Somewhere in the world, a procrastinating writer sat in his room holding onto his PSP, staring into the screen blankly as he guided the well-known God of War Kratos through the underworld and sweating profusely as he helped the Ghost of Sparta defeat the carrier of lost souls to the Underworld, Charon. One look into his eyes and you could see that this writer was focused solely on guiding Kratos to victory and to accomplishing his goal of rissing himself of his nightmares of the past.

During this mission, he could hear a faint voice in his head that sounded strangely familiar.

"...dude..." it called to him. He looked around for the source of the voice, but found nothing. He returned to helping Kratos slaughter countless of lost souls spawning from the depths of Hades.

"...dude..." the voice called out again.

"...Hello?" the writer asked.

"Dude! What are we going to do next?" the voice demanded.

"Chris Mclean? Is that you?" the writer asked, dumbfounded.

"The one and only! Where have you been? It's been forever! We're waiting to continue with the story" Chris growled, obviously annoyed by his long absence.

"Aren't you a figment of my imagination?" the writer asked, finding it hard to take his eyes off the game in his hands.

"That's not important!" Chris snapped. "What's important is that your fans are patiently awaiting the next chapter of your story and you're sitting there playing God of War! GET WITH THE PROGRAM DUDE!"

"Relax Chris," he sighed. "I updated last week. They can wait a little longer."

"Umm...dude...look at your calendar," Chris pointed out.

"Ugh...fine, but I don't see why..." the writer froze as he picked up his calendar and gazed at it. Slowly, it began to dawn on him what had happened.

"...oh...my...word...IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH! I'VE BEEN PLAYING GOD OF WAR OVER A MONTH? HOLY CRAP! THEY'RE GONNA HANG ME! THEY'RE GONNA..."

"Snap out if it dude!" Chris yelled, somehow pulling the writer from his current state of panic. "Just relax! Here's what you're gonna do: turn the game off, get a glass of water, go to your computer, and get writing! They haven't given up on you and are patiently awaiting your next chapter. Now...let's go," he ended, speaking softly and soothingly.

"But...Kratos...needs my help," the writer whined.

"I SAID MOVE!" Chris shrieked.

A/N: So there's the reason I haven't been updating. Not a good one, but a reason nonetheless. (Looks around meekly) What can I say? God of War is a freaking awesome game.

Enough of that! On with the story!

Chapter Twenty-eight - Keep Your Head Up, Charlie Brown

Bridgette was sleeping soundly on the floor just like the other teens. Every now and then, she would twitch and grunt. She didn't appear to be enjoying the dream she was having.

Bridgette found herself alone in the woods at night. Darkness surrounded her and she was completely lost. She tried to decide which way would take her back to camp, but they all looked the same and there was no signs around to point her in the right direction. She nervously twitched and stammered where she stood. When she took a step, she stepped on a twig and snapped it. Suddenly, she found dozens of blood-red eyes staring at her from the bushes followed by some deep growling. Bridgette gasped and began to race for the nearest tree as the wolves pounced from the bushes and gave chase to their prey.

Bridgette did make it to a tree in time before one of the wolves got a chance to bite her foot off. Like a squirrell, she scurried up the tree as fast as she could, making as much distance between her and her chasers as she could. When she reached a branch she felt was far enough to keep her safe from the wolves, she glomped onto the tree with a death grip, shivering and scared senseless.

She looked down at her prusuers once again, which were staring hungrily at her. One thing she noticed was that the leader of the wolves had a green mohawk...like Duncan's.

"make it easy for yourself, Malibu," the wolf called up to her, "and come on down to accept your fate!"

"Get away from her, eh!" another voice called out.

Bridgette and the wolves looked towards where the voice came from. BEfore she saw him, Bridgette knew who was calling out the wolves. She felt a huge wave of releif come over her as she saw Ezekiel standing there with a weapon in his hands ready to face the canine foes.

"If you want to get her, you'll have to get me first, eh!" Ezekiel called out, clenching the weapon tightly.

"With plesure," the Duncan wolf grinned. "But only because you're so inviting!"

Without warning, the wolves turned onto Ezekiel and jumped onto him before he had a chance to use his weapon. His cries could be heard from the pile of wolves as they feated upon his flesh.

"NO!" Bridgette shrieked. As she cried out for Ezekiel, she found herself jumping down from the tree. In a fit of rage, she grabbed the largest branch she could find and sprinted towards the wolves. Blindly and ferociously, she began to beat down on the wolves to fend them away from her and Ezekiel. Though it wasn't easy and the wolves put up a great fight, the soulful surfer finally fended them off.

Once the wolves were gone, Bridgette immediately turned her attention towards Ezekiel. She gasped in horror when she saw the prairie boy bleeding profusely.

"Oh my...YOU IDIOT! Why'd you DO that?" Bridgette growled as she immediately began to wrap her jacket around his cuts and bites.

"Cause...they were trying to get ya, eh..." Ezekiel weakly smiled. "Ain't noo way I was gonna let that 'appen."

"I would have been fine you..." Bridgette's voice started to get shaky.

"'Ey, Bridge?"

"W-what?"

"...be sure to...tell my folks...that I love em...and my little sister I'm sorry I never got to meet her..."

"No!" Bridgette shrieked. "You're going to tell them that yourselves when you see them again! Stop talking like that!"

He did. In fact, he stopped talking altogether. He stopped moving. He stopped breathing. He just...stopped.

"Zeke? ZEKE!" Bridgette screamed, shaking the body of the dead prairie boy. When she saw there was no response, she broke out in sobs and buried her head into his chest. She sat there and cried a good ten minutes before she looked at his body once again. Despite being all scratched up and bloodied up from the wolves, he still managed to keep a smile on his face. Bridgette choked a small smile of her own through her tears when she saw how peaceful he looked in his death.

"...thank you..." she whispered to her savior as she knelt down and kissed him on the lips. She held her lips to his a long time, expressing her gratitude for his actions. Her kiss got deeper...and so did his? Wait, wasn't he dead?

Bridgette opened her eyes and discovered why the dead Ezekiel in her dream had started to kiss her back: The lips of Ezekiel in her were really the lips of a sleeping Cody! Cody had awoken at the same time to discover the surfer girl kissing him passionately on the lips.

Both Cody and Bridgette shrieked in terror and backed away as far from each other as possible. Their screams awoke he other campers in the cabin of failure and they too joined in the screaming. Lindsay and Katie clung onto one another as they tried to figure out what was going on. Duncan yelped and ducked to the ground with his hands covering his head, looking around frantically. Charlie Brown yelped and jumped so high in the air, he spun around as if he had just tried to kick a football and landed with a hard THUD on the ground.

"Omigosh! Like, what just happened?" Katie shivered as she and Lindsay clang onto one another, shivering.

"You two had better have a darn good excuse for waking me up at five in the morning like that!" Duncan growled, clenching his fist under Cody's nose.

"Uh...well...um..." Cody stuttered, sweating as he felt Duncan's hard fist rubbing underneath his nose threateningly.

"Three seconds..." Duncan growled. "...two...one..."

"Cody and I kissed in our sleeps!" Bridgette hastily answered, fearing for Cody's health.

After her announcement, time seemed to stand still for the six campers inside the small, smelly cabin. Duncan raised an eyebrow as he stared at Cody and Bridgette, who looked just as shocked and nerve-wrecked as they did when they kissed. Katie's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, trying to make her brain process what she just heard. Charlie Brown never looked more confused.

Confession Cam

Katie - Cody? Bridgette? ...like...WHAT? I'm, like, SO confused right now.

Duncan - (He's laughing hysterically) Kissing in their sleeps? OH MAN! THAT is too rich! I mean...(he breaks out laughing again)

Lindsay - (She's smiling from ear to ear and squealing as she speaks) Like, OMIGISH! He finally did it! He got her! I told you I was great at hooking people up! (She squeals in delight again)

END

Lindsay let out a small squeal as she raced over to Cody and Bridgette and pulled them in a tight hug. The surfer and the geek never looked more confused or felt more awkward as Lindsay pushed them together again.

"Omigosh! I KNEW you two could hit it off! I'm, like, SO happy for you two! Congratulations!"

"Uh...what?" Bridgette asked, dumbfounded.

"You and Cody, silly!" Lindsay replied. "He's had this crush on you for so long and was afraid to tell you! That's why I helped you two hook up! You look so CUTE together! Oh, I can't tell you how happy I am for you guys!"

"What? Bridgette? Me?" Cody asked, trying to contemplate what he was hearing.

"You've got a great guy here Bridgette!" Lindsay continued to squeal. "He's smart, fun, nice, gentle, caring, polite...omigosh! I'm almost jealous! You've got a real winner, girl! Keep hold of this one!" She then turned to Cody. "Cody, I knew you could get her! I'm so proud of you!"

Before Cody got a chance to ask Lindsay what on earth she was talking about, the blonde leaned in and gave Cody a kiss on the cheek to congratulate him on his "accomplishment", thus rendering the geek speechless and his face beat-red.

Lindsay suddenly gasped, realizing what she had just done. "Oops...sorry," she quickly apologized. "Here you two are just hooking up and I'm kissing your new boyfriend on the cheek. Here, you two need to kiss!"

Without warning, Lindsay pushed both Bridgette and Cody's lips together once more, not realizing how extremely uncomfortable she was making the two unfortunate "love birds".

Confession Cam

Duncan - (You can see his feet kicking in the air as he is laughing uncontrollably in the cam.)

Lindsay - (Smiling) Love Doctor Lindsay-her-hotness has closed this case! Mission Accomplished!

Charlie Brown - (Appearing to be very confused) Bridgette? Cody? Together? Is that how relationships start off? Kissing someone in their sleep? No, that can't be right. Something doesn't seem right about that at all. I remember talking with my friend Linus about what love was along time ago, and I don't think anything was mentioned about kissing unconsciously or having someone forced your lips together against your will...but what DID Linus say about love again? (He ponders for a minute) I just can't seem to remember.

END

(Speaking of Linus...back on a highway, less than a minute from the Canadian Boarder)

"Hang on, little one," the masked hero raspingly announced as he raced his bike through the traffic. "In less than a minute, I'll have you across the Canadian boarder. Then, we can begin the search for this reality show your friend is on and find your missing blanket!"

"Th-Thank you..." Linus whispered, fighting his body's urge to pass out yet again. "H-How much longer?"

"Once we cross that boarder, it shouldn't be more than a day if nothing goes wrong. Just stay vigilant. Soon..."

Before the masked hero could finish his statement, there was a huge explosion just ahead of them. This explosion as large enough to create a huge wall of fire that blocked off all traffic on both sides of the highway from crossing over between the United States and Canada. Linus shrieked and the masked hero squeezed the bikes brakes with his lightning reflexes. The bike skidded on it's side as the driver did his best to maneuver it through the vehicles that were starting to pile up on one another. Just at the last second, he grabbed the blanketless Linus in his arms and jumped off his bike before it collided with a fuel truck that had just tipped on it's side, sending off another huge explosion into the night sky.

The hero gagged and choked on the heavy smoke that filled the air, but he stood his ground and shielded the boy in the arms from the intense heat from the fire and provided him with an oxygen mask to protect his lungs.

Somewhere in the night nearby, the hero could hear a maniac laughing hysterically. He immediately recognized who the laugh belonged to and before he could call out his name, the man jumped in front of him. This mad man continued to laugh at the chaos he had caused and looked at the giant flames with a look of pride and pure delight. His purple suit, green hair, white face, and hideous scar on his cheeks made him recognizable to the hero immediately.

"YOU!" he snarled, preparing for battle.

"Why so serious?" the mad man asked casually, pulling out a knife from his pocket.

(Camp Wawanakwa Forest; 5:00 PM)

As promised, Chef Hatchet had summoned the remaining campers that were still in the challenge from thier slumber to the woods for the next part of the boot camp challenge. The campers found themselves standing in front of what appeared to be a very complex obstacle course. There was tall walls with ropes for them to climb; tires on the ground they would have to race through; crawl under nets in the mud; etc.

"This part of the challenge is simple!" Chef Hatchet announced. "Go through this obstacle course! The time limit is two minutes! Anyone that survuves and makes it to the end in less than two minutes will move on to the last part of the challenge! Everyone who can't, it's the bell fo dishonor and the cabin of failure for you! IS THAT CLEAR?"

The campers, still groggy and exhausted from getting only two hours of sleep, just merely nodded their heads yes. Of course, this would not suffice for Chef Hactet. He struck them all on the wrists with his rod and forced them to do fifty push-ups simply for not responding 'YES CHEF HATCHET!'.

"All right then! Talentless Jock Boy! You're up first!" Chef announced, pointing to Tyler.

Confession Cam

Tyler - (Smiling confidently) This one's in the bag! I was a member of the rock climbing club back in middle school, a hurdler on the high school track team, and a running back on our varsity football team! With all those skills combined with my natural born talent, this bad boy is in the bag!

END

Chef Hatchet blew his whistle and Tyler was off. He began to jump through the tires on the ground, but tripped over his own two feet after the third tire and landed hard of his face. But being the persistent jock he was, Tyler jumped back on his feet and continued his path through the tires...only to trip and land on his head again two seconds later. By now, Tyler was starting to feel a little groggy and light headed from all the head damage. Finally, he made it through and began to crawl under the net, hacking and sputtering as mud flew into his mouth. He had to stop a couple times to spit up some mud that had managed to slide down into his throat. Finally, he made it out to the next part of the obstacle: climbing the wall. He confidently grabbed hold of the rope and began to walk up the ten foot wall...but his hands slipped from the ropes half-way up and he landed with a hard THUD on the ground, causing most the campers to cringe. During the second attempt, Tyler was eight feet up, but his foot slipped and he slid down the wall all while hanging onto the rope. He raced back to the mud pit to shove his rope-burned hands into the cool mud to try and cool them down. He raced back to the wall for one more attempt. Thankfully, he made it without any hassle. The final part of the course was to make his way across a rope to the finish line fifty feet away. Tyler grabbed hold of the rope line and began to pull himself across the rope at ten feet above the ground. Tyler sweated profusely as he grunted and huffed his way across the rope. Tyler was five feet across...six feet across...seven feet across...that was as far as he would make it: he lost his grip and plummeted to the ground landing with a bone-crunching THUD!

"...ah, I'm just gonna put you out of your misery," Chef muttered as he stood above the immobilized jock. "Go ring the bell and report to the infirmary."

"...thank you, sir..."Tyler weakly muttered as he began his painful crawl to the infirmary tent.

Next, Chef called up Heather to run the course. She barely made it with two seconds to spare. It would have been more, but she slipped from the wall a couple times. Geoff and Trent made good time for the Screaming Gophers too. Unfortunately for Beth though, she failed to make it up the wall and was eliminated from the contest.

Next up were the Killer Bass. Harold was up first, determined to show off his mad skills. Chef blew his whistle and the lanky nerd was off. Like Tyler, he had a rough start with the tires and tripped a couple times before making it to the mud pit. Unlike Tyler, however, Harold did not make it past this part of the obstacle course. He swallowed too much mud and was taken off the course by interns as he ferociously vomitted the mud out of his stomach.

"Have him ring the bell and put him next to talentless jock boy," Chef ordered the interns.

Confession Cam

Harold - I would have been able to make it through that obstacle course without any problems at all...if it hadn't been for the fact that mud tasted horrible. That's the only reason I threw it up. I once ate an entire plate of mud pies to earnt eh mud pie possum badge in possum scouts! It was grade A mud gathered from the most fertile of farm fields...not this mud where it's probably contaminated with bear crap.

Tyler - (He all bandaged up) You know what? I'm sick of people calling me the talentless jock! I've got skills! I just had a bad run today, that's all! (He pounds his fists for emphasis, but winces as a pain shoots through is hands).

Gwen - So after Harold's unfortunate mud feast, Izzy, Ezekiel, and I managed to make it through that obstacle course no trouble whatsoever in less than the time limit. (She sighs) After that course, I don't think there's anything else Chef can do to torture us anymore than he already has.

Woodstock - (He holds up a picture of Gwen after making the confession just before him and sighs in pity for the gothic girl).

END

(Back in the Cabin of Failure)

Cody and Bridgette just sat next to one another awkwardly. It isn't every day you start to make out with another guy in your sleep. Nor is it every day that you make out with someone that you're not even crushing on. Both Cody and Bridgette managed to do both those things in one day. Those kinds of odds are near impossible, yet they happened.

"Um...you wanna talk about it?" Cody asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Not really," Bridgette replied, looking away from Cody.

For a few more minutes, they sat there is awkward silence.

"...Just answer me one question," Cody said, breaking the ice once more.

"What?"

"What kind of dream were you having that would make you kiss someone with that much passion?" Cody asked, forming a small grin.

At this, Bridgette couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Why? Did you like it?" she teased.

"Who wouldn't?" Cody admitted, blushing a little.

The two shared a small laugh at this. They were relieved that they were able to find some humor in an extremely awkward situation.

"Well, you weren't too bad of a kisser yourself Casanova," Bridgette grinned, giving Cody a flirtatious look. "But you obviously wouldn't have kissed me back like that if you knew it was me, now would you?"

"Well...I might," Cody admitted.

"You were dreaming of Lindsay, weren't you?" Bridgette asked in a more serious tone.

Cody sighed happily as he looked over at the girl Bridgette was questioning to be the alleged dream kisser. Lindsay was laughing as she was engaged in conversation with Katie.

"We were on a cliff," Cody began to explain. "We were being attacked by this wretched, giant raven. For some reason, it seemed to focus its attack on Lindsay. She was trying to reason with it and begging it to stop attacking. But that bird just kept attacking regardless. For some reason, the meaner it got, the nicer Lindsay was to it. Trying to win it's friendship, I guess. But this raven...it didn't want our friendship. It wanted us dead and it wanted us dead fast."

"What happened?" Bridgette asked, fully entranced in this story.

"Well...after so much time, the raven was fed up with seeing us and decided that it was time to end our lives. She dive bombed Lindsay and struck her right in the face. That was when Lindsay just grabbed the raven and began to hug it and sweet talk it. No matter what, she wasn't going to give up trying to make friends with the raven. Even when it was scratching her face and pecking at her forehead, she was hugging it and trying to cuddle it. Well, the raven got so rambunctious and mean that it began to thrash around and force the two of them off the cliff. Before they could free fall to the ground, I reached out and grabbed Lindsay's hand. I was trying to pull her back to safety, but she was still hanging onto that raven. I guess it broke it's wings during the struggle. I told her she was going to have to let it go if I was going to pull her up. But she told me that she wasn't going to let the "little birdie" go no matter what. I tried to reason with her and say that "Birdie" was trying to kill us and would let us drop if it had the chance. But no matter what, Lindsay wouldn't let that raven go. No matter what. By that time, I was losing my grip on her hand. I begged and pleaded with her to let the bird go so I could pull her up. But she wouldn't...no, she said she couldn't. She couldn't let anything happen to that "poor" raven and...and if she couldn't come up with the raven...she...she was going to have to go down with it..."

Bridgette just listened to this dream, not uttering a word. She tried hard to picture this horrific scene and the harder she tried, the more disturbed she felt.

"...what happened?" she asked.

"Well...I tried to reason with her not to do it, but her heart was set on trying to save that bird. My grip slipped briefly and I almost lost her right then and there, but I reached over and grabbed her under her arms just in the nick of time. But...the weight was too much and I ended up being pulled off the cliff. We were falling and the ground was fast approaching. But for some reason, we weren't screaming. I just looked at Lindsay and she looked at me, the raven still in her hands. I reached over and wrapped my arms around her and comforted her in our last seconds. Before we hit the ground we looked into each others eyes and...and..."

"...kissed," Bridgette finished for him. "And I played the role of Lindsay."

"Ayup," Cody replied, "and what a fine job you did too."

The two shared a laugh again.

"Okay, I told my story. Now what's yours?"

Before Bridgette could tell Cody her dream...

"ATTENTION MAGGOTS! EVERYONE WILL REPORT TO THE MAIN CAMPGROUND FOR THE FIFTH AND FINAL PART OF THE CHALLENGE! EVEN YOU LOSERS! YOU HAVE PRECISELY T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES! MOVE YOUR BUTTS!"

Confession Cam

Bridgette - Wow...and I thought I had a bad dream about losing someone. Poor Cody.

Cody - (Appears to be reflecting on his dream) I wonder what it means?

Duncan - So I get woken up at five this morning because those two nightmare wielding losers end up kissing and now I have to go to the crummy campgrounds to watch the last challenge I'm not even a part of. (he sighs) I swear, no one out there's having a worse day than me.

(At that statement, we return to the Canadian/USA border)

"What are you doing here?" the hero demanded as the fire continued to blaze throughout the night.

"Why, I'm doing my part to keep the world in balance," the mad man meekly explained as if he were discussing the matter over a cup of tea. "For every area of the world that there's order, another has to have a little chaos. Otherwise, there's an imbalance. And we can't have that now, can we? Without that chaos, some of us just might go a little insane, you know? Me, specifically."

"I don't have time for your stupid charade! There's a little boy here who needs to be reunited with his blanket or else he's just going to get worse!"

"Which is why I chose this specific time to attack," The mad man crackled. "You see, along with order and chaos, there's also sickness and health. Which, in addition to chaos and order, needs to have a balance. There's a lot of healthy little tykes out there already. Now, we need an unhealthy one...and I'm just the man ti provide the world with that balance. Heck, I'm so good at it that I did two in one explosion! Come on now, you gotta give me a little credit for that one!"

"...You're sick in the head," the hero growled with disgust. "But one way or another, I'm going to get that boy over to Canada and reunite him with his blanket even if I have to go through a despicable excuse of a human like you!"

The villain just chuckled at the hero's bold statements as he gazed over at the boy that was suffering from blanket withdraws. It tickled him inside looking at Linus shivering and going through such agony. He wasn't for sure if it was due to the accident or if it was a result of being separated from his blanket for so long, but it didn't matter to him. He was satisfied to just see him suffer.

"You know," he chuckled. "That little boy...he looks like my father when he was little."

"What are you getting at?" the hero demanded.

"...I hated my father." As he muttered this, he pulled out a switchblade knife and began to make his way over to the little boy. But a boomerang from the hero that struck his wrist stopped him dead in his tracks and knocked the blade from his hand. He turned to face off with the hero, who was charging at him with incredulous speed. They collided and the battle was on.

(A/N: I know I'm getting a little crazy with this, but after two bad dreams in this story, I don't think a little randomness is going to hurt things so no complaining!)

(Back at Camp Wawanakwa, another great battle was about to take place...sort of)

All the campers that had been eliminated were standing around the largest tree at Camp Wawanakwa and up in that tree were the sex remaining campers that were still in the contest. For the Screaming Gophers, that was Trent, Heather, and Geoff. For the Killer Bass, Izzy, Ezekiel, and Gwen represented. Each team was hanging upside down on a branch on each side of the tree by their legs.

"THIS LAST CHALLENGE IS EASY MAGGOTS!" Chef announced. "YOU ARE TO JUST HANG THERE! LAST TEAM HANGING WINS INVINCIBILITY! LOSERS SEND SOMEONE HOME TONIGHT! ARE WE CLEAR?"

"YES SIR!" all but Heather replied.

"How is THIS supposed to fit in with military training?" she demanded.

Chef struck her with his rod for not addressing him as "sir" and then proceeded to explain the benefits this challenge had for those that joined the military.

"This challenge is based off of a foreign form of torture," he began. "Those that were captured by enemies were hung upside down just like this from a tree...over a pit of giant, venomous snakes."

The campers all gasped at the thought of being put in that sort of situation. All, that is, except...

"COOL!" Izzy exclaimed as she jumped from the tree to the ground. "Izzy's always wanted to get in a throw down with a poisonous snake! So where are they? Huh? Are they in that wooden crate over there? Come on! I can't WAIT ANY MORE! BRING THEM OUT! I'M BEGGIN YA!"

"Calm down crazy girl!" Chef barked. "First of all, we couldn't find any giant venomous snakes for this challenge. The best we could get are these ill-tempered squirrels!"

Nearby, an intern opened the crate Izzy pointed out and the squirrels jumped out into the pit Chef had built. At first glance, one couldn't tell that that these cute little creatures were dangerous. In fact, one would say they were harmless. But when an intern reached out to grab one that tried to make a run for it, the squirrel jumped on his face and began clawing and scratching at the poor, lost soul mercilessly. Blinded, the intern stumbled into the pit of other squirrels and the last thing the campers heard from him were his screams of terror as he was helplessly attacked.

"Oh! Even better!" Izzy exclaimed.

"Second of all, you're out crazy girl!" Chef announced. "You fell from the tree, so go stand with the other losers!"

"Aww...can I jump in the pit first?" Izzy begged. But she didn't even wait for an answer. With a leap of joy, Izzy dove head first into the pit of deadly rodents, screaming with joy and excitement all the way down.

Confession Cam

Izzy - (She's all scratched up and even has one squirrel still gnawing on her head) Omigosh! That was even better than going for a swim in those shark infested waters. Those slippery little devils are so cute when they're all up in your face going 'grrr! I'm gonna get'cha! I'll eat your face off!'. (she crackles a little) I'm so glad I came onto this show. (she sighs in contentment).

Charlie Brown - (He has a blank expression on his face) Is Izzy even human?

Woodstock - (He holds up a picture of Izzy wrestling with the squirrels in the pit and stares at it with complete shock.)

Tyler - (Chuckling a little) Man, did you SEE that? That's one crazy girl! I mean, those things maul a intern and she jumps in like it's a bubble bath! How can anyone...(he suddenly stops as a look of pure terror forms on his face. He screams as one of these ill-tempered squirrels jumps on him and begins its assault on the jock).

END

Three hours had passed by and the remaining five campers were still in the tree. It was clear none of them were ready to give in.

Down below, the other campers watching had become bored and were engaging in conversation. Lindsay happily made her way over towards Cody and put an arm around the geek.

"Oh my gosh! I can't even begin to say how happy I am for you Cody!"

"Uh...Lindsay...about that," Cody began, not sharing her enthusiasm.

"I mean, you couldn't have picked a nicer person! She's sweet! Cute! Caring! You know...just like you!"

"Yeah but...wait a sec...you really think all that about me?"

"Of course silly," Lindsay chuckled. "Between you and me, Bridgette's the luckiest girl in the world to have you as a boyfriend. You're, like, a DREAM guy any girl would like to have! In fact...I'm almost a little jealous of Bridgette."

That was more than Cody could handle. He had completely forgotten what he meant to explain to the bombshell as he was entranced by these words that his dream girl spoke of him. She really thought that about him...her! The girl he had been crushing on since he got to the island really thought he was every girl's dream guy! It was almost too good to be true. But this good feeling wasn't meant to last forever as Lindsay's next sentence brought him back to reality:

"Anyways, I think you and Bridgette are going to be the cutest couple EVER!"

Cody shook himself back to reality. If he was going to let Lindsay know how he felt about her, it was now or never!

"Lindsay, I..."

"Oh no need to thank me!" she smiled. "I'm just happy to have helped you two..."

"Bridgette isn't the girl!" he quickly exclaimed.

Instantly, all eyes were on him and Lindsay. Even those in the trees were paying attention to this moment. Lindsay just stared at Cody, obviously confused.

"Wait...but...what about that kiss?"

"WHAT?" Geoff and Ezekiel exclaimed at the same time. Upon hearing this news, both Geoff and Ezekiel lost their concentration and plummeted from the tree into the pit of squirrels. Everyone's attention was now turned to Ezekiel and Geoff's screams of terror from inside the pit. Thankfully, Geoff and Ezekiel were able to hastily climb out of the pit before the squirrels could do any serious damage and escape with only some minor cuts and scratches.

"Party Boy and Homeschool are out! We're down to three!" Chef announced.

"Aww...come back in guys! I was getting a little lonely down here with just the squirrels!" Izzy called from the hole.

"Is psycho girl still down there?" Heather asked in shock.

"Wait a minute! Let's not get off topic here!" Geoff replied and turned back to Cody and Lindsay. "What do you mean you kissed Bridgette?"

"Yeah! If Bridgette isn't the girl, then why did the two of you kiss?" Lindsay asked, getting more and more confused by the second.

"I'd like to know too, eh," Ezekiel added, sounding a little irked at the thought of Cody kissing Bridgette.

Confession Cam

Bridgette - Once again, I found myself having to save Cody from yet another awkward situation. (she sighs) I really wish he wouldn't crack under the pressure of some stupid kiss so easily.

END

"...and when we awoke, we found out that we were making out," Bridgette finished.

Lindsay, Ezekiel, and Geoff were standing around Cody and Bridgette as Bridgette finished her story.

"So you see, this is all a big misunderstanding," Cody chuckled as he nervously looked back and forth between the prairie boy and the party animal. Much to his displeasure, they were still glaring at him for the kiss. But after a minute of this, their glares softened.

"Aw heck, I can't stay mad at you little guy," Geoff chuckled. "And besides, it's not like it meant anything."

"Yeah, I guess we should bow down to ya fer kissin' a goddess, eh?" Ezekiel chuckled.

"Well...not really. After all, she didn't know what she was doing when she did it," Cody admitted.

"But wait a minute...what kind of dream would make you two kiss in your sleep?" Lindsay asked.

"That's what I'd like to know too," Duncan added. Now the delinquent was interested.

Confession Cam

Duncan - What? When two people kiss in their sleep, they've gotta be dreaming about something, right? And I'm pretty sure they weren't dreaming about the baseball game last night, if you know what I mean.

Lindsay - So...if Bridgette wasn't the girl Cody liked, does that mean I did all that work for nothing? (She pouts for a minute) I don't get it? I'm usually so good at hooking people up! This game must be making me lose my touch! But mark my words: I WILL find out who Cody likes and I WILL make sure that by the end of this season, Cody will have her for a girlfriend!

END

"Enough gossip and talk of that crap!" Chef ordered. "Stand here and shut your mouths until the end of the challenge!"

"But..."

Chef struck Lindsay's hand with his rod, which ceased all protests from the blonde. Cody clenched his fists at this, but knew there was no way he could stand up to Chef.

"Well...I'm done," Heather announced. She then jumped from the tree and landed just outside the boundaries of the squirrel pit, much to Izzy's displeasure.

"Heather! What are you doing?" Geoff was clearly upset that she had quit like that.

"Relax Geoff," Heather casually replied. "Trent's gonna win this one for us."

"But, like, how can you be so sure?" Katie asked.

"Because...he doesn't want to be voted off next," Heather replied. The others just shivered at the cold tone in her voice.

Above in the tree, Gwen shuddered at Heather's tone too. Not only that, but the way she said that about Trent...made her feel angrier than she ever did. She glanced over at Trent, who looked like he was staring death in the face as he reflected on Heather's statement.

Confession Cam

Gwen - (Looking depressed) So if I win, Trent gets voted off. I thought about taking a dive for him to ensure he would survive tonight, but then I thought to myself 'the others may vote me off for it'. It was a lose-lose situation. I wasn't sure which decision would be the right one, but in the end...(she sighs) I just hope it was the right one.

END

Gwen looked at the ground. It wasn't too far and if she aimed just right, she would be able to miss the squirrel pit like Heather had. But that would mean her teammates would know she fell down on purpose and would more than likely vote her off for it. 'Still', she thought, 'there's a chance I can motivate the others to vote off someone else...like Izzy. She's just crazy. They might go for it. I just hope that...'

"Gwen, don't do it." Trent called over.

"Um...do what?" Gwen asked, trying to play dumb. But Trent wasn't fooled.

"Let's see this one out through until the end. No giving in for the other. If I fall first, then so be it. I don't want you to take a fall just for me. Whatever happens, happens. Okay?"

Gwen looked down at Heather, who wasn't taking her eyes off Trent. It was almost as if she was daring the musician to fall. But when she looked back over at Trent, she couldn't help but fall for his charming smile. With that, she was forced to accept the deal.

"You got it," she smiled back. "No taking the fall for the other. We'll see this through fair and square!"

"That's my girl," Trent smiled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you!"

"Me too," she replied.

Though they were upside down, that didn't prevent them from staring longingly into each other's eyes. But the moment was ruined by an unusual crackling sound. Confused, everyone was looking around to find the source of it. The answer as to the whereabouts of the source came to them when the branch Trent was hanging from suddenly snapped off the tree. The musician screamed as he plummeted into the hole. Every single person present, Chef included, cringed as they heard Trent hit hard in the ground and cry out in terror as he was ambushed by the squirrels.

"Welcome to the party Trent! Grab a squirrel!" Izzy excitedly exclaimed from within the hole. "But no touching Irvine! He's my personal buddy!"

"Trent!" Gwen cried out as she jumped from the tree. When she landed, Trent had just crawled from the hole, heaving in terror as he yanked a squirrel off his scratched up body.

"Are you all right?" Gwen asked, checking Trent over carefully.

"S-S-Squirrels...everywhere...ill-tempered..." he stuttered.

"Weird goth girl wins it for the Killer Bass!" Chef declared. The Killer Bass gave a half-hearted cheer as they were still concerned for the well-being of Trent. "Congratulations weird goth girl! I would go into war with you any day!" he added as he saluted Gwen.

"Oh shut up!" she snapped back at Chef as she helped Trent to his feet. Once she got him standing, she began to help him make his way to the infirmary.

"I suggest you helped music boy heal up fast!" Chef called over. "He and and the Screaming Gophers gotta boot someone out tonight!"

At that, the gophers all groaned in frustration.

Confession Cam

Gwen - (She looks nervous) It wasn't his fault they lost, so he won't get the boot tonight...right?

Geoff - Man, this sucks! With their alliance of five, it could easily be me tonight! And then how can I get closer to Bridge?

Izzy - (She's holding Irvine the squirrel in her hand, cuddling with the evil-looking creature)

Charlie Brown - I promised Leshawna Heather wasn't going to win this contest and myself that she wasn't going to hurt anyone else in this game! (He sighs) But with three against five, things aren't looking so good.

END

(Speaking of things not looking so good...)

The mad villain and the masked hero were caught in an epic battle in front of the blazing fire just feet from the Canadian boarder. One would land a punch on the jaw and the other would retaliate with a punch to the gut.

Nearby, Linus was watching in awe as the two struggled to take the other down...and it was all over him. He quivered and spazzed as he watched the two trade blows with the other. It didn't help things that he was having another blanket withdrawl attack at that moment either.

Finally, in the blink of an eye, the villain gave the hero a low blow that would bring any mortal man to his knees. But that wasn't enough to suffice the mad man's thirst for revenge. He jumped on top of the hero, pinning him down as he pulled out a switch blade knife from his pockets.

"Do you know how I got these scars on my face?" he asked the hero menacingly as he drew the blade closer to his mouth. "It's an interesting story, you see. My father, whom I hate with a passion, was a thirsty man. He loved his booze. One night, he has a little too much to drink and goes all crazy on my mom. She pulls out the kitchen knife and daddy...oh, he doesn't like that one bit. So he yanks the knife from her and butchers her like a cow!"

Linus was overcoem with fear as he watched this menace tell the hero his story. He didn't like the way he was holding the knife up to his face one bit. Whatever he had planned, Linus knew that it wasn't going to be pretty. For the longest time, poor Linus just watched as the villain toyed with the hero as he rubbed the sharp piece of steel along his face.

"Well, after daddy's done with her, he turns to me. Now I was watching the whole thing from behind the couch. He comes up to me ans asks me 'Why so serious son?' He then puts the knife in my mouth, like this!" At this point, he proceded to put the knife in the hero's mouth.

It was here that Linus, while watching this trecherous scene, felt something deep inside of him just snap! He could almost feel the jolt of energy flow through his body as his confidence slowly returned to him. Then, in one lst burst of energy, Linus' could feel it! The insecure little boy without a blanket had completely disappeared and the now bold and daring boy others had known him to be was standing before the villain and hero, disgusted by what he was seeing and not ready to just stand by and let something bad happen!

"Well, daddy then says 'Let's put a smile on that face!'. Then, he...why so serious?"

The villain began to push the blade against the inside of the hero's mouth with full intention of carving a smile on his face. But before he could carry out his plan, he felt something wrap around his leg and yank him off the hero. He looked back to see what had caught his leg. Much to his shock, it was a ragged blanket being held by the six year old his foe was trying to get across teh Canadian boarder.

"Well...you're a fisty little tyke, aren't ya?" he chuckled evilly. "I like that in a kid!"

"Then you're gonna really like this!" Linus retorted. Using all his strength, he began to swing the villain around his head like a rope. He was slightly disturbed by the fact that he was laughing as he was swung around and around rather than screaming in pain and fear.

By this time, the masked man was back on his feet and fully recoperated. When he saw Linus in full combat mode against his arch nemesis, he was almost shocked how well Linus was handling himself. But he couldn't let him do his dirty work. He marched right over and took it where Linus left off. He grabbed the blanket and began to swing it as fast as he could. Finally, after he picked up enough speed, he flung the psychotic man into the air, who laughed like the maniac he was as he disappeared from sight.

"I have to admit, for a little kid, you've got more spunk and courage than most six year old boys," the masked hero complimented. "Even in your current condition."

But LInus was no longer conscious to hear his compliments. His withdrawl symptoms had come back in full force and it was too much for him to handle. He fainted as a result.

By now, the flames had begun to die down and the fire department was able to do their job. Now there was nothing stopping the two of them crossing over to the Canadian boarder. He scooped Linus into his arms and walked heroically and epically across the boarder. The blanketless Linus was now in Canadian territory and one step closer to being reunited with his blanket.

(At the campfire ceremony)

The Screaming Gophers were gathered around the campfire, awaiting Chris to tally up the results. Nearby, the Killer Bass were watching. Bridgette and Gwen looked espeically nervous as they watched Geoff and Trent shift uneasily in their seats.

"You know, I'm really disappointed in all of you," Heather lectured. "I really expected more out of all of you in this challenge! I thought for sure we had this one won! But noooooo. Two losses in a row. That's just pathetic!"

Confession Cam

Tyler - (Looking upset) You know, I could have won the challenge today easily! But like any other great athlete, I just had a bad day! If I had felt better, we would have won for sure! Besides, Heather's one to talk! She gave up during the last challenge! She deserves to be voted off! (He then sighs) But I want to get to the final five, so I have to stick to the plan.

END

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Chris appeared with a tray of eight seven marshmallows. The eight Screaming Gophers sat up straight. It was the moment of faith.

"Campers, I have here seven marshmallows. There are eight of you. One of you will not receive a marshmallow. The one who does not will be eliminated and your chance at a hundred grand will be flushed down the toilet. At that moment, you must walk the dock of shame, baord the boat of losers, and leave Total Drama Island. And you can't come back...ever!"

On cue, everyone flinched at the last line.

"Hey! I thought you were, like, gone!" Katie spoke. "Like, how come Chef Hatchet isn't here doing the ceremony?"

"Oh, he's dealing with some personal issues right now," Chris explained.

(Back in the cafeteria)

"All right punk," Chef growled as he slipped his dancing shoes on. "You got lucky back in the woods last night. Tongiht, I'm ready for ya! Bring your A game, cause I've brought mine!"

Standing across from him was Snoopy, dressed in his full Flashbeagle attire. He glared at Chef Hatchet as he started the flash dancing music up with the snap of his fingers. When the music filled the air, round two of this epic dance off was officially underway.

(Back at the Campfire Ceremony)

"When I call your name, please come up and get your marshmallow!" Chris continued. He then paused for dramatic effect. As usual, all those that were up for elimination were clenching their fists in anticipation.

"Lindsay and Tyler!"

Tyler and Lindsay shared a hug as they headed up for their treat. Nearby, Cody sighed in relief Lindsay was still in the game, but grumbled at Tyler's safety.

"Beth and Katie!"

Beth and Katie hugged and squealed as they raced up to Chris.

"And despite getting three votes, Heather's safe!"

Heather just chuckled evilly at the three remaning Gophers as she grabbed her marshmallow. Inside, Charlie Brown cursed himself for allowing this to happen again.

"Trent, Geoff, and Charlie Brown...once again, the alliance of five has voted against one of you. Tonight, the game ends for one of you."

Geoff began to sweat in his seat. Charlie Brown felt a little sick in his stomach. Trent just hang his head in disappointment and sighed.

"...and the person that has been voted off tonight is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Trent!"

"What? No! NOO!" Gwen cried out! "Why? What did he do wrong? WHY?"

Bridgette and Cody had to restrain the anguished Gwen as she tried to lunge herself towards Heather. "YOU B****! HOW COULD YOU!"

After screaming profanity at her for a few minutes, she finally broke down and cried as Bridgette did her best to comfort her friend.

Geoff just shook his head as Chris tossed him a marshmallow. Charlie Brown jsut stared at his when he caught it. He was glad it wasn't him, but for some reason, ti just didn't feel right to him that he was still in the game and Trent wasn't...on account of his failure.

(At the Dock of Shame)

All the campers had gathered along the dock of shame to bid the musician goodbye minus Heather. As Trent walked down the dock, everyone was shocked to see he didn't look too disappointed or sad.

"Hey, I can't say I didn't see it coming," Trent explained. "Somehow, I knew I was going to be next. But hey, at least I didn't go down without a fight!"

"It's still too bad," Cody sighed. "We're gonna miss ya!"

"I'll miss you guys too!" he announced. He high-fived the others as we walked by them. He stopped when he noticed Charlie Brown looked particularly upset.

"It's my fault," he sighed. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep. If I hadn't you'd still be in the game...I let you down."

Trent knely down by the bald six year old and put an arm around his shoulder. "Trust me little guy. I place no blame on you. I was just dealt a bad hand for this game and there was nothing we could have done. Don't beat yourself up over it! It would have happened at one point or another."

"But...I promised Leshawna...no one else would be hurt by Heather...that she wasn't going to win...I failed..." Charlie Brown began to tear up a little as he reflected on his promise to Leshawna and his dream.

Trent just smiled and said, "You haven't broken your promise to her yet. This game's not over. You can still stop her from hurting people AND from winning this game. Look at it this way: Now you have two people to keep that promise for. Now you have to promise Leshawna AND me she's not going to win this game! Can you do that for me little buddy?"

Charlie Brown took a deep breath and nodded his head "yes".

"Thanks little guy!" Trent bumped his fists and bidded him good-bye.

Last, but not least, Trent stopped by Gwen. The goth's eyes were still a little puffy from earlier. Tent just placed his thumb under her chin and spoke softly to her saying, "I'm going to miss you the most, you know. I want you to stay strong and win this for both of us. Can you do it?"

Gwen nodded her head "Yes" and smiled at him sadly. "I promise," she whispered. She leaned in and gave Trent one long, good-bye kiss before watching him board the boat of losers and being taken away by an intern (Chef and Flashbeagle were still having their dance-off). While the rest of the campers headed back for their cabins, Gwen stayed on the dock of shame and watched the boat until it was completeyl out of sight and longer.

Confession Cam

Heather - So Leshawna and Trent knew about some of my tactics in the past and how I played the game. Now...they're gone! I just eliminated the two biggest threats I have in this game that I can eliminate at this point. Once I make it to the merger, I'll be able to take care of Izzy, Cody, and Gwen. But for now, there's nothing I can do about them except hope they screw up and the others vote them out. Now I'm not planning on losing anymore challenges. But should the improbable happen, I've already selected my next target...Charlie Brown!

END

Uh oh! Heather's targeted Charlie Brown! Will he be able to overcome her wrath? How will Gwen be able to compete now that Trent is gone? Will Lindsay ever figure out that Cody likes HER? What of Linus? What will happen to HIM? Find out in the next challenge!

A/N - Sorry Trent and Trent/Gwen fans, but this was how I have this story planned out. Trust me, Heather's time will come and her elimination will be better than it was portrayed in TDI. Again, I'm sorry it too so long to get this one out (You have my reasoning at the top, regardless of how pathetic it sounds). I'm not really happy with it overall, but hopefully it was worth the wait. Anyways, I promise you all that the next one will be out much sooner than...

ATTENTION GAMERS! KINGDOM HEARTS BIRHT BY SLEEP WILL BE IN STORES ON SEPTEMBER 7TH!

KINGDOM HEARTS BBS? YES! (Runs out the door to the nearest Gamestop)

(Somewhere in the back of my head)

"Great! Just great!" Chris grumbled. "I'm in the backseat of his subconcious again! Man, I hate that freakin' PSP of his!"

"What treachery is THIS? Why am I back here?" Kratos grumbled.

Voting Results

Heather - Trent

Charlie Brown - Heather

Geoff - Heather

Trent - Heather

Lindsay - Trent

Tyler - Trent

Beth - Trent

Katie - Trent.

Trent - 5

Heather - 5

Voted Out Order - Courtney, Noah, Justin, Sadie, DJ, Owen, Eva, Leshawna, Trent.