“Listen here, Missy, we lost an entire income when you became a toddler, so I’m schmoozing up to this guy as much as I want, and I don’t want to hear a damn peep out of you,” Terrence snapped, his voice dripping with desperation and a pinch of guilt. He was finding it grueling adapting to his role as a single mother, especially under such bizarre circumstances. Kailee’s former boss had invited them over to what could only be described as a mansion. While Kailee had resisted her boss’s advances sternly, Terrence, now in her body, folded in just a week. Ignoring Kailee’s protests and her discomfort at being seen in her diminutive new form, Terrence squeezed into the bustiest dress he could find and dragged them both to the looming nightmare. The car seat was just the start of Kailee’s evening of humiliations, the thought of seeing her old coworkers sent shivers down her tiny spine.
The evening commenced with a semblance of normalcy, surprisingly. Most of her coworkers showed a mixture of sympathy and awkward politeness, making an effort to speak to her like an adult. Kailee, boosted on a seat to reach eye level, managed some semblance of normal conversation over dinner. Something she hadn’t had in a while, everyone she met only saw a child in the real world. However, as the night waned and guests departed, the atmosphere shifted grimly. Terrence, progressively less restrained and more enveloped in his role, flirted openly with her boss, his gestures becoming increasingly inappropriate. Kailee was growing sleepy, and was not shy in expressing her frustrations to Terrance. She was soon whisked away for a hushed, strict conversation. His dress barely contained him as he kneeled down, the smell of alcohol on his breath, a new normal for him.
“If everything goes like it’s supposed to…” Terrence began, his voice quivering as he stood, the effects of his drunkenness visible. “If it goes well, you’ll have a baby brother or sister soon!” He feigned excitement about the prospect of breeding with his aged boss, anything for financial security. Grasping Kailee’s hand, he teetered back to the deserted dining hall on shaky heels. The boss, alone at the table, let his eyes wander over Terrence’s form, an indulgence he never could have taken with Kailee. “I think Kailee here needs to lay her head down, it’s way past the time a child should be up,” Terrence announced, the word ‘child’ hanging heavily in the air. The boss, catching the insinuation, eagerly agreed, “Hailee dear, be a doll and make yourself at home—anywhere is fine.” His tone and the glint in his eye left a chilling note in the air.
