POV: Illyria

DATE: February 18, 2030

TIME: 12 pm

With shaking hands I grasped the handle of Atlas's room. I swore to myself I would avoid his room especially with today not only being his birthday but it makes a year of him being stolen from me. I haven't been here since that morning I found his crib empty. It was too hard to face then. As the door creaked open and I walked in I couldn't help but scrunch my nose at the stale smell of the room. Gods I really shouldn't have avoided his room this past year but I just couldn't come in knowing I wouldn't find him here.

I let my eyes sweep the room as I tried to hold back a sob at the now near empty room. There was never much personality in his room as Vincent never allowed me to do much but it used to have more than a crib, a nightstand, and chair. There used to be a little tent I had set up that I would use to read stories to him and where he would just play with his toys. That tent was the only thing that had some color to it rather than the beige and white color scheme Vincent had insisted on. I hated him and if I knew I would have still been able to have Atlas without him I would wish I hadn't ever met him. However as much as I hate Vincent and what he has done to me never having Atlas in the first place despite how he was conceived I wouldn't wish that.

Shaking those thoughts out of my head I made my way over to his crib and climbed in. I lowered myself down and curled into a ball slightly shaking from the emotions I was trying to hold in. I didn't want to break down so I took a deep breath to calm my nerves but all it did was make me crack. There was a hint of strawberry vanilla that still clung to his bed and the scent of it hit me hard. I normally wouldn't wash him with strongly scented body wash or shampoos as I knew it wasn't good for him being at the time he was just around 3 almost 4 years old. However, on a day of grocery shopping we were alone so I took the time to browse more and he had wanted to smell the soaps since he saw me doing it. We smelled about 5 till we got to that scent and the way his little face had lit up I just couldn't tell him no. I bought the soap and once every few months I'd let him use a bit of it despite getting chewed out by my husband. He thought the scent was too girly for him. I always tried to get him to see that the scent didn't matter, what mattered the most was how happy it made her son but there was absolutely no talking to him. So despite knowing that his anger would be on her she kept her little star happy damn the consequence for her. 

I must have cried myself to sleep because the next thing I knew I was rolling over knocking my head on the bars of the crib. I let out a groan at the pain and knew I would be getting a migraine. Slowly I opened my eyes preparing for the light of the day to assault my eyes but only darkness enveloped my vision. I sluggishly sat up while trying to find my phone. Once I found it I checked the time. 10:03 pm. Damn I slept for around 9 hours. That is surprising. I don't remember the last time I got more than 3/4 hours of sleep. I thought to myself as I climbed out of the crib making my way to the bathroom opening up the medicine cabinet grabbing a bottle of pain killers that were specifically for when I got particularly nasty migraines. I held the bottle in my hand for a bit debating on if I should take any or just suffer through the pain like I had been doing.

Gods Illyria just take the fucking pills it's not that hard. I thought to myself and took the recommended two downing it with tap water. Once they went down I walked over to the shower turning on just the hot water. While I waited for the water to get hot I got undressed throwing the clothes I was wearing in the hamper as I took them off. I quickly got into the shower hissing at the heat but made no move to turn the cold on. As I let the hot water burn my skin I couldn't help but break down yet again.

Pathetic. I felt absolutely pathetic not only am I breaking down again but it's been a year since my asshole husband stole our son and dropped off the face of the earth. There have been absolutely no signs of either according to the police though I knew I couldn't trust them since he was close to a few of them before he took off. I knew someone in there had to have been helping him but even the private investigator I hired had no luck. It made no sense how they could just disappear. I knew Vincent was extremely well known in our area and in general so there was someone that had to have known where he had taken Atlas but everything just keeps coming back empty.

The longer I stayed in the shower, the more my thoughts turned dark. I wanted everything to be over. I wanted my son. I know he isn't dead which is the only reason I haven't ended my life yet but gods does that sound so tempting right about now. I shook my head, ridding myself of those thoughts. I couldn't do that knowing that there was still a chance we would reunite one day no matter how slim it felt at the moment. Sighing I got up from the shower floor and started to wash myself and as I did a thought popped into my head. I might not be able to end things but I could move from this house hell maybe even this state. It was stupid of me to stay here this long anyways. Yeah I had hoped I would find Atlas but Vincent no matter how much I hate him the asshole is smart. He would stay gone until he turned my little star into a mini version of himself plus I know somehow that asshole would find me one way or another. I could still search for Atlas anywhere in the world and could even maybe heal from everything as well. With that I finished up my shower, turning off the water, stepping out and throwing a robe on heading to my room to start packing.

I got out the 8 piece luggage set that Vincent had bought me on our first Christmas together. I shake away the thoughts before I get angry. I used the 3 round pieces for my clothes, I didn't have much, plus I could always buy more later while using the largest regular piece for my electronics. The second largest regular piece was used for important papers or what little of Atlas's things I had hidden that Vincent was never able to find. The smallest regular piece was used for anything else I deemed I wanted to take which was mainly a few throws and stationary items. The last two pieces were the smallest of the bunch so I used that for all my toiletries. Once everything was packed I loaded up the bed of my Chevy Silverado which thankfully had a cover so I didn't have to worry about the weather.

I then made my way back inside finally throwing on some clothes which consisted of undergarments, a black bodysuit, the one with short ones, a black cardigan, and my Nike sliders. I got those on clearance at Walmart not too long ago. I threw my hair up into a messy bun and then made my way through the house making sure there was nothing I had forgotten. While doing that I unplugged everything and turned off the lights along with the central. The last thing to do was the kitchen which didn't take long as I barely had food in there to begin with. Thank the gods I cleaned the house two days ago and that I haven't gone shopping in a while or that would have taken much longer. Also would have been a mess to leave. With one final sweep I pick up the trash bag and exit the house. Once I throw the trash in the outside bin I lock up the house taking the main keys and checking to make sure the spares are in their hidden spot. I really do not plan on coming back but I can always rent the house out or sell it eventually so keeping a set would come in handy if I need to make any spares. With that I headed to my truck jumping in. I started up the truck connecting my phone up quickly going to spotify to select a playlist from my library. Before driving off I checked the time and it read 1:57 am. I gripped the wheel letting out a breath, putting the truck in drive but before the doubts and second guessing could start I hit the gas driving away with no plan or destination in mind.

What the actual fuck. I thought as I started to come to my senses looking around to see I was parked at a truckstop near one of the pumps. I tried to think of the drive and I can vaguely remember it. It's as if my brain just left. I suppressed a shudder and hoped my driving wasn't a danger to anyone. I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It is now 10:35 am on February 20, 2030. Great just fucking great the last 33ish hours are mainly just a blur. Whatever now isn't the time I need to put gas and get me something to eat as I don't remember the last time I ate something. Turning off the truck, I grabbed my wallet and hopped out the truck while locking it as well. I quickly walked to the truckstop and entered, cringing at the bell that announced my presence. "Hi, welcome to JR's Truck Stop." A feminine voice called out from somewhere in the surprisingly spacious store. I tried locating the voice but gave up quickly and went around trying to figure out what I wanted to get.

After a few minutes I was standing in front of the candy shelf staring at the sour patch kids. I really shouldn't, especially on an empty stomach. The argument in my head was overrun the longer I stood there eventually thinking fuck it and snatching two bags and walking off to the coolers with a shrug. I grabbed a bottle of Fiji water as well as a barq's rootbeer. Figuring that was good enough I headed to the counter however just as I was about to reach the counter I spotted some beef jerky. Welp I can't leave without that either can I. I thought as I snatched a bag continuing my way to the counter which thankfully was empty. I quickly but lightly placed my items down making sure the barcodes were easily accessible to the Tatum. Well I assume that's their name as their name says "Tatum J." However, that could be another employee's name tag.

Before my thoughts could spiral into more I heard "Hi sweetie will that be all for you?" I looked up to give a face to the voice and was met by a beautiful woman with olive skin, dark brown hair that fell in loose curls and with eyes just a tad bit darker than her hair. Yeah this woman was beautiful and I would have guessed she was just a couple years older than me but her eyes held that she had to have been at least more than that. However I don't think too much, maybe around 8 years older which would probably make her 26ish. Shit I have just been starting for longer than necessary. "Sorry uhm I-i also need to have $30 on" I paused glancing out the window looking to see where my truck was "pump 5." I continued with a slight flush to my face. Gods Lyra get it together. "All good sweetie, long drive?" She said with a light laugh. I went to reply when a yawn escaped me. I apologized but she just waved me off.

"Okay sweetie your total comes out to be $47.77. Will that be cash or card?" I reply with "card" while taking my wallet out as she gets the register ready. Once the transaction goes through she hands me my bag and receipt and says "Here you go sweetie you are all set. Have a good day. Also I hope this isn't too weird or forward but if you are in need of a place to stay my husband and I own an Inn a few minutes out. We don't get many around this time of the year so we should have a few vacancies. The name of it is Jensen's Inn if you wanted to go look it up. However the city does have some other lovely lodging places and I am totally biased with saying this but our Inn really is the best." She finished with an embarrassed smile. "Oh thanks, I probably should get some rest before figuring out what my next move is. Uhm yeah ill check it out. Thanks again." She nods and I make my way out the store and back to my truck.

I unlock the truck tossing my bag onto the passenger seat then make my way to put the gas in which thankfully didn't take long. Once I am back in the truck I start her up pulling out from the pump into an actual parking space. Once the truck was in park I put the windows down just a bit and turned her off. Pulling out my phone I pulled up google typing in "Jensen's Inn" which immediately popped up with a beautiful mansion. Holy shit that place is gorgeous. I wonder how expensive it will be? Well it's not like I really need to worry about money thankfully. I tapped the link and it immediately brought me to its website. I checked out the prices and it wasn't nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. The prices are pretty expensive but it seems they have a lot of amenities that are included. Seems worth it. I thought to myself as I looked up the address where I can put it to my gps. Hurricane Utah. Hmm that sounds familiar. Never mind that right now I need to see how far out this place is. It takes a couple of seconds but eventually a route appears and it's only about a 30 minute drive from here.

Not wanting to make my way there just yet, I save the address and grab a bag of my sour patch kids along with a napkin from the glove compartment. I lay the napkin out, opening the bag of candy starting to place each color into their own pile. After I was finished, I started to slowly eat them in order of least to most favorite, my favorite being the red ones while my least favorite were the green ones. While doing that I also decided to google Hurricane Utah in hopes I could figure out why it sounded familiar. I didn't have to search for long on why as the first thing that popped up was a link to "Fazbears Entertainment". Fuck of course that's why. Shit how the fuck did I land up here of all places? I thought as my thumb hovered over the link debating if I should click the link or not.

I decided to just click the link but immediately regretted it as it brought me to a video and of course my phone was at full blast making not only let out a squeak of surprise but also made me fling my phone. Thankfully it didn't go too far but it took a little bit to grab it as it fell through the cracks of the seat. By the time I was able to grab it I missed a good bit of the video it seems but just as it came into my hands it started with "Freddy Fazbears Mega Pizzplex is now hiring. Yes you heard that right our Mega Pizzplex is hiring and the last day to apply is February 22, 2030. You can apply using the link in the description. We will email all selected employees by February 26, 2030 with all necessary details." I didn't really listen to the rest of the video and immediately went to reply. Was it stupid of me to apply to a company that had such a dark past especially in this city where the company was founded. Yes, yes it was but maybe this time it will be different. I mean all the owners, especially the one who had been accused of the crimes that were committed here, had to have been dead and gone by now. If they weren't dead they had to have been over 80 years old so things should be more than fine.

I mean I might not even get it hired anyways. Do I even want to stay here in this city? I mean it wouldn't hurt to stay for a bit plus if I did get hired I could just quit at any point. Also there is still the chance I won't get hired. I don't have much work experience. I did start working at 14 under the table in Vincent's business and then at 16 I officially started working at our local grocery store while doing a few things as Vincent's business when he made me. I stopped working at the business in 2029 a couple of weeks after their disappearance. Then just a few weeks ago which happened to be a couple months after I turned 18 I quit the grocery store as well. Plus I also just finished with my associates degree in business. So I guess I am not the worst person that will apply. Whatever I'll just fill it out and if I don't hear anything by the deadline I'll just do something else or leave. I ended my rambled thoughts as I probably could have gone on a lot longer but I needed to focus to fill the application out. Once I pressed submit I decided to make my way to the Inn.

The drive to the Inn took me more than 30 minutes as I may or may not have taken a wrong that I am totally blaming on the gps. It was definitely not my fault. I thought to myself as I glared at the culprit while also pulling into one of the empty parking spaces that was further to the back of the small parking lot. Turning off the truck I let out a shaky breath as I took in the size of the Inn. It was honestly massive but so freaking beautiful. I couldn't even begin to describe it and I am sure the inside is even more breathtaking. With a sigh I hopped out the truck locking it making my way to the entrance. It was so nerve wracking despite seeing the sign and website, this still felt like someone's mansion or estate.

As I opened the doors I walked in cautiously. Shit I was right the inside was breathtaking. I am definitely not even going to try and describe it. Nope not in a million years. I was taking in everything as a loud bang and slight yelling made me flinch and snap my attention to the noise. As I focused on the voice I heard them rush out to the seated receptionist "Sorry, I'm here traffic was a bitch" all he did was chuckle fondly while standing up turning towards her pulling her into a hug that lasted a bit. However I also noticed he must have whispered in her as he pulled away as her face was much redder than it had been previously. Before she could respond he gave her a kiss then walked away quickly leaving her a blushing mess. Once he was nearly out of the door she came to her senses yelling out "Conner seriously babe. I hate you." He turned towards her shoulders shaking with laughter as he winked at her yelling out a "I love you too sweetheart." which only caused her to roll her eyes fondly. She then turned around looking up looking eyes with me blushing even more in embarrassment.

"That asshole didn't tell me someone was waiting." She mumbled that part out but I was still able to hear her as it was pretty quiet in here. "I am so sorry sweetie that was super unprofessional. Also I see you decided to give our Inn a try. I am glad. Just give me a couple of minutes and I will be right with you. Okay?" I nod in understanding and patiently wait for her to get situated. Which didn't take too long and before I knew it I heard her speak up again. "So did you get a chance to look at our website?" nodding in confirmation she goes on "Great then that makes this easier as you should know the prices along with the amenities that are included. So let's first get your room along with how long you will be needing it for. I do have to warn you that we can only book for up to 4 nights at a time due to our process. However once those 4 nights are up you can come rebook if need be. You would still stay in the room you originally booked in so don't worry about having to switch. You also will only have to pay a deposit once, not each time. Sorry I know that was a lot but with the new system we switched to it's just easier. I do apologize if that causes any problems."

"No, no problems that works out well actually." I reply truthfully. While it wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, it was a good amount of time to get my head in order to make an actual plan. I couldn't keep winging it like I was doing. "Great so did you have a room in mind already or do you need me to go over which ones we have available for vacancy?" I shook my head and replied "No you don't need to go over that I was hoping to get one of your water view rooms if possible?" she nodded, turning her attention to the computer and after a few she turned back to me addressing me. "There are two left available. The first one is $200 a night and is located on the first floor. The second is $400 a night and is located on the top floor. Both include a bathroom along with a queen size bed however the more expensive is more of a one bedroom apartment." My eyes widened slightly at that. "I-I'll do the more expensive one for 4 nights please". I reply and grab my wallet. "Of course. Your total will be $2085.89 due to the 30% deposit. Oh I'll also need your id as well for the transaction." I nod, handing her my card and id. Her eyes widened a bit as she read my idea but shook her head "Thanks, this shouldn't take too long."

She was right, it didn't take long not even five minutes later we were done and she was handing me my things along with my room key as she said "Okay sweetie you are all set and your room number is 5A. Is there anything else I can help you with?" I shake my head no "I think I am good for now thank you though." she nods but adds "Well if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me" She paused, eyes widening letting out a curse before continuing "I just realized I never actually gave you my name. I am so sorry I am normally not this unprofessional. Anyways my name is Tatum and as I was saying I and my husband or our employees we would be happy to assist if you do need anything". Laughing a bit I replied "It's all good I understand." and with that I headed outside to my truck.

I unlocked the truck hopping in grabbing the bag that had my snacks and drinks. I also made sure I didn't have anything else up here I needed to grab. Once I was certain I existed, the vehicle locked it up and headed toward the bed of my truck just as I was pulling out all of my luggage a voice startled me. I flinched and whipped around with wide eyes to see the same guy that was seated at the reception desk. I relaxed slightly as he was at a respectable distance but still on edge. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you but my wife had called me and mentioned you might need help with your luggage. She was going to come but she's not able to lift anything heavy at the moment." he replied slightly embarrassed. "Oh uhm" I started, about to decline but remembered all the luggage I had then continued "I actually could use the help if you are sure." He nodded so I opened up the bed of the truck and grabbed the little remote I left velcroed to the tailgate and pressed the button to make the cover go away.

I hopped into the bed of the truck where I could start handing him the luggage as it was all the way towards the back. However before I did that, turning to the guy I asked "So what's your name?" his eyes widened slightly and he chuckled a bit "My apologies seems my wife's unprofessionalism rubbed off on me as well. My name is Conner Jensen. Yours?"

"All good. It's kind of refreshing how normal you both act. My name's Illyria Emerys." His eyes widen as I say my name but shake it off. Huh weird Tatum did the same. I wonder what that's about. Whatever it is, it's probably not important. I mentally shrug and start handing him the luggage. There was nothing but silence as we worked and as we made our way towards the room. I then turned to him looking up to him and said "Thank you for helping with the luggage, you can just set down here and I'll bring them in." He did as I instructed and once done he looked down to me saying "No problem. I am sure my wife mentioned this but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. I hope you enjoy your stay." I nodded and he walked away. I then unlocked my room bringing in all the luggage.

When I finished I was debating on just going to sleep or taking a much needed shower. Shower then sleep as I probably wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't. With a huff I head to the bathroom and quickly shower and once done I forgo clothes and just wrap myself in the robe they had hanging on the door. Just as I was about to lay down my phone made a ding causing me to slightly jump not expecting any notifications. I grabbed it, unlocked it and saw that it was a reply to the application. How in the fuck do I already have a reply so soon. I just filled that out like maybe two hours ago. Whatever, I need sleep. I'll just deal with those thoughts along with the email when I wake. With that I climbed into the bed and drifted off to sleep. 

Okay dreamers that was the first chapter! What do you guys think? I feel it's a little boring but I also don't hate it. 

Also what do you guys think of me giving Tatum & Conner kids? I think I want them to have at least 1 but I also kinda want them to have twins as well. Idk what do you guys think. I also would need help with names and a face claim for the kid as well.