Today's episode of Total Drama Reprise is brought to you by Magic Steve's Magic Camp: POOF! You're single!
Episode 3: "Go Krazy!"
Last time on Total Drama Reprise…
"Riiiiiiise and shine, campers! It's time for a quick brekky and then it's off to the lake for some laps! Move, move, move!"
We brought back one of the BRUTALIST challenges of season one!
"I don't know what you guys are complaining about." Chris said nonchalantly. He hopped off the ATV and tossed the reflective sheet to an intern off-screen. Once he slid his sunglasses up onto the top of his head, an evil smirk spread across his lips. "That wasn't even the challenge, so chill. Out."
"… What did he just say?" Jeremy groaned, spread out in a heap of exhausted limbs on the ground.
"Sheesh. None of you guys are too bright, are you? That was merely training for today's challenge. Back by popular demand… Today's actual challenge is… The Awake-a-thon!"
Some were early to crash and burn…
An image of Steve and Brooklyn sleeping appeared.
But others managed to keep themselves awake.
Another four hours passed, and the sun was beginning to rise again. Maverick's strategy to hang upside down all night had worked.
Some used the plentiful hours to plot…
In a nearby spot in a bush, Charlotte smirked to herself as the two manipulators Angel and Judas started discussing idealistic elimination orders. Charlotte knew that her meek and petite appearance would serve as the perfect cover for the true threat that she was to this game.
In the end, Jeremy redeemed himself and won it for The Shrieking Wasps!
"And there we have it!" Chris yelled, moving over to go congratulate Jeremy. Patting the boy on the shoulder as he looked into the camera, Chris chuckled. "Jeremy! You won it for The Shrieking Wasps! What do you have to say for yourself?"
Jeremy smiled weakly and garbled out something incoherent, utterly exhausted. He fell over soon after that.
It was a close finish for Steve and Brooklyn when it came to sending someone home, no thanks to Brooklyn's big mouth.
Steve let out a long sigh, staring down at his gaming device. "My prospects aren't looking all that good. Even so, I'm counting on Brooklyn saying something awful to at least, thirty percent of the team by the end of the night. Everyone's so tired and irritable that it may contribute to some bias and save my neck. Hell, she said that my ponytail," he points to it, "makes me look like a horse that needs to be euthanized."
After being spared, will Brooklyn be able to make amends? We seriously doubt it. However, you are just going to have to find out for yourself on…
TOTAL
DRAMA
REPRISE!
Na, na, na na na na! (Angel and Judas scowl as they tug at their legs, which are stuck together; Judas is standing on Tamara's back for leverage)
Na na na na na na! (Charlotte is watching from nearby rolling her eyes and scribbling down everything she sees)
Na na na na na na na! (Maverick runs in front of them on all fours, and the camera pans to follow him as he stands in front of Lucinda)
I wanna be! I wanna be! (Lucinda smiles when Maverick stops in front of her and he rubs the top of his head as his tongue lolls out like a dog's)
I wanna be famous! (The camera cuts to the dock, showing a bikini-wearing Brooklyn flipping her wet hair and getting water all over Miles' prosthetic arm, making him scowl while Steve sits at the end of the dock, playing his video game.)
I wanna be! (Alexis walks over and pushes Brooklyn off of the dock while Steve and Tayana laugh at the sight)
I wanna be! (An incoming Razor flying on his jetpack, crashing into Brooklyn as they both splash into the lake; Steve continues cheering while Alexis and Miles high five. The only concerned one is Tayana, having witnessed the collision.)
I wanna be famous! (In front of the bonfire, Frankie and Jeremy look into each other's eyes dreamily before leaning in to kiss.)
(Maverick bounds in between them and licks their faces, ruining the moment before he perches on a boulder.)
*whistles the tune 'I Wanna Be Famous'* (The camera zooms out, showing the annoyed looks Frankie and Jeremy's faces as the rest of the cast is revealed sitting around them.)
Total Drama Reprise!
The rickety bunk beds felt like thousand-count silk sheets and foam mattresses to the exhausted teenagers. Normally, it would take a few minutes of tossing and turning before anyone could get to sleep. Many passed out the minute their heads hit the pillow. Just as the sun was starting to rise, piercing blue eyes snapped open.
Judas Mammon was now awake.
**~Confession Cam~**
Judas sits, pouting, in the confessional, picking dirt from underneath his nails with enough force to rip up a slab of concrete. He seems to remember himself, as well as the potential shareholders in Father's franchise that could be watching, and straightens his back.
"Okay, so the whole 'golden-hearted-rebel' bit has officially failed me. That's nothing to sweat about, I knew going in that shtick would be risky. Judas Ozymandias Mammon always, ALWAYS, has a backup plan. Frankie and Jeremy have gone all "TLC Special" on me, so I doubt manipulation would work there. It seems Angel won't be as much help as I'd hoped, but that's whatever. I'd prefer a girl who can hold down her energy bars, anyway. It seems there are others vying for Tamara's support..."
An idea lights up Judas's eyes before he starts to peel most of his outer garments off, making himself look decidedly vulnerable. Once he's down to his t-shirt, he could almost pass for innocent-looking. He checks to ensure that no one is listening in, when he's sure his surroundings are clear he coils his arms around his stomach and gives a convincingly-plaintive groan.
"Oh Tamara," he says in a pathetically-meek whisper. "I'm sorry if I woke you... my stomach..." He sighs bitterly. "I'm sorry, I should be used to dealing with stuff on my own. My father was always too busy to take care of me when I was sick. Plus, I never knew my mom or had any real friends..."
He rehearses his heart-wrenching routine for a few moments, polishing certain details until the lie seems perfectly passable. By the time he's pulled on his layer of insulation again, his trademark smirk has returned.
"That 'sick'-sob-story won me a 100-percent on a term paper I never even turned in. Here's to hoping it serves me well once more. "
**~Back to Reality~**
Smirking as he tossed off his lavish red housecoat, Judas glanced down at his innocent stature. He began squirming in his bed, making loud groans and other pathetic noises. Miles' eyes drifted open due to the ruckus, and he cast a glance at the other boy. He could barely see anything thanks to the dim sunlight, however, his eyes widened. All he could see was the silhouette of Judas half under the covers, making rather inappropriate noises. Shaking his head, Miles rolled over and tried to ignore whatever was going on.
Irritated with how long this was taking, Judas grabbed a pillow and whipped it at Tamara's head. She woke with a start and loud, unattractive squawk. Confusion swam through her sapphire-like eyes, and she groggily glanced around.
"Oh, Tamara…" Judas croaked, feigning illness. "I'm so sorry to have woken you up with my… my pain. It's nothing, though… try and go back to sleep… you deserve it… oh, oh God…"
"Jude!" Tamara gasped, hopping down from her top bunk. Kneeling at his bedside, she pouted. "What happened?!"
"It's my… it's my stomach. I don't know what could have possibly happened, but I am sooooooo sick… but it's fine, I'm used to getting through this alone… since my parents…," he looked away from her dramatically, letting out a pathetic whimper.
"Your parents what?" Tamara was hanging off of his each and every word.
"My parents don't love me… oh, woe is me!"
"Awwww Jude, I'm sure that isn't true… here, let me go get you a glass of water." Smiling, she pat his hand before heading off to go fetch Judas a glass of water from the kitchen without a second thought.
Miles rasied an eyebrow at that obvious performance. However, he didn't think too much of it now. He was still exhausted from the last challenge.
Judas couldn't care less if that cripple was suspicious of him; he had Tamara coiled around his pretty little finger, and Angel could suck it.
Alejandro didn't make it to the finals for no reason.
**~Confession Cam~**
"Judas is… he's amazing to look at…" Tamara sighed wistfully, staring down at her sketchbook with a lovesick smile. She was drawing a picture of the two of them holding hands and staring at a sunset. Hopefully someday soon, that dream would become a reality. "I even wrote this poem about us!"
"Judas, Judas
The coolest dude is
A boy who can make my heart flutter
Please don't be a troll in a gutter
Judas…"
Tamara giggled and hugged her notepad to her chest.
**~Back to Reality~**
Just as Tamara returned and was about to hand Judas the glass of water, a loud siren went off, making her flinch. The glass of water spilled all over Judas' bare chest and Tamara squeaked nervously and apologetically, afraid that Judas was mad at her. Normally, the boy would have yelled at her until he popped a blood vessel, but he needed to keep her close. Forcing a smile as he said it was fine, he made a mental note to himself to 'accidentally' put sand in her dinner.
"WAKEY-WAKEY, EGGS AND BAKEY! YOU ALL READY TO GET SHAKEY?!" Chris blared into a megaphone. He spread out his arms with gusto as he relished in the angry screams and profanity thrown his way from the exhausted campers. Ah, it was like music to his ears. Upon the realization that not all of the campers were outside yet, he pulled an air horn out of his back pocket and held it up to his megaphone. More protests were heard as the horn blared and echoed throughout the campsite.
"McLean! You're a freaking MADMAN!" Alexis screamed, storming out of the cabin. She pulled up her sleeve and began rushing towards the host, only to be held back by an exhausted Tayana. Lucinda then stumbled past the duo, rubbing the bags under her eyes.
"The nether is very displeased with this man…" She mumbled under her breath.
"What does he mean by… 'get shakey?'" Maverick asked Miles, who was standing beside him.
Shrugging, the athlete didn't have a clue.
"Hopefully it has nothing to do with earthquakes…"
Once all of the campers were gathered in front of Chris, he proceeded to explain the day's challenge.
"You know all that strenuous activity we did last time, before we started the Awake-a-thon?" The host asked.
"Yeah. It frickin' sucked." Frankie snapped back.
"Yeah. That was a rhetorical question, Frankie." Chris replied with a glare. Forcing a charming smile back onto his face, Chris turned to the camera and begun his normal spiel. "As I was saying, yeah. You're going to be doing a lot more of that today, because I like watching you suffer. Hidden across the island are pieces of a go-kart. Each team must piece together a vehicle– it doesn't matter if it's functional or not. You will race them around an obstacle course. First kart to cross the finish line wins the challenge!"
"Do we at least get a map to where the parts are?" Alexis asked with a scowl.
"Hmm, let me think about that." Chris said. He paused to stroke his fingers along the stubble on his chin before he smirked down at the Russian girl. "No! Happy searching!"
Pushing an exhausted Jeremy out of his way, Chris strolled along to go to the craft services tent for some actual, edible food. Many envious stares trail after him, but not for long as the respective leaders of each team take charge.
"Come on, guys. The faster we build our kart, the faster we can eat!" Tayana urged, earning deadpan stares from everyone except Alexis, who was in full agreement with her.
"We should also split up. We'll be able to cover more ground that way."
"Great idea, Alexis! She and I will cover the beach. The rest of you partner up, and we'll meet over at the track in an hour! Good luck!"
The two girls dashed off while Jeremy, Angel and Frankie groaned. Lucinda, on the other hand, had plopped down to mediate with the rising sun god, pleading for serenity and luck with the challenge.
"I don't know about you, but I don't plan on spending an hour the shaman-girl." Angel whispered to Frankie.
Smirking at the girl's burn, Frankie nodded at linked arms with her. "Girl, let's get outtie ASAP."
The duo rushed off towards the forest.
**~Confession Cam~**
"Do I feel bad for leaving Jeremy with that tub of nutella– emphasis on the 'nut'? If I had a conscience, maybe…" Frankie said with a small frown. "Sorry boobear, looks like you'll just have to take one for the team."
**~Back to Reality~**
Jeremy, who was still quite out of it, didn't fully realize the gravity of the situation until he was glomped by the sizeable spiritualist. Jeremy was more than a head taller than the girl but her girth had sucked him down to her height, his back arching as his face was smushed into her bosom, which was bigger than the size of his head.
"U-Um, I uh…"
"It looks like it will be you and I for the next hour, Jeremy."
"Greeeaaaaat…."
"Pardon my reach, but I require as much human energy as possible. I'm trying to contact the spirits of the island; maybe they have an idea as to where some of our kart pieces are."
Jeremy let out a groan, continuing to drown in cleavage.
The Crafty Shrubs had yet to agree on a strategy. Judas was still playing up his act for Tamara.
"Are you sure you'll be okay to look for parts?" She asked him.
"Maybe… I don't know…" He tossed his head to the side dramatically, earning an eye roll from both Charlotte and Miles.
"Whatever, dude. Just pull your weight like the rest of us."
"Hey! Leave him alone." Brooklyn pouted, quick to defend the attractive fox. "He's dealing with something debilitating! Shouldn't you of all people understand what he's going through?"
Miles grit his teeth while Judas snorted, covering it up by placing his fist to his mouth and coughing. Maverick frowned, sensing tension between the blonde girl and Miles. She was unfriendly, and therefore someone he would like to avoid. Irritated with them all, Charlotte stormed off to go search by herself.
A soft chirp caught Maverick's attention.
Head turning toward the source, he frowned at the sight of an injured baby bird. It was all alone and it tugged at the naturalist's heartstrings. Unfortunately, he didn't have a shoebox to protect the bird, so he would have to improvise. Wiping his hands on his pants to make sure they were completely dry and clean, Maverick slowly started to creep over to the little thing. Ever so gently, he scooped it up into his palms. He made sure not to apply pressure to the wings, in case they were injured. Pulling out the breast pocket on his shirt, he slid it in there, with it's small little head poking out as it peeped ever so quietly.
"Shhh, just rest in there, lil' guy. Get your strength back up." He whispered.
"SO IT'S SETTLED!" Brooklyn screamed at Miles, stomping her foot to the ground. "Jude, Tamara and I will search the North and East sides of the island, and you and weird nature boy will search the rest."
Turning on her heel, Brooklyn started stomping off.
"It's the other way, idiot!" Miles shouted after her.
"I KNEW THAT!"
Flipping her hair in his face as she stormed past him for a second time, Miles' face grew slightly red in absolute rage.
**~Confession Cam~**
"Ugh, he just makes me so mad! He's so mean to me, even though I do nothing wrong! I think he's sexist." Brooklyn deduced, crossing her arms over her chest sulkily. "Hmmph."
**~Back to Reality~**
"Don't worry about it, let's just go." Maverick said, placing a calming hand on Miles' shoulder. Nodding, he rubbed at the junction where his prosthetic connected to what was left of his left arm absentmindedly as the two set out to go look for parts.
Alexis and Tayana started by the pier, combing along the sand and shore. Motivation was something that wasn't wasted on the duo, and they were incredibly determined to win this challenge, fuelled by the pride of having won the last one. After sifting through a rather large sand dune, Alexis grinned when her fingers prodded at something rubbery.
"I think I found the tires!"
"Really?! Awesome! I'll help you dig them out!" Tayana said with a grin, rushing over to Alexis' side. "We make a good team!"
Alexis couldn't help but smile in return.
**~Confession Cam~**
"Finally! Someone who pulls their weight!" Alexis said, sounding relieved.
**~Back to Reality~**
"Yeah, about that… have you been getting the feeling that we're the only… you know, team players on this 'team'?" Alexis asked.
Tayana paused to think for a moment, before coming the same realization. "You have a point… what do you think we should do about that? I highly doubt that we could sway Frankie, and Angel is… well, Angel. I don't even know what to make of Lucinda, she's too weird."
She tugged at the freshly revealed tire until it emerged from the sand. Tossing it aside, she started working on digging out the next one.
"Jeremy's pretty neutral. If it comes down to it, maybe we could get his vote." Alexis mused.
"Yeah… maybe."
"Put your back into it, darling."
"R-Right… sorry…"
Tamara had so kindly offered to give Judas a piggyback ride while they searched the northeast sides of the island. Her thin legs were beginning to buckle as she carried him. Brooklyn was a few paces ahead of them, keeping her eyes peeled for vehicle parts.
"H-hey, Brooklyn?" Tamara asked.
"What? I'm busy!"
"Do you maybe want a turn carrying Jude…? You know… I wouldn't mind if you did… really, I wouldn't…"
Brooklyn didn't even look back at the girl as she talked, and waved a dismissive hand at her over her shoulder. "Nah, I'm good. Hey! Look! Wheely-axel-metal thingies for the go kart!" She squealed, pointing to the metal parts dangling from a nearby tree. After a few moments of silence passed, Brooklyn sent Tamara an expectant look. "What are you waiting for? Go get them!"
"Oh… um, sure thing…"
Jude couldn't help but smirk and shake his head. He had the ability to make things easier for Tamara by reaching for the parts himself, but this was just too much fun. So instead, he rested his hands on her shoulders and let her do the grunt work.
Sighing sadly, Tamara trudged up to the tree and began swatting at the parts, squeaking when one hit her square in the jaw.
Soon enough, the campers returned to the build site with any and all materials they could find. Angel and Frankie found a big crate full of useful tools, screws, and nuts and bolts. They were pushing it over while Tayana and Alexis rolled over the wheels. Confused at the sight of Lucinda and Jeremy smushed together, Alexis narrowed her eyes.
"Have you two not even left?!"
Jeremy let out a muffled plea for help before Lucinda interrupted.
"I have been harnessing our energy to power up my talisman," she said, pulling out an amulet from beneath one of her many coloured scarves. She hummed for a few seconds before closing her eyes. After a good ten seconds, she swung the amulet to the left and pointed. "What we are looking for is over there."
Everyone's heads turned to the left. Sitting a good fifteen metres away was the outer shell of their vehicle in perfect condition. Tayana's jaw dropped. Lucinda let go of Jeremy and he fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"You've got to be kidding me." Frankie said with a scowl.
"The spirits never lie." Lucinda said with a smirk.
"I guess we better start building this thing…" Tayana said, scratching her head.
Jeremy, who was still exhausted from the last challenge, decided to take a makeshift nap.
"What does he think he's doing?" Angel said, prepared to wake him up.
"Let him sleep. Last time I checked, he was the one that managed to stay awake for almost forty hours." Frankie said, defending the boy. "Not you."
Huffing as Frankie brushed past her, Angel picked up a wrench and held it at arm's length, not particularly fond of having to do grunt work.
"Could you pass me a wrench?"
"You've got one and a half hands, you can get it yourself."
"I wasn't TALKING TO YOU, BROOKLYN. Could someone who isn't a total COW pass me a wrench?"
Steam seemed the leave the ears of Miles and Brooklyn as they glared at one another with complete and utter animosity. It was clear that they didn't like each other. At all. Maverick walked between them meekly, handing Miles the wrench he asked for. He then returned to trying to attach the wheels to the frame of their vehicle.
Charlotte, who had been quietly keeping to herself, had her eye on Judas. It was more than obvious that his 'ailment' was a load of bull, but even so, Tamara and Brooklyn seemed to be buying it. There would be no touching him if they lost the challenge.
She would have to attack his human shield, then.
Tugging on Miles' sleeve, she gave a covert point to Tamara. One that showed that she was displeased.
Miles glanced at Tamara and furrowed his brow.
"How goes the building, campers?" Chris asked, breaking the silence. He strolled over, tearing off his lobster bib with pride. "The Wasps are nearly done."
"Yeah, well so are we." Judas said, before sending a threatening look to his teammates. "Aren't we, team?"
"Yeah, no thanks to you." Miles glared.
"Well excuse me for being sick. Don't you think I would help if I were feeling well?" Jude reached over to give Tamara's shoulder a gentle squeeze, making her blush. "I'm not one to laze about, am I?"
"No! Of course not." Tamara agreed without question.
"Yeah. I asked about the go-kart. Not for a mediocre re-enactment of the real housewives. You have fifteen minutes." Chris said, narrowing his eyes. He left The Crafty Shrubs to hurriedly try to put together their vehicle.
"And we're back, folks. Lined up at the starting line are our two hot-rods; Crapmobile 1 and Crapmobile 2. Will we have any wipeouts today? That is entirely likely. The first kart to cross the finish line wins invincibility for their team, while the other team will send someone packing. Who will it be?"
Chris then gestured to the starting line. On the left was The Shrieking Wasps, standing in front of their dune-buggy looking kart. They were arguing over who would get to be the driver.
"No offense, but I definitely think I've earned a break! I can still barely even keep my eyes open from last challenge!" Jeremy said, glaring at Angel. "You know… the one I WON FOR OUR ENTIRE TEAM?"
"Yeah, well I'm a lady! And lighter than you! It'll be easier to push the kart with someone lighter riding in it."
"That's debatable."
"We don't have time to argue over this! Let's just flip a coin." Tayana said with an exasperated sigh. She fished through the pockets of her white skinny jeans before smiling when she found a loonie. "Jeremy, call it."
**~Confession Cam~**
"Uggghhh… I have terrible luck, this isn't going to go well." Jeremy groaned, face palming himself.
**~Back to Reality~**
"Umm… tails?"
Tayana flipped the coin before catching it in her palm, sending him an apologetic frown. "Sorry. It's heads."
Jeremy scowled as Angel smirked at him. She strutted over to the kart and sat down, frowning when she realized that there was no seatbelt. "What?! What'll happen if we crash?!"
"Well, you can expect to go flying through the dashboard. You'll probably skid for a while and break your collarbone, if not more." Alexis said.
Blue eyes widening, Jeremy couldn't help but smirk. Maybe he didn't have as bad of luck as he thought.
"You guys better not screw up!" Angel yelled.
Meanwhile, a similar argument was breaking out with The Crafty Shrubs. Brooklyn was yelling at Miles, demanding that Judas be the one to ride in their go-kart because of his 'condition', with Tamara nodding in agreement. She was still exhausted from giving Jude a piggy-back ride, and for carrying an arm full of metal parts to the side of the track so they could start constructing their vehicle.
"He hasn't even done anything this entire challenge! I don't care if his stomach is falling out, he needs to pull his weight!"
"Ugh! You're so insensitive!"
While the idiots continued to bicker, Charlotte rolled her eyes and nudged Maverick with her elbow. Furrowing his brow as he looked down at her, Maverick rubbed the back of his neck. She pointed to the go-kart and then to herself, gesturing at her small frame. It took a few seconds for Maverick to connect the dots before he nodded, following her to the kart. He helped her in before giving her a thumbs up, which she happily returned. Feeling happy that he had helped someone, Maverick had gained a confidence boost.
One that gave him the strength to address his bickering teammates.
"Charlotte will ride in the kart because she is the smallest, therefore the easiest to push." Maverick said, gaining his team's attention. He blushed when he felt everyone's eyes on him, feeling incredibly… naked. Slowly, the team started to murmur in agreement with him and Miles walked over to him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Good idea, Maverick." Tamara said smiling, oblivious to the burning blue, catlike eyes locked on the back of her head.
Judas disliked her free-thinking. She was a little too collaborative to be effectively manipulated, and thus, was a liability.
"Nice thinking, bud!" Miles said, smiling.
"A-Actually, it was more Charlotte's idea… well, and Timmy's."
"Timmy?"
As if on cue, the baby bird poked its head out of Maverick's breast pocket and chirped. Maverick smiled and rubbed its head gently with the pad of his thumb, making Miles shake his head and smile.
Unfortunately for the two friends, the piercing sound of a blow horn cut off their moment. It was the final warning before the challenge would start. The two boys rushed to the starting line and lined themselves up behind the Crafty Shrubs' go-kart. Jude and Brooklyn were off on the sidelines, having volunteered to sit out. Miles didn't pursue an argument; it wasn't worth it. If they lost, he knew he was safe and would just have to decide which asshole to vote for. Brooklyn was agile and useful, but every time she opened her mouth it was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Jude was a good strategist and ruthless, but that seemed to be more of a threat than an asset now. It was still early in the game, so it was difficult to tell.
Next to the Shrubs were the Wasps. Jeremy's face rested on the back of the kart as he flopped over it, just about ready to pass out from exhaustion. Frankie was examining his nails, bored out of his mind as he waited for this dumb challenge to start. Lucinda was off to the side of the kart, meditating—sending her teammates positive vibes to help them win the challenge. Nobody wanted to put in the effort to sway her, so they just let her be. Tayana and Alexis seemed to be the only ones on the ball, parallel to Maverick and Miles. It was clear these four would be the driving forces of the challenge.
Chris had taken note of that thanks to some basic observation.
"This is a point-to-point race. The first team to cross the finish line wins invincibility and are safe from elimination. The losers will send someone home tonight on the Boat of Losers after tossing their wooden head into a bonfire. Three… two… one… GO!"
Just as the two teams started pushing their karts, Miles was pegged in the back of the head with a water balloon. Unfortunately the thing wasn't filled with water, and was full of cooking grease from Chef's kitchen.
"Ugh! Eww…" Miles let out before his hands slipped from their grip on the go-kart, making him lose his balance and fall over. The karts slowly moved forward letting out foreboding squeaks. The grease balloons being tossed at the contestants certainly weren't helping them get any momentum; the teams were about neck and neck as they approached the first turn, which was at about a third of the total length of the course.
"Come on you worthless losers! Put your backs into it!" Angel yelled from her position seated in the Wasps' kart. Alexis and Tayana only rolled their eyes, ducking as a balloon came hurdling towards their heads. Doing so allowed the balloon to land on Angel's perfectly blonde head, making her shriek and grit her teeth. As she was knocked forward by the force of the balloon her weight caused the axels in the front wheels of the kart to start to veer, causing the Wasps to make an incredibly wide turn that crashed them into a stack of tires that lined the wall of the course. The team screamed as they lost their footing and the Shrubs cheered as they pulled ahead for the second half of the course. They were about a hundred metres from the finish line, while the Wasps' were about a hundred and twenty metres.
"Quick, Alexis– help me angle the front half of the kart so that we're no longer hugging the wall!" Tayana said, quick to problem solve. The Russian girl nodded in agreement, rushing with her teammate to give her team a better chance at catching up to the Crafty Shrubs.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Judas Mammon wasn't all that content. Sure– his team was winning, which was pleasing in the short term, but not so much in the long term. He had his suspicions that Tamara wasn't as useful as he initially thought. Brooklyn seemed to be lining herself up quite nicely for that position, and physically, she was fit and bound to be useful down the road in physical challenges. He would need to dispose of his previous toy in order to make room for the next one.
**~Confession Cam~**
"Tamara is far too likeable for the masses to leech onto any seeds of doubt about her character… the only chance I have is to expose her as an open artery for our team…" The fox mused, lifting stroking his chin. Judas huffed. "I'm going to have to get my hands dirty."
**~Back to Reality~**
Leaving the oblivious Brooklyn's side, Judas got up and started making his way over to Chef, who was continuing to hurl grease-filled water balloons at the contestants. Grabbing a few for himself, Judas concealed them in his heavy black coat as he began walking along the sidelines to get a better angle at Tamara. The karts were nearing the final leg of the race. The Wasps' were slowly gaining ground on the Shrubs' small lead– it had been reduced to about two feet. Most of the campers had been slicked up by a grease balloon or two, but had figured out a rhythm that allowed them to keep pushing forward despite a lack of traction. With a strong toss, Judas pegged Tamara in the back of the knees with a balloon. She shrieked as she toppled forward, tripping up her fellow teammates. They all fell in a pile as Charlotte's eyes widened in slight fear as she was left completely alone in a rolling death trap. The wheels buckled and the kart came to a crashing halt into one of the barriers, allowing the Wasps to pull ahead and cross the finish line.
"The Shrieking Wasps win!" Chris declared, shouting into a megaphone.
Jeremy collapsed, utterly exhausted, as Frankie, Tayana and Alexis shared a greasy hug. Angel was too preoccupied with her ruined coif to join in on the celebration.
"My prayers must have worked." Lucinda said proudly, earning a few headshakes and a few smiles from her teammates.
"Ugh!" Brooklyn let out in a shrill voice, storming over to her pile of teammates. Tamara was crushed at the bottom and was beginning to panic, not liking confined spaces such as these.
"G-Guys! Get off, I can't breathe!" She screamed.
"Well if you can talk, you can obviously breathe, dummy. You tripping like a major LOSER just cost us the challenge!" Brooklyn retorted, placing her hands on her hips. Judas had just reappeared by her side, and gave her a pleased look. She didn't even need manipulating. She was volatile enough already.
"PLEASE!"
The scream was a lot harsher this time, despite her utterance of please. Maverick scrambled to get off of Tamara as the girl started to hyperventilate, with Miles also rushing to get off of her. As Tamara continued to suffer through a panic attack, sprawled out on the ground in a pile of grease, her teammates crowded around her and stared down at her, only making it worse. She started to cry, covering her face to try and hide.
"Let's give her some space…" Miles said, breaking the awkward silence between the team. With a silent nod, Maverick followed him. Brooklyn winced, believing that she was at fault for having made the girl cry. She didn't mean to! What if this makes the whole team hate her even more? Brooklyn couldn't afford for that to happen.
Charlotte was the only one left to witness Tamara's breakdown, and her cold, silent expression was unsympathetic as she hopped out of their team's destroyed kart and walked away, not giving the girl a second glance.
The sun was starting to set, meaning that The Crafty Shrubs only had about an hour to decide who was going home. There were a few obvious members who were shoe-ins to be safe; Miles hadn't made any enemies apart from Brooklyn and Judas, and he was far too useful to the team to have a real target on his back. At least not now. Maverick and Charlotte hadn't made any enemies yet, mostly due to the fact that they weren't problematic.
Or that was what people thought.
Maverick and Miles were sitting in the Shrubs' cabins, relaxing after a burnt, borderline inedible meal from Chef. The baby bird was sitting in a shoebox lined with grass, loose fabric and some feathers Maverick had scavenged earlier. He'd even found some worms for the bird to eat, which only made Miles smile. It was nice to see someone who was nurturing for once. It contrasted the harshness of the real world.
"Who do you think we should vote for?" Maverick asked, reaching for his personal journal. His eyes didn't leave the pages as he scribbled some notes down, while Miles rubbed at the junction between his prosthetic and his elbow. He had a bit of an itch and the skin was a little irritated from being slathered in cooking grease for so long.
"Brooklyn is such a pain in my ass…" He sighed, staring at the ceiling.
"She's very pretty." Maverick said offhandedly, continuing to scribble in his journal.
"Tch, you got that right. Doesn't stop her from being terrible."
"True that."
"Judas was such a piece of work today too. Ugh, but there's no point in trying to get rid of him now. He's like a weed, or something. He's got roots that are far too strong. Two votes from us would be wasted if he's got Tamara and Brooklyn wrapped around those gloved fingers of his." Miles said, sounding incredibly annoyed.
"Well why don't we go for one of the petals?" Maverick replied, offhandedly, crossing something out in his notebook.
"Petals?"
Miles mulled this over for a few minutes, before he had an epiphany.
"Dude, you are a GENIUS."
Meanwhile, Brooklyn was heading towards the confessional to cast her vote. Even though she didn't think it would do anything, she was still annoyed at Miles and wanted to vote for him, just because she could. Just as she was reaching for the doorknob, a gloved hand clamped down around her wrist, startling her.
"Jude!" She gasped, "you scared me."
Judas didn't respond. Instead, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. Brooklyn brushed as his voice, smooth as velvet, mingled with the nearby crashing waves as he hummed in her ear.
"I need you to do something for me…"
The bonfire had been lit.
Slowly, The Crafty Shrubs filed into the area, sitting on their respective tree stumps. Tamara was sat next the Jude, still looking incredibly embarrassed from having everyone witness her panic attack. "Are you sure everyone doesn't think I'm weak or less of a teammate?" She asked meekly, reaching for his hand, craving comfort.
Jude shifted his hand out of her reach, while lowering his sunglasses with his other hand. It took everything in him not to be smug "I'm positive." He said with a phony grin.
Tamara frowned.
"Welcome, Shrubs. Again. By now, you should know what getting a marshmallow means, and what'll happen if you don't." Chris said, gesturing to the platter of marshmallows in his left hand. There were only five there.
"When I call your name, it means you're safe. If not, your totem head get's charred nice and good. Let's get started. The first name I'm going to call tonight is… Charlotte."
The short girl nodded and hopped down from her stump, heading over to collect her marshmallow. Her successors followed suit.
"Miles, Maverick, and Judas; you three are also safe."
Judas left Tamara's side without a glance back. It was now down to Brooklyn and Tamara. Both girls shared a nervous glance, and Tamara crossed her fingers.
"The final marshmallow goes to…
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…Brooklyn."
As Chris declared that, Brooklyn squealed excitedly and Chef grabbed Tamara's wooden head from its position on the Shrubs' totem pole and tossed it into the bonfire. Tamara was shocked and disheartened, and looked to Jude for support, only to be met with a nonchalant shrug and a smirk. Brooklyn was now at his side, and his arm was around her shoulder.
She had been replaced as his pawn.
Realizing this as Chef started to head towards her in order to escort her to the Boat of Losers, she grit her teeth angrily and stormed up to Judas. A loud smack was heard as she slapped him with enough force to send his head snapping to the left. Before she could say anything, Chef had her by the cusp of her scarf and was leading her to the docks. Brooklyn's hands were over her mouth in shock at the scene while Charlotte was smirked. Judas began working his jaw and nursing his cheek, glaring after Tamara. He had to admit, though; she definitely had some fight. He could respect that.
"Ouch! Nothing worse than a woman scorned…" Chris commented, before turning to address the cameras to wrap up the third day of the season. "What brutal things do we have in mind for our campers next time? We'll bring the pain, and they'll bring the drama; we guarantee it, on Total Drama Reprise!"
Less of a wait this time :P From now on, the days are going to be the full episodes because I'm going to aim to keep them under 7000 words each; still pretty hefty, but suitable for a sitting.
Once again, I require feedback from my lovely audience :) A paragraph or two of what you enjoyed, or disliked about this episode would be greatly appreciated and would show me that you're all still out there! Aiming for about 60% confirmation.
Feel free to chat with me in a private message too if you have any questions for me personally!
Sidenote: I'm now finished school until September, so hopefully I can get out at least two or three episodes before I go back to school :S
See you guys soon!
~Alexex
The Shrieking Wasps: Frankie, Jeremy, Lucinda, Angel, Tayana and Alexis.
The Crafty Shrubs: Judas, Brooklyn, Miles, Maverick, and Charlotte.
Eliminated: Razor, Steve, Tamara.