Chapter Twenty-Two

It had been a long night, and Sabrina woke with a crick in her neck, cold legs, and an aching bladder. She climbed to her knees, pressing her hand to her crotch. The diaper was squishy and clammy and cold. Unpleasant. She wanted nothing more than to call out for someone. For Kinsley, for Faith, even for Angela... but she knew not a one of them would help her if she asked.

It was better just to go.

...but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to pee. Frustrated, she closed her eyes and imagined that she was sitting on the toilet, relaxing her muscles and...

The padding was freshly warmed and felt better for a moment - until she felt it running down her legs.

"Oh no... "

Looking down she could see a trail coming from the legband of her diaper, down her leg, onto the bedding of the cage. Sabrina had no idea what to do, so she simply froze, whimpering helplessly at her plight. Between the zip ties and the locks, there was no escape, and she had the distinct impression that removing the diaper on her own would only get her in more trouble.

So she waited.

Watching the empty, unmoving hallway. Watching the cat wander from the stairs to the kitchen. Feeling nothing short of awful in her predicament. After three eternities, a door opened. Miss Angela stepped out from Faith's room, headed for the kitchen - without even a glance at Sabrina.

Who was too afraid to call out. Angela had proven to have a vicious streak.

The smell of brewing coffee wafted through the living room as Sabrina's legs began to ache from her kneeling position. Gently, carefully, she lowered herself down, grimacing at the squelch, how the sitting in the diaper forced the padding to release some of her own piss back against her skin just to be reabsorbed.

Sabrina watched with a sinking stomach as Miss Angela approached the crate.

"Were you a good pet last night, girl?" The way she lilted her voice, it wasn't a question. It was how she would talk to any animal. "Oh my, looks like you leaked a little. Would you like a another diaper?"

The idea of being put into another diaper made Sabrina want to cry, but she nodded.

"Well if you don't have any manners, then you aren't getting changed."

"Please Miss Angela, may I- "

Angela's unbrushed blue hair, in tangles around her face, should have made her less intimidating, she was small and lightly built, not much bigger than Sabrina herself, but when she glared a fiery glare full of malice, Sabrina stopped mid-sentence.

"Pets don't talk, Bree. Now beg me like a good pet, beg me for another diaper."

Sabrina hesitated, weighing her options, trying to guess what Angela might want from her. Just as the woman was about to walk away, Sabrina rose back to her knees and brought her hands to her chest, curling them inward - like she were a begging dog. She let out a soft whimper and poked the squishy, discolored diaper between her legs.

"That's pretty good. Maybe you can actually avoid getting in trouble as a pet. Do you want another diaper?"

Hating herself, Sabrina gave a simple nod. She didn't expect that they'd let her out of diapers right away - not when both Lila and Faith wore them... and used them, apparently. But a dry one was vastly better than a cold, clammy one.

"Oh honey!" Faith arrived in the room, only to be sent to fetch a fresh diaper. Angela simply pointed to the crate where Sabrina knelt. "Be mommy's good little helper and put that one on top of her current one."

"What!?" Sabrina couldn't help herself. She was completely shocked, and now two pairs of eyes glared at her.

"You," Faith's voice was a growl as she stalked over to the crate, "will be silent."

"I asked you if you wanted another diaper." Miss Angela was nothing but sweetness as Faith opened the cage door and grabbed Sabrina by the leg, dragging her halfway out. "I never asked if you wanted out of that one. Not that anyone cares what a pet wants. Or are you some sort of pet dolly now? It's hard to tell."

Angela talked while Faith roughly performed her task, rolling Sabrina over, sliding the diaper under her, pulling it up between her legs and pressing the clammy, wet one closer to her before fastening the tapes. With another quick motion, Faith shoved her back into the cage by her absurdly padded bottom.

Sabrina didn't have it in her to even sit up. She just lay there on the floor of the cage, hopeless. Angela gave Faith a kiss and patted her girlfriend's diapered bottom, sending her off.

Angela knelt down next to the cage.

"Aww, poor Bree... " She sounded genuinely concerned. "Are you... actually sad? I can't tell if you're playing along or if you're really sad."

Sabrina sat up, finally, looking into Angela's eyes. Her lips were a thin line, worry in her eyes.

"I'm sad... "

"Oh Bree, I am so sorry." Angela stood. "I am so sorry... that you did this to yourself. Now you have to be punished for speaking again." With a sharp laugh, Angela walked away, calling for Faith.

Leaving Sabrina alone once again.

She had thought the diaper was thick before, but now it was thicker and she had no comfort of being dry. She laid back down, kicking herself for falling for Angela's brand of cruelty yet again. She just seemed like such a sincere person... Sabrina sighed.

▲ ▲ ▲

It had been hours. The lot of them had gone upstairs a while ago, ignoring Sabrina entirely. The only contact she had was when Kinsley stopped to give her a water bottle. She was relieved it wasn't attached to the cage for her to lick at - she wasn't going to put anything past them at this point. She had finished one water only to be given another... sipping was the only thing she could do in the cage.

Sipping and thinking.

Reflecting on her situation, on how it was a mistake to come to the Dollhouse at all, on how she had fallen into not even trying to get a job. Those thoughts turned darker still as she thought about the trail of events that had led her there in the first place. And how no one had ever come looking for her. She wasn't even sure how long she had been at the Dollhouse.

One tear was the crack in the dam. Followed by another, and another. Until her thoughts landed on:

Maybe I deserve this.

In her misery, the tears flowed and quiet crying turned to heaving sobs.

She didn't even hear the cage open. She was crying full force as gentle hands helped her out. She was barely aware of her surroundings at all, of the thick diaper between her legs, of the way she was laying down now. Fingers brushed over her no-longer-buzzed hair, fingertips traced the lines of her eyebrows, the bridge of her nose.

When she could breathe again, Sabrina could make out the faint murmurings coming from above her.

"It's okay to be sad, baby. It's okay. You're safe, you're okay."

Blearily, she rolled to face the voice, realizing that her head was in someone's lap. She rubbed the tears from her eyes, but before her eyes could focus, there was something rubber in her mouth, dripping something sweet... chocolate? It took her a few moments to process it, but Sabrina found herself looking up at Kinsley, who was holding a baby bottle.

Sabrina tried to sit up, tried to turn her head, but Kinsley blocked every movement, holding her in place as though she were... well, a child.

"Hush hush, relax. You're not going anywhere. Think about all the pain all of your resistance and fighting has brought you. I am trying to show you love, I am trying to take care of a sad girl, trying to take care of my friend. Will you let me?"

There was no anger in those words, no frustration. Kinsley was matter-of-fact and... well, kind. Her tone rang of genuine concern and Sabrina couldn't help but relax somewhat. She closed her eyes and simply drank from the bottle. There was a rhythm to it, if she tried to suckle at the nipple too fast or too slow, it didn't work. Once she had it, it was just chocolate milk, the rhythm of drinking, and gentle fingers in her hair.

It was hard to admit, but Kinsley was right... she was fighting so hard, all the time. To hold onto some dignity, to escape from them. To claw her way back into a world where she was probably going to die, homeless on the streets. Unbidden, her mind returned to that first night, when she had been scared and alone, when Lila had climbed into her bed and held her all night long.

Every time she had cried, every time she had been at the end of the rope, the bottom of the well, the Dolls had been there for her.

"Just be good, sweetie. Can you be a good girl for me? Everything will be okay."

Sabrina's legs hurt, her back hurt from slouching in the cage. The diaper was clammy and thick, and she had a steel ring around her neck and one wrist. With Kinsley's coaxing, she realized that step by step, piece by piece, the punishments had been heaped on her for her resistance. Sometimes she had been in the right - most of the time, she had been in the right - sometimes she had been in the wrong, but she had always resisted.

What did it even look like to not resist? To just let them do whatever they wanted to her?

They're going to do whatever they want regardless, Bree.

Kinsley pulled the empty bottle from her lips.

"Yes Mama."

Kinsley's smile felt like the light of the sun, the warmth of the clouds parting on a chill autumn day. Sabrina felt enveloped in that warmth and wrapped her arms around Kinsley, who pulled her to a sitting position and hugged her tightly.

"Good girl, Bree."

Fingers through her hair. Gentle touches on her back. The warmth and comfort of the hug.

"Good girl."