Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Brian and Olivia. The other characters belong to their respective creators. Chris belongs to Satan.

Total Drama Again

~by CamperThirteen (AKA Emaena)

Day 1, Part II

Sixteen teens, Eight flags, One challenge

After every camper had finished introducing themselves to each other and to the audience via wacky interactions and the confession camera, and once the crew had taken a break for lunch, Chris made them all gather at the centre of the camp. The campers looked at the two cabins longingly. As shabby and filthy as they appeared, the promise of a little rest was more tempting than a healthy place to stay.

It was midday, and the sun was shining high above their heads when Chris made his very important announcement.

"And since we don't wanna waste any money – I mean, time – the first challenge will start right now!"

If the campers disliked him before, there was no doubt they hated him now.

"What?" they all gasped.

"But we haven't eaten anything yet!" Jess protested.

"Yeah, Chris, ever heard of a little thing called lunch?" Olivia growled.

"Look, dude, I'd love to start doing the dangerous stuff, but even I need some fuel," said Connor.

"You'll eat after you finish the challenge. Now–"

"But!" Maylene started, her finger up in the air, "the contract clearly states that we can't participate in a challenge until the teams have been decided–"

"Funny you should mention that. You see, this challenge will help determine who ends up in which team. You see those canoes over there?"

They all saw them, and immediately wished they hadn't. The so-called 'canoes' appeared to be made out of chopsticks and glue.

"You mean those..." Dominic struggled to come up with a good definition, but all he could say was, "things?"

"I've seen better rides in first-generation videogames," River commented, not looking particularly concerned. He didn't even see the annoyed look Chelsea was giving him, or the fact that she was about to take out her lighter until Kat stopped her in time.

"Whoa, they look really unsafe," Connor said. Then he grinned. "Awesome."

"I know, right?" Kelly said excitedly. "Maybe there will even be rocks in the way and stuff! That'd be super awesome."

"Yeah, and waterfalls and sharks," Connor agreed, grinning almost as wildly as Kelly herself. "That'd be extra awesome!"

"Awesome?" Laura gaped at them, unable to believe what she had just heard. She gulped as she looked at the boats again. "Okay, forget safety, can they at least float?" She looked doubtful.

"Not sure about the safety part, but they do float." Chris smiled, shrugging the silly campers' worries off. "And don't interrupt me. Ever. Anyway, you'll be paddling your canoes that are most certainly canoes, all the way across the lake to the scary, terrifying, and extremely dangerous..." He made a dramatic pause, while Chef put some creepy music on, "...Boney Island."

The campers blinked. Somewhere, a cricket could be heard.

"It's Boney Island, people! What's wrong with you? Are you not hearing the creepy music?"

"Sorry, the name just sounds ridiculous," Brian said, crossing his arms with a smug expression on his face.

"Well, you won't be thinking so when you meet the man-eating animals we have there. Or the ninjas."

Topher raised an eyebrow. "Ninjas?"

"Yup. Leftovers from first season. Oh, and did I mention that the island is cursed? Bet you don't wanna go there now."

"Oh, I don't wanna go... in those things!" Maylene said, pointing to the boats like they were charged with explosives.

"Well, you have to. You signed a contract, remember? Once you get there, all that's left for you to do is find a flag and bring it back with you. There are eight flags, which means that you and whomever you sail with will be on the same team. Awesome, huh?"

"Only if our boats don't sink," Kat said, biting her lip.

"Don't worry, Kitty, if that happens I'll save you," Aaron assured her. Grabbing her by the shoulder, he pressed her tightly against his chest. "But in order to save you, I'll need to be close to you–"

"Let go of her, you pervert!" Chelsea cut him off, shoving her lighter right to his face. "Unless you want your pretty face burned," she threatened.

"Aww, you think I'm pretty?"

"Oh, you'll certainly look pretty... when I set you on fire!"

"Guys, please," Kat intervened, "cut it out. Chelsea, I'll sail with you, OK? Now please stop fighting."

"And please, please, for the love of all things good, don't set anything on fire!" Jess added pleadingly.

While Jess was busy worrying, Olivia smiled and looked in Mo's direction.

Confession Camera – It Makes You Wanna Confess

Olivia: Yes! There's no way I'm going to waste an opportunity to get into the same team as Mo. I'd rather get mauled by bears! *suddenly looks worried* Crap. I hope I haven't given the producer people any ideas.

Olivia walked towards Mo in such a quiet fashion that when she spoke, the poor rock star jumped. "Wanna sail with me, Mo?"

"Um..." He hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse. Then he saw Jess approaching. "I already promised Jessica I'd sail with her. Sorry."

"You did?" Jessica asked him, looking genuinely surprised. "When?"

"Just now," Mo replied quickly, before taking her arm and dragging her to one of the canoes.

Olivia looked so crestfallen, Aaron sensed it and saw his opportunity.

"Don't worry, Liv, this knight in shining armor has arrived to save you."

"But I don't want 'this knight in shining armor'!" Olivia cried, stomping her foot like a little girl, "I want Mo!"

Aaron put his hands up in the air, declaring the case closed, and went to look for another damsel in distress. Preferably, one that wasn't so distressing herself.

Confession Camera – Interrupting The Story To Let You Know What The Campers Really Think

Mo: I know it may look like I was mean to Olivia, but in my defense... Okay, I'd totally do it again.

Jessica: One of the things I like about myself is my honesty... But boy, that sure was the wrong time to be honest!

Aaron: I like all sorts of girls, sure, but I've discovered there's one type of chick even I can't stand – and that is Olivia. You'd think she'd appreciate a little help, considering how nobody else will put up with her, but noooo. Zero appreciation, man. Zero appreciation.

"So you like Mo?" Laura, who had been following the entire exchange, finally decided to speak up.

"But he's in love with Jessica," Phoebe pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, he's sooo in love. After knowing her for a full two hours and all," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, obviously it was love at first sight."

"Obviously," River said. Olivia snickered.

"Hey, you two should go together!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"What?" River even looked up from his DS, too disconcerted to even pause the game. Both he and Olivia looked at Phoebe like she had just declared the sky was green and the grass was blue.

Phoebe only nodded wisely. "Yup. It will make your true loves totally jealous, believe me."

River and Olivia exchanged a look. "Our true loves?" they repeated.

"Of course. Now go. I'll make sure they see you."

"Who's 'they'?" Laura asked curiously.

Confession Camera – Starting to Get Really Annoying

Laura: I'm not a gossip. I just have an inquisitive mind.

Phoebe: I have a sixth sense – a Matchmaking sense. I can practically smell when two people have chemistry. And Olivia, River, Maylene, and Brian just reek of it.

"I'll tell you if you paddle with me. Then we can talk about finding your true love," Phoebe replied to Laura, who smiled at her.

Olivia and River exchanged yet another look.

"Let's just go," Olivia said. "She's starting to scare me."

"Yeah, me too."

"But just so you know, this doesn't mean anything. I'm only doing this to make Mo jealous."

"And it's working. Just look at the poor guy! You can tell he wants to kill me."

They both looked at Mo, who was helping Jessica get on the canoe. When he caught their eyes, he smiled slightly and waved at them.

"I better run for my life now," River said.

Olivia's very eloquent reply consisted of smacking him with her paddle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Brian, Dominic, Topher, and Aaron had gotten themselves into a tricky situation when they all started fighting over who'd get to paddle with the only girl who was left, since Kelly had just taken off with Connor. Naturally, this had resulted in Maylene ranting about how she was not a prize to be won.

"And just because I'm a girl," she was saying, "it does not mean I need a guy's help. Why you should ever think that is beyond me–"

"Can't you just let it go and pick one of us already?" Brian said, exasperated. "In case you haven't noticed, this is a challenge, woman, not a contest over who delivers the most boring rant in the history of boring rants. If that were the case, you would have already won."

Maylene turned her back to Brain, shaking with rage.

"Well, I guess we know who's not going with her now," Topher said. Brian sent him a death glare that could have melted an iceberg.

"That's right. I'm going with... this guy," Maylene pointed at Evan, the only one who had not fought over her. He actually didn't seem to know there was a challenge going on, as he was too busy drawing something in his sketchpad.

Dominic sighed and turned to Aaron with a friendly smile. "Wanna go together, man?"

"Let's see... No hot chicks in sight..." He let out a long sigh. "No choice then. Let's go."

Topher smiled uncomfortably at Brian. "So, um, about what I said before–"

"Oh, don't worry about it, man. Everything's cool."

"It is?"

"Sure. There's nothing to worry about. After all, I'm only an ex-convict with a mental disease and an unpredictable behavior."

Topher gulped.

Surprisingly, it turned out Chris had been telling the truth: the boats could float. Sure, there were a few splinters here and there, and the occasional posionous spider, but other than that they were completely safe.

That is, until they arrived to Boney Island.

"Look, it's a giant skull!" Kelly said. She wondered who it belonged to.

"Thanks for telling us, Captain Obvious," River said. He was in a really bad mood because Olivia had made him put his DS in his pocket, and he felt almost naked without it.

"Yeah, we couldn't have figured that out by ourselves without your observation skills," Olivia added. She, too, was in a bad mood, since Mo had paid no attention to her, focusing on talking with Jess instead. To make matters worse, River hadn't stopped teasing her about it all the way.

Connor didn't like the way they had spoken to Kelly, but she didn't seem to have detected the sarcasm in their voices.

"Glad to be of service!" she giggled. "Service... that reminds me of this one time me and my brother went to–"

Neither River nor Olivia had to fight about making a decision as a team this time – they left without even a word.

"Now that is just rude," Laura said, patting Kelly's shoulder kindly. She and Phoebe had just arrived, followed closely by Mo and Jess.

"Oh, leave the two lovebirds alone," Phoebe said with a knowing smile. "They want their alone time."

"Olivia and River?" Jess asked, her eyes wide. "But I thought she liked Mo– Oh snap. I did it again."

"Did what again?" Laura asked her, intrigued.

Jess smacked her forehead. "Speaking without thinking."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Kelly comforted her. "I do that all the time!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Mo said calmly, "but isn't there a challenge going on?"

They all stared at Mo for a moment.

Then they started to run.

"Have you seen anything on your side?" Maylene asked Evan. They had been walking for about an hour, she watching out for flags on the right, he keeping an eye on the left.

Or at least, that's what she thought. Evan had forgotten her instructions about five minutes after they had arrived to the island.

"Huh?" he mumbled. He was sketching Boney Island's giant skull on his sketchpad. How he managed to do this while walking, the world will never know.

"I knew I should have gone with Brian," Maylene muttered under her breath. "Evan!" she said.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

The boy adjusted his glasses nervously. "...I'm not doing what I was supposed to be doing, am I?" he asked, a little scared.

"No, you aren't. What you were supposed to do was look to the left in search of a flag, NOT draw whatever it is you're drawing on that little sketchbook of yours! You think it's okay to leave all the work up to me because I'm a girl? Huh?"

By this point, Maylene was yelling, and her face was so close to Evan's she was fogging his eyeglasses with her breath.

"I... am sorry?"

"That's not going to change anything. Now, you're–"

"Hey, I hear a girl's voice over there! Hallellujah!"

"Oh, no," Maylene said. She had to think quickly, and since Evan wasn't likely to have any ideas any time soon, it was all up to her. And all because she was a woman!

Suddenly, she had an idea. "Please try to remember to keep your mouth shut," she whispered to Evan, grabbing him by the elbow and running towards a bush. She jumped into it, landing on the ground and taking Evan with her. They both held their breath when they heard steps behind them.

"Oh man," it was Aaron's voice. "I was so sure I'd heard a girl."

"You've some issues, dude," it was Dominic this time. "Come on, let's keep moving, alright?"

Maylene and Evan were about to let go of the breath they'd been holding when Aaron said something that was much, much, much more terrifying than Boney Island itself.

"I found it!"

Evan and Maylene gasped, and in an instant, they were on their feet, and Aaron and Dominic were screaming in shock. The green flag fell from their hands, and before they could stop them, the two hidden campers had snagged it and were running away with it.

"What... the... hell?"

Dominic couldn't reply. He was about to faint.

Confession Camera – Always Here For Ya

Maylene: I felt kind of guilty for the way I treated Evan, and for taking the flag from Aaron and Dominic... But hey, we were there first! And besides, I'm pretty sure we would have taken the flag anyway if Evan had only looked left like I told him to.

Dominic: I knew we were going to encounter some horrifying things at Boney Island, but I never expected that. That was just...*he shudders*

So far, the only thing River and Olivia had encountered were skulls attached to sticks that had been randomly dented on the ground. There had been no bears, no weird animals, no quicksand, no flags.. only skulls.

"I think we've been walking in circles," Olivia said at last. She had been too proud to voice her fear before, because after all, she had been the one that had lead them all the way.

She waited for River's sarcastic reply, but it never came.

"Look, I know you're mad about the whole DS incident, and I know that you can't stand me and all, but can we just try to get along?"

Nothing. And after she had lowered herself to say all that! Oh, she was going to give him the scolding of his life...

She turned around, her tongue already sharpening to bare her words like a knife, but the only thing she saw was the trail they'd been following, the bushes, the dark trees, and the skulls.

"River? River? If this is your idea of a joke, you have a lousy sense of humor!"

Olivia bit her nails. Could he have left her alone? No, he wouldn't have done that... But after all, he only needed her help to paddle. Not to find the flag. She knew she wasn't the most likeable person around, but she never thought anyone would actually abandon her because they couldn't stand her even for a challenge.

"Fine then! I don't need you! I can do things by myself. And for the record, I can't stand you either and I don't like you, so we're even! Jerk."

She was about to turn on her heels when something caught her eye. It was the only thing that stood out among the dull grass patches and mud that covered the ground. She picked it up carefully, and even before her brain knew what it was, her heart was already leaping.

Confession Camera – Where the Stupidity Comes Out

Olivia: When I saw River's DS lying there, I knew that something terrible must have happened. The guy would rather give up his legs than that thing! There was only one possible explanation... *takes a deep breath* ...the ninjas had kidnapped him!

"I have to get help!" Olivia gasped.

"Finally, something we can agree on. You do need professional help," a voice said. It seemed to come from above.

Olivia looked up, only to find River sitting on a branch, holding a green flag.

Confession Camera – Likes To Annoy You While You're Reading

Olivia: OK, so he had not been kidnapped by ninjas after all...

"Have you been here this whole time?" Olivia asked, enraged.

"No, I was on the other side of the island, having tea with Chris and Chef, talking about dresses."

"Not a good moment to be funny, River, considering I am currently very pissed off, and in possession of your DS."

River's expression changed dramatically. "Please don't hurt it," he whispered.

"Well, let's see. You just saw the flag, left your little game lying here, climbed up the tree, and listened to me worrying about your well-being without ever bothering to say a word."

River raised a finger in protest. "Allow me to doubt the 'worrying about my well-being' part."

"Allow me to remind you that I have your videogame in my hands, and that I'm getting angrier by the second," Olivia hissed. As if her voice wasn't threatening enough, she slowly began to withdraw her fingers from the videogame, one by one...

"Don't!" River begged. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't!"

He began to climb down as fast as he could, but in his haste to save his precious videogame, he ended up falling from the tree. Olivia almost dropped the videogame this time.

"Are you okay?" she asked River, trying not to let her concern show.

"Yes," he said a little dizzily, getting up by himself despite the fact that Olivia was offering him her hand. He brushed the dirt off of his clothes and extended his palm towards her. "Now give me back my DS."

"I will... if you form an alliance with me."

"Alright, alright. Dammit, why do you have to be so darn annoying all the time?"

Olivia looked hurt for a second, and in that tiny fragment of time, River almost felt he could connect with someone who wasn't virtual. Then she had to go and ruin it by putting on her smug face and snarling, "I don't know, why are you always playing with that stupid game?"

"Maybe I do it to get away from obnoxious people like you," River knew that he was going a little far, but he was angry at her, and there was a part of him that wanted to make her feel the same way he felt. "Give it back."

She shoved it into his hands quite violently. "There you go! I hope you and Ms Pac-Man will be happy together!"

"Hey!" someone said nearby. "A girl! Finally! Follow my lead, dude."

They heard a ruffle among the bushes, and from them emerged what seemed at first to be two people with thick, droppy skin that was like wax covering their entire bodies.

"Oh man!" the one who had spoken first said, sounding extremely disappointed, "it's just Olivia."

Confession Camera – Just Olivia

Olivia: 'Just Olivia'? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

They were Dominic and Aaron... covered in mud.

"We had to swim through a swamp to get to the flag," Dominic explained, not looking like he was about to get into detail. "Funny thing about swamps: they have leech."

"And where's the flag?" Olivia asked them. She didn't see it anywhere.

Dominic just pointed to his back, annoyed. There, tied around his neck like a hero's cape, was a brown rag decorated with leaves and leech. If you squinted your eyes a little bit, you could see some mud-free spots where the fabric was still red.

"I hope Kitty and Fiery find a red one too," Aaron said dreamily.

"He's a lost case," Dominic laughed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The four of them jumped as the piercing screams shook the branches of the trees, blowing some birds away as if it were a powerful gust of wind. Perhaps it was, because they were all left cold and shaken when it was finally over.

"Where did that come from?" Aaron asked, frowning.

"I think it came from there," Dominic said, pointing East. "We have to go help! Someone could get seriously hurt."

"So the huge jock is actually a big softie," River said, unimpressed. "How original."

"Now is not the time to enlighten us with your idioticy!" Olivia yelled at him. "Dominc's right, we've got to help."

Confession Camera – Loves To Annoy You

River: Mm. The only surprise there was Olivia showing an interest in anyone but herself. Or *puts on a girly voice and batts his eyelashes* Mo. *pauses, staring at his iPod* Well, she did say she was worried about me, and she certainly sounded worried... *looks back at the camera* But that doesn't mean she has a heart. I'd sooner believe Maylene is going to give up her ideals than believe Olivia doesn't have a rock for brains.

They followed Dominic, and soon enough, they were in a very dark path, covered by very large stones and surrounded by gigantic trees. Even River looked intimidated, comparing the scenery to some of the scariest scenes he'd seen in videogames, but not daring to share his thoughts with the others.

They heard another scream, just as ear-shattering as the first, only louder. Their eyes stumbled upon a horrific sight: Kat and Chelsea had their backs pressed against a giant stone, and the only thing separating them from a growling bear was thin air and the thin stick Chelsea was holding with her trembling hands.

Olivia smacked her forehead. "I just had to bring the bears up, didn't I? Stupid producer people!"

"My girls!" Aaron cried.

"We're not your girls, you stupid idiot!" Chelsea roared, an impressive feat considering she was about to be mauled by a bear. "Now do something useful for once and find my lighter!"

"Your lighter?" Aaron repeated dumbly.

"You know, that little shiny object that makes fire?!"

"We don't have time to look for it," Dominic told her, "you're about to get eaten by bears!"

"Thanks for your optimism!" Kat said. Then she frowned as her eyes came upon something near where Dominic was standing. "A flag!"

"And it's red!" Aaron pointed out, ecstatic. "Yes!"

Dominic picked it up, and as a beam of sweat ran down his temple, he began waving the flag and yelling: "Hey, bear! Over here!"

"You do realize it's not a bull, right?" Olivia said.

There was no time for a reply. The bear turned, sniffed the air, and when his eyes caught sight of the flag, they seemed to shine like charcoal. He growled, and started running towards the flag.

"OK, this is just ridiculous," River commented. "Bears don't–"

But apparently they did, because when Dominic waved the flag in the opposite direction, the bear followed the flag... only to collide against a tree.

"Whoa, nice one!" Chelsea smiled.

"You saved our lives," Kat said shyly.

Dominic blushed. "Anytime." He handed the flag to Kat, who blushed even more.

"Thanks."

Both Chelsea and Aaron looked outraged.

"Hey, I could have saved you too," Aaron grumbled.

"Me too, if I'd had my lighter," Chelsea said, giving a nasty look to Aaron.

"This is all very sweet, guys," Olivia sighed, "but don't you think we should get the hell out of this place before we find more bears? Or ninjas?"

They all looked at her a little mockingly. "Ninjas?"

"You can't tell me you bought that story!" Chelsea laughed. "Man, you're gullible. I mean, ninjas? Come on!"

"NINJAS!"

Laura and Phoebe hugged each other, screaming at the top of their lungs. They had spent the whole trip gossiping and exchanging information about the other campers and their (fictional) love lives, and had failed to notice they had passed by three flags already. Chris had finally decided to take matters into his own hands, and had sent a few ninjas to do the job – maybe all the two girls needed to realize they were in a challenge was to be thrown the flag in their faces. After all, they couldn't afford to waste precious money – we mean, footage – of the girls talking and walking and not doing anything even remotely interesting.

There were three of them, all clad in black, and they were surrounding Laura and Phoebe. One of them had a red flag wrapped around his waist.

"Hey, that's our flag!"

"Not that we're in a position to negotiate here," Laura said, smiling nervously, "but please, sir, can you give us our flag?"

The ninja shook his head, and proceeded to make an impressive display of his martial skills. The girls clung on to each other.

"Yo! Those are our teammates you're scaring there!" someone said.

"Nobody messes with the Kellinator's teammates!" another voice agreed.

To Laura and Phoebe's relief and the ninja's immense surprise, a girl with blond hair and purple streaks appeared out of nowhere, and by her side was a boy with muscled arms and a devious smile. Kelly and Connor held their red flag high; they had come to rescue their new teammates and hopefully get that adrenaline rush they'd been craving.

"You're crazy!" Laura said, concerned. "You'll get hurt!"

"We'll see about that," Kelly said, her eyes narrowing. With a wild scream, she ran towards the first ninja, delivering an effective kick to his stomach. The ninja fell, but he bounced back on his feet and attempted to kick Kelly back. His leg was stopped by her bare hands. "Sorry, amigo. It's nothing personal." And with that, she twisted his leg by the ankle, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Before he touched the ground, however, Kelly grabbed the flag and unwrapped it from his body with an unrealistically fast movement.

Meanwhile, Connor fought with the other two ninja simultaneously. He delivered quick blows to one ninja's chest, then turned around to hit the second ninja's knees.

"Popcorn, Larrie?" Phoebe said with her mouth full, offering the treat to Laura.

"Where did that come from?"

"The camera crew."

Laura turned, while the camera moved in a nodding motion. A hand that clearly belonged to the cameraman obstructed the middle of the screen as he said, "Somebody stop those two! Those ninjas could sue us if they get injured, you know!"

Confession Camera – Will Sue You

Ninja #1: *has a black eye and a bloody lip* That is it! I'm so sick of these teenagers kicking my ass all the time! I'm quitting.

Kelly: Just when I was having so much fun! What a way to spoil the party. *she laughs* That reminds me of this one time when I went to a party, and I switched the beer with fake beer, you know, like in those movies, except it wasn't fake, I mean, the original beer was, but it turned out the one I put in the can was real, and so everyone got drunk and was throwing up in the pool and they were all like, totally crazy. *she wipes a tear from the corner of her eye* Good times.

Connor: *he sighs* I really wanted to do something crazy, but those ninjas weren't very good fighters. When are we jumping off that cliff? I could seriously use the adrenaline right now.

At the same time, but in a different part of Boney Island, Topher tripped with a pebble and fell on his knees. Brian sighed: it was the fifth time this happened in the last hour.

"Move it, Klutzenko," he said, kicking him lightly in the butt. "We have a flag to find, remember?"

"Wait," the poor klutz begged. "I think I hurt my knees... And my hands... And my feet..."

"Do you want me to hurt your head, too?"

"No, thank you."

"Then keep walking. Everyone else must have found their flags by now! If I'm the last one to arrive, I'll seriously injure you."

Topher got up, only to trip again. Brian rolled his eyes.

"If you don't kill yourself first, that is."

Not bothering to see if Topher was following, Brian continued to walk down a narrow path bordered by the tallest trees he had seen in his life. There was the occasional skull, but those didn't scare him. They were dead, if they'd ever been alive in the first place.

It was only when he noticed he hadn't heard Topher tripping or colliding against something that he realized he had lost him.

"So, what girl do you like so far?" Jessica asked Mo, her voice flirty and playful. "C'mon, you can tell me. Is it Olivia?"

Mo was seriously disturbed by that thought.

"What? No! Where'd you get that idea?"

Jess shrugged. "I don't know, the way you were so desperate to get away from her today. It looked like you were so nervous to be around her."

"Yes, I was nervous because I was afraid she was going to kidnap me or something."

Confession Camera – Spoiler: Mo Likes Jess

Mo: Oh, I would like Olivia... if I was into stalkers! Seriously, is Jessica trying to tell me off, or can't she honestly not see that I'm into her?

Jessica: *shaking her head* I messed up again, didn't I?

"Oh," Jessica said simply. It seemed comprehension had finally dawned on her. Then she asked, "but why would she kidnap you?"

"Nevermind, Jessica. Forget I ever said that."

Confession Camera – Another Spoiler: Jess Is Clueless

Jessica: Okay, what did I say this time? And why's he being all emo all of a sudden? Sheesh! I don't get it.

They kept walking in an uncomfortable silence, even though Jess tried to break it by flirting or telling jokes. Nothing worked. It seemed Mo was determined to remain in silent mode.

"You can keep giving me the silent treatment for the rest of our stay if you want," Jessica said at last. She was tired of this, and she was starting to get mad. "But for now we're in this challenge together, and we need to get that flag!"

Mo stopped, and after what seemed like an eternity, he sighed.

"Alright, so what would you have us do? We've already looked for hours and we haven't found a single thing. Not even a sight of the other contestants."

Jessica frowned, hit by a sudden and rather perturbing thought. "You don't think... we've been walking in circles, do you?"

Confession Camera – Featuring the Handsomest Host Ever

Chris: FINALLY! I swear, these campers get dumber with every the season!

"Oh crap!" Jessica said, smacking her forehead. "What are we going to do now? We'll never get that flag now! And how will we know where to go? We haven't been paying any attention–" She was cut off abruptly by Mo's finger on her lips.

"Jessica, relax," he said in his most soothing voice. "We just need to stop following the path and go somewhere else."

They both looked around. All they saw was the muddy path surrounded by black woods on each side.

"Guess it's the woods then," Mo said.

Confession Camera – Now That Sounds Like a Good Idea, Mo!

Chris: *laughing histerically, holding his stomach* Can... *laugh* you... *laugh* believe... *laugh* it?

While Mo and Jess entered the wilderness, Brian looked for Topher, and Topher looked for a way out. He had fallen in what appeared to be a deep hole, but this time his clumsiness had had nothing to do with it. How was he supposed to know that those leaves on the ground were concealing the hole? He tried screaming for help, but nobody came.

Now all he could do was try to climb his way up, which only resulted in him getting yet more injured. In the end, he gave up and sat on the earth, taking out his box of bandages to cover his wounds.

Confession Camera – We Like to Butt In

Topher: I always carry those around, just in case. And 'just in case' happens very often. *he smiles, scratching the back of his head*

"'Let's go to the woods!'" Jessica mimicked Mo. Her hair was messy and had some branches sticking out of it, while her clothes were filthhy and torn at some parts. "Oh, gee, I don't see why not, Mo! That doesn't sound dangerous in the least!"

Mo turned to her, scowling angrily. His mohawk seemed to pierce through the bird nest that now crowned his head. His clothes were in no better condition than Jessica's, but his face was worse than hers. He had several scratches in his cheeks, and a long gash across his forehead.

"I didn't hear you suggesting anything else!" he said. "At least I had an idea!"

"Yeah, a really bad one! One that will likely get us both killed!"

"The only thing that's going to kill us here is your yelling!"

"Oh, because you're not yelling too?"

Brian stopped on his tracks when he heard the voices.

"Unless I'm hallucinating again," he murmured, "that sounds like Mo and Chelsea."

He followed the sound of their voices, which grew louder and louder with every step he took. Oddly enough, they were deep in the wilderness, and it took Brian all of his juvie skills to reach them without so much as a scratch. They, however, had not been so lucky.

"You guys look like crap."

At the sound of his voice, they immediately jumped to each other's arms – despite the fact that they had just been fighting – only to separate again when they identified him and who they were holding.

Confession Camera – We Live to Annoy You

Jessica: I just wanna say that I only grabbed on to Mo because I was ready to throw him to whatever beast we were about to face.

"Brian? What are you doing here?"

"Lost Topher," he explained, not appearing too concerned over that little problem. "So you guys haven't found a flag either, huh?"

"Do you see a flag anywhere?" Jessica asked, irritated.

"Whoa, somebody forgot to take their meds this morning."

"And you haven't had to stand her all day," Mo said, earning a kick from Jessica. "You–!" He couldn't even finish his sentence, because Jessica punched him in the mouth.

Brian winced, taking pity on Mo. He knew what it was like to get beaten by girls. But still, he couldn't help but wonder out loud, "What happened to you two? Last time I checked you were pretty tight, but now you're acting like me and that stupid Drama Queen Olivia."

They both opened their mouths, but their replies were cut off by a terrifying growl.

"Please tell me that's not a bear," Mo whispered.

It wasn't a bear. It was something much, much worse, and much less believable: a giant beaver with fangs.

"You just had to say that," Jessica grumbled.

There was no time for an argument, however. The beaver growled again, covering them with saliva, and it charged. The three teenagers didn't think twice: they started to run in the same direction, dodging roots and jumping over bushes as they made their way back to the path, never stopping for air. Once there, they ran without looking forward, only looking back at the incredible creature that was following them close enough for them to smell its breath. And then, suddenly, they didn't see it anymore... all they saw was the ground, and then the sky shining above.

They had fallen.

"Guys!" Topher said. His smile fell from his face once he had a better look at them. "Bandages, anyone?"

Back at Boney Island's beach, the rest of their contestants were surrounding Chris, who had been there with Chef, waiting for their arrival.

"Alright, campers. Green flags go to the right, red ones to the left." He waited. Nothing happened.

"Move it, soldiers!" Chef ordered.

Everyone obeyed as fast as they could, bumping into each other in their haste to get to their assigned place. Finally, when they were all done, Chris pointed to the right.

"Maylene, Evan, Olivia, River, Phoebe, and Laura, you are now the Stinging Bees!"

"Um, shouldn't our color be yellow?" Evan asked. Surprisingly he was paying attention this time.

"Technically yes, but we couldn't just afford new fabric," Chris laughed at the silliness of the idea. "Now, the campers on the left: Connor, Kelly, Aaron, Dominic, Kat, and Chelsea, you are the Deadly Sharks!"

"Yes! We get the coolest name!" Kelly squealed. "And sharks are my favorite animals!"

"Red is the color of love," Aaron said, grinning at Chelsea and Kat. Both girls turned red, albeit for different reasons.

"It's also the color of blood," Chelsea said maliciously, "and of fire."

"Hey, wait a second," Olivia said suddenly. "Where's Mo?" She looked around. "And Baldie?"

"Yeah, I thought we were missing a few people," Laura agreed. "Shouldn't Topher and Jessica be here too?"

"Oh yeah," Chris smiled sheepishly. "They sorta got lost back there. No biggie." He shrugged.

The campers exchanged looks of concern.

"Don't worry, they'll be alright!" Chris said. He didn't look very worried himself. "So long as you rescue them, that is."

River almost dropped his beloved and recently recovered DS. "Say what now?"

"No way!" Olivia crossed her arms dissaprovingly. "I'm not going back there to save Baldie of all people."

Maylene turned to her. "How can you say that? They could die out there!"

"So could we," Dominic pointed out.

"That's a risk the network is willing to take," Chris said. "Which brings us to the second part of the challenge: the Rescue challenge! Each team is required to find two of the missing campers and bring them back here alive. The team that gets here first wins!"

"Woohoo! More dangerous stuff!"

"This is going to be a really long day," Kat said to Chelsea, as they watched Connor and Kelly run towards the wilderness like kids going into a candy store.

NEXT TIME: Waterfalls, teams not getting along, Laura gossiping, rivalries, alliances, and near-death experiences!

Author's Note: This was loooong, but really fun to write. Watch out for Laura and Phoebe, those two are bound to cause some havoc in the future. And Dominic steps into the Aaron/Chelsea/Kat triangle and makes it a square! Anyway, what did YOU think of this chapter and its developments? What are your favorite couples? Have you changed your mind about a character or two? What were your favorite lines?

On a different note, I have a new fic up! If you have the time, go check it out :D

Also, something I forgot to mention last chapter -- English is not my mother tongue, so if I make any mistakes, please correct me! Constructive criticism on the story itself is also appreciated.

Now, to refresh your minds a little bit, here are the teams.

TEAM: THE STINGING BEES (GREEN)

Laura - Olivia – Maylene – Phoebe – River – Evan

TEAM: THE DEADLY SHARKS (RED)

Aaron – Chelsea – Kat – Dominic – Kelly – Connor

Read and Review, people!