The plane was surprisingly quiet as it flew to its next destination. There wasn't any tension that could be felt, probably because Leshawna was gone. Which must've been relieving for Heather, who was trying to cover up all the injuries the Sister With 'Tude left her with. While she could cover up most of it, the black eye and missing tooth were a whole other story.
As the Queen Bee sighed and closed her pocket mirror with a sigh, she was greeted with the smug look of Courtney.
"You look good", she said smugly. The Queen Bee scoffed and rolled her eyes, although caught Merida elbowing the Ex-CIT and shooting her a glare.
"Merida!" Courtney hissed as she rubbed the place she took the elbow. "I thought you hated Heather, what the heck?"
"Up to a point", the princess said in a somewhat distracted tone. "She's still on our team, and even I wouldn't go as far as Leshawna did." The redhead glanced at the other team across from her, now only three left and Leshawna gone. "I don't want Heather getting all high and mighty, but being beaten down like that is too far."
The other Amazons all gave the princess a look, while Heather had the very faintest grateful glint flash in her eyes. Merida grunted and crossed her arms.
"Plus", the princess continued. "The more we go at each other's throats, the more we'll lose. Team Chris has won four times because we're always scrambling and arguing. Need I remind you three that if it wasn't for me, Cody and Sierra, we would've lost in Japan."
Gwen looked down with a sigh. "I hate how much you're right. It's just hard. I've been stuck on a team with her", the Goth pointed at the Queen Bee, "For two other seasons. And no matter what we were butting heads."
"Which is why you both", Merida shot Heather a glare, "need to stop and just… compromise. My mum and some of my friends always say this, and right now, you two need to do that now."
"How am I any part of this?!" Heather complained. "I've been trying to help us win, and I'm the one being dragged down!"
"Considering you've whipped Courtney, complained endlessly in every challenge, and you've tried to claim team leader. All of that makes you such a target, and you don't even realise it."
Heather, for once, looked panicked as all the rest of the team nodded. She looked back up at Merida, who was now standing over her with arms crossed and a scowl on her face.
After a few moments of silence, the Queen Bee relented with a sigh, "Fine. I get it, I've been a bad teammate. I'll work with you losers and 'play fair' so we can win."
The princess nodded and sat back down, Courtney and Gwen giving her wide-eyed looks of shock.
"How did you do that?" The Ex-CIT asked.
Merida shrugged and adjusted her ponytail. "My mum is basically the one that calls the shots at home. My dad is a good leader, but he's pretty… I'll just say he's not too observant. But bloody 'ell, he'll take on anyone that threatens his family. He's actually the reason I'm into archery."
Gwen was silent for a moment before smiling. "That's pretty cute. He must be pretty good."
"He has to be." The princess crossed her legs and rested her hands behind her head. "Our home is a bit more… rural. So there's a lot of forests, and a lot of bears. When I was a wee tot, my family was having a day out just for fun. Suddenly, this massive bear lumbered out of the tree line as my dad showed me how to fire an arrow."
Team Victory was getting caught in the story. Lindsay gasped and Beth's eyes' widened. "What happened?" DJ looked terrified.
"What else but my dad taking the bear on with his bare hands." The princess leaned forward. "I remember mum getting as far away as possible, and soon my dad showed up while being carried by two… family friends." She sighed with a smile. "My dad lost his right leg, but that didn't stop him. The news around home spread fast, and my dad was heralded as a hero."
The princess leaned back again. "To this day he still hasn't shut up."
Cody gave off an impressed smile while Sierra scribbled into her notepad. "Holy cow, that's amazing!" The geek's eyes sparkled. "You dad must've been as strong as Chef to do that!"
Merida made a face. "Eeeeehhhh… Maybe a bit bigger. And stronger."
"So you think your dad could take on Chef?" Heather said in a doubtful tone. She was only half-listening, but the princess didn't care.
"Aye, probably. Who knows, my dad can be tripped up by the living hurricane that's my triplet brothers."
"Wait… You have a trio of triplet bothers?" The fangirl said, pausing her writing. Merida glared at the notebook, and the superfan tucked it away with a sheepish smile before the princess continued.
"Yeah. I love them, but lord they love trouble. If you're in their radar, you are screwed."
"Noted", DJ said in a nervous tone.
Merida smirked. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I can bring them along for a reunion if that's something that happens."
Gwen groaned. "Yeah… I'd rather not be forced into taking part in a reunion. Once we're done with this season, I'm done with Total Drama."
"I'm with you on that, Gwen…" Courtney said with a sigh.
After that, things fell into a calm silence. With everything moving on, Merida decided to stretch her legs so she was more ready for the next challenge. So with a quiet sigh, she stood up and headed into the Common Area. It was empty, as usual, which gave Merida just the time she needed to head over to a seat furthest from the Economy's doorway and pulled out her phone.
~
DunBrochQueen: Okay, hey guys. Sorry me or Iz didn't text at all for a bit. Things got… complicated.
BrightSide: It's alright Merida. Both of you have been in a stressful situation, so don't feel like you need to text us. Also…We know.
DunBrochQueen: Caleb told you, huh?
ManoloSanchez: Yes, he did. But we're really torn apart right now. Scrap hasn't come out of her room, and she'll only let Molten, Katania and Caleb in. We're all pressed right now and it's been hard.
PopSmarts_Lover07: But we have been able to stay caught up on that blasted show. Because of the turn things took, me and Who had to rig up a system to alert us if anything massive is happening. Because as of this moment, we can't all have a watch party together.
DunBrochPrincess: Bloody 'ell… Do you think I could talk to Baby?
ManoloSanchez: She turned her phone off. She hasn't been online for the last three, four days.
BrightSide: Trust me, Merry. It's best you just focus on Izzy. We'll handle things here, just make sure Izzy doesn't spiral. Iris is really worried about her daredevil partner, and the doctors' system alerted us about… Izzy's push to victory in Germany…
DunBrochQueen: Okay, so I wasn't the only one who saw her use a bloody heat action?!
OniChampionOfPurgatory: I'm so fucking proud of her, but also hate how it came out. I taught her that for self defence… Mainly. And now she just does it on TV against a rival. She has guts, but my god she's so fucking stupid.
ManoloSanchez: MAJIMA
BrightSide: GORO, WHAT THE HECK
PopSmarts_Lover07: MAJIMA THAT WAS TOO FAR
OniChampionOfPurgatory: Yeah, I think I crossed a line. Caleb-Chan is here, and not happ
-OniChampionOfPurgatory left
DunBrochQueen: Make sure Caleb doesn't kill 'em, and make sure Baby is okay by the time I get back.
BrightSide: We got it, Merry, don't worry. Just focus on yourself and Izzy.
DunBrochQueen: Thanks Ruby. Good luck on your end.
BrightSide: We'll need it. Love ya', Merry.
DunBrochQueen: Love you too, Ruby.
~
The archer let out a rough breath, setting her phone screen down on the table and leaning back. With her free hand, she pinched the bridge of her nose and released a tired sigh. This was such a nightmare, and now here she was on a show torn between several places. Her team at each other's throats, this blasted show as a whole, Izzy's mental health, Baby having an episode at the Capital, and just so much more smaller things that all stack up.
She felt like she was going to implode.
But, she couldn't. Not now. She was Merida, princess of Dun Broch, the girl who bested Mor'du (with some help), and she wasn't gonna crack until she felt she couldn't handle it any more. So with a determined look, she stuffed her phone into her pocket and stood up, ready to tackle the day.
But as she was gonna head back into Economy, Noah walked in and headed straight for her.
"I was hoping you were here", he deadpanned. "If you were in the Cargo Hold I would've just given up.
"Oooookay…" The princess glanced side to side. "What's this about?"
The bookworm sighed. "I just wanted to talk to you about… Izzy." He walked over to the nearest stool and sat down. "I might not show it, but I do care about people. In my own special way. And Owen, Eva and Izzy know that. And right now, I need to return the favour."
He looked at the princess as she sat across from him. "You and Izzy are close, I get that. So I want you to promise me you'll keep an eye out for her. I don't know what she could be going through, but you most likely do. So whatever happens… Support her."
"Already on that, Noah." Merida flashed him a smile. "So don't you worry."
"Okay, cool." The bookworm flashed a smile before standing up and leaving, presumably heading back to First Class. When he vanished, Merida began to wonder why Noah had to even ask her that. Was Izzy getting worse?
Or was there something big bubbling beneath she didn't know…
~X~
Izzy was sitting next to Eva at the bar while the boys all did their own things. The Psycho Hose Beast and Fitness Buff, at the moment, were locked in a fierce arm wrestle, competitive glares plastered on their faces. After a few moments of silence and heavy breathing between the two, Izzy slammed Eva's hand down and raised her hands in victory.
"And that's three for me!" The wild child cheered. Eva gave her friends a wide-eyed glance, then let out a breathy laugh and shook her head.
"Alright, I'll give that to ya', Iz. You've definitely gotten stronger." The Raging Bull pulled out a marker and gave a tick to a small table she drew on a piece of paper. Surprisingly, Izzy and Eva were tied. When usually it was Izzy with a few, and Eva with the greater lead.
"Like I said, my friend Ralph really helped me bulk up." Izzy smirked and flexed her muscles, the noticeable definition there for all the world to see.
Eva smirked back and took a sip of her water. "Yeah, yeah, so your mystery friends helped ya' get more on my level. I'll be more impressed when we have our own arm wrestle, and they actually beat me."
"Trust me", the Psycho Hose Beast took a sip of her chocolate and lime milkshake. "That's the last thing you want to do. Ralph's nine feet tall and, what, 210 pounds? He'd crush you in five seconds flat."
"We'll see, Iz." The Fitness Buff looked to the seat on her other side as Noah joined them and quietly ordered a drink of his own. "Nice of you to join us, egghead. What'd you get up to?"
He shrugged as he received his root beer float. "Just wanted to get a confessional done before things went haywire. You never know when Chris will kick a door or window open and send us tumbling."
"Nah, he'll have us land normally this time", Izzy said with a nonchalant hand wave. "He doesn't want us expecting it all the time, so he's gonna do anything and everything else."
"Good point, Iz." Noah took a sip of his drink. He then glanced over his shoulder at Owen, the two boys sharing a nod. Izzy was confused by the notion, but when Eva didn't react (either because she didn't care or didn't notice), the Psycho Hose Beast shrugged and went back to drinking. She shivered as her milkshake's freezing temperatures coursed through her body, relaxing the tense nerves she had after Germany.
She glanced around the room, taking in the sights of the golden walls. Alejandro and Tyler were in some seats of their own, eating what looked like porridge of some kind. They seemed content, so Izzy decided to leave them be. Owen, meanwhile, was sitting a row behind them, munching on his own plate of food.
Things were really content in First Class, but Izzy knew that wouldn't last.
"Okay, so we know Chris is gonna deal us a crappy hand so we lose the next challenge, right?" The Psycho Hose Beast looked between her two friends at the bar.
Noah and Eva shared a look, then looked back at the wild child with sombre looks. "Yeah… It's kinda obvious…" Noah admitted with a sigh.
"We won four times in a row, so yeah." The Fitness Buff groaned. "Usually teams capped out with three wins in a row. Like when Beth found that cursed idol…"
"Trent throwing challenges in Action…" The Bookworm groaned. "Side note, watching that was painful. Dude was literally just making it worse for his team just because he didn't trust Gwen enough. It was really sad."
"Agreed", both girls droned out. They both simultaneously took a sip of their drinks, caught themselves, and both snorted. Things moved on into a comfortable silence afterwards, with Team Chris savouring as much as they could of First Class.
As the time trucked on, Izzy stood up and made her way over to a window to glance outside. Honestly, because of the inner turmoil she's been trying to ignore, her aerophobia has been offly silent. The Psycho Hose Beast was honestly glad that was the case, as balancing existential dread on top of her phobia would've been too much.
As the clouds passed, she glanced at her arm, the same one she used to slap Sierra. She still couldn't believe she did that, right in front of everyone. And she knew it meant she cheated, just flat out cheated by using something no one else could. This wasn't raw strength, it was a blatant advantage. She was just… Better than everyone else here. Her and Merida, probably in a position to sweep the competition with ease.
Izzy shook her head, trying to not let that thought take over her mind. She had enough to worry about right now, any more and she might just completely crash without warning. So she returned focus to the cloudy sea outside, hoping to spot some goofy or familiar shapes. She spotted typical stuff, like animals, shoes, and simple circles, but not much else.
Soon, though, there was a break in the clouds, and Izzy caught sight of what looked to be a massive jungle. One that had zero points for fields and such.
"Looks like we're headin' to the Amazon next", Noah suddenly mentioned as he glanced over the Psycho Hose Beast's shoulder.
The redhead let out a startled cry and spun around, nearly decking her friend in the face. When she calmed down, she scowled at him. "Seriously, Noah?! Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry about that, Frizzy. Just wanted to know what you were looking at."
The bookworm was silenced when the PA screeched to life, and everyone's 'favourite' host spoke up through it. "Brace for landing! We've arrived at our next destination… The Amazon! But the runway's a liiiiiittle short…"
"Oh of course…" Izzy sighed. She and her two friends from the bar dashed over to some open seats and buckled themselves in.
When they braced for landing, Chris spoke up again. "Gosh, I hope none of the Amazons say this might be lucky for them! That'd be disastrous!" The host started giggling before signing off.
Team E-Scope all shared looks. "That's a weird thing to say." Noah said.
"Well, maybe it's so the Amazons don't think this is an instant win for them!" Owen said as he buckled up and finished up his meal. "I mean, they'll be hoping for anything, so who knows."
"Let's just hope this'll be an easy challenge", Eva said gruffly.
Izzy hummed in acknowledgment as the plane touched down on the tarmac. The Psycho Hose Beast winced as the tire screeching hit her ears, and closed her eyes when the plane suddenly stopped by running into something. Luckily, herself and her team were unharmed, although Owen looked terrified.
With the landing passed, Team Chris began to get out of their seats and make their way towards the exit of the plane. Izzy spotted Tyler with a bowl of porridge on his head, looking disgruntled and flustered. The wild child resisted the urge to giggle at her teammate's misfortune, and focused ahead to make sure she didn't crack.
One by one, everyone hopped out of the open drop of shame door and headed over to where Chris was waiting, his usual grin plastered on his face. When everyone gathered up in their teams, he started his speech.
"Welcome to Peru!" The host held his arms out to the jungle before them. "Birthplace of the mighty Amazon River! This challenge is call… the Am-AHHHH-Zon Race."
The host faked screamed in terror, making Izzy and Merida roll their eyes. They glanced at each other for a moment, then looked back at the host as he continued.
"Teams must hike along an ancient Inca trail, through the Peruvian jungle all the way to Machu Picchu. Hidden somewhere among the ruins of Machu Picchu, a golden treasure awaits discovery." Most of the teams shared grins with their own teammates. "Find the treasure to win First Class passage to our next destination. Last team to arrive at Machu Picchu will have to send someone out the elimination door. And be warned, the jungle contains many vicious insects."
Cody raised his hand, a fearful look on his face. "Yes Cody, the legal department made me well aware of your deathly allergies, and insisted we supply an epipen." The geek ran up to snag it, but the host held it out of arm's reach. "Wouldn't make sense to give it to the person who has the allergies. What if you need an injection when you're unconscious?"
Chris held the epipen up, silently asking which member of his team will carry it.
"Oh oh, Me!" Sierra squealed with her hand up and waving. "I can take it!"
"Who can we get to carry this…"
"Ooooooo, Chris, Chris!"
"I can hang onto it, McLean", Merida spoke up calmly. "DOn't want a lawsuit because the epipen broke."
"Right you are, Merida", the host said with a finger point. "Which is exactly why you're going to hang onto it!" He tossed the medical device to the princess, who caught it and stuck it in the small handbag she had on her person.
"What?! No!" The fangirl wailed. "I'm the only one who knows what sends Cody into anaphylactic shock! Black ants, brown ants, red ants…" the superfan rambled on about everything Cody was allergic to, which made the princess so uncomfortable.
"And because you know all of this is why you don't get it", Merida growled. The superfan's eyes widened, then shifted into a glare.
There was a lull in the conversation after that, so the host gladly continued. "Also in the jungle are the Zing Zings", he held up a photo of two people hiding behind trees with odd masks over their faces. "A native tribe who never encountered modern man. And, they're not about to, so if you spot a Zing Zing: Do not make contact! They-" The host fell silent at the sound of very loud drumming, and spun around to shoot his co-host an angry look. "Will you stop that?!"
Chef ceased playing the drum he suddenly had on him, and crossed his arms.
"How far is it to Macci Picchi?" Owen asked in worry.
"Machu Picchu", the host corrected, "is a hop, skip and a jump from here. Plus eighteen hours." Everyone groaned at the long travel distance. "The jungle is too dangerous to travel at night, so teams will have to break at dusk and camp along the trail until sunrise."
"And I assume there are no tents?" Alejandro asked in annoyance.
"Correctamundo!" The host grinned as the Spaniard muttered and shook his head angrily. "Now, because the playing area is so vast and dangerous, each team will have a walkie-talkie in case of emergency." Chris held up a box filled with the devices. "Teams… I wish you good luck. Or at the very least… A lack of death."
Everyone shared nervous glances as they grabbed a walkie-talkie and made their way to the start of the path. They all moved together as a group before coming to a two way fork. The left was much more clearer, but noticeably windier, while the right went into a dense layer of bush. Lindsay decided that Team Victory would head left, with Team Chris following them as per Tyler's suggestion, and Team Amazon went right.
The two redheads waved goodbye to each other as they parted and vanished from each other's vision. When Merida was gone, Izzy sighed and faced forward again.
"Relax, Iz", Eva said reassuringly. "This show can do whatever it wants, but it'd never go as far as to actually kill us."
"The she-hulk is right", Noah affirmed, earning a squint from the Fitness Buff. "We'll always end back up on the plane like nothing happened. So don't get your braids in a twist."
"I know, I know, I just can't help but worry." Izzy sighed again. "Merry is… Special. She's very special to me."
Taking up the back of the pack, Owen frowned at the mention of that. He knew it'd be better to rip the bandaid off sooner rather than later, but he needed the perfect opportunity.
Until then, he'll just wait.
~X~
Back with Team Amazon, they all walked in a line as mosquitoes buzzed around their heads, making this trek through the damp and humid jungle a lot more annoying.
"Hey, thanks for taking my epipen", Cody said to Merida, earning a nod from the princess. "You know how to use it right?"
"Kind of", Merida admitted. "Still new to it, though."
The geek suddenly gained a smirk. "Good, because-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there", The princess covered the boy's mouth. "My mum already tried setting me up with three guys before, and I hated all of them. So don't bother flirting with me."
The geek looked down sadly and nodded, only for a mosquito the size of a dog to fly in and pick him up by the head. He cried out in shock as the massive insect let out a dinosaur roar. luckily, Sierra reacted quickly and hurled a rock at the insect, catching the geek when he fell.
"I'm the only one who will always be there for you, Cody!" The fangirl hugged her one-sided crush close, then lifted him over her shoulder and continued along the way.
"I'm doomed!!!" The geek whined.
Merida rolled her eyes, but as long as it wasn't anything creepy of line-crossing then she wouldn't intervene. So she simply picked up the pace and continued along the trail, making sure her team stayed on course. Things seemed fine, for the most part, and eventually the bugs all vanished.
With things too quiet for her to handle, Courtney groaned. "Okay, how about we talk just to pass the time. Otherwise I'm going to scream at the silence."
"You and Caleb would get along a lot with that", Merida suddenly mentioned. "He can't handle long bout's of quiet without something stimulating him. This", She gestured to the atmospheric noises of the jungle, "won't cut it."
"You two must be close", Gwen brought up. "You and Izzy mention him a lot."
"Kid left an impression", the princess admitted with a shrug. "He's basically a brother to me, one who helped me meet a lot of awesome people."
"So you and Izzy somehow met Caleb before each other?" Heather asked, shooting a suspicious look over her shoulder.
Merida's mind blanked, realising she backed herself into a corner. As she ran her thoughts ragged trying to think of a way to escape this trap, Cody and Sierra gasped. The other girls all looked forward, and froze at the sight of two Zing Zings sitting by a fire, both of them holding onto spears.
Instinctually, Merida reached into her bag.
Cody was set on the ground and held up a hand, shushing the others. "We can't make contact. Stay still and-" The geek stopped when he saw the other girls' terrified looks, and when he spun back around, he was greeted with a Zing Zing right in his face.
Cody cried out and ran back with the others, the six of them held by spear point by the two natives.
Gwen held up the walkie-talkie. "Chris, we need help." No response. "Chris? Chris?" The bottom of the device opened, revealing no batteries for power.
The Zing Zings advanced, only for Merida to push her way in front of the group. She had fished out a weird handle from her bag, and was shooting the two aggressors a vicious glare.
"If I was smart, I'd back away now." Neither Zing Zing listened, and advanced.
"What are you going to do with that stubby thing?!" Heather complained as two more Zing Zings emerged from the plantlife. "I've seen pencils more deadlier than-" The Queen Bee was cut off when Merida pressed a button on the handle, and a very scary looking blade suddenly shot out.
It was a deep blue with golden engravings, and it almost looked to be admitting a faint sky blue smoke.
"The blokes I care about that are watching this blasted show for only me and Iz", the princess snarled, "Made this for me. So I'll say that if you're smart, you'll back off!" The archer slashed the tips of the nearest spears, and they fell to the ground not a second later. The four Zing Zings all shared looks, then booked it, wanting nothing to do with the sword wielding redhead.
The princess smiled proudly, shooting her shocked teammates a proud grin as she retracted the sword blade and put it back in the bag.
"Are you five just going to gawk, or are we going to keep moving?"
The Amazons all shook their heads and ran after Merida, with Gwen and Courtney sliding up next to her.
"Okay, I need to know how and why you have a sword!" The Ex-CIT screeched in shock. "Have you just been lugging that around all day?!"
Merida shrugged. "Yes, I have. And like I said it was a gift from my friends, namely more of my… trigger happy friends. They like practising with all kinds of weaponry, so they made this sword for me because, and I quote, 'If an opponent gets up in your face, a bow won't be much help'."
The Goth gawked. "And you decided to bring the sword along for this show… Why, you were bored?"
"Defence." Merida shot the Goth a look. "Like right now."
The two girls shared a look, then looked at Merida again. "That's… Fair", Courtney said in an apprehensive tone. "But Chris is not going to like that."
"If you think me bringing a sword was bad, wait till you see what Izzy packed…" Team Amazon all paused their march, letting the princess gain distance as they shared looks. "Oi, are you bastards coming or what?!" The team all jumped at Merida's volume, and ran after her.
But they all couldn't help and question what Izzy and the other redhead were hiding. They got bits and pieces, but not all of it added up…
What were they hiding?
~X~
Hours had passed and the sun was starting to set. With Team Chris, they had just finished crossing the piranha infested Amazon River, and stopped at a point in the trail as the shadows around them started to get taller and darker.
"We can make camp here", Alejandro said. Izzy spied the landscape around them, and was pleasantly surprised by the large open area they had access to. Although she only paid a little attention to that. Really, she was focused entirely on Owen, who was covered in scratches, bruises and bite marks from the piranhas earlier, was now completely clean and looking no worse for the wear. Same with Tyler, and this tiny fact alone scared her senseless.
Even such simple injuries like that were gone in the blink of an eye. It was getting to her, and the stillness of the surrounding jungle didn't help. She was really struggling, but Merida wasn't anywhere nearby. So for now she was on her own.
The Psycho Hose Beast was snapped out of her stupor when the walkie-talkie in Tyler's pocket went off with a loud crackle.
"What emergency are you in, Amazons?" The host asked.
"Oh, no emergency", Merida could be heard responding. "Just letting you know our walkie-talkie didn't have bloody batteries! And we were jumped by those Zing Zing blokes, so if we were captured you wouldn't have known."
Izzy's mood dropped when the host laughed. "Wow, lucky then, innit? Well, since we're here now…" There was a familiar double ding. "This calls for a song!"
"Do you want us to sing backup?" Owen asked out loud.
"Nope! This is an Amazon solo song! So good luck girls!" The commutation was cut, and Team Chris was left to their own devices once again.
"It's safe to assume Team Victory is in the lead", the Spaniard said. "They're all fairly fit, and only three of them means better cooperation and less need to stop."
"So what do we do?" Tyler asked. Izzy noticed he was stuck between being proud of his girlfriend, and wanting his team to win. "Do we really stop here, or do we keep going?"
Alejandro looked up to the sky, and frowned. "It's too dangerous to continue on. We don't know how far Victory are, so trying to catch up would be too big of a risk."
"Yeah, not like we're basically invincible…" Izzy mumbled. Noah gave her a weird look, and the Psycho Hose Beast just walked off to gather dead sticks for the eventual fire they'd need. She didn't want to talk to the others.
She sighed, and knelt down to pick up a stick. But when she saw it, she paused. Carefully, she picked it up and held it in her open palm.
It didn't have an outline. It was just over her hand.
But when she looked at the outline that was being covered by the stick… She felt sick.
This wasn't right.
Why was this how it was?
Why?
The ringing in her ears started to get worse, and she saw her outline start to thicken. It was swallowing her in a dark void, and she began to shiver at how cold it was making her. She was struggling to breath-
She was snapped out of those thoughts when a hand landed on her back, and she was forced back to her feet by Eva.
"C'mon, Iz", the Fitness Buff, completely oblivious to what just transpired. "Let's get some firewood. I'd like to be done here as soon as possible."
The Psycho Hose Beast was unresponsive, but Eva didn't notice and just pat her shoulder before heading off elsewhere to find some other wood. Izzy just stood where she was left, staring into space. After a bit, she looked down to the ground to her right, a small puddle resting gently by her.
When she gazed at her reflection, all she could see was her. The old her. The one that was wild and crazy and unpredictable.
The Izzy they thought she was.
She threw the one stick she had at the puddle to break the reflection, and went to search for better sticks. However, unbeknownst to her, Alejandro was watching her as he gathered stones to circle the fire. He gave the Psycho Hose Beast a suspicious glance, the gears in his head turning as he plotted what he was going to do with her.
Elsewhere with the team, Tyler and Noah were plucking leaves for a substitute for newspaper.
"Hey, Noah…" The jock asked in apprehension. "Did you notice Izzy acting… weird, at all?"
The bookworm nodded. "Yeah, we did. I think it was pretty obvious after New York."
Tyler looked over where Izzy was last seen before she disappeared into the plantlife. "You think this has anything to do with that new girl… Merry?"
"Merida, jockstrap", the know-it-all droned, only to pause and look in the same direction as Izzy. "Actually, that's a good point. We'll put a pin in it for later."
Tyler looked confused for a moment, so Noah rolled his eyes. "Nevermind. Just… Keep an eye on Merida. She's been fine, but right now things are weird."
The bookworm looked over his shoulder as he continued to pick up leaves. "Izzy is hiding something… And I don't like it."
~X~
Merida groaned as she leaned against a tree. Her team had decided to station up at an opening in the jungle for the night, which gave them a really nice view of Machu Picchu. It was still a walk away, but luckily it wasn't too far. This meant they could potentially snag victory after a massive losing streak.
Heather seemed optimistic as she sat by the crackling fire, a confident smile on her face. "This is it, ladies! We're in the home stretch. After tonight, as soon as the sun rises, we are booking it for that old, dusty place and get our well deserved victory!"
"Unless Lindsay, DJ and Beth beat us", Gwen pointed out as she sat closer towards Merida's tree. "They got a big lead, so I won't be surprised if we get up there and they already have the treasure."
"I'm with Gwen", Courtney said. "They could steal first, but the best part is we don't have to worry about voting someone off… As much as we'd like to…" The Ex-CIT and Goth glared at the Queen Bee who scoffed and Glared back.
Off to the side, Cody was already asleep, and while you'd think Sierra would be all over him, she herself was asleep as well.
And tied to the tree next to Merida. As the fangirl snored, Merida smirked. She told Cody earlier before the sun set that she would keep an eye out for him, and he was extremely grateful for that. Simply because it meant he could get some sense of peace.
The princess sighed and glanced up at the towering shadow of the mountain and ruins, framed by a starry night sky and full moon. It was oddly tranquil.
As she closed her eyes and let the cool jungle air hit her skin, she felt a presence sit next to her. Cracking an eye open, she saw Gwen had decided to join her, and was gazing up at the stars.
"Something on your mind, Gwen?" The princess asked.
The Goth shrugged. "Just thinking, I guess. Total Drama's been a massive part of my life, and whether I actually like to admit it or not…" She sighed. "I'm gonna miss everyone when this season wraps up."
The princess hummed, and glanced up at the sky. "I feel ya'. But hey, the memories will always be there, both good and bad."
Gwen nodded. "It's hard. After everything with Action… I was hoping to just move on. But then Heather had to poke the bear with a stick, and now I'm back." She paused for a moment. "And then there was all that stuff with the Gemmies."
Merida released an airy laugh. "Izzy had a lot to say afterwards, I'll tell ya'."
The Goth gave the princess a long look, and then smirked. "You've been talking about Izzy a lot, huh? Any reason as to why?"
"She's my best friend", Merida said sombrely. "And… I like her." She looked off into the jungle, down the path they came from. "She's been… not happy, I can tell. So I'm trying to support her as best as I can."
Gwen's smirk fell. "Yeah, I'm gonna be honest, Izzy's scaring me now. Not in her usual way, but in a way where… It's like she's been swapped with someone else." Things were silent for a moment. "I hope everything works out in the end."
"I hope so too, Gwen." Merida glanced up at the stars above, a frown forming on her face. "I hope so too."
~X~
Izzy awoke the next morning when Alejandro shouted that it was daylight. See, last night, Team Chris were attacked by a group of giant caterpillars, and now everyone was on edge. Luckily, Alejandro and Eva were able to fight them off, but because of the experience it meant they had to swap who would keep watch. Luckily, that came to pass, and now they were on the road to first.
"Let's go!" The Spaniard barked. "If we're lucky we can catch up to Team Victory."
The team nodded, and began to follow him. All except Izzy, who stopped and looked around. "Wait… Where's Owen?"
Team Chris all stopped and looked around, and their eyes widened. "Oh no, Owen! He must've been taken last night!" Tyler cried in horror.
"Didn't you see him, Alejandro?" Eva accused, glaring at Alejandro. "You took over from me last night when I needed to sleep. And he was still here."
"I must've not noticed, my apologies amigos." The Spaniard did look sympathetic. "But regardless, searching for him will waste time. We need to catch up to the other teams, or else we risk losing."
"Well I'm not leaving Big O behind!" Izzy cried angrily. "If winning is that important to you guys, fine! I'm going to rescue my boyfriend!" The Psycho Hose Beast ran off, ignoring the calls of her team to come back. She entered another field, and she saw a couple of pods made of what looked like silk.
"Owen!" She called. There was some muffled voice, and she followed after it before coming up to a big silk cocoon. With a burst of strength, she ripped the bottom off to reveal Owen's chubby face.
The loveable lug gasped for air, then smiled. "Boy am I glad to see you, Iz. When those big worms dragged me off, I thought I was a goner! It was even weirder because Al just watched me get dragged off, but did nothing."
That last bit made Izzy freeze, stopping her fussing instantly. "Wait… What did you just say, Big O?"
"Al just watched me get taken?"
The Psycho Hose Beast's eye twitched. "He… WHAT?!"
Owen flinched, but couldn't cover his ears. Luckily, that was soon rectified when Izzy, fueled by her rage, ripped the cocoon open and sent her boyfriend tumbling to the ground.
"When I get my hands on that lying sack of sh-"
"Senorita!" The devil himself, Alejandro, shouted when he emerged from the thicket. "I am so glad you found our friend. Chris won't let us search for the treasure because our whole team wasn't there-"
"Save it, Al!" Izzy roared, her teeth barred. Both boys froze at her anger, and looked at her in shock. "Owen told me you saw him get dragged off and did nothing. So cut the crap and explain to me why I shouldn't just stick you in his place."
Alejandro looked extremely put off by Izzy's anger, as he looked genuinely cornered. "I will admit… That wasn't one of my finest moments. But with the caterpillars still around, I couldn't leave the rest of you defenceless. So letting Owen go was but a tactical move."
"Oh so you just willingly let a teammate and my boyfriend become worm food because you didn't want to wake us up?" The Psycho Hose Beast snarled, giving the Spaniard a vicious look. "You're not very good at getting out of something like this, are you?"
"Izzy, please, let me-"
Izzy raised a hand. "Shut it. You've said enough. C'mon, Big O." The wild child began to march back towards Machu Picchu. Owen hesitated for a moment, giving the team leader a sad but accusatory look, before following his girlfriend. The Spaniard was left standing there, mouth agape like a fish begging for water.
He had researched so much ahead of time so he could win, but Izzy had thrown an entire wrench into that. This wasn't the Izzy he heard all over about, with her crazy stories and wild schemes. This was someone else entirely, someone who seemed… scared.
Alejandro's face brightened as a plot formed into his head. Yes, he could still win this, he just needed to be smarter with his lies.
While Izzy seemed too cold to acknowledge them, Owen would do whatever he was told…
Izzy and Owen scaled the steps of the ruins, only to stop halfway when there was a quake and everyone running back down. They just decided to go with it and headed back down, soon joining Alejandro at the bottom. The three of them watched as the rest of their team, all of the Amazons, all of Victory and the host came scrambling down and stopping to catch their breath.
"What did we miss?" Izzy asked as she bent down to look Eva in the eye.
"Turns out Victory won…" The Fitness Buff said, gasping for breath. "And we're in last… Team Amazon showed up while Al went looking for you guys…"
Izzy's eye twitched again, then she whirled on Alejandro. "Looks like we get to dump the dead ass that's holding us back." She stomped back towards the plane, leaving behind a confused Team Chris, angry Alejandro, nervous Owen, and distressed Merida.
The Psycho Hose Beast could care less, though. She was just so angry, so stressed, so… done with everything. She hated this show, she hated Chris, she hated everything.
As she saw the plane in the distance, she sighed, then let out a rage fueled scream that scared a few birds away. But just as soon as it sounded off, it diminished into silence, with the redhead letting out a single, strangled sob. As soon as that got out, she took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. She got this far without cracking, she'll be fine. She will.
She's Izzy, after all. Nothing gets to her.
When she heard multiple footsteps marching towards her, she ignored it and made her way into the plane. As soon as she was inside, she headed straight for the confessional, opened the door, then slammed it close behind her.
Now that she was all alone, she looked down, uncaring if the camera was watching her, and slammed both fists down on the sink counter. She then looked at the camera with a hollow look that still somehow showed her pure fury.
"I don't care, I'm casting my vote now", she snarled through her clenched teeth. "Alejandro is exactly like I expected. Eva and Noah were right, she's a liar. He's no different than Heather, he's just better at hiding his blatant manipulation. So I want him gone, no matter what."
With her confessional done, she stormed out of the small room and made her way towards the Cargo Hold. She ignored everyone as they made their way inside the plane, and could care less about Team Victory's win. She stormed into the large room, beelined for her duffel bag, pulled out a throw pillow she brought with here…
And screamed into it. She screamed till her throat couldn't handle it anymore, in which case she resorted to just sitting on the floor, face buried in the soft pillow and she leaned against a crate.
A couple of minutes later, she felt someone sit next to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Just from that it was obvious it was Merida, but even still it was hard to really look at her.
So when the Psycho Hose Beast heard the gentle melody of Questions by Jack Johnson, she looked up at her friend. The princess was singing softly, Maria's vocal classes being put to good use…
Questions, I've got some questionsI want to know you
But what if I could ask you only one thing
Only this one time, what would you tell me?
Izzy took a deep breath, a light smile forming on her face as one of the few songs the group had decided would be for relaxing entered her ears and danced about in her head. The song
Well maybe you could give me a suggestion
So I could know you, what would you tell me?
Merida stood up, taking Izzy's hands in her own, and helped the Psycho Hose Beast to her feet. The pillow was placed on the crate, and the miserable redhead was already looking better than before.
Maybe you could tell me what to ask you
Because then I'd know you, what would you tell me
Please tell me that there's time
To make this work for all intents and purposes
And what are your intentions, will you try?
The princess stopped the song early, giving her friend a stern look. "Alright, no pushing it aside, what the bloody 'ell happened?"
Izzy took a deep breath, not wanting to let go of Merida's hands. "Alejandro let Owen get snagged last night by a bunch of giant caterpillars, and I blew up at him."
"So you're angry about that?"
Izzy nodded. "And that he tried to lie right to my face that it was an accident or did it for strategic reasons. But it was a load of bull, I knew that. So it's safe to say he's gone. Then, It'll be me and Team E-Scope there to destroy the competition and split the winnings five ways."
Merida gave her friend a confused look. "Five ways?"
"For you, silly", the green clad."You're as much a member of my little group as the others, so don't sell yourself short."
The princess smiled gratefully, then both redheads looked down at their still joined hands. They both very subtly blushed and let go, trying to not make things awkward.
"I… I probably should go and find my team…" Izzy said.
"Yeah. Good luck, Iz."
"Catch ya' later, Merry." The Psycho Hose Beast waved goodbye and left the hold, but didn't make it far past the door when she stopped and looked down at her hands. She could still feel Merida's touch on them, and it was an electrifying feeling. This was nothing like when she and Owen held hands. This was something different, but still good.
With a light smile, Izzy left to find her team.
Back in the Cargo Hold, Merida let out an airy laugh as soon as the door closed. She was happy, because one of her biggest fears was just quelled right there and then.
Izzy liked her back, based on that reaction.
The princess sat down heavily on the crate, a smile on her face that made it look like she heard unbelievably good news. And it was. But right now, she had to focus on making sure her friend was 100% okay. So with a determined look, she pulled out her phone and opened the group chat.
Back with Izzy, she found all her teammates in the elimination room already. They all glanced at her, Owen in worry, Noah and Eva in worry, Tyler in confusion, and Alejandro in indifference. The Psycho Hose Beast sat next to Owen and held his hand as Chris, standing behind his podium, grinned.
"Gotta say, I'm shocked you guys fell apart as a team so quickly", the host teased. "You guys were on a four win streak, and were so close to a fifth. But Alejandro's need to abandon Owen cost his team, while Izzy's been kind of out of it for the whole game." Both called out contestants frowned at the host angrily. "Now, to change things up, let's see who you all voted for… just for fun!"
The host used a remote to turn on a TV beside him, and Tyler showed up on screen.
"Eva's been gunning for me since the season started", the jock said in a worried tone. "She has it out for all the Ex-Bass, and I really want her gone…" he sighed, and stamped a passport. "But Al said I should vote for Izzy, because she was apparently a bad teammate today. He hasn't been wrong before, so…"
As the screen cut to static, the Fitness Buff shot her teammate a very dark glare, which made the jock gulp fearfully.
"Alejandro", Noah said as his voting confessional played out on the TV. "Ever since day one, I knew he was up to something. I mean, Chris basically gave him a free spot this season, so I'm expecting some favouritism." He stamped the Spaniard's passport.
Alejandro and Noah shared a stink eye as the next confessional played.
"Alejandro, no if, ands or buts", Eva snarled as she viciously stamped the chosen passport. "He's been driving me crazy with his 'nice guy' act. He's no different than Heather, so two is too many."
Eva smirked as the Spaniard growled.
"I really don't like doing this…" Owen on screen said as he nervously tapped his fingers together. "But I have to say Al. He did technically cost us the win today by not helping me… I don't think he likes me. Or Iz, Eva and Noah." The loveable lug stamped the passport.
Owen shrunk under the glare Alejandro shot at him, but Izzy kept him calm by squeezing his hand. The blonde boy smiled at his girlfriend, but it didn't reach his eyes.
The screen switched to a disgruntled Alejandro. "Izzy has dragged this team down with her issues outside of the show." The Spaniard stamped the Psycho Hose Beast's passport. "I can't have this behaviour affect the others."
The redhead and diplomat glared at each other.
Finally Chris played Izzy's confessional when she got onto the plane, and the glares between the two intensified.
"I gotta admit", Chris said in a smug tone as he turned off the TV and tossed the remote. "All of this drama is beautiful, and is gonna rake in all the ratings. It would've killed everything if one of you guys left… which is why I'm happy to say this is a reward challenge!" The host pulled out a party blower as Team Chris all complained. "Sorry, but this was planned long in advance. Team Me Is Really Really Really Really Craaaaaazy Hot, enjoy the flight."
Izzy fumed in her spot, shooting Alejandro one last glare before running off towards the Common Area. The rest of Team E-Scope followed, with Owen hesitating for a moment. From behind the curtain, Merida had witnessed the whole thing, and she glared at the Spaniard. She swore, no matter what… he was going down.
~
(Confessional - The Amazon isn't that amazing)
Izzy - "That slimy son of a…" The Psycho Hose Beast stopped her rant before it could go haywire, and glared at the camera. "He leaves my boyfriend abandoned in the jungle, and expects to be excused for that? Not on my watch…"
She slammed a fist onto the sink counter. "That two-faced phony is going to regret kicking the hornet's nest."
~
Merida - "This is turning sour fast…" The princess frowned. "I don't like any of this. Iz is getting more volatile by the day, and I'm worried she's gonna snap sooner than I hope." She groaned. "I hate Chris and this convenient reward challenges. It's like he wants to keep Heather and Alejandro just to piss us off."
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I really hope that bastard gets what's coming to him soon. He doesn't deserve that money, not a cent."
~X~
Good lord a lot happened in this chapter, huh? From Izzy having another episode, blowing up at Alejandro and the growing feelings between the two redheads, we've got our work cut out for us.
This is gonna be a wild ride… especially since we're a third of the way through this story! Yep, we're that far along already. In five chapters, we'll be halfway.
Funny how a story that isn't 100 chapters long takes less time to make, huh?
But yeah, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, things are just starting to ramp up, so be ready…
Up next: Into the home of art in the City Of Lights, and while Merida tries to reign her team in as they try to win after five consecutive losses, Team Chris is split with a very fragile peace…
~Caleb~
