Jack Ayers, the orphan (Playtime Biohazard / Friendly Mascots AU)
(This is a sequel to Jack's Big Day. It directly follows from the previous post. So THIS is your warning. Please, read that before moving onto this one. I also want to mention that I am not a children's psychologist so don't get mad at me if my characters don't behave exactly like a professional should in these harsh scenarios. I did my best to research this. But my dumb brain wouldn't have done that without @devilhydra knocking some common sense into me. Content warning! Swearing!
My other posts are: CatNap - The Hartmann incident - Boxy boo - Huggy Wuggy - The Hour of Joy)
It all happened so fast. Jackie's head became fuzzy. It was almost impossible for him to recall exactly what happened. He remembered the pain. Boiling dough flying onto him and burning his face. His head getting covered in a boiling substance. Like acid fire. That feeling going together, forming a little dance with the scream coming from his mouth. He screamed for his mother, a flailing blob in the mixer. She got hit by the mixing blades again and again.
Jackie remembered the shout of his father. "Natasha!". It rung in his ears even as the other people tried telling Jackie's father not to jump. But watching his wife die wasn't something he was going to do. He jumped into the dough, it splashing.
He got boiled too, desparately wanting to save his wife. The blades were too strong. Jackie was simply frozen as his parents fought the mixer until it dragged them down. He saw his father's last attempt at getting out, the man's skin having burnt into crispy leather. The crimson color uniting with the yellows, greens and blues to create a rainbow. A rainbow which only had a life without mom and dad at the end.
"Get that child out of there!!! And somebody stop this damn machinery!" the voice of a man shouted. All mixing up to a mumbled mess of screams, flashes of parents he would never see again and his own tears.
"I've got you, kid" a voice said as gloved hands grabbed him. A worker had climbed up the side of the mixer and took him. Jackie was carried down with his gaze breaking contact with the last sight where he had seen his mom and dad.
Jackie was sitting on a couch, having been taken to an emergency medical unit close to the Game station. His face had been cleaned up, but it was too late. He had burns, red streaks that would end up as scars. His head was wrapped in bandages. A forever reminder of what he had done. His tears washed those streaks like they might magically heal. But in that space, at that time.....healing felt like the furthest thing. He was scarred inside and outside. And nothing hurt more than a fresh wound.
The room was somebody's office with a desk, a fake window and shiny yellow curtains. There was a faint smell of cinnamon. A reminder of tea that had been drunk. Jackie was feeling the room around him, the normal shine now felt empty. The smell did not bring peace. The couch felt soft and ruffled under his palm.
He was alone as he was given some space after hearing the bad news. If he needed something, the doctors and employees would be right outside. But he felt like he wasn't in need of anything. The tears hadn't just flowed, life itself had flowed out with them. He had nowhere to go. And even his joy had abandoned him. There was no need for them to go down with the sinking ship.
There was a knock on the door and it opened slightly. A woman peeked in. "....Jack...right? Would it be.....okay to come in? We are from Playcare and we'd wish to talk" she asked.
"Yea" Jackie said in a monotone. He didn't care.
The woman came in with a man. The woman was wearing green and had curly hair. Easily identifiable since Jackie had seen her just six hours earlier. Stella Greyber, the Head of Playcare. The man was wearing a red jumper and looked like one of those kids who'd read for a math test all day. He also looked very familiar to Jackie, but couldn't figure out from where exactly.
"This is our Head counselor, Mr. Joel Sinclair. And I am......" she began. "I know who you are" Jackie interrupted. "May we sit down, Jack?" she asked. Naturally she got a silent nod and both adults took chairs from the side. The atmosphere was quiet, but it felt appropriate to Jackie. He didn't make eye contact
"Thank you for meeting us, Jack. Normally we would give you some time, but it appears the police hasn't......" Stella started.
"I already told them! I don't have aunts or uncles. Why is it so hard to get?" Jackie huffed at her.
"The police and us are just worried. Is there somebody who we could call? Cousins? Grandparents? A familiar face" Mr. Sinclair spoke with a calm silence.
"No. I don't have anyone" Jackie insisted.
Ms. Greyber and Mr. Sinclair glanced at each other. "But the fact is......you can't stay in this office. You need a place to sleep and eat" Joel Sinclair said.
"We are not here to take you to Playcare. Finding a place you are comfortable with is our priority. But a child should be with someone they know. Even beloved neighbours would work. But in your case, there are group homes that would love to have you. I know our Playcare is.... different, but it is close by. And the Smiling Critters always welcome anyone with open paws" said Stella.
"The choice is up to you. And whatever you decide, we and the child protective services are here for you. And, Jack, you don't need to decide right away. We just came to check on you and tell you that Playcare is open" Sinclair gave a slight smile.
Jackie thought for a moment. He wished he could have jumped up and down in excitement. He had wanted to see Playcare. He had adored DogDay and the Smiling Critters were well known to be a soothing toyline. But he couldn't......the emptiness refused to let go........
"Whatever...." he replied. Stella nodded. "Again, no need to decide right away. We'll give you some time to think. We will go talk to child protective services and send you some food. You seem hungry" she said as she got up.
Jackie nodded, not having looked at them properly the whole time. Greyber and Stella walked away. Playcare or some random place? The decision wasn't easy for sure.
"And, Jack..." Joel Sinclair said from the door. Jackie looked up and made eye contact for the first time. "Nice backpack" the man said with a slight smile.
Jackie was feeling something akin to joy; some slight spark in the back of his head. But then he noticed something.....right around Mr. Sinclair's neck...was a necklace. A bright red flower. A glass poppy.
The door closed and Jackie was left to ponder where he would end up next.
Jackie had to stay one night in some temporary place. His stuff was moved from his house to his chosen place. Which was of course Playcare. At least he would be in a place he knew rather than ending up somewhere strange and new. He would have liked to be back home with mom and dad. But that wouldn't be possible anymore so he went with the flow.
Playcare was the closest one to his home afterall and it had always been something he was interested in. He didn't hang out with anyone for two days in his temporary home. His bandaged head was revealed and he noticed his hair had turned white. There was hair left, but not much. Doctors spoke about chemical damage. His color wouldn't come back even as his hair would grow back. His hair was like an empty paper now...just like his life.
But then was the time to move in.
Playtime CO toy factory! The fabled Playcare. He had gotten what he had wanted....in exchange for everything else. But at least he could stay close to mom and dad. Ghost stories said that they haunted the place of death. Maybe they could see him better in there.......
Stella Greyber was there by the train station to greet Jackie and the new orphans. It was him and three girls who seemed much more upbeat than he was. They spoke of foster care and such. Transfers from other orphanages. They mostly left Jackie alone apart from asking his name. He wasn't up for a talk.
The train station looked very different from the other side of the glass. The same windows had been covered by black curtains right then. The smell of oil was very noticeable. They were doing maintenance on one of the trains. The girls were freaking out. They were pointing at things and smiling. Playcare was every orphan's dream place. Jackie thought it was obvious he only got in so quickly because his parents died in the factory. He sighed to himself. Lucky him.
"Hello, kids! Welcome to Playcare. Good to see new faces again. It has certainly been a bit silent since a whole bunch got transferred away" Stella Greyber smiled.
The girls took that as flattery, they ate it up. But not Jackie. "How are you holding?" Stella asked in a more calm tone. She got a sigh in return.
"It's fine. Nobody is expecting you to be chatty. We are glad you are here" she said, nodding.
The four kids followed Stella through a large door and up some stairs. There were cutouts of characters and a Huggy Wuggy statue on the way. Jackie held onto his backpack tighter. The sunny look of Huggy made his situation feel worse. He walked slightly behind everyone else and glanced slightly if someone walked by. Most of them were workers with various colored uniforms. Stella was wearing green, but it was a different shirt this time.
They went through a tunnel and passed a sign saying "Silo S". It felt like a military base at that moment. The tour guide would have explained this, but Jackie hadn't listened. He just walked forward as Stella turned to look at them. "Welcome to Playcare, children".
They entered a huge...well....silo. It was a vertical tube-like area. It was so big! Even Jackie opened his mouth a little to let out a gasp. The walls were colored blue and white to look like the sky. The cylinder went all the way up and ended in a glass ceiling. The light was only blocked by metal beams. The sun was shining down at them due to strategically placed mirrors up top. They were underground, but it didn't feel like it!
The floor was filled with fake grass and flowers. The smell of various flowers and even some pine trees filled the air. The artificial wind made the experience just a tiny bit better. Little pathways going from house to house. Each "house" was close to the walls. The inside of each building undoubtedly went into the wall itself as each one would have been too small otherwise. There was a school, some strange circus tent, a shop (at least according to the sign on the building) and a city-hall-styled building. And right on the opposite side from where Jackie was.........was an old house.
"That's Home Sweet Home over there. And your new school. And if you need to see counselors or yours truly, there are the offices" Stella Greyber introduced the place.
"I wanna ride that!" said one girl, pointing up. She was looking at a cable car parked on a flower-filled spot. The cable car station had vines and flowers on it.
"You might sometime. That's Elliott's Express. It is for when couples come in to adopt someone. It has been tailored to maximize the experience. But Mr. Ludwig's speech will get very annoying after a while. We residents just use the tunnels" Stella explained.
"And what are those up there?!!" a girl asked. Jackie looked up to see a ring of metal pipes going along the silo walls. There were...tanks?...of sorts every couple of yards. They were high up! "I......actually am not sure. You would need to ask the construction crew or the administration" Stella awkwardly replied.
It was all impressive. Even Jackie admitted that. If only he could have told his mom about how close it was to what he had once dreamed.....
They walked forward towards the hill in the center, surrounded by statues of the Smiling Critters in their chubby cartoon styles. The place was lively, children ran all over the place. Their joy-filled laughter felt....wrong. Didn't they care about their parents? He shrugged it off. Didn't matter! Hopefully Jackie would never forget his parents...was that a thing?.....
Jackie had expected to be the eldest, but there were several kids older than him. There was even a skate park where a few boys were showing off tricks. KickinChicken was with them, yelling rude comments when one would eventually fall on their ass. Craftycorn was a couple yards away painting with children inside a gazebo-like area. The "outside" definitely wasn't open besides the stone pathways. The girls giggled beside Jackie.
"She is so pretty. I wanna braid her hair" said one. "Can we get a sleepover with her and Lily Lovebraids?" asked another. "There's a Lily Lovebraids? This place is the best!" the third could hardly handle the excitement.
They arrived at the school on their way to Home Sweet Home. There were two people standing outside. They turned to face the arrivals and Jackie raised his brows. A correction, your honor!! It was a woman and a doll! The doll had yellow hair, a milky white "skin", rosy red cheeks and a dress with a ten on it. The doll was basically Snow White from the original Indigo movie! The human lady had black hair, dark skin and huge glasses. The two formed a strange yin-yang symbol in Jackie's head.
"Maria. Delilah. Good afternoon!" Stella greeted them.
"Ms. Greyber. Escorting new students, I see" the doll said. Its.....her mouth moved similar to Lily Lovebraids, but there was something more eerie about her.
She bent forward. "You youngsters can call me Miss Delilah Delight. I will be your new math teacher it would seem" she said. She stretched her arm for a hand shake. The girls were too shy to do it, Jackie wasn't in the mood.
"It's okay. About to be expected from those that haven't seen living toys before" Miss Delight waved it off.
"Maybe we should have a toy greeter right at the train station. Someone cute and fluffy" the human woman rubbed her own chin.
Stella coughed a bit: "Psst. Maria! Aren't you going to introduce yourself".
The woman seemingly snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh! Right! Nice to meet you, kids. I am Maria Ashokan. I hold the title Head of School. But you can just think of me as the principal in here" she rubbed the back of her head.
The girls greeted her while Jackie remained silent. The doll, Miss Delight noticed! "Young man? It is extremely rude not to greet back. A wave wouldn't hurt" she said, going into teacher mode.
Stella interrupted: "Jack is a new one. Still recovering. We should give him space".
The doll nodded. "I understand". Ms. Ashokan smiled faintly: "Children need to take their time. But as soon as you are ready, Delilah and her sisters will be here to teach you all kinds of wonders". Miss Delight nodded to that.
There were more of those dolls?
"We should probably get going now. Claire is waiting for us. And you know how she gets. Old ways are hard to shake off" Stella chuckled a bit. Miss Delight and Maria Ashokan waved the kids goodbye and they moved on.
Home Sweet Home was in sight and there was a woman standing right on the porch with a clipboard. Jackie recognized her! She was the same one as the one at the train station on that day. She had had a clipboard then too! Jackie guessed she was Claire. She was what teens from Jackie's old school might have disrespectfully called "a muscle mommy". Her arms looked like they could crush stones! Her abs were like steel! Why would SHE be a Playcare employee?
"And there you are! Are these the new ones, Ms. Greyber?" she asked. "Yep, Claire. All four are here and nobody got lost on the way" Stella replied.
"Aha. Good" said Claire, staring at her clipboard: "Now all se need is that dang doggy".
"We got here before DogDay? That's a first" Stella chuckled. They waited and Ms. Greyber glanced at the kids. "You might want to form a row. You wanna impress Claire here, you need to behave like this is the army" she whispered.
"You know whispering is rude, Ms. Greyber" said Claire, shaking her finger without raising her gaze. Stella smiled and shot a look. "You know I am your commanding officer, right? I can do what I want, Private Harper" she asked teasingly.
Claire finally raised her gaze. "I know. But you are not Eddie Ritterman nor Leith Pierre so I don't really need to care" she smirked at Stella.
The three girls giggled at this exchange. Ms. Harper looked at them. "The kids get it. I like this bunch already" she chuckled. Stella rolled her eyes, not really serious.
Then they heard running and an orange cocker spaniel toy turned the corner. "I am here! Don't worry, Ms. Harper. The savior of the day has arrived" DogDay announced. He arrived with a whoosh of vanilla accompanying him.
Stella sighed. "And this, kids, is where I leave you to settle in with Ms. Harper and the Smiling Critters. Listen to her and DogDay and I'll see you around" she said.
Stella waved goodbye and this time all four kids waved. Jackie thought Stella Greyber was a nice woman. Welcoming all the new kids herself was very unusual.....although Jackie hadn't been in any other orphanages so he could be wrong.
"So...we can begin settling you in. Name's Claire Harper if you didn't piece it together already. And I am the Head of Home Sweet Home here in Playcare. In other words, I deal with your rooms, living spaces and your food. And I doubt this guy here needs any introduction...."
"I am DogDay! The shining sun! The orange toy! The leader of the Smiling Critters. And I am also the bestest doggy in the world!" the orange dog exploded at them. The girls would have had glitter in their eyes if the laws of "not an anime" hadn't stopped them.
"If only....... So..let's check your names" Claire started.....
"......and I assume you are Jack Ayers, yes?" she finished.
Jackie gave a nod. As the only boy, it wasn't hard to identify him. Claire Harper kept asking things about them to see if it matched their profiles. DogDay had positive comments about basically everything he learned about the new children. "Ohhh! You like unicorns? My friend Crafty is gonna be so happy!"
Jackie mentioned his allergy and the medication he was taking for the pain caused by his scars. They still hadn't healed.
Then he stopped as his gaze went down the entrance corridor right to the heart of Home Sweet Home. There he saw it. A purple figure in the shape of a cat. Glowing eyes, dark gaze.
DogDay noticed that something had taken his attention and turned. "Oh hey! CatNap! Come meet our newest buddies!" he encouraged, seemingly not noticing at all the reactions of the kids.
The cat toy walked on two feet and it had to bend down to make it through the door. Its tail dragged behind it. DogDay came to meet it and grabbed the cat's paw. "Which ones will join your team? Ohhh! Can we bet? Whoever gets less has to chaperone Kickin and the boys!" DogDay unleashed.
He dragged CatNap to the entrance. The purple toy said nothing, just stared. A high creature of nightmarish silence, towering over the bright-furred toy. Claire saw CatNap's face: "DogDay. You shouldn't...."
Then one of the girls let out a whimper, almost a sob, but not quite. At some point the girls had moved behind Jackie to use him as a human shield. DogDay stopped.
"Kid? Come on. It's CatNap! Best friends!" he hugged CatNap: "The sleepy kitty! The lavender......"
"Why is he so ugly?" asked one of the girls. "I don't want to sleep with him" said another.
CatNap sighed, shaking his head and walked away. DogDay tried begging him to stay. But Ms. Harper stopped DogDay from going after him. "We talked about this, DogDay. Everyone should meet CatNap at their own pace" she said calmly.
Claire cleared her throat. "Okay, kids. Only one thing left. You need to be assigned to dormitories. There are six teams. Each for a critter" Claire explained. "Me and CatNap aren't on the list. The floors are named after us!" said DogDay, keeping his spirit high. Like he hadn't just accidentally made a girl cry.
"The two main teams are DogDay and CatNap. That determines your floor. The other teams determine where on the floor you go. Questions?" specified Claire.
"Can I go with Crafty? I don't want to go to CatNap" asked the nearly-sobbing girl from earlier. Claire grinned. "Team Craftycorn is a part of Team CatNap. But I doubt CatNap will be there right now. He will stay out of your way. Unless a certain dog drags him in before everyone is ready" Ms. Harper shot a glance at DogDay.
"You promise?" the girl asked. "I promise. CatNap likes to stay with the kids who he knows" Claire replied. The girl thought for a moment: "I wanna go to Team Craftycorn. So.....okay!"
The two other girls went to Teams Bubbaphant and Hopscotch belonging to Team DogDay.
"And you, little prince! Which Critter fits you?!" DogDay leaned forward.
"I guess I am kinda like....Picky Piggy? I like eating" Jackie shrugged.
Right then he was pushed to the side! A chicken and his crew walked by. Kickin was accompanied by the same group of boys, they had finished skateboarding.
"KickinChicken! I saw that! Don't push others!" Claire commanded. "Yea fuck you, Claire" Kickin replied. Ms. Harper shook her head. "Just impossible" she murmured. "Hi, Kickin! Hi, everybody!" DogDay greeted happily: "Have you found Hugh Janus yet?"
Jackie had to shake his head. Had he heard it correctly?
KickinChicken turned around. "Oh yea! Turns out he was stuck to Maria's backside the whole time" he said. He gave his buddies high fives and they laughed. DogDay was left confused.
"Hugh.....Janus? Really? DogDay! You can't be serious. How many people have you asked about Hugh Janus today?" Claire was beyond frustrated. "I have been searching for him all day. Sooo.... pretty much every child" DogDay answered, completely oblivious.
"That chicken is so roast. Please, Jack, don't tell me you want to join Team KickinChicken" Ms. Harper turned to him.
That's when one more boy ran past them. "Wait up, guys!" he said. That hair and voice had haunted Jackie for so long. Quinn......
"No. I don't like them. In fact, I hate them" Jackie replied. Claire wrote something on the clipboard: "You belong to Team Hopscotch. I think you'll enjoy bed B6. You get some privacy".
DogDay jumped up! "That's on my team! Isn't this so exciting?" he asked. Jackie was still feeling down. "What's wrong?".
"DogDay. Jack's not a transfer. He needs time" Claire whispered. The toy waved it off. "Nonsense. This is PLAYCARE! We have fun all day" he thought for a second: "Think it like this, Jack. You no longer have to listen to the whining of your parents. Those things are so overrated, wouldn't you think?".
"DogDay!" Claire snapped at the toy. But it was too late. A tear fell down Jackie's face. His mom and dad....they weren't a burden or...things. They were dead.... because of him.
"Can you just take me to my room?"
Claire sighed. "Head on inside. A Matthew Hallard will be waiting in the lobby. He will help you get to your room" Claire responded: "I'll send him a message of where you go. ....And we can talk later....if you want". "Thank you" was all Jackie could manage.
Jackie went inside, Claire doing one more check of Jackie's card and putting her signature on it. She would deal with Kickin first and then she and DogDay would have a conversation.
Favorite book/movie: Harry Potter
Dormitory designation: TEAM DOGDAY
Secondary dormitory designation: TEAM HOPSCOTCH
Counselor: Heather Graham
Special needs: Allergic to birch pollen. Takes pain medication for burns (Needs to be monitored)
Signed: Claire Harper (she/her), Head of Home Sweet Home
Inside Home Sweet Home was very big. It was in the style of an old cabin. Three floors with the center being an open area where one could see all the way up. The whole place smelled like wood alongside the scents of the Smiling Critters. Yet lavender was the most obvious one. The bottom floor had the lobby. It had a carpet, but not much else. There was a staircase on the left side and cased openings on both the left and the right. At the back of the room was also a cased opening leading to an open living room with couches and a television. There appeared to be similar openings on each floor.
Jackie noticed one of the girls carrying her things up, being helped by a young woman. Too old to be an orphan. An employee under Claire's authority maybe?
"Heya! Jack, I presume" a voice spoke up. Jackie looked in that direction and spotted an older boy with some beginnings of a beard. Tall, black hair, bright blue clothes. He was next to bags, Jackie recognizing them to be his. "Matthew Hallard. Pleased to meet you" the boy stretched out his hand. Jackie decided to at least try to make a good impression. He shook hands hesitantly.
"Jack Ayers" he almost whispered.
Matthew smiled and glanced at the bags. "Claire put me in charge of helping you carry your stuff to your room. She just updated your digital profile" Matthew showed his phone: "B6 and Team Hopscotch".
"I guess so. That's what she said" Jackie replied robotically.
"Cool! You are gonna love Team DogDay. We are both on the second floor....if you didn't already know. After you see your room, you can join us in the living room. Teams Bubbaphant and Hopscotch are having a game tonight. I am on Team Bubbaphant so we can compete against each other" Matthew rambled.
"No thanks" Jackie responded.
Matthew glanced, his joy vanishing for a moment. But he shrugged it off. "Suit yourself, man. You spend your first day however you want. But dinner is at six. I can come get you if you want. 8 o'clock is lights out. Breakfast is at 8 in the morning" he said.
They started figuring out how to best move the bags. There were eight in total. Jackie could carry one on his own. Matthew could carry two large ones, containing his old mattress and pillows. A familiar bed would be nice. Jackie thought about lying there for a whole day. They just needed a couple more hands or just walk back a couple times. "Hey, Matt! Need any help?" an all too familiar voice asked. A boy behind them.
"Oh hi, Quinn! The answer is yes! The new kid has a lot of stuff. So help is badly needed" Matthew replied.
"Quinn, meet Jack Ayers. Jack, meet Quinn Navidson" Matthew introduced them. Quinn stretched out his hand, but got a cold stare from Jackie. An awkward chuckle left Quinn. "Okay". The boy even smelled like soap, what a perfect little prince. He wore a Yarnaby shirt and rainbow trousers.
Quinn nodded and took a rather large one before having to put it back down. He muttered it being too heavy. "Sorry, Matt. I think I can only carry a small one" Quinn apologized. Maybe his perfect Game station score could help him out of this one.
"It's alright. Some members of your team can carry the rest" Matthew waved it off. Like clockwork, KickinChicken's crew came down right then. The toy having a free vibe about him.
"What's holding you, Quinnie? We gotta go watch Bubba or Hoppy get asswhopped!" Kickin asked. Matthew saw the people he needed.
"Oh! There you are! Quinn is here to help me and our new kid. We are taking stuff upstairs" he said.
"Your new kid? You two never struck me as gay, but I guess you do seem old enough to be a parent" Kickin joked. "KC burns DA house down!!!" said a rough-looking teenager behind him. The chicken took in the praise by gesturing towards himself.
"Funny!........also, Samuel...thank you so much for volunteering to carry those two large bags" Matthew smiled. "What!!?" the teenager shouted.
"You are the only one old enough to carry those. And you, McLaughs, can take those two others" Matthew commanded: "Unless of course you prefer the option where I tell Claire about what ACTUALLY happened to her bra collection".
"You wouldn't??!!!" replied Samuel. "Try me" replied Matthew.
So of course half a minute later Samuel and two younger boys joined in. KickinChicken and the others went up.
"Jack, meet Samuel Lee....." said Matthew. "Yea. Sup?" Samuel replied. He had brown eyes, a yellow hoodie and silver trousers. "......and well....a second Jack...." Matthew continued, pointing at one of the young boys.
"I am Sean, bro" replied the boy. "And I am Jack" his brother added. They were identical twins with red hair and freckles. Turns out the Weasley twins were real afterall!
"Don't worry if you can't tell them apart. We just call them the McLaugh twins......and everybody...this is Jack Ayers" Matthew finished.
They carried the things upstairs. Matthew and Samuel holding two things and everyone else carrying one bag each. A child ran by, she was the youngest Jackie had seen. "Matthew. Where are...the toddlers?" he asked when it came to his mind.
"Oh we don't have toddlers in Playcare. DogDay, Hoppy or Kickin would get one killed in a day. The youngest ones start at 4 years. The eldest are....... probably me and Samuel to be honest. I'm 16. And Samuel is...14, I think" explained Matthew.
"I am 15! And in spirit I am way older than you, Matt" Samuel protested. Matthew rolled his eyes.
They passed the second floor living room. Bubba Bubbaphant and Hoppy Hopscotch were there preparing for the game. Both toys looked normal. That was a relief! Maybe CatNap was the only monster toy among the Smiling Critters. Hoppy ran a lap around the room when she got an idea. Jackie could smell peppermint on the gust of wind. They truly smelled like their plushies!
They entered a section that had green wallpaper in it. Team Hopscotch lived there without a doubt. It was a corridor lined with rooms. Some doors had two letter-number combinations on them. One door was open with two girls chatting inside. They were both sitting on their own beds. They reached the one with B6 written on it. "Here we are! Bed B6 which is from now on officially yours, Jack" said Matthew.
"Yay! I have two whole beds!" Jack McLaugh cheered. Matthew shot a look. The boy smirked back which got an "ooohhh" from his brother and Samuel.
Matthew opened the door and Jackie walked inside. The others carried the bags in. "You want me to help you unpack? I am good at it" asked Quinn, smiling. "No" was Jackie's cold response.
He wanted to be alone......and so he was.
Jackie spent hours upon hours all by himself in his room. He put his mattress and pillows in. The bed was old and smelled like tar. There was only one bed in the room. Good! At least if he was to stay in this place he wouldn't need to listen to constant happiness.
Everyone treated him like everything was fine! Jackie glanced in the mirror as he unpacked his things. Nothing was fine! He was a scarred monster with no family! Nobody loved him! He had to go to this pointless freakshow because nobody would take him in! Maybe the color of the place had pushed his feelings down for a moment, but now his situation dawned on him. There was nothing left!
Jackie picked up a framed photo....of his family...all of his family. Mom, dad and grandmother were all there with him. Jackie put it on his nightstand, but after a second he turned it to face down. Now, he was stuck with joyful toys like DogDay who never even had parents. Of course that cocker spaniel wouldn't know why he was sad. It was all pointless!
Then he found his own Doey the Doughman packs. His old one and the new birthday present ones. Triple kind of friend. Yet where was THAT friend when his parents got boiled in dough! It was HIS DOUGH, Doey's dough that killed his parents. Doey wasn't a friend, he was a MURDERER!
Jackie opened the packs, got clean dough in one hand and his self-molded Doey in the other. That happy face, dad had helped to make it. Jackie had loved talking to it. And now it had betrayed him. It was laughing and having fun like everyone else. Jackie squeezed it, the body morphing into something more grotesque. His other hand squeezed too. Dough bursting through his fingers, colors mixing. It was all the fault of this stupid dough, this stupid toy.
"I hate you" he said, whispering at first. There was nothing left of Doey, just a lizard-looking lump with wide tentacles coming out of it. The shape of Jackie's fingers showing on its surface.
"I hate you!" he said again, more angry and louder. Tears forming in his eyes, a scream forming in his throat. "I HATE YOU, STUPID DOUGH!!!"
In his anger, he threw the dough to the ground and let out a scream. He started stepping on the goop like flattening it could somehow fix the world. But his mind was only filled with rage. "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!"
There was just an endless scream, it had to come out. There was nothing else left in there. His world had been mutilated, why would Doey get to stay whole and happy? His tears were drying him out. He wanted to become a dry husk and be reduced to nothing. He had no home, he had no family, he had no friends, he had no life. Just a stupid bed, in a stupid house, in a stupid silo, in a stupid factory.
Then there was a knock on the door. "Hey! Can you keep the hissy fit a bit quieter, chump?" a lazy voice requested. "Go away!" Jackie yelled. "Go quiet" the voice said.
Jackie walked to the door and opened it. He almost spat in the boy's face. It was a young pre-teen in a dark purple long-sleeved shirt. His hair was black, but his skin was pale. The brown scalp suggested it was black dye and not natural color. He faced another yin-yang situation. The "yin-yang kid" had his hands in his pockets and his face in a neutral expression.
"Get.....the hell.....away" Jackie said. He wasn't a swearing kid, but something had just broken. "Pleasure! But I like coming here and your shouting is making me-time quite hard" said the boy.
"Just go in your own room" Jackie rolled his eyes. The boy chuckled. "I don't have one. Some shitface put me in Team BearHug. Like I know there is no Team Baba Chops, but BearHug?" he said.
Jackie just stared, obliviousness apparent on his face. "New kid? Gotcha. I live in a room with a dozen whiny little shits. Gets annoying. I came here since everyone is at the game. Didn't think anyone was here" the boy said.
Jackie glanced into his own room. "I want...I need me-time too" he said. The boy looked inside, the colorful mess on the floor jumping out like a pride parade in the 16th century Vatican.
"Aha! Boy, never seen anyone hate Doey. No disrispect! I hate dough too. Bitch gets everywhere" said the boy.
"It's not that. It......" Jackie started.
"Hurt you? Cause those scars don't lie". The boy rolled back his sleeve. He had the same scars, less red but still recognizable, going all the way from his wrist to his elbow. "A machine poured dough on it. Hurt like Hell's turds! But you already knew that" the boy smirked.
"Doey murdered my mom and dad" Jackie said with cold in his voice. The boy nearly jumped back. "What? That's a story I haven't heard before" he said. "I don't wanna talk anymore" Jackie said.
He turned around and tried closing the door, but the kid blocked it with his foot. "Hey hey hey! You can't leave me hanging! Not with that story" he demanded. Jackie stared. "If I tell you how my life ended, will you leave and never come back, craphead?" he asked.
"Okay! Yea! I will....right after I hear the story. Cause this could be the most interesting thing that has ever happened in this madhouse" the boy promised. He got the "madhouse" part correct. Something likable at least. "And my name's Kevin Barnes. Or at least 'shithead' if you don't wanna sound like a baby" he said.
"Jack Ayers" Jackie replied.
"So...let me get this straight. You decided to go do some DIY circus performance? This orphanage has kids come and go, but nothing ever comes close. Even those two Irish fuckers with Kickin only had their parents crushed by a giant potato. And they made that shit up!" Kevin acted strangely amazed.
"Will you leave me alone?" Jackie asked, cold.
"Just one more little thing, Jackster. Why? Why would you do that?" he asked. Jackie pondered for a second, then he started crying. "I don't know....I just....it was my birthday and......Quinn. He was so good...I wanted Yarnaby to like me" Jackie managed through his tears.
"Quinn? Like....Quinn Navidson? That nerd from Kickin's crew. He killed your parents? Wow! Didn't know that son of a bitch had that much power" Kevin chuckled.
"He didn't....." Jackie started. Then he went monotone. Quinn Navidson. Without him, Jackie could be back home. Quinn had humiliated him on his own birthday.
Kevin's face turned mischievous. "You feel like punching Quinn, don't you? Cause that Doey isn't getting up. And Quinn...well.....his face was basically designed to be slammed against the floor" said Kevin.
Jackie felt the same anger. The perfect little Quinn. Jackie shouldn't have stomped Doey. Quinn Navidson was the culprit.
"He is always so.......perfect of a princess. Look at me, I am Quinn! I flirt with the Wuggies to get the perfect score" Kevin mocked.
"I am going to kill him" words left Jackie's mouth.
"Heck yea! And I happen to know a thing or two about fighting. What do you say? Quinn is usually alone in the first floor living room" Kevin smiled excitedly.
Quinn was watching TV. He was sitting on the carpet with his legs crossed. The rest of Team DogDay was playing the game just on the floor above. He could hear KickinChicken telling Bubba to beat Hoppy's ass with a double attack.
He disliked competitive games. Watching old cartoons on the Indigo channel was just so much more fun. He laughed at the sight of a house being broken with somebody on the toilet. Those jokes always made him laugh. He already knew all the lines by heart as he had watched them so many times. But there was nothing wrong with rewatching old favorites!
It was just terribly lonely. Team KickinChicken was quite not the right place for him. They were tough and liked causing mischief while Quinn liked cartoons and talking with the toys. Well.....other toys than just KickinChicken. He was less of a toy and more like their brother. Not that the boys would ever admit that. Quinn had and KC had merely told him to find a less feathery brother. But Quinn could see that tiny smile he had tried to hide.
He watched the bad guy get defeated and a cockatoo character raise his wings in the air in victory. He cheered.
"Quinn!" he heard a shout. He turned around to see the new kid, the one with a scarred face, by the cased opening to the living room. What was the name? Jack! That was it. Jack was accompanied by Kevin Barnes. What he was doing with Jack, only Heaven knew. Quinn stood up and smiled at them.
"Hi, Jack. What's up? I thought you wanted to get used to your room. Bored? You can sit down if you want.......you too, Kevin" Quinn said. Kevin probably wasn't gonna watch cartoons. But Jack! He was still into cartoons. There was nothing else he could have come there for...right?
Kevin laughed. "I'm good, Quinnie. But...in fact, Jackster here wanted to come tell you something" he said. Jack looked awkward or shy. He wasn't his typical monotone...it was like he was waiting. "Come on, Jack. Just like we rehearsed" Kevin cheered by the entrance. Jack glanced at him and then at Quinn. He walked towards Quinn and sighed.
What was he gonna say? Was he going to apologize for how he behaved before? "It's alright, Jack. We all act a bit strange in a new place. You can watch cartoons with me" Quinn smiled.
"What? No! I just came to say......I just came...to...say......" Jack responded. "With feeling!" Kevin encouraged. Quinn was excited. Yet he never guessed he would hear those following words. "I am not forgiving you, Quinn. I am going to beat the shit out of your motherfucking ass" Jack said in a tone not fitting what he said.
"What?" Quinn asked in fear. He took a step back. Then Jack's face turned to anger, he let it out and punched Quinn right to the face. Quinn didn't understand where that came from. He could only feel the warm blood running out of his nose. Jack almost jumped on top of him. Jack kept punching his victim and Quinn attempted defending, but his spindly arms didn't do him much good.
"Take this, you son of a bitch!" Jack screamed as he punched Quinn in the stomach. Jack wasn't strong either, but it still hurt. Quinn was trying to defend by hitting back. His blood was turning on his fight instinct since fleeing wasn't really an option.
The boys exchanged punches and hit a table as they went around the room. Sometimes Quinn managed to run, but Jack caught him just seconds later.
"Dudes! Can you please keep the.......WHAT THE HELL?!" KickinChicken came down the stairs and got one big surprise.
"Quinn and Jack are fighting! Get down here!" Kevin celebrated. Kickin called the other team members who came down immediately. A faint sound of Hoppy Hopscotch asking where they were going could be heard.
They watched the two young boys fight what was gonna be to the death. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Kevin, Kickin and the boys cheered. "Should have brought popcorn! Why didn't you tell us, Kevin?" Samuel Lee asked. "I only had the thought like 10 minutes ago" Kevin replied.
The rest of the Smiling Critters and children were noticing. They were coming down. "Somebody get Claire! Quickly!" shouted Bubba Bubbaphant. "Got it!" Hoppy Hopscotch yelled back. Jack was biting into Quinn's arm and getting punched in the back of the head. It hurt because the wounds had not yet healed. But he was not giving up. Quinn would die for killing his parents.
"What is the meaning of this!!?" Claire Harper's voice entered the room. Quinn felt getting grabbed by a strong arm as Claire pulled them apart. Jack's hands were forced to let go of Quinn's neck and he could breathe again. Quinn was in tears, them mixing with the blood from his nose. He held his bitten arm and dropped to a fetal position when Claire let him go. Quinn wept and cried about how he was going to die. Hoppy, DogDay, Bobby BearHug and Bubba went to check him out.
Jack was raging on, tears flying as he flailed. Claire held him in her embrace. "I WILL KILL YOU! I'll burn your face until nobody will love you again! I hate you! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!!!!!"
"Jack. Calm down. Calm down" Claire Harper said in a calm yet firm tone: "Hoppy. Go get Quinn paper. You need to stop the nosebleed". Hoppy Hopscotch nodded firmly and ran to go get some.
"You killed my mom! You killed my dad!" Jack screamed. Claire bent down to look Jack in the eyes. "Jack. I said calm down. Deep breaths. In........and out" Claire took control of the situation.
The rage turned to basic crying as Hoppy came back with paper. Bubba assisted Quinn in stopping the bleeding. Bobby BearHug acted as a pseudo-chair for Quinn to lie against. "Good. The blood will stop coming, Quinn. You are gonna be okay" Bobby said in a soothing voice. "Wow! You are so brave. Think about it. It's over and you were so brave" DogDay said.
"Jack. What's wrong?" Claire asked the crying kid. Jack told her everything. In the middle of it, Claire glanced at Kevin. "Kevin Barnes! You and Mr. Kalani will have a rough talk tomorrow" she said. Jack kept telling.
"Quinn is the reason. Mom and dad would be still here if Quinn wasn't a bastard!" Jack cried. Claire looked at him. "Jack. I don't know how you must feel right now. But what happened to your mom and dad....it was an accident. Neither you nor Quinn are to blame" she said.
"I don't have a family. I want them back" said Jack. "No one in this orphanage does. It is unfortunate and it is normal to be upset by that. Our only family, the only people who will be here to support us, is each other. We only have each other for now" said Claire. Jack looked around and saw children of all ages wondering what was wrong. They were concerned......for him? They didn't even know him. He had punched Quinn. But they had looks of worry on their faces.........
After some slow calming and taking breaths, Claire escorted Jack back to his own room. At the stairs, Jack glanced back and saw Quinn walking towards the left side of Home Sweet Home. The boy looked back too and their eyes locked on for a moment. Quinn's eyes were full of confusion and fear. Jack felt totally awful now. His parents weren't back and now he felt bad for hurting Quinn too.
He looked forward again and then upwards. There.....on the third floor, he saw a dark purple figure standing by the cased opening to the group dormitory. Those glowing eyes followed him and he avoided eye contact.
Jackie was in his own room once again. Sitting on his bed. There was some dough he hadn't been able to clean up. He would need help with that, but after all this......who would ever help him. He was not crying anymore because he simply........well..he had no idea. Sometimes he felt like he could cry for hours upon hours and other times he felt empty. Like he would never feel another emotion again.
There was nothing there. Except the sound of pots and pans. He hadn't seen the kitchen, but he guessed it was right under him. The walls and floors let a lot of sound through. No wonder there was a lights out time in Playcare. He checked his clock to see it crawling closer to dinner time. But Jackie didn't want to go. He would rather stay alone and starve than go face anyone else right then. Matthew would come up to get him, but Jackie had decided to say no. They might let him eat in his room and if not, he would gladly go to bed hungry.
Then there was a knock on the door. There was Matthew now! .........most likely. Unless Quinn had come with his friends to get revenge. Either way, they had been quiet! No sounds of footsteps at all!
It was...however...neither. "Hello. Are you in there, .......Jack?" a soft unknown voice asked. That person knew his name though, everyone would know him. He was the official black sheep. And of course Matthew put some worker to do the job. Even Matthew now saw him as a monster.
"I brought you your food. We have.....spaghetti and......it's carbonara, I think" the voice said. Jackie felt his stomach complain, he hadn't eaten all day and even the day before....barely.
Jackie stood up and walked to the door. He opened it expecting a worker in some kind of overalls. But his eyes stopped on purple fur and a lanky figure with white pupils in a pitch black eye.
When had CatNap come here? Where was the worker? Had CatNap eaten him?
"Hi. I know we haven't really met...but Matthew was buzy so I thought I might bring the food" he said. There was no worker. That soft, calming voice had belonged to CatNap. Jackie had expected a deep voice like a dark cave. But that voice was clearly coming from CatNap's moving mouth. And he was holding the tray in his purple paws. Jackie just stared.
CatNap looked away and seemed to curl into himself a bit. "I'm sorry. Here's your food. I'll be going now...so you can have personal space" he said, clearly not wanting to shock Jackie any further.
"No! Wait! .........Thank you....CatNap. I just..wasn't expecting you" Jackie replied. CatNap looked at him. "Well, thank goodness. I just wanted to help. Knowing everything that has happened, I wouldn't normally add getting used to someone like me into your list" he rubbed the back of his head. "May I come in so I can put the food on the table? Or would you prefer if I just gave the tray to you? You know, whatever works" he asked.
Jackie got out of the way and CatNap walked in. His tail was long and it didn't even fully come in as he put the tray down. CatNap pulled it in as he turned around. "Bon Apetit" said CatNap.
Jackie walked to the table, but kept his eyes on CatNap. "Why are you so nice to me?" he asked. "A little kindness never hurt anyone. Not everyone has to be Bobby BearHug to be kind" the cat toy replied.
"But I was so bad today. I hit Quinn" Jackie said, feeling bad again.
CatNap smiled just a tiny bit: "We don't expect you to be happy or your best self so soon after everything you went through"
Jackie opened his mouth. But... "Also Kevin admitted to telling you to do it. He often causes fights in the Team CatNap dormitory to see who wins" CatNap added.
"Okay. I just feel terrible. And empty and....I don't know" Jackie sighed, his fist shaking.
"Do you want to talk about it? Not that you have to! I can leave you alone....but if you think you could use it....I'll listen" CatNap suggested.
Jackie liked CatNap quite a lot. And he really wanted to talk, but he didn't want to be a burden.
He invited CatNap to stay. The toy sat down on the floor while Jackie ate. They started slowly, Jackie telling how he feels responsible for everything and how Home Sweet Home really doesn't feel like home. CatNap listened and showed understanding, only ever giving a few comments and always asking before giving his opinion.
But then Jackie mentioned what DogDay had said, saying parents were overrated. "Oh, DogDay. I'm so sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean it. DogDay just......he often says things he really shouldn't. He was just trying to make you happy. It's....you know....kinda his thing. But that means he sometimes doesn't listen" CatNap said.
"You listen" said Jackie. CatNap smiled: "Listening requires being calm and that I can do. We are opposites, we are meant to be. He can stay bright all the time, I....need some time"
They stayed in silence for a moment....Jackie said nothing. Then CatNap spoke. "I know all you new kids are scared of me. I don't blame you. Everyone has a yin and yang side. DogDay does not understand someone needing time to be sad. And I.......need time to get used to" CatNap added.
Jackie couldn't help, but nod. "I don't feel like there is anything good in life right now, not really" he said. He grabbed the family portrait from the nightstand. He sat down on the bed. He handed the picture to CatNap. The toy looked at it for a moment.
"Things have changed, so many unfair things have happened. But your mom and dad loved you. That hasn't changed. And I'm sure they would be proud of how far you have come" said CatNap. He put it on the nightstand upright.
Jackie sniffed and wiped the few tears that managed to squeeze out. "Thank you, CatNap" he said.
CatNap opened his arms. "A hug?" he asked. Jackie got off the bed and hugged the toy. The lavender scent shot into his nose and he felt CatNap's paw petting the back of his head and his back.
"Even if you aren't ready to come out and join us for games and fun, I am glad you are here. We all are, Jackie" CatNap said as they broke the hug.
"Jackie? Mom used to call me that" said the boy. CatNap shrugged a bit. "I just thought it sounded like a good nickname. Great minds think alike and all that" the toy replied.
Jackie and CatNap spoke a bit more. Jackie told the purple toy stories about what the Ayers family had done together. CatNap interjected every now and then with a funny story about the Smiling Critters.
When the night came and everyone had to go to sleep, CatNap had to go put his own children to bed. He filled the room with lavender gas to give Jackie a good sleep. As he was starting to drift off he could hear CatNap leaving. "Good night, Jackie" his smooth voice said by the door.
"Good night, CatNap". Maybe this place would become something like a home.....one day.
