Hello there, everyone!
After getting a few reviews on my latest TD fic, Dog Tags, I was inspired to write another! This will probably be my last TD one-shot before I begin to work on the beginning chapters for whichever multi-chap fic you guys vote for on my profile. So far, Sisters and Other Strangers which features siblings Harold and Scarlett is in the lead!
Reminder that the poll is STILL OPEN! Go vote if you haven't!
This particular one-shot was inspired by a various amount of things. First, I love Tophella. I first started shipping the couple when I saw art drawn by Galactic-Red-Beauty, or Tatiana, on DeviantART! Make sure to check her out. Secondly, I saw an unfinished MV for Tophella with the song Look Away by Thousand Foot Krutch which is also amazing! Props to both these amazing artists!
Topher, Ella, and any other characters mentioned belong to Fresh TV, Tom McGillis, and Jennifer Pertsch.
Look Away belongs to Thousand Foot Krutch, and other respective owners! (I highly recommend listening on repeat as you read.)
Extra A/N: This is in Topher's POV!
==X==
she's everything to everyone
wish i could have seen it come down
but i heard incorrectly.
it seems everything she knows
is now five minutes 'till close
and that's not a lot of time
when you're nervous
and they say, Daughter, Look Away
==X==
Whoever came up with the concept of "idols" was, in my opinion, remarkably stupid. Idols, no matter how high up a pedestal you seat them on, are still people, and it is a universally accepted truth that people are going to let you down. Besides, if your up that high, your heads are going to be in the clouds anyway.
My experience on Total Drama Pahkitew Island did, to say the very least, not go as well as I had hoped.
Upon my arrival, I was convinced that my competition wasn't much competition at all, and set a ridiculously high standard for myself. After all, I was Chris 2.0. The key word in this sentence was was. When flying through the air after getting shot out of a cannon, you have a lot of time to get your priorities straight. While I did accept the fact that I had made my fair share of mistakes on the island, I also accepted the brutal truth that Chris McLean was an awful man.
I'm not trying to blatantly shower myself with praise, but I'm just saying that I wouldn't have left my cast of teenagers stuck in an underground labyrinth with a psychotic genius planning to blow up the entire island. However, the network didn't seen to catch that minor detail.
"You know what, I don't think you're as perfect as you make yourself out to be, Topher." Amy said to me as I walked past her pool lounge chair at the Playa one day. "I mean, we obviously saw enough proof on the show, but you're just alright. Nothing special."
"You're one to talk, swamp monster." I responded, rather uninterested. Sure, her words hurt, but I had already endured a major blow in the self-esteem department.
The first twin simply scoffed and took off her designer pair of shades. This way, her beady eyes could stare me down in the flesh. "That was all Samey's fault. I would've won. You, on the other hand, had one hell of an elimination. It just proved you were even more of a wuss than you originally let on."
By that point, I had tuned her out. Sticking around long enough to hear her bring up Chris was not something I felt like sitting through.
So yes, you could say that going through Pahkitew Island was one sort of messed up, backwards mental evaluation. I wish I could say that this month-long therapy session had changed me for the better, but I came out of the entire situation a bit more depressed. Originally, I had all the confidence in the world, but then I found out that my supposed idol was worthy of a spot in Hell, and that I had spent a good chunk of my life trying to be just like him.
All in all, I was ready to head home. Lucky for me, Shawn had just one the cool mill, and a boat was coming to pick up those of us who still remained at Playa Des Loser.
You'd think that packing up and leaving the resort would be easier that the arrival, but that was not the case. Leonard kept complaining that someone had switched his wand out with a tree branch, Rodney was in hot water for "accidentally" tripping into Amy, who then fell into the pool, and Sugar was arguing with Max who was also harassing a bitter Scarlett. I liked to summarize it as a simplistic form of chaos.
The yacht that came to retrieve us was much like the boats that originally dropped off the individual campers in the first season of the show. It was spacious, complete with freshly waxed hardwood floors and a fully operational juice bar, which Sugar immediately became infatuated with, much to Max's relief. Unfortunately for Scarlett, this just gave Max more of an opportunity to badmouth her. However, none of this was my business, and quite frankly, I didn't care much about my fellow cast members and their quarrels anymore.
Before Sugar could suck up every last drop of juice in the machine, I poured myself a nice glass of orange/mango juice and found a quaint lawn chair leading up to the bow of the boat. The main party was on the other deck, so it was a bit quieter up here. I allowed myself to unwind and enjoy the spray of saltwater as it gracefully blew through my hair. I was perfectly content in my own little corner.
The tranquility lasted about seven minutes. Then, a small bluebird landed on my arm.
"Oh! Egbert, you naughty little thing!" A voice, and no, it wasn't the bird, chirped. "Don't disturb poor, innocent Topher!"
Sighing, my eyes slightly wider than before thanks to the bird, I glanced up to see none other than Ella prancing towards me. She's the only one that hasn't caused a large amount of problems at the Playa. That is, if you don't count the sad songs she's been singing as of late.
"He's fine." I lied, turning back to my regular sitting position.
Ella sang a few quick bars of a vocal exercise, and the bird I now knew as Egbert returned to her side. You'd then think that this would be the end of our encounter, but I guess we were both wrong.
"Whyever are you sitting over here all alone?" Her sickeningly sweet voice questioned. Upon further investigation, I realized she was walking towards my lawn chair.
"I, uh, just want to get away from everyone else." I said rather awkwardly, the words coming out a bit harsher than I originally intended them to. Though strangely, Ella gave a melodic sigh and sat on the end of my chair.
"I understand that. The others don't seem to like me very much. Sugar yelled at me again, and little Egbert got scared and flew over here."
A beat. I sat up. "You named him Egbert?"
I realize now that maybe, after the rather heartfelt direction she took, this question was not appropriate. Whoops.
"Why, yes! He was the last to hatch from his egg, so I named him Egbert!" Ella answered cheerfully as the bird gave an equally happy tweet.
"Interesting." I lied again, this time laying back on my chair and closing my eyes.
It was silent for a long while after that. I supposed that Ella had gotten up and left, but considering I fell asleep, I really had no way of knowing where she had gone. From what I had heard earlier from Chef Hatchet, the boat ride was around two hours long. That, for me, was long enough to get some much-needed beauty sleep. Trying to rest with my cast-mates at the Playa was like trying to teach a cat tricks. Trust me, I would know.
I had a peaceful dream. Chris had been properly disposed of, and I hosted the rest of the show. Scarlett lost, Shawn won, everything was right.
Except a certain songbird was missing. Throughout the entire dream, the only time I saw Ella was when she was sitting alone at the campfire pit, tears in her eyes. Her mouth was moving, but no words were coming out, and no one could hear that high-pitched voice. Maybe it wasn't exactly peaceful. She screamed for me.
"Topher!"
"E-Ella?" I mumbled.
"Ella? No, Topher, it's Sammy. We're docking." The voice said. Despite Ella's mouth moving, it wasn't her voice coming forth.
My eyes flew open, and instead of seeing a pale girl with dark hair dressed in frills and pink, I saw a wary blonde cheerleader. The sky was a fruity orange, indicating that night was approaching.
"A-Are you alright?" The girl I now fully registered as Sammy asked.
I sat up in my chair, rubbing my temple. "I'm fine. Were they all just going to leave without me?"
"Uh, they might have. I saw you, though. I couldn't just like, leave you asleep on the boat." She explained, her voice nervous, a hand rubbing her forearm.
"Thank you." I nodded, standing up to face her. She instantly seemed intimidated by our small height difference. "We should get going before the boat shoves out with us still on it. Amy is probably waiting for you anyway."
"Yeah. Our Mom is picking us up." Sammy added as we made our way down the steps where the rest of the cast was waiting.
The way Chris liked to handle pick-ups was basically dumping us all in the parking lot near the dock where our parents would soon come to retrieve us. Sky, Dave, Jasmine, and Shawn got a drop off near their homes because they were in the finale. As for the rest of us, we were stuck here without adult supervision.
Some parents were actually prepared, and were waiting for their kids when the boat dropped us off. There were many tearful goodbyes. In all honesty, I got choked up watching Scarlett practically slam-dunk Max into the passenger seat of his mom's mini-van. Sugar began sobbing when Leonard left, and Rodney kissed the hand of each girl before driving off in his dad's pickup. In a matter of time I was left sitting on the curb with Amy, Sammy, Scarlett, and Ella.
Sammy sat rather contently by my side, seemingly ignoring a rambling Amy. Ella was standing and looking out at the bay while Scarlett kept to herself at the other end of the lot. I could see now why that girl had been so scary.
"Who's picking you up?" The sweeter of the two twins asked me.
"My dad is supposed to pick me up, but I'm not gonna hold him to that. He gets kinda busy."
Sammy looked horrified. "Are you saying you may not be picked up at all? Topher, the sun is going down! Maybe you should hitch a ride with Amy and I. Oh, our mother wouldn't mind at all!"
"That's not necessary." I shrugged, looking out to where Ella was observing the bay. It was going to be a lovely evening. "Thanks for the offer, Sam."
A blush crept across her face and she nodded rather quickly. Soon enough, another car pulled up into the lot. Instead of a parent stepping out, a tall, scrawny redhead emerged. He had an array of freckles and large green glasses, which instantly let on that he was Scarlett's brother.
"It's about time." Scarlett scoffed quietly as she pushed passed her brother.
"Gosh..." The boy muttered, slipping into the driver's seat and slowly leaving the parking lot.
Now, it was Amy's turn to drift away from the group. She took Scarlett's vacant spot near a parking meter and began to file her nails. Sammy gave a few yawns, and then asked if she could rest her head against my shoulder, to which I somewhat begrudgingly accepted. She was a nice girl, but I didn't expect to see her again after this night. As the sun departed behind the mango colored clouds, Egbert flew off, but Ella didn't break her focus. She didn't even look back.
==X==
The time was 10:00, and surprisingly, I wasn't the last one left behind in the lot.
Right after sunset, Amy and Sammy were picked up by their mom, who had been held up in traffic for quite awhile. To make her feel a bit better, I let Sammy have my number, even though I was almost 100% sure there was nothing in the future for us. Almost as soon as it had pulled in, the car left, leaving me sitting by myself on the curb.
Ella was still staring off into the inky, black water of the bay. Egbert hadn't returned.
The moon was full and the night was surprisingly quiet. Streetlamps dimly lit the general area of the docks, allowing me to have the slightest bit of comfort aside from the moonlight reflecting off the water.
I should've known my dad was going to forget about me. Like I said, idols suck.
Fortunately for myself, I wasn't stuck here. After landing a motel for the night, I'd buy some bus tickets in the morning and take the long route back to my house. In all honesty, it was simple as pie. As for Ella, I wasn't sure. She hadn't spoken. No one had come for her.
Ultimately, I decided to be a good person and help Ella out. I stood, collecting my few belongings from the curb, and quietly made my way through the grass and up to the docks where Ella was standing. She didn't seem to realize I was there, as she continued to stare out at nothing. I knew just what I had to do.
"So, Egbert flew away, huh?" Yet another stupid move.
"He's off to find his family." She responded simply, not bothering to turn her head.
I rested my elbows on the dock railing. "What about your family? Are they looking for you, little bird?"
Ella gave a sad smile and looked in my direction. Her eyes were wide, somewhat teary even. It caught me off guard. "I suppose so. You can never be sure with these things. Nothing is set in stone, you know."
"I know." I didn't.
A comfortable breeze caressed us as the stars in the sky glittered peacefully. If we weren't as much as stranded out here, this could've been the ideal night for a date, or something of the sort. Not that I wanted to date Ella. I was just making a point.
"Wherever is your father, Topher?" Her flighty voice inquired.
"Off getting drunk out of his mind somewhere, probably." I nudged her shoulder. "You can never be sure with these things."
She gave a small, comfortable chuckle as I quoted her. Her laugh was rather endearing, and I wondered why I hadn't heard much of it on the island. If she was as miserable as she had been letting on, maybe we had more in common that I thought.
"You've got a cute laugh." I commented, looking straight on at her. "Almost as cute as mine!"
Ella cocked an eyebrow, wagging a gloved finger in my direction. "Shame on you, Topher! Trying to court me so early on in our conversation!"
At this point, we were both chuckling, and I threw my hands up in the air. "Hey, this isn't a Disney Princess flick! Even though you looked like you just waltzed right out of one..."
"What's wrong with Disney Princess films?" She turned, her dark eyes piercing me.
"I never said anything was wrong with them." I shrugged. "All I was saying is that you could basically pass for Snow White with little to no trouble at all."
A beat. Then, she folded her gloved hands, and proudly stuck her chin in the air.
"Why, thank you!"
Tired of standing, I sat down on the wooden dock, leaning my back up against the rail. I could now clearly hear the water lapping against the rocks below. Soon enough, I also heard the pitter-patter of slippers maneuvering the area as Ella sat beside me.
The time was 10:15.
"Topher?"
"Yeah?"
"If your father doesn't pick you up, where will you go?"
"Nowhere, probably. Safer than sitting out on a dock all night, am I right?"
"I'm serious."
"Well, I'll most likely just rent a room for the night and grab a bus in the morning. I stop my waiting at 11:00."
Silence. I looked over at her. That sorrowful expression she previously had was slowly returning, and I allowed a solemn sigh to escape my lips. I felt as if we were the only two people in the world, and unlike what any teen novel would tell you, it's an absolutely awful feeling.
"How long are you going to wait out here?" I asked.
Her head lazily rolled to rest on her shoulder, and her voice gave a subtle crack. "Forever."
I found myself scooting a bit closer to her. "Now I'm serious. You can stop with the princess stuff. Where are your parents?"
A pause. In that second, there were only the waves, the vacant boats, the two of us, and the stars up above. Ella rested her hand on mine, which took me by surprise, but I didn't pull away. Instead, I let her look into my eyes. I let her speak.
"My parents are dead, Topher."
Silence. She continued.
"I'm waiting for them here, but I know they won't come. I knew that I'd be the last one here."
"B-But, I'm here-"
"But only for now." She interrupted. Throughout all this, she looked surprisingly calm. Her eyes were soothing, and her tone of voice was that of someone who understood. "In a matter of time, you will leave too. I will forever be the last one."
I said nothing else. What else could you say, really? Instead, as the breeze began to pick up, I took Ella in my arms. It was getting a bit colder, and she didn't seem to object. For what seemed like the longest time, we sat there in silence.
The time was 10:35.
"Can I ask you a question?" I looked down at her. She met my gaze.
"Of course you may."
"Why do the parents always die in Disney movies?" I had never understood this. In all honesty, I'd only seen a few Disney films like Aladdin and Frozen. It didn't really matter though, because, in every film, at least one parent always died.
"Simple." She responded. "It propels the tragedy. This tragedy, when harnessed by the princess, makes her braver. She becomes stronger, and is eventually able to stand on her own and rule the kingdom in place of her parents."
"That...makes sense." For once, I wasn't lying.
"I have that tragedy, Topher, but I haven't yet learned how to harness it correctly." Her dark eyes closed slowly. "Yet, when I do, I will no longer be the doe-eyed Pahkitew Princess, I'll be the queen."
The time was 10:43. I saw headlights in the distance, and soon enough, a battered van pulled into the lot. I held Ella a bit closer.
"Topher!" A gruff voice called from the window of the vehicle. "Let's get you home, boy!"
Ella stood before I did, and once I made it to my feet, I took her hand in mine. There was no way I was letting her sit here all night.
"You're coming with me." I insisted. "We'll drop you off at your apartment, and you'll be safe."
She simply shook her head, a small smile on her face. The streetlights illuminated her rosy cheeks. "You've surely made a valiant effort this evening, Prince Topher. Alas, I cannot come with you. When my parents were here, they sheltered me from the world, and now I must make up for that time. I can't spend my entire life turning a blind eye to everything around me."
"Wait, what?" I tugged on her hand. "No, Ella, you can't-"
"I am not a damsel-in-distress. I promise you, Prince Topher, I have done this before." She let go of my hand. "I appreciate all that you have done, but I will find my way home again."
"Topher!" My father hollered, his exhaust clouding my mind.
"You must go now, but thank you. Thank you for showing me what a true prince acts like." She then planted a strawberry-scented lipstick print on my cheek and turned away from me.
"Ella!" I called, but my father's beefy arm had succeeded in yanking me inside his car. "Ella!"
The princess had already disappeared down the docks, walking off to wherever her home seemingly was. I felt empty. There was chasm larger than my lost self-esteem eating away at my stomach. I felt like I had lost the girl who I wouldn't have cared much about an hour ago. It's crazy what these movie-like scenes can do to teenagers.
"Who was that?" My father asked, pulling away. "Your girlfriend?"
Not responding, I rolled down the cracked window, and whispered out into the night. It was nearly impossible that my words could reach her, but you never know for sure with these things, right? As a wise girl once told me, nothing is written in stone.
"Ella, don't look away this time."
I have so many mixed feelings about this! Some parts of me love it, but other parts of me don't. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed!
Don't forget to review, I'd REALLY like feedback on this, and then vote in the poll on my profile for which multi-chap fic you'd all like to see me write first! So far, Sisters and Other Strangers is in the lead!
Thank you! -Kitty