Happy Halloween! AZW330 here once again with a new chapter!

This chapter was a LOT of fun for me to write. My last few chapters have come to about 14k, but this one is over at about 18,220. WOW! I was really feeling it with this chapter, I kept thinking of more and more scenes and more and more details to write. And, I had to rewrite the entire challenge, because I'm a complete moron who can't do math.

I also have to make a HUGE thanks to the awesome Feline Overlord for the story picture! I mean, look at it! It rules! Thank you so much Feline!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope it comes across.

"What's up, everyone?" Chris McLean, the host of Total Drama Island: Rewritten greeted his viewers from the Dock of Shame. "Last episode, well, it was a real doozy!" He said with a laugh. "This island is filled to the brim with schemers, liars, strategists, and people who want to win this game! My kind of people!"

"Anyway," the host finished rambling, "Last time, we saw the Calm Crocodiles lose their second challenge in a row, due mainly to Godfrey's throwing of the rope and wall climb portion of our Obstacle Course challenge. But, it seemed like everything went to plan for him, as despite the team's girls agreeing to get him out of the game, it was our resident conspiracy theorist, Misha, who left instead, leaving shocked faces and worried glances throughout the team."

Chris began walking down the dock as he continued. "Meanwhile, things were just as chaotic on the Albatrosses, as the team has seemingly cracked right down the middle, with Liana, our resident card shark, locked in a major feud with Vivi and Sammy. Liana managed to sway the Cali Connection, Marcellas and Alessia, to her side, but how long will that tentative alliance last? And whose side will John and Wind fall on? Most importantly, who's gonna go home tonight?"

The host flashed a pearly white grin at the camera. "Well, you're gonna find out all of that and more right here on….

TOTAL!

DRAMA!

ISLAND: REWRITTEN!"

Flashback to before the previous elimination ceremony….

"Hey."

Brooke whirled in surprise at the sudden voice calling out to her. However, when she saw who the voice belonged to, her face fell in irritation. "What do YOU want?"

The voice's owner stepped out of the shadows, a confident grin slapped on their face. "I have a proposition for you…" they trailed off mysteriously.

Brooke crossed her arms and scowled. "I have no interest in anything that comes out of your mouth, Godfrey."

"Oh?" He asked, sounding more amused than anything else. "I thought you'd be more inclined to listen to the person who saved your life in this game."

Brooke thought back to the previous campfire ceremony. "Yeah…..you voted against the guys and kept me….." she said slowly.

"Exactly. You were the target of the other guys. But, I broke from them because I wanted to work with you. At great risk to myself, I may add."

"Work with me?" Brooke asked, exasperated. "Now you're really out of your mind."

"Work with you," he repeated, ignoring her jab. "I think you and I, together, could make it to the very end of this game."

Godfrey could see Brooke becoming less wary, so he pressed on. "I don't plan on winning competitions, Brooke. It's not in my best interest. The less competitions I win, the less threatening I appear. You, however…" he chuckled. "You're the most athletic person on this whole island! With my wit and your athleticism, I think we can make the final two, together."

"There's no way I can trust you," she started, but the charmer quickly interrupted.

"What lies have I told on this island, Brooke?"

After a second to think, she responded haughtily, "You said Apollo the leader of the guys' alliance Misha told you about. That was obviously untrue."

Godfrey wagged a finger at her. "No, no, no. I told Misha that I considered Apollo our leader. My opinion can't be a lie."

That upset Brooke. "That! That's why I can't trust you, Godfrey! Your damn mouth! Your little double meanings and half-truths! I'll never know if I can fully trust you!"

"As you shouldn't."

Brooke didn't expect that. "What?"

"You really shouldn't trust me. Apollo did. And look what happened to him! But, answer me this, Brooke. Do you trust me more, or Ji?"

Brooke opened her mouth but closed it after a few moments as Godfrey grinned in victory. "Exactly. Is Ji lying to you? Leading you astray? You don't know. You can't know. Myself, however….." he crowed, "You'll know exactly where you are with me. You know that you can't trust me. That is a fact. I am telling you that myself. Now, isn't it better to ally with the devil you know, rather than the devil you don't?"

Brooke looked conflicted; like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Godfrey directly staring her down, expectantly waiting for an answer, didn't do her any good, either.

After an agonizing few moments, Brooke sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, and I really do hate to admit it, you do have some good points."

"Of course I do," he cockily responded. "So then, are you going to work with me?"

"I still don't know…" Brooke admitted, feeling trapped in the conversation.

Now, Godfrey's look quickly hardened into a glare. "Do you think this is a special offer, Brooke?"

Brooke reeled at Godfrey's sudden tone change, but he didn't stop. "I can easily go to Ji, or Neda, and give them the same deal I'll give you, and you'll be off this island so fast your head will spin. It really doesn't matter to me."

"But you said you wanted to work with me!" She cried.

"That's why I wanted to ask you first. I truly do value you and your athleticism. But, what I need is a vote from the girls' side. And if you're dumb enough to turn me down, I guarantee someone else will be more than happy to take your place."

"...fine." Brooke spat. "I don't like it, but you're right. I'll work with you, Godfrey."

'I feel like I've just signed my soul over to the devil on a big silver platter,' Brooke fretted internally.

Godfrey smirked victoriously. "Wonderful, Brooke!" He clapped happily. "I would say that you won't regret it, but that'd be a lie, and I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar. Now, here is the plan."

"Woah, we already have a plan?" Brooke asked incredulously. "We just formed up!"

"Of course. Did you really think I wouldn't have a plan already?"

"Ugh! Fine. Just tell me." Brooke groused.

"Alright. Since you decided to join, we're going to be eliminating Misha tonight," he revealed.

"Woah, Misha?" Brooke asked in surprise. "Why her and not Ji?"

Godfrey crossed his arms in annoyance. "She somehow stumbled onto the guys' alliance much earlier than I'd have wanted. That made me have to readjust all my plans, so she's gotta go."

"Godfrey, I don't see the logic in that. I think Ji is a bigger threat," Brooke argued back.

"Brooke, it doesn't really matter what you want right now," Godfrey cavalierly responded, making Brooke flush with anger. "It's about the plan. And this is the plan. If you don't like it, I can just find Ji or Neda and get you out instead. It doesn't really matter to me. Either way, I'm getting an ally in, and a target out."

"Now you're targeting me? On top of threatening me? After you form an alliance with me?!" Brooke fumed. "You bastard!"

"Of course. You're one of the biggest threats on this entire island, besides myself, of course," Godfrey just snarked back. "But those are your options. Join me, and get rid of Misha. Or don't, and leave tonight. Up to you."

Brooke took a few moments to breathe, focus herself, and calm down. "Fine." She said through grit teeth. "We'll do your damn plan."

"Great!" Godfrey cheered. "You may be angry now, but once you realize that you're joining with the rest of the guys against little Neda and Ji, you're gonna see what a strong alliance we will be. Especially heading into the merge!"

"Whatever." Brooke annoyedly huffed. "Just keep your side of the deal."

"Now, I can promise you that, at least!" He laughed as he turned and departed, leaving Brooke annoyed and alone with a new alliance and an uncertain future.

Just before the vote, Godfrey made his way back into the male side of the Crocodiles' Cabin with a new spring in his step. Weenus and David, who were chatting about something, turned to see the exuberant Godfrey.

"Hey man," David casually greeted.

"Yo!" Weenus also greeted, with a grin on his face.

"Hey boys," Godfrey replied to the pair of them, "I've got some good news."

"Oh?" David asked, intrigued by the excited grin on Godfrey's face. "Wanna fill us in?"

Godfrey chuckled. "After the ceremony, my friends. All will become clear. But, for now, we're voting Misha off."

"Misha?" Weenus responded in surprise. "That's who we're voting for?" Godfrey just nodded in confirmation. "Well, if you say so, man."

"Why does it matter who we vote for?" David asked back. "The girls are up on us by a vote, one of us is gone either way."

"Oh, don't be so down, David," Godfrey told the chef in response. "This is a game; all you need to know is how to play it. Fortunately, I'm very good at that. Again, once the elimination ceremony, I'll explain all. But for now, silence is key."

"Attention, Crocodiles!" Chris' voice came from the speakers. "It's time for the elimination ceremony. Make your way down to the campfire pit!"

"Remember guys; Misha goes," Godfrey told them one last time as he made his way out the door ahead of them, leaving the pair by themselves as they also departed the cabin.

As Weenus and David made their way out as well, David looked at the Jackass wannabe and asked, "Do you trust Godfrey on this?"

"'Course," Weenus replied. "Godfrey seems to have his hand in a lot of things going on right now." Weenus then looked a little apprehensive. "Honestly, David? I think it's gonna be best if I just hang behind him. There's a lot of players on this island, man. I feel a bit out of my depth on this one."

"I get it, dude," David replied. "Godfrey's going to Oxford. I think that Liana is at Stanford or something. And Ji builds and designs robots! They're all super smart. I'm just a culinary student in Newfoundland. I feel out of my depth too," the normally rambunctious Newfie admitted. "I'm just doing what I can to maneuver in this thing, and just bein' myself. Hopefully, it gets me far."

Weenus patted David on the shoulder. "If not in the game, it'll get you far in life, my man. I'm glad you're my friend."

David gave Weenus a large grin. "You too man. I can't wait for you to come up to Canada and meet my mom. She'll probably smack you and call you a dummy!" He laughed.

"And your butt better come see me in Arizona!" Weenus also laughed.

"For sure, man," David grinned as they approached the campfire pit.

The vibe of the team was entirely different after the campfire ceremony. Misha's elimination was shocking, but it was most shocking to the girls of the Calm Crocodiles. The walk back to their cabin was an extremely uncomfortable one, the tension so thick around the now-trio of girls that it felt like it hung in the air and clung to their skin.

The girls made their way back into their cabin and sat down on their beds, and almost immediately, Ji tore into them. "One of you two is a damn traitor!" She ranted, shifting ire between Neda and Brooke. "We had the numbers, and one of you was stupid enough to vote with the guys!"

Ji focused her anger on Neda in particular. "I bet it was you, Neda," she spat. "You seem like you would betray us!"

"It's me, Ji." Brooke solemnly said, interrupting Ji's ferocious attack on Neda. "I eliminated Misha. Don't be mad at Neda. She had no idea."

Both girls focused in shock on Brooke. While Neda was stunned into silence, Ji, on the other hand, still had plenty to say. "You moron!" Ji yelled. "What on earth is wrong with you?! You completely screwed the both of us!"

"I didn't realize you cared about Misha so much, Ji," Brooke humorlessly joked. That, however, just incensed the other girl even more.

"You think I cared at all about Misha!?" She ranted, right into Brooke's face. "I cared about our numbers advantage, which the guys were dumb enough to give us when they got rid of Apollo! We were going to cut them all one by one, and make it to the merge without a single, solitary problem! But you ruined it all for us! You complete IDIOT!"

"Oh, shut the hell up, Ji!" Brooke screamed right back, having finally had enough of the smaller girl's ranting. "This is an individual game! Individual! Only one of us can win! Do you get that?! Godfrey approached me earlier and, in no uncertain terms, told me it was me or her. And I chose me! So no, I'm not a moron, Ji, I'm just playing this game, like you, I wanna win, just like you, and if what I do messes up your game, I just don't care anymore, but you're NOT gonna scream at me like this!"

The two girls glared at each other with unadulterated hatred in their eyes, as a very fragile silence settled in the cabin.

"Umm…" Neda nervously spoke, breaking the silence. "Can I at least ask why you did what you did?"

Brooke flopped down on her bed. "Godfrey asked me to join an alliance." She bitterly laughed. "Asked. More like threatened. He said if I didn't join, he'd just get another girl and this same thing would have happened to me. And apologies to Misha, but I chose myself."

"So you're allied with the guys?" Ji asked, anger still simmering in her tone.

"Yup." Brooke nodded. "Me, Godfrey, David, Colby."

A pit suddenly formed in Neda's stomach. "What happens if we lose a third challenge?" She asked, fear in her voice.

"One of you two is going." Was the reply she both dreaded and received from the basketball star.

"Damn you, Brooke," Ji angrily grumbled as she stood and walked out the door, slamming it shut ferociously.

"I'm really sorry, Neda," Brooke mumbled after a few seconds. "I could give a rat's ass about that bitch Ji, but I actually like you. I wouldn't want you to go."

Neda struggled to contain her emotions. "No…." she squeaked. "It's okay, Brooke, really. It's a game like you said." She gave the basketball player a wet-eyed grin. "I would have been mad if you threw your game away like that."

Brooke stood and sat on Neda's bed, next to her. "I can try to get the guys to target Ji before you, but…" she trailed off.

Neda sighed in defeat. "And we can't try to splinter?"

Brooke shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I'm friends with David," Neda weakly told Brooke, "Does that mean anything?"

Again, Brooke shook her head. "Even if we split with David, they can just pick up Ji and have it be even. I am sorry, Neda. I'll do my best to protect you because I do want you to get far. Or, farther than Ji at least. If the guys bring you up, I'll do my best to defend you."

"Thanks, Brooke," Neda said in defeat. "I guess we'll just have to start winning challenges."

"Heh, guess so."

Static

Confessional: Neda

The reality superfan sat in the outhouse, a look of worry clear on her features. "Oh no," she groaned. "This is SERIOUSLY bad news for me and my game. Like, really bad! I went from a good position where I was protected on both sides of the team, to now I could very well be the next one out." A rueful grin flashed across her face. "It's always fun seeing this kind of move on TV, but having it happen in person is much less so." Neda then looked determined. "But this isn't the end! Not by a freaking long shot! My favorite Big Brother, Total Drama, and Survivor players have never given up, and I'm not going to give up either! I haven't made it all the way here to finish twelfth! I'm gonna do whatever I need to do to stay in this game."

The mood was entirely different at the men's portion of the cabin. Weenus was filled with excitement, Godfrey had an exceptionally self-assured grin on his face, and even David couldn't help but be excited by the events of the elimination.

"DUDE!" Weenus yelled, practically vibrating in excitement. "We pulled it off! We really stayed!"

"I know!" David enthusiastically replied. "The boys are still all here!" David then turned to Godfrey. "You had to pull some sick Jedi mind tricks or something, Godfrey!" He laughed. "How on Earth did you pull this one off?"

The charmer chuckled to himself. "It was simple. I got Brooke to turn on the other girls. She's in an alliance with us three now." He looked at the two guys. "I think that with all four of our skill sets, we will be the final four together."

"Dang, you turned Brooke on the girls?" Weenus asked, impressed. "How the heck did that happen?"

"Again, it was simple," Godfrey continued. "I knew I'd be able to turn one of the girls by offering them an alliance. With Apollo gone, if we swung one to our side, their 4-3 advantage would become a 4-2 deficit if another girl left." Godfrey shrugged as if it was simple. "I went with Brooke because of her athleticism, but it did take some sweetened words and blatant threats to agree. If she didn't agree, I'd have gone after Neda or Ji, and just eliminated Brooke instead."

"Wow," David remarked at Godfrey's explanation. "You were able to come up with all that?"

Godfrey smiled at David. "Of course, man. This is just a game, after all. Might as well have fun with it. See what ideas can work if we launch them at the wall, you know? Make it a bit more fun to watch."

"And you being a smart dude that's going to a college in England has nothing to do with it?" Weenus asked, a grin on his face.

"Ha!" Godfrey laughed aloud."Maybe a little bit."

"But," David asked, "Are we letting Brooke really get to the end? She seems pretty dangerous to have there."

"I said that I would try to get her to the end. I didn't say anything about you two, however." He smirked at the culinary student.

"Man!" Weenus laughed. "That's ice cold, bro!"

Godfrey laughed along with the stuntman. "Gonna do whatever needs to be done, Weenus." He flashed a dazzling smile. "And if I get to be flashy while doing it, all the better."

As Godfrey stood, pockets filled with granola bars, he gave Liana a flashy smile. "Well, it's truly been a pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to the next time we get to talk." As he made his way towards the door, it suddenly opened, and Wind stepped into the cafeteria.

"Oh, hi Godfrey," Wind said to the charmer, giving him a small wave of her hand. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I was hoping to talk to Liana for a moment."

"Of course not, Wind," the teen replied, giving the girl a grin. "I was actually just on my way out. She's all yours."

She gave him a smile. "Wonderful. Thank you," she serenely replied as she approached the other girl.

"No problem, Wind, see you around," he responded as he left the cabin, leaving the two Albatross girls alone as Wind sat at Liana's table.

"Wind, this is a surprise," Liana told the girl. "What's up?"

The hippy looked a little nervous like she wasn't sure what to say. "Well…."

Wind went quiet for a few moments, but Liana just sat and waited, eyeing her down, waiting for the hippie to speak. After a few moments, Wind found the words she was looking for.

"Well, Liana, I try to not drive conflict in this game, but I've become a part of something that I am not sure that I wish to be." The gambler cocked an eyebrow in curiosity while Wind continued. "Vivi and Sammy conscripted John and me into an alliance that is going to try to eliminate you should we lose our next challenge."

Liana furrowed her brows. "Well, I'm not surprised. I've been preparing myself in case that happens. But why are you telling me?" She then asked. "You could have ridden that alliance farther into the game."

Wind looked guilty. "Because I'd rather be on your side than theirs if I'm being truthful," she admitted. "Being simply drafted into a vote against you against my will did not feel fair. Plus, you have been nothing but kind to me." Wind then sighed sadly. "I truly feel that I am in over my head in this game. I have to remind myself that it is, in fact, a game, and not just making friends on an island. People are plotting, and scheming, and I'm not. As much as I do want that million dollars, to actually play this game, and to deceive and lie to people, I just don't have it in me, I think."

Liana stood and patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, Wind. I get it." She pointed towards her face. "It's stressful for me too. My face is already breaking out. Not knowing who you can trust, and who has your interests at heart is constantly worrying for me." Liana gave the hippy a heartfelt smile. "But this conversation with you really makes me feel like I can really trust you. You're really the kind of person I want with me as we get farther in this thing."

Wind gave a small grin. "Thanks. I truly enjoy your company, Liana. I'd like to go far with you too if we can. But, if I end up leaving sooner than later, I don't think it'd be the worst thing."

Liana vigorously shook her head. "No way, Wind!" She exclaimed. "Don't think like that. You can do it. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Liana." She gave the taller girl a sincere smile. "You are truly a wonderful person. Please do not forget that."

Liana smiled at her back, before a look of guilt flashed across her face, before her smile came back.

Static

Confessional: Liana

Liana looks incredibly guilty as she looks at the camera. "I'm a terrible person," the gambler muttered darkly. "As Wind bares her soul and tells me about her fears in this game and how she feels she can't do it, all that goes through my mind is that, firstly, Wind is right, and she's not really made for something like this, and secondly, her kindness is honestly threatening, since people will think they can trust her, and thus, take her farther." She then wipes a tear away. "I wanna win this game, but Wind is the first person that I don't wanna hurt to do it, but in a game like this, it's just impossible." She then sighs, closes her eyes, and rests her head against the side of the confessional. "This sucks."

Her eyes shoot open as she groans in disgust, and removes a wad of chewed gum from her hair.

Static

The forests of Wawanakwa provided different things for different people. Some liked being able to explore and be one with nature. The forests' winding and multiple paths provided a great method of exercise for others. And for some, it provided an outlet to completely get away from the stresses and pressures of the game and enjoy one's solitude.

One of the island's inhabitants who enjoyed the solitude of the forests was John Lane. The resident artist of the Albatrosses currently sat alone on the old stage from the past season's talent show. In his hand was a sketchpad and pencil, and he absentmindedly doodled in it as he lazily sat on the edge of the stage, his legs dangling off the side.

He was deep in concentration as he sketched a person's face on the pad. So deep, in fact, he didn't even hear approaching voices.

"Yo, John!" Weenus called as he and David emerged from the woods. Startled, John dropped his pencil onto the stage. "Oops!" Weenus exclaimed. "Sorry, dude!"

John lazily waved them off as he picked his sketchpad back up. "All good, guys. I didn't even hear you coming."

David gestured to the sketchpad that the raven-haired artist held. "You drawing something?"

He nodded. "Yup," was all he said, not bothering to give any more details.

John's silence didn't stop the pair as they approached the stage, curious looks on their faces.

"What're you drawing, dude?" Weenus asked curiously. Seeing that the pair was interested in conversation, John held his sketchpad aloft and showed what he was working on. It was a drawing of two identical girls, who both had long black hair that had been shaded in. The drawing was able to convey the happiness the girls were feeling, and the glint of mischief in their eyes as their still images grinned and waved.

"Yo, that's awesome man!" Weenus exclaimed, moving closer to the stage and eyeing the drawing.

"Yeah, John," David said in agreement, "that's awesome. You're really talented!"

John gave a small grin as he kept working on the drawings. "Thanks, you two. That's nice of you to say."

"Are those girls real?" David asked. "They're kinda cute."

John snorted a laugh at David's comment. "Those are my older sisters, Spring and Summer. Identical twins."

David's eyes widened in shock as Weenus laughed at him too. "Oh crap, John!" He hastily apologized. "I'm sorry man!"

John chuckled again. "It's fine. I'm sure they'd be flattered, David."

Looking to change the subject, and fast, David asked, "Are they artists too?"

"Yeah, they're photographers," John replied as he went back to drawing his older sisters.

"Would your sisters have done anything we'd have seen?" David curiously asked.

"Tons," the artist replied. "They're freelance mostly, but they get hired by big companies pretty often. They've done some stuff for National Geographic. And a year and a half ago I went to Gabon with them for 5 months to study Chimpanzees." John smiled at that. "That was for a multimodal documentary about a Chimpanzee troop. I think last I heard, that was finishing up post-production."

Weenus then asked, "Are your whole family artists?"

John gave an affirmative nod. "Oh, that's so cool!" Weenus replied. "What do they all do?"

"Well, I'm the youngest, and I paint mostly, but I like all kinds of art, so I dabble in sculpture and stuff on occasion too. Really, I like all kinds of art. Spring and Summer are, like I said, photographers. My older brother Arthur is a tattoo artist," at that he flashed his forearm, which was covered in flag tattoos, "He does all my flag tattoos whenever we meet up again. And Penny, my oldest sister, primarily does sculptures and general 3D art. Last time I heard from Penny, she found a huge pile of scrap tin in Guatemala and was building picture frames." John laughed then. "Or, was, before that volcano erupted and destroyed it all."

"Your family is the coolest, dude," Weenus exclaimed. "Could your brother tattoo me sometime?" He asked. "You should design something for me, too! I'd love to get something of yours on me, John!" Weenus exclaimed.

John chuckled. "I can whip up some designs for you, no problem. Just depends on what you want. And I'm sure Arthur would want to tattoo you, once he gets back to the continent."

"Killer!" Weenus shouted. "We can totally set that up after the season!"

David, meanwhile, asked, "You mentioned your brothers and sisters, but what about your parents?"

"Dad's a musician. He plays pretty much everything. He loves music. He's done a lot of roadie duty for a bunch of famous bands and acts. And mom," John grinned at the thought of his mother. "Mom is maybe the wildest out of all of us. She's, well, not an artist, but more of an eco-warrior."

At the confused looks on the other guys' faces, John continued, "She goes and does stuff for environmental causes. Not all of it is legal, of course. She sabotaged deforestation equipment in the Amazon, helped the Kenyan government stop poachers, and she was working on one of those anti-whaling sabotage ships over in the Antarctic last I remember."

"Wow, John," David remarked, "that's so cool."

"Yeah, John, you live the coolest life." Weenus nodded in agreement. "You actually got to live in Africa for five months with your sisters studying chimps in the jungle! That's the coolest!"

"Guess so," John shrugged. "That's how it's always been for me though, I'm just used to it. That's how my whole family is, really. We're wanderers and artists."

David then realized something about John's statement. "If you're all wanderers, do you get to see them very often?"

At that, John shook his head. "Not really. We have the old house in Montreal, but that's just where we stay when we're back from assignment, and we rarely cross paths there."

The raven-haired teen furrowed his brow in thought. "I haven't seen my sisters since we got back from Gabon, we spent a month at the house to decompress, and then they left for China, so I guess it's been about a year since I've seen those two."

John then rubbed his chin and thought, trying to remember all the corners of the planet his family had wandered to. "As for the others, Penny's been kicking around Central America for about 9 months, Dad's been in Australia the last four studying Aboriginal music, Arthur's been in New Zealand studying Maori tattooing for about three, and Mom's been on that boat in the Southern Ocean for the last two years fighting whalers. And I think Spring and Summer worked down to the islands of Indonesia, in that general area. As for me, I had just gotten back from Vietnam on a two-month tour when I saw I got on the show, so I made my way back to Montreal to get ready. But the last one I saw was Arthur, we hung out at the house for a few days and he gave me some new tattoos before I left for Asia."

The Crocodile guys were shocked at John's casual recaps of his family's wanderings. "So you haven't seen any of your family in three months, or longer?" David asked, shocked. The artist just nodded in confirmation. "Doesn't that get lonely, John?"

"Nah," he replied. "I'm used to it." He shrugged then. "You can't miss something you never had."

"But still," David trailed off, then continued, "If I didn't see my mom for months at a time like you, I'd go crazy!"

"I guess you and your mom are close, David?" John asked. "I've talked a fair bit about my family, so why don't you guys talk about yours."

"Well, duh!" David responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, me and my mom are super tight." David looked a little apprehensive but continued. "It's just been me and her since, well, I was born. My mom got pregnant when she was 16, and in a family of Irish Catholics, that wasn't exactly smiled upon, so they kicked her out. My dad's family totally ghosted her too. So, she moved in with her friend's family and had me. She had to drop out of school and get a job."

David stopped for a moment, but after seemingly thinking it over, he decided to continue. "We were super poor growing up. Sometimes, we didn't even get to eat. But mom," David fondly smiled, "She always seemed to have a way to make a lot out of a little. And she always made sure I was happy, too. That's why I wanna be a cook, you know? Seeing her do that was just so inspiring!" He then gave a big grin. "If I win the season, I'm giving her half the money. She deserves it, even more than I would, honestly. She's my best friend."

Weenus and John looked at David, subdued looks on their faces. "Well," John finally said, "I didn't mean to pry that outta you, David."

David just waved it off. "You're all good, John!" He remarked. "To be honest, it's not something I talk about a lot, so it kinda felt good too. Especially with you, John. You get having a weird family situation too."

John snorted a laugh. "A weird family situation feels like it's putting it lightly, David."

David laughed too, then turned to Weenus. "What about you man?" He asked the stuntman.

Weenus just shrugged. "I dunno, David. I haven't talked to my parents in a while."

"Really?" David asked, which made Weenus nod in response. "Shoot, I'm sorry, bro," David replied, but Weenus just shook it off.

"You're good, man!" He cheerily replied. "They didn't like my stunts and stuff. They told me to stop and threatened to kick me out, but I wasn't happy before I started doin' them, you know? I wasn't a good student, I was barely getting by, and there was a chance I wouldn't even graduate High School. So I kept doing them, and they kicked me out and totally cut off contact. Does it suck? Of course, they're my parents. I miss them. But my stunts?" Weenus laughed. "They make me happy. Sure, getting hurt and laughed at may not be conventional, or proper, but they make other people happy, and they make me happy. We have one life to live, why waste it doing stuff you hate?"

Weenus looked at John. "Like if you didn't get to do your art," then at David, "or if you didn't get to cook." Weenus shrugged. "We all deserve to be happy in life, and sometimes it means a tough call. But it's one I haven't regretted. I make bank, have a sick apartment, and get to do what I truly love, and it's given me opportunities that working in an office never would have, like becoming an actual licensed MMA fighter, or getting on this island and meeting some of my new best friends."

The other two guys stared at Weenus, absorbing his surprisingly poignant speech. After a few moments, John nodded. "You're totally right, Weenus. Happiness is important, and I'm happy traveling and making my art."

"Yeah!" David enthusiastically agreed.

Weenus laughed. "Sometimes, I even manage to somehow have a coherent thought."

The three guys' laughter echoed throughout the woods.

Static

Confessional: John

John chewed a piece of gum as he stared at the camera. After a few moments, he removed it from his mouth and stuck it on the side of the booth. "If you said I'd have ever had a deep, reflective conversation with Weenus of all people, I'd have asked if you dropped on your head as a baby. But, life is strange like that sometimes." John smirked. "For someone who often is the first to talk about how he's not that smart, he can be smart in his own ways. I'm glad I got to know him and David a bit more. Just goes to show you never know what someone else has gone through."

Static

Later in the day, the sun had begun to set over Wawanakwa, giving the island's sky a purple hue. Enjoying the last bits of sunlight before the end of the day was Brooke, who was on the island's basketball court, practicing drills and shooting. After the stress of the day, Brooke appreciated being able to remove herself from the game and do what she loved.

As she did so, someone approached and called out. "Brooke."

Hearing her name, Brooke turned to face the person and frowned. "Here to yell at me more, Ji?" She asked bitterly.

Her enemy and alliance mate approached casually. "No, I want to talk about the status of the teams now after your treachery."

Brooke's eyes narrowed at the girl. "Treachery?"

Ji crossed her arms indignantly. "What other word would you use to describe turning your back on me and Neda to join the guys' side and blindside Misha out of the game?"

The bluntness of Ji's statement, rather than making her angry, just depressed her. "We may be on teams, but it's an individual game, Ji." She shortly said. "Don't pretend that you wouldn't have done the same."

"Oh, of course, I would." Ji casually remarked. "I was very angry right after it happened, but if I was in your same position, I would have done the exact same. I'm not a hypocrite."

"Well, then, why are you even here?" Brooke sighed.

"Like I said, I want to discuss our team going forward and how the team is looking in light of the elimination," Ji replied.

Brooke sighed and put the basketball she was using on the sand, made her way towards the bleachers, and sat down, Ji quickly following and joining her. "What do you want to know?" Brooke asked the robot builder.

"When did this alliance with the guys form?" Ji asked immediately, an expectant look on her face.

"It was after we were discussing how the vote would go," Brooke answered. "When I left the cabin, Godfrey was out there, waiting for me. He strongarmed me into joining his alliance with himself, David, and Weenus. He basically said that if I didn't join, he'd have recruited another girl, and I'd have been the one to leave instead." She then shot Ji a dirty look. "And I knew that even if Neda didn't do it, you'd have no problem with joining."

"You're right about that, Brooke," Ji agreed. "Like I said, I'm not a hypocrite. Anyway," she continued, "Do you know what will happen if we lose our next challenge?"

Brooke shook her head. "I don't. We haven't talked about that yet."

"I assume that you will do your best to keep me around." She replied, not as a question. "Even in light of this new shift, I remind you that we are still an alliance."

Brooke grit her teeth. "Yes, Ji, I'm not an idiot."

Ji nodded. "Good." She then lightly chuckled. "You're lucky, Brooke. You've somehow found yourself in alliances with nearly everyone, and you're the best athlete on the island. Your position is quite enviable. I'm a bit jealous."

Brooke glowered at that. "Being strong-armed and threatened into an alliance is enviable?!"

"Of course!" Ji shot back. "An alliance is an alliance, whether or not you were forced into it. You moan and whine about it like it's the end of the world. You're not Misha, Brooke. You're still here. If you really didn't want this to have happened, you would have fallen on your sword and let yourself be taken out." Ji crossed her arms. "But you didn't, because you can act like you didn't want to do it all you wish, but you knew it was your best chance to win, so you joined the guys. Your woe-is-me nonsense may work on the others, but it doesn't on me, Brooke." Ji leveled a glare square into Brooke's green eyes. "Tell me when I'm telling lies."

Brooke's face turned hot with anger. "You think that I seriously wanted to turn my back on you guys and be threatened like that?!" She raged. "You think that I wanted that?!"

"Yes, I do," Ji said dispassionately. "I think that when Godfrey approached you, and," Ji made finger quotes, "threatened you into joining, I think you were excited because you saw that as an opportunity to get far. And now you're desperately trying to save face with me and Neda because we are the ones at risk now. And again, it may work on Neda, but it doesn't on me."

Brooke clenched her hands in sheer anger. "Ji," she growled dangerously, "You have no idea what you're talking about. And if you ever try to assume that you know me like that again, I'll-"

Before she could continue, Brooke was cut off. "What? Hit me? Hurt me?" Ji chuckled condescendingly. "Threats are not very becoming of you, Brooke," Ji mocked before she stood from the bleachers. "But, I see that I've struck a nerve with you. I'll take my leave, we can continue this discussion another time, once you calm yourself." With that, she walked away, leaving a seethingly angry Brooke alone on the bleachers.

Static

Confessional: Ji

Ji gave a small smirk to the camera as she sat in the outhouse. "Some may think that enraging my only alliance mate is a bad move, but those people are wrong. I see now that Brooke is unreliable. Just because I would have done the same as her, doesn't mean I have to accept it. And I do not. So now, my plan is shifting. Rather than have my enemy take me to the end, I'm going to show her new alliance that she is anger-prone and unreliable. Hopefully, then, I will be able to slide right into the spot she once filled with the guys, and after that, it will be only a matter of time before I win this game."

Static

"Attention campers!" Chris called the next day, the sun high in the cloudless sky over Wawanakwa. "It's challenge time, so make your way down to the beach, and we'll get this show on the road!"

Inside the Albatross Cabin, Vivi and Sammy looked at each other. Vivi grinned and said, "Well, ready to rumble, Sammy?"

The luchador nodded in affirmation. "Of course."

As the rocker stood up, she continued, "Are we still solid, big guy?"

Again, Sammy nodded in agreement. "Yes, Vivi," He stated. "Remember, I'm the one Liana is rallying against. I should be asking you the same question," he retorted.

Vivi laughed. "Fair, I guess."

As they made their way out of the cabin, they spotted the girl they were just talking about. Vivi waved at her, and Liana gave a small wave back, making her way over to the pair.

"'Sup?" Vivi asked as Liana fell into step with the pair of them.

"Oh, you know," Liana casually replied. "Just doing what I can to get by."

"I get that," Sammy remarked in response. "This game is a lot more than I'd have anticipated. Sometimes, all the lying and deceit gets to you."

"Tell me about it," Liana agreed. "I never know if a single thing I'm told is the truth or not. I'm gonna have some trust issues after this," she added with a sour chuckle.

"Then I guess you know that we're coming after you," Vivi declared.

Liana grit her teeth in irritation but held her tongue from responding too harshly. "I'd figured it out, Vivi. Sammy was pretty forthcoming about it, and it doesn't take rocket science to put together you're joining him."

"Yeah," the rocker casually asserted, not bothering to even look at the gambler. "You're spot on. It ain't personal, but it's best for me."

'Not personal, yeah right', Liana bitterly thought to herself as they continued towards the beach. 'You took it pretty personally when I confronted you on the first day.' Trying to keep her facade of not being bothered up, Liana retorted, "Then I guess you two should know I'm coming for you too. I'm not just laying down and giving up."

Sammy nodded in satisfaction while Vivi barked a laugh. "Good!" Vivi exclaimed. "It'd be boring if you were a big quitter and curling into a ball and giving up. I'll give you that, Liana, you may cry and moan about it, but you're not laying down and taking it like a little bitch. You're a fighter. Just like me."

"I agree with Vivi wholeheartedly, Liana," Sammy concurred with the rocker. "I may have a problem with how you do certain things in this game, but I have nothing but respect for your fighting spirit. You're willing to fight and scratch to stay here."

Despite the thinly veiled jabs towards her by the pair, Liana still gave a small grin. "Well, thanks, I guess. I respect you guys, too. At the end of the day, it's just a game after all." 'And I can't wait to get your butts out of here.'

Static

Confessional: Sammy

The luchador sits in the confessional, arms crossed. "I was completely sincere with everything I said to Liana," he explained. "I am coming after her. I don't have a lot of respect for the way she's conducted herself thus far with the team, or how she's played the game. But I have a lot of respect for her effort to stay alive in this game, especially with how bad her current situation is." He nods approvingly. "I would never be able to overlook it, or forgive it if she just gave up."

Static

Meanwhile, Brooke stomped her way out of the girls' cabin, and with herself being the only occupant, slammed it shut.

'Damn you, Ji,' Brooke internally seethed at the robot fighter. 'The audacity to say those things…!'

"Are you okay, Brooke?"

Brooke turned her head to see Neda eyeing her curiously as she approached. "I'm fine," She responded shortly.

"Are you sure?" The smaller girl asked, catching up. "You haven't seemed to be in a great mood since last night, and you still don't seem super happy today." Neda gave her a bright grin. "You wanna talk real quick?"

Staring at Neda, and the grin on her face, seemed to disarm Brooke's anger for a moment, as she sighed annoyedly. "Ji is being a pain in my ass again, Neda."

Neda frowned at that. "I wish you two could get along-" She began.

"I'd get along with her just fine if she wasn't a bitch!" Brooke snapped.

Neda raised her hands in a placating way. "But," the superfan continued, "Ji doesn't need to constantly needle you the way she does." Neda pursed her lips for a moment before continuing, "I think that the events of the last vote and elimination have her a bit riled up too." Trying to disarm any reaction Brooke may have, Neda continued, "I know that I was a little upset by it too, but I don't blame you."

"Thanks," Brooke said despondently. "Ji kept pushing me on it, and calling me a liar…." she trailed off.

"That's not right," Neda remarked.

"Exactly," Brooke agreed, "But she just needles me and constantly throws shots at me. I just can't stand her!" Brooke exclaimed angrily.

"Well," Neda slowly said, "I'll help you get her out. I know you're in a big alliance, but I'd still be happy to help!" she chirped.

"Thanks, Neda," Brooke replied, patting her on the shoulder. "I'd appreciate all the help I could muster." Brooke gave an earnest grin. "You've been a good friend to me, Neda. I really appreciate it."

Neda beamed. "No problem! You're a great person, Brooke. I'm happy I got to meet you on this show. Anyhow, if you want my help getting Ji out, why don't we form an alliance?" The Iranian teen asked.

Brooke cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked curiously. "Why an alliance?"

"We'd be able to back each other up!" Neda explained with a grin. "David told me to not trust Godfrey, and you don't really trust Godfrey either from what you said after the elimination, I just think it'd be a good idea to maybe have each other's back. Since David told me about Godfrey, maybe we can try to get him into this too?" She asked. "That way, if Godfrey tries any funny business, he wouldn't have the votes."

Brooke scratched her head in thought, before nodding. "I like that!" She gushed. "I like that idea a lot!"

"Thanks! We can maybe talk to David after the challenge," Neda responded. "We can try to make this official. We can watch each other's backs!"

"Works for me," Brooke nodded. "I'll really stick up for you when I meet with the alliance, too. I'll let them know that you're trustworthy and that you should really stay over Ji."

"Great!" Neda cheered. "I have a good feeling about this alliance, Brooke."

"Me too," Brooke smiled. "We just gotta get David on board, and then it'll be good to go! And speaking of going, let's get going to the challenge."

Neda's eyes widened. "Oh snap! We probably should!" She exclaimed as she and Brooke quickly made their way towards the beach for the challenge.

Static

Confessional: Neda

Neda sits in the outhouse with a satisfied smile on her face. "This is fantastic!" She happily exclaimed. "I have the foundations of an alliance with Brooke and David, two people I think will totally be able to cover me. We still need to get it solidified, but I think we'll be able to get David, honestly. He wouldn't have told me not to trust Godfrey if he wasn't unsure of him too." She then looks unsure. "Or, at least I hope so! Unfortunately, that's the way these kinds of games go." She gives the camera a huge grin. "That's why I love them so much! But anyway, I feel a lot more confident in my positioning on the team now than I did last night, so I'm happy!"

Static

The campers had all gathered on the beach, ready for their next challenge. Stood before them was Chris, a grin on his face. "Welcome to your third challenge, everyone!" He cheerfully called. "Today's should be a fun one. Today's challenge is gonna be a test of your hand-eye coordination because we're doing some archery!" Chris pulled out two bows, one green and one blue, and set them on two stools. "Today's challenge is simple, everyone." He motioned to the beach to the side of them, which had two rows of five different targets in a row, each target a few feet behind and a little bit to the left and right, forming a long V of targets.

"Each of these targets is three feet away from each other, as well as different colors. The closest target, the red one, is worth 10 points. The second one, which is green, is worth 20. The yellow third is worth 30. The purple fourth is worth 40, and finally, the black one at the very end is worth 50 points! The team with the highest total of points will win the challenge, and be safe from elimination." Chris gestured to the stools with the bows on them. "Each person gets two," holding up two fingers, "chances to hit a goal. The blue bow is the albatrosses', and you guys have the leftwards targets, and the crocs have the right and green bow!" Chris then looked at the gathered campers. "Any questions?"

"Hey, wait a second!" Brooke shouted. "The Albatrosses have an extra person than us! How's that fair?"

"Simple!" The host declared. "One of you is gonna sit out in this competition. Albatrosses, take a second to choose who's not gonna compete."

The Albatrosses huddled together for a few moments before Marcellas turned and faced the host. "I'm gonna sit out."

"Alright! Marcellas, go stand over there," Chris indicated, pointing to an empty patch of beach. He then procured two small wooden bowls with small strips of paper in them. "To keep the order totally random, we'll draw names from these bowls. Since you're each going twice, you have two strips with your name in there, so you can technically go twice in a row. We'll alternate between the teams. But, since the Albatrosses have been on such a winning streak, why not let them go second, make it a bit fairer for the Crocs?" Chris then reached into their bowl and procured his first name. "And starting this challenge off is….Weenus!"

"Heck yes!" Weenus shouted as he made his way to the stool. "Let's get it!" Weenus lined up his shot, and released the bowstring…and the arrow harmlessly flopped to the ground a foot from the first target.

"Oh, so close!" Chris sarcastically remarked. "And, now, shooting for the Albatrosses is Wind!"

Wordlessly, Wind quickly made her way to the archery stand, and deftly grabbed the bow. Taking a very well-trained-looking stance, Wind quickly aimed, and fired her arrow, which sailed through the air and perfectly hit the purple target. "Wow!" Chris exclaimed. "Wind starts off with a big 40 points!"

As Wind made her way back to her stunned teammates, Alessia asked, "How the heck did you do that?"

Wind gave her a small grin. "One of my good friends, Athena, is proficient with the bow and has taught me a thing or two."

"Huh," John slowly said.

Static

Confessional: Wind

The hippy sits in the outhouse, tying a small dandelion into her hair. After getting the flower to her liking, she looks at the camera and smiles. "Archery is not something that comes easy. It's got to be practiced and treated with respect."

Static

"What an impressive shot!" Chris remarked. "Now, the Albatrosses lead 40 to zero." Reaching into the bowl, Chris procured the next shooter for the Crocs. "Up next for the Crocs is David!"

David quickly made his way towards the stool and grabbed the bow. 'Alright, nothing fancy,' he thought to himself. 'Just get points on the board.' David released his string with a thwing and the arrow soared through the air, embedding into the red target.

"David gets the first points of his team, but there's still a lot of competition to go. And for the Albatrosses, we have…" Chris removed a slip of paper and announced, "...John!"

"Hopefully you have a brother or something that was really good at archery," Alessia remarked as he shuffled towards the stool.

He snorted a laugh and replied, "No such luck," as he grabbed the bow. Quickly lining up a shot, John fired, the arrow just barely hitting the outside edge of the closest target. "Another 10 points for the Albatrosses," Chris announced as he reached into the Croc bowl. "And Weenus is up again next for the Crocs!"

Though the team didn't vocalize it, irritation flashed across the team's faces as the Stuntman made his way to the stand with a lot less enthusiasm than last time. "Man, this archery stuff is harder than it looks," Weenus groaned as he grabbed the bow a second time and lined his shot up.

Taking care to aim properly, Weenus pulled back the bow's string and released it, only for his arrow to fall harmlessly into the sand a second time.

"Dammit Weenus," Ji groaned under her breath as the stuntman made his way back with his team.

"Alright Weenus," Chris said to the stuntman, "Since you've taken both of your shots, go stand away from the main gathering so you're not mixed up."

"Alright," Weenus replied deflatedly as he left the archery area.

"It's okay, dude," David consoled as Chris reached for the next Albatross. "That thing is harder than it looks."

"Thanks, David," Weenus gratefully responded as he made his way past his team and stood in an occupied part of the beach. "Next up for the Albatrosses is Alessia!"

"You were good at the slingshot last challenge," Marcellas cheered. "You got this!"

That comment filled the streamer girl with inspiration as she grabbed the bow. Taking aim, she exhaled and lined her shot up, hitting the second target. "Alessia snags another 20 for her team!" Chris remarked. "It's 70 to 10 right now, but there's still time for the Crocs to catch up!"

"And next is…..Godfrey!" With a smirk on his face, Godfrey grabbed the bow and, rather than everyone else, aimed his bow slightly upwards, so it'd arc up and then down. Releasing, Godfrey was happy to see the arrow fly upwards rather than straight ahead, but his smirk was replaced with shock when it landed right into the backmost target. The Crocs exclaimed in celebration as the charmer put the bow back down and shrugged.

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

Godfrey gives a hearty chuckle as he looks at the camera in the confessional. "Well, I didn't plan on that," he remarked, "I was trying to take the quickest and most likely chance to miss my target and throw it." He cockily grinned at the camera. "But, good to see archery is also something that I seem to have a natural talent for."

Static

"And Godfrey's shot makes this now a 70 to 60 competition, and there's still plenty to go!" Chris told the campers. "And, shooting next for the Albatrosses is…..once again, Alessia!"

The gamer girl laughed as she made her way to the stool, and grabbed the bow off it.

Deciding to gamble a little and feeling confident, she moved her bow to the left, trying to hit a bigger number. Lining up her shot, she released the string, and the arrow went flying, embedding itself into the yellow target.

"Another 30 points for the Albatrosses!" Chris announced as Alessia giggled in happiness at her aim. "Good job, Alessia," Chris told her, now facing the girl. "Go stand over next to Weenus."

"Good shots, Alessia!" Weenus exclaimed as she made her way to the stuntman. Eyes narrowing predatorily for just a moment, Alessia smiled and stood next to him.

"Awww, thanks so much, sweetie!" Alessia responded, giving him a tight side hug. Weenus couldn't help but blush at the pretty girl giving him a hug, and the fact that her breasts were pressed against his shoulder certainly added to the blush. Releasing the hug, Alessia kept a hand on Weenus' shoulder. "You know, we've never really hung out or anything. We should totally do that soon!"

Weenus' grin was almost comically sized. "Yeah, I'd love that! That'd be great!" He replied, seemingly a little too fast.

Alessia grinned happily."Great! Let's do that soon," She replied, before turning to face the archery, her happy grin turning to one of victory.

Static

Confessional: Alessia

"Ah, wonderful!" Alessia remarks to the camera. "I had to ingratiate myself a little first, but now, I can start really playing this game. Weenus is the easiest first target I can think of. Once I can get him, I'll be able to get David and Godfrey. Weenus is only slightly better than completely useless, but those two….." She grows a conspiratorial smile. "And with Marcellas on my side, I'll be able to get those guys to target all the other girls, before turning them all on each other. I'll be running the game in no time.

Static

"And now for the Crocs, our next shooter is….Neda!" The teen in question bounded towards the stool which held her team's bow, before taking a nervous glance at it. Taking a second to steel herself, she picked it up and aimed at the closest target. With a deep breath, she shot the arrow, but to her disappointment, the arrow ended up sailing just past the target, falling into the sand.

"Dangit," she moaned disappointedly as she made her way back towards the team. David gave her a pat on the shoulder and a grin.

"Don't worry, it's tough!" He told her, which made her grin back in response.

"Thanks!" She chirped.

"Sammy! You're up!" Chris exclaimed, bringing the Luchadore up to the stand. Quickly, Sammy took aim and fired, hitting the red goal. "Another 10 for the Albatrosses!" Chris exclaimed as Sammy made his way back to the order.

"Our next Crocodile is…Ji!" Chris declared, holding her paper aloft.

Wordlessly, the girl approached the stool and grabbed the bow. Nocking an arrow, she shifted to the right, aiming for a farther-out target. After taking a few moments to get the shot to her liking, Ji released the arrow. She watched with a satisfied smile as the arrow flew through the air and embedded itself into the purple target, earning her team forty points, to their collective cheers. Even Brooke gave the girl begrudging applause as she made her way back towards her team. "That's how it's done," she gloatingly said as she rejoined them, making Brooke roll her eyes.

"What a great shot by Ji," Chris congratulated. "It's now a 10-score game! And Liana, you're next up for the Albatrosses!"

The girl in question, at hearing her name, confidently strode up to the podium and grabbed the bow. Narrowing her eyes and exhaling deeply, Liana took up a solid stance and fired, releasing the arrow, which soared through the air and landed straight into the green target.

"We can add another 30 points to the Albatrosses' score," Chris said as he reached his hand back into the emptier and emptier bowls. "For the Crocs, up next is Godfrey!"

"Get another 50, dude!" David hollered as Godfrey made his way up and grabbed the bow. For a moment, the charmer looked conflicted, but that quickly faded as he, once again, shifted his bow to the right and aimed it upwards, before shifting it slightly more to the right. Releasing the string, Godfrey watched the arrow arc upwards into the air, before happily watching it fall to the beach and into the sand, completely missing the goal.

"Oh, so close," Chris laughed as Godfrey set the bow back down. "I guess you weren't lucky that time! Go ahead and make your way towards Weenus and Alessia."

"Guess not, man," Godfrey shrugged as he made his way towards the other two, a satisfied smile adorning his lips.

Reaching and grabbing another piece of paper, Chris pulled it from the Albatross bowl and revealed the name. "Liana!"

Once again, the girl confidently made her way toward the bow, picked it up, and took aim. After a moment, she fired, and the arrow struck into the 30-point marker once more.

"And now, let's see if Brooke can close the gap with her first shot!" Chris interrupted as he gestured to the ball player.

"Try to get something above 10, Brooke," Ji told her as she made a motion to move. "We need the points."

Brooke didn't respond to the girl but also knew that she was right. So when she grabbed the bow, she aimed it slightly to the right and launched an arrow, just barely hitting the 20-point target.

"Yes," she celebrated under her breath as she made her way back to the team.

"And now, for the Albatrosses, our shooter will be…Wind!" Hearing her name, the hippy slowly made her way towards the stool and grabbed the bow. The Crocs grimaced as they saw her take her professional stance and fire her arrow after just a moment of aiming, and their grimaces turned to audible groans for a few as it firmly implanted itself into the farthest target, getting her team another 50 points.

"Wind absolutely kills it, getting another 50 points for her team!" Chris exclaimed as the girl in question happily made her way back towards her team. "Now, it's 190 to 120! The Albatrosses are starting to pull away with this one!"

"You're so amazing girl!" Marcellas exclaimed as he gave her a big hug.

"For real," Liana agreed, admiration clear in her voice, "You're really great, Wind."

"Thank you very much, you two," Wind gratefully replied.

"Seriously, what can't you do?" John asked, a playful grin on his face. "I'm half-expecting you to lift a bus over your head or grow a pair of wings and start flying next time."

Wind laughed lightly at that. "I assure you, I can't fly or lift a bus," she chuckled before departing the team and joining the others who'd shot twice.

"Okay, Crocs, your next shooter is Ji!"

Once again, Ji quickly moved from the team towards the stool with the bow. As she did, Brooke quickly tapped David on his shoulder. He turned towards her and asked, "What's up, Brooke?"

"After the challenge, I need to talk to you with Neda," she quickly explained. "It's really important."

"It's about Godfrey," Neda whispered. David's eyes widened at that, before nodding in understanding. "Got it."

As they finished their brief conversation, they saw Ji land an arrow into the 40-point target once again. "Ji once again gets the 40-point target!" Chris excitedly exclaimed as Ji wordlessly turned and joined the quickly growing group of finished archers. "It's now 160-220 with only a few archers to go, and the next Albatross archer is….." reaching into the quickly emptying bowl, Chris portrayed a new name. "You're up, Sammy!"

"What the hell!" Vivi complained as Sammy made his way towards the stool. "I wanna shoot too, you know!"

"Don't worry, Vivi, I'm sure you're next," John told her, his concern laced with sarcasm.

"I damn well better be," she grumbled.

"How are you really feeling, Vivi?" He asked, snarkiness apparent in his voice.

"Shut up, Lane," Vivi barked angrily as John chuckled.

"At least now you've got a 2 to 1 shot of being next." He sarcastically remarked, before adding, "But knowing your luck, I'm gonna be next." Vivi just glowered at the artist while Sammy picked the bow up and fired, hitting the 10-point marker and joined the others.

"We're really getting down to the wire with this one!" Chris excitedly said aloud. "This really could go anyone's way, but right now, the advantage belongs to the Albatrosses! And now, up our third to last Croc to fire is…Brooke!"

Steeling herself, Brooke confidently walked to the stool and grabbed the bow. Taking a second to think about where she wanted to aim, she opted for the slightly safer option, firing the arrow and hitting the 20-point mark.

"Alright, John, you're up!" Chris said aloud.

Vivi just kicked sand in annoyance as the artist huffed a laugh on his approach to the stool. Arriving, he quickly grabbed and lifted the bow and fired an arrow off, watching it hit the 20-point target, but turned to Chris when the arrow fell out after a few moments. "Sorry, dude," Chris responded to the artists' look, "It's gotta stay in the target for the points to count."

"Dammit," the artist mumbled as he made his way towards the others.

"Alright, we're nearly done!" Chris told everyone. "To recap, it's a 180-230 game, with just a few shots left." Chris reached for the bowl, but on second thought, just slapped them to the ground. "Since this is so fun, I think I'll just choose our last few archers myself!" Eyeing Neda and David, he pointed towards the Newfie teen. "David! You're up."

"Good luck David!" Neda cheered him on as he made his way towards the bow and grabbed it. Quickly taking aim and praying to anything that would listen, David watched as the arrow soared through the air and firmly planted itself into the 50-point marker.

"Yes!" David cheered loudly as the other Crocs celebrated as well. "Let's freaking GO!"

"We have a tie game with three shots left! And Vivi, since you've been so patiently waiting, I think you've waited long enough. You get both your shots in a row!" He told the rocker.

Neda's eyes shot wide open at that. "What happens if she gets a higher score than 50?" She asked.

"Then I guess you lose, don't you?" Chris irritatedly replied. "Now Vivi, take your shots."

"Freakin' finally,'' Vivi mumbled as she grabbed the bow. Taking aim, she fired at the 20-point marker and smirked as it hit with a thuck.

"Vivi, you have one shot left! You could potentially win the game for your team if you hit the 40!" Chris told her as she took aim once again.

"Shut up, Chris!" She snapped. "I know!" Adjusting her aim towards the 40-point target, she let the arrow fly but cursed as it hit the edge of the target and twirled into the sand.

"Son of a bitch," Vivi groused as she walked away, towards the others, leaving Neda alone in front of everyone.

"Oh, so close!" Chris gloated. "Neda, you're the last one left, and your team is down 20 points. You need to hit the 30, or else you lose. No pressure!" He added in, a smirk on his face.

'How the hell do I find myself in these positions!?' Neda internally screamed. 'First the paintball, then the obstacle course, and now this! Why am I always the one that loses the challenge for the team?'

"YOU GOT THIS, NEDA!" David cheered loudly for her from the sidelines.

"IT'S ALL YOU, GIRL!" Brooke also cheered. "THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM!"

"C'MON, NEDA!" Weenus joined in. "I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

The cheers of support rallied the superfan, calming her fraying nerves as she stared down the yellow target.

'They're right.' She thought as she picked up the bow and aimed.

'I do have this. I've fought so hard to get to right where I am, right here, right now. She closed her eyes and inhaled a breath.

'Being here is all I've wanted. I'm here to win this game. To win the money. To prove that someone like me CAN win this game.'

She exhaled deeply.

'That's just what those last two were, the last two. This is a new challenge. I will not lose my team a third challenge in a row. I refuse.'

Neda opened her eyes, her gaze turning hard as iron. With a slight movement of her fingers, she released the string of the bow. Time seemed to slow down as she watched the arrow leave the string and soar through the air. Past the first target.

Past the second target.

Past the third target.

THUCK

"Neda's hit the purple target, getting forty points! CROCS WIN!"

Before Neda even knew what was going on, she was swarmed. The huge smile on her face threatened to split it in half as David, Weenus, and Brooke mobbed her with hugs and congratulations.

"You freaking drilled it!" Weenus shouted in elation. "You rule Neda!"

"You finally got one over on those damn Albatrosses!" Brooke laughed. "I knew you had it in you, girl!"

"Yeah, you're amazing Neda!" David cheered.

Eyes growing wet at the Neda looked through the fervor to see Ji and Godfrey approaching. At her look, Ji just nodded in approval, her face not betraying her feelings and Godfrey gave her a big, approving smile.

"For real, Neda," Godfrey told her. "That was clutch as all hell. Great job. No nonsense."

"Congrats to you, Neda!" Chris exclaimed, clapping his hands, interrupting the team's celebration for the girl. "For the first time in two ceremonies, you guys are safe! I bet it feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

He then turned towards the Albatrosses. "Tough loss, Albatrosses. But a tough loss is still a loss! That means you're all going to the elimination ceremony tonight! Be prepared, for one of you leaves the game tonight!" Chris told them, laughing evilly as he turned and walked away, leaving them all to depart back to their cabins.

Immediately following the competition, Sammy and Vivi found themselves in their cabin, discussing the outcome.

"Well, not ideal, was it?" The rocker chick sarcastically asked as she leaned in the cabin's open doorway.

"Not ideally," Sammy replied evenly as he lay down on his bed.

"Figures that Neda'd finally get one over on us," Vivi groaned. "Third time's the charm and all that crap."

"She had a lucky shot," Sammy agreed.

"Well, we have a lucky shot tonight, don't we?" Vivi asked conspiratorially, entering the cabin and closing the door behind her. "To take out Liana, I mean."

"That's still my plan," Sammy affirmed. "I'm the one most at risk with her still on the island."

"Don't be so dramatic," Vivi snarked. "I'm sticking my neck out on this too, you know. You think that girl's gonna be all pleased about me gunning for her too?"

"You didn't vote for her the first time," Sammy shot back. "She's been gunning for me ever since that vote, whether she knew it or not."

"Ha!" Vivi laughed. "Yeah, that's fair." She shot the wrestler a cocky grin. "Are you regretting that vote, by chance?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"No," Sammy shortly responded. "I don't."

"Really?" Vivi asked, sounding unbelieving.

"Of course," Sammy replied. "I wanted to play this game with no regrets. So I play it my way, like how I live my life. No regrets. And if doing it my way costs me the game, then I can at least leave this island knowing that I was honest, had integrity, and did it my way."

Vivi was silent for a few moments, taking in Sammy's words. Finally, after a few moments of thought, Vivi spoke, a wistful tone in her voice. "I get that. I live how I want to." Vivi looked at Sammy, a sad grin on her face. "People don't know the cost of not conforming, and living your life the way you want it, don't they?"

Sammy shook his head. "No, most people don't." Seeing Vivi's look, he then added, "I have a feeling you do, though."

"A thing or two," she humorlessly chuckled. "Being a musician hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. To follow your passion, you have to give up a lot. Maybe even too much."

"Much the same for wrestling," Sammy sighed. "Long drives, long flights, the pain, getting paid little money….." he trailed off. "But, when I step through that curtain and see that crowd, it makes all the nonsense worth it."

"Too right, man!" Vivi eagerly agreed. Before they could continue their discussion, a knock came at their door. Curious, Vivi turned around and opened the door, and was surprised at the pair in front of her.

"Marcellas? Alessia?" She asked. "What do you want?"

Inviting themselves into the room, the pair sat down on an empty bed. "We just wanted to negotiate with you!" Alessia giggled.

Vivi crossed her arms. "Oh?" She asked, clearly not impressed with the pair. "And what could either of you have that we could ever want?"

"Our votes, of course!" Marcellas replied laughingly.

Vivi rolled her eyes. "Please, we already have the votes. You two have nothing."

"Do you?" Marcellas asked.

"Yes, we do," Sammy replied to the fashion-minded teen. "We have four."

"That's not what I heard," Alessia responded to him in a sing-songy tone. "From what I heard, you have some traitors in your midst who're allied with Liana."

Sammy and Vivi looked back and forth at each other. "Tell us," Vivi demanded, arms folded.

"No." Marcellas countered. "We'll tell you if you make a deal with us."

"What kind of deal?" Sammy asked, not waiting for Vivi's answer.

"We tell you everything we know, you get our votes tonight, and in return, you two form a final four with us," Alessia revealed. "That's it! We just want a final four."

Sammy and Vivi looked at each other for a moment, before Sammy nodded at her. Vivi just shrugged, and Sammy turned back to the pair. "How do we know you two are trustworthy?" He asked.

"We'll give you something for free, as a gesture of good faith," Alessia told them back. "Liana formed her own final three with us a few days ago," the streamer revealed.

Again, Sammy and Vivi exchanged looks. Then, it was Sammy who faced them. "Alright, I can do that." She turned to the rocker. "Vivi?"

"Whatever," she snarked.

Alessia and Marcellas laughed and hugged. "Here's to the new final four!" They cried.

"Now, spill," Vivi ordered.

"Fine, fine!" Alessia retorted. "It's true, she did form a final three with us. But she's just shifting around deck chairs on the Titanic. That girl is scrambling for anything she can get. She gave away just about everything she had a few days ago to join me and Marcellas' alliance," she revealed.

"But," Marcellas added, "We just don't trust the girl. So while we told her that we'd let her in, we were looking at the first possible chance to bail on her and trade up our alliance."

"Do you know who this fourth vote is?" Sammy asked.

The two shook their heads. "No, Liana is being all hush-hush about it," Marcellas griped. "She just says that it's all under control and that you're in for a nasty surprise."

"This is stupid!" Vivi angrily remarked, surprising everyone in the room. "You two are damn liars!" She accused.

"And what," Alessia cockily remarked. "Are you two gonna just risk it and be surprised tonight?" Alessia then turned to Vivi. "After what Liana's said about you, you really think we'd lie about this?"

Vivi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What has she been saying about me?" She asked venomously.

"Well, I'm not comfortable saying…." Alessia innocently murmured.

Vivi went to storm out of the room, but Marcellas caught her.

"Wait, Vivi!" Marcellas cried. "Won't it be better revenge to blindside her butt outta the game tonight?" He asked her, trying to soothe her sudden anger.

Vivi closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to dissipate her anger, and she reopened them after a few moments. "Yeah, you're right." She acquiesced. "No sweeter revenge than kicking her butt out of here."

"See?" Alessia announced. "We're all on the same side here. We want that girl gone!"

"Oh, that bitch is out of here tonight," Vivi aggressively agreed. "She's gone."

"We're united," Sammy nodded in agreement as well. "She has no chance."

'I love it when a plan comes together!' Marcellas gleefully thought.

Static

Confessional: Alessia and Marcellas

The pair sat together in the outhouse, very happy looks across their faces. "Well, our master plan really came together!" Alessia happily told her friend.

"Oh, don't be so humble, boo," Marcellas laughed. "That plan was all you! I was just a very willing participant in the chaos."

"If you say so!" Alessia giggled. Turning to the camera, she elaborated, "The plan was simple! We didn't wanna work with Liana, that's true. But, everything else was a big load of lies."

Marcellas looked shocked. "The fourth vote for her side?!"

"Lie!" Alessia laughed.

"Liana saying they're in for a nasty surprise?!" Marcellas asked again.

"Lie!" the streamer repeated.

"Oh, god," Marcellas said theatrically. "Don't tell me, those terrible, awful things Liana said about Vivi?!"

Alessia covered her mouth in shock. "Oops! I guess I misheard. Those were big lies too!"

The pair laughed heartily after Alessia's last comment. "Oohhhh, Alessia, you are so bad!" Marcellas gasped.

Alessia good-naturedly shoved Marcellas. "You're JUST as bad for going along!"

Marcellas held out his pinky. "We're bad little bitches together."

Alessia looped her pinky with his. "That we are, Marcellas, that we are. But, anything to get the Cali Connection to the final two."

Static

In the Crocodile Cabins, Weenus, Neda, Brooke, and David all sat on various beds, celebrating their comeback challenge win.

"I knew you'd finally get one over on those damn albatrosses, Neda," Brooke proudly told the girl sitting next to her.

"Yeah!" Weenus exclaimed. "It's so awesome how you just drilled that final arrow!"

"Man, thanks everyone," The girl of the moment said, then added, "I still feel so overwhelmed still." Neda laughed. "It just feels so dang good to not be the reason we lost for once."

Neda sighed at that. "I still feel bad about that. I'm the one who lost those two challenges. If I was a little bit better, Apollo and Misha would still be here." Neda sighed again at the memory of a shocked Misha confronting the girls, the hurt and betrayal clear in her voice and face.

"Don't think like that Neda," David consoled her, giving her a pat on the back. "You did everything you could."

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "It's just a game, after all. It sucks, but that's just how it goes. And better them than us," she added at the end.

"I know, but…" Neda trailed off.

"Listen, Misha is definitely more mad at me than you," Brooke told her. "And it's not your fault that Apollo is gone either. You may have been the one who lost the challenge, but you're not the reason that they left."

Sensing where the conversation was heading, David made a decision. "Yo, Weenus!" He suddenly declared. "Here's a dare. I bet you can't stand upside down in the confessional booth!"

Weenus shot up from his spot. "You're so on!" He yelled as he bolted out of the room.

Static

Confessional: Weenus

Weenus is upside down, the camera only catching his stomach, abdomen, and part of his legs.

"See! I knew I could do it!" He proudly exclaimed, before shifting his weight. He shifted it a little too much, however, and he slipped off the seat, his head and shoulders falling off and onto the floor of the outhouse. Weenus wriggled himself for a few moments to extricate himself, but it became apparent it wasn't gonna happen.

"Uh, someone!?" Weenus shouted as his legs flailed wildly in view of the camera. "I'm stuck in this thing!"

Static

"Why'd you send Weenus away?" Neda curiously asked the chef.

"Because," Brooke answered for him, "I think it's high time we discussed Godfrey, and Weenus is too on his side to be here for this conversation." David nodded in agreement at her words.

"Neda, it's HIS fault that you're on the outs of the team now. His fault that Apollo and Misha are gone. Not yours." Brooke grit her teeth in frustration. "And I'll be damned if we keep that bitch Ji over you. You deserve to be here."

"So are we forming a new alliance?" David asked.

"I think so," Neda answered, before asking David, "Why did you tell me to be careful about Godfrey?"

"He's just playing this game really hard," David answered. "He's behind these blindsides and stuff. And one of the first things he does is betray Apollo. I'm just worried that I'd be next on the hit list in the alliance. I really want to make sure I'm protected, and I like you two a lot, and think you'd be great allies for that."

Neda nodded. "That does make sense. I'd be worried too." She turned to Brooke next. "So you two are gonna try to protect me?"

She vehemently nodded. "Absolutely. I'm gonna try to get an alliance meeting going later today, and vehemently defend you if he says you're next. Ji is going far under that bus."

"Man, what's up with you and Ji?" David asked. "You really don't like her."

Brooke's nostrils flared in anger. "I hate her!" She shouted. "She's a witch! I want her off the island as soon as humanly possible. All she does is insult me, I'm so sick of it."

"Yeah, David," Neda nodded. "You haven't seen a lot of it, but they argue a lot. Ji insulted her like, 5 minutes after we got on the island. They've been at each other's throats since."

David looked shocked. "Wow, that's really messed up."

"It damn sure is," Brooke growled. She then settled a look on David. "And you're gonna help me with Godfrey, right?"

"For sure," David agreed wholeheartedly. "I want you two to stay in the game. I'd wanna get far with you two."

"Good," Brooke nodded approvingly. "I'm gonna need the help later, and if we put up a united front on Neda, I think we can get Godfrey to focus on Ji. I have some ammo in my back pocket," she added.

"But what if Godfrey still tries to betray you two and get me out anyway?" Neda asked.

"It wouldn't happen. He'd need Weenus and Ji, and one of us," Brooke shortly replied. "It'd be a dead even vote."

"So you guys promise you're not gonna turn your backs on me?" Neda continued.

"Promise!" David enthusiastically agreed. "You're great, Neda, I'd never betray you."

"And I'm still pissed at Godfrey for strong-arming me. We have strength in numbers, but I'm not on his side. I'm on your guys' side. I want this thing here to get us to the final three."

"Oh, I'd just love that," Neda agreed. "You two are some of my best friends here, so I'd love it so much if we could all make it to the very end like that!"

Brooke put her arm out. "So, we're making this final three official? Here and now?"

Neda looked at David first, but he didn't notice her apprehensive look, putting his hand on top of Brooke's. "Heck yes!" He exclaimed.

Happy that her hand wouldn't be in the middle, Neda daintily moved hers over David's, her hand hovering just above. "I'm so down!"

"Good!" Brooke declared, then looked at David. "We need to be a united front against Godfrey later. Can I trust you?"

David nodded. "Of course! I'm committed to this alliance."

Brooke stood and stretched. "Great. Then we'll do what we gotta do later." She then looked over at Neda and smiled. "Don't worry, Neda. You'll be safe. I promise."

The superfan sighed in relief. "Thanks, you two. This really does make me feel safer. I'll admit, I was pretty scared after that campfire ceremony. But I trust you guys to keep me safe."

David stood next. "Yeah, don't worry 'bout a thing, Neda," he told her. "Me and Brooke will have it under control."

"Good," Neda said as she lay down on her bed. "What are you guys gonna do?"

Brooke shrugged. "I'm gonna head back down to the court, get my practice in." She looked over at David. "You in?"

He looked sheepish. "Nah, I'm gonna head to the kitchen. I'm gonna make some lunch."

"Cool," Brooke replied, "What're you making?"

"I think some baked potatoes and chicken."

"Cool, would you make me some?" The athlete asked.

"Sure!" David replied happily, then turned to the superfan. "Neda?"

At that, she yawned. "Nah, thanks though. I'm pretty beat, I wanna try to catch a nap if that's fine."

"'Course," Brooke said, "Don't let us keep you awake." She looked over at David. "C'mon, let's scram." With that, Brooke headed out of the cabin.

"Peace, Neda!" David cheerfully told her. "See you around!"

Neda yawned and curled up on her bed. "Later, David," she sleepily said.

As David left the cabin, a victorious smile grew across Neda's face.

Static

Confessional: Neda

"This worked to absolute PERFECTION!" Neda squealed excitedly in the confessional. "This whole game, I've been cultivating my ditsy little girl persona, and now, when I really needed it to come through, it does! Now, Brooke and David feel compelled to protect little old me." She smiled sweetly at the camera. "And then once they get Godfrey on board, I'll be super well insulated within the team. Protected on all sides!"

Neda then calmed down. "But, this game is constantly moving 24/7. You can never afford to think you're too comfortable, or too safe. When you feel that way? That's when you're most at risk. It's all about constantly maintaining your relationships and your position."

Static

Meanwhile, John sat on a log down on the beach. Sketchpad in hand, he absentmindedly doodled as he enjoyed the sounds and smells of the beach as he drew.

"Hey, John," a voice called out to him, removing him from his reverie. He looked up to see Liana smiling at him, a calm look on her face.

"Hi," he simply said.

"Enjoying the beach?" She asked, to which the artist nodded wordlessly. "I get it," Liana nodded.

She took a big breath and then deeply exhaled, lifting out her arms. "With all the things that go on here, sometimes it's nice to sit back and just take in the smells and sounds. This island really is beautiful, even if a lot of ugly things happen here. Sometimes it's nice to detach from the game and just…..enjoy life."

'Here comes the sales pitch,' John internally groaned, barely able to not roll his eyes.

"Well, sorry for bothering you," the gambler apologized. "I didn't mean to interrupt your drawing." She gave him a small wave. "See you around." With that, she turned and made her way back up the beach, leaving a perplexed John alone.

"What the heck was that?" He asked aloud, to no one in particular.

Static

Confessional: John

The artist sits in the confessional, a perplexed look on his face. "Well, I surely didn't expect that," he remarked. "Why would Liana interrupt and do the preamble, and then not beg me for my vote?" He rubbed his chin. "Maybe…..she already has the votes?"

After a few moments, he shook his head. "No, that doesn't make sense at all. Even if she got Alessia and Marcellas, she'd still need a third. And I'm in a four-person alliance with everyone else on the team. Maybe someone flipped?" He thought for a moment but still looked unsure. "I guess, but even then, she'd need Alessia and Marcellas, and I doubt those two would want to work with her."

John rubbed his head frustratedly. "If Liana's trying to mess with my head, it's working. Why is she so confident about tonight? She has to think that she's safe tonight. Otherwise, she'd be scrambling around for votes. The fact that she's not doing that makes me think something is going down." John pondered the whole situation for a few moments, before sighing. "I feel like everything has been thrown out of whack. I need to seriously reconsider all my options before the ceremony tonight. I really don't want to find myself on the wrong side of a vote involving Liana; I know that it does no favors for you or your game."

Static

"What have you gathered us all here for, Brooke?" Godfrey asked, sitting on his bed in the Croc's male cabin. Around him were Weenus, David, and the aforementioned Brooke.

Brooke wore a serious look on her face. "Well, since I'm a member of the alliance now, I wanna know what's going on. Status of the team. Who's next to go."

Godfrey grinned. "Good to see that you're taking an interest in the matters of the team, Brooke. Anyways, obviously, the outliers on this team are Neda and Ji. So naturally, it'd be one of them to go next." Godfrey then glanced at his gathered alliancemates. "As long as one of you doesn't give me a reason to make you next, instead."

"Do you have a specific person who you want to go next?" Brooke pressed.

"You seem mighty interested in this topic, Brooke," Godfrey replied, eyeing the girl. "Something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Yes, actually," Brooke revealed, "I do. Me and David have been talking and-"

"Have you, know?" Godfrey interrupted, eyeing the pair. "I find that interesting."

"Not as interesting as what I have to say, Godfrey," Brooke snapped at the charmer, unhappy at being interrupted.

"Sorry, sorry," Godfrey apologized, the look on his face broadcasting that he was not sorry whatsoever.

David then took this opportunity to speak. "We think that if we end up losing the next challenge, we should keep Neda instead of Ji."

Godfrey raised an eyebrow. "Neda over Ji?" He crossed his arms in thought for a few moments in thought. "I'll admit, I haven't really given that line of thought any consideration. Let's hear the reasons. Maybe you can convince me. I'll admit, you've got my interest."

Brooke shot David a look from the corner of her eye, and the chef gave her the slightest of nods to continue. "Well, we think that Neda would contribute more to the welfare of the team over Ji. Ji is poison, Godfrey."

Godfrey laughed. "Strong words!"

"It's true," Brooke continued unabated. "She's been a problem on the girls' side since the very first day."

David interjected. "Brooke told me that Ji has been targeting her since we moved into our cabins."

"And you can trust Neda more than Ji, too," Brooke added. "Plus, Neda won us the last challenge."

"But she lost us the last two," Godfrey shot right back. He then took another second to think. "To be quite honest, the fact that you two want to protect Neda so badly only makes me think that I should be targeting her. If you want to keep Neda safe, who's not doing anything in this game, makes me think you two are up to something. Especially since we're not going to elimination tonight."

"No way!" David defended himself. "We just like Neda. We think she'd be a better fit for the team."

"Yeah, every time I've talked to Neda, she's been nothin' but cool to me," Weenus added on the Iranian girl's behalf. "I like her a lot. But Ji's always been kinda rude to me."

Seeing that Godfrey was still not convinced, Brooke decided to lay all her cards on the table. "Godfrey, you should also know that Ji is much more strategic than you may realize."

The three guys all looked at Brooke. "I haven't told a person this, but on the first day, after me and Ji got into a big fight in the cabin, we went our separate ways. Then later, when we were in the mess hall before the first challenge, she pulled me from a conversation with Sammy. She had me join a final two alliance with her."

Weenus and David looked surprised, while Godfrey was thinking over Brooke's words. "She's been badgering me for info since then, I just give her morsels to keep her appeased. But she's playing this game really hard." Brooke then took a deep breath. "And it was Ji that mobilized the girls into a voting block against you all. Ji has been plotting against you guys for a while."

Silence hung in the air as the guys on the team absorbed Brooke's lie. "You never told me about that, Brooke," David told her, his tone laced with surprise.

"I had to keep it to myself in case I really needed the info. Like now." She responded simply.

"And did you go along with the alliance?" Godfrey asked, the mirth in his tone now gone.

"I did," Brooke admitted strongly. "I felt it was best to keep my enemy closer. But ever since then, it's just gotten worse and worse with her. She keeps attacking me personally, and I've had damn enough of it."

Godfrey stared directly into Brooke's eyes, but all he got in return was a hard glare that gave zero love at the thought of the robot combateer.

"Well, Godfrey finally said, "I thank you three for your input. Admittedly, I've got a lot to think over, but you've raised some interesting points. Whenever our next elimination is, we'll think it over."

"That's all I wanted to do, Godfrey," Brooke said back. "Just let you know my side."

"Neda is a good person," David added. "I want her to be here."

"We'll see," Godfrey said as he stood and stretched, and left the room without another word.

The moon hung high in a dark, cloudless sky. The members of the albatrosses all sat around the campfire, waiting to lose another one of their own. They eyed each other with differing levels of suspicion and worry.

"Hello!" The team looked up to see the host of the show arriving at the ceremony, with his ever-present plate of marshmallows. Sitting down, he continued, "It's time again for another elimination ceremony. But before that, I wanna know how things are going for you all." He faced one of the Albatrosses in particular. "Liana, how are things?"

The girl in question shrugged her shoulders. "Up and down. It's amazing to be here, but I miss my family and friends back home. Especially my girlfriend."

"But other than that, things are good?" The host continued.

"Yeah," Liana confirmed, causing John to look side-eyed at her. "It's the most difficult thing I've ever done, absolutely, but also the most rewarding. This is an experience I'm never gonna forget."

"That's great to hear!" The host happily said. "What about you, Wind?" Chris asked the hippy. "How are things for you?"

"Very well," she calmly replied. "The island has a lot of beautiful flora and fauna, and getting to explore this place has been wonderful. It reminds me a lot of things back home."

"Wonderful," the host remarked before continuing. "But, we do have a vote to eliminate tonight. Vivi, how are you feeling about the vote tonight?"

"Pretty damn good," the rocker remarked offhandedly. "I think that the person that needs to go will go."

"And what about you, John?" Chris then asked.

The artist took a second to respond. "I've learned that things are rarely as they seem around here," he cautiously said, "So I always have a small doubt in the back of my mind that tells me things aren't according to plan."

Vivi and Sammy looked confusedly at the artist while Chris continued. "But in terms of the vote tonight, what are you thinking?"

"That it should go one way, but I always expect things to not be as they seem." He simply said.

"Well, since we're on the topic of the vote, let's get to it!" Chris remarked, standing and holding up his plate of marshmallows. "You all know how this business goes. On my plate, are 6 marshmallows, but seven campers.

One of you will not receive a marshmallow, and you will be eliminated from the game, sent to the dock of shame, and told to get on the boat of losers." He then looked over the gathered campers. "Are you ready?" Tension hung thick in the air as Chris picked up the first marshmallow of the evening. "And our first marshmallow of the evening goes to….

.

.

…Wind!"

The hippy gratefully caught her treat and tossed it into the orange flames of the fire.

"And our second marshmallow goes to…

…

…

….John!"

The artist grew a small smile, caught his marshmallow, and tossed it into his mouth. "These things taste better every time you get one," he mumbled.

"And our third goes to….Marcellas!"

"Yes!" The fashion-oriented teen cheered as he caught his marshmallow and tossed it into the flames.

"Three marshmallows, and four campers. Who leaves tonight? Well, because they get a marshmallow, it won't be…..

..

..

..

..

…Alessia!"

The streamer caught her marshmallow and popped it into her mouth. "Oh, I'm so happy!" Marcellas cheered as he hugged his friend.

"Well, we've got two marshmallows and three campers left!" Chris exclaimed. "One of you three will be our next eliminated campers!" Vivi, Liana, and Sammy all exchanged looks as the host continued. "And our penultimate marshmallow will go to….

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…Vivi!"

The rocker chick smugly smiled as she grabbed her marshmallow out of the air and tossed it into her mouth. Sammy and Liana, who sat next to each other, eyed each other.

"This is it," Chris seriously intoned. "One final marshmallow. The fourth person leaving Total Drama Island: Rewritten is…

…

…

..

…..

….

….

….

….

….Liana."

Various campers gave happy reactions as the gambler stood and walked over towards Chris. "Sorry, Liana, but it's time for you to go."

"Well, this sucks," Liana said deflatedly. "I was having a lot of fun, but I guess you don't want me around anymore."

She then reached into her pocket and produced an immunity idol. "And unfortunately, you're not getting rid of me just yet."

The campers' eyes all bugged out at the procured wooden head of the host. "And Liana has used an immunity idol!" Chris exclaimed. "That means she is safe from elimination!" Chris then tossed the idol into the fire as the girl sat down back in her seat. "That means all votes against her are now null. This means that Sammy, you are the fourth person eliminated from the game."

Rigidly, the wrestler stood from his seat and turned and faced Liana. "Well played," he told her as he stuck his hand out. "I know when I've been beaten, and I'm a gracious loser."

Liana smiled, stood, and shook Sammy's hand. "Well played to you as well. Despite ending up on different sides, I still have a lot of respect for you. I do consider you a friend, despite everything."

Sammy smiled back. "Thank you, Liana. I as well." He then turned to everyone else. "Bye, everyone. Play well." With his head held high, the wrestler made his way onto the boat of losers and left the island.

Meanwhile, Liana turned and faced Vivi, a smug look on her face. "Happy to see me?"

Vivi just growled and stormed off as Chris laughed. "Well, that seems like as good of a place as any to end our episode!"

Chris walked in front of the still-burning fire long after the campers had left for the evening. "Wow, was that a wild episode or what?" Chris happily asked. "This season just gets more and more dramatic! This group is determined to win, but only one of them can! Who will it be?"

The host looked incredibly excited. "Well, there's still plenty of game to go, and we'll find out next time on….."

"TOTAL!"

"DRAMA!"

"ISLAND: RE-"

Chris suddenly stopped the outro, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Oh, crap! I can't believe I forgot! I'm such a dope!" he berated himself, slapping himself on the forehead.

Chris then procured a megaphone. "All campers! All campers! Get down to the campfire pit NOW!" He yelled.

A few minutes later, the irritated and tired campers all sat around the campfire, many in their pajamas, all looking annoyed with the show's host.

"What the hell is it, McLean?" Vivi irritatedly asked, obviously having been awoken by Chris.

"Yeah, c'mon Chris!" Marcellas whined. "I need my full eight and this is NOT helping!"

"It's okay guys!" Chris said, trying to pacify the angry campers. "I brought you all here because I wanted to welcome you guys!"

"Welcome us?!" Vivi roared, rage rolling in her eyes. "We've been here for-"

"...to the merge!"

That silenced all talk. The only sound was the sound of the roaring fire.

"That's right!" Chris excitedly said. "Welcome to another major twist for this season! We are now at the merge!"

"Already?" Neda whispered, her eyes wide in shock.

"Hm…." Godfrey thought, his brain already thinking of new strategies.

"This means that there are no more teams! From this moment on, this is now an individual game. This means all of you will be attending our campfire ceremonies, and all of you will be competing for individual immunity!"

"Let the games begin….." Liana happily mumbled to herself.

"Oh, we are gonna run roughshod," Alessia whispered to Marcellas.

"They have no idea these Cali bitches are gonna ruin their lives," he whispered back as the two devolved into giggling.

"But for tonight, you all will still sleep in your regular cabins. But tomorrow, all the girls will be moving into the crocodile cabins, and the guys into the albatross cabins."

Chris then laughed devilishly. "And, your first individual immunity challenge begins tomorrow at noon! I highly, highly suggest you get a good night's sleep, and find some light, comfortable clothing for it, because it will, without a doubt, be the most grueling thing any of you have ever done."

Chris then laughed some more as the campers made their way back to their cabins for the last time as their teams, shaken to their cores.

"Wow, now that's better!" Chris told the camera once the campers had gone back to bed. "I can't believe I almost forgot to announce our merge!"

Chris then chuckled again. "But, our next episode serves to be one of our most dramatic yet, with all sorts of post-merge activity, plus the most grueling challenge any of these teens have seen yet! And you'll get to see it all too, next time on….."

"TOTAL!"

"DRAMA!

"ISLAND: REWRITTEN!"

Confessional Votes:

Liana: "I actually like you quite a lot, but you're the one after me, so I'm sorry Sammy, but I choose to eliminate you."

Sammy: I told you I'm targeting you, and tonight you will be going. I vote to eliminate Liana."

Vivi: "Bye, Liana!" The rocker laughed. "Don't cry too hard when you get on that piece of crap boat. You may just flood it and sink it to the bottom of the lake!"

Wind: She holds her hands together interlocked. "I know I promised my vote to Sammy and Vivi, but I choose to align with Liana instead. I vote to eliminate the wonderful Sammy."

Alessia: "Bye, Liana!" She laughs condescendingly.

Marcellas: "You were fun for a little while, Liana, but it's time for you to get outta here!"

John: The artist holds his head confusedly. "Dammit, this is tough! I don't know what to do!" After a few seconds, the artist breathes in and out. "I'm gonna go with my gut. Liana wouldn't be this calm if she didn't have something going on. I vote to eliminate Sammy."

WOW, do we have a lot to unpack with this one!

First, WE'RE MERGING! BOOYAH! I've been SO EXCITED to make this an individual game. Now, interactions for everyone are on the table, and the strategy will be kicking into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE! Get excited!

Also, I have been excited for chapter 5, next chapter, for literal years now. I've had this story planned out for a while, and it's undergone, and heck it still is, undergoing many many changes, but one of the few consistent has been chapter 5. Trust me when I say that it's gonna be some of my favorite stuff to write, and I hope it lives up to my and your expectations.

And Sammy is our final Pre-Merger! Well, he wasn't supposed to, but a very confident Liana slips out of danger. And John ends up siding with her! How will that play out? And we'll find out how Liana got her idol in chapter 5, too! Sammy was very fun to write, but honor and playing fair will only get you so far in a game like this.

That about wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. This was a very fun chapter for me. I worked very hard on it, and I hope it comes out in my writing.

Well, that's about it for me. I truly appreciate all your reads and support. I'll see you all next time!