Well, we better get the show started. That means…well, we won't see anyone's audition tapes, but we will see Tansy's first impressions of everyone. Also, yeah, you'll notice I switched a couple introductions around. That's because most of the Ferocious Trout arrived, then Bowie, then Chase, who was the last member of that team. So I thought Chase should arrive first. No idea why they didn't just put Bowie after Emma so they could still put her straight after Chase.

Thanks for reviewing, OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla and iwashere01.

A week after the start of July, I was on the boat the email had mentioned, my heart hammering and my sports bag, packed with a water bottle, a few bags of chips (I knew Chef Hatchet was catering again and he made food disgusting on purpose, so I kept chips so I could skip the meat-based meals), three books on my summer reading list, and finally the toiletries and makeup I'd need for the next few weeks. I had brought pyjamas and changes of the clothes that wouldn't be on show, since I was allowed to make those kinds of changes.

I was a bundle of nerves, though, as I sped towards the island. I'd told myself a million times that it wouldn't be as scary as I thought and that the other competitors would be nicer than the ones fifteen years ago. Even if I was right, though, what if I was the awkward one they didn't like?

As soon as I reached the dock, I heard the familiar voice. "Welcome to the island, Tansy!"

Chris' age was a little more obvious up close. He had crows' feet and some wrinkles starting, but he still looked pretty young for someone who was past forty.

I smiled as much as I could. "Thank you, Chris," I said politely. Then I thought of a basic character establishing line, just so people would remember who I was. "Um, I just want to be sure that the human teenagers are the only ones that get hurt in this show, right? Not the wildlife?"

Chris laughed, turning to Chef, who was by his side. "I like her," he said out loud, even though he could have just said it straight to me. Then he turned back. "Just over there is fine," he added, pointing to the end of the dock. Of course he wouldn't answer my question properly, but it didn't matter too much. I was only asking so people knew I was sympathetic to animals, so I'd already earned my label. Unfortunately, even that sounded awkward, living up to the first word of it.

It looked like I was the first one there. Chris immediately turned his attention to the next boat, which was already approaching. "Next up, Millie!"

I looked at the next contestant, a curvy, dark-skinned girl with masses of curly hair. Most importantly, she looked friendly, but I could see some anxiety there, too. I relaxed a bit, although I still felt nervous about meeting everyone. At least someone else looked like they knew how I felt. We exchanged glances, and I smiled timidly.

Of course, that feeling dissipated within seconds. The next competitor, Chris said, was called Axel, and the dark hair, boots and confident expression immediately brought the nerves back with a vengeance. Her bag had weapons galore.

"Wow, you came prepared for…everything?" Even Chris seemed a bit nervous of her. "Over there, please," he said in the same tone he'd used to me. As Axel came over, I inched a little closer to Millie. She glanced at me and we shared sympathetic looks.

"Next up, Priya!" Chris went on. The girl on the next boat looked excited, waving wildly as soon as her name was called, but at least she didn't look scary. Still, she appeared very athletic, someone who would be hard to beat, but she still looked friendly, like a tiny, wavy-haired version of Millie. They were both curvy, but Priya was smaller and skinnier, and they even had the same skin tone. I was about the same size as her, but maybe not quite as thin.

After that, a couple of guys were introduced. Finally! Zee was a tall, smiley, sleepy-looking guy who I couldn't be nervous of, even if I wanted to be. He smiled at everyone, and seemed cool and chill. I was daring to start to relax again when Chris introduced Ripper, who had…just this vibe I picked up on. And I noticed that he was giving his boat driver a noogie.

This pudgy, mean-looking dude jumped on the dock, declared "Time for beast mode!" and tore off his shirt with a yell.

"Oh…oh my-" I heard Priya mutter, more shocked than anything. Millie made a sound of disgust. I looked away, which is how I caught sight of the next contestant while Ripper was boasting and Chris was asking if that was his only shirt since he didn't bring luggage, and promised to find him something.

The guy on the next boat was…well, actually pretty hot. He was dark, darker than Priya and Millie, and was wearing hip-hop type clothes, very late Nineties. He looked cool, chill and not at all dangerous. Chris said his name was Damien, a surprisingly edgy name for such a nice-looking guy.

He spoke fast. As soon as he stepped on the dock, he said in a rush "Hey, whassup man, I'm here for the million bucks, where it at?"

"We don't just give it to you," Chris told him, looking amused. "You have seen this show before, right?"

"Nope!" Damien said cheerfully. "How do I get the money?"

Chris was laughing. "Oh, you are gonna be fun!"

Shit. That was really, really scary, going on Total Drama when you didn't know anything about it. It was going to be a rude awakening. Damien looked tough, not rough, but able to withstand challenges. Still, I thought I better start making sure he didn't go in blind.

I was far too nice for my own good.

As soon as Damien got to the end of the dock with us, I sidled up to him and started whispering "Only one person will get the million, and we all have to go through these really tough challenges and get kicked off one by one, starting as a te-"

Chris interrupted me. "Tansy, if you're going to start strategizing and making alliances straightaway, that's not fair to the other team. Separate immediately. Everyone who's been arriving so far is on one team, and you're now the first member of the other one. If I see you whispering to anyone else during the introductions, you'll be disqualified."

"It wasn't a strategy! I was just trying to tell Damien-" I protested.

"I wasn't asking," Chris said sternly. "Move it!"

I gave a sigh, sent Damien a sympathetic look and took a few steps away from the team. I didn't think Chris would let me explain and would only interrupt me again if I tried, and besides, I did want to make alliances eventually. I wanted to play strategically to get far, even if I didn't win. But this time, all I was doing was trying to be nice to Damien. I hadn't even been thinking about who to ally with yet, or even who to befriend, although admittedly Damien was on that list, even if it was out of pity.

At least I moved on time, because just as I stopped moving, Chris called out "Oh, here comes Lauren!"

A strange-looking girl was sitting on the next boat, giggling. And I was almost a bit grateful that the first team only had six people so far, because this girl wouldn't be on my team. She'd be on that one.

Lauren had dark hair streaked with pink and in pigtails, but despite her old-fashioned puff-sleeved corseted dress, she didn't look at all girly. She looked more like a cross between an antique doll and something from a Tim Burton movie. It was something in her eyes, which seemed a little too big for her face, and her smile, which seemed a little too wide. Something about her screamed frenzied chaos.

"Welcome!" Chris said to her as she stepped onto the dock.

Lauren's grin widened. "You should stop looking at me," she suggested. Her voice was surprisingly sweet and childish-sounding, but I wanted to look away myself. Her expression was uncanny valley.

Chris obediently put his hand over his eyes as she passed him, then looked back at the lake again. "Here comes Chase!"

The new competitor was water-skiing, whooping all the way. With a start, I realized that I knew that guy. He had this series on YouTube, Three Guys In a Beach House, where he and two other guys played pranks and dared each other to pull dangerous stunts. They were originally livestreamed, but I often missed them and just caught up with them after they were put up on YouTube as videos. Up until four months ago, he'd had a girl on the show, Emma, but she'd disappeared. She'd been Chase's girlfriend, but she left after they broke up. It hadn't been as good since she left, actually. I'd watched a few episodes, but I eventually gave up because they'd lost something with their token girl.

As Chase reached the dock, I came to realize Chris was glaring at me again. "I realize now, that since someone decided to start the game early," he said, "I'm going to have to make a last-minute change to the teams." He looked towards the other seven players. "Chase was going to be the first member of the other team," he explained to the others, "But I'm going to switch him to yours."

Then, he totally switched off the scowl, smiled again and said "Let's look at our next camper, and the second member of the second team, Bowie!"

I looked at my first teammate. He looked super-confident. As I said, I was a little shy of those kinds of people, who showed themselves to the world with all that confidence, something I couldn't do. I mean, what guy would have the guts to arrive on an island full of teenagers wearing a crop top, several studs in his ears and the most gorgeous heart-shaped sunglasses? I mean, they were pink, so I couldn't have worn them because they'd clash with my hair, but I would have worn blue ones.

I figured Bowie would take a little getting used to, but that would come with time. Still, I had no idea what to say to him when I eventually had to talk to my teammates. How would I survive the next few weeks if I couldn't even talk to one of them?

Well, maybe I could keep him as a back-up person to vote off if I didn't figure it out. Who knew, maybe my first impression was wrong.

"And next up, Emma!" Chris announced.

I drew a gasp. Only it wasn't just me gasping, but Chase, too. The girl on the boat, smiling expectantly, her golden-blonde ponytail blowing in the wind, was none other than Chase's ex-girlfriend.

Still, this was good for me. I'd always liked the series with Emma in it. Maybe I could try to befriend her since we were on the same team, anyway. I'd just have to be careful, because I used to have a friend called Emma who I called Emz, so I'd been calling her that in my head while watching the livestreams. I didn't want to seem too familiar with her, and perhaps she didn't even like the name.

Still, I was going to wait to befriend her. The second she stepped on the dock, she spotted Chase. "What is he doing here?!" she demanded furiously. So they'd auditioned separately. Bringing them back would certainly put the "drama" in Total Drama.

"Babe?" Chase said tentatively. He was actually smiling. In reply, Emma launched herself at him. seemingly intent on clawing his face apart, and Chris actually had to hold her back, saying that you'd think they were brought together on purpose (I guessed their audition tapes mentioned each other). Huh, okay, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to make friends with Emma. Or maybe she'd calm down soon enough. I'd have to try, though, since she was on my team. Even though I knew I might not like everyone, I wanted to get along with all of my teammates. Maybe then they'd keep me into the merge.

"Up next," Chris went on, "Mary-Kate!" The new camper was a tiny Asian girl in oversized clothes with a nice smile. I couldn't quite tell, but I thought she had a mischievous look in her dark brown eyes. She said everyone just called her MK, so we did too. Still, I wondered if she'd be good to have as an ally, or even just a friend. Maybe swapping teams last-minute wasn't so bad. At least all of my teammates seemed like interesting people, and none of them were as unsettling as Lauren.

There were still five more members of my team, and all of them seemed okay. Caleb was a hot but very chill muscular guy. I think every single straight girl was staring at him. Bowie looked the most infatuated out of all of us. Actually, I wasn't even surprised. I don't know if it was the sunglasses, the obviously bleached hair or the outfit – or even the voice, but I had already sort of guessed that Bowie was into guys. The way he stared at Caleb just confirmed it. As for our newest team member, even Zee reckoned he'd win, even though Priya told him he shouldn't be betting against himself.

Our next two teammates came together, both boys in hockey outfits called Wayne and Raj. I didn't usually like jocks, and I wasn't expecting much out of them. They also called Chris "Coach".

"I guess this make this the other team, then," Wayne remarked. "Whadja think, Rajie?"

"I'd be more impressed with a clogged toilet," Raj replied. Did they really have to start insulting the other team before the game started? Even if I had been working on alliances, at least that would help someone, not just piss off others.

Ripper was the one to speak up against them. "Oh yeah? Well, you two are…you're both…look out, cause-" He couldn't think of what to say.

"Oh no!" Raj was grinning as he spoke. "I think this half-naked one's broken!"

"Oh, be nice, Rajie!" Wayne chided jokingly. "Maybe it's his first day with a new mouth hole!"

Ripper looked furious, but Axel told him to save it for the game, and eventually both of them were distracted by our next competitor.

I didn't recognize the name Nichelle LaDonna, but the dark-skinned blonde who stepped onto the docks was unmistakable. "Yes, hi, it's me," she said, flicking her beaded braids back. I didn't watch that much TV, even on streaming services, but everyone was talking about this hit action show at school, and I'd watched a few episodes, just to see what it was like. Nichelle was the star. I hadn't known her name, but I knew what she looked like.

I managed not to fangirl over her, but just about everyone else was starstruck. Priya in particular, who squealed that she was Nichelle's biggest fan ever. Nichelle herself seemed to think this was normal behaviour. Maybe her fans were always like that.

After that, there was just one other girl, Julia. She was pretty, with mousy caramel-blonde hair that still managed to look unusually good, and violet eyes. Maybe she wore coloured contacts or something. She was actually dressed similarly to me, in a tank top and denim shorts. At least they were both plain, not flowery, and her tank top was white, not blue, and both were tight while mine weren't.

The first thing she did was snap a selfie of herself with Chris, even though she'd signed a contract agreeing not to bring her phone. She had to give up four of them before Chris was satisfied that was all of them, and even then, she tried to put up an argument about how she couldn't grow as a person if she couldn't tell her followers all about it, so apparently she was another influencer, like Chase and his group. Either way, she seemed a bit shallow, but nice enough.

After that, Chef gave us our team flags and name. The team I was meant to be on were the Ferocious Trout. The team I ended up on was the Frogs Of Death. Me, Bowie, Caleb, Emma, Julia, MK, Nichelle, Raj and Wayne. I wasn't sure how I felt about the group yet, but we were going to have to work hard to win against the other eight, even with our numbers advantage.

Chris told us about the usual rules of competing, campfire ceremonies for the losing team, and that if we were sent home, we would go to the "Dock of Shame" (which was named in the first season) and be taken away by the "Drone of Despair". So, we'd be hanging in the air and then set down. Ugh.

Chris gave a happy sigh. "I get such joy out of seeing you accomplish nothing except hurting yourselves for my entertainment."

Damien spoke up. "Sorry, how are we…getting hurt?" he asked, chuckling nervously. I resolved to talk to him later to finish the explanation I'd started.

Then we were sent off to settle into our cabins for the first hour. Well, Chris did get questions from almost everyone on the Ferocious Trout (Lauren even asked if she could swap to our team because it had "death" in the team name and Zee wanted to know what to do if he didn't have a question), but he didn't answer any. Now I thought about it, he'd done that in old episodes, too. Maybe things wouldn't have changed at all.

Tansy starting out on the Trout is a reference to how long it took to decide what team she was on. I had plots for both, but it took a while for me to decide whether she wanted to be with Chase or Emma, since she's seen both of them online. Chris did something similar whenever Ella tried to be nice to Sugar to what he did here.