Alex leaned back in the cold metal chair as his hood covered most of his face. A metal table sat in front of him as nothing laid on it. The room was small and confined. The gray walls seemed to close in on you if you stared at them for too long. On the wall farthest from Alex, a large, black, one-sided window covered it. Just to the right of that was a door that leads in and out of the room. He could feel the many eyes staring down at him, judging him. He had been stuck in this room so many times before, it didn't seem to bother him any further.

'Why am I even here?' I said to myself.

I'm here all because I decided to do the "right" thing? All because Alex wanted to be the hero. He wanted to be the one to looked up to. But, no. Nothing ever goes the way I planned it to. The justice system is fu-

I stopped as the large metal door had creaked open. Slowly, a large man stepped out from the door and closed it behind him. The man was nothing more then intimidating. He could easily kick my ass and then some. He was like 6'5 and was clearly a more "in the field" kind of cop. I tried my best to keep my sights and thoughts off of him as I retold my story in my head over and over again. He sat down across the table as he held a folder in his hand. As he sat down, he slid the folder over to me where it ended right in front of me.

"What's this? My record? Look, if you're here to make me feel ba-"

"Look inside." The man said in a calm tone.

I was hesitant at first, but my curiosity got the best of me as I opened the folder and saw a mug shot of the guy I had decked out. Turns out this wasn't his first rodeo. He has been charged with Arson, Assault, Credit Card Fraud, Domestic Violence, Harassment, Sexual Assault, Shoplifting, and Vandalism. Quite the guy.

"He will be charged with trespassing and tampering with equipment. He will be given a $750 fine and 120 days without bail." The man said as he sat back up and started heading to the door. "You're free to go," he says as he shuts the door behind him.

I was seamless. The guy who actually did it was actually paying for his actions. A smile started to form on my face as I read every report on the guy. He had no family, no friends, and no money. This was perfect.

Before Alex even stood up, a woman, in a dark purple pantsuit, came in and sat down across from Alex. Alex cleared his throat as he set everything back into the folder and slid it over to the women. She stopped it as it neared her, then looked up at Alex, with a blank stare.

"Is there something wrong?" Alex asked, now more comfortable with talking.

"I just had a few questions."

Alex leaned back into the chair.

"About?"

"About the pizzeria."

"What about it?"

"Have you heard of its checkered past, Alex?"

"No?" Alex, now interested, leaned forward.

"The pizzeria have been through a lot throughout its history. It's had its ups and downs. It's moments of fame and glory. Six kids have gone missing on two separate occasions. You know, the usual."

Alex froze for a second. His chest tightened as he couldn't find words to say.

"But, I don't think you should worry about that dear. Anyway, thank you for the little chat, Mr. Anderson. Good day." With that, the women left.

The Marionette sat in the small box as she huddled in a corner and lightly wept as she could hear the last of the workers packing up to leave. Her only friend, taken away all because of her. All because she couldn't deal with one perverted guy. Her tears seemed to pour faster every time she thought of Alex. Whether he knew it or not, Alex was her only hope of living a life. She thought about what she had done for her. How he had to do none of this. He was the only one she had ever known that had shown her something other then hate and sadness. She felt human. She paused as that thought ran through her mind. She wasn't human. She'll never be human. She is just some robot that's stuck in a kids restaurant. She doesn't have to eat. She doesn't have to drink. She doesn't have to be happy. She will be confined to this small box, forever. She felt her heartbeat slow down and her throat began to dry up as the music box began to play. She curled into a small ball and drifted to sleep as the doors shut.

Alex made it home as his mind had been working overtime. He had no idea that the pizzeria had such a dark history. He felt chills run down his spine as he could easily think of the many ways a child could go "missing." He looked at his digital clock and saw it 11:43 a.m.

"Fuck."

Alex quickly grabbed his keys once more as he started hauling ass to the pizzeria. Everything from before had left his mind as he quickly made his way to work. He was not going to lose this job even if it killed him. Though, he was actually looking forward to it tonight.

(Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates. Been busy with school and Warm Metal Hearts. Either way, I hope ye enjoy.)

Kindest Regards,

E.