Sports Candy?

Jade was cute, adorable even like most of the other dwarfers as children. She had a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and 'puppy fat' gave her a slightly rounded look. She was still, by far, the shortest there, only reaching up to Jay's shoulders. It made her look much younger than the others. The only thing ruining her features was the permenant scowl. Bad memories flooded back and her scowl deepened briefly.

"I miss my mummy." She mumbled. Looking about for anything healthy to eat. "There's nothing to eat here. Mum always said that I need to eat healthy." Jade grumbled.

"There's plenty to eat, look, up ahead you can eat those on the trees." Mary-Lou burbled. Trees covered in square sweets of various colours lined the road, intermingled with trees with round tops covered in sugar coated sweets (Round Trees... geddit? No? No one remembers that advert?). Jade followed the others to the factory to make cars, snatching a square sweet of a tree. She looked at it dubiously.

"It's a Starburst!" The overly excited sugar coated child said. Jade huffed and tossed it asside in a fit of pique. It rolled down the bank and lodged in the chocolate river running a short way below them.

"Opal Fruit." She grumped, annoyed at the incorrect naming and continued to stomp after the others.

Everyone was happy, smiling and laughing. Seeming to have forgotten why they were there. Much like in her childhood, Jade began to feel more and more isolated from the group, a black sheep in a field of white sheep.

"What's up Jade? Your smile has seemed to fade." Alex said, slowing to walk beside her. His child like face aglow with joy. Jade scowled. The irony was lost on her in her mood.

"Stop with the rhyming Alex." She said, not snapping at him, but not happy smiley Jade either.

"Aww. Grumpy! Don't be so frumpy!" He taunted, causing Jade to scowl more.

"Go away. Go and rhyme orange or something." She said stalking off to sit in a corner as everyone made cars. She tucked herself in behind some piping and waited. It had been so long since she had been a child. It was hard to adjust to again, the flood of petulent emotions raging around, conflicting with the need to cavort about and endulge the frivolous. Alex gamboled off to build his own kart. Jade sank deeper into her hiding place as they began to make fun of her by calling her names like Jade Blackjack. She sniffed and hudled up, pulling her knees up to her chest.

*****

It was quiet when Jade woke up, having dozed off in the small warm space. She peeped out, the room was empty. Tears sprung to her eyes and she choked back a sob. They had forgotten her. Left her behind deliberately. She shook her head and clung onto the tattered remains of feeling like an adult and took a deep breath. She skulked out of the hole and made a beeline for the nearest door marked exit.

Halfway there, she heard footsteps. Her childlike instincts kicked in and worried she would be caught she darted to one side and hid in a utility cupboard.

"It's all in readiness Masters." it was Treguards voice. "They are all on the race track, we can initiate any point once the race is underway. They will be bound by the game rules and unable to leave the tracks."

There was no audiable reply and Jade cowered in the dark away from the man. The crack in the doors letting in enough light to keep the monsters away. She shuffled and a box tumbled in the dark, bumping the doors open slightly more.

She heard him aproach, his heavy steps getting closer and closer. Her heart flittered in her chest and her limbs went numb with pins and needles. That sick feeling that you get when you know you are 'gonna get it' swam around her stomach. She clamped her hands around her mouth positive that her breathing was going to get her noticed. Yet still the heavy steps aproached. She fought down the urge to scream and run.

A big calloused hand snaked its fingers around the edge of the door, exerting a slight pressure on it the door began to open...

"Father! They are all ready! We jsut need you to start the race." It was the sickeningly sweet voice of Mary-Lou.

"Ah, ok my little peanut. I'll be right there." The hand left. Footsteps receeding away. Only then did Jade realise that she had been holding her breath. She let it out shuddering and gasped in some fresh oxygen. Peeping out, she saw the two walking away and softly began to follow them from the shadows.

<Tag!>