All drinks cost the same and Lina looked at what was on offer. But all the brands were completely unknown to her. None of the usual fizzy drinks were for sale. No Sprite, Mountain Dew, Coke, Pepsi or any of the others. Instead, odd names and logos greeted her eyes. Pleasant colors splashed near each name. Lina's eyes caught on a soft pink set, depicting cotton candy, a soft blue and pink lollipop with a pink bow and some pieces of candy shaped like teddy bears. It was called "Tiny n' Tasty". No brand that she was familiar with. But the drawing was so cute and Lina always liked the color pink, which she attempted to hide since turning 12. Cutesy and girly girls, who liked girly things besides, weren't the most popular in school. But she could argue that she simply wanted to try this drink, even though - as a most probable knockoff or fishy foreign brand - it was likely to taste rather disgusting. So when the drink arrived, she saw the same name and logo. Logo highly reminiscent of sweet little girls. Lina opened the pink can and sniffed the drink. She expected to smell a very strong, cloying and foul chemical scent. Yet it was not the case. The taste was sugary, yet not overwhelmingly so. It smelled of candy and cotton candy. Vanilla and bubblegum. Lina took a swing and licked her lips in deep appreciation. It was sweet but not in a disgusting way. Not at all. It was discreet, like sipping on liquid tasteful candy. Yum!
"Lina?" asked Amy.
"Oh, you gotta taste this! It is absolutely fabulous!"
Amy grabbed the can and tried the drink. It was rather good, but the girly and candy theme and taste did not really appeal to her taste buds. Amy gave back the can and they continued walking along the aisles, Lina sipping her treat in a contented way. As she finished it, she was surprised to think of things like plushies, dolls and toy tea sets. The rhyme "What are little girls made of?" kept circling in her head. She even started humming it. As for Amy, she dimly pondered why pretending to be a pretty princess or a fairy might be tremendous fun. Unbeknownst to the girls, the vending machines sold magical potions, and the one they had both tasted transformed the drinkers into younger most adorable and girly versions of themselves. The new children were then picked up by employees of the store, prepped and sold to the fae realm, as many mythological and so-called imaginary creatures loved cute little humans to raise as their own or as little pets. Little humans so cute anyone wanted to eat them, as the expression went. Hence the "tasty" in the name. For Lina and Amy, the transformations were just beginning.