K Through Twelve
Chapter One
K
Little Penelope stacked up the building blocks as she tried to envision the castle that was in her mind. Granny von Schweetz read her a story last night about a princess being held up in a castle no thanks to a ferocious dragon. The only thing that could save her was the daring prince.
Granny spoke funny and could only pronounce her name as 'Vanellope', though mommy and daddy explained to her that English wasn't her first language. She and grandfather were from Germany, and weren't from America. At times, they taught her German words, and when she heard them speak, she understood some of the sentences.
Penelope placed the last block at the top. There. Her creation was done. A frown was on her face though. It didn't even look like the castle in the book granny read to her. It looked more like a red bricked building, though that wasn't what she had in mind in the first place.
She wanted to start over.
Looking up from where she sat, a boy with fuzzy brown hair was in front of her.
"What's your name?" Penelope asked.
"Ralph," said the small boy. "I just got here."
"I'm Penelope. Everyone calls me Penny, or Vanellope."
"Whatcha makin'?"
"A castle," she replied.
"That doesn't look like a castle," Ralph said, looking at the ruby red bricks. "It doesn't even have flags, or those pointy towers..."
"I know..." a satisfied sigh left the small child.
After what seemed like forever, Ralph began to jump up and down.
"I'm gonna wreck it...!"
A crash of bricks was heard, wood toppling over one another as it rolled on the carpet. Penelope blinked. She could have wrecked it herself, but it was as if Ralph knew it was what she wanted all along.
The little boy picked up one of the blocks, feeling guilty for destroying Penny's creation.
"Wanna build another one?"
A smile was on Penny's face.
"Sure...!"