Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Hammerstein is at the cusp of finishing high school in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. He has a seemingly ideal life and is blessed with loving parents, a cute baby sister, and great friends. Nicholas is a gifted student and martial artist who has dreams of leaving for college at the end of his senior year. But, living in a world of Emergent humans, he will soon find his life turned upside down as his life and the fate of a kingdom hang in the balance. His future and theirs will be determined by how he navigates the drastic changes in his body and the magical and superpowered Mergent population he joins.

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The Legal Stuff: Emerald Princess © 2016-2023 By Sofia Hammerstein
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016-2023 By Sofia Hammerstein. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
 
 
Chapter 15: Bonded

AN HOUR LATER, we were in a secure area of the Los Alamos labs with military guards outside our conference room. Lily was cuddled up in Mom’s lap while I was in Dad’s. Hannah’s parents were there, along with the chief of security, Dad’s boss, and a representative from the EPC.

“I demand you turn custody of these two Mergents over to us immediately!” A flustered EPC agent demanded. “I have warrants for their arrest in the attempted murder of 20 people in Albuquerque. We’ll also be charging them for the attempted murder of 8 EPC officers up at the Caldera, Murder, and attempted murder of EPC agents when they shot down a helicopter, among other charges!”

“No.” The Captain of Security, Robert Jennings, said simply and unemotionally.

“But…”

“The facts are pretty clear in the first part, sir. They defended themselves from a mob after Emerald Baby defended herself from a kidnapper. Your agents only were attacked when they were abusive and said ‘Mergent scum’ as they tried to detain them. I think anyone would doubt their safety in that instance.”

“But…”

“They have a video recording of this that I have viewed. Furthermore, these Mergents have Government EIDs and fall under our jurisdiction.”

“I’ll fight this!” the gentleman fumed.

“I’m sure you will. Sergeant Weathers, please escort this man and all other EPC agents out of town. The EPC has no jurisdiction here.”

When he left, I looked at Hannah, “When did you get your card?”

“Actually, that was a bit of a stretch of the truth. We’ll need to take Miss Rayburn and test her immediately for one, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for your daughters to remain here much longer,” he said to our parents.

Mom nodded, tears coming out of her eyes, “You’re right.”

“Is there any way we can see if Bechtel can take both of them right away?” Dad asked.

A knock sounded on the conference room door as if to answer the question before it even came from his mouth. Another uniformed Sergeant stepped in, “Talia Hensley just arrived, sir.”

“Excellent timing,” Robert said.

Mrs. Hensley walked in a moment later and smiled at us. “How are you doing?” She said to us as a group. “It’s good to see you again, Robert, Mr. and Mrs. Hammerstein, Sofia,” she said politely. “I’m Talia Hensley, the headmistress at Bechtel Preparatory School,” she said to Hannah and her parents.

“How are you here so quickly?” Dad asked, surprised.

“Sofia has some interesting abilities that left her flagged in our system. We prefer to take students at a semester break at this point, but if something like what just happened goes on, we like to be ready to move things sooner.”

“So, you can take her now?” Mom asked.

“Sort of; I have to work out one last thing. I suspect it’s going to be just fine, though,” Mrs. Hensley told Mom. “Mr. and Mrs. Rayburn, based on what happened with Hannah, that she would also benefit from coming to Bechtel. Unfortunately, the EPC will be breathing down her back for some time. I believe, like the Hammersteins, you don’t actually live in Los Alamos?”

Hannah’s dad shook his head, “No, we live outside too. The lab’s protection only extends through Los Alamos?” he asked Mr. Jennings.

“That’s correct. Since the labs were historically military-operated, we have retained the ability to send those EPC scumbags out of town at our leisure. The problem is that if you exit town, they can do whatever they want again.”

“Your school, it’s also free of this issue?” her dad asked her.

“Yes. Historically we’ve had many students who have found the school to be a safe haven from EPC witch hunts.”

“It’s a good school?” Hannah’s mom asked, “I mean… I never expected Hannah to be a Mergent…” she sounded shocked. “And,” her voice cracked, “I never thought I would have to send her away for school so soon...”

“You would, of course, be welcome to visit, and your daughters are always welcome to come home for breaks. I wouldn’t recommend them visiting for Christmas, though. The EPC probably won’t let up until at least March when they’ll likely have had some bigger fish to fry.”

I watched both of our moms burst into tears at that. “You said there was one more issue?” Dad asked.

“Well, we still need someone to roommate with Sofia and help her with... “

“Diapers and babysitting?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll do it,” Hannah said.

“Are you sure?” Mrs. Hensley asked.

“I don’t think I could let anyone else do it,” Hannah said.

“I’m sure someone else could,” Hannah’s mom started.

“No, Mom, I mean I physically and emotionally couldn’t let someone else do it.”

“What do you mean, Hannah?” Mrs. Hensley asked.

I answered, “Mrs. Hensley, when I jumped into Hannah’s arms, with everyone chasing after me, that was when she emerged. Just as I ended up with the EFP of a baby… I think she ended up with the EFP of a mother.” I looked sheepishly at Mom, “Caireen complained that she had to share me with two other mothers. This kind of confirmed it to me.”

“A true bonding… that is unique,” Mrs. Hensley said. “In that case, I think we’ll take both girls as roommates. Do you need a crib, or can Caireen help you modify your room?” she asked me.

‘Caireen?’

‘I get to make another nursery!’ she sounded happy.

I groaned internally, “We’ll take care of it,” I told her.

“Okay then, Robert, have you finished processing Hannah’s GEID yet?”

“We haven’t tested her yet…?”

“Can you make the GEID, and we’ll test her at Bechtel? We retest everyone there anyway, and it would let us settle them in tonight. I’ll send her test results to log into the system by Tuesday.”

“Give me a half-hour?” He suggested.

“Good, that’ll give the girls a chance to say goodbye to their parents and me to get an extra teleporter to help them out.”

“What about my clothes and stuff?” Hannah asked.

“We’ll ship them to you,” her mom said.

The next thirty minutes were tear-filled. Mom insisted on changing my diaper before we left, and I hugged my sister and parents, clinging to them until it was time to go. “Be good for Hannah,” Mom told me.

“Mom, she’s my best friend?”

“And, apparently, another mother now. She has my full permission to discipline you or whatever she needs to do.”

“But…”

“Sofia, that’s not up for debate. You’re in a two-year-old’s body - and you sometimes act like it too.”

I sighed, “I’ll be good, like always, Mom!”

Finally, the time came, and Mrs. Hensley directed us to follow her to an area that wasn’t warded against teleporters. Hannah held me on her right hip, so I could see a little bit. Mom had given her Lily and my diaper bag with four bottles that had been rinsed out, some diapers, and a few extra pacifiers. She promised to ship me some other clothes and more diapers the next day with express shipping.

We came to an area marked “Teleporter port,” with a dozen armed Marines standing guard.

Two people there looked to be in a uniform that said Bechtel on the shirts. “Good evening Mrs. Hensley,” an older one said.

“Hi Tom, these two ladies are going back with us,” she said.

“The baby?” He asked, surprised.

“Come on, Tom, you know better than to judge by appearance,” she chided with a smile at the man with some decidedly canine-looking features on his face.

“Right, Mrs. Hensley.”

“Okay, young lady,” he said to Hannah, “I’m going to grab onto your elbow; hold on tight to the baby.”

A moment later, our parents were gone, and we were no longer in Los Alamos. Instead, we stood outside a large building on the street. “Welcome to Bechtel, ladies,” Mrs. Hensley said from beside us. “Normally, we would have a meeting and complete some paperwork when you arrive. But, given it is nearly midnight, I think it’s better to take you to your dorm and get you settled in.” She paused, “Umm… Hannah, because of Sofia, I have a dorm I want to place you in… Please don’t be offended by it when you discover more about it.

“Huh?” We both said, but she didn’t explain any further.

A very pretty-looking, short Hispanic girl came up the path just then. “Mrs. Lang asked me to see you and help some new students?”

‘Be careful. This girl is very powerful,’ Caireen told me.

“Yes, Esmie,” she pointed towards us, “these two will be joining Trident House. Mrs. Lang will help them find a room there.”

“Okay, no problem!” She said with a beautiful voice and beckoned us to follow her. “I’m sorry, I’m Esmie,” she said, and you are?”

“I’m Sofia, and this is Hannah,” I said.

Esmie kept walking, “I assume Sofia, you’re actually older than you look?”

I laughed, “Sort of… at least I was.”

“Sounds like an interesting story,” she said.

“That it is,” I agreed.

“Any chance I can hear it?”

“Tomorrow?” I suggested. “It’s been a long day…?”

“If you arrived in the middle of the night with Mrs. Hensley and teleporters, I imagine it was!” she agreed.

Esmie stopped just outside a building with a statue in front of it. It looked like a proper private school dorm from the movies, with nothing terrifying about it - and that made me nervous. “Look, there’s a lot that I need to fill you in about this school… But most of it can wait until tomorrow, though. Before we go in, I want to ensure you know about Trident.”

“What about it?” Hannah asked, “Mrs. Hensley alluded to something too.”

“We have a secret. Everyone here is either a changeling or prefers non-traditional relationships.”

“They’re gay, in other words?” I asked.

“Sofia Elizabeth!” Hannah hissed, shocking me with her motherly use of my middle name.

“What? I’m not knocking it.” I felt a bit bad.

“So, I’m assuming Sofia, you are a changeling?” She asked me.

I nodded, “In about every way.”

“Hannah?” she asked, and I looked up to see Hannah blushing.

“Hannah?” I asked softly, confused.

“I’ll fit in here,” she said with a smile. “Leave it at that,” she said as much to me as to Esmie. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep the dorm’s secret.”

Meanwhile I felt like a bomb had been dropped on me! Hannah had never told me, or anyone else that I knew of!

Esmie smiled at us, “Welcome to Trident!”

It was quiet as we entered the front doors, and a kindly older lady with stern eyes greeted us. “Good evening Esmie,” she said, “Go ahead and head up to your room. I’ll see to these two now.”

“Thanks, Esmie,” I said, joined by Hannah’s voice.

“Ladies, my name is Mrs. Lang. I’m the house mother for Trident.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hannah, and this is Sofia,” Hannah said.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say Sofia was your daughter?” she asked.

We both blushed, “Not by birth,” I said.

“How old were you before you changed?” She asked me.

“Eighteen.”

“I see, Hannah; you were the same age?”

“Yes, I guess at least I don’t think I’ve changed ages like Sofia…?”

She smiled at Hannah and continued, “Anyway, we are fortunate enough to have an empty dorm room on the freshman floor. I hope the regular beds work for Sofia?”

“Mrs. Hensley is expecting me to change it,” I said simply.

“Alright then.” She showed us where the bathrooms were and led us to our room. It was a pretty good-sized room, in all honesty, but I hoped it would be big enough for whatever Caireen had in mind. “Do you need any bedding?” She asked curiously.

‘Caireen?’

‘Nope, I’m going to take care of everything!’ She said with a giddiness that made me fearful.

“I’ll be making it,” I assured her.

She looked suspiciously at me in Hannah’s arms but shrugged and said, “Good night, ladies; I need you ready to go at eight so you can get your breakfast. You have an appointment at one to begin sorting out the next few days for yourselves out.”

“Okay, Sofia,” she said as she sat me down on the floor, “do your thing?”

‘Caireen, you want to just take over, and I’ll watch? I’m exhausted,’ I confessed the last bit with a little bit of shame.

‘Absolutely!’

For the next twenty minutes, Caireen worked spells that I tried to follow but didn’t have a chance to do so. It was advanced magic that was way beyond my understanding. At the end of it, we stood in the prettiest and most girly room I could imagine existed on the planet. Everything, including the existing furniture, closet doors, and wardrobes, had been changed to a white color with fancy molding along the ceiling and the walls a couple feet from the floor. The drop ceiling tiles had been transformed into a plaster ceiling with many decorative sculpted accents. Two medium size crystal chandeliers hung down to illuminate the room. Glass wall sconces now adorned the wall. The floor was cushioned by a very soft, light lavender carpet.

The walls of the room appeared to have been split into two personalities. Hannah’s featured a pretty deep lavender color with an extensive, bold black sketch of a tree with music notes and hearts interspersed.

Mine featured a mural of the castle from the Sofia the First show and the characters painted on it in painstaking detail. My mural spanned both of my walls, just as her color spanned her wall. An accent color was visible along the wall portions around the closets and wardrobes. The room itself seemed to have somehow grown larger by at least double.

Hannah had a beautiful white four-poster bed with elegant bedding and lots of lace on the curtains that came down. Somehow, a minor detail or two made it seem older fashioned and retro than the little girl’s dream bedding that was mine. I felt both excited and diabetic from looking at my side of the room. A round crib with a canopy over it was just offset from the wall. A changing table leaned against the wall opposite the doorway. It was all styled very similarly to my nursery in the castle, which didn’t surprise me since the same person decorated this one! My bedding was a light pink, and I could see the crib had emerald jeweled accents along the top and bottom rails and ornate carvings of tiaras along the rails.

Each of us was allotted desks along a wall. One was obviously mine by the size, and computers rested on both. A rocking chair was conveniently located in one corner of the room, with a soft pink and green baby blanket hanging over the back. There were bookshelves for both of us, with one shelf completely filled with picture books. A toy chest sat next to the wall, most likely filled with toys. Hannah confirmed that when she went to open it.

“Wow,” Hannah said.

“Too much?” I asked.

“Way,” she giggled. “This is the princess bedroom I dreamed about since I was a little girl!”

“Well, we both have it now,” I said while shaking my head.

Without warning, she picked me up and walked me over to the changing table. She noticed diapers there and said, “Caireen, Your Majesty, thank you for this.”

‘Tell her she’s welcome,’ Caireen said.

“She said you’re welcome.”

Hannah had me stripped from the romper and the soaked diaper I was wearing in no time. She left me strapped on the changing table and walked to the closets. Inside she found a light green nightgown with as much lace as anything I had seen at Caireen’s castle. “This is adorable!” She said.

I sighed and agreed, “It’s very pretty.”

She had it on over my head and said, “Your mom said you normally have a bottle at night?”

I nodded, “and a story,” I paused, “I don’t expect that from you, though. It’s not like we have any milk in the room!”

Hannah nodded and sat me on the floor. “Let me see if Caireen left me anything to wear.” She opened the closet and saw a collection of modern and heirloom dresses. She found a pretty pink nightgown and began taking off her clothes. I was really embarrassed, but I couldn’t help but watch. When the Gi she was still wearing came undone, she stiffened.

Her bra was soaked.

“What the Hell?” she said. “Eew…” she pulled off her bra, and we both realized why she had that problem. She was lactating.

She just stared at me and didn’t say a word.

‘Caireen, what’s going on?’

‘I don’t know for sure...’

‘But?’

I felt her sigh, ‘I told you there was another mother… I think that’s why.’

‘Is she okay?’

‘Of course. Though if Hannah continues to lactate without having a baby pulling the milk out, it gets excruciating.’

“Say something Sofia,” Hannah said, “You had that ‘I’m talking to Caireen look’ on your face.”

Now I sighed too, “She said that it’s because you bonded with me.”

“Is that all?”

I shook my head, “she also mentioned that it will get pretty painful if you don’t have a way to remove it.”

“Is this a permanent thing?”

‘Is it?’

‘Maybe. Hannah might dry up like a normal mother if there’s not a baby feeding.’

‘But?’

‘But I have a feeling this is her EFP, just like yours is leaving you in diapers.’

“Great…” I said aloud. “She says you might dry up if there’s no baby feeding.”

“Or?”

“Or... this is your EFP.”

Hannah burst into tears then, and I ran up to hold her legs in a hug, at least. “What am I going to do? They already thought you were my daughter… Like I had you at sixteen!?!?! If I’m lactating…?” I held onto her for a moment before she picked me up and hugged me tightly.

Her face was really red when she pushed me back so I could see her face, “I wish it wasn’t so out of the question to have you help me…?”

“Help how?” I asked cautiously.

“Well, you’re the only baby I know around…” she paused, “and you got me into this mess.”

“I was your eighteen-year-old male best friend last week!” I whined.

“Well, you’re a baby this week,” she said with a smile.

I looked at her face and could see the discomfort showing. Hannah had been my best friend for years, and I could tell she was embarrassed beyond words right now too. “No one other than a doctor or our parents knows about this, right?” I asked.

“What happens in the nursery stays in the nursery,” she told me.

“Mom never follows that rule!”

“I promise not to announce your poopy diaper changes all over the school like she would.”

“Can I have that in writing?”

She tickled my side, “I guess shall we try this? If it’s too weird, you really don’t have to… I kind of feel like I need you to,” she told me honestly.

“I’m more worried about the two of us being so dependent on each other, but let’s give this a go,” I told her with a smile.

“You know, other than pretending to feed my dolls when I was little, I don’t know how to do this…?”

“Well, put me up there and hold me,” I told her.

So that’s what she did. I sucked tentatively a moment later before beginning a natural rhythm I felt I had no control over. “Does that taste okay, Sofia?” She asked me. I didn’t respond; my body was on autopilot, just like it was with Caireen in the castle. Eventually, when I had drained her first breast, she instinctively shifted me to the other side. While she was holding me, she began singing a lullaby. Her voice was beautiful and soothing. It left me feeling like I was in the safest place in the world. I was so comfortable! At some point, I must have fallen fast asleep.

 
 
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