Mable: Here we are with the first chapter of the final book of The Buried Voice! Enjoy!

Book 3:

"When a long-dead franchise reopens its doors, Charlie finds herself thrown into a different kind of fight for survival. With more than her own life on the line, she must face what remains of Circus Baby's and learn the truth of what happened the night of the fire, while her friends and family desperately race the clock to find her."

…

The Broken Circus

Chapter 1: The Grand Reopening

It was bizarre how things could be going so well and yet everything could feel so off. Because that's how everything felt since Charlie had met Izzy.

On the outside, everything had been going fine. The house had received its repairs, school was going fine, she had plenty of time to spend with her friends and family; every aspect of her life was going great. Charlie was happy, there was no denying that, but she couldn't shake the constant uneasy that dragged on for months. The knowledge that an animatronic she knew was dangerous had blended into society.

There was no doubt in her mind: Izzy was Baby. She just couldn't prove it, and because Izzy hadn't done anything, nobody else was looking close enough to see it.

It wasn't hard to keep an eye on Izzy either because she always there. She would suddenly appear at the library, or at the diner, or at the movies, never at Charlie's house but always at the places she frequented. Typically she would stop in to say hello and be cordial, but there was always something strange in the way she talked. In how she wouldn't approach Charlie when she was alone.

Charlie had told her friends about what she had seen immediately after it happened. Much to her relief, they all believed her without doubt, even though only John had witnessed the strange behavior. They had enough faith in Charlie to believe what she said, and it wasn't long before they began to notice how frequently Izzy appeared. Especially Jessica and Marla who were usually present when it happened.

What bothered her the most was not knowing where Baby's new body came from. As human as it looked, Charlie noticed things the more she saw her- the glassy eyes, the doll-like hair, the fingernails that were constantly painted, but always the exact same length without changing. It was clear that it was some sort of falsified human body, but being unable to get a closer look Charlie couldn't tell much beyond that.

The only one who seemed just as disturbed at this as she was would be Sammy, who had initially been so alarmed by the thought of Baby in a human body that it made Charlie afraid that he would go after her. He didn't, though she wasn't sure he wouldn't if Izzy eventually grew brazen enough to come by the house. She often wondered if she was aware of Sammy and that he was what kept her away.

This left them in a precarious situation: there wasn't anything they could do about Izzy. Even though she appeared everywhere, these places were always public and only a few steps away from other people, and she always disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. Confronting her directly was out of the question anyway, as the last thing Charlie wanted was to have her start hiding what she was doing. It was unsettling seeing her around, but being able to keep an eye on her was the only thing Charlie could do.

Exams came and went. Lamar applied for a college out east and got accepted, but hadn't left yet. Carlton tried out for a part at the community theater, got the role, practiced lines for weeks, and then performed in the play while his friends watched from the audience. Life was slowly moving on around them, except instead of enjoying it Charlie found herself held back by this looming presence.

It all left Charlie reeling. She felt trapped in a way she couldn't explain, knowing something was happening and being unable to do anything about it. She was back to going to bed every night afraid that she would wake up to an unsure tomorrow, and then feeling disquieted when nothing actually happened. It was hard to act like everything was fine when she knew it wasn't.

Because if she honestly believed that Baby just wanted to live like a human in a fake body, Charlie would've been able to let it all go. She would've been hesitant but willing to set aside her fears and let Baby exist as she was, but she knew that wasn't what was going on. Nothing in Izzy's behavior signaled such an innocent motive.

…But it wasn't until today that the other shoe had finally dropped. Just a normal day that was suddenly flipped on its head by a single phone call. It was Carlton, who Charlie had almost expected to be the bearer of bad news considering the information he could overhear from Clay. She never expected what he was about to say.

"You're not going to believe this. That restaurant opening by the Waffle Wagon? It's Circus Baby's Pizza. Yeah, the place that closed down because of the gas leaks, the place that Baby and all her circus freaks came from, is reopening in town, right across from the Waffle Wagon, opening tomorrow. And the only reason I found out about it is because Dad just found out about it and he's two seconds from losing it."

Charlie knew that feeling well. She had gone into shock right after 'Circus Baby's Pizza' and almost missed the rest of the details, instead drowning them out with her own realization:

"That's what she's been waiting for."

"Still there?"

Charlie snapped out of it and managed a response. "Yeah, I'm just... Are you sure?"

"I'm totally sure. Dad's been making phone calls about it all morning."

"This isn't a joke, right? Because that would be seriously unfunny," Charlie warned. she hoped it was or that he was mistaken, anything else better than this.

"That would be a little too tasteless even for me. If there's one thing I don't joke about, it's clowns," Carlton said with full seriousness. Her last hope dashed, she could do nothing but accept it. Circus Baby's had reopened years after it mysteriously closed, and only a short time after Baby herself appeared in town.

"…Thanks for telling me. I think I need to go sort some things out. Can you try to listen in on anything else Clay says?" Charlie said.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Go where?"

"I'm not going over there, I need to go run this by Sammy… And possibly scream into a paper bag. We'll see how far I decline by time I reach the kitchen."

Assured, Carlton let her go and they ended the call. Charlie headed directly into the kitchen where Sammy was painting at the dining room table. It was something he had picked up about a month ago as a natural progression of the sketching. She encouraged it, if the gift-wrapped easel hidden in the master bedroom's closet was any indication. He was painting a still life of the kitchen window when she interrupted him.

"I just got a call from Carlton. It's not good…" Charlie warned. His fingers stilled mid-brushstroke and he looked up at her. "He said he heard Clay talking and apparently, somehow… Circus Baby's reopened. Circus Baby's Pizza World, the place that closed because of "gas leaks"," Charlie said, making air quotes.

"Oh…" Sammy said. He paused like one might when taking a deep breath. "Well, that's not good."

"No, that's pretty bad, if Clay's panic says anything about it," Charlie agreed. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "I'm actually shocked I didn't see this coming. Circus Baby appears as a human; Circus Baby's failed business suddenly comes back from the dead. Makes total sense!"

"Maybe now he'll take you a little more seriously," Sammy said with a bitter tone.

"He did take me seriously. He just didn't have anything to go on…" Charlie trailed off.

The same day Izzy appeared, Charlie had gone to Clay and told him about what she saw. He had believed her right away, as he was still actively searching for Baby, and even interviewed Izzy under the guise of looking for a missing woman. She had been so certain that he would pick up on the cues she had, even if Baby was still pretending to be soft-spoken and harmless. Yet it had gone nowhere.

Clay excuse had been justifiable; Izzy hadn't done anything wrong in the eyes of the law and thus he couldn't just arrest her. That would've made sense and as frustrating as it was, Charlie would've accepted it for the most part. Except that right afterwards he had suddenly become very interested in how Charlie was, if college was going alright, if she had been more stressed recently.

It might've been innocent concern, but Charlie couldn't help but take his prying as him believing it was all in her head. She didn't call him out on this, choosing instead to leave and not discuss it with him again.

"…But yeah, I'd say he is. From what Carlton said, he's really freaking out about this," Charlie finished. She didn't like the silence that followed this, signaling that neither of them knew what to say next. She gave an almost impatient exhale and walked to the fridge, then to the window, and then began to start pacing between the two as she tried to think of a plan. "I can't just keep sitting around. Not now. If I don't do anything then something's going to happen, if it hasn't already."

"You're doing that thing I do," Sammy said. He began to paint again with slow, steady strokes. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking I need to do something, but I don't know what I can do," Charlie vented. She leaned against the kitchen counter as she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Maybe it's time I stopped beating around the bush and just confronted Baby head on."

Sammy's head snapped up. "Don't do that," he quickly said. Charlie looked to him with a quirked brow and he rubbed over the stripes on his arm uncomfortably. "Baby's unpredictable. Don't let her act fool you, she can play a role for an awfully long time, but that's all it is. If you give her an opening, she will pounce."

"Not if we're in a crowded room. Or if the guys are there."

"You would still make yourself a target and then it would only be a matter of time…" Sammy gave a discordant ring of upset before suppressing it. "I'm not sure why Baby has such a fascination with you, but it's in our best interest for you not to shake that. As long as she's playing the game, she won't break the rules."

"Baby doesn't strike me as the type to follow rules. Unless she makes them herself," Charlie muttered. She sat there a moment longer thinking to herself before pushing off the counter and back to her feet. "I think I need to get some air."

Sammy knew what she meant and got a slightly worried look. "You're not going far though?" he asked quietly. Her face softened at his concern, knowing what he was getting at.

"I'm not going to Baby's if that's what you're worried about. I think I'll call Jess and see if she's back at her dorm. Maybe she'll have a better idea on what we should do," she said. Sammy nodded in understanding and rose from his seat. He gave her a tight hug, making sure to be careful with the paintbrush.

"Just be careful out there, Charlie," he warned. She agreed without any hesitation.

A quick call to Jessica revealed that she wasn't at the dorms and instead was out shopping. Charlie decided to meet up with her there and left the house right after the call ended. Sammy watched her from the window as she backed out of the driveway and drove away.

Anyone who knew Jessica knew that she both enjoyed shopping and had a keen eye for fashion. She typically kept tabs on the newest trends and was even willing to start a few of her own. She also wasn't above saving up for weeks just to spend it all on one nice pair of shoes that caught her eye. That being said, Jessica was not above turning away from retail stores to look for something off-label.

Daisy's was an outlet store in the middle of town that sold a variety of things at a discounted price. While Jessica didn't exclusively buy clothing there, she did frequently stop there and search through their stock for something that might've slipped out of a bigger named store. Or just something that looked cute enough to ignore that it didn't have a name attached. If there was one thing Jessica could do, it was throw together an expensive-looking outfit cheap.

Charlie was almost impressed in how quickly Jessica could scan through an entire clothing wrack and decide in under two minutes whether or not anything on it was worth giving a second glance. Especially since she was bringing her up to speed on the whole Circus Baby fiasco- or what was soon to become one.

"I drove past that place a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was weird they didn't have their sign up yet. I guess they didn't want to risk someone finding out and protesting until they were ready to open their doors. Now it's too late to stop it from opening, even if there's an angry mob picketing out in the parking lot," Jessica said with slight irritation.

"Not that they had even that to worry about. Nobody remembers Circus Baby's failed opening. At most they'll remember the fire at Freddy's and, since they're both animatronic pizzerias, connect the two together. Even though all they'd have to do is the most basic of research to see that there actually is a connection. Nobody's willing to go through the trouble," Charlie vented somberly. "Just… How could this happen?"

"Well, we both know that you-know-who wouldn't have had the money or the means to open this place on her own. Last we heard of her, she was on the run with some busted up robot, and even though she's clearly not anymore, I doubt she's carrying around enough cash to get a business off the ground," Jessica said. She was still looking at the clothes, but now she had a thoughtful look that was not directed at them.

"You've got a point. It can't be a coincidence though. Maybe she's figured out a way to work from the inside? Or maybe she's been working behind the scenes without them knowing?" Charlie wondered aloud.

"Both sound a lot like her," Jessica half-agreed. There was still some doubt, though this came with the topic at hand. Realistically, it didn't make sense for Baby to have a hand in this considering her situation, but working backwards it only made sense that Baby had to be working with someone bigger. Elsewise she could've never made the body she was now inside.

"How're things with John?" Jessica randomly asked. Charlie gave her a dumbstruck look like she had just spoke a different language, to which the blond rolled her eyes. "Lightening the mood."

"Oh. Well… It's been okay." Charlie's tone immediately drew Jessica's eyes away from the clothes and onto her.

"Okay?" she pressed. Charlie felt like she could squirm under the situation that question brought up. She shifted uncomfortably and held her arm a little tighter.

"I think John is going to tell me he loves me. He was setting up for it on our last date, but I sort of fumbled my words and he didn't get a chance to follow through," she admitted.

"Aww!" Jessica gushed. She waited a long moment, watching as Charlie's dour expression didn't change. "Oooookay, I take it from that look that this isn't a good thing."

"It's not that it's not a good thing, it's just… I just don't know if I'm ready to exchange 'I love you's. I'm not at that point. I mean, I care so much about John. He's pretty much my everything, but it feels like too much."

"You thought you weren't ready for dating either," Jessica reminded. Seeing Charlie's continued doubt, she reached out to pat her arm. "Hey, look, just because John says it doesn't mean you have to say it back. He's always been the romantic type; it might just be something he needs to do. That doesn't change anything."

"I guess so, but I know he's going to want to hear it back, and I know that I'm not ready to say it. It's just… Weird. I'm weird." Charlie shrugged and turned towards another clothes rack. "I guess I've just never really been the romantic type- Guh!"

Izzy was standing less than ten feet away on the other side of the rack.

"What- Oh! Oh hey, Izzy! I didn't even hear you walk up," Jessica said, recovering quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was shopping, silly. I heard you talking and came to say hello," Izzy said in her typically quiet and emotionally vacant tone of voice.

She was wearing her white dress with the cherries on it today, which was one of four outfits she routinely switched out. Though the jacket and shoes never changed, the hair was always straight and not styled, and she never had a bag or purse. It was a dead giveaway that she was never actually doing anything in the locations she appeared at.

"Right…" Charlie could never really keep up the ruse like the others did. Baby's sharp, emerald gaze was enough to stifle any small talk. She just hoped this would end quickly so she could leave.

Jessica had other plans though. Still keeping a friendly smile she casually asked, "Hey, have you heard of Circus Baby's?"

Charlie felt her heart jolt at the namedrop as Izzy innocently tilted her head at the blond. "Circus Baby's?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"The pizza place opening up over by the Waffle Wagon. Apparently, they waited until the day before opening to put their sign up," Jessica explained. She rolled her eyes with fake but believable disapproval. "Which I'm sure is going to be just great for business."

"Oh. The place with the red doors. Yes, I saw that place," Izzy agreed. She suddenly perked up. "Are you going there? Could you tell me what it's like when you do? I was wondering about it… But I know there will be a lot of people there. I'm not comfortable with crowded places…" She looked away with an almost sad look, the most emotion she had shown to them. Charlie was disquieted by her rapid change in tone.

"I don't know. We're a little too old to go play around in ball pits and climbing tunnels- but maybe! If the pizza's good enough," Jessica agreed. She gave her friend a light nudge. "What do you think, Charlie?"

"I… Maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe. We'll see what John's plans our first," Jessica said teasingly and with a wink. She was putting on a better show that Izzy was; Baby could've taken some notes.

"Maybe I could go with you?" Izzy suggested. She immediately dropped her head shyly. "I would really like to go. It would be easier if I was with friends."

"She wants us to go to the pizzeria?" Charlie thought with growing suspicion. This time she was stopping the red flags right off the bat, but Jessica didn't seem to read as deeply into the question.

"We could all go together, sure, but why aren't you going with Arty? I sort of thought you two were an item with how much time you spend together," the blond probed. That finally got what might've been a genuine reaction out of Izzy. Her eyelids lowered and a glazed look of disinterest crossed her face.

"Oh. Right. Him." That look quickly faded and the gentler, much less expressive one returned. "I don't think he wants to go. When I asked him, he told me these horrible stories about a pizzeria called Freddy's. I guess he must be afraid to go there. It isn't the place to go with a date anyways, is it?"

"Not unless your date's under the age of ten," Jessica quipped.

"Think about it. I would really love to go with you all. We never get to do anything fun together," Izzy said. Charlie wasn't sure if she imagined the weird way 'fun' seemed to roll off her tongue. "I need to go look for a pair of boots. It was nice talking to you both." With that, Izzy left as quickly as she arrived. Or at least, she walked away from them, but Charlie knew she was never truly gone.

"If she shows up tomorrow in your boots, I'm going to lose it," Jessica said. She looked over when she received no answer and her face softened at seeing her friend's flustered look. "Maybe it's time to go?"

"Definitely. I think I might just head back home, check on Sammy," Charlie said. Home sounded good right now, considering that it meant not having to look over her shoulders. "Do you want to come too?"

"I'd love too, but I have a paper due next week and made myself promise that I'd get back on it as soon as I was done here… Are you going to be okay?" Charlie nodded and Jessica could tell she was uneased but truthful. "…Maybe tomorrow we'll see if the others want to make a short trip over to Baby's. Just to check it out. Izzy not included," she offered.

"I guess we don't really have a choice. Just keep an eye out until we do." After a brief goodbye, Charlie left the store. She looked over her shoulder to see if she was being watched, but the only one watching her leave was Jessica, who was preparing to follow her out. Izzy had vanished yet again.

This might've been the end of her conservation with Jessica, but it wasn't the end of her conversation with herself. Her thoughts warred back in forth as she drove out of the parking lot and towards home.

"Why would she want us to go to the pizzeria? She knows I know who she is, so how does she benefit from this?... Unless she has been waiting for this. If she IS involved in the pizzeria, she could invite us over and one of us could have an 'accident' with one of their animatronics. Baby doesn't have to worry about being scrapped because everyone thinks she's a human and she has no obvious connection to the restaurant so she walks away scot-free… And if there's anyone she would want gone, it would be me. That could explain why she's been stalking me."

Part of Charlie felt paranoid thinking like this, but it would make sense considering what she knew of Baby's character and the hints laid out by her actions. Freddy's had proved that accidents could be covered up easily, usually without the business even being closed down, so it would be the perfect way to make someone disappear.

She made a sudden decision and fished her cellphone out of her pocket to dial Jessica's number. She answered after a single ring. "Hello?"

"It's me. Look, I was thinking about it and… I don't think we should go to Circus Baby's. I just have a hunch that it might be a bad idea."

"Just a hunch?" Jessica asked with light sarcasm. Though the relief in her voice was noticeable. "That might be a good idea. But just so we're on the same page, you're not planning to go over there alone, right?"

"…Do I do that a lot? Because you're the third person who's asked me that today. Honestly, I'm a little hurt," Charlie quipped. Then gave a much more direct, "No, there's no way I'd go in there alone. Especially not now that I've gotten a formal invite from Baby herself."

"Okay, and I think you're making the right call. As much as I would love to waste my time babysitting Baby, I don't think it's going to do us any good unless we had a couple of badges. Still going home?"

"That's where I'm heading now."

"I'm leaving here too. I'll call you back after I get some work done on the paper. Keep that taser close!"

Jessica was probably joking about that last part, unknowing that Charlie had been carrying it around with her since Izzy's first appearance. It was currently sitting in her glove compartment and would be accompanying her inside as soon as she got to the house. She said goodbye and ended the call, returning her cellphone to her pocket while keeping eyes on the road.

Charlie arrived home to find a familiar car already parked in the driveway, John's car. He had pulled in far enough to the side that she was able to easily squeeze hers in alongside it. She was confused to see that he wasn't inside and a quick look around showed he was nowhere in the yard. She got her taser and headed up to the front door, finding it left a few inches ajar and stepping inside cautiously.

Much to both her relief and surprise, she found John sitting on the couch watching TV. He heard her coming in and looked over the back of the couch, then quickly muted the TV before turning to face her fully. He shot her a smile and a, "Hey."

"I have so many questions right now," Charlie said, returning the smile as best as she could considering the events of the day.

"Carlton called and told me about what's going on, so I came over. Sammy let me in."

"He did?"

"Shocked me too. He didn't hang around, just unlocked the door and bailed," John explained. His face grew a little more serious, "But yeah. Carlton brought me up to speed, left work, and came right over."

"Afraid I was going to run over to Circus Baby's?" Charlie asked with a quirked brow. She came around the couch to sit down beside him. "I didn't, by the way. I went to meet up with Jessica… Not that it mattered. Izzy was there, again."

"Did she mention the place?"

"Only after Jess did. She asked if we would go with her, which I take as a confirmation that she's involved with the place. As though we had any doubts…" Charlie lowered her gaze to the carpet. "I think she might be setting me up. I don't know for what."

John looked to her waiting for clarification, but she didn't go through the details. They weren't really needed anyways; it wasn't anything he couldn't figure out on his own. He reached an arm around her and pulled her in closer to his side.

"You know we're not going to let her do anything. She can try whatever she wants, but she's not getting to you," John reassured. Charlie could tell that he believed that, even if she wasn't as sure. She managed a smile again even though it was clear that the words did little to ease her mind.

"I know you probably should get back to work… But do you think you could stay a little while?" she asked, making no comment on what he had just said. Which he noticed but decided not to dwell on.

"That's the plan. Which, by the way, thank you for giving me a reason to leave early," he said. He could tell that she was a little overwhelmed, so instead of continuing the conversation about what they were going next, he simply offered her the remote. She declined it with a wave.

"This is fine," Charlie said. She wasn't sure what it was, but anything felt fine enough for now. Just a few minutes sitting together on the couch- having John close enough that she almost felt safe, hearing the occasional thump or movement in the house and knowing it was just Sammy- made everything easier to swallow.

The rest of the day felt like a blur. Marla came by briefly to check on Charlie, Lamar called John after he heard from Carlton, Jessica called back later like she had said, and John stayed until after dark. The day ended without any closure.

The next day Charlie drove by the now opened Circus Baby's Pizza. It looked just like she expected with a bright sign touting the name above the doorway, the window blocked with generic clown decals, and cars lined up in the parking lot. She was only there a few seconds and already saw a family with kids going inside, which caused her stomach to twist sourly. She took a deep breath and drove away.

And even though it was her decision, she felt powerless. She could only hope she was making the right choice.

Mable: Since this is the last book in the series, I actually made a fun little poll on my profile about the ending if you'd like to check it out. Who knows, it might be your chance to change fate… Or maybe it's already written in stone.