Chapter 7
RJ
Vanellope leaps onto my shoulder and we trek into the forest, leaving Ralph and Felix by the clearing. As I walk, I let out a small sigh, glad to be out of sight from both of them for a short while.
The forest is quiet, apart from the soft thudding of my footsteps. I keep my eyes peeled to the ground, not only to avoid the cracks and fallen trees lying on the ground, but also to avoid eye contact with Vanellope. I figure if I look innocent enough, then no one will suspect me for anything, and that they will accept me for everything. Also, Vanellope always seems to successfully pierce my amour with her questions, coaxing me to tell them more about my secret past.
"Hey RJ!" The girl on my shoulder chirps out.
I suck in my breath. Great. "What, Vanellope?" I ask back, praying that it won't involve me blurting more about myself to her.
"What do you think Stinkbrain and Mr. Hammerin' are now talking about?"
"Don't really know." I half-lie. Judging from the way Felix looked at me back at the clearing, and his alarmed expression when he was talking, I kinda have a feeling of what Felix is about to tell Ralph, and…I'm pretty sure that I am involved. But really, it's just a guess.
"Wait, so you don't know?" Vanellope has now jumped down from my shoulder and is standing in front of me, her arms on her hips. Man! This kid's really sassy.
"No, I really don't know what they're talking about!" I reply, stretching out both my arms for emphasis. "Why do you care so much anyhoo?"
"Well, yeah, you're right; it is none of my business." Vanellope says, her eyes twinkling "but that doesn't mean we can go and see what they're saying..."
It then smacks me. Hard: she wants to go and eavesdrop on what Ralph and Felix are discussing about.
"What?! That's rude, kid." I practically yell at her at implanting such a thought in my head. But to be honest, I am quite curious to hear what they are saying, so as to hear if they are really talking about me.
'Cause if they are, I might be in deep trouble.
"Well, it's not rude if they don't bust us out…" Vanellope taunts me. The tempting feeling is back again, and I find myself nearly impossible to resist the incredible urge to go and listen on Ralph and Felix.
"…okay." I let the word roll out of my mouth. "So…where could we go and spy on them?"
"Well, there are a lot of trees near the clearing, and quite a few bushes, so…" Vanellope looks at me again, "wanna go?"
I look back at her and smile. "Let's do it."
Ralph
"…wait. What do you mean, RJ is behind all of this?" I half-ask, half-yell at Felix after listening to his 'explanation' on RJ and the earthquakes.
"Calm down, bro!" Felix calls back at me "it's just an assumption; it could be wrong."
"Assumption, muhssupmtion, I don't freaking care; you're just trying to get rid of RJ, that's all." I mutter and look away, crossing my arms over my chest. I know it. From the moment RJ was unlocked, Felix has been looking at him in, what can I say, in a different way; and by different, I do not mean good.
"No I'm not!" Felix shoots back at me "I want RJ to stay in the game as much as you do. I'm just…wary, afraid that we do not know much about him before making such a choice. Remember what happened last time you went AWOL? We almost got unplugged!"
"Okay, okay! So I screwed up back then, but what evidence do you hold to support your so-called theory here?"
"Like…have you noticed earthquakes happening in our game before?" He questions me.
I think back hard. "No," I admit "but our game's almost 33 years old, maybe the coding just…"
"Oh, and do you remember anything about RJ from your backstory? Because I don't." Felix finishes.
I freeze in my tracks; now that is something I have not expected to come from Felix. But, not wanting to lose the challenge to Felix, I turn away and start to dig through my memories.
I have not accessed my memories in decades, partly because it contains some scenes when I felt, out of all emotions, proud, to be a wrecker: it makes me wince just to think about it now. Swatting that particular memory away, I reach down and try to tug up more memories, memories that I don't know that I have before…
After some time, I finally manage to recall my backstory from many, many years ago. I remember how my father used to run one of his giant fingers through my hair, how he laughed in a loud voice, how he taught me to destroy and become a true wrecker… How my mother used to hug me in her arms, how she sung lullabies to me every time before I slept, how I cried when she left us by her bed…
And…no. RJ was not there, not there at all.
"No," I find myself saying before I can stop myself, "I don't recall him at all. Strange." Despite what RJ said earlier, I can't deny what Felix is assuming may be truer than I think.
Felix nods, "you see what I mean? I'm just worried what we're getting ourselves into if we don't ask more questions. Look, Ralph; I really don't want to get unplugged this time."
"But…why would he lie to me, to us?" I ask. "Why, Felix?"
"You know, brother, 'people lie when they don't want to reveal the truth.' At least, that's what my dad always said back then." Felix replies.
"You do have a point. Yeah, let's go and-"I stop suddenly "Felix, did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" He asks, right as we hear another sound, the sound of a twig being snapped.
We both stop talking at that moment, trying to figure out what made the twig snap when I see it: a bright flash of green, and before I know it, the ground beneath me jerks up and I lose my footing, falling to the ground.
"Ow…" I moan as I get back up. I now see them: RJ and Vanellope, blending perfectly in the trees and bushes in their green clothes, obviously listening in to every bit of our conversation. I sigh, knowing that I have made a mistake by entrusting RJ to look after Vanellope.
"Hey, why are you too here?" Felix asks quickly, "shouldn't you be in the forest?"
"We're just, um…worried." Vanellope stammers "we want to see if you're okay and that, and…"
"That's enough." RJ snaps gruffly, his face thunderous. I feel my jaw drop open, for I have never heard such gruffness coming out from my brother before, contrasting his bubbly personality.
"RJ, I…"
"Please don't ask, Vanellope." RJ literally sweeps her towards me with his hand, and then he looks at both of us, his green eyes blazing dangerously like fire.
"What…did you just say earlier?" He asks us "are you saying that I'm a fake? That I'm not supposed to be here at all?!"
"No! We're not saying that, at all!" I say, moving into the space between RJ and Felix.
"Then…why did you just mention me?" RJ threatens me.
I gulp. Lie, Ralph, lie now! "We're just…you know…worried about you. Yeah, just worried."
RJ raises one eyebrow "Really, Ralph; really?!" He has now pressed one hand to my chest, and I know for certain if I say something wrong, he'll push me over, kill me even.
I chuckle nervously, hoping that RJ couldn't hear them. "For real, RJ, why would I lie to you?" Which, ironically, is exactly what I am doing to him…
RJ looks at me for a few more moments, then he releases his hand and snaps "I have nothing for you to worry about. Keep your noses out of my business, and I mean it." He then turns and stomps back into the forest, pushing a tree to the ground in the process.
For a while, the three of us just stand here, speechless at what just happened. After a while, Vanellope finally gingerly breaks the silence "um…I have to go back; we'll be racing soon."
"That's all right, kid, you can go." Felix pats her on the shoulder softly and she runs off, leaving just the two of us in the clearing.
"You are right, Felix," I let out, lowering my head, "RJ is hiding something. And he seems angry about us trying to find out what that is."
"I knew it." Felix says, and then he looks up at me, "so what do you want to do?"
A part of me wants to follow RJ into the woods, trying to talk to him; but at the same time, I don't think that would be a wise decision; I still don't fully know RJ yet.
"Let's just go and get prepped up for the day." I finally get out "maybe he'll snap out of it soon and come back out to join us."
"Good decision, brother." Felix says, and with that, we both leave the clearing and my brother behind.