Sorry about the extremely late chapter, I had am extremely bad case of writers block but this story WILL continue! Enjoy the chapter.
"Previously on Total Drama Rosewood Manor; the heat was on as our teams cooked up a storm in a rather nostalgic challenge that called back to Total Drama's first season. The Bronze Bats tried a French cuisine that almost looked good enough for me and my exquisite tastes. But it ultimately fell flat against the Silver Scorpions and their Soul Food recipe in the eyes of our judge, Chef. Not only that, but it seems like the Bats may just have a recipe for disaster with the current state of their team. If it isn't a broken heart and the one who broke it causing a problem, it's the alliance currently causing mayhem in the form of rigging votes. Speaking of which, Jason was the latest victim of foul play and was next to take the ride on the Train of Shame! Thirteen contestants remain, who will taste victory and who will be left with a bitter taste in their mouth? Find out right now on Total Drama Rosewood Manor!"
Edward's night after Jason's elimination was rather taxing on him. He slept while lucid dreaming, he wasn't sure how exactly he did it but he didn't really care at this moment. All he was focusing on right now was what to do about the current state of his alliance. Nanette had already caught on about it and she was quickly getting everyone else to believe and they couldn't rig the votes forever. There was also the matter of the alliance itself being extremely volatile.
Kazuki was a loose cannon and would react violently whenever Ben spoke badly about his family, which struck Edward as a bit odd since they don't seem to fond of him, or at least aren't too happy towards him. But despite that he was the muscle of the group and if Edward needed it, he could easily just be used as a scapegoat.
Then there was Ben, he was definitely the more rational of the two, at least in the eyes of Edward. But the events of the challenge earlier have brought unnecessary attention to tje alliance. If the others didn't have confirmed knowledge of it now, they were at least very sure there was one.
Edward didn't have many options to survive. If his team were to win the next challenge then it would only delay his dilemma. If they were to lose then he would have might have to turn his back on one of his associates. There were also the two statues, if he found the Chris statue he wouldn't have to worry about anyone trying to vote him off. But if he found the one based on Chef then he could get rid of Nanette, the biggest threat to the alliance, but even doing that could potentially reveal his status as a member of the alliance, which would confirm the suspicions everyone has been having.
This was a problem that most definitely needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Eventually, Edward's mind shifted into other things until he passed onto deep sleep.
The sun soon arose and eventually everyone was in the doning room waiting for breakfast, buy they were instead greeted by two large trays on the tables of each team, the trays were covered with a metal cover that was warm when Kenji and Andi went to uncover them. The dishes themselves were revealed to be pancakes.
Right next to the Scorpions' tray was a note which Josh read aloud.
"Working on the challenge right now, enjoy your breakfast. I'll be down there when everything us set up."
"Well I guess this could be one breakfast we can enjoy in peace." Josh said. Everyone got some plates and started piling pancakes onto them. As Karlene got some breakfast, Shawn placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile.
"Hey, are you feeling any better?' He asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Karlene replied, smiling back at Shawn.
*confessionals*
Ben: After what happened yesterday I have a huge target on my back, the worst part is that I never wanted any of this! I don't think I deserve it either amd that French girl made me... UGH!
Nanette: I believe that I gave Benjamin his... Just desserts, so to speak. But while karmic retribution is nice it doesn't help me in the long run, Ben is only part of a larger problem and if he gets voted off now then there's a good chance that anyone he's in an alliance with could try to make their next move and if they do it can give everyone the chance to find out who they are!
Karlene: I'm still not completely over what happened yesterday. I mean I'm not upset or angry with Ben, I guess I just need some time to think about things. At least I habe great friends like Nanette, Clara and Shawn to help me.
Josh: Y'know sometimes I wonder if the audience ever thinks the Total Drama series is like a pancake; best enjoyed fresh and prepared correctly but bad when left in the open too long to grow stale...
Adrian: I'm surprised Chef decided to make something edible for once. But I need to focus on the three main issues I have right now: This mysterious alliance that's causing mischief, getting further ahead in the game, and the mystery about this house. For bow I suppose I can only work on the first two, Andrometa, Clara, Shawn, abd I have been trying to piece together as much information as we can but we don't know enough information yet.
Shawn: Talking to Karlene has honestly gotten my mind off of the whole haunted mansion issue but I do think I might have to try to get Ben voted off. He did hurt Karlene and if he's part of this alliance that might be sneaking around then it'll be a big gain for everyone if he leaves.
Brian: At first I thought it was great that Chris was giving us a bit of a break, but then I realized that, just like a pancake, he's buttering us up just to stick a fork in us later!
Kenji: So after that incident with Ben yesterday, I'm pretty positive he's involved in whatever Kazuki is up to. I knew Kaz wasn't alone!
Kazuki: Ben just royally screwed us over, Ed and I are thinking about dumping him from the alliance, but if we win the next challenge it might just end up prolonging this issue.
Andi: Alright, so from what we've found out about this house, Anthony and Angela married and lived in this house, with them being stalked and harassed for years by Henry, this guy that's been in love with Angela. Then something happened that ejded with part of the house exploding and being lit on fire, Angela and Anthony were killed and potentially both if their kids as well.
Emma: I keep holding off on telling Kazuki how I feel, and I know I can't do that forever, one if us might be voted off and if that happens I'll just lose my chance... I wish my sister was here to help.
David: At the Station everyone stays at when they get voted off theres a bunch of cool stuff like a pool and a jacuzzi, buffets, an arcade, and more stuff like that. It's kinda like the Playa De Losers from the first season. Everyone who wanted to go back into the game could look for one of those tickets. Lo and behold, yours truly is back.
Clara: I came onto this show to try and win a million bucks and now I'm here solving a mystery. It's definitely one way to spend a summer...
*end confessionals*
About a half hour passed, everyone expected Chris to enter and declare the challenge but he never came. Everyone agreed on waiting for a few minutes but Chris still didn't show up.
"Ah, I'm sick of waiting." Kenji announced. I'm gonna go see if there's any soccer balls in the shed. Anyone up for a game?"
A few of the teens seemed eager to play and everyone left the dining room. But as soon as they entered the foyer that saw Chris headong down the stairs, he was wearing a gas mask. Chris took the mask off and used a handkerchief to wipe away a bit of oil he had on his face.
"Oh hey, sorry about keeping you all waiting." He said. "Chef and I just finished setting up today's challenge."
"Well there goes the soccer idea." Kenji sighed.
"Now since you're all here, let's get right into the challenge. By now I'm sure you're all well accustomed to the layout of this place so getting around shouldn't be too much of a problem. Scattered around the area are six bombs, three for each team and they're color coded for your convenience. All you have to do is find some way to deactivate them all before time runs out, which should be around sundown. First team to deactivate all three wins, but it won't be that easy. The bombs aren't pinned down in any way, so if you find another team's bomb, you are allowed to move it to another location. But there's a catch, we've also set a distance lock on the bombs, take them too far away from the manor and they'll explode and the team who's bomb was being moved will get a point." Chris explained.
"Still, the concept of bombs in a place like this seems a little extreme." Brian noted.
"I can see why you'd think that but these bombs have been specially made in a way that ensures the explosions are non-lethal and won't cause any structural damage to the building. Now before I begin the challenge I feel like everyone forgot about this; the McLean Invincibility Statue and Chef Hatchet Elimination Statue are still hidden and up for grabs. Anyone who finds it could potentially become the nost powerful player in the game. But for now, let the challenge begin!"
*confessionals*
Edward: I was hoping Chris wouldn't mention that bit about the statues, I've been spending my free time looking for them so I could stay safe. But in hindsight it was only a matter of time before I or someone else found them.
Kenji: I'm gonna be honest here, I forgot all about those statues.
Andi: I totally forgot avout those things! I hope nobody found one of them yet!
Clara: To be fair, I only forgot about those statues because of the whole ghosts issue.
Adrian: I spent a bit of my time looking for the statues but I've had no luck. Granted I didn't look everywhere yet.
Ben: I gotta find one of those statues, if I do then I won't have to worry about getting found out!
Nanette: I must find that Chef Hatchet statue and get rid of Ben as soon as possible!
*end confessionals*
Both teams immediately headed in different directions, the Scorpions headed outaide while the Bats went towards the library. As soon as the Scorpions all regrouped in the backyard however they realized that they might have made an error.
"Wait, Chris didn't exactly tell us or give any distinction as to where our team's bombs could be, so there's a chance one of our bombs could be in the manor somewhere. Maybe even in the library since that's where the Bats went." Adrian stated.
"If that's the case, maybe we should split up into two groups, if we cover more ground then we just might be able to win this challenge reasonably fast." Brian added. "So we shpuld split up into two groups of three."
"Chris said the bombs are scattered around the area, right? So there might be a bomb in the graveyard." David proposed.
"Maybe, but there are also a ton of places inside where a bomb could also be." Andi responded. "Brian's right, we should split up into groups. I'm going back inside; Adrian, would you and Josh mind coming to look with me?"
"Not at all." "Fine by me." The two boys responded, leaving Ben and Brian to go with David.
"Alright, looks like we've got a plan." Brian said. The two groups were about to separate, but before they left, Andi grabbed David's arm.
"Hey, do you and Brian mind keeping an eye on Ben? I don't trust him and he's definitely up to something."
David gave Andi a thumbs up before heading to the cemetery.
*confessional*
David: I definitely don't blame Andi for being suspicious of Ben, I'm pretty sure everyone is. I just wish I knew exactly what he's up to. At the Station where everyone who got voted off stays at, we can watch what happens in the game but its edited to remove all the confessionals and anything Chris thinks could give us any type of advantage if we got back into the game.
*end confessional*
The Bronze Bats stayed in one large group as they entered the library, while the room was rather large, it didn't take very long for the team to find a bomb between two bookshelf. It was crudely painted and it's rusty bronze color strangely camoflagued with the rest of the room. A small green light glowed ominously from the top of the weapon.
"Hmm, didn't think finding this thing would be so easy." Kenji said, he looked rather unimpressed.
"Well finding it was the easy bit, shutting this thing off is the hard part." Clara replied.
While the team conversed on how they would deactivate the bomb, Edward snuck away from the group and began to look for one if the statues. If he couldn't find it then he figured he would at least find a book that might help with the challenge. It was a stretch but not impossible.
After about two or three minutes Edward found a rather strange book. It was dull and gray, like it was meant to be seen as a fake, it poked out from its shelf at an odd angle, pressing two large books together. Edward adjusted the monochrome book and heard a very faint click from the bookshelf and a sliding sound from above. A ladder descended from the ceiling and in front of Edward.
Seizing the opportunity to potentially discover something that might help him, Edward clinbed the ladder and entered a soace Chris surprisingly hadn't mentioned when he showes everyone the manor during the beginning of the game; the attic.
In hindsight, he should have known there was an attic, the staircase to the roof seemed to go upwards to an extent where another floor could fit in the building.
The attic itself was dark and silent. Some small windows allowed light to creep in, making things in the attic look as though there was a spotlight shining in them. Thats when Edward saw something that made Chris or Chef look lile a fan of clichés. The sunlight shone in the statue of Chef Hatchet, as if it was a gift from the heavens. To Edward it pretty much was just that.
Edward took the idol and quickly headed back to his team, who didn't seem to notice that he left as they were too busy focusing on the bomb. They had managed to open it, revealing multiple wires varying in colors from red, green, pink, blue, gold, black, and white. All of the wires were connected to a clear container with what looked like some kind of soap inside.
"Let me guess." Clara deduced. "We have to cut one of the wires."
"Probably, so which wire do we cut?" Kenji replied.
Kazuki took out a switchblade from his left pocket and made a move to cut one of the wires before Emma stopped him.
"Wait! What if you cut the wrong one and it blows up?!" Her tone seemed to be more out of worry than anything else.
"Chris said these bombs won't kill us, right? So if I cut the wrong wire you guys can just vote me out of the game." Kaz replied, proceeding to cut the red wire. The rest of the team either backed away, or got behind something/someone. Though their panic turned into relief when the green light on the bomb turned off.
"That's one down. Now lets find the other two and be done with this." Kaz said, as he pocketed his blade.
*confessionals*
Kazuki: Honestly if I ever actually get voted off I know I can find one of those tickets to get back into the game, no big deal.
Edward: I just became the most powerful player in the game. Whatever happens today doesn't matter anymore.
Emma: Right now I'm just glad Kazuki didn't get himself hurt, but if he cut the wrong wire he might have gotten himself voted off and I honestly think that's just as bad!
Nanette: I'm not sure if that boy is crazy or impossibly brave.
Karlene: I think my heart stopped out of pure fear back there!
Clara: Kenji was definitely rght when he said his brother is intense!
Kenji: My brother has done some crazy things before but that was top five craziest for sure!
Shawn: That guy must have cojones of pure iron to do that!
*end confessionals*
David was correct in his assumption that there was a bomb in the graveyard. The silver bomb clashed with the dull grays and browns of the graveyard so the boys were able to see it easily. But disarming the bomb would be harder than finding it.
The bomb was open and the wires had all been exposed, this bomb even had the same container of soap inside. All the three boys had to do was agree on what to do next.
"So we have to cut one of these wires for sure." Ben said, as if to reassure himself.
"But the major question is, which one?" David replied.
"Cutting the red wire would be cliché, but then again Chris might actually pull something like that." Brian stated.
"Then how about this then, if the light on top is green then why not cut the green wire. It's a dumb reason but I can't think of anything else." David proposed.
"Well it's worth a try." Ben sighed, forcing apart the wire. The three for something to happen. The bomb didn't explode and it didn't deactivate either.
"...Well that didn't work." Brian said flatly.
"Gee, you think?" Ben remarked, promopting an annoyed look from the other boys. "Look, if the green wire didn't work, what about the blue wire?"
"Like you said, it's worth a try." David repeated. Ben cut the blue wire by twisting it and then pulling, as soon as he cut it, the green light slowly dimmed until it was completely turned off.
"Alright, that's one. Let's just hope the others are as lucky as we were with this."
"We're running out of wires!" Andi said, a growing panic in her voice. The three teens were in the kitchen, diffusing the second bomb for their team, though they believed it was their first.
"Alright, it wasn't red, green, or blue. What would make the most sense?" Adrian thought aloud.
"Alright this is kind of a lame reason but Chris likes making things more in your face and almost flamboyant in a way. So it could be the gold wire." Josh proposed.
"Well Chris is that kind of person, to an extent..." Adrian pondered.
"Plus think of the teams;The Bronze Bats and the Silver Scorpions?" Andi added.
"We'll I've heard of, and seen, crazier things." Adrian sighed before cutting the gold wire, using one of Chef's knives to do the deed. The bomb's green light turned off, allowing the three Scorpions to breathe easy for the moment.
"Alright, we got one, now we just have to hope that David's hunch was correct and there was a bomb in the cemetery." Andi said.
"Well we have no time to think about that, we need to move!" Adrian replied, the three teens then exited the kitchen in pursuit of the last bomb.
The Bats found their second bomb in the Elimination Station, however they encountered the same issue as they did the first time. Kaz insisted on citting the red wire again but Emma was more quick to stop him.
"No!" She said, grabbing his arm.
"Why shouldn't I cut the wire?" Kazuki asked, he didn't look annoyed at Emma, he looked genuinely curious and even a bit impressed at how this timid girl was standing up to him
"O-oh! Um..."
Emma found herself stammering and quickly blushing.
"There's no way you can get lucky twice." Kenji stated.
"Hmm... I guess you got a point, so what wire would you cut, brother?"
Kenji was now the one who was silent. He had no idea and was getting embarrassed about the sudden attention.
"What about the white wire? I know it's a random choice but at this point we're all just taking shots in the dark aren't we?" Clara proposed, Kenji gave her a silent 'thank you' for getting him out of that situation.
"Alright then." Kaz shrugged as he cut the white wire. Thankfully for the Bats, this guess was correct as the bomb shut off.
"Alright, two down and one more to go." Shawn exclaimed.
"Now where haven't we checked?" Karlene thought out loud.
Ben, David, and Brian made their way to the rooftop, it seemed like an obvious spot for Chris to leave a bomb amd their suspicion was correct, although not entirely. The bomb that was on the roof was that of the Bats.
"Dang, and here I was thinking we could get two out of the way." David groaned.
"Hold on, Chris we can move the other team's bombs but we have to stay within the area." Brian noted.
"So we can make things more difficult for the other team, and I think I have the perfect place to hide this." Ben said with a sly grin, he lifted up the bomb, which didn't seem to he too heavy for him.
"You're sure about this?" Brian asked.
"Very sure. Why don't you two find the others, I'll hide this someplace the other team will never find it!" Ben assured.
"Alright, we'll hold you to that." David said. The three went back downstairs and separated at the foyer. Brian and David headed to the library while Ben went to the hallway with everyone's bedrooms, stopping at Kazuki and Edward's room. He left the bomb there and was about to leave when he heard voices from the hallway.
"Maybe it's on the roof?" "That's the only place we haven't checked besides the backyard."
He recognized the voices as Karlene's and Shawn's, he closed the door to the bedroom as much as he could while leaving enough room for him to see out into the hallway. The Bats walked past him, Kaz and Edward behind the others, as soon the two were by the door, Ben pulled them inside.
"Sorry avout that, but I have the last bomb here, I know we planned to get rid of Nanette but I don't trust Adrian. He's a sort of enigma since this game began and if he stays for too lonv he could be a problem." Ben explained.
The other boys shrugged as they got to work on the bomb, Ben left the room to go find the rest of his team, he couldn't risk them getting more suspicious than they may have already been. Edward waited a moment before he spoke.
"So I've been thinking about Ben's usefulness to the alliance..."
Andi, Adrian, and Josh exited the hallway leading to the Elimination Station, finding nothing there.
"Hey, did you find anything?"
The three saw Brian and David walking towards them.
"Not back there." Andi answered. "But we did find one bomb in the kitchen."
"Nice, so we've got two then." Brian stated.
"Where's Ben?" Adrian asked. "Wasn't he with you?"
"Yeah, we found one if the Bats' bombs on the roof, Ben said he'd go and hide it somewhere that they would never be able to find." David explained, still unsure if Ben could do that.
"Well, we still need to find that last bomb. We checked everywhere that Chris would logically put a bomb." Josh pondered.
"Wait!" Brian said. "What about that old shed in the backyard?"
"I don't think we checked there." Andi replied.
"We didn't go there either, let's hurry!" David added
"So we've reached an agreement then?" Edward asked.
"I suppose we have." Kazuki replied, cutting the green wire on the final bomb for his team. He had already cut the red, blue, white, and gold wires.
"Looks like Chris set up all of these to explode on some sort of remote instead of a timer."
"Looks like it, hell, most if these wires look like they're here for show. Only one wire out of them all actually seems to do anything." Kaz said. The two were talking casually, not even breaking a sweat even with a live bomb in front of them.
"Well, at least we're safe fir the moment." Edward said. Kaz cut the final wire and deactivated the bomb.
"The Bronze Bats have deactivated all three bombs. Silver Scorpions, tonight youre sending someone home!" Chris announced.
"What?!" Andi said in shock.
"Argh! I knew he would screw up! 'The perfect place to hide it's he says!" David shouted in frustration.
Later that evening, everyone was getting ready for dinner, except for Chelsea, who decided to order some takeout for herself and the other interns. As she ate she looked over the footage from the previous day, there wasn't anything else good on TV and she didn't want to read every book in the library before the merge.
Despite how nervous she was as she eatched the footage, the memory of what happened last time she did so still in her head, she noticed two things that intruiged her; the alliance consistently going into the basement. The second of which was seeing Andi, Shawn, Clara, and Adrian meeting up to converse about the paranormal activity that's been occurring since the show began.
Chelsea looked over to where the photos she found were and checked the live feed of the shows.
"Silver Scorpions, you seemed to be on a bit of a roll but now you all find yourself back here again. I'm sure you all know how this works, so now make your votes. Tonight, you will go down from a team of six to a team of five. Go on and cast your votes."
*confessionals*
Andi: I wasn't sure if I should vote for him, but with how distant he is to the rest of the team and after what happened today, maybe it's for the best.
Brian: Something just doesn't feel right about you...
Josh: And here I was thinking that we could somehow bounce back with our strategy...
David: He said he could hide it and they still won. Either he hid the bomb in a place that they could still find, which they might have. Or he sabotaged our team, either way it doesn't look good for Ben.
Ben: Ed's a smart guy, I know he still needs me for the alliance! They'll just rig the votes and get Adrian out of the game. No sweat.
Adrian: I believe that I should be safe today, apparently Ben assured David and Brian that he could hide the bomb but he failed, so Ben might be in a touch spot.
*end confessionals*
"Alright." Chris began. "The votes have all been tallied and the following contestants are safe... David."
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"Andromita."
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"Brian."
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"And Josh. Adrian, down to the final two because maybe your team sees you as a threat in the future? Ben, you messed up today and cost your team the challenge."
Both boys were silent, however while Adrian looked serious ans even a bit nervous, Ben was calm and had a bit of a confident smile on his face. Josh looked nervous and silently prayed for Adrian to be safe.
"The final marshmallow goes to..."
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"Adrian."
"What?! How?!" Ben said in shock, finally breaking from his calm demeanor.
"How? You screwed up, that's how!" David retorted.
"Those grease ball bastards! They should've had my back!" Ben shouted.
"What?" "Who?" Adrian and Brian asked almost simultaneously.
"They were supposed to bail me out! I THOUGHT WE HAD A DEAL!" Ben continued.
"Who are you talking about? Who's 'they'?" David asked.
Chef tossed Ben onto the train, as he got up and dusted himself off, he tried to speak.
"You guys gotta watch out for those backstabbers! You can't trust-"
The train doors closed before he could finish, the others could only hear his muffled shouts of frustration as the train sped off.
"Oh things are getting juicy! Can the Silver Scorpions bounce back with a team of five? Or is this the beginning of their end? Find out next time on Total Drama Rosewood Manor!" Chris signed off.
Chelsea called the group investigating the house into the library. The general atmosphere of the room was so much more sinister than in the daytime. Chelsea had been showing the group the photos she found.
"So this couple definitely had at least one child, but this newspaper doesn't explain what happened to them after the house exploded, it was too badly smudged to read. So we may have to assume the worst." Andi explained.
"But this other guy, Henry, what if he's involved in this somehow?" Shawn asked.
At the mention of Henry's name, a cackling laugh was heard and immediately afterwards, the lights in the library completely turned off. Not even the light of the outside was able to enter the windows, it was completely pitch black.
Chelsea took out a lighter and lit it, the light produced by it was enough for them to see each other. The light of the flame reflected off of the windows, the reflection loomed like a blurry version of the teens but there was a new digure with them. This figure was pure red and looked like it wore torn clothes of a long bygone era.
Chelsea, upon seeing this figure and recognizing it from the lawnmower incident, backed away into a bookshelf. The moment she made contact with the bookshelf, a click was heard. The shelf then began to slide to the left, revealing a ladder going into the basement.
When the ladder was revealed, all of the teens felt drawn to go down and explore the basement. They didn't want to go, but it was as if their bodies were being pulled to the ladder. One by one they all climbed down...
The room they wound up in was rather small amd empty, except for a portrait of Angela, none of them could see it though because of the darkness. The ladder retracted and the entrance became hidden again, leaving them all with only one way to go.
The teens entered the hallway which all seemed to be littered with the same portrait of Angela, despite the lack of lights, everyone could see the hallway clearly. Adrian took a step forward, and as he did all of the portraits began to dissolve and transform. Angela's hair went from a warm brown to a cold black, her skin went from an olive tone to pure white, her sweet smile turned into one of madness and her eyes became sunken and pure black. A wide gash went from her eye to the side of her face.
"Well I'm not sleeping tonight..." Chelsea sighed. The rest of the teens stepped forward and the feeling of fear multiplied when the corrupted portraits began to reach out into the air for them.
All of them ran in panic from the haunted artwork, they could almost hear the sound if a woman calling out to them as they did. The hallway seemed to stretch on for a mile as they were running for apmost twenty minutes. Eventually they arrived at the boiler room and they all stood in shock and horror at the sight of what was hanging above the boiler.
Hanging from what looked like wires was a giant version of the ghost woman that was reaching out to them in the hallway. Her body was contorted and hanging in a way that made her look as though she fell off of a building. Her stomach seemed enlarged and stretched, as though it was pregnant...
The ghost woman faced them and opened her mouth to speak but the teens all blacked out before she could say anything.
They all groggily awoke in their rooms, their vision was hazy and they were all exhausted. They only had enough energy to change into their pajamas before they all blacked out for the rest of the night...
He's come back again hasn't he...
...
Well he cannot keep harrassing us like this! It's been over a decade!
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W-what was that?!
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Oh dear Lord! We must keep him away from the baby!