When the group reached the top of the stairs, they slowly approached the door. "Taking... breaking... nobody takes or breaks my pretty things..." Lily Lovebraids said.
Soon after, the group heard something shatter on the other side, which shocked them. Michelle turned her head to the group before they nodded, which made her nod as she approached the door and grabbed the doorknob before twisting it.
Michelle carefully opened the door and poked her head out of the opening before looking around with the flashlight. "Clear..." she whispered before opening it completely and stepping forward.
As the group reached the opening, Michelle heard Glowby make an alert sound, which made her look at it before pressing the green button twice, switching the flashlight to the blacklight.
When Michelle aimed at the ground, she saw glowing purple hair strands on the ground leading toward the door before approaching it. When Michelle was close to the door, she grabbed the doorknob before twisting it.
Michelle slowly opened the door and poked her head out before looking around the living room with the blacklight. "This area is clear too..." she whispered before opening it.
As the group entered the living room, they heard humming coming from the dining room door, which made them look at it. "She's humming my song..." Poppy whispered.
Michelle turned to the group. "Alright, Doey and I will take the lead," she whispered. "The rest of you make sure Poppy and Kissy are covered."
The group nodded as Kissy Missy lowered down until she placed her hands on the ground and Poppy got on her back. "Remember... no matter what happens, remain calm at all times," Michelle continued.
Michelle pointed at Doey. "Especially you..." she whispered. "Since we've been out of her sight the longest, she'll target us, and she might do something that you won't like."
Doey stared at Michelle before looking away. "I'll... try..." he whispered.
Michelle slightly smiled at Doey before approaching the door. "Well then... let's get started..." she whispered, which made the group nod before following her.
When Michelle was close to the door, she placed her hand on the doorknob before twisting it. Michelle carefully opened the door and poked her head out before turning her head to the right.
When Michelle turned her head to the left, three purple claws grabbed the door, which made her eyes widen. Michelle quickly let go of the doorknob and backed away as the group heard Lily Lovebraids's laugh before her braided hair slammed the door open.
Before Michelle could do anything, a different braided hair wrapped around her before she was pulled out of the living room, which made the group's eyes widen. "Misha!" most of them shouted.
Michelle gritted her teeth as she was lifted in the air. "There you are, Braid Buddy!" Lily Lovebraids shouted.
Michelle looked forward and saw Lily Lovebraids sitting on the railing holding Candy Cat's head in her hands. "I've been looking everywhere for you and Doey," she continued. "You know, I didn't think you two would be so bored with little Tilly-Lily that you would call me a Boring Betty..."
Lily Lovebraids brought the hair holding Michelle close to her face before her eyes became slightly bloodshot, which made her flinch a bit. "Not only that... you two have been very Naughty Nancies for going in other people's rooms..." she said.
The group quickly entered the dining room, and most of them glared at Lily Lovebraids. "You...!" Doey shouted.
Lily Lovebraids turned her head to the group with slightly bloodshot eyes. "Though it makes me wonder... was it only you two that called me a Boring Betty, or did the others think that as well?" she asked aloud. "Maybe I should put all of you in the bad toy box..."
Before the group did anything, Michelle looked at Lily Lovebraids. "Wait, Lily," she said, which made her look at her. "I'm sorry about my impatience... you know how I get if I wait for too long... I become an Antsy Angie."
Lily Lovebraids eyed Michelle. "All I wanted to do was explore the place," she continued. "Doey wanted to join me as well; I asked if the others wanted to come, but they refused."
Michelle bowed her head. "I didn't think there was any harm to that... please don't punish them for our mistakes..." she said.
As Lily Lovebraids stared at Michelle, her braided hair held Candy Cat's head before it got close to her face. "They might be planning something; I wouldn't trust them..." she said in a lower-pitch voice.
Lily Lovebraids looked at Candy Cat with a low hum. "I don't know, Candy... you could be right..." she said, lowly, before looking down. "But I want to believe my friends..."
Michelle thought of something before looking at Lily Lovebraids. "How about a game?" she asked, which made her look at her. "Doey and I will play whatever game you choose, and the loser will have to apologize to the winner. How does that sound?"
Lily Lovebraids hummed in thought before her eyes returned to normal, and she smiled at Michelle. "That sounds fun!" she shouted.
Michelle smiled at Lily Lovebraids. "So then you'll—" she held one finger up, which made her stop in surprise. "But..."
Soon after, Lily Lovebraids pointed at Katelynn, which shocked the group. "I'll only play the game if she joins you two as well," she continued.
Michelle stared at Katelynn, mortified, before turning her head to Lily Lovebraids. "But... why her?" she asked.
Lily Lovebraids sternly looked at Michelle and pointed at the front door. "Suzy told me that you and Doey were having a picnic, but I saw nothing when I was outside," she said. "She was responsible for making me search everywhere..."
Michelle glanced at the front door and noticed purple braided hair covering it. "Lying to your friends... lying for your friends... that's no good; no good at all," Lily Lovebraids continued. "And you know how much I hate a Lying Lynda..."
Doey menacingly glared at Lily Lovebraids, growling and his body boiling. "You son of a—" he was interrupted when Katelynn placed her hand on his shoulder, which surprised him, and his body stopped boiling before looking at her. "That's fine by me."
The group looked at Katelynn as she placed her left fist against her chest. "I'll take full responsibility for my lies..." she continued. "And if playing this game will help me atone for them... then so be it."
Lily Lovebraids smiled at Katelynn. "Excellent," she said as the braided hair holding Michelle lowered toward the front door before letting go of her, which made her land on the ground. "Now about the game... upstairs there's a sweet little Nursery."
Doey and Katelynn approached Michelle. "When I sing a pretty song, you can walk there..." Lily Lovebraids continued before looking at the trio and placing her hands against her hips. "But when I'm quiet, you have to stop..."
Michelle was worried. So it's like Statues, but the lights are permanently off... she thought before pointing Glowby's blacklight at the ground, revealing a pathway made out of glowing purple hair strands. This purple hair will help us...
Lily Lovebraids looked at the group. "Those who aren't participating can wait at the Nursery," she said.
The group sternly looked at Lily Lovebraids before they approached the stairs. As Michelle glanced at the group, she saw Poppy mouth the words 'Good luck', which made her nod, before they climbed the stairs.
When the group was out of sight, Lily Lovebraids smiled before standing on the railing. "Follow the path to the prize," she said.
The group looked at Lily Lovebraids as she jumped forward before landing on the ground, revealing glowing purple hair, glowing green eyes, glowing matching colored teeth, and the stars on her suspenders and socks glowed chartreuse.
Lily Lovebraids turned to the trio. "Remember, no cheating," she said before sternly looking at them. "If you three become Cheating Charlies, I'll get very angry..."
Michelle nodded before turning her head to the duo. "Let's do it," she said, which made them nod.
Lily Lovebraids smiled before she started humming Itsy Bitsy Spider; the trio sprinted on the glowing pathway, which made her follow them. When the trio was near the dining table, Lily Lovebraids looked at them. "Red light!" she shouted.
The trio quickly stopped, which made Lily Lovebraids smile and clap her hands. "You're doing greeeeeeat!" she shouted.
Doey growled a bit, annoyed. "This is stupid..." he whispered.
Katelynn shushed Doey. "Careful... she might hear you..." she whispered.
Lily Lovebraids started humming Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and walked forward, which made the trio sprint forward.
When the trio was near the openings, they noticed the hair strands were on the walls and roof before they sprinted to the left and went through the other opening. When the trio was near the stairs, Lily Lovebraids looked at them. "Stop!" she shouted.
The trio quickly stopped. "Follow the path, and you might win. And if you win... you just might get the priiiiiize!" Lily Lovebraids shouted before laughing.
Lily Lovebraids started humming Poppy's song and walked forward, which made the trio quickly climb the stairs to the upper floor. When the trio was near the double doors, Lily Lovebraids looked up. "Stop!" she shouted.
The trio quickly stopped. "Again! Again!" Lily Lovebraids shouted before letting out a crazy giggle.
Doey let out a frustrated huff. "This would be so much easier if we could just kill her..." he whispered.
Michelle sighed. "Whether we like it or not, her knowledge about the Prototype and the orphans is valuable..." she whispered. "Therefore, it's important to keep her alive..."
The duo looked at Michelle. "Let's just continue moving forward and—" she was interrupted when Lily Lovebraids started humming her lullaby, which made the trio's eyes widen.
Michelle turned her head to the stairs, mortified, as Lily Lovebraids approached them. "My lullaby... does that mean she..." she said, lowly.
Katelynn looked at Michelle before placing her hands on her shoulders, which made her look at her. "We can figure that out later, Big Sister; we have to—" she was interrupted when Lily Lovebraids stood near the stairs. "Red light!"
Lily Lovebraids looked at the stairs and noticed the trio was staying still, which made her angrily pout. "Hey, you have to move," she said. "It's against the rules not to..."
Michelle flinched a bit before gently tapping her hands against her cheeks. "Right, that's our bad..." she said before looking at the duo. "Let's continue playing."
The duo stared at Lily Lovebraids before nodding, and Katelynn pulled her hands away from Michelle's shoulders. "Great!" she shouted before placing her finger against her cheek in thought. "Now where was I..."
Lily Lovebraids remembered and smiled. "Oh yeah!" she shouted before she started humming Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and climbed the stairs, which made the trio sprint on the pathway.
When the trio turned left, Katelynn grabbed the doorknob and twisted it before opening the door. As the trio entered the room, Lily Lovebraids reached the top of the stairs. "Stop!" she shouted.
The trio quickly stopped. "THIS IS SO MUCH FUN, ISN'T IT?! LET'S PICK UP THE PACE A BIT, SHALL WE?! KEEP IT UP, AND YOU'LL WIN..." Lily Lovebraids shouted before making a drum-rolling noise. "THE GRAND PRIZE!!"
Michelle gritted her teeth, and the duo growled as Lily Lovebraids laughed. "She's getting desperate now..." she whispered. "I never cheated on Mommy's games, and I'm not finding out what she'll do when we cheat..."
Lily Lovebraids started humming Itsy Bitsy Spider at a faster pace while walking quickly, which made the trio sprint on the pathway.
When the trio was near the cracked glass, Doey covered Michelle with his right hand while enlarging his left fist before punching the glass, shattering it to pieces. As Doey shrank his left fist, Lily Lovebraids stood near the opening. "Stop!" she shouted.
The trio stayed still. "Well, look at YOU! You're all little Winning Wendy's," Lily Lovebraids said before giggling a bit. "I wonder for how long..."
Lily Lovebraids started humming Poppy's song at a faster pace and quickly entered the room, which made the trio quickly go through the opening. As Katelynn grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, Lily Lovebraids looked at the trio. "Stop!" she shouted.
As the trio stayed still, Lily Lovebraids had a creepy smile. "I'm getting closer..." she said.
Lily Lovebraids started humming Michelle's lullaby at a faster pace and quickly walked forward, which made the trio sprint out of the room and follow the pathway. When the trio was near the open attic's hatch, they heard a voice. "The others made an opening; hurry..." Poppy whispered.
Doey picked Michelle up before he and Katelynn shot their arms at the roof, which made them stick in place before they pulled themselves up. "NO NO NO! You can't leave!" Lily Lovebraids shouted. "The party hasn't even started!!"
After the duo landed on the ground, Doey placed Michelle on the ground. The trio looked forward and saw the group near the makeshift ramp with a large opening next to it. "Alright, let's get out of here," Michelle said.
CatNap looked at Michelle as the trio approached them. "What should we do about Lily?" he asked.
Michelle looked at CatNap as she pressed the green button, turning Glowby's blacklight off. "We'll spare her life," she said, which shocked the group. "She may be on the Prototype's side, but I doubt she's that stupid to follow us outside Sweet Street since it'll only anger him."
Mommy Long Legs looked at Michelle, concerned. "While you may be right, I fear she'll just follow us through the vents," she said.
As Lily Lovebraids approached the hatch, she heard a voice. "Look, Lily isn't important anymore; right now, we should get Poppy and Kissy out of this place," Michelle said.
Lily Lovebraids stared at the opening, frozen. "I'm not important..." she said, lowly, before looking down. "She also said Poppy... does that mean she... and the others..."
The braided hair holding Candy Cat's head got close to Lily Lovebraids. "They're all Lying Lynda's... rotten to their core..." she said in a lower-pitch voice. "I told you we couldn't trust them..."
Lily Lovebraids clenched her fists. "Poppy, Poppy, Poppy; it's always about her..." she said, lowly, before looking at the opening with slightly bloodshot eyes.
Michelle looked at the group. "C'mon, let's get out of this place," she said before looking at Katelynn. "Katie, you take the lead."
Katelynn nodded. "Right," she said as she approached the makeshift ramp.
As Katelynn climbed the makeshift ramp, Poppy looked at Michelle. "Listen, Misha, there's something really important I need to tell you," she said.
Michelle annoyingly sighed and shook her head. "Can't it wait until we're out of this place? We've got more important things to do than—" Poppy interrupted her. "It's about your parents; I knew them."
The group froze while Michelle's eyes widened before she turned her head to Poppy. "How do you know them?" she asked.
Poppy was hesitant and looked down, which angered Michelle. "Tell me! How do you—" she was interrupted when purple braided hair wrapped around her ankle before pulling her, which made her yell before hitting the ground with a grunt.
The group's eyes widened as Michelle was lifted in the air by her ankle. "Big Sister?!" Katelynn shouted before jumping off the makeshift ramp and landing on the ground.
The group saw Lily Lovebraids emerge from the shadows before glaring at them with slightly bloodshot eyes. "You're all just a bunch of bad toys..." she said.
Before the group could do anything, Lily Lovebraids's braided hair holding Michelle's ankle coiled around her until it lightly wrapped around her neck, which made them flinch and stay still.
Lily Lovebraids made the hair holding Michelle turn to her. "But I think you're the worst of them all..." she said. "You're supposed to be my Braid Buddy, but all you've done is lie and break my heart..."
Michelle was worried as the braided hair holding her brought her close to Lily Lovebraids's face. "So consider our friendship over..." she continued before looking at the group. "Now then..."
Multiple braids came out of Lily Lovebraids's hair before they shot forward and wrapped around the group, which made most of them grunt before they all started struggling. "It's time to return to the dining room," she said. "You wouldn't want to miss the Tea Party!!"
Michelle struggled as the hair holding her started covering her completely. "No, NO!" Poppy shouted before she was muffled.
Soon after, Michelle's vision started darkening as she started struggling less. Damn it... this isn't... good... she thought before she fell to unconsciousness.