A/N: Thanks to Agent BM, U-Madder and girlpandagreenlime for your reviews! Hope you continue to read this, and sorry it took me a while to update!

A/N: Don't own it:p

2- Beware of Falling Mentos

Vanelope looked around Diet Cola Mountain. She had stumbled on this place two days ago, the day she had tried to escape Sugar Rush. And for a Glitch who wasn't supposed to exist, she considered it a pretty cool find. And a pretty cool home, too.

Either way, Diet Cola Mountain would be her home now. It was alright, she supposed- though she hadn't gone near the boiling Diet Cola yet. But hey, now was a better time than any, so why not?

Vanelope approached the sign cautiously and read the faded words printed on it.

Diet Cola Hot Springs

Watch out for falling Mentos.

"Falling Mentos?" Vanelope asked in confusion. She looked up at the ceiling and saw several spits of round, white mints. Curious, she reached down and found a sugar cube. Then, with all the force she could muster, threw it high into te air.

The cube met its mark. A mentos was dislodged from the end of the longest spit and fell down, down, before landing in the cola. As soon as it hit the surface, the cola shot upwards, and Vanelope scrambled back just in time to avoid being splattered by hot cola.

Enjoying herself now, Vanelope grabbed several more sugar cubes and dislodged more Mentos. Each time she envisioned the mints as the same faces. Taffyda, King Candy. Taffyda, King Candy. Taffyda, King Candy- DIE!

As she thought this, seven mentos were dislodged at once. The ground shook and Vanelope fell, and rolled into a dip in the ground sheltered by a jawbreaker. Diet Cola splattered around her, some of it landing on Vanelope- the small girl cried out in pain. When the explosion was over, she bit her lip and tried desperately hard not to cry.

The lower half of her leg was burnt. Vanelope could see the red marks tinged with black through the hole in her trousers- also caused by the burn. She tried to move it, but a whimper escaped her lips.

Come on, Vanelope, she told herself, You can do this!

With this taught in mind she managed to use the jawbreaker to pull her to her feet. Then she hopped over to the place she had made her bed in and tore a strip from one of the sweet wrappers she used as a blanket. She bandaged up her leg, sniffling occasionally. Gosh, this hurt so bad.

Finally, she lay back, exhausted. Tears crept into her eyes, and she blinked furiously, trying to force them away.

Come on, Vanelope, don't let 'em see you cry.

Then she remembered she was all alone; there was nobody here. Nobody to care about her. Nobody to heal her. Nobody to help her.

Nobody to see her cry.

And with this thought in mind, she let the teas spill. They ran down her face as her whole body shook with misery.