As Izzy stood with her team, she became acutely aware that the sweltering heat was actually getting to her. So much so she had to lean against a practically melting Merida as all the contestants waited for Chris to fire up the next episode. Of course, the host didn't. Something about sponsors and the producers, or whatever. Izzy couldn't care any less, all she wanted was to escape this stupid desert.
It didn't help her team, consisting of the worst girl from the first season, the most complicated girl who was a finalist, and the girl with a toxic competitive drive now in boyfriend worry mode. And then there was the only boy, Cody, who seemed far too happy to be in an all girl team. It was more restrained than the first season, but it was there.
The Psycho Hose Beast was so not up to dealing with this. At least she had Merida, who seemed to share the same annoyance with this team of competitive powerhouses but the same could not be said when it came to the social side of things. One was manipulative, one was a loner, one was prissy, and one was oblivious. Not a good combo.
With her thoughts on her own team running in her head, Izzy looked over towards the other teams in a poor attempt to pass the time.
Team Chris Is Really Really Really Hot seemed fairly balanced, as even if they didn't make it that far, Izzy knew Eva, Noah and Tyler were super capable. The jock especially, if what he and Leshawna did helped at all. Owen won a season, and was surprisingly durable. But then there was Sierra and Alejandro, who were so new they could do anything. But like Izzy noticed before the initial lift off, both of them looked extremely strong.
Then there was Team Victory, which didn't seem to have that much longevity. Despite his persistence, Ezekiel was probably gonna get booted early, if not first. Bridgette was friendly, but she only stuck around so long I Island because she had the backup of Geoff and his buddies. And what happened in Action (the constant kissing) soured everyone's views of her. Leshawna was a powerhouse, and easy to frustrate and set off. Harold had an ego, one that would bite him in the but. And DJ was a softie, which made it easy to trap him in a moral corner.
Izzy shook her head, wondering where all this psychoanalysing came from. She wasn't one to point out flaws in others, especially so critically like she was planning to murder them. She only ever did that before Island and when exploring with her other friends.
She was nudged slightly, and the Psycho Hose Beast shook her head and looked at Merida. "You look like Who just explained time travel to you", the princess said with a smirk.
Izzy shrugged. "Just sizing up the competition, I guess." She looked back at the other two teams. "I'm just curious, wondering how things'll go." She ducked her head down and lowered the volume of her voice. "Especially with our mess of a team…"
Merida looked over at the other girls, who were already giving each other light glares. She winced at the sight, and nodded. "Bloody hell, you're right. This isn't going to be fun, is it?"
The Psycho Hose Beast shrugged a second time. "Depends. Winning is always nice, but if you almost died to get it, that's questionable. You never know with Chris…" Izzy absentmindedly looked over at said host, who was talking with Chef about something. Probably about how they could legally get away with this next challenge, which didn't leave a good feeling within her.
Heather broke Izzy's thoughts with a scoff. "Please, Chris is as predictable as they come. I wouldn't be surprised if he's wondering if he could just boot some of these lame-o's."
"Seriously?" Gwen deadpanned out. "What, worried we'll all gang up on you? We have more morals than you, Heather."
"Zip it, weird goth girl!" The queen bee spat.
Izzy rolled her eyes and looked at her other teammates. Courtney was unusually silent, looking out towards where Duncan walked off to. And Cody was trying way too hard to look cool by leaning against one of the poles. He was longingly looking at Gwen, failing to be subtle about it. But Sierra could be seen giving the Codemister goo-goo eyes from her team, which was not comforting in the slightest.
"Where's he going?" Merida mumbled. Izzy turned around to watch the host walk back to the plane, presumably.
"Probably to check up on Mr.Quitter…" The Psycho Hose Beast whispered, making the princess snort. Courtney heard, based on the glare she shot at both redheads. Merida glared right back while Izzy paid her no mind.
Things remained like that for a bit longer, with everyone dying under the Sahara's heat until Chris came back, looking flawless as always. God, it made Izzy want to punch him.
As the host walked back into position, an intern showed up and led each team to a mat that housed what they won for the previous part of the challenge. Team Amazon crowed close by their camel, poignantly keeping a bite of distance to avoid the smell.
"I can't believe Duncan got disqualified", Gwen suddenly said out loud. "Just cause he won't sing!"
"Maybe he can't sing", Heather said in a smug tone.
"Oh he can do anything he sets his mind to", Courtney countered. "And now he's stuck on the plane, waiting for a ride home! Poor thing, he must be miserable…"
"Yeah, if it was Opposite Day", Merida droned out. "He's a punk, so I know he's happy to skip out on a show that forces him to sing."
"Oh, what do you know?!" The ex-CIT spat.
Merida and Courtney became locked into a heated glaring contest, Izzy's attention so entrapped by it she failed to notice Sierra walk up with a goofy smile.
"Duncan and Courtney fans will be devastated", the fangirl began, making Izzy do a double take to look at her. "But I think you and Owen have a shot of becoming 'Fav Total Drama Couple' on my fan site."
Izzy was silent for a moment before laughing a bit. It was very much forced, which no one except Merida picked up on. "Yeah, that'd be fun." The redhead paused. "Fun fact, when he breathes through his nose, it whistles the national anthem!"
"Super cute! But he's no Cody…" Sierra trailed off a bit to watch said boy walk passed. "Did you know Cody slept with a stuffed Emu named Jerry till he was…" she paused to sigh dreamily. "Well okay, he still does."
"And you know this how?" Noah asked, apparent out of thin air.
"I called his aunt. I pretended I was a telemarketer!"
"Ooooo, stalkerlicious…"
Everyone fell silent when the crash of cymbals echoed through the air, this time courtesy of Chef (who was dressed similarly as Chris). The host, meanwhile, munched on a bowl filled with grapes, using one intern as a very sore looking seat, and having another fan him with a giant leaf.
"Don't know about you guys, but I am loving Egypt", the host said mid chew. He ate another grape. "And I'm gonna love it even more watching you enjoy your second challenge! The Amazing Camel Race!"
Harold looked around in confusion. "Where are the other camels?"
"There are no other camels!"The host said in annoyance. "This is a camel race, not a camels race." Izzy pursed her lips in annoyance at the dumb reason while Heather celebrated, and Alejandro and Leshawna complained.
"Each reward has its advantages, trust me", the host continued. "You'll be racing to the world's most infamous waterway, the Nile. Teams must bring their rewards all the way to the finish. You have 60 seconds to strategize!"
As soon as Chris finished, Heather hopped onto the peak of the camel's hump in the blink of an eye. "Move it people! It's a race", The queen bee commanded.
"Uh, hello? It's called Team Amazon", Courtney said matter-of-factly. "Not Dictatorship Amazon."
"Great. Well I'll stop being bossy when you start doing things right!"
The rest of the team didn't make much of a fuss as they all climbed onto the camel's limited back space. Izzy rested on the neck of the animal, Merida was right behind her, then it was Gwen, Heather, and then Courtney. The Psycho Hose Beast scratched the side of the camel's head, smiling sweetly. She then said something… very odd, which made the others raise their eyebrows.
"I just introduced myself in Camelese", Izzy said with a goofy smile.
"I… bet you did", Gwen said in an unsure tone. Merida, meanwhile, rolled her eyes with a smile, which did boost Izzy's confidence. But all of that came to a screeching halt when Cody attempted to climb up and squeeze between Gwen and Merida.
"Hey, fancy meeting you here", the boy tried to say in a chill way. "Wanna go out for a slushie later?"
"Cody, hey…" Gwen said with a forced happy tone. "Listen, I still really appreciate you setting me up with Trent that time."
"That's right. And now that he's gone…" The Codemister flashed a very rough looking smirk. "Yeah, I'm available."
"Oh bloody hell…" Merida said in second hand embarrassment, burying her face in her hands.
"Hear that?" Heather said. "It's the sound of girls all over the world running and rushing just desperate to… lock their doors!" That made the others on the team laugh, and Cody to sink down in embarrassment.
Cody made his way to the back of the camel, doing his best to make a spot for himself with what little space was left.which sadly meant he had to hang on from the butt, much to his clear discomfort. Izzy sighed, mainly because of his desperation. Then she remembered what Sierra said before Chris started to speak, and she began to fear for that boy and his future.
But then a small thought wormed its way into her brain: What would the future be like, after the show? Would they all go home? Vanish into thin air? Or just keep on going like nothing happened?
She couldn't dwell on it long, as Chris began to speak once again. "Alright! Nile's thataway!" He pointed toward the endless expanse of sand that stretched beyond the horizon. "Kinda big, blue and watery. Can't miss it. Or I guess you can… but then you'll die. Probably get killed by the local scarab beetles." Izzy felt a chill run up her body as she and Merida snapped the attention fully onto the host. "It's mating season, and they get all… Killy when they're in heat."
"I am glad there aren't any out here", Leshawna mentioned. "Those things are nasty!"
"I'll tell them you said so." The host gestured to a massive urn Chef was next to, and with a mighty push Hatchet knocked it over. Out of the ancient pot came a massive horde of scarab beetles, which made all members of Team E-Scope pale at the memory from being inside the pyramid.
Everyone began to panic as the black mass of violent bugs scurried around, with Team Victory hopping from foot to foot, and the teams with the animals stuck over the literal sea of death. Izzy noticed the intern Chris was standing on was just a lifeless skeleton now, which horrified her.
It was then a familiar ding sounded off. "Ooooo, time for a song!" Chris said happily. "Think of it as a mini challenge. Music can soothe the savage mate-seeking scarabs. So, make up a good song and maybe they won't kill ya'. Or don't, and get disqualified like Duncan." Everyone groaned at that, and Merida cringed.
"This is gonna be miserable…" the princess groaned quietly. She used Izzy as a wall, bonking her head against the Psycho Hose Beast's back as a very upbeat drum track kicked up. Of course, however, everyone sounded horrible, which post-production will probably try and improve upon. It made Izzy's ears ring, except when Courtney sang.
Izzy said her piece for the song, and even Merida offered a single line with very minimal effort into her voice. Both redheads silently agreed they would sing their own song after the princess said her dues, hopefully in a way that pleases Chris. For now, they just played along, singing with everyone till Ezekiel's horrific singing voice derailed the song with a mismatched lyric.
Everyone screamed and ran, with Izzy urging her team's camel along as they raced away from the crowd of angry beetles. Chris blew his air horn, and all three teams disappeared over a sand dune, heading towards the Nile.
~X~
Team Amazon and Team Chris Is Really Really Really Hot were neck-in-neck as their animals raced across the scorching desert sands at a decent but relaxed pace. Team Victory was long gone, but Izzy didn't care much about that. Sure, she liked them, but this was a competition.
…Where did that come from?
Izzy shook her head, focusing her attention back to the horizon ahead of her. Merida looked around absentmindedly, taking in the vast expanse of nothing special around her.
"Never been to a desert this big before", she admitted. "Never really picked my interest. Now that I'm here…" She covered her eyes as she subtly looked up at the blazing sun. "I can safely say I hate it."
"You and me both, Merida…" Gwen groaned out. She shifted, looking down at the camel. "Doesn't help this isn't the most comfortable thing ever."
"Keep up complaining, goth girl", Heather spat sarcastically. "The more you do, the more I might end up joining Duncan."
"That'd be amazing, so maybe I should."
Heather growled, then shifted her glare from Gwen to the back of the camel's head. "Can't this thing move any faster?! I don't want to be stuck out here with any of you much longer. Especially in this heat."
"Put a sock in it, Heather", Courtney spat in annoyance.
Izzy's eye twitched, but she forced a smile as she looked back at Cody. "How are you holding up, Cody? Sorry Ruby didn't have space." At the strange looks she got, she elaborated. "His name is Ruby." She pet the side of the camel's head.
"Great! Thanks for-", he winced when the camel's tail whacked him in the head, "-asking! As long as it doesn't-", again he winced, "go number three!"
"Just hang on, Cody", Merida said. "We shouldn't be far. I hope…"
Things were silent for a moment before Heather looked back behind herself at the other team. "We're gonna go win the race now, see ya'!" She blew them a raspberry.
"Eat sand, losers!" Courtney added.
"Such witty remarks from such fiercely intelligent women", Alejandro called back. "I'm both humbled and intrigued!"
"Nice try, but I'm with Duncan", Courtney said, trying to blow off the compliment.
"And what a pity it is that you should give yourself to a quitter, who doesn't deserve you."
Courtney began to stammer at the completely uncalled for remark, which set Merida off.
"Oi! You bloody bastard leave my team alone! It's also not very gentlemenly to insult someone behind their back. My mum taught me that when I was a tot!"
Alejandro flinched back in surprise as the rest of Team Amazon began to quietly chuckle. The Spaniard glared at his competition, only to earn a shit-eating grin from the princess. Izzy snorted and returned her attention to the desert ahead, squinting as she searched for the Nile.
"Do you see the Nile yet, Izzy?" Heather called out.
The Psycho Hose Beast snapped her gaze around like a meerkat, then slumped. "Nope, not yet…"
"Uh… guys?" Cody said in worry. Where'd the other team go?" All the girls swung their gazes around and sure enough, Team Chris had vanished into thin air.
The girls all darted their gazes around, but all they could see was sand, sand, sand and more sand. And the occasional cactus.
"We're all alone out here!" Gwen complained, eyes a bit frantic.
"Does anyone know where we are?" Heather demanded.
"Planet Earth, in the biggest sandbox anyone can find themselves in", Izzy said as she looked around.
There was a beat of silence, and the three TD veterans cried at once "We're lost!"
"Well this just made my day", Merida grumbled as she stood up, balancing on the camel as best she could. She scanned the surroundings, glaring fiercely. "I'm not dying out here, so either you better help me find this river or I'll leave you behind and take Izzy back to the plane."
No one else complained as they hopped off the camel and began to scan the horizon, trying to find any sort of sign. Izzy moved and stood tall on the peak of the camel's hump, scanning the surrounding area like a hawk. When she looked towards the direction they came, she spotted, very faintly, what looked to be a subtle blue body of water.
"Over there!" She called out, pointing towards the Nile. Her teammates all cheered, and they all scrambled back to their spots on the camel. It was frustrating, being behind and having missed their destination barely, but now they were back on track. As they went, Izzy closed her eyes, the warm desert breeze blowing past her, she began to hum. And soon that quiet hum became a soft song.
I heard them calling in the distance,
So I packed my things and ran…
The other girls and Cody looked at her in confusion, while Merida simply smiled and swayed along with the beat. They knew this song, Mountain Sound by Of Monsters And Men. But the others didn't need to know.
Far away from all the trouble,
I had caused with my two hands…
Merida softly hummed along with her fellow redhead, eyes closed as the camel crossed the desert at a relaxed pace. But it seemed the music was getting to the animal, who began to almost trot to the nonexistent beat, nearly unnoticeable.
Alone we travelled on with nothing but a shadow,
We fled far away…
Merida took over singing at this point, singing the chorus beautifully. Heather, Gwen and Courtney all shared surprised looks, and the two redheads didn't sing this well when they were dealing with the scarab beetles a couple hours back.
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)!
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)!
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)!
Through the woods, we ran!
Izzy sung with Merida, the two of them in almost perfect sync as the song became more uplifting. While their teammates were just stuck in silent shock at the sudden song, the desert almost seemed to cool drastically.
Some hid scars and some hid scratches,
It made me wonder about their past…
Courtney squinted, suspicion seeping through her. Heather was just bored. Gwen was smiling, actually enjoying this little moment. And Cody… well he was basically glued to the camel's ass. He couldn't enjoy this song so much.
And as I looked around, I began to notice,
That we were nothing like the rest…
Izzy stood up, leaning against the camel's head as it marched onward, eyes sparkling.
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)!
Through the woods, we ran (deep into the mountain sound)!
Hold your horses now (we sleep until the sun goes down)!
Through the woods, we ran!
Merida and Izzy sang together in unison as their team climbed over another sand dune, with their song reaching its peak, and wind down.
Whoa…
We sleep until the sun goes down!
Whoa…
We sleep until the sun goes down!
The Psycho Hose Beast finished off the song, returning to her original position as the camel finally made it over the dune, with the Nile not that much farther.
Whoa…
We sleep until the sun goes down…
Team Amazon's camel came to a halt when it reached the bank of the river, with the other two teams already there and hard at work. The rest of Team Amazon were stuck in silent gobsmacked shock as the camel trotted over to the shore and came to a stop. Izzy and Merida were quick to hop off the animal and look around, quickly piecing together they needed to make some sort of boat made out of river reeds.
The biggest complication, based on the clues presented, was that the boat needed to contain their reward from the last challenge. Which means while Team Victory only needed to transport a stick across, and Team Chris had a fairly content goat… Amazon had to somehow get a camel across the crocodile infested water.
"Well this is just great…" Heather snarled. "We were in the lead, and now we're last!"
"The more you complain, the more we fall behind", Courtney spat. "So shut up and help us weave a boat!"
"Sorry you guys are so far behind", Sierra said sadly, deciding to talk to Izzy of all people. "Our basket's nearly done thanks to my speed weaving."
"Plus you got Team E-Scope on your team, Lu-cky!" The Psycho Hose Beast said happily.
"But you got Cody…" The fangirl ran past and hugged the clearly uncomfortable geek closely, making Izzy internally cringe. "I know Cody, I wish we were on the same team too!"
Cody sheepishly chuckled. "I, uh, have to do something…" He dashed off in the blink of an eye, most of his team doing a double take at how fast he was.
"You guys are pretty… cute together", Izzy said, stuck between awkwardness and tension seeing the interaction.
"Maybe we could swap teams!" Sierra looked ecstatic.
Izzy's smile instantly fell and her eyes widened just barely at that simple, innocent, but oh-so disastrous suggestion.
"Trade a basket-case for a basket-weaver?" Heather said as she held a bundle of reeds, making Izzy's heart drop into her stomach and Merida to pause and watch in horror.
"Now, hang on-" Izzy began, only to be cut off.
"Fine! Sierra, you're with us. Izzy, go play with the boys."
"What?!" Alejandro said in indignant frustration. Almost instantly, Sierra, ignoring her ex teammate, ran past and started weaving a boat for her new team, Izzy and Merida in silent shock at the whole way things transpired.
"Wow, she's amazing!" Courtney said in disbelief, Gwen silently nodding along in agreement.
"Maybe you should think about listening to me a bit more this time around", Heather said with her nose raised.
This made the Ex-CIT and Goth giggle quietly, and a certain Scottish princess to nearly explode in rage.
"Bloody 'ell like we should!" Merida roared, tugging on the Queen Bee's short ponytail as a furious fire burned in her eyes. "You didn't even ask me or Izzy if we were okay with it!"
"I agree", Alejandro said angrily, only it was more contained. "Chris wouldn't allow this."
"Excuse me", Chris said as he stood on the bow of a speedboat Chef was driving. "Did somebody-"
The host was cut off when Sierra suddenly ran up and hugged his legs. "This is officially the best day of my life! So I really hope you allow us to swap. But of course, you'll make the best decision, 'cause you're the best decider ever!"
"And that's why… I'm going to allow it!" Chris shot a smug grin, making Sierra squeal happily and return to her basket making. The host waved as the boat backed up back to the other side of the river, leaving a dumbstruck Izzy and Merida, and a disappointed Alejandro in his wake.
"As you wish…" The Spaniard said in defeat. Heather stuck her tongue out at him, only for the young man to bounce back with a blown kiss, which made the Queen Bee scowl and turn her head.
While all of this was happening, Izzy remained completely silent, staring ahead into space, still as a statue. It all happened so fast, she could barely register what was actually happening until Merida walked up and rested a hand on her shoulder. This snapped the Psycho Hose Beast out of her stupor, and made her face the princess.
"Well, this bloody sucks." The Dun Broch princess groaned. "Right when we thought we'd dominate this show, they break us up."
"It just… How… How is this fair?" Izzy said in a shocked whisper. "They didn't even ask me."
Merida opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when Heather shouted. "Merida! Quit talking with the basket-case and help us!"
The princess' eye twitched, and Izzy frowned. "You have your other friends, and we can still hang out between challenges." She pat Izzy's shoulder. "Good luck."
Izzy waved as Merida walked away, and then let out a sigh as she joined her new team with Alejandro. Owen beamed as she approached, Eva nodded with a grunt, and Noah hummed with a flat look. Tyler was just kind of there, awkwardly fumbling to try and pick up where Sierra left off. It didn't look good, especially since Sierra finished putting the last finishing touches on Team Amazon's now impressive reed boat.
"Team Amazon rocks!" The opposing team shouted as they posed in front of their boat. Except Merida, who scowled and crossed her arms.
"Not cool!" "So unfair…" Owen and Tyler said simultaneously.
"Ugh, how is that fair?!" Eva snarled, tightening her fist around a bunch of reeds and used that strength to rip them out of the water. As she went to feed more, she paused, then gave her redhead friend a look. "It's weird this is the second time this has happened to you, huh?"
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked as she continued to try and salvage their half finished boat.
"Back in season one you swapped teams so the Wonder Twins could be together. Now you're swapped so that crazy chick can be with the dweeb. It's weird the only team swaps happen with you."
Izzy was silent for a moment as she processed what her friend had said. "Huh. I never realised that. I guess they just thought I'd be cool with it since I did it before."
Noah, who was with them, raised an eyebrow. "What, you didn't want to switch teams this time?"
Izzy shook her head. "Sierra suggested it, and Heather just rolled with it. I didn't get a word in, and now I'm here. Pretty peeved, because I was looking forward to doing this with Merida… Since it's her first time and all."
The bookworm hummed. "I guess that makes sense. But what's done is done."
Izzy's shoulders sagged. "Yeah…"
Time ticked on as the remaining two teams worked on their boats. Team Chris was okay up to a point, where they had to do a bit of a rush job in the back as Team Victory constructed a boat with shocking speed to try and gain the lead. As Izzy's new team added the finishing touches to their boat, the Psycho Hose Beast noticed Amazon was struggling to get their camel to move.
As Cody tried and failed to move the mammal, the other Amazons facepalmed or winced. "Izzy, tell Ruby to get in the boat!"
Izzy looked over, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, unsure if she should comply. But before she could, Noah stood up and shushed her. "Woah, woah, Izzy's on our team now. Not yours." He gave Izzy a flat look. "Not a word."
the redhead sheepishly chuckled and returned to the task at hand, and soon enough they had finished the boat. The back end was a bit rushed, but the boat at least floated. As Team Chris filled into their reed boat, Alejandro whistled and caught their goat with ease. With that, they were off, with Izzy, Owen, Tyler and Noah rowing. Eva stood tall next to Alejandro, watching Team Amazon struggle.
The Spaniard shared a look with the raging bull, who just shrugged, so the unofficial team leader looked back at the struggling team. "We're going to win fair and square. But to make sure you believe that…" he looked over his shoulder at Izzy. "Talk to the camel."
Izzy hesitated for a moment, before quickly spouting out a load of incomprehensible nonsense, which made Ruby the camel finally climb aboard the Amazon's boat. Team Victory had just gotten into the water and was gaining fast, with Team Amazon close behind. It was close…
Only to be made all the more frustrating when a familiar ding sounded off.
"Time for a musical reprise!" Chris announced happily, while the contestants all groaned. "Hey, if you all finished the song the first time, we wouldn't be here now. ZEKE!"
The host earned a sadistic grin as everyone glared at the homeschooler, who shrunk down a tad in shame and embarrassment.
"Start singing! And put your backs into it!"
And so for the rest of the boat trip across the Nile, everyone was forced to sing as crocodiles snapped at them from the waters below. A few times Izzy smacked some with her paddle whenever they made attempts to chomp Team E-Scope. It was brutal and exhausting, but in the end they all made it out alive and in one piece.
Each team grouped up together, tired, sweaty and already so done with Egypt. Luckily, Chris walked up and stretched his arms out as he began to speak.
"Congrats", he began. "You're alive." Eva and Noah rolled their eyes. "And, as long as you all brought your rewards across the finish line, there will be no elimination tonight!"
This made everyone break out into proud cheers, only for Izzy to quiet a bit when she saw Ezekiel looking around in worry. He then faced his team and sheepishly laughed.
"I lost the stick…" He looked down in shame when his team all glared at him.
Chris chuckled. "Wow, sucks to be you."
~X~
A few hours later, the plane was back in flight. Since Team Amazon were the first to cross the finish line, they got First Class, leaving Team Chris and Victory in Economy Class. As the plane soared through the bright yellow Sahara sky, Izzy looked out the window with a dour look on her face.
She let out a sigh, which caught the attention of her boyfriend, who was sitting next to hear, strapped in. "You okay, Iz?"
The redhead shrugged. "Just bummed we lost. We were the first in the waters, but second to cross."
"I blame those stupid crocodiles", Eva spat as she sat on Izzy's other side. "If those things didn't jump out at us, we would've won and got those plush chairs."
"Still, at least we're alive", Noah droned out as he sat on the opposite side of Eva. He opened a book and began to scan the pages. "You all know Chris would never let actual harm befall us."
"Yeah! Right on, little buddy!" Owen cheered. The other three shot him a flat look, and he got the message. "Oh. You were… joking… But Chris isn't that mean…"
"That's cause he knows you're an audience favourite", Eva said flatly. "Some of us aren't as lucky.
Izzy gave Eva a sad look, who just scowled back. "I don't need your pity, Iz. I've been fine without it! All I care about is winning, and crushing those backstabbing Ex-Bass!"
"Still sucked into revenge I see…" Noah said with a grin. "Easy, don't want you getting arrested mid season."
Owen giggled and Eva rolled her eyes, although there was a sense of playfulness in them. Izzy smiled lightly, happy that being with herself and the guys has made Eva more open. But all the jovialness was lost as soon as Tyler walked by, heading into the dining hall.
Eva growled as the jock's leaving form, before she stood up and headed in the opposite direction. "I'll be back. Just need to… stretch…" The raging bull disappeared around a corner, leaving the others behind.
"She was pretty angry when we got to the Nile", Noah explained. "Tyler was probably gonna be a red stain in the sand if Alejandro didn't step in. Guy had guts, and only an idiot would get between Eva and her target."
Owen nodded while Izzy snorted. It was just then the Psycho Hose Beast noticed said Spaniard was absent at the moment.
"Speaking of… where is Al?" The redhead darted her head about, looking for their missing teammate.
"We went off towards the confessional last I ran into him", Noah said.
"Thanks." Izzy stood up and went to make her way to the private camera.
Owen looked at her like a curious puppy. "Whatcha' doing, Iz?"
"Just gonna talk to Al for a bit, then use the confessional. Be back… soon, hopefully." Izzy didn't notice the two guys share a curious look as she left.
Thankfully, it didn't take long till she made her way to the confessional just as Alejandro stopped using it. The Spaniard looked over with intrigue as Izzy approached and stopped before him.
"Hola, Senorita", he greeted with a smile. "Funny running into you here."
"Well, I had two things to do." Izzy explained. "One, I wanted to use the confessional. But two, I needed to talk to you."
Alejandro raised a dubious eyebrow. "Oh? How come?"
"That I'm sorry about the team swap. If it means anything, I would've preferred to stay on Team Amazon. I love Team E-Scope, don;t get me wrong, but I was looking forward to working with Merida."
"Ah yes, the woman with a very sharp tongue", the Spaniard said in remembrance. "She is very aggressive, I'm surprised you wouldn't just willingly team up with Eva."
Izzy chuckled. "If only you knew… But seriously, I'm sorry about the swap."
"Don't apologise, Senorita. It was out of our control, and what Chris says is final. So don't beat yourself up over it. Now…" he stepped aside. "The confessional is all yours."
Izzy nodded and muttered a quiet thank you before slipping in and locking the door. Making sure the lock was secured, she took out a small black piece of construction paper she snagged from her luggage and placed it in front of the confessional's camera. With a shaky breath, she pulled out her phone and opened the group chat.
~
WildChild666: Hey guys. Sooooooo… I guess you saw what happened…
OniChampionOfPurgatory: FORCED TO SWAP TEAMS WHAT A LOAD OF BULLSHIT!
TrollWhisperer11: I can't believe Chris would just be fine with that. It seems so unfair.
PageantQueenLB: Based on what Izzy told us, it's safe to say Chris just does what he wants. It's like Buttsquat grew up and was in charge of SunnySmiles… Ehg, just thinking about it gives me chills.
WildChild666: He really does suck, yeah. Plus, you guys don't know everything that happens behind the camera. Dude's a loon with a capital L.
ImaginationKid: Yeah, but how are you holding up? Stuck in Egypt, and forced to swap away from Merida. I know you got Eva, Noah and Owen now, but… I'm just curious.
WildChild666: …I honestly don't know. I guess I'm still in shock.
EleventhHour: A totally understandable reaction. Considering how sudden it was, of course.
SafestKidEver: Still, I can't believe he just rug pulled you like that. Such a cheap move.
RoryWilliam_Pond: I'm really worried about Cody, too. Did you see how Sierra was acting around him?
PopSmarts_Lover07: Her behaviour is already extremely disturbing, and I worry for that boy's safety. Hopefully Merida can keep her in check.
KosmosKat: Well, regardless, I hope you're okay now Iz. That heat must've sucked.
WildChild666: It really did, but at least the plane is chill. At least to a more comfortable temperature.
PageantQueenLB: Glad it didn't get to you. Heat stroke sucks. Trust me, Sawyer went into very graphic detail once.
WildChild666: Hahahahaha… yeah. Listen, I gotta cut this short. I'm in the confessional, and I blocked the camera. So I need to go before Chris gets suspicious.
ImaginationKid: Of course, Izzy. Stay safe, we're rooting for ya'!
WildChild666: Bye!
~
As soon as she turned off her phone, the single message from Gretchen began to aggressively bounce in her head.
Heat stroke sucks. Trust me, Sawyer went into very graphic detail once.
Izzy didn't feel the least bit woozy in the Sahara Desert, which only freaked her out. In the hottest place in the world and she acts like it's just no different than a typical Canadian summer. It made her heart do a backflip.
But when she looked at the camera, she stopped her thoughts before they could spiral. Quickly, she took off the black paper and took a deep breath, preparing herself for a confessional.
~
(Confessional - Why does Chris hate me?)
Izzy - "So, I was swapped and now me and Merida are competing. Does that suck? Yes, it totally does, I was really looking forward to teaming up with her." She paused and sighed. "But I guess this is how it worked out in the end. At least I have Team E-Scope with me!"
The smile she wore didn't reach her eyes, and she dropped the facade. "Oh who am I kidding, this is gonna f/king suck…"
~
Merida - "Bloody 'ell, Heather can do one!" The princess groaned and dragged her hands roughly down her face. "She just decides Izzy is the one to swap with the lunatic, and now I'm going in more helpless than I would like. I'm capable, but I seriously think thi team will break my sanity."
She sighed. "Still, could be worse. I could be stuck with Team Victory." She chuckled with a shake of her head. "Talk about setting yourselves up for failure with a name like that."
The princess groaned one last time as the camera cut out.
~X~
And thus ends another chapter of this globe-trotting adventure. We say goodbye to Egypt with a twist on the team swap in the og episode. As you can see, Izzy definitely seems less on board than canon, which will only get worse as time goes on.
Also, sorry this took a while to release. Writing motivation crumbled when a bunch of IRL stuff started happening, so I'm a bit out of it.
Otherwise, I hope y'all enjoy this.
Up next: A trip to the Japanese capital has Izzy reminisce about a past adventure she once had…
~Caleb~
