Disclaimer: I'm running out of clever ideas for this...so... I don't own Total Drama. Otherwise it wouldn't be a show for little kids. I prefer a far more mature story where the characters have to face real hardship. Like this one...

Authorial Notations: I hate it when you buffoons see the need to leave your reviews scattered all over my beautiful story. Grrrrrrr. (I bet nobody reads this bit do they?)

Malzi: Glad you like it so much. I hope I can always live up to whatever hype Rufus drums up. Goodness. For Al to go beyond Justin would be hard. While he could murder/rape someone, that feels like cheating. Besides, I would say Justin gave a mental rape the results of which will take some time to play out. We will see if the next challenge provides as much pure awesome (it will).

Mighty Penguin: How is Noah not in it that much? It seems to me that he always has some snide comment to throw into any conversation as long as he is in the room.

jnrb: While the last chapter was more Bass-centric, the challenge as a whole was even, and I hope to keep it balanced for the most part. I will probably fail, though.

Ander Arias: I think it's safe to say Katie will get a bit more development in this challenge, though not in this chapter. As for the state of E/I...well, you shall find out soon enough.

Sorry for the long delay. Between a busy semester and getting caught up in other activities, I have gotten away from this. Fear not, if I choose to discontinue this story I will post a nice summary.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed and thanks to all who have worked on the TVTropes page. I have to say, I know I said last time that Justin was a new kind of total drama villain, but I wouldn't say he is the main villain even if he has gotten a lot of focus. He is one of several main ones.


Chapter 10: Phobia - Part 1


Chris stands once more upon the Dock of Shame, his infamous grin and excessively wide smile barely concealing a look of concern.

"Last time on Total Drama Island!" *We see the campers sitting in front of Chris* "I gave the campers a simple challenge yet again. They had to follow a map I gave them, find the campsite marked, set up tents, tell stories, have a good scare or two, and make it back here in one piece the next morning...but what did the lazy teens do? They stopped just outside of camp, sent a couple people for supplies and stayed put. Luckily, do to my excellent talent scouting skills, the teens still had enough conflict to make the misadventure interesting." *Scene shifts rapidly through several scenes as described* "Heather tried to find out who sent a note to Courtney but was unsuccessful and managed to get herself beaten up by Eva and found out just how little her team thinks of her; Trent and Bridgette had a long and boring philosophical discussion about forgiveness and Courtney; Gwen seems to hate Cody more than before and rebuffed Bridgette's attempts at being friendly. Maybe because our friendly musician and surfer were 'lost' in the woods for several hours due to her 'phobia'? He he. Meanwhile the Bass lost. Again. But Justin more than redeemed the horrid performance of his team when he threatened to reveal something from Izzy's past to her crush Ezekiel to get her to pull him down off the moral high ground he had taken after they witnessed the model tear apart the frankly annoying friendship of Katie and Sadie. Such manipulation was quite an enjoyable sight to see. Reminds me of another handsome fellow." *Back to the dock* "But now, what new challenge awaits? Could this possibly be the most terrifying challenge yet? The only way to know for sure is to stay tuned in right here, right now on Total! Drama! Island!"

*Cue Theme*

The Bass gathered around the campfire the evening after their latest defeat. To say the mood was gloomy would be quite the understatement. Ezekiel and Izzy sat apart from the group, just barely visible in the flickering light. Justin sat between Lindsay and Tyler, though for once the teen in red didn't care, his attention focused elsewhere.

"Man...I can't believe what happened. Must be hard to have your friend turn on you like that." Tyler consoled the remaining pink girl.

"I don't want to talk about it." She growled.

"Fine. Fine." The jock leaned away, his hands held up in self-defense.

"Let's just leave Katie alone for now. She probably just needs to work through some things on her own." Justin advised.

"Is that the best way of helping?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes."

"Oh, OK!" She replied with a cheery smile.

Before this enlightening conversation could go any further, the Gopher team approached.

"I hope you enjoyed your celebration." Justin for once was barely trying to hide his annoyance.

"We sure did, losers." Heather jeered.

"That is hardly called for. You won again, but you don't need to rub it in our faces."

"Oh shut it with the nice guy act. You would be gloating for three solid days if you pulled off another win. Which you won't. Evvverrr."

The model was about to reply when someone else spoke.

"Just cause being decent is so alien to you, Heather," Trent all but spat her name out "doesn't mean others can't demonstrate human decency."

"Well put, my friend." The model smiled.


Confessional

Heather: "Has anyone else on our team been paying attention to what is going on over there? Almost everyone who might have had a brain has gotten the boot, leaving Justin as the face of the Bass. How many of us could name all the losers on the other team? Either he is behind it all or someone is using him as a mouthpiece while playing the part of the drooling imbecile themselves from the background. The question is: how do I play this to benefit me?"

Trent: "Seriously, does Heather see herself reflected in everyone? Bridgette told be what happened earlier and between that and our little chat before Courtney got the boot, he seems like a decent guy. Certainly far better than Heather and Duncan."


"So why did you come here then?"

"Malibu insisted, said she felt bad for you. Can't imagine why, especially after you kidnapped her." Duncan admitted.


Confessional

Bridgette: "I've been thinking about it for a couple hours now. Was kidnapping me and holding me hostage a bit scary? Yes. Was it wrong by an objective standard? Probably. But they didn't do any lasting damage and I can't blame them for trying what they thought would work to win. Not when they have lost so many times. I can't imagine how bad that must feel."

Harold: "Wouldn't it be nice if Bridge had been kidnapped and I had been able to save her, all while defeating the villainous Justin in single combat? At least he would be an honorable opponent." *He sighs* "I wonder if the Bass would stage another kidnapping." *Eyes go wide.* "Not really of course I have a code of honor to follow."


"I must apologize for that incident again. I hope it wasn't to unnerving." The model apologized.

"Compared to thinking we were lost in the forest yesterday, that was nothing." The surfer nervously chuckled.

"It must be a deep seated fear."

"Yeah, I was on a camping trip with my dad when I was really little and we got separated. Probably the scariest thing I've ever been through." She shivered involuntarily.

"We all have our fears, Bridgette." Trent consoled while rubbing her back, earning him glares from Cody, Harold, and Gwen though he did not notice. "As I told you, I can't stand mimes. I uh...was at the...mall with my mom. I lost track of her for a minute when out of nowhere a white painted face barges into mine. I'm sure now that he meant well, but it took a lot of effort not to scream out loud."

"Pansies." Duncan muttered.

"Oh really? What are you afraid of Duncan?"

"No..."

"And don't you dare say 'nothing'. We're all afraid of something."

"I...um...Selene Dion standees." He admitted with great effort.

"Ha! You're pathetic." Heather laughed harshly.

"It's those eyes. So...dead and...cold." He looked a bit dazed but managed to collect himself. "Anyways, what's your big fear?"

"Like I'm telling you losers."

"You better spill the beans." The punk cracked his knuckles.

A look of fear flashed across her face for the briefest of moments. "It's...Sumo Wrestlers, ok. Happy?"

"What is scary about those lumps of lard? Their as scary as an obese, limbless zombie trying to get you by doing the worm. And you said I was pathetic."

Noah sat between Owen and Gwen, the latter of whom looked lost in thought while sparing the occasional glance at Trent and Bridgette. Taking advantage of Duncan and Heather's bickering, the bookworm leaned over towards the goth. "Are we really having a fear share session?" His disbelief was palpable even though he was whispering.

"Looks like." She rolled her eyes but didn't turn towards Noah.

The bookworm leaned over further and whispered something in her ear, causing her to relax noticeably.

"I owe you one." She smiled.

"I'll keep that it in mind." He smirked.

Meanwhile, Heather and Duncan's back and forth had come to a standstill though the air was still charged.

"Oh...I know!" Lindsay exclaimed. "I'm most afraid of having to walk through a minefield." She paused for a moment before adding "in heels!"

"Why is that?" Tyler asked.

"No...no reason." She stuttered. "What are you afraid of, Taylor?"

"Promise you guys won't laugh?"

"Course not, man." Owen thumped his chest.

"Nope." Duncan chuckled to himself.

"It's...chickens. I can't stand those things."

"You're afraid of a flightless, domesticated bird?" Harold asked, his tone more curious than mocking.

"Yeah."

"Wish my greatest fear was so...edible."

"Oh, this should be good." The green haired punk mocked.

The nerd shot back a glare of his own. "I'm afraid of ninjas. Or, to put it more accurately, being..."

"Ninjas?! Wow, and I thought you were already nuts."

"I didn't mean ninjas per se. I meant..."

"Don't think you can back out of it now, dweeb."

"Has to be better than being afraid of a lifeless cardboard cutout."

"Don't...push...it."

"I mean, those things don't move. At all. And they aren't even the holographic kind that are always looking at you. And..."

He never got to finish his comeback as he was swiftly silenced by a punch to the jaw.

"Good...to know...I was getting to you." He sputtered, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Shut...up!"

"Feeling touchy are we?" Trent taunted.

"Moving on..." Bridgette interjected. "Who wants to share next?"

"Well, I'd have to go with...um..." Cody looked around nervously, the wheels turning. "defusing a time bomb. Under pressure."

"As opposed to the time bomb where there is no pressure?" Noah drawled. He dropped his voice several octaves. "Please diffuse this ticking time bomb Mister Anderson, but please, don't feel pressured in any way. Take all the time in the world."

"I guess that would go without saying." the geek sheepishly admitted. "What's your fear, Noah?"

"Hmm. I'd say..." he moved his hands up and down like a scale, "being surrounded by idiots without a book to keep me sane."

"I doubt that happens often, buddy." Owen elbowed his friend.

Noah raised an eyebrow as he tried to hold back a laugh. "Not at all, Owen, not at all. What's your fear?"

"Planes, man. I can't stand being in them and looking down and...gah!" He shuddered in fear.

"So it's a fear of heights?"

"No. Maybe. But only for heights than can only be reached by one of those infernal contraptions. What about you, Izzy?"

"What?" she jerked upon hearing an unfamiliar voice call her name. "Oh...I a...I can't stand planes either. Those...infernal contraptions."

"Oh, that was convincing." Noah muttered to his large friend.

"Be nice, dude. Something's obviously bothering her."

"What is your fear...Justin?" She spat out his name with a venom that caused many of the campers to shoot her an odd look.

"Well..." he began, completely unfazed by her tone, "it would most likely be a fear of spiders. Those sticky webs get all over your face. Ugh. It takes forever to get them out of my hair."

"That's original." Duncan muttered.

"But perfectly understandable." The model gave the punk a condescending look. "Tell us what you fear most, Ezekiel."

"You!" He blurted out, though he immediately appeared to regret it.

"Curious." The model stroked his chin, seemingly unfazed by the outburst.

"Why would you be afraid of him?" Trent asked.

The prairie boy looked to Izzy for support but she refused to look at him.

"What do you fear, Beth?" Justin leaned back and tapped his fingers together, looking rather amused.

The girl's eyes were darting back and forth like a caged animal. "Eh...being covered in...bugs. Definitely."

"Gross!" Heather looked ready to heave but shook it off. "What are you afraid of, Weird Goth Girl?"

"...being buried alive." She shuddered.

"That's...morbid."

"You asked."

"Right..." The queen bee obviously had no desire to remain on the subject, "what would your fear be, Eva?"

"Losing."

"Pretty sure there are some things we should be afraid of. Poisonous frogs, deadly challenges,..." Tyler commented.

"Victory is the goal to strive for. Losing is unacceptable."

"That isn't nice, Ava." Lindsay chirped.

"Whatever."

"I guess that just leaves Katie. What do..." Bridgette trailed off when she noticed an absence from the circle. Before she could ask where the girl had gone, she noticed a light on in the Bass girl's cabin from whence the faint sound of sobbing drifted through the otherwise calm night air. "She doesn't look like she's in the mood to talk about her greatest fear."

"Probably living it right now." Noah added nonchalantly.

"Dude..."

"Fine, Owen. You're worse than mother dearest."

"Well, that was a heartwarming exchange, but I really need to sleep." Heather yawned. The other girls from both teams departed shortly after the queen bee.

"I suppose we should get some rest after the last challenge." Justin concurred.

"Bummer about you guys getting stuck outside without shelter." Cody stuck out his hand. "I think that storm from earlier may be returning."

"We could flip the hot tub and let you sleep underneath." Harold suggested.

"I think we will just use the same dirt cave we used to sleep in last night until we can get a better alternative." Justin decided. "But my thanks for your concern."

"Hold on a minute." Duncan interrupted. "I don't think any of us want to sleep in the same room as lard ass in case he lets another one loose. One of you guys could take his place if you want."

"You want to deal with Heather when she rages about fraternizing with the enemy?" Noah asked.

"That's the other half of my reasoning." The punk rubbed his hands together, a slight leer on his face.

"That doesn't seem fair." Cody interjected. "It's hardly Owen's fault that he has a gas problem."

"Have you seen him eat? Don't tell me it isn't his fault."

"Isn't whose fault?" The blonde teen asked, having only just returned from a trip to the restroom.

"You're out of the cabin dude. It's for the sake of our noses. You can sleep wherever the Bass are."

"You don't have to do what that jerk tells you to, Owen." Harold advised.

"So I get to meet the other guys here? Cool!" He cheered before hastily adding, "not that I don't like hanging with you guys of course."

"I'm sure we will make do without you for a couple nights somehow, buddy." Noah sighed, the back of his hand held against his forehead.

"I'll miss you too." He put his arm around Noah's neck and pulled him into a bear hug.

"Can't...Breath!"

"Oops, sorry dude."

The bookworm brushed himself off. "Just be careful." He turned towards the other team. "So, is one of you brave enough to occupy his bed? We are not responsible for whatever you may or may not come in contact with while sleeping."

"Quite the salesman." Justin smirked. "Well, I shall seek a place to rest elsewhere, who's with me?"


Confessional

Ezekiel: "As tempting as sleeping away from Justin would be, the alternative sounds disgusting, eh."

Tyler: "Maybe I will get the chance to ask that jerk what his problem is with me and Lindsay." *He yawns* "If I can stay awake long enough..."

Owen: "Aww, Noah doesn't want me thinking I'm being replaced by having one of the other guys sleep in my bed. Why else would he tell them my bed was dirty? I have kept a strict No-Food-In-Bed policy since Mom made me hand wash my sheets every time I got food on them." *He grins sheepishly* "And that happened a lot."

Justin: *He taps his fingers together, then shrugs*


"So none of you want to sleep in his bead...?"

"Doesn't look like it."

The other Gopher boys departed, leaving Owen with Justin, Tyler, and Ezekiel.

"So, are we going to sleep in the dirt mound?" Tyler scratched his head.

"I suppose if you really want to you can, but I still plan on going with my earlier plan." Justin turned to the large teen. "You've lucked out my friend. You will be sleeping far more comfortably then your teammates. It was pretty cruel of them to push you out like that."

"I really don't mind. That incident yesterday was ultimately because of me and I can't wait to get to know you guys better."

"Same here, dude." The model flashed his award winning smile. "Shall we be off then?"

After Owen grabbed his things from the cabin, the four boys headed towards the dock then angled off along the coastline.

"So, where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Tyler and Ezekiel walked abreast, trailing a couple paces behind.

"Are you okay, dude?" The jock inquired, a look of concern on his face. "You and Izzy have been really down today since the vote."

"Do you get girls?"

"Um," Tyler was thrown off for a second by the change in subject, "I don't think any guy 'gets' girls. Some girls I know have admitted the same." He paused for half a minute. "What do you mean by 'get' girls? If you mean 'have I gotten laid a lot' then no. I don't go for the quickie flings."

"No, I meant do you understand them?"

"Something specific you had in mind?"

The prairie boy looked ready to continue but had a second thought. "No, it's nothing."

"Um...are you..."

"It's nothing!"

"Fine, dude. Sorry." The jock backed down, mystified by the boy's sudden anger.

After another quarter of an hour, the four boys had arrived at a large house. More a mansion to be precise.

"Woah, what is that?" Owen's jaw was all but dragging on the ground. "Who lives there?"

"Chris and Chef. And to think they put us in those horrid cabins." The model sighed.

"So, where are we staying?"

"In there."

"Is that allowed?"

"From a certain point of view."

"Man, the other guys are gonna be so jealous when they hear about it."

"You can't tell them. We can't risk word of this getting out. We managed to find an unused room in the basement and a couple of Chris' spare mattresses. If he finds out its back to the dirt hovel for us."

"Oh. I won't tell then."

Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out key with which he promptly unlocked a nearby back door. As soon as the others had entered, the model closed and locked the door behind them.

"Nice. How'd you get that?" Owen asked.

"Would you believe Chris left this spare under a rock within arm's reach of the door? How typical."

"Won't he notice if you don't put it back?"

"He never uses that door. Besides, I would prefer keeping it on me in case I need it."

Justin led them down several corridors, continually checking for any sign of Chris or Chef. After a couple minutes they had made it to the secluded basement room.

"Luckily we have a spare mattress for you. There is a small bathroom around the corner, but remember to be as quiet as possible." The eye candy advised.

The blonde lay down on his back on the king sized matress. "Nice and comfy. Not that my standards are very high. A bed is a bed."

"A sound principle. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to wash my hair. Anything more might attract unwanted attention."

Owen glanced at the other two boys as soon as Justin left. "So you're Tyler, right?"

The red suited jock was out cold, snoring away and unaware of what was going on around him.

"Never mind then." Before he could speak again, the sounds of soft sobs drifted from the prairie boy who was also stretched out on his mattress. Being the good-hearted teen that he was, Owen sat next to him. "You alright, dude?"

He got no reply.


Confessional

Owen: "Not the most talkative bunch, are they? How am I supposed to learn about 'their team's dynamic'" *He finger quotes* "if they don't talk."

Ezekiel: "I don't know who I can talk to, eh." *He sighs* "Justin" *He spits the name out* "I would rather never talk to again and I'm sure Tyler is wrapped around his finger like everybody on this team. I don't know any girls on the team other than Izzy and she's been acting... detached since this morning. She hasn't said more than two words to me. Why?! After acting so nice and asking me to stand by and let Justin tear Katie and Sadie apart then she can't even talk to me? What is it with girls? Dad always said to watch out for them cause they aren't as strong as guys and can be emotional, but he never said they would use me like that. Why?!" *He breaks down in tears*


"I guess I have to wait till Justin gets back." Owen muttered.

"No!"

"Oh, you are awake. Having a bad dream?"

"More like a bad reality."

"What? It can't be that bad."

"You have no idea. I'm tired of this stinking island."

"But we've only been here a couple weeks. Wait, you're home-schooled, right? This is probably the longest you've been away from home, right?"

"I've been away from home for years at a time." Ezekiel grunted.

"Oh...ah...sorry, man. I didn't know."

"You didn't care to ask either, did you? You just assumed I was homesick."

"I said sorry. I can't go through life assuming everyone has been away from their family for years, can I."

The prairie boy sighed. "You're right, sorry." He looked at the wall for a couple seconds. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you understand girls?"

"Uh...I don't know. No girl has ever said I understand her so...I guess not. Why do you ask?"

"There's a girl on my team who has been acting odd."

"Odd?" Owen's voice had a slightly defensive tone.

"Izzy. I don't get why she hung around with me so much. I never saw her with anyone else on the team for more than a minute but since this morning she has ignored me."

"That is odd. Maybe she, you know, likes you. Sounds like fairly standard crush behavior to me."

"Likes me? Likes me?!" He fumed.

"I don't think any girl would hang solely with one guy if she didn't like him." Owen sounded dejected.

But Ezekiel did not notice. "That doesn't make any sense! Not after how she acted."

"Don't judge her cause she acts a little different sometimes, dude!"

"You have no idea what she did. What she is like."

"It doesn't matter! I'm sure she is tired of being judged by everyone here. I'll bet she trusted you only to feel betrayed when she figured out you thought she was crazy as well."

"You. Know. Nothing. Just go away." Ezekiel growled before turning to face the wall.


Confessional

Owen: "I don't think he appreciates what he has. I wish Izzy was chasing me around everywhere. I bet it's his fault she is acting different...er."


At that exact moment, conveniently enough, Justin returned.

"Would you two keep it down, I could hear you from down the hall." He whispered harshly.

"Sorry, I just got a little worked up."

"So I figured." The model drawled. "Care to share?"

"I don't know if I should..."

"Your concern is commendable. I can tell something is troubling my friend but he has been unwilling to open up. I cannot help him if he doesn't tell me what is wrong. If you know something, please let me know."

"It seems he and Izzy have barely talked today and now he feels...betrayed I guess. I suggested that she likes him but he did not believe me and spoke rather harshly about her." Owen paused for a second but decided to continue. "I think Izzy may be aloof if she thinks Ezekiel thinks she is crazy like everyone else."

"An interesting hypothesis." The model sat down against a wall, crossed hands resting on his nose. "I hope you are wrong. Despite her...eccentricities, I don't think dear Izzy is crazy. Just...misunderstood."

"It's good to know someone on her team will stand up for her." The large team gave the model a friendly slap on the back.

"I will talk to him about it tomorrow and see if the problem can be resolved. Thank you for telling me."

"I don't like to see people angry."

"You sounded angry a minute ago."

"Well I..."

"But it was a good cause. Don't feel bad." Justin gave Owen a pat on the shoulder. "Must make for some tough times on your team, all those tempers flaring."

"Yeah..." The larger teen reluctantly admitted. "Heather is always mad at everyone and Eva can be downright scary. Trent and Courtney were always staring each other down and arguing all the time before she left and now he has been giving the same look to Heather and Duncan. I almost feel sorry for Heather. Sure she can be mean, but do we need to bully her back?"

"Not nice? Bully back?"

"'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it' my mother always said. Eva roughed up Heather yesterday but most of the team just laughed at her and said some mean things."

"So you don't approve of it?"

"I mean, those two are often mean and hurt my friends. Maybe giving them a little taste of their own medicine is the best solution. I don't know."

"I didn't know they were being nasty to Noah and Cody."

"Well, no. Duncan is always making Harold do things he doesn't want to or making fun of anybody in a pickle. Heather doesn't ever consider the needs of others and is always getting into fights with the other girls on the team. I just consider everyone here a friend."

"Why don't we talk about a more pleasant subject. Tell me about your close friends Noah and Cody."

"Poor Cody is interested in both Gwen and Bridgette. But Harold is also interested in Bridgette and is especially angry at Cody for trying to pursue two girls at once. Sometime he acts like some of the...not nice popular kids at school."

"He acts mean?"

"Oh no, he just struts around like one of them, but he is to nice too actually hurt anyone on purpose."

"We have a little love triangle going, then? Or is it a square? How dramatic."

"I know right? Cody, Cody, Cody." Owen shook his head in a most exaggerated manner.

"And Noah?"

"My little buddy is very funny. He always has a hilarious comment to make on whatever is going on and he's always willing to hang out on the off days."

"What a charming fellow."

"Yeah. If he isn't reading he is...I think he is writing a book too."

"A book?"

"Or a paper or something. He has lots of sticky notes he keeps in a notebook that he is always rearranging or rewriting. I keep meaning to ask him about it."

"Quite the creative one, then." Justin yawned.

"I don't think he'd like being labeled that."

"Really?"

"He always talks about what the logical approach to a problem is. That and he told me he cannot stand modern art."

"Neither can I. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whoever thinks those are good looking needs their eyes checked."

Owen chuckled. "My little buddy would probably agree with you on that." The boy glanced at Tyler's prone form. "What's his story?"

"I don't know, I never asked him about his home. I haven't heard him talk about it to anyone."

"Is he shy?"

"No, he is just...focused on other things." When the model saw the blank look on Owen's face he continued, "Let's just say he has spent a lot of time and energy pursuing one of the girls to the exclusion of all else."

"Huh. Noah said the exact opposite about himself yesterday."

"A wise stance. Such...connections will only serve as a distraction." Justin eyes glazed over, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Dude...you ok?" The blonde snapped his fingers.

"I'm fine. It's been a long couple days and I need some sleep."

"Ok." Owen sighed.

The model chuckled warmly. "Don't worry, man. We can talk tomorrow." He lay down on his mattress and yawned deeply. "Oh, I meant to say that you should totally peruse what Noah is writing. I know it's always good to have a second opinion on those kinds of things. I'm sure he will be glad you care even if he hasn't explicitly asked."

The large teen yawned himself as he lay down. "I'll do that."


End Notes


Well, this ends a little short and it's not quite as exciting as previous chapters, but considering the next scene is the next day, I figured this was as good a place to stop as any. I admit nothing quite as mind blowing happens here as what happened in the last chapter, but it is all necessary set up with payoff you will all, hopefully, enjoy in the next chapter. And of course I managed to get another chapter in before the challenge started.

As you may have noticed, if the camera did not pick up what is going on (visually or audibly) then you won't know either. The footage is all the editors have after all. Who knows how much happens off screen...

As always read and review. And if you have a genuine criticism be it how the characters act or comments on pacing or something like that, please let me know. I appreciate all the positive feedback but I'm sure I'm making more mistakes than a couple spelling errors.