One Flu Over the Cuckoos
POV. Third person
Chris begins narrating, "Last time, in Total Drama Action. Imprisoned in a world they didn't create, forced to ingest deadly foods, and causing conflict between inmates," Justin and Courtney are seen fighting, "nonetheless, the two courageous teams clawed their way to freedom. And a lonely Chef made a new friend," Chef is seen scolding DJ, "in the end the penitentiary exercise was too much for the Grips, who, in a collective unanimous decision, got rid of the warden of their team hahahahahaha", Courtney leaves in the lame-o-sine, "luckily for them or not, Izzy came back to fill the empty space", Chris is leaning back on a chair in the camera room, "Will miss eccentric drive everyone crazy? Find out in this episode of TOTAL... DRAMA... ACTION!"
-0-
POV. Heather
"Hmm~", I was sleeping comfortably in my bed.
"Hi Heather, what beautiful eyes you have."
"AHHH!"
*Boom*
"Ouch!" until I turned around only to find Izzy lying next to me, causing me to fall out of bed, "Izzy! What the hell!?", how did she get on the side of the wall?
"Good morning Heather, why were you sleeping in my bed?" she asked.
"That's not your bed, I've got the top bunk," I said.
"Really?... How strange... I'd swear mine was the above one," she said holding back her laughter, I could feel my eye shaking, it's too early to deal with whatever she's crazy about now, "Oh, it doesn't matter, you did hug me pretty tight last night, I didn't feel cold," she said as she hugged herself.
I could feel my face getting hot, "Ha!? I didn't do such a thing!" she must be lying, right?
"You're right," she knew, "I was the one who hugged you all night hahahaha," she took out a bag of snacks and opened it, I'm sure my face is very red right now, "I needed to check how compatible we are when sharing a bed together."
... I know I'm going to regret asking this, "Why exactly?"
She got out of bed and pointed at me, "Let's get straight to the point Heather, I like you, romantically, so I'm willing to let you share me with Cody if you'll confess to him once and for all, so what are you waiting for? Go and confess your love to him at once, come on, come on."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"What?"
Confessional.
Heather
She had a dumbfounded face, "What the fuck is wrong with that lunatic!? Does Izzy like me!? Since when!? And she just goes and says it, just like that!? This has to be a bad joke... right?"
Izzy
She had a huge box in her hands, "the guys from the IzzyxHeather community wrote me letters asking for a dramatic confession during the show to satiate their weird fetishes, they even sent me a box full of gifts as an incentive, ha, they lose, I would have done it for free, besides, since Heather likes Cody and will most likely end up confessing her love, I think it's a good opportunity to define our relationship as well if we're going to share him, because there's no way I'm going to leave Cody, so celebrate fans, you guys come out on top."
End of confessional.
I massaged my temples, all this is too sudden and absurd to take it all in at once, "look Izzy, let's say I like Cody".
"You like him."
"You know what? To hell with it! I like him! Happy!?", what's the point of discussing this with her?
"A lot."
"Well, that doesn't matter."
"..."
"I've already lost this competition once because of stupid feelings, I came here ready to win this season, this is personal to me now, so no matter what I feel, I'm not going to have a romantic relationship with Cody or any other guy."
Izzy's face was completely blank as he looked at me.
"... So forget this silly game of flirting and all that, I'm not going to get into whatever you two are up to, I've got my own business to deal with, a love drama is the last thing I need," I said, I wasn't lying, right now my head is a mess for a lot of reasons and I'm already exhausted. I grabbed a towel and walked to the door, "...", but I stopped and looked back at Izzy, there's something I at least need to know, "Why are you insisting on this so much? What's in it for you to ask me to be part of a polyamorous relationship with your boyfriend?"
She smiled, "Izzy isn't the one who wins anything."
"Huh?", I didn't expect that.
"It's partly an apology. On the island I promised Cody that I would help him conquer you," I opened my eyes wide, that explains some things, "but... in the end Izzy gave in to temptation and kept him for herself...", she said with what I think is regret, "Izzy doesn't want Heather to feel alone, so that's why she does what she does".
*Heartbeat*
Something inside me swelled up when I heard that... But I'm not going to back down, not now. I turned around and opened the door, "I don't need your pity, and I'm not interested in being a mistress or concubine, we're both selfish, we couldn't share a chocolate, let alone a guy, not to mention how bad that would look outside of TV, the world is not a show and I have a reputation to uphold," Even to me it sounded like a cheap excuse.
With that said, I got out of the trailer, I hope that serves to persuade her, even though it's Izzy, I really doubt it.
-0-
POV. Third person
Izzy looked at the closed door of the trailer as she opened another bag of snacks, "that girl is seriously stubborn," she said nonchalantly.
Four bundles sat on the other beds.
"What did you expect? You just went and said a bunch of nonsense out of the blue," Gwen commented, "Who wouldn't want to run away from a situation like that?"
"Well, I don't worry, it's all up to Cody now," Izzy said as she proceeded to change into her pajamas, she knew Heather could say whatever she wanted, but for Izzy it was the actions that counted.
"Why do you insist on all this? Do you really like the bitchy girl too?" asked LeShawna, not quite convinced of Izzy's choices in life.
"Of course, she's very funny, she gets angry easily and she's very childish, she reminds me of my teenage days... Not to mention how comfortable her hugs are when she's sleeping."
"Izzy, you're a teenager," Beth told her.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes?" replied the farmer somewhat doubtfully.
"Uh, I don't want to sound offensive or anything, but open relationships aren't...bad?" asked Lindsay, at least her sister had made sure to teach her to stay away from such relationships, as there has always been a long line of teenagers behind Lindsay, to take advantage of her with bad intentions, mostly for her body. She even told her to stay away from those traveling men who claimed to be part of modeling agencies.
Paula had told her that these guys were aliens in disguise and that she didn't have to follow them anywhere or they would steal her hair, and Lindsay trusted her sister.
"Pff, who cares about society?" Gwen said with disgust, "they delight in watching us suffer in this hell show, laughing and making bets with our lives and complaining when we don't get with who they want. Believe me, it wouldn't take long for them to judge us if they saw us in the real world, as far as I'm concerned, they can stick their opinions up their ass," she said bitterly, she knew well what it was like to be judged and frowned upon by people, in her opinion they were all idiots who could go to hell.
"Well, it doesn't bother me that you have feelings for that scrawny white chick," Leshawna said, "I don't think there's anyone else out there willing to put up with her, so I don't think anyone will complain if you keep her."
"Hahahahaha, it almost feels like we're talking about adopting a cat," Beth said.
"Aw, thanks folks, I'm really flattered," the lunatic said.
"Just don't do anything weird during the night, I don't need that on my conscience," Gwen warned.
Confessional.
LeShawna
"Anything that keeps that lunatic's attention away from me is a valid point. The fact that she bothers Heather is just a little bonus."
End of confessional.
-0-
POV. Cody
I was sitting at one of the picnic tables practicing card shuffling as I watched Duncan read Courtney's list, which was now much shorter.
I feel a little sorry for him, after all his girlfriend was kicked out so abruptly that she didn't have time to say goodbye.
"Well, it's a pity, but she's gone and I don't need this anymore," the criminal said as he tossed the list in the trash. Forget what I said.
Confessional.
Duncan
"Yes, Courtney's gone and it's a shame, but life goes on, and at least I don't have to constantly read a list of things to tell her anymore, Duncan is a free man again," he said as he leaned back in his chair and a hand reached him a glass of juice.
End of confessional.
While that was going on, the Grips team was sitting at another table arguing carelessly.
"So, who's going to be the leader of the team now?" asked Lindsay, now that Courtney is gone they need someone else to be in charge.
Confessional.
Justin
"I know that the obvious thing is that now I must be the leader, I mean I am the most beautiful, but leaders always have to be giving orders, taking the blame, or make some effort," he shuddered, "that kind of stress is not good for the skin, besides, we kicked the last leader out, I don't want to take that risk."
Harold
"Finally, an opportunity to use my crazy leadership skills," he said making karate punches, "I should have been the leader of this team from the beginning, I know I would have led it better than Trent or Courtney. If I had been the leader, we would have won every single challenge, but fate smiled on me now by giving me this opportunity. I know Leshawna will be very impressed by me... more than she already is at least," he said, raising his eyebrows.
End of confessional.
"Ahem, as the only member of this team with more training in different fields, and an official title of junior explorer, I think I'm the most qualified person to be a leader," Harold said.
You do a lot of things well, my friend, but the things you do wrong are easily counteracted, I don't think leading is your thing.
Confessional.
Trent
"I know Harold has a catalog of skills that rivals Cody or Courtney's, but is he the leader? Agh, he would never shut up."
End of confessional.
Izzy came out of nowhere and fell sitting on Harold's shoulders causing him to stagger, "None of that! Izzy must be the leader, Izzy was born to rule, I was literally trained as a child in a secret facility to impersonate the president when the time was right, but I escaped while blowing up said facility, so yes, support me to be the leader."
"No thanks," Trent said immediately.
"It's not going to happen," Justin said.
"I'm not comfortable with the idea," Lindsay said.
"My back," Harold complained, then fell to the floor knocking Izzy down.
Confessional.
Justin
"I don't need a girl in charge who can't be bribed with my charms," the model said.
End of confessional.
Izzy and Harold were in each other's faces, ready for a showdown, "I think this team doesn't need a leader, we didn't have one last season and it went better for us than it does now," Trent said.
Silence reigned on the table for a moment, until Izzy and Harold fought again, Trent slapped his forehead.
That team was poorly balanced, they had pretty skilled people, but they lacked direction, that's why they did better after the merger. Not to mention Courtney's late entry, which won't happen since she doesn't have a reason to sue the show... at least not one that has to do with their involvement.
I reshuffled my cards until one flew out, it was the queen of hearts, "shit, it's supposed to be the king of diamonds... I seriously need more practice."
"Shriek."
"Squawk."
I looked around just to see Butchie and Kevin fighting over a bag of peanuts, it's weird that Izzy decided to keep the prairie dog, I think she's jealous of my relationship with Kevin, I took the bag away from them and gave them a few peanuts each.
"There's a lot, you don't need to fight," I told them, they accepted this while having what I assume is a conversation over eating, "I wonder what they're saying."
...
Pov Third person
"So, Lord Skull's watchman has abandoned his post, huh, as you'd expect from just another flying rat of the bunch," said the little prairie dog.
"It wasn't without a reason, the dark one is making suspicious moves lately, I came here to make sure that these unwary souls don't completely fall into their hands."
"Yeah, sure," said the prairie dog picking up a peanut, "it has nothing to do with you being reduced to a measly pet for this hairless ape," he said, pointing to Cody who looked like a dumb monkey to them.
"This ape is not like others, he understands us somehow, Boss the racoon can back me up, and what about you field rats? You let the female of this ape go into your burrow and learn your culture, what happened to 'all the others are invaders' huh?"
"Don't think it was my decision, the great sage of the burrow was curious about it, that's all, if it were up to me, we would have boiled her in soup."
"I heard she took away the position you've been waiting for years," the seagull sneered.
The prairie dog looked annoyed, "yes, they gave it to her, but it was only temporary, she doesn't belong in the burrow anymore."
They both looked at each other in tense silence for a moment, "I guess we'll have to stop fighting for a while if we don't want the dark one to try to get rid of us," the seagull said.
"And I guess I can stay for a while to see what you see interesting in this ape... I just hope you don't think of anything stupid like Vancouver," the little dog told him with narrowed eyes.
"You know very well that Vancouver wasn't my fault, that was Rabioso's choice, I didn't agree," the seagull replied.
"Sure, it wasn't anybody's fault," Butchie said sarcastically as he ate more peanuts.
"I wish it hadn't been anybody's fault," Kevin said wistfully.
...
POV. Cody
"Shriek."
"Squawk."
"I'm sure they're already becoming friends," I said as I watched the two almost pets eating peanuts together.
-0-
"It's good to have you back Izzy, I'm sure now we'll have a chance to win," Lindsay said as she walked alongside her.
It was night and we were coming from dinner. No one was aware of Chris's plans; it was kind of funny to be the only one who knew.
"You can say that again, I missed this place, even though everything is so much smaller than I remember, just like that tree, that trailer, that rock and Cody."
"What?"
"I was reminding you bigger, did you shrink or something?" as far as I know, that's not how it works.
"Hahahahahaha, he sure is smaller," Duncan said making a measurement with his fingers.
"Ha, ha, very funny," I said rolling my eyes, I'm not going to let the words of a criminal and a lunatic make a dent in the self-esteem that took me years to build.
"With Izzy here, the Grips now have a wild card, that's not fair, we had everything to beat them," Heather said sulkily.
"Are you sure you're just not complaining about this morning?" said Gwen, making Heather blush.
"It has nothing to do with it!" she said upset.
"What happened this morning?" I asked.
"Nothing! Girl stuff, it's none of your business," she said defensively.
Confessional.
Heather
"Stupid Izzy, stupid confession, and stupid meddlesome nerd."
Cody
"I'm very curious now."
End of confessional.
Lindsay yawned tiredly, "well, good night everyone," tried to get into the girls' trailer, but hit her head on the door when it didn't open.
Duncan also tried, "Hey, who locked the door?", tried to open it again harder, but it didn't work.
"Wait, wait, let me try," Izzy said.
"Izzy, maybe you shouldn't—"
*Smash*
*Boom*
"Never mind," I said as I approached her after she fell to the ground.
*Sirens*
"Cops!" said Izzy alarmed as she hid behind me.
*Break*
Izzy's strange little prairie dog was holding a broken bottle, what am I supposed to think of that?
An ambulance arrived and left a body covered by a stretcher, "A corpse! I call dibs on it!" said Izzy excitedly.
"What would you want it for?" Gwen asked uncertainly as we approached him.
Chris sat down dropping the sheet showing that he was sitting on a pile of books, "Boo!"
Harold freaked out and jumped into Leshawna's arms.
"Calm down," Chris said, "no one is dead yet, I'm here to prep you plucky ducks for our most awesome challenge yet," and he just means another challenge of the bunch. He picked up one of the heavy books from the gurney, "These textbooks hold the sum total of eight years of med school, and each one of you gets one," he said throwing a book at Duncan, "because tomorrow, we'll play doctor," the delinquent rolled his eyes.
Confessional.
Duncan
"I hate doctors. They just get off on telling people stuff that they don't wanna hear like, 'Don't pick at that scab!' or 'If you eat nothing but pickled eggs, you'll die.' Hey, don't tell me what I can't eat. Now, playing doctor. Playing doctor I can handle."
Harold
Harold spoke as a hand sprinkled on his face, "I could be a doctor if I wanted to, I have plenty of hands-on experience, 'cause I've contracted more than three hundred known diseases," the hand that put makeup on him fled, "and I've been cured of nearly all of them, but there is no known vaccine for loving Leshawna."
End of confessional.
"To win this challenge, you're gonna wanna memorize the entire contents of these textbooks. By morning," Chris said.
"But it's already so late," Heather complained.
"You got that right," Chris said as chef arrived in a golf cart, "What med school all-nighter would be complete without pizza?"
That didn't stop us all from being drawn to the smell of pizza, damn, how can they do this to us?
"Oh yes, this is what I'm talking about," Izzy said excitedly over the pizza boxes.
"It's gotta be a trick," Leshawna said, and she's right.
"More like method acting," Chris said, "med school interns consume eight hundred fifty percent more pizza than the average human," that's a lot of pizza, "So, dig in. 'Cause there's plenty more where that came from," he said as he left in the cart.
Duncan approached the pizzas in Izzy's hands, "looks okay, smells okay, tastes…", he tasted it, and was surprised, "Incredible".
"How is that even possible?" asked Heather.
Very easy, it's because it wasn't just a chef who prepared them. I saw around us noticing the absence of a DJ, something that no one else took into account.
-0-
POV. Lindsay
My team and I were sitting around the seating area, the Gaffers had gone to the service tent for more privacy.
At the moment I was in a very complicated situation.
How am I supposed to learn eight years of medicine in one night? That's impossible, how did they cram eight years of medicine into books so small for that matter? I thought the books would be much bigger.
I looked at the pages of the book over and over again trying to memorize them, but I couldn't learn the complicated words, so why can't I do at least one thing right?
I know! I can ask Cody to help me memorize like I used to. I raised my head looking for my friend...
Oh, that's right... he's on another team now... and I'm not supposed to talk to him, besides, he's already made me lose once, he's trying to win, he has no reason to help me.
I felt a hand on my back that made me startle, I turned around to see Izzy looking at me, "Is Lindsay okay?" she asked curiously.
I sighed, at least I have another friend on this team, "I don't know how to learn everything that goes into the book," I told her.
She smiled, "no problem, Izzy will help you", she brought a chair and sat down next to me.
"Huh? You are going to help me?" I asked, surprised.
"Sure, why not?"
"Shouldn't you be studying too?" I asked.
"I've already done it, Izzy has a photographic memory," she said as she touched her head.
"Wow, it must be great to remember all the pictures you've seen in your life... But how does that help you remember the book? It doesn't have pictures," I don't understand.
Izzy stared at me for some reason, "hahahaha", then she started laughing out loud, then she gave me a hug, "never change Lindsay, please never change, hahahahaha", I'm confused, she's laughing, sometimes I don't understand her
After that, Izzy was helping me try to memorize at least some things in the book.
"Thank you for helping me with this," I thanked.
"No problem."
I said the next thing a little more doubtfully, "I'm sorry I asked you not to tell Cody what's going on on our team, he didn't get mad at you, did he?"
"Not at all, he was just confused," she looked at me mischievously, "you two are fighting again, aren't you? You have more couple fights with him than I do, should I start getting jealous?"
I turned a little red from embarrassment, "uh, what's wrong is...", I tried to explain the situation to her, but she silenced me with her finger.
"Izzy doesn't need to know, before he was my boyfriend he was your friend, so whatever is going on between the two of you, I'm going to let you figure it out on your own, in the meantime I'll fill the empty spot left by Cody and help you the best I can."
I opened my eyes wide, then smiled, "thank you Izzy, I really appreciate you so much for this."
"It's nothing my friend, it's nothing...", said Izzy as she looked at another part of me, Do I have something in my cleavage?
"Uh, Izzy, my eyes are up here."
"Oh, I know."
Confessional.
Izzy
"Ever since I decided to give Heather a chance, I've realized that I might actually have something for women as well... Who would have thought?... Lindsay's boobs are partly to blame for being so tantalizingly comfortable, I still remember when I fell into them," Izzy's eyes widened, "oh my god, Cody has turned me into a pervert?... meh," after thinking about it, she shrugged her shoulders indifferently.
End of confessional.
Izzy rolled a whole pizza in a tube and ate it while I looked at her with surprised eyes, "I was top of my pre-med class before the RCMP started chasing me, I know, let me show you something", Izzy got behind me and started massaging my shoulders.
I immediately started to feel something, "uh~, that feels good, like a weight is lifted off my shoulders", it was amazing.
"Hahahaha, I was taught how to give therapeutic massages, so don't hesitate to ask if you want help releasing tension."
"Hm."
"I also know how to do some chiropractic, do you want me to teach you?" he said excitedly.
Ok, that's scary, "ah... I pass on that one."
"Booo, you lose," she said as I continued my massage, I'm sorry, but I don't want to end up looking back like those big-eyed birds (owls).
...
POV. Third person
"Uff, there's no way I can memorize all of this for tomorrow," Trent complained.
"I just hope that reading all night doesn't give me dark circles and wrinkles," Justin complained, he wanted to win, but was it really worth it if he had to sacrifice his image? A Justin has his priorities.
Either way, he was unlikely to leave, he had Lindsay on his side, who had Izzy on her side, so if anyone left, then it would be the superstitious traitor, or the nerd who won't shut up.
Justin relaxed a little, he didn't have to worry at the moment, the challenge was a reward after all.
"Come on guys, this is fascinating, listen to this: The most effective method to get a worm out of your nose is to approach a water source and wait for it to come out on its own attracted by the moisture, blah, blah, blah, blah."
Both boys stared at the nerd with blank eyes as he began to prattle on again.
"Wow Harold, that's so fascinating," Trent said sarcastically. But then his eyes opened when he had an idea, "In fact, why don't you tell us everything that's written in the book?"
"Gladly, let's see, anatomy part one, blah, blah, blah, blah," Harold began to read the book aloud early on, unlikely to stop at any point.
Justin and Trent exchanged a smile and a high five, then relaxed in their chairs while the nerd busied himself with reading to them.
Confessional.
Trent
"Finally Harold's chattering mouth served a purpose."
Harold
"Getting closer and closer to becoming the leader of this team."
End of confessional.
-0-
POV. Cody
This part of the challenge certainly wasn't the most exciting, but reading a lot of the crazy stuff the interns had written in putting these books together was entertaining... At least for me.
The others didn't share my mood, Beth and Heather were struggling to memorize the books, Gwen had fallen asleep on the table after a couple of hours, apparently if there was no risk of elimination then she had no reason to stay awake even 24 hours.
LeShawna was barely trying, while all Duncan was gorging on pizza. DJ hadn't shown up yet.
"This pie is rad! Who knew Chef could rock the 'za?" said Duncan, LeShawna didn't seem so thrilled about the pizza thing.
Confessional.
LeShawna
"I love pizza. But me and dairy do not "agree". And brother, you do not wanna be around for that."
End of confessional.
"Hey Duncan, save some for DJ," Beth said.
"Where is he?" asked Heather.
At that moment I saw DJ coming out of the back of the kitchen.
"Oh, I was here the whole time, obviously," he said.
"Wow, sorry DJ, I didn't notice you were here," Beth said apologetically, it's unbelievable that no one suspects anything.
"No problem, hand me some pie," he said, Duncan handed it to him without thinking too much, "I am good."
"Agh, well, I'm not gonna just watch y'all eat; tomorrow's a reward challenge, no need to bust our humps when no one's getting kicked off" said LeShawna as she carried the sleeping Gwen on her back.
"The lady has a point, I'm out," Duncan said as he put down his book as well.
Confessional.
Duncan
"I didn't spend sleepless days reading Courtney's list only to have to stay up late reading medical books without even getting a degree."
Gwen
"Zzzzzzzz," he was snoring on the table, a hand put a blanket on his back.
Heather
"I could've forced them to stay, but it's not like they'll help us win; I mean, medical terms? Please, those two will only come in handy if the challenge is about piercings or plus-size shopping."
End of confessional.
...
POV. Third person
LeShawna, who was carrying Gwen, and Duncan, were walking together, "hey punk boy, I think you, me and this girl, we should form a preemptive alliance against Heather," the Big Sister said.
"I thought the friends were on good terms," the delinquent sneered.
"Just for now, but it's more than certain that little white girl will betray us as soon as she gets the chance, I say let's be prepared for when that happens," LeShawna replied, "we might as well get Beth involved."
Duncan seemed dubious of that part, "I wouldn't trust the little farmer who makes eyes of the other team's hunk so much," he said skeptically.
"Come on it's Beth, even if she has a crush on Justin, she's not the traitorous type, not like Heather," plus she also liked the model.
Duncan wasn't convinced, but he didn't say anything, honestly, he didn't care that much about the queen bee right now, all he wanted was to get revenge on the other team for kicking Courtney out.
"Well, I'll agree on one condition, we also expel the nerd," he said clearly.
LeShawna was shocked by this condition, "Did you get a screw off? We need that geek's brain to keep winning, we can't kick him out, plus he's my friend."
"That's the problem, you see him as kind of a trump card to depend on, that's not a good strategy at all, if you let him make all the decisions, he'll get rid of us very easily when the time comes," plus Duncan didn't like it when a nerd told him what to do. Not even Courtney.
"Cody is a good kid, he wouldn't do that," LeShawna said not believing something like that, "we're not going to kick him out."
"Then there's no deal," the offender said as he walked away.
"Well, we'll get by without you," Leshawna replied.
-0-
POV. Cody
Beth was acting anxious, occasionally looking in the direction of the door, then reading again and back to the door, What's the matter?
"Ah... I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be back," she said as she got up.
Heather looked at her suspiciously, "this 'bathroom' wouldn't happen to be in the rest area, would it?", oh sure, Justin.
"Huh... Maybe?" said Beth unsurely. She wasn't good at lying under pressure.
Heather also stood up, "You're not thinking of going to see a certain model of the Grips, are you?"
Beth turned red but also frowned, "So what if I do? You can't tell me who I can or can't see, I'm not your servant, no more."
"I'm just being cautious, there's no guarantee that you're not going to tell Justin our weaknesses," the queen bee said.
"I would never betray the team," Beth said, looking away.
"That's what everyone says, they accuse me of being bad, but everyone here is willing to betray each other when they get the chance," Heather said.
DJ and I just watched this exchange in silence, I didn't know whether to stop them or not, in a way Heather was right, many of those who were considered good, did bad things during this season, all to be the new center of attention.
"Oh, you only mess with me because unlike me! Your crush is right here!" Beth covered her mouth as she let out that little detail.
Heather's eyes became small dots, and her face slowly reddened. All eyes fell on me immediately.
Hello awkward silence, it's been a while since we've spoken.
"Uh... well, I guess now, I'll go to the bathroom," Beth said, fleeing the scene.
"What did you say Chris? Do you need someone to pull an old lady down from a tree? I'll be right away," and DJ left, what kind of excuse was that?
Now it was just Heather and I in the service store, instead of saying anything, she just sat down and went back to her reading.
I tried to do the same. It's not like I wasn't aware of her feelings, but it's the first time anyone has pointed it out directly since TDI. And besides, knowing how she feels isn't a guarantee of anything.
"I guess you were jealous all those times I asked then huh?", I tried to joke to set things in motion, even if it was with a most inappropriate joke.
"Yes, I was."
"..." but I guess it doesn't matter what I was thinking because Heather's quick, direct and completely unexpected response left me completely dumbfounded. I looked at her a little astonished, "Huh?"
She continued talking without taking her eyes off the book and with a slight blush on her cheeks, "all those times you spent time with Lindsay smearing her breasts on your face, all those times Izzy stuck to you like chewing gum, and even now when she's affectionate with you, I'm a little jealous... What makes you think that of me?" I ask curiously.
"...", I don't know what to tell her, she's being honest for the first time since I saw her again, I don't know how to handle this very unlikely scenario, "... honestly... I figured you still had feelings for me," I said.
She looked a little upset, "I should have assumed so... Don't think I'm going to declare myself just because now you know I like you, I don't play the role of lover in a relationship, besides, I have my mind set on competition and that's it," she said seriously, but I couldn't take it that way.
I smiled, "this gets me a bit nostalgic, you were just as stubborn on the island", she flinched and looked at me annoyed, blushing.
"Yes, and you were just as annoying, I guess nothing has changed then."
Are you sure about that?"
"..."
We fell into silence... I wouldn't call it awkward, but it wasn't relaxed either.
"How about we keep reading?... There's still a challenge around the corner," I said to lighten the mood.
She looked at me for a moment, then relaxed, "yes, let's do that" agreed, then we continued reading.
Heather has told me how she feels for the first time, now I feel like it's easier to get close to her again, that's a good thing... I think.
-0-
It was the next morning and we were all gathered on the set where the challenge would be, the vast majority of them looking very tired from reading all night. The only exceptions were LeShawna, Duncan and me, after staying awake for three days in the wake-up, a sleepless night is nothing to me.
"So tired," Harold said.
Lindsay was rubbing her head, "oh, my brain is full", it would be the first time... That joke was terrible, thank goodness I didn't say it out loud.
"Agh, man, nothing like a good night's sleep, don't you think?" mocked Duncan at the other team's complaints.
"Don't start Duncan," Gwen warned, unlike the other two, she was sorry to fall asleep.
"Morning competitors," Chris said gleefully as he walked out the door of the set, "or should I say...," the host pulled a cannon out of his back, "Doctors!"
*Shoot, shoot, shoot*
I don't know how to feel about being shot with medical equipment.
"Ready for today's big challenge?" the presenter asked.
"Some of us are more ready than others," Heather said, glaring at Leshawna angrily.
"You made your choice, I made mine," the big sister defended herself.
"Girls, remember, no fighting," Gwen scolded them.
Confessional.
Gwen
She sighed, "being a leader in a team where everyone fights is the worst."
End of confessional.
"Uhhhhh~, tension, my favorite," Chris said enjoying the fight, "let's take it inside", we entered the set that inside looked like the surgery room of a horror movie, "today's reward challenge is called... 'Visiting Hours'," so much creativity, "and only one member of the winning team will be able to enjoy the reward."
"Wait, really? How is that fair?" complained Gwen.
"It's not hahahahaha, that's the point," Chris said sadly, Gwen folded her arms in annoyance.
LeShawna sighed, "a challenge is a challenge, it's one for all and all for one."
"Yes, but if we win, who gets to be one?" asked Duncan.
"The person who most directly contributes to the win," Heather said.
Confessional.
Heather
"That is, me, duh."
End of confessional.
"Chris, you haven't told us what the reward is yet," Harold said.
" You're very perceptive, Harold, let's see if that'll help you and your team assemble… a cadaver."
Izzy was so excited about this that she caught Trent in a wrench and was knocking him out of breath.
"You mean, like, a dead body?" asked Lindsay.
"No, I mean like a giant dead body," he said, pointing to the gurneys next to us. I always wondered what was supposed to have happened if either team completed this challenge, "these kegs contain the dismembered parts of two identical cadavers; each player will climb their respective team ladder, strap on the bungee cord, and jump into the tank with hopes of retrieving a body part; any parts you find will be snapped in place on the platforms, use those chains to raise them all the way to the roof, where they'll be reanimated by a blast of lightning," too bad we won't see that, "first team to bring a Franken-Chris to life wins."
I interrupted him at that moment by hitting the tank with questionable fluids, "I guess there will be more than just severed parts in these tanks, right?"
Now the others were also curious, "hahahahahaha, wow, you haven't asked a question in a while dude, but you're right, there's... some surprises in the tanks," the presenter said with sadistic humor.
Some exchanged anxious glances.
"Great," Gwen said sarcastically.
"First crack goes to the team who can tell me how to treat someone with a bean stuck up their nose," Chris said.
"Oh, oh! Administer two CC's of pain meds and probe the infected area with a sterile swab," Beth said.
"Correctamundo," Chris told him.
"Yes," she climbed up the ladder and tied the bungee rope, I remember when I did it in Australia to get sheep, where Duncan threw a rabid dingo at me... What a time it was.
Beth jumped into the tank diving into the goo, "Ahhhhhhhhh!", when she came back out she had an electric eel in her hand.
*Zap, zap*
She electrocuted her, she let go and grabbed the platform, "Electric eels? Is that a joke?" she asked Chris.
"Hehahahahaha, three zaps and you're out," was his only reply.
Beth fell back into the fluid tank, "I got it," she came out with one arm. She threw it at LeShawna and she put it on the platform.
"Oh yeah baby, that's what I'm talking about," she said, starting to get excited.
"Okay, next question, your patient has an itchy, red inflammation on their butt. Diagnosis?" asked Chris.
"Diaper rash," Izzy replied immediately, beating Heather, "apply salve repeatedly to achieve humectant dispersion."
"Yes," Chris said, Izzy ran out to the ladder, tied herself up, and jumped into the tank.
A moment later she came out with an eel in one hand and one foot in the other.
"Throw it away," Trent told her, but she threw the eel at him instead of the foot. The guitarist's eyes widened, "oh, oh."
*Zap, zap*
I grimaced when I saw Trent being electrocuted, "I'll help you", Harold went and touched the eel.
*Zap, zap*
"G-Go-Gosh!" it wasn't a good idea.
"Hahahaha", Duncan was the one who enjoyed this the most.
"Oops, sorry guys," Izzy apologized for the oversight, "sometimes I mistake my right hand for my left," now she threw the foot at Lindsay, who at first tried to put it upside down, but then corrected herself in embarrassment when she realized it didn't fit.
"And you thought there would be something to worry about," LeShawna told Heather, who only rolled her eyes.
"Hahahahaha, well next question, your patient's got a white tongue, red eyes, and they're oozing gooey crud. Diagnosis?" the presenter asked.
" Pinkus eyeicus! Treat with two rounds of flopperty-gibbits," Harold said, seeming to want to say more, but Chris cut him off.
"Absolutely correct, I messed around with some of the terms in the textbook," Chris said, I know he said something about making up some of the terms while whispering to the camera.
Harold swooped in and got a hand for his team.
"Smells like ear wax...," Chris said near my team.
"Pineappleitis," DJ said, they high-fived, then the big guy climbed onto the platform and like last time, he was triple-electrocuted.
...
"Fur between the toes?" Chris said.
"Stick two horse feathers up the whizzbang," I have no idea Lindsay said, but she was allowed to jump so I'm going to assume it was fine. She got the lower body.
-0-
After many strange diagnostic questions, submerged in the tank and a few eel electrocutions, the situation became a little different from the original, as we were now in a head-to-head tie.
"Both teams are tied for a head, anybody could win this," Chris said.
"Well this is it", I said from the platform, it was my turn to go to the tank, I jumped without thinking too much.
*Splash*
Yes this is gross, but at least it's bearable and doesn't leave stains on clothes. Make sure you get all the way to the bottom, if the head is going to be somewhere it's most likely going to be at the bottom.
Bingo, I managed to grab something rounded and with a shitty grin, it's definitely the head.
The rope pulled me out of the substance at that moment, "yes", it really was the head, unfortunately it wasn't the only thing I pulled out, "oh rats", there were some electric eels stuck to me.
*Zap, zap, zap, zap*
" Cody, the Codester, the Codemeister!" Chris said as he gave me a high five.
" Dude, psyched to be here, man, I see the ladies have already arrived, all right."
Huh?
I was alone against DJ and Katie on the field, I was pretty intimidated, but it was all or nothing, I hit an angled shot catching DJ off guard in the butt, then attacked Katie with an electrified ball, which chased her around until she crashed into the back wall and lost.
Why?
"Actually, if you do the math, you can't possibly win. The score is seven to three."
Why am I seeing this?
" Guys, since you're both a bit shaken by the whole quicksand thing, we should split you up. How 'bout I go with Lindsay and Beth… and Gwen can paddle back with Trent?"
"Sounds cool," the guitarist said, Gwen looking at me appreciatively as she walked past me.
What's going on?
I was trembling in front of the huge hairy beast, "Eyy, big fella. Want some berries?"
"Grrrrrrrrrr!"
...
"Watch out, Total Drama nerds."
"!", Alejandro.
"The new guy will go all the way to the top."
...
"Don't worry Cody, I will restore your breathing and save your life," Sierra said as she hovered over me in the sand.
I was a little panicked, "my breathing is fine-", she interrupted me by pinning her lips to mine, I tried to push her away, but I held myself tighter to the floor.
...
I was sitting on the toilet of the jumbo jet gargling, trying to get the taste of Sierra out of my mouth, why the hell did it taste like sardines? I never saw her eat them, there aren't even any on the plane. In the end it wasn't enough and I just ended up throwing up.
It was at that moment that the door opened, I looked up to see who interrupted, this didn't happen the first time.
A grown-up Cody stood there and offered me a handkerchief, "don't worry... it's in the past... Don't hold on to it," he said as I took the handkerchief and wiped my mouth, "she doesn't have control over you anymore," he said as I handed the handkerchief back to him, What's going on here? Why is there a grown-up version of me here? He walked away, it looks like he was about to leave.
"Can you promise me something?" I said to the adult self, he stopped and looked at me out of the corner of his eye, "please... Don't let her run our life at will again," I hugged myself with a shudder, "I... I wouldn't stand it."
Grown-up Cody smiled at me, "don't worry... This time... things are different, aren't they?" was the last thing he said to me before the bathroom door closed and everything went black.
-0-
"AHHHHHHHH!", I woke up suddenly and alertly.
*Spark*
And also a bit electrified, I blinked several times before I made sure this was the real world, I feel like I relived my entire first life in less than an instant... It's not a pleasant feeling.
*Spark*
I jerked a little as the electricity ran through my body, it looks like the eels left me a little gift.
I looked around, I had been lying on a medical gurney, but I wasn't the only one.
*Moans*
The vast majority of contestants were on stretchers as well, how much did I miss?
Gwen came up to me, "oh well, you're finally awake, any discomfort besides the sparks?" she asked.
*Spark*
"Uff, I don't think so."
"Well, that's good," she said as she relaxed.
"What the hell happened here?... What the hell happened to me?" I asked a little lost.
"Well, you were electrocuted by four eels at once," ouch, I grimaced upon hearing it, that explains the sparks, "you dropped your head and after Beth caught it, we put it on Frankenchris and since the Grips had gotten theirs too, we didn't have time to take you to the infirmary, so we let you rest on this stretcher," It's nice to know they have their priorities in order, even though in the infirmary all I would have done is lie down so I'm going to let it go.
"And... what happened to them?" I asked slowly, looking at the others around me.
They all had the same symptoms as last time, the biggest difference being that now Lindsay had been put in one of the bubbles along with DJ. From here he could see the salami that acted like a sore stuck to his shoulder, in a part that was usually hidden by his hair.
"yes, Izzy got too excited and bit Lindsay on the shoulder," damn I missed that, "then she realized she had a sore and she had a high temperature, followed by that Lindsay burped and said it tasted like lemon."
"Mortotistico Crumple," I said immediately, her symptoms were in the fake medical book.
"Yes... that's what Harold said, then Chris declared quarantine and locked us in here," she said rolling her eyes, "while Harold was saying the rest of the symptoms, the others began to decline as well, until in the end only Duncan, LeShawna, me, and apparently you remained healthy."
"Where are LeShawna and Duncan?" I asked, realizing they weren't here.
"They both had their suspicions, so they went out looking for answers... and they left me in charge of the sick here," she said with a grimace.
Confessional.
Cody
"Wow, I missed a lot of things."
End of confessional.
"Well, I'm feeling better now, so I'll help you until they come back," I said, relieved that I no longer had any jolts.
"Thank you," she said, relaxing a little.
I got out of bed as Gwen went to check on the others, I walked past Justin with big lips lying next to the sweaty Beth.
"Oh, my lips, my lips, my lips," Justin complained.
"Maybe they'd feel better if I pressed mine against them," Beth said, nice try my friend, I have to remember that one, "Just once? Before I die?" I wouldn't go that far.
Izzy was sleeping, I left her like that because she's rarely so calm.
Lindsay was sitting in her bubble hugging her knees, "Hi Lindsay", she turned her gaze when I spoke to her, whatever I did to annoy her, it seems she hasn't forgotten it yet, "Do you need anything?" I asked trying to be nice.
"...", she didn't say anything at first, "I'm fine", was her only reply.
I sighed, "I'll leave you alone then," I said, walking away. I hope you'll be in a better mood to talk soon.
"To my mother, I leave you all my many awards and trophies," Heather said as she wrote a will, for a moment she turned green and vomited into a bucket, which disgusted, "To my brothers and sisters, I leave you… nothing, earn it yourselves, you lazy slackers!" she ended angrily.
"Wow, that's quite a goodbye letter," I said when I got closer, "I guess you don't get along with your brothers."
She shrank a little, "if you knew them you'd know why," she said annoyed.
Don't make a joke about this, don't make a joke about this, don't make a joke about this... I'm going to make a joke about this.
I smiled with a suggestive look, "Is that your way of telling me you want me to meet your family?"
Heather's eyes widened and her face went from green to red in less than a second, "o-of course not... over my dead body," she said, full of embarrassment.
"yes, I guess I'm going too fast, I haven't even met Izzy's," I said as I watched her sleep peacefully on the gurney.
"... I think she would be very grateful if you did that," I look at Heather in surprise at what she said without any jealousy, "I mean... there's nothing more important for a girl than knowing that your family is supporting you," Heather squeezed the paper in her hands and her gaze was a little lost, as if she were somewhere else.
I don't know what Heather's relationship with her family is like, but the fact that she's never mentioned them, not even when we were adults, says a lot, in fact, after that memory jolt, I seem to remember that she moved house as soon as she was old enough to live on her own.
I guess it's something I'll have to figure out at some point, after all, it seems like her loneliness stems from her family.
*BLOW*
Before an awkward silence formed, LeShawna and Duncan walked through the door of the set.
"They're back," Gwen said excitedly.
"Mother? Is that you?" asked Harold from his place on the gurney.
" Relax, everyone; as someone who has extensive experience with forgery, trust me, this textbook and everything in it is a total crock," Duncan said as he ripped off the cover, "the book covers are really just old cereal boxes."
*Growl*
Duncan's stomach growled, "argh," the delinquent ran to the latrine and locked himself in, "aww, mother of mercy."
"It can't be a crock, no one's faking being sick," Harold told LeShawna.
"No, but it's still a hoax, I just went to Chef's kitchen, where I found this 'cheese'," she said with the tube of cheese in her hand.
"Oh my gosh, what's in that canister I've never seen before?" said DJ, what a bad liar, "What's in there? Parmesan?"
"No, itching powder and laxatives," LeShawna said, removing the label.
"Chef, how could he?", better keep quiet DJ, this is unfortunate.
Duncan came out of the bathroom, "that explains the diarrhea and the itchy lips."
"And since LeShawna is lactose intolerant and I fell asleep without eating too much pizza, we didn't get sick," Gwen said.
"That's a relief," Trent said, sitting on the gurney, "but... How come nothing happened to Cody?"
All eyes were on me now, shit think of a quick excuse, "uh, I had so much fun reading the books that I forgot about the pizza, oops," I said with an embarrassed smile, buy it, buy it, buy it.
"Pff, what else would you expect from a nerd," Duncan said rolling his eyes, thank goodness.
"Wait, what about Lindsay and DJ's sores?" asked Beth.
LeShawna walked up to DJ's bubble and popped it, then removed the supposed sore from the beefy, "It's just a slice of pepperoni. Brother needs to shower," she said.
"First, brother needs to pee!" DJ said as he ran to the latrine.
Lindsay took the salami off her back, "Hey, I do bathe, why do I have this on my back?"
"Oops, my fault," Izzy said raising her hand, she seems to have gotten up from her nap, "it seems like it's not a good idea to give massages while eating pizza without any care hahahaha."
Lindsay shuddered at the implications. Izzy walked over and burst her bubble, it's a good thing she's not Owen.
"But what about the other symptoms? Blindness? Speaking in tongues?"
"Oh, my gosh, first year med school syndrome, too much studying and too little sleep can make you think you've got every disease in the book," Izzy said.
"Oh, I can see, I can see!" said Harold excitedly.
Chris came down on a chain, "congratulations Screaming Gaffers, you won the challenge again, hahahaha awesome", the others were excited about this, "brilliant diagnostic skills, Duncan and Leshawna, way to suss it out; and, for your reward… I knew I forgot something, just a sec," Chris left again.
"LeShawna, after contemplating the possibility of a death without you by my side, I think I've come to fall even more in love," Harold said exaggeratedly.
"Great," she said, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
Confessional.
LeShawna
"It's not great at all."
End of confessional.
It seems that this time LeShawna failed to materialize his idea of an alliance.
Chris came back with a tray, "as I was saying, here's your reward."
"That's my momma," DJ said.
"And that's my best cousin."
The tray was full of pictures of our family and friends, although Duncan's was of his probation officer and Beth's was a pig, Big Berta I imagine, there was also a picture of Izzy, I guess because my parents are still on that cruise.
"Yep, one of you gets a whole spa night away from this cruddy studio lot with your very best friend, or girlfriend in a certain case", when I saw the photos I realized something, Heather's mother is very beautiful... but on top of that, the fact that Chris names her as his best friend, tells me that maybe Heather does have a good relationship with her mother... Wow, I don't know what those eels did to me, but that shock did set some things in motion in my brain... although it's not something I want to repeat anytime soon, "so, who's the lucky stiff?" the host asked.
I stood aside while they were arguing, as I fainted, I am the one who has the least right to claim the reward. It seems that Gwen thought the same thing because she stepped away as well.
LeShawna started crying and giving an emotional speech, Duncan nominated her to receive the reward for solving the case and we all agreed, she complimented us and then continued crying, this did not change.
Without Courtney here we might not see LeShawna's confession talking bad about us, but I know Geoff won't miss the opportunity to take advantage of this in the Aftermath, you could have done it differently my friend, fooling those who always trust you is not something LeShawna does, you're supposed to be one of the good ones, If you go out for this, I'm not going to interfere.
After the interns swept Leshawna off the set, we all went back to the rest area.
-0-
After that grueling challenge, I was lying on my bed thinking.
Butchie and Kevin had taken over a basket and were using it as a nest/burrow, so it looks like I'll have to take care of Izzy's weird pet, the girls wouldn't like her to have him in her trailer. Well, what's another strange animal around here?
... I remember everything I saw after I passed out, which is weird, it was like going back to the beginning all over again, only that, down the bad route again, it was like a reminder of everything that's still to come... in the form of a rare dream.
Look at the dream catcher that always comes up to my neck, is it possible that those dreams aren't the only weird thing about me? I recently discovered my incredible cold resistance, what else am I ignoring?
And also...
"Owen, I've devised a mathematical formula for infinite time travel."
That was the first thing Brainzilla said when he woke up after his accident in Jamaica, I had completely forgotten about it. Now more than ever I know that Brainzilla is key to knowing how I got here and why.
And then there's Alejandro and Sierra, those two are going to make the next stage of this journey hell.
But that's okay, they're not the only ones with a card up their sleeves, they're not going to take me by surprise so easily.
*Knock, knock, knock*
Someone is knocking on my door, I got up and went to open it, Izzy already in her pajamas was standing outside, "hello Izzy... what's wrong?".
She held out her arms, "Izzy wants to sleep with Cody tonight," she said with a smile.
"Uh, sure, go ahead," I said, letting her in.
"Hello Butchie," she went straight to her strange animal companion as she calls him.
While she was distracted, I looked at her, after that journey of memory, I now realize that Izzy has changed quite a bit from her previous self, and at the same time she is still the same crazy person you don't know what to expect. She's more submissive and calm with some things, while still being explosive and spontaneous with others... Is it possible that a part of her is maturing? I can't say.
"Hey," she was staring back at me now, "let's go to bed."
"... mm."
She got into bed and I followed her, in the camp she used to sneak into my bed a lot, so this isn't that weird... But she had long since stopped.
She snuggled against my body as she turned her back to me, I hugged her feeling her warmth, she already began to breathe more slowly falling asleep quickly. It seems like all she wanted was to sleep here actually.
I kissed her goodnight, even if she becomes a super genius and decides to end this... At least I hope she doesn't forget these good times.
-0-
POV. Third person
Chris is standing outside the trailers, "and so another challenge comes to an end, what will happen when the Gaffers find out about LeShawna's lies? Will Cody be able to make things right with Lindsay? Will DJ ever be discovered? Will Heather change her mind and be the third wheel in Izzy and Cody's relationship? Hahahahahaha, I don't know about you, but I'm very curious about that last one. The answers to this and more next time here, in TOTAL... DRAMA... ACTION!"