A/N: More of a serious chapter this time, as well as darker, but I had planned for it to go this route since I first started writing.
Part 6: Solitary Attraction
"Hey... Bridgette?"
As she stretched out on her thin bunk above Jasmine's, Bridgette slowly opened her eyes to see Zoey standing there. Yawning, she asked, "What is it?"
Zoey was visibly worried about something and a little hesitant to speak up about it. "It's... about Duncan... I don't really know who to talk to about this..."
Bridgette turned over on her side, propping her head up with her hand as she said, "Have a crush on him even though you're already with someone? If so, join the club..."
Zoey raised an eyebrow. "You have a crush on Duncan?"
"What?" Bridgette giggled a bit. "No, I meant DJ..." As soon as she caught herself saying this, she covered her mouth. "Whoops..."
"Well no, I don't like Duncan in that way. It's more of a fear I've been getting lately... There's just something off about him, and I can't figure out what."
"Maybe it's just the weather?" Bridgette said. "It's been making me a little irritable lately, that's for sure."
"I don't know..." Zoey sighed. "Maybe what that archaeologist had to say was true?"
"Krystal? I don't know, she was a weird one. And even if she was telling the truth, what are we going to do about it? We're practically held captive by Chris each season and the only way to go home is to be eliminated, and I'm not intending for that to happen."
"Me neither," said Zoey, "but I can't help but feel a little worried about Duncan. If you can, just... keep an eye on him, okay?"
Bridgette smiled and nodded. "Sure. We should be looking out for each other, right?"
Zoey's eyes lit up as a thought came to her "How about we form an alliance? We could get Jasmine and Izzy in on it and make a girls' alliance. We would be guaranteed to go far that way!" She could see some hesitation and hazarded a guess as to why. "We don't have to vote off DJ."
With a slightly reluctant smile, Bridgette agreed. "Okay. I'm in."
*Confessional*
"I really feel like Bridgette and I could be good friends," said Zoey. "She's just a nice person overall. Jasmine will surely agree to the alliance, but Izzy... I can't say I completely understand Izzy... Now that I think of it, I'm not entirely sure if she's the best person to have in an alliance... But she's part of our cabin, so it would definitely make alliance meetings really easy."
*End Confessional*
Having just gotten out of the showers, Alejandro had passed by the front of the girls' cabin and stayed around to listen to the entire conversation within. "Interesting," he said with a grin before continuing on his way.
Trent was on his way back to his cabin when he realized the door was being guarded. Standing there, crossing her arms and tapping her foot, was Heather, wearing the same sunglasses she had worn when first arriving at the Dock of Shame at Camp Wawanakwa several years ago. This was no ordinary meetup with Heather, and their last abnormal meetup didn't end well for anyone but her.
"Can I get inside?" Trent asked, but she didn't budge.
"I know what you're up to," she said. "And it's not going to work as long as I'm here."
"What?" he said with a cautious smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb with me," said Heather in a demanding tone. "I didn't take you for the scheming type, but you've proven me wrong."
"Can you please just tell me what you're talking about?"
"You aren't entitled to Gwen," she said clearly. "She was scared and lonely in season 1 and you were there to make her feel comfortable, but then she got over you. That's it. You can't just win her back by trying to recreate that. It's low."
Trent was silent for a moment, his expression becoming less relaxed. "Why would you care? Don't you and Gwen hate each other?"
Heather scrunched up her face in revulsion. "Don't you get it? You're a psycho! You could hurt Gwen in ways I wouldn't dream of, and I'm not letting my team fall apart like that this early in the competition."
"Get a grip, Heather," Trent said in a lowered tone. "I'm not hurting anyone, and if you don't think I should be with Gwen, then that's your problem, but we were meant to be together and I'm not letting anyone get in my way. Now stay out of my business, alright?" He pushed past her and slammed the door behind him, leaving a cold silence in his wake.
After the tension had settled a bit, Gwen came out from the girls' side of the cabin. She had heard it all, and her head and shoulders hung low in sadness. "Thanks, Heather..." she said weakly.
"Just remember," Heather replied, "you have to take care of Tibb from now on."
"Yeah..."
Heather looked at her for a few seconds in her sad, melodramatic state. She knew exactly what Gwen was going through, considering she had gone through the same with Alejandro. She was at least lucky to be on the opposite team as him, unlike Gwen and Trent.
"Just forget about him," she said. "You don't need those kinds of guys in your life. Trust me, I would know. I'm just about done with guys altogether."
"Moving on to girls, then?" Gwen joked, but neither of them laughed. Instead, their slowly widening eyes were awkwardly sharing in both of their confusion as neither knew what to say to break the silence that had engulfed them.
"You're gonna be late for the challenge," said Dakota out of nowhere as both of them broke their gaze and scrambled for something to do. "Are you two okay?"
*Confessional*
"What the hell just happened?" said a freaked out Gwen.
*New Confessional*
"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?" Heather yelled into the camera.
*End Confessional*
Having seen it all from the sidelines, Alejandro placed a hand over his chin in contemplation. He was less than pleased at what he had just witnessed, to say the least.
"Welcome to today's challenge, campers!" Chris announced excitedly. He stood in front of the campers as usual, only this time they were on the other side of the mountains. A row of fifteen small, shabby prison cells were lined against the foot of the tallest mountain with no windows, only a door surrounded by the hollow block of stone that were the cells. "This is one I've been looking forward to, and you'll soon see why. Nearly a hundred years ago, this island was used to hold just a few maximum security criminals. Their cells remain there to this day, sort of a reminder of their suffering and pain. Nobody knows what happened to the them, though. No records were found of their releases or escape, and it was forgotten over the decades."
"So what's our challenge?" Tyler asked, confused.
"I was getting to that," Chris said irritably. "For today's challenge, you will be spending your time in these cells. Alone. All of your time inside will be added up to your team's final score. The longer you stay in, the more points you'll add to your team."
"That's it?" asked Trent.
Duncan shot a glare at Trent as he said, "Do you have any idea what solitary confinement does to people?" He looked back at Chris. "Do you have any idea what it's done to me!?"
"Nope!" Chris answered. "Nor do I care. And if you're so worried about it, you can bail whenever you want. Of course, I don't think your team would be too happy about that."
"You're messed up, Chris," said Duncan. "I wouldn't wish solitary confinement on my worst enemy."
"And who would want to watch us do nothing all day?" Zoey asked, several others agreeing with her.
"That's why we edit the episodes, duh!" said Chris. "Only the good parts will show up in the final cut, and trust me, there will be lots of good parts. Now let's get in those cells, alright people? Move it!"
*Confessional*
"Are these challenges aimed at me or something?" Jasmine said, scared. "What did I ever do to Chris!?"
*End Confessional*
As they all went their separate ways into the cells, Bridgette sent one last look towards DJ as they gave each other reassuring smiles. Gwen and Heather found each other's eyes as well, but Heather merely turned up her nose and went inside without considering her. Confused and indifferent (as usual), Gwen closed the door behind her and looked at the room she was then inhabiting. There was a torn bed against the wall, a nonfunctional toilet in the corner, and a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It was as if it had been taken straight out of a horror film, and she had seen all too many to let her guard down for even a second.
This had, however, given her an opportunity to think things through. After thoroughly checking the entirety of the bed to make sure it was safe, she sat down on it with her back against the wall and asked herself what it was she was feeling that day. Trent had proven himself yet again to be obsessive, and Heather had yet again proven herself to be... not the worst person she knew. In fact, if she hadn't been wronged by Heather so many times in the past, she would have possibly considered her a decent friend. Maybe if Bridgette or Zoey had been on her team, she wouldn't be so desperate.
No matter how much she thought back on her time on Total Drama, it seemed as though Heather was always there somehow. Sure, most of those times included physical or emotional attacks on the other, but at least she had always been there...
"What am I thinking!?" Gwen said out loud, shaking her head. It was practically a sin to even consider the idea of liking Heather. After all that had happened, there was no way she would forgive and forget.
She looked around in her loneliness, curling up into a ball without realizing as she sat there in the dim, eerie light. Maybe she could forgive her... just a little...
Ella stood in the midst of a conundrum. Her hands shook as her teeth chattered in the cold, dark room all by herself. It was immediately torture from the moment she stepped inside, and it had only worsened every passing minute. She didn't want to let her team down, but she stood beside the doorway... just in case.
"Where is my prince..." she whispered to herself slowly. It didn't matter anymore who it was. She simply needed someone, anyone, to be there for her in her times of need. "I beg of you..." she continued whispering despite nobody being there to listen. "Please, give me a ray of sunlight... a friend... anything..." A cold tear began to roll down her face as her mind was shivering in terror. She could face any adversity with a smile and a song, no matter how intimidating it was. Her patience and cheerfulness knew no bounds, as anyone who knew her could attest to. But as she stood there, she began to wonder; could her virtues alone stand up to the overwhelming loneliness of solitude?
She took a deep breath and exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment before putting on a smile. If anything could be said about Ella, it was that her resolve was nearly unbreakable.
It had been an hour since Duncan was locked away, but there was no way of knowing how much time had passed for those inside. He had spent most of it trying to find weaknesses in the walls like he had done back in real prison whenever he was sent to solitary. It was a futile effort there, but here he had an actual chance at breaking open one of the walls. There was no meaning to doing so, but he had learned that keeping your mind occupied doing anything was the only way to make it in prison.
As he tapped all around the stone walls to try and find a spot of weakness, he found himself moving the broken bed out of the way to get behind it. When he did, he noticed something lying underneath that caught his attention. It was a wooden handle, and as he pushed the bed further he realized that at its end was a sharp, iron axe-head. What was an axe doing in his cell?
He picked it up in one hand, wondering if the others had found something similar in their cells. Was this part of the challenge? He took a moment to think about what he intended to do with this axe, gripping it firmly as his eyes began to narrow. Normally his mind wouldn't delve into such dark thoughts, but on that day... in that cell... it felt right.
No phone, no admirers, no mirror, nothing. Dakota was at her limit, and she rushed for the door to open it and breathe the fresh, frozen air of freedom. Unfortunately, it seemed she was the only one to have come out of her cell so far. "Dang it!" she exclaimed, shivering in the cold.
Another door opened shortly after as Tyler emerged from it, disappointed that he was the first of his team to go. "Aw, man..."
Although she never openly needed the company of others, the dark, creepy atmosphere was beginning to have an effect on the queen bee herself. Heather was starting to crave the company of others, regardless of who it was... unless it was Alejandro; she probably preferred the loneliness to him.
After two hours of being left alone to her thoughts, the one thing her mind returned to again and again was her encounter with Gwen earlier that day. What was it about that hopeless goth that made her so tolerable? Maybe it was that they were both winners and yet neither of them had any money to show for it. Maybe it was because they both had relationships end up going badly over the course of Total Drama. Whatever caused it, she was wishing she hadn't turned up her nose before they went into their cells. She probably caused Gwen to wallow in sadness because of it, making it more likely for her to quit early and throw the challenge. At least Heather herself would be safe from elimination regardless of what happened. That was all she truly cared about.
And yet, despite her greed and her lust for power and control, she felt something strange about Gwen... It was something she pretended to feel with Alejandro, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. She wasn't even sure if it felt good or not, but it was there, somewhere.
She groaned loudly, saying to herself, "Screw this!"
Alejandro had been resting in his bed, thinking, plotting. He knew of the girls of his own team forming an alliance, and he knew that he would be the first one to be voted off unless he did something. On top of that, it seemed as though Heather and Gwen were becoming close. Too close. Normally he wouldn't let it bother him. She was free to do whatever she wanted, after all. But there was something about being left alone to stew in his own thoughts that made all of this so much more worrying than it needed to be.
Heather was the only one who would bother with him after knowing who he was. She was meant for him, and he was meant for her. He couldn't stand the idea of her being with someone else, even if it was just a friend. He was the only one she needed. Only him...
Rocking back and forth in a curled up ball, Jasmine was about ready to scream before she decided it wasn't worth it and rushed out the door into the open air, relieved to see that she wasn't the only one to quit. Dakota, Tyler, Beardo, DJ, Bridgette, Heather, and Ella were already sitting outside waiting for the rest to come out. All things considered, she was pleased with herself.
"Are you sure there aren't any explosives on this island? There's gotta be some, I mean come on!"
"If there are, then they've been hidden unusually well for Chris and Chef. There are only eighteen possible locations and they would need to have spent upwards of half of the million on excavating simply to hide them there. It's highly improbable."
"Hey, what do you guys think of a karaoke night? We could get everyone on the island in the cafeteria for it!"
"But we don't have a karaoke machine!"
"Oh yeah! Well, maybe we can do it off memory!"
"Yeah, because that works sooo well. Remember our vacation in Hawaii where we forgot all the words of Creep?"
Several hours had passed and it was becoming later and later into the day, but Izzy was completely content with speaking to herself for as long as she could.
"Hahaha, yeah. Good times, good times..."
Left all alone with his thoughts, Trent wanted nothing more than to be able to sleep there. What Heather said earlier that day had really gotten to him, and he was realizing that he had come off as all too obsessive and controlling. He didn't want to be seen that way. All he wanted was a second chance with Gwen, just to show her he wasn't some psycho like Heather thought he was. Sure, he may have been the one behind Cody's elimination so that he could have more space with Gwen, but he didn't want it to be a big deal.
He really cared for Gwen, like nobody else before. Was it really so bad to want to be with her again?
"You're completely in the right," said a mysterious man's voice as Trent cautiously looked around the room.
"Who's there?" he said. "Where are you?"
"I don't really know where I am. I've forgotten who I was. I must have been here for too long. I guess I'm part of the cell now."
Although he was freaking out over the discovery of another presence there with him, he also felt it somewhat relieving to know that he might not have been alone. "I don't know what that means. Are you a ghost?"
"Maybe," the voice said. "I definitely think you should be with Gwen, though. You're perfect for each other. You've both been damaged in the past, and Gwen needs someone like you ever since she lost her father."
"Those are my thoughts exactly!" Trent agreed. "I don't want to see her going down the wrong path. She needs someone there to guide her through life, and I'd always be there for her. For as long as I live, I'd promise to protect her... That is, if she'd have me. She thinks I'm some kind of freak, and she even has Heather sniffing me out like I'm some kind of suitcase with a bomb in it. Why can't I just act normal all the time? Why do I have to be like this?"
There was no response this time, and Trent began to worry. "Hey..." he murmured. "You there?" Still nothing, and he looked around the room nervously, backing himself into the corner as he came to the realization that there was never anyone there. "Oh, god..."
It felt like days had gone by inside Gwen's cell, and her eyes blinked less and less each passing minute. Noises from outside had been hurled into her cell and she was afraid to even quit the challenge in fear of something out there. Something deadly.
"GWEN!" yelled a man's voice, possibly Trent's, or maybe Duncan's, accompanied by a loud banging on the iron door. "OPEN UP! I'VE GOT A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"
She was curled up on her bed, her eyes darting from the door to the toilet and back to the door as her entire body shook convulsively. The toilet flushed on its own for what must have been the fifth time, despite it being nonfunctional. It was no longer a matter of whether or not she wanted to win the challenge for her team, but rather if she would survive long enough to see them again. Only her imagination could tell her what was going on outside, but her brain had gotten to be so numb that she couldn't think clearly.
Another series of loud, thundering bangs on the door could be heard. "DON'T BE SO RECLUSIVE, GWEN! SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOUR FRIENDS! THEY MISS YOU! LET THEM FREE YOU!"
Her friends? What friends? What friends could he be talking about? She racked her brain for faces of people she knew, any faces at all. Her mom, her brother... Neither of them were on the island, were they? What could he mean...?
Heather?
She stood up out of her bed as screeching could be heard on the other side of the door, but she didn't care. She had to get to Heather no matter what.
As soon as she opened the door, all of the noises immediately came to a halt as the only sound that came to her ears was the gentle howling of the night's wind. She was panting heavily as her wide eyes scanned the others, who were gazing back at her, until she came across Heather. Without thinking, she began running forward as Heather watched her in confusion. A moment later, Gwen had her arms wrapped around her tightly, breathing heavily into her shoulder.
Everyone around them watched in amazement as Heather didn't know how to respond, her cheeks forming a blush. "Hey!" she said, trying to sound annoyed. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"I don't know..." Gwen replied, not letting go. "I really don't know anymore... Just hug me..."
"That cell really must have done a number on her," Bridgette commented. "I never thought I'd see someone go crazy enough to hug Heather."
"Get a room, you two," Dakota scoffed as Beardo began a romantic beat.
Tyler was merely laughing hysterically at the sight.
"Shut up!" Heather shouted over all of them, forcing her arms around the slightly shorter Gwen. "You got a problem with this, you should back off before I beat the snot out of you!" She wasn't sure where that came from, but it got the point across nicely. They all stood in awkward silence, letting the two have their moment.
Out of another cell came Alejandro, not as panicked as Gwen, but still having visibly gone through a trying ordeal in his eerie solitude. When his eyes fell upon Gwen and Heather in the midst of the rest of the contestants, he could feel his blood boiling. Heather's eyes shot back at his over Gwen's shoulder, forming an unmistakably cruel glare. He wasn't sure who, or how, or when, but somebody was going to pay for this.
"You need to kill him, Zoey. It's the only way."
Zoey shook her head barely, her eyes closed as she stayed in her state of half sleep. She didn't know who was talking to her, or what it was talking about, but she didn't like it. Why would she kill someone? Why would someone want her to kill someone? There was no reason for it...
Her eyes opened as she came to her senses, remembering where she was again. The voice she heard sounded so real, but she knew there was nobody there. But just to be sure...
After an extensive search inside her cell to find any speakers or devices, she gave up and sat back down on her bed. Could it have been her subconscious? Why would she be thinking of something like that?
She decided to end her time in the cell right then, opening the iron door to see Trent having just left his own cell before her. It seemed to be the middle of the night, or even early morning, and the rest of the contestants were huddled together without a trace of Chris anywhere nearby, although Chef was keeping watch from a distance.
The only people left in their cells were Duncan, Izzy, and Shawn, which didn't surprise her. The only problem would be Shawn, considering he was always so prepared for this kind of circumstance.
Before she had time to finish that thought, Shawn's cell door came flying open as he yelled "JASMINE! WHERE ARE YOU, JASMINE!?" Everyone was focused on him as he slowly calmed down, realizing nothing bad was happening.
"Shawn, I'm right here," said Jasmine, shivering in the cold as she made her way closer to him.
"Right..." Shawn said slowly. "I could have sworn I heard you screaming."
"And that's a victory for the Fearless Penguins!" they heard Chris yelling over the loudspeakers. "Seals, come meet at the Rocket of Disgrace to see which one of you is going home tonight! I hope you can all think straight!"
Having heard this, none of the Deadly Seals were very upset. After that night, it almost felt like a blessing to go home, or wherever it was the Rocket of Disgrace took them.
Another night, another elimination ceremony at the frozen shore. They were all weary, hungry, shivering, and far less sane than they were the previous day, but Chris faced them with the same smile he always had.
*Confessional*
"I voted for Trent," said a fatigued, unstable Gwen. "It took me a while to figure out who I wanted off this island the most. I think I'd be doing Trent a favor by voting him off, but it still beats having him here... He's like a wound that refuses to heal..." Her voice was sinking deeper and deeper. "And every time it scabs, and you think it's getting better, it just comes right back... I hope it's either me or him this elimination. I can't stand one more day on this island with him."
*End Confessional*
"Your votes have been cast!" Chris announced. "Tonight's marshmallows go to: Shawn, Beardo, Gwen, Heather, and Ella, which leaves Trent and Dakota up for elimination. Dakota! You were the first to leave your cell, without even trying to stay."
"Did you see what it was like in there!?" she retorted. "It was like an abandoned gas station bathroom! You're crazy if you think I'd stay in there!"
"And Trent!" Chris moved on. "You've been the center of a bit of drama lately. I don't know what's been happening with a couple of ladies on the team, but you've got them a little upset with you, to put it lightly."
Gwen and Heather sat beside each other while Heather sent a mean gaze over to Trent, who sighed dejectedly in return.
"And the final marshmallow goes to..." Chris's eyes moved from Trent's to Dakota's as he grinned sadistically, watching the pain in their faces build. "Trent!"
"What!?" Heather said, standing up out of anger. "Don't you people understand we have a psycho on our team!? He's probably going to stab someone in their sleep tonight because of this!"
"I'm not a psycho!" Trent defended himself. "I'll give Gwen all the room she needs, alright? I won't talk to her, I won't look at her, and I won't stand anywhere near her! Just as long as it convinces you people I'm not obsessed and I'm not crazy!"
"You'd better stay away from her," Heather warned him. "You've already done more than enough damage already."
"What?" Trent said, confused. "What damage?"
"It's fine," said Gwen. "He hasn't done anything wrong..." She looked up at Trent. "Just... please, make sure you understand that it's over between us. We're never getting back together."
Biting his lip, Trent kept a straight face. "I know..." It was as painful as it could get, but he couldn't show weakness. He knew that if he did, it would be used against him. "I wish the best for you..."
"...So, uh," Chris said once things had settled down. "Can we finally get someone tied to the rocket here?"
"You're all making a mistake getting rid of me," Dakota said as she was hauled off by Chef to the Rocket of Disgrace. "I deserve better! This whole season is one big dump! You know what? I'm glad I won't have to be associated with this anymore. It sucks!"
"Yeah, yeah," Chris said as he pushed the button on his remote, sending the rocket flying into the air as Dakota's scream echoed from afar. Standing in front of the losing team, Chris wrapped up the episode. "And another loser is eliminated from the Deadly Seals! Can they get back in the game? Will love ever be the same? And will Dakota ever reclaim her fame? Find out next time on: Total! Drama! Aaaaaarctic Tundra!"
Axe in hand, shoes untied, and a hunch in his walk, Duncan couldn't seem to sleep that night. Something was calling for him, but he couldn't figure out what. He had been wandering further and further away from the camp, dragging the axe that he had smuggled from his cell along with him.
"What are you doing all the way out here, Duncan?" said a voice behind him. He turned to see that it was Alejandro, his face as calm as ever as he gave Duncan a blank, expressionless look. "They're going to be looking for you soon. It's nearly sunrise."
Duncan shook his head. "I don't know... I don't feel right. I don't wanna hurt anyone."
"And why is that? You have an axe, don't you? Axes are very good at hurting people."
"What are you trying to get at? You want a fight or what? Because last I checked, you're unarmed."
"There's no need for a fight," Alejandro said, grinning. "However, there may be some seals that need clubbing. Or, I suppose in this case, chopping." Before Duncan could speak up, Alejandro continued. "Heather and Gwen are beginning a vile relationship. You and I both know how Heather is. Once she sinks her fangs into something, she won't let go until it's dead."
"And what about you?"
Alejandro's grin became proud. "If she is the cobra, then I am the mongoose, and Gwen is a delicious rabbit. You should have seen how easily she fell for the cobra's deceit..."
"So you want to end it before Gwen suffers? Since when do you care about Gwen?"
"Admittedly, I don't, but I also don't want to see another victim of Heather's. Would you?"
Duncan's head was a swirl of confusion as he held his hand up to his face. "Leave me out of your twisted plots. I'm not in the mood."
"Very well," said Alejandro. "But let me know if you change your mind. I know you value Gwen at least to some extent, after all..."
Duncan looked at the ground beneath him as Alejandro turned and walked away. He didn't know why, but when he had the axe in his hand, he felt as though he could do anything. It was a dark place he was finding in himself, but, at the same time, it didn't even feel like him.