(A/N: Hello again! How're you guys all doing today? I read the reviews and I'm so glad you guys dug the first intro chapter! I agree with the sentiment that they're one of, if not THE most important chapter in an SYOC. Like they say, you can only make a first impression once, right? Not too much to say right now, though. I hope you guys enjoy this episode!)

Emerald forests, white sands with sapphire water crashing down on the shore. Birds sang their songs from high up in the canopy of trees, the temperature chill, but pleasant. When it came to island resorts, it was hard to think of a better place. When it came to our contestants, however, it just brought befuddlement and mild annoyance. The boys, in particular, were marching through a shady spot of forest that seemed to have no end. Or, was that simply because they were walking in circles? As the minutes flew by, it was becoming increasingly difficult to tell.

"Are you having any luck with that map?" Kyle asked, swatting at a fly that seemed to perpetually harass the group of boys. "Or, any idea where we are, at least?"

Leon frowned, grumbling to himself a bit as he squinted at the map, adjusting it in his hands. Holding it upside down, then on its side, then directly toward his face. "I'm having a bit of trouble, actually! There's nothing on this map telling us where to go! Here, maybe you can make some sense of it?"

Kyle nodded, taking the map and inspecting it. "Hm... well, there's the whale here," he remarked, pointing to the left of the map. There, just off the coast, was a sketch of the beast that had greeted them on the way in, albeit much friendlier looking in nature. "So, unless the map is lying, we started right... there. So I think we'd be somewhere here."
He moved his finger into the forest, represented by a large, undefined blob of green.

"That's nice n' all, but it'd sure help to know where we're going," Andy remarked, peering over Kyle's shoulder. He shifted his skateboard over to his other arm, beginning to tire of lugging the thing around.
"I mean, what good is a map if nothing is marked?" He continued, "Unless... wait. Do you think Chris gave us that just to mess with us?"

Kyle was silent a moment, before letting out a groan, shoulders slumping. "Oh, he totally did, didn't he?"

He held the map out back to Leon; though, it ended up being Peter who grabbed it, snatching it away quickly and holding it to his face. "Hmmm..." he adjusted his glasses, eyes pouring over the sheet of paper. "... Hmph. Well, I thought I'd be able to help. But I'm not a miracle worker, Chris really did just give us a blank map."

"Well, hey! Maybe he meant to mark it, but he was drawing... a blank!" Simon grinned, only to be meant with rapt silence. "Yeesh. Tough crowd."

Gael shrugged, before turning to Peter. "Would you mind if I took a look?" he asked, extending a hand.

Peter, already seeming to lose interest, obliged, handing it to him. "Go ahead, but I checked it over pret-ty thoroughly."

Gael nodded, carefully taking the map and looking it over, finding nothing. He was about to simply give up on it and hand it off to the next person, when something... curious happened. By chance, he took a step out of the shade, and into the sunlight. Just as he was about to look away, the map changed for a split second, images appearing in the woods... then fading away as he stepped back into the shade. Gael froze. He stared back at the map, everything gone. Thinking quickly, he stepped back into the sunlight.
"Guys... come take a look at this."

"What's up?" Andy peered over curiously, the rest of the boys beginning to gather around the map. Gael squinted at it, before holding it up to the sunlight. Sure enough, as the paper caught rays of light, different markings began to appear on the map. One of them indicated the beach, where they arrived, along with a small trail for them to follow, leading them to what looked like a tiny, cheerful cartoon wolf.

"Ahh, invisible ink!" Adam grinned. "This is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie! All we have to do is get back on our path and find where this wolf is!"

"You say that like wolves and reality television are a good mix," Ash mused, gripping his cane. "But I figure they have to wait at least a couple of episodes before they let one or two of us get horribly maimed, right?"

"Wait... you don't think there will actually be real wolves, do you?" Aaron asked, a bit nervously. He looked up at the rest of the group, fidgeting slightly.

"I'm sure we'll be fine!" Kyle told him, giving him a reassuring pat on the back- before adding, jokingly, "But just in case, any advice for wolf mauling, Ash?"

"Oh, of course! First thing you have have to know about getting attacked by a wolf is... don't," Ash chuckled, the group beginning to move forward.

Gael handed the map back to Leon, who happily took point again, the mood beginning to pick up now that they were finally on the right track.
"Don't worry about it, Aaron!" Leon assured the young boy, turning to glance back at him. "I'm sure it's nothing! Besides, we better hurry, right? No telling how far ahead the girls have gotten!"

"So let me get this straight. We've been walking for like an hour, and no one has figured out this map yet?" Mitsy let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temples. "Great. First challenge here, and we're going to blow it."

Miriam rolled her eyes, now being the holder of the map after she had snatched it from Mitsy, who had taken it from Stephanie in the first place. She glanced back at Mitsy, not amused by her attitude- or their predicament. "We might have gone somewhere if you hadn't hogged the map for like an hour."

The fashionista merely stuck up her nose. "Well, I didn't see anyone else coming forward with a solution. If you want something done right-"

"Don't get you to do it," Miriam interrupted with a smirk, looking back at the map in front of her. Mitsy opened her mouth to say something, eyes narrowing, but luckily Maya stepped between the two before another verbal joust- literally.

"Aw, c'mon. Really that hard to read a map?" the cowgirl asked, taking it from Miriam before the girl could protest. "Leave it to me! Sometimes maps are all you've got to go off of in the country. Especially when you don't have internet or G... PS..."
Her confidence turned to confusion as she eyed the paper over, quickly slumping her shoulders and giving up.
"Yeah, second thought, don't leave it to me." She thrust the paper back into Miriam's hands, shaking her head. "That map is totally empty!"

Felicity walked at the back of the group at a brisk pace, head tilted to her side as she racked her head for ideas.
"Well... what if its a puzzle?" she suggested, speeding up a bit to catch up to Miriam. "Or, what if they wrote it in invisible ink?" Felicity's eyes lit up a bit, a smile crossing her face. She was almost sure that was the solution, what else was there?
"I've read all sorts of stories where messengers use invisible ink," she continued. "And that seems like something Chris would do, right?"

There was a long pause, before Maya shook her head. "...nah, he would have given us some clue about that, right? Besides, how are we supposed to see invisible ink all the way out here in the woods?"

"Well... I guess not," Felicity sighed, a few of the girls murmuring their agreement with Maya. Felicity let herself fall to the back of the group, next to Ingrid.

"I thought it was a pretty good idea," Ingrid told her- though, Felicity couldn't really tell at first, Ingrid not actually making eye contact. "...did you know invisible ink was first used by the Greeks and the Romans?"

"Oh, thanks!" Felicity nodded, giving her a smile. "That's pretty interesting! You know lot's of cool facts, huh? Are you a big reader? I love reading, especially Shakespeare!"

"Um, sort of," Ingrid shoved, kicking the dirt a little. "I just learn that stuff from reading... well, I guess its not important, anyway."

Ingrid stopped talking when she noticed Shelbi crawl past her on all fours, nose to the ground as she sniffed along a trail. She paused, lifting her nose to the air and taking a few big sniffs, keenly scanning her surroundings for... something.

"Uh, you alright there?" Maxine asked, scratching her head. "If you smell something, THAT one wasn't me this time-"

"Smoke," the wolf girl cut her off, "Shelbi smells smoke!"

"Smoke?" Maxine repeated, not really understanding her meaning. She glanced around, sniffing the air. "I don't smell any smoke!"

"It's that way!" Shelbi insisted, pointing a bit to the left of the group. "We should follow it- trust Shelbi?"

"Follow wha-" Miriam began, but before she could finish, Shelbi took off into the woods, bounding on all fours. "Shelbi?!"

"Well, that's horrifying to watch," Mitsy remarked, a bit horrified watching the girl scuttle off like an animal.

"Aw, come on. Better to take a chance than run in circles, right?" Stephanie asked with a smile. "I say we follow her!"
Before an argument, or even a discussion could be had, Stephanie took off after Shelbi. "Hang on, wait for me!" she yelled after her.

"Well... might as well stick together right?" Maya smiled, following after the two. Grumbling, Mitsy followed behind, the rest of the girls following suit.

"Smoke... I hope its not a forest fire," Rosella murmured, beginning to pick up her pace after the other girls.

The forest seemed to stretch on and on, with nothing of note. After what seemed to be an eternity of stumbling through the forest, the group finally came across a clearing- and in it, something curious. On one side was a colorful little shack, made of wood, with dirty arched windows and a cobblestone chimney from which they could see plumes of smoke. A few yards away was a cave, though this was barred off by chains. But, to top it all off were the dwarfs; seven of them, all with simple leather shirts and pants, coated with a bit of soot, and almost menacing expressions on their faces. Their lips were stretched into grins, thought their eyes almost seemed to hold a kind of malicious intent, glaring at the competitors as they approached. They were only statues, though, remaining still despite how... detailed they were.

"Oh. That's horrifyin'," Maya gulped, walking up to one of the dwarfs, waving her hand in front of its face. "But that explains the smoke Shelbi was smellin'!"

"Uh huh. Shelbi told you!" she smiled proudly, sitting by the house. "...though Shelbi doesn't know if this was where we were supposed to go."

"I don't know. I kind of like them," Ingrid said, examining another dwarf. "They're kind of a creepy take on Snow White."

"Well, this is a theme park right?" Stephanie asked. "I bet this is their take on her! I don't see Snow White anywhere, though..."

"Hm... what about the cave?" Miriam suggest, looking over at it. "Anything over there?"

"Lemme check!" Stephanie offered, jogging over. She paused once there, noting a sign stuck in the ground just to the left of the entrance.

"Gemstone Caverns. Keep out!" the sign read. "No, seriously. Looking at you, random contestant. Don't go in here yet. -Chris"

"Nope!" Stephanie called. "Not supposed to go in here yet!"

"Oh, found something!" Rosella called.
Rosella was stood in front of one of the statues, when she had noticed a roll of paper clenched in its hand: one not attached to the statue itself. Rosella smiled faintly, reaching for the paper. As soon as she pulled it loose, a voice box crackled on from the statue, causing her to let out a startled "eep!" and nearly fall back.

"Willkommen in der mine!" the statue garbled out, its gruff voice muffled by static. "Halte dich von unseren Edelsteinen fern, du kleine Göre."

"You okay, Rosella?" Stephanie asked, hurrying over to her. "These things talk? That's so freaky!"

"I-I'm fine!" Rosella nodded, shivering a bit. "Just a little startled... but I think I found something. Here."

She handed the paper to Stephanie, who unraveled it. She scanned it a moment, eyes immediately lighting up.
"Guys!" she called. "This is it! Another map- this one has a clear path to the resort!"

"Awesome!" Maya grinned. "C'mon, let's go- maybe we can still beat the boys!"

"Follow me!" Stephanie cheered, holding the map up, and running off. Her team followed behind, and for the first time since they had set out, their energy was completely renewed.

"Okay... looks like we go a little further... and... here! Ha-ha, we did it!"
Leon grinned as he lowered the map, the boys having arrived at their destination. It had taken them a few minutes to get back on course, but once they had, it was a simple feat to follow the trail laid out for them. Though where it led was a bit odd. Not on first glance, mind you. It was simply a wide open space with plenty of tables and chairs, with a food stall nearby, perfecting for sitting and having a snack. But therein was the problem; the food stall itself. Simply called "Pig Out", the stall was adorned with various photos, all of pork based meals. Inside, however, was a lifeless animatronic wolf. Its mouth was pulled back into a huge, toothy grin, an apron covering its fur, which was falling off in clumps. On its head sat a chef's hat, all topped off by a spatula clutched in its hand.

"Wait... so if this is all fairy tales... is that wolf supposed to be serving the three little pigs?" Aaron asked, jaw dropping slightly, unable to believe someone would come up with something so warped for a resort.

"Golly gee, that's dark," Ash mused, taking a step up to the stall and examining it. "But that definitely is the wolf on the map."

"Huh. Guess the pigs should have watched their bacon," Simon giggled to himself.

"But the map did say to come here. No mistaking it," Peter agreed. "Hmm... anything on the Wolf itself?"

"Hm... yup," Ash nodded. "Come look at this, right in its mouth."

The boys stepped up to the stall, it becoming immediately clear what Ash was talking about. Rolled up and crammed into the wolf's mouth was another map, guarded by gleaming, yellowed teeth.

"Eww. Man... gross," Andy shuddered, looking it over. "I guess one of us has to reach in there and grab it, huh?"

"Don't worry! I volunteer!" Leon offered, reaching forward, only for Ash to shake his head.

"Knowing Chris, wouldn't chance it," Ash said. "Here. Let me."
He raised his cane, and with a quick motion, slid it into the wolf's mouth, right into the rolled up map. He slowly pulled it out, tilting his cane down, toward Leon. The map slid off into his hands, a grin cracking across his face.

"Ah, good thinking!" Leon smiled, clutching the map. He eagerly opened it, eyes pouring over the sheet of paper. "...great news! The building we're looking for is just north of here, according to this!"

"Awesome!" Andy smiled, beginning to walk forward. "Then we just gotta head... this way, right? Let's get going!"

CONFESSIONAL: ANDY

You know, so far Total Drama doesn't seem that bad! Sure, there's a lot of walking in circles, and my skateboard carrying arm is getting tired, but the guys seem cool, and this challenge hasn't been so bad! Come on, how tough can it get?

END CONFESSIONAL

"Hmmmm." Chris checked his watch, tapping his foot a bit as he absently sipped on a thermos of coffee. "What in the world is taking these kids so long?"
The host was stood in front of the actually resort they'd be staying in. There were four buildings; one for the cast and crew, one for the male competitors, one for the female, and between it all was a fancy looking restaurant. Or, it seemed so from the outside. But the inside was going to have to wait until the cast actually arrived. He glanced over at the Franz statue next to him- the things were all over, unfortunately. He hadn't heard one speak since the initial introduction, but he could feel it... watching him. Of course, that could have just been the cameras that were everywhere, but Chris wasn't so sure.

"Guys, its up ahead!" a voice called from the distance.

Chris looked over just in time to see the girls arrive, a few cheering when they saw they had been first.

"We did it! Alright!" Maya hollered, "We beat the boys here!"

"Nice! Don't leave me hanging!" Stephanie smirked, holding up her hand- the two high fiving as some of the other girls cheered.

"Hey, hey hey! Knock off the celebrating!" Chris scolded. "You still made me wait here like, an hour!"

"Yeah, but we won!" Stephanie shot back. "Why shouldn't we celebrate a little?"

"Because that's only part one of the challenge, remember?" Chris smirked, leaning in and flicking her nose. "The day's still not over!"

The group heard heavy footfalls behind them, accompanied by the snapping of twigs. They all turned, watching as the boys ran up, disappointment etched on their faces.

"Aw... we lost?" Kahlin sighed.

"That's disappointing," Gael murmured, arms crossed.

"Yup! And I'm sure your family and friends are just as disappointed in you as you are!" Chris mocked, his grin smug. "But, don't worry too much right now. Like I just got done telling the winners over here- i.e., not you guys- that's only the first half of the challenge. So, the girls will get an advantage going into the second half. That said, you can still pull out a win, if you try hard enough."

"Alright, so hurry up already! What's the second challenge?" Stephanie asked, hopping up and down a bit, eager to get things started.

"Nah, not so fast." The host waved his hand dismissively. "First I have to show you-"

"What you're fighting for!" Franz interrupted, the statue cracking to life.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Oh, now you're speaking."

"Well, better let the one who knows what he's doing do the talking, right?" Franz snickered. "Anyway, Chris will have to show you around, but see those buildings up ahead? Those'll be your lodgings for this season. The team who wins the second part of today's challenge chooses which lodging they'll be staying in. You can either have the Grand Ferret suite, which has luxury beds, a hot tub, work out center, and complimentary mints. Or, you can have the Hob and Jill, which has none of those things, and a roach problem we forgot to deal with. The winning team ALSO gets a bonfire party tonight, which has free catering!... kidding. It has marshmallows. You just sit around and toast marshmallows. Which I'd take over hanging out in the cold with a bunch of bugs. Chris, why don't you take over?"

Chris sighed, shoulders slumping. "Wayyy to steal my thunder. Fiiiine, come on campers. I'll show you around," he said, walking them toward the buildings.

First off was the Hob and Jill room- a small cabin close to the woods. It looked like it was barely holding together, the door nearly swinging off its hinge when Chris opened it. "Well, here we are," he said, gesturing to the inside. "Man I'd hate to be whoever has to stay in here!"
The inside wasn't much better. In fact, it looked almost unfinished, with nails sticking out of floorboards, the beds completely bare of sheets and resting on rusted frames.

"Are we sure people are supposed to sleep here?" Mitsy asked, grimacing as a roach scuttled past. "I've seen animal kennels that look more humane!"

"Pfft. Scared of roughin' it a little?" Maya teased, elbowing Mitsy.

"Some of us are more worried about beauty sleep more than others," Mitsy replied casually, crossing her arms. "But it doesn't matter, because we won't be staying here. Right girls?"

"First thing we agree on all day," Miriam nodded. "Why don't you show us the other rooms, Chris?"

"Will do. This-a-way!" The host said, waving his arm.

The Grand Ferret suite was completely the polar opposite of the Hob and Jill just by looking. Even from the outside, it appeared much more lavish, the wood sanded and polished, windows opened and cleaned. Chris pulled the door open, and the contestants gasped. Inside were full sized mattresses, sheets neatly tucked in. Peering inside, they could see down a winding hallway, doors leading to the different rooms Franz had mentioned.

"Even the VIP suite is a bit small," Chris explained. "Apparently, this place was abandoned before like, nintey percent of the guest rooms were completed. But, there was enough for us to get two cabins going."

"Oh man- they weren't kidding about the mints!" Simon smiled, stepping forward to grab one- Chris slapping him on the wrist.

"Mints are for winners!" the host scolded. "And right now, you don't fit that category! Come on, I have one last thing to show you. You guys remember Chef Hatchet right? I bet he flipped when he saw the restaurant! Come on, let's go!"

Finally, he led the contestants to the restaurant in the center. The building was tall, with painted white wood and gray roof tiles, with a porch protruding from the entrance. The sign above the door read "Fairytale Feast", in an eloquent cursive. Chris pushed the door in, stepping inside.

"Yo, Chef Hatchet! Hows my favorite... Chef?" Chris went silent, confused. The inside of the restaurant was expansive- plenty of well polished oak tables and comfortable looking chairs on either side, with a stature of Franz in the center, surrounded by flowers. A single man was setting all of the tables however... and he was most certainly not Chef Hatchet.

"Oh, hon-hon-hon! Greetings, Monsieur McLean!" the man greeted, hurrying over and shaking Chris' hand. He was a tall, gangling man with pale skin, dark black hair covered by a chef's hat, and a ridiculous twirling mustache on his lips. "I have prepared tonight's meal for after ze challenge, just as instructed!"

"...you're not chef," Chris blinked.

"Ahhhh hon-hon-hon! Don't be silly! I am Chef Pierre!" the man laughed, twirling his mustache, his accent bordering on ridiculous. "I was hired by ze wonderful ferret man to take over as head chef for ze season! Hon-hon-hon!"

"Okay, that's a fake accent," Kahlin pointed out.

"W-what?!" Pierre's eyes widened, looking stunned at the accusation. "N-non! Zis is a real French accent! For I am French! So very, very French!"

"Oh, really?" Mitsy asked, crossing her arms. "Donc tu ne mens pas alors?"

Pierre stared at her, quiet. "Uh... ah-hon-hon-hon! Anyway, I shall have ze cooking staff start on dinner, at once! Adieu, all of you, a-dieu!"
With that, the man scurried away into the back, door swinging shut behind him, leaving an either confused or amused cast behind him.

"That guy's replacing Chef?" Chris repeated, shocked. "But... but no one told me that!"

"Aw, do you miss Chef Hatchet?" Simon asked, teasing.

"Shut up, Simon," Chris groaned, rubbing his temples. "Well... okay. This is weird. I need to have a discussion with our producers at some point, but until then, we have a challenge to get to. So, follow me!"

It was a bit of a walk, but Chris led everyone away from the resort, back into the woods where a large spot was cleared. There stood a slightly elevated, huge round platform. On top of it sat seventeen teacups- large enough for someone to sit in.

"Now, I know what your thinking," Chris said quickly, "and NO, there definitely isn't another park that's done anything like this. But in case there were, we're just gonna go ahead and call this challenge, Crazy Cups! You know, because copyright. It's pretty simple. This used to be a ride where you slid around on a track, carefree as the wind. Which is boring. So we reworked it a bit! We tore the cups off the tracks, gave them bumpers, wheels, and more wheels of the steering variety! See, your goal is simple. Each of you will get into a cup, and then, its just like bumper cars! Except in this, you have to try and knock the other contestants off of the platform! Once your cart is knocked off, its been redesigned to give you a shock to let you know you've been eliminated!"

"Um... isn't being knocked off of the platform enough?" Simon asked. "Hard to not realize you've been eliminated after that..."

"Shut up, Simon! But, to answer your question, of course you'd know you've been eliminated!" Chris shrugged. "I just wanted the excuse to electrocute you guys!"

CONFESSIONAL: ANDY

Yeah, I take it back, Chris is awful.

CONFESSIONAL: STEPHANIE

Alright! Now we're finally on to something fun!

CONFESSIONAL: MIRIAM

Bumper cars? Really? That seems a little silly- but no way I'm staying in that run down shack. The girls have to pull through.

END CONFESSIONALS

"Wait... but there's only seventeen carts," Peter noted, "and eighteen of us!"

"Exactly!" Chris nodded. "That's where the advantage comes in! The girls will get to take all nine of their team into the bumper carts, but because they won the advantage, they get to pick one of you to sit out! So, ladies. Who is it gonna be?"

The boys all groaned, the girls quickly huddling up.

"Alright, one of them has to sit out. Who's it gonna be?" Stephanie whispered.

"I don't know. They all seem nice to me," Rosella murmured, looking over at the group.

"Ah, hush. This is a contest!" Maya said, nudging her. "I think we should sit out that Leon guy. He seems like he's leading the group so far, and he's pretty big."

"What about Peter?" Miriam suggested. "He looks smart enough. Maybe we should take him out of the challenge just in case."

Stephanie shook her head. "I dunno. I think Maya has a point. If he's leading them, I'd rather take out Leon."

"Makes sense to me," Mitsy shrugged.

Miriam sighed. "If you're sure."

The girls turned back to Chris, Stephanie speaking. "We've decided we're sitting out Leon!"

"Me? Hmm..." Leon's shoulders slumped. "Sorry I won't be able to help, friends."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kyle told him. "I'm sure we'll be fine!"

"Well, there it is! Leon, to the bench!" Chris ordered, pointing.

Leon looked over, puzzled. "...but there's no bench, there."

"Oh. Well, just go sit in the dirt, or something," Chris shrugged. "Rest of you, to your carts!"

Shelbi climbed up on to the platform, eyeing one of the cups warily. "Um, Shelbi hasn't actually driven one of these before... or, driven anything before."

"Uh, I'm not used to it either," Felicity remarked, climbing up hesitantly. "But it should be fine, right?"

Peter watched the two, before waving for the rest of the guys to come over. "Guys, come here! I know how we can win this!"

"Hm? What's up?" Andy asked, the boys leaning in and listening carefully.

"All we have to do is get back our numbers advantage," Peter whispered. "I just heard Shelbi and Felicity say they don't have experience driving. So just rush them and catch them off guard! If we knock them out first, it'll be eight to seven, and we'll have a much better chance!"

"Huh... that's not a bad idea at all!" Kyle agreed.

Peter nodded. "I know! Then, we just team up on the others. If two of us go for one person at a time, we can isolate them and knock them all off!"

"Hm... I suppose that isn't bad thinking," Aaron nodded, putting a hand on his chin.

CONFESSIONAL: PETER

You know, I love solving problems. Math problems, I mean! You might not think it, but almost everything around you can be looked at as numbers, or an equation. We're outnumbered in bumper cars, so what do we do? We just have to subtract the other number a bit. Heh-heh. That's how I get by; equation solving.

END CONFESSIONAL

Soon enough, everyone had climbed into their carts.

"All ready?" Chris asked. "Alright then! Ready... set... and GO!"

The cups then spun into motion- literally. The cups swung around, moving a bit awkwardly, a few of the contestants immediately colliding with each other. Shelbi stared at her steering wheel, a bit puzzled, when Peter slammed into her, knocking her off the platform. The girl's cup gave her a shock, Shelbi letting out a surprised howl in response.
Across the platform, Felicity was taking it slow, trying to get used to the controls, when Kyle rammed her, startling her.

"Oof! Hey!" She blinked, turning around to see who had hit her, only for Kyle to back up, and press on the gas again, knocking her off. Felicity hit the ground with a thud, rubbing her head, nearly jolting out of her chair as she was given a shock.

"Sorry!" Kyle called, waving at her. "Nothing personal!"

Before he could turn back, though, another cup slammed into his, pushing him right off the platform before he had time to react. He winced as he hit the ground, and again as a jolt traveled through his body, looking up to Maxine staring down at him, triumphant.

"Woo! Did it!" Maxine cheered, backing up. "C'mon girls, I'm hungry! Let's make this quick!"
She pulled back, looking for someone else to hit, only for Andy to slam into her from the side.

"Don't worry Kyle, I'll avenge you!" Andy called, joking, trying to push Maxine off.

"Trying to push me off, huh?" Maxine smiled, backing up against Andy, trying to push him off. "Looks like I'm a little heavy for you to move- woah!"

Her smile faded when Simon hit her from another angle, knocking her away from Andy and off of the platform. "Weirdest game of sumo wrestling ever!" he quipped, turning and heading back into the center of the platform.

"What the- how are they winnin'?" Maya asked, startled at how quickly the boys had taken the lead despite their disadvantage. She scanned around for someone to eliminate- eyes quickly finding Aaron, who seemed to hang a bit further back from the others, avoiding everyone else. Smirking to herself, she slammed on the gas, Aaron only turning to see her when it was too late. The cowgirl quickly made impact, hard enough to launch him off of the platform. "Woo! Got him!" she grinned, holding up a fist triumphantly, smile faltering when Ash hit her from behind, knocking her off the platform, her hat falling off.

"Sorry!" Ash called, waving at her, "Gotta win it for those free mints, right?"

Maya growled, spasming as she was electrocuted, before grabbing her hat. She slammed it back on her head, dusting herself off, and shaking a fist at him. "You're just lucky you're good lookin'!" she huffed, climbing out of the teacup.

"They're doubling up on people!" Miriam yelled to her teammates. "We can still win this, get it together guys!"

"I'm trying to!" Mitsy snapped, glaring at Adam, the two ramming their carts into each other.

"Go ahead," Adam frowned, trying to push Mitsy off of the edge. "Make my day!"

After struggling for a bit, Adam managed to push Mitsy off. The girl let out a groan of frustration, then a yelp as she was shocked. "Stupid... lousy thing!" she huffed, climbing out and delivering a kick to the side of the cup- only to be shocked again.

Adam didn't have too much time to celebrate, however, Miriam having watched the exchange- and driving up and bumping him off the edge as soon as Mitsy was gone.

"You could have helped me at any time," Mitsy scolded, hands on her hips.

"Oh, did you need help?" Miriam smirked. "Didn't notice~"

Across the ring, Stephanie was chasing after Peter, the meek young man having failed to eliminate her.

"Um, guys! Could use some help!" he called, trying to swerve and avoid the jock, only for her to be able to intercept and knock him off as he was making a turn.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Stephanie said proudly, not making the mistake of sticking around to gloat.

Peter scowled, dusting himself off and looking up at the platform. Things were tied up, but his plan had steered them right so far...

CONFESSIONAL: PETER

So it wasn't quite the clean sweep I was hoping. That's fine. That's okay. Sometimes you mistakes in math. But we're still in the game, for now. If they had just stuck to the plan...

END CONFESSIONAL

Back on the platform, things had evened up, the contestants being four to four. The girls had blown their lead- but, so too had the boys, and the game was anyone's at this point. Rosella drove a bit nervously, not exactly one for aggression... though this came back to bite her when Gael hit her from the side, knocking her off of the platform.

"Four-three for the boys!" Chris called. "It's close, but can the girls pick up the rebound?"

"Hey- are you alright?" Aaron asked Rosella, being near the spot where she fell.

"Um... I think I'm fine," Rosella frowned, climbing out of her tea cup. "My wrist hurts a little, though..."

"Oh. Um... maybe you should have one of the interns take a look at that," Aaron suggested, looking away- not exactly sure how to help her. Or, used to talking with people in general. "But I'm sure its fine..."

Rosella stared at him as he slowly shuffled away, a smile forming on her face.

CONFESSIONAL: ROSELLA

Oh... did you see how concerned he was? You could tell, he cares so much for others! So much kindness in his heart. I can see it behind those eyes... he'd make a wonderful husband some day.

END CONFESSIONAL

"Okay guys, we still got this!" Stephanie called, evading Andy's cart. "We just gotta be careful!"

"Uh, I don't know about- woah!" Ingrid's eyes widened as she noticed Ash and Simon rush her at the same time, pushing her off of the platform with easy. The goth girl shook her head as she gathered herself, bouncing up in her seat as she was zapped.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" Felicity asked, rushing over to her, extending her hands to help Ingrid out of her cart.

"I'm okay," Ingrid nod, letting Felicity help lift her up. "It takes one hundred and twenty volts to kill you, anyway."

Then, there were two. The only girls left on the platform were Miriam and Stephanie, the two glancing around nervously, realizing they were badly outnumbered.

"Okay, just keep cool!" Stephanie called to Miriam. "We can STILL win this, probably! We just have to be careful and-"

"Rush 'em!" Andy yelled.

"Wait, what?" Stephanie blinked. The answer became immediately obvious, two cups rushing for each girls. Miriam was shoved off immediately by Andy and Simon. Stephanie managed to evade Ash, but was quickly pushed over the edge by Gael, who had been lurking nearby.

"And the boys win the challenge!" Chris announced as the two girls were unceremoniously tossed overboard. "With half their teammates remaining, too! Well guys, as a reward, you get to pick where you'll be staying for the rest of the season! Or, as long as you last before being kicked off, right?"

The boys all cheered, high-fiving and throwing their fists in the air, as the girls grumbled and groaned, muttering to themselves and glaring at the competition.

"Ha, see! You guys didn't need me after all!" Leon laughed.

"Well, at least it wasn't an elimination challenge, right?" Felicity smiled, looking around at the other girls. "Maybe we won't get the cabin we want, but at least we're all still here?"

"Well, thank golly for small miracles, I guess," Maya sighed.

"So boys, what's it gonna be?" Chris asked, the group beginning to form up. "Are you gonna be roughin' toughin' it in the Hob and Jill, or living the luxurious life of the Grand Ferret?"

"Chris, I think I speak for everyone when I say... Grand Ferret!" Kyle grinned, the rest of the boys cheering.

"Grand Ferret it is! Which means, girls, you get to stay in the Hob and Jill!" Chris snickered. "For as long as you're on the island, anyway! Or, until the cabin collapses. You know, whichever comes first! But, you'll have time to get settled in later. For now... time to enjoy your first dinner!"

It was a brisk walk back to the dining room, and spirits were high... for the boys at least.

"To winning our first real challenge on Total Drama!" Kyle cheered, holding up his glass.

"And living it up in our sweet digs!" Andy added, grinning as they clinked their drinks together, the rest of the table following suit, even Gael managing to smile a bit.

The girls, however, were not as thrilled, the table mostly silent, except for Maxine, eagerly chowing down on whatever food was placed in front of her.

"Ugh. Do you have to scarf it all down like that?" Mitsy asked, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry- competitive eater, remember?" Maxine chuckled, patting her stomach. "Eat to win and win to eat!"
She let out a loud belch, giggling. "'scuse me!"

"This is going to be a long season," Mitsy sighed, covering her face with her hands.

"Yes! Yes it will be!" Chris agreed, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

"Were you lurking the whole time?" Miriam asked, jumping a little, no one having seen him enter.

"Nah. When you host reality TV, you get good at making surprise entrances," Chris smiled proudly.

"Meh. Shelbi smelt him from a mile away," the feral girl shrugged, going back to eating out of her bowl... on the floor.

"Ahem. Gonna ignore that." Chris glared at Shelbi, eyebrows furrowing. "I just came here to say, boys, your bonfire is ready and waiting once you're done eating. Girls, your cabin is not ready, but uh, you're just gonna have to get used to it!"
Chris snickered to himself, no one else amused with his joke.

"Alright! C'mon guys, looks like the party is this-a-way," Andy said, getting up from the table, everyone beginning to head for the door.

"Oh, but don't stay up too late! You have to be up bright and early for your challenge tomorrow!" Chris called after them.

"Another one? So soon?" Felicity asked, tilting her head.

"Yeeeep. And this one is even more important than tonight's. Tomorrow... you'll all be competing in a free for all to see who gets to be team captains!" Chris grinned, wringing his hands together. "I can't wait! You heard it here first, folks! The girls are feeling the cold sting of defeat, but will they be able to bounce back fro-"

"Um, what are you doing?" Ingrid stared up at him, confused.

"Don't interrupt meee!" Chris whined. "I'm doing the sign-off!"

Just then, there was a crackle over the intercoms... a familiar voice speaking up.
"Pfft. That's nothing. Let the pro handle it, Chris," Franz mocked. "The girls are feeling the burn, but things are still heating up! Eighteen campers, but only two can walk out as captain! This is the most important decision they'll have to make all season. Who'll come out on top? This is just the beginning, folks. Find out what happens next time, on...

Total!

Drama!

Loooooooost Islaaaand!"

With that, the speaker died, Chris looking dumbstruck.

"But... that's my thing!"

(A/N: Well, there it is! Hope you guys aren't disappointed by the slow burn. Next episode will be to fight for the position of team captains- who do you think will take charge? You might be hoping for an elimination, but I opted to take it a bit slow- just to let you get to really know everyone before I start giving people the ax. I mean, if someone goes on episode one, you don't really get to know them, so its generally not a big deal. Anyway! I had hoped to have this up just a little bit sooner, but my weekend was kinda trashed at the last moment. Ended up having to help a friend move- not fun stuff. Anyway, the plan right now is to go about twenty episodes- unless I end up having to do another two parter- and I'm going to try and upload once a week at minimum, but absolutely I'll try for more if I can. I also threw up a little poll on my profile. Not related to the fic directly, I was just rewatching a lot of total drama while brainstorming, and I got curious about something. Would love to hear your thoughts! Anyway, that's about it from me this time. See you soon!)