Hello there, fellow reader! Thank you for clicking on this story and giving it a consideration for reading! Now, before we get on with the chapter, allow me to introduce myself as Project Drama! You can also call me Project or P.D. for short.
Although this will be my first published story on Fanfiction, I have written Total Drama stories, and stories in general in the past. So I'm just gonna make this announcement… this will be an SYOC story. Yes, yes, bring in the groans and negative comments about how I'll abandon it. And if you believe that I will abandon this story, then you have every right to not submit a character or two. But if you do trust me, best believe I'll do my best to make you proud!
So with everything being said for now, let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!
The bright sun was shining down just as a cool breeze came drifting softly across the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; the white clouds were floating peacefully in the clear, blue sky. Many birds of different species were flying around in the sky, enjoying the warm weather that was provided for them by Mother Nature.
It was also the perfect weather for the humans as well, given that Canada didn't have too many warm days, let alone ones that were around seventy-five degrees in Fahrenheit. It wasn't too hot to the point where someone could easily suffer from a heatstroke, and it wasn't too cold to the point where someone could easily catch the common cold. The weather was perfect for going outside and engaging in a variety of different activities, all of which were able to provide comfort and entertainment for people of all ages.
And the weather arrived at the right day as well; today was the twenty-eighth of June, which was a Thursday since the year was currently two-thousand-seven. It was the first day that all of the young kids, teenagers, and adults got to enjoy summer break after months of dealing with school. Even though the summer season had arrived earlier in June, many agreed that it would be better to enjoy it at the end of the month.
Some called it a miracle to be blessed with the perfect weather on the first official day of summer break. After taking their breaks and naps yesterday, many of them were ready to go outside and do fun activities for the whole day. From playing in their backyards to visiting the Toronto City Center, they were all ready to create memories that would last them for years to come in the future.
Even those who decided to stay indoors still had their fair share of fun and entertainment. From playing video games to sleeping in until the afternoon, it didn't matter if they spent their day outside at another location or inside their own home. What was most important was that they felt comfortable and entertained doing whatever they were doing. And it didn't matter if it was by themselves or with other people.
But not everyone was able to have free time to relax and enjoy themselves; many people, especially the older adults, still had to endure multiple hours of work. Despite their complaints about how miserable their jobs were, money was an essential for survival in the human society. So ultimately, they just had to suck it up and continue to hope for a better, and financially secured future.
And while working was already stressful and tiring enough, getting to work was another story. It was especially for those who had work in the morning or afternoon that they could understand this problem… traffic jams. Many of them took Highway 401, one of the widest and busiest freeways in North America. Even if one wasn't trying to get to work or somewhere important, the traffic jams on this particular freeway could even make the calmest people lose their cool. And taking the local streets not only took longer, but it also had its own fair share of traffic jams.
One of those people who were driving on the freeway right now was a man, who was currently driving a blue, 2007 Honda Civic. As it was approaching a traffic jam, it appeared to be very clean and polished, like it was just bought from a car dealership and taken to a car wash right after. Upon further inspection, the interior of the car appeared to be very clean as well, having no evidence of dirtiness, whatsoever. Other than an unopened first aid kit, there wasn't anything else in the back.
In the front, there was a cup holder that held two water bottles, both of which were full, unopened, and fresh from the refrigerator. It was confirmed that there was a man driving the car, but there was also a woman sitting next to him in the passenger seat. She appeared to be reading a magazine, her head resting against the seat and feeling relaxed so she could read with comfort. The man, on the other hand, wasn't able to relax against his seat because he had to focus on driving, his eyes staring forward at the road in front of him.
The fair skinned man appeared to be young and very handsome, having an attractive physical appearance. He has large black eyes and his slightly long, raven black hair appears to be combed after going through a layer or two of hair gel. His current attire consists of: a turquoise dress shirt with a blue tuxedo over it, not to mention a red bow tie attached to the shirt, blue dress pants, and brown formal shoes.
The fair skinned woman appeared to be older than the man, but was still very attractive, and could pass as a young person in society. She has large, light brown eyes and her shoulder-length, brown hair appears to be straight and styled into a simple ponytail. Her current attire consists of: a white blouse, blue jeans, and black-and-white sneakers. It's also worth mentioning that she has a pearl piercing on both ear lobes.
As they were traveling down the freeway in silence, the stereo was providing them a variety of different music genres, ranging from hip-hop to classical. Upon reaching the traffic jam, the man pressed on the brakes after going nearly seventy miles per hour. And once other vehicles filled in the lanes that were next to them, it was very clear that they were gonna have to wait.
The woman looked up from her magazine at what was in front of her before looking back down to continue reading, having no reaction to the traffic jam. The man sighed in disappointment, not wanting to deal with the situation. Even with peaceful music playing on the stereo, it was still difficult for him to maintain his cool.
"Dammit! We just had to be caught in a traffic jam at this time!" the man began to complain. "Now we're definitely gonna be late for my interview!"
As he continued to complain about the predicament, the woman was still focused on the magazine and was ignoring everything that he was saying. It was starting to get on her nerves, but not enough to the point where she had to say something. The music and the juicy stories of Canadian celebrities were enough to distract her from the whole situation.
But her tranquil state wouldn't last much longer, as the man's whining and complaining started to become really annoying. So much to the point that she turned up the stereo's volume to let the music overthrow the man's voice.
The man sighed once more, "The fact that we had to leave the house so late just irritates me! I told you that taking the local streets was a better idea, but you insisted on going through 'Highway Hell' because it was part of the fastest route that the GPS could find!"
It was obvious that the "you" was referring to the woman, as she finally had enough of his behavior. She closed the magazine and turned off the stereo, leaving the car to run without any music at all. The man turned to face her, his mouth no longer yapping about anything.
His attempt to question her about the sudden absence of music was futile because she had already started to speak before he could say anything, "That's enough, Christopher! I've had it with your childish behavior!"
Christopher immediately went into silent mode after hearing the woman raise her voice at him; she continued to scold him with a glare, "You're always putting the blame on me whenever things don't go as planned! And yet, you were the one who woke up at ten in the morning, knowing well that your interview was gonna take place at noon! You knew that getting to Muskoka was gonna take a while, and you had the nerve to spend almost forty minutes eating scrambled eggs and bacon! No one takes that long to eat breakfast!"
He didn't notice that there was a good amount of open space in front of him, and a honk from one of the nearby vehicles caught his attention. Facing the front once more, he quickly moved his car forward to fill the space before someone else could claim it. At least they were getting closer to their destination, even if it was still twenty-five minutes away, according to the GPS that was on his lap.
The whiny driver attempted to steer the conversation away from the mistakes he made this morning, "Uh, Mom? Let's just save this conversation for another –"
"No!" she interrupted him with a yell. "You are gonna listen to what I have to say! I don't care if you're trying to focus on driving right now! You do not act like a little child and start throwing a tantrum because of the mistakes you made! You're an adult man and you still have the behavior of an elementary school boy!"
Even if he didn't show it, her words did manage to affect him. Trying to find the best way to ease the tension, Christopher quickly turned on the stereo, hoping that the music would calm her down.
But just as he quickly turned it on, his mother quickly turned it back off and continued to scold him, "If you try to turn on that stereo again, I will leave you at that interview place and make you find a way to get home on your own! You've been acting like a manchild for who knows how long, and I'm tired of dealing with a son who can't act right for his own age! I've attempted to tolerate your attitude and be more lenient, but there's so much I can handle before it goes too far!"
As his mother was unleashing her frustrations on Christopher, he tried to avoid her gaze by focusing on the road, moving the car forward in small intervals. He knew that she wasn't wrong about his childish behavior, but why did this particular scolding feel different than all of the ones he had received in the past? He shrugged off the question and continued to listen.
"You take every opportunity for granted, and you're constantly blaming me for making you lose those chances because it's never your fault, apparently!" her anger was fading a little bit, but was still apparent. "It's ridiculous that I have to lie and sugarcoat things with other people just to make you look good! I kept telling you to be a good influence for other people, but you always kept trying to hang out with people that are nothing more than pathetic losers who are bad influence and want to use you!"
Christopher checked the GPS again; they were twenty minutes away from reaching their destination. But given that it was almost eleven-thirty, he started to worry a little bit. He hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with another sudden traffic jam.
His mother sighed in frustration, "Is it that hard to listen to your mother's advice once in a while? I didn't raise my only child to become a bad influence for other people. You should be grateful that I'm very lenient, and that you grew up in a wealthy family. Trust me, a lot of people that are younger than you or around your age would wish they were in your shoes."
Now he was starting to get annoyed by her, so he attempted to change topics and start a new conversation, "Mom, I understand what you're trying to tell me –"
"Do you really understand?" she interrupted him again. "You've said the same thing to me so many times in the past, and you're still acting like a spoiled brat. I've worked hard to spoil you, and you do nothing –"
"That's enough!" Christopher shouted, startling her for a quick moment. But just as she was about to say something, he beat her to the punch this time. "You should listen to yourself right now!"
He knew the answer to his own question; this particular scolding felt different because it wasn't even a scolding anymore! It felt like someone who hated him had decided to list out his flaws to put him down. His mother wasn't wrong about almost everything she said about him, but it was harsh, to say the least.
"Look, you can point out anything you want about my behavior and how I act like a spoiled brat," he continued. "But to say that I do nothing is beyond stupid and ridiculous!"
"Don't you dare talk back to your own mother!" she retorted.
"I have every right to talk back if you're gonna say stuff that isn't true!" Christopher countered. "Every time you wanna discipline me, you always have to bring up something that is completely false and full of bullshit!"
Before his mother could even say anything, especially about his usage of a curse word, the son beat her to the punch again, "I have helped the family plenty of times in the past, and even during tough times, I still managed to help get the family back on track! Just because I'm spoiled doesn't mean I sit around and do nothing! I've worked hard to not only achieve my goals and dreams, but to also make the family proud! To make you proud, especially!"
His mother didn't attempt to make another retort, as she stayed silent and let each word of his vent affect her. As he continued to let out his emotions, she sat there and thought to herself. She could've easily shut him down and use her parent powers to win the argument, but she didn't. But was it the right thing to do? Was it ever right to be lenient with their child and have almost no restrictions, limits, and curfews enforced?
As she pondered to herself with these questions, her son had finally stopped talking. It was sudden, but make no mistake about it, he was no longer saying anything and his driving was the only thing he focused on now. This managed to catch her attention, as her internal thoughts were sent away and her mind now went back to present reality.
"Are you gonna say anything?" she asked him with a tone of anger and worry. "Look, I'm sorry that I brought up something that wasn't true about you at all. I know that you have been successful throughout your whole life, and I didn't mean to say that you're nothing but lazy and ungrateful."
He looked at her and smiled, relieved that she had recognized her mistake and apologized for it, "It's okay. You were just upset, and I forgive you for it."
His mother gave him a stern look, "But I still expect an apology from you! Don't think that you'll get away with your behavior from earlier and this morning!"
Christopher attempted to laugh it off, but his mother's serious expression indicated that joking around wasn't a good idea, "Sorry, just wanted to make things more light-hearted."
His mother rolled her eyes in disapproval, "Please don't try to make things bad again."
Christopher nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry for acting like a brat for the whole day so far. I understand that my behavior can be annoying and irritating for you, so I promise that I will behave myself. And I won't blame you for the mistakes I make."
The apology sounded genuine and sincere enough for his mother, so she also smiled at him and said, "Thank you, my little sweet honey bun. I hope you stay true to your promise this time."
He shuddered a little bit upon being called honey bun, but still kept a smile on his face, "And you'll stay true to your promise too?"
"I'll do my best to stay true to the promise as well," she replied. "I know I'll make mistakes here and there, but I can assure you that I only have good intentions for you. It hasn't been easy for me in recent years, but I'm still doing my best."
"As I have said before, don't be too hard on yourself," Christopher told her. "You don't have to be perfect to be a good mother or to make me happy. You've taken care of me, you've raised me well, and you've supported me through the good and bad times with unconditional love."
"I know," she simply replied, a smile and a slight look of doubt on her face. "You've always told me to enjoy life and live in the moment. I shouldn't beat myself up over the mistakes I've made, especially the petty ones."
"That's the spirit!" he exclaimed, his face filled with joy because of his mother quoting his life advice. "Besides, with all of this money that we have, there's no way we won't be able to have any sorts of fun! We can travel everywhere, do all types of entertaining activities, and enjoy all different types of food and drinks!"
His mother couldn't help but chuckle at his statement, "It is nice that we are financially stable, but we should continue to work hard so we can remain that way in the future."
"By the way, how far are we from reaching the interview place?" she added on with a question.
Christopher gave the GPS to his mother as he focused on switching lanes and trying to avoid getting hit by another vehicle. She took a look at it, and to her relief, they were only eight minutes away from reaching their destination. It was almost eleven-forty-five, but she was very positive that they would make it on time.
"We're almost there!" she announced with excitement. "I can't wait for you to succeed!"
About a couple of minutes later, they finally escaped "Highway Hell".
As they were exiting onto the local streets of Muskoka, silence filled the car. It wasn't the awkward silence, but it was the comfortable silence that allowed Christopher to drive peacefully, and for his mother to continue reading her magazine comfortably.
The two made small talk here and there, mostly about the city of Muskoka. It was like the argument between them earlier had never existed, and both of them no longer had any sort of negativity inside them. As they laughed and talked about the possible things they could do at Muskoka, the GPS had told them to take one last turn into a parking lot. As they did, Christopher's mother began analyzing her surroundings and noticed that the parking lot had a lot of open spaces. There were several cars, but way lower than she had expected.
"This has to be the correct area," Christopher stated. "The GPS wouldn't ever lie to us."
"I hope so," his mother added, her son picking the parking spot that was closest to the building. "The people who've contacted you seem professional and legitimate."
"Yeah," he replied to her as he parked the car and turned it off, unplugging the cord for the GPS as well. "I'm supposed to meet up with this guy named Matthew Westwood. He's gonna be the person to not only interview me, but be my new boss if I get the job."
"I'm sure you'll get the job!" his mother assured him with confidence. "You've been host for talk shows before, so I'm sure the competition will be easy for you."
"Please don't jinx it, Mom," he told her as they both got out of the car and Christopher locked it. "Oh! I almost forgot!"
He quickly reopened the car and grabbed what appears to be a small jar of hair gel. After locking the door again, he used the car's window to check if any pieces of his hair was sticking out. Thankfully, none of them were, so the hair gel would remain inside his pants pocket.
As he checked his phone, which read, eleven-fifty-five, he noticed a man walk out of the gray building that the GPS took them to. He appeared to be on his phone, talking to someone important, given the serious expression on his face. About several seconds later, he hung up the phone and saw Christopher. From there, what he did managed to surprise him…
"Are you expecting an appointment today?!" he called out to him with a wave. What he was doing looked a bit weird to him, but he definitely knew that he was talking to them.
"I think that's him," he told his mother, who was waving back to him out of politeness. "There's no one else nearby, so I think he's the interviewer."
"Do you want me to come with you to talk to him?" she asked him.
"I think you should –" Christopher was unable to finish his answer because the man was starting to approach them. "Never mind, we already have our answer."
The man approaching them appeared to be young and handsome, having a slightly tanned skin tone, a fit body, and a clean face. He has large blue eyes and his short, brown hair appears to be neatly combed, with the front part of his hair spiked up with hair gel. His current attire consists of: a white dress shirt with a black suit over it, a maroon tie that was attached to the dress shirt, black dress pants, and black formal shoes.
As he got closer to them, Christopher replied to his question, "Yeah, I have an appointment at noon."
"Okay, great!" the man exclaimed before taking a look at him. "And you must be Christopher McLean, correct?"
"Yup," he replied. "I prefer Chris though."
"Very well, Chris." the man gave him a smile and held out his hand. "I'm Matthew Westwood, but you can call me Matt if you want to."
Chris shook his hand with a smile, "It's nice to meet you, sir."
After shaking hands, Matt turned his attention towards Chris's mother, giving her a smile as well, "And are you also scheduled for an appointment too, ma'am?"
She shook her head, "I'm not scheduled, sir. I already have a job in Toronto."
He nodded in understanding, "No worries, ma'am. But if you do ever change your mind or leave your job, you're welcome to talk to me. I think you would definitely fit right in with the company."
Christopher's mother couldn't help but giggle a little bit at his compliment, "That's very sweet and kind of you, Matt. But I think I'm happy and comfortable from where I work at right now."
Matt then turned his attention towards Chris again, his smile never faltering, "Now then, are we ready to go in? Or do you need a little bit of time?"
"Give me a minute or two please." Chris told him before looking at his mother. "I wanna talk to her before I get going."
"Of course." Matt replied before turning around. "I'll be outside of the entrance if you need to find me."
And from there, he walked away from the mother and son duo, leaving the two by themselves so they could have their talk.
"So, what do you think of him?" Chris asked his mother.
"I think he seems very kind," she told him. "We've only met him so far, so I can't really say more about him… well, he is very handsome, that's for sure."
"You're not gonna start flirting with him, are you?" he questioned her with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious that he was being serious about it instead of joking around.
"I can't guarantee it," she admitted with a chuckle. "But I'll do my best to keep my estrogen in check, especially if he's gonna be your future boss."
Her expression suddenly turned serious, "But if he does anything bad to you, let me know as soon as possible, okay?"
Chris rolled his eyes bemusedly, "Mom, you're being overprotective again."
"Being overprotective of my son is a mother's natural behavior," she then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, my little honey bun. And remember…"
"Always be myself." he finished the statement for her before beginning to head towards the entrance. "I'll call you if anything comes up!"
"I'll do the same!" she told him before waving him goodbye. As soon as he got to the entrance of the building, she looked around her area. "I guess I could go for a short walk in the meantime."
As she began to go on a short exploration of Muskoka, Chris had made it to the entrance where Matt was waiting for him. As he approached him, Matt nodded with a smile before walking into the building. Chris took a deep breath before following suit, his hands in his pockets.
The interior of the lobby room looked gorgeous and magnificent, like it belonged to a five-star hotel. While the exterior was a simple gray color, the inside had a mixture of different colors, all of which were light and beautiful like a rainbow. The furniture appeared to be clean and well-organized, and the plants were green and healthy. There was an elevator next to the front desk; the flight of stairs were next to the elevator, reaching to an unknown number of floors. Even the size was impressive, although not even close when compared to actual five-star hotel lobby rooms.
As both men entered the lobby room, Matt gave a friendly hand gesture to the lady receptionist, both exchanging smiles with each other without saying a word. Then Chris walked by and made eye contact with the lady as well.
"Hello," the lady greeted him with a smile as well.
"Hey," Chris greeted her in return before making his way towards the elevator with Matt.
"So, how do you like the lobby?" Matt asked Chris while pushing the button to activate the elevator. "Definitely looks better than what you saw from outside, huh?"
"This looks awesome!" Chris exclaimed as he looked around. "It looks like a room that would fit in with a five-star hotel! Matt, is there something you're hiding from me about this building?"
Knowing that Chris was joking around, he laughed and entered the elevator after it opened for them, "Well, I'll admit that there is a reason why the inside looks so much better than the outside."
Chris entered the elevator and gave Matt a curious look, "Why's that?"
Matt simply chuckled in response before telling him, "If you can do well and get the job, I'll definitely let you know. Sounds like a fair deal?"
Chris frowned a little bit, but Matt didn't notice; he only noticed him nodding his head in agreement, "You've got a deal!"
After they shook hands to confirm the deal, they waited in silence as the elevator continued to head up… second floor, third floor, fourth floor. Finally, upon reaching the fifth and highest floor, the elevator stopped and opened its doors for the two men to step out into the quiet hallway. Indeed, it was so quiet, one could easily hear footsteps even if they were tip-toeing.
"Follow me," Matt told Chris quietly as he walked down a certain way, the latter following right behind him. "There are other people working inside these rooms, so we have to keep our voices down."
"How many rooms are there?" Chris asked him, curious about his surroundings and what Matt had told him.
"There's actually eight per floor," Matt answered. "But not all of the rooms are occupied with someone working there. It really depends on the day, if you ask me. Since today's Thursday, more people are gonna be showing up to work than, for example, Saturday. Basically, it's busy on weekdays and not so much on weekends."
As they approached their designated room, which had a sign on the door that said, Room 5–F, Matt turned around and gestured to it, "This is where your interview will take place, Mr. McLean. Are you ready to make your best first impression?"
Chris nodded and smiled, "Let's go in."
And soon, Matt opened the door and held it for Chris to enter first. After heading in, he followed and closed the door behind him, quickly flipping on the light switch that was next to the door. As the lights turned on, the room was clear and visible for both men to observe, more-so on Chris's part.
There was a large table in the center of the room, enough to fit several chairs around it to host a meeting. One can assume that it was a meeting room where important conferences took place. Other than a few windows to let sunlight and fresh air in, along with an outlet for each side of the wall, there wasn't much more to say about the room. A vent tile was located on the ceiling, possibly for the air conditioner, and the walls were white.
Chris definitely had something to say about the room, being careful not to offend Matt with the wrong words, "Um, whose room is this?"
"Yours." Matt simply told him, causing Chris to look confused. "That is, if you can ace in this job interview."
Chris looked around and didn't expect a room to be empty, causing Matt to continue speaking, "I know what you're thinking; it's not much and you had high expectations, right?"
Chris was shocked that Matt knew that he was thinking, "H-How did you know that?"
The interviewer shrugged and responded, "You're not the first person I've interviewed."
He then looked at Chris and grinned, "But like I said, it's all yours and you can decorate it with whatever and however — keep it professional and appropriate, of course."
"So," he continued. "Let's get started, shall we?"
Chris pulled two office chairs towards the table and adjusted them until Matt declared it was good enough. As they sat down, Chris quickly adjusted his bow tie and tuxedo to make sure his appearance was spot-on.
It was finally time for the job interview. And just as Matt was about to begin asking, there was knocking on the door.
But rather than getting upset or irritated by the interruption, Matt simply said, "Ah! They're right on time!"
He got up and opened the door, revealing two people to be standing there, both of which were dressed in professional attire as well. The guy had an intimidating, serious expression on his face, looking like he was ready to hurt someone physically, and possibly mentally. The lady had a smirk on her face, but it wasn't a smirk that was scary or dangerous enough for one to fear her.
"Welcome back, you two!" Matt greeted them with a smile that was bigger than usual. "You're just in time for the interview! Come on in!"
As Matt moved out of the way to let the two people go in, they glanced at Chris and inspected him with judgmental stares. And Chris suddenly began to feel more nervous than he already was. One of them was definitely capable of pummeling him if he pissed him off. And the other was capable of ruining his life and career if he pissed her off.
As they pulled in chairs to sit near Matt, the interviewer told Chris, "So, I know it was supposed to be just me and you, but I couldn't resist pulling a last minute surprise on you."
Chris frowned at this announcement, "Dude, that was not cool! I can't believe that you lied to me about –"
"Whoa there," Matt interrupted him. "Don't take any of this the wrong way, Mr. McLean. Think of it as a lesson… the first lesson of becoming an awesome reality television host."
"You see," Matt explained further before Chris could say anything. "When it comes to lying, it's usually for the benefit of the liar themselves. People lie because they're naturally selfish, and in the entertainment industry, it's no different. Many would do anything to climb that popularity ladder and make it to the top, and lying is definitely one of those methods."
Chris looked genuinely bewildered, trying to find the right words to say, but Matt kept continuing on, "I may not know a lot about you, Chris, and you certainly don't know much about me, or even anything about me. However, given our short interaction so far, I can already tell that you're someone who takes success more personally than many others. You're fascinated by the lobby room and how glamorous it looks. You have a curious mindset and you want to learn more about the luxurious lifestyle."
Chris finally spoke up again, "But I'm already wealthy. Me and my mom are financially secured and we're living a good life together."
Matt simply nodded and smirked, "And I'm very glad that you two are living well together; I'm sure you two have worked hard to make that amount of money… but so have I."
His smirk disappears and he now has a serious expression on his face, "Don't get me wrong, I will admit that I am spoiled and I can be a brat at time, especially with my father. However, being financially secured and having success in the small leagues isn't enough. You see, there's our level of wealth and success…"
Matt then leans back against the chair with a smirk on his face, "And then, there's our potential level of wealth and success if we do it correctly."
At this point, Chris appeared to be very confused and lost in the mix of what Matt had said. He couldn't understand how and why his speech had anything to do with the surprise of two more people joining him. Had he really fallen into a trap?
"Mr. Westwood," Chris said, trying to show respect for him in front of the other two people. "I'm honestly lost and I can't understand how this relates to the surprise you pulled on me. Heck, how does this even relate to me trying to become a better host through 'lessons'?"
"No worries, Mr. McLean," Matt's smirk had changed into a smile again, his voice having a change of tone. "What I'm trying to say is, I think you have the highest potential to do well as host for our new show. And although those who have applied as host for this show have potential, I definitely think you can be the one to attract a large audience."
Chris looked surprised at the compliment, and also couldn't help but smile, "Thank you very much for the compliment, Mr. Westwood. But can you be more specific on how I have the highest potential?"
"Of course," Matt replied. "Well, to get the obvious ones out of the way, your physical appearance from head to toe. And as I had said, your level of wealth along with your curious mindset and personal desire for success. Plus, with the samples of you being the host of talk shows that you sent to me through email, it's very clear that you have charisma and social charm."
Chris couldn't believe his own two ears, his interviewer and future boss was complimenting him like no tomorrow! He had success before, but never did he expect this level of success and respect at a stage where he was simply being interviewed! He wasn't even officially hired, for crying out loud!
"Wow…" Chris was practically speechless. "T-Thank you, Mr. Westwood. I hope I don't disappoint you if I get hired."
"If you get hired?" Matt repeated before letting out a friendly laugh. "Mr. McLean, you know you're already hired right?"
Chris's eyes widened in disbelief, and he was ready to celebrate, but Matt continued to speak, "Before you start celebrating, I'm gonna see if you're worthy of staying hired. You wondered why I brought in these two? Well, your first lesson is to always expect the unexpected! Your first challenge is to showcase your talent in front of us three! And if you do well enough, you'll remain as the host of Total Drama!"
So we've reached the end of the chapter and if you made it this far, then congrats! However, there are some things I would like to explain in further detail before concluding this chapter. If you're planning on participating in this SYOC competition, then please read through each of the following paragraphs!
First and foremost, as I had said in the beginning, if you don't want to submit for whatever reason, then you don't have to. I understand that this type of story has a bad reputation for being abandoned, and some have never started! So there's honestly no need for me to go into persuasion mode and try to convince people.
Anyways, let's talk about the setting because even something as simple as the year can be important. To avoid revealing too much, this story will take place in the summer of 2007 at Camp Wawanakwa, a.k.a., Wawanakwa Island. So it'll still be at the same location for the first season, but the cast will be different, so think of it as an alternate universe. That's all you need to know about the setting.
Moving on to the rules of this submission process, I will be listing them in numerical order so you can see them more easily. Failure to follow all of these rules will result in an automatic rejection. And there's only six rules, so it shouldn't be that hard to follow all of them.
01. I cannot stress this enough, but don't submit a Mary-Sue, Gary-Stu, or someone overpowered in general! It's annoying to have a character have no weaknesses and destroy every person in the competition.
02. There will be twenty-four spots available, so you can submit two people. However, two characters is not only the maximum, but if you're planning on sending in two characters, then they must be opposite genders.
03. To avoid revealing anything about the accepted characters, I won't accept any applications that are posted in the reviews section! I apologize to any of my possible guest submitters, but I prefer only private messaging.
04. Speaking of application, instead of posting it in public and waiting for people to send it to me, I'm gonna send it to you instead! How do you get a chance to receive an application? Well, stick around until the end to find out! But I am serious when I say do not post the application in the reviews section! Not only will I delete your review, but you'll be disqualified for doing so.
05. Your character(s) must be human and without any special powers. I can agree that aliens and humanoids are badass and fun to write out, but not in this story please. Oh, and also, your character shouldn't be a clone or very similar to another Total Drama character. If you have a couple or a few aspects, then that's different. But if I can tell it's a Heather clone, then I'm not accepting it.
06. And lastly, when it comes to saving spots, I'm willing to hold on to them. Of course, you must have already completed the task and have received the application. I will ask you how long I'll have to wait before you come back. If you're not back by that time, I'll give you a twenty-four hour warning. After that, your spot is gone.
So now you're wondering what's the task and what do you have to do to receive an application from me in the private messages. Well, it's actually very simple! I want you to answer this one question in your review! However long or short it is, just as long as you answer it.
Here's the question: What was your personal opinion about Chris, his mother, and Matt?
And that's it! I hoped you enjoyed reading this introductory chapter about Chris McLean! We'll see part two of this interview in the second chapter! Until then, take care!