Chapter Thirteen

Pair of Atoners

"I'm back, dear glitch!" King Candy said with an amiable smile on his face. He hopped over to the spot on the grass where Vanellope was standing. He came to a stop a few feet away and bowed mockingly.

"Oh, I'm forgetting!" he said, rising quickly. "You thtoped being princethth. Prethident too. You're nothing now but an ordinary racer…who finally got a proper kart."

Vanellope tried to move, but vines snaked out of the ground, twisting around her ankles and binding her in place. She clenched her fists furiously. "The old kart was great," she said. "It was…" She stopped, trying to hold back the tears.

"Go ahead," said King Candy. "Thay it. You prefer the old one. That dump. When your buddieth went to all that trouble to bake you a new one. Thome friend you are."

"It was my heart…"

King Candy's entire frame shook with laughter. "Oh, ah hah, hoo hoo! What a thchmaltzy thing to thay!" He stopped laughing. "You and I both know thith ithn't jutht the kart," he said. "There'th our dear departed monthter of a doctor to think of, and all hith wicked cohortth…"

"He wasn't a monster!" Vanellope cried, the tears finally sliding down her face.

"Change your mind tho thoon, glitch? Are you tho quick to forget what he did?"

At a gesture from King Candy, more vines sprang from the ground, wrapping around Vanellope's arms and stretching them out to her sides. King Candy hopped forward, unzipped her hoodie, and slid her shirt up far enough to expose a jagged scar just above her waist.

"The old brath knuckle woundth," he said. "A permanent reminder of what he did."

"And I'm still alive," Vanellope replied. "A permanent reminder of how he died." She sniffed. "How he died…because of me."

King Candy laughed again. He slowly ran his finger along the length of another scar- this one a jagged, six inch mark below her ribs on her left side. Vanellope winced at first, and then shrieked.

"Bowie knivth," said King Candy, withdrawing his finger and allowing her shirt to slide back down. "Dangerouth weaponth." He backed away a short distance from her.

"By the way," he said. "I think we both know that kart wathn't your heart. Elthe how would you thtill be thane?" He smirked. "No, your friendth are your heart. Lothe them, and you'll break. There'th no getting around it."

Vanellope stared dumbly at her old enemy. She had no comeback, no witty retort, no show of bravado to give. He was completely right.

She bowed her head. Her shoulders trembled; she began to cry softly.

Thorns grew out of the vines, piercing her flesh…

Vanellope's eyes snapped open. She sat up, only to realize her eyes were wet.

"Are you alright?" said a soft voice to her left. She turned to see Gale sitting beside her.

"You were crying just now," he said. "What happened? Bad dream?"

Vanellope glanced around at the others, who were all still asleep in other sections of the room. She looked back at Gale. "Yeah…a bad dream," she admitted.

Gale retrieved a small handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Vanellope. "Dry your eyes," he said.

When she had done so, he looked thoughtful. "If you'll pardon my saying, Vanellope," he said, "I think you're on edge."

Vanellope sighed. "I am," she said. "That's why I'm on this trip."

"That's pretty open of you," said Gale. "Do you trust me?"

"I'd like to," she replied.

"Share if you wish," Gale answered. "I'm not going anywhere- unless I spot something at the door of course." He positioned himself against the wall so that the door to the passage was within his line of sight.

"Thanks," said Vanellope, holding the handkerchief out to Gale.

Gale closed her fingers over the cloth and pushed her hand away gently. "Keep it," he said. "I've got others."

"I felt like I had to come," Vanellope said quietly. "I made a terrible mistake recently. Others' lives depended on my silence. And when the test came, I broke. I talked, and people died." She sighed once more. "Now Felix is in trouble, and I have to help find him. I just have to, or…"

"Or you won't be able to forgive yourself?"

Vanellope nodded.

"I think I can relate to that," said Gale. "You see, I've got to help you and your friends."

"Why's that?"

"My life is…complicated," said Gale. "But I'll tell you just enough for you to understand."

"Okay."

"Vanellope," Gale continued, "when you look at me, do you see someone who would do something really mean?"

"I…don't know," said Vanellope. "Felix always tells me not to judge people by their looks."

"Well you shouldn't," said Gale. "You see, there are some people who I really need to ask forgiveness from. I did some really mean things that hurt them very badly. But I can't bring myself to ask their forgiveness until I've done something to atone for what I did. I feel I have to help somebody do something good.'

'When I heard about Felix going missing, I saw my chance. I need to help you guys find your friend and get you back to your home safely. When I've done that, then I can go to these people I hurt and say I'm sorry."

Vanellope's thoughts turned to Dr. Despair's last moments. Again, she saw the sword pass through his breast, saw him collapse into the arms of Portia's henchmen.

"I knew a guy who did some really, really bad stuff," she said. "He really hurt me. But in the end, I think he turned out good. He saved me from SANG agents." She offered Gale a reassuring smile. "So whatever you did…maybe you can make up for it."

"Maybe I can," said Gale. "But I often wonder if these people will forgive me."

"I hope they do," said Vanellope.

"We'll see," Gale replied. "First, I need to see you and your friends through on your mission."

He stood up. "I've got to wake Sergeant Calhoun so she can take the next watch," he said. "Sleep now, Vanellope. And be at peace."

Vanellope lay down again and closed her eyes. Soon, she had drifted off, into a sleep blessedly free of nightmares.