Chapter Thirteen

Everything hurt. Her knees hurt, her thighs hurt, her neck hurt, and the crying had left her eyes hurting. More than anything else at that very moment, however, her back hurt. Lila dug her heels in a little deeper into Sabrina's spine, bringing a whimper from her living footrest.

Despite all of Sabrina's misery, Lila was mirthful. "Of course she did! Why wouldn't she say yes?"

Faith laughed, gentle tinkling laughter. "Because you're a baby?"

"I am not!" Sabrina winced as Lila dug her feet in as she flailed in response to the teasing. "I just look young, I'm older than she is!"

"Oh, so you're driving yourself to your date then?" Faith's tone was sly, teasing.

Lila's response was only silence. It stretched on to an uncomfortable degree before a squeak from her broke the tension. "...you won't drive me?"

To Sabrina's surprise, she sounded genuinely sad.

"Of course I'll drive you, Lilabean. So how did you ask her?" Sabrina couldn't see what was being passed around, but she could feel the couch moving against her leg, she could feel Lila shifting in her seat in response.

She had been kneeling in this same position for what felt like an eternity, feeling humiliated and helpless but unwilling to attempt resistance again. When Kinsley had commanded her to get down on hands and knees, she hadn't expected to be used as furniture.

"I literally just walked up to her and said: Hi, you're beautiful and I'd like to squish your boobs. Is there any chance you're gay?"

Sabrina winced as she heard the sharp slap of Faith's palm against her own forehead. She couldn't see either of them, but she could tell all the same.

"You didn't."

Lila was offended. "Of course I did! I'd love it if a girl said that to me!"

"Little bean, for a genius you are really dumb sometimes."

Genius? The word stuck in Sabrina's mind. What did Lila do? Other than play video games and eat ice cream. Another sharp pain in her back ended the quizzical thoughts. Lila squirmed, dropping her weight low in her seat. Sabrina could almost see the girl's arms haughtily folded over her chest.

"I am not! You shut up."

"So, what did she say to that?"

"She said 'what' like five times, it was so irritating to repeat myself over and over... " The silence drew out, and Sabrina actually felt her heart lighten for a moment, as she suppressed a laugh. "What? After she finally heard me, she said yes. We're going out to a movie and back to her place in two weeks. I think she might be hard of hearing, I hope the movie has subtitles."

"There's so much to unpack there!" Exasperation dripped from the words. "You literally told her that you wanted to squish her boobs five times. She actually said yes to that. And you want me to drive you to the movie, and what? Wait there? And then drive you to her place?"

"No, I figured you'd drop me off at the movies and then I'd ride with her to her house and you'd get me when I'm done sexing her."

Sabrina finally couldn't stand it any more. She burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Her aches and pains were forgotten in that moment of hilarity, as she found herself laughing uncontrollably at Lila's impossible naivete.

Lila screeched at her, dropping a heel hard into Sabrina's back. "Bree! Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

Faith sighed. "Why can't you just be good, Bree?"

"Ugh! I don't want a footstool anymore. Can you send her to bed?"

The pressure of the feet disappeared abruptly, as did Sabrina's laughter - the steel collar was pulled sharply against her throat. She coughed, choking as she hobbled behind Faith, dragged away from the living room. The key to her door was apparently a wicked-looking iron thing, ancient and imposing, as was the click of the lock opening.

"I'm going to give you one chance to make up for hurting her feelings. You're on breakfast duty tomorrow, and you're going to do the best job you've ever done, you understand me? Or I'll get Kinsley to give you a HUNDRED swats."

Fear gripped Sabrina as she tumbled backward, thrown carelessly into her room, back slamming against the bed. Her hands went automatically to her throat, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Do. You. Understand. Me."

"Yes Faith." Sabrina's words were a squeak, her voice shaking as much as her body.

The door closed, the lock clicked again, heavy and imposing. She sat, arms wrapped around her knees as she recovered from the shock, alone in the dark of her room. Eventually, her breathing evened out and she stood, flipping the light on. Her eyes immediately fell on her phone, hope blooming.

Jules.

Jules could send help.

She snatched the device, dropping down on her bed and tapping in her unlock code. Her messaging was already open.

RoseAndThorns: Hey Jules, I'm really sorry that I haven't been writing much lately. I started dating one of the girls here and... well, it's been taking up all of my time. How are you?

Jewellee: omg

Jewellee: THATS where you've been!!???!

Jewellee: Ive been worried sick you asshole

RoseAndThorns: I am so sorry

RoseAndThorns: So

RoseAndThorns: So

RoseAndThorns: So

RoseAndThorns: Sorry

RoseAndThorns: You're my best friend and I didn't mean to scare you

RoseAndThorns: My cat died and my dad's an ass and everything was so hard

RoseAndThorns: But it's getting better

RoseAndThorns: I think I'm

RoseAndThorns: happy

Jewellee: That's great!

Jewellee: Which one are you dating?

Jewellee: Kinsley?

Jewellee: You said she was cute

RoseAndThorns: Sorry Jules, I gotta go!

RoseAndThorns: They're calling me

RoseAndThorns: But hey, the prank war escalated

RoseAndThorns: They started stealing each others phones and texting people

RoseAndThorns: So if you get a weird message from me, it's probably Faith

Jewellee: Lol got it

Jewellee: But you owe me some kiss and tell bitch

She stared at the screen. How had they even gotten in? Her stomach sank, she flopped down on the bed, laying flat as she struggled mentally. Jules would still believe her, right? She still had a hope.

She started typing out her message: Jules. Last message was a lie. I need help. I need you to call the cops. Help. It's me. Ask me a question only I would know.

Message not sent.

Sabrina mashed the screen, trying to figure out what was wrong, the send button pressed but the app always said the same thing.

No connection.

She flipped down the top menu to see if they had put it in airplane mode or something.

No SIM detected.

What did that mean!? She clenched her eyes shut, swirling with her fear and desperation. The SIM was the thing she got from the phone store, the tiny card that went in the phone. She pried the back off, popped the battery...

And stared at the empty compartment.

▲ ▲ ▲

When she woke the next morning, her bladder felt full to bursting. On the floor, a note waited for her, slipped under her door in the night.

Breakfast duty. Do it right.

She tried her door, surprised to find it unlocked. Sabrina grimaced, heading into the bathroom. Her frown deepened at her reflection. Her hair was starting to get long enough that it was flopping over, no longer purple fuzz atop her head, but her actual sandy blonde color was showing.

"I need to shave my head."

Lila's door was closed, a rarity.

Faith wanted a perfect breakfast for the strangest of the four of them, little Lila, which meant waffles and that awful song. It didn't take long to get the coffee brewing, the waffles cooked and plated. Kinsley had her headphones on and just gestured at receiving the coffee. Sabrina wanted to ask where Faith was, if she had left and gone to Angie's... but she was too afraid.

Waffles plated. Covered in syrup, too much syrup for anyone but Lila.

She turned the knob to Lila's room, steadying the tray and pushing the door open with a foot as she prepared to deliver.

"This is the waffle song because it's waffle time! Golden fluffy goodness for... what the fuck."

Lila was in the bed. Alone. Sleeping. Her breasts hanging out, barely obscured by a tiny pink child's bib tied around her neck. The shield of a light blue pacifier bobbed between her lips. On her lower half was nothing but a diaper. An honest-to-goodness, adult-sized pink diaper... except the crotch, which was swollen and discolored.

The plate crashed to the ground as Sabrina stared. The bizarre but peaceful scene shattered as Lila sat bolt upright.

"What? What happened? Wha... my waffles! On no! Bree you idiot!"

"You look like a baby... what... "

Her words were interrupted by a heartbroken wail erupting from Lila's lips. Tears spewed forth from her eyes, rolling down her face and only completing the image.

"What are you wearing? Did you piss yourself?"

"My... waffles! It's not... fair!"

The scene was surreal. Lila sobbing with her head tilted back, an obviously used diaper taped around her and no real clothing, just the bib. Crying. Nothing made sense, Sabrina wasn't sure that this wasn't some bizarre dream.

Until she felt Kinsley's fingers wrap around the collar.

"What is going on in here? Why is her breakfast all over the floor?"

"She's... what... " Sabrina only pointed at the supposed genius in her piss-soaked diaper. "What?"

Nothing made sense as Sabrina stared at the small finger pointing straight at her. "She was mean to me yesterday and now she threw my breakfast on the floor!"

"I- " The room felt cold as those ice blue eyes glared at her, Kinsley's gaze burning a hole straight through Sabrina's already flimsy resolve. "I'm sorry." Her head sank, her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry... "

Lila's fury was unsatisfied. She flailed her arms in anger as she screeched her rage. "Punish her! Rub her face in the waffles! She's a bad girl!"

"Lila Marie." Sabrina flinched instinctively, crushing her eyelids closed in terror. She carefully opened them, her shoulders scrunched around her ears and her head down. "Are you being a good girl?"

The diapered girl deflated instantly, sinking back down to the bed, her lip quivering. "But I'm a good girl, she was... "

"I'm going to handle her, little miss." The lump of fear was back. Sabrina was all too aware of the fact that Kinsley had not let go. "Bree and I need to have a little talk. You're going to be a good girl for me, right sweetie?"

"Yes Mama."

Sabrina gaped at Lila, the woman was usually childish but this was beyond anything she had seen before by a mile. She stumbled along, following behind Kinsley as best she could, her own hands gripping the unforgiving steel collar, watching Lila stare sadly at the fallen plate, the syrupy mess on the ground.

...that Sabrina knew she'd have to clean up herself.

Kinsley didn't say another word, just marched straight for her bedroom. Kinsley's bedroom. A door Sabrina had never seen open.

"You have fucked up."