Hello folks! I kind of finished this chapter earlier than I thought, so I figured, eh, why not? Let's post it. Hope you're staying at home, safe and healthy.
BlauOrange: Yep, I got some inspiration from FNaF AR, but it isn't the only one. I have explained down below where the idea for Demon Springtrap came from.
Dinosaur: I agree, Into The Pit and Fetch are really awesome books and I can't wait for more. Also, William still has a long way to go before anyone aside Sam actually starts trusting him. Also, yeah, Demon Springtrap is how Sammy sees William. However, as it's explained in this chapter, this is not how Sam sees William.
As for me, I'm feeling a bit better now and the burnout I suffered from had passed. Not only that, but the Fazbear Frights novels gave me some inspiration for a few pieces of the story.
Basically, Demon Springtrap, while inspired by the Nightmare Animatronics from FNaF 4 and Springtrap from GoldenLane Studio's FNaF Series, was also inspired by Demon Spring Bonnie (Pittrap) from the first story of Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #1: Into the Pit, titled Into The Pit.
The events at the end of this chapter, as well as the next, are partially inspired by the second story of Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #2: Fetch, titled Lonely Freddy. The ending will be different, though.
There was also a teaser for a new character for the FNaF 2020 game, the character being some kind of crocodile/lizard animatronic named Montgomery aka Monty. Seems like we're getting new animatronics in the new game, similar to Sister Location. Not to mention, there is also a The Twisted Ones graphic novel coming out.
I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and yeah, I'll be back to the Thursday/Friday schedule next week.
Night 12
Just Sleep, Just Dream
''Just sleep, just dream… Just sleep, just dream… Just sleep, just dream… In the back of my mind, I've been trying to chase a monster this whole time. But I couldn't see, the monster was me, and no one heard our cries. Now I've run out of tears, the time has come for me to disappear. Get me out of this mess and away from this stress, set me free so I can rest! We're only kids who lost our way, but if we wait long enough we will be saved. Just sleep, just dream! This isn't fair, no we're not just what we seem! We want to fly but our souls are trapped inside! It's not a game, not to blame, we're forced to hide! Just sleep, just dream! It's only a nightmare and soon we'll be set free (and soon we'll be set free)…''
– Nightmare by NateWantsToBattle
xXxXxXx
''Why did Puppet activate on her own?'' Sam asked, still stunned as she stared at the animatronic.
''No idea,'' Springtrap replied. His first instinct was to check whether something was wrong with the music box mechanism, but something prevented him from taking action. He stared at Puppet, her white pinprick eyes glowing as she tilted her head, staring back at him. He felt a little unnerved. This isn't Charlie. Nevertheless, it's obvious that something is wrong with the animatronic.
Sam stepped towards Puppet, tilting her head, with Puppet mimicking her. Sam then glanced at Springtrap. ''Do you think that they might be more self-aware than we thought?''
''That is a possibility,'' Springtrap replied, glancing at the stage. ''If that's so, then we shouldn't make them angry or anything like that.''
''Right,'' Sam muttered, stepping closer towards Puppet to get a better look at her. ''Agh!''
She gasped when Puppet suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled Sam towards her. She looked down at Sam's arm, noticing the faint scars on it, then looked back at Sam, as if questioning her.
''Ricky Wolfrun, an animatronic from Ricky's Wonder Shack, did that to me,'' Sam muttered. Puppet's eyes gleamed and she let go, with Sam quickly backing away and leaning against Springtrap. She was shaking, but otherwise, she was fine. She felt Springtrap putting his hand on her shoulder and she glanced at him, noticing him glaring at Puppet.
''What was that for?'' he growled.
''We cannot let anyone get hurt,'' Puppet replied, her voice similar to that of a little girl. ''We are here to protect.''
''That doesn't mean that you can just grab people without any warning,'' Springtrap replied in an irritated tone, despite being just as surprised as Sam that Puppet had responded to them. On the other hand, he may just have been used to weird things happening. Having animatronics interact with him shouldn't be that unusual.
''If there is a sign of danger, precautions need to be taken,'' Puppet replied, looking at Springtrap, with the latter just staring back.
For a moment, Springtrap felt as if Puppet knew who he actually was, but he then reminded himself that this Puppet wasn't Charlie and couldn't possibly have any recollection of what had happened at Freddy's in the past. He felt an icy feeling as he figured that the animatronic may have come to her own conclusions after hearing his and Sam's conversations. However, that feeling faded as he realized something.
''There were two technicians working here before us,'' he said suddenly. ''What have you done to them?''
''If there is a sign of danger, precautions need to be taken,'' Puppet repeated, this time in a more apprehensive tone. This left both Sam and Springtrap a little unnerved and confused.
''What do you mean?'' Springtrap asked. Puppet just tilted her head and dove back into the Gift Box. ''Hey!''
Springtrap leaned over the counter, only to get the lid shut right in front of his face. He frowned, feeling annoyed that he couldn't question Puppet anymore. Nevertheless, what she had told them was quite interesting.
''That was weird,'' Sam muttered, clutching her arm with her unharmed hand and glancing at Springtrap.
''Yeah, but it did clear something up,'' he told her, then glanced at the stage. Freddy, Bonnie and Chica stood there, not moving at all. Foxy meanwhile had been put on his own little stage at the new Pirate Cove. ''Whatever had happened may not be a malfunction, but intentional.''
''I agree,'' Sam nodded. ''Considering what Puppet just did, it wouldn't be surprising if they tried to scare away those technicians because they thought that they were dangerous. But, still, this leaves a bunch of questions open, like, why didn't they show any of this protective behavior around us? We've been here several times, even before Freddy's officially opened, but nothing had happened.''
''There are probably several explanations for what's going on,'' Springtrap muttered, casting a suspicious look towards the Gift Box inside of which Puppet was hiding. ''Com'n.''
He put his hand on her shoulder, guiding her away from the prize corner and the stage, towards where the office that was housing monitors for the security cameras.
''What's wrong?'' Sam asked him, with Springtrap looking down at her.
She suddenly felt something sharp gripping her shoulder and, as she stared at Springtrap, she saw the demonic version of him giving her a deranged smile, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and on the blood-stained suit. She recoiled instinctively and quickly stepped away from Springtrap, shaking in fear and hugging herself.
''Sam…'' Demon Springtrap turned to her, speaking in a deep and raspy voice, his eyes glowing in a dark red colour. He was twitching uncontrollably as he stared at her. Sam shook her head, leaning against the wall in order to create more distance between herself and Demon Springtrap. She knew it was just a hallucination, but she couldn't fight back the feeling of terror that overwhelmed her.
''P-Please, stay away…'' she whispered.
Demon Springtrap observed her quietly, only to take a few steps back, creating some distance between them. Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She then glanced back at Springtrap, with the hallucination fading away. He looked incredibly worried, wanting to comfort her, but aware that his presence would make things worse.
''It stopped,'' she told him, with Springtrap looking relieved, albeit still concerned. ''These hallucinations seem to be happening at random.''
''Honestly, I'm not sure whether I should stay near you as long as those hallucinations are happening,'' Springtrap told her. ''You look completely terrified.''
''I know,'' Sam replied, sighing. She then narrowed her eyes, giving him a determined look. ''But, seriously, I cannot let fear control me. I don't want to be afraid of you.''
''Sam…'' Springtrap noticed the sympathetic look she gave him, despite the fact that, at least in his mind, he deserved no sympathy. She was the one who was suffering, not him, and it was his fault that she was in this situation.
''So, was there anything you wanted to tell me?'' Sam asked him, with Springtrap snapping out of his thoughts. It always surprised him that Sam managed to find the willpower to bounce back from whatever disturbing experience she had.
''Right,'' he muttered, pointing at the office, with the two entering it. Sam smiled bemusedly as she looked at the black monitors. She remembered well how she had locked herself inside the office in order to escape Springtrap, only for them ending up agreeing on working together.
''Anyways, why are we here?'' she asked Springtrap.
''I just had a bad feeling about staying at the main area, close to the animatronics,'' he replied, with Sam giving him a curious look. ''Considering what Puppet had said, they might be more self-aware than we thought.''
''So, you want to say that the animatronics may have attacked those technicians because they saw them as a threat?'' Sam said, crossing her arms and leaning against the table.
''It is a possibility,'' Springtrap replied. ''The technicians' may have done something that drew the ire of the animatronics. Once they had realized that the animatronics were out for them, they decided to quit and the blame fell on the animatronics, making everyone think they had malfunctioned.''
''You know, it is also possible that the animatronics themselves made a mistake,'' Sam replied. ''I mean, you saw how aggressive Puppet got once she saw my scars. They seem to value safety above everything and if they see someone as a threat, they might take action.''
''Well, whatever it is, it's clear that the animatronics aren't completely innocent here,'' Springtrap said. ''It reminds of the Toy Animatronics at the '87 location, only that the reason that they were acting weirdly was because I had messed with their recognition system. That, and they may have been haunted.''
He saw Sam rolling her eyes, giving him an accusing look. Springtrap's response was to just look away, feeling awkward. He understood what she meant.
''I'm sorry…'' he muttered. Sam just shook her head.
''Anyways, I'll have to contact Anthelm about the animatronics to see whether she can get me any documents to see what exactly Fazbear Entertainment had done to them. They may not be malfunctioning, but are acting precisely the way they were programmed to act,'' she said, giving Springtrap a knowing look. ''You know, kinda like the Funtimes.''
Springtrap froze, shrinking away. Sam ignored him.
''This may be the reason why nobody could figure out what was wrong with them,'' she continued. ''In short, they are going to continue act like this, regardless of whatever repairs they're going through.''
''So, what do you want to do with them?'' Springtrap asked.
''Essentially, I want to keep an eye on them and see how the situation is going to turn out,'' Sam replied. ''I don't think that much can be done, but it's better if it's us who work with them than someone who has no idea what's going on, especially if that person views them just as machines with no feelings.''
''Well…'' Springtrap paused for a moment, thinking about it. While animatronics had a CPU that dictated how they would behave, he knew that the animatronics at Freddy's were more than just mindless robots. He nodded. ''You're right.''
Sam looked satisfied, with Springtrap being glad about it. Despite all the troubles he was facing, seeing her happy certainly made his day better. Then, she stopped smiling. Her eyes were wide and there was once again that look of fear on her expression. Springtrap felt an icy sensation spreading through his chest as he realized that she was hallucinating him once again as some kind of demonic animatronic. He quickly stepped outside the office, distancing himself from Sam to show her that he didn't mean any harm.
Sam… I'm sorry. He sighed, noticing Sam still staring at him with an unnerved look on her expression. ''I'll go check on the animatronics.''
He then quickly left. Whatever feeling of happiness he had vanished and was replaced by a feeling of horror and frustration. He felt the anger and rage building inside him.
''Goddamnit!'' he growled, punching the wall in frustration. He leaned against the wall, staring at the floor, sighing and closing his eyes. He hated this; he hated the situation he found himself in, even more because Sam got dragged into it. He took a deep breath, opening his eyes, which were glowing in a dark purple. He stepped away, trying to calm himself down.
One thing was sure, he wasn't angry at Sammy for causing this. He understood that his son was terrified of him and, whether it was intentional or not, this fear manifested itself in the form of a monstrous hallucination. However, he wished that he could just talk to him, to tell him that he regretted what he had done and that, while he knew that he couldn't be forgiven, he hoped that at least he could spend some time with him.
Not only Sammy, but Elizabeth and Michael as well.
He glanced at the stage, noticing that the animatronics haven't moved at all. However, he figured that that wouldn't last long and that they soon might starting moving around through the place, just like in the past, even if they may not be the same animatronics. He sat down, leaning against the wall, and sighed, feeling a little desperate.
What should I do?
''Hey, Will…'' He looked up, noticing Sam standing in front of him. She then crouched, smiling. ''You know, I believe that things will be fine.''
''I wouldn't be so sure,'' Springtrap replied dryly, with Sam sitting next to him.
''I know that this is a rather disturbing experience, but honestly, it's not like those hallucinations are going to continue forever,'' Sam replied, narrowing her eyes. ''Besides, it bothers me that, whenever I start hallucinating, I feel afraid for some reason, even though I'm not. It's as if someone else takes over me for a brief moment, which really frustrates me.''
''So, what do you want to do?'' Springtrap asked her. Sam was silent for a moment.
''I have no idea,'' she said bluntly, causing Springtrap to snort in amusement. ''However, I know that I won't let myself get controlled by fear, self-doubt and despair… and neither should you.''
''Thanks for the advice,'' Springtrap replied in a mildly sarcastic tone. Nevertheless, he knew that Sam was right. Still, not being controlled by your fears was easier said than done. Sam just smiled, leaning against his shoulder. Springtrap couldn't help, but smile as well. As much as both were stressed out, they still had each other for support.
However, there was still a feeling of uncertainty lingering in the back of Springtrap's mind. He was stuck inside a nightmare that he couldn't escape. However, if there was one thing he knew, it was that he wasn't going to give up so soon, even though he was aware that his determination didn't always yield the best results.
I have to live with myself, that's enough of a nightmare.
xXx
Springtrap was lying on the couch in his room, staring through the window at the starry night sky. Even if he was able to fall asleep, he probably wouldn't. Thoughts raced through his mind, mixed with memories of his days at Fredbear's Family Diner, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and Circus Baby's Pizza World. Even with all the accomplishments he had achieved, he wasn't exactly proud of what he had done to achieve his goals.
He sighed, his ears lowering and partially obscuring his sight. He grabbed one of the ears, trying to straightened it up, but, given his mood, it didn't help much. He glanced at his hand, the fur covering it being fluffy and clean, as if the suit was brand new. While the suit wasn't the same he had used originally, it did have some similarities. However, he figured that the way he had uses the suit now is completely different than the way he used the suit then. While it eventually became a soul container, it also used to be another persona of his own.
As Henry had pointed out, he was a manipulative bastard who relished in fear and pain. However, that didn't mean that things wouldn't change… right? As much as Springtrap wanted to believe that he was doing his best to become a better person, he had his doubts. It wasn't just what Henry had told him or he fact that, thanks to his son's fears, whenever Sam looked at him, she saw a demon. He knew that, no matter what he did, at the core, he was an evil person.
He sighed as he closed his eyes, the memories overwhelming him. He could see those tiny dead bodies, covered in their own blood. Some had their eyes closed, as if asleep. Some had their eyes open, the look of terror on their expressions made even more evident. However, their look of terror had turned into pure hatred and rage, with them trapping him in that hidden room at Freddy's, years after their own deaths.
They believed that they would be free once he died, but they had no idea that they had made their situation only worse. He may have been stuck there for 30 years, but he never truly died. At least, not in the sense that his soul had moved on from his rotten body. Everything those children did to gain their own freedom had failed and it took Henry and Michael to finally stop him.
Now, they are free, but they still won't rest. Springtrap opened his eyes, staring blankly ahead. They're here by their own choice, or at least, one of them is. His eyes glowed faintly. In the process of eliminating one monster, they couldn't see that they have become monsters themselves. They didn't care about the consequences.
Speaking of consequences, he had to wonder about the Hell he was subjected to. After all, it was created by that kid and not some kind of higher spiritual entity. He thought that perhaps the reason why he could even escape it was because it wasn't real Hell, more some kind of Pseudo-Hell, created to just trap him, but not contain him for all eternity.
Once again, you guys just had to mess up. Springtrap frowned. Not that he was complaining. After all, if it weren't for the fact that one child felt that he wasn't tortured enough, he wouldn't have been able to escape. Not to mention, there was also… that voice. Aside from the instructions I was given, it really hadn't told me much. He groaned. Great, just add another mystery that needs to be solved to the already growing list. It's not as if I have anything better to do.
Praying for a quiet night, he reached for the book he had been reading and opened it at the marked page, where the main characters entered The Department of Mysteries in order to rescue Harry's godfather Sirius. He hoped that whatever chaos that ensued in the book would distract him from the current situation, if only a little bit. He then snorted in amusement as he realized that he also unintentionally added another mystery to his list.
If I'm already going to leave this mortal realm, then at least I'd want to finish this book series. It's kind of annoying when you are left at a cliffhanger, not knowing what is going to happen next or how the story is going to end.
xXx
Sam gasped for air, her eyes wide. She tried to move, but she felt as if she was shackled to her bed, paralyzed with fear and dread. She felt a lump in her throat, unable to make any sound. Darkness surrounded her, suffocating her.
No… Stop! Sam was now fully awake, doing her best to fight off the paralysis she felt, as well as subduing the dread that was creeping through her body. Com'n…
Unlike the previous night, she knew now why she felt like this. She knew that this fear she felt and the hallucinations she had didn't belong to her. She knew that she had to regain control of her body if she wanted it to stop, but she wasn't sure how to execute that. She was also aware that, if she managed to get up and go to Springtrap, she would only see the demonic version of him.
Honestly, I don't give a damn about that…
Taking a deep breath, she managed to move her hands and roll over to her side, eventually lying on her stomach. As she regained the feeling in her arms back, she pushed herself away, managing to kneel on her bed. Looking on the floor, she saw her blanket, realizing that she threw it off her bed when she attempted to wake up from her nightmare. Her heart was racing, but her mind was a bit clearer now.
What should I do to stop this? Sam turned around, staring at the door. When you think about it, in the end, it is only a nightmare, and I do have the power to set myself free. She got up, a look of determination on her expression. Even if it isn't my nightmare, I'm not just going to sit here helplessly and let someone else fix the situation if there is a chance that I could do it on my own.
She marched over to the door, only to stop as she realized that she should be a little more quiet as she might accidentally wake up her mother. Yeah, that's my greatest worry, and not the murderous bunny animatronic who is staying in the room next to mine.
She entered the hallway and walked over to Springtrap's room, opening the door to it. Her vision was blurry and her surroundings went dark for a moment. She shook her head, feeling an immense headache. As she looked up, she saw Demon Springtrap staring at her, his eyes glowing in a bright red colour. Her heart was racing as a feeling of dread spread through her body. She was terrified of the monster that was looming over her.
''Sam…'' Demon Springtrap whispered in a distorted, low growl, baring his sharp, blood-stained teeth. A voice in Sam's head screamed for her to run, but she forced herself to ignore the voice and the terror she felt. She clenched her fist, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the demonic animatronic.
This fear isn't mine. This is not how I see, you, William. It took all of her willpower to ignore the feeling of dread that rushed through her body as she saw the animatronic starting to twitch as he took a step towards her. The time I was actually afraid of you…
Demon Springtrap was still staring at her, but his eyes flared up purple instead of red.
''Sam…'' He reached for her with his clawed hand, with Sam stepping back instinctively. However, she then shook her head.
The only time I feared for my life…
Without thinking, she lunged at Demon Springtrap and hugged him tightly. She could feel the animatronic hugging her back, relaxing a little as she didn't feel his claws digging into her back.
''Sam…'' She glanced at Springtrap, realizing that the hallucination had shattered. She saw the worried look on his expression. ''Sam, are you okay?''
''Yeah, I am now,'' Sam replied, feeling her headache fading, figuring that the nightmare was finally over. ''Honestly, I had enough of dealing with that hallucination, so I figured that I just should confront it.''
''You looked quite terrified,'' Springtrap replied, a little surprised. ''I already thought about leaving when I saw you staring at me with that blank look on your expression.''
''Well, I'm glad that you didn't,'' Sam told him, her eyes narrowing. ''Trust me, you're staying.''
Springtrap tilted his head, staring at her, still looking concerned. ''Are you completely sure that you're fine?''
''I am,'' Sam said in a confident tone, taking a step back. ''I'm not saying that I didn't feel terrified, but I knew that this fear wasn't really mine. I don't see you as some kind of demonic entity and I wasn't going to let that influence my judgement of you. If anything, I'm weird enough to fight crazy with crazy.''
''So, your idea of fighting crazy with crazy was to hug me?'' Springtrap asked, slightly puzzled.
''Trust me, no one would've done that had they been in my situation,'' Sam replied. ''The main point is, I know you as my friend and I know that I have no reason to be afraid of you. I am aware of the horrors you had done, but I also know that you have shown regret and the will to change. Not to mention, it also helped that I remembered the time I actually feared for my life.''
''I have a bad feeling about this,'' Springtrap said.
''It depends on how you remember our first encounter,'' Sam replied. Springtrap gave her an anxious look, remembering well how he had almost killed her.
''I'm sorry,'' he said in a quiet tone. Sam shook her head.
''Rest assured, I knew exactly what I'd be dealing with. Do you really think I would've approached you if I thought that you were a hopeless case?'' she told him.
''I still think that you shouldn't have done that,'' Springtrap replied, with Sam rising an eyebrow. ''However, a part of me is glad that you did.'' He sighed. ''It kind of feels messed up.''
''I know,'' Sam replied, yawning.
''I think it's better for you to go sleep now,'' Springtrap told her. ''Hopefully, you won't have any nightmares.''
Sam nodded, with her and Springtrap walking into the hallway. To their surprise, they heard a faint clicking noise and stared at the door that led to Emma's room. They exchanged nervous glances, with Sam shaking her head and walking over to her room. They went inside, with Springtrap closing the door, while Sam sat on her bed.
''We're certainly going to have an awkward conversation with Emma tomorrow morning,'' he said.
''I think that we can both handle it,'' Sam replied, smiling.
While Springtrap didn't feel that confident about it, he was just glad that, for once, the situation didn't go downhill.
xXx
Emma was checking the news on her phone, taking a sip of her morning coffee and making plans for the day. She was also waiting for Sam and Afton to come down, having been woken up by Sam going into his room and overhearing part of their conversation. Apparently, Sam had another nightmare, which involved Afton and went to confront him about it. However, it seemed that she managed to overcome it and, while Emma was glad that she felt better, she still felt that Sam should've come to her to talk about her nightmare.
Oh, well… It's not as if this is the end of this madness.
Emma rose an eyebrow as she noticed Sam and Springtrap coming into the kitchen. Both had nervous looks on their expressions, with Emma feeling slightly amused.
''Good morning,'' she greeted them cheerfully. ''I hope that you have slept well. Also, I know that you don't sleep Afton, you don't have to remind me of that.''
Springtrap just glared at her, looking rather annoyed, adding in a sarcastic tone, ''It's nice to know that you care so much about me.''
''Trust me, it's just a formality. If you don't like it, I'd gladly be rude towards you,'' Emma replied, with Springtrap still glaring at her. ''Anyways, what happened last night?''
''What did you overhear?'' Springtrap asked her bluntly.
''I know that Sam had a nightmare and that you had a talk, resolving the issue,'' Emma replied. ''Also, I'm a little disappointed that you're still not leaving.''
''Yeah, that's unfortunate,'' Springtrap added sarcastically, with Sam chuckling.
Emma and Springtrap glanced at her, both simply happy and relieved that she wasn't plagued by nightmares anymore.
xXx
''So, it is possible to have an individual animatronic perform at the party?''
''Of course,'' the employee replied to the mother, pointing at the stage. ''We can also arrange for a specific animatronic to perform at the party. Do you have any favorites?'' she added, looking at the birthday girl.
''Well…'' Hazel glanced at her older brother Alec. The 14-year-old teen scoffed, having been obviously dragged to Ricky's Wonder Shack to help with the preparations for his sister's birthday party. However, he knew that he had to play nice, at least for now, which was a bit of an issue for his mother, who feared that he might cause trouble. Hazel didn't seem to share her mother's fears as she hoped for some guidance from her brother.
''This is your 10th birthday, isn't it? You're old enough to make your own decisions,'' Alec told her, trying to mask his dismissive tone as encouragement. Hazel shrugged.
''I dunno…'' she said shyly. ''All of them are nice.''
Alec knew that she was lying, as Hazel was occasionally glancing at Dahlia the Swan, obviously wanting the animatronic to perform at her birthday party. He was aware that she was simply pretending to be selfless and he wanted to expose her for the spoiled brat she was. She may be the golden child of the family, but he knew that she'd throw a tantrum if she, for once in her life, didn't get what she wanted.
''If it helps, may I suggest Dahlia?'' the employee interfered, wanting to get this done as soon as possible. ''We have a schedule for the animatronic performances and she's the one who has nothing to do tomorrow. Will that be okay?''
''Of course,'' Alex and Hazel's mother replied, looking relieved. Alec frowned, feeling betrayed. He glanced at Hazel, who simply gave him an innocent look, as if not caring that her favorite animatronic would perform for her.
''Okay, so this will be the Wolfrun Super Party Package; food, drinks, cake, game tokens, private party room and animatronic performance included,'' the employee muttered as she ticked off the selections on the tablet in front of her. ''Do you wish to try the Wind Tunnel? We have a special prize that can be won if you manage to grab the right coupon.''
''Really? May we see the prize?'' Alec and Hazel's mother asked. The employee nodded, leaving for the back of the room and returning soon with a doll version of Ricky Wolfurn, placing it on the counter.
''This is Best Buddy Ricky,'' she introduced the doll. ''He can move and memorize certain phrases, so you can even hold conversations with him. I may add that he's quite popular among the children, even though you need a lot of tickets to win him. Of course, if you manage to grab a Best Buddy Ricky Coupon from the Wind Tunnel, you can get your own Ricky doll.''
Alec noticed the spark in Hazel's eyes as she stared at Best Buddy Ricky. It was obvious that she wanted the toy, but when she glanced at Alec, her expression turned to that of ignorance.
''I don't care,'' she said. It was an obvious lie and Alec knew that he had caught her.
He actually knew about Best Buddy Ricky's existence and had attempted to win him, but in the end, he realized that he might spend all of his savings on tokens and he still wouldn't be half-way through with the tickets. His birthday was actually months ago and he had hoped that he would celebrate it at Ricky's Wonder Shack, but what he got instead was a cheap backyard birthday party, with his parents telling him that they were a bit short on money and that he might get his chance next year. However, when it came to Hazel, she got an entire week for herself, as well as all the bells and whistles Alec was denied. To say that it was a nightmare was an understatement.
''Hazel, I think you should try the Wind Tunnel,'' he said politely. ''I don't think you should miss out on the opportunity.''
His mother cast him a suspicious look, but Hazel looked happy. Alec smiled, glad to see that Hazel decided to stop pretending and went along with his plan. He knew that all he needed to do was to make sure she won't get the coupon.
And when you don't get it, everyone's going to see you for the spoiled phony you are.
