Archive of Our Own

Charlie loved to play. Whether it be sports, toys, board games, make-believe, he loved it all. And if someone wanted to play with him, that was even better because it made the games last longer. And PlayCare was full of kids who wanted to play games, so Charlie would never feel sad or alone. 

Even if his dads weren’t around to be happy for him anymore. 

Thinking about his parents was the only thing that made Charlie sad, so he tried not to think about it. They would’ve wanted him to be happy, after all, and to smile every day. And the counselors at school had told him to try and forget about what had happened, that it would make him happier, so he did just that: he stopped thinking about his dads and the “incident” and just focused on making new friends and playing his games. 

Luckily, all the children liked Charlie, so making friends wasn’t hard. The other kids especially loved when he would start a game to play, because his cheeriness was so infectious that no one could resist playing with him. 

That being said, there was one boy Charlie hadn’t befriended, and it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. The boy just… kept his distance. From everyone. From what Charlie could tell, he was really shy and didn’t like being around other people. Most of the other kids paid him no mind, and the adults left him alone unless he didn’t participate in school, but Charlie couldn’t help but be curious. Despite his distant attitude, Charlie could tell by the way he watched the other children play that he wanted to join in, but whatever held him back was stronger. 

Stranger still, the only person the boy really seemed to talk to was one of the guards, a young redheaded woman with different colored eyes: one green and one brown. Weird, but pretty. And she was always really nice to the kids, unlike the other guards who usually ignored them, so Charlie decided right off the bat that he liked her, too. 

But what really cemented Charlie’s opinion on the guard was what happened a month after her arrival, when Charlie was wandering in the Playhouse alone. Granted, he wasn’t supposed to be alone, but it didn’t bother him that he was. His friends were busy, and the Playhouse was always a fun and not scary place to be… even in the evening… when it was dark and quiet. 

Nope! Not scary at all! 

He climbed up a staircase of blocks and looked around the next level. Scattered around the multi-colored room were all sorts of discarded toys and half-eaten snacks. Just ahead was a Kissy Missy toy with a rather snazzy pair of sunglasses over her eyes. Smiling at the style, Charlie grabbed the toy, removed the sunglasses, put them in his half-full pillow case, and pulled the toy over his shoulder, locking her hands around his neck. Then he moved onto the next toy in his path. 

It really was too bad that his friends hadn’t come to collect their toys with Charlie. He knew his pillow case couldn’t hold all the toys they’d forgotten when the school bell rang, signalling the end of their recess. Still, even if it meant taking a couple trips, he was more than happy to retrieve their toys alone. After all, he knew they’d do the same for him. 

As he tucked a Boxy Boo toy into his pillow case, he heard a small laugh. Quiet, like it was whispered, but close enough for Charlie to hear in the silence. He looked up, but didn’t see anyone. Then he noticed the arm of someone sticking out from one of the tunnels. Curious, Charlie crawled toward the person, cautious of his movements so as not to startle them. As he inched closer, he began to hear their voice more clearly and could understand their words: 

“That’s a really funny joke, DogDay!” they whispered. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. Do you want to have a sleepover with me?... Yeah, CatNap, that sounds like fun!” 

Charlie smiled again. Another kid! Maybe they could be a new friend! Charlie dropped his pillow case, walked over to the tunnel, and called, “Hi! I’m Charlie! Do you wanna…?” 

“ Ahh! ” the brown-haired, green-eyed boy in the tunnel shrieked and hid behind a DogDay and CatNap plush. It was the quiet kid no one talked to, and Charlie immediately felt bad for scaring him. 

“I’m sorry!” he gasped, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I promise, I just… I wanted to play.” 

The boy lowered his toys, his green eyes wide with fear and hesitance. “You… you wanna… play with me? ” 

Charlie nodded. “Mhm! I was getting my friends’ toys, but it’s not fun to be here all alone. Can we play a game together? Please? ” 

“You really want to play with me?” the boy repeated. “No one ever wants to play with me.” 

Charlie offered his hand. “Well, I do! Let’s play together!” 

The boy looked from Charlie’s hand to his face, then a soft smile broke over his face and he took Charlie’s hand and climbed out of the tunnel. His hand was ice-cold, but Charlie didn’t mind. 

“What’s your name?” Charlie asked. “Mine’s Charlie!” 

“I’m Theodore,” the boy responded bashfully. “But lots of people call me Theo, or Teddy.” 

“I like Theodore,” Charlie giggled. 

Theodore’s smile widened. “Me, too. What do you wanna play?” 

Before Charlie could respond, another voice called from close behind, an older girl’s voice yelling, “ Theodore! I know you’re here, buddy! You have to come back to Home Sweet Home, it’s almost time for dinner!” 

While Charlie blanched, realizing it was one of the Playcare guards, Theodore’s eyes lit up and he gasped. “Riley! Hold on, I’m coming!” He ran past Charlie and started to climb down the blocks, but paused and looked back at Charlie, still smiling. Then, he offered his hand. “C’mon, come meet my friend! She’s really nice, I promise.” 

In Charlie’s experience, the words “nice” and “guard” didn’t usually go together, but if the shyest and quietest kid in Playcare thought a guard was nice, he figured it was only fair to meet her first. So, despite his reluctance, he hurried after Theodore and took his slightly warmer hand, his pillowcase completely forgotten. 

Riley smirked at the sound of little footsteps growing louder in her direction, and stuffed her eternally trembling hands into her jacket’s pockets. She had only known this little boy for a couple weeks, but she adored him like he was her little brother, despite him being nothing like D– 

She shook her head before the memories could start flooding in. No, no, no. Keep that door locked, Riley, she reminded herself. Focus on the now. Focus on the kids you can protect. Focus on Theodore, who needs you. 

She straightened up just in time to see Theodore sliding down one of the tubed slides with the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face. She knelt down and held up her hand to meet his running high-five. 

“Hey, buddy!” she chuckled, waving her hand like it hurt. “Where’ve you been? You could have missed dinner if I didn’t come find you.” 

“Riley, Riley! I made a friend!” Theodore exclaimed, hopping in excitement. “He wanted to play with me! I’m so happy!” 

“That’s great, Theodore,” Riley said. “I’m glad you made a new friend. Can I meet him, or is he already here?” And she looked around for an invisible (imaginary) friend. 

“He’s right behind me,” Theodore told her, turning back to point to the slide he’d just appeared out of. 

Just then, another boy slid out of the mouth of the slide, and it took every bit of self control in Riley not to faint. Wild red hair, bright brown eyes so similar to her own, and a gap in his smile indicating a recent fallen tooth. 

Sirens. Red and blue flashing lights. The smell of smoke and saltwater. A burning car crashed into the broken parapet, and another sinking beneath the blackened water far below– 

Riley pulled her glasses off and rubbed her eyes frantically before looking the boy over again, more carefully this time. Upon closer inspection, she saw the boy’s freckles and realized that the gap in his teeth was in one of his top front teeth, not the bottom. She breathed a sigh of relief, though her heart pounded in her chest. 

Her startled reaction didn’t go unnoticed by the two boys, who now looked fairly nervous. Crap. Theodore, clutching at the rosary around his neck, took a step away from Riley, and the other boy shrank back towards the slide. 

“Are… you okay, Riley?” Theodore asked timidly. 

Stifling her horrific flashback, Riley smiled again and shook her head. “Yeah, yeah, I just… I thought I saw a snake wrapped around your friend’s neck. Almost gave me a heart attack until I realized it was just a toy.” She forced a chuckle and waved the boys over. “You’d think I’d recognize one of our star toys by now, especially since he’s my favorite.” 

The redheaded boy visibly relaxed and unwrapped the pink Huggy Wuggy doll from around his neck, laughing along with Riley. “You’re silly, this is Kissy Missy. Huggy’s blue!” 

“Ahh, I really am hopeless, huh?” Riley shrugged, reveling in her fake stupidity. “Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that CatNap’s green, isn’t he Theodore?” She poked the purple Smiling Critter shirt Theodore wore. 

Theodore giggled and swiped at her hand. “Stop being silly, you know he isn’t!” 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” Riley sighed before turning to the redheaded boy, despite the shivers that ran down her spine at the sight of his familiar face. “So who’s your new friend? Does he have a name already, or should I make one up for him?” 

The redheaded boy laughed. “My name’s Charlie! I’m nine!” 

“ Nine? You’re practically a teenager!” Riley exclaimed. In her mind, she breathed an enormous sigh of relief. Charlie, his name is Charlie. It doesn’t even sound like his name. It’s a good name– a great name, Charlie. 

There was a tug on her jacket’s sleeve. She looked down to see Theodore wearing an irresistibly adorable pleading expression complete with puppy eyes and a quivering lower lip. 

Uh, oh. She knew what that meant. 

“No,” she told him firmly. 

“ Please? ” he begged. 

“ No , you are not staying here for dinner,” Riley said, narrowing her eyes at the boy. “You already missed dinner last night because you were playing with your ‘Night Friend’ and had to go to bed hungry. You’re not missing another dinner, especially not when tonight’s grilled cheese and tomato soup.” 

“But we didn’t get to play!” Theodore pouted. 

“You can play tomorrow,” Riley responded. “Theo, you’re skin and bones! You hardly eat anything anymore! I’m worried about you, and so are your teachers. Besides, I’m sure Charlie’s getting hungry, too.” 

“I am, but I can’t go yet,” Charlie hummed, looking back towards the slide. 

Theodore nodded. “Charlie’s friends lost their toys, and Charlie said he’d get them back, so they didn’t get thrown away.” 

Riley huffed, her shoulders dropping. Well, it was hard to argue with that . “That’s very sweet of you, Charlie. And you too, Theo, for wanting to help. However, you still need your dinner, so… why don’t we make a deal?” 

At the word “deal”, the boys straightened up, eyes bright with hope. Riley smirked, then pulled out her lanyard as she explained, “As a security guard, I have access to equipment like laundry carts. I can grab one, bring it up here, and collect your missing toys. In exchange, the two of you will go back to Home Sweet Home and eat a full dinner. That means the sandwiches, the soup, and the desserts. How’s that sound?” 

The boys exchanged glances, and Riley felt a mix of annoyance and concern at the thought of them needing to contemplate. But then they turned back to her and nodded, so she breathed another mental sigh of relief. 

On the outside, she raised an eyebrow. “I require verbal confirmation from both of you.” 

Theodore groaned and replied in a defeated tone, “We’ll go eat dinner.” 

Charlie threw his fists up into the air with an excited grin. “ Yay! Grilled cheese! Let’s race! First one home gets the first bite!” And with that, he ran past Riley and out of the Playhouse. 

“Hey! Wait for me!” Theodore called, running after him without so much as a glance back to the Playhouse. 

Riley chuckled and got to her feet. It was nice to see Theodore finally talking to another child. He’d been so hesitant before, scared that he’d be rejected and bullied, but now he was laughing and racing another little boy to get food. She hadn’t seen him this happy, not even when he’d reminisce about his parents and all the ways they’d make him smile. 

Good for him, she thought before turning to the multicolored climbers of the Playhouse with a tired but determined sigh. Now how exactly was she going to steal the laundry cart for long enough to get it up that? 

“ TOY DELIVERY! ” called a familiar, jovial, musical voice throughout Home Sweet Home as a laundry cart full of toys was pushed through the doors. 

“ Riley! ” Theodore cried, abandoning his pudding cup to run out and hug the security guard, who managed to catch him and hug him back. 

“ Ah, tiny hands! My only weakness!” she wheezed as she gently set him down. “Did you have a good dinner, buddy? You cleaned your plate, right?” 

Theodore nodded ecstatically. “Mhm! The sandwiches were really good, and I really liked the soup! And there was pudding! Actual pudding! Like chocolate and vanilla and banana–” 

“Ooh, was there butterscotch?” Riley asked. 

“Yeah! One girl liked it so much, she ate two!” the little boy answered. 

“Yeah, then a big scary man said she was piggy and she was sent to her room,” Charlie added as he emerged from the kitchen as well. 

For a second, a flicker of anger flashed in Riley’s eyes, but it vanished almost immediately and she reached into the laundry cart. “Well, then it’s a good thing that I only brought presents for kids, and not big scary men.” She pulled out a Bat-Gator Swap-A-Mal wearing a propeller hat. 

From the stairwell, where other children had started to gather, there was a gasp and a brown haired boy wearing aviator glasses broke through the small crowd and ran over with his arms outstretched. Taking the toy from Riley, he cried out, “Wally!” and spun around with the toy trapped in his arms. 

Riley chuckled and winked at Charlie, who was staring at her like she’d just hung the moon in front of him. “And there’s more where that came from. You wanna take out the next one?” 

Charlie nodded, mouth hung open, and looked into the laundry cart. His eyes widened even more and he fished out a pair of Huggy Wuggy sunglasses. 

“Corey’s sunglasses! He lost these months ago!” he exclaimed. 

“They were lodged under the roundabout,” Riley replied. “A lot of these toys were. You guys need to be more careful with what you bring into the Playhouse.” 

Charlie turned to Theodore. “Your friend is so cool, Theodore! And nice! Can she hang out with us more often?” 

Theodore beamed, but before he could respond the front door slammed open and a deep, hearty voice called out angrily, “ SIMMONS! Where have you been?!” 

The laughter and happy mood died instantly. All the children straightened up and those who had been looking through the laundry cart pulled away like it was going to bite them. Riley turned around to the angry older man standing in the doorway, but she kept smiling. 

“Hi, boss,” she called. “I didn’t hear you on the radio. Did you need something?” 

“Yes, an answer: where have you been? ” the man growled out, tapping a cattle prod that hung from his belt. “You’re supposed to be doing your rounds, not playing with the orphans!” 

“I was just helping Theodore and his friend find their lost possessions. Mr. Pierre,” Riley explained. “You see, they would’ve missed dinnertime if I’d let them do it alone, so I got out one of the laundry carts and collected them myself. I’m sure it also saved the janitorial staff some time cleaning up the Playhouse–” 

“Enough excuses,” the man snapped, stomping his foot to silence her. “You abandoned your rounds, and you’re getting written up. Now come to my office. There’s something we need to discuss.” 

Riley was confused. “But sir, don’t I need to finish my–?” 

“ Now, Simmons!” he shouted, causing most of the children to jump. 

Riley’s smile dropped ever so slightly, but it stayed on nonetheless and she answered in that same upbeat tone, “Okay, Mr. Pierre. I’ll be right behind you.” She turned back to Charlie and Theodore, both of whom looked nervous for her. “Duty calls. Goodnight, boys.” 

“Riley…?” Theodore whispered, looking from her to the angry man who continued to glare at her and tap his cattle prod. 

Riley didn’t answer, just ruffled his hair and walked towards the angry man. Once she was close enough, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her away as he stormed off, slamming the door behind them. 

With the angry man and Riley gone, one of the Home Sweet Home counselors exited the kitchen with a nervous smile and clapped his hands together in an attempt to claim attention. “Well, that was certainly nice of that guard to bring you your toys back! Be sure to thank her next time you see her, kids! But right now is bedtime, so let’s all get back to our rooms, hm? Don’t forget your toys!” 

Though the counselor received no answer, the children heeded him and dispersed. Some ran back upstairs to their bedrooms while a few others stayed back to grab their returned toys from the cart. Charlie himself started to walk away, but seeing the sad and scared look on Theodore’s face he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He gently tapped his shoulder and once Theodore’s eyes were on him, he smiled. 

“She’ll come back tomorrow,” he assured the other boy. “C’mon, let’s go to my room. I’ll show you my secret candy stash!” 

“You have a candy stash?” Theodore whispered in shock. 

Charlie nodded and gently pulled Theodore with him towards the stairs. “Yeah, follow me! I got all kinds of sweets! I got bubblegum, taffy, lollipops– grape is my favorite– licorice, gumdrops…” 

As he continued to list the various sweets hidden under a loose floorboard and led his new friend up the stairs, Charlie didn’t notice how his hand slipped down Theodore’s shoulder and grasped his hand. Theodore was equally oblivious, his mind preoccupied with all the sweet treasures his friend listed. 

And neither boy took notice of the glowing red eyes watching them from the vents above. 

Safe to say, Charlie liked Riley just as much as Theodore did. 

After the “Toy Delivery incident” (her words, not his), Riley continued to hang around the boys in her free time and during her rounds. And she did so much for them when she wasn’t obligated to: helping them with homework, buying new socks when Theodore’s tore, accompanying Charlie to his medical checkup or Theodore to the counselor’s, or just being a warm and welcoming shoulder to cry on when the nightmares and memories began to overwhelm. 

She was like an awesome big sister. It really was too bad she wouldn’t officially adopt them. Charlie and Theodore had asked multiple times, of course, but strangely Riley seemed really against the idea and had a plethora of reasons why she couldn’t. It hurt Charlie’s feelings for a while, but eventually he accepted her decision. He trusted her, after all– both boys did– she was older and smarter, and surely she only wanted what was best for them. 

Besides, even if she wouldn’t adopt Charlie or Theodore she was still around them and cared for them enough that she was practically their guardian anyways– at least, to the other staff. Especially the teachers and counselors. More than once, they had jokingly referred to Charlie and Theodore as “Riley’s boys” when she came to pick them up for anything. Riley typically laughed along with them, but there were times when she would quickly shut them down (always when her scary boss was within earshot, Charlie noted). Still, the joke came up every now and then, especially at the School House where Riley was apparently well-liked by the teachers. 

At the moment, she was talking to the anatomy teacher: a delightful blonde woman neither Charlie nor Theodore had classes with. The teacher was giggling at whatever Riley was saying– Charlie couldn’t hear them over the chattering students in the adjacent classrooms– and not paying any attention to Charlie creeping up behind the redheaded security guard. Slowly and silently, he crept closer to Riley, his heart pounding harder with every inch he gained. Then, as Riley raised her quivery palms to the teacher and started to ask, “But how would they–?” Charlie pounced. 

“ LEE! ” he shouted in excitement. 

Riley jumped as Charlie’s arms circled around her waist and she raised her fist to attack but held herself back as soon as she saw her attacker’s smiling face. “Charlie! You little devil, you scared me!” Despite her annoyed tone she smirked at him and unclenched her fist to ruffle his red curls. “Shouldn’t you be in class right now? You have a math test today, and an English test!” 

“English isn’t for another hour, and I finished math early!” Charlie responded. “The teacher let the class go because we all finished early. I got a B+!” 

“Hey, that’s a grade up from your last test!” Riley said. “Good job, buddy. You and Theodore have been doing so much better since you started studying together.” 

Charlie beamed, and the teacher Riley had been talking to giggled. 

“Your boys have excellent character, I’m excited to be their teacher next year,” she said with a wide, toothy smile. She leaned down to Charlie’s level. “Are you excited to learn a new subject in a few months, dear?” 

“Yeah, but…” Charlie hesitated, his stomach churning at the thought of the class activities. 

Riley, sensing his discomfort, gently brushed her hand against his shoulder in a soothing and comforting way. “Don’t worry about the gross stuff. Miss Dahlia doesn’t bring in dead stuff for kids to mess with. She uses textbooks and toy models, right?” 

“That’s right, I would never use a method that would upset my students,” Miss Dahlia replied, nodding at Riley. “In fact, Riley here has helped me prepare a couple of my lesson plans for next year, since of course her children are going to be in my class, and she won’t have much time to help you study. Isn’t that right, Riley? ” And she batted her eyelashes at Riley in an almost mocking way. 

Riley laughed, but something about her laugh was wrong. It sounded… hollow. Fake. Even her smile was thin and her eyes narrowed at the teacher. Charlie frowned, confused, but Riley got up to her feet without so much as a glance back to Charlie. 

“Lee?” Charlie asked. 

“Go get some lunch, buddy,” Riley told him, her eyes focused on Miss Dahlia. “I have a few things I still need to discuss with the teachers. I’ll meet you after your next test, okay? I’ll buy you and Theodore ice cream if you get an A.” 

In an instant, Charlie’s confusion was replaced with the thought of the cold and creamy sweetness of butter brickle with caramel drizzle. Without another thought, he ran off to find Theodore and tell him the good news, knowing he’d be waiting for him outside. 

Sure enough, Theodore was waiting for Charlie on the stairs, hugging his bulging backpack close to his chest with an excited smile. 

“Hi, Charlie!” Theodore exclaimed. “I have something really, really cool I wanna show you!” 

“And I have something awesome to tell you!” Charlie replied. “Riley said she’d buy us ice cream if I get an A on my next test!” 

Theodore gasped and his eyes sparkled at Charlie. “ Ice cream? We never get ice cream! Where is she gonna find ice cream? ” 

Charlie shrugged. “I dunno, but Lee never lies so I’m gonna ace my English test!” 

“I already had English, and the test was really tricky,” Theodore confessed. “But I got a B, so that’s good.” 

“I got a B on my test, too!” Charlie said, completely forgetting that he actually got a B+ in favor of keeping his friend in good spirits. “So what did you find?” He eyed Theodore’s bag. 

Theodore excitedly zipped open his bag and, after looking around for any adults, pulled out a big, dark green camouflage hoodie that smelled of pine needles and a small touch of a wretched ink that might’ve choked Charlie had it been any more present. Other than the ink smell, it seemed like a really nice hoodie, however it was far too big to fit either of the boys. 

Charlie leaned away from the tainted scent of the hoodie. “Where’d you get that?” 

Theodore grinned mischievously and stuffed the hoodie back into his backpack. Then, he leaned in and whispered something. Charlie, unable to hear him over the nearby laughter of their peers playing. So he leaned his ear closer to Theodore, and Theodore cupped his hand over his mouth and repeated into Charlie’s ear: 

“ Riley’s locker. This is hers .” 

Charlie’s mind went blank for a moment, and it must’ve shown on his face because Theodore started to chuckle. Then Charlie leaned away and stared at his friend, dumbfounded. 

“ You stole Riley’s hoodie?! ” he gasped in pure horror. 

“No, no!” Theodore told him. “I didn’t steal it, I just borrowed it. My night friend asked me to get something for him in the guards’ locker room, and he said I could play a prank on Riley and that it would make her laugh, so I did. I snuck out of school an hour ago and took her hoodie, and then I’m gonna hide it for her!” 

“But isn’t that kinda mean?” Charlie asked, frowning. 

Theodore looked away from Charlie, towards Home Sweet Home. His expression doubtful and his voice hesitant, he responded, “I… I guess … maybe a little….” He bit his lip, conflicted, then shook his head and looked back at Charlie. “But my friend said it was funny. He swore she’d laugh! He said she wouldn’t have to see that creepy doctor if she was too busy with other stuff.” 

Charlie’s frowned deepened. He didn’t like when Theodore talked about his “night friend”, or the things his “friend” asked Theodore to do because it usually got him in trouble. At first, Theodore would pocket extra food for his friend, which was against the rules but easy to hide. Then his “friend” started asking for toy pieces, pens, screws and bolts, even tools from the maintenance people. Charlie had tried to dissuade his friend from complying, but Theodore swore that his “friend” was making something really special for everyone. It was a surprise, so Theodore didn’t know what he was helping to make, but he trusted his “friend” wholeheartedly. Sometimes, it felt like he trusted his “night friend” more than Charlie or Riley, which felt like a punch to Charlie’s gut. 

Still… regardless of how Charlie felt about Theodore’s “night friend”... he did have to admit that Riley’s creepy doctor boss was worse. 

He still remembered the day he first heard “The Doctor”-- as Riley had called him. He never saw The Doctor, but from his low, flat, authoritative voice booming from Mr. Pierre’s handheld radio as well as the immediate look of pale terror on Riley’s face, he knew that The Doctor was a man to fear. That day, he’d told Mr. Pierre to bring Riley to his office for a “special project”, and Mr. Pierre had obeyed this strange man without hesitation, grabbing Riley’s arm and pulling her away from Charlie and Theodore. She hadn’t looked happy about being taken away, but she looked even worse when she returned the next day: shakier hands, jumping whenever something touched her, faint bruising around her neck that she dismissed as “nothing important.” Charlie didn’t know what had happened that night, but it was bad enough to dim the cheery light in his friend’s eyes when even a weekend-long blackout during a particularly harsh blizzard hadn’t so much as fazed her. Worse still, it wasn’t even the last time The Doctor called for her; he did it again a couple weeks later, and then again two days after that, and every time Riley came back she was shaken and flinchy. It was like she was a completely different person when The Doctor called for her, and the boys hated it. 

Charlie’s frowned deepened as he compared “Night Friend” to The Doctor and he felt a shiver run down his spine, but he didn’t share his thoughts with Theodore. Instead, he folded his arms and questioned, “Can’t we play a different prank on Riley? What if she gets in trouble again?” 

“She won’t,” Theodore gently assured. “My friend said that as long as I keep the key hidden, no one will know where the jacket came from. And since it’s a ‘ cam-o-flog’ jacket, no one will see it or us if we wear it in dark or green places!” 

“Cam-o-flog?” Charlie repeated, squinting at the dark jacket in Theodore’s backpack. “What’s that mean?” 

“My friend said it makes people invisible,” Theodore responded. “So it’s gonna be really easy to hide from Riley.” 

“ What’s going to be easy to hide from Riley?” called a melodic voice from the school doors. 

Charlie and Theodore spun around– Theodore quickly zipping up his backpack before Riley could spot the jacket– and jumped up to meet the guard as she descended the white, wooden stairs. 

“Lee!” Charlie greeted, jumping up and running over to hug Riley again. “You took forever! ” 

This time, Riley knelt down and caught Charlie in one arm, holding the other out until Theodore jumped into it. 

She chuckled and squeezed the boys a bit. “I wasn’t even gone for five minutes! And even if I was, I think I’m entitled to have a conversation with someone my age, or someone who can spell the word discombobulate .” 

“Dico… bob… U… late?” Theodore repeated, confused. 

Riley let out a playful snicker. “Yeah, that’s what I said: Disco-Bob-U-Late, Playtime’s newest toy– an alarm clock with a giant disco ball named Bob.” 

Charlie buried his face in Riley’s shoulder and, out of curiosity, took a strong whiff of her light blue jacket. Sure enough, her jacket smelled of pine needles, though oddly there was no ink smell. Oh, well. He hadn’t like it, anyways. 

Riley chuckled and pulled away from the boys. “Hey, hound dogs, what’s with the smell check? What am I, your next exam?” 

“You smell like trees!” Charlie answered. “ Real trees!” 

“I wanna smell like trees!” Theodore said. “Can I smell like real trees, too?” 

Riley’s smile dropped and her eyes softened. She hesitated for a moment, downcasting her eyes to avoid the boys’ gazes, but eventually looked back at them with a sad smile. 

“Maybe one day soon,” she replied. “Right now, that wouldn’t be safe– not for you, or any of the kids here. But by the time your next school semester starts, it should be safe enough to go out again. And when it is, you’ll get to see the woods that surround the factory: pine trees tall as the sky, fresh grass greener than Hoppy Hopscotch, rivers and ponds and streams… all of it.” 

“But why can’t we see it now?” Theodore asked. “Why isn’t it safe for us? Why is it safe for you? ” 

Riley donned a sheepish expression and rubbed her neck. “It’s… technically not safe for me. I get driven here, and I’m never alone when I walk the rest of the way. As for why …” she hesitated again, like she wasn’t supposed to be telling the boys anything. “...well, it’s complicated. The short of it is that there’s a bad person on the loose, and they seem to be going after Playtime employees like me. So the bosses decided that all the employees should be escorted to the factory, just to make sure this person can’t hurt them.” 

A bad person hurting Playtime workers? Why? Charlie frowned, wrapping his arms around himself to soothe the shivers that ran through his body. Theodore reached to hug Riley again, burying his face in her pine-scented jacket. 

“Hey, hey ….” Riley gently rubbed Theodore’s back to comfort him. “You don’t need to worry, the police will catch this person, and there’s no chance that they’ll break into the orphanage. You’re safe, I promise.” 

“But you’re not,” Theodore replied. 

Riley sighed again, but her smile never wavered. “I’ll be fine. Believe it or not, I’ve been through worse.” 

“Worse like what?” Theodore pressed. 

Riley’s hand tensed on his back and her smile tightened considerably. For a moment, Charlie wondered if she was going to snap at Theodore, but she let out an overly cheery laugh and gently pat his back. 

“ Okay, I think that’s enough question time,” she said, standing up and stretching her arms above her head. “I have to get back to my rounds and you two have tests to take. And no, I’m not giving you the answers.” 

She reached down to ruffle the boys’ hair, but while Charlie laughed Theodore still wore a grim look, still concerned with Riley’s safety. When she tried to pull her hand away, Theodore took hold of her wrist, preventing her from leaving. 

Riley sighed once more. “Theo, I promise you I’m safe. I have cameras on me 24/7, a company van that drives me to and from work, a taser, and I throw a mean punch. If this monster takes anyone else, I can assure you it won’t be me. The only people in any real danger are the ones working in the upper levels– the innovators. And those guys have my boss watching over them, so they’re going to be okay.” She pulled her wrist out of Theodore’s tiny grasp and ruffled his hair again– more gently this time, Charlie noted– with that loving, soft, affectionate glimmer in her eyes. “Trust me when I say nothing’s gonna hurt me or take me away. Not while you guys are here.” 

Theodore sniffled, but smiled up at Riley. “Okay… I believe you, Lee.” 

“Ah, there’s that oh-so-sweet nickname,” Riley fake-groaned with a smirk. “Now let’s get you to your classes! No test means no ice cream, and no ice cream means going straight back to Home Sweet Home after school ends.” 

“ Ice cream! ” Charlie cheered, running up the schoolhouse’s stairs. “C’mon, Theodore! I want two scoops of butter brickle, or rocky road!” 

“Hey, wait up!” Theodore called, racing after his friend. “Blue moon’s better, and you know it, Charlie!” 

“Is not!” 

“Is too!” 

“ Is not! ” 

“ Is too! ” 

Riley chuckled as the boys disappeared through the glass doors. She hadn’t even gotten to tell them where the ice cream would be coming from. Oh, well. It could stay a surprise until after school ends. 

Regardless of their grades, she was going to take them to the newly built ice cream parlor in the toy store. It’d felt mean enough to keep it a secret from them in the first place, there was no way she was going to keep them from the opening if she was going to be there. And of course, she had to be there; boss’s orders. 

Suddenly, there was a buzzing on her belt. Riley grabbed the source of the buzzing– her radio– and brought it up to her face to hear her boss: 

“ Simmons, check on the maintenance guys in the Playhouse. Sounds like a couple of ‘em got lost and/or stuck in the mazes, and they need a rescue.” 

Naturally, Riley thought, snickering to herself at the irony. To the radio, she pressed a button and responded, “On my way, boss. Just tell ‘em to not panic and stay still, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

And with that, she tucked the radio back into her belt and hurried off toward the multi-colored tent with a determined smirk on her face. 

Charlie awoke to a storm: thunder throughout the halls of Home Sweet Home, red lightning flashing not only outside but also blaring in his room, accompanied by a horrible siren ringing in his ears. There were even security guards running around, one shaking Charlie’s shoulders until he saw the boy’s wide, bloodshot eyes, and then he pulled him out of bed. His lips seemed to be moving, from what Charlie could see through the flashing red lights, but he couldn’t hear anything the guard was saying over the thunder and the siren. Regardless, the guard pulled Charlie and his roommates out of the room, where they were met by one of the counselors who checked them all over. She seemed frantic, scared even. 

What was going on? 

“Children, are you alright?” she asked, hugging all four children at once and looking them over while holding each of their faces. “You’re all safe? No injuries? No burns? No monsters in your room?” 

“No, we’re okay,” a boy named Jason yawned, hugging his PJ Pug-A-Pillar plushie close to his racing heart. 

“What’s happening?” a girl named Claire asked, her tiny body trembling in terror. “Are we in trouble?” 

“No, no, none of you are in trouble,” the counselor responded, looking over Claire’s arms for injuries. “Come with me. We’re heading to the foyer.” 

“But what’s happening?” Charlie called. 

The counselor either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him. Instead, she took hold of Jason and Claire’s arms and told them something Charlie couldn’t hear over the increasingly loud sirens. But Jason took his hand and pulled him away with the counselor, and so Charlie had no choice but to follow without answers. 

Down the stairs they went, dodging and weaving past other counselors and security guards as they did so. Charlie looked around, still clueless as to what was going on. This had never happened, not even during the blackout. And even then, the counselors hadn’t been this scared. So what possibly could have scared them so badly? A monster? The monster hunting the employees? But Riley had said the kids would be safe, so why were they being gathered up? Had she lied to make him and Theodore feel safe? 

Suddenly, all four kids were stopped at the foot of the stairs. The counselor had started talking to another guard– one covered in scary black armor– but Charlie still couldn’t hear her. Her fearful, tearstained face made him worry even more and he pulled himself out of Jason’s grasp, searching around the room for answers. All around him were groups of children, half-asleep and wide awake alike– holding onto each other with the same fear Charlie felt. He looked back up the stairs, and more children and counselors were descending. 

Horrifyingly, no matter where or how long he looked, he couldn’t see Theodore. 

Charlie felt a punch of dread in his stomach as he pieced the facts together: the counselors were counting all the children and making sure none of them had been harmed, Riley– who guarded the children and patrolled Playcare during her night rounds– had been called away right before bedtime, Theodore’s “friend” had given him a key to the employees’ lockers and asked for something for his “surprise”, and now Theodore was nowhere to be found. 

His friend. 

The key. 

“No monsters in your room?” 

Theodore was in danger. 

Charlie didn’t think– he couldn’t, there was no time– he ran. He ran through the groups of children, counselors, and guards, and then he ran through the exit doors. He refused to hear the cries of the counselors calling him back, and dodged the guards who tried to catch him once he got outside. The sirens were louder now, but the flashing red lights had faded and he could now see the source of the sudden chaos. 

The artificial sun of Playcare had long set, leaving the underground orphanage in a night-like darkness, but the Bron-shaped streetlights that littered around the walkways were lit and a group of figures wearing blinding headlamps were gathered around something, carrying it around on a dirty stretcher splattered with red. They seemed to be coming from the Playhouse, as more people wearing headlamps ran out of the tent and started to follow them, as well as two people who weren’t wearing headlamps: one a tall man wearing a darkened overcoat who appeared to be in deep conversation with Mr. Pierre, Riley’s boss. 

Was Theodore trapped in the Playhouse? Charlie wondered before taking off towards the group. 

As he approached, his senses registered more over the wailing sirens and flashing lights: the hazmat suits the figures were wearing, the shouted orders for morphine and IV drips, the hoarse and desperate sobs and pleas from deep within the group, the stomach-churning smell of burnt copper and overcooked meat, and– once Charlie was close enough to recognize the pleading voice– the sight of a small, burn-covered, bloody, lifeless hand hanging off the stretcher. 

Charlie stopped running. He stopped thinking. Stopped breathing. He dropped to his knees, no longer concerned with finding his friend before the worst got him. It was too late anyways. He stared at that lifeless hand as the figures continued to carry it and the child it belonged to away. He stared at it even as red-hot tears flooded his vision and as someone grabbed him by the shoulders and started to drag him away. He couldn’t bring himself to care, let alone fight it. 

There was no point. Not anymore. 

It was too late. 

He was too late. 

Theodore was…. 

Suddenly, that crying voice from before started shouting something Charlie could only register because he recognized that voice: “ Wait, STOP! That’s my kid! That’s my other kid! CHARLIE! ” 

Riley… her name broke through to Charlie as she charged through the figures carrying the stretcher and ran over to envelop Charlie in an embrace so tight it was a wonder his bones didn’t crack under the pressure. 

Her arms– so wonderfully warm and full of love– encircled his little body and her cold, shaky hands grasped him like she was worried he’d disappear if she let go. Her body spasmed with barely restrained sobs and her beautiful brown and green eyes were brimmed with agony, but somehow Charlie felt safer, comforted by the guard’s presence. 

It didn’t matter anymore that there was a disastrous storm back in Home Sweet Home, or that there was a monster hunting the employees, or even that the monster had attacked. 

It had taken Theodore… but it wouldn’t take anyone else. Not so long as Riley was around. He just knew it. He was safe with her. 

So he cried. He opened his mouth and wailed louder than the sirens, louder than the thunder in Home Sweet Home, louder than the screams of the people who had been running around and over other people during the panic of Charlie’s old school’s Easter parade. His tears flooded down his face in a furious stream of pain and misery. Still, Riley held onto him like her life depended on it, regardless of the snot and tears that stained her blue security jacket, or the screaming that would no doubt leave her partially deaf. 

No, she stayed. Even when Mr. Pierre and the man in the overcoat tried to talk to her, she held Charlie in her protective embrace. Charlie didn’t care what they were saying, or that Riley stood up and responded to them, because she was still holding him. Her kid. He was her kid. He and Theodore had been called her boys so often, but it had never felt so comforting before now. If only Theodore could have heard it, too…. 

Charlie cried out again, and Riley clutched the back of his head, her cold fingers threading through his red curls in a protective hold. He buried his face in the warmth of her jacket, easily blocking out the flashing red lightning and the sight of his best friend being carried away. He took a deep breath, and the familiar scent of pine needles breezed into his nostrils and lungs. 

Safe. Warm. Pine. 

Riley. 

Amidst the storm of agony, misery, and destruction, Charlie had found shelter in the strong, protective, and loving arms of a true caretaker. 

“This is the fourth D you’ve gotten this month,” Counselor Cecelia said, gesturing to the math assignment with a giant black D+ on her desk. “The teachers say you’re hardly speaking in class, and never participate in the activities. To put it simply, Charlie, we’re all terribly worried about you.” 

Charlie didn’t look up at the counselor. Behind him, he heard Riley clear her throat and a second later he felt her pointed, expectant gaze piercing him. Still, he refused to react and pretended to be fascinated by his sneakers. 

The counselor sighed and exchanged a tired glance with Riley, who pushed herself off the wall and walked up behind Charlie and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. He still didn’t look at her, but she felt his shoulder sag under her touch, which was as good a response as any. 

“You’ve gotta talk to us, buddy,” she whispered. “You’re never gonna get better if you don’t. We’re here for you, I’m here for you– you don’t have to grieve alone.” 

Charlie’s eyes flickered with the mention of grief; a memory of Theodore’s smiling face flashed before him and his eyes welled up with tears he refused to cry. Seeing this, Riley wrapped her arm around his back and gave him the gentlest side hug she could. 

“Riley’s right, Charlie, we have resources to help you,” the counselor chimed in. “Moreover, it’s been months since the accident, and you still haven’t been acting like yourself. If you need more counseling, then I’m certain Miss Greybur would be happy to–” 

“Cecelia…” Riley interrupted with a warning tone. “He is improving, bit by bit. He doesn’t need a Head getting involved. What he does need is to keep seeing his usual therapist, and possibly group tutoring sessions if his grades don’t improve. You said there was one available last week, right?” 

Counselor Cecelia scrunched her face up like she was holding back a fit, then sighed again and picked up a green folder. Looking through it, she nodded. “Yes, Miss Dahlia is holding bi-weekly tutoring group sessions every Tuesday and Thursday after school ends. Many children have signed up for these sessions, but there is still space.” 

“Then we’ll sign him up for that,” Riley said. “If he still doesn’t improve, then we’ll talk about getting Miss Greybur involved, but for now let’s try and keep things simple , okay?” 

There was a tense moment of silence. Charlie finally raised his head, his eyes still puffy from his last bout of crying, and saw Counselor Cecelia purse her lips. 

“Very well,” she conceded. “We’ll keep things simple … for now. Charlie, you are dismissed.” 

“Thank you, Cecelia,” Riley said before patting Charlie’s back. “C’mon, buddy, let’s get you to the lunch room.” 

Charlie slumped off the wooden chair and took Riley’s hand, preferring to let her lead him out rather than running off. He wasn’t that hungry anyways. Riley frowned, but gently pulled him out the door, but just before she herself walked out the counselor called, “And Riley?” 

Riley turned to her and Charlie, still within earshot, couldn’t help but listen in. 

He heard the counselor sigh again and with a lowered volume whisper, “ He can’t keep acting like this. No one wants a depressed child. ” 

Riley’s expression sharpened for a moment, but she whispered back in that same gentle and patient tone she used for Charlie and Theodore: “ Cecelia, I know what I’m doing. Just trust me. ” And before the counselor could respond, she shut the door and turned back to Charlie with a heavy sigh. 

Charlie started to walk away– he knew his way to the lunch room, he didn’t need Riley to hold his hand and walk him there– but Riley caught his shoulder and held him in place, her voice dropping a couple octaves as she warningly told him, “Hold it, buddy, we need to talk.” Her tone sent a shiver down his spine, so he reluctantly turned back to Riley, who had knelt to his level and was now pinning him with her brown and green glare. If he had enough energy, he might have shrunk back. 

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong– and we both know I’m not …” she said, her voice dripping with restrained annoyance. “...but last I recall, I spent the past three weeks helping you study all while juggling my rounds and the new work my boss has been giving me. I’ve stayed over night to prepare you for your tests. So, all that considered, care to tell me how you’re failing, Charlie?” 

Were she anyone else, Charlie would’ve been brave enough to brush her off and walk away. If she wasn’t wearing that petrifying glare, or if she’d been lying, he wouldn’t have cared so much about what she was saying. However, she wasn’t lying, and she was wearing that glare that filled him with a mix of apprehension and guilt. And so he owed her an answer; the true answer, and not the mumbled excuses he gave his teachers. Still, he couldn’t help but murmur his response. 

“Louder, Charlie, I can’t hear you,” Riley said, her glare darkening. 

He whimpered and repeated, “I kept thinking about the monster… the one that killed Theodore. Some other kids were talking about it, and Miss Delight said that it was still alive and locked up under the factory.” 

Riley’s grip on Charlie’s shoulder tightened and her eyes darkened even more. “Miss Delight said that?” 

Charlie nodded. 

For a moment, Riley didn’t say a thing. Instead, she closed her eyes, she took in a deep breath, held it for a couple seconds, then blew out through her nose. When she opened her eyes again, the rage was gone and her grip was considerably lighter. However, her voice was still deep with anger when she asked, “Did she say anything else?” 

Charlie shook his head. 

“Good,” she said. “I can deal with her later. No one is allowed to talk about that… thing… least of all to the kids. I’ll have to make a report about this, make sure she hasn’t been telling her other class and scaring–” 

“Is it true?” Charlie blurted, unable to hold back the question he’d been dying to ask for hours. 

Riley’s hand tensed on his shoulder, and that was all the answer he needed. Betrayed, he stepped away from the guard, jerking his shoulder out of her hold with great fury. The shock and hurt on her face pinched his heart, but he ignored it. 

“Charlie–” she started. 

“ You lied to me! ” he shouted, the words echoing in the empty hallway. “You said it was gone! You said it couldn’t hurt us!” 

“It can’t , Charlie!” Riley responded. “It is gone, it can’t hurt anyone, I swear it.” 

“ Then why is it still alive? ” he demanded. 

Riley bit her lip, hesitating. Charlie watched her contemplate, desperate for a reason why the monster that murdered his best friend was still alive. After a minute, she gave her head a jerky shake and faced the grieving child. 

“It’s… a complicated story,” she confessed. “I don’t know everything , but… the executives– my bosses– are keeping it imprisoned. Studying it, experimenting on it, learning from it… to make better toys. Because of it, they were able to create Mommy Long Legs, and Doey the Doughman, and Pianosaurus, and god only knows whatever else they’re working on. That’s why it’s still alive, regardless of how many people it’s hurt. I didn’t even know it existed until what happened to Theodore, and after I found out I swore I’d never let it hurt you.” Her voice cracked at the end and she swiped off her glasses to rub her eyes. When she lowered her hand, Charlie briefly saw the tears and anguish in her eyes. Then she placed her glasses back over her eyes and faced him again. “I’d never lie to you, Charlie. That thing is exactly where it belongs, and it can never get to you or any other child ever again.” 

“But it’s still alive.” Charlie’s eyes downcasted once more, clearly still full of doubt and hurt. 

Riley was silent for a minute. Charlie’s trust in her dwindled more by the second, but just as he turned to walk away from her, she spoke up again. 

“ Okay , this was supposed to be a surprise but…” she got back up to her feet and held out her hand. “Walk with me, I’ve got to tell you something that I know will make you feel better.” 

He doubted it, but took her hand anyways. She smiled and they started to walk away again, likely towards the lunch room like she’d said before. 

After passing by all the counselors’ offices, Riley said, “Okay, so… do you remember how you and Theodore were always asking me to adopt you two, but I couldn’t because I had too many issues and reasons why you wouldn’t be happy living with me?” 

He nodded. So many times, so many pleas. 

“Well, what if I told you those reasons weren’t a problem anymore?” 

Charlie stopped walking and gazed up at the guard, whose brown and green eyes now held a hopeful gleam. Her free hand was shaking a bit more than usual, and the hand that was holding his was clamming up, like she was extremely nervous. 

Nervous like Theodore on that fateful day in the Playhouse. 

Charlie gave no response; he just stared at her with his wide, unreadable, tawny brown eyes. She looked away from him, her cheeks flushing as she murmured, “I-I mean, I’d get it if you didn’t want it– it’s a vulnerable time and the last thing you need is a dramatic change– I just thought… maybe some space from Playcare… from what happened…. And since I know you so well, you’re practically already my kid, I…” She sighed, pulling her hand out of his to wring her own. “...No, nevermind. That’s not what you need. Forget about–” 

The sudden squeeze of arms around her torso knocked the air out of Riley’s lungs and nearly threw her back into the lockers. Evidently, Charlie was a lot stronger than he looked. 

“ Whoa! Easy there, Charlie!” Riley scolded, sounding more worried than angry. 

Charlie mumbled something back, face buried in her yellow Playtime shirt. Before Riley could ask him, though, he lifted his head to look at her with his shiny, streaming eyes alight with a newfound joy. 

“You promise, Lee? I can live with you?” he asked with a sniffle. “You’ll really adopt me? No more waiting?” 

Riley smiled, her once shaky hand now stable as it ran through his red locks. “Yeah, if that’s what you want. However, I’m not going to try and be your mom , okay? I’ll be your friend, your guardian, and your protector if need be, but I’m not going to replace your parents, got it?” 

Charlie nodded, burying his face in her shirt again. It was all Riley could do to not burst into tears there and then. 

Still, she stayed composed (or as composed as she could manage) and gently pulled the boy off of her. Then, she knelt down to his level again and wiped the happy tears from his face with the sleeve of her new light blue cardigan. 

Rough , Charlie thought as the fabric grazed his cheek. But it’s warm, and smells like pine trees! 

The image of the mighty pine trees that scented Riley blossomed in his mind and Charlie brimmed with excitement. “Does that mean I can finally see the trees?” 

Riley hummed, then she got a mischievous look in her eye and a wicked smirk bloomed on her face. Uh, oh. That meant she had a mean idea, or a deal in mind. 

“I’ll tell you what, buddy ,” she said. “The adoption process is going to take a while, and you still have three months of school left. So if you can bring all your grades back up to at least a C+ by the time the adoption is finalized, I’ll take you on a walk through the woods and you can see all the trees you want.” 

“Really?” Charlie gasped, his heart racing from the way she’d said “adoption”. 

“Really,” she responded. 

“ Yay! ” And he tackled her with another hug. 

“ Agh! Charlie, gentle!” Riley wheezed, tapping at the tiny arms wrapped around her throat. “One of these days, you’re gonna hug me to death, I swear to… well, whatever higher power there is.” 

“Sorry,” Charlie murmured sheepishly, retracting his arms. 

In response, Riley inhaled a very dramatic deep breath and grasped at her throat. Charlie giggled, and suddenly his stomach rumbled lowly. He grabbed at his stomach, annoyed by the sudden emptiness he felt, and Riley “ hmph ”’d with a teasing smirk. 

“You’d better get to the lunch room,” she advised. “I’d go with you, but I have some paperwork to take care of. I can trust you to go get lunch, right?” 

Charlie nodded. 

“Good.” Riley stood up, making a show of stretching her arms above her head with an overly exaggerated screech-like groan, as well as a low “ ow ” before setting her hands on her hips. “I’ll see you after school to go over your tests. Until then, please try not to flunk out of your other classes, and attend whatever retakes or extra credits your teachers offer, okay?” 

“I will,” Charlie responded, truly meaning it for the first time in months. 

“And Charlie…” Riley called as he started to turn away. “Eat a full lunch, will you? I could feel your ribs when you hug-attacked me.” 

“I’ll try!” And before she could say anything else, he hurried off to the lunch room, eager to talk his friends’ ears off about the adoption. 

Now alone, Riley let out a heavy but joyful sob she’d been holding back since Charlie’s first hug. She immediately brought her arm to her face to hide it, in case there were other teachers or students around, and spent the next minute or so soaking her sleeve with her tears of joy. Then, once all her tears had been shed, she wiped the remaining droplets from her eyes and lashes and just smiled in the direction Charlie had gone. 

He’s going to be okay , she thought. They won’t hurt him, and he won’t be alone. He won’t be in danger anymore. I can take him home, and he can choose his room, and his bed…. I gotta get the paperwork started. 

“Stella’s office,” she said aloud. “I need to go to Stella’s office.” 

Riley turned around and speed-walked towards the exit. She needed to hurry, in case someone else had their eye on her boy. Her heart swelled with excitement, and she couldn’t help but walk faster until she was practically sprinting. She couldn’t help herself; she was just too happy. 

Too happy to worry about what Stella might think about someone with “ her past ” adopting a child. 

Too happy to care about what Pierre might do to her for adopting a potential experiment victim. 

Too happy to notice the hallway’s cameras following her throughout the school, manned undoubtably by a certain and extremely curious , conniving Doctor. 

And wasn’t this interesting? 

Gone. 

Gone. 

Gone. 

“ He’s gone, Riley. I’m sorry.” 

“ Wh-what? No, that can’t be right. I just saw him last night– I took him to bed! I filled out the adoption paperwork you gave me, I put my hand over him! What do you mean he’s gone?! ” 

“There was… a misunderstanding. Someone else– a nice couple– took a liking to Charlie before you spoke to me yesterday. They filled out the paperwork, and it was approved. Charlie left Playcare shortly before you came in.” 

“That’s bullcrap; Charlie hasn’t met any potential parents since before the incident. And how could the paperwork have been approved the same day it was filled out? That’s impossible!” 

“I thought it was best for him to be adopted as soon as possible, so I approved them personally.” 

“You– Stella, why?! ” 

“Because I am head of Playcare, and therefore I have final say in what happens to these children. And if the choice for where Charlie Morrison goes was between a sweet, lovely couple who have adopted from Playcare before and you– a drug addict with a criminal record– then I’d gladly give that boy a chance at a real family!” 

“But… I promised… I was supposed to protect him…” 

“And he will be protected. Even better, he’ll be happy. Think of everything that couple will give him: a home, loving parents, a good education, opportunity– things you could never afford…. Riley, sweetheart, I know you mean well. I know how much you love that boy, all of us do, but you need to be realistic here: you can’t give Charlie what he truly needs. You’re too young, and still in recovery. Not to mention that fortune you spent trying to save Theodore Grambell’s life! You can hardly look after yourself, let alone a child.” 

“...I… I thought…” 

“I truly am sorry, Riley, but if you truly love Charlie then you’ll let him be with the family he deserves. I know it hurts, but it’s what’s best for him. You know that, too.” 

“...he’ll be safe, right? And happy?” 

“Happy as a puppy.” 

“...then he doesn’t need me anymore. I’ll get back to my rounds now.” 

“That’s the spirit, dear! Oh, and kindly remind Leith we have a lunch meeting today!” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

And just like that, Riley was alone again. She tried to get over it, to convince herself that Stella was right about Charlie. But each attempt felt like another dagger to the heart. Because Stella didn’t know Charlie, those people who had taken him didn’t know Charlie– not like Riley did. 

They hadn’t stayed overtime to help him finish his homework. They hadn’t been with him through his grief. They hadn’t spent hours with him, learning about everything he loved, hated, feared, found funny– they didn’t know a thing! But Riley did! They couldn’t have possibly loved him more than Riley had loved him and Theodore. 

But in the end, none of that mattered. She wasn’t what he needed, and she had to accept that. 

For the next few weeks, Riley did her best to carry on: doing her rounds, acting friendly with the children if she met them, assisting staff when Pierre called her, and of course looking after Theo– CatNap after the artificial sun set on Home Sweet Home. 

Regardless of what happened to Charlie, CatNap still needed her care and protection from Pierre, and she knew it. Without a caretaker, Riley knew the Heads of Playtime would throw CatNap into the prisons or worse– the labs where the Prototype was. At least Riley being there watching over him allowed him to stay in Playcare, and away from the Doctor. 

Even if it meant giving that monster more reason to take interest in her. 

Hands sliding down her arms. A squeeze on her shoulder or her waist. That god-awful stench of disinfectant and death. The cold and rough hold on her cheeks if she dared to raise her voice, which had left dark bruises she’d had to lie about to her coworkers, the children, and most importantly the staff at her halfway house. She was so close to being released, she couldn’t let them find out what the Doctor or the Heads had been doing, or they would take her out of Playtime Co. and then who would protect CatNap? Or Yarnaby? Or any of the other Bigger Bodies Playtime held captive? She’d seen the workers in the prisons– those who worked closer with the Bigger Bodies– the night she found out what had truly happened to Theodore, and they had been just as horrible as the Doctor. 

None of them would stand up for those kids. So Riley did, no matter how much she loathed the Doctor’s eyes and hands on her. 

“ I thought I’d find you here, Aureilea~ ” 

Speak of the damn devil…. 

“It’s Riley,” Riley said, biting back all the colorful insults she had bottled up as well as being careful to keep her voice low and flat. “I need to continue my sweep of the Game Station, Dr. Sawyer– Leith Pierre’s orders.” 

Behind her, the Doctor chuckled in mild amusement and reached out to grab her arms before she could run away. She flinched under his grasp, her hands shaking not from withdrawal but from fear. There wasn’t anyone else in the Game Station who could come to her aid– not even Mommy Long Legs; she’d been taken back down to the prison an hour ago so Riley could do her security round. 

Riley was alone, and he knew it. 

His hot breath brushed the back of her neck as he chuckled some more. “Now, now, you have new orders. Pierre wanted to call you back himself, but I insisted I’d get you myself. Don’t worry, someone else will finish your rounds.” 

New orders? Riley repeated internally. Pierre wouldn’t interrupt security rounds unless something big happened, and if he’s calling me specifically… 

“Is something wrong with CatNap, Dr. Sawyer?” she asked, concerned. 

“No, no, not at all,” the Doctor responded, releasing one of her arms to brush his cold and pale fingers through her hair in what Riley assumed to be a comforting gesture. “1188 is perfectly safe, as per our agreement .” He tugged on a stray hair strand and Riley did her best not to flinch again. “No, this is something special. A surprise just for you, Aureilea .” 

“My name is Riley .” The snap came out of her mouth before she could bite it back. 

The Doctor’s hands released her, but she stayed wary. She heard him sigh, but that was all. No sting of a slap, no sudden shove, no kick to the back of her leg. 

“Let’s not keep Pierre waiting, dear,” he stated. “If you’d kindly follow me…” 

As if she had a choice. Riley steeled herself and turned around to follow the Doctor. He was already several yards ahead of her (a tolerable distance) but she didn’t bother hurrying after him; she knew he was headed for the train. 

Stopping just behind the Doctor as he conversed with the conductor, she took a moment to look at her hands. Doing a security round of the Games Station included patrolling the games, and since the the toys in those game areas were deemed “ nonlethal obstacles ” they’d been allowed to stay while Riley did her rounds. What’s worse, they hadn’t even been restrained beyond Bunzo Bunny’s harness and the Mini- Wuggies’ strings. So Riley had had to deal with Bunzo swiping at her with his cymbals every once in a while in Musical Memory, the Wuggies reaching out and biting at her when she got too close to the walls in Whack-A-Wuggy, and PJ-Pug-A-Pillar barrelling into her and knocking her down to “request” pets and cuddles in Statues. Because of that, Riley’s hands and arms were covered in scrapes, cuts, and tiny bites that narrowly avoided piercing through the skin, though she’d apply antiseptic just to be on the safe side. 

Damn those Wuggies , she thought, rubbing at one of the bites. Why do they have to be so vicious? How do the kids deal with them? Yarnaby’s not even that mean, and he has fangs and claws! 

Suddenly, a cold pair of hands encapsulated hers in a freezing and sickeningly sweet hold. Riley was immediately nauseous. She’d been so lost in her musings that she hadn’t realized that the Doctor had turned his attention back to her. 

He rubbed his thumb over a bite with a grimace. “The minis, I presume? Wretched creatures, and unpredictable. But ah …” His fingers slithered down her sleeve, exposing the faded bruising and scabs that climbed up her wrist and most of her arm, as well as her darkened veins and yellowish patches that surrounded the multiple injection scars– 

–Riley wrenched her arm out of the Doctor’s hold, pulling her cardigan sleeve up past her wrist, near her fingertips. Her other hand grasped her clothed wrist and held it against her racing heart, her eyes clenched shut in a feeble attempt to block the rush of memories that threatened to overwhelm her. IwassickIwassickIwassickIwassickIwassickIwassick…. 

The Doctor observed her panic attack, and smirked. “Evidently, you are no stranger to affliction , my dear. You’ve lived the life of a criminal, a lowlife , and yet…” He brushed a knuckle against the faded line that ran over her green eye, making Riley flinch again and bow her head. “...here you are now: risking your health every day to look after the unwanted and unsightly, like a guardian angel. Quite the enigma you are, and I truly do adore that about you, Aureilea .” 

Riley didn’t respond, and the Doctor sniggered under his breath. Then, he grabbed her shoulder in a gentle but firm way and pulled her into the train. Unable to fight back. Riley just took it and let him guide her and seat her right beside him. Even as his arm slithered around her back and his icy hand dropped from the firm hold on her shoulder to a nauseatingly tender caress on her upper arm, all she did was grip her wrist tighter to keep her wounds shrouded. 

Somehow, Riley’s hell was easier to bear that way. 

He trembled in the colorful darkness of his hellish cage. What little light poked through the iron bars stabbed at his monstrous yellow and orange body like spears. He was too big to hide from them– from himself. 

He didn’t know how long it’d been since he’d seen the outside of this prison beneath PlayCare. It felt like years – maybe even decades with how agonizingly long he was tortured in the labs– but when he shared this theory the voice on the other side of the wall would assure him that it had been only a few days. How Theodore could keep enough sanity to tell the time after months of this, he had no idea, but he was grateful nonetheless. 

At the very least, he didn’t have to suffer alone. 

Another sliver of light stabbed at his feet– paws – and he drew them back, pulling his furry yellow knees up to his fluffy orange chest with a silent whimper. On the other side of the wall, he heard Theodore’s chains clinking against each other as he shuffled around. 

“ Almost dinnertime, Charlie ,” he called in his new, deep, hushed voice. “ Then the lights go out, and the Caretaker comes in for grooming. ” 

The Caretaker. Theodore had spoken sparsely of them in the prisons, insisting it would be better to keep their identity a pleasant surprise rather than just telling him and making him wait and see. Now that he was brought up to a higher level of the prisons with Theodore– or CatNap , as he was now known– he would finally get to meet them. From what little Charlie knew, they weren’t like the other employees; they were kind, and treated the “Bigger Bodies” like people. Apparently, they were assigned to be CatNap’s caretaker… as well as all the future Smiling Critters like him … but that didn’t stop them from intervening when the guards were being cruel. 

But the thing that truly piqued his curiosity about this mysterious Caretaker was the way the other “Bigger Bodies” described them, and how familiar it felt. His brain was still recovering from all the surgeries and experiments, and as a result he’d lost a lot of his memory. Oliver– Huggy had assured him that he would eventually retain most of them (“The ones that truly matter,” he’d said with a reassuring pat on his back) and just to give it time, but somehow he knew that whatever connection that the Caretaker had to him was extremely important. But why? 

Suddenly, his big orange ears twitched and he lifted his head. In the near distance, he heard the growing footfalls of a small group. He heard their voices: three men, one with an odd accent, and one woman. Then he smelled them, and his skin crawled when he recognized the obnoxious stink of cigar smoke that belonged to Leith Pierre and The Doctor’s revolting ink stench. Then there was a third stench: something like tobacco and cedar and a bit of mint, that belonged nowhere near a toy factory, let alone the prisons. The fourth scent, though, stood out from the rest: it was fresh, it was natural, it was familiar. 

Pine needles. Trees. Tall as the sky, safe and warm as a pair of arms wrapped around his small, trembling body. It had to be The Caretaker. Their Caretaker. Their friend . 

The lights in the corridor turned on as Leith Pierre and a strange man in a shiny black suit walked in front of his cell, but Charlie didn’t shy away from the light this time. Then came The Doctor in his flashy white lab coat and, following reluctantly behind while holding her arms and looking as miserable as Charlie felt, there she was: red hair that was partially tied up, pale skin, trembling hands, a blue cardigan, and– when The Doctor took her by the shoulders and turned her to face the cell– a brown eye and a green eye with a faded scar, empty and resting behind a pair of black glasses. 

A light flashed on in his cell and he flinched, now completely exposed. Neither Pierre nor the Doctor reacted, and the strange man grimaced in disgust, but The Caretaker flinched, too, and her empty eyes reflected a flicker of pity before turning to Pierre, who stood behind her with anticipation. 

“Meet DogDay; your new responsibility,” he said. 

“You mutilated another kid,” The Caretaker responded, turning back to the cell. “And now you’re showing him off like some twisted prize? This is low, Pierre, even for you. ” 

The Doctor grabbed her shoulder, but one warning look from Pierre made it vanish. Then, the Innovation Head told The Caretaker with a cruel smirk, “This isn’t just any kid, Simmons. Take another look.” 

Charlie whimpered, terrified by the tone of his voice, and cowered back against the wall. Still, regardless of how scared he was of the devil behind her, he whispered out in his strange, unused new voice, and with a shaky throat, a single word that carried the weight of all his suffering and torment. 

“ L… L… Lee? ” 

Her eyes widened. Shock, recognition, denial, horror flashed across her face. Her lips barely moved as she whispered out something almost imperceptible, but the longer she stared into the wide and empty voids of DogDay’s eyes the louder her voice grew. She said only one word, but repeatedly and with growing distress as the horrific truth dawned on her. 

“No… no… no… no… no… no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nonononononono–NO! ” Suddenly, as The Doctor raised a hand to grab her shoulder, Riley Simmons spun around and threw her fist into Leith Pierre’s smug smirk. 

CRACK! The Innovation Head cried out in shock, hands flying to his mouth as he stumbled back, but then Riley jumped onto him, tackling him to the ground in a storm of fury she had days prior been incapable of. Now, Charlie watched in terror as Riley pounded arguably the scariest man in the factory to a pulp. 

“ YOU BASTARD! ” she screamed, fighting against The Doctor to throw another punch into Leith Pierre’s bloody face. “ YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU SAID HE WAS ADOPTED! YOU SAID HE WAS SAFE! YOU MONSTER! WHAT DID YOU DO?!? YOU SAID HE WAS ADOPTED… you said he was adopted…. ” Slowly, the shouting dissolved into sobbing, and the punches slowed enough for The Doctor and the other man to hold them back and pull her off of Pierre. They pushed her back, and she collapsed onto the cold, multicolored floor. Then, she shakily pulled herself up to her knees and looked into Charlie’s cell, her cheeks drenched with tears and her eyes brimming with misery. Despite being the one experimented on, tortured, locked up, and wrapped in chains, Charlie desperately wished to take her in his arms– as she had done for him and Theodore countless times– and comfort her. 

You didn’t know, he thought, weakly raising his paw to reach for Riley. I know you didn’t know. I know this isn’t your fault. I know you loved us. It’s going to be okay, we’re together again. We’re not alone anymore. 

Riley pressed her forehead against the bars, her glasses askew, and let out a low wail as her body shook. Behind her, Leith Pierre had gotten back up to his feet and was staring down at Riley with a mix of revulsion and pity. 

“I lied ,” he coldly stated, wiping a drop of blood from his now bent nose. “And don’t get this twisted: this is your fault, Simmons. I told you from the beginning not to get attached to the orphans. I told you not to get involved beyond doing your rounds. You should have listened, and you certainly shouldn’t have tried to adopt that boy. I had to teach you a lesson.” He paused for a moment, allowing the words to sink in and enjoy the effect it had on the young woman. He scoffed and turned to walk away. “Look at it this way: you get to spend all the time you want with your boys now, as their caretaker. And, once we find the right subjects, you’ll have the whole Smiling Critters crew to look after. Maybe even the Nightmares, too, since you’re so tough .” He chuckled, rubbing at his jaw as he walked off. “I think we’ve seen enough. Eddie, Harley?” 

The man in the suit followed without so much as a glance in Riley’s direction. The Doctor, however, reached down to grab a strand of her hair, smiling when she flinched. Charlie felt bile crawl up his throat as he watched The Doctor lean down and whisper into poor Riley’s ear, “I do hope you enjoyed this surprise, my dear. After all, I put in so much work… just for you. ” He tugged on the strand of hair, plucking it, and straightened up. Though just before he disappeared with Pierre and the other man, Charlie saw him pocket the loose strand. 

With the monsters gone, Char– DogDay scooted away from the wall and reached his paw out further for Riley. Seeing this, Riley swallowed down another sob and reached into DogDay’s cell and took his hand into a protective albeit shaky grasp. Her five thin fingers wrapped around his four oversized orange ones, and DogDay couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled out of his throat when he saw how her hold made his hand tremble, too. 

“ Your hands… ” he said, unintentionally breathing out a soft yellow mist as he did. “ They’re still shaky. Like mine.” He tightened his hold around Riley’s hand, making it shake even more. “ Now we’re matching, Lee. ” 

Riley huffed out a mix between a laugh and a sob and looked into DogDay’s empty eyes. Her own sparkled with even more tears and her lips quivered as though fighting to form a smile. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry. I failed you… both of you.” She turned her head to CatNap’s cell and reached her other hand out. After a few seconds of shuffling, CatNap’s purple paw appeared and landed into her palm. “I could have done more. I should have done more. I should’ve known that something was wrong. Theodore… Charlie...” 

In response, DogDay scooted as close to the bars as the chains would let him reach and leaned into Riley’s cold, trembling hand. He felt her fingers gently brush into his furry cheek and regardless of her icy skin, he felt a potent warmth bloom under her hand and spread across his face. It was the first bit of warmth he’d felt since the experiments. He breathed in a deep and heavy breath of the cold air mixed with Riley’s fragrant pine scent, and as he exhaled he felt as light and as free as a little boy once more. 

And by the soft purring from the other cell, he knew that CatNap did, too. 

“ It’s DOGDAY! ” 

“DogDay’s here!” 

“He’s so fluffy!” 

“Let’s play with him!” 

“He really smells like vanilla! So cool!” 

“Can I hug him? Can I pet him?” 

“I wanna touch his ears!” 

“ No, me first! Me first!”  

“Alright, kids, calm down!” Riley shouted over the rambunctious crowd of children. “I know how excited you must be to meet DogDay, but please settle down. DogDay’s had a very long day, and he’s also very nervous to meet you all. Think about how you would feel if you came to meet a bunch of new friends and then they all started shouting and trying to touch you. It would be pretty scary, right?” 

There were several groans of frustration, but several more nodding heads. Riley smiled at them all and reached for the closed flap of the Playhouse tent behind her. 

“Thank you,” she said. “Now, wait here while I get our furry friend. And remember, be as nice to him as you would want someone else to be to you.” 

She turned around and walked through the tent flaps, immediately blanketing herself in the dimness. Despite the dark, she could still see the giant yellow and orange dog sitting in the mouth of the tube slide just ahead. She sighed and took a gentle step towards him. 

“It’s time,” she whispered, her voice as soft and sweet as cotton candy. “Are you ready, or do you need some more time?” 

DogDay shook his head, a whimper escaping his throat. “ I don’t want to. I’m scared .” 

“I know,” Riley replied compassionately. “I would be, too. But we have to do this, Charlie. I don’t want to think about what they’ll do to you if we don’t. I’ll be right there beside you, so you won’t be alone.” 

“ They’ll hurt me !” DogDay whined. “ They’ll pull my ears and tail! They’ll hit me! They’ll treat me like a toy, and I don’t want them to! ” He buried his face in his crossed arms and trembled. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Riley hurried over and set her hand on his shoulder as softly as she could. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. There are no guards, no scientists, no weapons; just kids and a couple counselors. Stella will be there, too, but she’s not going to get anywhere near you. Trust me, I made sure she’d leave you alone. And if anyone tries to grab you, I’ll be there to get them away from you.” 

But DogDay shook his head into his arms. Riley sighed and knelt down to his level. “Charlie, please look at me.” He lifted his head and his vacant black eyes locked onto her face. 

Even in the dim lighting, he could see how tired and rugged she was: her once bright mismatched eyes now drooped with shadowy circles, her skin had paled to the point of her looking more ghostly than living, her lively aura had disappeared completely and was replaced by a deep and depressing exhaustion, and the uncontrollable shakiness had started to spread to her shoulders, her face, and even her legs which caused her to stumble from time to time. Sometimes, it was a wonder how she managed to stay on her feet long enough to look after DogDay and CatNap. 

Still, she smiled at him as best as she could. “I’m here for you, buddy. No one is going to hurt you, not while I’m around. It’ll only be an hour, then we can go back to the cages and have some lunch. And I’ll give you a present: a nice new blanket. Would you like that?” 

His ears perked up a bit, and Riley had her answer. She stood up, swaying slightly as she did, and held out her hand. DogDay hesitated, looking from her hand to her face, and let out another, quieter whimper. 

“ You… promise you won’t leave? ” he asked, setting his shaky paw in her hand. 

Riley’s tired face softened, along with her smile, as she gently helped him stand. “I’ll be by your side through everything, Charlie. You have my word.” 

DogDay nodded slowly, in his head thinking, Okay… I trust you. Riley squeezed his hand in a comforting and affectionate way, as if she heard him, and slowly led him away from the slide. Just as they reached the tent flaps, however, she stopped. 

“Ready?” she whispered. 

DogDay took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled an air of energizing vanilla. He straightened up and nodded. “ I’m ready, Lee. ” 

Riley squeezed his hand again, the tiredness in her eyes evaporated and replaced with a fond expression. “Never change, Charlie.” Then, she pushed through the flaps and DogDay heard her call out, “Okay, kids! Does everyone have their gentle hands and inside voices equipped? Good, then let’s give a warm welcome to our lovable and sunny friend, DogDay!” 

There was a soft applause and whispered cheers from the audience outside, and DogDay let out a soft laugh. Riley really knew how to soften a bad situation, and he was grateful for it. 

He took another deep breath. No more stalling. You can do this. Then, he walked through the tent flaps, his eyes immediately assaulted by the bright artificial sun, and announced in an overly cheery and energetic tone, “ Hello, Playcare! My name is DogDay, and I’m so happy to meet you all!! ” 

The army of orphans that stood in front of him cheered louder, chanting his name and reaching for him through a line of golden stanchion ropes, their fingers hungry for DogDay’s soft but sensitive fur and his extremely vulnerable large ears and tail. 

Despite the lights, the shouting, and his terror, however, DogDay knew he was safe, because his paw was still encompassed by The Caretaker’s loving and protective grasp. 

“You did great out there, buddy!” Riley cheered once they got back inside the Playhouse. 

DogDay really hoped she was right, but in truth he agreed with her: throughout the hour, all he did was laugh and dance and run around with the children. Not once did he break character, no matter how many times someone stepped on his foot, grabbed his tail, yanked on his ears, pull on his fur, or squeezed him to the point of suffocation. It truly helped that Riley was there to shoo whoever it was away within seconds. Some of the brats had been his friends, which hurt his heart more than their hands hurt his body, but again Riley had been there to distract him. And then at the end of the hour, she had announced that DogDay had to “get back home and rest”, but not to worry because he would be back tomorrow with his best friend. The kids had been upset (some of them ended up throwing really mean tantrums) but the counselors somehow managed to usher them away long enough for Riley and DogDay to slip away. 

“I’m so proud of you, Charlie,” Riley added, squeezing his paws for emphasis. “I can’t think of anyone who could’ve handled getting chased, poked, smacked, and prodded as well as you did. Let’s get back to the cages so you can get that blanket. You’re going to love it: it’s big and soft and really well-insulated. It was on sale at this really nice bedding store, and when I saw that it came in pairs I knew I had to get it for you boys. There was also a huge pillow, but I wasn’t sure if you guys wanted or needed another pillow, and it was just slightly out of my budget, so…” 

DogDay nodded along. At this point, he didn’t really care about the blanket, but he loved Riley’s stories about the outside world. He hadn’t seen outside of the factory in years, and no one else in the factory cared to speak about it– especially when the Bigger Bodies were in earshot. Even Riley herself had been hesitant to talk about it at first, but after an ample amount of begging and swearing up and down it wouldn’t bother them, she caved and told them about the new stores in the area, the people she encountered, the food she saw in restaurants and bakeries, and so much more. Often, her tales of the previous day would serve as DogDay and CatNap’s bedtime stories. 

But of course, the peace couldn’t last forever. 

Just as they rounded a corner, DogDay spotted a tall and lanky blonde security guard– complete with the blue hat with the yellow word SECURITY and the golden badge on his lanyard, similar to Riley’s– leaning by the cages with a nightstick in his hands. 

DogDay shivered when the guard’s piercing blue eyes caught him and Riley. Then, a mean sneer spread across the man’s face and he pushed off the wall and started walking towards the two. 

Seeing this, Riley stopped in the middle of her story and her walk. DogDay couldn’t help but whimper as he attempted to hide behind her, now extremely aware of the long black patch sewn into the back of her cardigan which also displayed the word SECURITY in bold yellow. 

“Kingsley,” Riley greeted curly, her warm and lively voice now an octave colder. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the prison?” 

“Good to see you, too, Riley,” the guard responded. “I need you to take my shift. I’m sick and tired of walking around the prison corridors, and having to listen to those things moan and whine. ‘Oh, Mommy! Oh, Daddy! Help me! It hurts, and I’m so scared and alone, blah, blah, blah …” The guard groaned and rolled his eyes, completely oblivious to the death glare Riley had in her eyes. “If I hear one more freak beg for mercy, I think I’ll go insane. At least you only deal with two. I have an entire hall! ” 

“Really,” Riley stated flatly and without an ounce of pity. “How sad that they have to deal with you all day and all night . It sounds like hell.” 

“ Ha, very funny,” the guard snapped back. “But hey, if you care so much, then it should be no biggie for you to take my shift, and I’ll get this one back to its’ cage.” He glanced behind her at DogDay, who whimpered again. 

But Riley lifted her arm as if to block DogDay, and with it the refreshing scent of pine trees that filled him with great comfort in spite of the coldness and hatred in her voice when she spoke. 

“Lay a finger on him and you’ll have to crawl back to the prison,” she said. “And don’t test me, I haven’t had a cup of coffee, a cigarette, or even a bite to eat that stayed in my stomach for longer than fifteen minutes. Get lost. ” 

DogDay couldn’t help but shiver at the sheer contempt in her tone. It wasn’t like her to sound so mean , even to the other guards. Not that he could blame her, but it still worried him. 

Unfortunately, the other guard didn’t get the memo. As Riley started to walk past him, he grabbed her arm and, before she could react, threw her back so hard she lost her footing and collapsed onto the floor. To his horror, DogDay watched as her face slammed against the multicolored tiles with a small crack! Disoriented, Riley stayed sprawled on the ground, her glasses hanging by one ear and her lips dripping blood. She coughed and spat out an ugly wad of saliva and blood, but she didn’t get back up. 

At that moment, something in DogDay snapped and, as if sensing this, a cacophony of voices filled his head, unified into a singular statement: 

“ He’s going to kill her. Fight back, DogDay, FIGHT BACK! ” 

And without a second thought, he obeyed: he leaped and sprawled himself over Riley’s body just as the guard raised his nightstick. He glared up at the guard, growling like the feral dog he was. 

“ Don’t touch my friend ,” he snarled. 

From the depths of the lab, he heard the voices cheer: “ Yes, YES! That’s it, DogDay! Show him how powerful you are! Tear him apart! Leave NOTHING behind! ” 

Tear him apart? A smaller voice in his head repeated. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to hurt him, I just want to protect my friend. 

“ KILL HIM NOW! ” the voices repeated. 

No, I don’t want to! DogDay averted his gaze from the guard for a moment, looking back down at Riley as she groaned. 

That was a mistake. 

SMACK! 

The guard’s nightstick struck the side of his head so hard DogDay saw stars. He cried out and raised his hands to his face in an attempt to shield himself, but the guard swung the nightstick into his ribs, throwing him off of Riley. 

DogDay curled up in a ball of agony, writhing and whimpering as his head and ribs screamed with unbearable anguish. And just when he thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, the guard grabbed him by the scruff and started to yank him away, effectively cutting off his air. DogDay choked, reaching out to try and break the guard’s hold, but the smack to his head blurred his vision and the sudden loss of air made it even worse. 

He heard the guard’s annoyed scoff. “ Disgusting. Back to the cage, mutt.” 

DogDay’s lungs started to burn as he struggled to breathe. He tried to cry out, a final desperate plea, but he could hardly hear the pathetic screech he made over the pounding in his ears. And as his blurry vision darkened and his consciousness started to fade, his hope faded with it. At least Riley was safe from that monster. 

“ Not… my… boys… KINGSLEY! ” 

All of a sudden, the grip on DogDay’s scruff vanished. He took a deep breath of air, nearly choking on the sudden intake, and curled back up. His paws covered his eyes and his ears, but the guard’s scream if terror and agony echoed in his head all the same. He may not have heard or saw what followed, but he didn’t need to; he felt the thumps on the walls as something big– like a grown adult man– was thrown repeatedly into them, and he felt the whoosh of air when that big object fly over him and land a fair distance away. 

There was a minute of stillness, and DogDay’s heart raced with anticipation and anxiety. His body trembled, and he struggled to hold back more whimpers. 

Then, there was a hand on his shoulder. DogDay flinched, terrified , but the hand trailed gently and soothingly down his arm and that familiar smell of pine blanketed him and pulled his hands away from his ears, allowing him to hear the somewhat scratchy voice he trusted so much: 

“ Charlie! Oh, buddy, please wake up! It’s over, he can’t hurt you! Charlie? Honey, please …” 

“ L… L… ee….” DogDay’s eyes peeked open, and through the blurriness of his fleeting vision he recognized the red hair, the blue cardigan, and the mismatched green and r̶e̶d̶ brown eyes of The Caretaker. Oddly enough– or perhaps due to his weak vision– he couldn’t help but notice splotches of something black around her lips and under her nose. He considered wiping them off of her face, but Riley was already digging her hands under his body and lifting him up, bridal style, with unnatural strength. 

“Let’s get you back to the cages, big guy,” she said, her voice now softer and sweeter than cotton candy. “I’ll wrap you in that blanket, bring up some ice cream, and we’ll put on a movie, okay? I just got a new one for you boys, too: it’s called Oliver & Company. I also rented a couple others, and I snatched extra snacks from the break room just in case you were really peckish. I got chips, and chocolates, and gummies…” 

DogDay’s head lolled to the side, his neck too tired to continue holding it up. He was so tired , and Riley’s voice was so soothing , he couldn’t help but slip into sleep. But just as he started to close his eyes, he spotted something on the ground behind him; something red, and the more his vision cleared the more it started to resemble a person crouched on the ground, their body trembling as they opened their mouth to moan– 

Riley’s hand gently turned DogDay’s head back to her smiling face. “Don’t look, buddy. It’s okay, it’s not your problem. You don’t need to worry about it. He won’t bother you again.” 

And before he could argue, the voices– the Prototype whispered, “ Listen to her, Charlie. The battle is won. Now rest. Your part is done. ” 

Resting sounds nice, he thought. So tired… so achy…. 

And without another thought, DogDay closed his eyes and rested his head against The Caretaker’s chest, unbothered and unaware of the broken and bloody mess that groaned and cried behind them. 

Or the cameras that had watched it all and now followed them throughout the halls. 

I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t trying to…. I just wanted to protect them. 

Her heart pounded in her chest with each step she took. Despite her stomach sinking with the weight of her guilt and the oily blotches that stained her vision, Riley ran faster than she ever had in her entire life. She didn’t care if she ran into anyone or even knocked someone over– they probably deserved it anyways – the only thing she cared about was getting to the bathroom . 

Something’s wrong. Something’s very, very wrong. I need to… to… get clean. I can’t… let them see me… not like this …. The oily substance trickled down her face like tears, but she knew they weren’t tears. 

Tears don’t smell like grass and flowers. 

She stumbled into a wet room– it would do for now– and, without checking if anyone else was inside, shoved the door shut and haphazardly locked it. Then, she ran up to one of the sinks and turned the water on, not daring to look at her reflection as she did. 

The suffocating scent of flowers flooded her nose again, and another impulse of energy shot through her body. She began to tremble violently, and bile crawled up her throat as the memory of her first “ usage ” flooded her mind: the euphoria, the excitement, the risk, the addicting sense of invulnerability that lured her in for more time and time again– 

No, no, no! WAKE UP, RILEY! 

Riley threw her hands under the steaming faucet and the boiling-hot water bit into her hands and ripped her out of the memory before she could spiral. Still, she gathered more water in her hands and, without a thought to her glasses, splashed her face with it. It stung, but she didn’t mind since it made the floral smell go away. 

After a couple more splashes of hot water, Riley pulled off her glasses and finally looked into the mirror. 

No black liquid leaking from her eyes. 

No blood running down her nose. 

Only the beginnings of a bruise on her cheek from where she had hit the ground when Leith hit her. 

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. 

Riley glared at the rugged face in the mirror, her grip tightening on the sink with the sight of every bruise, the dark rings under her eyes, the little indentations her glasses cut into her face…. All of it infuriated her . 

You’re supposed to be strong, she scolded. You’re supposed to be their protector. How are you going to protect them if you can’t handle a scuffle with a coworker? You used to be tougher than this. Stronger. Better. 

Her heart started pounding again. Not with fear, but with fury. The blackness welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t seem to notice. Not when all she could see was her own pitiful face. 

You’re weak. Just like HE said. HE made you weak, and YOU let him. YOU let him in your head, YOU let him touch you, YOU let him control you. You’re no protector, you’re nothing more than a pathetic puppet dangling from HIS strings. You’re NOTHING, you’ve always been NOTHING! You couldn’t protect your own brother, what makes you think you can protect THEM? Poor, poor Damian– 

SMASH! 

For a moment, the mirror stayed on the wall, covered in cracks stemming from under Riley’s bloody fist. Then, with an ear-splitting CRASH the jagged shards fell from the wall and onto the floor. Several landed in the sink, their serrated edges cutting into Riley’s wrist and fist as they fell, but still she didn’t seem to notice. In fact, she reared her fist back and slammed it into the wall again, this time hitting the concrete under the mirror. There was a loud CRACK of bones breaking, and a mini explosion of red splattered the wall, but Riley didn’t so much as wince. Her eyes were wide with fury, and the black liquid was streaming down her face like a waterfall of hatred and sorrow. 

All of a sudden, her legs gave out and she collapsed. Riley huffed, a weak attempt to breathe, and then she sobbed. She fought against it as best as she could, but it was like putting tape on a cracked dam. All she could really do was hold onto the sink by her uninjured hand and hope that no one cared to unlock the wet room. 

Completely unaware that she had never been alone in the first place. 

It wasn’t until she felt an abnormally large hand on her back that she stopped sobbing and realized that she hadn’t actually heard the lock on the door click into place. Before she could brace for whatever punishment her boss had in store for her, two fuzzy orange arms wrapped around her trembling body and that suffocating vanilla smell wafted into the air, somehow feeling more benign than ever before. 

“ Don’t be mad, ” DogDay pleaded, hugging Riley like she’d disappear at any moment. “ You left the door open, and I… I was worried. ” He nuzzled the back of her neck in an attempt at comfort. “ It’s okay, you don’t have to hide. You can let go. I’ll be here for you, just like you were there for me. ” 

Riley’s eyes welled up with tears– hot, clear, human tears– and she conceded: she wailed and she wept and finally allowed herself to remember. 

Wild red hair, bright brown eyes, a gap in the bottom row of his teeth. 

“ Damian…” she sniveled in a small and vulnerable voice. “My brother… my baby brother…. I c- couldn’t…. I… I c-c-can’t keep doing this, Charlie. I c- can’t keep p-pretending I can help. I can’t help, I can’t protect anyone! First Damian , then Theodore, then you, and now…” 

DogDay tightened his hug. “ You don’t have to pretend. We know you’re doing what you can. You’ve taken on so much for all of us. What happened to us, we know it’s not your fault, and I know that whatever happened to your brother wasn’t, either. ” 

It wasn’t your fault. Riley couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped her lips the moment those words hit her. They echoed endlessly in her head like a song on replay. 

She had never heard those words from anyone until that moment, and it made her feel like half a weight had been lifted from her chest. 

Then, Riley laughed. A quiet, mindless laugh, but a laugh all the same. Then, she let herself lean back into DogDay’s warm and fluffy embrace. 

An hour later, Riley was tucking DogDay properly into his enormous dog bed. Luckily for her, Leith had clocked out for the night and the Doctor kept his distance and had only “requested” that she come down to his office so he could look at her hand after she got CatNap and DogDay settled. Other than that, the Heads left her alone, as well as many coworkers who had heard about her fight with Leith Pierre. 

Riley sighed, brushing her uninjured hand over DogDay’s furry forehead. Even though he couldn’t make facial expressions anymore, she knew he’d be grinning a toothy grin at her if he could. 

So familiar… she thought. He could’ve been Dami’s doppelganger. 

Without thinking any further, she blurted out, “You remind me so much of him, y’know. My brother.” 

DogDay tilted his head to the side, confused. Riley considered feeling guilty about making the comparison (and dropping the trauma of her dead brother on DogDay), but oddly enough she couldn’t bring herself to feel any guilt whatsoever. Oh, well. She sighed again and sat beside the dog bed. 

“He liked to play, too,” she said with a thoughtful tone and a light smile. “Mostly with hair. It didn’t matter whose, he just loved to grab and twirl and brush his fingers through the hair of anyone who wanted to hold him. I thought it was so silly, but it made him smile so I let him do it to me.” Absentmindedly, she tugged on a loose strand of her hair. DogDay noticed, and chuckled quietly. Riley didn’t. “When he was four, he got his tooth knocked out by a baseball. He looked so goofy, and it made me laugh when he smiled. Our mom wasn’t happy, though. She called up a dentist and scheduled an appointment ASAP for him to make sure none of his other teeth were hurt.” 

“ I lost my first tooth at a baseball game, ” DogDay remarked. “ It was the middle of the game, and my… my dads bought me a triple-coated candy apple. When I took a bite, my tooth got stuck in the caramel, and my papa almost fainted. ” 

To that, Riley snickered. “Well, was it good?” 

“ Really, really good! ” he replied. “ I ate the whole apple, but my daddy saved my tooth for the tooth fairy. She gave me a quarter for it. ” 

“Damian got a teddy bear for his,” Riley murmured. “He called it TeeTee . He brought it with him when we went to the dentist– the three of us.” Riley shifted, now hugging herself. “Me, him, and our mother. My father… had to work late. So our mom drove us both to the dentist, and said that if we behaved she’d take us out for ice cream right after.” She paused, hesitating, but at this point DogDay deserved to know the ending, so she continued. “We never made it to the dentist. When we got on the bridge, another car crashed into us. We flipped over, they broke through the parapets and crashed into the water. I got pulled out and loaded into an ambulance… no one else did.” 

Another pause. Even if she wasn’t looking at him, Riley could feel DogDay’s horror and pity at her story. She felt the tears welling back into her eyes and she furiously wiped at them. Then she opened her mouth to apologize, or maybe make some lame joke to move on, but DogDay beat her to it with a paw on her shoulder. 

“ I was… seven when I was orphaned ,” he confessed. “ My school was throwing an Easter parade; I remember because I was on a float covered in sparkly eggs and flowers. I remember seeing my dads in the crowd, and they looked so happy. I was, too, because I loved them. I never had a mom, but I also never thought I needed one because my dads were always around for me. I didn’t care about what other people thought. All I cared about was being with the people who loved me. But then… right in the middle of the parade… all I remember is hearing a really loud car and then people screaming. ” 

“Charlie…” Riley laid her shaky hand over his paw, her fingers gently threading through his orange fur with their familiar comforting touch. “...honey, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” 

He figured that much. Riley never talked about that kind of stuff with him in Playcare, though he knew she often did with Theodore. So either she had looked in his files, or he had told her about what happened to his mom and dad (DogDay guessed the latter). DogDay never breathed a word about his dads, and Riley didn’t bring it up, either, so he guessed that Riley either didn’t know or didn’t care. 

A minute of silence passed between them. The air thickened with awkwardness, and nerves began to build in both the human and the Bigger Body. 

Then, Riley chuckled. And DogDay couldn’t help but laugh with her. Her hand wrapped around his paw, giving it a gentle squeeze, and she turned her head to fully smile at him. And even with her eyes drooping and circled by rings of exhaustion, her cheeks sunken and stained with tears, and her lips cracked and bruising with merciless punches hours prior, it was the liveliest she’d looked in months. 

“ Could you stay with me? ” DogDay asked. “ I don’t want to fall asleep alone again… it gets dark, and it scares me .” 

“Whatever you want, buddy,” she answered, leaning over to wrap her arms around his fluffy, humongous body. “I’ll always be here for you, Charlie. You, Theodore, and all the others. I love you kids so much .” 

If DogDay could have smiled any bigger, he would’ve. He closed his eyes, melting into Riley’s warmth, and let out a sigh that was more happiness than vanilla as he whispered back, “ Thank you, Lee. ” 

Just before he drifted off, he heard the Prototype’s considerate hum vibrate through his and the others’ minds, and then he spoke: “ She truly does love you critters, doesn’t she? How fortunate… for now, that is .” 

DogDay was too sleepy to take the obvious bait, and he didn’t hear anyone else respond– not even CatNap. So he ignored it and the threatening implication that came with it. The Caretaker was with him now, holding him and protecting him from the monsters, and that was all that mattered. 

Playtime Co. wasn’t a home. 

Playtime Co. wasn’t an orphanage. 

Playtime Co. certainly wasn’t a toy factory. 

Playtime Co. was Hell, and its’ workers were demons. 

There had been only one angel looking after them, protecting them from the evil declared upon them by the devil known as Leith Pierre, but she had disappeared. Most of the Smiling Critters believed her to be dead, claiming to have last seen her unconscious and covered in blood and black ooze. DogDay, however, refused to believe it. How could he? She would have never given up hope on them. 

Surprisingly, CatNap stayed silent on the matter, which both confused and infuriated DogDay. How could he keep quiet knowing their angel, their caretaker, their friend had vanished into thin air? Certainly, he didn’t think she was dead, too, or worse– that she left? Because she would never do that! She loved them, she’d never abandon them! He had to know that, right? So why wasn’t he helping him quell the others? Was it… because of the Prototype? Did he know and just wasn’t telling them? 

No, no. CatNap wouldn’t do that to them– to him. They were best friends, had been since the day they met in the Playhouse. Of course he’d tell DogDay if he knew anything. God , he was losing his mind without Riley by his side. 

He shivered and rubbed his arms, wishing he was in his dark but cozy room and not the cold, damp, hopeless cells with the rest of the Smiling Critters. But it was dinnertime, and that meant they all had to stay in the cells until they finished their scraps. Before Riley disappeared, it was a pleasant time: she’d ask everyone about their day, tell stories, sometimes she’d sing to them. But now, there were no stories, no care, and no songs. Instead, there was silence while a team of security guards watched them from the other side of their cells, waiting for them to finish so they could escort them back to their rooms for the night. 

Tonight, there were no guards, which felt more suspicious than anything. Just across, he could see Bobby curled up in the corner of her cell, her head turning every which way as if trying to spot the coming dangers. He could see her hands trembling together over her snout, as well as the pure fear in her white pinprick eyes. He wished he could comfort her with more than just words. 

Thump! Both Bobby and DogDay jumped, then Hoppy let out a guttural groan. “ What’s taking them so long? They’re planning something, I know it! But what is it? ” 

“ Throwing a tantrum isn’t helping anyone, Hoppy ,” DogDay sighed. “ Please calm down. We’re all on edge. ” 

“ Fine, I’m sorry ,” she muttered back, not sounding sorry at all. 

DogDay decided to let it go. Just to keep the peace. They’d all had a stressful day, especially him and Hoppy because of the extra activities and “work” being piled on them, and Hoppy had the shortest temper out of all of the Critters, so DogDay understood her need to let out some steam. At least she wasn’t snapping on the workers or worse, the kids. 

SLAM! 

Everyone jumped again, and this time when Hoppy spoke she sounded genuine, “ That wasn’t me, I swear! ” 

DogDay hurried to his cell bars and peeked out. “ It’s him , and he’s– oh, god, he’s not alone .” 

“ The Doctor? ” Bubba gasped, catching the tremble in DogDay’s voice. 

DogDay nodded, and though Bubba couldn’t see him he knew. He heard everyone scramble to the corners of their cells. Every instinct screamed at him to do the same, but he was curious. The Devil and The Doctor rarely visited the Critters– not together, at least– ever since Bobby was “introduced”. So he knew they were announcing something big. A new Critter? Perhaps one of the edgy “Nightmare Critters” would be joining them? Or maybe they found a new Caretaker? 

What if they brought back Riley? A small, weak, pitiful voice in his head asked. 

He shook the thought away. I can’t afford to get my hopes up . 

The Devil, Leith Pierre, stopped just in front of his cell. He looked around, sneering at the cages and the creatures inside. DogDay felt his hackles raise when those eyes landed on him, but fear kept him still and silent. Behind him, The Doctor followed distantly behind, and the closer he grew the more DogDay saw of a figure draped in a towel or blanket, which The Doctor seemed to be guiding by the shoulders. 

The Devil cleared his throat, commanding the attention of his prisoners. “Evening, my Critter Pals! I hope everyone’s had a great day. I know the kids sure did, and a couple workers even had some fun with you all.” 

No one dared to respond, not even Hoppy. The pain of a smack from his cattle prod hurt worse than the sting of them biting their tongues. 

Pleased, The Devil continued in his overly-cheery tone. “Well, I know you’ve all been pretty down lately, but I think I can fix that! You’ve all been missing your old caretaker, right? Your old friend, that devilish sweetheart… Riley?” 

DogDay’s ears went up before he could stop them. His heart started racing in his chest, and he hoped The Devil couldn’t hear it. Where was this going? Why was he talking about Riley now, after all this time? 

“ Ha , yeah I thought so,” The Devil chuckled. “ Well, as many of you are aware, your old caretaker kind of… got broken . It really was a shame, she was a promising kid. But did we give up on her? No, we didn’t! For the past month, our lovely Dr. Sawyer here has been working day and night to fix her up, good as new! And now, she’s finally ready to get back to work! So, my Smiling Critter friends, why don’t you say hello to your new and improved Caretaker?” 

He turned to The Doctor, who nodded and lifted the blanket off of the figure. Then, he whispered something into the side of its’ hooded head and stepped back. Then, the figure took a small, jerky step– more of a stagger– forward. Then another. Each step it took was choppy and rigid, as though its’ joints were all locked up and unable to bend. It was like watching a zombie walk, except its’ hands hung lifelessly at its’ sides, twitching every so often, and instead of rot the figure was covered in a familiar light blue cardigan that had been meticulously stitched shut, hiding the figure’s chest and stomach, a pair of flowy mahogany-colored pants, brown shoes, an overlarge hood to cover the figure’s head, and a ghostly white mask with two large, imposing eyeholes that looked eerily similar to the Critters’. All it was missing was the white pinpricks and the stretched and exaggerated smile. 

No. No, no, no, it couldn’t be. 

The figure– The Caretaker staggered out of the shadows, right past Leith Pierre without so much as a flinch. The Devil smiled at her, his eyes filled with a twisted delight, as she stumbled past him. DogDay watched, horrified but glued to the bars, as she staggered up to his and Bobby’s cages. Bobby gasped when she saw The Caretaker, but The Caretaker didn’t spare her a glance. 

Riley would have rushed to comfort Bobby. This thing couldn’t be Riley. 

But he knew. He knew that cardigan, and he knew those shaky hands. And before he could think better of it, her name– their special, shared nickname that only the three of them had known – tumbled out of his mouth in a weak plea: 

“ Lee? ” 

The Caretaker halted. It turned its’ head in a slow, shaky way and stared at him with those big, black, empty holes in that awful mask, where there should have been her beautiful brown and green eyes looking back at him. And for a moment, his nose was hit with a faint smell. Pine trees. 

Riley’s pine trees. 

Suddenly, The Devil coughed, and The Caretaker straightened up, looking away from DogDay and continuing its jerky stagger down the hall of cages. 

And as it retreated, so too did the familiar and comforting aroma of pine.