Six players remain. That'll turn into five after I respond to more reviews.
GlitchWarrior: Mal has things to do here. You'll find out more after reading this chapter.
SideshowJazz1: Yeah, the other contestants wanted Gwen to be treated in a better place with broken arms. I do have something for our baddie coming up.
Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Injuries are indeed a hindrance. It still is sad for our time-traveler, though.
That British Guy: Me neither. Ezekiel is horrid and definitely lost any sanity he may have had when going feral.
acosta perez jose ramiro: Your guesses on the votes during the boat challenge are correct. Glad you like my writing here so far.
ShadowJcreed: I have very rarely seen Ezekiel be even remotely likable in anything. Even without sexist remarks, he's just really obnoxious. Zoey unfortunately hasn't found the DVD and it's not like the CIT can just point it out as that would give away her time-travel. Can't delve into Mal being exposed now due to spoilers.
TheNoobyBoy: Only Zoey won because she freed Chris and Lindsay didn't, similar to how Gwen freed him in canon while Cameron was just a distraction for Zeke, and I admit it's kind of ironic that I eliminated the character who won that challenge in the actual series.
Scorp: Thank you. Hopefully you feel the same about what follows.
Find out now who wins the obstacle course!
My side of the cabin feels emptier with Gwen gone. At least she left the game on much better terms with me this time. I'll be sure to contact her after the season ends, especially if we don't get to speak again during the finale when all previously eliminated contestants are brought back and each finalist randomly selects two of them as helpers. Good thing we exchanged emails, phone numbers, and Skype usernames before her departure. Lindsay isn't too bad to have around, but it's just not the same as having a cherished friend with me.
Something that just occurred to me now is how Scott and I are the only remaining Vultures. While I do dearly miss the goth, part of me also feels accomplished to be the highest-ranking female of my team. Yeah, I know the merge has already taken place, but I still am allies with him as well as his girlfriend. He probably feels proud of himself to be the team's longest lasting male. It's hard to say how I'd react if either of us went next. That just can't happen.
When I get outside, I see that some burnt English muffins have been left on a big plate for us to eat. Please stop burning our meals, Chef! Yes, I knew this would happen, but it doesn't make things any better. I eat a couple of them anyway as nothing else is available. Where could Lindsay be? Regardless, I hear voices as I eat and decide to listen in.
Sam asks a certain somebody "Mike, have you really been yourself lately other than when Chester or Manitoba Smith surfaced?" and continues with "Things haven't been the same after Manitoba was accidentally hit in the head with a shovel. I heard some unusual voice come from you in your sleep last night. We're friends and you can tell me the truth."
Did he find out about Mal? Better listen more. Mike regretfully says "I wish I could say I have. There's undoubtedly been something wrong with me since that day. My alternate personalities couldn't be contacted until I got the idea to get hit in the head again. A second shovel hit brought them back, but I feel like a really bad thing could be happening to me, which may have been what you heard. That's probably why I've blanked out from time to time or acted out of the ordinary. If I ever turn into anything that isn't Manitoba, Svetlana, Vito, or Chester, then I'm sorry in advance for whatever happens, and you should just run to save yourself. I have some vague guesses but haven't exactly figured out what that bad thing could be. Chester always seems to vanish before he can finish giving some sort of warning and then come back until he tries to finish that again. Big sign of trouble right there. You're my friend, Sam, and shouldn't get hurt by whatever that is. Everybody else should run to a safe distance as well. Thanks for the concern, though."
Wait a moment. He hasn't figured out that his inner demon got unleashed and is going back-and-forth with control? Mal was probably preventing Chester from informing the main man what's happening to him. It goes to show what a difference a shovel hit vs. a boulder hit made. I feel quite sorry for the multi-personality teen. If he can't win an inner battle, then the guy should probably get professional help. Nobody should have to suffer such agony. The gamer responds with "Of course. Hope you get better soon and figure out whatever it is that's wrong. That voice sounded as if it wanted domination and it just wasn't like you."
After the two part, I decide to go clean my teeth while I have the chance, so I take my toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss over to the communal bathroom. That takes about five minutes to complete. On my way back, I hear an evil voice mutter "These gullible fools have no idea what they're up against and I'll easily defeat them all!" before laughing evilly.
Mal has surfaced! I even see part of the multi-personality teen's hair has fallen over one eye as I turn to his sound. Before I can say anything, our gamer notices and confronts him with "What 'gullible fools' are you talking about? Whoever you are, don't try to trick me into thinking this is Mike, because he would never say such a thing!"
The demon faces him and replies "Oh, so you paid attention and noticed me, Samuel. Very observant! No point in denying who I am when you can't be tricked. My name is Mal, and I WILL win the million, not that your friend Michael knows about it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I heard him tell you that he only had vague guesses about what was happening to him earlier. Is that so? I plan to keep it that way and got unleashed with that shovel hit on the beach, which has given me on-and-off control ever since. Mike thought he had gotten rid of me long ago. The truth is I was just laying low, conserving my energy, waiting for my moment, and it worked! Now I'm in charge, so he's unavailable."
Mr. Gamer quips "You ARE the unusual voice I heard last night! Don't hurt him or anyone else!" only to get a dismissive "Pfft. I do as I please." in response.
Sam then retorts "You need to go out and-" before getting interrupted by Mal hoisting him in the air by his shirt collar and threatening "Listen up. You better not share a word of this exchange with anybody if you want to stick around. Got it, Sam? I'll personally be hell to anybody who tries to interfere and am even willing to torture your buddy whose body I now possess. Don't fuck around with me. I otherwise just might break every game system you own."
I run over to help, but trip over a rock and land face first on the ground. Damn, that hurt. Sam can be heard nervously gulping and then he pleads "Sure, just please don't hurt innocent people." as I pick myself up.
Too bad I couldn't get over there to stop it in time. Furthermore, if the evil persona catches either of us telling the others about him coming up now, then even worse things are bound to happen. What he doesn't know is that I witnessed his threat. Mal drops him to the ground and scoffs "Whatever." with an evil chuckle before running off.
Making my way over to the help gaming nut up, I inform him "You don't need to tell me anything. While I saw and heard what happened, I sadly couldn't reach you in time. I think you know what to do."
Sam sighs and tells me "Of course. Make sure Mal loses and vote him off tonight. It's ultimately for the greater good. Having to do this will hurt, though, as Mike is my pal and he doesn't fully know what's happening to him. I heard that evil-sounding voice not only last night in his sleep, but also the night before in the hotel in that room with the monitors where we met Chef for the previous challenge. When fiddling with one of the game systems I found in there, some evil laughter was playing nearby, so I went in to find out where that came from. One of the screens showed Mal bragging in the confessional about easily winning the million and then Mike resurfacing right afterwards, apparently not knowing what he was doing in there. That was all I caught before he exited. At first, I thought it was just a one-time-only thing as it I didn't see or hear that evil being yesterday until Mike was already asleep. I also wasn't sure how to bring the matter up then anyway to others as it would make me look bad to indicate I invaded what's supposed to be a private-from-other-castmates moment even though they get shown on public TV unless maybe somebody edits those out. Hearing it again last night in his sleep of course proved me wrong and I knew I had to at least check on him in the morning. Sleep talking is nothing new for Mike or his other personalities as Cameron heard him repeatedly do so last season, but they don't sound evil like Mal does."
Well-intentioned for sure, though Mal isn't one to directly confront on matters. That will lead to something bad. It at least didn't go well for Alejandro as the demon crushed his wrist after being threatened with the "Mal's Greatest Hits" DVD. Al was also eliminated that day in a 5-1 vote. Still not sure whether it was him or the real Mike who talked Scott and me into giving him the flush back then, though.
In any case, Sam or Zoey finding that DVD would've helped. I assure the gamer "If he does win today's challenge, then I promise not to vote you off tonight as long as you don't vote for me either. It's also probably best for us to consult the others for a collective vote in private after that's over as I don't think we could reach them all in time now without being overheard by the wrong ears. I have no doubt that Mal will cause more trouble for anybody that he knows is onto him, so keep a low profile for now."
"Deal. I don't think I could take him on my own, so I'm grateful for the help." He thanks me.
I reply with "Not a problem. Chris will probably call us over for the upcoming challenge soon."
Almost as if on cue, our host instructs "Attention maggots! Last one to the beach drops and gives me 50! Up, Up, Hut!" through a microphone.
"Nice timing." Sam compliments with a bit of a chuckle, and then we sprint over.
"At ease, maggots. About time you got here. I was almost getting bored." McLean impatiently tells us once everyone except a certain blonde has arrived and is gasping for breath from running, and then adds "Glad you could join us, Lindsay. You know the deal. Last one here equals pushups there." as she shows up.
She catches her breath and whines "That's just plain cruel!"
"I think you mean 'That's just plain cruel, sir'!" he replies, using a megaphone when repeating her words and adding the "sir".
Lindsay then reluctantly begins the pushups. It wears her out, and she complains "I have no more feeling in my arms." after finishing and collapsing.
"That's just too bad!" Chef barks.
"Listen up, worms. Chef's boot camp challenge in season 1 was tough, but this is season 5 and things are about to get a lot more hurt-y with the Chris McLean Obsta-kill course! Patent pending."
Both are quite brutal experiences indeed. That boot camp challenge from the first season was also where Harold McGrady rigged the votes against me to spite Duncan Ebert as well as where my ill-fated romance with the delinquent first blossomed. I was shocked upon hearing I had been eliminated instead of Harold, and then infuriated once I learned about the tampering. Though McGrady later apologized for it, mentioning that challenge can still bring up unpleasant memories.
"Is this for real?" Sam interjects.
"100% yes. To win this full-on race challenge and avoid getting flushed, first you'll have to conquer the fun tires. Get through them, and you're onto the ropes. Some ropes are less reliable than others, so choose wisely but not too wisely; that'll spoil the fun, for me. Next, the snapping bars." Chris informs us.
"Why are they called that?" Zoey asks.
"Oh, you'll see." he responds and continues with "Then, it's on to a pleasant run through the duck-and-cover. Come out of that alive, and you're in for a real treat."
"Some elaboration on that 'treat' would be nice." I add, wanting to keep Scott from accidentally making this challenge harder by prompting our host to give us heavy backpacks to wear the whole time.
"You'll find out once you get there." Chris replies.
"Fair enough." I tell him, doing what I can to prevent the ginger from talking right now about how easy this supposedly will be.
Sam helps Lindsay get back up on her feet. He tells her "Better hope your arms get their strength back soon; you'll really need them today!"
"I know." the blonde responds. "It just sucks to wear them out before the challenge even begins, so thanks for the help back up."
"Sure thing." he tells her.
"A night together in the spa hotel if either of us win today and Chris allows guests this time?" Scott whispers to me.
"Definitely!" I quietly affirm with a smile and we quickly peck each other on the lips.
"On your marks, get set, go!" McLean instructs.
The six of us all begin running. Lindsay is initially the furthest behind, though she does begin to catch up after a slow start. What's important now is that Mal loses. However, Mr. Multiple Personalities has just turned into Svetlana, proclaiming "It's time for Svetlana to get gymnastic!" in a Russian accent.
Oh great. She happens to be Mike's most athletic personality. Surely an asset for this challenge, which makes things harder for the rest of us. At least the demon isn't in control right now. Can I keep up with the gymnast persona, though? Crossing through the tires, Scott remarks "This is easy!" before a log pops out from one of them and hits me in the face!
Can't believe I forgot how I ran into that the first time. Better keep going. My boyfriend looks back out of concern with a "Huh?", and then gets caught in another tire when distracted, somehow landing in a way where one leg sticks out.
He screams in pain and complains "My foot is touching my face!" as a log from another tire and a boxing glove from some other one pop up.
Chris can be heard asking "You dung beetles didn't think Colonel McLean would give you a straight-ahead challenge, did you?"
Should've remembered these booby traps. I pull the ginger out from that tire as soon as I reach it. He gratefully smiles afterwards and doesn't need to be told to just keep going. Water then sprays out of a few others, with Zoey nearly getting soaked while Svetlana complains "Too wet for my liking!" and helps her get across them. Lindsay and Sam respectively get hit by a boxing-glove-on-a-spring and a log that pop up from the tires.
"Svetlana and Zoey are in the lead and heading for the rope slope." Chris announces as he and Chef pull up in the cook's jeep. "This ought to be good!"
The Russian gymnast climbs a licorice rope with ease. A certain pigtailed girl isn't so quick. At one point in the middle of her ascent, she asks aloud "What the heck?" and sniffs it.
"No time for sniffing, only climbing!" Svetlana tells her.
"I'm trying!" she replies and then sneezes, accidentally releasing the rope during that sneeze before falling to the ground and landing on her ass.
Zoey groans in pain and rubs the area that hurt. McLean observes through the speakerphone "Apparently Zoey's allergic to ropes made of dog hair."
"Dog hair!?" Pigtails questions. "Ew!"
She then sneezes again.
Svetlana turns back into Mike, who calls out "Zoey, get away from that thing! I can come down and help if you like."
Danger of his girlfriend suffering from illness/allergies can bring him back? I should've guessed. Maybe the fall was also part of it.
"Keep going; I'll catch up!" she insists, sounding a little stuffy, and he complies as she goes to a white rope of some sort.
I reach the ropes next and climb up the licorice one. Nothing personal against dogs, but candy-based ropes sound more appealing. Scott reaches the base not long afterwards. To keep the ginger from shocking himself on the zapping rope like last time, I warn "Watch where you place your hands!" as I'm about halfway up.
He then notices a spark coming from the zapping rope and switches over to the one made from dog hair instead, gratefully telling me "Thanks, and I'll be up in a country jiffy!" as he makes his way to the top.
In a certain sense, it's like Mike and Zoey are a duo while Scott and I are another. Sam's probably on his own. Same with Lindsay. As I descend, I hear the blonde screaming and some electric shocks. It doesn't surprise me that she of all people would take that rope. Another dumb moment. Our host can be heard chuckling and telling the audience "Looks like someone found my favorite rope; the zapper!"
Sam remarks "Yeah, bad choice, though my rope smells like the puppy I have back home when he gets filthy." as she continues to scream and get zapped by the rope.
Chris can be heard cutting to the commercial break with "Will anyone survive the obsta-kill course? Will Lindsay become a human hotdog? Will I laugh no matter what? Yes, to that, but for all the other answers, stay tuned to Total. Drama. All-Stars!"
Even if the real Mike is in control now, I can't afford for him to win today as that means Mal stays in the game unless the main man can somehow sort things out. He's in the lead with Zoey in second, heading for the next part of our challenge. I sprint to catch up with both. McLean informs us "Mike is the first to reach the snapping bar followed by Zoey and Courtney!" as the multi-personality teen crosses it and avoids the snapping turtles in the below water who jump out, trying to bite him.
The pigtailed girl goes somewhat slowly, clearly wanting to avoid the turtles. I can't take chances now and make my way past her to catch up with Mr. Multiple Personalities. Thankfully she maintains her grip and doesn't fall into the turtle-infested water.
"Mike maintains the lead, but Courtney is on his trail. Who will win it all?" Chris ponders.
Hopefully it'll be me. I ran after him after we both reach ground again, though can't seem to keep up. Next up will be the duck-and-cover. Glancing behind me, I notice Zoey approaching the end of the bars as Scott struggles to even get started. He complains "Ow, my left butt cheek! Ow, my right butt cheek!" as snapping turtles latch onto each of those, asking aloud "Why is it always my butt?"
Thankfully Sam can somehow punch each turtle off before long once he shows up. I vaguely hear the gamer tell him "Just keep going to avoid getting bitten again!" and my boyfriend gratefully reply "Thanks, and you truly are a pal for that."
While I feel bad for not having a chance to help Scott in a time of need, he fortunately got aid in a short amount of time from someone who evidently has befriended him, and I must make sure Mal loses today even if that also means flushing the real Mike. Better keep moving. The pigtailed girl isn't far behind me as we follow him. He suddenly stops and almost gets hit by a leech Chef fires at him. An evil voice then retorts "If that's how you roll, then two can play at this game!" and tosses the slimy creature back at the shooter, getting a direct hit and prompting an enraged growl from the cook, who fires more at him after peeling it off.
Why did Mal have to take over again? His hair has even dropped over one eye again. This leech dodge is one part of the challenge I do remember. Finding a place to cover truly does help. Our host cautions "Forgot to mention: this is Chef's favorite place to unwind with some leech-ball target practice, so you better duck and you better find cover!"
He doesn't need to repeat himself. I promptly duck behind a rock to avoid those gross leeches. Zoey does the same behind another one close by. She whispers to me "Am I imagining things, or did a certain demon take over my beloved's body again and fling back a leech at Chef?"
"His evilness unfortunately is back in control." I quietly answer back. "Here's hoping it doesn't last for long."
We see Mal up ahead ducking behind some other rock as Hatchet fires at him. He's brushing his hair back, evidently disguising himself as Mike again. Mr. Multiple Personalities dodges to another rock further in the distance and gets hit in the torso by several of the cook's leeches. The demon groans in pain as it makes contact. He peels one off and flings it back towards Chef, missing his target, and then gets the others off his body.
"Mike is still in the lead!" McLean announces.
If only that were the real Mike and not Mal in control. Chef continues to shoot at him without success. I take this opportunity to move ahead. Zoey follows close behind. Unfortunately, the cook notices and fires at us. The pigtailed girl trips and falls flat on her face just as I reach a rock. She gets pelted with lots of leeches while struggling to get back up. Zoey screams "Ew, Ow, and Gross! These things both figuratively and literally suck!"
A concerned gasp is heard up ahead. I see the multi-personality teen running back, assuring her "I'll help you get those off!" and only gets hit by one of the other leeches that Chef fires at him, peeling it off his cheek without stopping.
Thank god Mike is back in control! Zoey gets a few leeches off her before he arrives and helps with the others. He truly is a dedicated boyfriend to the pigtailed girl, at least when his other personalities aren't in control. Too bad I can't risk keeping Mal around any longer than necessary. I take my chance to go ahead and dodge behind another rock, taking a couple leeches to one of my legs in the process, and peeling those gross things off shortly afterwards. No major damage.
Looking back, I see Sam, Scott, and Lindsay all diving behind different rocks. The gamer can be heard pondering "Maybe I can put my Call of Duty skills to use with all the dodging I had to do to avoid enemy fire when playing those games, but I have nothing to fire back with."
Let's hope they don't get hit too much. I regardless keep going until I reach the edge of a cliff, stopping to avoid a nasty fall in the water below. On the other side, Chris tells me through his megaphone "Here's that treat you asked about earlier, Courtney, and kudos to you and Mike for getting here first. This is it, maggots; the final obstacle! All you gotta do is get to where I'm standing alive!"
I see Mr. Multiple Personalities catch up shortly after the host finishes. Something I notice is that the backpacks with zip lining gear that we had to carry in the original timeline are lying nearby. Mike asks our host "How are we supposed to do that?"
"Look in the bags to the side." McLean answers.
Zoey apparently heard that and reaches them first, opening one and says "Ziplining, of course!" as she takes out the gear.
The multi-personality teen and I scramble to get some gear for ourselves. He finishes putting it on before I do, though. Each of us race for the lines. Mike gets there moments before Zoey and me, setting up his connection with ease and zipping down the line. I lean back to gain speed and try to catch up to him. It's a rather close race. At the finish line, Chris announces "The race for last place begins as the race for first is about to end! Mike looks unbeatable, but wait; can Zoey or Courtney take the crown?"
"I sure hope so!" I yell aloud.
Almost immediately afterwards, the multi-personality teen leans back more and extends his legs forward, gaining enough speed. It's enough to secure him victory.
"Mike wins immunity!" McLean tells us as he crosses the line.
Zoey passes it seconds later and then I do the same. So much for flushing Mal tonight. At least the main man is in control now instead of him. After we get off the lines and remove our gear, his girlfriend tells him "Congrats on the victory." with a hug and then they share a kiss.
While Mike and Zoey did have a nice moment right there, it's not what we need at this moment. He gives a simple "Thank you." in response.
Lindsay, Sam, and Scott arrive within a minute. They all crash into trees like Gwen and I did in my first run-through. This time I put my feet against one for a less painful ending, as did the pigtailed girl and the multi-personality teen. The trio moans in pain. Chris chuckles at the sight and says "Bonus ouchies! You can count your bruises while I'm counting the elimination votes tonight. Mike's safe from the flush of shame, so who's going home, I wonder?"
We'll find that out later. On another note, Scott thankfully didn't find himself in a pickle with the wires by not having any ziplining gear in this challenge unlike in the original timeline when he foolishly abandoned his pack. As I head back to the cabins, Sam catches up to me and inquires "Since Mal can't be voted off tonight, what are we supposed to do at tonight's elimination ceremony?"
Good thing the demon is nowhere to be seen right now and can't possibly hear us. I respond with "Just vote for someone else and hope for the best. No point in gathering people for a collective vote when he's safe from the next flush. Keep your head down to avoid Mal doing even worse things to you than this morning. Don't risk your safety now by letting him overhear you say the wrong things. On a higher note, at least the real Mike was in control when winning today's race. I saw him as he crossed the line. Remember we promised not to vote for each other tonight. Best of luck. I also briefly saw you help Scott out earlier with those turtles, so thanks for that."
"No problem." the gamer replies. "He might not have been friends with me last season, but that seems to have changed lately. I admit I gave him some help with relationships and sensed Scott wanted to be more than friends with you even before he asked for tips. He was quite grateful for it. We seem to have gotten along better ever since it worked in his favor and you agreed to go out with him. Seeing some similarities to how things were between Dakota and me before we became a couple, I sympathized with his scenario and was willing to lend a hand. Maybe I should've brought him into the hotel with me when I won the boat race, but I really wanted a night with my lady. Too bad Chris wouldn't let me call her to come over."
"You have respect for all of that as well as your dedication to Ms. Milton. Here's hoping we make the final five together." I say with a handshake, and then we part.
With the final five approaching, I need to increase my chances of getting to the finale. How does one do that? By eliminating threats. Sorry Zoey, but you and Mal are overall the biggest threats to my victory, so you have my vote today since he's now immune. No hard feelings, just strategy. I resume reading my law book once I reach my cabin. Yes, it is a very long book, and helps me pass time.
Once Lindsay arrives in the cabin, she complains "Today was brutal!" and seems exhausted.
"You can say that again." I add in agreement.
"Now I just need rest. Wake me up when it's time for the vote if I'm not already awake by then." the blonde tells me as she takes off her boots and climbs into one of the beds, falling asleep before long once underneath the covers.
Though I also feel beat from the challenge and napping sounds nice, I can't do that when an evil demon is lurking among camp. Sam also seems to understand that trying to tell others about him now wouldn't end well. Maybe one of us can win the next challenge and then expose him if we both survive this elimination ceremony. Zoey enters the cabin about ten minutes later. She sees Lindsay is sleeping, and does her best to keep quiet, whispering "Don't get me wrong; though I'm proud of Mike for winning today, I do know that also means Mal is safe from the upcoming flush. Looks like we'll just have to vote randomly tonight. I watched this show's first three seasons before competing in the fourth and know Lindsay probably couldn't keep secrets very well, so I haven't told her about Mal in case she blurts out plans at the wrong time and gets herself in trouble."
Good point on the blonde and her secret-keeping (or lack thereof) when she accidentally shared an embarrassing diarrhea secret on screen involving her sister Paula in season one. Shrugging my shoulders, I say "I guess so, and she definitely isn't one I'd trust with secrets. See you in the final five if things go accordingly.", and she departs the cabin.
My response (except for agreeing on Lindsay and secrets) was something season 6's villain Sugar would probably call "a can of lies" (to quote one of her confessionals); my choice to flush the pigtailed girl isn't random at all, though I obviously couldn't say that aloud. Above all else, I hope is that the next one out isn't Scott or me. Sam sticking around would also be nice because he's become pals with the ginger to at least some extent, plus my boyfriend could use an ally if I don't survive the next elimination ceremony. Nobody else is likely to team up with him at this point. Having that immunity idol still with me would be nice. Oh well. I keep reading until it's dark outside and the gaming nut knock on our door, telling us "Chris wants us to gather so we can vote now."
Lindsay heard that and gets her boots back on. Everyone then heads for the elimination ceremony. We each take seats on the logs near the campfire. Our host shows up shortly afterwards and says "Time to send another contestant into the toilet. Unfortunately, somebody ravaged through my marshmallow stash earlier today! Only five remain, which is just enough for tonight. This was found nearby and gives me a good idea of what happened."
Chris holds up a game console with some marshmallow smudge. Sam stealing marshmallows? I don't believe it for a moment! My jaw drops in shock at the sight and we all gasp. Zoey questions "How could you, Sam!?"
"No; honest to god, I didn't steal anything!" the gamer insists. "Someone else must've done it and left that console there to pin the blame on me!"
Mr. Multiple Personalities then reprimands "Not cool!"
Part of my instinct somehow senses from the pleading look on Sam's face that he truly is innocent. He's not the type to do this sort of thing. I would bet my bottom dollar Mal is the true culprit and framed him, but I don't have any solid evidence to prove it. Mike wouldn't do that sort of thing, especially to one of his friends, and might not even know what really happened. Only his evil persona would pin things like this on others. Not sure who's in control right now as the main man could be shocked by witnessing the ordeal while his inner demon could be posing as him and faking innocence. In any case, Chris warns "I'll see about that when I review the camera footage later. Whoever stole the marshmallows should consider this my only warning: DO NOT STEAL THOSE AGAIN OR YOU IMMEDIATELY WILL GET DISQAULIFIED WHEN I FIND OUT THE TRUTH! The innocent will also be kicked off right away if I catch them doing it in the future. Now, go cast your votes."
Mike/Mal goes first. Zoey follows him. Scott goes afterwards. Then Sam votes, followed by Lindsay, and lastly me. I would vote off Mal if I could, but since that's not an option, I stick with my original choice and vote for the pigtailed girl as she's my next biggest threat. I make an X over a portrait of her face and sign my name on its back. A gut feeling tells me Sam is innocent plus I promised earlier that I wouldn't vote for him tonight anyway.
Time to get our verdict. McLean later brings out a plate of marshmallows and tells us "I managed to secure the five marshmallows that weren't stolen and have them with me tonight. Hopefully I don't end up giving one to the thief. In any case, I've tallied the votes and will keep a closer watch on my stash once replenished. Our first marshmallow goes to today's winner Mike. Courtney and Scott have both made it to the final five. Everyone else each received votes today."
The three of us then get our marshmallows. A concerned blonde then asks "Wait, why me?"
"Beats me, but you can relax Lindsay; you're safe too with only one vote." he says and tosses her one.
"Thank goodness!" she replies.
Sam and Zoey are in the bottom two. Both look quite anxious right now. Our host continues with "Just one spot in the final five remains. This is the ticket there, and it goes to…
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Zoey!"
Pigtails then gets the only marshmallow left and exclaims "That's a relief!"
I feel bad for Mr. Gamer, who says "Quite unfortunate, but I'm glad I did much better than last season, and it was sweet to get a solo victory before leaving."
Chris announces "Game over for you, Sam, even if you didn't take from the marshmallow stash. You had three votes against you and now must surf the porcelain wave machine. Zoey had just two. First, since Mike won the challenge, he and a camper of his choice get to enjoy the spa!"
"That would be Zoey! It doesn't take a genius to figure out why." The multi-personality teen tells him while hugging the pigtailed girl, who says "Thanks, and I would've done the same for you yesterday if Chris let me."
"OK, now I need to do some flushing." an impatient McLean butts in, taking Sam over to the toilet.
I don't bother waiting for the host to sign off today's episode. Scott walks over to join Chris and the gamer. Chances are he wants to wish him a goodbye. On my way out, I glance back and vaguely hear a sinister voice mutter "So long, sucker!"
Mal is here again! This makes me even more certain he stole the marshmallows and framed Sam. Still not sure if that was him or Mike who chastised the gamer, though. It's a shame either way that the demon will surely do the something bad to me if I call him out for it now. Reaching the cabin, I see that some pizza has arrived, which unfortunately has been burnt. Hopefully this is the last losers' meal that Chef burns. I wouldn't know about the next ones since I got voted off in the final five last time and the cameras didn't show any dinners for that or the final four.
Either way, tonight's dish overall isn't too bad, just crispier than I would prefer. Scott joins me at the cabin doorstep and we eat together. He looks rather sad and tells me "It sucks how Sam went home today, guilty of robbing marshmallows or not. I promised not to vote the guy off today and will miss him. We had just recently become closer and he was my only friend in the game at this point other than you. At least we got to say goodbye before his flushing. I suppose Gwen could also be counted as one to some extent, but not as much as you or him. She shouldn't have been booted yesterday either, even with both arms broken." after we finish eating.
I give him a sympathy hug, saying "We sadly can't always get what we want. Though I can't exactly prove it right now, something tells me he was innocent. I doubt he would really steal from the stash like that. Chris will find out for sure either way and probably tell us once he knows the answer."
His spirits seem to lift at least a little. Though having a friend get eliminated sucks, he still has me. A sad thought is that Scott would probably be toast if left on his own. Let's hope we both survive the next challenge as well. We part ways and I go into the girls' side of the cabin to get my toiletries. I could use a shower right about now. Lindsay isn't inside, so I can safely undress in here and wrap a towel around my torso. I grab my shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss as I head over to the communal bathroom. It looks like she had similar thoughts as I hear one of the showers running when I arrive. Out of curtesy, I state "You have company, so take caution as you exit! There's also dinner at our cabin." as I place my toiletries near one of the sinks and enter a shower with my shampoo and soap, hanging up my towel nearby.
"Thanks for the heads-up." the blonde replies, and then her water is shut off shortly afterwards.
I spend the next half hour showering as Lindsay exits. This does help get off today's grime even if inferior to the hotel showers. Since nobody else is in here, I can get my pajamas in safely without the risk of being seen naked. I then brush and floss my teeth before taking my belongings back to the cabin. Something that just occurred to me now is that Scott is the only one in the boys' side as Mike/Mal got the hotel tonight and took Zoey as a guest. Too bad I can't go into his side without raising eyebrows. Is he still inside, though? I knock on the window and say "Scott, if you're in there, then I hope one of us wins tomorrow. I'd love a night in the hotel with you."
After a pause, I hear a response of "I am, and that sounds nice, but I'm not really in a talkative mood right now. See you in the morning."
"Talk to you then." I reply, respecting his wishes to not converse much.
Making my way back into the girls' side, I take out my book and read that for a couple hours before I feel drowsy. Lindsay has already fallen asleep by this point. May as well do the same. I then put that book away and climb into bed, letting sleep take over as I hope for another victory.
Scott loses a friend. How will Chris react upon learning what happened to the marshmallows? Find out in the next chapter, the ice cream challenge that brought on the notorious chart in canon. That chart won't happen here. It could take a while for me to come up with how things will play out, though I already have decided who gets flushed then as well as who else gets the boot when prior to the finals. Regardless, I probably won't finish Chapter 15 before 2019 begins. Feel free to think of this one as an early Christmas gift. I really like Sam and wanted him to go much further than in the real TDAS, but had to make a sacrifice at some point.
Reason for elimination: Mal knew Sam was a threat to his plans after confronting him (much like when Alejandro did in the original timeline), so he orchestrated the gamer's elimination by framing him as a thief with the marshmallow-smudged game console, which our CIT correctly suspects but can't yet prove. It was natural that he'd get a sense of the demon after winning the boat race and witnessing him (even if only briefly before Mike takes back control and no DVD is found) during his night at the hotel.
Elimination Order:
Sierra (14th place), Lightning (13th place), Jo (12th place), Duncan (11th place), Heather (10th place), Alejandro (9th place), Cameron (8th place), Gwen (7th place), Sam (6th place)
Remaining Players:
Courtney, Lindsay, Mike, Scott, Zoey
Chapter posted: December 16, 2018.