Nothing. Another dead end.

You sighed leaning back from where you sat on the floor. Papers surrounded you consuming you in a sea of dead ends. You've been looking for Michael for a week. But nothing. Each lead you get, is quickly brought to its knees.

Maybe he's not really missing and this is just one of those prank calls that no one picked up on what it was. You leaned back forward running your hands down your face. You're exhausted.

The neighbors in your apartment were screaming again. Drunk laughter and banging on the walls disrupted the quite of your apartment. (Just another distraction.)

You glanced towards the wall. You wished maybe they would give you an idea instead of being loud and disrupting the peace.

"All eyes on me in the center of the ringgg just like a circus!-" they were drunk singing now. Shouting the lyrics and slurring. You slouched.

Great another person talking about a circus. There was one in town, got set up maybe 3 days ago and just started it's shows. Everyone was thrilled. (Maybe it was more the fact that the mayor finally approved of something happening in the town than the fact it was a circus.)

You've heard so many people talking about it, even your friends. Everyone said virtually the same thing: you should go see it! (Y/N)! It'll be fun! It's so different!

You had better things to do for the most part. But now faced with another dead end you wondered if you should just cave and go see it. You laid on the floor staring up at the ceiling in thought. (Maybe staring up will help you see something you missed. Though the ceiling was bland with that white spiked up paint trend that was popular for a while to save painters money instead of painting the wall properly.)

The longer you stared the more the ceiling took shapes. You felt like a kid again. Bored out of your mind and trying to stare at the ceiling for the shapes to entertain yourself.

Maybe you do need a new perspective. You sat up and started to pick up all the papers. Tossing them into messy piles that moved to a desk you had in the room rather than remain on the floor.

You guessed you could go to the circus. What would it hurt? Everyone else couldn't shut up about it. Maybe it'll give you an idea for a lead?

You stared at yourself in the mirror as you walked into the bathroom cringing at the sight of you. Your hairs tangled, unbrushed from when you had woken up, your eyes were dark and heavy with the lack of sleep. You should probably get a shower before going anywhere.

With the thought in mind you abandoned your paper work to get cleaned. You didn't really have much of a routine. There was no reason to go through so many hoops of self care when you worked at a job that drilled into your head you won't always have time for it.

You sat on your bed drying your hair looking out the window by the nightstand. It's quite in the afternoon. Maybe that's because everyone had better things to do than wander the streets and gossip. With this circus in town it's certainly quieter now.

There's two women you knew liked to gossip on the corner street just below your window. Diane and Sheryl. They were older women, and like most would imagine your typical small town gossiper. (Maybe you're really stuck in that bad movie. Or maybe you're just living in a more sexist version of The Andy Griffith Show.)

You huffed changing into clean clothes now. You preferred the quiet. You just wished that it was like this all the time when you had to think. Truthfully even if you're always handed the boring or unwanted cases, there wasn't a lot going on in this town.

No murders or anything like that. At most robbery. You never got in on those investigations though unless made to fetch coffee. Ugh.

Maybe seeing this circus will do you some good. It's something new. Even if everyone else had the same thought, you had a feeling that this would be different.

Tossing your bag lazily over your shoulder you left your apartment. Your neighbors were still drunkenly singing next door. (Honestly what drove people to drink in the afternoon? Ah maybe depression. Or something else like addiction.)

Maybe this will do you so good. You kept trying to reason with yourself on why you should take a break from work. You don't think it's working very much.

The sidewalks were empty, aside from the occasional song bird, everyone must be at the circus in town. It's almost eerie like this alone on the street. You turned a corner seeing the giant tent set up in the middle of a parking lot. (It was an empty space, there was going to be a mall built in the town but the mayor decided against it. So the parking lot was all that remained of the idea.)

You don't really get the mayor. He was definitely an odd man. But everyone loved him. He kept simplicity. You wished this town would move away from it. The past isn't always good. Especially when they want to be stuck in the 1900's.

But this was a change. Didn't you wish for that? Something different? You stared up at the tent. It was huge really, it took up most of the parking lot. You could see lights flashing from within, and a line leading out from the entrance. You guessed you were right most of the town was here.

You could turn around right now. Never go in and pretend to have other things to do. (Well technically you do, but you're getting no where and you knew your coworkers knew that.)

You held your breath stepping into the line peeking your head around other peoples shoulders in an attempt to catch a glimpse inside. It's loud. Everyone was talking at once as they waited for the next performance. You don't think you've seen anyone this excited in so long.

There used to be a fair the town would have. With games and prizes and good food. That stopped after what happened to Mr. Afton. His family was the one that had started it. (He was an entertainer, or at least he always aspired to be. Talked about opening a restaurant that was sort of like a sit down attraction. With animatronics who walked around and talked to you. Of course the dream never happened.)

In a way, even if this wasn't the change you were hoping for, it was different and it was nice to see everyone in good spirits. You wished you could match them. Be carefree too.

You sighed as you got closer to the front. People were being let in now as others left. You caught a glimpse at some of the people who left eyeing the little kids as they cheered trying their best to imitate what they had seen. It was cute.

"One ticket is $10 please!" You jerked at the voice looking to your left seeing a tall man. His grin was wide and his figure was slender. (He looked spooky being so tall with a painted face.)

"Oh right," you shuffled around in your bag pulling out a spare $10 bill, "here."

The man took it, inspected it, then offered you a ticket. His grin seemingly widened.

"Enjoy the show!" You walked inside muttering a thanks taking in the sights.

This place was somehow bigger on the inside. Music played in the distance. But nothing was happening in the center yet. You chewed on the inside of your cheek in thought of where to sit.

The lights were dim but lit enough to show pathways. Wow, how could they afford all this? Though you guessed maybe at $10 a ticket and people in towns like this come again and again the revenue wasn't so bad. Right?

You finally moved gliding down the path to find the stairs. Sliding along before finally settling to sit close to the front. You felt silly being alone as you shrugged your bag off and tossed it in the chair next to you. But it wasn't unusual for someone to go someplace alone right?

You stared out at the stage. It was brightly lit unlike the rest of the theater. A light fixated on the middle where you imagined the ring master would emerge and come out for the show. How long did it take for them to set everything back up? How long has they been doing this?

Everyone seemed to gather in. Families sat close together. Couples cuddled against one another. The lights dimmed more casting you all in darkness.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Dreamers alike. Gather round gather round!" A woman's voice sang into the audience, you glanced around noticing no one sat in the row you were in. It made you hold your breath. You could feel the crowd buzzing with anticipation.
"Please sit back relax and remain seated. Put your feet back relax! Grab some popcorn from our fabulous Bitty babies as they roam around! But most importantly, enjoy the show!"

The stage filled with smoke and from the center emerged a glamorous woman. Her hair was held tightly in place by pigtails, face painted like a clowns, and dress sparkling in the main light as she clutched her micro phone.
The crowd cheered. Roared even, with enthusiasm for the woman.

"Oh you all flatter me!" The woman giggled into the micro phone.
"To those who are new," her eyes seemed to focus on you suddenly as if she knew you were new, "my name is circus baby! I'm the ringmaster to our Funtime show!"

Baby giggled hopping off the stage she motioned her hand out towards an entrance on the stage. Music played and you found yourself peering over curiously. This was so bizarre!

"And I'd like for you all to give a big hand to my fellow performers!" Circus baby waved her hand in a big display and soon some sort of machines emerged.

Your eyes widened watching what seemed to be little puppet ballerinas spin around on stage circling around until at last their lead dancer revealed herself. The woman bowed, dyed blue hair pinned tightly in place dazzling in the lights thanks to the pearls lining her hair. The crowd screamed enthusiastically for her.

"What a warm welcome for Ballora the tightrope ballerina!" Circus baby clapped as much as she could while holding the microphone. Ballora twirled away and you watched in awe as the little puppets followed her spinning round and round in the background in perfect sync with ballora.

"Oh ho oh! Don't tell me they forgot about me and Bon Bon!" A males voice echoed in the theater and the children seemed to go wild from it.

"Of course not Freddy," circus baby giggled holding her hands up, "everyone please give a warm welcome to the one the only Freddy Fazbear and his Fabulous pal Bon Bon the puppet rabbit!"

The crowd cheered as Freddy came into view. A puppet was on his hand looking around in awe as if it had a mind of its own. You just watched curiously, as he approached on stage. (The sparkles on his white and pink suit glimmered for the light.)

"Gosh look at the crowd!" Bon Bon spoke from Freddy's hand looking around at the crowd waving seemingly at you.
"We've got new comers!"

Freddy's lips never moved. Placed in a permanent smile as Bon Bon spoke and the crowd cheered upon hearing the fuzzy pink rabbits voice.

"Gosh you sure are right!" Freddy's blue eyes gazed at you in the row alone. He seemed to stare at you intensely, then he looked away making Bon Bon wave up to the rest of the crowd.
"I see some familiar faces too! Hello boys and girls!"

The children cheered "hi Freddy! Hi Bon Bon!" Back as if they had rehearsed it. You just smiled a bit at it. You don't think you've seen the town so energetic in years. (Maybe this wasn't so bad.)

"Now Freddy we can't keep all the attention on you!" Circus baby laughed and Freddy snapped his fingers as if his plan had been foiled. He went to the shadows to stand close to ballora and her dancers continuing to make Bon him wave and look around in awe.
"For our last performer of the show I'd like everyone to give a warm welcome to Foxy the master trapeze!"

The light moved from baby and centered up on one of the tall structures revealing a man wearing a sparkling leotard to match the rest of his friends. Pink and white, the same as freddy's, sparkles glimmered in the bright light. He waved holding on to a rod before he swung down, moving to another swing in the center body moving unnaturally to be able to grab hold elegantly. His leg being the only thing supporting him as he held his arms out.

The crowd cheered just as loud as they had before as the man brought himself down to the stage thanks to a rope that dropped form the ceiling. He bowed holding a hand up as he rose with a wide smile.

"Hello everybody." His voice made the women scream now. You rolled your eyes a little crossing your legs.

The show had continued on from their, getting crazier and crazier. But everyone enjoyed it. Truthfully you enjoyed it too. (You had been offered popcorn by a robotic doll, a tray in its hand as it offered it to you asking if you wanted some. They startled you, but you refused. Popcorn in a place like this was normally expensive.)

The show was amazing. Something you couldn't explain. It was like it casted a spell upon you and enthralled you to remain for the other showings even if it would be the same. You cheered with everyone standing up with them at the end.

A lot of hard work had gone into this and you could recognize it. You wanted to donate money towards the cause it was so spectacular. But you knew you couldn't.

Everyone had begun to pack their things. Getting their family, friends, or significant others together to leave after another performance.

You swung your bag over your shoulder heaving a heavy breath stepping down from the stairs to the pathway. You had to wait everyone was crowding the exit.

"Excuse me." A human staff member approached you. He looked just like the man who had been giving out tickets, make up and all.
"One of the performers would like to have a word with you before the next show. Would you mind humoring him?"

You made a face turning around. You saw where the staff member had come from now. You couldn't help but hesitate. That was a bit of an odd request. You moved your hand down against your pants subconsciously feeling for a weapon. (You were trained to fight physically but you never knew what life would throw at you.)

"Why?" You narrowed your gaze suspiciously.

"He's spontaneous." The staff member rolled his eyes as if he was talking about a child.
"I'll never hear the end of his whining if you don't."

You frowned. That seemed odd, but then a thought clicked in your mind. Your mind wandered back to what you had searched earlier into Google. About Michael. A circus needed a security guard. What is this one had answers about your missing person?! (This was coming full circle to why you even wanted to get out in the first place!)

You hesitated still even if your excitement got the better of you of getting a potential lead. You didn't know any of these people and there are a lot of bad people out there. You sucked in a breath looking back and forth between the staff member and the exit as people continued to walk out. You made your decision.

"Okay. Lead the way."