Sorry about the delay, but I was distracted. It will be a week at least until the next chapter (finals time here at school). Anyway, there's no voting this chapter. I'll explain at the end why. Anyway, read, enjoy, review.


Capture The Flag

"I just don't get it," Todd said as he, Eddie, Alex, and Jamie were sitting by the small lake under the waterfall. "I thought she liked me."

"Oh, she does," Eddie said. "I'm certain."

"Then why—"

"She was nervous," Eddie said. "She might have never been kissed before. I know before my first kiss I was much more flustered."

"You mean, your first kiss with a guy, right?" Jamie asked.

"Of course," Eddie said. "I've never kissed a girl."

"You know, I would suggest that you kiss a girl before you knock them off your list," Alex said. "Girls, well, they have the smoothest lips."

"Not to mention they all taste good," Todd said.

"Not all," Jamie said, and shuddered. "I'm guessing you never kissed a smoker."

Todd, Alex, and Eddie all shook their heads. Jamie sighed and said, "I would suggest not try. It's not pleasant."

"Oh, that was so embarrassing," Brooke said to Nessa as they were eating.

"Calm down, it wasn't that bad," Nessa said. "You're not the only girl that has been nervous for a kiss. Plus, you don't want to be too easy. It's good to be a little hard to get."

"But he's so sweet," Brooke said.

"And he has it hard for you," Nessa said. "He'll wait until you're ready."

"Are you sure?"

"He's not the kind to kiss and leave," Nessa said.

"But, I've seen him flirt with other girls."

"Not the way he flirts with you," Nessa said. "Just calm down and let the river run its course, okay? He's not giving up." She stood up. "And, now, I suggest we wash up. Most of the guys have wandered away from camp."

Confession Cam:

(Nessa) "The worst thing about this place? The fact that there is only a single toilet, which is really just a deep hole in the ground. And only two showers, which are out in the open with only a translucent curtain to block the view. Luckily I have my own mirror or who knows how I would do my make-up."

(Manny) "At least the first season of campers had an actual building for a bathroom. We get hanging curtains and water that is always cold."

(Madison) "Ah swear, it's easier to just bath in the stream than wait for a shower to be open."

(Gail) "And there aren't any locks for the showers, so anyone could walk by and throw it open at any time."

(Vinson) "Which is exactly why I wear my trunks when I shower."

(Rufus) "I wouldn't blame the girls if they accidentally opened a shower while I was bathing. And, they wouldn't be disappointed."

(Todd) "And Eddie sings as he bathes. It's not that he can't sing, he is actually one of the few people I know that can carry a tune, but I don't want to listen to Show Tunes as I shower… or ever, really."

(Bex) "As long as Rufus keeps out while I shower, I'm good. I think the rest can contain themselves."

(Rufus) "Granted, I don't want Eddie 'accidentally' stumbling in…"

(Eddie) "The showers here are not very good. And the water is from the sea and hasn't been purified very much, so it's still got a bit of salt in it."

(Genevieve) "And while I was showering something fell on me. I'm not sure what it was, but I think it was a fish eye." Shudders. "The poor creature, out there with only one eye."

(Madison) "Cleaner too, Ah think. At least it ain't salty."

"Campers, please come and meet at the campsite in ten minutes," Chris announced over the intercom. "So we can discuss your challenge for today."

Everyone grumbled and made their way to the campsite's beach and sat down. Chris stood wearing a camouflage outfit rather than his usual gear. His hands were behind his back "There are twenty of you left, ten on each team. Today, your challenge will be a simple game everyone knows." He pulled his hands out from behind his back, holding two flags. "Capture the flag. The island will be divided into two areas. Each team will have to hide their flag on their side with at least four square inches showing. Then, once the game officially begins, you are allowed to cross onto the other side. If you are tagged while over the border, you will be taken to their jail, which they will decide on and report to Chef and me. If you are on the other side and find the jail, you may tag one person out and can safely return to your own zone; or, you may tag multiple people out, but will not be safe from getting captured again. The objective is to find the other team's flag and get it to your own side. The first team to do that wins. Any questions?"

"How will we know what side we're on?" Brooke asked.

"There will be a red ribbon along the border," Chris said. "As well, we're only using half the island, so another, green ribbon will split the island again. You may not hide your flag on the far side of the green line. You may cross the green line, but you may not cross it to sneak in or out of the other team's zone. Any more questions?"

"How long is this going to last?" Eddie asked.

"As long as it needs to," Chris said. "Until one team wins. Food will be delivered to both sides two times a day. If a week goes by and no one has won, Chef and I will decide the winner by which team we feel has done the best. Toucans, here's your flag. Iguanas, here's your flag. Now, go hide the flags. Be at the red line in twenty minutes for the game to begin."

Confession Cam:

(Walter) "And now I feel like I'm ten again. I sucked at this game when I was a kid. I was the one that always ended up in jail and no one bothered to rescue me."

(Erik) "Finally, something I can really do well in. I can outrun any of those Toucans… unless Madison jumps on her horse…" He shudders.

(Zak) "Physical activity, not my strength. However," he makes a square that is four square inches with his hands, "I do know that two inches by two inches is the same as," he then spreads his hands apart, making a very long and thin rectangle, "twelve inches by one-third an inch. It's much easier to spot the square than the thin rectangle. I'll just stand guard at the jail during the game."

(Eddie) "I love this game. I used to play it all the time. I usually ended up injured, but it was still fun. I also have the perfect place to hide it."

(Todd) "At least the last challenge, I could talk with Brooke. This time, the only talking we'll be able to do is if one of us is chasing the other."

(Rufus) "My team better not ruin this."

(Brooke) "This might be a good challenge to stay away from Todd. I mean, he's nice and all, but our teams will get angry with us if we 'fraternize with the enemy' as the cliché goes."

(Christie) "There's no way the other team can win. I'm like the wind, you know I'm there, but you can't see me and you can't catch me."

"Okay, Toucans, follow me," Rufus said taking the flag and walking into the wooded area, toward the stream.

"Who put you in charge?" Autumn asked.

Rufus smiled at her and bent down. "Someone has to take up a leadership position, and it didn't look like anyone else was about to."

"That's because you didn't give anyone else a chance," Bex said grabbing the flag from his grip. "So, who's got ideas?"

"I say we put it under a huge rock so that even when they find it, it will take several of them several minutes to free it," Jamie said.

"Not bad," Rufus said.

"Only, some people know that you can just jam a branch under a rock and use that as leverage in a matter of seconds," Todd said.

"At the bottom of the lake?" Ashlynn asked. "Use a small pile of rocks to hold it down."

"That deep, it won't be visible," Gail said shaking her head.

"We have to hide it in plain sight," Eddie said. Everyone looked at him, then turned back toward the center shouting out ideas.

"Ah say we tie it to Misty," Madison said.

"And when she wanders to the other side?"

"We send someone up a tree to a branch and tie it out of their reach."

"Until Christie's knife slices the branch and it knocks one of us out."

"A hallow in a tree."

"Where a chipmunk will snatch it and take it somewhere else."

"Seriously, guys," Eddie said. "I have a great idea."

Everyone sighed. "Let's hear it," Bex said.

"We pin it to the side on one of our tents," Eddie said. "It's the same color, same material, and it has the same symbol on it."

"You know, that's actually a really good idea," Alex said. "It'll be the last thing they'd expect. The moment they can, they're going to go as far back in our zone as they can get, and they'll search back there. They'll be no where near the campsite."

"And when they're on the border?" Rufus asked.

"We pin it to the side not facing their zone," Gail said.

"Agreed," Bex said.

"How do we pin it?" Jamie asked.

Bex reached up and pulled out her stud earring. "With these. They're small and they'll blend in with the yellow."

"And when the wind blows?"

"I have several pairs as well," Ashlynn said.

"Then it's settled," Todd said. "Ashlynn, Eddie, and Bex, you three set it up, the rest of us, let's make some noise in that direction," Todd pointed the opposite way.

Zak grabbed a stick and began digging at dirt right under a tree root. Others looked on. "What are you doing?" Nessa finally asked.

"I'll show you," Zak said. He took the flag, rolled it tightly with just a little less than half an inch not tightly rolled in. He then stuffed the rolled part under the root where he had been digging.

"Yeah, except we need four square inches showing," Erik said.

"And that is," Manny said. "A twelve inch flag by one third an inch is four square inches." He clapped Zak on the back. "Good thinking."

"And it's in the middle of our zone, and off the beaten path," Phoebe said.

"We're sure to win this challenge," Genevieve said and jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

"Okay, everyone, spread out, and approach the line," Erik said.

"Wait," Zak stopped them. "We need a jail, and a strategy."

"The jail should be within thirty feet of the flag," Walter said. "But not be able to see the flag from it."

"How about that huge tree over there?" Genevieve asked pointing to a tree that was about twenty-five feet from the flag, but in a place that would lead anyone away from the flag.

"Perfect," Manny said.

"And strategy?" Brooke asked.

Zak looked around, then said, "Erik, Nessa, Vinson, and Manny, you guys are going to be what we'll call a distraction. Christie, I want you to find a gap to slip in and stay quiet. And, we need one more person to sneak in there without being spotted in case of an emergency or if too many of us get thrown in jail."

"I can handle that," Walter said.

"How?" Phoebe asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, just trust me on this one."

"Okay, distractions, you'll need to occasionally come back in, tell us what's going on, who's in jail, and such."

"Hey, do you have any walkie talkies by any chance?" Vinson asked turning to Zak.

"Uh, not exactly," he said after a moment of shock that Vinson had actually talked. "I do have communication devices that I created, why?"

"So we can send messages to you from the other side," Vinson said.

"Oh, good idea," Manny said. "How many devices do you have, Zak?"

"Um, three that are connected," Zak said. "But only two have sound."

"That's fine," Christie said. "You don't want the one I have to be making noise as it will give away my position."

"Okay, Walter, you can have one too," Manny said. "You can sneak over, and hide well enough that they won't see or hear you, right?"

"They'll have no idea I'm on their side," Walter said.

"Okay, we'll give you any information, like when a lot of people are in jail or if we find the flag and we have enough of their people on our side for you to go after it."

"That works," Walter said. "But, I'll probably need a zip-lock baggie. Just in case."

"I have some," Genevieve said. "They contained food that I already ate. Don't worry; there aren't any crumbs or such. They had things like, fruit roll-ups and things in packaging, but I wanted to keep them together."

"Okay, good," Zak said.

"Now," Erik said, "you three get what you need, the rest of us, spread out and approach the border. If we all seem to approach from a different spot, it'll keep them from having an idea of the general area to look."

"One of you meet me at the back of our zone," Walter said walking back.

"I'll be waiting at the jail for my device," Christie said.

"Are both teams ready?" Chris standing in the center of the divide between the two zones.

"Iguanas are set," Manny answered immediately.

"Toucans are ready to dominate," Rufus said as well seeing as Ashlynn and Bex were approaching.

"Then, Capture the Flag officially begins!" Chris yelled and shot off a gun. Several people jumped over the line and began running.

"Girls, take defense," Rufus shouted as he pushed through the brush.

"Ex-scuse me?" Bex yelled. "You don't think we can handle offense?" She ran after him.

"I'll just stay back in lieu of her," Eddie said and backed into the Toucan zone to look for Iguanas.

Todd was rushing through the zone, dodging branches and such. He heard light feet following. He chanced a glance back and was disappointed that it was Phoebe and not Brooke. He sped up and dodged into the thicker part of the trees, off the path and started looking for landmarks. Assuming that the other team planned to be able to find their flag for any reason, it would need to be near a distinct landmark.

"Gotcha," Todd stopped, surprised that Phoebe had somehow cut him off.

"Great, thirty seconds in and I'm already tagged," Todd mumbled.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll enjoy jail enough," Phoebe said leading him to the tree that was their jail. About ten feet away, Brooke stood on a tree trunk, keeping a watch out.

"Got you a criminal here, B," Phoebe said.

Brooke turned around and her cheeks flushed. "Oh, good job, Phoebe." She forced a smile to Phoebe and Phoebe laughed as she went to investigate some noise a ways off.

Christie found Walter at the back of the Iguana zone dragging a canoe and wearing a pair of goggles. She lifted an eyebrow when he flipped the canoe upside down and dragged it into the water that way. "What are you doing?"

"Trapping air in the canoe," Walter said. "You have the device thing?"

"Here," Christie tossed him the baggie with the talking device. "Zak already tuned the frequencies to be the same."

"Cool," Walter said. "Now, I'm off."

Confession Cam:

(Christie) "I'm not gonna lie. Walter's idea was freaking genius if he could pull it off."

(Walter) "I got the idea from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. I was convinced to watch it because of where I was headed, and the fact that Chris McClain was in charge."

After a few hours, and a few people had been in and out of jail, neither team had a clue where the other team's flag was. Rufus hadn't seen Jamie for about an hour, so he decided to try a quick trip to the jail to see if he was stuck there. However, he didn't see Christie, behind him in the treetops, spot him cross.

"Zak, you have Rufus on his way," she said into her communication device.

He nodded and stood extra guard. Brooke, who he had been talking with, split up a bit. Soon, Brooke was chasing the good-looking boy, and right in Zak's direction. Not noticing the smaller boy as Rufus tried to dodge Brooke, he got tagged by Zak.

"You're going to enjoy your cellmate, I suspect," Brooke said. They arrived at the tree to see Madison was sitting on a low branch.

Madison began laughing. "Ya'll got caught?"

Rufus stared at her. "So did you."

"Yeah, but Ah freed Bex, Todd, and Jamie when Ah got caught, so it was productive."

"Enjoy," Brooke said and walked back to her post.

Christie crept across the treetops, her eyes darting around for the flag. She was silent, and the only thing that seemed to sense her was Madison's horse, but seeing as Misty couldn't talk, she didn't worry about it. She was rather frustrated. She had traveled almost the entire Toucan zone and hadn't seen a peek of the flag. They only seemed to have a few guards at the jail, and the rest exploring, looking for any Iguanas. "Still looking, still clueless," she said into her device.

Zak sighed and found Manny and Nessa resting. "Any ideas where the flag may be? Christie can't find it."

"I have no clue," Nessa said. "Wherever they hid it, it's a mystery to me."

"Same here," Manny said. "I even searched the river and waterfall. Nothing."

"It has to be somewhere," Genevieve said as she approached and took a seat.

Todd and Eddie were resting and eating apples. "So, you think like a girl. How can I get Brooke to speak to me again?" Todd asked.

"Give her some time," Eddie said. "Wait until she approaches you. It'll happen sooner or later. She's not an experienced dater, and she's just shy."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Eddie said.

Todd sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna go see if there's anyone in the jail."

"I'll check on the flag," Eddie said.

Little did the two know, Christie was perched above them. "Todd is heading to clear the jail," she whispered. "And I'm getting the flag. Eddie's leading me right to it. I'll tell you when I need a distraction."

Confession Cam:

(Christie) "Seriously? He was just going to lead me to the flag? Hey, thanks, Eds."

Eddie walked to the campsite, looked at the flag, and then walked back into the forest. Christie's eyes darted around, not quite sure what he saw. She peered around, then climbed out of the trees. Once she was walking between the tents, she realized that the logo on one of the tents was pinned on.

"That's pretty genius," she murmured. She took the earrings off, grabbed the flag and strolled across the line. She was about to call her team to tell them, then changed her mind. Instead she grabbed her iPod and plugged it into her ears and laid back, relaxing just on the Iguana side.

"Anything?" Walter asked. "It's getting hot here, and I think my air supply is dwindling down."

"I haven't heard from Christie in a while," Zak replied. "We have most of their team in jail. Nessa, Manny, Vinson, Brooke, and Phoebe are scouring their zone and Genevieve and Erik are guarding the line."

"Okay, I'm coming back up," Walter said. "I need air."

He released the boat and came to the surface of the water. He spotted Christie on the shore, in the Iguana zone, with the Toucan flag shading her face.

"Hello!" he yelled. "You could have told us that you got their flag."

Christie looked at him and smiled. She pulled the earphones from her ears. "This is funnier.

"Attention campers," Chris's voice rang through the island. "There's a new development. Apparently Christie captured the Toucan's flag… a good hour ago."

"What!"

"Then we've lost?" Gail looked at most of her team in jail.

They all met back at the campsite.

"Thanks for telling us," Erik said giving Christie and annoyed look. Everyone more or less fell into the sand, tired from all the running they did.

"Oh, I got their flag," Christie said.

"I thought you said they would never find our flag," Rufus growled at Eddie, lifting the smaller boy off the ground by his shirt.

"You didn't have any better ideas," Eddie said.

"How'd you find it?" Gail asked Christie.

"I was spying on Todd and Eddie, and I followed Eddie when he went to check on the flag."

Most of the Toucans gave Eddie a glare. "I'd like to cast my vote now," Autumn said to Chris.

"You know where the confessional is," Chris said.

Confession Cam:

(Autumn) "Eddie."

(Rufus) "God damnit, Eddie, your frickin idiot. You're the reason we lost… again! You have got to go!"

(Todd) "Sorry, but it has to be Eddie."

(Madison) "Eddie."

(Bex) "It was a good idea, but we needed better. Eddie is our weakest link."

(Gail) "You're nice, but you have to go, Eddie."

(Jamie) "Damn, I need more pot. Eddie, send me some when you get to civilization, kay?"

(Ashlynn) "Eddie, you messed up."

(Alex) "You're nice and all, but Eddie, you have to go."

(Eddie) "They're all gonna vote me off, so I might as well vote myself off as well." He sighed dramatically. "It was a good time I had, and I wish I could have been more use for my team. But, alas, I am now setting out for home."

"Well, this is the first time that there has been a unanimous vote of who should be going," Chris said. "If I call your name, get your marshmallow. Todd, Madison, Ashlynn, Rufus, Alex, Gail, Bex, Jamie, and Autumn. You are the nine moving on. Eddie, you voted yourself off."

"It was the right thing to do," Eddie said. "I will miss you all."

"Oh, Eddie, it was great to meet you," Genevieve said as he dragged his things to the Dock of Shame.

"Bye, everyone. Toucans, kick some Iguana butt for me!"

"Will do," Todd said. Once his boat was gone, Todd turned around and stretched. "I'm calling it an early night. See you all tomorrow."

"Good night, Todd," Brooke said as she crawled into her own tent.

Todd lay down and then smiled lightly. "I guess he was right," he murmured.

"I'd like to say, the Iguanas are an unstoppable force of genius," Manny said.

"Don't start getting delusions of grandeur quite yet, Manny," Walter said. "We're only three challenges into the competition."

"Yeah, but we got rid of our only weak link," Phoebe said. "Not to mention, the furball."

"Where did you guys hide your flag?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I didn't see it at all," Gail said.

"Follow, and I will show you," Erik said. He smiled at Ashlynn. "Would you like to come as well?"

"Um, I guess," she said and stood to follow.

"Right there," Erik showed the three Toucans the folded up flag.

"Geometry is my enemy," Gail said. "I don't think we ever would have found that."

"That was the point," Erik said.


Okay, yeah, Eddie is gone. However, I can do this because Eddie's creator, Disney Princess Dani, is my cousin and was driving me insane as I was writing. Also, she's begging me to help her with her own TDI story. So, here's the scoop on her story. She took 20 characters that we created between the two of us (mostly mine as I make her characters for her with the exception of two), and bringing back the original 22 campers, and there are two teams of 21 campers. Eddie and Madison are both in it. Anyway, when (if) she posts it, she would love if you guys would check it out. If it is similar to my writing, that's because I'm her editor and she apes my writing style. Anyway, review this, and be patient for the next chapter. It's bound to be funny, as there is singing involved.