Fall 2006, Year 3

Sebastian was eating breakfast. After starving for nearly an entire day, he had piled his tray with all of the eggs, pastries, and fruit he could get. He was just biting into a buttered bagel when Hunter came up behind him and snatched it from his hands. As he watched the boy chew it up with a satisfied hum, Sebastian came to the realization that he may be capable of taking a human life.

"Hey, you're alive!" Hunter grinned. He took a seat beside the brunet and Thad plopped down across from him only seconds later.

"Hunter and I started making bets on whether those pedos would keep you to themselves. We argued over who gets your stuff." The junior smirked.

"What was it like on the inside?" Hunter asked. "I bet it smelled like shit!"

Sebastian shrugged. "It was colorful. Everything was bright and soft."

"Aw, how sweet." Hunter crooned. "Were there talking animals and dancing cartoon flowers too?"

"Shut up." Sebastian rolled his eyes. He reached for a muffin, only to have it seized by Thad. His stomach growled.

"So what did they do to you?" Thad asked between bites.

"The lady just took me to the Headfa-master."

"Was he wearing baby clothes?" Hunter inquired, leaning in. "Or was he naked? Pumping his cock and waiting for his catch of the day?"

Sebastian grimaced and gave him a shove. "That's disgusting. He just said he didn't want to see me in his office again and told Headmaster that I was lost."

"He lied to Headmaster for you?" Thad frowned skeptically. "But he doesn't even know you."

"What Sebby's not telling us is that he had to give the creep a blowjob. Isn't that right, my faggy friend?" Hunter cackled, but this time it was just him laughing.

"Dude." Thad frowned and for once, it was Hunter who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm just kidding." He huffed defensively. "So what did Headmaster do to you when he found out you left campus?"

"Ten lashings with a whip." Sebastian admitted, earning a sympathetic hiss from Thad.

"I bet you're feeling those now." He cringed.

"I guess." Sebastian shrugged.

"Don't play cool. I'll bet you were crying like a baby." Hunter scoffed.

"Shut up. You'd probably be pissing yourself before Headmaster even told you to assume Position." Sebastian retorted.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

On Saturday, Hunter approached him after lunch and gave him a friendly shove. "Hey, Thad and I are going for a ride. Come on."

Sebastian sighed. It was Saturday, meaning students could leave during the day as long as they were back by curfew. "Where?"

"Not sure, maybe the mall?" Hunter shrugged.

Sebastian considered this carefully. Nothing could go too wrong at the mall. "Um…yeah, okay."

Hunter grinned. "Then let's go. Thad's waiting outside with the truck."

Sebastian abandoned the few remnants of his lunch and walked out to the parking lot. The two freshmen clambered into the truck and soon they were leaving the school behind them. Thad turned on the radio and Hunter reclined happily in his seat. Sebastian turned and stared out the window, attempting to drown out the loud music that attacked his senses and hurt his ears. Landscape and houses passed. Then stores, restaurants, hotels, and the mall.

Sebastian stiffened and sat up. "Hey, I think we just passed the mall."

"What? Oh, I meant the store, not the mall." Hunter shrugged.

The brunet's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What store?" He glanced up and his stomach flipped when familiar jungle gym towers came into view.

"Babies R Us." Hunter laughed as Thad parked along the side of the rode. The two tumbled out of the pickup giggling giddily.

"What is wrong with you guys? Hasn't you last visit here thought you anything?" Sebastian snapped.

"Oh come on, don't be a pussy." Hunter frowned.

"Yeah, where's your sense of excitement?" Thad added.

Sebastian scowled at them. "I'm staying right here!"

"What's wrong Sebastian? Scared?" Thad teased.

"Is widdle Bassy-boo afwaid of getting in twouble?" Hunter cooed mockingly.

"Shut the fuck up." Sebastian huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as a shiver went up his spine.

"Oh, da baby's cwanky. Maybe he needs his diapey changed." The other freshman continued teasing.

"Enough!" Sebastian snapped. "I'll go! Just shut up already!"

"Then actually do something this time." Thad told him. "It's not a zoo. People are going to think you just come to look at babies."

"They might think you want to be one." Hunter snorted.

"Okay, I get it." Sebastian replied in annoyance. He pouted, following the other two over to the playground that was not only swarming with babies, but rather ordinary-looking teens as well. They interacted with the babies, building sandcastles, pushing swings, or playing with balls. A baby would occasionally start to cry and three or four teens would swarm around him to stop his crying.

The front gate was unlocked this time, so the boys walked right in with ease. They were able to blend in a little better this time since they were out of school attire, but their ripped jeans and leather cuffs still made a bit of a statement. Hunter leaned back towards him and smirked.

"Alright, what do you say we help keep these losers on their toes?"

Thad grinned, revealing a row of perfect teeth. "Whoever makes the most babies cry wins all desserts for a week. Loser does all laundry for a month."

"Deal." Hunter replied and before Sebastian could object, they were off.

Not wanting to be the odd one out, he carefully looked around for any nurse-looking people before approaching a chubby little boy in overalls and yanking his pacifier from his mouth. The boy immediately looked up with a large frown on his face.

"Bibi." He said and reached out for it, making a grabbing motion with his hands. His frown got even larger when the master in training ignored him. Sebastian studied the pacifier and couldn't resist comparing it to his own little secret. This one was definitely better quality, but other than that they were fairly identical in shape and function. The boy whimpered against and Sebastian hesitated before dropping the thing with a reluctant sigh, wincing a little as it cracked under his platform boot. The boy's lip wobbled and Sebastian felt a pang of remorse as he burst into tears. Before he could turn to leave, a brunet boy rushed over and pulled out another pacifier from virtually nowhere. Did these things grow on trees? He took the opportunity to slip away, but couldn't resist glancing back to watch the older boy slip it into the toddler's mouth and rub his back, cooing until all of his bawling had died down. With a hurt look cast towards Sebastian, the giant baby crawled away and Sebastian quickly headed towards one of the far corners of the playground, pretending to survey the yard for his next target.

"What the heck is your problem?"

Sebastian looked up, surprised that somebody was actually speaking to him. "Me?"

"Yes, you." The boy from before scowled, standing up to his full height. He was just a few inches taller than Sebastian with shiny, dark brown hair and large brown eyes to match. "You're a master in training, I can tell by your…" He looked around to check for any babies that might be within hearing distance, but they were alone. "…by your douche-y outfit."

"And what are you?" Sebastian asked defensively. "The pedophile's apprentice?"

"Oh shut up. You're nothing more than a sadist with your whips and chains." The boy scoffed. "Anyway, you shouldn't even be here. This is private property. Go back to your own school if you think it's so great."

"Honestly, I would love to." Sebastian snapped. "This place is fucking gross to look at."

"Then why are you even here?"

"Because…" Sebastian sighed tiredly and stuck his hands in his pockets. "My friends tricked me." He muttered absently.

The brunet cocked his head curiously. "What's your name?"

"Why, you gonna tell on me?" Sebastian asked. When the boy didn't reply, he sighed a crossed his arms over his chest. "It's Sebastian. And you?"

"Nick." The boy replied. "And aren't you a little young to be terrorizing babies already? Usually it's just juniors and seniors. You're like, twelve."

"Fourteen, actually." Sebastian corrected testily. "And anyway, it's none of your business. What are you, my father?"

"Daddy? Yes. Yours? You wish." Nick sneered.

"Oh, I'm heartbroken." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Covering insecurity with sarcasm? You and your dogfaced friends need to clear out before I call security." Nick retorted. "Now if you excuse me, I have some children to take care of…other than yourself that is." With a haughty smirk, he turned and stalked away.

Sebastian watched him in disbelief. Were all parents as snobby and pretentious as that kid? Probably, but he couldn't imagine why. What was so great about cleaning up someone else's shit and waiting on them hand and foot? That sounded a lot like slave stuff to him.

"Hey!" Hunter called, rushing over. "We gotta go."

"What? Why?" Sebastian asked as Hunter grabbed his arm and started to run.

"One of those perverts just ratted us out. We're all gonna be fucked if we don't get out of here now."

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Sebastian snapped panickedly. Once Thad caught up with them they raced towards the exit. Sebastian nearly bumped straight into that Nick kid again, who gave him a smug, knowing smile. He scowled at him and raced towards the truck, letting out a sigh of relief as they all piled in and sped off down the road just as a few of those nurses appeared at the gate.

"This is the second time this week!" Joanne fumed as the truck disappeared out of sight. "If this keeps happening, I'm going to have to talk to the Head-Daddy about increasing security."

"Are they the same kids from Tuesday?" Allison asked. "Or maybe some of our volunteers saw them?"

"I know one." Nick spoke up. He was playing with a little girl and couldn't resist eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Really?" Joanne asked. "Who?"

Hunter, Thad, and Sebastian were called to Headmaster's office less than an hour after they'd returned. They bowed respectfully before taking their seats in the uncomfortable chairs.

"Are you boys familiar with the infantilism school across town?" The man asked. He must have been busy because he cut right to the chase.

"No sir." "Yes, sir." Hunter and Sebastian said at the same time. Hunter gave him a dirty look, but the boy kept his eyes trained solely on Headmaster.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Headmaster replied. He leaned forward in his large leather chair and peered at them with cold, calculating eyes that made Sebastian squirm uncomfortably. "Well, their headmaster just gave me a rather unpleasant call. It seems that some of my boys were creating a disturbance on their property. Reckless behavior, noise complaints, harassment, destruction of private property…"

Sebastian thought back to the pacifier he had broken and paled. Was it such a big deal that he had stepped on the piece of plastic? Nurses probably did it all the time by accident.

"Look, boys." Headmaster stated. "I understand a little lighthearted teasing of those…" he made a "go on" motion with his hand and didn't finish the sentence. "I'm all for tradition and upholding reputation, but you've got to ease up a bit. Those faint-hearted creatures are sensitive and they scare easy. The last thing we need is getting the police involved or something."

Creatures. Sebastian thought absently.

"Unfortunately, they are insisting that you pay for any and all damage caused with some good old-fashioned work."

"What?" Hunter groaned. "How much can a stupid baby swing really cost?"

Sebastian sighed in relief. So it wasn't his fault after all.

"I agree, but the best way to get this behind us is to give them what they want." Headmaster replied. "Tomorrow you will spend the day helping out with any tasks they ask of you."

"What if they try to convert us?" Thad spoke up. "There's gotta be another way."

"I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to tough it out." Headmaster shrugged. Then, before any other complaints could be made, he said "Dismissed."

The boys sighed and stood up, shuffling out of the office and down the tiled hallway. "Nice going, Sebastian." Hunter grumbled. "I was going to go to the mall tomorrow with Emily Vaughn tomorrow. Have you seen the tits on that girl?"

Sebastian's head snapped up. "Me? How the heck is this my fault?" He asked incredulously.

"If you hadn't gotten caught the first time, they wouldn't have known who we are!" Hunter said roughly. Grabbing the front of Sebastian's shirt, he shoved him up against a wall. "You snitched on us! Didn't you!"

"No! I'm no rat! One of those freaks probably did." The freshman spat.

"Really? That's strange seeing as they can't possibly know my name!" Hunter barked, banging him against the bricks again. "Dirty little nark."

"Hey! Cut it out!" Thad frowned. "If the Headmaster catches you fighting then you'll really be in trouble." He grabbed the back of Hunter's jacket and yanked him away.

Sebastian took the opportunity to move away and held up his fists in preparation to defend himself. Only when Hunter had cooled down and straightened out his jacket did Sebastian let down his guard. "I swear I didn't tell on anybody. They didn't get you last time, did they?"

Hunter shrugged. "Whatever, man. Don't be so defensive."

Sebastian sighed and looked at him in disbelief. "Alright, I've got homework to do. I'll see you guys later." With that, he took off down the hall and listened carefully to make sure he wasn't being followed. His roommate was at home for the weekend so he made a beeline to his dorm. This took about four minutes and then he locked the door securely and shut the curtains. He wasn't sure why, but something about Hunter really made him nervous, like that someday he may live up to his name and decide to murder him in the dead of night. He flopped down on the bed and his mind flashed to the playground. The fantastical realness of bright, diverse colors and jungle gyms fed the imagination like a buffet. Trade ball gags for pacifiers, chains for swings, and cages for play pens... It was like some sort of Neverland where nobody ever had to grow up. Eternal youth and a lifetime of blissful ignorance. Did these people realize what they had created? If so, they were not perverts, but misunderstood geniuses.

Sebastian sat up and looked at his pillow with the treasure inside. Could he be one of them? Was it possible that his parents had been wrong the whole time? All his life he'd been told that he was destined to be a powerful master, a man of high society. Had they been wrong?

Sebastian quickly banished the thought. That was ridiculous. He was making a mountain out of a mole hole. He was a dom through and through and this whole thing with the infantilism school just had him all mixed up. There was nothing wrong with him and once he finally got away from that place for good, he would without a doubt begin to feel like his old self again.

He took a shower.

When he stepped out, Sebastian caught his image in the sliding mirror and paused. He didn't even look like a baby. He was tall and skinny, probably taller than any mommy or daddy. Any baby fat he'd had vanished in primary school and was replaced by a lean coating of muscle tone. His face wasn't remotely cute in anyway, stuck in it's permanent, bored frown. The only thing he really had going for him baby-wise was his ass, which he thought was perfectly round and toned, not to seem vain or anything. Babies were supposed to have good butts, right? Was his ass good? He wasn't actually sure. Sebastian stalked out of the bathroom, turning the light off as he did. He stepped into some boxer briefs and softer pajamas. Having lost his motivation to do anything, he burrowed under his covers and turned on the T.V. As expected, there was nothing on that really caught his interest so he gave the kid channels a try. Dora…Disney…Spongebob was pretty okay. He set the remote on top of his covers by his thigh and rested back on his pillows to get comfortable.

After a few minutes, Sebastian glanced at the door to make sure it was still locked before sitting up and pulling his pillow into his lap. His fingers clumsily opened the zipper and reached inside, going deeper until his fingers brushed plastic. He grabbed onto the bag and pulled it out. Sure enough, the pacifier was still there in all of its glory. Sebastian opened the bag and set it on his bedside table. His pillow was replaced and the pacifier slowly went into his mouth. It started out weird. The rubber was cold and seemed to soak all of the moisture from his mouth but after a while, it warmed up with the rest of his body and sucking on it became easier. Suddenly, that cigarette feeling hit him again and he sank into his bed, forgetting all about Hunter and Thad and baby school and Headmaster. He burrowed under his warm covers and stared at the T.V. screen with his pacifier bobbing in his mouth. It wasn't a baby thing, just a way to distress.

He looked around and sighed, wishing he had something to hug.