Chapter 1.2: Common Ground

The woman who she had learned was named Lucille gave her a worried glance. The shock of the situation had turned Elaine mute for even a baby. She refused to eat and would sob till she threw up if the woman tried to touch her. A part of her felt awful for making the new mom so scared.

But she couldn't get over the fact her former life was over. She'd never see her mother again, her REAL mother who was looking for her. She wouldn't wake up to her younger siblings teasing. Her childhood home would become a distant memory as she aged all over again with a stranger.

With a tremble of her lip, the teenager-turned-baby began to hiccup and sob once more. Lucille ran over to her and held her to her breast. She looked pale, unsure of what to do with the hysterical infant. Her hold on the girl was noticeably weak as she struggled to calm Elaine down.

"Rebecca, I need you to eat." Lucille called her that name again which only made her cries increase in volume. That was the name she had chosen for her but Elaine refused to accept it.

She knew the woman was hurting from the rejection, it was obvious. The woman had been running around trying to calm her crying down. Elaine had heard the woman talk to someone about visiting a doctor. The thought of seeing one in this strange place made her even sicker.

Lucille tried to rock her into a nap for a few minutes before giving up. The movement only made Elaine's cry increase in their ferocity. Stopping, she gave the baby a kiss on the forehead and looked back behind her. She sighed with a teary look in her eyes and held the baby closer.

They started to move out of the bedroom for the first time since she'd awakened in this nightmare. The room was designed with care, with the woman having asked her if she liked it. The infant just whined in response which made her sigh once more. Elaine felt awful for treating the woman poorly but she just wasn't her mother.

Lucille opened the bedroom door and allowed the infant to see the rest of the house. There were bookshelves everywhere in various colors. They looked to be hand-painted by Lucille herself as she carried and soothed the baby towards a stove. It looked like one she would see in storybooks as a child, it wasn't electric or made of metal.

Elaine was readjusted onto Lucille's hip letting her see more of the room. "I'll make you some yummy porridge to fix your heart." The teenager glared at the idea that food would make her feel better.

Looking around, Elaine was able to see how old-fashioned everything was. There were lanterns hanging above them for light instead of a lamp. The stove looked like it was made out of some sort of stone she struggled to identify. She was confused by it all as Lucille wore clothing reminiscent of a girl going to a summer festival.

Her gowns were long with detailed designs that made her wonder if the woman was wealthy. Straw sandals and wooden heels she clicked clacked in. She also tended to wear what looked like real jewels often, around her ankles and wrists. Elaine couldn't help but wonder where she was that people wore outfits like this.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The slapping of a spoon alerted her to the now bubbling pot of porridge. It was white on the stove's singular eye as she mixed it repeatedly. Before Elaine could get a good whiff of the food's smell the woman added in a bottle of liquid. It was thick and yellow like honey but smelled sweeter.

Embarrassingly, she felt some drool bubble out of her lips. She hated that she spat and threw up on everything so carelessly. She couldn't wait to regain some of her motor control in this hell. To make matters worse her mouth let out a whine instinctively when the porridge finished.

Lucille smiled down at her as she moved to spoon the porridge into a bowl. It moved like oatmeal, with cooked fruits mixing with the yellow liquid. She couldn't identify the fruits either, they were golden from being cooked with the porridge. The woman hummed proudly as the wooden bowl was filled halfway with the sweet-smelling meal.

"This will turn that frown upside down." The woman cheered, moving to give Elaine a small taste. It smelled so strong she gave a tiny cough as a wooden spoon was put to her lips.

While the bowl's contents looked delicious, Elaine was still cautious. It was full of ingredients she couldn't recognize and that scared her. She wanted to eat badly, she hadn't eaten once since awakening. But she didn't trust Lucille very much. She was a kind woman from what she had seen but a stranger nonetheless.

She pushed the spoon under Elaine's nose, frowning. Then she moved to scoop some of the fruit into the spoonful for the infant. This made Elaine's mouth water uncontrollably to her disgust and to Lucille's oblivious joy. She looked as if she were going to cry as the baby gave it a small taste.

It's not like Elaine wanted to. No, her baby body craved the food enough to move on its own. It seemed like she was fighting the actual infant the body belonged to at times. Once the fruit came into the picture her mouth opened wide for it. Lucille practically shoved the spoon in relief she was finally eating and not crying herself sick.

The porridge tasted like pure sugar and oat. The oats were cooked fully with the honey-like liquid warming her belly. It also was soft enough for her to swallow without issue. Soon she was opening her mouth for another spoonful. It tastes just as good the second time. Her lips smacked together with pleasure, enjoying the delicious porridge.

Lucille sniffled as she watched the infant happily devour another spoonful. "You like it don't you, honey?" She asked, sounding close to tears.

Elaine felt awful hearing the woman cry. It wasn't her fault the teenager had replaced her baby. The woman was worried sick that something was wrong and looked like she was at wit's end. She could feel the woman's chest heave as she took a moment to cry. Elaine realized that she would have to make up for how she treated the new mother.

With the little control she had over her body, Elaine lifted herself up. She managed to plant a kiss on the woman's chest. This made both of them freeze, Elaine awkwardly watching Lucille gasp. Fat tears spilled from the woman's eyes as she covered her mouth with one of her hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm new at this honey and," Lucille choked up as she wiped at her eyes before giving a watery smile. "I don't want to be a bad mother."

"I don't know how this works really and I just want to do it right this time." The infant stared in confusion at the woman's statement.

Nowhere in the house had she seen or heard the presence of another child. She didn't look past her early twenties so the child couldn't be older than a toddler. This made Elaine's heart drop as she knew there was only one other option. And she couldn't think about that with Lucille crying silently above.

She would never trust her fully or see her as a mother. But Elaine would stop treating her like absolute garbage and try to adapt.