"Hey Felix, I bet I can hit the bullseye 3 out of 3 times."

"Oh yeah, Dodge? What kind of wager do you have in mind?"

Vanellope grinned at the friendly competition. As dark as their circumstances were, her grown-ups didn't let it taint the morale of the base. They also never excluded her or sugar-coated their situation just because she was a kid. She knew what was going on and what was at stake, and was secretly grateful for the inclusion.

Yeah, her grown-ups were pretty cool.

"Hey kid, what's up?" she heard Ralph say from behind her.

Vanellope twisted around, dropping the end of her hoodie lace from her mouth. "Dodge challenged Felix to a bow and arrow competition, and they even made wagers! My bet is on Felix."

Ralph furrowed his eyebrow, finding no one else in the vicinity. "Who're you betting with?"

Vanellope grinned. "Doi! You, blockhead!"

"Nu-uh," Ralph sliced a hand through the air, "I know better than to bet against Mr. Perfectionist."

"Awww, c'mon, Ralphie. Live a little. Dodge may surprise you."

"I'm good at being a spectator."

"Fine." Vanellope pouted for the better part of a second before craning to look around Ralph at his petite companion. "Hey Pauline!"

Pauline smiled. "How're you, Vanny?"

A few lines of small talk ensued before the attention was focused on the competition. A question from Ralph floated to Vanellope's ears, and an answer from Pauline followed. Vanellope glanced out of the corner of her peripheral vision as Ralph told Pauline to hang on. She hugged one of his blocky fingers as he lifted her up then sat her down gently on the metal barrel beside him.

Pauline giggled. "Why, thank you, kind sir."

Ralph followed with his own soft chuckle. "Your welcome, fair lady."

That little moment was the perfect example of their relationship. Where Felix and Sarge didn't hide their affection for one another, Ralph and Pauline were far more subtle about matters. They were never all mushy in front of people or shared a show-stopping kiss. Vanellope couldn't recall one instant where she caught Ralph and Pauline kissing on the lips; nothing really beyond a quick peck on the cheek.

A triumphant yelp rang out, snapping Vanellope out of her thoughts. Three arrows sat dead center on the target with Felix looking mighty proud of himself. The handyman and the turbo twin made their way over to the spectators.

"Hey Felix, how's Sarge doing?" Ralph asked as both 8-bit men shouldered their bows. "Kohut's been leading training ever since she had the incident."

"She's better," Felix answered, planting palms on his hips. There was something in the way his face contorted that Vanellope wondered what he wasn't sharing. "You know Tammy, she puts too much on her shoulders, and the stress wasn't good for her or the-" Felix paused suddenly, gritting his teeth in the obvious way of his when something was wrong, "-platoon."

The giant muttonhead didn't seem to notice Felix's odd pause as he continued the conversation. "I know this isn't exactly your thing, but some of us are getting together for a poker game tonight. Why don't you and Sarge join us? It'd be good for her to unwind."

"We may take you up on that offer. Thanks, brother."

"Poker night!" Vanellope exclaimed, glitching to Ralph's shoulder. "Sounds like fun!"

"No can do. You're not invited this time."

"Why not?"

"Because last time you kept dropping hints about who had the best hands."

"But that's the fun of it!"

"Sorry, kid. Grown-up night needs to stay for grown-ups. Why don't you and what's-her-face - Flamehead?"

"Candlehead."

"Yeah, why don't you and her have a little card game of your own?"

"You've met Candlehead, right? She may have a flame on her head, but she's not the brightest candle on the birthday cake."

"You only think that because you're too smart for your own good."

Try as she may to convince Ralph to let her join in, the big guy stayed firm. While the grown-ups were having their yippity-doo-dah good time, Vanellope was sitting across from Candlehead on her bed.

Her fellow Sugar Rush racer was brought into hiding several weeks ago after a rather messy ordeal involving the other racers. They'd basically used Candlehead as a punching bag, making it clear that the Sugar Rush kids were everything but sweet. Vanellope wondered how she could be cut from the same cloth as any of them.

"Do you have any 4s?"

Vanellope heaved a dramatic sigh, handing over the 4 of spades. "This blows."

"I'll give you back the 4 if it'll make you feel better."

Vanellope shook her head, and pushed away Candlehead's extending hand. "No, I mean, being stuck here!" She tossed her cards in the air, the rectangular papers fluttering down around them. "It's driving me crazy that I can't be behind the wheel."

She threw herself back on the bed. The last several months of hiding were like a whirlwind and a stagnant pool all in one; danger and bored mixed together to create a strange sense of existence. "My hands itch to hold the steering wheel again."

Candlehead's face popped into view over her. "You can," she said excitedly.

"How?" Vanellope pushed up on her elbows. "We can't go traipsing into Sugar Rush."

"Before I came here, I found a secret porthole in Sugar Rush! I'd use it to get away from the other racers when they, y'know-" Candlehead looked off to the side, rubbing her forearm.

Vanellope knew the feeling all too well, and a royal indignation burned inside toward those sour patch kids. "Are you sure no one else knows about it?"

Candlehead nodded. "We can sneak in, find some karts, and race on the outskirts where no one else will be."

Vanellope pushed her better judgement aside as sitting behind the wheel of a kart played in her mind. She'd have to sneak into Ralph's quarters to borrow his cloaking device. With a devilish grin, she decided, "Let's go."


"So, this big whoop-de-doo you want to show me is in the junkyard?"

"Trust me!" Candlehead pulled Vanellope along by the hand. "You're gonna love it!"

As they approached the peak of the hill that led to the junkyard, Candlehead threw her arms out as if presenting a prize on a gameshow. "Ta-da!"

Vanellope couldn't believe her eyes, and her mouth opened in a silent gasp. Parked in the middle of the junkyard was her kart; the very same kart her and Ralph made together. She glitched down the bank of the junkyard then jogged to her kart.

The biggest smile split her face as Vanellope gazed in awe at her most prized possession that she thought was gone forever. "I can't believe it," she murmured as Candlehead joined her. "King Candy didn't destroy it." She giggled in excitement, kissing the tire. "How I've missed you!"

"Reunited," said a voice that sent chills like fingernails crawling up Vanellope's back, "How sweet."

Panic flooded her as she spun around to find King Candy at the lip of the other hill, the donut cops standing on either side of him and several cy-bugs surrounding them. He sneered at her in delight, his eyes flashing an eerie tint of yellow. "Welcome back, glitch."

"Candlehead, come on!" Vanellope grabbed her friend's hand and tried pulling her into the kart, but Candlehead stayed put.

King Candy giggled, traipsing down the slope. "You did well, my dear girl. You brought the glitch right to me."

Vanellope turned wide-eyes on her friend, hurt thickening her words. "You sold me out?"

Tears were welling up in Candlehead's eyes. "I'm sorry, Vanellope. I didn't want to hurt you, but-" she gestured toward the tyrant who was now far too close for Vanellope's comfort, "it's King Candy! I can't disobey him!"

Vanellope felt the ground drop from under her. The Sugar Rush racers were under King Candy's reign for so long their allegiance to him was rooted in their code no matter how reformed they may have seemed after his fall from power.

She backed away slowly, darting her eyes about desperate to spot any kind of escape. She could glitch away, but she was sure King Candy already suspected she would and covered every possible move she'd make.

King Candy lifted arms over his head, the surrounding cy-bugs rising at his silent command. "There's no use in trying to escape," he taunted, the creepy image of Turbo flickering over his face, "Your mine, glitch."