A/N: That quote came from the Wolfenstein franchise. Great games, would definitely recommend. This will be a longer one. I'm also back at college now, so instead of three shorter chapters a week, my goal is one longer chapter per week. Let's see if we make it! Please, please, please leave reviews by the way.
Brick inhaled deeply. The morning air was fresh, untainted by human pollution. With everything else going on on the island, it was possible to overlook the real spots of natural beauty that could be found.
He, James, and Lightning were finishing up an eight kilometer (slightly less than five mile) run. This little training group had sprung up the second day of the new season. James had to run every morning and night as part of his training, Lightning wanted to improve his speed for football season, and Brick had to get in tip-top cardio shape for the long marches he knew awaited him during his return to the academy. The guys formed a fast friendship helped by their mutual discipline. He already knew Lightning a little from ROTI but it was nice to meet someone he knew literally nothing about. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, maybe it was the threat of inherent death, or maybe it was the chance at winning $5 million, but the guys opened up to each other during these morning workouts. They learned a lot about each other that they wouldn't have otherwise. Lightning was never known for being a particularly outspoken person on topics that weren't either himself or sports but turned out to have a great singing voice. He said that his mom had been a singer before marrying his dad and that she had taught him in an effort to make him more appealing to girls. Brick told them about his family's legacy of service and about his ingrained sense of honor. He also told them about how he struggled with the forced conformity, resulting in him telling them about his dream to become a fashion designer as famous as Rick Owens or Raf Simons. James stayed away from his family but told them about his childhood as an athletic prodigy and celebrity. Some of his stories about other competitors had the three guys crying in laughter at the end. He had a natural comedian's timing.
Naturally, the two were also the first people to ask Lightning about Dawn.
"Bro, I have to know. How the hell did that start?" James asked after the run was over.
Lightning caught his breath. He'd let James control the pace in the second half of the run and had paid dearly for it. Brick was suffering more, and James, well, James just looked like he'd been out for a jog.
"I don't know. I just started sha-talking to her and—"
A look came over his face.
"And what?" Brick prodded.
Lightning's cheeks turned a slight red. "I guess I fell in love."
Brick clapped him on the back. "I'm happy for you, man. She really seems like a nice girl."
James nodded his agreement before a question crossed his mind. "What do you two even talk about? You guys seem like pretty different people."
"We talk about each other, the show, sha-whatever, you know?"
James didn't follow up with the nonanswer. "Boys, it's a good day. You know how I know? My balls are still intact."
The other two guys chuckled, thinking of the challenge James had to do the day before. Lightning said what was on all their minds: "If my little Lightnings were hurt, I don't think I could sha-live right."
The guys had walked back to the mess tent by now. "What would you have done if you landed on the saw blade?" Brick asked.
"Probably cry a lot and then leave the island," James answered with a grin.
"I think this is where we separate guys. Same time tomorrow, Lightning?" Brick held his hand out.
"You sha-know it!" The guys dapped each other up and walked back towards their respective cabins. Lightning made sure that the other two weren't following nor watching before sneaking back out into the forest. Dawn was "meditating" and he wanted to get some quality time with her.
Meanwhile, in the mess tent, the Muskrats were talking about their most recently eliminated teammate.
"Alejandro probably tried to create an alliance with someone. Do we know who?" Harold was looking at the other three who were still in the tent.
Courtney appeared deep in thought. "I think he and sha-jock had an alliance, but I guess even that moron has his limits."
Leshawna regarded the CIT suspiciously. "Didn't you help Al vote off poor Noah? Don't try to act innocent, honey."
"Please. Who else were we gonna vote off? Alejandro was still useful then. That was just careful application of logic. It's not worth reading into."
Harold narrowed his eyes slightly. While that was her trademark condescending tone, something sounded off. He would have said "the lady doth protest too much" if not for the absolute certainty that he'd get karate chopped in the throat. Instead, he went back to eating the egg-like substances that Chef had crafted for them this morning.
Leshawna accepted the explanation. She and Courtney had never been close friends, but they had never exactly been complete enemies either, so she had no reason to distrust the CIT.
Confessional
Leshawna: That girl is seriously a riddle. I was glad to team with her to take out Al, but where do we go from here? Harold's still obsessed with me, (I mean who wouldn't be, you see these curves) but if I can get CIT-ney in an alliance, my chance at that five mill goes way up.
End of Confessional
Izzy had been calculating a formula which the others neither understood nor cared enough to understand when Lightning walked in. He didn't want to sit with Courtney out of a fear of exposing their alliance, and both Harold and Leshawna were sitting with her, so he grabbed a plate and stood across from the redhead. "Morning, psycho. What you doing?"
Izzy glanced up briefly. "I'm trying to prove Einstein wrong! Wanna help?"
Lightning's eyes glazed over. The numbers and letters she'd written down would have been indecipherable to anyone not in MENSA; for Lightning, this was even worse.
She thrust aside her notebook, realizing this wasn't going anywhere. "Fine, then, do you wanna talk about… Dawn?" She whispered the girl's name conspiratorially. Lightning dropped his plate onto the table and sat down with a thud.
"How-how do you know?"
Izzy just rolled her eyes. "Please, I can see it all over your faces. For what it's worth, Izzy's shipped Dawning Light since Revenge of the Island! Seriously, though, what do you like so much about her?"
He was slightly annoyed at being asked the same question for the second time in thirty minutes. "She makes me feel like a good person. Anything sha-wrong with that?"
In a rare moment of seriousness, Izzy made direct eye contact and kept her face sympathetic. "No, I'm happy to see something good come from this show. If there's anything you ever want to talk about with the relationship, I'm here. I know what it's like trying to carry on a relationship with someone who everyone else thinks you have nothing in common with."
Lightning was taken aback by the sincerity of her words. "Thanks, girl, I might actually hit you up for that."
Her trademark insane smile returned. "No problem! Izzy loves to help and she hopes you make it to fifth base by the end of tonight!"
"There ain't a fifth base in baseball." Lightning knew this for a fact considering that he was his high school's star pitcher for four years.
"There is if you look hard enough!"
Confessional
Lightning (scared): What the hell does that sha-mean? Does she mean [whispers] butt stuff?
End of Confessional
Lightning's ruminations were cut short by the dreaded crackling of a loudspeaker. "Five minutes campers. Cut your breakfast short and get ready for some FUN!"
"Gosh, does Chris ever get tired of sadism?" Harold said around his mouthful of eggs.
"Harold baby, you're way too smart to be askin that question. I find it's better to just not even think about the whole situation." Leshawna replied.
The sister made her way outside the tent and stopped dead in her tracks. Hell hath frozen over. Pigs were flying. Bears no longer shat in the woods and the Pope stopped being a Catholic. In fact, the Pope must have decided that he was an atheist and that he was moving to California.
Heather and Gwen were talking to each other. Easily. With smiles, even. If Leshawna didn't know any better, she'd think they were friends.
Brick, James, and Zoey were looking at their teammates with the same confusion. Dawn was smiling her normal cryptic smile because she could read the pair's auras and knew that some healing had taken place. She then caught her boyfriend's eye and sent him an air kiss. Lightning caught it out of the air gratefully.
Chris stepped out of the darkness wearing his blue three-piece suit. It had once been trendy but that was a long, long time ago.
"Campers, welcome to the easiest challenge you're going to have all summer. We just have a simple trivia contest!"
Both teams stayed silent. They were waiting for the other shoe to drop. They knew Chris's proclivities too well. Unfortunately for them, Chris also stayed silent. He knew that they could edit this out in post and he really wanted someone to say something stupid.
After an awkward two minutes of silence, Harold sighed. "Fine, I'll bite. What could possibly be so bad about-"
"With every question you get wrong you'll face a nearly lethal dose of electricity! For those of you who were with us on Revenge of the Island, this will be similar to the Getting to Know You trivia challenge from the second episode. Only change is, these questions are more intense. A LOT more intense."
He grinned, assured that he finally held their attention. "This is Zoey's challenge. On All-Stars, she failed to notice that her boyfriend was actually exhibiting symptoms of an evil personality. How dumb do you have to be to not see that? Apparently as dumb as Zoey!"
The indie girl's eyes started to water and she had to turn away. Gwen put a hand on her shoulder while shooting Chris a look that would have killed.
The host was unfazed. "You're going to sit on benches with your teams. I'll ask you questions and you answer. Get it right and the shock is just a joy buzzer. Get it wrong, and you feel some PAIN! The other team also gets the chance to steal. First team to five wins. Capisce?"
Chef, dressed in a Vanna White-style dress, pointed towards their seats. The teens filed in with the facial expressions of prisoners walking towards the electric chair.
Confessional
Zoey: Today's been...weird. First Gwen and Heather actually act like humans around each other and now it's my challenge? I just hope that people don't get too seriously hurt.
End of Confessional
The seats were in two rows of three with a red buzzer in front of each one. Chris waited for the teens to settle in before some stereotypical gameshow music played to cue him in. "And welcome back to What Lurks Beneath, the only gameshow exposing the darkest secrets and deepest insecurities of the Total Drama cast! We have our two teams, the Malicious Muskrats and the Woeful Wombats! Ready to play guys?"
Gwen flipped him off while Courtney said some things that were even more colorful.
"And that's a yes! Because they were our losers last challenge, let's start with the Muskrats! Alright guys, let's ease into this. Which one of your teammates still sleeps with a stuffed animal?"
The Muskrats looked at each other, confused. "Who cares if a girl does that? That's not embarrassing at all." Courtney thought she was speaking for the entire team.
"Chris, I'll go with Courtney, final guess." Harold reached for the buzzer before being hit with 49 volts of electricity, or one less than what can kill a human. The nerd's right hand was burned where he had touched the buzzer. He was locked in place for a second before Izzy put her hand in her pocket and pulled him off the button, grounding the two. Harold lost the ability to speak and had his hair frizz out into an afro.
The others stared on in amazement; one, at the fact that he had been wrong, and two, at what the buzzer had done to Harold. This only added to the dread most felt.
Chris was doubled over in laughter. "Dude, the look on your face, PRICELESS! I am so glad I bought those faulty buzzers. Great call! Wombats, your turn to steal."
Nobody knew the answer before a timid voice spoke up. "Lightning."
"And Dawn gets it right! Looks like our big bad jock isn't so tough and manly after all!"
Lightning shrank in his seat. "Dude, my sha-teddy helps me sleep. Anything wrong with that?"
Courtney and Leshawna both chuckled before saying "yes" simultaneously. Dawn glared at them with the closest thing to anger she could conjure up. She deeply resented anybody insulting her boyfriend.
"Moving on, this question is for the Wombats as well. Which one of your teammates didn't have their first kiss until two years ago?"
A buzzer immediately rang. "Me." The voice was rewarded with a slight shock because they had answered correctly.
"You're sha-kidding, right?" Lightning was legitimately puzzled, his embarrassment over his stuffed animal forgotten.
Brick just pursed his lips and muttered "No, I just didn't know how to approach them."
Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. "It's brave of you to admit that. Even if it is a little surprising."
Brick smiled gratefully. "I didn't want anybody else to get shocked after seeing that." Harold would have responded if he knew where he was or if he knew how to speak.
The host let disappointment flash across his face. "People, where's the anger? Where's the shame and the shaming? You guys suck at this. Anyway, another point for the Wombats. Back to the Muskrats. Which one of your teammates burned down a house when they were younger?"
The Muskrats looked at each other before also looking at Harold. He had started to slowly regain feeling in his hand but it was a slow process.
Leshawna hesitated but reached for the buzzer regardless. "It's probably not Izzy, that would be too easy. I didn't do it, we already used Lightning, so it's either you, Harold-baby, or it's Courtney. Courtney, don't hate me, but I think it's you." She closed her eyes and braced for the jolt but it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be.
"Correct! Turns out our CIT used to be a bit of a firebug when she was younger! Score is 2-1 Wombats!"
Courtney felt the weight of the campers' eyes on her. "What? I tried to improve our stove and accidentally started a fire. It's not a big deal."
"She probably put tin foil in the microwave but doesn't want to admit it," Heather sneered. "Guess she isn't as smart as she wants us to think she is."
Gwen chuckled a little before turning serious. "Nobody was hurt, right?"
"No. How did you even get that info?"
Chris beamed. "We have our sources."
Confessional
Chris: A large chunk of our budget this season went to various blackmail schemes. It's amazing what good ol' money can do. (laughs)
End of Confessional
"Muskrats, your turn on the hotseat. One of your teammates used to be fat and ugly. Who was it?"
The last syllable had barely left Chris's mouth before Gwen buzzed in. She gave an apologetic glance towards her new friend before answering, "Heather."
"Correct!"
The former ugly duckling scowled to cover her shame. "Why'd you answer so quickly?"
"I had the theory for a while, but then you told me last night. Sorry."
Confessional
Heather (furious): So what? I used to be overweight and had a lot of acne in middle school. That doesn't make it right for them to use it to mock me!
End of Confessional
James opened his mouth to say something reassuring but closed it immediately when he saw the frosty look Heather was giving him. Jesus, he thought. She still can't get over herself.
"The Wombats are starting to run away with this one with the score at 3-1! Muskrats, here's your next question: one of your teammates was rejected by their date at the first prom they went to. Who was it?"
Courtney shot up in her seat and rang the buzzer with an enthusiasm that was completely out of place. "Leshawna!"
The others braced for two things: either a catastrophic amount of electricity flooding through Courtney's body or a catastrophic amount of anger to flow from Leshawana into Courtney's body. Neither came.
"Right again! The score is now 3-2, still in favor of the Wombats."
Leshawna's mouth was agape. "Girl, what the hell. Why do you know that?"
"You just seemed like the type. And sorry, but it kinda looks like you tried to eat your feelings."
Lightning and Izzy had to hold her back from reaching down and strangling the CIT. She sat back in her seat and was forced to settle for spitting an endless stream of inventive curses towards Courtney.
Confessional
Courtney: It's too easy. I can't be cocky yet, but it really is as easy as I thought it would be.
End of Confessional
"Now this is the type of discord I expected! This is gonna get some amazing ratings! Wombats, you have the chance to take a commanding lead with the next question. Which of your teammates is responsible for their parents' divorce?"
The silence spoke louder than any words possibly could. While the campers had noticed that the questions were starting to get more personal, they were not prepared for something this mature. They prayed that nobody would puncture the silence. It was better to live in ignorance in this case than to have certainty. To be blunt, this was real shit. Real life with real consequences.
Chris was not pleased. "Every five seconds that you stay silent, I add another volt to the charge."
Remembering what Harold looked like after receiving the still non-lethal shock was a good motivator.
"Me." Gwen sighed and hung her head. The light shock she got confirmed it.
Heather turned to her newest friend, the shame over her own past forgotten. "What? No way. That can't be right!"
"No, it is. My dad didn't want to deal with me when I was born so he divorced my mom and moved away. At least I know how he feels about me, you know?"
If Heather had been slightly better adjusted, she would have hugged Gwen, or at least said something reassuring. Instead, she stayed silent, dumbstruck by the revelation. She had dominated their conversation last night, barely giving the goth a chance to cut in. It was just that she had so much she had to get off her chest. She didn't even think that Gwen might be suffering too. In this moment, she wanted more than anything to say something that could help Gwen. Sadly, she couldn't think of anything that would make Gwen feel better.
Zoey reached up and to her left to comfort Gwen. The goth smiled at the kindness before returning mentally to the game. They still had at least one question to answer which was worse than hers. That would be something to see.
"Muskrats, it is crucial that you score this next point. One of you is a schizophrenic who is considered an extreme danger to everyone around them. This camper is regarded as a threat to national security as well. Who could it be?"
Courtney buzzed in before the others could even think about it. "Izzy, no doubt in my mind."
The redhead's face soon matched her fiery hair, and she looked for somewhere to hide on stage.
"Correctamundo! Seriously, Izzy, you're kinda screwed up, you know that?" Chris had his trademark smile the entire time.
Leshawna gasped after hearing the results. She shifted in her seat away from the redhead and tried to convince Harold to do the same. Courtney saw Leshawna's subtle movements. Her adept mind began to formulate a plan. It really was that easy.
"Wait, so she's an actual mental patient? Shouldn't she be receiving help instead of being exploited for views?" Zoey pleaded.
"It's a bunch of bull. She doesn't have schizophrenia, she was a-" James was sticking up for his friend before Chef clamped a hand down over his mouth. Chef was more than happy to do something considering that he had gotten himself dressed up for a challenge where he had to do nothing.
"The score is now 4-3, Wombats. Game point right here and it's a doozy. Wombats, one of the campers on this island is a mistake. This camper is the result of a one-night stand, is a failed abortion, and even was put up for adoption for a week before finally being accepted by their birth parents. Who could it be?"
If Gwen's revelation had been a bombshell, this was an artillery barrage. The campers squirmed in their seats. This couldn't end well.
A buzzer rang. "Fuck you, Chris. You know it's me."
"Right, Wombats win! And, for the record, that's no way to speak to your godfather."
This wasn't an artillery barrage anymore. This was a certified atomic bomb.
The campers stared at the speaker, slightly unsure their ears were working properly.
Lightning put it best. "Sha-WHAT?!"
James nodded sullenly. "Parents hooked up in college, oops, no condom. They didn't want me for a while but they came around."
Even Dawn was puzzled. The spirits told her nothing about this. "But that still doesn't explain how Chris is your godfather?"
"My dad was in the same frat as Chris in college. They were tight. Tight enough that I've heard stories, like how once when Chris was a sophomore he…" James couldn't finish his sentence due to the surge of electricity coming through the buzzer.
Chris frowned. "What happens in college stays in college, got it?" James did his best to nod with 49 volts of electricity still actively flowing through his body, allowing Chris to stop the current. James slumped forward, the scent of burning flesh filling the air. As quickly as he could, he removed his toasted hand from the buzzer and left the seating area.
"Muskrats, this is your third loss in a row. See you tonight at the elimination ceremony!" With his job done, Chris walked off. Putting his godson through pain felt cathartic. All he needed now was a stiff drink and maybe that one somewhat attractive intern and he could have a good night.
The Wombats started to file back towards the spa hotel. James would periodically freeze in place and shake due to the electricity still flooding through his body. Brick had meant to put a hand on his shoulder to sympathize but elected against it after seeing the third convulsion.
The Wombat girls remained slightly behind. Gwen had dredged up an awful memory that made them all feel grateful for their family lives. Even Heather, who didn't exactly have the best home situation, felt better knowing that she wasn't directly responsible for a divorce. As they entered the lobby of the spa hotel, Heather stopped. "Gwen, is there something you want to do? We have an entire spa hotel here. Why not have a little girl's night?"
Zoey eyed the queen bee suspiciously. Why was she being so nice to Gwen all of a sudden? And why was Gwen going along with it? Were they plotting something?
Gwen accepted gratefully. "Actually, there is something I've wanted to do for a while. We have a big TV here right? Anybody down for a little horror movie marathon?"
None of the other girls were big horror fans. Heather thought the movies were dumb and predictable, Dawn didn't care much for movies in general, and Zoey legitimately got freaked out by most. They weren't going to deny Gwen her pleasure, though, so they agreed. Zoey called out that she'd make popcorn and the girls headed towards the movie theater section of the hotel.
Meanwhile, the Muskrats were feeling a lot worse. Their losing streak weighed heavily on their minds. It was in this negative environment that Courtney saw her opportunity. She walked into the girls' section of the loser cabin where she found her prey.
"Hey." She signalled to Izzy that the two needed to talk. The redhead sprang up off her bed and started towards the door, before Courtney shook her head. This would do.
"Leshawna wants you gone. That stuff about schizophrenia? Serious business. You saw how she reacted. She thinks you're a threat."
Izzy's smile faded. "But I'm not schizophrenic."
"Do you think that matters? What matters is that she thinks you are. You can't convince someone you're sane once you've been called insane; it's quite literally impossible. If you want to stay in the game you're going to have to handle this problem now." She smiled. "And besides, when have I led you astray?"
Izzy knew she was being manipulated. But, she had seen Leshawna's reaction. Primal fear. It was highly likely that Leshawna would be gunning for her soon, which was something that she obviously didn't want. She'd have to dance with the devil for a little longer. "Deal." The two shook hands.
Night took its sweet time coming, but came with a vengeance. Chris had the Muskrats gathered on the beach for the third time in three days and their faces reflected it. The stress of imminent elimination was weighing heavily on everyone.
Chris delighted in the tension. Seeing the kids unhappy made for much better viewing. He waited for the Muskrats to take their seats before launching into his nightly spiel. "You know the deal by now: a beloved gold medal ensures safety for another night, the silver medal means an immediate flush. The following campers had no votes against them tonight. Harold. Lightning. And Izzy."
The redhead gasped. She had completely misread Leshawna, meaning that…
Whoops.
"Courtney, seems like some of your teammates are getting fed up with your attitude. Leshawna, to be honest, I don't really know what you did.
And the final gold medal goes to
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Courtney!"
The CIT caught her medal and looked down her nose at Leshawna. The sister looked around at her teammates, trying to fight the rising fury. It was a losing battle.
"Lightning, I know you dumb as shit, but how could you vote for me?! This skinny bitch is tryna manipulate you! And Izzy, you schizo freak, you shoulda been kicked off the island on insanity charges the first season! Harold-baby, I know you voted with me and I appreciate that, but you have to know that we're not a couple, right? You're a friend, nothing more. I wish Gwen was here too so I could tell her that the even skinnier bitch Heather is up to something! None of you deserve to win."
Her temper tantrum over, she made her way to the outhouse for one last confessional.
Confessional
Leshawna: Seeing that girl mock me for my past during the challenge and then fool the others into voting for me? I've had it with this show! Every time something starts to look up for me I get shoved right back down! And this time I didn't even get to slap Heather. Although…
End of Confessional
Chef pulled the girl out of the outhouse and dragged her down the dock to the toilet. Her teammates couldn't help but stare at the girl. After the flush, Courtney strutted her way back to the losers' cabin, leaving Lightning, Harold, and Izzy in her wake.
"I can't believe you voted my fair Leshawna off! You IDIOTS!" Harold exploded.
Izzy held up a hand to stop the inevitable tirade. "I messed up, and I'm sorry, but that was unusual. Getting Leshawna out of the game early might have been better for her."
"How could you possibly believe that? She's right, you are a schizo!"
Izzy forged ahead. "These challenges are psychologically damaging. I had a vision that I'd hurt somebody near me and I think that vision just came true. I was the vote that got Leshawna kicked but I thought I was gone for sure."
Lightning jolted a little. "Dawn's been having the same thoughts. She keeps saying that the sha-spirits are warning her that something bad's gonna happen soon. Could that freakout have been…?"
Harold's neck whipped back and forth. "Nuh-uh, I refuse to accept this. You two morons just got the most beautiful girl on this show eliminated and now you're trying to say that it was because of the spirits? Nope. You've just made an enemy you don't want."
Lightning rolled his eyes at the scrawny nerd while Izzy tried to appeal to his sense of logic. "Harold, you heard her. She friendzoned you-again. I hate to say it but whatever you two had is gone, just like with me and Big O. Plus, there are three of us. If you keep this up you'll be voted off next without question."
"Whatever, gosh. Don't pretend to care about me." He left the two behind him and stormed off.
Izzy looked towards Lightning, who just shrugged. "Sorry, girl, I gotta get ready for another run tomorrow morning. James won't know what sha-hit him."
Izzy was left standing by herself. How had things gone downhill so quickly? And why did she feel like her vision still hadn't come true?
Teams: Woeful Wombats (James, Heather, Gwen, Zoey, Dawn, Brick, Geoff, Dakotazoid)
Malicious Muskrats (Alejandro, Izzy, Lightning, Harold, Noah, Leshawna, Courtney)
Voter (who they voted for): Izzy (Leshawna), Lightning (Leshawna), Harold (Courtney), Leshawna (Courtney), Courtney (Leshawna)
Leshawna: 3 votes
Courtney: 2 votes
Leshawna is eliminated
A/N: For this chapter I decided to just do one long entry instead of two smaller halves. I feel like this format gives me some more freedom. Love it? Hate it? Please tell me. And by the way, the story is about to get dark. Like really dark. Just a warning.