“There you are!” Miss Shannon exclaimed, “Vivi was just missing you!”

Warmly welcoming Aubree into the quaint library room, the caregiver led the little girl to her classmate, who was anxiously waiting for her at a child sized plastic table.

“Aubree!” Vivi rushed to see her friend, holding out the other girl’s blue blanket towards her. “I picked this up for you.”

“You left me behind in there.” Aubree pouted. “Alone…”

Vivi’s head lowered in shame. “I tried to help…”

The blonde bully angrily swiped the blanket from the girl’s hand, wrapping it around herself for comfort once more as she took her own seat at the miniaturized playset.

“Let’s get this over with then,” Aubree held her hands out towards the caregiver. “Bring on whatever silly contraption you have to keep me in line. We already know it’s gonna come to that. Might as well get it out of the way.”

“Sounds to me like you want to wear mittens.” Shannon said. “But you know, Aubree, you wouldn’t need to be restrained if you simply listened.”

“Have you been listening to yourself lately? Because if you could hear the words coming out of your mouth, you’d know how psychotic you sound. And if you think I’m gonna play along with this collective delirium, then you’re utterly deranged. So if you want me to listen, maybe stop acting like a fucking lunatic !”

From a wail to a whine to a whisper, her echoes filled the room. Aubree’s teeth grinded together, clenching tightly as her face turned absolutely crimson with rage.

Shannon on the other hand didn’t seem quite so perturbed, or if she was she was hiding it particularly well. “Now where did all that come from?” She asked with great concern. “Please tell me? Have I done something bad to you, kiddo?”

“I know how this is going to play out, woman.” Aubree said. “We’ve been through this several times already. Miss Panda sends us around the stations and you have us do some insane task to humiliate ourselves for you.”

Miss Shannon frowned. “Oh, honey. Pat-a-cake isn’t that bad for you, is it?”

“…Pat-a-cake?” Aubree paused. “Is that it? That’s all you want us to do?”

“Mhmm!” Miss Shannon said. “You girls just wait here while I go get the mittens, okay?”

At best, Aubree was now being petulant. Vivi hated to say it, but if anyone was acting like a child, it was her. By being so stubbornly defiant Aubree had actually set herself up to be the least mature out of six. She had changed her attitude slightly, and she would need to again if she wanted any chance of surviving this place

“You seem to be taking this better…” Vivi whispered for just the two to hear.

“I’m tired.” Aubree said coldly. “I’m tired, I’m naked, I’m bleeding from my nose, and I need my diaper changed. Forgive me for being a little cranky.”

“You wouldn’t be in this state if you had played it safe like everyone else.”

“No, I wouldn’t be in this state if I hadn’t been kidnapped and trapped here.”

Vivi’s stomach churned, not just with milk bubbles, but with anger. It bubbled to the surface, catching her in her throat until she could no longer hold her tongue anymore. “What’s your problem?”

“What’s my problem ? Did you not hear me the first time, because I can list them out again if you want?”

“You don’t have to take it out on me!”

“Yeah well you’re the only person I can take it out on!”

Shannon approached the girls with the promised mittens, and both of them went silent. Aubree stilled acquiescently as Shannon locked the fingerless gloves tight around her wrists, while she and the other little gave each other the stink eye. Without any worry, Shannon sat criss cross on the floor between them, as if nothing at all was wrong. Vivi didn’t want to make a scene, especially in the presence of a caregiver, which meant playing nice with the bully for the time being.

“Now, little pandas, I know you probably haven’t learned your nursery rhymes yet, so if you’re not familiar with it, the song goes like this:” Shannon began to sing. “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.”

Miss Shannon looked between the two girls expectantly. Vivi and Aubree quickly realized from her silence that they were now expected to follow along, repeating after me style.

“ Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man .” The two of them sang.

“Bake me a cake as fast as you can,”

“ Bake me a cake as fast as you can, ”

“Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B,”

“ Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B, ”

“Put it in the oven for baby and me!”

“ Put it in the oven for baby and me… ”

“Very good, girls!” Shannon cooed. “Now we get to add our hands! How exciting is that! Who wants to learn first?”

Vivi found it refreshing to deal with a panda sister who was actually kind for a change, while Aubree did not. She was smart enough not to say anything about it this time, but Vivi could see the fire in Aubree’s eyes trying to burn Miss Shannon alive, and it felt likely that Aubree would be taking it all out on her fellow student.

Aubree crossed her arms. “I know how to play pattycake already.”

“Is that so?” Shannon asked. “How about you and I play and you can show me?”

“Fine by me.”

The two proceeded to play Miss Shannon’s game. Aubree even proved pretty capable of keeping up with the dark skinned woman, mittens on and all, which seemed to make the caregiver quite proud.

“Great job, Aubree! I was worried your parents never taught you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Aubree asked.

“Nothing, honey. It’s just with both of them gone, they might not have had the chance.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Aubree was getting redder the more she heard. “My parents are just fine.”

“Oh, Aubree. It’s okay. There’s no need to feel ashamed. Plenty of kids lose their mom and dad at a young age. I’m sure Julia took great care of you after they passed away.”

“Who… Who told you that?” All of a sudden, the blood drained from Aubree’s face, her attitude completely evaporating. “How do you know my aunt’s name?”

“We know everything about you, little one. It’s all on your file.” Shannon said plainly. “It helps us to create a treatment that’s best for you.”

“Treatment?” Aubree balked. “You make it sound like there’s something wrong with us?”

Aubree wasn’t alone in thinking that, either. Vivi too felt a shiver down her spine. None of them truly knew why they were here, but it sickened her to wonder if it was something about them that caused her to end up in this place.

“Now now, nobody ever said that. Everyone is different. You girls are just special, that’s all. There’s no need to worry. We’re only trying to help you. Why else would you be here?”

The two were shocked silent. Shannon’s demeanor was so clinically professional even Aubree had trouble seeing her as anything less than well-meaning. Vivien was scared stiff. Clearly they knew their stuff when it came to dealing with charges, obviously they must know everything there is to know about Vivi’s classmates, including her.

“That’s better.” Shannon said. “Oh! I know! You girls can play together! That’s a brilliant idea! Nothing like a little bit of fun to cheer you up!”

Vivien didn’t have it in her to stop Shannon grabbing her by the waist and positioning her in front of Aubree. The girls quickly met then averted eyes, not wanting each other to see the feeling in them. From that little look alone Vivi could tell everything Shannon had said about Aubree’s past was true, and it terrified her to now know something about her classmate that she shouldn’t. When she did look up again, Vivi saw that rage in Aubree’s eyes once more, ready to take it out on her. It was almost enough to make her cling to Shannon’s leg, but even that was asking too much of the girl. The poor thing wasn’t sure her tummy could handle all this.

Aubree’s mittened hands covered up her nose as Vivi’s gas continued. “Eugh. Go ahead and shit yourself already, we both know how much you want to.”

“I do not.” Vivien groaned. “I want to be here just as much as you do. None of us asked for this.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come the rest of you keep playing along with all this?” Aubree derided her. “They’re not merely treating us like children, they think it too, we’re nothing but babies to them. The longer you do as they say, the more dependent you become on them. And once you’re fully dependent on them, you can kiss your chances of getting out of here goodbye.”

“And what makes you believe getting yourself into trouble is any better?”

“Think about it. This place is called Miss Panda’s Home for Rebels. That’s what we are, the rebels. They want to turn our defiance into compliance, and insubordination to subordination.”

Her voice lowered, and the pair began to play their little game of pattycake in case the pandas were watching, whispering to each other all the while.

“That still doesn’t make sense. I mean why would they want to make us fully depend on them”

“That still doesn’t make sense, though. There’s no benefit to making us fully reliant on them.” Vivien said. “They picked pandas for a reason. When a cub is first born it’s blind, hairless, and completely incapable. That’s what they mean when they call us that. A newborn Joey spends six whole months in its mother’s pouch. Maybe what they want is to nurture us in some way.”

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t need any nurturing, thanks.” Aubree was offended by even the thought. “Do what you want, I refuse to listen to them, cuz I don’t want to lose my agency.”

“ Oh girls! ” They heard from across the room. “ I’m not hearing enough pattycake over there! ”

Aubree practically growled under her breath. “That’s it. I’m going to kill her.”

“Shut up!” Vivien whispered. “Let’s just get this over with…”

Reluctantly, the two did so as they were told, having just as much fun as they expected doing it.

“Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B. Put it in the oven for baby and me!”

Shannon was clapping for them by the time they’d finished. “Very good girls! B for Baby!”

“More like B for Bitch.” Aubree hissed.

Usually, Vivi didn’t like stirring the pot, but she knew if she didn’t say something, no one would. She had to stand up for herself or Aubree was just going to continue bullying her. So she did.

“Or B for Bastard…” Vivien said.

Her satisfaction was about as short lived as the round of pat-a-cake had been, because almost immediately, Vivi found herself thrown onto her back beneath the other girl. Aubre was pissed.

“Wait, Aubree! I didn’t mean it!” Vivi squeaked, but it was already too late.

“Say that again to my fucking face, hick!” Aubree shouted at the girl held by her dress straps. “Go on! What else do you have to say for yourself?!”

“I- I-” She stammered as tears flooded her eyes. “I’m sorry!”

Viven’s heart pounded in her chest as Aubree picked her up and slammed her to the floor, pinning Vivi down beneath her padded bottom. Aubree was terrifying, yet trapped there with the other woman now sitting on her diaper, Vivien’s tummy churned with just the strangest feeling.

Oh no… Vivi realized. Fuck…

A new shade of red covered Aubree’s face, cherry blushing red. The both of them might as well have been statues with how they were frozen in place, staring into each other’s eyes in horror. All of it happened in a flash, the poor girl couldn’t control herself. Drool coated Aubree’s mouth from spitting in Vivien’s face. A second ago they had been at each other’s throats… then suddenly they were at each other’s lips.

“Did you… kiss me?” Aubree asked timidly.

Vivi swallowed nervously. “Did I?”

Aubree’s arms crossed over her chest, retroactively embarrassed beyond belief to have been naked that entire time. Vivien on the other hand was dead inside, lying beneath her in shame. More than ever, Aubree was happy to have her blanket there to comfort her, especially when it came to what happened next.

“Aubree?” Vivien couldn’t help but ask, feeling a warm sensation pressed against her crotch. “Are you wetting yourself?”

The poor thing was white as a ghost as it all sank in, unable to utter a syllable. Not wanting to look down and check, Aubree hopped to her feet and made a break for the door, this time being the one to leave Vivi behind a station.

Vivien frowned as Shannon stood over her, holding out what looked to be the keys to Aubree’s mittens, and dropping them into the little thing’s lap.

“This will have to go on your report card.”