Johnny picked up a handful of ash, sifted through it, and threw it on the ground.
"Gone," he muttered, scanning the area, "this is where I got most of our food, and now it's gone."
"Wha...what are we gonna do?" Miri asked.
Johnny sighed, and turned around. Behind him stood nearly all of the other campers, except Vevo and Eva.
"I don't know," Johnny muttered, "I'll try my best to find somewhere else with a good supply, but..."
"Yeah, Lance sort of fucked that up, didn't he?" Lucky growled.
"Hey, it wasn't all his fault," Quinn reminded him, "last time I checked, there were two more rats that needed a good extermination."
"Guys, look," Courtney frowned, "maybe we should just put the grudges aside an focus on looking for food. What good will revenge do us if we're starving?"
"Courtney's right," Johnny admitted, "we need to have our priorities straight right now. We weren't in a good place before, it won't be long before we're going hungry."
"Oh, man," Cody muttered, "and I thought things were hard before..."
"Look," Quinn said, "I don't care about your 'priorities'. Elimination has to come eventually, and we need to take Eva and Vevo out before they can do any more damage. We know who the bad guys are, I say we make our move and be done with it."
"Why don't we just figure this out later?" Geoff suggested, "Why don't we all just relax?"
"Relax?" Quinn demanded, "After everything that just happened, you're seriously suggesting we RELAX?"
"Yeah!" Geoff smiled, "Hey, we should throw a party! Help everyone cheer up a little!"
Everyone fell silent for a while, before Quinn spoke.
"Geoff,"she said, "you're an idiot."
~o.0.o~
While everyone else made their way to the cabins, Eva and Vevo were having a meeting.
"I can't believe it," Eva shouted, "he blew our cover? You LET him blow out cover!"
"Relax, it won't matter," Vevo said, "we still have a chest, remember? Once we cash it in for food, we can use it as leverage. It won't really matter."
"You think it's that simple, do you?" Eva demanded, "they KNOW it was us! The whole point was to pin it on Lucky, and then look like we were acting out of the kindness of our hearts! Instead, not only did Lucky get rid of Lance, our plans were exposed to everyone!"
"So?" Vevo scoffed, "Have you not been listening? It won't matter! We'll have enough leverage as it is."
"And what if they find their own chest?" Eva asked, "What then?"
"Then... then we deal with it!" Vevo exclaimed, "We just need to play it safe right now! We take out out biggest threats- Lucky will have to go, I doubt he'll forgive us easily, then we maybe take out Duncan, Sunny, Gwen- anyone who might try to-"
"Oh, don't try to tell ME what's best!" Eva yelled, "I've made it to the final five before! I've taken down some of the greatest players on this stupid show, and who the hell are you? Some punk who thinks he's great because he took out one or two people and set a fire!"
"Oh?" Vevo frowned, face reddening, "Please. You know what you lack? Foresight. That's why you lost last season- because the chick you partnered up with betrayed you, and you were too stupid to see it coming. And I bet you won't see what happens next before its too late, either."
"And what's happening next?" Eva growled.
"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" Vevo smirked, beginning to walk off, "you're going to regret ever having met me."
"I already do," Eva muttered, "well, I guess you're going to learn the hard way that I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Oh, and Vevo?"
Vevo turned around impatiently.
"Don't bother trying to take the chest for yourself... I already hid it somewhere you'll never be able to find," Eva grinned.
"Son of a-" Vevo started, "oh, fuck you. Just fuck you!"
With that, Vevo stormed off, leaving Eva smirking to herself.
~o.0.o~
The next day, Quinn was sitting by the beach, reading a book.
"Hey there Quinn," Vevo smiled, "whatcha reading?"
Quinn jerked her head upright, and slammed the book down, blushing.
"None of your business!" She snapped, "Look, you better get out of here before I kick your-"
"Hey, woah, I'm not here to fight," Vevo said.
"Oh, really?" Quinn demanded, "Last time I checked, you tried to give a friend of mine the boot. The only reason your face is still intact is because that didnt work out. Now, what do you want?"
"Look, I'm sorry about Lucky, okay? That was all Lance's idea, I swear," Vevo admitted, "the rest of it... Sure, okay, that was me. But right now, I'm I'm a bit of a right spot- maybe we can help each other out."
"Oh?" Quinn smirked, "This should be good."
With that, Vevo explained the entirety of what would have been his and Eva's plan- how they would have used food as a sort of blackmail.
"Now, I still have a chest," Vevo said, "and the thing is, elimination is coming up. Now, obviously it's going to be me or Eva. And if you insure it isn't me, I can personally guarantee your safety as long as you stick with me."
"Interesting offer," Quinn nodded, "but why me?"
"Because I've watched you," Vevo explained, "I've seen that you're not afraid to get your hands dirty. We can do alot together- take the competition by storm."
"Fine," Quinn shrugged, "I'll think about it. Now get lost."
"We'll talk," Vevo nodded, "just keep in mind what I said."
Back at camp, everyone was looking through what little food they had left.
"Just some scraps of meat left over, and some herbs," DJ frowned, "I'll see what I can cook up with this."
"Thanks, DJ," Duncan smiled, "don't know what we'd do without you."
"Hey, uh, Gwen?" Cody asked nervously, "I was wondering if we could talk for a bit. You know, alone."
"Sure," Gwen nodded, "lets go."
As Cody led Gwen away, Sunny smiled, and turned to Lucky.
"Cute, aren't they?" She asked.
The two had been sitting a bit farther away from everyone else, as Lucky hadn't been feeling particularly sociable, though Sunny insisted on keeping him company.
"Yeah, sure," Lucky shrugged.
"Oh, don't be like that," Sunny said, "cheer up. I'm fairly sure the worst of it is over."
"I guess," Lucky nodded, "I uh... What are we doing? I mean, with us?"
"Hm? Well... We're together-ish, aren't we?" Sunny asked, looking a little surprised, "Why, is something wrong?"
"I don't know," Lucky muttered, "I mean... I just don't think it's a good idea."
"Oh?" Sunny huffed, crossing her arms, "And why not?"
"Because," Lucky sighed, "you can do better than a guy like me."
There was a moment of silence before Sunny pit her hand on his and said, "Maybe I don't want to."
Lucky shook his head a little, smiling slightly.
"Just uh... Give me a bit to think, okay?" Lucky asked.
"Sure," Sunny nodded, "take all the time you need."
Lucky flashed a quick smile, before slowly getting to his feet and walking back to the cabins.
~o.0.o~
"Okay," Gwen said, "you brought me all the way out here- so what's up?"
"Gwen, I... I've been seeing things," Cody admitted, "really, really weird things."
"Wait, what?" Gwen asked, "You've been...? What did you see?"
Cody said nothing.
"Cody, what did you-"
"I don't know, okay!" Cody exclaimed, "It was... I mean, there were two DJ's, and then I've been having those weird dreams, and then-"
"Dreams? Dreams about what?"
"Nothing that makes sense!" Cody said, "I mean, I'm in this red room, and Chris is there, but he's not really Chris, and there's this little girl who keeps telling me... She keeps telling me to look 'under the island' I feel like I'm going crazy, Gwen. I have no idea what to do."
"I know," Gwen nodded, "I'm starting to freak out, Cody, I... I think you were right. Maybe I should just quit."
"Hey, you can't do that!" Cody exclaimed.
"And why not?" Gwen asked, "It's like you said, Cody. I'm going crazy, and... And I'm scared."
"Look, whatever's going on here... I think we can find a way to deal with it," Cody said, "we're in this together. And if you left... I'd miss you, Gwen."
"Cody... I- maybe you're right," Gwen nodded, "Maybe we should stick this out."
"I'll always be there for you if you need me," Cody said, "anyway, we should get back to the others. DJ has probably finished cooking by now."
As it turns out, when the two got back to camp, Chris was already halfway through talking to the cast.
"What'd we miss?" Cody asked.
"Oh, not much," Chris frowned, "just the merge, is all!"
"The teams are merged?" Cody asked, "For good this time?"
"Yup! It's every man for themselves!" Chris said, "The thirteen of you managed to beat the other competitors, and have reached the midway point of the game. It only gets harder from here on out though, and you all have a long way to go before you can even THINK about going to the finals."
CONFESSIONAL: DJ
Oh man, the finals? I mean, I know I said I'd do my best and everything, but I never actually thought I'd make it this far!CONFESSIONAL: JOHNNY
The merge... Listen, Ruby, if you're watching this, I promise I'll do my best to bring the money home to you guys.
CONFESSIONAL: DUNCAN
The merge again, huh? I don't plan on going down as easily this time, and as long as Blaineley doesn't interfere again, I don't think I will.
CONFESSIONAL: MIRI
Well, I knew I would probably make it this far. My calculations are usually always correct. As for making it to the finals, well... The numbers may not be in my favor just yet.
CONFESSIONAL: COURTNEY
I can't believe I managed to last until the merge again! This time I'll make sure Geoff and I make it to the finals together!
CONFESSIONAL: VEVO
Of course I made it this far- I mean, I knew I would. But unless I can make a few big moves fast, I don't think I'll stick around much longer.
CONFESSIONAL: EVA
Well, DUH I made it to the merge! I've got a plan that will take me all the way back to the final five. Once Vevo is gone, the wheels will be set in motion. If everything is set up how I want it to be, no one will be able to stop me!
CONFESSIONAL: QUINN
I can't believe that idiot Vevo came to me looking for a deal. Still, it IS the merge- if I can use him to get a little bit further, I'll do to him what I did to Harold and Veronica.
CONFESSIONAL: GEOFF
The merge, excellent! But seriously, everyone around here needs to cheer up.
CONFESSIONAL: SUNNY
Alright! Fourteen down, twelve to go! I KNOW I can win this if I just keep at it- and then maybe I can finally get a record deal, or a gig that actually PAYS!
CONFESSIONAL: CODY
I have no idea what's going on here, or what to expect. But I need to keep going for Gwen.
CONFESSIONAL: LUCKY
Now that Lance is gone, it's time to tie up the last few loose ends. Eva and Vevo have to go, and I know for a fact Sunny and Quinn didnt try to vote me off- so that means Courtney and DJ tried to eliminate me. Sorry, guys- but you just made my shit list.
CONFESSIONAL: GWEN
Okay, look. I'm not going to pretend I new I would last this long, or that I know what comes next. I'm not at all confident about this season- but I'm going to do best. I can't just leave Cody alone, can I?
END CONFESSIONALS
"Okay, now that you've left your thoughts," Chris said, "it's time for today's challenge- and I promise you it's a doozy! And I hope you have your walking shoes on, because it's a bit of a hike to our destination!"
"Please," Vevo smirked, "how bad can it be?"
~o.0.o~
A few hours later, the contestants were gasping for air as they marched up the mountain that dominated the islands landscape.
"I feel like I need to amputate my legs," Cody groaned.
"How much farther?" DJ asked.
"Nearly there," Chris shrugged, "come on, don't fall behind!"
Soon enough- although it felt like days to the campers- Chris came to a stop near the top of the mountain. There, the campers found a crate full of wing suits, and a cannon.
"I don't like where this is going," DJ groaned.
"Of course you don't," Chris scoffed, "now shut up and pay attention. Each of you is going to put on a wingsuits. Now, normal procedure would be to drop you from a plane once it was at a high enough altitude, but since we don't have the budget for a plane, we're just going to launch you out of a cannon and hope that works well enough for most of you to survive."
"Well, that sounds healthy," Duncan muttered.
"Yup," Chris agreed, "now, here's the actual challenge: floating above the island are over a dozen balloons. In one of the balloons is a marshmallow- if you are lucky enough to get this balloon, then you win immunity from tonight's elimination! After you've all gone, we'll meet up back at the cabins."
"What if no one gets the marshmallow?" Eva asked.
"Then no one has immunity," Chris shrugged, "now, get changed, and we'll get started!"
~o.0.o~
Quinn had just finished putting on her flight suit when Eva approached her.
"Hey there Quinn," she smiled, "chat a second?"
"What do you want?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Listen, it's no secret that I'm in a tough way, right?" Eva said, "Everyone wants Vevo and I gone- but the thing is, only one of us will have to leave tonight. Now, I'm giving you the chance to work with me. If you help me out now, I'll take you to the finals with me. We just need to make sure Vevo is the one who leaves tonight."
"And why would I want to work with you?" Quinn asked.
"Because," Eva smiled, "I've got a chest hidden back at camp. Work with me, and we can use it to get ahead in the game."
"Okay," Quinn nodded, "I'll think about it."
CONFESSIONAL: QUINN
Are you JOKING me? This has to be the best turn of events so far! With Vevo AND Eva looking to me for an alliance, right now I'm one of the most powerful players in the game!
END CONFESSIONAL
Once everyone was ready, the campers all lined up alongside the the cannon.
"Okay," Chris thought, "let's see... DJ, you're up first!"
"What?" DJ gasped, "Why me?"
"Because your suffering amuses me," Chris smirked, "now get in the cannon!"
Before DJ could say another word, Chris shoved him in the canon, and a second later, DJ had been launched through the air.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"
"JUST TRY NOT TO DIE!" Chris called.
In response, DJ begin to flail around in midair, before plummeting straight downward.
"Ouch!" Chris smirked, "That HAD to hurt! Who's next?"
Everyone looked around at each other.
"I'll go," Duncan shrugged.
Duncan positioned himself on the canon, and Chris launched him.
Duncan managed to keep his cool, and actually found himself soaring through the air.
"WOO!" He shouted, "I made it!"
Duncan flew along until he spotted a few balloons, which he swerved towards. He grabbed one of them, and then headed towards the ground.
"It looks like Duncan was actually successful!" Chris announced, surprised, "Okay, next up, we have Eva."
"Oh, no way," Eva hissed, "I'm not- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Her complaints had been cut short after being forcefully ejected via cannon by Chris. Eva fared about as well as DJ had, dropping straight to the ground.
Lucky was next to go. He had managed to soar through the air and grab a balloon, but his landing had been far from graceful- land was actually a strong word for it, as he had more or less flown into a tree.
"Oh gosh- do you think he's alright?" Sunny panicked.
"If you're so worried, why don't you go and see?" Chris asked, gesturing to the cannon.
"Oh, bugger all. Fine," Sunny muttered.
A second later she found herself soaring through the air- and thoroughly enjoying it, to be quite honest.
"Now THIS is more like it!" She cheered, flying past several trees. She looked around, and after spotting a balloon, flew towards it. She grabbed it successfully, but her mood quickly dropped as soon as she realized she had no actual idea of how to land. After a while, she decided she would try to aim for the water, and hope things turned out for the best.
SPLASH!
Coughing and gasping for air, Sunny managed to swim to the beach, made more difficult by the gear she was wearing.
Once on the shore, she quickly ran a hand through her hair, shaking it dry.
"Okay," she sighed, "now to find Lucky."
Back on the mountain, Courtney had just taken her turn, and Cody was getting ready to take his.
"Okay," he told himself, "this is do-able. Duncan did it, Courtney did it... I can do it, right?"
"You better hope," Chris snickered.
Cody place himself in the canon, and sighed.
"Don't worry, Cody," Gwen smiled, "you can do it."
"Thanks Gwen," Cody said, "Listen, if something goes wrong I just want to-"
"Sorry, have to keep our schedule!" Chris smirked, launching Cody.
Cody let out a yell, and struggled to regain control. With some difficulty, he was able to do so, and he let out a sigh of relief. After trying (and failing) to grab a balloon several times, he eventually gave up and drifted back to the ground, managing to land without any serious injury. Geoff and Vevo went next, each managing to snag a balloon. Johnny, who went after them, was not as lucky, and flew straight into a tree.
Gwen actually did quite well on her turn, grabbing a balloon and managing to land safely. Finally, Quinn and Miri went, though only the latter had any success. Quinn, who wasn't too fond of heights, panicked and crashed, while Miri did a few mental calculations and managed to complete the challenge successfully.
~o.0.o~
It took a while, but everyone had eventually gathered by the cabins where Chris had instructed them to meet. The host showed up himself after a while of waiting, since he had to climb back down the mountain himself.
"Okay," Chris said, "everyone who caught a balloon, pop it, and see if you've won anything."
The contestants who ha been successful did as were told.
"Hey," Sunny grinned, "I got the marshmallow!"
"Then it looks like Sunny wins immunity for tonight!" Chris smiled.
"Wait a second-" Geoff called, "I got something too: a blue ticket. What-"
"And it looks like Geoff discovered our hidden consolation prize," Chris announced, "Geoff, that blue ticket is redeemable for... Wait for it... One of my treasure chests! That's right, in your hand you hold the paper equivalent of one of the chests, so you can either save it, or turn it in now for a prize of your choosing!"
"Hmmm," Geoff smiled, "I thi k I know what to trade it in for! But... Later."
"Okay," Chris nodded, "for the rest of you, you have an hour before the elimination ceremony."
~o.0.o~
All of the campers (minus Eva and Vevo) were sitting around the fire, discussing that nights elimination.
"Okay," Duncan said, "I know alot of us may be know each other very well, but we need to out our differences aside and focus on the common enemy. It's pretty clear cut to me that Vevo or Wva needs to leave tonight- and whoever doesn't leave now needs to go next time around. There are eleven of us, so we should split the votes. Five of us vote for one person, six vote for the other."
"Who gets the majority vote?" Cody asked.
"I got this," Quinn said, "the majority vote should go to-"
CONFESSIONAL: Quinn
Way I saw it, I needed to pick between Vevo and Eva. Eventually, the answer came to me.
END CONFESSIONAL
The thirteen campers gathered around the stage, waiting for the results of the elimination to be announced.
"Okay," Chris said, "I know you're all eager to get this over with, so I'll make this quick. First marshmallow goes to...
Sunny, obviously, since she had immunity.
Cody and Gwen, you live to fight another day.
Lucky.
Geoff.
Duncan.
DJ.
Miri.
Johnny.
Courtney.
And...
Quinn.
Vevo and Eva, it's down to you. And the last marshmallow goes to...
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"EVA!"
"WHAT?" Vevo demanded.
"Wait a second," Quinn smiled, "wasnt tonight supposed to be a double elimination?"
"Uhhh, nope," Chris frowned, "don't think so."
"Really?" Quinn smirked, pulling a chest out from under her chair, "Because I'm pretty sure it is."
"No!" Eva shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Turning this into a double elimination," Quinn smirked.
"You little-" Eva started.
"I'll allow it!" Chris smiled, "Vevo and Eva, the boat of losers awaits!"
Eva let out a scream of fury, and stopped off towards the boat. Vevo flipped everyone the bird, and then followed after.
"Quinn, what was that?" Sunny demanded, "We could have use that chest for-"
"Food?" Geoff smiled, "I wouldn't worry about that. Come on, follow me back to camp!"
Once everyone was back at the cabins, they gasped. There were several tables full of food laid out for them, and also several bottles of assorted beverages.
"I turned in my ticket for food," Geoff explained.
"No way," Cody said, "this is more food than I've seen all season!"
"Yup!" Geoff nodded, "Go ahead guys, dig in!"
The campers cheered, and began to serve themselves- except for Quinn, who slum away into the shadows. She took a quick walk down the beach, where she came too a loose path of dirt. After some digging, she found it- the chest Eva had hidden away.
The chest Quinn had use during the elimination had been one she had actually found very early on in the competition. After she planned on double-crossing both Vevo and Eva, she decided to talk the latter into believing she actually agreed with joining the alliance. Eva had then made the rather clumsy move of showing Quinn where the chest was stashed away- essentially rendering any sort of alliance useless.
CONFESSIONAL: QUINN
Vevo and Eva were probably some of the biggest competition here. And now that I eliminated them, I gained the trust of alot of the other players here. And the chest? Heh heh. The way I see it, I'm the single most powerful player in the entire game! Make no mistake, this is MY game now- and I WILL win this.
END CONFESSIONAL