Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your interest in this story! I apologise for the delay with this chapter, there has been a lot going on in my life since posting the last one. I'm not sure how often uploads will be, and I can't guarantee that I'll keep a consistent schedule, but I'll try my best to keep things flowing. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last two!
Chapter 3: There's Always a First Time
"Don't touch that."
Her hand stopped just short of the apple. "What? Why?"
"Because that's a manchineel fruit. The Spanish call it 'manzanilla de la muerte', which in English means 'the little apple of death'."
Sammy reactively backed away from it. "Whoa. That… doesn't sound very friendly. What does it do?"
"Inflames your skin something crazy," Shawn told her, picking at a bush not too far from her. "If you eat it, your throat will close up and you'll have trouble breathing and speaking. A lot of trouble."
"Geez. What's something like this doing on the island?"
"I've been thinking the same thing. Remember I said that there's a ton of fruit here from all over the world? It isn't natural. My only guess is that Chris suddenly had an interest in bringing over a bunch of foreign plants and growing them here. Why is beyond me, though."
"Hmm." She eyed the little apple of death warily. "Probably for the chance to see us suffer outside of challenges." As she walked away, she couldn't help but think. "I wonder if I could get Amy to eat it somehow."
Shawn laughed a bit. "I wouldn't be opposed to seeing that."
After her little… episode at their campfire last night, Sammy shipped herself right off to bed without any complaints from the others. She fell asleep in seconds, completely drained from the challenge, the crying, and the previous night's tossing and turning. The others were kind enough to give her Dave's blanket, now that he wasn't around to use it, as more cushioning under her to let her sleep easier. It had worked wonders, and she awoke with renewed vigor and a bigger desire to help Shawn pick the morning's breakfast.
She worked alongside the zombie boy mostly in silence, placing her picked berries in the sack, and moving on to the next bush when she felt she had enough. They had returned to the same area as yesterday, apparently to finish where they started rather than begin again somewhere new. 'Always use your most immediate resources first, then move on to finding more,' or so Shawn had said. Remembering the direction she took from yesterday, she finished with the blueberries and walked around a tree, only to stop and stare at an empty area where she thought another bush had been.
She blinked, looked around for strawberry bushes, and was dumbfounded when she came up short. "Huh. That's… weird."
"What's weird?" Shawn asked from not too far away. "Is it zombie tracks?"
"What? Oh, no, I could've sworn there was a strawberry bush around here," she answered. "Pretty sure I picked some before running into Jasmine yesterday…"
"What's that about me?" asked the girl herself, walking over to her. Her own sacks were already filled up with food.
"Oh hey, morning," Sammy said to her happily as Jasmine tipped her hat. "I was just saying, I'm pretty sure I was picking at a strawberry bush when I ran into you yesterday. But it's, like… not here anymore?"
Jasmine looked around the area. "I don't see any strawberry bushes here. Though you are right, I do recall seeing some at the top of your bag yesterday."
Shawn came out from a nearby bush, twigs and leaves stuck to his hat. "You sure you didn't pick any before then?"
Sammy shook her head. "No, I'm positive it was when I saw Jasmine."
"Well, I don't see any around here," he said after a quick scan of the area. "But there's some over there, where I just was. Maybe that's what you're thinking of?"
She wasn't sure what she was thinking of. Maybe she was thinking the conversation took place here when really it was elsewhere? She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, since she got stuff wrong all the time. "Y-Yeah, maybe."
With that line of conversation concluded, Jasmine looked down to Shawn. "Also, good morning Shawn."
"Oh, uh, good morning," Shawn said to her with a smile. "H-How's it going?"
"Pretty good. Riding high from our two wins in a row." She said it good-naturedly, and she punched Shawn in the arm lightly. "How's the zombie hunt going?"
Shawn's wide smile - wider than any smile Sammy had seen him wear so far - turned serious and he looked around. "Still nothing, thank goodness, but you can never be too careful. Zombies may not be able to swim, but they also don't need to breathe, so while it could take a while they could easily reach the island by walking under the water."
Jasmine laughed heartily at that, much to Sammy's astonishment. "Too true, mate. Don't worry though, you look tough enough to fend 'em off on your own if you need to."
"Oh, absolutely." He punched the air a few times and struck a battle pose. "I've been training my whole life for this. But, uh, running would be better than fighting at first. Self-preservation, and all."
Sammy looked between the two of them, and after a moment of thinking connected the dots. "Wait, wait," she said, gaining their attention. "You guys know each other?"
"Yeah, we met after you and me parted ways yesterday," Jasmine told her.
Shawn nodded in agreement. "We have a lot in common, as it turns out. We both sleep in trees, for one!"
Well, that's… unique. But it seems like they're already hitting it off. Sammy smiled at them, and noted that they seemed pretty attached to each other already. As such, she decided that she didn't want to be the third wheel. It did not sound appealing to her. "That's awesome. You guys can keep chatting if you want, I'm gonna… uh, go over there. To look for strawberries."
They started talking again, and although the unhelpful part of her brain was making her feel like she just got ditched, Sammy actually didn't mind it this time. In fact, she was rather happy. As odd as it was, Shawn and Jasmine were acting like they'd been friends for a long time already. They seemed like they would be a good fit for each other. She just hoped that Shawn's whole 'zombie' thing didn't get on Jasmine's nerves.
She continued to pick the fruit for her team, making sure to avoid the manchineel fruit and anything else she couldn't immediately identify, and about 15 minutes later Shawn returned to her with a grin from ear to ear.
"Hey," she said, feeling her own smile widen. "You guys seem pretty close."
"What?" Shawn asked. "Nuh-uh. I told you last night, I don't do the whole 'making friends' thing, there's too much compromising going on."
"I dunno. You looked pretty happy when you were talking with her," she said, almost playfully. His reddening face was kind of funny to see. "And she was pretty happy talking to you."
"I, uh. Sh-She's got good advice for survival! Did you know she's lived out on the Australian prairies on her own for a full year? That's more than I've ever done!"
Sammy stopped picking for a moment. "Aren't the animals there super dangerous? That's really impressive."
"Isn't it?!" Shawn nearly screamed, but then he covered his mouth. "I-I mean, yeah, it is."
Sammy genuinely laughed, and she decided she quite liked the feeling. She allowed Shawn to tell her what sorts of things he learned from their supposed enemy, and though she didn't really understand some of it she enjoyed it regardless. After picking five bag-fulls of fruit, they headed back to their camp.
Ella and Beardo were inside the shack conversing, and grinned when Sammy walked through the opening. "We got breakfast," Sammy told them, holding up three of the bags. "Where's Sky?"
"She's gone to get some fresh water," Ella told her as she took the one Sammy held out to her. "She shouldn't be long."
"Good," she replied, handing Beardo his bag. "I wouldn't want her going into the challenge on an empty stomach."
"Think we actually got a chance?" Beardo asked, digging into his meal immediately. "In the challenge, I mean."
Refusing to take a step further in, Shawn said from the entrance, "It'll be tough, but it's doable. I guess we just gotta focus on not screwing up. Again."
Beardo laughed, loudly and sarcastically. "Sounds easy enough. Five against seven, what could go wrong?"
Sammy's laugh in turn was nervous. "Lots of things, I bet. That's why we need to be ready for anything."
"I'm back!" Sky shouted from outside. The sloshing of the water in the bucket was loud and clear, and it reminded Sammy that she hadn't had anything to drink all morning. "And I got water! Everyone drink up!"
They had their fill of fruit and water, and Ella and Beardo thanked the three of them for going out to get them. Sammy grinned and scratched her neck - she wasn't used to being thanked so casually, so it kind of made her feel embarrassed.
"You know, you seem a lot more bubbly today," Beardo said to her.
"Oh?" That wasn't a lie - she was definitely feeling more lively that morning. And it was mainly because she felt better, if only somewhat, now that she knew she had people on her side for once. "You think so?"
"It's rather apparent, yes," Ella said happily. "It suits you though! I'd like to see you smile more often."
Sammy felt her cheeks flush at that, and tried desperately to hide them. "R-Really?" she stammered. "Gosh, I'll try, I guess." Most times that was easier said than done, but today was different. She was going to really try to smile more often.
The sound of humming came from her right. Sky was staring at the ground, idly munching on berries and deep in thought about something.
"I wonder what she's thinking so hard about," Sammy asked, purposefully changing the topic. She took a sip of water from one of the cups Shawn salvaged from the garbage pile Chris never bothered to close off. Apparently everything was still free for the pickings, including all of the bags used for foraging.
Beardo looked between the two of them, and a sly grin crept on his face. "That's a tough question to answer. People can be thinking about anything. So I guess you could say that," he paused and grinned, just at the same time that Sky looked up in realization, "the sky's the limit."
Sammy nearly choked and almost spat out her water, but she managed to keep it in. She swallowed and laughed loudly behind her hand, not caring if the others found it weird. Puns were funny to her, but she rarely got to enjoy them since Amy hated them.
It felt like today was going to be a good day, if the fact that she'd laughed twice already was any indication.
Sky gave both her and Beardo an unimpressed stare. Sammy immediately stopped laughing and turned away, though she continued to grin. To Beardo, Sky said, "I've heard them all plenty of times. They don't affect me anymore."
Beardo shrugged, casually lounging on his side. "Figured I'd get at least one in."
"What has you so focused, Sky?" Ella asked her.
"I'm trying to see if I can figure out what the challenge may be about," Sky answered, "but I haven't gotten anywhere yet, and I've been thinking all morning." She sighed and took some food from her bag. "I'm close to giving up."
"Knowing the show and its host," Shawn said, leaning on what passed as a doorframe, "it could literally be anything. I wouldn't get too caught up in your head about that."
"I mean, I know what you're saying," Sky told him, "but I figured we'd need to do something a bit different if we wanted to win for once."
"And 'working more as a team' isn't enough?" he asked with air quotes.
"It doesn't hurt to have a backup plan."
"But how can we possibly figure out what Chris has in store for us?" Ella asked. "There's no pattern based on previous seasons, I don't believe."
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Sky rubbed her temples and sighed.
"It might just be something we can't figure out," Beardo said.
They sat in silence for a while. Sammy desperately tried to think of some way they could turn the game to their advantage, but without knowing what to expect, she was really unsure of what they could do.
It turned out to be pointless, however, as Chris's voice was heard all over the island, telling them it was time to play.
"Guess we've got no choice but to wing it," Shawn said, removing himself from the entrance and heading off on his own.
Ella stood and stretched. "Let's just try our best. That's all we can do, and there's no shame if we lose despite it."
"She's right," Sky said. They all made their way out of the shack and followed after Shawn. "Let's do what we can, and if we lose…" She paused, and sighed. "Well, we'll deal with that if we cross that bridge."
Her team reached the designated meeting area, where Chris and Chef were standing in front of a crate full of balloons of all things. Sammy was also pleasantly surprised to see that they had arrived there before most of the other team - the only Salmon was Topher, who was excitedly talking to Chris. She still chalked it up as a win against her sister, regardless of how small it was.
That feeling of triumph was gone the moment the others made it to the clearing and predictably, Amy wasn't too thrilled to see her.
"Are you kidding me?" she growled, and stalked up to her. Sammy felt herself involuntarily slinking back behind her team. "How have you not voted her off already? That should've been like, the easiest decision to make!"
Sammy grumbled and looked away. She knew it was going to come to this, but she had hoped just a little that maybe Amy would take it easy on her for once. But like always, reality hated her.
But then the unthinkable happened, and Sky walked in front of her with a scowl. "We haven't voted her off because she hasn't done anything to deserve it," she said. Amy's furrowed brow shot up in surprise. "Sammy's been playing her part in the team since the very beginning. I have no clue where you get the idea that she needs to leave, and I have no clue just what your problem is with her, but I think maybe you need to change the way you treat her."
Amy sputtered, trying and failing to respond, and all the while Sammy stared in astonishment. Shockingly, Sky was actually sticking with her promise to do something about Amy. Truthfully, it probably wasn't that shocking - she did say that she liked fairness over all, and Amy was anything but fair. This was probably something she'd been intending to do from the start.
Sammy wanted to say something too, to say anything to Amy. And with support from her teammates, she thought she would have been able to do it. But just a single look at Amy was enough to shut down any argument she may have had. What's the point in standing up, if you're just going to be pushed back down the second you do?
"Who do you think you are, you little runt?" Amy asked Sky, leaning over her to make it look like she was towering, though Sky didn't back down for a second. "This is between me and my sister, so kindly back the hell off."
"I don't think I will," Sky said with as much venom in her voice.
Amy's eyes squinted, but her smirk returned to her when it was clear Sammy wasn't going to say anything. Instead of looking down at Sky, she instead looked over her at Sammy. "Pig got your tongue, Samey? Or maybe you finally figured out your place." She crossed her arms and laughed. "In which case, good for you! You actually did something right for once."
She felt her fists clenched so hard they started to hurt, and her teeth but her lip so fiercely she was afraid she'd draw blood. It's easier to just stay down, but… does that mean I'm just going to give up? To stay as her personal pincushion for the rest of my life? I don't want that, I want to be my own person. And if I accept being pushed down as my reality, then I'm never going to do so. I need to stand up, I really need to stand up, so freaking do it already, Samantha!
She felt a large, warm hand clap her on the shoulder, and two smaller hands wreathed in silk reached around her fist and held it. It was a very good reminder to have.
I can do this. I can do this.
She looked up and at her sister, mustering what felt like a lifetime's worth of resentment into a glare. Amy's smirk fell away, Sky gained one and backed away, and Sammy genuinely felt like she was able to say something to her sister. She decided on what to say, took a deep breath to steady herself, opened her mouth…
And was interrupted by the screeching of a whistle.
"As entertaining as this is," Chris said, putting it away, "we're on a tight schedule, so if I can get you guys to shut up for a bit, that'd be great."
Amy gave her one final glower, then returned to her team. Jasmine was likewise scowling, directing it entirely toward Amy. At least she had someone on the other team backing her up as well.
Beardo and Ella gave her reassuring squeezes with their hands, and Sky gave her a saddened look. Sammy, meanwhile, let out a sigh. She had been so close. She was going to have to build up to that level of determination to even think about confronting Amy again. Chris had that same self-serving smile on his face, and she knew he purposefully called off the fight then and there.
It just wasn't fair.
"It'll be okay," Ella was saying softly.
"I know," Sammy said. She wasn't sure if she believed it.
When everyone settled down, Chris introduced the challenge - a team deathmatch where both sides take each other out using the balloons in the crate. "Each balloon houses a special something, and if you get hit by whatever's in them, you're immediately out of the game. What's in the balloons, you ask? Who knows. They wouldn't be surprises otherwise."
"Ooh!" Ella chirped. "That sounds fun! Who doesn't love a surprise?" She nudged Sammy in the arm, and she could only smile weakly at her and nod. It was obvious she was trying to lighten Sammy's mood. It wasn't really working, but she appreciated the gesture.
"None of you!" Chris shouted at her in response. "No one here is going to enjoy these surprises!"
"Oh," Ella mumbled. "That's a shame."
From the other team, Scarlett raised a hand. "How much of the… surprises must be on a person for them to be counted as eliminated from the challenge?"
"Any small bit is enough," Chris answered, to the gasps of the many. "That's what makes it so tense for you guys, and so enjoyable for me." He held up a stopwatch. "You have 10 seconds to pick as many balloons as you can. Starting now."
He clicked the watch, and everyone nearly tripped over each other trying to get to the crate. Sammy found herself forced aside by some of the others, but 10 seconds wasn't a long time, and soon she was quickly stacking as many balloons in her arms as she could.
Coincidentally, Jasmine was there too. "Saw what you tried to do just then," she started, rising from the crate with about four balloons in her hands. "Good to see you're finally starting to stand up for yourself."
"Oh, ahh," Sammy stammered, managing to only get about three in her hands without difficulty, and stood back upright as well. "I-It's tougher to do than you might think."
"Fair enough. But hey, you took the first step to do it, and that's what matters. You'll get there soon, I know you will!" Jasmine started taking off in one direction, and called over her shoulder. "Good luck, mate! You're gonna need it!"
Sammy laughed nervously and sped off in the opposite direction. "Yeah, we definitely are."
She passed by a few trees and jumped over a rock, but came to a stop when a hand reached out and blocked her way.
"Ahh!" Sammy shrieked, already holding up a balloon in self defense.
"Wait, hang on!" Sky said, coming out from behind a tree. One arm was raised in surrender. "It's just me!"
"Oh! God, Sky, you scared me!" Sammy lowered the balloon and sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I just saw you coming this way and thought… we should stick together for this."
Sammy blinked. "You want to pair up with… me?"
"Yeah," Sky said. "Normally I'd do a challenge like this on my own, so I could focus better, but it'd probably be good to have someone watching my back. Plus, we'd have better chances of taking the others out." She paused for a second, and with a strained smile said, "Also I don't want your sister going anywhere near you."
If she were being honest, Sammy never saw this coming. She still had a long way to go before she got used to the kindness of others, it seemed. "Oh, well, in that case, sure! Which way should we go?"
Sky shrugged, and turned back on the path Sammy was already running on. "Whatever way you want to go."
She grinned and nodded, and they took off. They kept running as fast as they could, not passing by anyone from either team, which Sammy supposed was a blessing. After about a minute an air horn sounded over the speakers, and signalled the start of the challenge.
"This should be good," Sky said, quieter than before. "I think we're far enough away that we'll be difficult to find."
"Let's keep walking though, just in case," Sammy said.
"Good idea."
The two of them kept moving at a slower pace, the shorter athlete pointing out sticks and such for her to avoid stepping on. Sammy was sure that she would not have seen any of them had she been on her own, so she was pretty thankful her teammate was there.
What felt like maybe 15 minutes passed, and they had yet to come across anyone else. Sky seemed to be getting restless, and decided to break the silence. "Can I ask a question?"
"Yeah, of course," Sammy replied. She held up a tree branch and allowed Sky to walk under it.
"Thanks. I was wondering about something from last night."
...Oh. This will be fun. "Wh-What about last night?"
"You sort of stopped yourself before you could say it, but… was it Amy who got you into cheerleading?"
"Oh, um. Yeah, pretty much," she sighed. "She joined back in like, eighth grade because she saw all the popular girls sign up for it, and roped me in along with her. It's never been my thing, but... I'm still in it, I guess. Both of us are."
"Why'd she force you to do it, anyway?"
"I dunno," she said in a sigh. "Probably just as another excuse for her to compare herself to me and show me up." As much as she hated to admit it, cheerleading was something Amy was better at than her.
"Hmm. Do you… like it?" Sky asked. "At all?"
"Uh…" Sammy actually had to think about that one. "I-I mean, I guess it's alright? It helps me stay in shape. And I've sort of taken up running as a hobby because of it."
Sky's head practically shot in her direction. "Wait, you run too?"
"Oh, no, I- Well," she stopped and let herself breathe. "I mean, I do, but definitely not as much as you do. I'm not planning on becoming a gold medalist or anything, but I still try to go for one every morning. Actually, it's funny." She laughed a bit behind her hand. "It's technically Amy's fault I took it up as a hobby."
"What do you mean?" Sky asked, pushing aside a bush and walking over it.
Sammy just stepped over it entirely. "Amy got me onto the cheerleading team, but one of the requirements everyone has to do is to go for morning runs every now and then. The coaches say it's something to do with 'keeping the spirit alive by waking up consistently', or some crap like that. I don't think anyone on the team believes it though."
Sky giggled. "Sounds like even the coaches don't believe it."
"I know, right? Anyway, both of us tried it out on the first day, and Amy hated it. Like, seriously, when her alarm went off, she threw her phone against the wall so hard it broke."
"Whoa."
"Yeah, it was way too early for her. She still went, but after that day she swore off morning runs forever. Which… was a good thing."
Sky stepped around a puddle of mud. "Oh really?"
"Mm-hm." Sammy did the same. "Even though she didn't go the second time or any other time after that, I still did. And it sort of… became a hobby of mine. Mainly because Amy wasn't around to ruin it, and also because it's decent exercise."
Sky gave her a wry smile. "I do like how her pulling you into it gave you the chance of doing something without her."
Finally, someone gets it. "Ironic, right? Sometimes I like to think I'm the one in better shape because of it." She knew Amy would refute that to the bitter end, however.
They walked a little further in silence. Sammy almost dropped a balloon at one point, but Sky had quick enough reflexes to catch it for her. They entered a small clearing, the trees encircling it on every side, and Sky asked, "Why do you let her push you around like that, anyway?"
Sammy stopped in her tracks. "W-What?"
Sky also stopped a little bit in front of her and turned to face her. "Why do you let her do these things to you? Forcing you to do something you don't really care for, calling you out in front of everyone… I know you're trying to stand up, and that's good! I'm just wondering why it's… taken this long, I suppose."
Sammy actually had to think about the answer to that. "Because I-" she started, then stopped when she realized she had nothing to say. "Because she-" Nothing for that as well. What did she want to say anyway? Or was she just trying to come up with an excuse for it?
After a few more moments of thought, Sammy had her answer. "Because up until recently, it was just the way things were. And it's taken me all this time to realize that it… well, that it doesn't have to be this way. So I'm trying to change that." She shrugged helplessly. "A lot of good that's doing."
"Progress doesn't happen in just a few days," Sky told her gently. "It can take a long time to get to somewhere you're comfortable with. But you've already shown you're willing to actually work towards it, and that's incredible! I know that if you keep at it you'll get where you want to be."
"Wow…" That was probably one of the nicest things anyone had said to her so far. Her team had to have been the friendliest of the two, for sure. "Y-You really think so?"
"I know so," Sky said. "And we're going to be with you every step of the way."
Sammy felt like she could cry on the spot again, but held on to whatever little bit of dignity she had left. "Thank you. I… I really appreciate it. Hey… so, um, does that mean-"
Sammy never got the chance to ask, as one of Sky's balloons suddenly burst and drenched her and the surrounding ground in red.
Sammy screeched and backed away as quickly as possible. None of the red stuff seemed to have reached where she was standing, but she did a quick check over herself and saw no darker red stains on her red uniform. Her skin and hair seemed fine as well, so she probably was safe.
Unfortunately, Sky was most certainly not. It took her a few seconds of gaping in shock, and reaching down to pick up what looked like a blow dart, but then the rage came knocking all at once. "Seriously?! They blew up my balloon?! Ugh, lousy, no-good cheaters!"
"Update number one! It's now seven to four, as Team Kinosewak draws first blood!" Chris announced over the speakers with a laugh. "Almost literally, too!"
"This counts?!" Sky demanded, looking in every direction from the speaker. "That's not even close to fair!"
"When has this game ever been fair, Sky?" Chris answered, and went radio silent.
Sky growled and threw the dart into the woods. "Stupid Chris and his stupid lack of rules! This isn't friendly competition at all!"
She was being rather theatrical, and the irony that the person going on about fair play was also a name-calling sore loser wasn't lost on Sammy, but there were more important things at hand. The fact that this was partially Sammy's fault, for one. "OMG, Sky, I am so, so sorry," she said to her teammate, walking just a bit closer. The red stuff was dripping off of her, and if she squinted she could have mistaken it for actual blood. "This is totally my fault, I shouldn't have stopped us here-"
As if remembering that she wasn't alone, Sky's head shot over in her direction so fast that the red stuff flew off of her in a wave. "Sammy! Get to cover, before they get you too!"
Oh that would make sense. "Ahh, right right, I'm going!" She dove for the nearest cover, behind a rather large tree, and wrapped her arms around her balloons as well as she could to protect them. She had no clue what direction the enemies were in, but she wasn't willing to take any chances.
Sky followed her less hurriedly, and crouched nearby while making sure that none of the gunk was getting on Sammy. She wiped her face off with her hands, flinging it off onto the ground and tree. Sammy noticed that it sort of smelled like ketchup, although it was sort of… gross. More than likely it was severely outdated. "This is all my fault," Sammy groaned, leaning against the tree and clamping her eyes shut. "I'm sorry you got taken out so early. I should've been quieter."
"This isn't your fault," Sky sighed, sitting on the ground and trying desperately to wipe the ketchup off of her clothes. "I asked you to team up with me, so if this is on anyone, it's me."
The tone of her voice suggested that she regretted the decision to invite her, which to be honest didn't do wonders for Sammy's self-esteem. "R-Right. Still, I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Sky must have noticed how disheartened it sounded, as her face contorted into something akin to sorrow. "Sammy, I didn't mean it like that. Look, what's done is done. We got caught with our head in the clouds, and we probably shouldn't have spoken like that until after the game was done. But," she looked Sammy squarely in the eyes, "don't think for a second that this means I think any less of you. This just means we have to be more careful in the future. You're not in trouble or anything, but I do need you to get back in the game and focus."
Sammy set her mouth in a line and nodded vigorously. "I can do that, I promise." I can't let anyone down now. I've already caused enough damage.
"Good." Sky smiled again, though it was a little strained. "…Oh, wait, can you do something else for me?"
"Yes, absolutely. What is it?"
"We need to warn the others," she said. "Tell them that someone's popping our own balloons on us, and tell them to be careful. There's only four of us left, anyone else getting taken out would probably mean defeat for us."
That's a cheery thought. "Okay," Sammy said with a resolute nod. She stood up, looked for the best direction to go in, and started off for it. "I'll do my best!"
"Oh, Sammy, one last thing!"
She stopped in her tracks and turned back around. "Yeah?"
Sky gave her a grin that radiated confidence and two thumbs up. "I believe in you. You got this!"
It seemed that the island was home to many firsts for her. Sammy grinned back, gave a quick 'Thanks, see you later, also sorry again', and took off once more.
Ducking and dodging past branches and bushes, Sammy made her way to who knew where, as far and as fast as her legs could take her. She actually ended up hitting the border of the game area, and had to be directed back into the forest by the crew before she went out of bounds and was disqualified.
As she was doubling back into the forest, she started gasping heavier and heavier. She had been exerting too much energy - she'd need to slow down and rest for a moment.
But where was a good spot? Most of the area she was in was rather out in the open, and she didn't want to risk being found, or have her balloons popped from afar. She considered climbing a tree and hiding in its leaves, but that was impossible while carrying three balloons; she'd have to be empty handed before even considering it.
In the end she decided to just hide behind a larger than average tree, close to the bushes in case she needed to make a beeline for cover. From what she could hear - or rather, what she couldn't - there didn't seem to be anyone around. This was probably her best chance to catch her breath.
She panted, and came to a stop near a tree. "Can't wait too long," she said to herself, "gotta find the others and warn them-"
She put her hand on the tree to steady herself, and was shocked to feel the bark of the tree felt very much like a scruffy face.
For the third time in about an hour, Sammy screamed and jumped back. She had a balloon at the ready, just in case it turned out to be someone on the other team, or worse, some sort of tree monster come to life that planned to eat her (she had nightmares for a little while after seeing the mutants from season four, so this reaction was very rational).
She held back another shriek when a set of eyes opened on the tree, looked directly at her, and started towards her. "G-Get back!" she cried, threatening it with the balloon. "I swear, I taste awful!"
"Wha-" The thing stopped and held out two hands. "Wait, no! Sammy, it's me, Shawn!"
Sammy stopped trembling and squinted. Beneath the bark-colored gunk covering him, it actually was Shawn, giving her a weak smile. "What? Shawn? Really?"
"Yeah! I just covered myself in mud and moss, and boom, instant camouflage. Uh, though I bet my face is kinda smudged now." He bent down to the ground and plastered his nose with a handful of dirt, much to Sammy's disgust. "I knew all of that time decorating cakes in the bakery would come in handy some day!"
"You learned to do this from decorating cakes?" Sammy asked, flabbergasted. "I was sort of expecting you to say you learned it because you wanted to hide from zombies."
He raised a brow. "Uh, yeah? That's why I worked in a bakery, so I could learn how to do cakeup."
Sammy snorted involuntarily and covered her mouth. "Cakeup? Okay, that's more groan-worthy than anything else, I think."
Shawn just stared at her. "What is?" he genuinely asked.
She stopped laughing immediately. "Uhh, never mind. Listen," she quickly changed the subject, "someone managed to pop Sky's balloon on her without us seeing them. We don't know who it was, but it could've been anyone on the Salmons' team. We need to be careful and protect ourselves and our balloons."
Shawn rubbed his chin a bit, inadvertently smearing the cakeup. "Huh, smart trick. Can't really think of who it could be tho-" He stopped himself and held a finger to his mouth. Sammy covered hers so she didn't accidentally make a sound, and strained her ears as Shawn was doing to see if she could hear anything. It sounded as if there were people walking and talking, not too far away. Shawn waved his hand to the ground, and the two of them crawled to a bush in the direction of the voices.
Peering out from behind, Sammy spotted Max and Scarlett walking and talking with each other, and from the look of it they weren't even paying attention to their surroundings. "This could be our chance," Shawn told her quietly.
She frowned and looked from the two opposing team members down to her own balloons. The creeping sensation of anxiety was rising in her. "Are you sure? I don't want to miss."
He gave her a look. "It's either take the shot and probably hit, or don't and definitely miss. Besides, they have no balloons themselves, so they can't strike back. Your call."
Well, when you put it that way… Sammy sighed and nodded. "Okay, okay, I get it. Where are your balloons, by the way?"
He pointed to his head, and removed his still-mud-covered hat to reveal that he had hidden them underneath it. "For safekeeping and reliable access."
Sammy shrugged, starting to get used to his oddities.
"You aim for Max, I'll go for Scarlett," Shawn told her. Sammy nodded, and took the balloon she had threatened him with earlier into her hand. "On three, okay?"
"Okay." She really hoped she was ready for this.
"One… two… three!" The two stood up and threw their balloons with all of their might. For a split second Sammy thought she had missed, but whatever was in her balloon must have realigned its trajectory, as it landed straight between Max's eyes and burst on contact. It looked like pink paint, but almost to the point of looking gooey.
"Yes!" Shawn cried out, and Sammy noticed that Scarlett had been hit in the chest by his balloon, producing what looked like actual goo. "Dead center!"
"We did it!" Sammy likewise cheered when it became apparent that it actually worked.
"Nicely done!" Shawn congratulated her. The two of them high-fived, though Sammy was morbidly aware that Shawn's muddy hands left her's just as dirty. She squirmed and shook it off as quickly as she could.
"Reveeeenge!" Max yelled at them, both hands raised into fists. "I swear to you that your coming days will be filled with nothing but dread, and torture, and eee-" Whatever he was going to finish with, the paint dripping into his opened mouth stopped him and forced him to sputter and spit it out as fast as he could. And even though Scarlett's glasses were covered in slime, it was still plain as day that she was rolling her eyes at him.
"Hm," Shawn murmured. "I dunno who popped Sky's balloon, but it definitely wasn't Max."
"Oh, absolutely not," Sammy agreed.
"Now then, since that's taken care of," Shawn said as he walked away from their hiding bush, "I'm going off on my own. Easier to stay quiet that way."
"Yeah, that'll be best," Sammy said. She didn't want a repeat of what happened with Sky. "If you see one of the others, let them know that someone's trying to sabotage us, okay?"
"You got it." He took off at a sprint. "Stay out of their crosshairs!"
"You too!"
He was gone then, and Sammy was left with a bit of hope in her heart. Scarlett was absentmindedly, if grumpily, wiping down her glasses, while Max was still coughing up pink and didn't seem to think about wiping his face down. Sammy knew that the rest of the Salmons team weren't going to be so easy - particularly Jasmine, if what Shawn was saying about her survival skills were anything to go by - but she knew that if she tried her best and not get taken out, then there was always a chance.
With that thought in mind, she turned and ran off.
She kept moving at a quick but quiet pace. She had walked what felt like all over the forest, and now she couldn't make a guess as to where she was. After another 20 minutes, Sammy found herself walking carefully down a trail, sticking close to the trees and bushes just in case. She still had two balloons left, so she needed to be extra careful with them.
The sound of talking was becoming more and more apparent, and so Sammy crouched down again and stuck close to the bushes, trying to find the source. When she got close enough, she looked over her cover and had to hold in a gasp.
Amy was there, barely paying attention to Rodney as he looked ready to bawl his eyes out. She felt her hands clutch her balloons harder - this could be her chance, she could probably, finally manage to one-up Amy at something of her own free will. And heck, maybe in the confusion she could get Rodney all the while. They were standing somewhat close together, she could get two of them with one shot. Maybe.
But unfortunately, it seemed like luck wasn't on her side. As Rodney was talking about… something to do with grapes and shampoo and crabs, Amy faked a yawn and walked away from him. "Right, I don't know, or care, about whatever you're saying, sooo I'm leaving now. 'Kay, byeee."
She was out of sight before Sammy could do anything about it. She let out the bated breath she was holding, and resigned herself to getting back at her some day later.
That said, there still was a Salmon left out in the open… and Rodney was a big boy, so she'd actually have to try to miss him. He was still talking nonsense, having yet to realize that Amy had left. She kind of felt bad for him, but readied one of her balloons nonetheless. "Sorry, Rodney, but you're leaving yourself wide open," she said quietly.
She was in the motion of winding up her throw when, to her shock, the sound of a fog horn of all things erupted from somewhere. Rodney jumped and looked around for the source, at which point another balloon flew in from the opposite side of where she was and smacked him in the back of the head. It covered him in some sort of black powder, and he screamed from the impact. "I deserved - achoo! - that!" Rodney cried once more, and ran off opposite from Amy, sneezing the entire way out.
From across the way, Sammy spotted Beardo poking his head out from behind a tree. "Ha! Bullseye!" He punctuated the victory with a noise that sounded like it could have come from a bull, but Sammy wasn't sure. She was happy he managed to get someone out, though.
She was just about to stand and congratulate him, but immediately ducked back down when Amy re-entered the area with a balloon in hand. "I heard that stupid noise!" Amy shouted. "Get your butt out here, you overgrown bush!"
Amy not targeting her for once was a relief, but if Beardo was in her sights then he was in for a load of trouble. But… if she was going after Beardo, this was her chance to get her. Lady Luck was giving her another shot at this, so she couldn't let it slip from her fingers again.
She heard a mouse's squeak, followed by her sister triumphantly shouting "Found you!" and the sound of fading footsteps. She parted the bush and looked out just in time to see Amy running in the direction Beardo had been.
"Aw crap, I can't lose her!" Sammy burst from the bush, looked both ways to make sure she wasn't being followed, and took off after them in a sprint.
She didn't get very far before she heard a deep yell, at which point she skidded to a stop next to a tree and took cover. Pushing down a branch to see easier, she spied her teammate on the ground and covered in something that was… moving.
"Agh, worms?!" Beardo cried out, hastily rising to his feet and wiping himself down. "Nasty!"
Amy, standing not too far with a hand on her hip, shivered at the sight. "Yuck, I was carrying that?" She shrugged. "Oh well, better on you than anywhere near me."
Beardo, finally getting all of the worms off of him, gave her a glare. "That's cold, girl. No wonder Sammy's had enough of you."
Amy scoffed and flicked her hair. "Puh-lease. Samey knows she's nothing without me. She's been stuck to me ever since we were born because she can't do anything by herself!"
Sammy's grip on the tree tightened to the point where its branch was bent at an angle. That's not true! I want to get out of your shadow more than anything! I don't want to be stuck at your side for the rest of my life, you ungrateful little-
"You ever stop to think about what she wants?" Beardo was asking. He had his arms crossed and held his gaze firm. "Or maybe even ask? Something tells me you haven't."
"Who cares what she has to think? Besides, why do you? You've barely known her for three days, why bother taking her side?"
"You need to get your eyes checked, because you clearly haven't seen what the rest of us have. Girl's just crying for help, to be saved from her big sister, and who the heck are we to just ignore her? Who are you to even be like you are to her? How can you look at yourself in the mirror and think, 'I've tortured my sister for 10 years and can't wait to do it again today' without a shred of remorse? What sort of sick monster does that?!"
Amy was stunned into silence, her haughty demeanor deflating and the balloons in her hands nearly dropping to the ground. Sammy, meanwhile, was stunned that Beardo, someone she hadn't known for very long at all, was sticking up for her so vehemently, just like Sky had been. She was grateful for it, to be sure, but also, she felt motivated.
If Beardo and Sky were going to defend her, why couldn't she do it herself? She had been thinking that Amy was untouchable for so long, but a few days on the island and her sister was already finding enemies on both teams. So why couldn't one of them be her?
Recovering from the shock of actually getting told off for once in her life, Amy swiveled on her heel and started walking off. "W-Whatever! This is a waste of my time." She laughed and decided to get in one last jab. "Why does everything have to be about Samey anyway? She doesn't deserve having people on her side at all. She's not worth it."
Sammy saw red, and the branch in her hand snapped.
She ran out into the field. "It's never about me!" she shouted. "It's always about you!"
She threw the balloon with all of her might, aiming right for her sister's head. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have shouted at her - as soon as she started speaking Amy had turned around and gasped at the sight her. This also gave her enough time to hastily and gracelessly leap to the side and dodge the balloon, though it just barely missed her.
The balloon hit the ground and burst into white powder, but Sammy's attention was elsewhere. Amy twisted around so as to not land on her own balloons, but she lost one in the fall. It flew far out of her reach, and popped as it landed on a rock, coating it in a thick brown pudding. She fumbled with the remaining balloon as she sat up, looking at the spot where Sammy's balloon hit, and turned back to glare daggers at her. "Samey!"
"Why does everything have to be about you?!" Sammy shrieked, matching her sister's glare. "Why can't it be about me for once?! Every day of my life with you is a nightmare that I can't wake up from! Do you know how tiring it is to get up every single morning and know that nothing's going to go your way at all? That you're just going to be doing whatever someone else says because they make you? It's frustrating and degrading and I'm sick of it!" She raised her last balloon in defiance. "And most of all, I'm sick of you!"
Amy's glare never left her face, but it was more subdued. Slowly she rose to her feet, making sure to stay far away from her popped balloon. Beardo was still nearby, silently watching, but Sammy refused to tear her gaze from her sister.
They stared each other down for a long time. If she had been in the right headspace, she would have thrown the balloon before her sister rose to her feet, but her fury had gotten the better of her. Now she was too worried she'd miss again if she threw it now, so she simply held it in place for the right moment.
And then, to her burning anger, Amy smiled cruelly.
"Oh, Samey, Samey, Samey," she started, shaking her head. Sammy felt her spirit start to rapidly drain. "Just listen to yourself right now. You're being so selfish, you know that?"
The balloon lowered, just a bit. "W-What?"
Amy chuckled. "As if you don't see it." In a higher pitched, mocking voice, she said, "'Ooh, look at me, I'm Samey. Amy's a monster and I'm the nice one. Wah, wah, wah!'" She put a hand on her hip. "You see? I bet all this time you've just been complaining about me and putting yourself on this angelic little pedestal. Trying to make me look bad in front of your team so they can feel sorry for you and pity you. Isn't that right?"
Sammy's ears were starting to ring, and she was breaking out into a cold sweat. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "I-I… N-No, that's not what I-"
"It's what you always try to do," she continued. Amy took one step forward, and Sammy took two back. "Don't try to deny it. You're constantly trying to hog the spotlight, and it makes you look desperate and ridiculous. You should really think about someone else before yourself, you know?"
The balloon fell to her side.
Am I… Am I actually being selfish? Am I really making this all about me? I just want to be my own person and not someone's slave. Is it… Is it wrong for me to want that?
"Yo, Sammy!"
She jolted out of her head and looked over to Beardo. He had his hands cupped over his mouth, looking furious. "Don't listen to what she's saying! She's just trying to trick you! It's what people like her do!"
The self-satisfied smirk on Amy's face instantly morphed into a snarl as she turned to Beardo. "Stay out of this, hairball! This doesn't involve you!"
"It does when you involve my friends!"
In that instant, time seemed to stop for Sammy. "F… Friends?"
"Just shut up!" Amy shouted at him as she stomped a foot. "Leave, you're already out of the game!"
"Yeah, well…" He thought for a moment. "At least my hair's not dead!"
"What? Excuse me?!" She turned fully to Beardo, almost completely back on to Sammy. "My hair is perfect! Say that again, I dare you!"
Beardo gladly did so, but Sammy's thoughts overtook her attention. She was just… tricking me? Has she always been doing that? Is that why I can never break away from her? She… Realization hit her like a truck. She's always… been making me feel like the bad guy. She keeps making me feel like I'm at fault, when I'm not! It's always been her, trying to trick me, to manipulate me into being a doormat!
She clutched the balloon in her hand, not hard enough to pop it but enough to be reminded of what she needed to do. "Not anymore," she whispered.
Sammy wound up, aimed right for the head, and fired.
The shot was a little off, hitting her right upside the ear, but it didn't really matter how accurate it was as long as it hit its target. Amy screeched as dark green gunk splattered all over her head. She dropped the one balloon she had left to the ground and didn't acknowledge it as it burst on contact.
She staggered as she attempted to swipe the stuff off, but it stuck to her and refused to budge. It almost looked like moss or algae or something, and was dripping off of her in chunks. She started quivering and muttering something, whether in disgust or in rage Sammy wasn't sure. Then she turned around and glared murder at Sammy, and she knew which one.
Her head was telling her to run, to get out of there before things got worse, to fly instead of fight. But her heart forced it down, and she stood her ground.
She was tired of flying. It was time to start fighting.
"Samey!" Amy howled. The algae had fallen onto her uniform and the rest of her body, and with each passing second she was starting to look like some sort of sea monster. Or a zombie, Shawn would probably say.
"I'm done with you, Amy!" she told her, refusing to back down from the glare. "You can hate me and despise me all you want, but I refuse to have anything to do with you anymore. I don't need you, I-" She sent a glance over to Beardo, who was grinning from ear to ear. "I have friends now, who care about me and support me, and there's nothing you can do to change that."
"You don't know that," Amy growled. "They'll just use you and throw you away when they're done."
"That sounds more like something you would do." Then something came to her. "Actually, what about you?"
Amy squinted at her through the mush. "What about me?"
"You've spent all this time talking crap about me - I know you have, don't deny it," she said as Amy opened her mouth to speak. "But I'm honestly willing to bet that that's all you've done. I've spent my time making friends and allies, but what about you? I know Jasmine doesn't like you, but how many of the others don't as well?"
Not one to back down from a verbal challenge, she opened her mouth, but stopped before any sound came out, and took a long time thinking that over. There must have been some realization going on, as her brows scrunched, the smirk fell, and her eyes started flickering about in unrest.
So… she hasn't even tried to get to know anyone yet. More than likely spent too much time trying to build herself up by bringing me down. There was a pang of pity in the back of Sammy's head, but she quickly dismissed it. She didn't want to be feeling anything but righteous anger at her sister.
"I figured as much," she said aloud. "But whatever. I'm done here." She started walking away. "I need to get back to the game." She stopped, thinking of one more thing to say. "Oh, also? My name is Sammy. Not that ridiculous nickname you forced on me. So I would really appreciate it if you stopped using that one and started using my real name again."
Amy's eyes flew back up to her, looking crazed from a certain angle. She wiped more algae off of her face, smearing her cheek in the process, and stared at it in her hand.
Then she began slowly walking towards Sammy.
"What are you doing?" Sammy asked, backing up just a bit.
"Chris never said anything about people out of the game not being able to take out anyone else," Amy said. "Only that any bit of 'surprise' on someone gets them out."
...Oh no. She felt herself backing up even further. Sure, Chris didn't say anything about it, but that would be a huge oversight if he allowed that to happen. All things considered, it probably wouldn't count. Or, it could result in some sort of penalty. And Amy wouldn't actually risk that, would she? "No, no no no. They probably thought of that, I'm pretty sure it won't count. Either that, or you'll get in trouble."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take." And with that said, she made a mad dash for Sammy like a wild animal.
Sammy didn't need any other incentive - she turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could. Of course Amy would try something that stupid and petty, just so she could get back at her.
She didn't have very far to run before she heard her sister yelp, and she looked back and saw Beardo scooping Amy up in his arms, bear-hug style, and kept her there.
"Hey, hey!" she shouted at him, squirming to get free. "Let me go, grease stain!"
Her teammate was clearly struggling to keep her still, especially when she started kicking. "Geez, you're feisty. Sammy, you best get out of her before I lose my grip on her." When kicking didn't work, she attempted reaching down with her mouth and biting his arm, though she was just short of it. "Uh, sooner rather than later please!"
"Right, I'm gone," she said as she picked up her pace. "Thanks Beardo! I owe you one!"
"Heck yeah you do!" he called out just as she left the clearing and into the forest.
It took a few minutes of adrenaline pumping through her veins to get her as far away from her sister as fast as possible, but when she began to slow down she realized something.
She actually did it. She honestly, finally stood up for herself. And she didn't back down either!
Sammy grinned from ear to ear. This was what she had only dreamed about, what she thought she'd never even hope to achieve. But now it happened, here on this weird island during this dangerous game, and she couldn't be happier.
Plus she had a… friend? That was so odd to think about. She had grown used to the idea that no one would ever want to be her friend, and then Beardo just went ahead and declared her as one. Did the others think the same? It would be a blessing if they did. They were all friendly enough, so maybe they did as well. Ah, well, not Shawn. He might come around though!
Feeling that she had ran far enough, Sammy stopped at a tree to catch her breath. She checked to make sure no one was camouflaged against its bark, and just to make sure she looked up into its leaves and the leaves of the trees nearby. Thankfully it looked like she was alone, so she sat down and let her weary legs rest.
Okay, let's think. Sky and Beardo I know are out for our team, while Max, Scarlett, Rodney, and Amy are out for the other team. Assuming no one else is out, we're at three versus three. And honestly, that's better than I thought would have happened.
But now, she was out of ammunition, so that made her a sitting duck. It also made her realize that Chris never explained what to do should someone run out of balloons. Does that mean they had to hide until they got taken out, or until the game was over? What if all the balloons were used but not everyone on a team was out? Would the game end with the team with the most people left standing winning? What if the teams were tied? Would there be a tiebreaker? Or would they have to go make more balloons so they could properly complete the game? And what if-
Sammy shook her head. She was getting too distracted.
The best course of action would be to just find a place to hide. Trees were out, since Jasmine would be able to climb one with ease, she figured. Not to mention that Shawn could also be in one and wouldn't take too kindly to the company.
Maybe she could hide out near the starting point? That could throw some of them off, probably. Unless they were thinking that she was thinking that. But whatever, she didn't have anywhere else in mind. Now it was just a matter of finding her way back…
It didn't take her nearly as long as she thought it would, considering she found a screaming Topher covered in glue. "It's in my hair! It's in my hair! Someone get me shampoo and conditioner! Or ice cubes! Or heck, I'd even settle for peanut butter if I have to!"
He led her right to the starting area, where the people who were out were sitting and watching everything happening on a big screen TV attached to a tree. Based on who was there, she wasn't wrong in her guess. The game was currently three to two, with her team in the lead. This is good… I just hope I can stay from getting out.
Rather than going up to ask for more balloons - mostly on account of Amy being there, but also because it would likely be a waste of time - Sammy elected to leap into a thick bush to hide. It was uncomfortable to say the least, with a branch trying to worm its way beneath her shoulder blade, but she felt like it concealed her well enough.
She stayed in the bush for roughly 20 more minutes, all the while not seeing or hearing anyone from either team, and she was sure the spot on her back was going to be sore for the next few weeks. It allowed her a moment to catch her breath, however, and to think things over.
What's different now? was the first thought. She stood up to her demons and got away with it, for the most part. Did that change their relationship at all? Was Amy finally going to respect her? Uhh, no. Definitely not. Still though, it was a good first step. She just needed to keep at it.
But Amy's taunting kept ringing in her mind, and now that she had some time to let it all sink in, she couldn't help but think that maybe a bit of what she said was true. Sammy was certain she was the opposite of selfish, that it was her sister who was projecting her own selfishness onto her, but the more she allowed her mind to wander the more it felt like Amy was right. And it didn't matter how much she wanted to deny it, her brain was forcing her to think differently.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Sammy groaned in frustration. It was becoming apparent that just because she was able to stand up for herself for once, it didn't mean that all of her issues were magically healed. This was going to take time and work to fix, and that time shouldn't be during a high-stress challenge.
Maybe I should go to a therapist when I'm done here.
She figured no one was going to come her way anytime soon if they hadn't already, so maybe it'd be fine if she left. Besides, the spot on her back was really starting to hurt. She was attempting to free herself of her hiding place when she was instantly proven wrong.
The light padding of careful footsteps became louder and closer, and seemed to stop not too far from her. Sammy carefully peeked out from the bush and spied a pair of pink loafers and long, thin legs walking beyond the trees.
"El-" she started, and got a mouthful of bush leaves for her trouble.
She sputtered and tried to get up, and the loud rustling caused Ella to stop. "Who... who's there? I-I'm not afraid to use th-this."
From her stuttering, she sounded absolutely terrified. Sammy finally managed to free herself and stumbled out of the bush inelegantly. "Ella, wait, it's me! Don't shoot!"
Ella held a single balloon, and was raising it aloft in a shaky hand. She sighed in relief and lowered it quickly. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you were someone else."
"No, just me." No one important, her mind tried to supply, but she quickly tried to snuff that part out. "Are you okay? You seem nervous."
"Oh, ahh…" She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, but in the end she smiled. "Y-Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, though."
Sammy raised a brow. That smile seemed different than the ones she tended to wear. Normally her smiles would go right up to her eyes, but now… "You sure? You can say what's on your mind, you know. I'm a good listener, and I won't judge."
"Well, I…" She seemed tempted, but shook her head. "No, perhaps not. Not now, at least. I believe we have more… pressing matters at hand."
She was reminded of what happened when she and Sky were having a heart-to-heart, and immediately changed her tune. "Actually you're right. Let's focus on winning first! Then we can talk later, if you want."
Ella huffed out a sigh. "We shall see," she said, and started walking in the direction she was originally going.
Something was seriously wrong. Sammy knew Ella to be peppy and positive, to an almost impossible degree, so seeing her so… not herself was worrying. She'd have to talk to her about it later.
"Okay, well, I'm gonna go this way," Sammy told her, pointing off further into the forest. "It might be better if we split-"
There was a soft snap of a branch, and years of keeping an ear out for Amy to avoid her told her to stop talking and listen. She couldn't pinpoint exactly where the sound came from, so she started looking everywhere to make up for it.
Ella turned back around. "What's wro-" she started, but Sammy raised a finger to shush her, which she wisely did.
Something caught her eye then, and she looked up and into the eyes of Jasmine, watching them from a tree branch. She had three balloons in one hand, a vine in the other, and a smirk on her face.
Then she leapt.
Sammy made a split second decision. "Ella, get down!" she shouted, and dove at her teammate. Ella shrieked and threw her hands up, her balloon rocketing into the air, and Sammy tackled her to the ground just in time to dodge Jasmine's attack.
They landed in a heap, and Sammy swivelled her head back to take stock of Jasmine. The Australian had landed on an adjacent tree branch, and in her hand was now one solitary balloon. She tutted and snapped a finger. "Drat, thought I'd at least get both of you with that."
"Both of-" Sammy glanced down at her legs, and bit back a curse when she saw a yellow-ish splotch of something covering the heel of her boot. "Aw, c'mon, seriously?"
"Oh well," Jasmine said, and jumped from the branch to the ground with a thundering thud. She tossed and caught the one remaining balloon. "I was hoping to use this one on Shawn, but beggars can't be choosers."
Sammy gasped and looked to Ella, who was still under her and seemed more dazed than anything. "You need to run!" She scrambled off of her teammate and pulled her up. "Find a place to hide! Go, quickly!"
"Uh, r-right, okay!" She spared a moment's glance at the spot her last balloon popped, and ran back into the forest.
"You know I'm gonna catch up to her easily, right?" Jasmine asked, amusement all along her face. "Something tells me that sheila isn't exactly a marathon runner."
"I know, but what else could she have done?" Sammy asked. "I don't think standing by and letting you tag her out would help us."
Jasmine shrugged. "Eh, probably not. Sorry 'bout the boot by the way. I dunno how easily mustard'll come off."
Sammy glanced at the spot again and figured it was likely to stain. "Honestly, it's fine. Running in heels is like, the worst." Besides, I think I'm starting to not care about cheerleading much anymore.
"That's the spirit," Jasmine said with a smirk. "Anywho, I'd better skedaddle. You've done enough stalling me for now." And she took off, striding confidently with each step she took.
Sammy sighed as she watched her off. She did what she could, but she really wasn't sure how much good it did. The only thing she could do is hope Ella managed to survive long enough.
She headed over to where the other campers were, and joined up with Sky and Beardo. Sky was at least a little less red, though her clothes were stained and were in need of some thorough washing. "Nice work out there," she was saying to Sammy when she approached. "We saw your… conversation with your sister. You must be so proud of yourself!"
"Oh! Um, thanks, I am!" Sammy eyed the giant flatscreen on the tree, which was showing a now-clean Shawn hiding in a bush near a cliff. "Not gonna lie though, that's, uh, kinda embarrassing that everyone saw that…"
"Don't think of it like that," Sky assured her. "What matters is that you actually did it! No one can say you're a pushover anymore."
She nodded. "You're right. Thank you, Sky." She turned her attention to Beardo. "And thank you, Beardo, for holding her back when she tried to come at me."
"Wasn't about to let you possibly get eliminated like that," he said with a shrug. "Besides, you deserved the help." Sammy giggled childishly, still unused to hearing that.
"Also, good work taking out two people," Sky said, motioning her head to the group of annoyed Salmons not too far from them. "That's really helped even the odds for us."
"I just hope we can actually win," Beardo said, idly picking out a stray worm out of his oversized afro. Sammy didn't bother to hide a shudder. "Shawn feels like a wildcard, so I'm not worried about him. But Ella…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sky said, tapping her foot nervously. "I don't know how she's going to outrun Jasmine, or even hide from her."
"And with no balloons left…" Sammy said quietly. In hindsight, maybe tackling her to the ground and ruining her chance of eliminating anyone else had been a bad call.
Beardo seemed to notice this. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," he said as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "We're not out yet. We still got a fighting chance. Who knows, maybe Ella's gonna bust out a hidden secret technique none of us know about."
I sincerely doubt that. Ella seemed to be the kind of person to show her cards to anyone willing to look. If she was hiding the fact that she was a karate master or something, she was doing an incredible job of it.
Sammy felt eyes on her, and glanced over at the group of other team. Amy's gaze darted away when she looked at her, but nothing more came from it. Which was incredibly weird, because if Amy was anything, it was stubborn and always craved the last word. She was pretty sure her sister would get back at her at some point, perhaps sooner rather than later, but now was not that time.
"Look!" Sky suddenly cried, and everyone's attention turned to the TV. One of the cameras had caught Ella making a break for it through the forest, and was managing to keep pace with her.
"C'mon girl, you got this," Beardo was muttering quietly. Sky said nothing, though she had both of her fingers crossed.
She was clearly running out of steam, as her cheeks were rosier than normal and sweat was dripping down her forehead. She stumbled a few times, but pushed herself to keep going. She shoved aside a long branch and ran past, letting it go and smacking Jasmine in the face with it as she suddenly appeared from behind.
Ella gasped and turned to face her. "Ah! Oh my goodness! I-I'm so sorry!" She hesitated, but chose to not stay for long and kept going without looking back again.
The shot lingered on Jasmine as she wiped the blood from a cut the branch gave her. "Oof. That smarts…" she said, though she was clearly enjoying the hunt.
"That'll slow her down, but not for long," Sky said. Her eyes were glued to the screen, taking in as much detail as she could.
"I just hope she doesn't get hurt," Sammy remarked.
"Which one?" Beardo asked her.
She thought for a second. "Both, I guess."
Ella was shown again, running at full speed once more. Sammy's heart went out to her when she saw tears in her eyes - she must have really not wanted to hurt Jasmine, but what was done was done.
All of those thoughts halted, however, the moment Sugar jumped up from a bush Ella was passing by with a balloon raised over her head.
"I gotcha, you pixie wannabe!" Sugar hollered, and seemed to revel in Ella's screaming. "This is fer bein' a pain in the behind since you got here!"
But then, as Sugar threw it straight down at her, Ella actually did the impossible and dodged it. Ella shrieked and ducked, her hands covering her head as the balloon hurtled downward and past her like a cannonball. It splattered not too far away from her, but the direction caused the liquid inside of it - for once, what looked like actual water - to spray in the opposite direction and away from them.
"What in the-" Beardo shouted as similar bursts of surprise erupted from the others. "I was joking about having a secret technique!"
"When did she- How did she-" Sky was left speechless. "That was at point blank range! I don't even think my reflexes are that good!"
"OMG," Sammy whispered after the initial shock wore off. "That was… crazy."
As soon as the pop sounded, Ella looked back at it, and then at herself to make sure she wasn't sprayed. The sigh of relief and wipe of her forehead showed that no, she hadn't been hit.
"Aw, horse radishes," Sugar groaned, crossing her arms and glaring. "That was my last one!"
Ella hastily stood and took a few moments to stare at Sugar, as if she were confirming if she were telling the truth. The tears had begun to fall and were staining her cheeks, but despite that she backed up and took off again without another word.
Not five seconds later, Jasmine entered the shot and, noticing the patch of wet grass underfoot, carefully bounded over it. "What happened?" she asked Sugar, who was still scowling after their opponent. "Where'd Ella go?"
"Little miss princess dodged my shot," Sugar said with a sneer. "And I'd been savin' that balloon for her, too!"
Jasmine clicked her tongue and held out her own weapon. "Guess that means we just got one left. We need to make sure this counts, otherwise-"
"Score!" Without warning, Sugar snatched the balloon from her teammate's hand. "I'm so gettin' here this time!"
"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa," Jasmine quickly said, and took it back. Sugar directed her glare towards her instead. "In case it wasn't obvious, this is my balloon, so I'm the one who's gonna be using it."
Sugar scoffed and grabbed for it again. "Pfft, you don't need it! I need it more than you do. I gotta take that Ella down before she thinks she can get the best'a me."
"Did… Sugar always dislike Ella so much?" Sammy found herself asking. Sky and Beardo merely shrugged.
"What good'll that do if you miss again?" Jasmine asked testily, refusing to relinquish her hold. "You had your chance and you blew it. Now it's my turn, with my balloon."
"Puh-lease, that was just a fluke. No way I'm missing again!"
"You're right, you won't miss, because you won't get the chance!"
They continued to shout at each other and engaged in a tug-of-war with the balloon as the rope. Sammy looked at Sky, who looked back at her just as wide-eyed as she. "Is this actually happening right now?"
"I'm… trying not to get my hopes up," said Sky.
The two of them went on, unable to hear the pleas and demands from their teammates telling them to stop and get back in the game. And when it looked like Sugar was about to rip it out of Jasmine's hands…
The balloon itself ripped, and coated the two of them in mud.
Dead silence echoed throughout the island, as everyone was processing what just happened. After a few moments, Jasmine dropped to her knees and yelled to the heavens. "NOOO!" Flocks of birds took off from the trees all the way where Sammy and the others were sitting.
Chris lifted up one of his cucumbers - Why does he even have a facial mask on anyway? - and grinned at the screen. "Oof, there's a doozy. Wasn't expecting it to end this way."
"Wait, that counts?" Scarlett asked incredulously.
"You bet your bun it does!" He reapplied the vegetable to his eyelid, ignoring the protests of the Salmons, and took a microphone that an intern presented to him without looking. "And that's game! The Waneyihtam Maskwak win their first challenge!"
Sammy's eyes were locked on the screen, even as Sky and Beardo cheered in her ears. She couldn't believe just the sheer dumb luck it took to have the last two members of the other team get themselves out. What were the chances of that happening?
Finally she looked away and towards Sky, who was pumping both fists in the air in delight. "Yes! We finally won! Woo-hoo!"
"And we get an actual meal tonight to boot!" Beardo added. He was clearly thinking about what the feast of the night would be.
"If it's anything like the last two meals, I think I'm gonna stick with the fruit," Sky said to him.
"No problem, more for me then!"
It was still hard for Sammy to believe what happened, but the smile on her face swelled into a grin soon enough. "This isn't a trick, right?" she found herself asking. "I'm not suddenly going to wake up, am I?"
"Nope, it's real alright!" Chris exclaimed, walking up to them awkwardly. "Once the others get back we'll dole out your rewards and send you back to your little shack. Congrats on not having to send someone else home tonight, by the way!"
The compliment was backhanded, but Sammy didn't care. Though they were down two players, they were finally able to put themselves on the board. She allowed herself to cheer with Sky, and though she was tempted to, she refused to look over to see Amy's reaction. She wanted this moment to be a good memory, not one bogged down by her sister.
Jasmine and Sugar arrived first, both fuming and caked in mud, and went to their team. Sammy sent a look of apology to Jasmine, and though she saw it she only shrugged. Losing's tough on everyone, isn't it?
Shawn came back first for their team, accepting a high-five from Beardo, and shortly after Ella arrived. She was still breathing heavily and looking just a tiny bit skittish, as if she wasn't sure if the game had actually finished. Sky ran up to her and grabbed a hold of her hands. "Ella, that was amazing! How'd you move so quickly when Sugar shot at you? I had no idea you had that sort of skill!"
"Oh," she said quietly. "That's, um… a secret." She topped it off with a nervous laugh.
"Well whatever it was, it helped us win!" Beardo exclaimed, giving Ella a hefty slap on the back and nearly toppling her over.
Chris called everyone over and presented the winning team - her team - with a handful of bags of takeout. "Mary's Lamburgers? I haven't had one of these in so long," Sammy mused, accepting her prize from the host. She took a deep sniff of the bag's contents and sighed happily. "Gosh, I never thought I'd be so happy to smell oven grease in my life."
"Seems weird that our prize for winning is less healthy than what you guys've been scavenging," Beardo said, picking through his bag. "But hey, I'm not complaining."
"Here," Sky said, holding her own bag to Beardo. "You guys can divy up my share."
"Alright!" he said, eagerly snatching it.
Sammy spotted the other team as they quietly left the field, their heads down and no one exactly close to each other. She saw Amy walking near the very back, but chose not to give her any more of her attention. Instead she noticed that Jasmine was at the very front, stomping off into the woods and a large scowl on her face.
Oh, that's true… Jasmine technically helped cause them to lose. I hope she doesn't get voted off. Even though they were on opposite teams, Sammy was still worried. Jasmine was kind and helpful - she didn't deserve to get blasted away because of a mishap like that. Hopefully her team was able to see that and chose to spare her.
That was only part of her, though - the other part was simply happy that she didn't have to stress out too much tonight. With a smile on her face and a bag full of calories in her hand, she and her team returned to their shack to have a mid-morning feast.
There was always something that bothered me regarding Sammy and Jasmine's friendship - the fact that Jasmine insisted on Sammy being the only one to stand up for herself, as opposed to getting help from someone else. Aside from one or two times of getting a bit snippy, Jasmine didn't do a thing for her friend. Sure, this method could work in some cases, but with someone like Amy who would refuse to budge if her sister started speaking up, trying to do so on your own would get absolutely nowhere, I believe. It's not wrong to ask for help if you need it, especially when dealing with an abusive relative or the like, so I feel that finding outside help to deal with it is ideal, rather than try to continuously tackle it on your own and get no where.
Additionally, aside from Jasmine, no one on the Salmons liked Sammy in canon, and so I started thinking that the members on the Bears side would be much more willing to help her become a stronger person. Aside from maybe one or two (coughDAVEcough) most of them would at the very least be willing to lend an ear to her, if not outright be there and stand up for her. I had Sugar be the one to swap with Sammy, mainly because I needed a reasonable excuse for someone else to take her spot, and the best thing I could think of that could happen on a crashing blimp would be for her to swipe a parachute from an unsuspecting victim. Also, I don't like Sugar very much, so two birds, one stone.
As you have probably picked up, the characters aren't going to be one-to-one carbon copies of their canon incarnations. Since I'm trying to make this a more personal piece, I figured I'd add some details here and there to flesh out the characters (Ella being able to play the guitar, Sky being vegetarian, the entirety of Beardo). Some of these will be inconsequential. Some of these will be important to the plot later on. So just keep your minds open to new possibilities!
That's it from me for now. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can, but unfortunately I can't make any promises. Here's hoping though!
