Episode 8 - Fear Is Just A Construct Of Reality
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The day after Courtney's murder-mystery challenge was finished, both teams hung around the island, resting from the stress. Manny announced that there wouldn't be a challenge for another day since it would be too tiring, allowing for them to do whatever they wanted. On the day that the elimination ceremony was held, the final eight were not doing much, simply walking around the beach, sleeping, or doing something else. It wash;t until nighttime that they really focused on intersecting with each other.
In Team Tigre's cabin, Damien took his things into the girls' side of the cabin to make the permanent move-in with Aurora.
"I'm here!" Damien yelled, dumping his things on the floor and giving Aurora, who was on her bed, a kiss on the cheek. He lays down next to Aurora, as if they were sleeping together, "Today was so boring!"
"Yeah," Aurora agrees, "It feels weird not having anything to do a challenge in the afternoons...I hope tomorrow's won't be so bad as last nights..."
"That was pretty awful," Damien mutters. He turns to see Alice, who had her eyes closed and was humming to herself, "Hey, singer girl. Are you still upset that your man is gone? The only one who cared about you?"
Alice still kept her eyes closed, but spoke, "I don't need to hear your awful words. I'm over it already."
Aurora chuckled as Damien snickered, "Wow. She's a strong woman now! Nobody can stop her!"
"You're right!" She says, "I'm gonna win it for me and James. We both deserve it after all the bullying and targeting we've experienced."
"Bullying?" Aurora asks, "When have we ever bullied you? We're just making jokes with you that you can't take! Sucks for you, huh?"
"It does because James isn't here with me," She responds, "And I'll make sure that I win so that I can prove just how great of a person that I can be and that nice people can win reality competitions too!"
Damien shakes his head, "So emotional, huh?" Aurora nods, and she turns off the lights for the team to sleep.
In Team Loro's cabin, Sally was knocking loudly on the boys' section of the cabin, "Hey! Let me in! Come on guys!"
Fredrick, though hesitant, opens the door, "What?"
"Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"
Fredrick stared at Sally long and hard, "Is this some sort of joke?"
"No!" She responded, "I just...don't really wanna sleep with Silver tonight!"
"Why?"
"For no reason! Is that a good answer to you?"
"No! I bet it's because she's still mad that Julie is gone and you're scared of what she'll do to you!" Fredrick winked at Sally, "I love knowing information that isn't my business. But still, unless the other guys don't want you here, then you're welcome to sleep in my bed with me." He heads inside the cabin to ask Drew and Christopher if they were okay with Sally sleeping with them.
Sally: (CONF.) Fine! Fredrick knows about me being nervous about what Silver could do, but what's wrong with that? It's better than waking up to a drawing of a penis on my forehead!
Fredrick reappeared at the door, "They're okay with it. Wanna sleep with me?" He points to his bed, "It's comfy and I spray the area with air freshener every morning!"
"I'd rather not sleep with you," Sally mutters, "The floor seems more comfortable."
"Whatever floats your boat!" Fredrick lays down, looking to Drew and Christopher, who were also in bed, "Girl alert!"
"Awesome, is she hot?" Drew looks down at Sally, "Oh. Yeah. No." Sally shakes her head at Drew's sarcasm.
Christopher was reading a book about travel, but he closed it and looked to Sally, "Hey. Why are you with us?"
Sally shrugs, "I don't know. I just feel like Silver likes being alone and that it is my responsibility to make her comfortable." Christopher snorts and turns to sleep, with Sally going to sleep as well.
...
The next day arrived, with it being very humid and the beach being soggy and dirty. Christopher asked for shovels from Manny so that he could clean up, and encouraged his team to work with him as well.
Christopher dug a shovel into the ground, passing them out to Team Loro, "You guys ready to help? It's pretty hot out here, but I think we can manage."
"Oh no," Drew complained, "It is hot! I really can't do dirty work while doing it under the sun!"
Sally chuckled, "You're so weak!"
Drew looked at Sally, "Shut the hell up! I'm stronger than you'll ever be!" Sally smiled, beginning to dig into the sand so that she could make the beach more attractive rather than dirty.
"Just do it," Fredrick told Drew, "It's not like she'll have a lot of time left on the show anyway."
Fredrick: (CONF.) The merge is coming around very soon, and I need to actually strategize! The end is so close yet so far away!
Drew: (CONF.) I'm pretty proud of myself making it this far, but what I can't stand for is Fredrick being so close to me. We are allies, but I'll be ready to turn against him with a knife to his throat!
Team Loro were carrying along with their business, sweating and groaning from the humidity. Silver, while placing some sand to wheelbarrow it to an area of the beach that lost a lot of sand, bumped into Sally, who scoffed as she continued with her work.
Silver wrote some words down and showed it to Sally, "Are we still doing this?"
"Duh!" Sally responded, "You want to create drama with me, then I'll do it with you!"
"Then why did you sleep with the boys the other day? Are you getting close to Christopher?" Silver grinned at what she wrote, but Sally grabbed her notepad and threw it at the ocean.
She grabbed Silver by the shoulder and pulled her in close, "Listen here Silver Birch tree or whatever the hell kind of tree name your shitty parents gave you, I will eliminate you and I will do so in the most calculating and cunning way possible that you'll be too embarrassed to appear on TV ever again!"
As Silver was talking to Silver, Fredrick noticed it and called them out, "Hey, you guys gonna try to do what Christopher wants us to do or are you two gonna slack off like you always do?"
Sally lets go of Silver and smiles, "We sure are Fredrick! Maybe you should stop worrying about us and worry about your damn self!" She starts working again, heading towards the wheelbarrow and running into Silver as she pushed it, making Silver fall onto a pile of sand that she was already gathering.
Sally: (CONF.) Intimidation is a great way to defeat your opponents!
Silver: (CONF.) *shows lengthy paragraphs* Since the beginning of the show, I've done deep analyses of my teammates, and I think it's best to show them off right now of my teammates right now. Sally is clearly my enemy, but at the same time, I feel like she's afraid of me because she hasn't actually tried to take me out even though she is more than capable at doing that. I'm not strong, so I'm an easy target! Christopher: Quiet, but nice. I don't believe his intentions are bad, but he seems like he lacks trust. Fredrick: I've seen him as scary at times, especially when he ripped some of the pages in my notepad. I've kept a keen eye on him, but I don't know what he'll do next. Drew: He's friends with Fredrick, so that may not be good. He could try to betray Fredrick, but he might wait until the merge...To conclude things, my team is very individual rather than focused on the work of the whole team, which I don't really like...but hey, at least I don't get eliminated, then I'll be fine.
Team Tigre were sitting in the porch of their cabin, leaving a fan on to keep them not heated. Aurora and Damien were reading quietly as Alice was listening to music on a small radio that she brought to the island. It was music with guitars, but Aurora and Damien weren't bothered by it.
"Hey, guys," Alice asks, "I found this song last night and I kind of want to sing it...can I, of course, unless you want to bully me about my voice and my singing and my entire music career."
Damien snickers, "Well, just don't sing because we're gonna bully you regardless."
Alice sighs, "Wow...you know what? I'm gonna sing." She stands up, "I'm done with you two hurting my feelings and making me feel as if my passion isn't worth following. Don't you have passions?"
"Obviously," Aurora responds, "A passion for hating your music!"
Alice shakes her head in annoyance, "No...urrgh...fine, I'm gonna sing and you're all gonna listen! It's called 'Lost' by Anouk."
(singing)
If roses are meant to be red
And violets to be blue
Why isn't my heart meant for you
My hands longing to touch you
But I can barely breathe
Starry eyes that make me melt
Right in front of me
Lost in this world
I even get lost in this song
And when the lights go down
That is where I'll be found
This music's irresistible
Your voice makes my skin crawl
Innocent and pure
I guess you heard it all before
Mister inaccessible
Will this ever change
One thing that remains the same
You're still a picture in a frame
Lost in this world
I even get lost in this song
And when the lights go down
That is where I'll be found
I get lost in this world
I get lost in your eyes
And when the lights go down
That's where I'll be found
Yeah yeah
I get lost in this world
I get lost in your eyes
And when the lights go down
Am I the only one
Ooh
Alice finished singing, with tears in her eyes. She mutters, "I miss James so much."
There were a few seconds of silence until Aurora and Damien burst out laughing, leaving Alice offended.
"Alice!" Damien yelled, "You are so damn overdramatic! You're gonna see James soon! Why are you so stupid yet so funny?!" He keeps laughing with Aurora, and Alice simply walks off.
Alice: (CONF.) It feels like I'm living with internet haters who hate my stepbrother and I's music. But, I will sing and be proud of that. Even if I don't win, I still have my amazing music career with my stepbrother Steven and regardless...I know for a fact that my future will be bright.
...
Manny and Courtney called everybody to a section of the beach, with bags of equipment set all around the place, "Are you guys ready to face your fears so that we can count them as points towards your win in a challenge?"
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.
"Not me!" Alice squealed.
"What are you gonna make us do though?" Fredrick asked.
"It's simple!" Courtney explains, "In your applications, we asked for your strengths and weaknesses while so of you added your fears. So, we took those weaknesses and fears together to make this challenge! That's why Manny was out on the night of the storm!"
Manny nods, "So, everyone must face a fear - with its conditions depending on what the fear is. I you successfully face your fear, your team gets a point. The team with the most points once everyone is done wins the challenge! And, to accommodate for Team Tigre's disadvantage, we ask for someone on Team Loro to switch to Team Tigre's side for today."
Team Loro look at each other, wondering what they should do. Christopher puts his hand in the air without a formal team decision, "I'll go back." He stands next to Alice.
"Ah, I see. Christopher, feeling the nostalgia for your old team?" Manny asks. Christopher nods, "Cool, I hope your new team is okay with that."
Sally: (CONF.) I'm not okay with that. Traitor.
Courtney headed off to prepare for the fear challenges, and Manny pulled from a small box the names of who will face their fears first, "We will alternate the teams going for a round and will start with Team Loro's fears...with Sally facing her fears first! And that fear is...MANNEQUINS!"
Sally screams, falling to her knees, "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Nope, and actually, it's all set for you," Manny walked everyone to Team Loro's cabin, "While you guys were cleaning up the beach, Courtney and I set up the mannequins in your room! Sally peeked inside the girls' side of the cabins, with some of the mannequins naked while some were clothed. Either way, Sally was scared.
"Sally, your fear challenge will be to destroy each and every one of those mannequins in the hope of getting over your weird fear." He hands her a sword, blowing his horn, "And begin!"
Despite being reluctant, Fredrick pushed Sally into the room, with Manny locking the door from the outside.
Sally immediately began banging at the door, calling for help, "Help me! I don't wanna do this!"
Fredrick said, "You better do it or else we'll eliminate you if we lose!" Drew and Silver nod. Sally, shocked at Silver agreeing to Fredrick's words, turns to the mannequins, gulping.
Sally: (CONF.) The scariest video game that I've ever played is Mad Father. I'm usually not afraid of RPG Maker horror games but Mad Father...*shivers*
Sally closed her eyes to reflect, "You can do this Sally...you can do this...these things are fake...and you have a sword in your hands...the most powerful weapon out there..." Sally opened her eyes, "I can do this!" She began slicing away at the mannequins that were placed all over the room, cutting upwards, downwards, and to the side, making them fall to pieces and lay themselves on the ground. Sally went fast with her eyes closed, simply focused on taking out whatever was in front of her. She soon finished, wiping the sweat from her forehead and walking out, dropping the sword.
"Congrats Sally! One point goes to Team Loro!" Manny tallied it on a clipboard.
"Wow," Drew said, "You did it. Good job." Sally flipped her hair, winking at Silver, who was grinning.
Manny moved on, "The first to represent Team Tigre in the challenge is...Aurora! Your fear was being abandoned, so why not force you to spend an hour in the jungle all by yourself! While we're at it, we can have Damien face his fear of...My Little Pony!"
Aurora and Damien gasp, with Alice chuckling.
Alice: (CONF.) It looks like the bullies have the stupidest fears! Damien is scared of a TV show and Aurora...well, being alone is pretty awful!
Aurora: (CONF.) Manny is fucking sick for doing this to us!
Damien: (CONF.) Can somebody just kill me now?!
Aurora slowly walked into the jungle, waving goodbye to everyone, "Bye..."
Manny, however blew a whistle and some actor wearing a Rainbow Dash costume ran up to Damien on all four extremities, jumping and touching Damien, "Damien, if you can spend the next five minutes without running away, your team will win a point!" He blew his horn, "Begin!"
The actor was jumping around at Damien, grabbing his hand and getting up in Damien's space. Damien tried to brave through it though, closing his eyes and whimpering.
People were giggling at how awkward Damien was with the My Little Pony character. Someone so tough was so weak next to Rainbow Dash.
Five minutes later, the actor jumped off of Damien and stood up and walked offscreen. Damien got up, groaning.
"Well, you looked funny getting hurt, so Team Tigre get their first point!" Manny turned to Fredrick and Drew, "Now, one of you has vertigo and the other can't swim, so we're going to put you guys in the same situation! Follow me!" Manny showed off a pool that was eight feet deep with a diving plank raised about 30 feet above the ground, "Drew, you must spend five minutes in that pool without getting out while Fredrick must climb to the top of the plank and jump off into the pool. He can't turn back. Ready?"
Drew seemed extremely nervous, "No." Fredrick tried to keep his cool, but it was clear that he was afraid.
Manny blew the horn again, "Go!"
Fredrick began climbing, refusing to look back at the ground. Drew took his shirt off and slowly got into the pool, clinging to the sides of the large pool and keeping his eyes on the teams.
"Don't look down Fredrick!" Damien yelled.
Fredrick looked down, looking up quickly after, "Damn it! Shut up! I have to win this!" Fredrick, after a few minutes, made it to the top, "Oh no..."
Manny grabbed Drew's hands and pushed him farther out to the pool, "You can't win this if you stay on the sides...swim!"
"I can't!" Drew complained, shaking his hands everywhere, "I just can't do this!"
"Try!" Sally yelled.
"No!"
"Try!"
"No!"
"Try!"
"NOOO!" Drew screamed, grabbing the side rails once again and stepping out of the pool, "I can't do it. Nope. Not at all. Who cares if we didn't win a point? We have two other people doing it!" Sally shook her head while Silver dropped her shoulders in disappointment. At the same time, Fredrick's scream was heard as he dropped into the pool, resurfacing after a few seconds.
"Fredrick has given Team Loro two points in total already! Great job!" Manny writes down the points as Fredrick celebrates with his team, "Okay, it's time for Christopher to head into our shed blindfolded! We've got a surprise in there!" He hands Christopher the blindfolds and guides Christopher to the shed, having someone pull him in. Manny snickered as he closed the door, "This will be fun!"
"Where...where am I?" Fredrick asked as he was laid down onto a flat surface with his arms and legs tied down, "Why am I being tied down?" The blindfolds were taken off, revealing the setting of a very creepy hospital, set with colorful pictures on the walls, but next to him were a rack of construction tools - hammers, drills, etc.
Courtney, wearing a tight-fitting nurses outfit with her breasts shown to be very visible, walked up slowly to Christopher as he started sweating, "Hey baby...you feeling sick?"
Christopher was scared now, "Uh no. I'm good. We're good. It's all good! You wanna, you know, untie me?"
"Nope!" Courtney muttered, grabbing a hammer and leaning close to Christopher's ear, "You're spending the next five minutes getting your checkup!" She places the hammer near Christopher's knees and slightly taps them, making Christopher wince.
"No! No! No! Get me out of these constraints! I'm done! I'm too scared! This is too creepy and traumatizing! HELP!" Christopher closed his eyes, then opened them when he saw Courtney laughing, "Hey, what's funny?"
Courtney untied Christopher and sat him up, "You had to spend five minutes with your seductive nurse...which you failed. So, your team doesn't get the point. Sucks for you."
Manny opened the shed door and Christopher walked, sweaty and teary eyed. He took a seat on the ground.
Alice, worried, went up to him, "Are you okay? Oh no...what happened in there?"
"The worst thing...oh gosh..." Christopher closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing.
Christopher: (CONF.) All of that stuff came from Silent Hill, the last movie that my mom and I watched together before she was killed in front of me...the awful memories...they never go away...
"Alright, so Team Tigre is still behind with only one point! Aurora is still in the jungle and has a few minutes left, so why don't we have Silver present some words for everyone!" Manny directed everyone but Silver to a seat on the sand while Silver had to stay up. He gave her a sheet of paper, "Make sure to recite these words to everyone so that your team earns a point: '''As the youngest in my family of eight, not including my parents, no one ever payed attention to me. Whenever I tried to speak, someone in my family would tell me to shut up, and that I shouldn't waste my breath. So, I didn't. I never spoke to anyone from the age of six to now. I turned to books since I was bullied for not speaking. All in all, I've had a terrible childhood.''' "I had to make some tweaks to what you said in your application, but it's still about the same! This speech should cover your fear of speaking when you can't and will let everyone know why. Good luck!" Manny took a seat next to everyone and watched Silver, who was sweaty and still not talking.
Silver: (CONF.) *on paper* How dare Manny tries to reveal personal information of my life with me making a speech. He's hurting us!
Minutes past and Silver was still not talking. Eventually, she ripped the paper up and threw it in the air. She stood next to her team, visibly upset.
"Well well well, it looks like things didn't work out like they should have. Team Loro has overall got a score of two points." Manny looks in the distance and sees that Aurora was back, "And Aurora is back after that hour! So, both teams are tied with two points! Good job Aurora!"
Aurora smiled and hugged Damien tightly, "I did it!" Damien smiled.
Aurora: (CONF.) Staying in that forest was pretty awful, but thinking about Damien definitely pushed me to go through with it and not quit. He's a great influence on me, if you think about it!
"So, in order for this tie to break, Alice must win at her fear for Team Tigre to win the challenge...or will she not?" Manny smiled and brought everyone to a boat that just got to the island, "Head inside the boat Alice. Someone special is waiting for you!"
Alice looks to Christopher for reassurance, and heads into the boat, "Wish me luck guys!"
"You can do it!" Christopher cheered, clapping.
"Let's hope so," Alice mumbles after hearing Christopher's encouragement. She had an idea of who she would be visiting, but the nerves still got the best of her.
Inside the small boat, there was only one room that was open which meant that Alice probably had to go there. She peeked inside, and almost collapsed to the floor when she saw her stepfather in the room, sitting at a table, wearing an orange prison uniform while staring out the door with his piercing crystal blue eyes, black hair, and tall body.
"Alice," The man called for her, "I know you're there. Come inside and say hi to your stepdaddy. It's been so long since I've seen you."
Alice was crying, cowering next to the door, not knowing what to do. She could leave the boat. but then she'd lose for her team and would most likely get eliminated. But, she knew what she had to do. She had to face her fears.
She enters the room slowly, not taking her eyes away from her stepdad, "Hi... David."
"That's not how you say hello to your stepfather!" David says, "Didn't Clara teach you to have some damn manners...what is going with the world..."
Alice slammed her hand on the table, "Don't you dare say my mom's name ever! You're nothing to us now!"
"How?" David asks, "Alice, don't let what your mom said about me get twisted in that young brain of yours. I've raised you ever since your real dad died. Can't you at least forgive me?"
"Forgive you?!" Alice yelled while almost acting as if what David said was a joke, "Is abusing your children because they were bisexual something to forgive about?" She wiped her face drenched in sweat, "Why would I forgive someone, no matter how close to me, for hurting me because they don't accept the fact that I like more than just the opposite gender? My sexuality is valid, and I don't have to pay any mind to someone who doesn't want to support, love, and be there for me through my struggles." Alice was walking around the room while her stepfather was in silence.
David soon spoke, "Have you found someone while you were on the island?"
She nodded, "Yeah. His name is James. He isn't on the island anymore, but we very much are a couple. When you put me, James, and Steven together, you've got a powerful musical trio. And we don't need an abusive stepfather who was caught by his own son abusing me."
"But you were just twelve years old!" David slams his hand on the table, scaring Alice, "Who knows for a fact that they like guys and girls when they're only twelve and know nothing about love?!"
Alice stared deeply into her stepfather's eyes, "I know who I am and I don't need anyone to dictate how I feel for others. I have people who support me, and I'd rather be with them rather than being with anybody who tries to hurt me... whether that be an abusive stepfather or competitor in a reality show competition." Alice storms out, with Manny being right outside the door.
"Congrats Alice, you successfully faced your fear and gave your team a total of three points and have won the challenge!" Alice squealed at Manny's words, heading outside to celebrate with Team Tigre.
"You did it Alice! There you go, a compliment!" Damien confidently states.
Alice smiles and shakes her head, "Thanks, I guess." She looks to Christopher, smiling proudly at her.
Alice: (CONF.) *talking while crying* I didn't think I was gonna make it but I did! *sniffles* I am so brave for confronting my stepfather after not seeing him for so long... I've accomplished so much! Steven and James would be so proud!
"Okay!" Manny starts, "Team Loro, you've lost and must vote someone out, so be prepared for tonight!" Team Loro sighed in disappointment at having to lose someone.
...
(Elimination Ceremony)
It was night and the campfire was set up as usual, with Team Loro having to eliminate someone. manny took a eat and held out a plate of chicken wings, "Alright guys, are we ready?" They all nodded, "Okay! The two people who get a chicken win first are..
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Sally!.
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..and Fredrick! So, we are down to just Silver and Drew; who is getting a chicken wing last?
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That person is Silver! Sorry Drew, but your time on the show is over! Have a good ride on the Bee Boat of Shame!"
"What?!" Drew yelled, getting grabbed by Courtney and thrown into the Bee Boat, "Fredrick! What happened?!"
Fredrick chuckled, getting close to the boat, "Strategy happened, son. I got Silver to vote you out and Sally as well, even though she wanted to vote out Silver. I told them both that you were becoming a threat because of your knives...a stupid reason, but it worked! Have fun wherever you go!"
Drew wanted to say something, but the words couldn't come out of his mouth as the boat sailed away.
Manny looked at the screen, "And there you have it! We have seven left on the island, so who'll go home next and who will rise able the rest? Find out next time on Total Drama Panganib Island 2!"
...
Thanks for reading guys! This challenge idea was suggested by Silver Write 0927, so a big thanks goes to them! This chapter was awesome to write!
The next episode begins the merge because obviously...there's 7 out of 14 left...so congrats to our merged characters and authors! :)
Here are this episode's questions...
1) Who were your star character(s)?
2) Which fear challenge was your favorite and why?
3) What do you think will happen next with the characters?
4) Which characters would you put in your dream final 3? (kind of early to ask, but good to know)
Thanks to all who read, love you all! It's gonna be so hard having to eliminate somebody because I love the characters so much! They all contribute something special to the show and I love it! This set of characters for Panganib Island 2 is by far my absolute favorite!