“Thanks for giving me a ride Sara. It’s a shame Jordy couldn’t make it.” Dayton said as she grabbed her bag and suitcase.
“He’s boating at Chloe’s with Kelli. He takes his boating very seriously.” Sara said with a chuckle.
“Boating? He’s like three inches tall.”
“It’s just in Chloe’s pool. Ellie is littlesitting to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. But it’s mainly just Jordy driving around Chloe’s pool and Kelli sunbathing on the boat.” Sara explained
“That makes sense. Once I finish guardian training, I’ll be able to little sit Jordy for you.” Dayton said excitedly.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m sure he will love that.” Sara said, trying to hide her skepticism with niceness to not hurt Dayton’s feelings. As she knew she wouldn’t put Jordy in that position unless literally every other option was unavailable and not going wasn’t an option.
Dayton waved goodbye to Sara as she drove off as Dayton pulled her suitcase towards the entrance of the guardian training center. She knew Sara would have taken her through registration but she wanted to do this herself. She wanted to prove to her mother and Sara that she wasn’t a child anymore. Becoming a Guardian was that first step.
Dayton glanced up momentarily, taking in the grandeur of the newly constructed training center. The sleek, modern architecture and pristine glass windows were a stark contrast to the surrounding landscape. This was one of only 15 training centers built by GeneriConstruction across the United States, but this one in New York seemed to surpass them all in size and ambition. It not only served as a top-of-the-line training facility, but also held the prestigious title of being the headquarters for the global operation. The bustling energy and efficiency emanating from its walls made it clear why it was chosen for such an important role.
The solid, red brick buildings stretched out over an entire block, creating a sprawling campus-like atmosphere. Each building served its own purpose – there were Administration offices, dormitories for students, and state-of-the-art Guardian Training Facilities. The crisp lines of the structures contrasted against the lush greenery that surrounded them, giving off an air of authority and order. It was a place where discipline and education met in perfect harmony to prepare the next generation of Guardians.
“You can do this Dayton. 2021 is the year of Dayton.” She said, psyching herself up as she finally reached the door, pushing it open as she walked over to the registration desk with her bags in toe.
“Name please,” The receptionist asked.
“Dayton, Dayton Harris,” she declared confidently as she set her bags down, her eyes sweeping the room with a determined glint before signing into the program.
“I see you are here for full day courses. I will be right back with your dorm key.” The receptionist said disappearing into a back room for a moment before coming back with a key card similar to a hotel.
“Here is your keycard and here is your schedule. Tardiness is frowned upon.” The receptionist said sternly.
“Yes, ma’am,” Dayton replied with a smile, gathering her things and making her way towards the dorms. A surge of excitement coursed through her as she realized she was finally achieving one of her lifelong dreams – becoming a guardian. It had been a challenging task to convince her mother to allow her to join, but after much persuasion and pleading, she had relented. Dayton’s heart swelled with pride at the thought of protecting and helping a little as a guardian. She couldn’t wait to start this new chapter in her life.”
Dayton rounded the corner, her footsteps echoing off the brick walls as she made her way towards the dorms. The connecting pathway was lined with a grand display of large gold letters spelling out “Wall of Fame.” As she drew closer, Dayton’s eyes were drawn to the vibrant colors and intricate details of the display. It revealed all the top guardians and their scores, showcasing their achievements and accomplishments for all to see.
But it was the name in the very middle at the very top that caught Dayton’s attention. In bold gold lettering, the name Sara Reeves was embossed along with a larger-than-life picture of her sitting proudly at the top of hierarchy. Dayton couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration mixed with a tinge of envy as she stared at Sara’s perfect final ranking score.
The idea of surpassing Sara and reaching the top spot herself seemed like an impossibility, one that Dayton had already come to accept. But still, she couldn’t help but strive for a high enough score to at least be acknowledged by Sara, to prove herself worthy of being among the elite group on the Wall of Fame.
Dayton had known Sara for as long as she could remember. Their mothers were best friends, so they had grown up together, often spending long afternoons at each other’s houses. As Dayton glanced back on these memories, a smile spread across her face. Sara was like an older sister to her, someone who she admired and looked up to with all her heart. That’s why when the shocking news of Sara’s attempted suicide reached her ears, Dayton’s heart broke into a million pieces. When she overheard Mrs. Reeves and her mother discussing the situation, she learned that Sara had been ruthlessly bullied by Charity Stevens, the popular girl in school. Suddenly it all made sense – Sara would never have done such a thing unless she was pushed to the edge. In that moment, Dayton’s heart burned with a desire for revenge against the cruel bully. She recalled a saying that Sara used to use when talking about Charity, and she was sure that payback would be sweetly served.
“God don’t like ugly.” After hearing it spoken it was unfamiliar in its meaning as she had always been told that god loves us all in her sunday school class. Sara then taught her of of Psalm 101:5
“Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.”
It was then Sara explained that God detests those who speak ill of others and those who are filled with pride. This verse encourages us to guard our hearts and tongues, treating others with kindness and humility. God desires us to build up, not tear down.
Dayton knew Charity had violated that sanctity and pact one had made with god. She was the kind of person who would tear down. Charity wanted nothing more than the betterment of herself even if it was the expense of someone else like Sara.
After she heard her mother and Mrs. Reeves talking, she didn’t see Sara for a long time. She went over to her house a few times, but Sara was never there. Anytime she asked about Sara she was just told she was away staying with family.
Quite some time passed until she saw Sara again. She asked Sara about what happened but she would normally never talk about what happened. Why she was gone for so long. It wasn’t until confronting Sara with what she heard and had figured out. That she got anywhere. It was only then when Sara responded with proverbs 11:20. At the time it meant nothing but that night she found the passage which read:
“Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.”
Dayton connected the passage to the old saying Sara had taught her in reference to Charity. “God Don’t like ugly.” The passages were all connected. There were several of them.
Dayton’s eyes lingered on her ranking as she continued to stare at the screen. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and admiration for the girl who had scored so high despite everything that had been going on. She was the gold standard, the one everyone looked up to, and now it was her time to shine.
As she made her way down the corridor towards her dorm, Dayton’s mind raced with excitement and nerves for the training that awaited her tomorrow. The air was filled with the sound of doors opening and closing, and the distant chatter of students winding down for the night.
Finally reaching her room, Dayton unlocked the door using the key and pushed open the door. The space inside was fairly large for a dorm, with two beds neatly made on opposite sides of the room and two desks against the walls. In the far corner, a tall blonde girl caught her attention as she looked up from her desk.
Their eyes met and Dayton felt a twinge of curiosity about her roommate, wondering what skills or talents had earned her a spot at this prestigious academy. Tomorrow would be full of new challenges and discoveries, but for now, all she could do was settle into bed and get some rest before the exciting journey ahead.
“Hey roomie” The blonde said.
“Hi,” Dayton greeted hesitantly, glancing around the room with a raised eyebrow. She placed her suitcase on top of one of the twin beds, its wheels clicking on the hardwood floor. She then dropped her other bags next to it with a thud. “I’m Dayton.”
With a wide, friendly smile and outstretched hand, the tall woman in a crisp white blouse and sleek black pants introduced herself as Sydney. “You can just call me Syd,” she said. As she gestured to the desk next to her, where a note with their names had been placed, she added, “Looks like we’ll be working together.”
Dayton let out a small grunt as she pulled out her bedding material, her muscles straining under the weight. “I didn’t realize guardian training was a group project,” she commented, sweat glistening on her forehead.
“It’s new,” Sydney replied, also struggling with her own supplies. “I guess they’re trying to incorporate actual underbreds into the lesson now. No more using those creepy atomic dolls like before.” She shook her head, remembering the mechanical creatures that used to be used for training. “At least we have each other to rely on now.”
“That explains why Sara and Chloe didn’t say anything but they probably knew and just wanted to surprise me.” Dayton said
“Why they know? Do they work here or something?” Sydney said.
“Yeah, something like that.” Dayton said knowing Chloe didn’t like to brag about her status. Sara would never let her hear the end of it if she pissed off Chloe.
“Thats cool. Do you have any experience with underbreds then since you seem to have an in?” Sydney questioned as she continued to feel Dayton out.
“You can say that. I’ve done a bit of underbred obedience training,” Dayton said, her tone dripping with a touch of smugness. “Done some feeding and holding. You know, basic stuff.”
“You have an underbred?” Syndey said excitedly.
“No, I just have access to one. Once I get trained here, I want to get my own,” Dayton complained, rolling her eyes. “My mom is being so stingy, trying to play the responsibility card. But really, she just doesn’t want to spend the money. She’s so cheap.”
“I got one of those too.” Sydney said “Money doesn’t grow on trees Syd.” Syndey said imitating her mother as both girls laughed.
“You from around here? I don’t recognize you at all. You must not go to Davies.” Sydney said.
“That’s because you go to public school. I go to a private school,” Dayton said with a hint of superiority as she started putting her clothes away for the month.
The two girls continued to talk for quite sometime before finally both decidding to head to bed.
~~~~~~~
As Dayton and Sydney made their way to Guardian class, they were greeted by rows of sturdy wooden tables, arranged neatly in the room. The instructor, a burly man with jet black hair, stood against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His presence commanded attention as his students filed in one by one, finding their seats at the tables. The sound of shuffling feet and whispers filled the air as everyone prepared for the lesson ahead.
Greetings, trainees! My name is Marvin Robinson, and I represent Generitech. Some of your classes will be led by my colleague, Clare Redland. We are trying out a new format this time around, where you will have training days lasting eight to ten hours with weekends off to rest or participate in additional training and lectures to enhance your guardian abilities. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even challenge the top-ranked Guardian Sarendipity for the number one spot.
“She’s so cool. I watch her streams all the time.” Sydney whispered to Dayton who nodded unsure if she should tell her that she knows Sara personally.
As the students gathered around the instructor, eager to begin their training, they could feel a sense of anticipation in the air. The instructor cleared their throat and began, “Today, we will be discussing handling techniques for our newest addition to the program: littles.” The students exchanged excited glances, having read about this last night. “Each group will be assigned a training little, which you will be responsible for until you graduate.” This was a change from the dolls they had previously used, which only mimicked human motion and fragility. “We found that using dolls made it difficult for students to fully understand what it is like to care for a real little,” the instructor explained. “Unlike dolls, real littles are thinking, breathing, knowledgeable beings capable of similar emotions to us, despite their biological differences.” The students’ curiosity and enthusiasm grew as they imagined the unique experience of working with a real little.
“Any questions so far?” Marvin asked looking at the sea of students ranging in ages from thirteen to middle aged adults.
“How will weekends work if we are being assigned a training little.”Sydney asked.
“You and your partner will be responsible for the little through the duration of training. Did i stutter? It will be your responsibility to care for your little through graduation. That means on weekends if you and your partner are going home. One of you needs to take the training little with you. It’s recommended that you rotate weekends. Does that answer your question.” Marvin asked looking down at hte roster. “Sydney Goodman is it?”
“Yes sir. Thank you.” Sydney answered.
“Good, I want to be clear on this. We are entrusting another life into your care. While these littles have undergone a degree of training and are specialized Training Littles. So they know more and then most untrained littles. They are still littles.” Marvin said
“Mr. Robinson, what happens if a little is injured in our care?” An older woman near the back asked.
The stern voice of Marvin echoed through the classroom, cutting through the chatter and bringing all attention to him. His sharp gaze swept over the students, settling on each face with an almost intimidating intensity.
“It would depend on what led to their injury,” Marvin spoke firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “But reasonably speaking, if a little is injured due to your own negligence, you will likely fail this class and be required to repeat it.”
He paused, looking around the room as if daring anyone to challenge him. “I will only say this once, people,” he continued. “As I shouldn’t have to say it at all, but legally speaking it’s a requirement, so you can be informed.”
Reaching into his desk, Marvin pulled out a stack of papers and began to pass them out to the students. “This paper I am handing out now covers what you cannot do with your training little,” he stated matter-of-factly. “This means things like putting the little in your mouth or leaving them with an untrained person.”
He fixed a stern stare on the students. “Since you are in training, you are not allowed to leave your little with anyone who is not a fully trained guardian,” he said pointedly. “You, as junior guardians, are not capable of judging if a non-guardian can properly care for a little.”
Marvin collected the signed papers and returned them to the back table with a finality that brooked no argument. “If you have a problem with anything on that document, do not mistake me for someone who cares,” he declared coldly. “Because I do not.”
His words hung heavily in the air as he continued to speak. “What you will do if you have an issue is pack up your things and leave my classroom,” he instructed firmly. “You will then go back to your assigned room and gather your things before leaving. Those are your only two options.”
The room fell silent, the weight of Marvin’s words sinking in. He had made it clear that he would not tolerate any disobedience or carelessness when it came to the training of littles. And with his strict demeanor and unwavering stance, it was evident that he meant every word he said.
“Yes sir, The class said as they each signed the document and returned it to the pile. Before Marvin started going into little handling techniques.
“When you grip a little you want to grab them at the waist. You can squish them so you need to gently grab them with being aware of how strong you are. So the grapes in front of you are going to be your practice littles. I want each of you to practice grabbing the grape as you would a little. If you crush your grape you are doing it to strongly.
Marvin stood at the front of the classroom, observing his students as they practiced grabbing and setting down their training objects. He watched their concentration and determination, pleased to see them making progress. As he walked towards a nearby counter, the sound of his footsteps echoed off the walls. With a swift motion, he lifted a large plastic tote and set it on the counter, carefully removing the lid. “All right, I need one person from each group to come up and grab your training object,” Marvin announced to the class. “Please form an orderly line.” The students shuffled towards the front of the room, eager to test their skills. “I’ll go unless you want to, Syd?” Dayton asked, looking over at her partner. “Nah, go for it Private. You’re the one who has the experience,” Sydney replied with a small smile. The tension in the room was palpable as the students waited for their turn, feeling both nervous and excited for their chance to prove themselves.
“Thanks Public.” Dayton retorted with smirk before walking over to the line. It wasn’t long before she approached the plastic tote. The littles had abunch of pods seh hadn’t seen before on one end of the tote but they had all lined up on the other. As Dayton peered down at the group of littles she noticed most of the ones left looked older. She noticed a little on the end who looked a little shy and appeared to be in his teens.
Dayton reached down grabbing him just like Sara had showed her. Dayton couldn’t help but notice how Sara’s technique was more refined then the instructors which made her wonder if Sara shouldn’t just be teaching this class.
“I’m Dayton. I’ll be one of your guardians for the next few weeks,” she said with an air of authority before carrying the little over to the table and setting him down for Sydney to see.
“Whoa, look at how small they are? I haven’t ever gotten to see one up close like this. They are more human like then I thought they would be.” Sydney said.
“What did you think they would look like? They’ve been living among us for years, mimicking people perfectly,” Dayton said with a knowing smile as she looked down at her training little.
“Good point. Hey little guy I’m Sydney and this Dayton. We’re going to be caring for you. Do you have a name?”
“It’s Thomas,” the little said reserved.
“Thomas? Not Tom but specifically Thomas? Like the tank engine?’” Dayton asked.
“Yes,” he said as he looked up at the giant girls. They both looked young. He was only sixteen himself but they both looked younger than him, but he wasn’t completely sure. Everything had been a wash this past year.
“He’s about as talkative as Jordy,” Dayton said, rolling her eyes. “So, you’re like trained already or whatever? If I tell you to stand up, you’ll stand up?” she asked, her tone slightly sarcastic.
“Yes, I was actually trained by Generitech to be houseboy back in my native country of england. But I was brought over to the states and incorporated to the little training progam here.” Thomas said feeling that both these junior guardians wanted him to be a bit chattier.
“Okay well stand up. I need to practice holding you and picking you up. I’m not as practiced as Dayton is.” Sydney said.
“Okay, that explains her skill.” Thomas said.
“Well later on I have a few questions about this houseboy thing. But they can wait.” Dayton said as she watched Sydney practice several more grabs before Dayton practiced a few more advanced grabs. If she was going to catch up to Sara her time is now.” Dayton said excitedly.
The next few days were a blur of intense training for Dayton and Sydney as they delved deeper into their roles as guardians. They spent countless hours under the watchful eye of their instructor, perfecting their skills with unwavering determination. Many drills focused on agility and coordination, such as snatching objects while in motion or catching themselves from falls. Other exercises involved carrying and walking with weighted objects, emphasizing the importance of proper holding techniques that were considered essential to being a successful guardian. The air was thick with the sounds of grunting and exertion as the two young trainees pushed themselves to their limits, determined to master every aspect of their training.
On this day the group found themselves in a traditional classroom. Thomas sat on Dayton’s desk as Mr. Robinson lectured.
Today, we are delving into a fundamental understanding of littles, known scientifically as Homo Parvus. This information will be on the upcoming test, so make sure to pay attention. The core question that many junior guardians struggle with is whether or not littles should be considered people. They may look like humans, they can communicate and exhibit intelligence, and they possess many of the same mannerisms as us. However, as we discussed yesterday, there are a few key differences. The concept of cellular oxidation was introduced and how it differs in littles compared to ourselves. But now, I am curious to hear your thoughts. Is Thomas, or any little for that matter, truly a person?” Marvin posed the question to his students with a thoughtful expression.
Dayton looked at Marvin only briefly before answering. “No, he shares some abilities similar to how a lion and a tiger have some similar characteristics but that doesn’t mean lion is a tiger or a tiger is a lion even if they are both part of the cat family. Thomas is a lesser animal.
“Thank you, Dayton.” The man’s voice rang out, echoing through the crowded room. His words were met with a mix of murmurs and nods from those gathered around him. “Yes, Littles and people are separate in where they reside in the ecosystem,” he continued, his tone firm and authoritative. “However, that concept is muddied a bit right now because in some cases, this could be your mother, a sibling, a friend. We are at a turning point in this society, and lines have been blurred.” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces before him. “But make no mistake, as we move away from this genesis point, we aren’t dealing with someone’s family or siblings – we are dealing with another domesticated species on this planet. And the rules and laws governing them must be based on that understanding.”
Dayton let out a deep sigh. “So yes, I am correct,” he said, addressing the person who had initially spoken to him. “That doesn’t mean a little doesn’t deserve respect. It doesn’t mean you can mistreat them. Just because an animal is seen as less than a person does not give us the right to abuse them.” His words hung heavy in the air, a reminder that despite societal norms and classifications, all beings deserved kindness and compassion.
“So Mr. Robinson. Are you saying Thomas is an animal?” Sydney asked trying to wrap her head around the concept.
“Yes, Littles are just another fascinating species inhabiting this planet. As with any organism, they possess their own unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Through the process of evolution, they will continue to develop and adapt, eventually diverging even further from humans. Just as humans and apes followed separate paths after our shared origins, Littles will also have their own distinct characteristics and traits. It is crucial to recognize and embrace these differences, as LittleKind and Mankind are two distinct entities with distinct needs, abilities, and expectations.”
Very interesting, Dayton will be a guardian, let us see how she adapts to the training.
Can’t wait to see what she’s like in an ethics course lol
Chapter 7: Can I keep him?
Roni looked from her parents, to Joey, and then back, fidgeting a little as she waited for a response from anyone. The idea of adopting Joey now is a radical one she knows, but she also knows that it is his best option for him to be in her care when the inevitable happens. She had been doing research on the idea ever since the park, and had found some promising results. At first, she had thought that Joey could emancipate himself, but that wouldn’t guarantee anything, it’d just get him out of his parents’ care. As she dug further though, she found information regarding a kinship adoption and that seemed to be the best option. Since Joey’s parents are effectively abandoning him and violating the rights he still has, Roni speculated that a case could be made that they’re abusing him and neglecting him in addition to some form of speciesism. In order to confirm that, Roni messaged the Generitech Legal support chat and explain what was going on, minus the names of who all was involved, and the legal representative was able to confirm that, due to the wording in the Safe Harbors Act, anyone still above 19 inches in height was still eligible for human rights, meaning that the Calhouns in this case could be criminally liable for their treatment of Joey due to him still being under the age of 18. Additionally, Generitech had taken steps to ensure situations like this wouldn’t happen, fearing that the abuse of those vulnerable to Smallara would face extreme forms of prejudice and potentially violent crime could be committed against them, so they and the government added statues to the Safe Harbor act to keep that from happening. The Generitech representative even went as far as to supply Roni with some documents of additional statues in California that the Calhouns could be violating, as California was a lot more progressive than other states and took protecting the non-immune more seriously.
“Veronica Hale! Were you even listening?!” asked a frustrated Mr. Hale, breaking Roni from her train of thought. “I asked you, did he put you up to this?! Did he offer you money? Did his parents? Where would you even get this sort of idea!?”
“What?! No! Dad, Joey didn’t ask for me to make this offer! This is completely my idea!” cried Roni
“It’s..it’s true, sir. I only wanted to tell Roni today and…I didn’t want to keep it from you and Mrs. Hale, especially since I might be putting everyone in danger..” quietly replied Joey, the reality of the situation at hand and he began to see that Mr. Hale has completely turn on him just like he expected.
“Jeff…maybe we should just..calm down a moment” suggested Mrs. Hale, still trying to process everything that had happened
“Calm down?! Kat, the boy is trying to con our daughter into living here!” retorted Mr. Hale with a mix of irritation and disappointment in his tone, seemingly overshadowing another emotion that only Mrs. Hale and Roni were too familiar from a few years prior.
“Dad! Joey didn’t have anything to do with this! He’s being neglected by his parents! They’re completely detaching themselves from him! They won’t even let him in his house and they aren’t telling Johnny until Joey is shrunk and gone! Joey’s parents are basically treating him the way Aunt Lillie was treated!” said Roni, holding back tears.
Mr. Hale was about to retort but his voice caught in his throat upon hearing his sister’s name. Ronie had dropped a nuke on him that caused Mr. Hale to completely freeze and contemplate the situation. Lillie had come down with Smallara a year ago, and before he even had a chance to be the guardian for the sister that he had looked up to, she was already in the “care” of the youngest in his family, Amelia, and her husband. Even when he had tried to check in with her a few months after she came down with smallara, it was as if she didn’t remember him, or the times they spent together growing up, as if he had been completely wiped from her memory.
“A..Aunt Lillie is a underbred, Veronica…th..they revert to their primal instincts when they–”
“No Dad! That’s what Aunt Amelia told you! It’s–”
Weekly and sadly, as he holds back tears in his eyes, Joey interrupts both “Its…peermatech, sir….it’s how their chips works…th..they repress…memories prior to being..a…little. My..parents…are still considering it for me…” eliciting another shocked look from all three of the Hales, Roni’s parents not being connected enough to news regarding smallara and underbreds to have known what had been going on at the profit driven company knowns as Peermatech.
“W…what? They…are thinking of just..sending you to…that horrible place?” Roni asked, a deep seated sadness beginning to emerge from her.
“They repress memories…” Mr. Hale said to himself, replaying the time he saw his sister back in her head, the lack of recognition in lilies eyes, the disinterest in visiting with him, her odd love of their bratty little sister and her constant desire to please.
“Y..yeah. They really want me as far away as possible, Roni…” Joey said as he started to break down, reliving the last few hours at his home until he finally was told to leave while “the humans” discussed things.
Mrs. Hale took it all in with a broken heart, hearing that not only was Jeffs sister under some kind of mind control, but Joey’s own family was considering doing the same to him, as well as shipping him off to some random people god knows where.
“Jeff…” she asked sympathetically, seeing the pain in his face, “Joey’s…always been a good boy, and…seeing what that…company did to Lillie…I..I don’t know if I can live with myself knowing we…just let that happen..”
With a heavy sigh, a heavily conflicted and confused Mr. Hale leant forward onto the table and held his head in his hands. “We can’t afford another kid, Kat. Even if he is…full sized for now…plus…where would we get the money for when he DOES shrink…and we need to pay for guardian training for Roni…”
“Daddy, we can get a loan! We can use my old college fund that we had before college became free…” She hesitates, knowing what she’s about to say will hurt Joey the most, “With Joey not…being a real person anymore…I’ll have the best grades in school and will qualify for any scholarships he would have qualified for…we have options!”
Joey winced hearing this, knowing Roni wasn’t wrong, but still wasn’t ready to hear it out loud just yet. Roni could see this in the corner of her eye and internally, her hear broke even more, but she couldn’t worry about that now, otherwise her acting persona would break.
“I…have money…Mr. and Mrs. Hale….” lamented Joey, causing the three to, once again, stop talking and look back at him, having not expected him to add to the conversation. Continuing, Joey meekly looks up to the three of them “I..told Roni about having an account that my parents can’t touch…well..it…has…enough. I…I’m willing to use whatever to pay for my staying here and…well…whatever’s left belongs to Roni legally…when..she claims me” Joey sniffles a little “please…I’m…not going to be like this for long…I..I just want to know what…a real family that loves me is like…and..you, Mrs. Hale, Roni, Sandi, and CiCi are…the only chance I have…before I lose whatever humanity I was blessed to have for so long.”
Mrs. Hale was struggling to keep it together. To her, Joey had been a son, not an animal, and to see him struggle so much now after doing his best to hide his pain from previous moments with his parents these past few years wasn’t something she was ready to handle. It reminded her of her own childhood, but she at least had the benefit of having her brother Roger to look after her and help her get through things. Joey, though, only ever had Roni, due to his being the oldest of the two Calhoun offspring and always being the “rebellious” one. Mrs. Hale really only ever saw Joey’s issues when they were at the most extreme, and it left a lot to the imagination when considering what his daily homelife was like.
“Jeff…I..I think we should consider this..” she finally says quietly, Joey’s eyes widening in hope as she says this, while Roni does her best to keep her emotional plea face going to effect.
Mr. Hale slowly snaps out of his thoughts and leans onto the dining room table, holding his head in his hands. “Joey…I need to know how much money you have…” he said in an emotionally exhausted tone.
Joey closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opting to stand up and walk to Mr. Hale and whisper it in his ear. Once he stands back, Mr. Hale immediately looks at him in shock. “That’s…a serious number? and…Roni would get whatever is left?” he ask with a hint of skepticism. “Yes sir. It’s the law…and, this account is completely separate from my parents. I can call the bank to confirm in the morning if you want” Joey told him, though he knew he was correct, after all, he’s the one that set it up for himself at completely different bank from his parents.
Mr. Hale studied Joey and then look Mrs. Hale. The room fell silent for a couple of minutes before he let out a deep sigh and turned to Roni.
“So…how do you plan on getting the Calhouns to agree to this…”
Woow the parents came fairly quick so I guess they aren’t as bad as I thought they were. Nice to see Roni’s plan starting to fall into place.
Yeah they aren’t bad people at all. Shocked about everything and disconnected from the reality of smaallara, but good people. Ronis moms an easy sell. She had a rough time growing up and honestly wouldn’t Want to let someone else go through that. It’s probably why joey was always allowed to stay over so often. Mr hale I had planned a little bit differently until you released chrissy lol as soon as I saw the memory altering chip I knew I had something better to work with. He probably would have been a harder sell otherwise and his sister wouldn’t have been mentioned till next chapter. I figured if he got hit with a really big price of information that was really emotional he’d flip really easy, kinda like the end of 12 angry men when the juror just broke down.
It’s Joey’s parents that are real pieces of work lol ronis smart though, and she’s got a fairly solid plan I think.
1.1) So you finally give us a peek behind the curtain that is Guardian Training… and it’s with that fucking cunt Dayton??? The three-limbed monkey I took this paw from is laughing at me.
1.2) I kind of wanna see this through as Dayton takes the course only to fail at the end. But I also want her to get expelled early and banned from ever taking the course again.
2) Why doesn’t Daytong know why she isn’t allowed near Jordan? Sparing her feelings is a dumb fucking excuse. She won’t get better if she’s not told what she did wrong.
3) I thought Sara’s streamer name was listed in her plaque, not her real one.
4) So much talk about Charity, almost makes me think she’s gonna show up, tiny and used for training.
5.1) I appreciate that you added that it’s 2021, meaning it’s at least four months after Smallara proper.
5.2) If Dayton truly hasn’t seen Jordan since it means Sara actually kept her promise for those 4 months, which is a new record.
5.3) Is Dayton 13 yet or still 12? and how old is Sydney?
6) Half thought Syd was gonna end up being Allison or a young Chrissy before the name reveal, lol
7.1) Real littles in training is an interesting thought, I assume each little’s collar is recorded and monitored closely.
7.2) that’s a huge trust in letting untrained individuals take littles home over the weekend.
8) Fucken Sara praise, again, even when she’s barely in the damn story.
9) Of course Dayton has a superiority complex about going to private school.
10.1) “I’m Dayton. I’ll be one of your guardians for the next few weeks,” That’s a two-sentence horror story right there.
10.2) I thought Guardian training was three months.
11.1) I like that the instructor acknowledged littles as knowledgable, don’t like that he only called their emotions “similar”
11.2) Nevermind, he later confirms that he doesn’t think littles are people.
12) Genritech does England’s houseboy training, I’m losing more respect for them the more I learn about them.
13) I wonder if there are any countries where the Genritech instructor has to say “yes littles are people” to fit in with that country’s laws.
14) How does Dayton know how Chloe is connected to Genritech?
15) I absolutely love that Nicole’s sister wasn’t mentioned once in Dayton’s “experience with littles”, gives me hope that Nicole learned from watching Dayton with Jordan and kept her sister far away from Day, like a good guardian should.
16) “We aren’t dealing with someone’s family or siblings” I mean they will be for long after your dead buddy, there’s at leas a few centuries before littles stop being born from humans.
I like to think that asukas vacations aren’t him making new content but going through all of his stories to add Sara praise just for you to find
11.1 and 11.2 were my thoughts, but at the same time I shouldn’t have been surprised. At least he’s a no bullshit if you fuck with the Littles you’re done type of guy. Still think there should a 3 strike rule, assuming there isn’t. Like fail 3 times and you are banned.
And I want Dayton to fail too. Like not just cause I think she’s a bad guardian but because seeing a side character fail would be a good plot point. Especially if sara picks her up and she has to tell her she failed and learn why
Oh, I do think he sometimes does it for my reaction, but mostly think it’s just how the story would naturally go, We as an audience have seen a side of Sara that most in the universe haven’t and I personally have issues with that side of her relating to aspects of my own life and experiences, but in-universe, most people see her false persona that is generally likeable and admirable to the average person she’s able to fool.
It would depend on the action though, Minor violations could be a three-strike system with major violations being one-and-done.
It’d be great to see that the classes aren’t just passing everyone, Dayton has already been banned from going near at least one little, it’d be logical that she wouldn’t pass.
True. She sara definitely is a bit complicated and has some strong flaws that I’ve seen other people in real life have too, so I get a bit annoyed by it, especially when things just work out for her lol i think that just makes her a great character. if there wasn’t something for us to be invested in, then we wouldn’t read the story haha
1) Atleast there wasn’t dayton praise occuring throughout. But Dayton was the natural choice or I could have done a new character but it was easier to do an already established character because I didn’t need to establish and build a character I could more jump into it. As you know who Dayton is.
1.2) Dayton isn’t stupid though. She is aware of how to act around other people. If she failed it would be because she lacked a skill or something not from a behavioral fault. As it wouldn’t really fit her persona.
2) Sara has just kept them apart. She has Jordy doing other things when she is going to see Dayton so it hasn’t been an issue.
3) It does get listed but she hasn’t fully exploded in popularity yet. This is more when during the rise where more and more people are becoming aware.
4) It was just used as backstory to kind of establish goals and set the mood and further kind of establish itself in the universe.
5) Yup, I added that just for your timeline. You also didn’t seem to notice Sara was driving on her own meaning she had gotten her license. Its also possible you noticed but didn’t mention but I feel if you noticed there would have been a why is sara driving without Jordy question.
5.2) That would be correct.
5.3) Dayton is now 13 years of age. Sydney is also 13 years old but closer to 14 then Dayton is.
6) Chrissy didn’t seem like it would be that interesting to tell. Allison’s training occurs to early into the timeline. I wanted something a bit further out. I did get her nick name out much earlier then I would have normally which is a nod to one of your comments.
7) Correct. They have specifically designed collars for the training program. As they were trained to be training littles. So they do have an algorithm that listen to the audio and sends an alert for a human to review if a keyword or sound is detected.
7.2 Well they would have had a week of training by then. So in this program that would have been 50ish hours of little training. So they would be experienced enough plus they are screened and vetted.
8) Well she is the #1 ranked guardian and no one has been able to beat her scores and its been awhile. So it is meaningful mark to boast.
9) Well it is Dayton.
10)That will probably be in your nightmare tonight.
10.2) This is a new program guardian training is normally only 4 or 5 classes. They eluded to it at the start when it was mentioned it was a new program and with dorms. They are fully immersed in 10 hours days so they get 50 hours a week more if you take the weekend courses as well. So its more intensive. As the normal course is set up to where you could go in the morning like an 8 to 12 or after work and do 5 or 6 till 10 or 11 at night. So it could be worked around school or work.
11) well he does have a certain level of respect for them and acknowledges them but he also acknowledges how they are different.
11.2) I think its a bit more complicated then that as he also talks about species and such. So a person could associate the term people with homo sapians specifically and Homo Parvus would be separate. As later he does mention mankind vs littlekind. So its possible its not the full level of slight you are making it out to be. But just food for thought
12) Why the government decided what they wanted to do. They just paid Generitech to implement and run it. Its not like they have to agree with their beliefs business is business. The bottom line is that its alot of money to pay alot of peoples salaries and fund alot of research. Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs as they say.
13) anything is possible. It’s not like Generitech wouldn’t design a program evangelizing littles as people if the contract and price was right and it was a market that had synergy with other facets of their company.
14) She’s around Sara and Chloe enough to figure things out, Tiffany and Mrs. Harris also talk so she could have heard it through that. There are numerous ways for Dayton to have figured it out and then confronted Sara and or Chloe.
16) It would slow down though as two immune people wouldn’t produce a de-evolved person. So as more people are infected with Smallara over the next few decades you would see a sharp decrease into the amount of people at risk for Smallara.
One could also consider that may be why the “cure” is produced in such low quantities ontop of production reasons. some nations, entities, people may just want people who are vulnerable to get infected to end the cycle sooner.
1.1) That is a relief. I can see that she’d be a good candidate.
1.2) She’s aware of how to act around people, but not how to act around little (because she doesn’t consider them people) and would behave differently at home with just her and Thomas
2) That’s a little disappointing, also interesting why Dayton hasn’t confronted Sara about why she hasn’t been around Jordan, it’s like she thinks it’s just a coincidence he’s always had other plans when she’s with Sara.
5.1) Thanks I appreciate that. I did notice, I think it was mentioned somewhere (Can’t find where) Sara isn’t too far off from being licenced anyway, though I don’t know Sara’s exact DOB I’m guessing early 2005, (she could potentially be the oldest in her friend group)
5.2) we’ll see how long she keeps it up for.’
5.3) Sydne’s the same age as Dayton makes it easier, I’ll add her to my timeline, was she born 2008 like Dayton or, since she’s closer to 14, 2007 like Mia or McKenzie?
6) Really? I think Chrissy and Dayton’s conflicting ideologies while trying to care for a little together would make for a very interesting story. (But it’s your world that’s just my opinion. Allison did seem to wanna be trained by 2020 so that makes sense.
I appreciate the nod.
7.1) Nice, I hope Dayton triggers it and gets expelled and blacklisted.
Would the littles have safewords? like a specific keyword that signals they need extraction?
7.2) That seems right, not sure I’d trust them with only 50hrs training though.
10.1) Well, it was already in Jordan’s.
10.2) I see, so you’d basically need to be on a vacation in order to get trained, another way that littles are only for the rich.
11.1) yeah, but it’s still disappointing
11.2) I understand that, but, to me, those are just not good enough reasons to look down on and treat littles like lesser beings.
12) I get that, it just seems incredibly hypocritical for Chloe to claim she supports and views littles as equals only to be funded and profiting from their global exploitation.
13) I don’t think they need to be evangalised, just treated equally.
14) If Tiff’s discussing it with Mrs Harris, does that mean Sara’s out to them?
I suppose being the heiress to Genritech would come with it’s trail of breadcrumbs that people could follow.
15) did you forget about Nicole’s sister?
16) “Two immune people wouldn’t produce a de-evolved person” unless Kelli is an affair baby, yes they canonically do.
I was actually going to go into it more in my fan fic. But I’ll explain my head-canon here. Purebreds are divided into three categories:
Purebreds (like Ellie and Chloe)
Halfbreds (Like Kayla, Alison, Maddison, McKenzie and Nicole) are immune people with vulnerable people in their immediate family.
Hybreds, (Like Sara and Mal) these are purebreds that have little DNA mixed into them in the form of Smallara remnants.
While all would mostly birth immune children with a chance of a vulnerable one, Halfbred DNA would be known to carry a much higher chance of giving birth to a vulnerable person due the it being present in the DNA naturally.
While I could see it declining I think it’d most likely take generations over centuries to fully be bred out of humanity dividing the two species fully.
I would 100% believe that governments wouldn’t be interested in the cure for that reason.
I think 16 makes a lot of sense. Like it should take centuries for human kind and little kind to separate, and the fact that smaallara victims are born in general means that theres something genetic at okay that isn’t being talked about yet
Well there is genetic evolution which is what makes the purebreds immune to start with.
However you also have the smallra virus which is airborne and being spread.
Those who are immune can still be infected with Smallara they just don’t have any effects from it. The virus uses them as carriers to further propagate itself. So with 7.5% of the population vulnerable and not evolved. YOu have natural evolution naturally lessening that number year over year. You then on the other side have smallara virus spreading to each person on the planet.
So you have 90+ Percent of the population as time goes on walking around basically spreading the virus naturally. So those who aren’t immune each day will become harder and harder to avoid infection. As the virus is spreading. Anyone immune you basically have to look at as a carrier if you are vulnerable.
Which at more then 90% of people globally would make avoidance impossible. You are probably looking at years to maybe a decade or two at most.
Centuries seems out of the question logically speaking.
Does smallara mutate at all? That’d be a cool side story, similar to Madison world but someone having been immune for years with a small born catching and becoming a little would be wild
I’ve thought about it but the complexity of keeping things straight I feel like would start to be a bit too much. While its possible to occur at some point as the idea does have potential. I belive lethan and I but it may have been someone else discussedthe possibility on deviantart at one point before they imploded my account.
1.2)That is true although her attitude towards littles in the scheme of things isn’t illegal. Morally wrong yes but morally wrong isn’t always enough to stop someone.
2) Well it would depend how Sara is presenting it to her on if she thinks something is wrong. If Jordan is just busy doing things after school Dayton may not think much of it. She could even put it into terms Dayton would understand like “oh jordy is doing chores for me.” Where Dayton wouldn’t think as much of it as she would probably make her little to chores.
5.3) It would be like late 2007 november/december kind of thing.
6)From a story standpoint I agree. This tale more exists as backstory. So I’m not as concerned about the dichotomy between Dayton and Chrissy. I do agree with you though that if i t was a longer story I would have probably gone with Chrissy and Dayton. But i’d like to get this part done in 3 or 4 parts.
7)It’s not like there is a human listing live. So a safeword may exist but it wouldn’t do much in the moment. As they say the safeword, it would then take until the AI processed that recorded piece of dialog. Then it woudl be flagged and sent to a staff to review, who would then validate it and then they would do something potentially.
So it is a process. It’s not like a swat team is coming down form the ceiling and arresting dayton as much as you may want that.
7.2) There is never a good time until they are fully trained. But these were also trained for this role. It’s their job so to speak.
10.2) They do still have the other method. This is just a new offering they are doing. This is where you start to see the Government seeding a generitech takeover. As they are handing more and more off to generitech. The shorter classes for more months over time gets fewer offerings then this new method as they can put through more people. If you want to get really future looking. You see a bit of this is madison’s world redux as well. But Generitech starts integrating little training into school districts curriculum. Where they are learning about littles. Full on guardian training as a class over the course of a school year happens. Further increasing the amount of potential guardians.
11.2) I get it that. I think there is a degree of also this is a government sponsored curriculum so the material does need to fit the belief and want of the U.S. government. Regardless of what the trainer thinks.
12) Both can be true. Electric companies pollute the air but also promote clean energy. Many businesses donate millions to humanitarian aid yet subject their employees to long days and little pay. There is a degree of business that supercedes ones beliefs. At what point do you put your own beliefs above the ability to pay your employees? how do the employees feel about that when they are getting paid less or there position no longer exists because of morals? They have families and such as well that Chloe and her family would be responsible for. Often times doing right by one person to group means doing wrong by another. Very few instances makes everyone happy.
14) Sara has to come out to them at some point. It was eluded to early on that Chloe wasn’t going to be someone’s dirty secret. Whether Sara is fully out here to her parents or not would be a different story.
15)No, it comes up later. Just not right at that moment.
16) Kelli is very much exception and not the rule. Similar to how doctors will say its impossible for you to conceive a child together and then it happens.
Normally if both parents are immune then the children will be immune. As the ability to effected by Smallara is if your body has had the genetic evolution or not which each generation naturally more and more people have. Which being only 7.5% of the population right now is vulnerable. Each generation that factor would go down.
It would decrease quicker now as the likelihood of someone living who is vulnerable being able to stay full sized for the remainder of their life is quite slim. So it won’t take centuries as the 7.5% who are vulnerable is being attacked from both sides. Nature naturally evolving people and then the virus making the vulnerable into littles.
You are probably looking at a timeline of a decade or two at most. As you will have more and more carriers of the disease as well. As people who are immune can be infected with Smallara it just doesn’t do anything to them. However they would continue to spread the virus. So at some point you will have 90+ percent infected, carrying, and spreading this virus so those who are vulnerable will have more and more trouble avoiding it until all of those who are vulnerable to it are just littles.
1.2 that’s true enough.
2) my point it Sara should be presenting it as “I’m not bringing Jordan around you because you proved you’re not safe for him” it seems out if character for her to dance around someone’s feelings, this is the same girl who used parental abandonment as an insult, and photo shopped child point as a threat
5.3) thanks
7.1) oh, well that’s way more dangerous than I thought. Do distress button? Vwarning signs in their monitored vitals?
7.2) yep, that’s why I wouldn’t want them taken home, maybe if they stayed on campus. It’s just a bit odd.
10.2) I see, so times they are a changing. I’m interested to see how classes woukd work in a school context. It’s nice to know the old method is still available. Though I’m curious how Sara’s #1 spots gonna hold up as the circular changes.
11.2) That’s true, it’d be funny if after the next election Genritech has to alter all the courses as the next president might be a better person towards littkes.
12) all true, just not a way I’d looked at it. I still can’t say I’m convinced her or her family are as pro-little as they seem, but I’m prone to scepticism. Though sacrificing your wishes to pay employees is a reasonable moral debate for then to have.
14) I hope she came out on her own accord. I keep thinking Jordan might blurt it out not realising Who’s-Her-Daddy and Tiff don’t actually know yet.
15) ok I was probably being a bit too cheeky with that one, sorry.
16) ok I think I understand better, though I’m not sure it’s that rare, Bryce, and Scotty haven’t indicated that any of their family are vulnerable, while my headcanon is that Gavin’s father is living in a birdcage in the bedroom of the half-sister Gavin’s never metz its not canonically confirmed he’s vulnerable.
It seems immune children are the norm regardless of a parents immunity status. The only wholly vulnerable family we know about is Charity’s. How ever with what’s been shown Vulnerability is neither a dominant or resecive gene. Just that its in 3/40 people, it’s not even connected to any traceability origin.
Though I can see it going down with every generation for thise reasons you listed. I think we disagree on how quickly it’ll disappear buy i think we both agree it will.
So here is a dumb question how long is a guardian training course like this one that Dayton is in?
At least 3 months for certain. Lethal pointed out that’s how long Kelli was in facility until Kayla graduated, but not sure if that was a special case or something
Kelli was in the facility until Kayla graduated, this was standard procedure nothing special occurred. the course took three months, and Dayton’s course will be shorter maybe three weeks.
If you are looking for a special case Gavin was permitted to stay with his untrained mother for a few weeks without ever seeing a facility because Chloe pulled strings. He was later put in Mal’s custody as his mother could not afford classes/ licencing/etc.
Think of it like this;
Sara, Ellie, Mal, Kayla, Greg, Cindy Saddie McKenzie, Nicole, Madison, and Maisy all took Guardian Training 1.0 (GT1), this course was daily four-hour lessons over three months designed to work around school, and work schedules.
Dayton, Sydney, Steph, and Madison (again) are taking Guardian Training 2.0 (GT2) which includes daily ten-hour classes for only a few weeks with optional weekend classes for extra credit. (I’m guessing this is incase a student is falling behind or just wants to make it to the scoreboard) This would mean that potential guardians would need to book vacation time to attend classes as they couldn’t attend school or work simultaneously.
This change originally came from Genritech taking over little training from the government but has since been retconned to Genritech always handled the training and has simply updated it and are improving on the original design after seeing its flaws and issues.
Before you ask Maddison took both courses as she was too young to get her licence the first time (eleven years old) and needed to retake it so she could get licenced.
People licence in GT1 do not need to take GT2.
Gotcha thanks.