I flipped through the channels on the TV, hoping to find something interesting. Nothing. I sighed and sank into the couch. Nothing interesting. The truth was that nothing seemed interesting anymore- not since that nightmare I had. It kept creeping back to me every so often like an itch you can't get rid of. I still couldn't believe that, after all this time, I had a sister. And that was interesting.
For the next few days, I asked Father more about her. As usual, he refused to answer any questions. The only thing he did was hire me as a technician for his robot factory- Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental Services. Since I needed a job and technology piqued my interest, I accepted.
Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I didn't.
A knock on the door slapped me awake.
"Hi, stupid!" greeted another pretty girl when I answered the door. I became aware of the fact that I hadn't bothered to change out of my PJs.
"Good morning, Mabel," I replied, unable to hold back a grin. It was refreshing to see her there- she'd stuck around since my high school years. I used to hate how giddy and loud she was- it was like she could drown out all the negative just by breathing. I got used to it eventually. Every time I was around her, I couldn't stay upset for long, no matter what it was.
Mabel chuckled and a shock of warmth zipped through me. "Morning? Buddy, it's after twelve."
I stirred my hair into some kind of acceptable style. "Oh."
"Anyway," Mabel began as she rocked on her heels, "I was wondering if you'd have some lunch with me today." I didn't feel peckish, but I decided that having something in my stomach would take my mind off the breakup. I opened my mouth to reply but Mabel spoke first.
"It's okay if you- if you don't feel like it right now."
She ran a loose spring of hair behind her ear. I pocketed my hands, somewhat disturbed by the fact that she found out about Sasha leaving.
"No, it sounds great, Mabel," I answered quickly so she'd perk up. She bounced up and down with glee, her dark curly updo bouncing with her.
"Good! Because I already bought it anyway!" she yipped. I caught myself grinning again. This girl though.
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"Sooo, have you found a job yet?" Mabel asked with a mouth full of nachos. I plunged my tortilla chip into the salsa cup and shrugged.
"Well... yes and no."
Mabel tipped her head to the side. "What does that mean?"
I scratched the back of my head.
"I... m-my dad gave me a job working for him," I finally replied. Something about Mabel's thin smile felt strange. She broke eye contact to stare at the carpet beneath us.
"Oh. What is it?" she said, her voice hushed as if we were standing in a graveyard.
"Nighttime technician for his robot factory. Ten to twelve. Five-dollar wage."
Mabel half-smiled. "That pay stinks." She paused to sip her drink. "Um, what did you have in mind?"
"I was just gonna try it out," I spoke honestly. It's not like I have anything else better to do. Mabel's eyes strayed away as she rocked her legs back and forth. "I think you'll be a great technician. You seem to like your technology."
She gestured to the shelf of tapes, odd mechanisms, robotics books, and SNES games. Most of those didn't belong to me but she knew that I liked to mess with the stuff from time to time.
"Yeah."
I hopped up and gathered all our trash to throw in the bin, noting Mabel's hesitation behind her face.
She doesn't want me to be a technician, I thought as I popped apple-flavoured gum in my mouth. I suppose it is a dangerous job. And working with Father? Once I sat back down, I decided to thank her.
"It's not a problem," she said promptly. "Dad gave me the money and I get paid next week."
"Oh, no-no. I'm going to pay you back sometime-"
"Sure."
"-but I mean, like... thanks for cheering me up, I guess. The past week has been... rough."
Mabel's face darkened just a little bit- I think she was blushing. "Aw, you're welcome... See, I knew you were acting weird. You shut yourself in the house all week. Like, I know you haven't seen the sky. It's nice out today."
"Yeah, I... tend to do that. Sorry." I fumbled with my hands, cringing at my pointless apology. Mabel always comes by to check on me. Like nothing else is more important to her. Awkwardly, I placed my hand on her shoulder. I have to say this. "Thanks for being my best friend."
Mabel's smile faltered, then returned.
"Of course," she said, folding her hands in her lap. Seconds later, she grabbed my arm- the one supporting my body- to squint at my watch. I used my other arm to steady myself before I fell sideways.
"Get your own watch!" I whined through a laugh and snatched my hand back. Mabel smiled through an apologetic expression.
"I... have to go," she paused. "I'm glad I made you happy today."
I nodded, thanking her again. Then I scrambled upright to open the front door before she got to it. In the doorway, she grinned over her shoulder at me.
"Bye, stupid!"
I waved and returned the greeting. How could I not smile back?
"Bye stupid."
At least Mabel's there for me, I thought bitterly, aiming that thought at Father and everyone else.
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The lights flickered inside the old warehouse, barely illuminating the conveyor belts I walked past. This building was just half a mile away from my house and I had never stepped foot in it. I occasionally stopped to inspect a few colourful posters that someone had tacked to the walls- posters of bright and cheery clown-themed robots. Something about them made me feel uneasy. Maybe it was their smiles or their eyes piercing my soul; or how familiar the figures seemed. I flicked a strip of gum in my mouth- the spicy mint kind- and felt my muscles relax.
It took me a minute to find the elevator since it was at the end of the building in the far corner. I pressed the button. That's pretty far down, my mind observed as I heard the incoming thrum of the elevator rising. The door slid open and I stepped inside a dimly-lit industrial elevator cage. Beneath my feet, a fan whirred loudly, blowing upward a few more posters of clown robots.
"I'm not ready for this," I mumbled, looking down at the strange mechanical glove-thing strapped to my hand- all the new employees were supposed to wear it. I wondered why until it let out a loud crackle followed by an automated voice. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Welcome to the first day of your exciting new career! Whether you were approached at a job fair, read our ad at Screws, Bolts, and Hairpins, or if this is the result of a dare, we welcome you. I will be your personal guide to help you get started."
I exhaled to calm my pounding heart, inspecting the glove again. The voice came from both the glove and a speaker on the wall of the elevator cage. Neato, it talks!
"What's your name?" I felt a twinge of stupid after realising I was talking to a glove but it vanished when the thing replied.
"I'm a model 5 of the Handyman's Robotics and Unit-Repair System, but you can call me Hand-Unit."
"Hand-Unit. Okay," I repeated the name so that I'd remember it. Is that a pun?
"Your new career promises challenge, intrigue, and endless janitorial opportunities."
I frowned. Janitorial? Man, I don't wanna mop the floors down here- I do enough cleaning at the house!
A yellow screen with a glowing keypad snapped out of the wall and I jerked back with a shriek.
"Please enter your name as seen above the keypad. This cannot be changed later so please be careful," instructed Hand-Unit. I examined the keypad; it had plastic cartoon eyes on the top with a sticker underneath, its edges peeling off, that had "Mike" written on it in Sharpie. Was that left for me? I bet it was Father. He thinks he's funny. I tried to spell out M-I-K-E-Y-B-O-Y but the green letters glitched and shifted their positions. Frustrated, I smacked the side of the dumb keypad. The bar read MINCFHEIJNSACL. I tried to spell out my actual name.
"No, wait, that's not-" My thumb accidentally tapped the ENTER key. "Ugh."
"It seems that you had some trouble with the keypad. I see what you were trying to type, and I will auto-correct it for you. One moment."
A tiny circle outline that filled every few seconds replaced the keypad.
"Uh, well, okay then. Good," I faltered, pulling on the rough fabric of my purple uniform. I'd never heard of auto-correct before. Soon, the circle filled up and the screen went blank. Please say Michael, please say Michael, or Mike. Or Mikey, even.
"Welcome: Eggs Benedict."
"What?!" I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. That's going to be stuck for the rest of my time working here! "No, no, no!" I tapped the screen, hoping the keypad would come back, but the screen clicked and slid back into the wall.
"I guess that's my name now," I accepted its mistake begrudgingly. "Eggs." My ears heating up in embarrassment, I shook my head and pocketed my hands. A catchy little jingle played before the elevator halted with a loud bang that nearly knocked me onto my butt.
"You can now open the elevator using that bright, red, and obvious button," Hand-Unit said. I pressed that button and the door slid open, revealing a dark catwalk leading up to a vent surrounded by caution tape.
"Let's get to work!" exclaimed Hand-Unit. I felt my stomach tighten.
"Hmm. That looks really, uh, tight." My heart rate increased the more I stared into the abyss. I took a deep breath.
"Let's get to work," I repeated, then crouched to begin my crawl into Hell.
The cold metal brushed up against me as I crept through the vent. If it weren't for Hand-Unit faintly glowing, I wouldn't be able to see a thing- not that there was anything to see. I focused on the sounds of my breathing and gum-chewing to ignore the fact that I was going through a vent with only one exit. Lucky for me and my anxiety, Hand-Unit broke the hush.
"Allow me to fill this somewhat frightening silence with some light-hearted banter. Due to the massive success and even more-so the unfortunate closing of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, it was clear that the stage was set- no pun intended -for another contender in children's entertainment. Unlike most entertainment venues, our robotic entertainers are rented out for private parties during the day, and it's your job to get the robots back in proper working order before the following morning."
So that's what Father's been up to.
"I didn't need a history lesson," I grumbled, though thankful to not be alone here. "I failed that class." I halted when my head came close to a metal gate that took a second to open automatically. I climbed out of the vent and hopped to my feet, glad to finally be out of it. The room around me was small and had two big windows on each side with vents complementing them. A desk sat against the wall in front of me, covered in unfinished robot faces that blinked and made weird noises. They looked... familiar, but I can't tell you why. Are they alive? Feeling odd, I looked up to find a clown mask mounted at the top of the wall. I bounced onto the tips of my toes to give its nose a hearty squeeze. To my disappointment, it only produced a tiny wheeze. Lame.
"Alright, where am I, guide?" I called, now bored and slightly unnerved. Where are the robots?
"You are now in the Primary Control Module. It is actually a crawlspace between the two front showrooms." I nodded.
"Okay but-"
"Now let's get started with your daily tasks. View the window to your left." I did so and saw a dark room with a few twinkling multicolour lights lining a stage in the distance. "It's too dark to see anyth-"
"This is the Ballora Gallery Party Room and Dance Studio," explained Hand-Unit, interrupting me for the umpteenth time, "encouraging kids to get fit and enjoy pizza. Let's turn on the light, and see if Ballora is on stage. Press the blue button on the elevated keypad to your left." The keypad had two buttons on it, one of which flickered to life and turned blue. I pressed one button and lightbulbs within the room brightened the stage area like a spotlight. The stage was empty. I caught myself glancing over my shoulder. They can't get out, right? They're not dangerous or anything?
"Uh-oh! It looks like Ballora doesn't feel like dancing. Let's give her some motivation."
Motivation? How do you motivate a-
"Press the red button now to administer a controlled shock. Maybe that will put the spring back in her step!"
Oh. My hand hovered over the red button.
"You want me to shock her?" I asked just to be sure.
"Those were the instructions, Mr Benedict," Hand-Unit replied, then proceeded to repeat himself, "Press the red button now to administer-"
"Okay, I get it!" I smacked the button and stared through the window. A purple figure within the darkness jolted and spasmed as it flashed white and blue. Loud crackles blasted through the speaker. Does it hurt? I thought, turning away. When it stopped, I released a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.
"Let's check the light again."
A slender and curvaceous ballerina twirled on stage, her metal skin glowing under the harsh stage lights. I recalled her being on one of the aforementioned posters. Tiny mannequin-like figures copied her movements next to her- creepy little devils.
"Whoa," I breathed. The robots went back to their stage just like that. But why were they not there before?
"Excellent!" congratulated Hand-Unit. "Ballora is feeling like her old self again and will be ready to perform again tomorrow. Now, view the window to your right." It was the same as the left, except flipped on the right. Obviously.
"This is the Funtime Auditorium, where Funtime Foxy encourages kids to play and share. Try the light! Let's see what Funtime Foxy is up to."
I felt my heart leap to my throat at the name.
"You better be there," I whispered, turning on the light. He wasn't. I clenched my fists and resisted another urge to look behind me.
"Looks like Funtime Foxy is taking the day off. Let's motivate Funtime Foxy with a-"
"Another controlled shock?" This seemed like torture to me- I was the torturer. "Okay." I pressed the button and waited for the dreadful zapping to stop before checking the light again. The stage remained empty. My heart rate increased. Why am I so scared right now?
"Damn fox," I hissed, zapping him again. "Be there." I checked the light and the pink-and-white fox stood on stage finally, making choppy movements with his arms as he tried to dance.
"Looks like Funtime Foxy is in perfect working order. Great job!"
"Thank you," I sighed, then flinched as a gate opened. Oh no, not more-
"In front of you is another vent shaft. Crawl through it to reach the Circus Gallery Control Module."
"This vent crawling's gonna get old fast," I groaned, crawling through.
I squinted through the darkness, seeing yet another window, multiple flashing buttons, an array of pipes zigzagging along the wall behind me, and a small robot in the shape of a child hanging from the ceiling. Weird. I walked up to another elevated keypad, already knowing what to do with it.
"On the other side of the glass is Circus Baby's Auditorium. Let's check the light and see what Baby is up to."
"Baby?"
I stepped closer to the window as I turned on the light. A lightbulb flickered weakly, trying but failing to light the room. "Hmm. The light's broken-"
"Looks like a few of the lights are out, but we can fix that later. Let's encourage Baby to cheer up with a controlled shock."
I hesitated, "It's just a baby, I can't just-" Hand-Unit interrupted me again, firmly stating, "Press the red button on the elevated keypad to administer a controlled shock."
"Um, okay," I gave in and did what I was told. I still couldn't see a thing, so I waited for Hand-Unit to confirm my success.
"Let's try another controlled shock."
I pressed the button again, this time harder.
"Let's try another controlled shock."
"This baby's rather stubborn," I noted. Hand-Unit didn't respond. I wondered if robots could feel pain. I peered through the window, trying to see if the robot made it to the stage, despite Hand-Unit's instructions. I couldn't even see a stage. I noticed a small crack in the window and hit the shock button with more force than I'd intended.
It took Hand-Unit ages to speak. "Great job, Circus Baby! We knew we could count on you!"
"Oh, thank God," I sighed, clutching my beating heart.
"That concludes your duties for your first night on the job," Hand-Unit said. "We don't want you to leave overwhelmed, otherwise you might not come back. Please leave using the vent behind you, and we'll see you again tomorrow, Eggs Benedict." I turned to the vent and frowned.
"I can leave now?" That didn't take long. What time is it?
"That concludes your duties for your first night," repeated and confirmed Hand-Unit.
I never thought I'd feel so excited wriggling through a vent shaft.
That wasn't so bad- I could get used to this. What was Mabel worrying about?
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I spat tasteless gum into a patch of dying grass before entering my house and crashing onto the couch. My knees ached from all the crawling, but misplaced energy coursed through me regardless. I hopped up.
"I think I need a reward," I declared and marched to the kitchen, where I microwaved myself a bag of popcorn. When the beep sounded, I emptied the steaming bag into a huge bowl and took a long sniff of the crisp buttery smell the fresh popcorn emitted.
"Mm..." Wish it wasn't off-brand, but it'll do for now.
I snatched up my favourite tape off the shelf and popped it in the player. I watched the screen display the fancy title card to my favourite show: The Immortal and The Restless. Now, I don't want to spoil it for you, but there was this pretty blonde lady that argued with her ex-vampire boyfriend Vlad because he refused to admit that the vampire baby she'd recently had belonged to him. It's really interesting- you should watch it sometime.
When the first episode ended, the tape slid halfway out of the VCR and the TV screen fizzed to static. I was just about to get up when a raspy cough from behind caused me to fling my leftover popcorn all over the floor.
"MOTHERF-" I started, then whirled to see who was behind me before I swore. "Father." Ugh. I gave him the best fake smile. "What a lovely surprise." He wore a cold smirk on his face.
"I thought you grew out of that dumb show."
Ouch. A pained chuckle escaped my mouth. "Uh, nope. I, uh, still watch it." I watched Father's face slowly turn grim.
"So, you made it out alive," he said. I couldn't tell if he meant that jokingly or not.
"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"
Father shuffled his feet, his mouth remaining static for a bit before shifting into a thin smile.
"That was a joke," he replied. When he paused, his eyes unfocused as if he were entering a state of deep thought. "There's been rumours of... accidents occurring there."
I snorted, but a part of me felt disturbed.
"I'm not scared if that's what you're asking!" I forced those words out of my mouth. Trying to ignore Father's judgemental gaze, I stood and began to clean up the popcorn mess. He watched me.
"Okay," he grunted ages later and departed to his room. I finished cleaning up my mess and went to my room as well.
As my body fell asleep, my mind began to wander again.
I didn't see any little girls down there. Then again, I don't know where to look. What if Father told me that just to get me to work for him?
No, a small portion of me knew otherwise. I do have a sister, and I am going to find her.