"Daddy, why won't you let me play with her?" A red-haired girl tugged on a purple sleeve. With a jolt, William Afton let go of his ballpoint pen. It fell with a barely-heard thud. Looking away from his maintenance checklist, William Afton looked down at his small, doe-eyed daughter and slightly tugged his arm away from her grasp. A pale hand picked up the pen on the floor and resumed writing on his clipboard a bit faster than last time. It made ink stains on his palm. Silently cursing, he shuffled to his left and wrote again, making sure to write a bit faster this time.
Looks like Daddy is in one of his moods again, Elizabeth thought somberly. Maybe I'll ask later. She looked at the stage. A clown animatronic was "performing", with its blue eyes roaming from left to right every once in a while in the confetti-showered room. Its lips didn't quite sync with the song it is playing, but it looked happy.
Elizabeth doesn't look very happy. The room smelled of vanilla. She hates vanilla. Strawberries have a better flavor.
She sees a blur of black, then a curly haired boy runs towards Circus Baby and calls out, "Look, Charlie! Baby is here! Let's go see her!"
"Wait, Sammy! I have to ask dad first!", a black-haired girl shouts back. She turned to the man beside her and said, "Dad, can I go with Sammy?".
Their dad thought for a bit, his eyes twinkling, and said with a booming voice, "Well, of course Charlie! Just be careful, okay? Dad will be in the room straight in the hall. Is your bracelet on?" The girl, Charlie, proudly flashes her green bracelet. "Yes, dad! Sammy has his own as well."
The dad hugged his daughter and watched her go to her brother. He then left the room shortly.
She felt an icky feeling.
Elizabeth pulled her dad's sleeve again. Maybe this time? She wondered. "But daddy, I didn't mean that I want to watch her, I want to play with her! I want to see her up close!"
"No, Elizabeth. It's not safe." Her dad replied coldly, then turned back on his clipboard. Kids, he thought bitterly. I spilled ink on my palms again.
"But daddy, just this once! Let me go play with her. Look!" she pointed a finger at Baby, "She's so pretty and shiny! Didn't you make her just for me?"
The scribbling stopped. He faced the red-haired girl again. "I said no, Elizabeth. Go play with your brother." William then left, probably annoyed by Elizabeth. Someone's gonna be dismantled tonight, William thought as he hurriedly walked towards the hallway. Which one, though?
"William!" A familiar voice called. He turned around, quickly composing himself.
"Henry! I didn't see you around for a while." He said with a smile that is more of a grimace.
"We were in the same room together." Henry said, confused. We were? William panicked.
Henry then laughed, then placed a callous hand on William's lanky shoulder. "Maybe you're concentrating too much on the opening! Relax! It was just like old times."
William forced a laugh, but he relaxed. Just like old times.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth huffed and sat on the floor, defeated. Why can't she go? Is there something else he's keeping from her? He always keeps things from me. She thought. Maybe it's a surprise for her!
She heard the sound of balloons whooshing and looked. A kid was trying to inflate a red balloon with his mouth. She remembered her brother. He was at home with Evan, while Mom was still away. Mike will always try, but Mom stopped him and scolded him to not do it. Mike being Mike, he did it anyway and ended up with sore cheeks and a ban to the next birthday party.
She saw Circus Baby stop, pick up the balloon, inflate it on its fingertips, then return it to the visibly surprised and overjoyed kid. Elizabeth's eyes lit up and she stood up and ran out of the door to tell her dad. Did he know she could do that? Did he make her like that? She must be made for her, right?
She saw him talking to the dad of Charlie and Sammy. She rushed forward and hugged her dad as high as she could, which is near his kneecaps, and shrieked, "Daddy, she can make balloons!"
William almost swore and dropped the clipboard. Henry stifled a laugh. Picking up the list, he faced a peculiar appearance; William Afton with a kid, and his own kid at that. He once joked that he could never see William as a family person, but here he is, having three kids; two boys and a girl.
"Elizabeth, what did I say about bear-hugging?" William told her and thanked Henry for catching his clipboard.
"Not to hug you at the knees or when talking to people." Elizabeth withdrew the hug sheepishly, but her green eyes still glinted in happiness. "But daddy, she can make balloons! Have you seen her make balloons?"
"She's the excited sort, isn't she?" Henry said to William, handing him the clipboard. William nodded as thanks. "Well, yes. I already said, Elizabeth," now turning to her, "that you are not permitted to play with her."
"Well, I'll leave you to your family business. I'll be in the other room." Henry said then left, going to the other room, the one that has Circus Baby in it.
Through her dad's shoulder, she saw Henry approach the door when two streaks of black tackle him. She saw Charlie was rambling, probably on how beautiful Circus Baby is. Sammy interjects and all the while, Henry looks at them with his eyes twinkling and his mouth in an effort not to grin. He then said something, kissed them on the head and sent them inside the room again. This time, Henry never left them out of his sight.
There's that icky feeling again. She dismisses it. It's nothing.
Facing her dad's pale blue eyes, she said, "Daddy, let me go to her!"
Elizabeth now pulled out her trump card, her last ditch effort in convincing her dad. She looked tearful when facing William.
William's face still remained cold, but strangely, he felt a pang of guilt. Those eyes. He could still remember-
"No, Elizabeth. That's final" William's voice was now as firm as his grip in her wrist.
"Let's go to the other room. It's more fun there." He dragged her to the other room, where there are a lot less children and more adults.
"But daddy!" Elizabeth whined loudly, garnering the attention of a few adults. "Just let me see her! Why won't you let me go see her!"
"I said you can't see her and that's final! Now, shall we go to the car or stay here?" William's voice is now that voice. The one he always uses with Mom. Something bad always happens when he uses that voice.
"I want to stay here." Elizabeth sniffled.
"Good. Now sit tight and Daddy will be finished in a moment. I just need to talk to Henry." He got up and left hurriedly. Sitting at a nearby chair, Elizabeth surveyed the room through her tears.
The room is bland. Unwelcome. It smells like strawberry, but something about it makes her feel sick. She let out a sudden cough. It's boring, unlike Circus Baby's room, where there is cake and glitter. Here, it's only punch, tea and biscuits. Boring.
"Hey." said a voice near her. She rubbed her eyes and faced the voice. She can't see much through her vision, but she thought saw a mop of black hair.
"What do you want?" Elizabeth said with a feeble attempt at making her voice sound proud.
"I just wanted to say that having parents like that sucks." The kid shrugged, dragged a nearby chair beside her and sat.
They sat for a while. Elizabeth's tears subsided bit by bit. Somehow, having someone beside her made things a bit better. She is still wondering why Dad doesn't want her to play with Circus Baby. Is it a secret? A surprise that he doesn't want her to know about? It has to be, she thought in an attempt to cheer herself up.
"Whatcha thinking?" The kid said beside her in a soft voice.
"Circus Baby," Elizabeth replied. "I just want to see her. Daddy won't let me see her."
It seemed like the boy nodded his head in pity. "Well, same. I was just thinking about sneaking in but-"
"You know a way in? Tell me, tell me, tell-" Her shriek was cut off by a hand in her mouth. She thought it felt cold. Icy pale.
"Hey, relax!" He let go of his hand from her mouth and laughed. "You really want to see her, huh?"
"Yes! She's my favorite among the animatronics! I think my dad made her for me." She said happily. Finally, a chance to see Circus Baby in the flesh!
"What do you want in return?" She asked him.
The boy seemed shocked and quickly waved his hands, as if to refuse the offer. "What, no! I just wanted to help!" He laughed nervously.
Wait, he wanted nothing? Strange, Elizabeth wondered. Someone always wants something from me.
"Are you sure?" she wondered.
He looked even more flustered, then spoke quickly. "I just want to help! Let's go then! After you." he quickly left the chair, then stood beside, expecting her to go ahead first.
Taken aback by the sudden politeness, Elizabeth kept her head down as she quickly walked past him, hiding her red cheeks.
They seemed to sneakily pass through the adults. As they crept, she suddenly remembered that she haven't introduced herself.
"That's not very polite of you," she could hear her Mom say.
"My name is Elizabeth Afton." she said loudly.
She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, as if someone was out to get her in the half-lit room. Stupid! she berated herself.
She whispered, "What's yours?"
He didn't reply for a while. She then thought she heard him whisper, "You can call me Cassidy."
Cassidy led Elizabeth to a back room and into a small vent. It was even more dark there. Only a small slit of light was their light source. Elizabeth looked back to face him, and for a moment, Cassidy looked...different. Her hands started to shake.
It's just the dark, she thought. She closed her eyes and silently took breaths to calm herself down.
It's just like hiding in the closet at home. Her hands started to shake a little more.
It's just the dark! She reassured herself. She tried to think of something. Something else. Anything.
A cold wind, presumably from the vent, sent chills into her bones, making her small figure tremble. Think! Think of something!
Think about Baby! I will see her up close and personal! Elizabeth started to take deep breaths again.
We could hang out and Baby would sing me my favorite tunes! I can make Baby inflate balloons that I could play with for hours. Her breathing became less erratic, and she felt a bit calmed down.
"Hey! You coming?" She jumped, hearing Cassidy whisper-shout inside the vent. She hadn't noticed him pass through. What a jerk, she thought.
Somehow, Cassidy's voice made her calm down a bit. Maybe it's because she has someone with her in the dark.
Composing herself, she shouted back, "Coming!"
She went in the cold, dark vent. Crawling, crawling. It's dark in there. No lights at all. She can't see.
Where's Cassidy?
"Cassidy?" Elizabeth whispered, just like he did. She waited silently for a response. Nothing.
Shrugging it off, she continued her venture into the dark. It is the longest five minutes of Elizabeth's life. She never wants to enter a place like this again.
But her wanting to see Circus Baby is greater than her fear, so she trudged on.
She can't hear Cassidy.
Eventually, she saw lights, dim it may be. She peeped through the grilles and saw Circus Baby's stage straight ahead of her. She thought she heard Henry calling Charlie out of the room. She waited. After the footsteps and giggles faded, she decided that it was time to leave the vent.
With some difficulty, she pried the grilles loose and clambered out of that cold, dark vent, feeling the warm air into her face again. She took in a breath and straightened her rumpled clothes.
Looking around, she said in a stage whisper, "Cassidy? Are you in here already?"
She decided that Cassidy would understand that she talked to Circus Baby first, so she rushed to the stage and stood at a distance, although not a safe one.
She hasn't realized how massive Baby is. Her dad is already tall enough, but she thought Circus Baby could easily dwarf him with her size.
She was still waving robotically, her mouth still unsynced to the song she's currently playing. She didn't recognize the nursery rhyme at first.
"Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
Your children will burn.
Except for the little one whose name is Ann,
Who hid away in a frying pan"
Gathering up the courage, she took a deep breath and spoke to Circus Baby.
"I wanted to watch your show too!"
The song stopped. She saw Circus Baby's blue eyes staring at her. She gulped, but continued to speak, stuttering slightly.
"I-I don't know why he won't let me come see you. You're wonderful!"
She heard the laughter of the children. They're coming here!
She took a cautious step back. The animatronic's gaze followed her, like a homing missile in its target. Did she do something? Was it her fault?
The fan on her body whirred louder, louder, louder. There was a bang and she flinched, her reflexes telling her to cover her head.
She kept her eyes shut and trembled. The children's shouts are getting deafeningly near.
Slowly she opened her eyes and in front of her was an ice cream cone. It seems like it was flavored with strawberry. The pink-tinted ice cream was dripping from the heat in the room.
Elizabeth felt her nerves calm down and told herself to stop being a scaredy-cat. How silly of her! Circus Baby was just making ice-cream.
Maybe it was an apology for creeping me out! she thought happily. Besides, who says no to free ice cream?
Walking forward, she reached out to grab the ice cream, laughing at herself.
She didn't have the chance.
Screeching, the animatronic's torso split open.
Elizabeth let out a horrible, piercing scream, her green eyes widening in fear.
A sharp prong grabbed Elizabeth by the neck, silencing her, and forced her inside the animatronic.
Not a drop of Elizabeth's blood was spilt on the newly bleached tiles.
Circus Baby straightened up like nothing happened, and the screeches stopped. As it observed the loud audience entering the room, its fan whirred quietly.
The strawberry-tinted ice cream was squished and stepped on by children yelling and shouting gleefully. It seems like they didn't hear anything. Nether did the adults.
The next thing Elizabeth felt is that it's cold. Too cold, she thought while shivering. Like that time in the vent, crawling towards Circus Baby's stage. She was shaking again, and her ears are ringing. She wants her dad.
She tried to scream, "Daddy! Daddy, help me!" but her vocal cords only repeated this as "Daaaaaaa! Daaaaaaa!"
It smelled of strawberries, birthday cake and metal.
As she lay inside the cold, clammy interior of her favorite animatronic, she thought of her dad.. Why would her dad do this to her? She thought she was loved, welcomed.
Michael and Evan loved her, right?
She wasn't insufferable, right?
Daddy loved her, right?
Then, she felt anger. Where is Cassidy? Did he do this to her? She tried to shout, "Cassidy! Help me!" but she instead coughed violently, blood flowing out of her ripped throat. She held her throat with her hands. It felt like she touched wet sand.
The smell of strawberries filled her nostrils.
She tried to cry. But she can't.
She felt Circus Baby straighten up, making her body lurch. Her green eye tried to find a way out. Left, nothing. Right, nothing.
She could see something. With a grunt, she aligned herself to the fan. She felt the warm air on her face. Finally, something else to smell.
Focusing as much as she could, she saw the children through the fan. The children sat on the tables and clapped. The adults are sitting beside their children. She could see Henry and Charlie and Sammy.
Suddenly, Circus Baby sang, making Elizabeth's hands reflex towards her head, therefore causing her throat to spill more blood. Realizing her mistake, Elizabeth tried to cover her throat again.
"Ring-a-ring-a-rosies
A pocket full of posies
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down"
She can't move her arms anymore. It felt cold and clammy. Circus Baby's voice was deafening. It made her ears ring louder, like a hotel guest impatiently ringing a bellboy.
"The king has sent his daughter
To fetch a pail of water
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down"
Circus baby pivoted to the left, and Elizabeth was slammed along with the robot, making the blood flow from her throat even more. She felt her clothes become wet. Disgusting.
"The robin on the steeple
Is singing to the people
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down"
As Circus baby pivoted to the right, Elizabeth tried to keep her eyes open. Are there always two lights inside Circus Baby? She thought she looked hard enough. She was getting sick of the smell.
"The wedding bells are ringing
The boys and girls are singing
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down"
As her consciousness ebbed away like the blood in her throat, she thought of her dad.
He was right. She thought bitterly. He was always right.
She felt the tears welling up. But she can't cry.
I should not have disobeyed.