After getting changed from your sweat stained clothes, you groggily make your way to the kitchen trailer to begin cooking. You're glad that you meet no one else. They'd not get an overly warm greeting.
Letting yourself into the trailer, you roughly grab the pans and foods to begin cooking. Over and over in your mind you think about the shadowy figure that was outside the tent last night. There was no mistaking that lanky figure of Foxy. Or the breathing coming from his constantly open mouth. The prickling sensation of goosebumps crawls across your skin. You can almost hear the mumbles coming from him as though he was stood right before you. Your arms wrap around yourself tightly. You see his jerking, twitching movements like a malfunctioning robot. With a loud noise of disgust your hands flail outwards, trying to push the thoughts away, and knock the pan of bacon onto the floor.
Blinking in supressed anger, you stare at the running oil and still sizzling bacon before stomping over to pick up what you could without burning your hands and dumping it in the bin. Shortly, you have another pan of bacon cooking and scowl at the cooking meat. Today may not be a good day.
The hash browns and beans were slightly burnt as you scraped them into the serving bowls but you didn't care. Shoving in a serving spoon you grab the plates to carry them outside to the dining quad. No one was there yet. You were glad for it. By the time you returned with the hash browns and beans Bonnie was walking in as she stifled a wide yawn. "G'Morning…" She said sleepily. All she got in reply was a grumpy grunt as you turned back into the kitchen to get the eggs, bacon and pancakes.
You briefly caught the slightly offended look from her before the door swung to close behind you. When you returned, Bonnie was sat staring at you with a teasing smile. "What's up with you Newbie? Get out on the wrong side of the bed?" She asked.
"Ha. Funny." You reply sarcastically, setting down the foods roughly.
"Are you getting cutlery? Or are we meant to eat with our faces like animals?" Bonnie questioned, equally sarcastically.
Scowling at her you spin around to grab the cutlery from the kitchen and throw them unceremoniously onto the table, keeping two for yourself and grabbing your own plate of food.
Bonnie gets herself breakfast too, no longer attempting to poke fun at you, and sits opposite. She eyes you through pink contact lenses with confusion. She says nothing, waiting for you to begin speaking. You're not particularly in a sharing mood. The pair of you eat in a dull silence.
Chica wanders in when you're halfway through your meal. She doesn't seem to be in a good mood either. In fact she seems almost terrifying. There are dark circles under her downcast eyes and she walks almost like a zombie. At this you feel concerned and almost call out to her to see if she's okay. 'Maybe Foxy was outside her tent too…' You think, but Bonnie places her hand over your mouth to stop. She shakes her head and opens her eyes slightly in warning. "Not a good time." She mouths, glances at Chica and resumes eating.
Confused, you look at Bonnie, then over at Chica's shambling movements before eating again. If you hadn't met her yesterday you wouldn't believe that this person was capable of smiling.
With some food in your belly, you feel a little less grouchy and ask Bonnie quietly, "Didn't you say you needed me for something at 8?"
The purple-haired woman nods as she chews. "Yeah. I'll need you for setting up my act. Gotta check everything is safe."
"Mhm…will do."
"I not feel so good…" The younger girl finally speaks with a pathetic voice.
Bonnie nods at you to signal that it is safe to speak to her now. "What's the matter, Chica?" You ask with sympathy.
"Not sleep good. Nightmares. Sleepwalk again. I woke up in security office."
"Security office?"
"Yes." Chica responds shortly, picking at her food.
"We have a few cameras set up around here to monitor things. Thieves have come by before and stolen some of our stuff. We didn't want that happening again." Bonnie explains more.
"I see…" You say as you begin pondering if the footage from them would show Foxy standing outside your tent all night to confirm your suspicions.
"Good morning everyone!" Frederick booms as he enters the quad with a huge smile on his face, moustache seeming especially preened and top hat decorated with a sparkling black ribbon to match his bow tie. "Are we ready to entertain the masses and wow everyone with our performances?"
"Yeah…" Came a less than excited response from Chica and Bonnie.
"I can't hear you!" He encourages them to speak louder.
"Yeaaahhh." All three of you say, still sounding apathetic but slightly louder.
Frederick chuckles and makes his way over to the food (piling it up high again-there was barely any left for Foxy). "How are you today, Newbie? Sleep well?" The Ringmasters inquires, coming to join you all at the table-again his weight making the entire thing shift towards him.
"Eh…not great. Foxy was stood outside my tent all night. It was weird. He just wouldn't budge and he kept…whispering and twitching." You look at Frederick with a furrowed brow.
Frederick seemed to not respond like you thought he would. "Yeah, Foxy does do that. He tends to sleep walk. And sleep talk. I wouldn't worry about it."
"But he was literally there all night!" You press.
"Even with his artificial legs do you really think an old guy like Foxy could stand up all night? You must have dreamed it, Newbie." He shrugged and waved a dismissive hand.
For a second, you open your mouth to argue with him before clamping it shut again. Throwing around accusations against a longstanding member of the team could result in you losing your paycheck. You finish the rest of your breakfast while the others talk about the shows they were going to carry out today.
"So our first one is at 10, second at 1 and last one at 6 in the evening. Same as yesterday." Frederick explained as the other two listened and nodded their heads. "It should be easier today with Newbie on board now so just use them as needed."
"Newbie's setting up with me and checking the wires." Bonnie chipped in. "And helping Chica get ready later too.
The ring master nods in approval. "Good, oh and call by my changing room and I'll give you the instructions for the pyrotechnics."
"The what?" You ask, confused.
"Fireworks in other words. Don't worry it's literally just waiting for the cues and button pressing since we're using a computer system for them now. The last guy-uh-had an accident and we couldn't really find anyone to replace him on such short notice that would travel."
"Alright-I'd better get everything cleaned before I head over to help everyone." You tell Frederick, rising from the table and heading towards the remaining food. "I'll leave this out in case Foxy"- You didn't even want to say his name he creeped you out so much- "Is ready for breakfast. Though it'll be cold."
It takes you at least an hour to get everything cleaned for the next mealtime , though you're sure it was quicker this time. You race back to your tent. Once inside you find that spare piece of ribbon that your parents always tied around the handles of the suitcase. It's odd how such a simple object can instil a feeling of home sickness. Picking up the notebook and pen, you sit down on the bed (ribbon wrapped around your hand now). You begin writing:
'Dear Mum and Dad,
I hope you are doing well. I arrived at Fazbear's Circus late yesterday evening and was greeted by the man himself. My tent is small and is livable and all I have to do is make food and generally help out. There's only four others to work with; Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica & Foxy. Chica was the first of the team who really helped me out and I really like her. She's definitely not a morning person. Apparently this morning she woke up in the security office after-"
You stop writing. The security office. Where was it?
You leave the half written letter on the bed and stand by the door to look for it. Looking left and right, there are only more blank tents as far as the eye can see. An odd realisation comes to you. So many tents for five people? "Something isn't right…" You murmur quietly, fiddling with the ribbon.
"Hey, Newbie!" came a voice that makes you jump.
Spinning around, the face of the pretty, pink-eyed Bonnie comes into view. "Oh, hey," You say, trying to mask your surprise.
"I'm on my way to start my checks," She explained, gesturing to the big top, "I thought I'd come by on the way. You ready?"
"Uh, yeah. I just got some ribbons so I can find my tent later. Last night I almost didn't find it," You reply, fumbling to hastily tie the ribbon around the guy ropes.
"Good idea," Compliments Bonnie before she made a noise of interest. "You doing some writing? Almost no one does it by hand anymore these days."
"Well, I wasn't allowed any electronics and I promised my parents I'd tell them when I got here and tell them that I'm not going to die." You sigh with a nervous laugh.
Bonnie doesn't seem to laugh in return. She only stares before your laughter dies itself.
"Let's get moving," She jerks her head in the direction of the huge tent again, "The sooner we get this done, the sooner Chica can get you to help her get ready-and you may not escape her for a long time. You know how she likes to talk."
You chuckle loudly.
Bonnie leads the way to the big top, turning sharply between the labyrinth of tents. She's so quick and sudden with her movements that you almost have to run to keep up. A couple of time she almost disappears completely. One time you have to dance around an exhausted looking Foxy. For a brief moment you look back at him to make sure he doesn't follow you. You're not entirely sure if he even registered the pair of you passing. His yellow eyes seem to look at the ground but they're unfocused and his long, scarred body just seems to slope forwards with his arms hanging by his sides. 'Good, the creep deserves it after hanging outside my tent all night.' You think maliciously, yet you notice again that he's not moving at all. It is almost like he's a clockwork that has run out of wind. Though weirdly, Bonnie didn't seem to acknowledge him being there at all.
Turning your attention back to Bonnie, you just see her turn a corner. Racing to catch up with her, you find yourself right beside the big top where Bonnie is waiting for you. "Sheesh keep up," She snorts, hand on her hip before she turns with a flick of her hair to enter the thin gap of the big top. Following her through, you see a dimly lit area that was mostly sectioned off into four different rooms separated by thick, glittery velvet curtains with a starry pattern. You notice that one seems larger than the others. It is labelled with a wooden sign that reads "Freddy Fazbear" with two adorable bear ears on the F's.
Next to it is a much smaller room with a "Chica" sign above it with a little chicken painted on it. Looking across to the other rooms is Bonnie and Foxy's, both equal in size and labelled with their names. Bonnie's has a small purple bunny on it and Foxy's has a fox guarding a treasure box with a skull on it. Rather disturbingly Foxy's looks slightly chewed and splintered. There is a paper sign stuck under it with sticky tape that reads "Out of Order" scribbled on. You're not sure if it is genuinely out of order or someone's cruel joke.
Bonnie is still walking ahead of you, heading to the main stage, and you jog to catch up. Passing through a narrow tunnel, it opens up to the huge main stage. As is usual with circuses, there is a large centre ring surrounded by rows upon rows of benches. A thick, sturdy main pole that stretches up high to hold the tent aloft stands in the exact centre of it. You pause for a moment to turn slowly, taking it all in before heading over to Bonnie. "What do you need me to do?" You ask.
The woman flicks her purple hair again and pats one of the support structures. "Turn the crank at the same pace as me." She replies with a smile, sashaying over to the far side of the circle opposite.
"1…2…3, Crank!" She calls and turns the winch. Snapping yourself out of watching her, you grab the crank and turn in time with her. Slowly from the sand of the circle rises a tight rope wire that was partially hidden. You smile as you realise the woman's talent. There is a loud clatter of metal that announces the ascension of the thin, rickety ladders that meet the platform where Bonnie would start her act. "Snap it in place, Newbie!" Bonnie orders, pointing to a thick sturdy clasp (you find yours in exactly the same place) and she gives the winch a slight jiggle to ensure it is secure.
"Next crank." She shouts, pointing to another large one underneath the first. As you both turn, thick poled trapezes slide from under the platform and turn sharply to take place opposite each other along two parallel metal beams. Without being told you immediately ensure it is firmly locked in place before meeting Bonnie in the middle. "I'm looking forward to seeing your performance," You admit to her, "I've never seen a tightrope walker or a trapeze artist in person before. You're brave for doing it-I doubt I could."
"Eh, you get used to it," She replied nonchalantly, "I've been doing it for years."
"How long?" You press, attempting to figure out how long this place has been going.
"Ehh…Since about '87, I think. I'm one of the original members. I used to just play guitar originally and…" Bonnie stops and presses a hand to her forehead, scrunching up her eyes in pain with a slight sway of her body.
"You okay?" You can hear the worry in your voice.
"Hm? Oh yeah. Sorry. That happens sometimes. My brain makes up memories that I've never experienced." You stare at her, willing her to go on. "I uh…I had a bad accident a few years ago and my head and hands got damaged." Anxiously, she moved the cuffs aside to show metal joints where her wrist should have been. "It was a car accident. I was driving too recklessly on a wet night. I'd had an argument and broken up with my boyfriend and didn't wear my seatbelt. I lost control of the car and hit a tree.'
'My head got hit first and I tried to stop myself going through the wind screen with my hands which was a big mistake. The impact of touching the glass and eventually the tree destroyed my wrists and I ended up with a lot of glass in my skull which then worked its way into my brain." She pulled the cuffs back across and looked sheepish. "The doctors managed to save me-it's amazing how much they can rebuild these days. They used recycled robot parts to repair the areas of damage to my brain and wrists apparently, which I don't mind too much, at least these parts can still be used. It made the operations cheaper. The Doctor told me that some of these episodes I have are just side effects from the operation and damage to my brain. They can make me live and I'm just grateful for that."
You're not quite sure how to react to this situation. A story like that certainly wasn't what you were expecting. "I'm so sorry that you went through that," You say quietly, "But the fact that you're still here and doing acts is pretty amazing."
"Thanks." Bonnie replies with a genuine smile.
She looks as though she wants to say something else but there came a loud call of "Newbie!" in a sing song way that resounded around the tent. Turning, you see Chica hurrying towards you. "You helped Bonnie, yes?"
Before you've barely said "Y-" Chica has grabbed your hand and leads you towards the backstage.
"Time to help Chica get ready," She singsongs as you momentarily turn to wave goodbye to Bonnie who gives a "Good luck with that" wave in return.