Wow, a week and a bit behind schedule. That's not super fun. Hopefully you guys are still interested in this!
Side note, there's no way I'm keeping this at 10000 words per chapter (especially this one, which ran, oh, 6000 words over). As such, a Curse remake is a possibility (I don't know for sure, but I have some good ideas churning in my head).
Side note to the side note, my computer's shot for the next while so I'm writing almost everything on google docs on my phone. You can imagine how well that's working out. So anyway, there may be some more delays.
Now that the new Survivor season is out (it's insanely good so far. Would recommend), I want to say no spoilers will be tolerated in the reviews (but PM me for some hard-core Survivor discourse). General comments and opinions, however, are welcome! For anyone wondering, Christian's my favourite (obvious reasons).
And to address your reviews:
GirlPower54: Thank you for the kind words and the elimination prediction! We'll see if you're right soon enough…
AZW330: Thanks for the praise! And as for Maggie… well, I can't reveal anything but you'll know soon enough!
Zevoros: I appreciate the well-thought out predictions! And yeah, I've made the mistake of using some unfamiliar characters (I keep trying to make the heart with the less than sign and the three) in reviews too. Doesn't turn out well.
Mistress Mysterious: Not much to say except thanks!
Taylorfang9: Thanks for the predictions. As for Joshua, you need to understand that I gave him a flaw for his own good. A perfect character whose only negative character trait being communication issues would, in my opinion, be boring to write and read about, and would doom him to being an early boot. And you may be overreacting slightly about the colour of his jacket and whether it's zipped or unzipped. Nevertheless, hopefully this doesn't deter from your enjoyment of the story.
Aleister Bloodrive VII: Thanks for your criticism! I don't normally take criticism well, but I'm fine with it if it helps me improve the story. It's definitely been taken into account, and I'll try to tone down both of your characters in future chapters. I'm glad you've been paying well enough attention to the story to notice.
DinoKea: To address your comments: 1- From what I've gleaned from the reviews, I think most people agree that Chloe's leaving soon. I think she's one of the more polarizing characters this season. 2- I think that came from Diego being reasonably certain how everyone was going to vote (Cole and Olivia telling him Maddie, Harald (and Zaheen by extension) telling him Olivia, and Maddie telling him Cole. Though it might have made him seem a tad omniscient. 3- Yes, that was the plan. This is a rewrite to a grand extent, and many such divergences will occur along the way. 4- It's just one point per correct guess, although more opportunities for points may come later. I never even thought of doing it your way, but that's not a bad idea. And as always I enjoy your predictions!
Cndl Mnsn: Thanks for your predictions! And considering that I was completely off last time on your favourite, I'll have to be careful in my thinking this time. But I will figure it out!
JackHammerMan: I'm glad I surprised you! As I mentioned in the author's note after the chapter, I really wanted to set up Olivia like she was going far and then drop her early on, just to set that 'you really never know' tone. Interesting thoughts on Giuseppe… and thanks for the predictions!
Apenad4LIFE: (I'll address both reviews here.) Thanks for the praise! I appreciate it, and not only because I'm a sucker for compliments. That's a major reason though. I'm glad you like my interpretation of Ambrose, too! We'll soon see how he fares. I'm happy you didn't expect Olivia, as, well, that's what I wanted. You'll see a whole lot of personalities clash, and not just the villains. And lastly, thanks for the predictions!
Obikinoah: Thanks bro! I'm glad you like Cole and by the time you read this, I'll have updated Eloa's appearance.
Beastboycoolman15: I'm glad you're still here despite not having an OC in. It makes me happy. Thanks for your predictions!
cB7U5: Thank you for the heartfelt review. It nearly made me tear up.
Omakin: I admire your thoughts and predictions! I'm not going to rely so heavily on Marisa doing everything in order to follow up the winners. It is the basis for a few of her plots, so you'll see it early on, but it's going to become less relevant as time goes on. THAT IS IF SHE MAKES IT THAT FAR MWAHAHAHA! Also, Genki (mentioned in her label) is a Japanese word, so I kind of extrapolated from there. And you're Brazilian? The pressure's really on to portray Eloa well now. If I need help I might have to PM you :)
MaxGentleman1: We already got into Diego via PMs, so I won't mention that. Now that I know that Zorro's been in public domain, I might have a character bring it up at some point, but probably not in the immediate future.
ShadowJCreed: Thanks for your review! Your predictions are appreciated and In glad I'm portraying Caleb well.
Thor's Prediction Palooza!
Your predictions have been viewed and put below.
GirlPower54: Harald, Maggie, Giuseppe
AZW330: Diego, Chloe, Pearl
Zevoros: Zaheen, Chloe, Pearl
Mistress Mysterious: Zaheen, Chloe, Pearl
Taylorfang9: Harald, Chloe (No Wicked Wasps Prediction)
Aleister Bloodrive VII: Diego, Joshua, Giuseppe
DinoKea: Cole, Chloe, Pearl
Candela Monsoon: Diego, Alexei, Pearl
JackHammerMan: Harald, Chloe, Pearl
Apenad4LIFE: Maddie, Joshua, Robin
Beastboycoolman15: Maddie, Maggie, Robin
Obikinoah: Chloe, Diego, Marisa
Omakin: Maddie, Chloe, Pearl
ShadowJCreed: Maddie, Koh, Robin (You can only select one so I flipped a coin for you)
The Standings (This may be the only time you're in first, so enjoy it):
1st- GirlPower54: 0 points
1st- AZW330: 0 points
1st- Zevoros: 0 points
1st- Mistress Mysterious: 0 points
1st- Taylorfang9: 0 points
1st- Aleister Bloodrive VII: 0 points
1st- DinoKea: 0 points
1st- Candela Monsoon: 0 points
1st- JackHammerMan: 0 points
1st- Apenad4LIFE: 0 points
1st- Beastboycoolman15: 0 points
1st- Obikinoah: 0 points
1st- Omakin: 0 points
1st- ShadowJCreed: 0 points
The Teams:
Dastardly Dragonflies: Cole, Diego, Harald, Maddie, Zaheen
Terrible Tarantulas: Alexei, Chloe, Joshua, Koh, Logan, Maggie
Wicked Wasps: Ambrose, Eloa, Giuseppe, Marisa, Pearl, Robin
Eliminated: Olivia
Let's do this thing!
"Last time on Total Drama: The K'wala Islands," Chris said. "We kicked off a brand spanking new season of your favourite TV show. This time, we took things down under to a small Archipelago in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand.
"First, we met eighteen diverse contestants with a large collection of personalities and skills. Some are strong physically. Some are strong mentally. Some are strong socially. But a lot of them aren't strong in any category," Chris chuckled. "After meeting everyone, we sorted them into teams of six. Then, I told them that they'd be competing in a challenge right away. Did I mention I had them tied together?" He laughs.
"Anyway, I had my recently hired and soon to be recently fired interns take them to their camps, where they revealed that the challenge would be to set up their team's campsite! Can you say, plot twist?" Chris laughed again. "They attempted to work together, although it was clear that rivalries were growing in every team. Pearl and Robin, Chloe and Maggie, and Maddie and Cole especially.
"When the Dastardly Dragonflies lost, largely due to Maddie, the pyromaniac was a clear target. However, clearly there was more than one plan in place, because, though he promised Cole and Olivia to vote for Maddie, Diego was swayed by Harald to take out Olivia, earning him a spot on Cole's ever-growing enemies list.
"Seventeen remain! Who's going to kick that metaphorical bucket next? Find out right now on…
"Total! Drama! The K'wala Islands!" He finished.
Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)
-Opening Music-
The camera begins at a shot of The K'wala Islands from afar. The camera zooms in straight into the forest, where, as foliage is seen being moved aside, Chris relaxes in a lawn chair. Caleb is fanning him with an oversized palm frond, Rachel is peeling grapes, and Frederick is attempting to hastily adjust his hair with a handheld mirror.
-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-
As the camera rushes past Chris, Marisa and Giuseppe can be seen, sitting on a fallen tree. Marisa is patiently talking to Giuseppe as he studies from his dictionary. Giuseppe blushes slightly, and when he isn't looking, Marisa checks off a box on a clipboard.
-You guys are on my mind-
In another portion of the forest, Diego fights off invisible enemies with his sword. He laughs triumphantly. Then, he spots something and promptly runs away, terrified. The 'something' is revealed to be Maddie as she runs on-screen with a lighter in her hand. She spots the camera, waves, and takes a bite of chocolate.
-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-
The scene changes. Now, Joshua is bragging to Logan as he walks on some sort of boardwalk. Logan rolls his eyes, unamused. Suddenly, Joshua disappears from the screen as the shot pulls out to show that he has fallen off the Lake Gellafiche Boxing Ring. Logan chuckles. Then, Koh jumps at him with her knife in hand. Logan jumps up and consequently falls off the ring, causing Koh to cackle.
-I wanna be famous-
Below them, Robin and Pearl are arguing as they walk along the coast. Both are getting increasingly frustrated. Then, bird poop falls onto Pearl and she screams and runs off, leaving Robin to shrug.
-I wanna live close to the Sun-
The camera follows Pearl for a few moments, then stops on Chloe and Alexei, who are chatting and laughing. Then, Chloe spots something. Crouching down, she pulls out her magnifying glass, which glints in the sunlight.
-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-
Maggie sees the duo and starts to walk over. Chloe sees her, stands, and glares, while Alexei stands in between the girls with an exasperated sigh.
-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-
The scene changes again. Now, Zaheen is performing magic for Harald. The acrobat laughs good naturedly as Zaheen pulls out a dove from nowhere. Zaheen puts on a fake smile, which evaporated as soon as Harald isn't looking.
-I'll get there one day-
Ambrose, a few paces away, is using an axe to split wood. Eloa watches him contentedly, when Ambrose removes his shirt to use it as a facecloth, Eloa faints.
-'Cause I wanna be famous-
Cole and Olivia are walking down a path, signing to each other. Olivia silently laughs and Cole blushes. Then, the klutz trips, sending them both down a hill and out of sight.
-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-
The scene returns to Chris. Suddenly, all three interns look at each other, shrug, and start hitting Chris with a palm frond, grapes, and a mirror. The host raises his hands and falls off his chair.
-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-
The eighteen contestants are now running some sort of obstacle course-styled race, where they must jump over a log. Most of them complete it, with Ambrose expertly vaulting over it, Chloe struggling due to her height, Cole tripping and rolling under, and Zaheen merely walking around it.
-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-
They then must climb a wall with ropes attached. Giuseppe helps Marisa up, Koh pushes Alexei aside to get at the wall first, Harald leaps up with surprising speed, and Eloa scampers up.
-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-
Finally, the contestants are sitting around the campfire, the boys on the right bench and the girls on the left. Cole and Olivia, who sit on the ends, reach out to hold hands, but Maddie jumps up and, using a fiery stick, wards Cole off. She tosses the stick into the campfire as the camera pans upward to show the title- Total Drama: The K'wala Islands.
-End of Theme-
Dastardly Dragonflies- Night 1
The five members of the Dastardly Dragonflies- Cole, Diego, Harald, Maddie, and Zaheen- returned to camp. They didn't say anything to each other.
Cole finally broke the silence. "Dudes!"
That word hung in the air for a while.
"What's up with voting out Olivia?" Cole finally continued. "She was, like…" he trailed off, waving his hand in the air.
"Silent?" Harald supplied.
"Pretty," Maddie grinned.
"Disposable," Zaheen corrected. "It's nothing against you personally, but her disability would have only served to hinder the team."
Cole blinked. "Yeah, but…" He turned to Diego. "You promised to vote out Maddie!"
"You promised to vote out Maddie?" Maddie gasped. "Why would you do that?"
Diego sighed. "Loyalties change, Cole. I still intend on voting Maddie out next time we lose."
"You still intend on voting Maddie out next time we lose?" Maddie gasped. "Why would-"
She was interrupted. "Man, your word means nothing now," Cole shook his head. "How can I take what you say seriously? After betraying me for them?"
He pointed to Zaheen and Harald. The magician smirked as the acrobat picked some lint off his jacket.
"It is hard to explain," Diego insisted.
"So you don't know," Cole said. He looked at the ground. "Man. Of all forty-six thousand, six hundred and fifty-six combinations of votes, it just had to be this one."
"How'd you do that math?" Harald raised an eyebrow.
"What math?" Cole replied. He sighed. "I'm going to gather firewood. Don't follow me."
He turned and left, leaving the others to look at each other.
Confessional: Zaheen- Dastardly Dragonflies
"He's going to gather firewood. At night. When we already have enough. Really, Cole? Chris may not have mentioned it, but there's most likely an immunity idol or two in play. How stupid do you think I am?"
Confessional: Cole- Dastardly Dragonflies
"I hope no one's super mad at me for that outburst. It's why I needed to isolate myself, so I could find my zen again."
"Harald, go trail Cole. Don't make it obvious, but make sure he doesn't find anything, either," Zaheen commanded.
"Is that an order?" Harald asked.
Zaheen choked on her words. "Of- of course not. Merely a suggestion."
Harald nodded. "Good." Then he exited in the same direction as Cole.
Diego looked at this exchange with a raised eyebrow. "He seems to think of himself as the boss."
Zaheen shrugged. "I'm not going to stop him from thinking that. Nor will I lie by disagreeing. However, I would like to discuss with you our new alliance."
"I'm still here!" Maddie interjected. "And now I know about your top-secret alliance! Fear me! Bwahahaha!" She laughed.
"It's not top-secret," Zaheen explained. "We have the majority. I see no reason to hide that. I would ask for you to leave, though, so my ally and I can discuss matters."
"What if I don't wanna?" Maddie crossed her arms and pouted.
Zaheen pointed behind the pyromaniac. "Look," she said in deadpan. "Something shiny and flammable."
"Where?" Maddie turned around and dashed off.
"Let's get out of here," Zaheen quickly said. She and Diego walked away.
Soon, they arrived in a non-forested part of the island. Diego looked at Zaheen. "I assume you were genuine about wanting to include me in your alliance?"
"Of course," Zaheen sat down on a stump and stretched. "I'd like to speak to you about altering the details of the arrangement."
"That doesn't sound good," Diego also sat. "Let me guess: You want me to vote for Cole."
Zaheen nodded. "It's the more rational choice. You might be neutral about him, but he'll have no qualms about voting for you."
"Neither will Maddie," Diego pointed out. "You'll have to do better than that."
"Cole may not think so, but he's smart," Zaheen reasoned. "He speaks at least five languages and can do complex math like it's nothing. He's a threat."
"He's an asset," Diego corrected. "We're not merging for a long while. He may become a threat then, but now, I see him as little more than a factor that can contribute to the success of the team."
"That may be true but I-" Zaheen was cut off by Diego.
"No. I agreed to the alliance on the condition that we'd be voting for Maddie. If you don't, there's no alliance."
"You know, for someone who claims to be a hero, you sure have no problems acting like a villain," Zaheen snapped as Diego stood.
"Strategy and villainy aren't synonymous with each other," Diego said. "You're strategic, but not villainous, as far as I can tell. So I don't think that claim is true."
Zaheen sighed. "Fine. I'll vote for Maddie."
"Good."
Confessional: Diego- Dastardly Dragonflies
"I was afraid something like this was going to happen. Luckily, I had my response planned. Zaheen can't expect me to honour her terms if she doesn't feel like honouring mine. It is not the way El Zorro functions."
Confessional: Zaheen- Dastardly Dragonflies
"I can admit I may be arrogant, but Diego puts me to shame. He justifies villainy under the guise of heroism, and refuses to compromise. 'You're strategic, but not villainous?' Darling, you've got it all wrong. You haven't seen villainous yet."
Cole sighed as he walked alone, his hands in his pockets. "What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"
He heard a branch crack and snapped his head around. A goat was standing there, softly baaing at him.
"Hey, little guy," Cole walked over and reached his hand out. The goat headbutted his hand gently. "Are you the same goat that we saw this morning?"
The goat didn't reply, but let Cole pet him.
"You're probably the nicest thing on the island right now," Cole chuckled. "Man, that's kind of sad."
The goat brayed sympathetically.
"I think I'll give you a name," Cole decided. "Maybe… huh. Goaty? Nah. Goatella? Hmm… no." He brightened. "Oh! What about-"
"Shiny!" Maddie came running through the forest, straight at Cole. The goat bolted.
Maddie frowned. "Oh. It's just Corncob."
"That's Cole," Cole corrected. "No offense, but, like, could you go? I'm kind of mad still."
"Me too!" Maddie agreed. She unwrapped a chocolate bar and began to munch on it. "You were supposed to go home, not Olive!"
"...Okay, I think I can say the same thing to you," Cole thought about this. "But I'm not mad at you. Just Diego."
"Drogo? He punched my face! In the face!" Maddie complained.
Cole's brow furrowed. "I thought you punched him in the face."
"The details aren't specific," Maddie waved her hand in the air.
"Really? Because, well, this seems like an important distinction," Cole said.
"Never mind! What's important is, I want Diego gone, and you're going to help me vote him out!" Maddie commanded.
"Aren't we enemies, though?" Cole wondered aloud.
"The! Details! Aren't! Specific!" Maddie jabbed a finger in Cole's chest with every word.
"But if you want to vote him out, I'll help," Cole agreed. "He probably deserves it for lying like that. Bad karma or whatever. I don't think he's Hindu. But maybe it doesn't matter? What if-"
"Hey! Focus!" Maddie shouted, taking a bit from her chocolate.
"On what? We already agreed to vote out Diego," Cole reasoned.
Maddie frowned. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. "...Fine!"
"Fine?" Cole agreed, confused, as Maddie stormed off.
Behind them, Harald poked his head out from a tree, a shocked expression on his face.
Confessional: Maddie- Dastardly Dragonflies
"Corncob's a meanie, yeah, but Drogo sent Olive home! And she was pretty!" She whines. "So if Maddie wants to play strategicalish, her best move is to eliminate Drogo. Now I just have to speak to Harry or ...Z-girl."
Confessional: Harald- Dastardly Dragonflies
"What an interesting piece of information. Now, in a game like Total Drama, it's obvious what must be done next- Maddie shall soon attempt to split the alliance's vote! That's why it's paramount that I still vote for Cole, just like Zaheen suggested."
Maddie came back through the clearing.
"Hey! There was no shiny thing! Can you vote for Drogo?" She said to… Diego. "Oh, you're not Z-girl."
Diego blinked. "Er… what?"
Maddie shook her head. "Ignore everything I just said! Especially the part where I said that Corncob and I are voting for you."
"I should be mad, but I'm not surprised," Diego sighed. "It's fine."
Maddie didn't understand. "Maddie doesn't understand."
Diego shook his head. "It's hard to explain. But I'm not going to tell you if you're planning on voting me out."
"Please?"
"No."
Maddie held her breath and stared right at him.
Diego rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you're just going to do that, huh?" Maddie said nothing. "I'm not a parent. It's not going to work."
He looked away.
He looked back. Maddie was standing right next to him, and he flinched and fell back. "Ah!... I'm still not doing it."
Maddie shrugged and continued to hold her breath. She had begun to turn red.
Diego shrugged back. "Enjoy passing out."
Maddie grinned. Then she did exactly that.
"What- what the-" Diego leaned over her. She wasn't moving. "How-"
"Tell me!" Maddie suddenly shouted.
"I'm worried that Zaheen is sneakier than she claims and has ulterior motives!" Diego said instantly without thinking. Then he growled, "Did you fake passing out to get a response from me?"
"Pssh," Maddie chuckled, waving her hand as she sprung up. "No, why would I-"
"You faked passing out to get a response from me," Diego deadpanned.
"Yep!" Maddie agreed. "So, worried about… whatsherface?"
"Zaheen?"
"Zastin," Maddie agreed. "Let's chat! I watched fourteen seasons of Dr. Bill so I'm, like, super qualified to deal with your problems."
"Deal with yourself, then," Diego muttered.
"I'mma pretend like I didn't hear that!" Maddie shouted, suddenly getting in Diego's face. "You wanna go? I'll go! I'll fight!"
"I'll leave," Diego rolled his eyes. "I think I'll get some sleep. Though it might be hard with the constant fear of waking up with my pants on fire."
Maddie cackled. "Thanks for the idea!"
Confessional: Maddie- Dastardly Dragonflies
"So Drogo doesn't like Zastin… aha! This will be perfect for voting him out! My master plan is in place. After Drogo goes home, then it will be Corncob, then Harry, and finally Zastin… and everyone else on the other teams, I guess. But then, the game will be mine!"
Confessional: Diego- Dastardly Dragonflies
"I keep thinking about the conversation Zaheen and I had. Do you think I allied with a villain? It cannot be! El Zorro would never do such a thing! And yet… I'm in a perfect position in the game, and if it wasn't a Zorro move, then it was a Diego move. Does that mean I must choose between El Zorro and my chances in the game? I just don't understand!"
"Zaheen, dearie," Harald greeted as he re-entered the clearing. "How are you?"
"Not good. Diego refuses to vote for Cole," Zaheen said through gritted teeth as Harald put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll have to decide whether it's worth pursuing to try to convince him of seeing things from my perspective or if I should just vote for Maddie, as per the original agreement."
"I?" Harald repeated.
"We," Zaheen corrected. "Obviously I meant we."
"Sure," Harald sounded unconvinced.
Zaheen tried to make her face soft, which failed. "Harald… darling. We're in this together, of course. Each of us has an equal say in this arrangement."
"Untrue," Harald disagreed. "I believe, as the acrobat extraordinaire, I should get the larger slice of the pie."
A vein started to throb on Zaheen's forehead. Still, she choked out a hasty "Sure."
"Then I say we should vote for Maddie! Our votes must stay united!" Harald declared.
Zaheen clenched her fist. "Are… are you sure? Cole would be a much better selection, in my eyes."
"I am positive," Harald assured her. "Besides. We have the majority. It matters not who goes home next, because both members of the newfound opposing alliance shall go home soon!"
"Newfound alliance?" Zaheen quickly raised an eyebrow. "As in, one between Maddie and Cole? Which you didn't explain to me?"
Harald shrugged. "I see no reason to share information with you if I'm making our decisions."
"Of course," Zaheen smiled. "If you'll excuse me…"
She left. Seconds later, a scream of frustration could be heard.
Confessional: Harald- Dastardly Dragonflies
"Zaheen's acting strange- rather angry, if I say so myself. She kept getting more and more furious as we continued speaking. It is odd, especially since she's in the calming presence of Har-" The camera shuts off.
Confessional: Zaheen- Dastardly Dragonflies
She rubs her temples. "Why did I have to partner with the most obnoxiously pig-headed dummy on the island? With Harald believing he has veto power on his side and Diego's opinion matching, I'm suddenly outnumbered in my own alliance. In! My! Own! Alliance! It's not even day two! And then Harald drops that Maddie and Cole are working together, which is what the plan hinged on not happening, and… ugh! I have no idea what my next move is!"
Wicked Wasps- Day 2
The sun was just beginning to rise, and Ambrose, Eloa, Giuseppe, Marisa, Pearl and Robin were sleeping. Most of them, anyway.
In their professional-looking shelter, Ambrose, Giuseppe, and Robin lay on one side, while Marisa and Eloa slept on the other side, the two groups separated by a barrier of fronds. Meanwhile, Pearl was nowhere to be seen.
Ambrose opened his eyes. He looked around to make sure than no one else was awake and slowly eased himself up until he was standing.
He glanced around one more time, stepping over Giuseppe and out of the shelter. Then he started to walk around camp- and to check every nook and cranny that was available.
The athlete worked quickly, upturning plants and peering into holes in trees. He had nearly searched throughout the entirety of camp when a voice startled him.
"Idol hunting already, I see," Pearl said from the top of a tree. She reclined on a particularly thick branch a few feet over Ambrose's head. She looked rather uncomfortable.
"What the- where did you come from?" Ambrose hissed, jumping back.
Pearl looked around. "I've been right here the whole time. Were you looking for an immunity idol?"
Ambrose sighed. "There's no point in hiding it, I guess."
"You won't find it in camp. I checked," Pearl explained. "I guess production doesn't want to make it too obvious."
"Hey," Ambrose's brow furrowed. "Why would you tell me you were looking for an idol?"
Pearl hopped down from the tree. She then opened a fresh bottle of hand sanitizer and began to liberally apply it to her hands, arms, and face. "I don't want you to feel like I have any leverage over you."
"When you ask me to be in an alliance," Ambrose finished the thought for her.
Pearl nodded. "More specifically, to join the alliance between you and Eloa, to vote out Robin."
Ambrose frowned. "Eloa-"
"I know what you're thinking. How could she know? The answer comes from the process of elimination. You dislike Robin, and Giuseppe and Marisa already aligned with each other. Yet I believe that I guy as threatening physically as you would want some sort of strategic firepower, and I-"
"Eloa and I aren't in an alliance," Ambrose cut her off. "She asked, but I said no."
Pearl made a face. "...Oh. Okay. So just the two of us, then?"
Ambrose shook his head. "I'm not interested in alliances right now."
"Not interested," Pearl repeated.
"Sorry," Ambrose shrugged.
"Would you be open to voting out Robin with no strings attached afterward?" Pearl asked.
"You really want him gone."
Pearl sniffed. "For obvious reasons, I should think. HIs 'leadership' is glorified bossiness, and he actually detracts from the team because of it."
Ambrose shook his head. "I'll consider it, okay? I'm not into leaning very far in any direction."
"Everyone else has no such qualms," Pearl warned. "So I hope you make the right choice."
Confessional: Ambrose- Wicked Wasps
"This is a bit of a pickle I'm in, huh? I woke up this morning wanting to vote out Pearl if we lost, but she made an excellent point about Robin. Plus, she's willing to trust me, which no one has done since… well, my ex." He suddenly darkens and sighs.
Confessional: Pearl- Wicked Wasps
"I think I come across as rude to people, which I knew going out of the gate would put a target on my back. So I'll have to play strategically for now, and lie low when I'm in a better position. I wouldn't, of course, be so confident… unless I had this."
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a wooden square. Carved into it is an elaborate image of a wasp. "This is one authentic immunity idol," she brags. "Able to save the person of my choosing, including me, from going home."
She chuckles. "Maybe I was lying when I told Ambrose I hadn't found anything."
The other four contestants had since woken up and were in various stages of preparing for the day.
"Let's review from yesterday," Marisa was saying to Giuseppe. "Show… you."
Giuseppe pointed to Marisa. "You."
"Show… run."
Giuseppe stood and jogged in place.
"Show… loss."
Giuseppe procured a four panel meme in which a guy goes to the hospital- never mind. No one's reading this anyway.
"Show… alliance."
Giuseppe pointed to himself and Marisa with both hands.
Robin, who was watching from afar, chose this moment to say, "Are you not making it painfully obvious that you two are in an alliance?"
"I see no reason to hide it," Marisa replied. "We might as well play honestly, right, Giuseppe?"
Giuseppe shrugged. "...Win?"
"Close enough," Marisa amended. "Besides, with my partner-in-crime slash potential love interest by my side, we can't fail!"
"Ha!" Robin chuckled. "Love interest. I hope you kid! A relationship will do you very little in this game aside from serving as a hindrance to your strategic pursuits."
"Tell that to Owen, Duncan, Alejandro, Mike, and Sky," Marisa retorted.
Robin frowned. "You got me there," he muttered. "Still, this seems like a recipe for disaster without someone to lead your duo. That's why I'm courteously volunteering to join your alliance!"
Marisa and Giuseppe looked at each other.
"Let me consult with Giuseppe," Marisa quickly said. She turned to the Italian boy. "Robin… ally?"
She gave a wink.
Giuseppe didn't pick up on the meaning behind the gesture, so he winked back, turned to Robin, and said, "No. We lose, alliance vote Robin."
Robin gasped as Marisa smacked her forehead.
"How could you do this to me?" Robin asked. His voice lost some of its fanciful tone. "All I'm trying to do is lead the team to victory, and you want to vote me off because of it?"
"Sorry?" Marisa tried.
Robin sighed. "This is a lot to take in," he shook his head. "What would possess you to vote for me?"
He walked away, muttering.
"Giuseppe," Marisa groaned. "We didn't want to let him know that we were targeting him!"
Giuseppe cocked his head and stared.
Marisa sighed and grabbed his dictionary. "Non… volevamo..."
Confessional: Giuseppe- Wicked Wasps
"Non sono un grande fan della prepotenza di Robin. Ciò che mi sorprende è la sua reazione nell'apprendere che è nel nostro mirino. Non se lo aspettava già?" He clears his throat. "Robin… team… lose."
Confessional: Marisa- Wicked Wasps
"As cute as Giuseppe's language barrier makes him… his communication issues are a little difficult to work around. But a little non-strategic plot armour is just what I needed right now! Or… is that non-strategic? Maybe partially strategic? I don't know."
Robin trudged through the forest without a destination in mind.
He heard a branch snap and jumped. "Who's there?"
"Just me," Eloa came out with her hands raised.
"Figures," Robin sighed. "You want to vote me out, too, huh?"
Eloa shook her head. "Not- not immediately."
"But yes," Robin rolled his eyes. Then he kicked a tree. "Argh! Why did I think this was a good idea?"
"What, Total Drama?" Eloa frowned. "We're all here for the same reason."
"No, no," Robin shook his head. He dropped his voice. "I- I can't really tell you."
"Now you have to tell me," Eloa countered. "It's the first rule of moving along a conversation."
"What?" Robin scowled. "That doesn't make any sense. You're beginning to sound like Marisa."
Eloa chuckled. "I guess I am, aren't I? Anyway, what did you want to say?"
"Nothing. Just… nothing," Robin shook his head. "I'll be going."
He tried to walk away but Eloa stepped in his path. She put on a serious expression. "Honestly. What do you need to get off your chest? I'm a peer counselor at school. I'm prepared for this."
"Go away," Robin tried once more to leave.
"Just open up-"
"I don't need to open up to anybody okay?" Robin snapped, causing Eloa to step back. "I am completely, one hundred percent fine, and by preventing my exit you…" he trailed off. "Just get out of my way!"
"Okay," Eloa frowned. She turned and left.
"And mind your own business," Robin said. But his words were shaky.
Confessional: Robin- Wicked Wasps
"Eloa's trying to create problems where there are none. I swear, I'm perfectly okay. So what if I'm mad that Marisa and Giuseppe are trying to vote me out despite my giving everything I have in challenges? That's a logical response."
Confessional: Eloa- Wicked Wasps
"I think Robin's hiding something; like one of those instincts that you have no proof of but also have all the proof you need. I know he's on track to receive a lot of votes, but I'm worried that he may need professional help. So I'm not going to vote him off just yet."
Eloa made her way back to the shelter, but a loud thumping noise startled her.
"What's that?" she said to herself as the steady THUMP THUMP continued. She wandered over and realized what was happening.
Ambrose, shirtless, was using his fist to drive a board into the side of a tree, where there was a small gap. As he adjusted the board, he looked up. "Hi, Eloa."
Eloa straight up fainted.
Ambrose's eyes widened and he rushed over. "What the- hey! Medic!"
A small intern dressed in red appeared on the scene. She wore a doctor's mask over her face and studied Eloa with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm," she said indecisively.
Then, she slapped Eloa in the face.
The Brazilian came to, blinking wearily. She slowly sat up. "What… what happened?"
"You fainted," the medic said. "Here's some water for you," she procured a water bottle and handed it to Eloa. "And, to make sure you don't pass out again," she found a large polo shirt and tossed it in Ambrose's general direction.
Ambrose donned the shirt. "Thanks, uh… what's your name?"
The medic might have frowned, though it was hard to tell behind her mask. "Me? I'm an intern. My name's not important." Then she ran off.
Ambrose shrugged and looked at Eloa. "Are you okay?"
Eloa nodded as she gulped down the water. "Yeah… I'm good." She looked at the board, now wedged in the tree. "What's that all about?"
"I wanted to make a bench," Ambrose said. "Just for, uh… sitting. Once I find a stump or a rock or something I'll be able to finish it."
"We're a bit far from camp," Eloa said as she stood.
Ambrose went red. "It took a while to find a tree that would work."
"Why didn't you just find two stumps or rocks or somethings?" Eloa wondered, not unkindly. "Then you could've moved it closer."
The athlete sighed. "I just wanted to do something with my hands."
"I see," Eloa clued in. "Hey, are we still voting for Pearl in our not-alliance?"
"Not to sound indecisive, but I was thinking of voting for Robin," Ambrose said. "Is that all right?"
Eloa tensed up. "I don't know… I really feel like Pearl's our best bet."
"Thing is, I'm worried about her having an idol," Ambrose said. "She openly admitted to searching for one."
"What about Giuseppe?" Eloa started to sweat. "Or maybe Marisa?"
Ambrose raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to vote for Robin that badly?"
"I really think we need to give him a chance. To be fair, we haven't lost because of him."
"Yet," Ambrose supplied. "What if he sucks?"
"What if he's great? I think we're all assuming he can't lead based on his personality."
Ambrose studied her. "...All right. The not-alliance is voting for Pearl."
"Okay," Eloa smiled. "Thanks for seeing things my way."
Confessional: Eloa- Wicked Wasps
"I'm glad Ambrose isn't some depressed loser after his breakup. Did that sound mean? I really didn't mean for it to sound mean! I just think he's doing well for being so heartbroken. No! That's not what I meant either! Dang!"
Confessional: Ambrose- Wicked Wasps
"It's a good thing Eloa and I aren't in an alliance. Otherwise I might feel worse about lying to her like that. Look, if she wants to flush Pearl's idol, she can go ahead. But someone has to receive the second-most votes, and I want to make sure it's not me. If I have to lie about not voting for Robin to do that, so be it."
"There you are!" Marisa exclaimed as she saw Eloa and Ambrose. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No," Ambrose shook his head. "We were just discussing what the next challenge could be."
"Y-yeah," Eloa caught on to the lie. "I said 'I think it's going to be...'"
"Water skiing," Ambrose supplied. "But I said, 'I hope it'll be…' take it away, Eloa."
"Dog grooming!" Eloa yelped. "And I agreed. So we think it's dog grooming."
Marisa blinked. "Okay. Eloa, can I see you for a sec?"
"Everyone wants to talk to me," Eloa murmured. "Sure," she said at her normal volume.
The two girls left Ambrose, who was facepalming repeatedly, and re-entered the camp.
Giuseppe and Pearl were already there, playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt with sticks.
"Win! Win!" Giuseppe cheered as he connected three Xs.
"That's not how you play! I'm the Xs! You're the- oh, there's Marisa and Eloa," Pearl noted the two girls' entrance.
They sat. Then, Marisa said, "So, do you want to know why I've gathered you?"
"Girls' alliance?" Pearl guessed. "And Fabio here."
She nodded to Giuseppe, who was studying the tic-tac-toe board intently.
"Yeah," Marisa agreed. "Every season needs a strong alliance, and what better way to do it than between three strong women?"
"And Fabio," Pearl added.
"And Fa- Giuseppe," Marisa agreed. She lowered her voice. "But between you and me, we won't need him forever."
Eloa frowned. "I don't know if I want to be in this alliance."
"You're going to pass up all this extra security?" Marisa gestured around, indicating herself, Pearl, and Giuseppe.
Eloa thought about it. "I guess I could take a stab at playing strategically. I'm in, for now."
"Pearl?" Marisa prompted.
"Why not," Pearl waved her hand lazily.
"That makes four of us!" Marisa exclaimed. "We'll be the strongest alliance of the show's history!"
"Can we pick a target before we get too caught up in jubilation?" Pearl asked, idly picking lint off her shirt. "I'm partial to Robin."
"We vote Robin!" Giuseppe spoke up.
"Robin works for me," Marisa added.
Eloa felt three pairs of eyes on her. "I… I don't want to vote for him. He hasn't even lost us a challenge! We're just assuming he will because-"
"He's an insufferable know-it-all?" Pearl finished.
"Exactly!" Eloa agreed. "Wait, no. I just mean that we can't decide on someone as a target based on what they might do."
Marisa pondered this. "We might be a little judgemental of him… Giuseppe?"
"We no vote Robin?" Giuseppe caught everyone's frowns. "Um… we vote soon Robin? Not next ee-lam-an-ashun?" He sounded out the words, and everyone nodded.
"Are you guys kidding me?" Pearl snapped. "Did you see him? If his head were any bigger it'd float away."
"Sorry," Marisa looked at her. "Three-to-one majority. Looks like we're voting for Ambrose!"
Eloa choked on her words as everyone stood, albeit reluctantly in Pearl's case. "WHAT? Why can't we just vote for… she counted on her fingers and paled. Oh…"
"You were the one to move the target away from Robin," Pearl said. "Ambrose is our only other option. Unless you were planning on voting for one of us?"
Eloa sighed. "I, um… have to consider this."
"That's okay," Marisa said before Pearl could interject. "Take your time and get back to us."
Eloa left without a word.
"Do you think she'll actually stick with us?" Pearl wondered.
"Time will tell," Marisa replied.
Confessional: Marisa- Wicked Wasps
"I finally got around to making that girls' alliance, and I think it went well. I didn't think Ambrose would be the target, but if that's what everyone wants, why not? I'm sure we'll eliminate both boys in due time."
Confessional: Giuseppe- Wicked Wasps
"Non sono sicuro del perché abbiamo iniziato a parlare di Ambrose alla fine. Penso che stiamo ancora prendendo di mira Robin." He frowns. "Alliance vote Robin? Yes? No? No know."
Later- the sun was higher in the sky- Pearl found herself trudging down to the beach.
She groaned, however, when she saw that Robin was already there. Before she could turn around, Robin beckoned for her to come.
"Great," Pearl griped as she diverted her course over to the perfectionist.
"Pearl!" Robin greeted. "I believe we may have started things off on an awkward note. Being tied to anyone for as long as we were can irritate the best of people."
"Well, we're certainly not the best of people," Pearl managed a weak smile.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin was suddenly on guard.
Pearl raised an eyebrow. "That's called a joke. They're really popular, you should try it out sometime."
"Who cares about humour when there's a game to be played?" Robin replied. "Who cares about humour when there's a team to be lead?"
Pearl scoffed. "I'm no comedian myself, but even I know you can't play the game 24/7."
"Watch me," Robin adjusted his shirt smugly.
"I will," Pearl rolled her eyes. "Is that all? Did you just call me down here to affirm your superiority?"
Robin looked into the distance. "There was something else…"
"Making amends after you treated me like crap yesterday?" Pearl supplied.
"I could say the same thing," There was a hard edge in Robin's voice.
"You started it by being such a Melvin," Pearl crossed her arms. "If you weren't so uptight-"
"There is nothing wrong with paying attention to details!" Robin interrupted.
"Clearly there is, or else everyone wouldn't want to vote-" Pearl stopped mid-sentence.
"Cat got your tongue?" Robin looked down at her.
Pearl clenched her hands. "I… I'm leaving now."
Robin chuckled to himself as he watched her leave.
Confessional: Pearl- Wicked Wasps
"I was going to say 'or else everyone wouldn't want to vote you out', but with this stupid alliance targeting Ambrose, I can't even claim that we're voting him out!" She rubs her forehead with a hand. "I didn't realize how big a barrier this alliance would be to achieving my own goals."
Confessional: Robin- Wicked Wasps
"Pearl's starting to think she's more powerful than she is. It's tough to have someone so obstinate as a part of your team, but if I have my way, she'll be eliminated soon."
Terrible Tarantulas- Night 2
Alexei, Chloe, Joshua, Koh, Logan, and Maggie were all in various places around their camp.
"Aha! Torches," Logan said. He had been fashioning three long torches out of sticks and sap.
"You think they'll work, Leugen?" Joshua asked him.
"Only one way to find out," Logan replied. He dipped one end of the torch into the fire, and watched as the end ignited.
"Nice!" Joshua watched as the fire spread down the stick of the torch, burning Logan's hand before he could toss it into the fire.
"Dang. I thought that would work," Logan sighed. He tossed the other two into the fire before turning to Joshua. "We should discuss the deal we brokered yesterday."
"About the alliance?"
"No, about trading fantasy football players," Logan hissed so only he could hear. Resuming his normal volume, he said, "Yes, about the alliance."
"Aren't we voting for Chloe?" Joshua asked.
Logan shook his head. "It was necessary to say that at the time in order to lull Maggie into a sense of security. That way, we can vote in a block of three without fear of a combined alliance from the opposition."
Joshua blinked.
"I lied to Maggie to vote for Chloe and I lied to Alexei and Chloe to vote for Maggie. You, me, and Koh will pick a side later," Logan summarized.
"Ah," Joshua smiled. Then he frowned. "Wait, Koh? Why her?"
"No one else wants to be in an alliance with her," Logan shrugged.
"That's 'cause she's scary!" Joshua exclaimed, which caused a few heads to turn in their direction.
Logan said, "Still, it means she's easy pickings for alliance material."
"But we don't have to keep her forever, right?" Joshua asked.
"Of course not. But for now, she's going to be helpful, believe me."
"Hmm," Joshua sounded unconvinced. "Okay. I'll trust her for now."
Confessional: Joshua- Terrible Tarantulas
"Leugen better know what he's doing, because I don't know how much we can trust Koh. She's just so mean! I bet she kicks puppies and cuts in line at the grocery store."
Confessional: Logan- Terrible Tarantulas
"Right now, my closest two allies are someone who's managed to alienate the entire team and someone who's so incredibly stupid that he lowers my IQ whenever I'm around him. On the plus side, because Koh has no other options and because I can fool Joshua without batting an eyelash, I doubt they'll waver from me. And if they do, I can drop them like," he snaps. "that."
Maggie sat alone, reading by firelight.
"You moron," she said aloud. "She's totally not using you to get to the Sword of Agbax. Oh, sure! Just show her the sword. What a great idea. She stole it? What a huge surprise."
"Do you do that with all of your books?" Alexei asked, appearing over her shoulder.
Maggie didn't startle. She just looked bored. She answered in her usual monotone. "Just the ones where the protagonist is an idiot. So yes."
Alexei grimaced. "Oh. Cool. So… how's it going?"
"I'm fine," Maggie shrugged. "...You?"
"Pretty good. I'm excited to be on Total Drama, so that's cool. I've already made some friends, which is nice," Alexei grinned.
"How do you make friends so quickly?" Maggie snapped. "Barely anyone's even spoken to me, aside from you. What's your secret?"
"Im naturally extroverted, I guess," Alexei bounced on the balls of his feet. "It sucks that there's only five others on the team. I'm only at four friends out of seventeen."
"Four?" Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"You, Chloe, Joshua, and Logan, who else?"
Maggie gave this some thought. "I haven't seen you hanging out with Joshua and Logan."
"We spoke briefly," Alexei said.
"That doesn't mean that they're your friends," Maggie said.
"Why not?" Alexei looked genuinely confused.
"You just met them!" Maggie also looked genuinely confused. "How can you be friends with someone you just met?"
"I just met you yesterday," Alexei pointed out. "Does that mean we're not friends?"
"I guess not," Maggie shrugged. "Not yet, anyway."
"Oh…" Alexei said, hurt. "Okay."
Maggie's tone softened. "Alexei-"
"No, it's fine," Alexei stood. "I think I'll go talk with one of my friends."
Maggie watched him leave.
Confessional: Alexei- Terrible Tarantulas
"Yeah, it hurt that Maggie didn't consider us friends yet. Friendship is a big thing for me, and I thought there was something there. I guess not. Maybe it's for the better that we're voting her off."
Confessional: Maggie- Terrible Tarantulas
"It's hypocritical of me to call the characters in my books ignorant when my social skills are non-existent. At the same time, I really don't consider Alexei or anyone a friend. I don't get attached easily- it saves me time and emotional investment. But I can't help but feel I made a mistake."
"Hey! You! Anti-government chick!" Koh barked.
Chloe looked up. "What do you want?"
Koh strode over. "What's up with you being all 'the government is spying on us' and stuff like that?"
"Do you really want an answer or are you just trying to be critical?" Chloe asked her.
"Hell, I'm curious," Koh said. "So, uh, you'd better tell me, or you'll be sorry!"
Chloe shrugged. "Okay," she seemed indifferent to Koh's scare tactics. She lowered her voice. "They live in every country in the world. Controlling affairs of governments, manipulating powerful people, and all of this to achieve their own selfish goals."
"Who? And what?" Koh sounded interested.
"A clan with no name. And their objective is to run the world from the shadows to profit off everything they can."
"Everything?"
"Everything," Chloe confirmed spookily.
Koh hesitated. "You're going to have to give me proof, 'cause that's the dumbest {CENSORED} I ever heard."
"Name anything," Choe challenged.
Koh crossed her arms. "Gun control."
"Why do you think the American government refuses to control firearms? Because gun stocks rise significantly after every mass shooting. It's a gold mine," Chloe said. "Anything else?"
"...Those cooking shows you see on TV," Koh challenged after a period of thought.
"People are becoming more and more sedentary. Television producers combine this with something everyone loves- food," Chloe said without a moment's hesitation.
"School?"
"Teaches propaganda. That's why I don't go," Chloe explained.
"Same," Koh agreed. "Not about the propaganda. The school part."
"Anything else, or are you convinced?" Chloe crossed her arms smugly.
Koh scowled. "Maraschino cherries?"
Chloe's brow furrowed. "Um… okay. So they haven't permeated every industry yet. Give them time, though, they will. And it'll be beautiful. Terrible, but beautiful," Chloe gazed off into the distance.
A pause.
"Yeah, no, you're tripping," Koh stood. "That's just dumb."
"I thought I had you…" Chloe sighed wistfully.
"Feel free to keep spreading your bull, but I'm not interested," Koh cackled. "Later, Chloser."
She left.
Confessional: Chloe- Terrible Tarantulas
"Koh exudes chaotic energy. I thought I could harness that to make her see the light about the clan that has no name, but apparently not. Still, she didn't have to be so rude about brushing me off."
Confessional: Koh- Terrible Tarantulas
"What a weirdo. I don't know who Logan wants me to vote out- the mannequin who," she suddenly puts on a monotone and makes her face completely neutral, "talks like this, or," she resumes her prior tone. "The chick who babbles crazy crap about how the government is controlling us- but either way, I'll be happy."
Koh was leaving when she saw Logan.
"No time like the present," she muttered, walking over. "Yo, servant boy!"
"My friends call me Logan," Logan said dryly.
"Like you have friends," Koh shrugged. "You decided what side we're going to pick in this conflict you made?"
"'Conflict you made,'" Logan chuckled. "You make it sounds so impressive."
"Well?" Koh demanded.
"Patience," Logan chided her. "That's the beauty about playing like we are. We can spend all the time we want evaluating and they'll be none the wiser."
"Unless they tell each other," Koh pointed out.
The servant shook his head. "Who would be stupid enough to tell the people they're supposedly blindsiding that they're blindsiding them?"
"Joshua," Koh supplied.
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Did I not tell you that I recruited Josh to be on our side?"
"Hell {CENORED} no you didn't!" Koh barked.
"Hey, quiet down," Logan put a hand on Koh's shoulder, which she immediately brushed off, gripping her knife.
"Why the everloving…" Koh growld. "Joshua? He's a moron!"
"...Which is precisely what makes him an asset to our twosome," Logan completed for her. "Not to mention, he's the only one other than us involved with the Maggie-Chloe schism."
The punk glared. "Twosome? Schism? What are you on?"
Logan raised his hands up defensively. "That's the second time today I've been reprimanded for using words above my conversation partner's grasp. Perhaps I should stop."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Koh asked. "Calling me stupid?"
"...This conversation isn't going the way I envisioned it," Logan said after a long while. "Let's just revel in the beauty of indecision until it's taken away from us."
"You really are on something," Koh said.
"The irony here being that the hoodlum is accusing me of drug usage," Logan laughed to himself, but stopped short at Koh's glare.
"So you haven't made any decision, you went behind my back to recruit a dummy, and you called me stupid and a drug user," Koh summarized.
Logan hesiated. "Well, I've never been one for tact-"
"I'm leaving. Tell me once you can get your {CENSORED} together," Koh breathed as she left.
Logan sighed.
Confessional: Logan- Terrible Tarantulas
"I'm a pretty anti-social person by nature. It lends me to be awkward around people. Especially girls. Especially pretty girls who could kill me if they wanted to. Nevertheless, I think that things will soon be going swimmingly. Once Chloe or Maggie goes home- and I will, contrary to Koh's belief, pick a side- I'll have a majority at my fingertips. This game's almost too easy."
Confessional: Koh- Terrible Tarantulas
"There's a whole truckload of words I could use to describe Logan, but I don't want to sound like that dork. Twosome? Schism? Reprimanded? He's a freak, and not in a good way. Sucks that he's my best hope for staying in the game."
"So then she called me Chloser," Chloe was relating a story to Alexei. "And just left."
"Koh's mean," Alexei shrugged. "Sometimes that's all there is to it."
"That seems like an un-Alexei thing to say," Chloe said with concern. "Are you all right?"
Alexei sighed. "I'm… decent. I just… Maggie."
"That's not really an emotion, but go on," Chloe prompted.
"She just has this general contempt for life that I don't get!" Alexei exclaimed. "It's like she wants to be around people, but whenever she is he's in a bad mood. And she said she doesn't even consider us friends! And she said I'm the only person she's exchanged more than a few words with. I don't get her!"
Alexei panted.
"Feels good to rant, doesn't it?" Chloe said. "But why do you feel so strongly about her?"
"I… I don't know," Alexei shrugged. "Maybe because she really just needs a friend."
"Do you like her?" Chloe asked tentatively.
Alexei shook his head. "There's someone else I like, actually."
Chloe blushed but turned away so he wouldn't notice. "Oh. So that's not it."
"I think I just feel guilty for not doing more," Alexei said.
"Well, out of sight, out of mind, right?" Chloe tried to brighten the mood. "And out of island soon. That should help you forget."
"But…" Alexei paused. "I don't know if I want to vote her out."
"Logan and Koh made us an alliance offer, and you don't want to take it?"Chloe asked incredulously. "Are you crazy?"
"Look, I'm all I'm saying is voting out Maggie can wait," Alexei explained. "Maybe we can work with her instead of against her."
"I understand that you like Maggie and want her too stay," Chloe replied, "But she's pretty mean to everyone else. And she's a strategic threat. The offer's too good not to take up."
"You're just saying that because you don't like her at all," Alexei accused under his breath.
"I really don't, but unless you can offer an alternative, it won't matter, because she's going home either way."
"Well, then, maybe I will offer an alternative," Alexei decided.
"I sure hope not…" Chloe murmured.
Confessional: Alexei- Terrible Tarantulas
"I get that Chloe and Maggie don't like each other. But maybe I can help them unite for the common good, which sounds a little superhero-ey. The three of us together would do more good than separately. Now if only I can get them to see it too…"
Confessional: Chloe- Terrible Tarantulas
"It's not enough for Maggie to reject the knowledge of the clan. She actually looks down on me because of it. She's so condescending, and I can't wait to vote her out. So hopefully Alexei can't come up with some scheme. On another note… do you think I'm the one he's talking about when he says he likes someone? Or am I just hoping?"
"No, bacon is not a vegetable," Maggie said exasperatedly to Joshua as they walked alongside each other.
"Isn't it though?" Joshua grinned.
"No. It's not," Maggie said plainly. "I never should've made the attempt to socialize with you."
"Um, rude! Du är väldigt irriterande," Joshua said in Swedish.
"Rolig fakta," Maggie replied. "I know Swedish too."
"...Oh," Joshua said awkwardly. "Hey, there's Chloe and Alexei! Let's say hi!"
"More people," Maggie groaned, raising her fist in a fake-cheer. "Great."
They approached.
"Maggie," Chloe said as she stared at her.
"Chloe," Maggie replied in kind.
There was a long stretch of silence.
"Oh!" Alexei suddenly burst out. "I've got it!"
They turned to stare at him.
"The four of us are going to be in an alliance!" Alexei declared.
"...What?" Maggie spoke first.
"I, uh, haven't thought through all the details yet," Alexei backtracked, "But why don't we all put our differences aside for a while and stand united?"
"You want me in an alliance with her?" Maggie and Chloe asked at the same time, pointing at each other.
"She's annoying!" Chloe added.
"She's intolerable," Maggie replied.
"But," Alexei faltered. "We could… vote for Koh! Yeah! She's bad for team morale, and even though I don't want to vote anyone off, she's the one I'd choose first."
"That makes a bit of sense," Chloe ceded.
"Indeed," Maggie agreed.
"Now you're on the same page. Isn't this a good idea?" Alexei grinned. "So you're in?"
"Yep," Chloe smiled faintly.
"I suppose," Maggie answered.
"Joshua?" Alexei turned to Joshua, who had been silent for this entire conversation.
"...I'll think about it," Joshua frowned.
"That's not a solid answer," Maggie pointed out. "Why-"
"I said I'll think!" Joshua interrupted. "Give me some time."
"Okay," Alexei said warily. "Um… go team!"
He looked around as no one left.
"Now what?" Chloe asked.
Maggie started to turn around and leave, and the others followed suit.
Confessional: Maggie- Terrible Tarantulas
"I thought this would be just another crazy idea that would never work, but I can see how this can work to my advantage. If Koh goes home, I think I can get Alexei and Joshua on my side. Then I can vote out the biggest nuisance and the biggest strategist here. Aside from myself, of course." she finishes. Then she scowls. "I mean for the strategist. Not the nuisance part."
Confessional: Joshua- Terrible Tarantulas
"What do I do? What do I do? The alliance wants to vote out Koh, who's with Logan," he frets. Then he gives a sinister smile. "Or, maybe I shouldn't tell them. Koh's seriously scary, and if I act like I had no idea about the alliance…" he shakes his head. "I've got a big choice ahead of me if we lose."
The Challenge- Day 3
A wide-angle shot of the scenery zoomed in, focusing on Lake Gellafiche.
Situated in the middle of the lake was what appeared to be a giant table with long legs. A sign hung from the front, the letters displayed reading: K'WALA BOXING RING.
As for the people, Caleb and Rachel stood near the coast, chatting.
"So that's why I think they should bring back baseball as an Olympic sport," Rachel concluded.
"Huh. I suppose if other countries could adapt to American rules, it could be feasible," Caleb figured. "Obviously they're not going to listen to some no-name teenager, though."
"A girl can dream," Rachel gazed into the distance wistfully. "I wouldn't have taken you for a baseball fan."
"It's all analytical," Caleb explained. "The batting order, the fielders' positions, where to hit the ball, plus the plays that have to be made. And my entire family roots for the Yankees."
Rachel cringed. "And here I was thinking we were getting along. I'm Red Sox."
"Enjoy not winning the World Series for a solid twenty years," Caleb chuckled.
Suddenly, an alarm went off.
"Oh! That's me!" Rachel realized. She tapped a button on her watch and suddenly dropped down to the ground, doing push ups.
"What are you…" Caleb trailed off as Rachel hopped up.
"I have to stay in shape," Rachel shrugged. "So I'm doing a different workout every other day. Last time it was jogging, now this."
"I don't get why you bother," Caleb said with a bit of an edge in his voice.
Rachel sighed. "That's fine. I didn't expect you to."
Confessional: Caleb
"Her general high-key attitude can be a bit much to handle, but Rachel's alright, I guess. Not someone I'd sit beside if we were in the same high school, but I wouldn't complain if we were doing a group project together."
Confessional: Rachel
"Give Caleb something that he likes to talk about and he'll bore you for hours. But anything he doesn't like he's not interested in. It makes for some tough conversations, but at least I'll know what we have in common by the end of this!"
"I think the contestants are coming," Rachel pointed.
"No," Caleb muttered sarcastically.
Indeed, as they said this, the seventeen remaining contestants entered the area in the order of their placement the challenge prior.
"Welcome, Terrible Tarantulas," Rachel greeted as they came over.
"Hi, Rach!" Alexei waved good-naturedly.
"Wicked Wasps," Caleb greeted curtly as they appeared.
"Reporting for duty," Robin saluted.
"And you can take a look at the new Dastardly Dragonflies, down one member after they voted out Olivia," Rachel narrated as the team arrived.
"Olivia?" Logan mused. "Not who I would've picked."
Once all three teams stood on their respective mats, Caleb began to speak. "Well, welcome to your first official challenge of the season. After today, someone will be voted out. But that won't be you if you can win this challenge."
Rachel gestured behind her, to the platform overlooking the water. "This is the Lake Gellafiche Boxing Ring. It may not have ropes and it may be high up, but neither of these will stop countless face-off challenges from happening up there."
"This one included," Caleb added. "For this challenge, one member of each team at a time will attempt to stay out of the water for as long as possible. Whoever stays on the longest nets two points for their team, and second place gets one. Whichever team gets to six points first wins"
"Anything goes here as long as you're not touching the water. Be creative!" Rachel smiled. "Now, Terrible Tarantulas, you won a reward in the last challenge."
"That we did," Maggie agreed.
"So for this challenge," Rachel continued, "Your team will only have to get five points to win, as opposed to six for the other teams."
"That's a nice bonus!" Joshua grinned.
"You earned it," Caleb said. "And, like many of the challenges this season, this will be for a reward."
Rachel said, "The team with the most points at the end of-" Then she stopped, her alarm beeping. "Oop! Sorry!"
She started doing push ups.
"The team with the most points at the end of the challenge will win a tarp to cover their shelter," Caleb finished with a glance at Rachel. "Which you'll probably need, since it's going to rain tonight."
"And finally," Rachel said as she stood, "One member from the Terrible Tarantulas and the Wicked Wasps will have to sit out this challenge to make up for the Dragonflies' being down a member. Decide amongst-"
"I'll do it," Maggie instantly volunteered. She looked at her team. "You cannot pay me to have physical contact with someone voluntarily."
"Sounds good," Alexei said with a forced smile.
The Wicked Wasps took a while longer to respond. Eventually, they agreed on a contestant.
"I'm sitting out," Pearl raised her hand. At Caleb's outstretched arm, they made their way to a bench.
"All right. We'll get everyone situated and get started," Caleb said.
Confessional: Maggie- Terrible Tarantulas
"This is not a good challenge for me. Physical strength is not my strong suit, and touching people…" she shudders. "Let's just say I'm glad I'm sitting out."
Confessional: Pearl- Wicked Wasps
"You may think I'm sitting out because of the unsanitary challenge, which is… partially true. But mostly- and I just realized this- I'm the physically weakest member of the team. Hopefully that doesn't come back to haunt me later in the game."
"We decided to go alphabetically, so up first we have… for the Dastardly Dragonflies, Cole!"
Cole waved meekly.
"For the Terrible Tarantulas, Alexei!"
Alexei smiled broadly and cracked his neck.
"And for the Wicked Wasps, Ambrose!"
Ambrose made no emotions, just staring at his opponents.
"Ready?" Rachel asked.
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"Go!"
Alexei jogged forward to the middle of the ring, situating himself between Cole and Ambrose. Cole awkwardly shuffled forward, not really sure what to do. Ambrose took a single step forward but hung back.
"Sometime today!" Koh called from below.
"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this…" Cole gave Alexei a light shove, which the hiker returned.
"I'm not hitting anyone who doesn't hit me first!" Alexei said.
Ambrose just shrugged.
"This is so boring," Maddie complained. "Can I light-"
"No," Harald, Diego, and Zaheen said at the same time.
"Er…" Cole reached down for Alexei's legs in an attempt to lift him. Alexei step back quickly and Cole, still leaning down, tried to reach forward but fell over.
"Just roll him off!" Koh shouted.
Alexei gave Cole a light push, which Cole should have been able to resist. However, as Cle tried to stand he tripped over his own feet and toppled backwards into the water.
"Finally," Ambrose breathed. Then, with a lunging movement, he jumped forward and elbowed Alexei in the ribcage. Alexei buckled down, surprise evident in his eyes, and Ambrose easily shoved him off the side of the ring, sending the hiker sprawling into the lake below.
"And that's the game!" Rachel cheered.
"Looks like the first win goes to the Wicked Wasps, who are now at two points," Caleb said as Ambrose climbed down. "Second is the Terrible Tarantulas at one and the Dastardly Dragonflies have a big goose egg. Are they really going to lose two in a row?"
"I hope not," Cole said quietly.
Confessional: Cole- Dastardly Dragonflies
"Wow… done in by my biggest weakness. It's something straight out of a superhero comic, man. Like Superman or something. What was Superman's kryptonite, anyway? Gah, it's on the tip of my tongue… anyway, I hope the others can do better than I did."
Confessional: Alexei- Terrible Tarantulas
"Part of me wants to be mad at Ambrose, but the rational part of me knows he was just doing what he needed to in order to win. Something that apparently I couldn't do," he sighs. "Still my ribs are going to hurt for the next week."
Confessional: Ambrose- Wicked Wasps
"My general plan was to stick around the back until one of the guys took the other out. I mean, it worked, but had I known that the others were going to fight like that, well," he chuckles. "Maybe I would've adjusted." He flexes his muscles experimentally. "After winning that, I feel, like, physically better."
"All right. Our next trio to take to the ring… for the Dastardly Dragonflies, Diego!"
"That's El Zorro to you," Diego pointed his sword at Rachel.
"For the Terrible Tarantulas, Chloe!"
"Yep," Chloe simply said.
"And for the Wicked Wasps, Eloa!"
"Is anyone else concerned about the fact that he's got a sword?" Eloa pointed to Diego.
"Go!" Rachel said, ignoring her.
Diego grinned. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"
"Are you really going to monologue at every opportunity?" Chloe loudly interjected. "It was nice the first few times but it's starting to get repetitive. And I'm not even on your team."
"Perhaps I shall take you first," Diego raised his sword to Chloe's eye level.
"Because you'd totally threaten an innocent lady with impalement to win a challenge," Chloe crossed her arms.
"...Cripes," Diego muttered. He tossed his sword like a javelin onto a section of the beach where no one was standing. "Aren't you supposed to be the one who's scared of everything?"
"Just the rational things. Not impalement or heights," Chloe said firmly. She edged closer to Diego.
"Don't think I've forgotten about you," Diego chuckled darkly, looking at Eloa, who had been trying to sneak up on him. "I can take three men at once. Two little girls shouldn't be a problem."
"Sexist much?" Eloa snapped her fingers.
"Hey!" Caleb called from below. "If you don't start fighting, I have the jurisdiction to eliminate you on the spot!"
"Really?" Rachel said in a quieter voice.
"As far as they know," Caleb replied back with a half-smirk.
Nevertheless, at Caleb's insistence, Chloe got an idea. "Say cheese!" She held the camera which was normally slung around her neck and took a picture of Diego.
As the camera flashed, Diego took an involuntary step backward, shielding his eyes. Chloe ran forward and attempted to shove him. Eloa, getting with the idea, made for Diego as well.
Diego gasped with surprise as Eloa and Chloe slowly began to push him toward the edge of the water. Unsurprisingly, he found himself at the edge.
"Two little girls, huh?" Chloe said, mocking his earlier words.
Diego stopped pushing. His face contorted into a smile, and he suddenly jumped off the back of the platform. Chloe's momentum caused her to fall as well, while Eloa wisely shofted positions.
"I win?" Eloa looked around. "I win!"
"Not quite," a voice said.
Two gloved hands were hanging onto the edge of the platform. Diego hoisted himself up. "Checkmate."
Eloa was too shocked to move. With a spin move, Diego flung her off the boxing ring with force. She fell quickly.
"In a surprise victory, Diego gains two points for the Dragonflies," Caleb said. "Eloa gets second place with one point, and Chloe gets nothing."
Diego laughed "Never underestimate the power of-"
Pearl interrupted. "If you say El Zorro one more time while I'm in the vicinity, I'm going to take that sword and cut off your-"
"As the scores currently stand, the Wicked Wasps are winning with three points, followed by the Dastardly Dragonflies with two, with the Terrible Tarantulas trailing at only a single point," Rachel said. "Will our next competition turn things around? Let's see."
Confessional: Chloe- Terrible Tarantulas
"Huh. And I thought the camera trick would be a good one, too…" she holds up her camera, which is dripping wet. "I'm lucky this thing is waterproof- it helps me capture underwater phenomena. I have this entire folder of my attempts to view the Ogopogo."
Confessional: Eloa- Wicked Wasps
She shivers. "I really don't like the climate here. I thought it would be warmer than Brazil, but once you get wet it really keeps you chilly. I wish I had worn better clothes for this."
Confessional: Diego- Dastardly Dragonflies
"Finally, a victory! A small one, but I'll take it. They should know better than to mess with-"
"I MEAN IT!" Pearl shouts from outside the confessional.
"...Me. To mess with me," Diego hastily says.
"Round three is about to begin! Representing the Dastardly Dragonflies, we have Harald!"
"An honour and a pleasure," Harald smugly said. "For you, that is."
"Representing the Terrible Tarantulas, Joshua!"
"All right! The King is in the house!" Joshua kissed his bicep.
"And representing the Wicked Wasps, Giuseppe!"
Giuseppe perked up when he heard his name. He gestured around him with a shrug.
"And begin!"
Joshua wasted no time in charging at Giuseppe. The Italian blinked put assumed a defensive position. When Joshua met him, Giuseppe was successfully able to hold him off without losing much ground.
"Hey!" Joshua complained as he quickly pranced backward. Then he turned to Harald. "I guess I'll get you first!... Once I recover."
As he panted, Marisa said, "Sweden versus Italy versus Germany. It's like the Olympics," earning her a few chuckles.
"Aha!" Joshua began to charge Harald.
Harald did not move an inch, standing stock-still. "Try me."
Once Joshua was in range, Harald reached out for his arm, meaning to judo-flip him off the edge.
His strategy was sound, but his timing was critically off. All Harald did was pull Joshua slightly closer to him, and Joshua plowed into the acrobat. Harald took a step back with a grin that quickly turned to a scowl when he realized that there was no platform behind him.
The acrobat was the first to fall.
Giuseppe, capitalizing on Joshua's distractedness, ran over with a shout.
"The King says naw!" Joshua leapt to the side.
"Sono davvero arrabbiato che nessuno mi capisca!" Giuseppe yelled a battle cry.
They intercepted each other in the middle of the platform and pushed at each other like rams locking horns.
"Ack!" Giuseppe suddenly ducked, sending Joshua toppling over him. They latched onto each other.
"Hey! Keep it PG!" Caleb snapped. Still, Joshua and Giuseppe rolled across the platform until they were at the edge.
Joshua and Giuseppe jumped up once more. This time, when Giuseppe ducked, Joshua shuffled to the side and kicked him in… a sensitive area.
"Dio mio!" Giuseppe wailed. As every male cringed, Joshua effortlessly pushed the Italian off the side of the platform.
"Despite a major bro code violation," Caleb said, "Joshua wins."
Giuseppe began to sob, curled in the fetal position with his head just above the water.
"That means our points are now at…" Rachel pulled out a notepad. "Four for the Wicked Wasps, three for the Terrible Tarantulas, and two for the Dastardly Dragonflies, who are once again in last."
"Of course," Diego sighed.
Confessional: Harald- Dastardly Dragonflies
"Ho hum. I suppose I wasn't ready to show them my true potential yet. Obviously I'm going to hold back in challenges until I'm no longer in control, in which case I'll fight with unmatched intensity. But whether we win or lose makes no difference to me." He growls. "I mean it!"
Confessional: Giuseppe- Wicked Wasps
He rants angrily. "Andò per le noci! I kiwi! I gioielli di famiglia! Non lo fai! Nessuno lo fa! È vergognoso e disonorevole! Spero che cada in una fossa di fiamme e formiche rosse! E pesce piranha! E una volta che lo hanno tirato fuori, ricade dentro! Non avrò mai figli! Sono stato derubato delle generazioni future! E tutto a causa di questo, nessun buon svedese!" He smacks his fist on his hand.
Confessional: Joshua- Terrible Tarantulas
"I've gotten two of our team's three points so far. If I weren't so humble, I might say that my back hurt from carrying my team this far. Like, without me, we wouldn't have won. Like, i am the sole reason for our success. But I am a humble person, so I won't say any of those things."
"This is our second to last matchup, everyone!" Rachel said. "If the Wicked Wasps or the Terrible Tarantulas win, they win the challenge! Let's see who's up!"
Suddenly, her watch beeped. "Caleb, take over."
Caleb shouted and his voice lost its usual nasal tone. Sounding like an old-timey sports announcer, he said, "Our next matchup features three dynamic teens, all vying for one spot! In the red corner, it's the hotshot with an explosive personality! That's right, representing the Dastardly Dragonflies, iiiiiit's Maddie!"
"Maddie likes Maddie!" Maddie said as she patted herself on the back.
"In the blue corner, she's the take-no-prisoners punk with a score to settle! Armed and dangerous, representing the Terrible Tarantulas, iiiiiit's Koh!"
"{CENSORED} yeah it is," Koh said smugly.
"And in the… other corner," Caleb shrugged. "She's cool and calculating! She's calm and collected! With an encyclopedia of knowledge that she can use to her advantage, for the Wicked Wasps, iiiiiiit's Marisa!"
Marisa smiled but focused on her task not long after.
"Ready? Fight!"
As they faced off, Rachel stood. "That was really good, Caleb."
"Thanks," Caleb said levelly.
"Do you want to do the last one?" Rachel asked.
"Nope."
"All right," the health nut replied.
On the platform, Maddie, Koh, and Marisa were circling each other.
"Use your knife!" Logan called.
"Oh. Right," Koh realized. She grabbed her hunting knife and unsheathed it.
"I see your knife and I raise you FIRE!" Maddie maniacally laughed. She pulled out, instead of a lighter, a miniature flamethrower. "Hahahahaha!"
"Where do you even keep that?" Koh spluttered.
"Hahahaha…" Maddie continued to laugh.
Marisa gulped. She looked back at her team. "Would anyone blame me if I jumped?"
"Nope," Pearl said from the bench.
Marisa shrugged and cannonballed off the edge of the platform.
"Marisa's out, but I don't really blame her," Rachel said. "Meanwhile, Koh and Maddie are continuing the age-old battle of knives versus flamethrowers! Who will win, and are we liable to get sued if one of them seriously injures another?"
"We're just the interns," Caleb chuckled darkly.
Koh and Maddie stared each other down.
"Are you really going to stab me?" Maddie asked with a wide-eyed look.
"Are you really going to set me on fire?" Koh shot back.
They kept staring at each other.
"...We'll stand here for hours if we don't do something," Koh said after a few minutes.
"Yeeeeeeeep," Maddie agreed.
Koh grumbled. "Why don't we just put down our stuff and fight like real women?"
"Yeeeeeeeep," Maddie agreed.
"All right," Koh nodded. She started to crouch and put her knife down. Then she stood. "If you're punking me, I swear, I'm going to kill you."
"Yeeeeeeeep," Maddie agreed.
Koh dropped her knife.
"You thought wrong!" Maddie cackled. Her flamethrower flared to life and she started chasing Koh.
Koh's eyes widened. "Crap."
Maddie chased her right off the edge.
"And there you have it!" Rachel said. "Maddie wins with some verbal trickery! Koh comes in second and Marisa takes third. Our points are…"
She blinked. "Oh! Every team is now tied with four points heading into the last round! The final score will be determined next round, and it'll be a fight to the finish!"
Confessional: Marisa- Wicked Wasps
"I was put with the craziest people on the show. Can you blame me for jumping? I sure can't."
Confessional: Koh- Terrible Tarantulas
"That piece of {CENSORED)! Ugh! I should know better than to trust a blue-haired pyromaniac. This is where trying to be diplomatic gets me. Right into second place! This is why I cut people first, ask questions later."
Confessional: Maddie- Dastardly Dragonflies
She plays with her lighter. "Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…"
"All right. Because we're all tied at four, whoever wins will take the tarp, and whoever loses goes to elimination," Caleb said.
"Hold on," Maggie said. "What happens if the Tarantulas get last and one of the other teams gets second to last, thus putting both teams at one point shy of their goal?"
"Whoever gets more points wins," Caleb replied. Maggie nodded and continued to watch.
"So, in our last match, for the win… for the Dragonflies, Zaheen!"
"Naturally," Zaheen smirked.
"For the Tarantulas, Logan!"
Logan nodded once.
"And for the Wasps…"
"Oh no," Pearl realized.
"...Robin!" Rachel finished.
"Ready for action!" Robin said, his chest puffed out.
Rachel looked at the teens. "Ready? This is for all the marbles… go!"
Logan turned around and started to climb down the ladder.
"What are you doing?" Joshua called out.
"They said anything goes," Logan shrugged. "This is included, or am I mistaken?"
"What's to stop me from climbing down after you?" Zaheen asked as she stared at the ladder.
"Perhaps the fact that Robin will push you off the moment you attempt to climb down, just like you will he?" Logan idly asked. "I only need to outlast one of you, after all."
"I guess the Dragonflies will be losing two in a row, then," Robin cracked his knuckles.
"Can you not do that? It's a terrible habit," Zaheen snapped. As Robin took a step forward, she took a step back.
"Is it?" Robin wondered.
"It may lead to arthritis," Logan shouted.
"I thought they disproved those rumours," Robin turned to shout.
"It's news to me, then," Logan said.
"Hey! Focus!" Pearl interrupted. Robin snapped his head back to see Zaheen had been sneaking up on him. She sighed and trotted back.
"It's actually kind of hard to hang onto this ladder. The rungs are spaced far apart," Logan complained. "Could you keep fighting?"
"Yes," Zaheen agreed. "Robin, do not look at my left hand."
Robin looked at her left hand. Zaheen poked him in the eyes with her right and used her shoulder to push her back a few paces.
"That was too easy," Zaheen droned.
Robin suddenly pushed her back with a great heave. She stumbled and fell backward, landing on her hands.
"Ow!" Zaheen yelped. She shook her hands as if she were drying them. "Outright injuring another contestant?"
"I swear, it was not my intention!" Robin shouted. "Rather, I meant to- hey!"
Zaheen suddenly threw down several smoke pellets, allowing herself to be clouded by the smoke.
"Hey!" Robin repeated. "Where did you go?"
He was struck in the face and gasped. Zaheen appeared, throwing several random objects at him and advancing.
"That is most unwelcome!" Robin almost took a step backward but realized that he was right on the edge.
"I've got you right where I want you," Zaheen grinned.
"What's going on?" Logan called up.
Robin frowned. Then shouted, warlike, and charged at Zaheen. Then...
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….he stopped in his tracks as he and Zaheen heard Logan shout, "Hand cramp!" followed by a splash.
"Terrible Tarantulas lose!" Rachel said. "Thanks to some unfortunate timing on Logan's part."
"Because I totally intentionally got a hand cramp," Logan muttered.
Zaheen viewed him. "Of all the possible scenarios, I didn't think-"
"Ha!" Robin threw her off the side of the platform.
"And the Dragonflies take second, meaning that the Wicked Wasps win!" Rachel declared as Robin whooped.
Confessional: Logan- Terrible Tarantulas
He laughs. "Do you really think I lost that by accident? No, it was quite intentional. Though I enjoy not having to make a choice, I think it behooves me to pick a side before the sides come together. So throwing a challenge was necessary."
Confessional: Zaheen- Dastardly Dragonflies
"I'm fine with second place. What I am most decidedly not fine about is Robin's possible act of injury to my hands. It seems minor, but if he's the reason my sleight of hand skills deteriorate, he'll pay."
Confessional: Robin- Wicked Wasps
"I think I really proved my leadership skills today. Hopefully the others will be more inclined to keep me around. Heaven knows I need every chance I can get. Still… I can rest easy knowing that I won't go home tonight."
"Wicked Wasps, congratulations on your first place win," Caleb said. "In addition to immunity, a tarp will be ready for you at camp."
They departed with smiles.
"Dastardly Dragonflies, it may not be first place, but you're safe too," Rachel said. "Get some rest."
They, too, departed.
"Terrible Tarantulas, this challenge didn't go your way. Now, you'll have to vote someone off. Freddy will see you at elimination tonight," Caleb said. "Make sure you make the right choice."
The six left the scene.
Confessional: Chloe- Terrible Tarantulas
"Now I have a choice to make. Do I stay loyal to Alexei, who may or may not have a crush on me, and vote for Koh? Or do I take my chance to get rid of Maggie when I can? I don't know yet."
Confessional: Joshua- Terrible Tarantulas
"My team is full of losers! Not one of them won their match other than me! I'll be glad to see one of them go. But… I still don't know if I should tell Logan about the blindside on Koh. Maybe I'll flip a coin! Yes!" He grins, then frowns. "Of course, there aren't any coins on an island…"
Confessional: Koh- Terrible Tarantulas
"Chloe or Maggie? I don't give a rat's banana myself, but Logan's probably going to overanalyze it. Maybe I'll try to help him out, so he isn't a pain for the next eternity and a half."
Terrible Tarantulas- Day 3
"Sucks that we lost," Alexei frowned.
"Yeah. Because of your hand cramp," Chloe accused Logan. "You couldn't hold on with your other hand?"
"I was reaching above my head to begin with," Logan explained. "You lose blood flow really fast."
"Hm," Chloe said, unconvinced.
"You're one to talk when you take into account that you got just as many points as Logan," Maggie interrupted. "Which is zero, if you doubt that math exists."
"Stop questioning my beliefs!" Chloe shouted.
"Your beliefs are inane and illogical!" Maggie shot back. "You're a detriment of there ever was one!"
"Says the girl who didn't even compete in the challenge."
"I despise coming into physical contact with people," Maggie glared.
"And my beliefs are stupid?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"That's not a belief, that's a fear. You know what those are, Miss 'I only fear the logical things?'"
"Girls!" Alexei stood between them. "Stop fighting, please! We have to vote together, remember-" he clapped a hand over his mouth.
"And who would that be for?" Logan sasked.
"Yeah," Koh glared. "Who?"
Alexei looked at Koh with fear.
"It's me?" Koh screamed. "What the- Why the-" I'm going to murder you!" Koh pulled out her knife.
"You're going to do no such thing," Logan said firmly. "Unless you want to automatically lose this game and the million dollars and go to jail for life."
Koh spat at Alexei but didn't approach the quivering boy.
"...I'll see you at elimination," Koh snapped. "I'm going into the woods until then. Anyone who follows me… well, don't follow me."
She stormed off.
"Look what you did!" Maggie and Chloe suddenly shouted at each other.
Confessional: Maggie- Terrible Tarantulas
"Chloe's so annoying it physically pains me. I don't think I want to play this game with her anymore. In fact, I'm certain of it."
Confessional: Logan- Terrible Tarantulas
"So, turns out my two concrete sides aren't as concrete as I thought. I may have to adjust the plan, but how? I'll figure something out."
Confessional: Alexei- Terrible Tarantulas
He shudders and gulps. "That went well," he says with a nervous laugh that grows into a sob.
Veloor Island- Terrible Tarantulas
Alexei, Chloe, Joshua, Koh, Logan, and Maggie slowly emerged into the elimination hut.
"Hey, everyone!" Frederick greeted. "I'm in a good mood because I'm having a great hair day. Let's do this!"
Everyone groaned.
Frederick pouted. "Come on, guys. I have to ask you some questions!"
"With respect, Fred," Logan said, "we've all just had a really long day. We just got beat up in the challenge and tensions at camp could be cut with a knife. Can you just explain what we have to do?"
"Aye," Joshua agreed.
Frederick shrugged. "It's not like I have a pay check that'll be cut if I don't follow regulation."
So, he said, "Once I say so, you'll go to that voting guy," he pointed, "In alphabetical order and write down the name of the person you want to see leave. Then I'll read all six votes and whoever had the most votes will be eliminated. Unless they have an idol," Frederick added.
"There's idols?" Koh asked.
"Yeah," Frederick agreed. "I'm sure you'd have figured it out by yourselves, but now that you're here we want you to find them before there's no one left in the team."
"Your confidence inspires me," Maggie droned.
Frederick sighed. "All right. Let's go vote. Alexei, you're up."
Alexei stood and went to the hut.
Voting: Alexei
"I'm voting for Koh," he says. "You really cemented your position here after what happened at camp. Sorry things couldn't have worked better."
Voting: Chloe
"You know what? Screw Alexei's plan! I can get Koh out later, but Maggie has to go! And hopefully some other people agree."
Voting: Joshua
"Well, I made my choice. It's not up to me anymore."
Voting: Koh
"Alexei has the nerve to blame me for wanting to vote me out. I'm no math nerd but that doesn't make the slightest amount of sense! I talked to Logan and he thinks it's smart, so I vote Alexei."
Voting: Logan
"All the choices. Who do I vote for? Will he or she go home? It's all very exciting if I do say so myself."
Voting: Maggie
"You would not believe how incredibly I want to eliminate Chloe right now. Is it worth risking my chances in the game, though? Do I expect anyone other than Alexei to go through with the blindside?"
Once Maggie returned, Frederick stood. "I'll go tally the votes."
There was a terse silence.
"...Anyone play Cheese Brawlers?" Joshua asked.
"Oh yeah, all the time!" Alexei agreed.
Frederick returned. "Without further adieu, the following competitors are safe with no votes cast against them."
"Chloe."
"Logan."
"Joshua."
The trio looked relieved.
"Wait, that's it?" Maggie said. She looked over at Chloe. "Come on, Chloe."
Frederick shrugged. "C'est la vie. Now, with one vote cast against them..."
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"Maggie is safe."
Maggie still glared at Chloe.
Alexei looked at Koh. "Um... sorry?"
Koh silenced him with a glare.
"Alexei, Koh, one of you is safe. And with two votes against..."
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"...Alexei, that person is you. Koh, with three votes to your name, you're out."
Alexei smiled, relieved.
"{CENSORED}!" Koh barked.
"What just happened?" Logan asked, wide-eyed.
Koh turned to Joshua. "You little twerp! You betrayed me! I'll kill you! I'll vote your sorry butt out!"
"How will you do that?" Joshua asked smugly.
Koh grinned. "Simple. I'm still in the game."
To the surprise of everyone, she pulled out a hidden immunity idol identical to Pearl's.
"This allows all votes against me to not count," Koh said sinisterly. She tossed it to Frederick. "Check it out."
Frederick viewed the idol carefully.
Koh frowned. "It is real, yeah?"
Frederick opened his mouth. "This…"
...
...
...
...
...
"...Is a hidden immunity idol. Therefore, all three votes cast against Koh no longer count."
"But that means..." Chloe cast a glance at Alexei, who was sitting open-mouthed.
"That's right," Frederick agreed.
Alexei shook his head in disbelief. "No… not already…"
"Alexei, unless you have another idol, you are the second person voted out of Total Drama: The K'wala Islands."
Alexei stood. "God…"
He turned to Chloe and Maggie. "Girls… please stop fighting. I want to cheer for both of you in the finale, I guess…"
He was very pale. "Um… bye…"
Maggie stood. "Alexei, wait."
But the hiker was already gone, following Frederick's outstretched hand.
"Well, that was a shocking ceremony," Frederick commented. "Who'd have expected an idol to be played so early? Anyway, you five can go to camp and rest. Make sure you're ready for the next challenge. Night."
He waved as the remaining Terrible Tarantulas- Chloe, Joshua, Koh, Logan, and Maggie- left.
Confessional: Koh- Terrible Tarantulas
"Yeah, I found an idol," she smirks triumphantly. "After I stormed off into the woods it practically appeared right in front of my nose. Good thing, too, because Logan's indecisiveness almost let me go home. Now I really have to do something to make sure I'm back on top… and destroy Joshua in the process."
Confessional: Joshua- Terrible Tarantulas
He gulps. "I believe The King has made a large mistake."
Chris now stood outside the hut. He was holding another photograph- Alexei- in a picture frame. The host hung up the picture beside Olivia. Under the photo of the hiker it read, Alexei- 17th.
"Three days in and we're down two contestants," Chris said. "I don't think anyone thought it would be Alexei here tonight."
He stepped forward. "Will the remaining four idols- including Pearl's- cause as much tension as this one did? Will Maddie and Cole succeed in the weirdest alliance of the season? Will Maggie and Chloe work things out? Hey, I doubt it! But find out next time on…"
"Total! Drama! The K'wala Islands!"
Final Confessional: Alexei- 17th Place
"Wow… I thought everyone liked me, but… eliminated first on my team? I don't even know anymore…" he sighs. Then he forces a smile. "At least I get to meet all the eliminated people! That'll be fun!"
The Votes:
Alexei voted for… Koh (Nullified)
Chloe voted for… Maggie
Joshua voted for… Koh (Nullified)
Koh voted for… Alexei
Logan voted for… Alexei
Maggie voted for… Koh (Nullified)
Final Tally: 3 votes for Koh (Nullified), 2 votes for Alexei, 1 vote for Maggie.
Alexei always felt like an early boot to me. I'll never go so far as to say he had no potential (everyone has potential), however I had accepted him with the intention of being a likeable early elimination. I think I succeeded, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
Turns out Pahkitew Island is going to be the last Total Drama competition show, which means this fandom has officially started to die. Hooray! Fear not, I'll stick out my stories to completion.
The challenge was directly taken from the third chapter of the original series but modified for three teams.
The interns, by the way, will be cycling through the challenge/elimination hosting. For example, next episode Rachel and Frederick are running the challenge.
Anyone who pays attention to that kind of stuff, Alexei and Olivia both have six letters in their name, with a consonant as the second and fourth letters and vowels for all the rest. Also, the third and fifth letters are the same. So take that how you will.
Not much else to say so let's take a look at…
Thor's Prediction Palooza!
Congratulations to Candela Monsoon for correctly guessing that Alexei would be eliminated! The scores will be updated at the beginning of the next chapter.
Once again, it's time to pick new people. You can choose all the same, or all different, or some of both (and this is for all three teams, not just the one that went to elimination).
The Teams:
Dastardly Dragonflies: Cole, Diego, Harald, Maddie, Zaheen
Terrible Tarantulas: Chloe, Joshua, Koh, Logan, Maggie
Wicked Wasps: Ambrose, Eloa, Giuseppe, Marisa, Pearl, Robin
Eliminated Contestants:
17th- Alexei: The Optimistic Hiker
18th- Olivia: The Silent Doll
Takk skal du ha!