Dear Mom and Dad I'm doin' fine,
You guys are on my mind
(Katie and Sadie sit and admire Alejandro, who's jogging alongside Eva. The charmer winks at a now blushing Eva)
You asked me what I wanted to be
And now I think the answer is plain to see,
( Bridgette is standing on her board when it's pulled out from under her)
I wanna be famous.
(Ezekiel reels in his fishing line, looking confused as he pulls up Bridgette's surfboard)
I wanna live close to the sun,
(DJ works on a soup, placing a bowl before Duncan and Gwen, Duncan thumbs up after taking a sip. After he turns around, the delinquent smooches Gwen.)
Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won,
Everything to prove, nothing in my way
(Cody is talking with Courtney on a canoe, both are smiling.)
I'll get there one day.
Cause, I wanna be famous!
(A shark pops out of the lake to attack them, but Sierra pops out from the water and karate kicks the shark away from her Codykins)
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!
( At the campfire, Cody and Courtney smile at each other, leaning in….)
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
( Sierra pops in, frightening Cody to falling off his seat while Courtney frowns)
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Confession Begins
Gwen(obviously stressed): Alright, so if the merge isn't soon then I am screwed.(Runs hand through hair) Sierra hates me, Ezekiel hates me, Bridgette must hate me, heck even Chef told me he expected better from me. This… this isn't how I wanted this season to go.
Confession ends
The shot opened on all of the campers, sans Gwen, sitting around the campfire. Unfortunately, the squeal of the loudspeaker immediately ripped through the peace and calm.
" Campers report to the westside of the island for your next spooktacular challenge!"
Cody raised an eyebrow, and looked over to Courtney.
" So, it's horror themed?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chris, dressed in his very best Dracula getup stood before a large gothic house somewhere between a mansion and a cabin.
" Good evening, my children of the night. I regret to inform you that from now on, the packs are dissolved and you are all flying solo." he said, in his very best Lugosi impression.
The teens exchanged worried glances at each other, all now understanding it was everyone for themselves.
" For your challenge, I require you to find 3 keys in Boney Manor. One key grants invincibility, one grants the power of resurrection, and the last? Well, that's a very special key, for it grants destruction!"
"Wait, wait!" Courtney held her hand up, "What do these keys do in English?"
Chris frowned, narrowing his eyes at the CIT.
" Invincibility for the elimination, the ability to bring someone back to the game, and the 3rd one lets you eliminate a camper of your choosing."
Confession Begins
Ezekiel(hope in his eyes): Wait, there's a way to bring Bridgette back into the game?
Gwen(desperate): I need that immunity!
Confession ends
The Lugosi impression was back in full force,
" The Manor will remain locked until each key has been found."
Confession Begins
Courtney(unimpressed): So long as that psycho killer with a chainsaw and a hook isn't here, it can't be that scary.
Confession Ends
The remaining competitors walked into the spooky mansion, surprised at just how creepy it was. Despite the fact that it was still daylight outside, the windows illustrated a dark night sky with an eerie red moon illuminating the inside of the mansion.
It looked ancient, large cobwebs covering many corners and a layer of dust laid over everything.
" What's this, eh?" Ezekiel gestured to a large tome open on the table.
" Here in this house of Despair, You're all in for a scare.
Find the keys and get out, or your demise won't be in doubt." Courtney read out of the book, feeling uneasy as she looked at the illustrations decorating the page.
" Are those monsters?" Katie asked, looking over the CIT's shoulder at the page. Fear lined her voice.
" Great, of course it wouldn't be easy." Gwen sarcastically muttered to herself.
Cody looked up the stairs.
" Courtney, do you wanna look upstairs with me?"
Before the CIT could respond, a loud unearthly wail pierced the air.
The spindly hand broke through the ground, grabbing Gwen's leg. The monstrous, vampiric face looked up at the Goth and she was surprised when she felt hands pulling her free from the grip.
She looked behind her, seeing Cody pulling her away from the monster with all his might. Soon, she was free from the vampire's grip.
" We need to go." Courtney snapped, grabbing a tired Cody's hand and pulling him up the stairs.
Sierra bolted down a hallway, and Katie and Ezekiel ran down a hallway on the opposite side of the main room.
Gwen stood still as the vampire went back down into the floorboard. She felt new eyes on her.
" What do you want?" She asked the Spanish Charmer., narrowing her eyes at Alejandro.
" I believe we should team up to look for the keys. Unless of course, you'd prefer to go it alone with that." He pointed at the hole, " In which case, be my guest."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cody and an annoyed Courtney looked around what appeared to be a study. The minimal light in the room emanated from various candles that were lit everywhere.
" What was that?" Courtney's voice betrayed her anger. Cody rubbed the back of his neck in reaction to the question.
" I saw Gwen in danger." Cody weakly argued.
" May I remind you that it's everyone for themselves? You really think after that crap she pulled on Bridgette that she would have done the same for you?" Courtney sneered at her friend. Cody frowned before responding.
" I don't care if she would have. It was the right thing to do."
" And that's the only reason you did it?"
Confession Begins
Courtney(annoyed): I don't believe it, all the time we've spent together this season and he's still hung up on the girl who broke his heart.
He's the best friend I have left but I'm having to look after him like he's a little brother.
Cody(melancholic): I didn't do that because I'm still in love with Gwen. Just… sometimes the fact that Courtney's so focused on winning that she won't help anyone scares me.
Confession Ends
" Hey, what's this?" Cody picked up a piece of stationary off an ancient looking desk in the middle of the room.
" If destruction is what you seek,
Then you must search up the creek."
Cody immediately walked over to the bookcase, his eyes scanning the titles on display.
" What are you doing?"
" Looking for a title…"
Both brunettes froze as a terrible screeching sound, the horrible sound of metal being dragged, came from down the hallway.
More on instinct than anything else, the two were soon holding onto each other in fear as the shadow got bigger and bigger.
Then the monster came into view, the large metal ball in place of his head could have been funny, but combined with his gargantuan stature, blood slicked robes, and the large metal club he was carrying, he was intimidating.
Confession Begins
Cody(shocked): Sphere Head! One of the bad guys from Quiet Hill 2? What the heck is he doing here?
Chris(smug): I called in a favor to get the rights to use him.(laughs)
Confession Ends
Sphere Head looked at Cody and Courtney, and Cody was suddenly grateful his bladder was empty.
Sphere Head cocked his head to the side, slowly lifting his club when a thrown book collided with his face.
Courtney grabbed another book, throwing them with all the force she could muster at Sphere Head who kept backing up due to the assault of literature.
Cody grabbed a book and tossed it haphazardly at Sphere Head, his aim true as it hit the creature directly between the legs.
Sphere Head fell to his knees, clutching his injured family jewels.
As the two brunettes ran away, neither noticed the bronze skull key that fell out of the pages of a thrown book titled ,'My Journey up the Creek: Reflections on a Life Well Lived."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ezekiel was nervous as he walked around the catacombs that sufficed for hallways in this part of the manor.
The Homeschooled Teen slowly sucked in breath as the unmistakable sound of footsteps made him freeze in place.
" Lord, what fools these mortals be!?" The figure came into sight and Ezekiel was surprised, to say the least. The figure was short, dressed in a nice suit with what looked like the papers of a book stitched together into a mask.
" Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris."
Ezekiel turned on his heel and started sprinting down the catacombs, turning his head to make sure Paperface wasn't following him.
The collision knocked Ezekiel on his rear end as well as his unfortunate victim.
" Oops. Sorry Sierra." The Amazon ignored him and brushed herself off.
" It's fine. Don't suppose you've seen any keys." Ezekiel shook his head, " That sucks."
" I incline to Cain's heresy, I let my brother go to the devil in his own way." The eerie voice made the homeschooled teen jump into the shadows, and the super fan followed him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
" This wouldn't be so bad if Sadie was still here." Katie said sadly as she stepped inside what looked like the lab of a mad scientist.
The bfffl practically jumped out of her skin when lightning struck and thunder rolled.
" Calm down Katie, it's just Chris trying to scare you. When did it get so drafty in here?" Unknown to a shivering Katie, the sheet covered figure behind her stood up on it's gurney.
A nervous Katie backed up, and her face dropped as she felt the telltale monstrous face behind her head.
" Crap."
Katie ran screaming out of the lab, the corpse woman revealing herself as she ripped off the sheet and began shambling after the bfffl.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gwen led Alejandro into what appeared to be a trophy room.
" If I were Chris, where would I hide a key?" muttered the goth, as Alejandro looked at a plaque on the wall.
" Senorita, look at this." Gwen couldn't help but shudder as she looked at the stuffed monster head above the plaque. It looked like something from an HP Lovecraft nightmare, with a head halfway between an anglerfish and a squid.
" Ryallkha, son of Unisugottha.
'The key to safety is through the mouth of danger'"
" It's in the mouth" Gwen and Alejandro said in tandem, immediately giving each other side eyes.
" After you."
Alejandro shrugged, looking around. He snapped as he laid eyes on the trophy, a gladius, picking it up and bringing it over to the head.
He stuck it into the mouth, jamming it up and down until, with a heavy shriek, the mouth swung open depositing a gold skull key on the ground.
" Mine!" Gwen dove at the key, placing it in her pocket for safe keeping.
" I would hope that for my help, You'll at least decide to work with me from now on." He then added in a warm tone, " Afterall, between everyone else left in this game, you need all the help you can get."
" And why would you help me?"
" Simple, I cannot be left on my own at this point less I get picked off. Of course, we would keep the alliance a secret, but I'm your best hope of making it to the finale. Deal?"
Alejandro reached out his hand.
Confession Begins
Alejandro: Of course I have no real intention of taking her to the finale, she'd be a dangerous foe… but stringing her along and using her vote will only help me.
Gwen: I really don't trust Alejandro, but he's right. If I try to go it alone, I'll get voted off for sure.
Confession Ends
Gwen grimaced and shook the hand.
"Deal."
Alejandro smiled devilishly but that disappeared as the loud and easily identifiable voice of Ezekiel rang out from somewhere else in the house.
" Help, eh!"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ezekiel sprinted as hard as he could up the stairs but the Vampire was gaining, and the homeschooled teen could swear he could feel the fetid, putrid breath on the nape of his neck.
He shrieked as different hands reached out of a nearby doorway and pulled him inside, locking out the now fuming Vampire.
Ezekiel smiled as he looked at his rescuers, a happy looking Cody and a frowning Courtney.
" Thanks, I thought I was a goner for sure."
" Why are we wasting our time like this,we need to be looking for keys!"
Cody was taken aback, but he did his best to respond.
" We can't look for keys when there's freaks right outside the doorway."
" There wouldn't be one right outside the doorway if you hadn't let Ezekiel in."
Ezekiel backed away, hoping to not be noticed by Courtney.
" So what, we were just supposed to let the vampire get him?"
Courtney frowned. She had no answer to the question.
" Fine, if you're apparently all buddy buddy with Ezekiel now then you can team up with him!" And with that, a furious Courtney stomped off. Cody looked at her form as she left, his eyes wistful.
Courtney slammed the door behind her, freezing as she came face to face with Paperface.
"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." Courtney, currently frowning and filled with annoyance, had a very reasonable reaction to the quote.
" Kiyahh!" The kick sent Paperface over the railing and crashing through the large oak table that held the ancient tome.
" Courtney?!" Courtney looked over the broken railing, and smiled at the familiar face looking up at her.
Courtney walked down the stairs, and Katie couldn't help but chuckle at the beaten monster.
" You and Cody find any keys?" Courtney's smile immediately dissipated.
" No, he was too busy saving his new bestie Ezekiel." Courtney spat out.
" Okay." Katie rubbed the back of her neck, " You want to look for some keys?"
" Sure." The CIT huffed out.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
An irritated Cody kept pulling books off the shelf, hoping a key would eventually fall out just so this stupid challenge could be over.
" Cody, are you okay, eh?"
" No. I thought Courtney and me were friends but she's acting ridiculous."
" Yeah, maybe she's just nervous, homie. It's scary, now either of you could go home if you really mess up and she's probably just trying to protect you, eh." Cody quirked an eyebrow.
" Protect me? I mean, we're friends but I don't see why she'd be trying to protect me that much."
" Well, aren't you two crushing on each other?" Cody's cheeks immediately flushed red.
" What, no!"
Ezekiel just blinked.
" I'm stupid, but I'm not that stupid, eh."
Cody sighed.
" Fine, I like Courtney. But in case you haven't noticed, she's not just out of my league, she's out of my stratosphere. Plus, with what happened with Gwen, I'm happy enough just being her friend."
" Oh… well, are you sure that's all she feels for you? I may not be the smartest guy when it comes to women, but it seems like she, y'know, likes likes you."
" Zeke, there's no way on earth Courtney would ever be romantically interested in me."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
" And then I left cause he was being stupid! Can you believe that?" Courtney finished her very self aggrandizing version of the events of the challenge, while Katie nodded her head in sympathy. The two were currently walking through another hallway of catacombs.
" Hey, boyfriends, am I right?"
" Yeah!" Courtney responded, then her eyes widened as she realized what had been asked. " Wait, no no no, Cody is just my friend. What would ever make you think he's my boyfriend?" Unknown to Courtney, her tan cheeks were now flushed.
" Maybe because you guys are always having long talks alone on the dock at night? You're always near each other during challenges, you guys are constantly smiling at each other." Katie counted off on her hand.
Courtney stopped, her mind going back to after the Best of Three fighting challenge when she had talked with Alejandro, among other memories.
FLASHBACK MONTAGE
" A crush on Cody? That's ridiculous. I mean yeah, he's funny and friendly." A small blush started to form on Courtney's cheeks, " And he's good at following orders, and it is sweet how he tries to keep everyone's spirits up…"
Alejandro raised an eyebrow.
During the Awake-a-Thon part 2
" We can't work on making it better if you don't let it out."
" Didn't I tell you that last night?" Courtney asked, raising her eyebrow.
" Well, that just proves it's right, doesn't it?" Courtney smiled at his answer.
After she puked after The Eating Challenge
Courtney let the remains of the rotten bird climb up her throat and leave her mouth. Cody was doing his best to help, one hand holding back her hair and the other rubbing her back.
As she finished, Cody reached into his pockets, pulling out a small mint in plastic packaging. He held it out.
" Here, this should help."
" Thank you." Courtney croaked out.
She noticed his smile and wondered how he could still smile at her like that when he had just seen her puke up an entire bird.
FLASHBACK MONTAGE END
Confession Begins
Courtney(facepalms): I can't do this again. I will not be Gwen, I will not let my feelings for a boy get in the way of the competition.
(Takes a deep breath)It's fine. I'll just have to wait to tell him how I feel until after I win.
Confession Ends
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Alejandro couldn't help but grin as he bent down and examined the bronze skull key near a pile of battered books. He pocketed it, and Gwen looked on her ally with an inscrutable expression.
" The night of Horror is over. Please return to the entrance." Chris's Lugosi impression rang out over speakers in the house.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
" Well, you kids look like you've had a fun night." Mclean grinned at the battered and exhausted competitors, most of whom glared at him.
" But before we do anything else, I'd like to thank our wonderful performers tonight."
Sphere Head, Paperface, The Vampire, and the Corpse Lady all walked out of the doors, but now all were unmasked.
" The Big O as Sphere Head!" Owen waved.
" Everyone's favorite 9-obsessed guitarist as the Vampire!" Trent looked mildly miffed at Chris's introduction.
" Little Miss Crazy as The Corpse Lady" Izzy smiled.
" And a bookworm as Paperface. Think you might need some r&r after Courtney put you through a table?" Noah just huffed in frustration, though he winced from the pain of breathing.
" Chris, I know who I'd like to bring back?" Sierra interrupted, raising her silver skull key to illustrate her point.
" Let me guess: Bridgette?"
" Yep."
" Ahh, you kids are too goody goody."
Chris suddenly had a nasty, Grinch like smile on his face.
" But anyway, the person who found the Bronze key said they would prefer to remain anonymous, but the camper they've chosen to send home tonight is… Sierra."
Sierra gasped.
" Wait, that's not right, eh!"
" It's fine Zeke." Sierra looked down, then her eyes drifted over to Courtney and Cody, who were currently not daring to look at the other.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cody threw the rocks into the lake with angry, ugly form. Most failed to skip at all.
" Hey Cody, can we talk?"
" Sure." He threw one more rock before turning to look at Courtney.
" I just wanted to apologize for today's challenge. In retrospect, I may not have been acting in my right mind. Can you forgive me?"
" It's no biggie", Cody said dismissively, " Are you okay?" He added in a tender tone.
" Yeah." Courtney responded just a little too quickly, " Why wouldn't I be?"
" I don't know." Cody self consciously rubbed the back of his neck, " It's just…."
" 'It's just what?'" Courtney asked.
Cody smiled a false mask of cheer.
" It's nothing."
" Oh okay, I'm just going to go, go to bed." Courtney's stuttering and tone betrayed her nervousness and awkwardness.
" Good night!" Cody called after her.
" You too!" Courtney yelled back at him.
" Sweet dreams." He added softly after she was out of earshot.