Leah could think of only one thing to do. Cry.
She sat heavily on the floor and began to wail at the top of her lungs. It didn't take long for multiple people to come running. They paused at the sight of the unaccompanied toddler crying on the floor. An employee was the first to approach Leah. It was an old man with kind eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently.
"I'm confuse," Leah sobbed. "I wanna be a big girl!"
"Aw, you are!" the man said. Leah continued to cry. The man took out a radio from his pocket. "I think the child minders lost one," he said into the radio. "Can someone come get her? By the bathrooms."
Leah let out a fart. But it wasn't just a fart. She sobbed harder as she felt mush spread in her training pants. The man wrinkled his nose.
"She'll need a change."
"I need diapees," Leah cried. The man nodded, unable to disagree after Leah just messed herself.
In a few minutes, a young woman came hurrying over. She picked Leah up and put a pacifier in her mouth. Leah sucked on it instinctively, already feeling herself calm down.
"I'll take care of her, Hank," the woman said. She carried Leah away. "Some grownups want to look at the store without their kids, so they can drop them off to be watched over for a little bit," the woman said. She poked Leah's nose. "Let me guess. You snuck off, didn't you?"
Leah wasn't so sure about that. She didn't think she did, but...what other option was there? Tina probably wanted to shop without her three year old stepdaughter for a bit. Hesitantly, Leah nodded. The woman smiled.
"That's what I thought."
They arrived at the small room where a few other toddlers and some babies were playing. Leah was brought to a changing table and put into a diapee, which she was relieved by, then set on the floor to play.
Even though Leah currently thought she was three, like the other commands it would wear off, and she would go back to being a teenager. It was just a matter of time.