Mr. Afton turned back to face the reporter, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Can I get you anything? Tea? A glass of water?"

The nervous reporter shook her head as she tried to keep her composure. This was it. She was going to get her story.

"Thank you, no."

Good. Her voice sounded steady, firm. Despite the butterflies twirling in her stomach, she was ready for this.

"Splendid! Then we should get started on the tour. Shall we?"

He offered her his arm, which she took. And, as promised, he took her on a tour of the entire building. The color scheme was cheerful and bright. There were colored lights and tiled floors. The walls were covered in a coat of fresh paint. It was clean, it was beautiful. It was new. It smelled like birthday cake and cookies, which he explained were from the birthday party they had the night prior.

"We're still in beta as you know, just making sure the animatronics are well received. So far everything has been perfect."

Ms Blake's curiosity was piqued – although she thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the building (which even included the rest rooms – surprisingly roomy with benches, decorative mirrors, and 5 stalls each) she was mostly interested in the animatronics.

"Mr. Afton..."

She chewed on her lip as she stared down at her notebook.

"I can't help but notice...when we were on the stage...although it was breathtaking, really...and the lights..."

She paused. He smiled.

"You want to see the animatronics."

She nodded.

"That is what we agreed upon - "

"Of course."

Mr. Afton held up his hand.

"They're in the back, undergoing maintenance. They can't be expected to perform all day, can they?"

He smiled.

"Follow me!"

He lead her into a spacious room in the back of the facility. She noticed he needed a few different passwords to enter. She made a mental note of this, but did not write it down.

"This is our maintenance room. We also keep spare parts back here, the control panel is back here, the back up generator..."

He nodded to her as he guided her in.

"Strictly off limits to guests, of course. Note the added security."

"And these..."

He gestured to the four large animatronics in the corner of the room, all connected to wires.

"Are my latest creations."

Her breath was taken away. Mr. Afton went on to describe each of the animatronics in vivid detail. Circus Baby, the "ring leader", could fill balloons in her fingertips. She sang, she danced, she could even dispense ice cream. Funtime Freddy was the comedian of the group – he and his puppet known as "Bon-Bon" had a silly little show. Funtime Foxy seemed to be a back up for the other two. And then...then there was Ballora. She listened to him explain how he wanted the children to look at the ballerina as guidance to "get fit" and "enjoy pizza". She smiled and wrote down her notes, marveling at the beauty and intricacy of each design.

"They're all wonderful."

She smiled at him.

"And Ballora, she is – stunning. What a clever idea, a ballerina."

She tilted her head to the side.

"Why the design choice to close her eyes?"

Mr. Afton's smile faded as he shook his head.

"That wasn't a design choice. She has lovely purple eyes. She just chooses to keep them shut. She doesn't want to see."

Ms. Blake let out a small laugh as she turned back to Ballora. His expression, however, remained stoic.

"And, forgive me for asking, but, when you had first announced the Grand Opening...you had said there would be 5 main animatronics. Unless you meant..."

She nodded toward Bon-Bon who, though adorable, was nowhere near as spectacular as the animatronic who wielded him.

"Ah, yes. Well that was quite unfortunate, actually. We had to make some last minute...changes, to the lineup."

"Oh?"

She asked, intrigued.

"Yes, you see -"

He paused as the loud buzzing of his cell phone interrupted their conversation. Clearly irritated, he reached into his pocket and checked the number.

"I have to take this. Please excuse me. Feel free to look around."

"Mr. Afton -"

She tried to protest, but he answered the phone call and headed out of the room.

"Mr. Afton!"

She went to the door to follow him, but she was stopped by his young daughter who now had entered the room.

"You're not supposed to be in here. How did you get in here?"

She asked his daughter gently, her eyes nervously on the door.

"Daddy forgot to lock the doors. I think he was afraid he'd lock you in here."

She said shyly as she walked over to her.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

Amy followed the girl's pointed finger to Circus Baby.

"Daddy made her just for me. He told me so."

"Oh!"

The young woman nodded and turned back to the child.

"I see it now. She looks a lot like you, too! The same beautiful red hair."

The girl giggled.

"Oh, but...she has blue eyes. I think your green eyes are much prettier."

"I like you. You're nice."

The girl smiled and took a few steps closer. The reporter swiftly blocked her from coming any closer.

"Your father strictly forbade you from coming in here. You're going to get us both in trouble. Please."

She begged the girl.

"Please, go color again. Color me a nice picture, yeah?"

The girl pouted.

"Daddy won't let me go near her! It's not fair. He lets the other children play with her."

Although a red flag was raised, the reporter simply shook her head and bent down to the girl's level.

"I'm sure he has his reasons. He is just trying to protect you. That is what daddys do."

Just then, she heard the key swipe in the door and the sound of buttons being pressed into the keypad.

"MATILDA!"

He screamed at his daughter.

"What are you doing here?"

He grabbed her, albeit gently, by her arm and guided her outside.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO NEAR HER. I MEANT IT. DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU BY HER AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"But daddy - - -"

"GO! I'M BUSY."

He turned back to the reporter and pulled the door closed behind them. His eyes looked wild and crazed, like he hadn't slept in days.

"Excuse me, sir."

She said after awhile. His eyes locked on hers.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

He didn't respond. She licked her lips and decided to press her luck.

"Why are you so worried about letting your daughter near the animatronics? Did something happen? Do you fear that history is going to repeat itself?"

A small smile formed on his lips and he nodded once.

"I can assure you that everything is under control, but we might have had a small hiccup with our lineup."

He walked back over to Ballora.

"A father can never be too careful, Ms. Blake. These animatronics are still in beta testing, after all."

"Yes, of course..."

"Do you want to hear about the missing animatronic?"

He interrupted.

"Well, not missing. Gone. Destroyed."

She felt a sense of unease as she realized that he was looking directly at Ballora, not at her.

"Tell me, Mr. Afton."

She hoped she wouldn't regret that request.