The Hidden Truth

Chapter 3

    Children were screaming and running back and forth with wide smiles on their faces. The lighting was dim and the music was loud with the popular songs of the day. The smell of pizza and other fast food beverages filled the entire room; tables full of families and gatherings of birthday parties big and small. There were balloons, gifts, and prizes that littered every table as parents kept track of their kids as they ran about between the stage and the arcade in the next room over. There were children of various ages. Some were smaller children enjoying the animatronics that sang and danced on the stage while others were teenagers focusing solely on the arcade games and the boy or girl they were interested in on the other end of the room.

    The animatronics were lively, jolting forward and back as their mouths moved in sync with the song that played through the speakers. The entirety of the band was there. Freddy, the brown bear with the bow tie and top hat, sat at the center of the band, his microphone in hand as he bobbed back and forth to the beat. Bonnie, the purple bunny, stood next to Freddy with his guitar, strumming away. Chica, the yellow chicken, was on the other side of Freddy, singing a cappella with her friend Carl the Cupcake in her hand. Foxy, the red fox, was on the stage adjacent to the main stage, which was considered Pirate's Cove in the Pizzeria with his hook for a hand swinging up and down to greet the children who ran by to watch him perform. He still seemed to be in pretty bad shape with holes surrounding his casing and his endoskeleton exposed at his legs. But no one seemed to mind, finding it quite fitting for the character.

    The children cheered and enjoyed the animatronics, squealing in delight as they sang their next requested song. One little girl with red hair squealed when Freddy looked at her and winked. She bounced up and down with her hands placed on her friend's shoulders. When the explosion of euphoria settled down within her little body, she rushed with her friend to her family's reserved table at a booth farther back in the room. She met with her parents and her sister, telling all about her joy at seeing her favorite animatronic band for her birthday. To her, they were larger than life. She could overlook the jerkiness of the robotics and just imagine they were real and alive. To her, they were alive.

    "Oh, that's wonderful, sweetie." Her mother laughed, rubbing her back.

    "It was! I'm telling you! And he winked at me!" She screeched with the happiness just boiling over her like a teapot. "Mom, can we come here every week?" She pleaded.

    "Although I would love to do that too, darling, this is only for special occasions. Just like today, for your birthday!"

    The girl smiled, her freckled cheeks growing rosy. The mother turned to the older sister who was sitting pleasantly looking upon her younger sister with love and admiration. She loved how joyous and lively her sister was and how she could find happiness in any situation. She giggled when she came to her, their noses touching; one of the many ways they showed their sisterly love for each other. The older sister ruffled her hair before the younger darted off with her friends once again.

    "Anastasia?" Her mother called. She turned in an inquiry. "Can you watch over your sister while your dad and I go meet some friends by the bar?"

    She nodded cordially and waved her mother goodbye as she focused her sight on her younger sister who had run off to the arcade and the ball pit. She didn't move from her spot but watched as her sister began playing PacMan with her friends, not creating any havoc or trouble, which was a rare occurrence for her. She was a respectable young girl who was a rule follower and was independent for being seven. Without much worry, Anastasia slumped in her seat and leaned forward, resting her head on her arms. She slowly drifted off to sleep, her mind at ease and trusting of her sister.

    It wasn't long before she was awoken by a tap on her shoulder. Her mother had returned, her smile nonexistent. "Where's your sister?" She asked, raising a brow.