Hey everyone! I'm back after a loooong hiatus. Basically I've been real busy with university (lovin' it though!) and I briefly lost the passion for writing, but I'm making my return with this story. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review letting me know what you think!
Chapter 1
Vanellope crept to the edge of the Taffy Track, shielded by the licorice vines, where she had a good view of the leaderboard. It was the annual Sugar Rush Anniversary Race, commemorating the day Sugar Rush was plugged in. Every racer raced their hardest, because the pot was doubled and King Candy sat out the race as the guest of honor. Vanellope had come in hopes of getting her hands on a gold coin. "I only need one; just one and I can race!" she thought to herself. "Maybe Taffyta or Rancis will leave a few in their kart today." She waited impatiently as King Candy began his usual pre-race speech. He seemed more excited and jumpy than usual, grinning maniacally and rubbing his hands.
"Hello, loyal subjects! Have some candy!" he lisped, as the cheers of the game's denizens filled the air. "Today is a very special day; the 10th anniversary of the plugging in of Sugar Rush! For this race, the winner's pot has been doubled from my own pocket, so I hope all the racers have the motivation to race their best!"
Taffyta smirked arrogantly and waved to the crowd, signature lollipop in a corner of her mouth; she was the overwhelming favorite to win in the absence of King Candy's Royal Kart. Rancis slicked back his hair and winked to the camera; he was the only other racer with a real chance of victory. Hope and determination was etched across the faces of the other racers, in the knowledge that Jubileena had upset the odds two years ago.
"But before we begin, I have a special announcement. In conjunction with our 10th anniversary, I am launching a treasure hunt for all racers. Many of you already know of the menace to our game, the Glitch." A picture of Vanellope, captured from security cameras, flashed on the giant screen. Boos and whistles rang from the stands. King Candy made a calming gesture with his hands. "Do not worry, my subjects. I have a plan to eliminate her, and it will be televised live as a competition! I am placing a bounty of 100 gold coins on her head. The first racer to bring her to me shall win that treasure! The hunt will begin ten minutes after the race ends. The top five finishers will receive three non-lethal weapons of their choice as an advantage in this hunt. And without further ado, let the race begin!"
Vanellope gasped. "No…"
A smile curled across Taffyta's lips. "You'd better watch out, Glitch!"
Rancis nodded. "Prize money, here I come!"
King Candy enthusiastically yelled the countdown and flagged off the race. He settled back into his throne to watch, smiling to himself. "Hoo-hoo, you'd better watch out now, Glitch!"
Vanellope backed away from the track and started running, even as fear snaked its cold fingers around her chest. "I gotta get to Candy Cane Forest before the race ends." The little girl sped over the miles, spurred along by fear.
~o~
Taffyta smiled victoriously as she held the pot aloft. It had been a close race; with Rancis and Gloyd pushing her closely at times, but she had pulled away in the last lap to seal the win. King Candy approached her to congratulate her. "That was amazing, Taffyta! You're probably the best racer in this game, haha! Well, besides me, of course."
She flashed a sweet smile. "Thank you, King Candy, but I'm actually looking forward to the treasure hunt…"
"Oh, of course! That's the spirit!" Graham cracker guards stepped forward to confer with the top five finishers, as the marshmallows attached cameras onto the karts. While the guard was rummaging in the armory, she sidled over to Rancis and whispered, "You and me, together on the hunt? We'll split the reward when we find the Glitch."
Rancis thought for a moment and smiled, nodding in agreement. "We'll have to hurry, though. The Recolors have already formed an alliance, and Swizzle and Gloyd are working together. It won't be easy."
"Yeah, but they don't have the karts and the smarts that we do together!"
~o~
A couple of hours later, they arrived at Candy Cane Forest. "You really think she's here?" Rancis asked.
"Positive. I've seen here around here a few times. Also, think for a moment. It's the hardest place to negotiate on karts."
Rancis nodded. "Okay, so we go on foot, right?"
Taffyta thought for a moment. "We'll take one kart along, and disable the second. One of us can chase her on foot if she goes into tight thickets of trees."
Rancis offered, "My Kit Kart has higher control; it might be more useful in the Forest."
"Okay. Gimme a sec." Taffyta lifted Pink Lightning's hood, unplugged a couple of wires, and locked up her kart. She then slung a crossbow loaded with tranquilizer arrows over her shoulder and clipped a peppermint hunting knife to her belt. "Okay, let's go." She hopped into the Kit Kart and the duo rolled down the main trail of the Candy Cane Forest.
Half an hour into their search, they began to find traces of Vanellope's trail. A broken branch here; a shoe print there. Suddenly, Taffyta's ears pricked up. "Shut the kart's engine off!" she hissed. Rancis obeyed. They sat in the silence as a bird chirped in a nearby tree. Taffyta swung her gaze round sharply at a rustle in the undergrowth. She carefully unslung her crossbow and took aim. An arrow whistled towards the noise.
~o~
Vanellope was crouching under a bush, her heart thumping furiously against her chest. She had narrowly avoided discovery by Minty Zaki and Snowanna Rainbeau barely ten minutes ago. Now she heard an engine rumble nearby. "Is it them again?" she wondered. The engine noise died. Dare she chance a peek? Before she could make up her mind, an arrow flashed past her, embedding itself in the tree trunk next to her head. She glitched in panic.
That's Chapter 1! I'll be updating every three days (promise, pinky swear, cross my heart, etc.) =). Please leave a review and thanks for reading!
