Chapter Text
The year is 1993. Driving has always been relaxing for Charlie. The open road flies past her as she enters an all-too-familiar town…Hurricane, Utah. She hasn’t been here in about eight years, and she’s got some time to kill before she has to be at the Diner…there’s one place she wants to go before then.
Approaching the abandoned house, Charlie enters through the unlocked doors. She takes a deep breath, and she can hear the creaking floorboards, dust kicking up. Everything’s still here. That’s what happens when someone goes missing, it seems…everything just stays. Walking up the stairs, she finds her room in exactly the same state she left it before leaving. Her three closets still locked up tight, only able to be opened by the right mechanism.
“Hey, Theodore and Stanley.” Charlie smiles and crouches next to her bed, seeing her childhood toys. “You need a new coat of paint, Stanley.” she chuckles to the little unicorn, remembering her father’s pride, and her mother’s…chagrin.
“I can’t believe you left her alone with your tools! She could have gotten hurt!”
“I know, I know, it was a mistake, but look! She made this! Just by watching me! Our daughter is amazing!”
“Henry, I don’t care if she’s a goddamn savant or what have you, keep your tools away from our daughter!”
Charlie takes a deep breath and puts the unicorn down, turning her gaze to the plush bunny. Holding it, there’s so much felt inside, you could originally hardly tell there was some mechanism inside…but well, time makes it clearer with the fluff falling out. She smiles as she leans against the bed, holding the little thing close as she presses the button on her bedside. The smallest closet opens up, a little child-sized robot following a track and playing some instruments.
“Heh. Hey, Ella.” Charlie says, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her from seeing the little frame, remembering how she used to be that small.
“I…ove…y…lie…” the little Theodore says, and Charlie smiles fondly at the little rabbit. Her dad changed the recording when she told him she preferred ‘Charlie’ to ‘Charlotte’.
“Love you too, Dad.” Charlie places Theodore back down where he was and heads out of her room, taking a deep breath. “Here we go.”
---
Charlie steps out of her car, seeing the homely Hurricane Diner. It’s been so long since she’s seen them, but as she walks in, she can recognize them instantly. Carlton, Jessica, and John…her best friends.
“Charlie!” Jessica calls, and waves her over. Charlie smiles warmly and sits down with them.
“I was just telling John and Carlon about my glamorous life!” Jessica grins. Jessica was blonde as ever, with her hair flowing rather than being wrapped in ponytails, and she wears a stylish pink turtleneck paired with a pair of gray leggings and shorts.
“Did you know Jessica lives in New York now?” Carlton chuckles. He changed the least- still the same messy ginger hair, goofy grin, and…well, he seems have built up some muscle since their childhood.
“Eight million people live in New York! It’s not an achievement.” Jessica smiles.
“Well, I’ve never been anywhere! I swear, as soon as I can, I am out of here ! Then I’ll finally be able to check out some real creepy places!” Carlton grins. Charlie remembers vaguely that someone told her that Carlton has started some kind of online personality that checks out allegedly haunted places- however, without being able to leave Hurricane, he hasn’t gotten very far yet.
“Where’s everyone else?” Charlie asks, hoping to change a subject before it starts.
“Marla and Lamar are coming tomorrow morning, and she’s bringing her little brother.” Jessica explains.
“I haven’t seen Jason since he was a baby!” Charlie smiles.
“Yeah!” Jessica smiles. “I’m getting a motel for us girls, the boys’ll be staying at Carlton’s place.”
“Hey, um…” John speaks up. He’s been quiet this whole time, his brown hair well kept, wearing a leather jacket and jeans. “Does anyone know what we’re gonna do tomorrow?”
Silence comes over the table for a few moments, as the reality of why they’re here together dawns upon them in droves.
“...what do we even say to Gabe’s parents?” Jessica wonders aloud.
“Carlton, do you see them anymore?” Charlie asks.
“Not really.” Carlton says, uncomfortable. “I’m surprised they stayed in Hurricane, when all the other families just…left.”
There’s silence as Charlie can feel herself getting welled up, and she takes a deep breath.
“So, John…are you still writing?” she asks. “I remember you declared yourself an ‘author’ at age six.”
“I do my ‘E’s the right way around now, thanks.” John smiles a bit. “And…yeah. Mostly short stories, though. One of them got published in a magazine recently. Nothing big.” he says sheepishly.
Since comes over them again, and John bites his lip.
“Hey, Carlton…” John says. “Whatever happened to Fredbear’s, anyway?”
The question hangs in the air as Carlton looks awkward.
“It’s okay, Carlton.” Charlie says. “I wanna know, too.”
Carlton fiddles with the straw in his drink for a bit before taking a deep breath.
“It’s gone through… changes since we were kids.” Carlton admits. “After it closed, some new people took over management. I never went there, but a lot of people said it was supposed to be safer. Then it closed, because some animatronic’s ‘Security Mode’ activated prematurely, or something.” He sighs. “Then they remade the old animatronics, got rid of a few, and opened a whole new location, and…it’s kinda been open ever since. It’s just gone in circles, but you know…it’s been losing business. They’ve been taking care of it less, and people have been going there less. It’s probably gonna close down soon.”
“I’m gonna…go get some air.” Charlie says and heads outside. She finds herself leaning against her car.
You knew it would come up. It’s okay. They’re not going to know. They don’t have a clue. You can talk about it. You have to talk about it. They won’t know.
“Charlie?” John asks, and Charlie turns to see him walking out with the others. “You okay?”
“I…I’m fine.” Charlie says, wiping her eyes. “I just, I…it sounds stupid, but I try not to think about it. It was a long time ago, and anytime I think of Fredbear’s, I think of…Dad. And Sammy.”
The friends look at each other worried, and start to tell stories. Stories of their good times at Fredbear’s enjoying the animatronics. Charlie smiles and enjoys the stories, sharing a few of her own.
“We used to go there all the time. Helps when you know the owner’s daughter.” Jessica smiles.
“Yeah, you practically ran that place!” Carlton laughs.
“I can’t help who my Dad was.” Charlie smiles.
“I haven’t been in years…I don’t even know if it’s at all the same as it was back then.” Carlton says.
“...we could go and see.” John suggests. “Tonight! I mean, it’ll be closed, but who’s gonna be around to stop us?”
“Seriously, it’s a mess there.” Carlton says. “I don’t even know if we can …”
“Let’s do it.” Charlie says, looking at her friends. “Even if there is nothing…I want to see it.”
Everyone looks at each other, and then smiles.
“Well, it’s not the first time I’ve done something that’d make my Pops mad…fuck it, let’s break into a pizzeria!” Carlton laughs.