A/N: Another stranded challenge! And some BIG surprises coming up! Renagirl19, you're going to find out why Julie got rid of Courtney. So grab a smoothie, have a seat on a reclining chair, eat an energy bar, it's time to start this chapter. Review, disclaimer is in the first chapter.
I woke up to the sun in my eyes. I looked around calmly. We were in the woods. Roxas was on my bed and I was still in my bed—and I shot up and let out a scream.
"WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"What? Who's that?!" Heather screamed.
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?!" I screamed theatrically.
"How did we get here?" Duncan mused out loud.
"Chris?" Gwen asked.
"Mommy!" Owen cried.
"EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!" I heard a helicopter scream in—with Chef on a ladder hanging from the helicopter. "HOW YOU GOT HERE IS NOT YOUR CONCERN!"
"What happened to Chris?" Gwen asked.
"None of your goddamn business what happened to Chris! I'm in charge now, and I'm going to make you wish you were never born!" Chef screamed at us.
"He's at an awards show isn't he?" I asked.
"WHAT DID I SAY?! IT'S NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS!!!" He screamed in my face. I redid my hair. Roxas barked at Chef. "AND SHUT UP THAT GODDAMN DOG!" I decided not to fight back. No one insults my dog though!
"Your mission is to find your way out of the forest or die trying!" Chef continued.
"You can't be serious! We will die!" Heather said.
"Here's how it works. Team one: delinquent and chubby." Chef threw Duncan and Owen a bag. "Team two: grim and grimmer." Chef threw Gwen and Heather a bag. I was left without a bag. "No more supplies! Team three: smart mouth and her goddamn dog." I realized he was referring to me and Roxas. "Everything you need is in these bags. You'll navigate your way north to base camp. The first team to tag the camp totem pole wins. And here's a tip: better set up camp before sundown because once nightfall hits you won't even see your trembling hand in front of your terrified face. Unless you got night vision goggles." Chef held up night vision goggles. "But you don't." Chef let out a wicked laugh.
"Oh please please don't leave us here I'm begging you we won't survive!" Duncan went up to Chef and started begging. He was going to swipe the night vision goggles.
"QUICK! HE'S GOING TO SWIPE THEM!" I yelled to Chef. Chef apparently didn't listen to me, because he pushed Duncan away from him and chided him.
"This is totally bonkers! We'll be scarfed down by a grizzly!" Owen panicked.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that. You'll wish you saw a grizzly once you meet up with old Sasquatchinakwa. He's one mean mamma-jamma!" He grabbed the rope ladder leading up to the helicopter. "Good luck troops, and try not to die!" Two helicopters grabbed the beds.
"This isn't legal! You can't do this!" Heather yelled up at the sky.
"Hey peaches, file it with the network lawyers." Duncan grabbed Owen and ran off.
"Where do they think they're going?" Heather asked. "They can't survive out there, its suicide!"
"Hey, I've got an idea. Let's see what happens when you shut up already!" Gwen yelled at Heather. I backed away and ran into the woods.
"Heh, what they don't know is that I disguised my backpack that has everything I need to survive!" I mused out loud. I lifted my backpack from its shroud of invisibility and took out a compass. "Time to head true north." I waited until the compass indicated where north was. "Let's go Roxas." He understood and followed me. "We have to follow the river if we want to get back to camp. Let's go." I trailed behind Gwen and Heather, who didn't even notice I was right behind them.
"TYPICAL CHICKS WITH NO SENSE OF DIRECTION!" I heard Duncan's voice. "HEY HERE'S A POINTER: TRY CHECKING A MAP!"
"UH…WE WOULD IF WE HAD ONE, BUT THIS COMPASS TELLS US THAT'S NORTH!" Gwen pointed ahead of her. "YOU KNOW, LIKE WHERE CHEF SAYS THE CAMP IS!"
"ENJOY THE VIEW UP THERE—SUCKERS!" Heather added. I quietly followed behind them for a while until they decided to rest. I ran into the bushes for cover. "Okay look, we both know we don't like each other, and we both wish we could probably push each other off a cliff right now."
"The thought had crossed my mind." Gwen admitted.
"But I think that we can also agree that we have to win this challenge. We can't afford to let the guys win invincibility! And who knows what kind of evil bonding they're up to right now? So we're a team on this right?" Owen and Duncan were passing by on a raft. Gwen agreed and saw the two floating by. They both gasped. "THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" I started running through the trees, following true north as best as I could. Along the way however, I was almost caught in a few traps, such as the candy bar trick or the walking on a bunch of twigs, but I managed to evade them.
Night fell. I was surprised I wasn't back at camp. I set my Ray-Bans to night vision and looked at the compass. I kept following true north as best as I could, but then I heard screaming. And it was getting louder. I found some bushes to jump into and peered out of them. Owen, Duncan, Heather, and Gwen on top of Sasquatchinakwa ran right past me…into a cave, according to what I could see. I swiftly made my way through the woods, thankful that Roxas wasn't barking. I couldn't afford to blow my cover now. Except…I just came up with an idea. I went to the other mouth of the cave that the others would exit from. "Roxas, I want you to be a good boy and growl as loudly as you can into the cave. If you do…" I pulled out a biscuit from my backpack. "You get this yummy treat!" Roxas went to the mouth of the cave and barked and roared and growled as loud as he could. I picked him up, gave him the treat, and ran into the woods. I soon heard screaming as a flurry of bats flew out of the cave, the others running out of the cave.
"Do Sasquatches get meaner at night?" Heather asked between breaths.
"I don't know, but I don't really want to find out." Duncan responded.
"Since you guys still have supplies and a map, I guess you beat us." Heather admitted defeat.
"Speak for yourself!" Gwen argued.
"It's obvious they kicked our asses!" Heather argued back.
"Fine! Whatever! You beat us!" Gwen folded her arms and looked away.
"Hey look if you guys wanna bunk with us it's cool! Why don't you guys set up camp while we search for firewood!" Duncan and Owen ran off. Big mistake.
"Ugh the damsel in distress thing made me wanna puke!" Gwen remarked.
"Sssshhh! Let them think they're big strong boys for now." Heather plotted. Now that's good teamwork! After 15 minutes, a fire was made and they were all sitting around the fire.
"Hey, I smooshed the energy bars into a big chewy ball! Any takers?" Owen asked.
"No…" Gwen replied shakily. "But I'll take your sleeping bag." She was probably cold. It was summer though. I guess it gets much colder at night during summertime here than in LA. Owen tossed her the sleeping bag and he gulped down the energy bars. Both of them fell asleep immediately.
"I can't sleep. I'm too…scared." Heather faked perfectly. I almost believed her too. Duncan eyed her weirdly, knowing she was up to something. "Can I just…?" She cuddled next to him…on his abs.
"Uh…yeah, sure." He remained suspicious and put his arm around her. I was going to let this one slide. Courtney's going to give him a serious beat down for it!
"I feel so safe in your arms. You won't fall asleep right?" Heather cunningly asked.
"Yup, you can count on it." An hour later, he fell asleep, and I did too.
I woke up a few hours later, Roxas growling in my ear. I looked at him and smiled. He'd make an awfully nice gift for someone…
I peered out of the bushes. All of the campers were still asleep. I turned back to Roxas—if that was even his real name—and he was back to normal, the happy dog I knew, and the one Duncan probably knew too. I looked down at my watch. 8:45! Oh no! I need to start running if I want to beat the girls! I got up and started running as fast as I could to the campsite.
Heather's POV
The guys are so easy to fool, especially Duncan. He played right into my trap. Such a shame we couldn't work together, but all's fair in love and war as they say. I woke up and woke Gwen up. I lifted his shirt and stole the map he had hidden. We also took our compass. It's all we need for now.
"Let's leave them with nothing." Gwen whispered, and she took everything else. "Let's go." We took off into the woods, running all the way.
Duncan's POV
"DUDE! WAKE UP! THE FIRE, THE GIRLS, OUR STUFF! IT'S GONE!!!!" I was awoken by Owen yelling like a maniac.
"WHAT?!" I shot up and stood up as fast as I could. He was right, everything he said was gone. Even the map was gone! I cursed. "Ugh! I can't believe I let myself get suckered by a chick!"
"Uh…two chicks. What can I say? You're weak. You've succumbed to the primal urges of all—" He sniffed the air. "You smell that?" I asked him what he smelled. "Wait, it's…cinammony and…I've almost got it…STICKY BUNS! Hold on baby I'm coming for ya!" He started running, and I ran after him. Wherever there's food, there's Chef!
My POV
I had about a 15 minute head start on the girls. I could smell the sticky buns that Chef was making permeating the air. It also meant that Duncan and Owen weren't far behind. I picked up the pace. I could soon hear the creaking of a chair. Chef! I ran out of the woods to a clearing and touched the totem pole. Roxas touched it too.
"YES! I WIN!" I jumped up and down. Roxas barked in agreement.
"WE MADE IT!" Heather came running in along with Gwen.
"Oh crap." I heard Chef say out loud.
"YEAH! GO FOR IT DUDE!" I heard Duncan yell at Owen. But Owen didn't touch the totem pole. He ran to Chef and gobbled his sticky buns. "NO! DUDE!" Duncan walked into sight as Heather and Gwen touched the totem pole. "We were so close! Why?"
"Well they're fresh from the oven." Owen responded—incorrectly.
"THOSE ARE MINE! I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THOSE BUNS!" Chef knocked the pan out of Owen's hands. "ALL RIGHT GAME'S OVER! JULIE WINS AND OTHERS LOSE!"
"JULIE?!" Everyone replied shocked.
"YEAH! SHE'S THE ONE THAT GOT HERE FIRST!"
"Hey." I made myself known smugly. The other campers cried out in disgust. We headed off to our cabins and rested for a long time, until evening. I cast my vote, voting Duncan off.
At the ceremony, a lot of things were revealed.
"THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY DAY! I had it all planned. I was going to eat my sticky buns, relax with one of Heather's facials while I finished reading Gwen's diary and clipped my toenails." Chef ranted. Owen, Heather, and Gwen gasped simultaneously. "That reminds me…you need to sharpen this." Chef tossed Duncan a knife, more specifically, what WAS Duncan's knife. It was all bent and had green stuff on it. "Then I was going to loot the rest of Owen's snack stash…BUT YOU ALL RUINED IT! SO HERE'S YOUR IN-DAMN- VINCIBILITY!" I caught my marshmallow and ripped chunks out of it. Gwen and Heather got theirs. Now it was between Duncan and Owen. Chef grinned like a cursed doll. Creepiest thing ever. They stayed like that for a few seconds. "Chew on this, you glutton!" He threw Owen a marshmallow, which he caught and gulped down. "That means you're finished!" He pointed to Duncan.
"Good! Get me out of here and back to juvie! At least with convicts you know what to expect!" Duncan yelled and walked away.
"OH SHIT! I FORGOT TO FEED MY DOG! ROXAS I'M COMING!" I ran off to Roxas. "Roxas! I think it's time to give you to someone more special than me. I can't keep you." I picked up Roxas and ran to the Bass cabin where Duncan was packing. I politely knocked on the door.
"Knock knock. Mind if I come in?" I let myself in.
"What do you want? Come by to be a bitch?" Duncan asked.
Harsh! "No, I came for something else. To give you a gift."
"What gi—oh no, not Roxas. He's yours, and why would I need him? I'm not good with dogs."
"I think you are! And someone else might really like him, someone like…oh; I don't know…a special someone waiting for you?"
"Oh, I get it. You did something, and you want to be a kindhearted soul and try to mend some old wounds. Yeah, not happening Cali." He remained silent. "What did you do?"
"Uh…remember the extreme challenges? When SHE was still here?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So…I might've played a part in why she lost." I scratched the back of my head.
"But Heather…"
"No. I did. I told Heather to do it."
"You saved her. And then you BETRAYED HER! WHY?! SHE PROBABLY THOUGHT I VOTED HER OFF! UGH!"
"I'm sorry! I was…jealous!"
"Jealous? Of what?"
"Your relationship!" I started crying. "I've never had a relationship like that. Such devotion. Such love."
"What are you talking about?"
"Uh..." I just realized that they had never really gotten together, and that it happened later in time. "Just a hunch that it could happen. I just wished, just once, I had something like that. After I got her eliminated, I immediately regretted it. I've had to LIVE with that guilt for weeks! But I realize what I did was wrong, and now I want you to give Roxas to her. Tell her…that I'm sorry, and that I really do like her. I didn't mean anything by it. I imagined love like that. It only comes once, and this is your chance. If she's in denial, get her out of it. Please." I smiled. "You'll both be happier if you do."
"Hm…"
"Keep him hidden. Give him a new name if you like. Roxas is special, so dress him up. I'm sure you'll get her through Roxas. I'm so sure."
"Fine." He finished packing up and hid Roxas away. As I walked away, he said something…nice. "Uh…thanks…Julie." He finally called me by my real name.
"No problem…Duncan."
Chef started walking down the dock.
"LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT! COME ON SOLDIER! DON'T BEAR A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO SOMEONE WHO'S GOT ALL DAY!" Duncan trailed behind.
"What can I say? You had the chance to rock an alliance with me, but you blew it." Heather said, taking people's emotions with a grain of salt.
"You really played the game well. Sorry you had to lose over sticky buns." Gwen and Duncan pounded their fists together.
"Go get her." I smiled and winked at Duncan. He smirked as he went to Owen. He sniffled, but then he burped in Duncan's face.
"Whatever." He jumped on the boat and it sped off.
"So…looks like we made it to the final four!" Heather joyfully replied.
"Whatever. I'm going to bed." I left to the cabin, plopped into bed, and let sleep come to me.
Me: Awwwwwww! That was beautiful! *blows nose*
Katie: It made me want to cry!
Sadie: Awww, me too!
Me: Courtney didn't see any of this did she?
Sadie: Not yet...
Bridgette: Courtney's going to love Roxas. But Duncan better rename him.
Katie: Good idea! It should be...Sammy!
Sadie: Awww, what a cute name!
Me: Awesome! I can't wait!