BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Three-thirty already?"
Vanessa groggily turned off her alarm and rolled out of bed. She heard faint music coming from the living room.
"Gregory's probably watching tv. Wait, is that… popcorn?"
Gregory knew not to waste an entire bag of popcorn on himself (especially since he never finished it), yet that smell was unmistakable. Then she remembered.
"Oh, right. They're here."
The boys must've decided to watch a movie or something. As Vanessa brushed her teeth, she wondered what would happen when she went to work that evening. Someone had to have noticed the missing Daycare Attendant by now. This was one of the times she was glad she knew how to erase security footage. Fortunately, the storm had given her a reasonable cover story.
But before work, she still had to deal with Sun and Moon. Gregory was able to hang out with them today, but he would have to go back to school soon. What would she do with them then? She had to keep them occupied enough that they wouldn't ask any more questions. That… thing had to be behind this somehow, and she couldn't risk him gaining control again.
"Not again, I can't, I just-"
Vanessa took a deep breath and started getting dressed. Maybe there was something she could do, but she needed time to figure it out. They couldn't live at the Pizzaplex right now, and she couldn't toss them out in the streets, so that meant they would be staying with her for a while. How was she going to feed everyone? Her salary barely covered her and Gregory's needs.
Vanessa opened the door to find that the boys had been watching a movie, the credits of which were now playing. Sun was sitting crisscross applesauce on the floor with his nose almost touching the tv, Moon was laying upside down on the back of the couch, and Gregory was sitting next to him doing something on his Fazwatch.
"So, how was the movie?" she asked.
"You mean movies?" Gregory corrected.
"Sun made us watch all three High School Musical movies," said Moon. He turned to Gregory. "There are only three, right?"
"I didn't make you watch anything!" Sun protested. "I heard you singing along multiple times!"
"N-no I wasn't!"
"Don't worry, you have a beautiful singing voice! I don't remember ever hearing it before."
"So did you just watch movies the whole time?" Vanessa asked.
"Not the whole time. We took a break for lunch, then Sun and Moon cleaned the kitchen," said Gregory, still tapping away on his Fazwatch.
Vanessa glanced at the kitchen. It was spotless.
"We had PB&Js! They were really good!" Sun exclaimed.
"Oh, Luis came by, too. He told me to tell you to call him."
"Uh oh. Does Luis know about last night?"
"Did he say why?"
"He said it was some work thing."
"He definitely knows. This is going to be interesting."
"Well, I should probably go see what he wants. Don't start another movie, we have some errands we need to run."
"M'kay."
Vanessa went back into her bedroom and pulled out her phone. Luis had saved her hide when she and Gregory almost destroyed the Pizzaplex a few months ago. She still didn't know how he managed to pull it off. He had to know she was connected with last night in some way, but what if he wasn't so forgiving this time?
"I guess there's only one way to find out…"
Vanessa took a deep breath and called Luis. He picked up after just one ring.
"Hey, it's been a while! How are things?"
"I'm hanging in there, as usual. Gregory said you wanted to talk?"
"Haha, yeah, I am at work right now! Hold on, it's kind of loud in here, let me just..."
She heard some shuffling and the creak of a door.
"Sorry about that, just had to go somewhere more private. I have a feeling you already know what I want to talk about."
She grimaced. "What have you heard?"
"The Daycare Attendant is missing. Y'know, the creepy sun-moon thing? Of course you do, how could you not, I don't even know… why I asked…"
"Go on, Luis."
"Right, sorry. Fortunately for you, 'the storm' knocked out all the cameras last night and no one noticed it was gone until, like, almost 8:00, so they're firing the daycare guard."
"Oh no, poor Jeremy."
As bad as Vanessa felt getting a fellow security guard fired, she also she didn't want to go to jail.
"Yeah, it's unfortunate, but I'm not worried about Jeremy. A guy like him can get another job in no time. You wanna know who I am worried about? You. I just… you've been doing so well over the past couple of months, I thought we had gotten past… whatever was going on."
"So, you think I'm a thief?"
"NO!"
There was a crash followed by more shuffling.
"Sorry, I'm in the janitor's closet and I just knocked over a mop. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I want to help you. If someone is threatening you in any way, if they're making you do things you don't want to do, I… I just want to help, Ness. I really do. But I can't if I don't know what I'm helping you with."
She was silent for a moment.
"Luis, you're a really nice guy. I don't want to lie to you, but I can't tell you everything right now."
"That's what you said last time."
"I know, I know, it's just really… complicated."
"…That's fine. But if you ever want to talk about it, or anything else, please just call. If you want, maybe we could finally go out for coffee or something."
She smiled.
"Yeah, maybe."
Silence.
"Sooo… who was that guy in your apartment?"
She froze. "Uh oh."
"Who?"
"When I came to your apartment earlier, some guy I didn't recognize opened the door. I think he said his name was Sam?"
"Sam? I don't- oh. Three letters, starts with an S…"
"Oh yeah, Sam is just a friend. He and his, uh, brother lost their home in the storm, so they're staying with me for a little while."
"Really? That's great! I-I mean, it's not great that they lost their home, that's pretty terrible obviously. But I'm glad that everything is, uh, alright… with them and… you. I probably should have known it was fine, because Gregory wasn't freaking out or anything, but I just wanted to make sure."
"Thanks for checking in, Luis. I appreciate it, I really do. Anyway, I need to run some errands, so if that's all you wanted to talk about I'm gonna go now."
"Yeah, I should probably get back to work. Oh, one more thing: they'll probably send out an email or something, but corporate doesn't want this getting out, so if anyone asks, the Superstar Daycare is closed due to heavy storm damage."
"Storm damage, got it. Bye, Luis."
"Bye, Ness!"
She hung up. What would she do without Luis? Definitely get fired, possibly arrested. He was too smart to be cooped up in the marketing department. He was good at it, though. Some of his advertisements almost made her want to consider looking into buying Fazbear products. He was also way too nice, with that big stupid grin of his…
"Poor Luis. I really wish I hadn't dragged him into this."
Deep down, Vanessa knew she had to tell him the truth at some point. And part of her really, really wanted to. But even though they were friends, what reason did he have to believe her? Heck, she probably wouldn't believe herself if she hadn't been there. No, it was safer to keep him in the dark, at least for now.
Vanessa came back into the living room. Sun and Moon were now seated on either side of Gregory, looking at his Fazwatch.
"Whatcha doin' there, Greg?"
"Playing Roblox."
Vanessa was puzzled. Fazwatches didn't come with any kind of games on them, at least as far as she knew. She looked over his shoulder and saw that he was indeed playing Roblox.
"You hacked your watch?"
"Yep. It was actually super easy, barely an inconvenience."
"Oh, really? And what made you think that was a good idea?"
"'Cuz now I can play Roblox on my Fazwatch. It's not like you can say much, you hack into the security cameras all the time." Vanessa grabbed the watch. "Hey! I was almost done with that obby!"
"That's different. You know exactly where we would be if I hadn't erased all that footage. If you're going to give me attitude, then you can be restricted from using your Fazwatch for the rest of the day."
"But-"
"No buts. You can survive without it for a few hours. In the meantime, you can think about what you said, and how you would act differently next time."
Gregory pouted.
"…Fine. So, where are we going?"
"We need to get some groceries." She looked over to Sun and Moon. "Will you two be alright here?"
"Awwww, why can't we come with you?" Sun complained.
"Because I don't want you to make a scene. We won't be gone long. You could watch a show, read a book, maybe sleep some more, just stay in the apartment and you'll be fine. Oh, and don't answer the door. Especially you, 'Sam.'"
Sun winced. "Oh, he told you about that."
"Can I stay home, too?" Gregory asked.
"No. I don't want you here without a way to contact me."
"I would have a way to contact you if you gave me back my watch."
"And I wouldn't have had to take it away if you were a little more polite." Vanessa grabbed her purse and the grocery list from the kitchen counter. "We can discuss this later. Bye guys, we'll be back soon."
"Goodbye!" said Sun, waving frantically.
"Bye," said Moon.
Vanessa and Gregory left the apartment and started down the stairs. As they entered the lobby, Jean greeted them once again.
"Good afternoon, you two! How's it going with your new roommates?"
"They're doing alright. They're still a little shaken up though, so don't expect them to leave the apartment anytime soon."
"Of course I wouldn't! I'm just glad you were kind enough to take them in. Oh, and by the way, your little boyfriend stopped by earlier while you were asleep."
"Luis isn't my boyfriend."
"Are you sure he knows that?" Jean laughed and nudged Vanessa's arm with her elbow. "You should've seen him, fiddling with his watch, acting all flustered! Did ya call him back yet?"
"Yes, Jean, I called him. Now if you don't mind, we need to get some groceries."
"Oh of course, Vanessa dearie, don't let me keep you here! Have a nice day!"
The trip to the grocery store was uneventful. They bought some essentials: bread, milk, lunchmeat, a few vegetables, and a box of chocolate chip cookies (they were on sale). Hopefully, it would be enough to last the week.
Vanessa and Gregory came home to the cleanest apartment they had ever seen. Not a single thing was out of place, and every surface was practically sparkling. Sun peeked his head out of Gregory's bedroom, followed by Moon.
"Welcome back! We missed you so much!" He ran over and hugged them.
"This place looks amazing," Vanessa marveled. "How did you clean everything so fast?"
"It's what we're programmed to do," said Moon, leaning against Gregory's doorframe like a Cool Kid™. "The apartment needed to be cleaned, so we cleaned it."
"What did you get at the grocery store?" Sun asked.
"Not much, mostly just some sandwich stuff so you won't starve," said Vanessa.
"And some chocolate chip cookies," Gregory added, pulling them out of the bag. Vanessa quickly snatched it away.
"Yes, these cookies will be delicious after dinner."
Gregory looked disappointed, but kept putting away groceries.
"Do you need help putting things away? Oh! I'll be right back, we're alllllmost done cleaning Gregory's room!"
"Actually, I just finished," said Moon.
"Great! Thanks, Moony!"
Sun didn't know where any of the food went, so he actually wasn't much help, but soon the groceries were put away.
"Hey, Gregory, do you have any more homework?" Vanessa asked.
"…Yeah, I do," Gregory sulked.
"Try to get that done before dinner, ok? I don't want you staying up all night working on it."
He nodded and took his backpack into his room to finish whatever work he had. When he left, Sun leaned on the kitchen counter and stared at Vanessa.
"What's for dinner?" he asked.
"Hm? Uh, tacos, why?" said Vanessa, taking some ground beef out of the refrigerator. She and Gregory had Taco Tuesday once a month. Why an AI who only knew the taste of two meals would care what was for dinner was beyond her.
"Just curious."
He stayed in the kitchen, watching her take out some lettuce and a tomato and rinse them off.
"Can I help?"
"With dinner? Have you ever cooked before?"
"Well, no. Unless you count that one time wh-"
"Please don't count that one time," Moon butted in. "We smelled like burnt plastic for a week."
Sun looked offended. "In my defense, no one told me that play food was flammable!"
"Okaaay. With that in mind, maybe you could…" Vanessa looked over to the vegetables. She probably couldn't trust Sun with a knife, but if she didn't give him something to do, he might explode. "…shred the lettuce. Yeah. Just grab some lettuce, and tear it up." She handed Sun the lettuce and got a bowl out of the cupboard. "And put it in here when you're done."
Sun started shredding the lettuce while Vanessa did anything she didn't trust him to do (a.k.a. everything else). Fortunately, Moon seemed content to sit quietly on the couch. The warm smell of chili powder overtook the kitchen, and soon it was time to eat.
"Gregory! Time for dinner!" Vanessa called out. He ran out of his room and sat down at the table. Vanessa cleared her throat, prompting him to get up, set the table, and sit back down again, followed by everyone else.
Since Vanessa had bought the meat a couple days ago, there wasn't quite enough for four people, but this was made up for by the monstrous mound of shredded lettuce. For some reason, she hadn't expected Sun to shred all the lettuce, but in hindsight she realized she should have been more specific.
Another thing she realized was that this was the spiciest food Sun and Moon had ever eaten. Sun was the first victim.
"Hey, this is pret-OW! Hothothot!"
"It's just medium taco seasoning, you'll be fine," said Gregory, taking another bite.
Vanessa ran to fridge and poured Sun a full glass of milk, which he promptly chugged.
"Phew! Thanks, that's much better! Y'know, it's actually kinda good once you get past the burning."
Moon, who hadn't started eating yet, slowly tried to stand up, but Vanessa pulled him back down.
"Glad to hear it. I can get you some more milk if you want. Would you like some milk too, Moon?"
"Oh, uh, actually, I was… well, I was going to…"
Moon clearly wanted to get out of there, but Vanessa wasn't going to let him leave without at least trying the tacos. She didn't want him to wake up hungry in the middle of the night. He just didn't seem to understand that food was necessary for his survival. She gave him a look that planted him in his seat. He sighed in defeat.
"…yes."
Satisfied, she filled a glass for him. With the milk in arms' reach, he slowly took his first bite.
"…When is it supposed to get hot?"
Sun's jaw dropped to the floor. Moon smirked and took another, larger bite, as if to spite him. Maybe Vanessa hadn't been lying when she told Luis they were brothers. They certainly acted like they were.
After dinner, Sun and Moon both helped with the dishes while Gregory finished his homework. When the dishes were clean, Sun turned the tv back on and discovered Camp Rock, which he convinced everyone to watch with him.
When the movie had ended, Vanessa came over and ruffled Gregory's hair. "Alright kiddo, time for bed. I know you had fun today, but it's a school night."
"Can I at least stay up 'til 8:30?"
Vanessa really didn't want to have to deal with Sun and Moon by herself, but she knew that Gregory needed his rest.
"Not after last night. Honestly, I'm surprised you stayed awake this long."
"Eh, fair enough," Gregory yawned, and left to get ready for bed.
"Does that mean we need to go to sleep, too?" Sun asked.
"You guys can stay up as long as you want."
"Really?"
"Sure. You're adults… I think. And it's not like you have anything planned tomorrow."
"What do you mean we have nothing planned?" asked Moon. "Aren't we going back to search Roxy Raceway?"
"No!"
"That sounded a little too desperate. Tone it down, girl."
"I mean, not tonight. Last night was already a close call. If all the security footage mysteriously disappears two nights in a row, they might start to suspect something's going on."
Moon paused. "…I guess that's reasonable. When do you think it'll be safe for us to go back?"
"I… I'm not sure."
"That's alright, Vanessa," Sun assured her, "you don't have to know everything! I'm sure we'll be back at the Pizzaplex in no time! Of course we want to go home as soon as possible, but on the other hand, every moment we spend away from there is a moment we get to spend with you and Gregory!"
Vanessa smiled, but there was a pit in her stomach. She didn't know how much time they would be spending together, but it was probably a lot longer than Sun thought.
Gregory left his bedroom, now in pajamas, and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Hey, Gregory!" Sun called. "Vanessa said Moon and I could stay up late! Is it ok if we watch Camp Rock 2, or do you want us to wait for you?"
"Haven't we watched enough movies today?" Moon asked.
"I guess we have seen quite a few… but can't we watch just one more? Don't you want to know what happens? Will Mitchie and Shane's relationship work out? Will Tess make up with her mom? Will Peggy become a world-famous popstar? I need to know!" Sun grabbed Moon's shoulders and stared into his eyes.
"Ish fing," Gregory replied, his mouth already full of toothpaste and saliva. "You cam wach i wivou me."
Sun looked over at him. "Are you sure?"
Gregory nodded.
"Great!" Sun released Moon and they sat down on the couch together.
Gregory spit and rinsed his toothbrush.
"I'm ready for bed."
"G'night, Greg," said Vanessa, giving him a hug.
"'Night, Nessa."
Sun jumped up off the couch and hugged both of them. "Goodnight, Gregory! Sweet dreams!"
"'Night," said Moon.
After Gregory went to bed, Sun (very quietly) turned on Camp Rock 2. He and Moon fell asleep before it ended. Vanessa turned off the tv and pulled a blanket over them. They were leaning against each other in the middle of the couch, so they only needed one.
They looked so… peaceful, sitting there together. It was a welcome change from the near constant rambling or snarky comments from when they were awake. Vanessa tried to be extra quiet for the next few hours, partly because she would hate to ruin this moment, but mostly because she really needed some alone time.
Normally, this was when she would do her chores, but they had already cleaned the whole place, and there wasn't anything else she needed to do that night, so she decided to go into her room and doodle in her journal.
She hardly felt like any time had passed when her phone vibrated, telling her it was almost time to leave. She quickly pulled on her uniform and grabbed her duffel bag.
"I shouldn't be worrying. They believed my story, blamed Jeremy, and now everything is fine, right?"
Vanessa didn't really believe that, but the bills weren't going to pay themselves. She took a deep breath, braced herself, and left the apartment.
