Total Drama Academy
The Reboot Paradox
a Total Drama fan fiction story
by Lord Akiyama
Author's Note: This is a reboot, or reimagining, of my original Total Drama Academy story, which is still active mind you. This universe is developed on the idea that there had been only three shows that were made roughly at the same time: Total Drama Island, Total Drama: Revenge of the Island, and Total Drama: Pahkitew Island.
Chapter Seven
(Confession Cam)
Chris - "Would you believe me if I told you that there was plenty more trouble going down on the same day? Break out the popcorn, people, because it's about to get heated up in here!"
"And that's how my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Auntie Emily came up with the elevator, yeah," Staci proclaimed. Speaking with great pride and no consideration that her words would be regarded as false. "Before that, people would use catapults operated by chimpanzees to go from the third floor to the fourth of the Empire State Building."
"Hmmm..." Max mused. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Catapults operated by chimpanzees..." He gave out a sinister chuckle as he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, how deliciously evil that is to have. Make note of that, Shadi Staci! In fact, make sure it is at the top of my list of necessary instruments of evil." He didn't need to look to see that his newly christened minion dug into her bag and pulled out a notebook to do as he said.
"Even above the personalized baby seal servant slave?" Staci asked. She tapped at what was listed at the top of the list in bold red letters.
"Ah, almost forgot about that one," Max noted. He rubbed his chin again. "Let's put the chimpanzees below the baby seal for now." He chuckled again as Staci did as she was told. "There's nothing more fiendish than the mistreatment of cute, innocent animals, I've learned. Reminds me of my first successful campaign of evil. Stealing every little puppy in the neighborhood when I was barely seven. Oh, how every child and weak-willed adult cried for days on end. It was stupendous!" He tapped his fingers together with fiendish delight.
"What did you do to the puppies?" Staci questioned. Her concern for what became of the puppies was apparently not recognized by her so-called friend.
"Well, that was the downside," Max replied. He shifted to being annoyed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "The plan was to transform them into my minions of destruction. But the miserable little critters had the attention span of a pea. They wanted belly rubs and peed on nearly every inch of my bedroom no matter what I did to make them stop. I got fed up and dumped them in what I thought was a building commissioned for demolition so that they would perish and further break the hearts of everyone in the neighborhood. Turned out a buncha teens had secretly been turning it into some dumb indoor park and were proclaimed heroes for 'rescuing and housing the lost puppies'. Oh, how I hated dogs ever since!"
"Awww..." Staci cooed. Again, her being more concerned about the safety of the puppies was not picked up on by the other. "That's kinda sweet. Reminds me of my Great-Great-Great-Great-Uncle Norman, yeah. He was the first to have an animal shelter for lost pets. Without him, they would've continued to parachute them to a deserted island off the coast of Greenland."
"Hmmm..." Max mused. He kept his arms crossed, though he managed to bring a finger up to rub his chin again. "A deserted island off the coast of Greenland... I'll have to remember to look into that. It might surely have some evil use. Yes, things are coming together rather swimmingly. You truly are the best underling an evil mastermind could hope for."
"Really?" Staci gasped. Even though she was holding a notebook and a pen, she still brought her hands up and pressed them against her cheeks. "No one else has appreciated me like you have, yeah. You're the best friend I could've hoped for!"
"Indeed, Shadi Staci!" Max announced. A sinister grin forming upon his face. "As long as we continue to work together into building my evil empire, it won't be long before I am able rule the universe!" He began to laugh maniacally.
"Sir, this is a Wendy's," a voice stated. Max stopped his laughing immediately to look over at the very annoyed cashier looking down at him. "Please place an order or leave."
Both Max and Staci were stunned for a second. They then looked around to confirm that they were in a Wendy's. The long line of customers waiting behind them were just as frustrated as the cashier that nothing was happening. Staci smiled nervously at the sudden realization that they were holding things up.
"Dammit, Kevin," Max muttered. He lightly dropped a fist in his other hand. "Last time I use AI in determining hot spots to plot my evil schemes."
"But I thought you used it to decide what you should eat for lunch, yeah," Staci noted. Having suddenly remembered why they were here in the first place apparently.
"Oh," Max uttered. He took a second to mentally confirm this was the case. "Right." He cleared his throat and turned back to the cashier. He opened his mouth to say something only to stop. It took a few seconds before he turned back to Staci. "I... forgot what I was gonna eat." He ignored the groaning from everyone else around them.
"Wasn't it the burger that had mozzarella cheese that you said you liked?" Staci questioned. She had scratched a spot above her ear with the pen in her hand. Not necessarily aware if she was scratching with the nib or not.
"Ah, yes!" Max declared. He snapped his fingers for effect. "That's that one! Thank you, Shadi Staci." Satisfied, he turned back to the cashier. "I want a double bacon mozzarella burger."
"Sorry, sir," the cashier said. He had let out a particular sigh. "The bacon mozzarella burger was discontinued."
"What?" Max cried. This caught him off guard more than the discovery of having been in Wendy's for a long time. "That is absurd! I had a double bacon mozzarella burger three weeks ago!"
"And it was stopped two weeks ago," the cashier explained. The vein popping out of his temple the only visual evidence of how hard it was for him to maintain his composure. "Is there anything else on the menu you would like to order?"
"How dare you discontinue the bacon mozzarella burger!" Max proclaimed. He was completely oblivious to the angry looks he was receiving from the line behind him, though Staci was. "This travesty will not go unpunished, mark my words!"
"Sir, if you're not gonna order anything else, then I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," the cashier stated. He had raised his voice slightly while still trying to hang onto his composure. "Frankly, I've been wanting to ask you to leave over an hour ago since you two wouldn't stop yapping about planning your dumb hostile takeover."
Staci was quite anxious to get away from the fuming looks directed at them. So much so that she quickly stuffed the notebook and pen into her bag and risked grabbing Max. He did nothing to fight her off. In fact, he seemed to not register the fact that he was being dragged away.
"You will serve me a double bacon mozzarella burger, infidel!" Max declared. So focused on yelling at the cashier that everything else around him was beyond recognition. "I swear it! No matter that it takes an eternity, you will serve me a double bacon mozzarella burger! Both you and then one day... your heirs!" He didn't even register having successfully been dragged right out of the restaurant and the doors closing in his wake.
(Confession Cam)
Staci - "I never really had a friend before because people get jealous of all the great things my family has done over the years, yeah. But Max wanting me to be his friend is even better. He actually likes to hear about my family history, saying that they inspire him. Which is what my talking about them was always about, yeah. To inspire people."
It would take time to endure the snail's pace with which the trolley moved around White Rose Academy. This would often require the generation of some distraction that made the trip bearable. What could help achieve this would be the availability of someone who could flawlessly mimic just about every sound possible. Harold seemed to take an instant liking to Beardo and it was only more recently that LeShawna had started to enjoy having his company. If nothing else, she was very impressed with how scary accurate he was spitting out every intricate part to the song "Voodoo Child".
"Boy, you crazy," LeShawna chuckled. She gave him a light slap on the shoulder, which was accepted by all as a sign of admiration. "You sure you didn't have yer vocal cords replaced with an audio recorder?"
Beardo placed the tip of his index finger against his Adam's apple. He voiced the sound of rewinding "Voodoo Child" for a few seconds. He pulled his finger away and then placed it against the other side of the Adam's apple. "Voodoo Child" was voiced again for another few seconds, though more like it was being emitted from an old radio. LeShawna and Harold let out light laughs at his joking along.
"Seriously," Harold mused. He leaned back a little in his seat. "That has to be one of the coolest things any one can do, be able to make any sound imaginable."
"Comforting," Beardo responded. One of the few instances in which he spoke normally to them.
"Comfortin', eh?" LeShawna noted. She raised a curious brow and a thought immediately came to mind. "Keeps you from losin' yer head, am I right?" Beardo let out a ringing sound to indicate that she was correct.
"Really?" Harold uttered. He was rather surprised. "What do you have to lose your head over?" He got an immediate answer, though it was not what he expected.
"Baby, you know how you can sometimes be a little... blunt?" LeShawna asked. She was being as gentle as she could given she was speaking to her boyfriend.
"Yeah?" Harold answered. There was a short pause that followed. Enough time for him to properly take in what his girlfriend meant. "Oh..."
"Kinda figured as much when Chris mentioned tha first ta get booted from their shows gettin' ta be here and implied him bein' one of 'em," LeShawna added. Though it seemed her attention was upon the conversation that was taking place, she prepared to get up as though they were reaching their destination.
"No regrets," Beardo said. The smile he had was quite small, but it was no less positive. He made no additional sounds as he joined Harold and LeShawna in disembarking the trolley.
"That is still a real shame, though," Harold stated. He kept his attention upon the others while they walked. "I mean, I think you are a pretty cool guy."
"You should know bettah than anyone that don't mean much to some folks," LeShawna explained. Within seconds, what she was trying to convey would be realized.
Harold was not paying attention when he found himself bumping into someone. It was not particularly hard and no one got knocked over. Harold stepped back and was about to speak. He stopped himself upon seeing who he ran into. Neither he nor Courtney moved another inch for a moment, not even to make any sort of reaction.
Beardo attempted to whistle "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", but quickly thought better of it. Not with the sudden heat that emitted in the atmosphere around LeShawna, Harold, Courtney and Duncan. It seemed like fate had a way for the four of them suddenly crossing paths unexpectedly. Each one was just waiting to see if one of the others would make a move. Almost daring for someone to make a wrong move, giving them the excuse to lash out violently. It stayed like this for minutes. The tension could be cut with a knife.
"Please... watch... where... you're... going..." Courtney seethed. She took a deep breath. She turned and attempted to walk away. She only got two steps.
"What?" Harold uttered. More than enough to freeze her in her tracks once again. "You do not want me to apologize?" Even if it seemed like he was speaking in his regular tone, there was clear anger audible within.
"I... am... merely... suggesting... that... you... watch... where... you're... going..." Courtney responded. It was taking every ounce of strength to avoid making an outburst. She tried to walk away again. She only got one step this time.
"Oh, so you would not accept my apology for this either?" Harold questioned. His voice had risen with frustration. It caused Beardo to step back.
"Dude, lay off her," Duncan stated. He stepped in position to be covering Courtney partially.
"Or what?" Harold said. One of the few, if not growing, instances in which he did not back down from the punk before him. "You will try to stuff me in a garbage can again?"
"God, do you really have to push the issue so hard?" Duncan growled. He seemed to be trying to keep his temper in check the same way as Courtney. Though he was unwilling to walk off without some semblance of satisfaction. Which made LeShawna step forward.
"I am just trying to apologize!" Harold yelled. He was unwilling to control his temper. "Why will she not let me?"
"Maybe an apology isn't enough!" Courtney cried. She did not turn from her position. She trembled with barely contained rage that looked to be ready to boil over the longer this went. Her words did cause everything to seemingly pause for a moment, for them to sink in.
"So you want this thing to hang over my head?" Harold responded. He was red in the face. "You want me to agonize over not being able to put this thing to rest?"
"Should've considered the consequences before you illegally got her the boot!" Duncan retorted. He brought his arms up to cross over his chest. He had not expected that to elicit the reaction he ended up receiving.
"You best back up, Freak Sho'!" LeShawna hollered. She made a threatening step toward the punk. "Consider tha consequences if you don't!"
"I haven't even threatened him and you're already throwing your weight?" Duncan noted. His furrowing of his eyes might or might not have dared her to try him.
"You keep disrespectin' my man and y'all be feelin' tha weight I'd be throwin'!" LeShawna proclaimed. She motioned rolling up her sleeve despite not really having one. It nonetheless was designed to make a point.
"Oh, so telling him to watch where he's going is disrespecting him?" Duncan questioned. He dropped his arms down to his sides. "You two are that sensitive to our doing or saying anything that they're automatically perceived as a slight against him? Do you realize how pathetic and petty that is from the both of you?"
"And that should excuse you two from doin' whatevah tha hell you want?" LeShawna replied. She took another step toward him. "That you can just go about yer day on yer high horses without any worry in tha world?"
"Without any worry?" Courtney screeched. She turned around. Fury painted all over her face. She disregarded everyone else and marched toward Harold, stopping only a couple feet away. "Do you have have any idea of the full extent of the damage you did to me?"
"I have felt bad about it, dang it!" Harold yelled. He was not intimidated. "I made a mistake! I am apologizing! Why will you not accept it?"
"You honestly think that an apology is gonna make everything peachy between us?" Courtney cried. Her face was turning as red as Harold. "You really think that an apology will make me feel better and move on while it seemingly eases whatever guilt you have?"
"So you are just gonna let this dang thing hang over my head?" Harold questioned. His level of frustration had maxed out. "Do you want me to suffer?"
"I want you to actually give a f-/censored/!" Courtney screamed. This caused everyone to step back away from her. She did not seem to notice, even with her attention fixed upon Harold. "You say you feel bad and you admit to making a mistake, but you still don't understand the gravity of what you did to me! If you did, you'd realize that an apology is not enough!" It took a moment before she was given some sort of response.
"So what else am I supposed to do, huh?" Harold asked. He tried to mask how taken aback he was and how it did seem to hit him unexpectedly. He swallowed and tried to raise his voice again. "If an apology is not enough, what am I to do that will be to your satisfaction?"
"Does it look like I have the goddamned answer?" Courtney replied. She looked ready to strike.
It was only then that everyone could hear the sound of a siren blaring. It seemed like it started soft and was slowly getting louder and louder. Duncan in particular looked around with a knowing look of concern. After several seconds, he located the direction of the sound. More specifically, he located the source. It took the others a few seconds themselves to see that it was coming from a sweating, anxious looking Beardo.
Most raised curious brows. He was only getting louder. Courtney was the first to seemingly figure out what his deal was. She looked around at her surroundings. In the distance were a few bodies that were hard to make out at a glance. The bodies seemed to freeze. Their attention was fixed upon the sound. Courtney knew what this meant. With a huff, she stomped over to Duncan and pulled him by the arm.
"C'mon!" Courtney growled. She paid no attention to the surprised look her punk boyfriend.
They kept going, her dragging him along, until they were as far away from the others as could be seen. A few seconds later, Beardo began to ease down the wailing siren until it finally ceased. There was silence for a brief moment, waiting to see if anything more might happen as a result of the noise.
"Was that supposed ta warn us authority figures were comin' or draw tha attention of authority figures?" LeShawna asked. She seemed winded despite barely doing much outside of yelling.
"Both," Beardo replied. He simply shrugged.
"Was meant to stop us from goin' any further, huh?" LeShawna noted. She raised a knowing brow.
"Yep," Beardo responded. He simply nodded.
"Thanks," LeShawna murmured. A feeling of embarrassment coming over her slightly.
"No problemo," Beardo said. He shot finger pistols in her direction.
LeShawna cracked a light smile for only a brief second. Her attention turned back to her boy. Harold had positioned himself away from everyone and seemingly everything. Arms crossed over his chest. The very sight of an individual brooding.
"You still need to let off steam, baby?" LeShawna asked. She spoke as gently as she could.
"Not sure," Harold sighed. He tried to let go of the negative feelings that were overwhelming him. He was not succeeding. "Maybe if we just... walk or something. Clear my head. I hope."
"Not a bad idea, actually," LeShawna said. She looked over to Beardo. He shrugged in return. With that settled, all three slowly began to walk. Not really caring where they were going.
(Confession Cam)
Harold - "That is the most-" /Inhales from paper bag./ "She expects me to-" /Inhales from paper bag again before throwing it down onto the ground./ "Gosh darn it! This is so frustrating! An apology is not enough for her? I have to do something more? And she does not know what how I am supposed to do that? I just want to move on from this, but she will not let it go! I want to let it go, dang it!"
Courtney - /Takes deep breaths./ "I want to accept his apology and move on. I really do. But I can't. I can't because he doesn't fully grasp what he did to me. He doesn't get it. And I'm afraid he never will."
"Making sure I got the order right," the cashier said. She placed the tip of her pen down next to each written entry on the order sheet. "Six large veggies, four large pepperoni, ten large cheese, and four large works."
"Yep, yep!" Izzy proclaimed. She stood quite proudly for reasons unknown.
"Must be throwing quite the party," the cashier noted. She started to key in the order.
"Nah," Izzy chuckled. Waving a dismissive hand as she spoke. "My man's got the appetite of a hippo. Just the way Izzy likes it."
"Right..." the cashier uttered. She received way too much information just then. "Any way, it's probably gonna be a couple hours or so before they're all ready."
"No problemo!" Izzy stated. She looked as though she was going to find a corner to sit in. For the next two hours.
"Might I suggest you pull... your man... away from the window," the cashier said. She pointed nervously at the sight of Owen, who was on the other side, face pressed against the glass with his tongue sticking out almost fully as he panted and drooled over the sight of all the pizza on display. "As a courtesy to other customers, if you will. Want folks to be see and understand why he's drooling like a waterfall."
"Oki-doki!" Izzy responded. She skipped happily out of the building, oblivious to the cashier shuddering in her wake.
"They look so good!" Owen moaned. That he managed to speak clearly despite his face being pressed up against the window was rather impressive. "I can't wait to dig in!"
"Well, how's about we keep you occupied while we wait?" Izzy suggested. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an enticing object. "Oh, lookie here, Owen! It's a cookie!"
"Cookie?" Owen gasped. He struggled a little to pull his face off of the window, resulting in quite the popping sound. He looked over to see the chocolate chip cookie his redheaded girlfriend held before him. He dropped to his knees in awe. "Owen likes cookies!"
"You want the cookie, don't you, big guy?" Izzy cooed. She waved the cookie around as if she were addressing a puppy. "Yes, you do! Yes, you do!" Owen panted squatted up very much as though he were indeed a puppy. Izzy threw the cookie down a nearby alley. "Fetch!"
"Come to papa, cookie!" Owen barked. On all fours, he sprinted into the alley to retrieve the cookie. Continuing to bark as we went.
Owen had found the cookie resting upon a newspaper and pounced. Not necessarily checking its cleanliness, although it surprisingly was considering where it was found. Frankly, the alley was hardly dirty or messy at all. It was rather neat. Darkened by shadows, but still neat by all accounts. Of course, this was the least of Owen's concerns as he chowed down on the cookie. A cookie he devoured in seconds. It was only after the cookie had been eaten that Owen finally became aware of his surrounds. Rather, aware that he was at the very least alone.
"Izzy?" Owen chirped. There was a tiny echo, but hardly much of one.
The response was the sound of thunder. It was actually a metal garbage can lid that was seemingly smacked against the wall, but he would not be able the tell the difference without actually seeing it. He looked around in a frantic manner when he laid eyes upon a silhouette. Standing proudly upon a bunch of stacked boxes. The lighting made it difficult for Owen to differentiate between stacked boxes and a ledge, apparently. But even with the figure draped in shadow, he had a pretty good idea of who it was before him.
"Super Donkey!" Owen uttered. He was breathless with awe.
"Yes," the figure responded. Speaking in a gravelly voice that was unnatural. Unnatural in a silly way, but Owen would not be able to pick up on that. "It is I."
"But if you're here, then something bad is bound to happen," Owen noted. He squeaked as he frantically looked about for any impending danger.
"Perhaps," the figure answered. Speaking calmly. "Unless it is for another purpose."
"Another purpose," Owen gasped. He turned back to the figure. "What could that be?"
"I have been watching you from afar," the figure stated. There was something strange about being able to maintain how gravelly the voice was, but again Owen would not have noticed.
"You have?" Owen whispered. It was reasonable to believe that he managed to be in greater awe than he had been before. "Awesome!"
"You have potential," the figure proclaimed. The head nodded upward slightly once.
"Potential," Owen said. Comprehension and reason had checked out long ago, so he was along for the ride. Wherever this was going. "Potential for what?"
"How would you like to be a sidekick?" the figure asked. The silhouette seemed to look bigger rather suddenly in that moment.
"Me?" Owen squealed. Scrunching within himself that he almost looked like a baby. "A sidekick? That's like a dream come true!"
"It will not be easy," the figure added. A more perceptive eye would wonder if the scene seemed frozen still as though it were a painting. It just so happened Owen did not possess such. "But with a strong heart and determination, you can become one with me."
"I can?" Owen gasped. His eyes sparkled with delight. "Wow!"
"Do you accept?" the figure asked. Still no further movement made.
"Yes!" Owen cried. He literally was about to burst into tears. "Yes, I accept!"
"Good," the figure responded. The scenery seemed to be fading into black. "When we next meet, be ready to become my sidekick." Before long, darkness had covered the scene and the figure was gone. Accentuated for some reason by the banging sound that was either thunder or a garbage lid hitting the wall.
"Will do Super Donkey!" Owen proclaimed. He turned away and squealed again with excitement. "I'll have to come up with a sidekick persona. Something that fits me. And hides my identity."
"Earth to Owen!" Izzy hollered. This caused Owen to yelp, tripping over himself and falling to the ground. He looked up to see his smiling redheaded girlfriend looking down at him.
"Oh!" Owen uttered. It took a moment for him to bother trying to get up. "Hey, Izzy!"
"You kinda zoned out there for a bit, big guy," Izzy noted. She followed with a chuckle.
"I did?" Owen questioned. He blinked and looked back at the alley. There were no shadows. There were not even any boxes. Just a wall and a newspaper on the ground. "Um, I coulda sworn it was only like a second when I ate the cookie."
"Sugar rushes are great, huh?" Izzy said. She seemed more interested in this newly introduced idea than what she had commented on previously. "You get to experience all kinds of cool things you won't see anywhere else."
"Yeah," Owen muttered. He scratched the back of his head curiously before clearing his throat and turning back to Izzy. "Yeah, they are. Are the pizzas ready?"
"Nope," Izzy replied. Shaking her head rather happily. "Hasn't even been five minutes."
"And how long until they're ready?" Owen asked. The need to eat pizza returned.
"They said a couple hours or so," Izzy answered. She let out a nonchalant shrug.
"Aw, man," Owen moaned. He clearly did not want to wait any longer to eat pizza. "What else are we gonna do for the next ten minutes?"
"Wanna down some Smile Dip?" Izzy suggested. She pulled out a small package from behind her.
"You got Smile Dip?" Owen uttered. His eyes widened in amazement before a curious brow was raised. "I thought that stuff was banned in North America."
"I know, right?" Izzy responded. She ripped the top of the package open with anticipation. "That means we gotta totally try it!"
(Confession Cam)
Izzy - /Moans, clutching stomach./ "Ugh... I'm never gonna eat or do anything ever again." /Holds up Smile Dip package and then drops it in disgust./ "Evil!"
Owen - "Sidekick to Super Donkey. This is gonna be the best thing to ever happen to me. Next to meeting Izzy." /Pauses./ "Wait." /Tries to examine camera before him./ "I should be keeping this a secret. That means I shouldn't be talking about this in here, right?"
Courtney let out another heavy sigh. She slouched in her seat upon the trolley, having finished the water bottle she had been drinking from the last several minutes. Duncan was not sitting directly next to her, but that was by design. He knew she needed whatever space she could get when decompressing emotionally. However long it took, be it the fifteen minutes since they left the arcade they had stumbled upon hours before.
"Thank you for suggesting that, Duncan," Courtney murmured. She remained in her slouched position for another moment.
"Hey, what better way to let off steam than to hit something," Duncan responded. He mustered a shrug despite keep his hands clasped behind his head.
"At least it was hitting something legally," Courtney noted. Slowly yet surely, she pushed herself to sit upright.
"Not my cup of tea, sure, but this was more for your sake than mine," Duncan added. He scooted himself to properly sit next to her. It did not take too long for her to figure out what this probably meant.
"You're thinking it, aren't you," Courtney muttered. She raised a stern brow at him.
"Maybe," Duncan chuckled. He was shameless. Even when she halfheartedly smacked him in the side of his stomach.
"Pig," Courtney muttered. Despite shaking her head, a grin of her own was starting to form. At least it was, until she noticed something up in the distance that took her attention away from the flirting. "Oh good, they're around." The figure was hardly be a speck at the moment and would take some time before the trolley reached them for a much better look. But even then noticeable features made it clear who it was that she spied. Even Duncan could make them out, too.
"Really, Princess?" Duncan groaned. He dropped his hands down onto the top of the seats as he rolled his eyes. "The next day?"
"Networking is very important in my chosen career, Duncan," Courtney explained. She had instantly switched to politician mode. "It helps in maximizing credentials and referrals so that I can move up the ladder with just a little bit of ease. The sooner I can make connections, the stronger I'll be at ascending."
"Right..." Duncan uttered. It was not so much that what she said went over his head. It was that he just did not care all that much. Leading Courtney to sigh.
"Look, I can tell you're not comfortable about my wanting to associate with them," Courtney said. She positioned herself so that she was looking as straight at him as she could. "And so quickly. But I can assure you, it's strictly business. It's another reason why I didn't have a problem with you tagging along without asking."
"Maybe there's some place I wanna go and it just so happened to be along the way to your hook up," Duncan retorted. He received another smack, though it was slightly harder than the last.
"Duncan..." Courtney groaned. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look.
"It's not you I'm worried about, alright?" Duncan proclaimed. He threw his hands up slightly as he let out a sigh of his own. "If you say you want a strictly business deal with them, then I know that's the deal. It's them I'm not certain about."
"I can take care of myself against unwanted advances, you know," Courtney stated. A slight pout did creep into her voice as she spoke. She tried not to panic.
"I do know," Duncan responded. He adjusted himself to look as though he was leaning up next to her while they were seated. "I just haven't gotten a good enough read on them to know if they really are on the up and up beyond dropping your panties." It was not a smack he received this time as it was a punch to an exposed shoulder. "Hey!"
"Could you please not be a monster when we're in public?" Courtney hissed. The scandalous look on her face fighting to prevent any pink from showing on her cheeks.
"Scared you might get turned on at an inappropriate time?" Duncan questioned. Engaging in his kind of flirtation as he leaned closer to her. "Admit it, Princess. There's nothing more thrilling than the thought of being so exposed."
"Not now!" Courtney gasped. Her cheeks were burning pink. Merely as a conversation-ender, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Maybe later..." She quickly hopped off the trolley before anything more could be said. Duncan followed behind with a satisfied chuckle.
Courtney managed to regain her composure in the short walk away from the trolley. Quickly straightening her clothes and cooling herself down enough to not be blushing. Duncan merely sauntered along. Though he might have been behind her, he nonetheless made sure to be in a position that was more to his preference. It was several steps before they engaged with the person of interest.
"Ah, Courtney, I believe," Jareth said. The ponytail tied at the bottom of their mullet-style red hair managing to stay draped over their shoulder despite a rather flashy turn to face the arriving couple. A grin that appeared genuine enough to make both rather weak at the knees.
"Yes," Courtney squeaked. She cleared her throat as fast as possible. "Thank you for remembering, Jareth. Are you busy at the moment?"
"I do have a minute or two to spare," Jareth replied. They waved their hand as the equivalent gesture of shrugging. "Let me guess, you're looking to build up your connections right away."
"Why wait when you can get it done pronto, eh?" Courtney responded. She let out a light laugh that had a trace of nervousness within.
"Certainly doesn't hurt, that's for sure," Jareth agreed. They rested their left hand gently upon their hip. "And if I may have the pleasure?"
"Ah, yes," Courtney replied. She cleared her throat again before raising her hands to present Duncan. "Jareth, Duncan. Duncan, Jareth."
"Yo," Duncan uttered. He merely nodded his head.
"Honored," Jareth said. They bowed their head slightly. "Hopefully my present distance away is to your satisfaction." The others took a second to take note that they were a good few feet away from the both of them.
"So far," Duncan answered. He let out a snort.
"Frances mentioned you were a shoe in to be... um..." Courtney said. She tried to steer the conversation back to a better direction than she feared it was going only to stumble a little. Jareth merely chuckled in understanding.
"The political structure of Académie de la Rose Blanche," Jareth stated. They kept their left hand upon their hip while gesturing with their right. "If you recall, the primary purpose of the school is education of your chosen profession through real world application. So for those of us with a future in politics, we put the practice to work. Thus, if I'm in the running to be 'student body president' of the school, as Frances tried to correct it as..."
"That's the equivalent of being mayor of a town," Courtney responded. It did not take her too long to figure things out. "And with this place essentially being a city-school..."
"Being mayor here is like being mayor for real," Jareth proclaimed. They let out an amused chuckle at the faces the others were making at this revelation.
"Sounds crazy," Duncan commented. He glanced over at Courtney to see she was quite as surprised as he was.
"It is," Jareth confirmed. They exhaled, rather then letting out a sigh. "Even those with political aspirations get cold feet upon figuring what it really means to be 'student body president' at White Rose Academy."
"And you're not intimidated?" Courtney asked. She raised a curious brow.
"Not yet," Jareth answered. They maintained a genuine grin as they spoke.
"You can drop the act, Jareth," a voice called out. It caused Jareth to drop their grin suddenly. "There's no need for you to be all humble and modest to secure votes."
Courtney and Duncan looked over their shoulders to see a trio of figures approaching. They were quite tall, seemingly for their age given they were supposed to be in a school. The middle figure was rather lanky in comparison to the other two on either side of him, but he looked no less intimidating with the black leather trench coat that went down to the ankles. The short brown hair combed to one side further giving a deceptively plain appearance to the fellow in the middle, the one presumed to have called out to Jareth. The two on the side clearly looked like they were the muscle.
"Suppose it isn't an act?" Jareth responded. Their voice dipped low.
"Sure," the middle figure chuckled. He and his cohorts were marching confidently toward Jareth. "We both know the real reason why you're the so-called front-runner to succeed me." His British accent was about as noticeable as Jareth, an assumption could be made that it might be of the Northern sort.
"I'm not oblivious to how much influence it holds," Jareth said. They kept their left hand upon their hip. "Nor am I dumb enough to rest on my laurels because of it."
"Quick to have an answer, I see," the middle figure noted. Speaking nearly at a whisper after stopping a couple feet away from Jareth. The other two figures standing behind like statues.
"So it would seem, Calitri," Jareth said. Their voice dipping lower.
"I wouldn't get too comfortable with your being the 'favorite', if I were you," Calitri scoffed. He ran a hand through his hair. "Who knows what might happen to suddenly knock you down a peg or two."
"Charming of you to threaten me so openly," Jareth noted. They were not backing down.
"Like newbies can do anything about it," Calitri retorted. He let out a sarcastic chuckle.
"That a challenge?" Duncan questioned. It was spontaneous enough to grab the attention of everyone around him. Courtney looked as though she was about to blanch with horror.
"Looking to get punished so quickly, boy?" Calitri responded. He showed no sign of having been offended by Duncan calling out to him.
"Wouldn't be the first time, pal," Duncan replied. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Duncan!" Courtney hissed. She was on the edge of squirming given who it apparently was her boyfriend was addressing.
"Oh, I see," Calitri uttered. He let out another chuckle that seemed relaxed. "You're not just newbies. You're from the reality show crowd being allowed here for publicity."
"Courtney," Courtney said. He had managed to present herself as professionally as she could under the circumstances upon turning to speak to the other. She even shot a hand out for a shake. "And am I right to presume you're the present 'student body president', Calitri?"
"You would be," Calitri answered. He eyed her for a short moment before accepting the offer to shake her hand for a couple seconds. "Good to know that there's at least half of you lot that know how to treat the right people with respect."
"What makes you think I haven't been treating you with the respect you deserve?" Duncan asked. Courtney was fighting off a vein from forming upon her temple as her punk boyfriend continued to get himself into further trouble.
"The brainless tough guy, huh?" Calitri noted. He let out another relaxed chuckle to show he was not unnerved. "Well, keep throwing your weight around as much as you want. Even if you manage to somehow avoid getting punished officially, you'll find out real quick that there are certain people you should never mess with."
"Wow," Duncan whistled. He was far from intimidated. "And here I thought by being here you smarty-pants would be more creative with your so-called omens." Jareth let out an uncharacteristic snort while Courtney coughed in an effort to keep from possibly laughing or crying. Calitri did, though, laugh. Seemingly in a mocking manner.
"So that's how you want to play," Calitri said. He sniffed and widened his grin. "Very well. Be careful what you wish for." He turned away from Duncan and back toward Jareth. "Since you're passing yourself off as a people person, I recommend you help them know their place on the pecking order." He clicked his tongue a couple times and then turned to walk away. The two accompanying figures, who had previously not moved through the whole conversation, followed behind.
"Would you have a problem with me calling that guy a dick?" Duncan asked. He had the wherewithal to at least wait until Calitri was well outside of visual range to speak.
"If you don't mind my saying in return, albeit privately, that I share a similar judgment," Jareth answered. They sighed heavily.
"Even still, we don't have a choice but to endure him because he's 'student body president', right?" Courtney questioned. She was starting to let her discomfort show through.
"I'm afraid so," Jareth replied. On a whim, they brought their wrist up to look at the time on their watch. "And unfortunately, our conversation will have to be cut short. I'll be needed elsewhere shortly. Perhaps we'll have a better opportunity to network another time."
"I guess," Courtney sighed. She looked rather beat given the way the day had gone for her. "At least I've picked up a few things regarding what I'm getting into. Thanks for the time."
"My pleasure," Jareth said. They nodded their head in a bow before turning and making their own exit from the scene. Leaving Courtney and Duncan to process all that had happened.
"Well, that sucked," Duncan declared. He was anything but amused.
"Yes, it did," Courtney conceded. She considered looking for a trash can to throw up in.
(Confession Cam)
Duncan - "The downside to hooking up with Courtney is that I have to deal with all this political crap she wants in on. It's boring, it's pathetic, and it's the kind of awful I wouldn't touch with a twenty-foot pole. And I'm still not one hundred percent on this Jareth. Not quite certain they're on the up and up yet, even if we seem to be on the same page regarding that idiot who is supposed to be the 'mayor' of this place. Maybe if they continue to keep their distance from my Princess I might ease up a little. Just a little."
"Just let 'im be," LeShawna said. She shook her head as soon as it appeared Beardo was going to approach the slightly distant Harold. "He'll ease up soon enough."
Harold had stopped yelling moments before. He seemed to be winding down in his aggressively stomping. The apparent lack of any other persons out and about allowed for him to exert the pent up rage and frustration he had been feeling the last few hours. Grumbling and muttering incomprehensible words and phrases. LeShawna let him vent, keeping herself and Beardo back until she was certain it was over. It would take several minutes before he was merely standing, huffing heavily, sweating, and drained of energy to do little more.
"She is being unreasonable, right?" Harold asked. Though he was frazzled, he still had some anger in his otherwise calm tone. "I am not imagining things, right?"
"I think she's goin' about it tha wrong way, I can agree ta that," LeShawna answered. She let out a sigh, knowing it was not necessarily what her boyfriend wanted to hear.
"What do you mean?" Harold questioned. He raised a confused brow.
"I get where she's comin' from," LeShawna explained. She felt comfortable enough to approach him as she spoke. "I've seen it a buncha times. Someone does something that hurts 'em and they take it personally. Way too personally, sometimes."
"I felt bad about what I did," Harold muttered. He sternly crossed his arms over his chest.
"I know you do, baby," LeShawna responded. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But she ain't gettin' it. Her stubbornness be cloudin' reason. It's gonna be tough ta get through ta folks like that and I don't think how she's handlin' thin's is right."
"It sure is not right," Harold grumbled. He let out a heavy sigh and looked down with a dejected look. "Does not know what I can do to satisfy her my dang foot."
"Look, Harold," LeShawna sighed. She used her other hand to bring his face up to look back at her. "Expecting her ta accept yer apology is not gonna be in tha books any time soon. Yer best bet is ta not let it work you over every wakin' hour, a'ight? I have faith y'all be able ta bury tha hatchet, but it may take a long time. And if there be any fists thrown, you can bet yer bottom dollar I'll have yer back."
It was not immediate, but the words did their job. It helped that her eyes were as soothing as they were genuine. Harold slowly eased. The stress he had been feeling loosened. Melting away to a level of comfort and relaxation that allowed for him to start forming a smile.
"Thanks, LeShawna," Harold said. Speaking breathlessly as though he was approaching a euphoric daze. Making LeShawna giggle affectionately.
"Hey, yer my man, remember?" LeShawna whispered. She brought both hands up to cup his cheeks. "We in this ta'gethah."
Harold and LeShawna had not had all that many opportunities to be romantic. In a way, they were taking their time and going at a pace that allowed for things to progress organically. Not necessarily the same way that Gwen and Trent were. And certainly avoiding going right into it the way Bridgette and Geoff had. So that whenever they did manage to kiss like they were in this moment, it was a truly blissful experience.
It took a minute for both to realize that the song "In Your Eyes" was not a shared imaginative buttress of the moment. Rather they were hearing it for real. Shortly after reluctantly pulling away from the kiss, they looked over at the source. Beardo was doing more than just mimicking the song playing on a radio. He was even miming his standing in place and holding up an invisible boombox. The couple could not help but laugh.
"Boy, you really are crazy," LeShawna uttered. She was about to move when she felt Harold seemingly holding still. She noticed there was a curious look on his face.
"Whoa," Harold gasped. He squinted and looked in a direction that turned out to be a couple feet to the right of Beardo. "Could you do that sound again?"
With a shrug, Beardo repeated the twelve-string guitar melody from the chorus of the song. It took a couple seconds when a sliver of green light emanated briefly. It faded away when Beardo stopped making sounds to catch sight of the unexpected phenomenon. One that left Harold in awe and LeShawna in disbelief.
"Now it's my turn ta ask if I'm imaginin' thin's," LeShawna murmured. She blinked a couple times to make sure there was nothing obscuring her eyes.
"I am seeing it, too," Harold stated. He took a few steps toward where the light had been, gently bringing LeShawna along with him. "Could you make that sound again?"
Beardo repeated the twelve-string guitar melody. This time, he made sure to keep going once the sliver of green light returned. The three examined the curiosity before them with fascination and wonder. In a spontaneous moment, Harold slowly lifted a hand up and tried to place it against the light. The hand went through, but it was not seen on the opposite side. Harold chuckling kept LeShawna from reacting any more than just widening her eyes in shock. A moment later, Harold pulled his hand back. The difference being that he was now clutching a small piece of paper.
"Whoa," Harold mused. Staring with amazement at the object he was suddenly holding. He let out another chuckle while looking over the contents written upon the sheet. It made him even more excited. "Mlle. Caine mentioned Magic Steve had left things hidden around the school. This might be one of them."
"Far out," Beardo whistled. Even in a more laid back presence, he was clearly impressed. The light having faded away as he had stopped the twelve-string guitar melody.
"Indeed," Harold uttered. He looked up at LeShawna with the goofiest grin.
"You know what this is supposed ta be about?" LeShawna asked. She adopted a more reserved reaction to what just happened. There was a small sense of worry that they might have stumbled upon something that might be of concern.
"I do not know yet," Harold answered. He had not eased up on his sudden delight. "But to happen upon a clue so soon, I am getting excited about looking for what else can be found." He turned his head over to Beardo. "You really are a cool guy, Beardo."
"Thanks," Beardo responded. He gave a thumbs up in appreciation.
"I hope you ain't gonna get all freaky an' obsessed wit' findin' all of these, baby," LeShawna noted. She raised an uncertain brow. "Tha last thin' we need is you goin' all sugah rush tryin' ta decipher tha meanin' ta whatever this is."
"I am in no rush," Harold said. He seemed to calm down slightly. Only slightly as he was still a little giddy. "We have two years, right? Who knows where and how we will find the next one. But I can hardly contain myself with anticipation."
"A'ight, a'ight," LeShawna stated. She did let out a chuckle despite herself and sighed. "Settle down there. If this is what will keep you occupied in a positive way, I guess I won't mind taggin' along whenever."
"I am feeling so much better now!" Harold declared. And he certainly was, as compared to how he had been the last few hours. "I cannot wait to see where we go from here!"
LeShawna rolled her eyes, but nonetheless smiled. She was joined by Beardo as they huddled around Harold while he looked over the sheet again. While their attention was on the paper, they made their exit from the scene with ease. But even if they had not been caught up with their discovery, chances were they would not have noticed the pair of invisible eyes that watched all that took place from the shadows.
(Confession Cam)
Beardo - "Harold and LeShawna are a-okay."
LeShawna - "It's takin' some gettin' used ta, but I know it'll be worth it in tha long run. Harold does tend ta trip ovah 'imself more times than he'll admit. Still, when he hits gold, it's sweeter than candy."
"Who ordered a pizza party?" Izzy cried. Though she was perched upon the shoulders of her hefty boyfriend, it still seemed like it was her bursting through the doors to present the mountain of pizzas strapped to her back.
The commotion was enough that, while this was technically inside the Rue Plumet living area, it made Ezekiel lose composure outside in the garden. The distraction causing him to somehow tip over in his continued attempt to follow along in Dawn's meditation and spill onto the ground. Dawn remained unfazed. Also outside was Ella, whose singing was interrupted, causing the small animals that surrounded her to shake in possible horror.
Back on the inside, Heather looked over from her slouching over a computer console expressing a great deal of annoyance. Even though it was likely not to be recognized or even returned, she glared at the wild redhead. Bridgette and Geoff managed to pull themselves away from their unending game of tonsil hockey on a leather seat in front of the wall television. They looked up with curious surprise at something that, frankly, they felt they should be used to by now. Gwen raised a brow from her spot in the dining area, her drawing time having paused to register the moment taking place. Shawn was seconds away from pulling the book and dropping down into the recently discovered bunker only to be physically held in place by Jasmine.
"Um... I guess we did, Izz," Geoff uttered. Being lost in recognizing Izzy and her proclamation was long enough for him to register too late that it had only been three seconds since she drew the attention of everyone with her commotion.
"Then bon appétit before Owen chows down on whatever's left!" Izzy proclaimed. Somehow, she managed to unstrap herself from the pizzas and dangerously launched them. Gwen leaped away from her position so as not to get hit by the incoming edible missiles. And yet all of the pizzas managed to land on the kitchen counter looking mysteriously pristine.
It took a moment, but everyone settled into a more relaxed composure and proceeded to dine on their unexpected meal for the day. Ezekiel turned to say something to Dawn about the pizza when he was taken aback by a slice already in front of her. Heather waited until after everyone else to grab a slice of her own, not wanting to encounter any one at all.
The others began to show back up at their own leisure and joined in on having some pizza. Courtney and Duncan were among the first to return, still trying to process all that happened to them during the day. They figured stuffing themselves with some pizza would make things better. Sky was next to arrive. Exhausted from having spent the majority of the day jogging and working out, she was starving. She grabbed a slice and accepted Shawn and Jasmine's invitation into the study. They filled her in on their discovery as they ate.
"So by pulling that book, you get dropped down into an emergency bunker under the building?" Sky summarized. She was looking closely at the book in question with intrigue.
"Defo tha damnedest thin', mate," Jasmine answered. She finished chewing and swallowing a bite of her pizza. "Reckon all 'alls o' residence 'ave one, too."
"If the exit is the Confession Cam room, I imagine the bunker is pretty big?" Sky surmised. She attempted to measure in her head the distance between where the drop into the bunker was to the Confession Cam room.
"I haven't examined the whole thing, but I think it measures equal to this place in square feet," Shawn replied. It was not that he was a picky eater. Rather he had mastered the art of not really eating all that much at a given time, tossing the smallest bits into his mouth at a time. "Also, I think there's multiple exits. As in getting outside and not be stuck here, if it comes to it."
"Quite dardy, if ya ask me," Jasmine noted. She let out a light laugh that ended with a snort.
"Yeah," Sky agreed. She drank from her water bottle. "Extremely useful to have, actually."
"It's like they really have been conceiving possibilities for handling the apocalypse," Shawn commented. He looked to be as thoughtful as he could appear given his eccentric nature. "I mean, taking it as seriously as I do."
"That somthin' that'd be right, sweetie?" Jasmine asked. She raised a curious brow.
"Not sure yet," Shawn responded. He tossed another pizza piece into his mouth. "Often things that would seem perfect means there's a flaw in the system. It'll take some figuring out before I can say for certain."
No one was really paying attention to the next arrival. Frankly, most everyone really did not care that Lightning mustered what little strength he had left to get in. Sweat profusely and panting heavier than possible, he struggled to shuffle his way through and into the study. Wanting to confront Sky.
"Don't..." Lightning coughed. He paused to catch whatever breath he could. Bent forward as he inhaled loudly. "Don't think... you got tha best... of tha Lightning... midget..."
"So what's the drop time again?" Sky asked. She was intentionally ignoring Lightning and resuming the conversation she was having with Shawn and Jasmine.
"Three seconds," Jasmine replied. She took a bite of her pizza. "Barely any time ta even react ta whatevah tha 'ell 'appened."
"And how far below the building are we talking?" Sky questioned. She also took a bite of her pizza, keeping her focus upon her friends.
"Hey!" Lightning uttered. His attempt to yell sounded more like a whisper through all the heavy breathing. "Hey, I'm... I'm talkin' ta ya!"
"About a full story down, I think," Shawn answered. He tossed a third piece of his pizza into his mouth. "I wasn't paying all that much attention to how spacious it is, even when I was running up the stairs into Confession Cam."
"Might be worth exploring whenever we have some time to do so," Sky suggested. After she finished chewing and swallowing the bite, she drank from her water bottle.
"Ya plannin' on anythin' ta'marrah?" Jasmine asked. She proceeded to finish off her pizza.
"She plannin' ta be humiliated by tha Lightning!" Lightning proclaimed. His full voice had yet to return. "That's what she be doin'!"
"Nope," Sky replied. Continuing to ignore Lightning. "I'm open tomorrow."
"We'll have to get down through the trap door," Shawn noted. He tossed the last piece of his pizza into his mouth and brushed his hands. "Fortunately, it's a slide down, so we're not gonna break our legs or anything."
"Fine by me," Sky said. She proceeded to finish off her pizza as well.
"No it ain't!" Lightning cried. Though it sounded more like a squeak given he still lacked oxygen. "Ya have a date with sha-destiny! Courtesy of tha Lightning!"
(Confession Cam)
Sky - /Facepalms and groans./ "I never thought I'd miss Sugar's bull-/censored/..."
Max and Staci were the next to return to Rue Plumet. Max begrudgingly accepted having some pizza, after realizing that his cousin would likely devour any that remained before the end of the night. He would find some isolated corner where he could continue to conjure evil ideas and plots from whatever nonsense Staci spewed about her so-called family history.
Cameron arrived afterward, though he moved through cautiously. He kept an eye on Shawn in the hopes that he would not get caught and dragged into whatever concerning situation the other might try to put him through. To ensure that he would not be seen, he positioned himself to be covered by Bridgette and Geoff. This seemed like a good idea at first as the couple could obscure whatever they were in front of. Cameron soon found that the downside was he in return could not see anything beyond the two constantly teasing the resumption of their make out session between feeding each other their slices of pizza. He felt quite embarrassed to seemingly be invading their privacy.
Gwen was still drawing even though she was dining on a slice of pizza. And while it was not quite a disruption to her work, she was quite welcoming of Trent suddenly appearing and wrapping his arms around her from behind. She nestled gently into his embrace when she felt comfortable in taking a break from illustrating. It was a moment later that she realized that, while it was genuinely affectionate, there was more to his holding her.
"You're bothered by something, handsome," Gwen proclaimed. She tilted her head enough so that she would get a look at him.
"Easy to read, aren't I, beautiful," Trent conceded. He let out a chuckle that sounded off.
"Depends," Gwen responded. She shifted herself so that she could drape her around over his shoulders without necessarily crossing them around the back of his neck. "What's up?"
"Had quite the venture at the bike shop," Trent answered. He paused for a moment to let out a heavy sigh. "I think I got hit on."
"You think?" Gwen questioned. She raised a curious brow.
"I dunno," Trent murmured. It was not so much what he wanted to say that he was worried about. Rather he was not sure how to better articulate his dilemma. "Something about her left me... uncomfortable. I'm not sure how to feel about that."
"Something we should be concerned about?" Gwen asked. She was gauging how serious this might be for the both of them.
"Jury's still out on that," Trent replied. He seemed undetermined with his answer. "She might've been trying to unsettle me on purpose for a different reason, but I haven't picked up on what it might be."
"She the type I'd be able to slug if it comes to it?" Gwen questioned. She intended her words to be taken in a joking manner.
"To be honest, I can't tell how much of her persona is an act or genuine," Trent responded. His words sounded rather serious.
"Hmmm..." Gwen mused. She thought for a second only to let out an unsure sigh. "Is she someone we can spot easy enough to avoid?"
"Oh, you can't miss her," Trent stated. He let out a chuckle sounded conflicted.
"Hey," Gwen said. She gently placed her forehead upon his. Their eyes focused on one other. "We endured the worst on that hellhole of an island. We got this, alright?" She could feel him slowly relax.
"Music to my ears, babe," Trent whispered. He tilted enough to maintain his forehead pressed against hers while giving her a kiss.
Both would admit that their experience on Camp Wawanakwa did push their blossoming relationship to progress further than they would have liked. Preferring that they would be able to take things slow and steady as they were still teenagers. Yet they had managed to keep themselves in check to only move at a pace that they were comfortable with. Wanting to savor every moment so that they could be cherished lovingly.
The kiss only lasted for a brief moment. It was more than enough for the both of them. Letting out gentle euphoric sighs, they allowed themselves to instead return to looking into one another's eyes. While it felt like it lasted for ages, it was only for a couple minutes. They caught sight of a return pair of bodies. Among them was someone Gwen wanted to speak with.
"Pause for a sec?" Gwen uttered. She placed a finger on his nose. "Wanna get something outta the way and then we can lose ourselves in each others' eyes forever afterward." She let out a light laugh and, with his mute acquiesce, she pulled out of his embrace.
"I'll be waiting," Trent said. He properly sat himself down and kept a longing eye on her.
For her part, Gwen was still looking back at Trent for a while before finally turning away. She did not have to step to far forward as she met up with the arrivals within seconds. Fast enough that Sam and Dakota were taken aback a little that someone would want to meet them.
"Hey," Gwen said. She was mostly directing herself toward Dakota.
"Hey," Dakota responded. She tried her best to form a welcoming smile.
"So..." Gwen uttered. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight slightly to one side. "About the other day... During the tour..."
"Yeah," Dakota murmured. She brushed some strands of her neon green hair behind her right ear. "Sorry about that. I'll try not to make that a regular thing, hopefully."
"You got a plan to keep yourself in check?" Gwen asked. She raised an interested brow.
"Not yet," Dakota answered. She let out a sigh.
"Perhaps I can make a suggestion," Gwen stated. Neither Dakota nor even Sam were expecting this. Taking them a moment to respond.
"Oh?" Dakota squeaked. It was not an intentional squeak, just how it sounded given the pitch of her natural voice.
"How's about getting chummy with my cousin, Ella?" Gwen suggested. She nodded her head in the direction of the garden outside.
Dakota and Sam looked out to locate the person in question. If they remembered correctly when they were being picked up on the bus, Ella was the absolute opposite of Gwen. It helped that the girl was surrounded by all sorts of animals, enamored with her singing even as she ate her pizza. Which she did using a fork and knife.
"Um..." Dakota uttered. She turned back to Gwen with a perplexed look on her face.
"I know, not exactly what one would think would be beneficial in helping with your plight," Gwen noted. She seemed to be one step ahead and not be put off by whatever response she got.
"Well, it's not necessarily that," Dakota stated. She paused a little to think about how she wanted to phrase what she would say next. "I mean... I'm not exactly good at the... 'friend-ing process'... if that's what it's called?" She was nervous with how Gwen took to hearing something that. The other did not seem bothered.
"You won't have to worry about that with Ella," Gwen proclaimed. She shook her head for added effect. "As long as you're not mean to her, she'll consider you her best friend in five seconds just by talking to her."
"Really?" Dakota murmured. She raised a curious brow.
"Eeyup," Gwen answered. Somehow, she came off as sounding very serious.
"And this will help me how?" Dakota asked. She blinked with further uncertainty.
"Let's just say all that glittery sunshine of hers could do wonders to your emotional core," Gwen answered. She followed with a shrug. "It's a suggestion, you don't have to take it if you don't want to. But it's one I think you should genuinely consider."
"Okay," Dakota muttered. She tried to form an appreciative smile. "Thanks."
"Sure thing," Gwen said. Seemingly satisfied, she turned and headed back to the dining area where a green eyed music man waited. Dakota and Sam looked at one another, feeling unsure about the whole exchange. Sam tried to give his girlfriend a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.
(Confession Cam)
Dakota - "Ella, huh... I mean, she is the perkiest person I'd ever seen. Way more than Zoey, I think. ... Maybe I could learn a thing or two from her..."
Harold, LeShawna and Beardo would be the last to arrive. Harold was rather caught up in their discovery to pay that much attention to anything else. Which LeShawna felt some relief at as it meant there was no immediate desire or interest to recognize the presence of Courtney and Duncan. This was further helped by the two taking the balcony area for themselves and well out of the way from most everyone else.
By dusk, the Rue Plumet living area settled into a casual and relaxed atmosphere. Gwen, Trent, Bridgette, Geoff, Harold, LeShawna, Beardo and Ella hanging out in the dining area and conversing about their misadventures of the day. Duncan and Courtney remained alone up in the balcony with Duncan teasingly trying to take advantage of the supposed privacy to Courtney's blushing embarrassment. Sky, Shawn and Jasmine taking up one end of the study to discuss their plan for the next day. Lightning hovering around and doing everything he could to garner Sky's attention to no avail. On another end of the study, Max and Staci continued to plot the former's evil schemes to eventually put into practice. Sam leading Cameron, Owen and Ezekiel at playing a multiplayer video game on the wall television. Dakota maintaining an embrace on her gamer boyfriend while watching. Izzy cheering on while perched upon her hefty boyfriend's shoulders. Dawn content with meditating in an isolated spot in the area. No one catching on that she was impossibly hovering in her cross-legged siting position. Heather doing everything that she could to ignore everything and everyone as she surfed the Internet at one of the computer consoles. A true moment of peace.
So it seemed like a good time for it to be ruined by a very loud sound that grabbed everyone's undivided attention. In particular Heather given that the whistling of six particular musical notes emerged from the computer she was on. Heather paused for a second to process that it was indeed from the computer. And then the sound repeated at the same time out of sync. Not all of them coming from the same computer, though.
"What the-" Heather peeped. She frantically looked to see if there was a way to mute the noise before it stopped suddenly. She then recognized that everyone was looking in her direction. "That wasn't me!"
"That sounds like everyone got an email alert," Dakota noted. A reasonable explanation that the others just accepted as being the case.
"Kinda coincidental for us to all get an alert at the exact same moment," Harold added. This led to a couple murmurs about how they could all have gotten an alert at once.
"I doubt it's a coincidence, I'm afraid," Gwen grumbled. She let out an annoyed sigh. "This sounds like something Chris would pull."
What positivity had been in the air only moments ago evaporated instantly at this revelation. It was a reminder that the core reason they were all in this incredibly impressive school was because they were a part of the reality show they had come to despise. This was not going to be the pleasant experience they, for a brief moment, thought they would suddenly have. With great reluctance, everyone turned back to Heather.
"What?" Heather uttered. She seemed appalled at what this meant. "You expect me to read his crap aloud for the rest of you?"
"Not really," Duncan scoffed. He looked just as displeased to have to talk to her. "But does it look like we're nipping at the heels enough to check our own emails right away?"
"I'm still not reading it aloud," Heather stated. She crossed her arms over her chest and threw her nose up.
"I will!" Izzy proclaimed. She suddenly popped up in front of Heather, nearly causing the other to flail back in horror, and proceeded to examine the email of everyone's curiosity.
"Read from a different computer, you Psycho Hose Beast!" Heather cried. She was being ignored.
"Oh, check it out!" Izzy declared. She spoke in an excited fashion and maintained a high volume voice despite being essentially up against Heather. "Says here our schedules have been finalized and we'll be receiving them in the morning." Many of the others began to murmur over this sudden development.
"That was fast," Cameron noted. He was quite interested with how this would go.
"Surprised they figured something out for me so quickly," Duncan muttered. This was certainly something unexpected for him.
"Anxious?" Courtney asked. She had picked up on his apparent astonishment.
"Mostly curious," Duncan answered. He tried to shrug it off in a nonchalant manner.
"And it gets better!" Izzy announced. Everyone else quieted down to hear what she had to say. "Says we're having our first challenge in the amphitheater this Saturday!" As expected, most everyone groaned with absolute displeasure.
"Finally!" Lightning cheered. He was one of the few, if any, who saw this as a positive. "Tha Lightning is gonna wipe tha sha-floor with y'all!"
"Does it say what the challenge is?" Sam asked. He seemed genuinely curious.
"Nope!" Izzy replied. Shaking her head for effect, which resulted in her hair slapping Heather a couple times. "Just to be there by noon." The redhead then began to cackle with joy. "Secret challenge. This is gonna be great!"
"You've read the email," Heather stated. She had had enough of Izzy for one day. "Now get the hell away from me!" Izzy blew a raspberry and then slid down, seemingly disappearing into the abyss before Heather could make any sort of reaction.
"So we get our schedules tomorrow and we have our first challenge a couple days later," Bridgette summarized. She counted off the points of interest on a finger. "Boy, just when you think you have the time in the world it goes by in a flash."
"Sh'yeah, really," Geoff agreed. He scratched the back of his head beneath his hat. "I guess we really are in a school, no matter how fancy it is, you know."
Next Up: Challenge Night – Round 1
Not gonna say much here as it took me long enough to put everything together. No review questions to address this time around, though this is largely due to whatever answers I give to those made recently would be potential spoilers down the road.
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Total Drama and its characters are copyright © of Fresh TV, Teletoon and Cartoon Network (and soon Max). This story was created purely out of sheer enjoyment so please don't sue. Or throw me off a thousand-foot high cliff into a shark-infested lake. That would so smarts.