"Wait, you actually got kidnapped?! And it was because of some diary?!" Sam shouts, the whisk in his hand coming to a stop. His wide eyes stare into your e/c ones. "I-I thought Min and Joy were just messing with me! Pulling my leg! Pranking me, y’know?”
"Yeahhhh, no. I actually got kidnapped." You laugh at his flabbergasted expression. "Don't worry, my brain still isn't able to process that either." Straightening your posture on the stool, you peer inside the mixing bowl. Oooh, whipped cream. With a smile on your face, you dip your finger inside, then you place it inside your mouth. Yum. Licking your lips, you eye a shocked Sam, who still hasn't recovered from your words. With a frown, the chef places a hand on your shoulder.
"Are you okay, [Name]?! Should I bake a cake so you can forget about it? What's your favorite flavor? I know you like strawberries. Wait, I know! I'll make you a strawberry shortcake! And I'll put on little sprinkles, decorate it with this whipped cream I’m whisking right now, and then write your name on it like it’s your birthday!”
You stare at him before throwing your head back and cackling, making sure to not fall off the wooden stool in the process.
"Pfft, Sam! I'm okay, really! I appreciate the imaginary strawberry shortcake though. Besides, I got to bitch-slap Kat two times. I would've done more, but I wouldn't want her to hold a grudge against me. The last thing I want is for my body to get dumped dead in a ditch somewhere." Although you give him a smile, Sam's frown doesn't disappear. Instead, he sighs, giving you a one-arm hug around your shoulder with his free arm. You happily lean into it, appreciating the warmth.
"Well...if you say so. It just sucks that on your third day here, you had to get kidnapped by some stinky smelly child." His face scrunches up and you hold back your laughter. It was nice to see Sam worried about you, but he did have a point. Not exactly the best start in another world.
But since then, you’ve been able to get four days of absolute peace! Well, only because Mayor Twix and Joy were so worried about you, they made you promise to stay inside the mansion for a week straight. It was a little excessive but you didn't really mind at first. But now — now you were getting bored. Plus a week without touching grass? You shuddered. This must’ve been the after effects of talking to Kat.
At least you got to binge the diary during your confinement, and now you kind of understood why Kat was so obsessed with it. Joe Seyfried constantly compared and contrasted Earth to Candy Land. He would rant about electronics, food, music, and basically anything he remembered from back home. Hell, he even mentioned microwaves. His ranting even intrigued you, a fellow human. The man had a special way with words. But speaking of Earth, your eyes light up.
"Wait, Sam! How's the hot chocolate going?" he stares at you, processing your words for a second.
"Hot chocolate? Oh! Are you talking about the..." his voice lowers down to a whisper, "...cure for the queen?" you laugh at his attempt to be secretive.
"Yeah, that one! I'm a little homesick because well, I've been in Candy Land for a whole week already." You sigh, placing your chin on your hand. “I miss being able to gorge on Hot Cheetos and binge TikToks all the time.” Sam gives you a sympathetic smile, though he clearly doesn’t understand what you just said.
"Don't worry [Name]! My cousin finally got all the ingredients we need. The hot chocolate’s been cooking since yesterday. Now, you just gotta wait like, um, another twenty-nine days? Haha."
"Hah, great. I don't know if I can endure another month here." You blow a loose hair strand out of your face. "I guess I don't really have a choice though."
Turning your head, your eyes glance around the kitchen. You're expecting to see something like a huge boiling pot on one of the kitchen stoves. But when you find that they're all empty, you turn back to the chef.
"Umm, do you know where it is?"
"The hot chocolate?" he smiles, "There's a special room at the end of this kitchen! That's where we're cooking it~"
You quickly stand up, cautiously walking over and peeking your head around the corner. And just like Sam said, there's a room at the very end of the hallway. Your eyes are instantly attracted to a flash of light, which belong to a silver lock with a number-based passcode on the door. You raise a brow.
Well, it did make sense that they would take proper safety measures. If this hot chocolate really was a cure for Queen Frost, you wouldn't want someone to steal it first. Not sure why anyone would, but it never hurts to be careful. Though, you're still confused why the recipe requires a teaspoon of your blood. Whatever, a small price for a way back to Earth!
Skipping back to the chef, you observe the sight in front of you. You find yourself absorbed, like you’re watching an episode of Master Chef. The way Sam’s hands skillfully whisked the cream left you in a trance. Here he was, going at 420 miles per hour and not even spilling a drop, yet whenever you helped your mom bake, the bowl would literally go flying. It even shattered your window once. You never heard the end of it from your mom afterwards. Curse you, chef prodigies.
"Man, watching you bake is like....an art itself." You mutter, surprising the caramel-eyed male.
"Huh?" he stops whisking, peering down at you with curious eyes. "Was...that a compliment, [Name]?"
"Oh, um, yeah! Sorry, I guess similes from Earth sound strange in this world." You clear your throat. "What I mean is: you're so skilled that it makes baking look effortless and even…beautiful? It's like when you watch a really talented artist draw and you just go wow! That's amazing! I could never do that in a million years." You smile sheepishly. "Sorry, I suck at explaining things." Sam's eyes widen.
"No no, I understand what you're saying! Thanks [Name]!” he gives you a flattered grin. "I still have a long way to go before I can match my sister though."
"Sister? You have a sister??" you quickly search your brain for any chocolate bars similar to Snicker's. Your first thought would've been Twix, but that was already ruled out. What other chocolate bars have caramel, nougat, and nuts though?
"Yeah! Her name is Ruth. She works as the head royal chef." You blink.
Ruth?
Wait... A lightbulb goes off in your head. Baby Ruth! A satisfied smile appears on your face. If there was one thing that kept entertaining you in this human-candy hybrid world, it was finding out the names of Candy Land residents. Sometimes they would be exactly like the actual chocolate bar or candy back on Earth. Other times, their names would be similar and even a play on words. Needless to say, it always amused you like some weird inside joke.
"Whoa, she works for the king? That's impressive! I can't believe you and your sister are both chef prodigies." You muse.
"Haha, yep. Part of the reason why I got into baking was actually because of my sister! She was the one who taught me almost all my skills, and she would be super strict with me when I would make a mistake. Ruth's older by nine years though, so I don't know why she had to be so mean to her younger brother!" He puffs out his cheeks like an angry hamster. You try your hardest not to laugh at the sight. "But for reference, I'm twenty! Almost a decade younger than her.”
A sharp pain in your chest makes you wince. You look down in shock. Was... was that jealousy? Okay, sure, you were a little envious of Sam for being a prodigy at only twenty, but feeling actual pain was strange. Shaking it off, you look back up.
"Wait, you're older than me by a year then! And you already have a proper job and everything...wow." Sam chuckles at your words.
"Oooo, you’re nineteen? Hmm… hey [Name]! Back on Earth, did you have a dream job you were working towards?"
Your eyes widen.
"Umm, yeah actually. It’s kinda stupid though... At least, that's what I’ve been told." His whisking comes to a halt. The chef stares at you with sparkling puppy dog eyes as sweat slowly forms on your forehead. You blink, waving your hands around. "No, really. It's pretty stupid." Despite your words, Sam's eyes don't stop sparkling. After losing a one minute staring contest with him, you sigh, giving in. "Okay, fine, just promise you won't judge me?”
"Yep! No judgement here. This is a judgement-free zone!” You chuckle at his words.
"I wanted to be a webtoon artist." Sam blinks.
"Webtoon artist?"
"Oh, wait, I forgot you guys don't have webtoons here. My bad." You pause, thinking of a way to convey your thoughts into words. "Okay...so a webtoon is basically a story told by various digital drawings. Digital means...never mind, I’m not even going to try to explain what that means. Or what the internet is. Maybe some other time. But there are characters and dialogue within these drawings. And then you post these drawings online, where anyone in the whole world can read it and give you feedback." You pause. Man, trying to explain anything back from Earth without the other party having an understanding of a computer or the internet was hard. "But, that's just my ideal job. Being a full-time artist can be really difficult. You could develop wrist or back pain from drawing all day. Plus, you need to blow up to be paid anything."
Sam's eyes widen in shock. "B-blow up?! [Name], are you talking about what I think you're talking about?!" you stare at him before laughing your ass off.
"No! Pfft!" you quickly elaborate. "By 'blow up', I mean go viral. Wait, you probably don't know what that means either." You desperately rack your head for an alternative. "Umm, in simpler terms, you need a lot of fans if you're going to be a webtoon artist as a full-time job."
For a second, you think that you've completely lost Sam in the middle of your ranting. He squints his eyes, bringing his hand up to his chin, mimicking the thinking emoji. You hold your breath, frowning. Then, a dazzling grin appears on his face and sweeps your worries away.
"Oooh, I understand now! Thanks [Name]!"
You sigh in relief. Phew. And then, he replaces your worries with surprise.
"I don't know who told you it was 'stupid', but a 'webtoon artist' sounds super cool! I think you should go for it! If you want to, of course!”
You blink.
That was... unexpected. Really unexpected, in fact. Whenever you brought up your dream job in any conversations back home, you were always expecting something along the lines of:
"That's cool, but it’s a dream job for a reason. It’s completely unrealistic." Or, "Would you be able to make enough money off of this? I don't want to discourage you, but maybe you should look for something else. A backup plan, you know?”
And your mom... well, let's not get started on her. You blink, looking back up and being greeted with warm golden eyes and a bright smile. You could feel your cheeks heating up. This was the first time someone fully supported you and your dream. And it took place in a different world, and was said by a humanized candy bar. Hah. You were still going to take it though. Sam was naively optimistic because he probably popped out the womb as a chef prodigy. On the other hand, you popped out as very much so the opposite. If only you could be reborn as one of those genius ten-year-olds who make hyper realistic god-like art. Then making a webtoon would be a cinch.
Despite your thoughts trying to snap you back to reality, your chest still feels warm. Very warm. As if someone took your heart out of its chamber and roasted it right over a fireplace like a marshmallow, then returned it to your chest. You cough into your fist, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Um, thanks Sam. I really appreciate it." He laughs, the sweet melodious sound making your cheeks grow hotter.
"No problemo! By the way, do you already have a story in mind for your webtoon?”
“Nope, not at the moment. I have a bunch of ideas I could use, but I’m still lacking a solid plot.”
”Oh! No worries, I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon.” He shoots you a hearty grin. “If you ever need help brainstorming, I’m always here!”
”…Thanks Sam.”
You turn away from the chef — who happily resumes whisking. Meanwhile, your cheeks are on fire after talking to him.
Okay. This was weird. You were way too flustered from Sam’s typical supportive behavior. He’s naturally nice, of course he’s going to say you should pursue your dream job. Wake up, bitch! You’re going home in about a month or so, therefore you can't crush on anyone here. Especially if they're a humanized chocolate bar. You take a few deep breaths in while Sam is still whisking next to you, completely oblivious to your entire inner struggle. You definitely need some fresh air, but with Twix, Min, and Joy patrolling the premises, that was going to be nearly impossible.
And then, you realize you had a wild card right in front of you this whole time.
"…Sam, could I ask for a favor?" he glances at you.
"Of course! What is it?" a playful look appears on his face, "Are you finally taking me up on that strawberry shortcake? How many sprinkles do you want?" you give him an amused look.
"Nope. Not today. Maybe tomorrow? Lots of sprinkles though." Quickly glancing around, you make sure a certain maid, mayor, or knight wasn't there. After seeing that the coast was clear, you turn back to face Sam. Putting on your best innocent expression, you open your mouth.
"Could you draw a map of the town for me?" he stares at you nonchalantly.
"Hmm? What for?" all of a sudden, Sam's eyes widen. "Oh my gosh...[Name]! Are—are you thinking of sneaking out?!" you immediately raise a finger to your lips, whipping your head back around to see the kitchen doors still closed. Thank the candy gods. Sam was usually slow, but when it came to these kinds of things, he would put two and two together way too fast.
"Whoops, sorry!" he whisper shouts. "But...I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that. I heard my cousin say you're only allowed to go out with an escort, for safety or something. I think it'll be fine if you go with Min or Joy though!"
"Umm, that's the thing. I've already tried that." You frown. "Even though she’s my personal maid, Joy is a lot busier these days with other stuff, so I would feel bad if I asked her. And Min, well, he's just gonna flat out reject me. Just like he did two days ago."
"I see..." Sam taps his chin quizzically. "I would love to go with you, but if any hungry customers enter the kitchen in the meantime, I'd be in big trouble."
However, seeing your sadden face, the chef pauses. Then, he places down his whisk and sighs.
"Aww, fine… Cheer up [Name]! I'll draw the map for you. Let me see if I have any pen and paper in these drawers first."
You shoot your head up, a massive grin appearing on your face. Out of everyone, you had a hunch that Sam was the easiest one to convince. Luckily for you, you were correct! Though, you weren't sure if he would find a pen and a sheet of paper in a literal kitchen.
"Found some!"
You laugh. Never mind. Leave it up to Sam to do the impossible.
After Sam drew up a map of the entire town (and emphasized Twix's mansion by outlining it in black pen several times), you wheezed and stuffed it into your pocket. Your dress surprisingly came with them.
The map looked like a fifth grader drew it, but it was still better than relying on your own sense of direction. And while you promised Sam that you would be back within an hour, you were pretty sure he wasn't going to count every single second. But before you could sneak out of the mansion, you realized you couldn't just waltz out the front doors. That’d be stupid.
And so, with the chef's advice, you sneaked your way out to the garden and managed to finesse the guards on duty. Then, you successfully made your way into town.
"Phew! Finally free!" you exclaim. The fresh crisp air felt amazing against your face, and the town of Candy Land looked extra gorgeous during evenings. Plus, the soft orangey rays of afternoon light made all the candy people look even more sparkly. As you took your time strolling, you realized something. Aside from one or two people glancing at you from time to time, you basically blended in with everyone! It was much different compared to your little outing with Min four days ago. You had a hunch that the knight's appearance was the main reason why everyone had stared at you two. Tsk tsk.
But now you were free at last, able to be alone with your thoughts for an hour or two. You obviously had to return before it was pitch black, but right now, you wanted to properly explore Candy Land. Your heart leaps in excitement and heat rises to your cheeks. Ahh, you were suddenly craving coffee for some reason. Luckily, you were pretty sure Sam labeled a café on your DIY map! Unluckily for you, coffee was considered a luxury in this world. Only wealthy commoners, nobles, and royalty could afford it.
You fetch out your pouch of gold coins. Surprisingly, the currency in this world wasn't literal candy pieces. Sam was nice enough to give you some money, and even though you sucked donkey ass at math, you knew it was a hefty sum. You felt your heart melt at his kind gesture. Hopefully a cup of coffee wouldn't cost all your coins.
Your eyes lay upon a beautiful woman, her back faced against a cobblestone wall. With pecan colored hair tied into a low side ponytail, and a few golden streaks here and there, she had dark brows and long lashes. The evening light only made her warm olive skin more radiant, her red lips resting neutrally in a straight line. Despite her ethereal features, she wore an inconspicuous long brown cloak.
You analyze her appearance and theorize who she could be. A traveler maybe? It would explain the cloak. What candy was she though? Even though she was gorgeous, it didn't immediately mean she was some fancy candy bar. After staying in Candy Land for a week straight, you discovered an unspoken rule of this world. All candy people were extremely attractive. Sure, even though she was eye candy (literally), you already had enough of that back at the mansion.
Resuming your stroll, you suddenly halt when a NPC-looking guy waltzes up to her, looking like trouble personified. Oh no. This better not be what you think it was. Looks like your unspoken rule didn't necessarily apply to all candy people though.
"Hey miss!" he calls out, not being able to walk in a straight line. He was probably drunk off of Fanta. There was also alcohol in this world, but it was even more expensive than coffee. Thus, there were only bars in the upper part of town, where all the rich people lived. For some reason, Twix’s mansion was at the very end of town, where the lower-class residents were. Maybe he found it part of his duty as prince to live among the common people?
Snapping back to reality, your judging eyes look the guy up and down. Yeah, no. There was no way he could afford alcohol, unless he sold his first born or something. Actually, scratch that, he wouldn't even be able to get laid in the first place.
"What's a pretty thang like you doing here, all alone?" the man says, trying his best to be seductive.
You immediately cringe at his lines. Ew. Gross. Looks like there were incels like this — even in a different world. You glance up at the sky. It wasn't even dark yet, and here this guy was, walking up with his gigantic steel balls, convinced he could make this lady swoon for him.
The woman's eyes widen.
"Oh... hello, sir." She brushes a loose strand of hair out of her face, shifting her body away from him. "I was just taking a stroll through town. Please excuse me, my father is expecting me back home soon." As she tries to walk away, the guy immediately grabs onto her arm.
"Hold on~ what's the hurry, miss?" he slurs his words, "Why don't you talk with me for a little bit?"
She frowns.
"I'm terribly sorry but I can't. My father is very strict, you see." She attempts to pull her arm out of his grasp. "Please let go, sir."
He doesn’t. In fact, he seems to tighten his grip instead. You frown. Okay, from the looks of it, this was not good. But you weren't going to immediately intervene just yet. You were still cheering on the pretty lady in your head.
"Miss." His voice suddenly turns an octave lower. His innocent and playful expression turns sour. "I said, why don't you talk with me for a little bit?"
She bites her lip, desperately looking around for help. But for some reason, all the passersby don't even spare her a single glance. You sigh. Fine. Hopefully you wouldn't regret this.
"Roberta! There you are!" you stroll up to the two, who immediately turn to you with confused looks. "I was just on my way home when I saw you. Come on, let's go. Your father's going to be awfully mad if you don't return soon." After somehow pulling that off, you wanted to smack your forehead. Roberta? Seriously, bitch?
The NPC guy sends you a glare. "Excuse me, but I'm talking with her right now. Why don't you mind your own business and scram?" you clench your jaw, ignoring the male who looks like a rat off of the streets of NYC. Walking up to the woman, you karate-chop the man's arm with all your might, making him yelp and let go of her arm. Then, you wrap your arm around hers.
"Let's go, Roberta!" her eyes stare puzzledly at you for a second. Then, she nods, a serene smile appearing on her lips.
"Y-yes!”
As you walk away, arm in arm with the woman, you can still hear the creep-o yelling at you from behind. You roll your eyes and hold yourself back from turning around and screaming all your profanities at him.
Once the two of you are a whole street away, she sighs in relief and looks at you, pure gratitude in her eyes.
"Thank you so much, miss! You saved me! How could I ever thank you enough?" Her voice was really soothing and pretty. Definite ASMR material.
"It’s no problem. I just saw that some asshole was bothering you, so I came to help." Unlinking your arms, you stare up at her. She was tall, hovering above you by at least three inches. You blink, realizing you were staring way too much, even though she didn’t seem to mind. You quickly glance away, cheeks burning with heat. Curse these beautiful candy people. The lady chuckles.
"Still, I would've been in serious trouble if it weren't for you." She curtsies, hitting your nose with the scent of rich chocolate. Even though she’s wearing a plain doo-doo colored cloak, she still manages to look the very epitome of the word grace. “Could I ask for my savior’s name?” the woman asks.
”Oh, um, sure! It’s [Name].” Her eyes widen. You sweat. Did she just realize you were the infamous human everyone’s been talking about? To your relief, she doesn’t point that out.
“What a beautiful name. My name is Reese, pleasure to make your acquaintance! But if you’d like, you could continue using the name ‘Roberta’ for me.” She smiles, showing off her — once again — perfect pearly teeth. Your cheeks heat up.
“N-no! I’m fine! I’d much rather use your actual name.” As the woman in front of you laughs, you come to a realization.
Wait. Reese? As in Reese’s? The chocolate peanut butter cup? You smack your forehead, earning a look of surprise from her. You wanted to sigh exasperatedly after hearing her name, but you knew that would only make you look super rude. But now that you knew what type of candy she was, the next step was finding out who she was.
Judging from the way she spoke, she definitely had to be the daughter of some big-shot rich person. You swallow your saliva, deciding to ask.
“Umm, excuse me, but are you…a noble?”
”Oh! Yes! How’d you know, [Name]?” her eyes curve up in delight. “I wasn’t exactly trying to hide it, but I’m surprised you figured it out so quickly.”
You laugh exasperatedly. ”Just a hunch?” It totally wasn’t obvious or anything.
Chuckling, she takes a glance behind her, peering at the setting sun. Then, Reese turns back around with a gentle smile.
”[Name], how about we continue our chat over coffee tomorrow?” your mouth becomes agape. What a coincidence! You were just craving coffee moments ago. With sparkling eyes, you quickly answer.
”Oh my gosh, sure! I’d love that!” Reese seems very pleased by your answer, her smile widening. “Where are we meeting at?” you ask.
”There’s this cozy little shop called The Connoisseur’s Café. I’ve heard many wonderful things about it. If you have a map on you, I could point it out!”
Luckily for you, you did have a map!
”Here!” fetching the now crumbled piece of paper, you hand it to Reese. She stares at it for a moment before chuckling.
“Did you draw this, [Name]?” Reese does her best to flatten it out with her hands.
”Wha— um, no!” you frown, heat flying to your cheeks. “M-my friend drew it for me. I hope you don’t mind how…er, scribbly, it looks.” Reese smiles.
“No worries, I think it’s quite cute!”
She then points to a place on the map with her index finger. It’s about five blocks away from where you two are, making it a bit of a walk. It’s also in the uptown section, where all the rich people live. You already guessed that from the name of the café though. Connoisseur was a very fancy word, at least in your vocabulary.
“The café is located here! Do you have a pen on you? I would like to mark it incase you forget.” You shake your head. She nods, “I see…”
And suddenly, Reese brings the paper up to her lips, kissing it. You stare at her with wide eyes. She then hands the map back to you with a smile. “I hope this will serve as a sufficient landmark instead!”
When you glance back down, you spot a large rose colored lipstick stain on the paper, right where The Connoisseur’s Cafe is. You look back up, absolutely stunned.
”Uh, um, thanks!” you manage to stammer out. Reese peers at you with amused eyes, then she gives you a curtsy.
“Thank you again for today. Please excuse me, I must be getting home. I can’t let my father know I was out today.” The brunette turns around. “I’ll be patiently waiting for you tomorrow, [Name]. I can’t wait for our rendezvous~” And with that, she strolls off, leaving you completely dumfounded.
As you watch her turn the corner, you can still feel heat lingering on your face. You reach up to touch your cheek, warmth radiating off of it. And suddenly, a thought appears in your mind.
Did… did you just score a date?
