Total Drama Island: Rewritten Chapter 9: What's Old Is New, a total drama series fanfic

HOLY CRAP! TWO EPISODES IN A WEEK?!

Yeah, two in a week! LOL As you can probably tell, I was really excited to get this one out. The words were just FLYING onto the Google Doc. I was averaging like 4K a day for this. The next episode definitely won't be this quick, lol. But I've got the next few planned out, so it's a matter of putting pen to paper, so to speak.

To be a little bit braggadocious, this episode has some of my personal favorite stuff I've written thus far, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

"Welcome back once again to Total Drama Island: Rewritten, everyone!" The show's famous host, Chris McLean, told his viewing audience as he stood at the abandoned stage in the forest. "Last time was, maybe, our most important episode yet!" He cheerily announced.

"Firstly," he began to explain as he began to pace around the stage, "We had an extremely tough competition for our lovely campers, wherein they had to get close to 100 Minutes inside a glass coffin without going over." He grinned. "While it may seem simple, you can rest assured knowing that we here at Total Drama Island: Rewritten didn't make it easy!"

The host laughed heartily. "Whether it was Neda being doused with bugs, Liana being doused with water, Godfrey being subjected to a sonic assault, or Wind being subjected to Water Torture, we made it as hard as we could for our beloved campers."

"But," he added, "We didn't make things too difficult, for in David's case he got to hear from his beloved mom, and in Vivi's case, she got a cool 5 thousand dollars, and a new serpentine friend, that she's not so subtly named after yours truly."

The host huffed. "And I choose to take it as a compliment."

Quickly getting over his irritation, Chris continued. "At our elimination ceremony, it was Brooke, our resident athletic phenom and competition beast who was eliminated from the game. She tried her best to win her fourth straight immunity, but she narrowly lost to Wind, everyone's favorite hippy. And Brooke's departure was a huge relief to John Lane, who was definitely feeling the pressure tightening around him after his errant vote during Alessia's elimination."

"But," Chris dramatically announced, "What came next shocked everyone to their core, when I finally announced our final twist of the season; The Total Drama Island: Rewritten Jury!"

Chris excitedly laughed. "Yes, for the first time ever, we're doing our very own jury, and Brooke is the first member of it! She's going to be staying at our luxury resort, Playa Des Losers, for the next few weeks while the game rolls on. From now on, all the eliminated players will be headed there, where they'll have no contact with the outside world, and they'll be able to sit back and think about the game. And, on Finale Night, our jury of seven will gather, talk, and vote on who will be the winner of Total Drama Island: Rewritten!"

Chris laughed once more. "I'm excited for that if you can't tell. Anyway, what's going to happen next in the game? Who will be our second juror? What outrageous challenge will we see next?"

"Well, you're in luck!" Chris told the camera. "This is just the place to find out! Right here, on an all-new episode of…

TOTAL!

DRAMA!

ISLAND: REWRITTEN!"

Static

Confessional: Neda

The Iranian Superfan sits in the confessional, wearing a face that holds nothing but a supreme level of confidence. "I've been playing this game like there was going to be a jury from the start. There's no one on this island more prepared for the jury phase than I am," Neda tells the camera, an air of smugness in her tone. "I've been hiding in plain sight, and letting other people make the moves. And it's worked perfectly. All I need to do is keep doing what I'm doing and make sure people want to take me to the end. It's a bit different now because I have to tell people the jury will vote for them over me, rather than telling them that they'll beat me in competitions, but it's similar enough to not concern me too much."

She holds her smug, confident grin. "This is where the real work begins, but again, I've prepared for this for years. No one is better at this than me."

Static

Confessional: Vivi

"I'll admit, there being a jury now makes things a bit more interesting," the rocker tells the confessional. "Suddenly, someone like me who's a bit prickly, and makes enemies pretty easily, seems like a pretty good person to be matched up against in the final two."

Vivi smiled. "Seems like Vivi Venom has a real shot to make it to the end, now. And if I get there, I know that I'll be able to sway that jury."

Static

Confessional: David

The Newfie chef looks surprised. "Just when I think this game is starting to even out, then Chris comes along and drops the biggest bombshell imaginable on us!"

He then takes a deep breath. "As much as I want to say that this doesn't change things, it really does. Not only do we have to send people out of the game, but now, you also have to send them out of the game with a good impression of you. Which makes it so hard, because you're taking away their shot at a million bucks!"

"But, I have to keep focused," he finishes resolutely. "While I have to also worry about the jurors, I still need to think about getting myself to the end first before I worry any more about the jury."

Static

Confessional: Wind

"The jury means that there will just be more lying," the hippy sighs unhappily. "Everyone will be trying to blame everyone else for their leaving, and that they were the one who was on their side. But, that's never the truth here," she glumly continues.

"The truth is that everyone is out to get everyone, and everyone fights for a slightly better position than the one they have. It is how these games work, but they depress me to no end."

Static

Confessional: Liana

"This is an interesting development," Liana says to herself more so than the camera. "Even though I've been a bit of a pariah around here since the early weeks of the game, I can suddenly go and talk about how the people on the jury don't like me, and that I'm good to take to the end."

Liana snaps her fingers. "I think I have an alternate angle, however. And it's certainly not going to be meek."

Static

Confessional: Weenus

"Ha!" The internet stuntman laughs. "This game just gets more and more wacky! To be honest, I barely even know what being on a jury in these things means. But," he trails off, "I'm always down to try. 'Course, I'd rather be in front of that jury thing than on it!" He laughs once more.

Static

Confessional: John

"The game has changed once again," John mutters. "Why not?" The artist takes a moment to think, before continuing. "It's not all that bad, honestly. Granted, my people skills aren't exactly sterling, but I think that I can argue myself a good enough case if I get up in front of that thing."

He then lightly grins. "So, let's see where this new phase takes us."

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

"In case you were wondering, this new jury changes absolutely nothing," he matter-of-factly tells the camera. "I'm still planning on backstabbing, betraying, and being a general villain for the second half of this game."

Godfrey flashes a dazzling smile. "When I get in front of that jury, and they all look at me with hate in their eyes, I feel supremely confident that I'll be able to talk them into voting for me. I mean, if not me, then who?"

Static

Immediately after the ceremony that ended with Brooke leaving for the Jury House, the competitors all quietly walked back towards their cabins for another night of rest.

One competitor, however, had their mind going a mile a minute. And, acting almost entirely on impulse, decided that they were going for the crazy plan in their head.

Liana shot through the crowd of campers, and made her way to the front of their little herd, standing in front of both cabins. "Hold on, everyone!" The gambler shouted. "I need to tell you guys something!"

The seven remaining competitors all quickly came up a line in front of Liana, curiosity written on their faces.

"What the hell is it, Liana," Vivi annoyedly grumbled. "I'm tired."

"Yeah," Weenus also complained, "I'm so tired, Liana!"

"Don't worry," the gambler reassured them. "I promise, this will take just a moment." Liana then folded her arms and gave a harsh glare to the gathered campers.

"We're now in the jury phase of this game," Liana explained, her voice deadly serious. "That means that, even if they're out of this game, those on the jury still hold power." Liana took a second to think. "In fact, I'd say that the people on the jury have more power than anyone here still because even if you play a perfect game, the fact of the matter is that if the jury doesn't like you, and doesn't want to vote for you, you will lose."

"Where're you going with this, Liana?" Godfrey asked, amused.

"Where I'm going with this is that the jury holds power. A lot of it. And, I'm going to tell you all this right now, in front of everyone at once, so I can make it very, very, very clear."

She stared at the remaining competitors, hatred flashing in her eyes like an inferno. "I swear on everything that I hold dear, and I promise you all, that if you send me out of this game, and I go to the jury house, I will become poison. A lethal dose of cyanide to all of your games."

Shocked silence reigned over everyone as Liana continued her rant.

"I will go to the jury house, and make sure, with every single fiber in my being, that if you are responsible for sending me out, that you do not win this game. It will be my mission from the second the votes are read telling me that I'm gone until the game is over, that you will lose."

"So, if you don't want that to happen, I highly suggest that you all keep me around. Because if you don't, I will become your worst nightmare, and I will ruin your dreams. And there will be nothing at all that you will be able to do to stop me." And with that, Liana turned and entered the Girl's Cabin, the other competitors standing around in shocked silence.

Static

Confessional: Liana

"This is it," She tells the confessional camera, a look of extreme seriousness on her face. "My final gambit. To those watching, it may seem like I've finally lost my marbles by threatening literally everyone here."

Liana shrugs. "And, maybe I have. Maybe I've fully gone nuts and decided to torpedo my own game in a spectacular fireball not unlike the Hindenburg. But, right now, this seems like my best bet. If I blatantly threaten everyone here, I'm hoping that even just a few people here will decide that they want me to stay around, and not risk me poisoning the well, so to speak. All I need is a few people to decide that fighting me on this isn't worth the risk."

She gives the camera a smirk. "In poker terms, I'm going All In on this. Now, we just wait and see."

Static

As the campers stood stock still outside the cabins, absorbing Liana's words, one had decided to speak up.

"Well, that was a whole load of nothing," Godfrey loudly announced as he headed towards the guys' cabin.

"Yeah, that was so stupid," Vivi grumbled as she made her way into the girls' cabin, following Liana.

And slowly after that, everyone made their way into their cabins, and turned in for tonight, awaiting to see what the next day would bring upon them.

It was extremely late. The island was dead quiet, its inhabitants all asleep.

Except for one, that is.

Vivi stood on the deck of the girls' cabin, the only light visible to her being the moon high in the sky and its reflection on the water of the lake in front of her, and the small flickering flame of the cigarette that hung limply in her hand.

Vivi was quiet and held an air of solemnity that she rarely held. Her blustery, combative aura was all but gone in the stillness of the night.

"Vivi?"

Slightly turning her head to her left, she saw Wind, standing next to her. The girl had obviously been awoken from her slumber if her tousled hair and ragged sleepwear that she was wearing were any indication.

"Oh, hey," Vivi quietly told her in response, turning back to stare at the nicotine-laden stick dangling from her hand. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yes, you did," Wind confirmed. "You must have been having some kind of nightmare. You were talking and making noises in your sleep. You sounded…scared."

Vivi chuckled lightly, her tone holding no humor whatsoever, but rather a deep sense of depression. "That's one way of putting it."

Knowing how the last time asking her this question had gone, Wind carefully said, "Would you like to talk about your nightmare?"

Rather than bluster, get annoyed, or yell at the hippy, Wind was unnerved that Vivi stayed silent, doing or saying nothing other than staring at the cigarette in her hands, which started to burn down to the filter.

"Vivi?" Wind asked again.

"It's always the same damn nightmare," Vivi said out of the blue, startling the hippy, who opted to remain quiet. "In my old bedroom. There's yelling. A lot of it. A whole lot. And it's loud. It shakes the walls. The pictures on my walls shake from it, like a really heavy truck is rolling down the street."

Vivi shivered. "And yet, I can never hear what's being yelled. Even after all this time, the words are still indecipherable to me. It's like I'm deep underwater."

Wind, realizing that Vivi was reliving something traumatic from her past, stayed silent as the shaken rocker took a drag from her cigarette.

She shakes her head disappointedly. "And then, they come in."

Vivi turns her head ever so slightly to the left once again, to indicate that she is talking to Wind, and not at her. "Do you know what the scariest part about that is?"

Wind was silent, as Vivi continued uninterrupted. "It's that they're the people you're supposed to trust the most. That you tried your whole life to make happy. The people that you tried to be the perfect little church-going daughter for."

"But now, because I'm a teenager, and I'm trying new things, I'm suddenly the devil," Vivi growled, anger starting to grow hot inside of her. "What teenager doesn't try a cigarette, or have a few drinks of beer, or question their sexuality?" She asks aloud. "Well, apparently I'm not supposed to, because, suddenly, I get dragged out of bed, and thrown to the floor. And it hurts."

"When I look up, I don't see their faces. They're dressed the same, though. Dad's in his business casual wear, and Mom's in that stupid light blue dress. But, their faces are just….blank. There's nothing there. And even though there's nothing there, I can still hear them shouting."

"Vivi…" was all Wind could say, but the rocker either didn't hear her or chose not to respond, as she kept going describing her dream.

"It's your fault." The rocker then said simply. "That's the gist of it. It's a vicious circle, and everything's my fault. I smoke and drink a little, and they yell at me for it. So, naturally, I push back too. I smoke and drink more. I was a dumb teenager. What else was I gonna do? Then, I get into rock music. Metal. The good stuff. They push back, and cry and ask what happened to their little girl who was the best singer in the church choir."

Vivi scoffs again. "Then, they start not just fighting me, but each other. I remember waking up many times through the night because of their arguments. And then, I met a girl."

"A girl?" Wind asked, and Vivi just nodded.

"A girl. A cute one. We met at the mall. We went to parties together. Smoked and drank. She was my first," Vivi fondly recalls.

"Of course, once that got out, it was all over," Vivi continued morosely. "My parents and I got kicked out of the church. Then they got a divorce, and that's when the dream happened. I'm yanked out of bed and screamed at. That it's all my fault."

Vivi sighs. "Imagine saying that to a 15-year-old girl, who's unsure of her place in the world. That all the bad that's befallen her family is all her fault." She then humorlessly laughs. "At least they could agree on something. There wasn't a lot of that in those days, for sure."

Vivi's monologue continued. "After that, I lived with my dad for less than a year. One day, we were arguing. I don't even remember about what." Vivi smirks. "Probably about some smartass comment I made. And he slapped me." Vivi slaps one hand across the other, still holding her cigarette. "Pow! Right across the face. My dad wasn't a small guy, either. It knocked my ass to the floor. And that was that. I had decided I was over it."

"When I stood up off the ground, I didn't say a word. I just stared back at him, my cheek red and throbbing. I didn't say a word. I just stared at him. Let him get a real good look at who he'd just slapped. Then I went upstairs, packed my crap, and took the bus outta town."

Now, Vivi turns to face Wind directly. "When he struck me, and I left for Kelowna, that was the day that Vivianne LeRusso died. That girl doesn't exist anymore. Vivianne LeRusso is a chain around my neck that tries to drag me down. No, I am Vivi Venom. Vivi Venom doesn't put up with that garbage. Not anymore. Not ever again."

Wind was stunned, simply shocked, at Vivi's recounting of her past. "Vivi….." She emotionally told the girl, "I don't even know what to say…"

"Don't say anything."

Wind was surprised at those words, and looked up to see Vivi lighting another cigarette. "I don't even know why I vented about that stuff. It's in the past. I try not to let it get to me, but the nightmares…" Vivi shivered. "But that stuff happened to a different person. A weaker person."

The rocker then turned and went back to facing the lake, taking a deep breath of her cigarette. After a few moments, she blew out the smoke in a large cloud. "I'm not gonna thank you for listening to me bitch about that. To be honest, I don't care if you stayed around, or left when I started complaining. But, there it is. Vivianne LeRusso's backstory." Vivi snorted. "The backstory of a living dead girl, as far as I'm concerned."

Another drag of her cigarette. "I'd prefer it now if you left me alone," were Vivi's last words to Wind. Wind obliged and re-entered the cabin, a distraught look on her face as she crawled into bed.

And as Vivi stood alone once again on the porch, she saw the barest hints of the sun beginning to crest over the waters of Wawanakwa. And as she saw light begin to enter the sky once more, she couldn't help but grin to herself.

"That's why I love the sunrise," Vivi told herself. "Because it's another day where I can wake up, live my life, and be the person that I want to be."

The sun was still making its way up through the sky on a new day on Wawanakwa. Most people were still asleep, but one camper had decided to wake up early to do something calming.

Neda was on her knees next to her bed, rifling through her suitcase. Careful to not wake any of the other girls in the cabin up, the Superfan carefully retrieved the object of her search from her bag; an ornate, small, brown rug. Carefully stowing her suitcase back under her bed, she quickly and quietly left the cabin, taking care to shut the door as quietly as she could.

Neda quickly arrived at her destination; the dock of Wawanakwa, and quickly set her rug down on the dock, tilting it towards her left. Taking a few moments to close her eyes and relax her breathing, Neda was about to begin.

"Hey! What's up!"

However, she was jolted back to reality by the voice of Weenus. Turning around, she smiled as she saw the stuntman quickly making his way towards her.

"Oh, hi Colby," Neda greeted the boy. "I'm surprised to see you. What are you doing up this early?"

He grinned. "I usually wake up around this time. Helps me get my stuff in when everyone else is asleep!"

Neda couldn't help but giggle. "Please, don't tell me what stuff you like to do when everyone is asleep."

Weenus laughed heartily in response. "Deal, Neda." Seeing the rug behind her, Weenus then asked, "What're you doing up so early, Neda? And what's with that thing?"

The Iranian Girl grinned lightly. "That's my prayer rug. I was just about to take some time to pray."

Weenus looked surprised. "Woah, I didn't know you were, like, super religious or anything."

Neda shrugged. "I'm not super religious," she admitted. "But, I grew up in an Islamic Republic, and I do still consider myself a Muslim, even if I'm not super practicing. Now, I find praying to be something that centers me and gives me peace. Especially when I'm under a lot of stress."

Weenus suddenly looked curious. "Neda, is it okay if I join you?"

Neda looked quite surprised. "Oh! Why do you want to do that, Colby? Last time I checked, you were from the South West, not the Middle East."

Weenus groaned. "That joke was terrible even by my standards, Neda!"

The superfan couldn't help herself but laugh. "It wasn't that bad!"

"It was," Weenus retorted with a grin, before saying, "But, you know that I'm all about trying new things. Not all of them have to be gross or dumb or anything!" He added with a laugh.

"But really, I just wanna experience doing this," he told Neda. "You're my friend, and if this means a lot to you, I wanna do it too. I wanna experience your culture for just a minute."

Neda was floored. "Wow, Colby….." she trailed off, getting emotional. "That's really sweet of you." She wiped a tear away and had a huge smile on her face. "Of course, you can join me. It'd make me so happy to have you experience something that means a lot to me."

"Thank you too!" Weenus told her back as he stood next to Neda. "So, what do we do?"

"First, I like to close my eyes and calm my breathing. It makes me feel a little more centered while I pray," She answered as she made her way to stand on her rug. "Normally, you'd do this on a prayer rug like I have, but seeing as you're not a Muslim, I think I can overlook it," She cheekily told him.

Weenus laughed but said nothing as he followed Neda's lead, and both relaxed for a few moments, before opening their eyes. "Next Colby, raise your hands to your ears."

The pair did so, Neda doing it with a quickness that came from repetition. "Now, say Allahu Akbar."

"Allahu Akbar," The stuntman repeated, following Neda's lead.

"Now, you bow in the Qibla, which is the direction that the Kaaba is in Mecca, which is the holiest site in all of Islam," Neda informed him as she fell to her knees and bowed on her prayer rug. "And you can whisper some prayers if you want. I usually do."

Weenus followed Neda's lead, prostrating himself on the dock beside her. Weenus could hear the girl next to him whispering in Farsi. Weenus himself said nothing but closed his eyes and let himself relax once more, as he took in the solemnity and closeness of the moment.

After a few more seconds, Neda's speech halted. "Now, sit up, on your knees, and say Allahu Akbar once again."

Neda deftly pushed herself up onto her knees and said the phrase. Weenus had a bit more trouble getting himself oriented, but managed to after a few seconds, and repeated Allahu Akbar as well.

"And that's it!" Neda said with a grin. "Congrats, you just did an Islamic Prayer with me!"

"So that's what a prayer is like for you, huh?" Weenus asked, in slight awe.

"Not really," Neda admitted. "It's actually quite a bit lengthier if you do the whole thing, but I'm pretty happy with the version that you and I just did."

"Wow, really?" The stuntman queried Neda, and she responded with a nod.

"Yeah, usually you'd recite verses from the Quran and bow a few more times, but like I said, I'm not super religious myself so that's the version I prefer," she answered him as she began to wrap up her prayer rug. "For me, it's more about centering myself and telling someone, or something, what's going on in my life, and giving thanks for the life that I live. It's comforting."

"That's so neat, Neda," Weenus told her honestly. "Thanks so much for letting me join you, and thank you for teaching me a little about your background."

Neda grinned genuinely at him once more. "No, thank you for being interested, Colby," she told him. "I'm always happy to share parts of my culture with people here. Really, thanks. I appreciated having someone with me. I hope you got even a little bit of comfort out of it like I do."

Weenus suddenly hugged the girl, which she quickly returned. "Any time, Neda. I'm glad I did this too."

"Well, if you don't mind, I need to go put this away," Neda told him, indicating it was her rug. "After that, I'm probably going to go swimming or something. So, I'll see you around?" She asked.

"See you around!" Weenus told her with a grin, as Neda waved at him and made her way towards the cabins, a spring in her step and a grin on her face.

Static

Confessional: Neda

"It truly was nice of Weenus to join me while I did my prayers," She honestly told the confessional camera. "And the fact that he was so eager to participate and learn meant a lot too. Sometimes, even I need to take a step back from this game, and just be myself. And if there's something that I know that I need to get off my chest? I know I have a prayer to help."

Static

"I gotta say, man," Godfrey said as he ran alongside David, both wearing their exercise gear as they ran through Wawanakwa's forest, "It was a bit of a surprise that you invited me out running with you."

Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, David replied, "It's been a minute since it was just me and you, dude. I thought we should take a minute to just chill, you and me."

Static

Confessional: David

"I know that Godfrey's losing trust in me," David plainly tells the camera. "So, I'm working on getting back into his good graces. If I'm closer to him, maybe he'll be less willing to try to take a stab at me or something. Even if he doesn't fully trust me, the fact that I at least look interested in mending our partnership will hopefully make him think that I should be kept around even for potential usefulness."

Static

"Well, it's nice," Godfrey affirmed. "It feels like you've started to think less of good ol' Godfrey as of late."

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

"It's very cute that David is trying to get my trust back," Godfrey snidely tells the confessional booth. "He's caught onto this game pretty solidly, but at the end of the day, he's just not me. David can't match up. Coughing baby vs. Hydrogen Bomb."

Godfrey then taps his temple. "But, he's still my buddy. I'll humor him. Let him think that I'm coming back around on him. That will hopefully keep him nice and pacified. But rest assured, the knife is in my hand, and I'm just waiting for the opportunity to plunge it into his back."

Static

'He's testing me,' David thought to himself. "Oh, you know how it is," he carefully replied. "You gotta talk to everyone here and make sure that they still like you and stuff."

Godfrey chuckled. "That's the funny thing about this thing though," he remarked. "Sometimes you don't even have to do anything and you're still the target. Sometimes, nothing at all! Like Brooke," he rambled. "She only had a problem with Ji, and yet the first chance we got, we kicked her to the curb like yesterday's garbage."

"And yet you voted with her," David pointed out.

"Of course I did!" Godfrey responded. "It'd have been silly not to. Truly an inspired idea of yours, David. But, my point still stands. Sometimes, you can find yourself in the line of fire for the smallest of errors. Sometimes, you can do nothing wrong at all and still be eliminated. Like the luchador from the other team. He's gone because of nothing more than a stroke of poor luck."

"I guess that's a good point," David conceded as they kept up their run, "But still, I'd rather be proactive and at least let people have a good impression of me."

"And that's the difference between you and me, David," Godfrey told him. "I truly don't care if people in this game hate me or not. In fact, I'd prefer it if they did. At least then I know they're being honest. You can think of plenty of reasons to fake being nice, but why fake hatred?"

As the pair kept running, something about what Godfrey said stuck to David. "Even now, with a jury?" David asked, confused. "You'd risk putting people that hate you on a jury?"

As the pair entered the clearing that housed the abandoned stage, Godfrey turned and looked at David. "David, I'm going to be honest with you."

"As opposed to all the other times?" David asked, a good-natured mocking tone in his voice that made the charmer laugh.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Godfrey chuckled. "But, seriously. I think that people think that this is a game at the end of the day, man. That's literally what we all call it. That's what it is. A game. Games aren't supposed to be serious. Games are supposed to be fun. So, while I'm here, in this game, I might as well screw around and have fun. If people hate me for it?" Godfrey scoffed. "I can just choose to never see them again after the show's done, just like they can for me."

"You know, Godfrey," David said back, "Not all games involve a million dollars. That's something people tend to get a little more serious about."

"And by all means, they can!" Godfrey laughed. "I won't stop them. I appreciate the challenge of having to navigate an island of people that are truly in it to win it, and not just in it for kicks. It'd be boring if everyone here was a pushover."

"You're saying that you don't care if you win or lose?" David asked, shocked.

"Not really," Godfrey shrugged. "Do I want to win? Of course! I'd love an extra mil in the bank. But, if I don't win, I can say that I came here and had a fun time playing a game, met a bunch of cool people, and made a bunch of good friends." Godfrey then held out a hand. "Like you, man. I know that we've had a few differences, but you're still my buddy. And that's not gonna change when this is over, regardless of what happens at the end of the day."

David couldn't help but sigh. "You truly are a strange case, Godfrey," he said as he ultimately grabbed the charmer's hand, and gave it a hearty shake. "I can't imagine being in a game like this and playing it just for fun. Like, I know I could use that million dollars."

"Then you'll just have to beat me then if you want it so bad," Godfrey laughed. Looking at the path ahead of them, the charmer then asked, "Do you wanna get going, then? Keep it going back to the cabins?"

For just a fraction of a second, David had an odd expression on his face, before quickly returning to the same easygoing grin that he normally held. "Nah, that's okay, Godfrey," David waved him off. "I'm gonna hang out here for a minute. I kinda want to catch my breath a little more. Maybe do some stretches or something."

The charming teen shrugged. "Suit yourself, man. I'll see you around then."

David grinned. "You know it, Godfrey. See ya later."

And without another word, Godfrey turned and kept running, disappearing into the brush.

After David was sure that Godfrey was gone, the chef quickly turned and made his way towards the stairs leading up the stage, and knelt in front of it.

He didn't even know why he noticed it. He'd been at the abandoned stage many times throughout the game and hadn't noticed it before. Maybe it was because he was standing at just the right angle. Or, maybe it was the fact that he was mentally tuning out Godfrey's gloating speech. But, the fact remained that this time, it had caught his attention.

One of the pieces of lattice that was on the side of the stairs had a large crack in it, a crack that, at least to David, seemed suspicious. With force, David tore the loose piece of lattice off and placed it off to the side.

"No way. No way," David repeated as he reached his hand into the darkness and fumbled around, seeing if his wild hunch was correct.

For a few moments, he wildly patted the ground and felt nothing. Just as David was about to write the whole thing off as a coincidence and put the lattice back on, his hand landed on something small and solid.

Quickly grabbing hold of the mystery object and bringing it into the light of day, David's heart nearly stopped as his wild hunch was correct, for in his hand, was an immunity idol.

"Oh my god," was all that David could say. "Oh. My. God." Whipping his head around, David quickly went a little way into the forest and found an identifiable marker; two trees that had fallen, forming a misshapen X on the forest floor. Almost on instinct, David buried the idol on the left side of the X, gathering some leaves and twigs to place on top of the disturbed dirt pile to make it seem less conspicuous.

Static

Confessional: David

"Oh my god. Okay. I have an idol. I have a freaking idol." David's eyes are wide and his breaths are heavy, almost as if he's in shock. "This is so amazing. This is the insurance I need. I just need to sneak it back into the guys' cabin and hide it. No biggie. This is just the biggest possible boon I could have gotten. Now, I just need to figure out what I want to do with it."

Static

Liana stood at the edge of the dock, doing nothing but staring out at the large lake that surrounded the island. Hands in pockets, she could have been mistaken for a statue, her movement was so still.

Static

Confessional: Liana

"So, I've now threatened all the rest of the people here on the island. I've been thinking of a plan to weasel myself to the end of the game, and with that little stunt of mine, I think I know that I have just what I need to get my final gambit into motion." She competitively grins.

"And it's just about time to get the ball rolling."

Static

As Liana continued to stare out over the water, she didn't fail to notice the clunking steps of a pair of boots coming up behind, and then beside her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" John asked, as he also stared out over the water.

"My thoughts are worth more than just a penny, John," Liana good-naturedly jabbed at John.

He shrugged. "I think I have a nickel squirreled away in one of my socks." The artist then turned and faced Liana directly. "But, really. What're you doing over here all by yourself besides doing a great impression of statuary?"

"I'm thinking," Liana told him cryptically.

John sighed. "After that ridiculous stunt last night where you threatened pretty much everyone, I hate it when I hear you say that." He then crossed his arms. "Seriously, what the hell was that about? Are you trying to make everyone think you've totally lost it? Because if so, it's working."

"You may see it as threatening, but I see it as making my intentions clear." She took a second before continuing. "And if it makes even one person reconsider targeting me, then I'd consider my threat successful."

Liana now turned away from the water and faced John face-to-face. "And on the topic of my plans, you have a place in my most recent one."

Now, John scoffed. "Unbelievable, Liana. I honestly have to respect the sheer confidence that you have. After you make an ass of yourself in front of everyone, now you want me to anchor myself to you?" John shook his head, disbelieving. "I might as well attach myself to the Titanic."

Liana cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, John. We'll play a game of hypotheticals here. Say I do go at the next ceremony. I've made a fool of myself, and everyone decides to band together to kick me out. I know they're coming after me anyhow." She then gave him a hard, inquisitive look. "Tell me, what happens after that?"

Silence. The artist opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Opened again, then closed.

Liana smirked victoriously. "That's what I thought. Well, I'll tell you what happens next, since you seem to not want to say it, or don't yet realize it. If I go next, you've given all the former Crocodiles the majority. After that, you all get lined up and taken down like ducks in a row. You go first since you were going to go last time, if not for the fact that Brooke lost herself that challenge. Then, Vivi goes. Since they all like Wind, she's probably the last to stay, but then, ultimately, she's going to be the next one who's cut." Liana gave him a hard stare. "Is that what you want John? To finish sixth and hand this game to Godfrey like a fancy, avant-garde dinner at a three Michelin Star Restaurant?"

John was silent for a while after that. Realizing that she knew that she had the artist dead to rights, she just turned and looked back over the water, a satisfied grin on her face.

"...Dammit." Was all John said after a few minutes of silence. "Dammit, dammit."

At John's annoyed cursing, Liana turned back to face him expectantly. "I hate it when you're right, Liana," John grumbled. "But, for all the crap you pull, you're usually right." John sighed. "So, I'm just going to go out on a limb and assume that you've got a grand plan that will save all our asses."

At that, Liana grinned. "It's me, John. Of course, I have a plan."

"Well, don't keep me in too much suspense. Lay it on me." He told her, dreading what was coming.

"We need to get Vivi on our side," Liana then told him. "You should do that. You two get along. She'll probably bitch about having to work with me again, but whatever. Let her bitch. Give her the cliff-notes version of what I told you, and she'll join up. She's annoying and moody, but Vivi is definitely not stupid. She'll go for it."

"And I assume that you go get Wind," John evenly responded, to which Liana responded with just a nod. "And then what?" John then asked.

"We're going after Godfrey," Liana revealed. "He's the head of the snake. You cut off the head, the body will be listless and fall apart."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" John asked, annoyed. "That's a four-four tie."

"We see if Neda wants to flip," Liana revealed to the raven-haired artist. "See if she wants to join up with us."

"Why the hell would Neda flip?" John incredulously asked.

"She's not as tight as the guys are, John," Liana informed him. "I don't see a world where I can get David or Weenus to flip on Godfrey. They've been cabinmates since the first day. So, I think Neda offers the best chance of a flipped vote."

Seeing the logic in Liana's words but still seeing a flaw in her logic, John then responded, "But she's still been a teammate of theirs since the start too. How do we get her to flip on them?"

"First, we'll offer her a deal," Liana began. "We'll offer her a spot in the final three. What you can then do is offer her a spot in the final two."

"And you won't offer that?" John asked, to which Liana shook her head.

"If we both offer her that, that'll be too good to be true and she'll think that it's a trap," Liana explained.

"And it's not when I say it by myself?" John asked.

"No," Liana plainly stated. "You have a reputation for being untrustworthy. If you just offer that final two, it'd make sense since you're looking out for your spot, while if I don't, it makes me seem more invested in getting the team to the end, rather than myself."

John leveled an annoyed stare directly at the gambler, but she just waved it off. "Oh, whatever, John," she scoffed. "Get huffy about it all you want, you did it to yourself. It's not my fault that people think that about you."

After a few moments, John just rolled his eyes. "And I guess you're not exactly intending on honoring taking Neda to the final three, huh?"

"Hell no," Liana spat. "Neda lied to me. She lied to my face and screwed me over. And then she lied to me again and gave me some dumb excuse about it. No no, I don't intend on it. As soon as Godfrey's gone, Neda is gone next."

That genuinely surprised John. "Woah, Neda?" He asked.

Liana gruffly nodded. "She lied right to my face. I don't trust her at all anymore. And you shouldn't either."

"Wait," John suddenly interrupted. "What the hell happens if Neda doesn't go with us?"

Liana shrugged. "Then she doesn't go with us. We still vote for Godfrey and force a tie and hopefully, he goes in that scenario."

John looked incredulous. "Are you serious? That's your big plan? Convince someone, and if that fails let it go to a damn tie? What the hell even happens if it goes to a tie?"

Liana shrugged once again. "I don't know. Chris hasn't explained it yet."

John held his hands up to his head in shock. "I can't believe this. This is your dumbest, most harebrained plan yet."

Liana glared daggers at him. "And it's either this plan, or all of us going home!" She angrily shouted at John, having finally reached the boiling point with John's criticisms. "If you wanna complain and moan about it, then go ahead and bail, dammit! But this is the best I can come up with in this scenario, and other than your incessant bitching, you're not adding anything either! So, go along with it and shut up, or leave."

Quiet, John just exhaled a sigh, before saying, "So, I guess I'll go talk to Vivi. Anything else I should say to her?"

"Just tell her to meet me at the abandoned stage later," Liana told him after thinking it over, happy at his capitulation to her ranting. "Probably after the challenge. And then later, go talk to Neda. I trust you to sway her, John. Make her feel safe. Tell her that when we take out Godfrey, she's good to go with us. That way, we can cut her throat."

"Sounds kosher," John said as he turned and walked away without another word.

As he got out of earshot, he sighed to himself. "I can't believe I've found myself relying on Liana again."

Static

Confessional: John

"This whole plan of Liana reeks of flimsiness," John complained in the confessional. "Seriously, her big backup plan is to just hope that a tie breaks in our favor. God, I really can't believe it."

He puts his head into his hands. "How did I find myself in such a terrible damn situation?!"

After a few moments, he lifts his head out of his hands. "But, at the end of the day, as flimsy as her plan is, it's better than being taken out back and shot by the other team. So, I guess I gotta be a good little soldier. Time to get the band back together, I guess."

Then, John offered the camera a light grin. "Plus, this all takes the heat a bit off my butt for even just a little bit. So, it's not all bad."

Static

Confessional: Liana

"I know that I'm putting a lot of trust in John," Liana sighs into the camera. "And, I'd rather not, because I barely trust him as is anymore. Even if he voted with me ultimately, John's still shifty, and his allegiances can change with the breeze. But," She adds, "I trust Vivi even less than I do him, and as much as I love Wind, she's just not cut out for that kind of work in this game. So, for now, I have to trust John and hope all goes as planned."

Irritation then flashed across Liana's face. "And as for Neda?" Liana scowls. "As soon as the Albatrosses have the majority, Neda is gone. I can play nice for now, but she's on borrowed time as far as I'm concerned."

John poked his head into the Girl's cabin and was relieved that his search for the rocker was short, as she was just lying on her bed, relaxing. At the sound of the door opening, Vivi tilted her head at John and casually gave him a flick of the hand. "Yo, John."

"Hey Vivi," John greeted back as he walked over to the prone rocker. "We need to chat for a minute."

Vivi grinned. "Woah, sounds important." Sitting up, she asked the artist, "What's up?"

"Well, I was talking to Liana and-"

"Well that's your first mistake," Vivi interrupted. "She's lost it. You remember what she was ranting about last night, right?" She asked incredulously. "I was even just thinking of voting to eliminate her tonight, as long as she doesn't win immunity."

"No!" John exclaimed, to Vivi's surprise. "You can't do that."

Vivi rolled her eyes annoyedly. "Well, why the hell not? And what's got your ass so worried?"

"Liana said that we need to get the old Albatrosses back together, Vivi," John told her.

"No way," Vivi balked. "No freaking way I'm working with her again," she declared. "It's not gonna happen, John." She strongly told him.

"Listen, I'm not thrilled about having to ally with her again either," The artist tiredly revealed to her. "In fact, I'm pretty pissed off about it. But, she made some really good points when I was talking to her, Vivi. Points that I think you want to know."

Seeing the rocker's hesitation, John added, "And you know I'd hate to work with her as much as you would. Just hear me out. Trust me."

Taking a few moments, Vivi relented. "Okay. I trust you, John. Tell me what Liana said."

"So basically," John began, "We need to team up again as a foursome because, the way Liana sees it, if she goes tonight, the other side will see it as a win for them and unite against us, and that they'd just take all of us out in a row if Liana goes because we won't have the numbers to protect ourselves. Liana said she'd go first, then it'd be me, and then after me, it'd be you. She said that if we don't do this, we're basically handing Godfrey the rest of the game."

Vivi took a little bit to ponder John's words. After that, she asked, "So say we align. Then what?"

"We try to flip Neda," John continued. "Liana said that Neda's the one that would be the most likely to flip, and I'm inclined to agree when the others are Weenus and David."

"But what happens if Neda doesn't go with us?" Vivi then asked, which made John involuntarily groan.

"Liana's big plan is to let it go to a tie and hope it works out."

"What?!" Vivi asked, astounded. "Oh, she's really lost it. A tie?"

"Trust me, you had the same reaction as I did," John admitted. "But, at the end of the day, as much as I don't like it, there's a lot of truth in what Liana's saying. And I dunno about you Vivi, but I'd rather try this dumb plan and either go down swinging or somehow make it out than sit around and wait for my head to get cut off. What about you?"

"...And you're sure that there's no other way?" She asked, pained at the thought of having to ally yet again with her enemy on the island.

"If there is, I'm not smart enough to figure it out," John told her. "Plus, all this nonsense is taking the shine away from us, and putting it on her," John added with a conspiratorial grin. "So even if this plan doesn't work, maybe if Liana leaves, we can still try to split up that four."

At that, Vivi grinned. "Great point, John," she told the artist. "As much as it irritates me, I guess that I'll agree. You can tell her that."

"And that reminds me," John suddenly said, "Liana wanted to talk to you at the abandoned stage after the challenge, once it starts to get dark out. I don't know why, but I'm sure it's for some dumb reason. So, make sure to do that, and if there's anything particularly interesting, make sure to tell me."

"I can do that, John," Vivi nodded. "Well, looks like the Albatrosses are back in business. I'm so excited," Vivi said monotonously.

"Tell me about it," John monotonously said back. "I may not sound it, but inside, I'm jumping for joy."

At their obviously fake voices, the duo then busted into laughter. "Well, good chat as per usual," John told her. "I'll quit bothering you and talk to you later. I'm sure the challenge is coming up, so that's gonna be a thing."

"Eh," Vivi shrugged. "How bad could it be?"

John suddenly turned and lightly banged his head against the wall. "I really wish you hadn't done that," he told her.

"Done what?" She amusedly asked him.

"Tempted fate."

The eight remaining campers all stood in the mess hall of Wawanakwa, awaiting their next challenge. After a few minutes, Chris came in, a large grin on his face. "Hello, campers!" The host greeted. "We're officially down to half the field! Is that crazy or what?"

Mumbles and grumbles greeted him, and he pressed on. "So, we know that you guys have had some crazy competitions so far. 100 Minutes, Chef's Simulated Warfare, and of course, the wonderful Pressure Cooker. So today, we've decided to give you guys a break. This is gonna be a nice, easy challenge."

The looks that the campers gave each other made it very clear that none of them believed the host, something that made him cross his arms. "And for once, I'm not lying to you guys. Today really is gonna be an easy challenge. In fact, it's so easy, we're already fully prepared for it! All you need is your own two hands."

To demonstrate, Chris then held up both of his hands. "Today's challenge is a rock-paper-scissors tournament!" Chris cheered. "You all know the rules to rock-paper-scissors, so I'm not going to bother with those. But, this is single elimination. So, you lose one round, you're out. Easy enough?"

Seeing that the host was actually being truthful, they all nodded. At that, the host smiled and pulled out his phone. "I've gotten all your names written down on a roulette wheel on my phone. We'll just spin the wheel, and just do that until we have a winner. Are you guys ready?"

Again, all nods from the campers. Satisfied, Chris then pointed towards an empty table. "All right everyone, go sit over there. When I call your name, come up here, and we'll play." All the campers quickly went and sat down at the designated table. "Alright! To start, our first player is…" Chris tapped his phone, and watched the small wheel on his phone rapidly spin, before slowing and stopping on….. "...David! Come on up!"

David laughed as he stood and walked over to the host. "I'm ready to go!"

Smiling at the Newfie's enthusiasm, Chris tapped his phone once more, causing the wheel to spin. "And facing David in the first match of the first round is….Godfrey!"

The charmer couldn't help himself but chuckle as he stood and made his way in front of the others.

"Of course, me and David," Godfrey quietly laughed.

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

"This will be an interesting competition," Godfrey told the camera. "It's going to be difficult to throw a random game like this. I could very well find myself winning the whole thing by accident." At that, the charmer shrugged. "It'd be fitting, I try so hard to throw challenges this season, and I somehow luck myself to a win."

Static

The two Agency members stood and faced each other, a grin on each of their faces. "You ready to lose, Godfrey?" David asked him.

"It's rock-paper-scissors," Godfrey playfully chided the Chef. "It's not exactly rocket science, man."

"Are you two ready?" Chris then asked. At his question, he received nods of confirmation from both. "Alright. On shoot, you two go. Rock, Paper, Scissors…Shoot!"

At each word of the hosts', both guys' fists, curled into fists, pounded into their free hands. And at shoot, both unfurled their hands.

"Of course, we have a tie to start the challenge!" Chris laughed. "David and Godfrey both went with paper!"

"What can I say, I know him too well," Godfrey joked.

"Ditto!" David laughed. "I've spent too much time with this guy."

"Alright, we're gonna just go again," Chris told the two. "Rock, Paper, Scissors…shoot!"

This time, their hands were different. "And Godfrey wins our first round!" Chris announced.

Godfrey, with rock, couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe I've finally heard those words!"

David, who had lost the round with scissors, couldn't help but laugh along. "Dang right!" He chuckled. "Godfrey, you haven't been much of a comp beast!"

"Alright, Godfrey, since you won the round, you go sit back with the other active competitors. And David," at saying David's name, pointing at an empty table, "You go sit at that empty table. You're out of the challenge."

The pair followed Chris's instructions, as the host himself deleted David's name from the wheel on his phone. "Alright!" he announced. "Let's get the second round underway."

And with that, Chris tapped his phone screen. "And first competing in the second match of the first round is….Wind!"

Lightly smiling, Wind stood and made her way towards Chris. "Finally," she breathed, "A competition that isn't too intense."

The host laughed at the hippy's honest reaction, before spinning the wheel once more. "And taking on Wind is John!" He called out. "C'mon up, John!"

Wordlessly, the artist stood and made his way in front of Wind. "Best of luck to you, John!" Wind smiled at him, a smile that the artist returned. "You too, Wind," He easily told her.

"Get ready. Rock, Paper, Scissors…..Shoot!"

Both competitors shot their hands out. John had scissors, and Wind had paper. "John wins the second match!" Chris called.

"Sorry, Wind," John playfully told her. "Guess I was too much for you. So much for being a comp beast," he then lightly scoffed at her.

Wind giggled at his joke. "You got lucky."

That made John laugh in return as he sat back down with the active players, while Wind sat next to David at the loser's table. "Don't worry Wind," David told her. "It's way more fun over here."

The hippy giggled once again at that. "Considering you are here David, that doesn't shock me."

Once again resetting the names on his phone, Chris announced, "And, starting off the third match is…..Neda!"

The superfan bounded off her seat and quickly made her way in front of the host, as he spun his wheel. "And Neda's opponent is…..Liana!"

Eyes narrowed, Liana quickly stood and confidently strode in front of Neda.

"This'll be fun, Liana!" Neda grinned at the gambler.

However, Liana said nothing, doing nothing but staring down directly at the girl who was almost a foot shorter than herself.

The harsh glare rattled Neda as Chris gave them the order to shoot. However, luckily, Neda got the advantage over Liana, beating Liana's paper with her scissors.

"Good win, Neda!" Chris called. "Go sit back with the others."

Liana said nothing as she turned and went to the loser's table. Sitting down, she continued to affix a harsh glare at Neda, one that the superfan took notice of.

Static

Confessional: Neda

"Oh man," Neda sighs into the camera. "Looks like Liana's still pretty pissed off at me for lying to her. Damn!"

Her face scrunches. "Well, then, Liana needs to go ASAP," she decided. "If Liana stays, she could start poisoning the perception of me. And my perception is pretty much all I have in this thing so far. I've worked so insanely hard to work on it. So, I'm gonna have to try to get Liana out of here next!"

Static

"This means, c'mon up Weenus and Vivi!" Chris called. "You're the last match of the round!"

The pair made their way up at the same time and quickly faced off. "You two ready?" The host asked them.

The rocker shrugged. "It's Rock-Paper-Scissors. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Same here!" Weenus echoed.

"All right you two, then Rock, Paper, Scissors…..Shoot!"

The rocker and the stuntman shot their hands out. "And, our last participant in the semi-finals is…Weenus!" Chris declared.

Weenus had shot paper, while Vivi had rock. "Damn!" She laughingly complained. "I can't believe I lost to you."

Good-naturedly, Weenus laughed. "Doesn't happen to too many people, Vivi." He told her honestly.

That just made the rocker laugh. "Then I consider it an honor, Weenus," She told him as she walked past him to the loser's table, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

As Weenus sat down once more, Chris narrated, "So, participating in the semis are Godfrey, John, Neda, and Weenus! Definitely an interesting quad of people." The host then laughed. "That's why these kinds of competitions are so fun!" The host took a few moments to edit the wheel on his phone. "And, our first participant in the first match of the semi-finals is…"

"...John!"

"Yippie," the artist unenthusedly cheered as he once sauntered in front of the host.

"And, facing John is…Neda!" Chris announced.

Still seeming shaken by Liana's aggressive looks towards her, Neda silently made her way in front of John. As Chris told them to get ready, Neda inhaled deeply to calm her nerves, and when Chris called shoot, Neda sent out paper.

"And John wins the round!" Chris announced. Looking at the artist, the Iranian girl saw that John had made his hand into scissors.

"Dang," she disappointedly mumbled. "I thought I'd win that one."

"Congratulations, John!" Chris cheerily announced. "You're going to the finals!"

John said nothing as he went and sat back down at the table for active participants, while Neda claimed an empty seat next to Wind at the loser's table. "I'm sorry Neda," Wind concilatorily told her. "I could see you wanted to win."

Neda deflatedly shrugged. "I wish I won, but it's not the end of the world," Neda told her in a tone that was still seeped in disappointment.

While those two talked, Godfrey and Weenus made their way up to the host. "I hope you're ready to lose, Godfrey!" Weenus playfully taunted, which made the charmer laugh.

"If I have to lose to anyone, I'd wanna lose to you, Weenus," Godfrey declared.

"One, two, three, shoot!" Chris called, and the two Agency members shot.

"And Weenus goes to the finals!" Chris called, as Weenus had beaten Godfrey, rock over scissors.

Godfrey couldn't help but laugh. "You got me!" He laughed. "Good job."

"Thanks, dude!" Weenus told him happily.

"Good luck," Godfrey told him as he walked to the loser's table. "Bring it home for the boys."

"And we have our finals!" Chris announced. "Weenus, you just stay there. John, come on up!"

At that, the artist once again returned to the front of the room to challenge the stuntman. "No new rules, you two," Chris told the two. "Whoever gets the first win wins immunity." He looked at both. "Are you ready?" He then asked.

"Yup," Was John's simple answer.

"You know it, Chris!" Weenus excitedly told the host.

"All right! For immunity, One, Two, Three…SHOOT!"

The artist and the stuntman both shot their hands.

"And we have a winner!" Chris called. "And it's John!"

Indeed, the artist had beaten Weenus, paper over rock. At his victory, John lightly grinned.

"Congratulations John!" Chris announced. "You've won the Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament, and with it, immunity from tonight's elimination!"

"Cool," The artist said with a light grin as the others clapped for his win.

Weenus cheered from in front of John as well. "Man, congrats, man!" He excitedly told the artist. "That was a good win!"

'Thank god, too,' John thought to himself. 'The way this thing may turn, I may very well need the immunity tonight.'

Shortly after the challenge, Wind made her way out into the forest to wander and explore, something that she found calming when feeling overwhelmed.

Currently, the hippy was kneeling on the ground, studying a patch of flowers that she had found, examining if any of them would look nice in her hair.

The hippy was so intent on her studying of flowers that she didn't hear the stomping of twigs and the movement of branches coming up from behind.

Suddenly, Wind jumped up surprised at the sudden hand on her shoulder. It surprised her so much that in her shock, she tried to stand, lost her balance, and fell right onto her rear into the dirt.

"Ack!" She squeaked in surprise, as she looked upwards at the person that had snuck up on her.

Liana's smiling form, trying to suppress laughter, stared down at her, before extending the hippy a hand. "You okay down there?" Liana asked amusedly.

With a smile of her own, Wind took the offered hand and was pulled up by the gambler. "Thank you. You startled me," Wind told her. "I did not think anyone would follow me out here."

Liana grimaced. "I needed to talk to you in private, and when I saw you coming out here, I figured it'd be a good time. But I didn't expect you to go so deep out here. I almost lost you a few times! And then I'd have been screwed."

Wind lightly giggled. "I apologize that you had to traverse the woods to follow me, Liana." But then, she grew a large smile. "But, it is so nice you're here!" She happily exclaimed. "It will be so fun exploring the forest with you!"

Liana looked apologetic. "I'm sorry Wind, but before that, I really do need to talk to you."

Wind then tilted her head confusedly, much like a bird. "But, if I may ask, what is so important that you must talk to me all the way out here?" Wind then suddenly looked startled. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's all good," Liana told her quickly, trying to assuage the hippy's fears. "Nothing wrong. But, it is important."

Suddenly realizing what Liana must want to talk about, Wind sagged depressedly. "You wish to talk to me about something more related to the game, do you," Wind told her in a tone that was more of a statement than a question.

Liana frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry Wind, but it is," She told her. "It's really, really important this time. It's honestly the most important that it's been this whole game."

Deflated, Wind sat down on a log. "I understand," Wind tiredly told her. "What is going on? What shall we be doing now?"

Liana frowned sadly at the hippy's deflated attitude but pressed on in her quest. "We're forming a new alliance, Wind," Liana explained. "We're forming up with John and Vivi, and we're gonna try to also get Neda. I'm worried that if one of us former Albatrosses goes tonight, the next three eliminations will all be us, and that'll leave Godfrey in sole control at the end of the game."

Absorbing Liana's information, Wind replied, "So, I take it we will be voting Godfrey once again tonight?" At that, Liana just nodded. "Very well," Wind agreed. "If that is your plan, then I shall do it."

"Thank you, Wind," Liana told her gratefully. "If this works out, we'll have the numbers until the very end of the game. And then, you and I can go to the final two!" Liana grinned. "Doesn't that sound great?"

Entirely unenthused, Wind told her, "Yes, that does sound good."

Then, Liana sighed. "I'm sorry, Wind. I know how much you don't like this kind of stuff. But, this is it," Liana told her, seriousness in her tone. "If this one last plan works, I promise that you'll never have to hear about this stuff again. It'll be smooth sailing."

Wind looked unconvinced, but nodded along anyway. "I trust you, Liana," she told the gambler. "Even if I do not like it, I will help you. You are my friend. That's what friends do for each other."

At that, Liana looked like she was about to cry. "Oh, Wind…" she whispered, before dropping to her knees as well, grasping the hippy in a hug. "I promise," she repeated. "This is the last time! I promise! We'll go to the end together!"

Wind fondly smiled as she patted Liana's back, the gambler's tears soaking through her old shirt. "It's okay, Liana," she soothed. "It's what friends do."

As Liana continued to cry into Wind's shoulder, the hippy continued, "Out of all the people on this island, I'm most glad that I got to meet you. You have the brightest, most beautiful soul out of anyone I've ever met. I am very glad that you are going to be in my life now, Liana."

"Me too!" Liana wailed, touched and even more emotional at the hippy's kind words.

About 10 minutes later, after Liana had finally calmed herself down, she stood again in front of Wind, eyes red and puffy. "Thanks again, Wind," She told her. "I really owe you for helping me yet again. That's why I want to take you to the end. I want to be at the end of this game, in front of the jury, with my best friend."

"But," Wind asked then, "Aren't you worried that the jury would vote for me over you?"

At that, Liana strongly shook her head. "I don't care about that," she truthfully told the hippy. "If I have to lose to anyone, I would want you to beat me. I'd be happy if I lost to you." She smiled then. "Think of all the good you could do with a million dollars, Wind."

Wind lightly laughed. "I'd honestly be intimidated by so much money. I wouldn't even begin to know what to do with it all."

"Considering who you are, Wind, I'm sure that it'd be something better than anyone else here would do," Liana told her resolutely.

Wind was touched. "You are such a kind person, Liana. I truly hope that you win."

"Thanks," Liana trailed off, looking around their surroundings. "So…where exactly are we?" She asked.

Wind lightly laughed once more, covering her mouth with her hand. "Don't worry. I know the way. Follow me."

As the pair continued, Wind also said, "And I have you, Liana. I am in on this new alliance."

Liana grinned. "We'll be freakin' unstoppable. We have this."

Neda was currently lying on the beach, a towel being all that kept her from the sand below. Clad in her white swimsuit, the Iranian teenager seemed to be doing nothing more than enjoying the sun's rays, as the sun shone bright and hot on a cloudless day.

Laying flat on her stomach, Neda's eyes blinked open at the sound of sand being disturbed near her, and tilted her head upwards, seeing a pair of jeans attached to boots approaching her.

"Hey," John's lethargic tone of voice called to her. Sitting, standing, and wrapping the towel around herself, Neda greeted the artist right back.

"Hi, John," She casually greeted him. "What's up?" She then asked him.

"Wanna go sit on the dock?" He asked her.

Neda grinned. "Sounds fun."

The pair quickly made their way up the nearby stairs and onto the edge of the dock of shame, both dangling their feet just a few inches above the waters of the lake.

A light breeze came in as the two sat silently at the edge. Finally, Neda spoke.

"So, what's up this time?" She asked him curiously. "I'm assuming you're not just here to chat with me," she added with a laugh.

John huffed out a laugh. "Unfortunately, yeah, this isn't exactly a social call," John confirmed. "There's been some chatter. I'm part of a new alliance," he revealed. "It's got four people, and we wanted to have you as the fifth."

Neda looked very intrigued. "Oh?" She voices. "Five puts us at the majority. Sounds like this alliance will go to the end."

John nodded. "Pretty much. It's an alliance straight to the last five. And like I said, it was agreed that you'd be the best fit."

"Who's going to be in it?" Neda then asked. "There's only eight of us left, and five is a pretty big chunk of that."

"You, me, Wind, Vivi, and Liana," John rattled off the names. As he finished, Neda's face flashed in confusion.

Static

Confessional: Neda

"I see exactly what's going on here," she tells the camera seriously, before giving way to a confident grin. "Situations like this are why I'm pretending to be a little ditz. John wants me to join an alliance made up entirely of the former Albatrosses, and that they'd take me to the final five."

"Now normally, that seems like a good deal," Neda continues. "I mean, a guaranteed final five spot sounds great!" She then crosses her arms. "But, do you know what will happen when we actually reach the final five?" She asks. "Well, I do. What happens is that I'm still seen as their outsider, and am instantly cut the moment the other guys are gone because I'm no longer necessary. In fact, I'd probably be cut before that."

She shakes her head. "So no, I know already there's not a single chance I take this alliance. It may fool someone with less experience in this kind of game, but not me. I see that this is nothing but a trap to get to the end of the game at my expense."

Static

"I dunno, John," Neda slowly said. "Those are all former Albatrosses. Am I even welcome in that?"

John nodded strongly. "Yeah, it was Liana's idea to bring you in. She thinks that you'd see the smarts in turning on Godfrey now."

At Liana's name, Neda's face scrunched once more. "Liana?" She questioned. "I'm sorry, John, but I don't know if I can trust her. She was giving me the evil eye at the competition earlier today. If I'm honest, it feels like a trick."

'Dammit, Liana!' John internally seethed. 'Why the hell do you have to make everything so freaking difficult!?' Taking a deep breath, John carefully tried to craft a believable lie. "Yeah, Liana told me that she was still pretty upset over the Alessia vote," John admitted to her. "But, she's willing to let bygones be bygones if you join up with us. In fact, Liana told me that she wants you, me, and her to be the final three."

'And I'm the President of the United States,' Neda internally rolled her eyes at Liana's offer but kept her facade up. "Really? Final three?" She asked, sounding interested.

"Yup," John confirmed to her. "And, since you're already coming to the final three with us, I also want to go to the final two with you," he added.

Neda cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" She asked, slightly intrigued. "Why me and not Liana?"

He scowled. "Because Liana annoys the crap out of me."

The bluntness made Neda laugh, as she wiped her sweaty hands on her towel. "I'm surprised to hear that, John," she admitted. "Considering you're forming an alliance with her, and trying to draft me into it as well."

Letting some bitterness creep into his tone, he replied, "I wanna win this game as much as anyone else does, Neda," he bit at her. "Liana pisses me off, but sometimes you gotta do a crappy thing now to do some good later. And if that means I have to buddy up with Liana, then I'm ready to call her my best friend until we cut her ass."

"I didn't realize you were so cutthroat, John!" Neda laughed. "You sure do hide it well under that brooding exterior."

John snorted a laugh. "When a million bucks is on the line, I can get pretty feisty." He then turned and faced Neda once more. "So, what's it gonna be?" He asked. "Are you in or out?"

Neda took a few moments to formulate a response. "I don't know," she admitted. "I trust you John, but Liana just really sketches me out. Between that crazy rant a few days ago after the last ceremony, and her behavior at the challenge, she's kinda making it hard to have faith that this isn't some elaborate plan to backstab me."

John pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed. "I don't blame you for being so hesitant," he admitted to her. "If the roles were reversed, I'd have a really hard time trusting her too. But, you said yourself that you trust me. And I'm vouching for Liana here. So, trust me."

Neda took a long time to answer. She felt genuinely conflicted. She did trust John, but every instinct inside her screamed that she was being set up. Finally, she came to an answer.

"John, can I think about it?" She asked. "I just…..really need to sit down, and think about whether or not I can trust Liana."

Seeing that he had gotten as far as he could and that she hadn't outwardly rejected the idea, John relented with a nod. "Sure. Give it some thought. The offer's still there."

And with that, John stood from the dock with a grunt and walked away.

Static

Confessional: John

"I don't wanna push Neda too hard on joining this," John explained to the camera. "It is a risky proposition for her. Especially with Liana making everything so hard on herself." At that last sentence, the artist rolled his eyes. "It's the old adage; you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. So, I've led the Neda-horse to water, so now she'll want to take a sip from the alliance-well."

Static

After making sure that John was gone, Neda stood and ran towards the guys' cabins, desperately trying to keep her towel from flying off. Quickly knocking, she poked her head inside to see just the person she needed. "Godfrey!"

The charmer, styling his goatee in the mirror, didn't bother to turn to face her, but greeted, "Hey there Neda." However, seeing the frantic look in her eyes, he stopped and turned. "What's got you all wound up?"

"We need to talk right now, Godfrey," Neda told him seriously. "Where're David and Weenus?"

He stroked his chin in thought. "I think they're in the mess hall having an early dinner."

Neda was almost vibrating out of impatience. "Godfrey! We need to talk to them right now!"

Godfrey crossed his arms, unamused. "What the hell's going on, Neda?"

Neda annoyedly stared at him. "The Albatrosses are re-forming. We need to reform too."

That alarmed the charmer. "That is interesting. Very interesting." He nodded. "All right, let's go."

And so, Neda led Godfrey to the mess hall, both jogging. Neda opened the door and saw David and Weenus sitting at a table, plates already empty, chatting about something or another.

Turning at the door swinging open, they waved at the superfan. "Hi, Neda!" Weenus called. "Just get back from the beach?"

Neda quickly entered and sat at the guys' table, not even bothering to greet the stuntman back. Godfrey quickly followed. "Oh, hey too, Godfrey!" Weenus called again. "What're you two doing?"

"Neda's heard some troubling information," Godfrey told the pair, whose faces dropped in surprise. He then turned to the superfan, who he was sitting next to. "Tell us everything, Neda."

"So, I just talked to John," Neda began. "He said that all the former Albatrosses are forming together to take us out. Vivi, Wind, John, Liana. John told me that the alliance was Liana's idea. He then told me that Liana would form a final three with me, herself, and John if I abandoned ship on this group."

"And you didn't?" Godfrey sharply asked. "The way I see it, you'd have a guaranteed spot in the final three, Neda."

"And I saw it as getting immediately cut at fifth because I'm an outsider, Godfrey," Neda sharply bit back. "Plus, do you really think that I'd trust Liana after all the stuff she's pulled?"

Mulling the Iranian girl's words over for a moment, Godfrey then nodded. "Smart thinking. I wouldn't trust that either."

"So, what do we do?" David then asked.

"We re-solidify this group," Godfrey told him. "If they're getting the old team back together, then we need to as well. We need to stick together," Godfrey told them all. "This is the most treacherous point in the game for all of us. If any of us somehow flip tonight, then rest assured, we're all done for. We'd be picked off one by one. And I don't want that to happen."

"Me either," Neda echoed. "I'm with you guys until the end."

"Same!" Weenus cheerfully agreed. "I'm for the Crocodiles until the end!"

"You don't even have to ask," David added. "Godfrey's right. We gotta stick together."

"So, we're all sticking together," Weenus announced. "But what's the plan?"

At this, Neda interjected. "We need to take Liana out."

The three guys stared at her. "Why Liana?" Weenus asked.

"Liana….." Godfrey trailed off. "Neda's right," he confirmed to himself. "Liana needs to go. I agree."

"After that crazy stunt where she threatened all of us, I don't have to be told twice," David agreed as well. "She's just too out there."

"So, we all know the plan?" Godfrey asked. "We're sticking together as an alliance, and taking Liana out tonight."

"Good with me," Neda quickly agreed. "The faster Liana goes, the better."

"I'm down!" Weenus echoed.

"Liana makes sense to me too," David also added.

Godfrey grinned. "Then we're golden."

Static

Confessional: Neda

"I know, I'm a little rat, aren't I?" She told the camera. "But, it's the best thing for me. If I rat this alliance out, not only do the guys trust me more, but that also makes me look more desirable as a final two partner, since the Albatrosses on the jury will be mad at me for not going with them."

Neda tapped the top of her head with her index finger. "Thinking two steps ahead."

Static

Confessional: Godfrey

"It was smart of Neda to tell me about that alliance," Godfrey praised in the confessional. "I have to give her credit there. She could have gone with them and taken the three of us out, and been guaranteed the final 5, but she's sticking with us. That takes guts."

Godfrey then leans back, seemingly in thought. "And, this does give me a few wild ideas." Suddenly, he grins. "One in particular that just hit me seems very promising. And if it works out, it weakens David quite a bit too."

He devilishly grins. "Let's give it a go."

Static

The sky above began to fade from the bright blue of afternoon to the beautiful orange of dusk. And at the abandoned stage, Vivi sat on the edge, overlooking the woods.

"Where the hell….." she grumbled. "Elimination's coming up soon."

Almost on queue, Liana made her way out of the foliage and into the clearing. Vivi narrowed her eyes at her but said nothing as Liana locked eyes with her and made her way onto the stage as well. At the same time, Vivi stood and made her way towards the center of the stage.

In the center of the stage, the two girls stared each other down like two predators, sizing each other up. "Well, I'm here," Vivi spoke first. "What the hell did you want?"

Not in the mood for games, Liana shot back, "I want to make sure that you don't turn on me, Vivi."

Instantly, Vivi soured. "Me? You're worried about me?" She scoffed, unbelieving. "Hey, genius, you're the one that made a complete joke of herself after that last ceremony. I should be worried about you. Worried that you'd pull more dumb crap like that!"

However, Liana held her ground. "You're the wild card around here, Vivi," she bluntly told her. "My plans have a purpose. You're emotional and irrational. I just need to make sure that you fully understand the stakes of what's going down tonight."

However, Vivi was much more focused on another part of Liana's comment. "EMOTIONAL AND IRRATIONAL!?" The rocker bellowed, face flushed red with hate. "YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, ARE CALLING ME EMOTIONAL AND IRRATIONAL!?"

"This temper tantrum you're on is proving my point," Liana matter-of-factly responded.

Vivi was shaking with anger, rage practically emanating off of her like a nuclear reactor. "Liana, you are playing with so much fire-" She started to growl, but was cut off.

"Grow up. I know you want to win this game, like I do. I know you want to take me out. I want to take you out, too. I don't really care for you either," Liana flippantly told her. "And, once we take out the Crocs, you'll be able to take me out. You just have to hold onto that anger for a bit longer."

"And what's preventing me from voting for you tonight?" Vivi threatened. "I'd be rid of you like that," she shot back, snapping her fingers when saying that.

"Because if you do that, then you lose the game," Liana told her. "After me, it's John. And after John?" Liana stuck a finger directly into Vivi's chest. "It's you."

Vivi was silent for a few moments but then spoke in a quiet voice. "I promise," She said aloud, not even speaking to Liana. "That I will beat you." She then roughly stuck her finger into Liana's chest. "So, watch YOUR back."

"That's nice," Liana snidely said. "Let's get to the elimination ceremony," she then said, looking up at the purple sky. "It's looking like it's almost time."

As Vivi watched Liana's form retreat back into the forest, she felt nothing but hate.

"Welcome back, everyone!" Chris greeted his campers as they sat around the campfire. "Are you ready for another thrilling elimination ceremony?"

He was greeted by nothing but silence. "I'm not sure whether you are or you aren't, but to be honest, I'm fine with both," the host chuckled. "Anyway, to start it off, I wanna talk to our reigning and defending Rock-Paper-Scissors champion. How's it feeling, John?" the host asked.

He shrugged in response. "I don't much care about being the Rock-Paper-Scissors champion, but the immunity it came with feels pretty good."

Chris laughed at that. "I bet! Did you feel like you needed it tonight, John?" He then asked.

Another shrug from the artist. "I feel like everyone needs immunity every ceremony. At any rate, I'm much happier to have it than not."

Chris nodded, accepting the artist's answers. "And Weenus, you got second place. Does that bother you?"

"A little," the stuntman admitted. "It'd have been cool to win a challenge, but hey, them's the breaks. Plus, John's a cool guy, so losing to him doesn't feel that bad."

"A good way to look at it, Weenus," Chris praised, "But who knows, maybe you need the immunity tonight?"

Chris then turned to another camper. "Godfrey, how do you feel about the jury being a part of the game now?" He asked.

"I don't," Godfrey strongly told him.

"You don't?" Chris incredulously asked. "Not at all?"

"Not at all," Godfrey echoed. "I don't care about the jury at all. "I'm still playing this game the way I always have."

"Well, that is….something," Chris muttered, surprised. "If you think it'll work then, Godfrey."

"Liana, what about you?" He then asked the gambler. "Does the jury impact your game at all?"

"Of course it does," Liana nodded. "I'm finding that I need to be more aggressive in my game. If I want to impress the jury enough to give me money, I need to earn it."

Chris stood. "Well, it's about time that we find out who's becoming our second juror." He then picked up the plate of marshmallows. "Eight campers, seven marshmallows. Let's do this."

Chris picked up the first treat of the night. "And Marshmallow one goes to…..Vivi!"

The rocker silently caught her marshmallow, still radiating anger, and deftly threw it into the flames, imagining it was Liana's head she was incinerating.

"And, the second marshmallow will belong to…Weenus!"

"Yeah!" The stuntman loudly cheered as he tossed his marshmallow into his mouth. "Tasty!"

"And our third marshmallow of the night goes to…

…..John!"

The artist smirked and caught his marshmallow. "Immunity's not so bad," he joked to himself before eating his marshmallow.

"The numbers keep getting smaller because our fourth marshmallow goes to…..

….Wind!"

Happy, the hippy caught her treat and threw it into the fire.

"And, the next marshmallow of the evening goes to….

…..David!"

The Newfie wiped the sweat from his brow as he caught his marshmallow and ate it as well.

"Our penultimate marshmallow of the evening goes to…

….Neda!"

The superfan sighed and caught her marshmallow as well, and tossed it into the flames.

"Godfrey. Liana. There's one marshmallow left. Whoever doesn't get this marshmallow leaves Total Drama Island: Rewritten and becomes the second juror."

He picked up the marshmallow. "And that person is….

…Neither of you."

Chris placed the marshmallow back on his plate, no one looking particularly surprised. "For the first time this season, we have a tie. So, here's how we do ties on this season. Everyone, except Godfrey and Liana, will vote once more. There's gonna be no speaking during this process. So, everyone, go vote once more, and we'll tally the results."

After a second round of voting, Chris was back once again, holding the solitary last marshmallow. "Alright. We've tallied the votes once more. And, the person who will receive this last marshmallow is…

….Again, neither of you!"

The host laughed. "Once again, we're tied. At this point, we consider the vote deadlocked. So, we're going to a new method of elimination." Chris then tossed the last marshmallow into the fire, before retrieving a small burlap bag. "Since it's a deadlocked vote, we're going to decide the elimination randomly."

Godfrey and Liana both betrayed nothing on their faces as the host explained. "So, in my hand, I have a burlap bag. Inside this bag are two rocks. One is painted white, and one is painted red. If you draw the red stone, you're instantly eliminated. Sounds good?"

Both nodded in acceptance. "You'll both reach in and grab one rock, and keep it tightly closed in your hand until I say reveal. Then, you'll open your hands."

Explanation finished, Chris then walked over to Liana. "Ladies first. Liana, grab a rock."

Without a word, Liana reached in, grabbed a rock, pulled her hand out, and kept it tightly shut. Then, Chris walked to Godfrey. "One more rock for you, Godfrey."

"Into the wild green yonder, we go….." Godfrey muttered to himself as he grabbed the other rock in the bag.

After both campers had their rocks, Chris stood in front of them both. "Alright. On my word, you'll open your hands, reveal your rocks, and we'll find out who's leaving the game." He looked at them both. "Are you two ready?"

The pair nodded, anticipation thick on their faces. "Alright. On one…..two…three…re-"

"STOP!"

All attention turned from Godfrey and Liana to the owner of the sudden interruption, who was revealed to be Wind. The hippy had tears in her eyes and looked distraught. "This is not fair!"

"I'm sorry, Wind," Chris told the girl. "But this is how it has to be."

"But, both want to be here so bad!" She cried. "Both deserve it so much!"

"Deserve it as they may, someone has to go," Chris told her.

"Then…...I choose to quit the game."

Silence reigned over everyone, even Chris, as Wind's words sunk in, shock on every single person's face.

"Wind, come again?" Chris asked, clearly shocked.

"Godfrey and Liana have worked so hard to be here," she cried. "They've put their all into playing this game, and into winning. Something that I have not done. Something I am not capable of doing. They both deserve another opportunity to continue playing. And, I am giving up my place in the game so they can continue to do so."

"Wind, if you quit, then you're out, with no chance to come back. You're going straight to the jury house." Chris told her, his voice nothing but serious. "Are you sure that you're done?"

Wind nodded. "I understand, and wish to leave the game of my own volition, Chris."

Chris nodded in acceptance. "All right. Then Godfrey, Liana, you're both safe. Wind has chosen to leave the game, and thus, is now the second member of our jury."

"Wind, you can't do this!" Liana sobbed as she suddenly ran towards the hippy and smashed her with a hug. "Please, don't leave! You can't leave me!"

Wind wrapped Liana in a tender hug. "It is either me, or you, or Godfrey, Liana. You both deserve another chance to stay and fight. I, however, do not. I have not been giving this game the effort that it needs. You both have."

"You do!" Liana screamed. "You deserve it more than every freaking one here! Please don't go!"

The other campers, as well as the host, watched stone-silent as Liana begged her friend to not leave.

"It will be okay," Wind whispered. "I will be happier this way. And, you get another chance to play in this game. One that I know you will not squander."

Wind then released her hug on Liana, and turned to the rest of the campers. "Goodbye, everyone," She calmly told them, a serene look of acceptance on her face. "It has been an honor making all your acquaintances. I cannot wait to see you all again. Please make sure to remember that this is a game, and we are all just people at the end of the day. Do not lose your humanity. Please, be kind to one another."

The hippy received a chorus of goodbyes in response. John gave her a little wave, Neda wiped a tear from her eye, and even Vivi's raging aura softened at the departing hippy's words.

She then faced Liana again. "You are a very special person to me, Liana. I am thankful that this game, despite all the heartache it brought me, brought us together. I will see you again soon."

And with that, Wind calmly made her way to the dock of shame, and onto the boat of losers. The last thing anyone saw was the girl's thin form waving at them from the receding boat.

Godfrey, meanwhile, still sat on his log, decided to make sure.

Opening his hand, he saw a red stone.

He laughed. "Thanks, Wind. This one's for you."

Static

Confessional: Wind

The hippy is inside her hotel room at Playa Des Losers, a happy smile on her face. "I do not regret my actions. The game itself was an ugly thing. People forget their humanity, lying and betraying, all just for a million dollars. In hindsight, this show may not have been for me."

But then, a fond smile grows on her face. "But, I met many, many wonderful people, with all sorts of life experiences different from my own. And how I am leaving this game with many new friends. People that have changed my life for the better, and people who will make my life fuller going forward. And, in a way, I think that makes everything else worth it."

Static

Oh, Wind. You were such a delight to write. In a season full of schemers, liars, backstabbers, and more, having her on the cast broke up the sheer ruthlessness we've been seeing. But, it finally got to be enough for her, and she gives up her spot, so the arguably two biggest gamers can stay. What a good friend.

Funnily enough, she fits in better in other stories that she's in since those aren't as gameplay-based. But like I said earlier, she was just so far in over her head. And even though she's leaving, she left her mark on her fellow competitors. Especially Liana, who was extra distraught. So, Wind goes to the Jury House. And then there were 7!

Also, for this challenge, as well as a few of the Pressure Cooker eliminations, and the Q and A challenge, all the matchups were determined via a random wheel I googled. So fun matchups like Godfrey vs. David and Weenus were purely coincidental.

Thanks again for reading, everyone! See you next time.