"Remind me again why we're here?" Leshauna cried, eyes wide from sleep deprivision.
"One million dollars." Gwen mumbled, as tired as Leshauna.
"Will you two shut up?! Some of us need our beauty sleep!"
"Oh no, she didn't! There ain't nothing helping that face!" Leshauna launched her pillow across the room and into Heather's face.
"Hey!"
"Ugh!" Gwen rolled out from her bottom bed that dipped in the middle- definitely second-hand.
"Hey Gwen. Where are you going?" Lindsey asked with a yawn, her blonde hair as perfect as it was when she first laid her head on the pillow.
"For a walk."
"In the dark?"
"I like freezing to death when nobody can see me."
"Oh okay, have fun!"
Gwen shook her head exasperated, it didn't even make sense how that girl was still alive. Only this morning Gwen had watched astonished as Lindsey shoved her charger into a tree and plugged it into her phone saying "I saw a clip on Facebook where someone was charging their phone with a tree! It's perfect!"
Gwen hadn't even bothered to explain the way electricity works to the girl.
"Hey babe, what're you doing out here?"
"Get bent, Duncan." Gwen grumbled, watching the sun begin to rise.
"Woah darling, what's got your panties in a knot?"
Gwen glared at Duncan who smiled crookedly in return. Gwen has to give it to the guy, he was damn fine.
"Nothing." Gwen stumbled past Duncan until she reached the end of the dock where she sat and swung her legs beneath her, breathing in the chilly air bouncing off the water.
"That time of month?" Duncan asked, coming to sit beside her in such a casual position Gwen felt awkward in her own comfortable position.
"You got a death wish today, Duncan?"
"I'll take that as a yes then." Duncan chuckled.
Gwen screamed with frustration and threw her weight into Duncan, shuffling back as his body went over the edge.
"What the hell?!" Duncan roared, pulling himself up with an ease Gwen knew came from regular pull ups.
Gwen snickered at Duncan's drenched and shivering form, his Mohawk flat, as she got to her feet and walked off; calling over her shoulder, "And for the record, it is NOT my time of the month!"
"Coulda fooled me." Duncan grumbled, folding his arms to try and stop the shivering as he stomped back to camp.
"How was your walk Gwen?" Lindsey asked, poking at the grey glop in her bowl.
"It was great." Duncan answered, slinging an arm over Gwen as he entered the mess hall.
"Get lost, Duncan." Gwen pushed Duncan's face away and he left chuckling to himself as the girls glared at Gwen.
"What?" Gwen growled.
"You better not be teaming up with him Goth girl."
Gwen glared at Heather, holding her spoon so tightly it was cutting into her palm. Deep breaths.
"Hey girl, what's going on there?" Leshauna nudged Gwen.
"Absolutely nothing."
Leshauna let it be and poked at her own 'breakfast'.
"I think the food here is finally going to kill me." Gwen announced.
"Are you going to eat that?"
Gwen pushed her bowl towards Owen, "No Owen."
"Good morning everyone! How'd you all sleep?" Chris snickered as he looked over at the girls who all but hissed at him.
"What do you think went on there?" Jeff pointed towards the girls, "never mind." Jeff turned back, to his breakfast avooding the girl's venomous glares, even risking his life as he placed the glop in his mouth and chewed for too long, his face paling with every chew.
"What's the go Chris? I want to leave this place."
Chris laughed, polished white teeth flashing, "about that, there's been a change of plans and since you didn't leave on the last boat it's now compulsory for you to join this challenge too."
"That boat was for the sick and injured!"
Chris grinned.
"This is crazy!" Gwen screamed, rubbing at tired eyes.
"I know right?! Anyway, for today's challenge we'll start with a challenge of the sexes! And trust me people, you're going to want to choose your teams well this time." Chris chuckled in that way that meant trouble, "see you on the beach in one hour!"
"What do you reckon-"
Gwen held up a hand, cutting Beth off, "Don't talk to me."
"But-"
"No, no buts. The only thing we'll be doing is finding a way to get me out of your cabin."
"You know, you sleep talk." Beth snapped back.
"Ugh!" Gwen stormed out of the mess hall, away from the girl who had kept the entire cabin awake last night with snores, because she'd had her braces removed.
"Hey Gwen!" Owen shouted, running to catch up with Gwen.
"Hi Owen." Gwen sighed, too tired to bother pretending to be nice.
"You know, we have an hour before the beach. If you need to sleep you can crash in our cabin and I'll wake you up before we have to go."
Gwen spun to face Owen, beaming up at him, "Seriously?!"
"Yeah, sure!"
"Thank you, thank you!" Gwen screamed, following Owen to the boy's cabin.
"Yes!" Gwen cheered at the empty cabin and raced across the room to the closest bed before jumping onto it and collapsing on top of the covers, closing her eyes and snuggling into the pillow while breathing in the scent of spice and pure male.
"Uh, maybe not that b-" Owen tried to warn Gwen as he twisted his hands nervously, but Gwen was already asleep and unknowingly threatening Owen whenever he dared try to shake her awake.
"Dude! What the hell?!" Duncan shouted as he walked into the cabin, glaring at Owen who squeaked with fear.
"She was tired! I just offered her a place to sleep."
"On my bed?! And why do you care if she's tired? You teaming up with her?" Duncan crept up to Owen, raising a hand threateningly, "or you just hoping to get in bed with her?"
Owen's eyes drifted to another place as he chuckled vaguely.
Duncan groaned, "get lost Owen!" Duncan punched Owen on the arm, a punch he considered soft but which Owen still yelped from before darting as quickly as he could from the cabin.
"Alright sleeping beauty, get up." Duncan growled at Gwen who slept peacefully.
"Hey "
"Duncan…." Gwen mumbled.
"What?"
"No, no, we can't kiss. Your Mohawk will get in the way…"
"What?" Duncan squatted down so that he could looked closely at Gwen and grinned when he realised she was sleep talking.
"Now beautiful, you wouldn't be dreaming about me would you?"
"Green's my favourite colour. No, we can't kiss…."
Duncan chuckled, "okay, this is kind of entertaining."
"Alright," Gwen sighed, "but only once."
Duncan raised a single eyebrow, had he kissed her in his dream? God, he was going to give it her when she woke up.
"Gwen! Gwen where the hell are you?! Where's my hairbrush you creepy Goth!"
Gwen groaned and cracked open her eyes.
"Ah!" Gwen shot up in shock, smacking her head on the bottom of the bed above her. Gwen groaned, holding her head and lifting her knees to her face.
"Morning, precious."
"Great, a criminal and a creep."
"Did you know you sleep talk?"
Gwen froze, staring at Duncan nervously.
"What did you just say?"
"You sleep talk. And for the record, my Mohawk definitely wouldn't get in the way."
Gwen's mouth dropped open.
"Get out! Now!" Gwen shrieked, blushing furiously.
"Toots, you're in my bed."
Gwen opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish before giving up on trying to crawl her way out of the pit she'd just fallen into, and bolted out the door, following by Duncan's laughter.
"Where you been girl?"
"Just kill me now." Gwen groaned, leaning against Leshauna's curvy body.
"Say what now?"
Gwen took a deep breath before rushing out her explanation, "I took a nap in the boy's cabin, turns out it was Duncan's bed. I wake up, he's there and tells me that I sleep talk."
"Please tell me you weren't having another kissing Duncan dream." Leshauna looked at Gwen cautiously before gasping, "aw girl! You done for, sugar!"
Gwen groaned, pulling her fingers through her knotted hair in order to make it look half descent.
"There you are!" Heather shouted, her burgundy top riding up with each step. "Where's my hair brush?"
"Here it is, Heather!" Lindsey yelled out, waving the black brush in the air like it was a white flag.
"I asked you for it hours ago!"
"I put it in the water like you asked me to." Lindsey frowned as she passed the brush over, dripping with mouldy water.
Gwen snorted, "lucky you had that shot yesterday."
"Oh shut up, Gwen." Heather snapped, snatching the brush from Lindsey.
Two warm, strong arms suddenly wrapped around Gwen's waist and warm breath tickled the curls at Gwen's ear.
"Want to make that dream of yours a reality?"
Gwen screamed, jumping as she turned and ripped her body away from Duncan's own firm one, the tingles from his touch on her bare skin making the hairs on the back of her neck rise in the most sinful of pleasures.
"What the hell, Duncan?!"
Duncan laughed so hard he was holding his stomach as he walked over to the group of boys watching him curiously.
"Where the hell is Chris?" Heather shouted.
"Welcome to the partners only competition!" Chris suddenly shouted from his helicopter above.
"Always dramatic." Gwen grumbled, her face yet to cool down.
"You'll be partnered up with the person you've spent most of your morning with! The goal is to do an entire lap around the island!"
"Whoo! Marathon!" Owen cheered, earning more than a few glares.
"Partay in the island!"
"No! No party Jeff! Hell on Earth, as usual!" Heather shrieked, stamping one of her feet on the ground like a five year old.
"For once, I agree with her." Gwen commented incredulously.
"Okay! So partners are as follows! Leshauna and Harold!"
"What?!"
"Dude!" Jeff bumped fists with a nonchalant Harold.
Leshauna looked around the group, "what? Boy got skills."
Gwen shuddered in disgust.
"Jeff and Brigdit, Heather and Owen, Lindsey and Tyler, Beth and Justin, Izzy and DJ and Gwen and Duncan!"
"Oh no." Gwen mumbled as Duncan came to stand beside her, grinning.
"So babe, where were we in your dream?"
Gwen groaned, "So what we just have to stick together for this challenge?"
"Close together!" Chris corrected as suddenly Chef jumped from behind them and clasped familiar handcuffs on each of every partner's wrists.