CHAPTER ELEVEN: MIND CONTROL

The rest of the day went by very quickly and before I knew it, it was time for the guests to leave. I'll admit, today was a pretty good day, despite the fact that I had the misfortune to encounter another one of them self-entitled psychopaths. I don't think I will ever understand why people act the way they do and believe that they deserve many privileges when they don't deserve or earned them, but it's funnier than intimidating when dealing with these people. They had no idea I found their attempts to get what they wanted to be funny and just very stupid.

I stood in the Lobby with a huge smile on my face, having been in an extremely good mood all day. I just couldn't stop thinking about what happened at Rockstar Row earlier this morning. While it was something extremely unexpected, it was also something cherishable.

Roxanne Wolf, the band's keytar player, the mascot of Roxy Raceway, and an animatronic wolf had kissed me on the cheek. While it was a bit different from receiving a kiss from a person, it was still a kiss nonetheless. It was a big deal for me as I had never been kissed by a girl before in my life. It was both very weird and special at the same time. It was weird since it was an animatronic that kissed me on the cheek, but it was also special since it was my first one.

As I thought about the kiss Roxanne had given me, I couldn't help but think if that was something Roxanne ever did with anyone. If anything, has she ever kissed someone on the cheek before. For some odd reason, I didn't think so. I might be overthinking things, but I couldn't help but feel like I was the first one she ever did that to. Maybe it was because I had never seen her do it with anyone else or even displayed any sign of affection towards her friends.

If Roxanne had kissed someone on the cheek before, I wasn't going to allow myself to become jealous. Jealousy is a very ugly and dangerous feeling that can turn your life upside down. If you let it consume you entirely, it can turn you into something you're not and lead you to make decisions that you would regret later for the rest of your life. That was something I didn't want to happen.

Then, I thought about how she has been rarely acting like her usual self, like the confident and narcissistic wolf she was mentioned to be by Kyle during the interview a few days prior. I couldn't help but think that Roxanne kissing me on the cheek was something that would be something that many would call 'uncharacteristic'. However, it did add more evidence of the possibility of her possessing a crush on me. It did seem damning, but it still wasn't enough to confirm it.

I also couldn't help but think that her possessing such feelings for me was a bit too fast. Maybe her harboring such feelings was a result of me showing the wolf kindness and love, something that none of the previous guards had displayed or given her for so long. That was going to be a big problem as the intense emotions she must be feeling might blind and cloud her judgment. Worse, it might make her do things that she would never do. I didn't have a problem with people harboring such a crush on someone, but they should at the very least maintain control of themselves.

Now thinking about that, I realized that for the last few days since working here, Roxanne hasn't been invading my thoughts as she had the first time that I first saw her. To be honest, I had no idea why that was the case, but to be quite frank, I was very glad as my mind didn't feel like it was getting invaded by thoughts of her.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt something tap me on the right shoulder. I yelped, jumped back, and balled my hands into fists, ready to punch whoever it was that touched me. Kyle was standing there and giving me a funny look.

I sighed in relief before glaring at him slightly.

"What is up with people trying to give me a heart attack?" I growled. "What the balls."

Kyle chuckled. "Sorry about that. I was preparing to leave when I saw you standing here still as a statue. You looked like you were thinking very deeply about something. What were you thinking about?"

I began to think over my decision carefully. I could tell Kyle that Roxanne and I had tried to get to know each other while I was making my rounds while leaving out the last part about Roxanne kissing me on the cheek. There was no way that I was going to tell him that. No need to embarrass Roxanne by telling him that part. In my own eyes, that would be both disrespectful and unnecessary.

I mentally sighed, having made my decision. I looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"Well," I began, "earlier this morning, I bumped into Roxanne in the Lobby where she proceeded to ask me if she could join me on my rounds. I told her that she could, and when we got to Rockstar Row, we both took that opportunity to try getting to know each other a little bit better. It went pretty well."

Kyle smiled and my smile grew slightly in response. "That's great to hear that it went well. Did anything else happen?"

Uh oh. I was hoping Kyle wouldn't ask that question, but of course, luck wasn't on my side.

"Um, no, nothing else happened," I replied reluctantly. He arched an eyebrow at me, his smile turning into a smirk. A wave of unease washed over me.

"Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure," I replied firmly.

"That's not what Roxy told me," he added. I felt my heart drop a bit. I began to hope that Roxanne didn't mention to Kyle about what she did earlier this morning. "Roxy told me earlier today that she kissed you on the cheek before heading to her raceway. Is that true?"

I felt my cheeks grow hot at the question. I couldn't believe that she did that. I felt a rush of anger and gladness flow through me. I was glad that Roxanne didn't end up being the one to get embarrassed, but I was angry that I ended up being the one getting embarrassed. However, it was also secretly a relief that the kiss didn't have to be kept a secret.

I felt my cheeks return to normal before I let out a sigh.

"Yes, it's true," I replied while looking down at the floor. "While I did like it, I'll be honest, I feel like it's going too fast. I don't want her emotions to get the best of her and have them make her think something that isn't true."

I waited for what he was going to do next. I didn't know what I was expecting, but I didn't care what it would be.

Nothing happened.

After a while of nothing happening, I looked up to see that his smirk turned into a warm smile. He rested his left hand on my shoulder and made eye contact with me.

"Mihael, let me tell you something," he said. "I think it's nice that Roxy has someone she can connect with and get along with. For so long, she's been miserable and while she does have her friends and her fans, she's secretly wished for something more.

"Mihael, you have no idea how much happier Roxy's been ever since you apologized to her and accepted her invite for a solo performance. Roxy has been dealing with people who hate her and tried to harm her for a very long time. Now that you've come and given her what she's desired for so long, all she ever talks and thinks about is you. She genuinely likes you and while I do think that it's happening a little too fast, I can tell that, despite her being an animatronic designed to express and feel emotions, her feelings are both true and real. She wouldn't have done what she did earlier if her feelings were all just part of her programming."

His expression became soft. "Mihael, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for Roxy so far. All I ask is that you continue to be there for her and give her a chance. Who knows, maybe something might come out of it all."

I stared at Kyle thoughtfully as his words sunk in. Though I didn't want to rush things way too quickly, I didn't think I could bring myself to say no to giving Roxanne a chance. I agreed with him on one thing; she wouldn't have kissed me on the left cheek and behaved the way she did if it was all a result of her programming. If it was, then the entire situation would've been completely different than what it is now, and my feelings towards it would've been different too.

Kyle was right; I couldn't deny that. I sighed mentally and nodded my head.

"Okay, Kyle," I said. "I'll give it a go."

A smile spread across his face, and I couldn't help but smile too.

"Great to hear," he said. "Well, I'm heading out. You have a good and fun night, Mihael."

"You too, Kyle," I said and with that, Kyle walked away and stepped out of the Pizzaplex. I didn't move from my spot as I thought about it all.

It was crazy to think that I was giving Roxanne a chance, considering that she was an animatronic mascot and I was a human being. While I was afraid of what society might feel or do, the least I could do was try and if it didn't work out, it didn't work out. All that mattered was that I at least tried and that's what counted.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly. I turned to see Roxanne smiling warmly at me. I relaxed instantly.

"Hey, Roxanne," I said with a smile. She smiled in response.

"Hey, Mihael," she said cheerfully. I took notice of her tail wagging happily again. While it may slowly become annoying to some people upon seeing someone's tail wag happily every time, to me, I found it to be very cute. "How was the rest of your day?"

"It was pretty good," I replied, the smile still on my face. "What about you?"

She beamed brightly at the question. I guess she likes it when I ask her about her day. I mean, who wouldn't? It was the polite thing to do when you are close to someone, so there was no harm in asking.

"It was great!" she exclaimed happily. "But it's gonna be even better now that you're staying for the night!"

"I assume that you came to let me know that it's finally time for game night," I guessed, already knowing the reason why she was here, to begin with.

She nodded excitedly. "Yep. My friends are waiting for us at Monty's Gator Golf to begin game night."

I smiled at this. The idea of starting game night with something that was relaxing appealed to me. Then after playing golf, then I would be ready to do something that was less relaxing.

However, at the same time, I couldn't help but remember what she had told me earlier this morning about this one time during game night, she had gotten so mad that she smashed a golf club in half. According to her, Montgomery still hasn't gotten over it. Thinking about it more thoroughly, this gave me the idea that Roxanne was the type to rage at something not going her way or at something going wrong. That was something I had to keep a close eye on.

"You know, it's funny that you mention that," I said. Roxanne looked at me confused.

"Huh, why?" she asked.

"I remember how you said that you didn't have the best luck in golf, and how you smashed a golf club in half when you got so frustrated at the game," I replied. "Why do you continue to play something that just makes you angry and do things like that?"

If Roxanne was a living creature, she no doubt would have blushed red at what I said. She crossed her arms and pouted angrily. It took all I had to keep myself from laughing at her reaction.

"Does it matter?" she challenged.

"A little bit," I replied with a smirk. "It sounds to me that you are playing something that you're not having fun playing."

"I am having fun when I play golf with my friends," Roxanne argued. "Is it wrong for me to play golf with my friends?"

"I never said that it was wrong," I said quickly, raising my hands defensively. "The thing is that when you get angry playing a game, it can affect others around you. Have you ever considered how your raging playing golf has affected your friends? I am asking you this because I know from past experience."

That was true. Back when my family and I had game night, I had very bad rage when it came to certain games. While we did have fun for the most part, when I raged, it wasn't funny. Whenever I thought about those moments, I would mentally face-palm at how stupid and ridiculous I acted back then.

I remember how I used to scream and fly into a rage when playing Uno with my family. Whenever I didn't have the color card in my hands, I would have to draw a card from the deck. My family would laugh in good humor as I drew card after card. In the end, after drawing my 14th or 15th card, I would snap and then scream in rage. In a fit of rage, I would grab the deck and then throw the cards, as well as the ones in my hands, to the ground and then walk away before coming back and repeatedly stomping my foot on the cards. My father always ended up being the one to drag me from the dining room as I glared at the cards lying on the floor. After it happened for like the 15th time, we stopped playing Uno because I took the fun away from it. I still felt guilty for how I behaved and learned from that experience soon after.

Roxanne thought about the question for a moment, the pout leaving her face with her arms still crossed. Eventually, she sighed and made eye contact with me.

"I have," she admitted reluctantly. "But we laugh about it and still have fun in the end."

While I didn't show it, I was both happy and proud of the response. I wished that it was like that whenever my family and I played Uno. She and her friends definitely handle things better from the sounds of it. That was something to admire.

"Well, that's good to hear," I said. "So, we better get going. Better not keep your friends waiting."

"I agree," she said. "I'll lead you to Monty's attraction."

"Lead the way," I said. Roxanne nodded and with that, she led me to the elevator. When the doors slid open, I gestured for Roxanne to step in first, to which she did. I followed after her and the doors closed, the elevator taking us to our destination.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. We stepped out of the elevator with Roxanne in the lead. She gestured for me to follow her. I nodded and she began leading me to Monty's Gator Golf. As we inched closer to the metal door for Monty's Gator Golf, I couldn't help but get a bad feeling. Not the kind of feeling where there was danger up ahead, but more like the feeling that something very bad was going to happen.

I tried my best to push this feeling away, but it still lingered very stubbornly. I couldn't help but feel like it might have had something to do with the knowledge of Roxanne's rage toward golf. The feeling was telling me to try convincing the wolf to try something different to start game night. However, I decided against it.

Once we both reached the metal door that led into the attraction, it slowly lifted. The anticipation slowly began to build up and I could feel my legs turn into jelly. I did my very best to keep myself under control and not give into the feeling. It was all so ridiculous for me to feel the way I did and I didn't want to alert Roxanne of how I was feeling at the moment. I didn't want to worry her.

The door fully raised and we stepped inside. Once inside, I surveyed the surroundings and the layout of what I presumed to be the lobby for the attraction. The lobby was jungle-themed with a merry-go-round with the seats in the form of golf balls and fake plants. The carpet of the Lobby was dark green with Montgomery's face and stars imprinted on it. At the far end of the room was an elevator that I presumed led to the golf course.

Standing in the Lobby waiting for us were Freddy, Chica, and a very annoyed-looking Montgomery. Freddy and Chica both had a smile on their faces as we walked over to them. Montgomery, on the other hand, just gave us a hard glare.

"It's about time you two showed up," he said, his tone sounding very annoyed. "What took you two so long?"

Roxanne and I chuckled, the wolf rubbing the back of her head with a hand while I just smiled at him. Montgomery waited impatiently for one of us to answer, so I decided that I would be the one to explain. But before I could do anything, Chica stood beside Montgomery and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to face her.

"Monty, there's no need to get so annoyed," Chica soothed. "They must have gotten caught up on something."

"Which they could've done on the way," Montgomery interjected. I knew I had to step in. While it didn't seem that it was going to go ugly, I knew that it all could go downhill very quickly.

"We were just talking, Montgomery," I replied. "There's nothing wrong with two friends just chatting for a bit, right?"

Roxanne immediately stopped rubbing the back of her head and slowly turned her head to look at me with shock. I saw this in the corner of my eye. I, on the other hand, was shocked at what I just said, though I didn't show it. To be honest, I really did see Roxanne as a friend, and it was a really good feeling. Is that what it felt like to have a friend? If so, then wow.

Montgomery turned to face me and huffed. "No, I guess not, but please try to get here much faster next time?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry, we will remember next time, big guy."

Montgomery's mood changed and I saw a smirk spread across his face. I think he found it amusing that I called him 'big guy'. At least he was in a better mood than he was just seconds ago.

I clapped my hands and rubbed them together to make myself look very confident, despite the fact that I was panicking on the inside though I wasn't showing it. "So, are we ready to play some golf?"

The five of us entered the main attraction, which like the lobby, was all jungle-themed with some alligator props that made sounds that were that of a real alligator and some cutouts. There were huts at certain parts of the attraction with a huge bucket that had to be filled with God knows what.

I had to admit; the alligator props kind of scared me. I didn't like how they made those loud growls and snarls like how a real alligator would. I almost shat myself when one of the big ones did it all of a sudden, catching me off guard. I jumped back and yelped loudly in both surprise and fear. I had no idea how kids could come here and not crap or even piss themselves, but to be honest, it was bizarre. They have a lot more balls than me, something to respect greatly and even admire as well.

It really didn't help when Montgomery began laughing at me and at my reaction.

"What, are you scared of some silly props, Mihael?" he teased, which I didn't find to be amusing. I glared at him.

"It's not funny, Montgomery," I growled through my teeth. "I really don't like how those props make those sounds. It makes me think that something's going to come out and attack me."

"They're just props, Mihael," Montgomery pointed out with a smirk on his face. "They're not going to hurt anyone."

"Unless you're unfortunate enough to fall into their mouths and they crush your skull," I pointed out.

"Which has never happened before," he retorted.

"Guys, can we please not fight?" Chica pleaded. From how she said that I can assume that she was the type that didn't like conflict.

We both nodded and after a short walk, we made it to Hole #1. The course itself was rectangular shaped with a small bridge in the center of it.

"I'm going to get us each a golf club and a golf ball," Montgomery said. "I'll be back."

We nodded. With that, Montgomery headed off to retrieve each of us a golf ball and club. As we waited, I noticed that Roxanne was growing a bit anxious. I had a feeling that it might have something to do with her fear of me seeing her raging at the game. Probably thinking that I was going to avoid her if I saw it.

I rested a hand on her shoulder, the sudden contact making her flinch slightly. She turned her head to face me and I gave her a warm smile.

"Don't worry," I said softly. "Everything's going to be okay."

She smiled at me, thankful for my attempt to reassure her. I was glad that it helped her. I didn't want her to worry about anything terrible happening.

"I'm back!" Montgomery announced. We looked to see the alligator with golf clubs and golf balls in his hands. He handed us each our own golf club and ball. "Ready to rock and roll?"

We all nodded and with that, Montgomery went first, now starting the game. He placed his golf ball down on the ground, taking a step back. He readied his golf club, swinging it back and forth slightly. With a decent swing, the golf ball began rolling down the course. It crossed the bridge, inching its way closer to the hole.

'He's going to get it on his first try,' I thought to myself. Turns out, I was right. After a moment, the ball reached the small hole and fell in.

"Hole-in-one!" he exclaimed victoriously. We all clapped our hands for him. "Your turn, Freddy."

Freddy stepped up, readied his ball, and hit it. Just like Montgomery, he got a hole-in-one. After Freddy, it was Chica's turn. It was a very close one as the ball looked like it wasn't going to fall in. With a stroke of luck, it fell in and we cheered for her.

It was Roxanne's turn. The wolf hesitated for a brief moment before she stepped over to the course. She placed her ball on the ground and readied herself. After a moment, she hit the ball with the club. The golf began rolling down the course, all of us watching it. It crossed the bridge, inching its way closer to the hole.

'Get a hole-in-one,' I thought to myself. I prayed that she was going to get one like her friends.

The ball finally reached the hole. I crossed my fingers, hoping for the best. As if my prayers had been answered, the golf ball fell into the hole. I cheered loudly for her as she stared in surprise.

"You got a hole-in-one, Roxanne!" I cheered. "Wonderful job!"

She turned to face me, smiling sheepishly. "Thanks, Mihael. Now, it's your turn."

I took a deep breath and took Roxanne's spot. I placed the ball on the floor and readied my golf club. When I was ready, I hit the little ball with the club. It repeated what its predecessors did and reached the hole. As if to mock me, the ball rolled around the hole. I stared at it with wide eyes while Montgomery was laughing loudly at me in the background.

"You've got to be kidding me," I said deadpanned. Roxanne rested her right hand on my shoulder. I looked to see a reassuring smile on her face.

"You still did good," she said. I smiled.

"Thanks," I said. Then, something strange happened.

It happened so fast. As her smile grew slightly, something flashed in her eyes. I wasn't quite sure, but it looked as though her yellow eyes had changed color. Before I knew it, her eyes were normal.

She must've seen something on my face because her smile weakened just a little bit.

"Mihael?" Roxanne asked. I snapped out of it. I gave her my best fake smile so as to not arouse any suspicion.

"It's nothing," I said. "Let's continue playing."

She eyed me for a moment, trying to see if I was hiding something. I hoped that she wouldn't see through the lie.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "If you say."

I mentally sighed in relief, happy that she didn't see through it. As we walked to the next hole, I swear I saw her eyes flashing. Something was very wrong. I could feel it.

The game was going somewhat smooth and I was honestly having a good time. Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery were enjoying themselves as well. Roxanne, on the other hand, apparently wasn't. Just like she said to me earlier this morning, she didn't have the best luck while playing golf. Whenever things didn't go her way, Roxanne would get angry and yell. I always tried my best to calm her down. Seeing the wolf getting more and more frustrated as the game progressed was making me more and more worried as I tried my best to calm her down, but it did little to help.

While we played, I could've sworn that her eyes were flashing; like they were changing color, but it just happened so fast that I couldn't be too sure. I was hoping that I was seeing things as seeing her eyes flashing like that reminded me of that horrible nightmare I had a few nights ago. I didn't want to seem like I was crazy, so I didn't really say anything.

We were at the 17th hole, and it was Roxanne's turn. We watched as she softly hit the ball with the club. The golf ball rolled slowly and was inching its way closer to the hole. Anticipation overwhelmed us as the ball was only 2 inches away from the hole. I hoped that the golf ball would fall into the hole, and she would get her second hole-in-one.

But that didn't happen. Instead of falling into the hole, the ball rolled around the edges and away from the hole about 2 inches. Roxanne stared at the golf ball for a moment before an expression of pure rage formed on her face. She screamed in pure fury and aggressively threw the golf club to the floor. She was breathing very heavily, her body trembling with her hands clenched into fists.

I had to do something. She was clearly getting very upset and looked as though she was going to snap at any moment. If I didn't, things were only going to get worse; something that I didn't want to happen. I walked over to her and placed a hand on her right shoulder. She quickly snapped her head in my direction. Her expression softened just a little bit, but the rage still remained.

"Roxanne, I think you should take a break," I suggested. "I can see that you're just inches away from snapping and I don't want you to do something you might regret."

Roxanne looked away, the wolf showing signs of trying to keep herself under control. I could tell that she didn't want to walk away, but at the same time, she knew that I was right. The only thing was that she didn't want to admit to my face that I was right. I hoped that she would take my advice.

Roxanne sighed and looked me in the eyes, her expression much calmer than it was just seconds ago.

"Okay, I will," she said reluctantly. "I'll be back in a few."

"Take all the time you need," I encouraged. She smiled at me before she walked away to take said break. I looked to see the others smiling at me. I smiled back in response.

"I have to say; you've got guts, kid," Montgomery complimented. "I thought she was going to tear you to shreds."

"Hey, someone's got to do something to keep her from doing something stupid, so I did what I had to do," I said. I frowned. "It's upsetting to see her not enjoying herself and getting angry. Reminds me of how I acted when things didn't go my way during game night."

Freddy walked over to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. He smiled at me warmly. I allowed a warm smile to form on my face.

"That's very thoughtful of you that you care about her," Freddy said. "It takes a lot for her to swallow her pride and step away. Thank you, Mihael."

"It was no trouble at all, Freddy," I said. "I saw how close she was from snapping. I didn't want her to do something she would regret, so I did what I had to do."

"At least Roxy didn't snap the golf club in half like she did the last time," Montgomery grumbled.

"Monty!" Chica snapped, which got us to laugh. I remembered that she mentioned how Montgomery still hadn't gotten over the time she snapped a golf club in half during one game night. Looks like-

"AHHHHHH!" suddenly came a loud scream, cutting our laughter short. We snapped our heads in the direction of the scream, all four of us instantly recognizing the source of the scream.

"Roxanne!" we all cried out in sheer panic. The four of us ran in the direction Roxanne went, fearing that something happened to her.

We reached the hallway that led to the elevator and saw Roxanne on her knees, clutching the sides of her head with her hands. I heard her friends sigh in relief to see that she was okay. I, on the other hand, didn't. A powerful feeling of danger swept through me seeing her like that. Something wasn't right.

"Roxy," Freddy said, his tone filled with relief as he began taking a step forward. "I'm so glad that you're-"

I instantly placed a hand on his right arm, stopping the bear mascot from taking another step forward.

"Don't," I warned him sternly. "Something's wrong. Very wrong."

We continued to watch Roxanne, waiting to see if the wolf would do something. My ears picked up the increasing volume of menacing growls coming from the wolf. My heart began beating in my chest as it became angrier and louder.

Slowly, as if she were trying to scare us, she removed her hands from her head and got back up on her feet. A very low, deep, blood-chilling growl emitted from the wolf as she turned her head in our direction. I felt my blood turn to ice at what I saw.

Instead of the normal yellow color, Roxanne's eyes were that familiar glowing light purple that I had seen in my nightmare. Fight-or-flight instincts were kicking in as she slowly turned around to face us. She trained her eyes on me, the urge to run beginning to overwhelm me. My eyes were welling up with tears as the fear grew. She bared her teeth at me like a rabid dog as she flexed her fingers like the wolf mascot was extracting her claws, ready to attack.

"Roxy…" Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery said at the same time, their voices holding traces of unease and fear. I didn't know whether it was from seeing her purple eyes or her stance, but from whatever it was, I think they could see that something was wrong.

"I've been waiting for you… Patel," she said suddenly, a dark edge in her voice. I felt my heart skip a beat upon hearing this. "You won't get away this time. You… will… DIE!"

Without warning, Roxanne charged at me with sudden speed, her arms outstretched. Before any of us could react, she leaped at me, tackling me to the ground. She pinned me to the ground and gave me the most smile I've ever seen. She wrapped her hands around my neck, preventing me from breathing. I choked as I tried to get her hands off my neck, it did nothing.

"Get… off…" I choked as I balled a hand into a fist and swung as hard as I could. My fist struck her on her left cheek. She yelped as she let go of my neck. With everything I got, I threw her off me as I got back on my feet.

Roxanne rolled on the ground for a second before she too got back on her feet. She growled angrily, baring her teeth at me as she charged at me again. She pulled her right arm back and swung it with sudden quickness. Hot pain shot through the side of my face as her lime green claws slashed at my skin. I cried out before something hard struck me on the other side of the head.

I fell onto my stomach with a loud thud. Then, everything went black…

I slowly returned to consciousness, while also being aware of a sharp pain emitting from both sides of my head. As I did, my ears picked up a noise coming from some point wherever I was. At first, the noise was muffled so I couldn't make it out. Slowly, the noise became clearer as I opened and closed my eyes repeatedly. When I fully returned, I was able to fully make out what the noise was. I felt my heart shatter at the sound; it was the unmistakable sound of someone sobbing loudly and hysterically.

I opened my eyes one last time to find myself in some room that I didn't recognize at first. I rolled my eyes to survey my surroundings and found that I was lying down on my back on a familiar purple couch. I moved my head slightly in the direction of the noise to find out the source.

Roxanne Wolf was sitting on the chair facing the mirror, both of her hands over her eyes sobbing loudly and hysterically. Freddy and Chica were standing beside her and doing their absolute best to comfort her while Montgomery was standing over me with his body turned slightly to watch. It didn't take me long to realize that we were all in Roxanne's green room.

I didn't want them to know I was awake yet, so I closed my eyes and waited. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but I guess I was going to find out.

"I don't know what happened!" Roxanne cried out in anguish. "All I remember was leaving to take a break and after that, nothing! When I came to, Monty had me pinned down and Mihael was lying on the ground out cold with blood pouring down the side of his face!"

I stiffened upon hearing this, but I did my very best so as to not make too much noise or move too much, alerting them to my being awake. I wanted to know more as to what happened.

"It's not your fault, Roxy," Freddy spoke softly. "Mihael won't blame you for what happened."

"Yes, he will!" she cried out. "I attacked him, Freddy! I almost killed him! You, Chica, and Monty said it yourselves! He'll never forgive me! He'll hate me!"

I heard Roxanne break down, sobbing hysterically. As much as I wanted to go comfort her, I felt the need to wait a little longer. I wanted to hear what was going to happen next, to hear if one of her friends will try to comfort her before I make a move.

As for her saying that I would never forgive her and hate her for what happened; she was wrong. I knew that what happened wasn't really her fault. Something took control of her, forcing her to try and kill me. It would be unfair and unjust for me to hate her for something she had no control over. It was wrong.

"Roxy poo, I doubt he'll hate you," Chica soothed. "Monty, has Mihael woken up yet?"

There was a moment of silence. Though my eyes were closed, Montgomery might be checking to see if I was awake. I did my best as to not show any signs that I was awake. I really wanted to know more and hear if any of her friends will try.

"No, he's not awake," Montgomery announced. Roxanne proceeded to sob hysterically again, though harsher and harder than before.

"Roxy, don't worry," Freddy said softly. "Mihael will wake up soon. I know he will."

"Freddy, it's been over 7 hours!" Roxanne exclaimed. "I did this to him! Oh, what have I done?!"

I couldn't take it anymore. Hearing all of this, there was no sign of her getting better. Something told me that the only way she was going to get better was if I woke up. I had to do it; it was me that Roxanne was most worried about. Enough was enough.

I groaned as I slowly sat up on the couch, the pain in my head making me cringe. Everyone stiffened at the sound and then turned their heads in my direction. Roxanne gasped loudly as she removed her hands from her eyes. She snapped her head in my direction and made eye contact with me. I was relieved to see that her eyes were their normal yellow color instead of that purple. I positioned myself to where I was now sitting down on my butt.

"Mihael!" she shouted loudly, her tone filled with relief and regret. She leaped off the chair and charged over to me where she proceeded to hug me tightly. "Mihael, I'm so glad you're okay! I don't know what came over me!"

I returned the hug as I began rubbing her back. Roxanne sobbed while I tried my best to comfort the wolf. Her body spasmed as she violently hiccuped. I looked to the others to see them watching the whole thing with frowns on their faces. I knew that it was now up to me to help comfort their distressed friend.

I leaned as close as I could to her ear. "Roxanne, I don't hate you for what happened."

Roxanne gasped upon hearing my words. She released me from the hug as she gripped the head of the couch with her hands. I released her from the hug as well. She looked me in the eyes with disbelief on her face, her cheeks stained with oil.

"You're lying," she said, shaking her head. "You do hate me. You're only saying that because you don't want to make me feel bad."

"I'm not lying, Roxanne," I insisted. "I really don't hate you. None of what happened is your fault."

She squeezed her eyes tightly, her jaw clenched tightly and her body shaking with emotion. I could hear the head of the couch creaking, possibly from how hard her hands were gripping it. Oil began welling in her eyes as she began shaking her head.

I frowned. "Roxanne…"

"You're lying!" she cried out in denial. She looked me in the eyes. "I almost killed you! How can you just say that you don't hate me and you forgive me for what I've done?! Tell me how you can just do that, Mihael! TELL ME!"

I watched as the oily tears began trailing down her face. None of us did anything. We continued to maintain eye contact with each other. It was easy. That was something I could easily explain to her.

I raised my right hand, slowly reaching for her left cheek. Her eyes darted to my hand reaching for it, but she didn't do anything. My hand made contact with her cheek, where I began rubbing it softly. Her eyes then darted back to me, maintaining that eye contact.

I smiled warmly. "Because I know you wouldn't do something like that out of your own free will."

Roxanne gasped loudly, her eyes going wide in response. She remained like that for a moment before she squeezed her eyes tightly, her lower jaw quivering. Low whimpers escaped from the wolf as she took in what I said.

Suddenly, Roxanne wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly once again. I remained still for a brief moment before wrapping my own arms around her, returning the hug. I rubbed her back as she began sobbing once again. I looked at her friends to see them smiling warmly. I knew that everything was going to be okay.

It took a moment for Roxanne to regain control of herself, as well as her emotions. She stopped crying and hiccupped a few times. We released each other from the tight hug, the both of us making eye contact with each other yet again.

"Mihael…" Roxanne began. "I don't know what to say. I really thought that you would hate me, never forgive me. I'm so happy that you don't hate me…"

She smiled warmly at me, to which I smiled too. Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery stood beside her with smiles on their faces.

"See Roxy poo, we told you everything will be okay," Chica said. "I'm glad there was a happy ending."

I smiled at this. That was when I remembered that we were having game night. There was no way that I was going to allow this night to end on a bad note. Might as well have it end on a good note instead.

"Speaking of a happy ending, Chica," I began, the smile still on my face, "are we still up for game night?"

Author's Note:

Here it is guys, the eleventh chapter of Robotic Love! :D

This was the most challenging and longest chapter I've written so far with a total of 7,122 words! What did you guys think of how I handled that brief moment of the two of them getting into a brief scuffle? This was to foreshadow that this will become a problem in the mere future, as well as a part of the plot where his desire to discover the truth will soon involve her.

That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, all constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys in Chapter Twelve! :)