Chapter One

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is actually a sequel to an original story that I wrote. The only information from the original story that you need for context for this one is that the character Shaddid is from another story world (Zardan) created by author Nicole Thompson (mentioned in this chapter). His parents and two sisters still reside in Zardan. Shaddid's now wife, Elizabeth (Lizzie), who has the ability to bring her art to life if she touches it even though she was born in this world and is not Zardanian, is Nicole's best friend and primary illustrator. This is how Shaddid ended up in the "real" world. Each Zardanian is born with their own unique gifts and abilities. Shaddid's gifts are telekinesis and the ability to phase through solid objects and withstand great impacts. Shaddid and Lizzie's daughter, Nikki, has telepathic abilities. Shaddid's sister Sheila has the ability to bring song to life (if she's singing, say, "Let it Go" from Frozen, she becomes Elsa, and the room/area around her turns into the content from the song, in this case, a snowy landscape.) Sheila and Shaddid are half siblings (same father, different mothers); conflict of the first book was their father getting banished to the real world, where he lost his memory and married Sheila's mother, who later died from cancer. His memory was restored at the end of the story, and he returned to Zardan with Sheila.**

"One more time, Dad, please?"

Shaddid chuckled and swiped his damp hair out of his eyes. "Again? Let me catch my breath. I'm getting too old for this."

"Aw, come on, Dad. Don't be such a baby."

His eyebrows rose in mock offense. "Me? A baby?" Right when he thought he had caught her off guard, Shaddid pounced and missed her entirely, landing on the floor with an audible, "Oof!"

"That's two out of three! I win!" Her victory, however, was cut short by a pair of strong arms around her waist that pulled her down to the floor in a warm bear hug. He force-locked the muscles in his arms as she struggled to get free. "Hey, no fair! You didn't say you were going to use your powers."

Without loosening his grip, Shaddid replied, "Oh, well now, I'm sure you used yours once or twice." He winked at her then raised his eyes to the sound of footsteps on the wood floor. The two stopped wrestling and looked up at the newcomer. "How may we assist you, m'lady?"

Shaddid's wife Elizabeth—who over the years had come to prefer her nickname Lizzie—stood in front of them with her arms folded across her chest and smiled. "Who won?" The pair in the floor stood up in unison.

"She did. Two out of three." He gave Lizzie a tender kiss. "How was town?"

"Ugh," she sighed, the frustration evident in her expression. "Busy, as usual. Everyone must have decided today was the day to go shopping." She turned her attention to the groceries in the car. "Nikki, would you help me bring the groceries in? And then do your homework if you haven't done it yet."

"What's for me in the back seat?"

"Just a little something. I stopped by the book-"

"You got Aunt Nicole's new book?" Nikki asked excitedly.

Though she understood her daughter's excitement, Lizzie gave her daughter a stern look. "Just because you can read my mind doesn't mean it's any politer to interrupt me."

A sheepish smile tugged at the corner of Nikki's mouth. "Sorry."

Lizzie jerked her head towards the door. "Get the groceries first, do your homework, and then you can read."

Nikki heaved a sigh. "Oh, alright." She headed outside to start bringing in the groceries.

"Was your sister ever like that?" Lizzie leaned back into her husband's embrace as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Keeyana?" He shrugged. "She could be, sometimes." Nikki had inherited Keeyana's telekinetic powers. His hands grazed her back until they found her waist, where they rested. "You know, I was thinking," he said, changing the subject, "we could maybe have our own wrestling match…elsewhere."

"Oh, really?" She played along. "Shaddid!" He had spun her around, picked her up, and set her down on the kitchen island in front of them. "And who would win this…wrestling match?" she continued once she had gotten over being startled.

"No doubt in my mind, you would. Hands down."

"Ew, guys! In the kitchen? Really? Get a room." Nikki set an armful of grocery bags on the dining room table. Lizzie laughed and slid off the counter.

"We can finish this later?" Shaddid inquired, even though he already knew the answer. He peered over his wife's shoulder where Nikki was putting up a box of pasta noodles. "Nikki, close your eyes, stop your ears."

In response, Nikki sighed and rolled her eyes. "You guys act like a couple of children sometimes." She grabbed her new book off the table and motioned towards the stairs. "I'm going to go do my homework now. You two have…fun."

After Nikki had gone upstairs, Lizzie pulled some thawed meat out of the refrigerator for hamburgers and started making dinner. "Have you heard from your parents or sisters?" she asked as she washed her hands.

"Not in the last week or so, but they did mention maybe coming to visit soon. Sheila misses you." He smiled and started cutting up lettuce for a salad.

"I miss her, too. I know Nikki would really like to see her."

Shaddid nodded. "I'll have to check the journal and see if they've written anything new recently. I haven't read it in a few days."

Nicole had published an empty journal that was supposed to be a trademark of sorts for her book series on Shaddid's family. However, upon inspection after Lizzie had bought one for Nikki for her birthday, they found that they could write on the journal's empty pages and correspond with Jarmuth and Lasiandra—Shaddid's parents—and his two younger sisters, Keeyana and Sheila.

"Maybe. It would definitely be nice to hear from them." She handed Shaddid a metal spatula. "Could you start the grill?"

The lid on the grill outside raised as an orange flame danced on the hot coals. An impish glint in his eye matched the flames. "Already done," he quipped, while chopping vegetables.

Upstairs, Nikki was finishing up the last of her homework: Algebra. It wasn't the most fun subject, but she liked being able to correctly solve the problems. She finished the last equation and tossed her textbooks and paper back into her backpack next to her desk. The first thing she did was grab her new book before settling down on her bed to read.

Nikki turned to the very last pages of the book, which were filled with information and announcements about any new and upcoming books. An unfamiliar title caught Nikki's attention. The description said it was a teen thriller. A frown clouded Nikki's forehead. Aunt Nicole doesn't write thrillers…does she? Sure enough, Nicole Thompson was printed at the bottom of the cover. Nikki read the rest of the description: "HELP WANTED: Come be a part of the new thriller written by New York Times Bestselling author, Nicole Thompson. What could go wrong? Coming to a bookstore near you this Spring!"

"Nikki, it's time for dinner!" Her dad's voice shook her out of her trance. Quickly she put the book down on the bed and took the steps two at a time before sliding into the dining room. Mom was putting the freshly grilled hamburger patties on the table next to the buns and condiments. Nikki licked her lips in anticipation. Mom's hamburgers were some of the best, especially when Dad grilled them like he'd done tonight. Nikki helped herself to a patty and bun, topped with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

Elizabeth poured Italian dressing on her salad as she asked, "Have you started your book yet?"

"No, I was reading the upcoming book advertisements in the back," she said with her mouth full.

Shaddid gently reprimanded her, "Nikki…"

Nikki swallowed before apologizing and continuing, "Mom, when did Aunt Nicole start writing thriller books?"

Conversation at the table grew quiet. Lizzie spoke up first. "What do you mean, honey?"

"Aunt Nicole has a new book coming out soon. It's supposed to be a thriller. Have you heard about it?"

After taking a sip of water, Shaddid questioned, "Are you sure it wasn't for a different author?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Her name was at the bottom of the cover picture."

"I don't think I've heard anything about it. What was the name of the book?" Lizzie made a mental note to ask her friend about it later.

Nikki's forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember. "Prisoners of Time, I think? I don't know, I might be wrong. But you haven't heard anything about it? I want to read it when it comes out."

Lizzie met Shaddid's eyes across the table. "Well, we may need to look into it first, to make sure it's really Aunt Nicole who is writing it, and that it's appropriate. If she is writing it, she might be writing it for an older audience."

Once everyone had finished dinner and the dishes had been washed and put away, Shaddid pulled out his phone and looked up the book title. There wasn't a whole lot of information out about it—Must be because it's not out yet. —but what he did find, aside from verifying that Nicole was indeed the author, was intriguing: "A father grieving the loss of his children seeks justice for their deaths." There was no age information that he could see. That would have to be something they asked Nicole about in person. He took a screen shot of the information for Lizzie to see and sent her the picture.

Nicole sat at her computer and drummed her fingers on the keyboard, trying to think through the next scene she was about to write. This book was going to be different than the other books she had written in the past. She wasn't even sure what age group to label the book as. It probably wasn't fit for young adolescents. Maybe older teens? That could be decided later.

Focusing again on the scene before her, she typed a few sentences, deleted some things, re-worded a few more, and worked steadily for the next hour. These characters were surprisingly more open and easier to get to know than Shaddid's family and friends. As much as she had enjoyed writing the Home is Where the Heart Is series, there were a lot of secrets that she had to dig through to tell the story.

She paused in her writing. If she were to be honest with herself, this story had its own secrets, too. A sigh escaped from one side of her mouth as she blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. At this point in the writing process, she wasn't even sure herself who had killed the five kids. One thing she knew for certain was that Henry Emily, who was Frederick's father as well as William Afton's former employee, had stolen money from the company, gotten fired, and then killed Charlotte to get revenge on his business partner.

But who had killed the five other kids? She had written the scene and read back over it several times. William Afton had been talking to the parents the whole time, so he couldn't have done it.

He was creating a diversion. The voice Nicole had given to Charlotte spoke quietly to her.

"Okay, so he was creating a diversion…but for who?" Charlotte grew silent. "Who killed them, Charlotte?" Silence. "I can't tell your story if I don't have all of the information."

It was quiet for a while, so long Nicole didn't think she would get an answer. Finally, Charlotte answered, I don't know.

"Who else was there that night?"

…No one.

"Charlotte, who killed them?"

A monster. A monster killed them. The wrong man was arrested.

Nicole sat upright in her chair and started typing notes as quickly as her fingers would allow her. She paused for a moment to pull up her notes she had made for the arrest report. After the police had followed through with an investigation, they had found evidence of malicious intentions between William Afton, Charlotte's father, and Frederick's father. Frederick's father had been arrested on charges of possible murder but had been released once his alibi checked out that he had been listening in on William Afton's spiel the entire evening.

A picture of a newspaper article popped up on Nicole's computer. It was the fictional article she had been altering for the arrest report. She looked at the pictures she had chosen of a man dressed in prison garb brandishing handcuffs and read the description she had created for the fictional court date. Her eyes narrowed as she read her own description: "William Afton arrested for connection to death of former Fazbear Entertainment employee Jeremy Fitzgerald."

"But what about the murders?" Nicole murmured. She scrolled through her fictitious report notes.

Charlotte's voice rang like a gong in her head. Nothing could ever be proven in a court of law.

The sound of her ringing cell phone broke her concentration. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Nicole. It's Lizzie."

"Hey, how's it going?" She tried focusing on the conversation instead of who the possible killers could be.

"Good. Are you okay? You sound distracted."

"Oh, I'm just working on my new book. Trying to figure some stuff out and sort through some details."

"Okay…that's what I was calling about, actually. Nikki saw the ad for it in your new book and wants to read it when it comes out. I was wondering if you and I could talk about it before she reads it. I just want to make sure it's age-appropriate for her."

"Of course. Do you want to meet for coffee somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure. Tomorrow morning sound good?"

Nicole nodded. "Yeah, that works. I'll see you then."

The two said good-bye, and Nicole put her phone back down on her desk. Lizzie was her best friend and had been her illustrator for years. Why couldn't she trust her with this project like all the other ones? After dismissing the thought of Lizzie not wanting to do the illustrations for the new book, she pulled up her character descriptions, edited some things, and printed them off. Hopefully, Lizzie wouldn't have a problem with it. Maybe…

"You're joking, right?" Lizzie set aside the character descriptions. Nicole didn't answer right away. "Nicole, I can't." She took her friend's hands in her own. "If these characters are as desperate for revenge as you say they are, I can't risk drawing them. I don't want to have another incident."

Nicole could see she was losing her grip on the situation and tried a different approach. "What makes this any different from you drawing Shaddid, or any of the other characters I've asked you to draw over the years?"

"Because, Nicole, none of your characters had the potential to kill me in my sleep if I accidentally brought them to life."

"But you haven't had an incident in years. And if I don't say so myself, the last incident turned out pretty nicely for you." She smiled sheepishly, but her tactics weren't working. Lizzie's mind was made up. There was one final temptation that might make her give in. Yes, it was maybe stooping a bit low, but Lizzie was the one who would be the best at this assignment, and Nicole knew it. "I'll pay you double what I normally pay you."

"Nicole, that's not why I'm hesitant-"

"Triple."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow at Nicole's persistence. "You really want me to do this, don't you?" After taking a sip of coffee, she picked up the descriptions and read them again. "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Really?"

Lizzie held up a finger. "I said I'd think about it. That's not a yes."

"I know. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

A final sip finished off Lizzie's coffee as she stood to leave. She folded up the descriptions and put them in her purse. "I'll have an answer to you in the next week or so."

The two said good-bye and went their separate ways. Lizzie got into her car and started the engine. Without meaning to, she started thinking up clothing styles and colors for the characters. Throughout the duration of her trip home, she couldn't shake the connections she had with these characters who hadn't even been drawn yet, and it was then she knew she had her answer. Once she had gotten in the door and put her things down, she got her phone out and called Nicole. As the line rang, she began to gather her drawing supplies. I must be out of my mind.

Nicole picked up on the third ring. "Miss me already?" she laughed.

"I'll do it," Lizzie answered without missing a beat. Silence followed her abrupt announcement. "Nicole?"

"I'm here. But are you sure? You said you-"

"Don't try and talk me out of it, or I definitely won't do it." She held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she stacked drawing paper and boxes of drawing pencils. "I should have them all finished in the next month or so."

"Sounds good. What made you change your mind?"

"Well, I kind of had this unshakeable sense that their story needed to be told." She took the descriptions from her purse and laid them beside her drawing pad. "I can't explain it. You probably think I'm crazy."

"Nope, not at all. I get that way sometimes. Just out of curiosity, who are you going to draw first? If you don't mind me asking…"

Lizzie's eyes scanned the list of names. Frederick's name popped out at her first, since he was the main character and leader of the group. "I haven't decided yet. Do you have a suggestion? In case something happens?"

"Yeah, I didn't think about that. Draw Charlotte first, then."

"I was thinking," Lizzie continued as she drew a star next to Charlotte's description, "if the worst should happen, I think we should have a plan on how to handle it before-hand. The last thing I want to do is go into this unprepared."

"I don't blame you. I'll get back to you about that soon. I don't think any of the characters will happen to have a magical pendant on hand." She laughed nervously again, referring to a pendant that Shaddid's father had given him before he disappeared. The pendant had played a vital role in helping Jarmuth return to Zardan with his younger daughter, Sheila.

"You're just as nervous about this as I am, aren't you?"

"Yep," she admitted without hesitation. "I'll work on a backup plan and let you know about it soon. Go ahead and start the drawings."

"Are you sure about that? I don't want to put pressure on you."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I kind of already had one before I asked you. I just need to perfect it a bit."

"Okay, I'll get started, then, on one condition."

"What's that?"

Lizzie hesitated before rushing on with, "Just don't say anything to Shaddid. I'll come up with a way to tell him and we'll talk about it."

"Deal," Nicole responded. "Good luck, Lizzie. You're going to need it."