Illegal Immigrant [10-08-2022] CH5+6 - Back to it + Fuck Everything

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Illegal Immigrant [10-08-2022] CH5+6 - Back to it + Fuck Everything
Date Published: June 17, 2022, 3:16am
Written By: Mee

Illegal Immigrant
1 - Welcome to Libertalia
“Hello~againmy favorite little munchkins!” The tour guide dressed in her bright red lipstick cheerily sounded off through her mini microphone attached to a speaker on her waist. “Again, Libertalia would like to thank you all for participating in one of its many enriching and wonderful tours. We’re always interested in letting in Portal Littles, so if by the end of this tour you are interested in a longer stay, please don’t hesitate to speak with our support desk!” The way she feigned her upbeat attitude was pathetically obvious in the eyes of the many visiting Littles, but especially Dawn. Even still, her upbeat attitude only added to the layers of mystery this dimension had, and admittedly aroused her morbid curiosity.
The Amazonian woman had taken them quite a distance around the large city, though relative to Dawn’s size it may as well have been an entire state in itself. Given the brief mentions of politics along the way though, it pretty much was anyways.
Nevertheless, Dawn was still trying to fully grasp that she was spending a portion of her college break in another dimension. Admittedly, it was sort of on a whim. Then again, it wasn’t. In fact, the tourist agency had come toher. All it was, was a seemingly harmless postcard in the mail, and of course you’re going to doubletake when instead of it being junkmail it’s an offer to visit a totally different dimension. Looking back on it, it was kind of luck in itself that she even read the damn thing, much less take it seriously. After drinking a few beers and a ‘why not?’ and ‘what the hell?’ later, she figured she would see how deep the rabbit hole went, but never expecting to get what was actually advertised.
People practically three times her size, coexisting with people just about hers in a separate, humongous dimension! Looking back on it, just about everyone in the tour group needed a good hour to fully digest that part. The realization was jarring; finding that you, an adult, who sat at the top of the social food chain, was now suddenly kicked back to the bottom by a dangerously large margin. Seriously.
Dawn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she saw her first “Amazonian” toddler, who had a few inches on her! Yes, no matter where you go here, “Portal Littles” feel incredibly small. And that’s what she was. A Portal Little. Anyone about her size here was considered a Little. Grown adults that never seemed to look taller than about 5 or 6 feet. That’s how they described it at the briefing, at least. But if you asked Dawn, she’d say only 5.
And not like she had any hard evidence, but she couldn’t help but feel as if she were a little shorter now since crossing the portal… Crazy and unfounded, she knew, and especially impossible to tell with these staggering size comparisons to giants, which of course would make it impossible to tell whether you had a few less inches or not.
Their tour guide, Stacy, started speaking again. “In fact, if you would like I can take hands right now for those who’d be interested?” She looked to be eagerly waiting for countless takers, but not a single hand was raised. “D’awwwh, come on guys, don’t be shy!” She snickered. “I know there’s a few of you who are interested…” Still, no one volunteered. How could she expect someone to trade their livelihood so willingly? People who have spent 20 to 30 years of their lives, still underway in a dimension they knew as home; how could a 3 hour tour convince them to throw all of that away? It was probably part of her job, but the attitude she had certainly wasn’t. Dawn looked at her from the way back of the group with slightly narrowed eyes. Was she stupid?
“Suit yourself!” She huffed and puffed. “You’ll have a chance to change your mind by the end of the tour. And let me remind you to please stay close! If you get lost along the way it’ll bring up some…complications.” It was the one time she sounded as if she were intentionally hiding something, and given that she was the one person everyone here could consider trustworthy, it was a little unnerving.
“Tabith–Mommy, please! You can’t do this to me! I have a job, a home, a car, a boyfriend; you can’t take that away from me!” A clearly distraught woman sounded as if they were on the verge of tears, which had a few foreign heads turn their way. It was one of the glaringly unpleasant parts of this dimension. A woman maybe a little taller than Dawn stood shakily in front of the giant which towered over her. Despite her moderate lipstick, modest eyeliner, well-done contour, with her hair tied into a neat, clean bun, it came as a sharp contrast to her bright blue denim overalls with a shamefully obvious bulge hidden underneath. What’s more, it looked as if she were wearing a giant ladybug backpack, but it stopped seeming that way once you could see a long strap from it feed into the Amazon’s hand. It was a fucking leash.
In spite of their wonderful technology, architecture, ecosystem, environmental policy, and healthcare, this was the one thing that ruined this dimension’s perception of paradise. Dawn watched on with a sense of guilt and sorrow as she didn’t move any further. The guides were explicitly clearnotto interfere with stuff like this, as it was just “how things worked here.” Dawn didn’t know what scared her more: the fact that people like this couldn’t be saved, or that anyone that tried to help couldn’t be protected. People here were encouraged to be bystanders, and that only magnified the corruptness of it all. Now she could at least say she’d been to the Twilight Zone…
“Now, now, my little tot,” the ironically plump woman knelt down to face her new charge a bit better. She looked like a predator sizing up its prey, clearly for sport, as it looked as if she’d long since won the chase. “I think it’s high-time we put that all behind us now, hmm? I’ve got big plans for my special little girl, and they donotinvolve anything as worrisome as adult responsibilities.” She ruffled the top of her hair, which made the Little take a few steps back on reflex, accompanied by a whimper. This clearly annoyed the Amazon though, as with a sharp tug on the child leash the woman was thrown back forward a few steps and involuntarily fell on the Amazon’s knee for support. “Whoopsie! Those diapies sure give you a waddle, huh?”
As if the sadness were seething through her teeth, and the woman’s cheeks looked hot, she helplessly pleaded. “Please…!”
The Amazon only sighed though, dismissing the girl’s emotional ruin. She hoisted her into the air and had a firm hold on her, with the Little flailing her legs, shouting for help. “I figured I’d at least give you a chance to walk on your own, but at this rate the adoption centers will be closed before we even get there.” She suddenly gave an annoyed look, and you could hear the sharp slap of skin to skin contact. She then looked away for a moment then back to her, as if tragedy had befallen her charge when she wasn’t looking. “Aww, what’s the matter sweetheart? Why are you crying? Is that wittle laxative from earlier upsetting your tummy? There, there, we’ll make it all better soon…” As the helpless Little whimpered, the pair walked off, fading into the crowd, whilst everyone in the tour group wordlessly watched them walk away.
“What the fuck even was that?”
“They were actually serious about kidnapping?”
“Can they really just take people?”
“Hey, they, they can’t do that to us too, right?”
“Now, now, everyone!” Stacy shushed the frightened atmosphere with her still upbeat tone, as if the horrifying display hadn’t even fazed her. And in all honesty, that could very well likely be the case. Whether she partook in such inhumane practices or not, living in a society that normalized it was sure to desensitize you. Though, Dawn was curious to see how exactly she’d try and address what they just saw… So much for her hopes of volunteers. “We have plenty of other sights and shops to see, so we need to keep a tight schedule! Come along now!” She beckoned to the group like preschoolers, and a few pairs exchanged awkward glances, trying to digest how she’d totally disregarded the public kidnapping.
“Uhm, Stacy?” Dawn called from the back of the pack. Surprisingly she was heard, as Stacy turned her head. The way she smiled was almost unnerving. “Aren’t we gonna talk about what we just saw?”
Dawn didn’t know if she really was stupid or just a terrible liar. Her response was stupefying. “See…what?” The way she drew out her response was a testament to her obliviousness.
“That someone was just kidnapped? That Amazon just took a person! A…” what was it again? “A Little!” The existence of two separate terms was terrible in itself. It proved there was a social hierarchy in all of this, which made the problem so much worse.
“Oh!” She chuckled. She chuckled? “You mean that adoption? I mean, I suppose she was acting a little fussy, but other than that…?” The way she curiously smiled, as if Dawn were the fool for pointing it out, simply made the Portal Little drop the topic from there. It was almost a sixth sense, triggering when you interacted with only the most ignorant of people; the kind that spewed words like airhorns and filled their ears with cement. It was another endless rabbit hole of bewilderment, equating kidnapping to “adoption.”
“Oh! Look at the time! We already a few minutes behind schedule. Come along, everyone!” She waved her hand and set forth their march, with most people certainly caught in a mix of emotions. As well, the Littles seemed to be sticking a bit closer together than they were before…
As nice of a place as Libertalia seemed, excluding their babying culture, it was a bit hard to really enjoy at times when the tour guide leading you through it all had a gait two to three times as large as yours. Her lack of consideration was admittedly surprising, given how she, like many others, seemed to view Littles as borderline children. You’d think they’d be given a little more patience with the faster walkers. It was a mystery why she was still treating them even like pseudo-adults when taking her personality into account. They were all creatures of the Leviathan; beasts withheld by the rule of law, which even then seemed to be such a loose restraint.
“And if you’ll all look to your right, you will see one of Libertalia’s finest parks; free to the public at any time of the day!” In the middle of the city it seemed like somewhat of an oasis; a large patch of green grass, trees, a fountain, and of course a playground, all sanctioned by stone walls which were as tall as Dawn, so in other words the perfect height for an Amazon. It was another unspoken, annoying undertone to this society. Yes it had the glam and glamour; all the bells and whistles, but all those benefits were geared towards Amazons. For Christ sake, even the hotel room she was staying in was meant for an Amazon! When she wanted to go to bed, use the sink, brush her teeth, she had to move around her personal footstool, everso “generously” provided by the hotel. So to call this place wonderful was unfortunately a great matter of perspective.
From the distance she could see another infantilized adult going down the slide. What she hated to admit the most was that therewereaccommodations for Littles here, only that they were intended for an age bracket of a much more childish mindset. That seemed to be the Common Little’s struggle here. They were shunned for trying to tread where the Amazon’s might, and thus were like a bunch of circles jammed into a square-socket as they try to fill it out like their diapers. Dawn wasn’t going to claim she knew how everything worked here, but the signs on the surface were telling enough.
“Alright, everyone, please be extra careful!” Right as they reached the end of the block, Stacy spun around to face them all, looking stern. Dawn rolled her eyes. They went through the same routine each and every time they crossed the street. Did she think they had personal chaperones their whole lives before coming to this dimension?
“Be sure to lookbothways before crossing the street, alright? Now come on, everyone, grab a hand!” She was the first to start the chain that only she saw the unnecessary purpose in. Begrudgingly the closest tourist had to take her hand, and then the next closest to take theirs, and so forth. Even Dawn did so with another guy seeming equally as annoyed. Naturally the first time she said this everyone thought she had a few screws loose, but it was the first of many signs that she truly did consider them as something less of an adult. That, and she’d already kicked a handful of people off the tour for not listening to her condescending ways. Yes, she was difficult to work with, but the embarrassment and hoops were enough to endure if it meant being able to experience a different dimension. She thinks, at least.
“Alright let’s get a move on!” She made an exaggerated turn and glance to first her left and then her right, then like a livestock crossing they marched across the street. As silly as it was though, there was some solace in that a united front kept the Amazons from trampling over you. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something Dawn could deny as intimidating. Everytime she made a close call by colliding with the shins and knees of one, they’d give the same kind of smile that repulsive woman from earlier would. She’d try to usher along, but their gaze would linger from behind for an uncomfortably long amount of time.
“Oh honey, look! It’s a group of Portal Littles!” Dawn’s unfortunate ears picked up the conversation parallel to them on the wayside. The excitement in her voice sounded chillingly ulterior, given what they’d just seen. Dawn didn’t know whether it was from paranoia or not, but the tiny hairs on her stood upright.
“How would you know that? Don’t all Littles look the same?” Dawn tried to keep looking forward. She wasn’t keen on being a conversation piece, especially when they probably knew very well she could hear them, along with many others. Then again, it was probably more along the lines of that they didn’t care.
“Just look! See? That’s an official government tour guide! Since when do they do tours for natives? And see that? They don’t have any parents!” Dawn tried to walk a little faster. She dared not look back at them. Eye contact was the last thing you wanted to make. She’d had her fill of awkward exchanges for one vacation. “Oh! And that one, see her?”It could be anyone, just relax.
“Which one?”God, they couldn’t actually be fucking scouting right now, could they? They can’t take foreigners, right? Right?
“The one with brown hair, wearing the jeans? Such a cute bum, too!” Dawn nervously panned her eyes to the left, then right, locking eyes with an unfortunate soul, though ashamedly feeling her heart beat a little less once she knew it wasn’t her… Something similar must have been going on in the woman’s head though, because the brunette in jeans seemed stunned as she looked ahead, obviously trying to dig herself deeper into the pack. She had been listening too, and looked a moment’s away from crumbling if they got any closer.
“Ooh, why haven’t we gotten a Little yet, James?” The female Amazon sounded frustrated as her golden prize seemed to drift away. Dawn silently rooted for the fellow tourist as she could see her keep moving to the front. “They’re opening that new daycare a few blocks down from the house, anyways! Come on, don’t you think this is a sign?” It was a mix of anger and fear to hear herself be regarded as goods you could simply go and “get.” It further solidified all the worsening conclusions Dawn was reaching in this place.
“Kath, I know you’ve been wanting one, but…” The way he tried to diffuse the situation obviously wasn’t out of sympathy for the poor Little that might be enslaved by his wife, rather, a desire to maintain the “happy wife, happy life,” mantra… “We really haven’t planned everything out? There’s plenty of agencies to adopt, but we need furniture first, don’t you think?”
‘Kath,’ the wife of the couple Dawn kept listening to, even ignoring Stacy’s spiel over, went on to scoff and say, “You say this everytime!” And if only he could keep saying it for just a little longer… Were they really going the same way? “I want to grow our family, James, and you know we’ve been talking about it for months now. Don’t you think it’d be nice?” Even if it wasn’t Dawn’s place to answer, no, no she didn’t think so. “There’d be a little tush toddling around the house; someone to dote on, care for. Didn’t your mom say she was looking for grandkids, anyways? I want to be a mommy, honey! And I’m sure you’d make a great dad, too!”
‘James,’ Dawn thought it was, simply exhaled; the kind of exhale that Katherine (which Dawn assumed was her name) could consider a strikingly positive one, and Dawn the exact opposite. “I suppose we can start looking to adopt.”
A happy, yet sinister squeal escaped his wife as her husband apparently said all the things she wanted to hear; a beautiful symphony directed by the tongue and mouth, though to Dawn a screechy, rough and scratchy jargon of displeasing cacophony. And like that, it was predetermined that at random some poor soul would be abducted by these two maniac “aspiring parents.”
“I love you so much! I just know we’ll be great parents!” She giggled, while Dawn gagged. “Oh! But I want to get a Portal Little.” She sounded oddly adamant, and Dawn felt herself tense up a little.
“I don’t see why not, but why’s that?”
“Think about it, honey,” she started to seem somber, though Dawn regarded it as one of many masks the beast could portray. “Haven’t you heard about their dimension? There’s no Amazons! All the poor things…who’s supposed to take care of them? What happens when they need to be fed, clothed, changed, cleaned…” Each and every supposed problem she listed off seemed to have dropped the weight of the world on her shoulders more and more, as she slowly talked herself to tears. “What if they have a nightmare?” Dawn blinked her eyes. That.That’swhat puts her over the edge? The Amazon mindset couldn’t have been more ignorant to the world of “Littles.” She hated using the term, because there were no “Littles” where she came from. There were just people.
“Honey, I’m sure they manage just fine though…” Yes, James, they most certainly do.
“You know that’s not true!” Katherine was starting to sound more and more emotionally invested. Just how passionate could the women be here? “Don’t you see how native Littles are here? It makes me worried sick when I see one without an Amazon, because they won’t have anyone to fall back on when something does happen to them. They’re just barely getting by! How do you expect an entire dimension of them to do just fine?”
Dawn was ready to rub her temples, this was so idiotic. She wasn’t totally focused on what was happening in front of her though, because she realized a few seconds too late that the person in front of her had stopped and soon so did she once she collided with them. Stumbling back, she fell onto her bottom for a moment. Obviously, she was fine, as she tried to stand back up.
“Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” An all too familiar voice started to speak with urgency, and sounded to be getting terrifyingly closer. Before Dawn could fully react, a pair of Amazon hands were already setting her upright. The grip was like iron, but was somehow a soft, gentle touch. A padded prison was the best way she could describe it. Dawn worriedly looked back to Stacy and the group, which seemed to be viewing another landmark, meaning Dawn at least had some time to finally shoo these two away. She turned her head back to who she imagined was Katherine, now seeing her for the first time. And it was likely her paranoia, but it was as if she could see the woman’s eyes twinkle as soon as they stared into each other…
A light red head of hair, ending at an upright curl along the edges, reaching just above her shoulders, she wore a not too bad looking dress which reached her feet, and unfortunately because Dawn couldn’t ignore it, somehow contained her Amazon-sized breasts. Seriously, it was like she was sporting two Little-sized heads. The inner tips of her brows were pointed upright as she was obviously worrying over Dawn’s wellbeing, which was certainly doing well without her.
“Uhm…I’m fine, thanks.” There wasn’t much gusto to her voice. Frankly she was a little afraid to talk back to an Amazon…and unfortunately after seeing that business woman from earlier, she believed the fear was well-placed.
Even still, the woman ignored her as she could feel herself be pat down, likely getting the dust and dirt off that was never there to begin with.
“Promise no boo-boos?” Katherine asked with a smile.
“Nope. None.” Dawn answered much more plainly.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” She looked curious. That was the last thing Dawn wanted. Attention here was a dangerous thing, and she highly preferred keeping her head down and feet close to the ground. “Oh! Is this it right here?” Her eyes followed the obvious tell stuck to Dawn’s shirt; a sticker with Amazonian-grade adhesive, clearly labelling Dawn’s name in big, bold letters. “DAWN.” She had tried removing it earlier, but the thing wouldn’t budge! Every day if she wore something new she’d need to get a new one, and unless she could get an Amazon to remove it, she’d just have to hope that she didn’t like that outfit too much…
“Dawn, that’s a very pretty name!” No, really, is it? “It’s very nice to meet you, Dawn,” she carried on the conversation anyways. “My name’s Katherine, and this is my husband, James!” Dawn practically felt like a child the way she infused such enthusiasm with the most simple of facts. Her husband truly did look like the peak of Amazonian genes, what-with him standing tall, clearly with a decent amount of muscle, and short, blonde hair. Unlike his wife, he didn’t seem to be fawning over a complete stranger, other than looking on curiously. By extension, it was a little frightening to think what might happen if she got on his bad side…
“So, a little birdy told me that you’re a Portal Little, huh?”
What did it even matter? Dawn tried to take a step back as subtly as she could. “Y…Yeah. What about it?”
“Well, how do you like it here?” She gave a sincere smile, but it only put Dawn on edge even more.
“It’s, uhm, colorful. Really, colorful.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” she chuckled. “What’s your favorite part?”
Were they seriously doing twenty questions right now? She had no desire or want to be interviewed by some woman looking to shop for a foreigner, but was admittedly afraid by what might happen if she tried to cut it too short…
“The vegetation.” It was the fastest thing she could think of, though not a complete lie, and trying to sound sophisticated. Maybe if she set herself apart from this woman’s delusions she might get out unscathed?
“Oh, I like the trees and plants, too.” But did she really? It wasn’t exactly uncommon for an adult to pretend to take an interest in a kid’s likes, which was a strategy Dawn had a sinking feeling was being used against her. “We have abiiiggarden at our house!” The way she stressed the size came along with expanding hand gestures.
“That’s, er, really great. Homegrown food is always nice.” Dawn glanced behind her, hoping the group hadn’t left her behind. This was getting a little too close for comfort.
“How long have you been here for?”
“A week…just about.” Only now was she starting to think telling her all this information might be a bad idea… Though, how incriminating could her likes and dislikes be? “Today’s my last day.” Thankfully, she almost added. Had she been put under the spotlight like this any sooner, Dawn didn’t know if she could keep it together until the end of the trip. If she could fall under the Amazon’s radar so soon, then that’d mean there was plenty of more time to happen again…
“Oh, really?” She almost sounded disappointed. Dawn smiled a little, still playing to the opposite end of the spectrum, quite happy of this fact.
“Yep! We’re on our final tour, then we leave in the morning.”
“Do you not think that it gets lonely, though?”
Dawn raised her brows. “Lonely how?”
“Not having any Amazons there? It’s only Littles, right?”
“No, it’s neither,” Dawn sharply corrected, seeming borderline offended. “There are no AmazonsorLittles. Just people. We all get along fine without the sort of practices you guys have here.”
“But who takes care of you?” She genuinely seemed not to get it, and that annoyed Dawn even more. It’s like she was filtering out anything that didn’t agree with her sense of bias. Maybe if she weren’t looking through such a rose-tinted glass, she’d find that all Littles aren’t as one-dimensional as her ignorant people come to think… Of course all of this made her bitter; only able to think of good comebacks rather than saying them. Dawn considered herself smart, but she wasn’t brave, not at least in the face of two giants. And next thing you know, she’d probably start asking how she gets to the bathroom on her own. That’d be a whole lecture in itself. Needless to say, she wasn’t keen on sticking around for that part.
“Listen, really, I don’t think we should be doing this,” Dawn tried to put the brakes before she said something she’d regret. The way the Amazon cocked her head to the side, looking innocently confused really helped seal the deal. “I’m not interested in comparing dimensions. You clearly have your views, and I have mine. It was nice meeting you, but I really need to get going now.”
Dawn didn’t wait for an answer, and was honestly a little afraid of the consequences as she spun on her heel and moved back in with the group. She took her first step, second, then third. So she really could just walk away like that? She grinned a little, feeling an insurmountable confidence boost. Maybe Amazons weren’t as tough as she thought? She snickered.
It took a few moments, but Dawn was lucky to be reunited with the group that kept marching onwards. Meanwhile, Katherine and James lingered there for a few moments longer as she got back to her feet with a sigh, brushing off the front of her dress.
”You alright, hon?” He asked compassionately, then eased off the pleasantries when it wasn’t about his wife. “She didn’t seem too friendly…”
“I’m fine,” she weakly smiled. “I just think she was just a little scared of me… Where she comes from there aren’t any Amazons, after all.” Somberly, she reflected on her last comment, probably in a way Dawn would’ve despised. Before she could watch the girl go for any longer, she spun to fully face him with an exaggerated, selfish pout. “But you saw her, didn’t you? Ugh! And I thought the brown-haired one looked cute! Dawn looked so precious I can’t stand it! All the cute little things I could do with that hair… She looked like a porcelain doll! I wish we could’ve adopted her…” She looked once more at the one who got away, and was already feeling the return of a misery she’d just forced a lid over. Sometimes life truly just wasn’t fair…
James remained quiet as he passively tapped his foot, thinking. “You never did ask her directly? There’s still time, you know?”
Katherine was still quiet. She’d never felt so attached from a mere glance, and severing such a bond was too painful for her to bear. Is that why Amazons were always so insistent on adopting on the spot? She hated telling her heart no, as it was in the middle of its own tantrum, and it pained her to no end.
“Well…we could always just take her?”
Katherine then despite the dreary mood, stared at him, almost incredulously.
“She was hanging at the back of the group, and people do it everyday? I can’t imagine it’d be hard since that’s how most adoptions are done nowadays.”
Strangely enough, her husband’s suggestions actually made his wife seem hopeful, but then she looked crestfallen again. “No, that wouldn’t be right. Maybe if she were a native, but we don’t know what we could be taking from her as a Portal Little…”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? It’s a dimension of exclusively Littles?”
“Yes, but…”
“Didn’t you also say that you wanted to adopt her? I can’t imagine a world run by Littles is exactly paradise, hon. I’m sure with enough time anybody could come to love a place like Libertalia, even someone like her. Not to mention she’d be a lot safer here than where she’s coming from now.” They were both quiet for a few seconds. “How…how about we take some time and get to know her for the day?”
“But didn’t she say she’s leaving tomorrow? I don’t think she was very happy with me either…”
“Katherine, you’re much more likable than you give yourself credit for,” he chuckled. “We’ll have her back where she needs to be if she does say no, then.” She still seemed on the fence, and he desperately wanted to give her clarity. “Hon, I can’t guarantee she’ll say yes, but I want to give you a chance at this. I have been a little apprehensive about having a Little…” his hand suddenly found hers, “but if it’s something you really want, then I want it too.” He looked at her with rock-solid determination, and it was enough to crush her indecisive-self entirely.
“Oh, James!” She pulled her husband into a tight hug, then looked back ahead with a little more excitement. He truly was the wind beneath her wings, and whenever the sun may not shine, he’d be right beside her like a glowing beam! “Let’s hurry before they go!” It wasn’t a sure shot, but the opportunity made her want to stay hopeful. She didn’t know how, but she was positive she could convince her! From all the parenting books she had read, she knew it was never an easy adjustment, for a Little, but there was something that compelled her to feel so certain thiswasdestiny. Fate wastellingher to take a chance, and she not only wanted to bring happiness to herself and her husband, but as well to a new and special member in the Teller household!
Dawn was still in the back in the group, trying to shrug off the weird experience she had just had. Seriously, she’d have a treasure trove of weird things to tell her boyfriend about when she got home… This kind of place was a once in a lifetime experience, meaning she only wanted to see this kind of place once only in her entire life.
“Hey, were you alright back there?” Surprisingly, it came from the brown-haired girl, the one in jeans, with also the apparently cute butt…
“Yeah…thanks for asking.” As if the fear were still sitting on her shoulder, she peeked behind her once more, and thankfully nothing tipped her off. “The Amazons here are fucking crazy…”
“I’ll say,” she sighed. “As soon as I heard them talking about me…” she shuddered. “Can you imagine what they must do to people like us here?”
“Unfortunately we’ve already seen some of the stuff they do…” Her eyes wandered to Stacy’s back. “Can we even trust our own tour guide?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I think I’ve had enough hand-holding for every time I want to cross the damn street.” They both shared a laugh as they kept moving.
“I don’t think we’ve met, yet? Well, I mean I think we did when Stacy made us do that stupid icebreaker at the hotel, but not, like, officially, officially.”
“I’m Heather. You?”
“Dawn. Nice to meetcha.”
“So what’s the reason you’re on this tour?” Dawn was the first to ask.
“Call me weird, but, just to see if a place like this really existed?” She didn’t look so sure herself. “I thought I was reading some tabloid or something when the flyer came in my mail. I really must have been pretty dumb to follow up on it, not thinking of it as junk mail right from the get-go. How about yourself?”
Dawn merely laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, just that our stories are pretty much carbon copies of each other. I had some time off of college, so I figured why not?”
“Ooh, college girl, huh? What’s your major?”
“English. Partly because I’m a fan of literature…” she almost seemed sheepish over her guilty pleasure. “What do you do?”
“I work at a restaurant as a waitress. Nothing too special about it,” she smiled, seemingly content, but Dawn couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, as if she herself were just showing off by comparison. “What college?”
“One in Massachusetts? Where’s the restaurant you work?”
“Cali,” Heather blinked, and soon her friend did too. “It’s weird, but I guess it kinda makes sense anywhere in the world you could cross through the portal…”
“Yeah…” Dawn thought for a few seconds. “Definitely…”
“Anyways though, I have had plenty of my fill for this trip. Yeah, it’s nice and all, but there’s too many people at home I’d miss, and I can do without all the predators more than twice my size…”
“Totally. My boyfriend probably won’t believe half the stuff I have to tell him from this trip. And if he does, he’ll think I’m a complete maniac for going in the first place!”
“Right?” Heather nodded in complete and total agreement. “It’s like that one saying. What is it? If nobody is around to hear the tree fall, did it actually? That basically sums up this vacation experience.”
It wasn’t how it went verbatim, but by no means was Dawn going to judge her for it. It was more her own peeve that picked up on it, though of course she’d ignore them. She was right, though. If you weren’t around to experience something like this, how could you believe it secondhand?
“Hey, so, what were those two people talking to you about?”
“You saw them?”
“Er, yeah… Sorry I didn’t step in. Theywerechecking out my ass and all…” There was a moment of silence, then they both laughed.
“No, it’s fine, I understand.” Still, Dawn didn’t like to think how she would’ve been reacting if she hadn’t gotten away so smoothly. Depending on how things went, the difference between a bystander or an active participant could have vastly changed the outcome. “I fell over and the female one was acting like I practically broke my leg.” She could still feel the phantom pats all over her body. “That, and I guess she was a little curious about our dimension.” Hopefully that’s all it was.
“They didn’t say anything about me, did they?”
The stupid laundry list of questions she was asked by the Amazon came to mind. “No, I think you’re in the clear,” Dawn smirked.
She sighed in relief. “That’s good. Still, I can’t get over that. Like, really? Making tiny adults babies forever? Or at least until you get sick of them? How does shit like that even get popular?”
“Again, no idea.” Something strange suddenly popped back into her head. “Actually, they were talking about how a daycare was opening near there place, and how it was a ‘sign’ to adopt. Do they really have places for babified Littles?”
“Or even worse, a place for Littlesandactual babies…” They both seemed to be contemplating equally as heavy thoughts. “Ugh, I’m so done talking about this stuff. Mind if we change over to something a bit more, like, cheery?” For once she looked fully ahead. “By the way, I think we’re kinda lagging behind. Maybe we should pick up the pace?”
“Sure, let me just grow another four feet and I’ll get back to ya on that,” Dawn lightheartedly jabbed. It felt nice to finally have someone to talk to this trip, even if it was on the last full day.
Heather stole the lead as she walked a little faster, and Dawn took her next step forward, already priming herself for a little jog, but her heart skipped a beat once her next step, expecting to hit the ground, missed somehow quite poorly, lazily launching her leg down. Having an obvious doubletake, only then did she process the shockingly fast motion which had her whisked fully into the air; countless, many feet into the air. She yelped from the surprise alone, and her shout got Heather’s attention, who expecting to find her at her height stared wide-eyed at the spectacle as she tilted her head back and upwards, in what could only be complete and total fear.
H…huh?
Why…why was Heather so far away? Why wassheso far off the ground? Before she even realized it, adrenaline was seeping into her veins, and it terrified her because her body was realizing a threat before even she could.
Did someone pick her up? They had to, otherwise she wouldn’t be so high off the ground! She flailed her arms and legs helplessly, as she was faced away from the perpetrator and was trapped in their soft, yet firm grip.
“Heather? What’s going on? Please!” Frantically, and descending into a maddening panic, she shouted her newfound friend’s name, who when turning back simply looked to tremble as she backed away. Why wasn’t she saying anything? She backed away from the evil Amazon Dawn still had yet to see, and backed away from Dawn. But what could she do? A Little taking on an Amazon? Even beyond the lawful restrictions of something so foolish, the biology didn’t exactly argue in the dwarf’s favor either. And clearly Heather realized this as well, as though she trembled and started shaking, something finally must have clicked for her, because she turned 180 degrees and bolted.
“No! NO! PLEASE!” At the turn of a dime her worst fears were being realized. She kept wildly trying to turn her head, so much that her neck might snap; hoping to identify the threat. It was too much to process, how a complete and total stranger could instantly condemn her current way of life and jam-pack her into something much more demeaning, devaluing, and dehumanizing. Her heart was ready to burst from the sheer shock of it all.
Teary-eyed she kept calling, screaming for help, and it only became worse when the one holding her turned in the opposite direction and by proxy so did Dawn. Full-blown streams of tears rolled down her cheeks as she was so easily whisked away from what she thought was assured security. Her life flashed before her eyes; saying goodbye to all that she had known as adulthood, her old dimension, friends and family. All of it; gone, in one simple fell swoop.
“Please, please! Don’t take me!” Her thick voice trembled and struggled to make coherent sentences. In the frantic and reckless pursuit to survive, all she could maintain were her worried and tear-filled pleas. “I’ll do anything, so just let me go, please! Please! PLEASE!”
She didn’t even know who she was crying to for mercy, because the weight of the world had hit her so heavily, she stopped processing it altogether. Every moment she stay kidnapped, it was another that meant she stray further from the group; the only people that knew she wasn’t of this world, who had a place, and a life in a totally different dimension. It was almost funny, in a sick and twisted way; how quickly the psyche can devolve in such a short amount of time, given what can be perceived as life-threatening circumstances. Dawn didn’t think this person wanted to kill her, but certainly wanted impose life-changing circumstances upon her, hence the manic panic.
As if it’d protect her, or more so that she couldn’t handle it, she sealed her eyes shut, crying harder and harder as she felt the rise and fall of every step her kidnapper took, meaning there was more and more distance between them and salvation. She pushed, shoved and kicked against what held her, but it may as well have been trying to move a mountain.
She heard the swing of a door; they entered some kind of building; one further degree of separation that made her panic even more. Then they seemed to stop moving. She was still most certainly being held, but she finally had a place to sit, as she was being pressed into something large and soft. And as everything seemed to stop, except for her tears, she didn’t feel a hair touch her head, and that’s what scared her the most right now. It became the common dilemma of whether or not to fear the punishment itself, or the unknown amount of time it would take for it to strike.
Her throat started to hurt, as she couldn’t will herself to beg any further, but for some, irrational reason, she figured if she did stop, then it truly would be the end.
“Please…please don’t do this to me…!”
Dawn finally opened her eyes, and beyond the tears she could see she was being pressed into not an immovable anchor, but in fact the combination of a woman’s torso and bosom. An Amazonian one, at that. She nervously bit her lip, mutely looking around, seeing that the situation was just as terrible as she had feared. But when she looked up, it was the worst, most terrible sinking feeling she could ever experience.
Trapped in its devilish claws, she’d been abducted by Satan himself.
“Have we finally finished the waterworks, sweetiepie?”
Somehow Dawn found it in herself to keep whimpering, as she looked at who had taken her, and sentenced her to an unspeakable fate.
“Wh-why? Why are you doing this?”
Her red lips formed a smile, as she looked down on the distraught, ruined Portal Little. The way she smirked, it seemed as if her extra chin did as well, and Dawn could feel the rise and fall of her massive chest, attached to her massive, husky, plump body. Her orange, ginger perm went horribly with her entire look; the exact kind of person you would imagine to be a kidnapper. She adjusted her circle-rim glasses as with her other hand, a long-nailed finger tapped Dawn’s shoulder, who kept wincing with each, innocent touch, but it still made her cry. The demeaning attempts to calm her only made it worse; feeling the bounce to the woman’s knee, as if her hysterics over being kidnapped could be solved with some simple and fun gravity.
Clearly she looked beyond Dawn’s cracking composure though, as she went on to coo, “Oh I just knew you were the one at first sight!” The Amazonian stranger fawned and fawned, whilst Dawn further and further felt herself drowning in the recesses of her own mind. “You look like a doll! And from now on you will be! What’s your name, honey bunches?” Then she chuckled in the same, syrupy tone she’d started with. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. From now on you’re going to be Abigail.” She didn’t even pose it as a question, or fish for confirmation. She set a fact into place; carved it into stone. Dawn was speechless, as her worst expectations were being met in full.
“Who even…” her voice was quiet, panic-stricken. “Who are you?”
“From now on I’m mama, my little baby!” The excitement on her face was close to driving Dawn to madness. A set of fat, wet lips made a mortifying noise as they pressed into her bare forehead, leaving behind a sickening wetness where they touched.
It was all happening too fast, as with each and every demand this woman made, she could feel a hammer driving a nail into her; pinning her exactly where this sick and twisted person desired her. She had no name; not one that Dawn deserved to know. No. All she needed to do was recognize who her new “parent” was. But Dawn was too broken to try and resist logically.
Bargaining was the only thing on her mind, because if not that, then she would truly have nothing left. “Please…just let me go. I promise I’ll do anything, just let me go…!”
“Really? You mean it?” The Amazon looked closely at her with a scrutinizing eye. Dawn, dumbfounded for an endless multitude of reasons, rushedly nodded her head, unsure whether or not to believe in the woman’s promise, but damn-well willing to try.
Dawn could almost squeal, and find for once a happy reason to cry as she was set back onto the ground.Was it…was it really that easy?Home! She could go back home! Trying to forget such trauma, she already spun for the door, just now taking stock to realize they were in some sort of public bathroom.
“Abigail!” the woman shouted, and Dawn oddly enough freezed on command, despite very muchnotbeing Abigail. “We made a deal, didn’t we?”
“Y…yes…” What did she want? Wait, why was she calling her Abigail? She looked back to the door for a brief moment, longing for the freedom that was teased right before her. Could Dawn make it for the exit if she just kept running? The woman looked like she had some weight to her…and that massive bag she had could probably slow her down, too… Was it worth squandering her good graces, though?
“I let you go, now you need to do a few things for me, sweetheart…” The way she smiled unsettled Dawn immensely, but gulping, she slowly agreed.
“Come a little closer,” she beckoned with a hand, and on shaky feet Dawn managed to come a little closer, despite every fibre of her being telling her to make a break for it.
The massive bag she noted from earlier was set onto the ground, and it very well looked like it could have been a duffel bag, it was so large. The Amazon got on her knees, and looked to be fishing through it. “And don’t think about making a step for that exit, young lady, or else you’ll have already earned your first spanking.” The threat Dawn had no doubt was sincere, but she was still beyond confused. If she had been let go, why was this woman still acting like she was her guardian?
“Ah! Here we are~!” What she produced sent a chill down Dawn’s spine. It was a white, plastic rectangle; folded nice and neatly into its commercialized form. And to ensure no details were left to the imagination, the Amazon happily fanned it out, and Dawn quaked further and further as she fully saw the undergarment in its entire, infantile splendor. “Do you know what these are, Abby?” She asked in a motherly tone, and Dawn quietly pleaded no.
She pretended as if she answered. “That’s right! They’re pull-ups! Pull-ups just for you! Aren’t you special, huh?”
Slowly, but in a quickening pace she shook her head more and more. “P-p-Please, n-no…!”
Dawn had become too much of an emotional and mental wreck to coordinate herself properly, she tried to turn around, but instead fell on the ground, whilst her tormentor watched with sickly enjoyment. “Aww, look at my little tot! It’s okay, honey, I already planned to keep you as a toddler, anyways…”
She started to scream once she took hold of Dawn’s ankles, dragging her closer across the tiles. In two simple strokes her shoes were off, and next were her socks so easily plucked.
Apparently her constant cries were starting to get on the woman’s nerves though, because looking aggravated, Dawn grew vocally limp when a sharp slap collided with her thigh. She sobbed, feeling as if she’d just been charged stiff by a static shock. It came with such force, it was as if her very core was struck. She maddeningly looked to the woman.
“Now that is enough, Abigail!” The violent woman hissed. “I tried to be very gentle with you from the start, but if you’re going to throw a fit over every little thing, I’m not going to be patient with you!”
It all suddenly clicked for her.
This woman never intended to let her go. They’d never even made a deal to begin with. She was still very well-within this porker’s grasp; dancing in the palm of her hand. This whole charade was all one big game to her… She was just amused in trying to force Dawn into her own submission, and by the looks of it so far, she hated to acknowledge that she was winning. While Dawn thought there might still be a fighting chance, this demon was busy fitting out her ultimate demise…
“Now are you ready to listen, or should we move onto that spanking?” Dawn became wide-eyed, unable to imagine the physical force that this woman could pack behind an open palm. It didn’t matter if the punishment were childish; it was a threat of genuine pain. If a slap to the thigh could make her blubber, she couldn’t imagine she’d walk out the same person after a full-blown spanking… The exit already felt so distant now, and everything was quickly reaching an emotionally exhausting point, she’d been expended far too much to fight both battles of escape and preservation, and bitterly found herself needing to make a choice.
Dawn merely nodded her head, with her now-messy hair hanging lazily with her downward gaze.
“Good.” She smugly smiled. “Now you can prove it to me by taking off those pants of yours.” It was all expected, and the worst was how it was going to happen by her own hand. She was approaching an inevitable demise, and she was powerless to stop it, and in fact become part of the destruction itself. Her final line of defense to her dignity, she tried not to cry too hard when she undid the single button, then finally the zipper.
Though of course, she still wanted to try. If there was a voice left in her, she felt compelled to use it. “P-p-please. I just wanna go home!”
“Should we switch to diapers then? Is that what you want?”
“No!” Dawn quickly shouted, then started to moan and quiver over her reaction. She was trying to negotiate over something she’d been involuntarily subjected to; fighting for agency that’d been unrightfully taken from her. Nevertheless, her jeans fell to her ankles, and her final line of defense was on full display.
The Amazon looked quite pleased, as Dawn tried to cover her crotch covered by her pink panties. She knew she was going to lose them, but dear God did she want to hang onto them for dear life. But what stopped her was the absolute fear from how she’d be punished for it.
“Now are you going to be good?”
“Y-y…yes…” Dawn mouthed defeatedly.
“Take them off.”
She begged and she begged, falling off the cusp of sanity as at the same time she slipped her fingers into the waistband of her underwear. It was all so strange; so surreal. They didn’t even feel like her own hands, rather, alien appendages invading her privates. And they might as well have been, since her hands were no longer her own; following orders from an absolute monster. She could feel every woven thread in the fabric slip across her skin, afraid it would be the very last time she’d ever embrace such comforting clothes.
The self-proclaimed “mama” was simply infatuated with the scene. While Dawn drove herself to a state of total ruin, this woman enjoyed every step of the way, looking to be eating up every morsel of misery and embarrassment.
Dawn nearly fell over twice by the time she got her panties off. She was a complete and total blubbering mess.
A sick and twisted giggle came from the Amazon as she clasped her over-decorated hands together, leading to the slight jingle and jangle of the gold bands around her girthy wrists. “Abby! You look adorable! Come and give Mama a kiss!”
For once Dawn didn’t listen, or at least looked beyond the capacity of processing normal commands, which is why a guiding hand wrapped behind her and nudged her forward, just about knocking her of her balance. She seemed to be stuck in a trance, or was too scared to disobey once she let the large set of lips plant themselves against her cheek. Maybe it was all a devilish ploy to get her pants and panties though, because unknowingly she’d stepped out of them, and it sent Dawn into a new frenzy once they were no longer on the ground and instead in her hand.
“Honestly, howdidyou get by in these flimsy things?” She stretched the panties curiously well-beyond their capacity, and Dawn was just about to stop her until what she was afraid of happened. There was a brief noise of shredding, and suddenly one piece of fabric became two. Dawn looked on quietly as so with her panties, so did her spirit go too.
“Whoopies!” She innocently chuckled, holding the torn pair of underwear. “Guess I was right about them not being so great, huh?” Dawn instead looked on in teary anger, biting her tongue to the point it just might bleed.
“Well, we’ll take care of those later…” And into the bag they went, Dawn spent her time fully covering her privates, realizing her new and much more terrifying dilemma.
“Why are you doing this?” Dawn, finally out of tears, coldly asked.
“What do you mean, sweetie?” This beast had the gaul to play dumb. “Changing your undies?”
Her eye probably twitched, as she looked at her in sheer disbelief. How could they switch to such extremes so easily? One moment a pure sadist, and the next a doting mother? Or…maybe in the end, maybe they never changed. They were everything all at once at any given moment, and simply their countless layers drifted to the surface in shifts.
Dawn then winced, as she looked at her bare thigh. There was already a large red spot from where she’d been maimed, and it further reinforced her fears of crossing this woman. But it all made it so much worse when she coaxed her forward, holding what sent her into a panic from the start.
Nowhere near close to panties, and seeing its white, crinkly form, Dawn could see the rectangular padding strain against the plastic backing to it. It thinned into simple paper around the waist; not like the exquisite fabrics she once wore. There were no detailed embroidery on it, and instead smiling butterflies and bees. It was a sick and twisted insult to what she once wore.
“Now who’s ready for a pull-up?” The way she held it so expectantly, it was as if she were waiting for her to jump into the damn thing. Dawn didn’t budge, still protecting her modesty, and the Amazon annoyedly sighed.
Dawn wasn’t nearly quick enough to react, as with a simple shove she was on her bottom, feeling the cold tiles touch her skin made her shiver. And in her state of confusion, a mix of plastic, padding and paper was snaked around her feet and through her legs. The Amazonian force behind it forced her upright and back onto her feet, as the pull-up fell into place around her hips once it was further tugged upwards. The unusual girth to the crotch forced her legs just slightly apart. She could only blink, feeling the invasive cotton pressed against her crotch.
No…she wasn’t. She couldn’t be…
The Amazon, meanwhile, squealed with an ear-bleeding delight as she further invaded Dawn’s privacy, running her nail along the elastic bands running over her legs. Dawn was too mortified to do anything. She’d never actually expected it to happen. To happen to her.
Dawn looked to her toes, and could see the padding was well-pronounced, curving down and over. She looked down, as if to follow it, all the way until it reached between her legs; curving fully like a dome, the perfect outer shell.
She pressed a hand to it, and as soon as she felt and heard the crinkle, fresh tears found their way.
“Now why are you crying, Abby?” She continued to pretend as if she didn’t understand. “I thought you liked your pull-ups? Do you really want your diapers back that badly?”
“I DON’T WANT ANY OF IT!” Already on death’s door, she saw little reason to restrain herself any further. Her voice had already been through such trial and tribulation, though, it came out raspy and weak.
The Amazon looked to be winding up for another slap, and from the threat alone it made Dawn snap into two, as she fell to her knees, sobbing. The slap never came, and all there was was the crinkling from Dawn’s new underpants.
“I can’t be a baby! I’m an adult! Why can’t you see that?” She shouted in a disoriented slur, eyeing the Amazon with such malice, but from the outside looking in, it was probably nowhere near as fierce as she’d of hoped.
She was already preparing her next string of insults, but that time would not come to pass, as a silicon bulb was forced into her mouth; first her freedom to the bathroom, and now to speech. What more would be taken from her? She tried to scream when the next part happened, but it was impossible considering her mouth was no longer hers. The bulb to the appropriately-sized pacifier felt the heavy push coming from the Amazon’s finger against the shield, and in tune with her presses, the bulb grew in size. It was at first something Dawn could dance around her tongue, and most importantly remove, but that was quickly becoming not the case.
One pump.
Two pumps.
Three.
She felt as if her jaw were going to snap, the pain was so sudden and merciless. She started to gag; unable to breath. It was going to be a quick death, and maybe there was some solace in that. As she struggled, she couldn’t sit still, ignoring the crinkley waddle to her step as she tried to keep herself alive. Or maybe she should’ve been going for the opposite. Maybe death was better than this kind of torture.
She didn’t know whether to feel pained or relieved to remember that she could breathe through her nose. It sounded loud and frantic as her nostrils struggled to compensate for the loss of an entire orifice. She tried pulling on the ring of the pacifier, but seeing as the tinier version had slipped behind her teeth, and was now far too large to get past them, the pacifier was effectively locked inside her mouth. It didn’t stop her from pulling a few more times, but the pain caused her to wince, and the jerking motion she used tugged the rest of her body along with it; a testament to how cemented the device was in her body. It’d become an extension of her.
“You can have your words back Abby once I think you’re ready to use them.” She huffed impatiently, and Dawn simply resigned herself to a meander. There was no point in resisting. Nothing Dawn could do mattered, as it’d always be a tiny rebellion easily quelled by a means of sheer force. She angrily tugged at the elastic waistband to the pull-up, hoping to at least damage the material, and in some way get back at this twisted bitch.
A slap to the wrist made her yelp though, or at least make a noise behind the pacifier, seeing as she no longer had speech.
“You are under no circumstances allowed to touch your panties. Got it?” Dawn didn’t know what was worse: the slap, the pull-up, or the Amazon thinking they were still panties. Bitterly, she nodded her head, feeling terribly crestfallen.
“Now come on, take Mummy’s hand,” outstretched and waiting for her, Dawn nearly debated further resistance, but a mere split-second was all it took to review what disobedience had got her thus far. Hence why she did place her tiny hand into the much larger one.
The only comparison for touch she had was that one other Amazon on the sidewalk. It was easy enough to tell this woman’s grip was much more firm and cared less for what might be on the receiving end of it, but on a sublevel they were in totally different leagues. Neither one was good, but the other was certainly better.
“Wait.” What now? What more could she do to the poor girl?
The Amazon knelt down to get closer to Dawn, but make no mistake in that she still easily held the high-ground. Dawn was visibly shaking as the hand came closer to her, so terrified that she sealed her eyes shut. Something on her shirt was grabbed and being pulled forward at an angle. She did her best to resist, pulling away from it, which resulted in a noise of adhesive tearing from cloth.
Opening her eyes, she could now see what had been done. Slightly curled into the shape of a cylinder, hung the name sticker that was just attached to Dawn’s shirt; the tag that had her name on it. For something she spoke so bitterly of before, now she was feeling quite desperate to have it back, considering it was quite literally the last thing that gave her an identity here.
“Please, give it back!” Dawn tearily whined, but it hurt even more when her words came out as mumbles and incoherent murmurs. So quickly she’d forgotten the silicon mass that was occupying her mouth.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” the woman cooed. “I’ll make sure all your pretty onesies and rompers have your name stitched on them, okay? We won’t need these silly stickers anymore.” And without hesitation she tossed it into the trash bin. Dawn wouldn’t have too much of a problem reaching the top of the bin, but what was much more daunting was to try and reach the bottom. They were all pointless hypotheticals though, because she was already being tugged along again to the exit.
Only then did it register she was going outside half-naked.
She tried to whine and complain to the woman, to Mama, but all it amounted to was more pacifier gibberish. And even that would come to stop as Dawn earned herself another slap on the thigh, reminding her why she was crying to begin with.
“What has gotten into you, Abigail?” She tutted, and wordlessly Dawn kept pointing to her pull-ups. Finally, something clicked for the willfully ignorant beast.
“You’re embarrassed about your undies?” Finally! Something got through to her! “Is that all?” Or…maybe not. One to make a mountain out of a molehill in any circumstance, she howled with laughter as she cupped the front of the pull-up and lifted her hand as she squeezed it. Dawn’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly came off the ground, wrapping her hands around the woman’s arm for security.
“But actually, youarewalking around bare-footed… And we don’t want those little piggies on the yucky floor, do we? No we don’t!” She kept making syrupy noises and faces, but it scared Dawn, watching as the monster tried to act human. Her posture ended with her legs trying to wrap themselves around her generously-sized torso, and hooking her arms around her neck. Nothing was going to change her pretty pull-up being on full display, but in the Amazon’s words, at least she didn’t have to stand on the yucky floor…
The pair leaned over as the Amazon hoisted the large bag back over her shoulder, and Dawn could feel the rise and fall with each step as they neared the exit.
“Okay, Abby, now it’s just a short little trip back to the car! Mummy lives in the city next to this one, so we’re gonna have you take your nappy-wappy in the car, got it?”
It was all going to happen regardless, so Dawn barely even registered what she was saying. Four words perturbed her especially, however, which was ‘next to this one.’ She was leaving the city, and judging by the suggestion of a nap, she’d be sleeping for at least an hour, which meant at least an hour’s distance from here; from potential safety, as well as from the hotel which would get her home. It was only getting worse and Dawn was running out of ways to feasibly cope.
Everything had dealt such heavy blows to her in such rapid succession she couldn’t bear to endure another violent shot to her morale. She jerked a little as her body tried to muster a hiccup, and despite it being the shoulder of her arch-nemesis, she weepily set her head on the woman’s shoulder.
“Awwh, already getting started on your nap? Once you wake up you’ll be in your new home! Mummy has all the Little-friendly channels, too! That means lotsa cartoons for my baby girl. Doesn’t that sound fun? Huh? Huh?” Even when she tried to surrender she couldn’t, as with the woman’s incessant coos and the occasional crinkly bounce, shuteye was impossible.
If she thought it was all one bad dream, hearing the outside world fade back into the noises she could hear was an unfortunate argument to that belief.
It didn’t matter where they were going. Dawn couldn’t do anything about it. She could not struggle or speak. She could only be a spectator to her own demise.
And apparently the woman was getting impatient, because she started to pick up the pace. Dawn sullenly watched the ground beneath them, the world covered in a haze as her eyelids were only part way opened.
“You there! Stop!”
Who was in trouble now? Dawn could only imagine it was another unfortunate Little. So quickly she’d learned the ways of this world though. Now that they were on someone’s radar, they were as good as dead.
They were going faster, but clearly the woman’s body wasn’t meant for physical activity, because Dawn could hear her starting to breathe a bit more heavily.
Dawn was doing her best to try and pass out; anything to cease this waking nightmare. She knew how this world worked. Enough to know that this was it for her.
Somehow, she was inspired to panic again as a finger crept its way into the legband of her pull-up, causing her to squirm uncomfortably.
She wanted to whine. She wanted to protest, but it was getting old, constantly remembering she had no ability to speak, so instead all she could do was weep. She winced when she felt the sharp prick on her delicate backside, squeezing the woman tighter for emotional support. It didn’t matter what she was holding, as long as there was something she could take her physical frustration out on.
The Amazon went on to massage Dawn’s backside, crinkling all the way. It was all sensory overload at this point. Everything was a blurry mess and she had a growing headache. Maybe some rest would do her good. As the world spun on its axis, Dawn suspended from a chain violently shook from the whiplash. It was getting worse, so much worse. She saw double earlier because she was caught in a daze, but now she was seeing triple. Quadruple.
“You! With the bag! Stop!”
Amidst all the noise, it was wonderful to hear it slowly dimming into nothing. Her small migraine was fading as so was she. It gave her less of a headache when she kept her eyes shut too.
“That’s it, Abby, you must be all tuckered out, huh?” A hand stroked the back of her head, but Dawn was too out of it to think of an insult. How did she know she was tired? Well, maybe she was showing the signs… Processing her surroundings came second to absorbing the calming atmosphere. Her original tight squeeze from having her bum stuck with something sharp was fading into a weak hold.
Dawn’s senses were becoming quite limited, because she was tired, of course, but she could feel they came to a sudden stop.
“Ma’am? Would you mind stopping to answer a few questions?” The voice was distant and echoey.
“Why?” The voice was vicious and defensive. “Ifound her! I know how things work!” Despite the fire and passion, it sounded even more distant from the first.
“I’m going to need you to step over here…” The way the sentence ended, it was just as Dawn heard it. Though it sounded as if there were more words to follow, they never came. Either that, or she didn’t hear them. What she didn’t know however was that no one was lowering their voices. Everyone was quite up close and personal, speaking volumes in commanding and emotional voices. All that changed was Dawn’s perception of the outside world. After all, how could she when in a drug-induced sleep?This is a story that does exist elsewhere, but in finally having easier ways of posting my stuff now, it's high time that I share it here!
But don’t wanna wait? Check me out on Patreon where you can find all publicly and patron-early access chapters of this story! Don’t want to read on a website? Me neither!All my stories on Patreon include PDF downloads.Read patron-exclusive stories before anyone else!
I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and look forward to having more soon!


2 - Groggy Start
When Dawn finally came to, it was a groggy and sluggish awakening. It was an exercise in itself just to try and open her eyes. She was still leaning on something, and from the way her hands were situated, she was guessing that she was still being carried.
Then it finally struck her. Nothing had changed. She was still claimed and kidnapped; whisked off to a land of eternal infancy, dealt by one of the most sadistic giants she’d ever encountered. Did she really have to wake up? She was starting to get mixed messages, what with the hand stroking her back right then. She’d almost call it soothing, had she not known who was behind it.
She was approaching an inevitable, whenever they would reach this woman’s car, and Dawn by this point knew she was powerless to change that. If she needed any reminding, there was the inflated silicon bulb in her mouth. Her next observation was a double-edged sword; her jaw didn’t hurt as much. It was good in the sense she felt less pain, but it also meant she was acclimating. The last thing she ever wanted to do was physically accept a lifestyle like this! A silent tear was wept as she clutched the Amazon’s fabric tighter.
A lowered voice spoke close to her ear, catching the girl by surprise.
“Dawn? Are you awake?” Her first instinct was to play dead- rather, pretend to be asleep. But giving it just a few more seconds in her fatigued state, that didn’t sound like the woman from earlier? And to the same degree of strangeness, she didn’t hear that sickening name, Abigail, nor its just as dreadful counterpart Abby. For once it was herrealname.
Their surroundings weren’t loud either. It didn’t sound like they were outside. No white noise of populous, cars, and buildings. None of it. The best she could hear were maybe ringing phones somewhere afar, but even then it was speculation. The most important question though, dare she reveal herself?
Her answer didn’t seem to matter, because the voice kept on speaking.
“I know you’re probably exhausted and very confused right now, but I want you to know that you’re safe.” Words could only mean so much, especially from an Amazon. In short, talk is cheap.
The voice was familiar, but why couldn’t she place it? It was right on the tip of her tongue. Her metaphorical one, since her real one was locked up nice and tight…
Since Dawn hadn’t given any more signs, the mysterious woman went on to seem puzzled. “…Are you awake?” She must’ve been putting on a believable act, because it sounded as if she were talking to herself. “Hmm… Did you go in your sleep, maybe…?” Dawn didn’t have time to figure out what that meant on her own before the Amazon could translate through action. Petrified, she realized she was still wearing the dastardly pullup when a cool finger happened to brush her tailbone, as it slipped into the waistband of her underwear to pull it back some, bringing along the same crinkle as always.
“Nope, all good there…” she spoke to herself in a lowered voice. Dawn managed to keep still, but her cheeks were probably red hot by now, if the warm feeling in her face were any indication of that.
The woman chuckled, and Dawn didn’t know what that meant.
“How about the front yard, then?”
While she still had a grip on the woman’s shoulders, she was eased back the slightest bit, just to form a gap that’d let the same probing hand from before back in. Dawn couldn’t hold it in anymore. She wasn’t trained to have her most sensitive parts be touched. The woman boldly stuck her finger into the legband of her pullup, making its way right between her thigh and crotch.
Too sensitive of a place, Dawn yelped as the cold feeling sent chills to a place that had never been touched that way! Well, at least not by a complete and total stranger…
She was going to bite back; moan, whine, kick and struggle, but what good would it do her? Pain was still a fresh memory in her mind, and no Amazon was ever in short supply of it. Instead, all she could do was look bitterly to the culprit. That same gorging beast which had turned her into a babified slave. At least she didn’t have to hear the ring-ting tingle of her bangles anymore. Why was that, Dawn didn’t know, but it was a blessing nonetheless.
“Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake!” It was a gentle yet firm squeeze, which fed only further into Dawn’s skepticism. Did this woman really think she could get on Dawn’s good side? A grand ensemble of slapping her, ruining her clothes and putting her in pull-ups, and she has the audacity tohugher? Willful ignorance could only go so far.
When she did open her eyes, just to see her again, it was weird. Somehow, the woman had lost quite a few pounds since Dawn last saw her. Something in the high double digits, if not over triple. That, and her hair wasn’t a mess of hideous curls anymore, and instead ended on a single wavey upturn on the edge. Her hair was a washed out red; likely the bloodstains of the countless calories she had killed just to achieve that slim face in such a short amount of time. And she had a name now too? That was a strange observation, considering a name is invisible information rather than a physical characteristic. Somehow, Dawn knew it. It was Katherine.
Then, despite the lingering drug slowing her mind to a tricycle’s pace, she realized how much of an idiot she was to not recognize that someone totally different than her kidnapper was now holding her. And it wasn’t just anyone, considering she just named the supposed stranger. It was Katherine. The woman married to James; the ones she met on the sidewalk.
Dawn blinked.
Katherine blinked, only she was backing her silence with a smile. “Good morning, sunshine.” As bewildered as Dawn was, thankfully the woman wasn’t as upbeat as last time. Had she been speaking any louder it may have very well split her head in two. Her sensitivity to noise was directly related to a mild headache, one she thought had been chased away right before she passed out.
“Youh…youh fwom befoah?” Something came to her attention when she tried to speak. The first was that she could to begin with, despite the pacifier in her mouth. Realizing it now, the bulb inside her mouth wasn’t nearly as gargantuan as before. Dare she even call it appropriately-sized. There was a wonderful relief in being able to speak her mind again. Let it be a promise that she would never lose her speech again. Even temporarily was too terrifying. With little hesitation she swiped at the ring hanging from its shield and tossed it without a second glance. “Kath…Katherine?”
Katherine’s face seemed troubled when she watched the pacifier fly away, but quickly turned back to Dawn. She chuckled, going on to speak in a soothing voice. “That’s right! Thank you for remembering my name, Dawn. I made sure to remember yours too!” This was normally Dawn’s cue to be creeped out, but overcoming her disoriented state took precedence.
She paused to rub her eyes. “Where are we?” Giving her head a few lazy turns, it was all glossy walls in extremely close proximity. The floor was an array of white tiles, and whatever they were sitting on, Katherine’s double-layered skirt which flowed to her ankles just about covered any visible bit of it.
“We’re in the potty, right now. Are you feeling alright? You’ve been sleeping for quite a bit…” She drew her hand closer to straighten one of Dawn’s hairs, but the restrained woman waved it away as best as she could.
The potty? It technically was what Dawn had asked, but she was hoping for something more traceable than such a generic location. And also, she tried not to mind the childish terminology.
“Okay, but where is this place? A hotel? A house?”
“We’re in a police station right now.”
A police station? Why would they be there? Just as important,whywas Katherine even holding Dawn? Wasn’t she being kidnapped by a totally different Amazon? Not that she was complaining. It was a godsend to be separated from that demon. Still, it only added to the confusion. Then, a sinking feeling reached her stomach. What was to say Katherine had similar motives…?
Thousands of questions could be asked; all limitless in the angles of approach in which they could be taken. So many questions that Dawn could barely sit herself through the simplest of them all.
“Why?”
Katherine looked to be staring at a task equally as daunting as Dawn’s confusion.
“Wait,” Dawn cut off the silence before her own question could be answered. “I wanna be put down.” She’d been held for so long that it was starting to get to her, just like the pacifier. She was starving for agency; independence, something that helped force the notion she was a fully functioning adult. Already shuffling to get out, the crinkling reminded her of what she was wearing. That was unfortunately an issue that couldn’t be addressed right this minute…
“You want to be put down? Are you sure?” Katherine looked skeptically to the floor. “Public bathrooms are yucky for bare feet, honey…” Dawn happened to move her feet, brushing against the cool, smooth fabric of Katherine’s clothes. Just being able to feel them said enough about the shoes she was wearing, which were none, including socks.
But she didn’t care. If a small hygiene concern was the biggest of her worries when it came to reclaiming adulthood, that was a price she was willing to pay.
“Set me down.” She wasn’t in the mood for ‘pleases,’ given how she didn’t concern personal space as a privilege more than a right.
Even then with an adamant answer, Katherine seemed hesitant, but thankfully she caved before Dawn had to get more verbal. Slowly, Dawn was set onto the ground, though touchdown was wobbly, at best. At first, she was more or less steady, then it felt as if the floor were tilting in random and awkward directions.
Dawn kept making worried noises as she swayed from one tile to another, struggling to maintain her balance. Just as she was going for her final tumble and waving arms, something caught them which had her standing upright.
“Whoa, someone’s still trying to get their land legs back, huh?”
It didn’t make any sense! Why couldn’t she stand properly? Slightly panicked, she did her best to recount her last waking moments, but nothing seemed to tip her off. If anything, it corroborated the exact opposite, considering the last bathroom she was in she was able to stand and walk just fine!
“What…why can’t I stand properly?” Come to find out it was Katherine that’d saved her from a fall, currently holding Dawn’s hands above her shoulders.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it any sooner…” Somberly and from a seemingly unexpected place, Katherine spoke.
Despite being supported by her from behind, she still tried to turn to her with an even more puzzled expression “Stop it? Stop what?” Everytime she had to seek further clarification, it was further stress on her exhausted mind that only strung her along through pointless obstacles. She was starting to sound annoyed.
“That woman that tried to take you…” A crease in her brow formed, and she started to look displeased at the sound of her own words. “She likely gave you something that would make you pass out.” After a small sigh she seemed to be back to her calming self.
“She…what? I was drugged?” When?
She could hardly remember a moment where she could’ve even been given something without noticing! She then thought about those few slaps on the thigh she got… You couldn’t transmit it by a mere slap, could you? Even still, that was only a partway explanation for Dawn’s momentary lack of balance. It didn’t illuminate a smidgen of how Katherine came to be involved.
None of this was getting her anywhere. She didn’t have the mental stamina to piece together bits and pieces of information from every direction.
“Please,” Dawn took a deep breath. “I’m tired, confused…” and as she looked around, realizing just how tight a bathroom stall could feel when with an Amazon, she decided to lay all her cards out on the table. “I’m scared…so please talk me through this.”
Katherine only looked on with sympathy, and she did go on to speak. “Okay, I can tell you how we got here, but first wouldn’t you–”
“Please,” Dawn sounded to be emotionally tearing at the seams. “I don’t know where I am, who I’m with, what time it is, how long I’ve been out, why I’m still in a pull-up, why I’m not strapped in some psycho’s car seat–!” She couldn’t stop taking rapid breaths, nearly starting to wheeze. Whatever drug she was supposedly on, it had afforded her the mental numbness to ignore the rapid shifts in pace as her very life was turned on its head. Now she’d become conscious to a midway project on the verge to total ruin, and she was terrified.
In the midst of her breathing fit, she was back off the ground and sitting in Katherine’s lap again, leaning into her as she was embraced.
“No, no! Let me go!” Her words trembled as she struggled to push off of the Amazon, but she was caught in her iron shackles otherwise known as Amazonian strength, and she could barely push off of the woman’s stomach, as the human skin had far too much give to be considered solid ground. She could hear her heart beating loudly and hitting her chest with a heavy thump. Her breathing was all out of sorts and a lightheaded feeling was starting to take over.
“Dawn, sweetie, please, I’ll talk to you, but I need you to do one thing for me, okay?”
One thing. That’s how it all started. Nothing had changed. It was just another bathroom with another Amazon. They gave you the illusion of freedom, as if you actually had control. And in exchange for that fabricated liberty, they expected you to return their cheap generosity with the very ownership of your entire being.
“Is that all I am to you? Just some husk of a person that can be repurposed into yourbaby?” The words didn’t come as strong as she’d have liked, but her lungs were too busy in overdrive for her to speak normally.
“Dawn, you’re starting to hyperventilate, please calm down and listen!” Katherine sounded panicked. She wasn’t making demands, but pleading requests.
Hyperventilate? In her frantic state, Dawn supposed that made sense…but that didn’t change her unyielding desire to be freed. If this woman cared so much about her, she was going to let her go. Even still, Dawn didn’t want to stake her life on her own stubbornness. Was it because of the anxiety? The drugs? How was she event supposed to stop? Just as quickly as she boarded the train, it was fast heading for a deadend cliff.
There was a slight bang as Katherine was off her feet and opened the stall door in quite a rush.
“It’s okay…you’re going to be okay…” She was stroking the back of Dawn’s head while she quickly made for the bathroom door.
“James? James!?” Now it was Katherine’s turn to sound panicked as her eyes rapidly paced the hall.
James, the husband in question, had been sitting on a padded bench along the wall, resting his chin on his knuckles, looking to be trapped in pensive thought. The first call of his name had shocked him from his concentration, casually looking for where the noise came from. The second call came with much more volume and he could tell who it was, his wife, which is why he was off his stool and rushing immediately over.
“Katherine? What’s wrong? Why are you shouting? And why are you crying?” With his own concern he hurriedly came to her aid.
“Dawn! It’s Dawn, she’s starting to hyperventilate. She just woke up and we started talking, but she kept getting more and more anxious…!” She looked to be on the verge of tears herself, and Dawn was feeling a tight strain in her chest.
Even though it was a state of urgency, James did his best to coax his wife into letting go of Dawn and swapping over to him. Dawn didn’t even try to struggle. She was fading in a dangerous way that left her little room for physical activity.
“Dawn? Hey Dawn? Are you with me?” James was trying to force eye contact; a reaction that could at least give him some information. He took back to the bench where his wife followed close behind. “Dawn, hon? I need you to listen to me, okay?”
“What if, what if she doesn’t trust us?” The worry was heartbreaking, to think that they were the cause of Dawn’s pain. After all, this was all a ploy tohelpher, not drive her further into panic.
James turned his ear a little bit to listen, but he was too focused with Dawn, currently stroking her back. “If that’s the case, she does need to calm down, but we also need her breathing back in order, too… Dawn, I promise I’m not going to do anything to you. Just please listen to what I have to say, okay?”
Weakly, and to Katherine’s surprise, Dawn nodded her head.
“Okay, tight lips. Leave a small gap. You’re breathing out more than you’re breathing in.”
With shaky lips Dawn did her best to comply. She didn’t know why she was listening now as opposed to before. Maybe because this was a moment where it truly did feel lethal.
For every exhale she tried to maintain a small slit between her lips, but for every intake she’d take exasperated breaths; anything to upset the wild proportions surging through her lungs.
“Is it working?” Katherine still looked visibly distraught, trying her best to keep in one piece as she watched.
Politely, he ignored his wife as he continued to speak. “Hey Dawn, I know things are a little crazy right now, but talk with me a little bit, okay?”
Her breathing was better enough to look all around them, which were two long stretches of hallway, supporting ceilings that hung far too far above her head.
“Hey, Dawn, Dawn?” Finally she turned to face him, but with how high-strung she was, the attention she was giving him was likely only going to last for a few more seconds.
“Color. What’s your favorite color? Can you tell me?”
“Co…color…why?” Dawn didn’t know whether she was to be distrusting or stupefied.
“Mine is orange,” he chuckled, going on to pinch his light-blue button-up. “But it’s too bad, because I don’t really look great in orange… Have you ever seen someone in orange underwear?” He made an exaggerated ‘grossed out’ look. “I can tell you, it’s not that pretty…”
A bright, ugly construction zone orange came to mind, hence why Dawn suddenly shared in his acknowledged absurdity. Green was certainly better, which happened to be her favorite.
“Mine…” she paused for a breath or two. “Mine is green.”
“Green, huh? What kind of green?” He was about to place his hand on her shoulder, but a wild and panicked pair of eyes attached to Dawn watched it. He slowly pulled it away.
“…Forest green…I like the woods.”
“Really? Me too. I always used to go on nature walks with a few friends of mine. Katherine doesn’t like to go so much…” Normally his wife probably would have jabbed back, but she kept silent as she watched, trying to keep her cheeks dry.
What caught Katherine by surprise was when Dawn turned her head to her.
“Why not?”
Suddenly in the spotlight, Katherine looked a tad bit on the spot, then quickly made herself composed. Now she was starting to understand her husband’s approach. “Oh…well remember the garden I mentioned? That’s more than enough nature for me. James always likes to go hiking, though.” She still seemed a bit worried for purely selfless reasons, but she eased herself into a smile. “Do you like hiking?”
James and Katherine continued to bounce a conversation ball off of Dawn, pivoting each and every time it was another person’s turn. The whole point was to keep Dawn involved the whole way. Feeding her comprehensible bits of information and dialogue, she finally had something to latch onto.
“Are you feeling better now?” Katherine looked physically reserved, given her hands were sandwiched partly between her thighs. James didn’t need as much insurance to hold himself back.
Dawn nodded her head, taking a refreshing breath. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a panic attack like that… To be quite truthful, she was still skittish even now. These strangers still put her in an awkward spot, but maybe spending some uninterrupted time with them had mostly dampened her initial fears. Not to Amazons, but to these two individuals in particular.
“I’m…I’m sorry for panicking in front of you two. It’s only because I–”
“We’d never be mad over something like that!” It was the first time in a bit since Katherine spoke so abrasively, obviously making a move to curb Dawn’s guilt. For the Portal Little however, she found it startling more than anything else. If she couldn’t be on the floor, James’ lap was the next best thing…
She seemed to realize the effect she had on Dawn, hence why she toned it down a few notches. “I’m sorry…I just don’t want you to feel sad about something you can’t help. It’s okay if you need to lean on us. That’s what we’re for.”
Her words were kind, but Dawn also didn’t like the potential implications of “we” in that statement. It could mean too many things, and the vast majority of them were not favorable.
“Could you please set me down?”
Her request seemed to bother Katherine, which Dawn could admittedly understand. After having the ‘bathroom’ scene repeat twice today and also end in a similar fashion, she was probably getting the same sense of dejavu from her.
“On the bench,” Dawn went on to elaborate.
James complied, and although it wouldn’t have been Dawn’s first choice, she was sitting right between the two Amazons.
“Now, can you two please tell me what has happened? I promise not to panic…just please answer my questions as I ask them.”
Above the girl’s head, James silently gestured to his wife to carry out their story.
“Well…after we talked to you on the sidewalk, my husband and I needed to make a quick stop at a store right along the same direction you were walking. When I was near the window inside I saw a…‘larger’ Amazon walking in the opposite direction you went. It looked like she was carrying a Little, and I suppose I got a little scared because I thought it was you…”
“So you called the police on my behalf?” Truthfully, it was surprising. In a dimension like this, kindness from an Amazon was the last thing she’d expect. Especially in a situation like that. There had to be a motive. “Why?”
“…Because after I met you…” Her words started to taper off, like she was struggling to say something.
“What? What is it?”
“I…I wanted to adopt…”
Her heart sank. “A…adopt…?” A cold, cold, frigid feeling was festering in her chest. She was about to shuffle to her right, but she then remembered Katherine’s partner in crime was sitting right there. It wasn’t out of the kindness of her heart. She just wanted to stop that other woman from getting what she figured was rightfully hers. Dawn.
It was a good question why Dawn didn’t run right then. Maybe for the sake of morbid curiosity she waited for the woman to say it with diction.
“I…I wanted to adopt your friend.” Then the real twist came.
Dawn, incredulous, blinked. “My-my friend?” She hadn’t expected that to follow.
Katherine slightly twiddled her thumbs, nodding. “Please don’t think I was using you to get to her! I promise that wasn’t my intention.”
“What friend?” No one came to mind. She was a total loner on this trip. Her lack of knowing anyone’s name in her tour group was a testament to that. Except for Stacy, but Dawn figured adopting other Amazons wasn’t as hot of a commodity.
“When we were walking behind your tour group we saw her. She was the one with brown hair and jeans?”
Oh.
That one.
Heather.
She probably wasn’t cutting her a fair break, considering that a Little in the face of Amazonian adversity is equated to shooting a water gun at the sun. Still, she without a single word spoken, ran. Of all people now that she thought about it, wouldn’t Heather have been the one to alert the police? Then again, she probably did tell Stacy, their tour guide, but she waved it off as another ‘adoption’. There were too many unknown variables, but to say Dawn was annoyed with Heather was somewhat of an understatement. And to add insult to injury, she was rescued by an Amazon because she was anaccessoryto her? A middleman to her schemes? Regardless, there was some solace in knowing she wasn’t on this woman’s radar. Not directly, at least.
“If it’s who I think you’re talking about, it’s Heather…” Part of her figured information such as a name was too valuable to reveal, but the simplicity in just a name and current animosity harbored towards the woman swayed her differently…
“Heather? Is that her name?” Katherine smiled. “I was hoping we could go and see her?”
“Wait.” Dawn dodged the question. “You still haven’t told me the full story. How did the police take me from her? What did you tell them? No offense, but doesn’t everyone here turn a blind eye to kidnappings like that?”
“Well…adoptions like that aren’t terribly uncommon…” And as she pondered, Dawn cringed at her substitution for the word.Adoption.She was starting to remind her of Stacy. “I told them that you were already my Little.”
“You told them I was your Little?” It took her a second to piece things together. “As in, you’d already kidnapped me?”
“…I told them you’d already been adopted by us.” Maybe on some level Dawn’s use of the word ‘kidnapping’ bothered her too. They both figured the other’s terminology inappropriate.
“And they believed you? Just like that?” How fickle was the law here?
“Well, it took a little more convincing than just that,” she chuckled, as if Dawn were the silly one. In her defense, this was her first time dealing with an Amazon kidnapping a Little. Firsthand. “We explained that you were recently adopted,” Dawn didn’t have the energy to keep correcting her. She was likely going to keep saying it, so she saw little point in dulling the mood every time she’d interrupt to set things her way.
Then everso nonchalantly, she added, “I said you fell asleep after I had breastfed you at one of the nearby parks, then all that milk had made you sleepy, so I let you take a nap on the grass.” She looked like the fabricated story tickled her more than it should have, as she smiled. “I turned away for a few minutes because James had called me, and when I turned back…” She let her silence finish it off with a slight frown, as if it’d actually happened.
Dawn, meanwhile was dumbfounded. She didn’t know whether to compliment the woman’s craftiness or question if that breastfeeding tidbit was an actual thing here. Breastfeeding Littles? Dawn knew there was a lot of strange things in this dimension, but surely that wasn’t one of them…
“Any…anything else?”
“When we did catch up to her, the woman tried to run, so that only looked better for us, I suppose. They checked her diaper bag and found your old pair of undies.” It was a reminder that left Dawn blushing, suddenly now trying to cover her white and decorated pull-up with her hands. She’d almost forgotten what with everything happening around her. Now she was sure she’d never forget… She wanted panties back badly.
“I knew you weren’t wearing pull-ups when we first met, so I guessed it was something a little thinner,” she chuckled. “We were lucky when they found those torn panties!” Luck was an awfully strange way of putting it, considering they were one of Dawn’s extremely limited stocks of underwear. You only packed so much underwear for a week’s trip, and by the last day of it, of course you’d be on short supply. And that was another urgent reminder.Home. She needed to get back to the group. Where they were right now was total and helpless guesswork. The best she could do was meet them at the hotel.
“But why didn’t you accuse her of drugging me if you knew she did?” What leverage was there in not doing it?
“We couldn’t be positive, so we went with what’d make us seem the most like genuine parents. That, and if we did and they found out you were given naughty medicine,” naughty medicine? Was that her ‘age-appropriate’ slang for drugs? “This could have turned into something much more…messy.” For once Dawn didn’t need any elaboration.
Even if the laws here were quite twisted, it didn’t change that they were likely white-collared enough to take issue with illegal drug usage, And if Littles truly were equated to children here, that’d be a case of downright abuse. It’d become a full-blown case that’d take more than just a single day to solve, and a single day was all Dawn had left here. Any more than that, then there would be… Stacy’s voice echoed in her head.Complications.
So the more Dawn was spoon-fed information, it was all finally starting to come together. Under the guise of another Amazon’s Little, she’d somehow narrowly escaped the clutches of a very real adoption…
“They brought us all into the station, but they mainly wanted us to stay until you woke up. Just so they knew you were okay. Which you are!” she chipperly added.
“Katherine has been keeping you safe ever since they took you from that woman, you know.” James finally spoke, adding to his wife’s credit.
“…You did?” Dawn looked back to her. Words came in many forms and different interpretations, if their conversations thus far were proof of that, but hopefully ‘safe’ was one of the more universal ones.
“I was relieved to find you were okay, but Iwasscared that you were passed out… There was no doubt in my mind that you’d be alright, but that still doesn’t mean I felt good about it.” For a brief moment she looked to be reliving her past fears, then was overcome with relief to remember that it was only the past.
Dawn maneuvered her bottom a little bit, though a sore feeling came from her butt.
“Ow…” quietly, Dawn remarked as she rubbed her side.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Forgetting the boundaries they’d previously established, Katherine’s hand was right by Dawn’s to inspect the area.
“It’s nothing,” Dawn was quick to hold her off. “I just feel a little sore, I guess.”
“Are you sure?” James spoke with some concern as well. “I’m sure Katherine has made it clear, but don’t hesitate to let us know if something’s wrong. You were just taken by a stranger, after all…” Need she be reminded.
“James,” Katherine curtly interjected herself. “Could we please stick to something more appropriate?”
It wouldn’t have been Dawn’s way of dismissing it, but she wasn’t keen on reliving her recent trauma either. Maybe Katherine’s mindfulness wasn’t totally terrible…
Though, both of her bum cheeks were sore. She could feel it. A lightbulb finally buzzed inside her head. That must’ve been where the drug had been injected. She did recall a pinch on her butt right before she fell asleep… Looking to keep the attention off her ass though, she didn’t speak on it. Considering it had received more than enough treatment from strangers for one lifetime, Dawn was willing to endure the pain.
“So…now what?” Dawn knew what she wanted to happen, but she was also trying to probe them for what they think might come next. It couldn’t be this easy, right? Were they just going to let her go? Like that?
“Katherine and I had talked it over earlier, and we planned to take you back to wherever you were staying from the start.”
“Re…really?” Dawn looked at James, obviously skeptically. Not that she didn’t recognize their kindness, but finding a distinction between evil Amazons and good ones was something fairly new to her. She wanted to say there was something she couldn’t put her finger on; something fishy about the two, but she couldn’t. At best she might find fault in the condescending way Katherine spoke to her, but Dawn couldn’t help but feel the Amazonian stereotype excused her behavior, though it was no less unacceptable in her book.
“Unless you had anywhere else in mind? Though, I think Kath and I would prefer you went somewhere safe from Amazons…”
“N-no!” Dawn quickly stammered. “The hotel is fine, really. Quite frankly, I already want to go home. This wasn’t how I planned to spend my last day… And I think I’m ready to get out of this stupid pull-up…” She was definitely embarrassed, that hadn’t changed. She hoped that by joking about it some of the goosebumps and shyness might fade away, but Katherine’s varying reaction upset that plan altogether.
“Why?” Katherine tilted her head a little, being as bold enough as to cup the front of Dawn’s underwear. “Are they not comfy?”
“H-hey!” Dawn spat in a flustered voice, chasing her hand off. She had just pressed it enough for Dawn to feel the internal padding press closer to her skin. It was soft, yes, but the whole package was mortifying. It was an absolute given that they would be changed.
“I’m looking to get back into normal panties. I don’t exactly wear these things on the regular…” She didn’t even know if she was trying to make jokes or genuine complaints anymore. Regardless of what they were, they often tended to go right over Jame’s and Katherine’s heads, or even under them, considering how short Dawn was in comparison. Again, the Common Little’s plight…
“They’re not so bad, are they?” Katherine kept her hands to herself this time, but once again she just seemed not to get it. She was clearly a lost cause, though, just like on the sidewalk. One to choose her battles, Dawn looked over to James.
“Do you think the same thing? What’s wrong with me wanting to wear panties?” Maybe this would treat her to some invaluable insight on the Amazon psyche…
“Huh?” James raised a brow. “Well…maybe, as long as you can handle it.”
Invaluable was a stretch.
How he didn’t outright support her was the worst part. He merely dove for the hypothetical that may or may not apply to Dawn.
“All we mean is that this way you have some extra protection incase you don’t make it!” Katherine spoke encouragingly, but she was unknowingly preaching to the wrong choir. Didn’t she say that theysawher torn up panties? She wasn’t crazy, right? Theydidsee that she wore adult underwear at some point?
“Can…” she wiped her face with her hand, maybe hoping some of that disbelief of hers would come off of it. “Can you take me to my hotel now?”
“That sounds like something we can do.” James confidently spoke. “We’re off the hook, but we should at least see the front desk to let them know we’re leaving. They were concerned about you, after all.”
It was a relief to hear that they were cutting to the chase, but it was a sigh from Dawn nevertheless, considering she had to walk around in such embarrassing clothing. Why she wasn’t curled up in a ball right now was beyond her. She hated to say it, but maybe she’d become somewhat desensitised to the look at least around James and Katherine… No, she hadn’t. Her cheeks still felt warm, now that she called attention to it.
Dawn slipped forward across the sleek cushion and was just about to hit the ground, but she was whisked into the air before that was even possible.
“Whoopsies!” Katherine chuckled, being the culprit who had snatched her. “Good catch on my part, huh?”
Dawn tried to kick her annoyance to the side just to make way for her confusion. “Why did you pick me up?”
“Because you’re still barefoot, sweetheart. If we carry you, we’ll know those little toesies won’t be touching anything sharp or dirty,” she went on to overstep her bounds by scurrying her fingers along the bottom of Dawn’s foot, forcing involuntary giggles out of her mouth as she tried to silence herself.
“S-s-hahaha! Stop! Please!” Her ticklish outbursts were at odds with her much more composed self, but she did win out in the end, mainly because Katherine had ceased the tickles.
“Dawn, we just think it’d be safer for you to be carried. That way we can keep you close, move fast, and avoid walking on the ground too much. Clean or not, the city isn’t a great place for naked feet.” James, the voice of reason, or at least someone who knew how to speak to Dawn like a person older than a toddler, explained. “Consider it our compromise for being your chauffeur? ”
Already fastened by Katherine’s arms, leaning into her admittedly soft arm and chest, she finally conceded. On some level it made sense, but she didn’t like how it objectively looked.
“Can I at least have something to cover my underwear?” Another hot-button issue, Dawn was not looking to give anyone else a view of her padded posterior. She’d already started to get used to the feeling of disposable underwear around her waist, and she wasn’t liking it.
“Sorry, hon,” James took the lead once more. “We don’t have any spare clothes on us, especially that are Little-sized.”
“Wait, but what about my jeans? You said they found my panties in the bag, right?” Didn’t the woman put her pants there, too?
“Mmm… I don’t think so.” Katherine seemed to recall. “Other than the grownup underwear, all there was was diapers, pull-ups and changing supplies. Even if we somehow missed it, the police have it all locked up behind evidence now.”
Glumly, Dawn accepted her fate.
“Besides, don’t feel so embarrassed,” Katherine hoisted Dawn once more just to solidify her hold, cupping her hands underneath her thighs, giving the outside world an unobstructed view of her padded butt. “You look cute!”
Cute, wasnotwhat Dawn wanted to be right now. She was shopping for some more mature terms such as dignified and independent. A word like that in tune with a pull-up was far from ideal. She shuffled uncomfortably when Katherine’s finger traced the leg bands to her underwear.
“Just making sure it’s nice and snug,” she smiled. “I think we can both agree a nakie Little is worse than a diapered one?”
Highly debatable.
“Alrighty, you two ready to get a move on?” James checked his phone for a moment, then quickly turned his attention back to them.
Dawn was able to keep it together as they moved down the hall, though at the moment’s notice of a foreign face, she would nuzzle her face into the crook of Katherine’s shoulder, just to avoid the visual confrontation. She didn’t have the heart for strangers to see her in pull-ups. Katherine seemed to be catching on, and in a motherly fashion she’d continue to stroke Dawn’s back. Weird, awkward, and unsettling, but not totally unwelcome…
“Attention, recipient no.36, you are now being called for your adoption appointment.” A synthetic human voice spoke over a speaker, and Dawn grew wide-eyed. It probably wasn’t for her, but irrational fears dictated she at least feel threatened. Forgetting her embarrassment, she quickly looked around them, seeing they’d reached the lobby. And then her eyes fell on it.
A large, decorated sign hung over a countertop which occupied a corner of the room, curving from one wall to the adjacent other. It read: “ADOPTION CENTER.” Two Amazonian nurses were stationed behind it, all smiles as they waited to bring misfortune unto the next struggling soul.
Dawn slowly turned to the other side where an array of seats were set up, half-filled and half-empty. It was something straight from a nightmare. Amazonian men and women, either in pairs, female singles, or even the rare individual male, all seemed to sit with an unmistakable enthusiasm plastered on their faces. The excitement was unbridled, and it only spoke to Dawn’s horror as she saw the tarnished, broken and beaten Littles which in some form sat beside them or in their laps.
Puffy eyes, red faces, quivering lips, or downright blubbering, countless Littles of Dawn’s equal stature all lay victim to the Amazons they sat closest to. Some had already been visually tortured, as they were dressed in bright, neon colors which accentuated the padded bulges they helplessly tried to hide behind their clothes. A few girls donned skirts that cleverly stopped just short of the full diaper’s length, meaning Dawn like many others could see a sizeable chunk of white peeking from between her legs. It was quite shocking to realize that one of those supposed girls was actually a male…
Others weren’t as unfortunate, but if they were there to begin with, the immediate moment didn’t matter much. They were all headed for the same fate, after all. Some Littles looked to be fresh out of work; dressed in business attire or laboring clothes. Dawn could only imagine the horror, or very well relive it. They’d likely just finished clocking out and were headed home, only to be helplessly grabbed as soon as their first foot set out the door. There was one person that albeit looking quite crestfallen, was mostly normal. All except for the glaring, dark stain on the front of their pants. A quite smug female Amazon was sitting next to him. She could only imagine what had occurred between them…
“You people put a goddamn adoption center in your police station?” Dawn quietly whispered, so not one of the lingering Amazons might try and take up a second charge…
Katherine seemed a bit bothered when Dawn spoke, though. Did she really find her disbelief that strange?
“Dawn, sweetie, could you please not use that kind of language?” She nearly became wide-eyed, hearing that. Here they were, staring at an institutionalized instance of legal slavery, and Katherine was more concerned about what came out of Dawn’s mouth?
Her face was mostly blank, namely because she couldn’t think of anything other than a poker face to keep her emotions in check. After a deep sigh, she said it again, only with a filtered tongue this time. “Why does a police station have an adoption center in it?”
“Oh, they’re not as uncommon as you think,” she chuckled. Did she not understand Dawn’s horror to see something like this? “They have them in a lot of public service buildings. Police stations, firehouses, hospitals, postal centers, and some are standalone, even.”
Unbelievable. So all you needed to do was grab the nearest Little within five feet and walk an extra ten to your nearest adoption center? The roots ran much deeper than Dawn had anticipated, considering the tour she’d been on had oddly enough avoided sights like these. Maybe because they knew it’d scare so many people off the tour… Considering how Stacy spoke, they were much more interested in a voluntary enslavement from its victims.
Just being near the spectacle sent a whole new wave of jitters through the girl. Though, she was just about ready to hyperventilate again when they walked towards the desk.
“No, you can’t, you tricked me, didn’t you?!” She desperately clutched Katherine’s shirt, already breathing quickly.
“No, no, Dawn, sweetie, I promise, you’re okay!” Katherine kept trying to shush her, but Dawn wasn’t having any of it. How could this not be what it looked like? Rather than making for the exit, they were instead taking a detour to the adoption center? “James just needs to sign us out, okay? See?” She kept trying to coax Dawn out of her shell, who was busy testing the “out of sight, out of mind,” mantra, but the danger felt no less imminent.
“Please, sweetheart,” Katherine continued to whisper in Dawn’s ear. James looked over his shoulder, concerned, but seemed a bit more at ease as he saw his wife set out to work. “We’ve only kept your best interest at heart this whole time, and that hasn’t changed. Just trust us, okay? See? James is just signing us out!”
It took Dawn a second to realize she was being bounced the ever slightest, the kind of reassurance she wasn’t looking for. She did follow Katherine’s finger though, and her story did seem to match James’ actions, as he handled a pen and paper on the desk.
“Whenever it’s a Little related issue, you always sign out through there at the station. Whether you’ve been adopted or not.” Katherine then called over to her husband. “James, is it okay if we go wait in the car, now? I think Dawn is feeling a bit uncomfortable here…” That was an understatement, and if it didn’t delay them any further, Dawn would’ve made it explicitly clear shewasdownright uncomfortable. With each passing moment, she couldn’t wait to get back to Earth…
James and the nurse had exchanged a few words, both too far and too quiet for Dawn to pick up on. Both turned their heads to Katherine and Dawn. James gave them the typical thumbs up, whilst the nurse flashed a toothy smile, waving her hand. Dawn had a feeling who it was intended for, and she didn’t like it one bit…
“Okay, off to the car!” As if to be happy in Dawn’s stead, Katherine cheered as she continued to bounce her charge while they walked outside. The sliding doors let them through, and the pair were enveloped in a midday sunlight.
“How long has it been since I passed out?” Dawn rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the sunlight.
“Maybe a good two hours, I think? Was your nap good, at least?”
“I wouldn’t call it a nap…” Especially when you’re forced out of your waking state. She didn’t even dream. It was essentially a blackout. She’d lost time and had nothing to show for it. To her, the entire ordeal maybe lasted fifteen minutes at most. As soon as she fell asleep she seemingly woke up right after in Katherine’s arms. She couldn’t help but notice the world around her kept rising and falling. “Could you please stop bouncing me?”
“Did it at least help you calm down?” She wasn’t speaking mockingly. Condescending, but Dawn felt that would be a terrible habit of hers she’d likely never curb. Her concern was genuine, but Dawn didn’t want to help her curate her soothing tactics, lest she try and use them on the girl later down the line.
“Can we please get in the car now?”Want to read all available chapters now? Find them on my [Patreon!](https://www.patreon.com/MaybeMee)


4 - Shopping
Dawn jerked forward with a start when she finally came to. Her breathing was fast and her head was constantly turning.
Where was she? What was she doing?
“Dawn?” A calm voice spoke near her and a large hand stroked her back. “You okay?”
She jumped a little as soon as she was touched, but almost immediately her body calmed down. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still on edge. Looking up, it was almost a relief to see a familiar face; as familiar as a person could be after meeting them in less than 24 hours. Or longer than that, considering the days here were supposedly longer…
“Y…yeah…” She took a well-needed breath, still looking around. They were in the car still. James was behind the wheel with his eyes on the road, though she could see he kept giving her brief glances.
“Did you have a nightmare?” As if she decided the answer herself, Katherine was already trying to soothe her with strokes.
“Uh…no, I didn’t…” Gently, she removed Katherine’s hand from her back, or at least tried to signal so. It wasn’t a bad dream, but it wasn’t a pleasant sleep either…
Black void wasn’t exactly what Dawn considered a dream. In other words, she wasn’t dreaming. It was the kind of sleep that’s strikingly similar to her drug-induced blackout. She wasn’t totally worried about that though; people had dreamless sleep all the time. The off-putting part however was her sudden jolt. She felt the urgency, the panic, the fear, but had none of the visuals to go with it. This was new for her, and she didn’t like it.
The more time she had to see her surroundings and understand the immediate situation, she calmed down some. She’d never be able to reach absolute zero, however. Not while she was here; the land of Amazons.
“You sure? Nothing you wanna talk about?” Katherine didn’t seem convinced, and Dawn’s unease subsided just enough to be annoyed by the endless pestering Katherine might do just so the girl would let her in. There was nothing to let her ‘in’ on though. Nothing that Dawn knew of…
“Where are we going right now?” Dawn tried to change the subject as she wiped her eyes.
“Did you forget already?” Katherine chuckled. “You really must have been tired.”
“I usually don’t take naps during the day…”
“Really? Not even here?” Here as in Libertalia?
“Uh…no?” Was there that big of a difference? She did remember hearing about a time difference; the length per day, but it couldn’t be that significant? She didn’t remember that part being mentioned in the tour briefing.
“Well, I bet you sleep like a log when you finally do go down.” She laughed, already forgetting physical boundaries as she patted Dawn’s head.
“Well…yes,” she rubbed the phantom remains of Amazon off her hair. “We tend to do a lot of sight-seeing, I guess, so it’s a lot of moving around?”
“Hmm…” Katherine quietly kept to herself for a little longer, right up to their arrival in the parking lot.
“Alright, gang,” James put the car in park. “We’re here.”
It took a second for Dawn to realize that she still didn’t know where ‘here’ was, not until Katherine exiting the car with her shed a light on things.
It was a large two-story department store, brandishing a loud and colorful sign labeled ‘LITTLE HAUL’, each and every bold letter decorated in some bizarre pattern. Some were polka-dots, others were stripes, zig-zag, solid colors, animal prints, letters.
“What is this place?” Dawn asked with a reluctant curiosity.
“Little Haul? Your tour didn’t pass a place like this?”
“Uh…no.” She was starting to become concerned once she got a better look of the customers going in and out. Almost each and every Amazon person or pair was consistently accompanied by a Little. A Little that looked to be…well, down on their luck, to say the least. She’d normally think they were regular infants the way they were dressed; dresses, overalls, dungarees, onesies, or the most risque; no pants at all. One pair even passed by them.
“Mommy, please don’t make me wear them!”
“I don’t understand, sweetheart? You said you wanted panties; Pamper Pretenders is exactly what you were talking about?” You couldn’t feign confusion like that. She seemed genuine; oblivious to the adult she was holding in her arms. And as they walked by, in case if Dawn needed more of a visual, the package of diapers the Amazon was referencing was stylized to look like women’s cut underwear.
It had the lavish looking prints, but that was all it was. Underneath the intentionally comic design was the paper, plastic and cotton that the Little would actually be wearing. Real panties didn’t have tapes to keep them on. How sick of a joke could that be? While she’d be given the illusion of adult underwear, in reality there’d be a sticky mess in her pants… Dawn grimaced. She didn’t like to think about being in her shoes…or diapers.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, though, as Dawn moved her legs and remembered the pull-up she was wearing. Unfortunately she’d gotten used to it or somehow managed to deal. She was in desperate need of panties. Real ones; not some diaper that only looked like one.
“Uhm…why are we here again?” Recent sights made her feel compelled to ask.
James took a more indirect approach. “So you are getting used to your current look, then?” Oh, right.
“We’re gonna find you some nice stuff to wear. That way you’ll feel a bit more comfortable?” The sliding glass doors just opened for them, and into the terrifyingly large department store they went.
It was massive.
To a Little, of course anything here would seem big, but even as an Amazon, Dawn could still imagine this place having some heft. Endless aisles with either modest retail shelves or warehouse-grade scaffolding to support some of the larger purchases.
Loud and colorful advertisements for any infantile resource imaginable. Clothes, food, furniture, games, books, shoes…and more. Her heart sank a little more once she remembered that it looked like there was a second floor to this place.
Amazons and shopping carts bustled all about. Dawn grew a bit squeamish whenever she could hear a scream, shriek or cry. Unfortunately it was something that came with the territory. Every square inch of this small fortress was geared towards the commercialized motive of taking Littles down a maturity notch or two. In other words, a living hell for someone like Dawn. Despite supposedly being in good hands, she felt like she’d just entered the lion’s den.
“And…we’re looking for clothes for me?” Katherine gave her a cheery ‘mhm’. “H-here…?” She didn’t want to be picky, but Dawn had a sneaking suspicion that nothing here was going to tickle her fancy. Yet since it wasn’t her money that was being spent, did she even get a say?
While Dawn nervously eyed their surroundings, Katherine looked as if she was on Cloud Nine. Then again…she did say that she was looking to adopt… Dawn took a breath. And thankfully it wasn’t her…
With all the hormone-crazy Amazons running about in here, all with the common goal of adoption, Dawn was by no means looking to be set down. For once she was thankful for the security of another’s arms. She felt supported in more ways in one. That said, she’d have preferred to avoid something as nerve-racking as this altogether.
“So…uhm, a normal clothing store wouldn’t have had something for me?” Dawn asked as her eyes couldn’t help but fix themselves on some of the more bizarre products. Flavored pacifiers was one. She grimaced once she realized they were sized for an adult mouth like hers. Another was muscle-relaxant cream… The advertised image on the bottle was an illustrated face of relief, as if they’d just unloaded a great deal of stress…physically, in-fact. Given the context of the store it was being sold in, Dawn didn’t want to imagine why they looked so relieved…
“They probably would have…” Katherine was looking at all odds and ends like Dawn too, only with much more enthusiasm. James was going to keep her in check, right? “…But, they won’t have nearly as much variety as here would! I’m sure there’ll be something you like.”
Just when Dawn felt like she may have been getting on some wavelength with Katherine, all it took was a department store filled with babyish stuff to whisk her off to the fantasies of parenthood yet again.
“James? I don’t suppose you wanna weigh in?” Dawn asked. In truth, she just needed someone ‘grounded’ to talk to. He looked a little lost for words, merely shrugging.
“Free shopping trip?”
Dawn sighed.
The clothing section of the store was like a mini shop within the grand scheme. Racks on racks of clothes were hung along the sides followed by aisles of more. Display mannequins were also put up, though what Dawn didn’t expect were the diapers taped on them. Some were flashing them because of the outfits they were dressed in, and others had theirs concealed. Make no mistake, however, as that didn’t give them any more modesty. No, because whatever went over them instead accentuated or complemented their diaper bulge.
Despite being for Dawn, Katherine didn’t seem to be fishing for any input as she strolled about. Dawn did get a little scared though when the lingered around a display of onesies for too long.
“Does, um, your wife come here often?” Dawn asked James.
“She says she doesn’t,” James explained, looking to his entranced lover. “But…usually she runs late getting home on Fridays. Something tells me she likes to window shop…”
“So I was thinking maybe some jeans?” Dawn suggested, hoping to steer this woman away from the dresses. Katherine looked at her almost like an afterthought, as if she forgot why Dawn was there in the first place. “Oh! Right. Sorry, I get a little carried away when I come here…” Sheepishly, she laughed. Dawn didn’t. “Pants, you said? Hmm…” she scanned their surroundings. “I think they have them somewhere…”
It was a long and slow stroll to their destination. Sometimes they’d sway to-and-fro, solely because Katherine saw something that caught her eye. While she seemed to be in Amazon Heaven, Dawn was stuck in Little Hell.
“Oh, James! Look! They make animal footie pajamas!” She was ecstatic as with a free hand she felt the soft and furry exterior.
The outfit was in fact a set of footie pajamas; right around Dawn’s size in fact. The feet and leg cuffs were well defined, marked by elasticized endings using bunched material. Though, it took Dawn a second to realize what sort of animal she was looking at. The arms and legs were mostly black, followed by a white torso in the center. It wasn’t until Katherine pulled the attached hood out from hiding could Dawn see the black ears as well.
“Is it supposed to be a panda?” Dawn leaned forward to feel the outfit too. Katherine, being the doting person she was, moved forward just a little closer for her sake. It was a little surprising to Dawn once she did touch it. It was soft, really soft. “How much even is something like this?”
Wordlessly, Katherine looked at the attached tag which was out of Dawn’s view, conveniently enough. “It’s not much. Why?” She smiled, poorly hiding her excitement. “Did you want to try it on?”
“Uh…no…” Dawn said awkwardly. It was cute, but being cute was the last thing she wanted right now. Dignified seemed more her speed at the moment. The awkwardness in her response came from so harshly shutting Katherine down.
“Oh…alright then.” They moved forward.
Dawn could see endless piles of patterned onesies, decorated socks, and unfortunately endless diaper covers. She’d been expecting it, but seeing it now made her quite uncomfortable. It reminded her of how close she’d come to being stuck in a world like that. By the same token, it even made her think fondly of Katherine and James. After all, they were the ones who saved her from it.
“Do they really not have any pants here?” Dawn was starting to become a bit restless. All there seemed to be were clothes that either showed off your diaper, accentuated it, or simply made you look cute enough for someone to expect you to be wearing one.
“Maybe they don’t anymore…?” Katherine sounded as if she was off in another world. James had been lagging behind this entire time. Clothes didn’t really seem to be his topic of discussion. In truth, Dawn may have preferred riding in his arms. At least that way she didn’t need to have a front row seat for Katherine’s gushing.
They reached the end of the aisle and were back at all the displays. Large signs hung from the ceiling at the entrance of each row, listing all the related items.
They watched their right for a little bit; Katherine likely reading the signs. Just as they turned to the left Dawn decided to catch something in her eye.
“Wait!”
Katherine looked at her.
“Over there! Back to the right! See? Pants!” She was a little more excited than she’d like to admit, but how could she not be? It felt as if their long, arduous journey had finally reached its end.
“Oh, you’re right. Good eye, Dawn!” With that she ruffled the girl’s hair. Dawn let it go this one time, since she was finally in a good mood.
But alas, a good mood was hard to maintain.
“Don’t they have something…less…colorful?”
Some looked like they were denim, but none had the simple, relaxed blues, blacks and greys she was so used to. No, instead she’d been treated to pinks, blues, greens, oranges; loud, blaring colors that were as noticeable as they were bright and neon.
“What’s wrong with these colors? Aren’t they cute?” Again, Katherine just didn’t seem to get it.
Dawn noticed another “feature” to them. One that was less than exciting.
“Do they not have zippers?”
She reached forward to the pale orange traffic cone pair. The large orange button sewn on the front flap was bordering cartoonish. She was trying to find the zipper to the front flap, like a normal pair of jeans would, but she was quick to realize that normal no longer applied once traditional color was thrown out the window.
There was no front flap. The button was simply for design. The “seam” you usually see in pants, right where the zipper would go, was nothing more than that. A seam. For all intents and purposes they were slip-on pants. Not that it was bad, objectively, but seeing as Little clothing, Dawn couldn’t help but consider it another childish factor intended by design. Why bother giving the Littles something as complicated as a zipper?
Just to confirm her suspicions, Dawn tugged at the waist, and sure enough it certainly did stretch more than a normal pair would. They might technically be jeans, but only technically…
“Think you wanna try them on?” Katherine still couldn’t hide a twinge of enthusiasm.
“Uh…” By now, Dawn was starting to feel bad. Left and right she’d been rejecting Katherine in every which way possible, and she was just about to do it again. “Are…are there any other pants that come off as a little more…mature?”
“Really?” Of course she was going to sound disappointed. Amazon or not, of course, Dawn felt guilty. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Well, because,” and on the flip-side, why was it so hard to see the issue? Dawn knew why it was, but the simple truth was so baffling that she couldn’t help but try to deny it. “The colors are way too bright and there is no actual button flap? You just pull them on?”
“Right? Isn’t that nice?” Katherine rubbed the pant leg, somehow forgetting that Dawn’s list of grievances were grievances.
Dawn sighed slightly. By now she’d have to make it a point that she was dissatisfied.
“I…I just want to find something that’s more like what I’m used to wearing.”
“Well…alright.”
They strolled down the aisle some more, though that didn’t mean they found anything more promising. In-fact, it only got worse. Probably more creative and exciting in Katherine’s eyes, but Dawn not so much.
“Oh! How about these? They have kitties on them!” Indeed they did. Pale pink pants covered in tiny cartoon cat heads, all patterned with one of four different expressions. But if that weren’t already a deal-breaker, Dawn found the piece de resistance.
“Are those buttons?” On the crotch were an array of white snaps. Looking at it now, Dawn wondered why it wasn’t the first thing she noticed. This pair of pants did have a flap on it, only it was one for the crotch… They were walking down an aisle, yet it was starting to feel like a terribly slippery slope.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go back to the other pants…” An unfortunate end, but seeing how bad things were getting, it couldn’t help but feel like a comparative victory. Regardless, it seemed like Katherine had made a content noise.
Really, they did somehow look better after seeing some of the other offenders.
“Is this really all they have for colors?” That was still issue numero uno. She’d prefer not to be a walking light-show.
“There might be some hanging in the back…” Katherine weaved her hand through the bunch, giving Dawn a few glimpses of what lay behind. Surprise, surprise, it was more of the same colors. Maybe a few new ones, but equally as bad. Maybe it was dark under the shelf and it was so far back, but Dawn could have sworn she saw a black pair-!
“Oh! How about these?”
Katherine pulled out a pair of pale-blue ones. Shockingly, the color was bearable. Not the most ideal, especially since she thought she saw the best pair, but she probably didn’t… Katherine likely would’ve grabbed it otherwise.
They looked just like the orange ones. Only…not orange.
“Is this pair alright?”
Given the circumstances, any choice she’d have would be the lesser of two evils. Guess it was time to bite the bullet…
“Yeah, I guess it’s fine.”
“Hehe, I like them too,” she snickered, then to Dawn’s surprise set her down.
“W-what? Katherine?” Dawn wrapped the sweater a bit more tightly around herself, hopping a little from foot to foot. After being carried around so long she’d forgotten just how sensitive her feet could be to the cold, tiled floor. “Don’t we need to go to a changing room?”
Katherine raised a brow with a strange smirk. “Changing room? But you’re not…? Oh!” Apparently she’d made a silly blunder, not that it meant Dawn was any less in the dark however. “You shouldn’t need a dressing room for something like this, right?”
Truthfully, she probably didn’t, but she didn’t like being denied a private space… That said, it’s not like she was going to get any more naked than she was right now. It was going to be the exact opposite, in-fact. “I…guess.”
Katherine got on her knees and leaned in close with a whisper. “Are you afraid someone will see your undies?”
She didn’t like to admit it, but by now the pull-ups really weren’t a secret, though that didn’t mean she’d stop trying to hide the truth. With a stammering blush, Dawn averted her eyes and muttered a yes, though that didn’t quite feel like it summed up how she was feeling. Need she forget what she was actually wearing, which were most certainly not ‘undies’.
Katherine gave a sympathetic ‘mhmm’ as she looked around for a moment. Was she actually trying to help Dawn?
“James, hon? Could we borrow you for a second?”
The husband who had been pleasantly woolgathering about the area had looked as if he were broken from a trance at the sound of his name. He walked on over. “What’s up?”
“While Dawn tries on some pants, do you think you could hold up my sweater behind her? Just so she has a curtain?” What? Now she was getting James involved? Was it really this involved?
“But, couldn’t we just use a changing room?” Dawn was feeling less and less enthusiastic about this. Not that there really was any enthusiasm to begin with.
“We’ll be real quick, okay? This way we can find your size. Then we can look at a few more designs.” She was already guiding the sweater off of Dawn, who was starting to feel a tinge of anxiety. Too fast. This is moving too fast.
The sweater came off and all she had to her person was a bra, shirt and pull-up. Shakily, she looked to her behind which was a curtain of knitted sweater, held by the ever-so kind James. Thankfully he was mindful to some degree, as instead of looking down at the poor girl he was staring straight ahead.
“Alrighty, let’s try this pair out.” It came as another shock when Katherine was holding the pants by the waistband for her; nice and low to step her legs into. This…this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened?
Dawn’s heart was beating. Beating more than usual. Faster, heavier; a rapping thump against her chest. Why…why was she getting such an odd sense of deja vu? “Uh…uhm,” she gulped, feeling a sudden cold sweat.
“Dawn? Honey?” Katherine smiled. “You gotta step in if we’re gonna put them on, silly.”
It felt like a total paradigm shift. The atmosphere felt thick and heavy, the surrounding noise became deafened muffles, and all Dawn could see was a giant from the neck down, holding open the cage to a prison she’d willingly commit herself to. It was too familiar. Far too familiar. So familiar, that she knew better than to fall for it again.
“N-no…” Dawn muttered rockily. Never once did she actually look at Katherine’s face. It was clear she was transfixed on the moment rather than the participants.
“Dawn? What’s wrong?”
“No…no!” She was frozen, but then she wasn’t. For once, she had the conviction to flee.
She bolted.
She was cold and borderline naked, but that did nothing to dampen her adrenaline. It was a quick turn and sprint around James’ legs, and all she could hear behind her was the shout for her name. Was it out of concern? Anger? She didn’t know, but it’d all become so…so claustrophobic.
Twice now she’d felt like this. She wasn’t going crazy, was she? Of course she knew what it all felt like. It felt like that same, damn bathroom from this morning. All that mattered now was distance. She needed to calm down and she couldn’t do it here.
She spun on her heel once she reached a main branch, quickly realizing the mob of Amazons, all moving about with massive carts. There was an even tighter grip on her heart and she was breathing fast.
Since day one of the tour, the idea of there being people about three times your size was quite intimidating, but there was solace in knowing they were just like you. Rational, like-minded, functioning adults. It was the fine line between lawful regulation and sadistic, twisted fantasy that made these people either pleasant, gentle giants, or a living nightmare.
So what if they weren’t? What did it mean if those same giants weren’t of rational minds? What if they were to use their overwhelming, dominating strength and project their desires on the powerless? Project them on you? Defenseless, innocent, you.
Once you brush shoulders with death, you don’t forget the chilling sensation; realizing that decades of your life, thousands of experiences, achievements, highs and lows, dreams and aspirations all culminating into a rich, diverse and unique individual, can all somehow be meaningless in the face of total and crushing adversity.
Of course you can’t help but feel some sort of…significance, because in your own perspective you are the main character of your own life. It’s your story, so without you, what’s left? That’s why the story can’t end.Youcan’t end.
Realizing your own mortality is what shatters that illusion. The fantasy of immortality. The belief that somehow you possess such significance that you’ll never succumb to a life-changing or potentially life-ending fate.
The business woman on the street, tutted along by a child leash, firmly in the hand of her oppressor. The countless Littles all sitting in shambles at the police station; on the verge of tears, already crying, or simply defeated. Even the Little who was being whisked out of the store by the Amazon with panty diapers… Each and every one of them had something beforethis. Before a life of diapers, bottle-sucking and who knows what else. A working, dignified life. One with more meaning than fulfilling the desires of someone else, who simply decides to override theirs on a whim. Not a one could Dawn remember their faces. They were all one muddled, homogeneous blur of misfortune and grief. The anonymity is what made them all the same. It didn’t matter where they started from, because in the end the funnel always leads to the same place.
As her legs carried her as fast as they could, Dawn could see herself in the faint reflection on the glossy floor. Her hair swinging all around as she stumbled and tumbled, just managing to keep her balance in such a frantic state. But in that confusion, it was slowly starting to make sense. She understood the chills, the anxiety, the fear, the cold sweats and seemingly irrational panic. She could see it in the reflection. She could see it in her reflection, and it shook her very core.
It was a homogeneous blur.
Dawn wasn’t running. She wasn’t panicking. She wasn’t trying to find her way out of this. She wasn’t doing anything. She wasn’t even anything. She wasn’t significant. She wasn’t one of one. She was one of many. One so, so, so, so, so many that held just as much bearing as she did. None. The absolute proof of that? The fate of those before her.
Mortality is realizing the outside world and its forces that exist beyond your own bias. They’re the forces beyond your wishful thinking and rose-tinted glasses. They’re the cold, rock-solid truths that shatter paradise. Mortality is understanding that you’re just as fragile as everyone else. It’s what transforms the thoughts of invincibility into inevitability; that you’re powerless to the tide which can easily sweep you away. The tide that can come in oh so many forms. Mortality is perching the agents of fear and anguish atop your shoulders, caught in a nerve-racking state of limbo that simply wants the nightmares to end. Mortality is seen in many ways.
Mortality is realizing the truth.
Mortality is realizing that you’re a Little.
A few rays of light shone through the darkness, cascading over the blubbering Little. They weren’t rays of hope. They were the fluorescent lights of a department store meant for a force far more mighty and fearsome than she was feeling to challenge. The air was as still thick and heavy as it was moments earlier, and the world felt no less lonely.
All around her were varying sets of clothes, each embodying some hideous or horrendous design, all disgusting in their own way. Maybe they were cute to some, but they were far too symbolic to not be received as such monstrosities. Maybe it was the English major in her that made it all seem so poetic; the way so many inanimate creatures could surround her from every angle and make her feel so trapped…
What was the endgame? Where was the endgame? When was it? So many important questions. All of which the Little had no answer to. Ever since the first time her boat had been rocked, the storm never seemed to have quite settled down. Now she’d just been hit with the lingers of it and she felt as if she’d just gone overboard.
She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to do anything. All she could do was sob, knowing there was nothing beyond the circular rack of clothes other than further misfortune she’d never be able to wade herself through. The faint noise of music over the speakers seemed to keep her unease in check, had she managed to forget where she was.
“…Now come on, the least you could do is help me search?” There was a sharp noise from her breath as her muscles tightened and she clutched her legs closer. She had to forcefully cover her mouth just so she couldn’t be heard.
“I know, I know, I’ll help! But…you are a lot better at this than I am.” A male voice sighed. A voice the Little didn’t recognize, but a voice that sounded high off the ground. High enough to know they meant absolute despair.
“Right.” The other male one didn’t seem too crazy about the other’s response. “Well, we need to get something for Rei’s Little. It’s going to be their first adoption year, after all.”
“It really has been that long…”
“Yes, it has. So, more importantly, should we be bothering with clothes or play it safe and get a toy?”
“Probably a toy would be the safest bet…”
“…I think so too. Alright, I think they’re over there…” And so the voices drifted off.
There was an unusual relief that washed over the Little. Once her muscles relaxed, there was a new wave of tears, simply realizing how the presence of strangers can put the fear of God into her.
She wanted to go home.
But if today had been proof of anything, it was proof of her inability to accomplish anything, much less her own freedom. All it took was one small peg to send down the row of dominoes.
James and Katherine.
Suddenly she remembered. She remembered the pair of Amazons who had been watching over her. Who had been helping her out. She ran from them. She was hiding from them. None of it was intentional, but it all seemed to look that way just because. They were probably wondering where she went off to. They were probably worried. But, maybe that small dose of panic could give them a smidgen of an idea of what it’s like to live in a Little’s world. To be lost and constantly on the run; always looking over your shoulder and never knowing whether you’re truly safe or not. Maybe they didn’t deserve all those negative feelings, but the poor Little would be lying if she said it didn’t feel good just to let others feel what she was going through. Just to understand something that set her apart from the dreary gray so many others were a part of.
But it didn’t. Despair wasn’t faithful to just her. It was a mistress estranged with countless others.
And then it only got worse. As society turned its back on her, so was her body starting to do the same.
It was that terrible twinge; that irksome pressure. It couldn’t have been more fitting for a damsel in distress, as Dawn was finally starting to feel bloated down below. She needed to pee. Naturally, this was hardly the time to feel desperate, but given how things were going, it seemed too fitting not to happen right then. Clearly her destination was rock bottom, so of course they had to hit every stop on the way…
With nothing left to do, the only tool she had in her arsenal was to express herself in the form of tears. She whimpered and sniffled, trying to keep the noise to a minimum. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even be allowed to be sad on her own.
The music from above suddenly dimmed.
“Attention, shoppers, the store will now be entering Penny Protocol. An adopted Little by the name of Dawn Matthews is believed to be missing in the store. To ensure their well-being and safe return, all shoppers will be prohibited from leaving the store until this matter is resolved. We ask that you please help in searching for her. If you happen to find a lost Little, please bring them to customer services immediately.” The voice sounded urgent. The music never started again.
Finally, Dawn registered that her name was spoken over the intercom. Well, partly. Matthews wasn’t her last name. Where that came from was simple guesswork…
James Matthews. Katherine Matthews.
They were looking for her?
She didn’t want to be found. She didn’t want to cause them trouble, but she didn’t want to go on with this for a minute longer. None of this was right and she was tired of compromises. In retrospect, meandering around the hotel lobby would have been the better call, even if she had to wait there all night. She was willing to do anything to get home. To get away from here.
Without the music, the store started to seem eerily silent. Almost silent. The murmurs of Amazons started to pick up… Dawn could hear the carts rolling across the floor, the feet walking about.
Dawn kept a hand over her mouth as she rocked. Her mind was at a blank, but surrendering was the last thing she wanted.
She couldn’t stop fidgeting though… It’d been something mild at first she was putting off, but it was starting to become downright annoying.
Maybe it would be better to just get it over with?
Absolutely not. Not only was it taboo, but there was something…something wrong about doing it. She’d be admitting something, or acknowledging a part of herself she wasn’t willing to let go of. If she peed herself, they would win. They would all win. She’d be doing exactly what they all expected of her. Each and every one of them. Anything was better than peeing herself. Even being naked was better. Even being naked…
“I’m sorry, hon, I think I might be a bit late…” a woman passing by spoke, putting Dawn back on edge. “The store is in Penny Protocol. Lost adopted little?” She tutted disappointingly. “Poor thing… Well, no, more often than not they haven’t been kidnapped. It’s more along the lines of they’re running away… Her parents must be worried sick. Hopefully a spanking will set her straight. But anyways, I should probably go. I still need to get Tommy’s diapers. And who knows, maybe I’ll find a lost Little on the way?” She chuckled. “Love you too, hon. Bye.” She and her cart rolled onward.
These close calls were too much for her to handle. She was reaching both her mental and physical limits. She was completely in the dark; she had no idea when someone might be coming from her. Then again, the entire store was probably looking for her right now. If she stayed here, it was only a matter of time…
The sound of sliding metal was fast and sudden and so was the torrent of light shining through. Shocked, Dawn spun her head as she violently jumped from the surprise as she looked above. There was a hole in the surrounding wall of clothes with an Amazon behind them, looking over the different outfits. Only for a little bit, because then she looked down at Dawn with a curious look.
She was frozen. Stupefied. The two were both silent as they exchanged glances, and Dawn could feel that same cold sweat from before; a deer caught in headlights. Yet an odd warmth was leaking from Dawn, which is probably why she felt so chilled. Her lip quivered, knowing exactly what was to follow, but she couldn’t bear to see it be realized. She wanted to plead, she wanted to scream. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t do anything. A simple state of shock took everything from her.
The Amazon smiled.
“Hello!”


4 - Shopping
Dawn jerked forward with a start when she finally came to. Her breathing was fast and her head was constantly turning.
Where was she? What was she doing?
“Dawn?” A calm voice spoke near her and a large hand stroked her back. “You okay?”
She jumped a little as soon as she was touched, but almost immediately her body calmed down. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still on edge. Looking up, it was almost a relief to see a familiar face; as familiar as a person could be after meeting them in less than 24 hours. Or longer than that, considering the days here were supposedly longer…
“Y…yeah…” She took a well-needed breath, still looking around. They were in the car still. James was behind the wheel with his eyes on the road, though she could see he kept giving her brief glances.
“Did you have a nightmare?” As if she decided the answer herself, Katherine was already trying to soothe her with strokes.
“Uh…no, I didn’t…” Gently, she removed Katherine’s hand from her back, or at least tried to signal so. It wasn’t a bad dream, but it wasn’t a pleasant sleep either…
Black void wasn’t exactly what Dawn considered a dream. In other words, she wasn’t dreaming. It was the kind of sleep that’s strikingly similar to her drug-induced blackout. She wasn’t totally worried about that though; people had dreamless sleep all the time. The off-putting part however was her sudden jolt. She felt the urgency, the panic, the fear, but had none of the visuals to go with it. This was new for her, and she didn’t like it.
The more time she had to see her surroundings and understand the immediate situation, she calmed down some. She’d never be able to reach absolute zero, however. Not while she was here; the land of Amazons.
“You sure? Nothing you wanna talk about?” Katherine didn’t seem convinced, and Dawn’s unease subsided just enough to be annoyed by the endless pestering Katherine might do just so the girl would let her in. There was nothing to let her ‘in’ on though. Nothing that Dawn knew of…
“Where are we going right now?” Dawn tried to change the subject as she wiped her eyes.
“Did you forget already?” Katherine chuckled. “You really must have been tired.”
“I usually don’t take naps during the day…”
“Really? Not even here?” Here as in Libertalia?
“Uh…no?” Was there that big of a difference? She did remember hearing about a time difference; the length per day, but it couldn’t be that significant? She didn’t remember that part being mentioned in the tour briefing.
“Well, I bet you sleep like a log when you finally do go down.” She laughed, already forgetting physical boundaries as she patted Dawn’s head.
“Well…yes,” she rubbed the phantom remains of Amazon off her hair. “We tend to do a lot of sight-seeing, I guess, so it’s a lot of moving around?”
“Hmm…” Katherine quietly kept to herself for a little longer, right up to their arrival in the parking lot.
“Alright, gang,” James put the car in park. “We’re here.”
It took a second for Dawn to realize that she still didn’t know where ‘here’ was, not until Katherine exiting the car with her shed a light on things.
It was a large two-story department store, brandishing a loud and colorful sign labeled ‘LITTLE HAUL’, each and every bold letter decorated in some bizarre pattern. Some were polka-dots, others were stripes, zig-zag, solid colors, animal prints, letters.
“What is this place?” Dawn asked with a reluctant curiosity.
“Little Haul? Your tour didn’t pass a place like this?”
“Uh…no.” She was starting to become concerned once she got a better look of the customers going in and out. Almost each and every Amazon person or pair was consistently accompanied by a Little. A Little that looked to be…well, down on their luck, to say the least. She’d normally think they were regular infants the way they were dressed; dresses, overalls, dungarees, onesies, or the most risque; no pants at all. One pair even passed by them.
“Mommy, please don’t make me wear them!”
“I don’t understand, sweetheart? You said you wanted panties; Pamper Pretenders is exactly what you were talking about?” You couldn’t feign confusion like that. She seemed genuine; oblivious to the adult she was holding in her arms. And as they walked by, in case if Dawn needed more of a visual, the package of diapers the Amazon was referencing was stylized to look like women’s cut underwear.
It had the lavish looking prints, but that was all it was. Underneath the intentionally comic design was the paper, plastic and cotton that the Little would actually be wearing. Real panties didn’t have tapes to keep them on. How sick of a joke could that be? While she’d be given the illusion of adult underwear, in reality there’d be a sticky mess in her pants… Dawn grimaced. She didn’t like to think about being in her shoes…or diapers.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, though, as Dawn moved her legs and remembered the pull-up she was wearing. Unfortunately she’d gotten used to it or somehow managed to deal. She was in desperate need of panties. Real ones; not some diaper that only looked like one.
“Uhm…why are we here again?” Recent sights made her feel compelled to ask.
James took a more indirect approach. “So you are getting used to your current look, then?” Oh, right.
“We’re gonna find you some nice stuff to wear. That way you’ll feel a bit more comfortable?” The sliding glass doors just opened for them, and into the terrifyingly large department store they went.
It was massive.
To a Little, of course anything here would seem big, but even as an Amazon, Dawn could still imagine this place having some heft. Endless aisles with either modest retail shelves or warehouse-grade scaffolding to support some of the larger purchases.
Loud and colorful advertisements for any infantile resource imaginable. Clothes, food, furniture, games, books, shoes…and more. Her heart sank a little more once she remembered that it looked like there was a second floor to this place.
Amazons and shopping carts bustled all about. Dawn grew a bit squeamish whenever she could hear a scream, shriek or cry. Unfortunately it was something that came with the territory. Every square inch of this small fortress was geared towards the commercialized motive of taking Littles down a maturity notch or two. In other words, a living hell for someone like Dawn. Despite supposedly being in good hands, she felt like she’d just entered the lion’s den.
“And…we’re looking for clothes for me?” Katherine gave her a cheery ‘mhm’. “H-here…?” She didn’t want to be picky, but Dawn had a sneaking suspicion that nothing here was going to tickle her fancy. Yet since it wasn’t her money that was being spent, did she even get a say?
While Dawn nervously eyed their surroundings, Katherine looked as if she was on Cloud Nine. Then again…she did say that she was looking to adopt… Dawn took a breath. And thankfully it wasn’t her…
With all the hormone-crazy Amazons running about in here, all with the common goal of adoption, Dawn was by no means looking to be set down. For once she was thankful for the security of another’s arms. She felt supported in more ways in one. That said, she’d have preferred to avoid something as nerve-racking as this altogether.
“So…uhm, a normal clothing store wouldn’t have had something for me?” Dawn asked as her eyes couldn’t help but fix themselves on some of the more bizarre products. Flavored pacifiers was one. She grimaced once she realized they were sized for an adult mouth like hers. Another was muscle-relaxant cream… The advertised image on the bottle was an illustrated face of relief, as if they’d just unloaded a great deal of stress…physically, in-fact. Given the context of the store it was being sold in, Dawn didn’t want to imagine why they looked so relieved…
“They probably would have…” Katherine was looking at all odds and ends like Dawn too, only with much more enthusiasm. James was going to keep her in check, right? “…But, they won’t have nearly as much variety as here would! I’m sure there’ll be something you like.”
Just when Dawn felt like she may have been getting on some wavelength with Katherine, all it took was a department store filled with babyish stuff to whisk her off to the fantasies of parenthood yet again.
“James? I don’t suppose you wanna weigh in?” Dawn asked. In truth, she just needed someone ‘grounded’ to talk to. He looked a little lost for words, merely shrugging.
“Free shopping trip?”
Dawn sighed.
The clothing section of the store was like a mini shop within the grand scheme. Racks on racks of clothes were hung along the sides followed by aisles of more. Display mannequins were also put up, though what Dawn didn’t expect were the diapers taped on them. Some were flashing them because of the outfits they were dressed in, and others had theirs concealed. Make no mistake, however, as that didn’t give them any more modesty. No, because whatever went over them instead accentuated or complemented their diaper bulge.
Despite being for Dawn, Katherine didn’t seem to be fishing for any input as she strolled about. Dawn did get a little scared though when the lingered around a display of onesies for too long.
“Does, um, your wife come here often?” Dawn asked James.
“She says she doesn’t,” James explained, looking to his entranced lover. “But…usually she runs late getting home on Fridays. Something tells me she likes to window shop…”
“So I was thinking maybe some jeans?” Dawn suggested, hoping to steer this woman away from the dresses. Katherine looked at her almost like an afterthought, as if she forgot why Dawn was there in the first place. “Oh! Right. Sorry, I get a little carried away when I come here…” Sheepishly, she laughed. Dawn didn’t. “Pants, you said? Hmm…” she scanned their surroundings. “I think they have them somewhere…”
It was a long and slow stroll to their destination. Sometimes they’d sway to-and-fro, solely because Katherine saw something that caught her eye. While she seemed to be in Amazon Heaven, Dawn was stuck in Little Hell.
“Oh, James! Look! They make animal footie pajamas!” She was ecstatic as with a free hand she felt the soft and furry exterior.
The outfit was in fact a set of footie pajamas; right around Dawn’s size in fact. The feet and leg cuffs were well defined, marked by elasticized endings using bunched material. Though, it took Dawn a second to realize what sort of animal she was looking at. The arms and legs were mostly black, followed by a white torso in the center. It wasn’t until Katherine pulled the attached hood out from hiding could Dawn see the black ears as well.
“Is it supposed to be a panda?” Dawn leaned forward to feel the outfit too. Katherine, being the doting person she was, moved forward just a little closer for her sake. It was a little surprising to Dawn once she did touch it. It was soft, really soft. “How much even is something like this?”
Wordlessly, Katherine looked at the attached tag which was out of Dawn’s view, conveniently enough. “It’s not much. Why?” She smiled, poorly hiding her excitement. “Did you want to try it on?”
“Uh…no…” Dawn said awkwardly. It was cute, but being cute was the last thing she wanted right now. Dignified seemed more her speed at the moment. The awkwardness in her response came from so harshly shutting Katherine down.
“Oh…alright then.” They moved forward.
Dawn could see endless piles of patterned onesies, decorated socks, and unfortunately endless diaper covers. She’d been expecting it, but seeing it now made her quite uncomfortable. It reminded her of how close she’d come to being stuck in a world like that. By the same token, it even made her think fondly of Katherine and James. After all, they were the ones who saved her from it.
“Do they really not have any pants here?” Dawn was starting to become a bit restless. All there seemed to be were clothes that either showed off your diaper, accentuated it, or simply made you look cute enough for someone to expect you to be wearing one.
“Maybe they don’t anymore…?” Katherine sounded as if she was off in another world. James had been lagging behind this entire time. Clothes didn’t really seem to be his topic of discussion. In truth, Dawn may have preferred riding in his arms. At least that way she didn’t need to have a front row seat for Katherine’s gushing.
They reached the end of the aisle and were back at all the displays. Large signs hung from the ceiling at the entrance of each row, listing all the related items.
They watched their right for a little bit; Katherine likely reading the signs. Just as they turned to the left Dawn decided to catch something in her eye.
“Wait!”
Katherine looked at her.
“Over there! Back to the right! See? Pants!” She was a little more excited than she’d like to admit, but how could she not be? It felt as if their long, arduous journey had finally reached its end.
“Oh, you’re right. Good eye, Dawn!” With that she ruffled the girl’s hair. Dawn let it go this one time, since she was finally in a good mood.
But alas, a good mood was hard to maintain.
“Don’t they have something…less…colorful?”
Some looked like they were denim, but none had the simple, relaxed blues, blacks and greys she was so used to. No, instead she’d been treated to pinks, blues, greens, oranges; loud, blaring colors that were as noticeable as they were bright and neon.
“What’s wrong with these colors? Aren’t they cute?” Again, Katherine just didn’t seem to get it.
Dawn noticed another “feature” to them. One that was less than exciting.
“Do they not have zippers?”
She reached forward to the pale orange traffic cone pair. The large orange button sewn on the front flap was bordering cartoonish. She was trying to find the zipper to the front flap, like a normal pair of jeans would, but she was quick to realize that normal no longer applied once traditional color was thrown out the window.
There was no front flap. The button was simply for design. The “seam” you usually see in pants, right where the zipper would go, was nothing more than that. A seam. For all intents and purposes they were slip-on pants. Not that it was bad, objectively, but seeing as Little clothing, Dawn couldn’t help but consider it another childish factor intended by design. Why bother giving the Littles something as complicated as a zipper?
Just to confirm her suspicions, Dawn tugged at the waist, and sure enough it certainly did stretch more than a normal pair would. They might technically be jeans, but only technically…
“Think you wanna try them on?” Katherine still couldn’t hide a twinge of enthusiasm.
“Uh…” By now, Dawn was starting to feel bad. Left and right she’d been rejecting Katherine in every which way possible, and she was just about to do it again. “Are…are there any other pants that come off as a little more…mature?”
“Really?” Of course she was going to sound disappointed. Amazon or not, of course, Dawn felt guilty. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Well, because,” and on the flip-side, why was it so hard to see the issue? Dawn knew why it was, but the simple truth was so baffling that she couldn’t help but try to deny it. “The colors are way too bright and there is no actual button flap? You just pull them on?”
“Right? Isn’t that nice?” Katherine rubbed the pant leg, somehow forgetting that Dawn’s list of grievances were grievances.
Dawn sighed slightly. By now she’d have to make it a point that she was dissatisfied.
“I…I just want to find something that’s more like what I’m used to wearing.”
“Well…alright.”
They strolled down the aisle some more, though that didn’t mean they found anything more promising. In-fact, it only got worse. Probably more creative and exciting in Katherine’s eyes, but Dawn not so much.
“Oh! How about these? They have kitties on them!” Indeed they did. Pale pink pants covered in tiny cartoon cat heads, all patterned with one of four different expressions. But if that weren’t already a deal-breaker, Dawn found the piece de resistance.
“Are those buttons?” On the crotch were an array of white snaps. Looking at it now, Dawn wondered why it wasn’t the first thing she noticed. This pair of pants did have a flap on it, only it was one for the crotch… They were walking down an aisle, yet it was starting to feel like a terribly slippery slope.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go back to the other pants…” An unfortunate end, but seeing how bad things were getting, it couldn’t help but feel like a comparative victory. Regardless, it seemed like Katherine had made a content noise.
Really, they did somehow look better after seeing some of the other offenders.
“Is this really all they have for colors?” That was still issue numero uno. She’d prefer not to be a walking light-show.
“There might be some hanging in the back…” Katherine weaved her hand through the bunch, giving Dawn a few glimpses of what lay behind. Surprise, surprise, it was more of the same colors. Maybe a few new ones, but equally as bad. Maybe it was dark under the shelf and it was so far back, but Dawn could have sworn she saw a black pair-!
“Oh! How about these?”
Katherine pulled out a pair of pale-blue ones. Shockingly, the color was bearable. Not the most ideal, especially since she thought she saw the best pair, but she probably didn’t… Katherine likely would’ve grabbed it otherwise.
They looked just like the orange ones. Only…not orange.
“Is this pair alright?”
Given the circumstances, any choice she’d have would be the lesser of two evils. Guess it was time to bite the bullet…
“Yeah, I guess it’s fine.”
“Hehe, I like them too,” she snickered, then to Dawn’s surprise set her down.
“W-what? Katherine?” Dawn wrapped the sweater a bit more tightly around herself, hopping a little from foot to foot. After being carried around so long she’d forgotten just how sensitive her feet could be to the cold, tiled floor. “Don’t we need to go to a changing room?”
Katherine raised a brow with a strange smirk. “Changing room? But you’re not…? Oh!” Apparently she’d made a silly blunder, not that it meant Dawn was any less in the dark however. “You shouldn’t need a dressing room for something like this, right?”
Truthfully, she probably didn’t, but she didn’t like being denied a private space… That said, it’s not like she was going to get any more naked than she was right now. It was going to be the exact opposite, in-fact. “I…guess.”
Katherine got on her knees and leaned in close with a whisper. “Are you afraid someone will see your undies?”
She didn’t like to admit it, but by now the pull-ups really weren’t a secret, though that didn’t mean she’d stop trying to hide the truth. With a stammering blush, Dawn averted her eyes and muttered a yes, though that didn’t quite feel like it summed up how she was feeling. Need she forget what she was actually wearing, which were most certainly not ‘undies’.
Katherine gave a sympathetic ‘mhmm’ as she looked around for a moment. Was she actually trying to help Dawn?
“James, hon? Could we borrow you for a second?”
The husband who had been pleasantly woolgathering about the area had looked as if he were broken from a trance at the sound of his name. He walked on over. “What’s up?”
“While Dawn tries on some pants, do you think you could hold up my sweater behind her? Just so she has a curtain?” What? Now she was getting James involved? Was it really this involved?
“But, couldn’t we just use a changing room?” Dawn was feeling less and less enthusiastic about this. Not that there really was any enthusiasm to begin with.
“We’ll be real quick, okay? This way we can find your size. Then we can look at a few more designs.” She was already guiding the sweater off of Dawn, who was starting to feel a tinge of anxiety. Too fast. This is moving too fast.
The sweater came off and all she had to her person was a bra, shirt and pull-up. Shakily, she looked to her behind which was a curtain of knitted sweater, held by the ever-so kind James. Thankfully he was mindful to some degree, as instead of looking down at the poor girl he was staring straight ahead.
“Alrighty, let’s try this pair out.” It came as another shock when Katherine was holding the pants by the waistband for her; nice and low to step her legs into. This…this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened?
Dawn’s heart was beating. Beating more than usual. Faster, heavier; a rapping thump against her chest. Why…why was she getting such an odd sense of deja vu? “Uh…uhm,” she gulped, feeling a sudden cold sweat.
“Dawn? Honey?” Katherine smiled. “You gotta step in if we’re gonna put them on, silly.”
It felt like a total paradigm shift. The atmosphere felt thick and heavy, the surrounding noise became deafened muffles, and all Dawn could see was a giant from the neck down, holding open the cage to a prison she’d willingly commit herself to. It was too familiar. Far too familiar. So familiar, that she knew better than to fall for it again.
“N-no…” Dawn muttered rockily. Never once did she actually look at Katherine’s face. It was clear she was transfixed on the moment rather than the participants.
“Dawn? What’s wrong?”
“No…no!” She was frozen, but then she wasn’t. For once, she had the conviction to flee.
She bolted.
She was cold and borderline naked, but that did nothing to dampen her adrenaline. It was a quick turn and sprint around James’ legs, and all she could hear behind her was the shout for her name. Was it out of concern? Anger? She didn’t know, but it’d all become so…so claustrophobic.
Twice now she’d felt like this. She wasn’t going crazy, was she? Of course she knew what it all felt like. It felt like that same, damn bathroom from this morning. All that mattered now was distance. She needed to calm down and she couldn’t do it here.
She spun on her heel once she reached a main branch, quickly realizing the mob of Amazons, all moving about with massive carts. There was an even tighter grip on her heart and she was breathing fast.
Since day one of the tour, the idea of there being people about three times your size was quite intimidating, but there was solace in knowing they were just like you. Rational, like-minded, functioning adults. It was the fine line between lawful regulation and sadistic, twisted fantasy that made these people either pleasant, gentle giants, or a living nightmare.
So what if they weren’t? What did it mean if those same giants weren’t of rational minds? What if they were to use their overwhelming, dominating strength and project their desires on the powerless? Project them on you? Defenseless, innocent, you.
Once you brush shoulders with death, you don’t forget the chilling sensation; realizing that decades of your life, thousands of experiences, achievements, highs and lows, dreams and aspirations all culminating into a rich, diverse and unique individual, can all somehow be meaningless in the face of total and crushing adversity.
Of course you can’t help but feel some sort of…significance, because in your own perspective you are the main character of your own life. It’s your story, so without you, what’s left? That’s why the story can’t end.Youcan’t end.
Realizing your own mortality is what shatters that illusion. The fantasy of immortality. The belief that somehow you possess such significance that you’ll never succumb to a life-changing or potentially life-ending fate.
The business woman on the street, tutted along by a child leash, firmly in the hand of her oppressor. The countless Littles all sitting in shambles at the police station; on the verge of tears, already crying, or simply defeated. Even the Little who was being whisked out of the store by the Amazon with panty diapers… Each and every one of them had something beforethis. Before a life of diapers, bottle-sucking and who knows what else. A working, dignified life. One with more meaning than fulfilling the desires of someone else, who simply decides to override theirs on a whim. Not a one could Dawn remember their faces. They were all one muddled, homogeneous blur of misfortune and grief. The anonymity is what made them all the same. It didn’t matter where they started from, because in the end the funnel always leads to the same place.
As her legs carried her as fast as they could, Dawn could see herself in the faint reflection on the glossy floor. Her hair swinging all around as she stumbled and tumbled, just managing to keep her balance in such a frantic state. But in that confusion, it was slowly starting to make sense. She understood the chills, the anxiety, the fear, the cold sweats and seemingly irrational panic. She could see it in the reflection. She could see it in her reflection, and it shook her very core.
It was a homogeneous blur.
Dawn wasn’t running. She wasn’t panicking. She wasn’t trying to find her way out of this. She wasn’t doing anything. She wasn’t even anything. She wasn’t significant. She wasn’t one of one. She was one of many. One so, so, so, so, so many that held just as much bearing as she did. None. The absolute proof of that? The fate of those before her.
Mortality is realizing the outside world and its forces that exist beyond your own bias. They’re the forces beyond your wishful thinking and rose-tinted glasses. They’re the cold, rock-solid truths that shatter paradise. Mortality is understanding that you’re just as fragile as everyone else. It’s what transforms the thoughts of invincibility into inevitability; that you’re powerless to the tide which can easily sweep you away. The tide that can come in oh so many forms. Mortality is perching the agents of fear and anguish atop your shoulders, caught in a nerve-racking state of limbo that simply wants the nightmares to end. Mortality is seen in many ways.
Mortality is realizing the truth.
Mortality is realizing that you’re a Little.
A few rays of light shone through the darkness, cascading over the blubbering Little. They weren’t rays of hope. They were the fluorescent lights of a department store meant for a force far more mighty and fearsome than she was feeling to challenge. The air was as still thick and heavy as it was moments earlier, and the world felt no less lonely.
All around her were varying sets of clothes, each embodying some hideous or horrendous design, all disgusting in their own way. Maybe they were cute to some, but they were far too symbolic to not be received as such monstrosities. Maybe it was the English major in her that made it all seem so poetic; the way so many inanimate creatures could surround her from every angle and make her feel so trapped…
What was the endgame? Where was the endgame? When was it? So many important questions. All of which the Little had no answer to. Ever since the first time her boat had been rocked, the storm never seemed to have quite settled down. Now she’d just been hit with the lingers of it and she felt as if she’d just gone overboard.
She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to do anything. All she could do was sob, knowing there was nothing beyond the circular rack of clothes other than further misfortune she’d never be able to wade herself through. The faint noise of music over the speakers seemed to keep her unease in check, had she managed to forget where she was.
“…Now come on, the least you could do is help me search?” There was a sharp noise from her breath as her muscles tightened and she clutched her legs closer. She had to forcefully cover her mouth just so she couldn’t be heard.
“I know, I know, I’ll help! But…you are a lot better at this than I am.” A male voice sighed. A voice the Little didn’t recognize, but a voice that sounded high off the ground. High enough to know they meant absolute despair.
“Right.” The other male one didn’t seem too crazy about the other’s response. “Well, we need to get something for Rei’s Little. It’s going to be their first adoption year, after all.”
“It really has been that long…”
“Yes, it has. So, more importantly, should we be bothering with clothes or play it safe and get a toy?”
“Probably a toy would be the safest bet…”
“…I think so too. Alright, I think they’re over there…” And so the voices drifted off.
There was an unusual relief that washed over the Little. Once her muscles relaxed, there was a new wave of tears, simply realizing how the presence of strangers can put the fear of God into her.
She wanted to go home.
But if today had been proof of anything, it was proof of her inability to accomplish anything, much less her own freedom. All it took was one small peg to send down the row of dominoes.
James and Katherine.
Suddenly she remembered. She remembered the pair of Amazons who had been watching over her. Who had been helping her out. She ran from them. She was hiding from them. None of it was intentional, but it all seemed to look that way just because. They were probably wondering where she went off to. They were probably worried. But, maybe that small dose of panic could give them a smidgen of an idea of what it’s like to live in a Little’s world. To be lost and constantly on the run; always looking over your shoulder and never knowing whether you’re truly safe or not. Maybe they didn’t deserve all those negative feelings, but the poor Little would be lying if she said it didn’t feel good just to let others feel what she was going through. Just to understand something that set her apart from the dreary gray so many others were a part of.
But it didn’t. Despair wasn’t faithful to just her. It was a mistress estranged with countless others.
And then it only got worse. As society turned its back on her, so was her body starting to do the same.
It was that terrible twinge; that irksome pressure. It couldn’t have been more fitting for a damsel in distress, as Dawn was finally starting to feel bloated down below. She needed to pee. Naturally, this was hardly the time to feel desperate, but given how things were going, it seemed too fitting not to happen right then. Clearly her destination was rock bottom, so of course they had to hit every stop on the way…
With nothing left to do, the only tool she had in her arsenal was to express herself in the form of tears. She whimpered and sniffled, trying to keep the noise to a minimum. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even be allowed to be sad on her own.
The music from above suddenly dimmed.
“Attention, shoppers, the store will now be entering Penny Protocol. An adopted Little by the name of Dawn Matthews is believed to be missing in the store. To ensure their well-being and safe return, all shoppers will be prohibited from leaving the store until this matter is resolved. We ask that you please help in searching for her. If you happen to find a lost Little, please bring them to customer services immediately.” The voice sounded urgent. The music never started again.
Finally, Dawn registered that her name was spoken over the intercom. Well, partly. Matthews wasn’t her last name. Where that came from was simple guesswork…
James Matthews. Katherine Matthews.
They were looking for her?
She didn’t want to be found. She didn’t want to cause them trouble, but she didn’t want to go on with this for a minute longer. None of this was right and she was tired of compromises. In retrospect, meandering around the hotel lobby would have been the better call, even if she had to wait there all night. She was willing to do anything to get home. To get away from here.
Without the music, the store started to seem eerily silent. Almost silent. The murmurs of Amazons started to pick up… Dawn could hear the carts rolling across the floor, the feet walking about.
Dawn kept a hand over her mouth as she rocked. Her mind was at a blank, but surrendering was the last thing she wanted.
She couldn’t stop fidgeting though… It’d been something mild at first she was putting off, but it was starting to become downright annoying.
Maybe it would be better to just get it over with?
Absolutely not. Not only was it taboo, but there was something…something wrong about doing it. She’d be admitting something, or acknowledging a part of herself she wasn’t willing to let go of. If she peed herself, they would win. They would all win. She’d be doing exactly what they all expected of her. Each and every one of them. Anything was better than peeing herself. Even being naked was better. Even being naked…
“I’m sorry, hon, I think I might be a bit late…” a woman passing by spoke, putting Dawn back on edge. “The store is in Penny Protocol. Lost adopted little?” She tutted disappointingly. “Poor thing… Well, no, more often than not they haven’t been kidnapped. It’s more along the lines of they’re running away… Her parents must be worried sick. Hopefully a spanking will set her straight. But anyways, I should probably go. I still need to get Tommy’s diapers. And who knows, maybe I’ll find a lost Little on the way?” She chuckled. “Love you too, hon. Bye.” She and her cart rolled onward.
These close calls were too much for her to handle. She was reaching both her mental and physical limits. She was completely in the dark; she had no idea when someone might be coming from her. Then again, the entire store was probably looking for her right now. If she stayed here, it was only a matter of time…
The sound of sliding metal was fast and sudden and so was the torrent of light shining through. Shocked, Dawn spun her head as she violently jumped from the surprise as she looked above. There was a hole in the surrounding wall of clothes with an Amazon behind them, looking over the different outfits. Only for a little bit, because then she looked down at Dawn with a curious look.
She was frozen. Stupefied. The two were both silent as they exchanged glances, and Dawn could feel that same cold sweat from before; a deer caught in headlights. Yet an odd warmth was leaking from Dawn, which is probably why she felt so chilled. Her lip quivered, knowing exactly what was to follow, but she couldn’t bear to see it be realized. She wanted to plead, she wanted to scream. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t do anything. A simple state of shock took everything from her.
The Amazon smiled.
“Hello!”


Sometimes we just need a little bit to fully connect the dots! And yeah, little by little her identity is falling into jeopardy, But yeah, not the tour guide’s fault. After all, Dawndidstray from the group!


5 - Back to it
“Hello!”
What? What was she saying? Was she speaking in tongues? It could’ve been anything. Any word, sentence, speech, speal, vernacular, dialect, accent, language or mannerism. It would’ve gone over Dawn’s head regardless.
She was at her wit’s end. She didn’t know what to expect anymore, especially because her thoughts were starting to become immediate realities, hence the Amazon looming over her.
“Honey? Are you okay?” Her voice was soft, gentle, but none of that translated. None of her words, emotion, or body language were acknowledged. All that Dawn could see or listen to was the absolute size reigning over her, and she quaked.
“P-please,” Dawn started to violently shake her head as the expression on her face worsened. “D-don’t come any-any closer…!” Her legs were practically jelly, as when she tried to stand she was almost immediately back on her bottom. All she could do was slide herself to the other end of the clothes rack, which unfortunately wasn’t very far. She had no options left. This was the end. Of course she started crying.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” the Amazon cooed, already reaching her hands in further. Just as she was moving her arms in, Dawn was falling deeper into her nervous breakdown.
“N-n-n-no! Stop! I SAID STOP!” She screamed and shouted, flailing herself every which way just to keep herself from being captured. She didn’t expect it to work, but surprisingly, it did. The woman had stopped getting closer. What Dawn didn’t see though was the expression of concern.
But now that Dawn’s last resort had worked, seeing as she didn’t expect to get that far, all she could do now was reel herself back into the waterworks.
“I…I just want to go home…” she sniffled and hiccuped, leaning against the metal frame of the clothes display. “So why…? Why won’t you l-let me!?” And back to wailing she went.
She wasn’t even looking at the Amazon anymore. She didn’t care, or at least didn’t have the energy to. Even amidst all the confusion and chaos, Dawn knew they wouldn’t be leaving. The jig was up, so if they weren’t going to leave, maybe Dawn could at least mentally check herself out. Just to spare herself from the suffering.
But then she could feel something touch her arm, and in immediate retaliation Dawn swung that same arm outwards to the thing that touched it. She made contact. Well, no contact with the Amazon that touched her, but instead one of the metal bars to the frame, and lord did it hurt. The slam rang with a resounding clang. She’d been using so much force, it was enough to shock her out of her mood as her voice left her and she winced with a terrible pain flooding her arm.
It felt like she’d just dipped her wrist in acid; feeling a terrible pins and needles sensation prickle all over her right arm. Now with a new reason to cry, she made it known. Somewhere amongst it all, she could’ve sworn a gasp came from the Amazon. Well good. It was her fault that Dawn did this to herself. If only she could just forget about her and go!
It was starting to feel warm and clammy in her underwear. It was making her feel hot all over. She’d certainly been sweating a lot…
Then, the unthinkable happened. The light, where the Amazon kept peering through, it suddenly disappeared, and so did the Amazon. The clothes were slipped back together and once again Dawn was in the company of herself.
“…Thank you…” she whimpered in a faint whisper. She was in pain, physical and emotional, lost, alone, without a single lifeline, but at least there was this. Solitude. This small, uninterrupted space seemed to be the one saving grace of the Amazon dimension. She couldn’t even remember how things had escalated to this point. It was something someone did to make her feel this way…
The large hands were quick when they shot through the wall of clothes. One appearing on each side of Dawn, faster than she could react. Time seemed to slow down as the gravity began to kick in. Just as Dawn could realize what was going to happen, it already did. With arms around her waist she was quickly whisked out from her fortress and into the enemy’s arms. She was bathed in the light once again, almost blindingly so, and was in the arms of yet another stranger. The same one who’d approached her from the front.
Dawn could only pace the list of possible reactions in her head. Scream? Retaliate? Kick? Punch? Plausible ideas, all of them, but it felt like no matter which one she’d pick, it’d all be a short-term show leading only to the bottomless despair waiting for her by the end of it. She grimaced, biting her quivering lip, doing little as her head was pressed against the Amazon’s shoulder.
She was an animal driven into a corner, but she truly had no energy left to fight back. She was drained.
“There, there…” the woman shushed and cooed. “It’s alright…you’re okay…”
But how could it be? What had changed? Had she gotten any closer to home? Was she with her tour group yet? Was she in panties now? Did she have her luggage? Nothing about her was okay, and the minute these self-righteous Amazons could realize that, maybe then they could cover some ground together. But it would likely never come to pass.
“I’m sorry for scaring you like that; reaching in from behind. You scared me a whole lot too, though. Is your arm okay? It didn’t sound very good when you hit it…” At the same time she went to feel it herself, and as soon as she did Dawn could feel the same sharp pain that sent shockwaves in her body. She quickly tugged it away.
To her credit, she did look sorry. “It does hurt? I’m so sorry sweetie… We’ll make it all better, I promise.”
“…ake me home…” a quiet voice whispered.
“What’s that?” She leaned her head a little closer.
“T-take me…h-home…” Dawn continued to speak low with teary eyes. By now her eyes were starting to get a little puffy around the edges, what with how much crying she’d been doing.
“We will…we will…” She continued to shush and bounce. The comfort and kindness, all reserved for a toddler only made it so much worse.
They started walking, yet Dawn was so tuned out, she stopped processing their surroundings. It was a new low, considering she could only seem to react rather than receive. She wasn’t even tired. At least she thought she wasn’t. She didn’t feel sleepy, nor did she feel alert. She simply felt sluggish.
“You can’t go running around like that by yourself, you know.” The Amazon started to chide; ignorantly rambling off her teachings, as if she knew everything there was to know about Dawn. About her supposed archetype. “This store’s so big, I can’t even begin to imagine how your Mommy or Daddy might be feeling right now. They must be worried sick!”
“Does…” what was the point? Why did she even bother? “Does it not matter how I feel? What I think?” In a low voice, Dawn croaked.
“Of course it matters! It matters that you’re safe, happy and content, and being away from your guardian is the farthest thing from that, sweetheart. It’s not fun when you’re by yourself, huh? It must’ve been scary hiding in there…” She stroked Dawn’s back, drowning more and more in her selfish conclusions.
Dawn gave a slight, sad laugh. The kind of laugh that wasn’t derived from pure humor. Something more sickly. Never before had the light seemed so terrifying.
“Do you wanna talk about it? How you got lost?”
“I wasn’t lost… I didn’t want to be found…” The slight motion of her hand made her wince. Maybe she really did hurt it…
“What?” She replied with an exaggerated surprise. “Not found? Were you playing hide and seek? This isn’t the place to do that, sweetie! You’re going to make the grownups worried like that!”
Conversation seemed all in all to be pointless. Not like Dawn should expect any less. Still, it didn’t feel any less frustrating to be totally disregarded as an adult. It was further insight into just how ignorant these people could be.
“Now you’ll need to beextrasure to apologize when we get there, understood? Truthfully, I think you’re going to need a spanking, but hopefully that’s where they’ll let you off.” Dawn felt a strange squeeze on the front of her underwear. A squishy, warm squeeze.
“And I definitely think you’ll need some diapers if you’re going to be so adventurous.” She lightly chuckled to herself.
So that warmth leaving her apparently wasn’t so figurative as she’d thought… In the midst of shock and panic she’d forgotten to leave some control for her most basic needs. She’d done exactly what she was so steadfast to avoid, it felt like a ball of lead in her stomach. Everything was already wrong on oh-so many levels, but something like this was far too direct to simply grit her teeth through.
“Shh, shh…you’re okay now…”
“We should be out there searching for her!” Katherine spoke in a panic, tears in her eyes. “What if someone takes her? What if she gets stolen?!” Each suggestion seemed to inflict more self-harm as she sobbed harder.
James was by her side, taking both of her arms. “Kath, hon, listen, you need to stay calm, okay? No one is going to adopt her.”
Though, there was a look of surprise when she fired back. “Donottell me to stay calm! How can you be, James? The…the look on her face right before she ran… She was terrified!” She sniffled. “…Terrified of me…”
“Katherine, I’m worried too, but we need to stay here where someone else is going to bring her. You heard the intercom, right? No one can leave the store until she’s safe and sound. And that couldn’t be why she ran away. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve been doing the exact opposite. This is all going to be resolved, okay? We’ll figure out what happened when Dawn comes back. We can figure things out then.”
She looked no less convinced whilst she continued to sob.
There was a knock on the door.
“Yes?” James called in reply.
The door handle turned and in came a familiar face and a stranger along with them. One held in the other’s arms, in fact. Then a third, a security guard.
“I assume this little troublemaker belongs to you guys?” It was the same Amazon who’d found Dawn; the one who had dragged her back into a world of chaos. Partly slumped over her shoulder was the missing Little in question, looking less than spectacular.
It was an open sigh from James as he smiled in relief. Katherine was even less composed, seemingly hit with a whole new wave of emotion. She rushed over to the woman, taking Dawn into her arms, clutching her tightly.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Katherine sobbed between her moments of gratitude. Even James got closer to look her over, similarly just as pleased with her well-being.
Were they really this worried? Dawn didn’t hug her back, but she was careful to keep her arm out of any point of pressure. Maybe there was a tinge of remorse, but this still didn’t feel like an ideal outcome…
“Where did you find her?” James asked.
“I was searching for some outfits at one of those circular racks and I happened to see her in the center of it. I bet she’s glad to be back with you guys; she seemed to be pretty panicked when I found her.”
James didn’t respond as he looked back over to his wife and Dawn.
“Excuse me, Mr.Matthews?” The guard finally stepped in. “Can I assume we’re all set now?”
“Yes, we are. Thank you for your help. We’re glad she’s safe and sound.”
“Oh, and also,” the woman spoke again. “You might want to have her arm looked at, just to be safe… I think she hurt her wrist while she was in the rack.”
“What?” Katherine sniffed, wiping her eye. “How? What happened?” Almost immediately she was looking for the spot in question, carefully examining Dawn, who looked even more resigned than she’d been in the arms of the other woman.
“When I tried to pull her out she started to get a bit fussy, so much that she tried to hit me and hit the bar instead.”
Dawn couldn’t wholly agree with her statement, but she figured it wasn’t worth the energy to argue. Among a jury of Amazons, who would believe her?
Then, what finally shocked her out of a passive state was Katherine just like the woman finding her sweet-spot, or pain-spot, to be blunt. Katherine brushed Dawn’s wrist and she yelped, remembering fast just what the sensation felt like. Did she sprain it? Bruise it?
“I’m so sorry, sweetie! It’s okay, you’re okay…” Katherine, obviously apologetic, was much more careful around the area in question. The injury was starting to become concerning.
“I think it’d be best to have that looked at,” the guard chimed in. James and Katherine mutually nodded.
“Is there anything we can do to thank you?” James still maintained discussions, seeing as his wife was a little preoccupied.
“Seeing her back with you guys is plenty for me.” She smiled. “But if anything, don’t be too hard on her? I take it you two are new parents?” The responses were indirect.
“Well, if anything, let’s call it a teaching moment. I never let my Little out of sight, especially in a place like this. Maybe you should put her in a Little harness though; that way you’ll know where she is?”
“We’ll…keep that in mind.”
“And also, best of luck with the potty training! Unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky this time…” She looked jokingly somber, then bid her farewell. The guard soon did as well. Dawn though, her cheeks were burning the entire time. Now all that remained were the original three.
“Dawn?” James spoke up. “You okay?”
Laid against Katherine’s chest, she shook her head. Nothing was okay.
“What’s wrong, sweetie? Please talk to us, baby…” Katherine seemed to be a bit more composed, now that Dawn was in her arms. She looked a little emotionally tried as well.
“Please…”
The room fell silent.
“Please…” Dawn sniffled. “Please don’t call me that…”
“Don’t call you what? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t…don’t call me ‘baby’. I’m…I’m not a baby, so please don’t call me that…” she hiccuped, letting the tears silently roll down her cheeks.
“…Honey, please, we only want to make it all better. What happened? Why did you run away?”
“I don’t know.” Dawn blinked; her eyes looked to be scarred, as if she’d seen horrendous things. Things that couldn’t heal. “I…I don’t remember. I was scared…”
“Did it feel like last time? When you woke up at the police station?” James asked. He seemed to be much more pensive.
Like last time?
The panic attack. The short breaths, rapid breathing, hammer-pounding heart, and the plethora of anxiety, gushing in troves from all her orifices.
“…Yeah, similar…”
“Twice in a day…” James spoke lowly… He watched the pair for a moment.
“Were…were you scared of us?” Katherine cautiously asked. She seemed to be afraid of the answer.
Looking back on it, digging to the deeper recesses of her mind, maybe she was. There was a lingering feeling of anxiety and fear associated with who they were, but their actual character seemed to dissuade it somewhat. But not enough to overpower the situation they’d put her into.
“I felt like I was being kidnapped again…” It only came as an afterthought that saying it might hurt their feelings. She did feel bad this time.
“Kidnapped…? But we’d never take you forcefully, sweetheart…”
“It…it felt like it did the first time. The first time someone tried to take me here…” Lord, did she hate thinking about it. Need she say it’d still been less than 24 hours since it had happened? Maybe that’s why she felt such an urgent response; the coals were still hot.
“But you’re safe with us,” Katherine rubbed her back. “You know that, right?”
“…Right.” It was a neutral response.
“When you ran away like that, I saw the look on your face and it broke my heart, Dawn. I was afraid I did something personally to upset you… I suppose I did.”
“It’s…it’s okay. I know you meant well, but I still couldn’t shake this…thisfeeling. I’m not upset with you, Katherine. It’s just, what you did was what scared me.” Dawn was hoping the clarity would make her feel better, but the woman still seemed to be taking it personally. “And I know you two brought me out here like this, so…” she didn’t like to admit it, but facts are facts. “…so I was your responsibility. I-I never stopped to think what you two might be feeling if I ran.” That said, they were the very object of her fears, even if only for an irrational and short moment.
“We shouldn’t have rushed you into such a compromising situation,” James said before Katherine could. “We were the ones who got the police involved to get you out of harm’s way in the first place. Other than yourself, seeing what you’ve been through, we should have known that the most.”
Katherine’s eyes looked watery again. “I amsosorry for putting you through something like that… I’m sorry for making you feel like you couldn’t trust us.” Her perspective wasn’t totally off. In truth, Dawn had abandoned the sole pair of Amazons she considered herself even remotely acquainted with. Without her tour group or these two, what did she have left?
“So…you two aren’t mad?” Similar to how the mantra goes, being easier to ask for forgiveness, Dawn weakly asked. The pair seemed to share troubled looks.
“No, of course not, Dawn.” James finally walked over, patting her on the head. “I’m sure we’ve said it plenty enough already, but it’s our job to watch over you. It’s solely our fault if we gave you a reason to feel like you couldn’t trust us. It’s water under the bridge.”
“But, please don’t do that again,” Katherine smiled. “I don’t think my heart could take it a second time…”
“Right… I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.”
Soon after, a message had been broadcasted across the store yet again, calling off the alert.
“So…now what?”
“Well, if you’re okay with it, did you still want to get a pair of pants?” Katherine asked. She didn’t seem jokey. She was probably being cautious.
So that’s what it’d been. Dawn suddenly remembered what set this all into motion from the start.
“If that’s alright, then yeah…” Dawn came off as a bit distant. It felt too awkward, easing back into things after she’d just caused them so much trouble. “But, can I please use a changing room? I’d feel better if I could put them on myself. In a private space.” A repeat of last time didn’t sound appealing.
“Of course.”
And so the situation repeated itself, only under much more calm circumstances. They’d found the same pair and took it somewhere much more discreet, thankfully.
The whole way however, thankfully to no one’s mention, Dawn could still feel the squishy padding between her legs. The deed had never left the back of her mind, considering the stranger who dragged her back here happily announced what she’d done.
“How about I stroll around while you two get what you need done here?” James suggested. “I’ll go take a look at a few other things.” Other things?
“I think that’s a good idea. Are you okay with that, Dawn?”
Dawn nodded her head, noting how she was asked to begin with. Was Katherine making a point to get her input? Truthfully, the effort was appreciated.
The dressing stalls in the back were all seamless panels of wood, all the unattended ones being part way open. They didn’t seem to have handles on the front, meaning they were probably locked from the inside.
“Wou…would you rather I didn’t go in?” Katherine asked. She looked as if she was afraid of what the answer might be. Dawn had a sneaking suspicion as to what kind of answer she was looking for. To her dismay and Dawn’s content, she said no.
“I’d…rather if I went in by myself.”
“Alright…” Her reaction wasn’t unexpected, though she seemed to be trying to stay upbeat. “Just let me know if you need help with anything, okay?”
“Uh-huh, I will.” Dawn walked in then closed the door behind her. Well, tried. It seems it really did close only with a lock, which usually wouldn’t be a problem, though Dawn was dealt the cruel reminder of being a Little in an Amazon’s world.
“Uhm, Katherine?”
Almost immediately she stuck her head in. Dawn was a little surprised, quickly holding the pants over her front to shield herself.
“Is something wrong?” Despite everything, at the drop of a hat she could be as doting as ever. “Did you need help getting dressed? I don’t mind?”
“Uh…no.” Dawn awkwardly replied. “I just needed help with the lock… I…” she looked a little embarrassed to admit the truth. “I can’t reach it…”
“Is it okay if I come in for a minute?”
Dawn nodded.
“…Well, it is a little high… How about I lock it from the inside and face the other way?”
Dawn still looked hesitant. Amazon design truly was a nuisance. Even the most subtle features of their technology seemed to intentionally overlook Littles both figuratively and literally…
“Could you maybe stand in front of the door then? Just so no one comes in?”
Katherine didn’t seem so happy with that solution either, not that the original plan looked to be up her alley either. “Okay, I’ll stand right in front of the door. If you need any more help, just let me know, okay?”
So with their new plan of action Katherine was back out in the hall. Only for about half a minute did that go swimmingly, though.
“Excuse me?” Dawn could hear someone’s voice from the other side. What was it now?
“Hm? Yes?” They were talking to Katherine, from the sound of it.
“Are you looking for an empty dressing room to use? There’s one already open behind you…”
“Oh? Oh! No, don’t worry,” Katherine chuckled. “I’m just standing in front while they use it.”
“Oh, alright. They have a lock, you know?”
“Well, right, but…” Katherine lowered her voice, but of course Dawn could still hear. “She’s not tall enough to reach it…”
“So…is your Little in there?”
“Ah…yes, she is.”
“By herself?”
“…Yes.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but it’s store policy that Littles do not go unattended in the store. If you weren’t here earlier, we just had to deal with a lost Little.” She didn’t seem terribly apologetic.
“Is it not alright even if I’m right outside the room?”
“Even then. It’s a safety risk to leave them alone in a dressing room by themselves, especially if they manage to lock it from the inside.” Meanwhile, Dawn stood there silently, dumbfounded listening as not only her intelligence and capability is questioned, but also how locking herself in a room with a lock too high for her to reach was of concern. Yet another aggravating mystery.
“Right…I’m sorry about that. We didn’t know.”
“It’s alright, but please follow the rules. And please make sure their diaper isn’t used either. If she gets the clothes wet or messy in any way, you have to buy it.” Dawn twitched a little. Pissing herself? Shitting on the clothes? She had half a mind to give this woman a ‘fuck you’ and ‘have a nice day’!
Dawn turned from the side and looked to the door, looking underneath it to see the pair of legs standing there. The…massive, Amazon legs. Iron poles with feet of concrete…stretching so far above her. So, so far… And, the more she thought about it, didn’t their voices sound so high off the ground, too? They had so much volume, such girth in their shockwaves…
Dawn looked back at the mirror, a little surprised to see her legs looking a little less than steady. Her chest was feeling a bit uneasy too. Did…did confrontation really scare her that much? It never did…never until now. Never until she had to put herself at odds with someone multiple times her size. At odds with someone who already considered her inferior…
“You’ll need to be in there with her, or you both need to be out here.”
“Alright, thank you.” And so whether Dawn liked it or not, in came Katherine, though she slid the lock shut this time.
While she may not have been willing to acknowledge it, her body certainly did, as Dawn could feel herself begin to destress as she saw the other pair of shoes walk away. Less Amazons was always a blessing.
“Sorry about that,” Katherine halfway shrugged. “It’s better than being kicked out of the store?”
Questionable, but Dawn wasn’t here to argue. Regardless, she knew Katherine had tried her best. Dawn had no reason to complain. Not until…
“And actually,” Katherine interrupted Dawn by garnering her attention. “She…mentioned one other small bit.”
Dawn raised her brow.
“Since we haven’t bought the pants yet, it’d be difficult for them if we got them dirty in any way…” Was she suggesting what Dawn thought she was?
“Which is why it’s important to be wearing…dry undies.”
Quite figuratively, Dawn had been hit by a bombshell. Her eyes couldn’t help but drift to the mirror, eyeing the slight discoloration in her pull-up. The same squishy one she’d accidentally wet earlier… Her cheeks were starting to turn crimson as she looked to the floor.
“Y-you knew?”
Katherine leaned over, patting her on the shoulder. “You were sitting in my lap, sweetheart. The lady who found you said something too…” She knew the entire time?
“Th-then why didn’t you say something earlier?” She kept shuffling her feet awkwardly. She was ready to jump out of her own skin. It was one thing to wet herself, but for it to go entirely noticed by the people she was trying to prove the exact opposite about herself? Did that mean James knew too? Of course he did. The only fool was Dawn in thinking that someone telling you that a person wet themselves was going to go over your head.
“Because I wanted you to know that we don’t think any differently about you, Dawn.” Feeling overly self-conscious now, Dawn kept both hands on the front of her padded crotch. She grimaced at the lukewarm feeling to it. “It’s okay if you had a small acci–”
“It wasn’t an accident!” Dawn interrupted with a shout. Her voice had trembled. “I-I, no, that’s not what I mean! I mean, I don’t have accidents! I don’t wet myself! This…this was because…” A pair of arms wrapped around her.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself.” Yes! She did! Otherwise, what else would Katherine think this looks like?! “I know it happened between now and earlier, so you must’ve been pretty scary, right? I’m not here to make you feel embarrassed, Dawn. I’m here to make you feel better.” She squeezed the troubled girl a bit tighter.
“But it’s not…” Every step of the way she could feel her grip loosening. Her resolve, her conviction; her image. While Katherine might not care what she looked like, Dawn most certainly did. That said, she was feeling even less capable to prove herself.
“But…can’t I just try the pants on real quick? It’s not like I’m going to…” what was she saying? It wasn’t even a likelihood, it was a certainty she wouldn’t! “I mean, I’m not going to…wet myself…” the last part came in a very low voice. “I’m not going to do that again…”
“Well, regardless, I can’t imagine you want to stay in a wet pull-up?” It felt like she was dodging Dawn’s proclaimed maturity, but that was a losing battle Dawn didn’t want to fight, especially when her opponent was giving her a way out. Somberly, she shook her head no.
“I figured,” Katherine slightly smiled. “So how about we go find some pull-ups too? Then we can try the pants on?”
“P-pull-ups?” slowly, Dawn had asked. “What, what about panties?” She had a double-take. Did she really not trust her?
“I know, it probably isn’t the solution you want to hear, but this store doesn’t carry panties and briefs. A lot don’t, actually… But that’s okay. After all, pull-ups are like panties with just a little more protection, right?”
Dawn seemed less than enthusiastic. Another crushing reality. All she could hold onto was the dream of being reunited with her luggage which contained her much more adult belongings.
“So how about that? Wanna take a quick trip over there?”
“…I guess.”
“That’s the spirit. And don’t worry, there’s lots of designs to choose from! A lot more cute designs than they make for Amazon-sized panties, that’s for sure… If anything, I’m jealous of you!” She laughed, seeming genuine in trying to cheer Dawn up, but of course it didn’t work very well on Dawn. The best she could do to not feel terrible was hinge on the woman’s efforts rather than the delivery. Adulthood was starting to feel more distant by the minute…
“Is…is this all of them?” It was a lot to take it…
“Mhm, it is.” Katherine somewhat sighed, however. “I know, though, it’s a little boring. The diaper aisle has at least twice as many to choose from…” No comment.
An entire aisle was occupied. Each shelf was nearly filled to the brim in all different assortments of flashy plastic packaging, bubble text, maximum absorbency, extra pull-up included, fading designs. Dawn had truly begun to enter the thick of the classic Amazon’s guilty pleasure. The worst packages were the ones with models on them; grown adults with some smirk, smile or content look on their faces as they wear a pair of disposable underwear meant for toddlers. But the harsh truth was that it wasn’t meant for toddlers. It was meant for Littles.
“And…they really don’t have panties here?” This wasn’t something she wanted to shop for.
“I know…” Katherine rubbed her shoulder, cooing sympathetically. “But don’t worry, it won’t be as bad as you think. We’ll find some that are even softer and look cuter than any panties you can find here! Sound good?” Dawn continued to sulk.
But, taking a moment to process things and truly swallow this gargantuan pill, thinking about it rationally, she only had to put up with this for maybe a handful of hours at most. Her tour group would be going back at some point. Then she could rid herself of this. So, why not at least be somewhat cooperative? After all, there was a light at the end of the tunnel…
Dawn sighed as she scanned over the packages once more.
“Okay. I’ll look for some. Can you put me down?”
“Mmm…don’t you think it’s better if I carry you?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well, from this height you can see a lot more, don’t you think?”
“Maybe…but that means I can’t see the bottom ones so well…”
Katherine responded by lowering her knees.
“See? Problem solved!”
“I’d rather I walk on my own, please.”
Katherine still seemed hesitant.
Then it started to make a little sense.
“I’m…I’m not going to run away again. I promise…”
“I know, it’s just…I’d feel better if I’m holding on to you. At least while we’re somewhere like this, I’d rather keep you close.”
“And I will be? I’m not gonna leave the aisle.” Really, she had no other place to be.
“I’m sorry, Dawn, but I’m not going to put you down.” Katherine said, somewhat surprising Dawn. “I want you to know that you’re safe with me. I feel a lot more comfortable holding you than letting you run around on your own.” Was she being scolded?
“But I’m not going to run around…?”
“Think of it as a compromise? After what happened earlier…” she already looked pained just from thinking about it. “I don’t want to go through that again or watch you go through that. Trust is something you have to earn back, sweetheart. I’m not mad at you, but for now I think this is for the best.”
And like that, Dawn’s soft punishment was being carried. She was trying to think of something to say in retaliation, but Katherine had an odd air about her. She seemed…strangely steadfast in her decision. Dawn was perplexed, and was trying to stay that way, otherwise she’d be annoyed over Katherine’s indirect way of saying she couldn’t be trusted.
“How about these?” Katherine suggested, already with a hand on the corner of a package. The hip portion was a hot pick, then the front crotch mellowed out into a much paler shade. On it were an array of flowers and butterflies. Then Dawn saw the ‘fades when wet’ label.
“Let’s keep looking…”
Princess-themed, fish-themed, space-themed, animal-themed, abstract, infantile and blunt. There was a lot to choose from, but by relative standards they were all terrible. Nothing beat actual panties.
“Oh! Dawn! Look!” Katherine grabbed a package.
Dawn’s heart cracked a little.
They were just like the diapers they saw the Amazon holding when they were in the parking lot, only in pull-up form. Designed to look like panties, but with all the same absorbent functionality, they were pull-ups in disguise. Though, it only worked so well. You could tell something was amiss if you had two eyes and 20/20 vision. The waist guards around the hips were too high, and the crotch on panties wasn’t supposed to puff out that much. That said, Dawn hated to admit it, but the design was at least a faint echo of something she might wear…
“I think we should get these,” Katherine said with a tad of excitement. Of all the garments, Dawn just about hated them all equally. If anything though, maybe these scored a fraction of a fraction of a point higher than everything else. She also had to remind herself that she’d need to choose something eventually. Her current pull-up was starting to feel cold…
“Okay, let’s do that.” And so they did.
Back in the dressing room with both Dawn and Katherine inside, they were now joined by a package of pull-ups. Without asking, Katherine already tore the package open for her, watching as the pull-ups began to expand a little, filled with life by the atmosphere.
“Uh, what can we do about my…you know?”
“Your old pull-up?” She didn’t seem to mind saying it so much. Probably because she wasn’t the one wearing them. Maybe she meant well by it too. Maybe she was trying to make Dawn comfortable by being casual about the terms… That was a mighty stretch, though.
“There should be a garbage can we can use out there, so we’ll take care of it after.”
Dawn was about to ask Katherine for some space, but then she remembered the ‘rules’ this store had. There was no way of getting Katherine out of this stall.
“Uh, Katherine? Could you um…look the other way?”
“Oh! Right, sorry.” She laughed at herself a little, turning her head a slight bit more than ninety degrees to the left. “But don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, okay?”
“Yep…” If anything, Dawn could pull up and down a piece of underwear. She was at least certain of that much.
Grabbing her pull-up by the waist, she slipped it down to her ankles, and as she did, she felt a slight pain from her wrist… Other than that, it went as smoothly as she expected. Stepping out of them, there was an odd sense of serenity without them; as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Or…slipped off her waist…
She was already looking for the new pull-up, turning her head left and right, seeing no undergarment to be found. She would have grabbed one herself, but that’d require at least an extra foot and a half to be considered doable, seeing as Katherine had the package right by her side, tucked away nice and securely.
“Uhm, Katherine?” At the sound of her name she seemed to take it as a cue to be much more abrasive. Almost immediately she turned her head to Dawn who truly was this time naked from the waist down.
Quickly she put a hand on her crotch and spun around. “Wh-whoa! Hey! Don’t look!” It only came as an afterthought to put a hand over her butt too. “Calling your name wasn’t an invitation to look!”
“Sorry about that…” Katherine chuckled a little. She didn’t look so apologetic, or at least didn’t share in the same urgency Dawn was feeling. She could only imagine how trivial this must have seemed to an Amazon. “I figured you might’ve needed help…”
“W-well, yes, but not like that…” Dawn sighed. Well-placed intentions were the worst to deal with. “I was wondering if you could hand me one of those things.”
“You mean a pull-up?” Never one to beat around the baby bush.
“…Yes.”
“Oh, sorry. I guess these are a little high up…” Another subtle jab to Dawn’s blatant disadvantages. Thankfully Dawn knew she was only trying to help, otherwise she might call bull on her supposed ignorance.
The padded underwear exchanged hands, and Dawn gave her one last glance in the mirror before fully turning back around, convinced she was looking away again. Her heart skipped a beat once she squeezed the plastic-y pull-up, and not in a good way. It had the tiny and small intricate designs of a relatively expensive piece of underwear, but of course that’s where the similarities ended. Feeling it in her own two hands, it was easy to see what a cheap imitation it was. In the end, it was a single printed image. You couldn’t feel the threads and layers of fabric, largely because there was none. It was a thin and flimsy print smoothed over toddler-wear. Something Dawn would have to be wearing in just a few seconds. Yet the silver lining in it all however was the small victory of being able to put them on herself. It finally felt like she had agency again.
“How about we go get some wipes first?” Katherine suggested, still looking away. “That way we can be extra sure you don’t feel so yucky anymore.”
Normally, Dawn would have agreed, but she wasn’t looking to prolong this anymore and she suspected Katherine might try to offer wiping her down as well. Needless to say, she didn’t want to deal with that.
“That’s true, but I think I’ll manage for now…” Objectively speaking, the pull-up was definitely a sponge. She could feel the warmth from the inside, but thankfully there was no splashback.
Suddenly, Katherine spoke up again. “Are you sure you don’t need anything, by the way? It doesn’t hurt to have a second set of hands when getting dressed…”
“Ah, thanks, but, I’m fine. Don’t you get dressed by yourself, too?” She was starting to come off as a tad bit pushy… Was she projecting? Dawn paused to look up at her.
Sure enough, Katherine’s eyes did glance at Dawn for a short moment. It wasn’t worth the argument to call out, though.
And just as Dawn was about to open the pull-up Katherine spoke again from her idle seat, “And don’t forget to fan it out, okay? That way it’ll fit better.”
“I…I know.” She wasn’t planning to do it, but now she felt like she had to make a point of it, otherwise Katherine might use that against her. She felt like a chickling being carefully overseen by its mother hen.
And so she fanned it, sending shockwaves through her arms and to the pull-up, airing it out as it crinkled in the slightest. Not the sound Dawn would like to hear. Along the way though, her wrist throbbed from the motions even more. It actually kind of hurt…
Just as she was about to step in, she paused again. There was no interruption this time; a direct one at least. She for some reason just expected the universe to interfere once more. Apparently this really was the climax.
Dawn’s foot rose and fell through the leg hole of the pull-up quite ceremoniously, though the process of putting on underwear could only be so grand, especially when they were something less than mature. The second foot came next and it was done. She was locked in.
Looking in the mirror, she was treated to an embarrassing sight. It really did look like she was trying to play grownup. You could tell her underwear was most certainly not panties; at best you might second guess yourself at a glance. The only thing it might manage to trick is the imagination of the person wearing them, assuming they’d been mentally reduced by a peg or two. Thankfully something like that wasn’t possible…
Still, she was glad to be in something dry again, even if it meant wearing something like this.
“Okay, I’m done.” Dawn said as she went for the pants. All that was left was to get these on and that’d be–
“Would it be alright if I gave it a quick look?” Katherine said, who didn’t seem too shy to ask.
“Give it a look…? Give what?” Dawn, genuinely confused, need only look at herself in the mirror again by chance.
Oh.
“Katherine, they’re just like normal underwear…” they most certainly were not, and the designs didn’t help, but at least putting them on worked the same way. “I know for sure I can handle putting them on.” If nothing was going to get through to her today, at least make an exception for this?
“I just want to make sure they fit nicely,” Katherine went on to explain, though Dawn couldn’t help but think there was a different reason. A more maternal reason… “If they don’t we’ll need to find some new ones.”
“Well, that’s okay. Trust me, they fit.” It was true. The fit was snug, and not snug in the almost too-tight kind of way. Snug in the they fit just right kind of way.
“Dawn…please? If I’m paying for them, I want to be 100% sure they fit you.” It came off as if her words were chosen carefully. As if she were trying to find the correct way to negotiate. While it made sense, Dawn kept falling back to her own insecurities… But were they really insecurities if she really was being looked down on?
“Dawn?” She was thinking to herself for a little too long.
“Fine…” she mumbled. The last thing she wanted was to let an Amazon anywhere near her underwear, yet she felt obligated once Katherine mentioned that she was the one paying for it, meaning Dawn had no right to complain. Using a reason like that was a low blow, considering she was told not to worry about it to begin with…
Katherine was right by her side on her knees, already reaching for her.
“Please don’t be grumpy; I just want to make sure we’re getting you stuff that fits…” It took a great deal of restraint to not physically react once Dawn felt the fingernail trace itself between her waist and the pull-up’s waistband. The foreign contact was chilling…and borderline invasive.
“I’m not grumpy.” Dawn said with a grump–an annoyed voice. Why did she have to use such demeaning words? Had Dawn ever said anything or acted in any way to force her to reconsider the girl’s maturity? Then again, after considering everything else that has happened, she’d be lucky to break even.
Dawn grew wide-eyed as her body started to squirm involuntarily; Katherine checked the leg bands next, drawing her finger dangerously close to the girl’s privates. Even worse, her hands seemed to be lukewarm at best…
“So it feels good? Fits good?” Katherine asked. Unlike Dawn, she seemed to border between happy and neutral.
“Yes. It’s fine.” Didn’t she just check for herself?
“Good. I’m glad you like them.” Katherine smiled, giving her a brief pat. Though, it wasn’t a pat on the head.
Dawn lurched forward a tiny bit, as a large hand had just pushed her bottom forward. Did…did she just pat her butt? Mortified, she looked at Katherine, speechless.
“Oops!” Katherine innocently smirked. “I couldn’t resist… Your tushy looks so cute!”
With a dead stare, Dawn replied plainly, “Please do not do that again.”
Finally, and truly, this meant finally, Dawn drew the pants up her legs and into place. Because the waistline was stretchy it slipped right over her figure. The legs hugged her calves and the crotch area wasn’t too tight either. Though, it accentuated her bum, just like her normal jeans did. That…and they accentuated something else.
“Do…Doesn’t my crotch look a little puffed out?” Dawn asked with concern, watching in the mirror. She didn’t remember her pelvis being extruded by that much. It was subtle, but noticeable nonetheless.
“Hm?” Katherine looked with a curious smile. “Oh! That’s because of your…”
“Th-the pull-ups?”
“Yep! Isn’t it nice? That way even if you’re wearing-- wait, Dawn? What are you doing?” She was already taking them off.
“I’m not wearing a stupid pull-up.” This was the last straw. Not only did she want pants to hide her own bare skin, but she was hoping to hide this sorry excuse for underwear as well! What was the point if the pants were only going to accentuate her immaturity? That meant the only solution was to go commando underneath.
“Dawn, you have to wear something for underwear. What if you–”
“I’m not going to have an accident!” Dawn snapped. “I’m an adult! I don’t wet myself! I get that you’re trying to help me, but please listen to me for once!”
Katherine was quiet for a moment. She wasn’t feeding into Dawn’s anger, she wasn’t giving the kind of challenge the girl was expecting. It was the exact opposite to fanning a flame.
Then, she did speak. “Are you ready to talk?”
“Wh-what? I’ve been talking this whole time!”
“Dawn, James and I have been trying to help you this entire time. That hasn’t changed. But if this is going to work, I need you to start cooperating, sweetie.”
Why? First she’d been driven to tears and panic, but now it was all just balls of red, fiery flames. If she cared so much, why wasn’t she trying to see it through Dawn’s perspective? No, she’d been cooperating for long enough. The only thing that was going to happen was Katherine having a paradigm shift.
“Or else what? You’ll spank me?” Even she surprised herself. It was in the heat of the moment, and she knew for a fact she didn’t mean that. She wouldn’t on her life call a bluff like that. Not if she were sane. But the damage was done. She’d been so fixed on Katherine’s one-track mind, all she could consider was what the most generic Amazon would do, and lord did she hope Katherine wasn’t what she thought she was.
For once, the woman genuinely did look restrained, and that started to scare Dawn to no end. Instant regret painted her face.
Katherine looked stern. “No, I’m not going to spank you, even if some Amazons might think you deserve it. I understand things are very difficult for you right now, but a temper tantrum isn’t going to solve anything. You can get mad, but you’re going to do it here. I’ll talk to you when you’ve calmed down, but you have to wear a pull-up. That will not change.” Lecturing Dawn, her final words came like a guillotine.
There was no coming punishment, and Dawn felt an inexplicable relief for that. But the more Katherine spoke, Dawn seemed to find her gusto again. Some of her choice words were simply too belittling, too aggravating to ignore. Temper tantrum? Calm down? Having to wear a pull-up?
Dawn ‘tsked’ with her tongue. She was a more composed kind of angry now. Stepping out of her pull-up, she flung it against the wall, hitting it with a dry smack. Sitting herself on the ground cross-legged, somehow even more naked than when she first came in the store, she did her best to keep her feelings lively and energetic, just so she wouldn’t forget this rage. She couldn’t forget this feeling because it correlated with her very passion to stay as an adult.
Katherine wasn’t giving in either. In a much more relaxed motion, she sat herself down on the wooden seat opposite to her. Her passive attitude only angered Dawn more. So angry that she couldn’t keep her words to herself anymore.
“Fuck you.”


6 - Fuck Everything
“Fuck you.” It felt good to say. For once she truly felt as if she’d gotten something off her chest, and oh did it feel good to see a look other than cool, relaxed and calm on Katherine’s face. She looked surprised, as if the impossible had just happened; innocence itself had just vomited profanity and taint right before her eyes. Then she furrowed her brows in the slightest.
Hearing the words from Dawn, she looked somewhat bothered. “Wh…Where did you learn to say something so–”
“Because I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time!” Dawn shouted again, cutting her off. Her brows were arched at a much more intense angle with her arms crossed. “I’m not some kid you can just push around! I want you to start listening to me!” Maybe Katherine didn’t deserve the brunt of everything Dawn was dishing out, but how could she not be the perfect catalyst for it? She symbolized everything Dawn had come to fear and hate about this place. She represented domination, oppression, enslavement, belittlement; the list could go on and on. But by at least taking out her anger on something, anything that came close to it, maybe she’d be able to snap something other than herself into two.
Now with the ball in her court, Dawn could feel herself gaining a few metaphorical inches.
“Now areyouready to talk?”
Katherine looked speechless. The pause, the silence, it actually made Dawn hopeful. Did it work? Was this it?
Katherine did seem stunned, though after a few movements from her lips did they start making noise. “…After everything we’ve done for you, you say such…such mean things?” She was still hung up on the outburst. Dawn’s hope had dwindled into nothing and only intensified her frown. The Amazon slightly shook her head. “It’s one thing to throw a tantrum, but there’s only so much I can let slide, Dawn. I’m not going to toler–”
“Idon’tcar–!” Dawn was beginning to shout, but then, a much more powerful voice raised her voice back.
“And you willnotinterrupt me.” She needn’t even stoop to Dawn’s level. The grave tone in her voice alone was enough to make the girl freeze, much less yelling the order. The very gravity of her voice had changed the atmosphere entirely. Katherine didn’t look to be all smiles anymore. Dawn wanted to shout back again, but…but…she was scared.
“You have every right to be sad or mad; it’s okay if you want to scream or cry, but that isnoexcuse to take it out on me or James.” Just as she looked to be standing up, Dawn with a brief meep slid back on her bare bottom. The aura of the room had become chilled. The cushy and kind Katherine had become…well, exactly what Dawn was so afraid of. But, she wouldn’t do anything, right? She already said she wouldn’t touch her. So…so why did it rattle the girl so much?
“B-But…”
“We wait for our turn to talk.” Katherine said with a heavy-handed finality to her words. “It’s polite when we wait for others to finish speaking. I’ve given you plenty of time, so it’s only fair you do the same for me.” She stood there, waiting for something. Dawn, as if it were instinct, knew exactly what it was. Slowly, she nodded her head. Who was she even looking at anymore?
“You need to wear a pull-up for two reasons. One, everyone is expected to wear underwear under their clothes because it’s the responsible and mature thing to do. And two, we’ve already discussed that this store doesn’t have panties. There’s only diapers and pull-ups. I thought you would have appreciated us getting the pull-ups instead of diapers, but apparently not…” She sighed a little.
“But I do–!” Dawn was desperate for damage control. Reconsidering things, shedidappreciate it, but how could she be blamed for wanting panties? Katherine gave her another stern look though. It wasn’t her turn to talk.
“I tried to find you the best clothes that I could; ones that I thought looked nice. I’m sorry they weren’t exactly what you wanted, but you only need to wear them for a short while? Shouldn’t it not matter so much?” The question was rhetorical, but Dawn was still answering it internally. They weren’t the best, but they weren’t the worst either. Was she really blowing this all out of proportion? She couldn’t have! Everything that’s happened so far has been so annoyingly unfair, it was impossible to not be aggravated over!
“I wanted today to be fun for us, Dawn, but it can’t be if you’re going to fight me at every single turn! Especially when you’re going to say such mean things. You’ll probably disagree with me on this too, but I think you have what it takes to be a pretty good girl. Before that can start though, you need to understand how compromises work. We do not shout at others just so we can get what we want, and that _especially _goes double for using bad words.” It seemed as if she had been working through her own steam. Katherine’s expression had softened somewhat since the start of her rant. But the way she loomed over Dawn with such authority, it was crushing.
“Do I make myself clear?”
A slight whimper cracked the Amazon’s composure a little.
“Wh-what would you know…?” Dawn wiped her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry, but there was too much pressure not to. “It must be easy to push me around and tell me to fall in line, right?” her words were getting shaky. She could barely support a sentence, much less her own legs. “You don’t know what it’s like; constantly being tormented by a population of people at least three times your size!” She wasn’t lashing, she was venting, and the sobs proved that. “Do you know what today has been like for me, Katherine? I was trying to endure my last day in a universe one degree of diapers and pacifiers away from slavery! Do you know what it’s like to be whisked in the air, taken hold of by some complete stranger, then be told you’re now their property? Can you know what that’s like? Suddenly being told your life has no meaning, which is why someone else thinks it’s their right to take yours?”
Her composure only worsened as the speech went on. Her nails dug into her arms as she lurched and wrenched her body. The despair was overflowing and she was thrashing desperately, doing anything she could to escape herself.
“And then they take you… They take you from your group; the people you know, your only landline in a vast, expansive and terrifying world, and then they try to break you. Do you know what that’s like? Having your pants forcefully stripped, panties taken off and torn in two, then be forced into afuckingpull-up?” She was starting to raise her voice, but it all came out shaky and panicked. “To spend the majority of your life as an adult, but then have someone else turn you into a baby again? Decide you suddenly can’t have dreams or goals anymore, just because their idea of ‘proper’ involves you being a baby?!”
“Dawn…”
“All you can think of is how to escape,” her gaze slowly turned to her hands, grasping for the imaginary. “But…but that becomes so, so hard to imagine,” the very repetition of her words made her shake. “She picks you up then starts taking you to her car, and just when you think there might be some chance; some opportunity to escape, she fucking drugs you?” Katherine probably didn’t like hearing the F-word, but frankly, Dawn was more concerned with telling her story.
“And then you black out, just to wake up in the arms of another Amazon in another strange place. No matter how kind they are, you’re still among strangers in a strange place, so what’s really changed?”
One sentence did come with conviction, however. “I don’t like Amazons, Katherine. I may have said some things I shouldn’t have, but what makes it all feel_ so _much worse is when the Amazon that has shown me even a shred of decency starts to turn against me because I don’t fit the role she’s trying to force me into! I thought maybe I could trust you; maybe you were different, but…” She was silent, tears rolling down her cheeks. “But I guess I was wrong.”
And that was that. She had nothing more to say, nor could she imagine any of her words affecting anything by this point. Katherine wouldn’t change her mind, but at least Dawn communicated her piece. Taking it all out from within though, laying it all out so bare…she could feel the trauma welling back in troves. Why now? Was she going to have another attack?
All that was left was to hiccup and sob. Time could stand still and she’d be at least thankful from there. She may never get to go home again, but at least it meant not having to deal with such a messed up world she was near-trapped in. She felt weak; exposed. Even more than before. And it was another feeling, another sensation, a call-back to such a terrible experience. The visions haunted her and were etched like stone into her memory. She’d almost never been so vulnerable in front of someone before, but she didn’t care, nor did she have the capacity to keep herself composed.
The shadow over her head grew larger as the Amazon drew herself in. Katherine leaned over, picking the girl up.
Up and down she was bounced ever so slightly. Dawn hated it. Again, on the turn of a dime it felt like another paradigm shift. There wasn’t that same venom or ice-cold emotion. She was warm, soft and embracing. How could there be trust if nothing was guaranteed to last?
“Shh…shh…you’re okay. It’s alright.” Where did she get off? Talking down to her, then putting her right back together after the messshecaused?
Katherine sat down with her on the wooden seat.
Katherine stroked the top of her head. “I think we both got to say what we wanted to, right?” Dawn’s cheeks were still wet, but she was listening.
“I think we were both frustrated…” Katherine exhaled, rubbing the girl’s shoulder. For once, Dawn couldn’t agree with her more. “I’m sorry for scaring you like that; no matter how much you push, I shouldn’t put so much pressure on you like that… I was scary, wasn’t I?”
Slightly, she nodded. It was terrifying. She had used all her Amazonian traits against the tiny girl. How could it not feel overwhelming?
“Dawn, I would and will never do anything to put you in harm’s way. So even when I have to be stern, please know I’m not going to hurt you. You’re too precious for that.”
So she wasn’t going to do anything to her. That was a relief, but looking back on it, knowing she could be a moment away from fatal injury, she was quaking even now…
“…Maybe I have been a little too forward… You’ve been through things that I really can’t imagine. The best I can do is think about what’s best for you. I mean it when I say I’ve been trying to be helpful this entire time. I suppose it’s just…challenging, when you always seem to be against me. Truthfully, I’m not sure whether it’s because I’m in the wrong or you’re just having trouble…adjusting.” Dawn would have been happy to declare the former, but this wasn’t the time for that.
“I…I don’t want to adjust to anything,” Dawn sorely spoke. She hated herself; the way she leaned into Katherine. “I’m an adult, Katherine. I want to be treated the way you are!”
Katherine rubbed her back, making more soothing noises. “Okay, alright…let’s be calm…”
“Please…please listen…” Dawn moaned over a croaky and tired voice.
“I am listening, sweetheart. We have all the time in the world. So we’re gonna go step by step, okay?” The piecewise approach she was taking, of course it was deliberate, but Dawn couldn’t help but feel herself receding into an inferior role once again. It truly was instinctual for Katherine, wasn’t it? She didn’t know if Katherine were the fool for being so hardwired or herself for thinking she could fight genetics.
“We don’t have all the time… I need to go back home… I’m supposed to go back tomorrow!” Raising her voice again earned a few shushes from Katherine.
“Dawn, please, I know we said a lot, but how about you give me a turn, okay? That’s what big girls do after all, right?” Dawn’s emotions grew limp.
“…You really don’t believe me…” she mumbled under her breath. She didn’t doubt Katherine truly was trying to be encouraging, but given the toddler approach she had used, it only further reaffirmed Dawn’s grievances. Katherine was a kind, caring and helpful woman, but only in all the wrong ways.
“My number one priority right now is you. That hasn’t changed. Even if you tell me to leave you alone I’m not going to. My heart breaks when I see you bottling up so many emotions at once and it all just…bursts. I’ll always be here for you when you’re feeling upset, but I wish we could avoid that altogether. I want you to be happy, Dawn, and I know you think you know how to get there, but there’s always more than one way to do it?”
She couldn’t afford herself the energy to speak.
“I promise everything is going to work out. You’ll be perfectly fine once this is all over, whatever that might look like. You don’t need to put yourself on guard around me or James.” She felt the hug grow a little tighter. “I want to know when you’re happy, sad, mad, confused and every other feeling you might have. I want to know you through and through, that way I can make it all better when things are bad, and know how to keep things right.”
“I’m an adult…”
“Even grownups have someone they can talk to.” Katherine calmly rebutteled. “There’s nothing wrong with being small, Dawn. It’s okay to give up a little bit of control, even if it’s only for a short time.”
“Like when?” Dawn replied rather coldly.
Katherine didn’t hesitate to plant her lips on the girl’s forehead. “Like now.”
Dawn rubbed the spot where her lips touched. “Could, could you please not do that?” Amazons had proved to be quite the direct creatures, at least towards Littles, which is why Dawn did believe in Katherine’s ability to somewhat respect Dawn’s wishes, hence why her response was unexpected.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot to try and respect how you prefer things, so I think we’re going to try things a bit more my way. Everyone can use a few hugs and kisses when they’re feeling sad. You’re no different.” And she kissed Dawn again, who felt even more uncomfortably awkward.
“Stop it.” The woman’s stubbornness was getting annoying.
“No.” She pecked her again. Was this a game to her?
“I said stop it…”
“Will you try to listen to me if I do?”
Wasn’t that her line? This dynamic was impossible to fathom for the girl. She lashes out, she resists, tries to maintain even a shred of her dignity, and then she’s punished for it? Talked down to, belittled, then that same person who deals such a heavy hand has the gaul to be the same person that comforts her?
“Please, I promise if you let us take over a little, you might actually enjoy yourself…”
Her whining started to mesh with a groan. “I don’t want to enjoy myself…! I want to go home!” A pair of lips touched her again. “Rrrg! Stop it!”
“Only cranky girls need kisses, you know?” This was it; square one. Just when Dawn managed to rouse anything but her typical Amazonian self out of her massive husk, she was already back to her springy self. Dawn was back on the short end of the stick and Katherine held all the cards. Then, she kissed her again.
“God, I hate you! Let me go!” She pushed against Katherine, so hard that her injured wrist collapsed under the pressure, folding under with a yelp as tears stung her eyes. Weeping, she shouted up at Katherine, “LOOK! Can’t you see what you did?!” She would’ve kept yelling, but it hurt too much to support her arm and vocals at the same time.
Instead of kissing Dawn, carefully, she held a hand under Dawn’s wrist. “It must hurt, right? Poor thing… I promise we’ll get it looked at as soon as we leave.” Despite hurting herself in the process, Dawn pulled her arm away.
“Leave me alone! I don’t need your help! I don’t need a doctor! All I need to do is go home!”
“Sweetie, yes, you do need to see the doctor. And you need to be careful with your wrist or the boo-boo is gonna get worse…”
“I don’t need a doctor! Why can’t you understand?” Her emotions were starting to run awry. “And it’s not a boo-boo, it’s called afuckingSPRAIN!” to emphasize, she shook her hand some, which was met with immediate regret. She leaned over herself in pain, whimpering. “A-and it…” sniffling, she tried to brace the pain. “I-it really hurts…!”
Katherine didn’t say anything. Instead, she kissed her on the forehead.
“S-stop it!” She tried kicking her legs.
“If you promise to stop using bad words, I will.”
She wasn’t the problem…she wasn’t. But Katherine, why did she have to be so difficult? She wanted to help, but why did it seem like she was a complete obstacle instead?
“Screw you!”
Another peck on the forehead.
“Go fuck yourself!”
The next one was longer.
Katherine exhaled through her nose, still smiling, no matter what Dawn seemed to say or throw at her. “Maybe you’re just looking for lots of kisses? Huh, is that it?” Then, she had the goddamn audacity to grin, as if she’d figured this whole charade out.
What arguments did Dawn have left? She’d said everything fathomable inside her head, used every defense written in the book. Her wrist was in pain, she was naked from the waist down, laying in an Amazon’s arms, and all she could do was kick her legs, push, and swear. Any time she tried anything, all Katherine would do is kiss her. She wasn’t hurting the girl, she wasn’t punishing her. Well, she was in a way, but all she really was being was annoying. How stubborn could she be? Was this what she did to get her way? Kiss the other party into submission?
“Let me go…”
“Are you ready to stop?”
Dawn stayed silent for a few moments, until finally, still with an indignant look on her face, she turned her head to the side. She was done talking.
With somewhat of a tired smile, Katherine made a noise of approval. “It’s progress…”
As spiteful as she was to the woman, she did start to cling to her once they stood up. With how high these giants stood off the ground, how couldn’t she?
But then back down she went once Katherine set her feet on the floor. The interior to the dressing rooms were carpeted, though it was that cheap, thin sort of carpeted; the kind that did so little, you’d think it wasn’t even carpeted at all.
“Dawn,” calmly, Katherine said her name as she got on her knees, facing the naked girl head-on. “I’m sorry for making you so upset. We both said things we shouldn’t have, but I still want this to be a good day, so do you accept my apology?”
Apologizing? Now she was? She had some nerve after all that antagonizing. And frankly, Dawn was still pissed off. She wasn’t going to let bygones be bygones just because some high and mighty Amazon thought that they were being the bigger person. Seeing all the thingsshesaid and did to the girl, this hardly counted as an apology. If Katherine was going to treat Dawn like a child, she sure as hell was going to “apologize” like one.
Instead, Dawn narrowed her eyes, looking at the woman.
“Whatever,” she mumbled, turning her gaze away.
Dawn was half-expecting another kiss, but it didn’t come. Odd, because there wasn’t any sort of reaction; one that Dawn could perceive. She looked a little back at Katherine, though she was smiling, but it didn’t exactly seem like a chipper one…
“I know you’re grumpy right now, but we need to get you dressed. And I’m sorry, but you have to wear a pull-up. It’s either that or–”
“I know already,” Dawn spat coldly, walking over to an old acquaintance. From where she stood she fanned out the pull-up some, though Katherine made a bold move and took the whole thing from her hands. Now she was pulling things out of her hands? When would she stop? “What the hell? I was doing what you said!”
“Language,” her voice hit with authority, “please,” then it softened. “The doctor still needs to look at your wrist. You’ve been moving it around a lot and I know it hurts, so it’ll be safer if I dress you.”
“I can dress myself. My wrist is fine.” It wasn’t, but more and more, Dawn couldn’t stand the thought of any cocky Amazon getting their way.
“Your wrist is not fine,” Katherine contradicted quite immediately. “You can throw a tantrum, but the only way you’re getting dressed is if you let me do it. Don’t you want to leave the store? The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can go.” Objectively, Katherine had been nice through and through, and even now she seemed to be restraining herself; even Dawn could tell that, but everything up until now was so bottled up inside herself, it was like a bunch of tiny devils across her shoulders telling her to push further and further.
But she did want to leave the store, but she wanted to be difficult. She wanted to go home, but she wanted to teach Katherine a lesson.
“I can dress myself,” Dawn said gravely.
“Would you rather we leave the store with nothing?” Katherine asked, quite rhetorically. Or…maybe not. “No pants or pull-ups, and you’re definitely not going back into a wet one.” Even if she didn’t mean it, that last mention of the wet one made Dawn equal parts embarrassed and annoyed. “We’ll take you to the Doctor’s naked, but then they’re only going to have diapers for you, you know?”
It had to be a lie. She was bluffing. She was just trying to get her to give in. But…it seemed so plausible at the same time, and all that really bothered her was the negotiator behind the price. Maybe Dawn was the fool, because in the end, she never really had a choice, at least not now.
The cracking pressure was visible on her face, obviously annoyed that she was facing an ultimatum with only one real choice she didn’t want to admit to.
There was a sharp exhale from her nose before her voice shouted, “Fine, whatever!”
Katherine didn’t hesitate to start the motions from there. And despite Dawn being such a stubborn stick in the mud, she was handled carefully, albeit deftly. The pull-up was held open for her, and cringing the whole way Dawn did step into it. Up her legs they went and it was securely in place.
So nice to be reunited…Dawn glumly thought to herself. She didn’t have time to dread over how she looked in the mirror because Katherine was already moving onto the pants. A few seconds later and she was a finished package. Still, she kept side-eyeing herself in the mirror, sickened by the subtle curves she had, and not the good ones.
“I look ridiculous…” Dawn spoke under her breath, turning from the mirror.
It seemed like the perfect window for Katherine to inject some more of her optimism, but it was yet another cue she either missed or intentionally skipped out on. Even to Dawn, seeing such a change in her mannerisms was weird. Falling back on a trusty word though, “whatever” was a leisurely approach to take.
“Is it alright if I carry you?” Katherine asked. Dawn was a little surprised. She was acting pissy and she knew it, so it was a growing surprise that Katherine didn’t seem to be stooping to her level. She always seemed to stop herself short before she became an outright bully.
Eventually, Dawn did nod her head, not finding it so hard to brace herself this time before being lifted. And even if the pants weren’t her favorite, she did have something to cover her lower half now. It was something to be thankful for…
This was annoying.
Not but five minutes later with a few thoughts to herself and Katherine’s pause on her pestering and cheery attitude, she could already feel the steam inside her head starting to dissipate. Katherine wasn’t acting high and mighty, probably, and she wasn’t being the bigger person simply because she was, nor because she was trying to be superior. She simply cooled off faster than Dawn did.
Besides, tension may not have been the way to describe it, but there was something obviously going on between the two. While she wasn’t thrilled about making enemies with anyone, especially Amazons, thinking about what James might say dampened her flare a little. Since he was the most compatible person she knew here, looking any worse in his eyes didn’t sound great…
“…Thank…you…”
Katherine was keeping to herself for a moment, then realized Dawn was speaking to her. “For what?”
Really? Did she have to be explicit? Though, she quickly checked herself before she lost her cool again…Assume best intentions…
“…For the pants.” She stretched the waist some. As stupid as they were, they served their purpose.
They leaned over so Katherine could grab the opened package of pull-ups, then with the same hand she grabbed the wet one as well.
“…I’m sorry they’re not your favorite. I tried my best.”
“I…I know. I was just being…stubborn,” of all people, why’d she have to admit it to her?
“Well, thank you. That was very mature of you to say,” Katherine smiled, for real this time, albeit patronizing.
“Can we leave now? I want all of this to be over…”
“That’s the plan. We just need to go find James, then we can go buy all this stuff.”
The door unlocked and off they went.
“Dawn, please? It’s for your own safety.”
“No.” And to bolster her defense, she firmly crossed her arms. If she weren’t being carried, she’d have her feet firmly planted on the ground, though that wasn’t an option. She’d been doing quite a bit of compromising, but this was most certainly a hard, hard pass.
“Please? It’s only for a little bit,” now James was trying to negotiate, but this time around the price mattered much more than the dealer.
“No.” She was firm in her resolve again. What aggravated her the most was how this’d only been brought to her attention once they were in the parking lot and outside the store. They hadn’t even seen James since they broke up to go to the changing rooms, rather than meeting again in the store. Seeing what he had now, Dawn felt deceived, guessing Jame’s absence up until now was planned. Otherwise, Dawn would be making a scene regardless wherever she saw this monstrosity.
“I donotneed a car seat.” They’d done a lot just to get her in pull-ups and toddler pants, but they weren’t going to get their way here. Not this time.
“The law says you do,” James tried to explain, sounding just as tried and stressed as Katherine had been starting to get earlier.
“You don’t need to keep setting it up because I’m not riding in it,” Dawn said combatively. Seriously, why did Amazons have to act like that? They did things like they knew the Little arguing with them would fold regardless, so they might as well act like they won to begin with! James was seriously losing his brownie points with her.
“Whether you like it or not, we still need one in the car.” James was already fumbling with some of the straps, glancing at the instruction manual. The thing had already been put in the car, all that remained was fastening it.
“I’ll just ride in Katherine’s lap again,” she sufficed. It wasn’t the best, but it definitely beat riding in a car seat. She knew it was manipulative, but she wagered that Katherine wouldn’t turn down more time being able to hold Dawn…
Katherine, though, didn’t give any indication of a yes or no, just simple thought.
“Dawn, why don’t you want to ride in one?” Katherine asked. “Don’t you want to have your own spot?”
“Maybe, but I don’t ride in car seats. I’m an adult, Katherine.” Even if, literally speaking, everything about this situation seemed to contradict that.
“Well, if the police catch what we were doing before, then we’re all in big trouble,” James added, pulling one last strap. “…There, got it,” he wiped his forehead. “Gosh, these things are harder than the stuff at work…”
Dawn expected it, but she wasn’t thrilled to have the ‘law’ argument be thrown against her. Obviously it wasn’t worth jeopardizing everything for the sake of pride, but that didn’t make it any easier to forsake hers.
“Fine.” Need it be said she was pissed? Today had been filled with moments of bitter compliance. Even if Katherine and James were trying to be supportive, that didn’t change how much everything sucked. She couldn’t get the underwear she wanted, she couldn’t get the pants she wanted, and now she can’t even sit where she wanted?
“I’m sorry you’re mad at us, but we all have to follow the rules,” Katherine sympathized, trying to explain.
“I’m not mad at you guys,” Dawn annoyedly said, “I’m mad at the situation.” That was the worst part; being misinterpreted. She couldn’t be angry or mad without someone coming along to poke her with a stick, get bitten and then act like the victim. Why couldn’t they just stay out of her way? Obviously she’s mad, so why go playing with fire if you know you’re going to get hurt?
Up until now Dawn was too offended to even look at the torture device. A neutral look would have been one thing, though this one looked to be catering to a specific demographic…
It looked generously padded all throughout; the seat, armrests, backrest, headrest, everything. The seat even had a cupholder, though it probably wasn’t meant for the kind of cup Dawn’d use. It had black trims for all the excess cushion, though everything else was predominantly pink. From the topmost of the seat even, a plastic bunch of butterflies and flower heads were suspended from above.
They want to adopt a girl, not you. Remember that…Dawn choked back a scowl.
“Looks comfy?” Katherine smiled yet again.
“Just put me in, please.” The sooner she got in it, the sooner she’d be out.
The seat was comfortable, to its credit. It wasn’t suffocating, but she definitely felt secure in an almost invasive way. And just before Katherine could do anything else Dawn cut her off.
“I can buckle myself in,” Dawn leaned forward, suddenly noticing how the seat had her positioned. She wasn’t upright like in a normal seat, as if her center of gravity, her bottom, were tilted back by just the slightest. Only leaning forward did she actually appear upright.
She didn’t want to criticize Jame’s handyman skills, but that was something he’d need to fix…
“Why is the seat tilted back so much?” She looked behind herself, putting her hands on the armrests to keep steady. “You may have messed it up when putting it in…”
“Sit back in it for a second?” James asked, and reluctantly, Dawn did, sitting like she normally would, or could, considering she didn’t typically ride in car seats.
He had the manual in his hand, then for comparison held it at a height where he could pan his vision from Dawn to the paper. “…Nope, looks right to me. I think it’s a feature.”
“A feature? How? It’s probably a safety hazard or something…” Dawn rambled, still not convinced. She couldn’t ride in something like this, especially if it wasn’t safe.
“Actually,” Katherine interjected, “a lot of seats are like that. It’s so it’s easier to fall asleep for car rides.”
“But…” Instantly it made sense, but it made Dawn no more satisfied. Less so, even.
“Give it a quick test spin? We could use an opinion on it, you know?” James suggested. “Kath and I are a little too big for it… Let’s call it payment for the pants and pull-ups?”
A hot-faced Dawn grew quiet. She could have gotten by with just the pants remark, but he also mentioned the other thing…
“She doesn’t owe us anything,” Katherine lightly admonished her husband, then looked back at Dawn with a much more friendly look. “We could use your opinion though? It’s only a short ride?”
Finally, Dawn did relent, leaning back into the seat, consciously aware of her offset angle now. Sitting on a few straps and a buckle, she did her best to organize them, decrypting the puzzle that was her seatbelt.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Katherine helpfully interrupted, separating and distinguishing it all with such ease. It was all swift and quick, as a strap came over each shoulder, attaching to a small plastic breastplate, finally attached to a strap that came right between her legs and through the seat.
“Snug?” She asked; faster than Dawn had time to tell her to stop.
“Y-yes…” she tried to squirm a little in the seat, though the entire network of straps, albeit simple, restricted a lot of her movement. They didn’t have the give and stretch like a normal seatbelt did. They stretched a little when she leaned forward, but a little was all she got before they came to a complete halt. “Why are there so many straps?” She tugged at one of them. “I only need one like you guys.”
“This keeps you a lot safer, though,” Katherine contently said, giving the seat another onceover. “And hey, now you have your own seat? You’re high enough to see through the windows now, too?”
Defeated, she sighed and leaned back into the seat, finally giving it a rest. Almost.
“Wait, can we do anything about this?” Dawn pointed up to the plastic toys over her head, just slightly within reach. To emphasize, the tips of her fingers managed to touch them, leading to plastic jingle-jangles.
“Oh, do you want them lower? This seat does look a tiny bit big for you…” Her face was quickly out of view, tinkering with the device on top.
“No, I don’t want to play with them,” Dawn sharply corrected. “Can you take them out? They’re annoying.”
“I think we can…” she looked back at Dawn, “are you sure though? What if you get bored?” She wasn’t being sarcastic and Dawn wasn’t trying to be bewildered.
“I’ll be fine.”
Finally there was a popping noise and away the plastic chandelier went, though not far away. Katherine reached over to drop it by the seat. Also, as a side note, it was worth mentioning how clean the car’s interior was. Maybe a couple days shy of brand new, but the vehicle was well-kept.
Katherine gave Dawn’s straps a few more tugs before looking satisfied. “Okay…all set. Comfy?”
“Sort of.” It was a loaded question with no easy answer.
On her way out a large hand found Dawn’s foot, squeezing it. Before she could complain though the door was shut. Now she had the wonderful view of the back of the passenger seat. Though, to her right, she could see out of the window now, comfortably even. It was as if she were an adolescent back in her world with the height she sat at, but looking down at herself would sober that kind of wishful thinking immediately…
Through the window she could see James and Katherine, talking about something, but almost entirely out of earshot. Regardless, Dawn was curious. She didn’t like seeing them talk without her around; it was a paranoia thing. Well-placed paranoia after everything she’d been through. Their conversation had no real hints, only with a few nods and basic expressions. No frowns, ecstatic looks or dynamic actions. Maybe it wasn’t all that important…
Staring straight again, she wasn’t happy to be looking directly at the head of the seat in front of her, thanks to the angle she was at.
“Supposed to help me sleep better?” Dawn grumbled to herself. “Only a little bit longer…” She leaned her head back some more. At least they knew how to design a comfortable seat. She started swinging her feet, aimlessly, hanging high off the ground. Already she was bored. Not bored enough to play with dangling toys, though.
Her moment of silence was broken by the front doors opening, James and Katherine slipping inside.
After strapping themselves in, James turned the ignition then looked back at Dawn from the driver’s seat. “So how is your wrist feeling?” At the same time he was backing them out of their spot.
“Fine,” Dawn lied. Instinctively, the mere mention of it made it throb. She didn’t need another obstacle today and was quite ready to be done with everything. “Are we going back to the hotel now?”
“Fine? Are you sure?” Now Katherine stuck her head over and James was already back to the driver’s view. “It doesn’t hurt anymore? Not at all?” She sounded like a helpful mom, giving Dawn a chance to reconsider.
“I don’t need to see a doctor,” Dawn looked in her direction, skipping their game of verbal tag. “I just need to get back to my room. I appreciate everything you guys have done for me today; I’m thankful, but I’m fine now.”
“If she’s feeling fine, maybe we can just skip to the–”
“Absolutely not.” James was trying to speak, but Katherine was quick to the punch. “You saw earlier, when I tried touching her wrist? She probably hurt it even more in the dressing room.”
Suddenly Dawn was feeling a tad bit sheepish. Admittedly, she wasn’t being so kind to her injury earlier…
“I’m fine, though,” trying to join the conversation, Dawn leaned forward out of habit to reach the other two in the front, though her straps stopped her just about immediately. The sudden force yoinked her back as fast as she flung herself forward. “Stupid car seat…”
“Why don’t we give it a little bit longer?” James suggested, “Get some food then see how she’s feeling?”
Finally! Someone was fighting for her! “Yeah, besides, I know how it feels the best, so it should be my choice. It feels better already anyways.” Not completely true, but she didn’t need to give her any reason…
“What if she sprained it?” Katherine continued to speak with James, not Dawn. “Someone can report us for neglect if they see that we’re not bothering to take her to a doctor. She could really be hurt, James.”
“Hello?” Dawn raised her voice from the back a little. She looked at her centerpiece buckle. Was there any way to undo it? Obviously you could. Anything that came together could come apart…
“All I’m saying is we might be worrying for no reason…”
“It’s not for no reason. She’s our responsibility.”
By now Dawn was probably red in the face, trying to press down on the button to her buckle, yet it wouldn’t budge! Her fingers were starting to hurt from all the pressure she was using, yet to no avail. “Hey! I’m fine! I don’t need a doctor! Just take me to the hotel!”
“Will the insurance cover her?”
Angry as she was over the car seat, being trapped back here and from the conversation was starting to get to her. “Stop ignoring me…!”
“I’m not sure, but it shouldn’t be much anyways”
“Stupid Amazons…!” Dawn grit her teeth.
“Okay, alright. Doctor’s first, then we’ll talk about food?”
“Yes, we’ll do it like that. I’ll see if there’s a Little clinic anywhere around here…”
Again and again, her patience was constantly being tried, and yet again, she snapped.
Loudly breathing through her nose, Dawn took a deep breath before…
“AAAAAGH!” Thinking of the most ridiculous, loudest noise she could summon, she let it erupt forth. She could see James visibly tense up from behind the wheel.
Slamming her fists on the armrest and kicking her feet, she continued to shout, “WHY WON’T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME?!”