Disclaimer: Characters belong to Fresh Tv. I only own my original characters.
~A/N~ Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this. I've been doing a good amount of thinking about it, and the planning for the entire thing is pretty solid. So, without any further interruptions, enjoy! (Also, let's try to hit 70 reviews with this chapter:)
Chef silently moved past the security cameras outside the boat shed and peeked around the corner. With no interns in sight, he opened the door and swiftly hurried inside as the camera turned away. Hatchet closed the door without a single creak or squeal and cracked his knuckles.
A few minutes later, the muscle-bound cook emerged from the shack, decked out with equipment: rope, flashlights, night vision goggles, MREs, and a radio headset.
"It's crunch time," he said with a massive grin as he made a run for the beach.
Confessional
Chef Hatchet: "Sure, the kids don't exactly deserve my help, but the last thing this stupid show needs is another trip to the courthouse. That, and Chris has gone too far... again."
End Confessional
Dawn, Samantha, Tyler, and Dakota had no where to go. The dark walls of the cave revealed no immediate escape, nor did the giant hole in the ground where the other campers had fallen into the twilight zone.
Tyler was slightly shaky, in worry of the other's safety.
"It's okay, Tyler," Dawn cooed, sitting beside him. "They're fine. I can feel it."
"You sure?" Tyler asked.
"Well, of course I am."
"Nice," Tyler sighed as if something was still troubling him.
"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Dawn asked the jock, who turned away in shame. "You can tell me, Tyler. I don't judge people based on their secrets, only on their actions and respect of nature."
"Well," Tyler started.
"Yes."
"I just feel... useless. You know? Everyone has some kind of talent on the team. Noah's smart, Jordan's strong on challenges, Staci has her perseverance, you have your aura stuff, and even Katie has her little bursts of athleticism. But what do I have? Nothing. I know I suck at sports, but I love them though. I guess I just want a chance to shine, and not at my elimination."
"I completely understand," Dawn put a hand on Tyler's shoulder. "It's okay to feel this way, but just know that someone values you in some way. I should know."
"You sucked at sports too?!" Tyler gasped.
"Uh, no," Dawn said in confusion at Tyler's guess. "I don't partake in sports, but I did feel useless when I was younger. I never made a friend until Grade Ten because of my quirks and sometimes I felt like giving up on life. My love for nature kept me going and now look where I am. I have friends and small fame. All you need to do is find your savior. The forest was mine, so yours can't be too far away in your life."
"Thanks Dawn," Tyler smiled weakly. "I needed that. You're a good friend, you know, even though I barely know you."
"Well, maybe we should get started on that," Dawn said.
As the two began to converse over their lives, Samantha and Dakota were seated a few feet away behind a stone wall, having their own talk on recent events.
"So, you think that someone on the team betrayed our alliance? Did I get that right?" Dakota asked, knowing the answer.
Samantha nodded. "We had four votes on Eva last night and it was a tie; someone flipped their vote to Sadie and ruined our only chance to get the biggest threat out of the game for good."
Dakota felt her heart thumping as she began to feel as if she was seconds away from being caught red-handed. So she came up with a lie. "Maybe Sadie voted for herself?"
"I don't think so," Samantha sighed. "I did some talking with her yesterday and all she wanted was to beat her friend. She did change her mind when she got booted, but that was the point of no return."
"You're probably right," Dakota said, looking away from her former alliance member. "It could have been Ethan, right?"
"No. He follows me wherever I go, so he's out of the equation. Guess who that leaves."
Dakota turned to see Samantha staring her in the eye suspiciously. "Me? Why would I betray you?!"
"I'm not saying you did, Dakota, but based on how suspicious you've been lately and the evidence we have, you're the primary suspect."
"But why would I do that?" Dakota asked, trying to lead Samantha away from the obvious truth. "What would my motive even be?!"
"To win," Samantha smiled. "You know I'm a threat in the game. I've got the strength to beat you in any physical challenge and enough brainpower to win at puzzles and the sexiness to woo the jury in the finale. I don't know if you did betray me or not, but doing that would have been smart of you, expect for the fact that I'd crush you if you did that."
Dakota was swept away with a wave of anxiety. "So, how do I prove my innocence?"
"Vote for Eva if we lose the challenge, and I'll be sure of your loyalty. We have three votes to her one and Brick's vote. There's no way we can lose unless Chris shoehorns another twist into the plan and Eva somehow survives."
"Okay," Dakota nodded, shaking her teammate's hand with glee and smiling.
Confessional
Dakota: "And that's how to play the game. Last time I didn't care, but now that I need the money, I guess my skills are showing."
Samantha: "I know Dakota's lying her butt off, but that's not what I want her to think. That's how to play the game."
End Confessional
Jordan and Katie sat facing away from each other as they pondered over their current situation. Both teens held each other in deep dislike and being to stuck in a cave together wasn't exactly the most enjoyable situation.
Jordan decided to speak up, even though he knew that he'd immediately regret it. "You know, we should at least try to get out. What do you think?"
"I'm voting myself off," Katie said defiantly.
Jordan shrugged. "I couldn't care less, but that's not important right now. What is important is getting out alive. I'm not going to die without recording my first rap album!"
Katie stood up and walked over to Jordan. "Didn't you hear me? I'm voting myself off if we lose! I don't care about your rap music! I'm stressing out right now and you don't even care!"
"Fine," Jordan groaned. "Why are you voting yourself off? Tell me; let it out. It's not like I have my life on the line or anything important to lose."
"I need to talk to Sadie. I never got to say goodbye." Katie began to tear up and Jordan rolled his eyes. "Last time we were separated, we got a happy ending and I got to eat food and rub Justin's 'fab' abs. Now I'm stuck here with a meanie like you!"
Jordan sighed and stumbled through the rubble over to the rock wall. Then he noticed a hint of beige in the rocks that had piled up after the floor above had crumbled away into nothing. Pulling on it revealed a pair of cargo shorts.
"Hey! Noah's pants! I should totally burn 'em!"
"No," Katie snatched them out of his toned hands. "Stop picking on Noah! What did he ever do to you?!"
Jordan pulled the pants back towards his chest, pulling Katie with him. "Because he stole my thunder! I used to be the star of everything back home, but here, everyone listens to him instead of me!"
Katie pulled back. "Well, that's no reason to torture him!"
Jordan yanked too. "I can do what I want! If I want to write NoCo fan fiction and plant it under his bed, then I can write NoCo fan fiction and plant it under his bed!"
"Let it go, Jordan!" Katie squealed in anger. "Let his pants go too!"
"Never!" Jordan pulled with all his might and the pants split down the middle, leaving each teen with a leg of Noah's shorts.
"Look what you did! Now Noah has to go around in his boxers. Hot, but totally messed up!"
Hot?!" Jordan gasped with a chuckle. "You think Noah's hot?"
"Hotter than you!"
"Well, I never..."
"..."
Awkward silence enveloped the duo as Katie bit her lip and Jordan raised his eyebrows.
Before one of them could speak, a deep voice echoed down from above them as a light flooded the cave floor. "Hey, kids! Grab on!"
A rope dropped down and Jordan cheered as Katie shrugged. Both teens grabbed the thread of safety and let themselves rise to the top of the cavern.
Jordan looked at Katie to see her frowning. He continued to smile as Katie looked away.
Staci was carrying Brick through the caverns and was getting tired fast. Earlier, the cadet fought Staci's attempt to pull him up and hit his head on a rock, knocking him out, so Staci took it upon herself to save the both of them from imminent death in the caves.
She heaved Brick off of her back and took a seat on a large, black boulder before panting profusely, trying to catch her breath.
"You're so big," she sighed. "So big. I can't carry you forever, so it'd be nice if you could wake up. Yah, I know you're out cold, but wishes can come true, right?"
Brick rustled and turned his head a little. Staci smiled and leaned back.
"Yah, I think we'll get out too. It'll be hard, but I know we can do... or at least I can. You're in no position to walk, and I'm in no shape to carry you through the whole thing."
Staci shifted her arm and a click echoed through the caves, causing her to gasp as the rocks wall of the cave split open, revealing a steel door.
Staci squealed and ran to Brick, shaking him violently. "Brick, I found it! Wake up! We found the generator!"
Brick began to snore and Staci stood up, a look of disappointment on her face. "Oh, right. Well, let's win this thing and get outta here."
The former liar grabbed Brick and dragged his limp body to the edge of the door, pushed it open, and entered the dark room.
Noah grabbed at his boxers and groaned. "I hope I get my pants back, because there's nothing more enjoyable than chafing where the sun doesn't shine. Seriously, I think I might be getting ringworm."
"Ringworm?" Ethan asked. "Like a parasite?"
"It's a fungus," Harold pointed it. "Common misconception though... if you're an idiot."
"Hey!" Ethan gasped in offense at Harold's remark. "I have eight-thousand subscribers on YouTube. Where are you're eight-thousand subs?"
Eva grumbled something, drawing the group's attention.
"What's wrong, Iron Woman?" Noah asked. "Let me guess... nerds?"
Eva nodded.
Confessional
Eva: "Noah's okay, but those other two pencil-necks never shut it! I've been working on controlling my anger issues as best as I can, but working those two drove me up a wall!"
Harold: "I'm totally terrified of Eva when she's mad, but normally she's just intimidating. Kind of like police officers, ninjas, and Duncan. If that guy was here, I'd have never come back, even for all the screen time in the world."
End Confessional
Noah shrugged as Eva turned around and kept walking with Ethan and Harold arguing behind her.
Suddenly, Eva stopped in her tracks, causing Noah and the other two nerds to crash into her muscle-bound back.
"Uh, warning maybe!" Noah scolded the bully.
"What is it?" Ethan asked his team mate as he stood up, shaking the dust off of his blue hoodie and brown curls.
"Look," Eva said, pointing ahead at a shimmering wall: a metallic door.
"We did it!" Harold cheered. "Yes!"
Ethan ran for the door and shined his light over the mass of metal. The door was only six feet tall or so, but it's thickness was evident from a few taps on the hull. Next to the door, stamped on the rock wall, was a code input device.
Noah slapped his forehead. "Great, now we need a code?! Way to leave out the most important part of the challenge, schmuck!"
Harold fiddled with the radio to no avail. "Well, there's no signal. Good thing I went to Espionage Steve's Spy Camp last summer. I'll have the door opened in a jiffy!"
Eva slammed her hand into the lanky teen's hand, earning her a "Gosh!"
"Hold it!" Eva said. "The power's out, genius. The machine won't work, and I'm sure not going to break my back over tearing this thing off the hinges."
"No need, honey," Noah said. "The locks are electric, so..." He placed his scrawny hand on the face of the door and gently pushed it open, leaving Eva to rub the back of her head in shame and Harold to facepalm.
As the door opened, the group smiled. Inside the room, illuminated by the headlights of the campers, was a massive generator.
Chef threw the six campers out of the crack in the wall and into the wet sand and sunlight.
Tyler stood up and cheered. "Sunlight: it feels so good!"
Dawn rubbed her eyes to adjust them to the morning light and looked around. "Well, we're safe, but what about the others? You have to find them!" she begged Chef.
Chef pulled off his goggles and shrugged. "I went as far down as I could. I didn't see a sign of 'em."
"Well, keep looking!" Samantha shouted.
"Hey, what do I look like: a fairy godmotha' with a magic wand or somethin? I did what I could!"
"But Brick and Eva are still down there!" Dakota blurted out, drawing a blank stare from Samantha. Noticing her suspicion, Dakota corrected herself. "Ethan too!"
"I did what I could," Chef Hatchet reiterated. "What are ya' not gettin' about that?"
"We're just concerned," Katie pointed out, pulling her half of Noah's pants out of her shorts. "See?"
Dawn stepped forward. "Are those-"
"Yeah, Jordan has the other half."
The five campers shot glares at Jordan, who swiftly dropped his piece and chuckled.
"So we know Noah's alive, but about the others?" Tyler asked, suspiciously looking at Noah's shorts for some odd reason.
"Not a clue," Chef told him. "But if they show, we'll know soon."
Confessional
Dawn: "Poor Noah. I hope he makes it out without any injuries. Staci too. I can't lose two friends in one day!"
Samantha: "As much as some of these people annoy me, I don't want them to die. But Jordan on the other hand... You know, maybe I should be a bit more careful with him from now on. Who knows what he might do?"
End Confessional
The metal door opened with a loud creak and Staci peeked inside. The room was incredibly dark, but Staci managed to make out the shapes of cylindrical objects that lined the edges of the dark space inside.
"Get up," she said, tapping Brick with her plump foot. "Please," she sighed.
Without any response from the cadet, Staci pulled the lighted helmet off of his head and strapped it on her own noggin. The light flickered as Staci stepped inside the room, but what she saw was not a generator. Lines of large, tubular capsules were pushed against the walls. Some were filled with fluid, others; nothing. Computers surrounded the tubes and led to a massive terminal in the center of the room. Cords ran across the ground like mechanical vines, ready to ensnare any intruders. Staci's jaw dropped at the sight.
She walked inside and gazed upon the tubes that lined the walls; she tapped on the glass of each one and felt the keys of the computer keyboards as she went along.
"What is this place?" Staci whispered, turning in order to get a full scope of the entire building. She shined her light on the walls and saw something that chilled her to the core.
On the metal wall was a sign with terrifying wording: WARNING: KEEP ALL CANISTERS CLOSED AT ALL TIMES. IF OPENED, LOCK DOORS IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID CONTAMINATION!
Confessional
Staci: *Shudders*
End Confessional
Staci noticed a small trace of light coming from one of the walls and rushed over to investigate. A bit of visible light was peeking out from under a door and the teen leaned down, licked her finger, and felt a small hint of air coming from under the door. This is how she was getting out.
Ethan and Noah walked over to the large set of machines and tapped their hands against the cold surfaces.
"They've been out for a while," Ethan concluded, still feeling the generator. "Well, I guess we have to find the problem now. Our problem: what do we have to do?"
Noah, noticing Harold's silence chuckled. "What? Does 'Generator Starter Steve's Generator Starting Camp' not exist or something? Because if it does and you can't fix this thing, you have some serious explaining to do."
"What kind of camp is that?" Harold asked. "That's the stupidest name ever."
Before Noah could put out a witty retort, Eva hobbled by on her hurt ankle and looked at the generators, obviously confused at their complex build. "So, what next?"
Ethan rubbed his arm nervously. "Well, I'm into physics, not engineering, so..."
Noah shrugged. "Not a clue..."
"I'm thinking," Harold said, tapping his chin and taking a seat on the ground. "Nothing in my training could have prepared me for this."
"Well, maybe if a punch it hard enough, it'll start," Eva suggested.
"And we're back to square one... not that we ever got to the second one though," Noah sighed with the group collectively.
Chris paced back and forth in front of the locked hatch to his underground cottage, facing the six safe campers, stopping to tap his foot impatiently. "Well, why did you quit? I gave you explicit instructions and you just gave up. Explain."
"We were going to die!" Tyler shouted. "If Chef hadn't come along, we'd never have been able to get out alive."
Samantha tapped his shoulder. "You do know that our group could have left at any time, right? We weren't exactly trapped."
"Oh," Tyler said, blushing. "My mistake, you know."
"And the other five?" Chris asked. "What about them? Did they get to the generator room or not?"
"For the last time, we don't know!" Jordan snapped. "All we know is that Noah lost his pants. That's... It."
"Okaaaaay," Chris said, wondering how Jordan would know about something so personal. "We'll just have to wait, I guess. If anyone makes it to the room below, they'll be able to open the hatch after they fix the power."
"And if they don't?" Katie asked, trembling.
"We leave you guys behind and change our names. It's always been the backup plan in case someone died on the show because of something I did."
Confessional
Dawn: "He can't be serious!"
Jordan: "Noah... dead? Meh."
Chris: "My name would be Matt: simple and hot. And for Chef: Pedro sounds good. Yeah, Pedro."
End Confessional
Before Chris could fanboy about his plans, Staci randomly showed up with Brick on her back. The cadet was still unconscious, so he didn't react much when Staci dropped him on the ground.
"Guys!" Staci heaved. "Under the island... tubes... government... contamination... sign on the beach!"
Chris rolled his eyes and patted Staci on the back. "First off, slow down. Second, calm the F down. I know the caves were dark, but there weren't any drugs down there... that I know of."
"You have to listen to me!" Staci pleaded. "There's this huge room under the island. There's a bunch of tubes and computers and things and stuff. We found a secret passage in and out, but you have to see it! There's an exit in the woods, by a huge rock!"
Samantha laughed. "You're kidding, right? Do you even know what you're saying!?"
"Staci?" Dawn asked the compulsive liar. "If you need someone to vouch for you, I can see that you're telling the truth."
"Yeah, right," Dakota scoffed. "Believe the girl who lied her way out of the game in season four."
"What she said," Tyler said, smiling.
The cast was drawn to a groan from Brick as the cadet sat up and rubbed his head. "Wha- Where am I?" Upon seeing the rest of the campers and Chris, he smiled. "Great, I'm not dead! I thought I was dead!"
After a moment of silence, Jordan broke the solemn air. "So, this is awkward," he chuckled.
"No, put the sprockety thing in the hole!" Harold screamed at Noah as he fiddled with the generator from underneath it's hulking mass. "Not there! There!"
"I can't even see where you're pointing!" Noah groaned angrily.
"Then let me try again!" Harold argued, waving his arms frantically through the air.
Eva slapped Harold in the arm. "And let you break another wire? No way, nerd!"
"I think I got it!" Noah cheered from under the generator before a flash of light erupted from inside, causing the bookworm to scream in pain and withdraw his fingers from the mess of wires. He slowly pushed his way out into the open and sucked his burned thumb.
"I guess it's my turn," Ethan sighed and got down on all fours.
"As if you'd be able to do any better," Noah said. "It took me ten minutes to fix the wire that Harold cut... and I knew what that problem was." Then it hit the brainiac. How could a wire be live if there was no power inside it?
"Wait, dude!" Noah tapped Ethan. "The wire was live! There's power, but not an output!"
"And..." Eva tempted Noah to finish his explanation.
"There's something blocking the flow inside the thing! Quick, look around everything you can!"
"For what?" Ethan scratched his head and began to look over the frame of the machines.
"Anything!"
Only a few seconds passed until Ethan screamed in pain, rearing back and falling to the ground with a raccoon attached to his face by tooth and claw. "Get it off!" he screamed.
Eva yanked the mammal off of her team mate's pale face, leaving him with cuts and streaks of red on his cheeks and forehead. The lanky teen squealed in pain. She tossed the raccoon aside and leaned down, looking into the crack in the framing where Ethan had been attacked. Inside was a bunch of chewed wires and garbage.
"Noah?" Eva gestured to Noah to crawl under again and Noah groaned in disgust.
Chris sighed as the campers watched him bathe in distress. "Six hours and still no coffee, shower, hot tub, or a spark of power. My life is a wreck!"
"You can say that again," Jordan said, showing false empathy towards Chris. "I feel for ya,' dude!"
"Stop butt kissing, Jordan! Go back to stealing pants or something stupid!"
Meanwhile, Samantha and Tyler were having a small chat. Samantha was eager to get that whole 'broken leg' incident out of the way and Tyler was eager to forgive, much to her delight.
Dawn and Staci were fanning Brick with a large leaf and giving the injured cadet some shade.
Dakota watched the others converse as she sat away from the group, contemplating the game.
Confessional
Dakota: "This is great! Not the missing friends thing, the game! Samantha still thinks I'm on her side... or at least for now." *She starts to file her nails* "Sure, she's suspicious, but I have info she doesn't want out. If she spills the beans on me, my bucket of beans is at the ready."
End Confessional
"So, you actually believe me?" Staci asked Dawn as they fanned Brick, who had passed out again.
"Of course. I can sense that you're telling the truth; it's in your aura after all." Dawn smiled and Staci smiled back.
"Yah, I don't blame most of the others for thinking it's a hoax. Some of my stories have been a bit far-fetched in past."
"It's okay. I can see that you've changed, and you should feel proud for taking charge and setting things right."
"Thanks, Dawn. I know it's cliché, but I couldn't have done it without you. I haven't even slipped up in days."
Staci opened up for a hug and Dawn embraced her friend.
Confessional
Dawn: "It's nice to have people like Staci around. Not everyone is so down to earth and friendly."
Staci: "What I saw, I'll never forget, but maybe I shouldn't stress everyone out with it. I worked so hard to make it this far, and going home now would be depressing."
Brick: *Snores*
End Confessional
As Chris began to give up on having power again, the hatch to the cottage shuffled with a clank. "Could it be?" the host gasped.
The lid flew open and Noah climbed out with Harold, Ethan, and Eva behind him. The sound of rumbling echoed from inside the caves below, signaling to Chris that power was back.
"You... did it?" Chris said, mouth agape. "You actually did it!"
"Yeah, great," Noah said. "Just ignore the fact that my hand is on fire!" The bookworm held his singed hand up to the selfish host's face but had it pushed away as Chris ran down the hatch.
"Wait!" Jordan screamed. "Who won?!"
Chris turned around and ejaculated the judgment faster than the campers could comprehend . "Noah wins for the Foxes! Llamas, vote someone off. Everyone come to the ceremony! McLean... Out!"
"Well, you heard him," Jordan teased the Llamas. "Time to vote, bitches!"
Samantha groaned and slapped Jordan in the face. "Just go enjoy your invincibility, you dirtbag!"
The rest of the cast walked past the duo as Samantha sighed. "I'm done for."
"Not yet," Jordan said. "Just cheat the votes or something."
Samantha groaned loudly and stomped past her alliance member, who was left confused.
Dakota was sitting on the edge of the steps to the victor's cabin with Brick as the rest of the campers were playing by the beach and washing the 'cave cooties,' as Jordan called them, off of their bodies.
"Well, I guess tonight's the night," Dakota winked at Brick. "I know we were going to take out Ethan first, but the merge is coming any day now and Sam's too much of a threat to just pass up this chance like it was nothing. You know, Samantha, not my Sam."
"Yes, ma'am," Brick said. "I've had the plan memorized for days and I agree... even though I don't like underhanded play."
"Like I said," Dakota smiled. "She betrayed us first by teaming up with Jordan like that. And tonight the newbie alliance will shatter into pieces."
"Sounds like a good battle strategy," Brick sighed. "I just want to get this over with so I can clean out my guilty conscience."
"Whatever you say," Dakota said, leaning back on the porch of the cabin to hear a squeak that rattled her ears in pain. "Stupid plank!" she grumbled. "That thing's been annoying me since the first day. It's like Chris wanted us to notice how annoying it is by putting it in front of the door."
Brick rubbed his chin and tapped the plank to find it to be loose. "Uh, Dakota?"
Dakota wiggled the nails holding the plank down and noticed that they were loose. She pulled out her nail file and pulled them out, one by one. Once all the nails were out, she and Brick lifted the wood and Dakota nearly died of a heart attack.
Under the plank's place, tucked away under everyone's feet for a week, was a wooden statue of Chris' head: the invincibility statue.
Dakota was shaking as she held the wood in her hands. Never before had Chris looked so sexy to her. She stroked the head and turned to Brick. "Ready to take over the game?"
Brick fainted with a girly groan.
Dakota rolled her eyes and continued to grin over the statue, knowing that it was her game now.
Both team filed into the bonfire ceremony as the sun set below the horizon. The Llamas took their seats as the Foxes stood behind Chris, ready to get the ceremony over with. Noah, however, was wearing a towel around his waist.
"Nice job, Llamas," Chris snickered. "Congrats on being the first team to lose two challenges in a row. How's it feel."
"Like a fist to the jaw," Eva said. "Or, you know, a sprained ankle."
Dakota, still bearing a shit-eating grin, laughed. "Not too bad. I think I can guess who's going home." She smirked at Samantha, who gulped nervously.
Confessional
Samantha: "Maybe telling Dakota how big of a threat I was wasn't a good idea."
Dakota: "Bye-bye, Sammy!"
End Confessional
"Well, that sounds great, but I have a hot tub to enjoy, so let's get on with the votes." Chris pulled out four weenies and looked from camper to camper.
"Brick."
The cadet caught his treat and nibbled at tip.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ethan!"
Ethan smiled and let the hotdog fall into his lap.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... And Dakota!"
The fame monger caught her stick and smiled at Samantha as she trembled in her sneakers.
"Samantha, Eva, this is the last weenie. The person who doesn't receive this cheap and low quality treat will be joining five other losers at the New Playa. And that loser is..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Me! I volunteer!" A voice escaped the group of Foxes as Katie stepped forward.
The rest of the cast gasped as Katie actually smiled, walked up to Chris, and crossed her arms.
"Sorry, Katie, but your team isn't up for elimination. Just get back with your team and keep it shut."
"Listen to him!" Noah shouted. "Don't give up our numbers advantage!"
"No," Katie snorted defiantly. "It's something I have to do for the sake of friendship."
"Wow, that's cheesy," Chris chuckled. "Too bad you're staying here!"
Katie slowly walked up to Chris and the host anxiously looked her in the eye. "If you want, I can bring out Chef and we can-"
Without warning, Katie socked Chris in the nose and the host fell to the ground, blood streaming from his face. He screamed in pain as the other contestants, barring Dakota who was pissed, laughed out loud and cheered for Katie to continue.
"What about now!?" Katie smirked at he injured host.
Chris stood up and wiped the blood from his face. "You wanna go home so bad, well you just earned it! Forget the votes, you're up to boot!"
"Dakota stood up in shock. "No! You can't do this! Samantha was going home! You can't just ignore the vote!"
"Excuse me!?" Samantha gasped. "You voted for me after all, huh?!"
"Nailed it!" Dakota retorted. "Surprised?"
"Not a bit! I knew you were a traitor as soon as Sadie and Eva tied for votes! "
"Good, now I can spill the beans about stuff!"
"Stuff?" Samantha raised an eyebrow. "What stuff?"
Dakota smiled and faced the other players. "I saw Samantha and Jordan cementing an alliance the day Tyler went home! She, Ethan, and Jordan are all in a newbie alliance that wants Eva gone and I know all the details!"
Samantha stood with her knees trembling as the other campers looked on in shock. She saw Noah, Staci, and Dawn scowling as Jordan buried his head in his hands and sat down on the ground.
"There," Dakota smirked. "How you like them apples, Sammy?!"
Samantha growled as Chris interrupted the tension. "I don't care who's betraying who. Here's the rub: Katie's going home! Got it?!"
"But you don't even need the money!" Samantha yelled at Dakota. "You're freaking rich!"
"My Daddy's rich... or at least he was before my healing process!" Dakota felt her face turn red in anger.
"Hey," Chris said. "Enough! New twist! If you want Sam gone so much, I'll put her on the Foxes for you! How's that?!"
Samantha gasped and smiled. "Deal!" She shook the host's hand and stumbled over to the other team.
Dakota stood in anger and Chris glared across the teams before speaking again. "Noah, get over here! Now!"
"Me? Why?!" Noah gasped before Sam pushed him across the bonfire area and into Eva's hulking frame.
"Because I said so," Chris said as he turned his attention to Katie. "And you have a date with giant boot! Move it!"
Katie stepped in front of the Swift-Kick-To-the-Butt of Shame with a smile on her face, eager to see her best friend again, even though she'd seen her just a day ago.
"Enjoy the ride!" Chris scowled in anger as blood dripped from his nose.
The boot shot forward and Katie was sent flying into the sky. Chris smiled and sighed in relief. "Ah, justice: sweet and savory. Alright campers, back to the clearing. The ceremony is over... Hopefully."
"So, uh, nice team ya' got here," Samantha chuckled around her new team, especially Jordan.
The rest of the Foxes glared at her with disdain.
Chris popped up in front of the camera with cloth shoved in his nostrils. "Well, it took a bit of drama, but we've finally reached our final ten. Who will take home the hundred grand, and who will fall short? Find out next time on Total... Drama... Return of the Underdogs!"
The Votes
Dakota: "Samantha is so dead now."
Eva: "This could be our last chance to vote Sam out, so yeah, I vote for her."
Brick: "Sam... Just Samantha."
Ethan: "Samantha looked stressed earlier, but we're still sticking to our plan and voting for Eva."
Samantha: "Well, I'm done for good. Eva... yeah, her."
End Voting Confessional
Eva: 2 Votes
Samantha: 3 Votes
Eliminated: Debbie, Justin, Tyler (1), Anne Maria, B, Sadie, Katie
The Foxes of Failure: Staci, Dawn, Jordan, Samantha, Tyler
The Llamas of Loserdom: Ethan, Noah, Dakota, Brick, Eva
~A/N~ And we've hit the top ten! *Fireworks explode* Sorry, Katie fans, but at least she got to nail Chris in the face before she left! Don't worry, her and Sadie's plot isn't totally finished yet.
However, the time has come to announce that all episodes starting at the merge will be one chapter in length. I'm running out of characters to use, so I don't think I'll need more chapters for character representation until the finale. ;)
Anyways, review if you liked it and leave some constructive criticism of you think something needs fixing and I'll try to have the next chapter out within the coming weeks.
P.S: Do me a favor and check out the new poll on my profile and vote ;)