Author's note: This chapter had been almost crazy, because, while the writing had been just fine, the problem was when I started placing on fanfiction, which created a glitch and all the formation I did was messed up, man, it sucked into trying to fix everything. I'm going to rest a bit, and if you guys find some mistakes, please tell me that I will fix it later. And sorry for the problems on the formation. Anyway, I wa very happy to write this chapter. And I hope you guys like this chapter as much as I did writing it.

Answering reviews:

Odd guest. Thank you for liking the chapter, I hope you like the chapter I wrote today.

nickvan2024. Yes he did, oh boy...

Guesthouse . Thank you for liking the chapter, I hope you like the chapter I wrote today.

Wolfang21. Yeah, Eva now have a little fandom over her, XD. And Jonesy is screwed

KenWil2001 . Over the Garden Wall.

Guest99 . Who knows? It's going to be interesting on the future seasons.

Hyper LOL Guest. I'm glad that you liked the chapter, get ready to have more fun reading this chapter of today. XD

Mad guest. Have fun reading the new chapter dude. XD

Claudia Tarley. Sim todo mundo está aproveitando as novas oportunidades na vida, embora algumas são embaraçosas, Cody realmente ganhou na Loteria, porque a mãe da Katie trabalha numa compania que tem conexões com desenvolvedores de video games, imagine Cody tendo recomendação para trabalhar em uma daquelas companias e fazer seus próprios jogos para serem lançados e vendidos? Ele tiraria a sort grande. XD. Bom, espero que você goste do capitulo de hoje Porque é um crossover de 6 dezesseis, e vai ser muito bom. E respondendo a sua pergunta, Alejandro é um personagem bem interessante, porém ele se daria muito mal por causa das consequencias de suas ações, ele seria cancelado se ele estivesse no BBB, mas eu tenho boas ideias para desenvolver ele no futuro, e Sierra... bom, é Sierra, ja é um motivo de ter ódio dela. Alejandro é bem mais divertido de trabalhar e lidar do que a maluca stalker. Bom, espero que goste do capitulo e se divirta.

Le Quack. I'm glad that you liked the chapter, get ready to have more fun reading this chapter of today. XD

Just guessing. Eva would have the time of her life, but you know that she would always have compromises, she need to become a very powerful MMA fighter to take the belts, and also she had the show to go. Anyway, have fun reading the new chapter. XD

Sleepy Guest. Yeah, now that he learned where he got his hormones from, he may need to rethink about doing his making out with Bridgette and annoying his friends, and yeah, Bridgette's experience will be something that she will never forgets, and I hope you enjoy the chapter of today, because that's one thing I was very excited to write about.

Ghostly Guest. Well, I'm glad that you liked the reference I wrote about DJ and his Momma, it was from a fanfic of a friend of mine, which I treasures so much, it was my favorite scene, which I always find hilarious. But anyway, have fun reading the new chapter. Enjoy it. XD

Guest. Well the pressure on me is very big, I hope I may have done a great job, have fun reading the new chapter. XD

Wolfang21 . I'm so glad that you caught the reference, what a dramatic life had always been one of the reasons I started writing this fanfic. And I'm so happy that people liked the reference. XD

Just a wee guest. I'm so glad that you liked the chapter, I hope you enjoy this one.

Mr. E Guest. Yep, Jonesy had no idea on what he just caused on himself, but yeah, have fun reading the new chapter. Because it's going to be wonderful. XD

Kaiserstar. Well, everything is a reference of something, who knows what Ezekiel will does in the future. XD

Alright, have fun reading this chapter. Since I'm very tired with all this editing, please enjoy XD.

(6 A.M)

The sun was still shy, peeking over the skyscrapers of Toronto, painting the city with the soft glow of dawn. It was just past 6 a.m., and the streets were quiet, save for the occasional hum of passing cars and the distant chatter of early risers. The Gallery, just outside the Eaton Centre, stood majestically, its glass facade reflecting the emerging light.

A large truck rolled onto the street and came to a stop. Its door swung open, and Ezekiel hopped out, landing on the pavement with a slight bounce. He turned back, poking his head inside the cab and giving his Pa a broad smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Pa," Ezekiel said, his breath visible in the crisp morning air. "Hope you have a good day on the farm."

His father, a grizzled man with kind eyes, nodded.

"You too, son. Be careful in there, eh? The place'll be crowded soon enough, and we both know ya ain't just some regular kid no more." His voice carried a mix of pride and concern.

"I know, Pa. I'll keep my head down, promise." Ezekiel nodded, he wasn't going to disagree, since it was a pure fact that popularity can be a two-edged knife, and you never know how crazy the fans would be... Or worst case scenario, if there were more Sierras around the world. Which would be something he never wanted to see, even in nightmares. But still, he promised his Pa that he would be fine. He could try to hide until his friends came to his aid, but thankfully everything was just as empty as he imagined, so dealing with a small quantity of fans would be good, in case someone watched the show.

It was just season 1, so you never know if their popularity would be that big, since Total Drama Action was the season where everyone could use their popularity to the extreme, but many of his friends didn't know how to actually use it. But in that situation, Ezekiel had a few good ideas on how to make his friends grow in popularity, but also in person. Duncan and Courtney can imagine how they two would work together to make their lives better.

So even as it happened, Ezekiel waved to his Pa who nodded his head, and with that, it was the time to leave.

"Good lad," his father replied, reaching over to tousle Ezekiel's unruly hair. "Be yourself, and when you settle in your friend's house, don't forget to call us okay?"

"Will do, and don't worry, my friends will help me in case things get intense," Ezekiel said as with a final wave, Ezekiel stepped back, watching the truck merge into traffic and disappear around the corner. He stood still for a moment, feeling a strange mixture of excitement and anxiety swirling in his chest. This was his first real visit to the Eaton Centre, the giant mall that he'd only ever seen on TV or in pictures.

Turning, he faced the towering glass entrance of the mall, its vast expanse stretching above him, almost overwhelming in its grandeur. He took a deep breath, his eyes wide as he took in the sight. Even though it was still hours away from opening, just being there made him feel like he was stepping into a whole new world.

"Wow..." he murmured, a grin spreading across his face. "This place is huge."

His excitement was palpable, but so was the intimidation. Despite his recent surge in popularity, he was still just a small-town kid at heart. The thought of navigating through the bustling mall, crowded with people who might recognize him, was daunting. But he was also curious, eager to explore every corner and see what the place had to offer.

The street around him was quiet, with only a few cars and a couple of pedestrians passing by. The realization suddenly hit him he had almost four hours to kill before the mall opened. He facepalmed, groaning softly.

"Aw, man, should checked the opening hours," he muttered, feeling a bit silly. He glanced around, noting the absence of benches or anywhere comfortable to sit. It was just him, the still-closed entrance, and the quiet street.

But nothing as he couldn't wait for it... it had been so long since he actually had felt excited about going into a mall... Even being from both his lives.

In comparison with this time, the last time he had gone into a mall, was when it was in his former home country, visiting a country of South America when he was a child to visit his mother's relatives. At that time mall had a different concept of what a mall would be, but still, he had a lot of fun visiting his cousins from another country... He always felt himself part of dual citizenship, the good memories of his past life still pass, even as slight little blanks, from the faces of his relatives... Slowly their faces were fading away, which was something that he feared happening.

Since his trip to Canada, projects that his parents helped him to plan, and dreams that they had together of him finally reaching College... Just for a train accident into a tunnel having a landslide...

"Sometimes I do wonder if they miss me… but that wasn't something I should be worried about." Ezekiel sighed as he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. And then he decided to have one more question. "I wonder what the future waits for me..."

"Many mysteries..." And on that moment like a whisper from the silence, immediately made Ezekiel jump from his place, as all the alerts of his mind snapped in surprise. But then one rational thought came first.

"I recognize this voice..." Ezekiel whispered as he refused to turn his back, and regained his composure, he had been watching the whole show, for so long, that he recognized so many iconic characters, but from the perspective he had, never in his life had he thought he would meet her soo soon. "Hello Dawn, it seems my aura had told more about me th..."

At the time Ezekiel turned his back to look at the moonchild, into surprising her on how he knew about her and acting mysterious, the first thing he saw, wasn't what he expected...

*sniff* *sniff*

The moonchild, the girl who Mother Nature loved with her own heart, the kindest girl and helper of animals for Revenge of Island, the girl who could read auras and had mystical powers, was in front of him, but her face showed nothing more than pain and sadness, as her eyes were red of how much tears she had been releasing on that moment.

"Oh my God, Dawn, what happened to you? Are you okay?" Ezekiel said urgently, as he approached the girl, but she just saw the girl giving a few steps away from him.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..." Dawn said as Ezekiel looked confused and had no idea what was happening at that moment. So he waited for her to elaborate, and thankfully the nature lover continued to explain. "I had been here around for a while, and I couldn't help but see you and your father talking about you being here... And I wanted to greet you, but at the time I came near to you... I just saw your two auras, and one of those auras had a color of white..."

"White?" Ezekiel asked as he didn't ask about the aura since he knew auras were something of the lore Dawn would talk about their spirits, but saying Ezekiel had 2 auras, one of them being completely white, Ezekiel had no idea how a white aura could make someone cr- And on that moment, Ezekiel stood in complete understanding, seeing Dawn on that fragile state, talking with someone of an aura that isn't colorful, and she sees it as a bad omen, he knew color psychology from cultures of other countries. "White is the color of death, isn't it?"

Dawn sniffed, as she lowered her head, not knowing what she was going to say. But at the time she was going to apologize once more, Ezekiel raised his hand and looked serious.

"Please, don't say sorry because of my death, I hate when people say they are sorry when someone dies, they aren't responsible for the death of someone, so nobody needs to apologize... if you really grieve my death, then you should say..."

"My condolences..." Dawn nodded her head, which made Ezekiel sigh, and how a simple exchange of words could immediately make someone starts the day sucking. "Sorry for making your day starting terrible."

"I need to teach my aura how to be quiet," Ezekiel commented as he could see Dawn's lips twitching, from the comment he said. "Do you need to drink water? Maybe some juice? A tea?"

Dawn still trying to contain her tears, nodded her head, and Ezekiel had no idea what was going on... But knowing how crazy his life would happen daily, he actually had to remind himself that he was on the Total Drama, which was enough for him to cope with every crazy thing happening in his life.

.

.

.

The interior of Dawn's tent is modest yet cozy, adorned with small trinkets and natural elements like feathers, stones, and dried flowers. A soft, calming scent fills the air, a mix of herbal tea and incense. The only light comes from a small lantern hanging overhead, casting a gentle glow on the two figures seated inside.

Dawn was sitting cross-legged on a small cushion, her movements slow and deliberate as she prepared the tea. Her hands, though still trembling slightly from earlier, move with practiced ease. Ezekiel watches her from across the small space, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity. In the next second, she did what was enough and brought two clay cups, as she poured the drink for both the moonchild and the homeschooled boy to drink... Ezekiel remained quiet as he kept staring at Dawn, who seemed silent for a few seconds until her eyes recognized what he was waiting for, and at that time she gave a slight gulp of tea.

"I'm sorry if I startled you back there… Seeing your aura was just… unexpected. I've never seen anything like it before." Dawn's eyes remain focused on the teapot as she speaks, her voice soft but steady. "Since the time I saw you in the show, I heard from Mother Nature that you have 2 auras."

"The aura is my soul, isn't it? Or more like souls?" Ezekiel asked as he could see the moonchild nodding her head at him, and Ezekiel had a bit of insecurity coming towards his own heart. Since he felt that after his death, he was taking the place of canon Ezekiel, and it was something that even as he deserved to act better, the boy suffered so much in the canon universe, that he needed to think of a way to take out his aura out? "Did my new aura take the place of my other soul?"

"No..." Dawn simply stated as she decided to be more assertive and help him since he looked concerned. "Your auras aren't fighting to take place over your body... they are more like complementing each other, which seems that both your auras are tied together as one person. 2 halves of the same person."

"Oh thank God," Ezekiel commented as he felt relieved, now that it confirmed that both his memories felt so real, knowing that he wasn't taking the place of the canon version of himself, but it was a part of him, spiritually, which was good, since he felt that some knacks the former Ezekiel had, and some of his own knacks of his past life, are combined together.

He wasn't Mike, so that means that he doesn't have a second personality, he is just himself.

"I have no idea who this Mike is, but you felt relieved about not having multiple personalities." Then Dawn's voice made him interrupt his thoughts, and with him giving her a stare, she felt better as she drank more of her tea. "Your mind and aura are debating about this person who seemed to be very important in the future. And you don't need to hide from me, your spirit came from a land far beyond the future and distance that I could ever comprehend, and still, you seem to know me and the others so well... You know about me, about my future, about everyone... and surprisingly, when I see your aura... it has a deep color of self-improvement, kindness, and desire to make others reach their full potential, to reach the happiness not only yours but the happiness of others. You show very good creativity in developing your work, but still want to have much more to achieve of your own dream, to have a great life happy with your friends... and freedom..."

"Heh... which color is that?" Ezekiel asked as he could identify that while one of his auras was white, the other aura he had, still was there to balance everything, which Dawn gave another look and decided to tell the color.

"It's a shade of deep, vibrant blue," Dawn said, her eyes softening as she described it. "It's like the sky just before dusk, when the sun is setting, but there's still so much light left. It's a color that speaks of wisdom, empathy, and a longing for something greater than yourself. It's... very beautiful."

"Wow... That actually sounds pretty nice." Ezekiel blinked, processing her words. He glanced down at his hands, feeling a strange sense of peace. "I always thought my aura would be, like, a muddy brown or something... since it had been 3 times that I was buried alive... I think the color of the earth would be attached to me... "

He then gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

"No, Ezekiel. Your aura is anything but murky. It's true, that some parts are clouded, and sometimes, they're darker when you're troubled. But your energy, your spirit it's filled with so much potential and hope. You're more than you give yourself credit for." Dawn's gaze turned gentle, and she shook her head. She could see the face of Ezekiel, the true face that she saw on the television, and surprisingly, he was still the same person from the TV, a person who wanted to help anyone to be a better version of himself and others as well... And listening to the gentle words of mother nature, she could hear on how the gentle breezes had a bit of humidity as well, knowing that Mother Nature was emotional since that encounter. "And it seems that your auras had been in silence, not wanting to tell me how you died, and how you got inspiration into writing your books."

"Nice job guys," Ezekiel commented as he felt the desire to high-five himself, which he actually did in front of Dawn...

That scene alone was enough to make Dawn giggle, seeing that even in a situation like that, even as how realistic and painful the past of the boy in front of her was, he still had the desire to cheer up with a little joke, to make the mood being lighter than before.

"I will also stop reading your mind, just for the sake of your private thoughts, but bear in mind, that if you need to vent, or something that you could trust into hearing your troubled thoughts. You know that I was the right person in the future. My offer stands." Dawn said as Ezekiel who was smiling with himself, suddenly paused... and then knowing the girl from Revenge of the Island, one of the most favorite girls from Total Drama Island, the girl who had been the crush of many ships towards fanfics, fanarts, and even nsfw fanart made by the fans...

Ezekiel waited for a second, just to check if Dawn was blushing because such intrusive thoughts would be enough to make anyone caught by surprise, but then Dawn remained quiet, waiting for him to see something. And Ezekiel knew that she was telling the truth...

Ezekiel looked at his reflection inside of the cup of tea... And then he couldn't help but shrug it.

"Well, I need to open the vault anyway..." Ezekiel said as he remembered the time Finn discovered about his time as Shoko, and how the memories of the past made him come up with a debt that needed to pay off to Princess Bubblegum and think about it. Ezekiel never talked to anyone about it. Never opened his mouth about such an event... "Can I start from the beginning?"

"If you are comfortable with..." Dawn said, but she gave a slight smile, knowing that her curiosity would be answered, and she would do her best to help the boy who also had questions inside of his own heart, 2 confused auras that needed answers, and she was willing to be the guide Mother Nature brought for him.

"Well, for start... I'm Ezekiel, 2 times Ezekiel actually," The winter hat boy commented as he decided to present himself. "Born on 7th September, and my final day alive was 5th October of 2024..."

"I always thought you had some parts of Virgo when I saw you on television. But also showing a bit of Pisces." Dawn commented as Ezekiel couldn't help but joke a little.

"What can I say? Shaka and Albafica, always proud to be represented by them. Hehehe..." Ezekiel commented, as suddenly he saw Dawn tilting her head at him, with confusion. "Okayyyy, this is an internal joke, sadly nobody understood and that's fine. May I continue?"

"Please," Dawn commented as Ezekiel gave a slight glance outside...

"My parents in my past life were teachers, who taught me everything from home... since ironically the events of what happened to my aunt on this world. It happened with my cousin... he had 8 years when a grown-up adult went to the elementary school... armed..." Ezekiel decided to explain once again, giving the connections between the past and the present, in the same way as the future... Tragedy strikes when you less expect it, even showing that nobody knows how it could happen in such a terrifying way.

Dawn did her best to remain calm, but her hands were holding tightly the clay, as it was leaving a few cracks on how terrible it must have been from having such a terrible experience, living secluded inside of the house, protected by his parents from both lives.

And the more and more Ezekiel talked, the more Dawn could feel the sense of nostalgia coming from his mouth and also eyes. The times he talked about how his mom took him to South America to visit his relatives, how much he had written around the internet, and how much art he did about the books he planned to write for the future.

Even he let Dawn continue to make comments around about what she thought would happen, and what was her thoughts about the possible new things coming from the future, it was indeed an eye-opening to learn people were trying to invent a 3D printer that could print Meat for people to eat, no needing more killings to make their suffering worse. Mother Nature would be grateful for not seeing more of her creatures being killed by gluttony.

But then... it came about a time of Ezekiel talking about a train, and when he said that word... Dawn felt the hesitation, and yet the fear that he had on saying that word... The traumatic experience he had.

"My mom told me about people who had slight shades of white when it comes to having a near-death experience, but seeing one of the auras being completely white, was something that must have been very painful to bear with..." Dawn commented as she remembered the times when unbelievable and miraculous stories about near-death experiences made people change their lives forever, some changed so much that they were able to change their own futures, which her mom always found was rare to find someone with an aura like that, and she couldn't help but wonder a thought that escaped from her mouth.

"It was..." Ezekiel said as he slowly looked at Dawn pausing, as the boy had to recall one of the worst parts of having such a burden on his shoulders and chest... "I had nightmares when it came about that day, how painful it was, the fear of my life diminishing, and the hopelessness of having nobody to save you... until then, pain... then nothing..."

Dawn felt her lips tremble, as she didn't dare to ask further how he had died, his words alone felt so heavy, as she believed in him. Death was part of life, it was both opposites, but to see someone who just got 2 auras, which both had near, if not, both experienced death in the same way and time. Just that comment alone, she felt it was hard to even think about it... But Ezekiel wasn't done yet.

"2 years... it had been 2 years since I woke up with my two auras... and the worst part was the homesickness I had since I was at the farm, on how my worries got to the point of 5 stages of grief..." Ezekiel commented as he took out his hat, and looked deeply at Dawn with all the sadness that he had on the moment. "I was their only child, and I couldn't even imagine how painful must have been for them to hear about my death, how are they at this moment? How much they cried for me, and what they were going to do since their only child was dead... how did my relatives react? If I had a way, any kind of way I would go back to where I came from, just for 10 minutes, just to say how much I missed them, how much I loved them, how I'm so sorry that I wasn't going to reach their expectations and how our dreams would be dead in just one single afternoon... A TRAIN CRASH, A TRAIN FUCKING CRASH... WHICH SOMEHOW IN THE MIDDLE OF A TUNNEL JUST DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE STRENGTH, AND COLLAPSED IN ME, I FELT PAIN, I FELT COLD, I WILL QUOTE KENNY, DEATH FUCKING SUCKS, IT FUCKING HURTS A LOT..."

Ezekiel noticed that at the moment he started shouting, Dawn looked horrified, as her own feelings felt overwhelmed again, and Ezekiel just noticed that his face was also releasing a few tears in his eyes… As he was taking out from his chest a burden he had been suppressing inside of himself for a long time.

"I destroyed their lives... they did so much to protect me from the dangers of public schools, and when it was my time to go to college, I said I wanted to explore Canada first, a neighboring country... and I didn't even have my official day of college, and all those years they passed teaching me... raising me... it became like a dust..." Ezekiel whispered, as he never thought he would have felt in such a way before. Maybe he had been alone with his thoughts for so long, that he forgot how painful they were until he opened his mouth. "I could imagine them blaming each other, depressed of a son they worked so much to protect and loved... died in just one single afternoon... oh God... they didn't deserve this..."

The atmosphere inside Dawn's tent shifted dramatically as Ezekiel's emotions spilled over, transforming the cozy space into a sanctuary for raw vulnerability. Dawn watched him, her heart aching for the boy who had endured so much pain and loss. His words, charged with sorrow, hung in the air like a heavy fog, making it difficult to breathe.

"I'm so sorry, Ezekiel," she said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his knee. "You've been through a lot... and I wish to actually know what to say to you, but your situation had been very unique..."

"Yes, I know..." Ezekiel sighed, as he tried to compose himself again. It took him a few minutes until he managed to recover from his angry state, and then giving a lot of thought, he recovered from his former state, reminding himself of his own mantra, that he had to learn… And in a few minutes, Dawn could see him, and he looked more relaxed… "Okay, now I feel better, sorry for losing my composure."

"That's fine, I'm actually surprised at how you managed to recover so quickly, from a fragile state like that," Dawn said as she could see that a good part of his burden had been released, but something made him both auras, remain in a calm state, more in a feeling that they simply gave up… hopelessness maybe? She isn't sure. But she was glad that he managed to put himself together.

"I tried to not think about it and focus on what had been real for me now…" Ezekiel couldn't help but chuckle sadly at the girl nearby him. "I created a way to actually do that…"

"Really? And how would do that?" Dawn asked as Ezekiel finished drinking his tea, and glanced at the clay cup in his hands... And from his memories, he never thought Jake giving a perfect lesson for him would have been his rock to not lose his mind.

"Imagine this cup is my favorite cup and I had it for years..." Ezekiel commented as he knew that it brought the attention of the moonchild and the future contestant of the show... And to surprise her, suddenly threw away the cup behind his back, without even looking. And then the loud crash sound could be heard from behind his back... "Now it's gone forever, so it's not real and I don't care about it anymore..."

*QUACK* *QUACK, *QUACK*

"That's a very painful lesson to teach, and one that could confuse many people," Dawn said as she felt the heartache happening as he could see the boy in front of her, trying to compose himself. "Also you just broke the clay cup I just made."

"Thankfully clay you can use it to make another one... sorry for breaking your cup. If you want I could help you to make one..." Ezekiel said as he looked sheepishly as he turned behind his back, just to see an angry duck staring at him... "Why is he staring at me like that?"

"That's Howard, and it seems that you broke the clay cup where he was sleeping. And he is very pissed off with you." The moonchild explained as Ezekiel gave an over-exaggerated gasp.

"Dawn, language... did you kiss your parents with that mouth?" Ezekiel said as he made a little joke, which slowly eased up the tension around him, and Dawn couldn't help but giggle.

"From the time watching television, the show taught us a lot of new words," Dawn said with a small smile, which Ezekiel couldn't help but raise his eyebrow.

"And even sassiness, wow... living and learning every single day," Ezekiel commented, as both Dawn and Ezekiel laughed, even as the duck looked very annoyed at the moment. And looking as the things were tense before, the conversation became lighter and more comfortable for both of them...

"It's kinda strange to see someone instead of offering to buy a new cup for me, offered to help me to make one," Dawn commented amused, as Ezekiel shrugged from his point of view.

"You are a girl in tune with Mother Nature, so probably you aren't into materialistic things, if was any kind of cup you bought, I could have done the same, but you made it by yourself, so I would be a jerk into buying a thing that would replace something you did by your own hands." The boy who came into her world said in simple words, as immediately Dawn couldn't help but smile happily at how well he meant it, and those words indeed were very important to her.

"I don't mind materialistic things, but, to be honest... you're actually right, making things by my own hands is more valuable to me than something I could buy at any store," Dawn commented as Ezekiel nodded his head, and saw the duck which just quacked a few times before leaving them alone. Dawn looked at him and sighed. "Sorry about Howard, he had been in problems with his partner, and now he is guiding me to be here, and he loves to wake up late."

"It's fine, I think that he is a deep sleep duck, I shouted quite a lot and just a cup crashing nearby him woke him up." Ezekiel waved his hand as he realized how easily the tone of the conversation had changed... But still, the results are clear... "Thanks, Dawn... I needed to get that out from my chest."

Dawn nodded her head, even as her heart felt a bit of the painful comments and shouts done by the boy in front of her, she gave a weak smile.

"I didn't do anything but listen to you... sometimes being a good listener helps people settle down their thoughts and free their minds and chest of their worries." Dawn commented as she could see Ezekiel giving a weak smile, and a part of her wished to do much more... something that she may know could help in the future. But now she wanted him to focus on what was important to him. "Well, even after such a difficult start, you managed to make not just the life of the others better, but your own life better as well..."

"Yeah hehehe, I never thought that I could have changed so many lives, just by being here," Ezekiel commented as he gave a slight glance around the tent, thinking of every single member of his team... his friends. "Being a secluded child, I never really had any opportunity of having a real friend that I could visit or go to their birthdays... And just by being here, I could say that I had never so many friends, more than the fingers of my hand. And I'm doing my best to make sure their future would be better than the ones they were supposed to be fated to have..."

"What kind of fate that you work so much to make avoid to happen?" Dawn asked in curiosity, as now that she could see the boy from what he truly was... a fan who actually managed to make friends, and did his best to change the lives of everyone he knew for the better...

"Well for starting, Duncan, Courtney, and Gwen..." Ezekiel decided to share more about the time he watched the show, before coming to their world, before being part of everything... Every single detail that he remembered on how many betrayals, painful scenes, outrage moments. Dawn as a lovable person she was, and having a very good open mind, never thought into hearing the fate of many of his friends...

.

.

.

"I feel sorry for DJ," Dawn commented as Ezekiel nodded his head... she always heard from Mother Nature, and even from reading Courage the Cowardly Dog, the Ramses Curse, she knew the Egyptian curses would be cruel, but not THAT CRUEL."I didn't know there was an Egyptian curse that could make you hurt every single animal you try to be friends with."

"Yep, so that's why I think he got so traumatized from Ramses Curse, that at the moment he goes to Egypt, he is going to be wary of everything he could touch, just for the sake of not being cursed," Ezekiel commented as Dawn had a few questions inside of her mind as well.

"Everything you are trying to do for your friends, you want to protect them for what's about to happen in the World Tour, right?" Dawn asked as Ezekiel gave a slight wave with his hand, making more or less.

"Kinda, but also the pinpoint would be for me to save them before All Stars, which that event had been a pure disaster. Not only in case of bad episodes... but, Chris actually lost his mind after being in jail, and the people we once knew before, became completely different on that season... they weren't to be like that. They didn't deserve that fate." Ezekiel said, and he was being honest with himself, and for the girl in front of him.

"You are very noble Ezekiel, and the burden that you are carrying on your shoulders is very painful and heavy to take," Dawn commented, and as much she would say it had been a perfect reason to fight for a better future, she knew the person in front of her was just a human, and yet, she couldn't help but to smile as he had the same confident and carefree and hopeful smile on his face.

"I know, but taking such a burden, never made me feel so alive and happy, I made my parents proud, made a lot of good friends, and changed the fates of people who could have been worst enemies into best friends," Ezekiel commented as he recalled every single thing he did... "I committed mistakes, I admit... But I know that in the end, what everyone, including me, always wanted for ourselves. It's to find happiness."

Dawn smiled, as she never thought that indeed, the person in front of her, would have been so mature, and so happy to take care of everything...

"So what are you going to do since you found the 1 million dollars? After sharing money with Lindsay and Heather." Dawn commented as Ezekiel paused and then deadpanned. "It's a large sum of money, and with how much money you are also working for, you can have a great chance to buy the island in the future."

"Okay, boys, which one of you snitched," Ezekiel commented Dawn giggled at the boy's antic, seeing that from all the people reacting to her knowing about aura, was by far the best reaction she would have.

"It was the white one," Dawn commented as she found it funny to see Ezekiel scolding himself down for saying that was supposed to be a gentlemanly deal, and snitches would always get stitches. Dawn couldn't help but laugh from seeing the boy acting comfortably like that. "You are funny..."

"Thanks," Ezekiel said, as he knew that he managed to make Dawn laugh, knowing that it would be probably impossible to hide any kind of information from her would be impossible. Which also made him have one thought in mind. "Also Dawn, do you mind if I give you one advice?"

"Is it about me reading auras too quickly that would freak out people?" Dawn inquired since one of the auras already told her his thought process, and Ezekiel didn't seem phased as he nodded his head. "I'm sorry, but that's a part of me that I couldn't change, I like to talk about their auras at the moment I meet them."

"Well fair enough... But you could start saying your name, and you are an aura reader, and at the moment someone looks at you in disbelief, or gets curious about you, you can start reading their aura." Ezekiel commented as he learned from the past, that Dawn had a quite problem since she didn't know how to approach the other people since the start.

Dawn thought about it... and noticing that his auras were in agreement with him, she sighed and let the advice be written in her mind and heart.

"Okay, I will do it." Dawn nodded her head, as Ezekiel smiled weakly at her, which Dawn now had something to ask about it. "So you know about my future?"

"Well, from the time I watched your season... you..." Ezekiel simply shrugged as he decided to talk and explain more and more about the future seasons.

.

.

.

"Wait, do you mean that I can access all my memories, from both times I was alive?" Ezekiel said as he looked at the moonchild who nodded her head at him.

"There are a few techniques about meditation, that could help you to achieve inside of your subconscious, trying to access all your memories. It requires a good mind, patience, and a very strong tea..." Dawn commented as she saw him raising his eyebrows at her. "It's a tea recipe that my father knows, and it helps you to unlock inside your aura, the deep state of your mind. In case you are curious about how to do it, you can go to Vancouver Island and look for my father, his name is Thorn, and he is a ranger in the forest. And he is a very wise man."

"That I can imagine," Ezekiel commented, as he was in deep thought. To have access to all his memories would be something that he could value most. "That way I could remember everything that happened in my life?"

"Yes, the good... and the bad things as well..." Dawn warned, as at that moment, Ezekiel realized what she meant. "To access all your memories, you would need to relieve your past traumas, again."

"It never gets easy..." Ezekiel sighed, as he realized the world he is. And groaned annoyed. "Of course, it isn't easy, it's Total Drama."

"I don't know why, but every time you say that to yourself, your auras accept all the problems and outcomes like any ordinary day." Dawn tilted her head, as she was always curious about why the auras always were in agreement whenever Ezekiel said those words.

"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn... trust me..." Ezekiel commented as he felt that it was obvious what he said. "It's Total Drama, if you think some chaos and the worst type of drama could happen on the show, it's probably going to happen. I mean, the worst type of challenge, disgusting which would make people infuriated to curse Chris and do our best to survive? It's just a Tuesday after you are part of it. But trust me, you will understand the meaning of it after you participate in the show."

"If you say so..." Dawn commented as he wasn't sure if she wanted to be part of the season in a few years... But knowing that her future is in Mother Nature's hands, she knew that she had to believe in her future.

.

.

.

"Thank you for signing my book," Dawn commented as she saw her Courage the Cowardly book had been with Ezekiel's autograph since she never thought she had the opportunity to have the book signed the day before the new books arrived.

"I'm very glad that you liked Courage, it was my first book and one of my favorites of my childhood," Ezekiel commented as he was surprised to see her bringing her book to him just for him to sign.

"You did a wonderful job, this book shows that you have a deep love of your own work, you wrote everything based on your own emotions on how you felt at that moment," Dawn said as she could see that both his auras were beamed with pride and happiness at one of the works being well done. "But still I never thought I would hate someone as much I hate Eustace,"

"Oh... which..." Ezekiel blinked in surprise since he usually managed to make Eustace the way he remembered from watching all the episodes, so having someone showing pure hatred must be something one of the iconic episodes, like...

"The magic Tree of Nowhere," Dawn replied which confirmed Ezekiel's suspiciousness. "I confess that me and my mother cried from reading that chapter. Since had been so personal, and I learned so much about how the envy and the anger of the people could lead to the destruction of something so beautiful because they couldn't comprehend..."

"Yes... but also it leads to the cycle of life." Ezekiel commented which surprised Dawn with his answer. "That little flower, in the end, was the demonstration that the tree remains alive and will grow up again, and even as Eustace managed to cut the oak... he forgot one single detail. A tree only dies when its roots are dead."

Dawn remained in silence... which Ezekiel felt was a good thing that he always had thoughts about maybe bringing up the magical tree of nowhere sometimes, like moments of a slice of life, it is a magical tree, so, of course, Eustace was going to accept it, when he realizes that he could use it to have money. Hehehe, stupid Eustace.

Smooch*

And on that moment, Ezekiel had his eyes wide open in surprise, when he realized that he felt something nearby on his cheek... And his entire face flushed as in a surprise moment...

Dawn also realized that she didn't think that she could have reacted that way, but she quickly hugged the boy and gave him a kiss on his cheek. And when it passed a little second, she discovered that her entire face was blushing in surprise.

"Err... thank you, for telling me what happened," Dawn said as her entire face was burning, and she couldn't look into his eyes.

"No problem," Ezekiel said slowly, as he never thought that Dawn had been reacting like that.

QUACK*

And at that moment, Dawn never thought she would be grateful for her friend Howard being awake.

"Oh my goodness, it seems Howard needs something to eat. I will be leaving to bring him something to eat. It was nice to meet you, Ezekiel. I will see you tomorrow at the book signing." Dawn quickly said, as she walked in the direction of the duck, and even as the duck looked a bit confused, tilting its head, Dawn immediately grabbed her duck friend, and left the tent.

Ezekiel remained in pause for a few seconds and then touched his face where a girl had just kissed.

"Huh, I never thought I would have been kissed on my cheek by another girl, just my Ma... it feels nice," Ezekiel commented as he remained alone in the said tent... And from that moment, he then remembered where he was. "Oh yeah, maybe I should check what time is it. And see if the mall was open."

Ezekiel was about to leave the tent when he realized one thing.

"The popularity will be a huge problem at the moment it gets crowded. I hope my safety strategies until my friends come will keep me out of trouble. Let's hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. With the money I have in my backpack, I think I can use it to save my skin." Ezekiel commented as he took a few deep breaths, and composed himself. "Alright, you saw Celebrities and crowds of fans in many movies, shows, and news. Be yourself, and get ready for everything, never tempt fate, and let's do this. I'm ready…"

Her mind was a swirl of emotion, tangled up in her own surprise. As she immediately took her friend and walked outside of the tent, she did her best to maintain her composure, trying to reach the nearest tree...

"What was I thinking?" She never expected her emotions to surge like that, let alone be bold enough to make such a move. Normally calm and in control, Dawn felt like her entire energy was a whirlwind of chaos, and not in the harmonious way she was used to.

Howard, the duck, quacked nearby, watching with his head tilted as if sensing her inner turmoil. Dawn's cheeks flushed, realizing how close she had been to making an utter fool of herself. If it hadn't been for the duck's sudden interference, she might have completely embarrassed herself in front of Ezekiel.

She crouched down, pressing her fingers to her temples, trying to breathe and sort out the mess in her head.

"I didn't imagine that," she whispered to herself, her voice shaky. "I really didn't imagine that."

Quack*

Howard waddled closer, giving her a soft, quizzical look.

"Oh no, don't give me that look," Dawn muttered, shaking her head. "You saved me back there. I was... I don't even know what I was doing."

She let out a laugh that sounded more like a nervous hiccup. Everything had happened so quickly, and Dawn was hardly able to process it.

"Did I let the overflow of his feelings and mine make me more bold?" She asked herself as her mind reeled. "I should have been more collected! I'm calm, I'm collected... but our rush of emotions that came from both of us, especially in the moment of vulnerability of us two… caused that. Oh Mother Nature, what I have done?"

Her heart thudded again at the thought. Why did she feel that way? she wondered, half-terrified, half-excited.

Glancing in the direction of the tent, and seeing Ezekiel leaving with a determined face, ready to go around the mall, made her frustrated with how flustered she was. And the worst part, she could hear the breezes of Mother Nature, giggling from what just happened. She groaned softly, burying her face in her hands.

"I can't believe this," she murmured to herself. "Why did that happen? Why now? Now he will think that I just did that because I just liked one scene… I should have been more patient."

QUACK*

Then suddenly Dawn felt her beautiful blonde hair being pulled, calling her attention, to the slight pain in her head.

"Ouch, Howard, not now," Dawn commented as she then looked at her duck friend, who just started quacking at her… Slowly she nodded her head and understood what he just said to her. "You're right… I was caught by my own emotions, but I have been sincere, and from what I learned from Mother Nature, I'm not the only one...I need to be ready and believe in what Mother Nature said to me. To focus on my own happiness. It will be a long and arduous challenge, but I'm patient. And I already gave the first step."

She stood up, dusting off her dress, her emotions slowly calming. Even if she wasn't sure what had just happened between her and Ezekiel, one thing was clear: this wasn't the end of it.

There would be more girls, some she would already learn by Mother Nature, and while she had no idea what was going on. She will be ready for anything, having faith in Mother Nature and in herself, she knows that in the end, she will reach happiness.

(10 A.M)

"So, you heard about the chaos happening around the mall lately?" Wyatt asked, taking a deliberate sip of his coffee, trying to wake up. The morning buzz of the food court around them was a constant reminder of the mall's daily rhythm. His shift at Spin This wasn't until the afternoon, but he had to mentally prepare himself. Despite still feeling the sting from his recent breakup, the steady stream of work kept him grounded, and being around his friends made it easier to cope.

"You mean that celebrity author everyone's been freaking out over? The one who's supposedly here a day early for the signing?" Nikki, seated across from him, slouched back and lazily twirled her hair, her eyes half-closed. Asked, her voice dripping with indifference. She wasn't one to get starstruck easily, but the growing noise of the crowd made it hard to ignore the excitement building around them. Across from her, Caitlin was busy mixing a fresh batch of lemonade for a customer at The Big Squeeze, her attention only half on the conversation.

"Yeah, what's the big deal anyway?" Nikki continued, glancing toward the increasingly packed food court. "It's like people turn into mindless drones the second they hear a celebrity's nearby. Give it a few more minutes, and this place will look like a giant anthill everyone swarming to get a glimpse."

"Well, I think it's pretty cool!" Caitlin chimed in with a bubbly enthusiasm, momentarily looking away from her lemonade stand. "How often do we get a celebrity here? Maybe they'll even stop by for a lemonade. I mean, who wouldn't want to try my new raspberry twist?" She smiled, clearly hoping to spot someone famous, maybe even snag an autograph.

"I don't know why you're so excited, Caitlin. Celebrities almost always let the fame go straight to their heads. One minute they're ordering people around and using their fame to get anything for free, and the next, they're doing something so stupid their fans turn on them with torches and pitchforks." Jen, who had been seeing the messages through her flip phone, let out an audible sigh and finally looked up. She set her phone down and crossed her arms, thinking about all the scandals she'd read about.

"Not all celebrities are like that…" Caitlin pouted, not willing to give up on her starry-eyed hopes.

"Hey, I wouldn't mind if the celebrity turned out to be someone like Lindsay or Heather," Jonesy, who had been leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the table, grinned and jumped in. he said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of Total Drama Island girls. "Now those are some famous people worth seeing." His comment earned a collective groan from the others.

"Please. Lindsay has a boyfriend, I think. And Heather? That girl would chew you up and spit you out without a second thought." Jen rolled her eyes as she explained to the boy who clearly not watched the whole season, the boy acted very ignorant from not being aware of what they passed through.

"Yeah, she'd probably call you something terrible and flip you off for good measure," Nikki added with a smirk, imagining Heather's attitude.

"Dudes, trust me, you do not want to be on Heather's bad side. I've seen it happen on television, she gave a supreme wedgie to Trent that made me sore just to see. She's vicious when she wants to. Even Lindsay, the nicest one of the bunch, showed a mean streak when Trent messed up. You don't want to see those girls angry." Jude, who had been quietly munching on a tray of fries next to Jonesy, finally spoke up. He tossed another fry into his mouth, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, Trent really blew it with that whole deal," Jen added, nodding. "He's cute, but man, did he make a huge mistake. I'm glad he kinda made up for it by the end, though."

Before anyone could respond, a piercing screech rang out from across the food court, making them all jump in their seats. The crowd near the entrance grew louder, the chaotic chatter now bordering on a roar. The noise was swelling as if something big was about to happen.

"Geez, what now?" Wyatt muttered, rubbing his temples as if the sound was physically hurting him. "People are getting rowdier by the minute."

"What the hell is going on over there?" Nikki frowned and sat up straight, her eyes narrowing.

"Probably just more fans crowding around. But it's getting insane look, there's security trying to clear a path." Jen squinted toward the source of the commotion.

"Guys, look. What is that?" Suddenly, Wyatt pointed to something in the distance.

All eyes turned in the direction he was pointing, and they spotted someone running fast. The figure was darting through the crowd, bobbing and weaving between people, clearly trying to get away from something or someone. As the runner got closer, they realized it was a teenager, probably a little younger than them. The boy was small and wiry, his face pale with panic, clutching a green blouse in one hand and a winter hat in the other. His clothes looked rumpled as if he'd dressed in a hurry or been in some kind of struggle.

Jen blinked in confusion, trying to place the face. He seemed oddly familiar, but before she could figure it out, the boy skidded to a stop right in front of them, panting heavily. His wide eyes scanned the group, and for a moment, there was nothing but awkward silence.

"No way…" the boy muttered, clearly recognizing them.

"Um… what?" Nikki began, her usual sarcastic tone ready to fire, but the boy suddenly lunged toward Caitlin, making her jump back with a startled yelp.

"AHHHHHHH!" Caitlin shrieked, instinctively putting her hands up as if she were about to be attacked. The boy, however, didn't seem interested in her at all his gaze was locked on the giant lemon hat she wore as part of her uniform.

"How much for the lemon hat?" he asked, his voice breathless and desperate.

"Uh… excuse me?" Caitlin blinked in shock, still trying to process what was happening.

"I need it," the boy insisted, his tone pleading now. His eyes were wide, almost frantic as if the hat was somehow the most important thing in the world at that moment. "Just for a few minutes. Please."

The group stared at him, completely bewildered. Wyatt raised an eyebrow, glancing at the others for some explanation, but all he got were shrugs.

"Okay, this is getting weird," Nikki muttered under her breath. "Who is this kid?"

"Wait… isn't that…?" Jen's brow furrowed as she studied the boy's face more closely.

"Sure?" Caitlin said, still a bit confused but complying as she handed over her giant lemon hat. The boy grabbed it without a second thought, tossing his blouse and winter hat into the lemonade stand.

"Hey, watch it!" Caitlin protested, staring at the pile of discarded clothing now crumpled near her mixer.

"Just for a few minutes," the boy said quickly, sliding a pair of sunglasses on as he grabbed one of the nearby chairs, positioning it in front of the lemonade stand like a makeshift barricade. The group of friends, wide-eyed, watched in silence as he settled in, seemingly trying to blend in with the surroundings.

Almost on cue, a crowd of fans gathered across the food court, their voices rising as they swarmed the area, searching for someone or something.

"This is nuts." Wyatt leaned forward, squinting at the chaos unfolding.

"They look like zombies," Nikki added dryly, slouching back in her chair as the crowd scanned the area, a restless buzz in the air.

The teenagers watched, baffled, as the mob murmured among themselves, their heads swiveling left and right like hunting dogs sniffing the air. After a tense minute, someone shouted, "There's movement on the south side!" It was all the encouragement they needed. Like a wave breaking on the shore, the entire group surged in the opposite direction, running to the pointed area with eager determination.

Nikki, Jonesy, Wyatt, Jen, Jude, and Caitlin exchanged wide-eyed glances as the commotion disappeared just as quickly as it had started. The food court seemed to exhale, returning to its usual hum of clinking trays and idle chatter. The boy, still sitting in front of the lemonade stand, sighed deeply, visibly relieved.

"Phew... That was close. Glad my backup plan worked," the boy said, removing the sunglasses and handing Caitlin back her lemon hat, looking genuinely apologetic. "Thanks for the help. And, sorry about the clothes." He motioned to the discarded blouse and hat in the stand, offering a weak but sincere smile. "To make up for it, how about I buy a jar of lemonade?"

"Oh, um, sure!" Caitlin responded, her mind still catching up to what had just happened. "What kind of lemonade would you like?" She was already grabbing a fresh cup, still oblivious to who she was talking to, but charmed by the boy's sincerity.

"Well, I've never actually been to a lemonade stand before," the boy admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "What do you recommend?"

Caitlin smiled, momentarily forgetting the strangeness of the situation. "Oh, we've got all kinds! The Russian Lemonade is a big hit my friends love it." She gestured to the group, who were now all staring at the boy with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

The boy blinked and glanced around, his eyes landing on Jen, who cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I used to work here. The Russian Lemonade is the best. Caitlin knows her stuff," she said, trying to suppress a smile.

"Alright, I'll take a jar of that, then," the boy said, giving a polite nod. Even though the crowd had moved on, he kept darting glances left and right, clearly still on edge.

As Caitlin began preparing the lemonade, she hesitated, curiosity getting the better of her. "Can I ask… why were you running from all those people?"

Before the boy could respond Nikki already answered.

"Don't you get it, Caitlin? He's the celebrity we've been talking about. That's Ezekiel, the guy doing the book signing tomorrow." Nikki leaned over the table, smirking.

"Wait, what? You're Ezekiel? The famous author of Courage the Cowardly Dog?!" Caitlin's eyes widened in sudden realization, her brain finally putting the pieces together. Ezekiel winced.

"Oh no…" Before he could react, Caitlin let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement, the sound echoing across the food court. Instantly panicked, Ezekiel dove behind the lemonade stand, hiding between the counters. "Please, don't draw any more attention!" he whispered urgently, peeking up just enough to see if anyone had noticed.

"Sorry!" Caitlin whispered back, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She glanced around, noticing a few people casting curious glances their way. Thinking fast, she stood up straight and dramatically pointed toward a nearby store. "Oh my gosh! My favorite shoes are on sale!"

The crowd, disinterested in her exaggerated excitement, rolled their eyes and continued on their hunt for the elusive celebrity, dismissing her distraction. With a sigh of relief, Caitlin leaned down and whispered to Ezekiel, "I think they're gone."

"Thanks for that. You're a pretty quick thinker." Ezekiel chuckled softly from his hiding spot.

"Dude, I never knew there was a hiding spot back there." Jude wandered over, leaning against the lemonade stand as he looked down at Ezekiel with a lazy grin.

"Well, you learn a few tricks when you play hide and seek for years," Ezekiel replied with a chuckle, finally standing up and dusting himself off. He gave Caitlin a grateful smile. "Thanks for covering for me."

"No problem!" Caitlin said, still mixing the lemonade with renewed enthusiasm. "Do you, um, still want to wear the lemon hat? You know, just to be safe?"

Ezekiel considered it for a moment, then shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe I will. I just need to be like that until my friends come;" He took the lemon hat with a grateful nod, plopping it back onto his head. "I think I can lay low until they arrive."

Jude and Jen exchanged glances, suddenly curious. "Wait," Jen said slowly, "your friends are coming here? Like, the other members of the cast?"

"Yeah, we're doing a little reunion. The Killer Bass decided to show up a day early so we could hang out at the mall. You know, just to have some fun before my book signing tomorrow. We've got the whole day planned shopping, eating, goofing around." Ezekiel nodded, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Dude, that's going to be awesome!" Jude's face lit up.

"Yup! It's going to be awesome." Ezekiel raised a hand for a high five, which Jude enthusiastically returned.

"Just need to stay under the radar until the rest of the gang shows up. Also, I have the number of Courtney, and I was about to buy a cellphone here, but I was attacked by the crowd by surprise. I didn't even manage to get inside of the shop." Feeling more comfortable now, Ezekiel adjusted the lemon hat and leaned back in his chair, sunglasses back on.

"Why don't you use mine then?" Caitlin suggested as she took something from her purse, and borrowed it for the boy who clearly gave a grateful nod to her again.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much trouble you saved me from," Ezekiel commented as he immediately took the paper from the pocket, which he had been holding since his trip from the farm, his Ma gave the number because her connections with Killer Bass mothers, so having Courtney's number would be essential since she is the responsible into knowing the other numbers of their group.

The group of friends watched him in amusement as the boy felt he was dialing the numbers of the cellphone.

"From my point of view, this person doesn't seem to be with the fame over his head," Nikki smirked, while Jen rolled her eyes.

"I will only admit it after some time," Jen replied that she refused to say that she was wrong without proof, but having the person seemed to be more collected and more down on earth, she could see why the boy felt more like a person, than the most famous celebrities around.

"Hey, Courtney it's me, Ezekiel. Yeah, I'm already here, but it seems the people are coming in waves, just to be sure, you could try to blend by using some disguise, and we take them off when we are all reunited. Duncan is with you? Awesome," Ezekiel commented as he was looking left and right to see if someone heard him saying his name, but thankfully there wasn't anyone nearby. "Well, I'm on the food court, on far on the back in a good distance from the food section, there is a lemonade stand, which was a giant yellow lemon. I'm wearing a big lemon hat… I know what I said, but it was the best disguise I could find now… how long it will take for you two to be here? 1 hour? Okay, I think that if I remain here, I will be safe. And if things get ugly, I will be going for my other backup plan… what is my backup plan? Go to find a secret spot to hide until you guys appear, obviously… yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up Duncan, but remember who was the one who made all the traps and caught you two… glad that we came to an understanding. Hehehe, see you too later. Bye..."

The group looked at the boy in amusement, as Ezekiel gave a sigh of relief as he returned Caitlin's flip phone.

"Thank you so much, this way we already established a meeting point." Ezekiel was grateful, and the girl was already feeling happy for helping a celebrity, and now knowing the other members of the Killer Bass were also going to appear, she was already feeling excited.

"Not a problem… Also coming up… here's your drink, Mr. Celebrity."Caitlin finally finished preparing his lemonade. As she handed him the jar, she grinned.

"So, you don't mind sitting with us for a bit? I mean, your popular friends are bound to show up eventually," Nikki said, rolling her eyes. She was met with a soft chuckle from Ezekiel.

"Well, popularity comes and goes, but real friends are those you can count on your fingers and toes. Thanks for letting me sit here, by the way," Ezekiel said, adjusting his chair so his back faced the food court, turning toward the group. They seemed taken aback by his genuine comment. "I grew up on a farm. Trust me, when you're that isolated, you really value the friends you do have."

Jen, surprised, looked at Ezekiel. Unlike other "famous" people she'd seen, he wasn't bragging about his popularity. Instead, he was focused on what truly mattered to him: his friends.

"You guys seem pretty close," Ezekiel continued, gesturing to the group. Before Jen could answer, Caitlin chimed in excitedly.

"Of course! They've been my best friends ever since I started working here. Jen actually got me my job! We all go to school together, then meet up here afterward," Caitlin said with a bright smile as she handed over a finished jar of lemonade and some plastic cups for Ezekiel to use.

"Huh, neat," Ezekiel replied, taking in the camaraderie among the six. Some of them were still surprised to be sitting with him. "So... do any of you watch the show?"

"Dude, absolutely!" Jude exclaimed, finally introducing himself. "Especially those insane challenges like jumping off cliffs and wrestling wild animals. You guys were crazy, man!"

Ezekiel chuckled. "Glad you think so." But in the back of his mind, Ezekiel was still processing the surreal situation. Of all the people to meet, I run into the cast of 6teen at a mall. He glanced around the group. They all looked like their animated counterparts, only slightly more grounded in the Total Drama universe, Nikki, the sarcastic, edgy goth; Wyatt, the calm, musical one; Jude, the same laid-back dude as always; Jonesy, as carefree and reckless as ever; Caitlin, still the sweet, somewhat naïve rich girl learning about the world; and Jen… who was currently staring at him, looking more judgmental than the others.

"Uh, is she okay?" Ezekiel asked cautiously, glancing at Jen.

"Oh, that's just Jen. Ezekiel, right? So, what do you think of the babes from your show? Gotta get the inside scoop." Jen snapped out of her thoughts, blinking as Jonesy chuckled.

Ezekiel glanced at Jonesy, thinking, Yep, that's definitely the same Jonesy. How many jobs has he been fired from today? He chuckled internally but humored the question. "Well, sure, there are a lot of attractive girls on the show, but most of the time, we're too busy trying to survive a psycho-host on a deserted island."

"Wait, so all that stuff was real?" Jen asked, snapping out of her earlier judgment.

"Yeah," Ezekiel nodded. "We really did risk our lives doing all that crazy stuff on TV. And once we signed the contract, there was no backing out. So, a word of advice, always read the fine print before you sign anything."

Jen blinked in surprise, her skepticism replaced by concern as she listened to Ezekiel's serious tone. He glanced at the group. "No matter what the situation is, you should know exactly what you're agreeing to. I knew the risks when I signed up for the show. But a lot of the other contestants? They didn't, and that's when things get dangerous."

"Wait, even after reading all that, you still agreed to do it? That's wild," Wyatt commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, it was a crazy experience, but looking back? I wouldn't trade it for anything." Ezekiel just smiled. As he had great memories of the whole season, and the good friends he made, he meant it what he did.

"You even threw away a million dollars into the river. I've gotta ask did you lose your mind?" Nikki asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. Jonesy, who had been half-listening, suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes wide with shock.

"WAIT, HOLD UP DID YOU THROW AWAY A MILLION DOLLARS?!" Jonesy nearly shouted, his voice echoing a little too loudly through the food court. Ezekiel's eyes widened in panic, and he quickly leaned forward, shushing him desperately.

"Shhhhhhh!" Ezekiel's gaze darted around, scanning the area like a spy who'd almost been exposed. "Did you forget I'm trying to keep a low profile until my friends get here?" he hissed through his teeth, praying that no one had overheard Jonesy's outburst. For a moment, he held his breath, but the food court crowd seemed blissfully unaware.

Jonesy offered a sheepish grin, shrugging under Ezekiel's irritated stare.

"Sorry, man, my bad," he muttered, still clearly processing the absurdity of what Ezekiel had done. But he couldn't help himself and blurted out, "But seriously, dude a million dollars? What were you thinking?"

Ezekiel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a frustrated sigh escaping him.

"Yeah, it was a million, but the last challenge was total garbage," he said, catching the group off-guard with his bluntness. "I mean, we spent the entire season busting our butts enduring ridiculous challenges, strategizing, and voting each other out to win fair and square. But the final challenge? It wasn't about skill or survival. It was about turning us into animals, making us tear each other apart for the cameras. No way was I going to let it go down like that."

A brief silence fell over the group, as they absorbed Ezekiel's words. His tone was sharp, filled with frustration but also a quiet determination that none of them had expected. Even Jen, who had remained skeptical and quiet until now, looked intrigued.

"That's not how you decide a winner. You don't humiliate your friends and fight them like it's some kind of freak show. That's why I tossed the money. I wasn't going to let the show turn us into a joke." Ezekiel continued his expression firm.

"You really did that?" Wyatt asked, leaning forward now, his voice tinged with respect. "You turned down a million dollars just to stick it to the show?"

"Yeah," Ezekiel nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "And now we're coming back for season two, next week. We're not done yet."

"Oh, so that means the babes are coming back too?" Jonesy interrupted, his grin wide as he waggled his eyebrows. It was clear where his mind had wandered. Nikki, with an exasperated eye roll, swiftly kicked him under the table. Jonesy yelped, rubbing his shin. "Ow! What?"

"Sorry about Jonesy. He's a lost cause," Jen quipped, shaking her head as she shot a glance of apology toward Ezekiel. The tension between them softened as Jen leaned in, her voice more sincere. "But honestly, that was a really brave move. Most people wouldn't have done what you did."

Ezekiel offered a grateful nod. "Thanks. My friends were pretty ticked off at first, but in the end, we all agreed. Our friendships weren't worth ripping apart over money. That's what reality TV tries to do, pit us against each other for the drama. But after nine weeks of surviving that crazy island together? Nah, it wasn't worth it."

A sense of understanding seemed to settle over the group. Even Jude, who had been snacking on fries, paused to listen. Jen gave Ezekiel a kind smile, clearly impressed by his perspective. As Ezekiel finished the last of his drink, he let out a contented sigh, placing the empty cup on the table.

"Wow, this lemonade is seriously good. You must've spent a lot of time perfecting the recipe." Ezekiel commented that he never thought he had such an opportunity to drink it from watching the show, and from what he recalled watching the 4 seasons, Caitlin started making terrible lemonade at the beginning of the show, but Jonesy had to give up the rival lemon stand just for the sake of their friendship, which it was a good episode.

"Tell me about it! During my first week working here, I messed up everything, forgot the sugar, and mixed things wrong. It took forever to get the hang of it." Caitlin, beaming at the compliment, giggled.

"Well, you nailed it. Best lemonade I've ever had." Ezekiel chuckled, genuinely interested, as he nodded at her story. Which he was glad that he may have passed the stage of terrible lemonade, and the girl needed a bit of compliment.

"Thanks!" Caitlin said with a grin, clearly delighted as she handed him a refill. "Glad you liked it. But seriously, tossing a million dollars into a river? That's legendary."

"Legendary or insane, depends on how you see it," Ezekiel replied with a smirk. "But, I'd say it was worth it. And besides, we've still got another shot at the money in season two. This time, though on our terms."

Wyatt, Jude, and even Nikki shared a look, clearly impressed by the way Ezekiel stood by his principles, while Jonesy recovering from his shin injury leaned forward with an eager grin.

"Alright, but seriously, man, next time, don't throw away the cash!" Jonesy said with a laugh, earning yet another swift kick from Nikki.

"Well, how about you guys talk about yourselves? You must have done a lot of great stuff together," Ezekiel suggested, leaning forward with genuine curiosity. The group exchanged surprised glances, clearly not expecting a celebrity to want to learn more about them.

"I bet some of you have done greater things than I ever have," he added with a warm smile.

Jen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the question. "You really want to know about us?" she asked, her tone lightening a bit.

"Well, thanks for the flattery, but honestly, we all live pretty simple lives working here," Jen explained, her tone casual but with a trace of pride. Ezekiel nodded as he took another sip of his lemonade, waiting for her to elaborate. "I work at a sports store called the Penalty Box. The most exciting thing about the job is how our boss, Coach Halder, loves to make things... chaotic. Especially now that he's become a massive fan of Total Drama after watching the season you were on."

"Huh? That's actually kinda surprising," Ezekiel said, his brow furrowing in concern. "He doesn't put you and your coworkers through crazy challenges like Chris did, does he?"

Jen let out a dry laugh. "Nah, nothing that extreme. The worst thing he's made us do was endure watching the episode I Triple Dog Dare You without vomiting."

Ezekiel's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, seriously? That episode?" He stared at her in disbelief. "And you won?"

"Yup," Jen said, a bit smug. "Held it together the whole time."

Ezekiel chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "That's impressive. Honestly, during that challenge, me and the rest of the Killer Bass were out for blood. We really wanted to make the Gophers' day a living hell. Cathartic, really." His tone carried a mischievous edge, causing the group to blink at him, unsure whether to laugh or be alarmed.

"For someone who never went to school, I'm surprised you even know the word 'cathartic,'" Nikki remarked with a smirk, though there was a teasing gleam in her eye. "No offense."

"A bit taken," Ezekiel replied with a shrug, raising an eyebrow. "But I get your point. TV and the internet are pretty good teachers. Plus, I'm a writer. Shouldn't I know the words I'm putting in my own books?"

"Fair enough." Nikki dropped the subject as the group shared a look, slightly surprised by how unbothered Ezekiel seemed by her remark. But his attention quickly shifted back to Jen.

"So... did Coach Halder make you do anything else, or was it just surviving Triple Dog Dare You?" Ezekiel asked, leaning forward slightly, clearly invested.

Jen thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Thankfully, nothing as crazy as your show. But can you imagine if he made us do something like the wake-a-thon challenge? That would've been a nightmare for the store."

"You mean the challenge where you guys had to stay awake for days?" Jen grimaced as Ezekiel described it, the mere thought making her feel exhausted. "Thank God Coach Halder didn't do that. It would've been a disaster."

"Dude, that staying awake challenge was epic!" Jude chimed in, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You were awake for, like, four days straight!"

Ezekiel laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I only survived two days. Duncan and Gwen were the ones who made it through four. And let me guess..." He mimicked their thoughts with a smirk, "'Pffft, staying awake? How hard can it be?'"

The group listened intently as Ezekiel continued, his tone becoming more serious. "What made it tough was how Chris constantly messed with us. First, he made us run laps around the camp. Then he stuffed us with this heavy food that made us want to pass out. After that, hours of boredom with no distractions, and Chris tried every trick in the book to make us fall asleep. The worst? He read us the entire history of Canada. A whole book."

"Zzzzzzz..." A faint snoring sound made everyone turn. Jude had slumped over, completely passed out at the thought of the challenge.

"JUDE!" The group yelled, snapping him back to consciousness.

"Huh? What? Oh, sorry," Jude mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I was just imagining reading that book... Knocked me right out."

"How did we survive? Honestly, no clue." Ezekiel chuckled.

"Oh, come on, Jude," Jen teased, crossing her arms. "The history of Canada wasn't that bad. And let's not forget you passed the finals just so you could jump out of an airplane... naked." She emphasized the last word, her voice dripping with amusement.

"Wait... you did that?" Ezekiel's eyes widened as the memory of that particular episode clicked into place.

Jude stood up dramatically, hopping onto his skateboard and circling the table. "Fear not, my compadre," he said with a grand flourish, "I shall regale you with the tale of the brutal torture known as school finals a system so oppressive, so soul-crushing, that only the strongest survive!"

.

.

.

Laughter and stories flowed easily as the group settled into their conversation, Ezekiel listening intently to each tale, occasionally chiming in with his own thoughts and reactions. He found himself unexpectedly enjoying the company of these mall-working teens, their banter and camaraderie reminding him a little of his time on Total Drama though much less dangerous, of course.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on," Ezekiel suddenly interrupted, a wide grin spreading across his face as he struggled to contain his laughter. "You drove a bus and crashed it? When you were 14? Who even let you drive it in the first place?"

Jen groaned, her face turning slightly red as the rest of the group erupted into snickers, clearly enjoying her embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," she muttered, shooting them a half-hearted glare before turning back to Ezekiel. "That's totally not the point of the story."

"Oh, I think it's totally the point," Jonesy quipped, still chuckling. "Who hands over a bus to a fourteen-year-old?"

"Guys, come on!" Jen groaned louder, rubbing her temples in exasperation. "Look, I was technically doing a favor for a friend Timmy, but... things just kind of spiraled out of control. Okay?"

Ezekiel was still smiling, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's pretty wild. I mean, I've done some crazy stuff on TV, but driving a bus at 14? That's a whole new level. I mean, my Pa would kill me if I accidentally crashed the farm truck."

The group laughed at the comparison, and Jen let out a sigh before joining in. "Let's just say I've moved on from that phase of my life," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Now, I work at the Penalty Box, which is at least a bit more... responsible. But before that, I worked at the Lemon Squeeze to get some experience."

Caitlin, who had been sipping her smoothie, chimed in. "Yeah, and thanks to Jen, she really helped me out when I needed a job urgently." Her voice was grateful but laced with a dramatic flair that made the others smile.

"Oh?" Ezekiel raised an eyebrow, intrigued. As he could recall from that, but already wanted to know more about the kind-hearted brat, who just learned about how the real world worked outside of the house she lived. "Why'd you need a job so bad? Did something happen?"

Caitlin smiled sheepishly, clearly enjoying her moment in the spotlight as she recounted the story. "Well, let's just say I might have... maxed out my dad's credit card."

"You what?"Ezekiel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. For does his best to act surprised, since in the first episode, Caitlin's debt would have been buying 2 cars, a lot of clothing, and a purse. It was obvious that her dad would be very angry from knowing that she maxed out. Now she took the humble way and was learning from having good friends a new way to live her life and paying for her hard work.

"Yeah," Caitlin sighed dramatically, flipping her hair back. "It was a whole thing. I got a little too carried away shopping, and before I knew it, boom I hit the credit limit. My dad was so not happy about it, and I had to find a way to pay him back."

"If there was a limit on the credit card, then it must be a very large debt…" Ezekiel chuckled, shaking his head. "Sounds like a nightmare."

"Trust me, it was," Caitlin agreed, then added, "But Jen here saved my butt. She got me the job at the Big Squeeze, and even though I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of working in a juice stand, it was kind of nice being around my friends all the time."

"Well, then you got me curious about one thing." Ezekiel leaned back, his eyes thoughtful as he considered her story. But since he saw so much about how Caitlin lived on both worlds, he knew what would probably be the answer to his question. "So, let me ask you this: if you magically got all the money you needed to pay off the debt, would you still keep working at the mall? Or would you just... stop?"

"Of course not!" Caitlin opened her mouth to reply with a quick, but paused, the question lingering in her mind. She glanced around at her friends Jen, Nikki, Jonesy, Wyatt, and Jude all of whom she spent practically every day with. Sure, working at the mall wasn't always glamorous, but the time they spent together was something special. After a moment of reflection, she sighed, her tone softer. "I don't know. I mean, yeah, the job can suck sometimes... but I don't think I'd want to leave. Being here, with everyone... it's kind of become part of my life, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that. It's not always about the work, but who you're with. Makes even the crappiest jobs feel worth it." Ezekiel smiled at her answer, nodding as if he understood completely. It wasn't a surprise since it had been great seasons that reminded his childhood. When he watched as a kid, he thought things were just like the show, but when he grew up and learned more from his parents, about how difficult it was to find a job, and even live on the farm when his Ma and Pa had struggled into finding clients, it was never easy.

"Exactly," Caitlin said, her smile brightening.

"Yeah, sure, that's why I stick around the Khaki Barn. Because I love being around my idiot coworkers." Nikki, who had been watching the exchange with mild interest, snorted.

"Khaki Barn? What is that?" Ezekiel asked as Nikki rolled her eyes.

"The most annoying place for whoever lost a soul would want to go there," Nikki replied, and Ezekiel tilted his head. Nikki's friends shook their heads from seeing Nikki being dramatic over such a situation.

"A clothing store?" Ezekiel asked and the others looked turned from bored to a surprise look on their faces.

"Exactly," Nikki commented as she snapped her fingers into pointing out the place where she was now burdened to work for the most part of her life. Or until she get the right money, Nikki sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair. "Where do I even start? The Khaki Barn is full of airheaded, clones who think fashion is life. It's torture every single day. But, I need the money, so I suck it up. I've got plans, though big plans. One day, I'm gonna travel across Canada, maybe even the world, if I can. No more folding pastel sweaters for me."

"That sounds awesome. Where do you want to go first?" Ezekiel's eyes lit up with curiosity.

The question seemed to catch Nikki off guard. She blinked, then gave a small, thoughtful smile. "I'm not sure. Maybe Europe? I've always wanted to see Paris... and Rome... and maybe some of the cool places in South America, like Brazil or Argentina. Anywhere that isn't here, honestly."

"Sounds like a dream," Ezekiel said with an appreciative nod. "It's cool that you've got a goal like that."

Nikki shrugged, though the slight smile on her face betrayed her satisfaction. "Yeah, well, it's a work in progress."

"You'll get there," Ezekiel said, offering an encouraging smile. "I mean, if you can survive the Khaki Barn, I'm pretty sure you can handle anything."

.

.

.

"Wait, so you hate country music, and you had to work specifically in that section?" Ezekiel asked, noticing Wyatt's discomfort as he explained his job situation.

"It was part of the initiation for new hires," Wyatt replied with a sigh. "But yeah, it was pretty rough."

Ezekiel raised his eyebrows and glanced around at the group, who shared sympathetic looks for their friend. Caitlin decided to fill in the blanks.

"He just got a text from his girlfriend breaking up with him. She's with another employee now," Caitlin added, causing Ezekiel's eyes to widen in surprise.

"So this happened between the finale of season 1 and the start of season 2?" Ezekiel thought, as he remembered that was his first job, where his girlfriend broke up with him and later he was fired from the job, which meant that he would work into something similar to a blockbuster at the mall... By looked over at Wyatt, who seemed a bit down.

"I'm surprised you're still working there," Ezekiel remarked, as it was indeed something bad to do, which later he would get even worse with the time, and not surprisingly he would be fired from there.

"That's what I think too," Jen chimed in, nodding along with the sentiment.

"I need the job," Wyatt shrugged. "But yeah, I wasn't going to let it get me down. What other place would hire me anyway?"

"That depends... what are your skills?" Ezekiel asked, suddenly curious. "What's your ideal job?"

"Well," Wyatt hesitated for a moment before admitting, "I want to be a musician. I had a chance to get famous, but I turned it down."

Ezekiel recalled that episode, Wyatt had chosen his friends over a solo career.

"So you know music?" Ezekiel asked, his voice now full of interest. "How many instruments can you play?"

"I play guitar, drums, keyboard... and I sing," Wyatt responded, noticing the sparkle in Ezekiel's eyes. "Why?"

"Well..." Ezekiel began, a grin creeping onto his face. "I've got this project. People loved the narration I did for the Freaky Fred chapter of 'I Triple Dog Dare You,' and I'm planning on making audiobooks. Turns out there's a market for it."

"Huh?" Wyatt blinked, trying to process what Ezekiel was saying, as the rest of the group looked equally surprised.

"And," Ezekiel continued, "I've got lyrics and melodies for some of my books, but I need someone good to play and sing a few songs."

"What?" Wyatt's eyes widened, and he almost dropped his coffee.

"I mean, you'd have to practice, maybe even learn a few more instruments, but if this takes off, you'd have a portfolio. Who knows, shows might hire you, or you could work on movie soundtracks." Wyatt stared at him, still in shock. Ezekiel pressed on. "I'm just starting the project, but I wanted to ask if you'd be interested…"

"YES," Wyatt blurted out, making Ezekiel grin.

"Great," Ezekiel added, leaning back with a satisfied smile, "but keep in mind, you'll need to read my books. You know, just so you get a feel for the lore and the story behind everything."

Wyatt nodded, still processing the offer. Ezekiel, meanwhile, fished through his backpack and pulled out a few sheets of paper. He scribbled something down quickly, tearing off a small piece and sliding it across the table toward Wyatt. "Here's my business email. It's tied to all my work with the books. Just shoot me a message there, and me and my lawyer will draw up a proper contract."

Wyatt blinked in surprise, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He glanced at the email before looking back up at Ezekiel. "Wait, a lawyer?"

"Yeah, man," Ezekiel replied casually, giving a slight shrug. "Gotta make it official, you know? But just so we're clear... are you busy tomorrow?"

Wyatt hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kinda? I'm still working at Twist This... the CD store where, uh... my ex works."

Ezekiel nodded sympathetically, then leaned in slightly as he continued. "Well, here's the thing I've got a book signing event tomorrow. It'd be great to have someone play live music in the background, you know, to keep the crowd entertained while they wait in line. Could be a nice little test for you, nothing too serious."

Wyatt's eyes widened, and he could feel the anticipation building in his chest.

"Look," Ezekiel said, sensing Wyatt's hesitation. He reached into his backpack again and pulled out a small wad of cash. "How about this? I'll give you $500 right now. And if tomorrow's performance goes well, another $500 when the event's done."

The entire table went silent as Ezekiel laid the bills in front of Wyatt. The group stared in disbelief. Wyatt, barely able to believe his eyes, glanced from the cash to Ezekiel, trying to find words.

"Whoa!" Caitlin gasped, leaning forward. "Wait you're just giving him 500 bucks? Like, right now?"

Jen's eyes widened too. "Are you serious? That's… kinda insane!"

Wyatt blinked, staring at the money as if it might disappear. "I... I don't even know what to say, man."

Jonesy couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "Dude, that's like, three months of work for me," he muttered, half-jealous, half-impressed.

"That if you even were able to stay hired after one week," Nikki commented but she also couldn't help but be impressed. "But I have to agree, that would have taken a few months of work, for me as well."

Wyatt picked up the money, his hands trembling slightly, still in shock from the sheer luck of the situation. "This is... wow, I thank you, man. Seriously."

Ezekiel smiled, clearly pleased with Wyatt's reaction. "No worries. Just remember to bring your best for tomorrow, okay? Just be sure that it's going to be long and draining hours."

Wyatt nodded as the boys and girls went nearby to see the boy having the good money on his hands.

(11:30 a.m)

"I can't believe he managed to slip through the crowd like that," Courtney muttered, glancing around cautiously. She adjusted the black wig she'd brought along, thankful for the disguise. Her eyes darted to Duncan, her boyfriend, who was hiding under a long hoodie, doing his best to stay low-profile alongside her.

"Come on, Courts," Duncan said, rolling his eyes with a smirk. "Zeke's fine. He's disguised just like us. You've already said it, no one's gonna recognize him."

As much as Duncan hated to admit it, the frenzy surrounding Ezekiel had taken him by surprise. He hadn't expected the mall to be this chaotic. Sure, he'd dealt with his own surprising level of attention after Total Drama, but seeing an entire mall in a frenzy searching for Ezekiel? That was a different level.

"Yeah, but for how long?" Courtney's voice carried an edge of nervousness. As confident as she was in school, with her reputation and popularity under control, dealing with the unpredictability of crowds was something entirely new to her. The whole situation was well outside her comfort zone. "Did I actually just ask you if you've seen a giant lemon? I can't believe I'm saying this."

Duncan chuckled, shaking his head. "Relax, princess. We just got to the food court. Everyone's too busy stuffing their faces to care about us. We're fine. And hey " He squinted toward the other side of the court, pointing ahead. "I think I found your giant lemon."

Courtney followed his gaze. Sure enough, across the court stood a large lemon mascot, far enough away that only a few people were gathered around it.

"That... might be it," she said, her eyes narrowing as she tried to get a better look. She glanced around quickly, still paranoid that someone might spot them. "Well, it won't hurt to check it out."

The two made their way across the court, weaving between tables and blending into the sea of mall-goers. A few moments later, Courtney recognized a familiar figure, his back turned toward her, wearing the oversized lemon hat she'd seen from a distance. He was sitting among a group of friends, casually chatting.

"And that's how I got fired from the toy store," the tan-skinned boy said with a laugh.

Courtney stopped, narrowing her eyes at the scene just in time to hear the incredulous response from one of the others.

"So let me see if I got this right, you got fired because you instead of working at your job, you went into doing a fake trick in an escalator, just for the sake of making Jen freak out and says the things that were common sense like not doing it because you aren't a professional so you could get hurt, and then you broke your arm, and yet... instead of going at work you went at the tattoo cabin just to see her freaking out because Nikki and Wyatt were trying to make her freak out from having a tattoo, And while you were messing around, a bunch of kids ransacked the toy store and stole everything?" The person made a summary and Courtney blinked a few times, as she couldn't believe what she was hearing as well. "All of this because of a bet of 5 bucks?"

Jonesy, the boy who had been so proudly telling the story, suddenly froze. His cocky grin faded, and he glanced over at Jen, who sat next to him with an I-told-you-so look on her face.

"Told you so..." Jen said, as Ezekiel shook his head.

"If Courtney and Duncan were here, Courtney'd probably say that's the dumbest thing she's ever heard. And Duncan he'd be dying laughing right now." The boy said, which was enough reason for Courtney and Duncan to already take their disguises.

"Right in point." Courtney's voice was enough to bring the attention, to the group staring at them, Duncan was trying to hold his laugh. "That was the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life, and I heard Owen telling about his dreams over donuts, which were something that could leave a mental scar…"

Jonesy looked like a deer caught in headlights, while Jen burst into laughter, shaking her head at him.

"Man, that's golden. I mean, really? A $5 bet? And you ended up getting fired? That's a whole new level of dumb!" Duncan finally let his laughter loose.

"Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up if you tried." Courtney rolled her eyes but couldn't help smirking.

"Hey, guys, you finally made it." Ezekiel grinned as he took off his lemon-patterned hat and placed it on the table in front of him. "I ran into this interesting group who helped me hide from the crowd. I'm really glad you all showed up."

"Of course, we came," Duncan said, stepping forward and glancing at the new faces around the table. He cracked his knuckles casually, eyeing the crowd in the distance. "We're not gonna let you handle the mob on your own. People out there are acting like animals, ready to pounce. Besides, Eva's not here yet, but when she shows up, I'd pay ten bucks just to see who's dumb enough to mess with her."

"Yeah, now that would be something to watch." Ezekiel chuckled at the thought.

As the conversation flowed, the group from the mall Caitlin, Jen, Nikki, Wyatt, Jonesy, and Jude turned their attention to the newcomers. Ezekiel waved toward them with a casual smile. "So, guys, this is Courtney and Duncan. And these are "

Before he could finish, Courtney's eyes widened in sudden recognition.

"Jude?" she blurted out, cutting Ezekiel off mid-sentence.

The entire table froze for a moment, everyone's attention snapping to Courtney. Duncan blinked, caught off guard by her outburst, while Ezekiel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Jude, who had been lounging in his seat, tilted his head curiously.

"Whoa, you know me? I didn't even have to introduce myself. That's pretty rad." He grinned, clearly impressed. The rest of his group exchanged confused looks, not quite sure what was going on.

"Wait... how do you two know each other?" Jen leaned forward, raising her eyebrows.

"You seriously don't remember me? Short girl, two ponytails, pink shirt, white skirt? You let that stupid chicken you named Nugget destroy my lunch. Heck, it practically attacked me!" Courtney sighed, rolling her eyes as she rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Ohhh, Courtney! Man, I totally remember now. I can't believe it's you! You disappeared for, like, a decade I thought my egg salad teleported you to another dimension or something. And hey, don't blame Nugget. That chicken probably thought your sandwich was her long-lost kid or something."A spark of recognition lit up in Jude's eyes as he snapped his fingers.

"It...was...TUNA!" Courtney emphasized word by word as she probably had a little vendetta feeling with that said chicken, but she groaned, facepalming. But decided to let that remain in the past as she looked at her childhood friend. She looked up at him, her frustration barely concealing the hint of nostalgia in her voice. "I can't believe you're still the same guy from kindergarten, Jude."

"What can I say? Livin' life to the max, you know?" Jude just shrugged, an easygoing smile plastered on his face.

The entire group watched the interaction unfold with a mix of amusement and surprise. Duncan, arms crossed, smirked. "So, you two go way back, huh?"

Courtney, still shaking her head in disbelief, let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, believe it or not, we do." She turned to Jude, her stern demeanor softening as she remembered the ridiculous but fond memories from their childhood. "I guess some things never change."

Jude grinned wider, clearly happy to reconnect. "Good times, huh? I can't believe you remember all that!"

Ezekiel, still watching with a curious smile, exchanged a look with Jen, who simply shrugged in disbelief. "This is... wild," Jen whispered, leaning in toward Ezekiel.

Nikki, always the skeptic, raised an eyebrow. "Kind of insane, right? Small world."

Courtney, meanwhile, let her guard down just a little. Despite her usual sharp tongue, there was something oddly comforting about realizing that Jude hadn't changed at all. A small smile crept onto her face. "Yeah," she said softly, "some things really don't."

"So, you two were childhood friends?" Ezekiel commented, watching Courtney nod with a nostalgic smile.

"Yeah, we were friends back in kindergarten," Courtney explained as she took a seat near the group, Duncan following suit. Ezekiel passed her a cup of lemonade, which she accepted gratefully. "My parents had to move because my mom got a better job opportunity as a lawyer. After that, we lost contact."

She took a sip, settling in. "How have you been, Jude?"

Jude, always eager to share his latest wild story, grinned. "I've been good. We were just telling your buddy Ezekiel about the time I was supposed to be studying for our school finals, but instead, my friends helped me get ready for this crazy stunt. I said I was going to jump out of a plane with a parachute... naked."

Courtney nearly choked on her lemonade, sputtering it out all over Jonesy, who was sitting nearby.

"Dude, come on!" Jonesy groaned, wiping the juice off his face while Courtney looked at Jude, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"PARACHUTE NAKED?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" Courtney shouted, completely horrified.

Duncan, on the other hand, looked impressed. "Okay, that's hardcore," he said, folding his arms and smirking. Jonesy just blinked in confusion, glancing over at Jen, while Nikki snickered and Caitlin tried to stifle her laughter.

"Wow, she sounds exactly like..." Caitlin said, nudging Nikki. "Jen,"

"Yeah, like a twin or something," Nikki added with a smirk.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bad." Jen, looking slightly defensive, pouted.

The rest of the group gave her a knowing look, causing her to sigh.

"Okay, fine, I'm toning it down lately... but Jude really did jump naked with a parachute. He even took a picture of it." Jen then admitted that the group couldn't help but chuckle, but also to the surprise of Duncan and the horror of Courtney having such a terrible image on her mind.

"Man, that's something I'd pay good money to see someone pull off." Duncan's eyes widened in appreciation. He glanced over at Courtney with a grin. "Gotta say, Court, your childhood friends are awesome. Why didn't you ever tell me you had such a wild past?"

"Please, Duncan, not now... I feel like all the crazy memories of Jude's impulsive stunts are coming back, all at once." Courtney groaned, rubbing her temples.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Jude replied, completely unbothered, flashing his trademark relaxed grin.

As the rest of the group chuckled at the interaction, Duncan leaned back, clearly enjoying the chaos.

"Man, this just keeps getting better," Duncan commented as he didn't mind getting a few smacks on his arm, that's gold, and he is going to enjoy every minute of it.

Courtney, however, let out an exaggerated sigh, sinking into her seat. "I knew reconnecting with you was going to be a headache," she muttered, though there was a slight smile tugging at her lips despite herself.

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.

.

"Yes, we're at the food court, on the other side by the lemonade stand with the giant yellow lemon on top. It's called… Big Squeeze?" Courtney said, glancing at Caitlin, who nodded in confirmation. Courtney continued speaking into her phone, her voice authoritative as usual. "Yeah, when you find the others, let them know where we are. I sent them the location. Alright, see you soon, Geoff."

She hung up, taking another sip of her lemonade as Duncan leaned in, casually raising an eyebrow. "So, what's the update?"

"Geoff found Harold, Bridgette, Tyler, and Eva. So now we've got our very own bodyguard if the crowd gets too crazy." Courtney smirked, clearly pleased with the idea of Eva handling the chaos.

"Wooo, finally!" Ezekiel cheered, practically bouncing in his seat. "Now we can actually explore the mall! I've got so many things I wanna do."

"Oh yeah?" Duncan asked, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "Like what?"

Without a word, Ezekiel reached into his pocket and handed Duncan a folded piece of paper. As Duncan unfolded it, he found a sketch of a muscular, humanoid fish flexing its biceps and smoking a big cigar, with the words Killer Bass written in bold letters around it.

"Cool drawing, but what is " Duncan started before Ezekiel cut him off with a proud grin.

"That's the tattoo I'm getting."

"What? Oh, no, you don't!" Courtney's reaction was instant. She slammed her fist on the table, eyes wide in disbelief.

"I lost a bet, Courtney. Fair and square. And it's not even going to be huge, just a small one on the side of my arm near my shoulder. No big deal." Ezekiel remained unfazed, shrugging as he explained.

The group stared at Ezekiel, stunned. Even Duncan, who normally would've been all for something reckless, looked at Ezekiel like he'd lost his mind.

"Zeke, that's nuts," Duncan said, shaking his head. "Even I've thought about getting a tattoo before, but I never actually did it…" He paused, a puzzled expression crossing his face. "Wait a minute, why don't I have a tattoo?"

"That's what you're worried about?!" Jen and Courtney shouted in unison, their voices carrying through the food court. The outburst made them both blink in surprise as they realized they'd spoken at the same time.

Nikki and Caitlin exchanged amused glances, giggling at the sight.

"Like I said," Nikki smirked, leaning back in her chair, "twins."

Jen and Courtney both turned to glare at Nikki, who only smirked wider, enjoying the moment.

"Come on, you two. It's kind of cute how alike you are," Nikki teased, crossing her arms as Caitlin stifled another giggle.

Courtney huffed, ignoring Nikki and refocusing on Ezekiel. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing with determination. "Look, Zeke, you don't need to go through with this. A tattoo is permanent, you know? And you're doing it just because of a bet? There are other ways to settle a bet that doesn't involve, you know, inking your skin."

Jen nodded in agreement, crossing her arms. "Yeah, Ezekiel, trust us on this one. You could end up regretting it later. And the whole Killer Bass logo? Come on, that's kind of... extreme."

"Nah, let him do it. If Zeke wants the tattoo, let him have it. Besides, it'll be epic. A Killer Bass tattoo? It was our symbol, you should give it to him. It is badass." Before Ezekiel could respond, Duncan leaned back, his arms behind his head as a mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Duncan, you're not helping!" Courtney shot Duncan a sharp look.

"Wasn't tryin' to, princess" Duncan replied with a shrug, clearly enjoying riling up his girlfriend. "I'm just saying, if the dude wants to do something like that, why stop him? I mean, he already has the money, he is a famous writer, he doesn't need to go to college where the teachers would judge him… I should've gotten one back when I had the chance. Actually, you know what? I think I'm going to do it one too."

"Oh no, the hell you don't," Courtney said as she glared at her boyfriend, but he quickly kissed her neck, which made her freeze, and then blush at him angrily. "I hate when you do that just as a way to get what you want."

"Hey, don't hate the player, just the game," Duncan said, as he lowered his hand, where Ezekiel gave a hidden low five.

"Ugh, why do I have to keep hearing both your ideas?" Courtney said in frustration, but she knew she would regret it since both Duncan and Ezekiel decided to have a smirk as well.

"Because that's our team, we are the 3 pillars, and 2 votes said yes, and one vote said no… now that I think about it. You would become way hotter if you had the logo as well." Duncan said as immediately regretted when Courtney stomped on his foot. "Ouch, oh come on."

"Don't even joke about it," Courtney said as she narrowed her eyes to her friends. "As much I'm happy to say proudly I'm a bass, having a tattoo it's too much for me, even as I have my own rebellious phase on the show, but I'm not going to ruin my chances on the college just by having a tattoo."

"Oh come on, stop being a stick in the mud Courtney, we were just joking," Duncan said as he rolled his eyes, knowing that his girlfriend was with her eyes twitching, which was enough to make him and Ezekiel stop, knowing her limits. "Anyway, fine. You can still be the princess as you are for us. But me and Ezekiel will be having an awesome tattoo before returning to season 2,"

"I have to agree, for me it would show how proud I am of having my great friends on the Killer Bass, and as much I would hate to admit. I don't think Chris is going to let us stay on the same team again, so it would have probably a few changes, maybe having the tattoo would remind me of how awesome we were together as friends and as a team. Times we massacred the Screaming Gophers a few times."

Courtney looked serious, but seeing that she was outvoted, and how she knew that both her friend and boyfriend would be doing something reckless like that, she couldn't help but sigh.

"Alright, fine. You convinced me, you two can have your tattoo, but remember that this will be stuck with you both for years and at least I will not be the one also using it…" Courtney said grumpy, as Ezekiel and Duncan felt happy with their decision.

"Alright, a tattoo for later, and what more you are thinking of doing Ezekiel?" Duncan said as he was happy to make his girlfriend freak out from the day since it had been very fun to enjoy his relationship with his girl.

"Buy a cellphone for myself," Ezekiel said which made the duo stare at him. "My family doesn't have one, so I decided to buy one for myself, my parents aren't interested in having theirs, so it would be a good idea to have for myself my cellphone."

"That's actually a great idea," Courtney nodded, as the group of teenagers nodded their heads.

"There are some good ones on the third floor, they have many models, and it was where I bought mine when I got mine broken a few weeks ago," Caitlin commented, as Ezekiel nodded his head.

"Great, I could have something to call the others, thanks for being a good help guys," Ezekiel smiled as he gave a good look at the group, of guys who seemed to be fine with him asking for help. "Can I ask for your numbers? Just to have on my list of contacts?"

"Oh, of course," Jonesy said as he gave me a paper, and started to write down the numbers of everyone since he saw a good opportunity. "Hey, just in case in the future you would need a manager, you can also hire me."

"You would be fired in the next 10 minutes," Ezekiel said politely which made Jonesy shocked, as the boy simply shrugged. "Sorry, but learning from the stories that you shared with the group, I think you would have the power over your head, and I would kinda want to break the record of you being employed and fired the quickest as possible, but it was a nice try, though."

Nikki, Jen, and Wyatt chuckled while seeing Jonesy pouting at them.

"I'm not that bad." Jonesy defended himself, and Jen rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you are..." Jen said but she looked happily into meeting the trio who seemed to be just fine and chilling around, and when she looked at her cellphone, she realized it was almost her time for the shift. "Oh, well, it's almost noon. Soon my shift will start."

"Yeah, mine too," Nikki said as she rolled her eyes. "As much I hate to admit, it had been a good time, now I have to go back to hell, and suffer until the end of my shift."

"Nice knowing yah Nikki, try to not kill the clones," Ezekiel said as Nikki scoffed.

"I fear if I do that, they would multiply themselves, but it was a nice idea for the first 3 seconds," Nikki smirked as she got up, and giving a good nod for the others, she decided to leave.

"Okay, it was nice knowing you, I mean it," Jen said as she felt happy from knowing that it wasn't as much as she would think the famous celebrities would be, as much she would say they were like the others, they seemed completely normal, just like them, and she was glad to see some people actually didn't let the fame go up their heads. Ezekiel and Duncan raised their hand as a way to say goodbye, while Courtney waved, as the trio looked at Jonesy, Jude, Wyatt, and Caitlin.

"Well, since Jen and Nikki went ahead, I think I'm going to say I have to go to work too. I need to do some sticks, would you guys want some?" Jude said that he also felt it was a good time for work, even as he would be bored, so he preferred to bring some food for his friends.

"Nah, I pass," Jonesy said, as Duncan shook his head, while Courtney raised her eyebrows.

"You actually work here?" Courtney asked in surprise, and Jude nodded his head.

"Yeah, I lied to the owner that I managed 2 stores and I was hired as a manager of the place," Jude said as he was relaxed and Courtney had her eyes twitching.

"And you were just hired like that? Who is taking care of the food and the sticks?" Courtney said as she never thought Jude would be responsible for something.

"Well, myself." Jude said as he shrugged, as he couldn't understand why Courtney was getting annoyed, "You don't like sticks? I could give you some that you may be needing."

"No, I'm fine," Courtney said as she sighed. She never thought she would be having a headache just for meeting a childhood friend like that.

"Courtney, you need to relax, it's fine to happen something like that to others, but we also have a lot of weird things happening in our lives, the show itself is living proof of all the weird shit that he passed through, don't you think that your friend being a manager of food would a bit overdramatic?" Ezekiel asked as Duncan nodded his head, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, I mean, we already got our lowest point into eating Chef's food, and we probably would have an immunity to poisoned food, so why not chill out? Remember we are here at the mall just to enjoy the day off before we return on the show." Duncan explained, as Courtney was taking deep breaths, and with luck she managed to calm down.

"Okay, okay, you both made a point. Sorry... You're right." Courtney said as she took a minute to compose herself, as much she would love to complain and say that all the world was not making sense, she knew that from the time she went on the reality show, nothing actually made sense, and Chris being a jerk was a fact, so she needed to accept, if her childhood friend is a manager, leave him be. "Fine, I'm going to accept a stick, but please, don't make it disgusting like the times you made an egg salad on the floor. We don't have 4-year-olds anymore."

"Wow Jude, I think she had a long grudge against you," Jonesy commented as Jude shrugged.

"Nah, kindergarten was crazy at that time. She is just herself," Jude said as he continued to be carefree as he was. "What about you little dude?"

"Well, a few sticks would be fine," Ezekiel said, as Jude quickly used his skateboard to move just to get some sticks for the group, as he couldn't help but ask Jonesy. "How about you Jonesy, do you have an interview today?"

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Jonesy said as he scoffed and he decided to tell him. "I'm actually working on the book store where you are going to do the book signing tomorrow."

That comment alone was enough to make Ezekiel have his eyes wide open in disbelief, as also Duncan and Courtney raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"Wait, you work on there?" Ezekiel asked in surprise as he saw the tan boy nodding his head to him, but instead of being overjoyed, he looked more sympathetic. "Please tell me that you guys organized the books."

"Nah, they said today the shipment would come, so me and the others would be preparing the section... I mean it shouldn't be hard." Jonesy said as he then saw Ezekiel palled, and Courtney and Duncan could already see something wrong.

"Oh, you poor soul. I wish you good luck." Ezekiel said that which immediately Jonesy feel bad feeling. As Ezekiel decided to explain. "I don't know if I will be staying only tomorrow doing the book signing, and the mall actually ordered a large quantity of books."

"How many? 500 books?" Jonesy said as he looked at the boy shaking his head, which made him tilt his head. "1000? 2000? 3000?"

And the more and more quantity, Jonesy felt his face paled, until he reached at a number.

"5000? THAT'S CRAZY..." Jonesy said as Ezekiel didn't seem to stop.

"You don't get it... It's 3 different books... which means... 5000 for each book... 15000 in total." Ezekiel said as Jonesy fell with his back on the floor, which immediately Courtney to sweat, Wyatt had his mouth dropped in shock. Duncan whistled. And Caitlin was preparing more lemonade, for the other Killer Bass who were coming to be passing by. "Jonesy? Jonesy? Well... I think he fainted."

"Wow, never thought it would be that many. Ezekiel, I'm surprised that you have the courage to be doing that." Duncan said as he had to give the by, he seemed to be committed. "Are you going to sign all of them?"

"If I have to. I think everyone deserves to have a chance at them, and if I managed to make them interested in reading them, I'd be very grateful, they were what made me who I am today, so I think if I manage to change a life with my books, I think I did a good job." Ezekiel commented as Courtney and Duncan had to nod in agreement, what he was doing was a noble decision.

"That's really great for you to decide to make such a decision, but won't that make you feel burned all day? It's going to be very tiring for you." Courtney said as Ezekiel nodded his head to her.

"That I can agree. But I think it was for the best, who knows if I would ever have such an opportunity to do it again. So why not make it special? The first time always should be the best impression." Ezekiel said as he felt optimistic, and he wasn't going to temptate the fate. "I know tomorrow is going to be a long and chaotic day, but I cannot help but feel excited about it."

"Well, I think we lost him." Duncan joked as he could see his girlfriend rolling her eyes. And the delinquent couldn't help but laugh, knowing that sometimes he was getting too used to the craziness. "I mean, it better we enjoy these days, we are going to be dealing with whatever Chris and Chef are coming for us, so why not make our day today awesome? Have some chill princess, we kinda need to enjoy this."

Courtney paused, and as much she would hate to say it... they were right.

"Fine, I will be doing that, since we are going to return on the show." Courtney pouted as the duo seemed to be so fine, and Wyatt and Caitlin smiled at how the trio seemed to be so friendly with each other.

.

.

.

"Okay, I admit I was hesitant to actually eat one stick of whatever you brought to me Jude, but I have to say that's not bad," Courtney commented as she started eating the food her friend brought to her, while Ezekiel and Duncan were simply eating like it was just food. "I mean, after eating Chef's food, you can probably eat anything."

"Amem," Both Ezekiel and Duncan said, as Duncan couldn't help but quip up.

"I bet Owen would have eaten all the sticks and made the place without food," Duncan said as Ezekiel rolled his eyes.

"The bet would be on how long it would take, not the possibility of stating the obvious Duncan," Ezekiel commented, as Jude beamed at Courtney.

"That's what I said, you never know what something is good until you actually try it," Jude said as he showed one stick which made the group stare at him. "That's why life is awesome."

"Courtney, I still say that your friends are awesome, you should have presented them a long time ago." Duncan joked as he then felt a punch on his left arm. "Ouch."

"Can you stop it?" Courtney said as the trio saw Jonesy finally getting up.

"Ugh, what just happened?" Jonesy said as he was feeling a bit of a headache in his head.

"You just fainted," Jude commented as he also gave the cellphone to his tan friend again. "Also the bookstore said the shipment just arrived, and they need you to help them out to pile the books into a way that it would be accessible to everyone, it's 15 thousand books dude, I never thought a bookstore would have that many."

"Aww man... I need to go to work fast, this day is going to suck." Jonesy said as he took the cellphone from Jude's hands, and ran the fast as he could.

"RUN LIKE THE WIND Jonesy. YOU CAN DO IT," Ezekiel shouted as he smiled to see the boy going to his first day at work... Then he sat politely with a serious expression on his face. "He's going to lose the job this week isn't he?"

"Yep," Caitlin commented as she brought the jar of lemonade for the trio, while Wyatt decided to get up.

"Probably, I will be out to drink more coffee and then going to my work, it's nice to meet you all, and I will be prepared for tomorrow, thanks again, man. I really appreciate it," Wyatt said as he saw Ezekiel waving at him, and now the Pillars of Killer Bass were ready for the day.

"So, how had been your return home guys? We have a lot to talk about." Ezekiel said, as Duncan and Courtney smirked, and rolled their eyes, knowing that boy was waiting for the right time to talk to them about that. And it was exactly like he said, a very interesting return to their home.

"I found my relatives gave a welcomed party and a nice to see you out of Juvie party as well," Duncan said as he gave a smile to Courtney who seemed to be surprised by seeing how happy he was. "Haven't seen my uncle in years, and he was the one who was on the case of Celine Dion..."

"Ohhhhhh," Ezekiel and Courtney said as they were now interested

to know more about what just happened, and needlessly to say, they really got what they wanted, and Jude and Caitlin were also caught in the narrative of him explaining what happened.

Time really passed quickly, as slowly, more and more members of Killer Bass who were starting to gather more people from their popularity appeared on the Lemon Squeeze, as a point of meeting by the group of friends. It took a few hours, but it had been enough for Ezekiel, Courtney, Duncan, Geoff, Eva, Harold, Tyler, Bridgette, Katie, Sadie, DJ, and Gwen were finally gather together. The whole group who were departed a few days ago, but now were reunited as great as ever.

"Well it's nice to see you guys once again," Ezekiel said, but suddenly the loud noises were kind of overwhelming. "Even as it was hard to actually talk over here."

The group nodded their heads, as they looked there was a large circle of people all around them on the food court.

"I think that's awesome, we could show them some incredible skills, to make them cheer up for us," Harold said as he was feeling proud of himself, but then yelped when Ezekiel pinched him.

"No, we are not going to fulfill your ego, remember, be mysterious, remain the wildcard, and be yourself," Ezekiel said as he wanted to make sure Harold would remain with his ego in check since Harold is a great guy, but an ego Harold is a terrible Harold, so you better to make sure he stays humble.

"Oh come on, we are famous now," Harold complained, as he saw Ezekiel narrowing his eyes at him, which made him sigh. "Okay, fine. So what do you have in mind?"

"Let's enjoy today, I'm paying up for the fun today, so I think it would be a great time for us to go around the stores, and have a great time," Ezekiel suggested as the whole group had their eyes sparkling, but Ezekiel wasn't a fool. "But I want you all to be responsible, I don't want you all to expend everything so fast, so how about this, as a way of apologizing for what I did on the last episode, how about each one of you have 5 thousand dollars, and we can go around, but I will be monitoring your money, okay?"

"Well, I thought I should be using my mom's credit card, but having you pay for my stuff sounds more awesome, and 5 thousand? Yeah, I can enjoy a very awesome day with that." Gwen commented as she was now ready to enjoy the day. Since now she could enjoy buying the new accessories that her friend Reaper recommended to her.

Katie and Sadie were already discussing a few ideas on which stores they would like to go first. Tyler and Eva already were discussing what kind of exercise and workout equipment would be useful for them in the future.

Surprisingly, Bridgette and Geoff were talking to other people instead of kissing each other for a long time, Duncan had no idea what just happened, but he was glad that they weren't making a scene in front of everyone. Since the loud public had been quite annoying for him.

"So you didn't bring Cody with you?" DJ asked while the tan girl shook her head, as she was holding a wrapped package with her.

"No, my mom decided to let him stay at home since she was on the day off, which means that he is probably taking care of Buggsy the bunny," Katie said as she was happy to see the group was very concerned about him, since Sierra's post, everyone was glad that Cody wasn't dealing with Sierra invading his house, it had been something that made Sadie and Eva asks the girl if she wanted to learn martial arts. Which Katie refused, since she isn't that strong. And… Katie was really trying her best… to not laugh at DJ's T-shirt, and he was quite insistent that he didn't want to wear it. But momma really refused to take a no for an answer.

"Don't talk about the shirt, please," DJ said as he still had the shirt where he and his momma had been using from the time at the supermarket, as it had been very embarrassing, and from the snickering made by Tyler, Geoff, and Duncan… hell, even Harold was snickering from how the Jamaican giant now had to be using the embarrassing shirt, that on the back had been the words. 'Single Jamaican' which he had been very embarrassed that his momma was in the phase of looking for grandchildren and had been kind of very insistent. Thankfully Ezekiel's money will help him to buy something good for him to dress up. The soon as possible.

"Alright, guys, I'm glad that everyone is here, but I think we should already start going around the mall, we cannot stay here forever," Courtney commented, as Geoff, Harold, and Duncan were giving autographs to some fans, which the C.I.T. girl rolled her eyes. "Guys,"

"Sorry," The boys froze and then realized that indeed it had been quite very distracting, and they returned to their positions, as the girl seemed to facepalm, but she was glad the situation looked fine.

"Okay, guys, let's go, we need to stay together, so in case we need to separate, we can use this place as a meeting point again," Ezekiel commented, as the Killer Bass nodded their heads, and even with the crowd being around them. He seemed completely fine. "KILLER BASS, LET'S GO."

Then with Eva walking ahead, the group decided to keep their good time around the mall, not mattering on how their fame would deal with the place, they were going to enjoy their day off since it was their free time before returning to the torturing time on the show. Better to have fun at the mall.

..

"Well, there they go," Caitlin said, as she felt happy that she saw the group of celebrities decided to explore the day around the mall. As it showed nothing more than 13:00 hours. The girl with the lemon hat was now surprised that it had been a crazy morning, but she couldn't help but be happy to have met a celebrity, especially as he… "Wait a second… did he pay for the lemonade?"

Caitlin asked as she looked desperately, but suddenly she just saw in the corner of her eyes… The tip jar, which instead of being empty or with a few changes… It was filled with bands of money, and a little stick paper on it, which made her take it and slowly read it….

"Dear Caitlin, thank you for your service, and you are right...Money is good, but still working just to pass the time with your friends is also one of the pleasures of life, trust me, friends like yours are very rare, so remain kind and loyal to them, trust me, friendship worth's it everything. There are 12 thousand and 100 dollars, take this as my payment for having such fun with you guys. I know that you are going to share with your friends, this 2 thousand will make a lot of difference, have fun buying things you all like, and thanks for reminding me and proving to me that I was right, having true friends worth more than 1 million dollars, have a great time, and a nice day of work… your new friend… Ezekiel."

The public had no idea why the blonde girl on the lemonade stand started crying, and suddenly squealing like a crazy girl who seemed to have won the lottery. Sometimes they have no idea what's going on inside of that mall.

But that day, nobody would dare to forget how the day went.