Chapter 15
The time for the Awards came all too fast for Gwen as she dressed in her regular clothes but kept the Star Necklace with her as a limo parked out in front of her house. She left it at home because she didn't want to risk using any Avatar powers such as enhanced strength and speed on the show that would draw a lot of attention. Tonight as far as she knew was just a simple award ceremony. Her mom gave her a very big hug and lifted her into the air.
"Bye Gwen, we'll miss you!" Elizabeth said, sounding a little tearful because her daughter was leaving again. "Please be careful and watch your step going on the stage!"
Gwen only smiled and hugged her back, happy at how her mother acted.
"I'll be fine, it's just a simple drive, wait a few hours in the audience while they hand out these awards, and then we go home. I'll probably be back before midnight." Gwen replied, managing to wrestle herself free from her mother's tight hug.
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you to call and I'll be right there to pick you up!" Elizabeth wiped a tear from her eyes as she gave Gwen a quick kiss on the head and stepped.
"See ya, try to snack too much on the food there." Alex smirked and dodged a quick slap from Gwen.
"Yeah, yeah, try not to stay up late with that video game. The last thing you need is more brain damage." Gwen laughed as she walked out.
"Bye Gwen!" Elizabeth tearfully waved.
A limo was already parked out in front of the house as Gwen stepped out. The door was opened from the inside and Gwen slipped in.
"On your way to the awards?" A voice made Gwen freeze as she looked up at the driver's seat.
Turning his head to look back at her Carlos gave her a demented grin. "Hi, Gwen."
Gwen just stared for a second and that's when the car was shaken by an earthquake from the inside.
"OH HELL NO!" Gwen shouted as she kicked at the door with both feet and all her might. "NO WAY IN HELL AM I LETTING YOU DRIVE ME! LET ME OUT!"
"Hey, watch it! I'm driving here!" Carlos said as the car swerved. "You're going to give someone a heart attack!"
That's when Gwen leaped up and grabbed the wheel. "I' D RATHER BE IN A CAR CRASH THAN HAVE ANOTHER RIDE WITH YOU!"
"Hey! You got a licence here?! KNOCK IT OFF AND GIVE ME BACK THE WHEEL!" Carlos had one hand on the wheel and used the other to try and push Gwen off.
"I told you this how she'd react." Kurt was sitting in the passenger seat, drinking a can of Coke. "Red light."
Carlos stopped the car and used a bit of power from Warhawk to knock Gwen back into her seat.
"Why the hell are you two lunatics here?! I'm just going to a stupid Award Show!"
"Yeah, and I wanted be there but I don't got an invite so I settled for the best thing!" Carlos laughed. "We're going paint the town RED!"
"Don't worry, seventy percent of the time he's metaphorically speaking." Kurt started reading a book. "Just don't give him any spicy food and he'll be fine."
"I'D RATHER RUN TO THE SHOW WHILE BEING CHASED BY BLOODY HOUNDS!" Gwen kicked the window to try and get out.
"No use Gwen, the windows are reinforced with spirit energy." Kurt turned a page. "No way out that way."
"Relax, I'm not going to do anything will embarrass you! I owe you for dropping my old buddy Jimmy in the shop!" Carlos laughed. "Oh that Jimmy, we had a great time just like the old days!"
"So much that Jimmy was running home like a hyperactive Speedy Gonzales." Kurt commented.
"Don't give me that crap! You two don't need to drive me to the awards so why show up?" Gwen growled.
"She's hard to fool." Carlos commented.
"Told ya." Kurt grinned. "This is just a precaution Gwen; you never know when a rogue spirit or familiar attacks someone just driving down the road. It's easy for them to make it look like an accident."
"And the both you felt the need to come with me instead of patrolling Toronto?" Gwen pointed out.
"Relax, we got it covered." Carlos waved his right hand at her. "For now let's just go!"
Gwen sat back in her and crossed her arms as she glared at the two front passengers. Soon enough car stopped in front of the large studio with hundreds of people waiting outside on either side of the red carpet. The flashing of cameras was almost blinding as Gwen grunted and covered her eyes.
"I am suddenly thinking that coming here was a bad idea." Gwen groaned.
"Don't back out now, Gwen. Now go in there and win an award!" Kurt laughed.
Gwen sighed and stepped out, one hand over her eyes to block out the flashing of cameras.
"Gwen!" She stopped as a reporter stopped in front of her and held a microphone in her face.
The reporter was an African American teenage girl around the same age as her, dressed in a yellow tube top, faded jeans with a white belt, green sandals, and hair that was obviously dyed purple braided down her back.
"How does it feel to be here? Do you think you'll have a chance-"The girl started to ask but Gwen quickly walked past her.
"Excuse me, can't be late." Gwen quickly replied as she walked to the entrance.
She looked ahead to see most of the others had made it and only Noah was left. She hadn't seen or heard of him since the mansion and he never appeared on any of Celebrity Manhunt's news shows. She looked to see Chef blocking the entrance. She turned and saw another car park with him getting out sunglasses and a blue tooth. He completely ignored the reporter and Gwen as he walked by them.
"Hello to you too." Gwen muttered as she followed him.
That was when Chris showed up in a blue tuxedo walked out of a limo and up to the entrance where Noah gave him a latte and a muffin.
"You're Chris's assistant?" Gwen was almost speechless by the fact Noah would make himself an assistant to the sadistic TV show host.
That was almost as stupid as signing onto his show! Duncan started laughing while most of the others stared in shock.
"You kiss Chris's butt? For money?" Cody asked.
"Cut me some slack. Everybody has to work their way up the biz."
Another limo showed up and out came Big-Foot, a bear, an Eskimo, and a young man with tanned skin and looked Spanish who shoved Cody out of the way as he walked past the cast. Chris spat his latte in Noah's face.
"Too cold! You're fired!" Chris tossed the cup and walked through the door.
It closed shutting the cast out.
'Why am I not surprised?' Gwen sighed.
She really had second thoughts about coming here. Everyone was silent for a moment when a cricket was heard. Duncan stomped on it to shut it up.
"Hey!" DJ shouted.
"Hey, guys, we need to find a way in." The reporter named Sierra addressed everyone.
Gwen simply tuned everyone out as Izzy came up with a crazy plan to get inside. The doors opened a moment later showing Izzy. Everyone smiled but the doors closed behind Izzy locking them outside again. The TV turned itself on revealing the young Spanish man from before reveal that the Total Drama cast had lost to the 'Old People in their Undies' for cast. Chris then received the award for best host which made Gwen shake her head.
"Thanks, again. But I couldn't have done it without a great bunch of people from Total Drama Action." This made whole Total Drama cast smile hopefully. "The interns, the caterers, the camera crew and the real stars of the show... my stylists!"
"What about your long suffering assistant?" Noah kicked the TV angrily. "Schmuck!"
"I didn't know you had that in ya, string bean." LeShawna commented, looking impressed.
"Dudes, you heard the guy. We're nobodies again!" Geoff groaned.
'Is this stupid show really that much to them?' Gwen thought.
She honestly could care less about the show even if their fame had come to an end. It just meant that they had to get on with their lives.
"At least I'll be able to survive on the streets!" Duncan said.
"Me too, ya'll! Jiggy!" Ezekial said, not noticing a hobo steal his wallet.
" And I'll go back to being just another pretty face." Justin said.
"And pecs." Katie said.
"And abs." Sadie added.
" And butt." Owen giggled.
That was not something Gwen needed to hear. She shook her head and started to walk away when everyone was stopped by Sierra.
"What's the matter with you?! No one deserves to be more famous than you guys! You can't just give up! Do you have any idea how many millions of fans there are out there?" Sierra cried.
"Really, I don't see any." Gwen looked around. "Loyal fans huh?"
"I've been watching, blogging, PVRing you since the first episode! I, I mean, we, have fan sites about each and every one of you. We know everything about you, and we are rooting for you! We know your eating habits, your hopes, your fears... YOUR DENTAL RECORDS!" Sierra shouted.
"Stalker." Heather whispered.
"What should we do?" Owen asked.
"If you beat the Dirtbags to the Orpah Studio, hijack the interview, you'll be famous again!" Sierra replied.
"But how are we supposed to get to New York by tomorrow afternoon?" Harold asked.
"I think I have a way!" Izzy shouted.
"Oh great." Gwen groaned.
"Okay, Cody, I need you to gather up assorted pieces of lumber." Izzy pointed at Cody.
"Uh, right now?" The geek asked.
"Owen, I need you to get a medium sized motor." Izzy continued.
"I'm on it."
"Noah, I'm counting on you for the gallons of diesel fuel."
"Right, I'll get my unicorn to bring them here." Noah drawled.
"Perfect!" Izzy laughed.
Fortunately before Izzy could start whatever hair brained scheme she had in mind she was cut off by the sound of a hocking horn.
"Hey guys?" DJ asked standing on the stairs of his bus. "Are you going to on this bus or not?"
The cast cheered but stopped when Momma DJ stuck her head out. "But wipe your feet first!"
They all groaned but started to pile on the bus...except for one person.
"Hey, Gwen, where are you going?" LeShawna turned and saw the female goth walking away from the bus.
She stopped and turned back to face the bus. "I'm not going."
"What?!" LeShawna, Bridgette, Geoff, Trent, and Cody exclaimed at the same time while most of the others were silent in shock.
"Why not?" Duncan asked.
"Not interested." Gwen shrugged. "Chris wants another cast to torture that it's their problem, not mine."
"But what about being famous?" Bridgette asked.
"I never cared about that at all, I did want to win the money but that was for putting myself through college and helping my mom. The only thing I used the fame for was my blog on helping the environment. Aside from that I don't really care about Total Drama." Gwen turned around and started walking. "See ya, guys!"
"Gwen, hold on!" LeShawna reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, girl. You can't say you're not pissed with Chris for leaving us in the dust!"
"He's left us in worse, LeShawna." Gwen pulled her arm free. "Believe it or not I have a life outside of fame."
"She wants to go, let her go!" Heather shouted. "Don't have time to convince the loser to come!"
"I'll remember that the next time you're intoxicated and Chris has you acting as a maid." Gwen replied. "Try not to drink the Pepsi this time."
Heather growled and stomped onto the bus.
"Come on, Gwen! Please don't go!" Cody got on his knees and looked at Gwen with puppy eyes.
"I have a little brother, Cody. That's not going to work." Gwen turned around and started walking. "Good luck!"
LeShawna, Trent, Cody, Bridgette, and even Duncan looked like they wanted to stop her but time was short so they all piled onto the bus, taking one last look at Gwen.
The goth girl simply waved and walked away without a second a glance as the bus drove off.
"And there they go. Is life really boring when you're not famous?" Gwen sighed.
"I don't know, I am well known but am I not what you call 'famous'." Andromeda spoke up. "Some of them looked sad to see you go."
"They want to be famous, that's their problem." Gwen said. "I have enough on my plate with getting into a college and working at Kurt's shop and being a Spirit Avatar."
"You may have a point." Andromeda mentally nodded.
"Problem, so do we." A voice said from behind her.
Gwen spun around and her vision darkened as she fell to the ground.
Xxx
"Gwen...Gwen...Wake up sleepy head..."
Gwen slowly opened her eyes, blinking as her blurred vision came into focus.
"Elliot..." She asked when she saw the girl sitting above her.
Elliot Matthews, Avatar of Sir Lancelot, the Right Hand of the Light smiled down at her.
"Gwenny! You're awake!" She laughed.
"How do you feel?" Another girl appeared next to Elliot, looking down at her.
"Dawn?" Gwen asked as she sat up and rubbed her head. "What happened?"
"I'm afraid someone didn't believe it was a good idea for you to go home yet." Dawn said, sounding so apologetic that Gwen believed her.
She found herself in the back seat of a van and at the driver's seat was...
"CARLOS! What the hell did you do to me?!" Gwen growled.
"Just a Sleeping Method Gwenny girl and relax!" Carlos laughed. "We know what we're doing!"
Gwen looked out and saw they were in...a desert!
"What continent am I in?!"
"We're still in Canada." Dawn replied. "Chris has chosen a long route to New York and we are currently chasing them."
"But I don't want to go after them!" Gwen gritted her teeth.
"Don't worry, Gwen, you're not going to a stupid interview!" Carlos replied. "There she is!"
Up ahead was DJ's bus just pulling out in front of the Dirtbag's bus and the back door of DJ's bus opened up showing...A big pink bra? Tyler used it to fire caramels into the front window of the Dirtbag's bus.
"That was unexpected." Carlos commented.
Big Foot stuck his head out only to be hit in the face with caramels. A few more volleys and the Dirtbag's bus was forced to slow down allowing the original cast and Carlos's car to past them.
"And with an unexpected trick we take the lead." Carlos laughed.
But just as they passed DJ's bus it started going off the road and they turned towards the car.
"CARLOS!" Gwen, Dawn, and Elliot shouted.
"Uh oh!" Carlos turned away and both vehicles were heading for a cliff! "Oh crap!"
"Carlos, if this is our last breath I curse you and Kurt!" Gwen shouted. "If we're not dead from this YOU WILL BE WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU!"
Xxx
"Aw man!" Kurt groaned as a shelf fell over. "That's the fourth time something's fallen down! It's like I've been cursed!"
Xxx
They screamed as the car went over the cliff and started plummeting to the ground below.
"Never fear! I saw this coming!" Carlos shouted and pressed a big red button next to the radio.
Out of the back of the car blasted a pair of cables with grapples on the end that latched onto the cliff. The car stopped falling just a few feet above the ground but everyone fell to the front wind shield from stopping so suddenly. The added weight made the cables snap and the front of crashed into the ground. Lucky for them it didn't fall on its roof as the rest of it and landed back on its tires with a loud thud.
"...Whoa! That was about the safest landing I have ever done!" Carlos laughed as he looked to the three female Avatars.
Gwen's face was buried in the airbag that came out while Dawn and Elliot were in the back holding each other for dear life.
"This is why I prefer Hexagon Circles. Cars are dangerous to the environment and people." Dawn shuddered. "If not for Gwen needing us I would have said no to the ride."
"That was...FUN!" Elliot jumped to the front. "DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!"
"No more please!" Dawn pulled Elliot back. "It's too dangerous!"
"Aw..." Elliot moaned.
The sound of something else hitting the ground them look in front of the as DJ's bus landed on its roof.
"That might not have been so lucky. Better go check." Carlos opened his door.
"What about Gwen?" Dawn gestured to the seemingly unconscious goth.
"Ah, she'll come to in a second." Carlos said. "These guys might need your healing expertise Dawn."
The rest of the cast members had made it out of the downed bus with minimal injuries which was very lucky for them.
"I came here to party and this place is lacking the partying vibe! I'm going to go get help!"
"Not a good idea, cowboy." They all stopped to see...
"YOU!" They all pointed at Carlos, who simply grinned.
"ME!"
"HIM!" Heather shouted to LeShawna while pointing at Carlos.
"THEM!" Izzy shouted, to the confusion of some cast members.
"Her?" A confused Carlos pointed back at Heather.
"Not her, YOU!" Izzy pointed at him.
"...I'm lost now." Carlos shook his head.
"You're the psycho who drove us home!" LeShawna said. "Why the h-e- double hockey sticks are you here?!"
"Why that is very simple," Carlos held up one hand with a finger pointed up. "...I am here to help you get back on the road!"
"...why?" Trent asked suspiciously.
"I bet $5 on all of you getting your fame back." Carlos shrugged. "That's one reason why I had to kidnap Gwen and drag her along, or else all but one of you would be famous again."
Cody started at this. "Wait, you have Gwen?!"
"Oh yeah! She's knocked out, but she'll be fine!"
"Carlos!" Elliot ran up to him. "Gwen woken up and she is not happy."
"Well, now all we have to do is calm her down and..." Carlos turned around looked behind him. "Uh oh."
Gwen was standing right behind Carlos with her hair flew wildly around her and they could see murderous look in her eyes that would make even Chef soil his pants in terror. What made him and most of the cast, even Heather and Eva gulp was the murderous dark aura making her appearance almost demonic. Dawn pulled Elliot back when she saw Gwen's aura turn dark with murderous intentions while DJ hid behind his mother even though Gwen wasn't mad at him she was looking very scary looking at the moment. Gwen had left her Omni Glove at home that could summon any of her Avatar equipment but Carlos had brought and left it in the car which she found.
Luckily her anger didn't make her forget that she can't use any of her Avatar abilities in front of the rest of the cast. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to seriously maim Carlos.
"H-Hey, Gwen, y-you're okay!" Carlos stepped back.
He might be insane but he was not stupid and knew that his bad luck had struck again.
'Warhawk and Kurt always said I had the power to turn any girl I know into a demon! Why didn't I learn my lesson with Melissa?'
"Carlos...remember what I said when you drove us off that cliff?" Gwen asked calmly.
"Uh...that if we didn't die that I'd be..." Carlos gave her the dead signal.
"You got it." Gwen cracked her knuckles.
"Now hold on, Gwen I know it looks back but-"
POW!
"AAAAAHHHHH!" A single punch to the face from Gwen sent Carlos flying straight into the bus.
The rest of the cast ducked as Carlos flew over them and slammed into the bus. He slammed into a window so hard it shattered on impact.
"Oh crap..." Carlos slid down to the ground.
Gwen in her murderous rage stomped towards Carlos, her feet stomping onto the ground so hard that it shook. Everyone moved out of the way quickly, even if some of them were her friends she was just too scary for anyone to stop her.
"Gwen! Gwen!" Dawn ran up and grabbed Gwen's fist. "Please stop! It's okay now! Remember, murder's illegal!"
"Please Gwenny!" Elliot ran up and hugged Gwen. "Please stop beating up the crazy guy!"
Gwen looked down at the adorable look on Elliot's face and her murderous aura faded as she stopped beating on Carlos.
"Oh god." Carlos fell to the ground.
Gwen took a deep breath, letting out all the anger that had built in her. She threw one last glare at Carlos before walking away with Dawn and Elliot who kept close to her to keep her calm. Looking around she saw they were out in the middle of nowhere with no one around and the vehicles were broken.
"Well, Carlos, congratulations. Kidnapping, endangerment, and leaving us out here in the middle of nowhere. Why wouldn't it surprise me that you're responsible for the bus going over the cliff?" Gwen looked back as Carlos started to stand up.
"Actually, that wasn't him. These two decided to get back together during the chase." Noah gestured to Courtney and Duncan who blushed and rubbed the back of their heads sheepishly.
"You okay, Gwen?" LeShawna ran up and put her hands on the goth's shoulders. "Looks like you had a rough ride."
"I'll live...not sure I can say the same for him." Gwen threw a glare back at Carlos.
"Before you go blaming me, why don't you ask the 'master minds' behind this little mission?" Carlos whispered to her. "I'm the field agent, you want Chief back at Control to blame for this. And by that I mean certain Avatars who gave me the option of this or being assigned to Antarctica for the next year." He looked at Dawn and Elliot. "In their defense, they didn't want to go with the kidnapping part. We fought for ya Gwen."
Xxx
"We're not going to control Gwen's life for you!" Carlos declared bravely.
"Do it or stick it out in the North Pole for a year."
Carlos was the first out the door...leaving his outline in it. "DAWN! ELLIOT! GET THE LEAD OUT ADND LET'S GO! WE HAVE ABDUCTION TO COMMIT!"
Xxx
"Gwen, who are these maniacs?" Courtney demanded, tapping one foot.
"There's only one maniac," Gwen said.
"Guilty," Carlos mumbled.
"This guy is the bus driver who said he was sent to pick us up at that mansion while you guys were knocked out." Gwen explained. "These two are good friends of mine: Dawn and Elliot."
"Hi!" Elliot waved.
"Your auras say it all: You are very frustrated and stressed by the recent events." Dawn observed.
Most of them looked at Dawn with strange looks who simply smiled and turned back to Gwen. "We decided to see you at the awards but when you got kidnapped we jumped into the car after you. Sorry we weren't much help."
"It's okay." Gwen shook her head. "I'm more worried about getting out of here."
"I'll go look for help." Geoff said.
"Carlos, can you..." Gwen turned around and saw he was gone. "Where did he go?"
"He was right there." LeShawna said, looking around. "He couldn't have gone far."
"Jerk ran off and left us." Gwen growled. "He's making it hard for me not to beat him to death."
"Calm down, Gwen." Dawn put a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Getting angry right now is not good for you."
"Please don't get angry again!" Elliot grabbed Gwen's arm and gave her a very cute pleading look.
Gwen sighed, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Geoff along with Trent, Eva, Katie, Sadie, Beth, Justin, and DJ's mother had left to go look for help leaving the others at the wrecked bus.
"So, Gwen, you never mentioned these two when you talked about your friends back home." Bridgette said, deciding to past the time.
"I met Dawn and Elliot a month ago at an Environmentalist convention." Gwen sat down in the large shade provided by the bus. "They told me how much they liked that cat video of Heather, and it escalated from there. The next thing I knew we had exchanged e mails and were chatting all the time."
"Hmmm!" Izzy and Elliot hummed at the same time as they examined one another suspiciously, rubbing their chins in an observing way. "Hmmm? Hmmm..." they spat their tongues out at one another. "Blalalalalala!" They paused...
"BEST FRIENDS!" They shrieked as they hugged one another tightly.
"Saw that coming," Heather deadpanned.
"Hey, it's the Kitty Breath!" Elliot pointed at Heather...dramatically.
"...I'd say 'why you little', but every time I get mad now it just gets worse," Heather groaned.
"It's nice to meet you," Bridgette shook Dawn's hand.
"Likewise, I enjoyed watching you on the previous seasons of Total Drama," Dawn nodded. "And nice to see you again, DJ."
"You know me?" DJ asked, surprised.
"If you recall, I was present on your show for the season premiere." Dawn said.
"Oh right...you were one of the people who got a stomach ache," DJ looked ashamed when he mentioned that time. "Thanks again for that."
"It was no trouble," Dawn shrugged with a smile.
The others managed to momentarily forget their misery by greeting Gwen's friends and having some interesting conversations with them while Gwen snuck off to the far side of the bus and immediately used her Omni Glove-which she had packed to try and call Carlos...only for nothing to appear in the small portal she had formed. She tried again with Kurt, and he appeared instantly. "Hey Gwen! How are the awards?"
"Carlos kidnapped me and I'm in the middle of the desert with the rest of the cast. And that moron ran off!" Gwen hissed.
"Oh...uh...did he run about five minutes ago?"
"Yes. Why?"
"...well remember how I told you about how a demon attacked his school when he was a kid and wiped out his class? I managed to get a name: The Red Marauder."
"...when did we name these things like super villains?"
"Bear with me Gwen, the Red Marauder is a high priority target. He mostly hits in North America so anybody in the US and Canada is given instructions to kill on sight. We can't bother trying to catch him, it never works...it's like he has some counter method to every containment and capture method we have. Carlos went on his trail like a rabid blood hound after a bleeding fox."
"Nice comparison."
"Sorry that Carlos had to drag you along, Gwen. It was a last minute order. You won't believe this, but we believe somebody else in the Total Drama cast has become an Avatar."
"What?!" Gwen stiffened and lowered her voice. "The hell Kurt?!"
"I know, I was surprised too. Some spirit offered a contract to a member, but I'll leave the details to Dawn. There are no avatars or spirits in the vicinity of the contestants, so we don't know who it is or who the Avatar is. We can't send anybody out there because...you're still on live TV. Well not you, the cameras are focusing on the others. Don't let them see you."
Gwen looked around carefully. "...how do I find out who it is?"
"No problem Gwen, you have the star necklace with you?"
"You know it."
"And Dawn and Elliot are with you, right?"
"Yep."
"Good! They're here to help you identify the Avatar, and maybe even sort out this mess. If I had to guess right they were chosen after that mansion incident. Wandering spirits often keep tabs on locations of intense spiritual activity. Carlos had to grab you at the last second because you are the only known avatar on the show at the moment. We needed somebody on the inside and Carlos is the only nut we know who casually kidnaps people on a regular basis."
"...I won't ask." Gwen sighed. "Okay, so there's an Avatar in the cast...why wouldn't anyone know?"
"Spirit avatars around your age have no experience going against rogues or demons. You've had a few extra years, because you took the contract when you were six. But this one is vulnerable and inexperienced so they are probably keeping a low profile. It's a mistake to go on a live TV show again without someone close by to help you out. So we need you, Dawn and Elliot to find them while making sure that no rogue spirits or demons attack, looking for an easy score."
"How do I find them?" Gwen asked.
"That's the easiest way. Has Andromeda showed you the Dimension Seal Method?"
"Dimension Seal Method?"
"Watch." Kurt held up his Omni-Glove and a Seal appeared beneath Gwen's feet and spread out.
Gwen looked up and saw the bus, the ground, the sky, and even the sun turned bright blue.
"What the..." Gwen looked around the bus and saw everyone seemingly frozen. "Kurt...what happened?"
"The Dimension Seal Method is the current and most known method to be used when fighting a rogue spirit or a demon in a public place. It creates a pocket dimension where the human and spirit world intermingle leaving all sorts of causalities, even time, is stopped for ordinary humans." Kurt explained. "In the old days the Void Seal Method was used to blank the memories of anyone who saw us to keep us secret from prying us but it became harder to keep secret so a new Method was devised. The Dimension Seal is the best and most used Method for covert operations and will be invaluable on this show."
"How does this help me find out who's an Avatar?" Gwen asked turning back to the small portal.
"That's the best part; the Dimension Seal Method freezes everything except Spirits and Avatars. Cast this on the cast and Dawn, Elliot, and our mystery Avatar will be the only ones who will move freely." Kurt finished his explanation.
"Do I have to worry about cameras rolling?"
"No, like I said time is frozen on the inside so no one will see anything going. It's the price to pay for something where time is meaningless!" He declared the last three words dramatically, holding one hand up. "...and it's good for pranks too! If you place a pie over some guy's head and shut off the method, it just falls right on him from nowhere." Kurt then added an evil laugh for effect.
"...you fail at sounding evil."
"...oh bite me-"
"Better idea." Gwen stuck her hand through the portal and slapped him.
"OW! Seriously? That's something Carlos would do!"
"He'd slap you?"
"...no he'd shoot fire at me but this isn't too dissimilar. Now go and find that avatar!" Kurt ordered. "And don't worry, that trail Carlos is following will have him occupied for the whole day if I'm right. And don't call again...unless you have pizza! Kurt, out!"
The portal vanished and Dimension Seal Method dispelled and everything returned to normal.
"Andromeda, do you know the seal for this Method?" Gwen whispered.
"Yes, and it will be easy to learn." Andromeda replied, projecting an image of the seal in Gwen's mind.
She walked out from behind the bus to see everyone was pretty much the same as she had left them. Dawn and Elliot were chatting with DJ, Bridgette, Izzy, LeShawna, and Cody with Sierra hovering close by.
'Well, no time like the present.' Gwen thought as she sat on the ground and quickly drew the symbol on the ground quickly with her Omni-Glove.
There was a flash and everything turned blue except for her, Dawn, and Elliot. The two Avatars turned and faced Gwen as she walked over.
"Gwen, your friends are so cool!" Elliot jumped up. "And that Noah guy is funny whenever he opens his mouth!"
"Thanks, Elly." Gwen smirked, using Elliot's most known nickname which earned her a pout from the younger girl. "I knew you'd get along with a few of them."
"Sorry we had to go through all that Gwen. No one expected this to happen and when you quit Carlos had to get you out here." Dawn bowed her head. "I am so sorry for all the grief."
"Its fine, the point is that we need to figure out who here has become an Avatar." Gwen looked around. "They all froze when I activated the Method so it must be one of the others who left for help."
"Don't be so sure, young one." A male voice spoke from an earring on Elliot's left ear. "We cannot rule out the possibility that the Avatar has taken steps to remain hidden."
"Sir Lancelot." Gwen nodded. "Wondered when you would speak."
"He likes to talk only when it's serious to make him look mysterious." Elliot pouted. "I try and get him to socialize but he never tries!"
"He hasn't changed." Andromeda chuckled. "But he is right, we have no idea what type of spirit we are dealing with here. The Dimension Seal Method has either proved that none of them is an Avatar or the Spirit is experienced in Methods and ways of avoiding detection."
"Guess we just have to wait until Geoff and the others get back to figure it out." Gwen sighed. "The waiting is going to suck."
Dawn and Elliot sat back down as Gwen dispelled the Method and the day continued as normal. They ended up sleeping over night as they waited for Geoff and the others to return. No one liked the look in Owen's eyes as he looked around for food. A wonderful smell filled the air and they looked to see DJ cooking a bowl of...something.
"All right! Time for some grub!" Owen shouted.
"It's made from tumble weed." DJ poured some into Owen's mouth.
He cringed as he swallowed.
"Don't like it?"
"No, no..." Owen vomited back into the pan.
The sound of a chopper made everyone look up to see Chris and Chef lowering a large magnet onto the bus. It clicked and the bus was lifted several feet off the ground.
"Well this is surprising." Gwen said they lowered the bus on its tires.
"I'm not called the best reality host ever for nothing!" Chris declared as they boarded the bus.
Xxx
Three hours later they were back in the set of Total Drama Action, sitting in the mess tent. The young Spanish man, Alejandro came out with a large plate of pancakes.
"I have an announcement to make. Now we all know that no one does drama like you guys." Chris announced.
"Duh! But what happened to the Total Drama Dirtbags?" Heather asked.
"It was a trick!" Alejandro growled. "There never was a Total Drama Dirtbags!"
"Is that true?"
"Well mostly, I did come up with the name." Chris replied.
"I knew it! No one would have a show with a name that lame!" Elliot shouted.
"Quiet Please! Anyways, I needed to know if you kids still had it." Chris continued.
"What about Alejandro?" Gwen asked.
"A dupe just like the rest of you." Chris said, while noogying (sp?) Gwen. "I needed someone on the inside. But to make it up I told him he could join you all in Season 3."
"What season three?" Noah asked.
"A race around the world in one giant jet." Chris announced.
"After all the crap you put us through what makes you think we'll come along for another season?" Gwen asked, irritably.
"About one million dollars?"
The cast replied with a cheerful while Gwen sighed. 'The things I do.'
"All right, but are you planning on getting a ride for my friends, Dawn and Elliot here?" Gwen gestured them.
'Aw! You don't want us to come, Gwen? I thought you liked us!" Elliot cried, grabbing Gwen's arm.
"Yeah, I thought you liked them!" Izzy hugged Elliot, having seriously gained a liking to her and Dawn.
"You weren't part of the first two seasons, you never signed a contract, do your parents have any idea you're out here, and not to mention the living conditions he'll put you through." Gwen replied.
"Actually, I decided to invite them to come along!" Chris earning a cheer from Elliot. "You surprised me the most, Gwen, when that guy kidnapped you and fell of the cliff and managed to survive! And the beating you gave him before your friends decided to be a kill joy and end it! THAT WAS HILARIOUS! Having them along would be great for the ratings!"
"YAY! We're in!" Elliot hugged both Dawn and Gwen, nearly suffocating them. "This is going to be fun!"
Xxx
Confessional
Elliot: This is so cool! I'm on Total Drama, hi Mom! Hi Dad! I promise to be careful!
Courtney: Looks like we're back for another season. And I will keep a closer eye on Gwen. So not trusting that boyfriend stealer.
Dawn: I promise that as I compete with dignity and grace I will spread the message of Mother Earth anywhere I go.
Leshawna(with Harold's arms around her): Get your hands off me!
Harold: I thought we could be in an alliance. Check it!(beat boxes)Wha-wha?!(beat boxes) LeShawna(LeShawna covers his mouth)
Sierra: O-M-G. This is my first confessional EVER! I am so excited! I never thought I would be on Total Drama, my favorite show in the world! Talking to all of my favorite TV stars is SO fab! Now I will finally put to rest all those Cody blog questions, like "How many freckles does he have on his back?," "What kind of deodorant does he use?," "How many times does Cody sleep facing west?," and "What song does he sing in the shower?" Ooo. (giggles) Oh! (giggles) Oh, my! (giggles) That last one will definitely be a six month analysis. Oh, yeah! (laughs and shrieks)
Ezekiel: Ho-Ho-Homies! Get in focus! And take notice! I'm what is, oh yeah that showbiz! Uh-uh-uh-uh uh-huh... (falls out of chair)
Bridgette:) I miss you already, Geoff! Wait for me, schmoopy-boo! I'm gonna win it for both of us! (begins to cry)
Gwen: You know what they say, third time lucky. (points at self) This could be my season!
Duncan: Hey, I'm game. So, bring it, Chris. (brandishes a pocketknife, twirls it, and sticks it in the counter)
Alejandro: Watch out Total Drama nerds. The new guy is going all the way to the top.
DJ: Don't you worry, mama. I'm gonna win this one, and buy you a big old house, and maybe a new bus.
Owen: (talking with his mouth full) Mmmm, pancakes! (squirts maple syrup into mouth)
Sierra: I can't wait to find out where we're going first! 23% of my bloggers say we're going to India, and 10% say that Chris has lied to us, and that he's actually gonna film us in an old bomb shelter! HAH! I mean, as if. I'm a third-generation Chris McLean scholar, okay? I could tell whether he's lying to us, by his vocal pitch, and body language. Only someone who has an extensive knowledge of Total Drama could catch that. B-T-W, (the battery starts to run out) did you know that Chris wears 32x31 pants, and only buys them Strutty's Pants and Jewelers. He also has three dogs, named Angel, Todd, and- (The camera suddenly dies, ending the whole thing)
End Confessional
Xxx
The camera showed Chris walking next to a giant plane that appeared to be in very bad shape with his picture painted on the side.
"Eighteen teens , a trip around the world for a million dollars. What else could you ask for?"
"How about music?" Chef asked, dressed in a flight maid's outfit.
"Yeah, everybody doing the music thing now." Chris nodded. "See you next time on Total Drama...Musical!"
"Lame!" They heard Elliot shout.
"Yeesh, everyone's a critic. Okay, how about Total Drama World Tour."
Xxx
"What's on your mind, Gwen?" Dawn asked, sitting with her further off from the others.
"I didn't manage to check everybody else out with the Dimension Seal, that's what." Gwen whispered to her in case any cameras were still rolling. "I have no way of knowing if the others who didn't come back are in any danger or if they're the Avatar."
"True, but while Chris was making more of his speeches after the camera was turned off, I took the liberty of contacting Kurt." Dawn informed her. "We believe that we have a way to at least identify who the spirit who made the contract is...and you won't like this one bit I'm afraid."
"Hit me with it."
Dawn sighed. "Do you recall the Red Marauder that Carlos is after?"
Gwen paled even more than usual at the thought of Carlos' target being near her. "Please tell me that-"
"It isn't him," Dawn assured her. "But it's...a close acquaintance of his who hasn't been seen since before the Marauder attacked Carlos' school. He is a more secretive spirit by the name of Nebula, and he is a spirit who many of us would have been glad to never see again."
"What's so bad about him?"
"Well...he has a special way of acquiring life energy, and because of it we have never been able to track him." Dawn said. "You know how most spirits devour all life energy within a human within seconds or minutes? It gives them a massive boost of power for a short time...but Nebula acts differently. It's like he can leave a mark of some sort on others, and when he does it causes their life energy to slowly leak out. I was given the privilege of examining one victim, and found that at the rate her life energy was being absorbed she could live out a somewhat normal life, losing perhaps five or six years in total. Nebula marks hundreds of people to feed himself from a distance, and because of this we can never locate him."
"So why take an Avatar?"
"Survival," Elliot said as she sat down with them. "A group led by Alonso was closing in on him, so he took the contract with a human and sealed himself in whatever object that acted as his connection. And because of this, he's gonna be reeeeeally hard to take down even if we find him. The guy's a real sneaky snake."
"Hence the title, Stalker in the Stars." Dawn said.
"...nice title."
"Believe it or not, but he was originally a spirit who spent his time out beyond this planet...and he was very proficient at hiding out there until recently." Dawn informed her. "...we can thank satellites such as the Hobble Telescope for that. A little modification with a method here and it allowed us to locate him. After that it was a matter of finding unbounded spirits who cooperate with us to try and retrieve him."
"But he landed down somewhere in North America, and bonded to some local here in Ottawa." Elliot said. "All we know is that this Avatar is now either on this plane, or is one of the group members who walked off."
"But if Carlos were to find out that Nebula is here...he would definitely be waiting for us at our next stops along the way to try and locate the Stalker himself." Dawn looked concerned as she said this, most likely for the others. "He's worried that the Red Marauder may be at one of these locations. Nebula often interacted with the Marauder in previous history...and frankly I am worried too. Nebula might be travelling with us to spread out how many he can mark again, but if we meet the Marauder he won't care if we're on national TV...he will slaughter every living thing in sight just for a large meal."
"And the worst part besides revealing that there's something besides humanity skulking around, we wouldn't be able to get any backup to stop him." Elliot added. "One special method the guy uses prevents portals from opening within miles of his location. Another prevents communications, and I heard that he has another to prevent people from entering or leaving on foot or in a plane or a car."
"How old is this Marauder guy anyways?" Gwen asked.
"Well...he dates back to the time of the Hassansins," Dawn answered. "We believe that he was formed from them, seeing as his first sighting had been during key battles in the Crusades. And it would also explain how he has kept out of sight...we believe that at first he was based off of these assassins, but that along the way he absorbed essence from other killers...less professional killers."
"Serial killers," Gwen frowned.
"...exactly. A spirit that was formed from killers and practically raised and sculpted by psychopaths." Elliot nodded. "And he is good at this game, Gwen. There's been a bounty for him since year one when he was found eating life energy out of an unfortunate Templar."
"And...we always keep track of how many Avatars we lose over the years. Ever since his first appearance he has killed a minimal of one Avatar every year or two...sometimes more. In total, over a thousand avatars spread over the centuries have fallen to the Marauder." Dawn was looking more and more nervous as she explained this. "...if we knew where he was, we would have gladly sent Carlos after him. Warhawk is a spirit formed from war, a violent but generally good natured spirit who was formed from the idea of 'protecting one's own country' by going to war instead of the blood thirsty truth of pillaging and murdering."
"And we think that's why the Marauder decided to lay low ever since Carlos got Warhawk. We think that he knows what we know, and that he's a little nervous." Elliot finished. "...so if he does show up, then I say we let Carlos have at him while we just keep the cast safe and the world from finding out about us."
Gwen nodded, realizing the dangerous implications they were in. They needed to locate the Stalker of the Stars while being on the lookout for the Red Marauder...and she thought World Tour wasn't going to be interesting.