Lights, Camera, …What?!? Book 1 Chapters 42 and 43 by Sofia Hammerstein

Connor Slane has grown up to be one of the brightest kids in his dimension and one of the most ambitious computer science majors at his top university. Now, thanks to an exchange program between his university and his mother’s alma mater, Emerson University in another dimension. Connor has the chance to forge his own path in computers and his other love, filmmaking. Having seen still images of their amazing holographic films, he hopes go to Emerson, and then return to build his own empire - and maybe even find his true self, as his mother did.

Beth Sylvester is a Tweener herself and another child of influential parents in the other dimension. Her wealthy Big mom is the daughter of a disgraced former CEO, and her dad is the first and only Tweener to serve on the Supreme Court. Connor’s mom and Beth’s dad were good friends while she was in the dimension, and they’ll quickly discover that they enjoy hanging out with each other. They’ll also discover that if either is going to survive to the end of the semester academically or as mature adults, they’ll need to help each other out. If not, Connor could quickly find himself on the one-way road to being adopted by some Big, and Beth might not be far from that fate either…

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The Legal Stuff: Lights, Camera, …What?!? By Sofia Hammerstein
 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Copyright © 2023-2026 Sofia Hammerstein.
 

 
 

Chapter 42: Getaway
 

BETH WAS SITTING on the plush carpet she’d bought for her floor, cuddling Rings after having cried herself out talking to her dad. They had hung up about half an hour after the incident, and he said he had an idea and would call her back in a bit. A tall mirror hung on her closet door, and the reflection pointing back at her looked like pure despair right then!

Until this semester, nothing had happened to her more than an occasional teasing issue. Having her very adulthood or freedom away had never really occurred to her except in a few nightmares!

‘Now it’s almost a reality,’ she thought, squeezing Rings even tighter.

She was thinking about maybe finding Cassie to get some dinner when her phone rang again. “Hi, Daddy,” she said sadly.

“So, what would you think about getting off campus for the weekend?” He asked her gently.

She shrugged, “I guess that might be a good idea?”

“Why don’t you pack a bag for clothes through Monday morning. I talked with Amanda, she has room at her place, and you can come back with Connor on Monday?”

She blushed about hanging out with Connor for the weekend. “What about my room? What if something else happens?”

“President Barnes is going to ensure that doesn’t happen for us. I’m also hiring a service to install other monitoring equipment around your dorm room. Getting you off campus also means the university staff has time to get to the bottom of the problems.”

Beth thought for a second, looking around her room, and made her decision. “Sure, let’s do it.”

“I put in for a Luxuria vehicle to meet you in front of your dorm in ten minutes,” her Dad said.

“Ten minutes?!?” she griped.

“It’ll wait for you if it takes longer; try not to, though?” He suggested. “I want you out of there?”

She nodded, “Okay.”

“Please text or call when you get to Amanda’s?”

“Okay,” Beth found herself agreeing. She quickly sent off a text to her friends that she was taking off for the weekend and gave a brief summary of what happened when she came back to her room. She threw a casual dress into her bag if she needed to dress up. Beyond that, a few casual outfits, swimsuit, and pajamas found their way into the bag. She’d just returned to the dorm the previous week, so she still had plenty of travel-sized shampoo bottles and conditioner in a bag ready to go.

Before sealing it up, she added personal supplies and makeup to the duffle bag. Beth checked her backpack and added her EdgeSphere Goggles, tablet, and laptop so she could study. ‘Maybe Connor can help me with Calculus?’

Looking at her bed, she saw Rings looking at her sadly and couldn’t help but squeeze her into the duffel bag too. “Sorry, it’s a tight fit,” she said as she gently stroked her fur and zipped the bag shut.

‘If someone saw me talking to my stuffed animals, they’d be even more convinced I’m a baby!’ Beth grimaced, even though she knew she had never grown out of talking to her stuffies and dolls when stressed.

Beth sighed as she left her room and went to the elevator after ducking into the restroom to repair her makeup. Beth was always reserved with how much she put on, having discovered in high school that she got accused of playing dress-up if she did too much. On the opposite side, without it at all, they would accuse her of being a first grader! Beth had some friends that were her height and had things like breast augmentation nanites to help, but she was content with her body shape the way it was. For better or worse, she was barely better endowed than a Little, so it only made the makeup balancing act worse.

She tossed on a coat since it was already dropping below freezing when she returned from classes. ‘Be nice if we at least had some snow or something,’ she thought as the elevator descended.

Tracy, the RA from her floor, came in from outside as she walked up. “Hey Beth, how are you doing?”

Beth sighed as she looked at the taller girl, “I’ve had better days, honestly?”

“I heard? It’s okay, you know; protection isn’t the worst thing…?”

Beth felt her eyes narrow, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh… I mean…”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Tracy, but I’m beginning to wonder? I’m taking off for the weekend; see you later.”

“Wait, you can’t…? Not with your…?”

Beth dodged the taller girl’s arm and went out the door.

“You need to come back!” she heard even as she saw a Luxuria vehicle on the street beyond the dorm. “You aren’t…!”

Beth didn’t run but hurried to confirm it was the correct car. “Miss Sylvester, welcome!” the holographic AI said as she approached.

“Hi,” she said as she climbed into the vehicle. The door shut as she saw Tracy trying to come to follow her.

“Is there a problem, Miss Sylvester?” the hologram asked.

“Not one you need to worry about; please just take me to the Westerfields as planned?”

“Certainly, Miss,” she said.

Beth dialed her dad, “Hey, Daddy…?”
 

GRANDMA HAD CARRIED me upstairs to ‘my’ room and helped me find the drawer she’d stashed Pull-Ups in when her phone rang. Surprisingly, she preferred a physical telephone over the contact wearable device many others liked. “Hello?”

“Oh, well, good evening, Cameron! It’s good to hear from you; what’s going on?”

I realized she had drawn her phone from her wrist where it had been lying like an old snap bracelet.

As she turned to face away from me, I used the opportunity to pull down my pants and swap out the underwear. I had barely leaked urine into the Pull-Up, but it was evident that the indicator graphics for that spot had gone out. In their place now, a frowny face showed up in blue, declaring me a potty failure right then.

I sighed as I pulled my pants up and saw a diaper disposal can next to my mom’s old changing table. I dropped it inside before walking to the attached bathroom and washing my hands. As I came out, I heard Grandma say, “Of course, we’d be happy to have her hang out here for the weekend!”

Grandma made some polite conclusions to the conversation, and I looked up at her curiously. “That was Cameron, Beth’s dad. Apparently, something is happening with her, so he asked if she could hang out here for the weekend while he works to sort it out with Emerson. Hope you don’t mind?”

I smiled, “That’s great!”

“You two hanging out at all?”

“We have one of my film classes together. We’ve been eating meals together occasionally. I also like her friends – they’re nice. What’s going on at school?”

“He didn’t go into it?”

I sighed, “Hopefully, it’s not more of the stuff she was dealing with earlier. I don’t know if it’s because she made friends with me or just made the wrong person mad, but they tried to make it seem like she was having accidents and needed diapers.”

“Oh?” Grandma asked.

“I don’t know much more than they had a recording of it and were able to bust the student who did it. The girl is now in the same nest as my friend Ava.”

“A Big?”

I nodded, “Looks a bit out of place, but no doubt she’s using those diapers!”

“Maybe I’ll make some inquiries of my own…?” She said. She looked at her watch, and I realized her phone had just conformed to her wrist. “It’ll be about forty-five minutes until she gets here. I’ll hold off on dinner until she makes it here.”

“Where’s she going to sleep?” I asked.

“Shelby has a spare bed in this house that she can sleep in. Beth is short enough that it should work for her.”

“Does she ever sleep in there?”

“Not much anymore,” Grandma said. “Once in a while, like on Christmas, they stay here.”

I nodded, “Okay, well, I’m going to work on some homework in the meantime?”

She patted my back, “Sounds like a good idea!”

I opened my personal computer on the desk in the room. I opened up the copy of the script I had copied over via email so I could work on it outside of the approved hours for Emerson Littles. I added another eleven script pages in little moments the past couple of days, leaving me about sixty to ensure I hit that pilot length we were shooting for. I briefly worried about Kelly’s script and shook my head, sure that most people would prefer a more exciting film like mine!

I was closing in on finishing my sixth page of action and dialogue writing when everything went dark, and hands went over my eyes.

“Huh?”

“Guess who?”

I shook my head, “Hi, Shelby,” and turned to see her. Beth was standing behind her, laughing.

“Hey, Beth,” I said.

I stood up, and Shelby hugged me, “I’m glad you’re back this weekend!”

“Your Grandma sent us to come get you,” Beth said.

I nodded, “Okay, let me just save this.” I didn’t trust autosaves and believed in backing up major projects regularly!

I approached the tall steps and sighed, knowing that getting down them would look ridiculous to Beth. She giggled behind me, “You really did come through short!”

I turned to her, “Don’t tell me you’re just now realizing that!”

She shook her head, “Come here,” she said.

To my shock and utter embarrassment, Beth picked me up, put me on her side easily like a mother and toddler, and began stepping down the stairs like it was no big deal. She sat me down at the bottom, “Sorry if I overstepped, but you’re kind of cute when you’re nervous.”

I blushed, and she gave me a side hug before we all walked to the large table where Aunt Bella, Grandpa, and Ryan were sitting. ‘My’ highchair was sitting next to a chair without a booster, and I remembered a booster seat on the other side being Shelby’s.

“Beth, would you please help Connor into that highchair?” Grandma said as she walked in with a couple of plates piled high with food to set on the large table.

“Sure,” Beth said, picked me up again, quickly maneuvered me into the chair, and pushed it towards the table.

When she was sitting down, I looked at her, “You know you’re shorter than a Big, but you have no problems picking me up… it’s weird.”

She laughed, “Well, surely you would be just the size of a child back home? Plus, while I’m short, I’m still not a Little?”

I shook my head, “Still weird!”

Dinner was a roast beef and mashed potatoes meal that Grandma had made taste amazing! My serving was tiny compared to Grandma and Grandpa’s portions, but I was still overly full by the end!

By then, it was about ten minutes until I had to be in bed at the Nest. Grandma approached the chair and embarrassedly used a baby wipe on my face and hands like I had just seen her do with Aunt Bella! “Grandma…” I whined.

She laughed, “Sorry, Connor, I can’t help myself!” She tickled my side momentarily and sat me down on the floor. “What do you two want to do for the rest of the night?” She asked us.

“Umm…?” Beth looked at me, “Not that I’m about to say anything, but isn’t Connor supposed to be in bed?”

Grandma laughed, “Please don’t say anything, but you both can stay up as long as you want. He doesn’t seem to have the problems with sleep most Littles do from what I saw last week.”

“Huh,” Beth said, looking at me, “How about we put pajamas on and watch a movie?” She looked at Shelby and Ryan, “You two can join us too?”

Ryan shook his head, “I do need to get some sleep; I have work tomorrow that I have to do.”

“You just scheduled that so you wouldn’t have to be around for Meggy’s birthday party!” Shelby laughed.

His blush confirmed that, but he shrugged and didn’t care, “I still need to get some sleep.”

“Tomorrow is going to be a long day, sweetheart,” Aunt Bella told her daughter.

“Fine, tomorrow we three are going to have a slumber party at our house,” Shelby said, looking at us.

“Sounds like fun!” Beth said with a smile.

We watched them go and walked over to the staircase together. “Want a ride?” Beth asked me.

I groaned but said, “If you’re sure?”

“You’re probably only about a third of my weight, Connor. I lifted more in high school for athletics workouts!”

I blushed but said, “Please then…”

She laughed and carried me up. When she reached the top, we realized she had an audience, and she turned and saw Grandma below taking a picture of the two of us. “Your parents will enjoy that picture!”

Beth blushed bright red then too!

She dropped me off in my room while she went for her pajamas.

I looked through the drawers and realized all I had for pajamas were babyish footed onesie pajamas. I grimaced but grabbed a relatively plain grey set. It wasn’t until I was holding them that I realized they were hooded, and there was a snout on the hood.

“What do you think, my little dolphin?” Grandma said, coming in.

I blushed, “She’s going to make fun of me if I wear these?”

“She might tease you a little, but you and I know you’ll enjoy it!”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

She shook her head, “Never mind. Do you think you need a diaper for bed tonight? You said other than that one explosive event, you haven’t wet the bed?”

I shook my head, “I shouldn’t have a problem? The Pull-Up should catch anything if I did?”

She thought briefly, “It should? Make sure you go to the potty before bed, though!”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said.

“Well, get going with putting those on then,” she smiled, “I know I can’t wait to see you wearing them. I am sure your mom will love pictures too!”

I blushed but went to the bathroom and changed. The Pull-Up seemed clean and dry, so after I finished using the stool to reach the smaller toilet in the room, I just pulled it back up and stepped into the pajamas. I was surprised to realize they didn’t zip up. Instead, they had a long seamed section that pulled itself together to self-seal. ‘Magnets?’ I wondered. I pulled them apart to ensure they weren’t some weird locking clothing, but they came apart more effortlessly than a zip would. When closed, they made it seem like the garment was seamless. It felt snug and really soft against my skin as I washed my hands. I blushed when I realized a soft dorsal fin was sticking up in the middle of the back. Curious, I pulled the hood over my head and knew anyone who saw me would be cooing at ‘how cute’ I was.

Out in my bedroom, Beth was there dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a long sleeve top. The pajamas had a simple floral pattern and looked much more grown up than mine.

“Oh my god! Those are adorable!!!” She squealed.

I blushed, “I thought they were just gray when I went to grab them…”

She laughed, “I guess I should have brought my red panda ones from home.”

“You have ones like this?”

She laughed, “Footed pajamas are not just for babies! I have several sets back at the dorm! I should have brought them… I have a stuffed red panda named Rings, so my mom bought me matching pajamas for Christmas a couple years ago.”

“I saw pictures,” Grandma said, coming into the room.

I watched Beth turn bright red, “She wasn’t supposed to share those with anyone!”

“You didn’t make your daddy make the same promise?” She smirked.

“Ugh!!!” She groaned, “I need the pictures of him in his matching set! That’s not fair!”

Grandma laughed at her, and we followed her downstairs to the living room, where she somehow already had some bowls of popcorn and two lidded cups.

“I don’t need a sippy cup…” Beth was clearly a little offended.

“Sorry, house rules. I make Meg use one here, and I even have one I use when I sit here too. Got tired of cleaning up couches!”

“Oh,” Beth said. “Then where’s yours?”

“In the kitchen, I figured I’d give you two the chance to hang out without us old people around. Make sure you turn the lights out when you go to bed.”

“Okay,” I found myself saying.

I’d been shown how to work the Holo-Screen and get to the movies last weekend, so I turned things on and handed Beth the remote, “I don’t even know movies here. Pick something you want to watch?”
 
 

Chapter 43: Red
 

BETH LOOKED OVER at Connor, wondering if he knew what he might have gotten himself into by asking a girl to pick something; she realized he was being serious.

Setting about to explore, she saw a comedy she hadn’t watched yet, but that Lance had taken their younger sister and brother to see over the summer, and all of them had said it was good. “How about a comedy?”

“Sure,” Connor replied to her.

She pressed play and climbed onto the oversized couch, noting that Amanda and Fred preferred the extra-large sizes her mom would pick out. Back home, there was a mix of furniture to accommodate her and her dad being smaller than the rest of the family. Though to be fair, Laura used the smaller couch almost as often!

Connor began trying to climb up on his own, making her giggle. The couch cushion height fell just above his armpits.

“Come over here, I’ll pull you up,” she told him with a smile.

He blushed but made his way over and offered her his hands. She leaned over, pulled him onto the couch, and then moved him to sit right against her side.

“Right! Now I have my stuffed dolphin to keep me company; let’s watch.”

“What…?” Connor grumbled.

For that, she couldn’t help but tickle his side a bit, discovering he was a bit ticklish. When she stopped, she hadn’t counted on his reprisal!

He managed to get at her ribs where she was horribly ticklish and just kept going,

“Stop,” she giggled and cried, but he kept going.

Feeling like a bathroom trip was necessary, she said, “Seriously! I need to go pee, and I don’t have something on like you do!” She squeezed him tightly to control his arms.

“Alright,” he said, “but you started it!”

“Movie pause!” she said aloud and stood up after pushing him off her lap where he had landed.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, where embarrassingly she noticed she did have a few drops in her panties, she made her way back to the couch and pulled him back to her. “Not getting away from me now,” she smiled down at him, noting his long hair was somewhat out of place.

“So, what happened?” He asked as the movie started playing credits in front of them.

“Someone managed to get into the computer system and convince the university I need Pull-Ups…”

“That’s scary,” he said beside her.

“Yes, it is… Especially…”

Connor looked at her, “You don’t have to tell me; my mom told me about it already. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Beth’s heart sank, rose, and did flip-flops all at the same time. Not knowing how else to react, she squeezed him closer to her, “Thanks.” She sighed, “Yeah, you can understand that then. Dad wants the weekend to get Emerson to figure out what’s happening.”

“If there is anything I can do?” Connor offered sweetly.

Looking at his hair that had come undone from the ponytail holder he was using. “Let me play with your hair while we watch?”

She smiled at his blush, but the smile widened as he nodded in agreement. “Pause the movie,” she said again. “You have a brush upstairs?”

He nodded, “In my backpack? Front pocket?”

“Be right back!” she said.

Going up to the room Connor was staying in, she couldn’t help but note that besides the slightly boyish bedding on the bed, it was one of the most sickeningly girly nurseries she’d been inside. She found Connors’s backpack sitting beside a desk. Beth opened the bag, dug through it, and found his brush before she was distracted. She saw a colorful pile of hair clips, bows, and hair ties in a small bin on top of the white changing table. It was obvious that they were older, probably vintage even, and Beth wondered who they were for? She couldn’t help herself as she grabbed a few options and headed back downstairs with them in her pocket, out of sight.

“What’s with the girly room?” She asked before saying, “Play movie,” and putting Connor on her lap.

“It was my mom’s,” he told her.

“Your grandma never changed it?”

He shook his head right as she tried to grasp some hair with the brush, “Don’t move, sweetie,” she laughed.

“No, she didn’t. It’s kind of sad, creepy, and sweet all at the same time.”

“Yeah,” she said. “A lot of her stuff is still there?”

“That’s part of the weirdest thing, honestly,” Connor said. “I mean, she even still has clothes from her in the closet?”

‘Wonder if they would fit Connor?’ she mused as she pulled a tiny bit of tamed hair from the front of his head, deciding to have some more elaborate fun like she would with Laura’s head as some therapy even as the movie introduced the two tragically funny characters to the screen. An out-of-work businessman meets up with a mid-level programmer and decides to somehow go in on building a theme park. Or so they told investors!

“How tall was she?”

“She was a foot shorter than me, only about thirty-six inches,” he told her.

“Seriously? That’s like infant sized?” She said in disbelief before adding, “How tall is she back home?”

“After she did some tampering, she grew to an inch short of seven feet,” he told her.

“Grew?” She continued playing with his hair and created a very girly hairstyle he couldn’t see as the movie continued and they talked.

“So, what did you do to my hair?” Connor asked, “With as much as you’ve been doing, I’m guessing I look fit to go to prom or something?” He laughed.

“You’re not mad?”

“Riley and my sisters do it all the time, especially when they’re upset. If it helped you, I’m fine with being your doll.”

Beth hugged him tightly, turned him towards her, and placed him on her shoulder. “Thank you, Connor, you really are perfect.”

She squirmed inside as she honestly wanted to kiss him, but she didn’t want to make things any more weird than they were.
 

I STARED UP into Beth’s face and really wanted to kiss her, but she’d sent some mixed signals that night that meant I wasn’t sure if she wanted a boyfriend or a little sibling to play with. I squeezed her back, let her reposition me onto her lap, and laid my head back onto her body and between her breasts.

They seemed like the perfect size, even though I knew the Bigs probably picked on her for being small-breasted. She was petite, and I hated that I had shrunk when I came through! Her arms were around me as the movie ended, and I felt the need to hit the restroom.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I told her, embarrassed.

“We should probably go to bed, too,” she told me, standing up and moving me to her hip.

“You know it’s embarrassing how easily you can carry and pick me up.”

“My dad says that to my mom all the time!” Beth giggled.

‘Does that mean she’s open to a relationship despite our height differences?’

“They’re kind of like our difference in size, aren’t they?”

She nodded as she quietly stepped up the stairs; we were sure Grandpa had already called it a night. “Our proportionate differences are pretty close, actually,” she agreed.

I noticed she turned red then and wondered if that grossed her out… or if maybe she was open to it?

‘I’m certainly willing to try it!’ I thought to myself.

She sat me outside my door and said, “I’m going to get settled and call it a night. See you in the morning?”

I nodded, “Sure. Umm… did anyone warn you about tomorrow?” I asked.

She nodded, “Your grandma prepared me for a princess celebration. I think she said I may even have my own gown given to me for it?” She smirked.

“Well, given Aunt Bella probably needed all of like five minutes to make one, I bet that will be the case.”

“What about you?”

I shrugged, “I have no idea what’s going on. I was told I could be one of the babysitters instead of the babysat, but no idea!”

She giggled, “We’ll see what the others come up with then. You and Shelby seem to get along well?”

I nodded, “She reminds me of my sister Riley a lot!”

“So, nothing there…?” She asked curiously.

I blushed, “She’s my cousin!” I quietly hissed.

She smirked, “Not biologically?”

“Still… no… She’s still a little too young even if I was interested,” I reminded her, “She’s in high school still.”

She nodded at that, “True.”

“Anyway, I guess... goodnight, let me know if you need anything?”

She bent down to my level, “Just a goodnight hug,” she smiled and hugged me before standing and walking away. I walked to my room and tried to make heads or tails of what Beth wanted!

Deciding the bathroom was a wise stop; I climbed up and used the toilet. Looking paranoidly at the white fabric of the Pull-Up and was grateful that it was spotless still!
 

BETH CLOSED THE door to her room and took the time to use the adjoining bathroom before looking at the room closer. Like Connor’s room, this was a very juvenile-looking and girly room. When Amanda showed it to her, she explained it was technically Shelby’s room they kept ready in case LPS ever stopped by. The bed made her turn completely red when she saw it, noting that it was really just a white converted crib bed. A rail was still attached that went halfway down the bed to keep the toddler from falling out of bed!

After everything that day, the fact that she could see the size of the Big-size toddler bed would easily accommodate her petite frame unnerved her – a lot! She could probably have fit even if she was a foot taller, and knowing that made her fear being moved to Sanders Hall even more.

Shelby’s room was covered in little tiaras, stars, and hearts in painted murals and shaped mirror pieces. It was barely a step up from toddler and somewhere around an early elementary girl’s ideal bedroom.

‘I’m honestly surprised there isn’t a canopy over the bed,’ Beth thought.

She sighed, grabbed her phone from where she had left it, and noted the large number of notifications.

‘Are you okay?’ Cassie had asked. When she hadn’t responded, she’d tried calling, and Beth felt a little bad that she’d worried her.

‘I’m fine,’ she texted her. ‘My dad thought it would be a good idea to get off campus so nothing could happen while he sorts through the problems with Emerson.’

She saw a response almost immediately, ‘Thank God!!!!’

Almost immediately, a call started, and she answered it without thinking about where she was.

“Beth, I thought you told me you were safe?!?” Cassie practically screeched.

“I am,” she told her.

“Then why are you in a Littles nursery?!?”

“Oh… I’m staying with Connor’s grandparents. They’re having me stay in their granddaughter’s room.”

“You’re being honest, right? If they’re telling you just to say that, just blink twice.”

Beth shook her head, “Seriously, Cassie, I’m fine!”

“So, what happened?!?” Cassie was clearly nervous and upset for her friend, and Beth was touched that she cared that much for her.

“I got back to my room, and more boxes of Pull-Ups and diapers were stacked there.”

“What?” She seethed, “I thought they understood someone was trying to set you up? That shouldn’t have been a huge deal?”

She shook her head, “I thought I was just going to have to call Penelope and sort it out, but she wasn’t there. I called the on-duty RD, and they claimed those were an order that was in the right place! She insisted Penelope had been the one to order them, and it was showing in the computer system that I was required to be in them at all times now.”

“What the hell?!?” Cassie exclaimed.

“Yeah… My dad was talking to me when she came by to try and force me into them. He immediately got the administration involved again. After several calls, he suggested my going to Connor’s grandparents was a good idea. I quickly thought about it and took them up on the offer.”

“So, is that all of it?”

Beth shook her head, “No, on my way out to the car, Tracy showed up and tried to prevent me from leaving when she realized I was doing so. She somehow knew something about me being in ‘protection’ and then tried to state I couldn’t leave… I think she’s probably involved? I mean, I know she could get access to my room?”

“That explains why I saw her talking with some security guys earlier?”

“Yeah, I guess? I’m just waiting to see what happens.”

“So, you promise me you’re really safe there?” She made a face, “I mean, that might be the most girly preschooler’s room I’ve ever seen? And isn’t that a toddler bed? Can you even…?”

Beth blushed, “Unfortunately, yes, I can fit. It’s more than a little disturbing to realize I’m small enough for it, and that means a crib would not be too small either.”

“I promise, I won’t let you get pulled away or adopted,” Cassie told her.

“I know… and neither will my dad or mom. I’m sure they’re both ripping people apart right now.”

“Well... So I guess you can work on your tiny romance then?”

“Cass!!!” She hissed. The two of them talked for half an hour before Beth got her calmed down and off the phone. Messages from her parents were less urgent, and with the time change, she didn’t want to call and wake anyone up. She climbed under the tiara-covered sheets just after midnight and wasted no time getting to sleep, tightly squeezing Rings.

She barely registered the door opening and closing to check on her.
 

AFTER MY QUICK bathroom stop, I opened up my computer from home and connected it to the internet. Mom had thoroughly taught me everything she knew about computer systems in our dimension and the one I had traveled to. When she left, she retained the ability to learn about things via Grandma and others.

She also ensured that the computer I brought to this dimension was more powerful than the one the university had provided me!

I got busy with the photo I had taken in my pod and began researching the device.

It sadly didn’t take me long to find a reference to the device as a ‘SleepTight Dome.’ I read the description and grimaced, ‘Discreet sleep training device that can be placed in cribs or beds of Littles to begin the process of adjusting them to a night of comforting sleep. Harmless subsonic soundwaves help lull the occupant into a deep sleep quickly and maintain that until disengaged. Our device scans the Little and determines when they are in their most suggestible sleep pattern before beginning to transmit a signal that travels, causing the pons center of the brain to send a signal to release their bladder. Usage of this guarantees nocturnal enuresis regularly after one to six weeks, according to studies from Emerson University’s Early Childhood Center experiments.’

I stared at the screen for a moment and grimaced, saved the information into a secure portion of my hard drive, and dug around, hoping to find out more. Unfortunately, that didn’t help me out, as I discovered there was an anti-tamper feature that would cause an annoying alarm to sound while at the same time causing a burst of the sleeping transmission.

‘They didn’t make this easy…’ I griped.

There was a knock on the door, and I said, “Come in?” Even as I saved and cleared my computer back to my script.

“Connor, I know you don’t have a bedtime being watched here, but maybe it would be a good time to get some sleep?” Grandma said, coming in.

I nodded, “You’re probably right.”

“Why don’t you hop over to the potty again, and I’ll tuck you in?”

I blushed but sat my computer down and made my trip to the bathroom again. Making sure I was empty and the Pull-Up was clean, I climbed into the bed Grandma had pulled the sheets down. “Thank you for being kind to Beth tonight,” she said as she tucked me in.

“Kind to her? I think it’s the other way around?” I said, confused.

“I don’t think you know how close she came today to being in some real trouble Connor. I guarantee time with you helped her out a lot.”

“She’s fun to be around,” I told her.

“And kind of cute?” Grandma pushed.

I blushed, “Maybe?”

“If you’re really interested, don’t wait forever to make a move. You only have a semester here, after all!”

“Grandma!” I hissed… “Uh…”

She pushed me down on the bed and pulled the covers to my chin. “Good night, my little dolphin; I truly love those pajamas!”

As she closed the door and turned off the light, I was sure I must have been the reddest dolphin to have ever existed!
 
 

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you like this and press the Kudos button! I should be posting a couple times a week until this is fully posted here on BC. This time of year is a bit insane for me in the real world, so this may be more of a once-per-week posting for a few weeks here though! This first full novel is complete (73 chapters plus Epilogue) and published on Amazon if you wish to be impatient though! I hope to have Book 2 published there in the next few months as well.

All of my published works have AI read audiobooks available for them. I’ve spent some time tweaking pronunciations, and they’re pretty good when you can’t afford thousands to pay for audiobook creation! They’re a $1.99 addon to the $6.95 price on Kindle. If you’ve already purchase the book it should come up as only $1.99. They’re also available on Audible directly, but that’s $10.95 versus the cheaper price! https://www.amazon.com/author/babysofia