She shakes her head. “Nope. It’s weird, but I’m getting used to it. The only time I see the inside of our bathroom is when Daddy gives me a bath or brushes my teeth.”
I shudder. That idea seems overwhelming. So far, I’ve been fine. Enjoyed it even, but how long will that last? “Don’t you worry about becoming dependent or something? What if you go back to the mainland and you forget and pee your pants or something?” I’m totally serious. This is a concern of mine.
She sticks a finger in the sand and trails it absently through the grains, leaving a long indentation. “It’s a concern. Not gonna lie. I’ve talked to Daddy about it. He would be happy if I became completely diaper dependent. But I don’t like it, so we go round and round about it sometimes. Mostly he abides by my wishes.”
“But how do you maintain control?”
She lifts her gaze. “When you’re awake, you just have to mentally wet yourself intentionally. It’s not that hard. It’s the sleeping times that make me nervous.”
I stiffen. “Why would I wet myself when I’m asleep?”
She swallows and glances at the back of the house, but we’re far enough away the men can’t hear us. “You just took a nap, right?”
I nod, my brow furrowing.
“Did you have any trouble falling asleep?”
I shake my head.
“That’s because there’s a sedative in your bottle.”
I nod slowly, not entirely surprised.
“There are three kinds of formula. Regular daytime. Noon. And Nighttime. The daytime ones won’t make you sleepy. The noon one will give you one good hour of hard napping. The night one really lets your body relax for about ten hours.”
“Ten hours?” I’m shocked. I haven’t slept more than about six in years.
She nods. “That’s too long if you’ve had too much fluid. And…” She pulls in a breath. “If the sedative is too strong, you won’t even know you wet yourself.”
I stare at her.
“It’s up to your Daddy. He and Dr. Morgan will decide on that.”
I swallow hard, feeling a bit of panic.
“The first time I woke up and realized I had soaked myself without knowing it, I full-on panicked. Daddy didn’t give me whatever caused that again.”
I pick up a shovel and drag it through the sand, hoping that doesn’t happen to me. Or…wondering if I care. I’m not sure which frightens me more.
We both work on filling our buckets for a few minutes, and I look up when our Daddies approach. They’re both holding a bottle filled with water.
Anabel’s Daddy crouches down in front of her and holds out what looks like a red piece of candy. “Open up, Little one.”
She sighs, her shoulders dropping a bit before she opens her mouth, accepts the red disk and chews it. It takes her a few moments before it’s gone, and she opens her mouth wide to show the inside is completely red.
Anthony smiles and pats her on the head. “Good girl.” He hands her the water bottle and tips her head back. “Drink all of it. If I have to remind you, you’ll end up over my knee.”
“Yes, Sir.” She takes a long drink, sucking the water noisily.
I shift my gaze to my own Daddy as he hands me an identical bottle. He doesn’t mention me needing to drink mine, nor does he give me a red medicine. I know now that must have been some kind of medicine. I don’t think Anabel likes it very much.
Daddy holds my chin. “I need to go into town and check in with the orientation office. You’re going to stay here with Anabel’s Daddy. I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I won’t be long.” He returns to standing, and the men walk back toward the house. Daddy disappears inside. Anthony sits on one of the lawn chairs and lifts up his phone to start typing.
I turn toward Anabel. “What is the red pill?”
