Izzy relaxed in the First Class seat she had claimed for herself, almost melting into it with how calm she was. Cucumbers rested on her eyes as she had the chair as far back as she could get it, and simply let the cushions take her away to a dream world. Next to her was Eva, with Owen and Noah across from them. All four of them were relaxed and enjoying their break.

Which was surprising, considering both Team Chris and Team Amazon were expected to share First Class.

You would think it'd be crowded and tense, but surprisingly it wasn't. First Class was big enough that the whole cast of season one could fit in here plus the three newcomers, so everyone was able to fan out and get up to their own things.

Courtney, Gwen and Cody were sitting in chairs further down, the girls both reading and the geek napping; Heather, Sierra and Alejandro were all at the drink bar, the fangirl and Queen Bee chatting quietly as the Spaniard let his eyes wander about the whole space, taking in his competition; Tyler was gone, but everyone knew he went into Economy so he could join Beth in mourning Lindsay's unfortunate elimination.

And then there was Merida, who was lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't do much of anything because she had a really bad feeling about today. The cloudy skies from Newfoundland had followed them, and it filled the princess with a sense of dread.

And it was all centred on Izzy.

Merida sat up, her nerves screaming in opposition. But she needed to move, and right now she needed to get something to drink. So she made her way over to the bar and asked for a simple glass of water. As she waited for her drink, Alejandro, who she happened to sit next to, gave her a curious look.

"Hola, Senorita", the Spaniard greeted. "I don't believe we truly got to introduce each other, no?"

The princess shrugged. "Not much to say. Chris gave us both the run down back in Halifax."

"He did, but we've been competing tirelessly so we never had much of a chance to simply… talk. As competitors, as fellow passengers, as friends."

Merida scoffed. "I wouldn't call us friends, you bastard. Izzy told me what happened in the Amazon, and whenever you kick the hornet's nest, you face the wrath of the whole swarm."

"Which is why I'm trying to correct my mistakes", the Spaniard said in a sad tone. "I greatly misjudged my actions, and let my own personal feelings of Owen cost us the challenge, and the trust of my team."

"You've still been winning challenges just fine." When the princess got her drink, she took it from the bartender with force and took a sip.

"That's because we share a common ground. But I'd like to genuinely repair the good relations we all had." The young man looked over at the relaxing Izzy discreetly. "Plus…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm worried about Izzy."

"Who isn't?" The princess said, unfazed by his words. "She's been in a rut long before this season, and me and the others have been trying to help her the best we could. So if you plan on weaponizing it, forget it."

"I wouldn't ever dream of doing such a thing", Alejandro said in a hurt tone.

"Yeah, sure." The princess grabbed the Spaniard's necklace and dragged him closer to his face. "I'm around people who are usually a lot slimmer than you, but are a lot less obvious. Everyone here might be under your thumb, but I know who you are. So don't test me." She pushed him away, leaving the young man in silent shock.

He looked at her, his expression neutral. "My apologies, Senorita. I didn't realise you were this… aware."

"More than you think, robot boy." The princess walked off, leaving the Spaniard in utter confusion. Merida released a sigh when she felt she was far enough, and sat down in an empty seat on the opposite side of the walkway.

She glanced over, frowning at Izzy in worry. Everything seemed fine, but those bags under her eyes were only getting worse. She was sleeping, but Merida remembered how Gladius told her stress and anxiety affect people differently.

In fact, it was in response to a situation like this…

~

Merida looked down the hallway sadly as Marco, McGee and Corey led Caleb down the way, disappearing around the corner. The bespeckled boy recently had a panic attack of sorts, and it scared all of those present when he suddenly broke down.

"I really wish he would tell us before he cracks…" Ralph muttered as he leaned through the door.

Gladius hovered above the group, and sighed. "I've seen this a lot with Rainbow. It was much like when she was contemplating never letting you visit. She would hold in all the pressure and wait too long till it eventually made her explode."

"Still…" Manolo sighed. "He should talk to us, even a little."

"It's hard for most people", the sword continued. "Unlike all of you, humans are very fickle. He's imprinting onto all of you and you don't know it, but humans handle anxiety, trauma, stress, all of that in different ways. Some talk to those they trust instantly. Some simply let it roll by and they're fine after. Some, like Caleb, hold it in because they don't want to feel as though they burden those they love. It's a complicated subject."

"And some of us lash out", Merida said sadly.

"Exactly. We all deal with this differently, so let's show we support him no matter what regardless. The more he feels safe, the more he'll share."

"I still want to know why that happened, though…" Maria said in worry.

Katania walked out of the Rec Room, tears streaming down her face. The others all looked at her in concern, noticing the desk calendar in her hands.

"Kat, what's wrong?" The wrecker asked.

The girl sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Guys… It's Fredrick's birthday today…"

Everyone present shared heartbroken looks, and all looked back down the hall like Caleb was still there. Then, they all gained a determined look, and dashed inside the Rec Room to get planning.

Except Katania and Gladius, who walked down the hall after their friend.

~

The princess sighed as the memory concluded, and shook her head with her eyes closed. This whole season was taking a toll on all of them, as expected, but honestly it was the last thing Izzy needed.

She should've told her to just not bother when they called all the way back at the Gemmies. To just give up and go home. That way they could've helped her without all of this stuff about drama, challenges, travelling and everything else getting in the way.

Merida groaned and leaned back, letting her thoughts stew.

With the Psycho Hose Beast, she lifted one of her cucumbers and gave her fellow redhead a curious look. She heard the groan, and was wondering what it was for. But after a second she just shrugged and went back to relaxing. She fiddled with the seat controls blindly, and activated the inbuilt message feature.

It began to vibrate, and Izzy found herself relaxing even more than before. But all of that halted when one of the cucumbers over her eyes was taken off her face. She stopped the chair's messaging and sat up, looking at her boyfriend in surprise. Unsurprisingly, Owen had eaten his cucumbers, and now was moving onto his girlfriend's vegetable.

"Really Big O?"

"What, I can't help it!" The blonde boy went and started munching on Noah's cucumbers.

The bookworm scowled at his large friend. "It's a facial, not a fruit plate."

"Oh Noah, don't you see, it's both!"

Eva sighed and took off the cucumbers, tossing them both into Owen's mouth. "I'm gonna see if I can squeeze out some weight lifting before we land."

"Is it okay if I join ya', E?" Izzy asked.

The Fitness Buff nodded, and both girls left to head towards the Cargo Hold. The two boys waved them off, but when they vanished, their smiles fell.

"I've made up my mind", Owen whispered. "I'm going to break up with Izzy once and for all."

"Finally!" Noah whispered back. "All of this 'will I, won't I' was starting to make me think you never would."

"I know, I know…" The blonde boy sighed as he ate Noah's second cucumber. "It's just… I still like Izzy, and she still likes me, it's just… hard…"

Noah gave his friend a sad look, and sat up straight. "I get it, Lunchbox. But right now, you need to do what you think is right."

The blonde boy nodded sadly, and the two of them got up to find something to eat. From afar, Merida eyed them with a melancholy look, before shifting to a glare. She then looked towards the door to Economy, hoping Izzy would be okay.

"So", Izzy asked Eva as she watched her muscular friend pull out the weights she brought. "How have you been since the show started, E? We haven't gotten much of a chance to chat all that much, especially with… Everything that happened in the Amazon…"

The Fitness Buff shrugged. "It's been fine, really. I guess now that I'm on the show again, and getting a chance to actually compete… It isn't all it's cracked up to be." She lifted up a simple one-handed dumbbell. "Like, I remember being so angry with my ex-team, especially when Chris let me join back after the merge. And then Action happened, and I just stewed. But now…"

"It's a lot more stressful and crazy than you thought?" Izzy finished.

Eva nodded. "I thought I'd dominate the game, carrying our team to victory and sweep everyone after the merge. But now, with all the times we lost and won, I guess I've been humbled. It changed my perspective a lot."

The Psycho Hose Beast nodded absentmindedly, not saying a word. Then, she thought of something. "Hey, I actually have a bit of a funny story in regards to one of my friends that's related to this."

The Fitness Buff gave her friend a curious look, so the redhead began her tale. "See, all of my friends and I usually have this racing tournament with this racing video game every so often. It's all fun and games, but our buddy Caleb is crazy good. So good it's more of a race to see who gets second, rather than first."

Izzy started to walk around. "Caleb never bragged, he just played and had fun. Even the few times he lost, he was a good sport about it. But our friend Amy, she was very competitive. One time, she was on this crazy winning streak because Caleb was off with his parents, so she was the champion that time around.

"But then she lost, and kinda became you for a moment. No offence, of course." Eva shrugged. "Anyway, Amy was humbled, and it made her cool down a lot. What you went through is exactly like her. She talked about it later, and admitted the prize is cool and all, but once you lose it you realise how little it means."

The Psycho Hose Beast shot her friend a smirk. "If you ask me, you just wanted to have a team to work with, friends to compete against."

Eva was silent for a moment, her expression neutral. Then, she sighed and slumped sadly. "Yeah… Yeah, that's it, Iz. I just hated that they booted me because Heather set me up. But I did snap at them anyway, so yeah…" She looked off. "Back when we were all chasing the briefcase around Wawanaka, me teaming up with you and Noah was the most fun I ever had. If anything, when we weren't included in the second season, I was more mad that I couldn't compete with or against you."

Izzy gave her friend a sad smile, and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well, you're here now. And I couldn't be more happy."

The Fitness Buff smiled back, only for both girls to stumble when the plane shook violently. "What the heck was that?!"

"I don't know!" The two girls shared a look, quickly packed up Eva's weights, and booked it back to First Class. When they burst in, Everyone else looked a bit shaken.

"Does anyone know what the heck happened?" The Psycho Hose Beast asked out loud.

Courtney shook her head. "We think it's Chef just messing with us again."

"Maybe we're getting closer to landing?" Owen asked nervously.

Heather glanced out the nearest window. "Nope. Still in the sky."

"Then what is happening?" Merida asked as she joined Izzy's side.

The PA system came to life, and everyone in First Class looked up at the speaker. "Attention passengers…" Chris began. He paused, and everyone suddenly felt the plane make a sudden nosedive. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Izzy shrieked as the plane suddenly jolted, knocking everyone off their feet if they were standing up, and soon everyone was sent into a panic.

"We're all gonna die!!!" Owen cried out. The plane made another sharp tilt, and Izzy was tossed towards the emergency exit door of First Class. She glanced out, and nearly screamed at the sight of the clouds rapidly rising past her vision.

Owen bounced around and landed next to her, looking terrified. He glanced up at his girlfriend. "Izzy, we need to talk!"

"Not now, Big O!" The Psycho Hose Beast cried. "Later, when we're-" She was cut off when the door's lock suddenly broke, ripping the piece of metal off its hinges. Izzy screamed as it sucked her and Owen outside, the rest of the contestants hanging onto the chairs desperately as to not join them.

"IZZY!" Merida, Noah and Eva screamed.

Outside in the open air, Izzy was trying desperately to stay calm, but as she saw the ground approaching fast and her terrified boyfriend, she was at a loss.

"OWEN!" The redhead cried over the ear-shattering noise of the rushing wind. "TAKE MY HAND!"

The blonde boy, however, didn't acknowledge her, simply crying out in terror. The Psycho Hose Beast pursed her lips, and tried to swim over to her boyfriend.

Only to be stopped when they both crashed into the ground painfully. Izzy's eyes watered as pain shot through her arm, her bones definitely broken. But she didn't care. She saw the plane was coming down, and knew they both needed to get away as far as they could. So with all the strength she had, she walked over to Owen, helped the barely conscious boy to his feet, and started to get him as far as possible.

Sadly, they were super slow, and when the plane landed not a metre away from them, the shockwave sent both of them flying and into the sand a distance away. Izzy Was slipping from consciousness, just barely able to make out Merida, Noah and Eva running over towards her before she fainted, her ears ringing painfully as darkness swallowed her vision.

~X~

All the contestants watched as the wild child and lovable lug were loaded into an ambulance, and once they were secured, the emergency vehicle sped off to wherever there was an infirmary set up. Merida watched it all with wide-eyes, shattered at the state her friend was in.

"Izzy and Owen are gonna be fine!" Chris announced as if nothing bad had happened. "Thanks to travel insurance, help is one the way! In six to thirty-eight hours."

Merida's eyes widened as Gwen spoke. "What about the rest of us?"

"Well, we're out of gas", the host listed off. "Plane's busted, and we're broke. But… The show must go on! We can't waste any of this footage! Think of the hits we'll get on ClipTube!"

"Are you insane?!" Merida roared. She stormed over towards the host, but was held back by Eva and Sierra. "Two of your contestants were injured in a plane crash that was your fault, and all you care about is this blasted show?!"

"You know me so well, Merida!" The host said in a cocky grin. Chef did look somewhat guilty, but not enough to calm the raging fireball of a princess down. "Plus, it's in all of your contacts. We just need to do what I had planned here."

"Where even is here?" Tyler asked.

"Jamaica, man!" The host said in an attempt to copy the accent. "We were supposed to land in Ocho Rios. But, since somebody", the host shot his co-host a scowl, "forgot how to glide, we'll have to do the challenges here instead. And fast, before whoever owns this dump shows up and asks for a location fee."

Merida snarled and tried to free herself from the grasp of the two girls, but Noah put a hand on her shoulder and shot the host an accusatory look. "Didn't you guys budget for the whole season?"

"Some things cost more than expected. Aeroplane ready hot tubs don't grow on trees, you know."

"You must have an emergency fund!" Heather asked desperately.

"Spent it on our last fuel up."

"Which went so well", Noah said with a roll of his eyes.

The host didn't bother with the sarcasm, as he and Chef simply walked off. "Grab your board shorts and meet me at the waterfall!" Before anyone else could get something out, the two hosts were gone.

Merida let out a rage fueled cry and clawed her face. "Of all the selfish, stuck-up pricks we had to be stuck with, it had to be him!"

"Take it easy Merida", Courtney said in a calm tone. "We're all worried about Izzy and Owen too, but getting mad at Chris won't change anything. Just focus on playing by his rules, okay?"

The princess fumed, letting out a very angry breath. "Fine, fine fine fine, fine! Chris wins, but only this time. Next chance I get…" She stomped off and climbed into the plane. "I'm throwing him into one of the engines."

The princess snarled as she stomped over to her bag, and dug through it, looking for her swimsuit. As she did, she spotted the gift Baby gave her to give to Izzy. Merida's face twisted into sadness, and she sighed. After this challenge, she was going to give Izzy the gift.

Getting her head back on track when the others all began to make their way inside, she put the gift away and pulled out her swimsuit and walked out of the Cargo Hold and towards the confessional. She entered the bathroom, covered the camera with an extra towel she had, and got changed. She exited the bathroom in a deep blue, one-piece swimsuit with golden accents, with a simple white t-shirt and grey shorts to cover herself till she got to the cliff.

She made sure to do her hair in a tight bun so it didn't blind her, and put on plenty of sunscreen so she didn't cook like she was in an oven. With her preparations complete, she headed back into the Cargo Hold and dumped her clothes into her bag, and left the plane.

She sighed as she headed towards the cliff she could see the distant figure Chris was standing at the edge of. The princess scowled and trudged forward, the sandals she was wearing making her feel so exposed. She never was the fan of the beach and summer as a whole. She grew up in the Scottish highlands, for Pete's sake! She didn't need to deal with this sort of crap.

But, she knew she had to do this, or else she would be gone and Izzy would be all alone. And considering what Owen said earlier before the plane crashed, she had a feeling what was going to happen today. So she steeled herself to get this first part down as soon as possible.

It was a long trek, but soon Merida was standing alongside the host, who was wearing a dashiki. Merida rolled her eyes as he grinned at her, and the princess crossed her arms for everyone else to show up. One by one, all the others arrived in their swimwear, looking fired up and ready.

When Noah finally noticed what the host was wearing, he chuckled. "Pretty blouse", the bookworm teased.

"It's a dashiki, man", Chris said in a poor imitation of the accent. "I like to call our first challenge… The Treasure Hunt Of Death! We were supposed to do this at Dunn's River Falls, but this far more dangerous waterfall will have to do."

"So we're doing another water challenge?" Eva asked in a flat tone.

"'Fraid so. Your challenge begins with a dive off… Wherever We Are Falls. Into the lagoon far below."

"Which is full of what, sharks", Noah said dryly.

"Nope!" Everyone except Merida sighed, only to frown when the host grinned. "Electric Eels and sharks! Players must tag-team dive into the infested waters for as long as you can hold your breath and search the lagoon floor for pirate treasure. Aka, the gold chains Chef always wears on karaoke night.

"First team to bring me Chef's treasure wins a major advantage in the next challenge. So, good luck. Especially the team I Am Super Duper Mega Whopper Hot. With Izzy and Owen out of commish, you'll have to work extra hard to make up for their absence." Merida's eye twitched as she repressed her rage.

"No problem", Noah said. He grinned at Eva, who silently nodded with a stern look. Tyler, noticeably, looked very relieved.

"Who's up for us?" Heather snipped.

"I'll go-" Cody began, only to be cut off when Merida walked over to the cliff, joining Eva and Beth at the cliff.

"Ready, steady, Freddy… Go!" Chris called out. The three girls jumped off the cliff, and headed straight down. When she was submerged, Merida looked around for any sign of the chains. Luckily, they were easy to spot at the bottom in a long dead fish skeleton.

The princess swam down, Eva catching sight of her and following. But a shark noticed too, and headed straight towards them. The sight of the sabertooth fish made Merida's impatience peak, and a very faint orange aura steamed off her body. The shark opened its jaws…

And the princess responded with a crushed punch to its lower jaw, sending it flying out of the water. The shockwave from the punch also knocked Eva and Beth out of the water, both of them crying out in surprise as they fell back down.

Everyone on the cliff widened their eyes as the princess walked out of the water with the chains in hand, a dark scowl on her face. She scaled all the way back up to Chris, and handed him the chains.

"There, challenge done", Merida said impatiently. "Can we go now?"

The host smirked, deciding to ignore her. "And Team Amazon win the first challenge!" The other Amazons all cheered, although they somewhat quieted down when the princess scoffed and stormed off. The host saw, and glared. "Well, I guess we should check on Izzy and Owen, so the rest of you go and take five."

Everyone nodded, and Noah headed down and joined Eva at the bottom of the cliff. They shared a silent look, and then looked at Merida, who was making her way over to the infirmary shack. The bookworm gestured at the princess, and the Fitness Buff nodded.

"Merida!" The princess stopped and faced the Raging Bull. "What the heck was that about?"

The archer shrugged. "Friends. That's all you will know, so don't push me. Chris put me in a bad mood, so I don't need you pestering me."

"Hey, I get that, but I just want you to know that Izzy is going to be fine."

The princess suddenly became suspicious, and shot the fitness buff a glare. "Where is this coming from?"

Eva blinked in surprise. "What?"

Merida suddenly grabbed the other girl by the collar of her shirt and forced her close, shocking her. "Listen, Eva. I don't care if you're Izzy's friend. What Iz is going through is something you, Noah, Owen and everybody else won't get. You don't know what you're letting happen, and I won't stand by and let you make me look like an idiot. Especially since all the friends we keep talking about will be more than happy to bury you six feet deep if you let her get hurt."

The princess tossed the fitness Buff away, who stumbled on her feet a bit before giving Merida a shocked look. The redhead had a fierce glare on her face, only for it all to vanish in a split second. "I'm sorry. It's just… You guys don't get it. Izzy needs me, and what you're doing will hurt her more than any of you will think."

Noah joined them, and the two Total Drama veterans looked at Merida in a slight sadness, with guilt slowly flowing throughout their bodies.

"Merida, we-" The bookworm started, only to be cut off when the princess raised her hand.

"Iz trusts you guys, but she's struggling to trust herself right now."

"Then we might need to do something…" Eva said nervously.

Merida's eyes bugged out, and she suddenly booked it towards the infirmary, with Eva and Noah close behind.

~X~

Izzy let out a groan, and slowly came too. She felt a pain in her arm and head, both equally bad. But it wasn't enough to stop her from sitting up, shaking her head, and blinking. She squinted as eye vision adjusted to the light, and the first thing she saw was Owen blubbering like a baby at the side of her cot.

"Big O…?" The Psycho Hose Beast asked quietly, wincing as she tried to move her arm. "What… What happened…?"

"Izzy, sweet sarsaparilla, you're alive!" The blonde boy suddenly hugged the girl, and she cried out as he squeezed her arm too tight. He let go and stood back, tapping his fingers nervously as Izzy shook her head. Her bugged out eyes looked up at her boyfriend.

"Owen, what the heck happened?"

The blonde boy stood up straight. "Well, Chris spent all the money for the show, and we ran out of gas, so we crashed in Jamaica. You were asleep for a while, so I thought when we fell you died."

The redhead shook her head, her foggy memory returning to her. "That's… That's right. I remember. The door blew open right when… Right when you wanted to talk to me about something." Owen suddenly became very nervous then his girlfriend looked at him. "What did you want to talk to me about?'

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened and closed it again. Izzy was becoming increasingly worried, so she carefully stood up and put a gentle hand on his arm. This just made his heart clench.

"Iz… I've been thinking…" Owen began slowly. "This… This season has done a lot to you, huh?"

Izzy looked down and nodded sadly. "Yeah… I wish I could tell you and the others… I'm just not ready. You guys wouldn't believe me."

Owen looked off to the side. "Iz… Do you like me?"

The Psycho Hose Beast's sadness was replaced with confusion. "What? Of course I like you, Owen. I love you, you're my amazing, goofy, lovable boyfriend! How could I not?"

The blonde boy gained a guilty look, and didn't look her in the eye. "It's just… We haven't been talking all that much, I don't know."

"I'm really sorry, Owen. If that's what this is about, I'm sorry. This season has me being pulled in every which way imaginable, and it's really made me… blah. But I promise, I'll be a better girlfriend." Izzy leaned up to kiss her boyfriend's cheek, only for him to take a step back. "Owen?"

"I don't know, Izzy. You've been scaring me a lot lately. It's like you've been replaced with someone else. You aren't doing a bunch of crazy flips, you aren't kicking me in the kiwis, you aren't laughing like you usually do…"

"Like… Like I s-said, Owen", Izzy stuttered. "I've just been going through a lot right now. This season isn't helping, and after what Alejandro pulled in the Amazon just made it worse."

"But Al's been helping us all this time! He only messed up once!"

"Yeah, but it put you in danger and cost us the challenge. I had every right to get made at him."

Owen was silent, and Izzy glanced at him again. She hated how he was being right now. This wasn't like him to be this quiet and nervous.

"Owen, what is happening?" The Psycho Hose Beast asked sternly. "Tell me."

"I…"

"Owen. What is it?"

"I want to break up with you."

Everything came to a screeching halt. The noise outside was silenced. Time seemed to freeze.

And at the centre of it all was Izzy, who stilled, staring up at her boyfriend with wide eyes. "W-W-W…What?"

"I think we shouldn't be together anymore, Iz…" The blonde boy muttered. "You've changed, it's scaring me, you aren't looking at me the same anymore… I don't know, this just felt like it needed to happen."

The redhead shook her head in disbelief. "This is a joke, right? Y-You aren't… I-I thought… Owen, we w-were fine. I'm sorry I haven't been the best girlfriend, b-but you don't need to do this."

"Iz, I'm sorry, but I just think we should try and look for other people. This… This isn't working."

At the entrance to the infirmary, neither Owen nor Izzy noticing, was a shocked Merida, Eva and Noah. They watched it all with wide eyes, still at statues.

"N-No…" The Psycho Hose Beast. "I-I-It can't…" She looked at Owen with a pleading look.

The boy looked away, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, Iz…" hHe opened them, and was surprised to see the others. Noah and Eva slowly walked in, and stood next to Owen.

Izzy looked between the three of them, heartbreak evident across her face. "Wha… What are you g-guys doing here?"

Noah swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat, and gave Izzy a defiant look. "We're just supporting both of you. Break ups can be messy, we get it, but don't-"

"You guys knew…?" Izzy said in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah, Owen talked to us about it", Eva said sternly. Merida shook her head, not liking that tone, but the Fitness Buff didn't notice. "It happened after New York, and he's been waiting for a moment like this to just tell you."

Silence.

"YOU BOTH KNEW?!" Izzy snarled, her sadness being replaced with anger.

Noah didn't waver. "Iz, we care about you, you're our friend. But Owen just didn't like how you didn't seem to love him anymore."

"Of course I still love him!" Izzy shrieked. "I love all you guys! Big O, please, you have to be kidding!"

"I'm not", Owen said, unable to meet his ex in the eye. "I just… Eva and Noah are right. I didn't think it was good for us to still be together."

Again, silence.

Izzy looked down.

And she started laughing.

Not her usually excited, crazy laughter, no.

This was a heartbroken, unhinged laughter that made Team E-Scope and Merida look at Izzy in horror. She looked at her friends, and let the tears streaming down her face reveal themselves.

"I can't believe it", she said in a shaken, shattered tone. "I was betrayed by my own friends. The ones I'd throw myself in front of a shark for."

"Izzy", Eva said in growing worry. "We didn't-"

"HOW COULD YOU?!" Izzy screamed in complete heartbreak. "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?! YOU KEPT THIS FROM ME, AND DID NOTHING?! WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS DO THAT?!"

"Says you!" Noah said suddenly in anger. "You've been doing who knows what with Merida and that circus troupe you keep mentioning! But never thought to call us and keep us updated!"

"Ever since Action, after you vanished", Eva added in equal anger. "You've been keeping stuff from us! We still don't even know what happened to you when you left!"

Izzy leaned back in shock, anger and betrayal written all over her face. She glared, opened her mouth…

Only to be silenced by a familiar double ding.

Merida spun around as Chris walked in with Chef close behind. The host had a smug smirk on his face, clearly loving everything that was going on.

"Who would've thought keeping secrets would result in so much drama!" He said happily. "Which means it's a perfect time for another song. I want you five to sing it like you mean it, no cop outs, you got-"

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS MCLEAN?!" Izzy roared. The host fell silent, staring at the Psycho Hose Beast with wide eyes, genuinely scared about the anger. "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP, NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"

"Izzy, don't-" Merida tried to squeeze in, but was silenced when Izzy began to silently sob, all the anger evaporating and leaving only the betrayal and heartbreak behind.

"I can't believe it…" She gave her 'friends' one last look. "I can't believe I trusted you guys…" She ran off, shoving past Chris and Chef as tears streamed down her face, disappearing from sight as she ran into the bush.

Team E-Scope, the hosts and Merida were frozen solid in shock, staring out the infirmary tent. The princess was the first one to move, slowly moving outside and looking around for any sign of her friend. She gave one look over her shoulder, specifically looking at Team E-Scope.

The trio looked shaken and guilt ridden, but completely unable to do anything. The princess sighed and ran off, desperate to find her friend before she hurt herself.

~X~

Merida searched for an hour before Chris called that the next part of the challenge was about to start. The princess was crushed, as she hadn't seen a trace of Izzy anywhere nearby. Even when she tried to keep searching, an intern showed up and told her she needed to get moving.

So with a defeated sigh, she turned around and followed the intern back to the main area. There was a makeshift track set up, with a loop-de-loop and very high bump.

The three teams stood before the host, with Eva and Noah having rejoined Team Chris. They both still looked a bit frazzled from earlier, which Alejandro and Tyler noticed.

With the Amazons, Courtney and Gwen looked at Merida, and they gave her a curious look.

"What the heck happened?" The goth asked. "Noah and Eva looked like they just had to experience their phobia ten times over."

"Owen broke up with Izzy…" The princess said sadly.

Courtney's eyes widened. "He did? Huh, didn't think he would have the guts. Did Izzy kick him in the kiwis?"

Merida shook her head. "She screamed at him, Eva and Noah for keeping it from her, and ran off. I spent the last hour looking for her… but no luck…"

The two girls shared a concerned look, and glanced at the shaken Noah and Eva, and looked back at the princess sadly. The host clearing his throat halted the conversation right there, and he began his explanation. Merida couldn't care any less. She simply tuned him out and looked around the immediate surroundings, hoping to spot Izzy somewhere.

Her friend was nowhere, and all she caught of Chris' explanation was that her team got helmets, and they had to ride a sled along the shoddily put together track. She didn't hear much else, and wasn't snapped out of her funk till Heather grabbed her arm forcefully and took her up to the cliff where the start of the course was.

The Queen Bee forced a helmet on her head, and they waited at the front of the line. Tyler and Alejandro were behind them for Team Chris and Beth was all on her own, looking exceptionally nervous.

"What are we doing?" The princess asked quietly.

Heather scoffed as she adjusted her own helmet. "We just have to go down the track as fast as we can. So stop worrying about your girlfriend and focus on the challenge!"

The princess scowled and set the longboard they were riding, and both girls got ready to head down the track. Chris sounded off his megaphone, and Merida sent them down. Both girls cried out in terror as they went along the rickety path. They gained air when they passed over the large bump, shot down at breakneck speeds, completed the loop perfectly, and trailed down before they were shot out at the end tube.

They fell off the board and slammed into the pool wall, both groaning in pain.

"And Team Amazon score 47.08 seconds!" The host announced merrily. "Not a bad start. He fired up his megaphone. "Team I Am Stupid Omega Crazy Hot, you're up!"

Merida didn't really pay much attention to what was happening with the other team, as she just climbed out of the empty pool. Courtney and Gwen helped her and Heather out, as they were next ones up.

"You okay, Merida?" Gwen asked quietly as she took the longboard and adjusted her helmet.

The princess shook her head. "I need to know Izzy is fine. You guys have no idea what our friends would do if she hurt herself. We're… Really close, I'll say that."

The goth nodded, and put a reassuring hand on the princess' shoulder. "She'll show up, Merida." Both girls walked off as Beth finished her turn with a fairly bad time.

Merida sighed and walked back into the infirmary, peeking inside. Owen was on his cot, looking fine physically, but with his sleeping face twisted in guilt and sadness. The princess frowned and walked back out, watching as Gwen and Courtney finished their turn and landed on top of each other in a heap.

The archer simply shook her head and walked off, hoping to find her missing friend. She walked behind the infirmary shack and walked a little bit into the bush, but realised it was going to be impossible to hunt Izzy down in this. So she sighed and decided to get changed out of her blasted swimsuit, and into her more comfortable usual outfit.

When she left the thicket, there was an intern there waiting for her, and she rolled her eyes as she was led back to the others. The tree teams were heading to do their third round, and poor Beth looked like she was pulled out of a tree.

It was clear that today was Team Victory's final day, but Merida couldn't care any less about that. Her mind was just locked onto Izzy, so much so she just glanced around and shut out the last of the challenge happening before her. She looked all around as Team Chris was deemed the victors, and Beth was deemed the ultimate loser.

Even when Chris called for everyone to head back to the plane, Merida simply followed along on instinct when she saw everyone else do it. Her mind was so clouded, such a mess of worry and fear, that she barely paid anyone else much mind. She just shot Noah and Eva a pointed look as she went straight to the Cargo Hold and grabbed her old clothes from earlier. She ran to the confessional, covered the camera, and got changed as fast as she could. Once she was in her sweater and joggers, and felt a lot more relaxed immediately.

With a sigh, the princess walked out, and saw everyone kind of just meandering about. Without any gas, they were stranded. Chris was off to the side, talking into his phone. After a bit, he nodded and ended the call.

"Alright!" The host began. "I just got word that the Aftermath will be holding a telethon to raise enough money so we can keep moving on. Until then, I want you all on the plane or nearby, Izzy is still MIA and we don't want to lose any more of you guys."

"Izzy's missing?" Alejandro said in surprise. He looked at his teammates. "What happened after the cliff jump?"

Eva and Noah shook their heads, remaining completely silent. Everyone looked at Chris, and even he looked a bit uncomfortable, so he just walked off. Everyone then looked at Merida, and she scowled.

"Don't", she said as she walked off. "I'm stressed enough. I'll find Izzy, just don't make this more difficult for me, or I will bury you." She walked off back into the elimination area.

And almost instantly her phone exploded.

She scrambled to pull it out, and she picked up the call she was receiving. She winced at the volume of it all.

"Bloody 'ell, I'm right here!" Merida hissed as she quickly walked to the Cargo Hold for some privacy.

"Sorry, hand on." Caleb, who was on the other end, moved away a bit. "GUYS SHUT UP!" The chaos was silenced. "Alright, sorry about that Merry. Now… WHAT JUST HAPPENED."

The princess whimpered. "You saw, huh?"

"Of course we saw!" Majima yelled. "Izzy just lost her shit and ran off!"

"Please tell me you found her", Flowey called in worry.

Meruda pursed her lips. "I couldn't. I was going to head out and search right now, but I don't even know where to start."

"Izzy would know not to go too far", Amy said. "So maybe she's just hiding where you did the challenge?"

"That's what I'm hoping for. But I don't know…"

"You need to find her, Merry", Caleb said in a pleading tone. "Please."

The princess nodded, despite knowing they couldn't see. "I promise. I gotta go now, talk later." She hung up the call and booked it out the plane, beginning her search for the missing Psycho Hose Beast.

Little did she know, but Izzy emerged from behind some boxes in the Cargo Hold, watching her friend run off with her face shrouded in shadow. She sighed, and made her way towards the rest of the plane. She wanted time to herself… And if there was someone who could keep any of her secrets…

It was one certain bookworm…

~X~

Wow. Wow, okay, so this chapter took a turn. A very emotional one, but it was needed. Izzy has a long way to go, and this was one of the big things she needed to face in order for things to work out in the end.

So yes, the break up. It still happens like in Canon, only this time Izzy is conscious and not all 'Brainzilla' mode. It was a moment I've been planning for a long while, so hopefully it came across well.

Also, yeah, no song. That was mainly because I couldn't think of one that could fit that well anywhere in this chapter. To make up for it, the next chapter will have one as compensation.

Now, with the break up happening, it's time for… Well, I'm not gonna spoil it. You'll have to wait and see…

Up next: Merida, after searching high and low for Izzy, comes back to the plane miserable. But then a certain someone finds the princess and asks for help…

~Caleb~