Author's Note: I'll put the votes for each couple to the right of their names, and an "X" for them being voted off on the left.

X-Izzy and Owen-3

-Heather and Justin-24

X-Lindsay and Tyler-0

X-LeShawna and Harold-4

X-Beth and Cody-4

X-Eva and Ezekiel-0

-Bridgette and Geoff-25

-Gwen and Trent-73

-Courtney and Duncan-95

X-Sadie and DJ-2

-Katie and Noah-30

"Where will we even begin to look for them? They could be anywhere in the carnival!" Bridgette points out.

"Should we split up?" Trent asks.

"No way," Duncan replies, "Then we'll just have to find each other again."

"As much as I hate to agree with Duncan, I agree. I think it would be better if we stayed together. Maybe we can find Heather, Justin, Katie, and Noah by using the loudspeakers. But first we need to find where they broadcast the announcements," Courtney says. Gwen nods.

"Yeah. We could tell them over the loudspeakers to meet us at the front gate. That could work," Gwen agrees.

"Then I guess we could split up, and then whoever finds the broadcast station first will tell us to meet at the front gate," Duncan admits.

"Okay, see you guys later!"

"Let's head over by those houses," Duncan suggests, pointing to shady wooden buildings on the far side of the carnival. He takes Courtney's hand and they start walking.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Courtney asks, lightly touching Duncan's arm.

"I'm fine," he persists. Courtney bites her lip. Duncan's voice sounded rough and gravelly, like he had a hoarse throat.

Courtney was silent for a bit until she said, "Your voice sounds… different."

"Well, maybe it's from that doll choking me," Duncan guesses. Courtney stops walking.

"Oh my God, Duncan, if that doll hurt--" Courtney growled, wringing her hands. Duncan stopped walking too and put his hands around Courtney's.

"Courtney, it'll be fine," Duncan insists and starts walking again.


"Trent, can you reach that windowsill?" Gwen asks, pointing to the window above their heads. They were standing by a wooden, moldy building at the back of the carnival. The door was locked, but they had looked through the first-floor windows and the room was bare. However, the second-story window was lit up.

"Let me see," Trent replies, jumping up. His arm muscles flex as he lifts himself up, but then he flinches and drops to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Gwen exclaims, her hand on his shoulder. Trent stands up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My stomach just hurt," Trent explains. Gwen frowns at the mention of his injuries from the "doll incident".

"But I did happen to see a desk in the room upstairs," Trent reports.

"Oh my gosh! Maybe that has the microphone for the loudspeakers!" Gwen exclaims. Trent nods.

"Exactly." He lifts Gwen up and she kneels on the windowsill. She tries to pry the window open, but it's stuck.

"It's locked!" Gwen calls down to Trent. She turns back to the window, and from the inside, a clown is staring at her. Gwen screams, and falls backwards. Trent catches her. Then he places her on her feet.

Trent picks up a big rock laying on the ground and throws it at the window. It crashes through the glass and smacks the clown's face. It falls down. For the next couple minutes, there is no movement from inside.

"I can go inside again," Gwen says.

"You sure?" Trent asks, not wanting her to go in a room alone with a clown.

"Positive." So Trent lifts Gwen up to the windowsill. She crawls into the room, being careful of the glass shards in the window. She disappears from Trent's view.

A couple minutes later, a tapping is heard on the loudspeakers. "Hello? Hello? Testing…testing…"

"Gwen!" Trent calls, "Bridgette and Geoff must've already found the microphone. They're on the loudspeakers right now." Gwen appears at the window.

"Oh okay. I'm coming down, then," she says. Gwen's torso is out the window, and she is lifting one leg to get out the window when she screams. Bridgette continues with announcing to meet her at the front gate.

"Gwen! What is it?!" Trent shouts. He's muttering curse words under his breath. I should never have let Gwen in that room all alone, Trent thinks.

"It has my foot!" Gwen screams. He sees her tugging at something in the room, and all of a sudden Gwen has a walking cane. She's swinging it at the ground, which is where the clown must be. Then Gwen screams again, and she drops the cane inside the room. Gwen totters, and falls out the window.

Trent kneels, and catches her half in his arms and half on his lap. "Gwen, are you okay?" he asks, breathless. Gwen shakily shows him her ankle. "Oh my gosh," he mutters.

There were five bloody half-moon shaped marks on her pale ankle.

"Are those from his fingernails?" Trent asks. Gwen nods and leans into Trent's chest. He gently picks Gwen up and starts walking for the front gate, every now and then looking back at the empty window.

"I'm so sorry, Gwen," Trent says.


"Duncan, seriously, this has nothing to do with your voice anymore, but you are acting very strange," Courtney says suspiciously.

"I'm fine, Courtney, for the millionth time! Why do you have to be so uptight?" Duncan asks harshly. Courtney huffs.

"I am not uptight! I'm just wondering if you're okay, when you're clearly not since your acting like a total jerk!" Courtney shouts.

"Me? You're the one going around asking if everything is okay, when you're the one being completely annoying and stirring up trouble!" Duncan accuses.

"I hate you!" Courtney screams. Duncan doesn't move or say anything for a second, and then he slaps Courtney on the cheek.

She staggers backwards and places a hand on her reddening cheek. Her eyes well up.

"I can't believe I ever liked you," Courtney says quietly, but harshly.

"I feel the same way," Duncan says coldly. "You're an uptight, over-achieving, arrogant son of a bi--"

"SHUT UP!" Courtney runs at Duncan and shoves him. He moves just a foot backwards. He grabs her wrist and she can't yank it back.

"Don't you dare do that to me," he growls. Duncan flings Courtney against the wooden wall of the house. He walks up to her and lifts her up by her arm.

"Ow! Duncan! What's the matter with you?" she shrieks. Duncan drops her onto the ground, knocking the breath out of her lungs. Duncan rolls her onto her stomach and digs his knee into her back.

"What's wrong with me? You're the messed up ex-girlfr--"

Duncan flies off Courtney as Trent tackles him. Duncan's head hit's the ground hard. The metallic noise of something metal bouncing across the ground fills the air.

"What was that?" Trent growls at Duncan, "Was it you?"

Duncan groans. "Ugh, Trent get off me, will ya? Jeez, my neck hurts. What the heck is up with that?"

"Shut up, Duncan," Trent says, still pinning Duncan down.

"Dude, Trent, what's your problem?" Duncan asks. Then his eyes widen. "My God, what happened to Courtney?" Duncan squirms under Trent's weight. "Get off me, man, I gotta go see Courtney!"

"So you can attack her again?" Trent accuses.

"What? I didn't do anything to Princess! Now get off me!" Duncan exclaims, throwing Trent off him. Duncan runs up to Courtney and kneels by her. He takes her hand, but she yanks it away.

"Courtney, what's wrong?" he asks quietly. Gwen finally appears, limping, from behind the building.

"Oh, I don't know, Duncan, maybe you just yelled your head off at her, broke up with Courtney, and also tossed her around like a rag doll," Gwen hisses. Trent yanks Duncan away from Courtney.

"What? Courtney, oh my gosh, are you okay?" Duncan asks. She just moans as Gwen helps her up. "Courtney, what's wrong? Please!"

Courtney finally looks at Duncan. "Just… don't talk to me… ever," she replies. Duncan freezes up.

As Trent leads Duncan away and Gwen is helping Courtney walk, Gwen calls out, "Hey, Trent, what do you suppose this is?"

Trent turns around and walks close to Gwen's outstretched hand. Duncan takes advantage of the closeness and tries to make eye contact with Courtney, but she refuses to look at him. Her face is blank, but her eyes are filled with pain, sadness, and hate.

Trent takes the blue chip from Gwen's hand. It was square, blue, and about the size of a penny. Gold wires ran all across the top of the computer-chip-thing. "Duncan, what is this?" Trent asks. Duncan shakes his head.

"I don't know," he replies. Trent squints at him in unawareness.

"We can give it to Noah. He'll know," Gwen says. Trent nods.