I'm baaaaack! You know I'd never leave you guys. :D Quick explanation on why I haven't posted: Laziness, no time, important tests, etc. Anywaaaaay, while I was gone- I found an awesome song! That has, like, everything to do with the story. I might post it with this chapter, but I'm unsure. Go read- I'll talk more later.
(P.S. You may be a little confused reading this chapter, but you don't HAVE to read the other story. Also, the beginning is a little off from the main plot, but by the end it should be worth it.)
Third Person P.O.V.
"Hello and welcome to the first Aftermath of this season: Total Drama Take Two!" Trent greeted the crowd with a wave. "I'm Trent, your host-"
"I'm Leshawna, your other host. But ya'll already know us." Leshawna stood up from the couch.
To their left, or your right, were two sets of stands filled with past contestants, smiling and waving to the crowd, besides a few like Jo or Noah. Mal has disguised himself as Mike just because he didn't want any kind of attention from the crowd... and Zoey insisted on it.
"We'll be doing plenty of stuff today, including interviewing the three recently voted off contestants Finch, Oliver, and Andrei." Trent said as he and his co-host sat back down.
"Let's introduce our first victim- eh" Leshawna stopped her eyes opening wide. "I mean- Finch, come out here!"
A handsome lad with brown hair, green eyes, and a tall build came walking out waving. He wore a dark grey Aeropostale t-shirt and blue skinny jeans. As for shoes, he wore black sneakers. Finch sat down on the couch next to Trent and Leshawna.
"So how's it feel to be the first voted off?" Trent asks him.
"It... sucks. Hey, there's not an anvil or something hanging over my head is there?" Finch looks above him.
"Nah... Just a fridge. So, be careful with what you say." Leshawna replied to him.
"First question:" Trent lowered the T.V. screen. "Is from one of our viewers."
The image buzzed on and a face waved at the camera. "Hi! I'm Anna! Wow, this is so cool." The redhead exclaimed.
"Do you have a question for us or not?" Leshawna put her hands on her hips.
"Oh yeah! Why were you so mean that girl, Emiko?" The girl got sad.
Finch cast a glance above him. "I figured it... would get me farther in the game." The boy cringed, but a blow never came.
Zoey was excited, it was her first time in aftermath show, and it was pretty cool. But now it was getting kind of boring. She cast a glance beside her to see Mal had disappeared. Making sure the cameras were pointed elsewhere, Zoey jumped from her seat at the top and ran backstage.
Zoey's P.O.V.
"Mal! Where are you?" I tried yelling without causing too much attention from the staff.
"He's over there." A teenage girl chewing bubblegum pointed upwards to the roof. A dark figure was standing on the walkway used to manage the stage lights. A few other figures were lying down on it.
I groaned and started climbing up the ladder. "Mal!" I called to him from across the walkway. He froze in his steps and turned to me. From the low lighting I could see something I couldn't see in normal lighting. Mal was tired, no, exhausted.
"Are- Are you OK?" I asked him. I walked up to him and moved his hair out of the way, so I could see his other eye. Mal grabbed my wrist and shoved it back towards me. He turned away, letting his hair fall back in its place.
"Go back downstairs. But, stay backstage for a little back. Until I get back down." Mal told me. I looked over to where he was before. A fridge was hanging by a rope as Leshawna has announced. The man in charge of snapping the rope was on the ground, a bump already forming on his head.
In Mal's hand was the saw. "I said go back down."
"Mal, don't do that. Come on there's no need." I tried taking another step, but something kept me from it.
"What do you mean there's no need? Do you know how much energy it takes for me just to keep power?" He laughed. "Not only do I have to battle Mike's natural instinct to be host, but I also have to fight Vito, Svetlana, Manitoba, and Chester even from taking over. Zoey, I do have to do this. There is need. Not to mention it's my natural instinct. I didn't even realize what I was doing until I was halfway up the ladder. Now, go. Back. Down." He pointed away.
I didn't say anything, but I stayed there for a little bit. When Mal didn't budge an inch either, I turned away and sat at the end of the walkway, letting my legs hang over the ladder.
'Why are you letting him scold you like a child?' My mind asked myself. 'Why are you sitting like your in time-out? You're not in kindergarten, Zoey. Even your dad thinks you're grown-up. Don't let him tell you what to do.' I frowned but ignored my thoughts. I knew I shouldn't just do what he told me, but Mal did hold a threatening saw in his hand, not to mention I know he made me leave because he just didn't want me to see him like that.
I felt his hand curl around my forearm and I let him pull me up.
"I'm sorry." He muttered, glaring at the ground.
I climbed down the ladder. Halfway, I heard a loud bang and a gasp from the crowd. Cries of "Oliver!" rang through too.
Mal's P.O.V.
I let out a quick laugh before stopping myself. Already I felt my spirits rising along with the rush of causing some commotion. Sure the whole ordeal with Zoey and Mike was enough to keep me going, but now I was doing this because I... had feelings for my pet, Zoey.
It took all my strength to not strangle the crap out of the annoying twig that's supposed to be a human. Why was Zoey ever friends with that bug? I followed her out from behind the curtain and we sat up on the seats again. Zoey flipped my hair up when she saw I hadn't bothered.
Why would I want people to think I was someone else? OK, technically, it is the same person. But I know one day I'll be able to change that. One day, I won't have another me to constantly fight with.
"Surprisingly enough, we are able to show another Total Drama Fugitives!" Trent said to the audience excitedly.
I was about to give my attention elsewhere, when I heard him say something about Mike's personalities. Zoey perked up beside me too.
"Now, we know that Duncan went missing sometime in the last episode when he was supposed to be part of the challenge, but it was ultimately canceled. We've gathered some evidence that he is still on the island."
Yawn, bore, don't care, get on with it already. I listened through the whole thing about Duncan's disappearance anyway because I wanted to know what he had on me and I didn't want to miss anything.
"Alright, enough about Duncan." Leshawna decided to introduce the next person presented. "Listen to this, turns out Mike's personalities are back!"
"Why does she act so surprised?" Zoey asked me. I shrugged.
Up on the screen showed various pictures of his personalities and me. Most of them were on the day it all started, when I started it all. Manitoba playing football, Vito arguing with Zoey, Chester in homeroom, and even Svetlana chatting with Zoey in Mike's room.
"Hey, wait!" Jo called out from in front of me. A big grin was on her face. "I have evidence too!" Quickly she turned around to Zoey. "Just so you won't blab anything."
"Blab?" Zoey asked innocently.
"Um, sure?" Trent shrugged. Jo ran out of the room quickly and soon enough a picture showed up on the screen.
"Fuck." I heard Zoey say beside me. Zoey turned to me and surprised me. She shoved me off the seat without hesitation and before I could even look at the screen.
She jumped over me and ran out the room.
I shook my head, my hair falling over my eye in the process and I felt all eyes on me, gaping mouths and all. I looked up at the screen.
Zoey's P.O.V.
"Where is she?" I asked the same bubble-gum chewing teenager, who pointed into the control room.
"Have you come to say thank you?" Jo asked without turning around.
I grabbed her arm and forced her out the door. She was too surprised to react. I locked the door behind me. Turning around, I saw the confused guy who was in charge of the station. I ignored him and looked to the screen. Not quickly enough, I got the picture off the screen.
Eventually, I found the video footage I was looking for and put it on the screen, semi-content.
I heard a crash as the door broke off it's hinges. Only Mal was standing there. "Zoey, what are you doing?" He asked, arms crossed.
I gestured to the screen, turning away from him for a split second. Mal made a noise and when I turned back his hand was at his hair.
"That's not like you. Come on, let's go." He led me away from the computers, too calm. My suspicions continued to raise as I realized his voice sounded a little off.
Mal's P.O.V.
I sat up from the place I landed and rubbed my head. I looked up to see the familiar turquoise of his personalities.
Third Person's P.O.V.
From the T.V. of a normal person's screen, everything could be a bit confusing. But not as confusing as the switch from the video on the screen to the sudden image of Zoey sitting on her knees almost in the middle of the stage, with her eyes tightly shut. Then, she grabbed her head and started screaming.
SONG RECOMMENDATION: Who You Gonna root for? By Total Drama
Does this chapter make up for the absence? Yes? No? OK, I'll post more over the break. So, yeah. I'm sorry for being away for so long and if any of my readers from my other story is reading this (Which I doubt) I am going to start writing the next chapter for that one soon.
I didn't put down the song that had everything to with their relationship, but I put down Who You Gonna Root For? because I want to know who you cheer for, Mal, Mike, or... Neither? Yup, I'm putting that as an option. Also, can you guess why Mal is a little different?
Well, thanks for being faithful to me. See you soon!