The Story of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria

A Shadow of Grief

It seemed as though Elizabeth Afton was taking her twin's death the hardest. She was so young, and could barely comprehend the concept of death. Sometimes, she would burst into her brother's now empty room, asking if he wanted to play tea party with her, only to remember that her brother was gone, and wasn't coming back.

Lizzie was always a cheerful and outgoing little girl, but in the past few weeks she'd lost her spark. She usually sat with her friends during recess and class, yapping none stop about the diner, or her newest doll collection, but now she sat alone, Harley ever uttering a word. She would stare at the seat her brother used to occupy in class, sometimes wondering if she could ever be with him again. Her friends were worried about her, and although they were quite young as well, were emotionally intelligent.

Cassidy, the new leader of the group since Lizzie's withdrawal, talked to the group about it. "I'm worried about Liz, guys. She hasn't been the same since her brother..." she trailed off. When their teacher had to explain why Evan wouldn't be in their class anymore, it had seemed insensitive to use the word "died". Susie, understanding what Cassidy was trying to say, spoke up.

"I think maybe we should give her some time. It can be hard to lose a family member so close to you. We should just be there for her in case she opens up about it." The group nodded in agreement, and fell into silence. Changing the subject, Cassidy asked, "Hey, do you guys know where Char is? She hasn't been at school for 3 days." The group realised the absence of their quiet companion. It wasn't like her to not show up. She loved school, and was smart too.

"Maybe she's just sick..?" Jeremy offered. The group accepted this possibility, unaware that. Charlie had met a fate worse than the common cold.

The home time bell rang, and the class fell silent, waiting for the teacher to dismiss. "Good afternoon, class." she said.
"Good afternoon, Mrs West and friends." They recited, and filed out of the classroom in a line. The group said their goodbyes met their parents outside the gates. Elizabeth climbed into the backseat of her dad's car sullenly, and buckled her seatbelt.

"How was your day, Liz?" William said cheerfully. He was hoping to engage his daughter in conversation, but the girl replied with "It was fine daddy." and descended into silence. William shook his head. He knew that Elizabeth was coping with her loss and would come around eventually, but he missed his bubbly little girl...

***

About a week later, the Afton family were sitting in front of the television in the lounge, watching television. Mrs Afton clicked through the channels until she found a news headline that caught her eye.

"Thank you, Jeff. And now, local girl Charlotte Emily has been reported missing." the reported said. "She was last seen at Fredbear's Family Diner on Tuesday the 4th of October. She is described to have brown hair and green eyes. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please contact the news station."

Elizabeth and Michael went pale, and Mrs Afton covered her mouth in shock. William shifted in his seat, before excusing himself to go to his office.
"Liz, isn't that Charlie? One of your friends?" Michael exclaimed insensitively. Elizabeth opened and closed to her mouth as if she were speaking, but no reply came out. Suddenly, a wailing sob escaped from the girl's mouth. Mrs Afton scooped up her daughter in an effort to comfort her.
"There, there sweetheart. I'm sure Charlotte will be found in no time, and returned safely." cooed Mrs Afton. She rubbed her daughters back, and picked up the remote change the channel. The girl's tears had subsided and she asked in a shaky voice,"Mommy...why do all these bad things keep happening?" Mrs Afton didn't know how to reply, and instead continued running her fingers through her daughter's hair. Eventually, she settled with, "I'm sure the police are working very hard to make sure Charlie is found. They'll leave no stone unturned." It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself with her words to. Missing children rarely return safely, but she didn't want to tell her daughter this, and had to remain hopeful for both of their sakes.

***

The following Monday, Elizabeth's class was silent and subdued. They had all heard the news about Charlotte's disappearance, either through their parents or from the news. Elizabeth's friend group was particularly quiet. Having lost two friends in the space of a month had dulled their already-damp spirits. But one girl in particular was not wrapped up in grief. She had very grave concerns about the disappearance of Charlie, and although she had no way of proving it, her intuition was just telling her that something was off.

Cassidy looked at Elizabeth, knowing that her suspicions would definitely destroy their friendship. The girl was arguably the brightest member of the group, and she could sense that foul play was defint present here. It almost seemed as if Charlie's voice had consumed her thoughts, telling her exactly what had happened to her.

It was common knowledge that Elizabeth's dad was a co-founder of the pizzeria and that Charlie and Elizabeth had forged a friendship through their fathers' business ventures. The two men were close friends as well. Cassidy thought it was...strange that Charlie went missing. Of all the customers, why go after a child? And why this child in particular? Unless you had something against the girl or maybe even the girl's parent

But it wouldn't make any sense? Even though her gut feeling told her that William had a hand in this disappearance, why would he do that? Elizabeth had often remarked how much her dad adored her friend, and remarked on how sweet it was that they were so close.

She couldn't prove anything and besides, she was just a child. Which grown-up would listen to the wild accusations of a child, especially if they have no proof? The whole situation frustrated the girl. She felt helpless and hopeless, feeling robbed of justice for her best friend. She felt as though she couldn't possibly go on with her life without having at least some closure on what had happened to Charlie, as though it was a her personal responsibility to find out what happened to her, and whether she was still alive.

Although it frustrated her, she knew that the best she could do was wait and stay alert for any leads. Unfortunately the weight of frustration would sit with her for a long time until she got the answers she needed.