Published: August 28th 2020, 2:01:02 pm
"Hey, Vickie," Taylor said, swinging her arm, and, by extension, Victoria's, since she and Taylor were each holding one of the smaller girl's hands, keeping her trapped between them, with no hope of escaping both of them at once... Not that there was anywhere for her to go without a phone, or a car, or even any money of her own to pay for an Uber if she could convince anyone else that she wasn't the little kid she looked like and order one for her. "How long has it been since you've been in the mall?"
"Oh, yeah!" Sawyer's eyes lit up. "You've been away at college, in the big city... I bet there are way nicer ones there, and you haven't bothered coming here when you were back on break or whatever, huh?"
Vickie didn't spend a ton of time at the mall when she was at school, but the answer was the same either way, and she didn't feel like launching into a whole conversation at the moment. "No, not really," she shook her head.
"There's a lot of new stuff here!" Sawyer told her. "It's, like, the only mall in the country that's growing instead of dying, I think!"
Victoria nodded, forcing a smile; why were they telling her this? That was nice for the mall, sure, and when she'd been younger, she'd spent her share of time here, so, for the sake of nostalgia, she was glad to know it would probably be around a little longer... If not for this trip, however, it was hard to say if she would have gone there over this summer or not. Most of her favorite stores had closed before she'd started college, or shortly after, so it wasn't really the same.
"I wouldn't even know where to start to show you all of it," Taylor mused. "There's plenty you would love!"
Sawyer smirked, making Vickie wonder if this whole conversation had been planned ahead of time, maybe even rehearsed, to get them to this point. "Oh, I have a good idea," she said, turning down one of the hallways, leading them straight to the food court.
Victoria had noticed some new shops on their way there, though she hadn't been sure about all of them - she didn't usually come in through the front entrance, so some might have been around in her time, and she just never noticed - but here, the changes were obvious. It had been a few years since she'd eaten at the mall, and, then, there'd been a couple choices at most, surrounded by empty storefronts that never stayed filled for long. One spot in particular seemed to be cursed, with nothing able to stay open in it more than three months. She and her friends had surmised it must be the cheapest storefront, seeing as people kept trying it, regardless of the history of previous renters.
Right before she'd gone off to college, she remembered seeing a sign for a gyro place that was supposed to open there. She'd felt bad she wouldn't get to try it, since, no doubt, it would close by fall break. She'd forgotten about it by then, and, when she did go out to eat in town, her friends would typically want to go to an actual restaurant.
There it was, though, still open, a small line even formed in front of it. There were so many other options as well, almost all the available stores filled. The Arby's, which had been the one chain with a presence in Vickie's day, and the only place that had lasted for as long as she could recall coming to the mall, was gone, replaced by a Chinese place, and, between it and the cookie store - she was happy to see it had survived, too - there were places selling slices of pizza, corn dogs, fried chicken... Almost anything you could want.
"Wow," she couldn't help herself, nodding in appreciation. "I never would have expected to see all this here."
"I know!" Taylor agreed. "A whole smorgasbord!"
"I would've gotten so fat if all this was here when I was younger," Vickie giggled, hating herself a little for playing into the girls' hands, for being impressed. "It all looks awful... But, you know, in a good way." Really, there was only one choice, however. "I gotta try one of the gyros."
"Sure," Sawyer replied. "That's a good start. Can you stand in the line by yourself, or do you need one of us there?"
Victoria gave her a withering glare, one that didn't feel nearly as effective when she was standing there in a pair of already damp training panties, all of them well aware that she was the one being babysat, and not the babysitter, like she'd used to be. "I'll be fine," she said, feeling a moment of freedom and joy when they finally let go of her hands... Unfortunately, she only got a couple steps before she realized the issue.
She stopped, blushing, rolling her eyes at herself. She'd just been thinking about it, too... How could she already have forgotten?! She must have been too excited over the admittedly rather childish privilege of being allowed to walk by herself, away from her sitters. She'd done the exact same thing so many of her charges had, back in the day, though.
At some point, she should have started to remind them before they ordered, since, usually, they didn't consider it until they'd already put their order in, and they'd had to run up to her, all embarrassed because the cashiers had laughed at them, or, if they'd had a long enough day before, yelled at them. It was fun to tease them, however, to tell them, "I don't know... Didn't your parents give you anything? I guess if you want some food, you'll have to get a job here to pay for it."
She always gave them the money they needed, of course, but she enjoyed seeing them squirm, protest about how they didn't know anything about cooking, or working, or, if they were old enough to understand it, that they were too young to be hired. If the kids were particularly bratty, she'd make them wait until she got her own food, made them sit around and watch her start to eat, before handing over some cash, typically that their parents had left for her to buy something for them, or that she knew she'd be able to get reimbursed for later.
She nibbled her bottom lip, turning towards them slightly, seeing the pair discussing something among themselves. She was certain, at least once, they'd each done it... Did she really want to give them the satisfaction of seeing their roles reversed in another way?
It wasn't like she had a choice. She'd been a bit hungry on the car ride, but most of that had gone away once they were pulling her into the mall, making her worry someone she knew would see her, all dressed up like a little girl... Surrounded by all these good smells, though, her stomach was beginning to grumble again, louder than ever. And, if she had to see them eating, while she had nothing, it was only going to get worse... Besides, at that point, they'd know what she'd done anyway, unless she claimed she'd gotten through the line and gobbled up all her food before they made it to her table.
She really didn't think she'd be able to do what her former charges had, and sit there and watch them eat, without giving up her lie and begging them for money anyway. The longer she stood here, surrounded by all the food, the hungrier she felt. Sighing, she caved, trudging over to the pair.
"Oh?" Sawyer looked down at her, eyebrow raised. "What's wrong, sweetie? Do you need one of us after all?"
Victoria crinkled her nose, very briefly considering a change of mind. "N-No," she said instead. "I-I, umm... I-I need some money."
"What's that?" Taylor leaned a little closer.
Vickie huffed, rolling her eyes. "I don't have any money!"
"Oh, that's too bad," Sawyer told her. "Maybe you should see if any of these places will hire you... Although, I don't know... It's probably a health hazard to have someone who can't keep her pants dry behind the counter."
"Shh!" Vickie blushed, looking around anxiously to see if anyone had overheard that, while, at the same time, tugging at the hem of her skirtall, wondering if Sawyer knew she'd had an accident again already.
"What's wrong, Vickie?" Taylor asked. "You're a big girl, aren't you? You should be able to earn your own money, instead of begging your babysitters for it..."
"She's really not doing a very good job of begging, either," Sawyer pointed out. "I'm not sure she actually wants it that bad..."
Victoria grumbled, glaring at the pair. "What do you want from me?" she demanded.
"If you're going to beg," Sawyer looked her straight in the eye, "beg."
Was this really worth it?! Degrading herself like this in public, for some food court gyros? She assumed they were decent, if it was still open, and people were still lining up for them, but... She started to stomp her foot, stopping herself in time, not wanting to flash her trainers, either to the babysitters in front of her, or all the people behind her.
She'd already been through all this in her mind, already knew she was going to give in at some point... If she made them wait, they might find a way to make it worse, somehow. With a resigned sigh, she lowered herself onto her knees, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Please," she pleaded, "please, could you give me some money so I can buy lunch?"
The girls were taller than her normally, but staring up at them like this, knowing that, even more than usual, they had all the power, made them look like giants - or, compared to her in her trainers, grown-ups - giggling down at a measly human. "I'm hungry," she added pitifully.
"I'm sure you are," Taylor patted her on the head. "What do you think, Sawyer?"
"That was all right," the other girl shrugged. "It would be better if she finished up by promising she would crawl over to get her food, on all fours, like the baby she is."
"Please, no!" Vickie gasped, shaking her head. Even disregarding how unsanitary that would be, or how ridiculous she'd look - and, thus, how much attention she'd get - the dress was far too short for her to hope it would keep her training panties hidden... Everyone in the food court would know what she was wearing, and, no doubt, what state they were in... Just thinking about it made the situation worse, another tiny trickle of urine sneaking out of her from fear and anxiety.
It was, of course, the wrong move. She should have known never to let her tormentors know what bothered her. "That might be a good idea," Taylor latched onto it. "Maybe one of the workers will take pity on her and carry her tray for her, so she can crawl over to it, too... We can borrow a booster and make her sit in it while she eats..."
"Come on," Vickie whimpered. "I-I'll pay you back after the weekend, as soon as my parents get my stuff for me..." She hoped her purse, and the money and cards in it, would be among those things, at least. "Y-You can charge me interest..."
"I don't know..." Taylor mused, as if Victoria hadn't already given her more money to pay for her new laptop than a couple hundred lunches at the mall could possibly cost. Vickie didn't want to say that the girl owed her, in case it made Sawyer wonder what for, but Taylor definitely did.
"She would be pretty cute, crawling around..." Sawyer said.
"I-I'll crawl for you all you want when we get home!" Vickie promised. "Wh-Whenever you want..." That was a dangerous promise to make, but as long as it was just when they were at her house, it seemed a fair trade; at least there wouldn't be anyone else there, unless they decided to make her do it while her parents were around. If they did, though, then hopefully her parents would realize how mean they were, how unsuitable to be babysitters...
"Really?" Sawyer asked. "You'll just drop down onto all fours like a little baby, and not stand up until we tell you that you can?"
Victoria was second-guessing herself, seeing how excited Sawyer appeared that she'd so easily made this offer, but, now that she had, she knew there was no turning back... Unless she changed her mind and did it for them now - and exposed her accident, giving them a reason to carry out their threat of diapers - they wouldn't be satisfied with anything less.
"Yeah," she shrugged, defeated. "I'll do it."
"Well, then," Taylor grinned. "Guess it's a good thing I stopped by the ATM yesterday, since I don't normally carry cash... And I definitely wouldn't trust her with my card."
Vickie glared at her, thinking again about what Taylor had charged onto her own card, and how she was obviously the one who couldn't be trusted... But she made herself say, "Thank you," when the girl handed her a ten dollar bill anyway.
Taylor held out her hand, helping Victoria climb to her feet, then, the moment she was up, yanking her in closer to her, Vickie's cheeks darkening, thinking about how her skirt had definitely fluttered up in the back, flashed anyone who happened to be behind them, as she swallowed, staring up at the taller, younger girl. "Vickie," she lectured, "I expect to get all my change back, understand?"
She did; it was another one of her old tricks, coming back to bite her on her padded ass. Even when the parents would leave money for just this sort of thing, Vickie always demanded anything the kids didn't spend come back to her. Really, in her mind, it was part of her babysitting fee... As far as the children were concerned, she could have pocketed it, and made them some PB&Js back home.
"Y-Yes, ma'am," she nodded.
"Good girl," Sawyer let go out her. "Go on, then."
Vickie hurried away, money clutched in one hand, the other pulling at her skirtall, not wanting anyone to catch a glimpse of her trainers, especially if they'd seen that humiliating display she'd just put on. The line had only gotten longer, but that was all right with her... The longer she could keep away from her sitters, the better.
The more people who showed up behind her, however, the less pleased she was. There was no way for her to know for sure how well the skirt was keeping her training panties hidden back there, if she should be standing a different way, if her nervous tugging was making it worse... At least she could - and did, constantly - glance down and get an idea if she was showing anything from the front, if the bored teen working the single open cash register was going to get a show... The rear was a total, nerve-wracking, mystery to her.
Finally, when she was almost at the head of the line, the shop's second register opened up. Vickie started to move over to it, but the person behind her was faster, taking her spot.
"Hey!" she whined. "You're cutting!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl who had taken her place said. "I thought you were with him." The guy ahead of Vickie looked confused, shaking his head, all attention turning to Vickie... Who was ducking her head, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut, because she realized she knew who the girl was. "Here, you can go first."
"N-No," Vickie gulped, squirming nervously, praying the girl didn't recognize her, hadn't seen anything beneath her dress. "S-Sorry, you go ahead." She swallowed again as the girl looked down at her, thinking back to her dream from the day before, where she'd last seen her, and her near-constant companion, who didn't seem to be around now.
There was no doubt she was somewhere nearby, however. Why else would Liz be here, after all, if she wasn't with Jordan? Liz didn't live here, but Jordan did, so she must have invited her to come hang out for a while, probably work out... And, from the look of things, go to the pool.
Liz and Jordan loved hanging out, tanning themselves, showing off their muscles, so it wasn't unusual to see either of them dressed skimpily... Right now, though, considering what Victoria herself was wearing - not to mention the fact they were at the mall, in public, not at college - it seemed more scandalous than ever. Liz was wearing what was clearly a bikini top, and nothing else above her waist, her tanned body glistening in the fluorescent light. She was wearing the bottoms as well, barely hidden by a long, wraparound cover-up skirt, see-through, and open along one leg, where it was tied in place at the waist, spilling open and exposing her shapely leg perfectly.
How could Vickie, wearing her little skirtall, and her soggy trainers, be the same age as her? How could she be anywhere close?! "Are you sure?" Liz asked, bending down, like she was talking to a small child. "I didn't mean to be rude, cutie."
Vickie nodded. "Thank you," Liz patted her on the head, a gesture Vickie had a feeling she was going to have to get used to. By then, the guy who had been mistaken for her boyfriend - she hoped, and not an older brother instead - was finished, so the two of them reached the registers at the same time.
Victoria placed her order quietly. She'd spoken as little as possible to Liz, her tone automatically turning higher, squeakier, when she had, and she didn't want to risk the girl recognizing her normal voice from only a couple feet away. "What was that?" the cashier asked.
What was better? Vickie wondered. Speaking like her usual self, and running the risk of Liz discovering who she was, or ordering from this stranger, sounding like a little girl. There was a good chance she'd never see the cashier again, and she had a whole year of school left with Liz, and all the people she could tell about this...
"S-Sowwy, siw," she spoke up, realizing instantly she'd overdone it, but that it was too late to back out now. This was fine, she told herself... The more unrecognizable she made her voice sound, the better. "I-I just want one gywo pwate, wiff fwies."
"Huh?" he furrowed his brow. "Was that rice, or fries?"
"Fwies!" Vickie repeated, able to tell right away he still couldn't understand her. "Fwies!"
"Excuse me," Liz leaned over. "I think she's saying fries, right, sweetie? Like french fries?" Vickie blushed, nodded. "Yeah, see?" She gave the cashier a conspiratorial wink. "Little kids never want rice."
Victoria didn't know how to feel about that; she was glad her 'disguise' had worked, but hated how easily everyone was accepting her as a child. The cashier nodded back to Liz, ringing Vickie up, not questioning what the larger girl had said for one moment. She almost wished she'd gotten the rice instead, to prove she wasn't a kid... That might have ruined her cover, though, given Liz a reason to look a little closer...
Liz got her food first, and Vickie thought she was safe, until she was given her tray and turned around to look for Sawyer and Taylor, positive they must have beaten her and found a table for them to sit at. Liz was waiting for her, smiling pleasantly.
"Can you carry that all by yourself?" she asked. "It can be tricky, and I wouldn't want you to fall and spill your yummy food."
"I-I'm okay," Vickie told her. "F-Fank yew."
"You're sure?" Liz eyed her, clearly seeing her as a weak little girl, one who might struggle with that, despite how easy it was. "I'd be happy to help."
"I'm fine," Vickie insisted.
"Well, where are you sitting?" Liz wasn't convinced, obviously. Vickie genuinely didn't have an answer for her, since she hadn't spotted her babysitters yet. "You are with someone, aren't you?" Liz sounded concerned. "You're not here by yourself?"
"N-No," Vickie shook her head, frantically searching for Taylor and Sawyer.
"Here," Liz bent down, grabbing Victoria's tray out of her hands, "we'll find them together, okay?"
"I-I can do it mythelf!" Vickie whined.
"It'll be quicker with both of us," Liz promised. "And, if we can't find them, you can eat with me and my friend, and hopefully they'll find you."
Vickie groaned, hearing confirmation, in her mind, that Jordan was around... Would she really be able to make it through lunch with them, if it came down to that, without at least one of them figuring out her true identity? Jordan had known her a lot longer, and she had a feeling she'd see through her lost little girl disguise instantly.
Fortunately, it didn't take long before they found the girls... Less fortunately, they saw Victoria first, and shouted, "Hey, Vickie! Over here!"
Vickie felt her trainers warming slightly again as her gaze shot upwards towards Liz, seeing if she reacted to the name. Thankfully, she didn't go by 'Vickie' at college often, though it wasn't hard to jump to that from 'Victoria'. Liz paused a moment, looking down at her, Vickie quickly shifting her gaze to her shoes. "Is that you?"
Vickie swallowed, nodded, waited for the moment of recognition. Instead, she heard, "Oh, good!" and saw Liz's sandal-clad feet walking towards the table Taylor and Sawyer were sitting at. She followed along after her, keeping her gaze down.
"There you go!" Liz declared, setting her tray down. "You have fun today, all right? And stay out of trouble!"
"Y-Yeth, ma'am. Fank yew," Vickie blushed, hearing her sitters giggle at her response. Liz walked away, Vickie allowing herself a big sigh of relief as she climbed into the chair... Only to finally look up enough to see the top of the table, covered in trays, and food, far more than the three of them could possibly need, each plate or box accompanied with a large drink cup. "Wow," she blinked. "Were you two really that hungry?"
"Well," Taylor grinned, "We thought that since you hadn't had the chance to try most of the places here, you should have something from each of them."
"That's right," Sawyer smirked. "And you are going to eat, and drink, every bit of it. Now, go on, Vickie... Say 'fank yew' like a good little girl."