Hi. Welcome to my FNaF story. It's actually my second FNaF story. I've been wanting to write a story on the Afton family for a long time... yet, I decided to write a FNaF World story instead. Truth be told, the first chapter here was previously for a story that I posted on this archive before with the same cover photo, but I deleted it immediately because I was still too nervous and too afraid to take risks. I wanted to write an Afton family story centering on the Crying Child, but my original plans involved some controversial choices. After some careful thinking and several rewrites, I decided to go for it and find ways around my problem(s).

In the end, I decided to write a 7-chapter story, but I also decided to post this story after completing the first 6. The 7th chapter will be an epilogue.

Enjoy. If you would like, please leave a review. Share your thoughts and opinions on the story. Feedback would be very appreciated.

...

Before we start, I need to clarify a few things:

1. Part of the reason why I decided to wait until I finished 6 out of the 7 chapters of this story before sharing it is because I haven't explored too much of this archive. I've only read a few FNaF fanfics, with only one making it to my favorites list. Even after completing my FNaF World story, I still don't know what to write/what not to write for this archive.

2. Since FNaF 4's Crying Child doesn't have a confirmed canon name, I won't be making up one for him. I was originally gonna call him "Christian," but the community has annoyed me with the non-stop use of "Chris" (which can be short for "Christian" - darn it). Instead, I'm just gonna refer to him as "CC" (which stands for "Crying Child"). Any other name for him in this story is fake, even from within the universe of this story.

3. The two characters on the cover photo are Crying Child (left) and Charlotte (right), both grown-up. Yeah, I know I said I wanted to write an Afton family story, but after so much careful thinking, I felt that an AU starring Crying Child and Charlotte was a safer option for me.

4. I left notes/explanations at the end of every chapter to explain myself, my story decisions, and anything else that might need explaining.

CHAPTER 1
"I Couldn't Save You"

November 3, 1993
04:44 PM

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A local pizzeria that has left its mark on history... maybe not in the best of ways. A pizzeria famous for providing entertainment to the children through the use of animatronics in the form of bipedal animals. On the show stage are three of the pizzeria's main attractions. To the left is Bonnie the blue bunny, playing his guitar. On the right is Chica the yellow chicken, holding a cupcake (with eyes) in her hand. And at the very center of the stage is Freddy Fazbear himself. The three animatronics are doing what they're programmed to do: to perform and to entertain the youth who have to come here to see them.

One animatronic who sadly can't join today's performance is Foxy the pirate fox, who is tucked away behind the curtains of Pirate Cove and has been declared "out of order" for quite a while.

Back in its heyday, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was the most successful food establishment in the city. Not a day goes by when the pizzeria wasn't full of children just eager to eat some pizza while they watch their favorite animatronics sing on stage for their entertainment. But nowadays, the pizzeria is struggling to stay afloat, what with receiving only a handful of customers a day compared to a decade before. At least the people who do come here are trying to have a good time.

One person who is not having a good time, though, is a teenage girl sitting on a table next to a window all by herself. Her name is Charlotte Emily. She's 17 years old, has shoulder-length brown hair that matches her eyes, and sports a green jacket over a white top.

Charlotte ordered a small pizza with pepperoni and olives, but she hasn't touched it. In fact, the pizza was served to her 30 minutes ago. All she has done since then is poke it with a fork. She has not taken a bite out of it, not even a shred of cheese. The trust is, she is not in the mood for pizza. She came here to waste herself on some pizza in hopes of lifting her spirits, but she just did not feel like eating anything at all. The pizza was not tempting her at all. She just stared at it with a somber expression on her face. She stopped staring at the pizza when a drop of water fell on it, except it wasn't a drop of water. That was a tear. A tear from her eye.

It was only now that Charlotte realizes that her eyes were watering. She wipes them dry with the sleeves of her jacket and hopes that no one notices that she is crying.

Why did I even bother coming here? She asked herself.

Despite knowing why she was about to cry, Charlotte reaches into her backpack and pulls out a reminder of why she is feeling blue today. That reminder is a picture. A picture of her when she was 7 years old.

Next to her is a little boy with brown eyes, brown hair, and has a curl of hair hanging over his forehead. He's wearing a black striped shirt and holding a Freddy plush, only it's colored gold instead of brown and its hat and bow tie are purple instead of black. Charlotte and the boy look very happy together in the picture. To keep a picture like this close to her means that this boy was someone important to her.

Was, she thought sadly.

Another tear escapes her eye and drips on the picture. She felt the tear fall down her cheek and off her chin, but she didn't stop it. Not only is she not in the mood to eat but she has lost the will to stop her own tears.

I know I should just forget and move on, but how can I?

October 31, 1983
07:32 PM

(10 YEARS AGO)

Fredbear's Family Diner. Another popular pizzeria owned by Fazbear Entertainment. What makes the diner different from Freddy's are the animatronic attractions performing on the stage. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Fredbear's Family Diner has two yellow-colored mascots on stage. To the right is Spring Bonnie, a yellow bunny playing a classical guitar. To the left is Fredbear himself, a yellow bear with a purple hat and a purple bow tie. Bonnie plays the music while Fredbear sings the tunes.

Tonight, Fredbear's Family Diner is celebrating Halloween. The place is even decorate to match the holiday. Yellow, orange, and black balloons. Purple and green streamers. Fake spider webs. Plastic toy bats hanging from the ceiling. Everyone who showed up are dressed up in a costume and excited to chow down on some candy.

One person, however, did not only come here without a costume but is also not having any fun. A 6-year-old boy wearing a black striped shirt and holding a Fredbear plush. Aside from that description, the most noticeable thing about this boy is that he always looks like he's going to cry, especially whenever he's at Freddy's or Fredbear's. The neighborhood kids have made fun of him non-stop for his tendency to cry, even going so far as to call him "Crying Kid" or "Crying Boy" or "Crying Child" instead of his real name.

Instead of mingling with the other kids, the Crying Child (or "CC") is just sitting alone on a table, watching the animatronics perform on stage. This boy is also well-known for how scared he looks every time he is around animatronics. They poke fun at him for his fears as well, so much so that they make up scary stories about the animatronics to frighten him on purpose. So, why is he looking directly at the very machines he's afraid of? He just sits there, sweating and shaking, but he would not take his eyes off the animatronics.

"RAAAAARRR!"

Suddenly, a teenage boy wearing a Foxy mask jumps out from under the table and roars at the boy, scaring him. CC was so scared that he fell backwards with his chair, landing painfully on his back. The teenager lifts his mask up as he starts laughing at CC. This isn't just some ordinary bully, though. This is the boy's 15-year-old brother, named Michael. He loves mocking CC's fear of aniamtronics and scaring him with his Foxy mask. CC is breaking down into tears, but all Michael does is laugh at his misery.

CC was about to get up and run away until he saw his 8-year-old sister Elizabeth. For Halloween, she's wearing a red dress with white and orange coloring on the midsection area. Her cheeks are painted with red circles, like a clown. And like a clown, she laughs. She tries to hold back the giggles and chuckles, even covering her mouth, but she laughs. At what? At her younger brother. Seeing CC get scared by Michael's jumpscare is amusing to her. In the end, she stops holding back and lets out a full-blown laughter, laughing along with Michael.

Feeling humiliated and unloved by his siblings, CC picks up his Fredbear plush and runs away, leaving behind a few tears that stain the floors.

The family drama didn't go unnoticed. One of the witnesses is 7-year-old Charlotte Emily. Her costume for Halloween is inspired by an odd-looking marionette from Freddy's known simply as The Puppet. Her mother made her a black suit with three buttons and white stripes on the arms and legs. She even wears a mask resembling The Puppet - a white face with red rosy cheeks and purple tear tracks. She takes off the mask as she watches CC run away crying, almost as if she wanted him to look at her before he ran off too far.

Unlike the other witnesses to the jumpscare, Charlotte is not amused. If anything, she's disappointed in both Michael and Elizabeth. The two of them have half the party laughing at CC, which only makes her even more upset.

"You guys don't have to be so mean," Charlotte scolded the siblings.

"Hey, it's not my fault he's so scared all the time," Michael said insensitively.

"Liz, c'mon. He's your little brother. At least go after him," Charlotte pleaded.

"Oh, he'll get over it. He always does... I think," Elizabeth said dismissively.

"You're both horrible people. I hope you know that," said Charlotte, disappointed.

Charlotte ignores the two siblings and goes after the third sibling. She stops near the backstage door, which has been opened halfway. Charlotte puts The Puppet mask down, worried it might scare the boy. She walks towards the door and pushes it further open. The backstage room is dark, but the lights from the diner help Charlotte find who she's looking for inside. And there he is.

CC is huddled in the corner, hugging his knees and crying so much that his tears are staining his arms and clothes. But he doesn't care. Being here at Fredbear's Family Diner... on Halloween... being scared by his own brother... his own sister laughing at his fear... everyone in the party making him feel worse... having no one to help him... how he feels about everything tonight is all expressed in his tears. So many tears. So many fears. All from one little boy. The Fredbear plush he carries with him can do nothing but watch him cry all night. He looks so sad, so alone, and so afraid. Charlotte hated seeing him like this.

Charlotte carefully walks towards CC and sits right next to him. She slowly raises her arm and gently puts her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way, letting him know that someone is here and that someone wants him to feel better.

"Don't mind those two. They're just being mean for no reason," said Charlotte.

"What did I do? What did I do wrong? Why is this happening to me?" CC asked as he wept and whimpered.

"You're not the one did anything wrong," said Charlotte.

"I don't want this. I don't want to be here. Mommy and Daddy made me come here. Why won't they listen to me?" CC said as he continued to shed tears.

"Is there something else wrong?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"You wouldn't understand," CC said gloomily. "No one will understand, not even me."

"I may not understand, but I do know that you are not alone," said Charlotte. "Forget Mike and Liz. Forget your parents. I'm here. I am here for you. If no one will care about you, I will. I will always be here for you. I will never leave you alone."

"Promise?" asked CC.

"I promise," Charlotte answered.

Charlotte puts her arm around CC and pulls him for a comforting side hug. CC leans on Charlotte's shoulder as the tears start to slow down. To know that she's here and to know that she truly cares is actually making him feel better. He's still suffering from his emotional struggles, but it makes him a little bit happier to know that there is someone in this cruel world who wants him to be happy. He wipes some of the tears from his eyes as he closes them, resting his emotions and letting Charlotte's presence warm his heart.

Charlotte smiles as she watches CC close his eyes peacefully. She hates seeing him so sad and it just makes her want to protect him. His brother always scares him. His sister hardly cares about his feelings. His parents are never around to see him cry. Charlotte is tired of seeing CC be so miserable. If no one is going to do anything about, she will. And that is why she made him that promise.

The Fredbear plush, however, is making Charlotte feel a little uncomfortable. It's just sitting there, facing towards CC, but it feels like it's looking at her without even moving its head. Charlotte closes her eyes to ignore it and focus on comforting CC.

November 4, 1983
07:01 PM

A few days ago, Fredbear's Family Diner was celebrating Halloween. Today, the diner is celebrating a birthday party. Whose birthday is it? The Crying Child. He had just turned 7 years old today. This is unfortunate for the birthday boy himself, because he doesn't want to have his birthday here. Just the sight of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie on stage makes him want to run out of the door and go home. Fortunately, he has a friend to look after him tonight.

"There is nothing to be afraid of," Charlotte assured.

"I don't want to be here," CC said anxiously. "I don't like it here. I wanna go home."

"Okay, how about I do something nice for you?" Charlotte offered. "I'm gonna talk to my Dad and your parents. I'll tell them to stop the party and have it in another place."

"You promised you wouldn't leave me alone," said CC.

"It's only for a few seconds," said Charlotte. "Just go and have some cake. It's your birthday, so you're allowed to have cake early. Don't tell my Dad I said that."

Charlotte shoots a smile at CC before walking out the front door. It's only for a few seconds, she told him and herself. She knows he's not brave enough to talk to his parents about what he really wants for his birthday, not to mention they never listen to him. As his (best) friend, she makes it her responsibility to make sure he is happy on his birthday. As much as she loves spending time at Fredbear's Family Diner, she cares more about CC's feelings. Fortunately for her, if she can convince her father to move the party, then he might be able to convince CC's parents.

That's because Charlotte's father is Henry Emily, co-founder of Fredbear's Family Diner. He is close friends with fellow co-founder William Afton, who is the father of CC. If she can convince her father, he can probably convince CC's father.

Charlotte heads outside of the diner where her father is, along with her mother Rebecca. They are currently in a conversation with William. Next to William is his wife Amelia, who is CC's mother. Charlotte likes to call them "Uncle William" and "Aunt Amelia," just like the Afton siblings like to call her father "Uncle Henry." That's how close the two families are with each other. Call it yet another blessing created by William and Henry becoming business partners.

"It just doesn't feel right, William," said Amelia. "Our son doesn't look like he wants to be here."

"Of course he wants to be here," William claimed with an exasperated tone. "He's just upset that Mike and Elizabeth are here, because he claims they're being mean to him."

"Do you ever consider why he says that at all, William?" Henry questioned.

"He does appear more comfortable around our daughter than with his own siblings," Rebecca noticed.

"Um, Mommy? Daddy?" Charlotte interrupted.

"Charlie, what are you doing out here?" asked Henry.

"I just talked to the birthday boy. He said he doesn't want to be here," said Charlotte. "He's supposed to have a happy birthday, but he's not happy here. Can we move the party somewhere else, please?"

"We already sent out the invitations. People will be coming any time soon," William objected. "Not to mention we already spent a lot of money on this party."

"William, please, at least consider," Amelia pleaded. "I trust Charlie. If she says our son isn't happy here, then I don't want to have to celebrate his big day somewhere that won't make him happy."

"Look, Charlie, why don't you go back inside?" Henry said to his daughter. "I'll see what I can do about moving the party. I promise I'll finish here as fast as I can."

"Okay," Charlotte responded.

Charlotte leaves the adults alone and walks back inside. She expects to find CC sitting on the table where the birthday cake is. Instead, she finds Elizabeth, who seems to be trying to sneak an early taste of the cake. Charlotte runs to the ginger-haired girl to ask her where CC is.

"Hey, Liz, have you seen your brother?" asked Charlotte.

"Which brother?" Liz replied inattentively, distracted by the cake.

"You know which one," Charlotte said impatiently. "I told him to..."

Charlotte stops talking when she looks over Elizabeth's shoulder and notices something, gasping in shock at what she finds. Elizabeth turns around to see what Charlotte is looking at, only to gasp as well.

CC is being forcefully carried to the stage by Michael and three other teenagers. Just like Michael, these teenagers wear masks resembling the animatronics from Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. One wears a Freddy mask, one wears a Bonnie mask, and one wears a Chica mask. Michael has his Foxy mask on as he carries the crying CC towards Fredbear. CC is struggling to escape the grasp of his brother and his brother's friends, but he's too weak. All he can do is look upon the Fredbear animatronic with fear as he desperately cries for help.

"Help! Somebody, please, help!" CC cried.

Charlotte can hear his cry for help all the way from where she stood. She couldn't believe what was happening. She just left him alone for a few seconds just to do something nice for him. A few seconds. How can something bad happen in just a few seconds?

"Liz, why?" Charlotte questioned.

"I didn't do this," said Elizabeth.

"But you could've done something to stop it," Charlotte scolded.

"I didn't even know," Elizabeth said in her defense.

"Of course you didn't," Charlotte said, disappointed.

Michael and the Bonnie bully hold CC while the Freddy bully and the Chica bully walk up onto the stage to open Fredbear's mouth. Michael then shoves CC's head into Fredbear's mouth.

"No, wait! Stop! Let him go!" Charlotte cried.

Charlotte ignores Elizabeth and runs towards the stage to save CC. As she ran, she could see him struggling to escape. His hands trying to open Fredbear's mouth, but he couldn't. His legs kicking around in desperation, but it does nothing. Charlotte feels her heart weighing down on her chest as she tries to save her friend as fast as she can. She couldn't let herself fail. She couldn't let him down. Moments like these are why she wanted so bad to keep him safe and let him know that she cares. Who else in this world cares about CC like Charlotte does? If his parents and his sister won't do anything, then she will. Nothing bad has happened yet. She can still stop this. As she was about to step on the stage...

Fredbear's jaw suddenly snaps shut, digging its robotic teeth right into CC's head.

"NO!" Charlotte cried.

CC suddenly stops moving. His arms drop and his legs stop kicking. Drops of blood splatter onto the golden bear's exterior, onto the stage, and onto Spring Bonnie. Michael and his friends stop laughing upon witnessing what just happened.

Fredbear's lower jaw suddenly snaps open, dropping CC onto the floor. Michael was about to check on his little brother, only for someone to shove him away from CC. It was Charlotte. She looks angry at Michael, but she also looks like she's about to cry.

"Don't touch him!" Charlotte cried.

Charlotte turns and glares at the other bullies, who were also alarmed by Charlotte's tone. Despite being older and bigger than her, they actually respond by stepping back, not wanting to challenge her.

Charlotte kneels down next to CC to see if he's okay. What she's seeing... it is something a child her age should never see. Multiple lacerations on CC's head, spilling blood all over his face and the floor. Worse, he's not moving. His eyes are closed. His arms and legs are still. It's hard to tell if he's breathing.

"Wake up. Please, wake up," Charlotte begged. "I promised. I wouldn't leave you alone. Wake up, please. Please. Wake up."

No response. No words. No movement. Nothing. Charlotte's tears stream down her cheeks as she buries her face on his blood-soaked shoulder. She couldn't stop crying because her heart feels very heavy and her mind is filled with dark thoughts. These dark thoughts are telling her heart that something bad has happened to CC. Something very bad. She couldn't hold back her tears any more than she could hold on to hope that he is okay.

"I promised," Charlotte cried.

In the distance, Elizabeth drops to her knees as her own mind fills with the same dark thoughts. She fears that the worst has happened to her little brother. She feels her tears flow from her eyes and down her face. She wants to cover her face to hide her tears, but her sorrow forces her to stay on her knees and cry. She couldn't find it in herself to move.

"Why?" Elizabeth mumbled as she cried.

Henry finally enters the diner along with William and Amelia, having finished their discussion outside. Unfortunately, they show up to find something horrific. The three adults rush to the stage and see what has become of the birthday boy. CC has deep, bleeding cuts all over his head. The blood on Fredbear's teeth immediately reveal the cause.

Amelia comforts the crying Elizabeth. Henry pulls Charlotte away from CC so she doesn't have to look at this grotesque sight. William rips off his purple tie and wraps it around his youngest son's head to stop the bleeding.

"What happened here? What happened to my son?!" William demanded an answer.

"Mike did it!" The bullies answered quickly and nervously.

"Hey!" Michael reacted. He felt betrayed by his friends.

"You did this?!" William asked his oldest son angrily.

"It was an accident. It was supposed to be a joke," Michael said in his defense.

"A joke to get him killed?!" William accused. He looked like he was gonna lose his temper. "Why I ought to..."

"William!" Amelia interrupted. "We don't have time for this. We have to get him to a hospital now."

William sighs and says, "You're right."

"Henry, call an ambulance," said Amelia.

"Already ahead of you," Henry said as he picked up his phone.

Henry holds his phone in one hand to make a phone call while his other hand holds his daughter close to make sure she isn't looking at CC. Charlotte, however, couldn't stop looking. For as horrific of a sight as this is, she felt the need to look, as if to remind herself that she failed. She promised to always be by his side... she promised him... and she failed to keep that promise.

November 4, 1983
11:32 PM

After an ambulance arrived at the diner to pick up the injured CC, Henry and Rebecca decide to take Charlotte home. They tell Charlotte to sleep early, but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about CC and how she failed to take care of him. She left him alone for a few seconds to do him a favor, but those few seconds may have resulted in his... his... she couldn't say or think the word. She stays up pass her bedtime while holding her Bonnie plush close to her, crying as she does. Even when the tears slow down, her heart is still heavy and her mind is hurting from the dark thoughts. She wants to know if he's okay and she wants to know now, but she knows her Dad will be angry if he finds out she's staying up pass her bedtime.

"Are you okay? I want to know. Are you gonna be okay?" She wondered endlessly.

Unable to rest tonight, Charlotte goes downstairs and decides to talk to her parents. They're currently in the living room, sitting on the couch and talking about CC. They stop talking about him when they see their daughter running down the stairs.

"Charlie, you should be sleeping," said Rebecca. "What are you doing still up?"

"I want you to take me to him," Charlotte demanded.

"What?" Henry reacted, surprised by the request.

"I want to go to the hospital. I wanna know if he's okay," Charlotte clarified.

"Charlie, it's almost midnight. You shouldn't be awake at this time, let alone be at a hospital," said Henry. "Please, go back to sleep."

"I can't sleep, Daddy!" Charlotte said loudly. "I can't sleep because I can't stop thinking about him. I want to see him."

"It's not that simple, Charlie," said Henry.

"He's my best friend," Charlotte said as she cried. "I want him to know I'm right beside him, all the time."

Henry and Rebecca's will to say "no" is growing weaker and weaker the longer they see their daughter's tears. If she's been awake this whole time, has she been crying for hours? To think, while they were down here talking about someone else's child, their own daughter was upstairs crying with no one to hold her and make her feel better. But she's making it very clear that the only way to make her feel better is to assure CC's recovery.

"What do you think, Henry?" Rebecca asked her husband.

Henry sighs in defeat and says, "Get in the car. We're going to the hospital."

November 5, 1983
12:11 AM

And so, Henry drives his wife and his daughter to the hospital where CC is being treated. They notice that William's purple car is in the parking lot, meaning that he and his wife must be here as well.

The Emily family enter the hospital and find out that not only William and Amelia are present here but also their children Michael and Elizabeth. It looks like the members of the Afton family are arguing with one another, as their loud voices echo through the halls of the hospital and every single of them look either agitated or depressed. Elizabeth shoves Michael as she runs out of the hospital. William walks away to probably grieve on his own. Amelia, who is holding CC's Fredbear plush in her arms, goes after her daughter only to run into the Emily family.

"Henry. Rebecca. I didn't expect to see you here," said Amelia.

"We were gonna wait for you to call, but Charlie here wanted to see your son," Henry explained.

"Amelia, what happened?" asked Rebecca. "We came in here and saw you and your family arguing. What is going on?"

"The doctor just told us," Amelia said with sorrow.

"Told you what?" asked Henry.

"Is he gonna be okay?" asked Charlotte.

Amelia sheds a tear as her hugs the Fredbear plush even tighter. Rebecca rubs her back to calm her down, but it's not working. More tears come down from Amelia's eyes as she tries to tell the Emily family of what has transpired.

"He's gone," Amelia said with sorrow and grief.

"What?" Charlotte asked as she felt her heart sink to her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Charlie, but he's... never gonna wake up," Amelia said sadly.

"Wha... no. No, no, no," Charlotte refused to believe it.

Rebecca quickly hugs her daughter just as she starts to shed tears. Henry sits next to his daughter as well, knowing that she would need both her parents after hearing this news. Both Henry and Rebecca put their arms around their daughter, trying their best to comfort her in these dark times. A friend she cared very deeply about has just passed away, and they can see how devastated she is. They don't know about the promise, though, which means they only know half her pain.

November 3, 1993
04:55 PM

(BACK TO THE PRESENT)

Charlotte opens her eyes and ends her mental trip into the past. She wipes her eyes dry as she puts down the picture. She hates feeling like this in public, not that anyone has noticed, but she hates it nonetheless. Her pizza remains untouched, but she doesn't care. She decides to just leave some cash on the table as she gets up from her seat. She makes sure to remember the picture, only to once again look at the boy on that very picture. The boy she promised to protect. The boy she failed to protect.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you," she whispered sadly.

Charlotte puts the picture back in her backpack as she walks to the front door. A person gets in her way just as she was about to walk through the door. However, the sight of this person causes Charlotte to freeze.

This stranger is a boy, who looks about her age. Brown eyes. Brown hair. A curl of his hair is dangling over his forehead and between his eyebrows. But the part about him that captured her attention the most is the scar on his left temple. Something about that scar is making her head feel funny. It's as if she's seen it somewhere before.

"Um, excuse me?" The boy spoke, having noticed her staring.

"Oh, sorry," Charlotte apologized. "I thought you were someone else."

Now that the boy was facing her direction, that allows Charlotte to see more of him, most specifically another scar. This scar is on his right temple, which looks identical to the scar on his left temple. Charlotte squints to examine them closely, but she quickly remembers that he's looking at her this time.

"Do I know you?" asked the boy.

"I'm Charlotte," Charlotte introduced herself. "You don't recognize me?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think so," said the boy.

A long silence fills the space between the two of them, prompting the boy to just walk away without saying anything else. His head suddenly starts to hurt, but he tries his best not to act out in public.

Charlotte was about to walk out of the door, only to turn around and look at the boy again. Something about him makes her head and chest itch in a very uncomfortable way. It's like she knows him, but at the same time, she doesn't. How can that even be possible? All she knows is that she can't stop looking at him and she's not sure why.

"Don't be afraid of the truth," a mysterious voice from nowhere spoke to her.

End of Chapter

Notes/Explanations:

1. "Amelia" is the name I've chosen for Mrs. Afton. It felt like a random thought at first, but maybe I was thinking of Tomb Raider while I was thinking of a name for the mother of the Afton family. Weird, huh?

2. The Halloween party at Fredbear's Family Diner is a reference to the Halloween update for FNaF 4. I wanted October 31 to be the birthday of the Crying Child, but October 31, 1983 was not on a Friday.

3. This story has references to certain FNaF songs, such as the title of the first chapter. I'll admit that specific songs inspired some plot points of my story.