Izzy breathed a sigh of blissful relief as she relaxed in her chair, kicking her feet up and resting them in the empty seat in front of her. Noah sat next to her, and Eva was in the chair across from him, both with relaxed looks on their faces. Elsewhere in First Class, Owen and Tyler went to town at the buffet while Alejandro idly gazed at his team, sipping his drink at the bar.
"This is so nice…" Izzy sighed out blissfully. "We really need to win more often, this is just what we needed in life…"
"Can't help but agree", The Bookworm whispered out happily.
"If anything, this gives us all the more reason to fight harder", Eva said in determination. "We've been missing out on all of this, and I know when stuff like plush seats and buffet tables are important when it comes to working out."
"Don't over stress or you're done", the three friends said simultaneously. They all shared a look, and while Izzy giggled, the other two smiled.
"But now, we have to mention the elephant in the room", Noah began, his face gaining a serious look. "Team Victory."
"What about them?" The Psycho Hose Beast asked in curiosity.
"Just how they've been losing a lot. No team from the past season had this bad of luck when it came to losing challenges."
"The Gophers did lose three times in a row after Boney Island", Eva said, leaning forward. "Regardless if it was because of some stupid curse or not, Team Victory is tied with them for losses, and lost teammates."
"Even still, that was because Heather's control on the team was slipping." Noah glanced out the window. "I don't know, it just feels too convenient for me."
"Maybe it's because of their name?" Izzy inquired. "I mean, they called themselves Team VICTORY, and had to vote someone off the first challenge when they had a chance to all stick around. I'd call that a bad omen."
"I'm gonna bet they're going to win First Class once", Eva said, holding up a finger. "And that's it. Heck, they probably won't last till the halfway point, I'm being that unfair."
Izzy shrugged and Noah shook his head. "No, you got a good point, E. Maybe it's also that 'animal curse' DJ's been going on about since after Egypt."
"But none of their loses is because of that, really", Izzy mentioned. "They lost in Egypt because Zeke lost their stick, in Japan it was because Chef just disliked Harold's commercial, and they completely forgot about Bridgette in the Yukon." The Psycho Hose Beast looked out the window. "I say it's just because their name made them too confident, and they have Lindsay, Leshawna and Beth together."
"So what you're saying is they're relying too much on their placement in the previous seasons?" Eva asked with a raised brow.
Izzy nodded. "Leshawna got fifth in Island, Lindsay made it past the merge twice till at least the twice, right around the same place, and Beth won last season! So yeah, I'm betting they're just too overconfident."
"I can see that", the Bookworm added. "Especially Leshawna. She's great, don't get me wrong, but she's got an attitude problem and sometimes is too… what's the term…"
"Hot head?" Eva said.
Noah snapped his fingers and pointed. "Bingo, Muscles. Because of that, I'm gonna say she's the next one gone."
"I'll take you up on that, Brainiac", the Fitness Buff said with a smirky grin.
Izzy smiled at her two friends and decided to check out how the rest of the team was doing, so wiggled past and made her way towards her lovable bf and the red-suit jock.
"Hey guys", she said, popping up between them suddenly. "Whatcha' doin'?"
"Just loading up, Izzy", Tyler said confidently. "Need to be in peak performance during the next challenge."
"Yeah, totally!" Owen said happily. "Al told me earlier that we need to be ready for anything, and you can't be ready on an empty stomach!"
The Psycho Hose Beast giggled and snagged a lonely, beautifully ripe apple that was off to the side. She took a bite, swallowed, then spoke. "You're not wrong, Owen. We don't want you passing out on us."
"Like what almost happened back at the start of season two?" Tyler asked.
"That was different, shush." Izzy put a finger over the jock's mouth, giving him a pointed look. The boy shut up immediately, nodding in very slight fear. "Anyway… You two are right. We need to be ready, especially so we don't have to worry about losing this", she gestured around with her arms stretched, "at all."
She left the two boys to their own devices, giving Owen a kiss on his cheek before heading over towards the bar and sitting next to Alejandro. The Spaniard gave her a questioning look while she got herself situated, sitting on the stool with crossed legs.
"What brings you here, Senorita?" The aspiring diplomat asked.
Izzy shrugged. "Just wanted to chat with each of my team before the next challenge, that's all."
"Mmmhmmm, perhaps…" He shot her a smirk. "Unless it's so you could talk to the other fiery Senorita on the other team?"
"She's my friend", the Psycho Hose Beast said simply. "I said this after Egypt and I'll say it again: I would want to be on a team with her if I could. Sierra shouldn't have been allowed to swap, but what's done is done…"
"Well said, Izzy." The Spaniard took a sip of his drink (Izzy assumed it was some kind of tea), then sighed. "You know, I did know a little bit about each of you, thanks to Chris."
"But let me guess, Sierra is a wildcard you know nothing about?"
"Yes. And I fear she'll do more like what she did at the Nile to squeeze past and into Chris' good books."
The Psycho Hose Beast hummed as she played with one of her braids. "Well, Chris didn't seem to like how she was in the Yukon."
The young man paused, and very subtly gave Izzy a glance she didn't notice. "I see. Maybe even Chris has his limits to suck ups…"
Izzy shrugged. "I guess he does." She reached around the counter and snagged two bottles of soda. "Well, imma head off and meet up with Merida. Unless…" She looked at the unofficial team leader. "I can't…?"
"Go and talk with your friend, Izzy", he said kindly. "I'm a man of sportsmanship, and would never get between two friends who simply wish to talk."
"Thanks, Alejandro!" She waved him farewell as she left First Class, heading out to find her fellow redhead. She made her way to the curtain that were rated Economy and First, and spied inside to hopefully find her target.
Much to her surprise, the room only had five of the six team amazon members in it. Merida was nowhere in sight, Cody was shivering and sitting on the bench alone, while the four other girls sat across from him. The Psycho Hose Beast cocked an eyebrow in confusion, wondering where her friend and the third team were.
Oh, wait, Team Victory was huddled up at the far end of the room, faces etched with defeat. Deciding Merida wasn't here, as swiftly sped through and towards the Common Area, making sure not to be too suspicious.
As soon as she entered the dining area, she spotted the princess in disguise on her phone, mumbling something into it and pacing.
Izzy carefully walked up and handed her friend one of the two sodas, who took it and continued to talk and pace, worry etched on her face. After a few moments, the princess turned off her phone and sat down across from her friend.
"What's going on?" Izzy asked quietly.
Merida sighed and cracked her soda open. "It's Baby. She apparently came over to the castle, and looked, as Caleb said, furious. Now she's locked herself in her room and won't come out."
"That's… Not good." Izzy cringed. A mad Baby was a dangerous baby, even more so than an angry Dry Bowser or Majima. "Did he say why?"
The princess shook her head. "He didn't know why, but could assume it had something to do with that pizzeria she's living in." Merida sighed, taking a slow sip of her drink. "I hope things are okay on their end. If we were there…"
"If we were there, things wouldn't be any different", Izzy said sadly. "You know how Scrapy is usually…"
"Yeah, you're right…"
The two redheads entered a sombre silence, worry etched on their faces for their friend. Not a lot could get her mad, but when something set off Baby, you knew it was really bad.
There was only one time before when something like this happened…
~
"Baby, c'mon, please!" Katania cried out at the sealed bedroom door. "I know what happened earlier sucked, but you can't lock yourself in there all day!"
"I CAN AND WILL!" A crackly, fury filled voice screamed back through from the otherside.
Izzy, Merida, Star and Maria all shared looks of worry. Early in the day, Zomboss made a poor taste joke that triggered something in regards to Baby's past, which set her off. Now the zombie scientist was in the medical ward recovering, the Rec Room looked as though a tornado swept through, and the clawed animatronic had locked herself in her room.
Just by being near, Izzy could feel the anger coming from the other side, once thinking only Eva could get this mad. It was seriously scary how bad things had gotten.
"Seriously, Baby", Star called out. "Don't be like this!"
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Maria sighed and shared a sad look with the Dun Broch Princess, and they both nodded. Then much to Izzy horror, the two women pushed past the others and forced their ways inside the bedroom. Kat, Star and Izzy were dead silent, half expecting all hell to break loose.
But instead, the faintest static filled sobbing hit their ears. Worry filling their veins, the three still in the hallway made their way inside the bedroom. And the sight of a curled up Baby sobbing in the corner. Maria was gently running a hand through her wire hair while Merida sat down next to her.
"Izzy, can you go and get some extra blankets?" Katania asked the Psycho Hose Beast. "And try to get Jenny. All of us are going to be here till things smooth over."
The wild child nodded and dashed back towards the Rec Room, heading straight for the hangout space's closet to find any extra comforters. As she dug through, her pace slowed as she let the image of Baby flash in her head.
It was almost a myth of her being this vulnerable, but honestly, Izzy could get why.
When they were together, they could shed their shields…
~
Both shook their heads and blinked when the screeching sound activation came out of the PA system.
"Mornin', passengers!" Chris' smug voice called through. "Get your buts down to the cargo hold, I've got something to show you all!" The speakers promptly shut off, and the sounds of grains and whines could be coming from further down the plane.
"Well, looks like we got our next challenge", Izzy said simply.
"Yeah…" Merida winced as she rubbed her ear. "Bloody 'ell, did that have to be so loud? Bastard must've put an air horn next to that thing."
"Chris is many things, Merry. Sadistic, cheap, selfish and a bit crazy. So yeah, he might've."
Merida mumbled as she tossed her now empty bottle into a nearby recycling bin, and began to head towards the cargo hold per the host's instructions. Izzy copied her friend's movements, with the soda bottle hitting the rim and shattering in two. Izzy winced at the noise, but luckily it all went in the bin.
so, with a slight smile, she skipped after her friend. When they both arrived at the hold, they were confused at the sight of Chris in a life jacket while standing at the bow of an inflatable boat.
"Ah, nice to see you two are the first ones here", he said with a smug grin.
Merida shrugged and walked over. "We were already in the dining room, so it wasn't that bad."
"Ah, competitors bonding", the host said wistfully. He said nothing else, so Izzy wasn't sure what he meant with that.
As she took a seat next to Merida, the other contestants slowly filed in and made their way towards the boat. Chris moved to the middle of the boat and began to usher everyone to sit down with the redheads, which made them both mildly concerned. They shared a look as everyone did as they were told.
"Take a seat, grab a handle", the host said, "and I'll tell you where we're going."
Tyler chuckled confidently. "Sweet boat, guy. Right, Lindsay?" The jock looked at the blonde next to him.
"Ummm, sure…" She looked at her boyfriend, "Dave, is it?"
The jock looked down sadly, with Izzy wincing at the sight.
"Feel bad for him?" Merida, who was also watching the scene, whispered.
The Psycho Hose Beast nodded. "Lindsay's sweet, but gosh she's too gullible and oblivious for her own good…"
"Why are you wearing a life jacket?" Nosh asked the host aloud.
"'Cause there's sixteen of you, and only one valuable me. Hit it Chef!" Everyone gave the host a confused look at the sudden shout, only for the floor under them to give way, sending them into a free fall down. Everyone except a confident Chris cried out and latched on to each other and the boat's handles. Luckily, the fall wasn't as bad as before Japan, with the boat landing firmly in some water not a second later.
Izzy shook her head, hair a little frazzled, and glanced at something in the watcher approaching them.
"Welcome to New York City!" The host announced happily as he drove the boat by the Statue Of Liberty. Merida looked up at the turquoise green in amazement, her eyes sparkling. The Psycho Hose Beast glanced at her, smiling at the wonder, but the more she stared at the sparkling eyes, the more… odd she felt.
Before she could dwell on it, the host parked the boat up next to a dock and began to guide everyone on the wooden walkway and towards the base of the famous statue.
"What my dad would do to see this…" Merida mumbled in awe. "I don't know a whole lot of modern history, what's this lass' story?" She glanced at her fellow redhead.
Izzy shrugged. "It was a gift from the French over a century ago. So it's a big deal."
"I bet…" Merida returned her gaze back to the towering figure. "This is something I could only dream of." She smirked. "After this show, me and you are doing some travelling, I promise."
Izzy's eyes widened and she nodded, remaining silent as each of the three teams grouped together. Chris stood before them all, ready to get the day started.
"Your first challenge is a carriage race to Central Park", the host explained. "Which I like to call… Liberty or Death!"
"Oh I've always dreamed of riding a horse drawn carriage!" Owen cheered with a clap.
"Don't even think of making me the horse", Courtney growled, before shooting a glare at her teammate. "Heather." Merida gave the Queen Bee a stink eye of her own.
"Slow down, conclusion jumpers. It's a baby carriage race." The host fell silent to let that sink in.
Leshawna looked around in confusion. "Soooo… Where are the carriages?"
"Yeah." The host pointed up and everyone looked to see three barely visible baby carriages all the way at the top of Lady Liberty, with them dangling from the points of her crown. "Hope ya' brought your climbing gloves." Everyone let out groans and whines at the now monumental task before them.
"LOL, Chris", Sierra said in a wistful and happy tone. "I think your mischievous spirit makes the game."
"Thank you, Sierra." The host folded his arms behind his back. "It's nice to be appreciated!"
"Appreciated?" The fangirl walked up to the host, and Izzy felt a chill run up her spine and the creepy tone. "I love you! I always did, even waaaaay back when you were making those terrible movies about talking cats."
Chris started to look a little peeved about that little factoid, which also made everyone start to giggle, and try their best to contain them.
"I was even going to all my first fan club the 'Christians', but that name was already taken…"
The host pat the fangirl's head, then pushed her away and back to her team so he could continue the challenge explanation. "Okay! Less chatter, more splatter." He realised what he said and tried to correct course. "Climbing! More climbing. We'll leave the splatter to fate! Anywho…"
He walked closer towards some stairs then went up higher on the statue's podium. "Once you reach Lady Liberty's crown, pull your rope to bring your team up faster. Once everybody's up, your team grabs the correct carriage off the spike, races back down to your boat, and follows the buoys to your next exciting destination: Central Park!"
"So… ummm… When do we go shopping?" Lindsay asked. Merida silently slapped her hand on her face.
"You don't."
The almost empty-head blonde fell to her knees and let out a cry of defeat, which echoed throughout the air. Izzy cringed, wondering if that was a sign of things to come.
~X~
Chris led the three teams up the massive stone podium to a spot with three coloured mats, each for a team as a rope dangled just above it. Izzy spied up above as the teams all silently gazed up with her. It was a daunting climb, and how the ropes shimmered in light definitely didn't help.
When the host blew his whistle, the teams were off. Alejandro was the first to start climbing for team Chris, with Izzy right behind. Glancing over, she saw Courtney up first, with Merida right behind. The two redheads shared a look, smiled, and continued their arduous task of scaling up.
It didn't help that the rope was made of steel wool, so only seconds after she began to climb she wanted to let go. Sadly, Eva was right behind her, so no slowing down.
She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, and began to climb at a much faster rate. She grit her teeth as the wool attacked the palms of her hands, but ignored the pain and kept going. Alejandro was a good distance further up, which Izzy knew meant she needed to go faster. But as soon as she looked away from the Spaniard, the whole rope shifted.
Izzy scrambled to keep a grip while Eva, Noah and Tyler below all cried out in shock.
"What the heck is he doing?!" The Fitness Buff roared. The Psycho Hose Beast looked up, and saw Alejandro had swung over and held onto the Amazon's rope so he could talk with Sierra. Izzy narrowed her eyes at her teammate, catching a faint glimpse of Merida looking down suspiciously from Liberty's crown. After a moment, Alejandro let go of the opposing team's rope and continued to climb.
The Psycho Hose Beast looked down and shared a look with Eva and Noah, and the three of them silently agreed that whatever happened would be ignored… For now. Because right now, they had a challenge to win. So, with a boost of resolve, the three members of Team E-Scope scaled the painful steel wool rope as fast that they're bodies would allow. Izzy and Eva, being the most athletically inclined, soon reached the top almost right after Alejandro did.
Noah and Tyler were next, both arriving at the same time, both for different reasons (one was not athletically inclined, one was too clumsy for his own good).
All that left was Owen, who had somehow made it halfway up on his own, but ended up tangled in the material. The team looked down, and all shared flat looks, knowing the massive hurdle ahead of them. So as one, they all grabbed the rope and began to pull, trying to life the lovable oaf as best they could.
During this, Sierra had just joined her team, marking Team Amazon as the first ones fully at the top.
"I'll get the carriage!" Heather shouted. "Which is something only a really valuable teammate would do!"
Izzy raised an eyebrow, shooting Merida a questioning look. The princess looked over, and shrugged in response. Izzy shrugged back, and returned her full attention back to lifting Big O up.
But as she did, she spotted the superfan walk over towards the host.
"Hey Chris, know what?" Sierra began. "I own every one of your TV appearances on DVD, even your cooking show!" The host scowled as everyone finally looked over, that last bit catching all of their attention. "'Keep It Plain With Chris McLean'. Your recipe for white rice was so great, it's totally unfair you got cancelled after only one episode!"
Everyone began to laugh, except Merida who was just confused, and Izzy who saw Chris' eye twitching and decided that laughing at him was probably not a good idea.
"I was… going… through a… phase!" The host stammered out, clearly embarrassed about this dark secret of his past revealed.
Luckily for him, Heather came back down with her team's carriage, taking the attention off his life.
"Like I said, valuable!" The Queen Bee gloated. Izzy was still confused about what all of that was about.
"Team Amazon takes the lead!" The host announced.
"But how do we get back down?" Courtney asked.
"Fireman's pole, anyone?" Chris gestured to said object right behind him, with a pretty obvious sign next to the opening in the statue's head. "It's only a 30 story drop."
As the Amazons all peered into the hole and quietly talked before sliding down, Team Chris returned their attention back to getting the season one winner up. So, with a burst of strength, they began to pull as one. But as they made good progress, something stopped them.
Looking down, Izzy saw Owen was getting caught by the statue's nose, massively hindering their progress. It was just then, too, that Team Victory finally got Leshawna up, DJ snagged their carriage, and they were sliding down the pole after Team Amazon.
Team Chris began to grow desperate, and continuously pulled Owen up fruitlessly until he ended up getting stuck in a nostril. Eva snarled, and knocked the three guys and Izzy away. With all her strength, she lashed the rope like a whip, which not only freed Owen but sent him flying through the air.
With this window, the team all came back and grabbed the rope at a later point, which meant when it went slack again Owen was passed the nose. With all their combined strength, they finally helped get the lardball up, every one of them exhausted.
"I'll… get the… carriage…" Izzy said between breaths. She turned towards the end of the spike, and did repeated flips till the end. She picked up the baby carriage with ease, set it down, and gently rode it back down. Sadly, she misjudged the speed it would reach, and she shot past her team and right at the fireman's pole, slamming into it and sliding towards the bottom.
With a painful thud when she reached the bottom, she groaned. Only to squeal in pain as Tyler, Noah and Eva landed on her, one after another. She bit her lip, holding back the string of curse words that were just on the tip of her tongue.
"You okay, Iz?" Eva asked.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine", The Psycho Hose Beast lied as she stood up and limped away from the pole. "Just… wasn't expecting the fall. And you guys."
"Yeah, sorry about that, Nutsy", Noah droned out.
She didn't know why, but her eye twitched, and this weird feeling just barely blinked through her body.
Shaking her head, she stretched and recovered from the injuries just as Owen came crashing down, with Alejandro right behind.
"Alright, let's go already!" Eva roared in impatience. She kicked down the door before them and ran outside, beelining for their blue motor boat. Everyone else chased after her, all of them climbing in and getting situated.
As Alejandro kicked the engine off and followed the buoys like Chris had said, The Psycho Hose Beast noticed Cody in the water by the dock. Looking ahead, she saw Team Amazon beelining to pick up their missing member. Izzy frowned, shooting Merida a sad look as the two teams passed each other. The princess shrugged, and after that the Team Chris redhead faced ahead.
Letting her gaze wander towards the buoys, she saw they led into a massive open sewer pipe, and when her team all noticed, they all let out groans of disgust. As soon as the powerful smell of the sewage hit her nostrils, Izzy plugged them as her face twisted in disgust.
"Ack, like we don't have to deal with this smell enough with Owen!" Noah barked. He glanced at his large friend. "No offence, Lunchbox."
"None taken, little buddy", the lovable oaf said, fanning the smell away from his face. "Even I have to admit this is a bit much."
"Glad we all agree on something", Eva grumbled. She glanced over at Tyler, who was staring back where they came. He looked noticeably panicked. "What's up with you, Jockstrap?"
"I could've sworn I saw something…" He muttered. "It was big, and white."
"Maybe it was just some heap of trash", Noah said in a bored tone. "That whole thing about alligators living down here is just a myth."
Alejandro pulled a face. "Don't be so dismissive of Tyler's worries, amigo. This show has done a lot so far, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was a beast like that wandering around down here."
"Al's right!" Owen cheered. "And he's never been wrong before."
Izzy noticed the Spaniard shivered again at the name drop, and quickly put together Alejandro hated being called Al. Deciding the last thing she wanted was to get on the man's bad side, she made the mental note to never call him that.
They passed another buoy, and Tyler turned his attention to the tunnel ahead. "How far do you think Central Park is?"
Noah shrugged. "Hard to say, but my best guess is pretty far, especially if we get lost."
"As long as we stay on course, we'll be fine-" Alejandro's confident tone immediately dropped when they stopped at a buoy parked right at a three way intersection in the tunnel.
"Which way do we go?" Izzy asked as she shot up.
The de facto team leader looked down each tunnel, probably hoping to catch a glimpse of Team Victory. No luck. So with a sign, he steered the boat into the left tunnel. "This way."
"I hope you know what you're doing…" Eva said in a dangerously low tone.
The Psycho Hose Beast sighed and returned to sitting down, leaning over the side of the boat. She was bored out of her mind, since this challenge was probably one of the weaker ones she participated in. I mean, all she did was climb up a statue and wait in a boat. At least the Yukon had the wild ice flow at the beginning, with the cold and the snow and the divers-
Izzy immediately sat up straight at the thought of the divers crossed her mind again. No, she wouldn't let them driving her insane again, so she needed to distract herself. Luckily, she knew she needed to sing, so it was time for some music.
Pulling her phone out, she began to scroll through the massive song list, and found New York City by Owl City. It was perfect, so she selected it and let the instrumental play out. Once the beat picked up, Izzy began to sing.
I'm digging through the glove box
I thought I had a map in here
The driver's door doesn't lock
I bought the car my junior year
There's candy in my backpack
And you can pick a soundtrack
We're headed from the East Coast tonight
So pack your bags and hold on tight
'Cause we're taking of
We're taking off!
The rest of Team Chris caught on quickly as to what was happening, and while they would sing anywhere but a cold, musky sewer, they knew it was better to rip the bandage off now then wait till later. Plus, this just meant they were in full control, wth the other contestants (namely Courtney) taking over.
Run away with me
We're on the way to New York City
Take my hand and see
Manhattan never looked so pretty
Travel light and see the world right
You'll never know if you never go so
Run away with me
And say hello to New York City
Eva, Noah and Owen sang the next verse together, each taking turns belting a line. One thing they noticed as they sang, however, was that not only was Izzy not facing any of them, but whenever they played a little off key she should shutter. It was like she wanted to ignore something, and didn't pick this song because she wanted to…
Feet up on the dashboard
We're driving with the windows down
Did you forget your phone cord?
We'll buy one in the next small town
Get dinner at an IHOP
A shower at truck stop
We listen at some Johnny Cash
Take my hand and don't look back'
Cause we're movin' on
We're movin' on
Alejandro took over with Tyler backing, but as the Spaniard sang out the lyrics, he shared a look with the team. There was something… off with the song choice. From how the Psycho Hose Beast hummed along, it was almost like she was wanting to go… somewhere. Run away to a place that wasn't New York, but somewhere… else.
Run away with me
We're on the way to New York City
Take my hand and see
Manhattan never looked so pretty
Travel light and see the world right
You'll never know if you never go so
Run away with me
And say hello to New York City
Izzy took over the song once again, the instrumental adjusting to take on an almost sort of longing/wistful tone. This made the team wonder what she was singing about. What was she wanting to run away from, and to where?
Run away, run away
Run away, run away
The Psycho Hose Beast was so entranced by the song that she basically shut the rest of her team out, not letting them get anymore as the song winded down into an almost lullaby-esque melody. It filled them all with some odd melancholy feeling, one they couldn't place.
Run away with me
We're on the way to New York City
Take my hand and see
Manhattan never looked so pretty
Travel light and see the world right
You'll never know if you never go so
Run away with me…
Izzy wasn't done even after the song ended, as she continued to hum the melody out loud, eyes closed.
Owen, feeling curious, walked over carefully as to not jostle the boat so much and sat next to his girlfriend. Subconsciously, Izzy leaned over and rested against him. But as they sat together, the loveable oaf, as gullible and oblivious as he was, couldn't help but feel like something was… off.
In this moment, Izzy's wild spark had dwindled, and while one would expect Owen to be happy with that, he liked Izzy because she was crazy. And he also felt like Izzy… was thinking he was someone else. As much as he'd like to deny it, ever since Izzy took up the movie deals way back when the two of them saw each other less.
Maybe that was a sign…
But before he or Izzy could get completely sucked into any sort of depressing thoughts, a loud roar from further back in the tunnel snapped them all to attention. Izzy quickly pocketed her phone and jolted into a standing position, not even acknowledging her boyfriend until he stood up too.
The whole team looked behind them, and much to their horror they saw Team Amazon coming up fast, screaming their heads off…
As a massive albino alligator covered in scars came right up behind them, roaring and snapping its razor sharp teeth filled jaws.
"AL, PUNCH IT!" Tyler pleaded in panic. Eva marched to the back of the boat, seemingly intent on fighting the gator with her bare hands. The jock held her back as the self-proclaimed team leader put the engine at max power.
Izzy made sure to keep a tight hold on the carriage as Owen hugged Noah close to his body, both terrified out of their minds. The gator roared a third time, with Team Victory swerving out of a side tunnel and in front of Team Chris.
"Oh my gosh!" Izzy heard Beth scream.
The underground behemoth dived into the water, and jumped out to gain a burst of speed. But just as it was about to chomp down on Team Amazon, all three teams shot out of the exit pipe and landed in a clean pond in Central Park. All three teams sighed in relief as the alligator got stuck in the exit, too big to fit through.
They all pulled up to the dock, where Chris (who was wearing a gas mask) and Chef were waiting.
"Nasty!" The host said. "That's the kind of stick that never comes out!" He looked at his partner. "Make the gator sign a waiver so we can show it on TV."
The cook mumbled bitterly as he took off his chef hat, slapped on a sweatband, and swam over to the beast. The whole time, Izzy watched with an owlish gaze, the mind not understanding how and why this worked.
"Chris, you are such a brilliant commander", Sierra praised. "That's why you always stood out in your boy band."
"Woah woah woah woah", Owen said in surprise. "Chris was in a boy band?" All the contestants looked towards the host, wide eyed and curious, but trying not to laugh.
"Moving on-" The host failed to rein everyone in as the fangirl went on.
"Back in the 80's he was…" The superfan sang what Izzy presumed was a snippet of a song.
"You were in Fametown?!" Gwen asked in disbelief.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back, as everyone finally succumbed to the unbelievability of it all and burst out into roaring laughter. The host was wide-eyed for a moment before locking a dangerous glare on Sierra.
"I really admire the way you never let mockery get to you", Sierra continued. "I'll have to include that in your obituary. I already have a draft, wanna hear?" She took a deep breath to begin another ramble, only for Chris to finally snap.
"THAT IS IT!" The host roared. "ZIP IT! PERMANENTLY!" He snarled as Sierra flinched back, and Alejandro smirked. Izzy glanced at him, at Sierra, and let it click. This is what he told her earlier.
She had to admit, that was really clever. The Psycho Hose Beast gave the Spaniard a side eye as Chris led everyone onto the dock and onto the park grounds, where a chalkboard with three coloured lines stood.
"Alright, focus people!" The host said with a clap. "Welcome to the second half of the challenge. Bobbin' for big apples, NYC style! Here's how it's gonna go down." He pulled out a stick. "Teams must push their carriages along one of the three paths to Central Park's fabled turtle pond. There, one member of each team will bob for some very special apples using only their mouths. No hands.
"Once they get to shore, the rest of the team must load it into their carriages and race to the finish line at the heart of Central Park. And what's a baby carriage, without a baby?"
"Oo oo! A shopping cart!" Owen said innocently.
"It was a rhetorical question."
"Oh Chris", Sierra spoke up. "That is so-"
"ZIP IT!" The host suddenly roared. The fangirl, and most of the other contestants, flinched back at the sudden volume shift. Izzy herself went rigid, not liking how… angry, Chris got.
After a moment, the host continued his explanation. "One member of each team must ride in their carriage and stay there, all the way to the finish line."
"Cody", all the Amazons sans the boy himself said at once.
"I'll do it", Noah said in a bored tone and shrug.
"And I'll do it for Team Victory!" Lindsay said. She faced her team. "I love it when people call me baby!"
"Make a mental note of that, bro", the bookworm said as he elbowed the jock.
Tyler felt around his tracksuit, then shrugged. "I don't have a pen." Izzy resisted the urge to slap her palm on her face. Eva did it without hesitation.
"Team Victory got here first", Chris continued. "So, they get the shortest path to the pond. Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot gets the longest path on the left, and Team Amazon gets the longest path on the right. Oh… and…" He flashed a smug grin. "A little travelling music, please."
"It's always been a dream of mine to dance in New York City!" Courtney said in a passionate tone.
"So we're really doing this music part every single time?!" Leshawna complained.
"Fun, huh?" The host said as the double ding sounded off. "Team Me Is Really Really Really Crazy Hot, though, get to pass on this since they sung a song in the sewer."
"Seriously?!" Heather whined, shooting a venomous glare at the Psycho Hose Beast. Merida, not happy with the glare, slapped the back of the Queen Bee's head harshly.
"Less complaining and more singing, so thank you Merida! We only have permits to cut off this section of the park for an hour. So move it!"
Izzy smiled lightly as her team sped off, taking their marked path as the other teams began to sing their own song. Alejandro smiled brightly, giving his teammate a proud look.
"I must say, Izzy", the Spaniard said. "Your love for music has given us a much greater advantage than we thought."
"And how's that?" She asked with a dubious look.
"With the other teams distracted by the singing and dancing, it'll give us ample opportunity to gain the lead and keep First Class."
"Dang, never thought of that", Eva said in surprise. "Maybe we should try and sing sooner than usual. At least that way we don't have to worry about Chris' stupid signing timing."
"Whatever it means so we can win, sure", Noah said with a shrug as he lazed in the baby carriage.
Owen smiled and nodded, while Tyler looked ahead. "Hey guys, I think I see the pond!" The whole team looked ahead, and sure enough there was the turtle pond, three massive apples floating in the dead centre.
"And Team Me Is Really Really Crazy Stupid Hot are the first ones here!" Chris announced as the host and cook stood on a tall rock. "Remember, no hands."
"I got this, guys", Izzy said as Tyler lifted his hand to offer instead. "Trust me, I've got the teeth. To punctuate her point, her teeth suddenly became razor sharp in a devilish smile. The jock got one look, and deflated.
With it decided, the Psycho Hose Beast dove into the water and began to swim towards one of the apples. As she got nearer, she was surprised by the lack of turtles in Turtle Pond, but decided they must just be sleeping. So she made it tt one of the apples with ease and bit into it. Instantly, she could taste… candy. So these were hollow apple props filled with stuff.
With a firm bite now locked on, she swam back as fast as she could, soon returning to the pond edge. Alejandro acted fast and picked the apple up, rushing over to their baby carriage, and giving the apple to Noah. The bookworm held onto it as all of Team Chris booked it towards the finish line, a soaking wet Izzy taking up the rear of the pack.
It luckily wasn't a long trek, as the heart of the park was only a brief jog away. As soon as the team stopped on the paved stone that surrounded the fountain, they all celebrated.
Owen lifted the apple out of the carriage, and Noah climbed out to join in with the celebrations.
"I gotta, you guys surprised me!" Chris said as he and Chef walked up and stood in front of the fountain. "I know it's because you guys didn't have to sing with the others, but the producers were getting peeved at me after Egypt because I tried to do the whole reprise bit."
"Let me guess", Eva said. "They didn't like that Duncan dropped out."
"That's an understatement, girl!" Hatchet said. "They hated the fact the punk quit, so the producers told us one song unless it's interrupted. No reprise, no second one."
"Exactly", the host said with a snap of his fingers. "And because of your and Merida's singing, the producer's want me to let you two and anyone else who tags in get a pass from the planned ones."
"Surprises do bring in more ratings", Noah said flatly. "So not having any warning ahead of time would make it more enticing."
"Correctamundo, Noah! But anyway… Congratulations on making first place Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Really Hot! Not only do you get access to First Class again, but you also get the goodies I've hidden in all three apples."
Izzy licked her lips. "I still taste the candy that's in ours."
The host scowled and frowned. "Should've thought about that…" He shook his head. "Whatever, not the end of the world. Head off to the side, leave your carriage and apple, we still need to see who came up last."
Team Chris all nodded and walked over to some available benches, sitting down and relaxing after a long day. Tyler and Owen let out relaxed sighs, while Eva decided to do some push-ups to pass the time.
"If we keep this up", Noah said with a smirk, "We could coast in First Class till the merge."
"That'd be amazing…" Izzy muttered, already tried from how all over the place the day was.
"We just need to keep up the amazing teamwork", Alejandro said. "The more we work together and use our strengths to counteract our weaknesses, we'll be unstoppable."
"While still having good sportsmanship!" Tyler shouted suddenly. "Like when you let Izzy talk to the camel for Team Amazon in Egypt."
"Yes, exactly Tyler, mi amigo." The Spaniard smiled. "I am but a man of honour and fair play, but in a case like this… we must tackle what we can get. Plus, we sang already. So it's fair we get a pass."
"I ain't complaining", Eva said as she shifted to doing one-armed push-ups. "As long as we get first, I'm content."
"Yeah! We're the team!" Owen cheered. "Let's keep this ball rolling!"
Izzy smiled. "To Team Chris!"
"TO TEAM CHRIS!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
The winning team all looked over, seeing Team Victory and Team Amazon completely flabbergasted at the finish line.
"Yeah, Team Me decided they wanted to win again", the host said smugly. "Which means they win! And Team Amazon, hate to say it, but you're last…" Izzy's smile fell, and Merida glared at her team. "…which doesn't matter because this is a reward challenge! Sike!"
Team Chris and Team Victory groaned, while Team Amazon sighed in relief. Izzy too, actually, as the fear of Merida being booted super early was always there. It did seep in a bit back in the Yukon, but luckily she was saved.
Twice it was a far too close call.
With the danger of elimination instantly snuffed out, Chris did a quick announcement about placements and all that, before leading everyone back towards where the plane had landed. Which was all the way at the airport, so it was a long taxi ride, which was mostly silent.
As soon as they all boarded the plane once more, Chris spoke up again.
"Oh yeah! Forgot to mention this, but the Aftermath is gonna be next, so you guys all have a few hours to relax while we load up and fuel up. But once I get the signal, we're off." With that, the host walked off, leaving the contestants to their own devices. All of Team Chris sans Izzy headed straight for First Class, Team Amazon sans Merida went to Economy, and Team Victory headed towards Economy with them.
The two redheads remained in the Common Area, with the princess glaring fiercely where Heather disappeared to, then looked at her friend with a softer look.
"Bloody 'ell, today was a roller coaster", Merida said as she sat down at one of the chairs at a table. "Climbing a statue, racing through sewers, then singing through Central Park."
Izzy snorted and sat across from her. "Yeah, plus I slammed into a pole and we were all nearly eaten by a giant alligator." She paused. "Oh and Chris finally snapped at Sierra. That was something…"
"It was. I was wondering if he would finally just say 'Enough, get off my show!'" The princess did a terrible Chris impression at the last bit, which made Izzy start laughing. "But yeah, it'll be nice to get a break. I'm starting to feel… What's the word Amy used… Jet lag! That's it."
Izzy nodded. "Same. All the flying is making my head spin. I'm worried I might pass out on the next take off."
"I'll be sure to catch ya'."
The two redheads fell silent, only for Merida to sigh. "Well, I should get back to my team. I don't want Heather having a tantrum that I'm mingling with the competition. Especially Alejandro's teammate."
"Those two are so into each other, huh?" Izzy said with a smirk.
"More obvious than Caleb and Kat, that's for sure!" Both redheads giggled, and the princess waved goodbye and headed to Economy. As she left, Izzy felt herself somewhat entranced by the way Merida's ponytail swayed.
From how the light made it so vibrant it was almost like fire.
Izzy snapped out of her trance when her friend vanished from sight, and the Psycho Hose Beast was left wondering what that was about.
Gentle buzzing from her pocket drew all her attention from her phone, which she quickly pulled out and opened the group chat.
~
WildChild666: What the heck are you guys blowing up about?
ImaginationKid: It's Baby. I'm pretty sure Merida told you earlier…?
WildChild666: She did. What, did it get worse?
CreepersSuck568: Soooooo much worse!
MagicMewniMonster: She came over and is a mess! Molten is with her too…
WildChild666: Molten? Like… that wire bear from her game?
MagicMewniMonster: Yeah, him. He told us Baby just gutted another animatronic at the pizzeria and now she's locked herself in her room and won't come out.
PowerpuffRedBow99: We all got spooked because she literally ripped the door to the balcony off its hinges and now she's crying in her room. Maria and Amy slipped in before she could lock the door, but none of us know what to do.
ImGonnaWreckIt: We really wish you and Merida could be here. She listens to you guys and Kat.
WildChild666: Where's Kat right now?
ImGonnaWreckIt: She's getting a bunch of stuff from her home to hopefully help. Until then, the rest of us are stumped.
WildChild666: God… I'm really sorry guys. I wish I could be there to help.
EleventhHour: Don't worry about it, Isabel. We have it handled… somewhat. You just focus on that show.
LordOfTheUndead: Speaking of… You didn't text after Yukon. And we all saw you shut down there.
WildChild666: Oh… Yeah, I guess I forgot. That day was… not good for me.
ImaginationKid: We're just worried, Iz, that's all. I know things haven't been easy for you since Action ended, so just… take it easy. We're here if you ever need to chat.
WildChild666: Yeah… Yeah, thanks Caleb. I hope Baby gets better soon, tell her I want to chat with her when I can, 'K?
ImaginationKid: You got it Iz. Love ya'.
WildChild666: Love ya' too, ya' punk.
~
As soon as she turned off her phone, Izzy groaned and slammed her face onto the tabletop. She hated how obvious she was back in Yukon, god. She'd do anything to be there with them than on this stupid show right now.
~
(Confessional - Liberty means free, so why don't I feel like it?)
Izzy - "Today sucked! Probably the most tedious challenge by far!" The Psycho Hose Beast sighed. "I mean, it's just another race. This is, what, the sixth one already? Egypt had two, the Yukon had two, and now New York with two! Seriously Chris, try to be more original.
"But other than that… I'm better than the Yukon!" Her smile was clearly forced and straining to stay in place. "So… Yeah. Looking forward to what comes next!"
~
Merida - "Oh my god, Heather is starting to grate on my nerves", The princess snarled through clenched teeth. "She keeps trying to prove she's a 'good teammate' so when we do lose, she's not voted off. But all of us know she's gone no matter what."
She let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And, trying to make Sierra stop being so weird around Cody is going to kill me by the end of this. She keeps hugging him, he's uncomfortable, then it loops." Her hand slid down her face. "My team is such a disaster. I feel like, soon, I'll just throw a challenge so I can go."
She fell silent, then laughed. "As if. I'm winning this, with Izzy."
~X~
And thus ends the next exciting part in this Total Drama tale. This was a fun chapter to write, simply because of the extended character interactions. Also, wow, my own inserted song actually affects the game in a far larger way.
Yes, Team Chris won this challenge, just as a way to make things slightly more different than canon. I wanted to start with small changes that don't do much, but still are there before moving to the drastic changes.
Also, yes, the first Aftermath is coming up! Since this is all from Izzy's perspective, it'll be way more different from canon, so be ready.
Also, got a little glimpse into another certain story that's part of this AU at the end there…
Up next: With everyone waiting in the refuelling plane, things seem fine. But an innocent yet horrible question from Beth and Lindsay sets Izzy off in a way no one had expected…
~Caleb~