I awoke with a start when I heard crazed, manic laughter. Blinking the tiredness out of my eyes, I sat up on from Ralph's chest and looked over to the TV screens, and saw Majima nearly falling out of his chair as he roared with laughter. I gave off a tired groan as everyone else sounded off. Ralph sat up and brushed a hand through his messy mop of hair, Vanellope and my sitting on his lap.

He had been like this all of yesterday. Due to our situation, we had all chosen to remain in the base while Zomboss and Alfur went, the Zombie overlord still under the guise of an intern. While Majima was enjoying the break, sitting in the office chair as he watched the teenagers fail horrendously during yesterday's challenge, me, Star, Marco and Steve all watched with curiosity and intrigue. Doing this, I had learned all the contestant's names, and got a grip on how they felt to each other. However, the one I was most interested in was Izzy, or as she was calling herself, Escope. She kept giving Zomboss weird looks whenever he would enter her field of view, which made me think she was going to pounce on him eventually.

I brushed off the feeling quickly, however, and just continued on with the day. But now Majima was still glued to those screens, and I was about to lose it if he kept up with his mind numbing laughter.

"Majima…" Ralph growled, shaking his head. I was snapped out of flashing back, and hopped off his lap with Vanellope in tow as he began to stand, Maria, Manolo and Jenny already grumpily stomping up to him.

"Majima, you better have a good excuse for you laughing like a hyena", Jenny threatened, "Otherwise you're in for a world of hurt."

The one-eyed yakuza just gave of a light-hearted scoff, spinning around in the office chair to face the others, who were all angrily glaring at him with their tired eyes.

"Well, sunshine", Majima said in a mock tone, "Since you so nicely asked, I'm watching our undead egghead trip over his own two feet." He let out a chuckle. "And boy, it's happening a lot."

"Oh, is that my name now?" Zomboss voice said through the speakers. The group of four all looked at the centre screen, and was met with a fierce scowl from the Zombie Overlord. Majima looked down and realised he had his hand on the microphone button.

"Shit…" Majima cursed.

"'Shit' is right, you one-eyed ignorant insect", Zomboss quietly spat, "If I wasn't doing this sociopath's dirty work I'd scream."

Majima just scoffed, only to be lifted out of the chair by the teenage robot. Maria quickly took his place.

"What the heck is Chris making you do?" She asked, pressing a finger on the microphone's stand. Majima was silently cursing up a storm as this happened, still held airborne like a cat.

Me and Vanellope just watched the whole ordeal from afar, eventually joined by a still very tired Gladius, Star, Marco, Hilda and Twig. Steve walked past all of us to join up with Ralph, who had finally made his way to the screens. I shot a glance over to my right, and made eye contact with Galacta Knight. He had his wings wrapped around him, a sleeping Maple resting on his head, his magenta eyes giving a dim glow. He looked at me and made a slight shrug, a motion I returned before focusing on the group crowded around the screens again.

"Look, Zomboss, I get you have a disguise to keep up", Ralph said in a scratchy voice, " But can't you wait till we're all at least up?"

"Wish I could, but Chris is a fickle man", Zomboss growled, "Oh, how I wish he was in my world. His brain would be too rotten, even for Zombies, but the thrill of hearing his terror filled screams would be so luxurious…" His eyes began to simply drift to the sky, which made us all share uncomfortable looks. Alfur, who was visible on his shoulder, cleared his throat, snapping the Zombie out of his trance

"Erm, right", He mumbled, snapping back to his senses. "Anyway, McLean needs stuff set up for this challenge as early as possible, because he's a psychopath who cares little for human life."

"Says the lunatic Zombie dictator", Majima said sarcastically.

Zomboss' face suddenly twisted into fury, and he threw his earpiece to the ground. He then pulled out an airborne and forced it right against the microphone, then pressed the button.

The loud scream of the horn blasted through the speakers, making all of us jump a good few inches above the ground, and come crashing down on the ground. As we all landed, Zomboss ceased the assault on our ears. We all slowly sat back up, groaning in pain.

"Just let me do what I need to do", Zomboss said sternly. Alfur looked into the camera with an apologetic expression, but before he could say anything, the camera turned off, and the screen became static. Maria, who climbed back into the chair, leaned forward and switched the TV off. She then slammed her head on the table with a thud. Manolo looked her over.

"You good honey?" He asked in a slightly delirious tone. He received a muffled noise and a thumbs up. "She's good." He called out.

I slowly rose back to a standing position, Gladius helping me. Vanellope just remained on her back, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Star and Marco leaned against each other as literal stars danced around their heads. And Hilda tried to stand back up, only for her legs to give way and to flop onto Vanellope. Twig did recover, and hopped onto his owner's back, lightly sniffing her hair.

I just sighed and slowly began to make my way to the chair, ringing still prevalent in my ears. Manolo had finally coaxed Maria out of the chair, so I took her place and began to look over the other screens. It showed the movie lot was pretty quiet across the movie lot. Either the cameras showed nothing, interns (and a disguised Zomboss) moving props and equipment, or Chef chasing around some raccoons for stealing some of his ingredients. I tilted my head slightly as Star and Marco came up to both my sides, looking the screens over with me.

"So, who do you think is gonna get the boot next?" Star asked, smacking the side of her head like there was water in her ear.

"I'm going to guess that mohawk kid… Duncan", Marco said with crossed arms.

"Awwwww, not a fan of the bad boy, Safe Kid?" The princess asked sweetly.

Diaz just sighed. "No. He just reminds me of… Tom…"

"Right you are, brother", I added. The both of us shared a fist bump, with Star pouting off to the side.

"What about you, Caleb", Star said, trying to move on from our jab at her ex. "Who do you think is being kicked out today?"

I pondered for a moment. "I'd have to say Lindsay. She's not the brightest, so I feel like she'll hold her team back."

Both my friends shared a look, then looked to the screen that showed the interior of the girls trailer. Lindsay was sleeping soundly, before she rolled out of her bed and fell on the floor with a quiet thud. She didn't seem to care all to much, as she just climbed back up onto the top bunk she had claimed. The two Echo Creek residents shared a cringe.

"Guys, it's not nice to bet on this stuff", Ralph shot out, helping Maple back into the flower pot we found for him. "Especially if it's behind other people's backs."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Vanellope abruptly jumping up and down stopped me. "Aw, c'mon Stinkbrain, it's all part of the show! You never know who's gonna get the boot next, so you play Guess Who!"

Ralph cooked an eyebrow at her, not fully buying what she said. He looked at me with the same face, and I nodded. This finally seemed to calm him down, as he sighed, mumbled a "Fine, whatever", and walked off elsewhere into our little hideout.

I blinked for a moment, then turned back around to the screens. It was just then Chris pulled out a megaphone and held the button down, releasing a loud blare intended to wake the contestants.

What it also did was scare me so much with how sudden it was that I was knocked backwards, bringing both me and the chair down.

"All crew on set!" He barked into the megaphone, "Call time is 4 AM!"

Star and Marco both watched silently as I rose back up with the chair, fiercest glaring at the screen that plastered Chris' smug face.

"I hate it here…" I snarled.

~X~

After a few hours of nothing happening since Chris' sudden wake-up call (My time mainly spent doing random stuff with the others to pass the time), Chris had finally called all three contestants back together in front of their trailers. The girls and boys remained in their respective gender-centred groups, all of them looking at Chris, awaiting further instructions.

Meanwhile, I lounged in the office chair as everyone did other things. Except Gladius, Star, and Marco, who all sat in their own chairs watching the show play out with me.

"I'm excited ", Star said in giddy anticipation, "I honestly never would have guessed I'd be pumped to watch a reality shoe, but here we are!"

Marco let out a laugh. "Honestly, same. Kinda surprising with myself, too."

I shook my head. "I'm honestly not that excited for the show itself ", I said, "I more want to hope Zomboss is okay. Keep tabs on where he is and stuff."

Just then, the centremost screen blinked on again. Speak of the devil, I thought.

"Guys, I need some assistance", Zomboss said between heavy breaths, "This 'pretending to be an intern' stuff if actually really dangerous stuff. Alfur got locked in a warehouse, and I don't have the key. I need some help trying to snag it from Chris."

I blinked, then sighed. "Alright Zomboss, I'm coming. C'mon Gladius."

I hopped out of my chair. "Of course, Caleb." Gladius said. He hovered close to my side, only for someone to come up next to my right. It was Galacta Knight.

"I overheard you were off to rescue the elf", he said, "I wish to assist in this activity."

"Alright l", I said with a shrug, "The more the merrier."

The three of us left our little hideout, stepping out into the morning sun, the brisk breeze hitting my face. I took in a deep breath, only for someone to ram into me and throw me to the ground. I snapped my eyes and looked at the perpetrator. None other than Zomboss.

"Thank goodness!" He cried. He helped me back to my feet, panic in his eyes. "Alfur is fine, he just got knocked off my shoulder by another intern by accident."

"Which warehouse?" Gladius asked.

Zomboss pointed at a warehouse further down the way, and I carefully poked my head around the corner to see one of the buildings had a couple of interns out front.

"So we just scare the interns off and break the lock", I said.

"Not that simple", Zomboss explained, "This whole place has cameras everywhere because of the show, but because Duncan is actually a Juvie kid, the warehouses have alarms that sound off if the key isn't used on the side door or garage door."

"So where are the keys?" Galacta Knight asked.

"Chris always has them on hand."

"And Chris?" I asked.

He pointed to the top of the towering artificial mountain. "He's up there, waiting for the contestants. That's where the challenge is going on, but Chris said no interns are allowed up there. Kills the budget because of editing or something…"

Galacta hummed. "Perhaps we should try and see if we can help Alfur out some other way. Going to grab the keys is too risky."

"Yeah…" I said in thought. "But in case nothing else works, we go for his keys."

I was met with a strange silence, so I looked back at the others. They were all giving me suspicious looks.

"Oh you know what I mean!" I scolded them quietly. I grabbed hold of Gladius' handle, and I shot into the sky with Galacta while Zomboss ran off to distract the other interns. Me and Galacta landed on top of the warehouse, and just as I feared, there wasn't a single window.

"Oh dear, what are we supposed to do?" Gladius asked in a worried tone, "If we trigger any of the alarms, it could alter this whole world drastically."

"How drastically are we suggesting, Gladius?" The knight asked in curiosity.

"No clue. Nothing like that had ever happened."

I gulped fearfully as those very scary thoughts filled my head, but I was snapped out of it when I heard loud grunting. I turned my head to the base of the mountain, and I saw both teams, all the members carrying equipment like cameras and spotlights up the hill. This was when I got an idea.

"We need those keys", I said.

Gladius made a noise of shock, while Galacta just blankly stared at me.

"It's the best chance we got. And if we get spotted on the cameras, Zomboss can just hack them to erase any evidence. We need to do this."

Gladius remained silent, but when Galacta Knight nodded, he nodded too. I smiled at that, then grabbed hold of the blade's handle. However, before we both took off, I noticed something was going below us with the interns.

"Wait, you two want to quit?" Zomboss asked in shock.

"Yeah, dude", one of the interns said, "Sorry, but this job ain't cutting it. Catch ya' later!" The two interns then just up and left, which made Zomboss almost visibly snap. He began to gamble incomprehensible angry gibberish, tossing his blue cap onto the ground and stomping on it repeatedly. The three of us hovered down to his side.

"I can't believe this!" He shouted, "So I'm gonna be left to do more of this ridiculous busy work?!" He returned to his rage-fueled gibberish.

"Zomboss, don't worry, we'll be out of here soon", I said. The Zombie Overlord took some deep breaths.

"You're right. So, what's the plan?"

"We have to snag the key from Chris. There's no way inside without tripping the alarm."

This made the false intern's eye twitch, then bury his face into his hands. "Of course." He let out a sigh and shook his head. "Well, I'll think of something. You three hang back while I scout out ahead." He turned to dash away, but quickly spun around and faced me. "I think it would be a good idea if you got your intern disguise. Just in case." At that, he ran off. I shared a quiet look with Galacta and Gladius, both of them showing different reactions. The sword shrugged, while the knight gave a flat look, not showing any clear emotion. I just slowly looked away from them and began to make my way back to our hideout.

~X~

It didn't take too long till I was back into my disguise and back out. Galacta and Gladius were flying high above, keeping a careful watch on the whole plan. I eventually met with Zomboss at the base of the artificial mountain, and noticed he was looking up the path. I followed his gaze, and saw all the contestants, divided into their teams, partway ahead with their trailers. As I reached my friend, I let out a whistle.

"Quite the sight, huh?" I asked.

"More focused on the whining brats", the Zombie admitted, "Trying to think how to wiggle around them. If we're caught, everything will fall apart."

I nodded. "So, you got a plan?"

Zomboss rested his fist under his chin in thought, humming as he pondered. Then, his eyes lit up as a massive smile filled his face. "That's it!" He exclaimed, holding a finger up.

"Well?" I pressed.

He faced me. "I remember hearing from some other interns that there's an elevator system in front of the cliff, out of the view of the cameras."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't know, safety reasons or whatever", Zomboss grumbled. He then shook his head rapidly and faced me again. "We'll take that up. That way we don't have to deal with the contestants."

I nodded, and the two of us ran around the cliff into an area marked with a faded 'Employees Only' sign. We ran by some vacant trailers, Zomboss quietly explained that these were the intern trailers, and from the fairly poor quality of the trailers, I mentally slapped myself for not realising instantly. The employee-only area was like the rest of the movie lot, the gloom of abandonment hanging over, broken props scattered about, and multiple signs that said 'Condemned', 'No Trespassing', or 'Closed Indefinitely'. It made me cringe, sad that these were the conditions the interns were trapped in. Especially because this is what Zomboss had to deal with, too. We turned a corner, and instantly came to the entrance of the elevator.

Only to be instantly greeted with an 'Out Of Order' sign on the chain link fence gate that stopped our advance.

"Are you…" Zomboss started, before ripping his hat off his and throwing it onto the ground and jumping on it repeatedly. I let out a groan as I shook my head.

"So, what's the plan now?" I asked.

Zomboss continued to silently rant as he picked up his now dirty and flattened hat and put it back on his head. He then let out a long sigh. "It looks like we'll have to sneak around those idiot teenagers…"

I shivered, thinking back to how cold I felt when Heather was snapping at me two days ago. "Greeeeeeaaaaaat…" I said in a quiet voice. This didn't go unnoticed by Zomboss, who looked over his shoulder and shot me a look, completely aware of what I was referring to. I just weak smiled and gave him a thumbs up, and we both dashed back the way we came. As we finally made it to the finished side of the mountain, standing a few feet away, I saw that one of the teams was halfway up the hill with Owen pulling their trailer, while the other team were stuck at the bottom.

"So, how do we sneak around if we don't have too much cover?" I asked, gesturing a hand at the lack of anything on the mountain.

Zomboss once again pondered, but this was when Gladius actually glided down and came to my side. "I was thinking Zomboss could take the path and distract Chris, while I fly Caleb up out of view on the other side of the metal scaffolding and out of view, so then that way he can snag the keys."

Zomboss gave Gladius a wide-eyed look, while I beamed at him. "Gladius, that's a great idea!"

"Yes, I admit", Zomboss said with a hint of jealousy, "That's a pretty good plan. Even if it means I'm forced to do more work, so be it…" He steeled himself and began the trek up the path, while Gladius took me around to the side opposite the entrance to the Employees Only area. I grabbed hold of his handle, and he began to slowly cruise upwards. I looked down for a brief moment before looking back up at my friend.

"I'm surprised you aren't afraid of heights, Caleb", a new voice suddenly asked. I felt my heart lodge in my throat as my grip weakened on the sword's handle, but a pair of gloved hands kept me from falling. I looked down a bit to see it was none other than Galacta. I tightened my grip, and he let me go.

"Yeah…" I said, still slightly startled by his sudden entrance. "Trust me, I am terrified, just… kinda pales compared to what else we've faced."

Galacta hummed as we neared the top. "I suppose that makes sense. Just don't force yourself into treacherous situations if it means your nerves are frayed."

I nodded, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat. Soon, we had reached the top, so I quietly hopped over and snuck behind some boxes. Me and Gladius carefully peeked past them, and we could see there were two sets built, one for each team, and plenty of miscellaneous equipment. Chris and Chef stood by idly as they waited for the contestants to show up with their trailers. Well, idly might be a bit too generous. Chris lounged on a beach chair, drinking from a coconut while wearing some sick shades, and Chef, clipboard in hand, looked over the equipment.

"Hopefully Zomboss gets here soon…" I whispered. Gladius nodded in agreement, only for Owen's team to reach the top. Izzy, who was riding on top of the trailer, hopped off, while a boy in a green shirt and black hair (I remembered his name was Trent), skidded to a stop next to the larger boy. Behind them, their three other teammates finally caught up. Owen crashed onto the ground, exhausted, and his teams let out cheers.

"We actually won!" A girl with glasses, brown hair done up in a ponytail, and pink pants shouted in joy. I remembered she was Beth, and I actually envied how cute she looked.

"Weeeeeeell", Chris said in a condescending tone, "Nooooot exaaactly."

"Pardon?"

"That was all only the first part of the challenge", Chris said matter-of-factly to Beth, "Did I neglect to mention that?" He grabbed Beth's wrists and lowered her arms to her side, killing the joyous mood of her team.

I let out a quiet hiss of sympathy as the host directed the winning team to one of the sets. It resembled a home, with a grandfather clock on the wall and an ornate purple couch against the pitch black window. The second set was a study, complete with a desk, file cabinet and brown couch.

I noticed some movement beside the winning team's trailer, and looked to see a panting, sweating Zomboss duck behind it, just as the second team arrived without their trailer. They all went to the second set, Heather shooting a glare at the other team, and Trent sharing an awkward look with the goth girl, Gwen.

"It's time to make a movie!" Chris happily announced to the camera in front of him, "And what we got here is the set for a tearjerker", he held an arm out to the set Trent's team had, "Starring: an elderly lady considering her long life."

"Boring", Trent groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Uncultured heathen", Gladius growled quietly.

"I can't believe we don't have a trailer", said the kid that was a bit too much like Napoleon Dynamite, Harold, said dejectedly.

"We are so not going to be able to properly apply makeup without vanity lighting", Heather sneered. It was just then I noticed she was completely bald, making me have to keep myself from laughing out loud. "This could spell disaster." She turned to the large, muscular boy next to her. "Thanks, DJ."

"You'll be making a feature about a thug", Chris continued, "Who tries to go straight, but can't resist the lure of the street."

"Yeah, it's been done", Gwen said flatly.

"Hey, what about lunch?" Heather asked, "We have been working for eight hours, and you are legally obligated by union rules to give us a meal break."

"Oh yeah?" Chris shot back. "Who here is in the union?" He raised his hand, and no one else did, shooting Heather down there and then. "Yeah, I thought so."

Chris walked between both sets as Chef came to his side, who was holding a large golden yellow envelope. "And now it's time to choose an actor to perform a scene." He turned to his right hand man. "Chef, give the teams their scenes."

It was then I began to tune out what was happening, because Zomboss had finally joined the two of us behind the boxes. "Took you long enough." I whispered.

"Well, sorry that my body wasn't built for scaling over 1000 foot hills." He snapped back. He then calmed down and looked over at Chris. "Now, I'll wait till Chris is a bit closer to the edge of one of the sets, while you sneak behind and snag the keys. Got it?"

I nodded and slithered behind the artificial rooms, Gladius bolting down the edge of the hill, while Zomboss carefully scurried to another bunch of boxes at the opposite side of the area. Chris was standing by, his red megaphone from way earlier in his hand once again. I watched as Zomboss was able to Get close as Chris made the call for both teams to get set up. The false intern was able to get Chris' attention, and that was my cue.

As quiet as a mouse, I creped up to Chris, the keys in my sight, and slowly reached out to them. Once my hand was close enough, I plucked them and dashed away quickly. I peered around the corner and shot him a thumbs up. Zomboss quickly apologised to Chris, who was clearly frustrated, and the Zombie overlord darted away back down the hill. Before anyone could notice I was there, Galacta quickly swept me up in his arms and we both shot down the hill out of the view of the cameras, Gladius close behind. We met back up with Zomboss at the bottom, and I handed the keys over to him.

"Thank you for the help", he said, eyeing the keys with gleaming eyes. "I can't think about any way to repay you!"

"No need, Zomboss", I said with a smile, "We were just helping to rescue Alfur. Make sure he's okay." I shot him a serious look, and he nodded before running off. Galacta shot back into the sky and made his way back to the warehouse our base was in, and I chose to run after him, Gladius in tow.

~X~

After finally making it back to the base, the rest of the day went off without a hitch. After meeting back up with the others, Star instantly rushed over to me, giddily explaining all of the challenge that I wasn't there to see. Marco, meanwhile, was trying to calm her down, explaining to me about what was going on with the others while I was gone.

While I was grateful to get me all up to speed with the show, I was more happy to hear that Manolo and Maria were slowly getting used to modern society. With the help of Jenny and Majima, they started to feel better about their surroundings. When I saw them next time, I shot them a smile and thumbs up, something Manolo happily returned.

After that, I joined back with the Echo Creek kids and the lunatic yakuza in watching the cameras, specifically the ones with the contestants. Although I did see Zomboss had saved Alfur, and the two of them were okay. I smiled at them, and returned my attention to the contestants. While Izzy and Duncan's, the boy with the green mohawk, performances were excellent, they had their scripts swapped. Despite this, Duncan was somehow able to pull through and win his team the challenge overall, while it was clear Izzy was the one going home. After I had enough of the screens, I chose to hang out around the base for a bit, but when I saw everyone else was busy, I decided to just go and have a nap to catch up on the sleep I missed. I curled up on one of the piles of pillows, pulled a blanket over me, and was out like a light.

~X~

When I finally awoke, it was night, and was a good while after Izzy (unsurprisingly) got the boot. I was currently wrapped in a cosy blanket, sitting on the roof gazing at the Toronto skyline. Twig was resting on my lap, Hilda and Vanellope were reading a book together to my right, and Steve was taking in the sights with me on my left. It was quiet and peaceful, the brisk cold Canadian air hitting my face.

"You seem pretty content right now, Caleb", Steve said.

I took a deep breath. "Yeah… We'll, even if it's not the real place, I grew up in Canada… It's my home…"

Steve faced me with a slightly sad look, while Hilda and Vanny finally took notice of the conversation.

"I lived on the opposite side of the country, along the West Coast", I continued, looking down with a sad smile. "I honestly wonder if anyone is looking for me at all…"

Steve shared a sad look with the girls. "I'm sure your parents are worried about you", Hilda said.

That made my smile fall, and my expression darkened. "Doubtful", I said quietly.

Steve gave me a concerned look. "Caleb, is everything okay-"

"I knew there was something going on!" A new voice suddenly spoke up. We all screamed and rolled back, Twig instantly recovering and getting into a defensive stance, growling at the sudden arrival. I looked at who had found us, and it was Izzy. She was looking down at me with a beaming, proud smile.

"What… Izzy- Escope, but… you-" I stammered, my mind crashing.

"You thought I was booted?" She said, getting down on a knee and holding a hand out to me. "That's what you all thought. But Escope was the one who lost, not Izzy!" I carefully took her hand, and she helped me to my feet as the others recovered. "I knew something was up with those two interns on the first day. It was you and your buddy!"

"Is that why you kept giving George a weird glance any time you could?" Hilda asked, picking up a still growling Twig.

"Yep! I knew something was up, but I couldn't do anything. Thought maybe you were supervillains or something." Izzy walked up to my side and leaned against me. She was a good two inches taller than me, around the same height as Jenny. "But, looks like it's just a group of amazing buddies."

"Well… yeah…" Steve said, still recovering from the Izzy jumpscare. "We are-"

"Inter dimensional travellers?" Izzy casually mentioned. You could hear the record scratch as we all looked at her in complete shock.

"How the heck do you know?!" Vanellope angrily demanded.

"Have you seen your buddy George?" Izzy said with a smirk.

Vanellope looked off to the side with a flat look. "Good point…"

I Looked up at her. "So, this whole time you knew, and you snuck away to find us because…?"

"Becaaaaaause I want to join you, silly!" Izzy happily announced, "I want to sword fight with pirates on a flying boat, blast myself out of a cannon to the moon, go mystery hunting with a dog, and maybe battle a king crocodile who likes bananas. I want that thrill and danger!"

We all stared at Izzy in silent shock as she giddily cackled, her mouth filled with sharp teeth. "Uhhhhhh…" Hilda said.

"Can you let us just talk about this first, Izzy?" I asked, a large, fake smile on my face. She nodded eagerly, and I led the others a good distance away. We all huddled together. "So, what do you guys think?"

"I don't know, Caleb…" Steve began, "She doesn't seem to be that… stable, is what I would say."

"Yeah", Vanellope added, "Plus, we've already got so many for our little entourage. Especially after we just picked up Manolo and Maria."

"I think we should take her with us", Hilda said, "She knows what we are, and she seems really excited to go." We all glanced at her, and she was just happily bobbing on the balls of her feet. She waved at us, and I waved back as we all huddled together.

"C'mon guys", I said, "She found us out, and I don't think it'll be a good idea to leave her behind."

Steve seemed hesitant, while Hilda beamed. Vanellope seemed split, but an encouraging look from Hilda, and Twig rubbing against her legs, made her look up at me and smile.

I smiled at the three of them, but then I turned to Steve. "What about you, Steve?"

The crafter looked over at Izzy, who was giving him large puppy dog eyes, and he finally relented. "Fine, she can stick with us."

I beamed and ran up to the energetic redhead. "Izzy, welcome aboard!"

"YES!!! She screeched, picking me up into a tight hug. "I am so ready for an unforgettable adventure of danger, tension and love."

"Yeah!" She put me down, and I grabbed the blanket I brought out with me. "Let's go tell the others!" I dashed off. Izzy followed closely behind, the others calling out my name as they attempted to catch up.

~X~

And so ends the next part of Dreams Come True. Yep, Izzy, the Psycho Hose Beast of Total Drama will be joining the main group through the adventure. Fun fact: through initial planning, no TD characters at all would have a greater impact on the story, but because Izzy is so, in my eyes, fleshed out, I had to include her.

Also, this chapter is also my submission for the TDWriMonth Crossover Event (Mar 5th - 11th, 2023). I really wanted to get something out for it, so here it is!

Up next: With Chris, Chef and the contestants gone, the gang decide it's the perfect time to leave. But a beast awakens, forcing a battle of titans…

~Caleb~