Hey everyone, AZW here again with chapter 2! I've been having so much fun working on this that I belted this out in about a week! Not much else to say, other than thanks to anyone who favorited, followed, reviewed, or even just gave the story a read! It's super appreciated!
"Last time, on Total Drama Island: Rewritten," said Chris McLean, the iconic host of the show as he stood on the dock of shame, "We brought 16 new campers to Wawanakwa for a new season! Right off the bat, this cast quickly proved that they weren't here to mess around, as the games began almost immediately as everyone was situated and we had our teams; the Calm Crocodiles and the Apathetic Albatrosses!"
Chris began walking down the dock. "Multiple alliances formed, including a formidable alliance of the four guys on the Calm Crocodiles team between David, Weenus, Apollo, and Godfrey, that they called," the camera zoomed in on Chris' face as he performed the alliances' signature hand signal; the thumb held straight up, the index finger straight out, forming a gun, with the chin placed right in the crook of the thumb and index finger, "The Agency!" He announced with a grin.
Chris then removed the sign from his chin and kept walking. "Besides them, we also had the formation of the Food Buddies between the Hippy and the Fashionista, Wind, and Marcellas, an alliance between enemies Brooke and Ji that feels shaky at best, and multiple deals were made between our campers, too."
Chris started walking back the way he came. "And one Albatross in particular, Daniel, showed his hand a little too fast, when he tried to organize an alliance of five to get out Liana, our resident math whiz and card shark."
Chris grinned. "But what he didn't expect was that Marcellas, one of his potential alliance mates, would, almost immediately, rat him out to Liana, unleashing a storm as she busted in and verbally ripped him apart!" Chris began laughing and had to wipe a tear away. "Oh man, that was brutal!"
Chris then made his way back to the front of the dock. "And in the end, Daniel's own potential alliance mates turned on him, making him our first boot with a 6-2 vote!"
Chris then turned and faced the camera, the cabins behind him. "What'll happen now? Who will end up going home? What will our next challenge be? Will there be drama?" Chris chuckled. "Well, we all KNOW the answer to that is; You betcha! And it'll all happen right here on….
TOTAL!
DRAMA!
ISLAND: REWRITTEN!
It was a cool morning on Wawanakwa. The sound and smell of the lake hung over the island, as did a light, early morning fog.
The sun was just beginning its ascent for the day over the sky of the Island. On the ground between the two cabins, John, wearing a white t-shirt, red shorts, and gray running shoes, stretched. As he did so, he looked up when he heard another cabin door open.
"Oh, hey, John!" Neda said happily, walking over to him. She, too, was dressed differently, wearing a pair of running shorts of her own, a pink crop top, and her running shoes. "Are you going for a run too?"
The artist nodded in the affirmative. "Yeah. I like running early in the morning." He eyed the small girl. "Looks like you are, too."
She nodded happily. "Yeah! Jogging is my favorite method of exercise. And as you said, it's better to do it earlier in the morning when it's cool." She suddenly clapped her hands lightly, as if she had a great idea. "John, do you mind if I join you?"
After thinking for a few seconds, John shrugged. "I guess not. I'm gonna go through the woods, and see if there's a trail I like. Gonna keep it loose."
"Cool!" Neda responded. "This'll be fun!"
After stretching for a few more minutes, John looked over at the girl again. "Ready?"
Neda nodded. "You bet!" With a nod of acknowledgment, John began jogging into the treeline, Neda close behind.
Twenty minutes later
John and Neda made their way through a particular forest path, keeping a steady rhythm going. John had to admit that he was impressed that Neda kept pace with him. 'Neda wasn't lying. She must run almost as much as I do,' he thought to himself.
"Good job keeping up, Neda," John told the girl as they trodded along the path.
"Thanks, John!" She said, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "I told you I was a runner, didn't I?"
"I guess-Woah!" John exclaimed as he suddenly slammed into something, and tumbled into the forest floor.
"Oh my gosh!" Neda exclaimed, stopping in her tracks next to John. "Are you okay John?"
"Oof!" John muttered, surprised. "I think so." Looking around, laying on the ground, John was suddenly shocked. "Wind!? What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, hello, John and Neda," The hippy calmly said as she readjusted herself. "I didn't see you."
"Are you okay?" John asked as he helped the girl up.
"I'm fine." She told them, not bothering to wipe the dirt off of herself. "I apologize for wandering into your path; I didn't realize anyone else was out here today."
"What are you doing out here, Wind?" Neda asked, a puzzled look on her face. "We're out in the middle of the woods!"
Wind simply shrugged. "I enjoy wandering in the wilderness. I feel quite at peace when I do so. I was also looking for new flowers for my hair."
"But aren't you going to be lost this far out here? We're sticking to the trail," John asked. "You're just wandering around."
"Oh, not at all," The serene girl replied with a smile. "I've been marking my path as I move along. I do this often, and I have never been seriously lost before."
John and Neda shared a glance with each other. "Are you sure you're okay?" Neda asked. "We can take you back to the camp if you want."
Wind shook her head. "I appreciate your concern, truly, but I am quite okay making my way back myself."
John shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, Wind. If you say so. See you around." With that, John kept running. Neda stayed and looked at Wind for a few more moments. The girl in question smiled at Neda, giving her a small wave before walking across the path and quickly vanishing into the foliage. Once Wind was gone, Neda ran to catch up with John.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Neda asked, concern in her voice. "We're pretty far out here…"
"I assume so," he told her plainly as he kept up his pace. "She seemed pretty adamant about being fine out here, so I trust her."
John's comment didn't seem to alleviate any of Neda's concerns. "What's she like?" She asked.
John took a second to reply, thinking over his answer. "She's…..different." He slowly said. "She's about as airy as her namesake. She talks a lot about energy and auras. Vegan, too. She and Marcellas get along very well. But she is very kind. I get the vibe that she does spend a good amount of time in the forest in her personal life, so that's mainly why I'm not too concerned."
That seemed to mollify Neda a bit. "Well, that's good," She said, relief clear in her voice.
After a few more minutes of jogging in silence, Neda spoke again. "How was the elimination last night?"
"I'm still here," Was John's simple reply.
"Who left?" Neda pressed.
"Daniel, the business guy."
"That sucks," Neda responded. "Being the first boot must be tough."
"I wouldn't think of it that way," John said back. "He didn't do himself many favors. All of the girls didn't like him whatsoever. He and Liana really got into it before the vote. It ended up being 6-2 to boot him."
"Dang," Neda said. "Sounds rough."
"I had a front-row seat, it sure was explosive," John remarked
After a few more moments, Neda again spoke. "Who do you think was the other vote, John?"
He didn't say anything, but he simply shrugged his shoulders. 'I'd love to know that, myself.'
With that, the conversation ceased, and the pair ran for another little while, before completely looping back and arriving back at the campsite, sweaty and breathing hard.
"Thanks for letting me run with you, John!" Neda said happily.
"No prob." Was his simple response.
"Do you mind if we run together again?" She asked him. He took a second to respond.
"Eh, I guess not."
"Cool! I don't think I'll join you every time, but if I happen to catch you, I will." Neda said with a smile on her face.
John just nodded his agreement. "I'm gonna grab a coffee from the mess hall. Later," he said, before walking off to the mess hall, leaving Neda alone as she stretched, before making her way to the showers.
Static
Confessional: Neda
"It was good to run with another member of the other team," Neda plainly told the camera. "I'll take any bits of info I can get since I'm not playing this game hard and out in the open. John didn't give up a lot, but I don't know if he's just not talkative or he saw through me." She shrugged. "But either way, it's better than nothing."
Static
Static
Confessional: John
Still in his running clothes, and holding a cup of plain black coffee, John spoke to the camera. "Neda's a little nosy, isn't she?" He took a sip. "I don't know if she was trying to pry info out of me, or is just genuinely curious. You can never know what people here are thinking. That's why I tried to not give her too much." His eyebrows scrunched. "That vote does bother me, though, I'll admit. Someone broke with the group against Daniel last night and isn't saying anything about it." He took another sip. "But at the end of the day, It wasn't a vote against me, so I guess it doesn't matter that much. If Liana wants to take offense to it, that's on her."
Static
As the day progressed, the sun rose higher and higher over the island, beating down on the island with a heat that, although warm, wasn't unpleasantly hot.
Two of the people enjoying the heat of the day were Alessia and Marcellas, who both sat in colorful chairs on the beach, soaking in the sun. Alessia, in a sky blue bikini, turned to Marcellas, in a pair of black swim shorts with multiple white flowers covering them.
"More sunscreen, Marcellas?" She teased. "Didn't you just put some on?"
Marcellas rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he applied the lotion. "I work hard to maintain this beautiful skin, girl." He sighed overdramatically. "It's a never-ending battle." He then poked her in the side. "Besides, I thought we were watching the show, not making fun of each other."
By "the show", Marcellas meant Samuray, who stood a few feet in front of the two, wearing red wrestling tights with a pair of white crosses going down the side, and his ever-present wrestling mask. He was doing yoga, performing all sorts of intricate stretches.
"I guess you're right," Alessia said back. As Samuray did a particularly bendy pose, they both watched rapt.
"He's so handsome," Alessia said dreamily.
"If only he didn't have that ugly mask. I need to see his face," Marcellas responded quietly enough for her to hear.
"Oh, I know!" She responded just as quietly. "What is up with the mask? It's so ridiculous!"
"And those wrestling tights!" Marcellas quietly exclaimed. "Granted, he looks good in them, but they're one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. I'm sure they look good in a ring, but that doesn't mean they look good out in the wild."
As Sammy stood and stretched one last time before gathering his yoga mat, Alessia replied, "He's lucky he's got such a great bod, right? Otherwise, there'd be nothing there, really."
"Oh, for sure." Marcellas agreed. As Sammy approached them, Marcellas spoke louder. "You looked great, Sammy!"
"Yeah, Sammy," Alessia said, batting her lashes. "A flexible man is just what I like."
"Ugh, get in line, Alessia!" Marcellas bit back, making the two laugh.
Sammy had an amused grin of his own at the pair's comments. "Well, I'm glad my morning beach exercise entertained you two. Feel free to join me in my stretches next time," he told the pair.
"Oh, that's okay, big guy," Marcellas responded. "I'm happy sitting here, watching, and giving commentary."
The three laughed again, as Sammy returned to the cabin. Once Sammy was out of earshot, they resumed talking.
"Why did you rat out Daniel last night?" Alessia asked the bald teen.
"Because he was a jackass," he replied annoyedly. "I figured that if I told Liana about what was going on, she'd do something about it because I really did not wanna work with him whatsoever." Alessia nodded her agreement to what he said as he continued. "Granted, I didn't think she would absolutely melt down quite like that, but it really did the job anyway." He looked at her, suddenly aghast. "You didn't wanna keep him around, did you?!"
"As if!" She replied, a look of disgust on her face. "I thought he'd have his uses strategically, admittedly, but the thought of actually working with him past a day…no thanks!"
"You mind if I ask what your big plan is, girl?" Marcellas asked his friend, and she smiled.
"No problem." She then stood and spun in place, before striking a pose. "I'm gonna use this", as she motioned her hands down her body, "to get all the guys on my side and pit them against the girls, get them out one by one. After all the other girls are gone, pit the guys against each other for my affection until they're all gone too."
Marcellas giggled. "Oooh, you're so devious."
"Don't I know it?" she said as she sat back down on her chair. Alessia thought for a moment. "So I guess you were the one who voted against Liana too?" She asked.
"What!?" He asked, shocked. "I thought that was you!"
"It wasn't you?" She asked again, genuinely surprised.
"No," he responded. "I thought about it but decided not to. Too much of a target too early. And I didn't need Liana sniffing me out. I thought it was maybe you."
"No way," She told him back. "I would not want her losing her mind on me like she did Daniel."
"Hmm, well, that's interesting," Marcellas said under his breath.
Static
Confessional: Marcellas
"So that vote wasn't me, and it wasn't Alessia. It surely wasn't Liana herself." He put a finger to his chin. "I think I'm gonna try to find who that vote was." He had a cheeky grin on his face. "I think it'll be fun to get Liana all mad again."
Static
Alessia sighed contentedly. "It's gonna be you and me, Marcellas."
"Alliance time?" He suddenly asked her, looking excited.
Alessia lit up in excitement. "Oh, heck yes!" Alessia replied excitedly. "Two Cali people making it all the way to the Final Two. I love that!"
Marcellas held a pinkie out. "The Cali Connection?" He asked.
Alessia looped his pinkie with her own. "The Cali Connection." She replied, a smile on her face
Static
Confessional: Alessia
Alessia, still in her swimsuit, sat happily in the booth. "I'm so glad to be working with Marcellas!" She gushed. "We get along so great, so it's no surprise we'd alliance up sooner than later! Once we get farther in the game and we can start working our magic, it's gonna be the most gorgeous final two in Total Drama History!"
Static
Back at the Albatross Cabin, Vivi casually sat on her bed, tuning a worn acoustic guitar. She hummed a song of some sort to herself as she did so, strumming the instrument every few moments to get it tuned to her liking.
"Heya," Liana said as she stepped into the cabin.
Not looking up from her instrument, Vivi offered a "Yo," in greeting.
Liana tossed a bag of chips onto Vivi's bed, making her look up. "Hey, you got 'em," Vivi said happily, setting the guitar to her side and grabbing the bag and tearing into them. "Thanks."
Liana sat down on her own bed. "No prob. I said I'd get them for you, I was already on my way in there anyway," as she fished a few granola bars out of her jacket pocket.
"So, I'm not gonna beat around the bush here," Vivi began as she finished her current handful of chips. Liana took a bite out of her bar and cocked an eyebrow curiously. "What the hell was with the water show last night? I got there late and I caught the tail end of you having a complete meltdown. I wouldn't be shocked either if the other team heard you down on the beach."
Liana looked bashful, rubbing the back of her head. "Hahaha…well, you can say I'm pretty emotional." Liana took a deep breath. "Yesterday was kinda a lot, what with being away from Ali for the first time in a long time, being here in a new environment, being surrounded by a bunch of strangers, then losing the comp. Just generally being stressed, you know?" Liana exhaled. "So when I found out when Daniel was actively plotting to get me out of the game, for a really dumb reason…I just kinda snapped."
Vivi snorted. "Snapped is one way of putting it. You'd have flooded the island if you cried any more than you did. I thought you were gonna suffocate, you were talking so much without stopping. That, or just spontaneously explode."
Liana frowned, obviously not happy with Vivi's descriptions of her. "Yeah….I can admit I got a bit out of control."
Vivi then narrowed her eyes at Liana, face suddenly becoming deadly serious. "Are you gonna freak out like that again while we're here?"
Vivi's sudden change in demeanor, for just a moment, intimidated Liana. 'I suddenly feel like I'm at the Aria, behind a hand and getting stared down by the whole table,' she thought to herself. But regaining her strength, Liana stared Vivi right down back, not giving the rocker an inch. "I don't know, Vivi. I'm not psychic."
Vivi didn't stand down, either. "Daniel may have folded and broken like a wet paper towel, but I'm gonna tell you this one time, right now, Liana; I won't." Vivi stood up and stood over Liana. "And if you try to pull that waterworks crap on me, we're gonna have a real problem."
Like two rams butting heads, Liana stood and faced down the shorter girl, crossing her arms. "Is that a threat, Vivi?" Liana asked irritatedly.
Vivi sneered at her. "No. It's not a threat. It's a promise, Liana. You stay cool with me, I stay cool with you. If not, then…" Vivi trailed off, letting the silence hang in the air. "I'm just making it perfectly clear."
"Well, you made it loud and clear," Liana shot right back.
"Good," Vivi said, suddenly backing down and dropping back down on her bed. "I was just trying to make my thoughts as unambiguous as possible." She smirked at Liana. "I figured that after being lied to last night, you'd appreciate the honesty."
Liana still felt on edge. "Yeah. You can say that I do. Honesty is something that I think will be in short supply in this game," she stated shortly.
"Just the way I roll, babe," Vivi said as she grabbed her guitar again and began tuning it once more, before Vivi then looked up at Liana again. "And speaking of honesty, I wasn't that rogue vote against you, either, so don't try to pin it on me, either."
Liana seemed surprised at that once again. "It wasn't?"
"Psh!" Vivi scoffed amusedly. "You think I wouldn't leap at the first chance I got to vote for Daniel? I may not have appreciated you dressing me down in front of everyone, but you aren't an obnoxious, tryhard tool like he was." She stopped for a second, before continuing. "And no, I don't know anything about the other vote." She slyly grinned at Liana again. "Again, y'know, honesty." She then looked down at her guitar once again and, having found the right tune, began strumming, deciding that the conversation had ended.
After a few moments, Liana stood and stretched. "Well, thanks for that, I guess. I'm gonna head back out. Later, Vivi."
Not bothering to look up, Vivi simply said, "Later," as Liana stepped out of the cabin.
Once the door closed, and she was alone in the cabin, Vivi grew an accomplished smile. "I think I got my point across."
Static
Confessional: Liana
Liana sighed heavily. "I know exactly what Vivi was doing. She was trying to intimidate me. It's like some kind of wildlife documentary, where an alpha tries to assert its dominance over the pack." She leaned her head on one of her hands, looking depressed. "And the worst part, I feel like it worked. I got shoved around in there. I really gotta watch out for that girl; she means business. With this and the rogue vote last night, I need to really start being careful."
Static
Static
Confessional: Vivi
Vivi sat, looking proud of herself. "I'm glad I got my point across with Liana. I meant everything I said. I don't mind her at all. In fact, she's pretty cool." She crossed her arms. "But after the first day where she dressed me down in front of the other girls, I needed to make it perfectly clear that if she tries to pull that crap on me that got Daniel out, I'm gonna fight back. And I'm not gonna hold back. Vivi Venom doesn't get pushed around like that."
Static
"Ah, Brooke. I was looking for you," Ji said, finding Brooke in the mess hall, eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Hearing the voice of the girl she didn't like, Brooke broke into a scowl.
"What do you want, Ji? I'm really not in the mood right now."
Ji held her arms up conciliatorily. "I am not here to start a fight today. I merely wish to receive any information you may have." Ji sat down across from the athlete, and Brooke sighed.
"I don't have anything for you, Ji."
The combat robot driver looked skeptically at her. "Really?"
Brooke could feel her frustration rising. "Yes, really. Now go away."
However, Ji continued to stare a hole through the much larger girl. "I do not believe you, Brooke." Brooke began to turn red at the blunt assumption, as Ji tapped the table. "I understand if you don't trust me. But we are an alliance, one that no one, absolutely no one, here suspects. That is vital. I want both of us to get far, and ride this alliance for as much as we can. But I can't make that happen if you don't give me anything. Now, do you want to be more forthcoming, or not?"
Brooke just sighed and flopped onto the table, defeated. "Ji. I promise I don't have anything. I want to make it to the end too." 'Not with you.' "But I can't give you any information that I don't have."
Annoyed, Ji stood now. "Alright. Then I'll depart. Just remember, this alliance needs both parties in order to work."
'Useless.' Ji thought as she left the mess hall. What neither girl realized is that at the same time, they had the same thought.
'I want her gone.'
"Alright, what's the dumbest thing you've done?" David asked, chilling in the men's cabin of the Crocodiles.
"That depends," Weenus asked. "Are we talking of all time, or recently?"
David took a second, before speaking. "Last six months."
Weenus looked deep in thought for a second, before grinning. "Probably when I did Beehive Tetherball."
"Do I even want the details on that, man?" Godfrey asked, grimacing.
"I feel like that sounds pretty self-explanatory," Apollo retorted with a laugh.
"And what about all time?" David asked, laughing.
"Oh, so many to choose from!" Weenus exclaimed. "Of course, the one where I stuck my face in a fire ant hill is probably the one that most people saw. The time I fought Francis Ngannou was a pretty big deal, even if he knocked me out in 19 seconds. I got an MMA license and everything! I'm technically an 0-1 MMA Fighter in the state of Arizona," he jokingly boasted.
The cabin was laughing uproariously at Weenus' exploits as he listed them off. "The one where you knocked that porta-potty down a hill with a wrecking ball, with you in it was disgusting. I thought I was gonna puke," Godfrey told the group.
"I couldn't believe it when you branded your butt with an actual cattle brand," Apollo remarked.
"What about the one where you stood on top of the ladder and knocked it out from under yourself with a sledgehammer?" David asked gleefully.
"Yeah, boys, those were all good ones. And I've got a ton of them lined up too!" The stuntman excitedly said.
"Oh, man, give us a sneak peek!" David practically begged.
"Alright. You guys know those super hot, one-chip challenge chips?" The group nodded together. "I'm gonna eat five of them at once."
More uproarious laughter followed. "Man! That's insane!" Godfrey exclaimed.
"I know, it's gonna be amazing!" Weenus said, laughing along.
Static
Confessional: Weenus
"Yeah, I know that I'm not exactly a normal guy," Weenus remarked. "But I'm happy doin' what I'm doin'. It makes people happy, and to me, that's really all that matters. Now, my strategy on this thing?" He laughs. "Do I look like I have a strategy? Hell no! My strategy is that I have no strategy. I'm gonna do whatever the hell I wanna do. And shoot, If I leave next? Then I'll be an early boot, have a ton of fun, and do it my way."
Static
"Man, Weenus," Godfrey told the stuntman, "I never thought I'd meet someone quite like you. But now that I have, I know you're gonna be my buddy for life."
"Too true!" Apollo seconded.
"Totally, man!" David also agreed.
"Thanks, guys!" Weenus said happily. "You know, we should get together and do a stunt, all together, once this thing is over. Nothing too insane, but something fun for my content! What do you guys say?" Weenus asked.
"I don't care if it's for a stunt or not, I'd just love to hang out with you outside this game, dude," David told him. "A stunt would be even more fun!"
"Gotta second that," Apollo echoed. "I don't wanna go out of my way to maim myself, but something tame would be pretty fun. And like David said, I would love to see you guys outside this thing too."
Godfrey nodded. "I'll agree with that, guys. This right here is gonna continue after the game." Godfrey then did The Agency's pose. "The Agency is for life, after all!" The guys chuckled.
Weenus stuck his hand into the center of the four of them. "Brothers 'till the end."
The other three stuck their hands on top of Weenus' hand. "Brothers!" They all called out.
What the gathered members of The Agency didn't realize is that they were being watched through one of their windows. They watched, with a suspicious look on their face, and then turned and walked away.
Static
Confessional: Misha
"I have been wary of this for the last few days," Misha stated very seriously. "And I have done the proper reconnaissance to make sure I was sure." Misha nodded with finality. "And after this, I have concluded that my theory is correct." Misha stared at the camera intensely. "The guys are in an alliance. And I am of the belief that none of us girls are safe."
Static
Misha quickly made her way through the grounds of the Island, searching for her teammates. Opening the mess hall doors, she was able to spot Brooke, who looked agitated as she ate a bowl of cereal. Misha quickly approached the athlete, with no hesitation.
"Brooke." The athlete raised her head and was surprised to see the conspiracy nut standing before her.
"Oh, hey Misha," Brooke responded simply. "How are you?"
"Do you know the whereabouts of either Neda or Ji?" Misha asked quickly, without bothering to give her an answer to her question.
"I'm pretty sure Neda is back at the cabin." She then glowered. "And I don't give a rat's ass where Ji is."
"Now is not the time for your inane squabbles!" Misha snapped back, surprising both Brooke and herself with her harshness. "This is extremely important and I need to find the other girls right now!"
"Woah, Mish," Brooke responded, surprised. "If whatever's going on has you this wound up, it must be important. Go look for Ji and bring her back to the cabin; I'll go meet up with Neda and make sure she doesn't leave."
Misha simply nodded and ran back out of the mess hall. Brooke quickly finished her cereal and made her way back to the shared cabin with the girls. "Sheesh, she's really riled up," Brooke muttered to herself, before stopping. "If this is for some crap about the moon landing or Atlantis she's gonna get my vote at the next campfire ceremony," she muttered again before making her way into the girls' cabin.
Neda sat on her bed, applying pink nail polish to her digits. She looked up at the door opening and smiled. "Oh, hey Brooke," she said casually before going back to her nails. "How're you?"
Brooke shrugged and sat on her own bed. "Could be better. But I'm here to keep you from leaving. Misha's all freaked out about something and wanted all of us here so she can tell us about it."
"Oh no!" Neda remarked, concerned, raising her attention from her nails. "Did she tell you what was going on?" She asked, to which Brooke shook her head. After a few seconds, Neda spoke again. "It's not about another one of her conspiracies, is it?" She asked, a sigh in her voice.
"She didn't tell me," Brooke replied. "But I honestly don't know. She seemed pretty concerned about whatever she needed to tell us."
"She was pretty concerned when she woke me up at 3 in the morning to suggest to me that the Eiffel Tower is actually a hologram designed to spy on people."
"Dammit!" Misha exclaimed frustratedly. "Where is Ji? Not at the beach. Not inside the confessional booth. Not at the campfire pit." As she ran through the campground, her eyes locked on one location she hadn't checked yet.
"Ah. Bathroom. Of course." She said to herself, sounding pleased.
Running her way towards the bathroom, she flung the door open. She ran to the stalls and began pounding on the doors. "Ji! Ji!"
"ACK!" A surprised voice exclaimed from inside a stall. "MISHA, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" An irate Ji screamed at the conspiracy theorist.
"It is extremely important you come with me," Misha said back.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW! I'M GOING TO THE BATHROOM!" Ji again screamed, her anger readily apparent.
"I will be waiting for you by the door," Misha said, turning and leaving the restroom as quickly as she came.
A few minutes later, as Misha hopped up and down on the balls of her feet, anxiously awaiting Ji's arrival, the bathroom door swung open, revealing an irate Ji, hatred in her eyes. "What. The. Hell. Do. You. Want?" Ji growled at the girl.
Rather than speaking, Misha simply grabbed Ji by the wrist and dragged her to their cabin. Throwing the door open and practically shoving her inside, Misha then stepped in, to the surprise of Neda and Brooke.
"Well, you found Ji," Brooke said nonchalantly.
"By harassing me when I was in the BATHROOM!" Ji screamed. She then rounded on the object of her ire. "Misha, what on EARTH is wrong with you?!"
"I apologize for bothering you while you were using the restroom, but this is very important," Misha said simply.
"Oh, it better be important, Misha," Ji said dangerously, getting right into the girl's face. "I swear, if it's not, I am happily voting you off if we lose."
Misha seemed nonplussed by Ji's blatant threat. "I assure you that this is worth the hassle, Ji."
"Well, Misha," Brooke stated, trying to get the girls back on track. "We're all here and you've got all of our attention. What's so big that you needed to get all of us together?"
Misha inhaled. "I have come to the conclusion that all the guys on our team are in a four-man alliance."
Silence reigned over the cabin as Misha's words hung in the air. "What?" Brooke asked, bewildered.
"Weenus, Godfrey, David, and Apollo. They are all in an alliance. I have confirmed it."
Now it was Neda's turn to ask Misha. "What do you mean, confirmed?"
"I have been monitoring them, Neda," Misha explained. "They are working as a perfect unit. They are not disagreeing, or arguing at all, unlike us. Plus, just today, I noticed them all placing their hands on top of each other. They seemed quite pleased about whatever it was that they were doing. Based on all of that information, I am of the belief that they have formed a 4-person voting block to get rid of all of us one by one."
All the other girls sat around, absorbing the information. "So, you're certain that you saw this, Misha?" Ji asked, anger pacified at the troubling news.
"I saw it with my own two eyes less than an hour ago." She affirmed.
Again, silence. "So what does this mean?" Brooke asked. "Even if we rally against them, any vote would still be split 4-4, and it'd just go on since none of us would ever be willing to split a tie."
Neda sighed. "I don't know. I have no clue if there'd even be a tiebreaker or anything, either."
"Regardless of how this works out," Ji started, "We need to stick together, at least somewhat for the sake of caution. I'd rather not be picked off one after another and let all the guys march all over us to the merge. I think we can all agree with that."
The other girls nodded. "So how about this," Brooke began. "We try extra hard to win all the challenges we can since this is a problem on our team. But, it's inevitable that we end up losing a challenge before the merge. So, once we lose our first challenge, we meet up again and discuss what our plans are." She looked around the room. "Does everyone find this okay?"
"Works for me," was Neda's response.
"I can agree to that," said Ji.
"I find this acceptable," Misha responded.
"Alright, then we're all in agreement, then." Brooke nodded to the girls.
Static
Confessional: Neda
"Do I think there's a guy's alliance?" Neda asked the camera. "Honestly? Not really." She shrugged. "I like Misha a lot, but she doesn't seem particularly…..aware. So she may have seen something innocuous and just leaped to an assumption." She then leaned back. "But that being said, if there is a guy's alliance, it'll be better to get it split up sooner rather than later. Plus, It's good to have all the girls on the same page, even somewhat. And hey, I feel pretty safe either way; I feel confident that I'd at least stay over Brooke. But if worst comes to worst, I should start buddying up with the guys so they take me along, to at least the merge." She then sighed, this time happily. "This is so much fun! I love this game."
Static
Static
Confessional: Misha
She has a broad grin on her face. "I am most pleased that the team was able to come to its senses, get through its divisions, and make an agreement with each other. Even Ji and Brooke. The threat of the guys all working and voting together is just too much, and I am very glad that everyone was able to see this. Now, we must stay vigilant and do what we can."
Static
"Attention, maggots!" Chef's voice suddenly rang out through the speakers throughout camp. "Report to the mess hall immediately! That's an order!"
"Welp," Neda remarked as she stood. "I guess it's challenge time." She made her way out of the cabin, Misha close behind. Brooke made to follow, but Ji held her wrist.
"Wait, Brooke." Once Neda and Misha were out of earshot, Ji spoke. "How do you feel about what Misha told us?"
"I don't know," Brooke admitted. "It all makes sense, but Misha is the one saying it, so you immediately get wary."
"So why did you say all that you said?" Ji asked her.
"I'm erring on the side of caution with this one," Brooke responded. "Even if there isn't a guy's alliance, it'll be good to get a leg up on them by being cautious."
"I feel much the same," Ji agreed. "Caution in a situation like this feels wise. If not, it could lead to worse things."
"Well, I don't wanna keep Chef waiting, I don't particularly want to get screamed at," Brooke said as she made for the door.
"I agree with you there as well," Ji said back as she made her way out the door, following Brooke to the mess hall.
The gathered campers stood around the mess hall, waiting for Chef. They didn't have to wait long, as he slammed the kitchen door open and made his way in front of them all. He wasn't dressed normally; rather, he was dressed in an olive green tank top, a drill sergeant's hat, camo fatigues, a pair of sunglasses, and black military boots.
"TEN-HUT! GET IN A ROW, MAGGOTS!" The Chef yelled. Not wanting to draw his ire, and knowing this was the beginning of the challenge, everyone got in a line. "Today, we are going to be simulating warfare, via paintball!" He yelled, walking up and down the assembled line, holding a paintball gun.
"Because no teenage experience is complete without chasing a bunch of your contemporaries around the woods with toy guns," John sarcastically remarked.
Chef stopped directly in front of the teen artist and stared at him. "Your sarcasm is amusing, Private Lane! I hope you find it comforting when you're cowering in a foxhole."
"What?" John asked, bewildered, as Chef kept walking down the line.
"You all will be given standard hunting camouflage to hide with! To differentiate the teams, the Crocs will have bright blue paint, and the Albatrosses will have bright red! Otherwise, there will be nothing else. There aren't differentials in actual combat, there's not going to be any here!"
As Chef reached the end of the line, he sighed. "War. What is it good for?" He asked aloud, sadly.
"Absolutely nothin'," Vivi remarked. When Chef stared at her, she grinned. "Hoo-ah!"
Deciding to ignore Vivi's reference, Chef turned and kept walking back up the line. "Your camouflage, helmets, goggles, and paintball guns are stored in the kitchens. You'll have 10 minutes to change and get your milk-fed behinds back here, where I will explain the rest of the rules. Go!" With Chef's remark, the 15 campers made their way into the kitchen to grab their camouflage.
"John." Wind whispered as she grabbed her outfit.
"Hm?" he responded to her, grabbing his own.
"I'm a pacifist. I can't do this. Hurting people is against everything I believe in." She responded sadly.
John sighed annoyedly. "Of course," he mumbled under his breath. "Well, I guess just, hide in the brush or something."
As she wiggled her arms into the camo suit, Wind's eyes lit up. "Why don't I follow you, and point out if I see anything? Just because I am a pacifist does not mean I don't want the team to win."
Zipping up the suit, John shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, Wind."
10 minutes later
The campers all stood in a line once again, this time all in their camouflage. "March to the tree line!" Chef ordered, blowing a whistle. The campers did so, and after a short march, arrived at the treeline at the base of the camp, where Chef had them stand in two separate lines.
"Alright, you sorry sacks! This is how our combat will work today." He held up three fingers. "If you get shot three times, you're out!" He then gestured toward the Albatrosses. "Albatrosses! Since you're down a soldier, one of yours will get shot six times before they are eliminated! You're gonna figure that out right now!"
Vivi immediately shot her hand up. "I volunteer!"
"Do any of you others object?" Chef asked the other six. Seeing no objections, Chef nodded. "Alright, Private LeRusso! You can get shot six times before you're eliminated."
She grinned victoriously.
"The only other rules are that the treeline is the border of the challenge. So no coming out into camp, no going on the beach, no nothing. And, you'll be given 5 minutes to find a starting location in the woods and determine a strategy for your teams. When I blow this whistle, your five minutes begin, and when you next hear it, your five is up. Other than that….." Chef grinned evilly. "It's open, unrestricted warfare."
Without another word, and with a blow of his whistle, the campers ran into the woods, the challenge officially underway.
"So, what's our plan?" David asked as his seven teammates gathered around.
"Well, I figured that I could sneak around and try to surprise anyone," Neda replied, "since I'm so small, I think I can fit into the brush pretty undetected."
Brooke snapped her fingers. "You know, that's not a bad idea. We should pair up; a short person goes with a taller person. They scout ahead and maybe try to surprise someone, then their partner comes and tries to finish the job. We all split up and go different ways, so we can try to get the drop on the other team."
"That sounds good to me, Brooke," Godfrey echoed in agreement.
"Me too," Weenus said, with Apollo nodding his agreement too.
"Alright. Let's split into teams, then," Godfrey said. "I'll-"
"I shall accompany you, Godfrey," Misha stated emphatically.
"Well, alright then, Misha," Godfrey said back, confused at her insistence to be with him.
"I'll go with David!" Neda said aloud. David grinned and made his way over to the much smaller girl.
"Weenus, you're with me," Brooke said. Ji looked at Brooke curiously, but a look of realization came across her face.
Static
Confessional: Ji
"I must admit I'm impressed with Brooke," Ji said, appreciation in her voice. "Splitting the guys up during this challenge means that they can't coordinate anything, at least now. Good work, Brooke," She nodded approvingly.
"So, does anyone have any bright ideas?" Sammy asked the team, as they huddled around a downed tree.
"Yup!" Vivi stated, a grin on her face. "I'm heading out there to tag and bag some Crocs. Peace out!" She cried, and with that, she turned tail and made her way into the brush.
"Vivi, wait!" Sammy called, but the rocker chick had already vanished into the trees.
"Me and Wind are gonna go scout around," John told the wrestler. "I'm a fast runner and she's at home in the woods. She's not gonna shoot anyone since she's a pacifist so she may as well stick with one of us."
"That's a good plan." Sammy nodded. "Alessia? Marcellas? What about you?" When there was no response, the others looked around but didn't see either one. "Looks like they've made their own way too." He said annoyedly. Sammy then looked at Liana. "What's your plan?"
"I'm gonna see if I can move around the edge of the treeline and flank them." She responded.
"Good. I'm gonna try to sneak through the brush. Maybe even climb a tree and surprise one of them from above."
TWEEEEEEEEEET
"Oh, crap!" John exclaimed. "That's the cue! Wind, let's go!" With that, the Albatrosses scattered into the trees.
"I do not trust you."
"Excuse me?" Godfrey asked, surprised at Misha's declaration as they slowly made their way through the brush, scanning for Albatrosses.
"You are up to something with the other guys on our team. I do not know what, but I know for a fact you are."
Though it couldn't be seen by the conspiracy theorist as she was in front of him, Godfrey scowled in annoyance.
Static
Confessional: Godfrey
"Dammit," He said irritatedly. "Somehow The Agency has already been snuffed out by the conspiracy girl. I don't know what she knows, but the fact that she knows anything is bad news for me. I gotta worm my way outta this."
Static
"Yeah, you're right." Godfrey suddenly stated. Misha suddenly stopped still, like a deer sensing danger. She turned and faced the charmer, a shocked look on her face.
"Excuse me?" She asked, hardly believing what she just heard.
"Yeah. The guys are in an alliance. We made it the first day." Godfrey slyly smiled at her. "Though we're all even, I personally consider Apollo the leader."
"What else to the alliance is there?" Misha asked, feeling victorious. Suddenly, she had a realization. "Wait. How do I know that you are not lying, Godfrey?"
Godfrey shrugged. "I told you what I told you. It's up to you if you believe me or not." Eyes growing wide, Godfrey suddenly turned and ducked behind a fallen log.
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP
The sound of air-compressed paintballs getting fired suddenly exploded from behind, from a small ridge overlooking them.
"Ack!" Misha shouted as she was knocked over, back covered in bright red paint.
"Misha has been hit three times!" Chef's voice rang out from hidden speakers in the forest. "She's eliminated!"
"Hell yeah!" Vivi's voice yelled out from behind the ridge. Sliding down the small enclave, she quickly stalked over and found Godfrey, hidden behind a log, hands up in surrender.
"I surrender!" Godfrey said aloud. Vivi responded with three paintballs directly to his armored chest. "Oof!" He yelled in surprise.
"Godfrey is also eliminated!" Chef's voice shouted once again, as he regained his composure.
"Nothin' personal man," Vivi said, nodding to the teen. "Just business."
"None taken, Vivi," Godfrey said as he stood and made his way out of the woods.
"So Godfrey and Misha are both out," John mused as he heard Chef's announcement. "We're already up by one. Good." Seeing a large rock, John suddenly grinned. "Wind." He called to the hippy girl.
From behind, she quickly closed the gap and made her way to his side. "Yes, John?" She asked.
He had a full smile on his face, holding up the paint gun. "See that rock? How about we light it up?"
Wind looked hesitant. "I don't know…." she trailed off.
"It's not violence; it's artistic expression!" John said excitedly, as he began shooting at the rock, covering it in splotches of red paint. Seeing the results, he smiled giddily. "Imagine the landscape work you could do with one of these things. Jackson Pollock would have given up his left nut for something like this. I need to get one of these things when I get off the island. I doubt Chef will let me keep this one." John excitedly rambled as he then ran around to the other side of the rock and began to shoot it more. "C'mon Wind!" Wind couldn't help but smile at John's giddiness.
Moving to his side, Wind slowly began to raise her paintball gun. John pointed to a section of rock he left unpainted. "Give it a smattering of artistic expression of your own." He said with a grin.
POPOP
Wind pulled the trigger twice, splattering the empty spot with red paint. "Good job!" John said as he looked the rock over. "I can say that this rock is sufficiently painted."
Wind smiled at John. "You really do love art, do you, John?"
"Yeah," He said. "My whole family are artists. It's kinda in my genetics. Painting and sketching are my personal styles."
Wind nodded. "It is wonderful to find art in everyday things."
John grinned again. "I never pass up an opportunity for art." He looked at the rock again and smiled. "I brought a disposable camera with me; I'm gonna try and find this rock again on one of our days off and get some pictures. I'd hate for it to get rained away before I can get some." He then gestured to Wind to follow. "Let's see if we can make a few more landscapes before the challenge is over." With a smile still on her features, the two made their way down a small forest trail.
As the pair walked down the trail, looking for another object to paint, Wind suddenly stopped him. "John, wait!" She whispered.
"What is it?" He asked, recognizing her quiet tone and taking it himself.
"Look at the trail ahead." She said, pointing to a particular patch of the trail.
Not seeing anything, John remarked, "Um, what am I supposed to be seeing?"
Not responding, Wind began creeping up to the spot she had indicated. Now standing directly in front, John didn't notice anything still. "Are you sure-?"
"Shh!" Wind suddenly cut him off. Crouching onto one knee, she indicated a particular patch of foliage. Getting down, John could see footprints in the dirt.
"Someone's nearby," John whispered.
"It's all clear, David," Neda called as she hid behind a smattering of bushes. David crept up and knelt beside the smaller girl.
"Alright, let's keep moving." He whispered back.
The pair crept forward again, Neda in the lead, scanning her surroundings with her paintball gun raised.
"Wait!" The smaller girl quickly said. "David, look!"
Slowly making his way towards her, David quickly could see what drew Neda's attention; sat on a fallen tree were Marcellas and Alessia, chatting, guns lowered. They both audibly laughed at something one of them said.
"How do you wanna do this, David?" Neda asked quietly.
"You take one, Neda, I'll take the other. We fire at the same time to get both at once." He responded, focus clear in his voice. "We're already down a person, we need to get this right."
Neda nodded and raised her weapon, taking aim at Marcellas. David, in turn, took aim at Alessia. "On my mark, Neda," David said.
"One. Two. Three!"
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP
"Ahhhhhhh!" Alessia and Marcellas both yelled in surprise as the surprise attack littered them with paintballs.
"What the hell!?" Alessia shouted, littered with paint.
"Marcellas and Alessia are eliminated!" Chef's voice rang out.
"Ah, man!" Marcellas groaned as he and Alessia made their way out of the forest.
"Great jo-"
POPOPOP
Before David could even congratulate Neda on their successful elimination of Marcellas and Alessia, David found himself pelted with paintballs from behind. "Ack!" He yelled, surprised.
"And David is eliminated!" Chef yelled. "It's still anyone's battle!"
POPOPOPOP
"Oh, crap!" Neda shouted, surprised as a volley of paintballs barely missed her. Thinking quickly, she ducked into the clearing that Alessia and Marcellas were just in, and then ran back into the brush, away from the enemy fire.
"Man, those paintball thingies hurt!" David said, already feeling a sting on his left arm from the barrage that hit him.
Meanwhile…..
"Damn," John muttered, lowering his gun. "I missed Neda."
"You did get David, however," Wind said, then sadly continued, "I hope that he isn't too hurt."
"He was the bigger target," John remarked. "She's gonna be a pain to get."
The pair made their way into the clearing and looked around. "I think Neda went that way," John said, pointing to his left. "What do you think, Wind?" John asked her. "You weren't fibbing when you said you were at home in the woods, so if you see anything, I'll follow your lead."
Wind pursed her lips as her green eyes scanned the clearing. "I believe that she went this way," Wind said, slowly making her way to an area where there were some signs of disturbance. "Yes. The brush is disturbed. Neda went this way." With that, she motioned for John to follow, and the pair made their way back into the dense foliage.
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP
"Dammit! This sucks!" Brooke shouted under a hail of paintballs. She and Weenus were pinned down behind a cluster of trees, being shot at by two different Albatrosses. "We're totally pinned down here!"
Weenus, crouched down behind the tree next to Brooke, couldn't even get a word out before another volley hit just by his head. "What should we do?" Weenus was finally able to ask when the fire let up for just a few moments.
"We need an opening or a distraction or something," Brooke told him as the quiet hung in the air. "Anything just to get an opening."
Weenus' eyes lit up. "I'll be a distraction." He told her. "I'll run out and draw their fire. Try to get to the side and take them out."
"Weenus, you'd get lit up like a Christmas tree out there!" Brooke responded, concern clear in her voice.
"Who cares?" He asked. "I've been through worse. What matters is getting you around to take them out."
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Of course!" Weenus told her. "When I get out there, you try to get around on them."
"Alright." Brooke nodded. "Good luck."
"Good luck to you. I'm doing the easy part. Ready?" He asked.
"Yup."
"Then…." Weenus began, before turning and charging out into the open. "YAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" He shouted, wildly firing paintballs as Brooke quickly made her way to her right.
"What on earth is he doing?!" Liana asked, surprised as Weenus suddenly burst forth from his hiding spot and began lighting their position up with paintballs.
Sammy grunted. "Doesn't matter, he's in the open! Get him!" Braving the hail of paint, the pair stepped out and pelted the stuntman with paint. After a few moments, Weenus' camo suit resembled a canvas, he was so splattered with paint.
"Weenus is out!" Chef yelled. "The Crocs are down to Neda, Brooke, Ji, and Apollo! Albatrosses have Sammy, Liana, Vivi with six hits, John, and Wind!
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP
"Agh!" Sammy shouted, as Brooke suddenly leaped from the brush, lighting him and Liana up. They fired back at her in a panic, but the damage was done.
"Brooke has been hit twice! But both Sammy and Liana have been eliminated!"
"Dammit," Sammy mumbled, as Liana removed her paint-covered visor.
"That was a good little trick there," she said as she dangled her visor in her hand.
"Weenus played the part of a paintball sponge pretty perfectly," Brooker responded with a grin. "Well, time to get back out there." With that, she turned and made her way into the woods again.
"Argh, this is hopeless!" Ji said, very annoyed. "We've been traipsing around the woods and haven't seen anything, and our team keeps getting cut down!"
"Don't worry, Ji," Apollo said nonchalantly. "I think it's okay. Didn't you hear Chef? We just took out two more of the other team. It's still anyone's game."
"WE haven't done anything!" Ji shouted. "All WE'VE done is wander around the woods like a couple of morons! Brooke just took out two members of the other team by herself, and we haven't even seen anything or anyone yet!"
"Ji, relax," Apollo told her gently. "It's gonna be fine."
Not facing him, Ji's eyes narrowed. After thinking for a moment, Ji opted to turn and face the model. "Why do you think everything will be fine? Do you feel safe?"
"Well, yeah, I do," Apollo told her. "Don't you?"
"What reason would I have to be safe from elimination?" Like a shark smelling blood in the water, she moved in. "And why do you feel so safe from elimination, Apollo?"
"Well, um, I just feel safe, I guess." He tried to give her a charming grin. "Maybe it's just my good looks."
Ji wasn't impressed or pacified. "I am not stupid." She told him plainly. "I believe you are hiding something from me, Apollo."
"Well, what reason would I have to do that?" He asked, now growing defensive.
Before Ji had a chance to retort, a POPOPOPOPOPOP exploded from the surrounding brush.
"Agh!" Ji yelled, hitting the forest floor, as Apollo ducked behind a tree.
"Apollo is eliminated!" Chef's voice yet again blared.
"Ah, hell," Apollo muttered as he made his way toward the tree line.
"C'mon out, Ji!" Vivi taunted from somewhere in the brush. "Surrender now, and I'll make it three clean in the chest like I did for Godfrey!"
Ji didn't say anything, opting to not stand, and rather crawl her way across the forest floor, into a hollowed-out log that was nearby.
"Ah, dammit!" Vivi could be heard yelling, as well as a faint popopopop. Hearing someone running through the brush, Ji quickly made her way toward the hollow log and took aim. Suddenly, a figure with two bright blue paint splotches ran into view. Without hesitation, Ji opened fire.
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPPOP
"Ah hell!" Vivi said, surprise clear in her tone as she was barraged with a hail of paintballs.
"Vivi is out! Repeat, Vivi is out! It's now John and Wind left standing for the Albatrosses, and Neda, Brooke, and Ji for the Crocodiles!" Chef shouted out.
"Dammit," Vivi grumbled. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted."
"Brooke! Neda!" Ji shouted as Vivi also made her way to the tree line. "Over here!"
After just a few seconds, Brooke emerged from where Vivi had, not just a few moments ago. "You got Vivi?" In response, Ji nodded. "Good. She was a threat. I'm glad we were able to catch her in a trap."
"Agreed," Ji said, taking a second to catch her breath. "All that's left is the hippy and the artist?" Brooke nodded in confirmation. "Good. With the both of us, as well as Neda roaming around somewhere, this should be a cakewalk." Ji said, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
"Well, it's up to me to get the last three people out," John said darkly. "No pressure," he muttered under his breath.
"Don't worry, John," Wind said hopefully. "I believe that between us, we can find the last three and win this challenge!"
"Good to know one of us is optimistic," he mumbled, before turning to Wind. "Alright, we've been following Neda's trail for a while, Wind. Which way are we going now?"
Wind swiveled her head a little bit, eyeing the foliage in front of them. "This way." She said confidently, as she began walking towards where she pointed. "The leaves and branches look as if they have been recently disturbed."
"You haven't steered me wrong yet, so lead away, Wind."
A few minutes of making their way through the trees later, Wind suddenly motioned for John to stop. "Wait." She whispered.
"See anything?" John asked, his paintball gun at the ready.
Wind pointed directly ahead of them and slightly to the right. "Look."
John squinted and leaned forward, but didn't see anything. "What am I supposed to be seeing, Wind?" He asked fruitlessly.
"There!" She whispered louder, pointing at an indistinct part of the forest. John raised his goggles but still saw nothing.
"I still don't know what I'm supposed to be seeing." He whispered.
Wind pointed one last time. "Between that branch with three stubs and that limb with four leaves."
"Wind, I don't-" John started to say, but as he looked where Wind had described, he completely stopped. "What the hell…." He muttered, surprised.
There, where Wind had pointed out, was a patch of dark red.
"Something tells me that particular shade of red doesn't exist in the forest like this," John remarked.
"That has to be Ji!" Wind replied. "Her hair is that color!"
Taking aim at a general spot where John thought the robot combateer was, he took a breath before holding down the trigger of the paintball gun.
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP
"What the hell!?" Ji's shout could be heard from where her hair had been spotted. John and Wind quickly made their way back into the foliage, away from their spot. Looping towards their spot, talking could be heard. "How the heck did they see me?" Ji could be heard saying.
"Ji's been eliminated!" Chef could be heard yelling. "This is a two-on-two game now, folks!"
John pumped his fist in excitement. "Good stuff. And Brooke has one hit left. We're almost there, Wind." John told the hippy.
POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP
"Woah!" John yelled as a barrage of paintballs exploded from his side. John quickly slung his paintball gun around and opened fire himself from the direction they were coming from.
POPOPOPOPOPOPOP
"Both John and Brooke have been eliminated!" Chef yelled out. "This is now a one-on-one battle between Neda and Wind! Winner's team is safe, losers go to the elimination ceremony!"
"Oh, dear….." Wind said, afraid. "I really don't want to shoot anyone."
"Wind, you're gonna have to," John told her, the normally unenthusiastic artist doing his best to give her a pep talk. "It sucks but if we lose this competition, there's gonna be a good chance you end up leaving because you didn't take Neda out. It's gonna be either her or you."
Wind sighed. "It's unfortunate, but if I have to, for the team, I shall." John smiled and patted Wind on the shoulder.
"I believe in you. We'd have been screwed if not for your forest and nature knowledge. I think you're the most qualified person here to find her," he told her.
Wind gave the artist a happy grin. "Thank you very much, John." She told him, before making her way into the foliage, quickly disappearing from view. At the same time, Brooke appeared.
"Lucky shot." She told John disappointedly.
"All I needed was one," John smirked at her, as they made their way out of the forest to let the last two competitors battle it out.
Neda crept through the brush, very aware of the massive amount of pressure squarely set on her shoulders. 'It's all up to me,' she thought to herself, a tight knot of worry forming in her stomach.
'I have no idea where Wind even is. I haven't shot at anyone besides Marcellas, either. I feel so out of my league right now.' Sighing, she sat on a tree stump and removed her goggles. "This sucks." She said aloud.
A sudden rustling to her side jolted her to attention. Not thinking, she quickly stood and ran, lowering her goggles back into place as she made her way through the brush. Every so often, she'd turn her gun backward and fire indiscriminately, hoping to get a lucky shot on Wind.
As she jogged through the woods, she suddenly looked down at her hands in a panic. 'Oh no!' she mentally screamed at herself. 'Not now! Please, not now!' Neda began running faster, hoping to get more space between herself and whatever was following her. In a near panic, Neda dodged a branch that was blocking her path but, to her absolute horror, as she whipped around to take more potshots at her pursuer, her gun instead slipped from her hands and went flying from her grasp, disappearing into the brush.
"NO!" She screamed, but as she was distracted, she didn't see an exposed tree root sticking out of the ground and tripped over it at near full speed, tumbling to the ground hard in a heap, landing on her stomach.
"Oooogh….." she groaned, clearly in pain from her landing. As she slowly flipped herself onto her back, she was greeted with the site of Wind standing over her, gun pointed directly at her chest.
However, Neda didn't even seem bothered by Wind's arrival, instead staring at the sky dejectedly. "I can't believe I lost my gun like that…." Neda trailed off, frustration clear in her tone. She then pounded the forest floor, suddenly lashing out in anger. "Dammit!" She then sighed and angled herself to look at Wind. "Go ahead and take me out," she told the hippy bitterly. "I deserve it."
However, after a few seconds of waiting for the three shots to come, she looked to see Wind's entire form shaking like a leaf. "Wind?" She asked.
"I can't do it….." She muttered, tears trailing down her goggle-clad face. "I can't shoot you, Neda. This goes against everything I've ever believed in and known. I could never enact violence upon another person!" She cried out. "I don't care if I get eliminated!" She said aloud. "I refuse to compromise myself!"
Neda, seeing the despair on Wind's face and hearing it in her voice, made a snap decision.
"I surrender!"
Wind snapped her head to Neda, who now sat up, arms in the air. "I surrender to you, Wind!"
"And it's over!" Chef shouted out. "Neda goes down, and the Apathetic Albatrosses win their first challenge! Both of you, come to the main campgrounds where we'll do a debriefing!"
Wind sighed, relief clear on her face, and tossed her gun into the bush. She then held a hand out for Neda, offering her help up. "Thank you, Neda. You are a very thoughtful person."
Neda, refusing the hand, stood and sighed. "No problem, Wind. I wasn't gonna make you do it, and you had me anyway."
Cocking an eyebrow at her snubbed hand, Wind asked, "Are you okay, Neda?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," Neda said, the tone of her voice obviously indicating that she wasn't. Wind, however, chose to not push the distraught girl further, instead waiting for her so they could walk out of the forest together. However, Neda shrugged her off. "It's okay Wind. You go ahead. I'll follow you…I just need to think for a minute."
Wind nodded and smiled at the smaller girl. "As you wish, Neda. You did very well today." With that, Wind turned and began to make her way out of the forest, toward the camp.
Neda took a few deep breaths, wiped her hands on her camo clothing, and, after sighing again, began to make her way after Wind, out of the forest.
"I'm so disappointed in myself."
"There's Wind!" Marcellas gushed, as the Albatrosses surrounded her in celebration. Multiple exclamations of congratulations and excitement came from everyone's mouths as Wind was swamped.
Shortly after Wind came Neda, who stood in front of her team looking defeated. "Sorry guys," She mumbled. "I blew it out there."
"It's okay, Neda," David said, a reassuring smile on his face. "We weren't gonna win every challenge, and you did your best, so that's all that matters."
'Did my best,' Neda thought bitterly. 'Maybe if I didn't send my gun flying into the woods like an idiot I'd have done my best.'
"Yes, Neda," Misha spoke next. "You did all you could. That is what matters."
"TEN-HUT!" Chef interrupted. "The challenge is over, and Wind is the sole survivor from her team! That means that the Apathetic Albatrosses win! Albatrosses, you're safe for this week!" The team cheered as Chef then faced the Crocodiles.
"Crocodiles, you lost! Tonight, you're voting one of your group out with Chris at the campfire ceremony!" Chef stood straight, procured a whistle, and blew into it, causing a loud ringing sound to ring around the campground. "I officially declare these War Games over!" He shouted, then looked over the campers. "You'd make a fine batch of recruits. Dismissed!"
"Man, we lost. This sucks," Weenus said dejectedly as he flopped down on his bed.
"Yeah, it really stinks," Apollo agreed. "I don't really want to say goodbye to anyone here. They're all cool."
"But it has to be done," David said, leaning on Weenus' bed. "And I don't wanna lose any of us so far, so unfortunately it's gotta be one of the girls." He sighed. "Who should we target?"
"I dunno," Apollo said. "I think Brooke. She seems the most athletic. She could be dangerous in physical competitions."
"I was thinking the same thing," David said. "That's a girl you don't wanna mess with. I like playing hockey myself, but I'm certainly no star athlete like that girl."
"Yeah, dude," Weenus agreed. "She can literally dunk on us. I think she's gotta go."
Apollo had turned to Godfrey, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, eyebrows scrunched in a look of concentration. "Godfrey, you're being uncharacteristically quiet right now. What's up?"
Godfrey was tapping his index finger on the wooden frame of his bunk bed. "I'm just running ideas through my head. Brooke is a good idea, but…" He trailed off.
"But what, dude?" Weenus asked. "We're a team, so your input is just as important to us as anyone else's."
Godfrey took a second to respond. "Well, I'm just thinking that if we go all four of us at once, it automatically shows our hand. It shows we're a block, you know? So, what if we split our votes?" He asked the gathered alliance.
"Split the votes?" Apollo asked. "What do you mean?"
"We don't vote for the same person," Godfrey said. "Say, me and David vote for Ji, Weenus for Brooke, and Apollo for Neda. We spread the votes to cover our tracks."
The other guys sat around, thinking over Godfrey's idea. Finally, after a little bit of thinking, David responded. "Why the heck would we do that?" He asked, confusedly. "The girls are scattered and disorganized, we'd be able to get the numbers advantage, bro!"
Godfrey shrugged. "I'm just throwing ideas out there, man. We don't have to do it, of course; I'm just thinking of alternate angles to take."
"Yeah, I have to agree with David," Weenus said, nodding. "I appreciate having you around to have out-of-the-box ideas, but I think we just keep it simple this time."
"Hey, it's up to you guys," Godfrey said, a grin on his face that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm just the idea man around here."
"So, we go for Brooke?" Apollo asked.
"Sounds good to me," David agreed.
"I'm down!" Weenus said. "There's no chance I'd beat her in anything physical," he added with a laugh.
"Whatever you guys agree on, I'm all for too." Godfrey also agreed.
Apollo grinned and did The Agency's hand sign. "Awesome. We're all in agreement then. Just another step towards The Agency being the final four."
The other guys also grinned and did the hand sign.
"Agency for life, bro!" Weenus happily said.
"This game is gonna be on lockdown once Brooke is gone," David grinned. "We're gonna run the table."
"No one can beat us," Godfrey said, a satisfied grin on his face.
"Well, we lost," Brooke said, talking to the other three girls. "No changing that now. So what should we do?"
"I'm not sure," Ji replied. "All the guys are tempting targets. I feel like we really can't go wrong."
"Yeah," Neda agreed, laying on her bed. "I'm not sure either."
"I am," Misha stated confidently. "I got everything out of Godfrey."
The other girls stared at her surprised. "You did?" Neda asked surprisedly, sitting up.
"Yes," she told the others proudly. "He gave me everything I wanted."
"Well, what did he tell you?" Ji asked curiously.
"The guys are in an alliance." She confirmed. "He also named Apollo as the leader."
"That tracks," Ji replied. "Apollo mentioned feeling quite comfortable in terms of the elimination, but before I could press him, we were ambushed."
Brooke clapped her hands. "Well, that should do it," Brooke said. "We know who we're voting for."
"Wait," Ji replied. "How do we know Godfrey is telling the truth? What if he's lying?"
"Who cares?" Brooke shot right back. "Why would it matter if Godfrey is lying?"
"Plus," Neda added, "Why would he lie about there being an alliance? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of an alliance?"
Ji capitulated. "I guess that makes sense."
"So we're all in agreement," Brooke stated again. "We all vote for Apollo, no matter what. Even if the guys aren't unified like we are, we still vote for him." The girls all nodded. However, one didn't look convinced.
Static
Confessional: Misha
She sits in the outhouse, a look of consternation on her face. "I think Ji was onto something," She declared. "The more I think about what she said, the less what Godfrey told me makes sense. Why would he tell me everything? Wouldn't he want to keep his alliance secret?" She held both hands up to her temples. "Argh, this game is so confusing at times!"
The Albatrosses all sat together in the Boy's Cabin, celebrating the win. Wind had a large grin on her face as she told the others about how the challenge ended. "So then Neda surrendered. It was quite nice of her; I truly did not want to have to shoot her with paintballs."
"Well, you still won the challenge for us, so that's all that really matters, I say," Vivi said, lounging on her bed.
"Yeah, at the end of the day, we won the challenge," Sammy remarked. "Wind, you did a very good job." He said, making the hippy smile.
John, sat on the floor, spoke. "Well, I guess I was wrong after all, Wind," he admitted. "You were able to win us the game and not have to shoot anyone. Good to see the stars aligned properly," he said with a chuckle.
Marcellas and Alessia laughed. "I know!" Alessia gushed. "Who'd have thought that Wind would somehow make it to the very end!" She asked goodnaturedly.
"You really should have seen her out there," John remarked. "She was totally at home. She could tell where people were and had been just by seeing some disrupted brush. She was able to find Ji with just a glimpse of her hair showing. I was pretty shocked. She wasn't kidding when she said she was more at home in the woods."
Wind smiled again. "I was raised in the forest in a commune. I know the forest and its secrets better than most. It's all about knowing what to look for and treating it with respect. If you respect Mother Earth, she will respect you," she told the gathered Albatrosses.
The only person seemingly not joining in on the festivities was Liana. Rather, she was eying her gathered teammates suspiciously. 'One of these people here voted against me,' she thought to herself, distressed. 'Someone here really would have rather had Daniel here over me. I can't believe it! And no one's saying anything, either. Figures.'
Her eyes landed on Vivi. 'Vivi told me that she didn't vote for me. And as crazy as it may be, I think I believe her. She doesn't seem the type to lie about that kind of thing for no reason.' Her eyes kept scanning, landing on the rest of the gathered campers. 'That means it could be anyone else. Someone here's out to get me. I need to be very careful moving forward. And I gotta find out the rogue vote!'
Static
Confessional: Liana
Liana sat in the outhouse, arms crossed, features dark. "This rogue vote situation is driving me insane," She muttered. "Someone broke with the pack and now isn't talking. And I'm the one targeted!" She rambled. "Well, mark my words, whoever did this, took a shot at me. And I don't like it, or accept it when people think that they can just take shots at me whenever they want. Whoever cast that vote is going next. That, I can assure you."
"Welcome to your first campfire ceremony, Crocodiles!" Chris gleefully announced as the gathered teens sat around the large fire. "You guys should know the drill. If you get one of these….." Chris held up a tray, with seven marshmallows on it, "it means you're safe from being eliminated. If you don't, then it's a one-way ticket to the dock of shame and onto the boat of losers!" He grabbed the first marshmallow off his plate. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"
"The first marshmallow goes to…
.
.
…..Neda!" The small teen sighed in relief and ate her treat.
"Our second marshmallow goes to…
.
.
.
….David!"
"Yes!" The Newfie exclaimed as he popped the marshmallow into his mouth.
"Marshmallow three goes to…Weenus!" Chris exclaimed, tossing the marshmallow to the stuntman.
"Killer!" He exclaimed as he grabbed and ate his marshmallow as well.
Chris eyed the five remaining Crocs. "We have five Crocodiles left, and only four marshmallows." Chris picked up another marshmallow, holding it in front of the others. "Our next marshmallow goes to…
.
.
.
…Ji!" She caught the flying marshmallow and tossed it into the fire, not saying anything, but a content smile on her face.
"And the next one is for…Misha!" Chris declared, before tossing the marshmallow to the conspiracy theorist.
"Three Crocs. Two marshmallows. Who goes home?" Chris picked up the penultimate marshmallow. "Well, it won't be….
.
.
.
.
.
….Godfrey!" The charming teen caught the marshmallow, a satisfied smirk adorning his features.
"This is it, our final marshmallow. One of you will be going home, and leaving the game." Chris picked up the final marshmallow and held it lightly. "And, the person who will be going home is…..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
…..Apollo."
A stunned silence fell over the campfire, the only sounds being those of the nearby waves and the roaring fire itself as Brooke caught the final marshmallow.
Apollo had a look of utter surprise on his face. "I'm out?" He asked, clearly shocked.
"Yeah. Sorry, bud, but you're eliminated. 5-3 vote."
That seemed to shock the gathered Crocodiles even more.
'A 5-3 vote?' Brooke thought to herself. 'That means….one of the guys flipped.' She looked down at the marshmallow in her hands with a shocked realization. 'What on Earth is going on here?'
"Well," Apollo said, still trying to grasp what just happened, "It's been real, everyone. I'm glad I got to meet you all," He told them, a sad look on his face and tone in his voice. "Good luck in the rest of this thing."
Apollo waved as he made his way down to the dock. Meanwhile, Chris turned back to the campers and addressed them. "Well, I'm sure you all are feeling shocked right now, so I won't keep you any longer. Get on outta here!" He told them. The wordless Crocodiles stood and all returned to their cabins, as Chris faced the camera.
"WOW! He exclaimed. "Was that wild or WHAT? A major betrayal already!" He rubbed his hands together conspiratorially. "Is this season already delivering or WHAT?" He excitedly asked. "Well if you wanna see the fallout from this shocking elimination, plus see our next challenge, and the next elimination, you know just where to find it! Here, on…..
TOTAL!
DRAMA!
ISLAND: REWRITTEN!"
Confessional Votes:
Apollo: "I vote to eliminate Brooke. Nothing personal, but The Agency's gotta do what The Agency's gotta do."
Weenus: He waved at the camera."Later Brooke! You're too dangerous. You gotta go."
Misha: "While I do not trust Godfrey, I will not be breaking from the girls. I vote to eliminate Apollo."
Neda: "The girls made a pact, and I'm sticking with it." She pretended to pout. "Sorry, Apollo!"
Godfrey: "I tried to get them to allow it to happen naturally, but unfortunately the guys didn't go for it, so I gotta do it myself. Later, Apollo."
Brooke: "The girls are organized on this one. Apollo, you're outta here."
David: "The Agency's got a plan, and that plan is Brooke getting out of here!"
Ji: "I vote to eliminate Apollo."
DUN-DUN-DUN! Godfrey wasn't kidding when he talked about being willing and able to betray people, showing it here by being the deciding vote to send one of his own Agency teammates in Apollo out of the game! What exactly could he be planning here? Or, is he even planning anything? Could he be just doing things to do them? Hmmm...you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out, won't you?
Elsewhere, the Rogue Vote is mystifying the Albatrosses. Liana AND Marcellas are on the hunt, but who will find out first? And how will Sammy react when he finds out? Again, you'll just have to wait for chapter 3!
Poor Apollo! Backstabbed by an alliance mate and friend. That's gotta hurt.
Thanks again to everyone who did anything with the first chapter! See you again soon!