I do not own Total Drama Island, or any of it's characters.

House of Straw

The two stared into the plate Chris held. Only one of them would receive the white fluffy piece of immunity.

Beth shook all over, her fingers crossed as she grimaced, her braces glimmering in the moonlight. Heather, on the other hand, simply stared at the marshmallow, almost as if it wanted Heather to have it.

"The final marshmallow goes to… Heather," Chris finally finished, sticking out his hand.

Heather looked a little shocked at first, but of course her evil instincts kicked in. ""You heard him, Boat of Losers, thataway! That really was stupid of you to take that doll from the island," Heather stated matter-of-factly, putting her hands on her hips.

Leshawna muttered a "see ya, girl" that wasn't heard by Beth, crushed at her own accident that caused her team the win.

She walked towards the Dock of Shame. None followed her, seeing as the campers weren't too attached yet. As she walked by the forest, a large brown being stepped out.

Instincts getting the best of her, Beth let loose a small scream at the large thing, most likely a bear or other deadly animal stuck on this tormenting island.

"Whoa, there. Relax, it's just me."

Beth blinked a few times before recognizing the "D" on a green shirt. She looked up, and saw the smiling face of DJ staring down at her.

"Oh… hello, DJ. I'm thorry about that. I gueth that thith island hath gotten the betht of me," Beth spoke quietly to the man, her lisp sending small drops of saliva flying around his shirt.

DJ smiled a bit, and let down the bunny he found on his first day. "Nah, it's alright. I can understand how you'd be startled. It's getting dark, and I'm pretty large when compared to you… no offense," the brickhouse added quickly, to which the girl shook her head.

"So… they voted you off, huh? Was it because of that Boney Island thing?" DJ asked, raising an eyebrow as the rabbit started freely frolicking nearby Beth's legs.

"Yeah… I wish Crith would've told me that. I wath in the communal washroom, so he jutht told me to head to a canoe, end of thtory," she told DJ. She felt a tug at her leg; the bunny was batting at a bit of loose thread.

"I'm thurprithed how much Bunny took a liking to you," Beth said, calling DJ's animal friend by the nickname the other campers gave him.

"I just have a way with animals, I suppose. Back at my old home, my mom and I used to have an on-off animal shelter for injured wild beings. I guess enough training did it for me, and I became a nature-lover… although also a scaredy-cat," DJ admitted, cowering at the darkness.

"Back on the local farm, we treated animalth as food, and only food. It'th really a shame," Beth stared glumly at the ground.

There was a silence between the two; they never had a real conversation before.

"I guess I'd better get going. Duncan and Geoff talked me into another scheme to torture Harold. Sometimes I pity him, but I don't want to lose the temporary alliance that I have with Duncan. He's the controller of the bunch, the first to take action," DJ explained, sighing at the end.

"Well, I've had about enough of that thtupid Heather bossing us around! She treats herself as leader, but doethn't do anything to help the team!" Beth angrily growled, flailing her arms about in the air.

DJ stared back at her.

"Oh… that wath kinda awkward," Beth blushed a bit, scratching her head.

"Nah, it's alright. I never knew we were both struggling with our leaders," DJ said, patting the farm girl as if she was a friendly wild animal.

"I never thought of it that way… maybe it'th like that old story. You know, the one with the pigth and the wolf?"

DJ nodded. "My mom used to tell that story to comfort us whenever a windstorm came by. They could get pretty fierce. But how do you suppose the connection works?"

Beth thought for a moment. "Well, I'm the weaketht of the homes, and when a powerful force, in my cathe Heather, comes along, I fall down to her. So I travel for a houthe that'th stronger. One made of bricks, like in the story."

DJ laughed. "Well, I am called a brickhouse!" Beth realized this as well, and joined DJ in the laughter.

She sighed, and then turned to DJ once more. "Good luck, DJ. May your houthe never fall!"

DJ smiled a bit. "Aw, c'mere you."

The two hugged. It was a funny scene, actually; Beth nearly collapsed under the giant DJ. And yet, for the first time on the island, she felt something she never was.

She was protected. She had a sturdy wall on her back, and she felt nothing could take her down.

The hug ended, and DJ walked back to the campgrounds. Beth moved towards the Dock of Shame, a very angry Chef Hatchet waiting.

"You are late! Get in here to your destination! And you'd better have a good explanation as to why you've been gone for so long! I want explanations!" the former drill sergeant shouted at the farm girl, not moving.

"If you mutht know, Chef, I found a home to cover me."