Okay. We've got a way to go before I choose that idea I mentioned in the last chapter. Let's continue on with this. Thanks for reviewing, Gucci Mane LaFlare (yeah, it can be fun).

Things did get better. That first little heart-to-heart with Alejandro was the first of many. I even insisted on spending an afternoon going through just about everything on the show that happened, and why some people were targeted and others wouldn't.

"It was actually pretty simple." Alejandro admitted, a touch of pride in his voice. "It just depended on which of them gave up their weaknesses most easily, and which of them were stronger when not affected by them. It was just coincedence that Team Victory posed threats – they were almost all far too likable to keep. Harold had to go before DJ – he'd been strong in earlier seasons and with him there, Leshawna would be harder to get to. Bridgette had the same problem – she's usually a stable presence, but I'd already recognized that I could use her attraction towards me against her. Leshawna was just lucky – I wanted her to have a slip of judgement, but I didn't actually expect her to throw the game to attack Heather – it's the reason Sierra got such an easy win in Germany – I got distracted."

I nodded. "And you didn't eliminate Lindsay. Were you planning to?"

"I never thought of her as a threat." Alejandro answered. "She was a strong player, but usually it is a dimwitted mistake that takes her down. And I meant what I said about DJ – I would have kept him on to the finale if Chris had let him on our team. Convincing Tyler to vote for Noah was an easy matter, as he trusted me, and I needed to make sure Noah couldn't do further damage by warning others that he didn't think I could be trusted. And eliminating Tyler-"

I interrupted. "Yes, I never got that. Why not Owen?"

"Because I knew Duncan wouldn't vote for him." Alejandro explained. "I figured Courtney would be able to throw Duncan off his game if she was given a push in the right direction, so it was a necessary evil. I wouldn't have minded using Tyler for longer, but it was the only choice. However, my seduction of Courtney was more to gain the ally that I lost in Tyler for the upcoming merge. I knew Owen and Duncan didn't trust me any more. It wasn't too surprising that Gwen went next."

"And then Owen went." I mused. "So I know you voted for him, and you asked Sierra to do the same. I guessed that Blaineley voted for him. But who else? Cody must have voted for Sierra and Courtney for Heather. So who else?"

"I have to assume Duncan provided the second vote for Heather." Alejandro shrugged. "I don't know for sure, though. By process of elimination, Heather must have voted for Owen. She wanted to vote for Courtney, but she'd won immunity that day."

I nodded ."Okay, moving on...you voted for Blaineley, and she and Courtney went. And then you got Duncan taken out."

"I needed to get Heather on my side." Alejandro said simply. "Duncan had outlived his usefulness. I knew Heather was hoping to take Sierra out in order to get Cody's loyalty, so I had to do the same. Then I created that photo to get Sierra on board to take out Heather."

"But Cody saw it before Sierra could vote." I finished. "Maybe you should have worked on taking Heather out earlier."

Alejandro gave a sigh. "I know. I didn't admit it to myself while on the show, but I didn't keep her around because she wasn't a threat. She amused me, at first. Then she interested me. I took her seriously as someone I could be with for a long, long time."

"And that's why you need my seal of approval." I said, laughing.

We had several more talks, ones that were less serious. I got to hear all the little things the camera didn't catch, like Izzy was more eccentric than crazy and just liked to play it up to the camera, and despite Noah's sarcasm on camera, he always wanted to strategize between challenges, especially when they were repeatedly pulverized by Team Amazon.

Then, just over a month after World Tour had ended, I got to meet Heather for the first time. I'd asked Alejandro a couple of times if he'd ever get her to come over and then, on a cloudy but warm day near the end of May, he finally did it.

Heather's hair was growing out again, and while it wasn't as long as it had been in those short clips I'd seen of the first season, it was already down to her shoulders. She was as tall and thin as always, rivaling any runway model. But the critical look in her grey eyes made me feel nervous, and I immediately understood why some of the other campers seemed a bit afraid of her. Why Lindsay had stuck by her side for most of the first season. Why Izzy hadn't been opposed to voting with her. Why Beth took so long to tell her "no". Why Owen stated without any evidence to the contrary, that he wasn't afraid of her (because he was).

I summoned up my best smile. "Hi." I said casually. "It's great to meet you, Heather. I'm Melisa, Alejandro's younger sister. I've heard a lot about you. But mostly on TV. Congratulations on winning last season."

Heather's frosty look was slightly thawed. "Hi." she said. "I've heard about you, too. Ever since we came home, you're the only one he talks about." She nudged Alejandro.

"She's the only one worth talking about in this family." he joked, putting his arm around Heather. "Melisa's been asking me to bring you home ever since she saw the show."

"As favourite sibling and only sister, I have to give my approval." I giggled. "And as I expected more hostility, I think you've passed."

Heather actually smiled a little. "Saying that makes it obvious that you watched the show. Trying to win a million dollars isn't like being in high school, you know. I wasn't making it up in the first season, about being popular, and you don't get popular without doing people a few favours. It wasn't like I expected to see any of those others again."

Now Total Drama was over, there was less strain on the relationship, and while I couldn't exactly say I liked Heather (she still made me nervous), I really couldn't have said I disliked her. I admired her, really, although as I found out more about the first season, I wasn't sure exactly why I should. It was everything she'd done in World Tour. I had to remind myself, it had been almost a year since she was on the island, and besides, she wasn't ever mean to me. Not really. She wasn't nice, but she never said anything hurtful. It was the confidence she had that made me admire her. I would have loved to have that confidence.

When I got up the courage to say that to her that summer, about a month before my birthday (my birthday was late September, making me one of the youngest in my year group), her response was "My advice? You're already pretty. Wear a bit of makeup, own the way you walk and stop burying your head in a book all the time." (Yeah, I was often reading whenever Alejandro brought her over). "Right now, you still act like a nerd and I wouldn't be shocked if you got teased. Just make yourself look like you know everything already and that'll be that."

"I don't get teased." I murmured. "I get left alone by them as soon as they realize I don't care."

"If you don't want them to start, do what I said." Heather stated flatly. "High school is vicious – you don't want to look lost when you start next year. And oh, by the way," she added, "I'm only telling you this because your big brother would be majorly pissed if I didn't give the right advice to his little sister. That piece is for free. Next time, you'll have to pay."

I smiled in spite of her harsh wording. I still had a year of junior high to go, but by the time I got to freshman year, I'd have done enough practice to take her advice.

I learned soon enough that not looking confident is what attracts bullies. However, what they learned with Melisa is that even though she walks like she's not very confident with her head in a book and looking down at it, she has a kind of quiet confidence that means they can't get to her and since she never got wound up at all, they don't try harder – they look for someone else.

Also, a little note: Melisa's star sign is Libra. It's a modest zodiac sign who likes to learn and share knowledge.