I didn't say anything more than necessary as mom got me dressed for the day. I let her dress me and brush my hair. I didn't put up a fight except when she was putting my shoes on and dug into my heel.

But she didn't get mad.

At school, I even kept my distance from Ms. Diane. I knew she was only doing her job in helping mom the day before but it felt like she'd betrayed me. I finally had someone to talk to and she turned on me.

I spent most of the day sitting at the table. I worked on a puzzle for the majority of the day before moving to a cot for a nap.

My second time talking to Ms. Diane was when she told me mom was on her way to get me. I only said 'ok' before following her to the bathroom so she could change me.

She grabbed a pack of wipes from my diaper bag and pulled one out. "Are you doing okay? You've been quiet today, Lyla."

I played with a strand of hair, trying to distract myself from what she was doing. I shrugged. I wasn't sure what kind of answer she wanted to hear. If I told her the truth, it would upset her and I wasn't up for that, no matter how mad I was at her.

She unfolded a new diaper and slid it under me. "Did I do something?"

I waited until she was done before I spoke. "I don't want to get into any trouble."

"Why do you think you'll be in trouble?"

I pushed myself into a sitting position and fixed my dress so it covered the diaper. "Because of yesterday."

She tossed the dirty diaper into the trash can and sat down in front of me. "Lyla, you only got in trouble yesterday because you weren't following the rules. As long as you do what your mommy asks, you won't be punished."

"I'm just... not used to any of this. It makes me uncomfortable."

"I think you'll get used to it but I understand it will take some time. You're already doing so well."

I took a deep breath and tried steadying myself. I really didn't want to cry anymore. I felt cried out.

She squeezed my knee before standing and helping me to my feet. "Do you want to go wait for your mommy to get here?"

I hated that she wouldn't just call her my mom. I wasn't sure I would ever get used to that. But I nodded anyway, just wanting to get out of there for the day.

The door to the hallway opened just as we left the bathroom and I saw mom's brunette locks as she walked in. I sighed in relief and went to her, sliding my arm through the second strap of the backpack.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you have a good day today?"

I nodded.

She ran her hand over my hair. "Are you ready to go home?"

I nodded and headed for the door.

I heard mom behind me as she asked Ms. Diane if I followed the rules today. I tried not to roll my eyes at her inability to trust that I would. Then again, I hadn't reacted well to the rules the day before. Maybe it was justified that she asked.

"She had a good day. She worked on some puzzles."

"Is she playing with the other kids?"

"She's still getting used to things around here. It might take her some time to be comfortable being around others."

Mom nodded. "Of course."

"It's hard being the new kid but that won't last long."

I turned around and gripped the straps of the backpack. "Do new kids come here a lot?"

Ms. Diane met my gaze as if she were surprised that I spoke. It would take me time to get over my bitterness, and I was sure she knew that also. "Not often. You're the first new family to move here in almost a year. We're a very small town."

Mom smiled. "It's so beautiful here."

I shifted my weight from my right foot to my left, feeling an urge to wet my diaper. I wanted to at least wait until we were in the car so I didn't feel quite as embarrassed. "Can we go now?"

Mom said a short goodbye before following me out the door. She buckled me in my car seat then got into the front seat. "Your dad and I have a surprise for you when we get home."

I looked over at her, caught off guard by her words. If the surprise was going back home and forgetting this short period of my life, I was all for it. Anything else was just...

She laughed at my reaction. "It's not anything bad, Lyla. We just wanted to help make the transition here a little easier on you."

"What is it?"

"You have to wait until we get home. I can't spoil the surprise."

The school wasn't far from home though the drive felt like it was much longer. I was anxious to see what the surprise was. Mom sounded excited about it but that didn't ease my nerves. What if it was a punishment or something bad?

I was dying to get out of the car and see the surprise when we arrived at home. Even though it had me super nervous, I still wanted to know what it was.

Mom walked around to my door and opened it for me. The child safety locks were put in the second we moved so I had no way of jumping from the car and running to safety. Which must have been what they expected me to do.

"Is dad home?" I asked as I got out of the car. I fixed my dress, making sure it covered my diaper, especially in the back.

She grabbed the backpack out and gave me a smile. "He's in the backyard with your surprise."

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to think of what the surprise could be that was in the backyard. I pushed the small gate back that led around the side of the house and to the backyard. I hadn't had much time to explore around the house but found myself wondering what I was going to find.

Dad looked up as he heard me coming toward him and smiled. Behind him was a large swing set with a slide and monkey bars. It was a lot fancier than I'd ever had growing up and I wondered how mom and dad could afford something so nice.

"Well, what do you think?"

I wasn't sure how I felt about it. It was every kid's dream, really. The slide on my side was just a plain yellow slide. But the one on the other side was blue and was a tube slide that curved. The two swings were green and had plastic wrapped around the metal chain. It was nice but I wasn't sure I saw myself using it. I mean... I wasn't five anymore, regardless of what the diapers I wore said.

"It's huge."

He laughed and sat down on the steps that lead to the slides. "Come here."

I walked over and stood in front of him.

He put his hands on my arms. "We really want you to like it here, Lyla. We want Alpine to feel like home."

I nodded. I knew that's what they wanted for me. But it wasn't home to me, especially when nothing felt normal anymore.

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me. "I love you, Lyla."

"I love you, too."