Cindy was still looking through Madison’s history assignment when the tablet vibrated again.
She flinched before she could stop herself.
For one terrible second, she thought Madison was calling back already. Maybe she had forgotten another task. Maybe Brooklyn had sent more work. Maybe Madison had decided Cindy’s apology had not been good enough and wanted to remind her what happened when Littles got mouthy in front of her friends.
But when Cindy looked down, it was not Madison’s picture filling the screen.
It was Brooklyn.
Cindy stared at it, confused.
Brooklyn had never called her directly before.
For a moment, Cindy considered letting it ring. The thought was small, petty, and instantly impossible. Madison would know. Brooklyn would tell her. Or worse, Brooklyn would simply call Madison while Cindy sat here pretending the tablet had not been vibrating beside her.
Cindy accepted the FaceTime.
Brooklyn’s face appeared on the screen, close and casual, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
“Oh good,” Brooklyn said. “Trina said she set this up last time she was working with you.”
Cindy’s stomach sank.
Of course Trina had.
Brooklyn continued without waiting for a response. “I sent over my school logins. I figured it would be easier if you could pull my homework stuff yourself. Then you’ll have access to my class materials and notes and whatever, since some of my classes are different from Madison’s.”
Cindy stared at her for half a second.
Her logins.
Her class materials.
Her homework.
This was not a favor anymore. This was not even a one time humiliation because Madison was having a bad day.
Brooklyn was onboarding her.
“Thank you, Ms. Reynolds,” Cindy said, biting the inside of her lip hard enough to hurt.
Brooklyn smiled like Cindy had done something cute.
Cindy lowered her eyes for a moment because looking at Brooklyn made it worse.
In this body, in this form, she was beneath Brooklyn Reynolds.
That was the part Cindy could barely stand to think about. She had known Brooklyn since she was a child. She had driven her around, fed her, listened to her complain from the back seat of Cindy’s car, watched her and Madison sprawl across the living room like the house belonged to them.
Now, Brooklyn was calling her directly with login information.
Now, Brooklyn was assigning her work.
Now, Cindy was expected to thank her for it.
Cindy knew enough about Madison’s friend group to understand the shape of it. Madison loved being in charge at home, but among her friends, it had never been that simple. Evan and Brooklyn had always carried their own weight. They pushed. They pulled. They set the tone. Madison was not a follower exactly, but she was not the leader either.
And now that worked against Cindy.
Because Brooklyn and Evan would treat her like their Little too, at least when it suited them. They were Madison’s best friends. Madison would not stop them unless they crossed some line Madison cared about.
Homework was not that line.
“Basically,” Brooklyn said, shifting the phone as she walked alongside Emma Harrington, “for this community, this is kind of your job now. You need to step up and show you can handle it.”
Cindy’s fingers tightened around the edge of the tablet.
Brooklyn continued, “Ava is getting guardian trained, so when she gets her Little, we’ll probably have them help out with homework too. Along with you and Greg. But Trina can explain the logistics when it’s time. Right now it’s kind of above your pay grade.”
Cindy swallowed.
“Of course, Ms. Reynolds.”
Brooklyn grinned. “See? That was good. You’re getting better at this.”
Cindy forced her expression to remain pleasant.
Brooklyn adjusted something offscreen, then looked back at the camera. “Also, review the class notes and pull out what I should focus on for tests. Or just do digital highlights. Whatever is easier. My time is way too valuable for that kind of thing.”
Cindy stared.
Brooklyn said it so casually. So comfortably. Like Cindy’s time had no value at all.
Then Brooklyn’s expression shifted into something sharper.
“You get it, right? You kind of helped craft all this. Not the community, but Littles in society. This is what you’re here for. Making human lives easier.”
Cindy felt the words land like a slap.
“Ms. Reynolds,” Cindy said carefully.
Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Please.” Cindy hated the weakness in her voice, but she could not stop it. “You know who I used to be. You know I used to drive you all around. Pick you up. Take you places. You’re Madison’s best friend.”
Brooklyn looked at her for a moment.
Then she gave a small shrug.
“Yeah. I’m still Madison’s best friend.”
Cindy’s throat tightened.
“But you’re a Little, Cindy,” Brooklyn said. “That’s the part you keep getting stuck on.”
Cindy shook her head slightly. “I am not like most Littles.”
Brooklyn’s expression turned almost pitying, which somehow felt worse than the mockery.
“You literally used to say things like that were denial symptoms. You talked about in detail how littles will try to sell you on what they used to be like history is an asset. Here let me air drop the podcast for you. You can listen as you do my work. You probably need a reminder. Its like you used to say little person, little mind.”
Cindy froze.
Brooklyn leaned closer to the screen. “You said Littles resisted classification because their old identities had not finished breaking down yet. You said guardians had to be consistent so they could adjust. You said obedience was healthier than confusion.”
Cindy’s breath caught.
Her own words.
Again.
Always her own words.
Brooklyn smiled faintly. “You were super passionate about it, too. Like, kind of intense. Madison used to complain about your whole speeches.”
Cindy’s face burned. “I know what I said.”
“Do you?”
“Yes,” Cindy said sharply, then immediately regretted her tone.
Brooklyn’s eyes narrowed.
Cindy lowered her voice. “Yes, Ms. Reynolds. I know what I said. But I’m not most Littles. I’m different. I wasn’t reborn. I didn’t lose any mental capacity. I’m a person trapped in a Little’s body.”
Brooklyn sighed like Cindy was exhausting her.
“Cindy.”
The use of her first name made Cindy’s stomach twist.
“You’re a domesticated creature,” Brooklyn said. “That’s not me being mean. It’s literally science. We’re covering it right now in school. You know the classes you helped make mandatory for kids of all ages across the U.S.”
Cindy stared at her.
Brooklyn tapped something on her screen. “Actually, that’s kind of perfect. You doing my science work will help you, because we’re on Little biology. You can review the materials yourself. Your whole body is built around being small, submissive, and responsive to guardian feedback.”
“That is not what that means,” Cindy said before she could stop herself.
Brooklyn’s eyes sharpened again.
Cindy quickly corrected her posture. “Sorry, Ms. Reynolds.”
Brooklyn studied her for a beat, then continued.
“That is what it means. Littles are comfort responsive. Praise feels good because your brain rewards it. Dopamine, positive reinforcement, all that. That’s why Little pets calm down when they’re held. That’s why praise can make them happy. That’s why serving their guardian starts feeling natural if people stop confusing them.”
Cindy felt cold.
Brooklyn’s voice stayed casual, almost bored, but the words were cruel because of how easily she believed them.
“Your body starts understanding the circle of life,” Brooklyn said. “You make your guardian happy, your guardian praises you, and then you feel good because you did what you’re supposed to do. When we’re happy, you’re happy. That’s literally how Little care works.”
Cindy gripped the tablet with both hands.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered.
Brooklyn tilted her head. “I’m using the curriculum you pushed into schools.”
Cindy had no answer to that.
Brooklyn smiled a little.
“That’s what’s so funny. You’re sitting there acting like I’m being evil, but this is your stuff. Your policies. Your words. Your whole ‘Littles need structure’ thing. You just thought it would always be about someone else.”
Cindy looked down.
For a second, she saw herself as she had been. Standing in meetings. Speaking with certainty. Talking about compliance metrics, guardian best practices, adjustment language, emotional stabilization, household integration.
Never once imagining herself inside the glass.
Never once imagining Madison’s friends quoting it back to her.
Brooklyn’s voice softened, but not kindly.
“Are you sure you’re still you, Cindy?”
Cindy looked up sharply.
Brooklyn continued, “Because it seems like you don’t understand as much as you think you do.”
Cindy’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Brooklyn leaned back, satisfied. “Anyway, don’t spiral. I need the science notes highlighted first, because that test is probably going to be annoying. Then do the homework questions. If there’s anything that needs a written answer, make it sound like me, not like Madison. Trina can help you with tone later if you need it.”
Cindy swallowed hard.
Trina.
Of course.
Even Trina was part of this now.
“Yes, Ms. Reynolds,” Cindy said.
Brooklyn smiled brightly. “Good. See? Useful.”
Cindy forced herself not to react.
Brooklyn glanced away from the screen, probably at someone in the hallway. Then she looked back. “Oh, and don’t tell Madison I called, like it’s some huge thing. She already knows you’re helping me. I’m just making it easier.”
“Yes, Ms. Reynolds.”
“And Cindy?”
Cindy’s pulse quickened. “Yes, Ms. Reynolds?”
Brooklyn’s smile sharpened.
“Try not to make this weird. I know it’s probably embarrassing because you used to be all important or whatever, but honestly, this is a better use of your time than sitting there being dramatic.”
Cindy felt the humiliation rise hot in her chest.
“Yes, Ms. Reynolds.”
“Good girl.”
The words hit Cindy harder than she expected.
Not because they were kind.
Because for one terrible second, some traitorous part of her body reacted to them. A small warmth. A tiny, unwanted flicker of relief that she had answered correctly and Brooklyn was pleased.
Cindy’s eyes widened slightly.
Brooklyn noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Her smile grew.
“See?” Brooklyn said softly. “Science.”
Cindy’s face burned.
The call ended.
Cindy sat frozen, the tablet still in her hands, Brooklyn’s final word echoing in her mind.
Science.
A moment later, the tablet chimed.
Brooklyn’s login information appeared.
Then another notification.
Class portal access granted.
Then another.
Science materials shared.
Cindy stared at the screen.
She wanted to throw the tablet. She wanted to scream until Madison heard her from school. She wanted to deny every word Brooklyn had said, every vile little conclusion, every twisted use of Cindy’s own beliefs.
But the worst part was not Brooklyn’s cruelty.
The worst part was the tiny warmth that still lingered in her chest from being called a good girl.
Cindy closed her eyes.
“No,” she whispered to herself. “No.”
The tablet chimed again.
Brooklyn had sent one more message.
Start with science.
Cindy stared at it for several seconds.
Then, slowly, hating herself with every movement, she opened the science folder.
I kinda feel for her here! Even though she deserves it but o feel for her…. Cue the bitch Trina 🤣
She does deserve it but it would also suck. To be fair Brooklyn just gave Cindy the option of contacting Trina. She doesn’t have to talk to her.
that would be the worst part of it to me, them knowing exactly what they’re doing and saying and using it on Cindy. I want to see more of how Brooklyn treats Trina and how Evan’s been treating Charity away from the group where this stuff doesn’t need to constantly be brought up
I feel like Brooklyn and Evan use Madison
That would be annoying but when you were the reason they were doing it and pushed them to believe in it. Then worked and supported those beliefs being put into the education system makes it where it’s really just her own consequences of her own actions.
True true. Lol I’d just hate for my own words thrown back at me, but that’s just me. Mainly cause I make firm stances on stuff and 5 minutes later it gets thrown back at me cause the exception to the rule just happens to come up 😂 such is life in IT
Today on Days of Our Cindy Wessen.
lol
Would Madison say the same about her dad? That he’s being confused that he thinks he’s still him or is that just reserved for Cindy?
I think she would. last chapter, to me at least, kind of implied it when she’s talking about the difference between her and Kenzie
I find that funny that she would do that and be suprised that her dad looks at her the way he does and how she would want him to choose her and be with her but she wouldn’t even recognise him as still being him but just as a little
Because she has her mom’s dumbass beliefs ingrained in her. She thinks he is just lashing out and will settle into enjoying his slavery. Maybe he shouldn’t have been complacent with his wife teaching his kids and kids everywhere that slavery is actually necessary because he wasn’t negatively affected by it yet. Or that because someone shrinks they become idiots.
What will happen if all
Cindy does is start Crying around Madison because she took stuff to far?
Madison has said before that she thinks the danger her dad has is that he doesnt view himself as a little or htink of himself as a little always and that can be dangerous. As he has real limitaitons and things he cant do and McKenizie Empowering him and confusing him does help exacerbate that danger.
So she has said it maybe not in the context or with the level of hatred or animosity people may think or want. but it has been said on some level.
“You know the classes you helped make mandatory for kids of all ages across the U.S.”
I just wanna say, that this is what makes Cindy and Greg both huge pieces of shit.
Cindy for creating a platform to influence school curriculum to include how to properly enslave little people, and Greg for being complacent about it because it didn’t affect him negatively.
I don’t think they deserve slavery, but I don’t exactly feel bad that Cindy is having to reap what she sows. I do think her having to see Greg kowtow to the new power structure and leave his wife behind because he is afraid of losing his comfort is almost cosmic justice. That is kind of his whole schtick. Dude is such a wet noodle.
I don’t really disagree that Cindy has a lot to answer for. She helped normalize a belief system that is now being used against her, and there is definitely irony in that. Cindy being forced to live under the logic she promoted is a big part of the story.
Where I’d push back is the idea that Greg was just complacent because it benefited him. I think Greg’s flaw is more that he was passive and conflict avoidant. He didn’t agree with Cindy on everything, but he also didn’t challenge her as strongly as he should have. That does make him complicit in a way, but I don’t think it’s the same as him actively wanting or supporting everything Cindy pushed.
Greg is not meant to be some perfect victim either. He was comfortable enough in the old world that he didn’t fight the system until the system came for him. That is a real flaw. But I also think calling him a “huge piece of shit” kind of flattens the character. (note: i realize you didnt literally call him that but thats kind of the vibe i’ve gotten based on your comments the past few days)
To me, Greg is more of a normal flawed person who took the easy road for too long. He avoided conflict, let Cindy lead, and assumed things would keep working out because he was not personally threatened by it. Now that he is a Little, he is being forced to face how much his silence mattered.
As for him “leaving Cindy behind,” I don’t think it’s as simple as him choosing comfort over his wife. Greg is scared, dependent, and trying to survive inside a power structure he has very little control over. He does adapt faster than Cindy, and that creates pain between them, but I see that more as fear and survival than betrayal.
A) Again Karma is served in a FaceTime message from a giant barking orders.
B) Not knowing the amount of time the homework is taking up Cindy’s day, if it becomes too much then the Cindy tea pot might breakdown. I think Madison will have to step in as Cindy’s guardian and regulate her work load if she just stops eating And answering calls and just lays on the bed depressed.
C) As much bad stuff Cindy did, she is still a living creature with mental & physical limitations that seem to not been egknoweged by her guardian daughter until it might be to late if it’s not already. Mental abuse hurts more than physical abuse some say.
A) Yeah but thats kind of the modern age and how things are done Not everything is literally face to face anymore even in real life.
b) Cindy has tools though. She can use her tablet and call Charity or Trina, normally she has Greg to help as well. Even if Greg is McKenzie’s habitat he still has access to the littlenet from there she can call him and they could still work and talk together.
So i wouldnt say she doesnt have tools and help available to her. Its just if she chooses to use the tools.
c) The majority of her day isnt that physical. Shes being asked to do middle school homework. Its not like madison is getting her doctorate
1) “For a moment, Cindy considered letting it ring. The thought was small, petty, and instantly impossible. Madison would know. Brooklyn would tell her. Or worse, Brooklyn would simply call Madison while Cindy sat here pretending the tablet had not been vibrating beside her.” definitely not a good idea, she should do it
2) “I sent over my school logins. I figured it would be easier if you could pull my homework stuff yourself. Then you’ll have access to my class materials and notes and whatever, since some of my classes are different from Madison’s.” Sounds like something they’ll all start doing since it’d be easier for them
3) “This was not a favor anymore. This was not even a one time humiliation because Madison was having a bad day. Brooklyn was onboarding her.” So is Cindy the smartest of the group’s Littles? Why is she the one getting all the homework?
4) “In this body, in this form, she was beneath Brooklyn Reynolds. That was the part Cindy could barely stand to think about” that was the part that Cindy had preached to the girls and they listened
5) “Madison would not stop them unless they crossed some line Madison cared about.” what line would that be?
6) “as she walked alongside Emma Harrington,” Hey Emma’s full name revealed
7) “Ava is getting guardian trained, so when she gets her Little, we’ll probably have them help out with homework too.” That poor Little doesn’t know what’s coming, I kinda hope Ava gets the Asian Little Madison wants so badly, lol
8) “You get it, right? You kind of helped craft all this. Not the community, but Littles in society. This is what you’re here for. Making human lives easier.” Yes! Salt that wound!
9) “You know who I used to be. You know I used to drive you all around. Pick you up. Take you places” yep, and now she knows who you are now.
10) “Yeah. I’m still Madison’s best friend.” Ah… tell that to Krysi (who, now that I think about has gone mysteriously absent and unmentioned this season)
11) “I am not like most Littles.” Every Little is as unique as every human, not that that’d stop you treating them the way you did
12) “You literally used to say things like that were denial symptoms. You talked about in detail how littles will try to sell you on what they used to be like history is an asset. Here let me air drop the podcast for you. You can listen as you do my work. You probably need a reminder. Its like you used to say little person, little mind.” I love them using her own lessons against her, Cindy is the best example of Karma in this world
13) “I know what I said. But I’m not most Littles. I’m different. I wasn’t reborn. I didn’t lose any mental capacity. I’m a person trapped in a Little’s body.” No, you bumb ditch, you were just wrong about all Littles
14.1) “You’re a domesticated creature,” That applies to all people.
14,2) “It’s literally science. We’re covering it right now in school. You know the classes you helped make mandatory for kids of all ages across the U.S.” Get fucked, Cindy
15) “Your whole body is built around being small, submissive, and responsive to guardian feedback.” Wow, and Cindy wanted that taught to kids
16) “That is what it means. Littles are comfort-responsive. Praise feels good because your brain rewards it. Dopamine, positive reinforcement.” That’s also true of humans, too
17) “That’s what’s so funny. You’re sitting there acting like I’m being evil, but this is your stuff. Your policies. Your words. Your whole ‘Littles need structure’ thing. You just thought it would always be about someone else.” She’s a brat, but but she’s right about this being Cindy’s teachings
18) “Never once imagining herself inside the glass. Never once imagining Madison’s friends quoting it back to her” never once sympathising for Littles, not even now.
19) “Are you sure you’re still you, Cindy?” – “Because it seems like you don’t understand as much as you think you do.” She actually has a new understanding now
20) “Oh, and don’t tell Madison I called, like it’s some huge thing. She already knows you’re helping me. I’m just making it easier.” Sounds like Cindy’s also in the clear for her speaking out of turn a bit than,
21) “this is a better use of your time than sitting there being dramatic.” is it, though?
22) “every twisted use of Cindy’s own beliefs.” The thing is, they didn’t twist anything; these are her beliefs as she believed them
23) So, who’s the Little in Emma’s hand?
1) If she really wanted to see Madison upset. Its having to call her mother after Brooklyn cant reach her on the tablet she should be working from.
2) Brooklyn on the bleeding edge of making Cindy do their homework more efficiently. You love to see it. Especially as Madison is doing better on testing with Cindy doing the busy work.
3) No shit just rolls downhill. Charity doesn’t want to do it and trina doesn’t want to do it. they will help out when needed but dont want the responsibility of daily homework when they have Cindy for that and she has Greg help.
4) Yup, I feel like all parents hate when there own words are conveniently thrown back at them after all the times of not being listened too. Cindy would be especially annoyed as she really liked throwing her weight around.
5) It would have to be something Madison didn’t like or would be extremely annoyed by. She would most definitely step in for her Dad well before Cindy.
6) Yeah i had her name on the character file. I didn’t realize i never releasead her full name till I started looking to make sure it was accurate. e
7) Ava just wants a little. shes not picky. Ideally unrelated little. I feel like Ava would want a practical little. Where she would want the ease of communication. She could get a Mexican little.
8) No one digs there own grave as well as Cindy.
9) Yup and you transitioned right to doing her home work, organizing her notes, general tasks as assigned.
10) She featured in the image for episode 34. I just didn’t have her say anything specifically. She does appear again at the end of the day when they go to Madison’s house.
11) That is true. But Brooklyn already knows where littles stand. She also knows Cindy is the lowest little in the community. So shes treated like that.
12) Cindy really documented well how she wanted to be treated across a multitude of forms of media. Video, digital
13) Oh she would never honestly admit that. She may as a lie but never in a way she would acutally mean it. As even now she thinks littles are beneath her.
14) I do htink thats a bit debateable depending on how you define domestication. As domestication implies adapting wild plants and animals for human use. Where its a bit muddy to apply that to humans as its basically saying the first humans domesticated themselves. Which is a theory but its a bit debated.
14.2) It would be so great if there textbooks were written by Cindy. Her podcasts and interviews are all scholary works studied and used in the class.
15) Wanted implies past tense where she still doesn’t want that still. Its not like she believes littles are different she views herself as above littles.
16) It is but canonically its more effective on littles then it is on people.
17) Yup this is everything Cindy believed in and wanted for a little. Nohting done to her is what she wouldn’t want done to anyone else. She would happily watch and applaud Madison doing this to anyone else. She would even reward her for a job well done. SHe would praise her friends for doing it. The life she is living is what she dreamed or every little. What she feels like every little deserves and should aspire to. Madison and her friends are applying the equivalent of the American dream for littles.
18) Cindy cant even fathom sympathizing with a little unless its greg.
19) You could call it a new understanding some call it the same understanding just her being the exception in her heart of hearts.
20) this was more because of things with Dayton. Not because of cindy doing homework. Brooklyn didn’t want Madison more upset on a already bad day.
21) Well sitting in the habitat with nothing do would probably be more boring. As if shes refusing work one would assume Madison would take the tablet.
22) That is true.
23) Its one of her families houseboys.