CHAPTER THIRTEEN: MOTHER AND SON

I was slowly brought back to consciousness by the feeling of something or someone shaking me. It wasn't violent or rude shaking; it was more of a gentle shake, the kind that was enough to wake you up from a deep sleep. I couldn't tell if who or whatever it was that was shaking me was a person or one of the mascots.

"Mihael… Mihael, wake up," whispered a familiar voice. I groaned as I opened my eyes to see the blurry face of a figure.

I yawned as I rubbed my eyes to get rid of the fog. After a moment, I sat up and stretched to get the blood flowing. Now awake, I opened my eyes and looked to see Roxanne Wolf standing there with a smile on her face. At first, I was confused as to what she was doing here. That was when the memories of last night came flooding back to me.

I smiled a small smile. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning, big shot," she replied, showing no reaction to me calling her 'beautiful'. Deep down, I was surprised at myself for even calling her that. "How'd you sleep?"

As soon as that question came out of her mouth, I realized that, like that day of my first night shift on the job at the Pizzaplex, I didn't wake up screaming from a nightmare. Now that I think about that more clearly, I haven't had a nightmare in the last 2 nights, now 3 if I'm counting last night. A powerful sense of joy flowed through me. I had no idea why they weren't plaguing me now after that nightmare I had a few nights prior, but I wasn't complaining. It was the best thing that could happen to me.

My smile grew slightly. "I slept pretty well. Your couch makes for a pretty nice bed. I'm surprised I didn't ask for a pillow or a blanket as I am typically the kind of guy that prefers to sleep with a pillow and blanket."

She chuckled. "I was surprised that you didn't ask for any of those things as well. Usually, the couches in our green rooms were made just for me and my friends to sit on. They aren't made to be slept on, but I wasn't going to have you sleep on the floor, so that's why I offered if you wanted to sleep on the couch."

"That's really nice of you, Roxanne," I complimented. "How'd the rest of your night go?"

"It went by okay," she replied. "Not long after you fell fast asleep, I talked with Freddy, Chica, and Monty about what happened and how you mentioned my eyes being purple instead of yellow."

"And what did they say?" I asked curiously. Something in my gut told me they had to have seen it. There was no way that they didn't notice it. If I was somehow the only one who noticed that difference when it happened, then wow.

She paused for a moment. "They said that they didn't notice until I was readying myself to attack you."

I nodded, relieved that I wasn't the only one who had noticed. At the same time, I wouldn't blame them if they didn't notice. Sometimes when you're afraid, you don't notice some things as the only thing kicking in is the instinct to run away and survive. It didn't surprise me that I saw the change in her eyes much quicker than the others. Either way, I was glad that they noticed.

"Did they say anything else?" I asked. Roxanne paused for a moment, though there was something in her eyes that I couldn't make out.

"No," she said, reluctance in her tone and her face frowning. I eyed her for a moment. To me, it looked like she was hiding something, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to get her to tell me.

"What did you do after you talked with your friends?" I asked.

The smile returned. "Remember that we were talking about setting up a time and date for our date?"

My smile grew just a little bit more, remembering that part of the conversation entirely. This was going to be my first date with a girl, and it seems that it was going to be Roxanne's first time going out on a date as well. That made this much more special.

"Yes, I remember," I replied. "I did say that I was going to think about where we can go."

She chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that. I have a place in mind."

"Where would that be?" I asked, interested in hearing what she picked for our first date.

"Have you ever heard of El Chip's?" she asked. I shook my head since I'd never heard of the place until she mentioned it. "It's this small Mexican buffet that's on the 3rd floor of the Pizzaplex. I don't know if you even like Mexican food, but I felt that it would be the perfect place to go for our first date."

My smile grew a bit, liking the choice of place Roxanne had picked. I wasn't aware of all of the Mexican foods out there, but I was aware of the most common ones; tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and nachos. Nachos are my favorite dish, so I hoped that was something they sold at that restaurant.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, hopeful.

"I think that's a great choice, Roxanne," I replied. Roxanne beamed brightly at my response, her tail wagging happily.

"When do you think will be the perfect time and day for us to have our date?" she asked. I began to think it over.

Since she picked out the place, I thought it would be best to have it tonight. I wasn't an expert on dates and what was the perfect time for a date, but honestly, it wouldn't be right to have it at another time and day when we could have it tonight. I also hoped that what happened last night wouldn't happen during our date.

Thinking about that right now, I couldn't help but wonder if whatever it was that took hold of Roxanne had anything to do with what happened to all of those missing kids, including my sister. There was no other reason as to why that happened. Eyes can't change color like that and the fact that when she said those familiar words that were spoken to me in my nightmare, her voice had that dark edge to it. It was like she was possessed or something.

Now thinking about those kids, as well as my little sister, I had to keep Roxanne from getting involved. But, the thing was that she might be involved in a way since the wolf mascot was temporarily taken over by something pure evil. I knew that trying to find a way to keep her from getting involved was going to be difficult, as well as hoped that what happened last night wouldn't repeat.

I mentally sighed, keeping the smile on my face. I looked Roxanne in the eyes, the wolf mascot patiently waiting for an answer. I might as well think about it later. I could only hope that I wouldn't forget it again.

"How about we have our date tonight?" I suggested. The wolf beamed a bit more brightly at the suggestion.

"That sounds wonderful!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I can't wait!"

"Me too," I said, still smiling. Then, I saw movement in the corner of my eye. I looked to see Kyle standing about 2 feet away from us.

"Oh, hey Kyle," I said as I instantly hopped off the couch and walked over to him. "How are you?"

"Good," he replied. A warm smile formed on his face. "Looks like you and Roxy are preparing for when you two are going out on your little date. I'm happy for the both of you."

I stared at him in slight shock. Hearing him say that, something told me that Kyle had been there the whole time, seeing us preparing a time and date for me and Roxanne to have our date. However, I did remember that Roxanne said that she would tell him what happened, so that might explain how he knew, but was there when we were preparing for it.

I snapped out of my shock and smiled. "Thanks, Kyle. Roxanne and I are pretty excited about it."

"I bet," he replied.

"So, am I in trouble for sleeping on the job?" I asked. Even though Roxanne said that she would tell him, I wanted to know if I really was or not. Never hurts to ask.

He shook his head. "No, you're not. Roxy told me everything about what happened and said that you were sleeping in her green room. And with that blood-soaked bandage on your left cheek, that's more proof of what happened."

My smile faded. I was confused by what he meant by that. Wanting to see what he was talking about, I walked over to the vanity mirror and looked. I was shocked by what I saw.

On my left cheek was a bandage that was nearly soaked in blood from when Roxanne cut me with her claws. I removed the bandage and nearly cringed. There were 3 long slashes that went vertically down my face. I knew that Roxanne slashed my cheek, but I had no idea that she got me that good. Luckily, the slashes didn't look bad enough to where I would need stitches, so that was a plus. Either way, whatever it was that took over Roxanne got me pretty good, and by that, I mean got me pretty bad.

I looked away from the mirror, and at Roxanne. The wolf had a guilty look on her face while looking down at the floor. Seeing this, I hoped that she wasn't attacking herself for what happened to my left cheek, even after telling her that it wasn't her fault.

"Roxanne, it wasn't your fault," I said, trying my best to reassure the poor wolf.

"I know," she whimpered. "It doesn't help to know that it was my own claws that hurt you."

"Don't worry about it," I urged. "My face will heal. Yes, it will be a big pain in the butt to deal with in the meantime, but I know it'll heal in no time." I smirked. "I might have to be called 'Scarface' for the time being."

My attempt at humor didn't help as it made her feel more guilty. Why can't I just think before something stupid like that? Stuff like that will get me in trouble. Besides, it got me in trouble the first time, and it nearly resulted in me getting pounded to a pulp.

"Roxanne, I was only kidding," I said. "I didn't mean for it to upset you like that. I was trying to lighten the mood… by telling a very bad joke."

She didn't say anything. God, please don't tell me that there will be a repeat of what happened on my first night on the job. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked to see Kyle with a reassuring smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Mihael, we know you were just joking," he said with a reassuring tone. "Roxy's not used to light jokes after… you know…"

I quickly understood. "It's okay, Kyle. I understand."

"Well, you better head home," Kyle said. "Have to get ready for your date with Roxy tonight."

I smiled and with that, I walked away from the mirror. The door slid open, allowing me to leave the room. I was about to head out when I heard a voice call out from behind me.

"Mihael, wait!" I turned to see Roxanne walking over to me with her right hand held out. "I want to ask you something real quick."

I turned my body around. "What is it that you want to ask?"

"It's about your parents," she replied.

I looked at her curiously. "What about them?"

"When your parents go out on their dates, do they wear anything good-looking or fancy?" she asked.

I thought that over. My father would wear a really nice looking suit, while my mother wore a dress. Every time they went out, they all would wear the same kind of clothing, except the style would look different. Even as a kid, my parents looked very good in them. They were the kind that would make even the entitled parents jealous.

"Well, my father wore a suit and my mother wore a dress," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

She instantly became shy, putting her hands behind her back and her tail tucked between her legs. Seeing this, I understood the reasoning for the question. To be honest, I didn't want Roxanne to go the extra mile to make herself look good to me. I wouldn't bother with getting a suit for myself as we weren't planning on having our date at a fancy restaurant. If we were, I would bother with getting a suit.

I smiled at her. "Let me tell you something, Roxanne. If the both of us were going somewhere fancy, that would be the case. If you want to hear my honest opinion, be yourself."

She stared at me with surprise. "Be myself? What do you mean?"

"What I mean is don't change the way you look just to impress me," I replied. "Go out as yourself. As Roxanne Wolf. Let your real self out there. I may not be an expert on dating or going out on dates, but I do know that being someone or something else doesn't make things very romantic. Be yourself, Roxanne. That's what I believe."

She stared at me for a long period of time, seemingly shocked beyond belief and standing still like a statue. After a moment, she went into deep thought, thinking about something, but I couldn't tell. A big smile spread across her face, becoming really excited about something she came up with. She clamped her hands together as she looked at me happily, her tail wagging excitedly.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do!" she exclaimed very happily. "I think you're going to like what I have in mind!"

"I bet it will be great," I complimented. "Well, I better get going. I'll see you tonight, Roxanne."

"Okay," she said before proceeding to kiss me on my right cheek. "See you tonight, Mihael!"

I nodded and with that, I exited Roxanne's green room. I had a very big smile on my face as I began leaving Rockstar Row. Something within my gut told me that tonight was going to be a good night.

I arrived back at my house in 15 minutes, pulling into the driveway. I looked at my house and smiled, a wave of peace and happiness flowing through me. I never realized how much I missed my home. I had been at the Pizzaplex for almost 24 hours, so coming back home felt very nice. To be honest, I missed being in the neighborhood.

It was so bizarre that getting the job at the Pizzaplex would change me so much. First, I didn't want any friends and never had someone who would soon possess an interest in me, but now, I have friends and an animatronic who has a massive crush on me. It was crazy that all of this had happened in just 3 to 4 days. Not that I was complaining. I guess all I needed was a little push to experience something new in my life.

'Who would've thought that this would happen to me,' I thought with a short smile plastered on my face. 'This was the best thing that could've happened, aside from what happened last night.'

I turned the engine off and stepped out of the truck, slamming the door behind me. I began walking up to my front door, anticipating the one to come over and start a conversation with me. As I reached for the doorknob, I heard that familiar deep, gruffy voice call out from behind me.

"Hey, Mihael!"

'Right on time,' I thought to myself with a smirk. I turned around to see Peter walking over to me with a smile on his face. Crazy enough for me, I felt happy to see him. Even though we were somewhat friends, yet not fully there, I was feeling like I was seeing an old friend.

"Hey, Peter," I said as he reached me.

"How have you been?" he asked. "And where were you?"

"I've been doing good," I said. "I was at the Pizzaplex taking care of a double shift. Kyle asked me to cover both the day and the night shifts. Since I've been gone for almost 24 hours, you can pretty much guess what happened."

Peter proceeded to pat me on the back. "Great for you, Mihael! I knew that it would be the-" He suddenly stopped, his smile fading from his face. An expression of utter horror formed on his face. "Mihael, what happened to your face?!"

I frowned, bringing my right hand to my right cheek. I didn't touch those 3 slashes on my face out of fear that it might hurt. I sighed, bringing my hand back down.

I sighed as I looked into his horror-stricken eyes. I didn't want to tell him what happened. It was none of his business, and if I told him what happened, it might ruin Roxanne's reputation and land the wolf into some very serious trouble. But, I could tell him something that he might believe.

'It's worth a shot,' I thought to myself. 'I just hope that he will believe it.'

I took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eyes. "There was an accident at one of the attractions. I was knocked unconscious while trying to take care of the situation."

His horror-stricken expression turned slightly suspicious. "What kind of accident leaves cuts like that on your face? It looks as though you were attacked by something."

I felt a spasm of panic when he said that. He had no idea how right he was on that. I did my best to not show that I was panicking on the inside. I had to think of a way to make it convincing. While my mother always told me that honesty is the best policy, telling my neighbor what happened wouldn't be the smartest idea.

"Really, Peter, I mean it," I insisted. "There was an accident at one of the attractions. I wasn't attacked."

"Are you sure, Mihael?" he pressed. At that point, the spasm of panic was replaced with annoyance.

"Yes, I'm sure," I replied, the annoyance now present in my tone. He eyed me for a moment, trying to see if I was lying. I had a strong gut feeling that he saw right through it.

Finally, he relaxed his expression. "Okay, if you say so."

I didn't sigh in relief. I knew he saw right through it, but he might have decided that he wasn't going to get me to talk, so thankfully, he let it go. Since my mother always raised me, to be honest, I've always been a bad liar. If you want a comparison, I'm way worse at lying than Bella Swan. Because of that, I never try to lie unless it was to spare the feelings of others, like how I did for Roxanne so she didn't know my true feelings for racing, or to protect someone, just like what I did just now for Roxanne. I knew it went against everything my mother taught me about honesty, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to Roxanne over something she was forced to do against her will. It just wouldn't be fair.

"Don't worry about it, Peter," I urged. "I'm fine and still standing. That's all that matters, right?"

"I guess so," he said. "Well, I'll leave you alone. Knowing you, you want to head inside."

That took me by complete surprise. Usually, Peter would want to keep talking to me, which always ended with me telling him that I better head inside for something. Now, it was the complete opposite. I felt a bit disappointed, but it was true; I wanted to head inside.

"Yeah, that's me," I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'll head inside. See you around, Peter."

"See you around," he said and with that, he turned his back on me and walked away. I stayed where I was for a bit before stepping inside the house, closing the door behind me.

'Home sweet home,' I thought to myself as I took off my shoes. I was about to head to my bedroom when I saw something in the corner of my eye.

I looked to see my mom sitting on the couch, holding a coffee mug in her hands. She had a smile on her face as she stared at me. Annoyance bubbled up inside me seeing her there.

"Welcome home," she said warmly.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" I asked slightly annoyed, though I had a good idea as to what and why she was here.

"I've been waiting for you to come home," she replied.

That would explain a lot. Since my truck wasn't in the parking lot at the time, she would park her car in the garage so that my car would have room to park in the driveway since the driveway was only big enough to fit only one car. It would be a hassle to get her car out of the garage when she leaves, but it was better than nothing.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Since this afternoon," she answered. I facepalmed, regretting giving her a spare key to my house a few days after I moved into the house five years ago.

"Can you explain to me why you've been here since this afternoon?" I growled through my teeth. Again, I had a good idea as to why she had been staying at the house since yesterday afternoon.

"Am I not allowed to see my own son?" she asked innocently. I removed my hand from my face to see her still smiling at me.

I really hated when she asked that question. To me, it was like her way of asking 'Are you forbidding me from seeing you?' or even 'Am I not family?'. While she may be unaware of it, it was guilt-tripping, to say the least. That was something I had to deal with a lot during my time at school, and it was honestly the most disgusting thing to do to anybody.

"Did I ever say that?" I growled.

"No, but your behavior is," she pointed out.

"Maybe I wouldn't feel that way if you would stop coming over all the time," I retorted. "Like, if I don't answer a call or I don't call you back, you assume the worst and drive all the way here to see if I was okay or how I was holding up."

Her smile weakened slightly. "I just worry for you. You're all I have left. It gets lonely at the house too."

That was something I could understand. I sometimes felt lonely since I was now living on my own, along with the fact that I was all Rebecca had left after my father committed suicide and my sister went missing. We used to have other close family, but after what happened, it tore us all apart. I always tried to not think about it. It was always painful to remember those horrible days.

But still, that doesn't give her the excuse to see me all the time. I don't go back to the family house every single day to see her. It was crazy. No, it wasn't just crazy; it was unhealthy. That was something I wished she would see and understand.

I sighed. "Mother, I get that, but it's a little too much if you just keep on doing that. People might think there's something wrong."

"There's nothing wrong being with your family," she said, bringing up a good point.

"Regardless, it's extremely unhealthy for you to keep coming here all the time," I said slightly annoyed. "I like having time to myself."

"Being alone by yourself and having no one to talk to?" she asked. "I think that's unhealthy. It must drive you insane."

"No, it doesn't," I objected. "It gives me a feeling of independence, a feeling of being able to do something without you checking on me and criticizing me every time."

It was true; after my father committed suicide, Rebecca took over the duty of teaching me to be independent. Unlike Harold, she had the very annoying habit of checking up on me to make sure I was still there and criticizing me every time something, in her eyes, went wrong. That was one of the reasons why I moved out of the family home, aside from the nightmares and the memories that plagued my mind.

Her smile weakened some more. "I was just worried that you might disappear, leaving me all alone. Besides, I wanted to make sure you were doing things right."

"There are certain tasks that don't require just one way to get the job done," I pointed out.

"I know," she said. "Still had to teach you, though."

I saw her eyes flicker to something, though I couldn't tell what it was that she was now looking at. I watched her eyes widen slightly at what she was looking at. She stared at it for a long moment before she looked me in the eyes. I had a feeling as to what my mother had been staring at.

"Mihael, what… what in the world happened to your face?" she asked, her tone both startled and worried. Hearing her ask confirmed my feeling.

I sighed. Like Peter, I didn't want to tell her what had happened to Roxanne and how something made her attack me. I knew she would blow a gasket and tell me to not work there anymore. My mother was extremely protective of me after what happened.

"There was an accident at one of the attractions," I explained. I had a feeling that she wasn't going to believe that as she knew me better than anyone.

She eyed me for a moment, obviously trying to see if I was lying or not. I had a strong gut feeling that she was seeing through the lie. Trying to convince her otherwise was going to be 100x way more difficult than Peter.

"I don't believe you," she said sternly. "You look like you have been attacked by something. Who or what did it?"

I mentally sighed. Yep, she saw right through it, just what I'd been suspecting. Knowing her, she wasn't going to give up until I told her the truth. That was something that wasn't going to happen. There was no way I was going to have Roxanne's reputation destroyed.

"Mother, I mean it," I insisted. "There was an accident at one of the attractions. I got injured trying to handle the situation."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You're a terrible liar, Mihael. Someone or something attacked you, leaving those slashes on your face. Tell me who did it."

I felt myself getting angry. I didn't care if she was my mom or not, I wasn't going to tell her anything about what happened last night. Roxanne doesn't deserve what would be coming to her if I said anything to her. Roxanne was taken over, something my mother would be extremely oblivious to or wouldn't acknowledge.

"Mother, I'm telling you; it was an accident," I said firmly.

"Mihael…"

"Let it go, mother," I urged before walking into the kitchen to make myself a pot of coffee. Unlike Rebecca, I didn't like my coffee to be very strong.

I was preparing the coffee machine, which was to the left of the sink when I heard footsteps coming behind me. I mentally sighed, knowing it was my mother who entered the kitchen.

It was extremely annoying when she did stuff like this. However, I'm not innocent as I can do stuff like that too when I get suspicious. It looked like she wasn't going to let it go until I said the truth. That wasn't going to happen. I had a feeling about what she would do if I told her.

"Mom, I'm not going to say it again; there really was an accident," I growled through my teeth.

"Mihael, I want to know," she said sternly.

"And I already told you what happened," I retorted aggressively as I finished setting up the coffee machine and turned it on.

"I want to know right now. I'm your mother. I have the right to know the truth."

"I already told you."

"Mihael…"

"Mother, I'm warning you…" I growled as I turned to face her, feeling myself getting ready to explode at her. She was standing about a foot away from me, holding the mug tightly in her hands.

"Why can't you just tell me?" she pushed. I couldn't take much more of it.

I inhaled deeply. "BECAUSE IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, WOMAN! I DON'T WANT YOU GETTING INVOLVED!"

She stared at me with wide eyes while I was breathing heavily, my face hot. She snapped out of it.

"Mihael, it is my business," she said. "You're my son."

I calmed down slightly. "Look, I get that I'm your son and that you are worried, but you have the tendency to overreact and make things a lot worse than they are. If I were to tell you what happened, you will instantly point the finger and put all of the blame on them, even if it wasn't entirely their fault."

My mother frowned at this. She knew I was right about that. If there happened to be something happening to her own flesh and blood, my mom would go full 'Momma Bear' mode and go ballistic at anyone. I've seen it many times in my life. It wasn't pretty and made the situations a bit worse than they were. I love my mother, but she can take things to a whole other level if she wanted to.

"I know that, but it's like you don't trust me enough to tell me," she said. That hit me hard.

"Mother, it's not that I don't trust you enough," I began. "It's just something personal, and a problem that we plan to take care of in the future. The last thing I need is to get you involved and just worsen the situation more."

A hurt expression formed on her face. I felt guilty, but it was for her own protection, as well as safety. I don't ever want anyone to get involved with something that could put their lives in danger.

"I understand," she said, defeat present in her tone while looking down at the floor. I was happy she was now going to drop it, though I felt guilty at the same time.

Then, something came into mind. Now that she was here, I could now go out and get some work clothes, well to be more specific; work pants. I didn't know whether I had one more pair of sweatpants, but my days wearing them were going to end. I had to take this chance right now or I would have to wait for another time to do it.

"Hey, Mom?" She looked up at me. "I just thought of something very important. I don't have any work pants for work and I was wondering if you would like to help me buy some."

Normally, I didn't like asking people to waste their time on me, I sincerely really do need her help as I don't have anything in my name until Kyle pays me. I didn't know when that was going to happen. I was going to have to ask him that when I see him again.

She cheered up instantly. "Sure, I love to."

I smiled. "Thanks. We can get going…" I looked at the coffee pot. "As soon as I have my coffee."

We both laughed.

1 HOUR LATER

I drove down the road that led back to the neighborhood with my mom sitting in the passenger seat. I was quite happy with the stuff my mom had helped me buy. In the bed of the truck were 10 pairs of work pants and shirts. Not only that, but I had a washer and dryer coming over to my house in the next few days after stopping by at the Lowe's, meaning that my days of handwashing all of my clothes will come to an end.

As I drove, I thought about my upcoming date with Roxanne tonight. I allowed a smile to spread across my face, a warm feeling growing in my chest. It took everything I had within me to not bounce up and down on the seat excitedly like a child. Something deep within told me that tonight was going to be a good night.

"What's gotten you all happy?" I heard my mother ask. I would turn my head to face her and reply, but since I was driving, I had to keep my eyes on the road.

"Well," I began, "I've got something very special happening tonight."

"Oh? And what would that be?" she asked. Judging from the tone of her voice, my reply caught her attention. She was undoubtedly curious as to what it was.

'Telling her about the date couldn't hurt,' I thought to myself. 'It was something I could tell her.'

I made my choice. "Well, I'm going out on a date with someone."

There was a moment of silence with the sound of my truck moving being the only sound. Suddenly, my mother squealed loudly in delight, making me jump slightly. I felt her wrap her arms around me, making sure that she didn't hinder my ability to drive.

"That's great, honeybear!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm so happy for you! It was about time you found someone you'll like!"

"Thanks," I said sheepishly. She instantly released me from the hug, undoubtedly staring at me with happy, starry eyes.

"Who's the lucky gal?" she asked.

I began rubbing the back of my head with my right hand. "Well, that's a bit complicated to explain to you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, sounding confused now.

"Well, to put it simply; yes, it's a girl, but not the kind that you might be thinking," I explained.

"How?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. I knew that I was going to have to explain it in a way that would make her understand.

"Do you know how people that sometimes opposites attract?" I asked. I waited for her to answer.

"Yes? Why?" my mother asked, sounding like she wasn't getting it. I had a feeling that this was going to be awkward.

"Mom, what are your feelings towards humans and robots with sentience being together?" I asked simply. I waited for her to reply once again. There was no way that she wasn't going to get it. It somewhat gave off an idea as to what was going on.

"Well, I think it's a weird concept, but I'm entirely against it," she replied. She paused for a moment. "Wait a minute… Mihael, are you going out with a robot?"

It took everything I had not to cringe or react violently at her for calling Roxanne a robot. Well, yes she was, but animatronic was a way more appropriate term. Plus, she proved herself to be more than just some children's entertainer. So, I guess I can safely call Roxanne a woman.

"Which robot are you going out with?" she asked, taking my silence as an answer.

I sighed. "Roxanne Wolf."

There was a long pause. I was beginning to regret saying anything to her. While she did say that she wasn't entirely against the concept, I had a feeling that she wasn't going to approve of it whatsoever.

"You're going out with that robot?!" she exclaimed in surprise. That did it.

I slammed on the brakes, the truck screeching into a halt. I waited for the truck to be still before I snapped my head at my mom, my face feeling hot with anger.

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL HER THAT!" I snapped angrily. My mother leaned away from me in complete shock. "She's proved to be more than just a 'robot'! Roxanne Wolf has shown to possess the capability to cry and has feelings, insecurities, thoughts, wants, needs, and desires just like a human! A normal robot or animatronic wouldn't have shown or done the things she's done like that! I swear to God if you EVER call Roxanne that again, I will personally kick you out of the truck and you can walk the REST OF THE WAY HOME!"

My mother gasped in surprise at what I said. To be honest, I was also surprised by what I said. Even when we argued, I never pulled a stunt like that before. I didn't like how my mother called Roxanne a robot, but that still didn't justify what I said. I would NEVER do that to my own mother.

"You wouldn't do that," she declared when she recovered slightly. She was right, but I wanted to make sure she would never do that again.

"Oh, I would," I growled, making myself sound as serious as possible. It seemed like she took the bait as she went wide-eyed again. After a moment, she recovered enough.

"Mihael, you must feel very strongly about her," she pointed out. She wasn't wrong about that. Since I discovered that I now liked her last night, I was now willing to protect her reputation and not have anyone call her a 'robot'.

"I guess I do," I said, feeling stupid for now saying that.

"You really like her, don't you?" she asked. I nodded. "Honey, while I am happy for you, you need to think about if it's what you truly want."

"That's what Roxanne and I are doing," I explained. "We don't know if that is what we want so we're going out and see how it goes."

I finally released the brakes and began the drive to the house once again. The awkward silence was deafening. I was wishing for one of us to say something, but what was there to say without making the strange situation more awkward? My mother was probably thinking about how this was so weird. I couldn't blame her. If I was in her shoes as a parent, I would be feeling the same way.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. Again, I would've turned to face her, but since I was driving right now, I couldn't do that without the risk of getting us into a car accident. Getting into one was the last thing I needed right now.

"Mihael," my mother began, "while I do think that it's weird for you to be dating Roxanne if you're happy, then that's what matters to me. I want to see you happy."

"So you don't approve?" I asked.

"It's not that I don't approve," my mother said. "I'm just worried about how people would react to you and her being together."

That hit me. That was something I was really worried about before we confessed that we liked each other last night. For some reason, I was not as worried as I was before. It was still there, but not as strong as it was before. My mother wasn't wrong for feeling the way she does about it.

I sighed. "I was worried about that too. However, if I worry about it all the time, then it would become an impossibility. I really like her and I don't want to ruin my chances with her."

There was a pause before she spoke. "I can tell you do." She let out a sigh. "I will support you and her every step of the way."

I was taken aback by this, yet at the same time, I was both relieved and happy. To know that my mother will support me and Roxanne as we go was like a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I felt blessed to have a mother like her. If I didn't, I wouldn't be where I was right now. I probably would've been told that pursuing someone like Roxanne was an impossibility and to look for someone else.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, happiness and relief both present in my tone. "It means a lot."

"That's a mother's job, isn't it?" she asked. I suspected her to be cocking an eyebrow at me.

"That's true," I said. She let go of my shoulder, letting out a sigh.

We drove the rest of the way to the house in silence. I had a huge smile on my face, thinking that everything was going to be alright.

Author's Note:

Here is the thirteenth chapter of the story! :D

I know I said that this would take a while and that I was going to take a break, but the juices were flowing so I didn't have a chance to take my break. I wanted to explore Mihael and his mother's relationship so this chapter pretty much covered it.

In the next chapter, Mihael and Roxanne will have their date and you better be ready for it. I have a special surprise for Roxanne, and let's say, she will be more beautiful than ever. ;)

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