Disclaimer: Total Drama and it's characters are not owned by me in any way. Only the Original Characters, setting and most of the challenge ideas are mine.
Chris was once again standing outside the high school, but this time he was giggling like a schoolgirl. A cameraman waved at him and he composed himself, before gesturing with his arms, "Last time on Total Drama High School! I was able to kill two birds with one stone, as I got paid for hosting another sponsored challenge and I got to test a sick virtual reality machine! The challenge in question was based on the science fiction film Pacific Rim, where the final six were paired up and had to pilot giant mechs to kill giant monsters. And it was awesome! Everyone got a chance to prove their worth but only two could win and after several realistic deaths, it was Noah and Mikey that won immunity. In the end, Izzy was sent home due to her hazardous tendencies finally catching up with her. After the challenge, we had the contestants watch the movie that inspired yesterday's challenge and we secretly knocked them out with some knock out gas! Why, you may ask? Well that's all part of the challenge today! What exactly is the challenge? Will they be able to do anything? And most importantly of all, who's going home? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!"
Mystery Location in the school
"Ugh, I feel like I slept on a plank of wood. Wait, where am I? Why the hell am I tied up? What's going on," a contestant asked as they woke up.
"Good, you're awake. Don't be alarmed, this is all part of the challenge," someone said from the shadows.
Recognizing the voice, the contestant called out, "Wait, I think I recognize that voice. Duncan, is that you?"
The punk walked into sight and smirked, "I'm surprised you know who I am. We've never really interacted, have we Mikey?"
"I suppose we haven't. Wait, what was that you said about a challenge," the gamer asked.
Duncan leaned against the wall and said, "Well long story short, you're in "detention" for the challenge. Chris got a team of three of the eliminated contestants to search for you. Whichever person is found last is getting instantly eliminated."
Mikey looked over and said, "I don't suppose you can tell me who's looking for me, can you?"
"Considering you and I are staying here for the duration of the challenge, I don't see the harm in it. According to the note we got earlier today, the team searching for you is Megan, Jessie and Nicholas," Duncan said with a shrug, before adding, "Might as well get comfortable, we could be here awhile.
A second mystery location
"Oh man, my head hurts," Someone said with a groan before they opened their eyes and saw Sadie nearby, doing something on her phone. Noting the ropes that were tied around their arms, they raised their voice, "Uh, Sadie? What's going on?"
Sadie jumped in surprise slightly and said, "Oh you're awake! Sorry about this Jennifer, but it's part of the challenge today. Chris is getting some of the eliminated contestants to search for you and the other finalists. And whoever is the last one to be found is automatically eliminated."
"So there's no voting ceremony today," the performing artist asked.
"Nope! So hopefully your team will be able to work as, well, a team," the chubbier BFFFL explained.
Jennifer looked over and asked, "Who's on my team, if you're allowed to tell me?"
Sadie looked to be in thought and said, "I know Trent's on it and I think Julie and Danny are also searching for you."
"So what you're saying is I'll see Trent today, no matter what happens," the performing artist asked.
"I guess you could look at it that way, yeah," Sadie responded.
Jennifer smiled and said, "Then no matter what happens today, it'll be a good day."
A third location
"Wow, I've got one heck of a headache. What happened last night? I remember the movie ending and then nothing," a male voice noted with a groan.
Beth looked over and said, "Oh, you're awake Cody!"
The tech geek opened his eyes and said, "Beth? What's going on?"
"It has to do with the challenge. Some of the eliminated contestants are going to be looking for you. If you're the last one to be found, you get eliminated automatically," the wannabe said.
Cody sighed and said, "Well there goes any chance of us eliminating Noah. It's all up to luck now."
Beth nodded and said, "Yeah, I've seen the unedited footage so I know what happened. But don't give up hope yet. His team isn't going to be the best at working together."
"Wait, you know the teams? Who's on my team? Emily is, right," Cody asked, desperate to know if he would see his girlfriend.
"Oh uh, yeah, of course she is. DJ and Ezekiel are also on your team. I know that it's probably not the best, but it was either that or have someone like Heather or Alexander on your team. Chris decided to be nice and give each person a chance at staying in," Beth explained.
Cody tried to gesture to the ropes keeping him tied to the chair and said, "If this is Chris being nice, I'd hate to see him when he's mean." Beth and the tech geek then shared a laugh at Chris' expense.
Location Number Four
"Hey Bridgette, are you alright," a male voice asked.
The surfer groggily opened her eyes as she tried to think straight despite her aching head, and asked, "O-Owen? Is that you?"
Owen sighed in relief, "Oh good, you're awake. I was worried because Chris said the sleeping gas he subjected you all to last night was supposed to have worn off sooner than it did."
"Wait, sleeping gas? That explains how I got here. But why am I tied up," Bridgette asked.
"Oh yeah, that's part of the challenge. The former contestants are in teams trying to find you and the other final five. Whichever person is the last one found goes home," the lovable oaf explained.
Bridgette's eyes went wide in shock and she said, "Wait, what? You mean I could go home instantly?
Owen nervously tapped his fingers together and said, "Um, yeah? But I wouldn't worry if I were you. You've got a great team looking for you! Geoff, Gwen and Leshawna are on your team."
"Well that's a relief I guess," Bridgette said before sighing and asking, "So now what?"
"I don't really know. Chris said this was going to be the detention challenge so I guess we just wait," Owen replied with a shrug.
The Fifth and Final Location
Katie was currently bored without her BFFFL to talk to, so she was passing the time poking an unconscious Noah in the face. Eventually, he began to stir and he opened an eye to see what was going on and asked," Katie, what are you doing?"
"Poking you," she nonchalantly responded.
"Okay, time for my next question: Why," the know it all asked.
The skinny BFFFL shrugged and said, "I was bored."
Noah was getting slightly irritated by her continuing poking, even after he was clearly awake and said, "Well now that I'm awake, maybe we could talk to alleviate your boredom instead of having you poke me."
Katie's face lit up and she said, "That sounds like a great idea! What do you want to talk about?"
Noah raised an eyebrow and asked, "Let's get the obvious out of the way now: Why am I tied up?"
"Oh, that's all part of the challenge. Chris got a team of three eliminated contestants to hunt for each contestant still in the game. Whoever is found last is instantly eliminated. And your team is Joseph, Courtney and Izzy," the tanned girl responded.
"Oh joy. The one contestant who hates me the most has my fate in the completion in his hands," Noah dryly responded.
Katie glanced back and forth, as if she were keeping an eye out for someone and said, "Well between you and me, only two people on your team have to find you. So if Izzy and Courtney were to find you and you weren't last, you would still move on."
"That's a relief. But why do you care if I stay in? You've seen the things I've done," the know it all replied.
"We're friends Noah. And friends are supposed to look past mistakes that have been made," Katie replied.
Noah shook his head and said, "Yeah, but all the things I've done? They count for more than just a few little mistakes."
The tanned girl waved Noah off and said, "Maybe, but you also tried your best to fix your mistakes, which counts more than you know."
Noah looked to the side, silent in thought for a few moments before Katie started to poke him again, prompting the know it all to remark, "Really?"
Chris stood outside the high school, a big grin on his face as the bus that normally carried the remaining contestants pulled up and fifteen of the eliminated contestants filed out. Gwen was one of the first to question the host, "What are we doing here Chris?"
"I concur. What are we doing here? It's not like we were told anything. Chef and some of the other interns just grabbed us and threw us on the bus," Danny remarked.
"Oh, are we throwing a party for the final five? Because that would be awesome," Geoff cheered with a fist pump.
Joseph raised an eyebrow and asked, "If that were the case, why would I be here? I'm not exactly on good terms with anyone, why would I help with a party? Besides, what about the other 4 eliminated contestants not here?"
Chris pulled out a megaphone and said, "Everyone quiet!" As the fifteen eliminated contestants covered their ears, Chris grinned and said, "Good! Now I can get started with the explanation. You're all here today to compete in the final five's stead. You see, they're all scattered around the school, locked up somewhere in detention. You've been assigned to predetermined teams of three tasked with finding the contestant you're looking for. And before you ask, only two members of your team have to find the final five member, so you can't weigh Noah down for betraying you Joseph!" The overachiever rolled his eyes at this statement.
"So does the first person to be found by their team get immunity," Trent asked.
"Yes and No. Technically they immediately get to go to the next round. That's because today's elimination is instant. The challenge will keep going until four teams have found their finalist. The one person who hasn't been found at that point will be eliminated," Chris explained.
Megan looked concerned and asked, "And the final five could be anywhere in the school?"
Chris nodded and replied, "For the most part, yes. Large areas like the auditorium, cafeteria and gymnasium won't have anyone, but nearby, separate areas like the backstage of the auditorium, kitchen and locker rooms could. If those are the only questions, I'll announce the teams!"
It was silent for a few moments before Chris nodded and said, "Representing Bridgette is Geoff, Gwen and Leshawna!"
The three TDI alumni stood together, with Leshawna smiling and saying, "Don't worry Geoff, we'll find her and make sure she goes on."
"Team Cody is Emily, DJ and Ezekiel," the host continued.
"We've got this, right guys," Emily asked, determined to keep Cody in the game.
Ezekiel nodded and DJ said with a smile, "Definitely. Dude deserves to win after what he's been through."
Chris looked at the pool of remaining teens and said, "Searching for Mikey is Megan, Nicholas and Jessie!"
"You guys have got my back, right," the average girl asked her pair of teammates.
"Of course! We want Mikey to win just as much as you," Nicholas enthusiastically responded.
Jessie nodded and said, "That's right. I mean, I wouldn't mind Jennifer winning either, but I would like to see Mikey win."
Chris looked at the last two sets of names and said, "Looking for Jennifer is Trent, Julie and Danny which means looking for Noah is Courtney, Izzy and Joseph!"
Courtney narrowed her eyes and said, "You better not try to sabotage Noah's chances, Joseph! I don't care how betrayed you feel."
"You heard Chris, only you and Izzy would have to find Noah, so how could I? What would be the point," Joseph retorted.
"You could, I don't know, physically incapacitate either me or Izzy, that would keep Noah from being found by two of us," the CIT replied.
Joseph looked legitimately surprised and said, "I'm surprised you would think I would resort to physical violence to get my way. I may lie and twist words to win, but I would never intentionally harm someone physically. I may not be a complete gentleman but I'm not a psychopath."
Courtney's glare stayed where it was as she stated, "I'm still watching you."
Meanwhile Trent was consulting with his teammates, "So we'll find Jennifer right?"
Danny nodded and said, "I'm sure we will. We can work quickly to makes sure she stays in another day."
"Yeah! Don't worry Trent, she will be found in no time at all," Julie added with a nod.
"All right, any last questions before we get started with this challenge," Chris announced, standing in front of the front doors of the school.
"Are we allowed to work with other groups," Megan asked.
Chris shrugged, "Sure, I guess. Completing the challenge only counts if your team finds who you're looking for though. And once you find who you're looking for, all four of you have to leave the building." Megan shot a glance at Geoff, who nodded.
"Any other questions? No? Good, then you can get started. And you better hurry, you don't want to be responsible for your finalist being eliminated. Oh, and feel free to use the confessional," Chris said as he stepped aside, with fifteen teens running into the building.
Restroom Confessional
Courtney: I don't trust Joseph to not do something to try and handicap Noah. I'm going to be keeping an eye on him while I have Izzy scout out the school and report back to me every so often.
Megan: So right when we began I teamed up with Geoff's team, since collectively we both wanted to find Bridgette and Mikey. Plus a little extra companionship never hurt.
Team Cody (Emily, DJ, Ezekiel)
The trio were walking down one of the main hallways of the high school, poking their heads into the rooms on their way. "I don't think we'll find Cody in time if we just check every room along the way. We need some sort of plan," Emily said to her two companions.
Ezekiel raised an eyebrow and suggested, "Well we could just split up, eh?"
DJ held his chin in thought and said, "It's a good idea, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if it'll be the most effective. I mean, if one of us finds him how will we find someone else to locate him?"
Emily shook her head and said, "Well arguing about what to do isn't going to get us anywhere."
DJ replied, "Well what if we split up for about an hour and then meet up somewhere? It'll take a while to search the whole school as a group but if we split up for a little bit we can search more effectively."
"That might just woork, eh. What do yoo think Emily," Ezekiel agreed.
"It's risky, but if we want to find Cody quickly we'll have to take risks. So we'll try it. I'll search the gym and music rooms," the dancer replied.
"I'll take the library and the math rooms," DJ volunteered.
Ezekiel shrugged and said, "I can look in the science rooms I guess."
Emily nodded and said, "Alright, lets meet up in the cafeteria in an hour. Break!"
Restroom Confessional
Emily: I'll be honest, I'm worried we won't find Cody in time. I don't want to be the reason he gets eliminated. But at the same time, I'm not worried because I'm not the group looking for Noah. With Joseph, Courtney and Izzy looking for him, he'll have to be really lucky to go on.
Team Noah (Joseph, Courtney and Izzy)
"I still don't see why you didn't accompany Izzy," Joseph noted to Courtney, who was walking slightly behind him.
The CIT rolled her eyes and said, "I told you, I'm keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't try to sabotage Noah's chances. Izzy will report back from time to time to keep me informed."
Joseph looked over his shoulder and said, "And you're assuming that I would try and sabotage him. Why would I do that when out of everyone left, I want him to win? At least, if I had to pick a side, I would pick him."
"You want him to win. Uh huh. Right," Courtney sarcastically replied.
"It's true! I would pick him to win, given the choice," the overachiever argued.
Courtney raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why though? I thought you hated him for what he did."
Joseph nodded and said, "Oh at first I did hate him. I was angry, furious even, over what had happened. I mean, I was betrayed by someone who I thought I could trust. Understandably I would be angry."
"Yeah, I know the feeling," the CIT angrily replied.
"Oh yeah, that's right. So you would. Anyways, after my elimination I began to think over what had happened. And the more I thought, the more I realized I respected Noah for what he did. Speaking from experience, it's not easy to go behind someone's back to eliminate them. He and I are more alike than he would care to admit," the overachiever responded.
Courtney shook her head, "Even so. I can't trust you. I hate that Chris decided to put both of us on the same team."
"That makes two of us. I seriously can't believe you keep following me around," Joseph scoffed.
The CIT raised her voice, "I told you, I have to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't act out of line!"
Joseph rolled his eyes and said, "Okay Mom."
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: Seriously, as if I would sabotage anyone. Hell, how does she expect me to do it? What, am I going to magically be able to completely seal doors or something?
Team Mikey (Megan, Nicholas, Jessie) and Team Bridgette (Geoff, Gwen and Leshawna)
"Guys we have to hurry up! I'm nervous that Mikey's gonna be the last one left and eliminated," Megan cried out as she started to run down a hallway.
Nicholas chased after her with a hand held out, "Wait up! We need to have a plan or something!"
"Plus we've got Bridgette's team here too," Jessie said as she ran after her boyfriend.
Geoff was standing with Gwen and Leshawna and asked, "What just happened dudettes?"
"I wish I knew. Girl's freaking out over nothing. Chris said he would tell us when others were found, right," Leshawna thought aloud.
Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "Well them running off isn't going to help us with our alliance. Leshawna, Geoff, you two look through these rooms. I'll catch up and stop them."
Leshawna grinned and said, "Go ahead girl, we got this." Gwen smiled slightly and ran off.
"Well let's get going I guess," Geoff said as he and Leshawna started to look in the rooms nearby.
"You seem pretty relaxed considering Bridgette could be eliminated and it would be our fault," the Sassy Sister replied.
Geoff shrugged and said, "I'm not too worried right now. I mean, nobody's been found yet, so why worry over something that probably won't happen?"
"What I wouldn't give to have your carefree attitude," Leshawna mumbled.
Down the hall and around the corner from Geoff and Leshawna, Gwen finally caught up to Megan's team. "Look, I get it, you're worried about him. But running around like a chicken with its head cut off isn't going to help anyone," Nicholas said, his arms crossed.
Megan looked up from the ground, tears starting to form in her eyes, "I know. But I don't know where to start. And I really don't want him to lose, not when he's come this far."
"We don't want him to lose either. That's why we all teamed up. More eyes means a better chance at success. Don't worry about it, we'll find him," Gwen spoke up as she stepped forward.
Wiping the tears that were starting to form in the corner of her eyes, Megan said, "You're right Gwen. Thank you. So what should we do?"
"I think we should regroup with Geoff and Leshawna and work as a team to search nearby rooms," Jessie commented.
"No need girl, we've already looked at the rooms back there. Nobody to be found," Leshawna confirmed as she walked up with Geoff.
"Seriously? Not even one of the others," Nicholas asked, his eyebrow raised.
Geoff nodded and replied, "Yeah, it totally sucks dude."
"So what should we do now," Megan asked.
Leshawna looked down the hallway they were standing in and said, "Well, there's only so many classrooms in this place. Let's get looking."
"And we'll work as a team to find everyone," Gwen said, her hand on Megan's shoulder.
Restroom Confessional
Megan: I admit, I let panic get the better of me back there. I don't know why I lost control so easily. But I know we can do it. We'll find Mikey and Bridgette. I know we will.
Geoff: Dudes, I won't lie. I'm a bit worried we won't be able to do this. I mean, I know chances are good we'll be fine, but I can't help but worry dudes, you know?
Team Jennifer (Trent, Julie, Danny)
The trio had just finished investigating the kitchen, as they figured the various nooks and crannies would be good for hiding someone in. Contrary to their logic however, they did not find anyone present.
"Well that was a bust. It was a good idea though," Trent sighed as the three sat down at a table to figure out their next plan of action.
Julie smiled at Trent and cheerfully said, "Don't you worry Trent. I'm sure the others are having just as much trouble as we are. We're not out of this yet!"
"It's curious though. You would think that someone would be hidden away in the kitchen. I mean, there's so much crap in there that we could barely walk. It would be the perfect place to hide someone," Danny noted, his brain going into overdrive to figure things out.
Trent shrugged and said, "Maybe Chris said that location because he knew there was nobody there?"
Danny started to rub his chin in thought, "If we held that to be true, then we could also eliminate the locker rooms and backstage in the auditorium. That doesn't leave much however."
"Yeah, most of the other rooms are just standard classrooms. They're all so plain, would Chris really put someone there," Julie questioned.
"Well what if we disregarded normal classrooms, since they're all kind of generic. What would that leave us with," Trent asked aloud.
"If I remember correctly, that would leave the woodshop, art studio, garage, swimming pool, music room, chemistry lab and maybe the computer room and one of those rooms in the library," Danny noted, his eyes closed in thought.
Trent raised an eyebrow and asked, "This might be a stretch, but do you think Chris might have put everyone in a location relating to them? Would he really be that obvious?"
"I think it's worth a shot. After all, sitting here isn't going to do us much good," Julie confirmed with a nod.
Trent stood up and said, "Well then, let's try the music room I guess." Danny and Julie nodded in agreement and got up as well.
As they were leaving, they ran into Emily, who had just returned from the gym. "Oh, hey guys. You didn't happen to find Cody in there anywhere, did you? I just got back from the locker rooms and nobody was in there," Emily greeted the trio.
Trent shook his head and said, "Sorry Emily, we didn't."
Emily looked a little distraught but nodded and gave a small smile before saying, "All right, thanks. Hopefully one of the others found Cody. Good luck finding Jennifer."
"Thanks. Good luck finding Cody," Julie said as she waved to the dancer.
The trio exited the room and the door closed, with Danny remarking, "Well that confirms that nobody is in the locker rooms. That's making our theory more concrete. Still think we should try the music room?"
"Yeah, I think it's still worth a shot. Besides, sitting around here isn't going to get us anywhere. Let's get going," Trent confirmed with a nod.
Restroom Confessional
Trent: I'm taking a chance on this. Part of me thinks hiding Jennifer in the music room would be too obvious. But a greater part of me thinks that Chris would do something like that to throw us off guard. Either way, here goes nothing.
Emily: So maybe I should have told Trent this, but I thought I heard Jennifer's voice when I was in the band room. I'm kind of paranoid that I won't find Cody in time though and he'll be eliminated, which is what made me keep my mouth shut. If Jennifer is in there, I hope he's not mad I didn't tell him.
Team Mikey and Team Bridgette
The group of six were just about done looking through the math classrooms, with nothing to show for it. "Dudes, what gives? Why haven't we found anybody yet," Geoff noted as he shut another classroom door.
Nicholas slammed another door shut and added, "Yeah, I'm with you, it's stupid that we haven't found anybody yet."
Megan bit her lip and appeared to be thinking about something before she said, "What if they aren't in any of the normal classrooms?"
"What do you mean by that girl," Leshawna asked.
The normal girl replied, "Exactly what it sounds like. What if all of the final five are in rooms that aren't classrooms?"
"What, like the gym or the woodshop or something," Gwen asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Exactly. Think like Chris would. Regular classrooms are boring. They don't have anything special about them. So why would Chris bother to put people there," Megan explained.
Jessie tilted her head slightly and said, "So what we should do is go straight for the irregular rooms. Look in special places for our friends. That's what you're getting at right?"
"Exactly," Megan agreed with a point of the finger in Jessie's direction.
"Um, not to interrupt," a voice said from down the hall.
Geoff turned around and cheerfully said, "DJ! Dude! What's up man?"
The gentle giant smiled at the sight of his friends and said, "Not much. I just came from the library actually. I couldn't find anyone. I mean, I didn't look in the conference room on the second floor, but that's got those big windows. Chris wouldn't put anyone there, right?"
"I wouldn't think so. Chris likes dragging things out as long as possible. I doubt he would make this easy for us," Gwen said with a snarky tone.
"So nobody in the library huh? Well that narrows things down a bit. Thanks DJ," Nicholas said, his arms crossed.
DJ nodded and said, "No problem man. Just trying to help. Did you guys find anybody yet?"
Leshawna shook her head and said, "Nope. Not a soul to be found."
"We checked all the math and English rooms, if that helps," Jessie added.
"That does help. Thanks guys. I hate to leave you all when you could use my help, but I'm meeting with my group in the cafeteria," DJ said as he waved to his friends.
Megan had a slight smile on her face and said, "Don't worry about it DJ. Telling us about the library was more than enough."
The gentle giant smiled and said, "Glad I could help. Good luck finding Bridgette and Mikey."
As DJ started to walk away, Gwen responded, "Good luck finding Cody."
"Thanks. I'll see you guys later," DJ said as he walked away.
"So now what," Geoff questioned the group.
Leshawna jerked a thumb over her shoulder and said, "Well we could check the woodshop. No doubt somebody's hiding out around there."
"Should we maybe split up, and have one group check out the woodshop and one group check out the art room? I mean, they're both over in that general direction," Jessie suggested.
"I think that's a good idea. They're close enough that even if we split up, we won't lose any time on it if one group has to backtrack," Nicholas stated with a shrug.
Just as Megan was about to speak up, the loudspeaker crackled with life and Chris said, "Attention eliminated contestants! Trent, Danny and Julie have found Jennifer! They must now head towards the main entrance and leave the building. Only 3 spots of immunity left! You all better hurry up!"
Geoff and Megan looked a little distressed at this recent bit of news and the rest of their teams tried to figure out what to do next. Gwen took the initiative and said, "You guys stick to the plan. Check the art room and woodshop. I'm going to go talk to Trent and Jennifer, see if I can't get a little information out of them. I'll be back soon. Wait here for me."
Before anyone could object, Gwen started sprinting down the hallway, intent on catching the first immune team before they left the building. Nicholas, who was the least fazed by this turned to the other four and said, "Alright, lets get going! Bridgette and Mikey aren't going to find themselves!" This seemed to rouse the other four out of their panic or confusion as they headed to their new destination.
Restroom Confessional
Megan: Oh god, chances are even worse now that Mikey will make it to the next round. I don't want to be the reason he loses, but I can't panic. Now more than ever, I have to stay strong and have a clear head.
Gwen: I sure hope I can catch them before they leave. I need to find out where they looked to help lessen our search.
Ezekiel was alone in the physics lab. He had just finished checking the last of the supply closets that still had a number of seemingly random objects in them. He heard a door behind him open and he slowly turned around, fearing it was Izzy. Fortunately for him, the crazy girl was not the one who opened the door.
Unfortunately for him, it was the next worst thing – Joseph, with Courtney still trailing behind him. The overachiever seemed to not have ill intentions however as he greeted the homeschooled teen, "Oh, hey Zeke. You wouldn't have happened to have seen Noah anywhere, have you?"
"Can't say I have, eh. Yoo haven't seen Cody anywhere, have yoo," Ezekiel responded.
"Afraid not," Joseph replied.
Behind him, Courtney chimed in, "He's telling the truth. We haven't seen any of the final five so far. If I may ask Ezekiel, where did you look?"
"Just in the different science labs. Physics, chemistry, biology, yoo know, like thoose," the homeschooled teen replied with a shrug before adding, "What about yoo?"
"We looked in mostly normal classrooms. I think we should check them all but Courtney thinks they're a red herring," Joseph said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to the CIT.
Courtney argued, "Yeah, they all look the same, why would Chris put someone in one of them?"
"That's exactly why he would put someone in one! To throw us off!"
"I still think it doesn't make any sense."
Joseph rolled his eyes as he went to walk away, "Whatever. Thanks for the info Zeke. Good luck in your hunt."
"Hold on, can I ask yoo something Joseph," Ezekiel asked as he exited the room.
"Technically you just did, but go ahead, ask away," the overachiever pointed out.
Ezekiel thought over his words carefully before he asked, "Why are you being soo cordial, eh? Given the way yoo were playing, I figured yoo would be mad and trying to hinder everyone eh."
Joseph blinked in surprise and said, "I didn't expect you would ask me a question like that. Well, to be honest, I know when to admit defeat. Noah outplayed me and I'm out. I can't change anything about that. Am I happy about it? No. But can I accept it and try to make the best out of what comes next? Yeah, I think I can. I hope that answered your question."
"I think it did eh. Good luck finding Noah," Ezekiel said before he turned around and came face to face with Izzy.
The crazy girl grinned and said, "Hi Zeke!"
The homeschooled teen freaked out and ran screaming down the hallway, far away from the trio of teens. "I wonder what that was about," Izzy mumbled.
"Izzy, do you have anything to report," Courtney asked.
"Yep! The woodshop and art room are clear, nobody to be seen. I found Bridgette in the pool room's supply closet. And I may or may not have spent a little time with Owen since he was there too. Should I find Bridgette's team and let them know where she is," Izzy said while continually nodding her head.
Courtney was about to speak up but Joseph cut her off and said, "No. Let them figure that out on their own."
"But Bridgette's my friend. What if I want her to win," Courtney shot back.
"Let me answer your question with another question. Do you want Noah to win," Joseph replied.
Courtney blinked in confusion and said, "Part of me wants him to win, yeah. But part of me also wants Bridgette to win."
The overachiever rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, I'm going to ignore the second half of what you just said. You want Noah to win. There's only three slots left. If we told Bridgette's team, that would take up another spot, which makes our odds of finding Noah before it's too late worse. See where I'm coming from here?"
"Yeah, I do. I already had an idea when I was answering your last question. Doesn't mean I have to like it," Courtney grumbled.
Izzy rocked back and forth on her heels and asked, "So that's a no?"
Joseph turned to the crazy girl and said, "That would be correct. Keep looking for Noah, and report back to us immediately if you find him."
Izzy remained standing where she was, seemingly ignoring what the overachiever had said. Joseph groaned and shot a glance at Courtney, who spoke up, "Izzy, I agree with what he said. Just try to find Noah, alright?"
The crazy girl saluted and said, "I'm on it!"
As Izzy ran off, Joseph said, "I still think we should keep check the normal classrooms."
"And I still think they're a waste of time," Courtney shot back.
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: Honestly, I don't care what happens today. Would I prefer if Noah won overall? Sure. But if given the choice, I would have none of them win. Ever since I lost, I've lost interest in who stays and who goes. So I might as well have some fun if I'm impacting the game again, and making Courtney question herself is enough to keep me entertained.
Team Jennifer
The performing artist and her team were currently walking toward the main entrance of the school, and said performing artist was happily snuggling up to Trent as they walked. "I'm still so glad to see you again Trent. You have no idea how much I've missed you," Jennifer sighed in content as they walked, her boyfriend's arm going around her back to hold her close to him.
Trent couldn't help but smile as he held his girlfriend and said, "I've missed you too. I'm glad I was able to see you again and help you get closer to winning the whole thing."
"I'm just glad you two are happy," Julie said from in front of the happy couple before adding, "I thought it was so sad that you two were separated so soon. It looked like you had some real chemistry and to see it broken up so soon was devastating."
"I concur. I'm glad that this is a happy ending for you two. Although, I do find it curious that despite all the time we spent searching, we didn't find anybody else," Danny noted.
"Well it is a big school, and we did start with the cafeteria, so it's not like we looked all over the place," Trent said with a shrug.
Jennifer looked to the group that found her and asked, "So whose idea was it to look in the music room anyways?"
Danny slightly cocked his head and said, "If I recall correctly, it was a mix of Trent and myself that came up with the possibility."
"I'm just lucky that you were talking with Sadie to pass the time. I don't think we would have checked that back closet if Julie hadn't heard voices coming from back there," Trent said as he sort of half-hugged his girlfriend, as the pair were still walking.
Julie giggled and said, "Don't mention it. I've always been able to pick up on faint sounds for some reason."
"Hey guys! Wait up for a second," a female voice came from behind the group.
Turning around, Trent asked, "Gwen? What are you doing here?"
Gwen caught up to the group and stopped to catch her breath for a moment, panting as her hands rested on her knees. After a moment, she said, "Listen, I need to ask you something important. Where exactly did you find Jennifer and where did you look prior to finding her?"
The couple looked at each other and Jennifer asked, "You think we would be allowed to tell her?"
"Well Chris said we could work together as long as we haven't left the building. And even though we have to leave, technically we haven't left yet," Trent remarked, a hand on his chin.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Julie looked to Danny and asked, "Do you have any issues with them telling her?"
The Asian teen thought for a moment before shrugging and said, "They aren't breaking any of the rules Chris set for us. And he did say we could work with other teams. As far as I'm concerned, this is fair game. Stopping us before we leave might be a loophole, but it doesn't give a major advantage over anyone else, so I'm fine with it."
Back with Gwen, Trent heard the exchange going on nearby and agreed with it. Shrugging, the musician said, "Yeah, I think we can tell her. We looked in the kitchen and didn't find anybody. We also ran into Emily who said nobody was in the locker rooms. Then we went to the band room and she was in one of the instrument storage rooms. Sadie was with her, so I'm guessing the interns are staying with everyone. Between you and me, we think Chris put the final five in some room that related to them, and since Jennifer was in the band room, that only makes our theory stronger."
"Thank you so much. That helps us out more than you know," Gwen replied, a slight smile on her face.
Jennifer looked at the Goth and asked, "Who are you looking for, if I might ask?"
"I'm on the team looking for Bridgette, but we teamed up with the team looking for Mikey, so this information benefits all of us. Thank you again," Gwen replied.
The performing artist smiled and said, "Anything to help out a friend. Hopefully you find Bridgette and Mikey quickly and help them get to the next round."
Trent looked at a nearby clock and said, "We should probably get going before Chris notices something is up."
"Well don't let me hold you up any longer. Congrats on making the final four Jennifer," Gwen said as she turned to head back to her group.
"Thanks Gwen. Good luck. I hope Bridgette makes the final four as well," Jennifer said with Trent next to her, nodding his agreement.
Turning back to face the couple, Gwen smiled slightly and said, "Thanks."
Restroom Confessional
Gwen: Okay, so if their theory is right, that would have to mean Bridgette's by the pool. And Mikey would be in the computer lab I guess? Either way, I have no time to lose!
Teams Mikey and Bridgette (minus Gwen)
Nicholas stood in the middle of the hallway near the art room and the woodshop, keeping an eye out for Gwen. He knew she would be back soon, hopefully with good news. The door to his right opened and without looking at who it was, he asked, "Any luck?"
"No dice dude. It looks exactly the same as it did during the woodshop challenge," Geoff remarked as he held the door for Leshawna, who was right behind him.
"Nobody at all huh? That's really bizarre. I mean, I get that there's only five of them but this school's not that big," Nicholas mused as the door behind him and to the left opened as well.
As she exited, Megan said, "And it's only going to get more confusing because nobody was in the art room either."
Nicholas looked to the side and said, "I know we've only looked through a part of the school, but you would think everyone would be evenly split up right?"
"Maybe they're all grouped close together, to like, trick people," Geoff suggested.
"I think I see Gwen down the hall, maybe she'll have some information for us," Jessie noted as the group turned to see the goth quickly jog down the hall.
As she approached, she said, "Guys, I've got some news and it's big."
"Well don't leave us in suspense girl, did Trent help you out," Leshawna replied.
Gwen nodded and said, "Yeah, he did. Apparently nobody is in the kitchen or locker rooms, and Jennifer was in the Band practice room."
"Well that narrows things down a little bit I guess. Still doesn't help a lot though," Megan lamented.
"That's not all though. They also seem to think that everyone is in a room that relates to them in some way, like how Jennifer was around instruments," Gwen reported.
"So that would have to mean Bridgette's by the pool," Geoff exclaimed as he tried to run off.
Leshawna quickly grabbed the back of his shirt, which despite being unbuttoned, somehow kept him from running off, and said, "Hold on Geoff. Let's make sure Megan's all set before we ditch her."
Nicholas turned to the average girl and asked, "You think you know where he might be? I would say by the virtual reality machine from yesterday, but we somehow disassembled it last night after the challenge. I still don't know how we managed to do that."
"Yeah I've got an idea in mind. It's a stretch, but the computer lab might fit the bill. I mean, video games can be played on computers so it makes sense," Megan said with a nod.
"It's our only lead, so it's worth a shot," Jessie added.
"So I guess this is where we part ways. I hope you guys find Mikey. And Megan, if he's not in the computer lab, don't panic. You're smart, you can figure this out," Gwen said as she motioned to Geoff and Leshawna to start moving.
Megan smiled and said, "Thanks Gwen. I hope you guys find Bridgette."
Gwen merely nodded in agreement as she quickly made her way to the pool with Geoff and Leshawna. "So suppose he's not there. What are we going to do," Nicholas asked.
Megan started to walk to the computer lab and said, "I'm not entirely sure. But we'll figure out something. I know we will."
Restroom Confessional
Jessie: I could tell Megan was getting stressed out about the whole situation. I know she wants Mikey to win. We all do. But us not finding anyone so far isn't exactly helping. I hope Trent was right about the location being related to them, or else I don't know what Megan will do.
Leshawna: I'm still gonna be positive about our odds here. Sure, we have no idea where Bridgette is and only an idea to go off of, but like hell if that's gonna stop us! The way I see it, we still have a one in four chance of her going home. I don't know about you, but I like those odds.
Team Noah (minus Izzy)
"So tell me again why we're here," Joseph sighed as he followed Courtney up a set of stairs.
Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "I told you, we're going somewhere that's relatively unknown. I think I might have been to only person to have known how to get to this room."
Joseph scoffed and said, "What, you think just because it's unknown, that would make it more likely that someone's there?"
"Uh yeah? Isn't it obvious? Chris wants us to create drama for ratings," the CIT said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but by putting someone there, it's only going to make the others run around more and eventually argue and…," Joseph trailed off before his tone changed and he said, "Huh. Damn, you might be right about this."
Courtney turned her head and glanced at the overachiever and questioned, "You actually admit you're wrong about something?"
"I'm a big enough person to admit when I'm wrong about things."
"But all the lying and manipulation you did to try and win, doesn't that go against that?"
"Okay one, that doesn't make any sense. And two, I don't get why everyone's so fixated on that. Sure, I played a dirty game, but does that really make me a bad person? It's not like I tried to kill anyone or something like that. I think everyone's being way too overdramatic about what I did when all I did was play the game," Joseph said with a shrug.
Courtney stopped at the door at the top of the stairs and turned around, her face scrunched up in frustration, "All you did was play the game? You lied and manipulated people to get your way! And you think we're just supposed to forgive you just like that?"
Joseph narrowed his eyes back at Courtney, "I didn't say I thought people should instantly forgive me. But I don't think I deserve to be treated like I'm the scum of the Earth just because I played a little dishonestly. All I did was use an unorthodox strategy. Besides, you've done worse, little miss 'I'm going to blackmail the producers to get back onto the show'."
"Don't you even start with that! I was unfairly voted out season one and was justified in what I did," Courtney fumed.
"Just open the damn door to see if Noah's there. The sooner I can get away from you, the better," Joseph spat.
Courtney growled in anger before kicking the door wide open, breaking one of the hinges in the process and revealing the control room for the stage lights and auditorium's speaker system. The room itself was empty, save for a half-eaten donut on a plate, likely left there by an intern that worked the lights during the elimination the previous day.
"Great idea Courtney. This really saved us some time. Do you have any other stellar ideas," Joseph asked as sarcastically as possible.
Courtney was going to reply, but was cut off as the intercom turned on and Chris said, "Attention! Bridgette has been found by her group! They must now report to the main entrance and exit the building! The rest of you had better hurry up, as half of the final four has been decided!"
"Well I'm out of here. I'll find Noah my own way, since your method has worked so well for us so far," Joseph snidely remarked as he left the room and started heading down the stairs.
"I thought you wanted Noah to win. How the hell do you think you'll accomplish that without me or Izzy," Courtney called out.
Joseph kept walking and said, "I'll figure something out. Beats hanging around you any longer." Joseph's footsteps grew quieter until they ceased and Courtney could do nothing but yell out and stomp her foot in frustration.
Suddenly something was thrown at the window overlooking the auditorium. Courtney looked out the window and saw Izzy standing in the auditorium, waving at the CIT. Courtney slid open one of the windows and said, "What is it Izzy?"
"I found Noah!"
"You did!? Well what are we waiting for? Let's find him," Courtney cheered.
Izzy nodded and said, "I'll meet you outside. Where's Joseph?"
Courtney scowled but managed to keep her voice level and said, "I'll tell you on the way."
Restroom Confessional
Joseph: I tried to work with Courtney, I really did. But there's something about her that gets on my nerves, beyond my ability to tolerate her. (Joseph pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs) Whatever. It bugs me that she treats me like the devil for playing a relatively harmless game. I don't know if the others feel that way as well, as I've tried to avoid them if I could, but seriously, I wasn't that bad.
Izzy: I could tell Courtney was upset with something. I mean, doors don't hang off of their hinges for nothing. So knowing that I found Noah in the conference room of the library probably made her happy. Oh! I also remember seeing Joseph walking away as I entered the auditorium. I wonder if he had a fight with Courtney?
Team Cody
Emily, DJ and Ezekiel were down by the art room, discussing their next plan of action. "Okay, so the art room is a bust. And so are all the other rooms we've checked so far. DJ, you said you ran into a couple of the other teams over here," Emily asked, trying to get a handle on things.
DJ nodded and said, "Yeah, Geoff and Megan's teams. I think they were working together. They said the math rooms were empty."
"Do yoo think we should check them anyway, eh," Ezekiel asked.
Emily shook her head and said, "No, I don't see any reason why they would have lied to us."
"Yeah, I ran into them before anybody was found, so even if they thought about lying, they probably wouldn't have at that point. But I doubt any of them would have lied, they're all way too nice for that," DJ added.
Ezekiel scratched his head under his toque and said, "So where to now? We've already checked the moost important rooms eh. All I can think of is the English rooms and the woodshop."
"Should we maybe split up again? You know to try and save some time? Like two of us go upstairs and check the English rooms while the last one of us checks the woodshop and catches up. If Cody is in the woodshop, then they'll know where to find the other two," DJ suggested.
Emily sighed and said, "It's honestly our best bet at this point. I'll go upstairs, who's coming with me?"
"I'll check the woodshop, eh. I needed to go to the bathroom anyways, so I'll check the woodshop, do that and then catch up with yoo, eh," Ezekiel volunteered.
"Alright. Try to be quick. We won't leave the area where the English rooms are," Emily said as Ezekiel nodded and headed toward the woodshop.
Restroom Confessional
Emily: I'm still nervous that we won't be able to find Cody, but I can't give up now. We still have decent odds. We can do this!
Team Mikey
Megan, Nicholas and Jessie were jogging toward the computer lab the Yu-Gi-Oh challenge was in at a brisk pace. Just as they were about to reach it, the intercom turned on and Chris said, "Bad news to the two teams that are left, but Noah's just been found! There's now a fifty-fifty chance that whoever you're looking for could be eliminated, so give it your all! Joseph, Courtney, Izzy and Noah, you guys have to head outside asap!"
"Oh man this isn't good! I really, really hope we're right about this and Mikey's in the computer lab," Megan worried aloud.
Nicholas, who was keeping her pace, said, "Don't worry about it. I mean, Gwen found Bridgette really soon after they left us, so it must have been right."
The three stopped at the door to the room, the small window was blocked to prevent them from being able to see inside from the hallway. Reaching for the door's handle, her hand trembling, Megan worriedly said, "I sure hope we're right about this."
She turned the handle and pushed the door open, letting more light into the dimly lit room. Entering and turning to look towards the back of the room, the trio were met with two people. Unfortunately for them, it was not who they were hoping to find.
"Oh, hey Megan," Cody sheepishly greeted the normal girl from his chair.
"Sorry Cody, but you're not out of the woods yet," Beth sighed from her seat nearby before adding, "I was hoping that would be your team, honestly. Out of everyone left, I want you to win. No offense to the others of course."
"Well this is great, now we need to figure out where Mikey is," Megan sighed.
Jessie tapped her chin and said, "Well is there anywhere else that might relate to him?"
Megan shook her head and said, "Not that I can think of."
"Hey, is that Cody, eh," a voice from behind Mikey's group said. The three turned quickly to see Ezekiel standing there. The home-schooled teen smiled and said, "I need to go find Emily and DJ, let them know I found Cody."
Ezekiel left the room and began to walk away when Megan said, "Emily's probably going to be mad at me for this, but we have to stop him! Nicholas, think you can handle him?"
"On it," Nicholas saluted before running out of the door and chasing after Ezekiel.
Megan and Jessie exited the room and closed the door and could hear Ezekiel shout, "Oh crap, eh!"
"Dammit! We need a plan and we need one now," Megan shouted, partly in anger but mostly in despair.
Jessie looked to be in thought and said, "What if he's not in a place that relates to his stereotype but rather a place that means a lot to him?"
The average girl raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you mean?"
"Well is there any location that might mean a lot to him? Somewhere that made a big impact on him," the quiet girl replied.
Megan thought about her boyfriend and the things that he did during the game, and how the location might have stood out. After a moment of thought, two moments in particular came to mind. After determining one wouldn't count due to being outside, Megan looked up and started sprinting to her destination, shouting, "Come on Jessie, I've got an idea!"
Caught off guard, the quiet girl had to take a moment to catch up, saying, "R-right!"
Restroom Confessional
Megan: Jessie's suggestion gave me an idea. There are only a couple of major events that you can say happened to Mikey and nobody else. And one of them won't count because the go-kart track is outside. I just hope that this hunch is right. I'm working with borrowed time right now.
Nicholas kept chasing after Ezekiel, who was trying to make his way back to his team. "You know, I gotta say, you're faster than you look," Nicholas said as he chased after the homeschooled teen.
Ezekiel was huffing and puffing, trying his best to evade Nicholas and yelled behind him, "My family's got a farm eh. Comes from having to round up the chickens or chase after the pigs when they get loose."
"Too bad for you I play quite a few sports in school," Nicholas exclaimed as he dove forward and tackled Ezekiel, knocking both of them to the ground, where they tangled with each other for a few moments before Nicholas managed to pin the homeschooled teen down.
"Nothing personal Zeke. Just looking out for my team. If it were up to me, Noah would be going home, but unfortunately he's not," the mechanic said.
Ezekiel considered his options to escape and said, "Yeah. So uh, noothing personal aboot what I'm going to do."
"What's that supposed to me-," Nicholas started to say before Ezekiel kicked the mechanic in the groin, causing him to fall on the ground in pain. Ezekiel got up and began to run off again, but not before Nicholas rolled over and said in a pained voice, "It's going to take more than that to stop me."
The mechanic got up and began chasing Ezekiel upstairs, where he could see Emily and DJ at the end of the hall. Ezekiel ran as fast as he could and shouted, "Help!" DJ and Emily turned around to see Ezekiel run towards them, Nicholas right behind. Ezekiel ran past the two, and right as Nicholas was going to pass them, he was stopped by a large arm.
DJ had stopped the mechanic and was holding him, keeping him from getting away. "This isn't like you Nicholas, what's up," DJ asked.
The mechanic struggled against the person holding him and said, "I can't say."
"I found Cody," Ezekiel managed to say between breaths.
Emily's eyes brightened as she said, "You did?"
DJ nodded in understanding and said, "That explains it."
"Alright fine, you got me. I was looking out for my team. You would have done the same in my place," Nicholas relented.
"I would have to agree with you. In fact, DJ, I need you to keep Nicholas here while Zeke and I go get Cody," Emily said in an understanding tone.
"You got it," the gentle giant said with a smile.
"Ugh. Can't say I didn't try," Nicholas muttered as he thought, 'I just hope I bought the others enough time.'
Chris sat in what used to be the principal's office, which was now his base of operations when challenges were happening. On two separate screens, he saw each pair of contestants running to their destination. He knew Emily and Ezekiel were heading for the computer lab, and while he knew where Megan and Jessie were going, the audience didn't yet. He grinned and said, "This is gonna be a close one."
Emily and Ezekiel as well as Megan and Jessie were running to their respective destinations. Jessie still wasn't aware of where they were going, but followed along, figuring Megan knew what she was doing. As they raced, one group reached their destination first. As the girl leading the team reached out for the door's handle, they looked to their left to see their teammate just catching up. Their teammate gave a nod, which was all that was needed for the girl to turn the handle and open the door.
As they did so, the intercom crackled with life and Chris announced, "Attention! The challenge is over! Congratulations Mikey, you are joining the final four! Unfortunately, this means Cody goes home in fifth place. Now since I'm feeling nice, the eliminated contestants can stick around with the final four for a little bit before they have to leave."
As the gamer exited the room he was in, he asked, "So how did you figure out I was in the supply closet where I first asked you out?"
Megan embraced the gamer in a tight hug and said, "Well, thanks to Gwen we figured out that everyone was hidden somewhere that related to them so we tried the computer lab from a couple of challenges ago. When you weren't there, Jessie hypothesized that maybe you were somewhere that meant a lot to you. This was the first place I thought of."
Mikey looked at his girlfriend, a smile on his face, and kissed her. When the two separated he said, "I'm touched that our relationship means that much to you."
"I'm just glad I was able to get you into the final four. I was so worried I would screw up and you would be eliminated. I didn't want to be the reason you lost," the normal girl admitted, a happy smile on her face.
"Aw, I wouldn't care if I got eliminated. I've already got far more out of this contest than I thought I would. But since you did find me in time, no worries right," the gamer replied.
"Hey guys, I thought I heard you over here," Nicholas said as he walked up, before asking, "So where were you anyways Mikey?"
Mikey jerked a thumb over his shoulder and said, "The supply closet from the cooking challenge, which is also where I finally gathered the courage to ask Megan out."
"Chris picked the hiding spots out, right? I always figured he had a soft spot because that's pretty sappy," Nicholas chuckled.
Jessie pouted, "Well I thought it was sweet."
A slight look of panic overtook Nicholas' face as he sputtered, "Oh but, if Chris did that with us, it would totally be sweet."
Mikey chuckled slightly and Megan giggled before the gamer asked, "Should we get going?" The group agreed as they started heading for the exit.
Outside, all of the other contestants, both remaining and eliminated, were standing around chatting. Joseph sat off to the side, as nobody wanted to talk to him. Of all the people gathered here, the only one that he wanted to talk to was Noah, and the know-it-all was avoiding him. Not that Joseph could blame him. He assumed that Noah assumed that he was mad, and to an extent he still was. But he also knew when to let go. The past was the past, nothing could change that. The overachiever hoped that the others could look past his actions and see it as just a method to play the game, but he knew deep down that they were stubborn. "Well you know what they say," Joseph muttered under his breath, "Time heals all wounds."
Meanwhile, Mikey, Megan, Geoff and Bridgette were all hanging out with each other, the first time in almost a week that they were able to do so. "It's good to see you again man," Mikey said as he high-fived the party boy.
"Same bro," Geoff said as he had his arm around Bridgette's shoulder, "But it's even better to see you again babe."
"I've missed you too Geoff. I still can't believe I made it this far," Bridgette remarked.
"It's hard to believe, isn't it? I never thought I would get this far," Mikey noted.
Megan kissed her boyfriend's cheek and said, "Well I believe in you. You've made it this far, I think you both have what it takes to make the finale."
Nicholas and Jessie walked up and the mechanic said, "Hey, just wanted to say congrats to you two on making the final four."
"If anything, I should be thanking you. You were on my team after all," the gamer replied.
"Oh please, I didn't do anything. I wasn't even with the group when they found you," Nicholas shrugged.
"Maybe so. But you kept Ezekiel distracted long enough for us to find Mikey before Cody was found," Jessie said as she embraced her boyfriend.
"Heh. Maybe you're right. Well if you excuse us, we wanted to congratulate Jennifer," Nicholas said as he walked away with Jessie.
As they made their way over to Jennifer and the people that were congratulating her, they passed by Danny, who was making his way over to Mikey and Bridgette. "Nicholas," the honorable teen said with a slight nod.
"Danny," the mechanic replied, acknowledging their rivalry. The pair continued on until they reached Jennifer, who had Trent, Gwen and Julie sitting with her. Nicholas raised his hand and said, "Hey Jennifer. Nice job making the final four."
"Aw, thanks Nicholas. Though I can't take the credit for it. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Trent, Julie and Danny," the performing artist replied.
"Please, it was nothing," Trent replied with a shrug, "You would have done the same in my place."
"Well I'm glad to see you've improved your game ever since you got over Trent being eliminated," Gwen said, a slight smile on her face.
"Yeah, that wasn't one of my better moments. Though I guess now we know that Joseph was the one behind Trent getting eliminated," Jennifer said with a shrug, before turning to Gwen and said, "By the way, I'm sorry for voting for you Gwen when you were eliminated. I don't know why I believed Joseph, but I was still so upset over Trent being eliminated that I was really gullible."
"Hey, no harm done. Even if you had voted for someone else, I'm sure Courtney would have gotten someone else to vote for me. As much as I hate to admit it, my time was running out anyways," Gwen said with a shrug.
"At least be happy that it seems everything's worked out in the end," Julie said, her perpetual smile on her face.
Nicholas scoffed, "Well almost everything. Noah's still in the game. I don't care that he sold Joseph out, he still played a role in what happened."
"Don't you think he deserves credit for coming clean about it all," Jennifer asked.
"Don't get me wrong, it was a good thing that he realized what he had done. I still don't think he deserves to win after the things he's done though," the mechanic admitted.
Meanwhile, Cody was sitting with his team and Leshawna, who came to comfort the tech geek over his elimination. "I'm really sorry Cody. I did everything I could to find you. It sucks you came so far to lose now," Emily sighed.
Cody pat his girlfriend on the back and said, "Don't feel too bad Emily. I made it all the way to the final five and helped take down a villain, so to speak. Not to mention I got to meet you. How many people can say that?"
Emily hugged her boyfriend and said, "Aw that's so sweet!"
"Heh, you guys sure are something," Leshawna remarked, a smirk on her face."
"Sorry about you getting eliminated man, I wish we could have done more to find you," DJ added.
"It's all right guys, really. As nice as it would have been to win, I'm kind of glad I'm out so I can put all the drama from this past season behind me. Plus I don't blame you for not finding the computer lab, I don't think any of you actually got to go there, so I can't blame you for not knowing about it," Cody replied with a shrug.
"I just hope Nicholas isn't mad at me, eh," Ezekiel commented before adding, "I'm not exactly proud of what I did to get away from him."
Cody nodded and said, "That's right, I do remember hearing him chase after you. How exactly did you get away?"
The homeschooled teen lowered his toque over his eyes and quietly said, "I may have uh, kicked him in the crotch, eh. It hardly phased him, but it must have hurt."
"Dude, that's not cool. I would talk to him and apologize. I'm sure he gets that it was for the challenge but still," DJ noted.
"Yeah, eh. I think I might give him a day or two to cool down though," Ezekiel replied.
The camera shifted over to Noah, who was sitting with Courtney and Izzy. "I can't believe I actually made it to the next round. As soon as Katie had told me Joseph was looking for me, I figured I was screwed," the know-it-all noted.
"Yeah well he didn't make it easy for me. I was getting pretty frustrated with him as the challenge wore on. I can't believe he just ditched me," Courtney spat before adding, "If it weren't for Izzy, I don't think we would have found you at all."
"Seriously? Well I don't think I say this very often, but thanks Izzy. If it weren't for you, I would probably be going home instead of Cody," Noah replied.
Izzy brought Noah and Courtney in for a group hug and said, "Aw, don't mention it. I had to do what I could to get one of my best friends to the next round."
Izzy let go of the other two and Noah said, "Still, I know I'm not out of the woods yet. I have my doubts about winning, but more importantly, I have to face the others after what I've done."
"Don't worry too much about it Noah. I'll talk to the others and try to see what I can do. I can't promise that they won't still be mad at you, but I'm sure I can spin it so that you were just following Joseph. In theory, they should be less angry with you if that's the case," Courtney said with a smile.
"Thanks Courtney. I owe you one for this," Noah replied.
At this moment, two buses pulled up to the front entrance. Chris exited one of them and said, "All right everyone, can I have your attention? It's time for our eliminated contestants to return to the aftermath studio location. As for Mikey, Bridgette, Jennifer and Noah, you four are riding back to the hotel with Chef. So say your goodbyes and get going. I have to talk to the eliminated contestants before we head back."
"Good luck Bridgette babe, you can do this, I believe in you," Geoff said as he kissed his girlfriend goodbye.
Likewise, Megan kissed her boyfriend and said, "You've come this far, I bet you can win a few more challenges. I'll be rooting for you the entire way."
Trent smiled as he hugged Jennifer and said, "I know you have what it takes to win. But win or lose, I'll still be proud of you for making it as far as you did."
"Don't expect me to kiss you or anything, but have some faith Noah. You might just surprise yourself with how well you can do. I mean, you've made it this far, haven't you," Courtney said, a hand on the know-it-all's shoulder.
The final four said goodbye to their friends and boarded the bus. It soon departed and Chris said, "Alright, so now I'm going to need you guys for an upcoming challenge. I'll explain everything very shortly. But first, Cody, I need you to go do a final confessional in the bus." The tech geek shrugged and headed onto the bus to give his last confessional of the season.
Bus Confessional
Cody: Well I guess this is where it ends for me. To be honest, 5th place is pretty good. Never did I think I would actually make it this close to the end and I probably won't make it this far again. For the most part, I liked the way my game went, with the exception of my mood change after Emily was eliminated. But hey, I finally got a girlfriend, so I can't complain too much about this season. Honestly, at this point, I don't care who wins. I would be fine with pretty much any outcome. That said, I want Noah to win the least and I want to say Jennifer the most. It was fun guys.
Chris stood off to the side, though a few of the eliminated contestants could still be seen in the background. He waved his arms and began the outro, "And so, all the eliminated contestants gave it their all. Unfortunately, luck was not on Cody's side and he's been instantly eliminated. We're down to four contestants, and only three challenges to go! Suffice to say, it's going to be harder for them than ever before! Will anyone form a final two alliance with someone? Will someone find themselves out of luck? And what exactly do I need from the eliminated contestants? Find out the answers to all these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!
Votes
None, as elimination was instant
Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas, Geoff, Emily, Megan, Joseph, Izzy, Cody
Contestants Remaining: Bridgette, Jennifer, Mikey, Noah (4 Remaining)
Fun Fact!
Cody made it far based solely on how he's depicted as a smarter contestant. From the initial planning stages I knew he would make it really far. Admittedly, he sort of fell into the background at one point because for awhile his main plot point was his internal debate about going out with Emily, and there was only so much that I could do with that. But his decision to make him extremely vengeful and a bit of an asshole following Emily's elimination was the breath of fresh air that he needed for the final stretch.
Remember when I said last chapter it wouldn't take 6 months to upload again? So much for that, right? I don't have any excuse aside from me just not wanting to work on this for extended periods of time. It wasn't so much me having writer's block, but more so I wanted to do something else, like play video games or something. I actually had made quite a bit of progress with this chapter in early December, stopped working on it for pretty much the entire first half of this year, and then started working on it again this month (It's still July where I am so I can get away with saying that!). I won't say why, but let's just say something motivated me to finally get off my ass and finish this chapter. I hope to keep the momentum going for these next, and last, 5 chapters. I would like to be done with this fic before I finish college, if I can (knowing the way I update, that'll be a stretch).
But enough of me rambling about how I suck at punctual updating, onto the chapter itself! This was an interesting one because I got to focus on the eliminated contestants for a change. And sure, some of them still weren't particularly relevant (Leshawna, Julie and DJ come to mind), but others were important in this chapter. Joseph in particular was interesting to write for, and he plays off of Courtney really well I think. Some of the other characters that I liked to write for this chapter are Nicholas(who proved that he's extremely loyal to whatever team he might be on), Megan(who tends to panic when faced with uncertainty), and Gwen(who I always felt was craftier than she appeared, but never really used that for malicious intent). The challenge itself might have been a bit of a cop-out way to eliminate Cody, but I liked it as I got to shift gears for a little while and stop writing the same 5 people over and over again.
As I said before, I'm motivated to get this story finished, and I hope to finish the next chapter very soon. I won't make any promises regarding how long it would take, since I can't uphold them whatsoever, but I certainly hope I can get the next chapter done within a month, maybe less. Until Next Time!
Next Time: Since the last aftermath, four contestants have been eliminated, so guess what? It's time for the fifth aftermath, this time hosted by fan favorites Duncan and Owen!