Hello again! Thank you all for the reviews for last chapter!
Toady's chapter is only a short one - it doesn't take place in the fourth challenge, and is more like an epilogue to chapter 3 to help give it more of a conclusive end (basically because that one is already bloated as it is). There will be more chapters like this in the future, and at the moment there's at least one, but how many more of those I'll write depends on what happens in the story.
Apologies if this isn't what you were hoping for, but I'll have the next chapter up relatively soon, hopefully!
Chapter 3.5: The Warm Lake Episode
Sammy took the first bite out of her hamburger and savoured every bit of it. It had been so long since she had a real meal, and she vowed to do her best to keep winning so that she could have more.
The team of five had settled around their campfire and were enjoying their meals in happy silence. Sky was munching on some leftover fruit from breakfast, and was content to stick with just that. Ella claimed that she had never had fast food before, which Sammy took as being 100% true given it was Ella saying it, and her reaction to trying it for the first time was a sight to behold. First contemplation after the initial bite, then hesitation followed by disgust once she actually tasted all of the grease, and then resignation when she grimaced and swallowed. After a moment of thought, she shrugged and took another bite.
"This is… not at all appetizing," she said, bringing a hand to her mouth as she spoke. "And yet for some reason I want more."
"Fast food kinda works that way," Sammy said with a laugh. "It's bad for you but god is it good."
"I feel a little guilty, though," she said, looking at the burger intently. "This used to be alive, didn't it? Poor little lamb…"
"My advice, just enjoy it now while you can," Shawn said with a shrug. He popped the last of his burger into his mouth and began to work on the fries. "Because once you have to use the bathroom tomorrow, you will definitely regret it."
Ella's brow rose in confusion. "Wait, what?"
"Okay, that's enough of that," Sky quickly said, shoving Shawn off of his rock and onto the ground with a grunt. "How about that win today, huh? Now that we've had enough time to digest it-"
"Pffft, hahaha!"
"Wh- Oh my god, Sammy, that was unintentional, stop laughing!" She threw her apple core at her, causing Sammy to only laugh harder. "Ugh. Anyway, how awesome is it that we finally managed to beat the other team for once?"
"Pretty awesome!" Beardo exclaimed. Sammy looked at him and her laughter immediately stopped - much to her repulsion, it turned out he was a particularly messy eater, with ketchup and mustard flowing freely down his beard. Wiping his fingers into his shirt, he continued. "I'm gonna be real, since we were at a disadvantage, I was pretty worried we were gonna keep losing. But I guess we lucked out today somehow."
Shawn placed himself back onto his rock and kept eating his fries. Also to Sammy's disgust, half of them had dropped to the ground when he fell, and he casually picked them up and put them back into his fry cup. "I don't think luck had anything to do with it. From what I'm able to tell, we've all got our own set of skills we can use, and we busted them out for the challenge. So nice going!"
"Yeah, that's pretty great," Sky agreed. "Hopefully I'll be able to show off my athletic capabilities soon. I've been itching to really race someone here."
Sammy, reminded of how she blew Sky's chances of playing today entirely, whimpered and made herself smaller.
Sky noticed it and reached a hand out to her. "Oh, no, it's okay though! We still won and that's what matters. I'll just try harder tomorrow is all!" Sammy nodded in response, though the negative feelings still lingered.
And those negative thoughts about herself caused ones relating to her sister to resurface as well. Sure, she stood up to Amy, but that was just one time. For some reason, before today, she had always assumed that being able to defend herself properly would be the start of something new. But now that it actually happened… it almost felt like nothing had changed. Not yet at least.
She continued to munch on her hamburger in silence. Thankfully Chris supplied them with soda as well; they were sort of flat but still drinkable, and so Sammy took a big gulp of hers to wash the food down. The others were still happily chatting about the win, but unfortunately Sammy was too lost in her thoughts to really pay attention.
That was until Ella scooted alongside her with a concerned look. "Is everything okay? You seem… distant."
She gave Ella a soft smile and turned back to her food. "I'm alright. I just… I dunno. I thought things would be different now, but everything's still the same."
"With… your sister?"
"Yeah. You heard that I stood up to her right? During the challenge."
"I did, yes. That's honestly wonderful to hear!"
"Um, thanks. But it doesn't feel like I've accomplished anything. I still feel like… the same old me. Like what I did didn't actually happen. Or matter."
"Hmm." Ella took another bite of her own burger, shuddered in revulsion, and set it aside for the time being. "You can't force yourself to change and be a happier person for it. It has to come naturally over time. Actually, it's like we said back on the first day: change itself doesn't come easy. Now that I think about it, you said that, didn't you?"
Sammy let out a breathy laugh. "You're right, I do remember saying that. Guess I gotta start listening to myself more often, right?"
"Yes. But…" She tilted her head as she thought. "Listen to the part of you that lifts you up, not the one that tears you down. Those bad thoughts will only make things worse, so focus on the ones that are trying to help you. Okay?"
She made it sound so easy, but… "Yeah, okay. I'll try my best to listen. It's… going to be tough, but I think I can manage."
"There's no pressure. I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides…" She looked at the other three, who were animatedly talking about, of all things, Shawn's cakeup camouflage. He was trying to tell them how important it was that he learned that particular survival skill, but Sky was laughing hard behind a hand and Beardo had opted to throw fries at Shawn, which he actually managed to catch out of the air and eat. "I'd like to believe we're all here to help you, if you need it. And I'm sure we know that you're here for us too. Right?"
"Oh, yeah, of course," Sammy said immediately. "That's what frie-" She stopped herself. She wasn't really knowing if anyone aside from Beardo even considered her a friend, and she didn't want to make things weird if they didn't.
But Ella seemed to catch on, and her warm smile widened. "That's what friends are for, right?"
The grin Sammy gained ended up hurting her cheeks after a bit. "Yeah… Thank you, Ella." She hesitated for a second, but then wrapped Ella in a hug, careful not to stain her blouse with the burger. Ella graciously accepted and returned the hug, and Sammy felt more comfortable with these four people - her friends - than she had with anyone else in the longest of times.
The moment was only slightly interrupted when Ella unexpectedly burped.
"Oh my goodness, excuse me!" She immediately pulled and turned away from Sammy, her face bright red. "That was an accident! I swear, I didn't know that was coming!"
In spite of Ella's embarrassment, Sammy found herself clutching her stomach in laughter. "N-No, it's- it's okay! You didn't do anything wrong!" In fact you probably made it better.
Ella pouted and sent a glare at her unfinished burger. "Maybe I'll just settle with fruit for now."
Soon everyone finished their meals and were beginning to stand. "So now that we don't have to vote tonight…" Beardo was saying, licking his fingers of whatever was left on them. "What do we do now?"
"Now, I guess… we just do our own things?" Sky replied, unsure herself. "I mean, the challenge is over, and we're not required to go to the elimination ceremony, so what else can they make us do until tomorrow?"
"True enough. I wonder who they're gonna vote off tonight?"
"My guess is Sugar," Shawn answered him. "She was the main cause of their loss today. Plus, compared to Jasmine, she's been really slowing her team down. Remember yesterday when she kept the pig to herself instead of giving it to Scarlett? Something tells me that's not gonna win her any favors from them."
"Mm, I can see that happening," Sammy replied. And I hope that's what happens, so that Jasmine can stay here longer.
"Anyway, if there's nothing else going on, I'm going back to the dump," Shawn said, beginning to walk off. "I want to see what other crud I can salvage from it."
"Hey, mind if I come with?" Beardo asked, following after him.
Shawn shrugged. "Don't see why not. Just… if you turn undead, warn me so I can get away?"
Beardo snickered. "Yeah, sure man, no worries."
"Cool." And with that the guys left the camp, leaving the girls to themselves.
"So…" Ella asked. "What should we do?"
"Hmm." Sky watched as the guys left the area, and once they were out of sight she turned back to the girls. "I don't know about you two… but I need a bath."
"Ooh, yeah, I need one too," Sammy said, covering her underarms with her hands. "After all the running I did these last two days, I'm starting to, um… not smell all that great."
"It's a shame there aren't any bathtubs or showers here," Ella said with a sigh.
"It is a shame, but even so we should try to clean ourselves up now that we have a chance. Plus, uh," Sky looked down to her still-stained shirt. "I don't know if outdated ketchup comes out easily but I should probably try to get this off."
"Where would we go though?" Sammy asked. "I don't think it'd be smart to wash ourselves in a lake, that'd make the water dirty."
"You're right. I was thinking a river leading out into the ocean. That's not as bad."
"It does sound like the better option." Ella stood up and dusted off her skirt. "Although it is rather exciting. Aside from the challenges I haven't really been anywhere on this island."
"Well, no time like the present." Sky started off in the opposite direction the guys went in. "I know of a spot nearby we can go. C'mon."
"Is this the same river you get our drinking water from?" Sammy asked.
Sky paused. "Uh… yes. Let's go there, and then further downstream."
Now that she didn't have to stress about voting someone off and/or being voted off herself, Sammy was able to take in her surroundings much more easily. The grass and trees were all vibrant greens, and the sky was an incredibly bright blue. The sun wasn't exactly at the top of its rotation, but it was getting there, and Sammy found herself basking in its rays. She looked out across a nearby plain, with only a few trees and hills scattered about in the distance, and was in awe at how… picturesque it all looked.
A few more minutes of walking later, Sky stopped and stuck her arm out, prompting the others to do the same. "Wait, hang on. Do you hear that?"
Sammy strained her ears to listen for something, and heard running water. That should've been normal, but though it sounded distant it also sounded a bit too… forceful to be a simple river.
"I think I hear it in that direction," Ella informed, pointing in a direction different from the one they were heading in.
"Really?" Sky asked with a tilt of her head. "That's farther inland."
"Well, that's where it's coming from."
"Oh, no, I'm not doubting you. Let's go check it out."
Another couple of minutes and the source of the sound was found: a large, beautiful waterfall, pouring water into a small lake and sending it away down a river. There were plenty of trees and foliage surrounding it, heavily blocking the view from the outside, and several rocks breaking through the water's surface were nicely spaced out to allow for sitting. There was even a rainbow above the water, adding to the beauty of it all.
"It's so gorgeous!" Ella exclaimed, dashing ahead of the others.
"Wow, I had no idea this was here!" Sky said in awe. "This is perfect!"
Sammy, quite obviously the skeptic of the three of them, was feeling a little wary. "Don't you guys think it's… too perfect?"
"What do you mean?" Sky asked her.
"I… I'm not really sure," Sammy admitted, "But isn't this all just a bit convenient? Beautiful scenery, cover from Peeping Toms, a completely symmetrical rainbow…" She unconsciously rubbed an arm. "I, uh, I dunno. Maybe I'm just imagining things."
"I'm… not sure either," Sky said with a shrug, "but why look a gift horse in the mouth?"
"I know that, but it just seems-" She let out a sigh. Defending herself took a lot of effort, and she just wanted to get cleaned. "You know, you're right. Never mind. Let's just go bathe."
Sky gave her a half-smile. "It probably won't be perfect, you know. I'm thinking the water will be freezing cold, coming from the waterfall."
"You guys, c'mon, the water is so warm!" Ella suddenly called out, kneeling in front of the lake and dunking a hand in. "It's so comfortable! Ah, I bet I could spend hours in here!"
A dumbfounded look found its way to Sky's face. "Aaaand I'm instantly proven wrong. Huh. Weird."
Sammy grinned and walked on ahead. "Oh, c'mon Sky. You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Sky blinked in surprise, but returned the grin. "Okay, okay, I get your point." She rushed into ahead and threw back her head. "Smartass!" That only caused Sammy's smile to widen.
As it turned out, the water was warm. Not as warm as something like a hot tub or a nice bath, but definitely a temperature much more suited for relaxing. She had thought Ella had been exaggerating just a bit, but she wasn't expecting anything as nice as this. And for it to be natural was just the icing on the cake.
Sammy removed her clothes and slid down into the water, letting out a satisfied sigh. Ella's right, I could probably spend all day in here. It was almost as if her worries had washed away in an instant.
Before Sky got in, she decided to try and get the stains off of her shirt. Sammy supposed she ought to try and wash the mustard splatter from her boot, but at this point she really didn't care. It's not like the boots are brand new anyway. What's a stain going to do?
Sammy then noticed Ella gracefully enter the water as well. Having spent enough time in the girl's dressing room, Sammy made sure her eyes were pointing in the right direction and not anywhere that could cause an awkward situation. That said, something did catch her eye.
"Um, Ella?"
The singer sat with her head just above the water, and after a sigh of contentment turned to her. "Yes?"
"You, uh… you still have a glove on."
The smile on her face faltered for a quick second. She raised her right arm to show that yes, it was still on, while her left glove was hanging on a nearby tree with the rest of her clothes. "So it is," she said neutrally, throwing Sammy off for a second. "And so it shall stay."
"...Oh." Sammy replied. "Um… Okay."
That… was the most serious Sammy had seen Ella so far. True, it was only the third day, and you wouldn't expect to know everything about someone after that short amount of time. But the change in her tone was so abrupt that Sammy had to take a moment and remember that this was still her bubbly new friend.
"Hey, um… Are you doing okay?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I'm doing fine," Ella said to her, the smile returning and the arm dipping back into the water and out of sight.
She was reminded of how… withdrawn Ella had seemed near the end of the challenge today, but Sammy didn't want to push it any farther than she already had. I wonder if her arm has anything to do about it… Well, if Ella wants to talk about it, she will. We've already established that I'm willing to listen, so if she needs to talk, she knows I'm there for her. ...I hope.
"Okay," Sammy said simply, and lowered herself farther into the water.
Sky returned not long after, having successfully washed most of the ketchup off of her shirt and tights, and actually dove into the water from the lakeside. Sammy was terrified at first since none of them knew how deep it went, but she emerged not too long later none the worse for wear.
She also had to keep her eyes in check even more for Sky because of the raw power of her abs. It was a good thing the warm water had already caused her to flush red. How much does she work out to get that toned?
They enjoyed the water's warmth and chatted, and after a while they all remembered why they came in the first place and began scrubbing themselves down. Without any washcloths or loofahs or anything it was a bit of a pain, and it was especially bad when they had nothing to wash their hair or freshen themselves up with, but soaking in the water and using their hands to wash was certainly better than nothing.
Soon the sun was past the point of noon, and the trio exited the water out of fear of getting completely shrivelled up. With no good way to dry off, they basked in the sun for another little while, until they finally decided to head back. Sammy declared that she wanted to use the confessional before doing so, and once dressed she separated from the other girls. Since everything was so scattered across the island, it wasn't until a wandering intern walked by and showed her the way that she managed to locate the outhouse.
Unfortunately for her, the door was closed, which was the signal that it was in use. One of the new big rules the contestants were told before coming on the show was to not attempt to listen in on the people currently using the confessional. Back in season four, one poor girl got the boot because someone eavesdropped on her and had manipulated everyone on the team to vote for her to avoid his own elimination. Chris apparently enjoyed it, but the higher ups were calling for the rule to be more strictly regulated after that.
And so Sammy sat down against a tree far enough away and waited. She spent a few moments looking around again and decided that, if the outhouse had been removed, the scenery would've been a marvel to look at. Trees towering above her, their leaves dancing in the wind, light peaking through them every so often…
Her frown set deeper. Too perfect. Too picturesque.
A few more minutes of waiting, and the door opened. Sammy stood and started to make her way over, but stopped dead in her tracks when Amy exited.
Amy stopped as well when her eyes laid on her sister, and she stood stock still with one hand on the outhouse door. The majority of the algae or seaweed or whatever it was had been removed, but she and failed to get all of it, with her uniform full of green splotches. Which makes sense, obviously, because that's something I would have done for her. She doesn't know the first thing about cleaning.
They said nothing, only stared at each other in surprise, and it almost felt like they were both waiting for the other to make the first move.
The shocking thing was that Sammy felt the old fear creep into her, slowly at first, but when she noticed it it spread faster.
No… No, no, no! I should be able to stand up for myself now! Why am I still afraid?!
She felt rooted on the spot, unable to move or speak of anything, but she tried her hardest to not let that old fear show on her face. That would be suicide in front of Amy. The only thing she could do was wait for her sister to do or say something first.
To her immense relief, though, the only thing Amy did was scowl, slam the outhouse door in frustration, and stalk off in the opposite direction.
Sammy spent another few moments there, waiting to see if her sister was about to come back and attack her, but when it was obvious she wasn't, she hastily made for the confessional and shut herself in.
It was just as disgusting and smelly as ever, but it was a welcome change than being out in the open with Amy. Sammy sat down, gathered her thoughts, and flicked on the camera.
"So, ah, we won today," she said, sounding a mix of happy and nervous. "It was crazy. Jasmine and Sugar tore their last balloon and got themselves out, which let us win. That was honestly the last way I was expecting to win. I hope Jasmine doesn't get voted off because of it, though, she doesn't deserve that… Shawn said Sugar is likely to go, and the reason he gave makes sense, but I still can't help but be nervous…
"But, um, aside from that, I also kinda sorta… stood up to Amy for once." She had assumed saying it out loud would have done something to make her feel more confident, but it didn't have that effect. In fact, the fear was still around even though Amy was long gone. "It felt great, being able to call her out on her BS for once, but… I don't know what it did. It doesn't feel like it did anything. And when I saw her just before coming in here, it almost felt like I was back to before, when I couldn't say a word to her…"
She let out a large sigh before continuing. "Although… Ella reminded me that it takes a while for stuff like this to set in. That getting better takes time. I guess it's sort of like a cut or a broken bone - you can't expect it to heal overnight. And if I want to be more confident, and get… closer to being better, I guess, then I just have to keep at it."
She then giggled into her hand, remembering what happened during the challenge. "It was pretty good to finally get it off my chest, though. Especially when she got hit and was covered in seaweed and stuff. Hmm, I wonder how long it took to get it out of her hair… It must've been a pain. But, she definitely deserved it.
"There's a part of me that's hoping they get rid of Amy for some reason, but I doubt they will tonight. Sugar and, well, Jasmine I guess, caused the team to lose, so they're the prime targets. Amy's probably safe for tonight, but I really hope she leaves soon… Not only to get her off my back, but to take her down a peg. For her, winning is everything."
Her eyes widened a fraction, and she suddenly burst out laughing. "B-But… I guess for us together… twinning isn't." She laughed hard at her own joke said to no one but herself, and she even wiped a tear from her eye. "Hahahaa, I should write that one down."
