'It had been a mistake to get involved,' Harry thought as the beautiful yacht steadily drifted away from the mainland and led towards islands that have yet to be fully explored by others. At this point, he had hoped to be far beyond Canada and exploring the savannahs of Africa. Instead, he was on his way to becoming a contestant in a 'hot, new' reality TV show hosted by Chris McLean, who convinced him to join him and the other contestants on the island for eight weeks filled with crazy teenage angst and madness.
'Yeah, should not have gotten involved.' Black tresses shook back and forth as he moved his head, taking in the small, rundown cabins, the cast of characters who have already arrived, and the man he had inadvertently saved. He looked better, clothes washed, beard shaved down to a trim, a brimming smile on his face as he announced the newest contestant.
"And here comes Harry, a contestant personally requested by moi." The man enunciated clearly, gesturing towards the beautiful male.
"Hey Chris," Harry went in to hug him, glad that the man was doing better after their last encounter. In front of the other twenty-two campers and the rest of the world, the two men stood wrapped in an embrace, one beaming as bright as the sun as the other released a stuttering breath into the shoulder that hid his face. "So," Harry cleared his throat, squeezing the other man one more time before pulling away, "Shall we get this show on the road?"
"Yes… yes, but first! A group photo for the promos, everyone on the end of the dock." As the campers arranged themselves, he jumped up onto the yacht and waited with an impatient twitch. Chris watched with a faint smile, however, when he noticed the awe, the other teens showed Harry, 'Honestly who could blame them, the young man was an angel.'
"Okay! Everyone steady?" He specifically looked at Harry, who had somehow ended up on the shoulders of Duncan. The delinquent grinned while the one upon his shoulders smiled with a nod.
"One, two, three." There was a moment after the snap when all the teenagers began to slouch, returning to their natural postures before hearing Chris speak again, "Oops! Okay, forgot the lens cap. Okay… Now hold that pose." At this point Harry began to giggle, the sound almost angelic to the people around him, he knew what Chris was up to and made sure to hold tightly onto the head in front of him.
"One, two, wait! The cards full." As he fiddled with the camera one of the teens, a beautiful woman with dark mocha skin, black hair, and smoldering eyes, gritted her teeth from where she stood, not three people away from where Harry was, lifted high above the rest.
"Come on, man. My face is starting to freeze."
Before their photo was taken, the black-haired teen looked down to the delinquent, who was still holding him up on his shoulders as if he was lighter than a feather, "Are you alright down there?"
"Relax Angel Eyes, I've got you."
Harry blushed bright red but, before he got a chance to retort, Chris had managed to make space on his camera card and was ready to take the picture, "Got it, okay. Everyone say, Wawanakwa!"
"Wawanakwa!" And just like that, the dock broke, dropping the twenty-three teenagers into the ocean below, dousing them in the cold, salty water. As they swam up to the surface, they all turned to glare at their esteemed host once they realized where the laughter was coming from.
The man, standing dry above them, wore a cheesy grin as he continued to take pictures of the drenched crew, "Okay guys. Dry off and meet at the campfire pit in ten." And with that, he watched with joy as the teens struggled to wade out of the shallow water, Harry, in particular, he noted, seemed to be enjoying himself, if the giggling coming from the young man was anything to go by.
Now dried and redressed, the teens sat or stood around the two rows of logs that surrounded a lone campfire pit, already filled with wood, prepared for its next fire. Chris stood in front of them, arms flailing in a dramatized way as he spoke.
"This is camp Wawanakwa, your home for the next eight weeks. The campers sitting around you will be your cabin mates, your competition, and maybe even your friends," He paused, allowing the teens the chance to size up their fellow campers, making note of the smiles, the frowns, and the outright looks of disgust, "Ya dig? The camper who manages to stay on Total Drama Island the longest without getting voted off will win $100,000!"
"Excuse me?" They all turned to the delinquent teen, hair shaped into a mohawk colored neon green, ears and eyebrows pierced, with a spiked choker around his neck, "What will the sleeping arrangements be? Because I'd like to request a bunk under him." He points slightly behind him to Harry, who was not paying attention to any questions asked rather staring at the butterfly that had made its home on his petite nose.
'How is he this cute?' Was the collective thought running through the heads of each competitor as they stared at the dark-haired teen, taking in the innocence that shone brightly with each blink of his large emerald eyes.
Coughing, one of the teens brought the attention back to her, "They're not co-ed, are they?"
Immediately shaking his head, Chris replied easily, "Noooo. Girls get one side of each cabin and dudes get the other."
"Excuse me, Kyle." They turned to look at the tanned blonde, she wore a mini skirt with cowboy boots and a blue bandana to keep her fringe out of her eyes, "Can I have the cabin with the lake view since I'm the prettiest?"
The group turned to look at the girl, blatant disbelief on their faces, before turning to look back at Harry, the butterfly having migrated from his nose to the soft locks that fell softly around his heart-shaped face.
Having been one of the many people looking at the 23rd contestant, the host turned back to the ditzy blonde, "That's debatable, and that's not really how it works around here. By the way, it's Chris."
Two of the girls sitting towards the front, wearing matching outfits consisting of black and white striped shirts and pink shorts, hair tied up in matching black pigtails, grabbed the other's hand, "I have to live with Sadie or, I'll die," started the first one, with skin dark as chocolate and eyes dark as the night, "And I'll break out into hives. It's true," finished the other with fair skin, eyes similar to her fake twin.
Before he could reply, a girl towards the back, wearing an outfit consisting of dark clothing, blue streaked hair, and a dull look on her face monotonously uttered, "This cannot be happening." Before she was grabbed, along with another competitor, by a teen from behind, this one had blonde hair, dark eyes, and a stomach big enough to eat a horse.
"Aww come on guys!" Said guys, who were being held against their will, looked up to see whose arms were wrapped so tightly around their shoulders and neck, "It'll be fun, it's like a big sleepover!"
The other teen being held captive, a jock wearing a red tracksuit, brown hair, and brown eyes, noticed something from the corner of his eye. The delinquent teen from earlier, holding a deer captive with a headlock, "At least you don't have to sleep next to him."
Realizing that the questioning is over, Chris regained the attention of the campers and continued with the show, "Here's the deal. We're going to split you into two teams, if I call your name out go stand over there," He pointed to his direct left, holding a paper containing the prepared team.
"Gwen," The girl from earlier wearing a dark outfit that covered the majority of her skin, black hair streaked with blue and a dull look upon her face.
"Trent," A boy with dark, spiked hair, bright green eyes, and a bright smile for everyone around him.
"Heather," Long, straight black hair flowed down her back in beautiful waves, she wore a maroon halter top paired with short shorts, her expression consisted of a cold smile.
"Cody," Brown spiked hair that covered his forehead, dark blue eyes, and a walk that only spoke of the fake confidence hidden in his tiny body.
"Lindsay," The girl from before who forgot the name of the host, having long blonde hair that reached her hips, bright blue eyes, and a shirt that left nothing to the imagination.
"Beth," A shorter girl with brown hair styled in a side-pony, glasses covering more than half of her face, and an outfit that contained badges of sorts attached.
"Katie," One of the fake twins from earlier, wearing a black and white striped shoulder top, pink shorts, her dark hair styled into twin pigtails both containing pink hair ties with little balls on the end.
"Owen," The big guy from earlier, with blonde hair, dark eyes, and an outfit consisting of a white shirt with a maple leaf and green shorts.
"Leshawna," The girl who spoke up when the cast was prepared for the promo pictures, her skin a dark mocha, eyes dark as the night, and an outfit consisting of a shirt, decorated with fruits, and 3/4 length jeans.
"Justin," One of the better-looking teens on the show, having already been hired as a model previously. Looks consisting of dark hair, dark tanned skin, and not a scar nor zit in sight.
"And Noah," A more sarcastic boy with dark brown hair, dark eyes, and a button-up shirt with a red polo vest over the top.
"From this moment on, you are officially known as," Chris paused, allowing time for the dramatic effect, "The Screaming Gophers!"
"Yeah! I'm a gopher! Woooo!" Owen exclaimed as he held the dusty, green flag in hand.
Just noticing that her best friend wasn't on the team, Katie turned away from her fellow gophers to look at the rest of the teenagers waiting, "Wait! What about Sadie?"
Having completely ignored her, Chris gestured to his right, "The rest of you are over here,"
"Geoff," A blonde, blue-eyed dude wearing an open, pink button-up displaying his chest to the world, a cowboy hat sat firmly on his head as a manly necklace encased his neck.
"Bridgette," Having heard her name, the surfer looked away from Geoff, who stood beside her. She had long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, mossy green eyes, a blue sweater, and a face of natural beauty.
"DJ," He was tall and buff looking however, his eyes showed kindness that spoke highly of his personality. He wore a moss green shirt and had his closely shaved head covered with a white hat.
"Tyler," The concerned teen from before stood up after hearing his name, eyes and mouth pulled into a semblance of a bored expression.
"Sadie," At this, the girl almost looked concerned, scared, she didn't want to leave Katie behind, nor did she want to be left behind.
"Izzy," Blinking, the girl continued to smile at nothing, her hair curly ginger. She wore a green skirt wrapped that allowed for free movement while remaining fashionable, and with a top to match.
"Courtney," Her brown hair was cut short to her shoulders and aided in the outfits screams of professionalism. Her top a button-up with a grey sweater thrown over it, she wore khaki pants and tied the outfit up with heeled shoes that wrapped around her ankle.
"Ezekiel," A boy wearing mismatched clothes, a dark green hoodie, and a bright blue beanie, moved forward to stand near Courtney, a smile permanently etched on his face.
"Duncan," His arms still wrapped around the deer, a look of pain expressed on the animal's face, looked up at the call of his name, blinking.
"Eva," A girl with muscular arms and a blue outfit, merely acknowledged the host with minimal blinking, too focused on the weights she was working out with.
"And Harold," A red-headed boy covered in freckles looked up at the sound of his name, he wore a geeky-looking shirt colored green and blue, with a long-sleeved shirt hidden underneath.
"Move, move, move!" Chris called to the teens, having noticed that the majority of them were standing in place, staring into the distance as if he hadn't already stated where he wanted them to stand.
"But Katie's a gopher!" Sadie, who hadn't moved asides from standing up, stood in place, her hands wringing with nervousness, "I have to be a gopher!"
Courtney, who had been making her way to her team, stood beside her, pressing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Sadie, is it? Come on, it'll be okay."
As she followed the nice teen who comforted her, Sadie couldn't help but look over her shoulder at her oldest and dearest friend, waving her hand as if this was the last time, they would see each other, "This is so unfair! I miss you, Katie!"
Sniffling and tearing up, the gopher confessed to her best friend, "I miss you too!"
With the group of teens finally together, Chris stood beside them and handed Harold a red flag, "You guys will officially be known as the Killer Bass!"
Unfurling the flag, Harold looked down at the fish amazed, "Awesome! It's like…" He fumbled around for a second, trying to find some other way to describe how he was feeling, "Amazing."
"Hey, wait a minute," Every competitor turned to the gopher group, specifically looking at Heather, who stood with hands on her hips, scowl evident on her face, "What about him?" She pointed directly to Harry, the teen calmly patting the deer that had been manhandled early, butterfly still firmly attached to his hair.
"Ah right! Well since Harry is an extra contestant, he'll be joying the first team who loses, to… lessen the blow of loser hood." Hearing his name, bright green eyes blinked up at the group of competitors, noticing their intense stares. He blushed, turned away from the group, hiding his head in the neck of the deer, the soft fur caressing his face lovingly.
"All right, campers, you and your team will be on camera in all public areas during this competition," He gestured around him, pointing out the multitude of cameras that were hidden just near the camera, making a vague gesture to show that there were similar amounts in the other public areas.
"You will also be able to share your innermost thoughts on tape with video diaries anytime you want. Let the audience at home know what you're really thinking. Or just get something off your chest." The video showed Chris sitting in an outhouse of a toilet, carvings on the walls showed a turtle and a skull and crossbones as flies flew around within the toilet emphasizing the disgusting degree of it.
"Um, okay… So far, this sucks." Sitting on the toilet with her legs crossed, Gwen tilted her head back and forth, the strains swinging with every movement, before she looked directly into the camera.
"Um, I don't get it. Where's the camera guy?" Standing up, Lindsay faced the other way as she spoke, not understanding the idea behind the confessional booth.
"This is pretty great so far!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, his bright eyes shining with pure joy, "I've seen so many wild creatures so far! This place is amazing!"
"Hey everyone. Check this out. I have something very important to say." Owen stared into the camera, his demeanour not at all displaying the kind, big-hearted goof he originally displayed. All emotions of civility were thrown out of the window once the teen leaned to one side and let one loose, he started laughing at his joke as moved forward to hold the camera.
"All right. Any questions?" At this point, Harry raised his hand, flushing red once again as all eyes were directed on him, "Harry!"
"Um, where will I be staying tonight?" He bowed his head after speaking, his fringe covering his shy emeralds. He wasn't used to asking questions, he never really had the chance to due to the combined effort of the Dursleys and Hermione. He hadn't yet learned that there were no dumb questions, only dumb answers, and that was something that would take him a while to become used to.
"We shall speak about that privately momentarily, for now, let's find your cabins. Gophers, you're in the east cabin. Bass, you're in the west." The group walked a few metres away from the confessional, two lone cabins with two doors on each stood amongst the tree. As the girls and guys inspected their homes for the next two months, Harry stood with Chris off to the side.
"For tonight, I've put you in my home with me," The host brushed the back of his head nervously, smiling at his friend.
"I wouldn't want to impose…" Started Harry as he gestured to the boy's side of either cabin before the idea he proposed was immediately rejected by the host.
"No! I mean, no it's okay." A megawatt smile shone on the older man's face as he anxiously ran his hands through his hair, messing up the styled windswept look, "It's only for a night, and you don't look like you'll take up that much room." He gestured to Harry's slim figure, how the sweater he wore swamped his figure and the supposed skinny jeans hung loosely around his knees.
Laughing, Harry agreed, "Well if it's okay with you then, shall I take my bags up?"
"Already done." They were interrupted by Lindsay who stood outside of the room she shared with the other girls, her face conveying her confusion as she questioned Chris.
"Where are the outlets? I have to plug in my straightening iron."
Stepping closer to the gopher cabin, Chris gestured wildly towards the bathrooms, "There are some communal bathrooms across the way."
"Communal bathrooms? But… I'm not Catholic…" Harry looked a bit dumbfounded by the girl as she confused two entirely different terms. He sauntered up next to Chris, feeling more comfortable around the host as Harry knew him best, and replied to the blonde.
"Lindsay, he said communal?" The girl continued to stare at him blankly, not quite understanding what Harry was trying to tell her, "It means we share the bathrooms?"
"What really?!" At his nod, the girl proceeded to throw a tantrum, "What?! Aw, come on!"
Hearing her screeching, three boys came out of the boy's side of the cabin, the group consisting of Trent, Owen, and Noah, with concerned frowns imprinted on their faces. Seeing that she was ultimately fine and was only complaining about the lack of privacy, Owen laughed, "I'm glad we're in our own cabin with just guys. Know what I mean?" His comment gave him glances of unease from Trent and Noah, "I mean no! I didn't mean it like that! I love chicks… I just don't wanna sleep near them."
Running from the awkward conversation, Noah zipped back inside the room with Trent following at a steadier pace, "I mean…" Owen followed them inside, trying to salvage any possible friendship he had going with the other guys on his team.
Standing beside the door into the girl's side of the bass cabin, Geoff called out to Chris, of whom was both in awe at Harry who stood at peace in nature and equally concerned at the drama occurring in the gopher cabin before the challenges had even started, "Excuse me, Chris? Is there uh," He watched Bridgette walked into the room, eyeing her the entire time, "A chaperone of any kind in this facility here?"
"You're all 16 years old, as old as a counselor in training at a regular summer camp. So other than myself. You'll be unsupervised." The older man watched as excitement practically beamed out of Geoff's entire body.
Looking around, making note of the teens who had all brought in their bags, Chris continued, "You've got half an hour to unpack and meet me back at the main lodge," He brought his watch closer to his face, "Starting now."
Regarding the girl cabin as Chris moved away, Geoff let out a quiet, however, thrilled, "Nice!"
Harry sat in the sun, basking in the rays as wind swept his hair this way and that. The other teens moved around him quietly, almost as if they didn't want to disrupt the semblance of peace created. Until a scream coming from within the gopher cabin disturbed the calming picture made by the shy boy.
"Man, that white girl can scream." Several teens, including Heather, Duncan, Leshawna, and Harry, leaned their heads into the room, taking in the scene before them. Lindsay cowering on the top of a wooden stool, her body angled away from what looked to be a small cockroach upon the floor.
"What is it? Kill it, kill it!"
Watching it move, the group began to freak out, climbing the furniture to get away from the creature, in some cases, leaping at the bunk beds to escape. Harry began to giggle as even DJ, the most intimidating competitor squealed and leaped onto Gwen's bed, breaking it with his quick movements.
"That was my bed." The goth slouches, only to straighten up as Harry pats her on the shoulder with a kind smile.
She, along with the others, watched as Harry, tranquil as can be, bent down to pick up the roach before taking it outside and further into the woods where it would no longer be bothered, "There you go, I wouldn't recommend coming around here again."
Clapping his hands together as he wiped off any bug residue, the teen walked back to where the group stood shocked at his ability to deal with something that gross, "How could you stand to touch it?"
"Huh?" He glanced up, only to immediately flare up with red as he spotted the eyes lingering on him, "Oh, um…" He dug his foot in the dirt, not knowing how to explain that bugs, especially ones that weren't usually liked by other humans, were all he had in his childhood.
Shaking his head, he peered at Gwen's bed, and how it looked like a mangled mess, "I could probably fix that… If you want?"
Taking note of what he was looking at, Gwen immediately nodded, not knowing whether Chris would want to replace it since he was in charge of torturing the teenagers as much as possible.
"Listen up! I serve it three times a day and you'll eat it three times a day! Grab a tray, get your food, and sit your butts down NOW!" The adolescents stood around what appeared to be the main lodge, decorated with heads of animals that had been hunted, two tables surrounded by log stumps that acted as chairs, and a window that looked into the kitchen, showing Chef Hatchet.
Chef Hatchet was a mean-looking man with a tall stature and firm features however, internally he had a heart of gold and did his absolute best to help his friends in their endeavours. In this case, despite not trusting his cooking ability, he joined the show to help Chris, who he had known for years.
Towards the front of the group, Beth and Harold eyed the slop with apprehension, "Excuse me, but will we be getting all the major food groups?" The braces-wearing girl asked as the meat was dropped onto her tray.
"Yeah, cause I get hypoglycaemic real bad if I don't get enough sugar." Eye twitching, Chef watched as Beth wandered off, carrying a tray full of food, as Harold continued to complain as if he had any right too.
Surging forward, his screams scaring off the younger teenager, he yelled out, "You'll get a whole lot of 'Shut the heck up!'"
Close to the scene, Owen and Noah stood close together, holding trays that awaited food to be placed on top. Wanting to get back in with the boys, especially due to his embarrassment from earlier, Owen leaned close to Noah, "Have a cow." He was delighted to hear his newly found friend snickering until he realized that the chef was now glaring specifically at him.
"What was that?!" The boys stammered as the tougher man eyed them sternly, "Come closer, fat boy! I didn't hear you!"
Shaking his head as he stepped forward, Owen stammered out, "Oh, I didn't really say anything important."
"I'm sure you didn't!" Hatchet gave the boy his food before sending him off, his all-seeing eyes now lingered upon Noah and Harry, who had moved up next to the sarcastic boy once Owen had left.
"You! Scrawny kid," At this, the two boys looked at each other, unsure who he was talking to as they were both the objectively scrawny kid, "The brown-haired one! Give me your plate." While remaining aggressive, Chef also shows kindness to the scrawny camper, making sure that his tray was filled to the brim with food.
After Noah began to walk away, Harry stood in front of Chef with a smile upon his face as he collected his tray, "Thank you so much for cooking for us!"
"Wait!" Harry turns back around, confused, but obliges and goes back towards the older man. As they stand face to face, Chef scrutinizing him with a keen eye, the man takes the tray away from the teen, scrapping some food off of the buns and out of the bowls.
'He knows!' Harry thought with a surprised look on his face, 'He knows, and he's helping me!' The shocked expression slowly turned into a beaming smile as the teen thanked the man, "You're a good guy."
Once the beautiful teen had left, finding a seat at one of the tables, Leshawna and Eva both trod to receive their food now they were at the front of the line. Eyeing the competition, Leshawna attempted to make conversation, "Yo, what's up girl?" Getting nothing but a glance and the back of the person she was talking to, Leshawna's kind smile turned into a frown, "Oh, it's gonna be like that, is it?"
"NEXT!" Chef sent Leshawna away with a scream, bringing forward Lindsay and Gwen.
"Excuse me, my nutritionist says I shouldn't eat any white sugar, white flour, or like, dairy." Standing before the chef, a tray of food in front of her, Lindsay spoke with a blank look on her face as the chef barely paid any attention, focusing more on the fly buzzing around his face.
Beside her, Gwen glared at their trays, "I don't think that's gonna be a problem," Her expression turns to one of shock once the meat on her bread twitches and begins to move, "Okay, I hate to be predictable and complain on the first day… but I think mine just moved."
Without care, Chef brought up a wooden hammer, immediately slamming it down on the meat she complained about, splattering both himself and Gwen in lunch.
Everyone sat at a table, gophers on the left with the killer bass on the right. Rather than eating, they all stared forlornly at their food, picking at it with their utensils or their hands. Even Owen, who can eat anything, regarded his food despondently.
From a door, closest to the gopher table, Chris strutted into the room, his eyes immediately catching Harry's, who sat next to Duncan at the bass table. "Welcome to the main lodge," Chris smiled, gesturing to the room and the unhappy campers who sat inside it.
"Yo, my man. Can we order a pizza?" A knife from the kitchen comes flying out, landing in the doorway Chris had just, not moments before, walked through. Harry who was close to Geoff due to his sitting with Duncan started to giggle.
"I think you upset him." The rest of the teens turned to the kitchen where the man stood menacingly, holding a shining knife firmly in his hands, his arms crossed.
The beautiful boy's laughter increased as he heard Geoff trying to placate Chef, not wanting that knife to get any closer than it had previously, "Whoa! Its' cool G! Brown slop is cool!" He turns back to his fellow team, pleadingly looking towards his team and the others, "Right guys?"
Everyone agreed quietly, hiding behind tables or each other. Harry stood up, he had eaten what he could and gave his tray back to Chef, "Thank you so much, it must be hard to cook for so many teenagers right?"
Taking the tray, the larger male turned back to speak with the teenager, "Like you wouldn't believe…" He trailed off, concerned about his tasks around the camp, cooking for picky teenagers, helping Chris with challenges, being a test dummy for those challenges, and more.
"I think you'll do wonderfully."
Interrupting the moment, Chris cleared his throat, getting the attention of all the campers in the room, including Harry who was complimenting Chef, "Your first challenge begins, in one hour!" And with that, the man left, strutting back out the way he came in.
Worried, two bass members turned to talk to each other, "What do you think they'll make us do?" Katie asked.
"It's our first challenge, how hard can it be?" DJ replied, a smile and shrug present as he spoke, not taking in that the show was a practical race for $100'000 and would be a heavy influence on how the challenges were run.
"Oh… shit." The lovable teddy bear swore as the group were shown the 1'000-foot drop that they would have to jump.
"Next time on Total Drama Island. Your first task is to jump off this 1'000-foot-high cliff into the lake."
"I'm looking at this guy and thinking, there's no way he's gonna make it." Geoff sat in the confessional booth, face calm as you please as he recounted the current ongoings to the audience at home.
"I actually thought if he jumps this. He's gonna die." Gwen's eyes were wide, filled with fear for her teammate until the expression fell and emotions once again become more monotoned.
"I'm going to die now. I'm going to frickin' die now."