MarkLevins: I had a lot of fun writing the AleHeather scene. And I'm glad you liked how Sierra was portrayed!
Anyway, this next challenge will be split into two chapters. When I passed the 8,000 word mark and wasn't even done with the first phase of the challenge, I figured it would have been for the best. Did Noah's plan stop Gwen and Emma from making up? And will Zoey and Mike be able to reignite their spark? Let's find out.
"Previously on Total Drama Voyage. The teams were taken to London to write and perform a romantic musical scene in the theatre." A clip of the boat arriving in London is shown, followed by various clips of teams practicing their scenes. "Bridgette helped Zoey with her Mike issues, but for reasons that weren't quite so generous. And Gwen rubbed some salt in Emma's wound about being responsible for Owen's elimination." Footage of Bridgette helping Zoey shop and then hugging Zoey is shown, as well as Scott giving a thumbs up to Bridgette. Following that, a clip of Gwen passive aggressively walking away from Emma as she's trying to apologize is shown.
"Trent and Noah got Gwen and Emma to make up." Clips of Noah talking to Emma and then Trent talking to Gwen is shown. Then a clip of Gwen shaking hands with Emma right before the performance is played. "Heather and Alejandro made up by making out." A clip of Alejandro and Heather kissing on stage is shown. "Ugh. Seriously gross. In the end, the Blades won the performance thanks to Zoey putting her issues to the side, while the Shortcakes had to put someone on the chopping block." Footage of Zoey and Duncan's performance is shown. It's followed by a clip of the Blades cheering at being declared winners, and the Shortcakes being declared the loser.
"Noah was looking like he'd be going home due to writing the uninspired scene, but thanks to teaming up with Kitty and Emma, Noah caused Trent to catch the Boat of Losers instead." Footage of Chris tossing the rotten shrimp at Trent is shown, followed by clips of Gwen confronting Emma and Kitty, and Trent boarding the Boat of Losers.
The camera shown Chris on the top deck of the S.S McLean. "The teams are all evened up, but not for long! Who's getting kicked off next? Find out right here, on Total! Drama! Voyage!"
Gwen, Dawn, and Brody were all in the living room of their cabin cruiser. Kitty was in one of the bedrooms, while Noah and Emma were sharing the other one. "We're in a bad spot right now." Gwen said.
Dawn nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
"How come?" Brody asked.
"There are six members remaining on our team. Noah's leader vote combined with the votes of Emma and Kitty mean that they have over half of the possible votes in their control." Dawn explained.
"Meaning that if our team gets last again, one of us will be going home, guaranteed." Gwen added.
Brody did the math on his fingers before widening his eyes. "Whoa. You're right. Man, there's like, way much more strategy with this game than Ridonculous Race."
"You're right Brody. Which is why Ridonculous Race SHOULDN'T be considered a Total Drama season." Chris' voice played over the intercoms.
"So, does that mean the three of us should form an alliance?" Brody asked.
"What's the point? Like I said, no matter how we vote, Noah's in control over who on our team get eliminated next." Gwen replied.
"At the moment, the most we can do is pray that we don't go through an elimination ceremony again." Dawn said.
Gwen shrugged. "Guess so."
(Confessional: Chris)
"Ugh. BO-RING. If Heather, Alejandro or Scott were on that team, they'd try to get the members of Noah's alliance to drift apart. This is why I prefer the bad guys in reality TV."
The camera cut to one of the bedrooms. Noah and Emma were lying next to each other in the same bed. Noah was reading a book, while Emma was resting her head on Noah's shoulder. "You sure voting for Trent was the best choice, Noah?" Emma asked.
Noah put an arm around his girlfriend. "You're worried about how Gwen will react to this, right?"
"Kinda...we just made up in London, so doing something like this...I'm worried I undid all of that."
"I getcha. Still, it made the most sense. Cutting Trent was unfortunately the least harmful option for our team. Brody won Ridonculous Race with Geoff, and is the physically strongest member of our team. And that's kinda a big deal since we're really lacking on raw muscle. Dawn literally has supernatural powers, which will be a massive help for our team. And Gwen placed second in Island, and fourth in All-Stars. Plus, I guarantee that you'd feel even guiltier if we chose to vote her off."
Emma sighed. "I guess you're right."
"Besides. Pretty sure Gwen's secretly a bit relieved Trent's gone. Whether or not Trent's her mystery crush, it'll be a lot less awkward for her. After Barcelona, we needed to put Trent and Gwen apart. Voting off Trent is the best way to make sure Gwen's at the top of her game." Noah put the book he was reading away. "Anyway babe. I can make sure that our team won't be losing too often before the merge anymore."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
Noah opened up a drawer next to him and pulled out a binder. He opened it up, showing countless papers and sticky notes about the various contestants competing this season.
Emma widened her eyes. "These are all the notes me and Owen wrote up."
Noah nodded. "I organized them together. Now, we have all the strengths and weaknesses of every contestant for this season in one place."
Emma took the binder and flipped through it. "Seriously, how are the notes Owen wrote without me way more detailed than the ones I helped him with? He's got the opposing team members' weights, heights, medical history. A lot of names I don't remember hearing are here too. Where did he even get this info?"
Noah widened his eyes in realization.
(Confessional: Noah)
"From a certain superfan."
An annoyed Mike walked up the fridge as Sierra followed him while typing on her phone.
"So, is the reason you're fine with Duncan and Zoey kissing because it was just a stage kiss? Or is there a deeper reason for it?" Sierra asked.
"I told you, the former. It was just acting for the challenge." Mike answered. He got a sandwich before walking away, Sierra still following him.
"So, how would you feel if in the future, you lost Zoey to Duncan?"
"If it happens, it happens."
"WHOA. Really casual about the idea that might happen. Is it a sign of how things are going with you and Zoey?"
Mike groaned. This was hardly the first time Sierra's badgered him for her blog, but ever since the last challenge, Sierra's been on him non stop. "My relationship with Zoey is really none of your business Sierra."
"I'm not the only one wondering. Ever since last challenge, almost all my blog readers want to know about your thoughts on the kiss."
"Well for the 15th time, it was a stage kiss for the challenge. It's literally the last problem me and Zoey are facing right now."
Sierra smiled. "Ah-ha! So you admit you and Zoey are facing bumps in your relationship!"
Harold and B were awkwardly watching the conversation unfold by the living room of the cabin cruiser. Alejandro and Heather got the bed rooms due to the two of them being the lead actors of the previous challenge.
"I feel like we should probably stop this somehow." Harold whispered to B.
B nodded.
"Can you stop asking about my relationship already?" Mike asked.
"Alright. But how about the way you fixed your disorder? I know you got their abilities, but do hints of their personalities coming back ever happen?" Sierra asked. "You won't believe how many medical experts say that it should have been impossible for you to fix your disorder like that."
For a split second, Mike's expression changed from annoyance, to fury. Sierra seemed too busy typing on her phone to notice, but B and Harold took note of it. "Heh heh. Good one B." Harold said, chuckling as if he was just told a joke.
Sierra gasped and turned around. "B talked?!" She immediately ran up to Harold and B and began to question Harold about every detail of what B said.
Mike saw Harold and B subtly give thumbs ups to him. A wave of relief and gratitude rushed over Mike.
The camera cut to the dining room of the S.S McLean. Party music was playing. "Ah MAN did I miss this yacht!" Duncan exclaimed. He was happily drinking vodka tonic at the bar section of the buffet room. Zoey and Bridgette were sitting next to him while Leshawna was dancing on the floor.
"Just make sure you don't get too wasted for tomorrow's challenge." Bridgette said.
"Sure thing, mom."
Bridgette then took a look at Zoey. "You feeling better?"
"A little bit. I still don't know how to make that spark alive again. But I'm not afraid about it anymore thank to you two." Zoey smiled at Bridgette and Duncan.
Bridgette smiled back. Duncan rolled his eyes. "I didn't even do anything you know."
"Both of you guys gave me advice, and helped me feel less nervous about the performance." Zoey said. "Thanks. Both of you."
"Anytime Zoey." Bridgette replied.
"Yeah, yeah." Duncan said.
"Man, I can't believe you guys passed up on me being a backup dancer!" Leshawna called out. "Do you see these moves?"
The three glanced at Leshawna, who was thrusting and flailing her body like crazy. Her moves went together about as well as toothpaste and orange juice, and brought attention to her forearms and elbows far more than they saw any dancer.
"Yeah, you're really killing it Leshawna! Ahaha!" Duncan mocked.
"Yo guys! Check it out!" DJ's voice said. The four blades turned their heads, seeing DJ come into the room. This time, without his crutches.
"Your legs are back to normal now?" Zoey asked.
"Kinda. I ain't exactly able to run, but I can stand and walk without the crutches anymore."
"This is great!" Bridgette exclaimed.
Duncan smiled as he poured more glasses. "Well, I'd say this calls for shots."
"I feel that!" Leshawna agreed as she walked up to the others.
Duncan handed a glass to each of the Blades, though Bridgette quickly took Zoey's away. "You're only 18. I don't think it'll be a good idea for you to have a glass."
"Killjoy much?" Duncan asked, earning him an annoyed look from Bridgette.
"It's fine. Not really a fan of drinking anyway." Zoey said, simply pouring herself lemonade.
Duncan shrugged. "Whatever."
DJ raised a toast. "To the Killer Blades!" Everyone clinked their glasses together.
The panned up to the airvents, Scott looking at the scene from above. He rolled his eyes and continued crawling through the airvents.
(Confessional: Scott)
"Go ahead, spend time partying with your future enemies. It just means there's less competition for me to get my invincibility statue."
Several hours passed. All the Blades, except for Scott were in there beds. Scott was in the control room, crawling on the ground while searching for the immunity idol. "Guess I can cross off the control room too."
Scott stood up, wiping dust off his clothes. Despite getting the two to kiss on stage, Scott didn't seem any closer in getting Duncan and Zoey to drift apart. Finding the immunity idol was going to be a higher priority than ever. "I cleared the buffet room, restroom, indoor garden, movie room, the arcade, and the airvents. Guess I'll check the bedrooms next or some-" Suddenly, a figure wrapped their arm around Scott.
"WHAT THE-?!" Scott was interrupted as a piece of cloth was placed over his mouth and nose. The farmboy flailed, trying to break free, but quickly, his vision began to fade.
"...up. -ke up, maggot." One of two blurry figures said.
"Ugh...what?" Scott asked.
"I SAID wake up, maggot!" The figure slapped Scott across the face.
"OW! What was that for?!"
"You two are late for today's challenge. Get to the deck already."
Scott's vision began to clear up. He saw that Chef and B were in the control room with him. B was sitting down lying on the wall, looking fairly dazed himself. He also saw that a piece of cloth was left on the floor. Scott rubbed his head. Must have been the one that knocked him out. "What happened?"
"The two of you were passed out in the control room. The others have been waiting for you for almost 20 minutes. Come on."
(Confessional: Scott)
Scott was holding his head in pain. "Ugh...I think somebody knocked me out while I was looking for the invincibility statue. But why?"
Chef, Scott, and B walked up to the top deck. All of the other contestants were waiting there. "Finally." Chris said.
Duncan raised his unibrow. "Hold on, what was B doing on the yacht? He's not on our team."
"Remember, B works part time for us. We lower the drawbridge to let him on the yacht to do a maintenence check every night while you guys are asleep." Chris said. "But last night, he didn't go back to his cabin cruiser."
B opened his mouth to explain, but Scott beat him to it. "Somebody got the jump on me last night. Knocked me out. I woke up, and saw Chef and Beverly in the same room as me."
"It's true. I found these two unconscious in the control room." Chef said.
"Wait, so somebody snuck their way on the ship, and is attacking us?" Heather asked.
"Looks like it." Harold said.
"Could it be Ezekiel again?" Zoey wondered.
"Or maybe that Lupin guy from the letter." Gwen said.
"Man, I am FREAKING out!" DJ yelled.
The talking from the contestants got louder and more frantic. Either giving guesses, or worrying about the situation.
"Everybody calm down!" Chris yelled. "The security will be on top of it."
"Like how they were on top of it back in Paris?" Heather asked.
Chris frowned, but ignored the comment. "For now, all you have to worry about our next destination. Sherwood Forest! Famous for it's association with the legendary outlaw, Robin Hood!"
"Wait, that's a real place?" Scott asked.
"Yeah. Sherwood Forest is in Notthinghamshire, a city known not just for it's connection with Robin Hood, but for how vital it was to the industrial revolution, and constructing some of the first experimental wagonways which-" Harold began to say.
"Nobody cares Harold." Chris interrupted.
The camera cut to the contestants standing in a forest. Scott and B were both rubbing their heads.
"You ok B?" Harold asked.
B made a so-so gesture.
"Ok. But if you feel like you need a break, just let us know." Heather told him.
Alejandro rolled his eyes at Heather's nice routine.
Bridgette turned to Scott. "Did you get a good look at who attacked you?"
Scott shook his head. "The lights were out, and they attacked me from behind. All I know is that they put some kinda rag over my mouth."
"Probably dabbed it with chloroform to knock you out." Duncan guessed.
Chris capped his hands. "Alright sailors. It's time for today's challenge."
"What's the challenge?" Kitty asked.
Chris snapped his fingers, and three interns came, each carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a wooden staff.
"So we're hunting in the woods, but with arrows and sticks instead of paintball guns this time." Heather guessed.
Bridgette glanced at Chris as the interns gave out the arrows. "We're still not killing anything, are we?"
"No need to worry about that. The arrows are padded. And the hunting will be a little different than what you guys are probably thinking of." Chris said.
"What do you mean by that?" Alejandro asked.
Chris pointed his finger to the west. The contestants saw a fancy looking carriage being pulled by two horses come up to them. Two people in cloaks were riding the horses, one of them wearing it backwards, while one more cloaked person was walking next to them. Inside the carriage however were two familiar looking faces. Two identical blondes in cheerleader outfits.
Amy was rubbing her cheek, annoyed. "Hey Spareamy, when are we actually going to talk about what happened during the Aftermath?"
"No idea what you're talking about." Sammy lied.
"Those are your targets. Amy and Samey!" Chris announced.
"Why are you making us take part in a challenge again?" Sammy asked. "I thought we just had to host the Aftermaths."
"You two were available." Chris walked up to the carriage and got out what looked to be a small trasure chest. "Anyway, all you two need to do is try to keep that treasure chest away from the contestants. The longer you keep it safe, the more you'll be paid." Chris gave the treasure chest to Sammy, who immediately had it snatched out of her hands by Amy.
"I get it. So we're competing to see which team steals the treasure chest first, right?" Mike asked.
"Bingo." Chris answered. "You kids are going to be playing the role of Robin Hood himself."
"I'm all for stealing, but I don't know if I exactly dig the giving to the poor bit of his." Duncan said.
"Essentially, the teams will be competing with each other to see who can steal the treasure chest from Amy and Samey first. You can try a head on assault, or you can try to be more stealthy about it. Either way, first person to steal the treasure chest and return to this starting point to bring it to me wins the challenge for their team. The other two teams will face off in a tiebreaker, where the losing team will be sending somebody home."
"So, what's up with those guys?" Scott asked, pointing to the three people in cloaks.
"Essentially, they're the bodyguards you'll have to get past. It's expected for the wealthy to have some protection. And they're why a head on assault might not be the greatest idea."
Sierra walked up to the carriage, phone in hand. "Ooh, ooh! I didn't really get the chance back in Barcelona, but now that you two are here again, we can have an interview! I wanna hear all about the slap that my blog readers have been telling me ab-"
One of the cloaked figures pushed Sierra onto the ground. "Back off, Blogenstein. You aren't coming anywhere near this carriage."
Several of the compettiors recognized that voice. "Wait a minute...is that Jo?" Gwen asked.
The figure who pushed Sierra took off their cloak. Sure enough, it was the blonde jockette. "Miss me?"
Heather groaned. "Great. Her again."
(Confessional: Jo)
"Chris McLame isn't allowing me to compete in this season because I didn't go to that stupid party. But if I can still make money by kicking butt, you know I'm going to jump on that opportunity."
"Jo!" One of the cloaked figures riding a horse dismounted and walked up to Jo. "We weren't supposed to reveal ourselves to the enemy until the challenge officially started."
"Relax Sir Whizalot. It's not a big deal." Jo responded.
"Brick?" Zoey, Mike, and Scott asked simultaneously.
Chris frowned. "Way to ruin the surprise you two."
While still wearing his cloak, Brick saluted. "Apologies, sir! I'll do 50 right now to make up for it!" Brick immediately dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups.
"So, who's the third person?" Emma asked, gesturing to the one wearing their cloak backwards.
The figure in question immediately slipped off their horse trying to get off.
"Based off the person's brains, or lack thereof, I can take a guess." Alejandro said.
"Man, Lightning can't see squat in this stupid hoodie!" The third figure stood up and took off their cloak, revealing the white-haired Lightning. He took a good sniff and exhaled. "Now that's what I'm talking 'bout. Get ready to fight for second place, 'cause Lightning is going to win this season! Sha-booyah!"
"We aren't competing, Brightning." Jo said.
"Say what?"
"I told you this already. You're guests for part of the challenge. We're not bringing you into compete." Chris explained.
"Say what?!"
Duncan turned to Zoey and Scott. "How did you tolerate a whole season of this guy?"
"Believe me, I've asked myself that question before." Scott answered.
Brick finished doing push-ups before standing up. "Sir! Permission to remove my cloak?"
"Well, the surprise is ruined, so you might as well." Chris turned to the contestants. "But as you figured, three of Total Drama's strongest competitors will be defending the carriage. You can try to overpower them with a direct assault, or outsmart them to get them out of the way. Naturally, they'll be given weapons as well."
"Sweet." Jo said. Interns walked up to the three and gave them wooden clubs, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. However, they were also given multiple handcuffs.
"What are these for?" Brick asked.
"If you can subdue and handcuff an outlaw, they're out of the challenge. But be careful. If they happen to steal them from you and cuff you, you'll be out of the challenge." Chris explained. "Amy, Samey. You and your guards continue walking on the trail. In about 5 minutes, the challenge will begin. The teams will have three hours to get the treasure chest." Chris then gestured to a set of monitors, each displaying a portion of the forest. "And of course, I'll be watching from the various cameras we have set up in the forest."
"So what happens if nobody gets it by then?" Harold asked.
"In that case, there won't be a tie-breaker round, and all teams will have to vote somebody off."
The teams gasped at this.
Jo and Brick got on the horses. "Hope you're all ready to lose a team mate, 'cause you're not getting past us!" Jo taunted. The horses pulled the carriage away.
"Hey, wait for the Lightning!" Lightning yelled as he ran after them.
"All teams might be voting someone off this challenge?" Emma asked.
"Don't worry Emma. We have three hours to do this." Noah reassured. "In fact, taking our time will actually help us out a lot."
The camera panned to the members of Team Heather who were standing in a circle. "Alright guys, I have a plan, but we'll need someone to fire arrows from far away." Heather turned to Mike. "Any chance that you have an archery personality?"
Mike clenched his fist. "No. I don't."
Heather shrugged. "Alright then."
Alejandro turned to the Blades. "Excuse me for a little while team. I'll be back." Alejandro walked away from his team.
The camera panned over to the Killer Blades. "Zoey, Scott. You competed against those three. Any advice on how to deal with them?" Bridgette asked.
"Lightning's a complete moron so he'll be easy to trick." Scott replied.
"And Jo doesn't get along well either either Brick or Lightning, so maybe they'll get in each other's way." Zoey said.
Suddenly, Scott felt a small pebble hit the back of his head. "What the-?" Scott noticed Alejandro tilting his head before walking deeper into the woods.
"Oh. Gimme a sec, I gotta pee." Scott off deeper into the woods. Soon, he reached Alejandro. "What's up?"
"I'm hoping we can discuss a plan for how you'll throw the challenge." Alejandro answered. "Preferrably in a way to help my team win."
"Way ahead of you. See, I'm pretty good at making traps. I'll get Brick, Jo, and Lightning caught in snares or something and snatch the treasure chest. Then you come in, and after a 'tough fight' I'm defeated by you, and you make off with the treasure chest."
"Good plan Scott. Of course, your team mates will need to be pre-occupied. Otherwise, one of them could easily take the treasure chest."
"No problem. I'll just tell them to be the ones to lead the guards to my traps. Then it's a clear path to the carriage for me."
Alejandro smiled. "Excellent." The two shook hands before Scott walked back to his team, Alejandro waiting for a while longer so that it wouldn't look like they were returning together.
(Confessional: Alejandro)
"Scott's surprisingly useful. He's smart enough to lay low while sabotaging his team, but dumb enough to go along with everything I say. I'll keep Scott around for a little bit to secure more victories for my team. Then when I suspect that the merge will be coming up soon, I let the Blades know about his treachery so that they'll vote him off."
The camera cut to the carriage being pulled across a path. It was being pulled at a leisurely pace, enough for Lightning to keep up with just by walking.
"WHY are we still moving so slowly?" Amy asked. "We let meathead catch up forever ago."
"Not bad on the nicknames, kid." Jo complimented.
"Ma'am, with all due respect, it's more strategic to let the horses conserve as much energy as possible." Brick answered. "That way, we don't have to worry about the horses being too exhausted to run if we're attacked?"
"Run?!" Lightning asked. "Lightning don't run! Lightning wins!"
"Ugh. Fine." Amy said. She crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.
"Still, this is somewhat concerning." Brick said. "It's been nearly an hour, and not one team has tried to attack us."
"Heh. They probably don't have the guts to attack us head on." Lightning replied.
"For once, I'm with Soggy Pants on this. It means that all of the team have had more time to come up with a plan." Jo said.
A few seconds later, the five of them heard a loud booming sound.
"What was that?" Amy asked.
"It sounded like it came ahead of us." Brick said.
"Well let's check it out!" Jo yelled. She and Brick had the horses pull the carriage faster ahead.
Amy turned to Sammy. She was looking out the carriage, just looking at the scenery. "And remember, I'm carrying the treasure chest. You'll just have it slip out of your hands or something."
"Cool." Sammy replied, not even turning to face her.
Annoyance built up in Amy. "Ok seriously, what is with-" Amy and Sammy suddenly felt a jolt, nearly falling onto the floor of the carriage. "Hey! Watch it!"
Sammy noticed that the carriage came to a stop. "Did something happen?" Sammy asked.
"Apologies ma'am. We appear to have faced some difficulty."
The twin looked out the window of their carriage to see the front. "What are you talking abou-?" Amy stopped. She and her sister noticed that a tipped over tree was blocking their path.
"So this is what caused that noise." Jo said.
"Looks like one of the teams knocked over a tree to slow us down." Brick noted.
"Well, move it out of the way." Amy told them.
Jo and Brick both got off their horses. "It's not that simple. It's very likely to be a trap." Brick said.
"Still, it's not like being a sitting duck will help us. Hey muscle head, me and Brick are gonna keep watch. You think you can move that tree out of the way on your own?"
Lightning smirked. "Did you forget who you're talking to? No tree is a match for me." Lightning ran up to the tree to move it out of the way.
The camera panned to the Strawberry Shortcakes hiding in the foliage. Brody was looking very dazed with a large bump on his head.
"Was not expecting that to work." Gwen whispered. "Still, is he gonna be ok?"
"Brody and Geoff once made a hole through a cave wall just by running into it a bunch. He'll be fine." Emma answered.
"So, what's the plan now Noah?" Kitty asked.
"Now, we wait." Noah answered.
"Wait?" Gwen asked.
Noah nodded. "The tree that Brody knocked over made a pretty loud noise. I'd say it's pretty natural for other teams to want to check it out."
"And then they'd draw the attention of Jo, Brick, and Lightning." Dawn realized.
Lightning was struggling, but was steadilly making progress in pushing the tree out of the way. "Almost...got ir..." He strained. Suddenly, a padded arrow hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground. "OW!"
"What the-?" Jo and Brick turned to the direction the arrow came from. Standing in one of the trees were Duncan and Zoey, the latter seeming to have fired the arrow.
"Thanks for letting us know where you were!" Duncan taunted.
"Sorry, did that hurt?" Zoey asked.
Lightning gritted his teeth while rubbing his head in pain. Despite Zoey meaning to ask that question genuinely, Lightning took it as an insult. "Nobody disses the Lightning! You're going down!"
"Easy there jockstrap." Jo said as she got out her bow and arrow. "You just focus on moving the tree Lightning. Brick, you and me will deal with hair-dye."
Duncan and Zoey both looked at each other before Zoey turned to Jo. "Um, sorry, but is hair-dye supposed to be me, or Duncan?"
"Yes!" Jo answered. Jo got out an arrow and launched it at Duncan and Zoey. They lept to a different tree branch before it hit them. Good thing to. The arrow penetrated through the branch, tearing it from the tree.
"What the...aren't these supposed to be prop arrows?" Duncan asked.
(Confessional: Chris)
"Ok. So we might have put some lead inside the padding. Just because it won't kill you doesn't mean it won't hurt."
Duncan fired an arrow back at Jo. She ducked it, but unfortunately, the arrow hit Brick in the groin. "Aughhh!" He yelled before falling to his knees.
"Sorry Brick!" Zoey yelled. She and Duncan then started jumping from tree to tree, moving away from the carriage.
"Um, hello? They're getting away!" Amy yelled.
"Urgh...with all due respect miss, our mission is to protect the carriage." Brick strained.
"I'm with cheer girl. I'm heading after them." Jo said. She immediately ran after the two Blades.
"Jo! Stay with your unit!" Brick yelled out. His words fell on deaf ears as Jo lept over the fallen tree and continued running.
"Hey, what kinda messed up wagon is this?" Lightning asked.
Brick turned his head to Lightning's direction. "What do you mean?"
Lightning pointed to the back left wheel. It was smashed up, and on the ground. A padded arrow was lying next to it. "Chris cheaped out on us. You can't have a wagon with only three wheels."
"Ugh! It means somebody destroyed that wheel while you morons were busy goofing off." Amy said.
"But who? Neither Zoey or Duncan's arrow hit our wheel." Brick said.
The camera panned back to the foliage, Gwen having just fired an arrow. "Nice work Gwen." Kitty complimented. She and Gwen gave a soft high-five.
"Indeed. Now they'll have to stay put for a while." Dawn said.
"Good job, but warn us before you do that. And wait before we give you the ok. That could have given away our position." Emma told Gwen.
"Are you ever satisfied?" Gwen asked.
Brick kneeled down on the ground. "We need to fix this as soon as possible so we can regroup with Jo. My guess is that a split unit is exactly what the enemy wants."
"Man, we don't need Jo. The true Team Dude is more than enough to protect these little girls." Lightning boasted.
"Yeah, because you did such a great job against the choker duo." Amy said.
"Hey, I found this toolbox! Will that help?" Sammy asked.
"Execellent! Great work Sammy." Brick complimented as Sammy gave him the tool box. The meaner twin rolled her eyes at this.
"Alright, we'll need to draw Lightning away from the carriage before taking him out. Any ideas?" Emma asked.
"Let's just throw a rock or something before we all jump him. Lightning's pretty dumb, he'll be easy to lure away." Gwen said.
"That won't be enough. Lightning's practically superhuman, and not a lot of us are exactly packing much muscle." Noah replied. He then turned to Dawn. "But I know exactly how you can take him down."
Dawn widened her eyes as she read Noah's aura. "No. Absolutely not. Your plan is absolutely cruel."
"Didn't you laugh at Scott being on life support? You're not exactly one to preach morality."
Dawn crossed her arms, but didn't have a counter.
"Wait, hold on. What are you guys talking about?" Kitty asked.
"We're gonna use Dawn's aura reading to neutralize Lightning." Noah answered.
(Confessional: Noah)
Noah held the binder in front of the camera. "Remind me to thank Sierra for writing these notes with Owen. ...Wait a second, Lightning, Brick, and Jo weren't even competing this season, how did they-?" Noah flipped through the binder and widened his eyes. "Whoa. Those two prepared for a lot of possible new contestants."
The camera cut to Team Heather at the starting point. B and Sierra were tying logs to trees. "How are the arrow traps going Harold?" Sierra asked.
Harold finished tying up a piece of string to a bow and arrow, keeping the arrow drawn back. "Finished the 5th one." Harold answered.
Heather was nodding in satisfaction while watching before Chris walked up to her. "So wait for a team to get the treasure chest, and then ambush them here and take it for yourself. Smart move Heather."
"Obviously. But thanks for the compliment anyway Chris." Heather replied. She then started looking around.
"Looking for Mike and your boyfriend?"
"Yeah. Odds are they're talking about some plan to get me eliminated. As if that'll work."
"Well you are out of allies."
"Oh really?" Heather turned to B, Harold, and Sierra. "You're doing great guys! If you wanna take a break, just let me know!"
"Thanks Heather, but we still have energy left!" Harold called back. B gave a thumbs up.
(Confessional: Heather)
"I have to say, I can see why Zoey does her nice girl routine so much. It really helps with making allies."
The camera cut to Mike looking at tracks on the trail, Alejandro standing near him. "Based off the of the tracks, I'd say the carriage came around here about 7 minutes ago." Mike observed.
"So we're getting closer." Alejandro said.
"Well...maybe. But there's more force on the indents of these tracks than the ones from before."
"So you're saying that the horses started to pick up speed?"
Mike nodded. "Should we keep following these tracks?"
"Yes. Until we see the carriage's current location. Then we can regroup with our team."
Alejandro continued walking on the trail, Mike following in silence. Eventually, Mike spoke up. "Hey Alejandro...it cool if I ask for advice?"
"Depends. What is it?"
"How do you think I can keep that spark between Zoey and me alive?"
Alejandro smirked.
(Confessional: Alejandro)
"I've been waiting for this moment. From offering Mike for us to vote off Heather together, to telling him about how me and Heather are still together despite our constant betrayals, to..." Alejandro shuddered. "Acting concerned for Owen." Alejandro punched the palm of his hand. "All to lead up for this moment. Mike asking me for advice about his relationship with Zoey."
"Well Mike, I'll admit. Me and Heather's relationship isn't exactly what you'd call normal."
"But somehow you guys are still happy together." Mike said.
Alejandro gave a shocked look at Mike. "Mike...are you saying you're not happy with Zoey?"
"What? No! I mean, I guess the way I said that could be seen like that, but that's not what I meant!"
"So, what did you mean?"
Mike sighed. "I feel like...like my relationship with Zoey has been missing something ever since my alternate personalities were gone. And I don't know why."
"You and Zoey had dinner in Paris for a date, correct?" Alejandro asked.
"Yeah. We just talked a bit."
"Well, what did you talk about?" Alejandro asked.
"Well..."
Mike rubbed his head awkwardly. "So, um...have you ever traveled out of Canada before this season?"
Zoey shook her head. "No. What about you?"
"Not really."
"Ah."
The two sat together in awkward silence.
"I see. You didn't really know what to talk about." Alejandro said.
"Yeah, pretty much." Mike answered.
"Well, since you and Zoey ate again during the challenge as we were leaving Paris, I take it you were more prepared the day after?"
"Well, things were starting off better
Mike ate a piece of shrimp from the bowl. "So, Zoey. How are things on your team?"
"It's going pretty well. It's cool to hang out with Duncan again, and Bridgette, Leshawna, and DJ are all really nice. Scott though...kinda iffy on him. He's not AS much of a jerk lately, but I don't know if I can trust him, you know? Especially after the Florida challenge."
"I get that. I'm pretty suspicious of Heather too. But almost everyone else on the team basically forgot all the stuff she did. At least Alejandro said he'd help me try and get her voted off if we ever get last place."
"Wait, you're teaming up with Alejandro? Was Heather really that mean to you guys to justify that?" Zoey asked.
"Huh? Well, I mean...I dunno...maybe? But after what Heather said about our relationship during the yacht party, I couldn't have just let that slide."
"I mean...it was really mean of her, don't get me wrong. But is it really worth the risk of teaming up with Alejandro? He's way less trustworthy than her. I think you should just let is slide"
Mike rubbed his arm. "I guess, but...it doesn't seem right for her to say stuff like that and get off scot-free"
Zoey sighed. "Just be careful Mike, ok?"
"Yeah. Definitely. So, um...what's it like on your team?"
"You already asked me that."
"Oh. Yeah."
The two fell into awkward silence again.
"Yeah...the conversation didn't go so great then either."
Alejandro crossed his arms. Mike told Zoey about how he's working with Alejandro to get her elimiinated? Alejandro should have told Mike that an alliance is less effective if blabbed about. But then again, it's not like Zoey was on Team Heather, nor did she have a reason to tell anyone on Team Heather about it. Beisdes, Heather herself was surely aware about Alejandro and Mike's alliance by now anyway. "Well Mike, I can't say I know exactly what you're going through, but I've certainly hit my share of rough patches with Heather. We even almost broke up last challenge, as I'm sure you picked up on."
"Yeah. But you guys stayed together."
"Yes. Because Heather realized that the biggest obstacle in our relationship, our competitive nature, was precisely what she loved so much about it. I haven't known you two long enough to say for myself. But perhaps there were obstacles that you and Zoey thought got in the way of your happiness, but in truth, you miss it."
Mike turned Alejandro around and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You better not be saying that my disorder is-!"
Alejandro raised his hands upwards. "I'm not saying for sure that it's your disorder. In fact, I'm not even saying for sure that I'm correct. But perhaps you two needed to face some form of conflict for your relationship to be satisfying."
Mike sighed as he slowly let go of Alejandro's shoulders. "But...but that was my disorder. Did curing it really end up killing the spark?"
"Like I said. I don't know for sure. But I wasn't the first one to bring up your disorder. Your mind went there on it's own."
Mike widened his eyes.
(Confessional: Mike)
"It can't be the truth...am I really nothing with my other personalities?"
The camera cut back to Jo chasing down Zoey and Duncan, firing arrows at them while they leapt from tree to tree.
"You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn." Duncan taunted.
"Big talk for someone running away." Jo said as she readied another arrow. "I knew you were a jailbird, but I didn't know that made you chicken."
"Aww, what's the matter? Have trouble keeping up? For all the exercise you do, it should be a breeze."
Jo gritted her teeth. She fired an arrow, but it soared over Duncan's head.
"You sure it's a good idea to provoke her like that?" Zoey whispered to Duncan.
"It makes it harder for her to hit us, and it's fun. I'd say yes."
Jo clenched her fist in frustration before widening her eyes. She had an idea. Jo got out multiple arrows and fired them in rapid succession. But this time, rather than aiming for Duncan and Zoey, she fired at the tree they most recently jumped towards.
The vibration of the tree caused Duncan and Zoey to wobble, the two of them having a hard time maintaining their balance. "What the...whoa!" Soon, Duncan lost his footing and fell off the tree. Zoey briefly fell off as well before she grabbed the tree branch.
"Duncan!" She yelled in concern. Suddenly, she noticed something fired at her. A pair of handcuffs latched itself onto her left arm, cuffing her to the trees.
"And Zoey's been eliminated!"
"Oh, come on!"
"Hang in there red!" Jo mocked. Turned out, Jo had good aim when things were going her way, having fired a pair of handcuffs to latch onto Zoey's arm.
Duncan landed painfully onto the ground. Jo ran up to Duncan and grabbed his arm. "Sure I have trouble keeping up, Stuncan?" Jo smirked as she got out another set of handcuffs.
Surprisingly, Duncan smirked back. "Now!"
Suddenly, a figure tackled Jo to the ground. "What the-?!"
"Oh, sorry. I'm not hurting you am I?" DJ asked.
"Where did you even come from?! Ah, never mind! Out of my way!" It took effort, but Jo managed to overpower DJ while wrestling on the ground with him, reversing his pin on him. She then got out a pair of handcuffs, and cuffed DJ's hands together.
"And DJ has been eliminated!" Chris announced.
"Ha! I'm on a roll baby!" Jo bragged. She suddenly found herself hit in the head with an arrow. She turned around and saw Duncan smiling at her.
"Keep tempting fate. See what happens." Duncan said.
"Yeah! Um...your roll's about to get toasted!" Zoey called out while still cuffed to the tree branch.
Duncan, Jo, and DJ all gave an odd look at Zoey. "...Leave the trash talk to me red." Duncan told her.
"Was thtat too far?" Zoey asked.
Duncan ignored the question and put down his bow and arrow, getting out a wooden staff. Jo took this as a challenge, and did the same.
"Bring it, shortlegs." Jo said. Duncan and Jo both charged at each other.
The camera cut to Sammy holding the wheel while Brick hammered it back into place. "Excellent! The wheel's fixed!" Brick exclaimed.
"Finally." Amy said.
Sammy and Brick stood up. "Wait, where's Lightning?" Sammy asked.
"Someone threw a pebble at his head or something while you two were fixing the wheel."
"What?! Why didn't you say something?!" Sammy asked.
Amy shrugged.
Brick looked around. "I can't find him. Oh no. Not again!"
"Whatever, let's just keep going." Amy said.
"Absolutely not. Rule number one in my unit. Never leave a man behind. LIGHTNING! Where are you?!" Brick yelled out.
Alejandro and Mike were hiding behind a far away tree, looking at the scene. "Looks like it's just Brick." Mike said. "Should we go for it now, or regroup with the rest of the team?"
"I'll leave that decision up to you, amigo." Alejandro answered.
"Hmm..."
Alejandro then took notice of something. Behind a boulder not too far away from Alejandro and Mike was a tuft of spiky orange hair. It must have been Scott. Alejandro could have let Mike known, but considering Alejandro's deal with Scott, the spaniard decided it would be best to let Scott go unnoticed. After all, if Mike attacked him, it might get in the way of whatever Scott planned to sabotage the Blades.
The camera panned over to Lightning chasing Brody in the woods. "So you were the one who beaned the Lightning!"
"Sorry dude! Nothing personal!" Brody yelled while running.
"Lightning will show you personal!" Lightning leaped towards Brody, tackling him to a tree.
"Aughh..."
Lightning got out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Brody's hands together.
"Brody has been eliminated!" Chris' voice rung out.
"Sha-booyah!"
"Hello Lightning." A voice said.
Lightning turned around. "Oh. Hey creepy girl! You with this guy?"
Dawn nodded. "Indeed."
"Well, you're outta luck. You're about to get struck by the Lightning!" Lightning got out a second pair of handcuffs.
Dawn didn't run. In fact, she walked closer to Lightning, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Umm...what are you doing?"
"Lightning...I'm so, so sorry. Until the finale of our season, I didn't realize just how truly tormented your aura was."
"Torment? Lightning doesn't get tormented!" He was about to cuff Dawn then and there, but she kept talking.
"I'm so, so sorry about your father. All the pressure he put on you throughout your childhood. How he only took notice of athletic achievements of yours and nothing else. How crushed you felt about letting him down when you lost to Cameron."
Lightning's eyes widened. "Pop's rings..."
The camera cut back to the rest of the Shortcakes, still hiding in the foliage. Brick was on high alert, circling around the carriage while preparing for any attackers.
"What are you even doing?" Amy asked.
"I can't leave a man behind, but I also can't leave you two without protection. So I'm staying here until Lightning comes back." Brick answered.
"Ugh. Whatever." Amy then turned to Sammy, who was staring out the carriage. Amy just couldn't get a read on her anymore. For about a year, her twin sister was barely acknowledging her existence. Then she suddenly slaps Amy in anger live on international TV. Now she's back to ignoring Amy. What was with her?
"So, how was Pahkitew Island after I left?" Amy finally asked.
Sammy turned to Amy, surprised. "Huh?"
"I'm bored. If you're gonna pretend that the Aftermath incident didn't happen, I might as well talk with you about something. I know it wasn't long before I came back, but what was it like being out of my shadow for a couple days?"
"Oh. Um...well, like you said, it wasn't long, so it's kinda hard to say." Sammy answered. "It was really relieving at first, but as time went on, I started to feel kinda hollow. Having to pretend to be you to everyone except Jasmine, my teammates constantly favoring you over me and not even being able to defend myself over it. It really sucked."
"Huh. Guess you can't ever really be your own person." Amy non-chalantly said.
Sammy frowned. What else should she have expected from Amy?
"And Lightning has been eliminated!" Chris' voice rang out over the intercoms.
"Wait, what?!" Amy asked.
"One of the team's must have used Lightning's handcuffs against him!" Brick stated.
The camera panned deeper into Sherwood Forest. Dawn was patting a crying Lightning on the back while he was handcuffed to a tree.
"Why Pops?! Why do I only matter to you when it's about sports?!" Lightning bawled.
Brody walked over to Dawn, his hands still cuffed together. "Way to go dudette! Noah's plan worked."
"Indeed." Dawn then held out multiple handcuffs. "And now we have Lightning's handcuffs like Noah wanted. Thanks for offering yourself as bait Brody."
"No problem. Go kick butt out there!"
Dawn walked off, leaving Brody with a still crying Lightning.
"...Want a burrito?" Brody awkwardly asked.
(Confessional: Dawn)
Dawn let out a guilty sigh. "I know that I've pryed into the auras of others before, but to deliberately use it to make someone upset is just cruel."
"Ok, that's it. We're getting out of here yesterday!" Amy ordered.
"But what about-" Sammy began to ask.
"Musclehead's already gotten himself eliminated. There's no point in standing like sitting ducks anymore."
Brick gave a sigh before getting on the horse. "We can still catch up to Jo. Hopefully she doesn't get elimina-" Suddenly, an arrow flew, hitting Brick right in the face and knocking him off his horse.
"What the?!" The twins both reacted.
Emma and Gwen both popped out of the bushes and charged at Brick, weapons in hand. The Cadet barely had enough time to block their blows with his own club and stood back up. "So, you're the ones responsible for the damaged wheel and Lightning's elimination."
"Sorry about that. But gotta try to win the-" Gwen began to say.
"Stay focused!" Emma yelled at Gwen.
The Goth rolled her eyes. The two then charged at Brick again. Despite being outnumbered, Brick blocked and manuevered around each of their strikes without too much difficulty. However, he couldn't find an opening to strike without leaving himself wide open. He would have to remain on the defensive for now.
"So...should we just wait here?" Sammy asked.
Suddenly, the door next to Sammy's end of carriage swung open. Kitty came in, leaning over Sammy to grab the treasure chest on Amy's lap. "I'll take that, thanks."
"Uh, I don't think so!" Amy grabbed the chest and tried to pull it out of Kitty's grip. "A little help here Samey?!"
Sammy didn't react for a bit, frozen at Kitty's sudden arrival.
"Hello?!" Amy yelled.
"Huh? Oh!" Without thinking about it, Sammy's arms shot forward and pushed Kitty out of the carriage. Unfortunately, the treasure chest slipped out of Amy and Kitty's grip and went flying out of the carriage.
Noah, who was still hiding in the bushes, was about to rush towards the chest and catch it. However, a figure leaped out from behind a tree to catch it. "Got it!" Mike yelled.
"Excelente! Let's get a move on!" Alejandro yelled.
Gwen, Emma, and Brick stopped their fight and turned their heads. "Mike has the treasure chest!" Gwen pointed out.
Mike and Alejandro turned around to run away. However, in only a few seconds of running, Mike's leg got caught in something near the three he and Alejandro were previously hiding by. "What the-?!"
Suddenly, Mike was flung far away, dropping the treasure chest to the ground. "AHHHHHHHHH!" Mike yelled.
"Man, it's about time one of my snares got someone." Scott walked out of the boulder he was hiding behind, and towards the treasure chest Mike dropped.
Alejandro got out a wooden club. "This wasn't part of the-" He whispered.
"Relax Alejandro. I'll throw the fight and let you get the treasure chest. But I have to make it look convincing that I didn't totally throw the challenge. Zoey and Bridgette are already on to me."
"Very well. Though hopefully you can also provide ma distraction against them." Alejandro said.
Sure enough, Kitty, Emma, Gwen, and Brick caught up to the two.
"Sorry, we'll be taking that." Emma said.
"I don't think so ma'am. I commend you three for your teamwork, but that chest is mine!" Brick declared.
The six of them all rushed to grab the treasure chest.
Duncan was knocked back towards a tree by Jo. "Is that all you got Stuncan? I thought you'd put up more of a fight than that." Jo taunted.
She swung at Duncan's face with her club, but he rolled out of the way and swung at Jo's legs, knocking her to the ground. "Ha ha! Stuncan! Good one." Duncan stood up and moved closer to a bush. "Too bad you can't fight half as good as you talk."
Jo gritted her teeth and stood up. "Try saying that after I knock out your teeth." Jo and Duncan continued to exchange blows with their clubs, each hitting the other's head, limbs, or body several times. Jo had more raw power, and quickly overpowered Duncan whenever their clubs connected with each other. Duncan however was nimbler, dodging the majority of Jo's swings and giving her some nasty hits to the gut whenever she was vulnerable. DJ and Zoey were worried, but unfortunately all they could do was watch.
Eventually, Jo noticed an opening as Duncan was ducking for a bit too long. She raised her club upwards and smacked him to the ground.
"Urghhh..." Duncan moaned.
"Heh heh...nice fight...but not...good enough." Jo panted
Once again however, Duncan just smirked. "No, I'd say I did more than enough." Duncan said.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, two figures lept out of the bush near Jo and Duncan. Two clubs struck Jo hard in the back of the head, causing her to fall to the ground. "I told you I should have been the one to fight Jo, turkey legs." Leshawna said.
Duncan got a pair of handcuffs and tossed them to Leshawna. "But you wouldn't have been able to pull off the steal."
"What the...?!" Jo reacted. She checked her pockets, and sure enough, the handcuffs she had on her were all gone. And unfortunately for her, the time she spent checking her pockets gave Leshawna more than enough time to cuff Jo's hands together.
"And Jo has been eliminated as well!" Chris' voice rang over the PDA.
"Oh, come on!" Jo complained.
Bridgette walked up to DJ and Zoey, the latter who pulled herself up the treebranch, but was still cuffed to it. "Do you guys want us to help you out?"
"It's fine. We'd be eliminated either way." Zoey answered.
"Alejandro, Scott, Emma, Kitty, Gwen, and Brick are all in a fight for the treasure chest!" Chris announced.
"Ok, now ya'll should definitely head back to the carriage." DJ added. "Scott needs some backup to get that chest."
Leshawna turned to Duncan. "Lead the way." The three Blades all ran off.
The camera zoomed out, showing Chris at the returning area, watching from the monitors. "It looks like all four sides are about to collide! Which one will get the treasure chest?!" Chris then gestured to Heather, Harold, B, and Sierra, who were putting the finishing touches on their booby traps. "And if the Blades or Shortcakes get it, will they be able to get past Team Heather's booby traps?"
"Not likely." Heather said.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" Mike came falling to the ground, barely catching a tree branch to prevent himself from crashing through it. Chris didn't so much as react to this.
"Find out when we return!" Chris exclaimed.
Strawberry Shortcakes: Noah, Gwen, Dawn, Emma, Kitty, Brody
Killer Blades: Duncan, Zoey, Bridgette, DJ, Leshawna, Scott
Team Heather: Heather, B, Harold, Alejandro, Sierra, Mike
Well, here was the first part of the chapter. And quite a lot to unpack. As we found out, the reason why Noah chose for Trent to be voted off is because he indirectly harms Gwen's performance. After being made the team leader by Owen, Noah's starting to take the team and their dynamics a lot more seriously. How will this play out? The mystery thief seemed to sneak on board the ship, and Noah's utilizing the notes Owen and Sierra wrote to his team's advantage.
Also, we get to see some familiar faces. The Pahkitwins, Jo, Brick, and Lightning. I figured that this challenge would be more fun if I included some past contestants to be part of the challenge. I hope you guys enjoyed seeing them, as well as the chapter!