1 - how we left

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Penelope POV

"Ana, if you keep rubbing my head like that you're going to put me to sleep and I'm not going to be able to leave when I need to." I told her tiredly.

She kept rubbing my head and chuckled slightly. "Maybe that's my whole plan. I make you fall asleep and you can never leave me."

I looked up at her with a pout, "That's not nice sis. You know this is important to me," I tried to reason with her and she sighed while nodding.

"I know, I just worry about you because you know what." She told me as I sat up.

"I'll be fine Ana I promise." I whined out to my older sister Analiese. We were currently hanging out at her friend, Mariana's house but I was getting ready to leave for the summer.

Ana knew I was a little and she said she had actually expected it since our parents had died when I was young. What she didn't know was that I had met a caregiver couple online and had agreed to stay with them over the summer. She thought I was doing a study abroad trip since I'm going into my senior year of high school and had just turned 17 a few days ago.

Ana crossed her arms across her chest, "I just don't understand why I can't take you to the airport?" She whined back at me. She may be 33, but she still whines like me.

I rolled my eyes at that, "I already told you Ana, Everly is taking me there. I'll be fine, okay? I love you big sis." I told her while wrapping my arms around her.

She sighed and hugged me tighter, "I love you too little sis. Please call me when you get there and if you need anything at all. I'll pick you up at the end of summer." She said with a peck to my head.

Mariana had walked out just as I was about to leave, but quickly stopped me. "Not so fast baby girl, Mari needs a hug too." I smiled before turning around and hugging Mariana too.

Mari and Ana had been best friends since they met in kindergarten and Mari basically became family. She has two wives, but I have never met either of them. Isabella is an ICU nurse and Beth is a high school teacher. Beth teaches at my school, but teaches seniors only and is in a different building, I just have managed to never meet or run into her. Mari is a researcher at the university nearby.

I took a deep breath in catching Mari's calming scent, "I'm going to miss you too Mari." I whispered out. She kissed the top of my head like Ana had done moments before.

Nodding as we broke apart, Mari spoke again in her thick accent. "You call me if you need absolutely anything. I know Ana already told you the same thing, but I'm different. I will drop everything, okay?"

I nodded with a smile, "I promise. I love you Ana, I love you Mari." I told them with a smile before waving goodbye to them and walking out the front door.

I make my way down the block to the café that I'm meeting the couple, Karen and Michael Isaac. I really hope they are who they say they are, I'm putting a lot of trust and faith into them.

I step into the café and instantly see the power couple I was expecting. I shyly make my way towards them when Karen looks up at me smiling.

"You must be Penny?" Karen asked kindly and I smiled.

Nodding I told her yes, "And you are Karen and Michael right?"

Karen chuckled while nodding her head while Michael just looked at me with his dark eyes.

"That we are, but you can call me Mummy and you can call Michael Daddy." Karen told me in hushed tones so no one else in the café heard us.

"Okay," I said with a nod of my head causing Karen to raise a brow.

"Okay Mummy," I corrected myself quickly and she smiled at me. I had never slipped into little space, but something about this didn't feel right. Everything I had read said you probably won't slip right away, but you should do it with someone you feel comfortable with. That is not this couple right now, but I brushed those feelings off as my anxiety getting the best of me.

We made small talk and discussed rules and punishments, some of them being especially harsh. Since this was my first time experiencing this, I guess this is how it works.

As we were getting ready to leave Michael picked me up and placed me on his hip. I thought they wanted to stay quiet about this. I squealed at the initial action causing Karen to swat my thigh.

"You behave little girl. Michael will not hesitate to discipline you here." Karen threatened quietly causing me to shy away from her.

"Sorry Mummy." I said quickly and she looked at me expectantly so I quickly told Michael the same, of course using his desired name.

They walked me outside before buckling me into the car. I rested my head on the window with mixed feelings of what this summer will hold.

Analiese POV

"I'm worried Mariana." I told my best friend the truth as she sat down on the couch next to me and I laid my head in her lap as soon as she was situated.

She ran her fingers through my hair, "I know Ana, I'm worried too. She seemed off before she left." Mari told me and I looked up at her.

"You noticed that too?" I questioned and she nodded her head while sighing.

"There's a couple things I need to tell you Mari." I whispered and she hummed in response.

"I made you Penny's guardian in case anything were to happen to me." Mariana looked as if she wanted to argue but I stopped her. "We don't have anyone left in this world, you are the closest thing to family that we have. I want her to have someone and not be put into the system."

Mariana nodded, "Okay, only because I don't want her going to someone else. What was the second thing?" she asked me and I sat up to tell her this.

"Penny is also a little. I only tell you this because I know you and your wives are caregivers, so if something were to happen then I wanted you to be prepared." I told her quietly.

Mariana smiled at me, "I'm not surprised that she's a little. Why do you think I always baby her so much? Is everything okay though?  You've never acted like this before." Mariana spoke worriedly to me and I shook my head.

"No, I've been keeping a secret from everyone. I was diagnosed with cancer a week ago, they caught it too late and it's an extremely aggressive kind that doesn't do well to treatment this late. The doctors have only given me a few weeks to live." I spoke quietly and noticed the instant tears of my best friend.

I hugged her tightly, "Don't cry Mari. I just wanted to make sure Penny had one last good summer and I knew you'd look out for her when I'm gone."

"I really hate you right now Ana. I can't believe you kept this from me. And poor Penny is going to be heart broken when she gets back. Why didn't you tell her?" Mari asked with tears flowing down her face.

I smiled lightly, "I knew she'd want to stay and I don't want her to see me break." I told Mari truthfully and she just hugged me again.


A/N: Well, this is the first chapter! I'll probably update again on Saturday. If anyone has been here with me since my first age regression book you know I don't do slow burn, so buckle up because this one probably won't be either.

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