After the mine challenge, where Manitoba had shown himself for the first time, Mike was going back to his cabin, but Cameron stopped him.
"Hey, can I talk to you?"
He wondered what he wanted. He considered Cameron to be a friend, but he really wasn't in a talking mood at the moment. Still, he said, "Sure, what about?"
"Um, Mike? Do you have Multiple Personality Disorder?"
"What? Who told you that?" he asked defensively. This was really bad, if Cameron knew about his disorder, he could tell everyone and expose his secret. It would ruin his one chance with Zoey, and Cameron knew it. He would probably use it to blackmail him. Well, if it meant keeping his secret, he'd do whatever he wanted.
"Sixteen years in a bubble makes a guy pretty observant. I don't get why you're keeping it secret, but I think I can help you control it."
"For real?"
"Sure. But you have to help me with Scott, I don't trust that guy."
"Oh dude, this is huge!" He wasn't blackmailing him, it was the opposite. Cameron was a genius, if anyone could help him keep his personalities in check it was him. He felt so relieved and excited at the same time, with his help maybe he could redeem himself to Zoey! He lifted Cameron off the ground in a tight hug and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Happy to help!" said Cameron, barely able to breathe.
That night, Brick and Anne Maria were eliminated. Mike felt bad about it, but he was very relieved that she was eliminated. He had nothing against her, but now that she was gone Vito couldn't kiss her anymore. Maybe now he and Zoey could patch things up.
After the campfire ceremony, everyone left, but Zoey went to sit down by the dwindling fire. Mike was going to sit down by her, but on the way he passed Jo on her way out. He glanced at her for just a moment, and noticed that she looked wistful. He wondered if it had anything to do with Brick being eliminated.
"What are you looking at, anime hair?" she shouted when she noticed him looking.
"Nothing! I was just going to sit with Zoey."
"And do I look like Zoey to you? Did I suddenly sprout red pigtails? Keep it moving, Romeo!"
He didn't need to be told twice, he didn't look at her again. He went to the campfire and sat down by Zoey. He tried to make small talk. "Those mutant gophers were pretty scary, I'm still freaked out. Of all the mutated animals we've seen here, they scared me the most. It's a good thing Brick came back for us. It's too bad he was eliminated for it, he was a good guy."
"I'm surprised Manitoba didn't handle it, he seemed sure of himself," she muttered. "I wonder which girl he'll go after. And it's too bad about Anne Maria, you must miss her, now that she's gone."
"A little, as a friend."
"What was it you wanted to tell me, when it looked like we were going to be gopher food? You said there was something you needed to tell me."
"Oh yeah. Um, I just wanted to say that... I was going to tell you to make a run for it. There was no sense in us both becoming gopher food."
"I couldn't have done that, I couldn't have left you down there alone to die."
"Really?"
"Of course," she said as she met his eyes. "It's frustrating how you play characters so much, but I still care about you. I prefer Manitoba to Vito, if those are my options. They're both cool characters, you're a good actor."
"I'm too good, my characters are driving a wedge between us."
"You talk about it like you have no choice in the matter. Why do you play characters so much? I'm trying to get to know you, but it feels like whenever I try to, you push me away. Why can't it be just us? Play characters sometimes, but not so much that it comes between us. If something means a lot to you, you make sacrifices for it, right?"
"It's not as black and white as you think."
Just then, Scott came up to them.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, I just wanted to give this back." He held out Zoey's diary. "I found it outside the cabin, it must have fallen out of your pocket by mistake. Don't worry, I didn't read a single word, all your precious secrets are still safe."
"Thanks, Scott, I've been looking everywhere for it. I was so worried someone would find it and read it, thanks for bringing it back," said Zoey appreciatively as she took her diary back. Mike realized that that was the purple book he'd seen Scott reading a few days ago!
"Would you like to walk back to the cabin together? Since we're on the same team now, we've got to look out for each other, in case any mutated animals come out and try to eat us. Not that you need it, I know you can handle anything this island throws at you, but it would make me feel better knowing you're safe and sound."
"That's very considerate of you, Scott," said Zoey as she stood to go with him.
"Wait, Zoey, I'll walk you back," said Mike as he stood up with her.
"It's all right, Mike." She and Scott walked off, but Scott turned back for just a second, just to give Mike a smug, triumphant look. It made Mike seethe and ball up his hands into fists by his side.
"Just tell her the truth already," said a voice behind him.
"Huh?" he turned and saw it was Dakota. She was rubbing her bald head, yearning for her hair.
"Interns have access to the confessional tapes, and when I wasn't rubbing Chris' feet, I saw some of the footage."
"And how do you feel about it?" he asked apprehensively.
"I don't even know what that disorder is. But whatever it is, surely it's not so bad that it's worth ruining your one and only chance with Zoey."
"It ruined my chance with another girl I used to like."
"Well now I don't know what to tell you. If it really is that bad, then maybe you should keep it secret. In soap operas, when someone is keeping a secret from their lover, it always ends with them making up or dying in a romantic way. This is just like a soap opera, but real."
"She'll hate me if she finds out. It's that bad."
"I miss Sam," she said sadly. "That's part of the reason I want you to talk to her, it might make me feel better about never seeing Sam again. But maybe it's for the best. My hair is gone, my nails are ruined and I got callouses all over from all the work Chris made me do. The paparazzi won't want to take pictures of me anymore, no one will like me anymore. I'm nothing without my looks, I'm ugly, and no one likes ugly people. People only like you if you're gorgeous." She looked like she might cry.
"Dakota, you're not ugly," he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Your hair will grow back soon, but even if it doesn't, you're still pretty."
"I know you don't mean it, you're just being nice."
"I do mean it, and not just on the outside, but inside, too. You're pretty on the inside and the outside."
"My last boyfriend said that's what ugly people say to make them feel better about themselves."
"Do you think I'm ugly?"
"No. Your hair is weird, but you're good-looking."
"And I think real beauty is on the inside, so your boyfriend was wrong."
She brightened up. "So what you're saying is that people will still like me even if I'm not gorgeous? You think Sam will still like me, too?"
"Of course he will."
"No one's ever told me that before. Wait, so that means that Sam, even though he's not attractive on the outside, he is on the inside? That must be why I like him, it all makes sense now! Wow, two years of therapy didn't help at all, but you made the world a prettier place in just five minutes. Thanks, Mike." She hugged him and then went on her way.
Mike was happy to have helped Dakota, but he was losing Zoey more and more every day. He could only hope that Cameron could help him find a way to fix all this.
He went back to the cabin, where Scott was getting ready for bed. He normally stayed out late.
"I know you read Zoey's diary," he said as he closed the door.
"So? It's not like she's going to believe you, she trusts me, remember?"
"That's not why I'm angry." Mike got up right in his face. "You stole it from her and violated her privacy, and then you used it to win her trust. You're making her think you're her friend when really you're sizing her up for the chopping block."
"Oh no, I did a bad thing. Bad Scott," he said as he smacked his wrist.
"Don't read it again."
"Don't have to, read it cover to cover. Mama told me I should read more. You should read what she's written about you, it's hilarious. There are some pages in there about this dream she had about a guy who apparently looked like a raccoon. One of my cousins married his prize-winning pig, but somehow that's weirder. There are a lot of pages in there dedicated to you, and most of them would make you cringe. If I were you, I'd just give up now, stop wasting your energy on something so hopeless."
Mike was fuming, how dare he read her most personal thoughts and then treat them with so little respect? He looked him dead in the eye and said, "Leave her alone."
"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Scott glared right back.
Mike knew he couldn't fight Scott and win. Even if he could win, it would only make him look worse to Zoey. "Just treat her like she deserves from now on, and stop using her."
"Sure, whatever, pal," said Scott with a smirk on his face.
Mike went to bed, knowing that Scott wasn't going to stop. It made him so angry that he had done this to Zoey, and he couldn't stop him. It hurt him too, because he knew that Scott was right, whatever she'd written about him couldn't be good.
The next day, they had the day to themselves. Mike wanted to show his gratitude to Cameron for helping him out, so he decided to spend the day hanging out with him.
"Hey Cam!" he greeted him at breakfast. Zoey hadn't shown up at the main lodge, which worried him a little.
"What's a cam?" he asked as he sat down beside him. "You've called me that before, but I'm not sure what it means."
"It's a nickname, short for Cameron."
"Oh, I get it. I'm used to Jo insulting me, I thought Cam might be some kind of slang I wasn't familiar with. But I like it, it doesn't hurt my self-esteem."
"Exactly. So Cam, would you like to hang out with me today?"
"I've never hung out with anyone before. What do friends normally do together? I once read a book about making friends, but it was written in the sixties and probably out of date. One of its suggestions was to get high together."
"Is there anything you've wanted to do but couldn't?"
"Well, I think I'd like to play a game, one that doesn't threaten my life and with no pressure to win. Maybe like a sport, but one that doesn't require any athletic ability whatsoever."
"I brought the tennis ball my dog and I play with, we could play catch. Don't worry, there's no winning or losing, and it's easy. You'll be great at it."
"You overestimate my physical skills."
They finished breakfast and then went back to their cabin. Mike found the ball and tossed it to Cameron, who leapt for it but missed by a mile.
"It's okay, you'll get it." Mike showed Cameron how to throw and catch it. Cameron was right-handed, so Mike threw with his right hand to make it easier for him. He couldn't play as well with that hand, so it made them more even. He was soon able to catch the ball almost every time. By lunch, when Cameron threw the ball, it almost reached Mike.
"You're doing great, Cam," said Mike.
"I never thought repeatedly throwing a ball back and forth could be entertaining, but it is. And I haven't broken my glasses or sprung any nosebleeds."
"You want to break for lunch?"
"Yeah, I need time to let my muscles heal," said Cameron. "I think I'm starting to grow biceps!"
As they were walking, a rattlesnake seagull flew down low and it accidentally caught Mike's shirt and ripped it off. Vito came out immediately.
"Later losers, I'm hittin' the beach to work on my tan."
"Hey string bean, save the muscle act for the next challenge," said Jo. She and Lightning were also going to lunch.
"Hey, why do you always play Vito when your shirt comes off?" Lightning asked. "The characters are startin' to get old, cut it out already."
"There's no understanding the minds of actors," Cameron said hastily. He started pushing Vito in the opposite direction of where everyone else was going and said, "Come on Vito, I know the perfect spot, you'll get a killer tan."
Vito went along with it, and as they were going, Cameron saw Zoey walking to the main lodge. She glared at Vito, looking hurt and angry. He was just glad that Mike didn't have to see her looking at him like that.
Once they were out of sight of the others, Cameron took off his hoodie and put it around Vito from behind. Mike was skinny enough that he was able to get it around him and zip it up, but it was way too short.
Mike came back and said, "Weren't we going to lunch?"
"Vito wasn't hungry."
He gasped. "Did he kiss anyone?"
"No, and I got you out of there before he could do anything."
"Wow Cam, you really meant what you said, you really want to help," said Mike as he noticed that he was wearing his hoodie. "You're good at this."
"Of course I meant it, and not just because we need to do something about Scott. I really want to be your friend and help you. I just hope you don't mind me being a bubble boy."
"Only if you don't mind me having multiple personalities," said Mike, grinning. "We really are a couple of misfits."
"You should go put on a shirt, and then let's get lunch. After that, can you show me how to swim? Right now all I can do is dog-paddle, and I can barely do that."
"I'd be happy too."
"You really know a lot about this stuff, Mike."
"Actually, this is all common stuff for teens."
"There's so much I've never done that I want to do, like learn to ride a bike and eat food with sugar in it."
"You're never going back to that bubble, buddy. I'll show you all the world has to see, or at least everything you can do in in my hometown."
"Thanks, Mike."
It was an odd way to begin a friendship, but that's how they became best friends.
"Woohoo! Go Mike!" said Holly.
"You can do it, son!" said Jack.
Both parents were still extremely worried about Mike, but since they couldn't stop it, they started cheering him on, instead.
"Oh that poor girl, I didn't actually think anyone was going to get mutated."
"Here's your ten bucks," said Jack.
"I don't want it."
"Zoey is really starting to pull away," said Jack as Scott planted more seeds of doubt in her head about Mike. "She hugged him in the last episode, but it's getting worse. I still think Mike has a chance with her, though."
"I thought it was just a crush at first, but he's head over heels. What are we going to do when she lets him down?"
"Are you still on that? Why are you so sure she's going to reject him?"
"She doesn't exactly have a lot of reason to trust him, and a disorder like MPD is really daunting, it'll be too much for her. After what happened the last time Mike liked a girl… I just have trouble trusting anyone anymore, especially where he's involved. I don't want to be cynical, but I can't help it."
"I'm tempted to feel the same way, believing in her hasn't been easy. But I figure that Zoey is the one person in the world who could give Mike a chance, and for now I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. If only he would tell her the truth, then she would understand and he could make it up to her."
"I wish I could be as optimistic as you are right now. I've bitten my once impeccable nails down to the nub, and I swear my hair is falling out."
"It's not, I promise. I'm the one who's losing hair over that boy," said Jack as he pointed to his receding hairline. "Mike is going to be fine, no matter what happens."
I hope, he thought to himself.
"Congrats on the new girlfriend, Sam," said Mike. They were sitting outside the cabins. They had a few hours before the elimination ceremony, and so he and Cameron were hanging out with Sam and Dakota. Zoey was there too, she was sitting beside Mike, but she had put some distance between them.
"Thanks, I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he said as he smiled at Dakotazoid lovingly.
"Dakota, I think that you might be able to be de-mutated, but it would probably take several years," said Cameron.
She looked to Sam. "Would Sam still like Dakota if she went back normal?"
"It would be hard, but I'd still love you. I don't care how you look, you'll always be awesome to me."
"Mike was right, Dakota is pretty on inside and outside." She giggled and said, "Dakota would like to be normal, but all she needs is Sam."
"That's so sweet," said Zoey with a smile.
"I'm happy for you both," said Mike. This whole thing was so weird, but seeing them so happy together, it was contagious. Not only that, but even though Dakota was drastically and horribly mutated, she had someone who loved her and would make her feel special. It made him smile.
"Dakota want thank Zoey for helping her today." She picked her up and hugged her, but she hugged her too tight and made her turn blue.
"Careful!" said Mike. She could shatter her entire ribcage, or worse. "Go easy, don't squeeze too hard."
Dakota realized what she was doing. "Dakota sorry." She put her back down and Zoey gasped for air. Dakota looked down in embarrassment.
"It's okay Dakota, you just don't know your own strength yet, it's something you'll have to get used to," said Sam as he held onto one of her fingers. "We'll work on it together, won't we?"
She brightened and said, "Together."
Before the elimination ceremony, Mike asked Zoey to vote for Scott, but didn't pressure her into it. When he walked away, she went up to Cameron, who was looking extremely worried.
"Cameron, can I talk to you?"
"Um, we need to get to the elimination ceremony," he said nervously.
"It'll only take a minute. You and Mike were acting really weird today. When Manitoba came out on the raft, you pushed me into the water on purpose, it wasn't an accident. But it's not just today, you and Mike have been hanging out a lot more than usual the past few days."
"We're friends, that's what friends do."
"I know, and I'm glad you two are friends, but it's weird. You put your hoodie on him when you thought no one was looking. Yesterday Jo brought up the Olympics and you immediately changed the subject. Last night I heard you two talking in your side of the cabin, Mike sounded angry and he was yelling that he hates himself, but then I could swear he started talking like a five year old. When I tried to come in to see what was going on, you swore everything was fine and wouldn't let me come in, you wouldn't even open the door. What's going on, Cameron?"
He bit his lip. He'd already accidentally told Scott Mike's secret, he couldn't let Zoey find out, too. He could see that it was doing more harm than good, but he had to keep Mike's secret, he just had to. This was such a mess. "Nothing's going on, it's just actor stuff that only actors can understand. I was in a play once, I'm the only other actor here who understands it."
"You said you were never out of your bubble until you came here."
Cameron realized his mistake and said, "I meant I read a book about it, The Exhaustive Guide to the Dramatic Arts, also known as Acting for Dummies. Read the book and then you'll understand, too."
"Cameron, I know you and Mike are hiding something from me. Whatever it is, you can trust me, really."
You already told Scott, that was bad enough, Cameron thought to himself. If you tell Zoey, it'll ruin Mike's one chance with the girl he loves. If you scare her away, he won't want to be your friend anymore, you'll go right back to the bubble! Keep his secret, Cameron!
"We're not hiding anything!" Cameron was panicking, he was covered in sweat and his eyes were bulging. "We're just actors, doing actor things! To be or not to be, that is the question! I have to go now, I have to go to the elimination ceremony, I can't be late. Bye Zoey!"
He walked away as quickly as he could without breaking into a sprint, leaving Zoey confused and angry.
After the elimination ceremony that night, she went back to her cabin. On her way there, Scott came up to her and said, "I just want you to know that even though Mike and Cameron don't trust or respect you in any way, I do." She was really starting to believe it.
Inside the cabin, through the walls she could hear Mike and Cameron talking, and Mike was talking like a little kid again. If this was a new character, at least he wouldn't be kissing anyone with it. It was a weird character for him to be playing, though, at least the others made more sense. She took out her diary, she needed to vent.
Dear Diary,
I had hoped that maybe Mike and I could work things out, but it's only getting worse. He's hiding something from me, but I don't know what. Cameron's in on it, they're keeping secrets and they obviously don't trust me. Why don't they trust me? Did I do something wrong? I don't know what to think. He's infuriating, why do I even bother with him?
Scott's the only one I can trust anymore, but we're not friends, exactly. I don't think Scott is interested in making friends, but he's all I've got. If Mike and Cameron don't trust him, then that's probably a good sign that I should.
It was so stupid of me to think that coming here could help me make friends. What was I thinking? I mean sure, I've made a couple friends, but I wonder if any of them will want to stay in touch after all this is over. Mike won't, that I'm almost certain of. I opened up so much to him, only to have him turn on me, it makes me not want to trust anyone else. I guess I might as well resign myself to things being the exact same when I get home. The only thing that's changed is that now I'm angry and cynical, and I hate feeling this way.
On the other side, Mike came back to himself after Zoey fell asleep. He had been in an anxiety attack, but Cameron locked Scott out to keep him from coming in. But now that he knew about his disorder, it didn't matter much anymore. After he came back to himself and recovered, Cameron described what had happened to him.
"That attack was intense," said Cameron. "It brought out that little kid alter again."
"I've had worse. Thanks for helping me through it. You said I was talking like a little kid?"
"Like last night, though last night you didn't have an attack. Zoey heard, and she probably heard some of what just went on."
"I've been working harder than ever to keep them in, how has that one come out twice in two days? I'm usually pretty good at keeping alters like that in."
"You're obviously stressing over Zoey finding out, and the extra stress is bringing them out. It's definitely what caused that attack. You need to tell her, she's smart and she'll figure it out soon on her own anyway, she'll take it better if you tell her."
He sighed. "I just can't. If you knew the reason I came to this show in the first place, you'd know why. I'm sorry I'm asking so much of you."
"I was fascinated the entire time. I'm learning so much, you can't learn everything from books. But please tell Zoey soon. If for no other reason, do it for your own wellbeing, that's the most important thing in this whole equation. All this extra stress isn't just bringing these alters out, it's also taking a toll on your physical health, and it's starting to show. You look tired, how many hours of sleep have you been getting a night on average?"
"Enough. But Cam, I'm fine, I promise."
"Mental health is directly linked to physical health, so all this stress isn't good for you. Not to mention, but Scott is going to squish me like a bug if I keep locking him out of the cabin, I've already had to do it twice in a row. You're lucky he stays out late every night setting up booby traps, I don't know if he even knows I've been locking him out. Also, just do it for Zoey. I don't want to see you lose her, I know how much you like her, and she likes you, too."
"You think we still have a chance?"
"If she didn't still like you, she wouldn't be putting forth the effort to find out what's going on and get to the bottom of this. She obviously still cares, but she's not going to take much more of this."
"You'd better open this door or I'm going to smother you both!" Scott shouted as he pounded on the door.
"Sorry! I was getting dressed and forgot to unlock it!" Cameron reluctantly opened the door.
Mike didn't say anything more. He laid down in his bed and turned to face the wall. Sleeping was going to be difficult, because his personalities were raging in his head louder than usual. It had been like this every night for a while now, that was why he hadn't been getting enough sleep. They were annoyed at how he and Cameron had been working extra hard to keep them in just to try to impress Zoey.
"This isn't fair! Why should you get to be out all the time with ugly Zoey? Anne Maria is way hotter, you can't keep me locked in here away from my girl!"
He had been about to tell him Anne Maria was gone, but Svetlana spoke first. "Svetlana has been trying to be patient vith you, Mike, but zis is ridiculous! Ve are friends, but you are treating us like your prisoners!"
"You're not prisoners!" he whispered loudly. "I just want to get Zoey to like me, and you guys keep getting in the way of that! This is my body, my mind, not yours! She makes me happy and I don't want to lose her, why is that so hard for you to understand? Why can't you just leave us alone?"
"This island is packed with weird and unique creatures that no one else has ever wrangled before, and you expect me to be content sitting around not wrangling them? Crikey, you really are soft in the head."
"Look, I'm sorry, but I really like her. I don't want to push her away. I feel bad about keeping you guys contained, but I have to or Zoey will never like me back."
They continued shouting at him, and he knew Cameron was right, he had to tell Zoey soon. He tried to gather courage, but he had none. It kept him up most of the night.
"Pick up the pace, get the lead out of your pants!"
"I'm driving as fast as I can, Scott!"
"You'd better drive faster or I'll let the cat out of the bag. Zoey will never like you if she finds out the truth!"
They were in the racing challenge, and Scott was blackmailing Mike into helping him win the challenge. How had it come to this? Scott was holding all the cards, he couldn't beat him. All he could do was obey his every command, but in doing so he was pushing Zoey further and further away.
They made it to the next landmark, the totem pole.
"Mike, give me a boost," said Scott. Mike had no choice and went along with it.
"Stop helping him and help yourself!" said Zoey. Scott didn't need help and Mike didn't need him, so why was he helping him?
"I am, honest."
"Ha ha! In your face!" said Zoey as she began to paint.
"In yours!" said Scott as he threw his paint can at her, knocking her down. "Whoopsie!"
"Zoey, hold on!" said Mike as he tried to climb up to help her, but Scott slid back down and landed on him.
"I'm going to need a tow to the last landmark."
"Tow yourself! I'm helping Zoey!" This had to stop, keeping his secret wasn't worth it if it put Zoey in danger. Keeping this secret wasn't helping anyone anymore, if he kept this up she would hate him even if she never found out about his disorder. Hiding from her only made things worse. It was time to stop hiding.
"Fine, I'll just get a lift from someone else!" He ripped off his shirt, and Mike blacked out. Scott and Vito took off, leaving Zoey hanging.
"How could he do this to me?" Zoey asked herself as she tried to pull herself up. "He never cared about me at all! He left me to fall to my death! They both did!"
When she lost her grip and fell, she was amazed that she was still alive. But now she could only think of one thing: Making Mike pay for what he did to her. She'd never punched anyone before, but she was about to give Mike a piece of her mind. Scott too, it was his fault she fell. She'd trusted both of them, and now they were going to pay.
"Mike, we are done!" she yelled when she found him at the final landmark. "Not that we ever even started you-" She gasped when she saw him, hurt and unconscious. She was still very angry, but she couldn't ignore someone who needed her help, even if they didn't deserve it. "Mike? Mike? Mike!"
Mike woke up in a strange, yet familiar place: His own subconscious. His personalities wanted to take full control away from him, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He had come too far, he cared too much about Zoey to lose her.
Mal was standing by his boulder farther off, carving it into his likeness with smaller stones. He wasn't as bored as he had been before, in fact, he'd enjoyed the time spent on this island more than any of the other personalities.
The reason he hadn't been bored lately was because of the small mayhem he was causing in Mike's mind. Ever since day one, he'd sent out whispers through Mike's head to the other alters, egging them on and tantalizing them with the idea of overthrowing Mike. These whispers had never had any effect before, but now that they were already angry at Mike, his whispers were working. He was always trying to keep them contained, but he was working overtime now, in the fleeting hope that Zoey wouldn't run for the hills once she knew the truth. They didn't like being held back so much, and so his little suggestions were finally finding purchase.
He remembered Zoey from when they were children, and that knowledge put a smile on his face. Oh, the fun he could have with her. Too bad Mike didn't recognize her, but that was okay, he didn't need to recognize her for Mal to use her against him. A hundred ideas rushed through his head of what he could do, each one better than the last, and it was hard to pick a favorite. Well, it's not like he was in a rush to choose. Imprisoned, he had an overabundance of time.
He was singing quietly to himself, "'Til now your shine was merely silver. Friends, you shall drip rubies, you'll soon drip precious... rubies…" when he heard a commotion. Mike was fighting the others. From this distance, he couldn't see very well, but he could tell it was brutal, and he enjoyed it very much. He moved as close as he could to see them better with a gleeful grin on his face.
He was a little disappointed when Mike won the fight, but as Mike was taking back control, he felt his shackles loosen. The blow to the head must have weakened them. He was still a prisoner, but he wouldn't be for long.
Mike heard Zoey's voice, and it brought him back to himself.
"Mike, are you okay?"
"Better than okay, I won! Zoey listen, my characters, they're not just for show, I… I have multiple personalities."
"Yeah, I know, Cameron just told me."
"Sorry!"
"I should have told you first, I just didn't want you to think I was a total freak, because the real me, really likes you, a lot."
This is it, Mike thought miserably. He braced himself for the worst, because he knew it was coming. In that moment, he hated himself and wished he could just disappear forever. She knows about my personalities, she's going to be disgusted, she's going to hate me even more than before. Maybe she'll be okay with staying friends. No, I've done too much damage for that. She'll never speak to me again, she'll never even look at me again. I'm sorry I ever came to this island and wasted Zoey's time. I was an idiot for ever coming here. How could I have been so stupid to think going on this show would be the answer to my problems? All I've done is ruin myself. Why did I get my hopes up again? Why do I always set myself up for failure and heartbreak? When will I learn my lesson? I should leave and stay alone, shut myself off from everyone else. No one could hurt me ever again, and I wouldn't be everyone's problem anymore.
He couldn't believe it when she did the complete opposite of what he was expecting. She giggled and said, "Are you kidding? I love oddballs, and you're officially the coolest one ever. Multiples just means there's more Mike to love." She didn't fully understand the disorder, she'd never done research or anything on it, but she was going to the next time she had access to a computer. She wanted to be there for Mike, and to do that she would have to understand it.
Mike was almost overwhelmed with joy. He'd spent so much time hiding in fear from rejection and contempt from others. Now he didn't have to hide anymore, he felt freer than he'd ever felt before.
Chef wouldn't let them use the go-karts to get back, so they had to walk. Mike and Zoey held hands as they walked, with Cameron by their side.
"Cameron, were you helping Mike hide his personalities?" asked Zoey. "Is that the secret you two were keeping from me?"
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Cameron.
"I understand why you acted the way you did before, but please don't lie or keep secrets from me anymore, okay?"
"I won't. I just can't believe you still like me."
"I don't think I ever stopped liking you, although I was this close to knocking you into next week. If I was going to break up with you, it would be because of the lies and secrets and kissing other girls, not because of your condition. But now that I know it wasn't your fault, I forgive you."
"You forgive me, too?" asked Cameron.
"Of course," she said as she put an arm around his shoulder.
"And do you think we can stay in touch after the show ends?" asked Cameron. "I might be just a bubble boy, but I'm willing to try the experience known as 'fun.'"
"Sure! Cam, you're my best friend, we'll hang out all the time after the show ends," said Mike.
"Really? I can't believe it, I have a best friend!"
When they made it back to the campground, Mike went to his cabin to put on a shirt, but then remembered that it had been destroyed. Everything he'd brought with him was gone. He had a spare shirt in his pocket in case of Vito emergencies, but that was it. Not that he'd brought anything valuable, but still.
"Mike!" said Cameron as he ran up to him.
Mike was putting on the shirt and he turned around. "Yeah, Cam?"
"You've been taking medication this whole time, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You kept it in your suitcase in our cabin, didn't you?"
Realization dawned on him. "Oh no, now it's all been destroyed, I didn't even think about that. I'm due for my next dose, and the cabin was destroyed before I could take my morning dose, and it's all gone. Well, I'll live."
"Hold on. I've been studying you since I first started to suspect that you had DID. I noticed that you take medication and I documented how much you take each time. When I became your aspiring doctor, I took a few pills in case we were ever in an emergency and you needed them. I've still got them here, enough for one dose."
He held out a plastic bag with the pills, and Mike said, "Thank you so much, Cam, thanks for looking out for me. This means so much, but this won't last very long, I might crash if I go too long without taking them."
"That might not be a problem. Scott technically won the challenge, and now that he can't use you anymore…"
"He's going to choose me for the Hurl of Shame. You're right Cam, I'm not going to be here tomorrow."
"You should be able to get access to the medication you need at Playa Des Losers, and make sure you remember to take them."
Mike was sad for a moment, but then he brightened up again. "But I made it to the top six! I never thought I'd make it this far."
"You did great Mike, and don't forget your other accomplishment."
"Oh yeah, Zoey. I finally redeemed myself to her and we just kindled our relationship, and now I'll have to leave her. I have to give her something to remember me by, but what? I don't have time to make her anything, and even if I had anything valuable here with me, it would have been destroyed in the cabin. Do you have any ideas?"
"I do, actually." Cameron smiled and pulled something else out of his pocket. "I found this in the rubble when I was trying to save your meds. It was all I could salvage of your stuff as well as mine, so I kept it. Kind of weird to have a necklace with your face on it, but do you think she'll like it?"
It was Trent's gift, completely undamaged.
"I never thought I'd be happy to see this thing. It's the best I've got, it'll work. I'll have to thank Trent when I get home. Thanks again, Cam, you're a lifesaver."
"Anything for my best friend."
He tucked the necklace into his pocket. He was ready for the elimination ceremony.
Jack and Holly watched as Mike battled his alters. They had no idea what was going on inside his mind, his body was attacking itself.
"If only we could see inside his head!" Holly lamented.
After he won the fight, they watched with bated breath as Mike finally admitted his disorder and his true feelings to Zoey. They were both silently praying that she would have mercy on him, that even if she did refuse him, she would at least be gentle about it.
Zoey blew both their minds when she not only accepted Mike for who he was, but still wanted to be with him, as well. Jack and Holly both jumped off the couch, knocking the bowl of popcorn onto the floor. They screamed and cheered.
"He did it! He really did it!"
Holly said, "Has anyone ever told you how handsome you are?" and pulled Jack in for a kiss. They only ended it so they could see who was going home.
"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, who's the biggest lose-io?" said Scott. "It's Mike."
"Are you kidding me?" shouted Jack. "He took advantage of his disorder and blackmailed him, almost made him lose Zoey, and knocked him out with a club! And now he's kicking him out? And on a catapult no less. If I could get my hands on him I'd…"
Jack had finally lost that controlled calm he'd had and the explosion came. Holly was angry too, but she said, "Jack it's okay, who cares about the money? He got the girl, he won!"
Dear Diary,
Mike was eliminated tonight, and it broke my heart. He gave me a necklace before he was catapulted. He said it wasn't the best gift in the world, but it was all he had to give me to remember him by. I love the necklace, but I don't need it to remember him. I could never forget the one who stole my heart.
I finally understand why Mike was acting so strangely, he has MPD. I wish he had told me sooner, but I don't blame him for trying to hide it. It must have been so hard to carry such a huge secret, I would have done the same in his position. I wonder how differently things would have been for us if I had known from the first day he had MPD. I want to say I would have immediately accepted him, but if I'm being honest, I really don't know. Would I have avoided him or pretended he didn't exist? I might have, as much as I hate to admit it. I would have still been nice to him, and maybe I still would have liked him, but it would have been harder.
Even though I wish he had told me sooner about his condition, in a way I'm glad he waited so long. I got to get to know him first and see how cool and wonderful he is without his disorder clouding my judgment. It was hard with him switching characters and kissing other girls, but I could still see that he was nice, and even with everything going on I still couldn't stop myself from liking him. This makes me believe that if he had told me from the beginning I would have received him with open arms and still wanted to be his girlfriend. If I can still have a scrap of faith in a guy after watching him cheat on me (even though we weren't technically dating) then of course I could accept his disorder.
I'm just so happy and relieved to finally know. I thought he was a big jerk, but now I see that he never stopped being sweet, there were just a few extra people in the Mike package. Now that I know, I feel like we can start over as girlfriend and boyfriend. I can trust him now, and I'm not mad at him anymore. I think I might even love him. Having a boyfriend with multiple personalities won't be easy, that's for sure, but I think I can handle it. I do love oddballs, after all, and Mike is my favorite one of all.