Summary: 20 contestants battle it out on a private resort in a tropical paradise hosted by the amazing Chris McLean, and his assistant, Chef Hatchet. In a brand new season of twists and turns, who will walk away with the prize?
We don't own Total Drama or the songs used in the chapter. They belong to their respective owners.
Fantastic Flamingos: Joseph, Abigail, Brittany, Spikke, Christopher, Miguel, Jerusha, Fernando, Antonio, and Lucille
Pretty Peacocks: Rebekah, Ilyria, Lin, Butch, Walter, Dante, Trish, Shauna, Demetrius, and Terra
"Last time on Total Drama Hawaiian Resort…" Chris would begin his famous recap. "We've met our cast of 20 contestants, who all come from around the world! We've got models, magicians, agents, clowns, and your average, everyday teenager! They definitely seem to be an interesting bunch. Two of which, Rebekah and Joseph, were named team captains, and got to pick their teams, schoolyard style. Joseph now leads the Fantastic Flamingoes, while Rebekah leads the Pretty Peacocks. As the team picks began to wind down, tensions seemed to run high between Lucille and Joseph after the former ended up being the last person picked. Will they get along, or are the Flamingoes dead in the water before they could even swim? Will our contestants enjoy the resort and all it has to offer? And who will be the first person heading home on Total!
Drama!
HAWAIIAN RESORT!"
Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine,
You guys are on my mind.
You asked me what I wanted to be
and now I think the answer is plain to see,
I wanna be famous.
I wanna live close to the sun,
Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won,
Everything to prove, nothing in my way
I'll get there one day.
Cause, I wanna be famous!
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na! (as can be heard in the background)
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
(Whistling in tune)
Episode 2: Show Off Your Talents
Fantastic Flamingoes (Spikke and Christopher)
Christopher and Spikke were actually getting along pretty well as roommates.
"I still feel bad for you about getting kicked out," Christopher lamented.
"It's all good, bro. My parents were idiots anyway," Spikke said.
"I would be mad if my parents kicked me out for not wanting to follow in their footsteps," Christopher said.
"Hey, my siblings support me, so at least I have someone to count on," Spikke let out.
"You have 4 siblings, right?" Christopher asked.
"Yep. They're all older than me," Spikke answered. "And you have one sister, right?"
"Yeah, Lauren. She's pretty famous," Christopher smiled.
"I've heard of her. I've seen a few of her performances in Las Vegas. She's pretty good," Spikke said.
"I'll make sure to tell her that," Christopher smiled again.
The two would continue chatting as they unpacked their belongings.
(Miguel and Fernando)
As Miguel continued to unpack in the room he shared with Fernando, the Italian model instead opted to look out the window and out at the horizon.
"Ah, now this is the kind of luxury I can get used to!"
"I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it," Miguel let out, as he placed a picture on his nightstand. It was of a man around his age, along with a girl. They looked pretty similar to Miguel in appearance. He would take his clothes and put them in the drawers.
"So, what do you think of the others so far?" Fernando asked, turning away from the window and taking a moment to observe Miguel's photo.
"They seem to be interesting. I'm at least glad the clown isn't on our team," Miguel replied. He noticed Fernando observing the photo. "That's me with two of my many cousins. They moved in with me and my parents when their parents were killed in a bank robbery."
"I see, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that tragedy hasn't affected them too badly. As for the clown, what is her name, Terra? She'll probably be the first one gone."
*Confessionals*
Fernando: "And so my plan can be put into motion: gain the trust of my team so they don't suspect me. When they've outlived their usefulness to me, get rid of them!"
*static*
Miguel: "Fernando seems pretty nice so far, but I feel that something's a bit off. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong."
*End confessionals*
(Joseph and Antonio)
Both boys were unpacking their belongings into their respective dressers. Antonio smiled to himself as he pulled a soccer ball out of his bag and looked out onto the beach, wondering to himself what the best place on the island would be for a game of soccer.
"Alright." Joseph began as he placed a rather long photo of his large family by his bedside. "Since we're going to be bunking together, we're going to lay down a few ground rules."
"Sounds good to me." Antonio nodded, pulling out a photo of him and his girlfriend and placing it onto his bedside table. "What kind of rules do you have in mind?"
"For starters, once the challenges start I expect there to be no distractions. Not just for you but for the team as a whole. Second, I'm the designated leader, so I expect to be respected. Anyone who wants to disrespect me or can't keep up will get a one way ticket away from this resort at best. But if you can put in good work for the team then you'll be fine. I'll tell the rest of the team at dinner, unless you meet with any of them before then. With me as this team's Tribal Chief, we're going to win, count on that!"
"Yes, of course," Antonio nodded, sweating ever so slightly at the glowering look in his roommate's eyes.
*Confessionals*
Antonio: "Joseph scares me a little. I just hope that I won't disappoint him."
*static*
Joseph: "Antonio seems like a team player, so as long as he helps the team he can stay. Now I just need everyone else to follow suit."
*End Confessionals*
(Jerusha and Lucille)
Lucille was unpacking her stuff and putting them away just as everyone else was, taking special care with her violin. As she looked away from her instrument she looked surprised and confused at Jerusha's apparent displeasure with the state of the room.
"Oh, no no no, this simply won't do! We need more darkness in here! More blacks and purples and midnight blues!" She exclaimed, turning the lights off and closing the window curtains.
"Um…the room looks fine as it is to me," Lucille said, a little surprised.
"I suppose we have different tastes, which is fine. It's just… simple and bland colors like these are so boring to me!"
"Everyone has their preferences," Lucille shrugged as she continued unpacking. As she finished, she decided to take out her violin from its case.
"Of course! Just as I have a preference for the macabre and the bright lights of Vegas, you have a preference for the violin." Jerusha laid down onto her bed and looked up at the ceiling with a smile. "In a way, everyone here has their own preferences and ideals, I suppose this contest is just a way for us to express them."
Lucille nodded in understanding, slowly getting up from her wheelchair, and getting onto the bed. "I see. So…do you have your eyes on anyone just yet?"
"Hmm… if by 'have my eye on anyone' you mean who I think would be the one to help me make the most extravagantly macabre performance, then I would have to say Christopher is the first to catch my eye. Though in that context I do believe Dante, Spikke, Lin, Terra, and even yourself may also have the spirit of performers in them. Though Terra might be a bit too much of an oddball to have on stage and for you it is rather obvious with your violin. If you meant in terms of a boy I might like… I'd say maybe Christopher, but relationships aren't my priority right now."
Lucille would smile a little. "I see. I can actually play some pop songs on my violin. My favourite is currently 'Toxic' by Britney Spears."
"Ohh, nice choice!" Jerusha grinned. "Speaking of toxic, that little moment between you and Joseph earlier, let's hope nothing bad happens between you guys."
"I hope so too," Lucille sighed. "Well, in any case, we're gonna have to be around each other during the competition."
"I'm sure things will get better as the game goes on, but for now let's just enjoy ourselves."
"Agreed," Lucille nodded.
(Abigail and Brittany)
There was complete silence between the two women as they unpacked their belongings, putting them away. Avalanche would be next to Brittany, the mob boss carefully putting away certain designer clothing.
"Those are some pretty clothes," Abigail let out.
The mob boss turned to the former child star. "Thanks. My stepmother designed them."
"Your…stepmother? Isn't she Anastasia Drake?" Abigail asked.
"Yes. What about it?" Brittany would raise an eyebrow.
"She's incredible with her designs! I'd love to meet her one day! Um…if that's okay with you."
"Perhaps," Brittany would give a small smile.
"Can I pet Avalanche?" Abigail asked.
"See if she wants it," Brittany shrugged her shoulders.
Abigail would reach her hand out towards the Doberman, who would look at the hand for a moment and sniff at it before looking away, uninterested in the teen.
"She takes time to get used to strangers," Brittany said.
"That's alright. I don't mind waiting," Abigail let out.
Pretty Peacocks (Rebekah and Trish)
The tomboy would be unpacking her belongings, and putting them away in the drawers. "Aren't you going to put your stuff away, Trish?" she asked her roommate. The posh girl lugged one of her many suitcases over to her dresser and began to put her clothes away before stopping and taking out two different swimsuits.
"Hmm… which do you think I would look better at at the beach?"
Rebekah gave a deadpan look. "Are you serious?"
"...Yeah, you're right, it's definitely this one!"
Rebekah rubbed her forehead in annoyance. "Come on, just put away your stuff. You can think about your swimsuits on another free day. That is, if you don't get eliminated."
"Oh, you are so right!" Trish replied, hurrying to put away the rest of her things, a hint of fear in her eye at Rebekah's tone. "So, um, what do you think of everyone else so far?"
"They seem interesting, especially Walter. Maybe I can convince my dad to give him a job at the police force. He'd be a good fit."
"Aww, I'm sure he'd appreciate that! But do you mean everyone else is 'interesting' in a good or bad way?"
"I don't know for sure. I feel that something's off about Demetrius. I can't put my finger on it," Rebekah replied. "Perhaps there's a hidden dark side to him?"
"I totally get you!" Trish nodded. "Something about him just strikes me as creepy. Dante, too. Though I wouldn't say he's creepy, something just doesn't feel right about him."
"He seemed nice enough when I chose him first," Rebekah mused. "But I'll have to wait and see."
"Well you seem like you have a good intuition, that's why you're the captain after all!"
"Honestly, I was surprised to be chosen as captain. I actually thought that Ilyria would get it. But I don't mind. I am hoping to be a police officer."
"Ohhh, sounds tough! I'm going into the fashion and modeling industry. It's definitely not the same, but believe me, it can be just as brutal!"
"I read up on one of our fellow contestants. Brittany. Turns out, her stepmother is a famous fashion designer," Rebekah said.
"I KNOW! I was super nervous when I found out they're related but I didn't want to say anything to, like, embarrass her or make her upset!"
"She seems really tough. Gaining control of her father's mob? Damn," Rebekah let out. "But my father actually worked with her mob before. So they don't do anything illegal. Honestly, they try to help out police forces when they can." The tomboy would pause for a moment. "Do you have any siblings?"
"Yup, I do have one older sister, her name's Maria, and she kind of reminds me of our dad. But I'm Daddy's little princess! He would always get me whatever I wanted so that's kind of how I ended up here on this show!"
"I see," Rebekah nodded. "I've got five brothers. One older brother named Peter, one twin named Lucas, two younger twin brothers named Romeo and Austin, and a final brother, the youngest. His name is Johnathan. I'm the only girl."
"The only girl out of six kids? That's a yikes! No offense…"
"None taken," Rebekah let out. "My family used to have an intense rivalry with another family, with five girls and one boy. But that's no more."
"You, like, have to tell me the story behind that someday!"
"Well, part of it was a little strange. Romeo used to have a huge crush on Juliet Everrose. He had a shrine dedicated to her and everything. But after coming out as gay, he's no longer obsessed with her."
Trish listened in with intent as she pulled out a bottle of her spring water for both her and Rebekah.
"I suppose I'll try this spring water you're obsessed with," Rebekah said.
*Confessionals*
Trish: "Okay, so I, like, totally thought Rebekah was going to be just a little bit mean when I found out she picked me as her roommate, but she's actually really cool! I just know she's gonna be an awesome captain too. Also, HI DADDY! Your little princess is on TV!"
*static*
Rebekah: "Trish actually seems interesting. Perhaps I can get along with her."
End Confessionals
(Walter and Demetrius)
Demetrius would be unpacking his belongings, putting them away. The silence within the room was getting to be a bit awkward as Walter was also putting his belongings away silently and quickly.
Demetrius would finish putting his stuff away, and pull out his guitar, playing a few notes from time to time.
"I see you have some skills." Walter noted, not even looking at his roommate as he pulled out a set of dumbbells and set them near the corner of the room.
"Yeah, I play a bit. I'm not that skilled or talented in it," Demetrius nodded.
"Not yet, at least. Skills like that take time and proper discipline to properly develop. If there's one thing I'm good with, it's discipline! Also, I should tell you about this in advance but, as a soldier, I'm used to getting up early."
"Well, as long as your alarm doesn't wake me up, I'm sure we'll get along just fine as roommates," Demetrius said, earning a chuckle from the large young man.
"Hmph, alarms." Walter said with a shake of his head. "I no longer need them."
"What do you think about the rest of our team?" Demetrius asked.
"We have yet to see how effective Rebekah is as a leader. Aside from her and ourselves, Butch seems to be a bit of a troublemaker who cannot keep his thoughts to himself, Lin may not be physically threatening but with wit as sharp as she's shown so far, she might be an asset with her intellect. For most of the others it's a bit hard to tell right now. However, I will admit I'm worried about what this team will do with Terra on our side."
"Me too," Demetrius nodded. "Especially with that agent around, she might try and get me out if I try to cheat. Not like I'm planning on doing so."
"I would hope not." Walter responded, his expression hardening as he looked at his roommate right in the eyes. "Because I can assure you, if I catch you cheating, then I will make sure the rest of your time here will be hellish."
Demetrius fell silent, as he turned his attention back to his guitar and allowed the previous silence to return.
(Ilyria and Shauna)
Shauna hummed to herself as she finished putting away the last of her clothes. Ilyria had already finished putting away her belongings.
"Nice weather we're having," the British girl let out.
"Oh my gosh, it's amazing weather! Plus we're in Hawaii so I bet it'll be sunny for a while!"
Ilyria would nod. "I brought a lot of sunscreen."
"What sort of music do you like?" Shauna asked, getting a bit excited about her new roommate.
"It depends on my mood," Ilyria replied. "I don't have a lot of time to listen to music."
"Right, what with your job and all…"
(Terra and Lin)
Lin calmly put her clothes and other belongings away, somehow avoiding the storm of clothes and other random objects Terra was flinging around the room. Even though they had essentially just met, the energy of the two was like yin and yang.
"Ah, this is just like a sleepover! Have you ever been to a sleepover, Lin Lin? You don't mind if I call you Lin Lin, right?" Terra asked, practically bouncing around the room. The tiny young woman looked at the clown and sighed to herself, putting away the last of her things and finally looking at the rainbow-haired girl in front of her.
"I'd prefer it if you don't." Lin deadpanned. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Terra pulled out a basketball from seemingly nowhere.
"You play ball?"
"It's going to be a long summer…" Lin sighed before walking away and leaving the room.
"Is that a yes? If you do, does that make you Ball-Lin?"
As the door shut, Terra shook her head with a sigh and began to clean the room, her expression shifting into one looking much more morose. From outside the room, Lin leaned against the door with just a hint of a smile on her face as she tried suppressing a laugh.
*confessionals*
Terra: "Well, so much for first impressions, I guess…"
*static*
Lin: "Okay, I'll admit, 'Ball-Lin' was pretty good. Terra's also the only person to give me a nickname that wasn't 'Street Trash' or 'That scruffy looking kid', so maybe she's alright. Heck, maybe I'll let her call me 'Lin Lin'."
*End confessionals*
(Butch and Dante)
"Um, aren't you going to put away your stuff?" Dante asked as he watched Butch do push-ups.
"I'll do it later. Don't worry about me. Unless you want to do it."
"I'm not putting away your stuff! Besides, what if you get voted off first, or something? You didn't exactly make a lot of friends today!"
"Eh, we'll be fine! Our team has me and that soldier guy. Heck, even you've got some muscle on you. Anything that involves heavy lifting that Chris wants to throw at us, we'll take care of it! We just have to make sure everyone else keeps up. Heck, we might have to put in some extra work for some of the others. Have you seen who we have on our team?!"
"I think the others can take care of themselves." Dante replied.
"I don't know, bro." Butch said, stopping his exercise and shrugging at the taller boy. "We've got a clown and a dancer girl who both ate dirt the second they got here and a girl who looks twelve. We've got our work cut out for us, even with the muscle we have."
"It's a good thing Rebekah's not here to hear all this." Dante sighed, sitting down onto his bed.
"That's another thing, who does she think she is, waiting to pick me until there was, what, half of the people left?!" Butch groaned before calming himself down. "But hey, she made the right call in the end."
"Uh, yeah, hehe!" Dante laughed nervously, obviously wanting to keep quiet about being the first pick. "So, um, I guess we should at least do our best and work with the team we have now, right?"
"I guess." Butch sighed. "Having this team is better than having no team, at least until the teams get merged. That's a thing that happens, right?"
*confessionals*
Dante: "I kinda don't want to get on Butch's bad side. He seems like the type that might flip out if someone says something that ticks him off and I already deal with enough of that back home. I might also have to make sure the rest of the team doesn't kill him if they ever hear what he's saying about them!"
*static*
Butch: "Dante seems alright. If he man's up a bit then between me, him, and that guy Walter, this team will be a force!"
*End confessionals*
"Attention contestants! Please meet us at the auditorium asap!" Chris announced.
Once all of the contestants made it to the auditorium, Chris would clap his hands to get their attention. "Time for the first challenge! It's the classic Talent show! Captains, you, along with three other teammates will do acts for your fellow campers. I, of course, will be one of the judges, along with Chef Hatchet, Alexis, and two very special guests."
"Can we do duets?" Ilyria raised her hand.
"It's not mandatory, but it would be preferred if you each do a solo act," Chris continued.
The thought of being part of a talent show made Jerusha and Terra's eyes widen with excitement, though some of the Peacocks looked unsettled at the thought of Terra competing for them.
"Are there any restrictions to what we can do?" The rainbow-haired girl asked.
"Just make sure your act is still family-friendly," Chris responded. "Despite all of you being 18 and all."
The wacky girl mumbled something about having to switch up her act after that response, which some of her team seemed thankful for.
"Anyway, let's introduce our special guests who will be judging alongside us. First up, she's from Hollywood, and already taken, give it up for Christina Star!"
A pretty blonde girl would arrive on the island. Antonio would perk up seeing the girl. She had hazel eyes, and wore a pretty golden dress along with sandals.
"Hey everyone! Hi, Tony," Christina winked.
"Ciao, Christina," Antonio blew her a kiss, which the movie star returned.
"Damn, he's lucky," Demetrius let out discreetly, Butch and Fernando nodded in agreement.
"Next up, he's a world-renowned musician, give it up for…Johan!" Chris announced.
A young man about the same age as the cast stepped out on stage with an acoustic guitar in hand. He wore a grey button-down shirt, navy blue jeans and black sneakers with red accents. A New York state hat rested snugly atop his head. Unlike Christina, he looked confused at Chris's announcement.
"Okay, first off, what do you mean 'world-renowned'? I'm barely popular in the States. And what's this about being a judge? You told me I was just here to perform!"
"Yeah, sorry. But hey, if there's time, you can still perform," Chris shrugged his shoulders. The guitarist sighed as he brought a hand up to his forehead in frustration.
"I don't get paid enough for this…" He sighed. "Actually, you know what, I expect a bonus for this."
"Fine, fine," Chris sighed. "Anyway…captains, decide on what act you'll be doing, and choose the other three who will participate in the talent show. The chosen acts all have the rest of the day to practice. Everyone not chosen can just chill."
"We have to perform?" Joseph asked.
"Yes, that's right," Chris nodded. "And you won't be backing out of it either! Captain participation is mandatory!"
"Well, at least I already have something in mind," Rebekah let out, a smirk growing on her face. Joseph however, remained stoic.
*Confessional*
Joseph: "Already throwing us a hardball… Rebekah may already know what she wants to do, but I definitely don't."
*End Confessional*
Fantastic Flamingoes
"Well, I can play 'Toxic' by Britney Spears on my violin," Lucille let out, gazing at her teammates.
"And I'm sure I can come up with something that will dazzle the judges and get their blood pumping!" Jerusha added.
"Well, I also have a magic act too," Christopher let out. "So I think maybe only one magic act should compete."
"He's right." Joseph nodded. "Having too many of the same act will only make things worse."
"So which one of us should do it, Jerusha?" Christopher looked at his fellow performer.
"Well, Chris mentioned that duet performances are not mandatory, so we could do one together." The horror-fanatic replied.
"Well, mine's basically a bit of a card trick, with reading minds," Christopher said. "How about you assist me with mine?"
"It would be my pleasure! Perhaps I can add a little bit of spice to the performance!"
"So we have the duet magic act so far," Brittany let out. "Joseph, would you care if Lucille does her violin thing?"
The Tribal Chief nodded respectfully. "She might be one of our saving graces in this challenge."
Lucille narrowed her eyes. "I'm very skilled at my violin, thank you very much."
"Which is why I called you one of our saving graces. We also have a guitarist out there, a guitar and violin are different, but just looking at that Johan guy tells me he knows a thing or two about music."
"I'm a pretty good singer," Abigail let out. "I can also do it while playing the piano."
"Ah, a classy instrument!" Fernando chimed in. "Fitting for such a lovely lady!"
Abigail blushed a little. "Mother signed me up for basically everything that a child star can do from the moment I could walk and talk."
"And how about our captain? What act will he do?" Brittany let out. Joseph let out a frustrated groan as he brought a hand to his face.
"That's our big issue right now. I can't think of anything."
"What are you good at? Can you do something with fire?" Lucille wondered.
"Not that I'm aware of. The only things I'm particularly good at are football and making sure people get work done."
"Great, so our dear Team Captain doesn't even have a talent!" Fernando scoffed, Joseph gave the model a death glare that immediately shut him up.
"I guess intimidation might be my talent." Joseph noted. "Too bad this is probably not the best time to use it."
"I could let you borrow Avalanche if you want to do a dog act," Brittany suggested.
"I'd appreciate that. I am kind of good with dogs, but it's up to her just as much as it's up to you."
"She can respect you," Brittany let out. "I'll supervise to make sure things go well."
Joseph nodded as a smile began to form on his face. "Alright, let's try that then!"
"I guess we should practice our talents then," Abigail let out. "I think I saw a piano in the lobby. Do you want to come with me, Fernando?"
"Of course! I would love to watch your practice!" The suave teen answered.
Abigail blushed, smiling. "Great!"
Pretty Peacocks
"I can do an aerial act," Ilyria let out.
"And I can dance!" Shauna added. "Trust me, I'm really good!"
"You can barely walk five steps before falling flat on your face." Butch replied, getting the dancer to blush in embarrassment and pout at the brute.
"I can play a song on my guitar," Demetrius let out. Terra's eyes lit up but just as she was about to say something, Lin cut her off.
"If it has anything to do with ninjas, banana cream pies, tacos, or a rhino, please keep it to yourself…"
Terra immediately looked disappointed before perking up again.
"Or pirates…"
"Darn…"
"As for me, I'm going to do some ventriloquism," Rebekah let out. She gave a confident smile at it.
"All very interesting talents." Walter noted. "We can lock in our Captain's ventriloquism and perhaps Ilyria's aerial performance. However I think we should let Shauna show us her dance before we make any final choices. Does anyone else have any talents they would like to let us know about?"
Terra raised her hand hesitantly.
"Any talents that will not cause any sort of destruction or cause any issues with the show itself?"
Terra's hand was still up.
"Very well, what can you do, Terra?"
"A couple of things. I dress like a clown for a reason, so I can do stuff like balloon animals and slapstick. If you want something more serious, then I can sing. I'm no Britney Spears, but I can manage." Terra explained, her tone surprisingly serious.
"That just might be the most coherent you've been since you got here." Butch chuckled. "Way to go."
"Butch, do you have talent?" Rebekah glared at the brute.
"Not unless you count deadlifting three-hundred pounds." He shrugged.
"That's a no then," Rebekah deadpanned. "Trish?"
"NO!" Trish replied a bit too adamantly. "I mean… no, sorry."
"Alright. Shauna, show us what you've got then," Rebekah let out. The young dancer squealed in joy before stepping back a bit and steadying herself, taking out a cell phone and playing a song that sounded a bit Middle Eastern as she began with basic hip swaying motions before transitioning into a rather professional belly-dancing routine. The music suddenly shifted into a more classical theme, and with its change, Shauna's movements also changed into a Waltz.
Walter nodded his head in approval at the dance as even Butch raised his eyebrow in surprise. As Shauna continued, the music changed again, this time to a soft piano tune. Once again the young woman changed her dance to ballet that started out simple as she almost seemed to let the music carry her motions. With one last crescendo in the song, Shauna finished her dance with a full forward split.
"Impressive," Ilyria let out.
"It might be a bit risky to have the genre of music suddenly change like that." Lin noted.
"Yeah." Shauna agreed as she got up from the floor and brushed herself off. "I won't be doing that though, I'll just stick to one genre. I just need some time to think of which one though."
"I find it interesting," Demetrius let out. "Especially for someone like you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The dancer asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"It's a compliment," Demetrius let out. "Sorry, I'm not that good at them sometimes."
"I hear that." Butch added. "I'm surprised she didn't fall even once."
"Perhaps I could at least show my talent?" Demetrius let out.
"We have nothing to lose," Ilyria let out.
Demetrius had his guitar with him, as he would begin to play a few notes. He would soon get into Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect.' His voice would be very smooth, and sexy. He would soon finish the song, his eyes opening when he finished.
"Oh wow," Ilyria let out. "That was smooth."
"That was so good!" Trish added, clapping for the young man.
"Thank you," Demetrius bowed his head in appreciation. "Well, I suppose we should make our final decision."
"Agreed. Will it be Shauna's dancing? Or Demetrius?" Rebekah glanced at the team.
"Actually, it might be smarter if Demetrius performs." Lin stated. "Think about it, we saw that guy, Johan, carry a guitar in here. If he sees someone on our team play, it might sway his opinion."
"Shauna, will you be okay with that?" Rebekah glanced at the dancer.
"It's fine with me." She shrugged. "Not dancing means I don't end up getting all sweaty afterwards and honestly I'm not a fan of that."
"Oh I definitely know how that feels!" Trish chimed in. "Getting dirty and sweaty is just… BLEH!"
"Then we're done here. Let's practice, and prepare for the talent show," Rebekah said.
Fantastic Flamingoes
"So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me,
Just the memory of your face
Ooh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds and that's what I've got to face," Abigail would sing while she played the piano. Her voice was very angelic as she played the song. She would soon reach the end of the song, removing her hands from the piano, glancing over at the male model who applauded the pianist.
"Absolutely wonderful! I know you'll do great tonight, too! And what a song choice! A beautiful choice for a beautiful voice!"
"Thank you," Abigail chimed in, smiling a little. She would blush a little at the compliment. "You're so sweet."
"Of course! Anything to help a friend." Fernando added, placing a gentle hand atop Abigail's.
Abigail blushed again, gazing into his eyes. Just as the two were about to say something, a flying object caught their attention. Right after, Avalanche came rushing into the room, panting hysterically before jumping and catching the frisbee that had been thrown.
"Avalanche! Heel!" Brittany's sharp voice would call out to the Doberman, who would stop instantly. She glanced at the two of them. "Sorry!"
Joseph soon followed the mob boss and took the frisbee from Avalanche.
"I definitely put too much force into that. We should probably give her a break."
"Fair," Brittany nodded. Her eyes would soon spot Lucille, as she was practicing the song 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. "Whoa. She's good."
Lucille's eyes would be closed as she skillfully played the fast song on her violin. She seemed really focused with her practice. Joseph watched on with an approving nod with a smile growing on his face before he turned to Abigail.
"How's your practice going?"
"It's going fantastic," Abigail smiled. "I'm a little nervous performing in front of you all though."
"But you have no need to be nervous, my dear!" Fernando retorted, giving Abigail another suave grin. "You'll do flawlessly, just as you have been!"
Abigail's face turned bright pink, smiling. Dante entered the room carrying what looked like a large burlap sack, his eyes immediately caught sight of Abigail.
"Oh, hi Dante," Abigail smiled a little.
"Oh, um, hey! Sorry, don't mind me. I was just getting some stuff for my team. I don't know why Demetrius needs a one pound fish, but Terra said it was completely necessary for him to have it."
"A fish? But…why?" Abigail was confused.
"I don't know, and quite honestly I think I'm scared to find out why."
"Maybe he's going to eat it for good luck?" Brittany let out, sounding just as confused.
"Maybe Dante should get back to his own team before he ends up having to explain why he's talking to us." Joseph added, giving the Peacock a firm glare.
"Yeah, and you should leave before you bother Abigail more than you already are!" Fernando added, giving Dante a glare just as harsh, if not meaner. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Dante wordlessly walked away, looking just a bit disappointed.
"He wasn't bothering me at all." Abigail let out.
"Maybe, but our captain is right, he should be with his own team. Besides, I wouldn't want to compete with Dante over your attention as well as this game itself."
Abigail blushed, smiling a little.
Confessionals
Abigail: "Okay, Fernando's cute, but Dante actually seems kind of cute too. I mean I know he's on the other team but that doesn't mean we can't be nice to each other, right?... I don't know what to do!"
*static*
Fernando: "That boy, Dante, does he think he can get in the way of my foolproof plan?! I need Abigail to be head over heels for me!"
*static*
Dante: "Woah, Abby's really pretty, and I hope this isn't cheating but I managed to hear her play a bit of that piano. She's amazing! Maybe outside of the challenges I can actually talk to her a bit and…"
?: "No, Dante, none of that. I can't have you focusing too much on anything. If you do then I can't be in control. I don't know how long I can keep in control right now, but rest assured, you'll definitely be seeing more of me!"
*static*
Joseph: "Practicing with Avalanche has actually been pretty fun, it reminds me of playing with my dogs back home. Still, with how the rest of the team seems to be doing with their routines, I think we'll do alright."
*static*
Lucille: "I'm at least glad I'll be able to do my violin act. I just hope I'll get the most points from the judges."
*End Confessionals*
Pretty Peacocks
Demetrius would be practicing his song on his guitar, as he strummed the strings with a serene look on his face, Dante approached him with the bag over his shoulder. The taller boy's pupils were once again diamond-shaped rather than a natural round shape. He cleared his throat before talking to his teammate.
"Uh, hey Demetrius, I got that fish Terra said you needed." He began, pulling out a salmon.
"A fish? Why would I need a fish? I'm just singing and playing my guitar." Demetrius was confused. "I don't need a fish."
"But of course you need a fish!" The rainbow-haired girl chimed in, doing a pirouette as she stopped in front of the two. "You need it because it's a one pound fish! Very, very cheap!" The two looked at her with confused and unamused looks for a moment.
"Yeah, no thanks," Demtrius deadpanned.
"Actually, I might need that!" Jerusha said, taking the dead fish. "We can use its bones for the performance!"
"I don't know…" Christopher let out. "I mean, you could just make a necklace out of it or something. It's not something I would do."
"Just trust me on this one!" The macabre magician assured, taking Christopher by the hand and hurrying him over to their spot to practice.
"Okay…" Christopher was still confused, before being dragged off.
"Attention campers! The end of the day is nearing! 15 more minutes before the show begins!" Chris would announce through the loudspeakers.
Ilyria sat by herself, checking on the gear she would use for her act and keeping a close eye on Demetrius as she did so. However, what she didn't expect to notice was Dante's eyes being different, and with a silent hum, she kept her eyes on him as well as he went to go check on the two magicians.
"Dante! Wait up!" Ilyria let out, the quiet boy jumped a bit before turning to the agent, putting on a fake smile as he turned to her.
"Oh, hey Ilyria, what's up?"
"You're not planning on sabotaging the other team, are you?" The agent narrowed her eyes. "I don't approve of that."
"What? Not at all, cross my heart!"
"I don't trust you," Ilyria said bluntly. Dante gave the agent a confused and concerned look externally, but on the inside he began to grow wary.
"Why ever not?" Dante asked. 'Damn, has she already figured me out?!'
"Sabotaging is illegal. I really don't want to report you to our captain. Plus, it's way too early to do anything wrong to the other team."
"Well, it's like I said, I have no intention of doing any form of cheating, you have my word." Dante assured, placing his right hand over his heart and his left in the air.
"You'd better not be lying to me," Ilyria glared, before storming back over to her equipment. Trish, having seen the interaction between the two, hurried over to Ilyria and offered her a bottle of her spring water.
"Everything alright? What was that about?"
"It's fine." Ilyria let out. "Something's off about Dante. His eyes are different." Ilyria took the bottle of water, drinking from it.
"Maybe he just has contacts or something. My daddy owns a company that makes stuff like that and Dante might just be one of our customers."
"Oh?" Ilyria let out. "Perhaps he is…"
The sound of a helicopter would soon be heard in the sky approaching the resort.
"Woah woah woah!" Chris said aloud, the intercom system still turned on. "Who the heck is this?! I didn't order anything and my shipment of hair gel isn't due for a couple of weeks!"
"And what kind of color scheme is that?!" Chef added with a disgusted tone. "Neon purple cheetah print?! Nasty!"
"Neon purple?" Trish repeated. "That's my helicopter!" The posh girl then let out an excited gasp. "Daddy's here?!"
"Oh great," Chris groaned. "Just fantastic, another parent who'll give me issues."
Trish barely entered the lobby when one of the elevators arrived from above. A man in a charcoal black suit with long, auburn hair stepped out of it with a woman that appeared to be in her early-mid twenties following him.
"Honestly, Dad, did we really need to come all the way out here?" The woman asked.
"Of course! I'd go to the ends of the earth for my baby girl!" The man replied, upon seeing his daughter the man opened his arms wide. "There she is!"
"EEEEEEEEK! HI DADDY!" Trish squealed as she jumped into her dad's arms. "What are you doing here?"
"You forgot something at home, I felt like you would need it!"
Abigail raised an eyebrow seeing the rich man. She seemed curious enough to know what item Trish had forgotten. Alexis, meanwhile, would get a word with Chris.
"We don't have an MC for the talent show. How about Trish's father?"
"Well, I don't see why we would need an MC, but if it makes my job easier then I'm all for it. Plus, he kind of owes us for showing up unannounced like this."
"I'll see what he says," Alexis nodded, going to approach the rich man.
"You left this back at the house, Dum Dum." The woman scoffed, handing Trish a blue charm that resembled a wide open eye with four markings around it.
"Now, now, Maria." Trish's dad replied. "Be nice to your sister. Remember, she's your only sibling."
"Good evening, sir," Alexis would say professionally. "We would like to know if you would have the honor of being the MC for the talent show challenge tonight."
"Ah, good evening! Salvatore Gambetti at your service! This is my oldest daughter, Maria, and of course you already know my youngest daughter, Patricia. While I am normally a busy man, I did come here on short notice, so I do apologize for that. I suppose I can make a few calls and serve as your MC."
"Excellent. We'll give you a paper with the contestants competing, along with their acts," Alexis said, as an intern would bring over a script.
"Well, with that, let's give him a couple minutes to practice, and get on with the show already!" Chris announced. "You all better thank Trish, everyone. She just bought you another ten minutes or so!"
With their performances basically ready; Ilyria, Jerusha and Christopher approached Trish, curious about what she had been given.
"That's the evil eye!" Ilyria was wide-eyed. "It's supposed to be some sort of protection against evil and dark things."
"Is it?" Trish asked gleefully. "Oh I knew my daddy got it for me for a reason!" The two magicians looked at the artifact in awe.
"It's wonderful," Christopher smiled.
"The mystique, the supernatural implications! Oh it's amazing!" Jerusha added.
"Isn't it?! My daddy's the best, and he's going to be the MC, too!"
Confessionals
Abigail: "Well, this is it. My performance tonight needs to be wonderful, to get the points from the judges. I hope that I can win the challenge for my team."
*static*
Terra: "Balloon animals ready, pies are freshly baked, unicycle chain is greased up and I've made sure to keep quiet just to make sure my voice doesn't get ruined just in case. Let's get funny!"
*static*
Trish: "EEEEEEEE! See how much he cares about me? Willing to take time out of his schedule just to see me and stay as the MC, that's how you know he's the best dad in the world!"
*static*
Rebekah: "I can't wait to show off my talent to the others. And win the first challenge for my team."
*End Confessionals*
And soon, it would be time for the talent show to begin, Chris guided everyone to an auditorium with the stage already set up for them to use. The remaining contestants would be in the audience, and there would be a judge's desk with five seats. The seats would each have five red buzzers, and one golden buzzer in the middle. Above the stage lights would be five 'Xs' and under each 'X' would be the name of the judges. An intern would cue Salvatore to begin.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the second Total Drama Talent Show!... It is the second, right? Anyway! Tonight we have two sets of contestants ready to show off their talents for our lovely panel of judges!"
Abigail would be waiting in the wings with her team. From the audience, Maria sat alongside her sister's team, the older woman shooting Trish a sly grin as she whispered over to her.
"So, why aren't you up there? You know you have your own talent."
"No I do not!" Trish hissed, her face turning bright red as she shot her sister a glare.
Antonio glanced at the two sisters, silently putting a finger to his lips.
"Shush!" He told the sisters. "The Flamingoes are going on!"
Some interns would set up a piano, along with a microphone.
Abigail would gulp nervously. She couldn't believe that she would be going first. The sudden feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her jump a bit, as she looked to see who the hand belonged to, she was met by the suave smile of Fernando.
"Don't worry my dear!" He said calmly. "Going first means that you'll pave the way for what is definitely the first of many victories! Don't forget, we all have faith in you. I have faith in you!"
Abigail blushed a bit, smiling. "Thank you, Fernando. I feel much better now."
"Now go on, dear Abigail, knock their socks off!"
Abigail would quickly kiss Fernando's cheek, hurrying over to the stage. Fernando grinned deviously to himself after the kiss, from a bit further away, Dante watched the two with a bit of a longing expression. His distraction nearly caused him to drop the box he had been carrying.
"Woah there, Butterfingers!" Terra called out, catching the box before it fell. "At least wait until I go on before letting the performance get to you!"
"Do… Do I even want to know what you mean by that?" He asked.
"For our first act." Salvatore began. "We have Ms. Abigail Philippa Prior-Chauncey the Fourth performing for the Flamingos!"
With one last deep breath, Abigail placed her hands on the piano keys and began to play…
"How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all
How can you just walk away from me,
When all I can do is watch you leave
Cause we've shared the laughter and the pain and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me,
Just the memory of your face
Ooh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds and that's what I've got to face
I wish I could just make you turn around,
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you,
So many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face
Now take a look at me now, cause there's just an empty space
But to wait for you, is all I can do and that's what I've got to face
Take a good look at me now, cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've gotta take
Take a look at me now" Abigail's clear voice would ring out as she played the piano and sang at the same time. Throughout her performance, most of the judges appeared to simply observe Abigail, the only exception was Johan, who appeared to nod his head and smile.
When the song came to an end, Abigail would remove her hands from the piano, and stood up from the bench, giving a curtsey. Most of the audience applauded the young woman, even members of the other team. From backstage, Dante especially looked enthralled at the sound of her voice, which did not go unnoticed by Fernando…
"Alright, I'd say that was pretty good!" Chris began.
"That was absolutely stunning, dear!" Christina let out, her hands over her heart. "What a perfect song choice!"
"As a musician myself, I'm inclined to agree. Good song choice, clear vocals and some clearer skills on that piano!" Johan added. "Those first performance jitters are gone now, aren't they!" He joked.
Abigail giggled a little, nodding.
"Wow, that was truly incredible," Alexis let out in awe. "What was the reason behind that song?"
"It's in honor of my dad. He passed away from cancer, and this was his favorite song to listen to," Abigail responded.
Alexis smiled, turning towards her uncle for his thoughts, though she was more than a bit surprised to see the man sniffling a bit.
"Uncle, are you… crying?"
"NO!" Chef asserted. "It's just… allergy season… that's all!"
Abigail smiled, waiting for the verdict from the judges about her score.
"Alright, well it looks like our judges liked Abigail's performance overall. I'd say she gets a….. Solid six and a half out of ten!" Chris announced.
"Woah! Are you serious?" Johan asked. "If that isn't harsh then I don't know what is. I thought it was at least an eight."
"I'm giving you a nine, my dear!" Christina smiled.
"I'm giving her a nine, too!" Chef agreed, wiping his eyes.
"Well you made my uncle emotional, so I think I have to give you a nine as well." Alexis giggled.
Abigail would be wide-eyed at the total score, which would show up on a screen. It showed 41.5 out of a maximum score of 50. She would thank the judges, before heading off stage to rejoin her team. Fernando was the first to congratulate her with a rousing applause.
"Bravissimo, my dear! That was lovely!"
"Thanks, Fernando," Abigail would smile at him sweetly.
"You got a good score." Joseph commented. "Let's make sure we all get scores like that."
"It sucks Chris gave you less points," Lucille let out.
"Yeah." Abigail sighed. "But it is Chris, so it kind of makes sense for him to do that, unfortunately."
"That man wouldn't know talent if it hit him in the face!" Fernando scoffed.
The interns would push away the piano, and would soon set up a small table. Rebekah would smirk to herself as the table was for her puppet. Her puppet looked really normal with the only difference being the stick in the back where she had to hold onto to have the puppet speak. Rebekah would soon head out to the stage and put her puppet on the table. It had a fair skin tone, and light blue eyes, along with pale blonde hair in a long plait, decorated with colourful flowers. She was wearing a long lilac dress with hundreds of sparkles and lilac ballet pumps. Rebekah herself, would be in a simple pantsuit. A microphone would be lowered to the puppet's mouth.
"Up next, we have Rebekah, of Team Peacock, performing a ventriloquist act!" Salvatore announced, giving the young performer the floor.
Chris and Chef raised an eyebrow at the sight of the puppet but remained silent as Rebekah was about to begin.
Beautiful music began to play, as Rebekah would manipulate the puppet, without moving her mouth at all. The voice from the puppet would instantly sing, and be very clear, like an opera singer.
"Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh, why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh, why can't I?"
The song would soon end, and Rebekah gave a confident smile, her eyes gazing over at Joseph, the other team captain, as if to say 'Try to top that!' The Pacific Island remained stoic at his rival's glare, not even appearing to really care about her act.
"That was wicked. How on earth did she do that without even opening her own mouth?" Lucille was wide-eyed.
"She definitely has talent." Joseph admitted. "But so do we, Christopher and Jerusha are up next. Let's hope their act is as good as Jerusha's been hyping it up to be…"
From back at the judge's table, Chris hummed to himself, mentally trying to give Rebekah a fair grade. Well… fair to him at least…
"Not bad." He began. "But everyone and their grandma has heard that song before and ventriloquism is such a cliche act!"
"I disagree," Alexis let out. "She did it without moving her own mouth! That's talent right there!"
"I mean you're not wrong." Chris continued. "But that one guy who has the skeleton puppet does it so much better! Still, stuff like that does take talent and takes a long time to master, so I'll give you a six."
"I'll give you a 7," Christina said, smiling. "That was wonderful!"
"I kinda have to agree with Chris in that the act reminds me of that other guy." Chef said. "But unlike Chris, I think the act was good. A classic song and a classic performance, and you know what they say about the classics; can't beat 'em. I'll give you a seven and a half."
"You know what?" Alexis smiled, standing up. "I think she's gonna get double the points from me!" With that, she would slam her hand down on the golden buzzer. "My original score for you was 9, but since this gives you double points, you get an 18!"
Rebekah would grin confidently at this, smiling. She glanced over at Johan, to see what he thought.
The musician still looked to be conflicted about his score to a certain extent.
"Okay." He said, sighing just a little bit. "I like the song choice, but admittedly, puppets kind of freak me out. I can acknowledge the talent you have and the work you put into perfecting that though… I think I'm going to have to give you a seven as well."
Rebekah's score would soon be revealed to be 45.5 out of a maximum score of 50. Once again, Rebekah looked over at the opposing captain, her sly grin now widening. This time Joseph gave her a reaction; a very slight scowl that he quickly tried to hide as he looked over at his team.
"We'll catch up," Lucille looked up at Joseph. "We've got this."
"We better." Joseph grumbled. "Like I said before, I'm trusting you in being the one who scores the most for our team."
"I just hope that I won't get five red buzzers," Lucille shivered at the thought.
"You'll be fine." the Flamingo captain replied, his voice softer than normal. "You put in just as much practice into your violin act as she did with her ventriloquism. If anything it should be me that's worrying."
"You're worried?" Lucille let out, gazing at the captain of her team. "Why? You seem so confident as a leader."
"Being the captain of a team is different than being up on stage. I mean I'm used to having all eyes on me when I'm back home playing football, but being in a talent show isn't exactly something I'm used to. Keep in mind I'm also working with a dog that doesn't belong to me, that I've only been able to interact with for less than a day. So yeah, I'm not exactly feeling confident right now…"
Lucille was silent for a moment, absorbing everything this beast of a man was telling her. She looked up at Joseph right in his eyes, seeing the brewing anxiety in him. Just as she was about to say something, the two stage lights began to dim. A pair of interns brought out a box and what looked to be a blackboard covered by a tarp for the next act.
"Up next for the Flamingos…" Salvatore announced. "We have Christopher and Jerusha performing a magic act!"
A light haze of smoke billowed out onto the floor atop the stage as a single spotlight appeared in the center of the stage. Suddenly, in a cloud of purple smoke, Jerusha and Christopher appeared in the center of the light. Jerusha wore her usual outfit though now had dark purple face paint around some of her face, though most of her was covered in a white paint that was designed in the pattern of a skull. Christopher on the other hand looked more normal, with his usual attire mostly the same, save for a black jacket that was zipped up.
"Good evening, everyone." The young man began. "Tonight, my lovely assistant and I enchant you with a dazzling performance that I'm sure you won't soon forget!"
The moment after he said this, the theme music to Harry Potter began to play.
"Today, I'll be showing you two of my favourite things: magic and reading," Christopher began as he opened up the box and pulled out a book.
"One of my favourite books is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling." Christopher began, handing the book to Jerusha as the camera followed him down to the audience. He approached Chef, who looked confused before his confusion turned to shock as Jerusha used a set of wires to move an assortment of bones and use them like puppets to hand him the piece of literature. "Can you read this book please, and check to see if any of the words are different?" he asked the man. Chef gave the performer a skeptical look but ultimately nodded, taking it as he began to read it. Christopher then walked back to the stage, and pulled out another book.
"My second favourite book is Rise of the Inner Darkness by Hunter Greene. I'll need another volunteer to read this book, and check to see if the pages are different," Christopher said, giving his partner the book, and heading down to the audience. Just as before, Jerusha used her fish skeleton to give the book to Butch, who looked completely stupefied and looked like he was about to throw the book back at Christopher until Rebekah and Lin glared at him. Sweating just a bit, he asked Butch to read the book, to check to see if all the pages were different. With a groan, Butch nodded and began to read the book. Christopher then went back onstage and pulled out the third book, closing the box as he did so.
"My third and final favourite book is Freaks by Derek Vince," Christopher announced, going back into the audience, and asking Miguel to read the book and to check and see if the words on the pages were different, just as he did before. Once again, Jerusha used the bones to hand her teammate in the audience the book. With a smile and a look of awe, Miguel looked down at the book and then at his teammate before nodding as he, too, began to read the book. Jerusha tried to lift the box, but found herself unable to do so, as it appeared that there was something in the box that was weighing it down. Some of the crowd began to laugh.
After a while, Christopher had Jerusha stop lifting up the box, and asked her to stand to the side. As she did, Christopher opened the box and reached into it to find out what was making the box so heavy. It was soon revealed to be a pack of playing cards. As he placed the cards down on the table, Christopher closed the box and lifted it off the table with ease.
Jerusha's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, as the audience laughed. From backstage, Terra pursed her lips and had an unreadable look on her face. Christopher then took out the playing cards and smirked.
"As you know, in a pack of playing cards, all of the cards are different," he began. Then, showing them facedown, he asked Jerusha to select a card. After making her choice and looking at the card, being careful not to show it to the audience. Christopher then placed the rest of the cards back into the pack before asking Jerusha to select either book 1, book 2, or book 3 from one of the audience members.
"I'll pick book 3," the Midnight Magician said. Christopher nodded his head and addressed the audience.
"Book 3 has 480 pages. Could you pick a number between 1 and 480?"
Jerusha thought for a moment. "37?" She asked.
Christopher looked out at the audience, until he found the person who was reading the book that Jerusha had chosen.
"Miguel, could you please turn to page 37, and check to see if all the words are different?"
The movie star nodded, and turned to page 37. "Yes, all of the words are different," he said.
"Now, please select any word on that page," Christopher said.
Miguel looked at all of the words on page 37 of Freaks by Derek Vince for a moment before looking up. "Conceal," he said.
Christopher gave a nod. "Remember Jerusha, you could have picked any book, but you picked that Miguel's book, and he could have picked any word, but he picked the word 'conceal.'" He then pointed to the blackboard covered with the blanket.
"See that blackboard? Before I began the trick, I wrote a word there. Watch." Christopher then walked over to the blackboard, and took the blanket off it, he turned the blackboard around to face the audience...and it was revealed that the word 'Conceal' was written on it.
The audience went wild with applause. Jerusha's eyes widened.
Christopher then stepped forward, his hand out. "STOP!" he shouted. Some of the audience looked visibly confused, Chris and Chef raising an eyebrow as Alexis leaned in closer.
Christopher then turned to his assistant. "Jerusha, can you please reveal your chosen card, and show it to the audience?"
Jerusha nodded, and made the card appear in a small puff of smoke. "I picked out the 7 of spades," she exclaimed.
Christopher turned around, so that his back was facing the audience. He unzipped his jacket, and shook it, before taking it off, and turning back to the audience...revealing that on his white t-shirt was a picture of Jerusha, her head replaced with a skull, holding the card with the 7 of spades on it.
The smile Jerusha had widened, and the audience went wild. Christopher himself even looked a bit surprised at his shirt, he could have sworn that the one he and Jerusha prepared just had her face as normal. He looked over at the girl, who was grinning from ear to ear before returning the smile.
"I've been Christopher Greenwood!"
"And I've been Jerusha Saturday!"
"And we'd like to thank you for being a wonderful audience!" The two said simultaneously as they bowed.
"Well! That was so stunning!" Christina would let out, with a smile on her face. "I really love how you involved the audience watching the magic happen. Well done you two."
"I have to agree. Magic truly is amazing," Alexis smiled.
"That was awesome!" Johan agreed. "I'm giving that a nine, straight up!"
"It's a ten from me," Alexis said.
"A ten from me as well, darlings. Well done!" Christina smiled.
"Gotta admit, having those bones work like puppets is pretty smart!" Chris praised. "But at the same time it's a bit too freaky and gross for me. I think you guys deserve a six."
"Do you just hate everything?" Chef asked.
"No, I'm just hard to please! Can you blame me? A man of my tastes is just like that! What about you though, Chef? What kind of score do you think they deserve?"
"That's a tough one." Chef hummed, rubbing his chin inquisitively. "I like the trick, but now I know where my fish went."
The two magicians looked to each other nervously while Terra whistled innocently to herself, avoiding the glare Dante and Demetrius giving her.
"I think overall, you guys get a seven." Chef finished.
With that, their score would be updated to show that they got 42 points out of 50. Adding that to their current score gave them 83.5 points, putting them back into the lead.
Brittany would grin at this, turning to Joseph. "So, we're back in the lead now. Here's hoping that we can keep the lead going."
"We'll have to wait and see what the Peacocks do next. We can't get overconfident now." The team leader replied.
The stage would soon be set up for the next act, which would be Demetrius. He had his guitar ready, and a stool would be placed in the middle, along with a seeing the instrument, Johan immediately raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer, his eyes focusing on the young man.
Demetrius would walk onto the stage, and sit down on the stool, readying himself. A single spotlight would come onto the young man.
"Already on stage." Salvatore began. "Presenting for the Peacock team, here's Demetrius!"
And soon, he would begin to play, and sing…
"I found a love for me
Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead
Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet
Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me
'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love
Not knowing what it was
I will not give you up this time
But darling, just kiss me slow
Your heart is all I own
And in your eyes you're holding mine
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark
With you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass
Listening to our favourite song
When you said you looked a mess
I whispered underneath my breath
But you heard it,
Darling, you look perfect tonight
Well, I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know
She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home
I found a love to carry more than just my secrets
To carry love, to carry children of our own
We are still kids but we're so in love
Fighting against all odds
I know we'll be alright this time
Darling, just hold my hand
Be my girl, I'll be your man
I see my future in your eyes
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark
With you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass
Listening to our favourite song
When I saw you in that dress
Looking so beautiful
I don't deserve this
Darling, you look perfect tonight
No, no, no
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark
With you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass
Listening to our favourite song
I have faith in what I see
Now I know I have met an angel in person
And she looks perfect
I don't deserve this
You look perfect tonight." As the song came to a close, Demetrius would look up from his guitar, smiling softly. "Thank you."
The judges all turned to Johan to hear his thoughts. With a sharp exhale, the judge silently pressed the golden buzzer with a grin.
"Alright, I'll admit you've got some talent. I'll give you a nine for that, with your score doubled I guess you're up to eighteen."
"That is so obvious." Chris scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "Musical acts are generic for challenges like this but I'll give you a pass since you didn't destroy my eardrums. Six points."
"Hm, this is difficult. While the song was good, Ed Sheeran isn't actually my favourite artist," Christina let out. "So, I'm gonna have to give you a 3."
"I'm with ya' there." Chef added. "If it was something like Guns N' Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, or Soundgarden, I would've given you a higher score. But you didn't play them so you get a four."
"If he did play that I'd give him an eleven!" Johan piped up.
Alexis rolled her eyes at this, before glancing at the musician up on stage. "I'm gonna give you a 5," she said.
With that, Demetrius would soon see that he would have a total score of 31, out of a maximum of 50 points. The contestant's eye twitched a bit before he returned to the backstage area.
"Ugh," Rebekah groaned. "81.5. That sucks."
Ilyria sighed. "Terra and I still need to perform. Here's hoping that we can get a better score."
"That's true," Rebekah let out. "Although I'm still not sure what Terra's actually doing."
"Let's just hope it isn't ridiculous," Ilyria let out sarcastically. The two girls shared a look in silence before looking at Terra, who was playing with one of her pigtails. "We're boned…"
The interns would soon go over to Joseph, telling him that he was up next. Brittany glanced over at the captain. "Well, this is it. Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Go have fun out there too," Brittany smiled a little.
"Up next, we have Joseph, the team captain of team Flamingo and Avalanche, the loyal pooch of Brittany, another member of the Flamingos!" Salvatore announced.
"Their captain is going now?" Butch asked. "Hmph, would've figured he'd be on last."
"Shush!" Antonio glared at the brute.
Brittany would soon play the song choice they had chosen, which was "The Greatest Show" from the movie, "The Greatest Showman." The speakers would be on, as the song began to play.
Joseph soon walked onto the stage with a frisbee and a few other items in his hands, Avalanche right by his side.
Christina would watch with interest, humming at the song choice. From the audience, nobody seemed to notice Lin's eyes light up as she saw Avalanche. Joseph raised one of his hands, Avalanche rising up to her hind legs as far up as she could with incredible balance. The young man then moved his hands as though he were a musical conductor, with each movement that he made, Avalanche danced around with an impeccable amount of grace.
Alexis would be grinning at this, as did Brittany, who could tell that Joseph seemed to be enjoying the act just as much as Avalanche appeared to be.
With his empty hand, Joseph took the frisbee and spun it on one of his fingers, allowing it to gain speed. Once he was satisfied with how fast it was moving, he lowered it down to Avalanche. The pooch raised her nose upwards, ready to receive the toy. Gently, Joseph passed the frisbee onto Avalanche's nose, the dog stayed absolutely still as the frisbee continued to spin on top of her as Joseph gave the audience a smile, showing off the dog's skill.
"Wow," Antonio let out, watching in awe. Lin looked on in wonder at the act, her team still unaware at her silent joy.
The song would be getting intense, as the chorus began. Avalanche pushed the frisbee off of herself and bit down on it before presenting it back to Joseph, who took it and put it aside. Brittany would be watching with an impressed look on her face. Several interns placed several obstacles onto the stage including several hoops, a small tunnel, and a wall that was as tall as Joseph himself. Each obstacle had a baton hanging from them.
"A tall wall?" Ilyria muttered to herself as she saw this. She wondered what the Flamingo captain had planned.
With a whistle and a snap of his fingers, Joseph signaled for Avalanche to go through the obstacles. Avalanche sped through the small tunnel, a baton that nobody even noticed now in her mouth. Avalanche began leaping through every hoop, effortlessly snatching each baton that hung from the center of them in her mouth. Soon, Avalanche approached the wall and stopped for just a moment. The dog's tail wagged a little as she got into a position to pounce. Joseph snapped his fingers one more time, suddenly, Avalanche rushed forward and leaped right at the wall, landing on it at just the right angle for her to jump off of it and get the last baton from the top of the wall, doing a perfect backflip while doing so.
"Bloody hell," Ilyria would be wide-eyed at the sight.
Avalanche hurried over to Joseph and presented him with all of the batons. The young man patted the dog on her head before getting his last item; a small bag of bone-shaped dog treats. With a gentle toss, one of the treats flew through the air before Avalanche ran towards it and managed to catch it in her mouth before chewing it right up. Joseph repeated this twice more before finishing, calling Avalanche over and bowing to the audience.
Almost immediately after he had finished, Christina would slam her hand down on the golden buzzer.
"That was so amazing! Despite it not being your dog, Avalanche truly listened to you. So, with that, I'm giving you a ten, and thanks to the double points from the golden buzzer, you get 20 points!"
"I gotta admit, managing to do all that with a dog that isn't even yours is impressive." Johan added. "Maybe you and whoever's dog that is can give me a few pointers! I think you've earned an eight at least."
"That dog is just like the one my unit raised." Chef sniffled, as old memories of his past returned. "I'm giving you a nine."
"Aww, is little Chef getting emotional again?" Chris teased. The much larger man stood up and gave the host a deadly glare that immediately shut him up.
"Anyway, I think you deserve a 10," Alexis would smile at this.
"What is with you people?!" Chris asked. "What, just because you see a mangy mutt you guys think they earned a good score?... Look, your act didn't totally suck, but it definitely isn't worth a nine or a ten. I'll give you a six and a half."
Despite being on the other team, Lin immediately stood up with anger in her eyes before calming herself and sitting back down. Brittany glared at Chris calling her dog a 'mangy mutt.' Joseph shook his head as he and Avalanche returned backstage, Avalanche rushing over to Brittany with her tail wagging like crazy.
"Good girl, Avalanche!" Brittany cooed. The score that Joseph and Avalanche had gotten would be 53.5, which brought their total score up to 137.
*confessional*
Lin: "Okay, so I know I'm not on their team, but Avalanche is SO CUTE! I don't care what my team says, not like they'll hear this anyway, but they deserved a perfect score for that!… What? I like dogs! Bite me!"
*End confessional*
The interns would soon start to set up for Terra's act though they looked a bit nervous and unsure of what some of her props would do. The spotlight returned to Salvatore who was ready to introduce the contestant.
"And now, for the penultimate act for the Peacocks we have… Am I even allowed to say this? 'Tiny Terra's Totally Tubular Titillating Tomedy Routine'? I… I'm not quite sure what that means."
With a growing sense of unease, the man hurried off stage. Allowing Terra to handstand her way onto the stage.
"Howdy everyone!" Terra greeted. "Who's ready to laugh?"
Alexis and Christina would immediately hit their red buzzers which gave a loud noise.
"Yup, we're definitely screwed." Rebekah sighed.
"Aww, don't be like that!" Terra continued, a smile still plastered on her face. "Let's leave the buzzing for the bees and just enjoy ourselves!"
Ilyria groaned in annoyance at this. Johan also looked ready to press his buzzer as he shared the same deadpan expression Chef and the ladies had.
"Y'know my momma told me that if I'm gonna go into comedy, I gotta 'knock 'em dead' and that reminds me of a funny story! See, I was at this funeral for a friend of mine and his wife asked me if I could say a quick word. So I stood at the front, cleared my throat as best as I could despite choking back a whole flood of tears and said, 'Plethora'... 'Thank you' his wife said as I sat back down. 'That means a lot'."
Johan narrowed his eyes as he slowly lowered his hand just a little bit while Chris slowly raised his. Chef simply crossed his arms and glanced over at his niece, who looked bored out of her mind.
"And from that story." Terra continued. "I learned that I really do put the 'fun' in funeral."
"Oh God…" Butch groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Why isn't she falling on her face?! At least that's funny!"
"Y'know, something else I had to learn while growing up…" Terra went on, taking out a variety of items like bowling pins, a bowling ball, a potted plant, and a frozen turkey. "Is that you gotta juggle responsibilities!"
Without missing a beat, Terra began to toss the assortment of items in the air. Despite the oblong shape of everything, Terra managed to juggle everything with an expert level of accuracy and hand-eye coordination.
Johan finally lowered his hand completely as he watched the clown juggle everything. Chris raised an eyebrow as he lowered his hand as well. Terra watched the items above her head fly around for a moment before looking back down at the audience, her smile looking noticeably less genuine.
"But I guess there's one thing about juggling responsibilities and acting like a clown…"
The speed in which she began tossing everything upwards began to increase as everyone could almost see the spark in her eyes fade. From backstage, Ilyria raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"In a way, it's sort of like playing a game of baseball. Sometimes you can find yourself hitting a home run and things feel like they're going well for you. Like you were made for this and nothing can stand in your way."
At this point the remaining judges were both confused and interested at what would happen next…
Alexis clearly had an expression of 'can this act end already' on her face.
"But… other times, sometimes you just can't keep up and when that happens…"
Terra quickly tossed everything upwards at a different angle. Everything was quickly speeding right towards her as she lowered her arms, her smile now completely gone.
"You just strike out."
One by one each item struck her on her head. Chris began to laugh just a bit when he watched the bowling pins hit her, but he soon stopped when the potted plant just barely missed her and shattered on the floor next to the girl, who had long since hit the floor and was clearly unconscious.
Interns would run onstage to bring her to the medic tent. Most of the others looked on in concern as she was carried off, Lin hurried out of her seat and went to go check up on her roommate Butch surprisingly followed her out.
"Well… I can certainly say I wasn't expecting that ending." Chris began.
"I was not impressed at all. Comedy isn't my cup of tea," Alexis said bluntly.
"Me too," Christina let out, annoyed.
"Comedy is okay if it's done right." Johan chimed in. "At first I thought that I was going to give her maybe a three for that, at best. But it went from being a comedy to… a tragic art piece if I had to really describe it as anything. Even then, I don't know if she was even acting at the end."
"Can we even give her a grade?" Chef asked.
"I mean, you three can. You guys didn't hit your red buzzers," Christina said.
"Well, while I am concerned about Terra potentially killing herself. Her act started out painfully, and I don't know if she was acting or not, but seeing that internal and external pain at the end, I liked that. So…"
Chris then slammed his golden buzzer with a satisfied look.
"She's getting a ten from me!"
"You're sick, man…" Johan said with a shake of his head before sighing. "I really just hope she's doing alright right now. Like I said before, the most I could give her before that ending was a three, so I guess that's what I'm giving her."
"On one hand, that performance was terrible. But if she was willing to put herself on the line for it, then she's got my respect, at least. But she also bored my niece so I can't give her more than a five." Chef explained.
"Then it's settled, with two buzzers pressed she gets no points from the ladies so Terra earns a final score of twenty-eight out of fifty for the Peacocks! NEXT!"
"Okay, we are eliminating her," Rebekah groaned in annoyance. Their total score would currently be 109.5 out of 200.
Interns would go up to Lucille, telling her that she would be up next. The wheelchair bound girl was nervous.
"You alright?" Joseph asked.
"I'm terrified." Lucille admitted. "I don't want to flunk my performance."
"On one hand, after seeing how harsh they were towards Terra's act, I can understand that." The Captain replied, earning an annoyed look from Lucille.
"But that's a pretty small hand. Look, there's no way you can screw up worse than Terra just did. You practiced this. You're ready."
Lucille blushed a little. "Thanks, Joseph."
"Ahem." Salvatore began, trying to readjust himself after the previous act. "Rounding out the performances for the Flamingo Team is Lucille."
Lucille took a final deep breath, before wheeling herself onto the stage. She would place her violin onto her shoulder, and took out the bow. Then, with fast speed, she began the intro to the Britney Spears song, Toxic. Her fingers were moving with grace and calmness, as she played the upbeat song.
Christina would perk up at this, smiling, as did Alexis. She hadn't heard that song in ages, so it was a throwback for sure. Lucille was sure having a good time onstage as she would go through the fast-paced song, her hands not even getting tired. As she reached the climax, her movements got more graceful, before the song came to an end, and she gave a quick bow.
Alexis and Christina would immediately give Lucille a standing ovation, applauding, with smiles on their faces.
Johan nodded in approval for a moment before finally saying something.
"Not bad! Not bad at all! Your finger speed kinda reminds me of myself. You've got a lot of potential for playing other instruments as well. If you ever want to do a collaboration, hit me up. For now though, I'll give you a nine."
"Thank you!" Lucille would smile at this.
"Darling, you deserve a 10 for that performance! Britney Spears still is my favorite artist when I was growing up!" Christina let out. Lucille would smile at this as Chef hummed to himself.
"I think you've got some skills, like the guitar boy said, you sound like you could play the fiddle well if you ever tried. I think I'll give ya' an eight."
"Oh, that's a 10 for sure!" Alexis grinned, before turning to Chris.
"I think it would have really been cool if your fingers lit on fire like in those video games. It would have been killer for the ratings! But that can't happen so I have no other choice but to give you a seven. What can I say, I have a soft spot for Britney."
"A soft spot?" Jerusha questioned. "He gave her a seven!"
The Flamingos final score would soon be revealed, after Lucille's performance got her a score of 44 out of a maximum of 50 points. That would bring their score up to 181 out of a maximum of 200.
Lucille would wheel herself back over to her team.
"Lucille, you were absolutely incredible!" Abigail gushed.
"Thank you," Lucille smiled.
"Well done," Brittany smiled. "I play the violin too, and I'm pretty good at it. But you. You're a natural!"
Joseph looked over at Lucille and gave her a confident smirk. "Told you you'd do great."
"Now let's just hope we can stay in the lead," Lucille let out. "I don't want to go home so early on."
The interns would soon start setting up for the last act, which would be Ilyria. She would be backstage, applying the final touches to her look. She would have her hair tied up into a very tight bun, and wore a light pink leotard covered with swirly, yellow patterns. Her feet would be bare, without any socks. Silk ropes would be set up, along with wires and a giant hoop.
"And for our final act of the evening, we have Ms. Ilyria with an aerial performance for Team Peacock." Salvatore announced before hurrying offstage and over to Chris.
"Sorry for this but as a businessman, I'll have to take my leave now. Thank you for having me!"
"That's alright. Thank you for coming," Alexis said kindly. "We'll take it from here."
"Well, looks like it's our cue to leave." Maria said, getting up and looking at her sister. "Such a shame I didn't get to see you perform, Sis!"
The elder sister pat Trish on her back, prompting the young lady to belch a tad bit on the loud side. As Trish's face turned bright pink, her sister laughed as she followed her father out of the auditorium. The remaining members of the Peacock team that were in the audience gave her a confused look.
Ilyria would walk confidently onto the stage, and began her act, with grace, composure, and skill. She would twirl and do multiple spins in the air, including a few backflips, and front flips. As she twirled and flipped into the air, she smiled as she did acrobatic tricks, spinning with the hoop as well. As the hoop lowered to the ground, an intern would pass the girl an already dulled sword. Ilyria would confidently place it into her mouth, making sure to not cut herself in the process, as she continued spinning around in the air, with the sword in her mouth. Then, she took the sword out of her mouth, and threw it down to the ground, as it landed safely on the ground. She would then jump from the hoop, and land on her two feet, bowing.
"Not bad!" Chris began. "Kinda wish that sword was sharper, don't think I didn't notice that. I think overall… eh, six and a half."
"You really just don't like any of these acts, do you…" Johan shook his head. "I liked it though, you really have a knack for being in the air, like you could have done that all day. I'll give it an eight."
"I'm gonna give you a 7 and a half," Alexis said.
"That was wonderful! I think I'll give you a 7," Christina said.
"Uncle, what did you think?" Alexis asked.
"Her act reminded me of back when I was a boy." Chef began. "Back when I was with my own momma at the circus, watching the trapeze act and admiring the elephants. I actually joined the circus right after college, long story, don't ask. It's a lot tougher than it looks."
Ilyria gained a confident look as she waited for Chef's score.
"It was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. But the girl's got talent. I'll give her an eight, too."
"You're not going to use the golden buzzer?" Chris asked.
"Why?" Chef asked incredulously. "I liked a lot of the acts, but I didn't love them! They had to earn that and I don't think they did! Is that a problem?"
Chef cracked his knuckles as he looked at the host, who raised his hands in defense.
"Hey, hey! It's cool, Chef! You don't have to buzz it if you don't want to!"
The final score for the Peacocks would be 146.5 out of 200. Which meant…
"I guess that's that. The Flamingos are the winners of today's challenge!" Alexis let out.
"Well then. Team Flamingo, you guys are safe for the night! Team Peacock, you guys are sending someone home tonight." Chris announced.
"We did it!" Lucille let out happily, grinning at her team.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Brittany grinned, pumping her fist in the air.
*Confessionals*
Ilyria: "I can't believe we lost the first challenge."
*static*
Rebekah: "I already know who I want to eliminate."
*static*
Joseph: "And that is the first of what is going to be many wins. Believe that!"
*static*
Abigail: "We won! Though I still feel bad for Dante…I just hope that he won't go home."
*static*
Jerusha: "Ah, the sweet feeling of victory! Our performance wasn't as macabre as I had hoped but it was a joy to be a part of! I really must thank Christopher for allowing me to help him!"
*static*
Christopher: "That was incredible! I am really glad that we're not sending anyone home today."
*static*
Shauna: "I don't really want to send anyone home. I know I didn't even get to go either, but I really hope it's not me that gets the first boot either. I should probably check up on Terra, too, she really messed herself up!"
*static*
Dante: "Man it sucks to lose the first challenge I just hope I don't end up going first. There's so much I wanted to do and say! Especially to Abigail… but Fernando's kind of a jerk and… and…
?: "Urgh… About time your mind began wandering again, Dante! Hopefully this means I get to stick around for a while."
*End confessionals*
The Flamingos began heading back to the resort, an air of confidence around them. Abigail would look back over, frowning as she saw the Peacocks deliberating on who would be sent home.
"That clown ruined our chances of winning, she's got to go!" Rebekah hissed.
"I have to agree." Demetrius nodded.
"Me too." Ilyria agreed.
"I mean it's really sad to see her get hurt like that." Shauna added. "Maybe getting voted off will let her get better."
"Leaving the game may also give her a chance to reflect on her actions and possibly learn from them." Walter added.
"Oh, believe me, there's no fixing her." Rebekah spat.
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Trish asked. "I mean, sure, she was a bit crazy but, like, she wasn't exactly a mean person or anything."
"I still think she's the weak point in our team," Demetrius would say simply. "And the weak have to leave. You agree with me, right Butch?"
The team looked around to notice that Butch and Lin were still gone.
"Where did they go?" Ilyria asked.
"I think they went to go make sure Terra's not badly hurt." Shauna answered.
"Okay, Lin, I can understand. They're roommates." Rebekah replied. "But why is Butch with them?"
"No idea," Demetrius let out.
From the medical tent, Terra slowly opened her eyes as she rubbed her pounding head. As her vision came back to her, she was met with the sight of Lin and Butch sitting and watching her stir.
"Good. You're finally awake." Lin sighed.
"Good morning sunshine!" Butch added with a sly grin.
"Just give it to me straight." Terra said, her tone surprisingly calm. "We lost, right?"
"No idea. We bailed when they took you away, but we probably did." Butch answered.
"And now that you're finally back with us, I can ask you one question. What the hell were you thinking?!" Lin snapped. Terra leaned back onto her bed and looked up at the ceiling of the tent.
"It's… a long story… One that isn't as funny as I like to act."
Terra's teammates leaned in to listen, but the sound of someone entering the tent caught their attention. As the three turned to see who it was, they were met with Alexis and Johan checking up on the injured teen.
"So you guys lost the challenge. You'll have to vote someone off," Alexis said.
"Figures." Butch sighed.
"I guess it's my time to go." Terra sighed, a bittersweet smile growing on her face as she slowly got out of bed. Lin went over to try supporting her when she stumbled a bit as the three left the tent. "One thing I don't get though is this. Why'd you come see me, Butch?"
The brute laughed a bit before looking at her with a genuine smile.
"You're a crazy girl, but you make me laugh. That's enough to make me think you're alright."
Abigail would be in the lobby, thinking about Dante. Her hands would be on her lap, as she sat on the couch.
"I know his team doesn't really have a reason to vote him off but…" She said to herself before sighing.
"Abigail, my dear, you look concerned, is everything alright?" Fernando called out as he sat next to her.
"Hi, Fernando," Abigail let out. "I'm just really concerned about Dante. I'm praying that he's not being sent home today. I would be devastated if I couldn't speak to him again. He's so nice."
Fernando's eye twitched for a moment as he gave the pianist a fake smile.
"Ah, I see your heart is as beautiful as you are for you to care about a member of the other team! I can promise you that he'll probably be fine as his team has no reason to target him. But are you sure it's safe for you to worry about him?"
Abigail would be confused, as she looked at Fernando. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, gazing into his eyes.
"If the rest of the team found out he and you were friends then they may think you're willing to sabotage our team for him. I know you would never, but with a team like ours and Joseph being a strong-willed leader who takes no nonsense, it might get you in trouble." Fernando explained, gazing back into Abigail's eyes.
"I know…and I don't want to get on Joseph's bad side…" Abigail let out. "But what can I do? I don't want to ruin my friendship with Dante."
"I cannot stop you from feeling the way you do." Fernando took hold of Abigail by her chin and came closer to her, their lips just a few centimeters apart. "The heart wants what the heart wants after all. But in a harsh and tough game like this…"
The smooth operator backed off as he stood on his feet. "Sometimes tough decisions must be made."
Abigail would glance at Fernando, her heart fluttering in her chest as she watched him walk away.
Elimination Ceremony (Pretty Peacocks)
The 10 Peacocks would soon be sitting on the beach, waiting for the elimination ceremony to get underway. Rebekah and Ilyria shot Terra dirty looks, the clown paying them no mind as she simply had her head hung low and with the same dead-eyed expression she had on earlier. Alexis would soon approach them, with a box, along with 10 sheets of paper, and a pen.
"Peacocks, it's time for you to vote someone off. We'll start off with the captain, and everyone else can go after her. Write down the name of the person you want to eliminate, and put it into the box. Once everyone has voted, I'll count the votes, and come back to begin," the niece of Chef Hatchet said.
Rebekah would take her slip of paper and the pen, quickly writing down a name, before slipping it into the box. She would then pass the pen to Butch.
The brute looked at the rest of his team for a moment before turning away from them and writing a name down. Once he was finished he passed it over to Lin, who repeated the process and then handed it to Terra, who sat without taking it for a moment before taking it.
The process continued until everyone had written down their votes, allowing Chris to open the box and tally them all up.
Alexis would soon return with a plate with nine s'mores on the plate. Chris took the plate and gave the losing team his signature smile.
"Ah, s'mores! A classic summertime treat usually associated with happiness and good times, just like the marshmallow, one of its humble ingredients. Unfortunately for you losers, they're a sign of safety. Whoever does not receive one will no longer be considered an active player. While everyone will be doing their challenges to stay in the game, the losers will remain at the pool right outside the pool which we have dubbed the 'Pool for Fools'! Kind of fitting, given this vote, isn't it! Hahaha!"
"I couldn't agree more…" Rebekah added, getting harsh looks from both Lin and Butch.
Alexis glared at Chris. "Anyway, when we call your name, you are safe," she said. "Rebekah."
The tomboy stood up, and would grab her s'more.
"Shauna." Chris called.
The dancer sighed in relief as she hurried over, nearly tripping again.
"Butch," Alexis called out.
"Good to know you guys know that you need me!" The brawler proclaimed as he claimed his s'more.
"Don't push it." Rebekah commented.
"Lin, you're safe." Chris said. The small girl gave Terra a smile as she passed her and joined the others who were also safe.
"Ilyria," Alexis said. The British girl would stand up to get her s'more.
"Dante." Chris called out. The gentle giant sighed with relief as he got his immunity s'more.
"Walter," Alexis called the soldier, who nodded and got his treat. Trish, Demetrius and Terra would be remaining, with only two s'mores posh princess almost started biting her nails out of worry as she watched the two hosts, Demetrius looked as though he were trying to remain calm and Terra… continued to look dead-eyed.
"Trish, you're safe." Alexis announced.
"Oh thank goodness!" The rich girl sighed, hurrying over and claiming her s'more before immediately swallowing it, getting a few confused looks. "Hey, I have a sweet tooth!"
"Only one s'more remains, and two contestants," Chris let out. "One of you got 8 votes, and the other only got 2 votes. The last s'more goes to…"
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Demetrius." Chris finally said.
Demetrius would smirk silently to himself, before standing up and claiming his s'more. Lin shook her head in disappointment as she looked over at her friend, who was shockingly sporting a sad smile.
"Well, Terra, anything you'd like to say?" Chris asked.
"Oh, yes, please give us one last enlightening message!" Rebekah called out. Just as Lin was about to lash out at her, the clown finally spoke.
"I knew this was coming. Even if my act went perfect and everyone loved it, I knew I'd probably be the first one out. That's sort of why I voted myself off." She began to explain.
"You voted for yourself?" Walter asked.
"I did. Look, despite how I act, I'm not a moron. I knew I got on a lot of your nerves during the short time I was actually in the game. I'm sure towards the end of my performance on stage you all got the feeling that something was off about me, more than usual at least. It's… It's a long story, and maybe if you all have time or care about it, I'll tell you about it another time. But for now, I just have one question for you all."
A bit of life returned to Terra's eyes as she looked at the rest of her team.
"Did I make you laugh? Honestly?"
"I suppose," Ilyria let out. "Even though you were annoying."
"Some of your antics could be amusing at times." Walter added.
"Maybe a little bit." Trish shrugged.
"You were hilarious!" Butch added.
"What about you, Lin Lin? What did you think?" Terra inquired, looking into her roommate's eyes. The street girl sighed and smiled at the clown.
"You were certainly something."
"Then I did my job." Terra sighed, finally giving a genuine smile. "Guess it's time for this sad clown to say 'hasta la vista, baby'! YEEHAW!"
Suddenly Terra dashed past everyone and cannonballed right into the nearest pool. Thankfully being far enough away to not splash anyone.
"Well, that's that. You guys can go now," Alexis said.
"Just to make sure you all get this into your heads and remember this, while Terra is considered eliminated and won't be participating in any more challenges, she, and everyone else who gets voted off, will still be at the resort and will stay in the same rooms. So good luck getting any sleep, 'Lin Lin'!" Chris laughed at the girl's nickname, getting himself one last glare before the Peacocks headed back inside.
"So, Terra the Terrible Clown is the first one down. Can't say I'm not surprised by the vote," Alexis said.
"Leave the snappy word play to the professionals." Chris replied. "But yes, Terra being the first one eliminated means the Peacocks are now going into the next challenge with a numbers disadvantage. Can they bounce back, or will this just be the beginning of the end for them? Will the love triangle of Abigail, Dante and Fernando lead to some juicy drama? Probably, and I'm all here for it! What sort of drama will unfold on the next exciting episode of…Total!"
"Drama!" Alexis would continue.
"HAWAIIAN RESORT!" the two would let out together.
The Votes
Rebekah: Terra
Shauna: Terra
Demetrius: Terra
Trish: Terra
Walter: Terra
Terra: Terra
Butch: Demetrius
Lin: Demetrius
Ilyria: Terra
Dante: Terra
20th: Terra
LaViolaViolaRosa: Whew, this was a big chapter! But I'm so glad it's finally done.
Allureon: AAAAAA IT'S DONE! Ok, so, sorry about that but admittedly I'm excited to see this first elimination finished. Now we're getting into some of the juicier bits of the story with some more character development.
LaViolaViolaRosa: I cannot wait for more moments of drama with the love triangle between Fernando, Dante, and Abigail.
Allureon: Getting to write Fernando as this suave and handsome sounding man that's straight out of a soap opera is admittedly fun. Speaking of fun, I found Terra to be fun to write for since it allows me to be a bit more off the wall than I usually am. While she was meant to be an early boot, I did also want there to be a point to her and not just have her be a comedy character, even though she's mostly that.
LaViolaViolaRosa: Stay tuned for the next chapter! Please leave your thoughts, we would love to hear them!