DISCLAIMER:
Hello, episode 20 is here. Just when the ex-contestant was relaxing after the Psycho killer was captured, they discovered that there is another kidnapper on the island. Who is this mysterious fish man? And can the contestants stop him? Find out right now.
Total Drama belongs to fresh tv and his creators. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic
Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon
It was already dark in playa des losers. Zeke, Eva, Noah, Katie, Cody, Bridgette, Lindsay, and DJ were in the lobby. Noah and Katie insisted the group stay together. The atmosphere was filled with anxiety and uneasiness.
"Where is Justin?" asked Lindsay, tilting her head.
"Why can you remember his name correctly but not mine?" asked Noah, raising an eyebrow.
Lindsay chuckled, "don't say that, Brad. I just got your name mixed once, and it won't happen again."
Noah sighed, defeated.
"We couldn't find him," said Katie, ignoring Noah's drama, "he was with Nadia, so maybe they're outside the resort or the intern's office."
Suddenly the lights in the resort blinked and died out. Everything was covered in darkness.
"AHHHH! Ghosts!" shouted DJ, who ran away scared. Soon Katie and Lindsay began to scream too. Katie hugged Eva while Lindsay hugged Bridgette.
"Stop crying! Ghosts don't exist," said Eva in a harsh tone, but her pupils were trembling. "And even if they did, we have egghead to deal with them."
Bridgette patted the other blonde's back. "Eva's right, don't be scared Lindsay. It was probably just a problem with the lights outside." As the surfer girl talked, the lights turned on again. "see?"
"Phew! I thought this place was haunted," said DJ, who was carried by someone else.
"I'm so glad. Now, can you get down?" said Cody, who was sweating a lot while carrying the Brickhouse in his arms.
Dj jumped down. "Oh! Sorry man, and thanks."
"Don't worry, it was my pleasure," said Cody, making finger guns. "But I would be happier if it was Lindsay or Bridgette."
Lindsay chuckled, and Bridgette raised an eyebrow at the Codemeister's comment.
"Anyway it's weird the lights are failing, homies. We got the power lines repaired after a beaver cut them, eh! So there shouldn't be any problems with the installation," said Zeke, rubbing his chin.
"Let's forget about the lights for a moment," said Katie, recovering her composure. "Sadie was kidnapped!"
Bridgette waved her arms in a slow-down motion. "Wait, we can't be sure she was kidnapped, maybe Justin found her.
"I'm sure, look at these," Katie took out the small ball she found in the gym.
"Ohhh! A pink knocker ball like the ones you have on your hair! It's pretty," said Lindsay, clapping a little.
Katie nodded. "Yes, it's a ballie, but it's not mine. This one belongs to Sadie, and she probably left it behind to let me know she was kidnapped."
"I like the theory, but isn't it a little far-fetched?" asked Cody, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe Sadie broke her hair tie when she was exercising."
"Sadie would tell me if it broke, and she would never let it there. So if she didn't take it is because she couldn't," said Katie, sobbing. "We need to find her."
The remaining contestants whispered among them. No one noticed something watching them from outside.
"But that would mean the killer entered the resort," said DJ, biting his nails.
"He did indeed," said Noah in a cold tone. "Cody and I found that they have access to the island resources and deleted the security footage."
Cody's eyes widened. "That's why we couldn't find anything!"
"So he may be watching us, and even if we disappear, there is no way the show will find out," Noah's face darkened. "There will be no external help. We need to solve this situation ourselves."
"Can't we talk with Chef? Maybe he'll help us," said Bridgette, putting her hands inside her hoodie.
Eva scoffed. "Knowing him, he'll get angry and don't do a thing. Especially after the New York holiday."
"New York holiday?" asked DJ tilting his head.
"Please, I know it's impossible for us, but let's try to focus," Noah rubbed his temple. "We need a plan before the kidnapper strikes again."
"It's too late. They took Justin."
The 8 former contestants turned around. Behind them was Nadia, her hair disheveled with some leaves and branches and her uniform dirty.
"What happened to you? Your hair looks horrible," said Lindsay covering her mouth.
"Girl, I think that isn't important right now," said DJ, raising an eyebrow at the blonde gopher.
Katie ran toward her. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"I- I don't know. Justin and I were together at the forest's entrance, and I accidentally fell into a tiger pit dug by the killer," said Nadia, frowning and looking at the ground.
Zeke gulped and tugged his shirt's collar, knowing the killer didn't dig those pits.
Nadia continued, "I heard some struggle, but it was over when I exited the hole and Justin had disappeared."
"Well, it was just Justin. It could be worse," said Noah shrugging.
But many people in the room disagreed, glaring at the genius.
"We need to rescue Justin. Are you with me?" said Lindsay in a serious tone, extending her hand.
"Yes, We can't abandon Justin and Sadie," said Katie, putting her hand over Lindsay's.
"Less whining and more action," said Eva putting her hand over theirs.
"I didn't know him well, but I agree we can't leave Justin alone," said Bridgette, putting her hand with the other girls.
"Let's rescue Justin," said Nadia, putting her hand at the top.
"Girl's power!" shouted the 5 girls.
"I wonder if they would put so much enthusiasm if I got kidnapped," said Zeke scratching his head.
Cody patted his shoulder. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to."
"Then let's go to the place Justin disappear. We may find some clues about what happened," suggested Noah, crossing his arms. The rest of the presents nodded.
As they exited the resort, something pounced over them. The 9 losers screamed as the shadow fell over Eva, who was the closest to the door.
Justin woke up with a terrible headache. He touched the back of his head and felt intense pain.
"A bump? I hope they didn't hurt my face," said Justin in a worried tone.
"Don't worry, your face is as good as ever."
"Really? You have been kidnapped, and the first thing you worry about is your face?"
Justin looked around. He was in a small cage with enough space to take a couple of steps but nothing else. There was a small toilet with a screen but no table, bed, shower, and … no mirror.
He turned and looked at Courtney and Beth, who were in the same room but in different cages.
"We need to get out of here. There is no mirror in my cell," said Justin in a worried tone.
"You really need to reorder your priorities," said Courtney shaking her head.
Beth nodded and whispered. "Right now, we're kidnapped by Bassman,"
Before Justin could ask any questions, a man dressed as an intern entered the room. He was wearing a mask that looked like a whole fish.
"I brought your food," said the man, putting a brown stew with carrots and potatoes in each cell.
"Wait, can you bring me a mirror?" asked Justin, pushing his body against the cell's bars and stretching his arm.
The fish man looked in his direction (the fish's eyes couldn't look at the front) and chuckled. "NO! Use this time to reflect and focus on more positive things than your looks."
The fish man left the room while Courtney was frowning at Justin.
"Instead of asking why he kidnapped us or who he was, you asked him to give you a mirror? Are you an idiot?" asked Courtney in a harsh tone.
"Calm down. Justin knew Bassman wouldn't answer those questions, so he focused on something more practical," said Beth, making a wide smile. "right Justin."
"Yes, it's what you said," replied Justin, making a big smile. "Also, why do you call him Bassman?"
"Because Courtney said his mask is a bass," Beck smiled, showing her braces. "Look at its long mouth, the lower jaw larger than the upper jaw, and the face lines. She knows a lot of animals and plants."
Courtney blushed, embarrassed. "As a CIT, they teach us the characteristics of most common Canadian fishes, and it looks like a bass. But I don't know for sure."
"Ok, it doesn't really matter what fish it is. We need to get out of here and look for help, so I can get a mirror," said Justin, shrugging.
"Thanks for the idea," said Courtney in a snarky tone, "but we already tried and…" her sentence was interrupted by the sound of a metal door opening.
Justin was in the hallway opening Beth's cell.
"How!?" asked Courtney, her jaw dropping.
"I just couldn't stay in a cell without a mirror," said Justin, showing her a ring with many keys. "So I took this from the weird fish guy. Now let's get out of here."
Courtney just nodded, she was speechless. Maybe Justin has his priorities in order after all.
Outside the resort, the non-captured contestants and the intern were running through the forest, trying to avoid the tiger pits hidden around the island.
"Are you sure you can find them?" asked Katie to the person running in front of her.
"Of course, I just needed a sniff of her ballie. Just follow me," said Izzy, running on four legs in front of the losers.
Eva shook her head. "I can't believe you just got eliminated. "
"I think the opposite. Knowing her personality, she should have been eliminated earlier," said Noah shrugging. "What I found unbelievable is that she can track Sadie like a hound."
Izzy growled. "HEY! I'm tracking Sadie like a wolf, not like a hound. In fact I was raised by a pack of wolves during the summer of 199AAAhhh…"
The redhead got distracted by the conversation and fell into a tiger pit.
"Hey homie, are you ok?" asked Zeke, offering her a hand.
"Yes, fortunately I fell on my head, which is the hardest part of my body, so I'm totally fine," shouted Izzy, holding Zeke's hand and climbing out of the hole.
Bridgette pointed ahead of them. "Hey over there, what's that building?"
As the surfer said, there was a building hidden in the forest. It was smaller than the resort but just as new.
"That's the utility building homies. I guess Chef talked about it, but I don't remember what the deal was," Zeke said, rubbing his chin.
Eva tilted her head but didn't utter a word.
"It's like one of those haunted houses," said Lindsay, squeeing joyfully. "I always wanted to go in one of those, but I always get too scared to enter."
"What? A haunted house? Sorry I'm not entering any haunted house," said DJ raising both hands.
Noah rolled his eyes. "The building is new. How can it be haunted?"
"Ahaha, silly Noah. A haunted house can be any building disregarding age, as long as ghosts are inhabiting it," said Izzy, making a creepy grin that made everyone feel a chill run down their spine.
"Well, I guess there is only one way to find out," said Cody walking toward the house.
"WAIT CODY!" shouted Izzy.
But it was too late. Cody stumbled with a rope hidden in the ground, which made a big trunk swang toward them like a battering ram.
Eva tackled Cody in the nick of time, but Nadia wasn't that lucky, screaming as the trunk pass over her.
"NADIA!" shouted Bridgette, running toward her.
"I'm fine, I was lucky there is a tiger pit here," said Nadia, coming out of the hole unscathed.
Cody stood up with Eva's help. "Thanks, Eva, I owe you one."
"No problem," said the strong girl. "Now I remember this place, Homeschooled and I walked around here when digging those traps."
"Wait a minute," said Bridgette, rubbing her temple. "It was you and not the killer who dug those holes?"
Zeke nodded. "yes homie, we did it to trap a monster, eh?"
"MONSTER! Is there a monster on the island?" shouted DJ, looking at Zeke with wide eyes.
"Don't worry, cowardly lion, we already take care of the monster," said Noah in a snarky tone.
DJ frowned at the genius. "Hey! I just wanna be cautious ok? I don't wanna any of us being eaten by a monster."
"Talking about being cautious, we need to be careful. There may be more traps," said Katie, looking at the path.
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Izzy winked and smiled.
For some reason, that wink didn't comfort anyone of the presents.
Back with the kidnapped contestants, Justin, Courtney, and Beth were walking around the place, which seemed like a maze of hallways.
"I'm tired, let's go back to the resort," said Justin, lowering his eyebrows.
"But there are other people trapped here," Beth adjusted her glasses nervously. "We can't leave them."
Courtney nodded. "Beth is right. We should at least make an effort to find Tyler."
"How do you know he's here?" asked Justin, dragging his feet.
The CIT sighed. "Because initially, I was in the same room as him, Beth, and that TRAITOR, but Bassman got annoyed by our fights…"
"Actually it was she shouting and threatening Harold while he insulted her back," whispered Beth, capping her mouth with one hand.
"… so he put me in another room. I can't believe the nerve of that kidnapper. I was the victim, he should have moved that nerd to another room," said Courtney, ignoring the whispers.
"And I asked him to put me in the same room, so she wasn't alone," winked Beth.
Courtney made a small smile but then frowned. "Anyway let's hurry."
"We're just wasting our time," said Justin, who leaned against a wall and broke it, falling to the ground.
"Justin!" shouted Beth, Courtney, and other familiar voices.
Inside the wall was a room with many boxes and 4 cages. Inside them were Harold, Tyler, Trent, and Sadie.
Justin stood up and shook the dirt off his clothes.
"Wow Justin, how did you know that wall was fake?" asked Beth surprised.
"Did he know?" asked Courtney, raising an eyebrow.
Justin ignored them and took off the keys. "There is no time for explanations. Let's free everyone and get out of here."
The model opened Trent's cage and gave the musician a high five. Then Trent took the keys and began to open the other cages.
"But there may be other people trapped here," said Beth, pouting.
"You're right, but we can't risk being captured again. It's better to go back now that everyone is accounted," said Courtney, glaring at the last cage. "even Harold."
Harold hid behind Trent. "Please, refrain from any act of violence or doing anything both may regret."
"Don't worry. Let's focus on returning safe and sound, so I can kill you," the CIT cracked her knuckles.
Sadie ran and hugged Justin. "I don't think there are any more prisoners. I was captured this morning, and only the 5 of you were missing."
"Why are you hugging Justin," asked Beth, raising an eyebrow.
"Gratitude?" said Sadie, but it sounded more like a question than an answer.
Beth frowned, "but it was Trent who opened your cage."
Sadie tilted her head and then ran and also hugged Trent. "Thanks for also saving me."
"No problem," said Trent blushing and winking, with Harold still hiding behind him.
"Then what are we waiting for, we need to hurry. Lindsay may be in danger!" shouted Tyler, hitting his hand with his fist.
Then all the lights in the building died out. Sadie, Tyler, and Beth hugged Trent, Harold and Justin screamed.
"Shut up! If you keep screaming, Bassman will find we escaped," said Courtney, stomping her foot on the ground.
"I think if he cut the power of the building is because he already found out," said Trent, shrugging.
Courtney opened her mouth to talk and closed it. He was right.
"But we can't stay in this ugly place anyway, so let's try to find the exit," said Justin, who didn't want to sleep there.
The other 6 ex-contestants nodded and slowly walked toward the dark hallway.
Some minutes earlier, the front of the warehouse was a chaotic scene. Rocks, trunks and wooden cages fell from the trees, darts were shot from rustic traps, and even a boat almost crushed the contestants.
"STOP, YOU IDIOT!" shouted Eva as she stopped a battering ram coming toward her.
However, Izzy kept running forward, activating all the traps that she found in her way.
"I can't stop! The best way to avoid the traps is to find them beforehand."
"But Izzy…" Katie complained as she avoided a cage falling from a tree. "If you keep doing that, someone will end up hurt."
As Katie talked, the scene continued: Lindsay fell into a tiger pit, Zeke and Bridgette were trapped inside a cage, DJ was on the ground after stumbling on a rope, and Noah was hanging upside down from a tree.
"I knew trying to rescue these people would end like this," deadpanned Noah, as his face began to turn red.
"Don't worry, I have you covered," said Cody, who took out a swiss knife and cut the rope. Noah fell face first against the ground.
The Indian guy groaned in pain. "Thanks for almost killing me."
"You're welcome," replied the brunette guy, making finger pistols.
At the same time, Eva walked toward Zeke and Bridgette.
"What happened, traitor? Couldn't avoid a simple trap?" Eva mocked Bridgette, making a big smile.
"Hey! Don't insult my homie, Eva. It was my fault we were captured," said Zeke, defending the blonde girl.
Bridgette scowled, "Thanks Zeke. But I don't think Eva will listen to you, she just wants to laugh at me."
"Oh, shut up, or maybe I'll leave you there," said Eva, who lifted the cage over her head in a single movement, freeing them.
"Wow, thanks Eva," said Bridgette in a meek tone.
Zeke made some weird rapping moves. "Yes homie, you're as strong as you are stubborn, so I dedicate this song to you all along."
Eva threw the cage away and punched Zeke's arm. "Stop doing those lame rhymes."
The cage hit another trap, launching a rock against Izzy, who dodged it at the last moment. However, it hit the power box of the warehouse, killing all the lights.
"Wow, that was close! Maybe Eva was right, and activating all the traps is a bad idea," said Izzy, chuckling.
"That's true, but that was only one of your many bad ideas. The worst one was coming here."
The contestants looked at the person talking from the top of the house. It was an intern wearing a fish mask.
"This can't be real," said Eva shaking her head.
"Of course, it couldn't be a normal psycho killer," Noah sighed, pressing his bridge's nose.
Lindsay climbed out of the pit and tilted her head. "What's a normal psycho killer? Someone with a chainsaw?"
"SHUT UP!" said the man over the building. "I'm the Killer Bass and the one in charge of Playa des Losers."
There was a small silence and then some chuckles and laughs.
"Are you mocking me?" asked Killer Bass.
"Sorry man but Killer Bass? Really?" said DJ, trying not to laugh and failing.
Killer Bass took out a rifle and pointed at them. "I SAID SHUT UP!"
Everyone got quiet, even Izzy. The moon was reflected menacingly on the kidnapper's fish eyes.
"When I was about to drown in the lake, a school of basses rescued me and took me to the beach, where I survived drinking rainwater and eating berries," said the Killer Bass, raising his fist.
"Is that possible?" asked Cody, tilting his head.
"No, adult basses are solitary animals, but who knows? All is possible in this lake," whispered Noah, shrugging.
"Then I realized I was still in Playa des losers. So I began to steal food from the kitchen instead of living like an animal," the intern lowered his head, but it was hard to guess where he was looking.
"Are all interns this weird?" asked DJ, furrowing his brow.
"Excuse me?" asked Nadia, offended.
"Not so much, Dennis was weirder," said Eva in her normal voice, not afraid of the kidnapper.
Cody nodded, "and Gilligan too, that guy could sleep 20 hours a day."
"Please, can we stop bashing my fellow int…" Nadia stopped midsentence and fell to the ground with a dart on her forehead.
"I told you to shut up," said the Killing Bass after shooting the intern. "This is what I realized when I came to the resort. There was no order and everyone was just doing whatever they wanted. No one cared about the rules and some of you invented their own rules just to satisfy your ego."
"Wow, that guy really likes the sound of his own voice, eh!" whispered Zeke, who was getting tired of standing there.
Bridgette shrugged. "All villains like to give monologues."
"So I thought, what's the best way to keep order on the island?" Continued the Killer Bass, ignoring the whispers. "And I realized it! To lock up all the contestants until the show ends! If they're in cages, they can't break the rules."
"I DON'T CARE!" shouted Katie, one of the few hearing the masked man. "RELEASE SADIE! She didn't do anything to be locked in a cage."
The man shot Katie, but Eva pushed her back, receiving the dart on her shoulder.
"I don't care about your silly rambling. But that fat girl is also MY friend, so you'll free her, or I'll break your legs," said Eva, taking off the dart and breaking it in two.
Killer Bass looked at his rifle, not sure why the tranquilizer didn't affect Eva. Seeing her chance, the strong girl threw a huge rock against him, smashing the building's edge and knocking down the masked man from the 3-floor construction. Luckily for him, some branches cushion his fall.
Eva tried to rush toward him, but her legs gave up, and she fell to her knees.
"Hey girl, are you ok?" said DJ, putting Eva's arm across his shoulder.
"I feel dizzzy," said Eva, slurring the words. "Just beat tthat bassstard."
The masked man stood up, pointing the rifle at the contestants. "STOP! If any of you come closer, you can forget about finding the others."
Noah looked around. Eva, DJ, and Katie were to his right. Zeke was with Bridgette taking care of Nadia, while Cody and Lindsay were hidden behind a tree. He then smirked and raised his arms, stopping in front of Killer Bass.
"Ok, you win, just tell us where the others are, and we'll let you go," said Noah, looking at the kidnapper's mask.
"Don't try anything funny," Killer Bass pointed his rifle at him. "I'll take my leave, but before that …" the masked man flinched, gripping the rifle tighter. "Where is the redhead?"
Noah held his breath for a second, and smirked. His plan worked. "The redhead…"
Izzy leaped from Killer Bass's back and kicked the rifle. The kidnapper didn't drop the weapon, but Izzy struck him with her open palm on his ribs and then made a roundhouse kick at the side of his head, knocking him down.
"… is behind you," Noah ended the sentence as the kidnapper hit the ground, grunting in pain.
"You don't care about the other?" Killer Bass held his side, breathing quickly.
As the Killer Bass talked, the door of the warehouse burst open.
"Katie!" Sadie shouted, running toward her friend.
"Sadie!" Katie ran and hugged her best friend, both laughing and crying.
"Oh Sadie, I was so scared."
"I knew you would come and find me."
"Lindsay!" Tyler shouted, startling the blond girl.
"Ty-ler? Tyler!" Lindsay hugged and kissed him. "You won't believe it, there was this Psycho Killer, and we thought he had kidnapped you. But here you're, safe and sound."
Tyler kissed her again. "Don't worry Linds, I'm fine."
Most of the contestants were looking at the heart-warming scenes. Trent high-fived Cody and Beth hugged Lindsay. Only Justin and Courtney weren't cheering with them. They went with Izzy, Noah, and Zeke to meet the assailant, who was now tied.
"Well done everyone," said Courtney smiling. "I can't believe you captured him."
"It was actually Izzy and Eva who did all the hard work," said Noah, shrugging. "Oh, and Zeke tied him."
"Don't be shy. Everyone did his part homie," Zeke patted Noah's back, making a big smile.
Izzy nodded. "Yes, it was awesome how you played the decoy, so I could get closer. He could shoot you, maybe dash and hit you with the rifle or throw a rock against your head…"
Noah blanched as Courtney and Zeke opened their mouths while Justin enjoyed those mental images.
"What I mean is that you were really cool. Great job, you're braver than I thought," winked Izzy.
"Thanks I guess," said Noah, a faint blush on his cheeks. He wasn't used to being praised like that.
Justin walked and took Killer Bass's mask. "So let's find out who the kidnapper actually is."
"He isn't a real Bassman?" asked Izzy, tilting her head.
Justin pulled the mask, revealing a man with black hair in a buzzcut and a stern expression.
"It's Frank!" said Zeke, looking at him with wide eyes. "Wasn't he in the hospital?"
"He probably fell in the lake but wasn't injured and swam back to the island," said Noah rubbing his head.
"But after he disappeared, Chef fired him, so he couldn't go back to the hotel," said Courtney, slapping her fist in her hand.
Zeke nodded. "And he could hunt us thanks to his intern's access card and his knowledge of the resort."
"And Frank thought if he caged us, he could recover his old job because it would keep us out of trouble," said Noah, shaking his head.
"That's a bit…" Courtney started but was interrupted by Frank.
"Exactly! I could get back my honor and my job, but all was ruined by you and your stupid redhead," said Frank in a bitter tone.
"I guess with that, the incident is finished," said Justin, shrugging. "Now let's go back to the resort. I need a shower and my beauty sleep."
Cody then pointed behind them, with wide eyes. "WAIT! The Killer bass is there."
From behind Noah, Courtney, and Justin. A new person with a bass head appeared.
"GOBE, GOBE, GOBE!" shouted the monster.
Lindsay, Zeke, Cody, Beth, and DJ ran away, the big guy carrying Eva and Zeke carrying Nadia. Courtney, Justin. Harold, Katie, and Sadie looked at it with wide eyes while Bridgette, Noah, and Trent deadpanned.
"Please just stop," said Noah, ripping the mask off Killer Bass. "We're all tired."
The new Killer Bass was Izzy, who put out her tongue. "Ahaha, it seems you catch me without any bait."
Everyone laughed and went back to the resort. It had been a long day.
Things went back to normal in Playa des losers. The police took Frank, Courtney was still trying to get Harold, Sadie was training to finish the workout with Eva and Katie, Beth was trying to either date Justin or talk with Cody.
After an uneventful day, the 15 losers were waiting for the next eliminated contestants in the lobby. Only Harold and Courtney weren't there. Nadia served them tea and cookies while they talked in small groups.
Justin was with Cody and Trent. The male model had more cookies than the other two guys combined.
"I feel some kind of favoritism," said Cody crossing his arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Nadia, blushing while pouring some tea for DJ.
Justin shrugged. "If you wanted more cookies, you should have asked," saying this, he put 3 cookies on Cody's plate.
"Wow, thanks man," said Cody making a big smile.
"And you Trent, why the long face? You also want cookies?" asked the model, tilting his head,
The musician shook his head. "No, I'm a bit worried."
"It's about Gwen, right?" Cody winked while eating a cookie.
"Yes…" Trent blushed and rubbed his arm. "I know it's childish, but what if she's eliminated tonight?"
Justin raised an eyebrow. "So what? She'll be sent here."
"I know! But that would be a shame."
"Why?" asked Cody, folding his arms. "I mean, yes, it's a shame if she was eliminated, but she would be here with us for the last 15 days. That would be awesome, no?"
Trent sighed. "I know, but I'm rooting for her, I don't want her efforts to be in vain."
"In the end, this is a game, and only one can win," said Justin, drinking from his tea. "It stings at first, but your worth isn't based on your performance in a show…"
Cody and Trent looked at him with wide eyes. Justin was right.
"… it's based on your looks, that will be with you all your life."
"Of course."
"I should have guessed."
The two men laughed as Justin tilted his head, not sure what was so funny.
Beth looked at them from another table while sitting with Katie, Sadie, and Lindsay.
"Why are they sitting together?" said Beth folding her arms. "There is no way I can talk with Cody or Justin if both are together."
"I know what you think, but the plan of dating Justin is like not good at all," said Lindsay while blowing her tea.
"What? That plan is awesome…"
"…yes, it's the best way to stop 'that guy' crush without breaking his heart," said Katie and Sadie, completing each other sentence.
Lindsay put down her cup. "I totally understand that. But what will happen once Cole learns she and Justin broke up? Maybe he'll try again, and this time the heart brake will be harsher. Is better if Beth just tells him face to face."
"That may work," said Katie tilting her head.
"But that will definitely hurt him," said Sadie, tilting her head in the opposite direction.
Lindsay and the BFFFLs frowned at each other but didn't say anything else.
Beth sighed. "Thanks, everyone. I think both plans have pros and cons, so I need time to consider them."
As the atmosphere in that table got heavier. Tyler, DJ, Zeke, and Bridgette were waiting for the boat of losers at the resort's door.
"Damn girls' only talks," Tyler kicked a stone, "I wish I was a girl so I could sit with Lindsay."
"Man, I'm sure you're not thinking what you're saying," said DJ, furrowing his brow.
Bridgette was looking at the lake with her arms folded. "I hope it isn't Geoff… or Gwen, or LeShawna."
"Don't worry homie, I'm sure it's none of them. They're as strong as … a gem," said Zeke, finding a rhyme while moving like a rapper.
"Hehe, thanks Zeke. I hope you're right," said Bridgette making a big smile.
DJ nodded. "I hope it isn't any of them or Duncan."
"I wouldn't mind if it's Duncan. I'm sorry for Courtney but he deserves it," Bridgette frowned and huffed.
"You're right," DJ gulped, being as guilty as Duncan for voting for her. "Talking about Courtney, where is she?"
Bridgette's frown turned into a smile. "She's still looking for Harold."
"Poor guy, I know he deserves it, but I think there are better ways to solve this," said DJ, smiling sadly.
"Well, he did it to teach Duncan a lesson for bullying him," said Zeke, shrugging. "It's collateral damage."
DJ frowned. "It's not that easy, she even defended Harold against the bullying. Yes it was probably more about Duncan and Geoff stopping the bullying than for Harold, but he betrayed her anyway."
"I never thought about it like that. He's a traitor," said Zeke, nodding.
As they talked, the boat arrived at the dock. Inside was Chef, Chris and …
"GEOFF!" shouted Bridgette, running toward the boat.
"Bridgette!" Geoff let go of his bags and hugged her.
"I miss you," said Bridgette making a big smile.
Geoff caressed her head. "I miss you too babe." The couple got closer, almost kissing before they were interrupted.
"Oh! Teen romance is so beautiful," said Chris, drying a tear. However, his mocking smirk showed his true intentions.
Bridgette and Geoff split apart immediately, blushing profusely.
"Chris, man, I didn't notice you were there," Geoff picked up his bags, trying to act natural.
"I need to talk with all of you for a special announcement, so let's go inside the lobby," said Chris, waving his hand toward the resort.
The couple went back to the lobby, followed by Chris and Chef. The host smiled, looking at all the former contestants.
"Ok losers, I have some exciting news for everyone," said Chris, opening both arms.
Beth raised a hand. "But Harold and Courtney aren't here."
"Then go and find them. I need EVERYONE here," Chris folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. "Intern, go and fetch them."
"Yes, Mr. McLean," said Nadia, who then ran toward the east wing hallway.
Or she tried. As she ran, Nadia stumbled on her feet, falling to the ground.
"Are you ok?" asked Katie as she, Sadie, and Bridgette ran to her side.
"Of course she's ok. It's just a small fall. Now hurry, we don't have time," said Chris looking at her wristwatch.
Nadia made a pained smile. "Sorry, I think I'm not ok."
It was almost midnight, and the paramedics put Nadia on a stretcher and brought her into the orange helicopter. Katie, Sadie, Bridgette, Zeke, and Justin were saying goodbye.
"It's fate I have to go, but even if short I'm glad I have the chance to meet all of you," said Nadia smiling.
"Take care Nadia. I'll visit you once the show is over," said Bridgette, holding her hand.
"Get better soon," said both BFFFLs, smiling.
Zeke nodded. "Yes gal, even if short, we're all friends, and friends, don't forget when the show ends."
"Bye girl," said Justin, winking.
Nadia blushed and smiled, then she waved and was carried into the chopper as Ned talked with Chef and Chris.
"And here is the invoice," Ned signed a paper on his clipboard. "Also, there will be an inspection from the Ministry of Labour after the multiple accidents in the show and resort. Wait for their call."
"And this 'inspection' has a cost? Because the show's budget is really tight. Maybe we can postpone it until the show's premiere," said Chris, scratching his head as Chef facepalmed.
Ned shrugged. "I don't think it's optional, and if they find problems or omissions in the work conditions, you'll have to pay a fine, and they'll probably publish a note about it. You don't want that kind of publicity for your show."
Chris blanched. "Don't worry. I'm sure all of them were unrelated accidents."
"The 61 of them," muttered Chef.
"Yes the 61 of them," repeated Chris, who then glared at Chef and whispered. "Hey! Whose side are you on?"
Chef rolled his eyes as the paramedic gave the invoice to the host. "Well, have a good night. Thanks for hiring our services."
Ned shook hands with Chris and Chef and went to his chopper, leaving the island.
"Maybe it would be cheaper if you use our helicopter to take the injured interns to the hospital," said Chris, rubbing his chin.
"Are you telling me to also pilot the damn thing, aside from being the Chef, nurse, co-host, and pilot the boat of losers?" Chef glared at Chris, his eyes bulging and the veins in his neck pulsing.
Chris gulped. "Ok, we'll talk about this later. Right now, we have more pressing matters in our hands."
Saying this, the host entered the lobby, where the 17 losers were waiting for him. Chef followed him, hoping the host plan would work. After all they didn't have enough budget for a plan B.
The kidnapper was captured, but there is no rest for the ex-contestants. Why Chris wants to talk with them? I'm sure many of you already figured out his plans.
And the Bassman was Frank, the intern who fell into the lake after trying to stop the ex-contestants from going to New York. He was the only one who didn't suffer physical wounds in his last episode, but he has some interesting emotional scars. And if he was really saved by the basses or not, I'll leave it to your imagination.
Finally, thanks to all the people who reviewed the last episode, I loved all your theories about the kidnappers. And as always, I ask all readers if you have time to leave a review. It doesn't need to be long, a line with your thoughts is enough. Or if reviewing isn't your style, mark the story as a favorite so I can know you are having a good time with it. Now before closing, let me answer last week's reviews.
Guest: close, the kidnapper was an intern hellbent on getting revenge on the cast. Not a bad guess.
gman5846: I'm glad you enjoy it.
Total Simaniac: Yes, there is only 5 episodes before the finale, so there is more or less a month before the story is finished. Time surely flies.
Martha was too enthusiastic about hunting the kidnapper, now Nadia entered the scene. Nadia is fun to write and yes, she had a nice mystic aura, but being an intern here is pretty dangerous.
And no, the kidnapper was Frank. That's why you need to double tap the interns. I'm sure none of the others can come back :D
MatiasND: First of all I hope your exams weren't too tough and this week was better than expected. At least when you read lines the week would be over ;).
And you were right, Harold was fine being caged, at least they were in separate cells.
And Izzy came back in time to stop Frank, our intern who disappeared. In the end, they should treat their interns better, or they will become crazy criminals ;)
Thanks for reading and I hope you like it.