Last time on Total Drama Island...
Our remaining campers were put through the wringer in a gauntlet of tortures, from hot peppers to hugging cacti. Courtney got her comeuppance more than once for sneaking a reward, including giving away the luxury trailer she got for winning the challenge. That mended her bridges with Bridgette, however, so she got something out of it.
Meanwhile, Duncan showed that he was still feeling hostile after being double-crossed and voted off before. The bad boy let everyone know that he'd be gunning for his old teammates, so Harold gave his alliance an ultimatum: vote Duncan off or watch him leave. Since Harold spent that night on the Loser Boat, we can guess how well that went. Will our lone wolf manage to stay ahead of the pack, or will it all go to the dogs? We'll find out on Total... Drama... Island!
The days following the Say Uncle challenge were comparatively peaceful. Despite Izzy and Daphne being back together, no fires immediately appeared on the island. Well, except for at the bonfire, where Izzy showed her how to make the fire starter she had used on Bony Island. It took Daphne three tries to get the consistency of the mixture right. After the third attempt nearly set fire to the grass and trees near the bonfire, Chris banned them from making it again.
Since the campers were no longer seated by team or sex, Courtney and Heather's alliances sat at separate tables during meals. The four 'neutral' campers–Owen, Lindsay, Trent and Gwen–usually moved back and forth between them. That said, Liam and Courtney both noticed that Gwen seemed to sit with Heather more often. Duncan was always seated with the queen bee, though more out of a desire to not share a table with them.
Bridgette was also always the last to join them, having her own shower in her trailer. Without her around, according to Courtney, the girls' cabin had gotten noticeably colder. Even Izzy spoke less with anyone besides Daphne or Heather, particularly Gwen. The guys' cabin was much the same: Duncan bunking with them meant that there was a chill anytime he and Liam were in there together. Once either of them walked out, however, all was well.
This morning, as they were filtering into the lodge for breakfast, Gwen noticed Trent perk up at her arrival. He gave her a smile and patted the seat next to him, making her smile in return. Once she got her tray of 'breakfast'—somewhat boiled eggs and overcooked biscuits—she walked over and sat next to him. "So, got any plans for today?"
"Yeah, actually. I was planning on going swimming for a bit. Want to join?" he asked.
She hummed. "Not in the water, but I can sit by the docks while you swim," she offered.
"Sounds good," he said, before pausing as he looked at the door. She followed his gaze and saw Izzy walk in. She gave the goth a neutral look, then sat down and ate at the other end of the table. "I guess she didn't take your confession too well."
Gwen frowned. "I guess so," she replied. She wasn't going to take back what she had said, but… "I suppose it would be the right thing to apologize. She has to know I wouldn't say something like that if I thought people would hear it."
"For sure. Even so, hearing it could have hurt her feelings," he pointed out.
At that, she sighed and nodded in concession. "I'll talk to her later," she said. Then Daphne walked by and gave Gwen a glare, maintaining eye contact until she sat down next to Izzy. "Maybe sooner."
As those two were talking, Owen and Lindsay were standing next to each other in line for their food. Owen looked around. "So… joined any good alliances lately?" he asked.
Lindsay frowned and shook her head. "I was in one with Leshawna, but now that she's gone me and Gwen kinda… separated," she told him. "Which stinks, because I thought we were becoming great friends."
That got Owen to look sad as well. "That does sound like no fun," he agreed. "The only alliance I was in was a short one with Cody. Since then, I've been pretty much on my own." Then Lindsay was served her breakfast, the sight of which made her grimace. "Are you gonna eat that?"
She immediately handed him her tray, making him grin. As Owen began to slide the tray's contents into his mouth, Lindsay stiffened as an idea struck her. "Wait a second," she said, making him pause with the tray half-empty. "If you're looking to join an alliance, and I'm looking to join an alliance…"
He began nodding. "Then we could look for an alliance together!"
Lindsay paused. "Um… kind of. I was actually thinking we could make our own alliance," she corrected.
"Oh," he said, blinking. "Yeah, that would be pretty smart!" he added more excitedly. "If you and Gwen were working together before, maybe we could even get her and Trent to join!"
"That would be great!" she replied. "Just imagine: you, me, Trent and Gwen all making it to the final four together! It could be loads of fun!"
"Awesome!" Owen cheered. Tossing the rest of breakfast into his mouth, he continued "Just one thing: How are we gonna get them to agree to join us?"
Lindsay paused. "Um…" she said.
Later that morning, after breakfast had been eaten, the campers were taking the time to unwind. For Bridgette, that meant taking a fold-out chair from inside her trailer and setting it up near the beach. As she leaned back and closed her eyes, she listened to the sounds of the waves mingled with the wildlife from the nearby woods. It was… peaceful.
Ten minutes into her relaxation, however, a whistling sound reached her eyes. Her brow furrowed, and she sat up to look around for the source. She got her answer a second later when she felt a wave of compressed air hit her from behind, accompanied by heat and the sound of an explosion. Bridgette slowly turned around… and saw her trailer up in flames.
From her view through the cabin window, Heather smirked. "Knew it," she muttered.
That was when Chris's voice rang out via a loudspeaker. "Arrgh, maties! Meet me at the amphitheater in five minutes, and I'll tell ye of today's challenge!" he called, using an exaggerated pirate accent.
Five minutes later, all eleven campers were seated in front of the theater. Bridgette had her luggage bags next to her, getting sympathetic looks from most of the others.
Confessional Stall - Courtney
"You know, I don't feel so upset now about giving that trailer up. If I had known Chris was just going to fire a cannon at it, I'd have agreed to forfeit it without any argument," she said with a smile.
Once Chris arrived, it was with several crates that were covered by a tarp. They could also see that he was wearing a pirate costume, complete with a tri-corner hat and a parrot on his shoulder. Giving them all a grin, he said "Well, little scallywags, are ye up for some adventure?"
In response, all of the campers gave him looks that plainly said what they thought about his idea of 'adventure'. Gwen and Owen even yawned, while Daphne at least pretended to look interested. Duncan plainly asked "What's under the tarp, man?"
"All in good time, matey!" Chris replied, and the 'parrot' creaked before tilting forward. Frowning, he grabbed the fake bird and tossed it away. He continued "Who's up for a good old-fashioned treasure hunt?"
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me this hunt isn't 'old-fashioned'," he stated.
"Shiver me timbers, ye be right!" the host said. "Today, what ye be hunting be not treasure, and it not be hidden. You're looking for keys… to these!" And with that, he grabbed the tarp and pulled it off, revealing a collection of wooden treasure chests. "Inside one of these chests be immunity for one lucky landlubber. You'll each be given a clue to a key, and it be your job to get it and bring it back here."
Izzy perked up. "Oh, are the keys hidden somewhere dangerous?" she asked excitedly.
"Some of them, aye," Chris said, making her grin. He held up a bucket which was filled with small wooden planks. "Now come 'round and pull your clue from this here bucket, or it's the plank for ya!"
The campers rose from their seats and joined him on the stage. Starting with Owen, each of them reached in and pulled out a small plank, taking a look at the picture on there. Examining his own, which showed a tree branch, he said "So… my key's up a tree?"
"Argh, ye be correct, Owen! Looks like you've got some climbin' to do!" he said.
Trent frowned. "Um, why does mine have a picture of a bear?" he asked, holding his plank up.
"Because that key be located in the beast's den, the bear cave over yonder!" Chris told him, causing the guitarist to gulp. Then he spotted Lindsay's plank and he chuckled. "Chef's refrigerator? Good luck," he told her, briefly dropping the accent. "Ever since someone stole his smores, I hear he dusts it for fingerprints every morning."
"So what's this, then?" Gwen asked, holding up her's.
"Ah, that would be the septic tank. For the communal washrooms," he answered.
Before she could protest, Izzy spoke up. "A rabbit? Seriously?" she said irritably. "I wanted something exciting!"
"Oh trust me, that one is exciting," Chris promised her. "Now, each of ye have until 6 o'clock to find your keys and claim your loot. Fare thee well, scallywags!"
Confessional Stall - Heather
"I swear, these challenges are getting more and more lame the farther we go. And FYI, Chris? Those pirate pants do not make your legs look good."
Bridgette stood at the edge of the Dock. From here, she was able to see her key hanging from a wooden pole sticking out of the water. She was also able to see the three shark fins circling that pole.
"Hmm…" she hummed. "If I had brought my board with the shark deterrent, this would be easy," she muttered.
As she debated how to get past the sharks, she eventually straightened and snapped her fingers. "I've got it!" Then she turned and ran towards the main lodge. Or more precisely, the trash cans next to it.
Holding her breath with a grimace, she managed to find what she was looking for: a dead fish. She then ran back to Dock and tossed the fish on the other side, away from the key. After a moment, once the smell finally reached the sharks, they immediately left the key to begin swimming towards the source.
Bridgette grinned and dived into the water, easily swimming over and grabbing her key before they came back. "Like the surfer girl's gonna lose a challenge in the water," she declared.
As Heather and Daphne looked at Heather's challenge, the latter couldn't help but say "You know, I'm kind of jealous of you."
That got Heather to throw a glare her way before she focused on what was before her: a set of three metal loops that were currently on fire. Each of them was spaced about a foot apart, and her key hung in the center of the middle loop.
"This takes 'jumping through hoops' to a level I don't enjoy," Heather stated, which got a chuckle from Daphne. Taking a deep breath, she moved a few steps back and braced herself. "In case this doesn't work, go get me some water," she ordered, and the brunette nodded before running off.
After a moment, Heather exhaled and then sprinted forward. Once she was close enough, she lunged forward in a dive. Her leap took her through the first hoop without issue, and she snatched her key as she passed through the seconds. But then her hip hit the bottom of the third hoop, and she cried out in pain.
Falling over and landing on the ground, the flames quickly began to spread to the rest of her shorts. "Get it off, get it off!" she yelled, rolling around on the ground.
That was when Daphne made it back with a bucket full of water. Before she helped her, the pyro pouted and muttered "Lucky…" Then she ran forward and doused the queen bee before she could be badly burnt.
Trent peeked his head around the edge of the bear cave. Taking a look inside, he muttered "Well, crap." Next to him, Gwen also took a look and cursed. The key was in plain sight… around a sleeping bear's neck.
Both of them pulled back, and the goth asked "What do you think?"
"I think if I go in there, I'm gonna get mauled," Trent replied bluntly. "Might still beat what you've gotta do, though."
Gwen crossed her arms. "It would, if I was actually going to get my key," she said.
Trent paused, raising an eyebrow. "You're not going to try to win?"
She shook her head. "There is nothing in this world–even a hundred-thousand dollars–that could convince me to swim through a sewage tank," she declared, her expression momentarily turning queasy. She shuddered and added "Just the thought is enough to make me nauseous."
Trent looked back at the cave. "Well… what if we worked together, then? I'll go for the key in the tank, while you come up with a way to get the one from that bear," he offered.
Gwen paused. "You'd… do that for me?" she said.
"Of course," he automatically replied, and her lips turned up in a smile.
Duncan gulped. He was about ten feet away from a large, pink-purple snake that was coiled on top of a rock. And in the middle of the snake was his key. "You can do this," he muttered to himself. "What's one snake anyway?"
Putting a confident smirk on, he stepped closer and said "Hey there, little guy."
The snake hissed and shook its rattle in response, making his smirk waver. "Just need that key you're wrapped around, okay? I don't want you or any eggs you might be carrying," he said with as much calm as he could muster. He then took another step forward.
That proved to be a mistake, as the snake lunged forward with its fangs bared. "Whoa!" Duncan yelled, jumping back and barely avoiding being bitten. The snake hissed and rattled again, glaring at him. "I… might need to think of a plan," the punk admitted.
"I don't see what plan I could make for this," Liam stated, looking between his clue and where the key was. Or more specifically, what it was in.
Hanging from a tree branch was a large beehive, the front of which had an opening slightly smaller than his hand. And his key was just visible inside the opening. Meaning he'd have to reach in somehow and get it. "Even if I used a stick or something, I'd still be irritating them," he thought aloud.
Humming, he cast his gaze over the hive...and the branch. "Now there's an idea," he said. Turning around, he began heading back towards the camp. Once he made it back, he went into the boathouse. Inside, he grinned as he found what he was looking for: a ladder and chainsaw.
Lindsay looked inside the kitchen before entering. She didn't see Chef around, making her sigh in relief. Stepping inside she walked straight for the refrigerator door and opened.
Chef glared at her, standing just inside the door with a meat cleaver in one hand.
Lindsay gasped and froze for a second. "U-Um…" she said, nearly running at the sheer anger in the large man's eyes. "Chris said I had to get a key from here. Can… Can I have just that?"
Chef was silent, his expression unmoving. Then, just as Lindsay was about to speak again, he slowly began to reach behind him with his free hand. He produced a single key, which he then held out to her.
The blond grinned. "Oh, great! You're the best chef ever, Chef!" she thanked him, before happily running out the room.
Only once she was gone did Chef finally relax and sigh. "Finally," he said, before turning around and pulling out something else from the fridge. As he placed it on the table, it was revealed to be a platter full of freshly-made smores.
"Now we've got no brats to come between us," he said, staring lovingly at the delicious treats.
Izzy walked closer to her key–which was lying next to a small rabbit–with a frown. "How is taking something from a bunny supposed to be exciting?" she asked aloud.
Once she was within ten feet of the small creature, they answered by opening their mouth to reveal a set of glistening fangs. The 'rabbit' then gave a roar completely disproportionate to its size, sending vibrations through the ground that she could feel in her feet.
Izzy froze. Then, slowly, she smiled. "Now that's more my style. Reminds me of this one story my great-grandma Mavis told me about a killer rabbit in Scotland," she said. She then moved into a crouch and leaned forward.
The rabbit growled in response, and she grinned. "Get ready to meet your maker."
Owen stood at the base of a tree, staring up at it. His key was hanging from a branch nearly at the top, over twenty feet off the ground. "This could be hard," he said.
He knew he had climbed a tree back during the camping challenge when Izzy had pranked them with the fake bear attack. But that incident was a bit of a blur, what with the real bear that had shown up after. "At least I'm not the one who got that clue," he said, counting his lucky stars for that much.
With a grunt, he jumped and wrapped his arms around the tree trunk. He didn't immediately begin sliding down, prompting him to smile. "Hey, maybe this won't be hard!" He then grunted and pulled himself up, slowly inching along the tree trunk.
Once Courtney found the particular skunk burrow that held her key, one of the skunks occupying it looked in her direction. Seeing the glare on her face, it turned and raised its tail at her.
Courtney smirked and held up a bucket of water. "The moment I saw what my clue was, I knew to come prepared," she said. She then dipped the bucket forward and dumped it into the hole, flooding it and flushing all the skunks inside out.
Her key was also washed out, and she picked it up. "Easy-peasy," she said, walking away before any of the skunks could recover and spray her.
Daphne stood at one end of a rickety rope bridge. The bridge was suspended over a small stream, and in the center of the stream was a rock. Her key was sitting on top of that rock, while an alligator rested on either side of it.
Glaring down at the stream, she muttered "Well, this kills my plan of burning them away." And 'how to repel alligators' wasn't something that had really come up where she had lived. Gingerly taking a step onto the bridge, it creaked loud enough that both alligators looked up. Their beady eyes immediately focused on her, and they began to slowly slip into the water.
She could feel her heart pounding as she moved closer, making her at least thankful for the adrenaline rush. Once she reached the middle, she leaned forward and stretched her hands towards the key. The moment her fingers brushed the metal one of the alligators lunged at her hand. She yanked her hand back and its jaw snapped shut over air, while it landed in the water on the other side.
"Okay… What to do?" she said, keeping an eye on the alligators as they circled the rock and stared back. One even licked its lips.
For Gwen's own sake, the interns had provided a pair of goggles and an oxygen tank. While Trent put them on and prepared to go sewer diving, Duncan walked past him and towards the girls' cabin. Seeing who he was looking for, he called "Hey, Princess!"
Courtney looked up from her book with a frown. "Oh, it's you," she said flatly, marking her page and closing the book. "What do you want?"
Deciding to be blunt, he said "I need to get past a snake to get my key. I was wondering if you knew any ways to do that."
The C.I.T. blinked once, twice, then grinned. "Why, Duncan…" she began. "Are you asking me for help?"
He crossed his arms. "Not in a million years," he denied. "But I figured, what with you being such a snake, you might know how to get rid of them."
That wiped the smile from her face. "You know, comments like that make me really uninterested in cooperating," she told him.
Having expected that–and not really caring–Duncan said "Then how about this? You tell me how I can get my key, and I promise not to vote for you tonight. Deal?"
Courtney raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And who would you be voting for, then?" she asked.
"Not telling," he countered, and she frowned unhappily. "But when I say I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do it, and that includes voting for someone else. So, have we got a deal?"
She grunted, mulling it over. A moment passed, and then she said "Counteroffer: I tell you how to repel a snake, and you don't vote for me or for Liam." Duncan clicked his tongue, but slowly nodded. "Alright. Then what you need to do is to get some vinegar from the kitchen. The smell messes with them, so douse them with enough of that and they'll move away," she explained.
"Got it," he told her, before running off towards the lodge. As he did Courtney reopened her book with a smile.
Confessional Stall - Courtney
"Bridgette told me what Duncan said to her at the party. If he's not going to vote for her or us, that just leaves Heather's alliances and the neutrals. If I can figure out who he likes the least among them, my alliance can target them as well to make sure they're eliminated."
Liam set up the ladder against the tree, then held up a handful of extra shirts he had grabbed from his luggage. Wrapping them over any exposed skin he had, he then put on a pair of earmuffs he had swiped from the boathouse alongside the chainsaw. Once he was covered, he climbed up the ladder with the saw in one hand. "Well… here we go," he said, pulling the cord and revving the saw to life.
He held it against the outside of the branch and started to cut through. As he did the vibrations went down the branch and began disturbing the beehive. A few of them began flying in his direction, but he did his best to remain calm and keep his breathing even. The more he panicked, the more likely they'd sting him.
After a few minutes, one stung him in the cheek anyway and he grunted, nearly letting go of the saw with one hand to bat them away. But he kept firm, and soon several cracks began to come from the branch. Then, with a loud snap, the entire limb fell away towards the ground.
The hive split open into several pieces once it crashed, spilling out a cloud of very angry bees and one honey-coated key. The cloud began to fly up towards Liam, and his eyes widened. "Crap, crap, double crap!" he said, tossing the chainsaw and jumping down from the ladder.
He landed on his feet, grimaced at the shock of pain that sent through his knees, and ran forward to grab his key. Then he turned and made a mad dash for the docks, the bees right behind him.
"Ha ha!" Izzy called, leaning to the side and dodging the rabbit leaping at her. It landed and skidded to a stop before turning around, still glaring at her with her key held in one of its front paws.
Both of them were covered in dirt, while Izzy had a few bruises and one bite mark on her arm. Still, neither of them was ready to call it quits. In fact, Izzy shot the creature a grin. "You know, I was just gonna take the key before. But now I think you're gonna make an amazing soup."
They growled at her, and the two of them tensed for leaping at each other. The rabbit aimed to bite her neck, and she leaned back to let them sail over her. As they did, she tried to reach up and grab one of their feet, but they twisted out of the way and landed behind her. They then tried to leap at her back, but she swung her foot back and mule-kicked them in the chest.
The rabbit took the hit and landed on their back before jumping back to their feet, barely even winded from the blow. Izzy gave them a grin and prepared to engage them again.
That was when a voice reached her, calling "Izzy? Izzy!" from a distance.
Izzy paused, frowning. "...Five minute break?" she suggested, and the rabbit actually nodded. "Cool," she said, before taking off in the direction of the voice. As she cleared the brush, she found it was coming from… Gwen? The orange-haired girl immediately skidded to a stop. "You were asking for me?" she asked neutrally.
Gwen nodded. "I… was wondering if I could get some help. I said I'd get Trent's key for him, but I have no idea how to handle a bear," she explained.
She raised an eyebrow. "Reeeaally? So I can be 'a pain to live with', but not too much of one to get help from?" she asked with a small scoff.
The goth winced. "Listen, I… I'm sorry for what I said before," she began. "I thought it would be kept private… but that's not good either," she added, stopping Izzy from scoffing again. "I don't really… make friends with high-energy people. But that doesn't give me the right to be rude to them or about them. You just… have a lot of enthusiasm for stuff. I shouldn't mock that."
Izzy was silent for a moment, giving her a calculating look. Gwen had her head bowed, and was resisting the urge to run grab one of her arms with the other. The silence dragged on until almost a full minute had gone by. That was when Izzy said "If you really mean that… I have something you can help with. And it'll help you with your problem."
Gwen looked up. "Name it," she said.
A few minutes later, the rabbit looked up at the sound of someone entering its space. But the one who revealed themselves was not their previous foe. Instead, it was a new human, paler and wearing darker clothing.
"Uh, hey there, buddy…" she said nervously, and the rabbit growled in response. She gulped, then moved her hand from behind her. The rabbit froze: in her hands was a head of lettuce. "You like this stuff too, right? Not just meat?" she said.
The rabbit crouched, eyes still laser-focused on the lettuce. If it was fast enough, it could take the head out of her hands before it could react. Unfortunately, the human saw it prepare and said "Then come get it!" better turning and taking off. The rabbit roared and charged after her. It soon had her in its sights, running deeper into the woods. That wouldn't help her; it knew this place like the back of its paw.
And as luck would have it, that was when the human from before appeared, running alongside the second one. Perfect; it could get the lettuce from this one and then resume its fight.
Eventually, their chase led them to the base of a cliff with a cave opening. The pale human stopped and threw the lettuce head further in. So it was trying to distract it? No matter, they could eat the lettuce and still have time to track down the orange human.
The rabbit bounded into the cave, and then quickly came to a stop. Lying there was a bear, who was rubbing their head and opening their eyes. As their gaze landed on the lettuce, they licked their lips and began to reach for it. The rabbit gave a warning growl, getting the bear's attention. It growled back at having its territory invaded, and the two animals glared at each other.
A moment passed and then, with twin roars, they leaped at each other.
The sounds of their fighting reached outside the cave, where Gwen and Izzy were standing. "I knew that would work! Ha!" the latter said with a fist-pump.
Gwen shook her head. "When you said 'killer rabbit', I thought you were paying me back by making me look silly," she admitted.
Izzy shrugged. "If my family didn't have personal experience with killer rabbits, I wouldn't have believed it either," she replied. Just then, amidst the roars, snarls and sounds of scuffling, two keys flew out of the cave entrance. Both girls ran over and picked up their respective keys. "Well, we did it. Now let's get out of here before one of them wins," she said, and Gwen nodded in agreement.
The doors to the kitchen creaked open, and Duncan stepped inside. "Okay, just need to swipe some vinegar, a spray bottle and–Whoa!" he thought aloud. But then he was cut off as a meat cleaver sailed past his face, embedding itself in the wall next to him.
Looking in the direction it came from, he saw Chef was sitting in a chair with his arm extended and a nigh-nuclear glare on his face. In his other hand was a half of a smore, which he appeared to be in the process of eating. Duncan held up his hands. "Relax, man! I'm just here for some stuff."
In response, Chef began reaching for another knife.
"Okay, okay!" he frantically said, backing out of the kitchen.
Once he was gone, Chef smirked before taking another bite.
While the alligators circled the rock below, Daphne had moved from the middle of the bridge to one end of it. "This… had better work," she grunted, kneeling down next to the rope. She pulled out her lighter and flicked it on, holding it up to the rope.
After a moment, the flames started to catch and she pulled away, repeating the process with the ropes on the other side. Once both sides were burning, she grabbed one of the ropes and held on tight. Slowly, the ends of the ropes let out several snaps as they broke off, causing the entire bridge to sway each time. The alligators, realizing she was up to something, stopped circling and kept an eye on her.
As the last section of rope on the left burned away, the right side also gave out and the entire bridge swung downwards. "Incoming!" Daphne called, holding on for dear life. Her arc took her just over the key, and she reached down to grab it. Both alligators jumped at her arm, but she grabbed the key and pulled back before they closed their teeth around her. A second later, the bridge reached the bottom of its swing and she let go, sailing away from the bridge and landing on the ground with a tumble.
"Oof! Ow! Ergh!" she shouted, before rolling to a stop. Shaking her head, she climbed to her feet and looked towards the alligators. Thankfully, they appeared uninterested in chasing her if it meant leaving their stream. "Alright!" she cheered, holding up her key.
"Come on… Almost there!" Owen said with strain, sweat running down his brow as he continued climbing.
While he was doing that, Duncan passed under him and stopped. "Uh… doing alright there?" he asked.
Owen threw him a grin. "Of course! Why... do ask?" he asked, panting.
Duncan's brow furrowed. "Because you're… eight feet off the ground," he pointed out. Sure enough, the blonde boy was less than halfway up the tree, his key still a long ways off.
Owen grimaced. "Okay… so maybe I'm not the best climber when I'm not panicking," he admitted. "But I'll get there eventually!"
"If you say so," Duncan accepted with a shrug. "You wouldn't happen to have some vinegar in your luggage, would you?"
He hummed. "Well… I have salt and vinegar chips, if that helps."
Duncan grimaced. "Thanks, but never mind," he said, walking off. As he did, Owen resumed his climbing efforts with a pained grunt.
However, only ten minutes later did Chris come on over the loudspeaker. "Alright, campers, meet me at the bonfire in ten minutes. And bring your keys."
"Oh, nuggets," Owen muttered, letting go of the tree with a sigh and landing on his feet.
As the campers made it back to the bonfire, Trent and Chris were already there. And even from ten feet away, they could all smell the absolutely horrid stench wafting off Trent.
"Oh my gaaah…" Courtney said, trailing off with a gag. "Couldn't you have at least showered?"
Trent frowned. "I didn't have the time to, okay? That key was really hard to find in there," he defended.
Heather blinked. "Wait. Wasn't it Gwen's challenge to go septic swimming?" she asked.
Gwen rubbed the back of her head. "Sort of. But I hated doing my challenge, and he hated his, so we kind of… swapped," she admitted.
"Wha–? But–! That can't be allowed in the rules, can it?!" Heather demanded, rounding on Chris.
He pulled out a small booklet. Thumbing through it, he kept up the pirate accent as he said "Argh, it be allowed... if the two clever bilge rats be willing to keep the keys they got themselves, rather than each other's."
Gwen and Trent looked at each other, and then they both shrugged. "Fine by me," Trent said.
"Not like we even know what prizes these go to yet, anyway," Gwen added.
Heather crossed her arms and looked away, looking like she had swallowed a lemon. Chris took that opportunity to say "Speaking of loot, it now be the time to claim your precious treasure! Those of ye who were fortunate enough to plunder a key, come forth with it!"
All of the campers except for Owen and Duncan stepped forward, making the former sigh sadly while the latter crossed his arms. As they began testing to see which chests corresponded to which key, the first to open one was Courtney. She reached in and pulled out…
"A leg lamp?" she said, looking it over. "What the heck am I supposed to do with this? The cabins don't have outlets!"
Chris chuckled. "Ye can decorate the communal washrooms with it, if ye and your fellow campers agree."
One look at the others showed they had no intention of looking at that thing each time they showered, a feeling she shared. "Never mind," she ground out.
Lindsay was next to open hers, and pulled out a pair of two-liter bottles of soda. "Um… cool? I suppose it beats the tap water," she said awkwardly.
Heather opened her chest to find a set of cinnamon stick coffee stirrers. "Huh. You know, not that bad," she said with a small smile. "Anything to make the gunk they call coffee around here taste better."
Gwen and Trent opened theirs together, and Gwen pulled out a set of 'coins' while Trent had a bag of chips and a candy bar. "Okay, this is just lame," Trent stated.
Gwen nodded. "Risking mauling by bear or toilet-diving is worth more than these," she said, pulling back the foil on one of the coins. The inside was, in fact, made of chocolate.
That was when Liam cleared his throat, and they turned to see him hold up a bottle of something labeled 'Cleaver Body Spray'. They could also see a series of red welts on his forehead and around his eyes, the one spot he hadn't covered. "I'll take the chips for this," he offered, and tossed Trent the bottle.
Trent caught it and looked up at the redhead in faint surprise. "Um… sure, man. Thanks," he said, tossing the chips bag to Liam.
While that was happening, Daphne had been trying to find a chest that her key worked on. After several failures, however, she said "Alright, why isn't mine working?"
Chris grinned. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that at least one key wouldn't work on any chest," he revealed.
Daphne shot him a look that was completely flat save for the anger in her eyes. "One of these days, Chris, I am going to pay you back," she warned.
However, the host just snorted. "I'll believe it when it happens," he told her.
Then, as Bridgette was smiling over a calligraphy set she had pulled, Izzy opened her chest. Inside was a gift basket, and in that gift basket–"Oh, sweet!" she said, reaching in and pulling out a card with a picture of a marshmallow on it. "Does this mean I won?"
Chris nodded. "Indeed. The brave buccaneer with tonight's immunity be Izzy!" he announced.
"Awesome!" Izzy called, while Daphne said "Whoo!" and Heather reluctantly clapped.
"Now, it be time for ye to go cast your votes. I'll see ye back here after dinner to send one of ye off the Dock!" Chris concluded, making them all roll their eyes at the pirate act.
Before dinner was served, Trent took the time to get that shower as well as use the body spray. Between the two, the stench from the septic tank was mostly eliminated. As he was exiting the cabin, he stopped when he saw Gwen waiting for him outside. "Hey," she greeted with a small smile.
"Hey to you too," he replied with a grin.
She rubbed her arm. "I was thinking. Even if you ended up keeping it, that was still a cool thing you did, taking that swim for me. You didn't have to do that," she said.
Trent rubbed the back of her his head. "Well, yeah, I didn't have to, but I wanted to. You're really cool. And… smart, and independent. And pretty. So I'd take a dive in sewage for you anyday," he said, slowly losing confidence as he realized he wasn't shutting up.
Then Gwen, who's eyebrows had nearly risen into her hairline, suddenly grinned and helped with that. By leaning forward and kissing him.
Trent immediately stopped talking.
When she pulled away both of them grinned before walking to dinner together. However, they were halfway there when they were stopped by, of all people, Lindsay and Owen.
Giving the two of them a smile, Lindsay said "Hey guys, we had this awesome idea."
After dinner was eaten and the sun had fallen, the campers were gathered before the bonfire once more. Chris began by saying "And now, the moment of truth… marshmallow time! You know the drill: if you're the camper that doesn't get a marshmallow, it's curtains for you!" Chris reminded them.
"First marshmallow goes to Izzy…" She caught it with her teeth and grinned.
"Heather…" She smirked and immediately ate her marshmallow.
"Lindsay…" The blonde caught the marshmallow and clapped at staying in.
"Trent…" He caught his with one hand before smiling at Gwen.
"Liam…" The redhead was mid-yawn when it was thrown, and just leaned forward so it landed in his mouth.
"Bridgette…" She caught her marshmallow and tossed it up and down, saving it later.
"Daphne…" The brunette whipped out her lighter and began roasting her marshmallow.
"Courtney…" She bit into her marshmallow with an pleased but unsurprised expression.
"Gwen…" She gave a smile back to Trent as it was thrown at her, pleased that they weren't being separated yet.
That left just one marshmallow. Owen and Duncan traded glances, both of them suddenly much less certain of their chances than they were a minute ago.
As Chris looked back and forth between them, he smiled. "Well, I have to say this is a first. Because tonight… we have our first tie!"
Both boys stared. "Huh?!"
Chris nodded. "That's right, you each received the same number of votes. So, in order to settle this, let me introduce you to our first tiebreaker challenge!" he declared, waving his hand to the side. That was when Chef walked forward, holding out a pair of lights connected to buzzer buttons. Each boy took one, and Chris said "This one is relatively simple: You'll each be told something about your fellow campers, and you have to guess which of them that fact applies to. First one to get three guesses right gets to live another day!"
Duncan frowned. "Oh come on, man, I just got back last episode! How am I supposed to know anything about these guys?" he complained.
Owen smiled nervously. "Well, uh, out of the people that are left, I haven't really gotten close to a lot of them either," he admitted.
"Precisely. We wanted to give you a challenge you both stood a chance at. Now, are you ready?" Chris asked. They both slowly nodded, and he held up a card. "First question: Which camper's favorite language is Camel?" he asked.
Both of them buzzed in, but Duncan was a hair faster. "Something that silly, it has to be Izzy," he said.
Said crazy girl giggled. "Guilty as charged," she said.
"That's one point for Duncan. Now, Question Two: Which camper auditioned for this show by whistling 'Yankee Doodle' through their nose?" Chris asked.
That got both of them to pause. After a moment, Duncan pressed his buzzer and said "Um… Izzy again?"
"Nope, wrong!" Chris told him with a grin.
Owen perked up and pressed his button. "Trent's a musician, right? Was it him?"
Behind him, Trent scoffed. "I can sing and play the guitar; I'm not gonna whistle during an audition." he stated.
"Indeed. So, neither of you get that point," Chris said, tossing that card away. "By the way, it was Bridgette." At that, Bridgette moaned and threw her hood on, pulling the strings tight and hiding her face. Chris chuckled and continued "Next one: Which camper's favorite movie is 'Bloodbath 2: Summer Camp Reign of Terror'?"
Duncan blinked. "Wait a sec. That's my favorite movie!" he said.
"Is that your official answer?" Chris asked, making him quickly shake his head.
Then Owen pressed his button. "That sounds like a really scary movie… Gwen?"
The goth crossed her arms and smiled. "Good guess," she said, before looking at Duncan. "And I see someone else here has great taste in horror movies," she added, making him smile as well.
"Alright, so one point apiece. Now, who here dyes their hair a natural color?" Chris asked.
Neither of them immediately answered, taking a look at the others. Courtney scoffed and flipped her hair, while Liam ran a hand through his. Heather raised an eyebrow, Daphne shook her head… and Lindsay smiled.
At that last one, Duncan smirked and buzzed in. "I always wondered if Lindsay really bleaches her hair," he said.
"Correct! That's a second point for Duncan; one more and we have a winner!" Chris said.
Lindsay shrugged and leaned back. "I don't mind if people know. I don't think hair bleaching is any worse than fake tanner or cotton candy lips gloss," she stated.
Chris cleared his throat. "Moving on: Which camper spent a year in juvie for setting fire to their parent's garage?" he asked.
Both boys immediately buzzed in. "Daphne," they said flatly.
The brunette frowned. "Hey, I'm not that reckless with fire!" she protested. "...Usually."
Behind her, Liam remained absolutely silent.
Confessional Stall - Liam
"It was part of a prank war my sister and I were having. I was trying to test a recipe for solid rocket fuel so I could tie a rocket to each corner of her bed and launch her through her skylight. But one of the test samples had an air bubble in it, and when it burst it sent burning fuel everywhere… including onto the other samples," he admitted, before sighing. "Then things just got out of hand."
"No, it wasn't her," Chris confirmed. "Now, try to guess which camper was once in a band called 'The Type-A Psychotic Crazies'."
Owen frowned. "I'm not guessing Izzy or Daphne again…" he said, before looking up. "Wait. Type-A?" He buzzed in. "Courtney!"
"Correct!" Chris replied. "That two points for Owen and two for Duncan. We're down to wire here." Both boys leaned forward, and Chris said "Potentially for the game: Of the campers who have not had a fact revealed, which was voted 'Most Mysterious and Irresistible' by their junior high graduating class?"
The two of them paused. "Hmm…" Duncan grunted, looking at the other campers again. "I don't know about 'irresistible', but someone voted as 'mysterious'..." he trailed off.
Owen pressed his buzzer. "It's got to be Heather! She's the only girl left those both apply to," he said.
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if I should feel insulted by that or not…" she muttered.
Duncan's eyes widened. "Wait, that assumes it was a girl being voted for!" he said before pressing his buzzer. "I say it was Trent!"
Chris looked from one teen to the other. "Those are your final answers?" he asked, and they nodded. "Then the final point goes to…"
…
…
…
"Duncan."
"Yes! Whoo!" Duncan cheered, jumping to his feet and punching the air.
Owen looked down. "Aw, man…" he said, before sighing and looking up. "Well, I'm definitely gonna miss you guys."
"This isn't fair!" Lindsay suddenly called, leaning over and hugging him. "Every friend I make either leaves me alone or gets voted off! Why couldn't you stay?" she said sadly.
The large boy patted her on the back. "Hey, it's not so bad! I had a lot of fun, and if you want to, we can be friends after the show," he offered.
At that, Lindsay perked up. "Oh, I know this one mall with over two hundred stores and a huge food court! We could go shopping there!"
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, before letting go and beginning to walk towards the Dock. As he passed by Trent, the musician gave him a fist-bump. Then he hopped on the boat and was ferried away from the Island. "Bye, guys!" he called back to them.
"See ya later, man!" Duncan called, waving back along with over half of the other campers.
I rolled randomly for who drew which clue for a key, as well as to see which keys corresponded to which prizes. This time around, the composition of the votes looked like this:
Owen, Lindsay, Gwen and Trent → Duncan
Heather, Daphne and Izzy → Gwen
Bridgette, Duncan, Courtney, Liam → Owen
So, I didn't realize it until I was almost done with this chapter, but Duncan's decision to not vote for someone in Courtney's alliance really saved his bacon from being outright eliminated this round. And the 'alliance of neutrals' ends just as it begins… right?
Eliminated:
1. Beth, the Wannabe
2. Noah, the Know-It-All
3. Duncan, the Delinquent
4. Eva, the Female Bully
5. Sadie, the Sweet Girl's Friend
6. Geoff, the Party Guy
Teams are reorganized.
7. Katie, the Sweet Girl
8. Izzy, the Psycho Hose Beast
9. Ezekiel, the Home-Schooled Guy
10. Cody, the Geek
11. Tyler, the Jock
12. DJ, the Brickhouse with Heart
13. Justin, the Eye Candy
14. Leshawna, the Sister with 'Tude
Teams are dissolved, Duncan and Izzy return.
15. Harold, the Dweeb
16. Owen, the Fun-Loving Dude