At home, Saphira was currently practicing her remote-controlled car driving skills with a new toy she had bought. It was one of those cars that didn't matter if it flipped over as the wheels were too big, and it could push off walls easily as well. She had spent a bit time looking for the right toy car to use as Mike and Afton were set to go off to do what they need to do soon. And she wanted to have something ready. Aside from that, she had begun to research robotics and engineering to help her to turn this little car into something useful. She had considered just strapping a camera to it, but it wasn't enough. She didn't want it to be obvious. That was her main concern, as she did not know if Afton's house would even be occupied while they were away.
And she has surprisingly found the research rather easy to understand. She had not expected that would pick it up so easily, but she did. She just needed the tools and items necessary to do what she wanted. And she could only do it at home when her parents and sister weren't watching. While they were unlikely to care, she still didn't need them finding the toy and asking questions about it. So she at least made sure it was hidden. She also needed to plan on getting this car to Afton's house without being suspicious at the pizzeria. She had no idea how she would proceed, since the Freddles will always be watching her.
It just means I have to go to the house before my start time at the pizzeria…but I have no idea how to figure that out.
The only upside she had was that it was getting closer to winter, and the days were growing shorter slowly with each, passing, day. That meant when the sun goes down earlier, she could get away with going to the house and sneaking the car inside. But she, again, had no idea if Afton or Mike would be there. That was highly possible, and she didn't like it. She thought about placing another tracker on Mike's car. She at least would know where he goes.
She sighed as she looked at the time. She smiled as she was looking forward to going back to the pizzeria. She did think about what Springtrap had suggested a couple days ago. The person who hit the car she, her brother and parents were was something she did not remember. So she did look up the information on the incident. But she found that the driver was never found. The only description she could find was that the car was a black Lexus. And as the car likely would have been destroyed years ago, she couldn't exactly check it out for clues.
Maybe Springtrap is right…it is weird that the images of the Biggest Animatronic Fan were kept…and they are all of me. I don't know if it really means a lot though.
She also thought long and hard about the relationship they both have. It is still rocky, because Springtrap himself feels as though he had been selfish about confessing. And she did think he was. As for her own feelings, she still really did not know. She knew she loved him, but she still did not know if she could love him romantically. While she has forgiven him, the fact Springtrap assaulted a girl some years ago, that still plagued her mind at times.
But she could look past that since he genuinely regretted it. Springtrap has seemed less bloodthirsty in general since she came back too. He has not joined in hunting trespassers recently. His priority was Saphira. He will eat when he needs to, but he's actually seemed to have lost an interest. Though, she wasn't truly surprised. There was so much going on, that it was easy to stop thinking about hunting. He's left it for the nightmare animatronics since they needed it more often than the mature animatronics.
Pushing those thoughts to the side, Saphira hid the toy car and left the house to make her way to the pizzeria. She had decided to make use of the bakery in the Toy Plaza. Mostly because she was not bad a baking cakes. She had actually asked one of the bakery staff before they left the night before about using the ingredients. She was given the go ahead, as long as she cleaned up. She was happy about that because she did enjoy baking.
And with Halloween not far, she thought about coming up with a cake to share with the animatronics for that holiday. Though she was not sure on what she would actually do in terms of the design of it. She had plenty of time to think on it, and she doubted the animatronics would care. But she did like creating special cakes when she the time, so they might at least like her work of art.
As she drove to the pizzeria, she sang along to Bring Me To Life due to it being one of her favorite songs to since. She pulled into the lot, and she saw it was quite busy tonight. She smiled as she could see it would be another normal night. She at least was able to find a park near the back door, so she wasn't too upset by that. She sang the last bit of the song since she still had a bit of time, and when the song came to an end, she stepped out of the car to make her way inside.
She did not know if Mike was here or not. She did also wonder what the Freddle had done to his computer. The fact it happened before Mike and Afton were meant to go on a trip, or whatever they were actually going to do, seemed like it was intentional. Maybe there was data on the computer Afton did not want her to see. That was highly possible, or he was planting something on there for her to find. She hated she was too curious about it.
She walked through the back door, humming Bring Me To Life and walked over to the office door to find Mike was still here. Though as she walked in, he looked strangely pale. Like he was sick, but his expression did not show he was miserable with something, like a lot of people would be. Though that did not mean that he wasn't sick too. Whether that is a real illness, or it was something brought on by Afton, regardless.
"Oh, Mike. Are you okay?" He glanced at her in surprise when she spoke to him. "You're looking a little pale…kind of like you are sick. I hope you're okay, and not feeling yuck."
"Am I?" Mike seemed more surprised by her comment and he shrugged. "Uh, no I am not feeling sick…" He placed his hand on his forehead to feel if he had a temperature change. "Nope, no fever. I'm probably pale because I was just looking at some of the Bill's I have to pay for this place. You would not believe how much we have to pay for electricity alone in this place."
Saphira could not help but chuckle as she understood what he meant. "Yeah, that would make anyone pale, honestly. That was not even the first thing that came to my mind. Oh well." She sat down on the chair with a sigh and stretched her arms. "Do you plan on being back by Halloween, by any chance? Or is Mister Afton going to keep you away for that holiday?"
"Sadly, he is. Halloween is probably the time we make the most money, to be honest. Not even Christmas earns us that much." He shrugged a little and continued to type what he was working on, on the computer. "But this place can run without me. The decorations should be going up next week. And then the week after, we will have the classical Frights Musical for the whole week leading up to Halloween before the big Trick or Treat event."
Saphira smiled as that sounded wonderful. She remembered spending Halloween here in the past. She remembered how crowded it was, but she always got the best candy and chocolate. "I remember how much fun Halloween is here. I used to participate as a kid. It was always so much fun…"
"You might get lucky. There is always leftover chocolate and candy after people leave. You might get the best ones like you used to." She doubted it since she was no longer a kid or a guest. But the animatronics might save them for her. "Especially since what we give out is made specifically for the pizzeria for Halloween. We are lucky to have connections with a fantastic supplier."
Saphira nodded in agreement. "I know. It is definitely wonderful." She remembered the taste of the chocolate and candy that were specifically for Halloween. It has been years since she's had any, but she's never forgotten the taste. "Well, if I am lucky, I will most definitely savor it."
Mike chuckled softly at her in slightly amusement. "I am sure you will. It is hard to forget the unique taste, and it only comes around once a year."
She knew that very well. But she was not expecting to receive anything, so she wouldn't let herself hope for that. She glanced at his computer and saw he was indeed paying some bills for the pizzeria, so he certainly was not lying. But she did see the amount that was owed. There was no wonder as to why he had been pale in the face before. She was amused at herself for thinking he was sick. It certainly would have been possible, but she now knew why he was pale in the face.
"Well, I guess I can at least imagine myself eating it," Saphira said with a light chuckle as she relaxed. "When do you go away with Afton again? I am sorry that I have forgotten, but I am curious about when you leave."
Mike tensed for a moment before he looked at her with a slight shrug. "Monday. You basically will get the place to yourself, if I am honest. I'll leave a little book for you to look back on for additional instruction for you while I am away. But don't fear, there is nothing drastic you need to do. Just little things, and I won't need to do as much catching up."
"You can count on me," Saphira said enthusiastically, making the man chuckle softly. "Well, you don't have a choice anyway. I am your only and best night security guard."
He nodded in agreement. He finished the bill transactions and printed them before putting the papers into a folder to be filed for future reference. "That is why only you will be given specific tasks while I am gone. I really don't know how long it will be, but I know Afton said I'll be back after Halloween, at least. Hopefully before Thanksgiving…which is quite a number of weeks away." She would be surprised if he was away that long. "But I can't really make that promise." He shrugged as he stood up from his chair. "I guess I better get going. Bills are finally paid, and new orders are on their way…just as they should be…"
Saphira smiled before noticing a piece of paper fall out from Mike's wallet when he picked it up. It looked like a damaged picture, as there were ripped lines through the picture, and it was hard to make out what was on it. But the image looked to be of a smiling boy with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked as though he was about seven, though she could not tell. She could not help but think of Mike being a father.
"You dropped something, Mike." She points to the ground, and Mike looked down before he seemed to panic and snatch up the picture. "Who was that in the picture?" He frowned as he quickly slipped the picture into his wallet. "Is he your son? I had no idea you had a kid. Though we don't really talk about family stuff, so I guess I never knew…"
"Please don't ask me more questions about the picture!" Mike interrupts abruptly, glaring at Saphira and making her flinch in surprise. "That business is my own." He grabbed his jacket and put his computer on sleep mode. "I will see you tomorrow night, Saphira. Have a good one." He gave her a quick wave before he walked out of the office.
She stared at the door when he left and she took a deep breath, placing her hand on her chest as she could feel her heart beating very quickly within. She had not expected him to snap at her, and watching how he gathered the picture in a panic made think the kid was indeed someone he knew. Maybe someone he really cared about. But him being a father seemed to be questionable to her. And she knew it couldn't be his nephew, since he killed him. That kid had to be someone else.
She had thought about figuring it out, but maybe it was best to stay quiet for the time being. She did not want to get on his bad side. If the animatronics knew, that was something she could ask of them, but she would have to wait for a bit since it was not yet twelve. In the mean time, she was thinking of what kind of cakes she should make. She considered just making cupcakes, since it was much easier to make multiple cakes of different flavors. She thought of making some chocolate, vanilla, red velvet and coffee cupcakes, but she would need to ask the animatronics what they wanted to try, since she would be sharing the sweets with them.
She checked the cameras casually as she did all the time, and nothing was out of the ordinary. So Saphira grabbed her sketchbook to sketch another image of Springtrap. It was definitely something that she has not stopped doing. She smiled as she worked on a current image of Springtrap. She had no idea why she had decided to sketch this, but she had drawn a sketch of Springtrap standing under some light, with his body partially covered in shadows and she drew his hands on his neck with his head tilted to the side with an expression she has yet to see. And yet, she has imagined it. This was not the only sketch she has drawn of Springtrap in this way, and yet she somehow found herself liking these kind of pictures. She was just lucky the animatronics have not seen the images just yet.
When it was fifteen minutes until twelve, Saphira put the sketchbook away as the last of the employees finally finished up for the night. She grabbed her flashlight and keys to go and check the usual doors of the pizzeria. She was a little bored checking them every, single, night, but it was part of her job. And she did not want to be lazy, even if trespassers end up being eaten. She still has not gotten used to them killing humans and eating them, even if Springtrap has lost interest at this time.
She hummed to herself as she walked into the loading docks and she checked the side door. It was locked, and she glanced at the roller door for only a second, only to glance back when she noticed that the roller door was not down flat. Part of it was raised slightly on the right side of the door. She frowned as she didn't think the other employees were this careless. She sighed a little as she walked down the stairs to walk over to the roller door controls.
She pressed the up button to let the door roller up and once it did, she stopped it to see if there was anything first under the door to keep it ajar. There was nothing that she could see. She didn't even see a rock. And then she looked at the door itself, but it was straight, so she pressed the button to roll the door down again. She watched it closely to see what would happen once it touched the ground. Though when it rolled to the floor, it did remain straight, which meant something had happened earlier, and the other employees did not notice, or care.
Saphira shrugged as it was somewhat of an annoyance, so she decided to make her way to the kitchen since that was sorted. She hummed softly as she walked to the kitchen, finding herself humming the song of Bring Me To Life again. She couldn't help it, since she loved Evanescence. And she never, ever got tired of her songs. Sometimes the songs feel relatable to her, so that is why she listened to them so often.
She walked into the kitchen and walked over to the side door to check it. As she did, she let out a shriek of surprise when she heard a ladle fall suddenly. It clanged loudly on the counter and on the floor, and she at first thought one of the animatronics were trying to surprise her. But she saw a massive rat, and it had fallen onto a counter after knocking the ladle from where it was hanging. She opened the door and ran over to the counter to try and chase the rat out.
"Go on! Get out of here!" She shouts at the rat as the animal tried to scurry away from her. She managed to be faster than it, and waved her arms to try and chase the animal to the door. "The door's wide open! You can go and feast in the bins right outside! They're full of food!"
Of course, the animal had no idea what she was saying. It was in a panic and trying to get away, but Saphira also knew rats could be dangerous. And this rat was huge! And just as she thought it was about to disappear, Freddy, Bonnie and Chica entered the kitchen. They saw the rat, and they managed to run over in time, and scared the rat even more, and it finally scurried out of the door in a panic. Saphira slammed the door shut and locked it, sighing in relief now that the rodent had left the building.
She looked at the animatronics and smiled at them. "Thank you. That rat scared me." She walked over to the ladle and picked it up before taking it to the sink to clean it. "Now I have to inform the staff there was a rat in here. They are not going to be happy, because that is added cleaning that they have to do in the morning before they prepare anything. And they have to check the ingredients in the pantry."
"We honestly thought that a trespasser had barged through the door," Chica said with a light chuckle. "At least it was just a little rat." Saphira looked at the animatronic with a surprised expression and turned to walk to check the cold rooms and freezers. "What? It really is a lot smaller than us."
"Yeeeaaahhh…that thing was as big as a dachshund…and rats can get very nasty when cornered. I did not want to have to chase it all night." Saphira chuckled a little as she thought about it. "So you guys came in at a great time." She opened the door to the hallway off the cold rooms and freezers, and she checked each of them. Ever since finding a body in the freezer, she was paranoid about another person being in there. "Anyway…so, I was thinking of making use of the bakery tonight. I was given permission by the employees that I can use the ingredients in there, so long as we keep it clean."
Freddy tilts his head a little in surprise. "You want to bake cakes for us? Wow, that is so nice." Freddy chuckled a little, watching as she finished checking the cool rooms and freezers, and turned to make her way to the main dining room to check the front door. "Um…but there are so many of us. Is one cake really enough?"
"Probably not, I mean, we all also will want something different," Bonnie responded with a slight shrug. "So one cake may not be enough, and we don't want you to be making so many whole cakes, as I don't think we will all eat them." He hummed softly before tilting his head. "Unless you make cupcakes…that would be easier."
"That is actually what I was planning." Saphira smiled as she was thrilled to know Bonnie was thinking along the same line. "That way if you want chocolate, vanilla or something else, I can make it. At least that way I can make multiple with different flavors, and we all will be happy. I do like a good red velvet, so I will definitely make some."
Chica licked her lips at the very thought. "Mmm…I can't wait." She chuckled softly and sighed. "I do wish the cupcake I always hold was alive like us. I wonder what that would be like…"
"Annoying, probably," Freddy commented sarcastically. "I can already imagine the chatter a little, tiny, cupcake like that would make. Besides, it's too small to have everything inside it." She knew that was true, but Chica sometimes did wonder about it. "At least they will be making Halloween cupcakes soon. They always look and smell delicious. Especially the pumpkin spice."
Saphira beamed and she knew she had to make some. "I might just make some for you. And maybe…even a pumpkin spice pie…ooh, that is always so good." She chuckled at the very though. "It has been a while since I've baked anything, but I do enjoy it. I need to do something or my mind will explode with questions."
"Ah, Mike did something again that made you think about something." She nodded and Bonnie rolled his eyes in amusement. "What is it this time? Did he say something else that is ominous? Or, maybe, he slipped up on what he and Afton are doing soon?"
"No, and no. Actually, he dropped a photo of some kid he has in his wallet." The animatronics look at her in surprise, walking into the main dining room where Springtrap, Fredbear, Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica were waiting. "The picture quality was kind of bad. There is a lot of wear and tear. Anyway, the boy in the picture has brown hair and blue eyes, and I guess he kind of looked like Mike, but it was hard to tell." She looked at the animatronics with curiosity. "You don't think he is dad, do you?"
The animatronics shook their heads. "Well…he isn't," Fredbear spoke up slowly as he pondered on it. "He does…or…he did have a little brother." She looked at him in surprise as Fredbear mentioned the boy's relation to Mike. "I emphasize the did, because I remember seeing a boy like that in the early days. But then one day, I stopped seeing him. And Mike…well…he became a lot colder."
"I remember too," Bonnie said thoughtfully, thinking back so many years ago. "This was when you were probably three, so that boy would be older than you." He shrugged a little and looked at Fredbear. "I admit that Mike's behaviour changed a lot at that time, but you seem to be suggesting something."
Fredbear shrugged. "I mean, I could be wrong, but…Mike killed his nephew. But he clearly still loves his brother if he has a picture of him. So…there could be a reason, but Afton is behind it." Saphira shivered immediately upon hearing that, and she focused on walking to the front doors to check them. "Now, the boy could be dead, or…or, the boy is still alive, but is used as leverage. It is one of the two."
"Wow…that's kind of heavy…" Saphira thought back to her own brother. If he was still alive now, she couldn't help but think he could have been used as leverage for her too, if Afton got tired of waiting. But she had no one close enough to her to warrant that. Not even her parents, due to the lack of relationship she had with them. "I suppose that means, Mike might not have a choice. But you might also be wrong, Fredbear. Mike himself could have also done something. We already know he's capable of killing his own family, so it could extend to his little brother."
"Well…that kid never knew about us being alive, so…" Freddy shrugged as he really did not know what to make of it. "Can we focus on making cupcakes instead? I'd rather that, then thinking about something from the past."
Saphira nodded. Springtrap, who had been listening quietly, was smiling. She had told him she wanted to make something in the bakery, and now it was happening. "I see we are about to bake up a storm of cupcakes." She nodded and looked at him with a smile. "Well…I am afraid I don't have a favorite flavor. I know you used to like red velvet cake. Do you still like them?" She nodded again. "Then I will try that. I remember the sweet smell of the beautiful red velvet cake you had for your birthday. I really wanted to try it…and you also shared a piece, when your father stopped you from shoving it into my mouth."
"Oh yeah, I remember doing that." She giggled softly as she thought back to when she was a kid. "I don't even know why I wanted to. Maybe, somehow, I kind of knew you were alive back then…even if I thought it was my imagination at the time." She checked the front door and found it was locked before turning to Springtrap. "I honestly miss being a kid. It was so much easier."
Springtrap smiled at her. He could not help but agree. Things were so much easier back then. But there was nothing they could do. Saphira did still do things she used to do as a kid. Maybe, to a point, she was trying to relive some of the stuff she did back then. And there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, the splatter paint was proof. She still wanted to do more of that with Springtrap. And both of them have been playing on the air hockey machine, and they both were getting a little too good at it. Now they were about to make cupcakes. Reminiscent of when Saphira used to make the animatronics sit down at a table and she would bring out toy food and filled plastic cups with imaginary tea. It was honestly nice to see. And they all were going to enjoy it.