A puppet cautiously peeks her head out of a music box, pitch black eyes observing the room around her.
Children, laughing and playing, run in frantic circles around the tables in a game of tag. Their parents watch lazily, eating pizza and talking to each other about politics, football games, what color would look best in their new room — dull things that don't concern the kids.
Their lack of attention towards their kids both angers and frightens the puppet.
After all, don't they remember what happened?
She glances over to the stage. The three animatronics move jerkishly, cheerful songs in cartoonish voices emitting from the speakers above them, their eyes dull and glassy.
But she can see right through that.
A familiar pang of guilt runs through her. God, how could she have let this happen? They're only little kids, just like the ones in the pizzeria now.
And that's not even all of them.
She's a failure, that's all there is to it. First she let that bastard get her brother — he ran away from her and it's all her fault, oh God, she got him killed — and then those—
She's interrupted from her thoughts by the jingling of bells as the door opens. A tall, blond man with no children steps in, looking awkward.
The twin brother of the pizzeria's owner greets him with a suffocating hug. "Ludwig! What a nice surprise! What brings you here?"
"I, uh . . ." He clears his throat and pulls himself away from the hug. "I'm here for a job."
a/n: o o f i'm sorry this chapter is so short. the rest will be longer, i promise!
thank you for reading!