Author's notes:
Hello, my lovely readers! I'm back with yet another chapter! This is one of my favorite chapters since it gives me plenty of opportunities to expand on the characters. Since there isn't a lot of action or storytelling, I need to fill the gaps with character development and bonding. Those are by far my favorite parts when writing this story!
I guess this is the calm before the storm... considering Dodgebrawl is an action-packed chapter, there isn't a lot of bonding, but still a fair bit of developing!
I once again wanna take my time and respond to those of you that left reviews under the story. Seriously, you guys rock! It gives me plenty of motivation to get my butt on the chair and write these 10k chapters, haha.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: I'm glad you're liking the characters thus far! Honestly? I still refer to her as 'C.I.T.' when writing, but I don't think any character necessarily brings that up, haha. Those are some decent premises! The end note of the chapter does have something regarding the order they fell asleep, though. As for the grammar parts, no worries! I appreciate you reaching out to let me know about any typos and such. I use a grammar tool to "beta read" the chapters as I finish writing them, so I'll definitely check out the last chapter to check for inconsistencies! Thank you!
I wanna say 'thank you' to all who viewed, read, followed, favorited, shared, and anything else with the story! I seriously cannot be happier to see that people are giving my story a chance! I hope you all like this chapter, so without further ado:
Episode 3: The Big Sleep
The episode opened the same way as the previous ones did, with Chris standing in front of the sign. "Last time on Total Drama Island, twenty-two campers arrived and learned that they'll be spending the next eight weeks at a crusty old summer camp. The campers were faced with their first challenge: Jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters!" Chris laughed at that, clearly not caring about the potential consequences. "And while most campers took the plunge, a few were forced to wear the dreaded chicken hat. At the campfire ceremony, it all came down to two campers." Beth and Mickey's shots from the last episode were shown, and both were fidgety about the results. "Both of them cost their team the advantage, which could have led them to victory, but Mickey was seen as more sympathetic and 2nd chance worthy than Beth. In the end, the first camper ever voted off Total Drama Island was Beth, proving that being nice and nothing else won't get you very far in the game." Chris finished with a cynical smile.
"Who'll be voted off this week, in the most dramatic campfire ceremony yet? Find out tonight, on Total… Drama… Island!"
Introduction Song
Both sleeping quarters appeared in the next shot, where Chris was seen walking towards both with a big shit-eating grin on his face. As peace and quiet reigned, the host had to, of course, change that. He pulled a honk and a megaphone and proceeded to blow the horn on the megaphone, amplifying its potency tenfold, startling all teenagers into waking up and wondering what the hell was going on. LeShawna even went ahead to hit her head against the top bunker. "Ow, what the hell! It's so early!" Feeling angry, she perched on the window to scream down at Chris. "Do I look like a farmer to you?!"
Chris simply chuckled and sassily replied. "No, the only farmer that I knew of was voted off last night by your team, remember?" After that, LeShawna retreated back a bit, clearly still feeling conscious about the elimination.
As the teens began waking up and lining up near the front of the cabins, Kitty was shown taking even more selfies of herself and some of her teammates. Sadly, not many of them were as energetic as her this early. Noticing how she still had her technology, Sam inquired Chris about his consoles. "Chris, where did you put my game? You said you were gonna give it back after introductions…" Sam pouted at the idea of staying without it for such a long time.
"Did I?" Chris replied in mockery. "I don't even know where I put it, so you'll have to wait until I make some intern look for it."
Chef - Confessional (2)
Chef was seen playing Sam's video game, having a blast with it. When he finally lost and looked up, he became defensive over it. "What?! Chris knows I get bored, so I prefer these video games to entertain me than watching these kids be humiliated on national television." Chef grumbled at the host's apparent lack of empathy.
Chef - Confessional - End (2)
"Aw, man…" Sam looked down, while Devin patted him on his back. "There, there, bud. You'll do just fine without it." Sam kept pouting, but he was at least grateful that he had a friend in the camp.
On the Bass' side, Scarlett noted a lack of Beth on the Gopher's side and decided to comment with Courtney and Cameron. "Look, it seems like the Gophers decided to boot the farmer girl. A good choice for them. She was clearly a hindrance and was useful for nothing more than being a vote sink." Scarlett coldly declared. Both Courtney and Cameron exchanged looks.
"Oh... Is that so? Surely she could be good for something, no?" Cameron supplied. "I mean, who knows when we'll have a challenge where we need to domesticate farm animals? I bet she could be useful!" Cameron smiled and declared. Scarlett simply rolled her eyes.
"Cameron, there's something you should know about a competition like this: people only care about themselves, and sometimes the only person looking out for you is yourself. You should always be prepared for the worst."
Cameron - Confessional (3)
"Scarlett is a little… intense when she wants to. But I believe that comes from her need to see the most logical and optimal path ahead of her. I can't blame her too much for that either, I just wish she was a little less… robotic about it." Cameron scratched his head and turned away a bit from the camera.
Cameron - Confessional (3)
Back at Chris, he teased the campers, knowing they could very well fall for the bait. "Morning, my dear campers. I hope you slept very well~" Receiving several glares due to the rude awakening, Chris smiles and carries on. "OK, I hope you're all ready, because your next challenge begins in exactly 1 minute." At that, Owen gasped.
"What? But where's our breakfast? Isn't it one of the 6 most important meals of the day?!" Owen exclaimed, but the truly shocking part was the number of meals he has. "Dude, I just wanna say, you should see a doctor…" Chris said with genuine worry. "But only after the show ends. We had you sign an NDA, so you'll keep your traps shut for the time being." And as far as it appeared, as far as it disappeared.
"Don't worry, Owen. I'm positive Chris would not starve us. As much as the last challenge was questionable, they still have guidelines to follow. We'll be eating something just fine." Scarlett raised a smug eyebrow toward Chris, picking up on his act really quickly.
"Woohoo! You're the best, Scarlett!" Owen picked her up from the ground and hugged her tight, much to Chris' amusement and her own chagrin. "Y-yes, Owen. You can put me down now."
"Hehe, sorry."
"As I was saying… You will get breakfast, but only after completing the 20km run around the lake!" After hearing that, most campers groaned in distress. "Ha, piece of cake. Back at the army, our captains had us run this, raining, snowing, even naked once!" Brick proclaimed from his group, earning several odd stares. "I mean… Uh… Nevermind." Brick knew he couldn't say anything to change the mental image.
Brick - Confessional (3)
sigh "Why did I say that?"
Brick - Confessional - End (3)
Ignoring his words, Chris tapped his wristwatch and declared. "You all only have 30 seconds, better start running!"
The next scene showed all contestants preparing themselves to run, some more adept than others. "Ugh, if I knew we'd have to run, I'd have packed more than just these boots. Samey, go back to our cabin and grab me your pair of tennis, pronto!" Amy told her sister, who despite wanting to protest, did it all the same. Alejandro took note of that and decided to come closer to Amy.
"Hello, beautiful. What's making you so cranky this beautiful morning?" He flashed her his signature smile. "Surely, it could be something that I can help you with, no?" Amy blushed and batted her eyelashes. "Well… These boots aren't made for running… They were made for walking." [1] Amy raised her leg, showing the heeled boots she had only brought for the duration of the competition.
"I see. A most worrying concern. How about this: I'll carry you on my back as I run, that way you won't sullen your boots and won't be disheveled. Sounds good?" Alejandro smiled at her. "Oh, yes! I'd love that!" The casanova then lowered his back for her to climb, and climb she did, feeling all his back muscles as she did. Bridgette watched the scene play out and felt a little pang in her heart.
Bridgette - Confessional (2)
"I know there's nothing serious between Alejandro and me, but seeing him flirting so openly with other girls at all times makes me wonder if he's being at least serious with one of us. Maybe creating some space between the two of us is ideal…" Bridgette seemed lost due to these feelings.
Bridgette - Confessional - End (2)
Chris finally blew the horn, and the contestants began running. The ones that led the pack were the most athletic ones, such as Alejandro (with Amy on his shoulders), Brick, Shawn, Devin, Geoff, Bridgette, and Courtney. The middle group was for the more fit, yet not exactly athletic, such as Trent, Kitty, Harold, Dawn, and Scarlett. The least physically fit group was held by Sam, Mickey, LeShawna, Cameron, Owen, Tammy, and Crimson. The goth not even running, but more so walking slightly faster. The only camper not seen was Sammy, who rushed back to her cabin, but got startled by the horn.
"Crap, if Amy doesn't see me with the shoes she'll for sure scream down my ear! I need to find them!" Sammy fidgeted as she rummaged through her suitcase. "AHA! Found them!" She then took off, trying to catch up with the group.
As the campers were running, they stopped to see Owen almost passed out on the ground. Dawn tried offering him a helping hand, but he was far too hungry to notice her. "Must… eat… something…" As he said that, he noticed a small fly flying around him, and much like a frog, he captured it with his mouth. This made some of the campers gag, and Dawn gasped.
"Owen, spit it out! You can't be eating these poor animals! They're just so precious!" Dawn chided him. "Sorry, Dawn. But if I don't eat them, I'll be eating someone. Now let me rest for a little bit." Owen then fell face-first into the floor.
Dawn - Confessional (2)
Dawn appeared with a small frown on her face, clearly displeased by Owen's actions. "Well, while there is someone else that I don't trust, Owen certainly shot up on my priority list."
Dawn - Confessional - End (2)
Some of the campers were shown running in small groups, while Sammy had finally managed to catch up, she still had rounds to make in order to truly catch up. She came across a small group of Bass players, and despite being in different groups, she felt it was enough to maintain her occupied. Kitty was nearby, too, but she was stopping for selfies every now and again.
Sam, Devin, and Geoff were all running next to each other, with the latter two a few rounds further than the geek. They finally noticed Sammy was nearby and made way for her to be near them. "Hey, brah. You good? I didn't see you when Chris blew the horn." Geoff questioned the cheerleader's absence. "Oh? I was running back to grab these, she showed the group the tennis she was carrying. "Amy told me to grab it for her, but when I managed to find them, the challenge had started."
The three Bass boys looked at each other and agreed. "Yeah, we actually saw that guy, Alejandro I think? He was carrying her on her back, so it seems like she isn't even going to be wearing them." Devin commented. At that, Sammy made a mortified face and sighed deeply. Of course, her sister would make her do something like that just so she runs off. "Great…"
"Guys… I need to take a breather, you can go on without me." Sam declared, slumping down against a log. "Wait, I'll wait here with you, have to make sure you're all good for the next lap!" Geoff offered his friend. With both of them gone, Devin and Sammy are left together, in a nice silence, neither uncomfortable nor nerve-wracking.
The scene shifts to show a few other campers running together, like Tammy and Trent, who finally had a chance to talk about their favorite pieces. Despite dressing a little odd and choosing some… antique terms, Trent was genuinely surprised at Tammy's knowledge regarding musical prowess. "Yes, my friend! I know how to play several instruments, it's one of my talents. But the ocarina is the one I prefer the most, given how ethereal it sounds!" Tammy explained gleefully, but speaking and running while being out of shape made her have to take another breather.
Tammy - Confessional (2)
"I'm actually very glad I found someone with similar tastes in such wonderful grounds! I was expecting to be ostracized for being into LARPing, but apparently, most of the others just don't care enough. Truly, a blessing!" Tammy declared with a significant smile on her face.
Tammy - Confessional - End (2)
The next shot showed some campers had already arrived and were only waiting for the remaining ones. Alejandro, Amy, Brick, Dawn, Courtney, Scarlett, and Shawn were there. Most of the others had decided to take breaks or wait for their pairs to finish resting.
"Ugh, you kids really like to take your time." Chris rolled his eyes. "You better pray your team members don't screw this up for you, who knows what might happen." A few wary looks were exchanged.
Soon after, more campers were arriving. Kitty, Geoff, Trent, Tammy, Bridgette, and Harold. Most of them were extremely tired, while some had kept a nice pace and felt reinvigorated. "Yes, we're on the lead!" Amy exclaimed. "7 vs. 6 isn't that much of a lead, so you should stop bragging, you know?" Courtney defied the cheerleader. "What if I don't want to?" Amy shot back. "Are you going to make me?" This time, she taunted the C.I.T., which almost led to something bad, had some of the other campers not intervened.
"Easy, soldier. No need to get catty all of a sudden." Brick replied from Alejandro's other side.
Scarlett interjected herself in the conversation, too. "Courtney, don't fall for such obvious bait. So far, we've won the previous episode by a landslide. Our chances of winning are around 83% as of now, so let them trash talk. We'll be the ones laughing at the end." Scarlett explained, making sure everyone else heard it, which prompted Amy to glower at her. All the brainiac did was smirk at the blond and sit beside Courtney again.
Harold - Confessional (2)
Harold was picking his nose in the confessional. "You know, Scarlett may think she's all that, for throwing random numbers at people and expecting them to believe her, but I can tell she's not as smart as she portrays herself as. I bet I even have a higher IQ than her. Last time I checked, Psychographic Steve's Junior Camp had us take the test, and mine came as one of the highest of the club. It's true." Harold smiled and cleaned his snot finger against his shirt.
Harold - Confessional - End (2)
While waiting, some of the campers there decided to take small naps given they woke up half an hour ago, yet had to run 20km. But before anyone could truly fall asleep, the next set of campers burst through the door of the main lodge. Mickey, LeShawna, and Crimson all arrived, with Sam crawling behind them, gasping for air. "This was so much fun," Crimson stated as she joined her team, who all looked at her weirdly. "What? Can a girl not have a little bit of fun in the morning?" Despite the oddities, she remained with her stoic expression, though with a slight quirk of her lips.
Crimson - Confessional (3)
"The only reason I'm used to traversing such distances is that at some dark point in my life, I was really into capturing animals at my grandma's farm," Crimson explained while remembering what went down. "Those were the lowest points of my life. As you can see, I'm bursting with energy here." Funnily enough, Crimson still kept her posture.
Crimson - Confessional - End (3)
Before anyone could say anything else, Cameron was flung towards the mess hall, landing on the floorboards. Chef then came into the area and addressed Chris and the others. "Found this one passed out and I was not gonna expect him to wake up and continue to run, so you better get your asses off there and go take care of him." Side-stepping the young boy, Courtney was the first one to reach him, checking for vitals. "All right, he's mostly fine, he just needs to rest."
Quickly doing a headcount, Chris noticed there were only 3 campers missing. Scarlett noticed Devin and Owen were missing from their team. While the latter obviously would have trouble doing such a task, the former was definitely a surprise to see not arriving yet. After all, he is one of the most physically fit on their team. "Hey, did anyone see Devin when they were running? He was ahead of me, but at some point, he fell behind and I didn't see him." Scarlett questioned her group, which prompted Sam to respond to her, between breaths.
"He was accompanying… The Cheerleader… From the Gophers…" Scarlett raised her eyebrow and began recalculating her chart in her head. 'What's with the guys from our team being so… close to the Gopher girls? First Geoff and now Devin?' But right after Sam spilled the beans, both Sammy and Devin were seen carrying a passed-out Owen. "Clear the tables, we have a serious case here. We found Owen passed out right near a log that had a strange missing part, shaped like a bite!" Devin exclaimed, laying him down so they could see what was wrong with him.
Chris rolled his eyes but stepped up anyway. "Oh yeah? Watch this. Campers, now that you've finished the first part of the challenge, here's a reward. An all-you-can-eat buffet, breakfast edition! Including pancakes of all kinds!" After hearing the magical word, Owen stood up on the table and spat out the chunk of wood into the floor. "DID ANYONE SAY PANCAKES?!" He began looking around for any signs of it. Chris simply smirked and returned to the entrance.
"Wait, if all 3 of them arrived at the same time, how can we tell who won the challenge?" LeShawna asked. "Yeah, good job, Samey! You cost us the challenge!" Amy nearly screeched at her sister, despite her request to go back and grab the shoes.
"What? You're the one who-" Before she could protest, Amy cut her off. "Don't even bother with excuses. Since we lost because of you, we're voting for you!" Amy declared with a smug face.
"As much as I love this, I have to say that the race by itself wasn't the whole challenge. Part of it, but not completely. So save the voting discussions for later." Chris replied, which of course made Sammy breathe in relief.
Devin, who had been walking alongside the good twin, managed to strike up a conversation and get a little closer. So seeing her twin sister throwing her under the bus like this was certainly shocking.
Devin - Confessional (2)
"Is it just me, or is Amy acting like a total jerk toward Sammy?" Devin asked with a frown. "I know sibling rivalry is something common, but pushing her off a cliff and trying to vote her off so quickly seems… worse than that."
Devin - Confessional - End (2)
"Wait, so we have to do more stuff?! Aw, hell no." LeShawna exclaimed while slumped on a table.
"Well? Spit it out, Chris. Let's just move on with the challenge then." Courtney crossed her arms.
Chris smiled at the campers. "Oh, but I just did, didn't I? It was to bait Owen, but it was also true!" Now, Chris walked in front of purple curtains and a delicious smell wafted. Most campers hadn't even realized it, due to being too tired or too entertained by other members.
"Who's hungry?" Chris asked as the curtains opened, revealing a full feast for the starving campers. Most if not all campers were shown with a glint in their eyes, finally seeing actual food rather than the grub they'd been eating for the past week.
Owen - Confessional (2)
Owen appeared with a box of tissues. "I just… I just wanna thank Chris, Chef, and the production crew for blessing us with… with such a beautiful feast." Owen dabbed his eyes with the tissue, clearly emotional about getting something as delicious as that.
Owen - Confessional - End (2)
Trent - Confessional (2)
"After a whole week of nothing but that disgusting slop that Chef calls 'food', seeing actual food gave me whiplash. In the good sense of the word. But I bet there is a catch…" Trent wondered.
Trent - Confessional - End (2)
Following the buffet, several campers appeared to be slightly bloated from eating so much, and nothing but dirty dishes, bones, and the tablecloth remained at the feast table. Chris wasted no time and brought out his megaphone.
"OK, campers. Time for part 2 of your challenge!" That, of course, received several groans of complaint. "But I thought eating was part 2?" Owen asked, lying on his back in the ground.
"Please, Chris. Give us a break. I feel like I'm gonna burst open…" Cameron twitched in a chair, clearly not used to exercising too much, eating too much to then do even more afterward.
Chris laughed at that. "Oh, don't worry, Cameron! You'll have plenty of time to rest during the Awake-A-Thon!" The foreign name made several campers look at Chris oddly, trying to piece together what he meant. "Awake-a-what now?" Sam asked from the end of the table.
"Don't worry, this is an easy one." Chris laughed at the campers' clear discomfort. "The team with the last standing camper wins invincibility!" Scarlett had a sudden realization.
"Wait! So the straining physical activities paired with actual, proper, food was all a ploy for you to get us tired and need to rest?" Scarlett shot the host daggers with her eyes. Chris nodded with a smirk on his face. "I came up with this one myself, cheeky ain't it?"
The campers all rose from wherever they were, be it the floor, the chairs, or even one of the tables, and trudged along toward the campfire grounds.
Scarlett then made a point to even the playing field. "I believe a certain member of the Gophers ought to hand over their devices." Scarlett motioned toward Kitty.
"Oh, good call, Scarlett. Kitty, leave your phone in your cabin. If we catch you using it, your team will automatically lose. We can't have you being distracted by something, that'd give you an advantage." Kitty begrudgingly accepted, not before giving the stinky eye to the brainiac, who simply shrugged and smiled.
As Kitty was about to leave, Trent came up next to her. "Hey, you all right?" The phone-obsessed girl nodded but didn't say much, far too stuffed and annoyed. "I can't believe she ratted me out like this. Then again, I can." Kitty rolled her eyes but made conversation anyway. "Well, she is on the opposite team, so I guess it's only fair, haha. But don't worry, I'll keep you company until one of us drops." As Trent smiled, a small blush rose on Kitty's cheeks, as they went to their cabin to make sure her phone was secured in her bag.
Kitty - Confessional (3)
Wide-eyed, Kitty was staring ahead. "OK, so… I may, or may not, have a small, little crush on Trent… But how could I not?! He's cute, thoughtful, nice, interesting…" And as Kitty continued to list the characteristics she liked, the video was fast forward for a good while, and she hadn't even stopped. It was only when she heard someone slamming their fist against the outhouse that she realized she had been there for a while. "Oops. I'm leaving!" And she flashed the camera a nervous smile.
Kitty - Confessional - End (3)
The next scene showed a timer on the top right corner of the screen, most likely signalizing how long it had been since the beginning of the challenge. Nearby, it showed the number of people awake.
Bass: 11 / Gopher: 10 → 06:23:44
All campers were seated looking somewhat tired, yet all had differently shaded eye bags, albeit some much more than others. Chris began narrating the scene. "This may be shocking, but we're barely 6 and a half hours into the challenge, and none of the 21 campers fell asleep. When we hit the 12-hour mark, 18 and 24, we'll bring new ways to make them fall asleep faster." Chris spoke directly to the camera, not wanting to ruin the "surprise" for the campers.
"-so, as I was saying, my grandpa and I went hunting this huge bear, but apparently bears are really smart because we found out the bear was hunting us, can you believe that?" Owen asked Crimson, bearing huge eye bags due to non-stop talking the entire day. Crimson simply looked at him, nodded with a small smile, and motioned for him to continue. "And then, when we actually found the bear, it wasn't even huge, it was tiny, kinda like a cub, but then-" Before Owen finished, he fell forward with a thud, indicating he had succumbed to the sleep. Crimson shook her head a bit and went back to stare at the dirt.
Bass: 10 / Gopher: 10 → 06:30:17
"And there we have it, our first blood of the challenge. The scores are tied, which means it's anyone's game." Chris declared. "Who'll be the last one standing? And who'll succumb to sleep? Chef and I have a little bet over which team will lose faster. I have my money on the Bass, but Chef is certain that the Gophers are going down." Chris whispered the last bit to the camera.
Scarlett and Courtney seeing their team being the first one to lose a member looked at each other, but it was Scarlett who made a nasty comment. "Figures it was him. I hope we don't have to deal with him any longer if you catch my gist." As she snarked, Tammy and Harold who were nearby looked at each other in astonishment. How could she be so callous?
Tammy - Confessional (3)
"Scarlett is really starting to make me wonder if she really cares for the team. Every now and again I hear her snark..." Tammy spoke conflicted. "She's one of the smartest of our team, but I fear she'll stick out like a sore thumb if she continues to behave like that."
Tammy - Confessional - End (3)
Dawn and Crimson, who stood next to each other, both showed no signs of being tired. Well, Dawn didn't, but Crimson's heavy makeup made it so it was impossible to actually know whether she had eye bags or not. "Crimson, can you feel it? It's Nature's touch. Mother Nature is trying to communicate with us. Take a deep breath, and listen." As she went to meditate, Crimson closed her eyes and paid attention to her surroundings. All she heard was Owen's heavy snores.
Crimson - Confessional (3)
"I actually like Dawn a lot, despite our differences. She's so not mainstream, and I like that." Crimson opened up with a small smile. "Oh, and also because she doesn't stare at me for too long. It gets annoying after the first hour." Stoic as ever, Crimson finished.
Crimson - Confessional - End (3)
Alejandro decided to try his charm on Amy once again, this time, to discuss something more serious while the remaining campers were dazed out of their mind. "Chica, do you mind having a word?" He flashed her a gentle smile. "Oh, of course, Alejandro. Anything for you.."
'Anything, huh?' he thought to himself but contained it. "I was wondering, why do you treat Sammy that way?" That seemed to break Amy out of her stupor, quickly frowned, and corrected him. "First of all, it's Samey, not Sammy. Second of all, she's a loser, and I like to remind her of that. Nothing else."
Alejandro's eyebrow ticked a little, yet never changed his expression. "I… see. Well, I was thinking, acting so antagonistic towards her may not be the best plan ever. Our team seems to be fairly friendly with each other, so standing out as the only person who actively hates another may put a target on your back." The casanova explained smoothly, almost as if it came naturally to him.
Amy rolled her eyes but agreed. "Yeah, I realized in the last challenge, when I pushed her off the cliff. I know for a fact Ghetto Glamour and Selfies for Smarts are already kinda annoyed at me, and I did receive votes at the last ceremony." Amy admitted pursing her lips.
"I'm glad you're aware of your own position. That is why I wanted to offer you something." He smirked at her, clearly catching her off guard. "Oh? Like what?"
"You know, being in a team like this, it's only a matter of time before one of us gets voted out. Notice how some of the others are already close. We should make an alliance." Amy's eyes widened, processing what he had just said. She shot a grin back at him and shook his hand. "You've got a deal."
Amy - Confessional (3)
She appeared boisterous. "I knew it'd be only a matter of time before the two hottest people on the island hit it off. Not only that but having a safety net is always good." Amy supplied with a smug look. "Not that we need to worry, Alejandro is good at everything!"
Amy - Confessional - End (3)
"Good, that means that we are 3 right now, but the third member isn't exactly aware of our circumstance." Alejandro clarified. "Huh? Who are they?" Amy questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I agreed to help Brick's "issue" last episode, so give it enough time and I'll be able to convince him to vote for whoever we want. He just doesn't need to know that we're doing this. Something about his "moral code" would stop him from ganging up on the other campers." Amy nodded her head and yawned for the nth time that day.
On the Bass' side, another camper had just fallen asleep. Cameron slumped to the ground, but rather than make any noise, he slid down peacefully.
Bass: 9 / Gopher: 10 → 07:12:38
Scarlett scoffed at him and remarked to no one in particular. "Talk about numerical advantage."
"Well, at least Cameron can be useful, and can also be loyal to a tee. If anything, my vote would go for Owen. I'm tired of smelling his farts and his never-ending enthusiasm got old really quick."
Scarlett nodded and began speaking to the closest thing she had as a friend in the camp. "We need to have a contingency plan in case things go awry. We don't know how friendly some of these people are getting with each other, so in case we do lose, we need to get ourselves off the chopping block. Cameron, you and I have 3 votes. If we can gather 2 more votes, it is pretty much guaranteed we'll vote whoever we want off. I doubt the remaining 6 could all target a single person."
"That makes sense. I doubt people like Harold and Sam would vote for each other, or Devin and Geoff. They seem way too friendly. But some of the outliers, like Crimson and Dawn, would also not want to be associated with other groups this early. Perhaps if we could provide logical reasoning for some of these duos, we could swing the blade on someone else." Courtney provided, making Scarlett agree. Before they could continue, another person hit the ground.
This time, LeShawna was the one who fell asleep on the Gopher's side.
On the Gopher's side, Brick had approached Alejandro, after the casanova finished speaking to Amy. "Sir, any idea on how we should try and stay awake? I have good endurance, but I reckon we should try and preserve numbers. We don't know how well some of the enemies can hold out for, sir!" Brick saluted Alejandro.
"Well, first of all, lower your tone. We don't want the others to hear you babbling about strategy, no do we? And second, we should keep it to ourselves. I don't think there's anything we can do as a group to stay awake, per se." Alejandro explained to the soldier.
"What do you mean?" Brick asked with a raised brow. Surely they could come up with something that benefited their group.
"I mean that anything that we suggest will require effort, and not a lot of us have the energy to pay attention and follow along. I suggest we do nothing solely in case we lose. That way, the ones who fell asleep first shall be the targets, rather than we end up tiring the others by accident." Brick finally understood and nodded along. "I see, good thinking, sarge!"
The Latino chuckled and jokingly replied. "At ease, soldier."
Bass: 9 / Gopher: 9 → 07:27:11
Devin, who was speaking to Geoff about some of the surf contests they watched before, yawned and looked across from the spitfire. There, Sammy and Bridgette were conversing, laughing at something either of the blondes had said. "YO, earth to Devin, man. You good?" Geoff asked, shaking a hand across his face. "Or are you way too busy doin' something else~" He teased when he finally looked towards the scene.
"Wha- Shut up, man. I'm just way too tired, haha. I don't know what you mean." Despite his words, he couldn't take his eyes off of the cheerleader. Ever since he had first arrived, he had noticed her, but being placed on different teams wasn't ideal for any sort of friendship to blossom over the week. Only when they had some time together were they able to finally speak to each other. "You know, you should go talk to her, man. I bet she, like, really wants to talk to you."
Geoff - Confessional (3)
"And leaving Bridgette by herself gives me an opportunity to go talk to her. But! It's solely to not make her be alone for too long! I swear!" He exclaimed, knowing what kind of situation he'd be in, had he not.
Geoff - Confessional - End (3)
"You… you think I should?" The jock asked his blond friend. "Totally, man. If you don't, I'll do it myself." Geoff smiled at Devin's pout. "Fine, fine, I'm going." He walked up and approached the pair, who gave him questioning looks.
"Oh, hey Devin. What's up?" Sammy asked, still tired but able to chat properly. "Nothing much, just checking up on you. Seeing how you were holding up after thinking you were gonna be eliminated." Devin shot her a smile and sat down near her. Bridgette took the cue and moved away from the two, bidding them both good luck on the challenge.
"Well… I can't say it was a nice feeling, but you get used to it…" Sammy explained, yawning. "But anyway, let's talk about something that isn't boring."
"I don't think the subject of 'you' is boring, Sammy." Devin genuinely smiled at her. "Quite the contrary, it's one of my favorite ones ever since we spoke earlier today." Sammy was now furiously blushing, but she still held his gaze. "All right then, how about we play 20 questions?" She offered with a small smile. Devin nodded, initiating the game.
"Favorite color?" Sammy gave some thought but answered shortly after. "Hm, I'll go with White. What about yours?"
"Mine are green and blue, but I love when they get mixed and they form this beautiful teal…" Devin said, staring at her. Due to the lack of sleep, Sammy didn't quite catch the flirting, but she still giggled at his response. "OK, OK, what about the movie genre?"
"Gotta go with Comedy. Or maybe Rom-Com, they're both great."
"Wait, really? You like Rom-Coms?" Sammy asked in slight shock. "I know, not exactly the type of movies you'd picture me watching, but I always liked them. I like cheesiness from time to time. And yours?"
"Oh, I always liked horror movies, but I was always too much of a chicken to finish most, haha." And before they realized it, they had begun to cozy up to each other, conversation flowing easily between the two of them.
Bass: 9 / Gopher: 9 → 09:40:53
Despite their tiredness, no other camper had fallen asleep for a while. They knew that it could very much be used as a reason to be voted off. Some of them had resorted to talking in pairs, while others kept to themselves, either by continuously exercising, like Brick, or keeping their mind occupied, like Dawn. It wasn't until the ten hours mark finally hit that more people began falling asleep. Sam, Tammy, and Amy had all fallen asleep.
Bass: 7 / Gopher: 8 → 10:06:03
Shawn had decided to strike up a conversation with Harold since they both shared a common topic. "Dude, your hot tube was awesome. I wish I had thought of something as cool as that." Harold started. "Yeah, well, my team almost voted me off for building it. Talk about a bunch of ungrateful people, jeez." Shawn joked back. He didn't exactly hold hard feelings, but knowing you tried to help (the only one) and yet it almost blew in his face? That sucks.
"I wish you were on my team. instead, I got those two over there. It's like they can think of nothing else other than partying or girls." Harold pointed towards Devin and Geoff separately. "And also, because I could be closer to her." The geek sighed dreamingly, leaving Shawn confused as to who this girl was. "Uh… which one? Cheerleader 1, Cheerleader 2, Surfer Chick? Cellphone Girl or the loud one?" Shawn joked.
"Dude, don't say that. Have you seen how she got in some people's faces? I shudder to think of what would happen if you said that to her face. [2]" Harold gulped. Shawn laughed but said nothing else.
Next, both Bridgette and Geoff slumped forward, far too engrossed in their own conversation to realize they were falling asleep.
Bass: 6 / Gopher: 7 → 10:45:21
As the night went on, the remaining 13 campers (Alejandro, Brick, Courtney, Crimson, Dawn, Devin, Harold, Kitty, Mickey, Sammy, Scarlett, Shawn, and Trent) were all huddled up near the firepit. The remaining campers who had fallen asleep were woken up by the production to go back to their cabins.
Brick had finally found time to speak to Mickey, noticing Mickey wasn't having that much problem staying awake. "Hey, Mickey. I just wanna say I'm glad to still see you here, kicking and screaming. After the last challenge's scare, I would be focused on trying to win the challenge, too." Brick commended Mickey's focus.
"Yeah, I realized I could have been kicked out any minute, so I'm trying my best to win this challenge," Mickey commented to the soldier.
Mickey - Confessional (3)
"The only reason I'm faring so well in this challenge is that I developed some sort of sleep deprivation dyslexia. It works in a way that when I get too much sleep, I wake up too tired, but if I stay awake for too long, I feel refreshed." Mickey explained recalling the past events. "I just can't stay awake for more than 24h, otherwise I think I will go into cardiac arrest, or at least that's what my doctor said." He flashed a small, nervous grin.
Mickey - Confessional - End (3)
Bass: 6 / Gopher: 7 → 12:00:00
A small buzzing sound rang across the campfire, startling the campers. Chris had walked up to them, coming next to a chair with a tarp covering several items near it. Chef for some reason was also wearing a sheep's costume, with a Lyra under his arm.
Chef - Confessional (3)
Chef was staring ahead with a disgruntled look. "You know, I was once in the army." Chef rubbed his temples. "And now here I am, looking like a clown. You are going down, McLean."
Chef - Confessional - End (3)
As Chris uncovered the pile of books, some of the contestants immediately recognized them and groaned. "That's right, for hitting the twelve hours mark, we're upping the ante. You'll have to endure Fairy Tales for a while. So sit tight, relax and enjoy my obvious storytelling skills." He grabbed a random book from the pile and opened it while sitting on the chair. Chef began playing a light tune on his Lyra, which did not help them stay awake any better.
"Once upon a time… there was inside this boring kingdom, a boring village…" Chris purposefully paused between phrases, making not falling asleep as hard as possible. "And inside this boring, sleepy village, filled with these very boring children… who did very boring things…" As Chris kept telling the story, a small segment was shown. Chef was now dressed as a ballerina and began dancing to the nutcracker theme, sprinkling some sort of "magic powder" on the remaining campers.
Bass: 4 / Gopher: 4 → 14:27:01
As the night went on, more campers began falling asleep, not able to contain themselves. Sammy and Devin both had fallen asleep, with Sammy resting her head on Devin's chest. Next to them, Trent had succumbed to the boredom, leaving Kitty by herself. Dawn had also fallen asleep, whereas Scarlett and Courtney seemed on the brink of. Shawn had, too, fallen asleep after he tied himself to a branch, in order not to get picked off by the zombies. The scores were tied, but only two contestants really seemed actively awake.
After a few more hours, Chris finally arrived, this time with a cup of coffee in his hand. Given how the challenge had only officially started at noon, 17 hours later it was morning and most campers wanted to sleep already, but couldn't let down their team.
"Chris, man. Give me a sip of that coffee, please… I'll do anything for caffeine…" Alejandro begged as he crawled towards the host. "Sorry, no can do. Can't be giving out advantages like this, now can I?" The casanova groaned but went back to his team.
"So, are you all holding up fine?" He asked the three remaining members. Brick gave a shaky nod, not really transmitting a lot of trust, Mickey held a thumbs up, although the effects of being awake for too long were starting to catch up to him, and Kitty could only mutter something unintelligible but remained awake. "Seems like our best chance lies with you, Mickey." Alejandro pointed out. "I know that last challenge you were almost booted off, and I can openly say I didn't vote for you, for I saw great potential. And here I am being proven right. Win this challenge and I'm sure all of the others will be pleased." He confided in the scrawny boy.
Mickey - Confessional (4)
"Wow… So I was right. They really saw something in me? I can't disappoint them, I'll show them I'm a good asset to have on the team!" As he stood up in the seat, he slammed his head against the ceiling of the outhouse and fell down again. "Ouch…"
Mickey - Confessional - End (4)
On the Bass side, things were looking a little bit different. Harold was staring at the ground, trying not to fall asleep on the spot, Courtney seemed like she was gonna pass out at any moment, Scarlett was on the brink of her sanity and Crimson even looked more pale than possible. "It… it seems like we have some chance of winning, but not due to me. I'm afraid I'll be compromising myself if I don't sleep right away. Apologies team, but I'm retiring from the challenge…" Scarlett explained while lowering herself to the ground. Courtney and Harold were far too gone to notice, but Crimson simply nodded in reassurance at their self-appointed leader. "Good night."
Harold - Confessional (3)
"Wait... did Scarlett seriously give up? Does she think we all want to stay awake? Not fair, gosh!" Harold was angered due to the brainiac's actions and exclaimed.
Harold - Confessional - End (3)
Bass: 3 / Gopher: 4 → 17:19:51
"And just as the Bass were about to finally settle the score, Scarlett took the plunge and fell asleep. Now how can the 3 remaining Bass win against the 4-" And just as Chris was speaking, Brick fell forward and entered a deep sleep. "Ha, spoke too soon. It's all tied again."
Bass: 3 / Gopher: 3 → 17:20:26
As the 6 remaining campers did all they could to stay awake, the 18 hours mark finally arrived, which meant Chris had yet another trick in his sleeves. Chris began to sip his coffee, much to the chagrin of the remaining six campers, but he spoke nonetheless. "I didn't wanna come to this, I said that to Chef Hatchet last night. I said: 'Chef, I don't want it to come to this, but darn it! These campers are tough!' And so, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find.
Courtney - Confessional (3)
"Oh come on, what could be worse than having to watch Chef dance around in a tutu?" Courtney challenged, eye bags still pending. "Bring it on!"
Courtney - Confessional - End (3)
Chris brought a huge book. "The History of Canada. Chapter 1, The Beaver, national symbol, and a dam fine hat." Chris smirked at the pun, making all of the campers groan in synchrony.
Bass: 2 / Gopher: 2 → 19:17:52
Chris hadn't stopped reading, making even himself fairly sleepy. But not without taking out both Courtney and Kitty from the contest, both girls were slumped on the ground, showing no signs of waking up any time soon. "...Which of course, was the precursor for the discussions, leading to the war of 1812…"
Mickey, Alejandro, Crimson, and Harold were all that remained, and each of them was given a chance at speaking in the outhouse bathroom, but not a chance to catch some shut-eye.
Mickey - Confessional (5)
"Wow, I'm doing great at this challenge. I just hope nothing bad happens." He smiled but quickly realized what he had invoked. "Wait, no! I don't wanna jinx it!"
Mickey - Confessional - End (5)
Alejandro - Confessional (4)
"I honestly doubt we can win, I, myself, am not faring that well. And Mickey… I know I gave him that pep talk, but it was more so to make amends than actual belief in him. Oh well, at the end of the day, I still know who I'd vote for in case we lost." Alejandro sagged due to tiredness.
Alejandro - Confessional - End (4)
Crimson - Confessional (5)
"I am actually so happy I got this far. If I smiled any more, my face would split." She said this with a stone expression, but a small quirk on her lips. "I hope I can win."
Crimson - Confessional - End (5)
Harold - Confessional (4)
Harold was shown to have fallen asleep just as he sat down, taking him out of the game.
Bass: 1 / Gopher: 2 → 21:01:23
Harold - Confessional - End (4)
"I just got the news that Harold is out cold, which means Crimson, you're on your own. I wonder how you'll win against both Alejandro and Mickey?" Crimson stared at him but didn't rise to the bait. She simply shrugged and went back to drawing things on the ground with a stick.
"Hey, Alejandro, you heard that? We have the-" As Mickey began, he saw Alejandro slump forward and hit the ground, effectively eliminating him from the challenge. "No! Damn, I'm our only hope… I just hope they won't blame me in case we lose…" Mickey muttered.
Bass: 1 / Gopher: 1 → 21:05:02
With both remaining teens progressively getting worse, Chris was even surprised these two were the final contestants. "Gotta say, I was not expecting to see you two lasting this long. Well, I could see Frankenstein's Bride, but Walking Disaster? Wow, color me surprised." Chris mocked them both. Both were way too tired to snap back, so they kept to themselves, which obviously angered Chris. No drama means no ratings, and no ratings mean no cash. "Stupid campers…" He walked away in contempt.
Mickey and Crimson both stared at each other and sighed. Both knew this could take longer than they'd wanted, but winning was in their grasp.
Mickey - Confessional (6)
"Aw, man. Crimson really scares me with all of that makeup, but I have to say I'm honestly surprised someone normal was able to last as much as myself, given my condition and all."
Mickey - Confessional - End (6)
Crimson - Confessional (7)
"I actually thought the soldier would be better off at this but seeing that kid getting this far?" She smiled slightly. "That's pretty goth of him."
Crimson - Confessional - End (6)
Bass: 1 / Gopher: 1 → 23:25:55
"Both campers are still standing, but neither looks good. Mickey seems like he's about to convulse and Crimson feels more like a corpse than ever before." Chris spoke as he approached them. He turned around to speak to Chef, but suddenly turned back, after hearing some noises. Slowly, one of the campers fell face-first into the grass, leaving their seat open. The other, feeling way too sleepy, raised their arm but soon fell after.
"And it seems like we have our answer!" Chris cheered. "The official winner of our Awake-A-Thon is…
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Mickey!" As he said that, he grabbed the boy's slumped arm and raised it, while Crimson was face-first into the ground. "Sorry, gothaholic. Your team's on the chopping block. The Screaming Gophers win!" But due to the lack of other campers, no one really cheered.
Bass: 0 / Gopher: 1 → 23:30:04
The Gopher's sign on the screen began to ding and shine, signifying their victory. All Mickey could do was mumble something unintelligible and give a slight thumbs up before passing out for good.
The scene shifted to show the Killer Bass all standing inside the Mess Hall, all still sleepy, but some like Harold and Crimson still sleeping due to staying awake the most out of all 11. "So… No one really screwed the challenge for us, so we can't really point fingers…" Courtney began, resting her head on her hand.
"Which means that we'll have to vote for whoever we want, rather than target someone…" Devin completed, bummed out by their loss. "Does this mean we're all possible targets?"
Scarlett interjected. "Not quite. I believe 3 people should be excluded from receiving votes, due to their performances. Of course, you can still vote for any three of them, but I'd find it insulting after all they did for the challenge." Scarlett reasoned out with her fellow teammates.
"And who'd they be?" Tammy asked. "Simple. Crimson, Harold and Courtney." Scarlett replied, directing a smile to the three of them. "Despite being 4th last, these three held out the longest, so I refuse to vote for any. Any objections?" No one responded so she carried on. "Good. Then that means we have eight possible voting options. Good luck to us, I suppose."
Harold - Confessional (5)
"Wow… Scarlett just defended me in front of everyone else…" Harold acknowledged it. "That doesn't mean much though. I'm still telling the others she gave up."
Harold - Confessional - End (5)
Scarlett - Confessional (5)
"Don't get me wrong, for all I care, they could vote for whoever they want. That speech only worked to solidify my position as the leader of the group. By offering to save those three, I've essentially made myself turn into a saint for them, so that's four possible votes off my back. Well, Courtney wouldn't vote for me anyway, but just to be sure." Scarlett smirked at the camera while holding her clipboard.
Scarlett - Confessional - End (5)
In the next scene, all members of the Killer Bass were shown sitting in the foreign tree stumps, given it was their first-ever elimination. Chris appeared with a plate of marshmallows, 10 to be precise. "You've all cast your votes and made your decision. There are only 10 marshmallows on this plate. When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper who does not receive a marshmallow must immediately return to the dock of shame, catch the boat of losers and leave. And you can never come back, ever!" Chris emphasized the last part, crossing his arms across his chest. The first marshmallow goes to… Crimson!" The resident goth went to collect her treat.
"Courtney!"
"Harold!"
"Geoff!"
"Devin!"
"Cameron!"
"Sam!"
"Dawn!"
With each name being called, the mentioned players rose and grabbed their marshmallows. Making sure to enjoy the sweet treats that mean three more days at camp.
"Now, the remaining three all received at least one vote from a peer." After hearing that, Scarlett's eyes immediately widened, so she scoured the safe campers for Courtney. When they finally locked eyes, Courtney was also surprised at hearing her friend got voted by someone.
"Tammy!" The LARPer also whooped and played a small tune on her ocarina.
The remaining two campers, Scarlett and Owen, looked at each other in fear. This was a first for Scarlett, she should not have been voted, according to her calculations. This scenario was completely foreign, and that fact scared her. Could she have failed to take variables into account?
"Scarlett, Owen. The two of you are on the chopping block for different reasons." Chris started with a single marshmallow standing on the plate. "Owen, you were not the most helpful during either part of the challenge, taking longer to arrive and being the first to fall asleep. And you're pretty gross, dude. However, your blinding optimism is something some campers like." Owen gulped at that, fearful of what may happen next. "Scarlett, you willingly slept despite being near the end, so in a way, you threw the challenge for your team. And you can also be seen as overbearing for suddenly taking control of the group as a whole. However, your leadership skills were what won you the previous challenge, and your intellect is pretty much unmatched." The redhead grasped her sweater a bit tighter, recognizing what Chris said as true, both the good and the bad parts.
"But only one of you can be saved tonight… Your teammates decided, and the one that is eliminated in this campfire ceremony is…
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Owen!" The brainiac breathed in relief and went to collect her marshmallow, glad her teammates hadn't kicked her off so early.
"NOOOOOO!" Owen fell to his knees and bellowed out, shocked at being second eliminated. "I wanted to win the money to throw a huge party!" As Owen cried, he was escorted by Chef to the boat of losers, not without telling Crimson 'good luck' to which the Goth replied with a nod, a bit of a frown forming on her face.
The remaining Killer Bass watched as Owen sailed away. They decided to reunite around the firepit when Courtney raised her marshmallow on a stick and declared. "To not be here after the next challenge!"
"To the Killer Bass!" They all cheered and ate their treats.
As they were walking back, Scarlett could be heard muttering to herself. "I need to get my act together. I could have gone home, which means they're not seeing me as a proper leader, but as a usurper of some sort. Hm… what to do…" As Scarlett pondered to herself, the episode finally came to an end.
Cue the ending scenes.
Votes for the ceremony:
Cameron: "I promised Scarlet and Courtney I'd vote with them, so I vote for Owen too. I can't say I dislike him, but he really didn't help this challenge."
Courtney: "Scarlett, Cameron, and I all agreed to vote for Owen. His continuous flatulence and lack of use can only save him for so long."
Crimson: "I know this is kind of a dirty move or whatever, but I vote for Scarlett. She reeked of fakeness with that discourse.
Dawn: "My vote goes for Scarlett. I sense something dangerous inside of her, and I don't want it to be unleashed on the others."
Devin: I guess I'll vote for Tammy. I like Owen, and I don't think Scarlett needs to leave. Sorry, I just really don't speak to you, so I can't say much else."
Geoff: "Hm, this is a tough one… No hard feelings, but I vote for Tammy. She's nice and all, but I barely even see her doing much."
Harold: I'm voting for Scarlett. She threw the challenge at the end, gosh!"
Owen: "I think I'll vote for Scarlett. Last time we spoke, she complained about my farts and told me to "put a sock in it". Not cool."
Scarlett: "I vote for Owen. Not only is he repugnable, but he's also not even good at the challenges."
Sam: "I heard Scarlett and some others were voting for Owen, so I'm voting for him too. Hopefully, that's enough votes to keep me in the game."
Tammy: "It pains me to say this, but I'll vote for Owen. He was the one who helped the least, and he's also pretty gross."
Owen (5): Cameron, Courtney, Scarlett, Sam, and Tammy.
Scarlett (4): Crimson, Dawn, Harold, and Owen.
Tammy (2): Devin, Geoff
Contestants:
Screaming Gophers: Alejandro, Amy, Brick, Bridgette, Kitty, LeShawna, Mickey, Sammy, Shawn, and Trent (10/11)
Killer Bass: Cameron, Courtney, Crimson, Dawn, Devin, Geoff, Harold, Sam, Scarlett, and Tammy (10/11)
Rank of Elimination:
21st: Owen - The Funniest Guy Around
22nd: Beth - The Wannabe
Once again, please leave reviews telling me what you think, if you're into that! I love to read what are your thoughts when it comes to these things. Please tell me if it felt appropriate, in-character, sufficient, lacking, etc. Criticism is always welcome, just remember to be polite about it!
If anyone wants me to post the order of campers falling asleep and with the reasons, I'm down for writing that!
I'm so, so sorry Owen fans! I know he wasn't given much of a role either, and he was degraded to being a bathroom jokes machine... I'm not exactly confident about his elimination, but I couldn't really keep writing him. Not because I didn't want, but simply because I always felt he went a little too far, despite how some of his actions could be seen as good for the team. Overall, I don't dislike him though. I do hope, however, Scarlett receiving four votes was shocking, to say the least! The next chapter will be Dodgebrawl, so stay tuned and make sure to stay hydrated! Ciao!