Chapter 1

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John scooted farther back as the beast moved closer to them. "John!" Jessica cried. "What do we do?" The machine started filling the room, cramping them into a tight space. John looked at Jessica fearfully, fitting his hand into hers. "No matter what happens Jessica, you were always like a sister to me. I love you." Jessica had a half smirk. "Platonic." He smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek. "STOP!" Jessica and John looked up. Someone was standing in front of them.

The music form the worksite was faint, but it was loud enough for John to hear and recognize. He smiled and looked at his friend Tony, "back to the 60's I see." Tony laughed, and John got back to work on the power drill on the concrete. The sound of the crumbling and crashing. "I love you charlie!" Charlie turned around in shock. As they started running from the rubble, John felt Charlie's hand slip away. It was there one second, and then it wasn't. Just.. gone. Her scream echoed as it traveled back to the beast from within. "JOHN!"
"JOHN! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Stan was in John's face trying to "wake him up." His face was stern, and he looked serious. "My office. Now." John followed, only a few steps behind Stan. He opened the door to the trailer and stepped in, "close the door behind you."

"I can't keep you on the team. I'm sorry John, but your performance lately has made me no choice. I have to fire you. I can't keep you hear when you are acting like this. And please, get some help. I can tell something's up, and it's not good." The words shot John like a bullet. A bullet right through his already broken heart. "I understand." John got up, blurring out everything that Stan was saying. He opened the door to the trailer, and stepped out. Tony walked up to him, but John just brushed past him. He got in his car, and just started driving. He didn't know where he was going. Until he was there.

Most of the rubble had cleared, but there was still lots of debris left behind. John walked into the mess. He knelt down and shifted through the rocks. There was a glint that caught him in the corner of his eye. He turned and moved the rocks out of the way. It was Stanley's head. The friendly half finished horse Henry had made for Charlie when she was young. "How morbid can you get.." John muttered. Much more morbid than this, a woman's voice echoed. The birds on the power line flew away as the voice spoke.

John shot up, putting Stanley's head in his pocket. He sprinted to his car, climbing in as fast as he could. You understand. You are the only one who knows. The voice rattled in John's head. He put his hands to his temples, trying to concentrate. He whipped the steering wheel, pulling away from the rubble. I'll find you John. One way or another. John pounded his head with his hands, "Get out of my head!!" He pulled over on the highway, processing. He pulled out the pony's head from his pocket. He turned the head and looked at it carefully. He saw the small round disk, sitting inside of Stanley's neck. He plucked it from the wiring. It was connected to the circuit board somehow, but it was different from everything else in Stanley. This disc was new and shiny, while everything else inside him was old and rusty. John looked at the encryption on the side, expecting to see Afton Robotics, but what John saw made his day just that much crazier. C.H.A.R.L.I.E. AdulthoodCloset4. John sat back in his seat and laid his head on the back of his seat. He set the disk down on the dashboard and drove off.

John pulled up to the college dorm's parking lot, and stepped out of his car. He walked slowly to the main entrance, trying not to ponder what happened just six months ago. He stepped into the hall, looking around. "Déjà vu.." he muttered. The building was a bit more fancier then it should've been. There was a staircase, that he was guessing led to a main office or corridor. He headed towards the elevator, when he saw something that caught his eye. A girl. Her cheeks were red, though they didn't look painted. Her thin blonde hair in pigtails. But the more John looked at her, the more she looked less like.. a person. She had slits in her skin, almost like plates. She had a small red dress on, that sort of gleamed in the light. And the more he stared, the more he noticed her hair tinting to a bright red. She smiled at John, and then slipped into the darkness behind the stairs. John quickly walked over, but there was nothing there. "Relax John.. your just imagining it." John stepped away from the staircase. "John?" The familiar voice struck him like a bowling  ball to his stomach. "John! It's been 5 months! You haven't called or come by! Are you okay?" Jessica sped down the stairs and wrapped her arms around him. John stood, surprised. "Yea, I'm fine. Sorry, I left town for a while." "Oh. Well I was just leaving for a bite to eat. Wanna join me?" "Uh.. sure. Ok" John hesitated for a moment, but gave in.

"So.. where did you go?" John hesitated. "Uh.. it's hard to explain. I.. uh.. contacted Jen and.. I stayed with her for a while. I helped her.. you know.. cope and all." Jessica looked down. "Your lying." John looked at her, wide-eyed. "I-I" "You were looking for you weren't you..." Jessica looked up at him. John looked away. "We found her John! 6 months ago at this diner! Why won't you just believe it's her-" John cut her off, "Because it's not my Charlie!" He yelled at Jessica a bit louder than he would've liked. She crouched down as he looked around. Even though there were few people there, they were all staring at them. He shoved his face in his jacket and grunted. "I'm sorry. I just lost my job. It's been rough, but still," he lifted his head, "somethings not right about her. She's not my Charlie." Jessica frowned. "Just because she came back wanting to change her style doesn't mean she is somebody else. She's still the same Charlie as she was before. And she's not your Charlie." John gave a frustrated look. "You don't get it. I watched Charlie die. She died in my arms. And yet, the new Charlie shows up the next morning, not a scratch on her taller, thinner body. How do you believe that death can make you grow taller and skinnier?" Jessica sighed. "Will you at least come to Carlton's party tomorrow night? She's going to be there. I know you haven't seen her sense... you know... but you need to at least give her a chance." John sighed, "maybe."

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