Um… let me just think about my words. I… this is… look… this is my biggest nightmare, okay?”

“I know hun. And I’m proud of you for doing so well right now.”

“And I want to believe you when you say you can actually help me. You’re the first person who has said that that I genuinely believe wants to help. And maybe this whole… weird… baby thing actually works. I’m willing to accept my fate here. I want to try it, whatever it entails. Just… Please be honest with me. Tell me exactly what it entails. I need that or I will not be able to give it my all. I will be in a constant state of fear.”

“Noah, because of your circumstances, and because you’ve given me no reason to treat you as hostile… I’ll be honest with you. You’re going to spend a whole year in this basement. It will be hard. You will get bored. There are no video games, no social media, no friends to go to the movies with. You’ll have me, Ollie, and the rest of your year who will all also be treated like babies… and you’ll have only babyish activities, toys and movies. There’s a huge, absolutely adorable playroom… but your adult mind will want more.”

“So I’m going to go crazy before I get better, is that what you’re saying?”

“What I’m saying, poppet… is that you’re going to struggle for a bit. But the sooner you let go and just let yourself be little… the better you’ll be. And you won’t be alone this time. You’ll have me, always. And I think you and Ollie will get on like a house on fire. And there are a few in your year that I think you may like, from the limited knowledge I have about them. But it will be hard to adjust to your new, infantile life. You’ll get up, be nursed, get changed, play with your toys or with the other babies, be fed in your highchair, nursed again, then put to bed in your crib. And this will repeat. Over and over again.”

“And this will make me better? How?”

“Trust me, darling. It will. Or at least I believe it will. If it doesn’t… I’ll buy you dinner. I’ll let you put on your big boy pants… and I’ll take you to dinner and let you go. Give me… three months? Try this for three months, then if you’re not feeling even the slightest bit better and want to get out, I promise you we’ll let you leave. Provided you keep quiet about this place’s existence, of course. I don’t want anything to happen to our Nannies or our staff… or the graduates. No one else ever gets this offer, so I hope you understand how special you are.”

“Three months? Can you actually promise that?” I asked, suspicious of Ceres’ promises.

Ceres’ pocket buzzed a bit, so she quickly held a finger up to indicate to me to give her a minute, and checked her phone, pulling it out and reading what she had received.

“Oh… um… okay. Just give me a minute, sweetheart. Someone umm… someone special wants to talk to you…” she said, as she awkwardly stood up and shuffled her way out the door at the far end of the room, leaving me to question…

…Just who the hell would suddenly want to talk to me?

 

 

 

 

======================================================

And so we begin the main core of the story :3 Yes, it's one of those kinds of stories. But I hope my take on it makes it a bit more unique.

 

 

Don't forget I'm on Subscribestar! Subscribers get 2 weeks early access to chapters, and exclusive short stories (Nessa's Tale is currently the only available one).

The next four chapters of my new story posted on my Subscribestar!

========================================================

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total, also not yet running this tier yet, will announce when I'm starting!).

Thank you to all my subscribers for their support over the past few years! Seriously, your support means the world to me.

New chapters of my latest story every Wednesday/Sunday!

Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

[Moon3ye]

I'm really curious to see where this will lead.

So far it's too nice for the way you usually write.

I'm keeping a close eye on everything

[Babypants]

Given the bit about him being a female trapped in a male body, I'm wondering why conventional therapy didn't work for him.  In a case like this, regression therapy has a low chance of success.  And a year without exposure to sunlight?  We're talking osteoporosis and  a form of depression called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) right out of the gate.  So, Ceres is piling one lie on top of another, which leads me to wonder what this place is really all about.  Guess we'll find out in time.

[Little Lamb]

14 minutes ago, Babypants said:

I'm wondering why conventional therapy didn't work for him. 

Insert here transphobia warning...

(also the story happens in TERF Island, as far as I know.)

16 minutes ago, Babypants said:

Given the bit about him being a female trapped in a male body,

Can't answer for everyone of us, but that definition isn’t very inclusive for most trans people.

21 minutes ago, Babypants said:

And a year without exposure to sunlight? 

Very easy to work around with some special-made light-bulbs. (UV-A with white light I think)

24 minutes ago, Babypants said:

regression therapy has a low chance of success.

I heard about regression as a form of therapy for trauma once or twice, have no idea if it's legit, but within the trans demographic severe traumatic experiences are a dime a dozen...

28 minutes ago, Babypants said:

So, Ceres is piling one lie on top of another

That's for sure, not exactly about what you said, but she's surely painting a much more optimistic and pretty picture than What's probably reality.

On 1/29/2025 at 5:30 PM, Little Lamb said:

makes me think we've got an egg clocked right from the start...

Still unsure if they already know about the MC actual gender... Hope it goes well anyway.