Author notes

Oh wow. I really can't believe that this story has over a hundred followers. Just...thank you, everyone. I'm going to be putting up an extra chapter tomorrow to say thanks so I hope you enjoy it. OCs start popping up from now on and I'm introducing a special one that a fellow writer is helping me with. I'll give credit to the OC creators at the end so I don't ruin any surprises.

Chapter 19

Mechanic

Things settled into a normal routine after that. School started for Ruby which kept her busy during the day. She was always there for her night shift though, ready to start complaining about her homework or tell the story of some elaborate prank that she had gotten away with. The employees resigned themselves to the fact that they would now be working in a prank-filled environment and a few got very good at avoiding the more annoying ones. Others…well, the complaints box was always overflowing now.

No one could deny that she did her job though. The animatronics were a lot more agreeable now, not shooting death glares at the employees anymore and being more approachable to those who made an effort to talk to them.

Jerry especially was on better terms with them, being the one others went to when they wanted an answer from the 'bots. He played messenger a lot.

Tensions were running high with the 'bots though as the day of the Toys' arrival grew closer and closer. One night, a week before the date, Ruby had to be the good and sane friend to calm the 'bots down after an almost-breakdown. She was starting to seriously worry about her friends' states of mind at that point.

She, of all people, could spot the signs of trauma. And every time something like that happened, she felt her anger at the Toys grow more and more dark.

"Ruby? Hey! Earth to Ruby!" a voice yelling in her ear shook her out of her thoughts.

"Jeez Alisha. What's with trying to blow my eardrum?" the girl grumbled, rubbing her ear.

Alisha pouted. "You've been spacing out for about twenty minutes there. Haven't heard a word I've said have you?"

She waited for and answer, hand running through her light brown, purple-tipped hair in frustration.

"Nope." Ruby answered, no remorse in her tone as she went back to eating her lunch before the bell rang for class.

"Ugh!" Alisha covered her blue eyes. "Ruby!"

Ruby just grinned as she finished her sandwich.

"Sorry Alisha, just got a lot on my mind." She sighed as she leaned back against the wall.

"Yeah, I noticed. Your pranks have decreased the last few days." Her friend glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, worried. "What's wrong?"

Ruby shrugged. "Work stuff."

Alisha rolled her eyes but knew better than to push. She'd known Ruby long enough to know that if she didn't tell her something then she wasn't going to.

"Fine. But you don't have work Saturday morning right? We planned a Minecraft marathon."

Ruby smirked. "I'd never deprive you of Minecraft my Minecraft obsessed friend."

Alisha's hand went to her shirt subconsciously. Her love of the game was very proudly shown considering just about all of her t-shirts had Minecraft pictures on them.

"Nothing compared to your animatronic obsession." She shot back playfully and the two friends laughed.

They chatted for a bit longer before the bell rang and they headed off to class.

Alisha glanced at her friend again. She really was worried. It wasn't like Ruby to not take every pranking opportunity. She was infamous for it really.

Well, at least her pranks hadn't stopped completely. That would be a real sign of trouble.

In the distance, an explosion went off. A few people around them groaned while most of them laughed. A few even high fived Ruby. She smirked in satisfaction.

"That was from the science lab, wasn't it?" Alisha guessed.

Ruby nodded.

"Glitter mine by the door?"

Another nod.

The laughing increased. They all knew Ruby didn't like the science teacher and vice versa. While she was generally well-behaved in class there were a few teachers that had managed to get on her bad side.

That's why their science post had been like a revolving door since she started there. They didn't even make a term usually.

After school the two friends walked towards the gate together. Alisha usually got picked up by her brother, Steven, while Ruby walked home with a few of the kids from the orphanage who were old enough to go to the school. They chatted while they waited for the younger kids.

While they were waiting, Ruby's phone went off. She frowned when she saw the manager on her caller-ID.

"One second." She murmured to Alisha before answering. "Manager?"

"Ah, R-Ruby." The poor man had never really gotten rid of that stutter when talking to her. "Would it b-be possible to come i-in for a few minutes t-t-today?"

She frowned. The manager had never asked her to come after school so far.

"What for?" she asked, giving Ricky a sideways hug when he ran up and smiling at Steven who had just pulled up.

"There's something i-important you sh-should know, especially before the new a-animatronics arrive." He explained nervously.

Ruby's eyes narrowed and nearby students backed up, recognizing when Ruby was getting angry. She thought for a moment. They did pass Freddy's on the way home. She sometimes stopped there to get supper on fast-food night and to say hi to the 'bots.

"I'm walking some kids home. Can they hang around while I'm there?" she asked, keeping her tone even.

There was a sigh of relief on the other side. "Y-yes, yes. They can have some free pizza while we talk."

She nodded slowly while the others looked at her curiously. "Alright. I'll be there in ten minutes."

She hung up and looked at the kids.

"So, looks like you're getting free pizza." She announced.

They cheered and started talking excitedly among themselves. Alisha looked at her quizzically while Steven waved at the kids with a grin.

"Manager wants to tell me something so going to stop on the way." Ruby explained.

Alisha nodded and glanced back at her brother.

"See you tomorrow then." She smiled at Ruby who returned the expression and began shooing the kids along.

"See you Alisha." Ruby responded.

The girl waved and headed off to the car.

Ruby knew that Alisha and her brother would love to drive the whole group home, especially since they had such a big car left to them by their parents. They knew the struggles of being orphans, twenty two year old Steven having gotten custody of his little sister. She'd never be able to climb in though, and the kids refused to go without her. They preferred to walk home with her after school.

"We're going to Freddy's?" an eleven year old girl, Lillith asked.

The little girl was, as usual, dressed in something bright pink and bouncing up and down in excitement so that her dark brown hair flew everywhere. Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

Ruby chuckled and nodded. "Yes Lilly. Got to talk to my boss quickly."

"Yay! I get to see Bonnie!" she cheered and the other kids started talking about their favourite animatronics.

Ricky moved to walk by Ruby's side and glanced up at her as she texted Alice about the slight delay.

"Why do you look worried?" he asked softly, so that the others wouldn't hear.

Ruby's smile slipped slightly. The kid was observant.

"Just some stuff happening at work, that's all. Nothing big squirt." She shrugged and grinned when he complained about the name.

Observant? Yes. Easily distracted. Oh most definitely.

Once at the pizzeria, Ruby reminded them of the rules and set them loose on the place. Before she left the room she spotted Lillith already tackle-hugging Bonnie who looked delighted to see her.

The 'bots looked around, recognising the kids from previous visits but she slipped out before they saw her. She wanted to find out what the manager had to say before she spoke to them.

She knew she could trust them with the kids too, so she wasn't worried as she knocked on the door.

"Come in." the manager's voice answered, seeming surprisingly calm.

Ruby had to try really hard not to laugh when she entered though.

"Um…manager? Why are you, um…"she cleared her throat as she tried to keep control. "Why are you hiding behind your desk?"

The barely visible man was silent for a moment. "No particular reason."

She coughed to cover a short laugh and cleared her throat again. "You wanted to tell me something?"
"Ah y-y-y-yes. I just wanted t-to i-inform y-y-you about the n-new employees that we will be g-getting." He stuttered his way through the words.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. Did he think she was going to get mad about some new employees?

"Are you hiring any new night guards?" she asked evenly.

"N-no!" he quickly assured her, well aware of her possessiveness over the job.

"Then why are you using your desk as a shield?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"W-well, um, y-you s-see. W-we n-needed a n-new m-m-m-mechanic and w-we found one. B-b-but she will o-o-only work during the n-night shift." He explained, sinking out of sight completely.

Ruby tensed up. Why would anyone (besides her) request the night shift? And a mechanic too. The 'bots already had bad experiences with a mechanic.

"Why do you need a mechanic so badly?" she asked, tone growing slightly colder.

"Th-the Toy's n-needed s-some f-fixing up." He stuttered, voice going higher.

Well, that did make sense. Ruby frowned.

"So they're not coming to do anything to my 'bots?" she asked.

He poked his head back into view carefully and seemed relieved to see that she wasn't furious. "N-no. She's g-going to stay on as the h-head mechanic but that t-ties into s-something else I w-wanted to t-talk about."

She tilted her head again.

"I wanted t-to promote you. To b-be in charge of the a-animatronics." He explained, finally standing up from his hiding spot.

Ruby stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"You'd still be the n-night guard, but anything and everything to do with the a-animatronics would have to go through you. Including repairs. The Toys would fall under your authority too. It also comes with a r-raise. Oh, this position would also put you in charge of the day guards. So head s-security guard too I guess." He shrugged and offered her a watery smile while she thought about it.

"Why?" she asked eventually.

"You work wonders with the a-animatronics." He admitted. "And we are going t-to bring in new day guards so we will need your help in the selection process."

She stared at him calculatingly before she suddenly grinned. "Sure. Why not? I can boss around a couple of adults then."

His smile wavered slightly at the look in her eyes but he would take what he could get. "The mechanic is going to be there during the n-night shift most nights then. She will start from when the Toys arrive. Actually sh-she's here right now if you would like to meet her?"

Ruby nodded and the manager moved around his desk and towards the door, hands still shaking. Wow, she really had spooked him. But he had good reason to be scared if this mechanic's intentions were to hurt the 'bots.

They moved through the establishment and Ruby waved at a few employees and grinned when she saw how the kids were mobbing the 'bots. Foxy spotted her and raised an eyebrow quizzically but she shrugged and made a 'later' motion.

Finally they arrived in the staffroom where a girl was filling out some forms.

The first thing that struck Ruby was the wheelchair, although she kept her expressions carefully under control. She had dark, dirty blond hair and stormy grey eyes. She was currently wearing reading glasses while she squinted at the contract.

Wait, was she reading the fine print even? Who did that?

"Hedy?" the manager called.

The girl looked up at him and glanced at Ruby curiously. She looked maybe twenty years old.

"This is our night guard. She's the head security guard and in charge of the animatronics. I thought it would be best if you two met before you started working." Anyone could tell that he was nervous.

"What? But she's a teenager." Hedy asked, confused.

She didn't say it with any venom, more genuine confusion, but Ruby still tensed up.

"Yeah, I'm sixteen as of last month. Is that a problem?" Ruby's voice, on the other hand, barely hid her scathing tone.

Hedy jerked back in surprise at the hostility and the manager began wringing his hands nervously.

"She may be young but she's quite competent. I assure you. She been here for about two months now I believe." He said diplomatically.

Hedy was clearly surprised at the length of Ruby's stay.

"That's…surprising." She admitted.

Ruby stiffened again.

"Wow." She said, no humour in her smile. "It usually takes people at least an hour to make assumptions about my capability."

Hedy's eyes widened. "I didn't mean anything like that."

She shook her head, hands raised in a gesture of peace.

"I just meant…I know what goes on here at night so…" she seemed to be struggling to find the words and immediately stopped when she saw the scathing glare that Ruby threw at her.

"If you know what goes on here, then why did you insist on the night shift?" Ruby asked, eyes narrowed.

She really didn't have a good feeling about this and a shiver raced down her back. Glancing out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a ghost child fading from sight. Great, the ghost brats were out and about.

She didn't like this. Did this mechanic plan to hurt her 'bots?

"I…Less distractions. And I'm studying during the day." Hedy shrugged, averting her eyes.

Ruby, living in a house full of kids, knew when someone was hiding something. Her eyes narrowed further and Hedy's lips thinned as her jaw clenched.

Silence fell over the room while the manager glanced from one girl to the other.

Suddenly Ruby beamed (in that way that usually sent the animatronics and employees running).

"Well then, I look forward to working with you Hedy." She smiled while the mechanic reeled from her abrupt about-face.

"Uh, yeah." She stammered, looking confused.

"Just need to say one thing before we become official co-workers." Ruby bent down slightly, so that they were on the same level.

She dropped her voice and her smile grew razor sharp. "You don't mess with my 'bots. Ever. If they don't want you near them, then you don't go near them. They don't like mechanics see. And I don't like people that make them upset. Bad things happen to people I don't like. Very bad things."

Green eyes held steady with grey eyes and a flicker of fear passed over Hedy's face at the intensity in Ruby's gaze.

After a moment Ruby smirked and straightened up. "Well then, welcome aboard."

She turned and snagged a biscuit out of a container on the counter (she had left it there one night and it contained regular cookies and exploding ones so there was always the chance of it blowing up in your face).

"See ya around Hedy. Bye manager." She waved goodbye cheerily, ignoring the heavy atmosphere.

After Ruby was out the door the manager sagged against the wall.

Hedy picked the contract back up after taking a deep breath.

"She seems…intense." She admitted.

"Y-yes. Ruby is rather…protective over the animatronics. She wasn't very happy with the news of the Toys coming." He rubbed his face. "But she's a brilliant night guard. The animatronics have behaved since she started. Except for the pranks."

Hedy pulled a face. "She also seems reckless and immature."

The manager shot her a panicked look. "Please don't say anything to upset her. She's the only night guard to have lasted this long."

"And I'm the only willing mechanic." Hedy shot back coldly. "I wonder why?"

He cringed under her sharp gaze.

It wasn't anything like Ruby's scathing looks. Those felt like she was plunging a physical weapon into their bodies. Hedy's was more chilling.

What was he thinking? Putting these strong personalities together in such a volatile situation was just plain stupid.

He said nothing though as Hedy handed him the contract and turned to wheel herself out the door.

"How did your visit to the warehouse go?" he asked nervously.

Hedy paused at the door and looked back. "It was…interesting. I got the repairs done though."

The manager stared down at the contract in his hands.

She'd already met the Toys. He just hoped Ruby didn't undo her work when they arrived in a few nights time.

Ruby leaned against a wall, watching the kids play for a while. She was thinking over what had just happened. She'd already decided that she didn't like this new mechanic. Hedy was hiding something from her. She didn't like that.

The guard growled in frustration. She had to admit that she was impressed that the older girl had kept her cool like that though. Most people wilted when she did that. Sure, she'd been afraid but that was an instinctual reaction.

She rubbed her face before pushing away from the wall to walk over to the nearest 'bot. Freddy turned to her as she approached and looked at her curiously.

"They're hiring a mechanic who will work during the night shift." Ruby explained flatly.

Freddy's expression darkened as he looked up at the hallway leading to the manager's office.

"I've been promoted though." She added, getting his attention back on her before he went storming off. "Head of the security guards and in charge of the animatronics. So she's got to go through me with anything regarding you guys."

Her tone softened in sympathy and he sighed.

"Bonnie and Foxy are not going to take this well." He admitted.

"I know." Ruby murmured. "But we'll get through it. She starts the night the Toys arrive."

He nodded while she moved to go fetch the children. She paused though and threw a grin over her shoulder.

"If she tries anything though, you've got my permission to go full suit stuffing on her."

Freddy chuckled as he shook his head. "You've supposed to stop things like that from happening Ruby. Not encourage them."

She just shrugged and continued on her way, humming some tune to herself while she pried Lillith off of Bonnie.

Author Notes

Okay so introducing Hedy! She was created by Corona Pax and I'm really looking forward to using her in the story. Things are going to get interesting now.

Alisha and Steven were created by neon lololol. Lillith was created by Melaina.

Other OCs are going to be showing up in upcoming chapters. Hope I got the characters right and thank you all for all the OCs you've come up with. They're opening up some interesting ideas.

So bonus chapter is up tomorrow. Hope you enjoy.