"I'll be out for some time to attend to some business. Be good while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay, dad! Take care!"

So not all kids remain rebellious when they grow up.

Teenage Charlotte Emily, also known as Charlie, was relaxing in her household while her father Henry went off to attend to his business.

"I guess I can read one of my dad's books to pass the time."

So she went to the library which held some great memories of Henry reading captivating books to her.

As Charlie browsed through, she hummed thoughtfully. "I think I want to try something new today, but what could it be?"

However before she could make a decision, the girl noticed something out of place on the office they had in the room.

"Huh?"

FIVE CHILDREN MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEAR NEAR POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT ESTABLISHMENT

That was the heading that Charlie read on the newspaper clipping in front of her.

"Oh yeah...I remember this. My dad became super protective after this happened, I imagine a lot of parents did. No child went missing again after that but those five were never found again...I feel bad for their families."

Looking at the pictured Freddy Fazbear restaurant in the article left a bad taste in her mouth. "That day with those kids..and him. I wonder how he's doing these days. But most importantly, why does dad have this here?"

...

"You know what? Screw it. I'm going to see for myself."

Well, maybe kids don't change completely when they grow up.

And just like that day years ago, Charlie walked to the pizzeria by herself, this time anxious to satisfy her curiosity as opposed to excited to have fun with her peers.

"I remember just before I walked in, I looked at it." The girl stared at her green bracelet. "I don't know if I even need to wear it still..."

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Trip down memory lane, here we go..."

The establishment behind the doors looked normal as ever, like no tragic events surrounded it years ago.

"I suppose the lack of evidence is the reason why it was eventually dropped after it happened once...Still, I wonder if anything is different, even by a little bit..."

Looking around, Charlie spotted noisy children, messy food, annoyed looking parents.

"Nothing out of the ordinary there. What about the staff?"

The staff too looked to be in order.

Or that's what Charlie thought until she looked at the cashier.

"Hm. Looks to be my age, and quite handsome as well, and I'm glad my dad is not hearing me say that. I'll just chat him up for now."

Charlie walked up to the guy with confidence in her steps and a friendly smile on her face. "Hello sir."

To her surprise, he smiled back at her, not much but for a cashier, it was quite a feat. "Hi miss, welcome to Freddy's." The guy greeted politely. "What can I get for you today?"

"Oh, you can choose for me. I'll take something simple and cheap. If you have something like that, of course."

The cashier chuckled at her humor and nodded. "Right away. I suppose this is your first time coming here, then?"

Charlie shrugged. "I guess you could say that. Technically, it's my first time coming here and ordering food, myself. I only came here once before when I was little and I had a bad time."

"Ah, I know someone like that. I can bet you she never stepped inside ever again." He sighed. "Haven't seen her in years."

"Really?" The girl tilted her head quizzically while putting her hand on her chin in thought.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'll see if I can get... something... for...you..." He trailed off, locked in on her with his eyes.

Charlie stared back, puzzled at his unnatural fixation. "Uh, are you okay?"

The cashier broke out of his trance, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was just caught off guard. That bracelet of yours looks very familiar."

"Oh! This? I'm surprised. Not many people have seen me wear it."

"Wait a minute..." The guy squinted at her closely. "Miss, what's your name if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm Charlie."

"Charlie...? OH!"

His sudden yell startled her. "Hey! Relax, what are you yelling for?"

"Your dad gave you that bracelet, right?"

Somehow Charlie was still oblivious. "Wait, how did you know that?"

"Charlie, it's me, Michael! Don't you remember me?"

"Michael? Well, of course I do-"

Finally reality decided to give her a slap on the face.

She stood there still, frozen but panicking on the inside.

"Okay so first, I called the boy that saved me years ago handsome, talked to him for a full three minutes without recognizing him until he blurted it out and I'm so shocked that I'm not responding to him calling out to me right now. Great. I can't possibly embarrass myself any further."

"Charlotte? Charlotte? Are you still with me?"

Just as Charlie predicted, she was so lost in her overwhelming thoughts that she couldn't hear Mike calling for her. The trance only broke when he shook her lightly. "Huh?"

Michael was looking at her with a gentle expression. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, laughing nervously. "Yeah, yeah...I'm really sorry about making things awkward there. I didn't really mean to."

"Don't worry about it. I get like that myself sometimes."

"He didn't change one bit. I'm amazed."

"So I'm going to get you a nice order but if you want to talk, we can't do that until my shift is over which it will be in an hour, is that okay?"

"Yeah! That'd be perfect, and thank you."

After resolving the awfully awkward situation, Charlie found herself a table and sat down, waiting to enjoy her food, looking at Mike still.

"So I guess his dad got him a job at the establishment when he grew up. That's very nice. I'm so proud of him. And I still can't believe we ran into each other again after years under the exact same roof, but I'm happy to see him again."

The hour felt like a minute between all the thinking Charlie did and eating her food, as Michael soon joined her at the table.

"Walk and talk? Just like last time." He blessed her with another one of his graceful smiles.

"Absolutely."

...

"I didn't think I'd run into you again. In the same place as well!"

"Well, I'm really glad you did. What brought you back anyway?"

"Oh yeah! I was looking around in our library trying to find something new to read when I saw a newspaper clipping about what happened back then. You know, the disappeared children. And uh, I guess curiosity got the better of me."

"Ah, right. I think you can guess that the insufficient evidence made them drop the case. And nothing happened afterwards as well."

"By the way..." Charlie started. "How's your dad been dealing with things?"

"Pretty swell, I'd say. He's actually been out of town and will be for a month, I think." Michael explained.

Charlie's eyes widened. "Woah, he must be really busy. You and your mom must be missing him a lot."

The moment Charlie said that, she noticed the spark in Mike's eyes die out. "Michael...what's wrong?"

"Oh, sorry. I don't mean to make you feel bad but...my mom died last year...in an accident."

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"No no! It's okay! You didn't know. But it's alright. Yes, it's been hard but we've all made peace with it."

Charlie nodded, though she still looked troubled.

Wow, I just keep embarrassing myself and hurting him. Nice going, Charlie.

Michael sighed. "I'm just worried about having to explain it to my sister."

"Sister?"

"Yeah, my younger sister. Her name is Elizabeth, but we call her Liz."

"Ah...I don't have any siblings. I wonder what that's like."

"Your parents didn't want anymore, maybe."

"I don't know...maybe they wanted to but my mom's passing prevented it."

...

Did...did I just bluntly say that? Oh man, now he's gonna feel bad as well!

Mike looked like he wanted to facepalm so hard that his hand would go through his head. "Oh...damn..."

"Yeah...I guess we have that in common..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Hey, you know what? Let's go back to my house."

Mike stammered. "W-What? Is your dad home?"

Charlie shook her head no. "Nope!"

"Wait... Charlotte. I don't think I should, it's getting a bit late and...he might come back and uh...I don't want..." He blushed, hiding his face. "I don't want to give him the wrong idea..."

Charlie looked him with a fixated glare. "First of all, you should call me Charlie because we are friends, and second of all, what do you mean? There's nothing wrong with a teenage boy and a girl going to an empty house in the evening... Okay, now that I said that aloud, I see what you mean but don't worry! My dad trusts me more than anyone else. He'd listen to me."

Mike met her gaze, still nervous. "I'm not sure if I should..."

"I know you're trying to be nice and respectful and I appreciate that. Just trust me, okay? Besides, it's not like we'd be lying to him if we said we're just hanging out."

He finally smiled a little again at Charlie's comforting words. "Yeah, you're right. You definitely deserve the best boyfriend." They finally continued walking.

"Now Mike, don't go downgrading yourself like that. You've grown to be a handsome guy who's still kind from childhood. Just make sure your girlfriend is someone who sees you, all of you, and accepts and loves every part. Promise me?

"You...You think that I'm handsome?" The poor boy's blush from earlier brightened.

Crap! I didn't mean to say that bit to him directly! Me and my big mouth...

Still, she tried to roll with it. "Of course I do!"

"Thank you. I feel a bit better about going now." He said.

"Great!"

Saved it!...I think.

Once the two were at Charlie's house, a question caught up to her mind." I just realized, who's looking after your sister if you and your dad are busy?"

"Oh we have a family friend who looks after her. Liz really likes her."

"Ah. I would love to meet her myself then. Is that okay?"

"Of course!"

Just then the two heard the sound of a car pulling up.

"Speaking of meeting family members..." These words from Charlie's mouth set alarm sirens in Mike's head. And sure enough, her dad just showed up.

"Charlie? Who's this?" Henry sounded rightfully suspicious as he walked up to the stranger standing next to his daughter.

Charlie grinned widely like she's been waiting for this moment the whole day. "Hey dad, this is my friend Michael. Michael Afton."

Now it was Henry who looked alarmed. "Afton?"

"Yep!" His daughter confirmed. "The son of the very same William Afton you're friends with. I ran into him today when I decided to head down to the pizzeria again for a trip down memory lane. And before you say anything, I was the one who invited him and assured him he won't be shot on sight."

"I see." Henry extended his hand towards Mike to shake his. "Nice to meet you Michael. Your father mentioned you before so I'm glad to formally see you in person."

"Uh likewise, Mr. Emily! Hehe, sorry, I'm still nervous. I kept telling her that I shouldn't come by to not give you the wrong idea but she's very...insistent." The boy explained while Charlie was just looking on with a cheeky smile.

Henry pulled a tiny smile. "Don't fret, I totally understand. You're welcome to come anytime. I trust you both."

Michael sighed in relief while Charlie was dragging him inside, eager to welcome him in. Henry stood back and observed.

"Thankfully he seems like a good kid...Unlike someone else."

"I must give him a warm welcome."