Chapter 21 — A Successful Plan

Elara’s heart pounded in her chest as she slipped out of Mommy’s dorm room, the crinkle of the unfolded diaper she’d tucked under her uniform barely audible over the rush of blood in her ears. She glanced both ways down the dimly lit hallway, her breath hitching as she scanned for any sign of movement.

Not a soul in sight.

Her tense shoulders sagged slightly, a wave of relief washing over her, though her mind was still a storm of questions and wild theories.

Mommy wore diapers?

The thought looped endlessly. Why? What possible reason could she have for wearing them? They were so plain, so clinical—nothing like the humiliatingly childish ones forced on Elara. There had to be an explanation, some hidden purpose or secret shame, but for the life of her, she couldn’t piece it together.

Before she could spiral further, Quinn appeared at the far end of the hallway, her hurried steps echoing as she approached. Her face was flushed, eyes wide with a mix of adrenaline and curiosity. Without a word, they exchanged a quick nod and darted back toward their dorm room, moving as silently as they could manage. Their footsteps pattered against the stone floor until they reached the familiar door, slipping inside and shutting it behind them with a quiet thud.

“Alright,” Quinn whispered, leaning against the wall to catch her breath, her voice low but urgent. “What’d you find? You’ve got that look—like you’ve seen something.”

Elara pulled the plain white diaper out, holding it up for Quinn to see, her expression a mix of triumph and lingering disbelief. She expected shock, maybe even a gasp, but instead, Quinn’s brow furrowed in confusion. Hesitantly, Quinn reached into her own uniform and pulled out a near-identical diaper—same clinical white, same medical style, just as oversized for either of them.

“I found these in Daddy’s room,” Quinn said softly, her voice tinged with the same mix of bewilderment that Elara felt.

Both girls stared at one another. Two caregivers, both hiding the same secret?

“But why?” Elara asked under her breath, almost to herself, her mind racing with unanswered questions.

Quinn shrugged, turning the diaper over in her hands as if it might reveal some hidden clue. “I have no clue. Medical? Some weird kink? Hell if I know.”

“Do you think we could use this?” Elara lifted her own find again, studying the crinkled material.

Quinn’s lips curled into a sly grin, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Oh, it’d be extremely humiliating for them if we came out and said it. Maybe do it somewhere public—call them out in front of everyone. Show that all their ‘care’ for us is just payback for whatever’s got them wearing these things themselves.”

Elara nodded slowly, the idea taking shape in her mind. “That could work. It’s not exactly blackmail, though.”

“We could threaten to release information they don’t want public,” Quinn tapped her lip thoughtfully, pacing a small step in the cramped dorm room. “Let them know we’ve got this on them—make them sweat over who else might find out.”

“I think that’d work better,” Elara set both diapers down together on a nearby shelf and slid them beneath a stack of dusty books to keep them hidden. “We threaten to spill it… But what do we want in return?”

Quinn let out a low chuckle, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. “I don’t know about you, but getting rid of this whole rune nonsense would be nice. No offense—you’re cute, and fun to play with—but I don’t need to know every damn time you poop yourself, and I sure as hell don’t wanna be compelled to praise you for it.”

Elara’s cheeks flushed hot at the bluntness of it, but she nodded quickly, sharing the sentiment. “I agree with that. Completely. So… we stand together and make our demands. Let’s do it tonight?”

“Deal!” Quinn grinned widely, a spark of rebellion lighting up her face. Together, they slipped out of the dorm room, shutting the door behind them.

***

Selena pushed open the heavy door to the girls’ dorm that night, her boots clicking against the stone floor as she stepped inside. The air felt charged, different somehow, and her sharp gaze immediately caught the way Elara and Quinn stood together, facing her with an unusual air of defiance. Her lips parted to demand what the hell was going on, but before she could get a word out, Elara’s voice sliced through the tension, bold in a way Selena hadn’t heard from her before.

“We know your secret,” Elara said, a grin spreading across her face.

“And if you don’t want it spilled,” Quinn took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them, “you’ll do what we say.”

Selena froze, her breath catching for just a split second as she glanced between the two girls. There was no way they could know. No possible way. But that glint in their eyes, that smug, confident sparkle, sent a cold trickle of doubt down her spine.

Had she missed something? Her palms started to sweat, and she wiped them discreetly on the sides of her uniform skirt, trying to maintain her composure. It had been years since she’d felt this off-balance, this close to being on the back foot. She knew exactly what it would mean if they’d uncovered her truth—the humiliation, losing control, the unraveling of everything she’d built here.

Her toes curled inside her boots as she lifted her chin, forcing steel into her voice. “You don’t know anything,” she said firmly, staring them down with all the authority she could muster.

Elara’s grin only widened, predatory now, as she folded her arms across her chest. “Not only do we know, we have evidence.”

Selena’s heart nearly stopped, a jolt of raw panic shooting through her chest. There was no way… She’d been too careful. Too meticulous. Every step covered, every trace hidden. They couldn’t have found anything. But the way they were looking at her gnawed at her.

Had she slipped up somewhere? Overlooked a detail? Her mind raced through every possibility, every moment she might have let her guard down.

She forced herself to keep her expression neutral, though her pulse hammered in her ears. “Evidence?” she arched a brow with a scoff. “You’re bluffing. Whatever game you think you’re playing, it ends now.”

“Oh, it’s no game,” Quinn’s voice was dripping with confidence as she took another step closer, almost daring Selena to push harder. “We’ve got something very real. Something you wouldn’t want anyone else seeing—or hearing about.”

Selena’s jaw tightened, her fingers twitching at her sides. She wanted to lash out, to shut this down with force or magic if necessary, but that nagging uncertainty held her back. If they truly had something, if they’d found what she feared, they could ruin her. The thought of that kind of exposure made her skin crawl in ways she hadn’t felt since she was a student herself under someone else’s thumb. She studied their faces again, searching for any crack in their resolve, any sign they were lying. But there was none—just that damnable certainty staring back at her.

“What exactly do you think you’ve got on me?” she asked finally, keeping her tone low and dangerous, testing them while buying herself time to think. Her mind churned furiously. How could they have found out? Where had she faltered? And more importantly, how much did they really know?

Selena felt a cold shiver snake down her spine, her mind racing with the catastrophic possibilities. If these two truly knew what she’d been hiding, it could mean expulsion from the school—or worse, a demotion back to freshman status. The thought dragged up visceral memories of her own past, of being in Elara’s position, subjected to the degrading whims of her own Mommy. The humiliations, the loss of control—it had scarred her in ways she’d never admit aloud. She’d clawed her way out of that helplessness, and dishing out a twisted form of payback on Elara had been a small, bitter reprieve.

But going back? Being reduced to that again? No. She would not let that happen.

“You’re both lying,” her voice sharper than she intended as her gaze darted between the girls, searching for any flicker of doubt.

“Are you sure you want to test that theory?” Elara shot back, her tone dripping with challenge, her smirk unwavering.

Selena swallowed hard, nerves prickling under her skin. “I could lock you both in here,” she said, forcing authority into her words. “Tie you down. Prevent you from ever saying a word. Nobody would question it—especially since I’m your caregiver.” Her throat felt tight as she spoke, betraying the uncertainty beneath her threat.

“You’re her caregiver,” Quinn tilted her head, thumbing toward Elara.

“I could get your Daddy on board,” Selena glanced toward the hallway as if expecting reinforcement to materialize.

“Oh, but we’ve got dirt on him, too,” Quinn said, not missing a beat.

Selena’s brow furrowed, disbelief warring with creeping dread. How? How had they managed to get something on both of them? There was no way. He knew the risks just as well as she did—he had to be as careful as she was. Surely. Had they pushed these two too far? Underestimated their desperation? Her hands clenched at her sides as she realized she might have miscalculated. Badly.

“What do you want?” Her voice came out small, barely above a whisper, and the sound of it shocked even herself. She hadn’t meant to fold so fast, but the weight of their certainty bore down on her like a physical force.

Elara and Quinn’s eyes lit up with victory, their postures straightening with triumph. “Our runes removed,” Elara said..

Selena nodded slowly, almost in a daze, gesturing for them to step closer. Moments later, she knelt before them, murmuring incantations under her breath as her fingers traced over their exposed tummies. The warmth of the runes faded under her touch, dissolving the invasive magic that had bound their emotions and actions for so long. When it was done, she straightened up, wiping her hands on her uniform as if to cleanse herself of the act. “You promise to keep this quiet?” she asked, hating how pleading she sounded.

“Things are going to change a bit,” Quinn adjusted her uniform back into place with deliberate care.

“If we go too far, people will know something’s going on,” Selena said quickly, grasping for some semblance of control. “We’ll all get in trouble. I can match the curriculum that the rest of House Ruby is adhering to.”

“Deal,” Elara nodded. “That means the same meals as everyone else. And no runes or magic to alter our emotions and feelings.”

Selena gave a numb nod, feeling hollowed out by how swiftly the power dynamic had shifted. “So it shall be,” she muttered. Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the dorm room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Selena lingered outside the dorm, her mind a tangled mess of possibilities and gnawing concerns. Even if Elara and Quinn knew something, they wouldn’t know what to do with the information, right? They were just first years—naive, out of their depth.

But doubt clawed at her. If they did figure out how to use it against her… Her hands curled into the fabric of her uniform, fingers twisting the material in a nervous tic she hadn’t indulged since her third year. Back then, every day had been a tightrope walk of fear and survival. Now, as a fourth-year caregiver, she’d finally felt a sense of ease, of control, until tonight.

Her eyes caught movement down the hall, and she spotted Darian approaching, his broad frame unmistakable even in the dim light. Pushing off the wall, she intercepted him.

“Darian, we need to speak.” She grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the caregiver section of House Ruby, away from prying ears.

“Sure, what’s up?” His brow furrowed, concern etched into his usually composed features as he let himself be led.

“They know!” Selena hissed, keeping her voice low but sharp as they moved through the corridor.

“What?” Darian’s tone was incredulous, his steps faltering for a moment before quickening to match hers. “That’s not possible. They can’t possibly know.”

“And yet they do now.” Her words came out clipped, frustration and fear mingling in her chest.

“Is that why you removed their runes?” He pushed ahead slightly, forcing Selena to keep pace now. “It’s why I was heading there. I figured they’d somehow found out how to remove them themselves.” He shoved open the door to his dorm room with more force than necessary.

Selena followed close on his heels, stepping inside as the door swung shut behind them. “Yes, they got me as I went in to check. Damn it, what did we miss?”

“I don’t know…” Darian ran a hand through his hair, pacing a short line near his desk before turning to face her. “You think they’re bluffing?”

“That was my thought too, but damn it, the way they looked at me…” She shook her head, arms crossing tightly over her chest as if to hold herself together. “They were too confident to be bluffing; they got something.”

“What did they want to keep quiet?” His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, a tension that mirrored her own.

“Their runes removed, firstly,” Selena started to pace the small room herself, boots clicking softly on the stone floor. “And they wanted more, but I told them we had to maintain what House Ruby does for their first years. Otherwise, we’d all be in trouble if anyone noticed something off.”

Darian nodded, leaning back against the edge of his desk, arms crossed. “What are we going to do?”

Selena paused mid-step, turning to look at him, her brow furrowing deeper. “I don’t know,” she admitted softly, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. Vulnerability wasn’t something she was used to showing—not even to him. “If they’ve got evidence like they claim… if they spread it…” She trailed off, unable to voice the full scope of consequences waiting on the other side of that ‘if.’

“We can’t let them have this kind of leverage,” Darian pushed off the desk and stepped closer, lowering his voice. “We need to find out exactly what they know—and how they got it. If there’s something we missed, we'll fix it. Now.”

“And if it’s not a bluff?” Selena’s gaze met his, searching for some kind of reassurance. “If they’ve really got something solid?”

“Then we play along for now,” his lips thinned to a line. “Stick to House Ruby’s standard curriculum like you said—no extra games, no pushing boundaries. Keep things looking normal from the outside while we figure out our next move. Maybe we dig into their secrets. Turn this back on them.”

Selena exhaled sharply through her nose, nodding despite the knot in her stomach. “Fine. But we watch them closer than ever. Every word, every move. If they think they’ve got us cornered, they’re about to learn just how wrong they are.” Her voice hardened at the end, masking the uncertainty still simmering beneath.

But as she stood there, plotting with Darian in the quiet of his room, one thought looped relentlessly in her mind: how far would these girls push before everything unraveled completely?