✅ My Sister's Problem

16. No Escape

I pulled out one of the diapers (the large ones had a pattern of dolphins and submarines) and bundled it up inside my pyjamas, along with a facial scrub and exfoliating body butter. Everything I needed to make myself feel clean and fresh before bed. On impulse I picked up Lincoln as well; the bear always helped me to relax, and I was carrying him around my room a lot more these days. Even more than my own plushies, who sat along the edge of my bed and seldom moved.

I looked at my desk, and wondered if I should clear up before getting changed for bed. There were five mugs on there; I should probably go and wash them, but it could wait until morning. I put them in a neat stack instead, and went towards the bathroom to get changed.

"Hey," Lindy called out as I passed the curtain. "Getting ready for bed?"

"Yeah. Early night for me, busy day tomorrow. Looking forward to something?"

"Yeah. Oh, and Mum said before that we don't have to wear these stupid things anymore," she kicked at a SleepSafe pack by her feet. "All I have to do is stay dry until they're all gone, and she won't buy any more."

"Cool," I said; wondering if I could still get some for myself. I'd told Mum that they were weirdly comfortable, but I wasn't sure how far she had believed me.

"Well, that reminded me of something." she smiled again. This time I could recognise a grin of gleeful malice when I saw it. And I could guess at least some of what she had in mind when she held up her phone. "I got distracted last time, so let's try again. Remember what I've got on here?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, if you don't want it to be burned into everyone else's memories, you better do what I say. No shorts tonight, you're just wearing a top and your special absorbent pants. So you can't forget that you're wearing them. You gotta have your diaper on show every night until they're all gone, so we know that you're the one who's still wearing them. My big baby sister."

"Okay?" I mumbled, not quite sure what she was getting at. Was she planning to take a picture of me sleeping in a diaper? I didn't see how that would be any more humiliating than what she already had. But I made a mental note not to hug the teddy bear tonight; and my pacifier would have to stay hidden in its box in case Lindy decided to invade my privacy. I wasn't happy to have awoken this side of her personality.

"And you're not allowed to use the bathroom before bed," she added, and the grin grew wider. And then I could see the scope of her plan. I realised, too late, that the last few times she'd brought me a drink, there had only been one cup in her hands. My door was between hers and the stairs, so she had been giving me lots of tea, not just sharing when she made some for herself. "We need to see if you're really such a big girl. See who can stay dry all night."

"Seriously?" I couldn't believe she was doing this to me. I guessed that it had to be comforting her somehow. Like she knew that she'd had to wear pull-ups for a couple of weeks again, and she wanted to prove to herself that she wasn't the only one. So that she could restore her confidence. It felt weird to me; I was being as supportive as I could, and she was still treating it like some kind of competition. I would even have said that her behaviour was cruel and unjustified; except that I was responsible for her predicament. This felt like a reasonable way to get her revenge, even if she didn't know it. That was why I hadn't done anything about the photo so far.

"You heard me. Get changed and don't pee. No going in the night, either. You can't change your diaper until I say so in the morning." I wanted to say something, like she was going to oversleep again. I just hoped that wouldn't make her mad, while she was holding her phone up like a weapon with her thumb raised over what was presumably the 'send' button. But perhaps she was a little more mature than I'd expected, because after a few seconds of indecision, she added: "If Mum shouts you before I'm up, then you can change. But only if she says."

"Is this a competition?" I asked. "So you're following the same rules?"

"No arguing," she snapped, and I didn't want to push it. She might decide to send that photo to Harper Eisen. She would surely know it was a setup, and was good at knowing who would tease their friends and who would be actually hurtful. But if Hugo caught a glimpse of it I'd never get him to see me as more than one of his little sister's friends. And if she took me literally and tried not peeing before bed, she would wake up uncomfortable and irritable, which wasn't a good state for a blackmailer. She might even wet herself without any interference from me, which was bound to escalate her revenge.

I hesitated on that thought for a minute. If she woke up wet again, I would have easier access to the pull-ups without having to go buy them. I wasn't willing to hurt Lindy's pride any further, but if it was a consequence of her own actions...

No. I didn't need to think like that. She was really embarrassed. I'd upset her, and that was the only reason she was acting out like this. I loved my sister, even if I could be cruel at times, and I wasn't going to even think about anything using her discomfort for my own benefit. And I should stop exploring weird things like this anyway, because the more I got used to sleeping with a teddy and stuff, the harder it would be to get back to normal when I had a boyfriend to hide this stuff from.

"Okay," I said, tossing my pyjama shorts down next to my bed. I could put them in the laundry tomorrow. I went into the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and got ready for bed. Diaper on display, just like a little baby. My face was probably as pink as the pattern on it when I came out; my mind was completely filled with shame. And maybe, if I could bring myself to admit it, just a little excitement about taking part in such a childish bet.

Author's Note: I thought this evening would be a chapter; it's turned into two. I'm already 1500 words into writing tomorrow's, and it's barely done; so I think this was a good place to break. I'll try not to make it 3 chapters on one event. Did you see the foreshadowing for how the whole 'blackmail' thing is going to end?