Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama or anything in the series.
So, this is the beginning of my Christmas story. And in the spirit of New Year's, I decided to upload it in the evening, close to the countdown. Read and Review!
Sky's Quest
Winter came and everything outside was blanketed with snow. The Playa's pool, juice bar, and outdoor buffet table were closed up until the snow went away.
Inside the Playa, everything was much more colorful and lively. Some of the guys were having a video game tournament in the rec room, some of the girls were in the spa, and everyone else was scattered around. The whole resort, from head to toe, was decked out in holiday apparel. Lights were strung up out where the juice bar was, on the roof, and wherever else they could be put. Some of the contestants had wreaths on their locked balcony doors. Even several of the resort's rooms and hallways were decorated in red and green like green carpets or red tablecloths. In the main lobby of the resort was the centerpiece of it all, a tall tree stood decorated with ornaments and the traditional star at the very top.
The thing was, all of the decorations were put up just last night. Not to mention that it was the week before Christmas day.
It was mid-morning and a certain short gymnast was still trying to wake herself up.
In the elevator, Sky yawned and covered up her mouth in the midst of it. She was still quite groggy, failing to notice that the elevator was decorated as opposed to how it usually looked; there was even Christmas music playing in place of the usual Total Drama elevator tune.
At last, the elevator finished its two floor descent and the doors slid open. The gymnast stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the dining hall to get some breakfast.
Upon entering the dining hall, she passed Owen and Sugar- both of whom she figured would still be there at the time-, Scott, Ezekiel, Scarlett, Max, and Amy, all without a noticing glance. Before she had her breakfast and was energized, Sky was prone to not noticing things.
She picked up a tray and started helping herself to the assorted arrangements of breakfast foods. As a training athlete, she stuck with a healthy bowl of cereal, a banana, a cup of orange juice, and a slice of toast. Once she had her breakfast, she sat down at the nearest seat and began fueling up. While eating, her mind became more alert; it awoke and started processing. It was then as she eat her banana that she noticed something off.
"Huh?" She wondered out loud, pausing her eating and noticing the red tablecloth which was usually a dark yellow.
"Something wrong, Sky?"
Sky looked up to see Owen hovering over her shoulder, trying to give her some space and trying to be helpful at the same time.
"Oh," Sky started to say, "no, nothing's wrong, Owen. It's just," she glanced at the tablecloth, "I noticed the tablecloth is a different color. Why is that?"
Owen gaped at her. "You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?"
"That it's a week until Christmas!"
"Christmas is a week away? Seriously?" She had no idea how fast time flew.
"Yeah," Owen blinked momentarily before he smiled. "Ah, I know why you're confused. This is your first Christmas at the Playa, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah. I mean I just competed in season six this summer and learned that we're stuck here until the three-year contract stipulation expires."
"I've been here for almost four years, not counting the times that Chris allowed me to go home to see my family for a couple days or when I was competing." Owen then attempted to try and count on his fingers how many times he had been allowed to leave the Playa.
"Wait," Sky paused him, "You got to leave the Playa? I thought Chris didn't allow us to leave for fear of us spoiling the latest season?"
"Yeah, well, once the season finishes airing, he allows us opportunities to go home to our families or let them come here ever since Courtney threatened to sue him for keeping us like prisoners. He doesn't like the holiday hassle so he usually lets us go home or let them come here for a couple days after everything winds down." Owen shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Last time I was home, Gavin bet Johnny he couldn't write his name in the snow with his pee so-"
"Don't need to know that."
"Sorry. Anyway, like I was saying, every year the week before Christmas, Chris has the interns decorate the Playa for Christmas. The first year, Chris didn't have any plans on decorating for Christmas until we all badgered him into getting decorations and having the interns set them up. They don't mind doing the extra decorating and taking everything down as long as they get some gratitude out of it. The decorations are usually up until New Year's or so."
Sky smiled, "Cool. So, the whole Playa is decorated like this? I didn't notice, mostly because I wasn't fully awake yet."
"Well, once you finish breakfast, take a look around. The place looks awesome!" Owen chuckled heartily. He looked down at the slice of toast on Sky's plate and the remaining cereal. "Are you going to finish that?"
"Yes."
"Aw…" Owen sighed depressingly and moped over to his seat where his own food remained, surprisingly untouched by Sugar, who sat at a table a few tables away.
Turning back to her breakfast, Sky scooped another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
A few minutes later, Sky finished up her breakfast and returned her dishes to the kitchen. On her way out of the dining hall, she passed Ella, the fairytale princess humming a cheerful tune as she went.
"Ella, you're just having breakfast now?" Sky asked her; Ella didn't seem like the type of person to have a late breakfast.
Ella stopped humming away and shook her head, "Oh no, I'm just here to get breakfast for Dave."
"Breakfast for Dave? Why? Is he sick?"
"Not at all. He just doesn't like to come out of his room. Since I'm his friend, I come down and get him whatever he requests."
"Why doesn't Dave want to come out of his room? Does he hate Christmas or something?" She asked further.
"No, Dave just wishes not to see the outside world. He hasn't for a while."
"Since when?"
Ella tried hard to think of the answer before she glanced at Sky. "How long ago was the finale of the show?"
Sky's eyes widened. "You're telling me Dave has hid away in his room this whole time?"
"Not all the time," Ella answered, "He tells me he goes on a midnight walk every once in a while and goes into the other rooms sometimes. He's also present at the mandatory meetings we all have."
"I know he's at the meetings. I've seen him." Sky pointed out, recalling seeing Dave at those times even if he didn't see her, or he saw her and he just didn't want to see her looking at him. Ella continued into the dining hall and Sky followed her back inside. "I just don't get it. Why would Dave lock himself away in his room? What does he even do in there? If he's been holing himself up in there for this long, he has to have gone crazy by now."
Ella took a tray and started picking out Dave's requested breakfast: Toast, a banana, some waffles, and a glass of milk. As she picked out everything, Ella continued to speak to Sky. "He hasn't 'gone crazy'. He keeps himself plenty occupied playing video games and watching television online. Whenever I bring him a book to read, he reads it and usually finishes it within the span of two days." She finished gathering breakfast and picked up the tray, heading to the exit.
Sky walked after Ella. "Still, who locks themselves up in their room? Even Noah, who hates associating with everyone, comes out of his room to do those same things. I don't care that Dave is going out walking in the middle of the night, he just can't go day and night without talking to somebody."
"I talk to him." Ella said. Without even needing to be asked, Sky opened the door for Ella and they both left the room. "Thank you." She thanked Sky upon crossing through the doorway.
"You're welcome," Sky sighed, "I just don't get it though. Why did Dave lock himself in his room this whole time and why am I finding this out just now?"
Ella glanced at her. "Because he's been avoiding you. After what happened on the show, Dave's been too afraid to make contact with anyone. He believes nobody except me would talk to him because of his behavior in the finale." Surprisingly to Sky, she had said all of this without any blame in her tone; Ella was simply telling it as it was without any emphasis.
Dave had hid himself away from the world and it was all because of her.
She felt like a bomb had dropped in her conscience. It was like a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Sky and Ella reached the lobby and the main elevator. Reaching out one finger as she held the tray, Ella pressed the 'up' button.
Sky frowned concernedly. "But, it's not even his fault. It's mine. I led him on when I didn't mean to. I never intended for any of that to happen. I pushed him too far." She remembered how Dave had lost all his faith in her as a friend, as a person who had betrayed him. Even when she remembered that she and the others had forgotten Dave at the end, she could still see he was trying to stay away from her. Right away when they had arrived at the Playa, Dave had shuffled off to the elevator to head to his room. She hadn't seen a smile on his face since she had kissed him.
"I know you didn't mean any bad intentions. You didn't know what was going to happen." Ella said comfortingly.
"Thanks, Ella." She mumbled, feeling guilty, and rose her voice slightly. "Thanks for looking after Dave. It means a lot." He wasn't truly alone. Ella was making sure he eat and had someone to listen to him.
Ella nodded. "You're welcome, Sky." The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Stepping inside, Ella turned to face her. "Should I tell Dave that you said hello?"
The gymnast stared at her for a few moments before she let her head down and shook her head. "No, I think if he knows that you talked to me about him, then it will just ruin his day."
Frowning, Ella sighed. "Okay, if that's what you want." She then pressed the button that would take her up to the fourth floor. "See you later."
"See you." Sky waved her farewell. The doors slid shut and Ella was on her way up to Dave's room. Staring at the closed elevator, Sky suddenly felt alone. Down the various hallways around the Playa, she could hear the guys cheering each other on in their video game tournament and she could hear some of the elated squeals of the girls in the spa. Unsure of what to do with herself, Sky decided to go and practice in the gym like she usually does.
I hope you enjoyed this first part. Hopefully, I can crank out the other chapters before the twelfth which is the day I start up college again. And before I forget, I dedicate this story to the Total Drama Writers' Forum for Christmas, my friends college had made me distant from as of late.