After a fairly boring drive, Vanessa reached the Pizzaplex. Despite it being less than a day since her last shift had ended, it felt like she hadn't been there in ages. She cautiously entered through the employees-only door. Everything looked normal so far. She rounded a corner and noticed a couple of S.T.A.F.F. bots patrolling the tunnel.
"That's weird, there are never security S.T.A.F.F. bots down here."
Since Vanessa was in the employee database, the S.T.A.F.F. bots didn't pay any attention to her, but she still felt a bit uneasy as she walked past. Finally, she reached the end of the tunnel and stepped out into the neon glow of the lobby. There were more S.T.A.F.F. bots here, too. She went to the Lost and Found security office to clock in.
That was one of the (many) weird things about this job. The only times when Vanessa had to interact with other employees were when someone tried to work overtime, which was incredibly rare, or when something went wrong and she had to report to a supervisor who, despite the title, really didn't do much supervising.
As she logged in, she noticed a new sticky note on the edge of one of the monitors.
"S.T.A.F.F. BOTS ONLY in Kid's Cove/Daycare area. Unsafe due to heavy storm damage."
After quickly checking the cameras, she left to start her patrols. At least, she tried to, but Freddy, Chica, Monty, Roxy, and even a few Mini Music Men were waiting right outside the door.
"Hello, Vanessa!" said Freddy. "We are very that glad you have come back!"
"We heard that Jeremy got fired, and with all the extra security bots around, we were worried you lost your job, too," explained Roxy.
Vanessa smiled. "You know you can't get rid of me that easily."
"We would never want to get rid of you, Vanessa! You are our friend!"
"It's just an expression, Freddy. I'm not going anywhere."
Freddy sighed. "That is a relief."
"How are Sun and Moon doing?" Chica asked. The Mini Music Men all clapped their cymbals, possibly asking the same question.
"They're… alright, I guess."
"I s'pose that's all that can be expected, given their current predicament," said Monty.
"I know if I was in their place, I'd be a nervous wreck!" cried Chica.
"At least you'd actually be able to taste all that pizza you eat," said Roxy.
Vanessa started slowly walking away.
"Yeah, so, I really need to-"
"Well, I have always wondered…" Chica continued, "but I can't imagine the stress of going through all those physical changes, not to mention having to leave the Pizzaplex for so long."
"Yeah, I guess that is kind of impressive, especially for them."
"Exactly whaddya mean by that?" asked Monty.
"You know how they are. Sun tends to overreact to every little thing, and Moon…" Monty crossed his arms. He was closer to Moon than most of the animatronics, so Roxy really had to watch her language. "Well, to be honest, I haven't talked to him as much, but he always seems kinda… distant, y'know?"
Monty relaxed. "Yeah, that can be true. I reckon it's interesting listening to their conversations."
"That is something I did not think of," said Freddy. "They have always communicated with each other internally, but I suppose they do not have that option now." He turned to Vanessa and chuckled. "I imagine your apartment has gotten a bit louder since the last time we spoke."
"You have no idea," she sighed. Patrols could wait.
"Have you seen what they have done to the daycare? The entire area is barricaded off. We are not even allowed near there. They say it is because of-"
"Heavy storm damage?" Vanessa guessed.
"Yes! How did you know?"
"Call it a hunch."
"Whatever got damaged, I hope they're able to repair it soon. Those two just wouldn't be able to bear the state it's in," said Chica. "Oh, Vanessa, you have a phone, don't you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Do you think we could talk to them?"
"They're kind of sleeping right now…"
"Ah, of course. I forget sometimes that most humans sleep at night."
Monty nudged Roxy. "Speaking of, how come you don't sleep at night? Are you some kinda nocturnal subspecies or something?" she asked.
"Uh, no. I just force myself to stay awake at night because of my job. It's definitely not natural, but you get used to it."
"HA! Told you!" Roxy exclaimed. "I knew she wasn't nocturnal."
The Mini Music Men looked disappointed, and one of them handed her and Monty five-dollar bills. Vanessa didn't know much about the Mini Music Men, but she was pretty sure they didn't get paid.
"Where did you… anyways, it's been great talking with you guys, but we're going to be together all night, and I really need to get to my patrols, so…"
"We are so sorry, Vanessa!" Freddy apologized. "We did not mean to distract you from your duties. We will entertain ourselves for a while."
The Glamrocks stepped aside to let Vanessa through. She continued towards the elevators while the Mini Music Men skittered away into a nearby vent. She was tempted to take a peek into the daycare, but she decided not to.
As she approached the main stage, Vanessa found herself humming This Is Me. Sun's DCOM marathon had reminded her how catchy most of Camp Rock's soundtrack was. It had also kept him and Moon from asking too many questions, but that wouldn't work forever. She had to find some way to keep them occupied.
She climbed back up the escalators to the second floor. There was Roxy Raceway, under construction indefinitely. She wondered why they didn't just tear it down. The place was cursed anyways, at least to her. It probably cost them a small fortune to keep all those work lights on 24/7. Of course, if someone did try to demolish the raceway, Roxy would give them a piece of her mind. Roxy didn't know the truth.
"No no, don't think about that, you're on company time, Vanessa. Gotta focus on my job, just keep a laser focus, straight… ahead…"
"Oh no," Vanessa said out loud. Maybe she did know how to keep them occupied.
…
Sun was back in the hallway. Same checkered floor, same weird posters, same whispers. But this time, there was a door on the left wall. He decided to open it. Inside was a small room with very loud vents on the right and left walls, and a chair and desk with a very old computer in the middle. On top of the monitor there was a figurine that looked like Helpi, but without his signature overalls.
His eyes were drawn to the monitor's screen, which displayed a series of square and rectangular boxes. Suddenly, a triangle with an exclamation point in it flashed in one of the boxes. Sun thought he heard a faint laugh coming from one of the vents. Before he could figure out what it meant, another triangle flashed in the box to its left. Then another. There was a clanging sound from the vent to his right. Now two triangles at the same time, three, four! The whispers grew louder, but they couldn't drown out the thing in the vents. Sun tried to run away, but he couldn't move. All of the boxes flashed at the same time and-
Darkness.
Silence.
Then, a voice that chilled him to the core.
"I always come back."
"AAAHH!" Sun woke up with a start. He heard the soft patter of rain on the roof and found that he was still on Vanessa's couch. He felt cold and slightly damp, and he was shivering. At least it was just another nightmare.
"Oh, thank goodness, it was just a dream, just a dream, just a one hundred-percent fake, totally not real-"
"Sun!" Moon whispered. "Gregory is sleeping!"
"Right, s-s-sorry I j-just…" Sun noticed that Moon was also shivering. "D-did you have a nightmare, too?"
Moon tried to stop, but he was still trembling slightly. "A-a nightmare? Of-of course not! …Why?"
"Was yours about the weird room with the old computer in it?"
"H-how did you know that?"
"Because it's the same one I had! Oh! Last night, did you dream about a reeeeally long hallway?"
"…Yeah…"
"Me too!"
They had both stopped shaking by now, and Sun realized that there was a blanket over them. He was sure that hadn't been there before. He was glad they had it, though.
"What do you think they mean?" Sun asked, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders.
"I don't think they mean anything." It was too dark to see, but Sun felt Moon turn away.
"Oh, I don't believe that! If we're both having the same dreams, it must mean something, right?"
"We've been sharing our entire lives, Sun. This is nothing new. They're probably, I don't know, corrupted memory files or something. Let's just try to go back to sleep."
Moon leaned against the back of the couch, and Sun did the same. Neither of them were going to go back to sleep. Not right now.
They laid there for what felt like forever, but it might have only been a few minutes. Whatever the case, it was long enough for Sun's stomach to wake up. He still wasn't used to that gnawing emptiness called hunger. He figured that trying to get a snack would probably wake Gregory, so he just crossed his arms and squeezed his tummy as tight as he could. It almost worked, for a second.
Thankfully, a second was enough, because it was at that moment when he heard keys rattling in the hallway. Vanessa opened the door and turned on a lamp.
"Welcome home, Vanessa!" Sun greeted her.
Vanessa jumped back. "Whoah! Geez, Sun, you almost gave me a heart attack. How long have you been awake?"
"However long ago he woke me up with his screaming," yawned Moon.
"I didn't wake you up, the ni-"
"Hey Vanessa, what time is it?" Moon interrupted.
"Umm, hold on…" she checked her watch. "6:37. Gregory's alarm goes off at seven, so if you want breakfast you should probably just stay awake."
Sun raised his hand. "I would like some breakfast, please."
"And I'll make you some," said Vanessa, collapsing into the armchair. "In just a minute."
"Great! Soooo, how was work?"
"Work was… different."
"How so?"
"Apparently, your disappearance made an impression on the higher-ups, and they decided that the building needs to be flooded with extra S.T.A.F.F. bots for who knows how long. Oh, and they temporarily closed down the daycare."
"THEY CLOSED THE DAYCARE?!" Sun exclaimed. He couldn't imagine how disappointed all his poor little Starshines must be. "Oh no, oh no, I knew this would happen! This is terrible! This is horrible! This is-"
"Temporary," Vanessa reminded him.
"Yeah, Sun, it's no use worrying about it right now," said Moon. "I care about the kids, too. The daycare will open back up as soon as we get back."
A shuffling sound came from Gregory's room.
"It looks like I'm not the only one you woke up today."
"I guess I'll start cooking, then."
Vanessa stood up, stretched, and walked over to the fridge. Sun wanted to help, but the blanket was so soft, and so warm. He probably couldn't help much anyway. She had been cooking for… a long time, definitely much longer than him, and she seemed to know what she was doing. It was probably best if he just stayed on the couch, under the blanket. Moon seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Vanessa looked up from the stove. "Mornin' Greg."
Sun turned around. Gregory had come out of his bedroom holding a bundle of clothes.
"Good morning, Gregory!" Sun exclaimed. "I'm sorry if I woke you up!"
"Yeah," Gregory mumbled before going into the bathroom and turning on the shower.
Breakfast was ready by the time he was dressed. Today they were having bacon and eggs, but not in a McMuffin. As they started eating, Sun noticed that Vanessa had the smallest portion.
"Is that enough food for you, Vanessa?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm going back to sleep after breakfast anyway, so I really don't need that much."
Sun had found it impossible to sleep without food earlier that morning. Maybe Vanessa was different. Or… was he just sleeping wrong? Maybe that's why he and Moon were having nightmares! He would have to ask her about it later.
When they had all finished breakfast, Vanessa stood up and cleared her throat.
"Sun, Moon, it has come to my attention that you won't be able to go back to the Pizzaplex anytime soon, and that you will have to stay here until it's safe to go back. I also realize that my salary isn't nearly enough to afford proper food, clothing, and shelter for four people. So, as a solution to this problem, I think that the two of you… need to get jobs."
Sun was confused.
"But… we already have a job…"
"Technically, but working in the daycare isn't really an option right now, and even if it was, it doesn't pay the bills."
"Assuming this isn't some weird joke, and we are actually doing this, what kind of jobs could we even get?" Moon asked. "We don't have experience with, well, pretty much anything."
"There are tons of jobs out there that don't require experience. Just use my laptop to look up 'entry-level jobs, Washington County,' but do not submit anything. After I wake up, you can show me your top five or something, and I'll help you fill out applications."
"You're going to help them get names, birthdays, and Social Security numbers?" asked Gregory.
"What number is that?" asked Sun. "Can mine be 27?"
Vanessa sighed. "Don't worry about it. I said I'll help, and I will. And you need to get to school. Better run if you're going to catch that bus."
Gregory gulped down the rest of his breakfast, grabbed his backpack and gave Vanessa a quick side hug.
"Bye Ness, see ya later!"
Sun reached out to hug him. "Goodbye, Gregory! Have-"
But Gregory ducked under his arms.
"Bye guys!"
He shut the door behind him.
"Oh… bye."
Moon laid a hand on Sun's shoulder. "He's just in a hurry, don't take it personally."
"Of course I'm not taking it personally! I understand he won't always have time for hugs." Sun didn't know why Gregory avoided his hug, but he must have had a good reason. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
"Sometimes he doesn't even give me a hug if he's late. Don't beat yourself up about it," said Vanessa. She took the dishes from the table and started washing them.
"You don't need to worry about those!" said Sun, grabbing the sponge from her hand. "You need to sleep; Moon and I can do the dishes!"
"Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Of course!" Sun tried to smile his most trustworthy, we-can-totally-do-this smile.
"…If you don't know where a certain dish goes, leave it on the drying rack and I'll put it away later." She grabbed some clothes from her room and took a shower.
It didn't take long to do the dishes. Afterwards, they realized they didn't actually know where any of the dishes went, so they filled the drying rack.
Vanessa seemed even more tired after her shower, so they decided not to bother her until after she woke up. Then they decided they might as well clean the whole kitchen, so they did.
Then it was time to look at jobs.
After they found Vanessa's laptop (it was in her duffel bag) and set it up on the table, they realized that it needed to be unlocked with a password.
"She didn't tell us the password, did she?" asked Sun.
"Nope."
"Ummm, how about this?" He sat down and started typing.
Vanessa
Incorrect password
"Why would her password be her name?"
"I don't know!"
"Here, let me try." Sun stood up and Moon typed the next guess.
Fazbear
Incorrect password
Pizzaplex
Incorrect password
Hint: kid
"Hey! How come you get two tries?" Sun whined.
"Because I was already sitting down," Moon replied matter-of-factly. "What is kid supposed to mean? There are so many kids! Which one does it…" They looked at each other.
Gregory
Wait just a moment while we get you set up…
"Awww, that's sweet! Incredibly insecure, but sweet!"
"Yeah. What did she say to look up, again?"
Sun and Moon looked at all kinds of jobs, from watching dogs to waiting tables.
"Look! We could be security guards, like Vanessa!"
"No we couldn't. You would be a terrible security guard." Moon kept scrolling.
"How do you know? I could be the best security guard ever! Ok, second best. Definitely top three. Unless-WAIT! Scroll back up! There!" Sun pointed at the listing.
"What did you…" Moon's eyes widened. "Oh. My. Stars."
"I know! It's perfect!"
