Mable: Here we are with the final chapter of the second book! Enjoy!

The Butcher's Traps

Chapter 13: Recovery

Charlie didn't feel the full effects of the Butchers' destruction until she woke up to a morning without fear. She hadn't been able to relish the thought the night before, but it was finally over. The animatronics that had hunted them for days were gone and wouldn't be coming back. She and Sammy were safe, and now they could move on with their lives.

Of course, that meant tackling the one issue that had not been resolved: the house. Surprisingly, as physically tired as she felt, Charlie had a renewed determination to get life fully back on track. Which would mean going to see Aunt Jen. After everything that happened last night, it seemed like much less of a daunting task. She got dressed and left early.

To her surprise, she found her car outside and in working order. The front end was a little banged up, but she was much more concerned with it being drivable, which it was. With Clay not home and everyone else sleeping in, Charlie drove out to her aunt's house, rehearsing what she was going to tell her on the way.

"Whatever she says, don't lose your cool. Make sure she knows you've made your decision and you're perfectly capable of being adult about this," she told herself. "…And don't mention anything about last night or what was in the secret basement. In fact, just pretend you don't even know the basement is down there. She'll just think Dad sealed it up to cope or something like that."

She had it all worked out in her head when she pulled up into the driveway, but she found that composure slipping as she got out of the car and approached the front door. She knew Jen wanted to make up from her call, but she dreaded the eventually decision on the house. Jen was a strong-willed woman; if she believed Charlie would be safer not living there, then she would not budge.

Steeling her nerves, Charlie knocked on the door. She knew her aunt was already up and wasn't surprised when she came to answer the door after only those few knocks.

Jen was surprised to see her. "Charlie," she greeted.

"Hey, Aunt Jen," Charlie replied. "Can I come in?"

The woman stepped aside and let her come in before shutting the door behind her. There was a pause that lasted until they made eye contact, and then in one fell swoop both seemed to crumble. Aunt Jen pulled her into a hug that Charlie eagerly returned. Within moments, all was forgiven.

...But there were still things that needed to be said. Soon Charlie and Jen were sitting at the dining room table, prepared to talk out their feelings. This time both were determined not to let it spiral out of control.

"For a long time I thought if I ignored the house that the memories inside it would be forgotten along with it," Jen explained. "The thought of you wanting to go back and live there… It scares me, Charlie. You've made strides moving on from what happened. I don't want you to be dragged back into that trauma, not when you have a new life waiting for you."

"I'll admit, it was weird the first few nights I was in the house, but it's gotten better. I don't spend my time there reminiscing on the way it used to be. It's just a house. A house I'm familiar with and am comfortable in. Living in it isn't going to cause me to backslide. If anything, it's been kind of freeing. It's letting me make new memories there," Charlie said.

"I guess I might've projected some of my own feelings onto you. Whenever I'm in the house I can't help but remember things, even when I'm trying not to. I'll remember how the living room used to be set up or remember how we used to play games at the dining room table… and it feels like I'm mourning all over again."

It felt so surreal hearing Jen open up about her feelings. She had always been such a guarded woman, especially about the circumstances that broke their family apart. A part of her was shocked to hear that this was how she really felt, but mostly she had known all along.

"Maybe you were right when you said that I was taking out my feelings of your dad on you. A lot of my decisions in raising you were to try to keep you from going down the same path he did. That's why I didn't tell you about what happened at Freddy's, I didn't want it to taint the good memories you had left," Jen explained. She sighed. "Maybe like the house I thought I could erase the past if I kept you away from it."

"Aunt Jen…"

"Charlie, I know I was hard on you growing up, but I was trying to give you the best chance I possibly could. So that if anything happened to me you would be able to take care of yourself. I didn't want to take away your decisions, I wanted to give you a good start so you could make decisions towards your future. So you could live a good life."

"I am living a good life. I have friends who'd support me through anything, I'm going to college to pursue something I want to do, and for the first time in ages I feel like I have total control of my destiny. I feel like I could take on the world right now, and I'm living the life I want to live," Charlie said with all honesty. She reached out to take her aunt's hand. "…But I want to keep the house, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to do that. You gave me the start I needed, now I just need you to let me make this decision for myself."

Aunt Jen seemed reluctant but as she looked into Charlie's eyes, she saw no doubt. She saw some tiredness, but she assumed that was from late night college work. That aside, she couldn't deny that Charlie had seemed happier. She took a deep breath as she made her final decision, as much of an unsure decision as it was.

"If that's what you really want, then we'll keep the house and you can continue living there."

Even if this was what she wanted, Charlie was stunned that Jen agreed to it, and elated. "Aunt Jen, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"But can you promise me one thing?" Jen asked, and her niece nodded. "If there comes a time that you're ready to move on, when you get married or if you decide to leave Hurricane, that you won't let your opportunity go because you're afraid to leave the house behind. Promise me that it will stay 'just a house'."

"I promise, Aunt Jen," she said with a smile. "…But I did mean what I said about helping to pay."

"Don't worry about that. Between the insurance on the house and your inheritance, it'll be covered. I hate using your inheritance like this though," Aunt Jen admitted with a frown.

"It would've just gone to college anyway if I hadn't gotten the scholarship."

"That's true… Alright, I'll make a few calls and we'll see how we're going to go about this."

Even though this promised what could be hours of phone calls and the possibility of having to drive back to the insurance office, Charlie hadn't ever been happier.

Mike woke to soft nudging on his shoulder and dragged open his eyes to see a familiar porcelain face hovering over him.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but Charlie is gone and I'm not sure where she went. Did she tell you?" Sammy asked. Mike rubbed tiredly over his face to try and clear his blurry vision, slowly processing the question.

"Probably at school. She's not out there?" Mike asked groggily. The Puppet shook his head. "She's at school or she's with Clay."

"I guess you're right. I'm sorry for waking you, you can go back to sleep."

Sammy turned away like he was going to leave but then hesitated by the door. It didn't take Mike long to realize that the fact Sammy woke him to ask him this when he already knew Charlie's patterns didn't make much sense. Maybe he was lonely or bored; it wasn't like he had much he could do here.

Though that was when he suddenly noticed something and sat up sluggishly.

"Hey, wait," Mike said. Sammy turned around to face him. "Do you realize this is the first time you've talked to me? Not counting you and Charlie going at it, this is the first time you've spoken directly to me," he said. Sammy's smile seemed to widen.

"I thought there wasn't much of a point in staying silent," he said with a soft chime. He returned to the bed and sat on the edge, crossing his legs and silently tapping his fingers on the comforter. "Do I sound like you imagined I would?" he asked, playfully coy.

"To be honest, I thought you'd sound younger. Or completely deranged. One or the other." Sammy chimed like light laughter and Mike smiled a little, though then got a pensive look. "But since you're talking now, there's something that's been on my mind."

"What's that?" Sammy asked. In an uncharacteristic moment, Mike hesitated on what he was going to say. He even broke eye contact and ran a hand through his bedraggled hair, which Sammy had begun to recognize as a nervous tick. The Puppet tilted his head. "That bad? Don't worry, I won't get defensive. Just say what's on your mind."

Mike blew out an exhale and met his gaze again, his blue eyes both weary and curious. "Why'd you want to stay with me? Charlie said it was your idea."

It took Sammy completely by surprise. He had expected this question to come eventually, but not yet. It just seemed like such an awkward time to try and explain it, especially when he didn't have a good answer.

"…I'm not sure," he admitted, now being the one to look away. He pulled his legs onto the bed and preferred to keep his eyes on his stripes. "I just had a feeling about you. You felt more… Honest than some of the other workers I've seen at Freddy's. I was never afraid of you like I was of them."

"I have a hard time buying you being afraid of anyone."

"I don't think you'll remember, but you spoke to me once- or to the bear I was in. I think it was something along the lines of: 'Alright, Lefty, let's get you backstage before we have a lawsuit on our hands'. Do you remember when that happened?"

Mike was partially reeling from the fact that Sammy's voice had suddenly shifted into an exact copy of his own- noting that it had to be a recording- but he slowly began to recall the event.

"I remember. That day you kept shaking and it was making people nervous. Or the bear was, you get what I mean," Mike said. "I'm shocked you remember it. I made comments like that all the time… Usually under my breath, but it wasn't anything new."

"It was the first time anyone had talked to me in years," Sammy said quietly. "Everyone was always so afraid of me. Maybe I gave them reason to be, but I couldn't have been that terrifying. Not when I was confined to a Prize Corner… And then there's you!" He giggled with a trill. "Talking to me like I'm another worker. Even if you didn't know I was alive, it felt like you did."

"Oh, I knew you were alive," Mike assured. Sammy laughed a little more clearly before suddenly turning on the bed to face him.

"Now it's your turn! Why on earth did you agree to take me in? I know you didn't need the money that badly," he asked. He propped his head up with his arms with a fully attentive look. It was cute, though held an uncanniness typical with most of the puppet's actions. It almost disguised the fact that he had that intense stare again.

"I'd point you towards my car but the last I saw it was days ago, parked in what's likely a tow zone, covered in tar and probably not going to start. If I ever see it again, I'll consider it divine intervention," Mike said matter-of-factly. "…But yeah, you're right. I didn't do it for the money. If I needed money that bad, I'd go apply for a job at the gas station." He shrugged. "Things just got so quiet after Freddy's burned down that I thought this was my last chance to do something… You know, meaningful."

"What do you mean 'meaningful'?" Sammy asked gently. He noticed the distinct tonal chance in Mike's voice and remembered their conversation back at the hotel only a few nights ago.

"There's not all that much that I'm good at, but if there was one thing I did better than anyone else, it was being the security guard for Freddy's. I lived for that job, Stripes. I could come out of a Friday shift with the power dead and Foxy on my heels and still have the biggest grin on my face, because I knew I was doing something that mattered. I was there every night making sure nothing got in or out, and because of that I kept both sides safe... Now I sit in an empty building for hours on end and scare off kids when they sneak in. A decoct motion detector could do my job."

Only then did Mike realize that Sammy had been staring through that whole rant and was no longer smiling at all. He jumped to conclusions quickly. "…Alright, I know how weird that must've sounded, being an animatronic and all, but it comes off different from my point of view."

"Care to explain? I don't understand." There was a tone to Sammy's voice that Mike distinctly didn't like. It sounded too much like when he and Charlie had their fight, a warning that he was about to lose his cool very shortly. Mike could only assume what he was angry about until he was corrected by his continuation. "I can't imagine any point of view where you would see risking your life night after night as a good thing."

"I can see where that might come off as a little reckless, but the point was that I was doing a public service. When I was working security nobody else had to, which meant nobody else was risking their lives when I had already gotten used to the patterns and the flow of the night. All things considered I think I did a pretty good job, and I was protecting people, not empty storefronts."

"By putting your own life in danger," Sammy said. His words bore down almost as much as his gaze into him did. There was a low static on the edge of his voice.

Mike fell back on his usual go-to strategy to break the tension; a shrug, a flash of a confident smile, and a cocky retort. "Yeah, well, I'd rather die doing what I love then live a long, empty life, paycheck to paycheck."

It succeeded in the worst possible way. The growing irritation on the Puppet's mask was suddenly replaced by a split second of shock, then suddenly dropped to a crestfallen one. It was just on the edge of that pity that Mike hated so much. It wasn't as bad as when Burke was giving it, but it made him feel equally wrong.

"No, don't give me thatlook. I'm not thatpathetic," Mike was quick to defend. "All I'm saying is that sometimes it's worth the risk if it means- What are you doing?" He noticed Sammy slowly beginning to slide across the bed towards him.

"I'm going to hug you," Sammy answered.

"Thanks for the warning," Mike said sardonically, but made no attempt to stop him.

Sammy reached for him slowly and pulled him into a gentle embrace. Which seemed strange since it wouldn't nearly be the first time they had touched. Just last night Mike had offered the same gesture in an attempt to comfort the shaken puppet, and he could only assume Sammy was offering it back for the same reasons.

"…Seriously, don't start feeling bad for me. I told you, I was proud of my job. That much was worth the risk," Mike defended. Sammy squeezed him tighter in his long, fabric covered arms. It really was like hugging a skinny, awkwardly shaped, plush toy. The Puppet chimed quietly deep in his chest. "That's a pity sound if I've ever heard one. Stop that."

"I don't pity you, Mike. I already told you exactly what I think of you and my opinion hasn't changed," Sammy assured. His voice was soft and comforting as a warm blanket, so it was noticeable when it grew quieter and more somber as he added, "It's just not fair."

Mike almost asked him what part of it wasn't fair, but then decided it didn't matter. None of it was fair, no matter which way you looked at it from. Mike sighed and returned the hug more fully.

"Don't worry about it. Freddy's isn't coming back anytime soon, and even if it does that doesn't mean I'm going to work with them ever again. The dayshift alone pretty much soured me from ever going into the restaurant business ever again," he said. It wasn't a bluff either. The last week had been enough to make him second guess any future employment status, even if it meant taking whatever else came to the table.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear that," Sammy said softly. He paused on that a long moment before adding, in the same tone, "And if that does happen and you do consider it, then I'll sneak into your house at midnight and chase you around until six every morning until it's so irritating that just the thought of working around animatronics ever again makes you want to return to waiting tables."

"I think you're just looking for an excuse to get back into my apartment," Mike quipped.

Sammy chimed again, but this time it lulled into a melodic trill from whatever kind of speaker or music box was in his chest. It was such a soothing sound, though it could've been the fact that the Puppet was hugging him that reinforced that comfort. Which seemed strange considering the conversation they had just had.

He had just been talking about working hours with dangerous animatronics and here he was with one's arm around his neck and his guard totally lowered. Sammy was just so gentle and welcoming that it was hard not to get swept up into it.

Mike was becoming way too attached to this whole 'affection without strings attached' thing, and too attached to this string laced thing in general.

His curiosity wasn't sated though. Once they had separated, Sammy returning to sit where he was before and looking to have calmed down, Mike asked, "So, what was the deal with the other night guards? Did you know any of them? Kind of sounds like you did."

"Not well. I only remember a few of them. They never lasted long." Mike raised a brow slowly. "…Oh no, they didn't all die. Of course some of them died, but none of the ones I knew. The one I knew the best was this nervous fellow named Jeremy. Moved to the dayshift, got bit by a broken Foxy- they used to call them the Mangle- then never saw him on shift ever again. A shame too, he seemed nice."

"Nicer than me?" Mike asked. Sammy's mask shifted to a more amused smile. "Now was that the bite of 87 I've heard so much about?"

"…No, I don't believe it was… There was a stand-in night guard who was a technician too. I think his name was Smith. A peculiar one, but I didn't see him much. He never had to work on me. For a while there was…"

Sammy trailed off for a long moment and turned his head towards the direction of the window. Mike glanced over at it, half-paranoid. "…What?" he asked.

"A car just pulled in," Sammy said. Listening closer, Mike could vaguely make out the sound of a car. Though just as he did, Sammy quickly rose from the bed and headed to the door. "Let me just see…"

By 'see' Sammy had meant standing in the hallway and looking towards the front door at what seemed to be a shielded angle, just in case it wasn't Charlie or she wasn't alone, even if her friends had seen him already. Just the thought of them and Clay Burke seeing him not only moving but in a weakened state made his fabric skin crawl and his spools tighten; how embarrassing it had been.

Thankfully, it was only Charlie who came in, and better still she came in already smiling. His comb was already pricking with excitement as he came out to greet her. If anything, she smiled wider at seeing him.

"Hey! I'm glad you're up because I have great news. You're never going to believe this, but I went to see Aunt Jen and we talked and worked everything out. She's going to let us keep the house! That's where I've been, helping her arrange getting the repairs done!" Charlie exclaimed happily.

Sammy was just as ecstatic as she was, maybe even more so. He rung out triumphantly and grabbed her up in his arms, spinning around with her. She almost lost her footing but managed to catch herself, snickering at his celebration. Though she couldn't say she didn't feel like doing the same thing when she got the news.

"I know, I know! I can't even explain it, Sammy, it's just like everything's suddenly right again. I don't even care that the house still needs work, it's still our house and that's more than I could've ever hoped for. I never thought she was going to say yes," Charlie admitted as he finally stopped twirling. "It's still going to take work, but I know we can manage."

"When have you ever been afraid of a little work?" Sammy teasingly asked. He spun again once on his own with a chiming laugh. "This is fantastic! We're going to get our home back!"

"I know! And I don't think it's going to take too long either. The only thing is that Jen wants me to come stay with her again. Considering that she's putting her feelings aside to keep the house, I think it's the least I can do. You can come with me if you want, but I was thinking- if we can convince him to- we could try you staying with Mike again. If, you know, we haven't scared him off for good."

Charlie expected Sammy to be at least a little upset, but his smile never wavered. "I'm sure I could convince him," he simply said.

"If anyone could, it would be you," Charlie answered. Sammy tilted his head questioningly, but she didn't elaborate. "I want to call Jess, but I know she's still in class… But Marla might not be. She's always telling me to keep her in the loop," she continued as she got out her cellphone. Honestly, she just felt the need to keep spreading the news. It just felt too good to keep quiet.

Sammy was amused by her excitement, but glad to see it. It was like she had been fully rejuvenated, happier than he had seen her in a long time, maybe the happiest he had ever seen her. It wasn't something he thought they were going to get back this soon. Then again, he never imagined she would be able to get their home back either. He began to trill affectionately as she began to dial Marla's number.

"Charlie?" She looked up at him and he smiled down at her. "I love you."

She hadn't stopped smiling. "I love you too, Sammy."

It was all going to be okay.

It took a week before Charlie felt ready to return to school. During that time, repairs had begun on the house and were going smoothly from what she had seen. She kept Sammy up to date when she visited him, which she had done almost every day of that week. She had told her aunt that she was taking the week off to rest, which was true, and Jen had been fine with it.

The first day back hadn't been nearly as rough as she thought it would be. She had informed her professors of what had happened with the house and they had been understanding, largely because of her grades and attendance up until that point. Dr. Treadwell was especially sympathetic and was glad to hear that Charlie had continued work on her project.

Which she had. Work on Ella had been slow but steady, with her spending most of her free time that week putting what she had learned from repairing the taser into the animatronic. Even if it involved much more rewiring some of what she learned did cross over.

The plan was to return to her usual schedule as quickly as possible. So when Jessica called to meet up for lunch at the diner, Charlie was more than happy to agree. She wrapped up her classes, made a quick stop by the library, and then headed right over.

She didn't expect to walk in and see her entire group of friends waiting for her. It was especially surprising since she knew they all had obligations of their own, so everyone managing to get lunch at the same time must've taken planning she wasn't aware of. Her face lit up as they waved her over.

"You told me we were having lunch, not an ambush," Charlie joked. Jessica gave a playful scoff.

"We couldn't risk you making a run for it," she quipped back. She beckoned her friend to sit down beside her, though the brunette hesitated when she noticed most of her friends already had their lunches.

"Fair point. Hold on, I'm going to go order at the counter. I'll be right back," Charlie said, setting her bag down beside where she was going to sit. As she turned, John got up from the opposite side of the booth.

"I'll come too," he said. He didn't have a plate so she assumed he had waited for her to get there to get his food. She smiled at him and took his hand when offered.

The truth was that she and John hadn't gotten a lot of time together since the night that the Butchers were dismantled. Between his job and her situation, the stars just hadn't aligned to give them a moment alone, but it was clear from her friends' lack of protest that they had anticipated this and were giving them their space.

"How's your first day back treating you?" John asked as they sat down at the counter.

"Good. I didn't miss out on as much as I thought, so it's not going to be too hard to catch up."

"Glad to hear. I was getting flashbacks to elementary school when I got my tonsils out and came back swamped with homework. I had so much paperwork, you'd think I'd be making minimum wage for it." Charlie snickered and John smiled. "Think you might be free this weekend?"

"That depends. Got any ideas?" Charlie teasingly batted back.

"What do you think about hiking Angel's Landing with me? I've been wanting to head up there for a while, but never really had a reason to go," John suggested. "But it's a little intense. Let's face it, neither of us are hikers. I'm fine with just catching a movie if you'd rather do that."

"Why not both? I think we'll have enough time to fit them both in," Charlie agreed. She partially spoke before thinking because, in hindsight, all she really knew about the Angel's Landing hike was that it was steep and long. John looked so excited when she agreed that she knew she couldn't let him down. Besides, now she was curious. She turned to give her order to the woman behind the counter.

John took her hand again while she was ordering, causing her to fumble her words momentarily. His touch was welcome and comfortable. There weren't those overwhelming butterflies like there used to be, but the warmth was still there. In a way, Charlie almost found this better. She could've stayed in this moment for hours.

It was right around then when Jessica noticed a familiar person coming through the door of the diner. She cringed inwardly and leaned over the table to whisper to the others.

"Remember that guy I told you about who liked Charlie and I had to turn him down? He's here," she warned. Marla perked and looked over the back of her booth while Carlton hissed through his teeth.

"Now that's some bad timing," he said. He had a clear view of Charlie and John at the counter and could see how cozy they were getting. He leaned forward and casually said, "Tell you what. If he starts anything, I'll beat him up." Jessica gave him an unamused look, he shot her a smile.

By then Arty had spotted Jessica and came over to the table with an eager smile. "Jessica, hey! I was hoping I'd run into you. Where've you guys been? Charlie's here too, right?"

"Err, sure! She's just getting lunch at the counter," Jessica said awkwardly. She subconsciously crinkled her napkin in her hand as she turned to the others. "Guys, this is Arty. He goes to school with us and shares a couple of classes with Charlie. Arty, this is Lamar, Marla, and Carlton," Jessica introduced.

"Nice to finally put faces with the names. Charlie's told me a little about you guys," Arty said. He shook Marla and Lamar's hands, but Carlton had his arms folded behind his head and seemed reluctant to move them.

"How've you been?" she asked with some sympathy, both hoping there wouldn't be a scene and still hoping he hadn't taken it too hard. Much to her surprise, his smile only seemed to grow.

"Honestly? I've never been better," Arty said.

"Why don't you sit down and tell us about it?" Marla asked. Carlton sent her an incredulous look but she just scooted further into him to give Arty room to sit. Jessica knew what she was doing, trying to stall him so that he wouldn't bother Charlie.

"Thanks, but I can't stay long," Arty agreed and sat down. He seemed almost too eager to open up and turned back to Jessica to explain. "So, after we… talked last I was bummed out for a few days, but I got over it. Just accepted that that's how it is, that sometimes things just don't work out the way you expect them to," he rambled. If she hadn't told the others what happened, they might've been lost.

"And then I met this amazing girl named Izzy. She's beautiful, she's sweet, she's a little shy but in this really cute way," Arty gushed. He was beaming ear to ear. "I still can't believe it! I just got over Charlie and suddenly this gorgeous, single girl just walks into my life!"

"Yeah. How'd you manage that?" Carlton asked doubtfully. Marla lightly nudged his foot.

"It's kind of ironic. She came by class asking about Charlie, but she hadn't been showing up, so I told her about how Jessica and she get lunch here all the time. So, we came here and had lunch. She told me about how she's new to town and that Charlie was assigned to show her around campus. When you guys didn't show up, we decided to meet back here the next day. We've met up every day since."

"Arty, that's wonderful!" Jessica exclaimed. It was quite a relief to hear, and she released the napkin to lace her fingers together. "I'm so glad. I was a little afraid that I upset you when we talked, so it's such a relief to hear that you've found someone you really connect with."

"About that… There's something I've been wanting to say to you since we had that talk, and that I should've said before I ran off like I did." Arty rubbed his arm and exhaled slowly, looking a little awkward and embarrassed. He finally met her gaze and said, "I think it's great that Charlie has someone who cares about her. I'm not going to pretend that I don't still have some feelings for her… But all I care about is that she's happy, and it makes me feel a lot better knowing that she has someone like you watching out for her."

"It's a fulltime job, but she's worth it," Jessica said with a smile. Arty returned it with a sheepishly goofy one.

"She is, she is. You're a lucky lady." He trailed off at the end when he heard the ringing of the diner door. He spotted the girl coming in, gave a quick, "That's her. I'll be right back," and hurried back to greet her.

Jessica watched him go with that same smile until she was sure he wasn't going to turn back. Then she turned to Lamar with a puzzled look. "Sooo, am I reading this wrong, or was he suggesting Charlie and I were…?"

"Yes," Lamar said. Marla and Carlton nodded in agreement. Jessica's eyes widened in surprise. "But hey, it's not that bad. Seems like he took it better than you thought… He just assumes you and Charlie are dating."

"But she's over there with John right now!" the blond whispered, gesturing back at the two.

"Yes, but John's not the one who told him to get off her girl," Carlton said with a smug little smirk. Jessica gave him a small kick under the table, then recovered enough to smile at Arty when he returned.

He was accompanied by a woman who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. She had straight, strawberry hair that fell over her shoulders and was wearing a short, pink dress underneath a jean jacket and powder blue heels. Her whole appearance gave a look of innocence and wholesomeness, only accentuated with her wide, almost fearful looking eyes. It was clear that she was nervous.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Izzy. Izzy, these are Charlie's friends: Jessica, Marla, Lamar, and Carl," Arty introduced. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she stiffly raised one in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you," Izzy said. Her voice was so soft that she was nearly whispering. She seemed just as shy as Arty had said, and the group greeted her with warm smiles.

"There's Charlie over there if you want to say hi," Arty offered. He pointed her over towards the counter, having finally spotted Charlie. The woman looked over at the counter and her eyes widened momentarily, seemingly considering it, before they quickly lowered and returned to the table in front of her.

"I guess not… She looks like she's busy. I can say hi some other time," Izzy said hesitantly. Jessica almost encouraged her, but then decided not to put her on the spot.

"Well, want to get a table? Looks like there's nobody back in that corner," Arty offered.

"I'm not sure. There are so many people here today that I'm afraid you won't even hear me. Maybe we could go somewhere… Quieter? If that is alright with you?" Izzy asked. All it took was a soft nibble at her bottom lip and Arty was completely sold on the idea.

"That's fine by me! Anywhere you want to go, I'm on board."

"Thank you," she said with a sweet smile. One that she then sent to the rest of the table. "It was so nice to see you all. I hope we'll see each other again very soon." After a few kindly farewells, especially from Marla who tried to be especially nice to the timid girl, Izzy turned back to Arty. "May I use the restroom before we go?"

"Go ahead. I'll be waiting right by the door," Arty assured. He waited until she walked down the counter towards the restrooms before looking back to the others. "She gets a little nervous around crowds. So, glad to see you guys, have a good lunch, and tell Charlie about Izzy when you've got a chance. I'm more than happy taking over the whole peer mentor thing, but I think she really wants to meet her… When there's less people. At school or something."

"I'll let her know. You guys take care, okay?" Jessica said with a smile. Arty waved to the others and headed to stand by the door. Jessica turned back to the others. "Well, that was nice! That went way better than I was thought it would. Arty's moved on, he found himself a girlfriend, and Charlie's off the hook."

"Weren't you going to correct him on the you and Charlie thing?" Lamar asked.

Jessica stared at him for a long moment before giving a defeated, "…Yes."

"Anyone else notice his new date looks suspiciously like Charlie?" Carlton flatly asked. Marla made a motion like she was going to disagree but didn't follow through. It didn't take long for the conversation to change.

Charlie and John had remained oblivious to the entire thing. The former only taking her attention off of John to put it on her food, then quickly returning it to him. It was seldom that John took over the conversation, as he was typically more of a listener than a talker, but today there was a topic worth discussing.

"I was thinking of writing again," he revealed, seemingly out of the blue. Though he had just finished admitting his disinterest in construction work, so it made enough sense. "I know it's going to be rusty, but I feel like it's now or never. If I keep putting it off it's never going to happen."

"I think that's a great idea. Did you have a story in mind?" Charlie asked. John got a slight smirk.

"You know what they say: write what you know… So, it'll be horror," he quipped. Charlie nudged him playfully and he chuckled, though then got a contemplative look. "…Have you ever thought about writing out what happened with Freddy's, or even what happened to us?"

"I'm not much of a writer… I don't know. Maybe someday. Maybe if I could find a way to do it without making anyone in it a target," Charlie said with uncertainty. It would be nice to set the record straight, to spill out all of the worries constantly on her mind, but not at the expense of the life she had. They only just got things back under control. John nodded with understanding.

"If you ever change your mind, I'd be glad to help. We could switch the names out, publish it under a penname. Nobody would be able to connect it back to you." John paused a long moment before adding, "Might be something worth taking to the paper." She reached to take his hand again, lacing her fingers in his. "…But not now. I think I'll stick to fiction for now."

Charlie gave him a small smile, it only faltering when someone leaned in beside her.

A slender hand with lime green painted fingernails rested on the counter beside her plate. Charlie almost thought it was Jessica, but then corrected herself- she would've never worn that color. Another hand gently drew back her hair and tucked it behind her ear before they leaned in and whispered in a hushed voice:

"You have such pretty hair."

A chill ran down Charlie's spine and her eyes widened. She pulled away and spun to look at the woman looming over her only for her eyes to meet a pair of bright emerald ones. Large and glassy, and framed by thick, dark lashes, like the eyes of a doll. The pupil contracted before her eyes, but they looked artificial. Her soft face, framed by strawberry hair, looked perfectly human, but those were not the eyes of a human.

The woman gave her a small smile under narrowed but unblinking eyes before slowly drawing back. Charlie could only watch as she passed behind her and began to make her way towards the front door. She moved so smoothly that it was like she glided over the floor, like Ella moving across her track. Charlie's heart began to pound in her chest as she watched her go, panic growing as she realized she recognized the voice.

It was the same voice, it just wasn't broken any longer.

John had watched the whole scene and just looked confused by it. "What was that?" he asked. She didn't answer right away, seemingly in shock. "Charlie? What did she say?" he asked with concern.

Charlie finally ripped her gaze from the woman's back and returned it to John. She knew that she couldn't have imagined what she just saw and heard. It was all too real. Steeling her nerves, she gasped out:

"That's… That's Baby. That's Baby."

End of Book Two

Mable: The first chapter of the third book, The Broken Circus, will be up soon! I hope you enjoyed the second act…