Economy Class was as tense as it could possibly be. While Team Victory got to enjoy their amazing food and luxurious seats, Team Amazon and Chris were stuck in Economy. And said second named team in the process of falling apart, which the Amazons found shocking. Alejandro and Tyler sat at one end of the bench closest towards First Class, while Izzy, Noah and Eva all sat at the other end as much as they could. Owen was caught between both groups, looking extremely nervous.
"What's up with them…" Courtney whispered to the Dun Broch princess.
Merida sighed. "Al let Owen get taken during the last challenge, which cost their team the win. Izzy found out when he saved him, and now they're at each other's throats."
Heather, who was overhearing the silent conversation, smirked and shot her rival a smug look. "Sounds like you're losing control of your team, huh Alejandro?"
The Spaniard gave the Queen Bee a look, before smirking. "It was but a little hiccup, Senorita. And I must say, you attempting to insult me is just adorable."
The raven hair girl glared, and blew the young man a raspberry. He just smiled back, which made everyone else sans Izzy roll their eyes. With the Psycho Hose Beast, she was just staring out the window in a trance. All the anger from after the Amazon had capped, and now she was just silent. She had, internally, tried to calm herself down, but knew it only did so much.
Especially when she caught her reflection in the light of the window, and felt like she was going to throw up.
There were bags forming under her eyes, a few loose strands of hair were in her face and poking out of her braids, and she noticed her eyes themselves were just the tiniest bit bloodshot. The longer she was here, the more she twisted.
And she could swear her reflection was staring back at her in disappointment, as if silently telling her how much she's fallen from grace.
She hated it.
"You've been having a staring contest with the window for a while", Noah said in a tired tone. "What, are you hoping it'll grant your wish or something?"
Izzy didn't say anything back, to much anger bubbling inside her to form a reasonable response.
"Leave her alone, egghead", Eva spat as she slapped the bookworm's shoulder harshly. "She hasn't said anything since Chris' fake out, and I'd rather not have her snap. Plus, we still need to win the next challenge."
"Yes, we do", Alejandro said in a dangerous tone. "We can't let a petty squabble keep us from claiming what is rightfully ours."
"Al's right, guys!" Owen said happily. He had a smile glowing on his face, although it faltered a bit when he saw the flat looks he got from Noah and Eva. "Ummm… Well, no, we should still try and win! Let's not try and do what… Trent did, last season."
"Yeah!" Tyler cheered. "So let's try and win!"
Heather scoffed, and Sierra shot a glare that had a competitive edge. "Yeah, we'd like to see you try", Courtney said confidently. "You can't keep winning without something to show for it. And with what happened last challenge, I doubt it."
The Spaniard smirked. "Very well, senoritas, I'll take up your challenge. We'll see which team comes out on top by the merge." He faced his own team. "What do you all say?"
Tyler and Owen nodded. "Fine, but only because I'd like to win", Noah said in a grumpy tone after he sighed.
"Let's just do this…" Eva grumbled, crossing her arms.
Izzy didn't say anything.
"Izzy, are you in?" The Spaniard asked with a smile.
Again, the wild child said nothing.
Noah shot her a look. "Iz, are you listening?"
Still nothing.
"Izzy?" Owen asked quietly.
The Psycho Hose Beast blinked, then just barely looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, I don't really care." She faced the window again, shutting out everyone else there once again.
While Team Chris shared confused looks, Merida's heart clenched at the sight. She hated how much Izzy was hurting, and it made her wish she could do more. But as of now, the princess was stuck being the friend on the other team, watching everything fall apart without any way to stop it, much less slow it down.
As the host's favoured team quietly talked amongst themselves, Izzy's head began to ring because of the whispers and stares. So, with her mind made up, she stood up and walked away, heading towards First Class. Everyone fell silent and watched her leave, making her frown slightly.
Merida made a move to follow her, but the wild child left before she could get a word in, leaving the princess to sit back down and ponder how she could help. With Izzy gone, the air in Economy lifted a bit, making it more relaxed then it was before, but that wasn't saying much.
Merida grunted at the downer mood, and decided to head into the Common Area to just escape all the negativity. It was becoming too much at this point, and they weren't even halfway through this damn season. The princess sighed heavily as she sat down in a stool, her mind running in circles. She was already so tired, and just wanted to wish it all better.
"You better be okay, Iz…" Merida glanced towards Economy, a sombre feeling filling her body. "Please promise me you'll be okay."
Towards the front of the plane, Izzy shivered, as if she was aware of her friend's plea, but pushed the thought aside as she entered the hallway that connected First Class, the cockpit, and Chris' room. The host could be heard practising his open speech behind the door, mentioning something about 'priceless art'.
The wild child hummed quietly and made her way into the cockpit, with Chef in his pilot's uniform flying the massive airship forward through the evening sky. Realising it was just the two of them, Izzy sat down in the seat beside the cook and looked outside at the cloudy night sky.
"What are you doing here, girl…" The cook growled.
"I just… Needed to get away from the others." She gave him a look. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Not lose it and just leave. You've had so many times to just walk away, and you never did. So how do you just… Keep going?"
The cook fell silent, processing what he was asked. "I don't know… It might seem weird, but me and pretty boy do care for each other. So I'm staying because this is my job, even if I get mad I still do like my job, and because I don't want pretty boy getting himself killed." Chef fell silent, then glanced at Izzy in confusion. "Where's all of this coming from, girl?"
Izzy shrugged. "I'm just in a rut right now. And since you're at least a semi responsible adult, I just wanted to talk to you about it."
It was at this point the cook was tipped off, and pressed a button to activate the plane's autopilot, and he turned to the Psycho Hose Beast fully. "Okay, this isn't something I expected, but what's going on with you? I thought you'd be mashing buttons and making us crash."
Izzy glanced at the console, then back at Chef. "I just… My head has been bouncing every which way, and I feel… Off."
Hatchet hummed and faced out the front windshield. "Well, if you want my advice, just keep doin' what you're doin'. Don't let these other chumps drag you down. I'm not, so you shouldn't either."
The Psycho Hose Beast looked into her lap, then gave the cook a smile. It didn't reach her eyes fully, however. "Thanks, Chef. I needed that, a lot."
"Don't mention it, kid."
The redhead nodded and left the cook, not before taking one last chance around the cockpit before heading back towards Economy. Chris was still practising his speech, and Izzy chose to let him be. She walked through First Class, passing a relaxing Lindsay, Beth and DJ, before returning into Economy. Everyone was still the same when she left, with her team split and fragmented. Team Amazon were all there, except a certain princess.
Curious, Izzy headed into the Common Area and looked around. She spotted Merida leaning against one of the tables, looking exhausted and bored. With a worried look, she sat across from her friends, who jolted and faced her in surprise.
"Bloody 'ell…" Merida mumbled, rubbing her face. "Sorry, Iz. Fell asleep there for a moment."
"That's fine, Merry. I just wanted to talk with Chef a bit."
The princess looked over at Izzy weirdly. "Chef? Why him?"
The Psycho Hose Beast shrugged. "I just felt like he could help me a bit. He's a lot more responsible than Chris, so I trust to tell him more problems I have, anyway."
Merida nodded. "That's fair. Just… Remember I'm here for you too, Iz. Really."
The wild child nodded. "I know, Merry. And I want to! It's just hard right now, with us being on different teams and all. I don't want you to get distracted, and maybe to get voted out because of it."
The princess gave her a look, sat up, and held the hand the Psycho Hose Beast had on the table tightly. "It's distracting me that you aren't telling me. So please."
Izzy looked Merida dead in the eye, glanced at the doorway to Economy, then stood up and made her way towards the Cargo Hold. "C'mon."
The princess followed her friend quickly, but just as they ended up in the hold, the PA sparked to life as the plane shook. "Alright, passengers! We're at our next destination, so get your butts into gear and meet me at the Louvre!"
When the intercom shut off, Merida shot her friend a look. "Louvre?" Both her and the host pronounced it horribly wrong.
The Psycho Hose Beast snorted. "It's a museum in Paris." She sighed. "But now of all times?"
Merida frowned lightly, and squeezed her friend's hand reassuringly. "We'll just have to wait till after the challenge, okay."
Izzy nodded, and the princess walked off. Like all the way back in New York, the Psycho Hose Beast was entranced by Merida's leaving form, the massive, fluffy, pretty ponytail calling her-
Izzy shook her head, blinking as she slapped herself. No, no, no, no, no. Don't start going goo-goo for your friend, you're with Owen. You love Owen.
As she followed the princess, Izzy began to ponder one thought…
Did she?
~X~
"Welcome to the Louvre!" Chris announced as everyone stood before one of the entrances. "Home to dozens of priceless pieces of art and the purest form of love imaginable. But let's hope we don't get a lot of that stuff, it brings in the ratings but also the puke. So keep the lovey-dovey stuff down, couples."
Tyler saluted while Lindsay pouted, Alejandro smirked at Heather who shot him a disgusted look, Sierra hugged a distressed Cody close to his chest, and Owen and Izzy shared a smile.
But neither of their smiles reached their eyes, which Noah, Merida and Eva noticed. The three of them shared a glance, and the princess didn't like the resignation in their eyes. It reminded her of Noah talking to her earlier, like something bad was going to happen.
The host clapped his hands, and everyone looked at him again. "Now, we were only able to book this thing for the night, so let's not take forever to get this wrapped up. If you'll all follow me…" The host headed inside the museum, a sense of familiarity entering the two redheads' minds as they glanced around at the beauty. That surrounded them. It was surreal, considering what they would usually have access to.
Izzy looked over her shoulder, and saw Chef was wheeling in a massive box behind them. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion at the sight, wondering what could be in the crate that was allowed in such a luxurious and important building. She simply shrugged when no idea came to head and returned her attention ahead.
She subconsciously walked up next to Merida, and two redheads found themselves looking around at all the art framed on the walls. Owen, who was towards the end of the pack, watched them with an unreadable expression. He knew what he wanted was inevitable, but the question was when would be best. He knew Izzy still cared about him, if her freak out in the Amazon was anything to go by.
But was it because she still saw him as her boyfriend, or because they were really good friends?
The loveable lug couldn't ponder on the thought any longer, as the host soon stopped in the middle of a junction at the hallways, and faced the group with a big grin.
"Challenge time, kids!" The host began excitedly. "Each team gets their very own famous sculpture. Team Victory's, yours in Rosen's the Thinker." He handed the yellow team a picture of the famous statue. "Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot, you guys get the Venus De Milo." He gave the split team their picture.
"Ah Venus, such beauty", Alejandro said with a suave grin, making Noah roll his eyes.
"Calm down, lover boy." Chris grinned again and faced the final team. "Amazons, you ladies get the statue of David." He smiled as he gave the final team's picture, and continued shortly after. "Here's how it works: It's up to you guys to find your stature somewhere in the… Lovera-ryu…"
"Well that shouldn't be too hard", Courtney said confidently. "The statues are big. Plus, I'm amazing at reading brochure maps."
"About that", the host said in a worry-inducing tone, and gestured to his partner. "Chef has broken the statues into pieces and hidden them. First team to find their pieces, race to the pyramid court and reassemble them wins!"
"But the Thinker isn't located in the Louvre", the Spaniard said in genuine confusion. "And the statue of David isn't even in France."
"Well we're not using the actual statues", the host explained. "Those are priceless. Chef made some fake ones, right?" The cook frowned, and a face of growing horror formined on his face as everyone silently looked at him for an answer. All they got was Hatchet running off in fear, leaving a confused host in his wake.
Izzy regetted talking to him earlier now.
"I almost forgot the twist twist", the host said like nothing happened. "Here's your motivation." He pressed a button on a remote he pulled out, and the crate Chef wheeled in blew open, revealing an angry looking Sasquatch, a bear wielding a chainsaw, and… a baby seal.
"Ah look DJ", Lindsay cooed. "It's the baby seal you accidentally ran over in the Yukon!" The brickhouse looked terrified as the seal snarled like a wolf.
"I'd start running!" The host said smugly, which had all the teams book it down different paths. Team Chris were chased by the Sasquatch, Team Amazon were chased by the bear, and Victory were chased by the seal, all of them screaming in terror as danger came up from behind.
Izzy was in the front of her team, with Eva and Tyler close behind and the other guys behind them as the tall prehistoric purple furred ape chased them, teeth barred and snarling aggressively.
"Do something!!!" The Psycho Hose Beast cried.
"I don't want to be yeti poop!" Owen fearfully called out.
"I got your backs, guys!" Noah said. He screeched to a halt and faced the beast. "Watch this, totally works on my dog." The bookworm held his hand like he was holding a ball, and began to act like he was holding said toy. Much to Izzy's shock, the Sasquatch actually stopped and started acting like a very happy puppy, and when Noah threw the imaginary ball, the beast ran off.
"Well played, Noah!" Alejandro complimented. "Now, onwards! We have a challenge to win!"
"Whatever", the Fitness buff huffed as Team E-Scope all grouped up and followed their now despised team leader. Izzy hung back a bit, glancing at where the Sasquatch had disappeared to, and swallowed.
Now that it was here, and she was… whatever she was, she didn't like it. The Sasquatch reminded her off too much, none of it good. So she shook her head and followed her team, despite the growing anxiety and tension building in her.
Meanwhile, with the Amazons, they had found themselves in a different wing of the museum. They had lost the bear for now, and located one of the pieces to their statue. It was a tense time, not helped by the fact Sierra had Cody in a death grip and Merida looked… distant.
"C'mon guys!" Heather said as she carried their one and only piece. "There's no way I want the boys to beat us to the pyramid. We have to find the rest of these things fast!"
"Easy for you to say", the Ex-CIT spat as she looked behind a pillar. "The Louvre is huge, so who knows how long we could be searching."
Gwen, who was ducked behind one of the abstract sculptures, peeked through one of the holes. She flinched at the distant sound of a chainsaw, and faced her team. "I'm with Court, Heather. We don't know where to even start."
"Maybe…" Cody said as he freed himself from the fangirl's bear hug. "Maybe if we split up we'll find them faster." The distant sound of a revving chainsaw sounded off again, and the geek was once hugged close by the superfan.
Merida looked around, half looking for statue pieces, half thinking of Team E-Scope. She couldn't stop thinking of the looks Eva and Noah shared, and that glint in Owen's eyes. The princess didn't like it, especially since she knew Izzy wasn't doing good. She didn't-
The archer's eyes widened as it clicked in her head.
Oh god, Owen was planning on breaking up with Izzy.
Merida walked across the room to try and look busy, but internally her mind was in turmoil. It had finally clicked, but it was like the click of a gun trigger being pulled. This wasn't how things needed to go. Izzy needed all the support she could realistically get, and right now a breakup was the last thing that needed to happen.
As she glanced around the space, distracted, her mind tried to formulate a plan of how to prevent this. Or at least help things turn out clearer so Owen could reconsider till at least the show was over. That was what all of her brain was working on.
Or, well, 99% of it, at least.
There was that small voice, that tiny feeling to just let it happen naturally. That evil feeling that if this made things go the way she thought they would, she'd get Izzy to herself. It was such a small spark, but so, so enticing to listen to.
When she spotted a piece of her team's statue, Merida shook her head, deciding to worry about all of this after the challenge. Right now, she needed to help her team, and so she picked up the piece and returned to her team.
"See, Merida is pulling her weight!" The Queen Bee spat angrily. "So if you don't want to be on the chopping block, start looking."
The Ex-CIT and goth rolled their eyes but began to search, while the fangirl released the geek so they could more effectively search. As the team spread out and began to look for the pieces, a thought entered the princess' mind. Glancing over her shoulder at her team, she realised they were going to have a song most likely soon, so she decided to just bite the bullet and start one up herself.
Pulling out her phone, she scanned through the list of songs, identical to Izzy's, trying to find a song that fit the vibe. Soon, she came across Vegas Lights by Panic! At The Disco. She shrugged, deciding that it was a city of light, which was good enough for her.
Selecting play, she let the music kick up before she began singing.
Oh, if you only knew
What we've been up to
I guarantee you'd keep it secret
So give it to me now
We're lost in a dream now
Do it (five, four, three, two) one more time
Team Amazon all looked over, catching on quickly as to what was happening. They all smiled, although Heather was a lot more discreet with her's, and they began to scan all over the room relentlessly. Luckily, the music added some pep to their search, making it more exciting.
In the Vegas lights
Where villains spend the weekend, the deep end
We're swimming with the sharks until we drown
The Vegas lightsThe lies and affectations, sensation
We're winning 'til the curtain's coming down
Courtney and Gwen shared a look, then shrugged when nothing had turned up. It seemed it was only the two pieces. So as Merida let Sierra take over singing, the team moved to the next room over, moving quick when they spotted the shadow of the bear from around a corner behind them.
Ain't it so, ain't it so perfect?
Our cynical minds will make it totally worth it
So give it to me now
We're lost in a dream now
Do it (five, four, three, two) one more time
Courtney and Gwen sang together as the Amazons started to search around the room, and soon found another two pieces. They were heavy, but not enough to make transport impossible. Sierra and Merida were tasked with that, and the two newbies carried them with ease.
In the Vegas lights
Where villains spend the weekend, the deep end
We're swimming with the sharks until we drown
The Vegas lightsThe lies and affectations, sensation
We're winning 'til the curtain's coming down
Team Amazon minus the princess sang the next verse as one, counting down as they found their fifth piece. Merida found it pretty cute, especially when Heather took over for the second bout of counting, much to the chagrin to her team.
Ooh, five, four, three, two, one, ooh
Ooh, five, four, three, two, one, ooh
Merida took over the song again, leading her team towards the next room as she and the fangirl carried their pieces. They had found them all, and just needed to get to the pyramid court and they'll be in the lead.
And we're all not here for nothing
And we're bored with looking good
We gotta be starting something
Would you change it if you could?
As the instrumental ended, the bear with a chainsaw jumped out from behind a corner, letting out a roar and holding the appliance over its head. All of team Amazon screamed in fear, except Merida, who simply scowled. She didn't have time for this, so with a powerful kick she slammed her foot into the bear's lower jaw.
Everything fell silent as the animal fell backwards unconscious, the chainsaw suddenly sputtering out and stopping. Team Amazon all watched with wide eyes as the princess handed Sierra her pieces, walked over to a nearby vase, back to the bear, and waited for it to wake up. It did not a second later, sitting up and rubbing its sore jaw…
Only for Merida stuffing its head into the vase. The bear suddenly stood up and started running around, frantically trying to get the vase off its head. The Amazons all watched the comedic skit before them as the bear ran back and forth, before wincing when it slammed into a pillar. The vase broke, but the bear was now fully unconscious.
"Let's get going", the princess said in a bored tone, taking her pieces back from the fangirl. The team all shared looks, and followed the princess towards the courtyard.
~X~
Back with Team Chris, they had managed to find all their pieces but one. Well, they did find all of them, it was just actually getting the last piece that was the problem. It was in an empty spot that seemed to be reserved for a sculpture, but right now it was the head of the statue's resting place.
What made it so difficult was the wall of security lasers blocking the team from reaching it, which was stumping them.
"How do we get our last piece from behind those security lasers?" Alejandro asked.
"Guess who was captain of his gymnastics team at kinder-gym!" Tyler proudly announced, making Team E-Scope all share confused glances. "It's Tyler time!" The jock reared up, only to instantly slam into the wall and fell unconscious.
The Spaniard looked at his teammate in annoyance, then turned to the others. "Noah, you will have to move through the lasers. Owen's… girth", Izzy snarled, "and Eva and my muscles will not fit."
There was an animalistic snarl in the distance, signalling the Sasquatch was on their tail. "Fine let's just get this done!" The bookworm stretched and faced the laser wall. "I don't think my imaginary ball trick will stop the yeti a second time! Okay…" He went to poke one of the lasers. "I just move and-" He cried out in pain when the lasers sent a jolt of electricity through his body, leaving his fingertip charred.
Eva cocked an eyebrow, Owen frowned in worry, and Izzy winced. There was another snarl, and the bookworm worked as fast as he could. He squeezed through an opening that was just big enough for him and grabbed the head, carefully handing it through. Tyler, suddenly waking up, dashed over and grabbed the head.
This was a massive mistake, as it made Noah's arm collide with a laser, shocking him and searing his sleeve. He was luckily able to pull away, and the jock frowned in shame. Then in fear when he caught Eva's murderous glare.
"Alright…" Noah said, wincing as he squeezed through and joined his team. "Let's just get out of here and build our stature!"
"Right!" Team E-Scope ran ahead, leaving the Spaniard and jock behind. Izzy couldn't care any less if they lost them, it meant they'd be saved two eliminations in the future. Sadly, her teammates caught up, the lying snake of a 'team' leader giving her a glare as he took the lead. The Psycho Hose Beast scoffed and ran to try and get ahead, but Owen putting a hand on her shoulder kept her in check.
But she could feel there was something else in that simple gesture. It felt weird, because it had… something else in it. Izzy shook her head, deciding to just let her thoughts stew so she didn't cost her team the challenge. So she kept silent, slowing down so she was at the same pace as the rest of her team. As they neared the courtyard, they slowed down.
"Alright!" Alejandro commanded. "Quickly now, put all our pieces here!" He pointed to a spot towards the centre of the room, which the Amazons just so happened to be heading towards as well.
"Let's move it girls!" Heather barked. "The boys won't know what hit them!"
Both competing teams ended up dumping their pieces into one spot.
"Hey, you got some of your Venus in our David", Courtney complained.
Heather let out a frustrated cry, and pointed angrily at Alejandro. "You did that on purpose!"
Both teams ended up breaking out into an arguing match, but both redheads wanted no part in it and walked off to get away from the noise.
"Can none of them go arguing for more than five minutes?" Merida grumbled as she messaged her temples. "It's like it's all they can do when they're together."
Izzy shrugged. "That's this show for you Merry. It gets everyone so riled up and stressed that they just need to let it out… even if it means taking it out on each other. I mean, look at Courtney and Duncan last season."
"Aye, I get that. I just hate that they can just be quiet for more than a second…" The princess shot a glare towards the still too bickering teams, although caught sight of a certain blonde boy looking semi-uncomfortable. The two of them shared a look, and while it was only for a few seconds, it said a thousand words which helped Merida come to a decision about her earlier predicament.
"Where do you think DJ is?" Izzy suddenly asked. Merida looked at her friends in confusion, and followed her finger to see a very tired looking Lindsay drag her statues pieces over on a blanket or curtain of some kind.
"Probably side tracked with that bloody curse thing…"
"Yeah… I feel bad for him, he's such a softy, but this thing put him on edge so badly."
Merida nodded, and watched as Team Chris and Team Amazon pulled out their statue pieces and went to work assembling their statues. Izzy and Merida watched from afar as the three teams went to work, seemingly content in letting them do the heavy lifting.
"So, how are you holding up?" The princess asked her friend quietly, nudging her ever so slightly.
Izzy didn't react, though her pupils did momentarily dilate before returning to normal. "Honestly, I've been fine. Being in a museum reminds me of home, so it's helped me relax."
Merida could see right through the blatant lie, but it really concerned her how Izzy called the Capital home. There was a lot she wasn't being told, and it drove her insane. But, for right now, she just needed to play it safe and not overwhelm the Psycho Hose Beast.
"Alright, but after the challenge, we need to talk." The princess gave her friend a stern look. "Okay?"
Izzy didn't look at her, and based on how the corner of her mouthed twitch she was done with the conversation. "Yeah, you got it Merry. Now, if you don't mind, I have to keep my boyfriend from eating a priceless painting." The wild child walked off a bit too quickly in the direction Owen headed off towards, leaving a frustrated and worried Merida behind. She bit her lip to hold in a very angry sounding groan, and headed back towards her team, who were struggling a lot with trying to reassemble David.
The princess glanced at the photo, looked at the disaster of a finished product, and sighed.
"You know… The feet and hands are swapped right?" Merida spat in annoyance.
Courtney looked at the princess, at the photo, at the statue, then back at the princess in embarrassment. "Oh… Yeah, I suppose they are…" the Ex-CIT chuckled sheepishly, with Heather face palming, Gwen's eyes widening comically, Cody looking away nervously, and Sierra frowning in shame.
"Of for…" The princess snatched the photo from her teammate and knocked the statue over, ready to start fresh. "Let's do this again, and fast." She glanced at the other teams, who were hard at work. "Because I'm tired of being stuck in Economy." The rest of her team nodded.
As they worked, Izzy dragged a disappointed Own back to her own team. It took a bit of convincing to keep him from eating a painting with various foods depicted on it, but he eventually relented. And now here Izzy was walking up on her team, almost finished with their statue. The Amazons were just about done, as were Victory. But things took a turn as DJ came barreling towards everyone on a small kart, the bear, Sasquatch and seal all attacking him simultaneously.
The Psycho Hose Beast winced when he crashed into his team's statue, turning it into nothing but rubble.
The brickhouse gasped as a mummified cat, balancing at the top of the heap, fell off and shattered, making the young man cry out in agony.
"There, done", Heather said out loud. Looking over, Izzy saw Team Amazon had just finished their statue, while her team just missed out.
"And the Amazons have it!" Chris announced. "Coming in a close second is Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot. And this week's losers are, not at all ironically anymore, Team Victory!"
Izzy and Owen returned to their team, as Chris closed out the challenge and ran through what they've all heard before. The wild child rolled her eyes at the repetition, and looked over at Merida who was celebrating with her team. The other redhead looked over, they both locked eyes, and Izzy felt something weird bubble inside her when Merida smiled and waved. The Psycho hose Beast returned the gesture, but was doing her best not to blush.
With the challenge over, Chris began to lead everyone back to the plane. It was obvious DJ was definitely gone at this point, as Beth and Lindsay were so tight they'd never willingly vote each other out. Oddly, DJ looked somewhat relieved, like he was aware he was gone and happy to be going home.
As everyone headed back to their mobile hotel, the Amazons happy they'll be able to enjoy luxury, Noah pulled Izzy aside.
"What's going on?" The wild child asked the bookworm.
He squinted his eyes at her. "I saw you looking at Merida weirdly after we got second. You looked like you were going to crack into a million pieces."
"I was just jealous she gets First Class and I don't", she defended weakly. "Don't assume anything."
"I'm not." The bookworm raised his hands. "Just making observations."
Izzy rolled her eyes and walked at a faster pace so she didn't have to deal with this. She boarded the plane and made her way right towards the Cargo Hold, having zero interest in talking to anyone.
Merida watched her friend go, and was going to join her, only for a certain fangirl to grab hold of her arm and drag her off. She gave one last look at where the Psycho Hose Beast ran off too, and sighed as her team dragged her off.
Izzy sat in the cold Cargo Hold, staring at the massive closed loading door as her head raced. She had so many thoughts bouncing in her head, all of them screaming and bickering to the point she wondered if her brain would explode. She noticed how the others were looking at her, in the confusion, the slight fear, the expectation for her to be something else.
It was driving her crazy.
And it wasn't helped by the fact whenever she and Owen shared a moment, there was always this odd sombre feeling coming off of him, where his usual happiness wouldn't reach his eyes. Plus, there were these odd feelings she'd have bubble up at random times when she was around Merida, little moments that were slowly becoming more and more frequent.
She searched her mind for an answer why, and slowly, a memory entered her head. When she and Merida hung out at her place, watching the Canadian sunset…
~
Merida was laughing up a storm at the story Izzy just finished telling. "Please tell me you're kidding, because that sounds too unbelievable, even for you."
"Better believe it, sister", the wild child shot back with a grin. "I really did it."
This only set Merida off more. "You're too perfect, Iz. Stuff like that needs to be set up in a history museum or something, because gods, that's hilarious." Behind them, Angus, Merida's horse, huffed. Yes, the princess had brought Angus along this time around, it was becoming a lot more common than one would expect.
Izzy smiled at her friend, and as she pet the horse they both returned to silently watching the sunset disappear behind the distant city skyline. It was beautiful, but for some reason, Izzy found herself slowly turning her attention to her friend.
Merida had her eyes closed, with the wind blowing her mess of orange hair about. The Psycho Hose Beast found herself oddly entranced by it, the hypnotising beauty nearly knocking the wind out of her.
When Merida looked over, Izzy scrambled to look casual, and luckily the princess bought it, returning to her original position. But as the sun vanished from view, Izzy could stop her heart from thudding in her chest.
~
That was a couple months ago, and with the memory concluded, Izzy groaned and lied of the crate she was sitting on. So that's why. She had a crush on her best friend. Now all the teasing Majima sent their way made so much more sense.
Was that why Merida was so worried?
Izzy silently pondered that thought, her brain trying to think clearly. But with everything else in there, it was just white noise. So she gave up on that and just laid there as her mind returned to madness.
She was losing it, and was getting closer and closer to breaking.
But she wouldn't give in. She was the Psycho Hose Beast, after all!
…Well, she used to be…
~
(Confessional - Paintings make me paranoid)
Izzy - She just looked at the camera silently for a bit. "I'll be honest, this challenge was so nothing I feel like only a couple minutes went by. It felt like it was missing something…"
She looked to the side and nervously played with one of her braids. "Maybe it's because I'm not ruining it for everyone by being weird and crazy, idk. If any producers are watching this, yelling at me that I'm lowering the ratings, I'm sorry. I just…" She fell silent, looked at the camera, and said nothing till it turned to static.
~
Merida - The princess was idly playing with one of her arrows, then tapped it against the window. "I'll be honest, today was pretty bad. I don't like to admit it without any evidence, but it's my safest bet that Owen wants to break up with Iz, and Eva and Noah know. And now I do, but Iz doesn't. I really think I should tell her so she's more prepared, because I don't think she could handle a break up right now."
The princess' face suddenly twitched in a weird way. "But there's this little voice in my head that's gotten louder since our song that's telling me to just let it happen, and I'm ripping myself apart!" She sighed. "Maybe a good night's sleep will help me decide on an answer…"
~X~
And Paris is done! I'll be honest, not super proud of this one. This was a chapter caught between heavy moments as a filler chapter, so if it feels a bit meh, that's why. Not my favourite of the season, that's for sure.
But otherwise, yeah, things are moving along nicely. The only major change is that DJ is out this time instead of Lindsay. I was originally thinking of still doing the fashion show thing to get her out, but rewatching the episode made me realise it wouldn't make sense. So, goodbye DJ.
Don't have much else to add, so all I can say is I hope you enjoyed, and are excited for what's to come!
Up next: The three teams race towards the shore of Chris' birthplace, and while they do that, tension in Team Chris starts to reach a tipping point. And it's all Izzy's fault.
~Caleb~
