A/N: Hey guys, not to sound like I'm begging or desperate or anything, but I would really appreciate some feedback for this. It really helps motivate me to keep going, even if it's just a quick couple of positive words, it really does help. Anyway, thank you all for your continued support in reading this, I love you guys lol, enjoy!~
Chapter Ten
The fork Vanellope was just finished washing fell to the floor with a loud clatter. "She what?!"
Taffyta smirked at her. "I knew you would react this way. But yup, turns out you've got a younger, coded sister now. Your lonely nights in the castle are over!" She chimed in a sing-songy voice.
Vanellope's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean she doesn't have a place of her own? Where did she stay last night?"
"Turn around, glitch," Taffyta snickered teasingly. Vanellope turned to look over at the entrance to the kitchen, the one that led to her wing.
Standing hesitantly in the doorway to the kitchen was another female racer who looked to be around the same age as the rest of them, though she was supposedly supposed to be younger. She bore a small, questioning smile, though Vanellope could see past her timid exterior into the confident glimmer in her dark green eyes. Her mint green colored hair was pulled into a neat side ponytail with a few loose strands hanging loose on the other side of her face.
She wore white leggings and a white tank top with an unzipped sleeveless pink jacket and short pink skirt. Her gloves were white, along with the pair of goggles perched above her forehead. She looked ready for racing. Vanellope stopped her washing, slowly approaching the oddly familiar girl as Taffyta eagerly took her place to finish the clean up.
The brunette raised an eyebrow curiously, clenching her fists unknowingly at her sides. A thousand different emotions raced through her brain as she came to a stop a few feet in front of her kin. Confusion, shock, excitement, fear, anger, and a strange sense of familial bond all crowded in her mind, yelling their opinions rudely and forcefully as they tried to dictate her reaction. Pushing aside her emotions, she tried to keep a level head as she started to speak.
"W-who are you?" She asked, struggling to keep her distance as the strange urge to pull this stranger into an embrace overwhelmed her. But she planted her feet firmly to the floor, still unsure of what to make of this; she still questioned whether Taffyta's information was true.
"I'm Azalea," she breathed, slipping her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "Azalea Von Schweetz."
"So it is true?" Vanellope questioned, warily taking another step closer. "Y-you're really...my…" She trailed off, eyeing the girl inquisitively.
"Sister?" Azalea finished, smiling nervously at her code-related kin. "Yeah, it's true. I mean, just look." She held up her hands and gently glitched; hot, timid turquoise pixels jumped and twitched around her as she watched the expression on Vanellope's face slowly turned into that of wonder.
Without saying a word, the older gamer flung herself into the arms of her sister, burying her face onto her shoulder as Azalea's glitching briefly sent Vanellope's code twisting and bugging out tremorously, though she stopped a moment after, quickly wrapping her arms around her to return the embrace. "Sister," she whispered, her eyes watering and spilling over with tears of exuberance.
The word felt odd and foreign on Vanellope's tongue, like she didn't know quite what to do with it. She pulled herself away with a toothy grin and wiped the tears trailing down her cheeks. She saw that Azalea bore the same cheesy smile and her eyes glimmered threateningly as well, as if they were ready to start releasing the waterworks. "Welcome to Sugar Rush," she told her warmly, gripping her arms with a newfound certainty.
As the three made their way down to the track for the start of game day and settled into the group of racers waiting there, Vanellope experienced a realization. "Wait," she said, turning to Azalea. "You weren't at the roster race yesterday. You can't race today."
The light in the green-haired girl's eyes dimmed and she lowered her head, looking at the ground. Vanellope was going to turn to Taffyta for advice, but she had already started chattering with Candlehead and Rancis several yards away. Vanellope sighed, turning back to look at her sister uncertainly. "Well, I guess you could just race with us, to get used to the track. You just won't be playable, but I don't think it would hurt any."
The other girl brightened immediately, and nodded her head up and down enthusiastically. "Thanks, sis!" She chimed, bounding over to her cart excitedly. "Hey, come check out my cart!"
It was built almost identically to Vanellope's though it was slightly sharper with harsher edges and lines and was a frosty white color. It glimmered and shone under the sunlight, revealing it's beautiful coating of sugar that turned a million different colors under the light. In the dark it may have looked plain, considering this was the only detail, but out in the sun it came alive.
"What do you think?" She called as she pulled her goggles down over her eyes.
Vanellope smiled and stood with her hands on her hips, goggles loosely hung around her neck. She didn't really like racing with them; they were too constricting and blocked her vision a bit. She found that her sister's bright eyed enthusiasm and childish eagerness was endearing. I wonder if this is what Ralph thought of me when he met me. The role of older sister was suddenly becoming more appealing.
"Wow," she called out, "That's gorgeous, Lea!" The unintentional nickname stuck itself to her tongue, as if it was programmed to be there. She blinked in surprise at the gesture that felt purely made from habit, even though she had barely known this girl for an hour. "It looks like frosting!"
Nevertheless, Azalea didn't miss a beat. She grinned as wide as it seemed possible. "Thanks!" It was as if she was already accustomed to it.
I guess her code is already programmed with this information. It's how she was made; it's all she knows. I'm still having to take in all this new processing for myself and adapt to all the changes. Vanellope smiled and stood by the side of her car. The sound of a quarter alert rang out through their game, and she readied herself for the User's selection. All the thoughts of that morning were dismissed and the endless possibilities for change in her life filled her veins with determination. She lowered herself into her car and got prepared to drive.
Time to see what my so-called sister is made of.
The User picked Vanellope that time around, and as the race started, she zoomed easily into the lead, rocketing ahead of all the other racers. As they wound around Sugar Rush's tracks at ferocious speeds, their velocity carried them around sharp turns and through bumpy terrains. For the most part, the race carried on like usual and Vanellope didn't experience much difficulty keeping away from the competition.
That is, until the last stretch of the race, the brunette noticed a certain green-eyed smarty pulling up beside her, flashing a cocky smirk her way as the two came neck-and-neck. Azalea's mint green ponytail flew majestically in the wind, mimicking the sail of a boat. She pressed harder on her gas. However, Vanellope managed to glitch ahead of her slightly, but before she could even register what was happening, Lea glitched too and rammed her vehicle forcefully into the side of Vanellope's cart.
Eyes wide in fear of the User's reaction to her being thrown off the track, she quickly glitched herself back into place and throttled her gear into the most intense setting it had. Azalea's car was tottering slightly, and she struggled to turn herself the right direction and keep going.
Vanellope zoomed past her and through the finish line, leaping out of her car as it came to a stop and performing her signature victory dance half-heartedly for the player. She threw in an air kiss for dramatic effect.
As soon as the User finished and they all returned to starting positions, Vanellope marched towards Azalea's position on the track. Her steps were firm and furious, her glare fiery enough to smolder metal.
"Azalea," she said in a low, calm voice of steel as she stood on the other side of her sister's car. The younger racer looked sheepish but also exhilarated, her cheeks flushed from the wind and her eyes bright from the heart-pounding venture. "What in the name of Sugar Rush were you thinking?! If I had gone off the tracks just then and User recognized there was an unidentified racer messing up the game, they could easily get us unplugged!" By the end of her sentence she found herself shouting, fists clenched at her side. "And that was a dirty move anyway. If you want to earn the respect of the other racers, you can't do stuff like that!"
Azalea stared down at the ground in front of her, scuffing it with her foot. She tried to look humble, but something strange and unexplainable glinted in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, averting her gaze.
"Okay," Vanellope sighed. "Apology accepted, but look, for now you've gotta lay low. And you shouldn't try winning the races until you're actually on the roster. Either hang back some, or don't race today. Got it?"
Lea nodded, though she looked somewhat distressed. "Alright," Vanellope murmured, turning and walking back over to her car. "Come on, guys, back in your places! Nothing to spectate here!" She clapped her hands as the sound of her voice was drowned out by another quarter alert. "Move it, move it! Come on, let's go!" The rest of the racers reluctantly pulled themselves away from where they had clustered around Vanellope and her sister, treading back to their spots. Vanellope briefly wondered if this is what Calhoun felt like sometimes.
The rest of the game day went by normally; Thank User, Vanellope thought as she sat in her car, exhausted from the long, tiring races. The gamers seemed to have chosen her even more than usual. Maybe they're really liking my upgrade design. She wearily climbed out of her car as a familiar group of racers approached. Candlehead, Rancis, and Taffyta all encircled her, while she noticed Azalea hanging back beside her cart. The girl glanced nervously over at them before kneeling down to work with something in her vehicle.
"Maybe we should go bring her over?" Candlehead suggested, her brow furrowing with concern as she looked at the racer sitting all by herself. "She could probably use some good friends to show her the ropes around here."
Vanellope glanced over at her. "Alright," she sighed. "Why don't we all go to the castle to hang out? I think Ralph is coming over here today." She noticed Taffyta and Candlehead share a knowing look, and exasperated, she barked, "Okay, what is it? Spit it out."
"It's just," Candlehead started timidly, though there was a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "Well, you've been seeing a lot of Ralph lately. And you know, ever since the update...things are bound to get complicated."
"So?" She complained defensively, crossing her arms. "We hang out with Rancis all the time! Does that mean it's gonna get complicated with him? For all of us? Cause that sounds very complicated."
The blonde racer blushed deeply, opening his mouth in shock. He glanced warily between the three girls, deciding to sit this one out.
"Come on," Taffyta urged, slyly tugging on Vanellope's hoodie with a playful wink. "Let's go back to the castle. Wouldn't wanna keep Ralphie-poo waiting." Vanellope groaned, throwing up her arms as they went to collect Azalea and drive back to the castle.
The five racers settled down into the kitchen as usual, lounging around at the counters and chatting casually. Azalea remained fairly quiet, though Vanellope noticed her eyes were constantly flitting between everyone else; she appeared to be quite the observer. After a few minutes though, she began piping up more, and easily impressing Rancis, Taffyta, and Candlehead with her easy, snarky humor and lighthearted comments.
Vanellope continued participating in the conversation, though as she watched her new sister begin to situate herself amongst the group of friends, something in the pit of her stomach felt uneasy. I suppose I have no reason to feel like this. She's been perfectly normal. She's a good girl. Yet...why do I get this weird feeling that something's not right?
Several loud knocks on the door signaled her long-awaited guest. She started scurrying towards the main hall, with Lea trailing happily behind. "I'm coming too!" She announced. Vanellope looked over her shoulder at her, her face unreactive. Rancis, Taffyta, and Candlehead exchanged amused glances.
Nevertheless, Vanellope hastily opened the front doors and greeted Ralph with a toothy grin. "Sure took ya long enough, Stinkbrain," she greeted playfully, stepping aside to let him in.
"Yeah, well, you don't…" He trailed off when he noticed the new girl. "Who's this?" He questioned, gesturing towards Azalea with his arm.
Vanellope opened her mouth to answer, but her sister beat her to it. "The name's Azalea," she responded with a cheeky grin, reaching her hand out to Ralph. "But you can call me Lea, handsome."
Vanellope's face flushed instantly and she stared at the two warily, her brow furrowing deeper than it ever had before.
"Wow," Ralph laughed, taking Lea's hand and shaking it gently. He turned towards Vanellope. "Why can't you act more like little miss sugar over here; all your nicknames for me are just insults."
She gaped at him, all words flying out of her head as her face turned a deeper scarlet. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ground, not knowing how to react.
"I'm Vanny's sister," Lea continued, still beaming.
The brunette glared at her through glistening eyes. "I never said you could call me that," she fumed. "My name is Vanellope, short-stop, don't forget it." Before either gamer could respond to what she had said, she stormed loudly out of the room, her footsteps pounding into the kitchen.
The trio still waiting inside looked up at her in alarm. "A-are you okay, Van?" Candlehead queried, her brow furrowing in concern. "What's wrong?"
Vanellope sat down on a stool between her and Taffyta with a sigh, letting her face slump down into her hands. "Nothing," she mumbled. "I'm fine."
"Wooaaahhh," Taffyta exclaimed, throwing a look towards the doorway. "Are Ralph and Azalea out there on their own?"
"Don't remind me," Vanellope replied, face sinking deeper into her hands as her shoulders slouched desolutely.
"Was she hitting on him?" Taffyta prodded, trying to meet Vanellope's eyes. "Did she seriously risk your wrath by flirting with your man?"
"He's not my man!" Vanellope insisted, sitting up straight and throwing her hands up in the air. She brought them back down hard to the counter. "But yes," she added, quieter.
Taffyta hissed in a breath. "Ouch."
"I'm sure if you talked to her about it, she'd understand," Rancis offered, eyeing his friend with a searching gaze.
"Yeah, if they end up alone in a room together, I'm not sure Vanellope will give her a chance to understand. She may come out of it missing a hand," Taffyta joked, nudging her brunette friend with her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm just beginning to think this whole sister thing wasn't a good idea," Vanellope muttered, staring down at the counter.
"Hey," Taffyta eased. "Code-sister or not, we're your family first. We'll always have your back." Vanellope met the gazes of her three best friends in Sugar Rush.
"Thanks guys," she murmured. "I love you." The three quickly crowded her in a jostling group hug, and once again the kitchen was filled with laughter.