Chapter 2: Four Empty Chairs
*Wednesday, 26th of June, 1985.
It was the last day of school, and Brenda just could not restrain her giddiness. To her credit, she wasn't the only one unable to hold still; practically all of her classmates were bouncing up and down in their seats, as if they were on a sugar rush.
Heck, even their teacher, despite her efforts to retain her professionalism, seemed just as impatient as her students, for she kept sneaking glances at the clock above the chalkboard. The clock that would herald the beginning of three months of freedom.
Brenda was practically glaring at the minute hand, as if that was going to make it tick faster.
'Ring already, dang you! Riiiiing!'
After five minutes, which honestly felt like five decades filled with tedious accounting work, a sweet chime akin to a choir of angels graced everyone's ears. Brenda grabbed her bag, her best friend by the wrist, and in the blink of an eye, they both mysteriously vanished. The only thing they left behind was a cloud of dust in the shape of their silhouettes.
Bye-bye, fourth grade!
While on their way home, Brenda kept checking the girl next to her. In sharp contrast to this glorious day for student kind, she seemed almost…moody? That shall not pass!
"Hey, Susie? Earth to Susie? What's wrong?"
Susie blinked, as she jerked her head, her blonde curls bouncing in tandems. She had been daydreaming even deeper than she had realized.
"Huh…? Oh. It's nothing. I'm fine…" she eventually replied, in a tone that made abundantly clear that she wasn't fine. Brenda arched an eyebrow and leaned closer, until their heads almost touched. Susie actively tried not to smile at her antics.
"Okay, okay, fine… It's just… I'm still sad my dog is gone, alright? I really wish he was here now…"
Upon realizing the gravity of the subject matter, Brenda dropped the theatrics. She needed to find a more effective method of cheering her invaluable friend. It was a bright and sunny day today in their little town, which meant they had lots of options.
"Hm… Hey, I know! How about we do something fun to get your mind off of things? Is there anything you'd like?" she asked with a kind smile. Susie idly kicked the first pebble that crossed her path, and watched it shoot off the pavement.
"...I don't know…"
"C'mooon… we are on summer break, you know?" Brenda reminded her, elbowing her gently.
Susie kept quiet, and remained that way for a long while, which made her friend feel a tinge of frustration. Before the latter could push the subject, though, she finally gave an answer.
"Would you…would you like to go to Freddy's with me? I really like it there, and it's been a while since I've last been there," Susie asked, a little timidly.
Brenda frowned. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza… She hadn't set foot in that place in basically two years at this point. Not after what happened at that birthday party at Fredbear's. That poor boy…
Most people in her circle didn't really trust such establishments anymore, and she shared the sentiment. That said, it was what Susie wanted, so…
"Of course! Anything for you."
The blonde's baby blue eyes widened.
"Really!? Sweet! Thank you, Brenda, you're awesome!" she declared, as she ran her fingers through the girl's short brown hair.
"Hee hee, if you say so," she admitted, cheeks rosy. The pair slightly altered their course, and made their way to the restaurant.
"So, tell me, is Spring Bonnie still a thing at Freddy's?"
"Hm… No, I don't think so," Susie replied, "Bonnie is there, but I haven't seen Spring Bonnie in a while."
"Aw, that's a shame… He was my favorite. I even had a plush toy of him when I was little. I used to call him 'Fingertrap'."
"Why…?"
"Ha ha, my dad used to tell me he'd pinch my finger when I wasn't looking. Good times…" Brenda recalled, smiling at the memory.
Susie smiled too, for she also had toys of the cast. She had played with them so much that Chica's beak had fallen off. She briefly wondered where she had stored them…
Their reminiscing was cut short once the familiar glowing sign of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza came into view. Its colors were as warm as the titular bear's smile.
The two schoolgirls excitedly pushed open the double glass doors, and were met with the welcoming sign of children just like them running to and fro, the sounds of excited squeals, and the smell of freshly baked pizza.
Even though Brenda had mostly outgrown this place, she couldn't ignore the excitement that was swelling inside her.
"Let's order something first, okay?" Susie proposed.
"Sure, sounds good to me."
They navigated through the chaos, and managed to grab a seat at one of the outer tables of the grand dining room.
Not too long afterwards, a waitress waltzed up to them, and gave a short, yet polite enough greeting, before handing them a menu. The two huddled together until their shoulders touched.
"So, what will you get?"
Brenda eyes the prices. With the lunch money she had on hand, she couldn't afford anything other than something to drink.
"Uh… I'll take a…Fizzy-Faz?"
"Ah, good thinking! We've gotta keep our appetites for when we get home. Please make that two, miss!"
The waitress nodded and left to retrieve their order. In the meantime, Brenda rested her head on her palm, and soaked in the atmosphere. A soft and funky tune was playing through the speakers.
"Hey, Brenda?"
"Hm?"
"Uh…thank you for coming with me. I haven't been here with someone other than my sister in ages, and she doesn't even like the place. So, uh…yeah. Thanks!"
Brenda giggled quietly.
"You don't have to make a big deal out of it. I'm just happy you're happy."
She continued to look around, oblivious to the faint blush that was creeping on Susie's face. As her eyes wandered over to the show stage, however, she was surprised to see it completely vacant.
"Hey, where are the-"
Before she could finish that question, a series of deep footfalls notified them that their order had arrived. Instead of an ordinary waiter though, their drinks were served by none other than Freddy Fazbear himself.
"I've got a special delivery, just for you!" he announced in his warm, deep voice.
Brenda looked awestruck, while Susie merely smiled. The brown bear animatronic bent down so that the latter could grab the paper cups from the tray.
Having concluded his business, Freddy tipped his black top hat, and walked away.
"Awesome…"
"Ha ha, I know, right? Fredbear's seems much more bland now, doesn't it?" Susie commented, while taking a sip from her fizzy drink.
"Yeah, no kidding! But why isn't he on stage? Doesn't he sing anymore?"
"Oh, he does. Just, sometimes they all leave the stage and do cool stuff like that!"
"They…?"
At a brief glance, Brenda spotted a blue bunny and a yellow chicken animatronic standing among the crowd, talking to the kids and cracking jokes.
"You remember them, right? From the TV show?" she heard Susie ask.
"Yes, I do! They're Bonnie and Chica. It's kinda cool that they and Freddy are the main stars now."
Susie couldn't help but agree. It wasn't that she disliked Fredbear or anything, but she just preferred these characters.
"What's that stage over there?" Brenda asked, pointing behind them.
Susie shifted in her chair, and glanced at a circular stage that was comparatively smaller than the central one. Two thick purple curtains covered with large five-pointed stars, were closed shut, preventing anyone from seeing what was beyond them.
"That's Pirate Cove. It's where they keep Foxy. He puts on shows around evening."
"Ah, yeah! I forgot about him! Foxy the pirate…Nice."
Brenda finally reached for her cup. As she was about to insert the straw, she took note of a golden coin that had been taped on the cap.
"Wow, you got a Faz-Token!" Susie exclaimed, once Brenda held it in her hand.
"Cool… Am I supposed to do something with it, or…?"
"You can hand it over to the Prize Corner and get a…well, prize! Come on, let's go together!"
Brenda shrugged and picked up her cup, before following her easily excitable friend to the other side of the room. Honestly, her mood was contagious. It was almost like she was the more eager of the two, despite knowing this place better than her.
Stepping through another set of glass doors, they stopped in front of a large red counter. Various Freddy's related merchandise was on display, both inside the glass case, and atop the shelves on the wall. Snacks, plushies, figurines, etc. Strangely enough, the counter itself was unattended.
"Should we call someone?"
Susie shook her head.
"See that coin slot right there? Just slide the token right in and press the button below it."
Not knowing what to expect, she did as she was instructed. From behind the counter, an enormous gift box (that she had just then noticed) opened, and from it, emerged some sort of…marionette thing.
Just like every other animatronic in the establishment, all of which well surpassed the height of the average adult, this thing absolutely towered over the two girls. Its slender body was black as coal, and three white buttons were adorning its chest. White stripes were running horizontally across its skeletally thin arms and legs.
What stood out the most, however, was its mask. It was of a white, shiny color, which highlighted the pronounced blush of its cheeks and the red of its lips, as well as the purple tear streaks that cascaded down to its mouth, which was open in a wide, toothless smile.
Suffice it to say, its appearance, when combined with the wavy, snake-like way it moved, was rather unnerving for the average kid.
"What is THAT!?"
Susie seemed weirded out by the reaction.
"Hm? That's the Puppet. He hands out the gifts."
Lo and behold, the Puppet stretched out its arms, and grabbed a small gift box from one of the shelves, which it then handed to Brenda. Inside it was a small rubber ball; one of those that bounce really high when you throw them and end up breaking one of mom's vases.
"Wow…Cool! Thanks, mr. Puppet. You're actually pretty nice!"
The animatronic looked left and right, as if it was looking for something. Suddenly, it turned its head towards Brenda. Its black eye sockets lit up, and its two white pupils, tiny like pinpricks, shone.
"Miss."
In a lightning fast motion, it retreated back to its gift box, leaving both of them completely dumbstruck.
"Did…did you hear that? He…She corrected me! I'm not crazy, right?"
"I…I could have sworn he was a boy, though… He was one in the show…and also, he- er, she had green eyes last time I checked…" Susie mused, still in disbelief.
"Hm…are we drunk?" Brenda pondered.
"No! I mean… You don't think they slipped something in our drinks, do you?"
They shared a laugh, before deciding they'd had enough for one day. It was about time they went home, after all. As they were heading toward the exit, Brenda marveled at how amazing this place truly was. Animatronics that sing, serve your orders, and talk to you directly? Technology was mind blowing! They would definitely be visiting this place more often over the summer.
Right as they were ready to leave, a deep, sing-song voice called out to them. It had a slight accent to it.
"Hey, now~ Where are you two lovely ladies heading off to?"
They both turned around and saw…
"Spring Bonnie!" Brenda exclaimed with glee. Okay, this place was downright incredible! Susie, strangely enough, did not appear to share her excitement.
"Ha ha! The one and only! You two are our lucky guests for today!"
"What do you mean?" Susie wondered.
"Why, you got a Faz-Token on the first day of summer break! That means you earn a special prize! A show made just for you! Come on! Follow me!"
Spring Bonnie skipped along, not even checking behind him to see if the girls were coming.
"What do you say?" Brenda asked.
"I don't know…I've never heard of such a prize…"
Susie glanced back at Brenda's puppy eyes. Oh, come on… No... Stop! No, this wasn't fair! How could she say no to eyes like those?
...
She knew how much Brenda liked Spring Bonnie, and she had even gone through the effort of coming to Freddy's with her. She had to repay her!
"Alright, fine. Let's go!"
"Yay!"
The pair curiously followed the yellow bunny down a hall, thinking they were just going to watch the show and leave shortly afterwards.
...