Part 1: The Contestants
Gwen
With dark bags under her half-opened eyes, Gwen continued applying her eyeliner in front of the mirror in her room, which had become a mess ever since she had received the news of the coming season of Total Drama that she had agreed to sign up for. It had been a little over a year since she was last part of it, and while she wasn't surprised by the call, she was still stressed over any new season. Ever since becoming the very first winner, she had become something of a favorite of the executives, and the fame she received made it nearly impossible to have a normal life outside of the show. She still had her solitude in her dark, drab room making enough money to live off of with her Youtube vlogs, but there was always something in the deepest part of her conscience quietly and constantly reminding her of the times she had on Total Drama.
Sure, it was always dangerous, sometimes even life-threatening, but she had become accustomed to the thrill of the twisted challenges and the insane, occasionally infuriating contestants she faced. With four seasons already under her belt, she hoped to become the first ever contestant to strike lightning twice.
Lightning
"Sha-hey, Mrs. Keeton!" shouted Lightning as he jogged past an older woman getting into her car.
"I told you not to come around here anymore!" the old lady shouted back, waving her purse in the air.
"See ya later, Mrs. Keeton!" He looked to the sky with a smile on his face, basking in the sunlight as he made his way down the neighborhood at a brisk pace. 'Of course they would pick me again,' he thought. 'I've got everything! Who wouldn't want some of Lightning?'
In front of someone's house to his right was a short-haired dog with its eyes tracking him carefully, letting out a low growl as he passed by.
"Hah!" Lightning laughed. "Even animals want a piece of this! Come get it, killer!" At his command, the dog broke into a sprint after Lightning as he threw his arms into the air and ran as fast as he could.
Cody/Ella
Traveling in the back of a gray sedan, nervously staring straight ahead at the back of the driver's seat ahead of him, Cody had remained quiet since getting in the car. Although he typically enjoyed attention from the opposite sex, there were some exceptions that made him a bit uneasy. And, despite Sierra being nowhere in sight, he couldn't help but feel the gaze of warmth and happiness from Ella, seated beside him in her usual pink dress and bow, weighing down on him. The skies were dark and the windows were caked in rain, making it one of the most dreary days in recent memory, and yet Ella remained comprised of sunshine and butterflies.
They were being transported to the nearest airport for the newest season of Total Drama, and Cody had been blissfully unaware that he lived so close to Ella all these years. It wasn't necessarily that he was frightened by her, it was just that...
"I really liked you in World Tour," she said out of nowhere, making Cody nearly jump out of his seat. She looked surprised, saying, "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no, of course not!" Cody said with a nervous laugh. "But I have to ask... You aren't the type of person who... stalks other people... or obsesses over them... are you?"
With a warm smile, Ella replied, "Don't be silly, of course I wouldn't do those things! I remember my school councilor's words very clearly: People need their own personal space, and if you ever deny someone of that, then they have every right to smack a bi-"
"Okay! I get it," Cody intervened. "As long as you're at least sane."
"Mmm-hmm!" Ella said with a nod.
Duncan/Zoey
In the back seat of a similar gray sedan, two more contestants were being driven to an airport, but these two had already gotten to know one another and spent most of the trip laughing.
"No, I'm serious!" Duncan said with a smile. "The guy was tailing right behind my chopper and as soon as I let off the gas to give him a piece of my mind, he gets out wanting an autograph for his daughter."
"Really?" Zoey laughed. They were both laid back and relaxed in their seats, but each of them had the familiar excitement of getting back into the action.
"So where's Svetlana, anyway? I figured you two would come in a pair."
"You mean Mike?" Zoey crossed her arms and shot a mean look at the driver, who hadn't said a word since they got in the car. "They said it was only me this time, and that Mike already had more than enough time in the spotlight during All-Stars. Speaking of which, when did you get out of jail?"
Duncan shrugged at the thought of jail, playing it cool as he said, "Pfff, they let me out a few months back. I think it was the executives of Total Drama who pulled some strings to let me out early. Not gonna complain."
"And now you're out of the frying pan and into the fire."
"At least this fire comes with the chance at a sweet million."
DJ/Bridgette
DJ and Bridgette had been quietly smiling at one another for the past fifteen minutes while their car had been parked in the airport's lot. Not much had been said since meeting up, but they continued to stare wordlessly as they awaited their driver's return.
"Hey!" came a familiar voice accompanied with heavy tapping on the window. "Ain't you two gonna say something or just sit there?" It was Chef Hatchet, his grizzly face frightening the two of them as he held it a few inches away from the glass. "Come on, we got a flight to catch!"
Heather/Dakota
"What do you mean you don't have Diet!?" Heather yelled at an employee behind the counter of a food stand at the airport. "Do you honestly think everyone drinks those fatty sodas!?"
"I-it's new regulation, ma'am," the cashier said shakily. "There's nothing I can do! We have lemonate, though! Or water!"
Heather grunted and took her hands off the counter. "Fine. Pink lemonade, and make it quick."
The cashier bit her lip a little and said, "We don't have pink..."
"Then MAKE it pink!" she yelled as the cashier nodded and hurried off quickly. As she turned around, she saw the faces of several onlookers staring at her awkwardly before getting back to what they were doing as if nothing happened. "This airport sucks..." she mumbled to herself.
"Tell me about it," another girl's voice said nearby as Heather turned to face Dakota standing beside her, her skin and hair back to their original colors and standing at her normal height again. "Not a single person recognizes me here!"
Heather raised an eyebrow and said, "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Oh, don't play that game, Heather. I'm not in the mood right now." She let out a heavy sigh and continued with her sob story. "It seems like ever since the effects of the mutation wore off, I've just been a nobody. People don't even remember me and how I used to be a star! I suppose, as they say, the brightest burn the fastest... But I'm here to change that. Once people see me on this season of Total Drama, I'll make a comeback! People all over the world will remember this face, and I'll get a hot guy who's way better than that nerd Sam! Who does he think he is, dumping ME!? 'Oh, you're back to being shallow again, hurr durr-' whatever! I'll show everyone! And this time I'm in it to win that million! Uhh..." She looked around, her eyes coming across the concerned cashier behind the counter, but not seeing Heather anywhere. "Heather...?"
Beardo/Trent
While in the waiting area of the airport terminal with headphones drowning out the other sounds, Beardo sat patiently as his head bobbed up and down to the beat of the music. When the track ended and he opened his eyes, he realized he was sitting across from one of the original cast members, Trent, with his guitar case set up beside him. They smiled and waved at one another quietly before the next track began and Beardo closed his eyes yet again to enjoy it.
"And then the guy tells me straight to my face: If you've got a problem with me, that eyebrow piercing is coming out the hard way." Duncan stopped in his tracks when he got to the waiting area with Zoey at his side, smiling at the sight of Trent. "Hey, man! What's up!"
"Oh, Duncan!" Trent said in return as the two bumped fists. "Good to see you! Sure has been a while."
"Sure has! I guess we're the first four here." Duncan scanned the waiting area, entirely bereft besides Trent and Beardo. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm gonna have fun while we're waiting. You coming, Red?"
Zoey pointed to herself as if to ask if that's who she was referring to and said, "Oh, no thanks, I'll wait here for the others. I can't wait to see who else is going to be here this season!"
"Suit yourself. I'm off."
"Don't get in too much trouble," Trent called after him.
"No promises!"
Krystal/Alejandro/Tyler
Holding up a pocket mirror outside of a food stand to check her makeup was a new contender, Krystal. Her jet black hair hung down beneath her shoulders, a few strands finding their way in front of her dark green eyes as she pushed it back. Her skin was rather pale, and freckles were lined up beneath her eyes and across the bridge of her nose.
As she gazed into the mirror, she noticed a tall, dark, and handsome man standing behind her and she tilted the mirror to accommodate. It was Alejandro sporting his sly grin as usual. She closed her mirror abruptly, her expression remaining the same as she crossed her arms.
"My, my," said Alejandro as he took a seat at the circular table she was at. "I must say, I've been entranced from what I've seen; like an elegant rose... Tell me, do you have thorns?"
"I'm not here to mingle with the other contestants," she said, her eyes facing directly ahead of her.
Alejandro moved his chair so that he was sitting across from her, but she merely looked elsewhere. "But you are so beautiful... Surely there must be a man waiting back home for you...?"
"Isn't there a woman waiting for you?"
"Ah, I assume you mean Heather. As much as it pains me to say, we have gone our separate ways. And now, I come across you... A beautiful rose with a head of black." His advances were met with silence, but he shrugged and smiled regardless. "You may not want to speak to me now, but I will learn more about you over time, my dear..."
Krystal merely rolled her eyes and said nothing.
"Oh, hey!" said Tyler as he approached the two. "I didn't know you would be here, Al!"
Through gritted teeth, Alejandro said, "It isn't Al..."
"And who's this?" Tyler motioned to Krystal, but Alejandro shrugged.
"She has not said her name, but I suppose we will find out once the competition begins."
"Oh, so you're a new cast member!" Tyler sounded excited as he held out his hand for her to shake, but Krystal ignored both of them as she took out her phone and began checking her mail. "Well, alright then! See you both on the plane!" He jogged off to the waiting area, leaving the two alone again.
Jasmine/Shawn
"Jasmine..." she heard faintly, her eyes closed with her tall body uncomfortably sprawled out on the chair she had been sleeping on. "Jasmine..." It became louder, and she groaned weakly to make it stop. "Jasmine!"
"Huh!?" She sprung upright, her shoulder snapping the food tray off of the seat in front of her as she checked to see where she was. To her left was a window showing the paved ground that the airplane had pulled into, and to her right was Shawn, who was laughing at her shock. "Shawn!?"
"Good to see you too," he said, taking a seat beside her. "I take it this plane just flew in from Australia?"
"Uh..." She fixed herself up a bit by straightening out her hair and finding a comfortable sitting position. "Yeah. Are we here?"
"Nope. The rest of us have been waiting on this flight. Apparently nobody knows where we're headed."
"Oh." Jasmine placed her had back on her head and smiled at Shawn. "Well, I'm glad you're going to be in it. I, uhh... I've missed you."
"About that..." Shawn took on a more bashful expression before continuing. "I'm real sorry for not coming to visit more often. I swear I'll make a change after this season! If I have to, I'll even move to Australia!"
"You don't have to do that for me," Jasmine said with a laugh. "I could always move to Canada, after all."
"No way! You've got your, uh... cage-fighting, flower shop thing going on. I don't wanna take that away from you. And, just out of curiosity... How's that doing?"
Jasmine's face lit up with delight at the question. "Oh, it's been doing great! It turns out there are lots of cage-fighters who are totally into gardening! Who knew!"
"Heh, yeah," Shawn said incredulously.
Izzy
"Go, go, go!" yelled Chef as he, Bridgette, and DJ ran through the crowded terminal in a rush to catch their flight. An explosion of mustard nearby caught them by surprise as Duncan stood in front of the scene, laughing hysterically before Chef grabbed him by the collar. "No soldier gets left behind, you hear!?"
On his way, Chef saw the orange head of Izzy waving at them with a wide smile as he picked her up and carried her with him.
"Where are we going!?" Izzy said, still smiling weirdly.
"Do I really need to babysit all of you like this!?" Chef said in frustration. "You'd all be late if it wasn't for me!"
"Late?" Izzy laughed. "I'm not even in this season! I just like watching planes take off!"
"Yeah, well, you are now!"
"Neat!"
The melodic voice of Ella rang out over the crowd as she sang about flying, but was quickly silenced by the oncoming stampede of competitors pushing her and Cody aside. "Hi guys!" Izzy shouted from the shoulder of Chef.
"Come on, Ella," Cody said, grasping onto Ella's wrist. "We have to hurry!"
"Oh, my!" she said, suddenly flustered and blushing. "As you say, my prince..."
"What?" Cody said in confusion. "Oh, whatever, just hurry up!"
