Robotic Love

Chapter Twenty-One: Overwhelming Surprise

I turned on the water, sighing in relief as the water hit my body. I felt the sweat and grime that stuck to my body wash away, leaving behind a feeling of refreshment. It always amazed me how taking a shower could bring such a feeling. It was like the water had some kind of property to it that helps clear the mind and soothe the soul from the stresses of the day. The best part about it is coming out of the tub feeling like a brand new person.

As I washed, I thought about everything my mother told me. All of the things she said echoed loudly in my head. It was really hard to believe that all of the things she said had taken place, along with finding out the real cause of the slow decline in my dad's mental health. To top it off, Kyle had worked closely with my father to help find the missing kids. It was mind-blowing.

I frowned as I began cleaning myself. While many of the things that Kyle and my mother told me put some of the many pieces of the puzzle together, there were still some questions that needed to be answered. Questions that would undoubtedly fill in the gaps of the puzzle.

Who was Charlie? Who was William Afton? How did he possess Vanessa and force her to take 150 kids, including my sister, away from us? Does William have some kind of ties to the company? Do William and Charlie have a history with each other? More importantly, who was that strange fox animatronic that I've spotted several times over the last few days now?

As that last question went through my mind, I thought back to how Freddy, Chica, Montgomery, and Roxanne looked at me with shock and disbelief, along with the traces of recognition in their eyes. At the time, I didn't ask if they knew who I was talking about since I had to tell them about the names I was repeating in my sleep. Since Roxanne was staying here at the house, I would have to ask her if she knew who that animatronic was.

I thought about all the times I've seen it. In all of them, it was always a distance away from me. I didn't know what, but it looked as though it was keeping its distance from me. Why it would do that was beyond me.

The last thing that bugged me was how I heard Lisa's voice in my head. Once in the Raceway and the other time in the Atrium. Were her voice and that animatronic connected somehow? Was my little sister... possessing that animatronic?

I shook my head violently.

'That's absurd!' I thought to myself. 'There's no way that can be possible! I'm probably overthinking the whole thing to begin with, anyway!'

After fully cleaning myself, I turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. I walked over to the towel rack and grabbed a light green towel. Using the towel, I began to dry myself, making sure I didn't miss a single wet or damp spot. After a moment, I wrapped the towel around my waist and stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

I walked over to the bedroom, reaching out for the knob. I grabbed hold of it, twisting it until I could no longer turn it. I opened the door and stepped inside. I froze in my spot upon seeing that I wasn't alone.

Roxanne Wolf was sitting in front of her vanity desk, brushing her hair with my hairbrush. How she even managed to get her hands on my hairbrush, which I always have stored away inside my bathroom, was beyond me. The only way Roxanne could've gotten her hands on it was if she went into the bathroom while I was in the shower and took it without me knowing.

Roxanne stopped what she was doing and turned in my direction. Her eyes went wide, her body becoming still as a statue. She proceeded to stare at me, with me staring in return. After a long moment, the reality of the situation clicked in.

"AHHH!!!" we both screamed at the same time.

I hastily put on a light green shirt and a pair of pajama shorts, my face hot the entire time. It took me a bit of effort with almost losing my balance a couple of times, but I was finally able to put them on. With that now done, I sat down on the bed, resting my face in my hands. I tried to calm myself down to get rid of the blush, but it was of no use.