Total Drama Island: Rewritten Chapter 3: Blood on the Hardwood, a total drama series fanfic

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! It's chapter 3 of Total Drama Island: Rewritten by AZW330!

Yeah, here it is lmao. Took a while, I know. I got about 5k words in after I finished chapter 2, then totally hit a wall and lost all inspiration to work on this, and I didn't wanna force it and have it turn out crappy, so I just shelved it. Doesn't help that I also started a 100% file of Red Dead Redemption 2 and got SUPER into that again. But after finishing up my bad boy, full beard mountain man Arthur file, I felt the urge to write again, and then it took me about a week to get another 9k in and the chapter out! For now my muse is kicking and really excited to get to some stuff in the future I have planned, but for now, let's jump into chapter 3!

"Welcome back once again to Total Drama Island: Rewritten!" Chris McLean, the show's iconic host announced from Wawanakwa's dock. "Last time was a doozy! Our friend Chef Hatchet took over challenge duty, making it an open display of war between the teams in the realm of paintball in the forest of Wawanakwa!" He laughed devilishly.

Chris continued, "And a war it was! In the end, it was down to Neda and our resident pacifist, Wind! But, after a major mess up by Neda, where she accidentally launched her paintball gun into the woods, Neda chose to surrender the game, rather than make Wind compromise her non-violent morals and make her shoot her. Well, wasn't that just nice of her!" Chris said, a mocking tone in his voice.

"At the second campfire ceremony of the season," Chris narrated, "We had a shocker of an elimination, as Godfrey turned on one of his own Agency alliance mates in Apollo, siding with the girls and sending him out on a 5-3 vote!" Chris exclaimed.

"So, this week, what will happen? How will the Agency react to the betrayal in their midst? What challenge will we see? Let's find out together on the newest episode of…..

TOTAL

DRAMA

ISLAND: REWRITTEN!"

Static

Confessional: David

David sits in the confessional, a look of confusion on his face. "What the hell just happened?" He asks the camera, distraught. "We just lost Apollo somehow! I mean, someone voted him out from within the Agency!" David buries his face in his hands. "This game is insane! And it hasn't even been a full week!"

Static

Confessional: Weenus

"I may not be a math whiz," Weenus began, "but I'm smart enough that if there's a 5-3 vote, and there are four guys and four girls, then someone had to flip. So someone is a liar, and the team broke. This really sucks."

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

"I tried to get the guys to let it happen naturally," Godfrey bluntly told the camera. "If they split their votes, hopefully, Misha would have been able to organize the girls and get Apollo out." He grunts. "Now, Misha and the girls did their job, but the boys didn't listen to me. It was a long shot, but it would have been easier for me. Now, I've already shown my hand and gotten Apollo's blood on them, and I have to talk my way out of this." He flashes the camera a charming grin. "Luckily, talking my way out of things is one of my best abilities."

Static

As the guys stepped into their cabin, down a man, David immediately spoke. "What the hell happened?" He asked, more distraught than angry. "We lost Apollo? How could that even happen?"

"I cast the vote." Godfrey simply said.

Weenus and David looked at him shocked. "Dude!" Weenus exclaimed. "Apollo was our boy! We were an alliance! How could you do that to him?!"

"Boys, I'm sorry," Godfrey told them. "I really am. But I did what had to be done."

"But why'd it have to be done, dude?!" Weenus asked, feeling betrayed all over again by Godfrey's words. "Apollo was our friend!"

"Weenus, you need to remember that this is a game," Godfrey told him seriously. "Apollo is alive. He's not hurt, he's just out of this game."

"We know that, Godfrey," David replied, "But we don't understand why you did it. Apollo was one of the boys! And he goes out in our first ceremony? I don't get it!"

Godfrey sighed. "Alright, look at it this way. This is a game, right?" The other two Agency members nodded. "In this game, people leave." Godfrey paused for a moment. "I look at this game like chess. In chess, you sometimes have to sacrifice a pawn in order to make a bigger play later on. It's not personal, it's just a game."

The other two were silent for a few moments, soaking in the charmer's words.

"So," Weenus asked, "do you have any plans for what's next?"

"The beginnings of one," Godfrey replied, not giving them anything else.

"Well," David slowly said, "You wanna give us any details?"

"I'll just say that I think I can use this as credit with the girls," Godfrey said slyly.

Weenus sat on his own bed. "Well, if you say so, man."

David, however, wasn't as convinced by Godfrey's words. "So that's all you'll be telling us, Godfrey?" He asked, arms crossed.

"Again, David, I'm sorry that I had to do that to Apollo," Godfrey told the chef. "He was my buddy, too. But, this is a game. I had to do what I had to do. And I think that this will be what gets the rest of us far."

David sighed as he too sat down on his bed. "If you say so, man. I'm still in it if you guys are, I guess."

"I'm still in it!" Weenus agreed.

Weenus and Godfrey looked at David expectantly. After a few moments, he grinned. "Alright, boys. I still have faith." He stuck his hand in. "Agency."

The other guys stuck their hands in as well. "Agency."

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

"Well," he told the camera. "That went well. Seems like I got the boys back in." He smirked. "While I don't blame them for being mad, I really do have more of a plan than I'm letting on. I did have to sacrifice Apollo, which wasn't very ideal, but I think that his sacrifice was just the capital I needed." He chuckled. "Sometimes you need to lose a pawn to get a rook."

Static

Confessional: David

"I just don't know," he told the camera. "I want to trust Godfrey. I mean, he's still my man in the Agency. But after what happened with Apollo, I really just don't know."

He sighed. "I think I may start expanding my horizons. See if I can find any other allies outside of The Agency to protect me. I don't want what happened to Apollo to happen to me."

"Ouch! Damn it all," Brooke mumbled under her breath as she made her way from the bathroom, having just brushed her teeth. Curiously, Misha looked at the much taller girl.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, to which Brooke just nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah, no biggie," Brooke replied casually, flexing her right arm. "My elbow is just a little stiff this morning."

Ji cocked an eyebrow. "Your elbow? Did you injure it in the paintball competition a few days ago?" She asked.

"That competition bruised me up pretty good but I don't think so," Brooke replied, casually flopping down on her bed. "I get stiff joints sometimes. It sucks, but I just learned to deal with it."

"If you say so," Misha said, seemingly pacified, before standing and leaving the cabin without another word, leaving Ji and Brooke alone.

"We're alone," Ji said simply. "How are things going?"

Brooke shrugged. "I was shocked when Apollo left. I never would have seen that coming."

"Yeah, that was truly strange," Ji mused aloud. "I guess the guys weren't as close as Misha was led to believe." She then rolled her eyes. "Truly shocking."

"I guess, but it worked for us," Brooke replied. "We're up on the guys and can just knock them out if we lose tonight." She flexed her elbow again, irritation flashing across her face after a wince of pain.

"Do I need to take you to the infirmary?" Ji asked, sounding more annoyed than concerned. "Is your elbow bothering you that much?"

"No," Brooke shot back, still flexing it. "I just need to work the kink out."

"If you say so." Ji then shifted her gaze towards the window, seeing if Neda or Misha were out there. Satisfied at their solitude, Ji spoke again. "Do you have any useful information?"

"Well, me and Sammy are working together," Brooke revealed. "But other than that, not really. I'm gonna start trying to make some relationships with the guys' side, though. See what went down with that vote."

Ji nodded. "That's smart. If the two of us can get a guy on our side, we can go into the merge with a good numbers advantage."

As Brooke nodded her agreement, a knock at the door suddenly put a stop to any alliance talk the two had. Neda, sweaty and wearing her running clothing, poked her head in.

"Yo, Neda," Brooke greeted her casually, while Ji nodded in greeting. "How was your run?"

Neda had a large grin on her face. "It was good, but Brooke, you should really see what's out here!"

Curious, Brooke stood and made her way through the doorway, Ji on her tail. When she saw what Neda had mentioned, her eyes lit up and a large grin spread across her face.

"OH MY GOD!" Brooke exclaimed, sheer joy in her voice. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Rushing outside, the other campers saw what drew Brooke's exclamation of joy; There, on the beach, were the hardwood floor, bleachers, which were placed together to make one large bleacher and referee tower from seasons past Dodgeball challenge, and on either end of the court was a basketball hoop.

"Wow!" David remarked. "We got some basketball goin' on here! Awesome!"

"Do you think it's for the challenge coming up?" Ji asked, looking over at David.

"Who cares!?" Brooke replied, not letting David even speak. She turned and faced the gathered campers from both the Crocodiles and Albatrosses. "Who's gonna play me?!" She turned to face Sammy. "We finally gonna ball or what?"

Sammy grinned right back at her. "You're on." The grin on Brooke's face grew even larger if it was possible, and she began hopping up and down in excitement. "We need teams! Who wants to play with us?!"

"I'm so in!" David exclaimed. "I gotta ball with you guys!"

"Count me in, too," Godfrey replied. "I'd just wanna get changed but I'll ball out."

"Hell yeah!" Brooke happily exclaimed. She then began looking at other campers. "Who else? Neda? Wind? John? Any of you?

"Oh!" Neda exclaimed, surprised at her name being called. "I'm okay, Brooke, I'm still beat from my run, but I'll definitely watch!"

"Nah," was John's simple reply.

"I find competitive sports too aggressive," Wind replied, "but I'd be happy to watch a friendly scrimmage between you all," she added with a grin.

"Alright!" Brooke happily said. "Let's get ready and meet at the court in five!" With that, she bolted into her cabin to change.

Five minutes later, the majority of the campers were down at the beach, the only ones not there being Vivi, Ji, and Misha.

Godfrey, in a pair of athletic shoes, a gray tank top with black lining, and silver shorts, teamed with Sammy, wearing his regular attire of mask, muscle shirt, jeans, and boots. Across from them was Brooke, in a dark green basketball jersey and shorts. The jersey bore the last name Baker, indicating it was her own.

Next to her was David, in white shorts with red trim, white athletic shoes, and a plain white tank top. In the center of the two teams was Liana, holding a basketball. "Are you guys ready?" She asked, getting nods from both teams. "Alright…." With that, Liana tossed the ball into the air and shouted, "GO!"

The peanut gallery began cheering and clapping as Brooke immediately snagged the ball out of the air.

"Go, Brooke!" Neda yelled excitedly.

"You can do this, Sammy!" Wind called encouragingly, clapping her hands.

"C'mon David! C'mon Godfrey!" Weenus yelled.

Brooke made a fast break for the basket, but Godfrey stayed right on her. Being closer to Brooke's height, he tried to lock her down, but in an instant, Brooke stepped to her right. Godfrey began to turn that way too, but Brooke instead turned fully in a circle and broke to the left instead. Before Godfrey could even realize what happened, she had rushed straight past him, and was already airborne, slamming the ball into the hoop.

"BOOYAH!" Brooke screamed as the ball fell through, being caught by Sammy. "That's what's up!"

"Dang," Alessia said under her breath. "Intense, much?"

Sammy, now having the ball, quickly found himself guarded by David. "No chance, man!" David called as he tried to engulf the smaller teen, but Sammy made a fast break around the Newfie. David tried to follow, but within a few moments, Sammy was at the three-point line launching a picture-perfect three that went in the hoop with a resounding SWISH.

Meanwhile, in the crowd, Marcellas poked John, who sat next to him. "Pst. Hey, John."

"Hm? What's up?" John asked the teen as the crowd around them cheered at Brooke getting another basket.

"While everyone's distracted with sportsball," John smirked at Marcellas' calling of it, "I was wondering if you knew what the deal with that rogue vote at our ceremony was."

That surprised John. "You're wondering that too?" He asked. Marcellas nodded in affirmation.

"Of course! Someone breaks loose and votes against Liana instead of Daniel, and you think that I don't wanna know about who did it?"

John turned and looked at Liana, carefully watching as Sammy skillfully managed to get the ball from Brooke and rush down the court, before passing the ball behind him to Godfrey, who got a layup.

"Well, I was wondering about it myself, to be honest," John admitted. "But I figured that since it wasn't a vote against me, I don't particularly care who did it."

"So I assume that means the vote wasn't you?" Marcellas asked, to which John shook his head.

"Nah. That'd just be creating unnecessary waves." The artist replied.

"I figured you wouldn't wanna cause waves, John," Marcellas said back. "And in case you were wondering, it wasn't me or Alessia either."

"I figured it wasn't you if you're trying to find out who did it," John told him. "And you're sure about Alessia?" He asked.

"Yeah," the fashionable teen said. "She didn't like Daniel an ounce."

"So that leaves Vivi, Wind, and Sammy," John remarked, looking at Wind as she stood and clapped next to Neda, reacting to Brooke hitting a three-pointer, a large smile on her face. "Something tells me that Wind wouldn't do that."

"Absolutely," Marcellas agreed. "I don't think that girl has a mean bone in her body."

"So the prime suspect's Vivi." John plainly stated.

"Guess so." Marcellas agreed. After turning and looking at Liana, Marcellas turned back to John and spoke once more, a conspiratorial look on his face. "Wanna tell her?"

John, again, shrugged. "If you wanna. None of my business."

"Ugh!" Marcellas pouted playfully. "You are NO fun whatsoever, Jonathan."

John snorted in laughter. "Jonathan? What are you, my mother, Marcellas?"

Static

Confessional: Marcellas

"Well," Marcellas told the camera. "At this stage, I'm feeling pretty sure that Little Miss Attitude Problem cast our mysterious rogue vote. All that's left to do is tell Liana, and watch the fireworks!" He grinned. "I wonder if the sequel will be as good as the original."

Static

As Neda and Wind cheered on the game, Wind turned to Neda. "How are you doing, Neda?" She asked the smaller girl.

"Hm?" Neda asked back, not hearing her well over the excitement of the game.

"You were very upset during the last challenge. How are you doing now?" Wind asked again.

"Oh!" Neda exclaimed. "Well, I'm doing better. I just needed some time to gather my thoughts." She sweetly smiled. "Thanks so much for asking, Wind!"

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Neda pursed her lips, thinking about what Wind asked her. After a few moments, Neda shook her head. "If it's okay, I just wanna get past it and move on." She then looked a bit sheepish. "I'm a little embarrassed by my reaction."

Wind nodded in understanding. "If that is what you wish. But that offer does not have an expiration," she said with a small grin.

Back on the court, the game was in a dead heat; though Sammy and Godfrey were behind, it was still a close game. Brooke's sheer skill was hard to overcome, but the other three guys were athletic in their own rights too. Brooke had a large grin on her face as she dribbled the ball, with Godfrey defending her.

"David!" She called, lobbing the ball to him. He caught it, and almost immediately had to defend from Sammy, who tried his hardest to snag the ball from him. David made his way inside the three-point line as Sammy pursued, trying for a layup. Brooke, seeing an opening, also made her way toward the basket.

David's momentum carried him to the rim but also carried him right into Brooke, who was just under the basket, waiting for a rebound in case he missed. As the ball swished into the basket, David collided with Brooke with a THUMP, the two tumbling into the hardwood.

"OH!' The gathered crowd groaned as Liana waved both her arms, indicating to stop playing.

"Dang, sorry 'bout that Brooke!" David said.

"Agh, no worries, David," Brooke replied as she began to sit up, "It's basketball, it happens." Brooke rubbed the side of her head to wipe away some beads of sweat, but instead, the gathered crowd gasped in horror as instead of sweat, the whole side of her hand was covered in bright red blood.

"Ah, dammit," Brooke muttered. "Musta caught my eyebrow with your elbow."

"Oh my god!" David exclaimed, panicking. "Brooke, are you okay!?" David quickly knelt beside the sitting Brooke. "You're bleeding a lot!"

Brooke rubbed her cheek, and looking at her still bloody hand, saw that her cheek was also covered in blood. "I'm fine." She replied, beginning to stand as others made their way down from the bleachers and gathered around Brooke in concern.

David, however, shook his head vigorously. "Brooke, just keep sitting down! You're really bleeding a lot!" He fussed over her, removing his tank top, and wrapped it around her head to try to stem the blood flow. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, dammit!" She snapped angrily, standing up. "I just need to go to the infirmary."

"Brooke, I feel bad," David countered. "This is my fault. Please, at least let me take you to the infirmary."

Seeing the concerned looks gathered around her, Brooke sighed annoyedly. "Fine, David. Let's go."

As the two made their way towards the infirmary, the other gathered campers awkwardly stood around the court.

"Well," Alessia began, "That was unfortunate. I think this game's over." She turned and began making her way back towards the cabins, not seeming very concerned. "I'm gonna change into my swimsuit and lay on the beach."

"Liana, would you come with me?" Marcellas asked, motioning to the cabins. "I wanna talk to you in private." The girl in question shrugged, following the teen.

As they left, Sammy and Godfrey went and sat on the benches.

"Should we go check on her?" Godfrey asked the mask-clad teen, to which he shook his head in response.

"I don't think so," he disagreed. "She seemed pretty upset. I think if we all go and hang around the infirmary it will just make her more angry."

Godfrey nodded. "That's fair. I wouldn't want everyone crowding me if I got knocked like that."

As the campers dispersed from the basketball court, David found himself making his way into the infirmary building, off to the side of the mess hall. Throwing the door open, he was surprised to see the room's only occupant.

"Chef?" He asked, bewildered. "What are you doing in here?"

The Island's Chef, still dressed in his regular cooking attire, looked at him crossly. "I'm the medic, too."

"Are you, um, qualified?" David asked carefully, not trying to draw Chef Hatchet's ire.

"Of course I am!" He declared. He looked to begin speaking again, but he stopped when Brooke made her way in, the tanktop wrapped around her head completely soaked with crimson.

"Ah, heck, Brooke," Chef groaned, "What happened to you?"

"We were using the basketball setup on the beach, David caught me with his elbow in the face," She replied simply.

"Alright," Chef accepted, motioning to a table for the girl to lie on. Grabbing a needle and stitches and setting them on the counter, he asked Brooke, "Are you feeling good? Do we have to consider a medevac?"

She shook her head. "Nah, it was just an elbow to the eyebrow. I didn't really hit my head on anything."

"Medevac?" David breathed, concern clear in his voice at the term.

Brooke turned to him, irritation clear on her face. "I thought you were gonna just bring me here and then leave."

"Hold on, David," Chef Hatchet intoned before David could say anything, as he finished putting on a pair of medical gloves and removed the blood-soaked tank top from Brooke's wound, quickly replacing it with a fresh white towel. Almost immediately, the bright red could be seen spreading out across the towel. "Stick around, I'll appreciate the help with closing her wound."

Both David and Brooke were surprised at those words. "You want me to help/You want him to help?" They exclaimed at the same time.

"Chef," Brooke complained, "Does he really need to be here? I just need stitches!"

"Yeah," David agreed, "Can't you just wait 'til the bleeding stops?"

"No," Chef muttered. "It'll be an easier job with both of us." Turning back to Brooke, he asked, "Did you get a transfusion before you got here?"

"Chef!" Brooke snapped, a look of mortification crossing her features.

"Woah, why'd you need a blood transfusion?" David probed, looking at her with wide eyes.

Brooke groaned. "Dammit, Chef!" She seethed at the large man, "Why'd you have to go and say that?!"

He shrugged, nonplussed as he prepared a needle and stitches. "Brooke, you completely soaked his tank top. He'd have figured something out."

At that, Brooke looked guilty. "Sorry about that David," she apologized. "I guess I did ruin your shirt."

"It's fine, I don't care about the shirt, Brooke," David stressed. "I just wanna know if you're gonna be okay."

"Not really," Brooke said, obviously trying to evade the main topic. "I'm going to make sure to get you a new tanktop after the season. It's only right."

David couldn't help but grin. "Maybe you can buy me one when you get your draft bonus."

That made Brooke laugh. "You may need to wait a few years for that, man!"

"Alright, David," Chef said, interrupting the two. He tossed him a pair of medical gloves as well, which David caught. "I'm gonna need you to put those on. I'm not gonna face a lawsuit over this. Once you do that, we're gonna take the towel off the towel and you're gonna push the cut together so I can stitch it."

Chef then turned to Brooke, who still held the towel tightly to her brow as she laid down flat on her back. "Are you ready?" He asked her.

"Let's just get it over with," she grumbled.

Chef turned to David next. "Are you ready, kid? This may be a bit messy."

David took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Yeah." He turned and looked at Brooke. "What about you?"

"Just get it over with," she grunted.

Grimly, Chef removed the now-soaked with blood towel from her head. "Hang your head over the side of the table so it doesn't pool around your head." Brooke wordlessly complied, moving her head as Chef requested.

David was shocked that the blood continued to stream from the cut above her brow unabated, quickly traveling down the side of her head and dripping onto the floor. Determined, he grabbed the skin and pushed it together. Chef promptly wiped it clean with a disinfectant wipe and began stitching the wound closed.

"Hemophilia," Brooke simply remarked as Chef made slow progress, dabbing the blood away as he worked. "That's why I'm bleeding so much."

"Wow, Brooke," David breathed. "I don't really even know what to-"

"Can it!" the basketball player suddenly snarled at him. "I don't want any damn sympathy! I don't need it!"

"Calm yourself, Brooke," Chef warned. "I don't wanna poke your eye out."

Anger could practically be felt radiating off Brooke. "I've spent my whole life trying not to want to be that poor hemophiliac girl or the hemophiliac basketball player, dammit. I'm a basketball player first and foremost. This is just a part of who I am. It's not everything I am." She then focused her anger squarely on David. "And I don't need pity or sympathy for it."

"Brooke," he began, "that's not what I was trying to do." David apologized. "I was just trying to be nice."

Brooke hissed as the needle made another entry into her skin. "I've spent my whole life getting those looks of pity. Does it suck?" She motioned to the discarded towel and tank top, both soaked with red. "Of freaking course! But just like you're a Newfie, I'm a hemophiliac."

"Are you comparing being a hemophiliac to being a Newfie?" David asked, trying to lighten the extremely tense atmosphere in the infirmary. Luckily, it seemed to work, as Brooke chuckled.

"Well, maybe not the best analogy, but you get it." She then sighed. "I'm sorry, David. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you didn't mean it that way. It's just…..people have tried to keep me from playing in the past because of this. This isn't even the first time this injury has happened to me. I got hit in the face with an elbow in a game in 7th grade, and people thought I needed to go to the emergency room because there was so much blood."

The anger in her eyes returned. "And then they tried to ban me from playing for 'Fear of bloodborne pathogens'!" She growled. "What a load! But I bit the bullet because I wanted to play, so I got a blood test, and I of course didn't have anything. I was 13 for crying out loud! And some of them STILL didn't want me to play!" Brooke clenched her fists at revisiting the memories. "I'm not a damn frail, fragile china doll or some mutant that will turn everyone into zombies if my blood gets on them!"

David stayed quiet, letting her vent as he continued holding Brooke's cut as Chef made progress on the cut, still having to dab blood away as it continued to drip from the parts of her cut that were still open.

Brooke sighed again, seeming to have gotten everything she wanted off her chest. After a few more minutes, Chef announced that the stitching was over with a simple 'Done'.

David was surprised at the size of the cut, which stretched the width of her eyebrow. "Sorry again about the cut, Brooke. I really didn't mean to cut you open that badly. Or at all!" He quickly added.

Brooke laughed as Chef cleaned the cut again, and began bandaging it. "Dude, it's fine. It's basketball. Elbows get thrown around and stuff happens by accident. I'd rather get an elbow to the brow and get cut than tear an ACL, or rupture my Achilles, or break my leg." She grinned cockily. "This is just a battle scar. And I expect us to finish our game at some point."

David held out his fist. "You are so on, Brooke!"

She bumped it, then looked bashful. "Well, David, again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out on you like that. I just…." She took a moment to regain her composure. "I just don't like being treated differently because of my disorder."

David shrugged it off. "It's all good!" He goodnaturedly replied.

She then looked at his tank top in the corner of the room, which was almost entirely soaked red. "And sorry again about your shirt."

"Brooke, it's just a shirt," He said, "It's really not the end of the world. I can always get a new one." He took a moment, then spoke again. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Brooke thought for a few seconds. "You owe me one." She decided. "At some point in the future, you do something for me."

"Deal." He responded, holding out a hand. "I can live with that."

"Also," she continued as she shook his hand, "Don't tell anyone about my condition. You knowing is already one more person than I'd like."

David nodded his agreement to her request. "Of course. I won't tell a soul."

Brooke then turned to Chef. "And Chef, sorry about ... well, what I did to the infirmary."

Chef didn't say it, but he knew she meant the blood-soaked towel, the second towel also covered in blood, David's tank top, and the puddle of it that had dripped onto the floor. "It's nothin'. Not like you can help it." He then turned and walked towards a large refrigerator and opened it, rummaging around for something.

"Well, you wanna get outta here, Brooke?" David asked, but she shook her head.

"Nah, but you go ahead. I'm not done here." As she said that, Chef removed a bag of pale yellow liquid and attached it to an IV Pole, and attached an IV to the bag. "I need to get some clotting factor into my system. It'll help with the bleeding." She hissed again as the IV was inserted into a vein in her arm. "Then I'm gonna get my head bandaged and stay a while to monitor to make sure I'm not having a brain bleed. I'll catch you later, though." She smirked at him. "Don't forget, you owe me."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I owe you, Brooke. I know. I'm sure it won't come back to bite me." He then waved and departed as Brooke made herself comfortable on the table for the hours of treatment to come.

Static

Confessional: Brooke

Brooke, with the top of her head wrapped in thick, white bandages, spoke to the camera. "Well, I caught a pretty solid elbow to the face courtesy of David. Him learning about my disorder and Chef having him help with closing the wound wasn't very fun, but I got a favor out of it.

And David seems like the kind of guy who won't go back on doing me a favor." She smirked. "Overall, I think this was a positive."

Static

As David and Brooke made their way to the infirmary, Marcellas and Liana made their way to the cabins. "Marcellas, what's up?" Liana asked.

"Oh, you'll see," He quipped excitedly as he opened the girls' cabin door and made his way inside. Sitting on her bed, eyes closed, arms behind her head and legs crossed, lay Vivi.

Opening her eyes and turning her head at the sound of the door, she spoke when she saw Marcellas. "Yo." She casually greeted, offering a handwave of greeting.

"Hi, Vivi!" Marcellas chirped, excitement clear in his voice.

"What brings you here, Marcellas?" Vivi inquired. "I was tryin' to catch up on some sleep."

"I'm sorry!" Marcellas apologized. "But I've been doing a LOT of thinking lately and just wanted to talk some things over."

That caused Vivi to raise an eyebrow in interest. "Oh?" She asked, sitting upward. "Well, what did you wanna hash out?"

From behind Marcellas, Liana also stepped into the cabin. "Liana too?" Vivi asked, amused. "I didn't know we were throwing a party. I'd have shoplifted some liquor if I knew that."

Liana just shrugged. "Marcellas wanted to tell me something, too."

"Well then," Vivi beckoned, "Lay it on us, man."

"Well," Marcellas began, "I've been fixated on one odd thing that's happened so far on the island. It was kinda out of nowhere and it didn't make a lot of sense to me, so I set out to try to figure out what happened, and I think I got it." He then motioned to Vivi. "I think Vivi was the one who cast that rogue vote against you, Liana!" Marcellas giddily smiled. 'Detonation in 3….2….-'

"No, she didn't, Marcellas," Liana suddenly said, bringing the fashion-minded teen's mind to a screeching halt. The confusion he felt was clearly written on his face as his smile vanished.

"What?" Was all he could say in response to what Liana said.

The gambler nodded. "Yeah, we talked about that a few days ago. Vivi said she didn't cast it."

Marcellas crossed his arms, unbelieving. "And you just believe her, Liana?"

Now it was Vivi's turn to get annoyed. "What the hell does that mean Marcellas? Are you calling me a liar?"

Liana held her hands between the two. "Woah, woah! Let's just relax for a second." Liana then turned to Marcellas again. "Admittedly, I thought it was either you or Alessia who cast that vote."

"No way!" He exclaimed. "It for sure wasn't us. It definitely wasn't me, and I'm super close with Alessia and she told me she didn't, either." He then intertwined his index and middle fingers. "We're practically like this!

Static

Confessional: Marcellas

He grimaced at the confessional camera. "Maybe I shouldn't have told those two that we were so close. Me and my big mouth!" He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Static

"So," Liana muttered, face scrunched in thought, "It wasn't Marcellas, Alessia, Vivi, or myself." Liana looked over at Marcellas. "Could you grab Wind, John, and Sammy? I wanna get this out in the open once and for all. This is bugging me."

The bald teen nodded and made his way out of the room, leaving Vivi and Liana alone. "What a mess this turned out to be," Liana groaned as she leaned her head against the wall of the cabin.

Vivi shrugged in indifference. "Making a mountain out of a molehill, Liana."

"In a game to win a million dollars, I'm treating any molehill like it's a mountain, Vivi," Liana chided the girl. "Perception is everything. Plus, I'm sure you would be just as upset about it if it was a vote for you."

Vivi merely rolled her eyes and flapped her hand in a blah blah blah motion as Marcellas arrived with Wind, Sammy, John, and Alessia in tow. They all sat around on various beds as Liana stood in the middle of the cabin, beginning to hold court.

"Alright, this has been driving me crazy," She began. "We all agreed to vote out Daniel at our first campfire ceremony, but someone here broke from the pack and cast a vote against me." She then gestured to the rocker chick splayed out on the bed behind her. "I know it's not Vivi. She told me as such." She then gestured to Marcellas and Alessia, who sat next to each other on another bed.

"Marcellas thought it was Vivi, but again, she already told me a few days ago it wasn't her. He also said it wasn't himself or Alessia who did it, so," she then gestured to the hippie, the artist, and the wrestler, "It had to have been one of you three."

"It wasn't John!" Marcellas suddenly announced. "We talked about it at the basketball game today, he said it wasn't him."

Liana turned her gaze to the artist. "Is that true, John?"

The artist rolled his eyes at the whole event. "Yes, Your Grace." He replied to her, a healthy amount of snark in his voice. "I wasn't too disruptive to cast a vote against the high and mighty Liana Archambeau."

Irritation flashed across Liana's features, and her look hardened on the artist. "That crappy attitude doesn't do you any favors, John. I don't like being lied to, and your attitude is saying that you're lying."

"It was me, Liana." Sammy suddenly said, standing up. "I was the one that cast the vote against you. I don't want John or Wind to take the fall for me."

Everyone gathered glanced at the wrestler, but it was Liana who spoke. "Well, why, Sammy? Why'd you vote against me?"

"First, you never specifically asked me to vote with you. You just yelled and cried about voting Daniel out, there was never a point where you asked for my vote. Second, I thought your little freakout was rather ridiculous. At the first sign of not being included in something and being targeted, you melt down like that. I found it somewhat pathetic."

Liana didn't look happy in the slightest. "So that's it? That's why you cast the vote against me?" The other campers began looking at each other, wondering if Liana would start crying again.

"Yes," Sammy nodded in the affirmative. "That's why I voted against you."

Surprisingly, Liana stuck her hand out to the masked teen. "Well, at least you were honest. I appreciate it, Sammy."

Sammy took her hand and shook it. "Of course. I'm not a schemer, like some people on this island. I'll tell you to your face that I have a problem."

Alessia rolled her eyes at the remark. 'Self-righteous. Whatever, Sammy.'

Liana took her hand back and stuffed it in one of the pockets of her jacket. "Well, it's good to know where I stand with you."

Sammy nodded at her, only saying, "Same here," to her before turning and making his way out of the cabin.

Static

Confessional: Liana

"Like I said, I appreciate Sammy being honest with me about that vote. Now I don't have to hunt around and find out who it was." She narrowed her eyes at the camera. "It removes all mystery and makes targeting him that much easier. You don't target me and get away with it."

Static

A few hours later, the various speakers around the camp began to blare with Chris' voice. "Hey everyone! It's challenge time! Make your way down to the beach pronto!"

Neda grinned as she stood from her bed and stretched. Making a quick stop in the bathroom to clean her hands, she darted out of the cabin and made her way down the stairs, eyeing the other campers making their way to the beach. Seeing one that was on her team, she grinned and made her way towards them.

"Hey, David!" The superfan chirped as she made her way next to the chef.

"Oh, hey Neda," he remarked back.

"How's Brooke?" She instantly asked. "She took a nasty hit and was bleeding a whole lot. I'm pretty worried, she hadn't come back to the cabin while I was there."

"She's okay," David replied with a relieved grin. "Chef wanted her to stay in the infirmary for a while, make sure she didn't have a concussion or anything, y'know."

Neda nodded, and David sighed in relief that Neda seemingly hadn't caught onto his lie about Brooke. "So you think she'll be able to compete in the challenge?" She asked once again.

"I hope so!" He chuckled. "She's so competitive, I know it'd kill her to not compete."

As they kept walking, Neda spoke again. "David, if you don't mind my asking….." She trailed off.

"Nah, girl." He grinned. "Ask away!"

"What happened with the last campfire ceremony?" She asked. "How was it that Apollo was the one that got eliminated?"

"Oh!" David exclaimed in surprise, obviously not expecting that particular line of questioning from Neda. "Well, um, I'm not too sure, to tell you the truth. All I know is that Godfrey was the vote, but he was really cagey about the whole thing." David then leaned in close to Neda and lowered his voice. "Between you and me, I think he's up to something."

A look of clear concern flashed across Neda's face. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

David could only shrug his shoulders at her question. "I don't know, Neda," he breathed, "just that I would keep an eye on him."

Neda nodded as they made their way to the beach. "Thanks, David," she quietly responded.

"No prob," he said as he smiled and waved at his gathered teammates, Brooke in particular, head wrapped in a bandage, but seeming fine other than that.. "Hey guys!" He greeted the others as he and Neda stood with the group.

Static

Confessional: David

"Yeah, I told Neda about Godfrey," he admitted. "I just think that out of the other three girls on the team, I can trust her. Or, at least I hope so."

Static

Confessional: Neda

Neda looked giddy. "This is great! David trusts me enough to tell me about whatever's going on with Godfrey on that team! Not only is that a big piece of info, but I think I can maybe parlay this into an alliance or something with David and the guys!" She giggled.

Static

Chris clapped his hands and smiled. "Alright!" the host cheered. "Now that we're here, I can explain our next challenge!" He then motioned to various parts of the beach, with various challenges set up across it in a long line. "Today's challenge is a seven-person obstacle course!" He then laughed to himself. "We're sure glad that you evened yourselves out, otherwise we'd have had to set this thing up way later in the season!"

"Anyway," he continued, getting back on topic, "in this challenge, you'll have to split up. Everyone takes a station. Seven people a team, seven stations. The first team to finish wins!

And the losers, obviously, report to our wonderful campfire ceremony where they eliminate a teammate! Sounds simple?" He questioned the teens, to which he got a parade of agreeing nods. "Great!"

"Now, here are our stations!" The camera first panned to a pair of wooden structures only about a foot off the ground, with wire over the top of both. "The army crawl! Pretty simple."

Then, it showed two upward hills of rope netting, which, at the top of the platform, had a wall with a rope attached to it, with a downward going hill of rope nets on the other side. "The net and wall climb! Again, simple!"

Next, a single wooden bar holding 10 plates, 5 with both team logos attached to the bar via a piece of string, with two slingshots on stools with a basket of small rocks about 7 feet away. "The slingshot! All you gotta do is destroy all 5 of the opposite team's plates to advance!"

After that, two 5-foot-long gymnastics balance beams. "The balance beam!"

Then, it was a pair of boxes with a lock, with multiple vases strewn about the beach. "The vase break! One of the vases has a key to unlock your box. You have to get the item in the box out and hand it to the next person to advance. The key doesn't matter, no specific team key or anything."

Then, it showed the basketball court. "The three-point contest! Don't worry though, you only have to hit one, so it won't be too unfair for Brooke's team," Chris said cheekily.

And finally, an empty stretch of beach leading to the finish line. "And, the 100-foot dash! The first person to cross the finish line wins the challenge for their team!"

After Chris showed off the seven obstacles, he then announced, "You'll have three minutes to determine who's going to do what! You better pick carefully, since if you lose, you're sending someone's butt off my island!"

"Alright," Brooke started as the team was huddled together to talk about who would do what. "I'll obviously do the three-point shot. I hope there are no objections."

"Nah," was Godfrey's response.

"All yours!" Neda chirped.

The others just nodded their agreement. "And I'll do the hundred-foot dash!" Neda confidently proclaimed. "I love running so I'll definitely do this one!"

Godfrey raised his hand. "I can do the rope and wall climb," he boasted, a confident grin on his face. "Piece of cake."

Weenus spoke then. "Oh! Let me do the army crawl!"

Ji raised an eyebrow. "No. I can do it. You are much too big. You'll probably get caught in the wire," She bluntly told him.

To his credit, the stuntman was unphased by her rude comment. "No, this kind of thing is my jam! I don't care if I get sand in my face, eyes, nose, or anywhere!" He countered.

Misha pursed her lips. "Colby makes a good point, Ji," she agreed. "He may be many things, but one thing he is not is afraid to be foolish or afraid to do something tough. I think he should do it."

David nodded his agreement. "Yeah! No offense to you, Ji."

The robot battler just rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you want to crawl in the sand, then be my guest."

"So," Brooke interrupted, "We have Weenus on the army crawl, Godfrey on the rope and wall, Neda on the run, and myself on the three-point." She then looked at David, Misha, and Ji. "What are you three gonna do?"

"I will do the slingshot, then," Misha announced. "I am not very well balanced and I am not strong enough to break multiple vases."

"Works for me!" David exclaimed. As he was getting ready to speak, Ji interrupted him.

"And I'll do the vase smash," she asserted.

"You really want me to do the balance beam?" David asked, a surprised look on his face.

"Why not?" Ji replied. "You are a hockey player, right? Does that not require good balance?"

"Well, I guess you have a point," David assented, "But still, that's on a pair of skates, I don't know if I can do that on a balance beam!" He worried.

"Hey, don't worry David!" Neda encouraged him, a grin on her face. "I think you can do it!"

"Yeah, me too man!" Weenus cheered in agreement. "You'll kill it!"

"And besides," Godfrey suddenly interjected, "If you mess it up, we'll just know to ax you tonight."

A comment that would have made David chuckle just a few days ago now gave him pause. He peered over at Godfrey, his face giving nothing away other than the air of self-confidence he always had.

'Dangit, Godfrey,' David groaned internally. 'You and your mind games.'

Sighing, David finally nodded. "Well, in that case, I feel like I need to succeed at the balance beam."

"That's the spirit!" Brooke encouraged him. "We got this everyone!" She then shot Godfrey with a look that could kill from 50 yards. "And if we do lose, you're not certain to go, David."

Godfrey just grinned at the basketball player and shrugged.

"Alright, let's get it!" Weenus cheered as they made their way to their stations.

"I'll run," John simply said.

"Why you?" Liana asked, her irritation with John from earlier in the day not totally cleared.

"Because I'm actually a runner, Liana," the artist deadpanned at her.

"So?" She challenged. "I play soccer in my free time."

"And Sammy is an athlete too," Wind interjected, trying to be helpful.

John groaned. "Those are true, but distance running isn't soccer or wrestling. I do distance running, you guys don't."

Liana huffed. "Fine, you can run, John. I don't care."

The other Albatrosses just gave various annoyed reactions to Liana's attitude.

Static

Confessional: Vivi

"Woah!" She exclaimed, an amused grin on her face. "Who pissed in Liana's cornflakes this morning?" She laughed to herself. "I thought that getting the vote out in the open would make her less annoying about it, not more." The rocker then shrugged. "But hey, if she wants to take over my mantle as the moody bitch, she can have it."

Static

"Well, if you're done bitching," Vivi needled the gambler, which earned her the girl's ire, but no response, "I'm more than happy to smash up some vases."

"Something I'm sure you've never done before in your personal life, Vivi," John said with a wry grin on his face.

The rocker just snorted in amusement at that. "If I confirm or deny that, my parole officer wouldn't be happy."

"And I can do the rope and wall climb," Sammy suggested. "It looks like it's the most athletically challenging part of the course, so I'd be happy to do it." The other Albatrosses nodded, agreeing with Vivi and Sammy's parts of the course.

"Well, I'll do the army crawl," Wind hummed. "The sand won't bother me as much as it would Alessia or Marcellas."

"You're right on that girl!" Marcellas cheered. "Thanks!" He leaned over and kissed Wind on the cheek, then took a second to think. "I guess I can do the balance beam if that's okay with you two?" He asked Liana and Alessia.

"That works for me," Liana replied after pondering it for a moment. "I'll do the three-point challenge. I'm not a huge basketball player but I think I can get it."

"Then that leaves me with the slingshot, I guess," Alessia concluded. "I have no idea how good of a shot I am, but no better time to find out!" She chuckled with an undertone of nervousness.

"Alright, is everyone good with their task?" Liana queried the gathered team. They nodded at her in affirmation, which made her grin. "Alright then! Let's win it! Two in a row!" She excitedly called out.

"Alright, campers!" Chris called through a newly acquired megaphone. "Get to your stations! When I say Go, the challenge starts! Chop chop! Let's get this show on the road!"

As the campers made their way to their various stations, Wind and Weenus stood next to each other before the army crawl. The hippy turned to Weenus and noted, "So we're our team's first members?"

"Looks like it!" he excitedly replied. "I guess you were the most comfortable crawling around in the sand?" He then asked.

She nodded. "Yes." She then grew a cheeky grin. "And I assume that you have done much worse than crawl in the sand?

Weenus heartily laughed. "Well, you could say that!"

She held her hand out. "May the best team win, Weenus."

He grinned in reply to her and shook it. "Right back at you, Wind!"

"GO!" Chris exclaimed, suddenly, and without warning, setting the challenge in motion.

Weenus and Wind immediately both dove into the sand and began furiously crawling along the length of the challenge. While Wind was taller and thinner than Weenus, his effort at crawling through the sand kept him at pace with the girl. Wind would occasionally slow herself to try to remove sand from her face, which gave Weenus a precious few moments to try to even the race since he didn't even bother.

At the end of the crawl, Wind got out from under the wire just a few moments before Weenus, and tagged Sammy, indicating that it was his time to go. Weenus emerged only a few seconds later and tagged Godfrey, and the pair began running towards the net climb.

"I'll be getting sand out of my hair for the next year," Wind groaned as she shook her head, flecks of sand flying from her hair as she did so.

Meanwhile, as Sammy and Godfrey made their way towards the netting, Godfrey confidently grinned at the masked wrestler and said, "Looks like we're the best two athletically, huh?"

Sammy, however, said nothing and began climbing the rope netting as quickly as he could muster. Meanwhile, Godfrey began making a rapid ascent up the netting as well but was quickly slowed by the roping, losing his balance and falling onto his hands and knees.

"Dang It!" He irritatedly growled as he tried to regain his footing, all while Sammy continued his nimble climb up the ropes.

Static

Confessional: Sammy

As the wrestler rolled his shoulders, he told the camera, "Climbing things like that is easy for me. Wrestling ropes are made of steel cables wrapped in rope, and steel cages are thinner material than that. Big, thick ropes like that are a luxury for me," he said with a grin on his face.

Static

As Sammy made it to the top of his netting and began climbing up the wall, Godfrey was still slowly making his way up, trying to get his coordination back. Sammy nimbly climbed up and over the wall and disappeared, which gave Godfrey a satisfied smile.

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

Godfrey smirked. "I chose the climb because it'd be the easiest to throw." He then laughed. "I love losing challenges. Going to the campfire ceremony is exciting for me. It means that I'm playing this game to perfection. If I'm not in danger of going home, I'm playing this game all wrong."

Static

Sammy didn't even bother to run down the netting on the other side, instead opting to just curl into a ball and tumble down.

"C'mon, Sammy!" Alessia cheered her teammate on, "You got it! Hurry!"

Misha, however, gave no words of encouragement for her missing teammate, instead just standing stock still, waiting for her turn to grab her slingshot.

A few moments later, Sammy made his way down and tagged Alessia, which gave her the go-ahead to lift the slingshot and begin firing at the opposite team's targets.

After a few missed shots, Alessia cheered as she nailed the first plate, shattering it into pieces. Meanwhile, Misha continued to glare at the lack of Godfrey appearing over the wall.

"Yes!" Alessia cheered as another plate exploded into shards.

A few moments after that, Misha was relieved to see Godfrey's form finally appear over the wall, and begin climbing down it."Hurry Godfrey!" Misha uncharacteristically shouted at her teammate, but as Godfrey landed on the other side, Alessia shattered her third plate.

"Dammit, Godfrey, faster!" She shouted again, as he carefully made his way down the rope netting.

"Don't rush me, Misha!" He shouted back at her.

"Alessia has just destroyed her fourth plate, while Godfrey is still making his way down the netting from the previous obstacle!" Chris announced via megaphone. "The Albatrosses have taken a clear lead so far, but it's still anyone's game!" He called.

Alessia furrowed her brow, knowing she had to hit her last plate and soon, knowing that the lead could disappear rapidly, especially with Godfrey making his way closer towards her every second.

As Godfrey finally made his way towards Misha and herself, Alessia focused her breathing and took aim at the final plate. With a deep exhale, she let the rock fly, and it collided with the plate with a resounding crack, splintering it into pieces. Instantly, she dropped her slingshot and sprinted towards Marcellas and the balance beam. "It's all you Marcellas!" She called.

Marcellas hugged her and kissed her cheek. "That was amazing, boo!" He gushed. "Leave it to me!" With that, he hopped up on the balance beam and slowly began making his way across.

Back at the slingshot, as Marcellas slowly made his way across the beam, arms out wide, Godfrey arrived and tagged Misha. "Nice of you to finally get here, Godfrey," Misha scolded the larger teen as she began to take aim.

Godfrey just crossed his arms and smirked at her. "It's a race, not a sprint, Misha," he chided her. "I didn't wanna hurt myself and be incapacitated."

Misha just rolled her eyes as she quickly began taking aim at the plates. "Whatever you say, Godfrey," she admonished. Letting the first rock go, it easily found its mark, shattering a plate. She picked up and loaded a second rock, and again, in one blow, shattered her second plate.

Meanwhile, Marcellas hopped down from the balance beam and began running to Vivi, who grinned at her time to shine. "Get it, girl!" Marcellas cheered as she made her way to the vases and began viciously smashing vases in an effort to find one of the two keys.

"Unbelievable!" Chris exclaimed. "Misha has shattered five plates with five stones and is making her way towards David and the balance beam!"

As he said that, Misha jogged to David and tagged him. "You can do it, David," she told him confidently, "I have faith in you."

He grinned and nodded wordlessly as he climbed onto the beam, as Vivi continued her vase smashing. As David was about halfway across, Vivi smashed a face and hooted. "Let's go!" She reached down, grabbed a key, and ran toward the locked box.

"Vivi has found her key, but all the smashed vases made it easier for Ji! We're getting down to the wire everyone!" He excitedly called. Vivi threw the box lid open, grabbed the basketball out of it, and sprinted towards Liana and the basketball challenge. Also at that moment, David dismounted the balance beam and tagged Ji, who immediately began smashing the remaining vases, but it was slower going than it was with Vivi.

"All yours Liana!" Vivi called as she tagged Liana and tossed the basketball toward her. "Don't screw it up!"

"I'll do my best," the gambler muttered as she lined up her shot. She knew that Brooke would smoke her in this competition, and had to do it as fast as possible to give John a head start over Neda. With a shaky stance, she leaped and made a shot, but it bounced off the rim. Frustration flashed across her face as she quickly made a rebound and regained the ball as Ji continued to smash vases.

"Yes!" Ji called, as she smashed a vase and found a key, as Liana bricked another shot. She wiped a bead of sweat off her brow and exhaled, starting to feel the pressure.

Meanwhile, John and Neda stood, waiting for their teammates. "Well," John said, trying to make some small talk, "Ready to race?"

"'Course!" Neda responded, a confident grin on her face. "I've run with you a few times, John, and now I'm ready to race you."

Her confidence was infectious, as John let a small grin come across his face too. "Same, Neda. Don't expect me to take it easy on you, though." He said, letting a little cockiness sneak into his tone.

"Me either," Neda replied, a competitive glint in her eye. She then dropped down into the runner's starting stance. John mirrored her and crouched down too, waiting to feel the tag of his teammate.

Back behind them, Brooke hopped up and down on the balls of her feet, waiting for her chance to sink a three. "Hurry up, Ji!" She shouted. She glanced back at Liana in front of her, who angrily rebounded another missed three. "Liana can't do it, this is our chance!"

Ji was fumbling with the lock, in a race to open it as fast as she possibly could. Hearing the satisfying click of the unlocking, she reached in and grabbed the ball, and sprinted toward Brooke.

'Dammit!' Liana thought, outraged with herself. 'I'm blowing this! I gotta get this before Brooke gets here!' Finally getting back into position at the three-point line, with Ji getting closer every moment, Liana focused and let one more ball fly. She watched the ball arc through the air, knowing that she didn't have the time to miss many more of these shots.

Finally, however, as Ji tagged Brooke and the basketball star lined up her shot, Liana felt the weight of the world fall off her shoulders as the ball went in with a resounding swish. She instantly bolted and ran towards John. At the same time, Brooke saw Liana sink the shot and shrugged, before launching one off herself, hitting home perfectly and landing in the basket, before sprinting to Neda.

"Liana and Brooke have made both their shots!" Chris excitedly exclaimed. "They're both running to the final leg, this is anyone's race, literally!"

Liana, however, was just a few seconds ahead of Brooke, meaning that she was able to tag the artist first. "Run, John!" She roared, and the artist didn't to be told a second time, exploding from his stance and running down the beach.

A few seconds later, Brooke arrived and tagged Neda. "It's all you, girl!" Brooke called as Neda also leaped from her starting stance and quickly followed John.

As the two runners made their way down the beach, both came to a sudden, stark realization: doing a race on sand is much more difficult than on solid ground. Both almost immediately lost their balance on the soft ground, quickly having to regain it or let their opponent capitalize on the momentary advantage. John would lose his balance on the sand, letting Neda catch up before Neda would stumble, allowing John to pull back ahead. After a few more steps, though, both managed to find a rhythm, the two runners kicking up plumes of sand as they sprinted towards the finish line.

"It's anyone's race!" Chris hollered. "Neda and John are neck and neck! Who will cross the finish line first?!"

John and Neda both could see the finish line rapidly approaching and with both of their hearts pounding in their chests, they pushed themselves for a big, final sprint to the finish line, kicking up even larger plumes of sand behind them. Finally though, one did cross the finish line, with Chris blowing his whistle to signal the end.

"It was a tight race, but John crossed the finish first! Albatrosses win the challenge!" Chris called over the megaphone, as the Albatrosses cheered in celebration.

Both huffing and gathering their breaths at the finish line, John looked over at Neda and spoke, "Hey…good race."

Heavily breathing herself, Neda managed to grin and respond, "Yeah….you too, John. Maybe…we can race again sometime."

"Yeah, that'd be cool, just not on the sand next time," was the artist's tired reply before the rest of the campers gathered around the finish line. The Albatrosses cheered on John's victory and celebrated their second win, while the Crocodiles gave Neda condolences for their loss and echoed statements of it not being her fault.

"Well, the Albatrosses have won their second straight challenge," Chris then looked over at the Crocodiles, "which means that for a second time, Calm Crocodiles, you guys are headed for the campfire ceremony tonight!" He gave them a brutal grin. "I hope you're ready to lose someone else!"

Sighing, the Crocodiles made their way back to their cabins. Worriedly, David looked at Godfrey. "What do we do now, man?" the chef asked, concern written clearly across his features. "We're down a man to the girls now!"

The charmer looked at him and grinned. "Don't worry about a thing. I have a plan. You just gotta trust me, David."

"Why is it that I get warier and warier every time you tell me that, Godfrey?"

The Crocodile girls were gathered in their cabin after the challenge, discussing it, and how the vote that night would go. "You did as good as you could, Neda," Brooke in particular said to the aforementioned girl as she sat on the floor beside her bed, "don't feel bad about losing the footrace to John."

Neda ruefully grinned at her as she sat on the bed opposite her. "I actually don't. At least, not a lot," she replied. "John was just faster than me, there's nothing more to say about it." She pounded one fist into the palm of her other hand. "I just wanna get those Albatrosses back! That's twice now they've beaten me and cost me a challenge win!"

Brooke chuckled at Neda's spirit. "Well, that's good at least!"

Misha huffed frustratedly. "We would most likely have won if Godfrey did not take his sweet time on the net climb."

"What do you mean, Misha?" Ji asked, interest piqued.

"Godfrey was exceptionally slow making his way across the net and wall climb," Misha explained. "By the time Sammy reached Alessia, Godfrey was just reaching the top of the first side. And then Alessia was almost done with the slingshot by the time he reached me. It was most fortunate that I am good with a slingshot. Otherwise, we would have been completely out of the competition."

"You know….." Neda trailed off, remembering a conversation she had with David prior to the competition, "When I talked to David as we were walking to the beach, I asked him about the vote a few days ago, where Apollo left the game. He said that it was Godfrey who voted him out!"

The other girls looked at her with surprised expressions on their faces. "It was Godfrey?!" Brooke gasped.

Neda nodded in affirmation. "Yeah. David said that Godfrey admitted it and everything. And when David pressed him on it, Godfrey was all weird and dodgy about it. He told me to keep an eye on him."

"And Godfrey also revealed to me that there was a guy alliance during the paintball competition as well," Misha reminded. "He was quite odd during that exchange as well. I do not trust him either. I think he is playing people."

"Well, we have the majority of votes tonight," Ji shrugged nonchalantly. "Let's just vote Godfrey and be rid of him. Not have to worry about it anymore."

Misha nodded. "I am okay with that. Best to be rid of him sooner, rather than later and let him fester. Who knows what he is up to, or what he can do."

"Then it's decided," Brooke announced as she stood. "Godfrey goes tonight. Is that the plan?"

The three other girls all nodded in agreement. "Good." Brooke then stretched and said, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Be right back."

As she left the cabin and descended the stairs, she was suddenly stopped.

"Hey."

She turned and looked at the voice's owner, an incredulous look on her face. "What do YOU want?"

"I have a proposition for you…."

Meanwhile, in the Male Albatross Cabin, John sat with Sammy, Vivi, and Wind.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about voting tonight," Wind hummed, pleased with that fact. "Voting someone off would be most troubling to do."

"Yeah, and if we did, I have a feeling that it'd be one of two people who'd be going," John remarked as he looked over at Sammy.

"Right?" Vivi replied. "I know we'd just be getting a pitch on getting Sammy out from our beloved dictator." She rolled her eyes, then turned and faced Sammy. "Voting for her really didn't pay off that well for you, did it?" she asked. "It's just gotten her all bent out of shape and focused on targeting you."

"It can upset her all she wants," Sammy replied evenly. "I don't regret my vote, and I'd vote for her again. I don't like the way she plays this game. She's deceitful and is playing a dirty game. I don't respect it and I wouldn't vote for her in the end."

"Yes," Wind agreed, "I'm not sure what changed, but she has really been…..well," she trailed off, trying to find the right, kind words.

However, Vivi felt compelled to finish Wind's sentence. "She's been an annoying bitch."

Wind cringed at the harsh language, while Sammy just nodded and John exhaled through his nose in amusement.

"...I wouldn't use that particular language, but I can't say that Liana hasn't been," Wind begrudgingly agreed.

Vivi suddenly stood, looking annoyed at the entire situation. "Why do we have to cower and hide from her like this? Liana isn't our boss. She's not our captain. She's not special, or being protected in any way. I say next chance we get, we send her ass off this island." Vivi looked around the room. "There's four here. That's the majority." Vivi began to look excited. "Let's do it. We can get her outta here!"

Sammy was the first to chime in. "I'm happy to do that. She's targeting me; it's only fair."

Wind, however, seemed a bit more hesitant. "I don't know…..plotting against her like this doesn't seem very fair…"

Vivi pointed a finger at her. "And that's why she needs to go, Wind! She's making you feel like you need to bend over backward for her, even when she's not here! Screw that, and screw her."

Wind flinched again at the harsh words Vivi had for their teammate. "Vivi, I thought you liked Liana."

The rocker shrugged. "I like her just fine. But she's getting in the way of my game. Our games. She's done nothing but make herself a target. She's gotta go."

Wind sighed in resignation. "If you think it's best."

Vivi finally turned to the artist, who had opted to keep silent throughout her speech. "What about you?"

He smirked at her. "What about me what?"

"Don't play coy," she barked back. "You gonna join our voting block or not?"

John put both of his hands up in a motion of surrender. "Woah, don't get mad at me. I was just playing around." He shrugged. "I don't really care either way. But hey, if this is an alliance, I'm not gonna turn that down."

Vivi looked at the four gathered. "So, next campfire ceremony, we're doing this?" She received three pairs of nodding heads. "Good. It's about time we get control back around here."

Static

Confessional: John

John sat in the outhouse, a sly grin on her face. "Well, it seems like I've found myself in a pretty interesting position. Vivi, Wind, and Sammy all want me to vote one way, all while Liana, and I'm sure Alessia and Marcellas, will want me to vote another." He tapped his chin. "I can't say I'm good at math, but even I can see that there are two teams of three looking for a fourth vote." He gave a rare full grin to the camera. "Not exactly vanishing into the scenery like I wanted, but, hey, having the power is a little fun sometimes. Now, I wait to see if Liana presents me with a deal of some kind. Because I can definitely be bought if it means I get farther in this thing."

Static

Confessional: Wind

Wind sits in the confessional booth, looking distressed. "Oh, dear," she mumbles. "I feel caught in the middle. I don't have the same dislike for Liana as Vivi does, but she does, however, raise good points about her stifling games and trying to be the dictator of the team. I feel like I should tell Liana, but I know that will just infuriate her and cause an issue too." She sighs sadly. "Times like these I feel in over my head in this game."

Static

While John, Wind, Vivi, and Sammy were in the bunks conspiring, Liana, Alessia, and Marcellas were eating a late-night snack in the mess hall.

"So, it's rather obvious that you two are in an alliance," Liana nonchalantly said as the trio ate.

Alessia giggled. "You're so observant, Liana!." She responded, her sarcasm hidden behind a giggle.

"Yeah, girl," Marcellas added on, "It's not like we try to hide it. Why do you even care, anyways?"

She narrowed her eyes on them. "I want in on this alliance."

That got the pair's attention. "You want in?" Marcellas asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I want in." She repeated. "I need some protection, and like it or not, I think you two are the ones that can provide that for me right now, because I know I need it," she said back, grumbling the last part of her sentence.

Alessia scoffed, appalled. "I admire your guts, Liana. But why on Earth would we key you in on this?"

Liana held up her index finger. "One, it means I'd be loyal to you two. You'd never receive my votes in an elimination ceremony, and we'd be able to vote together as a trio."

"Hold the phone, timeout," Marcellas interrupted, making his hands into a T-shape, "that's still only three. We're the minority still."

Not missing a beat, Liana continued, "We can try to fold in another member of the team. I'm thinking Wind or John. Maybe both," she rambled to herself before continuing. "Anyway," she held up a second finger, "Secondly, I'll make a final three with you two. I'll do my damnedest to make sure you guys make it to the end with me. I'll try to get you guys included in any alliances I make when we make merge, and your two's safety would be my priority next to my own."

Alessia didn't seem impressed. "You just want us to think you'd willingly go to the end of the game with an obvious final-two pair and try not to take one of us out beforehand? Do you really think we're that stupid, Liana?"

Liana almost looked insulted. "What more do I have right now?" She snapped back. "Sammy doesn't like me at all, and I have absolutely zero trust in Vivi. It's about numbers right now, in this portion of the game, and I need them, because I'm a target, and I have to play defensively at this moment. I know Sammy and Vivi are gonna start recruiting, I need to be as well."

She then held up a third finger. "And finally, I'm the biggest target on our side right now. I'd be a shield for you two. People will want me to go before you guys. As we get farther into the game, people will be so focused on me, you two will just fly under the radar." With that, she eyed them expectantly. "So, again, what do you two say?"

Alessia and Marcellas eyed each other, seeing what the other was thinking. After a few moments, Marcellas responded. "Sure!" He enthusiastically responded. "We know that you're right, that there are people targeting you. We might as well make this split sides thing official."

Liana had a satisfied grin on her face. "Great. Partners." She then turned to Marcellas. "Marcellas, you try to see if you can get Wind on our side. Maybe during one of your little lunches. I'll work on John."

The pair nodded. "Sounds good to us," Alessia replied.

Liana stood. "Well, at least we don't have to go to the campfire ceremony tonight. We get a few days to work on the others." Without another word, she turned and left the Mess Hall.

Static

Confessional: Liana

"Yeah, I've admittedly backed myself into a bit of a bind here," the gambler confessed. "It's not the first time my mouth's gotten me into trouble, but it's a time where it can cost me a million dollars." She took a second as she thought, then continued. "Well, I'm obviously just lying to those two. Like I'm gonna look out for their safety or go to the end with them. Ha!" She unamusedly laughed. "I don't even need them to believe me for long. Just for long enough to maybe scrounge a few numbers up for me, or if we can win a few competitions, or, hopefully, the merge." Her look hardened into the camera. "I've been in much worse binds than this. But the game's not over until the last card is played, and rest assured, I'm going to fight and play until Chris tells me that I'm not getting a marshmallow."

Static

Once the door closed and Liana was gone, Alessia groaned and sagged into Marcellas. "Ugh!" She annoyedly grumbled. "I get why we're doing it, but god, she's such an annoying tryhard. I wish we didn't have to."

Marcellas nodded in agreement. "Yeah, girl is playing too hard too fast." He giggled. "But hey, she was right about everything. And plus, she totally will be a shield for us. Say what you want about her, but Liana knows what she's talking about."

Alessia didn't stop sagging. "And you just trust her?"

He laughed. "No way! But for the moment, we just gotta stick it out. I think if we stick with her, at least for the short term, it'll work out for us."

For the second time in a row, the Crocs found themselves at an elimination ceremony. The fire was roaring as everyone sat on a stump, anticipating who their second elimination would be.

From the dock of shame came Chris, his ever-present grin on his face. "Well," he said as he sat on a large stump in front of all the others, "Here we go again." Chris chuckled at his own comment, before continuing. "Two in a row, Crocs. What's happening with you guys?"

Misha huffed in annoyance. "Our woes in the challenge started with the rope and wall climb. By the time Godfrey made it over and down the net, Alessia was already past her challenge and Marcellas was on the balance beam. I applaud the rest of our team for actually managing to catch up, but if Godfrey wasn't slow, we wouldn't be here."

Chris' smile widened at the blatant shot at Godfrey by his teammate. "Woah, harsh words from Misha!" He exclaimed. He turned to look at the charming teen, "Godfrey, anything to say back to her?"

The self-assured smile never left his face as he responded. "Hey, Misha can think whatever she wants to think. Like I told her, I went as fast as I could without thinking I would hurt myself." The gathered girls rolled their eyes at his words as he continued, "This game's a race, not a sprint. I don't wanna hurt myself in challenge three and not be able to play in the rest of the challenges coming. Either way, I'm totally confident in my standing on this team and in this game."

"So that means you don't think you're going home tonight, Godfrey?" The host inquired.

"No, I know I'm not going home tonight, man." Godfrey quipped.

'Cocky bastard.' Ji thought with disdain at Godfrey's response to Chris. 'Seeing him be humbled will be so very worth it.'

Chris began heartily laughing at Godfrey's words. "Man, I love this guy!" Chris exclaimed. "He's got almost as much confidence as I do!"

Now, Godfrey chuckled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anyway," Chris said, starting to change topics, "Neda, how is it on the island so far?"

"Oh, it's just been wonderful!" The superfan exclaimed. "I've been getting to meet so many cool new people and learned so many cool new things. I can say that pretty much everyone here is gonna be a friend for life! I just hope they feel the same about me," she finished with a giggle.

Chris clapped his hands in happiness. "Great! Weenus, what about you?" He asked, turning to face the stuntman extraordinaire.

"Oh, it's ruled, dude!" Weenus rejoiced. "Like what Neda said, there are so many cool people here, and I haven't even gotten to talk with all of them yet! But all the dudes on my team are just awesome, and the girls are great too! I'm so glad our team is our team!"

"Well, that's good to hear!" His smile suddenly took on a more sinister look. "Because now, it's time to send one of you packing!" He then picked up the plate of marshmallows, now with six of the treats on it. "Seven Crocs, but six marshmallows. You just went through this, so you know how it goes." Chris picked up the first marshmallow, squeezing it between his fingers. "Tonight's first marshmallow goes to…

…..Ji!" With a satisfied smile, the Korean girl caught her marshmallow out of the air and plopped it into her mouth.

"And, marshmallow two goes to…..David!"

"Woooo!" The Chef yelled in excitement to the amusement of his teammates as he caught and ate his marshmallow.

"Five marshmallows! Four campers! And that number gets lower and lower because our next safe camper….is Brooke!"

Pumping her first in happiness, Brooke caught her marshmallow and tossed it into the flames of the bonfire.

"And our next safe camper is….Weenus!"

"Yes!" The camper in question exclaimed in elation as he also caught and ate his marshmallow.

"We're down to the wire, three campers, but two marshmallows!" Godfrey still wore his smile on his face, totally unaffected by the fact that he was one of the three campers left still without a marshmallow. Misha still wore her blank mask of a facial expression, also seeming not worried.

Neda, on the other hand, had a look of clear worry on her face, and her foot rapidly tapped the ground as she awaited the next camper to get their marshmallow. "Well, our penultimate marshmallow will go to….

…..Neda!"

The Iranian teenager exhaled in sheer relief and caught her treat in shaking hands before quickly popping it into her mouth, and wiping her hands on the sides of her stump. Meanwhile, Chris picked up the last marshmallow. "This is it. One marshmallow. Either Godfrey or Misha will be eliminated." Misha allowed a small, satisfied smile to slip onto her face as she watched the cocky teen's manner, as he stretched his arms and put them behind his head, a satisfied smile again gracing his features.

Seeing the display, Chris turned and faced him. "Godfrey. You're…..

…..Safe." He then turned and faced a shocked Misha. "And Misha, you've been eliminated."

"What?" Was all that Misha could ask, as she looked around at her fellow girls, who all looked equally stunned. "How could this happen?"

"I think it happened because you got more votes than me, Misha," Godfrey said casually as he chewed his newly caught marshmallow. "Ta-ta, Misha." He said mockingly as he waved his hand.

"But….." she trailed off, obviously still confused.

"Sorry, Misha, but you're eliminated. You're gonna have to head to the Dock of Shame and get on the Boat of Losers," Chris said, pointing to the dock.

Misha looked genuinely hurt as she faced the girls. "I had faith in you three. I was hoping that we would stick together. Maybe make it far in this game. I see now that was not going to happen. I was foolish." She quickly moved to wipe away a tear as she turned and looked at Chris. "I apologize, I am making my way off this island." She quickly made her way towards the dock and boarded the Boat of Losers, and the Crocs watched as her sulking form retreated into the distance before vanishing entirely.

An awkward silence held a grip over the campers as they watched Misha depart. After a few moments, Chris clapped his hands, gathering their attention. "Well, that's enough of that!" Chris cackled. "Congrats, you all survived another vote! Feel free to head back to your cabins now!" Chris quickly turned tail and made his way away from them as they stood and began making their way to the Crocodile cabin.

"Poor Misha…." Neda sadly whispered under her breath.

Meanwhile, in the Mess Hall, Chris wore a huge smile. "Wow! If that wasn't the most dramatic elimination yet, my name isn't Chris McLean!"

He stepped out into the cool night air as the moon hung high over Wawanakwa. "Well, that's it for another episode! What will happen next? Will we have another shocking blindside? I bet you're excited to find out, and I know I sure am! We'll find out together next time on

TOTAL!

DRAMA!

ISLAND: REWRITTEN!

Confessional Votes:

Ji: Ji wore a pleased look on her face. "One guy down, three to go. I vote to eliminate Godfrey."

Neda: "Once again, the girls are unified to get a guy out! The fewer guys that are around, the better majority the girls have and the safer I am, so bye, Godfrey!"

Godfrey: Chuckling, he told the camera, "Peace, Misha."

David: A look of confusion was clearly across his face as he scratched his chin. "I guess Misha?"

Weenus: "Time for you to go, Misha!"

Misha: "Godfrey is much too cocky. Him leaving third will be very humbling, and I will enjoy seeing his face."

Brooke: Her face was buried in her hands. "I can't believe I'm doing this…but I vote to eliminate Misha."

NOOOOOOOO! MISHA! YOU WERE BETRAYED!

I enjoyed Misha a lot, with always making her sentences long and never shortening her sentences. She's a character I'd like to send to some SYOCs someday soon.

So, both teams are pretty messed up right now! The Crocs have back-to-back major betrayals, and the Albatrosses are splintering into two major sides. Things are really heating up on Wawanakwa, and it'll only get hotter as the story gets deeper.

Also, with this, this story passes 50K words! HOLY CRAP! I've never written that many words for anything, so this is a pretty huge milestone for me. And there's still a lot to go! So a great time to remind that I am in no way a professional and if my writing sucks bare with me I'm doing my best

Special thanks to anyone who reads, follows, favorites, reviews, or anything of the sort! So with that, thanks again for reading and see you all next time!