Merida frowned as she came up empty handed once again. She had been searching for Izzy for almost three hours, and at this point the sun was getting lower in the sky. not enough for the sky to become the warm orange typical of a sunset, but it was a long time. The princess pulled out her phone, and frowned at the time reading an upsetting 3:30 PM.
With nothing else to do, and no way to actually track the Psycho Hose Beast, the princess gave up her search. She stood up, brushing the loose bit of dirt and grass that stuck to her joggers and began to make her way back towards the plane. As she exited the thick greenery, she looked over at the still crashed plane.
The princess saw a smaller plane leave a while ago, and assumed that was Beth being picked up and sent to wherever the Aftermath was being held. When the small plane flew away, the princess internally hoped Izzy didn't stowaway on board.
Merida sighed and made her way over to the jumbo jet, Courtney and Gwen outside looking around the beach. As Merida approached them, they both looked over and ran over to her.
"Did you find her yet?" The Ex-CIT asked.
The princess shook her head. "I don't even know where to start. She could be anywhere on this blasted island, for all we know."
"We overheard Chris earlier", Gwen said. "And he said that Izzy wasn't on the plane that picked Beth up. He also sent interns to find her, because the producers were getting on his case for letting her run off."
"Good", Merida growled. "That bastard deserves it after everything."
Courtney pursed her lips. "Owen also got discharged from the infirmary. Turns out he was fine for a while, but didn't want to leave after… everything."
"He told you all, didn't he?"
Courtney nodded. "At least what he felt was appropriate. He told us about Izzy lashing out, even going as far as to scream at Chris."
"We did hear it… kinda", Gwen muttered. "We were confused about the screaming and yelling, but after what Owen said…"
"Izzy told Chris to 'fuck off'", the princess said bluntly, making the two other girls look at her in shock. "Twice. Then she ran off."
"Oh my gosh…" Gwen whispered in shock. "That explains why Chris was so quiet after the challenge."
"I just hope we find her before the Aftermath ends", Merida said in worry and sadness. "I feel like if I don't get a chance to talk to her before we're back into the chaos, then she's just going to throw herself out of the plane the first chance she gets."
That made Courtney and Gwen look outright horrified. "Okay, yeah, we need to find her now."
The two girls made a move to resume their search, but were stopped when the princess put a hand on their shoulders. They both faced her, and she gave them a curious look. "Why are you two helping me?"
Courtney sighed. "We just… We like you, Merida. You're a bit of a hothead, like Heather-"
"And us", Gwen added.
"…yes. And us. But you're more in control. You don't let Heather get to you as bad as she gets to us. You even told us that we needed to be more like a team, rather than a bunch of squabbling chickens."
Merida smiled. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"Then let's find our favourite crazy girl", Gwen said with a smile. The Ex-CIT to and goth ran off, leaving the princess all on her own. Her grateful smile slowly fell off her face as she stood on the beach, the sound of the ocean waves splashing on the sand the only thing grounding her. It was… Almost sombre. Like the water was calling for something more.
Merida shook her head and headed towards the empty resort building, as it was the only place she hadn't fully investigated. It looked a bit run down, so either it was abandoned, or wasn't that popular.
She opened the door into the front lobby, and was greeted with an empty room, yet it was somewhat clean. Must have been recently closed, then. When she fully stepped in, she went to work, scouring the whole place top to bottom. Looking under tables and desks, peeking into the empty guest rooms, and even basically ripping the kitchen completely apart. But no matter where she looked, Izzy was still nowhere to be seen.
So with a crushed sigh, Merida left the resort and walked back out onto the pool grounds. The sun was still high enough to keep the sky blue, but there was this very faint hint of orange that was becoming noticeable. With a nervous swallow, the princess headed back to the plane, hoping to maybe do another sweep to try and find her friend.
She climbed on board from the entrance at the Common Area, and spied around the area. No one was currently here, and the princess was somewhat relieved by that. She didn't want to put up with anyone else right now. Courtney and Gwen were fine, because they were kind and patient. Heather was a bitch, Cody was spineless, Sierra was creepy, Tyler was an idiot, Alejandro was a manipulative bastard…
And then there was Owen, Noah and Eva.
Merida sighed as she thought of Izzy's friends, whether the Psycho Hose Beast thought that anymore didn't matter right now. Everything before in the infirmary hours earlier played out in the princess' head again and again, from Noah and Eva suddenly lashing out, Chris deciding that was a perfect time for a song…
And Izzy's face reflecting her heartbreak, betrayal and shattered mind.
It was such a contrast to who she usually was it made the princess' heart break, and just fueled her drive to find her. So, with a look of determination, Merida stormed into the Cargo Hold and looked around the immediate area. It was still and quiet, with no sign of the other redhead.
The princess moved deeper, and scanned around. Still nothing. So she moved even deeper, far out of the view of the cameras. Still, Izzy was nowhere to be seen.
"Izzy?" The princess called out. "Izzy, it's just me. I just want to talk. Please." She was met with a deafening silence, so she raised her voice. "Izzy, I know you're freaked out about earlier, but I don't want you dealing with this alone." Still nothing but silence.
The princess gained a miserable expression, and she sighed with a shake of her head. She made to leave the hold and check out the rest of the plane, but she stopped when she glanced at her bag. For a little bit, she just stared at it, before finally relenting and digging out the gift. The princess hoped this would maybe get Izzy out.
She left and entered the elimination room, searching the whole place top to bottom. Once the room was swept completely, she entered the Common Area…
And paused when she spotted Noah sitting at one of the tables all on his own. The bookworm glanced up, and locked eyes with Merida. His face was wrought with guilt, and his usually well done up hair was slightly messy.
To put it bluntly, he was clearly distressed.
But Merida showed no sympathy, rather scowling at him. "You look like you got sucked out of the plane."
The boy looked towards one of the windows, a frown plastered on his face. "Yeah… Yeah I do."
"Good, thought you'd just brush it off. Like you always do." The princess went to leave for Economy, but was stopped when Noah stood up and blocked her path. She glared at him dangerously. "Get out of my way, Noah."
"I just want to talk", he said quickly. "About Izzy. I know you're looking for her, but you won't find her. But she told me where she is, and I'll only tell you if you hear me out."
Merida gave him a confused look as her anger slowly vanished. "She did?"
The bookworm sighed. "I know, I was just as surprised as you." He sat down and looked into his lap. "Even though I was terrible to her, she made sure I remembered, she said that I'm the only person who could keep her secrets." He paused for a moment. "And she's right. Because she's my friend."
The princess sat down across from him, listening intently. "Okay, that explains that. But I want to know… Why do you want to talk?"
The boy looked up at her sadly. "Me, Eva and Owen should've just told Izzy upfront, before you say anything else. It's just hard for Big O, because he gets really nervous in those sorts of situations. Being Chris' mole in season two really messed him up. Plus, Eva and I haven't been shining examples of good people, let alone friends…"
"At least you admit it", Merida mumbled.
Noah nodded. "We've been trying, but over the past year we noticed a change in Izzy. The few times we were able to hang out as a group, she's been taking us to less and less crazy places. She'd become a lot quieter, and this hit us big time when she broke off her movie deal. When she told us why, I instantly knew something was up. But she seemed fine, so I never pressed her.
"But then she shows up at the Gemmies looking completely different, with her hair in twin braids, a small jacket over her shoulders and pants. She looked so much more closed off, and from how she never really looked up from her phone at all when we were all arriving was very telling."
"Aye, she uses her phone to talk to the others", Merida said with a shrug, pulling out her own phone. "Like me."
"And then there was just this season so far", Noah continued. "Her singing, her worry, her anger. It's all so different from what any of us knew and remembered her for. But it was after New York where things shifted. Owen told me and Eva, after she came into First Class suddenly, that before she had her nap that he didn't feel that spark anymore. So he's been contemplating the break up since then."
Merida gave him a hard look. "And you told you two, and you agreed?"
"We did, because we saw it too. I especially did when I thought back to the Yukon, and how Izzy was clearly going through something at that point."
The princess nodded sadly, and the bookworm continued. "As the season went on, Owen was just wondering if he really should commit to it all. But then after Izzy blew up at Alejandro in the Amazon and split our team, we just… We got stuck. We agreed with Izzy, but that was basically the last thing we could really take."
Things in the Common Area fell silent after that, with Noah staring into his lap and Merida giving him a hard, stern look. It was tense for a while, but eventually the princess deflated. "And you lashing out was just because you were hurt and confused Izzy never told you three about me or the others?"
Noah nodded sadly. "We just… She'd tell us a lot. But at some point, I could tell she wasn't telling us everything."
The princess sighed. "I'm sorry, Noah. She's just… It's complicated. It'd be better to have you guys meet them after the show."
The bookworm gave Merida a look, then nodded. "I think that's work." He fell silent again for a moment. "Listen, Merida, I'm really sorry for all of this. I don't apologise often, but this time calls for it. So I'm sorry."
Merida smiled at the bookworm gratefully. "Thank you, Noah. My mum taught me that forgiveness is key, so I forgive you."
Noah nodded. "Izzy said she'd be at the cliff where we held the first part of our challenge at sunset. So please, talk to her. If anything, she needs you more than the rest of us."
"Got it." The princess stood up to leave the plane, but paused at the door and glanced over her shoulder. "Be sure to apologise to Iz when I get her back, okay?"
The boy nodded, and watched Merida leave the plane. He sighed, placing his face in his hands.
~X~
Merida walked along the path that she took far earlier in the day as the sun finally began to turn the sky a bright orange. It was honestly very pretty, with the light beaming over the tall cliffs and painting the lagoon in its warm colours. The princess closed her eyes as she soaked up the rays of the setting sun, not entirely adversted to the tropical regions when they're like this.
She stumbled, her foot catching on an exposed tree root, but luckily caught herself before she fell. She glared at the root as if it was a dog, and continued along her way. The trees cast shadows as she got under the shade of the cliff she was heading towards, and glancing up, she saw her missing friend.
She adjusted her sweater, making sure the gift was in her pocket, and headed up the path. When she reached the top, Merida stopped a bit away from Izzy, and found herself unable to move. The wind was blowing Izzy's braids around in a mesmerising dance, and the princess suddenly became massively aware of her own crush on her friend all over again.
Under the glow of the sunset, with the wind, the colours, the scene… Merida was awestruck.
She was floored.
She was in love.
She shook her head at that last thought, and carefully moved forward and sat next to Izzy. The Psycho Hose Beast had her legs over the edge, keeping her eyes closed as she faced the setting sun. The princess mimicked her friend, and neither of them said anything for a while.
But soon, the one caught in emotional turmoil finally spoke.
"Noah told you I was here, didn't he?" Her voice sounded hollow, with the slightest sparks of something else.
"Aye, he did. He… He really regrets saying all of that to you. He talked to me and explained it all, about why."
The wild child hummed. "He should be."
"Iz, he was really worried about you." The princess opened her eyes and faced her friend. "He wanted to talk to me because he knows you'll only listen to me right now. He wants you to be okay, no matter what."
The Psycho Hose Beast didn't say anything for a moment, then she sighed. "I know… I'm not really that mad at them… It was just this crazy heat in the moment thing. I was so caught up in the stress and betrayal of the break up I didn't… I didn't really think I wasn't any better…"
She sniffled and continued. "I thought me and Owen were… good. I was doing my best to be there, but everything just kept moving on. And it became harder when we would hang out more. And then this show happened and… yeah…"
Merida put a reassuring hand on her friend's back. "I get it, Izzy, it's hard. But remember what Caleb told us: Never hold it in. I don't want you holding in all these thoughts till you basically explode."
Izzy nodded ever so slightly, and brought her legs up so she could bury her face in her knees. "I hate this stupid show. Ever since Action ended, I was content. But now here I am, I'm so close to screaming half the time, and now Owen broke up with me because I'm a complete mess right now…"
Merida frowned. "Iz, listen to me. You aren't alone when it comes to dealing with this." Izzy very subtly looked at her friend. "You have Noah, Eva and Owen. While they won't fully get what you're dealing with, they'll do the best they can. And you have me, right here, right now."
Izzy was now fully looking at her friend, and her mouth twitched. "You're… You're right. Yeah, no, I have people with me to help. I just… I just need to talk."
Merida smiled, and Izzy smiled back. But they both just lingered there, their faces inches apart. As the seconds ticked on, both girls' smiles fell and a blush was slowly crawling up their necks and to their cheeks.
Merida cleared her throat before things could get more awkward, and she reached into her sweater pocket. "I feel like I've been holding onto this for long enough, so here." The princess handed the wild child the gift. "I'll let you calm down, but be sure to head back to the plane soon. Otherwise I'll come back here and drag ya' there myself."
Izzy snorted and she held the gift close to her chest. "Thanks, Merry. And don't worry, I will."
Merida nodded, stood up, and walked off. Izzy took this moment to oogle the princess' hair burning in the sunset, the shine making the Psycho Hose Beast's heart thump in a powerful rhythm. When the princess vanished from view, Izzy turned her attention to the gift in her hands, excitement and curiosity filling her system.
She carefully ripped away all the wrapping, and before her eyes was something that made her heart almost stop.
It was a locket, made out of a shimmering metallic orange and matching chain. It had a green jewel in the centre, which refracted the light of the sunset beautifully. Izzy wordlessly looked the whole thing over, only for her empty hand to twitch when it opened.
She looked inside, and her eyes bugged out when she saw a picture of her and Merida, laughing and smiling as they goofed off during one of their archery bouts. Izzy remembered taking the picture… And asking Gladius to get someone to develop it.
Looking at the inside of the locket's cover, saw one saying that made her feel so homesick:
Twin Fireballs
Izzy gained a shaky smile and hugged the gift close to her chest, feeling far better than before. Quickly, she closed the locket and put it around her neck, smiling down at its beauty, she tucked it under her shirt, and stood up. She took a deep breath, and turned back to head to the plane. But when she took a single step, a soft melody started echoing throughout the air. Taking the locket again, she saw there was a small switch on the side she accidentally flipped.
As the melody started playing out, Izzy remembered it. She smiled, concealed the locket again, and softly sang the lyrics to a song that was so special to her.
Into The Open Air, from Merida's own movie, a song the two redheads would sing whenever they had a moment of peace between each other...
This love, it is a distant star
Guiding us home wherever we are
This love, it is a burning sun
Shining light on the things that we've done
Izzy swayed in time with the lyrics as memories of her and Merida's first meeting played in her head, how she instantly latched onto the fiery Scottish princess with a sharp eye and 'take it or leave it' attitude.
I tried to speak to you every day
But each word we spoke, the wind blew away
The second day of the games played out, with visions of herself, Caleb, and Gladius sitting in the rafters of the Dun Broch castle and silently heckling the clan leader's sons. It was a fun day, but Izzy started to imagine herself in one of their places…
Could these walls come crumbling down?
I want to feel my feet on the ground
And leave behind this prison we share
Step into the open air
The Psycho Hose Beast was becoming lost in her music, so much so she didn't realise the memories that were playing in her head: Caleb's first birthday with all of them together and how the redheads danced together, Their horse race through the Dun Broch wilderness, the many times they laughed and played under the sunset…
How did we let it come to this?
What we've just tasted, we somehow still miss
Izzy's dance became more slow as her heart began to beat louder, the times she shared with Merida becoming more intimate. The two teens had gotten surprisingly close over the past year, and suddenly Izzy remembered one day mid song…
How will it feel when this day is done
And can we keep what we've only begun?
It was just a typical day, but the redheads found themselves alone. They were so caught up in their fun, Izzy barely noticed how Merida held her hand, how they danced, how they laughed…
And it all clicked. How she was this season… Owen was right. The spark between them was gone.
And now these walls come crumbling down
And I can feel my feet on the ground
Can we carry this love that we share?
Into the open air
Into the open air (into the open air)
Into the open air…
It had moved to Merida. Izzy wasn't just gushing over the princess…
She was in love with the princess.
This love, it is a burning sun…
Izzy's singing ended when she tripped over the same tree root Merida did earlier. She looked back and glared, but then a second later looked ahead with a blank expression. It hit her heart like a freight train. She was in love with Merida, this princess from a long time ago and from an entirely different universe she met by complete random chance.
Who taught her archery.
Who was her voice of reason.
Who she trusted with her life.
Who she wanted to kiss so bad-
Izzy shook her head, not wanting to make it any worse. She sighed, and shut off the locket's music. This was going to make things complicated, but she wouldn't let that stop her. Izzy had her friends and Merida. Merida, the girl whom she…
The Psycho Hose Beast shook her head again and continued along towards the plane, her mind racing with thoughts of Merida relentlessly. This was so scary.
But it also felt nice.
And right.
God if the others ever saw them, the teasing would never end.
~X~
Merida sat at the open door, watching as the Jamaican sunset finally disappeared over the horizon. Izzy was still not here, and the princess had heard how the Aftermath was a success from the host. As of this moment, refuelling was almost done, and the princess was getting increasingly worried.
But luckily, the Psycho Hose Beast ran out of the thicket and over to the plane, instantly filling Merida in relief.
"'Bout time you showed up!" Merida chided in a joking tone. She held her hand out and helped Izzy up. "I was about to follow up on that whole 'dragging you back' part."
The wild child smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm here now, Merry. Just lost track of time, that's all."
"Good." The princess glanced down and noticed an odd bump under Izzy's shirt. "Is that the gift the others got you?"
The wild child nodded happily. "It is!" Her smile fell into a more sheepish one. "Hey, listen, I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Izzy opened her mouth, only to be jolted when the door suddenly slammed closed and the plane began to move.
"Everyone get your butts into your seats!" Chef barked through the intercom. "We're finally taking off!"
Merida scowled, then looked at Izzy. "Anyway, as you were saying?"
"Actually, I'd rather tell you after the next challenge", Izzy said, internally kicking herself. "I just want to make sure all the cameras are off."
The princess shot her friend a mildly suspicious look. "Okay… But tell me as soon as you can, okay?"
"I promise, Merry." The princess smiled and walked off, the simple motion sending butterfly's fluttering in Izzy's stomach. When the archer was gone, Izzy sighed and gently hit her fist on her forehead.
"Izzy, what was that?" She whispered to herself. "This was a perfect time to deal with this. Nip it in the but and say you like Merida, don't keep it in."
She moaned and buried her face in her hands. "Maybe this was good. I still need to talk to Owen, after all… Apologise to the others… Yeah, yeah that comes first." The Psycho Hose Beast left the cargo Hold with a determined look, ready to fix things with Team E-Scope.
~X~
Holy heck, yes! The second Aftermath chapter is finished! It's a bit of a lighter tone, yes, but I don't want it to just be endless misery. Also, you probably get it, but yes, now the Psycho Hose Beast has accepted her feelings.
Now, the question is when?
…Soon, that's all I'll say.
So, with this chapter's release a milestone has been hit: This Is Your Captain Crashing is now over 100k words! Which also means the amount of words I've made for the entire DCT series is over 600k. Yes, really, that's a lot of words.
This is my baby, and I will give it all the love I can.
Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!
Up next: Team Chris is still in shambles, the game welcomes back a familiar face, and something unexpected happens…
~Caleb~