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Description
As you can plainly see, in this chapter the daycare crowd go to Mazercise! I also hope you enjoy the little spirit reference in this illustration~

I hope you enjoy ^^

You can read the written portion here:

Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 16Chapter 16: Work It Out My eyes wandered from light to light. The neon colors had successfully caught me at every turn. It couldn't have been good for my eyesight. There was already an interesting imprint of all the lines and shapes melded together when I closed my eyes. And each sign only added to it. However, looking at the words and characters made of shiny tubes of light was more entertaining to me than people-watching. I had been delegated to caboose yet again. This trip was much longer than yesterday's. Whenever I wasn't being hypnotized by the signs I was counting the children. Had to be sure everyone was still there. Going up the escalators was more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. I was so afraid of someone getting caught in something or falling onto the metal steps. The child in front of me was so small. The steps went up past his knees. If he were to fall down the next step would hit right on his face... The visualization made me tense up. I ended up holding his hand while going up. Our little parade traveled up to the top floor like a line of ants. People would coo at the little marching children. I heard one remark, “How can you have a bad day with all of those cute little faces~” Ha... You'd be surprised... I decided not to dwell on the increasingly long list of ways a day could be ruined by children's shenanigans... I recognized this area. It was where the churros stand was. The stand had changed inventory today. Pastel clouds of cotton candy were displayed on the corners. I heard some children present different arguments in favor of getting some. All of which were denied or ignored. Much to their disappointment. I was surprised that there weren't any stomping fits about it. They just shrugged it off like it wasn't that big of a deal. Weird... Just a jaunt away from the Superstarcade was Mazercise. The sign was large and shined with a rainbow of neon. My mind immediately replayed snippets of when Mia and I were eating churros last week. Just trying really hard not to cry while eating... Then I saw the table I had retreated to. That explained it. We never went in but we sat near it. Remembering that made me frown a bit. A lump attempted to form in my throat. I still felt bad for acting like a scared little kid over churros... I had little time to dwell on the past. We were soon pushing past the red doors into Chica's attraction. A brightly colored workout studio. With... a snack bar? However, the first thing to catch my attention was the overpowering smell of pepperoni and sugar. I heard the children's shoes sticking to the tile. A symphony of sticky snaps and scrapes. It made my ears twitch back. Many layers of spilt sodas and treats had left a permanent goopiness that would probably never wash out. The neon led my eyes to a reiteration of the sign outside. Only smaller. Below that a large mirror stretched across the majority of the wall. I looked away once I found myself in the reflection. It was after this aversion to reality that I finally noticed the very tall and very energetic robot standing on a platform. Right in front of us. Took me long enough... It was the new version of Chica the chicken. Her plastic shell was painted to look like a pink leotard with brightly colored leg warmers. The few feathers on her head were pinned up into a sporty ponytail with a big bow. Along with these exorcise-themed parts were some rocker shoulder pads and makeup. Much different than the pizza-eating Chica I knew from the old cartoons. “Welcome to Mazercise little superstars!” The animatronic waved her arms up over her head and back down again. Her voice was sugary sweet. If sounds could be seen hers would be glitter. “HI CHICA!!” “Hi hi!” “Watch me! Look!” The children waved and one of them showed off a jumping jack. “Wow~ You're amazing!” Chica clapped her hands together and hopped with joy. I could feel the vibrations of her weight on the floor. Our procession continued further into the room. There was a large carpeted section parallel to the mirror. The little ones scattered at the threshold. Each one took claim to one of several foam steps. Taller ones in the back and younger ones in the front. Mia had gotten larger, more sturdy-looking steps. One under each arm. Why did she need two? My chest tightened in dread. I hoped and prayed she would put it in front of Cassandra and herself. Mia's eyes were on me and she flashed a grin in my direction. Oh no... “You want one?” Mia waved a step in my direction, “Tuesdays are my favorite! We actually get to participate in this one~” Her eyes reflected the colorful lights to make a prism of delight. I always hated working out in front of people. Especially myself. And a big mirror was staring right at me... Say no. Say no! Just say no! “Okay,” My hand grabbed the step and set it at my feet. Why?! Why did I do that? Oh crap... Oh no! I can't take it back now... New job, new me. New job, new me... “Awesome!” Mia was tickled pink. Her hair bobbed about in her joy, “It's so cute! You'll love it~” “Is everybody ready?” Chica scanned the room for a response. The reply was an overwhelming YES. With a tiny no that didn't leave my mouth being the only dissenter. I'm really doing this, aren't I? It'll be good for me. It'll be good for me... Good... For me... If I repeat it enough it will become true, I hoped. “OKAY! Start on the floor~” Chica demonstrated starting behind the step. The animatronic prompted some children in the front again. The next time she used their names, which caught their attention enough to follow through. How did she know--? Database. Right. Face scans. After confirming that everyone was in the proper starting position Chica continued. “Hands out! Legs apart! Be a STAR!” With a flurry of metallic whirring and a subtle thud Chica demonstrated. The Children stretched their limbs out as far as they could. But no matter how hard they tried, they could never go as far as Chica did. Their little legs just weren't long enough. , I heard Mia giggle in glee beside me. I peeled my eyes off of the children to glance at her. Out of all the stars in formation, she was the brightest. Her stance was immaculate. As Chica continued the routine Mia was in perfect sync. The biggest smile on her face. Miss Cassandra had busied herself with shadowing one of the younger ones. Not even two yet. But since he had learned how to walk he was allowed to stay at the daycare. But he still struggled with these more advanced motor functions. My gazed lingered in jealousy... “Miss Nae-nae! Put some pep in that step!” Chica's voice shouted joyfully. I nearly jumped out of my skin. OH CRAP! I'm supposed to be moving right now. No, no no. Um... “Sorry!” my reply had more desperation than I wanted. But I didn't have time to think about that. Look at the instructor... Follow what she does. I can do it! Come on legs. MOVE! I heard giggling ripple through the crowd of children in front of me. My chest got tighter. Tune it out... They aren't laughing at me... Someone must have fallen over... I tried to convince myself I wasn't the object of ridicule. My ears focused on the music playing instead. Analyzed the beat and rhythm. The workout was going with the song nicely. Chica moved at the points most satisfying at every bar of music. I attempted to join in at a point that didn't seem too difficult or embarrassing. I put the wrong foot on the step and did an awkward shuffle to fix it. Just my luck that we switched to the other foot by the time I did... Oh gosh... I must look like-- No... Don't think about that. Just look at Chica. Keep your eyes on her. Don't look at-- The mirror. It was so difficult not to notice. The giant, awkward mess in the back. Tiny eyes wide and broad face pale. Thin hair sticking out in odd places and somehow always stuck in between the lips that never closed. My movements wavered. The tips of my fingers felt cold. My foot missed the step by a hair, causing my heart to jump at the thought of falling over. Calm down! It's only making it worse! Look at Chica... Look at the robot! Just focus, please! See, it's just stepping up and down right now. I can do that. Up, up. Down, down. Up, up. Down, down. “Nice comeback! Keep it up!” The glittery encouragement snapped something in my head. I couldn't tell if it was the doubt or the confidence. Chica was directing a thumbs up to me in between poses. I smiled. More out of crippling embarrassment than joy. It was a struggle to keep moving. Not because of the difficulty or speed of the moves. But because of my battle with the growing feeling of shame coming from my gut. It didn't help that I would flinch or stagger every time a movement set off my soreness. It's good for me. It's good for me! I repeated again in my head. “You're doing great!” Mia nudged me with her arm. I didn't dare look away from Chica again, but I could see Mia smiling in my periphery. I imagined that she was trying to encourage me or calm my nerves. However, it only did the opposite. All the attention put on me made me more self-conscious. This is why I work out at home. Alone. With no one around to see me. And even that was difficult to motivate myself to do. But I had to continue. I made this choice. So I must follow through. Just ignore everything else. Focus on the music and the movements... The tiny bit of my brain that wasn't fried created little fantasies. Tried to convince me that this was merely a rhythm game. It worked a bit. If I avoided looking at myself, I could imagine that I was the one controlling Chica in this 'game'. It took a lot of effort and emotional fortitude. But I somehow made it through to the end without running away. I held air captive in my lungs. Only taking tiny, hopefully unnoticed, breaths. Looking like a panting dog would have only made me feel worse. The routine wasn't intense enough to have a normal person sweating. However, my reason for being exhausted was different. Still didn't want others to think it was because I was that out of shape. “Superstar job everyone!” Chica hadn't lost any energy at all. She even added a melody of chicken sounds that sounded like laughter at the end. “Don't forget your complimentary snacks before you go~” She pointed to the snack bar with an exaggerated gesture. Some of the children were already over there taking claim to the provided goodies. While following the little ones Mia patted my back, “Wasn't that so CUTE! The kids try so hard and Chica is such a fun instructor~” I flinch back at her touch. As we approached the bar stacked with little plates of cookies, cupcakes, and tiny drink cups, I noticed people were sitting at the tables near the doors. Great... Sugar before bedtime... Also- There were MORE people watching??? “Hey, uh,” Mia prodded again, “you good?” My mind was so busy coming up with excuses not to get more embarrassed... They were here to watch the kids. To watch Chica. I don't even know them. I'll probably never see them again. They'll forget about it all in a bit... I hadn't even listened to what Mia had said to me the first time. “Huh?” My mouth eventually responded for me. The sound of that word slipped through the cracks as I slowly let out my held breath. Mia stepped in front of me. I almost ran into her before I finally registered she was there. She had a concerned look. Her hand reached up to grip my shoulder, gently pulling me down to look at her face. I focused on the reflections in her eyes to keep my gaze correct. “Did I do it again?” Miss Mia said. Her voice was low enough that people couldn't eavesdrop. “Were you not ready for that yet? I'm sorry. I should've known-” “I was the one who said yes,” My eyes got distracted by Cassandra acting as a warden over the food. Upholding a strict 'one per person' rule. I really should go over there and help... “Yeah, but I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to,” Mia's voice was quieter. I examined her face again. Her eyes were on her shoes and her poofy hair sagged in sorrow. She looked truly disappointed in herself. “No,” My hand mimicked hers and rested on her shoulder, “I... want you to do that more.” The hesitation in my voice reflected how long I had needed to say this. To someone willing to do it. “What?” Her confusion was evident in her voice. But her face expressed it extremely well. “I won't get better if I don't get out of my comfort zone,” I had tried to do it myself for as long as I could remember. But that obviously hadn't worked. Someone had to shove me out of this bubble. And this is the best chance I've seen. “So... uh... just keep doing what you are doing... Even if I look uncomfortable.” “I don't wanna force you to do things you don't want,” Mia looked back up at me. Eyes genuine. Experienced. Like she has had a conversation like this before. “I'll say no if I really need to,” I stand up straight and let my hand lay at my side. I had become aware of people looking at us. They were actually all looking in our direction. Uh... “Promise?” Mia squeezed my shoulder. Bringing my attention back to her. “P-promise..” Was all I managed to say before I felt the floor shaking behind me. Did someone fall? I usually ignore those signs around me because I knew that I wouldn't want a lot of attention put on me if I fell. But it could've been a child so I turned around to investigate. All I could see was pink. I leaned back and looked up. A beak was opened at an angle to make a smile. Her large earrings, which were merely attached to the sides of her face due to her lack of ears, were still swaying and reflecting the lights around us. Her eyes appeared to glow in the shadow she cast on me. Which made this more intimidating than the robot probably intended. Reminded me of the screens in the Freddy's games. With everything covered in darkness save for the dots of the animatronics' eyes. That, oddly enough, put me at ease for a moment. It was familiar. Chica made another clucking laugh, “And the prize for top performance goes to Miss Nae-nae!” She had a slip of paper in between her large fingers and thumb. The paper was inched closer for me to take. I just stared for a moment as the robot continued, “The first lesson can be really scary. But you did it! I'm proud of you for sticking to it!” “I... really don't think-” The expressions beside me looked more sinister with each passing second. I forced myself to ignore them.“-I don't think I deserve... it.” Not after all those times I nearly fell over. That all of those people saw... “Nonsense, Superstar!” Chica leaned in so I could hear her when she lowered her volume to barely a murmur, “I'm not supposed to hand these out to staff, but you looked like you needed it. Please take it.” She quickly straightened back up to carry on her performance for the customers, “You've earned it! Hard work gets rewarded!” “But-” my retort wasn't able to leave my mouth fast enough. Chica had already placed the slip in my hand and curled my fingers over it with a loving pat. “You know what I like to reward myself with? Pizza! Oh! And cupcakes and cookies! Can't forget fries and nachos! So many wonderful options to choose from!” Chica had stopped addressing me to gain the attention of the other patrons in the studio. I took this opportunity to slip away to my group. Mia was not far behind. Cassandra had efficiently gathered the children on a few benches nearby. Some of them sat on the floor instead. All of them happily finished their treat or chatted amongst themselves. I saw that Miss Cassandra had situated herself between two little ones that were a little too keen to poke and shove each other. Ah, so the sugared crankiness has already begun... At the very least they each only had one chosen prize. A cookie, cupcake, or drink. I was worried that they were gonna have one of each at first. However, it was still more than enough to cause problems. I'll have to work with that later... “Congratulations, Nae,” my senior sent a smile in our direction. I thought I caught a hint of irritation in her gaze. I felt bad for leaving her alone with the hyper kids for that long. “We don't normally get prizes.” “OH! What'd you get? What'd you get?” Mia tugged on my sleeve, “Is it a party pass? I've heard Chica hands those out sometimes!” I could hear the giddiness in her voice alone. I unfurled my fingers to reveal their hostage. “It's... An El Chip's coupon?”

Description
As you can plainly see, in this chapter the daycare crowd go to Mazercise! I also hope you enjoy the little spirit reference in this illustration~

I hope you enjoy ^^

You can read the written portion here:

Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 16Chapter 16: Work It Out My eyes wandered from light to light. The neon colors had successfully caught me at every turn. It couldn't have been good for my eyesight. There was already an interesting imprint of all the lines and shapes melded together when I closed my eyes. And each sign only added to it. However, looking at the words and characters made of shiny tubes of light was more entertaining to me than people-watching. I had been delegated to caboose yet again. This trip was much longer than yesterday's. Whenever I wasn't being hypnotized by the signs I was counting the children. Had to be sure everyone was still there. Going up the escalators was more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. I was so afraid of someone getting caught in something or falling onto the metal steps. The child in front of me was so small. The steps went up past his knees. If he were to fall down the next step would hit right on his face... The visualization made me tense up. I ended up holding his hand while going up. Our little parade traveled up to the top floor like a line of ants. People would coo at the little marching children. I heard one remark, “How can you have a bad day with all of those cute little faces~” Ha... You'd be surprised... I decided not to dwell on the increasingly long list of ways a day could be ruined by children's shenanigans... I recognized this area. It was where the churros stand was. The stand had changed inventory today. Pastel clouds of cotton candy were displayed on the corners. I heard some children present different arguments in favor of getting some. All of which were denied or ignored. Much to their disappointment. I was surprised that there weren't any stomping fits about it. They just shrugged it off like it wasn't that big of a deal. Weird... Just a jaunt away from the Superstarcade was Mazercise. The sign was large and shined with a rainbow of neon. My mind immediately replayed snippets of when Mia and I were eating churros last week. Just trying really hard not to cry while eating... Then I saw the table I had retreated to. That explained it. We never went in but we sat near it. Remembering that made me frown a bit. A lump attempted to form in my throat. I still felt bad for acting like a scared little kid over churros... I had little time to dwell on the past. We were soon pushing past the red doors into Chica's attraction. A brightly colored workout studio. With... a snack bar? However, the first thing to catch my attention was the overpowering smell of pepperoni and sugar. I heard the children's shoes sticking to the tile. A symphony of sticky snaps and scrapes. It made my ears twitch back. Many layers of spilt sodas and treats had left a permanent goopiness that would probably never wash out. The neon led my eyes to a reiteration of the sign outside. Only smaller. Below that a large mirror stretched across the majority of the wall. I looked away once I found myself in the reflection. It was after this aversion to reality that I finally noticed the very tall and very energetic robot standing on a platform. Right in front of us. Took me long enough... It was the new version of Chica the chicken. Her plastic shell was painted to look like a pink leotard with brightly colored leg warmers. The few feathers on her head were pinned up into a sporty ponytail with a big bow. Along with these exorcise-themed parts were some rocker shoulder pads and makeup. Much different than the pizza-eating Chica I knew from the old cartoons. “Welcome to Mazercise little superstars!” The animatronic waved her arms up over her head and back down again. Her voice was sugary sweet. If sounds could be seen hers would be glitter. “HI CHICA!!” “Hi hi!” “Watch me! Look!” The children waved and one of them showed off a jumping jack. “Wow~ You're amazing!” Chica clapped her hands together and hopped with joy. I could feel the vibrations of her weight on the floor. Our procession continued further into the room. There was a large carpeted section parallel to the mirror. The little ones scattered at the threshold. Each one took claim to one of several foam steps. Taller ones in the back and younger ones in the front. Mia had gotten larger, more sturdy-looking steps. One under each arm. Why did she need two? My chest tightened in dread. I hoped and prayed she would put it in front of Cassandra and herself. Mia's eyes were on me and she flashed a grin in my direction. Oh no... “You want one?” Mia waved a step in my direction, “Tuesdays are my favorite! We actually get to participate in this one~” Her eyes reflected the colorful lights to make a prism of delight. I always hated working out in front of people. Especially myself. And a big mirror was staring right at me... Say no. Say no! Just say no! “Okay,” My hand grabbed the step and set it at my feet. Why?! Why did I do that? Oh crap... Oh no! I can't take it back now... New job, new me. New job, new me... “Awesome!” Mia was tickled pink. Her hair bobbed about in her joy, “It's so cute! You'll love it~” “Is everybody ready?” Chica scanned the room for a response. The reply was an overwhelming YES. With a tiny no that didn't leave my mouth being the only dissenter. I'm really doing this, aren't I? It'll be good for me. It'll be good for me... Good... For me... If I repeat it enough it will become true, I hoped. “OKAY! Start on the floor~” Chica demonstrated starting behind the step. The animatronic prompted some children in the front again. The next time she used their names, which caught their attention enough to follow through. How did she know--? Database. Right. Face scans. After confirming that everyone was in the proper starting position Chica continued. “Hands out! Legs apart! Be a STAR!” With a flurry of metallic whirring and a subtle thud Chica demonstrated. The Children stretched their limbs out as far as they could. But no matter how hard they tried, they could never go as far as Chica did. Their little legs just weren't long enough. , I heard Mia giggle in glee beside me. I peeled my eyes off of the children to glance at her. Out of all the stars in formation, she was the brightest. Her stance was immaculate. As Chica continued the routine Mia was in perfect sync. The biggest smile on her face. Miss Cassandra had busied herself with shadowing one of the younger ones. Not even two yet. But since he had learned how to walk he was allowed to stay at the daycare. But he still struggled with these more advanced motor functions. My gazed lingered in jealousy... “Miss Nae-nae! Put some pep in that step!” Chica's voice shouted joyfully. I nearly jumped out of my skin. OH CRAP! I'm supposed to be moving right now. No, no no. Um... “Sorry!” my reply had more desperation than I wanted. But I didn't have time to think about that. Look at the instructor... Follow what she does. I can do it! Come on legs. MOVE! I heard giggling ripple through the crowd of children in front of me. My chest got tighter. Tune it out... They aren't laughing at me... Someone must have fallen over... I tried to convince myself I wasn't the object of ridicule. My ears focused on the music playing instead. Analyzed the beat and rhythm. The workout was going with the song nicely. Chica moved at the points most satisfying at every bar of music. I attempted to join in at a point that didn't seem too difficult or embarrassing. I put the wrong foot on the step and did an awkward shuffle to fix it. Just my luck that we switched to the other foot by the time I did... Oh gosh... I must look like-- No... Don't think about that. Just look at Chica. Keep your eyes on her. Don't look at-- The mirror. It was so difficult not to notice. The giant, awkward mess in the back. Tiny eyes wide and broad face pale. Thin hair sticking out in odd places and somehow always stuck in between the lips that never closed. My movements wavered. The tips of my fingers felt cold. My foot missed the step by a hair, causing my heart to jump at the thought of falling over. Calm down! It's only making it worse! Look at Chica... Look at the robot! Just focus, please! See, it's just stepping up and down right now. I can do that. Up, up. Down, down. Up, up. Down, down. “Nice comeback! Keep it up!” The glittery encouragement snapped something in my head. I couldn't tell if it was the doubt or the confidence. Chica was directing a thumbs up to me in between poses. I smiled. More out of crippling embarrassment than joy. It was a struggle to keep moving. Not because of the difficulty or speed of the moves. But because of my battle with the growing feeling of shame coming from my gut. It didn't help that I would flinch or stagger every time a movement set off my soreness. It's good for me. It's good for me! I repeated again in my head. “You're doing great!” Mia nudged me with her arm. I didn't dare look away from Chica again, but I could see Mia smiling in my periphery. I imagined that she was trying to encourage me or calm my nerves. However, it only did the opposite. All the attention put on me made me more self-conscious. This is why I work out at home. Alone. With no one around to see me. And even that was difficult to motivate myself to do. But I had to continue. I made this choice. So I must follow through. Just ignore everything else. Focus on the music and the movements... The tiny bit of my brain that wasn't fried created little fantasies. Tried to convince me that this was merely a rhythm game. It worked a bit. If I avoided looking at myself, I could imagine that I was the one controlling Chica in this 'game'. It took a lot of effort and emotional fortitude. But I somehow made it through to the end without running away. I held air captive in my lungs. Only taking tiny, hopefully unnoticed, breaths. Looking like a panting dog would have only made me feel worse. The routine wasn't intense enough to have a normal person sweating. However, my reason for being exhausted was different. Still didn't want others to think it was because I was that out of shape. “Superstar job everyone!” Chica hadn't lost any energy at all. She even added a melody of chicken sounds that sounded like laughter at the end. “Don't forget your complimentary snacks before you go~” She pointed to the snack bar with an exaggerated gesture. Some of the children were already over there taking claim to the provided goodies. While following the little ones Mia patted my back, “Wasn't that so CUTE! The kids try so hard and Chica is such a fun instructor~” I flinch back at her touch. As we approached the bar stacked with little plates of cookies, cupcakes, and tiny drink cups, I noticed people were sitting at the tables near the doors. Great... Sugar before bedtime... Also- There were MORE people watching??? “Hey, uh,” Mia prodded again, “you good?” My mind was so busy coming up with excuses not to get more embarrassed... They were here to watch the kids. To watch Chica. I don't even know them. I'll probably never see them again. They'll forget about it all in a bit... I hadn't even listened to what Mia had said to me the first time. “Huh?” My mouth eventually responded for me. The sound of that word slipped through the cracks as I slowly let out my held breath. Mia stepped in front of me. I almost ran into her before I finally registered she was there. She had a concerned look. Her hand reached up to grip my shoulder, gently pulling me down to look at her face. I focused on the reflections in her eyes to keep my gaze correct. “Did I do it again?” Miss Mia said. Her voice was low enough that people couldn't eavesdrop. “Were you not ready for that yet? I'm sorry. I should've known-” “I was the one who said yes,” My eyes got distracted by Cassandra acting as a warden over the food. Upholding a strict 'one per person' rule. I really should go over there and help... “Yeah, but I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to,” Mia's voice was quieter. I examined her face again. Her eyes were on her shoes and her poofy hair sagged in sorrow. She looked truly disappointed in herself. “No,” My hand mimicked hers and rested on her shoulder, “I... want you to do that more.” The hesitation in my voice reflected how long I had needed to say this. To someone willing to do it. “What?” Her confusion was evident in her voice. But her face expressed it extremely well. “I won't get better if I don't get out of my comfort zone,” I had tried to do it myself for as long as I could remember. But that obviously hadn't worked. Someone had to shove me out of this bubble. And this is the best chance I've seen. “So... uh... just keep doing what you are doing... Even if I look uncomfortable.” “I don't wanna force you to do things you don't want,” Mia looked back up at me. Eyes genuine. Experienced. Like she has had a conversation like this before. “I'll say no if I really need to,” I stand up straight and let my hand lay at my side. I had become aware of people looking at us. They were actually all looking in our direction. Uh... “Promise?” Mia squeezed my shoulder. Bringing my attention back to her. “P-promise..” Was all I managed to say before I felt the floor shaking behind me. Did someone fall? I usually ignore those signs around me because I knew that I wouldn't want a lot of attention put on me if I fell. But it could've been a child so I turned around to investigate. All I could see was pink. I leaned back and looked up. A beak was opened at an angle to make a smile. Her large earrings, which were merely attached to the sides of her face due to her lack of ears, were still swaying and reflecting the lights around us. Her eyes appeared to glow in the shadow she cast on me. Which made this more intimidating than the robot probably intended. Reminded me of the screens in the Freddy's games. With everything covered in darkness save for the dots of the animatronics' eyes. That, oddly enough, put me at ease for a moment. It was familiar. Chica made another clucking laugh, “And the prize for top performance goes to Miss Nae-nae!” She had a slip of paper in between her large fingers and thumb. The paper was inched closer for me to take. I just stared for a moment as the robot continued, “The first lesson can be really scary. But you did it! I'm proud of you for sticking to it!” “I... really don't think-” The expressions beside me looked more sinister with each passing second. I forced myself to ignore them.“-I don't think I deserve... it.” Not after all those times I nearly fell over. That all of those people saw... “Nonsense, Superstar!” Chica leaned in so I could hear her when she lowered her volume to barely a murmur, “I'm not supposed to hand these out to staff, but you looked like you needed it. Please take it.” She quickly straightened back up to carry on her performance for the customers, “You've earned it! Hard work gets rewarded!” “But-” my retort wasn't able to leave my mouth fast enough. Chica had already placed the slip in my hand and curled my fingers over it with a loving pat. “You know what I like to reward myself with? Pizza! Oh! And cupcakes and cookies! Can't forget fries and nachos! So many wonderful options to choose from!” Chica had stopped addressing me to gain the attention of the other patrons in the studio. I took this opportunity to slip away to my group. Mia was not far behind. Cassandra had efficiently gathered the children on a few benches nearby. Some of them sat on the floor instead. All of them happily finished their treat or chatted amongst themselves. I saw that Miss Cassandra had situated herself between two little ones that were a little too keen to poke and shove each other. Ah, so the sugared crankiness has already begun... At the very least they each only had one chosen prize. A cookie, cupcake, or drink. I was worried that they were gonna have one of each at first. However, it was still more than enough to cause problems. I'll have to work with that later... “Congratulations, Nae,” my senior sent a smile in our direction. I thought I caught a hint of irritation in her gaze. I felt bad for leaving her alone with the hyper kids for that long. “We don't normally get prizes.” “OH! What'd you get? What'd you get?” Mia tugged on my sleeve, “Is it a party pass? I've heard Chica hands those out sometimes!” I could hear the giddiness in her voice alone. I unfurled my fingers to reveal their hostage. “It's... An El Chip's coupon?”