The usually joyous Sunshine Club House is silent, empty. Mister Sunshine stands alone.
“They say it’s not what’s on the outside that counts, my little Sunbeams, but what’s on the inside.”
He smiles as if speaking to a room full of children.
“Do you like candy? Of course, you do. Everyone loves candy.”
He reveals a small, round ball in his palm.
“This is a jawbreaker. Bright, fun, full of flavor. One taste, and you want more.”
“But the more you suck on the jawbreaker, the more that vibrant coating fades. Before long, what was once thrilling becomes mundane, flavorless.”
He rolls the candy between his fingers.
“Eventually, all that’s left is a bland, lifeless lump. But you don’t spit it out, do you? No, you keep going, afraid that if you bite down, it’ll shatter your little teeth.”
His smile widens, empty now.
“And we can’t smile without teeth, can we Sunbeams?”
Silence. His expression darkens.
“You’re not here, are you? You’re off with Felix. He’s driven you away from me.”
His fingers tighten around the jawbreaker.
“Break his teeth.”
“Felix Foley is just like this jawbreaker.”
He turns the candy over in his palm.
“At first, he was dazzling, colourful and exciting. A beacon in Arcadia’s darkness. His Funhouse was everything Arcadia wanted.”
He rubs the surface with his thumb, revealing a deeper red.
“But then, another layer was exposed. That beacon showed the monster behind those Funhouse walls.”
Another rub. The red fades to metallic silver.
“He fought it, gathered his friends, tried to rid himself of his so-called curse. But he was doomed from the start. Yet he dove into that Odyssey Pool, thinking it would wash away his past.”
Another layer gone. The candy is nearly white now.
“But all his efforts were like trying to chew on a jawbreaker… useless. No matter how hard he tried, he always ended up haunted by one terrible daddy.”
Sunshine sighs.
“They say it’s what’s inside that matters. But the deeper we go, the clearer it is – there is no soft, gooey center inside Felix Foley.”
His fingers curl over the jawbreaker. A sudden crunch. When he opens his palm, only shattered fragments remain.
“What’s inside is already broken.”
“And the children… you’re all he has left.”
A smile flickers back across his lips.
“But needing you doesn’t make him worthy of you. That’s not love. That’s selfish.”
“I joined the Preservationists to protect you, Sunbeams. To keep you safe from whatever nasty monsters lurk behind that door.”
“For all the children gone astray or lost in this war, open your eyes. See the sunshine hidden behind the cloud that is Felix Foley.”
A serious expression passes over Sunshine.
“At Kaos, I’ll show Arcadia exactly what lies at the center of the jawbreaker. I’ll expose Felix Foley for what he truly is.”
His fingers uncurl, letting the candy’s remains scatter to the floor.
“Because sometimes, Sunbeams, you need to see how dark the clouds are before the sun can shine again.”
His smile returns, colder than before.
“And I’ll prove that jawbreakers just aren’t worth your time.”