Back again with another chapter. Thank you guys for the patience - writing the most-recently-finished chapter took a bit of effort. But now I'm here and dropping something new for you guys to read!

I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the last chapter, it was a blast to write! Things are only going to get more chaotic from here on out though, so buckle in and enjoy the ride!


Chapter 7: Out of the Dark (Ironically)

Sammy awoke to find that there was no one else in the shack.

She sat up, yawning and stretching. She scratched at her side, wincing when she disturbed the marks left by the bear, and exited the hut. The sky was a light blue, and the sun wasn't above the treetops yet. If she were to guess, it was probably around six or seven in the morning. It made sense that Sky was up and gone, but Sammy was usually awake before Ella and Beardo were, and so she briefly wondered where-

"Oh, wait." She stopped herself short. "That's right. Beardo's gone." Inhaling a breath and sighing, she kicked over a random rock in frustration. "Crap." That was going to take some getting used to. She wondered what he would have said if he knew she forgot him for a second… Regardless, she figured she should just go on about her day. That's probably what he would've wanted.

And in that case, Ella's whereabouts were at the forefront of her mind, now especially after everything that happened yesterday. Considering that the fruit baskets were gone, Sammy may have had an idea of where she went.

Figuring it was better to go look for her than to sit still and do nothing, Sammy strolled out of the campgrounds and in the direction of the berry patch. As she walked, a sudden chill blew past her, forcing her to shiver and hug herself. "Weird," she mumbled, her ponytail blowing in the breeze. "It's the middle of August, it shouldn't be this cold. Should it?" She'd never been to western Canada before now, so maybe their climate was different than home? Who knew, really? The main thing was, she should consider asking for her shirt back from Ella… Though something would have to be done about her arm. Sammy sincerely doubted she'd be willing to have it on public display.

After another few moments of walking, she made it to the foraging area, only to find it completely empty. Sammy hummed, and spent another little bit just wandering around, hoping to find someone but also hoping to not find her sister. To both her relief and disappointment, there was absolutely no one was around.

"Okay, this is really weird." She rubbed her arms to warm herself up, and after some consideration decided to just head back to camp and wait. "Ah well. Not like I can go foraging without baskets or bags, anyway."

As she started making her way out of the area, she heard the sound of running footsteps, quickly getting louder and louder. Anticipating the worst, she pressed herself up against a nearby tree, only to back away from it when she saw it was only Shawn.

"Shawn?" she asked, approaching him. He stopped running and bent over to regain his breath. "You good? What's wrong?"

He quickly turned to her, a desperate look in his eye. "Ah! Sammy!" he suddenly shouted.

"W-What?!" she shouted right back. She half expected him to start raving about spotting a zombie, but this ended up being furthest from the truth.

"How do I talk to girls?!"

Sammy stared in surprise for a moment. The complete one-eighty of the expected topic left her stunned, but once it set in that he was serious she snorted and hid her laughter behind her hand. "That's what's got you so worked up? Oh my god, I thought there was an emergency!"

"This is an emergency!" he declared, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her. "I think Jasmine's starting to get serious about a relationship!"

Sammy involuntarily gasped, not even caring that he was invading her personal space. "Aah! Seriously?! That's so great!"

"Not great! We keep bumping into each other and I'm pretty sure she's dropping hints but I have no idea what to do or say! I'm at a complete loss!"

"And that's why you need my help?" she asked. She pried his hands off her shoulders, despite his iron grip. "But what can I do? The first time I had a proper conversation with someone in a long time was literally last week."

"You're friends with her, right?" he asked. "What's her favorite movie? Her ideal spot for a date? Do I have to fill out a questionnaire before asking her out, because hoo boy I did not study for that!"

"OMG, Shawn, take it easy!" Sammy couldn't help but continue to laugh at his antics. "I don't know her that well! Actually, out of all my friends here, she's the one I know the least about. Anyway, look, the best way to ask a girl out is to just… I dunno. Be honest about it!"

"Be honest?" Shawn asked dubiously.

"Yes, duh! What point is there in hiding your feelings from her? You like her, she obviously likes you… Honestly, I didn't think it'd take this long for you two to get together."

"I didn't want this to happen in the first place! What if things get serious and she asks to split the prize money? How am I supposed to build my zombie-proof bunker with anything less than a million?!"

Sammy's excited attitude immediately fell away when he said that. "Wait… You're willing to ruin your chance at a relationship with her because of a zombie-proof bunker?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Shawn defended. "Of course I want to try dating her, but what am I supposed to do when the apocalypse comes and I don't have anywhere to hide away from them?"

And once again, all reason with him has flown out the window. Ugh, I knew this zombie obsession was going to hold him back! Sammy tried her best to hold in a sigh. "Shawn, I'm going to be serious for a second. If you want to take a chance with Jasmine, you should probably… um, dial back on this whole zombie thing."

He gaped at her for a moment, and then swiftly backed up a few steps. "Oh. So you're one of those people."

"Wait, wait, just hear me out," she said. "I really have no clue if the apocalypse is coming or not. It could be right around the corner, it could be a million years off, who knows!"

"Well I know it's gonna be soon, that's why I need to prepare!" He scoffed and turned on his heel. "Not like you'd understand it."

"Shawn, hold up!" Sammy ran to catch up with him. "Look, you have to admit, right now you're pretty much the only one here who…" She chose her words as carefully as she could. "…Who's really preparing for it, you know? To a lot of the others, and myself included I guess, they don't know what's going to happen. They also probably… don't want to know. You know?"

He stopped and glared at her. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say, if you want to pursue a relationship with Jasmine, you might want to tone the zombie talk down. Or, you know, maybe ease her into it? I'm not… entirely sure how open-minded she'd be about it all."

"So you're telling me to just forget about all the training I've done in my life so that I can be with someone?"

Now Sammy sighed, and ran her hands down her face. "That is literally the exact opposite of what I'm saying! Alright, how about this: try looking at it from her perspective."

"Her perspective?"

"Yeah. Pretend you're a girl - a tall, Australian girl that's probably wrestled with a family of alligators or something - and for your whole life you've thought this one thing was nothing more than just… fake, not real, fiction, whatever. I'm not saying it is," she quickly added when he leveled another glare on her, "but just put yourself in her shoes. If suddenly some dude came up to you and started talking about that one thing like it was real, when you've grown up your whole life believing it wasn't, how would you react? Be honest here."

By some miracle, she seemed to be getting through to him. He didn't answer right away, and was lost in his mind working out the answer. A few moments passed, and he loudly groaned. "I'd… be weirded out, I guess. Confused, freaked out by this person saying stuff that isn't true."

Sammy internally sighed in relief. "See? There you-"

"But," he interrupted. "What about me? I believe that- No, I know for a fact that zombies are real and that the apocalypse isn't far off. So why do I need to cater to her when she can't do the same?"

"That's why I said to ease her into it!" God, it's like this guy hears only what he wants to hear! "Don't go all fanatical on her about it, but you also don't have to give up that part of you just to please her! If it's truly meant to be - which, by the way, I still think is the case - then she'll accept you for who you are! Just… take it easy for the first bit, okay?"

He scratched at his head and gave another sigh. "You sure you hadn't had any conversations like this from before last week? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were used to giving out relationship advice."

Sammy laughed awkwardly and looked away. "I've… always wanted to play matchmaker. And I want to see you guys get together. You two would be so cute!"

He grumbled at that. "I dunno about cute, but… I'll think over what you said."

She gasped. "You will?!"

"I do like her, and even though I've been rationalizing why I shouldn't, I do want to try dating her…" He let out a grown and pull his toque over his eyes. "Aaggh, this is going to be difficult, isn't it?"

"No one said it wasn't," Sammy told him, "but going through with this is so going to be worth it. Trust me."

Shawn hummed in thought. He lifted up his hat just enough to look at her with one eye. "Have you been in a relationship before? 'Cuz it sounds like you're speaking from experience."

Sammy shook her head. "You're asking me if I've dated anyone? This is the first time I've had friends, let alone a gi-" She clamped her mouth shut. "Um. A p-partner." If Shawn picked up on that, he didn't show it. "I, uh, I just feel that this is obvious for a relationship, right? You gotta trust one another, there's give and take, that sort of stuff. And I mean, it's not just daters who that should be for. Friends and family need trust and communication. Without it… there's not much of a relationship to be had at all." And that is something I know from experience.

He hummed in thought. "I guess I can see where you're coming from. I don't want to make too many compromises, but… I really do like Jasmine…"

"You're resourceful. I'm sure you'll find a good balance," Sammy said.

"Heh. Maybe you're right."

With that conversation concluded, Sammy resumed her trek back to the camp. "By the way, do you know where Ella is? I wanted to talk to her before the challenge."

"Last I saw her, she was at the junk piles," he told her.

"Wait, really? I thought she was foraging. Why would she be there?"

Shawn shrugged. "No clue. What's the deal with her arm, anyway? She's still got your shirt covering it. I highly doubt it's just one single scar."

You don't know how accurate you are. Sammy groaned uncomfortably. "Honestly, I really shouldn't say. It's not my place."

"Mm. Fair enough. Anyway, see you at the challenge." He took off in the opposite direction, and Sammy continued on, but she then heard him skid to a stop rather quickly. "Also, you better take your own advice and ask her out soon!"

Sammy froze and didn't dare turn back around. "Wh- Wh- What do you mean?! I don't know what you're talking about!" Oh god, he knows. He knows and he's gonna tell everyone, and everyone will hate me and Mom will find out and she'll kick me out and I'll be homeless for the rest of my life-

"Dude, have you seen the way you look at her? Uh, well, I guess you can't, but have you seen the way she looks at you? You asked me how Jasmine and I haven't gotten together yet, but I think there's an even more obvious couple in the making here!"

She slowly turned back towards him, and to her utter surprise he was grinning and giving her two thumbs up. No way. This is a trick. It has to be. "Y… You're okay with that? That…" She swallowed hard and bit the bullet. "That I'm gay?"

Shawn was taken aback by the question. "Well, yeah, of course! The zombie apocalypse doesn't discriminate, so why should I?" He gave one last wave and dashed off after that, leaving her alone.

That was… some ridiculous logic at best, but it did wonders at putting her at ease. Okay… okay, calm down, Samantha. Shawn accepts me, which is good. The others must as well, right? ...Right?

With no way to be sure of the answer, she decided it was best to simply keep on going. Shawn said Ella was at the junk piles, so that's where she'd look.

But despite all her talk on how Shawn should just go ahead and confess his feelings to the person he liked… it was a bit more complicated with her situation. Now was very much not the time. She'd have to wait for a better opportunity to present itself before she said anything to Ella.


The junk pile was just as confusing to find as most other places on the island, and it didn't help that she hadn't visited it since the first day. But as luck would have it, she managed to find it before Chris called for everyone to gather. She had no idea how she did it, seeing as how she had difficulty finding the bathroom consistently, but she wasn't about to complain.

There were several piles of junk that went as high as the island's tallest trees, and now that she was in the area outside of a challenge, she was able to take the time and count around seven or eight of them in total. "No wonder Shawn is able to find so much stuff," she mused to herself, idly looking around. "There's so much here. A lot of it crappy, but still."

Sammy spent a few minutes wandering around, trying to find Ella amongst all of the trash. She wasn't exactly sure what she could be looking for, but she did have a few guesses. For one, she could be looking for more paper to write another poem, or maybe a new pen to replace the chewed-up one she had been using. She could've also been looking for more baskets or bags to help with the foraging, though with one less person around that seemed rather unnecessary.

Maybe she's looking for something to put on her arm, Sammy thought. Actually, would that even be safe? All this stuff is dirty and old. I don't think it'd be sanitary to use it to cover scars…

The light of the sun caught something on one of the piles, and Sammy winced in response. Looking at it, she spotted the sharp corner of a sheet of metal, honed to a point and ready to stab into anyone who wasn't looking.

Stab, or… cut.

Sammy frowned and decided to quicken her searching.

"Ella?" she called out after another moment. "Hey, you here? It's Sammy!"

The area wasn't that big, so it seemed a little odd to Sammy when it took a few seconds for her to hear a response. "I'm over here!" came Ella's voice, a bit out of the way and tucked behind a corner she didn't realize was there.

"There you are," Sammy said when Ella finally came into view. She was hunched down in front of a smaller pile, digging through its base and quite obviously looking for something. The shirt was still wrapped around her arm, although it looked like it was sloppily put on compared to yesterday. Maybe she took it off for something. "I wasn't expecting you to be up so early. Usually you're still asleep when I leave the shack to get breakfast."

"Yes, that's true," she agreed. "But there was something I wanted to do before the challenge. I didn't get around to it yesterday because of losing, but I don't want to do anything else until I find what I'm looking for."

"And… what are you looking for?" Sammy hesitantly asked. "Am I able to help?"

Ella looked up at her. "Are you sure? It's not very exciting."

"It's fine! I'd be more than willing to help you, you know."

She took a moment to consider it, though in the end she made her decision quickly. "Alright then. I'm looking for a replacement for my glove, and your shirt. I can't be hogging it for the whole day again."

"Ah, I thought that's why you were here." Internally, Sammy was relieved. Nothing dangerous, thank god. She knelt to the ground and started searching alongside her. "But…um, listen, I'm sorry if this is too personal, and feel free not to answer, but… wouldn't putting something from a garbage dump over… your arm, as it is, be sorta dangerous? It might get… you know, infected, I guess…"

Sammy was really at a loss for how she should approach this - she had no experience dealing with this sort of situation. In hindsight, she probably also had a home life that could lead to cutting or something of the sort, but nothing like that had ever crossed her mind. And now that it was suddenly thrust before her, she didn't know what to do.

There was a pause, and Sammy was preparing to call herself stupid again for asking another stupid question like that. But then Ella, letting out a shaky breath, folded her hands together and answered. "It… should be fine, I think. Most are healed over."

Sammy gave her a sympathetic look. "But… not all of them are, are they?"

Ella gave a humorless laugh. "You saw my arm for, what, a second? And you already picked that out? …Well, you're right, they're not. But I don't really know what else to do."

"What about putting your other glove on that arm?" Sammy offered.

She held up her one remaining glove. "I suppose I could just swap this one over, yes, but I don't think they were made with that in mind. You know how winter gloves are always designed with one hand meant for one glove? These are sort of like that."

"Ohh, so it's not really an option. I see."

"Right. And I don't have anything else to cover it with, what with all of our stuff getting lost in the blimp, so I'm looking for something like that."

"I get what you're saying. Then I guess I'll also look for something like that."

Ella smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."

But try as they might, neither of them found anything resembling a glove. Sammy did find a dog bowl with a hole punched through it, a partially rusty Hello Kitty utility knife, a harmonica clogged with something blue and mushy, and an old CRT TV with its screen covered in crude marker drawings. But aside from these and many other odd discoveries, something wearable and clean just wasn't available.

By this point they had made their way around the entire base of the pile they were working at, and met again on the other side. "I'm sorry, Ella," Sammy said, falling back and taking a breather. "But I don't think there's anything here."

Ella sighed and wiped the dirt off her hands and onto her skirt. "I thought as much. I've been looking all morning through several different piles, but not one of them has any suitable clothing."

"What time did you get up?"

"Since before the sun rose. It was rather early."

"Before sunrise? Wow. Yeah, that's a long time to be looking." Sammy noticed that she had yet to mention anything about last night. Perhaps it was best to keep it that way. "You, uh, you must really want to find something else, huh?"

"Well, yes," she answered. With a grin and a proper giggle she continued. "I can't keep holding on to your shirt forever."

Sammy laughed along with her. "You know, without context, that kinda sounds inappropriate."

"It does, doesn't it?"

With one last chuckle, Sammy climbed to her feet and dusted off the back of her skirt. "I don't think there's anything else we can do, though. We've been here for a while now, and Chris is definitely going to call us soon."

"I suppose you're right." Ella stood as well, and examined the wrapped shirt. "Hm. What I wouldn't give to go back and get something with longer sleeves. Now that I think about it, I really should've realized a monkey was going to steal my glove before I came on here."

Sammy laughed and nodded in agreement. And then a thought clicked in her head. "Sleeves?"

Ella looked at her. "Pardon?"

"Sleeves… Sleeve…" She tapped a finger to her chin, and an idea formed. She looked at the uniform on Ella's arm and pointed to it. "Hey, I know you might be uncomfortable with this, but… may I see my shirt for a second?"

Ella's fists clenched at the thought, but after a few deep breaths she nodded and undid the shirt. It was still covered in stains of different varieties, and it honestly did not smell good - that's what you get for wearing it for a week straight and not washing it - but it was still relatively serviceable. She took a hold of one of the sleeves and measured it. After wearing it for so long, she knew it really only came up to her forearm, so if she used the whole sleeve-

"What are you planning on doing?" Ella asked. She had her gloved arm wrapped tightly around the bare one.

"Getting you something to wear," Sammy replied, and quickly searched through the pile once more. Soon, she found what she was looking for - the utility knife she spotted earlier. She didn't really know why it had Hello Kitty of all things on it, but it would likely do the trick regardless.

Without another word, Sammy set about cutting the right sleeve off of her uniform. It wasn't a clean cut, because A) this wasn't something she had done before and B) the knife was somewhat rusty and she had to force it a bit to get it to work, but it was a good enough job that the end result didn't look too bad. She held up the severed cloth, checking it over once more - it was still a bit grimy, but there wasn't anything they could do to get it off with what they had.

She held it aloft, offering it to her friend. "There we go. This should work, right?"

Ella stared at the fabric, uncertainty written all over her face. She was about to reach an arm out, and it instantly snapped back in place over her other one. But she drew in a breath, and took it after a moment. Sammy did everything in her power not to look at the scars. Without a word Ella slipped her hand into the sleeve and drew it up her arm, and miraculously it seemed to do the trick. She looked it over - the size was just what Sammy hoped for, going from the wrist right to the elbow. "This is perfect," Ella told her.

Sammy stood and smirked slyly. "Oh, good. I guess we can say it fits like a glove, right?"

Ella must have choked on spit, because she simultaneously started laughing and coughing. "Oh my g-goodness, Samantha, you are terrible," she chided in between her fits.

She shrugged casually. "Hey, I've got sixteen years worth of puns left to explore. I'm not stopping anytime soon."

When the laughter died down, Ella simply beamed at her. "Good. It's healthy to explore your interests like that. I'm glad to hear you found something you like." To the side, she quietly added, "Even if it is puns."

Now it was Sammy's turn to laugh. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" she asked. "I'll have you know puns are some of the best sources of humor. Do you know how difficult it is to make sure they work given the situation? I put a lot of effort into them!"

"Yes, but a lot of the time they fall right onto your lap. You shouldn't be taking credit where it's not due. That's just plain rude."

"Ah, you're right, of course. What was I thinking?"

Ella grinned. "As long as you know you were wrong."

"Wow, you can be harsh when you want to be! I'll have to start being careful around you."

Ella put her hand to her mouth and laughed. "I'm not usually like this, honest. I guess I just… feel so comfortable around you."

And then Sammy's face lit up like a firework when she remembered who she was talking with. "O-Oh, yeah? I'm, like, really comfortable around you too, you know." God, she felt like a fool. Did Ella know how she felt about her yet? Because if not that time was going to happen very soon and probably lead to some awkward conversations.

Ella smiled warmly, and much to Sammy's internal joy and agony she took her hands in hers. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"Y-Yeah, totally." Holding Ella's hands now, it kind of caught her off guard when the bare one, free of its gloved constraint, felt surprisingly rough, at least near the tips of her fingers. Without really thinking, Sammy turned Ella's hand over to examine it, and saw that each finger was actually heavily callused.

She must have had a shocked look on her face, because Ella giggled at the action. "Guitar player. Remember?"

"Oh! Right!" Truth be told, Sammy may have forgotten that detail. "Sorry, kinda took me by surprise."

"No worries. By the way, um, I wanted to thank you for doing this." She motioned to the severed red sleeve. Unlike the entirety of Sammy's shirt, it didn't stick out all that much on her arm. "But are you sure you're okay with that? Your outfit will be lopsided now."

Sammy scoffed and glanced back down at the uniform on the ground, now with only one sleeve. "At this point in my life, I honestly couldn't care less about it. I think I've grown past doing whatever Amy says or wants, so the second I get home I'm quitting the cheer squad."

"Are you serious? Oh, that's wonderful!" Ella cried, and wrapped Sammy up in a hug. Sammy was all too aware of the close contact, but she still returned the hug as nonchalantly as she possibly could. "I'm so proud of you for deciding to do that! You're finally turning your life around, just like you wanted!"

"Yeah!" Sammy wholeheartedly agreed. "I mean, I can't take all the credit. You, and Beardo and Sky, and everyone else really helped me along the way. If you guys weren't there, I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm sure you would've figured it out," Ella reasoned.

"Maybe," she said with a shrug. "Or it could've gotten worse… But anyway, those are just what-ifs. There's no need to dwell on them when I'm doing okay for myself now."

"You're right." She squee'd in delight and tightened the hug. "But still! You're doing amazing! Just think about how far you've come since last week!"

"Oh, definitely. It's been a heck of a journey," Sammy admitted, "but I'm glad I made it."

That's when the speakers crackled to life, causing the hug to become even tighter out of fright. Chris called for the contestants once more, taunting them as he normally did, and left just as suddenly.

"Oh crap!" Sammy cried in realization. "We haven't had breakfast!"

Ella gasped. "We should go, now!" She took Sammy's hand and dashed out of the junk pile.

Despite how unappealing the thought of doing a challenge on an empty stomach sounded, Sammy couldn't help but laugh as she was dragged behind. She never would have imagined this on the first day, but she was so glad this is where she ended up.

But then she dug her heels in and turned back around. "Ah, wait, my shirt! I can't leave without that!"

When Sammy returned with her now-one-sleeved uniform in place, Ella was doubled over laughing. "S-Sorry! I completely forgot about it! This was supposed to be about you getting your shirt back and I forgot all about it!"

Sammy was reminded about how much she liked the sound of Ella's laugh. "It's fine, I did too! Come on, let's go," she said, and even though it was no longer necessary they still held hands as they ran back.


"Hmm…"

"What's up, Sky?"

"I… don't see how this ball will be able to get us to the other side of the island."

She was right, now that Sammy thought about it. The inside of the giant orb was completely solid, and the only light coming in was from the open hatch they had walked through. And that hatch was going to close when the game started. How were they supposed to get to the other side of the island when they wouldn't be able to tell which direction it was in?

"Man, it's cramped in here," Shawn noted, being the last one to dive in. "I swear, if any of you turn-"

"You'll be the first one to run, yes, we know," Sammy said, arms crossed sternly.

He nodded. "Just so we're all aware."

"Um, Chris?" Ella said, looking out of the hatch and at the host. "We won't be able to see out of these."

"Oh no," said the host uncaringly, slamming the hatch shut on her and casting the interior in darkness.

"You know, sometimes I am really not a fan of him," Ella said with a huff.

"You and the rest of us," Sky grumbled.

"You might feel a bit of a drop!" Chris yelled from the outside. "Ready? Go!"

"Drop?" Sammy asked as the ball started rolling. The team of four started walking with the rotations, though with not much surface area between them it was a bit of a challenge. "What does he mean by-"

And then they were falling.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Everyone screamed as they were lifted up from the ground and hung in the air. Then the first impact came, slamming everyone back down, followed by the next, and then next. Sammy for the life of her couldn't tell which way was up or down after a few seconds, and more than once she collided with one of the others, but with who was anyone's guess.

Soon enough, the falling stopped, and Sammy laid on the bottom of a four-person dogpile. Everyone attempted to pick themselves back up in between the groaning, but the curvature of the interior made it tough to do so.

"Did we all make it out okay?" Sky asked.

"Really not sure," Sammy said, her voice strained from the weight of the people on her. "I might be able to tell if you guys get off me."

"Oh, crap, sorry," Shawn cried out, and everyone scrambled to get off. A few pairs of hands helped her up, and after a once-over on herself she found that she was okay. In pain, sure, but nothing seemed to be broken.

"I think I'm good," Sammy said. "But… remind me never to do that ever again." Light then poured into the orb, and Sammy could see once more. Sky hopped out ungracefully and landed right flat on her stomach, and the others followed suit. Sammy helped Ella out, but her friend was clutching her stomach painfully. Her face was scrunched and looked a rather unfortunate shade of green. "Uhh, are you gonna be okay?"

Ella gave her a twisted smile. "I-I think so. Maybe. P… Probably not. Let me get back to you on that."

Ooh that cannot be good. "If you start to feel sick, just let me know, okay?" Ella only nodded, and sat down on the edge of the orb's hatch to steady herself. Sammy began to rub her back, which she graciously accepted and thanked her for.

"Oh, look at that!" came Jasmine's voice from the other orb. "We're at the bottom of a deep, dark cave! How 'bout that?"

Her voice was unusually high and flustered, and when Sammy looked over she saw her crouched down in a ball, shivering, and looking at the cave walls with a manic look in her eye.

"Jasmine?" she asked her. "Are… are you alright?"

The Australian however didn't answer, and it almost looked like she didn't even hear her. Scarlett, on the other hand, did. "She appears to be suffering from a particularly acute case of claustrophobia," she said with a sort of-disinterested tone, approaching Sammy with her arms folded. "I sincerely doubt the lack of natural sunlight and the high, encompassing walls are doing her any favors."

"Claustrophobia?" Sammy repeated, sending a sympathetic glance at her friend. I had no idea… And now we're down here in this dank cave. God, this must be terrible for her!

"Oh, are you unaware of the definition of claustrophobia?" Scarlett asked, misinterpreting her reaction. "It's either a rational or irrational fear of tight, enclosed-"

"Um, I know what claustrophobia is," Sammy interrupted, putting her hand on her hip.

"Oh." Scarlett, still as uninterested, gave her a once over. "Could've fooled me."

"Wh- Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

There was just a touch of a smirk on Scarlett's lips - Is she making fun of me? You know, at this point I wouldn't put it past her - but there wasn't a chance for her to reply as Chris's face popped up on a huge TV a little ways up the cave wall. "You guys enjoy the ride? I came up with it myself!"

"Was that really necessary?" Amy asked. Truth be told, she had been so quiet that Sammy forgot she was there, which was something that had never happened before. "I've got a splitting headache from it…"

"Aw, and let me guess, you broke a nail, too?" Chris mocked.

Amy rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I wasn't gonna bring it up, but…"

"Anyway," Chris pushed on, "welcome to your real challenge: getting out of this cave!"

"Why bother with the bogus one?" Scarlett asked him.

"If I told you I wanted to cram you all into giant balls and drop you 140 feet into a cave, you all would've moaned and whined… This was easier!"

"He's technically got a point," Shawn conceded. "I doubt we would've come along quietly had we known."

"Okay, true, but I'm still not happy about it," Sky said, glaring up at Chris the whole time.

"I don't think any of us are," Sammy told her.

"Somewhere down there are two supply bags with the necessary equipment you'll need to get out," Chris informed. Sky took it upon herself to go fetch theirs, and Scarlett did the same for her team. "That said, one might be better than the other."

"Climbing gear, night-vision goggles, durable rope," Scarlett ticked off as she worked through her bag. "Hm, most of this will be useful."

"Oh, lucky you," Sky said with some venom in her voice. She seemed to be just as mad at Scarlett as Sammy was. "We've got soy sauce packets, kitty litter, and a CD of Beardo's beatboxing! How's this going to help us at all?"

"Good question! I'm sure you'll figure it out," Chris replied. "Now, there are also a bunch of tunnels around you, which all lead to a single exit to the surface. Some are safer but take longer to get out, while others are dangerous and can be considered shortcuts, so choose wisely! The first full team to cross the finish line first wins!"

"Alright, so we definitely want to stick together on this one," Shawn told them. "If we get separated, we make for the exit as quick as we can. Got it?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Also, I feel like I should mention this," Chris said. "According to Cree legend, no one who's gone in has ever come out."

Gasps aplenty came from everyone, and Sammy found herself turning to Sky. "Is, um, is that true?"

Sky gave her a bewildered look. "I… I don't know? I mean, yeah, I am Cree, but I don't know every single legend." She leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Also, that's really not a thing you should be asking people of different race and cultures. It can be kind of insensitive, making an assumption like that."

"What? Really?" And once more, her social blundering came front and center. Her hands shot to her mouth as she blushed in shame. "OMG, Sky, I'm so sorry, I had no idea!"

"It's okay, just remember for next time." She kindly put a hand on her shoulder, and Sammy vigorously nodded.

"Your challenge starts… now!" Chris blasted his air horn, which seemed to echo throughout the cave and cause some rumblings in the surrounding walls.

"Something tells me we're going to have to be quiet for this one," Shawn said.

"I'm okay with quiet," Sammy agreed, staring up at the cliffs suspiciously. There looked to be some rocks dangerously close to the edges…

"If that's the case, I think the best thing to do is go for the fastest routes," Sky suggested. "The faster we get out, the better off we'll be."

"Even if it's- urp," Ella burped uncomfortably. "E-Excuse me… Even if it's dangerous?"

"Yeah, even so," Sky answered. "Uh… you alright? You're looking pretty ill, Ella."

"Sorry," she said. She clutched at her gut and winced. "My stomach is s-still queasy from the fall."

"I think you had too many blueberries for breakfast," Sammy said.

"Yes, I'm aware of that n-now. Urrrp! Ohh goodness, excuse me again. I-Is there anyway I can stay sitting down for another little bit?"

Sky grimaced and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we have the time for that. We have to be the first ones to find our way-"

"OUT!" Jasmine suddenly screamed, startling everyone around her. She made a mad dash for the nearest wall and smacked her fists against it several times. "Gotta! Get! OUUUT!"

Her claustrophobia was worse than Sammy had thought, but that was at the back of her mind - Jasmine's pounding on the walls caused more shaking and a bunch of small rocks to fall from above. One ended up hitting her in the head and caused her to yelp in pain, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Um, hey, maybe hitting the wall and yelling isn't a good idea?" Topher asked Jasmine, covering his head with his hands. "I'd really rather not have any big rocks falls and hit us, thank you very much!"

"I agree with him," Scarlett said worriedly. "This cave is structurally unstable. We should leave as soon as we can."

Out of the blue, Ella burped once more, louder than before. She looked frightened and panicked, a mix of nauseous green and embarrassed red, and her breathing was steadily speeding up. "Oh god. Ohh god. I think- I-I think I'm gonna-" Without warning she broke from the group and ran towards a wall, but before she could even reach it she collapsed onto the ground and spewed her breakfast. And did so with a bit more noise than what she should've been making.

Uh oh, she's a violent barfer. Just what we needed down here. Sammy rushed over to her and kept rubbing her back. She did everything in her power to keep herself from throwing up as well. "Ella? Ella, you're gonna be okay, you hear me? You're gonna-"

That's when she made such an intense retching noise, that the rumbling picked up once more.

"Dammit!" Amy shouted when the rocks began falling. "It's a cave-in!"

"You know, your yelling is seriously not helping us!" Sammy cried at her sister.

"Neither is yours!" Amy spat back.

"Enough!" Scarlett cried at them. "We need to move, now!"

The Salmons each made a dash for the tunnels, but Sammy was too preoccupied with Ella to see which ones they went into. "Ella, come on, we need to go! Please!"

It didn't take her too long to finish, and she wiped her mouth with her glove and left a long, gross purple streak on it. "I-I'm so sorry," she said, tears staining her cheeks. "Throwing up is so painful and I hate it and-"

"I know, I'm sure it sucked, but we need to go before we get crushed!" Sammy helped her friend up and brought her over to Shawn and Sky, who were examining the tunnels. Or, rather, the ones that were still open and not blocked by the giant falling rocks.

"This one!" Shawn declared, pointing at one in particular. "I see daylight!" He and Sky ran in ahead of them, and Sammy would've followed them both were it not for Ella stopping her.

"Wait, no!" Ella literally grabbed Sammy by the arm and hauled her back, just in time to be missed by a rain of boulders that fell and clogged the entrance.

"OMG!" Sammy shouted, staring at the pile that was bigger and a lot heavier than she was. "I-I could've been crushed! Ella, thank-"

"Save it for later!" She started pulling on Sammy's arm again and brought them into the last cave still open. Unfortunately the second they made it inside, that entrance also got blocked, and Ella leapt to the ground with Sammy in tow to get away from being pinned beneath.

They stayed there like that, trying to cover each other from any stray rocks that might have fallen towards them, but soon all of the rumbling subsided and they were left in silence. Silence, and an impenetrable darkness that put the orb's lack of light to shame.

When it was obvious the cave decided to stop caving-in, Sammy opened her eyes to the dark, and tried to make out Ella in front of her. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm… I suppose so, yes. I still feel somewhat unwell, but I'll be fine." Sammy felt her sit up, and she followed suit. "Goodness, it's dark in here."

"Yeah, I can't see at all." She slowly edged her way to the blockage and tried to push against it, but it wouldn't budge. "Aaand there's no way we're getting back out this way. Lovely."

"What should we do?" Ella asked, coming up alongside her and putting a hand on her shoulder. Being unable to see, it was a good gesture.

"I think the best thing to do is just to keep going," Sammy said. "Funny, I thought it'd take us longer to get separated, not right out of the gate. But oh well. There's nothing else we can do here."

"I guess not, no. But… where are we supposed to go if we can't see?"

She hummed and felt along the blockage until she came to a wall. "We should just follow the wall until we get somewhere. How does that sound?"

"Well, it's better than simply waiting here."

"Alright, perfect. Let's go."

"Um, wait," Ella said hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" They couldn't afford to waste too much time, but Sammy was willing to listen to whatever she needed.

But then Ella started toward her, found her in the dark, and intertwined their hands and fingers together. "I… feel much more at ease like this, if you don't mind."

Huh. Thank god for the dark, because my face feels like it's been set on fire right now. "Y-Yeah, no problem! Me too."

They slowly made their way through the cave, Sammy's hand never leaving the wall and Ella's hand never leaving her other one. There were some twists and turns, some tight corridors and long, thin rocks on the floor they had to weave around - Are they stalactites or stalagmites? I could never get them right - but Sammy felt they were making good time.

It didn't take them too long to come to a large cavern, which they were able to tell by how echoey their voices had become. It was still nearly impossible to see, but when a monitor came on with Chris's face on it, the whole room lit up like a firework.

"Welcome to the Drop Zone," Chris announced. They hadn't been in the dark long enough for her eyes to adjust, so when the lights turned on Sammy quickly scanned their new surroundings. It wasn't much to write home about - it was a decently-sized room, smaller than she would've originally imagined, and the ceiling didn't go up too high. But the surprising part to it all was the large gap in the floor between where they stood and the exit, and the only connecting piece of ground between them was a thin, winding rock path with nothing stopping them from falling. It almost looked like a maze, except the architect forgot about installing the walls. "Aptly named, isn't it?"

"It's… not off the mark," Ella told him.

"Your goal, as should be obvious, is to cross this giant hole in the ground on the itty bitty path before you. A most terrible fate will you be met with if you fall… So try not to do that!"

"You really are trying to kill us, aren't you?" Sammy asked him angrily. "How are we supposed to do this without being able to see?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, if you want to survive." Chris chuckled. "Hope you memorized the layout, cuz the lights are going out in three-two-one-now!"

And so they did - the TV switched off, and the room was plunged into darkness once more. Both girls groaned in frustration - Chris was having a bit too much fun with this challenge, Sammy figured. "I guess there's nothing we can do except go forward." She had an approximate idea of where the edge was, and she slowly began edging towards it.

"Be careful," Ella said. Her grip on Sammy's hand tightened.

"Of course."

Sammy found the path, and the two of them made their way along it. Rather than risk misstepping, they dragged their feet across it, turning when needing to. It was stressful work, as the path couldn't have been more than a foot wide. There was once where Sammy did nearly fall, but Ella managed to catch her just before it happened.

After the first couple of turns, Ella spoke up. "Um… Hey."

"Hey? What's up?" Sammy asked, feeling her foot reach an edge and redirecting their direction.

"I think… Um…"

She's hesitating. "It's okay, say what's on your mind. No judgement."

"Okay, thank you. Um… I think I'm ready to talk now."

Sammy stopped, and though neither of them could see each other she turned back. "Talk? Uh… not to sound rude about it but… now?"

"It's a bad time, I know, but… well, I've been thinking it over since yesterday, and I do want to share it with you. That said, I didn't want anyone else overhearing, and since we're alone…"

"Ah. No, that's fair." Sammy swallowed. Sammy had been waiting for the explanation, but the timing was just a little unfortunate. Still, she wasn't about to tell her no, not when she said she was ready now. "Take your time with it. And if you need to stop for whatever reason, you stop, okay?"

"Okay." Ella sucked in a large breath, and took her time exhaling it. "So. Um." Now her breathing was quickening, but Sammy squeezed her hand to calm her, and she squeezed right back. "I…"

"Go on. I'm right here."

"Yes, thank you. My… Well. There's quite a bit to this. Let me just start from the beginning."

"Oh, uh, okay. Whatever you feel is best."

She gave one last sigh and began. "Well… My father and mother don't exactly… get along all that great. Most days they're civil and they can talk to each other just fine, but sometimes they'll get into… arguments. Rather heated ones."

Sammy already didn't like where this was going. "I… see."

"And usually it's over something not worth arguing about, something so simple that there's really no need. But it doesn't matter how trivial it is. It always, without fail, gets… bad."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but… how bad?"

"Bad enough that they could be arguing for hours. By the end of it, they'll have forgotten what the argument was about and it would end up being about almost anything. Truthfully I don't think they care what the purpose was, I think they just want to insult each other and bring the other down. And once they finally stop, even though they'll try to go about the rest of their day afterwards, they'll do it by giving each other the silent treatment and completely ignoring each other. If either were to talk, it would just be to trade insults, at which point the arguing resumes. It's… always loud. And frightening. And every time it happens, I never know what to do."

This was something Sammy was afraid of. Bullies were one thing, but parents were another. Home was somewhere where you should feel safe, and to be afraid of what could happen when actually there wasn't okay in the slightest. The emotional turmoil Ella must have gone through every time an argument sprang up would have to be so painful and… damaging. "Is that how you started… well, you know…"

Ella knew what she was implying. "No, actually."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, really. That came later, and is only somewhat related to my parents."

"But your parents were… are, upsetting you, right?"

"Well, yes, but they don't go out of their way to hurt me or drag me into the arguments. They love me, even if they don't really show it through words."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They buy me things, gifts and stuffed toys to decorate my room with. But… that's about it, really. I know they love me, but many of the conversations I have with them are strained."

Communication was key to any sturdy relationship, whether friendships, romantic partners, or family members. Living under the roof with two people she couldn't be comfortable around would have to be incredibly stressful for anyone, no matter how upbeat they were. Sammy knew that from first hand experience. "That must be awful."

"Some days it's okay. Other's it isn't."

"Is there anyone you can talk to about it?"

"No. I'm an only child, as are both of my parents. No other family to speak of. I also don't exactly have many friends back home… or, rather, any friends, but I'll get to that in a bit. And the neighbors… well. You might not believe this, but I live in one of the seedier parts of my town."

"Seriously?" That was the last thing she was expecting to hear her say. Honestly, Sammy thought Ella lived in a mansion, or at least an upper-class home with the way she talked and acted.

"Yes. In an apartment where the walls are so thin everyone can hear you speak, let alone scream at others. And despite this… no one really cares. I bet most of them enjoy listening to whatever nonsense my parents yell about. It's just that kind of place."

"But… But that's not okay though. Aren't you able to like, call child services or something? Have them help sort out the problem?"

Ella hesitated for just a fraction of a second. "I don't think that would do any good. They're not physically abusing me, so…"

"But there's more than one kind of abuse. And in this case they're emotionally and mentally harming you. So if you call them, you might-"

"But that's the thing," she interrupted, sharper than she normally talked. "I don't want to call them."

"You… don't?"

"No. My situation isn't very great, it's true. But if child services do come and choose to take me away, I don't know what would happen or where I'll go. And I don't want to know. I'm too afraid of finding out."

"So, what then, you're just going to grin and bear it?"

"No, I didn't say that! I- Whoa!" All of a sudden Ella's balance shifted, and she nearly fell off the path. Sammy was quick enough to catch her and stop her from falling, but they were both reminded of their current situation.

"Are you okay?" Sammy asked quickly.

"Y-Yes, I am. Thank you." Once they were perfectly balanced, Ella huffed. "Perhaps we should just reach the end before I say anymore."

"Yeah, good idea," Sammy agreed. Feeling for the direction the path was going in, she led the way to the end of the room. Aside from a few more missteps, it wasn't all that exciting, and nothing was said between the two until they reached the end of the winding path. When they did, they rested for a bit to catch their breath and rejoice that they made it to ground wider than their shoes. Once they were ready, Sammy found the wall and put her hand up to it, Ella took a hold of her other hand, and the two set off once more.

"So, um, you were saying?" Sammy asked, resuming the conversation.

"Right." Ella took another deep breath. "So, I've sort of been… content, I guess, with keeping things how they are. Mom and Dad focus on each other and leave me alone when it happens, and aside from that everything is tolerable. I'm able to ignore them for the most part, with watching movies on my laptop with headphones and the volume turned right up. It blocks out the arguing, thankfully. Or if they leave soon after they're done, I'm able to sing to my heart's content and focus on that more than anything else. But… therein lies another problem."

"And that is…?"

"I've been using singing and movies as an escape for so long that I think it's begun to define who I am."

"…Huh." Sammy wouldn't lie, she could see where Ella was coming with that. It wasn't lost on her (and probably anyone) that Ella's behavior, personality and sense of fashion were… unique, more so than anyone she had ever met. The way she spoke, the way she acted… You could easily just put her in a fairy tale and she'd be right at home. "I, uh, think you may be right about that."

"Mm."

"But I don't think that's all that bad. It's who you are. As long as you're happy with who you are, it should be okay. Right?"

"That's just it. I don't know if I am happy with who I am."

"…Oh."

"I mean, please don't get me wrong. Disney movies, and fairy tales, and fantasy books… Breaking out into song and singing my favorite ones when I need to brighten my mood… I love it all, to death in fact. I can get so caught up in watching movies or reading stories that I lose myself in their worlds. I wouldn't give up my love for it all for almost anything. But… I think I use it all as an escape from reality a bit too much."

"Ah… Now I understand."

"Mom and Dad don't really care. They still buy me so much stuff related to my interests, sort of as a peace offering for how much they argue, but otherwise they don't worry about it or talk about it." She paused. "I've been thinking it's because they're proud of me for when I go to the children's hospital to sing, so they just leave me alone and don't say anything else about it."

"I see… I mean, it's good they're proud of you, but that doesn't excuse the fact that they're hurting you by fighting with each other."

"I know. And it's because of their arguments that I engross myself too much into my hobbies, to try and get away from it all."

"Have you ever wondered why they're still together, if they argue so much? Not to make that sound like an insensitive question, but…"

"No, it's fine. I have wondered, yes, but I haven't had the courage to ask them yet. I start to worry that a question like that might set them off again, so I keep it to myself."

"I see."

"So, ah…" She cleared her throat. "Right. Like I said, I tend to get a bit too captivated by my interests. And… unfortunately, that has sort of bled out into school."

"…Oh, I… I think I know where this is going."

Ella breathed deeply again, several times in fact. This was probably the hardest part for her to recall. "Unlike my parents, who don't comment on them, the other kids at school like to mock me for my interests. They say a girl my age shouldn't be obsessing over children's movies, shouldn't be singing as much as I do. Sometimes I think that maybe they're right, but then I remind myself why I like these kinds of things."

"And, why do you?"

"Easy. They're just so… idyllic."

"I… Idyllic?"

"Like… ideal. Beautiful, picturesque. I like watching these sorts of movies because they're… they're how I want life to be. I sing about positive experiences and happy times because that's what helps me ignore the bad. That's why I find myself so entranced by it all. But nobody else sees it that way, and so they like to make fun of me for liking them. And that mocking sometimes turns worse." She shuddered, and Sammy could feel Ella's hand tightening around hers. "Very worse. Um… Remember back during the balloon challenge, when I was able to duck under Sugar's balloon even when I was right in front of her?"

"I do, but what does that have to do- Oh. Oh no."

"Sometimes when the other students get a bit too rowdy, they like to throw things. I've… gotten good at dodging them."

"Oh my god…" So not only was it her parents, but her classmates too. Sammy couldn't fully relate to that - it was really only Amy and her friends-at-the-time who bullied her, and Mom was always so busy with work that she never had the time to deal with the two of them - but she knew how difficult it must have been. Two of the places she'd go to each and every day were so unwelcoming for her… How on earth was she able to be so cheerful all the time? Sammy decided to ask just that.

"Like I said, I use my interests as an escape," Ella explained. "When I'm fully immersed in a movie or a book, or when I've found a good song to sing, I'm able to… forget. Forget everything bad that happens on a regular basis. It just gets too painful, so taking myself out of it has become my go-to method of dealing with it. And I guess I just try to be that way in real life as well. Not that it works all the time."

"It seemed to be working a lot on the island," Sammy noted. Maybe not recently, but still.

"Yeah, well. New place, new people. I could act the way I wanted to act and no one could stop me."

"Is… Is any of it fake? The way you act, I mean?" She realized that the thought of Ella pretending to be cheerful all the time just to keep up appearances was a terrifying concept.

"What? No, absolutely not," she said firmly. "The person who joined Total Drama and got to meet you and become your friend is who I really am on the inside. I just… lean a bit too heavily on that part of myself, I guess. It's easy for me to get lost in the joy I feel when watching movies or believing I'm in one." And then she began to speak quieter, just barely above a whisper. "But then there are times when simply watching and believing aren't enough, when the things going on are far too painful to forget. The memories and thoughts just break through my concentration, and I find myself drifting away from what's on the screen or constantly messing up the words to a song. That's when I… find other ways to ease the pain."

Ella fell silent, and Sammy did as well. She had no idea what to say to that. It wasn't like she had any point of reference to base this on - she barely had anyone to talk to about anything, let alone something as delicate a topic as this.

"Can we stop for a moment, please?" Ella suddenly asked after another few moments of walking.

"Oh, uh, sure," Sammy replied. "Maybe not for too long though…"

"I know." Ella pressed her back against the wall, and slid down to the ground. She didn't let go of Sammy's hand, so the blonde found herself sitting down as well. "When it gets too painful and forgetting doesn't help, cutting does. When I do go through with it, it doesn't last long. And I feel regretful about it afterwards, but… for those few moments, everything feels like it's going to be okay." She let out a strained breath, trying to calm herself down. "No more arguing… no more bullying… just me and my ideal world."

Sammy wasn't disregarding the seriousness of her doing it, but… she supposed she was able to see where Ella was coming from. If it was a way for her to deal with her problems, then she understood why she would do it and keep doing it. "Does it ever… like… get out of hand?"

"No. At least, I don't think so." Sammy could just barely make out Ella raising her arm up and staring at it. "I know it's not healthy, I really do. That's one of the reasons I hide it, I guess. Keeping it out of sight let's me forget about that, too, and I can be myself in peace." She let out another big sigh. "That said, I still get the urge whenever something really bad happens. I keep trying to ignore it, but it always happens sooner or later. I don't know what else to do… and up until now, I've had no one to talk to about this."

"So… I'm the first?"

"Yes. There's no one else in my life I could trust with this. I'm afraid that if I told Mom and Dad they'll get upset and blame each other. And I don't know if I could go to a guidance counselor about this and not have child services come because of them. Besides, I'd really rather not make a scene about it, so…"

"I understand… I think." She really should've told someone, but at the same time… "I'm glad you were able to trust me with this."

There was a pause. "May I be honest?"

Sammy unconsciously felt her stomach drop. "O-Of course."

But her worries vanished when Ella rested her head on her shoulder. "I think at this point, I'd trust you with my life."

Her cheeks burning red was becoming a bit of a repeated occurrence by now. "O-Oh. I'd… I'd trust you with my life, too."

Ella practically snuggled into her shoulder. "I'm sure you would."

She was very flattered that Ella would place her trust in her, but there was still one thing she wanted to ask. "Did you say you thought of a way to, like, deal with this? Just before you almost fell on the little path."

Sammy felt a nod on her shoulder. "I did. It's quite simple actually: I'm just going to stop pretending everything is okay when it's not."

"Oh. Yeah?"

"Yes. I… say it's simple, but in practice it will be difficult, no doubt. But I can't keep losing myself to the movies and books and songs. I need to realize that hiding away isn't going to make anything change, and to help me realize that, I need to actually stop hiding away. I… I don't think I will be able to give up my love for it all entirely. But I can certainly tone down the amount of time I spend doing them, and to actually confront my parents when they argue so that I don't fall back into old habits."

Sammy couldn't help but be incredibly impressed by this decision. Oh wow. That's actually really mature of her. To choose to do that takes real courageAnd here I thought I'd have to try and persuade her to get out of the mindset. "That's amazing, Ella. I'm so proud of you for wanting to do this."

"Thank you. I'm rather proud, myself."

"What was it that made you decide to do this, though? Something tells me this is a new discovery for you."

"You're right, it is. And the reason… is you."

Her brain had trouble processing that, but once it finally clicked Sammy was shocked. "Wh- Me? Why me?"

"Because you're an inspiration to me, of course."

"I- What? No way. Me?" I inspire someone? That makes no sense. I'm just… me.

Ella giggled lightly. "Yes, you are, silly! I told you earlier this morning, you've come so far since day one! Being able to change yourself for the better, to stand up after being knocked down for so long… It's because of you that I think I can change as well. I think… you might actually be an inspiration for a lot of young girls, once this show airs."

Sammy found it hard to admit, but maybe Ella had a point. She certainly was beginning to open up more to others, to face down her personal demons, and to become her own person. If she was able to help other people around the globe stand up for themselves against their oppressors, then that would probably make a lot of the crap she had dealt with up til now worth it. Although once word gets out that I'm gay, a lot of angry moms might have something to say about that. Instead of voicing her thoughts out loud, she instead said, "You know, maybe you're right. If someone can take away my experiences here as inspiration for their own growth, then I'd be pretty okay with that."

Ella laughed even harder. "Someone already did, you dork."

It took her a distressingly long time to realize she was talking about herself. "…Oops." Way to get wrapped up in your own head and forget yourself there, me. The two of them continued to laugh, and at some point during it Sammy boldly chose to lay her head on Ella's. "So when you said a few days ago that you wanted to imagine yourself being a hero…"

"I was imagining you, yes. I believe I've already said it, but… I just wanted to thank you again for diving in and saving me that day. That wasn't the most pleasant time of my life…"

"I bet. But I wasn't just going to let you drown, you're like… so incredible yourself. I, uh, was talking with Sky about this earlier that day, actually, and you're sort of like… my own inspiration, you know."

Ella released a breathy laugh. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. When we first got to the island, I was still my old self, fearing that everyone was out to get me. But then you just sort of burst into my life, full of optimism and hope and… You're honestly the kind of person I could only dream of being. And, I know you said you'd been pushing yourself to be like that, but I think with what you told me just now… I think I want to be like you even more."

"That's… really flattering, actually," she said. "If that's the case, it's also kind of funny. I inspired you to change, and your change inspired me to change."

"Ha! That is kinda funny, how that worked out. …Hey, listen, if you need it, I can help you with trying to focus more on real life. Just say the word and we can meet up after the show's over and work on that. Possibly. If you'd like."

Another sigh escaped Ella's lips, but this time it was full of contentment. "I'd love that."

Oh thank god she said yes. "Good. I'm… really glad to hear that."

They stayed that way for another little while, just basking in each other's presence. Soon, Ella pulled away and stood up. "We should probably get going. Who knows where the others could be?"

"Yeah, you're right." Sammy stood as well, pressing her hand against the wall to steady herself… "If we end up coming in last again because of us, I don't-" …and nearly toppled over when the wall pressed inward. "-knowwwwhat the hell?!"

Sammy backed up from it, and Ella followed suit. "W-What? What's wrong? What happened?!"

"I dunno, I just… I just sort of pushed the wall in?! I think?"

"What do you mean, you pushed in the wall?!"

"I… I don't know! I wish I knew-"

Suddenly Ella clamped her hands over Sammy's mouth. "Shush a second! Hear that?"

In the silence that followed, Sammy did hear something, but not what she was expecting. Instead of the typical cave-like noises, like the dripping of water or bats, there was a sort of… mechanical whirring. She couldn't tell what it was, so just in case she pulled Ella close to keep her out of harm's way. With this island being as weird as it was, who knew what it could be?

Suddenly there was a blinding light, and both girls grunted and covered their eyes. Nothing bad or painful happened, but it took a good minute or so before Sammy's eyes could adjust to the light. And when they finally did, she had to double take at the source of it.

"A… computer?"

A monitor and a keyboard, of all things, had been brought out from the cave wall, with wires going back through the newly revealed opening. It was very much un-cave-like, and Sammy had a million questions as to why it was there.

Ella did as well. "Why would there be a computer in a cave? A working computer, no less?"

"Not just in the cave, in the cave walls. I knew something was up with this island…"

"You've mentioned that before. Could this have something to do with it?"

This was the first time Sammy had a chance to look at Ella since she started speaking about everything. She looked fine, but the tear streaks on her cheeks and her somewhat disheveled hair told her that recalling all of that was difficult for her. Sammy was now even more thankful she trusted her with that information. "I don't know. I'm… going to take a look."

"Be careful."

"I will."

Approaching it didn't cause any defense systems to come on. Neither did putting her hands on the keyboard. Computers weren't exactly her forte, especially if they didn't have a mouse, but Sammy was able to navigate through the screens after a little trial and error. She couldn't make heads or tails about what she was looking at, though - it was all written in code and jargon she wasn't familiar with. "I'm really not sure what I'm looking at here," she said, tapping the down arrow key to keep the wall of text going. She took a second to read more carefully. "There's like… words saying 'automatic', 'cave', 'corridor'… Wait, 'crocodile'? Why's that here?"

"Maybe don't do anything with that one," Ella suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best. Uh, there's also 'dark', with the word 'yes' highlighted next to it."

"Huh. And there's a 'no' by it as well… Hey, try selecting that."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, trust me on this. I think I know what will happen."

"Okay then." Getting her cursor over 'no', Sammy hit enter and watched in amazement as the cave miraculously lit up around them. Lights came on in segments, starting from the direction they came and off in the direction they were headed.

"Whoa!" Sammy was honestly more than surprised. "That was… awesome! How'd you know that?"

Ella shrugged, giving her an 'I dunno' noise. "It just seemed obvious to me."

"Well, not to me. Does this mean the whole cave is a machine? And hooked up to this computer? What else is on here?"

Hitting the arrow key down again, she noticed that the next word was 'exit'.

"'Exit'? Could that be our way out?" Sammy asked after telling Ella. "I mean, it seems pretty weird, to have to select it from a computer…"

"But if it gets us outside quicker, we have a better shot at winning!" Ella replied. "Let's press it!"

"That's true. Alright, pressing the exit button." She hit the 'yes' next to it, and immediately another mechanical sound rang out, this time from almost directly above them. A circular hole opened up, pouring down more light, and this time it was brighter and seemed more natural than anything they had seen so far. A ladder slid down and planted itself into the ground, allowing the two access back to the surface.

"Oh, sweet!" Sammy cheered, grabbing hold of the ladder. "This is our ticket out of here!"

"Wonderful! Let's leave this dreadful place-" Ella paused, cleared her throat, and tried again. "I mean… Awesome! Let's leave this… cruddy place behind!"

Sammy couldn't help herself and started laughing. "Ella, I'm sorry, but that sounded so forced."

She crossed her arms and tipped her nose up. "Well, I have to start somewhere."

Oh my god. She's adorable when she pouts. "Fair. Now c'mon, let's go."


Wait… the chapter ends before the challenge is finished?! What is this?!

No need to worry, I'll be posting the mini follow-up chapter soon. But for now… another chapter done! How'd you guys find it? I feel like I probably spent a bit too much time talking about Ella's backstory, but I felt it was necessary to go into detail on it. Being lost in a dark cave with nothing really distracting them was as good enough excuse as any for her to talk about it, anywho. Originally it was going to be a bit different, but how I wrote it then felt like I was taking too much of it away from Ella and pinning it on someone else, so I revamped it entirely. I hope this is good!

Not really sure what else to say at this point. Thank you all for continuing to support my work! I look forward to all of your reviews and comments. If you feel that not all that much happened in this chapter, don't worry - there's more coming soon. See you all next time, and stay safe out there!