Chapter 2

How did she find me?

As I lay slowly losing consciousness, dozens of questions went off at once in my mind. What was she doing here? How has she managed to survive? And- perhaps the most troubling- what made her choose to save me?

Me, of all people, who for fifteen long years had antagonized her into submission. In truth, I always regretted my actions, because deep down, I always sensed a part of her that simply wanted to belong with us. In the end, my own sense of belonging always won out- I would rather have the company of the other racers than hers. Of course, after everything that she did to our game, I'd take the company of those Bugs that nearly killed me over the Glitch, who now stands over me with a curious expression on her face.

Perhaps she sensed this, as she started to back away when my eyes locked onto hers. Yet at the same time, maybe over those years of bullying her, maybe she sensed my sympathetic side as well. As crazy as it sounds, I could almost swear before passing out that she spoke to me, saying, "Hey, are you alright?"

I don't have time to answer her question. I have a million more that I want answered too but I never get the chance to ask as the world around me goes black.

…

The first thing I'm aware of when I come to is the sharp pain in my arm. I glance at it weakly, then instinctively I tug at the needle that has been inserted into my elbow. But that only makes the pain in my arm worse and I jolt upright in agony, and that only makes the pain worse everywhere else.

I sink back into the bed I've been placed in, a battered, bruised mess. I take in my surroundings- I'm in a small room with lines of cots in rows, adjacent to a small door. Immediately I realize where I am- this must be the makeshift hospital in Game Central that was established for victims of the Bug fallout. But how did I end up here? Why didn't I end up dying? Those Bugs would have killed me for sure. And then the Glitch…

And that's when I remember everything. How she had been following me the whole time, how she destroyed the Bugs, how she looked at me face to face in those last brief moments of consciousness. The questions come floating back with the memories as well. But now that I'm here, now that I'm safe, one lingers more so than any of the others: could it be that she brought me here herself?

No, it couldn't be. Not the selfish Glitch of Sugar Rush. She would never do such a thing for anyone but herself. The idea was ridiculous- funny, even- and yet, I can't help but toy with the idea that that might have just happened.

My train of thought bombards me with a barrage of questions when suddenly, the door flings open, and a short stocky man in blue enters. I bolt upright again, and the pain floors me once more.

"Easy, easy!" the man says in a clear, reassuring voice. "We don't want you to exert yourself now, do we? Not after a Bug attack like that, no siree, no. I've never seen someone young as yourself walk away from an attack like that." There's a pause, and then the sensation of cold metal against my side. Instantly, a relieving feeling hits me as the pain drains from my arms. "You're a lucky gal, you know that?" the man inquires before glancing me in the eyes. As he does, his blue cap, emblazoned with two giant letter F's, falls off his face and lands in my lap. I try to reach for it, but my arms have turned to jelly.

"Oh don't worry, I got it," he tells me as he whips the cap off of my lap and twirls it in the air. The cap lands perfectly on his head. I can only watch as he pokes my body in various places with some kind of hammer. As if by magic, the pain goes away, but it leaves behind a lack of control of my arms and legs.

After a short while, the man withdraws his hammer. "Well I guess that oughta do it," he says cheerfully. "Looks like you'll be just fine. But you'll need to get some sleep before your strength comes back. You'll be cleared for release by then anyway. On your way out, just tell them Felix saw you. You're gonna be okay, I'm sure of it. You understand?"

I nod. But I don't understand. I want to know what motivated that Glitch to bring me back to safety. And after all that's happened, I'm definitely not sure of anything. The only thing I think I can be sure of as I drift into an uneasy sleep is that, somehow, Vanellope Von Schweetz just saved my life.

…

Tapper's used to be a favorite hangout of mine. Usually I was too busy racing or baking to go, however, so it was always a treat to take time off to explore the other worlds in the arcade. But Tapper's was always my favorite because it was where the characters from countless other worlds would congregate, and the bar room's big stage made it the best place to catch the arcade's best shows. Sometimes there'd be concerts, or contests, or minigames. Strange though it may seem, a 12-year old like myself could never get enough of Bingo night.

Every once in a while, though, there'd be a fighting match, complete with an onstage faux boxing ring. I never particularly cared for these- I'm never been a big fan of fighting. I believe that for every problem, every argument, there is always a diplomatic, peaceful way out.

So when I was last at Tapper's and there was a boxing match going on, I didn't think much of it then- I was just hoping to pass the time with a cherry colada. But after all that's happened recently, I remember that fight in full detail. It was between a new challenger in the ring, Striker (who at the time was fresh from saving the President from ninjas) and none other than the undisputed champion of the French division of the W.V.B.A., Glass Joe. With nothing better to do then sip on my colada, I decided to watch the match for a bit. Given Joe's 1-99 KO record, the fight wouldn't last long anyway.

I took a seat near the back of the bar. In front of me a pair of fighters from Street Fighter were bickering amongst themselves.

"You bet on him again?!" Cammy grumbled. "Bison, are you crazy? He's lost fifty times in a row now!"

"Exactly!" M. Bison sneered back. "Which will mean all the more money we'll make when he finally does win! This time, he's got it for sure!"

The bickering was beginning to get annoying, so I inched away from the two Street Fighters. And that's when I noticed him- all the way in the back of the bar by himself, gripping a root beer in his oversized hands.

I had never noticed him before. I knew of him from the other Bad-Anon members that came to the bar, always complaining about the requests to join them that he always turned down each time. Of course, if I knew what would happen to him in the coming weeks, I'd have surely warned him about how dangerous that Glitch was, that she couldn't be trusted. But that night, there was something in his face that suggested he needed someone to talk to, so I timidly approached him.

"Um… hello, Ralph," I stammered.

The 643-pound giant glanced down at me. "Oh, hey kid," he said flatly. "I've never seen you before. You got a name?"

"Jubileena," I answered nervously.

"Jubileena," he repeated. "I guess you must be one of those brats from that Sugar Rush game over by the Whac-a-mole."

"Yup, that's right," I said. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if-"

"You could cheer me up?" he finished. "Look, kid, I hate to sound rude, but I don't think there's anything that could cheer me up today. Thanks for trying, though, I guess."

"You're welcome," I said before walking away. I didn't understand why he could possibly be in such a bad mood. How ironic that I wouldn't understand until weeks later, until it was too late- for him.

I turned my attention back to the ring just in time to witness Striker land a KO blow on Glass Joe to win the fight. With the match over, the spectators- including a grumbling Bison- began filing out of the bar. For a moment, I watched a sullen Wreck-It Ralph take his leave, shuffling out of the bar dejectedly. I thought about following him, but he'd made his point- he wasn't after any company that night.

Instead, as the bar closed I watched Glass Joe get up after suffering yet another loss. Poor Joe, always a punching bag for up-and-coming opponents, always the first to hit the canvas. I always felt sorry for him. And in light of recent events, it's a safe bet that he didn't last very long when the Bugs first began their invasion.

…

And here I am now, staring at the sealed entrance to Tapper's, recalling that distant memory. I reach my hand to touch the portal, as if that would somehow bring back every happy memory from that place. I know it's a pointless gesture, of course. With the portal sealed off there's no way I could return there now.

Tapper's was among the first of the games in the arcade to be taken over, and Pac-Man, Frogger, and BurgerTime soon followed. Every day, it seems, the invasion hits a new game, and the portals are sealed away for safety. Of course, that's the least of our problems- we know it's only a matter of time before Mr. Litwak returns from his vacation, discovers his entire arcade has been sabotaged, and pulls the plug on every last game.

I decide I want nothing more to do with these memories, and head off. I'm not quite as up to speed as I once was since the Bug attack. But at least I can move around once more. I take in the sight of the overcrowded hovel that was once Game Central Station- filled with many now-homeless characters reduced to beggars- and wish, remembering that night at the bar, I could have stopped all this from happening. Suddenly I know what I need to do- I need to find Citrusella, and tell her everything that happened last night.

Jubileena Bing-Bing, the ever-caring cherry lover with a need for speed- that's what my code calls me, anyway. And what do I call myself? A gullible fool who, somehow, owes her very life to a mere Glitch.