CHAPTER TWENTY: PAST MEMORIES

I entered the attraction, hellbent on finding my sister and Roxanne Wolf. It hadn't been too long since I dealt with Moon, putting an end to his existence. Although I felt guilty for doing what I did, I knew something had to be done. If I didn't, he would've been a thorn in our side and caused more trouble for us.

"Hey, I'm Roxanne Wolf," came the voice of Roxanne echoing loudly throughout the attraction, her tone prideful. The voice caused me to look around for the source of the noise. "If you're looking for high-speed motor mayhem, Roxy Raceway is the place to be. Sign up today and be a winner! Nobody likes a loser."

I shook my head at that. The way she said it sounded more like an insult. I knew that wasn't the case and that it wasn't meant to sound like that, but I did anyway.

I surveyed my surroundings. Roxy Raceway had to be about the size of a football stadium decorated with purple neon lights. On the ceiling were 4 large screens, which if I had to guess allowed the guests to see the racers more clearly when they raced through the track. On the side of the room were rows of red bleachers with a large golden statue of Roxanne Wolf holding a flag in the center. On another part of the wall was a huge decal of Roxanne, depicting her in a cartoonish fashion wearing a racer's jacket and a pair of sunglasses holding two black and white racer flags in each hand.

To be honest, the place looked pretty cool. Although racing really wasn't my thing, I would love to see Roxanne racing down the track. Maybe get a taste of it too. I had no doubt my father would love to come to this place once it opens to the public. My father was a big fan of racing so he would come here first thing it opened. I just knew he would do that.

I continued looking for any signs of them. To be honest, I had no idea if they were here. I figured I would go here since this place was connected to the area where the beauty salon was. I also didn't see any reason for them to leave the attraction either. If they did, I wished they would send me a message on my Fazwatch to let me know if that was the case instead of just leaving me in the dark for no reason. I could only hope that they were okay.

I growled in frustration as I could find no sign of them anywhere. My hands balled up tightly into fists as my anger and worry grew a bit.

"LISA! ROXANNE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" I shouted as loudly as I could, my voice echoing throughout the attraction. Nothing responded. I was about to do it again when a noise from my right caught my full attention. I quickly whipped out my dad's gun and aimed it in that direction. "Who is that?! Come out right now and don't try anything funny! I have a gun and I am NOT afraid to use it!"

I waited anxiously for something to happen. Nothing did. I was about to shout again when movement from the shadows prevented me from doing so. I watched as Roxanne stepped out from the shadows, clutching my sister by the hair. She was covered in scratches and was bleeding from some of them. I was about to say something when I noticed something different about Roxanne, one that made my blood turn to ice.

Her eyes, which were yellow, were now a glowing, light purple. She had a deranged, evil smile on her face as if she were some evil villain from an animated movie. A wave of fear and dread washed over me like seawater over sand on a beach. I tried to move, but my body refused to listen. I just stayed where I was.

"Finally, about time you showed up, Mihael Patel," she said in a voice that wasn't her own. A chill went down my spine. I had never heard a voice so sinister, terrible, and evil in my life. One that would make even the Devil shit himself.

Roxanne proceeded to toss Lisa at me, her body rolling to my feet. She took a step toward me. I aimed it at her, ready to shoot at any moment. I didn't like the idea of having to shoot the wolf, but if I had to do so, I would. I gave her my best aggressive look as she took another step toward me.

"Don't get any closer," I warned with a hiss. "Take another step and I will shoot."

I could say I was bluffing, but I wasn't at the same time. I felt a little confident as I remembered that I had 4 bullets left in the chamber. I used 2 of them on Moon back in the Daycare earlier on in the night. The idea of shooting someone who was a little close to me made my heart ache.

Roxanne didn't heed my warning. She took another step toward me, flexing her fingers as if she were retracting her claws, ready to strike. I held the gun tightly in my hands as I prepared myself for what I said I was going to do. I aimed at her chest… and pulled the trigger.

A loud bang echoed throughout the raceway. I watched as Roxanne was knocked off her feet and fell on her back. I looked at her in shock at what I had to do. I shot Roxanne, the one who I could have considered my friend. I felt myself get lightheaded at the terrible realization. I wished all of this was a terrible nightmare, but I knew deep down that reality wasn't fair.

"Ow, what the heck happened?" I heard a voice from beneath my feet where Lisa landed when Roxanne tossed her. I looked to see her look around as if she was trying to get a good look at her surroundings.

"Lisa, are you okay?" I asked. Lisa flinched and looked up at me. I gave her my best smile even though everything right now was not okay.

"No, my head hurts and it's hard to think," Lisa replied. A wave of worry washed over me. I hoped that Roxanne didn't hit my sister hard enough to give her a concussion. That was the last thing any of us needed right now.

I helped my sister get back on her feet, which she understandably struggled with for a bit. She had received injuries from either Moon or Roxanne. As I thought about her, a memory from earlier came to the forefront of my mind. One that made me almost drop the gun in fear. The conversation between Vanny and Moon earlier in the Utility Hallways before they dragged Roxanne and Freddy away.

"Great job, Moon. I had a feeling that it wasn't just Freddy that was helping those kids. Looks like Roxy was secretly on their side. I bet that Mihael kid had something to do with it."

"Too bad the kids are hiding in there. That door won't open until the lights come back on at 3 AM."

"I'm not worried about that. I will take care of them in due time. In the meantime, Moon, take Freddy to Parts and Service. I will take Roxy to my hideout. I have something very special planned for her."

I felt sick to my stomach as the pieces came together. I was right all along. Something was done to Roxanne when she was taken to that rabbit's hideout. She must've messed with the wolf's programming or something to ensure that when the time came, Roxanne would fall under her master's control. That had to be it. It had to. What was happening to Roxanne now was much different than when she was under Vanny's control before I freed her. There was no other way around it at all.

I heard the sound of someone getting up from the floor. I looked to see Roxanne getting back on her feet. She looked at me with an enraged expression on her face. She bared her teeth at me like a rabid wild animal. I could see the small hole where the bullet had struck her.

"I'll admit; you've got guts, kid," Roxanne said in that sinister, evil voice. I pulled Lisa behind me. "I didn't think you would have the guts to shoot Roxy after what happened back at the Daycare. No matter. You've caused a lot of trouble by staying alive as long as you have. I didn't expect you to be this troublesome, but that will make killing you a whole lot more enjoyable. Hope you've said your prayers… because your life… ENDS NOW!"

With that, Roxanne began charging at me, her arms held out in front of her. Without saying anything, I quickly put the gun away and placed Lisa on my back with little effort. Once she was secured firmly on my back, I began running as fast as I could, doing my best to be as far from her as possible.

I ran around the Raceway with Roxanne chasing me like we were in some sick version of cat-and-mouse with the mice being Lisa and I and the cat being Roxanne, who desired to kill me. My lungs burned as I continued running, but that didn't stop me. Lisa moaned and gasped as I ran, probably feeling sick from all of the shaking. I felt bad for her. I couldn't imagine the pain she was going through right now.

I jumped onto the race track and continued on running with Roxanne slowly closing in on me. I did my best to pick up the pace, but due to my legs slowly turning into jelly, that made it very difficult to do so. That, and my lungs felt like they were going to burst into flames from the lack of air. I had to get away. I had to in order to protect myself and Lisa.

My right foot twisted awkwardly, causing me to lose my footing. I fell onto the floor on my face. I heard Lisa hit the floor, along with her rolling a good few feet away from me. I began gasping for air to quench the fire in my lungs. It took everything I had to roll over onto my back. I tried to get back on my feet, but there was no strength left in my legs.

I watched helplessly as Roxanne stood about a foot away from me, her purple eyes filled with rage. I used my arms to sit up as I continued to fill my lungs with much-needed air. I felt beads of sweat trailing down my face like a drop of water.

"You're a fast one, Patel, but this looks like the end of the line for you," she hissed angrily. "I should've known you would be this much trouble. Otherwise, I would've taken and killed you when I had the chance. Now, I can fix that. Say goodbye, Mihael."

Roxanne opened her mouth wide, her teeth glistening in the light. It didn't take me very long to understand what she was planning on doing. I wanted to get away, but my legs were still too weak from all of that running. All I could do was shut my eyes and prepare myself for the worst.

"NOOO!" I heard Lisa shout loudly before I heard rapid footsteps coming my way. I wondered what was going on, but I didn't have to think about it for too long.

A sickening crunch echoed throughout the attraction, one that made me shiver. I recognized that sound immediately. It was the sound of bones crunching. I instantly took notice of no new feelings of sharp pain washing over me. I opened my eyes to see what was going on… and a wave of horror washed over me.

Lisa was standing over me with Roxanne standing over her like tall buildings. Blood was trailing down the sides of her head as the wolf's sharp teeth punctured her skin, her head inside her mouth. I felt reality crashing down on me at the sight. This didn't happen. It wasn't real. However, I knew deep down, what I was seeing with my own two eyes was real.

Lisa groaned as Roxanne growled angrily. I watched in horror as she clamped her mouth harder. Another crunch echoed throughout the room. Lisa groaned before she suddenly went limp in her mouth. Roxanne maneuvered her head to the side and flung it, opening her mouth as she did. Lisa went flying before the back of her head hit the railing with a loud bang, followed by a crack.

"LISAAAAA!" I cried out in shock and anger. I stared at my sister for a brief moment before I glared at the wolf. "You… son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"

"Ha! You are going to kill me?! Don't make me laugh!" Roxanne said in a gloatful tone. "You are helpless before me! You, having been a huge thorn to everything, couldn't even protect your own little sister! Besides, the only one who would die would be Roxy as I am free to do what I want! Now, with no one in the way, I can finally get rid of you! Goodbye, Patel!"

With that, she opened her mouth and moved her head forward to take a bite out of me. She got about halfway when she suddenly stopped. A wave of confusion washed over me as the wolf mascot suddenly started twitching violently, her eyes suddenly flashing different colors.

"What… is this…?" she asked before I watched her left eye turn yellow.

"No… I won't… let you…" Roxanne's normal voice broke through. It didn't take me long to realize what was going on. Roxanne Wolf was fighting whatever was taking over her.

"Stupid wolf!" the dark sinister voice broke through, her right eye still purple. "Don't try fighting me! It's pointless! You are nothing!"

"I… am… not!" Roxanne's voice broke through. "This… is… my body! I won't let you do it!"

"Stay out of my way!" the dark voice shouted. Not long after, I heard a strange sound, one that caught my attention.

The best way I can describe it was the sounds of tires screeching. I looked behind her… and was shocked at what I was seeing. Coming our way was a race car being driven by Gregory, a determined look on his face. I was surprised and glad to see him. I didn't know if he got the upgrades or not, his timing couldn't have been perfect.

"Hey, Dogface!" Gregory shouted. "Think fast!"

With that, he leaped out of the car and fell onto his stomach. I watched as the cart swerved and began flying at blinding speed. With all of my strength, I rolled halfway to the right to avoid getting hit.

Roxanne turned around in time to see the car flying at her. The car struck her in the face before she and the car began rolling on the track and crashing into a wall. I stared at the spot where the wolf once was before turning my attention to Lisa, a large pool of blood building up over her head.

I found the strength to get back on my feet. I walked over to her, tears beginning to build up in my eyes. I stood over her, watching to see any sign of breathing. There weren't. I felt my whole world come crashing down as the cold reality of what was before me struck me hard.

"Lisa…" I whimpered. No response. I fell onto my knees, the tears now trailing down my face. I readied two fingers and pressed them against her neck. I felt my heart shatter. No pulse. I held her in my arms, the tears rushing like waterfalls. "No…"

"Mihael…" I heard Gregory say behind me, his voice filled with pity and grief. I didn't pay him any mind as I held her close to me, not wanting to let her go. "Mihael… I'm so sorry… I tried to get here as fast as I could… I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes tightly, my tears making it difficult to keep them open. This couldn't be… My only sister. My sibling. Taken from me. Why? Why?!

"LISAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I screamed out, my head raised. Something snapped and everything became blank.

I got back on my feet and walked out of the Raceway. Moving around the debris, it took me a moment, but I made it back to the Atrium. I felt pure rage fill me and I screamed out, the pain, the anguish, the grief, the rage. All of it. With that, I began to smash and break everything in my way.

*MAY 3 2016*

I was watching TV in the living room, waiting for my parents to come back home from the hospital with my sister. It had been a few months since Mom and Dad told me that I was going to be getting a sister. I was disappointed to hear that I would be getting a sister instead of a brother, but despite that, I was excited that I was going to be getting a little sibling. I had been the only child for so long and the idea of having someone to play with sounded fun since none of the kids at school wanted to play with me.

I didn't tell anyone from my school that I was getting a sister. I knew how mean they were and I had a feeling that they would start making fun of her, despite not even knowing anything about her. The last thing I needed.

I heard the sound of the doorknob turning. I felt my heart jumped out of my chest, the excitement building up extremely quick. My parents were back with my little sister. My body began shaking, my fingers jittery. As I waited, I couldn't help but wait to see her. This was going to be great.

The door swung open and my parents stepped in with a baby basket. My parents looked in my direction and smiled.

"Hey, Mihael, we're home," my mother said. I hopped off the couch and walked over to them, super excited. I wrapped around my mother and gave her a tight hug. She proceeded to hug me back. Oh, how I missed hugging my mother after being in the hospital for so long. It felt like an eternity, even though it was only for a few days. My father told me when he got back from the hospital and my mom was not with him.

"Hi!" I exclaimed happily. "Do you have my sister?"

"Yes, right here," my father said. He rested the basket on the floor. I looked inside.

Wrapped in a bundle of blankets was a cute little baby face. Her eyes looked at me and stared at me. I smiled and waved at her. She didn't wave back.

"Mihael, meet your baby sister," my father said proudly.

"What's her name?" I asked, doing my best to keep my excitement under control, despite how difficult it was.

"Lisa," my mother replied. I smiled at that. Lisa. That was a very pretty name. I liked it. There was no better name for my sister than that.

"Hi there, Lisa," I said very softly. "I'm Mihael. I'm your big brother."

*CRASH* *SMASH* *SNAP*

"AGHHHHH!"

*NOVEMBER 18 2016*

I was in the living room making funny faces at my new sister, Lisa Patel. She was laughing up a storm, clapping her hands as she did. I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and happiness as she did that. I was right about one thing; having a sibling was fun. I was no longer alone.

It had been 6 months since my parents came home with my sister. My life has been fun ever since. I wished moments like this could last forever. However, deep down, I knew that Lisa would be big enough to do things like I can and she would no longer be the sweet baby she had been.

Speaking of my parents, things between us haven't really changed. I heard a lot of times that parents will pick favorites, mainly with the younger ones. However, that didn't happen. My parents love me and my sister all the same, which was a blessing in disguise.

"Mihael! Can you please come here for a second?" I heard my mother calling out to me.

"Coming!" I called back. I got up from the floor and began walking in the direction of the kitchen.

"Mihael," came an unfamiliar soft voice. I stopped in my tracks, shocked at what just happened. I knew right away that it wasn't my parent's voices that said my name.

I slowly turned to Lisa, who was still sitting there looking at me with a smile.

"Did you say something?" I asked her.

"Mihael," she said. Excitement washed over me as I understood it completely. Lisa had just said my name for the first time. This was a miracle.

"Oh my goodness, you can talk!" I exclaimed happily as I picked her up. Making sure I had her secured, I ran to the kitchen to tell my parents of the news.

*SNAP* *CRACK* *BANG* *CRUNCH*

"LISAAAAAAAAA!" Everything went black…

*JULY 2 2018*

I felt myself being shaken by something, stirring me awake from my slumber. I groaned as I opened my eyes. I rolled over onto my left side and saw who it was that woke me up. It was Lisa, who was now 2 years old. She looked at me with a pale face, her hands clutching tightly to her blanket.

"Lisa, what are you doing here?" I asked, slightly curious and a little annoyed at her for waking me up.

"I… I had a bad dream," she whispered fearfully. "Can I sleep with you for the night?"

That caught me off-guard, my slight annoyance washing away like dried dirt, which was replaced with pity. I knew how that felt. To wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream. I used to go to our parents and ask them if I could sleep with them because I was scared to sleep in my room after that.

I thought about it for a moment. Since I was up, I might as well let her. There was nothing wrong with comforting your sleeping after they had a bad dream.

"Sure, come on in," I said with a smile. She smiled and she hopped onto the bed, wrapping her arms around me. With that, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

Everything slowly came to focus, reality coming back to me. I had no idea what just happened, but I felt like time had passed, like a lot. My head felt fuzzy and things felt like they were in slow-mo, like a computer slowing down due to there being too many programs opened all at once. That's how I was feeling. Now I knew what those computers felt like.

"What are we supposed to do now?" I heard someone ask. It sounded like… Gregory. "Mihael hasn't responded since we left the Raceway and found him in the Atrium, him a bloody mess and the whole place trashed! Why isn't he coming back?!"

I tried to make sense of it all. I tried to remember, but I just couldn't.

"This isn't something we can rush, Gregory," Freddy said, his tone filled with sadness. "Mihael has just suffered a mental shutdown. This is something he has to recover from on his own. All we can do right now is wait."

A long, painful silence took over. I tried to think and figure out what Gregory meant, but I couldn't. My mind was blank, refusing to work. It was like my mind was frozen in a state I couldn't break from.

"Wait? Freddy, there isn't much time!" Gregory exclaimed. "It's now 5:00 AM! We only have about an hour before those doors open! We need to stop Vanny before it's too late!"

Vanny… At once, everything came rushing back to me. Coming here, meeting Gregory, the incident at the Daycare, trying to stay alive, Vanny taking Roxanne away, finding the secret room where all of the remains of the missing kids were, Lisa's death. All of it hit me like a freight train.

It took me a brief moment as I was still slightly out of it, I realized that I was lying on my back on something. I looked around to see that I was in a room that I recognized. The large neon sign that said 'Glamrock Freddy' hung above me, the room being red, the room being themed around the bear, and the red couch gave it away. I was in Freddy's green room.

I sat up on the couch, rubbing my head with my right hand. A sharp pain shot through me causing me to groan. I looked to see that I was wrapped in bandages, my clothes filled with tears. Confusion struck me like a ton of bricks. Why was I wrapped in bandages? I couldn't remember getting myself hurt in any way.

"Mihael!" cried out two voices. I looked to see Freddy and Gregory walking over to me. They both had worry and relief plastered on their faces.

"You're awake!" Gregory exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

I stared at the floor, sitting still as a statue. I didn't know. I felt like I wasn't there, yet at the same time, I was. It was like a part of me was… broken. Despite this, I was able to function properly. So, in a way, yes and no.

I looked up at Gregory, giving him a weak smile.

"To a certain degree," I said weakly, my voice hoarse and dry.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Freddy said, the relief stronger than ever in his tone. "When Gregory informed me what happened at the Raceway, I went to see if you were okay. When I got there, I saw you walking out of the attraction with a blank expression on your face. I followed you back to the Atrium and I… I was horrified to see you trashing the place, screaming and crying. You were in such a frenzy that you fell and cut yourself many time on some of the broken tables and chairs, bruising yourself in the process. I really wanted to do something, but I was so scared about what you would do if I walked over to you.

"Eventually, you stopped and collapsed. I ran over to you and was relieved to see that you were breathing, but your eyes were open, glossy and blank. I scanned you to see that you were okay. You were alright on the outside, but my scanners detected mental damage. You had suffered a mental breakdown and collapsed.

"After that…" Freddy hesitated for a moment, looking like he was picking his words carefully. "Gregory showed up and told me that Roxy was 'taken care of'."

"Let's just say that she's still moving," Gregory added.

"So, when he came back, I told him what happened and that the best option would be to leave you in my green room until you woke up," Freddy continued. "Gregory said he was going to take care of Monty and that was when I carried you to my green room and watched over you to keep you safe. At around 4:55 AM, Gregory came back with the upgrades. We went down to Parts and Service to get them equipped.

"After it was all said and done, we came back here to check on you to see if you woke up. Instead, we got something unexpected. We've been waiting for you to return to us to show you."

I stared at Freddy, shocked at what he just told me. Did I really do that to the Atrium? I didn't want to believe, but I knew Freddy wasn't a liar. He didn't have it in him to lie whatsoever. I looked to see if he had Montgomery's claws. Sure enough, he did.

On top of that, I remembered something very important. Gregory had mentioned that it was now 5 AM. If that was true, there wasn't much time left to keep the disappearances from ever happening again for as long as we live. Just the thought of Vanny taking more kids makes me sick, especially after losing my sister.

My heart ached thinking about her. Lisa… She had just turned 12. There were so many things she could've done with her life. Places to go, many foods to try, wonderful experiences to have. Now, none of that can be achieved as she was dead. It was so surreal. I wished I could wake up from this nightmare and forget all about it.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I remembered something that both Gregory and Freddy wanted to show me.

"I see…" was all I was able to say. "So, what is it that you both wanted to show me?"

They looked at each other before nodding. They turned their full attention to the door that led out of the green room.

"Roxy, come on in!" they both called out. "He's conscious!"

I felt my blood turn to ice at that, the blood draining from my face. Roxanne was here… standing outside the door the entire time. Was that what they wanted to show me? If it was, I didn't like it one bit, even though I knew deep down that Roxanne wasn't at fault for what happened to Lisa.

The door opened and Roxanne stepped inside the room. My mouth fell at the sight, my eyes widened. Roxanne was a total mess. Her right eye was missing, her hair was disheveled and messy, a huge chunk of her chest was exposed, her tail was destroyed with its endoskeleton exposed, and her left leg and arms were scarred with half of her left arm exposing the endoskeleton.

I stared at her, trying to find the strength to say something to her. Anything. Nothing came out. I felt so weak for not being able to say anything.

"Hey, Mihael," she said, her tone sad and filled with remorse. It took me forever, but I finally gathered enough to say something.

"Hey…" was all I was able to say.

"Mihael… listen… I…" Roxanne looked at me with sorrow in her eye. She walked over to me slowly as if she was trying not to scare me. She stopped about a foot away from me before getting on her knees. "I… I…"

I watched as oil began trailing down her face from her left eye. Her jaw began trembling as she fell forward on her hands as if she were bowing to me.

"I'm so sorry!" Roxanne cried out. "It's all my fault! If only I was stronger, Lisa would still be here with us! I tried, but I… I failed! Oh, Mihael! Please, forgive me!"

I stared at her, stunned as the wolf continued crying. A part of me was telling me to be mad at her and not offer her my forgiveness entirely. If only she was stronger, Lisa would still be alive.

However, another part of me told me that it wasn't her fault. She was forced by an unknown force that clearly wasn't Vanny to kill me and that my sister took the blow herself to save me. If anything, I should be angry at Vanny for doing whatever it was to her to make her fall under the one that killed my sister.

I sighed. I looked at the crying wolf for a moment before I made my move. I reached out and wrapped her in a tight hug. I heard her gasp from the sudden hug. I heard Freddy and Gregory ask as well, but not in a bad way.

"Mihael…" Roxanne whimpered.

"You don't have to apologize," I whispered. "None of that was your fault. It was the bastard that took over you. I know full well that you aren't capable of doing something as horrendous as that. I know that you would never hurt me or any children. If my sister were here, she would be telling you the exact same thing. So, Roxanne, it is not your fault. You did your best and that's what counts."

I heard Roxanne whimper so more before she wrapped me into a tight hug, crying harshly. Despite the fact that we were running out of time, I allowed us to stay like this. What happened to us was very traumatic. We needed all the support we could get. I had no idea what was going through Gregory and Freddy's minds, but if I had to guess, I'd say they were feeling proud.

After a while, we both let each other go.

"Thanks, Mihael, that means a lot," Roxanne said softly. I nodded. Suddenly, an expression of remembrance formed on her ruined face. "There is something I want to tell you. When I woke up, Lisa told me everything that happened. When she mentioned Vanny's hideout, I told her that I was taken there and I was able to figure out where it was located."

I felt my heart jump at that. Lisa mentioned that when she was in Vanny's hideout, she couldn't tell which attraction it was. Now that Roxanne knew where it was, we had a chance of finding the last 'Princess Quest' game.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"It is located in Fazer Blast," Roxanne said. "And yes, I saw one of those 'Princess Quest' machines in there. There is still time to find it and stop Vanny. I wish I can help you, but my systems are failing. I know what you're going to say, and my response is that we don't have time. There is something I want to do before I shut down. Please… let me."

I wanted to object, but something told me to not do so. Roxanne was right. There wasn't much time left. We had no idea what kind of obstacles that Vanny would throw at us to slow us down. The last thing we needed was to lose time by getting her fixed.

"I understand," I said. Roxanne nodded and got back on her feet. I did the same. She began to leave before something came to mind. A question that begged to be answered.

The other day, Roxanne had called me her favorite before she kissed me on the cheek. This was my chance. A few times, I wondered why that was the case. Since we didn't have much time and that I might not get another chance, I might as well ask before she went to do what she had to do.

"Wait!" I called out. Roxanne stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me.

"What is it?" she asked. I took a deep breath to steel myself.

"There's something I need to know," I said. "The other day, you called me your 'favorite' before me and my family left. Why is that the case, Roxanne when we've just met a few days ago?"

Roxanne stared at me for a moment, none of us saying anything nor moving a muscle. I waited patiently for what she was going to do. I really wanted to know why. I could only hope that she would help put this question to rest. Otherwise, it will bug me for as long as I live.

"You really want to know?" she asked. I nodded. She sighed and turned her body to face me. "Remember how I said that I had been watching you for a while back in my green room?" I nodded again. "I was telling the truth. For 1 year and 6 months, I've been watching you, interested.

"On July 13 2026, I was walking through the Lobby when I first saw you. You were with your family at the time, looking annoyed to be there. I noticed that your sister had friends with her, but not you. For the entire time you were there, I had been watching you to see if you would make any friends… but you didn't. I couldn't fully understand why. When you and your family left, I decided to watch you and see if you would bring any friends with you.

"Over the next two weeks, I noticed that not once did you bring any friends with you. Only your sister did. It was a very odd sight for me. None of it made any sense to me. Then… I saw you do something I will never forget.

"On July 29 2026, I watched as you and your family entered the Atrium when I saw someone trying to rob another guest. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. What made it worse was that no one was doing anything about it.

"Just before anyone could react, more specifically, your father, you ran up to the robber and delivered a strong kick to the side of the head, hard enough to knock them out. Once they were down, you asked the guest if they were alright, which they said yes. Once that was done, you went back to your family where your father began scolding you for doing something so reckless. That's when you said something that I still remember to this day.

"'I couldn't just sit there and let them get away with it. Someone was in need and I wanted to do something about it. I would rather put myself in danger to help another than sit there and do nothing at all.'"

"I was in awe at what you said. You, a normal boy, went out of your way to put your own life in danger without a second thought. Your father still scolded you, even after praising you for what you did and arresting the attempted robber. I admired and respected you for what you did. That was the day that I… began to like you.

"Over the next few months, I watched as you went out of your way to help people you didn't even know. Buying a kid a new plushie when they lost theirs, protecting someone from an attacker, you even going out of your way to make a kid's birthday special when no one showed up to their party. You were unlike any guest that has ever come here. I really wanted to talk to you, but I have always been too shy. I was ashamed of myself for not being able to talk to you.

"On April 15 of this year, that was when I decided to come out of the shadows and introduce myself to your family, and ask for their help, and so I did. When your family showed up without you, I was disappointed, but I remained resolute. I introduced myself to them and they did the same. We got to know each other very well and instantly became friends.

"I asked them where you were. They became curious and asked why I wanted to know. I told them everything. How I had been watching you for a while, saw you do the things you did, etc. They told me that you were sick. Had a bad case of the flu. I told them that for months that I wanted to talk to you and become friends but have always been too shy to do it. That's when I asked them to help me. They liked the idea so they decided that they were going to help me. We decided to do it when the time was right. When you came back about 5 days later, I was happy to see you, but I didn't come over to talk to you. I decided to wait for the perfect time to put our plan to action. When you weren't around, I spoke with your family and caught up with them.

"On April 25, the day before we met, your family showed up again without you, though something didn't seem right this time. I asked them what was wrong. They told me what happened and why you weren't with them. I was shocked at what they told me. However, deep down, I knew that there must've been a reason for it, but I didn't ask. It was there that we decided that the next day would be the day you and I would meet.

"That's why on that day, Lisa led you to my green room to start a friendship between us. That's also why your mother brought you to the Pizzaplex the very next day. They saw it as the day that you would make a friend." She sighed. "And that's everything."

I stared at her, shocked at what she just told me. That was why I was her favorite. Because of what I did. Not only that, but that explained everything that led up to this point. Lisa taking me to Roxanne's green room, my father allowing us to do what we wanted so easily, and why my mother took me to the Pizzaplex without Lisa and my father. All of it was an attempt to help Roxanne and I become friends. It came together like puzzle pieces.

"I see…" was all I was able to say. "Thank you for telling me. I now understand everything. I appreciate it." She nodded. "Now that question has been answered, it's time we put an end to this terror. Good luck with what you have to do, Roxanne."

"Good luck to you too, Rockstar," Roxanne said before turning and exiting the room. After a while of just standing there, I looked at Gregory and Freddy, putting on my best-determined face.

"Come on, let's end this," I said. They nodded. With that, we left the green room and began heading in the direction of the Atrium where Fazer Blast was located.