Reborn

Chapter 14
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It was dawn and Jack was lying awake in his crib. He knew that time was running out and he was attempting to come up with a new plan to escape. In the morning silence he had once again attempted to remember the seven times table. With difficulty, after five minutes of contemplation, he had concluded that three times seven was twenty one. But he was aware that he should have been able to reach that answer in a matter of seconds.

It had become clear to him that Emma would not give him an opportunity to escape whilst his mind was intact. She could simply keep him confined to the house, or drive him around in her car for hours on end, without ever giving him the chance to speak to another person. But he thought that if he could convince her that he had already lost his mind, then she might slip up and give him an opportunity to summon help.

He had been mentally rehearsing his lines all morning. He needed it to seem real, he couldn’t show any hesitation, he knew that one mistake could give the whole game away. He could hear Emma stirring in the room next door.

It’s time, he thought.

Jack closed his eyes. He heard the door to his room swing open followed by footsteps next to his crib.

“It’s morning sleepy head. Time to get up.” Emma announced.

Jack groaned softly and opened his eyes. He rolled onto his stomach and sluggishly climbed up to a standing position using the bars of the crib for support.

“Mommy,” Jack exclaimed, as he stretched out his arms above his head.

Emma looked at Jack quizzically and tilted her head.

“Do you want to go up Jack?” Emma asked.

Jack smiled up at her and stretched out his arms as far as he could make them go.

“Up, up,” he replied excitedly.

Emma scooped Jack up into her arms and rested him on her hip.

“You’re in a better mood today Jack, you were grouchy yesterday weren’t you?” Emma remarked.

Jack stared back at her blankly.

“Yesterday, in the car, when you were counting, remember?” Emma asked.

“Car goes vroom vroom!” Jack replied.

Emma paused momentarily. Jack studied her face and thought that she looked surprised.

“That’s right the car does go vroom vroom...and what noise does a train make Jack?” she asked.

He didn’t want to appear to answer the question too quickly, he screwed up his face as though he was thinking about her query.

“Oh...uhm...choo choo train,” he replied.

“You’re right, the train does go choo choo,” she beamed.

“Choo, choo.” Jack repeated cheerfully.

“Now let’s get you changed into a clean diaper, lie down on the floor for mommy.” Emma instructed.

She lifted Jack down onto the bedroom floor, placing him on his feet at the side of the crib.

But instead of lying down, Jack waddled over to the corner of the room and picked up a toy truck. Kneeling down, he pushed the truck along the carpet in a semi-circular motion.

“Vroom! Vroom!” he hollered.

“No Jack, you can play with your toys soon but first mommy needs to change your diaper.” Emma asserted.

“No!” Jack replied, as he continued playing.

She raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips.

“You can still keep your truck but you have to lie down and let mommy change your diaper,” she insisted.

Jack decided not to reply. Instead he focused intently on the bright yellow truck as he pushed it across the floor and slammed it into the wall.

“Boom!” he yelled.

Emma walked over to Jack and bent down, grabbing hold of one of his hands.

“Jack, be a good boy for mommy and lie down, it won’t take two minutes and you can still hold your truck.” Emma ordered.

“Nooo!” Jack whimpered.

Emma gestured towards the floor and guided Jack into a sitting position before gently pushing him onto his back. Jack clutched the truck tightly in his hands and groaned.

“It’s okay honey, it will only take two minutes and then you can go play.” Emma said softly.

Normally Jack would remain still and silent whilst Emma was changing his diaper, but this time he wriggled around slightly, fumbling around with the toy truck and spinning its wheels with his fingers.

After he was changed and dressed, Emma carried him to the kitchen where she began preparing breakfast. Jack continued to play with the toy truck on the kitchen floor and paid little attention to what Emma was doing.

“We’re having waffles Jack,” she revealed, “you like waffles,” she added.

He did like waffles, but he concluded that in order to successfully play the part of a toddler he needed to keep Emma on her toes. He remembered eating ice cream in the parking lot and he decided to ask for that instead. He rose to his feet and took a few steps towards her, then gently tugged on the hem of her T- shirt.

“Mommy, ice keem,” he said.

Emma turned to look at Jack, who was gazing at her with a cheeky grin.

“We can’t eat ice cream for breakfast honey, besides I don’t have any.” Emma replied.

Jack furrowed his brow and stomped his feet on the ground.

“Want ice keem,” he whined.

“We don’t have any ice cream. You like waffles, Jack.” Emma asserted.

Jack groaned and then resumed playing with his toy truck until breakfast was ready. Despite his earlier demands for ice cream, he consumed the waffles ravenously. He didn’t even try to avoid making a mess and by the time he was finished his face was smeared with syrup.

Once Emma had finished her breakfast she led Jack into the living room, where several toys were scattered on the floor in front of the television. Without hesitating, Jack sat down on the floor and picked up a toy racecar. He thought that Emma might be testing him and he was worried that he might accidentally give away the deception. He decided that he needed to find a way to make it appear as though he was genuinely enjoying playing with the toys.

Jack pushed the toy racecar along the floor and thought about ways to make the toys seem more interesting to him, he didn’t want to appear to be bored. He decided that if he told a story about the toys, even if it was a silly story, then he might be able to maintain his focus and trick Emma into thinking that he was really playing.

He examined the toy racecar and decided that he would pretend to be driving it. Then he turned his attention to a nearby chair and decided that he would pretend that it was his house. He decided that he was going to tell a story about escaping from the house in a racecar. Suddenly Jack’s stream of thought was interrupted by the sound of Emma talking in the kitchen. He hadn’t even realized that she had left the room.

“Hello, is that Sophie?” Emma said.

Jack placed the toy racecar on the floor and started to listen intently.

“Hi, my name’s Emma, I saw your babysitting ad online,” she continued.

Jack realized that she was talking to someone on the phone. He stared at the racecar whilst he continued to eavesdrop.

“Yeah, I have a toddler but I need to go out tomorrow afternoon and I can’t take him with me. I know it’s short notice but it’s a bit of an emergency, I don’t suppose you’re free for a few hours?” Emma queried.

It’s working, Jack thought. She thinks I’m a baby.

“You are? Oh that’s amazing. Thank you so much, what are your rates?” Emma asked.

Jack’s heart started to race. He thought that if he was left alone with a babysitter, he might be able to ask for help.

“That sounds great, let’s say from midday to four o’clock in the afternoon?” Emma went on.

He decided that it would be his best chance to escape Emma’s clutches. He began to contemplate what he could say to the babysitter in order to convince her to help him.

“Yeah, I mean he’s a bit shy, I work from home so it’s been a while since he last had a babysitter...he’s one and a half.” Emma explained.

He didn’t think that a babysitter would believe him if he told them that he was actually an adult. But he figured that if he could convince the babysitter to contact the police somehow, then he might at least be separated from Emma and have longer to explain his predicament.

“I don’t suppose you’d be able to call over this afternoon for ten minutes just to introduce yourself? It will give Jack a chance to get used to you, he’s not used to being left with strangers.” Emma advised.

Jack remembered that he was supposed to be playing with his toys and that he needed to keep up the act. He turned his attention back to the toy racecar and continued to listen quietly.

“That’s brilliant, thank you so much. I live at fifty two Lake Avenue. That’s right, I’ll see you this afternoon then.” Emma continued.

Jack started to plan his next course of action. He thought that if he was introduced to the babysitter later that same day then he might be able to make an immediate plea for help. However he quickly dismissed that notion, he realized that he wouldn’t have enough time to ask the babysitter for help as Emma would be able to bundle him away before he could say more than a few words. He decided that he needed to wait until the following day, when he would be left alone with the babysitter, before he could ask for help.

“Jack, a nice lady called Sophie is coming to visit today.” Emma revealed.

Jack put the toy racecar on the floor and turned around to see Emma stood in the doorway. He stared at her blankly and pretended that he didn’t understand what she was saying.

“Mommy?” he replied.

“Mommy needs to go out tomorrow afternoon and you can’t come with me, Sophie is going to look after you until I get back. She’s going to call over today to say ‘hi’ and then tomorrow she’s going to look after you for a few hours.” Emma explained.

He continued to gaze impassively, he thought that if he reacted too strongly to her words then Emma would start to suspect his plan. He needed her to believe that he was oblivious to the impending arrival of Sophie. He picked up the toy racecar and waved it around.

“Vroom! Vroom!” he hollered.

“The car does go vroom vroom!” she gushed.

Emma moved closer towards where Jack was sitting and continued to watch him.

“Mommy is going out tomorrow, do you understand what mommy told you about Sophie?” she asked.

Jack frowned and then pushed the toy racecar around on the floor.

“Mommy, look!” he said.

Emma’s gaze continued to linger on him and it made him uncomfortable, so he decided to change the subject. He pointed at the television and then looked at Emma.

“Mommy...want TV,” he said.

“You want to watch TV? Alright, let’s see what’s on,” she replied.

Jack grinned and crawled closer to the TV. He was bored of pretending to play with the toys and he thought that it would be easier to focus on a TV show.

Emma picked up the remote control and flicked through the channels.

“How about Disney Junior? I think you’ll like this one Jack.” Emma suggested.

He fixed his eyes on the screen intently, ready to feign interest in whatever he saw. Although he would be watching kids television, he thought that it would be more stimulating than playing with the racecar. He started to watch an animated show about a family of talking chickens. He attempted to stay focused on the plot so that he could laugh at appropriate times, but he occasionally caught himself dwelling on the following day and the possibility of escape. Then he would quickly snap back to reality and renew his interest in the television.

He was glad when the episode finally ended, he had found the characters irritating and he was eager to watch something different. He hoped that the next show would be more tolerable, but when he realized that the characters were talking trains he knew that he would have difficulty paying attention. He continued to watch show after show, each one just as unappealing as the last. He wasn’t sure how long he had been watching television for, but keeping up the act was mentally exhausting and required sustained effort.

Eventually he started to feel drowsy and he noticed that his ability to focus was diminishing. He attempted to reinvigorate himself by taking turns playing with the toy racecar and then switching back to watching the television. But he felt like his body was succumbing to the urge to sleep and the more he tried to resist it, the more fatigued he became. He closed his eyes briefly and tried to gather his thoughts.

“Honey you look tired, I think it’s time you had a nap.” Emma observed.

Jack quickly opened his eyes and clumsily grabbed the toy racecar.

“No!” he protested.

“But you’re sleepy, if you have a little sleep you’ll feel better and then you can play again.” Emma explained.

Jack groaned but he was too tired to put up a protest.

“Come on, let mommy take you to your room and you can have a little sleep, then you can play again.” Emma insisted.

She scooped Jack up into her arms and carried him back to his bedroom. After she had lowered him into his crib he continued to fight the urge to sleep, but within minutes of lying down he fell into a peaceful slumber.

Jack awoke to the sound of a muffled conversation. He opened his eyes and saw that the room was empty, it sounded like the voices were coming from the other side of the house.

Gathering his senses, he remembered that he had taken a nap and that they were expecting a visit from a babysitter in the afternoon. But something was different. It suddenly dawned on him that his clothes had been removed and that he was now only wearing a diaper. He was sure that he had been wearing overalls when he went to sleep. The diaper felt cold and clammy, it bulged between his legs.

Jack began to consider the possibility that Emma was testing him. He wondered whether she would introduce him to the babysitter whilst he was semi-naked and then study his reactions for signs of shame or hesitation. He knew that if it was going to be a test then his life depended on passing it and that Emma would not leave him alone with the babysitter if she suspected that he was faking.

The voices on the other side of the house sounded like they were getting closer. Jack could now clearly distinguish Emma’s voice as well as another woman’s voice that he didn’t recognize. They were coming towards his room.

Jack took a deep breath and braced himself. His mind raced as he considered the possibilities of what he might do, of what he might say, to convince Emma that he was a baby.

Emma crept into the room, as though she was trying to avoid startling him, but Jack didn’t react to her presence.

“Jack, are you awake honey?” she asked softly.

Jack sat up groggily and then rubbed his eyes.

“Mommy?” he replied.

“Remember I told you about that nice lady who was coming to visit us?” she asked, “well she’s here now and she wants to say ‘hello’ to you,” she announced.

Emma gestured towards the door and beckoned someone to come towards her. A young woman followed Emma into the room, she waved at Jack and smiled sweetly.

“Hello Jack, my name is Sophie,” she revealed.

She had dark brown hair and a warm, inviting smile that could light up any room. A pair of glasses were perched delicately on the bridge of her nose, lending a touch of sophistication to her overall appearance. Jack locked eyes with her and then hesitated briefly, before quickly turning his head to look at Emma.

“Mommy?” Jack repeated.

“It’s okay Jack, say hello to Sophie.” Emma replied.

Jack looked at Sophie and smiled sheepishly. She grinned at him, her eyes filled with affection and adoration.

“Hello,” he murmured.

Jack froze. It suddenly occurred to him that he had found it so easy to act the part in front of Emma because he had become used to her presence. He no longer felt involuntary shame in front of her because she had already so thoroughly debased him. But now he was sat in a crib, wearing nothing but a soggy diaper, with a complete stranger looking at him. His instincts told him to recoil, but his life depended on him showing no shame or discomfort.

“I’m sorry, he’s a bit shy.” Emma explained.

“Aw it’s okay, I’m sure he’ll warm up to me.” Sophie replied.

Emma walked over to the side of the crib and smiled at Jack. He looked up at her and studied the expression on her face.

Does she know? He thought.

Jack climbed to his feet and stretched out his arms.

“Mommy up, up!” he said.

Emma scooped Jack up into her arms and lifted him out of the crib. Then she carried him across the room so that they were almost within touching distance of Sophie.

“Hi Jack, me and you are going to have lots of fun tomorrow, I’m going to look after you whilst your mommy goes out for a few hours.” Sophie beamed.

Jack paused momentarily and attempted to think of an appropriate response.

“Uhh... play tucks?” Jack asked.

“I think he means his toy truck.” Emma suggested.

“Trucks? Yeah we can play with your truck.” Sophie chuckled.

Jack smiled timidly, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of shyness and enthusiasm. He longed to be left alone with her, she was his only means of escape.

“Can you hold him for a minute, please?” Emma asked.

“Sure, no problem.” Sophie replied.

Jack steeled himself for what was coming next. He knew that he couldn’t completely retreat into his shell, he had to act the part.

Emma lifted Jack into Sophie’s outstretched hands, then Sophie maneuvered Jack onto her hip and held him firmly with one arm. Jack caught a scent of her perfume, she felt warm and smelled nice. Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket and started to fiddle with it.

“I think he’s filled his diaper. Has he started potty training yet?” Sophie inquired.

Jack wanted the ground to swallow him up. When Emma attempted to embarrass him he would usually try to imagine that he was somewhere else, but he could no longer afford to do that. He needed to be mentally present so that he could maintain his attempts to deceive her.

“Oh no, I can’t even get him to sit on the potty, let alone use it.” Emma replied.

Jack blushed, but with no where to turn he tried to bury his face in Sophie’s body in order to hide the expression on his face.

“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t have a problem with changing diapers or anything, I just wanted to check so I know what to expect for tomorrow.” Sophie explained.

Jack searched his mind for something to say, for something that a toddler might say, but he drew a blank. A growing sense of shame inhibited his ability to focus on anything except his emotions. His body tensed up and he gripped Sophie’s blouse in his hands.

“That’s good because he’s a right little stinker, he’ll keep you busy that’s for certain.” Emma chortled.

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll manage.” Sophie replied.

Emma placed her phone back in her pocket and stretched out her arms.

“Sorry, I just needed to check my messages, you can hand him back to me now if you want.” Emma suggested.

Sophie lifted Jack back into Emma’s outstretched arms. When he felt the touch of Emma’s skin the tension seemed to leave his body and he felt more relaxed than he had done in Sophie’s embrace.

Although he resented Emma, he was starting to become desensitized to her provocations, her attempts to humiliate him were losing their sting. But in the presence of Sophie, someone who genuinely thought that he was a baby, he was acutely aware of the indignity that he was being subjected to. The feelings of embarrassment, which had started to dull, had now been reignited. Although he needed Sophie’s help, part of him couldn’t stand being in her company.

“Anyway I’d better let you go, at least he knows who you are now.” Emma remarked.

“Yeah sure, well it’s been nice meeting you both and I’ll see you at twelve tomorrow then.” Sophie replied.

“Thank you so much, see you tomorrow.” Emma beamed.

Sophie waved at Jack and smiled warmly.

“Bye Bye Jack,” she said sweetly.

“Bye bye.” Jack murmured.