It had been a long few months for Izzy. After Total Drama ended, she signed a multi movie deal to star in film after film, but after accidentally snapping on set once, she was instantly fired.
Not that she cared. She always thought it was so stuffy and uptight, and hated how she could never let loose. She couldn't even bring her snake on set, for Pete's sake! So she happily accepted her freedom the best way she knew how…
Going back home to have wacky adventures in her treehouse, living it up with her awesome mom.
Currently, she was chilling lazily in the treehouse in her green, unkempt house's backyard, minding her own business. She was taking a break from her hard work on her current project, taking in the noon time sun when she got the call from her mom.
"Izzy!" The older woman called from the house, "You got a letter, sweetheart!"
Instantly, the wild side of the frizzy redhead fired up, and she dashed down the tree and inside. Wind kicked up as she snagged the letter from her mom's pinched fingers, the older woman unfazed as she continued to stir the beef stroganoff she was making. Izzy giddily looked the sealed envelope over, her hopes rising to unreal expectations.
"Who's it from, Isabelle?" Izzy's mom asked.
Izzy shrugged with a goofy grin. "Don't know, but maybe it's from the guy I ordered that pirate sword from!"
The mother chuckled happily. "Still set on making the pirate thing go through?"
"You bet I am!" The redhead looked over to her backyard, mainly at the tree her treehouse rested on. Around the base of the trunk was a bunch of miscellaneous woodwork supplies, with a partial wooden structure that resembled the bow of a ship. It was complete with a very accurate sculpture of Izzy as a mermaid, which the redhead was especially proud of.
"I'm gonna cruise the Caribbean and pillage all the yachts I please", she continued, emphasising her point by mimicking a sword fight. Her mom looked over her shoulder and smiled warmly.
'Well, you'll never know if you don't open it!"
Izzy nodded and eagerly ripped the envelope open and pulled the letter out. She unfolded it and began to read it, but the further along she got, the more her smile fell. Once she finished reading the letter, she let out a frustrated cry and tossed the paper onto the dinner table, flopping into one of the chairs with her arms crossed.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Her mom asked, turning off the stove.
"The letter is just an invitation to some stupid award show", she said dejectedly. Izzy's mom looked over the letter and hummed.
"Well;, it sounds like your other friends are going to be there", she said with a sly smile. This made Izzy perk up a bit.
That is true, she thought to herself, but it's not like anyone will like being there. Except Owen.
Izzy giggled at that final thought, earning a smile from her mom. "Besides, I know you aren't as close to everyone there…" She paused. "Unlike those other friends you told me about."
Izzy smiled as she thought back to that fateful day when she had to say goodbye to that group of weirdos. She sighed happily as she thought of the other redhead and her archery skills. Izzy's mom smiled happily at her daughter, before heading back to the pot of stroganoff, grabbing one of the bowls that rested next to it, and poured some of the meal in it for her daughter.
"Well, eat up sweetheart. You got to go tonight."
Izzy nodded and began to inhale the stroganoff like a vacuum, before giving her mom a big kiss and dashing upstairs into her room. She shut her door and began to frantically shuffle through her messy pile of clothes like a wild animal. She pulled out all sorts of suits and dresses, not really sure what to stick with. She tried on a baby blue suit with a complementary orange tie, a dress made to look like it was a full garden, and even a pink two piece swimsuit with a matching pink vest and shorts. She groaned as nothing clicked, returning to her usual look and planning to go in that. Until she walked by her cracked vanity mirror, and looked over herself.
She faced the mirror fully, her expression neutral and she looked into the cracked glass. She blinked, a memory slowly forming in her head…
~
Izzy was standing in a clothes store, sniffing through the racks as she searched for something silly, like a t-shirt with some logo on it.
"What are you looking for exactly?" Asked her friend who wore roller skates, her mechanical claw subconsciously flexing as she held onto a red dress.
"I don't know", Izzy admitted, shooting her friend a smile, "Probably something that'll really bug Chris."
"You should try and carve a new look for you", said another friend with a large ponytail that nearly touched the floor. "That's what we're doing."
Izzy shot her a curious look. "How come?"
"Well", her ponytail friend started, "We've all been through a lot when it comes to this adventure, so why not change your look up to reflect that? But still make it you, so then it really reflects that change."
Izzy stared at her friend silently, letting the thought hang there…
~
Izzy snapped out of her train of thought, the first she saw being her reflection. After a few seconds of standing in silence, she walked to her bedroom door, opened it and poked her head onto the landing.
"Hey mom", Izzy called out, "Can you come here? I need some help with something."
The sound of footsteps hit her ears as her mom climbed the stairs, meeting her mom eye to eye.
"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" Her mom asked.
Izzy nodded, turning around and pointing and jabbing a thumb at her hair. "I was hoping you could braid my hair. Then, at the end, leave it as is, sort of like a ball and chain."
Izzy's mom thought it over, picturing it in her head, then beamed. She sat on the end of Izzy's bed while the wild child sat in a chair she dragged over, and the loving mother went to work. She hummed a calming tune as she worked away, Izzy looking at herself in the mirror.
"Is there any particular reason you want to do this, sweetie?" Izzy's mom asked.
Izzy continued to stare into her mirror. "I was just thinking back to my friends, the other ones, and how one of them said that since we've all been through so much at that point, that we should sort of change our looks to reflect."
Her mother cocked an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you liked how you looked."
"She more meant in a 'We've matured' way", Izzy continued, "And I just thought why not do that. I am not the same Izzy, after all. I met a lot of crazy awesome people." She giggled. "And I just want to surprise them next time I visit. Plus, I wanted to see how red I could make Owen." She finished with a smug smirk.
Izzy's mom laughed kindly with her daughter. "How that boy still sticks by you is beyond me."
Izzy innocently shrugged, now beaming at herself in the mirror. She looked at her mom as she worked, a determined look on the older woman's face. The wild child looked up at her bedroom ceiling, the plastic glow in the dark stars giving her an idea she was gonna do after her mom was done.
Which happened to be right then. Izzy's mom let the braid fall, dusting her hands together. Izzy stung to her feet and spun around, looking her braid over. It was exactly as she imagined it, with the braid stopping just at her lower back and ending in a clump of her frizzy hair. The redhead's eyes sparkled, and she quickly hugged her mom in thanks.
"You're the best, mom", she said happily.
"Anything for my Isabelle", she said, ruffling her daughter's hair. "Now finished getting changed. The note mentioned a limo was coming to pick you up, so be quick."
Izzy nodded, and as soon as her mom left the room, she went to work. She dug through her pile of clothes until she finally found it. It was a waist high lime green jacket with an orange star on the back, the words 'Conquered The Wild' on it. Izzy smiled and began to pull out the rest of the new look she was going for, and once she had it all, she quickly changed. Once she was done, she looked herself over in the mirror.
She now wore a dark green t-shirt that covered her whole torso underneath her jacket, ripped lime green jeans that ended at her knees, and white socks with green sports shoes. On her wrist was a friendship bracelet, something she hadn't parted with since Action, which consisted of three thick strings, each a different shade of green. She adjusted it a bit and smiled, looking at her bedroom door when she heard honking outside.
"Isabelle, your limo is here!" She heard her mom call. Quickly, Izzy did one final once over before making a dash to her door, only to pause when she caught sight of something.
A phone she covered in stickers that was resting on the vanity. Thinking for only a moment, she quickly snapped it up and stuffed it into her jean pocket, then dashed downstairs. Her mom was at the open front door, waiting for her patiently.
"Oh look at you!" Izzy's mom said in pride. She brought Izzy into a hug, planting a big kiss on the wild child's forehead.
"Mom…" Izzy whined, yet still had a massive smile on her face.
"Oh, and you're wearing the jacket your father gave you", Her mother said quietly. "He'd be so happy…"
Izzy blushed and gave her mom one last hug, before running out towards the limo.
"Wrap me up some stroganoff for later, mom!" Izzy shouted, skipping backwards and pointing at the older woman. "I'm gonna come home an award winner!" She gave her a playful wave, then climbed into the waiting vehicle. It darted off as soon as she closed the door, nearly knocking her off the red velvet seat. After that initial shock, Izzy let out a sigh, beaming as the limo made its way to the awards show.
~X~
The good mood Izzy had didn't last. As they got closer, she started to genuinely get anxious, a feeling she rarely felt. To help her cope, she was scrolling through all the pictures on her phone, giggling as she would occasionally pass by a picture she liked most. Then she saw a picture of her and her archer friend, and she calmed right down, letting out a sigh. Izzy looked out the limo's sunroof, and saw she was getting closer to the award show, evident by the spotlights that beamed up into the night sky. Looking at the entrance, she saw all her other contestants were already there, so she quickly ducked back in and stuffed her phone into her pocket.
Relax Izzy, she thought to herself, you haven't seen any of these guys aside from Owen in a few months. But that doesn't mean they won't hate you all the sudden.
She steeled her nerves, and her iconic crazy smile on her face as she bore her fangs. She readied herself to jump out of the limo for a dramatic and bombastic grand entrance…
Only to let out a shocked cry as the limo came to a sudden and drastic halt. Groaning as she knelt back up while rubbing her head, she shot where the driver was a harsh glare. She shook her head and slowly grabbed a hold of the door's handle, let out a breath, then blasted out. She did a couple of flips, smiling wide, before landing on Owen's shoulders and giving him a playful noogie.
"Big O! It's great to see you again!" Izzy happily exclaimed.
This got a chuckle out of the large blonde. "It's nice to see you again too, Izzy." He purred as Izzy scratched him playfully behind his ear, which earned her a scoff from the resident witch Heather.
"Puh- lease, Izzy being back just means disaster is right behind her", Heather spat.
Izzy chose to ignore her, deciding Owen was more important, but deep down she wanted to shoot her one of her harshest glares possible. But she reigned herself in, something she hated, and focused on what made her happy. She rested her elbows on her boyfriend's head, his hair soft, and she began to look around at the others. Gwen and Leshawna were glaring daggers at Heather; Katie and Sadie, the pinks in their outfits now swapped with a mint green, were happily chatting with Lindsay and Beth; Duncan and Courtney were both scowling, backs facing each other, while the CIT hugged a raccoon close to her; Noah was closest to the door, and had his finger on an ear piece as he spat something about muffins and lattes; Harold, Justin, Cody and Trent were at the back of the group, the for of them being interviewed by a tall girl with tan skin, purple hair done into a long ponytail, yellow shirt, and green pants and shoes.
Another scoff snapped Izzy out of her train of thought, and she looked down to see Eva, her arms crossed while looking up at the crazy girl. "So what, you become a movie star, lose it on set once, and then that's it?"
Izzy looked down at her friend like a smug cat. "Yeah, and I'd do it again. It was fun!"
The fitness buff rolled her eyes when Owen giggled obliviously at his girlfriend. Izzy smiled but then looked around, finally noticing that they were still outside on the red carpet. So she hopped off Owen's shoulders, and once she landed triumphantly she straightened out her jacket. But that was a massive mistake, and the purple haired girl, once she was finished talking to the Drama Brothers, instantly ran up and stood in front of the redhead. She was caught off guard for a moment, but then looked at her with a smile.
"OMG, Izzy!" The purple haired girl said in giddy excitement, "It's such an honour to finally meet you!"
Izzy waved off the girl's enthusiasm. "Nah, it's not that big of a deal." A thought hit her, and she glared at the girl. "Unless you're from the RCMP. You are not turning me in, I haven't done anything…", She paused, "…since last week."
The purple haired girl giggled. "Nope! I'm Sierra, here on behalf of Celebrity Manhunt!"
Izzy looked over at the camera that she just now noticed, and felt a twinge of anxiety shoot through her. But she was able to mask it with her signature manic smile, stuffing both hands into her jean pockets. For the one with the phone, she traced her thumb over the stickers in reassurance for herself.
"Alright", she said as she relaxed somewhat, "Whatcha' need to know?"
Sierra looked Izzy over. "Well first, I'd like to know what's with the wardrobe change."
Izzy shrugged, then began to pose dramatically. "I don't know, I just felt like changing things up. Kinda like this rockstar look."
"C'mon, Sierra!" A voice sounded off from the camera, making Izzy snap her head at it. "Dig for the juicier stuff!"
Izzy gave the camera a confused look, but then turned her attention back to Sierra when the interviewer cleared her throat. "Right. So Izzy, do you have anything to say about what happened when everyone left for the Beach Movie challenge?"
The question made Izzy purse her lips together, giving a look of contemplation that was very out of character for her. She thought for a moment before coming up with an answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Sierra squinted a bit. "Sure… and all the footage that was shown in the Aftermath was fake."
Shit.
Izzy kept up her bubbly self, giving Sierra a proud smile. "I was hiding away in the studio, silly. Whatever you saw clearly wasn't me. Maybe you saw my doppelgänger?" The innocence of it made Sierra back off, and she went to address the camera directly. Izzy sighed internally, thankful she was able to dodge that bullet. When she saw everyone begin to finally move inside, she straightened her jacket and joined the rest of the group.
As they approached, none other than Chef Hatchet stood beside the front door, wearing a very nice suit. Strangely, though, he still wore the chef hat, making Izzy wonder if the thing was just a part of his body. Then she remembered his boot camp challenge back in TDI.
Unless it was just under the other hat, she thought as the cook raised a hand to stop all of the Total Drama contestants.
"Famous people only!" Chef barked, earning confused and shocked gasps from everyone. He looked down at his wrist watch. "And as of five seconds ago, that excludes you."
Izzy's left eye twitched, her mind screaming at her to tackle Chef like old times. However, she stopped herself when Gwen spoke up. "Who died and made you doorman?" She asked, Izzy quietly wondering the same thing.
It was then Chris walked out wearing a baby blue suit and red bow tie. "I did!" He said proudly as he put his hands behind his back.
Good thing I didn't wear mine, Izzy said as she internally cringed.
Izzy quietly watched as Noah ran up and handed Chris a latte. The host looked over all the ex-contestants with a smug look. A few of the others had some things to say about Noah's Chris ass-kissing, which Izzy found very weird for the sarcastic bookworm. He seemed like the last person to do this sort of thing, but Izzy choked it up to good pay.
The sound of screeching tires made Izzy look back towards the road, and she saw as several random people (and a bear) all climbed out of the freshly stopped limo and made their way inside.
"How are they famous?!" Gwen asked angrily after Chris enthusiastically let them in.
"They're the stars of my new reality show", Chris explained, "Total. Drama. DIRTBAGS!"
Izzy, along with everyone else, collectively made a noise of confusion.
"A bunch of nasty jerks live in a huge mansion and get all bored and backstabby", Noah deadpanned.
"I'm nasty", Heather argued, "That should be me!" Izzy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She and Majima would get along just fine, she thought.
"These guys are up and coming", Chirs said smugly, "Not down and going. I.e… you losers."
"Excuse me", a new voice interjected. Passing through all the contestants was what Izzy would be a fusion between Justin and Chris, with a red button up shirt, tan skin, dark grey pants and boots, and pretty standard brown hair. She watched as the Spaniard pushed through the crowd, making sure to harshly elbow Cody to the ground, much to Sierra's shock. Izzy winced at her fallen friend, furrowing her eyebrows at the newest target on her hit list.
Chris made an effort to high five the Spaniard, who's name was Alejandro, but was completely ignored. The host scowled at the boy, before taking a sip of his latte and promptly spit it in Noah's face.
"Ugh! This latte's cold!" The host complained. He shoved the cup against Noah's chest, knocking him back a bit. "You're fired!" His mood immediately brightened as he addressed the whole group. "Well guys, I'd say later. Buuuuut, uh, there isn't gonna be a later. Soooo…" He stepped inside, and slammed the door on all of them.
The group all gasped as the lights outside powered off. Izzy looked around genuinely wondering where all the paparazzi went, and why she and all her cast mates were even there if this was how they were going to be treated.
"Hey guys, we have to find a way to get inside", Sierra said.
Izzy felt a wave of confidence crash over her. "Leave that to me!"
The Psycho Hose Beast quickly did a series of flips around the front to the right side of the building. She looked up towards the roof, the gears turning in her head, as she thought of a way to get up. Soon, her eyes fell onto the cord of one of the spotlights, and a raccoon digging in a nearby garbage can. She smiled devilishly, quickly grabbing the cord and ripping it out of the light, grabbing the raccoon, tying the cord around the small animal's waist, and throwing him up to a flagpole. The raccoon clung for dear life as Izzy scaled the cord, eventually flipping onto the roof. She stood triumphantly, her face filled with determination-
The black magic of Mulholland Drive~
Swimming pools under desert skies~
Drinking white wine in the blushing light~
Just another LA Devotee~!
Izzy gasped as her phone began to play the song, the device vibrating as it did so. Quickly, she pulled the device out of her pocket and looked at the screen to see who was calling her.
Merida.
Izzy relaxed and quickly sat down on a nearby AC Unit and picked the answer option. "Merida, hey!"
"Bloody 'ell", Merida said through the phone, her Scottish accent still as prominent as ever, "I thought you'd be busy wrestling a bloody bear."
Izzy laughed at her friend's joke, playing with one of her side bangs. 'Yeah, you thought. So, how are things going for you?"
"Eh, fine", the other girl said nonchalantly, "Mum and dad are fine, my wee' devils of brothers are fine, everything is fine."
Izzy cocked an eyebrow. Her friend's tone sounded off, but she decided not to push.
"So, how are things on your end of the world?" Merida asked.
"Pretty good", Izzy said happily, "I was invited to this award show with everyone else, but Chris snubbed us right at the front door! Can you believe it?"
Merida let out a loud laugh, Izzy giggling alongside her. "O of course he would, the freak."
Izzy's laughing slowed a bit, realising what Merida said. "Wait, did you watch the show?"
A sound of confirmation came from the phone. "I was visiting Kat, and when I was bored, I binged Total Drama. I have'ta say, you were pretty good. Gave that Eva gal a run for her money."
Izzy snorted. "Hey, that's Izzy friend you're chewing out!"
Merida let out another loud laugh, but it died quickly, making Izzy go quiet. "Hey, Merida, is everything okay?"
Merida hummed. "No, nothing's wrong." A pause. "Well, I better get going. Mum's probably looking for me. See you, Psycho Hose Beast."
"Catch ya' later, Princess Of DunBroch." Izzy hung up and smiled, only to snap out of her funk when she realised where she was. "Oh crap!" As quick as she could, she shot up and began to run to a large open vent on the roof, diving right in. She quickly scrambled through the ventilation system until she came to the theatre's lobby. She was about to run and open the door, but the enticing nature of the drinks, plus the conversation with her friend still fresh in her mind, it all made her become distracted. Using some spare change that was in her pocket, she bought herself a drink and walked out casually. The whole cast cheered but when the door clicked behind Izzy, her eyes bugged out.
"Oops", she said in embarrassment. The groans of her other campers met her ears, and she gave them a guilty smile. Courtney, Heather and Duncan all rolled their eyes, making Izzy give them a flat look.
Then the TV above her head clicked on, a proud announcer beginning his speech for the award show. The whole gang looked at the TV, watching intently as they waited for any semblance of recognition for their seasons. One hour went by.
Then two.
Then three…
Izzy mentally groaned as she felt so done with this. With tired legs, she stood up and stretched, doing her best to get the knots out of her muscles. Once she finished, she began to slowly walk away, looking down at her phone. She was hoping to call a Cab so she could get home and continue to work on her pirate project. She did hear Courtney yell something in anger, and suddenly the TV screen was thrown and crashed right in front of the wild child. She jumped back in fright as the screen crackled with static a bit, looking down at it silently.
"And the Gemmy for best reality show host goes to", the TV gabled through the static, "Once again, Chris Mclean!"
Everyone began to complain and glare viciously at the TV as Chris took the podium.
"Oh, hey, thanks again", Chris started, letting out a laugh, "But I couldn't have done it without the wonderful people from Total Drama Action." Izzy, at this point, had tuned out what was happening and walked to the sidewalk, furiously looking for a nearby taxi to hopefully take her home. When she didn't see any yellow cabs, she looked down and began to furiously tap at the screen, hoping to hail one that way. She was so engrossed in her phone that she didn't notice until Owen grabbed her arm and carried her onto DJ and his mom's bus.
"Wait, huh?" She asked as she was left standing in the middle aisle. She turned around to see Courtney take the wheel, slam on the gas pedal, and drive down the road. Izzy stumbled a bit as the bus jerked forward, grabbing hold of a seat to keep herself from falling. Once she was steady, she walked over and sat in one of the two seats that were right behind the driver's seat. As Courtney kept the bus steady on the road, her face twisted in rage and determination, Gwen, Duncan and Heather all hovered around her.
Izzy, not really in the mood to ask what was happening, opened her phone and went onto the group chat with all her other friends.
~
WildBeast666: Hey guys!
ImaginationKid: Izzy! Hey! How's it going?
OniChampionOfPurgatory: Sup', Isabelle-chan?
ImGonnaWreckIt: Ah, and she finally joins us
WildBeast666: *Shrugs* Meh, it's okay, I guess.
CreepersSuck568: Oh boy, what happened now?
WildBeast666: I honestly don't know how to start, it's a long story.
DunBrochQueen: I think I have an idea
WildBeast666: Well, I told Merida this, but basically I was invited to an award show about reality tv, and everyone else was there. Big O, Noah, Eva, everyone. Well, I guess Chris had other plans, because not only did he say he had a new show planned called Total Drama Dirtbags, and not only did he invite his new cast in, but he snubbed us! Closed the door right on our faces after both he and Chef said we weren't famous anymore. Now I'm on DJ's bus with everyone for some reason…
OniChampionOfPurgatory: ROFL
TrollWhisperer11: Oh dear…
MagicMewniMonster: *Wooooow* what a jerk.
FlowerMan: Eh, I'm with Majima. That's funny as shit. Looking forward to seeing that on TV!
XJ9: God Flowey, show at least *some* sympathy.
FlowerMan: *Raises Hands*
LordOfTheUndead: I'd shove his head in the toilet. He probably already drinks the stuff on a daily basis.
CandyCrusher: Jeez, Dry Bowser, blunt as always!
ImaginationKid: Do you think this could be all part of Chris' plan to rope you and everyone else into a new season?
CreepersSuck568: …
XJ9: …
ImGonnaWreckIt: …
MagicMewniMonster: I really hope he's not planning that.
WildChild666: Honestly, he probably is. As if I'm gonna tell the others, though.
TrollWhisperer11: Why?
WildChild666: Because it's Total Drama?
Everyone: …true.
ImaginationKid: So, if all this is a ploy by Chris, what are you going to do?
WildChild666: Not sure, honestly.
DunBrochQueen: I wouldn't mind joining. Would give me something to do.
Everyone: …
WildChild666: Wait, seriously? You'd want to join?
DunBrochQueen: Yeah. Gives me a break from my wee' devil brothers, and from all my kingdom-ly duties.
ImaginationKid: Well, meet me at the rec room, Merida. We'll head out shopping so you can buy some fresh clothes that'll be more… time appropriate.
DunBrochQueen: Good point. Be ready, Izzy, you'll see me knocking on your front door as soon as I get the news!
-DunBrochQueen signed off
WildChild666: Okay, well, if that's what's happening, then I'll catch you all later!
OniChampionOfPurgatory: God, those two are-
~
Izzy signed off and stuck her phone in her pocket without noticing that final line. She looked out the window she was next to, and realised they were still in the city. Izzy quietly hummed to herself and leaned into the aisle looking down into the bus.
Everyone was sitting on the left side, with Leshawna, Geoff, Bridgette and DJ's mom all sitting at the table at the back. Izzy's mouth formed a flat line as she dreaded what was probably gonna happen, but said nothing as she leaned back into her seat.
"So what's with the new look?"
Izzy jumped and looked up, seeing Gwen looking down at her with a cocked eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah", the redhead started. She grabbed the opening of her jacket, springing up with a bright smile. "I just wanted to change things up a bit, with Action over and all."
Duncan, who was leaning against the front console to Courtney's right, snorted. "Whatever floats your boat, Tarzan. I wouldn't be surprised if he even recognizes you."
Heather, who was sitting on the floor, scoffed. "Why does that matter? Crazy girl's probably just crying out for attention."
"What, and you aren't?" Gwen spat, earning the laughter from the other three around the wheel. Izzy rolled her eyes as she left her seat and started to walk down the bus. As she passed Owen she waved, and Big O paused his chat with Beth to wave back before swiftly returning to it.
I'm surprised no one's mentioned how much more mellow I am, Izzy thought to herself.
Truthfully, she had. Having so many genuine near death experiences probably does that to you. But deep down, she was still the ever so famous Psycho Hose Beast. Just the thought made her giggle to herself, and she happily marched down the bus as she thought about her eventual pirate adventures. Once she reached the bus' back door, she looked through the window, watching as they finally escaped the city with the slightest bit of the sunrise edging over the horizon to the left. Izzy smiled, only to be thrown off as the bus took a sharp turn.
"Where are we even going?!" Courtney screamed. "Duncan! Stop! Give me the map now!"
As she lay sprawled out on the ground, Izzy blew some loose hairs out of her face.
This is gonna be a loooooooong drive, she thought, groaning internally with a flat look.
~X~
The sun was high in the sky as the bus with all of the ex-famous Total Drama contestants shot down the desert road. Izzy looked out her seat's window with a bored look as the four biggest contestants of both seasons bickered at the front. Izzy rolled her eyes, not interested enough to get involved with their annoying squabbling. It just made her wish for home more and more.
"Does this jalopy go any faster?" Courtney complained, most of it sounding like ringing it Izzy.
"Ummm, maybe you should let Duncan drive?" Gwen suggested.
"Not helping, Gwen."
"She's just sticking up for her boyfriend", Heather said in such a sweetly fake tone it made Izzy's eye twitch, "Wait, oh Duncan's your boyfriend. My mistake."
Izzy let out a quiet sigh, carefully slipping out of her chair and heading towards the back of the bus. She passed by a snoozing DJ and very much awake Sierra, a sleeping Katie and Sadie, and a very ill Beth. Owen was out of his seat, trying to close the luggage compartment above.
"What is that?" DJ's mom asked.
Owen, just as he closed the compartment, looked over. "Whazza wha? Uhhhh… nothing." The compartment swung open and out spilled thousands of little chocolates. Izzy smiled and playfully rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's food antics only to snap her head at Bridgette, who called out as she leaned out a window.
"There's the Dirtbag bus, up ahead!" The surfer pointed up the road, and sure enough, the black bus with Chris' new cast just in front of them in the second lane. Izzy poked her head out the window just as Bridgette slipped back in.
"We've got to find a way to slow them down!" Izzy heard Cody say.
"Try and get in front of them", Harold said.
"And then what?" Courtney said.
"I learned some tactics at pirate camp!"
Izzy looked over and gave Harold a jealous look. I should have gone there, she thought, dammit!
Izzy then went to look back out the window, only to stop when Courtney rammed the side of the bus she was on against the Dirtbags' bus. They then shot ahead, and Izzy saw Alejandro gripping the wheel tightly.
"Now if we just had some kind of catapult…" Harold said. "Like a bra!"
Izzy cringed a bit at that, only to cringe more when Leshawna removed her's and tossed it onto Noah. Quickly, Harold, Gwen and Owen got to work fastening the bra down, the goth kicking the back door open. Owen pulled back the bra, Tyler loaded up some of Big O's chocolates into it, and Harold gave the order to fire.
Chocolates flew through the air and splattered on the opposing bus' windshield. Izzy joined Gwen at the back, a manic smile on her face as Alejandro used the bus' wipers to clear his vision.
"Guys, ready another volley!" Izzy excitedly barked, "Batten down the hatches, me crew, we've got enough ammo to rip their ship to splinters." Gwen, while usually off-put by Izzy's hyper nature, beamed at the wild redhead. Izzy beamed back as the two of them ducked under another volley, shortly joined by Heather.
"Ugh, you're gonna regret this!" Alejandro yelled, giving the three girls an angry glare.
"Hah!" Heather shouted triumphantly, "You messed with the wrong reality show cast, mister!"
Izzy ducked a third volley, beaming with pride. She then looked up towards the front of the bus as Gwen closed the door, and saw Courtney and Duncan making out.
Then it hit her just as the road suddenly became extremely bumpy, nearly throwing Gwen and Izzy off their feet. Heather, caught off guard by the sudden terrain change, stumbled into the bus' bathroom.
DJ stuck his head out the window. "Courtney! Look out! Cliff!"
Izzy gaped as she looked out the window herself, and sure enough, they were barrelling right towards a cliff. She was feeling a mix of emotions, from excitement to dread.
Goddammit, you guys made me soft, she thought.
Courtney gasped and pushed her boyfriend off of her, quickly trying to steer the bus back on course. The sharp turn she tried to make only broke off the vehicle's front right wheel, and Izzy watched it bounce away. This made her become overcome with joy, as she cackled wildly as everyone began to panic. She blamed Majima for her mood swings as the bus hurled off the cliff, went straight down to the canyon floor…
And was suspended in mid air. Izzy calmed down from her excessive laughter to look up, seeing Leshawna's bra caught on a simple branch.
"Pffft, what a cliche", she mumbled to herself. The bra then slingshot the bus back into the air.
Izzy beamed as everyone was left floating around, so she took the opportunity to swim around. "So this is what it's like to be weightless!" Owen said with naivety. Izzy swam over and hugged her boyfriend.
"This is nothing", Izzy told him happily, "There's a whole world out there just waiting to be-"
Izzy was cut off when the bus plummeted again, everyone piling up at the front.
"Cut the bra, cut the bra!" Courtney cried. Duncan climbed up and used his knife to do just that, making the vehicle land, then crash on its back. Everyone groaned as they sprawled on the roof, relieved the whole ordeal was over. They all stood back up, Izzy being the quickest, and they all climbed out, surveying their surroundings.
"Well this is just great!" Heather fumed, "Stuck in the bottom of a pit with all of you!"
"You say that like it's bad for you", Noah spat. Eva glared at the Queen Bee, and Izzy rolled her eyes, quickly pulling out her phone. She was hoping she could call for some help, but when saw her phone picking up no service, she hissed. Thinking fast, the redhead jumped on top of the bus, waving her phone into the air in an attempt to gain some connection. Still nothing, making her quietly curse to herself.
"Since when did you have a phone?" She heard Eva ask out loud. Izzy froze a bit, looking over her shoulder to see all the others looking up at her in confusion.
"What do you mean, what phone?" Izzy asked innocently. The phone just then buzzed in her hand, and she looked eagerly ast the screen. Her mood deflated when she saw it was just a game notification, so she promptly ignored it to face her friends (and Heather) again. "It was a gift from a friend after Action, that's all."
"Maybe the RCMP are tapping it", Duncan said in both a joking and pressing tone. "You could shoot them a text for help."
"And turn myself in?!" Izzy spat back viciously, "As if. I'm wanted for too much! One call and I'm out of here!"
Most of the group rolled their eyes at Izzy, which made the wild child frown. She looked back at her phone, pacing on top of the bus as she prayed for service to dip in. As this happened, she saw Geoff assemble a team to go get help out of the corner of her eye. The team consisted of Trent, Katie and Sadie, DJ's mom, and Justin. Beth looked torn between staying with Lindsay and going, while Eva was interested. Quickly, Izzy dashed to Eva's side.
"Eva, can we chat for a moment?" The redhead said innocently.
Eva shot her crazy friend a look, but nodded nonetheless. Izzy led her around the back side of the bus away from prying eyes and ears.
"So, what's you want to tell me?" The Fitness Buff asked impatiently.
"I was thinking you, me, DJ, Duncan and Tyler could all try and flip the bus back onto its front so I can try and get a better signal. Hopefully." Izzy smiled innocently, looking at her powerhouse friend with pleading eyes.
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then I scale the cliff wall", Izzy pointed upwards, and Eva looked up at the towering cliff face.
"Fine." Was all she said. Eva went back to the others, and Izzy poked around the corner to see Geoff's team was gone, and Beth had stayed. Izzy smiled internally as her attention fell onto Eva, who was assembling the bus flipping team. Duncan seemed resistant to help the fitness buff, but after some coaxing by Courtney, he caved. Izzy stuffed her phone into her pocket and joined the team at the back of the bus. With all their might, they all began to lift, and soon the bus was resting vertically on its front.
"Thanks guys!" Izzy called as she dashed to the underside of the bus and began to use the piping as a makeshift ladder. Soon enough, she made it to the top, and frantically began to wave her phone around. When that didn't work, she stood on her tiptoes and held her phone up high.
Nothing.
Izzy's smile melted off her face into a frown, and she sat down in defeat. Big mistake, as this started to make the bus tip again, only this time towards its underside. Izzy gasped and quickly hopped off, the bus landing back on its tires with a bang.
Eva came up to her friend's side, a neutral look on her face. "Well, at least we have a comfortable place to sleep now." Izzy nodded, still upset her plan didn't work the way she wanted. Most of the contestants headed inside to maybe see if there was anything they could use-
The black magic of Mulholland Drive~
Swimming pools under desert skies~
Drinking white wine in the blushing light~
Just another LA Devotee~!
Everyone jumped as Izzy's ringtone went off, and the wild child scrambled to answer. She clicked the accept call option and held the phone up to her ear. "Yes?" She asked in frantic hope.
Nothing but a dial tone.
Izzy, in a blind fit of rage, tossed her phone to the side and dragged her hands down her face, letting out a growl through her clenched teeth. Then, all the anger melted away as she sulked over to her phone and picked it up. She honestly couldn't care how the others were giving her weird looks, she just wanted to be done with all of this and go home. Maybe she should have joined Geoff's rescue party. Izzy wandered off on her own, letting her mind wander elsewhere as the sun began to set. A cool breeze forced a shiver out of her, but she just let it pass. As she wandered around, making sure to keep close to the bus, she felt her phone buzz with her ringtone again. She lazily looked down at the screen to see who was calling.
Merida.
Izzy's breathing hitched as she quickly dove behind one of the nearby boulders, quickly peeked over to make sure no one was suspicious, and answered.
"Oi, Izzy", Merida's voice said through the speaker, "What's been going on? I've been trying to call you for the past hour."
Izzy sighed. "Okay, it's a bit of a story, but remember what I told you and the others over the group chat?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, Courtney and Duncan got a little bit too much into the heat of the moment, the bus drove off the road…"
"Izzy, where are you?" Merida's tone was filled with worry.
"We fell down into a canyon and don't have any way of getting out", Izzy squeaked out. She could hear Merida cursing under her breath. "Geoff took some of the others to try and find help, but I don't know how long he'll take…"
"I'll call your mother", the Scottish girl mumbled, "She'll call the cops, and you'll be out of there in no time."
"Oh my god, thank you so much Merida!" Izzy squealed. She could hear some bubbly laughter, then a cough.
"It won't be too long. I'll let the others know you're okay, but if I ever see Courtney or Duncan, I'm shoving a whole plate of Haggis down their throats."
This erected a giggle out of Izzy. "Thank Merida."
"No problem, Iz. Chat later." The call ended swiftly after that, and Izzy couldn't help herself from not sighing in happiness, resting her phone against her chest.
I am so lucky, the Psycho Hose Beast thought, looking up at the sunset painted sky. That was when she saw what looked like a helicopter high above them. Izzy gave the flying vehicle a hard look, and quickly used her phone's camera to see who was piloting it. Zooming in, she caught sight of Chris and Chef, and she resisted the urge to flip them off, simply because she didn't know if they could see her or not. Instead, she just rolled her eyes and walked back to the bus, mentally exhausted from the bus chase and the whole award show ordeal made her want to curl up on her couch and watch some pirate movies for ideas and inspiration.
The redhead climbed into the bus, seeing everyone was already asleep. Izzy smiled as everyone got their much needed rest, and was gonna sit next to Owen when she remembered how gassy he could get. Cringing a bit, she marched quietly ahead and sat down in the driver's seat. Looking through the rear view mirror, she smiled as she saw all her amazing friends still sleeping soundly.
Izzy looked down at her phone, internally groaning when she saw it was barely past 6 pm. Feeling her pockets, she grinned when she felt she did have her earbuds with her. Pulling them out and plugging them to her phone, she scrolled through the music app until she saw the one playlist she would consistently listen to: one that she made and built up with her friends.
Choosing Crazy by Burn The Ballroom, she bobbed her head as the song played, taking in the lyrics.
She had problems with love connections~
Izzy slowly started to get lulled to sleep.
So she bought me bullets and she made corrections~
Izzy's eyes grew heavy as she yawned.
She had problems with their cruel derisions~
Izzy leaned back into the chair, letting sleep take her…
So she bought a scalpel and she made incisions~
~X~
Izzy awoke with a start when she smacked her head against the top of the steering wheel. Quietly cursing to herself as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead, she looked out the window with a tired scowl. They were still in the canyon. Sighing in frustration, she stood up, only to slip and face plant onto the bus' carpeted floor. Letting out a pained groan, she took notice of a certain fitness buff walking up to her.
"I was wondering when you'd get up", Eva said gruffly. She held a hand out, and Izzy gladly took it and was helped to her feet.
"How long was I out for?" The redhead asked as she stretched the kink she felt in her back.
"About an hour more than everyone else", Eva said with a smirk. Izzy smiled and walked out the bus, seeing everyone set up outside. She was wondering why the cops hadn't shown up yet, but quickly rolled her eyes when she pieced together that Chris probably did something to keep that from happening.
And people say I'm crazy, she thought as she passed by Bridgette resting on a beach towel, When that egotistical prick is right there.
She stared off into the distance, hoping she could see Geoff and his rescue party running back soon with someone who can help. But after a minute, then two, then three of nothing, Izzy's face soured and she gave up with her one person staring contest. She spun on her heel to join back up with Eva, who was sitting on a nearby rock with a bored look on her face.
"Any sign of them?" The fitness buff asked gruffly.
Izzy shook her head, then let out an over dramatic sigh as she leaned back. "If I knew this would happen, I would've just stayed home and worked on my pirate plans." She shot Eva an exacerbated look. "Heck, I'd even be cool if the RCMP came to arrest me. At least that way they'd lift us out to safety."
Eva gave her chaotic friend a strange look. "I'm shocked. Izzy not wanting to drive across the desert in a bus death race, that's something I'd see you drooling over."
Izzy gave her friend a goofy smile. "Yeah, but momma had plans to sail the Caribbean as a pirate lord!" Her smile faltered. "Was reeeaaally looking forward to it."
Eva sorted. "I'm not surprised. You've always got something going on."
Izzy nodded, sitting back up with a sigh. "Well, I guess we've just got to wait until something happens."
It was just then a loud bang hit Izzy's ears, making her and Eva jump. They looked over and saw a large magnet was glued to the top of the bus, and when she followed the cord up, her face twisted into a dark scowl. It was Chris and Chef, the latter controlling the same red helicopter she saw them in yesterday.
Sierra let out a happy gasp. "It's Chris!!!" She squealed in delight, making all the others there walk back from the bus a bit as it was lifted a single millimetre off the ground.
"They don't call me Best Reality Show Host for nothing!" He called down happily. The others all let out cheers.
"Oh? Then why did you leave us here last night?" Izzy spat back with a surprising amount of frustration. "I saw you two up there last night."
This instantly made everyone stop cheering, and they all glared up at the host and cook. Except Sierra, who was too sucked into her fangirly-ness to really care.
"Hey, I came around eventually", Chris smugly shot back, "Now get on in the bus, gang. We're out of here!"
Izzy's glare only became harsher as she followed after her friends onto the bus, following behind Eva and Noah. She stuck close to them as they grouped up at the back of the bus, eventually joined by her boyfriend too. They all felt the bus lurch as it was carried into the air, everyone letting out cheers as they soared through the sky.
"Wow, never thought I'd see the day when Chris actually showed some heart", Noah said sarcastically. Eva grinned and nodded, Izzy finally broke out of her funk and snorted with a smirk, and Owen let out a series of giggles. The rest of the flight back was fairly calm, with Izzy's own 'Team E-Scope' all happily chatting away at the back of the bus as they flew amongst the birds and clouds. At some point, Izzy had climbed on top of her boyfriend's shoulders and started to look out the window.
"Something on your mind, Izzy?" Owen asked sweetly. She looked down to see her three friends looking up at her.
Izzy nodded. "Just… thinking of things."
"That's dangerous", Noah said with a smirk, only to be met with a swift elbow from Eva.
"I guess I never thought about things all too much", Izzy continued in a vague tone, "After what happened to me, seeing how bad things can get, I'm taking things more slowly." She smirked down at the egghead. "But I still have a craving to bring Explosivo out from time to time."
Noah rolled his eyes, while Eva gave her wild friend a raised brow. "Really?"
Izzy nodded. "Yeah."
"Is it because of what happened with the monster?" Owen asked innocently.
Izzy looked down at him, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "Kind of. Honestly, I still feel bad that I am partly responsible for that."
Noah gave her a comforting look. "Well, at least you own up to it."
Izzy nodded absentmindedly, only to fall off of Owen when the bus shook violently. The redhead peeked out the window and saw they were right outside Action's elimination area.
"Everyone meet me in the craft services tent ASAP!" Chris could be heard shouting above. Everyone shared confused looks, but did as they were told anyway. It wasn't a long walk, but it was just long enough for a feeling of frustration and dread to well up in Izzy. As everyone took their seats, Alejandro came out of the kitchen with several plates of pancakes and began to serve them to everyone, disappearing back into the kitchen when he was done. Owen's stack was obviously the biggest, and Canadian Pride easily swallowed the whole stack in one bite. Izzy, sitting left of her boyfriend, slowly ate away at her stack. Her gaze was locked onto the host.
"I have an announcement", Chris began, "We all know no one does drama like you guys-"
"Duh!" Heather spat. "But what happened to Total Drama Dirtbags?"
"It was a trick!" Alejandro said, earning everyone's attention. "There never was a Total Drama Dirtbags."
Heather shot Chris a look of both confusion and anger. "Is that true?"
"Weeeell, mostly", Chris said with a shrug, "I did come up with the name. But, anywho…" He shot most of the gang finger guns as he continued. "I needed to find out if you kids still had it."
"What about Alejandro?" Heather asked. The Spaniard had his arms crossed, and Izzy could swear she could see the exact manipulative look the Queen Bee had in his eyes.
"A dupe, just like the rest of you", the host said smugly, giving Heather a noogie much to her chagrin. "I needed someone on the inside. But, to make it up, I said he could join you guys next time!"
"What next time?" Noah asked, his eyes wide as the pieces started to fall into place for him. For Izzy, she felt her mind come to a screeching halt, her eyes bugging out.
"A no holds bar race… around the world… in a jet!" The host finished proudly.
"After all the crap you put us through?" Gwen shot the host a scowl, then scoffed. "As if." Behind her, Heather shot the host a fierce glare as the others seemed unconvinced.
"Wouldn't you want to be famous again?"
"Pass", Duncan said, his hands resting behind his head.
"What about, cash?" Chris held up two money bags, then tossed them to either side. 'The chance to win, oh… one million dollars?!"
Everyone cheered, and Izzy cackled with a beaming smile. "Ahahahahahaha, yeah…" Her smile fell to a bored look, her eyes locked onto the host. "No." Her friends all looked at her in shock as she stood up and began to walk to the exit of the tent.
"Wait, seriously?" Chris said in confusion. "Izzy, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! And you're gonna pass on this?"
"Yeah, I am", she said, spinning around so she could give the host a pointed look. "I had a lot of plans, and everything with the award show and this is just one biiiiiiiig distraction. So, if you don't mind." The Psycho Hose Beast spun back around and went to leave the tent.
"Man, that really sucks", Chris said in a mock sad tone as he inspected his nails, "And here I'd thought you would love to be free of the RCMP."
Izzy froze just as she got to the tent's exit. He did have a point, but just joining the show because of that made her feel weak. Then she remembered something. "How about this, McLean." Izzy faced the host again. "There's a friend of mine who'd love to join Total Drama, so if you let her join, I will too."
Chris seemed taken aback by the wild redhead actually bargaining with him, but the prospect of having another new face to shake things up drama wise was just too enticing to pass up. "Izzy, dude, you got yourself a deal! Just have her pass the producers an audition tape for the promos, and she's in!"
Izzy smiled victoriously as everyone began to party.
~
(Confessional - Here we go again.)
Izzy - She's leaning back in the makeup trailer's chair, a determined look on her face.
"I never wanted to do another season of this show, because even a girl like me has standards." She gains her iconic wild smile. "But now I get to do it with not just Them E-Scope again, but my sister from a Scottish mister too!" She let out a laugh. "You better watch out, Total Drama, because the new and improved Isabelle, Izzy, the Psycho Hose Beast, whatever you call me…
"Is gonna win!!!" She pumped both her arms into the air, letting out a wild cheer.
But as the camera cut to static, her smile fell into a look of worry.
~X~
And so begins the start of a brand new fic of mine. This is post Dreams Come True, so be ready for any potential spoilers to that fic down the line.
Hopefully you all enjoy this newest addition to the TD FanFiction library.
Next time on This Is Your Captain Crashing: Izzy and her friend spend some time at the former's house for a bit before heading to the tarmac to begin a chaotic new season.
~Caleb~
