Adventures in Athame

Chapter 8
Book 2: Chapter 1

Chapter Description: Starting out book two we have Ryan facing his first day of re-education school.

Ryan woke up on the first day of school in a very wet and messy diaper. He was very nervous about being around others in his five-year-old regressed and diapered state. He knew he was really a big boy, and used to know things like how to use the potty. Looking down at his well used diaper though, it was hard to believe.

“Good morning Ryan!” greeted Kuma, his plush teddy bear friend. They still slept in the same bed, though it seemed much larger to Ryan now.

“Good morning Kuma.” said Ryan in a small voice. He shifted a bit in his messy diaper, still embarrassed by it.

“I'll go get Linda.” said Kuma, sliding out of bed. He didn't mind that his small friend was stinky. He was used to it now, having woken up nearly every morning to it. He even helped, though he was the size of an eight-year-old, he was as capable as an eighteen-year-old. Even so, Linda had told him to always come get her for diaper changes.

Ryan waited for him to return with Linda, idly poking at his diaper. He wore some green dinosaur pajamas over it, but it was still very bulgy and noticeable. Getting out of bed, he yawned, stretching out, and his diaper sagged, making his pajamas sag with it. It was embarrassing, but he had grown used to it. As long as no one else saw he was okay with it, which is why he was afraid of school. Well, that was one reason anyway.

Linda soon came in and greeted Ryan. The kind, motherly old red panda plush woman smiled and patted his head. “Good morning Ryan!” she said. Her nose wrinkled at the odor, already knowing he needed a change. “Lets get you changed and then we can get some food in that tummy. You're going to need a good breakfast for your first day of school.”

Ryan nodded and held his arms up. “Okay.” he said somewhat sadly, looking glum.

Linda saw and picked him up, snuggling him and giving him plush kisses on his face. “Aww, don't be that way.” she said. “I already told you, it'll be okay, and even fun!” She removed his pajamas and laid him on the changing table.

Ryan blushed, slipping a thumb into his mouth. It was a new habit he had picked up from the loss of maturity. Something about it made him feel better. He was also starting to like Linda's attention and the ways she would baby him. Going to school, learning, growing, having to fight again, it was all scary to him now that he was so small and weak.

Linda noticed the look of worry on his face and blew raspberries on his exposed tummy. This always made him laugh and giggle like a baby, and this time was no exception. She really enjoyed getting a positive reaction out of him. She untaped his diaper and cleaned him up with a baby wipe, then re-diapered him in a fresh clean disposable diaper. “There we go, all nice and clean and dry. You can stay in just your diaper until you finish breakfast. Don't want to get your new school outfit dirty.”

Ryan nodded and blushed. He was more used to wearing clothes over his diaper, but understood why she wouldn't want to dress him just yet. His ability to feed himself was now under-developed too, and he tended to make a mess of himself while eating. He sat at the table on a booster seat as he was given some pancakes with syrup to eat, along with a sippy cup of orange juice. The pancakes were very buttery and tasty. Ryan always did love Linda's cooking. The sippy cup was much easier to use than a glass, and he happily drank from it. Once he was done, it was time for him to get dressed. He wasn't sure how much he liked the school uniforms. They were light blue tees with dark blue short pants. His had snaps going up the legs and around the crotch, and were bigger to allow room for thick diapers. The shoes were just small blue slip-on ones with no laces, easy to put on and take off.

“You look so cute in your new school uniform!” said Linda. It had been many years since she had someone to care for, and she always enjoyed it. She put on her teaching outfit, which was a long brown skirt and dark blue top.

Ryan blushed as Linda combed his messy hair, looking in the mirror at his five-year-old reflection. He did like how he looked, but noticed he was missing something.

“Ryan!” shouted Kuma. “Don't forget this!” He had Ryan's favorite red scarf in his hands, and wrapped it around his neck.

“Thanks Kuma!” said Ryan, giving him a big hug.

“You're welcome.” said Kuma, returning the hug. “Have fun today! I'll be practicing some magic while you're there.”

Ryan nodded and frowned a bit. He wanted to practice magic too. “Okay.” he said, then held Linda's hand as they walked to the school. He still had butterflies in his stomach, walking into the big school building, but holding Linda's hand made him feel a bit better.

Inside, the school had long white hallways decorated with cartoon representations of various animals and reminders of the alphabet and numbers. The air was filled with the scent of construction paper, school glue, crayons, and pencils. It brought to the forefront old memories of school that Ryan still had left over. It was odd to remember things looking smaller as he got older, and now things looked larger. He remembered teachers and the faces of his friends, but not the actual education he received. The other There were other students dressed in the same kind of outfits, some large and some small, but most were bigger than Ryan, which made him even more shy.

“How come they so big?” Ryan asked Linda. “Not everyone has lost as much age as you. Most have simply lost knowledge and only a little age. However, depending on how much education and maturity they've lost, they may act younger than they look. Don't worry, we group everyone by mental age here, so there won't be anyone more advanced than you are or anything.”

Ryan nodded, trying to understand it all. He wasn't really concerned with how much the others knew, but how large they were. Many of them were about the size of Kuma, and a few even the size he remembered being. Those towered above him, all looking down at the little human who was different from them. As he entered the large classroom, he felt his diaper grow a little warm in front. He sat down at a little wooden desk and looked around. Next to him was a black and white plush skunk who looked to be about the same size as him. He noticed he also wore a diaper, as the bulge was hard to miss. Behind him was a calico cat plush wearing a pink version of the school outfit. It seemed here that girls wore pink while boys wore blue. Looking around, there was also a gray rabbit plush who looked to be about Kuma's height, also wearing a diaper, and a large orange and black striped tiger plush about as tall as a twelve-year-old human child. There were others as well, including some teddy bear plushes like Kuma. They looked different though, not as kind.

“Attention class!” said Linda standing at the front of the room. She wrote her name on the chalk board. “My name is Miss Linda, and I'll be your teacher this year.” She went around the room allowing each student to stand up and say their name. Ryan found out that the skunk's name was Oliver, the calico's name was Mina, and the older tiger plush's name was Toby. Class went on and Linda went over the basics of letters and numbers, having the students repeat them, and even giving them coloring sheets to complete. Some were better at staying in the lines than others. Ryan had difficulty doing this, and was a bit jealous of those who could, since their papers looked better.

After a while, Ryan felt a bit itchy in his diaper. He didn't even notice that he had pooped, but some of the other non-diapered students did. He blushed when he noticed some covering their noses and giggling. He felt even smaller and younger than he actually was, and began to tear up a little.

Linda noticed and came over to him. “Everything okay Ryan?” she asked. Then she picked up the smell. “Oh, I should have mentioned this before, but anyone who needs a diaper change should raise their hands when they need one. It's not healthy to stay in a dirty diaper for too long.” Some of the class giggled. “Now now, don't laugh. They can't help it and at one time neither could you. Just remember that you could end up in diapers again too. Then how funny would it be?” The class fell silent. “Okay then, now, who needs a change?”

Ryan didn't want to lift his hand out of embarrassment, but then Oliver shyly raised his paw. The little skunk had made a stinky in his diaper as well. Seeing this, Ryan decided to raise his small hand too.

“Okay, Oliver and Ryan come with me.” said Linda, leading the two stinkers to the nurse's office. “You two can get changed by the nurse here, but be sure to come right back to class okay?”

The two nodded and blushed, looking at each other as Linda went back to tend to the classroom.

“H-hi.” said Oliver. “I'm Oliver. N-nice to meet you.”

“N-nice to meet you too.” said Ryan, all nervous. Now that they were standing side by side, Ryan noticed the skunk plush was a bit taller than him.

“You're kinda different.” said Oliver. “Don't think I ever seen someone like you before.”

“Imma hu..human.” said Ryan. “I came from...somewhere far away.”

“You wear diapers like me.” said Oliver. “I used to be potty trained, but I lost it to the monsters.”

“I used to be older and knew a lot.” said Ryan. “But then I got all little and dumb.”

“M-me too.” said Oliver, still a bit shy. “How old were you?”

“Um, seven...sevent-teen.” said Ryan. It was hard thinking of what the number was called.

“That's old.” said Oliver. “I usta be twelve.”

A friendly fox plush nurse came in wearing a white nurse outfit. “Hello there!” she said. “I'm Miss Vix. I understand you two need a diaper change?”

The two nodded, blushing.

“Aww, it's okay.” she said. “No need to be shy around me. I've changed more diapers than I can count. Now come on with me.”

The two followed her into a nurse station where a large changing table was. They were both placed on the table, it being large enough to hold three students at a time. The nurse unbuttoned their shorts to get access to their diapers, then opened their diapers and began cleaning them. The two boys looked away from each other, blushing, not wanting to see or be seen at the moment.

“Uh oh, looks like you have a bit of a rash Ryan.” said Vix. She dipped her paw into jar of cream and rubbed it into a red spot on his skin.

Ryan winced at the pain and wiggled a little. It stung a little, but then began to feel better. Soon enough they were both clean and powdered, back in clean diapers, their shorts all snapped up shut.

“Okay you two, do you remember where your class is?” Vix asked.

They both nodded.

“Okay, get right back to class then.” she said. “No wondering off.”

The two diapered students then headed back to class.

“That wasn't so bad.” said Oliver.

“Y-yeah.” said Ryan. It did feel better being changed alongside someone else who also needed diapers. On their way back they saw someone else from their class headed for a change, one of the older teddy bears, at least physically, much taller than Kuma. He was dark blue with a tan muzzle and paws, and he crinkled slightly as he walked. The big scary bear grumbled and huffed, passing by the two smaller students. “He's kinda scary.”

Oliver nodded. “He's kinda mean.” he said. “His name is Jamie.”

“He's m-mean?” asked Ryan. He was told no one would be mean to him, so now he was scared again.

“Kinda.” said Oliver. “He's grumpy cuz he's older but has to wear diapers too. Just don't bring it up with him.”

Ryan nodded and began sucking his thumb. Soon they were back in class and Linda continued teaching. Jamie came back in as well, and huffed as he sat down with a soft crinkle.

The bell rang and Linda guided the students to the lunch room. “Lunch time!” she said. “Everyone line up, take a tray of food, and have a seat. If you need help eating, let one of us know and we'll help.”

The lunch room was very large and full of small tables with little stools, all sized for younger and smaller students. There were some a bit larger, and some larger still made for the staff. The walls were painted yellow and had posters showing the food pyramid and healthy eating tips. Everyone lined up and went into the back of the room to receive a tray of food, then carry it to a table and sit down. Ryan sat with Oliver and Mina, and others, feeling all eyes on him, the only human in this plush world. He nervously ate his food, which was actually very good for school food.

Following lunch, everyone went back to class for a while, then were allowed out to play for recess. Ryan remembered recess from schools in his own world, and knew it was time to play. There were monkey bars, jungle gyms, swings, slides, and other things to play on or play with. However, everyone was either larger or seemed somewhat threatening to him, and he sat on the ground doodling with a stick. Eventually Oliver came over and invited him to play with a couple others. Ryan was shy, but accepted, feeling a small bond with the little plush skunk after having their diapers changed together.

“Guys, this is Ryan.” said Oliver, introducing him. “He's a human from far away.”

“Hi Ryan!” said Mina, the plush calico cat. She smiled and waved politely. “I'm Mina!”

“H-hi Mina.” said Ryan shyly.

“I like your scarf.” said Mina.

“Th-thanks.” said Ryan, blushing a little.

“Yeah, it's pretty cool.” said Toby, the large tiger plush. Though he was about as tall as a ten-year-old human boy, he too had on a diaper underneath his shorts. “I'm Toby! Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too.” said Ryan. He played on the swings and went down the slides with them, having a lot of fun, but was drawing more attention from others on the playground. They had gathered around to greet and inspect the little human boy, making Ryan a bit more nervous. Many plushes stood over him, chatting and asking him questions. It began to feel like too much and he suddenly ran to a corner of the playground, covering his ears and kneeling on the ground.

Linda saw and began heading toward him when she spotted a pair of glowing eyes just beyond the wood fence of the playground. It was a shadowy monster lurking in the bushes. Strange, since monsters were rarely seen this close to the town, let alone the school. The location for the school was chosen because of its lack of monster sightings. Yet here, now, there was one, and it had its eyes fixed on Ryan.

Some of the others noticed as Linda ran to him and began to shout, but he had his hands over his ears and didn't hear them. It wasn't until she scooped him up and carried him away that he saw the glowing eyes within the bushes. Luckily, Linda's presence was enough to drive it off. Her suspicions seemed to be confirmed with this encounter. The monsters seemed to be attracted to Ryan.

Ryan looked shocked and then saw the reaction of the others. They seemed to back away from him, as if afraid. He felt like he could never fit in now, and began to cry.

Linda hugged him and held him close. “Shhh, it's okay now.” she said. “It's gone.”

“B-but, the others.” Ryan said with tears in his eyes. “They afraid of me.”

Linda looked around at the others and shook her head. “Listen everyone, this boy is unique and that attracts certain monsters, but you are all well protected here. Nothing will get to you as long as you stay inside the fence. It is not Ryan's fault. He can't help it..He's already lost so much to them. Don't let them cost him your friendship too.”

The others thought and looked around and down at the ground, then came closer. “W-we're sorry.” said a small gray rabbit plush. “We just don't want them coming after us.”

“I-it's okay.” said Ryan. “I d-don't want em coming after me either. I tried to fight them with magic.”

“You know magic?” asked Oliver.

“Y-yeah.” said Ryan.

“Can you show us?” asked Oliver.

“Um, s-sure.” said Ryan. He concentrated and formed a small sphere of light in his hand. The others were entertained, finding it amusing. Not many of them knew magic, at least not anymore, and those who did could no longer control it like he could. Somehow Ryan's human form was able to handle magic better, even when regressed to a young age. There were lots of “Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” from the crowd, and Ryan smiled for the first time since being at school. Naturally a few of them were now jealous, especially Jamie.

The bell rang, signaling the end of recess. It was a good thing too, since the scare had made several of them need diaper changes, including Ryan. Linda took him to the restroom where she changed him on the fold out changing table.

“My my, such a stinker.” she said, teasing him a little. “You did well today.”

Ryan blushed as he lay on the changing table. “I was scared...” he said. “Sorry I ran away.”

“It's okay sweetie.” said Linda, gently cleaning him up. “Your reactions are a result of your regressed emotional state. It can't be helped sometimes. However, you know you should come to me instead of running off, okay?” She lifted him by the ankles and wiped him free of the mess he had made.

“O-okay.” he said as he was settled back down onto a clean diaper. “I like Oliver...and Mina. They're nice.”

“They are good kids.” said Linda, powdering and re-diapering him. “I'm sure you will make more friends too.” She refastened the buttons on his shorts and washed her hands, helping him back up.

“Thank you Miss Linda.” said Ryan, hugging her.

Linda returned the hug. “You're welcome dear.” she said. “Now lets finish up school for the day.” She brought him back to the classroom and waited on a few who still needed changes, then began teaching again. Soon it was time to go home, and everyone said goodbye to one another.

“H-hey, Ryan?” asked Oliver. “I'm having a sleep over soon. W-would you like to come?”

Ryan thought about it, and looked up at Linda.

“You can if you want to.” said Linda, patting his head.

Ryan looked back at Oliver and nodded shyly. “Uh huh, sure!” he said with a smile. He was happy to be making new friends.

“Yay!” Oliver cheered. “I'll let my mommy know. It'll be in a few days so I hope I see you again tomorrow!”

“Y-yeah!” said Ryan. “Same here!” Now he was looking forward to seeing his new friend at school tomorrow.

Linda watched and smiled, happy to see Ryan making friends. This is what she had really hoped for. Education was a goal, but she knew it would take a long time. Almost as much time as it would for him to grow up again. Having friends would make that time more tolerable for him. Some who lost knowledge could re-learn faster than they originally learned it, but only if some of it remained. It seemed like all of Ryan's education, as far as reading and math go, was completely gone.

After school, Ryan went home with Linda and told Kuma all about his day. Kuma sat happily and listened to his little friend. Then Ryan had a curious question.

“Kuma, if you are eighteen, why are you so small?” he asked. “I saw others today who were younger than you, but bigger.”

Kuma blushed a little and looked down at Ryan. “I thought you knew.” he said. “My age was taken by the monsters as well. My physical age especially. I was brought down to about your current age a few years ago, and had to go back to school like you. However, I was lucky and able to relearn much of what I lost. Now my mental age is back to what it should be, but my body remains younger, and I'll have to grow up all over again. I'm not the only one who has had to deal with this, and some have been brought down to near infancy, losing all their memories too.”

“D-do they ever get killed by the monsters?” asked Ryan.

“No, they have never killed anyone.” said Kuma. “They want us alive so we can grow and gain knowledge again, so we can be drained dry by them again if caught. So we have to train and learn to fight back or they will take everything over and over again. Old ones like Master Hedwig and Linda are rare, yet they too have had their share of losses over time. They do not go out much because their vast knowledge is what they hunger for. They also hunger for yours, since it is so unique. That is why you have been attacked so frequently and have lost so much.”

“Oh...” said Ryan. “Thanks Kuma.” He hugged the brown teddy bear tightly. “You were the first one I met, and since then you have only been trying to help me. I...I love you for that.”

“Oh, Ryan.” said Kuma, hugging back. “I love you as well, and I treasure our friendship greatly. I will always do my best to help you with whatever you need.”

That night they slept peacefully all curled up with one another. Ryan sucked his thumb as he slept, feeling safe and sound with Kuma snuggling him.

The next day at school went better, since he had Oliver and Mina to play with. Toby eventually came over to play as well, and everyone wanted some time with the human kid, but made sure to give him space and only a few at a time played with him. Not everyone was a true friend, since a lot of them just wanted to see for themselves what this human was like. School became a little less scary for him, but would it always be this way?

To be continued...