"You're screwed. You know that? Totally screwed."
Katie had been saying the same thing for the past hour now, and I was getting tired of it. On she went, pacing back and forth across my room, repeating herself over and over. "You're screwed! You're so super screwed!" I didn't need her telling me that, because I knew it wasn't true. Not for long, anyway.
I kicked my feet up on my end table, leaning back in my chair as she droned on and on and on with her doomsday prediction. That's what I hate most about people; so quick to point out a problem, not so much to do anything about it.
"You done?" I yawned,extending a hand and examining my nails. Katie didn't look happy I was so casual about things. She seemed pretty pissed, actually- but panicking was never my style.
"Am I- are you serious, Quinn?" Katie demanded, turning to face me. She put her hands on her hips, glaring at me. Maybe pissed was an understatement- now she seemed furious. "Everything blew up in our face- everything- no plans, no idols, no alliance, no nothing- and you're asking me if I'm done?"
Now probably wasn't the best time to ask if I had stuttered.
"You know what, I might be! Because once they eliminate you- and trust me, they are going to eliminate you, because that's what they do to people who are openly nefarious- they'll probably turn to me, too, because of my past!" Then she went back to her pacing. She was starting to annoy me. "Best I can do is try to pull an Alejandro, convince them I turned over a new leaf, not to get rid of me. But then they'll probably do it anyway, because-"
"Will you shut up?" I sat upright, shooting her my own glare. I was done listening to her piss and moan about everything. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."
"Don't tell me to shut-"
"Be quiet and let me think!" I snapped, waving her protest away. She finally got quiet this time, but I think that was more out of anger than anything else. I sat back in my chair again, closing my eyes, trying to think. As much as I didn't want to admit it, she was right. Things didn't look good, thanks to Justin. I planned for a lot, a whole lot- but not for him suddenly growing a conscience.
"Even if, somehow, you were to convince the others not to vote for you..." I rolled my eyes as Katie began talking again. She just wouldn't stop talking. "-those guys, Lucky, Veronica, Johnny- no way they aren't set on voting you out on principle. And there's enough of them to make it happen."
"...wait." I sat up straighter, looking at Katie as an idea struck me. "That's it."
Katie looked over at me, skeptical. "What's it?"
"My frie- everyone from back at Specter Island." I stood up, an idea forming. I knew just what to do. "There's Lucky, Veronica, Miri, Johnny... and he's getting pretty close to Deborah. Five votes, eleven of us."
"Almost half the cast," Katie whistled. "Yeah. you're screw-"
"Shut up. No I'm not." I felt myself grinning. The pieces were coming together. "Almost half the cast, right? That's a pretty big threat... to everyone else."
I could tell Katie was a little confused. "What are you getting at...?"
"We don't need to fix my reputation- or yours," I told her, walking over and placing an arm around her shoulder. "They think I'm a threat, and want me to pay for what I've done, right? Well, I might be a problem, but five votes this late in the game? That's more of a problem. See, we don't fix my chances... we ruin everyone else's."
"that's... you want us to turn everyone else on them," Katie blinked. Now she was getting it.
"Exactly," I nodded, "all we have to do is convince them the League of Super Pals is a bigger threat long term. We convince them to vote off Miri and Johnny- they're each getting close to someone else, right? But I'm not worried about Veronica or coffee girl. Miri and Johnny, brains and brawn- they go, we cut their numbers down to three, hell, maybe we can convince them to vote off one more to be safe. If it works, that guarantees our safety for two, three eliminations, puts the odds in our favor, and if we can find the immunity idol by then..."
"Then that buys us all the time we need," Katie smiled. "And maybe one or two of the others, like Finn or Luna might be persuaded to make it a more... permanent arrangement."
"If by persuade, you mean intimidate," I smirked, popping my knuckles. "I think we got this. Only one issue. You're going to be the one who needs to convince them."
"what? Why me?" Katie. Apparently she didn't understand nearly as much as I thought she did.
"Because, genius. I could tell everyone the ocean was blue and they wouldn't believe me."
"I guess you have a point," she grumbled. That was Katie- she didn't like getting her hands dirty, much. Not that I blamed her- her first run on the show didn't exactly end well for her. "I'll talk to the others. Tyler, Luna, Finn, Alejandro. I'll get them on our side. Hope you aren't planning on sitting back and letting me do everything."
Of course, that was when the intercom had to sound. Julie's annoying voice came over the speakers, and out went our own discussion. "Attention contestants," she began, droning on and on like she normally did, "your challenge will be in ten minutes. Please meet us on deck, and bring your swimwear- and some sunscreen. That is all!"
"Great. Just what I needed," I muttered, turning and opening up a drawer, searching around for my swimsuit. "Look, Just go talk to them. It's still only... ten o'clock, so if the challenge finishes early we have the entire day before elimination."
"hey, don't ignore me!" Katie snapped- as she completely ignored me. "You better not just be sitting on your ass the entire time I'm busting mine!"
"Relax." I pulled out my swimsuit, slamming the drawer as I tossed it on my bed. "I have a plan, alright? A good one. Whatever happens, I'm not leaving tonight. Now get out so I can change."
Katie rolled her eyes at me, turning, and heading out the door. I waited until it was closed before beginning to change. I still had one trump card left. At least, I hoped so.
~o.0.o~
I was a little late to the party when I arrived on deck, most of the contestants already having changed and been there already. Anyone who had been talking by that point stopped, turning to watch me walk by. I didn't think it was the swimsuit I was wearing.
"Dead girl walking," Finn called, a stupid grin on his face. If he kept up like that, he was going to make my list very, very quickly.
He, Luna, Veronica, Johnny, Deborah, and Miri were all there; in the back I could see Tyler looking unsure. I smiled when I realized why- Katie stood next to him, whispering in his ear, flashing me a sly wink as I passed. So, she started with him, then. Not a bad move. He was the dumbest one on the ship. I ignored the looks I was getting, leaning up against the railing as I waited. Couldn't let them see what I was thinking.
Lucky and Alejandro showed up not long after I did, and Julie after them. She looked like shit. Bags under her eyes, hair frazzled, less make up than usual. She took a sip from the coffee cup she always seemed to have, moving to set it down on a nearby table, missing and dropping it to the floor. The mug shattered, piece flying everywhere, her drink spilling all over the deck.
"Oh, damn it," Julie muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Give me a second guys-"
"I'll handle it~" Priscylla appeared out of nowhere, talking in this weird... sing song. I didn't like seeing her happy. There weren't many people I did like seeing happy, but her especially. It was a little unsettling.
She knelt down, sweeping the mess up with a dustpan as Julie shook her head and thanked her.
"Are you feeling alright, Miss Julie?" Luna asked from the crowd, voice concerned.
"Fine," Julie muttered, rubbing her temples as she responded. "Just didn't sleep well last night. Just... give me a second. Is everyone here?"
"All here, ma'am," Deborah nodded. 'Ma'am.' God, what a tool.
"Alright, good. Well, as you know, today we'll be doing a redo of last season's diving challenge," Julie began. Diving, huh? My favorite. "Instead of taking turns diving, you'll all go in at once, searching for one item- a golden idol. This." She held up a small, definitely painted, definitely stolen from the set of Raiders of the lost Arc, tiki statue. "Now, before you say anything, this idol doesn't have any game changing effects outside of the challenge. The first person to grab it and bring it here wins immunity for the night, but this isn't a new revenge or tranquility idol."
Great. And I had just gotten my hopes up, too. She pointed to a few air canisters set up nearby.
"The water isn't too deep this far out, so those canisters will last you an hour. If you want to come up before then to be safe, feel free. Just a quick warning, a few obstacles have been set up down there- and the idol won't be in plain sight. You'll have to check in caves, under rocks, and in seaweed if you hope to find it. Each set of gear comes with its own pager- that way, when the idol is found you'll all know to come back. Once everyone is ready, we'll start the challenge. Questions?"
"Uh... yeah." Deborah raised her hand. Freaking Deborah. She would be the only one to have questions, too. "you said there would be obstacles- what sorts?"
Priscylla answered instead of Julie, giving that creepy giggle and craning her head around to look back at Deborah like something out of a horror movie. "Oh, just a few last minute things I put in place~"
I wasn't really a fan of Priscylla; especially not since her little jeopardy challenge. But she had that look in her eye. Something was very wrong with her. Trust me. It takes one to know one.
"Uh, I've got a question!" This time it was Tyler who stuck his hand in the air. I don't know why- we weren't in a damn classroom. "Is the water gonna be cold?"
"yes, Tyler," Julie answered, rubbing her temples. "The water is probably going to be cold."
"Okay, 'cuz like, I got a body suit I can run back to my room and grab-"
I had had enough waiting. I walked off from the group, heading over to the air tanks, grabbing one, and beginning to strap it on.
"Excuse me, Quinn." Julie crossed her arms, trying to give me her best stern look. When she was this out of it, it just didn't have the same effect. "We aren't done here-"
"I am," I told her, shrugging, before hoisting myself up on the railing.
"Don't-"
I gave Julie a wink- could have come up with something better, but I thought it would irritate her enough as is- before extending my arms and falling back into the water.
To Tyler's credit, it was pretty damn cold.
~o.0.o~
I felt kinda nostalgic, swimming below the surface of the water. A year ago, give or take, this same challenge was where things really kicked off for me- though, it feels more like years now. After the incident with David, I thought maybe it would be best to lay low for a while, but... seeing Harold swimming, getting close to the treasure chest. I snuck up from behind and punctured the tube connecting his mask to his oxygen tank. He went scurrying, and I was able to nab it from right under his nose. People have always asked me why I did it. Well, maybe not that specifically- as far as things are concerned that didn't really rank high up there on my list of "offenses" on the island. Manipulation, assault, probably bribery... its hazy. Oh, and pushing someone off a bridge. That was fun.
But the reason I did all of that stays the same; because I could. Because it was easy. See, you hurt people, or people hurt you. I prefer the former. You learn to live with yourself after a while.
Behind me, I could hear splashes in the water. The others were beginning to dive in- which meant I had to get going. I swam forward, scanning the seabed. Or floor. Whatever. Just like I thought, just like Julie said, there was nothing.
Of course it wouldn't be in plain sight, but it didn't hurt to check, right?
I glanced over my shoulder- it looked like everyone else had joined me by now. I was only worried about a few of them- but I wasn't going to take chances. I swam down, looking over my options. There wasn't much in the way of anything around; no caves or tunnels or anything like that. Not nearby, anyway. I started sifting through the seafloor but didn't take long before I called it quits. We were too close to the beach as it was right now- I doubted I'd be finding anything here. It was time to start moving out.
I looked back up, glancing out at the open water ahead. Time to start swimming.
~o.0.o~
Deep, endless blue, filled with blah blah blah. Boring. Whoever wrote all those old shanties about falling in love with the sea was drunk or an idiot. Probably both. To me it was just freezing water and a bunch of stupid fish that would probably be dead in a week. There wasn't anything special here at all, unless you liked a whole bunch of nothing.
After what must have felt like hours, I was getting ready to give up and turn around when something happened... a red light flashed. By the time I reacted, it was gone, and the water was blue again. Then another red light. I spun around, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, when it went out again. I was starting to get annoyed, waiting patiently for it to start back up, when something slammed into me from behind. I kicked and swung, trying to get away, turning to see what was behind me... Tyler.
He reached out, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me, bubbles spilling out from his face... he was screaming. I swatted his hands away, and he let go, swimming frantically toward the surface. Something spooked him. Then the red light went on again.
It came through what looked like a small cave on the sea floor- I couldn't believe I had missed it before. Looked to be where Tyler had come from, too. On one hand, it was probably a bad idea. On the other, well, if the idol was anywhere...
I turned my focus on the cave, beginning to swim toward it. The light flicked on and off, getting slower as I got closer. By the time I reached the cave, it was dark again, and I could barely make anything out as I swam through. I winced as I bumped my head on the ceiling, shaking it off before looking around. It wasn't any good. I couldn't see jack shit. But of course, as soon as i got ready to bail, wondering if I did something wrong, the light turned back on, and I saw for the first time where it was coming from. There, at the bottom of the cave, covered in algae and barnacles, was Cthulhu- i mean, the stupid robot one. At least the head of it was. The light came from one eye, a deep red, the other eye looking broken. Was this seriously what spooked Tyler? I felt relieved... then i noticed what else was in the room.
Bones. tons of them. Everywhere, of every size, and they didn't look like they were from fish. The water... it started turning red. And not from the light. Even when it was off I could see what looked like a dark cloud making its way toward me. Blood? Where did...
It didn't take me long to lose interest when I noticed something else. Something shone, right at the base of that stupid robot's head. I swam down to see what it was, and smiled. The idol. Regardless of whether or not my plan worked, at least I had immunity for tonight. I reached down, grabbing it, pulling back when I felt something jab into my hand. I winced, shaking it off.
The hell was that? I craned my head, trying to see around the idol. Son of a... that's what did it. The idol was covered in small, sharp little points. Julie didn't say anything about those. I picked it up more carefully from the top, looking the stupid thing over. It didn't look much like the other idols. The face... it almost looked like someone screaming. I shook my head. Whatever. It didn't matter. I had the damn thing, didn't I? Now I just needed to get it back.
As I left the cave, I started to feel... woozy. Weak, like I was about to pass out. I hadn't been swimming that long. I didn't think I had. The more I swam, the worse I felt. I didn't like being in the water anymore. I mean, I didn't before, but I especially didn't know. What kinds of fish were these, anyway? Did they have teeth? Did they bite? Do fish do that? I didn't like the way they were looking at me. My vision started to blur. The red trail was following me. I needed to get out of the water. I needed to get out of the water. Need to get out. Need to get out. Need to-
~o.0.o~
-find him. I looked around the room- it was almost closing. Parents were beginning to walk their kids out, the last few members of the staff cleaning up. There were games on one side of the room, and a huge play palace next to them. In the center were the tables, dirty, some still with pizza on them. Then there was the stage with... those things.
"You wait here, Kel. I'll be right back, just have to grab my wallet from the car."
I was in Pizza Playhouse. I remembered this place; I had my eighth birthday here. I didn't... really liked it. But the other kids did so I pretended to. It's not that it wasn't fun, I just...
"Come on, let go! I said I'll be right back, didn't I. Go play games with the other kids."
-didn't like those things. On stage. Staring. It wasn't so bad when they moved, but when they just stopped, just watching you, it was...
"Enough! Enough! Stop fucking crying! They're just robots, go be a big girl and entertain your guests!"
...silent. Just standing there, on stage. That... thing. That stupid, smiling rat. His face all twisted and... wrong. That stupid grin on his face... and the other two mice on either side. His "band".
"Hey, Kelly! Why'd you have your birthday here, anyway?"
The eyes... it wasn't like what you normally hear. They weren't dead, or emotionless... it was the opposite of that. It looked like they were alive. Like there was some kind of spark there. And every time I moved to another side of the room...
"You mean you didn't hear? Jenny said that the rats are alive. It's true! I asked her brother and he said they come to life and steal kids who're here past closing!"
I booked it. It was closing time, and he wasn't anywhere to be scene. I climbed into the play palace, hiding in one of the tubes. They couldn't watch me in here. I'd be safe until he came back. The the mouse's head poked its way through the hole.
"Why are you still here?"
I screamed. I tried to back away further into the tube but I slipped, sliding back down. He reached in, trying to grab me.
"Hey, you okay? Where's your..."
I could see his eyes glowing. I kicked and kicked, trying to push him away, but he grabbed my ankle with his claws, red eyes staring into mine as he dragged me out. Those mice... those stupid mice. I clung to the idol for dear life. They were everywhere, laughing and grinning and...
"Excuse me sir, move aside... Kelly, is that you? Where's your dad?... its okay, sweetheart, you can come down."
...no. No they weren't. I looked down at the idol in my hand. Solid. Gold. Screaming. This wasn't real. And that's not how that night ended.
"Its okay... did your dad leave? Amy said she thought she saw you climb in there..."
I wasn't eight. This wasn't a shitty kids chain. This wasn't a mouse.
"Come on down. Want to stay at our house tonight, sweetie?"
"Let go!" I kicked loose of the rat, getting to my feet. "You're just some... some asshole in a suit. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not... I'm not scared of you."
It stood there, staring at me. Its eyes didn't glow. Its smile turned into a frown.
"Where'd he go? Where is he?"
"I'm sure he'd have been back soon, sweetie..."
"...that's right." I stepped forward, putting my hands on its chest and shoving it forward. "I have dealt with so much worse shit than you. If I ever see you again, I'm going to shove your cheap, shitty pizza down your goddamn throat. Understand me?"
He backed away... flew away. I didn't see him move his feet, he just sort of... slid back to the stage. My eyes didn't leave his the entire time. He was scared of me. He should be.
"Kelly, about your dad... he's not..."
I felt... heavy, all of a sudden. I could hear voices. Familiar. One of them... was close. I didn't... I felt like I was coming to. Like I was being dragged.
"Not coming-"
~o.0.o~
"Hey, you in there? Hey!"
My eyes shot open as I let out a gasp for air. I pushed away whoever had been dragging me, and fell back on hard sand.
"Ow. Shit!" I winced, sitting up and slowly climbing to my feet.
"You alright?" a voice asked.
I looked over, staring, before cracking a smile. "Lucky? You dragged me up here?" I looked around at the beach, the boat not far off. I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Easier ways to get a girl to go to the beach with you, you know."
He shook his head. "Knock it off, Quinn. I saw you flailing around in the water. Thought you might drown."
"-thought that I needed your help, you mean." I yawned, stretching as I spotted both of our air tanks laying nearby. "Which I didn't. I had everything under control."
"Uh huh. You're welcome."
I shook my head, glancing back at him over my shoulder. "So why did you do it?"
Lucky looked at me, then the sand. "I don't know what you mean."
"You know exactly what I mean. Everything we've been through. Things we've said and done to each other... you could have kept on swimming. I know I would have." I turned back toward him, arms crossed.
"Yeah, well, I ain't you," he told me, "so whatever you're gonna say-"
"Shut up, Lucky. I'm trying to help you." I walked toward him, slowly. "However you think tonight is gonna go down, its not. You and your friends lost and don't know it yet."
"Quinn, might need to rethink that. You're headed to crashville, sweetheart. You're not getting out of this one."
"Lucky. Give me some credit. You really think I wouldn't have a plan B?" I stopped in front of him, eyes locked. "Justin was an idiot. I wasn't going to bank on him too hard. He helped get me far enough, and Katie and I have to do the rest ourselves."
"Katie?" Lucky blinked, surprised. Perfect.
"She saw I was in trouble. Came to me with an offer this morning," I explained, frowning. "She had a plan. I agreed to help. She didn't tell me all of it. Just that you guys, well... couldn't keep you around much longer."
Lucky didn't look convinced- but he looked like he was thinking about it, at least. "Why would I believe you?"
"you don't have to," I told him, "once the challenge is over... follow her. That's when she told me it was supposed to go down."
"...if that's true, why are you tellin' me?"
"Same reason you saved me. You're soft on me," I smiled. "Admit it. Ever since we met, over and over again you've been coming to bail me out." I leaned in close, whispering. "Consider this me paying you back. Follow Katie once the challenge is over. Keep an eye on her. You'll see I'm telling the truth."
"Quinn... I'm not dumb. You're angling for something," he told me, not moving.
"Maybe," I told him, leaning closer, our lips inches apart. "...but then, maybe not."
I pulled away, turning and walking back toward our oxygen tanks, a smile on my face. Its best to keep them guessing. As I stopped, leaning down to gather my airtank, Lucky called, "you said a lot things, while you were out of it."
I froze, only for a second, before going back to putting the equipment back on. "You aren't going to tell anyone."
"Wasn't planning on it."
"Good." I slowly stepped back into the water, shivering. Colder than I remembered it being. "Try not to get voted off, hon."
"Don't worry about me, sweetheart. I always get by." He slowly made his way for his own tank. I could have severed the cord, thrown it into the ocean, made him swim back without it... but not this time. We had the whole rest of the season, after all. I dove back into the water, and started swimming.
It wasn't long before I pulled myself on to the boat, climbing on board and pulling my mask off. Julie stood there, arms crossed, not looking happy.
"Back already, Quinn?" She asked.
"Uh huh. You can call them back now, challenge is over. I won," I smirked, setting the tank of air aside.
"That so? You found the idol, then?" Julie held out a hand.
"Well, it wasn't hard. I..." I stopped when I realized I hadn't been holding it. When I had that... hallucination. The fear gas, or poison, or whatever the hell. Did I end up dropping...?
"Oh, someone I'm actually happy to see," Julie said, looking away from me. "Quinn here was just saying she won the challenge, but I didn't hit the pager yet."
"Quinn found the idol? Huh. And here I thought I had the only creepy, solid gold idol." My eyes widened as I saw Lucky step forward, handing the idol to Julie. "And here I thought I was special."
Julie eyed it over, confused. "This wasn't what I told Priscylla to... was it?"
I stared at Lucky, shocked. "You... you took the idol," I hissed, clenching my fists.
"I almost felt bad," he said, smiling a bit. "Then I remembered... you dropped me off a cliff."
"So what's next, huh? You gonna vote me off?" I crossed my arms, looking away from him. If I had to see that smile for another second, I was going to hit him.
"No. What's next is I look into this Katie thing," he told me. "If it's as bad as you say... whatever happens after that, happens. I'm not coming to save you anymore."
"So that's it? We're just 'even' then?" I scoffed.
"Oh, no. Not even close."
I couldn't help but smile a little. "A man after my own heart."
Julie finished looking over the idol, setting it aside on the table. "I must be losing my mind... but that is the idol. Lucky, you've won immunity from tonight's challenge. I'll call everyone else back."
"Congratulations," I told him, stretching as I started to walk off. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going to take a nap."
~o.0.o~
Of course, I didn't really nap- once I changed, I waited for Katie to get on the boat. Everything was coming together, so far, she just needed to do her part. After I found her, she promised to get everyone together in the clubhouse for a meeting. No one had really been in there since the merge, so it was the perfect place for some privacy. I told her to keep the door cracked- just a bit- so I could listen in. But the door being open wasn't for my benefit- it was for Lucky's.
I slipped in before everyone arrived, hiding in the walk in pantry where snacks were kept. I heard everyone start to pile in, talking among themselves.
"So what did you call us all in here for, exactly, Katie?" Alejandro asked. "You'll forgive me if I'm not a little suspicious of your motives."
"Of course you should be, Al, but right now, we have more pressing matters," Katie answered. I could hear seats being pulled up to a table, but I couldn't see anything. "It's the others. Johnny, Deborah, Lucky, Veronica, Miri... the little friendship squad is becoming a problem. We need to do something."
"Do something? What do you... but they're nice!" Luna protested. I don't think the girl had a single mean bone in her body. I was surprised she had made it so far as it was. "What are you suggesting?"
"There's eleven of us left," Katie explained, sounding impatient, "there are five of them. Meaning, if we eliminate Quinn tonight, they make up half of the contestants still on the show. She's a scumbag, sure, but we can vote her off later. Right now we need to chip away at their numbers, if not vote them all off in a row."
"Team up against them? But they've always been nice to me!" Luna said again. "I don't know, Katie. This doesn't feel right..."
"Luna... she has a point." Tyler? That was a surprise. "If we vote out Quinn, then what? If one of us goes out next challenge, they'll out number us! This is the first time I've been to the merge in years... I don't want to go home..."
"Tyler... I know how you feel... I don't want to go home this late either," Luna sighed. "But its people like Quinn, and... sorry, but even people like Katie, who are the reason that people like Duncan or Mark or Gwen lost... they might be dangerous later on, but there's always next time..."
"Luna... I'm afraid I have to agree," Alejandro muttered. "They're too dangerous. For their own good. They haven't wrong me either, but its too much of a risk to let them keep going like they are."
"See? Even he agrees," Katie huffed. "So, tonight? We all vote for Johnny while he doesn't have immunity. Then next week, we take out Miri. After that I could care less. All in favor?"
"I," Alejandro said, sounding a bit reluctant.
"I," Tyler added sadly.
"Oh, sure, sure. I'll vote for him," Finn agreed, sounding almost bored.
It was silent before Katie asked, "Luna? You?"
"...I'll have to think about it. I'm sorry," She murmured.
"Great," Katie scoffed, "just great. I'll talk to Quinn, and we'll have to hope its enough. If one of us goes home, its entirely your fault, Luna, and I hope its you."
Luna croaked out a quiet "sorry". Almost felt bad for her. Almost.
"Elimination is soon," Katie told them, "come on, let's get out of here. We know what needs to be done, alright? Let's do it,"
I listened as everyone got out of their chairs, heading for the door. It worked absolutely perfectly. Now, I just needed to do my part.
~o.0.o~
Soon enough, it was elimination time. Everyone sat on the deck, waiting for the results as Julie spoke.
"You all know the drill by now- normal elimination," she said, gesturing to the wheel. "When I call your name, you're safe. First is Lucky- and since you won, you have access to the clubhouse with one person of your choosing until the next challenge."
She tossed over his bag, before turning to the rest of the results. "This is... wow. I'm surprised. Tyler, you're safe as well. Luna, also safe. Miri, Veronica and Alejandro, safe safe safe. Finn? Safe. Deborah, you're still in. And most surprisingly... Quinn? You live to see another day."
Katie turned to look at me, smiling as I caught my bag, only for her face to drop when she realized her name hadn't been called.
"Katie, Johnny... its down to you two," Julie told them, looking back and forth.
"The final bag goes to...
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"...Johnny! you're still in it!"
"Wait, what?" Katie gasped, jolting to her feet. "But I don't understand! How am I the one going home tonight?!"
"We found out about your plan," Johnny answered, glancing over at her. "Once we learned who was behind it, well..."
"The rest came naturally," Lucky finished, glancing at me.
"You found out... Luna!" Katie turned on the girl, furious. Wow. She really didn't suspect me?
"What? No! It wasn't me, I swear!" Luna insisted. All eyes were on here- it was basically everything I could do not to laugh. Perfect.
"Fine, fine!" Katie turned, stomping toward the life boat. "You know what, I don't care! I hope you all get voted off! I was trying to help you idiots, and you... gah!"
Katie shot me a final, angry stare, before waving her arms in the air in frustration, climbing over the side of the boat- still shouting profanities. Heh. Not bad.
"Well... that's that," Julie announced, shaking her head. "Looks like the rest of you are moving on into the top ten! The game only gets more intense from here... but for now? Time for you to get some rest."
~o.0.o~
Half an hour later, they were still there. Alejandro, Luna, Tyler and Finn. Talking, whispering, wondering aloud what they should do. I waited for silence before stepping out of the shadows, taking a seat at the table with them.
"What are you doing here?" Tyler asked, turning to me.
"You're almost outnumbered. In a pinch. Everyone else knows what you're trying to do," I told him, leaning back and kicking my feet up against the table."
"Well, we don't need your help," he frowned, clearly regretting his earlier decision. "Not after what you did to-"
Alejandro held up a hand, shushing him. "Let's hear her out."
"You need to get rid of those guys," I told him, smiling. "And I know just how to do it."
Working the votes was easy enough. The decision to boot Katie wasn't. But it was for the better. See, we eliminate a few of them, and then the focus is gone. They aren't a threat anymore. But split the cast into two, divided, pissed off factions? They'd be at each other for a while. Now that Katie was gone, I could swoop in, play the part of leader for Alejandro and the rest, then turn to Lucky and the others as a double agent. Play both sides against each other until I'm the last one standing.
I didn't plan on betraying Katie. I almost felt bad- I kind of liked her. And Lucky ,well, I didn't hold him stealing the idol personally.
The thing is, I understood better than anyone- you need to hurt someone before they hurt you.
(A/N: Annnnnnd I'm back! Lot's of news, guys, so lemme break it down.
Normally I have an apology for being so late, but over the year I've learned something- life is friggin' crazy. I'm not going to make any excuses OR any promises, but let me say I'm back, I'm not going anywhere, and I'm more driven than ever to finish the series. And while it may take a while, I am driven.
New Reality Rush on the way! Sort of a side chapter. Originally, I was planning on writing the two part finale side by side, but it sort of collapsed under itself. I wasn't happy with what i had, and while I did finish them, I did something I haven't really done before- I deleted both chapters. They were rushed, sloppy, and didn't feel like the finale- and you guys deserve better, especially after this wait.
Funhouse- recently I've been working on a new story called Funhouse: Redemption. Only the prologue is posted so far, but I'm pretty happy with what I've come up with, so go check it out if you're interested!
And finally, I'm hosting an ARG on this site in the FF forums. Its a highly interactive, timed, dark mystery with numerous endings, and while I have a few great people on board already, I'm always looking to add more. If you like Camp TV, mysteries, plot twists, roleplays, ARGs or are just curious about the project in general, let me know! its coming soon, so please please please let me know if you're interested!
Alright guys! Fun fact: this chapter originally wasn't going to happen. Quinn wasn't going to get her own self-titled episode, but after coming up with a few concepts I really wanted to do with her, I decided to end up writing it. The first person perspective was also a last minute decision, born from the desire to give each chapter a unique feel in LoM, and the fact that what I had written previously was utter rubbish.
Since I stopped doing all-star statistics, I decided I'd start adding a little character specific trivia instead:
Initially, Quinn had a completely different role than she has today. Instead of an antagonist, she was more of a misunderstood character that was intended to romance David, who- if you recall- was a rather bland character eliminated early in Specter Islands. He was meant to be a major protagonist, serving as a sort of "everyman underdog" who I decided to eliminate when Johnny got a much better response than I thought, as well as being a more fun character to work with. He ended up being overshadowed by everyone else- that is, David was- and the decision was made to cut him. Quinn stuck around, though, and I had much more fun with her as an antagonist than a hero, solidifying her role in the series with the diving challenge. It's no coincidence that diving was the redux challenge for this episode- I thought it a fitting touch. Anyway, that's enough trivia- thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys again very soon- oh, and new poll on my profile!)