Sorry to leave you guys with such a big cliff hanger and not update that quickly, but have to work on my book report, and do french and math homework. Also, I got a super idea for my other story, and wanted to write it before I forgot. :P. Anyways, here you go, and I hope it was worth the wait. This will probably a total fluff, 'cause I have writer's block :S!!!! MEH! Sorrys'...
Duncan's POV.
"Hey, has anyone seen Courtney?" Gwen asked, looking around. Gwen had a good point... Where is Courtney? The water had risen, and we were only a few feet away from the opening.
"Now that you mention it, she's been gone for quite awhile..." Trent noted. Okay Duncan. Before you do something RIDICULOUSLY stupid, I'm sure she's fine.
No! I'm not sure! And if I'M not sure, you aren't either!
You have a point. Go ahead...
I dove under water to see if I could find Courtney. Man, the water must have risen another couple of feet, because the pressure was killing me! I could see a blur on the bottom, and stuck out my hand and grabbed what felt like another hand, and pulled. I rose back to the surface, and caught my breath. The blurry object turned out to be Courtney.
"Oh my god! Is she breathing?!" Gwen questiond.
"...I hope so..." I replied, and threw her over my shoulder. We entered the opening, and I saw a ladder. Gwen, Heather, and Trent climbed, and I went after them. We entered the next level of the sinking ship. Tables, and other pieces of debris crowded the hallway. The water was ankle deep, and was rising by the second. We started to move through the halls. We were about to go up a flight of stairs.
"Hey, I found a map! We are on the lowest deck right now, and we need to make it to the sky deck and onto the lifeboats." Heather said, grabbing the map. We went up the stairs, and started to go through another hall. The water had risen again, and was rising fast. It was waist height. I ajusted Courtney, and headed on with the group.
"I wonder if this... Real..." Trent said.
"Puh-lease. This is so totally a set-up. The 'automated' voice said that first one out wins invincibility. And I am planning to make that me, so let's get moving!" Heather quipped. We trudged up the stairs, and we contined for what seemed like hours. I heard a clanking noise, and a wall gave way, creating a wave of water to come towards us. It copletely dislodged us under water. I accidentally let go of Courtney, but quickly grabbed her wrist. We got onto the sky deck, and we started to walk to the life boats. It was raining pretty hard. Suddenly, the boat tipped, and we started to slip and fall. We slid down, but I grabbed onto a nearby bar with one hand, and held onto Courtney with the other.
Courtney's POV.
I slowly opened my eyes. They were heavy and sore from being under water for what felt like an eternity. My throat felt like crap, and my lungs were on fire. But strangely, I wasn't under water anymore. Wait, why am I not under water anymore?! OMG am I dead?!
Calm down Courtney! We're not dead! Get a hold'a yourself!
I started to walk down a hallway that was filled with elaborate furiture. I passed by a nearby mirror-- Hold on! Is that reaaaally me! I looked at myself in the mirror, shocked at what I saw. Not only was I not soaking wet, but I was wearing a silver dress, that looked good. My hair was up in a bun, with my bangs parted nicely. I had bright red lips, and eyeliner, with silver eyeshadow... Okay, this is seriously starting to weird me out... The dress is nice though... There were exquisit paintings on the walls, and the lighting fixtures were incredible. It reminds me of my house. Our halls were very well furnished, considering both my parents were very well paid lawyers... Everyone in my family is a lawyer, actually. Aunty Marcia's a lawyer; Uncle Henry is a lawyer; My grandparents were lawyers; even Lila and Carson are in University to study law! I am supposed to be studying for my LSATs, right now... But instead, Lila and Carson made a stupid bet that I wouldn't go out for this stupid show, but I swore to prove them wrong! That 500.00 is SO gonna be mine. (So what, we're rich. GET OVER IT!) I walked into an elegant ballroom. It was jam packed with well dressed people. A lot of them had familliar faces. I could've sworn that I saw Bridgette... And Geoff... And everyone else! This is very weird... Above all of their heads was a crystal chandelier, that looked as sparkley as a star in the neverending twilight. Couples were lovingly gazing into eachothers eyes, and dancing to a violin concerto; which reminds me, I still need to get my violin fixed, after Bridgette broke it. Everyone was happy to be with their special someone. I looked around, and noticed that the only one without a special someone, was me... I felt someone tap my shoulder, and I turn around.
"Hi, I'm James. I notcied that you were all alone, and I wanted to know if you'd like to dance... Everyone is dancing... And I'd be charmed if I got to dance with a real Princess." He said. Okay, he is a dead ringer for Duncan. If you add a green mohawk, a bajillion piercings, and his signature smirk, you'd have Duncan. I stared straight into his eyes, and his were checking out my eyes as well. His eyes were blue, loving, and SO familliar... I swear he must be--
"I'd love to dance," I replied. What! I didn't say that! Well, of course I said it, but not me, me. Got it? God, I sound like Lindsay. Not that... It's a... Completely bad thing... 'James' grabbed my hand, and lead me to the centre of the dance floor. This feels sooo familliar...! We started to dance, with my arms around his neck, and his arms on my waist. I remember now...
-Flashback-
Duncan and I were sitting eating dinner. Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers started to play. Oh no. I am NOT dancing with him. He's rude, rebelious, and TOTALLY annoying. But his eyes were suckering me into it. I can't resist. I'm stepping into his trap, and when he asks me to dance, I accept. Stupid pretty eyes... We got up out of our seats, and start to dance.
"I don't dance much..." Duncan sighed. That kind of kills the moment, but it's a sweet gesture nonetheless. I let him put his hands on my waist, and I put my arms around his neck.
"Don't worry, I'll help you lead." I replied. We stared into eachother's eyes.
"Y'know Courtney..." He said.
"Courtney? No Princess? What's the occasion?" I joked.
"Well, you do look like a Princess tonight. You're the only reason I put up with this stupid show..." I blushed, and looked away. My heart was beating twice as fast, and I had butterflies in my stomach. I didn't want to like him, but his sweet side was wearing me down, bit by bit...
-End-
The song ended, and we broke apart. We started to lean into kiss, but the room started to shake, knocking everyone down.
"Ahhh!!! Sinking ship!!!" I heard a woman, with I a high pitched shrill voice screamed. She sounded like Katie...
"Oh no! Now we're going to die!!" Someone with a lower, but still pitchy, voice yelled. She sounded like Sadie... Water was starting to gush into the room; COLD water, I might add; and the once calm and serene atmosphere was shattered into comlpete panic. Everyone was running to the exit, before I could even say 'What the hell is going on here?!' James, grabbed my wrist and started to run to the exit. I followed, and we ran into the hall, with a bunch of others afraid for their lives. The water was ankle deep, and it it felt like knives were jabbing into my feet. I kept running... We ran up to the next level, and a cage wall was blocking the way. A bunch of others were clawing at the wall, yelling 'Please!!' and 'Let us through!' Other, richer passengers were on the other side of the wall, running for their lives. I couldn't move, I was jammed between too many people. I managed to make it to the cage, squished as ever, and I saw-- LINDSAY!?!?!?!
"Lindsay!!!" I screeched.
"I'm not Lindsay, I'm Paula... (AN: Lol, her sister) Omigoodness... Cara, what're you doing over there with third class?! They're nothings, and nobodies! You are first class!" Linda exclaimed.
"I'm not Cara, I'm Courtney...!" I replied, getting even more smushed.
"Miss Tyson! Come on! What're you doing?!" A man, in a black suit, yelled.
"My bestfriend is stuck on the other side!" She replied. What? Bestfriend?
"There's no time!!! It's either her, or yourself!!!" He said, running up to her, and grabbed her arm. Linda mouthed 'I'm so sorry...' starting to cry, and left. James pulled me out of the mad hustle, and went a different way, we ended up finally, on the deck, and running to the life boats. The boat tipped, making it physically impossible to stand up. We started to slide down, and I thought it was over. I felt a tug on my wrist, and James had caught me... He pulled me up, and hoisted me over the bar, before climbing up himself. (AN: I know I know, a lot of Titanic reference, but MEH!)
"Okay, the boat is going under... I need you, on three, to hold your breath, for as long as you can. One..." James told me.
"What?!- this is insane!" I protesed.
"Two..."
"I am not doing this!"
"Trust me!" He said, grabbing onto my hand. We locked gazes. He smiled at me. "Three!" He yelled, as we jumped into the freezing cold abyss. Numbness overcame my body, as I tried to swim to the surface. I finally got up, gasping for air. Well, there goes my princess attire... Okay Cara--er Courtney, more important things to think about. Where's James...?
"Cara!" I heared James call. I helped him over to a piece of debris.
"T-thank you." James said, through chittering teeth.
"Uh, you're f-f-f-freezing to d-d-death...!" I replied, freezing as well.
"So are y-y-you..." He had a point. It seems like we've been here for decades... Completely frozen solid. I just want close my eyes... And sleep... Forever. James jerked me awake.
"Ugh, don't fall asleep."
"There's no hope... We're doomed James! We're in the middle of the ocean, in sub-zero temperatures! My hair is frozen, my fingers are frozen, my eyes are frozen... I'M frozen! I just want to drift off..."
"N-no! I won't let you... Cara... I love you..." James croaked. Our voices were going... So was our being. And eventually, we'd be entirely gone...
"You barely know me..." I said, my voice was even scratchier than his.
"I believe in love at first sight." He said looking into my eyes. I smile, then closed my eyes, and drifting off... I could here his disoriented voice still banging through my mind.
"Cara... Cara...? Cara...! Cara...! Courtney...!!!!! Courtney wake up...!! Please wake up...!"
I opened my heavy eyelids, and my vision was blurry. I saw what seemed to be two--
"Mmm... James?" I croaked.
"No... It's Duncan. What were you thinking you could've died!" Duncan said. I realized that I was in the infermary, and Duncan and I were the only ones there.
"I dove down to get something, and my foot got caught..."
"What'd you go down for?"
"My shoe..."
"You risked your life for a shoe...?"
"A very expensive shoe! How long have I been out...?"
"About three days." I paused for a moment, examining Duncan. His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes were messy, and his hair was a disaster zone. His hair was always a total disaster, but now it looked like the appocolypse. Ha. I'm funny even when I'm in pain... Gwen walked in.
"So the Princess awakes from her slumber..." Gwen remarked.
"Heeeeey Gwen." My voice was as hoarse as a horse with a frog in it's throat...
"Dang. You must've swallowed a lot of water. Duncan, you're still here?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Duncan hasn't left your side since the challenge." Right.... I remember it now. Water. Shoe. Dream. Here. That pretty much sums it up.
"Oh right, the challenge. Who won?" I asked.
"Heather. She applied the 'Ladies First' clause right at the last minute, winning invincibility." Gwen scoffed, with an eyeroll.
"Who got the boot...?" I asked. Gwen looked down, and bit her lip.
"Oh. I guess we all got to go sometime... Tell Trent I'll miss him." I said. Gwen and Duncan look at eachother.
"Trent's not the one going home, Court..." Duncan sighed.
"Then... Who is?" I'm probably going to regret asking this...
"You." Dang. That sucks...
"Oh."
"Let us explain," Gwen reasoned. "The only reason we voted for you, was because we thought you wouldn't come to, for days from now..."
"Well, they voted for you..." Duncan muttered. I raised an eyebrow-- Ow!!! Okay, okay, eyebrow down! My face hurts... "I voted off Trent." Christina walked in, wearing a nurse outfit. Or, what seemed to resemble a nurse outfit... I don't think that uniform is up to code.
"Courtney! You're awake! Just in time to sign these forms saying that Total Drama Industries cannot be held liable for any deathly injuries!" She beamed, plopping paperwork down in front of me. She passed me a pen, and I started to read through the entire document. My parents always told me to do that, but Lila is a little more free-wheeling. She's the one who signed me up. They dared me not to back out, and placed a bet. Wait- I told you that story already... I'm still not a hundred percent, don't yell at me! My eyes were still heavy, but I managed to read all of the contracts.
"Hmmm... Interesting." I noted.
"What?" Christina said.
"It says, right here on page 178, paragraph 6, subsection D, line 4, that A-a-ahem, '...if insert name here receives any sort injury that prevents him/her from competing to their highest ability, they are therefore excused from the challenge and granted immunity seeing as the other contestants have a higher advatage over insert name here. This results in the next contestant with the highest amount of votes against him/her to be eliminated..." I decreed. Christina's eyes widened, before snatching the papers from me. She quickly skimmed through, before grunting.
"Dang it! I knew I should have read the thing myself... This means that Trent is eliminated." Christina scoffed.
"Oh no!" Gwen cried.
"I'm sorry Gwen..." I moaned.
"You are so lucky that you're injured." She snapped, but not vengefully. Gwen and Christina left, leaving Duncan and I alone.
"So... You were worried about me?" I asked, half smirking, because if I fully smirked, I'd hurt my face.
"What?! Me, worried about you...?! Pssh, as if..." He stuttered nervously.
"If I had the energy, I'd smack you."
"I know. I guess I've lucked out, this once."
"You can't see it, but I just rolled my eyes at you."
"Har har." That was the last thing I heard before closing my eyes, and trying to drift off to sleep.
Duncan's POV.
Courtney seems to have drifted off again. I looked around, and made sure no one was watching. I leaned over, and kissed her forehead, then grabbed her hand.
"Don't ever scare me like that again... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
Courtney's POV.
I heard Duncan start to leave the tent. I waited for him to be completely gone.
"Without you, my heart would never go on..." I sighed, before falling asleep, with a kooky smile on my face.
The end! Once again, Sorry that took so long! R&R!!!!! And peace out, luv you guys, Alexex!