Chapter Text
It had been 6 months. 6 months since dad disappeared.
Or that's what the calendar at least says. To be honest, it didn't feel like 6 months. It felt longer to Cassie. Longer than needed. Longer than necessary.
Gregory also disappeared within the same month 1 year ago. She remembered screaming, pleading Gregory to stay while her dad chased after him, to no luck. Cassie didn't understand why Gregory would refuse help, but followed along as she didn't want to lose him.
Ha! Ironic. So much for my efforts, Cassie thought angrily to herself. Why didn't he listen to her? Maybe they would have stayed together still if it weren't for her handiwork.
She just wanted to help! That's all it ever was!
If you discovered that your friend was homeless, wouldn't you try to help them out in any way too?
Cassie aimed that though to nobody in particular.
She remembers the day when her dad vanished. It was supposed to be an ordinary day —or, well, as ordinary as it can get under these circumstances— Until it wasn't.
It was a Saturday morning. Cassie woke up earlier because she didn't really sleep well at night. Gregory was missing, how could she? She needed to look for him! To hang up those damn posters with his face on it, the same face that seemingly kept taunting her, reminding her what she has lost. She had to!
As Cassie was eating, she realized that her dad wasn't here.
It was sort of expected, to be honest. Some intruder broke into the plex, destroyed everything, and later a huge earthquake occurred! Turns out, there was some sort of sinkhole in the ground, or so she read. She didn't know if she believed the rumors though.
But what really caught her eye was a note. Dad was always prone to using notes for some reason, Cassie thought to herself.
"Gone for a while. Money for food on counter. Emergency contacts on fridge." The note read.
"...Cool." She whispered unimpressed. But that was until a chilling realization hit her.
"Wait. Gone? For a while? But- where!?" She exclaimed while turning the note around to see if anything was written on the back. There wasn't.
Where did dad go? He never leaves a note without telling me where he is! Was there an emergency at work to the point where he rushed through the note? He didn't even leave an "I love you" or "love dad" or anything! What happened..?
An endless sea of questions. That's what happened.
Normally dad was gone for at least a day. 2 at most. Only on the most rare occasions was he gone for a week. Personally, Cassie hated the idea of him being away for so long, but given that he's a single parent and his position as a technician was decently paid considering Fazbear Entertainment, it's not like they both had a choice. He still tried in his best efforts to be there with her despite the grueling hours, and Cassie appreciated that.
Sometimes, he would even help her print out Gregory's missing posters. Whenever he had the chance he would also help Cassie hang them up; help look for her best friend.
It was clear that Gregory's disappearance affected him too, because even if he never said it, his face showed that he also wanted Gregory back. But because beggers can't be choosers, he had to leave for work. To sustain himself and his daughter.
So when almost a month passed by with nothing changing and dad not returning... That's when real panic started to set in.
Maybe he's just really busy at work! Wouldn't be the first time. Just calm down and watch TV or something! He'll turn up eventually...
She thought this to herself multiple times.
Cassie had tried to use the emergency contacts to get any information about the whereabouts of her dad, but nothing came up.
Eventually, the calls stopped. Maybe there will be one or two that Cassie would give or receive, but so far there was nothing.
Most of the time the calls were aimed directly at her. Asking how she was doing, if she's got any updates, if dad was home, etc.
Sometimes she would receive calls asking about Gregory's whereabouts. The neighbors seemed to have caught on about her missing friend, and were worried about him too. That was... Nice? She didn't know anymore. She didn't know if this was just out of pity or genuine concern.
I just wish they were both here with me, she thought.
The stress that Cassie went through was very noticeable. From the way she dressed, to the lack of self care, to the drastic change in demeanor. It was like the spark of life had died in her body, and it was visible within her eyes. Of course, nobody could blame her for it.
Sometimes, the neighbors would help her out and take her in whenever she needed it most. They would give her food, clothes, and general comfort.
One of them was Oswald, or, as many like to call him, Oz.
He was a nice fella. He was somewhere in his 30's, had dirty blonde hair, nice clothes, and apparently used to live two towns away when he was younger.
Apparently he and his family have moved here because there was a mill that closed down and the area practically became a ghost town.
There are also apparently rumors that her dad and Oswald's dad used to be friends in the '80s, and caused some sort of major incident with their friends. She never gave too much thought to it because whenever she asked her dad about it, he would never give her a clear answer, and she wasn't interested in it.
Whatever the case, it's not relevant right now.
Oswald had always seemed welcoming, and as weird as it sounds, they actually became friends. He would practically become the brother she never had.
He would be there for her when no one was. He would be there for her when things got so bad that she sometimes would not be able to leave her bed, weeping about her friend.
As much as she never wanted to admit it, she started to think that her dad was— she couldn't even say it.
But admittedly? It made sense sometimes.
What other explanation could there be at this point?
So, because she couldn't look for her dad, she started looking for Gregory again. He was one of the people she had left. So she would start looking. She couldn't- no, wouldn't give up on him.
Suddenly a ring on the doorbell snapped her out of her long daydreaming. It took a couple seconds for Cassie to register what happened, until a voice called out to her.
"Cassie!? It's me! Can you open the door?"
She knew that voice.
"Cassie?"
This... This isn't real. Is that..?