"Let's try your friend's shop." Leah said, a bit reluctantly. "You promise it will be private, right?"
"Of course." Tina gushed. "I'll call ahead and let her know we're coming. It will probably be a few hours before she's ready for us though, so let's leave now and we can make a few stops along the way. I need to pick up a few necessities."
Tina bustled off to make her phone call, leaving Leah in front of the mirror. Leah looked into the glass once more. There stood her reflection, exactly where she had left it, looking a bit lost and bewildered.
"What am I getting myself into?" She asked the girl on the other side. "I've spent the last 3 years trying my hardest to look my age and now here I am running hard in the opposite direction, and for what?"
She thought back to the hours she had just spent in the daycare. It had been the most fun she had had in years, no question about that, but was she really ready to throw away her hard-won maturity for it? She gazed at her reflection. Her reflection gazed back.
"Leah!" Tina called from the other room, startling her from her introspection. "Marie said she could see us after closing today! Let's get going! I have your coat and shoes ready in the foyer!"
Leah took one last look at the Leah in the mirror. The look on her face was a mixture of complex emotions. She steeled herself. She wanted this, and it was only for a couple of weeks. If she didn't like it she could change her mind and go right back to her one-woman march towards adulthood. She turned and left the mirror behind.
---
The drive to Marie's boutique was a bit long. It was made longer still by the several stops Tina made along the way. The first one Tina let Leah stay in the car. Leah was okay with this, the drugstore they had parked in front of was a local one and Leah saw more than one familiar face that she didn't wish to meet directly. The second was a shoe store and Tina had to coax Leah out of her seat.
"We're a decent way from home here," she said soothingly, "I doubt you will run into anyone who knows you. And even if you did I don't think they will recognize you at all with your new look."
Leah had to begrudgingly agree with that. She followed her stepmom into the shop and spent about 20 minutes trying on various shoes in the children's section, a place she normally would have avoided despite it having her exact size in abundance. They left the store with three pairs of shoes. A nice pair of shiny black flats in a childishly chunky, but still formal design. A pair of pink sneakers that any little girl would drool over, though Leah wasn't quite sure of them yet. And Tina had spotted nice pair of boots for herself that were on sale and had grabbed them while Leah was deciding if pink or purple was the least offensive to her tastes.
Tina then drove a bit out of the way to a small commercial park where Leah waited while she ran into a fairly nondescript gray building with a faded but still colorful sign in the window. Leah strained to see what the sign said but the low sun and the angle of the glass obscured it. It did look quite childish though. Tina soon came out pushing a cart with several large cardboard boxes stacked on it. These she quickly loaded into the back and when Leah asked what was in them she just winked.
"It's a surprise." she said. "I don't want to spoil it."
The last stop was on the far side of the town. Leah had only been out this way a handful of times and didn't recognize much beyond the mall that was favorite among the older and more popular kids at school. Thankfully they drove past that and well beyond, almost into the residential streets on the other side. Soon Tina turned down a narrow alley between the last few storefronts on the street and pulled into a small parking lot outside of a rather frilly looking shop with a sign saying 'Marie Hernandez, Tailoring and Repair While You Wait, Custom Work by Request' underneath were several lines of what Leah assumed to be Spanish. The window displayed several dresses and a suit with a feminine cut, all exquisitely well made and displayed on dressmakers dummies.
Tina led a reluctant Leah up to the door and, noting the closed sign, knocked politely. There was a minute of silence before the curtain on the door's upper window twitched slightly. Then with a rattle of the lock the door was opened by a plump Latina woman who greeted Tina enthusiastically in Spanish. After exchanging hugs and kisses the woman turned and introduced herself to Leah.
"Hola chiquita!" She had a strong but still understandable accent. "You must be Leah! My name is Marie! I am so happy to meet you!"
She swept Leah up into a massive hug, gently crushing her before depositing her back on her feet.
"Come in! Come In! It's getting cold out here!" She bustled back into the shop, waving at the two other women to follow her.
The interior of the shop was unlike any Leah had ever seen, though to be honest she had never been in a proper tailor's shop. There were many more dummies arranged around the floor displaying everything from simple everyday dresses to prim business suits to extravagant formal gowns. Along the walls were racks of hangers with all manner of clothing ready for a customer to browse at their leisure. Near the counter at the back were several comfortable chairs around a small table covered in various catalogues and magazines full of the latest fashions. Marie led them past all this, through a door beside the counter, and down a well-lit hallway lined with closed doors. She stopped at a door near the far end opened it with a key before ushering them through. Leah's jaw dropped when she saw what was in the room.
While smaller than the shop proper the room was arranged nearly the same, though instead of a counter there was a small platform surrounded by carts of tailoring supplies. Leah's attention was grabbed by the dummies however. Instead of the suits and dresses out front, these wore clothing that were far more suited for a young child or an infant, although in sizes that would fit an adult comfortably. At first Leah assumed that they were made large so that customers could get a better look at them, but the clothing on the racks were sized the same. Stunned, she wandered up to a dummy sporting an extremely frilly and violently pink dress. It's skirt was far too short and puffed out with layer after layer of petticoats. Anyone wearing that would be unable to hide whatever they may, or may not, be wearing underneath.
"No, no." Marie chided, taking Leah by the hand and leading her towards the chairs. "I don't think that one is right for you. Much too sissy. You need something more practical."
The table had piles of different catalogues, just like the one out front in the main store. It also had an electric kettle and tea set from which Marie served them all hot tea. They all had several cups with biscuits while the two older women caught up.
Leah sat and stared at the catalogues and drank tea while Tina and Marie chatted. Marie had been right about the dress. A similar one was on the cover of a garishly pink glossy. The model wasn't female, or at least Leah didn't think they usually identified as female, and wore the dress with a coquettish pose that showed off the absurdly thick cloth diaper they wore. A quick flick through the pages showed more of the same, though it was often difficult to discern what gender, if any, the models may have been. She pushed it aside and picked up a magazine that looked more like the high fashion ones she sometimes saw her older classmates perusing. The models in this one were more obviously female and the styles they were were more understated. Diapers and other baby paraphernalia were still prominent but the clothing looked more like something a very modern young mother would dress her child in, or more accurately, have her nanny dress them in. The next catalogue was pink like the first, but the clothing was all things any girl under the age of five might wear. They looked a little strange on models who were clearly in their twenties though.
Leah tossed the magazines aside and tuned back into the conversation the adults were having. Tina seemed to be explaining in depth what the plan for her stepdaughter was and Marie was all smiles as she showcased pages from different catalogues.
"I'm thinking around two or three to start," Tina was explaining, "But we should also be prepared in case she chooses to go lower or higher than that. I have a feeling she's not entirely sure about herself quite yet."
"Of course! Of course!" Marie gushed, "Many of my special clients tend not to stay the same age all the time. I have all sorts of options to make your little happy! How old did you say her normal age was again?"
"15, though I know she doesn't look it."
"15." Marie pondered, looking Leah up and down. "So we should leave out the special toys, still far too young for that. Though the little darling certainly does not *look* her age. She is quite... petite. Are you wearing a binder sweetie?"
"I don't..." Leah began, unsure what Marie meant.
"She doesn't need one." Tina interjected. "She has yet to develop anything in that department, though she is making some progress in others."
Leah blushed. She still didn't understand what Marie meant by a binder, but her stepmother's tone told her it had to do with her growth... And lack thereof.
"Perfecta!" Marie exclaimed, clapping her hands together briefly. "Then this will be much simpler. Some many littles are very developed and it can make it difficult to size them right since they don't always wish to show it."
"Uhm... Littles?" Leah asked hesitantly.
"Si! Littles!" Marie gushed. "They are like you. They don't feel like the age they are so they become little! I make clothes for them! Very good for business. I sometimes make more money from littles then I do from my usual work. And it's so fun!"
Leah looked from Tina to Marie. The question on her mind must have been written across her face because Tina answered it.
"I have been in the daycare business since I was about your age. You learn a lot about things adjacent to it when you get as experienced as I have. Marie helped design the uniforms for all of my daycare and preschool facilities. When we were having a meeting about new designs one of her other clients showed up. A young woman who happened to be one of my employees. Naturally I was curious and Marie showed me some of her projects. I admit it's not my cup of tea, at least not from that end, but it is quite cute."
"You were scandalized!" Marie beamed, "You kept demanding to know how many other employees of yours were involved. It took a day or two for you to calm down and listen."
"I have a duty to protect the children in my care." Tina said primly, "I had to be absolutely sure that none of my employees would abuse or neglect them because of their extracurricular activities. Thankfully there has never been a problem."
"And I hope it never will be. Now." Marie clapped her hands again. "We have been wasting far too much time prattling on like a bunch of old ladies! We need to get this little one measured up! Come over here darling."
Leah was led up onto the platform and Marie pulled a measuring tape out of one of the carts. Leah spent the next 30 minutes being turned around and lifting various limbs while Marie took careful measurements. After that she hurried around to several racks and pulled off a few different items of clothing, stacking them next to Leah.
"We will try these to start. Arms up!"
Caught off guard, Leah raised her arms and Marie unclipped her overalls and as they fell to the floor she pulled her shirt off over her head. Shocked, Leah quickly tried to cover her chest with one arm and her pullup with the other but Marie just chided her gently and coaxed her arms back up.
"You've got nothing I haven't seen many times before." she stated as she pulled a white shirt down over Leah's head. The shirt was longer than Leah had expected and there were small metal snaps on the hem. It was a onesie. Marie clicked the snaps shut then tutted to herself. "This would work better if you were wearing a proper diaper."
"Sorry." Leah whispered.
"Oh don't be. I understand that you're new to all of this. Just let me do my magic."
With the onesie in place Marie proceeded to try several different outfits on Leah. There was a whirlwind of dressing, undressing, pinning, note-taking, Leah started to get dizzy from it all. At last Marie helped her back into her own clothes and the two rejoined Tina at the table. Leah had become quite tired by this point, so she dozed in her seat while Tina and Marie discussed a few more things. Then Marie scurried off to another room and came back with a box which she handed to Tina.
"This should be good enough until the rest is ready." She said. "I cannot wait to see her all dressed up properly!"
"You and me both." Tina agreed. "But I think it's time to get this little one home and in bed, she's had a long day."
Marie guided them out of the shop and Tina helped Leah back into the booster seat, she was too tired to complain. During the drive back home she tried to doze off again, but her bladder had other plans. All that tea was starting to catch up to her.