Chapter Text
It was a casual remark—a little mention to hearing the theater kids say they needed someone to help with sets for the play at the end of the year, and that Cassie thought she might want to help. Then suddenly, she was overwhelmed with the encouragements of everyone else at the dinner table. She knew a part of it was because it was something she wanted, but the other reasoning behind it wasn’t lost on her. It was a normal kid thing to do.
And when the last four months have included, well… many far from normal kid things, a change of pace was good.
Cassie promised them that she’d visit the auditorium after school the next day. She wished Gregory hadn’t left to wait for her outside. She understood why, a reasoning Vanessa would hate when she pieced it together. Gregory attracted enough attention on his own and he wanted to keep his friends out of it. Especially when Cassie’s chances of making “normal” friends possibly relied on the fact he wasn’t there. Not that she’d want anything to do with anyone who wouldn’t be nice to him anyway.
She took a deep breath, then pushed open the doors. There weren’t many here; the drama teacher and three of the theater kids. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about before, but it was casual… and paused the second she realized she came in.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. She forced herself to be a little louder as she continued, “I heard you could use some help with sets and things for the play…”
The teacher stood up and walked over to her, giving her a kind smile. “That’s great. We’re not too picky, we just need an extra hand or two. We usually meet after school on Fridays for prep work. Can you do that?”
“Mhm.”
“Good. Oh! I don’t think I got your name.”
“Cassie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cassie. Go on and make yourself acquainted with the kids that are here right now, I’ll introduce you to the rest when we’re all together tomorrow. I’ve got to go to my office and pull out some things for your guardian to look over.”
Guardian, not parent. Of course the teacher knew about that, they probably all did. It was a small thing, but it stung a little, too, hearing the reminder that her parents weren’t here. The wonder of it the other kids noticed was confirmed by something one step up, when she glanced at them: They know.
But when the teacher left… they didn’t bring it up.
One of them stepped forward, gesturing to himself then the two others. “I’m Joseph, and these are Daisy and Neveah.” Daisy. That name sounds familiar.
Neveah nodded, then pointed to the little plush Roxy keychain on Cassie’s backpack. “I see you’re a lady of taste. Is Roxy your favorite?”
Cassie took another calming breath before saying, “Yeah. She has been pretty much since I first saw her.”
“Did you see all her older versions at that event?”
“Mhm! I was rushing my friends all over the place to see all of it…”
“Your friends,” Daisy mumbled. “Gregory and Tony, right?”
Cautiously, Cassie nodded. “They’re not bad kids. Gregory’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and whatever they say about him isn’t true.”
“Never said it was. I know that the rumors aren’t nearly as true as everyone wants to pretend they are. Blaming someone else won’t bring anyone back, either.”
“You’re… still not really comfortable.”
Daisy shook her head, placing a hand on Cassie’s shoulder. Her smile was fake. “Just be lucky you have them, alright? And I’ll pretend like that’s the only thing I feel about this, because you shouldn’t be tied to the stories about them.”
She looked over at the other two. “I should probably get going soon. See you guys tomorrow.” Then she went back, gathered all her things, and started to leave.
“I’m sorry,” Cassie called as Daisy opened the door.
She paused for just a second before sighing. “Don’t be. It’s not you. It’s the only two that came back.” And just like that, she was gone.
“Don’t mind her,” Neveah remarked, taking Cassie’s hand and guiding her closer to the stage. “She’s usually a lot nicer. Danny’s just a sore spot. Ask her about tattoos next time, and you won’t get her to shut up!”
And Joseph started talking about something—stuff they usually did?—but Cassie was hardly listening anymore. She knew where she’d heard that name before. It came from one of the multitudes of rumors that the missing posters tended to spark.
Daisy, the at least crush, sometimes girlfriend, of the missing kid Danny. According to the story, he took little cutting robots from the Pizzaplex meant for wrapping presents in order to get “tattoos” to impress Daisy. Until, of course, he went too far and the robots cut everything. They said the only part of him that wasn’t cut up beyond blobs of muscle, blood, and skin was his heart. It was a story Cassie had the misfortune of hearing a few times, because kids learned that they could exaggerate the details into something gory and terrible. Something she was never good at hiding how much she hated, and thinking about it now made her sick.
She knew it wasn’t true. First of all, the Pizzaplex never had special little robots for wrapping presents. That was all Staffbots, sometimes hidden in boxes that projected out the little “robots” she heard associated with the story. Being the daughter of one of the Faztechnicians let her pick apart little details about stuff like that. And instead of just settling with the story, she knew what had made it spread… and the reality was nearly as bad.
Danny had gone missing in the Pizzaplex around Christmas. They did take down his poster one day… because they’d found his remains, pieces mutilated and torn apart almost beyond recognition. Fazbear’s official story was that he must’ve wandered somewhere into dangerous equipment; it wasn’t like there was camera footage to confirm or deny it. Knowing what she did… she wondered if maybe, he was just a toy. Giving others its hurt, because it didn’t know how else to express it. Because that’s all it knows.
Though all of that did make her pretty sure of one thing, at least.
“I should go.”
Joseph stopped whatever explanation he’d been giving her. “What? Is this because of Daisy?”
“You were all having a good time, then I came, and… I don’t want to interrupt. This is supposed to be something fun and I’m afraid it won’t be if I’m there.”
“No way! The more the merrier!” Neveah said.
“Besides, it’s just like Daisy said,” Joseph pointed out. “It had nothing to do with you, it’s the stories of them. She knows what it’s like to be a ‘side character’ in those kinds of stories and she’ll see past that. The others, too, if that’s what you’re worried about. We’re not exactly a group that’s in a position to judge.”
Cassie shrunk. “But…”
“No buts. How about this: you give us a chance. But don’t pass up a good thing before you even try, alright? This is supposed to be a safe place for anyone who needs it, and that includes you.” He gestured to a door near the stage. “Now, how about we continue that tour?”
“O-oh, you, uhm… might need to repeat everything else, too…”
He laughed. “That’s alright. I’m used to it, Neveah zones out all the time, too.”