Author's Notes: Well this took a while. Hope you guys enjoy!
Recap
"Last time on Total Drama Island: Twenty-two campers arrived and learned that they'll be spending the next eight weeks at a crusty old summer camp. The campers were faced with their first challenge; jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters, and while most campers took the plunge, a few were forced to wear the dreaded chicken hat. At the campfire ceremony, it all came down to two campers. Courtney has experience as a CIT in summer camp, but refused to jump. And although Duncan took the leap of faith, his shady reputation caused some doubt and fear within his teammates at the Killer Bass. In the end, the first camper voted off Total Drama Island – was Duncan; proving that appearances do speak louder than words. Cuss words, more specifically."
"Who will be voted off this week? Find out tonight; in Total! Drama! Island!"
"Ahhh…"
Chris took a deep breath of the morning air as he turned to the camera with a gleeful smile. "Isn't it such a beautiful morning at Camp Wawanakwa? The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the teens are sleeping peacefully in their cabins… What more can a thoughtful, well-meaning host ask for?"
The older man grinned, holding up a megaphone in one hand, and an airhorn in the other. "Good thing I'm neither of those things."
Without warning, he blared the already loud airhorn into the megaphone, turning the intense honk into a deafening shriek.
A loud, Canadian accent-laced scream erupted from the Killer Bass's cabin, effectively waking up any of the campers who somehow survived the first rude awakening.
A loud 'thunk' resounded from the Screaming Gophers's cabin, followed by a string of muffled curses. Leshawna soon appeared at an window, a visible bump on her head as she glared daggers at the host. "It's seven in the morning! Do I look like a farmer to you?"
Beth appeared beside her, hair completely disheveled and eyeglasses tangled in the messy brown locks. Dried drool was evident on her face, much to the other dark-skinned girl's visible displeasure. "Even farmers don't wake up this early…"
Chris laughed at the teens' expense, yelling into the microphone, "Wakey wakey campers, it's challenge time!"
One by one, the sleepy teenagers piled out into the campsite, all looking varying degrees of tired and irritated.
Eva was listening to music on her MP3 player, brows furrowed as she crossed her arms. Cody took notice of the weight-lifter and grinned, bending down with the intent to mess with the girl's device. The angry girl quickly took notice of this and grabbed his hand, squeezing it with enough force for it to let out several crackling noises.
He whimpered in pain, quickly squirming out of her grasp to run behind Owen, who looked equally terrified. She let out a warning snarl before returning her full attention to the host.
"Good morning! I hope you all slept well," he said insincerely, looking more amused than anything else. Several of the campers rolled their eyes at the man's behavior. "Well I hope you guys are ready, because your next challenge is about to start in exactly one minute!"
"Uh, Chris?" Owen shyly raised a hand. "I don't think that's enough time to eat breakfast."
The host simply laughed. "Oh don't worry Owen, you'll get breakfast." He grinned at the huge blonde. "Right after you complete your twenty kilometer run around the lake."
The huge teen's face fell. Eva's brow twitched in annoyance. "I didn't know you had such a great sense of humor, Chris." The weight-lifter deadpanned.
"I know - I'm pretty great."
The black-haired girl growled, but otherwise remained silent. Courtney placed a comforting hand on the other's shoulder. "Just ignore him and don't let it get to you. He's always full of himself."
Eva stared back at the other girl, huffing as she crossed her arms. "Whatever... but thanks for the sentiment, I guess."
The CIT smiled.
Confessional: Courtney
Courtney seems thoughtful as she stares at the camera. "Yesterday's close call got me thinking – it's a lot better to have people on your side than against. If I hadn't convinced Eva and Bridgette to vote for Duncan, I definitely wouldn't have made it past day one. Making friends and guaranteeing their vote would definitely get me farther than just acting competitively."
She sighs, awkwardly scratching her chin. "But honestly though, I'm not a particularly social person... This is going to be tough..."
"Anyway," he waved off the two girls before pointing at his watch. "You have thirty seconds!"
The host watched as the teens took their running positions with an interested grin. He raised a hand just as everyone took their places. "Okay runners! On your marks…"
Justin winked at the other teens, eliciting some squeals of delight from the girls and Owen.
"Get set…"
"GO!"
Most of the teens quickly shot off at Chris's command, leaving several who were too tired to move at the starting line. Tyler and Leshawna were two of those few, the black girl still nursing her bruised head with a wince while the athlete sat on the forest floor, hunched over from exhaustion.
The pair stalled for several seconds before finally getting a move on, Leshawna quickly gaining precious ground from Tyler.
Eva, Trent, Courtney, Cody, Geoff, DJ, and Justin led the group, with Bridgette and Beth close behind. Leshawna had caught up to the leading group, and was now on the edge of closing the gap between her and Beth. Noah was running a little farther back, followed by a still exhausted, but steadily catching up Tyler.
The ones who weren't in the leading group had long since slowed to a walk, or in Owen's unfortunate case, collapsed in a small stream.
Unlike most of the tired teens walking close him, Ezekiel looked otherwise unbothered by the whole race and had yet to break a sweat. Harold on the other hand, was sweating profusely and breathing hard as he gripped his chest, pausing to catch his breath as he turned to his homeschooled friend.
"G-Gosh… How are you not tired yet, Zeke?"
"It's Ezekiel," he corrected, stopping to wait for his teammate. The prairie boy shrugged. "I'm used to it. My dad always brings us camping, but he keeps getting my mom and I lost. You'll need to have a lot of stamina to outrun a bear after all, eh."
Harold stared at him. "…Your life sounds really awesome man."
Ezekiel could only laugh awkwardly, caught off-guard by the nerd's out-of-breath compliment but still flattered nonetheless. Gwen passed by the pair as they began to walk again, shooting the two males a glare. "Don't walk beside me."
The homeschooler raised an eyebrow, confused. The red head just sighed, patting his back as they made their way to the finish line, the goth making it a point to avoid them.
Heather was on the far end of the race, walking at a leisurely pace as several of her teammates who passed her by shot her angry glares. She simply brushed them off, looking unconcerned.
The queen bee huffed once a collapsed Owen appeared in her path, desperately slurping the water of the small stream to quench his thirst. She rolled her eyes, holding her head high as she stepped on the huge blonde, using him as an unwilling bridge across the stream.
Owen groaned, forcing himself up before jogging on forward alongside the black-haired teen.
Chris observed the teens from a few meters away, grinning.
Mess Hall
At that point in the race, most of the campers had already reached their destination, only half of the Screaming Gophers sitting at their own table, and only two missing from the Killer Bass's. Eva smiled confidently before shooting a warning glare at Cody, who shrunk in fear.
The teenagers seated at the mess hall watched the entranceway with bated breath as the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer.
Without warning, Owen burst into the room with an unconscious Noah on hand, looking distressed as he yelled for space. Gwen, Heather, Lindsay, and Beth followed, each looking varying degrees of exhausted.
Finally, the two remaining members of the Killer Bass appeared at the doorway. Ezekiel walked in, carrying Harold bridal-style as the red-head moaned about having heart palpitations.
Both Eva and Courtney walked up to the pair, the weight-lifter giving off a murderous aura as she glared daggers at the pair. "What do you think you were doing?!"
The CIT sighed, face-palming. "Thanks to you two, we just lost the challenge!"
"Wait a minute... If they lost…" Gwen's eyes widened. "That means we won!"
Owen paused in giving Noah CPR before cheering, the rest of the Gophers following suit.
"Hold your horses guys," Chris laughed, immediately bringing the celebration to a halt. "That wasn't the challenge."
Heather's face dropped. "What."
The host ignored her, walking over to a curtain at the end of the mess hall.
He pulled a rope, revealing a grand feast waiting behind the curtain. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and other delicious food as far as the eye could see, neatly lined up on a single table for all the campers to collectively drool over.
Chris chuckled at their reactions, motioning to the banquet with a raised eyebrow. "Who's hungry?"
Confessional: Owen
Owen grins at the camera, obviously excited. "The buffet table; it was beautiful! There was turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked beans, pancakes, maple syrup, chicken, b-bacon…"
He quietly sniffs, overwhelmed by the sheer thought of such delicious food as a tear runs down his cheek.
Within just a few minutes, the buffet had been reduced to nothing but bones, empty plates, and some very satisfied campers.
Chris stared at the full teens, happy that his mission was a success. He quickly jumped onto a table and spoke into his megaphone.
"Alright guys, time for part two of your challenge!"
Owen looked up from his spot in front of the buffet table, leftover gravy coating his lips. "Eating wasn't the second part?"
Trent moaned in frustration. "Haven't we been through enough?"
"Let me think about tha – no." Chris smiled charmingly at the glaring guitarist. "It's time for – the Awake-a-thon!"
Owen stared. "The wha-?"
"Don't worry," Chris jumped down from the table. "This'll be a breeze! The team with the last camper still awake wins invincibility! Easy as pie."
Heather gave the host an incredulous look. "So, what you're saying is that we did that dumb race and ate all that food just so it would be harder for us to stay awake?"
"Ooooh! Heather's right on the mark!"
The queen bee snarled.
"Great talk. Anyway… MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The older man shooed off the campers, the teens once again spilling outside for their next grueling challenge.
Trent turned to Gwen with a curious look on his face. "How long do you think it'll take before everyone's out cold?"
The goth shrugged thoughtlessly. "An hour, give or take."
Owen made a heaving noise before running to a nearby bush. The guitarist made a disgusted face as Gwen sighed.
"Maybe less."
Bonfire Area
"We are now twelve hours into the challenge, and all twenty-one campers are still awake," Chris announced softly, the camera slowly panning over the teenagers, each one looking just about ready to collapse.
Owen shuffled excitedly around the area despite the obvious bags under his eyes. He laughed triumphantly. "Staying awake for twelve hours? I can do that in my sleep! Woo-hoo!"
He pumped a fist in the air, freezing in place for several seconds.
He then proceeded to collapse, becoming the first one out of the game. Noah groaned, face-palming at his blonde teammate.
"This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life." Gwen muttered, fighting back a yawn as she stared at the musician sitting beside her.
Trent shrugged in response. "It could be worse."
"Really."
"I could be stuck here without you to talk to." The guitarist gave the goth a charming smile, eliciting a blush from the other girl. Heather rolled her eyes at the sappy couple.
Confessional: Heather
Heather huffs, looking at the camera with an annoyed frown as she crosses her arms. "My strategy to win, is to get two other campers to form an alliance with me so I can take them to the final three."
She hums thoughtfully. "Question is, who in my team is either desperate or dumb enough to do whatever I say, no questions asked?"
Lindsay grunted as she stood on her head, legs wobbling as the blonde tried to keep her balance. The other members of the Screaming Gophers gave the girl questioning stares, but otherwise kept silent. Beth looked curiously at her teammate.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to get all the blood to rush to my head. I think it's working!"
Beth flashed a brace-covered smile in interest. "Can I try?"
"Sure!"
Heather stared at the two with a dark grin. "Perfect." She stood up and motioned to the two girls to come over. "Lindsay, Beth, come over for sec! I wanna talk to you!"
The pair turned to the queen bee before nodding, flipping right side-up before wobbling over to the scheming girl with oblivious grins on their faces.
"You see girls, I have a plan to get me and two other campers to the final three, and since you guys are so like, the best choice, I decided you two to take alongside me."
Both Beth and Lindsay let out flattered gasps, the blonde allowing a red tint to spread onto her cheeks while the brunette giggled happily.
Heather smiled at the girls, the pair oblivious to her true intent.
Confessional: Heather
Heather grins evilly at the camera, her arms folded across her chest. "I saw what Miss CIT did yesterday and I have to say, I'm impressed by her tactics. If it wasn't for her talking trash about Duncan, her butt would've been the first one off this island."
"What she did back there made me think about my own agenda. Maybe acting all friendly isn't such a bad idea after all." The queen bee snorts, rolling her eyes. "I mean, there's no way in hell I'll start playing nice to everyone, but I will at least tolerate the two people in my alliance."
She chuckles. "That way, when they start thinking of me as their 'bestie', or whatever the hell people call it, I won't even need to defend myself. They'll be the ones doing all the dirty work, while I'll just be here, enjoying the high life."
She has a confident smile on her face until she takes a sniff of the small stall, letting out a revolted snort.
"Thank you sooo much Heather!"
Lindsay nodded in agreement, wrapping the queen bee in a surprise hug. Heather's eyes widened before she quickly eased the blonde off, caught off-guard by the friendly action. The black-haired teen awkwardly cleared her throat.
"A-Anyway, we need to set some ground rules. Let's get this straight, I'm putting a lot of faith in you two, understand?" The girls nodded. "So you'll scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours, okay?"
The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but Heather quickly cut her off. "Not literally."
She shrugged, turning to Beth with a grin. "Speaking of alliances, you know who I think is really cute?" She directed her gaze over to Tyler.
The queen bee quickly stood in front of the blonde, blocking the athlete from her view. "Woah there Lindsay, you might wanna slow down. You can't date him."
Lindsay pouted. "Why not?"
"He's on the other team!" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm doing this for your own good. He might use you to make us lose a challenge."
The blonde let out a shocked gasped, Heather nodding as she continued. "That's why it's dangerous to inter-team date. I'm only looking out for you two out of the goodness of my heart. It's a competition, after all."
The two girls nodded obediently before Heather dismissed them and the trio walked back to their seats.
Confessional: Lindsay
"Okay, I know Heather said I couldn't date him..." Lindsay says thoughtfully. "But she didn't say anything about not being allowed to like him!"
The blonde giggles proudly. "Ooh, I'm so smart!"
Within an hour, Katie, Sadie, Noah, Izzy, and DJ were out cold, leaving only eight campers left to fight the cold, yet welcoming jaws of sleep.
Eva glanced around suspiciously, occasionally letting out a yawn or two as she slouched over in her seat. Geoff seemed to be having pleasant conversation with a blushing Bridgette, while Harold and Ezekiel quietly chatted in their own little corner, the homeschooler looking star-struck as the nerd went on and on about things the boy most likely had little to no idea about.
The weight-lifter sighed, pausing her music as she tiredly stuffed her MP3 player in her back pocket.
She stood up and muttered a "Need to use the bathroom," before retreating, unaware of the small device slipping out her pocket with a small 'thunk'.
Heather raised an eyebrow as she watched the angry teenager disappear into one of the bathroom stalls, a plan beginning to form in the queen bee's head. She stood up and walked over to the small player, pretending to stretch as she discreetly plucked the device from the ground and hastily stuffed it into her own pockets.
As she walked back, Lindsay regarded her with a raised brow as the black-haired girl sat back in her seat. "Isn't that Eva's?"
"Sure is." Heather replied coolly.
"Won't she get like, really mad once she finds out you took her MP3 player?"
"That's the plan."
The queen bee grinned.
Pretty soon, all but three campers were knocked out on the forest floor. Harold and Ezekiel had fallen asleep on each other, while Heather, Lindsay, and Beth all dozed off on their seats. Bridgette and Geoff leaned against each other as they snored.
Trent had succumbed to his exhaustion just a few minutes ago, leaving the still-awake goth to her thoughts.
Gwen threw a wary glance at the two other campers still awake. Eva and Cody stared back at her, Cody giving her a wink while the weight-lifter narrowed her sleep-deprived eyelids.
Chris let out an impressed snort. "You guys are still awake? It's been twelve hours dudes. Just fall asleep already."
The final three glared at him. The host chuckled, shaking his head in pity. "Fine. I didn't want to do this, but you guys leave me no choice. So, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find."
Chris bent down, retrieving a thick book before settling down on a stump in front of the remaining campers. "Ahem. 'The History of Canada: A Pop-Up Book'. Chapter One; the beaver. National symbol and a 'dam', fine hat."
The teens groaned.
"Screw this," Gwen grumbled, eyelids drooping as she stood up. "I'm… going… bath…roooo… oomph…"
The goth swayed in place for several seconds before finally toppling, falling to the ground with an unceremonious snore.
"Finally." The weight-lifter smirked at the fallen girl before turning to a distraught Cody with a threatening growl. "You're next, pipsqueak."
The brunette gulped in fear.
"Hey Chris," Eva fixed her gaze on the terrified Gopher, grinning evilly as spoke. "You never said that we had to fall asleep on our own to be counted out, right?"
The host raised an eyebrow before catching the girl's intentions, giving the weight-lifter an equally sadistic grin back. "Why no Eva, I don't recall ever saying that."
She cracked her knuckles. "Well in that case…"
Before the girl could finish, the brunette shot off running into forest screaming bloody murder. The weight-lifter growled, jumping up from her seat to chase after the remaining competitor.
Cody dodged branches and rocks, desperately flinging whatever he could get his hands on at the other teenager in an attempt to deter her from mauling him. If anything however, his attempts only made the girl angrier, the remaining Killer Bass member letting out a fierce battle cry as she began to catch up to the other teen.
The brunette craned his head, trying to gauge the distance between him and death when he suddenly tripped on a root, making the unlucky teen lose his balance and tumble down onto the hard forest floor.
He let out a dazed groan as Eva approached him, cracking her knuckles once again as she grabbed his collar, holding up the smaller boy to her eye-level.
He swallowed, giving the furious weight-lifter a weak attempt at a wink. "H-Hey girl… Y-You wouldn't mind talking this over a cup of coffee… w-would you?"
The girl simply growled in response.
Cody whimpered, shutting his eyes as he readied himself for the pain to come.
…
…
…
A soft snore broke the brunette out of his fearful stupor, the teen opening an eye to survey his surroundings.
Eva had somehow managed to fall asleep while still remaining upright, frozen in a ready-to-punch position. It was likely that the lack of sleep thanks to the challenge, coupled with the chase finally pushed the weight-lifter's exhaustion over the edge.
Cody let out a nervous laugh of victory before finally passing out himself.
Bonfire Area
Chris stared at his watch with a bored expression when one of the cameramen walked up to him, a hand-written note on hand.
He raised an eyebrow, scanning the contents before grinning. "Alright! Looks like the Gophers win the Awake-a-thon – and the challenge of the day!"
"What?!" Courtney, who had just woken up and still had evident bags under her eyes, shot up from her seat. "H-How could Eva lose?"
"Chasing after Cody apparently," the host chuckled. "Hey if it's any consolation, the kid pissed his pants before passing out."
"You've got to be kidding me…" The CIT sat back down, hand pinching the bridge of her nose. "How could we lose two challenges in a row? To Cody, no less!"
"Don't blame me." a familiar voice snarled.
Eva stomped out from the forest, dragging an unconscious Cody beside her. "The pipsqueak's a fast runner. Besides, I was the last one standing from our team. If anyone should be eliminated, it should be the first guy out."
Courtney sighed in defeat. The weight-lifter dumped the sleeping deadweight on the ground before patting her pockets, raising an eyebrow as she glanced around in confusion.
"Anyone see my music player? Could've sworn I put it in my pocket…"
The freckled girl didn't look up. A tired, yet awake Bridgette spoke up instead, yawning. "It's probably in the cabin. Just check there."
Eva gave her teammate at suspicious frown before heading back to the cabin, grumbling under her breath.
Unbeknownst to the Killer Bass, a now-awake Heather grinned as she elbowed a sleeping Beth. The brunette woke up with a startled snort.
"Beth, gimme a marker."
The farm girl raised an eyebrow but complied, handing the queen bee a black whiteboard marker. The black-haired girl popped open the cap and quickly scribbled on the stolen MP3 player, grinning to herself as she admired her work.
On the white device's back, was a hastily scribbled 'Ezekiel'.
Heather chuckled. "Perfect."
Bonfire Area: Elsewhere
Katie and Sadie were still sleeping side-by-side as the queen bee approached, Eva's missing device on hand. Heather quietly giggled to herself as she carefully placed the player right in front of the dark-skinned girl's sleeping face.
She slowly crept behind the pair before roughly nudging Katie, effectively waking up the sleep-deprived teen. Heather quickly made her escape, grinning to herself as the oblivious girl looked around, bewildered.
Katie scratched her head, yawning as she looked around in confusion. She bent down to wake Sadie when a white block with an orange screen caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow as she picked it up, inspecting the strange object with a scrutinizing eye.
On its back, was a familiar name written in big black letters.
"Ezekiel…"
She looked around the area and spotted the homeschooled boy a small distance away, sleeping against a drooling Harold. The dark-skinned girl came to the conclusion that it must've been dropped accidentally, and the boy simply hadn't noticed before he fell asleep.
Wanting to go back to sleep as soon as possible, the teen made her way over to the prairie boy without waking her BFFL.
Katie bent down and quickly stuffed the device into the brunette's sweater pocket, mentally praising herself for the secret good deed before retreating back to her stirring friend's side, oblivious to a certain queen bee observing from just behind the brushes.
Confessional: Heather
Heather examines her nails with a confident smirk. "This is too easy."
Killer Bass Cabin
"WHERE IS MY MP3 PLAYER?!"
Courtney winced as yet another luggage was thrown from the cabin, landing onto the hard forest floor with a loud crash as a furious Eva stuck her head out the open window, glaring daggers at the present Killer Bass members cowering outside.
"One of you must've stolen it – I need my music!" The weight-lifter let out a threatening snarl. "No one's going anywhere until I get my MP3 player back!"
She chucked a surfboard at a terrified DJ, who dodged the long projectile with a fearful yelp. The CIT let out a worried sigh as she turned to her teammates with a raised eyebrow, suspiciously eyeing the sleep-deprived campers. "Alright, who has it?"
"Who has what?"
Katie and Sadie gave their teammates tired smiles as they approached the group, apparently unaware of the raging Eva inside. "What's going on?"
Tyler opened his mouth to speak, only to get cut off by another angry roar. Courtney shook her head. "Someone stole Eva's MP3 player."
The BFFLs gasped. "Someone stole from Eva?"
Bridgette nodded. "We're trying to figure out who took it, but not everyone's here yet. I saw Geoff sleeping in the guys' cabin right before Eva had her meltdown. Have you guys seen either Harold or Ezekiel?"
The smaller of the two girls tapped her chin. "Last time I saw them, they were still sleeping together."
"Great," The CIT grit her teeth as the ticked-off teenager flung another object out the cabin. "Did you guys at least see the MP3 player anywhere? It looks like a small white rectangle with an orange screen."
Sadie shook her head while Katie frowned, looking thoughtful at the description. "Did you just say… an orange screen?"
Before the dark-skinned teen could explain, another tired voice spoke up.
"Gosh, what set Eva off this time?"
Harold raised an eyebrow as he walked over to his teammates, Ezekiel slowly trailing beside him with his toque over his eyes. Courtney frowned at the pair, irritated at the late arrival.
"There you guys are!" she hissed. "Where have you two been?! Eva's MP3 player is missing, and she's destroying the cabin looking for it!"
The homeschooler tilted his hat upwards to give the brunette a confused stare. "What's an 'Emcee tree' player, eh?"
"AN MP3 PLAYER!" Eva angrily corrected, stomping out the wooden cabin with a dark scowl on her face. "IT PLAYS MUSIC! IT'S MINE, WHITE, SHAPED LIKE A RECTANGLE –"
The weight-lifter trailed off as her gaze lowered down Ezekiel's sweater and onto the familiar object sticking out of the prairie boy's pouch pocket.
Her eyes widened before she suddenly let out a furious battle cry, racing towards the unsuspecting brunette before snatching up her missing device and punching the poor teen straight in the face, sending her teammate straight into a nearby tree.
The injured male gripped his bleeding nose in pain as Eva began to advance again, forcing some of her shocked and terrified teammates to restrain the wrathful teen as Harold ran forward to tend to his friend.
Katie brought a hand to her mouth once she saw the device in the weight-lifter's hand, her brain making the connection between her 'good deed' along with the missing music player. "W-Wait Eva, he didn't take your MP3 player!"
"Oh yeah?! Then why'd I find it in the little weasel's pocket?!"
"I-I-I…" The dark-skinned girl bowed her head in defeat, refusing to meet her best friend's gaze as she confessed. "I… I was the one who put it there. I found it on the ground…"
Courtney narrowed her eyes. "So you put it in Ezekiel's pocket."
"I-It had his name on it, I swear!"
Eva growled, using her unrestrained hand to hold up her missing device. "There isn't a name here."
Several suspicious stares were redirected to the usually bubbly girl, making her eyes widen, mouth agape like a fish out of water. She looked down, at a loss for an explanation as the weight-lifter forced off her teammates' grasp, growling. Sadie instinctively stepped between the angry girl's path.
"Oh, I get it." Eva took a threatening step forward. "You're trying to set me up, aren't you?! You knew I'd smash in homeschool's face when I saw my MP3 player! You wanted to get me eliminated, but let me guess – you chickened out and confessed? I'm not surprised."
The bigger of the BFFLs immediately came to her friend's defense, glaring daggers at the other girl. "Katie would never do that! She's the nicest, sweetest, and smartest person I know! At least she didn't hit poor Zeke like you did!"
"Well, I wouldn't have if Tweedle-doofus over there hadn't tried to frame me in the first place!"
"Alright, knock it off you two!" Courtney gave the two girls a stern glare, finally having enough of her teammates' nonsense. "It doesn't matter who did what – right now, Ezekiel needs medical attention and the last thing he needs is another fight."
She shot both Sadie and Eva accusing frowns, ignoring the dumbstruck and impressed expressions on the other members of the Killer Bass. "That means you two. You all should just cool down in the cabins until the campfire ceremony. We're on a losing streak people, remember that."
The brunette bent down to the collapsed homeschooler's level. "You don't need to worry about a thing, Zeke. I was a CIT at summer camp."
The weight-lifter rolled her eyes, glaring daggers at the BFFLs before retreating back to the cabin. Sadie huffed, tilting her nose upwards before dragging a stunned Katie into the forest. All their other teammates simply shared confused looks before dispersing themselves, leaving Courtney, Ezekiel, and Harold to their own business.
The CIT held up four fingers. "Zeke, can you hear me? If you can, how many fingers am I holding?"
The prairie boy winced as he raised an eyebrow, still holding on to his bleeding nose. "Four. And I'm fine, really. It's Ezekiel by the way."
"Dude, you just got punched by Eva."
"Harold's right." Courtney stood up, gently wrapping an arm under Ezekiel's shoulder. "We're bringing you to the cabin to rest, okay?"
The boy opened his mouth to protest, but any objections the boy had died instantly once he was moved, resulting in a loud yelp of pain. Harold gave the brunette a sympathetic look.
"Looks like hitting that tree really did a number on him." The red-head frowned as he and his teammate began to lift their injured friend over to the guys' cabin. "Gosh, Eva's one heck of a ticking time bomb. The island's not safe with her around."
Courtney looked alarmed. "You're not really planning on voting her off, are you?"
"No duh," The nerd snorted as they neared the cabin's entrance. "She broke Zeke's nose over an MP3 player. Even if Katie did frame him. They say the nose knows, you know?"
The CIT rolled her eyes at the cheesy proverb, sighing as they walked into the cabin and laid Ezekiel on the closest bed the pair could find. Geoff, who had apparently just woken up, jumped up in surprise at the sight of his injured teammate.
"We need to stop the bleeding first," Courtney had simply stated, ignoring the party animal's frantic questioning. "Since you know this cabin better than I do, you two need to find something we can use to help out Ezekiel. A clean towel would be good."
The brunette frowned as she watched the two guys nod before moving further into cabin. The teen thought back to today's events and the failed challenge, disappointed that they would need to once again send someone home.
Courtney knew she was most likely safe, but she couldn't help but worry over the fate of her kind-of friend. The weight-lifter's attack on Ezekiel definitely worsened her chances on surviving through today's loss, but Katie did just as bad, confessing to planting the device on the prairie boy in the first place.
She shook her head, worriedly eyeing her homeschooled teammate with a bit lip. The CIT groaned, pressing a palm against her forehead. "Our team is such a mess…"
Bonfire Area
The atmosphere at the area was even tenser than before, the members of the losing team sharing uneasy glances with each other thanks to the events that took place just hours before. Eva let out a predatory snarl as she and the two BFFLs stared each other down.
Their simply chuckled at their behavior, raising an eyebrow as the final two members took their seats around the bonfire. "Looks like Harold and Zeke are finally here." he observed playfully, eyeing the prairie boy's bandaged nose.
"It's Ezekiel, eh."
At the comment, the team immediately turned their gazes over to the injured boy, all looking varying degrees of concerned and relieved. Eva refused to meet the brunette's gaze, opting to stare at the ground in guilt over the misunderstanding. Katie opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by an enthusiastic Chris.
"Anyway, you all have cast your votes and made your decision," the host set down a plate full of marshmallows on the empty seat up front. "There are only nine marshmallows on this plate. When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper who doesn't receive a marshmallow must immediately return to the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and leave. And you can never come back. Ever."
The losing team looked unimpressed, the lack of sleep most likely taking their toll on the camper's attitudes. The host looked disappointed at the lack of reactions, but shrugged and held up a marshmallow. "First marshmallow goes to Bridgette."
The blonde surfer smiled tiredly before standing up to retrieve her marshmallow. She quickly patted Ezekiel's back on the way to the host, eyeing the brunette in concern.
"Courtney,"
The CIT eagerly snatched up her treat.
"Tyler."
The athlete yawned before plucking up a marshmallow. He gave a friendly thumbs-up to the homeschooler.
"DJ."
The gentle giant grinned as he retrieved the treat, smiling sympathetically at the prairie boy.
"Geoff."
The blonde chuckled, muttering a 'wicked' as he walked up to get his treat. He gave Ezekiel a concerned look before walking back to his seat.
"Harold."
The red-head nodded, hesitantly walking over to retrieve his own marshmallow before sitting back down next to the brunette.
"Sadie."
The big girl glanced at Katie, who simply urged her friend to get her well-deserved treat. Sadie reluctantly took a marshmallow before quickly running back to her BFFL.
"And Ezekiel. Think fast dude!"
Without warning, the host chucked a marshmallow at the injured boy, earning a pained yelp as it hit him square on the nose. His teammates let out a shocked gasp, several even directing glares at the chuckling host.
Harold glowered at the grinning man, but the homeschooler quickly patted his shoulder, signaling that it wasn't worth it. The red-head huffed as the actor guffawed.
"Man, you should've seen your face!" Chris wiped a tear from his eye, shaking his head in amusement. "Anyway, this is the final marshmallow of the night."
As the host held up the last squishy treat, the tense air between the campers returned. Eva and Katie, the only two without a marshmallow, held their breath in anticipation.
"The final…"
Sadie swallowed, squeezing her BFFL's hand in fear. Katie smiled at the gesture, giving the bigger girl a comforting squeeze back.
"Marshmallow of the night…"
Courtney turned to Eva, discreetly biting her lip as she watched the weight-lifter nervously squeeze her own fist.
"Goes to…"
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"Katie!"
Sadie let out a squeal of delight, squeezing her friend in pure relief as she dragged her BFFL over to receive her marshmallow.
Courtney let out a resigned sigh as the weight-lifter shot up, glaring daggers at her team.
However, any insults or threats she had wanted to say instantly died in her throat once a quiet voice spoke up.
"I didn't vote for you."
The angry teen blinked, staring at the prairie boy with a look of disbelief. The other campers seemed equally surprised at the sudden confession as he continued. "You weren't the one who put the MP3 player in my sweater."
With the exception of Chris, who seemed to be gleefully soaking up the tension, all the campers remained silent, Katie shifting around uncomfortably in her seat as Sadie frowned at the homeschooler.
The weight-lifter could only stare as Chef Hatchet began to forcefully drag her towards the dock and onto the boat, where the teen eventually left without another word to her teammates.
The Killer Bass remained silent until a certain party animal spoke up, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I kinda feel bad for voting for her now."
The bigger of the BFFLs huffed. "So what?! She was still the one who punched Ezekiel!"
Harold nodded, unmoved. "That's true."
Bridgette shrugged, Geoff eyeing the surfer girl with concern. "I don't know…"
"None of that matters right now." Courtney let out a yawn while still trying to sound authoritative, crossing her arms. "Eva's gone and there's nothing we can do about it. We should just get some rest for the next challenge, alright?"
Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the group, making the CIT smile appreciatively. "Okay then!" she signaled the others to get their own marshmallows before holding up her own.
"To the Killer Bass, and to not ending up here again next week!"
Voting Confessionals
Bridgette
Bridgette stares at the camera with a indecisive frown. "I know what Eva did to Zeke was terrible, but... maybe none of this would've happened if Katie never put the MP3 player in Zeke's sweater in the first place."
The surfer girl awkwardly scratches the back of her head. "Sorry Katie."
Courtney
Courtney sighs sadly, looking resigned. "It looks like Eva's the one leaving tonight. But even if that is the case, I'm still voting for Katie." She narrows her eyes. "There's something suspicious about this whole thing, but I just can't put my finger on it..."
Tyler
"Eva broke his nose man!" Tyler shakes his head disapprovingly. "Not cool dude."
DJ
DJ plays nervously with his fingers. "Eva's really terrifying man... Sorry."
Geoff
Geoff crosses his arms. "I was sleeping back at the cabin so I didn't see anything, but punching someone just for an MP3 player? That's like, way past the line dude."
Harold
Harold glares at the camera. "Eva, no question."
Sadie & Katie
Sadie glares protectively at the camera, her worried BFFL sitting by her side. "We're definitely voting for Eva! Not only is she really mean, she punched poor Zeke in the face! Right Katie?"
"Oh, um..."
The bigger of the two girls gives her friend a look of concern. "Are you okay? You aren't thinking what Eva said, are you?"
Katie looks down.
Sadie instinctively squeezes the smaller girl's hand. "Katie, listen to me. You are like the smartest, nicest, sweetest, and prettiest girl I've ever known. Eva's just a jealous bully!"
The darker-skinned girl sniffs, smiling at at her BFFL. "Thanks Sadie. You're like the best and nicest and sweetest and prettiest friend I've ever had!"
"Awww, Katie..."
The two girls wrap each other in a bone-crushing hug as they begin to sob.
Eva
Eva snarls, cracking her knuckles. "Katie's going down."
Ezekiel
Ezekiel frowns. "I'm voting for Katie. Eva may have punched me, but Katie was the one who put the white block thing in my sweater in the first place."
The homeschooler sighs before turning to the camera with a mildly annoyed frown. "And why does everyone call me Zeke? My name's Ezekiel, eh."
Ending Notes: That was... long. Reviews are much appreciated!