AAAAAAAA I'M SORRY FOR THIS GOING UP SO LATE! I've been working on other projects and have been asked to collab with another author and help with one of her stories. While my schedule did somewhat suffer from this, it did give me some good ideas for this story so I hope that does compensate. But enough about that, enjoy the chapter!
"Last time on Total Drama Glimmering Isles, the game began as our two teams participated in their first challenge. We kept it simple as the campers collected flags from around the main island. Tensions seemed to rise between Brad and Ali when they discussed who they would eliminate if it came down to it... which seemed to be settled right after the challenge... BORING! What wasn't boring though was getting to watch the growing tension between Omari and Frank boil over as the two ended up fighting for the last flag the Emerald Eagles needed to win. Frank seemed to have Omari backed up against the wall with his surprising boxing skills when a sudden low blow took him down and ended up giving the Ruby Ravens just enough time to get the victory! Seeing them as the only real options to vote off, it came down to our two brawlers during the elimination ceremony. In the end, the Eagles voted Frank out of the game. Things won't be easy for Omari though, as he now finds himself at the bottom of his team's totem pole! Can he somehow build himself back up and get back into the good graces of his team, or is he the next person on his team to go? Can the Eagles even bounce back from their loss at all? Find out right now on Total!
Drama!
Glimmering Isles!"
The walk back to the Eagles cabin was a rather silent one as the boys entered their half of the cabin. Joseph and Walter shared a look with each other before resuming their judgemental glares towards Omari. The weight of the silence was lifted somewhat when Omari noticed the glares and spoke out, raising his arms in defense.
"What?!" He shouted. "Y'all have been staring at me like that ever since Frank got the boot, what is your deal?!"
"Our 'deal' is that your petty squabble with Frank is what cost us the challenge! All you two needed to do was cooperate for one minute so that we could have won the challenge, but you could not even do that! Now we are at a numerical disadvantage!" Walter responded, his tone stern and cold.
"And? I'm good enough to handle whatever comes next! We didn't need him!" Omari shrugged.
"That's not the point." Joseph spoke, stepping forward to look Omari in the eye. "You messed up. The rest of the team suffered because of it."
"We wouldn't have messed up if Frank was smart, it's his fault!"
"Stop blaming him! Both of you were to blame!" Joseph continued. "Let's get something straight here; you're on razor-thin ice right now. You're on the bottom of this team's totem pole! Screw up again and you're out of here!"
"Seriously?! You think I'm the weak link?! Nah, ain't no way you'd keep the clown girl and the little kid over me!" Omari hissed as he looked at the two as if they bad both grown a second head before scoffing and getting into his bed, grumbling to himself. Algernon remained silent as he listened to the argument. The two larger boys shook their heads at Omari's attitude before getting ready for bed, Johan headed for the door, which Joseph noticed.
"Hey." The de-facto captain called out. "Don't stay out too long."
"He's right. We need all of our strength for the challenge." The soldier added.
With a quick nod of his head, the musician left the cabin and noticed the dancing light of a fire nearby...
*Confessionals*
Omari: "Pfft. Like it was my fault we lost. Those guys are just trying to psyche me out, especially Joseph. He thinks he's tough just because he's big but he's only got Walter on his side because he can't fight. The guy's all bark and no bite! So I'm thinking that if I can get the girls, and maybe Algie, to vote him off, then I can take the spot as the leader that I deserve! It'll be easy, I mean, I've got the looks and the charm, right?"
Algernon: "Man am I glad they're not yelling at me! I guess this shows that I really should not get on the bad side of those two!"
Walter: "As easy as it would be to use corporal punishment on Omari and write him off as a lost cause, that would not fix his attitude. It might only make him worse. Besides, I enjoy turning fools like him into team players!"
Joseph: "That kid really sees himself as some sort of gift to this team. Shameful. This is the only warning he's going to get, and if he's smart, he'll take it seriously."
*End Confessionals*
"Hey, should have known you'd be out here."
Charlene looked up and smiled a bit when she saw Johan walk over to her.
"Yeah, I needed to clear my head."
"Well let's clear it up and put something else in there!" Terra called out as she rushed over to the redhead's side.
"Can you at least warn us when you're going to pop up from out of nowhere?" The firebug sighed.
"I don't think that's ever going to happen." The three turned to see Lin walking over to them with Jenny right behind her. "Sorry about her, by the way. She insisted on following us."
"Well that's at least half of the team now." Charlene sighed again.
"I'll be good, promise!" The cheerleader assured before waving at Johan. "Hi Joey!"
"Uh, hey." Johan waved back, an embarrassed blush creeping onto his face as he glanced back and forth between both Jenny and Charlene for a moment. Charlene's eyes widened a bit as she looked at the cheerleader curiously before averting her gaze over to the fire.
"So..." Lin began. "How do we bounce back from this?"
"Okay, so we'll need a room full of exercise balls and a ton of rubber bands!"
"Terra, no..." The smaller girl sighed.
"TERRA, YES!" The clown replied enthusiastically.
"Well I think the answer to that question mostly depends on how Omari wants to act in the next challenge." Johan explained. "The guy's been difficult since he got here and even now he wants to argue with Joseph and Walter so I doubt he'll play nice."
"Then we vote him off next time we lose. Simple." Charlene shrugged.
"I mean, yeah, but let's try not to lose again." Jenny chirped, trying to smile among the more serious looks she was seeing.
"That's the plan." The guitarist replied as he stood up. "I should probably head inside, if early morning workouts with the guys are going to be a thing then I might as well get as much sleep as I can. You ladies have a good night." Johan looked over at both Jenny and Charlene, he wasn't sure if it was because of the fire but he could feel a warmth in his face as he saw the smiles they returned to him. "Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight!" "Sleep well!" "Night." The girls all said, with Terra being the only one to stay quiet and simply wave goodbye. One by one the girls all headed back inside as well. Charlene put out her fire and watched Jenny go with an unsure look in her eyes.
*Confessionals*
Charlene: "You don't think Johan likes Jenny, do you? I mean I guess it would make sense. The cool musician and the cheerleader becoming a couple makes sense. Plus the last time a guy who played guitar hooked up with the outcast girl it didn't exactly end well..."
Jenny: "Okay, so it's not that I don't like Sapphire, but she's not exactly the chatty type. I tried talking to her a bit but she didn't seem like she was in the mood, which I totally get since we did just lose the first challenge. The rest of the girls and I did get to talk a bit more though, so that's nice! Charlene was still a bit quiet though. Maybe she just needs a bit more time."
Johan: "Oh man, what's wrong with me?! I can't go around liking two different girls here! If there's anything I don't want to do here, it's string them along and play with their emotions. As much as I don't want to do it, I might have to talk to Carmen and ask her what I should do..."
Lin: "It's pretty obvious that Johan likes both of those girls. But hey, that's his problem."
Terra: "Jenny is now one of us! ONE OF US! ONE OF US!"
*End Confessionals*
The sunrise signaling a new day brought about a warmer air to the island as both teams entered the mess hall. The Ruby Ravens sat down at their table, some of the team members still in high spirits after their victory.
"Aww yeah, first win of the season!" Butch cheered. "And it's gonna be the first of many!"
"Don't get overconfident now." Tatiana warned.
"She's right." Brad added. "We still don't know what this next challenge is."
"I guess we should hope whatever the challenge is, it plays to our strengths." Ginger stated as she lifted her spoon from her oatmeal, which had the consistency of glue.
"Whatever it is, if we keep a positive mental attitude, then we'll win! We just have to keep that same energy we all had in the last challenge!" Ali assured, lifting his own spoon. The mush had almost completely stuck to the spoon, making it impossible to remove.
From the Eagles' team table, the energy felt much more serious as the team silently ate their breakfast. Sapphire was the first one to break the silence as she cleared her throat.
"Alright. Let's get the obvious out of the way; we need to bounce back after yesterday. So we need to cooperate!" She began, looking right at Omari with her last statement.
"Why are you looking at me?! I told you guys, we lost 'cause of Frank!" The brash teen exclaimed.
"We've been through this. It doesn't matter whose fault it was, you need to take responsibility and simply work with us." Walter remarked, prompting his teammate to scowl and suck his teeth.
"Remember." Joseph spoke up. "If we lose again, you're gone."
Before Omari could respond, Chris burst through the door with a pep in his step and the two interns behind him.
"Good morning!" The host greeted. "Hope you're ready for today's challenge because it's gonna get messy!"
"As messy as your history with the law?" Lin asked, giving Chris a deadpan look that made Carmen look at her curiously.
"SHOOSH!" Chris urged. "Just follow me and let's get this over with!"
As everyone piled out of the mess hall, Carmen and Chelsea began helping Chef clean up, the Hispanic teen watching her cousin's team as they left.
"What's with you?" Chelsea asked.
"I didn't really notice it until now, but that short girl kind of reminds me of someone I know." Carmen explained.
"In a good way or bad way?" Chef asked.
"In a good way. I'm not certain, but another cousin of mine has the same energy that she gives off."
"Speaking of your cousin." Chelsea piped up. "No offense, but I'm pretty sure his team's gonna lose again."
"Yeah, I get you. That Omari creep is probably gonna screw things up for them again."
"Wanna bet on it?" Chef asked, raising his eyebrow with a smirk on his lips.
"Can we even do that?" Chelsea asked. "I mean we're not exactly old enough to gamble."
"We don't need to use actual money." Chris said. Chef pulled out a small radio from his back pocket in surprise. "
"Chris?! This thing's on?!" Chef asked.
"Yup! So, how about this? If the Eagles win this challenge, then Chelsea and Carmen will have to do whatever we say for the whole day tomorrow!"
"And if we win?" Chelsea asked.
"Then it'll be the other way around." Chris relented, the begrudging tone in his voice made Chelsea smirk. "So, everyone in?"
"Yeah!" "Hehe! You know I am!" Carmen and Chef replied, the two looked to Chelsea, who eventually shrugged.
"Sure." She said.
"Then it's on!"
*Confessionals*
Chef: "Chris and I have bet money on the game before but I basically get a break if I win, so I am definitely taking this!"
Carmen: "On one hand, I don't like the thought of betting against my family. On the other hand, I don't expect them to win with that loser on their team so... yeah..."
Chelsea: "If the Ravens actually get another win then that means Chris becomes my slave for an entire day! Oh, you know I'm not going to waste an opportunity like that!"
Chris: "As the host I understand that it looks irresponsible for me to be a part of something like this. But you have my word that I will not interfere in the challenge just to win our little bet. Both teams will suffer equally! Hehehe! Besides, this challenge won't really even need any outside interference from me or the interns, this one's all about the skill and speed of the contestants!"
*End Confessionals*
Chris brought the two teams to what appeared to be a large obstacle course that began with an elevated platform with a pathway consisting of some sort of gelatinous substance leading to another platform about ten yards away. Chris had a blackboard with a map of the main island plastered on it.
"Hope you're all ready to get messy today because today's challenge is a little something I like to call; The Slop-stacle Course!" Chris began. "Here's the deal: this challenge is, in essence, a typical relay race. However, each segment will take you through various obstacles that are designed to be as messy and gross as possible! Your first obstacle is the Slime Run, where both teams will have one member of each team run along a walkway made of old tapioca pudding. Can you move fast enough to not sink too deeply into it? Or will you have to swim your way through it? Next up is The Cheese Block, where two team members will have to dig through a tank of moldy nacho cheese in order to find a key that will unlock a gate blocking their path to their next teammate and the next obstacle, The Brown Plate Special!"
"Why is it brown?" Marsha asked, her eyes widening in horror.
"Because if we called it Blue, we'd get sued for copyright infringement, and brown is just the color of the obstacle anyway. Now if I may be allowed to continue!" Chris replied, giving the teens a mean glare before continuing. "The Brown Plate is just a call-back to our Pancake Eating challenge from the All-Stars season. Three members of your team will work together to eat the pancakes in order to find another key to unlock the door leading to the next obstacle. After that is the Green River, which will have two members of each team jumping across a set of platforms across Chef's old mystery meat from last season. You can swim across if you want to, but I'm sure you'd prefer jumping. After that is the Hamster Wheel, where one member will run along the titular obstacle in order to raise the gate and allow the second to last member to start the penultimate obstacle; the Grime Room. In a callback to the penultimate challenge of the last season, the two participating contestants will search a room full of garbage and other gross stuff to find a button and activate the last part of the challenge, one last dash to the finish line for the remaining member of each team. Whoever crosses the finish line at the end is the winner!"
"What does that mean for us since we're down a member?" Joseph asked.
"Well one of you could do multiple segments if you want to, or you choose to do some of the multi-person segments with one less player. It'll be tougher, but hey, that's on you guys for losing the first challenge. So, take a few minutes to figure out who's doing what so we can get this started."
The two teams immediately huddled up to discuss their thoughts.
"So what are we going to do? Is someone going to go twice or should we take our chances with one less person in one of the legs?" Lin asked.
"Oh! I wanna do the hamster wheel!" Terra blurted out. The team was silent for a moment before allowing her to take the wheel.
"I'll take the first part, we need to make sure we have the biggest lead possible and I don't think most of the Ravens would be able to keep up with me." Joseph explained.
"If Joseph wants to give us a strong lead, then I volunteer on making sure we have a strong ending. I'll take the last two legs of the race." Walter added.
"You sure you want to do two parts in a row?" Sapphire asked, earning a firm nod from the soldier boy.
"If it means helping the team then I will do what I can." The soldier affirmed.
"I can handle the platform section." Lin added. "But it's supposed to be two people, so who's willing to volunteer for that?"
"Oh, I can do that!" Jenny chirped. "Being a cheerleader means I'm light on my feet, so doing that should be pretty easy!" Suddenly, Omari chuckled as he looked at Algernon.
"Heh, I guess you'll be wanting to get at those pancakes, right Big Guy?" He joked, getting a death glare from Sapphire while Joseph and Walter looked ready to break Omari in two. Algernon himself simply looked down with a hurt look in his eyes.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" The brunette asked. "Maybe you should be the one to eat those pancakes so you can choke on them!"
"Easy now!" Johan interjected, separating the two before things could escalate. "Look, let's just pick who's doing what before we run out of time. Algie, don't listen to Omari, what do you want to do from what's left?"
"Well..." The heavier boy began. "If I can figure out the consistency of moldy cheese then I, and my partner for that portion of the challenge, should be able to locate the key quickly."
"Perfect, then I'll help you. Just tell me what you need me to do and we'll get this done!" Sapphire affirmed, giving the boy a smile that made both of them faintly blush.
"Guess that leaves me helping Johan on those pancakes. I'll at least have someone to talk to." The firebug gave the musician a smile that he gave right back to her.
*Confessionals*
Joseph: "Alright, so we have a plan, which is good. Now all we need to do is stick to it!"
Walter: "I don't mind pulling more weight at all, in fact I'm happy to do it! I need to set a good example to the rest of the team and show them what proper discipline can do!"
Algernon: "I wasn't really expecting some of the others to jump in and defend me like that! My friends back home do that all the time but we usually end up in a dumpster or something. Even the ones that didn't say anything looked mad when Omari made that joke too! Maybe... maybe I was wrong about being so worried! P-plus, I get to spend some time with Sapphire for this challenge, t-too!"
Sapphire: "And just when I thought that creep couldn't get more annoying! I have faith in Algie though, and the rest of the team. We need this win!"
Charlene: "Stuffing my face with pancakes isn't exactly how I thought I'd be getting to talk to Johan more, especially since we'll be having to deal with Omari, but it's better than nothing I guess. Getting a bit more space away from my sister is nice, too."
Jenny: "I think this challenge might play a bit more into what I'm good at! I'm a bit confused as to what Chris meant when he said this will be messy though? It doesn't sound all that bad, aside from all the moldy stuff."
Lin: "I had a feeling that the first challenge was too simple. Turns out I was right to think that. My part should be easy enough and I think Jen should be fine. Overall, barring some sort of tragic miscalculation or extreme case of bad luck, I think we might actually win this."
Johan: "On one hand, I'm sort of regretting my choice with those pancakes since I really don't want to be near Omari. But on the other hand, I do kind of want to talk to Charlene some more
Omari: "Man, they ain't even let me pick what I wanted to do! Whatever, I'll rock my part of the challenge! I might even impress that grungy redhead girl too, unless Johan wants to mess that up..."
Terra: "WOO HAMSTER WHEEL!"
*End Confessionals*
Meanwhile the Ravens were also discussing their planned order as Tatiana and Bea took control for their team.
"Alright, here's how I say we start things. We need someone light on their feet to start us off." The bookworm began.
"Yes, having someone of lighter weight with a fast running speed should be able to run along the surface of the pudding fast enough to get across without breaking the skin. However, the runner should take note that this is simply a hypothesis, as it is possible that the age of the dessert may cause the skin and any potential mold along it to have a much different consistency." Bea explained, a confident smile on her face.
"I didn't understand half of what she said." Butch said flatly.
"Don't worry about it, we don't need you for this part anyway." Brad replied as he turned to Bea. "Y'know, when you're not stuttering in casual conversation, you seem to be pretty confident when talking about science."
"W-well, I suppose I, um, find comfort in talking about something I enjoy."
"Hey." Ginger piped up. "If we need someone light then I could do it. I'm not exactly a track star though."
"I suppose that'll have to do." Tatiana shrugged. "I'll handle the Cheese section, but I'll need a partner. Who's interested."
"I think the other team's picking one of the big guys to go first. Would've been nice to go against one of them but I want to see their faces once we get the lead so I'll help." Butch smirked.
"We need three people on the Pancake portion, I'll help on that end." Brad volunteered with Tracy and Marsha looking excited to join.
"Chef's food isn't exactly the most appetizing, so I could definitely go for some pancakes!" The country girl said, with Marsha speaking up right after.
"Plus, being a good cook means enjoying food just as much as making it, so I'm excited to do this part!"
"Isaiah and I work well together so we can handle jumping on those platforms." Mipsy said, looking at her teammate with a smile which he returned.
"We're probably gonna need someone with good stamina on that Wheel." Ali noted. "As much as I'd like to be the one to do that last sprint, I think it's better if I do that instead."
"We'll probably need someone with a sharp eye for that room of garbage. Whoever's left will have to run the sprint." Isaiah suggested.
"Well, I'm not exactly the fastest guy around." Earnest admitted. "But I do like those I Spy and Where's Waldo books so I think I should be able to find that button."
"We'll hold you to that." Tatiana replied, raising an eyebrow at the boy before turning to Bea. "Guess that leaves you with the last sprint."
I'm... not exactly the most physically adept, but I'll do my best."
The blast of an air horn silenced everyone as their eyes turned to Chris.
"Alright!" The host announced. "The time for planning is over, if you haven't got a final order then I'll pick for you. If everyone's ready, then will the first members of both teams step up, everyone else can wait at your stations!"
*Confessionals*
Bea: "I am... honestly a bit worried about being the very last person to go. The pressure could certainly be high if we don't have much of a lead, if we're in the lead at all. I suppose I just need to have faith in my team."
Brad: "There's definitely a few questionable choices for who's stationed at certain points but I don't think I'm at risk if we lose, as long as my portion goes well. As much as Ali won't like it, I'll have to consider voting for our weakest link if we do end up losing the challenge."
Butch: "Wish I could have gone up against one of those big guys, but if Brad and Tania want me to dig through cheese then I guess I'll do it. There's always next time, I guess."
Ginger: "Wow, first up against one of the bigger guys on the other team. That is... honestly terrifying, especially since it's the most intimidating guy on the island! But Bea and Tatiana said that me being so small means I should have an easier time getting across. I really can't let my team down here!"
Isaiah: "I probably would have been a decent all-around choice regardless of where I would have been placed. But being in the middle of the challenge makes my role a bit more crucial. One wrong move from either team could mean the other could take the lead. Being paired up with Melissa also means that I have the opportunity to talk to her about a potential alliance."
Mipsy: "Not really sure what to make of the challenge so far. I think I'll have to wait until it actually starts though. Hmm, Isaiah had a certain look in his eye when we got to our station. I wonder what's on his mind?"
Marsha: "I was excited to learn I'd be eating pancakes... until I remembered the show that I'm on..."
Tracy: "Pancakes in the city don't normally have green and yellow spots, right?"
Ali: "I guess I can cross 'run on giant hamster wheel' off my bucket list. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit worried. This is the first challenge that's more physically oriented and while some of team members might be fine, others might struggle more. Here's hoping the obstacles can slow down the Eagles enough for us to win again."
Earnest: "So, um, as much as I don't mind being more of a heavy guy, I know that running isn't exactly my strong suit. But I was telling the truth when I said I like those eyesight games. So bring the challenge on!"
Tatiana: "Guess I really am one of the team leaders. In a way this could be a good thing, the others might see me as an asset and want to keep me around. On the other hand, if we lose then they might question my ability as the leader and vote me off. It's tricky, but if I play my cards right then this is a good opportunity to go far."
*End Confessionals*
Ginger and Joseph stood at the starting line, the smaller girl gulping a bit at the sheer difference in size between the two before shifting her gaze towards the moldy river of tapioca pudding in front of them. The normally white treat was dotted with several spots of dark blue fuzz and some parts of the skin of the pudding was beginning to turn crusty.
"Alright, everyone ready?" Chris asked. The teens all remained silent at their stations as Ginger and Joseph readied themselves. "Go!"
The two stepped onto the pudding, their weight causing them to slowly sink into the dessert with Joseph's larger size causing him to sink considerable faster. With a bit of effort, Ginger managed to raise her left leg and take a step forward, her leg immediately beginning to sink as she took a step. Acting as quickly as she could, the blogger managed to take a few more steps forward while Joseph was still trying to take his first. The Pacific Islander only managed one step before he found himself waist-deep into the custard.
With a frustrated grunt, the young man instead shifted his tactic. Instead of trying to walk forward and avoid sinking deeper, Joseph instead dove forward and began swimming through the mold, shortening the distance between himself and Ginger, who had just made it across the river of pudding, hurrying over to her teammates and tagging in Titania and Butch.
"And the Ravens gain the lead! But the Eagles look like they're right behind them!" Chris announced as Joseph climbed out of the river, his head being the only part of him still clean as he tagged in Sapphire and Algie, the latter looking rather disgusted with his de-facto captain's sticky situation.
"Alright, you two." Chris called out. "Get yourselves cleaned up and head to the finish line!"
"Yeah, I didn't even get the worst of that and I feel like I need a shower." Ginger groaned. Joseph simply nodded at his teammates before walking off and allowing his teammates to get to work.
Algernon rolled up his sleeves and took a deep breath as he looked over at the glass tank full of the yellow goop he and Sapphire would be digging in to. Shutting his eyes tightly, Algie plunged his arms into the slimy cheese, paying attention to the consistency as Sapphire soon joined him.
"It's not too thick, this means the key should be somewhere closer to the bottom depending on its size and weight. C-can you check the upper portion, Sapphire?"
"You got it!"
Across form the two Eagles, Butch and Tatiana were searching in their own tank with the former quickly losing patience.
"Ugh, this is nasty!" Butch groaned. "Got any ideas?"
"Just keep looking!" Tatiana grumbled.
As the four teens continued searching, Sapphire eventually felt something metallic brush onto her hand.
"Oh I think I got it!" She called out as she tried to grab onto the key, only for it to slip out of her hand. Almost instinctively, Algernon reached out in the direction he saw Sapphire's right arm going and managed to catch the key. As he did so, he unintentionally grabbed onto Sapphire's hand, the two took their hands out of the cheese. Algernon's face was cherry red with how hard he was blushing while Sapphire just looked a bit surprised as she held the key in her hand.
"Th-th-that was an accident! I swear!" The nerdy boy stuttered. Sapphire laughed a bit as she cleaned her hands with some rags Chris had provided. As she finished, she took one of the rags and gently cleaned off a bit of goop Algie had splashed onto his face.
"Don't worry about it!" The brunette assured, her smile and tone calming the bespectacled boy down as she revealed the key. "Come on, we just took the lead!"
*Confessionals*
Algernon: "I can't believe she wasn't mad... Back home I'd probably get slapped if something like that happened!"
Sapphire: "Oh my gosh, we totally held hands for a second there!" Her eyes suddenly went wide as Sapphire looked directly into the camera. "If you say anything, I will gut you!"
*End confessionals*
"So after I told that guy off, he totally tried to fight me! But you already know that I can handle myself, so I beat up that fool and-" Omari went on. Johan and Charlene looked completely bored out of their mind and desperate for the boy to shut up when they spotted Algernon and Sapphire running towards them.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Charlene exclaimed as Sapphire tagged her in. With both boredom and an excuse to get away from Omari fueling her, the firebug dove right for the pancakes and began digging in for about five seconds before stopping once she actually tasted them. Reluctantly, Charlene swallowed the pancake bits in her mouth before looking at the spot where she had eaten and saw what looked to be bits of coagulated Juggy Chug in the pancake.
"Oh HELL no!" Omari cursed. "I ain't eatin' that!"
Sapphire's mood shifted as she gave the boy a death glare. "You'll eat it and you'll like it, or you'll be the one taking the next boat home!"
"Hurry, you guys can still catch up!" Butch called out. The Eagles watched as Tatiana tagged Tracy and the rest of the Ravens in. She and Brad watched on nervously as they watched Marsha take the first bite.
"Ugh, it tastes like medicine!" The chef grimaced before reluctantly resuming. Omari gulped as he joined Charlene and Johan in eating.
Chef and the two interns watched the challenge from a much larger cabin that resembled the winner's cabin from the All-Stars season, though with a more rustic design to it.
"Looks like things are still even." Carmen noted. "Think the red team can take back the lead?"
"Here's hoping." Chelsea replied. "I really don't want to do more for Chris than I already have to."
"Well they'll have to stomach the slop I put in there." Chef chuckled to himself.
"What did you put in there anyway?" Carmen asked, looking a little uneasy for her cousin.
"Oh, y'know, some leftover Juggy Chug from Pahkitew Island, some old chum I never used from when I went fishing between seasons. Some of the old veggies from last season and other stuff I had lying around."
The two girls exchanged nervous glances as they looked back at the screen.
The two teams had continued eating until they were about halfway done with their pancakes, all six teens had almost shut down completely from the sick feeling they all shared. Charlene swallowed another bite of the pancake and appeared to be about to blow as she covered her mouth. Johan hurried to her side and took one of her hands.
"Charlene, you need to hold it down. Just take deep breaths and try to force it back down as best as you can, alright?"
Doing what he recommended, the pyromaniac shut her eyes tightly and gulped the contents of her stomach back down with a look of complete disgust on her face.
"Why don't you take a break. I'll take over from here." Johan assured. Charlene smiled at the boy before thanking him and sitting down a fair distance away from the pancakes, as Charlene couldn't stomach even looking at the things anymore. As Johan got to work, Omari approached him with a frustrated look on his face.
"Boy, I see you trying to flirt with her. You ain't got no type of game!" He said before taking another bite.
"What are you talking about?" Johan swallowed another piece.
"I'm saying you're a simp, man! I'd say you gotta act more like me if you wanna get girls, but I know I got Charlene liking me!"
"Pfft!" Johan nearly choked as he laughed. "Dude, she definitely doesn't like you, pretty sure none of the girls on the team do! Besides, I thought you liked my cousin?"
"Yeah, and I still plan on bagging her soon, even without your help!" Omari hissed. "You're just gonna have to deal with the rebounds!"
"Got it!" "I found it!" Johan and Tracy called out at the same time. Both teams sprang to life and hurried over to their gates with as much energy as they could muster as the disgusting ingredients within the pancakes still churned their stomachs.
The next four teens waited in front of an Olympic-sized pool of green slime, several square-shaped platforms dotted the pool and lead to a much larger platform on the other side with an arrow and a sign with a hamster on it leading down another pathway.
"Here they co- oh my goodness!" Jenny called out, her eyes widening upon seeing her teammates. "Are... you guys okay?"
"Don't worry about us." Johan replied, his face growing just a bit green. "Just go!"
"Alright, but you guys need to lay down for a bit." Lin remarked.
"Don't worry about us, kid." Omari huffed as he looked over at the cheerleader. "I'm good! Could probably go run a hike if I-" He couldn't finish before emptying the contents of his stomach in front of the two.
"Eww." Jenny squirmed. Johan quickly tagged Lin and Jenny in before he and Charlene could get sick as well. From the Ravens' side, Brad and the girls reached Isaiah and Melissa and quickly tagged them in.
"I hope to never eat another pancake again..." Brad groaned.
"Don't say that!" Marsha assured. "I'll try to make some actually good ones for everyone when I get the chance."
"If you guys are done talking about food, Melissa and I need to be on our way." Isaiah stated, raising an eyebrow at the three and at Mipsy's concerned look.
"R-right..." The world traveler nodded. The two began jumping on the platforms, both trying to keep steady as they nearly slipped and fell a few times.
"Ugh, I never once thought I'd wish I had taken those track and field lessons." Isaiah grumbled.
"Hey, don't give up yet!" Melissa said, picking up her partner and helping him back to his feet. "We're almost halfway..." Her words trailed of as she watched Jenny and Lin gracefully jump across the platforms with ease.
"Hehe, hey, I figured this would be easy for me as a cheerleader but I didn't expect you to be so good at this!"
"With some of the stuff I get up to and have to see back home, stuff like this is just second nature to me." Lin shrugged.
"Ever think about going into cheerleading?" The blonde asked.
"Nope. I don't think I have the... figure, if you catch my drift. I already have someone here calling me a kid. Even then I don't think I can play nice with those head-cheerleader types that like to think they're the boss of everyone."
"Oh, that's just a negative stereotype! But I do get why you'd say that. It was just a suggestion."
"How do they do that?" Melissa asked in awe.
"I should have figured the cheerleader would be good at a challenge like this. She must have given that smaller girl some tips, too! We need to move!" Isaiah called out.
The two Ravens rushed to catch up with the Eagles, nearly falling into the slime several more times while Jenny and Lin reached the end.
"And the Emerald Eagles take the lead!" Chris announced. The two girls continued down the provided path and entered an open area with two giant hamster wheel that looked just like the smaller variants. Bars went around the entire wheel and giant water bottles just like those in hamster cages were connected to the wheel, a small amount of purple liquid at the bottom. There didn't seem to be any sort of nozzle or way for the runners to drink from the bottle though. Earnest and Walter stood outside of a door that appeared to be connected to a hinge that connected to the wheel.
Terra was bouncing with excitement as she saw her teammates run and tag her in.
"Haha, you look excited!" Jenny laughed.
"Heck yeah! It's a hamster wheel!" Terra replied before hopping onto it and running as fast as she could. "WOO!"
Isaiah and Mipsy soon ran in, the former covered in slime as they tagged in Ali, who hurried to try and catch up with Terra. As the two ran, the amount of liquid in the water bottles increased steadily.
"So, um, what do we do now?" Mipsy asked.
"You four can go ahead to the finish line." Chris announced. "Although for Isaiah, I'd say he needs to clean himself up first."
The everyman grumbled at Chris' comment as he stormed off, Melissa giving the boy a worried look as she hurried after him. The two Eagles looking over at Terra, who's mind was focused on running along the wheel on all fours, before looking back at each other. The girls shrugged before walking away.
Terra soon finished filling up the bottle of purple liquid. The door blocking Walter's path opened up, revealing a room full of garbage, grime and other indescribable objects. The soldier grumbled to himself before charging in. More purple liquid splashed from the top of the cage and onto Terra, who grabbed onto the bars of the wheel and began spinning along with the momentum while soaked in slime.
"WHOOOOOHOOOOHOOOO!" She cheered as Ali and Earnest watched on, both confused and a bit amazed at her enthusiasm. Ali was soon splashed with his own wave of slime as Earnest's door opened.
"Guess that's my cue!" He said before rushing in. Ali sighed as he hopped off the wheel and tried shaking off some of the slime as he looked over at Terra again.
"WOO! JANE, STOP THIS CRAZY THING!" She shouted, Ali smiled at the girl and shook his head before leaving to clean himself up.
From inside the two rooms, Walter and Earnest dug through garbage bags full of trash, other bags full of slime that seeped out whenever they were moved, and rotting meat that gave off a horrendous stench from somewhere neither of the two could identify.
"Ah man, this is sick!" Earnest gagged as he dug through some of Chef's old vegetables that had now been stewing in sludge for what seemed like the past few hours. "Now, if I were a button, where would I be?" He asked himself. "Guess I should check the walls first..."
From the other room, Walter silently dug long the perimeter of the room and piled everything he tossed aside into the center of the room.
The two continued to dig until they combed through nearly the entirety of the perimeters of their respective rooms. Both had nearly begun searching in a different spot when suddenly...
"There!"
Walter slammed his fist down on a red flashing button. Immediately the door to the outside opened, the soldier rushed outside to see Terra, who had just jumped off the hamster wheel in a dizzy trance. On the opposite side to where the four teens from the previous segment came in was another path, one of the doors leading to the final segment now open.
Walter dashed down the new path with as much speed as he could muster, running right past Bea, who looked back in the direction Walter came from with a concerned look.
"Oh, Earnest, where are you?" The smart girl sighed. Walter continued running when he was suddenly bombarded by a barrage of water balloons filled with some sort of sticky, blue colored substance. The assault made the soldier stop right in his track in order to catch his breath.
"Did you think it was going to be that easy?" Chris called out from the intercom. Bea watched on from her starting point, a spark of hope now within her as she saw Walter, who was now moving much more slowly.
From back in his room, Earnest had begun removing the pile of bags he set up in the center of the room in a rush. With a huff, the young man tossed a garbage bag against the wall, causing it to explode in a burst of slime, old fruit juice, grease, and some other liquid that Earnest couldn't and didn't want to identify.
"AUGH!" He moaned as the grime splashed onto him. With a horrid smell entering his nose, Earnest grit his teeth and did everything he could to keep his breakfast down as he resumed digging. With a bit more digging, Earnest finally found the button flashing in the center of the room. Wasting no time, Ernie pressed the button and hurried out of the room, following the path Walter took and seeing Bea, who looked both relieved and frustrated to see him.
"It's about time!" Bea remarked, the two turned to see Walter already over halfway through the last run to the finish line, several automatic squirt guns and water cannons bombarding him with more slime, mud, and other gross substances. As Earnest tagged her in, Bea took one last deep breath before charging forward. As she grew closer to the soldier, some of the guns began aiming at her, splashing the genius with bizarre-colored liquids. With some of the heat now off him, Walter was able to move just a tad bit faster. As the two ran, the finish line grew closer and closer in sight. Everyone watched with bated breath as they could see Bea slowly but surely catching up to Walter!
"It's gonna be pretty close!" Chris announced.
"Looks like your cousin's team might take this!" Chef told the interns, making sure to keep quiet in front of the contestants.
"It's not over yet, that girl could still catch up!" Carmen noted.
Bea continued to chase after Walter as the two quickly approached the finish line though the young lady appeared to be quickly losing energy. The two were very nearly neck and neck until...
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Walter crossed the finish line!
"And the Emerald Eagles win!" Chris proclaimed. Omari breathed a sigh of relief which quickly turned into a stunned look as he turned to see Charlene and Jenny both give Johan a hug. The guitarist and firebug both released themselves from the embrace with a blush while Jenny giggled. Lin had a pleased smile on her face while Terra whooped in joy. Sapphire raised an eyebrow at her sister and Johan but turned to give Algie a smile that made his face turn red. Joseph approached Walter and gave the soldier an enthusiastic fist bump as the team left to go celebrate.
"Ruby Ravens, what can I say, I thought you guys may have had some momentum there but I guess I was wrong! I'll be seeing you guys later tonight for the ceremony!" Chris said before passing by Chef, who was laughing, and the two interns. Carmen looked disappointed while Chelsea simply stood with her eyes wide in horror. "And I'll be sure to enjoy my day tomorrow!"
*Confessionals*
Ali: "Ah man, I was really hoping this wouldn't happen! I liked having the numbers advantage and I thought we all had some pretty good chemistry as a team... But, I think the person I need to vote off is pretty obvious.
Joseph: "Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm glad to see the team either excel where they needed to and power through the parts they couldn't. Going first wasn't the best move, but I'm glad the others were able to make up for that. Now all we need to do is keep up that energy."
Brad: "Well that sucked. At least now I'm sure that Bea and Earnest are the main targets tonight. Bea failed in catching up to Walter when she had the chance, but she might have been able to if Earnest was quicker in that room. I know where my vote goes, at least."
Walter: "Those two put up a fair fight, but my discipline and stamina proved to be far too much this time! I'm proud to be of service to my team and I can promise to do more of that in the future!"
Tatiana: "That could have gone better. I'm pretty sure I'll be fine, but it's Bea that I'm more concerned about. As nice as he is, I think I should talk to the girls about Earnest."
Sapphire: "That hug definitely tells me that my sister likes Johan, but his reaction to when he realized what he was doing has me curious. I forgot to talk to him yesterday, but the next chance I get, he and I need to have a little chat."
Butch: "Ugh! I can't believe I dug through moldy cheese just to lose! Ergh... at least I did what I needed to do. I should be fine, right?"
Omari: "I don't know what lie that guy told those two girls, but I gotta expose him. He ain't got no game! But for now, I guess I can bask in this victory and hope Sitting Chief Jackass and Sergeant Stupid can lay off a bit."
Isaiah: "Despite the team's failure, I should be safe from the vote tonight. Though I'm curious to see what the rest of the boys are thinking."
Johan: "That was a, uh, heat of the moment type of hug!... Oh man..."
Charlene: "That hug was... nice... But maybe Johan does like Jenny. I don't know..."
Mipsy: "Part of me is actually really impressed with how serious Isaiah is in this game, right after the challenge ended I could practically see the gears in his head turning. He was probably thinking about who to vote for, maybe I should go talk to him and see if he has a plan."
Jenny: "Hehe, I saw Jojo and Charlie get a bit flustered there. It's okay though, we were all just excited at winning!"
Tracy: "So... first vote... It's not for a couple of hours but I haven't been this nervous in a long time!"
Marsha: "I can't get voted off! I barely saw or talked to Chelsea at all today!"
Terra: "Heck yeah! My team won, I got slimed and I ran on a giant hamster wheel! All in all, a pretty good day!"
Lin: "A win today means another day I get to explore the island and enjoy some time to myself. I'll take it."
Ginger: "I got us an early lead, against Joseph of all people! That's enough for my team to consider keeping me around, right?"
Algernon: "We won! Joseph and Walter even said they were proud of me afterwards! I... I think I really have been overly cautious! B-but I shouldn't take this as a sign to get lazy, they said they need me and I can't let everyone down!"
Earnest: "Well it had to happen at some point. I'm gonna feel bad about the vote though."
Bea: "Perhaps it was the adrenaline, but I'm still shaking at the fact that I had the chance of passing, and possibly defeating, Walter of all people! Of course if I was given more time I might have won, not to mention it would be foolish to assume Walter himself had given it everything he had already. However, this loss means I have a considerable chance of being eliminated. I must proceed with caution..."
*End Confessionals*
The Raven girls had all returned to their half of the cabin, the mood rather dour as the collapsed onto their beds. Bea's hair was surprisingly long as the residual moisture from the multiple showers she took to clean herself remained as she tried cleaning her ears with a towel.
"So... um..." Ginger began.
"We need to talk about the main reason we lost." Tatiana interrupted. Bea immediately sat on her bunk with a disappointed look that the bookworm immediately noticed. "He's nice, but I'm thinking we vote off Earnest."
"Well, he did seem to take a long time to finish his part." Tracy commented.
"It may not have changed anything, but if I had just a bit more time I might have actually beaten Walter." Bea added. "Or at least gotten close to it."
"Plus you're the smartest girl on the team, I think we might need that big brain of yours later on." Marsha added.
"It is a bit mean, but if it's our best shot then I say we do it!" Melissa nodded. A knock at the door caught the attention of the girls. Tracy looked to the other girls before seeing who the visitor was.
"Good afternoon, ladies." Isaiah greeted. "I hope you don't mind but I had a proposition for you as to who your vote should go towards."
The eleven Ravens made their way over to the campfire and took their seats down as the full moon cast an eerie glow over the campfire. An owl's hoot broke the silence of the teens as their eyes shifted over to one another in nervous glances. The only members of the team that weren't nervous were Butch, who had a confident smirk on his face, Brad and Tatiana, who both held serious expressions, and Isaiah, who looked completely at ease.
"Welcome, Ruby Ravens, to your first elimination ceremony! I explained this to the Eagles when they were here so I'll tell you the same thing. You'll enter the confessional and mark down who you want to vote off. Whoever gets the most amount of voted is officially voted off and will not be returning! Hmm... Ali, you can make the first vote!"
*Confessional Votes*
Ali: "I really hate having to do this... But if it comes down to it I think we need her more..."
Butch: "Doesn't really matter who goes so I think I'll vote for you. Gotta make the numbers even and I can't let you girls keep the majority."
Mipsy: "I sure hope Isaiah's telling the truth. If he's right then the girls basically have control over this team."
Tatiana: "Sorry, Earnest, but Bea's brain up against yours? That's an easy choice to make."
Earnest: "I know you're the smartest person on the team, but I think Brad and Isaiah are plenty smart, too. So I think we'll be fine with just them. Sorry, Bea."
Bea: "Even if you were quicker, we still might have lost, but it could have at least been closer. I may be at risk, but so are you, Earnest."
*End Confessionals*
Chris soon arrived with the tallied votes and a plate of marshmallows alongside his signature grin. "Alright!" He began. "Votes have been counted and out of the eleven of you, the first person who is safe is... Tatiana!"
The bookworm casually went over to retrieve her marshmallow, her eyes casting a firm gaze on the others as Chris continued.
"Next up is Brad."
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"Ali."
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"Tracy."
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"Melissa."
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"Isaiah."
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"Butch."
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"Marsha."
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"And Ginger." Chris announced, tossing the blogger her marshmallow. "Earnest, Bea, you two are the last ones left. Bea, you got a few votes for not being able to get past Walter, who was already getting tired from pulling double-duty this challenge. Earnest, you took too long in your segment when Bea could have used that time to pull ahead and possibly secure your team the win."
Both campers hung their heads as they listened to Chris.
"Only one of you will be able to stay and make up for your mistake. The other will be the second person voted off this season, and that person is..."
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"Earnest." Chris said, tossing Bea her marshmallow. "Sorry, dude, you're out."
The huskier teen sighed sadly before perking up a bit and facing his team. "Well, I'm sorry I couldn't get us the win, but I'm happy we at least got one before now. Thanks for all being really nice to me, too! I'll be rooting for all of you from wherever the losers go!"
"Sorry, Ernie!" Tracy called out.
"No hard feelings, bro!" Butch added.
Earnest walked down the Dock of Shame and hopped onto the Boat of Losers before looking back at his team one last time.
"GO RUBY RAVENS!" He shouted, with most of his team shouting it right back at him as Chris addressed the audience.
"And so now both teams are down one member! The numbers are even again as await the next challenge! Can the Ravens rebound from this loss or will the Eagles fly ever higher now? Can Omari remain at the bottom of his team's totem pole, will he confront Johan about having two girls liking him? Speaking of which, what does Sapphire think about Charlene's crush? Will Brad and Isaiah make more sneaky moves and can Ali keep the peace in his team? How sweet will tomorrow be when Carmen and Chelsea have to do whatever I want?! Only time will tell as we await the next exciting episode of Total...
Drama...
Glimmering Isles!"
The votes:
Earnest: Ali, Bea, Brad, Ginger, Isaiah, Marsha, Melissa, Tatiana, Tracy
Bea: Butch, Earnest
Placements:
22nd: Frank, "The Omega, in his Head"
21st: Earnest, "The Friendly Fan-Boy"
Teams:
Ruby Ravens: Ali, Bea, Brad, Butch, Ginger, Isaiah, Marsha, Melissa, Tatiana, Tracy
Emerald Eagles: Algernon, Charlene, Jenny, Johan, Joseph, Lin, Omari, Sapphire, Terra, Walter
And that's the 2nd challenge over and done with! There were definitely points where I felt I could have done things differently and a big reason why this chapter took so long was figuring out the order of the challenge and how many segments there were. Originally I planned for every team member to have their own segment they needed to do, with the Eagles having one member do 2 parts just as Walter did here, but overall I felt the chapter would have been far too long if I did that.
Moving on to the character eliminated in this chapter: Earnest was a character that was meant to be another early boot. He's a sort of "jack of all trades, master of none" type of character that's meant to be nice to everyone. An intentional Gary-Stu, in a way. But in a scenario like this it sort of makes characters like him an easy target.
He'll appear again later on, but at the same time I thought I'd at least give you guys a bonus as well, for waiting so patiently on this next chapter. Originally, I had actually planned for a variety of different characters to compete in this story. One of which was a boy named Gregory, or Greg for short, who would have been on the Ravens team and acted as the third member of a triumvirate between himself, Butch and Brad. He would have been the happy-go-lucky type of character that steadily becomes more broken down by the game as the story progressed, but the already high number of characters made me decide to scrap him. His storyline was separated and will be used for some of the other characters in the story now.
Well, that's all for now, thanks for reading!