Chapter Two: A Mess

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      My eyes go wide in disbelief.
'No... How did he...?' I can't stop panicking. How? How'd he manage to do this?
      The house was covered in thick black wires, all of which was shrouded in darkness. It was a mess! There was Pal, waiting for me by the living room, somehow back inside of his Percy Poodle suit. What kind of animatronic is this?
      "Heya Nick!" I hear Pal say in forced cheerfulness as he approached me from the living room. "What did you do?" I ask him, knowing what a stupid question that was. "That's a silly question to ask! Take a look around you Nick. I did it just for YOU." He replies, not yet dropping the fake optimism.
"I-What, how did you even-?" I begin, before being cut of by that same familiar laughter. "Haven't you ever heard that a magician never reveals his secrets?" Pal interrupts as I catch glimpse of some familiar faces in the background. The Poodle Pals! They must've followed me here. I should've been more careful on my way home and back. "What do you want?" I ask him sternly.
"To play with you!" 'That's it?' I think. "Pal, I can't sit here and play with you all day, I have a life to go back to. If you would just let me-" I try to reason with him. Pal grumbles in response. "But I thought that's what we were gonna be doing when we got here!" He yells, upset. "Yes, later, but right now I have people I need to meet up with and things to do! I can't be all cooped up in my home all day!" I answer, done with his crap. "Why not!?" He yells. "I JUST SAID WHY YOU-" I stop myself from saying anything else.
      I feel like I might've accidentally gotten myself a death wish.
"NO, YOU CAN'T, I WON'T LET YOU, NO! NO! NO!" He's throwing a tantrum, which is both amusing and terrifying. I step back in case anything happens. I then feel for the front doorknob, only to find it blocked up with those same vine-like wires that seemed to surround everything in site.
      'He's blocked the entrance. Crap.'
"THERE, SEE? NOW YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH ME!" He yells, quite proud of himself for coming up with that. Good thing he doesn't know windows exist. "Pal, you can't expect me to sit for 12 hours straight playing with you-"
"Yes you can."
"What is that, a threat? Are you threatening me now?" I retorted.
"No!" He denied. "Er, well, yea- No. No, I'm not threatening you!" He says with a laugh. "I'm just making sure you and I get a chance to play with each other!" He says, as another sharp cackle flows from his last sentence.
"And what if I don't play with you, HUH?" I know I'm testing his patience, but I've survived Pal once, I can do it again. Only this time there's no climax, just full on life or death. "Well then you disappear!" He said gleefully. "So come on and play with me NICK!" Pal said, laughing maniacally. "No! Not right now Pal!" I yell. "PLAY WITH ME YOU LITTLE SHI-" Pal said, becoming more and more angry. The corrupted Playful Poodles and Pal Percys were cornering me. Pal's wires started dangling just over my head, giving me a whole lot of déja vu. I was trapped yet again. "Fine! Fine! I'll play." I say finally. Pal brightened and got his Pal Percy programming out and ready for me to use as of nothing had happened. Hesitantly, I grab the toy and start playing.
      I don't know how long I've been doing my tasks, but so far I've filled up the happiness meter three times. It might've been a couple hours actually. I occasionally multitask to pass the time, completing one task of Pal's while checking out my messages. It's nearly eleven-fifty AM, and that's when I've just remembered my plans to go out with the boss for lunch. Lunch, I could use lunch right about now. I'm starving. But I know that I probably can't. At least, not until I'm on good terms with Pal. I've been playing for a couple hours, I should be able to at least go out though, right? "But it hasn't even been a couple more hours!" He complained. "Think of all the fun that could be wasted by doing something BORING like meeting up with your former boss?" Pal rambles. "Hey wait a second. How do you know my boss?" I ask. "I have access to your phone!" He replies grinning. "What?"
"I know your wifi password too, alongside your search history!" He explains grinning.
"We're getting off track here." I tell Pal. 'Also, he knows my search history???'
      "If I can't go with my boss, can I at least call him to tell him that I can't come?" I ask. "Even better!" He says enthusiastically.
I groan, before taking out my phone and calling the boss himself. "Hey, boss." I say sullenly. "Nick! What's going on? Where are you?" He asks. I'm assuming he's at the restaurant right now, judging by the indistinguishable chatter of people in the background. "Look, I think I'm going to have to cancel, I've got some... things to deal with." "Really?" He asks. "Yep." I reply. "Also, Nick, you did a great job looking over the playhouse all week and I really appreciate you taking my offer, but I have to ask, WHERE IS PERCY POODLE, DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THAT THING MUST'VE BEEN?!" He yells so suddenly, I flinch. "Yeah, about that, I'll explain later, I have things I need to do." I say in a rush. "Hey wait, what about your pay?" He asks. "Send it to me with the gift basket or something, I don't know." I grumble again before hanging up. "Happy?" I tell Pal. "Very." Pal answers unironically. I walk over to the couch and sit myself down again. "Hey, what are you doing?" Pal asks. "Pal, I'm just gonna call it a day, I've done way too much, I think I'm just going to sleep. Forever."
And I do, all up until dinnertime.

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