Apprentice of Nightmares

Fairy Tales

"Joshie, come on! You promised you were gonna join my tea party!"

The teen sighed and reluctantly followed into the other room. The walls were a gentle magenta, adorned with a few posters of princesses and fairies. A fair amount of stuffed animals were strewn about, two of them sitting at a small table near the bed. He couldn't help feeling a bit awkward with the size difference, but it couldn't be helped. Soft hums could be heard as a small figure carried a teapot over to the table, making pouring motions over the teacups before setting it down and sitting in one of the vacant seats. Josh smiled slightly, partially forced due to one of the very rare instances where he showed courtesy.

"See, Mr.Cuddles? I told you Joshie would join us!", she said to one of the plushies with a grin.

"I only came because I promised you, Sophie.", Josh said with slight annoyance before muttering, "Also because I didn't have much else to do..."

The girl giggled, "Well it's not my fault you promised me."

"It pretty much is because you keep pestering me about it!"

"Only because Mommy and Daddy are busy with stuff!", she replied with a small pout, "Plus you're always locked in your room."

"Well— I mean...", he sighed, "Okay, you have a point there. I guess I do stay indoors a lot, but I don't really have much to do outside most of the time."

"Don't you have any friends you can play with?"

"Eh...", the teen felt his face heat up slightly, "Not exactly, but I did meet some interesting people."

"Ooh! What are they like? Are they nice?"

He pondered for a second, "I can't say for sure. So did anything fun happen today?"

Sophie smiled wide, "Oh yeah! We did this thing with cookies to learn about numbers and read a story about a haunted mansion!"

His smile returned, "Were you scared?"

"Of course not! I'm a big girl!", she said cheekily before blushing a little, "But...are ghosts real?"

His smile shrunk into a grin, "I don't know...but I hear kids get haunted by them in their sleep~."

Sophie trembled, "R-really?"

"Yeah...they especially like little girls with tea parties.", he said while wriggling his fingers, "Especially if they're scared."

"I-I'm not scared!", she replied while looking away with flushed cheeks, "I'm a big girl now!"

"But you're still a scaredy-cat."

"Am not!"

"Are to!

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

~~*~~

The next day went slowly for Josh, but it gave him a chance to think about his recent encounter. He was surprised he managed to get out of that house alive— much less have a somewhat civil conversation with the...occupants. Particularly, he couldn't stop thinking about the brown bear and Foxy.

When he heard the latter's name, he felt a small sense of familiarity. He was sure he heard that name from somewhere, but it was slipping from him. The same could be said for the bear, despite not knowing its name. Something about its appearance was recognizable, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

    There was also Nightmare, who seemed to be the leader of the tattered bunch. The way they spoke and the near-sadistic look in their eyes stayed clear in his mind. Despite that, he didn't feel full-on fear but a small amount of intrigue. What the thing said about him was strange.

"The eyes of a lost soul...a look we know all too well."

Does that mean someone else was with them? And if so, what happened? He was broken from his daydreaming when he found himself shoved against the lockers.

"Did you really think I'd forget about yesterday?", a voice sneered.

Josh felt the world freeze around him.

"You may have everyone else brushing you off, but not me!"

He frowned instantly, "Is this seriously about your girl and her friend in the library? They were the ones bothering me while I was looking something up."

The jock scoffed, "Quit acting like you don't care about anything! It pisses me off!"

"And what if I don't?", he asked intensely, clenching his fists.

"Then I'll give you something to care about..."

Josh found himself released, a hard pressure on his shoulder.

"Even if I have to make your life a living hell."

The teen's blood ran cold at that statement.

~~*~~

"The boy...he interests me."

The dark figure stared out the window into the sidewalk. They knew Josh would come back, if not voluntarily then by some outside influence. Given their meeting yesterday, it was clear Josh wouldn't forget them and the others in an instant. A deep growling voice spoke behind the figure.

"I take it you're planning something for him?"

They nodded, "Things have been boring lately, but I think he's just the thing we need to make things interesting. With his...demeanor, it will become quite the task."