I've been the whole day being questioned by the class and some employees again. Maybe my new training skills are driving me into an attention problem. Well, I don't know. Ever since I started working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, no one paid attention to me and I was the make-me-laugh that everyone hated. Now I'm the most popular person there. It's truly a great change, that feels good in part, but sometimes I just need to relax and get away from everyone.

Kinda far away from the lake zone of the cove, Smiles and I watch a precious sunset from a small, rocky zone full of trees and hills. If feels great here, where I'm peacefully, simply sitting on the ground and watching something I see when I get out the cottages around the restaurant, if I'm sleeping in one. Smiles is very interested on the sun slowly hiding in the horizon. I bet he has never seen a sunset. Or maybe he did, but who knows. He gets out at night, but at day, before I messed everything up, we had and still have no idea of where he goes.

As my eyes are focused on the sun, but not so much to avoid getting my vision temporally hurt, I hear some giggles. Familiar giggles. I look behind, see Balloon Boy running around. My first question is: how and when did he get there? Of course, I tend to forget that, at very rare intervals, the Toy animatronics roam out the restaurant, but never go too far away. Balloon Boy must of gotten out not long ago.

As the annoying animatronic he is, he starts running around Smiles and me, sometimes stopping to look at the sun with curiosity but not interest, and other times hopping from rock to rock. Smiles rolls his eyes, trying not to pay attention at Balloon Boy. He's just what I needed right now… Seemingly with nothing else to do apart from hinder us, the animatronic kid runs in circles around Smiles, still trying to – uselessly – focus on any other thing. He finally seems to be annoyed enough already, as he directs a menacing hiss at Balloon Boy, who immediately stops running around.

Even if he has a permanent smile on his face, I can tell he's trying to say 'sorry' with his eyes. He then walks next to me, sits there, watches the sun hide. I look at him with realization in my eyes. It's all clear, we've been wrong all this time. If animatronics were actual killing machines, they wouldn't appreciate being scratched below their chins or wouldn't like any other thing apart from causing havoc, yet they like garlic grass. And Smiles is a good example of our error; told to be the most dangerous animatronic, he's grateful, funny and intelligent. Not to mention that, even having tried to kill each other, he's now my best friend.

"Everything we know about you guys…" I mutter for myself, watching Balloon Boy as he draws random lines on the ground with a couple of sticks. "…is wrong."

Back at home, I fiddle with my pencil, bored, without knowing what to do. I throw it forth with my finger, it rolls back, I throw it again, it rolls back again. The third time I throw it, it rolls to the other side, so I put it back in front of me and start over. All of a sudden, the door smashes against the wall when Raymond opens it.

"Dad!" I yell in surprise for such sudden entrance. "You're back!" nervously but dissimulating, I try to hide all the papers and drawings of Smiles. The trouble I would be on if he discovered them… "Nick's not here, so…"

"I know. I came looking for you." Dad says severely. I see it on his eyes, that he's angry. And why this time? Who knows.

"Y- you did?"

"You've been keeping secrets…" Oh no. This isn't good. Has he secretly discovered Smiles? We never leave the cove, so what's with all this? My heart starts racing in nervousness.

"I, I- I have-?" I stutter.

"How long did you think you could hide it from me?"

"I- I don't know-" I don't know what he's talking about. And I'm not sure if I want to know it. Dad cuts me off, "Nothinghappens on my restaurant without me hearing about it."

"Oh?"

Slowly, severely, he mutters, "So… Let's talk, about that animatronic."

I'm about to faint. He knows it. He discovered it. Oh man, how am I going to explain him that I befriended an animatronic? And the one no one's ever seen, at that! Whatever I say will not work, but I have to think of something. He can punish me or do what he thinks is necessary, but I'm not going to let him do anything to Smiles while I can stop it.

"Oh, Gods. Dad, I'm so sorry! I was going to tell you I just didn't know how to-" Suddenly, Raymond's laugh interrupts me. Why is he laughing? Is it funny for him that I became friends with the enemy or something? This isn't making much sense.

"You- you're not upset?" I ask, bewildered.

"What? I was hoping for this!" dad says, without stopping his laughter. Alright, now thisis really strange. I don't know, I have the feeling that he doesn't actually know what I think he knows.

"Uh… you were?"

"And believe me! It only gets better! Just wait until you get involved in a real fight! What a feeling, you really had me going there, son!" Raymond smacks me on the shoulder proudly, which such force that it sends me against the wall. He's talking about my 'success' on the Animatronic Training arena, fortunately. Dad has this habit of talking with that angered voice when I do something good.

Which is very rare, so I'm not used to it.

"All those years of the worst night guard Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has ever had... Oh, it was rough. I almost gave up on you! And all the while you were holding it on me, oh God!" Raymond sits down in a stool. "With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about." I just stand there, not knowing what to say. Dad pulls the stool closer to me. My mouth opens, I'm about to tell him the truth, but I better keep it for myself. Telling dad about Smiles is not going to work, even if he's happy right now. As soon as I say this, he'll be angry, he'll say that animatronics are the enemy and everything will end very wrong.

"Oh…" Raymond mutters, disappointed of my silence. "I- I brought you something. To keep you safe in the ring." he picks up a pendant with a grey string and a green, shiny rock attached on it from his pocket and hands it to me.

"Wow… thanks." is the only thing I'm able to say, as I touch the cold adornment. It's familiar, I don't know where I've seen it, if I have ever seen it.

"Your mother would have wanted you to have it." Dad says calmly. "Matching set." He pulls down a little his shirt, letting me see that he has a same collar on his neck. Of course, that's where I've seen it. "Keeps her close, you know? Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal." he concludes.

After all this entire situation, I need to think of an excuse. Because I need to think about other things, about the next days in the arena. I fake a yawn, "I should really go to bed."

"Err, yes. Good! Okay! Good talk!" Dad starts awkwardly, standing up and backing away towards the door.

"Thanks for stopping by- And for the… uh…. Collar." I stutter.

"The pendant, well-" while walking backwards, Raymond's head hits the wooden ceiling. "Err, good night." he squeezes through the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Right now, I'm really worried about the arena. What if I win? It will only get me in trouble.