Snakebite
Main Characters: Bridgette (narrator), Ezekiel, Harold, Eva, Izzy, Cody and Chris. I also plan to use an OC in a later chapter, but I swear, this character is about as much a Sue as Heather, isn't some new random camper and will not be dating anyone in this story.
Pairings: Main: Ezekiel/Bridgette, Side: Harold/Eva, brief mentions or hints of others.
Rating: T for angst and small amounts of adult humor.
Continuity: AU version of TDI, with a different vote-off pattern and a different third challenge. This can be read alone without a problem or as a prequel to my story Cody/Lindsay story "Crossing the Line."
Author's Notes: Well, after a bit longer than I was expecting, I've got the first chapter of "Snakebite" ready to post! I'm dedicating this one to the Kobold Necromancer, who turned Ezekiel/Bridgette from "something vaguely hinted at on the show" to "something the most popular TDI fanfiction writer keeps pushing in his story and that everybody wants to read now but he won't actually write until everybody bugs the hell out of him to just do it in a one-shot." ;-) This story shifts from Bridgette's point of view to third-person when it needs to focus on another character...a stupid idea of mine that made this much harder to write, incidentally. Anyway, I think that's all the basic information out of the way...hope you enjoy!
"Okay, listen up, campers!" Chris said cheerfully, clapping his hands together as he looked around the room. "Everybody needs to hurry up with breakfast, because today's challenge starts in half an hour. And eat up," he added, giggling. "Today's challenge is a real doozy!"
"Ugh..."
I slumped down on the table, then blinked blearily to keep from passing out. As it was I was still exhausted from that stupid "Awake-a-Thon" Challenge, and now we had another one without any little break to recharge? Stupid evil Chris...I was definitely starting to hate this competition, and we were only three challenges in.
I sat up and picked at my food a bit, but I had no desire to eat it (especially when I could have sworn I heard it breathing). I let out a sigh that turned into a yawn, glancing down at the rest of the Killer Bass table. Katie and Sadie were leaning against each other, sleeping upright, while Duncan simply had his head down on the table, his food totally untouched. The only people who really looked awake were Harold, who had slept soundly (and loudly) the night before, and Eva, which was kind of ironic since she had gotten less sleep than anyone.
I wondered what new torture Chris had devised for us today. And if it would lead to any of us getting eliminated.
We had already lost the first challenge, the cliff-dive/hot-tub construction fiasco, and voted off our first camper, a girl named Courtney who had refused to jump. We managed to recover during the Awake-a-Thon thanks to Eva, who had just managed to outlast the Goth Gopher girl; they voted off the big guy, Owen (which was probably a good thing, since we were all a bit bothered with his whole nudism thing), so the two teams were tied now, ten campers to ten.
I did a quick mental count. Huh, there were only eight campers at the table. Well, nine, counting myself. Who was...
Oh, right. Him.
Ezekiel, the last person in the breakfast line, walked nervously up to the table, tray in hand. Instantly several spines stiffened and several heads turned away; even as exhausted as I was, I couldn't help but scowl a little before staring back at the green mush on my plate.
After the first challenge, Ezekiel had basically tried to blame all the girls in the group for our team losing, and had not been on good terms with most of us ever since. In fact I think all of us girls voted to kick him off, but he was saved by demography: as he had noted, our team started out with six guys and only five girls, and I guess all of the guys must have followed Duncan's advice and voted off Courtney instead. But even they seemed to realize that being nice to Ezekiel was a bad idea---maybe because Eva made it a point to emphasize that fact. (Like by punching a hole through the guys' door after hearing DJ tell Ezekiel "good morning.") The only one Ezekiel seemed to get along with very well was Harold.
Who at the moment was sitting across from Eva, chatting up a storm.
Harold seemed oblivious to several things at the moment: one, that Ezekiel was shifting his feet nervously behind him, apparently wanting to squeeze into the empty spot to his right. Two, that Eva had absolutely no interest in whatever it was he was talking about, but was actually glaring over his shoulder at Ezekiel as if daring him sit down. And three, that that space on his upper lip that he kept unconsciously wiping had a mustache markered on it. My thoughts turned to either Duncan or Geoff as the most likely culprit for that.
I actually saw Ezekiel gulp before he took the risk and slid as smoothly as he could into the empty spot beside Harold. And of course, as soon as he did Eva jumped up, slammed her palms down on the table so hard that everybody's trays jumped, and literally growled at him like a rabid dog.
"Euh!"
Ezekiel grabbed his tray, let out a cry and ran. Several people giggled---I have to admit even I found the balance of Eva's over-the-top anger and Ezekiel's terrified response a little funny. I shook my head and turned away, staring back down into my glop and smiling slightly to myself.
I was startled when I heard another gulping sound, and then a thick, nervous voice ask, "Cood I please sit here, eh?"
"Huh?!"
I looked up to see Ezekiel in front of my with his tray, giving a smile so nervous that it was actually more of a grimace as he looked down at the only empty spot left at the table---which happened to be right across from me.
I was so surprised that I took a minute to respond right; first I just went "Um...," then, remembering I was supposed to be mad at him, I turned away and said, in what I hoped was at least a slightly reproachful tone, "Sure."
I refused to look at him, but I could hear a small sigh of relief as he slid into the seat. "Thank yoo."
He began eating, and I went back to my food, keeping my head mostly turned away from him but glancing up now and then. He seemed to be having as much trouble with Chef's cooking as anyone; he kept shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth, but then grimaced for several seconds, then shuddered every time he swallowed. Finally he pushed his tray away.
"Ugh. I can't eat anymoor," he muttered. "I mean, what's wroong with that chef guy, eh? I coo'd make better food than this in my sleep."
"Hmm..." I dropped my fork on the table, making a face. "And even if this was edible, I couldn't eat half of it anyway."
He blinked. "Why not?"
"I'm a vegetarian."
"Ooh." Pause. "...What does that mean?"
I gave him a look. "That I don't eat meat."
"Ooh." Another pause. "...Why?"
I sighed, irritated, and rolled my eyes away from him without answering. Then I reached out to grab the bottle of ketchup, figuring my eggs might taste better if I could cover up the taste of greenness.
Unfortunately, the bottle happened to be closer to Ezekiel's side of the table.
"Ooh, uh---l-let me get that foor yoo, eh?"
"No thanks, I can get it myself."
"Noo, really, I insist---"
"Ezekiel, please just---agh!"
"Agh!"
A red squirt blasted out of the ketchup bottle---and right onto my jacket. I jumped up, looking down at the huge red mess. I glared at Ezekiel, who turned even paler than usual, the bottle of ketchup still in his hands.
"...Oops. ...Soory, eh?"
"ER!"
I caught a brief look of half the table glaring at him as I spun on my heel and stormed away.
"And so anyway, even though the doctors said I would probably never walk again, it only took a few weeks before I could walk again. But not very well. I fell down on my face a lot at first."
"Wooow," Eva droned, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's the most interesting story of a candy allergy I've ever heard."
"Really?" Harold's face broke into a grin. "Thanks!"
Eva blinked and began to reconsider her original plan of just punching this pest in his pencil neck as Harold went on.
"The weird thing is, I only have that reaction when I eat Gummi-Slugs. I eat Gummi-Worms all the time without a problem, plus Gummi-Bugs, Gummi-Aardvarks, Gummi-Spiders and---"
His monologue was abruptly cut off by a commotion at the end of the table. Bridgette had just jumped up from her seat, ketchup all over the front of her jacket. Ezekiel, holding the ketchup bottle in his hands, was trying to stutter out some kind of an apology as Bridgette turned and stormed out of the building.
Harold was startled to hear someone chuckle. "Heh. You go, Surfer Girl," Eva said, grinning as she took a bite of her food.
Harold glared at her for a moment, then turned back to Ezekiel. He was slumped down in his seat, ketchup bottle still in hand, staring after Bridgette and looking hopelessly confused.
"Okay," I said, angrily brushing my jacket with a paper towel, "I am really trying to be nice to everyone here, but I am tired and grouchy and that Ezekiel guys is really getting on my nerves."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"Just a minute!"
I sighed, turning back to the Confession Cam. "I mean, really, that Ezekiel...I don't like being angry at people, but he just...keeps finding new ways to get me mad at him! First his sexist comments on the first day, then he bugs me for half the Awake-a-Thon, gets Eva ticked off at everyone by taking her MP3 Player, spills ketchup all down my front..."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Just a minute!"
"Well, hurry up!" a raspy voice muttered. "GAWSH!"
"Er...stupid little..." Then I slapped my head, turning back to the camera, "Oh, see? See how cranky I am? It's that stupid Ezekiel---he just keeps getting me all---like this! With his sexist comments and his stupid accent and the way he just follows me around, bothering me all the time---ugh, I just hate that Ezekiel so MUCH!"
The knocking, which had started up again in the background, suddenly stopped; I froze, realizing I had been shouting. I felt my face burn slightly. "Um---that's all," I said awkwardly to the camera, then quickly got up and opened the door.
Harold was standing right outside of the door, gaping; he seemed strangely pale. I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Excuse me," I muttered. He was standing right in my way, though he seemed too out of it to notice.
He moved aside. I walked by, looking away, feeling myself blush again. I was almost to the cabin before I heard him call after me.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?"
I paused, half-looking back. "Well...that's why I did it in private." I meant to sound annoyed when I said this, to kind of point out that he had been eavesdropping on me, but instead the words came out sounding shaky and weak.
I turned away and headed back into the cabin. I didn't have time to worry about Ezekiel or Harold right now. I had a stupid challenge to get ready for.
A/N: Okay...this chapter's pretty short, but it still took me forever to write. :-P In fact I threw in the Harold/Eva part pretty much just to make it longer. Frankly I'm not sure how well it turned out...I had some trouble trying to capture Bridgette's point of view, and can't decide whether or not she came out sounding too angry here. Any opinions? If so, feel free to press that nice little "Review" button, and I'll try to update again soon (though after I finally get back to my Invader Zim story, probably...)
