Chapter 12, the merge, has arrived. Let's first reply to reviews that got posted since my last update.
ShadowJcreed: Thanks, I also thought Chapter 11 was a nice Halloween gift for my viewers. It was also nice seeing pencil-lead-guy post a new chapter of his "Total Drama Revenge: Pahkitew Island" fic that day. Not gonna miss Al either, though if there's one area where I feel sorry for him, then it's for the José ordeal. I additionally liked bringing back Zoey's badass commando side to box as that was something I really enjoyed from season 4. Too bad canon season 5 never used that. Lindsay definitely would've refused to fight Beth if they were pitted against one another.
GlitchWarrior: You're about to find out.
xtremexavier: Read and reviewed, though don't expect me to do so for every chapter. Glad you appreciate Alejandro going home.
Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Very satisfying for me as well.
TheNoobyBoy: "Always does the best" and "she wins everyone" are exaggerations, and while Chef does respect our time-traveler, I wouldn't call them friends here. Ms. CIT definitely was on bad terms with Jo, Duncan, Heather, and Alejandro when they left the game. Sorry if you felt she did too much, though. I can say now that Courtney isn't going to just godplay her way through the game. Nice to know somebody appreciates Lindsay being useful.
That British Guy: So do I, but we can't always get what we want from the main series.
duel crystal: In the future, I would prefer if you posted your comments here in English. Now, assuming I've correctly translated your review, I'm glad you find the story interesting and enjoy its premise. The boat challenge is indeed coming in this chapter. You'll see what I do with Scott.
Guest: Thank you.
acosta perez jose ramiro: Much appreciated!
Gage the Hedgehog: Glad you liked it, and more has now arrived!
Time for our first post-merge challenge!
Gwen and Scott are talking outside my cabin when I wake up. What could that be about? In any case, today is the merge and I'm glad both made it this far with me. I may as well listen in.
My boyfriend tells the goth "Gwen, there's something I could use a female's perspective on. How might a girl feel if a guy told her she was his first kiss? Courtney is the first person I ever locked lips with, and while she doesn't seem to have any issue with being my first ever girlfriend, kissing somehow seems like it could be another story. Do I have anything to worry about when I'm 17 and lack previous experience?"
I get dressed as I pay attention to this chat. It's a good thing I'm away from the windows and neither can see me.
She answers him with "Some girls could be surprised. Others will want guys with more experience. It really varies. I personally wouldn't mind being a guy's first so long as he doesn't go on and on about never doing so before. If Courtney doesn't have a problem with how this is your first relationship, then I doubt a first kiss would bother her either. I admit I overheard you confess this is the first time you've dated anyone. Just treat her well and you should be fine. Should you ever tell her what you just shared with me, just don't go on and on about your lack of experience with lip locking or dating. That's likely to be a turn off for just about anyone I know. An occasional mention is fine, but don't go overboard."
"Got it." he says. "On another note, I learned about what Alejandro did in season three last night and it was really fucked up, but I somehow couldn't quite tell if he ever officially dated any of the girls who liked him then or just got flirtatious. Duncan is also a major asshole for all the shit he's done."
"If you're worried about Courtney ever dating Alejandro in between you and Mr. Delinquent, then relax because they never became a couple. Pretty sure your relationship together is her first since dumping him as I can't think of anybody she dated outside the show after the third season ended. There was only some flirting even though Al had no real interest in her. She's undoubtedly glad these days that they didn't get together. Nobody except maybe Heather got with him in season three. I can't quite tell whether they're officially together yet, but she's hesitant to admit liking him no matter how obvious it became that she did and still does. Alejandro's somewhat more open about reciprocating Heather's affections. In the meantime, I should probably make sure she's up now to avoid sleeping through the next challenge." Gwen adds.
Thankfully I finish putting my clothes on before she knocks on the door.
"Courtney, are you awake?" the goth inquires. "You don't want Chris barging in here to get you ready for whatever today has."
"Yes, and I couldn't help hearing your conversation out there. Just getting dressed before coming outside. Being Scott's first kiss is an honor and I had indeed been single from the day I dumped Duncan until two nights ago. I also agree about not going on and on about inexperience as that would get to be rather much. Any prior romantic prospects with Al or the delinquent were never meant to be and I'm definitely glad I never dated Alejandro, who mostly would've been just a rebound anyway." I answer before going outside.
Does Chef have breakfast ready yet? Here's hoping we don't get anything with mold like yesterday's toast. I know from winning the last team challenge in the original timeline that the winners get a lovely spaghetti and meatballs dinner. If only we could've gotten that as it sure was better than the losers' burnt ham from last night. After I walk outside, the cook can be seen carrying a bowl with brown bananas. It sadly doesn't surprise me to see them in subpar condition. He just drops the bowl in front of our cabin and then leaves.
The three of us simply shrug our shoulders and each take a banana. Cameron joins us as we eat and takes one for himself. He seems grossed out by how the things are no longer ripe, but it's either this or starvation. If I win today's challenge, then my stomach can thankfully have something better because I know winners still get to spend a night in the hotel. Even though I did remember Sierra getting the last pre-merge flush in the original timeline, I still don't know how I forgot that we Vultures chose to eliminate her then as Chris had the winners send the loser home. It's now coming back to me how Wilkins firmly insisted on booting that nutcase off due to her insanity and disturbing attachment to him. I can't blame the bubble boy, plus the rest of the team was also irked by her crazy antics anyway, so we didn't have trouble agreeing to eliminate her. He only lied about the choice being made "reluctantly" to protect her feelings. It's a good thing she went out earlier this time around.
That night was the only episode prior to the final four where someone got eliminated without any marshmallow distribution, even if only the first few ceremonies distributed those before a flushee was declared. Since Duncan had already been disqualified during this challenge in the original timeline and arrested for blowing up McLean's mansion, he spared Cameron after a rigged vote and handed out marshmallows to every remaining player, though our host giving those out was cut from the episode. The final four probably didn't hand any to the contestants because it involved a double elimination. All in all, Sierra getting the first boot has made things better than the original timeline as nobody had to put up with her antics for as long. Hopefully Cody gets a restraining order on her if he hasn't already. Anyway, after eating that banana, I go brush and floss my teeth while I still have the chance. Chris instructs "Attention campers, please gather out front near the hotel." shortly afterwards, and we all make our way there.
Chef Hatchet has brought Zoey back from exile. No signs of damage. Cameron seems impressed by this and inquires "Wow, you survived a whole night all alone on Boney Island without so much as a scratch? I'm impressed! How'd you pull it off?"
"Pure luck, really. I mainly had to stay away from this one bear with a big X marked on the front of its cave. It seemed quite angry." the pigtailed girl informs him.
Somebody just found the bear I had to take my immunity idol from. That had to have been eventful.
"Good thing it didn't hurt you!" Mike happily adds.
"Thanks, and I figured that if you made it out safe, then I could too." she replies before they share a brief hug.
"NO AFFECTION RIGHT NOW!" Chris yells in their faces with his speakerphone.
Wanting people to focus on the upcoming boat race challenge is one thing, though yelling at them like that was just plain unnecessary, especially when they only had a short moment. The couple starts groaning and rubbing their ears in pain.
"I have a big announcement! Today, the teams are being merged!" McLean then states.
Every other contestant subsequently gasps in surprise, and I only join in to avoid suspicion even though I already knew this was happening.
"That's right!" he continues. "From now on, challenges are for individual winners only, and EVERYONE is at risk of getting the not-so-royal flush."
"High score; I finally made it!" a joyful Sam proclaims.
The gamer didn't get to reach the merge when competing in season four, so I understand being excited about reaching that for the first time. I know I felt accomplished in season two for getting there (even though I had to enter the competition through a lawsuit about halfway into the season with only three team challenges left). To this day, I still sometimes wonder how far I could've gone in season one if Harold didn't rig the votes against me. He ended up getting voted off next for costing our team the challenge anyway and perhaps I would've made it further by not screwing up like him. Oh well. At least there won't be any vote tampering without consequences this season when I got Chris to promise he'd disqualify anybody who tried that.
Our host's phone then rings. He looks at that and tells us "I have to take this. It's my stylist." before answering it with "Yeah, how come my socks don't match my shirt?" and the stylist goes into some long rant, which I can't make out the words for.
Meanwhile, I notice the bubble boy, Mr. Multiple personalities, and Ms. Pigtails all conversing with one another.
"Stick together no matter what?" she asks.
"Friendship finale version 2.0, here we come!" Wilkins affirms with a fist raised in the air.
The two had planned to go to the finals together in season 4 after Mike was booted off, but that failed when Lightning eliminated her. It won't happen here either if I can help it.
"Hey, um, can I get in on that?" Mike asks, and both smile as they nod their heads yes towards him, with Cameron saying "Of course!"
If it ever came down to Mike, Zoey, and Cameron in the final three, then I'm sure the bubble boy would understand the former two wanting to have a couple's finale. Gwen has made clear she'd feel the same about Scott and me going to the finals with her in third place should we make it to the top three instead. With Lindsay and Sam on their own, it's hard to say how much longer they'll last.
Once the stylist is apparently done talking, Chris hangs it up and says "Mmhmm, yeah, guy thinks I'm colorblind. As if!" before walking over to a map some interns brought out and telling us "Any who, this week's challenge is a regatta around the island."
"A re-what-a?" asks a confused Lindsay.
"Regatta, it's a boat race." he answers.
"I don't know why you didn't just say that, or how it's like Mario Kart except with boats." Sam interjects.
"Because I'm classy, hello?" our host insists, adding "First person to successfully circumnavigate the entire island wins immunity AND a night at the spa hotel. Don't worry; Chef will keep things interesting by providing some obstacles for you." and finishing with a chuckle as us contestants all look worried plus Gwen and Scott gasp a bit out of concern.
Even though I knew the cook would add obstacles to the race, I can't put my finger on what exactly those were, and the thought still worries me. All I remember is at one point a bunch of coconuts he dropped hit my head (in an area Chris calls "Coconut Alley") and almost knocked me out of the boat I rode with Ms. Goth. Good thing she saved me from falling. McLean still isn't done instructing us yet. The screen shows potential boat options as he continues with "Some of the boats are sea-worthy, some are sink-er-ific, and they're all first-come-first-serve starting NOW!", yelling that last word into his megaphone.
This prompts some cheers from the others. I on the other hand just start running. If Mal shows up, then hopefully I can get an intact boat before he sabotages them just like in the original timeline. Good thing Gwen and I beat him to it then. Maybe I could team up with her here again for this race. Either way, I need to get to the boats as soon as I can. I'd only partner up with someone if they can catch up with me.
Behind me, I can hear Sam losing his breath and mutter "Need power-up."
"Think of how Dakota would want you to win." Lindsay encourages before realizing her mistake with a gasp, going "Oops!"
"Power restored!" the re-energized gamer exclaims, and I turn to see him pick up speed, even blasting past me!
Who knew he could be so fast? Sure, I knew from watching Revenge of the Island that his love for Ms. Milton could motivate him even before they became a couple, but this is something else altogether! It's sort of like how I can be a motivation for Scott to do well in challenges. Dakota once encouraged Sam to win the challenge for his team by rescuing Lindsay from the yeti on Boney Island when he was low on energy (though the blonde ended up consoling that animal and became its friend) and hearing her cheer for him gave an extra boost to keep going and almost secure victory. That yeti ended up chucking the gaming nut off to the side and he failed, though still came far closer to succeeding than anyone else on the team.
It was much like a reenactment of the original Donkey Kong game where Mario had to rescue Pauline from the title gorilla. The yeti even chucked barrels at him as he made his way up the ramp and smashed some with a hammer. Sam was voted off that night, though Dakota was able to give him her phone number before he left, which unfortunately was dropped by accident when he got flung by the catapult. That made it clear she had started to reciprocate Mr. Gamer's affections, especially after showing sadness when the piece of paper with her number on it got dropped. Milton really shouldn't have had to get mutated, though Sam accepting her for who she was afterwards and still wanting a relationship is something I highly respect him for.
Anyway, our gamer makes his way to the boats and it doesn't seem like he can be stopped now. I can't catch up to him before he reaches the docks. As he gets there, Chris can be heard announcing "And Sam takes the lead!" before Sam stops for a moment.
The gaming nut looks at the camera once he gets there and says "Dakota Milton, if you're watching right now, then this performance is dedicated to you!" before blowing a kiss and jumping into a boat and taking off.
Calling me surprised would be an understatement. He even took the boat I used last time around. My goth pal then somehow catches up to me just as I reach the docks and gets into the same boat that I do. This time I take the one with a roof. No coconuts on my head are welcome today! Teaming up again sounds just fine when she could keep up. The important thing now is winning. Sorry Scott, but you had to be fast enough to join us. Gwen closes the doors behind her as I start up the boat and she glances back in the windows to spot any of the others.
"Anybody close behind us?" I ask.
Gwen chuckles and answers "Only Lindsay, whose boot heels just popped that inflatable raft. Things like that make me glad I have flat footwear."
Another dim-witted moment for the blonde. She should've known to be more cautious with such footwear. Somebody made a poor choice, though it admittedly is kind of funny.
"Same with me." I admit. "Now let's catch up to Sam!"
Then I speed up our boat. Maybe we'll win the race after all. Hold on, I just remembered something: Chris will allow the winner to take a guest of their choice into the hotel tonight. If Gwen and I can win this, then I'll invite Scott which lets me spend the night with both my boyfriend AND my friend! Since there's also the option to not take anyone at all (which Alejandro chose when he won this challenge in the original timeline), the goth could do perhaps do that if she can't decide on who else to bring in.
Up ahead, Mr. Gamer is shown successfully dodging coconuts that Chef drops from above. Uh-oh. The obstacles have begun! Good thing I got a better boat this time around for them. Gwen quite understandably looks concerned at the sight. Hopefully none of those coconuts break our windows. Sam grabs one of the nearby coconuts and chucks it behind him. It hits our boat, but thankfully there's no damage. Who could've guessed that playing Mario Kart would help him as much as it has?
Chris can be heard announcing "Courtney and Gwen reach Coconut Alley!"
The goth understandably looks worried for a moment, but then remembers we have this roof. Only that gets pelted as the coconuts fall. Off to the side, I see Mike and Zoey riding together in a boat. Wait a moment; that's good news! It fortunately suggests Mal didn't sabotage the boats this time and leave only a raft intact. Hopefully the coconuts don't bring out that demon. I wouldn't mind if his other personalities surfaced, though. They'd be a welcome sign Mal hasn't been dominating his body so much. One of those hits his face, and then the multi-personality teen turns into Chester and complains "Watch where you drop those things!" as he angrily shakes a fist at the cook.
So much better than Mal showing up! I guess things right now for him are at least closer to what they were before that first shovel hit. Perhaps he got rid of the demon earlier this time around after all. Either way, I still should keep a watch on him. I also feel worried for Scott. How far in this race can he get? In the meantime, I should focus on the water ahead of me. If only I could remember what obstacle comes up next. Chef drops something up ahead. I look closer. It's a stick of dynamite! Gwen and I scream in terror as I swerve to avoid that. While it was probably defused by the lake water when landing there, this was still a close call. Hold on, Duncan used one of these to blow up McLean's mansion, getting him disqualified from the game and arrested. Did I mention that I haven't seen Chris in the spa hotel this time around? Our host apparently didn't think to do so this time after the explosion, or maybe snuck in and out when nobody was looking. Perhaps Chef arranged something else for him after the explosion in this timeline. Oh well.
Re-focusing on the race, Gwen looks to the side, presumably for any other obstacles or contestants.
"What do you see out there?" I inquire.
"Mike and Zoey got ahead of us, but the dynamites seem to have run out." she informs me.
I reply with "Definitely glad those explosives are done for." as I drive the boat forward.
"You know, I can take the wheel if your arms ever need a break." the goth offers.
"That's quite thoughtful." I thank her. "However, I feel fine for now."
We continue onwards. I just now remembered the next obstacle: a pit of piranhas. Zoey purposefully endangered herself there in the original timeline to test if Mike was around. He was on the boat I have now, and concern for her safety did briefly bring him back, but then Mal quickly resumed control of his body and impersonated him as he rescued the pigtailed girl after a fake delay only to avoid suspicion. That was one thing from this episode I do know about the evil persona from re-watching the season. She took that as a sign her boyfriend was in control instead of his inner demon. Now that Mal doesn't have as much (if any) control and the real Mike has already teamed up with her for this race, it makes me curious how Mr. Multiple Personalities will affect things.
In any case, I notice off to the sides that the remains of our host's blown up mansion are still left in place. Not sure whether to be shocked by that. The piranhas snap at our boat shortly afterwards. Those are more of a nuisance overall than a destruction. Gwen grabs a stick lying nearby and tries to whack some of them away. They quickly eat up most of the stick and she drops it into the lake. I then hear Scott screaming. That can't be good! I turn to see him held up with two poles tied together and flapping his arms in fear while dangling over a hungry Fang, who is caught in some rope loop tied on the poles. Cameron and Lindsay are holding onto those as they stand on a raft. The sight reminds me of how Wilkins got the idea to do this to the ginger before in my first run-through to catch up to everyone else.
I retract everything I ever said about bubble boy potentially being my friend. He'll pay for this as nobody puts my boyfriend in such danger and gets away with it when I'm around! When one of the boats was just sinkable and useless, I'm guessing the blonde either crashed that other remaining boat when trying to drive it or couldn't figure out how to even start it up and just joined these guys as her only remaining option. As I growl in anger at Mr. Wilkins, Gwen suggests "I should probably take the wheel; it's never good to drive with such anger."
"Be my guest. I need to throw something!" I snap, and she starts driving the boat as I look for disposable objects on board.
Only a couple of empty plastic bottles can be found. They'll have to do for now. I chuck them at bubble boy and spat "How dare you torture Scott like that!?"
"There was no other way to speed up our raft!" he calls back before they go out of earshot.
Neither of my bottles hit him. They don't make any contact with the raft or that shark either. I don't care if Cameron is trying to win the race. He WILL pay for his actions towards the ginger. You can count on that for sure.
"Gwen, whatever happens, don't let them win!" I bitterly state.
She speeds up our boat, not needing any further prompting. We pass by the raft-riding trio (duo if one doesn't count Scott dangling rather than standing) as well as Zoey and Mike. Can we reach Sam in time? Regardless, I admittedly am impressed that the gamer started off as well as he did. Our boat catches up to him a couple minutes later. He's getting close to the finish line! I can hear Chris announce "All the boats are in the final stretch! Who's going to win tonight's immunity?"
"Me!" the gaming nut proclaims as he speeds up his boat.
I turn towards Gwen and question "Can this thing go any faster?"
"I wish it could; the thing's already at top speed." she responds, which makes me sigh dejectedly.
Up ahead, I see a certain somebody has already crossed the finish line. That sucks. Our host informs everyone "Against all odds, Sam wins!", and the race winner cheers for his victory.
It does provide some consolation that Cameron lost today as he doesn't deserve it for putting Scott in such peril. Turning back, I see my boyfriend scream and fly in the air. Fang must've bitten his ass before he somehow got flung up like when I first lived through the season. The ginger lands face flat on the raft. Poor guy. I watch and listen more closely as Scott angrily tells Wilkins "Your turn to be fish food!" before pushing him into the lake for payback, who screams as he falls towards the water.
Some of my anger then subsides and is replaced with a bit of satisfaction. Lindsay asks my boyfriend "Did you seriously have to do that?"
"100% yes." he answers. "The guy had it coming for using me as bait."
Chances are I would've done the same thing if in the ginger's position. Fang approaches the bubble boy, who is shaking with fear, and roars. The shark then sniffs him, and then leaves. A bewildered Scott asks "Seriously!?" before sighing in frustration and quipping "Guess he wanted a meal, not a snack. Get back up here and start paddling!" as Lindsay helps him onto the raft and they paddle it by hand.
Up ahead, Chris and Chef are laughing hard. Once we cross the finish line, McLean tells the camera "Courtney and Gwen take second place, not that it matters." and continues with "Mike and Zoey take third." as they cross before concluding "And Cameron, Lindsay, and Scott may have come in last, but they were definitely the funniest!" once that trio finishes.
"There's nothing funny about sharks attacking Scott!" I bitterly snap as I exit my boat along with Gwen.
"I meant for the 'a meal, not a snack' bit." the host clarifies and then resumes laughing his ass off before going "Oh, my sides! Oh!" as he grasps those.
"Eh, I've heard funnier." Lindsay shrugs.
As Cameron reaches the docks, I growl and send him a death glare. He nervously gulps. Once everybody has gathered at the docks, McLean states "Sam, as the winner of today's challenge, you get immunity AND a night at the spa hotel! You can also bring one person along with you."
"Can I call over Dakota to spend the night?" the gamer eagerly asks. "I really miss her."
"Not when she isn't even competing this season, especially if still mutated. I don't want that hotel destroyed." Chris answers.
Sam sighs dejectedly. He then adds "In that case, no thank you on guests.", which prompts disappointed groans from the other contestants, including me.
I don't blame him for just wanting a night alone with her, though going back to the hotel would be welcome. You already know I'd take Scott in the hotel with me if I got the chance. Here's hoping I win again sooner rather than later.
"As for the rest of you, prepare for a flush!" the host continues.
Wait, he didn't pre-maturely instruct us this time around to go vote when we aren't supposed to until nighttime. Chef would tell us off-camera in the original timeline that it was too soon for voting and we should come back later in the night as Chris wasn't fully thinking straight due to the loss of his mansion. Speaking of the cook, I need to get my invincibility idol from him. Better head for the dining hall where he makes meals.
On my way over, Hatchet can be seen opening the building's doors with a key. Not wanting to attract anybody else's attention, I just silently follow him inside. He tells me "I'm not sure how much longer this will keep up, but you know what to do if you don't get the most votes tonight." while handing over the idol.
"Yes, I most definitely do." I reply and put the idol in my pocket before exiting.
Once outside the dining hall, I decide to walk around the camp grounds to kill some time. I come across some rocks after about 45 minutes, and then spend a couple of hours chucking those and sticks into the lake. It helps vent out some of my remaining anger towards Mr. Wilkins without getting myself in trouble. With a calmer head, I go back towards the cabins. Since the teams have merged, there's now one cabin with all the males on one side and all the females on the other, which of course excludes the winner staying in the hotel.
Only Zoey is in the girls' side of the cabin when I arrive. Just my luck as we needed to talk anyway. I ask her "Other than when he turned into Chester during the race earlier, has Mike been in control of himself today?"
"He thankfully has." the pigtailed girl affirms with a smile. "I still think we should keep those recorders in case Mal comes up, though."
"Likewise." I agree. "If you get eliminated before him or me, then you should keep them in a certain spot we can remember so I could use those to bring the main man back when needed."
"Promise not to vote for me tonight?" she inquires.
"As long as it's a two-way deal, yes." I promise.
"Not a problem." Zoey replies. "Regarding a location, I'll go with under the cabin. Probably near one of its posts or the staircase."
"Go ahead and do that now before you forget." I add.
"Good thinking." she responds and then does just that.
I then reach into my bags for that law book I was reading. Inside of that, I feel a notebook. Did I pack some sort of sketch pad into this thing? Oh right; that's what I used for creating the idiotic chart that spelled my end in the original timeline. My lapse in judgement allowed Mike/Mal to find that in the confessional outhouse and use it to orchestrate my elimination. While I'm certain both he and Scott voted me off that night, I'm not mad them for it because I voted for myself then as I wanted to prove to Gwen that I truly was sorry. I also already sensed I was going home anyway after losing the challenge. At first, I lied and said the chart meant nothing in some poor attempt to save myself from getting the boot. After Scott dumped me off-camera for the chart, I got more bitter towards him than I should've been. He had every right to be mad at me for it.
Eventually I realized I had to own up to my faults and cut the bullshit in order to have any chance of repairing my friendship with the goth. I then did something very rare of me (at the time) and gave a sincere apology where I said I shouldn't have made the chart at all and I desperately begged for Gwen to not vote me off as I still wanted to be friends. That's when she said I had to vote myself off in order to prove she could trust me. If I agreed to do so, then Ms. Goth would vote for Scott and try to get Zoey to do the same.
I was initially happy with the thought of being safe, but then I realized after losing the challenge that I'd probably be out of allies if the ginger got the most votes instead of me and I inevitably would get eliminated without immunity next episode even with Gwen on my side. There's no doubt I would've missed having him on the island. It was too late to change things and I had to live with the consequences no matter what. I later even admitted out loud I had been a bad friend towards Gwen when urging her again not to vote for me once the elimination ceremony came, which she said she wouldn't do if I voted for myself. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't dare vote myself off, but I had no other way to regain the trust of someone who went out of her way to make amends with me only for that to be ruined by my selfish desire for victory.
In between the challenge and the elimination ceremony, something the cameras didn't show was me saying sorry to Scott for being a cunt and how I assured him that while making that chart was wrong, I truly wanted him to go to the finals with me and pleaded for his forgiveness. He angrily refused and insisted we could never get back together after what I did that day. It made me feel so guilty that I cried after he stormed off that night. I had lost a loyal guy who truly loved me, and I deeply regretted planning to take advantage of his affections in the finale, thinking he would just let me win. His heart was obviously broken even if no tears were visible.
You of course know I won't repeat that fiasco. I made a solemn vow after that night to become a better person even if it took a long time to get there. It's still a work in progress with some bumps in the road. Gwen and Scott both deserve better than what the past Courtney Gomez did. He can't be blamed for refusing to trust or forgive me even after the season ended when I occasionally called to make amends (remember that we exchanged numbers before our relationship ended). I'm respectively going to be a better friend and girlfriend to each than I was in my first run-through. Quite frankly, I only have myself to blame for leaving the game on bad terms with both back then.
Anyway, back to this pad of paper, I decide to make a drawing of Scott dumping garbage waste onto Chris. It's basically the same as dumping trash onto more trash. I'm not a professional artist by any stretch of the imagination, but this can still be an amusing piece. Half an hour later, the sketch is complete. Gwen has entered the cabin by this point. I show it to her and the pigtailed girl, asking "Have you ever seen trash get poured on top of more trash?"
The three of us share a good laugh that lasts for around 15 minutes. Nice to know they appreciate my joke. A certain ginger is bound to enjoy that as well. I decide to show him. He unsurprisingly loves it based on the smile on his face. Scott snickers and compliments "Great creation, and I needed something amusing to brighten my mood."
"Nice to have a fan." I thank him. "Feel free to keep it."
"I will!" he happily tells me and takes it to his side of the cabin.
It's safe to say I'm in a much better mood as well. I then find my law book and resume reading that. After it gets dark, Lindsay comes into the cabin and informs us "Time to go vote someone off."
Everybody leaves the cabin and heads for the elimination ceremony. Sam has already arrived. The other guys show up shortly afterwards. Like the other contestants, I take a seat on one of the logs and wait for further instruction. When the ceremony begins, Chris announces "Good news! As a reward for making it to the merge, there will be no Boney Island for any of you tonight!", and the rest of us cheer excitedly before he continues with "OK, it's voting time!"
Like in the original timeline, the winner gets the first vote. That means Sam kicks things off here instead of Alejandro. I follow him once he exits the confessional. My vote tonight is for Cameron because of that Fang ordeal. I write "Don't use Scott to attract sharks!" on the front, and then exit after signing my name on the back. Mike then goes after me. In my first run-through, Mal was the last one to vote, which of course gave a perfect opportunity to tamper with the votes. I do realize it can come off as ironic in a way how I'm voting for the person who I tried to prevent getting a rigged vote against, but he needs to go after using my boyfriend as bait for the shark.
Anyway, I guess Mr. Multiple Personalities going earlier than before helps prove Mike is in control now instead of his evil persona. That of course is quite welcome. Zoey votes after he does, followed by Cameron, next Lindsay, then Scott, and finally Gwen. I don't really remember the original voting order other than who went first or last aside from how I went fourth, though all that matters now is that nobody (including Mal) rigs the results and that it's a fair outcome no matter what. Time for the verdict. Once Chris is done reviewing each vote and all the footage, he announces "The votes have been tallied and tonight's flush-o-shame recipient is…
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Courtney!"
I smugly tell our host "I beg to differ." as I pull the immunity idol out from my pocket and show it to him.
Everyone else except for Chef gasps in shock. Sure, I knew I'd be safe with this thing, but I admittedly didn't expect to get the majority vote tonight. Time to find out who's getting flushed instead.
"OK, I wasn't planning on that. Chef really should've told me the idol had been found!" our host tells us as he takes the idol from me.
The cook defends himself with "It would add drama and probably boost ratings when kept secret until now!"
Not sure if he means that or is just making things up on the spot to please him. Regardless, McLean relents "Fair point. I'll now make things even more dramatic!" and grabs a plate of marshmallows before telling us "Here's how things will now go: Sam obviously gets the first marshmallow for winning the race. Courtney gets the next one for using the immunity idol to nullify all votes against her. Whoever got the second most votes tonight will get flushed instead."
He throws one to both of us. The gamer cheers "Woo-hoo, high score for Samuelson!"
"I'll also say that Gwen, Lindsay, Mike, and Zoey are safe." our host adds and gives them each a marshmallow.
That leaves the bubble boy and my boyfriend in the bottom two. Mr. Multiple Personalities and Ms. Pigtails seem very concerned for their friend. I'm quite worried as well and start sweating. What if I accidentally caused Scott's elimination? The guys exchange nervous looks as Chris continues with "Cameron and Scott, one of you is getting flushed tonight."
"This is so nerve-wracking!" Wilkins exclaims.
"I bet it is. That means I'm doing my job right." McLean replies and chuckles before announcing "Now, the final marshmallow goes to…
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Scott!"
The ginger and I sigh in relief as our host gives him the last marshmallow. Mike then consoles his friend with "Sorry buddy. Not sure who voted for you or why, but you deserved to go further." and gives him a handshake.
"Nobody gets away with using me as bait for Fang!" Scott snaps, making it obvious he voted for Cameron.
"Agreed. Bubble boy had to go after that." I add.
"I said afterwards that I was sorry!" says Wilkins.
"It was too little and too late when you did." my boyfriend bitterly responds.
"While using him to attract a shark was wrong, I'll still miss you, Cam." Zoey tells tonight's flushee, and they exchange a goodbye hug.
"Same to you, though I'm glad I at least made the merge again." the bubble boy states.
"So long, pal." says Sam as he gives him a fist-bump.
"Flushing time! Cameron, come with me." McLean interjects, and then takes him to the giant toilet to flush him away.
The rest of us leave without bothering to wait for our host to sign off the episode. I really envy Sam for getting that hotel tonight. Scott and I should be there at some point. There's no reasonable doubt the ginger would take me as a guest if he has the chance after winning. As stated before, I would do the same for him. That would give us some nice alone time. No, I'm still not doing anything R-rated with my boyfriend while the season is still running. Making out with some feeling up is the furthest I can imagine us going before he turns 18.
Once I reach the cabin, Lindsay asks me "If that idol was in the Fun Zone, then how did you get it without anybody noticing?"
Didn't think she'd inquire about that. Good thing I know how to respond without giving away my time travel. I truthfully tell her "I explored some bushes and such on Boney Island before reaching the entrance to Fun Zone. The smashed windows and Duncan's carved initials made it clear he had at least reached the door and left his mark. By the way, you have my respect AND gratitude for getting your team to vote him off early. Thank you also for giving Alejandro the flush. After seeing the delinquent's mark, I decided to climb over the wall with some rope I had with me as the windows looked too small for me to squeeze through and I didn't want to risk getting stuck. I then was lucky enough to collect the idol without getting harmed, though it was a close call with all those mutants around. The cameras inside there weren't recording anything back then, so nobody here saw what I did in Fun Zone during the nighttime. Chef only knew after he came to pick me up and didn't want Chris to know right away, so the cook kept that idol with him and gave it to me for elimination ceremonies until I got the most votes, which was tonight."
"Happy to get rid of them, and WOW on the idol!" the blonde compliments in amazement with widened eyes and leaves after adding "Now I need to go use the bathroom."
That must be the most civil interaction I've had with Lindsay in quite some time. While I would of course have to apologize to her for previously being bitchy before I could call us friends, it felt good to not have any discernible tension between us tonight. Chef shows up shortly afterwards with a soup of some sort for dinner. I know from getting this in the original timeline that it isn't half bad, but I obviously would much rather have hotel food or even more of that fish I cooked on Boney Island. Having some of that secret spice DJ's mother uses would probably help it taste better. Oh well. I eat some while it's still warm. Scott and Gwen join me.
The goth seems disappointed that Cameron went home tonight. She then smiles when I tell both "Hard to believe I had the most votes tonight and used the idol to save myself, though I'm glad none of us got flushed."
"Me too." Gwen agrees.
"I'm amazed you got that over there as soon as you did. In fact, it makes your brains even more appealing than they already were." the ginger says.
"Thank you for that." I reply and kiss him on the cheek.
"Get a room!" Gwen teases with a chuckle. "Just kidding."
"You really had to go there, Gwen?" Scott asks her.
"Yes, I did. It helped give us some light-heartedness." Ms. Goth insists.
I admit "Can't deny that." with a slight giggle.
"The drawing you made earlier was definitely funnier." he adds.
We then laugh for a few minutes thinking about that as we finish the soup.
Spending time with both like this is of course wonderful. Gwen truly has been a good friend ever since we patched things up and Scott of course is a great boyfriend. I hope to stay in touch with both after the season ends. That reminds me; I need to at least get Gwen's number before she leaves. Having her Skype and/or email would also be nice. I take two pieces of paper and write my number, Skype, and email on each. Scott takes one and the goth takes the other as I tell them "Here's how to reach me after the season ends".
They take the hint, and both write down their own contact information, giving those pieces to me. Better keep these safe. I already had Scott's number stored on my phone in the original timeline, though never got the chance to fully memorize it before that wish to start over with him was granted and I got flung back in time. By the time I get back outdoors after putting them in my bag, Gwen has disappeared, leaving just the ginger and me around.
"Care for a walk in the moonlight, just the two of us?" he asks me with a slight blush.
"I'd love that." I affirm, and we hold hands while heading off.
Would he have gotten as romantic as this in my first run-through if we never broke up? Either Sam has really helped him with relationships even more than I expected, or he's probably going off some sort of whim. I regardless do enjoy what we have now. While it was adorable in a certain way seeing him get flustered and nervous around me (which was probably at least in part because of how I'm the only girl he's ever dated), I do like seeing a smoother side that's more confident with his lady interactions. The two of us walk around Wawanakwa for roughly an hour before he leads me to the top of that cliff from our first challenge of the season.
"Come over here for an unsupervised swim? How daring of you!" I joke with a chuckle.
"Very funny." he sarcastically replies. "The real reason was to get the best view of the moon, and to try something I've wanted to do for a long time."
"What would that-" I inquire before getting cut off when his lips meet mine.
A passionate kiss in the moonlight? Fine by me! I press my lips back into his as he puts his arms around my back and I put mine over his shoulders. The kiss lasts for about 20 seconds. We catch our breath as he tells me "I once saw my sister Albertha smooching one of her boyfriends on top of a hill at nighttime. Since she seemed to really like it, I didn't think it would hurt to try that if I got the chance with somebody. The truth is I've wanted to do so with you for quite a while."
I respond with "You weren't wrong." and smile.
"If I wasn't already in l-love before you found the idol against all odds, then I undoubtedly was upon that reveal." Scott continues. "I-I love you, Courtney. You're not only gorgeous, but also one smart cookie. Did I ever tell you now gice-no, NICE, your eyes also are to look at? They've got a certain sparkle I can't resist."
That's right; he did say he liked my eyes after we first got together in the original timeline! No wonder he liked staring at my face. Scott also once later said I looked "gice" when trying to compliment me, apparently mixing up "good" and "nice". Forgivable as he meant well and quickly corrected himself anyway both here and when I first lived through the season. I answer "Well, you did now." and briefly kiss him back before continuing with "I love you too, Scott, and can surely say you treat a lady well when you care for her. Don't ever change that about yourself. Being a gentleman with me as you have so far won't steer you wrong. You're also pleasing to the eyes and your brains are appealing too. We better get back to the main camp grounds soon, though, or Chris could get suspicious."
He then releases his arms from my back and I release mine from his shoulders. The two of us make our way back to the cabin with smiles plastered to our faces. Since we're now just going straight to there from the cliff instead of around the campus, it doesn't take as long to get back. I go into the girls' side of the cabin and he heads into the boys' side. To my surprise, nobody else is inside. Oh well. I take advantage of the alone time to get my pajamas on. After that, I go over to brush and floss my teeth in the communal bathroom as well as use the toilet. Once all of that is done, I return to the cabin and silently wink and Scott when he greets me with a wave. We share a brief goodnight hug and then go into our respective sides of the cabin. Mine is still empty. Not sure where Lindsay, Zoey, or Gwen are now, but I hop into one of the beds and quickly fall asleep with a very happy feeling after my time with the ginger tonight.
The immunity idol has been used! Scott also got more romantic with Courtney than she expected. Who will win the next challenge?
Reason for elimination: One cannot put the CIT's love interest in danger and expect to get away with it. Both of course voted for Cameron because of his shark plan while her subsequent rage attracted more votes (but certainly not from Scott, Zoey, or Gwen). People know Courtney's a strong player and not that easy to take down, though nobody knew she had the idol.
Elimination Order:
Sierra (14th place), Lightning (13th place), Jo (12th place), Duncan (11th place), Heather (10th place), Alejandro (9th place), Cameron (8th place)
Remaining Players:
Courtney, Gwen, Lindsay, Mike, Sam, Scott, Zoey
Chapter posted: November 16, 2018.