And now for something somewhat different that most OC stories have had before: Aftermath episodes! These won't be as action packed as the challenge episodes but they'll have some good character interactions and possibly even some small stories to go along with them alongside the usual Aftermath shenanigans. For now, enjoy the chapter!
The camera crew turned their equipment on to show a teenage girl with a dark tan skin tone with chocolate brown eyes and long, dyed purple hair that went down to her lower back that was tied in a ponytail. She wore a denim jacket over a red t-shirt and navy blue jeans that bore her midriff and navy blue jeans with purple sneakers. She also had a red baseball cap with stars plastered on it. She was standing in front of a fancy looking resort that resembled the old Playa De Losers from the first season of Total Drama, but with the additions of a larger pool with water slides.
"Is it on? Are we rolling?" She asked. Her eyes widened a bit when the crew affirmed that they were indeed recording. "Ah! Um, hi, everyone! I'm Shauna and I'll be the official host for this season of Total Drama's Aftermath Show!"
The silence of the resort made Shauna's introduction rather awkward, which the young woman quickly picked up on.
"Ahem, so there isn't anyone here besides us just yet. That's because, right now, we're filming this during the first episode of the season, so all of the contestants are on the main island right now. All of you watching at home won't see this until they actually air the first Aftermath, but that's okay, right? Anyway, um, Chris told me that I should show you all the resort along with whoever's voted off first, so we'll wait for them to get here. Until then I can at least explain what this Aftermath show will actually be about. Basically, everyone that gets voted off of the show will be sent here for the rest of the season, and this totally awesome resort is the Network's way of saying 'you lost the game, but we'll still treat you like a winner'. After a certain amount of eliminations, I'll go to the eliminated contestants and ask them about their time in the game, their thoughts on their teammates, er, former teammates, and their thoughts on the goings-on in the game."
Shauna then took a seat at the resort's outdoor juice bar, where one of the resort staff was cleaning up.
"So that's essentially the gist of it!" Shauna concluded. "After this break, we'll introduce you to our first voted off contestant and show off this resort!"
The next night, Shauna waited at the resort's dock, sitting on a lounge chair with a pina colada in her hand.
"Welcome back to the Total Drama Glimmering Isles Aftermath Show! Man that title is a mouthful... Anyway, by now the first contestant has just been eliminated and is on their way here right now, and I think... Yeah! They're pulling up to the resort now!"
The Boat of Losers pulled up to the dock, allowing a downtrodden Frank to step onto the dock. The moment he saw Shauna, his mood instantly perked up.
"Hey!" He greeted, putting on the most suave voice he could muster.
"Don't even try it." Shauna giggled. "I don't even really know you! But hi, I'm Shauna! I'm basically an intern like Chelsea and Carmen back on the island but I'm in charge of the Aftermath show."
"Aww man..." Frank sighed. "So, I guess I'll be staying in this place then?"
"That's right! I haven't shown off this place to the audience either, so you'll get the full introduction to this place at the same time everyone else will!"
"Cool..."
"Great! Let's go!" Shauna exclaimed, grabbing Frank's arm and pulling him around the outdoor section of the resort. The pools and outdoor activities being barren and empty made everything look rather melancholy, yet peaceful in its silence coupled with the darkness. The only light the two teens had were various lamps dotting the area. "So this is the poolside area! It's sort of like how the Losers' Resort from the first season was, with there being a lounge pool with a juice bar for those wanting to relax, an Olympic size swimming pool for those wanting a workout and two Jacuzzi's for anyone wanting to relax. Obviously there's nobody here yet since, y'know, first one out and all. But there are usually resort staff around cleaning when needed and stuff like that. This'll probably be where everyone is once more people get voted out."
"Yeah. It, uh, it is pretty lonely out here." Frank replied, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Let's go inside, it's a lot brighter in there and just as nice!"
The intern had brought Frank to a room that appeared to be a large arcade with various billiard tables, arcade machines, air hockey and other arcade games.
"Here's the arcade! It's pretty self-explanatory and there's tons of cool games to play and stuff to do. There's even a prize counter where you can get a bunch of cool prizes!" Shauna explained with glee, her eyes having a noticeable sparkle as she looked over at a large, stuffed pink squid plush with a cartoonishly cute smile. While Frank did like seeing the smile on the girl's face, the exhaustion he was feeling after the roller-coaster of a day he had had made him want to get this tour over with. A quick clear of his throat recaptured the intern's attention.
"Oh! Sorry!" She blushed. "Why don't we move on to the gym!"
"Gym?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow in intrigue. The two headed to another room across the hall from the arcade to a room that made Frank's jaw drop.
The gymnasium was just as large as the arcade with just as much to do as there was a full-size basketball court on one end of the room and a miniature football/soccer field on the other end. All of the remaining space was filled with a square ring used for wrestling and boxing, a full assortment of weights and exercise equipment, and even punching bags used for boxing. A water fountain, fridge, and vending machine sat by the door the two had just entered, the machines full of energy drinks, protein bars and other healthy snacks.
"This right here is the gym! Everything an athlete could ever want is right here! I'm not exactly a weightlifter but you might find me in here every so often. Gotta work on the cardio and being a dancer means I have to keep in shape."
Frank didn't say anything as he walked over to one of the punching bags and placed a gentle hand on it.
"I think I'm gonna like this place!" He said softly.
"That's good to hear! I like this place, too! I usually use the treadmill and the machines that work on the legs and glutes." Shauna explained before her eyes widened as she realized what she just said. Her gaze darted to Frank, who didn't even react to her talking about her body.
"That's cool." He simply replied. "You mentioned you're a dancer? You mean like ballet or music video types of dances?"
"Everything, I guess. I mean, I started out with belly-dancing and a bit of ballet but I know a lot of styles. I'm still learning some cultural dances though... B-But that's not important right now!" Shauna exclaimed. "We, um, still need to continue the tour!"
"Sure." Frank nodded. "Maybe you can tell me more about your passion for dancing later."
"Y-Yeah..."
As the two headed for the door, Shauna suddenly tripped and landed face-first on the floor of the gym.
"Ow..." She groaned before noticing Frank reaching out to help her up.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah..." The dancer replied, taking his hand and blushing just a bit. "Come on, we're almost done with the tour."
The next destination was the intersection of a hallway on the floor above the gym and arcade. The door on the left of the teens led to a room that looked like it was used to record and play music. The door on the right led to a cafeteria that resembled a hotel buffet but all of the kiosks where the food would usually be were empty.
"Over here is the recording studio. While that boy, Johan, is the only musician we have this season, we still encourage everyone to have fun and pick up an instrument if they want to try it out. There's tons of instruments in the back of the room like guitars, woodwinds, brass, even a piano and harp! On the other side is the cafe. Just like the arcade, it's about what you'd expect; tons of good food whenever you want some and it's different depending on what the time of day. Stuff like bacon and eggs for breakfast, burgers and hotdogs for lunch, and fancy stuff like steak for dinner! It's all super good! Right now though, it's closed, so the staff are all gone. BUT, if anyone ever wants a midnight snack, there's a fridge and pantry full of late night snacks if you want them and a microwave if you need to heat them up."
"Anything beats Chef's cooking!" Frank groaned. "I mean, I only had it maybe three times but that stuff traumatizes you!"
"No kidding!" Shauna sighed. "I applied to this show as a contestant but every position was filled, but Chris had some positions available for interns so I ended up taking that."
"Really? Hmm, maybe if you competed instead of me, you'd have gone further."
"Maybe. But I guess we'll never know." Shauna shrugged.
"Still, it isn't so bad." Frank stated, Shauna perked her head in confusion with a curious "Hmm?"
"I did get to meet you, and you seem pretty cool."
"Aww, shut up!" Shauna giggled, playfully punching Frank's arm. "Hehe, come on, there's one last thing to see and then we're done!"
Shauna brought Frank to a large sitting area with various tables, couches and chairs. Large windows showcased the entirety of the resort in the pale glow of the moonlight. A massive plasma screen television was mounted on the wall.
"This is the lounge, it may seem pretty boring compared to everywhere else but I think of it as a place to unwind and relax after doing everything else. There's a TV, in case you want to numb your brain or you could use this place to read... or play a board game... or something like that." Shauna said, shrugging as she trailed off. She motioned over to a stairwell at the far end of the room. "Over there are the stairs to the bedrooms, unlike those dusty looking cabins, everyone gets their own room with their own bathroom. Here's the key to your room, Chris marked both the keys and the room numbers with your ranking in the game." Shauna handed the boy a card key with the number '22' emblazoned on it in gold.
"Now, while the official tour is over, we're actually not quite done just yet."
"Seriously? I mean, I don't mind talking to you, but it's been-"
"A rough day, I'm sure." Shauna finished. "But while I did my job showing you around the resort, I still haven't fulfilled my duties as host of the Aftermath Show. So, if you don't mind, I'd like for us to take a seat so I can ask you a few questions about your time in the game."
"Sure, sure..." Frank sighed. The two sat down across from each other at one of the various tables as Shauna brought out a small notebook that had a few questions written down.
"Alright..." She began. "How do you feel about being the first person voted off this season?"
"A lot of things." Frank answered, shaking his head. "Disappointment, obviously. Frustration at how everything went down, angry... really angry."
"Angry at who? Anyone specific?"
"Well, Omari, for sure. He's the one that started the fight that made us lose the challenge! I found the last flag we needed and he spotted me with it, out of nowhere he tries snatching it out of my hand and that's when I called him out. That's when everything went to hell. Another part of me is angry with the rest of my team for voting me out instead of him..."
"I'd like to talk about that, actually." Shauna interrupted. "After the challenge ended, Joseph talked to the boys, not counting you and Omari, and they agreed that since Omari ended up being the winner of the fight, he should be the one who stays."
"Man that sucks! But... I get it." Frank groaned. "They want the one who's stronger, even though I totally had the fight won! He used a low blow and that's how he beat me up! I guess that brings me to the third person I'm angry at..."
"Joseph?"
"No... I'm angry at myself... I should have just ignored Omari and tried being the better person." Frank sighed again, running a hand through his hair and down his face, flinching a bit as he brushed over his still bruised face. "When I stepped on that boat, I had some time to think. I acted like a huge jerk the whole time I was on the island. I mean, I know how to fight and I think I would have done alright in some of the challenges, but I let my ego get the better of me and because of that I'm the first one out."
"Wow, that's... surprisingly mature of you!" Shauna noted, her eyes wide in surprise.
"Yeah, well, I guess I've been humbled. I don't know if Chris is planning any returns this season, but if he is and he gives me another chance then I'll try and do things the right way."
"Oh, Frankie, I'm sorry but Chris told me he's not doing any returns this time." Shauna remarked, placing her hand atop Frank's and patting it gently. The boxer simply sighed in defeat, but he still had a smile on his face.
"Well... that... that really sucks."
The two sat in silence before Shauna looked back at her notes.
"I should probably read the next question... You mentioned being angry at your team; are you still angry with them? Even if you are, is there anyone in particular that you're rooting for?"
"I don't think I'm really all that angry with them anymore. Annoyed, maybe, but not mad. I get why they voted me off and while I don't exactly like it, what's done is done. If I really had to root for someone, I think it'd have to be Johan or Algernon. I hope you don't get mad at me for saying this, but I still stand by what I said about Johan's cousin being hot, because... well... she is."
"No comment..." Shauna huffed.
"But Johan and Algie were the only guys that didn't really give me a hard time and I bugged Johan about getting with his cousin, so I feel like I owe it to him by rooting for him to win. For Algie though, I think it'd make for a cool underdog story, kind of like when Cameron won in the fourth season. If that boy can find his nerve then he could be a threat."
"Well, maybe Joseph and Walter will bring it out of him this season!" Shauna giggled before looking back at her notes. "What's your take on the other team; the Ruby Ravens?"
"Well they won the first challenge, so they have the momentum going into the second challenge." Frank answered. "Maybe the Eagles can get a win, since they have Algie's brains as well as both Joseph and Walter for muscle. Heck, that girl, Lin looks like she could be smart, Jenny's a cheerleader so she probably has some good agility and those punk sisters look like they know a thing or two about fighting so there's a good chance they can win. Of course they do have Omari with them and Terra's a wild card."
"Speaking of Omari, he's the subject of our last question for tonight. How far do you think he'll go now that you're out?"
"Ideally, he'll be the next one voted out. Even ignoring my anger with him, the rest of our team probably isn't happy with him, so they might dump him the first chance they get. The only way he can stay is if he starts acting like a team player, but considering how he acted today, I don't know if that'll happen."
"Well I suppose we'll have to see how all of that pans out." Shauna said, putting her notebook away. "Thanks for answering all my questions! You can go to your room and take it easy now. I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?"
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Frank said, smiling at the girl as he got up and headed to the stairway.
Frank woke up the next morning in his new hotel-esque room, his body a bit less sore than last night. He chalked it up to the A/C cooling him off and the softness of the bed doing wonders for him. As much as it still pained him to be the first one out, he began to think being here might not be so bad.
Breakfast in the cafe was also a delight for him, as Frank heartily ate a stack of waffles with bacon and eggs with a nice glass of orange juice.
'As weird as this sounds, being a loser might not be so bad!' Frank thought to himself.
Once he finished his food, he eagerly made his way back to his room to change into his workout gear which consisted of a blue tank top and black trunks with flames on the sleeves. To his surprise, once he entered the gym, he found Shauna, wearing a pair of black workout tights and a dark purple top that exposed her right shoulder. She had a pair of white headphones covering her ears as her eyes were closed with a deep sense of focus while she danced around in a ballet style, her movements slow, yet graceful as Frank silently watched on in wonder.
Shauna opened her eyes and found Frank standing there, watching her silently with his mouth agape. The interruption startled Shauna enough for her to jump back a bit and fall on her rear with a yelp. Her headphones falling to her neck.
"Sorry about that." Frank said as he helped the dancer back to her feet. "Didn't mean to scare you, I was just hoping to get some boxing practice in. But, by all means, don't let me being here stop you from practicing."
"It's fine, really. Besides, I should have figured you'd come here first. You looked super excited to come here after the tour."
"Definitely! I don't think I would have gotten much practice in if I was still in the game!" Frank nodded.
"What made you take up boxing?"
"My uncle used to be a pro boxer. At one point he was even a multi-time world champ! After he retired, he and my dad used to take me to his gym and that's where I started to learn. I was even named after him, so I guess that makes me Frank McPhearson the Second?"
"Wait, Frank McPhearson?" Shauna asked, her eyes widening. "As in Frank 'The Tank' McPhearson?!"
"Yeah, the very same! Didn't think you were into boxing, though."
"Personally it's not my thing, but my grandpa loves it and he sometimes goes back and watches old fights with my family and some of The Tank's fights were ones he played."
"Yeah, he's awesome!" Frank smiled. "Him and my dad are some of the coolest guys I know and I figured that if I signed up for this show and won, I'd be an awesome winner, just like they are!" His expression grew sullen. "But, I guess it just wasn't meant to be..."
Shauna gave the boy a sympathetic smile as she placed an hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't get so down on yourself! I know it might not mean much, but ever since I got to talk to you last night, I think you're pretty cool!" That managed to bring a smile back to Frank's face as he thanked Shauna for the compliment.
"Plus, there are cameras rolling here, too. So when the first Aftermath episode airs, maybe everyone else will see how cool you are!"
"I don't know about that!" Frank chuckled. "But, hey, we came to get some exercise, so let's get to it!"
"Right!" The dancer nodded. "Oh! One more thing! Even though you can do whatever you want here, the network recommends that we watch the next episode of the show so we can see who gets voted off next and comment about what happens in the game. Then, when the next loser gets here, I interview them and you can chime in when you feel it's appropriate. Just as long as you don't make the interview about you rather than them."
"Sure, I can do that." Frank nodded. "So, wanna play air hockey after this?"
"Oh, you're so on!"
As the day went on, Shauna and Frank continued on with their own separate activities, though they did meet up for lunch and dinner until it was time for the next episode of Total Drama to air. The two sat with each other in the lounge, watching as the elimination ceremony was about to take place.
"Hmph, I'm surprised my team actually won that one. I figured Omari would have screwed it up somehow." Frank hummed.
"Eh, even if he did, I think Johan and Charlene would have made up for that." Shauna noted.
"Speaking of, did you see that look Sapphire was giving them? My boy better be careful there!"
"For sure! He could get in some serious trouble with that girl and I would not want to get on her bad side!"
"Definitely!" Frank nodded. "That's why I didn't really try to flirt with her or her sister, I knew that if I said anything to tick them off, I'd be screwed!"
"Oh, Chris is about to say who's safe!" Shauna exclaimed. The two watched in anticipation as members of the Raven team each received their safety items one by one until it was revealed that Earnest had been voted off.
"Aww, poor Ernie!" Shauna whined. "He seemed really nice."
"Yeah, it didn't last long but we did talk for a little bit on the first day, after he finished talking to those girls. The guy's pretty chill and it stinks to see him go so soon."
"Well..." Shauna said with a start as she got up from her seat. "He should be here in a few minutes. Do you want to come and help me show him around?"
"Sure."
The two made their way to the dock just as the Boat of Losers was pulling up. Earnest's eyes were already full of wonder as he saw the new Playa De Losers.
"Woah..." He said in awe. "This is totally wicked!"
"Glad you like it! I'm Shauna, the host of the Aftermath Show and official intern in charge of the Playa De Losers."
"Hiya! I'm Earnest!"
"Oh, I already know you! I'm obligated to watch everything that happens on the show and help get everyone that was voted off situated here. I already showed Frank around here yesterday, and the two of us had a blast here today! So we're here to show you around and then I'll interview you about your time on the show later."
"Sounds good! Also, hey Frankie! Sorry about being the first one out..."
"Eh, it had to be someone. Sucks that it was me but, hey, that's life."
"Come on, we'll show you what this place has to offer!" Shauna announced.
Earnest looked excited about the poolside area and especially excited about the arcade. As the three entered the gymnasium, the fan-boy learned about the passions that his two new friends had and was eager to explore the gym for himself.
"Well, I do play a bit of basketball back home, but I, uh... think you guys can understand why I don't really go out to the gym much." Earnest said, rubbing his arm and shying away from the two.
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Frank assured, playfully slugging the boy in the arm. "We've all got something we're self-conscious about. We saw you back on the show, too, even if you're not the most muscular guy around, you've definitely got other talents."
"Yeah! Like that sticky note idea you had in the first challenge! I would have never thought of something like that!" Shauna added.
"Thanks, guys!" Earnest smiled. "Frank, if you don't mind, one of my personal goals for while I was on this show is to lose some weight. Seeing the boys on the Eagle team do their morning exercises inspired me to start that and, well, do you mind helping me?"
"Sure, bud! We can start tomorrow."
"Awesome!"
Soon enough, Earnest's tour came to an end as the three regrouped in the lounge for his interview.
"Alright! Looks like you're definitely going to have fun here! But that's the end of the tour and it's time for the interview!" Shauna announced. "These questions are basically the same that I asked Frankie yesterday, with a few differences since you stayed longer than he did. So, to start off, how do you feel about how you played the game and how do you feel about being the first member of your team voted off?"
"Well, I definitely played fair." Earnest nodded. "I never once thought about cheating or trying to trick anyone. As for being the first Raven voted off, of course I'm sad about it. I thought I could do so much more in the game. But, at the same time, I understand why my team voted for me. On the island, I said I was sort of a 'jack-of-all-trades' type of player, so I didn't really excel at anything in particular. Meanwhile the Ruby Ravens have Butch and Tracy for muscle, half our team is full of smart people like Bea, Brad, and Isaiah, and you have Tatiana being a good leader that helps us all stick together. So, I think it makes sense that they would vote for me."
"That's sad." Shauna frowned. "You're such a nice guy!"
"Yeah, but being nice never goes well on a show like Total Drama." Frank added.
"On the topic of your team, do you think they can rebound after this loss and is there anyone in particular that you think could be a threat?"
"I do think they can bring things back, and I'll be rooting for them all the way!" Earnest answered eagerly, though he brought a curious hand to his chin as he tried to think about what to say next. "As for who could be a threat... Hmm... I want to say Brad, since he's been the quietest on our team and it seems like he's always planning something."
"I see. Well we're able to watch the episodes as they're released publicly, so we can watch what he does in the game now. Shifting over to the other team though, what are your thoughts on the Emerald Eagles?"
"They're super tough! I mean, they wouldn't have won today's challenge if they weren't! But just like the Ravens, they have some really solid players, too. They're going to be tough to beat, and now that Omari's not there to fight with Frank, maybe he can start getting along with everyone. No offense, by the way..."
"None taken, but don't push your luck on that one..." Frank scoffed. "From what Shauna and I saw today, it looks like he won't get on anyone's good side anytime soon."
"Maybe he'll cool down a bit?" Earnest shrugged. "I don't know, I'm optimistic when it comes to people."
"Well he did help in the challenge so there's always a chance. Anyway, on to the last question; I asked who you thought was a threat, but is there anyone you'll be rooting for to win the whole show?"
"That's actually a tough one. I like my team so I can't root for just one of them, but if I had to pick... I think it'd be Tatiana. She's a good leader and I think she has that energy about her that people like Leshawna and Gwen had and those two seem to always go far in the game, or at least have a good showing."
"I think she's a really solid choice!" Shauna nodded. "She's definitely proving to be a strong player early on! Anyway, that's all for the interview tonight. You boys are free to head to bed for the night. We can hang out some more tomorrow and then we'll show the next person around tomorrow night."
"Sure." "You got it!" The boys replied as Shauna handed Earnest his room key. With no more words between the three teens, they each headed to their rooms for the night.
The next morning proved to be similar to the previous one as Frank and Earnest had their breakfast while chatting with each other. The former having an egg white omelette while the latter had a big stack of pancakes with fruit. As they finished, they headed over to the gym, where Frank had promised Earnest to teach him some basics about boxing. Once they entered they found Shauna practicing her dances again. This time she was doing a Latin-American dance and, thankfully for her, the arrival of the boys didn't scare her.
"Morning, boys!" She greeted.
"Hey, Shauna!" Earnest replied, giving a friendly wave while Frank stayed quiet, taken aback by Shauna's graceful movements. A snap of the heavier boy's fingers brought him back down to earth.
"Y-Yeah, hi!"
"Frank was just about to start teaching me some moves. Sorry if we were interrupting you."
"No, no! It's fine! I should actually go back to my room and freshen up a bit. If there's anything I don't like, it's being all sweaty, especially since it's supposed to be pretty hot outside today. Do you guys want to hang out by the pool later?"
"Yeah!" "That sounds awesome!" The boys exclaimed.
"Great, I'll see you guys down there in about an hour or so, 'kay?"
As the dancer left, Earnest looked over at Frank, who watched her go with a wide grin on his face.
"You like her."
"What? Nooo..." Frank dismissed, a blush creeping up on his face.
"You totally do! But I thought you liked Carmen? You were checking her out back on the island?"
"Well, yeah, I did. But I get that Carmen's not into me, and Shauna's been really cool to talk to, so..."
"So talk to her! Get to know her better and play it cool!"
"I'll try. This'll be the first time talking to a girl without playing myself up to be this overly cool guy."
"You've got this! Plus it seems like you've grown on her, too!"
"Alright, alright, I'll try! Now let's get you started with the speed bag!"
For the next hour, Frank showed Earnest how to properly use boxing equipment and how to do some basic moves such as jabs while interspersing some basic exercises and weight training. Once the two felt like they had done enough training for the day, they headed to their rooms and changed into their swimming clothes. For Frank this consisted of a pair of blue swimming trunks with a vertical grey and green stripe going down the sides while for Ernie, he wore a pair of bright yellow trunks while wearing a thin white t-shirt.
As the two arrived at the poolside area, they found Shauna lounging on an inner tube in the pool by the juice bar. Frank's face nearly turned a bright red and even Earnest looked a bit flustered at the sight of the young woman in a purple bikini, her hair tucked under a purple swim cap as she applied some sunscreen to her tan skin.
"Woah..." Frank said aloud, catching her attention.
"Hi guys! Come on in, the water's great!"
The boys entered the water and as they swam up to Shauna, the intern was able to clearly see Frank's blushing face.
"Hey, are you feeling okay? I have some sunscreen if you need it."
"Huh? Oh, nah, nah, I'm good. Just wasn't expecting to see you looking this good." Frank remarked, getting a faint blush from the girl as she pouted and turned her head away.
"Oh stop!" She said, playfully splashing him with some water, getting him to laugh and call her out before splashing her back. The two splashed each other once more before Shauna accidentally slipped off of her tube and into the water, splashing Earnest in the process. As she resurfaced, she was met with the chubbier boy laughing heartily before calling out...
"SPLASH FIGHT!"
With both of his arms, Ernie sent a wave of water at his two friends getting them both to crack up with laughter before splashing him back.
The sun soon set on the resort again as the three met up again in the lounge to watch the most recent episode. Earnest was passed a bowl of popcorn that Frank had made and finished off the last of it as they watched Ali get voted off. The reveal of the elimination stunning the former Raven.
"What?!" He exclaimed. "They voted him off?!"
"Well Isaiah did talk to the girls." Shauna noted. "Maybe he managed to convince them to vote for him."
"Wait..." Frank said, hushing the other two teens. "Ali said he didn't say anything about Tatiana, does that mean Isaiah lied?"
"It looks that way." Shauna shrugged. "He'll be coming here in a few so we can ask him some questions about that. I'll be down by the docks to greet him, do you guys want to come?"
The two boys looked to each other with a number of thoughts in their minds before looking back at Shauna.
"Nah, we'll meet the two of you back here."
"Alright, well, we won't be long." Shauna assured before heading downstairs.
"So, what do you think's gonna happen on the island?" Frank asked. "That's your team so..."
"I don't know. Maybe we can get some insight once we talk to Ali, but this was a pretty shady move on Isaiah's end. I'm worried this might lead to issues with the Ravens now..."
After about twenty minutes, Shauna returned to the lounge with Ali in tow. The acrobat happily greeted Earnest with a fist bump and Frank with a respectful wave.
"And that's it for the tour, so now we can go ahead with the interview."
"No sweat, let's do it!"
"Alright. So you're the third person voted off of the show this season, how did you feel when it happened and how far were you expecting to go?"
"Well I was definitely caught off guard. I sort of expected to get called late or even last and, as nice as she is, I thought Ginger would be the one leaving. I was hoping to get to at least the merge. With how tough some of the people in the game this season are, though, I think I could have made it to... hmm... maybe the top ten?" Ali answered.
"Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate." Ernie nodded.
"When you were heading off the island, Tracy called out to you to ask if you were going to apologize for badmouthing Tatiana, what's your take on that?"
"I have no idea what she's talking about! I never said anything bad about her! Honestly, I only have good things to say about her! Tatiana's a bit blunt at times, sure, but she's also proven to be a strong leader for the girls and I admire her level-headed approach to problems. I would never say anything bad about her or the rest of my team, for that matter!" Ali affirmed while Earnest firmly nodded in agreement.
"It's interesting that you say that, because we all saw footage of Isaiah heading over to the girl's side of your cabin after you two had that disagreement. Can one of you boys pass me the remote?" Shauna asked. Once Frank handed her the control, Shauna rewound the episode to the scene in which Isaiah entered the girls' portion of the cabin and discussed the vote with them. The revelation left Ali's mouth agape.
"He really got the girls to vote for me?! But I tried to apologize to him! I guess that explains where he wandered off to, I was trying to look for him after that."
"We saw. But it does look like the controversy with tonight's vote didn't go unnoticed." Shauna added as she continued the footage to Tatiana's reaction to the votes. "Seems like Tatiana's going to keep an eye on Isaiah from now on."
"Good for her! If anyone can get to the bottom of Isaiah's motivations, it's her. Bea will probably help her, too, and while I'm not sure of his intentions, maybe Brad can pitch in as well."
"On the subject of your team, knowing everything that you do now, do you think Isaiah will deal with consequences coming out of this?"
"I hope he does! I consider myself an optimist, but I also stand for justice when it's deserved. Now I'm not saying he deserves to go through what some of the more evil players like Heather and Alejandro went through, but I do hope he gets some semblance of karma."
"Fingers crossed!" Earnest chimed in.
"Alright, last question for the night. Out of everyone left in the game, who will you be rooting for to win?"
"After tonight, I think my vote has to be for Tatiana or Brad. Tati's a very strong player and both she and Brad are smart. They'll definitely be tough later on in the game."
"I see." Shauna said with a nod. "Well, that about does it for the interview tonight! Here's the card key to your room. Chris told me that I needed to call him once this interview is done and I'll probably head to bed afterwards so I'll see you boys in the morning.
As the boys all wished Shauna a good night, they also headed to their rooms.
The morning went by just as the previous ones did. As the boys had their breakfast, Ali looked surprised to find Frank being much more friendly and relaxed compared to how he had acted on the first day.
"Yeah." Frank commented. "I guess being the first one out of the game gave me a lot of time to think about a lot of things."
"Well I think it's good that you reflected on what happened and are making up for it. I'm sure once the others see you again they'll be willing to give you another chance."
"Here's hoping." Frank sighed with a smile as he finished his crepe.
As the three headed to the gym, which seemed to become a custom now, the three encountered Shauna just leaving.
"Oh, hi boys! I was just about to go to the arcade, care to join me?"
"No thanks." Ali respectfully declined. "I was hoping to get a workout in."
"Yeah, and Frank's still teaching me how to box." Earnest added. Frank looked over at the boys and then at Shauna for a moment.
"Y'know what? Maybe we can have the lesson later, Ernie." He said. "I'll go with you, Shaunee."
Earnest chuckled to himself as he gave the boxer a sly grin.
"Alrighty then! You two go have fun! C'mon, Ali, you wanna shoot some hoops?"
"Sure, why not?" The acrobat laughed, sneakily giving Frank a thumbs up. Frank rolled his eyes at the boys before being surprised by Shauna grabbing his wrist.
"Haha, come on, let's go play some table tennis!"
While the two entered the arcade, Earnest and Ali headed over to the basketball court. The acrobat picked up one of the balls and passed it over to Earnest, who began to dribble it.
"Hey, Ali, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"What Isaiah did to get you out was pretty petty. Do you think that since Tatiana's watching him closely now, it might cause some problems for the whole team?"
"Yeah, it was petty, and I'll probably have some choice words for him if he ever comes here. But I'll handle that when the time comes. As for the team, as much as I don't want to think about this possibility, it might actually be serious. But hey, you know me, I have faith that something like that won't happen. I'm sure Isaiah just acted in the heat of the moment and, who knows, maybe he feels bad about it now. I'll probably go and watch the past episodes later."
"Hmm, yeah, maybe you're right." Earnest smiled.
Ali and Earnest headed over to the pool with some burgers, hotdogs and smoothies for lunch and as they sat down, they noticed Shauna and Frank approaching them. The former was sporting a sly and confident smirk while Frank looked annoyed, which they could see by the pout on his face.
"How many was that again?" Shauna asked. Frank mumbled something that none of them were able to hear. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Frank simply mumbled again, a bit louder this time but still too quiet for anyone to hear.
"What's up with him?" Ali asked.
"Oh, nothing." Shauna giggled. "He's just mad that I beat him at table tennis. Now, Frankie, how many times did I beat you?"
"Twelve games, alright! She beat me in twelve games!"
"Twelve games in-a-row!" Shauna chuckled, pinching the boy's cheek.
"Seriously?" Ernie laughed. "Come on, Frank, I thought you were better than that!"
"Whatever, I'll pay her back for it!" He huffed.
"Sure you will!" Shauna remarked. "Anyway, we would have gotten here a bit sooner but I got a call from Chris. He says the first Aftermath is set to air very soon and that you boys will be needed for the interview. I know you've all been with me for every one so far, but this one is a requirement."
"That's fine." "Sure." "No problem!" The boys all exclaimed.
"Perfect! Now let's dig in!"
The most recent episode had brought out a variety of emotions from the four residents of the Playa De Losers. Laughter at Terra's antics, Frank continuing to disapprove of Omari's continued attitude and Frank's surprising interest with the love triangle that seemed to be going on with Jenny, Charlene and Johan. What had interested everyone the most, however, was the fallout of the events of Ali's elimination.
Any time that Isaiah was on screen, Ali's face sunk into a stern look of frustration.
"I really expected him to feel some sort of remorse." The acrobat said with a shake of his head. "But he doesn't even look sorry in the slightest."
"Guess he's not as nice as he lets on." Frank noted.
"I don't even really remember him acting all that nice." Earnest added. "I mean he was civil towards us but he was never as nice as Ali was."
"It makes me curious to see what Butch and Brad have planned." Ali commented to which Shauna nodded in agreement. "Brad is just as aloof as Isaiah, but after seeing the previous episodes and watching Brad in this one, I think his intentions might be, at the very least, better than whatever Isaiah is scheming."
"Yeah, I think so, too. Plus he and Butch were talking to those two girls on the Eagle team. Maybe both teams can work together to stop Isaiah?" Ernie added.
"That's probably a stretch, but either way, things are about to get a whole lot more interesting over there." Frank stated.
"Ain't that the truth." Shauna sighed. "Oh, the elimination is about to start!"
The four watched the ceremony and looked disappointed, yet understanding as they watched Marsha be voted off next.
"Poor girl..." Shauna shook her head. "At least she got together with Chelsea."
"Yeah, but why are the interns joining her?" Earnest asked. "Chris isn't one to do endings like that."
"I'll explain once they all get here. Anyway, I'll be heading down to introduce myself to Marsha now. You boys are welcome to join me."
"Respectfully, I think we'll stay here." Ali replied, with Earnest silently nodding.
"Yeah, I'm with them on this one. No offense, Shaunee." Frank answered.
"No worries, that's why I give you the option."
Once the dancer left the room, the two Ravens looked over to Frank.
"So, when are you gonna ask her out?"
"Wha-?!"
"Come on, it's obvious you like her!" Ali nudged. Frank sighed and ran a hand down his now fully healed face.
"I'm not gonna lie to you guys; Shauna's awesome. Like, really awesome! But after being such a dork on the island, I don't know if I'm ready to just ask her out. I mean, I flirted with her a bit when I first got here but she shot me down pretty quick."
"But you two seem to be going along pretty well now. I don't think you have to ask her right away, but don't miss your chance!" Ali said.
"Right." The boxer nodded, a bit of a sad smile on his face. After a short while, Shauna returned with Marsha, Carmen and Chelsea behind her. The former contestant clinging to Chelsea's arm with the biggest smile on her face.
"Wow!" She said, looking around the room. "This whole resort looks awesome!"
"It totally is! It's so much cooler during the daytime when everything's open!" Earnest replied.
"So, uh, no offense, but why are the interns here?" Ali asked.
"Is there a problem with my girlfriend being here?!" Marsha responded with a bit of a hiss in her tone.
"No, no! It's just weird! I mean they didn't come for any of the other interviews." The acrobat replied.
"I'll get to that at the end of the interview. But for now, we're just going to ask you a few questions, Marsha. Are you ret-to-go?"
"Of course! Ask away!"
"As the fourth person voted off the show, how are you feeling about the way you were voted off and your placement?"
"Well I'm obviously not happy about it, but I also get the decision to vote me off. I was so worried when I found out that Chelsea was tied up that I ended up being focused more on her than on the challenge." Marsha answered.
"Uh, hello, she wasn't the only person tied up!" Carmen interjected.
"So you knew your crush on Chelsea could impact your game?" Shauna raised an eyebrow.
"Kinda. But can you blame me? She's gorgeous!" Marsha squealed, squeezing onto Chelsea's arm just a tad bit tighter than her liking as the chef rested her head on the intern's shoulder.
"Since your elimination caught you off guard, where did you think you would end up placing originally?"
"Honestly, after I got a good look at everyone on the first day, I thought I could at least last until maybe the merge or somewhere around there."
"With the rising tensions going on with the Ruby Ravens right now, what do you think will happen with them going forward?"
"I really don't know! I know Tatiana's been giving Isaiah these nasty looks lately, but Mipsy's so obviously into him! I think it'll end up breaking up the team and making it easy for the Eagles to pick them off one at a time..."
"And that's honestly such a shame. I thought our team had so much potential..." Ali sighed.
"I'm sure Chris is loving every minute of it." Shauna rolled her eyes. "Anyway, here's the last question; out of everyone left, who would you say you're rooting for?"
"Oh, that's easy! It's gotta be Tatiana! She's smart, confident, and now she's ticked off at Isaiah. I think she'll come out of this on top! But I wouldn't mind Tracy winning either, she's been a pal since day one!"
"Looks like Tati's garnered quite a fan base here! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't one of them!" Shauna giggled. "But, now that all the interviews are over, I can explain why Carmen and Chelsea are here. Chris asked us to have a final Aftermath discussion on the show once all the interviews for this set have finished. Since the two C's are actively on the island, they're able to give us the inside scoop as to what goes on when the cameras aren't rolling and they can share their own thoughts as well. So, obviously the biggest story coming out of the island so far is the tension between Isaiah and Tatiana and how it could affect the Ruby Ravens. We've all basically given our thoughts on this though, unless anyone has anything they want to add."
"It's definitely going to give the Ravens more problems than their number disadvantage." Frank noted. "But one big factor that you guys might be forgetting here is Brad. He's not exactly working with Isaiah, just voting for him because it's convenient. He could find a way to help Tatiana take him down or even find a way to take them both out and come out on top."
"That's true." Earnest pondered. "But what about the others? They're all caught up in the middle of this!"
"Yeah, I get what you mean." Marsha sighed. "Like I said before, Mipsy's really into Isaiah and it only looks like they'll grow closer as time goes on, just like me and my honey bunny!" Marsha then embraced Chelsea again while nuzzling her head into Chelsea's neck. With a grin, Chelsea gently pat the girl's head.
"I feel bad about voting for her, but Ginger's the one I'm worrying about right now. What if Isaiah sees no value in her and tries to get rid of her next?"
"We have no way of knowing what Isaiah's thinking so we don't know if he wants to maybe keep her around. Plus I think his main target might be Tatiana right now, since now he knows that she probably wants him gone. There's also Bea, who's pretty much Tatiana's right hand man... err, woman..." Frank explained.
"Plus Ginger and Tracy are starting to be friends with Butch, so there could be a chance that he and Brad will start talking to them more and possibly sway some votes their way, just like how Frankie said." Shauna added.
"Yeah, those guys are in for a rough time." Carmen huffed.
"Well what about your cousin's team?" Chelsea inquired. "Things aren't exactly sunshine and rainbows there either."
"Right." Frank huffed. "Omari's still there."
"Oh gosh, don't get me started on him." Carmen grimaced.
"I wouldn't worry about him. Unless there's some type of accident or insanely bad luck for someone else, he'll probably be the next one gone if that team loses." Chelsea commented.
"I'm sure you and your cousin would definitely appreciate the peace." Shauna piped up.
"Oh for sure. Speaking of Johan, I hope he knows what he's doing with those two girls he's talking to!" Carmen hummed. "I may want him to find a good girl, but he can't go running around liking two different girls! He should know better!"
"And he has Sapphire watching him like a hawk!" Ali added. "We didn't interact much but if there's anything I know about Sapphire, it's that you don't want her to be mad at you!"
"Thankfully it seems like having Algernon around helps keep her level-headed." Earnest noted.
"Yeah, I think those two are probably the weirdest couple on this season. Possibly on this show as a whole." Frank commented.
"They're not dating though?" Marsha added.
"Not yet. But give it time." The boxer assured.
"Speaking of couples though..." Shauna smirked. "Carmen, how are things with Joseph?"
The intern pursed her lips and looked away cheekily. "Well... I do catch him looking at me every so often and I don't mind the attention when it's coming from him..."
"Heh, with all the relationship issues going on with the Eagle team, it kinda feels like Walter's the only sane man." Frank shook his head.
"And Lin takes up the role of the only sane woman, but I have to question her sanity since she's pretty much keeping that clown girl, Terra, on a leash." Chelsea added.
"Yeah, that girl's nutter than a peanut farm!" Earnest laughed as he shook his head.
"Just goes to show that this show will always have the quirkiest people on it!" Shauna commented. "But it looks like we're actually running low on time, so for all of you watching at home, thanks for watching the first Aftermath Show of this season! We'll see you again once the next set of contestants have been voted off from the game! Until then!... Phew! Glad that's over!"
"So that's it then? Chelsea has to go?"
"Nah, we'll be leaving around noon tomorrow." Carmen answered, much to the chef's glee.
"Well, today's certainly been an interesting day. I'm going to bed." Ali noted with Earnest standing up from his seat.
"I'm with you there." He added. Shauna gave Marsha her card key and soon headed off to bed. Just as Carmen was about to turn in for the night, Frank reached out to her.
"Hey, Carmen."
"Ugh, I already told you I'm not interested."
"That's not what this is about. I just wanted to apologize for bugging you so much." Frank began. "Being here made me think about my time on the show and I'm trying to make up for my mistakes."
"Huh, that's surprisingly mature, and here I thought you'd just be a poser."
"Yeah, well I kind of was. But I won't be trying to get with you anymore. I... kinda have my eyes on someone else now."
Immediately picking up on what he was implying, Carmen simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Go get her, Tiger." She chuckled before heading to her room. With a confident smile, Frank headed to his own room, ready to enjoy a peaceful sleep.
Well this Aftermath turned out to be a lot longer than I was expecting but it just sort of ended up being as long as the usual ones. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this break from the action. This format is a bit different from how most Aftermath chapters are for stories like these but I wanted to try something unique. I know it may have been a bit repetitive and the character interactions were a bit basic but once more characters are voted off the interactions and character development will flesh out more, BUT this might mean that these chapters might end up being longer than the challenges since I have a good number of ideas for some comedic and character bits.
Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter!