Author's Note
I originally began writing this story before All-Stars was announced, so naturally this fic should be considered AU, diverging after ROTI. I will, however, make use of various elements from All-Stars, e.g. Mal and his interactions with the rest of the cast.
Regarding shipping, the main pairing will be DJawn with others I haven't quite finalized. It will depend on how the story evolves. Initial pairings will be based upon the post-ROTI canon.
Regarding updates, I cannot guarantee any set schedule, or that the story will even make it as far as I want it to. I will do my best, and for the foreseeable future I will be working on the fic every other day, and will post a chapter once the next has been finished. I have thusly already completed chapter 2, but it will not be posted until I am done with chapter 3, and so on. The chapters will likely be long, and as I haven't completely plotted out future challenges and such, it will likely be some time between chapters.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the story.
- Fangren
Chapter 1 – The Fool(s)
[A few days after the finale of Total Drama Revenge of the Island]
"Why have you come before us, Advocate?"
One of the several people sitting in the upper level of the large circular room spoke, addressing the lone figure standing in the very center of the chamber.
"As I said in the letter I sent the Council, I have a request regarding the Wawanakwa situation."
"Ah, yes." A different member of the shadowy group replied. "We have reviewed your letter, Advocate, and we do not believe that your proposal is worth our attention at this time."
"Council, with all due respect, shouldn't we be doing something for them?" The lone figure spoke again, voice rising in controlled frustration. "Those kids have been off that island for a couple of months, and yet nobody has bothered to assess the damage that was done!"
A number of figures stirred, and some began whispering to each other. One of them spoke out. "We simply don't have any room in the budget to clean up any more of Chris McLean's messes, especially when it involves rehabilitating a bunch of teenagers." Murmurs of agreement rose around the room.
"So none of you care about their well-being? About the aftereffects of McLean's little 'show'?" The lone figure protested.
"A study like that, while potentially interesting, would simply cost too much." Another of the shadows said.
A resigned sigh. "Out of curiosity, what exactly is there room in the Council's budget for if you can't approve a relatively simple study?"
More murmurings from the elevated crowd. "Well, we do have a few hundred million set aside for a reality program, although we never did agree on what it was going...to...be..."
Silence fell on the room. "Now, Advocate, those kids you're so keen on helping, they were the contestants on our last reality series endeavor, correct?" A new voice in the upper level piped up.
"...yes..." the lone figure answered, not liking where the conversation was heading.
"So then, why not turn your little study into another season? You get your data, the kids get helped, we get our hit show, everyone wins!"
"I'm not exactly prepared to create - and run – a...a hit reality show! I wouldn't even know where to begin!"
"Don't worry about that, Advocate," the voice who'd suggested the show said, "we'll take care of that. In fact, I believe we have a few prototypes that may prove a tad...useful?"
"Hmm, yes," replied another member of the audience, "we have a few things we wanted to field test which should be perfect for this show of ours."
"Then it's settled!" the show-suggester exclaimed. "We'll allow you to collect the data or whatever you want on those kids, so long as you work it into the show. Just don't make it obvious that you're studying them, that won't be good for ratings."
The lone figure in the center of the two-tiered room was at a loss for words.
[A few months later]
Devon Joseph, better known to his friends, family, and the world at large as 'DJ', was feeling more nervous than he could ever remember – and given what he'd been through in the last couple years, that was saying something. He'd traveled around the world during three seasons of Total Drama – mostly during the third season – and now he'd traveled all the way out to Camp Wild Lake in British Columbia to compete in his fourth.
Given everything that had happened in the past three seasons, DJ's nervousness was entirely understandable. He was alone at the front gate, his Mama having said her goodbyes nearly ten minutes ago, and he was having some major second thoughts about actually getting back into the game. Sure, he knew that things would be different this time – Chris and Chef had been arrested at the end of Revenge of the Island, and the people behind the new season were supposed to be completely different from the previous producers as well, plus all the rules changes that were promised – but DJ just couldn't shake the feeling that disaster was on the horizon.
Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that he was doing this for his Mama, the rest of his family, and for Bunny 2 (as he'd watched the previous seasons and thus knew about what had happened to his original pet). The family was still in a bit of debt from their failed cooking show, and of course he himself could stand to have a bit of cash saved up for when he began college next year. He also reminded himself how nice it would be to be reunited with his old friends from the show, as well as to meet the newer contestants outside of a challenge where he was expected to eat the disgusting (and probably toxic) food they'd made.
Picking up his bags full of clothes and amenities, DJ took a tentative first step into the bounds of the camp; when he didn't immediately get attacked or injured in any way, he began to relax a little. Camp Wild Lake was larger than Wawanakwa had been, and was of a considerably higher quality. The buildings looked clean and well-maintained compared to the old camp's ramshackle excuses for two cabins, lodge, communal bathrooms, and confessional outhouse. If it wasn't for the fact that it seemed to be completely deserted, DJ would have expected it to be crawling with campers of all ages.
It didn't take long for him to realize that he had no idea where he needed to go – he'd been told the place and time (he had ended up arriving a couple hours early, just in case), but not the building he was to report to. He and his mama had assumed that someone would meet him at the entrance, but as that hadn't been the case DJ was feeling his nervousness begin to rise again. A slight, but sudden, breeze across his back and the feeling that he was being watched weren't helping matters.
Fortunately, he was saved by a sudden call from one of the loudspeakers dotted around the campgrounds.
"Welcome to Camp Wild Lake, Mr. Joseph," began a deep, calm voice. "We apologize for not meeting you at the gate, but we are glad to see you've made it safely. Now, if you'd be so kind, please follow the path to your left. From there, the third right will lead you to the Main Lodge, where the welcoming party will begin once all of the campers have arrived and the rules have been explained."
A click signaled the end of the broadcast, and DJ was left thinking that the man on the speaker, whoever he was, seemed to know exactly what he was doing and actually wanted him to feel comfortable. It was a sharp contrast to Chris McLean, who'd never really cared about anything other than himself and the show's ratings. As he turned and began walking down the path he'd been given, the feeling of impending doom began to recede, if only slightly.
It wasn't until another half hour had passed before DJ, who'd been wandering the Main Lodge alone, finally heard the voice on the loudspeaker again.
"Welcome to Camp Wild Lake, Mr. Wilkins. To you as well, Miss Campbell, Mr. Napoletano." As the voice proceeded to give the new three directions, DJ struggled to remember who they were. He wasn't sure he knew all his old friend's last names that well, but he felt that he'd be able to recognize at least one of them. Still, the names Wilkins, Campbell, and Napoletano didn't ring any bells, so DJ figured they were probably some of the contestants from season four.
Making his way back to the lodge's main lobby, DJ quickly discovered that he was right about them being newer contestants. The three were already chatting amongst themselves, good friends catching up on what had happened since they'd last seen each other. Two of them DJ recognized from that disgusting challenge he was supposed to judge; the third he hadn't met in person, but remembered from watching the show at home.
"Uh, hi guys!" His greeting was a bit hesitant, as he didn't really know them that well. "Cameron, right?" he said, extending his hand towards the shorter, scrawnier black teen. Life outside the bubble had done Cameron Corduroy Wilkins well; his nerdy physique still held but it seemed like he'd gained a bit of muscle since the show had ended, and he carried himself with greater confidence than he ever had before winning Revenge of the Island.
"Yeah," Cameron replied, shaking DJ's hand, "I think we met each other when you came to judge the cooking challenge at the end of the season."
"Ugh, don't remind me." DJ grabbed his stomach, disgusted my the memory. "I didn't even touch the stuff you guys made, and I still ended up in the bathroom for an hour."
"Oh, sorry about that," said the red-headed girl standing next to Cameron. "My name's Zoey, by the way. I was also in that, uh, challenge."
"Don't worry about it," DJ replied with a wave of his hand. "Once I watched the episode myself, I realized that you really didn't have much to work with. I'm sure you guys made the best dishes you could."
"Err, y-you watched the show?" the lanky boy with the spiky hair blurted out.
"Yup!" DJ answered, not catching the other guy's sudden nervousness. "Me and Mama watched every episode. You're Mike, right? The one with the..."
"...Multiple Personality Disorder, yeah." Mike finished. There was an awkward pause for a moment, with Mike not meeting DJ's eyes, Zoey and Cameron visibly worried for him, the former taking her boyfriend's hand in her own, and DJ realizing that he'd said the wrong thing.
"Err, sorry..." he began, before getting cut off by Mike again.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just still not used to people knowing about that before I tell them." Mike smiled, and extended his hand in friendship.
"Right, I got it," DJ said, accepting the gesture. "I probably wouldn't like it either if I were in your situation."
After DJ led the others to the only large, open area in the Lodge he'd been able to find – the Mess Hall, which had several long tables arranged in rows perpendicular to a small stage – the four began to chat about what they'd been up to since last season and such, with DJ especially getting to know the others better. Over the next two hours, more and more of the contestants began to show up.
Eva Babiak was the next to arrive. The weightlifter arrived to the Mess Hall alone after getting directions from the voice over the loudspeaker. Although DJ did stand up to greet his former teammate, she only grunted in response. Without so much as a second glance, she took a seat far from the others, turned on her mp3 player, and began lifting a dumbbell she'd taken out of her bag.
"Duncan! Gwen! Glad you two could make it!" DJ called when the next pair arrived a few minutes later.
"DJ! Good to see ya man," the punk replied, bumping fists with his old friend and tossing his duffel bag on one of the tables.
"Yeah, I thought you didn't want to be on the show again." Gwen added, putting her things with her boyfriend's.
"I wasn't, until they told me Chris wasn't going to host it, and that it wasn't going to be at Camp Wawanakwa again," the brickhouse with a heart shrugged. "I figure the game might actually be fun with a better host, ya know?"
"Oh, totally. No more insane host has gotta mean no more insane challenges." Duncan said with a cocky smirk.
"Hah! And if Chef isn't here, we might get to eat actual food for once." Gwen added.
DJ chuckled. "Hey, come on and meet some of the guys from last season." he said, taking his old friends to chat with his new ones.
The next arrivals were heralded by the greeting of a 'Mr. Jackson' and shortly afterward a 'Miss Kurcyzinski' by the man on the loudspeaker. None of the contestants in the Mess Hall could place the names, but since the older cast were more familiar with each other, Cameron surmised that the new pair must have been on 'Revenge of the Island' along with himself, Zoey, and Mike – that group of campers hadn't spent as much time around each other, so it was understandable that some surnames were forgotten.
Less than a minute later, the sounds of running and trash-talking made it clear who had arrived.
"Oh no, Lightning ain't gonna lose to a girl the same way twice!"
"Gah! Dammit, you'll pay for that!"
"Sha-Lightning!" the first voice – a young, muscular black man like DJ, but with a thoroughly different personality – said as he entered the Mess Hall like he'd just crossed the finish line of a 100-meter dash. "In your dreams! Lightning ain't gonna lose this time!"
"Yeah, whatever." Jo said, rubbing her arm where Lightning had evidently rammed into her. "Idiot." she muttered under her breath, looking disdainfully at the assembled campers. Eventually her gaze fell on Eva, who stopped what she was doing and glared right back.
The two recognized each other immediately, both having gotten sick of the constant comparisons the Total Drama fanbase had made. Both were fierce competitors, and neither was about to back down from the nonverbal challenge they had just made.
In total silence, and without breaking her gaze, Jo walked over to the table Eva was at and sat opposite her. Eva put away her mp3 player, turned to face her new rival. At once, the two athletes slammed their right arms on the table, and the match had begun.
The others stared in silence, even Lightning who had been bragging about his awesomeness. It quickly became clear that the two were evenly matched; neither gave a single inch to her opponent, and neither seemed at all likely to break concentration. Even the loudspeaker greeting the next camper didn't faze them.
"WOOOOOO~!" Neither did a slightly musical, and very loud, cry from said new arrival. The other seven finally had their attention drawn away from Eva and Jo's stalemate towards a young man whose appetite was only surpassed by his friendliness and love of fun. "Gwen! Duncan! DJ! It's so great to see you all again!" he said, giving the three one of his giant hugs.
"Uh, good to see you too, Owen." Gwen managed to choke out before the big guy released them and scooped up the other three, who had started to inch away from the blond.
"And I don't know who you guys are, but it's great to meet you anyway! My name's Owen!"
"N-nice to meet you!" Zoey stammered, squeezed between her friends. "I'm Zoey, this is Cameron," she nodded her head to the smaller boy.
"Hi!" he squeaked.
"...and this is Mike!" Zoey added, motioning to her boyfriend, who was currently in mid-gasp.
"Dagnabbit!" 'Mike' said, his right eye shut and his lips withdrawn to give an appearance of an old man. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to hug properly? You can't just strangle 'em!"
"Oops! Heh heh. Sorry." Owen said, releasing the three. "Nice impression by the way."
"It's not an impression, genius." Duncan said. "It's a separate personality. Didn't you watch last season at all?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry." the blond replied.
"Don't worry about it." Zoey said, turning to her 'boyfriend'. "Chester, do you mind bringing Mike back?"
"Yeah, yeah." the old grouch grumbled, gasping back to Mike. "Uh, did I miss something?" he said sheepishly.
"Oh, nothing important." Zoey said, hugging her boyfriend. "Just Chester being Chester."
"Heh heh," Owen giggled, "it's so great to be back on the show again. I wonder who else is gonna show up?"
"Ugh, I hope Scott isn't in the game." Zoey grumbled.
"I don't think he will," Cameron replied, "he was in pretty bad shape at the end of last season."
"Hah!" Duncan snorted. "Watching that was awesome. I totally didn't think Miss Goody-Two-Shoes had it in her." he smirked at Zoey, who just blushed and rolled her eyes. "Now that I think about it, I don't think Alejandro will be back either. Dude got burned pretty harshly at the end of season 3."
"Yeah, and then didn't he get stuck in a robot by Chris?" Gwen added. "No way he'll be able to compete."
"Well, I know for a fact that Geoff and Bridgette aren't comin' back." DJ stated. "I talked to Geoff after I got the invite, and he said that he and Bridgette were already booked for something else. He didn't say what, but I got the feeling that it was some other reality show."
"Ooh!" Zoey piped, "I bet it was the next season of 'Spectacular Marathon'! They always have couples on it."
"Oh yeah, I could totally see them on that show." Owen agreed. "I just remembered! I think the 'Drama Brothers' got back together and are having a reunion tour."
"So I guess that means no Trent, Cody, Harold, and Justin then, right?" DJ asked.
"Yeah, and you can bet that Sierra will follow her precious 'Codykins' anywhere he goes." Gwen added, putting air quotes around the former stalker's pet name for her crush.
"Actually," said a certain familiar throaty, raspy voice, "I am going to compete in this season." Staring straight ahead, one Harold Norbert Cheever Doris McGrady V walked into the Mess Hall, instruments and other luggage in tow.
"Only because you're bein' a prima donna," another, more irate voice said as she followed the nerd-turned-pop star into the room.
"Hey LeShawna," Gwen greeted her old friend, "I guess this means you and Harold got back together?"
"Yeah, but sometimes I wonder why." she said, setting her things down in the ever-growing pile of bags and suitcases. "Especially when stringbean just up and leaves the Drama Brothers, making me follow along so I can talk some sense into him! And all just because the song crazy-girl wrote is more popular than his!"
"They don't respect my obvious talent, gosh!" Harold rebutted, and the two settled into what appeared to be a common argument.
Elsewhere, another pair of campers arrived. However, like Lightning and Jo before them, their joint arrival was purely coincidence.
"Miss Grebes, Miss Sweetlily, welcome to Camp Wild Lake. I apologize for the lack of a welcoming party, but if you would please follow the path to your left, then the third right to get to the Main Lodge. Once inside, take the first right and on your left you should see the Mess Hall, where the other campers have gathered."
The two young women paused to look first in the direction the loudspeaker had given them, and then at each other.
"Ya know, my great-aunt's cousin, Betty, invented loudspeakers. Before that, people had to-" the bow-wearing girl was cut off by a hand on her lips.
"You don't have to do that, you know," the other girl said calmly. "I understand that you never stood out when you were younger, so you started telling lies to get attention until it became difficult to control, but if you stopped telling yourself that you're impressing others, I think that people will begin to like the real you!" She looked around the camp, before setting off away from the Main Lodge.
"Uh...oh, aren't you going the wrong way?" Staci said, leading the other girl to stop and look back at her.
"I know. But I'd like to take a walk around the camp first. I want to get in tune with the natural energies of the area before they get disturbed by the challenges. Don't worry though, I'll be back in time for the big reveal. Oh, and congratulations on your hair growing back!" Without another word, Dawn set course for the forested part of Camp Wild Lake. Staci touched the much-too-short-for-her-liking hair on her head, smiled, and set off to where she'd been directed.
The past few months had been enlightening for Dawn Sweetlily. Her time on the show had exposed her to many things, and the period after had given her time to think about herself, her abilities, and what she wanted to do in this wonderful world. It had become increasingly obvious that her precognitive abilities were far from perfect – she had seen a dark cloud over Dakota, but the girl had found love in her tragedy. She had foreseen far less of the dangers on the island than she'd hoped going in, and had especially been blind-sided by Scott's betrayal and his fake immunity statue. Dawn decided that the lesson there was that the future cannot be completely predicted; some things may simply not be set in stone.
At least she'd managed to turn her new-found semi-fame, augmented by the cash she'd gotten selling the keepsakes she'd collected, into fulfilling her goal of a wildlife sanctuary on Wawanakwa. It had been a hard-fought battle, but once the land had gotten new owners both the Camp and Boney Island became protected land. She was very grateful to the anonymous benefactors who had donated to her cause – one in particular had gone out of their way to ask that a team of researchers be allowed to study the mutant ecosystem in order to better understand and protect them. It had been a difficult decision – most of the scientists she'd met in her life had been hostile to her views – but in the end she had given her support on the grounds that they do not harm the living creatures residing there.
Having finally penetrated deep into the wooded part of the camp, Dawn took a deep and soothing breath. Although Wawanakwa had its own beauty and charms, it was nice to be back in land that was more properly cared for. Every living thing had an aura showcasing every detail of their souls, so it was easy for her to judge the health of an area just by looking at it. Where the previous camp had been twisted by toxic waste and the residual negative energy of the show's first season, the combined aura of Camp Wild Lake was one of the purest of any area regularly inhabited by humans. Dawn knew that she would be able to do so much good here.
Of course, before that she would need to meditate and get in tune with the natural flow of this land's energy. Finding the stump of a fallen redcedar, she assumed her variant of the lotus position and opened her senses, and soul, to the world. It was better to ask for the Earth's blessing beforehand, after all.
"Alright fellow campers," said a strong yet slightly-winded voice, "we have arrived at the location we were given."
"Yeah, whatever army boy. Just put my things down gently on a table before you stink them up with your sweat." sniped a bossy young woman, following the cadet into the Mess.
"You know, Heather, if you had just carried your own stuff, maybe you wouldn't have to complain so much about how it's handled." replied a different young woman, slightly nasal voice clearly concerned for the young man carrying three other camper's luggage in addition to his own.
"Oh whatever, Beth. It's not like Private Brickhead over there cares." Heather said, glaring at the shorter girl.
"Actually, Ma'am, it's Private Brick McArthur." The fashion-loving military man said as he set down the various luggage he'd carried from the entrance, taking care to keep them in separate piles. "But you're right in that I certainly don't mind assisting my fellow campers when they need it."
"See, Beth?" Heather began, a gloating look on her face. "I was-"
"Outta the way!" the Queen Bee of the first three seasons and her one-time ally were violently shoved away from the doorway they had been blocking. "I gotta get anotha can a' hairspray." Concerned as always with her finely sculpted 'do, the Jersey girl strolled into the Mess Hall without a second glance to the two girls she'd knocked over. Quickly finding her own bags, she produced one of the many cans she'd packed. A quick spray later, and the spray-tanned camper looked over the crowd who had mostly just gone back to their conversations.
"Heya, Vito!" Anne Maria called, sending a saucy wink Mike's way. The boy cringed and made to respond, but it seemed that someone else wanted a piece of her first.
"Hey, orange girl!" Heather nearly yelled as she stomped towards Anne Maria. "Who do you think you are to shove me out of the way like that?"
Anne Maria looked Heather over, and snorted. "Someone with a lot betta fashion sense than you."
"Oh that is it!" Heather growled, charging.
"Typical," another of the latest group of new arrivals snarked from the entrance to the Mess. "She's only been here five seconds and already she's started a fight. It's amazing that she actually won season three."
"I know, right?" Beth chimed in, giggling.
"NOAH! BUDDY!" Owen shouted, getting up from his seat to greet his World Tour friend. "How ya been? It's so awesome to see you again!" he continued, hugging his much smaller fellow camper with just as much, if not more, enthusiasm as he'd had with the others earlier.
"Uggh..." Noah choked. "Easy there, big guy. I won't be fine if you keep this up."
"Oh, right." Owen giggled uncomfortably, releasing his friend. "Sorry, I need to stop doing that."
"Whatever," Noah said. "To answer your question, I've been doing pretty well for myself. I've already been accepted into a very prestigious university, but I figured I could give the whole 'Reality TV Show' thing another go before classes start in the fall. Who knows, maybe I'll win this time and not have to worry about tuition."
"Hah hah! That's pretty smart!" Owen replied, and that sparked a conversation between them and a few of the other contestants about their futures after the show.
"Hey, uh, Brick was it?" Beth asked the cadet, finally turning herself away from Heather getting beaten up. "I've been meaning to ask, whose luggage did you bring in besides Heather's and Anne Maria's?" she said, looking at the third (and rather eccentric) pile of bags the young man had been carrying.
"Oh, these?" Brick responded, "these belong to a young woman named Izzy MacTaggart, I believe."
The winds shifted, and Dawn Sweetlily snapped out of her trance. She'd just barely sensed it herself, and the cries of of the fleeing woodland animals confirmed it. It was a chaotic being, one she'd felt once before in her life – on Wawanakwa during a certain challenge. The aura-reader felt a chill as she imagined what that person's influence would mean for this land, the animals, and the campers.
"EEEEEEheehehehhehYEAH!" The sudden cry was startling, as was the equally sudden 'thump' behind her as a certain energetic red-head landed on the forest floor. "Oh wow, this place is amazing! Totally different from Wawanakwa, don't you think? It's all pristine and cared for and stuff. Although it doesn't have any of those really cool mutant animals that Wawankwa had. Ooh, I wonder if they have any badgers? I love badgers, they're all 'Grr, I'm a badger! I'm gonna getcha!' Do they do that? Yeah, I think they do! But yeah, I can't wait to compete again, it'll be so much fun! See ya later!"
Nearly speechless, Dawn watched the other girl leap into the trees and swing away. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. 'It's time to go back to the camp anyways.' she told herself, walking back to where she was expected.
As much as she enjoyed talking to the other contestants, Zoey couldn't help but notice one of the girls sitting alone, staring at the entrance to the Mess in uncharacteristic silence. Knowing full well the pain of not having friends, she quickly excused herself.
"Hey, uh, Staci, right?" she asked the pudgier girl, "Why are you sitting here by yourself?"
"Huh?" Staci said, noticing the redhead. "Oh, yah, I'm just, like, waiting for Dawn to come back from her walk. I wanted to, like, ask her something."
"Wait, Dawn is here?" Zoey said, immediately looking around to see if the blonde had entered without her or Staci noticing.
"Yah, she arrived just after I did. She, uh, said something to me and then went into the woods I think."
The two girls were approached by a portly young black man with an earring, a backwards baseball cap, and a friendly smirk. B had entered shortly after Noah, but his silence and the fact that he'd only befriended a few of his former teammates had left him relatively unnoticed. He pointed at a point just between the two girls, and then waved.
"Uh, I'm sorry?" Zoey said, confused.
"He says that I'm behind you, and also hi." The sudden voice made Zoey and Staci jump. Dawn just smiled and waved at them. "Hello B, hello Zoey, hello again Staci."
"Uh, h-how did you..." the redhead began.
"We, like, totally didn't see you come in! Are you a magician? My great-great-grandpa invented magic, you know."
"Oh," Dawn replied quickly, "I just used a different entrance. By the way, I think Staci, B, and I should go introduce ourselves to the other campers. I know Zoey would like to go see how Mike is dealing with everyone."
"Uh, yeah! Let's go do that!" Zoey said, deciding she was fine with what Dawn had just said. "I-if that's okay with you guys." The four rejoined the larger conversation between DJ, Cameron, Mike, Gwen, Duncan, Lightning, Harold, Leshawna, Brick, Beth, Anne Maria, and Noah. Heather, having been thrashed by Anne Maria, was sulking in a corner fixing her make-up, while Eva and Jo remained deadlocked in their silent competition.
The conversation had returned to the subject of who wouldn't show up. There were only a few people left to consider, besides those like Geoff, Bridgette, and the other Drama Brothers who the group already knew wouldn't be coming. Additionally, Beth had told everyone that Lindsay and Tyler weren't coming either – apparently, Tyler had decided to take his girlfriend on another trip to France.
"Who cares about the two airheads," Duncan said, "I just hope Courtney's not going to be on the show again."
"Mmm, yeah," Gwen agreed, semi-reluctantly. "I mean, part of me really wants to make things cool with her, but, like, I know she's just going to make it difficult. Maybe it's for the better if we don't have to deal with her anymore." The rest of the group, or at least those who knew Courtney, agreed.
"What about Katie and Sadie?" Owen asked. "Has anyone heard if they're in the game?"
"Those two white girls?" Leshawna answered, clearly annoyed by some memory of the two. "They're followin' the Drama Brothers. I saw them at a couple shows, crushin' hard on Trent and Justin."
"Pff, whatever," Heather added from outside the group circle, "those two shared a brain. It's not like it's any great loss if they decided to be groupies for some loser boy band."
"What did you just say?" Leshawna said, standing up and approaching her long-time enemy. "I'd rather have those two groupies here than you! And the 'Drama Brothers' ain't a bunch a' losers, got it?"
"Yeah," Harold added, "don't insult us just because we're way more successful than you've ever been." His smugness dropped in an instant once he remembered he was still mad at his former band-mates. Leshawna just smirked at the sight of her Harold showing that he still cared.
"Mister Tuggman! Miss Milton! Glad to see you've made it, and that you're doing well." The other contestants paused their conversation when they heard the voice on the loudspeaker again. As it gave the two newcomers directions to the Mess Hall, the group quickly figured out who had just shown up.
"Milton...isn't that Dakota's last name?" Zoey asked.
"I guess that means Sam's here too, huh?" Mike added. "I can't really see Dakota coming back on the show without him, after what happened."
"I'm surprised they're back at all!" Cameron exclaimed.
"Yeah!" a gruff voice called from the hallway, attracting the attention of most of the campers. "We weren't going to compete at first, but..."
"Dakota!" Zoey interrupted in a shock, "you look so, so..."
"Normal?" the slender blonde said with a sheepish smile. Indeed, she had somehow reverted from the monstrous form she'd acquired at the end of 'Revenge of the Island'. Dakota Milton now stood, alongside her scruffy-as-ever boyfriend Sam, as the picture of good health.
"Yeah, that's what I was trying to tell you," Sam continued, not looking up from his Game Guy, "we weren't going to compete until Dakota's doctors managed to get her awesome monster form under control."
"So...you're okay now? No chance of turning into a monster again?" Zoey hesitantly asked.
"Err...n-not quite..." Dakota said, downcast and anxious.
"Nah, they couldn't totally get rid of it, but she can transform almost at-will now. It's really cool." Sam explained, actually turning his eyes away from his game to put his arm around his girlfriend.
"Aww, thanks!" Dakota said, kissing Sam's cheek. "And the best part is that, after talking with my agent, I can definitely turn this whole 'mutant' thing into an acting career! Isn't that great?" She was practically squealing in excitement at the thought. Her phone beeped, though, distracting her before Zoey or anyone else could congratulate her. "Oh! It's from Nikki..."
As Dakota and Sam got settled in, the idle chatter picked up again amongst most of the contestants. Those who bothered to count the number of contestants grew anxious, realizing that almost everyone who could show up had, meaning that the game itself would begin soon.
"So, uh, what do you think the new host is gonna be like?" Beth asked, a question that had been on every camper's mind at some point since they agreed to compete.
"I'm more concerned about Izzy." Brick said, Cameron shuddering at fear just from the name. "She hasn't come to check up on her things in...almost an hour!" the cadet continued, checking his watch.
"Oh, I'm certain she'll turn up.." Dawn stated, not out of any supernatural knowledge, but just an educated guess.
"Well, uh, don't look now, but I think she's about to turn up." Noah said, gesturing at the windows along the side of the Mess opposite from the main doors. The campers that saw in time scrambled to get away from the wall.
"YEEHAHHAHAHAH!" the redhead yelled, crashing through the remarkably thin wall between two open windows. "Yeah! That was great!" Izzy remarked, shaking off the debris like a dog shaking off water. Owen, excited to see his ex-girlfriend for the first time in what felt to him like far too long, stood up. Before he could rush over to hug her, though, he was interrupted by a deep, commanding, yet oddly familiar voice.
"Miss MacTaggart!" It was the voice that had been on the loudspeaker. "If you feel the need to enter in a nontraditional fashion, please refrain from causing property damage in doing so!"
Standing at the entrance to the Mess was an older, bald black man, about the same height as Chef but with a much better posture and a much slimmer build. He wore glasses and was dressed in a butler's uniform, giving the impression of a very strict and formal person. The sudden appearance of this stranger was a surprise, but not nearly as much as those he brought with him.
The first was another redhead, this one male and distinctly grumpy. "Yeah, I'm back." he said, glaring at the other contestants, especially the enemies he'd made. "And I'm out of that stupid 'Trauma Chair' too!" Indeed, Scott had recovered from his post-elimination mauling fairly well in the couple of months since the end of season four, only needing a single crutch to get around. He carried his bags to one of the unoccupied tables but did not put them down.
The second contestant to arrive alongside the butler was even more shocking. "Yes, my friends, I too have recovered from my harrowing ordeal," the other young man said. Despite being wheelchair-bound, Alejandro seemed to have retained his optimism, his charms, and most of his good looks. If anything, the handful of burns and scars he now sported made him look even more rugged. As he looked over the crowd of mostly-gaping fellow campers, it was clear that the young Peruvian was still a tough competitor.
"I hope you can forgive my actions during season three," he said with a charming smile aimed mostly at the girls. "My loss, near-death experience, and being..." he shuddered, "trapped within a robot have left me with much time to think, and I have seen the error of my ways." He flashed another smile, but the group looked either skeptical, unimpressed, or simply undecided. Sighing, he wheeled himself over to Heather.
"Heather, I hope we can put our past behind us." he said hopefully.
"Hmmph." Heather scoffed. "Whatever, loser."
As Alejandro moved away from his former flame, the butler stepped out of the doorway and turned to someone hiding behind him.
"Mister Martin, you may enter the room now," he said with a kind smile. "I promise that the others won't harm you."
"I-if you say so, eh." Slowly, shakily, the young man took a step into the room. He had long ago discarded his ragged old clothes, but his style remained basically the same. Between the green tinge to his skin, the lack of hair peaking out from beneath his toque, and the points of his teeth, it was clear that Ezekiel hadn't made a full physical recovery from his experiences during seasons three and four. "He-hello, everyone...! I, uh, I guess I'm back in the game, eh?" He smiled very nervously, not taking a single step away from the butler who'd placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Zeke? It's, uh.." DJ was the first to speak, but it seemed that was all he could think to say.
"...so good to see you!" Beth finished after a moment's pause. "Welcome back!" Smiling, she stepped forward a few paces, only stopping when she noticed Zeke looking too scared to move.
"Zeke! Dude!" Owen, never one to notice social discomfort, charged forward and seized a startled and panicked homeschooler in a hug. A gasp from Zeke made Owen remember his earlier scolding. "Yeah, sorry, I really need to stop doing that," the gentle giant said, setting his latest victim down. "But it's just so good to see you! You look great, dude!"
"Uh...th-thanks..." Ezekiel coughed, eyes darting from contestant to contestant, and back to the butler he apparently trusted so much.
"So, Zeke," DJ said, having finally figured out something to say to the little guy. "What made you decide to come back on the show? Still lookin' to win that million?"
Zeke said nothing for a moment, only looking back to the butler. The man nodded, and Zeke took a deep and calming breath. "It was my therapist, eh. She thought I should try to, uh, 'come to terms' with, like, the show, an' you guys, an' stuff."
"Hmm," the butler muttered with a smile, "I'll leave you some time to get reacquainted, then." Sighing, he checked his watch and cleared his throat. "Attention, please!" he called, drawing all but two pairs of eyes to him. "Thank you all for coming to Camp Wild Lake. In ten minutes, we will be having a mandatory meeting in the main auditorium to discuss the changes to the rules, and to introduce the host and other staff. You can get there by taking the second left off the lobby; the door at the end of that hallway leads to the main auditorium. Feel free to leave your belongings here, we will ensure they are not disturbed." He looked over the campers, and decided that most of them had understood the directions.
"Thank you." Turning on his heel, the butler left.
