Disclaimer: Total Drama and it's characters do not belong to me. Only the OC's, the location and the challenges (for the most part) are my ideas.
Chris was standing in front of the high school, wearing an artist's smock over his usual clothes. He held up his arms and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! We put the final ten's singing skills to the test. Some of them had wonderful voices, like Jennifer and Emily. Others, like Geoff, were not as good at singing. As for our pair of dueling schemers, they were both freaking out but for different reasons. Joseph was a bit panicked because his choice of who he was most confident in beating in the final, Nicholas, had been eliminated and Noah was worried because he was down a person in his plan to take down Joseph. At the end of the day, Geoff had to say goodbye to a distraught Bridgette, partly due to his singing. So what drama is in store for the contestants today? Can Jennifer or Emily pull a 2 challenge win streak? And how depressed will Bridgette be? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!"
The final nine were sitting on the bus, trying to evaluate their competition. They were almost to the home stretch and none of them wanted to lose now. Well, almost no one.
"I miss Geoff," Bridgette said with a slight sob. The surfer girl had been crying for part of the night because she was saddened over her boyfriend's elimination. It was clear when the others saw Bridgette this morning that she had been crying as her eyes were bloodshot.
Jennifer was sitting next to the surfer girl, patting her fellow blond-haired girl on the back. "I know what you're going through, trust me I do. I felt like this when Trent was eliminated. But saying you want to drop out of the contest isn't worth it. It's actually really silly," Jennifer commented as she tried to cheer up her friend.
Bridgette sniffed and said, "I know it's silly and I shouldn't be feeling so sad over this, but I want to be with him."
Jennifer tilted her head to the side and asked, "I know the two of you are really close Bridgette, but from the sounds of it, you don't get to see him very often, which is why you're so sad right now. Is this true?"
Bridgette slowly nodded in response to this question. Megan, who was sitting nearby, added, "But don't you two live near each other? Haven't you gone to parties at his house?"
"I do sometimes, but not very often. A lot of times his parties are on the same day as something I had already planned to do. And while he doesn't live far away by any means, it's not easy getting to his house. If the traffic there weren't so much of a hassle I would see him a lot more than I do," Bridgette said quietly with a sigh.
Jennifer put a hand on Bridgette's shoulder and said, "Look at it this way Bridgette, you got to be with him since the beginning of the competition and he's rooting for you now. How do you think he would feel if you just dropped out?"
Bridgette sighed and said, "He would probably be disappointed in me, and my friends and family would be too. Still, aren't I allowed some time to be sad now that my boyfriend isn't here?"
"By all means you are, just don't let it dominate you," Megan said with a nod, concerned over her sad friend.
Bus Confessional
Bridgette: I know I shouldn't be this sad, but I just can't help it. I'm not sure why I'm getting this emotional over things, especially since I'll be seeing Geoff again in a week. I guess this is part of the reason the show's called 'Total Drama' isn't it?
Jennifer: I can relate to Bridgette, I was feeling exactly the same after Trent was eliminated. And while I know it's hard, she needs to not let Geoff's elimination hit her too hard. I let that happen to me and I bet I was close to being eliminated when that happened. Hopefully the challenge won't be too miserable today, if it is that might not make things better for Bridgette.
Mikey was sitting by himself for once. As he told Megan that morning, he had to think things out. Geoff's elimination last night had come at a bit of a surprise to the gamer, as the party boy was well liked. 'I have to wonder if someone was behind Geoff being eliminated. Geoff and Bridgette are both well liked people, maybe somebody persuaded people into thinking they would always vote together and were a threat? But Megan and I are also well liked. Could that mean something like that could happen to us,' Mikey thought running through everything in his head.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice as Cody moved to the seat in front of him and call out his name. "Mikey? Anyone home," the tech geek asked, waving a hand in front of the gamer's face. It wasn't until Cody lightly punched him in the shoulder that he was shaken from his thoughts.
"Hm? Oh Cody I didn't see you there. Sorry I was thinking about things," Mikey said, acknowledging the tech geek.
Cody shook his head and said, "I could see that. What were you thinking about, if you don't mind me asking?"
Mikey shrugged and replied, "Oh just the game in general. You know, who was eliminated, who's here, what future challenges might be, that sort of thing."
"Trying to figure out how much longer you'll last," Cody asked.
Mikey shrugged again and said, "I've gotten more here than I ever thought I would. If I were to go home today I would be happy."
Cody nodded and replied, "Yeah, I could say the same thing. Still, I wonder who it is that will win it all in the end."
Mikey turned and looked out the window and said, "Yeah."
Bus Confessional
Mikey: I'll be honest with you, I never thought I would make it this far. And now that I've realized how close I am to actually winning, I should start strategizing. See, while we may all be friends, or at the very least not enemies, it can't be denied that Noah and Joseph are the biggest threats. The question is, what's the best way to approach this? Should Megan and I form a temporary alliance with Cody and Emily so we don't try and split each other up, since couples could be viewed as alliances? What about Bridgette, Megan's best friend? Where would she fit in all this? As much as I would like to just leave everything alone and let whatever happens happen, I want to have some sort of plan. Unfortunately, trying to come up with a plan and wrapping my head around all the possibilities is giving me a headache.
Noah and Joseph were sitting together near the front of the bus, where Joseph was thinking of the next move he was to make. "At this point, I think it's obvious we need to split up one of the couples. The question is which one? I'm not sure if it makes any difference in the end which one, but are there short-term benefits to splitting up one over the other," Joseph mused.
Noah looked over and asked, "Is all this planning really necessary? If it makes no difference later on, then why overthink it?"
Joseph raised an eyebrow and replied, "Are you kidding me? We're only as far as we are because of my planning."
"And I don't deny that. But think about it, it's highly unlikely that two people will win immunity today, given how there's nine of us left. So in theory that gives you three different options, right? If that's the case, we should let things happen however they happen and vote depending on whoever wins immunity," Noah replied with a shrug.
Joseph looked out the window for a moment and nodded and said, "You know what? That sounds like a decent idea. Let's go with it." Noah simply nodded and before returning his attention to his book, but unbeknownst to Joseph, the gears were turning in Noah's head as well.
Bus Confessional
Noah: If I am to overthrow Joseph, I have to make sure there is as much leniency in how these next few eliminations go as possible. What I need right now is uncertainty, as that's the one thing that can take Joseph down right now. (The know-it-all thinks for a few seconds, then sighs) You know, looking back, I regret ever starting this alliance. It's caused nothing but trouble and I doubt many of the contestants will look kindly at me after all this is over.
Joseph: I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, but my plans so far have relied far too much on one specific person not winning immunity. Noah is right, I need to have several different plans, in case my main one fails.
Emily was staring out the window, thinking to herself when Izzy popped up between the dancer and the window. "Ah! Izzy! What are you doing here," Emily asked as she jumped slightly.
"Izzy was bored so she thought she would talk to someone," Izzy replied, sitting in the seat in front of Emily.
Emily regained her composure and said, "Oh okay. What did you want to talk about?"
Izzy shrugged and said, "Anything I guess. What were you doing, looking out the window?"
"I was thinking about everything that's happened," Emily replied with a giggle.
"Thinking about Cody are you," Izzy suggested with a grin.
"No! Well, maybe a little," Emily replied, looking to the ground.
Izzy laughed and pat the short girl's shoulder and said, "I don't know Cody that much, but he's a great guy. You should be lucky you have him. If I weren't with Owen I would probably want to be with Cody, or maybe Ezekiel."
Emily raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off and said, "Speaking of Owen, do you miss him?"
Izzy nodded and said, "I do. I wished he could have competed. But I'm having fun here, so it's not so bad being away from him. Plus he pops up every now and then after challenges, so I still get to see him."
"Well that's good I suppose. A perk of being an intern I guess," Emily noted.
Izzy nodded again before lowering her voice to a whisper, "And just so you know, while I haven't heard anything more than rumors, supposedly a couple of people from this season will be interns next season. So maybe you'll get a chance to intern! We could hang out all season!"
Emily shrugged and said, "That would be nice. And I could be with Cody."
Bus Confessional
Emily: I actually learned a lot about Izzy from just that short conversation. Despite whatever appearance she may have, she's just as emotional as the rest of us, and she's actually hiding her sadness at Owen not being here. She may be stronger-willed than the rest of us, actually. And she might have gone out with Cody if it weren't for Owen? That was really interesting actually.
The bus pulled up to the school and the teens stood out front waiting for Chris. The host exited the school, coffee in hand and said, "Alright you guys, challenge time. Follow me."
"What, no subtle hint or anything about the challenge," Mikey asked, "Are you feeling alright?"
"Trust me, it's much easier if you just follow me," Chris said, walking back into the school.
The teens shared glances of confusion or concern and then followed Chris into the school. As they walked down the corridors to a section that few of them had been to, Chris said, "Alright, so today's challenge will be one to test your creativity. We're going to be having an art based challenge today. You basically have until three o'clock to create whatever you want with the materials in the art room. You can make a painting, a clay model, a black and white sketch, whatever. At three, I'm bringing in our guest to help judge your art. He'll pick whatever he deems the best piece of art and whoever created it will win immunity."
"Who's the judge going to be," Emily asked while raising her hand.
"I'm not going to tell you. You might try to make something that would appeal to them," Chris said with a smirk.
Noah raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you keep bringing these special guests in if you have interns to do the job for you?"
Chris shook his head and said, "Having Duncan, Owen and the others as interns wasn't working out well for us. They just stood around most of the time, so we told them their services weren't required anymore. If we need one of them, we'll bring them back. Any other questions?" It was silent for a half minute before Chris said, "Well? What are you waiting for? You're burning your available time here!" The teens rushed into the art studio to begin their work.
Restroom Confessional
Cody: I've gotta admit, I'm not that great at art. Never really something I could get into. If we knew who the judge was, I might have had a chance, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. Oh well, I'll try and hope for the best.
Megan: Eh, we could have had a worse challenge. While I'm not great at art, I've been told that I can do some pretty good sketches. I wonder who the judge is though? I'm guessing it's not any of the former interns, but it would be just like Chris to trick us by bringing one of them back.
Izzy: This works out perfectly for me! I can create another one of my paint bombs! There's no way I'll be able to lose when I blow that up!
The final nine spread out in the large portion of the school where all the art classes used to be held. Some quickly rushed to the supplies, knowing what they were going to do, while others talked to friends, trying to figure out what they would be doing. Mikey was walking over to a table where Megan was already starting to sketch something on a piece of paper.
As he walked across the room, Izzy blew right past him with several cans of paint and some type of plastic in her hands. The gamer blinked in confusion before shrugging it off, walking over to his girlfriend. He sat down next to her and said, "Well all right then."
Looking up from her work, Megan said, "I don't think I understand what you mean by that."
"Izzy just ran past me with a lot of paint. I'm not sure what she's up to but it can't be good," Mikey replied, casting a glance in the direction that Izzy ran to.
The nice girl shrugged and said, "That's a safe bet. Though do you ever think she's not usually like this?"
Mikey raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, that she acts crazy because it helps her to stand out and get noticed? It's possible I suppose. Anyways, what are you working on there?"
"I took a class in school about sketching so I was going to sketch something. I'm just not sure what yet, but I'm just doing some quick doodles to get a feel for it again. I haven't practiced in a while," Megan replied.
"Well, since we don't know anything about who is going to judge the challenge, why not just go for something kind of generic, like a fruit bowl or something? It's not exciting, but it might just work," the gamer suggested.
Megan tapped the unsharpened end of her pencil on the paper in front of her and said, "That might work. But where am I going to get the fruit?"
Mikey got up from his seat and said, "I'll get it for you."
"Are you sure," Megan asked.
The gamer nodded and said, "Yeah, I kind of suck at art anyways, so I doubt I can win this challenge. I'll throw something together when I get back just in case I get auto eliminated if I don't do anything."
Megan smiled and said, "Thanks."
Mikey smiled back and said, "Not a problem, I would do anything for you." The gamer walked away to find some fruit and unbeknownst to him, his girlfriend had a deep blush on her cheeks.
Restroom Confessional
Megan: Mikey would really do anything for me? That has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I had a couple of boyfriends before I came on to this show, but they never said anything so sweet.
Mikey: Yeah, things like art and music aren't really part of my skill set. That's why I don't mind helping Megan. Well, that and I don't want to go screwing everything up with her. I've never had a girlfriend before and I would rather not ruin my first relationship.
In another area of the art department, Jennifer and Bridgette were sitting down, listening to calming music. They had several types of paint in front of them and were working on paintings in hope that they could win immunity. "I know you're sad that Geoff isn't here, but this is nice isn't it? A nice, calming challenge today as opposed to some other challenges this season," Jennifer said, as she turned to Bridgette.
Bridgette nodded and said, "This is nice, I have to admit. This feels very soothing and it's like what I do back home when I'm upset over something, well minus the painting. That was a good call by the way, painting seems to fit this whole mood too. What are you painting, anyways?"
The performing artist turned back to her work and said, "I'm going to paint a guitar with music notes around it. It seems kind of silly I bet."
"Not at all. I'm painting an ocean mural, with fish and dolphins in it, which could be just as silly," Bridgette said with a slight giggle before she sighed and said, "Thanks for doing all this to cheer me up. I think I needed it."
Jennifer put a hand on Bridgette's shoulder and said, "Hey, what are friends for, right? Besides, I know what you're going through, only I didn't really have anyone trying to help me. If I had continued to be depressed over Trent's elimination, I probably would have been eliminated by now. I don't want you to go through what I went through."
The surfer girl smiled ever so slightly and said, "Well again, thank you for going to all the trouble of trying to cheer me up."
Restroom Confessional
Bridgette: I'm glad the challenge today was easy. If it were stressful I probably wouldn't be able to deal with it. Come to think of it, the challenges this season have been pretty tame compared to past seasons. Makes me worry about how insane the challenges next season will be, to be honest. [1]
Jennifer: I'm not sure what compelled me to paint a guitar. Some people back home say I'm obsessed with acting and playing guitar, and maybe I am. But it's what I love to do so who cares? They say if you do what you love you'll always be happy.
Joseph was currently hard at work sketching something out on a piece of paper, which Noah noticed from nearby. "You mind telling me what you're working on there," Noah asked with a raised eyebrow.
Without taking his attention away from what he was doing, Joseph said, "If I'm focused enough and have enough time, I can draw really impressive things. I'm drawing a rose because I don't know who the judge is and I can't tailor the end result to their liking."
Noah raised an eyebrow and said, "I see. Alas, I have no chance of winning this challenge because I am not very artistic. Any suggestions you could offer me?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you play a lot of video games right? Why not use modeling clay and create one of the characters from a video game," Joseph asked, trying to remain as focused as possible.
"That might just work. Thanks for the idea," Noah said as he walked away to find modeling clay. As he walked, Noah was thinking, 'While I may not like him much anymore, I have to admit he's got some good ideas.'
Restroom Confessional
Noah: So I know Joseph is basically the main antagonist this season, the villain if you will. And maybe helping him thus far wasn't my brightest of ideas, but I still don't like all this scheming I'm doing to get him eliminated. What makes me better than him in that regard? I'm doing the exact same thing he's doing, yet people will probably see me as the "hero" for getting rid of the person responsible for all the drama. These are the things I'm asking myself right now, but I still have a job I have to do, and I plan on completing it.
Cody and Emily were sitting together, trying to brainstorm ideas as to what they could do for the challenge. "Well if it weren't for the fact that Chris put us here, I would suggest you dancing, since that could be considered an art. And you would probably win the challenge too," Cody complimented, remembering what his girlfriend was skilled at.
"Aw, thanks," Emily said with a smile before she developed a somewhat flirty look and added, "Besides, I could always show you one of my dances some other time, when we're alone."
Cody's face became bright red with a large blush as he stammered, "Oh, well, uh, that's kind and all, but uh, you don't have to."
Emily started to laugh as she said, "I was kidding Cody! Hehe, you're so cute when you're embarrassed."
The blush failed to fade from Cody's face as he said, "Hey, that wasn't very funny."
"Sorry Cody. But seriously, shortly after the season ends I've got a recital and I would love it if you could come watch me," Emily said before kissing Cody's cheek.
Cody took a deep breath before he smiled and said, "I would love to. But right now shouldn't we worry about figuring out what we're gonna do for this challenge?"
The dancer nodded and said, "Yeah, we should. But what should we do?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I'm not great at art but I might make a small sculpture thing. I can even label it as modern art, since that tends to look pretty crazy," the tech geek replied with a shrug.
"Well it's good you have an idea, but I still don't know what to do," Emily said with a sigh.
Cody put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, I'll help you figure something out."
Restroom Confessional
Emily: Cody's such a sweetie. He wasn't mad over my joke and he's so willing to help me in the challenges. And to think I was lucky enough to be selected to be on this season. If it weren't for me being picked, I would be just another one of his fans. I'm worried that there are some other fans that might try to steal him from me, but as long as we're going out, I'll do whatever I can to stop them.
Izzy was setting up what she was going to do. She was in a small closet that she covered in white paper. She cackled to herself and said, "All right, once I set up the C4, I'll set the paint up around it. Then I'll go outside the room and set off the Boom-Boom! Then the paint should be perfect! Hahahaha!" Izzy finished wiring up some stuff with the plastic compound, set up the paint cans around it and then exited the room. She grinned as she pushed down on the plunger. A small explosion shook the immediate area as Izzy's homemade bomb destroyed the paint cans, sending paint flying in the small closet. When the smoke cleared, Izzy grinned in excitement once more.
Restroom Confessional
Izzy: Yes! My homemade bomb worked! And I was able to make it with stuff I found lying around. I learned that when I was spying on the RCMP, before I was on the run from them. I would tell you, but if they're too busy chasing everyone else, the moose will take over Canada. Can't let that happen, sorry.
Mikey was walking back to Megan with some fruit when the building shook from Izzy's explosion. "The hell? You know what, it's better that I just not ask," the gamer muttered to himself as he walked back to his girlfriend.
Along the way, he passed by Cody. Mikey turned and said, "Hey Cody. You mind if I ask what you're doing for the challenge?"
"Oh hey Mikey. I was gonna make some modern art sculpture thing. What about you," the tech geek asked.
"Not sure yet. I promised my girlfriend I would help her first. I suck at art anyways," the gamer replied.
Cody chuckled and said, "That makes two of us. Anyways good luck."
"You too," Mikey said as he headed back to his girlfriend. Once Cody was out of earshot, Mikey muttered, "Damn, should have asked him."
Restroom Confessional
Mikey: I had the perfect opportunity to ask Cody what he thought about a temporary alliance just to last us a few rounds. I was going too, but then I remembered Bridgette and told myself I was going to think over it some more. (The gamer sighs) Why does this have to be so complicated?
Mikey made his way back to where his girlfriend was and saw that she had gotten paper, several pencils and a bowl and was ready to draw. He began walking over and Megan turned to see him approaching. "Mikey, you're back. And you got fruit for me to draw. Thank you so much! Seriously, you're a huge help," the nice girl said with a cheer as she began to arrange the fruit.
"Don't mention it," Mikey said with a smile before shrugging and continuing, "It's not like I had any idea what I was gonna do for the challenge anyways. Well at least I didn't have an idea before. I'm gonna do a sketch of something. In the one art class I was required to take freshman year, I was really good at sketching. Everything else, not so much."
Megan finished arranging the hug and hugged Mikey before saying, "Don't worry too much over it. I'm sure whoever is judging the challenge will understand we don't have a lot of time to make things."
"You're right," Mikey said with a smile. He then stared off into space for a moment while Megan began to draw the fruit she had arranged. After a couple minutes of silence, Mikey asked, "Hey Megan? You ever wonder if we should try to make plans?"
"Plans? What do you mean," the nice girl responded.
"Well you know, plans to help us get further into the game. I'm worried that something's gonna go wrong and we'll be eliminated. I figured Geoff and Bridgette were safe and now look at what happened. I know the odds of us both getting to the finals are slim to none, but I would like to see one of us make it that far, you know? But if that's going to happen, we should make plans," Mikey explained.
Megan turned to her boyfriend and said, "Let's not worry about that. I never thought I would make it this far, yet here I am. And I never thought I would meet the sweetest guy ever too. If I lose, I would be happy."
Mikey continued staring out the window he was looking out of before turning toward Megan and said, "You're right. Thanks Megan."
Jennifer and Bridgette were starting to put finer details on their paintings. Jennifer had the bulk of the guitar drawn in her picture while Bridgette had the seafloor and ocean done and was now working on painting the ocean life. Bridgette reached for a different type of paint as she said, "Hey Jennifer? Can I ask you a question?"
The performing artist, who had been humming, replied, "Of course you can."
"What exactly was it that helped you get over Trent not being here," Bridgette asked as she turned to face the other blonde haired girl.
"Well, to be honest, I still miss him, but with the help of some of the others, realized that I shouldn't let that affect how I play the game. The first thing was just time. I needed some time to think and get over it and stuff. I was also told that Trent wouldn't want to see me moping about. He would want me to enjoy myself," Jennifer stated.
The surfer girl nodded and said, "I see."
Jennifer put a hand on her friend's shoulder and said, "If you want some advice on how to get over Geoff's elimination, I would say exactly what was said to me. In time you'll start feeling better and he would want you to enjoy your time here. We only have one shot at the prize, but we'll have plenty of time with our boyfriends later after the season or even after the show as a whole is done."
Bridgette commented, "That was really insightful. Have you considered studying philosophy?"
"I did at one point, but then I realized that would probably be boring," Jennifer replied before the two girls shared a laugh.
Noah had returned with a bunch of clay and a laptop with had the picture of a 3D model of a video game character on it. The character had blue hair with some armor covering his left shoulder. On his right shoulder he wore no armor but a strange tattoo-like mark was present. The figure was also holding a sword.
Noah was muttering to himself as he worked, "I'm going to have to ignore the minor details on his clothing. It's going to be hard enough to correctly shape the sword and get the mark onto his shoulder, I don't need to worry about little details like belt buckles and the like."
Joseph looked up from his work and asked, "Uh, what are you doing talking to yourself Noah? Makes you look somewhat crazy."
Noah was busy scrutinizing the picture on the computer screen but said, "I'm simply making mental notes as to what I have to skip on this model, due to time constraints."
"Yeah, but out loud mental notes? Seems a bit strange if you ask me," Joseph said with a shrug.
"It's what I'm used to back home. My parents and siblings never really come into my room unless they absolutely need to," Noah replied, "I've never been very social. Perhaps that's why my parents signed me up for this show. Or maybe they just wanted me out of the house for a while. Either way, I can tell that I'm their least favorite child."
"You realize your family probably watches this show and they can hear everything you say, right," Joseph asked, raising an eyebrow.
Noah shrugged and replied, "If that's what it takes for them to realize things, so be it. My parents tend to ignore me and my oldest siblings often make fun of me. As odd as it seems, I'm tempted at times to say I like being here, despite Chris and everything." Noah got back to working on his model as Joseph looked at his ally with his hand on his chin.
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: Look, I know I've been pretty cutthroat this game. I have my reasons for needing to win and I'll leave it at that. But that doesn't mean that I can't have a conscience, no? I'm surprised to hear that Noah has a relatively rough home life, and I feel somewhat sorry for him. I wish the best of luck for him and that his home life will improve after the show is done.
Cody had returned to where Emily was with a multitude of art supplies and random objects. Emily looked at the large pile of things and said, "Wow, that's a lot of stuff you got there. What are you going to do with it?"
"I have no idea," Cody said with a sigh, before turning to his girlfriend and saying, "But I'll help you figure something else first. Do you have any idea what you want to do now?"
Emily shook her head and said, "I'm not really sure. I was thinking a sculpture or something but that sounds like what you wanted to do."
Cody tapped his chin in thought for a few seconds before he suggested, "What if we work on a sculpture together? Chris never said we couldn't."
Emily perked up and said, "Sure! But what if only one of us can get credit for it?"
"Then you can have it," Cody said with a smile before shrugging, "Besides, I don't think I'm in much danger of being eliminated today anyway."
"Aw, you're so sweet," Emily said while hugging Cody before remarking, "I sometimes wonder if I'm not worthy of you."
Cody looked at Emily and said, "Are you kidding? You're one of the nicest girls I've ever met and you like me for who I am. If anything, I don't deserve someone as fantastic as you."
Emily blushed and said, "Do you really mean that?"
"Of course I do," Cody said with a nod. Emily closed her eyes and smiled as she continued to hug Cody. The hug went on for several seconds before Cody said, "Emily, while I really like this, don't you think we should work on the sculpture?"
Emily broke the hug and nodded, saying, "Yeah. Let's get started!"
Restroom Confessional
Cody: I'm glad I came up with the idea of both of us making a sculpture. Neither Emily nor I have much artistic skills so naturally having us work together is the best option. And at this point in the game I don't see myself or Emily going home so I don't really need to worry. Honestly, I think the most likely to go home are either Joseph, Noah or Izzy. Joseph and Noah are insanely smart and Izzy's just too much of a loose cannon to be kept around.
Over the course of several hours, the final 9 worked on their art. When the deadline approached, Chef Hatchet or the interns went around handing out large tarps to cover the art projects. Five minutes before the deadline, Chris had everyone gather in the cafeteria and get ready to display their projects.
Once everyone was assembled, Chris clapped his hands and said, "Okay, the creation part of the challenge is officially over. We'll get started with the judging in just a minute. Chef, is the judge ready to begin?"
"Huh? How should I know," Chef Hatchet asked.
"Well is he here yet," Chris asked before looking at a watch, "He should have been here by now."
"Not to worry Chris, I am here," came a voice from the doorway. Standing in the doorway was a tall Hispanic individual with shoulder length brown hair and a short goatee wearing a red shirt under a white undershirt and gray pants.
The nine remaining contestants stared at him, trying to figure out who this stranger was. "I don't know why, but I can't shake the feeling I met him before," Bridgette said.
Cody nodded and said, "He does look a little familiar."
The mystery person flashed a charming smile and said, "The reason I look familiar is because I was at the film lot after Chris rescued you from that canyon. For those who don't know or don't remember, my name is Alejandro. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. And for those competing next season, I'll be competing alongside you."
"So now that you've met or been reintroduced to Alejandro, it's time for him to judge your art," Chris explained with a grin.
Noah raised an eyebrow and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why was he chosen to judge?"
Alejandro chuckled and said, "My parents own an art gallery. As such, I've picked up a few things about art."
"Makes sense. Besides, I doubt anyone else would've been a better choice," Noah said with a shrug.
The Hispanic made his way over to Izzy, who was bouncing up and down with excitement. "So, what is it you made," Alejandro asked with a charming smile.
Izzy handed some pictures to the Hispanic and said, "I took a couple of blank canvases and made paint splatter art! It would have been too hard to move them here, so I took a picture of them. If you want, I can show you the actual canvases though."
"No need, these pictures do it justice. You took pictures from every angle too, very nice. I like the color splatters. Makes it feel reminiscent of art from the 80's if I'm not mistaken," Alejandro said while looking over the pictures.
Izzy pumped an arm in excitement and said, "So how did I do?"
Alejandro handed the pictures back and said, "I'm not going to assign scores to anyone until I see everything. It's the only fair way I could grade you. So that means I'm going to end up just picking the flat out winner."
"Makes sense," Izzy said with a nod.
Alejandro moved away from the crazy girl and made his way to where Mikey and Megan were standing. "So which of you would like to go first," Alejandro asked, looking at the couple.
"I'll go," Mikey said while uncovering his piece of art, "And I made a portrait of my girlfriend. I'll admit it isn't great, and it's just an initial sketch, but you can't win them all, right?"
Alejandro looked at the sketch of Megan and said, "Given what little time you had, it's not bad. Granted, it's not a masterpiece either. Though I will appreciate that you tried to round out the appropriate edges, especially considering that rough sketches don't really do that."
"All I can say is that I tried my best," the gamer replied.
"And what about you," the Hispanic asked as he turned to Megan.
The nice girl revealed her drawing and said, "I drew a bowl of fruit. Maybe it's cliché, but I am satisfied with how it came out."
"Beautiful, simply beautiful. And your picture is amazing too," Alejandro said with a laugh, causing Mikey to look at the Hispanic with an uneasy look.
Megan was flustered as she said, "Um, thanks."
Alejandro looked at the picture and said, "Wow, the attention to detail here is amazing. You even have the stem from the apple drawn with such care. I'm impressed."
"Thanks," Megan said with a slight smile.
Alejandro smiled and said, "Fitting that such a beautiful girl created such a wonderful piece of art. Anyways, I must be off." The Hispanic walked away as Mikey had an anxious look on his face.
Restroom Confessional
Mikey: What the hell was that all about?
Megan: I'm not really sure how to respond to that. Sure, it was flattering, but he realized I was in a relationship, right?
Alejandro moved over to Jennifer and Bridgette, who were near each other during the judging. "Hola Chicas," the Hispanic greeted with a smile, "Who would like to go first?"
"I will," Jennifer volunteered as she took the cover off of her painting.
Alejandro examined the music themed painting and said, "Very nice. I've seen a little bit of this season and from what I know of you, this is very fitting."
Jennifer nodded and said, "Thank you."
"My pleasure. And the colors you used are certainly vibrant. Adds a certain beauty to it. Fitting however, as the quality of art is said to be a representation of the artist," Alejandro commented with a smile.
"Oh, well thank you," Jennifer said with a slight blush, as she picked up on Alejandro's compliment.
"And what about you Bridgette," Alejandro said while turning to the surfer, "What did you do?"
"I made a painting too. Except mine is of the ocean," Bridgette said, revealing her ocean scene.
Alejandro stood analyzing the painting for a few seconds before smiling and saying, "Very nice. It can't be easy to paint a scene of the ocean, yet you've pulled it off quite well. Though I expected nothing less from you, given how the ocean is like a second home to you."
Bridgette smiled very slightly and said, "Thanks. I tried to paint what I knew."
"Well you certainly knew what you were doing. You should be proud," Alejandro said before adding, "I must be off. I have four more people to look at before I make my decision."
Restroom Confessional
Bridgette: Alejandro seems to be quite the little flirt. Thankfully it seems like he knew I was with Geoff since he didn't flirt with me much. Still, if he is going to be a future contestant, he might want to keep that in check.
Alejandro made his way over to Noah and Joseph and said, "Afternoon Gentlemen. Let's not waste any time, shall we?"
Noah nodded and said, "Sounds good to me. I'll go first, I suppose." Noah revealed the model he had been working on. It was somewhat unfinished but certain details like the blue hair the figure had and the golden sword he carried were present. Noah also tried to implement a cape on the figure, with limited success.
"Interesting. From the looks of it, you tried to make a clay model, right? It's somewhat incomplete, but seeing as you did have only a few hours to work, I'm not surprised," Alejandro commented.
Noah scoffed and added, "Doesn't help that I'm not artistic."
Alejandro nodded and said, "That's another factor I suppose. Still, despite its flaws, I'm not going to penalize you too much on them. I understand you didn't get a whole lot of time to work and it shows."
"Moving on, since I'm a little anxious to get this done," Joseph said as he revealed his sketch, "What do you think of my work?" The sketch was an incredibly detailed picture of a rose. The shading on the drawing made it look almost real and little things like the veins on the leaves were included.
The Hispanic nodded and said, "I'm impressed. The attention to detail here is out of this world. I can't believe you got all of this done in such little time."
The overachiever smirked and said, "I strive for perfection."
"I can see that. This is easily in the top 3 things I've seen thus far," Alejandro said before adding, "Well, good luck gentlemen. I have two more people to question before my final judgment."
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: You know, I don't know what I'll end up doing in the future but if all else fails I guess I have an art career I could fall back on.
Alejandro approached Cody and Emily and said with a smile, "Well I'm almost done here. Let's get started, shall we?" Cody nodded before pulling a cloth off of a large sculpture made out of random objects.
"I'm not sure what I'm looking at here to be honest," the Hispanic noted.
"It's supposed to be modern art, or at least try to resemble it," Emily explained.
Alejandro nodded and said, "I see. Makes a bit more sense now. Did you both work on it?"
Cody nodded and replied, "Yeah. There wasn't a rule against it, was there?"
"As far as I know, no. I wouldn't put it past Chris to spring some random rule on you though," Alejandro replied before adding, "Well, I think I've seen all I need to. It's interesting to say the least."
"Yeah well when neither of us are big on artsy things, can't really expect much," Emily noted.
"I suppose so," Alejandro said before walking into the middle of the room and raising his voice to say," Now that I've seen what everyone has made, I have to give it a minute or two of thought. Please bear with me while I do so."
Alejandro exited the room and everything was quiet. The contestants whispered to each other things like who they guessed would win immunity or who they would vote for.
About two minutes after he left, Alejandro entered the room again and said, "After much thought, I have to award immunity to Megan. Her drawings were so detailed I couldn't give the win to anyone else. Congratulations."
The contestants clapped for the nice girl as Alejandro left the room and Chris walked in. The host smiled and said, "All right, so Megan wins invincibility. Elimination is in an hour, so get your votes in before then."
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: Well this provides me with a couple of options. Another couple should be split up in order to allow me to sway more votes. The question is, which elimination is the most viable at this point in time? Regardless, I should try to scatter the votes.
Mikey was in the library, checking something on one of the computers. He heard the door open to see Joseph enter, who raised a hand to get the gamer's attention. The overachiever walked over and said, "Mikey, I need to talk to you real quick."
"Sure, what can I do for you," Mikey asked.
Joseph took a deep breath before he said, "Rumor has it that Cody and Emily want to eliminate you. Something about they think you'll split them up and they want to prevent that."
Mikey's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "I would never do that! I have to talk to them, get this sorted out."
"I'm afraid there might not be enough time at this point. If you want my advice, I would vote for one of them back, try to cancel the votes, you know? If you and Megan vote for one of them and they both vote for you, it basically nullifies your votes," Joseph explained.
Mikey nodded and said, "That might work. Thanks Joseph."
The overachiever waved his hand and replied, "Don't mention it. Literally, don't bring it up in front of Cody or Emily, they might try to deny it. Though I must say, it is kind of noble what they're doing, trying to look out for each other, so I guess they aren't really bad guys."
"That's probably the case. They want to keep each other safe. It's respectable I suppose," Mikey noted, beginning to get lost in thought.
"Well I must be off, see you around," Joseph said as he left the library.
Restroom Confessional
Mikey: This complicates all the planning I had done earlier. I'm not sure what to think, to be honest. Though I think that their hands are forced at this point. We have to vote for our friends now, since we're all that are left in the contest. Still, there's too much to think about.
Emily and Cody were in the cafeteria, looking at their laughable excuse for art. "I'm glad Chris didn't make up some rule stating that everyone had to come up with something. Otherwise we would have been screwed," Cody noted with a slight laugh.
Emily giggled and said, "You can say that again. Still, I wonder who's getting eliminated tonight. I feel a bit bad for voting off Geoff yesterday."
Cody nodded and replied, "So do I. Joseph's logic made sense at the time. Now though, I'm not so sure."
The door opened and Joseph walked in, causing Emily to quietly remark, "Speak of the devil."
"Afternoon guys. I just came to tell you a rumor I heard floating around," Joseph told the couple.
"Oh, and what would that be," Cody inquired.
The overachiever looked at the pair for another second before he said, "Well, rumor has it that Megan and Mikey are going to vote for one of you two, probably to try and keep themselves safe. At this point in the game, I don't blame them. Two couples, and essentially mini-alliances, are here, they're bound to butt heads soon."
"So what are you saying," Emily asked.
"Vote for Mikey. That way your votes and their votes cancel out. Just don't accuse them of anything, as they would probably accuse you of the same thing, if I had to guess," Joseph replied with a reassuring smile.
"I hope you're right about this. I still feel bad about what happened to Geoff yesterday," Cody remarked.
Joseph shook his head and said, "Trust me, unless you're really unlucky, you two should be fine."
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: And just like that, I've sown confusion and distrust among the competitors. As much as I would like to take Mikey out now as a final "Take That" sort of thing to Courtney, it's not possible yet. The real question is, between Cody and Emily, which elimination will benefit me in the long run?
Mikey: Well I talked to Megan about it. Neither of us really like the idea, but it's do or die, so to speak. I'm voting for Emily because while I like to think of both of them as friends, I get along with Cody just a little bit better.
Emily: I'm not sure if I can trust what Joseph told us, to be honest. He always seems to be going around, asking about who we're voting for and all that. Maybe he just doesn't want to make any enemies, but I can't shake the feeling that there's more to it. (The dancer sighs) Well, until I have evidence to prove he can't be trusted, I'll roll with it. I'll vote for Mikey.
Chris was standing at his podium, looking over the nine teens sitting before him. He held up the hall passes and said, "I have eight hall passes but there are nine of you sitting here before me. If you get a pass, you are safe and move on to the final 8. The person who does not get a pass must immediately walk the hall of shame to catch the bus of losers and can't return ever! The first pass goes to immunity winner Megan. Hall passes also go to Jennifer, Bridgette and Noah!"
The four contestants claimed their hall passes and sat back down, anxious to see how the ceremony would end. Chris eyed the five remaining teens for a few seconds before saying, "Joseph and Izzy also get passes."
As the number of safe contestants grew, Megan drew in a sharp breath, worried about her boyfriend. With the three still sitting in the seats, Cody and Emily grabbed each other's hand, worried if they were both going on. Mikey didn't seem particularly phased, though he was staring intently at the passes Chris was holding.
Chris tapped his chin for a moment before stating, "Cody gets the second to last pass." Cody let go of Emily's hand and smiled slightly toward the dancer before heading over with the others who were moving onto the next round. Chris held up the final pass and said, "This is the final pass. It goes to…"
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"Mikey. I'm sorry Emily, but this is where your journey here ends," Chris said as he handed the final pass to the gamer.
Megan let out a sigh of relief while Cody sighed in defeat. Emily stopped to hug her boyfriend on the way out and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't go farther with you Cody."
"It's alright. The votes probably just weren't in our favor," the tech geek replied.
"Hey, don't be sad. I'm sure I'll see you again soon. Just do your best, for me," Emily said with a slight smile.
Cody nodded and said, "You got it."
"All right, I've got to go now. I'll see you later," Emily said as she kissed Cody on the cheek. The dancer then walked out of the auditorium to the bus waiting outside the building. She boarded the vehicle where it then departed for the aftermath studio.
Bus Confessional
Emily: Am I mad over what happened? No, not really. I didn't expect I would win this in the long run. I suppose this is karma for the two of us making the same thing for the challenge. Regardless, I'm just happy Cody and I got together. I'll be cheering you on all the way!
Chris was still standing at his podium, ready to give the recap. He cleared his throat and said, "And after a long day of making art, it's the dancer Emily that has to leave us. How will Noah use this to his advantage? Will the others realize that Joseph tricked them in such an easy manner? Will Cody turn into a mess without his girlfriend here? Find out the answers to all these questions as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"
Votes
Emily – 5 (Mikey, Megan, Joseph, Bridgette, Izzy)
Mikey – 2 (Cody, Emily)
Cody – 1 (Noah)
Noah – 1 (Jennifer)
[1] - This story takes place in what could be best described as an alternate timeline where Chris decided to have another season between Action and World Tour. Yes, I am using the "Many Worlds Theory" to justify this story. (Don't know what the Many Worlds Theory is? Look up Game Theory on Youtube and watch the one on the Zelda timeline, that gives a much better explanation as to what I could do.)
Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas, Geoff, Emily
Contestants Remaining: Cody, Noah, Bridgette, Izzy, Mikey, Joseph, Jennifer, Megan (8 Remaining)
Fun Fact!
Despite her stereotype being "The Dancer" Emily did very little dancing. This was intentional and is going to be explored during parts of the rest of this story as well as the planned sequel (assuming that this gets finished soon enough. I should probably get on that). Also, when planning out this chapter, her elimination changed a couple of ways. First she was going to be eliminated without a good reason, then instant elimination, and then to the way she was eliminated.
I will be the first to admit, this chapter was a long time coming and should have been out a lot sooner. Things like school, real life stuff and other things kept me distracted, as well as a slight case of writers block. I wanted to get this done however, which is why the ending of the chapter feels a bit rushed and kind of awkward. Still, I'm out of school for the summer, so I'll have less distractions for writing. Still, we're almost there! Two-thirds of the way done with this story! And the big moments of the rest of the chapters are planned out, so it's just a matter of writing them as well as well as the casual conversations between everyone. And let me tell you, some of the challenges I have lined up are interesting. So please review, recommend this to your friends, and check out some of my other projects. Until next time!
Next time: Four more people have been eliminated, so it's time for Justin and Beth to interview them.