Over-2d

Chapter 26

Reasons and Insecurities

One year ago, Filming Lot of Total Drama Action

The second season of Total Drama was proving to be just as unpredictable and insane as the first so far, at least it was for Lindsay, who so far was having a bad day. Her team the Killer Grips had just lost a reward challenge, themed around a medical drama movie,after  they had spent the whole night studying to be a doctor.

Needless to say, Lindsay had a hard time with this challenge specifically. Seeing as she really didn't understand much of that medical nonsense, not to mention Chris tricking everybody into thinking they were all infected by a deadly disease, and being shocked by electric eels all day… honestly it felt like Chris spent the day torturing them rather than hosting a challenge

So once everything was over for the day, the whole cast went back to their sleeping quarters to rest up for the night, except for Leshawna, who ended up receiving the reward for winning the challenge, spending the night at a spa with her best friend.

However instead of just going to bed,  Lindsay decided to take a walk around the film lot, to clear her head from all the studying she had done the night before, as she rounded the corner towards the studio gates she noticed a very distressed Heather, sitting on the curb and crying by herself

The blonde stood frozen and observed from afar as the biggest bully (apart from Duncan) in the show sobbed into her hands, sitting by the gate and watching as various limousines left the property. Now that she thought about it, they had seemingly brought everybody’s best friend over in case they won the reward

As she kept spying on the bald queen bee, she saw as Chris walked towards her, seemingly annoyed at the state she was in “Look i understand you want to see your mom, but you should’ve thought about that before you gave the reward to Leshawna, so I can't really allow you to see her ok?” Heather looked up towards the heartless host with tears in her eyes, wiping them away before standing up and leaving in a huff “Yeah right! As if anybody in my team was gonna let me have the reward… I just wanted to say hi to her, see how she was feeling….”

Chris simply shrugged and started walking away as well “Well if you miss her so much, just lose a challenge and get voted off hehe” this response made Heather even angrier, as she kept walking away she kicked a trash can and let out a frustrated yell 

Seeing everything that had taken place left Lindsay puzzled, she had honestly never seen the queen bee this wound up about anything, hell she didn't even think it was possible for her to cry! As she mused on these thoughts, the blonde spotted a piece of paper with something written on it left behind where Heather was sitting before

The blonde looked to see if there was anyone else still around, she then walked over quickly and read the letter, anxious to see if perhaps this left over letter could clarify what was going on with her ex friend

‘Hey mom

I’m writing you this letter in the middle of a challenge, I’ll spare you the details, it’s kind of disgusting, but im pretty sure you and dad will watch it on tv

I just want you to know that i miss you, and I know you’ve told me I don't have to go on tv and humiliate myself, but I’m doing all of this for you, I want to make sure we can get the money to pay for your treatment, I know i come off as an evil spawn of the devil on tv, but you know me, i know i can be a bit difficult,  but It keeps me popular with the audience.

Just know that I won't let you down, I’m going to win this and come back to you in time to save you, no Cold Heart syndrome will take you away from our family

Love, your little ballerina, Heather.

PS: Please don't let Regina and Aaron touch my things while I’m gone!!!’

As Lindsay read the note, she lingered in place for a moment, it was almost like a shock to the senses, not in a million years did she ever consider this side of Heather… it seemed crazy, and it also didn't excuse how awful she had behaved towards her and Beth, but the more she thought about it, it kinda made sense why she was so desperate to win at all times.

As she glanced at the note once more, she focused on three specific words “Cold Heart Syndrome…”  the blonde was then shaken out of her thoughts as she heard fast footsteps heading her way once more, in a moment of panic, she put the letter down and jumped into a nearby bush, right in time as Heather rounded the corner 

The queen bee then rushed towards the left behind letter, grabbing it off the floor as she did her best to calm her breathing “Thank god… dont need anybody finding this…” she then walked over the previously kicked trash can, fixing it in place before she proceeded to rip her letter into many pieces

Once the evidence of her vulnerability was disposed of, Heather once again walked away, towards her trailer, to try and put the day’s disappointments behind her. After a couple of minutes, Lindsay emerged from the bushes, picking leaves off of her hair, as she looked towards the trailers… a look of sympathy on her face she walked back to her own trailer, opting to respect the queen bee’s privacy

Present Day, Common Area 6:55PM

After the dance off challenge in Sweden, everybody was beyond exhausted, as it seemed that so far the last couple of challenges kept ramping up in difficulty, pushing them both physically and mentally

Which is why after their sad goodbye with Lindsay, Heather retreated into her room, asking to be left alone for a while, seemingly feeling very disheartened with how things had ended back in Sweden

Cody tried his best to respect her privacy, reasoning that she was taking Lindsay’s elimination pretty hard and needed some space. However, something inside him was telling him there was more to it than just Lindsay leaving

However the next morning came and went and the queen bee still refused to leave her room, even turning away both Courtney and Cody who tried checking up on her at different points, the pair then opted to try and respect her wishes of privacy and instead spent the day just hanging out around the jumbo jet, sharing both breakfast and dinner

As they went down to the cafeteria and sat across from each other, their collective mood seemed pretty down, with Cody barely eating anything, and Courtney just twirling her spoon on her bowl over and over

The CIT looked over at her ex team mate, thinking back to how much her opinion of him had changed ever since they reached the half way point of the show. She had slowly begun to notice his change in demeanor as well as his contributions to the team, not to mention how much his confidence had grown and how helpful and sweet he was.

Courtney couldn’t help but smile, who knew such a nerdy pipsqueak could be able to turn it all around in the manner that he had, she then playfully flicked her finger on his forehead to get his attention “OW! What was that for!?”  he asked as he rubbed his forehead

“I just wanted to snap you out of it, you seemed lost in thought”  she answered, sitting up properly while giving a smirk as if to say it was nothing, Cody rolled his eyes as he slumped back into his own chair “Yeah right, you’re one to talk, you’ve been all mopey since the other night, and also after we got back into the plane, you seemed a bit… Sad… are you ok Courtney?”

Courtney was expecting that question sooner or later, she really sucked at hiding her feelings it seemed, so for a moment she pondered if it would be wise to confide in Cody. For what it was worth, she had grown fond of him, seeing as they shared a friend group now, but then again, she had interacted with him the least out of everybody!

But as she looked into his eyes she saw genuine concern for her, thinking back to that final challenge in LA, how he rallied her to not give up and fight back, how he called her strong and capable, in a weird way, those words that day marked the beginning of her healing process, as if they were the soft push towards letting go of her anger and self hatred…

Knowing deep in her heart she could count on him, Courtney took a deep breath and returned the nerd’s gaze, equally as focused as his own “I know I sound like a broken record at this point… but it has to do with Duncan.” Cody was expecting that answer, hard to fault his friend for it, having witnessed how the relationship to the delinquent had affected her so badly

Cody placed a hand over the CIT’s for reassurance, which she gladly took before she spoke once more “I… ended up slow dancing with him during the last challenge, and it was very emotional for me. i know, im pathetic” Courtney, looked away as she said this, almost too ashamed to admit how weak her ex lover made her with such little effort, However, Cody refused to let her feel that way “Heh, i dont think you’re pathetic, hell i think you’ve been stronger than you give yourself credit for, i mean, you got cheated on and broken up with in front of the whole world, and you’ve managed to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward, if you ask me, that takes guts!”

Courtney gave a dry chuckle at the nerd’s words of encouragement, he really was a nice guy, just like Trent… “I guess I know that, I wouldn't have been able to do so if it weren't for all you guys… which is why I know what I have to do”  Cody gave a puzzled look at what she said “What do you mean what you’re gonna do?”  the CIT paused for just a second, as much as she trusted her friends, something inside her told her to not tell him about Trent’s accident…

Instead she pivoted quickly and instead brought up something else entirely “No need to worry about that… instead, tell me what are you gonna do about Queenie? I don't think I’ve ever seen her so upset before… ” Courtney sat back once more, clearly worried for her usually dauntless and unshakable friend

However Cody remained looking down, a stern look on his face as he kept pondering his next course of action “Yeah… I don't want to force her to talk to me about whatever it is that’s making her feel this way, but I can't help but feel that this is about more than just Lindsay’s elimination…” It was Courtney’s turn to reassure him, as she flicked his forehead once more “Hey! I may not know exactly what’s going on between the two of you, but I can clearly tell she trusts you, she’s just stubborn as hell, and when she gets down on herself about something she isolates herself… So to hell with everything else, break those barriers and go to her!”

As he rubbed his forehead once more, he really took in what Courtney was telling him, if he really cared about her, he would be there for her, and not let her struggle with whatever was going on “you’re right… I want to be there for her, I promised her I would… thanks Courtney, I also know what I’m gonna do!”

the CIT winked at him, happy to know they were helping each other in their own way with their own dilemmas “No, thank you Cody… I’m glad we can count on each other … I'm sorry for being so… mean to you before, but after getting to know you… i just gotta say, You're a special guy, Heather is lucky to have you in her life…” 

For a second Cody was taken aback by her words, he never really gave it much thought before, having grown used to being overlooked and unliked by her, but looking back at the bond they had somehow made, he realized he held no resentment towards her, instead he looked at her and gave a warm smile "Don't worry about it, so how about we just finish eating and strategize our next move?” 

Courtney gave an amused laugh, happy to know she wasn’t the only one obsessed with having her moves planned ahead of time, perhaps it was one of those things she never knew she had in common with Cody

Duncan’s room 7:00PM

Time can be an interesting concept, often time it feels as if it passes by quickly while you’re living, other times it slows down to a crawl, especially when your mind seems conflicted, which was the case with Duncan

The usually unflappable Punk was laying in bed just staring at the ceiling, as if he would somehow find the answers to his dilemmas. It was hard to put into words, he usually just lived life as it came to him, not thinking twice about the decisions he made, he was a rebel at heart, and never saw any point in regretting his actions, no matter who he ended up hurting…

As he looked back on his life, it was clear how his attitude seemed to hurt others, yet he never cared, no matter how much he intimidated those around him, or disappointed his parents, he always reasoned that he was somehow in the right, that it was just the way he lived his life

But then there was Courtney… when they had first met, she looked like any other uptight bossy girl he knew back home, but as they bonded and fell for one another, he fell in love with her burning passion for life, with her drive to win, with that same ruthlessness he saw in himself

Yet for all her charms, she always held him accountable for his flaws, always bossing him around and expecting him to just follow her around without question, only living to be whatever she wanted him to be… It made him feel as if he wasn’t good enough for her, after all if she loved him as much as she said she did, why was she always trying to change him?

So when Gwen came into his life, he saw somebody who liked him for everything he already was, somebody who liked him for being a bad boy… but was that all that he was? Just a good for nothing punk? An adventure?

He really liked Gwen, there was no doubt about it in his heart… So why wasn’t he feeling that same burning passion he felt with Courtney back then? 

And just why was he feeling so much guilt over everything he had done out of nowhere!? Was it because he almost killed Trent? Was it because he clearly saw how much he hurt Courtney before? Was it all just becoming too real for him?

He stood up and punched the wall in frustration, feeling that powerless feeling of being trapped in his own mind, he felt as if he was going insane!

*Knock Knock*

The sudden knock at his door made him come back to reality, he stood up from his bed and lazily opened it, knowing exactly who was visiting him, as he walked back to his bed “Hey… how are you?” asked Gwen as she stood by the door, looking exhausted and absent minded, which was picked up by Duncan pretty quickly

Sadly he himself felt just as emotionally exhausted and gone, no matter how much he wanted to cheer his girl up, his heart and mind were not in it, so as he laid back down on his bed he looked towards his girlfriend and gave an insincere smile “I’m all right, just a bit out of it, I should be fine by tomorrow…”

Deep inside, Gwen knew there was more to his sudden mood switch than he was willing to let on, could it be that Heather had somehow gotten to him? It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility… she knew better than to just straight up ask him if that was the case, so instead she opted to see if she could gather any more information off of him “Right… maybe you just need some rest, do you mind if i join you? I feel like we really haven't spent much time together the last couple of days, it would be nice to just stay together and cuddle”

Duncan gave another half hearted smile at the goth’s proposition, finding it hard to find a reason not to spend time with her, so instead Duncan did something he hadn’t done in a long time, he tried being honest “Y’know pasty, i love spending time with you, but im just not in the mood right now… I have too much on my mind and I just want to be left alone for tonight… you get it right?”

The goth lingered by the door for a couple of more seconds, too stunned to say anything, it really made no sense, how did her boyfriend just completely switch up on her out of nowhere, she knew for a fact now that this was probably Heather’s doing… “Hey, come on dude, what’s going on? What’s this all about, you can talk to me, we’re in this together right?”

Duncan could see Gwen grow a bit desperate in her demeanor, but even if he was not in the mood to deal with it, he knew that it was his responsibility to reassure her “Woah woah, it’s all right girl, I’m just not  in the mood to be around others, you know what that's like right?” as he walked towards her and put his arms around her waist he felt her go stiff “...Gwen?” 

The goth let out a sigh and backed away from her boyfriend, an annoyed look on her face clearly showing her inner frustrations “Duncan, please trust me and speak to me, No matter what that evil manipulative bitch has against you i know we can overcome her if we stick together, now is not the time for you to push me away” she remained steady in her resolve to get through him, not willing to let Heather get in between her and the man she had fought so hard to be with

However all these nuances were lost on Duncan, who felt a pit in his stomach upon hearing the words coming from Gwen, how could she have possibly known about his talks with Courtney? Did she see them slow dancing during the last challenge? Or maybe she overheard them speaking back in economy class… whatever the case there was one thing he knew for sure, there was no need to talk about Courtney in such a way, hell if anything the only evil manipulators so far were the both of them…

The punk then gave a stern expression of his own as he narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend “Hey come on, there’s no need for you to talk about her like that, and also I’m not pushing you away, I’m just asking you to let me deal with my own business by myself!”  as his tone turned harsher Gwen stepped back in disbelief, nothing made sense anymore, just what the hell did Heather have on Duncan to make him act this way?

“Really Duncan? No need to talk about her like that? After everything she’s done to me? I cant believe you’d say such a thing Ugh… fine take your time or whatever, I’ll be in my room!” the goth then stormed off in a fury, her whole world crumbling around her slowly, all she could do was curse the queen bee for the suffering she kept inflicting in her life… but not for much longer

As Gwen slammed the door behind her Duncan turned back into the room and punched his wall once more, feeling even more frustrated than before, as if his guilt were about to swallow him whole, and even if he felt bad about lashing out towards Gwen… he knew he had no right to talk badly about Courtney… not after everything he had done to her… as he laid back in bed and looked at the ceiling twirling his pocket knife between his fingers a single word escaped him “Princess…”

First class cabin 7:20PM

Gwen walked away from Duncan’s room, even more distressed than she had been before, if such a thing was possible, with her sights set on finally confronting the bane of her existence… Heather

To her it was all ridiculous, unable to explain to herself just what the hell was wrong with the queen bee, why was she so obsessed with messing with her life and manipulating everybody around her!? Why couldn’t she just compete fairly and just leave her alone for once in her life!?

The goth hurried her steps, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were turning white, it was all going to end here and now, forget the challenges and whatever else anybody thought about it! She had crossed the line a long time ago…

As she reached the queen bee’s door she pulled back her arm to knock on it with all her strength… only to be surprised when her arm was grabbed from behind as a voice whispered in her ear “And just what do you think you’re doing my dear pale friend?”  

Gwen looked back to see Alejandro holding her back and giving her a menacing glare with as much force as he was holding her arm, the goth pulled back her arm from him as she glared back at him “I’ve had enough of her… she’s been messing with my life for a long time and im sick of it, it ends now!”  she then turned back to face the door once more only to be stopped once again by him, this time being pinned against the opposite wall

“So what are you going to do? Start a fight with her? Get yourself expelled from the competition and give her a clear path to victory? I’m sure you noticed how she still has Cody and Courtney on her side, and if you’re gone it’s pretty much over for me and Duncan as well, have you thought of that?”  Alejandro held her tight by the arm against the wall, never breaking eye contact or blinking as he made his point, making sure the goth understood clearly the potential consequences to her actions

Gwen struggled in futility against his strong grip on her, like a rabid animal caught in a trap she refused to submit to him, but deep down she knew he was right… she was letting the queen bee get to her. The Spaniard loosened his grip on her slowly, letting his words simmer in her mind for a moment

Once he let her go, Gwen backed away from him, rubbing her wrist as she looked at him “So what then… I just let her keep getting away with it? She’s messing with my boyfriend’s head now!” Alejandro smirked as he heard her reasoning for her emotional outburst, he stood in front of her leaning against the wall as he crossed his arms “Trouble in paradise I see. But then again what do you expect from Duncan, he probably grew bored of you already, if you ask me you should simply cut your losses and focus on winning instead of him”

His smug words cut through to her insecurities, but she refused to believe what he was saying, that was NOT what was happening, there's just no way it was possible… “Listen, we might have this temporary alliance going on for now, seeing as you’re willing to help me stay in the game, but don't get it twisted, that doesn't give you the right to get involved with me or anything that goes on in my life” the goth then walked towards her own room and looked back once more "Don't forget it Alejandro…” 

The Spaniard however remained as composed and smug as ever, finding it amusing how easy it all was for him to get in her head…

Heather’s room 7:50PM

Heather was having trouble with her emotions, something that seemed to happen way too often these days, no thanks in small part to her new approach to life and the bonds she had made

As she laid in bed holding her small plush bee in her arms she kept replaying Lindsay’s last words in her head “... I know what you’re fighting for…” they repeated over and over in her head, and each time they did she couldn’t help but feel a horrible dread inside her heart

She couldn’t even really explain it to herself, perhaps it was guilt for Lindsay’s elimination, even if the blonde held no ill will towards her, she felt like a bad friend for being the one to send her home, or perhaps it was the fact that for the first time in a long time she wasn’t thinking about why she was doing all of this…

Being around her friends… around Cody… it had been distracting her, and thanks to that she was almost sent home with nothing to show for it, she lifted the small bee and looked at it, its cute expression etched in her mind, and its softness a sweet reminder of her punchy’s care for her.

She felt afraid, of having to choose between saving her mom and her bonds with her friends… sure things had worked out with Lindsay, but could the same be true if it came to eliminating Courtney… or eliminating Cody.

Was it best for her to keep her distance from him until the competition was over? Perhaps he would understand where she was coming from and leave her alone… but what if he didn't want to be a part of her life anymore? 

The thought of that happening was torturing her, after everything they had shared and gone through she couldn’t bear to think of not having him in her life… All she could think to do was continue to be a coward and isolate herself, as to not face reality, in a way it was what was best for him, all she could think about was that he would end up getting hurt by associating with her.

But as fate would have it… Cody was not willing to let that happen

*Knock Knock Knock*

The queen bee was startled by the sudden knock, as she sat up in her bed she felt butterflies in her stomach, she rose to her feet and walked towards the door only stopping inches away from it in hesitation… “Cody?” she called out with an unsure tone only to hear back almost immediately “Yeah it’s me, I brought you some dinner, you haven't left your room all day, you’re probably starving”

Heather was touched by his concern for her, feeling joy in her heart… however she wasn’t ready to be around him just yet, even if it pained her to do so, she couldn’t be around him as she was right now “Thanks, but I’m ok I just wanna be by myself for now” 

There was a pregnant silence on the other side of the door, which drove the queen bee insane with regret. It hurt turning him away… but it was necessary, as she turned away from the door with her head hung low she heard his voice once more “No…”  she turned back in confusion “What?” 

After another short silence Cody spoke once more “I’m not gonna leave you alone tonight…” Heather’s eyes widened in surprise, she walked closer towards the closed door once more and spoke in a firm tone “What do you mean you’re not going to leave me alone? That’s not up to you, so respect my privacy and leave me alone Cody”  it killed her to be so harsh towards him, each word she said making her feel physically ill

However this did little to discourage him “Heather, I know you’re not ok, and I'm sorry but it’s not up to you anymore, normally if you told me you wanted to be left alone I would… but I know deep inside me… You don't want me to do that” He placed his hand against the door, as if he was trying to reach her, he closed his eyes as he spoke once more “Ever since we became closer… I noticed you were always holding back something, and I respected your privacy, you probably have your reasons for doing so… and you don't have to ever tell me what it is that is hurting you so deeply… but you can't ask me to go away, to leave you alone when you’re feeling so hurt…” 

Inside the room, Heather put her hand towards the door as well, slowly falling to her knees as she fought the urge to just open the door and let him in… she desperately looked for any reason to deny his presence, falling short at every turn and any idea she had “Why? Why do you care so much… I don't get it, ever since this all started, I don't understand you… I'm still the same awful person I've always been, no matter how much I try to change, when you’re around me bad things happen, you almost died in Italy trying to save me… and back in Russia Sierra wanted to hurt you because you were close to me… and look at Lindsay, she got eliminated again, and it was my fault just like it was back then… So why!? Why do you still want to be around me! Tell me!?”

There was a tense silence once more, as she kneeled against her door, her eyes filled with uncried tears, there was just too much she kept holding on to and it was eating at her from the inside, she didn't know what to do!. To go back to being the cruel and evil Heather that did things her own way, using anybody around her and any means she had to win for her mother… or to keep trusting her friends and depend on them regardless if it meant she could end up losing the competition.

As the silence grew longer Heather looked at the door, waiting for Cody to respond, to show her a way forward… but as the seconds turned to minutes she understood what it meant, perhaps he had given up and just walked away, giving her what she wanted, to be alone.

A tear fell down her cheek as she rose to her feet and walked towards her bed, understanding what it all meant from now on—

*CLICK*

Heather turned around as she saw her once locked door swing open, with Cody now standing on her doorway holding a plate of food and panting “You wanna know why? It’s because we’re in this together, we promised to make it to the end… and also because you mean too much to me for me to just give up on you Heather” the queen bee stood frozen in place as the nerd stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him, he placed the food on the night stand and approached her with his hand extended forward, inviting her to hold it “You don't have to tell me what’s going on… but please don't shut me out of your life”

As he got closer Cody grabbed her hand in his own, looking into her eyes to let her know he wasn’t going anywhere he wiped the tears from her face, giving her a reassuring smile “So how about you have some dinner and tell me more about when you were in ballet camp, you never finished the story from last time.” 

The queen bee grabbed on to his hand, her heart beating faster and faster, finally understanding deep inside, without a shadow of a doubt, what Cody meant to her, that from now on, there was no way she could continue on without him, he had shown her time and time again that he cared about her, that he was devoted to her, that he would do anything to make sure she was happy.

She rubbed her eyes and smiled back at him, thinking to herself at that moment “So this is love…”

Pilot’s Cockpit 11:00PM

Chris Mclean entered the cockpit as he spoke on the phone with the ground crew for the next challenge, apparently their original planned challenge had run into quite a few issues, and he was doing his best to get it all sorted out before they landed “What do you mean they won't let you set up the challenge? We had all the permits in place months ago, you’re killing me man!”  

As he kept scolding the poor underpaid and overworked production crew Chef rolled his eyes, he had been flying the jumbo jet in circles for hours at this point, not being cleared for landing until they knew the challenge could go through  “Ugh, forget it, just set up plan B in the temple, I’ll have chef fly us over there, we can arrive a bit early and start the challenge in the afternoon… So get to it!!!”

Chris then hung up the phone and sat on the co-pilot’s chair, letting out a sigh as he did so, those ungrateful teenagers really didn't know how much work went into putting together the show, it was no wonder he enjoyed causing them so much pain “So what's the plan? Are we still heading there?” asked Chef, just as stressed as the host was

For his part, Chris rolled his eyes and sat up, bringing out his laptop to keep working out the details “Yeah, we're still going to China, just not towards the great wall, instead take a detour towards the mountains, there's been a change of plans, it's a good thing we always have a backup challenge ready just in case hehe”

Author Notes

Hello everybody, hope you had a good time reading along this time around, we took some time to check in on everybody’s state of mind going into the next challenge

Sad to see but there is quite a bit of friction between Gwen and Duncan, and it’s all due to miscommunication, but then again, neither of them are particularly good at communicating, whatever comes next will be crucial for the future of their relationship

Looks like Duncan keeps struggling with his life choices, the way i see it, he never really thinks things through, and it finally caught up with him, its up to him to either try and make things work with Gwen or atone for his wrong doings

As for the goth, it looks like her delusions got even deeper, just goes to show how much resentment can bring about your own selfdestruction… but then again, being around Alejandro isn’t doing her any favors, which by the way, he seems to be pulling the strings masterfully, he better hope this doesn’t get turned around on him

And finally we got Heather and Cody, who took another step in their relationship, as she finally understands that she cant go back to how things were anymore, its not up to her, no matter how afraid she may be of what could go wrong, she’s not alone anymore, hell looks like she even finally admitted her feelings to herself, all that’s left is for the both of them to fully embrace these feelings at the right time…

Please let me know what you think about it, I’m gonna start work on the next one as soon as i can, and it’s probably gonna be a long one to be honest lol, but hey, i love doing this, theres just so much more left to write, and im looking forward to it

By the way, just in case anybody is wondering, the flashback at the beginning of the chapter takes place right after episode 8 of total drama action, i thought about it while watching the show, seeing as Heather’s mom was supposed to be her best friend she was gonna spend time with, it made me think of her differently, seeing as she was always portrayed as this evil and shallow person. But when it showed her writing a letter to her mom and the fact that she was her best friend, it painted her in a more sympathetic light, hence why i came around to liking her character more

Chapter 30

Closeness and Melancholy 

Common area 7:30PM

One of the few things that never got easy for any of the contestants was how exhausting living through a reality show could be. After every single challenge they would have to come back into the jumbo jet and record all their confessional interviews and only then were they allowed to sit back and relax after the long day of surviving the bizarre challenges they faced day after day, such were the thoughts of Heather as she laid back on a massive bean bag chair “I’m starting to really miss Monaco right now…”

Right across from her Courtney was also sitting back and staring at the ceiling of the plane, lost in her many troubled thoughts she let out a sigh in agreement “Yeah, that was the nicest part of the competition so far… It’s also crazy to think how lonely it’s getting in here”

Heather had to agree with her, thinking back on how noisy and crowded it was when the competition started “No kidding, but it just goes to show how much better we are than everyone else, and now all we gotta do is get rid of that goth menace and that snake Alejandro and then the three of us can just give it our all in the finale!”

When she put it like that Courtney felt a bit more confident about her chances, sitting up to look at the queen bee she raised an eyebrow in confusion “You know, I know you’re not as mean as before, but every once in a while you sure as hell sound like it” Courtney chuckled seeing her friend’s display of ego, but then she noticed something “Speaking of snakes, what happened to your scaly friend? I thought it wouldn't leave you alone, i was starting to feel bad for Cody haha”

Heather gave a playful glare at her, before she giggled as well “when we got to the jumbo jet, an animal handler caught her off guard and took Lucy off of me”  Courtney blinked in confusion, raising a finger as she spoke “…Lucy?” Without skipping a beat Heather responded “I warmed up to it ok!? Plus she looked like a Lucy, don't judge me for getting attached to her, she literally saved our lives”

Courtney really couldn’t argue with her logic, shrugging her shoulders she nodded in agreement,letting out a sigh she looked out the side window into the vast darkness of the Asian skies, reflecting on her trajectory so far, as Heather noticed her wistful staring she decided to check up on her “You ok? That whole thing back in the palace was kind of rough, and I know how hung up you’ve been this whole time about the whole Duncan and Gwen situation”

While true the whole ordeal had been emotionally exhausting to her; Courtney didn't really feel too distraught about it “It’s gonna sound crazy, especially with everything that’s happened, but I actually feel better than I have in a long time… I feel like I finally let go of all that anger and pain I had in my heart towards that guy” Heather raised an eyebrow, surprised and confused about her friend’s demeanor “What do you mean? You’re just cool with him now? What about Gwen?”

Courtney let out a deep breath, looking back towards the window, smiling softly as she looked over the endless sea of dark clouds “It’s not like I want to get back with him, but I have the feeling he’s gonna try and be a better person, or at least I hope so, even if things ended the way they did, I never hated him truly, after all he was my first love, all I want is for him to be a better person, and now I feel ready to fully live and give it my all, I also wanna be a better person!”

 The CIT’s expression then turned stern as she turned towards the queen bee “As for Gwen… I still have a score to settle with her, she went behind my back and knowingly got with my boyfriend, so I still want to bring her down!”  Heather smiled deviously upon hearing this, smugly laughing at Courtney’s determined declaration “Well, when it comes to bringing her down you can count on me, It’s about time we get rid of her, she’s been rubbing me the wrong way the last couple of weeks, more than usual really…” pondered the queen bee as she brought a finger towards her chin, her eyes gazing around as she thought about it

For her part Courtney threw her arms behind her head comfortably looking amused at how Heather’s normally friendly disposition shifted when she spoke about the goth “Really? I feel like you’ve always hated her, regardless of the circumstances… then again it makes a lot more sense these days haha” Heather looked at her confused at what she could possibly mean by that, at which Courtney quickly retorted “Oh you know~~~ seeing as Cody’s been obsessed with her since we were on season 1~~”

Heather’s expression instantly soured, quickly standing up and pointing back at Courtney “Oh come on! He’s clearly moved past that! Plus he’s barely even spoken to her ever since we split teams in LA! AND he told me himself that it was a stupid little crush! He was never obsessed with her!!” as she watched Heather finish her emotional tirade Courtney burst out in laughter, kicking her feet up in down in glee “Hahahahahah~ oh wow queenie I did not know you were THAT in love with him hahaha”

Catching herself in such an emotional outburst and watching how Courtney was laughing so hard at her brought out the rare sight of her embarrassment, as she blushed a deep crimson and sat back down, hiding her face in her hands “Oh god! What is happening to me!!!?”

Before Courtney could tease her further, the girls were then joined by a certain chestnut haired guy that happened to be the current topic in the room “Hey girls, fancy running into you here” as he walked in the room, Courtney caught her breath from her previous laughing fit and welcomed her dear ex team mate “Hah- hey Cody, come over, we were just hanging out”

Seeing her not so secret crush join them made Heather jump off of her chair and greet him, running excitedly towards him “Cody! How did it go? What took you so long?” This caught him by surprise, never having seen the queen bee so eager and energetic after a challenge before “Oh hey! Uh it went well, they just had me talking about how it felt to punch Duncan again and all that stuff… by the way sorry i lost my cool back there…”

Courtney looked away, the guilt of hiding the truth of Trent’s accident still somewhat bothering her… but even so she understood things had to be this way, she then did her best to smile at him as she stood up “It’s ok, I’ve probably lost it more than anybody over the course of this show… I’m just glad we made it through today… and that I got some closure.”

Both Heather and Cody looked at one another, understanding how much their bossy friend had been through, but then Cody got an idea “Hey, I know we’ve all been through a lot so how about you let me make you girls some of my famous honey milk tea!?”

Heather smiled deviously as she let out a hushed “yes!” Under her breath, Courtney looked a bit confused at the pair seeing the excitement from her friend “Honey milk tea? What’s that?” Cody quickly started walking towards the kitchen as both girls followed suit. “It’s this drink my brother Jack would make when I was young and I felt sad or sick, You’re gonna love it!”

However, as Cody explained the origins of the drink, Heather stopped in her tracks “You have a brother? How come you've never mentioned him before?”  Cody froze in place, his energy shifting completely as he stood quiet for a couple of seconds without turning back to look at them he spoke softly “… I uh… I guess I forgot to talk about him heh… you girls can wait by the tables I’ll bring you the drinks”

He then quickly went into the kitchen as both girls walked back, with Courtney noticing the clear worry on Heather’s face “What was that about?” She asked as they both sat down

The queen bee sat in silence for a second, trying to not dwell on the significance of the interaction to little success “I’m not sure… but I mean, I guess I can't be mad at him for that…”  this statement puzzled Courtney even further “What do you mean? The two of you talk every night and hang out all the time and you didn’t know he had a brother!?”

Upon hearing her friend’s frustrated line of questioning Heather let out a guilty sigh, resting her head on the table as she explained herself “I mean… It’s kind of my fault, when we first… became close, I told him not to talk about his family or anything too personal, and granted we did mention that we had families and a bit of stuff… but we never really delved into details”

This further confused and frustrated the CIT, seeing very little logic in the whole ordeal, yet she snapped her fingers as she realized something else “Wait, now it makes so much sense when you reacted that way back in Monaco, when he talked about his first kiss with his redhead childhood best friend! You didn't know that either!”

Heather gave a frustrated look with her chin still resting on the table “Please don't mention that again” the CIT laughed in amusement at how everything fell into place for her, yet she still had many questions “But why did you tell him not to mention anything too personal? Don't you trust him?”

The queen bee sat back up quickly with a look of honesty in her eyes “Of course I trust him, but not back then, plus if he started talking about his family and stuff then he would ask about mine and I…. Didn't really wanna talk about it…” Courtney then saw clear sadness in her eyes as she trailed off, so she reached out and grabbed her friend’s hand “I might not know the extent of what’s going on between the two of you…and I’ve noticed you prefer to keep some things to yourself, but when it comes to that guy… I know you can trust him with anything, I mean, he’s proven that he would literally die for you, no matter what you’re hiding, I know for a fact Cody would never judge you or use it against you”

Heather had to admit to herself that everything she was hearing from the CIT was true, regardless of what may happen, she knew better than anybody that Cody would never hurt her… yet the fear of being used still lingered inside her… “I know… i just—“Drinks are ready” 

Cody then came out with a tray holding three full mugs of sweet honey tea with whipped cream and a goofy smile on his face, to which the queen bee felt her heart skip a beat while Courtney turned around and complimented the nerd’s work “Oh wow that looks really nice”

He then maneuvered around the table and playfully acted as if he were a waiter, placing the drinks in front of the girls, earning a playful laugh from the both of them, and grabbing the last one for himself “Do you ladies require anything else this fine evening?” The queen bee kept laughing, watching her crush’s antics, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him down towards a seat “Oh shut up and sit down, You’re probably tired as hell from— wait what the hell?” 

To both of their surprise, Cody’s right hand was pretty swollen “Cody! What the hell happened?” asked Heather with clear concern in her voice, to which he then nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his neck “Heh… I got a bit carried away today i guess, early on the panda accidentally bit my hand when i was feeding him…. And then me punching Duncan repeatedly really didn’t help” 

Heather looked at him, pouting in disappointment she pulled his ear “You gotta be careful you numbnuts, and don't get me started on that whole attacking Duncan thing, what would’ve you done if Chris decided to disqualify you for starting a fight huh!” while wincing in pain Cody tried his best to calm his queen down “Ow ow ow, come on Heather, if anything Chris was happy that I did that,  cause you know, ratings?”

Watching the odd couple in front of her bicker in their own sweet and concerned way made Courtney shake her head in amusement, smiling as she brought out a first aid kit “Oh you two are adorable… here, let me see your hand Cody, I’ll take care of it” Heather then annoyingly let go of his ear to let the CIT administer the proper care on his hand, realizing in that moment how much her care for the nerd had grown, feeling confused with her actions, but then again, it wasn't as if she had felt this way before…

But then again, seeing one of her best friends bandage her new found love’s hand in that moment, she smiled, feeling a sense of assurance she hadn’t in a long time, with her thoughts wandering back to Trent and Lindsay, and even Bridgette… how without realizing, she hadn’t felt as alone and on guard as she had before, and it was all thanks to that damn brown haired stubborn nerd, she then stood up and walked over to the kitchen, causing Cody’s attention to shift towards her, she looked back at him and winked playfully “I’ll get you some ice punchy, I’ll be right back~”

Recording Studio 8:30PM

One of the saddest facts about the human body is what happens to you after you cry too much; your eyes turn puffy and irritated, you get a crushing headache and physical exhaustion not to mention the obvious psychological harm you may develop from all the grief and sadness.

Gwen was learning about all of these symptoms first hand… she sat by herself in the dimly lit studio, strumming a guitar softly as she looked down on the ground, her raspy voice full of sadness as she sang to herself “Dream~  just dream~~~ are we still friends?... Can we be friends?~~~”

The goth sighed as yet another tear fell from her eye, the overwhelming loneliness taking a stab at her heart the more she thought about how far she had fallen so far… she felt so broken deep inside, as if she couldn’t recognize herself anymore

It wasn’t as if she was the most cheerful person to begin with, she was well aware of her pessimistic tendencies. But the thing was, she felt as if she had changed for the better, letting more people into her life and sharing with them, so what happened?

She thought back to the previous challenge, looking into the mirror maze and watching herself be left behind by everybody else, how she fell deeper into a dark abyss, betrayed and forgotten by all those she used to call friends.

Now to be clear, Gwen was aware she had messed up in the past, her most glaring sin being her betrayal of Courtney’s trust when she got with Duncan. Something she tried her best to not regret, justifying herself by telling herself it was all in the name of true love, seeing Courtney and Duncan as a purely toxic relationship that came to an end.

But due to everything that led up to making that decision, she had thrown away every other bond she had previously created, now she was just a manipulating cheater in the eyes of everybody she had come to call friends

And for what? Duncan had shown her his true colors, doing as he pleased without any shred of remorse for how his actions would affect others… and after he almost killed Trent, there was no way anybody else would ever forgive her for being “complicit” in such a heinous act.

His final words to her kept replaying in her head over and over, no matter what she did she couldn’t escape from the guilt and misery the whole ordeal had caused her, she was left with nothing!

And to top it all off, the one person in the world whose sole purpose was to make her life miserable was getting away with it, having stolen her friends and turned them all against her, manipulating Cody and Courtney into being in an alliance with her…

It was all over for her… how could she ever face Trent again? He was right about everything, she was truly a despicable and awful person, she threw him away for an irresponsible violent psychopath, she betrayed her closest friend for him, she ignored everybody around her just because of her own selfish wishes…

Perhaps it was best if she just cut her losses and quit the show already… maybe she could save some of her dignity that way, just go home and hide from the world for the rest of her days…

As her guitar gently wept, she sang to herself in a fruitless attempt to try and find significance in her pain, to create something from the hurt she held inside what remained of her heart. Just as she was about ready to make up her mind however, the door to the studio was opened, catching her attention Gwen looked up with her eyes full of sorrow “...You… I don't feel like talking Alejandro…”

Just as she suspected, Alejandro had tracked her down, he closed the door behind him and he walked towards her slowly, holding a stern expression, he made his way towards an empty chair in front of the goth and kicked his feet up as he sat back, looking at her with his arms folded he spoke softly “Didn’t know you could play guitar…”

The goth sat up straight as she rubbed her eyes, feeling powerless to ask him to leave or even leave the studio herself, so instead of fighting back she just answered “Trent taught me back in season 1… at least the basics really… I was thinking about the old days…”

The Spaniard Chuckled to himself, feeling pity for the goth and her reminiscing, he grabbed another guitar that was sitting close to him, tunning it as he sat forward “I watched Total Drama Island when it was on tv back in the day… I guess I missed the episode where he gave you music lessons” he then strummed the instrument gently and masterfully to the beat of a Spanish lullaby “I heard what happened with Duncan… such a shame, I knew the guy was trouble, but to think he would put the lives of others in such peril… quite disgusting behaviour if you ask me…”

Hearing his words made Gwen somehow feel even worse, making her feel as if she should’ve known from the beginning the type of person she was getting involved with, as tears threatened to escape her eyes once more, she put her guitar down and looked towards Alejandro “What do you want me to say Alejandro? I’m at my lowest right now, and I don't know what to do, I can't even recognize myself anymore, I'm just broken… I’m just gonna ask to go home the next time we land, I'm done with this damn tv show…”

As he heard his ex team mate’s words, Alejandro simply kept playing his guitar, showing very little emotion as he did so “You know Gwen… there's been times in my life where I’ve felt like I’m worthless, as if I don't matter in the grand scheme of things and that no matter what I do, I will never be able to fix it… In fact that’s how I basically felt my whole childhood…” he then smiled, closing his eyes as if to try and hold back any unresolved pain

“You see, I have an older brother, and let’s just say my parents definitely had a favorite; No matter what I did, I could never escape from Jose’s shadow” his melody picked up in speed and intensity as he told his story “So even if I was at the top of my class, or if I won a trophy in any sport, It made little difference to my parents, Jose was just simply more important to them, and it was all because of one simple reason…”

Alejandro finished his song with a strong strum of the guitar, catching the goth by surprise, he opened his eyes and looked at her once more “He was just better than me, and nothing i could do would change their minds ” Alejandro placed the guitar down and leaned forward towards her “So at a certain point, i gave up trying to get them to like me… and instead, I decided that I would prove them wrong… so everything I do is out of spite, I will win this competition, and prove to them, to Jose and to the whole world, that I AM better ”

Gwen felt intimidated by his words, backing away as he moved closer to her “Why are you telling me this?” she asked him between nervous glances, only to be met once again by his confident grin “Because you and I are the same at this point; You’ve been used, you’ve been lied to, and the one person in the world that you hate the most is currently sitting with your two ex“friends” just laughing at you, calling you pathetic… so I ask you my pale friend… are you going to take that humiliation lying down? Or will you fight back?”

The goth fell silent, thinking about how tired she was of all the drama and all the heartache she had endured over the course of the 3 seasons she had spent competing, wanting nothing more than to just leave it all behind… but whenever she thought about the possibility of Heather winning 1 million dollars and getting away with everything… it burned her inside!

She tried to tell Alejandro she was done, to go away, but she couldn’t. Even if he told her right now that every single word he had just spoken was a lie, and all he was doing was just another manipulation, she didn’t care, in fact she only cared about one thing now… beating Heather

Even if Courtney got in her way, or if Cody tried to plead with her, nothing could change her mind now, what else did she have to lose now? Trent would never forgive her for throwing him away, especially now that he was dating that clueless puppet known as Lindsay, she wouldn’t be surprised if that whole relationship started just as another manipulation of Heather’s to get them out of the way

As for Duncan, she would probably never forgive him for throwing her away, for lying and using her, for all she knew he only ever got with her to cause jealousy in Courtney, in the end she had just been a pawn in whatever messed up game those two were playing…

So seeing as she had nothing left to lose, she stood up from her chair, looking the Spaniard straight in the eye, her gaze now filled with fury and pure venom, if the world was going to label her a traitorous bitch, she may as well play the part, and show them what they created, from now on all bets were off “Alejandro… let’s take them down… all of them…”

Gwen left the studio and walked to her room, leaving a now very smug and confident Alejandro to sit by himself in the studio “Yes we will… or at least until it’s just me and mi reina” he chuckled to himself, standing up and throwing the guitar across the room, things were about to get even more interesting now.

Heather’s room 9:20PM

After the three friends finished their honey milk tea (which Courtney absolutely loved) they all went back to their rooms, to try and rest their tired bodies

Once upstairs they had gone their separate ways briefly, the three of them taking showers and getting ready for bed, leaving the queen bee now laying in her bed waiting for her night talk with her newly cemented crush “... It was so hot when he punched Duncan…” as she said this out loud to herself she remained motionless with a blank expression… before she immediately clutched her plush bee in her arms and screamed into her pillow…

Once she came back up for air, she looked her little queen bee in the eye, speaking to it in complete seriousness “What do i do now huh!? Do I tell him how I feel? Do I just go ahead and kiss him? What if everyone has been messing with me and he doesn’t really like me? Aaghhh” she once again clutched the bee in her arms and rolled around her bed with it… kind of insane how much she was struggling with it really

After a couple more seconds of her freaking out she stopped after hearing a knock on her door, knowing exactly who it was, she quickly got up towards the mirror to check up her hair “Gimme a sec~” once every hair was in place she adjusted her pajamas, checking herself in the mirror, turning her back to make sure her butt looked amazing in the tight shorts she was wearing

Satisfied with her look she walked over to the door and took in a deep breath before she opened it “Hey punchy~ come on in” she smiled sweetly, seeing her crush wearing his usual shirt and some comfortable looking shorts “Oh… uh hi hehe sure” the nerd couldn’t help but feel nervous any time he stepped into his queen’s room at night, specially when she was dressed in sleep wear

As he followed her inside and closed the door behind him, he watched as Heather gracefully swayed her hips with each step she took towards her bed, laying on it she then waved at him to come join her; the poor guy could barely hold on to his sanity trying to hold back his overwhelming feelings for the queen bee “How’s your hand? Are you feeling better?” she asked as she relaxed and not so subtly posed in bed

Cody walked towards the bed and sat on the edge, his back resting against the bed frame, smiling at her he raised his now bandaged hand “It’s feeling a bit better, I should just be more careful, specially now that we’re so close to the finale am i right?”

Heather smiled warmly at him, laying on her back to look at the ceiling she laughed warmly “heh, now that I think about it, I probably wouldn’t have lasted long in the competition if it weren't for our little alliance” Cody looked at her confused with her words as she turned to look at him “You know it’s true, there's no way that a team with Courtney Lindsay and Trent would have kept me around if I hadn’t become friends with them… and even then, You helped me out during many challenges… I’m glad you asked to talk to me that night” 

Cody smiled back at her, placing his injured hand on hers “Hey… If it weren't for you there's no way I could have made it this far, I probably would’ve been trapped by Sierra and forced to marry her by now… but you made me feel braver, like I could do anything!” the queen bee softly squeezed his hand as he said this, feeling the depth of their mutual trust and how her heart fluttered whenever he spoke to her

She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a second, feeling the butterflies in her stomach flutter uncontrollably, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to trust him and bare her soul bare to him and hold nothing back, she knew she could trust him so there was no point in holding it back anymore “Hey Co—” 

“By the way… I’m sorry about the whole thing with my brother… I don't want you to think I’m hiding things from you..” before she could say anything else Cody interrupted her, apologizing for his lack of communication, only for her to giggle as she sat back up “Hmmhmm, It’s ok, I told you back then to not get into details about your family and stuff… so I get it, I mean you know I got a younger brother and a sister, they drive me crazy haha”

Cody smiled sadly at her, a clear pain behind his eyes as he seemed to get lost in thought “Yeah… I mean I love my brother, It wasn’t like I was trying to keep you out of my business or anything, It’s just that… I have some trouble talking about him” Heather grew concerned upon seeing his reaction, thinking back to what she did know about his family, remembering how he mentioned growing up pretty lonely, how his parents seemed almost neglectful of him after something had happened to his family… oh no

“What happene—” right as she was about to ask him what he was talking about, both Cody and Heather turned to see their fellow alliance member try to walk out of the room as quietly as she could “Uh… don't mind me…” Heather blinked twice with a shocked expression before she erupted “COURTNEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!!!” 

The CIT quickly shot back at her friend “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT AM I DOING IN HERE!? YOU INVITED ME EARLIER AND I WAS READING MY BOOK WHILE YOU SPOKE TO YOUR LITTLE PLUSH BEE! DID YOU REALLY FORGET I WAS IN HERE THE WHOLE TIME!?”  Heather stood up and was about to yell back once more only for her to realize that Courtney was entirely correct about everything “...Oh god…” Cody rubbed the back of his head and slightly blushed “hehe… you talk to the little bee I gave you?”

And that was the breaking point for Heather, too embarrassed to even respond any more she ran to her bed and hid under her covers “Oh my god!!!!!” Both Cody and Courtney looked at each other, feeling a bit guilty about the whole situation and her current embarrassment “Oh come on queenie, I was just trying to give you guys some privacy… there's no need for you to feel embarrassed” 

Cody then sat back on the bed and tried to reassure her “heyy~ it’s all right, I talk to my stuff too, I actually think it’s really cute—” before he could say more Courtney put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, that was really not the time to say that “Guys… I promise I'm ok, I'm not mad… but I think I wanna go to bed… I’ll be less mortified in the morning”

They both gave a sheepish smile, respecting her wishes they headed out the door, but before Cody could leave she spoke one last time “Cody?… I wanna talk to you tomorrow… There's something I need to tell you…” the nerd smiled back at his queen, even when she was wrapped in her blankets like a burrito she was the most beautiful person in the world to him “Yeah… There’s something I need to tell you too… goodnight Heather” the bundle of pillows and blankets shuffled slightly as she let her head out for a second “Goodnight punchy…”

He closed the door behind him, walking a couple of steps with Courtney they looked at one another in awkward silence for a moment before Courtney spoke “Uhhhh, sorry for interrupting hehe” Cody laughed out loud as he reached the door to his room “It’s allright, we should get some sleep… who knows what fresh hell awaits us tomorrow hehe”

Once inside his room Cody collapsed on his bed, his heart beating fast and his mind filled with a million thoughts. How close he was to the finale, how his bond with Heather had evolved over time, how was Trent doing, were all his injuries healed already? How was Gwen feeling after her fatal break up with Duncan? 

As he shifted in bed and turned off his lamp light he tried to fall asleep, trying to perhaps find some peace in his dreams… but then again, there was one very troubling memory still plaguing his mind… after all it had been a while since he even mentioned his brother jack.

Cody had many happy memories of him, how friendly and charismatic he was, how they would play together all the time, even if his big brother was 7 years older than him, he always made sure to play with him and show him affection; there was nobody in the world Cody admired more than his big brother.

That’s why, when in a cruel twist of fate, Jack fell sick, his whole world turned upside down. He still remembered seeing his once energetic brother slow down, barely able to leave his bed, his hands feeling cold as ice, his speech completely disappearing… and after a year and a half of doctors trying everything they could to find a cure or even understand what was happening to him… Cody’s brother fell asleep one last time, passing away in his sleep, as peacefully as he could

Even though it had been many years since then, Cody never truly got over the pain of losing him, it broke him and his parents to lose somebody so precious and full of life… it was only a couple of years later that his family finally got an answer to what had happened to Jack, it was a rare genetic disease that had awakened in him, something called Cold Heart Syndrome

Cody laid on his back and sighed, the pain in his heart still aching over his long gone brother, if anything he only hoped he could win the money and try to help in any way he could to fight that disease, thinking back to how that independent clinic in America was close to finding a cure, only being held back by their lack of funding…

Pilot Cockpit 11:00PM

Chris was on his laptop, typing away on it and ironing out the details for the next challenge, a huge smile on his face as he also tracked the viewership numbers of the last couple of episodes “Hahah, Chef my man, I'm pretty sure we’re about to break records with this China episode, people online are going crazy over the show!”

Chef rolled his eyes, while it was true he didn't care much for the contestants, it felt kind of scummy using their personal lives as entertainment for the masses “Ehhhh I don’t know man, things are getting way too out of hand, a couple of those kids have almost died, hell, the bossy girl, the geek kid and the mean girl almost fell off a bridge! And that weirdo goth girl is completely clinically depressed now”

Chris simply chuckled, not showing a shred of care about any of that, instead he took a long sip of his cappuccino as he closed his laptop, kicking his feet up he laid back on his chair “Hahah, It’s no big deal chef, as long as the ratings keep going up it’s all good, so don’t sweat it, plus tomorrow is gonna be a nice change of pace, don't you think?”

Chef had to admit, in a weird and despicable way, Chris was right,  regardless of what happened on the show, it all seemed to be allowed as long as it kept bringing in numbers, so as he put the plane in auto pilot, he leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his own cappuccino “Ahhhh, you’re right, I’m looking forward to getting there bright and early in the morning, there ain't nothing like watching the sunrise in Colombia”

Author notes

Well this was a pretty dialogue heavy chapter, it’s nice to see that Courtney is doing better, even if things are a bit difficult she seems eager to go on her journey of self healing and growth, but on the other side of things, looks like Gwen has fully gone down a dark path… i still have hope she can see things in a different perspective

We got a bit of a glimpse of how Alejandro operates, seems like everything he does is out of spite for those who put him down in the past, specially his brother Jose

It also looks like Cody and Heather have a lot more in common than they both thought, if you recall, i tried sprinkling in a bit of his back story in past chapters, to show his motivations and why he acted the way he did, i guess it will make a bit more sense in the upcoming chapters

It’s always fun to write Heather when she gets flustered, unable to deal with her newfound feelings, seeing as she is usually so in charge and self assured, she has a difficult time with being vulnerable, but this is all slowly going away as she gets closer to Cody

So next chapter we will make it Colombia and the next big challenge, it will mark a big shift in how things will play out from there on out, so who out of the remaining 5 will have to go home? What will happen between Courtney and Gwen? Will Cody and Heather get to talk to each other about their families and motivation? What’s Alejandro’s next move? Stick around for the answers in chapter 31

Chapter 29

Honesty and Heartbreak

Frozen Beaver Juvenile Detention Center 6 years ago

Oftentimes life throws you a curveball, you can find yourself at the wrong place at the wrong time, and suddenly everything changes, this was the case for one troubled young man named Duncan.

Duncan was a normal 13 year old boy just a couple of months ago, hanging out with his friends and having fun like any other kid his age, he wasn’t the most disciplined young man around, in fact every once in a while he would pull pranks on his teachers or his parents, but he would never really cross any lines or hurt anybody with his antics, but sadly that all changed due to a fatal mistake on his part

It all happened on a normal day after school, when he was hanging out with his friends, Duncan was bored and thinking about what to do with the rest of the afternoon, when suddenly one of his “Friends” came up with the brilliant idea of going on a joy ride in one of their parent’s cars.

The prospect of doing such a wild and dangerous thing didn’t interest Duncan at first, instead he countered the wild idea with something less dangerous like doing graffiti on the school walls, but instead of listening to him, his friends mocked his lack of drive to go through with the dangerous stunt, calling him a coward to try and rile him up enough to join them

Due to his lack of maturity at the time, those taunts worked like a charm on him, so much so that he volunteered his own dad’s car to take on a joy ride with his friends. 

Long story short, a bunch of 13 year olds driving a car through the streets of Winnipeg while blasting loud punk music was never going to end well, and just like anybody suspected, Duncan lost control of the car and crashed it right through a fireworks warehouse, which in turn caused a massive fire.

Luckily for the young man, he and his friends came out unscathed from the horrible wreck they caused, unlucky for him however, his so called “friends” left the scene without him, making him take the fall for all of them.

After that whole ordeal, Duncan was taken to court and sentenced to 1 year in a juvenile detention facility, which was considered a light sentence due to the severe scale of the accident he had caused, but thanks to his father’s connections with the local authorities and the fact that the judge took some pity on him, he had managed to get away with it with a lighter punishment

The first few months inside had proven quite challenging for the future mohawked bad boy, often getting into fights with the other inmates, but all this was just a way for the others to make the young man prove himself, and after some time he had managed to feel accepted by the others

While inside he learned many different skills that would prove to make him a far more rotten and devious criminal, from how to hide and handle pocket knives, to how to pick locks and get away with stealing from those weaker than him, he was taking all this new information in stride and embracing the darkest parts of his personality, seeing all these things as just fun.

But as much as he was enjoying his time inside, he would soon learn that not everything was as fun and chaotic in the best of ways…

One day while he and his crew of punks were having lunch in the main cafeteria, Duncan decided he would prove his lack of respect for authority by taking it a step further, sticking his leg out to trip a guard as he walked by him

As the guard stood up and angrily demanded the young punk apologize, he was instead met by a mocking laughter from said punk, and when pressed to apologize once more, Duncan simply challenged the guard’s authority further, knowing there was no way he would be met by any significant punishment… unluckily for him however, the warden happened to be walking around the cafeteria that same morning…

And with one simple nod towards the guard, he was taken by force and put into the maximum security wing of the detention center, where he would be confined to his cell for 23 hours a day for the next 3 weeks, a cruel punishment which was reserved for those who refused to listen to reason and discipline

As Duncan was thrown in his cell, the first thing he noticed was how claustrophobic his new living quarters felt like, with any sort of windows or natural light completely absent, the only things in his room being a very uncomfortable looking small bed, and a table for him to do any assigned school work on

After a couple of hours the boredom was starting to get to him, having exhausted any enjoyment he might have gotten out of the previous defiance of authority, he was starting to lose his mind from all the silence and darkness surrounding him

Suddenly the silence was broken when he heard somebody whistling inside the cell across from his own, he recognized the tune from music class back in school “In the Hall of the Mountain King” 

As he looked through his cell bars he noticed how the cell in front of his was completely different, having a massive protective glass instead of the normal iron bars, and right inside he could see the silhouette of a young man leaning against the wall as he sat on his bed, his face covered in shadow with only his eyes glowing in the dark

Duncan felt fear at that moment, just what kind of monsters was he housed with? Instead of trying to say anything he figured it would be better for him if he just tried ignoring the whistling. Yet hour after hour the whistling continued, and it soon became torture for the young delinquent

Coming close to madness from the constant whistling, Duncan decided to finally speak his mind, walking up to his cell door and screaming “Dude!!! Stop that already, you’ve been whistling the same song for the last 5 hours, I can’t take it anymore!!” with his eyes red in frustration Duncan stood by the cell door, breathing heavily watching intently to see if his cell block neighbor would say or do anything

But instead of reacting negatively, the dark shadow across from him let out a dry chuckle “Hmm heh, so it’s bothering you? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Duncan was taken aback once more, feeling a cold drop of sweat drop from his brow, he remained quiet “I mean, it doesn’t seem to bother your neighbor in the cell over… right Scarlett?”

Duncan’s eyes widened, not realizing until now there were others nearby, it was then that he heard the voice of a young girl coming from the cell next to his “To be honest, I don't even notice it anymore, only those with weak minds would be affected by such a trivial and minor annoyance… I’ve just been reading my book and listening to our new cell block mate’s erratic and fearful breathing ever since you began whistling your tune”  

At this Duncan yelled back defiantly, not willing to show weakness to anybody in his vicinity “Fearful? Yeah right, as if! Be careful what you say little girl, you don't know who you’re talking to! Are you looking to get hurt?” The young punk was trying to appear as threatening and strong as possible to hide his fear, knowing that if he showed any weakness it could spell his end

However the shadowy figure across from him laughed once more, as did the girl before she responded “You are prisoner 24601 Duncan Rollins, you are the son of court prosecutor Richard Rollins and district attorney Linda Rollins, you are 13 years old and you are in this detention facility for crashing your dad’s car into a fireworks factory and causing 250 thousand dollars in damaged property, you have 4 months left in your sentence and quite frankly you are not as threatening as you think you are" the punk felt a chill go down his spine, slowly backing away from his cell door “H-how did… who told you that!?”

The girl let out an annoyed sigh as a page could be heard being flipped violently, prompting the shadowy figure across from Duncan’s cell to chuckle once more “Scarlett is pretty good with information… she’s quite the genius…. And that’s the point Duncan, in life you have to understand who you are and accept it, look at you, you’re only 13 and you already ruined your life, you disappointed your parents, you got yourself arrested… in the end this is what you are, a criminal, you’re going to hurt others and you’re going to cause problems, no point in running away from the facts.”

Duncan felt a pang of guilt inside his chest, hearing such harsh words thrown his way made him feel empty inside, and as he thought back to how low he had fallen already, the look on his mom’s face, the words his dad last spoke to him, the way he broke their trust for just a cheap thrill, if nothing it was evidence to the truth… he was a bad kid.

Yet a part of him wasn’t willing to accept that just yet “Shut up! What makes you such an expert huh? I’ll be out in just a couple of months and things will go back to normal!” the shadowy figure stood up from his bed and walked closer to the glass, his gaze remaining unblinking and his calm smile never disappearing as he got closer to the dim light of the cell block

“I consider myself a reasonable guy, I see no problem in doing what you want whenever you want, so don't take it the wrong way when I tell you to accept yourself… In fact I wanted to encourage you… accept your fate… it's not as if you can change what you are…” Duncan stared at the boy as he spoke with such eloquence, never having met anybody like him before, yet his words pierced his mind, leaving him with a feeling of euphoria, as if he were entranced “Who… are you?”

The boy smiled at Duncan as he walked back to his bed, sitting back and settling into the darkness once more "I'm just a bad kid like you, but that’s ok, I’m fine accepting that part of me, my name is Michael… but you can call me Mal…” at that moment Duncan sat back on his bed as well, with a hollow feeling in his heart… this was about to be a long 4 months for him.

Present Day Temple Courtyard 4:00PM

The vast sky over Li river valley was starting to turn dark and full of clouds, with the first few drops of rain starting to sprinkle over the temple, and as it just so happened, this was enough to wake up Alejandro, who had been laid against a stone pillar the whole time the challenge had been going on

His eyes shot open and he rose to his feet instantly, still feeling woozy and weak in the head from the hard blow he had received, looking around he spotted a Total Drama Intern sitting close by reading a magazine and ran towards her “you intern! What happened? Why was I sleeping on the floor just now!?”

The overworked and clearly disinterested intern looked up at him for just a second before diverting her attention back to her magazine as she answered “Mr Chef Hatchet told me to look after you and let you know You’re disqualified from today’s challenge, You lost your animal or something like that and I think the goth girl landed on your head”

Alejandro felt stunned, looking over towards his belt he noticed the small wooden cage he had attached to it was now gone, and as panic began to set in he looked around trying to find the hosts and the rest of the cast “so what happened!? Is the challenge over? Did they just leave us here!?”

The intern once again flipped a page on her magazine and without looking at the spaniard she answered in a monotone voice “Nah, it’s still going on, they’re all the way over there in that huge fancy building” she then pointed over to the jade palace and without a moment of hesitation Alejandro ran towards it, leaving the intern by herself “hmm, it looks like it might rain pretty bad…”

Jade Palace 4:05PM

Chris Mclean was standing in the center of a circle shaped arena, as Chef kept hitting a massive gong to create a tense atmosphere the host held a stern face as to match with the mood he was trying to create, and to his credit it was working pretty well, as the light inside the palace kept getting brighter with torches coming to life one after the other and they circled around the arena

The whole spectacle was very intimidating to say the least, however both Courtney and Duncan refused to back down from the final test, with one last look towards her friends on the sidelines, the CIT stepped forward, as did the punk

“All right, the stage is set for the final test, and how fitting that it’s the two of you going head to head, the original Total Drama power couple turned bitter exes, hehe this is what i call five star television!” the host then signaled chef to stop hitting the gong as to create some silence

At that moment Courtney and Duncan stood face to face just a couple of feet away from each other, they both stared into each other’s eyes, both of them remembering everything they had been through, it felt as if destiny was forcing them one last time to confront one another and lay all their issues and differences on the table “Duncan… this is it, I'm taking you down” spoke the CIT with that indomitable fire in her eyes staring at the one she once loved, trying to hold her composure and fight for the right reasons

As for the punk, he seemed as if he were made of stone, not showing any emotion in his face, his eyes scanning the room and the arena, watching as Cody and Heather stood by in support of their friend, staring daggers into him, and as he looked over towards the end of the hallway he could see his current girlfriend Gwen leaning against a pillar, watching from afar with sadness in her eyes… he really felt like a low life, constantly hurting others without regard to how they felt…

The host once again spoke out to give the rules of the test, the same smug tone and expression as always “That’s the spirit Courtney, let the hate flow and make this a challenge to remember hahah” as he snapped his fingers a couple of interns appeared and placed a ladder at the center of the arena “As you can both see, this statue of a massive dragon represents Shen long, the king of dragons who bestowed on to the original shaolin warriors the secrets of kung fu, they say that those ancient and sacred secrets have been kept over thousands of years and they are written on that scroll in the statue’s mouth”

Both Courtney and Duncan looked over at the massively intricate stone statue that wrapped around the arena and held said scroll in its mouth, far out of reach for the both of them “The final test will be a one on one match between the two of you, with the winner being the one who manages to grab the scroll from the dragon’s mouth”

Chris then nodded at Chef who came closer to the center of the arena as the host walked off, leaving Chef in charge of referring the contest “All right listen up fools, no low blows, no leaving the arena, no outside help, and you’re allowed to use anything inside the arena to help you win the fight, all clear?” the two ex lovers nodded in agreement “All clear!”

On the sidelines both Heather and Cody observed with baited breath, the anticipation of the match getting them both worried about the well-being of their friend, with Cody whispering towards his queen “I know she’s tough, and in the past she’s taken him on… but I can't help but worry about her” 

Heather couldn’t deny the worry in her heart as well, just over the course of some weeks she had grown to care for the bossy girl she once thought of as a loud nagging presence, but after all the things they had shared and the way they had gotten to know one another, she wanted nothing more than to see her come out victorious… to Heather this whole “caring about others” thing was too stressful sometimes…

But as she looked on towards the CIT she felt a surge of pride, seeing how far she had come, and how willing she was to keep fighting on “I’m worried too… but I know Courtney can do this… YOU HEAR THAT COURTNEY, ME AND CODY BELIEVE IN YOU!!! KICK HIS ASS GIRL!!!”  hearing her friend cheer for her made her smile, reminding her she wasn’t doing this alone, looking back at the pair she winked at them and turned her attention back at the punk 

Chef then looked at the both, seeing as there was no point in postponing it anymore, he steadied his stance and put an arm out between them, he then raised it and put it back down just as fast “BEGIN!!!”

As soon as the match began, Duncan rushed towards Courtney, grabbing her by the arm and quickly spinning her in place, throwing her towards the edge of the battle field as hard as he could “WAHHHH!!!”  thankfully for Courtney, she managed to stay inside the arena

While the CIT was a distance from him, the punk then ran towards the ladder and began climbing it as to reach the scroll as quick as he could, but unlucky for him, Courtney managed to sprint towards the ladder and knock it over before he could make it all the way, causing him to fall on his back onto the hard floor

As she got to placing the ladder once more, Duncan stood up enraged, walking towards her like a man on a mission, he grabbed her by the arm once more, squeezing a bit hard this time to show dominance “Courtney… please don't make me hurt you…” the CIT  stared back into his eyes, not willing to show any weakness or pain “Duncan… ever since we met each other, that’s all we’ve ever done, hurt each other, over and over” 

She then maneuvered her body to grab the punk’s arm and judo threw him over her shoulder, causing the punk to fall on his back once more and get the wind knocked out of him. Seeing her chance once more, she put the ladder in place and began to climb it almost making it to the top

But then she felt the punk grab her off the ladder at the last second, putting her over his shoulder he then carried her towards the edge of the arena, all while she kicked her legs trying to break free from him “Put me down!!! Stop this!” and as if to fulfill her wish the punk obliged, setting her down and quickly taking out his pocket knife

Both Cody and Heather screamed out upon seeing this “Duncan!!! Stop this dont hurt her!!!” but as he brought his arm down… he stabbed the sleeve of her sweater against the arena floor, pinning her down to the ground “Just stay there, please…” the punk then walked back to the ladder to try and finish the match once and for all

Courtney tried her hardest to break free from her confinement, trying to pull out the knife but to little avail, she then locked eyes with Cody, thinking for a split second she remembered all the unorthodox ways he seemed to get out of situations, by thinking outside the box, and without any second guesses, she ripped her sweater off to free herself

She then ran towards the ladder, where Duncan was about to reach for the scroll, she leaped forward and managed to step on the other side of it, boosting herself to reach even higher and take a hold of the scroll just at the same time the punk did the same

But thanks to her impulsiveness the ladder holding them both in place fell beneath their feet, leaving them both hanging from the dragon statue “Courtney! Why did you do that!!!?” the punk asked, finally displaying raw emotion and frustration, only for the CIT to answer back just as fiercely “I refuse to let you win! I will never give up, not when it comes to proving you wrong!!!” 

The punk looked at her, clearly confused about what she was referring to “What do you mean proving me wrong? What are you even talking about anymore!!?” feeling her arms burning in agony from the pain of holding herself up, she felt her grip slowly give away, yet she refused to lose, she looked back at him and yelled once more “You said… I cant change… you said you cant change!!! And I don't want to believe that, I refuse!! I want to prove to you… and to myself, that things can be different!!!” 

Courtney then reached her arm out towards the scroll, trying to reach it with the last remaining strength inside of her, and as she did so Duncan caught a glimpse of something…. After all, it had been a while since he had seen her without her sweater…

“Courtney… I… I… I thought you got that tattoo removed…” the CIT however remained focused on trying to reach the scroll, only answering between baited breaths “Duncan… I… Loved you… so much… I couldn’t… do it…” and with all her strength, with all her pain, with all her suffering, she closed her eyes, her thoughts flashing  back to how much she had cried, how much she had gone through, the friends she made, the friends she’d lost… this was her moment to put it all on the line “RAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!” 

Courtney swung her whole body towards the scroll grabbing onto it and taking it in her hand, and as Duncan watched her do the impossible, he finally for the first time in a really really really long time… shed a tear… “GOD… DAMMIT!!!” The punk let go of the statue, falling to the ground as he looked up at Courtney, finally allowing himself to let out all the suppressed feelings  inside him.

As he fell time seemed to slow down, looking at the girl he had hurt so bad, he felt his life flash through his eyes, all the mistakes he kept making, all the people he kept hurting and bullying and scamming, and in every single moment he could recall the way he did others wrong, he finally felt all his regrets flow through his consciousness, the fact of the matter was… he was not a good person… and for the first time in a long time… that realization hurt him.

Once he hit the floor Chef hit the gong signaling the end of the match with Chris running back into the arena “I cant believe it! Courtney wins!!!” once the contest was over both Cody and Heather rushed in as well, standing below Courtney to catch her as she let go of the statue, landing safely in the arms of her friends

“OH MY GOD COURTNEY!!! YOU DID IT YOU CRAZY BOSSY LADY!!!” yelled the queen bee as she hugged her as tightly as she could, with Cody joining in as well congratulating her “That was insane Court, I didn't even know you knew judo!!?” the CIT smiled at her nerdy friend, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her heart “Hey… I’m a counselor in training, we gotta be ready for anything!!!” 

On the other side of the arena Duncan was still laying on his back, his eyes full of tears as he did his best to hold back to little avail, only to be joined by Gwen who extended her hand for him to stand up once more “Well… you win some you lose some right?” she remarked trying to lighten up the punk’s mood, only for him to look at her with pure heartbreak in his eyes, he then stood up by himself, looking over to where Courtney and her friends were celebrating

He then turned to his goth lover, sadness still evident in his eyes, the goth grew a bit worried, having never seen her boyfriend so emotional, caressing his face and looking at him with worry she tried meeting his eyes “Duncan… what’s going on?” she asked tenderly, trying to finally get some answers to everything that had been going on

It was then that Duncan knew what he had to do… looking back at Courtney one last time, their eyes meeting from far away… she had proven she was right, you have to learn from your past and try to be better, regardless of how much it might hurt… “Gwen… I’m not a good person…”

The goth looked at him puzzled, was this all about self esteem? Could it be that Heather had been chipping away at his self worth this whole time? “Duncan, come on, you’re not a saint, but you’re a nice friendly dude, you have your moments, but I know you, You’re a bit of a bad boy, that’s doesn’t make you—” before she could continue defending him, the punk grabbed her hands and put them away from him, his head hanging low and refusing to look at her 

He wiped away a tear, and spoke once more “Gwen… I need you to listen to me… My whole life, I’ve been running away from the consequences of my actions, always telling myself that it doesn’t matter… but that’s just not true.” He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye once more “I… really like you… You’re so beautiful, you’re fun, and you have a good heart… but what we did to Courtney… the way we got together… It’s just not right…”

Gwen felt a jolt of lightning paralyze her… this couldn’t be happening… “I’m sorry Gwen… but I can't be with you… I’m just not ok, and when I’m with you, no matter how fun it feels… It doesn’t feel right” The goth felt as if she was living a nightmare, she couldn’t understand any sort of reason this was happening “Duncan, please don't say that, You’re a good guy deep down, whatever it is you’re going through, we can fix it together PLEASE!!” 

Duncan saw the tears streaming down her face, it made his heart ache uncontrollably seeing himself hurt someone else once more… but he knew he had to do it “I’m sorry Gwen… I truly am from the bottom of my heart…”  the goth then grabbed onto him, hugging him tightly, refusing to accept his breakup “Please don't do this, I need you! ” 

He hugged her back, tears flowing through his own eyes, knowing that what he was about to say next would possibly mean he would lose her forever… “I… Haven't been honest with you Gwen…” as she kept hugging him she looked up into his eyes, the fear of what he was about to say paralyzing her once more “Back in Ireland… Trent’s accident… It was my fault… I sabotaged his car…”

Gwen froze in place, her mouth agape and her hands trembling, not fully understanding what she was hearing “Wha… what did you…” the punk stepped away from her, creating some distance as he kept confessing his sin “I saw how upset he made you… so i pulled a trick on his car… but I messed up… he crashed his car and almost died… and it was all my fault” 

Hearing this made Gwen’s knees give out as she fell to the ground sobbing, unable to respond to his confession, but then… “YOU BASTARD!!!!”  Cody came rushing towards Duncan, tackling him to the ground and punching him in the face repeatedly “WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING!!! HE ALMOST DIED!!!!” Cody yelled, all while Duncan refused to fight back, taking every blow to the face

Before he could cause any more damage to the punk, Chef Hatchet stepped in and grabbed Cody off of Duncan, holding him back… even if a part of him wanted nothing more than to let him punish the punk for a bit longer “Calm down son… It’s not worth it…” 

Both Heather and Courtney ran over as well, to try and calm Cody down and keep him from crossing any lines, with chef letting him go, Heather quickly hugged him close to try and get him to cool down “Cody… it’s ok… Trent is fine now… calm down” Cody looked into his queen’s eyes, seeing the concern for him painted on her face, no matter how angry he was… she was right Trent had survived, and he was safe back home… “I’m sorry… I just…”  Courtney put a hand on his shoulder, feeling guilty from keeping the truth from him, but understanding deep down that it was the right thing to do at the time.

Duncan stood up once more, bloodied and battered, yet not looking for retribution, just looking over at Gwen who was still on the ground crying, he walked over to her trying to make sure she was, reaching his hand out to try and touch her, only to be violently swatted away by her, she raised her face to look up at him, with pure venom in her eyes, she quickly stood up and ran out of the palace “GWEN!!!” 

The goth then quickly ran out of the palace, running past Alejandro who was dripping from the rain “Whoa… what’s going on!?” he asked as he stepped inside and walked closer to where everyone was standing, only for Chris to step forward and resume his hosting duties “Alejandro, you’re just in time, Courtney is our new dragon warrior, which gives her Invincibility, and seeing as we’re all here now, how about we have our elimination ceremony” 

The cast then stared at the host with pure disgust at how nonchalant he was about the whole situation “What? Heather said it herself, Trent is safe and alive back in Canada… whatever, we have our voting station set up by the gong, let’s get to it people!!” as Chris directed everybody towards the voting ballot, Alejandro grew irritated over the lack of context to what was going on “But what about Gwen? She needs to be here to vote right?” 

Both Chef and Chris shared a look before turning back to the Spaniard “Ehhh, we’re cutting her a break… she just got broken up with just now” the Spaniard then turned towards Duncan, who looked beat up both physically and emotionally, perhaps he could possibly survive this elimination after all…

10 minutes later

After everybody had cast their votes, they all sat around as Chris stood in front of them, holding their tickets to continue the competition, the host then began his monologue “Well, it seems like I was right about things taking a dramatic turn, and this time around it seems like we got a unanimous vote… to little surprise, so let me just get this over with.”

Chris then walked by each contestant, handing them their ticket to stay in the competition, stopping once he got to Duncan, he shook his head “Duncan, this is it dude, You’re going home”  the punk spit on the floor, not even answering the host as he told him his time was up “Yeah, I expected as much hehe, here’s your ticket back home, there's a local guide that will take you to an airport once you’re ready, everyone else, follow me, we’re taking a helicopter back to the jumbo jet!!!”

Once it was all said and done Chris and Chef stepped out of the palace, leaving the rest of the cast to say their good byes, if they even wanted to…

Alejandro was the first to approach the punk, simply smiling at him, a part of him feeling a sense of relief things played out this way, it seems like his plan of creating a rift between him and Gwen had worked towards their break up, now he didn't have to worry about the goth turning on him at all, as both men stared at each other with clear disdain, the Spaniard let out a small chuckle before walking away

As for the rest of the disbanded Team Amazon, they walked away without sharing any words, which seemed to be the right course of action for Cody, not wanting to risk another fist fight…

As they stepped outside into the rainy temple, they quickly made their way towards the helicopter, leaving the punk by the door of the palace to watch as they departed…

But before they left, Courtney decided to turn back, coming face to face with her ex lover for what could be the last time  “Hey Duncan…” the punk remained quiet, just gazing at her, not feeling worthy to even say anything back

As she got closer, the CIT reached into her pocket and took out the lighter he had lost earlier in the day, grabbing his wrist and placing it into his hand “This is yours…”  they once again gazed into each others eyes, letting their eyes just speak for themselves, Courtney could see, that somehow some way… something had taken root inside Duncan that day

The CIT then looked over the horizon, watching the rain fall over the valley “It took a lot of guts to just break up with Gwen like that… and even more to confess what you did to Trent…” the punk took a deep breath as he walked forward and stood beside her “Well, it was the right thing to do… I’m not ready to love somebody… not while I'm still like this…”

The CIT looked over at him, raising an eyebrow in surprise and even smirking “Does that mean you’re willing to grow and change? Now that takes guts…” the punk let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head “Heh… not as much guts as saying this… I’m sorry Courtney… for everything.”  Courtney felt the dagger that was in her heart ever since she felt that betrayal in Greece finally leave her heart completely… she heard those words she never thought she would, with pure honesty behind them

She teared up a bit, looking away from the punk. She walked back out into the rain and towards the helicopter “Goodbye Duncan…”  as she took a step forward, the punk responded without hesitation “Take care… Princess” she stopped for just a moment, looking up into the sky she took in a deep breath, without turning to look back at him she answered him “You too… my prince…” 

Duncan then watched as she quickly ran into the helicopter, watching it fly away he had to admit one thing to himself. As much as his life sucked at the moment, as much as it felt bad to lose out on a million dollars, as much as it hurt him to break up with Gwen, as much as it sucked getting punched by Cody once more… he felt good knowing he owned up to his wrong doings

He wanted to get back home, and truly apologize to his family, he wanted to apologize to all those he wronged over his life… he wanted to change… 

He then took out his lighter, looking at the heart shape design on it, a tear fell from his eye, as he flipped it over to look at the engraving on it, a crudely scratched D+C 4EVER 

“Heh… that girl really is crazy…”

Author notes

And just like that, Duncan exits the competition, after a brutal and emotional challenge he finally found the guts to come clean and be honest with everybody, even himself

I feel bad putting Gwen through so much these last couple of chapters, the poor girl is just hanging on by a thread at this point, and things are probably gonna get worse before they get better for her… but i believe it all happens for a reason

As for Courtney, I brought full circle many ideas and moments i had on my mind from the beginning, she was finally able to overcome all those horrible emotions in her heart and move on from Duncan, somebody who had been her first love, and honestly that's the one that hurts the most

As you guys saw, I opened the chapter with Duncan’s back story, and he met a couple of interesting characters… well let’s just say things will come full circle some day in the future, but as you guys can probably guess it won't be the last time we hear from the punk, or his cell block mates for that matter

Next time we will check in on everybody and see how they’re holding up, as well as finding out where the competition is taking them next… I think we're about to reach a few more important moments for our heroes.

Chapter 28

Courage and Karma

Many times in life we’re presented with the unexpected, almost as if fate itself throws a curve ball your way, this was being readily apparent to Cody at this moment, as he stared at the masterfully painted panda on his card, his face dropped in anguish, not looking forward to the task ahead of him “A Panda!?”

Even while still worried about her own predicament, Heather couldn't help but wince at Cody’s bad luck “Ummm… At least Panda’s aren't aggressive right? I know how much bears make you nervous so this shouldn’t be so bad right?”  Cody gave a frustrated smile towards his crush, even if her words did little to alleviate the situation he was grateful for her care “I uh, I guess I’ll figure something out hehe… ughh”

Seeing as her friends were both feeling down on their luck, Courtney approached the both of them, trying her best to inspire them “Guys! It’s not over until it’s over, you can't let fear take over you! Be more like me, I aint afraid of nothing, not even an apex predator that could easily kill me! As soon as they bring it out I'm gonna look it in the eye and show it who’s boss!” as she spoke those words full of fake confidence Heather looked at her with a deadpan expression before retorting “Courtney… You’re afraid of green gelatine…”

Courtney did her best to ignore her friend’s retort, instead she doubled down on her belief "At least tigers aren't green or slimy! but my point still stands! Lets not panic and give it our all ok?” Both Cody and Heather looked at her and then at each other before nodding confidently “Yeah! We’ve been through worse, let's do our best so that we can get rid of at least one of them!” rallied the queen bee as she glared at Alejandro, who simply smiled back at her in his usual smug way

After a couple of minutes of preparation all the wooden crates were unloaded from the truck, each one of them decorated with the same pictures that were given to the contestants, letting them know which one contained their respective partner for the first part of the challenge

Chris then walked in front of the crates as he cleared his throat once more “Allright! You now have exactly 2 hours to reach the top of ‘Mt. Jingren(惊人的)’ where the shaolin jade temple is located, and remember, you must bring your animal companion with you if you want to qualify for the second test!” suddenly a helicopter appeared and dropped a ladder for the host to grab onto “so try your best and not get eaten or maimed hehe” Chris then grabbed onto the ladder as the helicopter took off towards the top of the mountain, leaving the cast to stare at the boxes in front of them

As they all stood around, Alejandro walked up to his assigned crate and picked it up in his hands, confidently opening it to reveal a small wooden cage with a bright green praying mantis inside “Hello there my little amigo, I got a feeling you and I are going to have a nice stroll up the mountain together” the Spaniard then walked towards Gwen holding the small cage in his hands “My pale friend, are you going to be ok to compete?”

Gwen looked past him towards Duncan, who was approaching his own assigned crate as he held on to his pocket knife, not even acknowledging her in any way since their fight the prior night; the goth then looked towards where Heather, Cody and Courtney were standing, the three of them doing their best to psych themselves up to face the challenge

Her focus however was solely on the queen bee, as she observed her she could see how nervous she looked to take on the challenge, not that she could blame her, having to handle a deadly viper seemed way more intimidating than a bird. But the thing that seemed to catch her attention the most of all was how… Happy she looked…. It wasn’t immediately obvious, but there was something about her expression, her eyes looked softer, and every so often she would smile or laugh with Cody and Courtney.

Gwen narrowed her eyes at her, shooting her a nasty vengeful glare “she’s acting so careless… all while she manipulates and uses everybody around her…” she whispered under her breath before looking back at Alejandro, with the same vengeful eyes "Don't worry about it… I got this.” 

The goth then walked up to her crate and opened it, finding inside a beautifully elegant white crane standing on one leg while hiding its beak in its soft plumage, feeling a bit awkward but determined, Gwen spoke up to get the bird’s attention “Uh… hey there!.... Time to wake up for the challenge”

To the crane’s credit, it took its beak away from under its wing and stepped out of the wooden crate, taking a couple of seconds to stare at a very intimidated Gwen “OOOOOOK….. You’re actually bigger than I thought you’d be!”  The ivory bird kept its eyes fixated on Gwen as it spread its wings and flew straight up…

The goth stared at the sky with her mouth agape in shock, all while Alejandro walked up to her with a blank expression “Well… see you at the temple” Alejandro then walked away and towards the mountain in the distance leaving Gwen to scream out in frustration “Chris!!!!! That bird just flew away, what am I supposed to— AGHHHHHHH!!!!”

Suddenly the crane swooped down and grabbed Gwen by the shoulders and carried her off towards the mountain top, all while she screamed for her life. While Duncan was approaching his crate he witnessed his girlfriend get carried off into the distance, causing him to lose focus and yell for her “GWEN!!!!” 

Ironically his worried shout proved to be a mistake, as his crate suddenly shot open and a yellow spider monkey jumped out and latched itself to the punk “Ow what the f– hahahhahaha stop that dude!!” the primate seemed to find endless fascination with Duncan as it kept grabbing him and accidentally tickle him all over

“Hahahahah dude stop please!!!” He begged as he hopelessly tried to shake him off, as the monkey went into the punk’s pockets and grabbed random junk Duncan was holding onto, throwing away fire crackers, knives, a pack of cigarettes, and a zippo lighter “hey HEY! Not that! Give it here” finally the punk was able to break away from the primate’s grasp and wrestle with it trying to get the lighter away from it

Both Duncan and the monkey started tussling on the ground, rolling around and struggling to take away the lighter, only for it to accidentally land towards where Courtney was standing.

The CIT felt it land next to her, she looked down and her eyes widened as she bent down to pick it up, holding it in her hand she immediately recognized what it was and who it belonged to, as she looked over to where Duncan was fighting his animal companion she clutched it in her hand and put it in her pocket without him noticing

As she tried to walk towards her crate she noticed Duncan had managed to break away from the monkey and ran towards where she was standing, a clear desperation on his face as he searched the ground for his lighter. However Courtney did her best to appear nonchalant, she quickened her pace to avoid any suspicion, only for Duncan to call out to her “Wait! Courtney! Did you see my—” the punk stopped mid sentence as he looked her in the eye, a mixture of shame and regret behind his eyes

While Courtney looked back in pity, Duncan rose to his feet and walked away, muttering bitterly under his breath “Forget about it…” Leaving Courtney to sigh as she did the same, she looked towards Cody and Heather who were in the middle of opening their respective crates, smiling as she looked at them, feeling a warm gratitude in her heart for having them still in the competition with her, she once again brought out the lighter, gripping it in her hand as she looked towards the massive crate ahead of her she resolved herself to give it her all and win “There are things you can't avoid…”

As she opened the massive Crate, a large and proud looking tiger stepped out slowly all while staring intently at Courtney, never breaking its gaze as it circled around her, sniffing and growling as it did so, leaving the CIT paralyzed in fear… yet she refused to break the eye contact with the tenacious predator, as if she was showing the respect the regal creature deserved

She then swallowed and spoke up to the tiger, stepping forward to show her resolve “Hi… I um, I hope you’re trained not to attack humans hehe…” the tiger growled at the CIT’s words, as if feeling insulted at the prospect of being tamed “Ok, ok, bad joke, i get it… I just need your help for a bit, ok? I really want to win today’s challenge… I want to prove to everybody that I can do this…”

The tiger then laid on the ground, a stoic expression on its face as it listened intently to Courtney's words “Look, I've come too far to lose here, I have to win because…. because…” Courtney then looks at the zippo lighter once more before looking at the tiger straight in the eye “Because I want to prove it to myself… that I’m good enough”

The tiger then stands back up and walks towards Courtney, sniffing at her hand for a moment before it circles around her and walks between her legs, with Courtney now riding the tiger, it lets out a roar and begins to sprint towards the mountain, all while the CIT holds on for her life while screaming in terror “Aghhhhhh!!!!” 

Both Cody and Heather were left behind to watch as their friend disappeared into the distance, both of them sharing a look of worry and amazement “Well at least she’ll get there fast thats for sure” Commented the queen bee as she took off the lid of her crate revealing a beautiful emerald colored snake sleeping inside

Heather hesitated for a moment before she put the lid back on the crate “Nope, its worse than i thought, this thing is scary even when it’s asleep” Cody’s expression soften, seeing his normally unwavering crush so overcome with fear was a new experience for him, it was both saddening and sweet in a weird way, almost as if it were a reminder of her humanity.

Cody then walked towards her placing a hand on her shoulder “Y’know, Harold once told me about how snakes aren't really aggressive, they’re just as scared of you as you are of them” Heather looked at him as if he were crazy, even if she knew he was only trying to make her feel better, her frustrations were winning out in the moment “Well, all due respect to Harold, which by the way there's not a lot of respect to begin with; he’s not the one that has to run up a mountain while holding one of the world’s deadliest reptiles, that can easily poison you or strangle you the second it feels like it!”

Cody stepped back for a second rubbing the back of his neck in uncertainty, trying to find the right words to motivate his crush, so instead of backing down he doubled down on his mission to soothe her worries “Well think about it this way, is this more dangerous than everything we’ve been doing so far? I mean we literally almost die every time there’s a challenge… plus i won't let anything happen to you, you know that right?” as he asked his question, Cody reached his hand out for Heather to grab onto

Heather couldn’t help but blush at his words, doing her best to hide her face as she grabbed his hand on her own. Standing up she walked over back to her crate while taking in a deep breath “You’re right… I know I can count on you, I guess I’m not used to it yet…”  she once again opened up the wooden crate and nervously took a hold of the viper, waking it up as gently as she could

The reptile gently coiled around her arm, slithering across the back of her neck and onto her other arm, making it look as if she was wearing a fancy scarf, the queen bee however was doing her best to remain as calm and composed as possible, muttering repeatedly and with a high pitch  “Oh god, Oh god, Oh god, Oh god, its looking at me Cody, what do i do!?”   

Thinking fast, Cody approached his crush gently, speaking in a calm voice “Try and remain calm… just slowly pet its head with your finger and start walking towards the temple, you’ll get there before you know it, oh and even if it goes against your instincts, try not to attack it”  Heather looked back at Cody with wide eyes as she followed his advice, cautiously walking towards the mountain while petting the viper “You better get a move on too! I’ll see you there!”

Cody smiled nervously as he watched Heather walk away with the snake wrapped around her, silently hoping nothing would happen to her, as he saw her walk away he made his way towards the large crate assigned to him as he sighed, already dreading the task ahead of him “All right, let’s see what we’re working with” he thought to himself as he opened it up, finding a very large panda taking a nap

The nerd let out a frustrated groan as he approached the panda, he tried nudging it to see if it would react, but the lazy bear refused to even acknowledge his presence, he then tried pushing it to see if it he could try rolling it all the way towards the temple, but the massive panda was way too heavy for that to possibly work, eventually after a couple of minutes Cody let out a defeated yell as he slumped down and sat against the panda “Agh, why is it always so hard!” 

As he sat down and looked at the difficult task ahead of him Cody tried thinking back on how he had managed to compete during all the previous challenges, what was it that he did to make things work for him? “I guess I've made it this far because of my friends… but I can't just count on them for everything…” he stood up once more and looked at the panda, seeing it in a deep sleep while laying on its back seemed to remind him of something but he just couldn’t place it “Why does this seem so familiar… It’s almost as if— wait a second, of course!”

The nerd then quickly ran back inside the jumbo jet, coming back out after a couple of minutes with a back pack full of bao buns “If this worked on Owen, It’s gotta work on this panda!” The nerd then placed a bun right next to the panda’s nose, stepping back a couple of feet and waiting in anticipation to see if it would work. “Come on… Come on…”

After only a couple of seconds the panda’s eyes shot open, making it quickly stand up and look around, finally spotting the bao bun laid in front of it, the suddenly energetic bear let its tongue hang out and lunged towards it, devouring it in one bite, making Cody let out a  triumphant shout  “Awesome! That's what I’m talking about!” The panda then focused its attention on him, sniffing the air around him and approaching him at a blinding speed “O-ok big guy, I got plenty more buns, I just need you to follow me allright?”

The panda eagerly licked Cody’s face, as if he somehow understood exactly what he was saying, and just as he wiped away all the saliva from his face, the nerd let out a confident laugh “Heh, I guess I just had to think outside the box”

Mt. Jingren(惊人的) hiking trail 3:10PM

Once everybody had partnered up with their respective animals, the race was on, with Alejandro taking an early lead ahead of everybody, he had managed to begin the arduous trek up the mountain, it really helped that he was only carrying around a small insect in a cage, which he had attached to his belt

No matter what obstacle he came across he simply managed to overcome it with little trouble, as he made his way across a flimsy wooden bridge over a massive ravine, he took a second to catch his breath and look back to see if anybody else was catching up with him

“Hmhmm so far so good, I can see the temple from here…” The Spaniard then looked at the bridge he had just crossed, and almost as if his mind had been struck by lightning he got a devilish idea “I guess there won't be much of a challenge if only I make it there… which means the immunity will automatically go to me”

Alejandro then proceeded to walk back towards the center of the wooden bridge and subtly cut some of the ropes as he walked back, trying his best not to make his act of sabotage too obvious. Once he made sure he was in the clear, he proceeded to walk away from the trap he had set with a smug smile on his face “Even if they fall, it’s not like they’ll die, i really doubt the show will let that happen hmhmm”

5 minutes later

After just a couple of minutes, Courtney was the first to make it to the ill fated bridge, taking a moment to dismount her loyal tigress she looked over the side of the cliff at a sea of mist beneath her “I cant say i have much faith in the structural integrity of this bridge…  what do you think tigress”  Courtney asked looking back at her animal companion who sat stoically looking over the horizon towards the temple

Looking at the majestic beast beside her, Courtney resolved to follow its example and hold a steady resolve “Yeah, no point in getting all scared now! We’re gonna win this challenge!” The CIT then slowly put a foot forward and held on tightly  to the ropes as she slowly shuffled her way forward, earning an eye roll from the tigress “H-hey I’m still crossing the bridge, just not in the fastest way!” 

The Tigress then let out a yawn and stretched before it effortlessly ran on the side of the cliff reaching the other side of the bridge in just a couple of seconds, it then proceeded to lay down on the other side waiting for Courtney “OH COME ON! Why didn't you at least help me cross! Is this your way of testing me!?”  yelled the CIT to which the Tigress simply closed its eyes in a smug satisfied manner

As Courtney took her time taking it step by step she felt somebody else approaching from behind, as she turned her head to look back she was glad to see a familiar face “Heather! I’m so glad it's you. I was wondering if I was gonna run into— OH MY GOD ARE YOU OK!?” 

The reason for the CIT’s reaction was due to the fact that as Heather approached the wooden bridge, the viper she was carrying was currently wrapped around her whole body all while its mouth was attached to her neck “Hi Courtney… I wont lie I am absolutely terrified right now, but somehow all my panic and fear has circled back to a state of subdued euphoria… also i dont think this snake has any fangs, so it just feels like i have something kinda slimy nibbling on my neck right now” as the queen bee spoke her left eye kept twitching, a clear sign of the panic she was holding back

“Uhm, ok… as long as you’re not poisoned or something like that…” Courtney then looked forward once more as she continued to cross the bridge “Be very careful crossing this bridge, it doesn’t look to be very sturdy, so take it slow ok?”  Heather then walked closer and looked over the side of the cliff, instantly regretting the decision to do so, she then took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she spoke softly to herself “This is for mom…”  she then slowly started walking across the bridge, pacing her steps as to not rock the bridge too much

Once at the halfway point Courtney looked back at her friend with a reassuring smile “We’re almost all the way across, lets keep this up” Heather reciprocated the smile although she wasn’t exactly in the mood to share her friend’s excitement “Courtney, girl, you know i love you, but i need you to shut the hell up right now, im trying my best not to freak out… ok?”  the CIT let out a chuckle as she moved forward once more “Yknow? Seeing you so scared is making this kinda easier somehow haha… but yeah, i love you too queenie so dont worry about—”

*SNAP*

“What the…” 

“...Courtney… what was that?”

*SNAP* *SNAP *SNAP*

Suddenly both girls could feel the bridge start to shake, as many of the ropes holding the bridge together began to snap and break free, in a split second Courtney and Heather looked at each other, understanding what was happening, they both yelled “RUN!!”

The two of them then began sprinting over the bridge as quickly as they could, their hearts pounding with adrenaline and panic, with the tigress standing up quickly and looking at the two of them and realizing what was going on, it quickly took hold of one of the main ropes of the bridge, biting down hard on it to keep it from completely collapsing

The sudden turbulence on the bridge made it so that the whole structure of the ropes holding it together began to collapse, with even the wooden planks underneath their feet falling as soon as they stepped on them, before they knew it the whole other side of the bridge collapsed behind them, leaving them hanging from the side of the mountain as they clinged to the ropes and planks still attached to the other side 

“AAAAAAGHH!!! WHY ME!!!”  yelled Courtney as she clung for dear life to one of the planks, with Heather also doing the same right next to her “Courtney! Hang on! We can still get out of this!!” 

The CIT looked at her friend with tears in her eyes “Heather!!! What do we do!?” the queen bee looked around, trying her best to not let panic take over her “I… I dont… know…”  she then heard the rope make another snapping sound as she felt it slightly drop “Mom…. Cody…”  she thought to herself, could this be it for her?

However before the worst could happen, they heard a voice call out to them “HANG IN THERE!!!!”  the girls then looked to the cliffside where Cody was hanging on to a panda running across the vegetation and moss that clinged to the mountainside, reaching the other side, he then quickly reached his hand down to try and grab onto them, all while his panda bit onto the other rope to make sure they wouldn’t fall

For a moment, Courtney breathed a sigh of relief, looking up to see her friend reaching down as far as he could to try and save them “CODY!!! THANK GOD! COME ON HEATHER LETS CLIMB UP!”  Both girls then tried their best to use the remaining planks of wood as a makeshift ladder to try and reach the top “Just a little more, come on you can do this!” yelled Cody in encouragement, giving Heather the strength to not give up, slowly and painfully climbing towards him

As the queen bee reached her hand towards his, she felt as if salvation was just in her grasp… only for the plank she was using to pull herself up to break underneath her foot “NO!” screamed a desperate and panicked Cody, looking at the horror in his queen’s eyes “CODY!—” 

Before she could fall or even scream out as she faced certain doom, the emerald viper that had been attached to her this whole time shot up at a blinding speed and coiled itself around Cody’s arm, as well as making sure it held on to Heather tightly to not let her fall “WHAT THE!?” 

Thinking fast he quickly pulled back and with every single ounce of strength he could muster, giving it his all  to save his love… thinking in that moment how he would NEVER let her go no matter what! “COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!” and almost as if it were a miracle he managed to pull her to the side of the cliff and onto safety, collapsing on the ground with Heather on top of him, both of them breathing heavily and sweating

The two of them then locked eyes for only a couple of seconds, yet that fleeting moment was more than enough for the both of them to hold a conversation with just their eyes, making sure they were ok, as well as almost breaking down into tears from the danger they had just over come, as the queen bee put her hands on his face and choked back tears of gratitude, the moment was quickly interrupted “GUYS!!!!! I'M STILL HANGING ON FOR DEAR LIFE!!! HELP!!!!”

The two lovestruck fools then quickly rose to their feet and looked back down towards where Courtney was still struggling to hang on, thinking fast Heather reached her hand down with her viper attached to her “GRAB ON COURTNEY!!”

The CIT reached her hand towards the snake and let it wrap around her arm, as soon as it felt secure both Cody and Heather pulled her up back to safety, once again collapsing on the ground in exhaustion, all while the panda and tigress let go of what remained of the bridge

As she lay on the ground, Courtney tried speaking through her heavy breathing “I… Cannot… believe… we survived that…”  Heather then sat up and put a hand to her chest to feel her heart beat “Yeah… i feel like every challenge gets even more dangerous than the last…” the queen bee then turned to look at Cody who was also trying to catch his breath, as she looked at him her eyes gleamed with tenderness and affection for her hero  “Thanks for saving us, I can't Imagine what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up…”

The nerd sat up as well, full of relief he smiled back at his queen “Well… I promised you I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you right?”  Heather felt butterflies in her stomach as she heard his words, her face turning a deep crimson as she looked away from him “Y-yeah, of course you did…” she then stood up and walked towards her reptile partner, picking it up gently and letting it slither around her arms “And thanks to you too… Y’know… I think Harold was onto something, at least when it comes to snakes they really aren't so bad” 

Courtney stood up as well, catching her breath she approached the tigress “Yeah snakes are nice… but they aint got nothing on a powerful and majestic tigress like this one” the tigress returned the affectionate words with a playful headbutt knocking Courtney back to the floor “Ouch! Hey! Give me some credit here!” 

It was then Cody’s turn to go up to his panda and rub its head, the poor bear looked exhausted as it lay on its side with its tongue sticking out “All i know is that if it weren't for this fella right here i never would’ve been able to get here in time” at this both Heather and Courtney shared a puzzled look, having witnessed the fat and lazy panda run and climb over the side of the cliff was nothing short of absurd, yet somehow Cody had managed to make it happen

The nerd then reached into his back pack, bringing out several pork buns, to which the panda immediately reacted, standing up on all fours once more and devouring the snack in one bite, Cody then turned towards the girls with a goofy grin “He kinda reminds me of Owen to be honest hehehe”

Courtney let out a chuckle, feeling flabbergasted at the turn of events so far, she then mounted her tigress once more, looking at the distance where the jade temple awaited them “Well, even if we barely survived that, there’s no time to just sit around, let’s get a move on people, we can't let any of those jerks win today!”

Feeling reinvigorated, both Cody and Heather cheered on with Courtney, the three of them dashing away towards the temple, not willing to give up no matter what else awaited them!

Shaolin Jade Temple 3:20PM

Alejandro walked calmly, taking in the cool mountain air and stopping every so often to look towards the horizon at the beautiful landscape that was Li River valley, his whole aura just exuding a type of smugness and arrogance that was befitting of one such as him “And look at that… I see the finish line, and nobody else around, seems to me like this will be the easiest challenge in total drama history—”

Funnily enough, if Alejandro had competed with a sense of urgency and taken things seriously from the get go he would’ve probably noticed how a certain goth girl was about to land right on top of him at a very dangerous speed “AAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!! WATCH OUT BELOW!!!!” 

*CRASH*

Before he knew what hit him, Alejandro was knocked out cold by Gwen crashing into him as the white crane that had been carrying her in the air dropped her as if she were a bomb “Owwwww… that really sucked… what the, that's the temple!” 

As she stood up Gwen noticed Alejandro was knocked out due to her landing, and for a moment she contemplated her options, regardless of her own opinions on him she still needed him around if she wanted to get rid of Heather and Cody…  but there was just something about his scheming ways that just wouldn’t sit right with her

The goth gave a deep annoyed sigh, grabbing the passed out Spaniard by the leg, she dragged him the rest of the way to the entrance of the temple, leaving him passed out by the door, unfortunately for Alejandro, Gwen didn't really care enough to check on the tiny cage that was still attached to his belt

If she had done so, she would’ve noticed how it had broken thanks to her landing on him so suddenly, causing the praying mantis inside to escape back into the wilderness as soon as it got its chance

With the whole Alejandro situation taken care of, the goth then walked up to Chris and Chef with her white crane gently landing right next to her as she reached the duo “Congratulations Gwen! You’re the first contestant to reach the temple, and with your spirit animal right with you as well, I guess you could say you flew by undetected by everyone else huh?” for her part Gwen responded with her usual angry and dismissive attitude towards the host “Yeah yeah whatever, I'm just happy to be alive!”

“Hehe, what a ray of sunshine, you never disappoint with the positive vibes Gwen!” the goth kept walking and sat on a bench that was nearby “Bite me Mclean!” the host nudged Chef as he pointed at the goth with a look of ‘that girl has some issues’

“Hehe, and look at that, we got three more arrivals, with Cody, Heather and Courtney arriving with just a couple of minutes left to spare!!!” As the host commented on the action, the trio made their way inside the temple courtyard, the three of them celebrating their safe arrival as they high fived and hugged each other “You know Chef… I kind of miss the good old days when everybody hated eachother…” commented the psychopathic host

For her part, Gwen rolled her eyes at what she assumed to be a fake display of camaraderie “Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick…”  as they all settled in, they each parted ways with their respective animal partners, with Cody handing the panda his bag full of food and Courtney receiving one more powerful headbutt from the tigress

As for Heather… “Uhhh Chris… A little help with the snake?” it seemed as if the viper was unwilling to part ways with the queen bee,  instead wrapping itself tighter around her waist whenever somebody came by to take it away “Heheh, tough luck Heather, I think the viper is just too comfortable with you now and I'm not gonna risk the life of any of my interns trying to pry it off of you” 

The queen bee’s eye twitched in frustration, of course this would happen to her “Oh god… what do i do now?”  Courtney then put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, looking a bit unsure about what to say “Uhm… Didn’t you say you liked snakes now?” For her part Heather turned to look back at her with her eye still twitching “That was before it wrapped around me even tighter!!”

While Courtney and Cody attempted to help out Heather with her scaly predicament, Chris spotted somebody else arriving at the temple “And look at that! Duncan made it as well! And just in time!”  Everyone looked towards the door to find a very tired and beat up Duncan, who was carrying his monkey on his back. “You… jerks should really check on these challenges, I almost died several times trying to get here”

For a brief moment Gwen looked towards the punk with concern, wanting to run into his arms and make sure he wasn’t seriously hurt, afterall what was the point of holding on to stupid resentments, in the end what mattered to her was being on good terms with her man. But before she could muster up the courage to run up and hug him she was swiftly interrupted by Chris who stepped in front of her and kept on with his hosting duties

“Well Duncan, if you think about it, this whole experience was a way for you to put yourself in everybody else’s shoes, after all, you and that monkey seem to share the same personality hehe” 

Duncan glared at the host while holding up his middle finger, which would most likely be censored whenever the episode aired

As the punk made his way towards the hosts and the rest of the group he collapsed on the floor, with his primate companion running away happily towards his handlers as soon as he could “I think I hate monkeys now” he grumbled as he got up and dusted himself off

“Haha, man I’m hilarious… but anyways, TIME’S UP!!! And it looks like everybody  made it here in time with their respective animals… except for Alejandro who is still knocked out by the entrance and with his praying mantis missing from its cage which disqualifies him from the rest of the challenge and the chance to earn immunity!” Hearing the host explain the logic behind the Spaniards loss made Gwen feel a bit of guilt for the role she played in his loss during the challenge

However, on the flip side Cody, Courtney and Heather celebrated in a subdued manner, to be honest having Alejandro out of the running made things much easier for the three of them

As Chris walked over to the front of the remaining Contestants he continued his monologue “Hehe, by the way Chef make sure you let him know he lost when he wakes up” the host then turned to everyone else still in the competition as he cleared his throat “Anyway, allow me to welcome you all to the shaolin jade temple, one of China’s most historically and spiritually important places, where many believe was the birthplace of kung fu as a martial art!”

As Chris spoke, many shaolin monks could be seen meditating around the temple courtyard as well as many others that were sparring against each other honing their minds and bodies with their sacred martial arts, impressing the contestants as they walked through the courtyard

“Now, everybody knows that the dragon warrior is one who has mastered Kung Fu to its absolute perfection, which can take an entire lifetime to even be close to achieving such a thing. But seeing as we only have the rest of the afternoon to finish the challenge i figured we would speed things up”

While the cast was walking through the courtyard, Gwen took the opportunity to approach her boyfriend “Hey… can we talk?” she asked as she tugged on his arm, making the punk turn around and look at her, but instead of his usual confident and flirty demeanor he always had with her, he instead looked back at her with an empty expression, forcing out a smile in a pathetic attempt to hide his true feelings “Hey, pasty… I was worried about you… you ok?”

Gwen felt a painful stab in her heart, noticing the change in her lover’s demeanor for a few days now she had thought it was perhaps just a misunderstanding or lack of communication between them that had led them to their current rift, yet as she looked into his eyes, she could clearly tell this was something completely different “Yeah, I’m ok… although for somebody who claims they were worried about me you sure didn’t seem like it… you didn't even come talk to me when you got here…”

The punk stopped walking for a moment, watching as the rest of the contestants kept walking with Chris and Chef, watching as Courtney walked away… with fierce determination behind every step he thought back to what she had said that morning “That’s the past Duncan… and unlike you, I’ve changed…”  as her words echoed in his head, he turned to his current girlfriend, trying his best to keep his crumbling composure intact “I’m sorry Gwen… I just figured we needed some space, I’m just… not feeling like myself…”

The pain in Gwen’s heart only grew more agonizing as she heard what he said, making her worries and confusions grow even more “Duncan, what do you mean by that, please talk to me, I’m your girlfriend, you don't have to go through whatever it is that you’re feeling by yourself! Don't shut me out” as she clutched his arm even tighter in her grip, Duncan turned away from her, walking towards the group once more “I’m sorry Gwen… I just can't, not right now… but I promise, I’ll tell you everything that’s going on in my head once this challenge is over…”

As she stood behind watching Duncan walk away from her once more, she felt an impending sense of anxiety creeping up on her once again, her breathing growing erratic and her pulse accelerating, whatever it was that was happening between her and Duncan, she knew things weren’t about to get better any time soon, regardless of what he had to say about it…

Sacred obstacle course area

The group finally reached the top of the temple where a massive stone path could be seen leading onto a beautifully intricate building adorned with stone statues of various animals; as they got closer they were amazed by the sheer size and beauty of the architecture, the curved roofs of the temple coupled with its massive red pillars, and the faint murmur of bells as the wind blew across the misty mountains “Y’know I would be way more excited about being here if it weren’t for the fact that I know im not gonna like what Chris is about to make us do” remarked Cody as he looked around the massive dojo at all the insane looking training equipment in front of him

“Hehe, You’re not wrong about that Cody, for your second test, you must make it to the other side of the obstacle course, before the time limit runs out” as Chris said this, Chef pulled a lever, making the stone path leading up to the palace to open up and revealing several dangerous looking obstacles “First you must make it across the moving wooden serpent floor as you dodge the wrecking balls of doom, if you manage to make it through you will have to run across the moving mirror maze and make sure you don't crash and break the glass hehe”  

Seeing how fast the mirrors shifted positions made everyone feel uneasy about their chances, as they observed Chris continued his explanation  “If you can make it through that, you will then have to jump over the bottomless bamboo pit while balancing over the the branch platforms, once you clear that you only have to make it across the flamethrower platform and finish the final obstacle, breaking through the wooden wall of temperance, if you manage to reach the jade palace at the end of the obstacle course you will qualify for the final test, oh and you have 5 minutes, any questions?”

Everybody raised their hands at the same time once prompted, only for Chris to chuckle and blow his trusty air horn “Hehehe awesome, anyway GO!!!!!” once the airhorn blared every single contestant hesitated to move forward “Uhhh, you know the airhorn means start the challenge right?”  remarked the sadistic host as he scratched the back of his head in confusion

At this Courtney looked over at him with her signature annoyed expression “Easy for you to say! I’m just taking my time and looking for an opening!” As her friend spoke Heather joined in agreeing with the CIT’s sentiment “Yeah, get off our backs! We barely survived getting here to begin with” 

Seeing how much they were talking back to him Chris looked over at Chef as he gave a devilish smile “Hmm yeah i guess you guys have been through a lot huh…” he then signaled Chef to press a button on a remote he was holding which suddenly made things extra annoying for the cast

*RING RING*

And just as always there was a collective groan from the whole cast “Really!!!? Right now while we go through this?”  yelled Heather as she shook her fist at the host in frustration,all while her viper friend kept holding on tight to her body, only for him to laugh in the same annoying manner as he always did whenever he forced them to do his bidding “Hahaha, you know the deal, start singing or lose the million dollars!”

Song Starts

As the music begins playing, the sun starts setting over the horizon, making the sky turn a deep crimson and gold, the light hitting at the right angle making everyone to become a black silhouette against the  sun

Clutching her fist and looking towards Duncan, Courntey begins running towards the wooden serpent floor 

Courtney: like the legend of the phoenix~ I rose and i kept kicking~ what kept me going spinning? I felt like I could win this~

She then manages to run over the moving floor platforms as she dodges the wrecking balls coming her way, swiftly making it to the other side towards the moving mirrors

Courtney: I’veeee~~ Come too far~~ to give up~~~ who I am~~~

Seeing as their friend got a head start, both Cody and Heather jumped right into action as well, balancing through the dangerous obstacle and dodging the wrecking balls in time with their movements

Cody and Heather: So Let’sss~~ raise the bar~~~ and lets never give up~~~

As he was singing Cody is hit by a wrecking ball and sent flying towards the mirror maze, followed shortly by Heather who somehow makes it safely across, running towards Cody to see if He’s ok

Heather: So please, let’s not fall, let’s just give~~~ it our all~~

She manages to pick up Cody who stands wobbly trying to regain his balance, he then runs into the mirror maze followed by Heather, as Duncan and Gwen make it across unscathed from the wrecking balls, the goth stops for a moment, catching Heather in the middle of helping Cody

Gwen: she’s acting like she’s not done~~ she’s acting like like she’s a nun~ she’s acting like she the one~ I wont back down till she’s away~

Duncan hears the way Gwen is singing about Heather, clearly tired of all the paranoia and hatred in her, he runs into the maze dodging the spinning mirrors and doing his best to keep his focus, yet as he runs through the maze, he spots himself in each reflection, doing something bad to somebody. Bullying Harold, intimidating his team mates, running away from the police, pushing Gwen away, Trying to fight Trent…

Duncan: I never claimed I was good~ I was just out having fun~ I just thought I was the one~ I just thought I was that lucky! I just thought I was that lucky! I just thought I was that lucky!

The punk runs through the maze smashing the mirrors, refusing to look back on all those moments that exposed his wrongdoings, choosing to instead focus on getting through with brute force.

While Gwen runs through the maze at the same time, she also sees herself in the mirrors reflections, catching glimpses of herself hanging out with many of her old friends back in season one in the island, she sees herself laughing with Leshawna, bonding with Trent and Cody by the docks, walking on the beach with Bridgette, when suddenly she is left by herself, only to be replaced with Heather who is now bonding with all her old friends, even sharing a laugh with Courtney…

Gwen: I can see through your illusions…. I know it’s not just a delusion~~ I’ll cure this confusion… I’ll end all your collusions… Yeah! 

As the beat picks up and the smooth rhythm of the guitar swells, Gwen kicks through Heather’s reflection, over and over as she leaves the mirror maze and makes her way towards the bamboo platforms, to watch as Cody and Heather are already half way across

Heather and Cody: We’ve~~ come too far~~ to give up~~ and just fall~~ so let’s~~ keep our calm~~ and our strength~~ moving on!!!

The couple jumps from platform to platform while holding hands to keep their balance, without noticing how Gwen had rushed in behind them, a fire in her eyes as she keeps up a steady pace, which incidentally causes her to step on the same platform as the couple, causing it to break apart and for the three of them to fall

Heather: it’s a good thing we did not fall~ it’s all your fault Gwen you suck~  good thing i had my snake catch us~~ It’s a good thing we got lucky!~~

Thankfully Heather’s viper latched on to the bamboo branch holding up the platform, making it so that the three of them could swing and hang on to other platforms and not fall into the bottomless pit

As this happens Duncan rushes through the platforms and catches up to Courtney who is avoiding the rising flames from the obstacle, as she dances to the groove of the music, trying to imitate what Lindsay had shown her during the previous challenge. The punk then expertly navigates himself through the dangerous flames, being so accustomed to dealing with fire and pyrotechnics he’s able to predict which ones would be the next ones to activate

Courtney: It’s all been tough. I'm not lucky! It’s all been tough. I'm not lucky! It’s all been tough. I'm not lucky! It’s all been tough. I'm not lucky!

Both Duncan and Courtney jump away from the flamethrower floor and onto their final obstacle, a solid wooden wall they must break through, once they reach their assigned spots, the two ex lovers glare at each other right before they try charging through

Courtney and Duncan: We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky! We’ll fight real hard till we’re lucky!~~~~~~~

They kept singing the same line repeatedly as they tried charging through, weakening the wooden frame, with each blow towards the wall they both thought back on all the things they had been through, ignoring all the pain their bodies might be feeling, they let it all out until…

*CRACK!!!*

They both break through at the same time and land across the finish line in exhaustion and pain!

Song Ends

Chris walked over to where Courtney and Duncan were laying down catching their breath, he looked down at them and then towards Heather, Cody and Gwen who were still hanging on to the bamboo branches with little hope of getting back on a platform, he then smiled mischievously as he looked back at the cameras

“Well it looks like only Courtney and Duncan managed to make it through the obstacle course which means they get to compete in the final test, as for you three losers, you get to watch from the sidelines hehe”

As they kept hanging on for dear life, Chef pressed another Button on his remote and had three drones appear and rescue them from their predicament, landing them all safely at the end of the obstacle course

Chris then began walking up the stairs towards the jade temple, turning back to look at the rest of the cast once he was halfway up “Courtney and Duncan, your final test is inside the jade temple, once you are both inside I will explain the rules and the challenge will begin, so don't take long now hehe” once his speech was over, Duncan rose to his feet and spit on the floor, a very palpable anger oozing off of him, he then turned towards the palace and began walking towards it, not saying a word to anybody else.

Once they were safe, Heather turned towards Gwen, enraged beyond belief “Nice going Gwen! You cost me and Cody the challenge! What the hell is wrong with you!”  for her part Gwen glared right back at the queen bee refusing to back down “Oh shut up Heather! You got off easy! If you ask me, you should’ve just fallen into that pit and stayed there, I would’ve done the world a favor!!”

Heather was taken aback by the venom behind the goth’s words, in the past the two of them hadn’t really gotten along well at all, but there was just something about her current aggression that felt different to her “Excuse me!? Who do you think you’re talking to you weirdo goth!” Once again Gwen refused to back off, as she walked up to Heather and stared her down “I know EXACTLY! Who I’m talking to, a manipulative evil bitc—” 

Before things could escalate even further, Cody got in between the two girls, grabbing Heather’s arm “Hey… It’s not worth it… let’s just go see if Courtney is allright…”  he looks into Heather’s eyes, pleading with her to not lower herself as to start a fight with the clearly enraged Gwen, for a moment Heather hesitates, wanting nothing more than to put the goth in her place… but as she feels his touch and his gentle blue eyes looking into her own, a calmness takes a hold of her, long enough for her to listen to Cody.

“*Sigh* ok, you’re right punchy… she’s not worth it… not right now at least…”  The two of them walk away to avoid a nastier confrontation, leaving Gwen to clutch her fists in rage, feeling at least some sort of comfort in knowing the queen bee wasn’t gonna get immunity this time either…

Meanwhile, Courtney laid on the stony floor of the temple, looking at clouds in the sky moving gently through the sky. As she observed the soothing scenery she couldn’t help but feel a deep exhaustion inside her…

It wasn’t so much because of the obstacle course she had just cleared, but more so because of everything she had lived through thus far. As she tried standing up, she felt a sharp pain in her ribs and shoulders, a pain so searing she could feel the wind knocked out of her with any type of movement she attempted, so she kept laying there squeezing out every single second of rest she could get away with before the final test

“Hey! Bossy lady, don't tell me you’re giving up now!” the CIT turned her head to look at the source of the mocking encouragement, coming face to face with Cody reaching his hand out to her, urging her to get back up and keep fighting “Heh… since when have you been feeling bold enough to talk to me like that huh punchy?” joked back the CIT as she grabbed onto him for support in standing up

Hearing her friend refer to Cody as punchy made Heather give a stern cough to remind the CIT she wasn’t allowed to call him that, which in turn only made her laugh and wince in pain at the same time “Haha, sorry about that, I just find it funny…” Heather then softened her eyes as she put a hand on her friend’s shoulder “Are you gonna be ok? You look pretty hurt…” 

For a moment Courtney looked unsure, looking at the jade palace and then at Duncan who was walking towards it, with no sign of pain or weakness in his demeanor “Even if I’m not ok… I have to do this, I told you both this morning… I’m bringing him down today….” as she said this she stood up straight and focused her eyes on the challenge ahead

Both Cody and Heather shared a look of concern for their friend, but then they both nodded at each other and took both her arms on their shoulders to help her make her way towards the palace, catching Courtney by surprise “what are you…?” Cody looked at her with an encouraging smile “You’re not doing this alone anymore, even if we can't help you during the final test, we’re gonna support you no matter what” Heather then flicks her forehead with her finger to grab her attention once more “That’s what friends are for right?”

Courtney smiles at her as she shakes her head “Yeah, You’re right queenie…” with the fire in her soul renewed the three friends then made their up the stairs of the palace, walking side by side, holding on to each other, as a reminder of their bond and their drive to win regardless of what may come their way, all while Heather’s snake wrapped itself around the three of them “Um… Heather… are you sure this thing wont bite?”  asked the CIT nervously as they walked

The queen bee chuckled to herself, even if a part of her was still terrified of the snake, she was beginning to grow fond of it “I don't think it will, besides it’s been helping us all day, I just think it likes us, it just… looks terrifying at first but once you get to know it, it’s actually really sweet” as Cody and Courtney hear this they both laugh in unison “What’s so funny?”

Courtney winked at the queen bee in a teasing manner “Oh nothing… just reminds me of a certain someone… wouldn’t you say so Cody?” the nerd smiled teasingly at Heather as well “Yep, pretty spot on Courtney…” seeing as both her friends teased her made Heather’s cheeks a bit rosy, as she turned away from the both of them trying to hide her shyness “Oh shut up you two…”

Jade Palace 4:00PM

As Courtney and her friends reached the entrance of the palace, they both let go of her, now feeling a bit rested and reassured of her chances. She took a deep breath and powered through the fears gripping her heart, remembering she wasn’t going through this alone…

As the trio walked inside they were mesmerized by the sheer beauty and serene feeling of the palace, with beautiful artwork and ancient artifacts adorning the hallways, many of them inside glass cases, everything from vases to weapons and armor dating back to thousands of years

As they looked around in amazement they were startled by the loud bang of a gong at the far end of the hallway, where Chef Hatchet was standing in the middle of an arena banging it every couple of seconds

“Courtney and Duncan! Welcome to your final test to become the dragon warrior!”  Chef struck the gong once more, as the dim lights grew brighter, revealing a statue of a dragon holding a scroll in its mouth “Hehe, this is gonna be awesome!!!” Remarked the host as he saw the stunned faces of the contestants… as he knew deep down, whatever was about to happen, was sure to create insane drama.

Author Notes

Hello once again everybody, It’s been a while, I decided to take a small break and tweak a couple of things for the narrative of the story, but worry not, I'm back at it, and our usual schedule of 2-3 chapters a month should resume as normal

As you guys could see, the danger in each challenge is ever present, not just by design but also by interference by those with less than wholesome reasons (Im looking at you Alejandro)

As you can see were nearing a big confrontation between Courtney and Duncan. For a while now I knew I wanted to have them go head to head, and lay every single card on the table, addressing everything they had been through in their shared history.

This time around I chose Get lucky by Daft punk as the inspiration for the song, i figured i wanted something fun and catchy while they ran through the obstacles, hopefully you enjoy it

We also got to see the cast interact with their animals, I’ll be honest, i dont think i implemented it as well as i could’ve or else this challenge would last like 3 more chapters, but nevertheless i like the way they interacted with their animals, specially Heather and the viper, im not sure why but i like the comparison of Heather and snakes, there's just something regal about it

Next chapter we will catch up with Alejandro as well as we will get through the final test and we will see who ends up going home after a very shocking and dramatic elimination ceremony… perhaps we will gain even more insight into a character…

Chapter 27

Fear and Acceptance

Duncan’s room 6:20AM

A heavy heart can be exhausting, especially when your mind keeps wandering and bumping into every corner of your self-conscious; resting becomes a tricky thing as Duncan was finding out this morning. The punk had barely slept a wink the prior night, between his fight with Gwen, his mixed feelings about Courtney, and the image of Trent fighting for his life still fresh in his mind, Duncan was slowly collapsing under the weight of all the pressure he felt

As he sat on the edge of his bed rubbing his head, he noticed how quiet it was, he could usually hear the hum of the jet engines roaring through the night, yet as he looked out his window he noticed he was no longer in the air, apparently the jumbo jet had landed at some point in the middle of the night

As he scanned the outside of the plane, he noticed the lack of airport infrastructure or even any sign of civilization around at all. Instead all he could see around him was massive stone mountains covered in morning mist, and luscious green fields as far as the eye could see.

With his curiosity peeked, the punk quickly dressed up and walked out into the first class cabin, making his way towards Gwen’s room, to try and get a head start on patching up their currently troubled relationship, yet… as he reached her door and he readied his hand to knock on it, he hesitated.

The punk reasoned with himself coming up with many excuses as to why he did so, after all he knew very well how Gwen hated waking up early and how grumpy she is when she hasn’t had her breakfast, and not to mention how he himself hadn’t eaten anything… Yet the truth he refused to acknowledge in his mind was as clear as crystal, he just didn’t want to face her yet.

So as he sighed and walked away from his girlfriend’s door, he instead went down to the common area, to perhaps find Chef getting a head start on breakfast, yet once he reached the cafeteria, he instead found the entrance to the jumbo jet wide open, and just as before, the punk let his curiosity guide him, venturing out into the fresh morning breeze of the valley.

Once outside he quickly spotted Chef sitting on a lawn chair right outside the jumbo jet, drinking what he could only assume to be a piping hot cup of coffee while looking into the horizon. Seeing as it was still pretty early and his mood wasn’t the best, Duncan opted to approach the normally grumpy and terrifying man as casually as he could “Mornin’ Chef, enjoying some fresh air?”

The intimidating brute looked back towards the delinquent as he mumbled something under his breath, taking a sip of his coffee before responding with subdued annoyance in his voice “You’re up early… I’m just takin’ a break before I get started on breakfast for you maggots, so go back to bed or leave me alone. I flew that plane way too long, I need some rest!”

Duncan heard the message loud and clear, opting instead to walk away from the awkward conversation, instead he figured he himself could use the fresh air, walking towards a nearby smooth looking boulder in the middle of the grassy plain.

As he sat on top of it, the punk produced a zippo lighter and a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, placing one upon his lips, he brought his hand close to make sure the flame wouldn’t be blown away by the breeze. Taking a long drag from the lit cigarette he held it in for just a pause before blowing the smoke into the air, watching as it dissipated in front of his eyes, Duncan silently wished his worries and dilemmas would do the same.

As he enjoyed this brief moment of serenity, he found himself fidgeting with his lighter, opening it and closing it over and over, finding the sensation oddly soothing to his soul. As he closed it once more he took a closer look at the zippo, focusing on its shiny metallic designs, adorned with a heart right where the lighter opened and closed, making it look like a broken heart whenever it opened.

The punk remained fixated on the lighter, silently remembering everything he had done and everywhere he had been with that lighter by his side, never considering himself to be the type to get sentimental about that kind of stuff, yet here he was smiling at it, it really felt as if— “Of course you’re still smoking, why am I not surprised…”

Duncan was caught by surprise by the familiar voice, looking at the side of the boulder where it came from “What the— what are you doing here? Are you following me or something?” he asked as he put away his lighter, only for Courtney to look up at the punk with annoyance in her expression “Absolutely not! I was here first! You just happened to interrupt me as I watched the sunrise with your smoking!”

Seeing as he was no longer by himself, the punk leapt off the boulder and stood right in front of Courtney, with his usual smug grin, ready to fall back into his classic banter with his ex, something which made him feel a sense of normalcy for the first time in a while “Hahah, what are you getting so upset about anyway? If I remember correctly, you and I used to go through a pack pretty quickly together, or are you gonna pretend you never liked it?”

Courtney rolled her eyes at his attempt to get a rise out of her, instead she opted to walk away from him, not wishing to share any more words than necessary “That’s the past Duncan, and unlike you, I changed… I didn’t want to get stuck being the same immature person I was” as she walked away saying those words Duncan felt offended in the lack of faith in his character, which in turn made him feel that same old irritation he always felt whenever the CIT berated him

“Heh… You seriously think you’ve changed so much!? That you’re just over what we had? Yeah right! I know you better than anybody Courtney! Just because you started hanging around those girls in that team doesn’t mean that you’re suddenly not a crazy control freak who is just as bad as I am!” As soon as he said those words Duncan felt a twinge of regret ,as if something inside him were asking him why was he trying to hurt Courtney even more than he already had? What did he gain by creating an even bigger rift between them?

These burning confusions inside him kept flaring up, even more so when his ex lover stopped walking away and turned back to look at him, the sunrise shining on her face as her hair flowed in the wind, her eyes holding nothing but regrets and sadness, yet she refused to yell back at him, instead the words she said next would haunt him for what felt like the rest of his lifetime “You’re right Duncan, I’ve been a horrible person, not just to you but to many others… I have many regrets in my heart… But I want to change” The CIT then looked towards the sunrise once more, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes as she did so, thinking of the long journey still ahead of her, but as she turned towards the punk  she exhaled, looking at him once more  “Duncan… I’m sorry”

Even if eternity had gone by, Duncan would have never thought he would ever hear those words come from Courtney. Out of every single insanity he had lived and was yet to live, this moment proved to be the most unlikely scenario he could’ve ever lived in his eyes, as he stood there frozen and stammering with his words, he felt a knot at the back of his throat “W-What did you j-just s-say! Are you messing with me!?”

However, looking into Courtney’s sun kissed eyes he saw no hint of dishonesty, instead she just kept looking at him with pity as she spoke once more “I’m not messing with you… I’m just saying I’m sorry for all the times I pushed you too far… all the times I didn’t take your feelings into consideration… all the times i belittled you… I was a shitty girlfriend, and I understand why you did the things you did…” she then walked back towards him, each step towards him making his heart beat accelerate

Once she had reached him, the two looked into each other's eyes, their whole history together replaying through his mind, and every trace of any other thought gone, as they remained inches away from each other, the punk kept trying to say something back, only managing to utter a soft and almost silent “Princess…” 

In that moment anything could happen between them, yet Courtney knew very well how she felt, she remembered every sleepless night blaming herself over her heart break, every tear she cried over him, as she thought back to all her suffering and humiliation, something stuck out in her mind. 

She asked herself, what would’ve happened if she didn’t have her friends by her side to help her heal, If Trent hadn’t encouraged her to try and heal, if Lindsay hadn’t shown her kindness and care when she was at her lowest, if Heather hadn’t bonded with her and shown her what it meant to not give up, if Cody hadn’t shown her what it meant to get back up and fight back, to change and grow…

Perhaps she would’ve gone down a darker path, a path full of more anger and manipulations, and an obsession with Gwen and Duncan… 

But standing in front of him here and now, she recognized the truth of everything she had gone through, she realized she had grown, that she had changed, she then proceeded to move her hand closer to the punk’s face, slowly reaching the edge of his lips… and she took away the cigarette from him

She then took a long drag from it before throwing it away just as she walked away once more. “Someone once said to me that some days will be easier than others, and for me, today was the day I realized how much I’ve changed; and I know what I must do.”  CIT stopped to look at the horizon once more as she kept thinking to herself “I don't hate you Duncan, perhaps that makes me weak… But I choose to believe that letting go of my resentment and all that anger makes me stronger… but that changes nothing, I am still going to make sure you go down…”

As he watched the girl he once loved walk back into the jumbo plane Duncan rested his back against the boulder, his heart slowly breaking as he thought about what once was, at the realization that Courtney was able to do the one thing he never could… change.

Once Courtney was inside the jumbo jet she stood still for just a moment before she started having a violent coughing attack “*Cough* *Cough* Blegh!!! I forgot how disgusting cigarettes were ugh!!!”

Heather’s room 9:00AM

After a long night spent talking and bonding with Cody, Heather was feeling energized and ready for whatever the day was about to throw her way. Not to say she was no longer worried about losing the competition, but a sense of calmness had washed over her, thanks to understanding her own feelings she kept suppressing in the past

As she slowly got dressed after a nice hot shower, she thought back to the prior night; once Cody had sat with her and she had ate dinner next to him, the two of them spent a long time just laying in bed looking at the ceiling together, talking about their own insecurities

A part of her was anxious to tell him about her mother, and all the hardships her family had been through so far trying to find a way to help her, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to do so…. Perhaps it was pride, or maybe it was fear of being seen as weak

Yet the more she thought about it, the less sense it made not to trust in Cody, if anybody in the world had earned her trust it was him; the guy had shown her over and over how much he cared for her, not to mention the fact that he was CLEARLY in love with her, at least according to Lindsay, Courtney and Trent… which brought her to her next point.

Just last night she had finally accepted a truth she kept ignoring for a while now… She was in love with Cody…. 

As Heather stood in the middle of her room looking at herself in the mirror and adjusting her shirt, she suddenly stopped and walked over to her bed, she then laid face down and put a pillow on her face before letting out a loud scream that left her red in the face.

She then started rolling in bed while still clutching the pillow and screaming her lungs out, all while kicking her feet in both glee and frustration, asking herself a million nonsensical questions “HOW!? WHY!? WHEN!? AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!”  

In the past the queen bee had always been confident in herself when it came to the matters of the heart, at times never even giving a second thought to such things, she knew she was popular and attractive, most boys would fawn at her whenever she was on stage or just walking the halls of her high school. Yet she never really felt what others called ‘love’, she would sometimes find a guy attractive, but never did she feel those so called butterflies in her stomach whenever she was near somebody, nor did she spend the night thinking of somebody in hopes of finding them in her dreams

And then there was Cody… somebody she overlooked countless times in the past, whom she barely even bothered remembering his name, yet after all they had been through it was as if suddenly all those dumb love songs people sang about made sense to her, she couldn’t imagine life without him in it anymore

All she wanted was to find out even more about him, go out on dates, spend the day hanging out and the night cuddling and making out… making out…. “AGHHHHH!!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME WHAT IS THIS!!?”  she yelled onto her pillow, feeling tortured yet oddly  enjoying her newfound feelings

*Knock Knock*

The sudden knock made Heather sit up in shock, her heart beating at an insane pace, she hurried towards the door, excitedly hoping it was Cody, as she passed by her mirror, she stopped for a moment to fix up her hair and make sure she looked as hot and confident as she always did, she then made her way towards the door and took in a deep breath, opening it as she smiled “Good morning Punchy~ come to get me for some breakf— oh hey Courtney…”

The CIT stood by the door for a couple of seconds holding back her laughter, yet she lost the battle as she started cackling while entering her friend’s room “Bhahahaha, were you expecting somebody else queenie? Hahahah”  once inside Courtney sat down on the bed making herself comfortable, all while Heather tried and failed to hide how much she was blushing “Yeah yeah very funny, what’s up bossy lady, you just come here to make fun of me?” 

As Courtney finished her laugh, she wiped a tear from her eye while catching her breath before remarking the reason for her visit “-Hah, I just came by to check up on you and see if you wanted to go get some breakfast; I was a bit worried after you wouldn’t leave your room all day yesterday, but i see Cody got you feeling better huh?”  The queen bee went back to looking in the mirror as she rolled her eyes, trying to hide how flustered the CIT’s teasing had gotten her “Yeah… I guess you could say so, even when I tried to turn him away he wouldn’t leave” Heather looked towards the corner of her room where most of her other clothes were, looking at the bright red scarf he had gifted her back in Russia, she smiled warmly looking at it “He can be so silly sometimes…”

The quick glance at the scarf and the smile appearing on her friend’s face was not lost on Courtney, she then stood up and walked up to the mirror as well, putting a hand on her shoulder as they both looked at the reflection “Yeah… he’s a bit of a goof, but he really cares about you, y'know?"  The two girls then shared a knowing look before Courtney spoke once more “When did we both become such softies?”

Heather let out a smug laugh, moving away from the mirror and back towards the bed “Hah, yeah right, we’re not soft, we just know when to tone it down”  Courtney laughed along the queen bee, as a sign of agreeing with her point, it was then that the moment they were sharing was suddenly interrupted 

*Knock Knock Knock*

Both the queen bee and the CIT perked up and looked towards the door, with an evil smile appearing on Courtney’s face before she ran to the door, making Heather panic as she fell off the bed trying to reach said door, however, Courtney proved way faster, swinging the door wide open to greet the only other possible person who would come by so early “Oh hey Cody, what are you doing here so early~~?”

Cody felt surprised and panicked for a moment, making sure he had knocked on the right door before looking back at the CIT “Heyyyy~~~ Courtney…. I was um, you know just uh–” Courtney was truly enjoying teasing the both of them, there was just something so satisfying about messing with people when they were your friends that was hard to put into words “Hahaha, yeah yeah think about an excuse inside”  she cut him off as she grabbed him by the collar and brought him into the room

Once inside, Cody walked over towards Heather who was still trying to pick herself from the floor, as he helped her up to her feet he smiled warmly at the queen bee, who did the same, both of them getting lost in each others eyes without even realizing it “H-hey, did you sleep well?”  as she still held onto his hand, Heather felt a surge of shyness suddenly take over her, struggling to respond to the mundane question “Uh yeah I did… thanks again for last night, I really appreciate it”

Courtney stood by the door just staring at them, a part of her happy to see the two of them interact in such a sweet way, yet as much as she was happy for them, the thought of her own love life and all the struggles she’d had up to that point still stinged in her heart “Maybe some day…” she thought to herself, walking up to the pair of love birds

As she got close to the both of them, she snapped her fingers repeatedly in their faces to bring them back to earth“Ok enough of that, the three of us have to talk strategy for today, even if we are in the merge, it’s still basically 3 vs 3, so we have to make sure one of them goes home today…” 

Both Cody and Heather perked up and paid attention, intrigued by Courtney’s resolve, the queen bee even noticing that familiar fire behind the CIT’s eyes, she knew then and there, whatever happened or whatever they were about to go through today, there was no chance they would lose “Ok courtney, I’m listening…”

First Class cabin 10:00AM

Gwen had grown tired of waiting for Duncan to come by her room to try and patch things up with her, truth be told she wasn't feeling as angry and stressed as she had been last night, in fact she was feeling a bit remorseful about the things she said…

In truth, Gwen came to the realisation that by choosing to fight with Duncan she was more than likely playing into Heather’s hand; So instead of just letting her relationship go through even more turmoil she would try to play it in a more understanding and loving manner

*Knock Knock Knock*

“Good morning sleepy head! Can we talk?” As she knocked on Duncan’s door, she looked around the cabin, noticing no trace of anybody else, it felt like a ghost town compared to just a month ago when the whole jumbo jet was full of many other contestants, smiling sadly she thought back to all her old friends she failed to bond with this time around

But then again, Leshawna had been assigned to the ill fated team victory, so they had barely even interacted, the same thing happened with Bridgette who left the competition pretty early on, and even when she returned things had turned hostile between them back in Brazil… the more she thought about it, her friendships had really taken a sour turn ever since she got together with Duncan, seeing as she really wasn't in the best of terms with Cody, Trent and especially Courtney 

Gwen shook her head quickly trying to push those uncomfortable thoughts to the back of her mind, there would be time later on to fix those relationships, but as she kept waiting for the punk to answer the door, her frustrations from the previous night were starting to flare up once more “Duncan! It’s me…Stop ignoring me”  as the goth spoke up in the awkwardly lonely cabin she once again received no answer from the punk

Growing increasingly frustrated, the goth started walking back into her room, muttering to herself about how angry the whole situation was making her feel, but then again what did she expect from her boyfriend, historically speaking he really wasn’t the most tactful guy around, could it be that what Alejandro said the night before was becoming true? Was he bored of her already?

The thought was proving too much for her, as her breathing got faster and more erratic, a cold chill ran through her veins with each step she took in the cabin; she even started to feel claustrophobic, imagining the walls closing in on her, she fell to her knees “ *pant* *pant* Dunc–an”  not a second later however she felt a hand on her shoulder and somebody kneel besides her “Gwen? Are you feeling ok?”

The goth came crashing back down to reality in that moment, looking to her side to see Alejandro kneeling beside her, a stern yet worried look on his face “Wha… What are you? Where's Duncan?” The Spaniard then helped her up to her feet and walked her towards a seat by the window. He then made his way towards the first class bar and poured a glass of water for her “Your worse half is currently down stairs in the cafeteria… stuffing his face with dumplings and noodles that Chef made for us”

As he walked around the bar once more and offered her the glass, Alejandro leaned against the chair across from her, his eyes asking for an explanation for what had just happened to her, yet he remained subdued in his questioning of her, opting instead to let her take her time  “He’s downstairs eating without me? But I thought he would’ve wanted to fix things with me… I mean I barely even slept last night thinking about him and he’s just acting like nothing even happened!? What the hell!”

The Spaniard gave a sympathetic sigh, looking past the goth and towards Duncan’s door as if he were in deep contemplation “Such a shame… He looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but then again that’s just the way he is, a bad boy rebel am i right?” he then fixed his gaze onto Gwen who looked back at him with disbelief in her eyes “I need to lay down… I don't feel so good”

Alejandro then got closer towards the goth, kneeling beside her he spoke in a reassuring tone “You should take a couple of minutes to get your head straight my friend… go lay down, I’ll come get you before the challenge starts” Gwen took a sip from her glass of water as she stood up once more, looking at Alejandro with just as much disbelief as before, her mind too tired and stressed to try and question his motives, only one doubt escaped her lips “I will yeah but… what’s your deal? Why are you suddenly acting so nice? What’s your angle?”

Alejandro let out a small laugh as he also stood up, scratching the back of his neck in a very humble manner “I must confess, I do have ulterior motives, but only because I still need you to perform well during the challenge so that we may survive until the finale, after all that’s what alliances are all about, right Gwen?”

The goth stood by for a moment, looking into his eyes with suspicion, a part of her knowing better than to trust him… but in the end her worn out heart won over her own doubts, so she walked back into her room without saying another word, only thinking about getting her head straight as to avoid any chance of failure during the challenge.

As soon as Gwen left the cabin Alejandro took her previously used glass and sat down by the bar, chuckling by himself at how simple it all was for him. While it was true Duncan was down stairs in the cafeteria, it was only because of the fact that he was grabbing enough food for himself and Gwen to have breakfast together, a fact he had caught on to fast enough to race back up to first class to try and intercept the goth and keep her from her boyfriend “All she needs now is a little push… and she will trust me without a question…”

While he contemplated how effortless his manipulations were turning out to be, Alejandro heard foot steps coming his way, he smiled deviously as he prepared his next move, knowing exactly what to say to the approaching delinquent “Good morning Duncan, my my that looks like quite the hearty meal” the punk ignored the Spaniards words as he walked passed him and towards the dormitories, his mood not really having improved in the slightest

However, as bad as he was feeling, Duncan knew very well that he couldn’t keep isolating himself from Gwen, regardless of his own struggles, he at least owed her an explanation for his behaviour.

Seeing as the punk was choosing to ignore him, Alejandro put into action his plan “I wouldn’t go see her if I were you…” Duncan stopped in his tracks, thanks to his irritation and his horrible mood, it seemed pretty easy to get a rise of him this morning “Y’know, I really don't remember asking for your opinion AL, In fact I don’t think anybody with half a brain has asked you for any sort of input into their personal lives AL! So how’s about you just behave like a good boy and keep your mouth shut, how’s that sound AL?”

Alejandro was expecting the hostility from the delinquent, this however didn’t stop him from feeling extremely irritated by that cursed nickname, he stood up and took in a deep breath to calm himself down, he walked towards Duncan, his eye twitching with subdued irritation “Duncan~ mi amigo… I understand you must feel pretty angry and stressed about many things, but there’s no need to take it out on me, in fact I’m only trying to look out for you”

The punk raised an eyebrow intrigued by his words, thinking to himself what sort of nonsense he was about to spew at him, so he decided to humor him, walking back to the bar he placed the plates of food on the table and smugly leaned against it “All right then ‘amigo’ how are you looking out for me by telling me not to go talk to my girlfriend?”

Alejandro walked back towards the bar as well, leaning against it in the same fashion his ex team mate had, he took Gwen’s previously used glass of water, sliding it towards him “What’s this?”  asked the punk giving a puzzled look “You don't recognize the blue lipstick? It couldn’t have been that long since the both of you kissed right” responded the Spaniard with a tone of heavy sarcasm

Taking the glass in his hands Duncan glared at Alejandro who simply looked back at him with that smug expression, as he looked closer he noticed immediately, that really was Gwen’s color of lipstick, it was unmistakable to him, turning back towards the Spaniard he then asked skeptically “So she came and got a glass of water, so what?”  Alejandro gave a fake sigh as he looked away from the punk, feigning concern for him “Well, I was just minding my business sitting by the bar as she did so, and you know me, I greeted her with my usually warm demeanor, I even wished her good luck during today’s challenge, however she seemed to not really be in a talking mood today, so much so that once she had finished her glass she walked back towards her room, only turning to look at me to say one thing”

Duncan narrowed his eyes as he heard the story, he had to admit, it did sound like something Gwen would do, but with his curiosity peeked he didn't bother to try question it any further, instead he kept listening “She said to me and I quote ‘If you see Duncan try and come talk to me, tell him I’m not in the mood, I’m still angry at him…’”

Alejandro then moved closer towards Duncan and put a hand on his shoulder “My friend, believe me, I want nothing more than for the both of you to stay together, It would be extremely inconvenient for all of us if you somehow mess up your relationship” Duncan swatted the Spaniard’s arm away from his shoulder, standing up and creating space between them “Oh yeah? How so pretty boy? Why are you so invested in me not screwing things up with Gwen?”

Alejandro dropped the sympathetic act in that moment, staring right back into Duncan’s eyes “It’s simple… if the both of you break up and start fighting, that means we will be easy pickings for Heather and Courtney to eliminate us one by one… so how about you listen to me and leave her alone, at least until the challenge is over, after that we will have the numbers advantage over them”  both men then stared at each other for a couple of seconds, seeing if the other would flinch

But then again, having had so much stress in his heart made Duncan falter, opting to turn around and back into his room, his mood somehow worse than it had been so far, he slammed his door with all his might leaving Alejandro alone in the cabin once more

The Spaniard chuckled to himself once more, grabbing one of the plates, he took a dumpling and savored it in triumph “Mmm, Chef really outdid himself today hahah…”

Li River Valley China 1:30PM

Chris Mclean walked out from the jumbo jet and into the lush green field nestled in between the massive stone mountains in the distance; as he walked towards the cast he took in a deep satisfied breath before he began his speech, standing next to chef as he did so “Ahhh, don't you just love the smell of serenity and enlightenment in the morning? Hehe I know i do; but anyways, Welcome to China everybody, we’re currently  in Li river Valley, one of the worlds most beautiful nature landscapes”

While Chris spoke about the beautiful scenery and the historical significance of the valley, a truck could be seen in the distance driving towards them “As many of you probably noticed, it took us a bit longer than usual to get here, it just so happened that we had to change the original plan of traveling to the great wall and eating traditional chinese cuisine… Kind of a bummer, cause i was also planning on singing with you all during the challenge”

A collective sigh of relief was then shared by everybody present, including Chef, which then became a mocking laugh at the host’s expense, with Heather even remarking on the fortunate turn of events “Oh thank god! Hahah whatever happens next has GOT to be better than that” 

Chris’s ego was slightly bruised by the mockery, as he shot a nasty look back at Chef who stopped his laughing and started whistling instead “Whatever! It’s your loss…. But with that out of the way, allow me to present today’s challenge!” As the truck reached the jumbo jet, Chris stepped in front of it holding 6 distinct envelopes. “Today’s challenge is gonna be all about finding out which one of you is the chosen one to become the dragon warrior!”

The whole cast looked at each other in confusion unsure of what the hell Chris was talking about “A little more details please?” asked Courtney, stepping forward “Glad you asked Courtney, the dragon warrior is said to be the ultimate master of Kung Fu and spiritual enlightenment, and for the purposes of the show, the dragon warrior will be the only one to receive immunity today!”

While the host explained, a group of interns were unloading the truck, bringing out 6 wooden crates, all while Chef wheeled out a TV monitor, showing a map of the area “So to decide which one of you is gonna be this legendary warrior, we will have 3 tests you will have to complete, and the first one is for you to reach the jade temple at the top of that mountain” Chris then highlighted a mountain about a mile away from where they were standing

Alejandro listened carefully as the host went through the details, yet there were still many questions on his mind, what was up with the giant wooden crates, and those envelopes Chris was holding? “Very well, seems pretty standard, however I must ask, what’s up with the wooden crates behind you?” Chris then chuckled to himself, oh how he loved messing with them “You see Alejandro, to be a true kung-fu master you must learn the different fighting styles, which are all based around the way animals move and attack… which brings me to my next point! All of you must choose one of these 6 envelopes I’m holding, Inside you will find out which animal you will be assigned to go through the first part of the challenge with” 

Aaaaand there it was, that classic and unhinged Total Drama twist that made things extra lethal; both Heather and Courtney shared a worried look, as did Gwen and Alejandro, with the Spaniard feeling a sense of worry, it was one thing to manipulate people, but wild animals could prove to be unpredictable and dangerous, and he really hated not having a sense of control…

As Chris handed the envelopes to Chef, the giant intimidating man shuffled them multiple times while laughing sinisterly as he walked by the cast, handing them out one by one, with that taken care of Chris smiled at the camera and gave the order “Allright! The moment of truth! Open the envelopes and find out which animal will be your assigned companion!”

The first to open their envelope was Gwen, who felt there was no point in delaying the inevitable, ripping the envelope and taking out a beautifully decorated card with a picture of a hand drawn bird “uhhh a stork?” Chris couldn’t help but face palm at the goth’s ignorance “Uhhh hello? It’s a Crane! Huge difference” Gwen simply rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath “...Whatever…”

The next ones to open their envelopes were Duncan and Courtney, with the punk cracking a smile for the first time today “Awww yeah, cool a monkey!” However, in complete contrast to his reaction, Courtney let out a loud gasp “A t-t-tiger!!!???”  the formers reaction made Chris laugh, there was just something about seeing Courtney stressed out and in fear that made it so much sweeter to him

Feeling as if there couldn’t be anything worse than being forced to climb a mountain next to a tiger, Heather then opened her envelope.. Only to also let out a fearful gasp as well “A SNAKE!!!!???”  Chris’s laughter got even louder once her heard her “Hahah, oh wow, of course you out of everybody would get the viper haha”  Heather started panicking, not so much because she was afraid of snakes, but also because of the CLEAR danger she would be in “Oh come on Chris! Vipers are poisonous, are you trying to kill me?”

The host wiped a tear from his eye before clearing his throat “Actually Heather, Vipers are venomous not poisonous, which means you won't die from touching it, only from being bitten…. But I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you, we took extra precautions to ensure your safety hehe” Chris’s words did little to calm the queen bee down, who seemed to only further fall into a panic “Oh yeah right I dont believe a word you’re saying!!”

While Cody was trying to calm Heather down, Alejandro observed closely, feeling a bitter annoyance at the nerd who had somehow taken all of Heather’s attention away from him; ever since they had hit the half way point it seemed like every single trace of attraction and sexual tension the queen bee felt towards him had slowly vanished, and before he knew it she had shifted all her attention towards that pathetic excuse of a man known as Cody…

At first he simply thought it was just Heather’s way of staying in the competition, by staying close to the nerd and manipulating him into trusting her. Yet time and time again she seemed to actually care for him and enjoy his company… Nothing about the situation made sense to him.

However those thoughts would have to wait to be further addressed, as he opened his own envelope and looked at his drawing a confident smirk appeared on his face “Well, this shouldn’t be so hard for me, after all how dangerous can a small praying mantis be?”

While Heather was trying to not hyperventilate at the prospect of having a snake wrapped around her while she scaled a mountain, Cody took her hand and squeezed it, snapping her away from that panic momentarily “Hey! Heather! Listen to me! It’s gonna be ok, you can do this! I’ve seen you take on worse things than a snake right?” the queen bee stared into his deep ocean blue eyes, there was just something about those blue orbs that made her calm down when nothing else could

She took in a deep breath and exhaled as she squeezed his hand back, standing tall she glared at the host and the crates being placed outside the truck “While I appreciate your words of encouragement, It’s still a deadly snake… but I’ll figure something out… but anyway, hurry up and open up your envelope! maybe we can switch!” Cody gave a nervous laugh at his crush’s suggestion, not looking forward to whatever dangerous and savage animal awaited him

The nerd then ripped the envelope with his eyes closed and took out his own card, slowly opening one eye in a nervous fashion his eyes suddenly darted open “What! What is it!?” asked a worried and mortified Heather, to which Cody stumbled with his words, not feeling sure how to feel about the task he had at hand, after all nothing sounded more frustrating and exhausting than trying to cooperate with one of nature’s laziest and stubborn animals “A… A Panda!!?

Author Notes

And now the stage is set for the challenge to begin, and let me tell ya the drama and action are only going to ramp up, this time around there will be only one contestant with immunity, so make your bets on who will come out on top

As a quick refresher, these are the contestants and animals they are assigned 

Alejandro- Mantis

Gwen- Crane

Duncan- Monkey

Courtney- Tiger

Heather- Viper

Cody- Panda

You probably noticed by now but there's a huge inspiration/reference to the challenge, what can I say when writing sometimes it works like a dream

Anyhow, this time around we saw an even bigger moment of character development for Courtney, it took a lot for her to reach the point she is in, to look inwards and realize the mistakes she’s made in the past, to realize that it’s not just about the pain she’s received but also about the pain she inflicted. As much as i like her character in the original show, she could sometimes be oblivious to her own flaws and be a bully and a villain, so i hope i made her come across a bit more mature about herself, even if apologizing to Duncan for the past was very difficult, she recognized that she needed to grow and be better… but thats not to say that she is just gonna forget about the pain she has gone through…

We also saw Alejandro take a more active role in sabotaging Gwen and Duncan, both of them playing into his hand masterfully, as we get closer and closer to the climax we will start seeing things from his point of view and understanding why he is the way he is, and just what is he looking to gain from all of this (apart from the money)

With all that said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, this one will probably be the last one of 2025, and I just wanna take a second and thank everybody who has ever read No Regrets, I started this fic 6 months ago, and so far I’ve had a blast writing it.

Chapter 26

Reasons and Insecurities

One year ago, Filming Lot of Total Drama Action

The second season of Total Drama was proving to be just as unpredictable and insane as the first so far, at least it was for Lindsay, who so far was having a bad day. Her team the Killer Grips had just lost a reward challenge, themed around a medical drama movie,after  they had spent the whole night studying to be a doctor.

Needless to say, Lindsay had a hard time with this challenge specifically. Seeing as she really didn't understand much of that medical nonsense, not to mention Chris tricking everybody into thinking they were all infected by a deadly disease, and being shocked by electric eels all day… honestly it felt like Chris spent the day torturing them rather than hosting a challenge

So once everything was over for the day, the whole cast went back to their sleeping quarters to rest up for the night, except for Leshawna, who ended up receiving the reward for winning the challenge, spending the night at a spa with her best friend.

However instead of just going to bed,  Lindsay decided to take a walk around the film lot, to clear her head from all the studying she had done the night before, as she rounded the corner towards the studio gates she noticed a very distressed Heather, sitting on the curb and crying by herself

The blonde stood frozen and observed from afar as the biggest bully (apart from Duncan) in the show sobbed into her hands, sitting by the gate and watching as various limousines left the property. Now that she thought about it, they had seemingly brought everybody’s best friend over in case they won the reward

As she kept spying on the bald queen bee, she saw as Chris walked towards her, seemingly annoyed at the state she was in “Look i understand you want to see your mom, but you should’ve thought about that before you gave the reward to Leshawna, so I can't really allow you to see her ok?” Heather looked up towards the heartless host with tears in her eyes, wiping them away before standing up and leaving in a huff “Yeah right! As if anybody in my team was gonna let me have the reward… I just wanted to say hi to her, see how she was feeling….”

Chris simply shrugged and started walking away as well “Well if you miss her so much, just lose a challenge and get voted off hehe” this response made Heather even angrier, as she kept walking away she kicked a trash can and let out a frustrated yell 

Seeing everything that had taken place left Lindsay puzzled, she had honestly never seen the queen bee this wound up about anything, hell she didn't even think it was possible for her to cry! As she mused on these thoughts, the blonde spotted a piece of paper with something written on it left behind where Heather was sitting before

The blonde looked to see if there was anyone else still around, she then walked over quickly and read the letter, anxious to see if perhaps this left over letter could clarify what was going on with her ex friend

‘Hey mom

I’m writing you this letter in the middle of a challenge, I’ll spare you the details, it’s kind of disgusting, but im pretty sure you and dad will watch it on tv

I just want you to know that i miss you, and I know you’ve told me I don't have to go on tv and humiliate myself, but I’m doing all of this for you, I want to make sure we can get the money to pay for your treatment, I know i come off as an evil spawn of the devil on tv, but you know me, i know i can be a bit difficult,  but It keeps me popular with the audience.

Just know that I won't let you down, I’m going to win this and come back to you in time to save you, no Cold Heart syndrome will take you away from our family

Love, your little ballerina, Heather.

PS: Please don't let Regina and Aaron touch my things while I’m gone!!!’

As Lindsay read the note, she lingered in place for a moment, it was almost like a shock to the senses, not in a million years did she ever consider this side of Heather… it seemed crazy, and it also didn't excuse how awful she had behaved towards her and Beth, but the more she thought about it, it kinda made sense why she was so desperate to win at all times.

As she glanced at the note once more, she focused on three specific words “Cold Heart Syndrome…”  the blonde was then shaken out of her thoughts as she heard fast footsteps heading her way once more, in a moment of panic, she put the letter down and jumped into a nearby bush, right in time as Heather rounded the corner 

The queen bee then rushed towards the left behind letter, grabbing it off the floor as she did her best to calm her breathing “Thank god… dont need anybody finding this…” she then walked over the previously kicked trash can, fixing it in place before she proceeded to rip her letter into many pieces

Once the evidence of her vulnerability was disposed of, Heather once again walked away, towards her trailer, to try and put the day’s disappointments behind her. After a couple of minutes, Lindsay emerged from the bushes, picking leaves off of her hair, as she looked towards the trailers… a look of sympathy on her face she walked back to her own trailer, opting to respect the queen bee’s privacy

Present Day, Common Area 6:55PM

After the dance off challenge in Sweden, everybody was beyond exhausted, as it seemed that so far the last couple of challenges kept ramping up in difficulty, pushing them both physically and mentally

Which is why after their sad goodbye with Lindsay, Heather retreated into her room, asking to be left alone for a while, seemingly feeling very disheartened with how things had ended back in Sweden

Cody tried his best to respect her privacy, reasoning that she was taking Lindsay’s elimination pretty hard and needed some space. However, something inside him was telling him there was more to it than just Lindsay leaving

However the next morning came and went and the queen bee still refused to leave her room, even turning away both Courtney and Cody who tried checking up on her at different points, the pair then opted to try and respect her wishes of privacy and instead spent the day just hanging out around the jumbo jet, sharing both breakfast and dinner

As they went down to the cafeteria and sat across from each other, their collective mood seemed pretty down, with Cody barely eating anything, and Courtney just twirling her spoon on her bowl over and over

The CIT looked over at her ex team mate, thinking back to how much her opinion of him had changed ever since they reached the half way point of the show. She had slowly begun to notice his change in demeanor as well as his contributions to the team, not to mention how much his confidence had grown and how helpful and sweet he was.

Courtney couldn’t help but smile, who knew such a nerdy pipsqueak could be able to turn it all around in the manner that he had, she then playfully flicked her finger on his forehead to get his attention “OW! What was that for!?”  he asked as he rubbed his forehead

“I just wanted to snap you out of it, you seemed lost in thought”  she answered, sitting up properly while giving a smirk as if to say it was nothing, Cody rolled his eyes as he slumped back into his own chair “Yeah right, you’re one to talk, you’ve been all mopey since the other night, and also after we got back into the plane, you seemed a bit… Sad… are you ok Courtney?”

Courtney was expecting that question sooner or later, she really sucked at hiding her feelings it seemed, so for a moment she pondered if it would be wise to confide in Cody. For what it was worth, she had grown fond of him, seeing as they shared a friend group now, but then again, she had interacted with him the least out of everybody!

But as she looked into his eyes she saw genuine concern for her, thinking back to that final challenge in LA, how he rallied her to not give up and fight back, how he called her strong and capable, in a weird way, those words that day marked the beginning of her healing process, as if they were the soft push towards letting go of her anger and self hatred…

Knowing deep in her heart she could count on him, Courtney took a deep breath and returned the nerd’s gaze, equally as focused as his own “I know I sound like a broken record at this point… but it has to do with Duncan.” Cody was expecting that answer, hard to fault his friend for it, having witnessed how the relationship to the delinquent had affected her so badly

Cody placed a hand over the CIT’s for reassurance, which she gladly took before she spoke once more “I… ended up slow dancing with him during the last challenge, and it was very emotional for me. i know, im pathetic” Courtney, looked away as she said this, almost too ashamed to admit how weak her ex lover made her with such little effort, However, Cody refused to let her feel that way “Heh, i dont think you’re pathetic, hell i think you’ve been stronger than you give yourself credit for, i mean, you got cheated on and broken up with in front of the whole world, and you’ve managed to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward, if you ask me, that takes guts!”

Courtney gave a dry chuckle at the nerd’s words of encouragement, he really was a nice guy, just like Trent… “I guess I know that, I wouldn't have been able to do so if it weren't for all you guys… which is why I know what I have to do”  Cody gave a puzzled look at what she said “What do you mean what you’re gonna do?”  the CIT paused for just a second, as much as she trusted her friends, something inside her told her to not tell him about Trent’s accident…

Instead she pivoted quickly and instead brought up something else entirely “No need to worry about that… instead, tell me what are you gonna do about Queenie? I don't think I’ve ever seen her so upset before… ” Courtney sat back once more, clearly worried for her usually dauntless and unshakable friend

However Cody remained looking down, a stern look on his face as he kept pondering his next course of action “Yeah… I don't want to force her to talk to me about whatever it is that’s making her feel this way, but I can't help but feel that this is about more than just Lindsay’s elimination…” It was Courtney’s turn to reassure him, as she flicked his forehead once more “Hey! I may not know exactly what’s going on between the two of you, but I can clearly tell she trusts you, she’s just stubborn as hell, and when she gets down on herself about something she isolates herself… So to hell with everything else, break those barriers and go to her!”

As he rubbed his forehead once more, he really took in what Courtney was telling him, if he really cared about her, he would be there for her, and not let her struggle with whatever was going on “you’re right… I want to be there for her, I promised her I would… thanks Courtney, I also know what I’m gonna do!”

the CIT winked at him, happy to know they were helping each other in their own way with their own dilemmas “No, thank you Cody… I’m glad we can count on each other … I'm sorry for being so… mean to you before, but after getting to know you… i just gotta say, You're a special guy, Heather is lucky to have you in her life…” 

For a second Cody was taken aback by her words, he never really gave it much thought before, having grown used to being overlooked and unliked by her, but looking back at the bond they had somehow made, he realized he held no resentment towards her, instead he looked at her and gave a warm smile "Don't worry about it, so how about we just finish eating and strategize our next move?” 

Courtney gave an amused laugh, happy to know she wasn’t the only one obsessed with having her moves planned ahead of time, perhaps it was one of those things she never knew she had in common with Cody

Duncan’s room 7:00PM

Time can be an interesting concept, often time it feels as if it passes by quickly while you’re living, other times it slows down to a crawl, especially when your mind seems conflicted, which was the case with Duncan

The usually unflappable Punk was laying in bed just staring at the ceiling, as if he would somehow find the answers to his dilemmas. It was hard to put into words, he usually just lived life as it came to him, not thinking twice about the decisions he made, he was a rebel at heart, and never saw any point in regretting his actions, no matter who he ended up hurting…

As he looked back on his life, it was clear how his attitude seemed to hurt others, yet he never cared, no matter how much he intimidated those around him, or disappointed his parents, he always reasoned that he was somehow in the right, that it was just the way he lived his life

But then there was Courtney… when they had first met, she looked like any other uptight bossy girl he knew back home, but as they bonded and fell for one another, he fell in love with her burning passion for life, with her drive to win, with that same ruthlessness he saw in himself

Yet for all her charms, she always held him accountable for his flaws, always bossing him around and expecting him to just follow her around without question, only living to be whatever she wanted him to be… It made him feel as if he wasn’t good enough for her, after all if she loved him as much as she said she did, why was she always trying to change him?

So when Gwen came into his life, he saw somebody who liked him for everything he already was, somebody who liked him for being a bad boy… but was that all that he was? Just a good for nothing punk? An adventure?

He really liked Gwen, there was no doubt about it in his heart… So why wasn’t he feeling that same burning passion he felt with Courtney back then? 

And just why was he feeling so much guilt over everything he had done out of nowhere!? Was it because he almost killed Trent? Was it because he clearly saw how much he hurt Courtney before? Was it all just becoming too real for him?

He stood up and punched the wall in frustration, feeling that powerless feeling of being trapped in his own mind, he felt as if he was going insane!

*Knock Knock*

The sudden knock at his door made him come back to reality, he stood up from his bed and lazily opened it, knowing exactly who was visiting him, as he walked back to his bed “Hey… how are you?” asked Gwen as she stood by the door, looking exhausted and absent minded, which was picked up by Duncan pretty quickly

Sadly he himself felt just as emotionally exhausted and gone, no matter how much he wanted to cheer his girl up, his heart and mind were not in it, so as he laid back down on his bed he looked towards his girlfriend and gave an insincere smile “I’m all right, just a bit out of it, I should be fine by tomorrow…”

Deep inside, Gwen knew there was more to his sudden mood switch than he was willing to let on, could it be that Heather had somehow gotten to him? It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility… she knew better than to just straight up ask him if that was the case, so instead she opted to see if she could gather any more information off of him “Right… maybe you just need some rest, do you mind if i join you? I feel like we really haven't spent much time together the last couple of days, it would be nice to just stay together and cuddle”

Duncan gave another half hearted smile at the goth’s proposition, finding it hard to find a reason not to spend time with her, so instead Duncan did something he hadn’t done in a long time, he tried being honest “Y’know pasty, i love spending time with you, but im just not in the mood right now… I have too much on my mind and I just want to be left alone for tonight… you get it right?”

The goth lingered by the door for a couple of more seconds, too stunned to say anything, it really made no sense, how did her boyfriend just completely switch up on her out of nowhere, she knew for a fact now that this was probably Heather’s doing… “Hey, come on dude, what’s going on? What’s this all about, you can talk to me, we’re in this together right?”

Duncan could see Gwen grow a bit desperate in her demeanor, but even if he was not in the mood to deal with it, he knew that it was his responsibility to reassure her “Woah woah, it’s all right girl, I’m just not  in the mood to be around others, you know what that's like right?” as he walked towards her and put his arms around her waist he felt her go stiff “...Gwen?” 

The goth let out a sigh and backed away from her boyfriend, an annoyed look on her face clearly showing her inner frustrations “Duncan, please trust me and speak to me, No matter what that evil manipulative bitch has against you i know we can overcome her if we stick together, now is not the time for you to push me away” she remained steady in her resolve to get through him, not willing to let Heather get in between her and the man she had fought so hard to be with

However all these nuances were lost on Duncan, who felt a pit in his stomach upon hearing the words coming from Gwen, how could she have possibly known about his talks with Courtney? Did she see them slow dancing during the last challenge? Or maybe she overheard them speaking back in economy class… whatever the case there was one thing he knew for sure, there was no need to talk about Courtney in such a way, hell if anything the only evil manipulators so far were the both of them…

The punk then gave a stern expression of his own as he narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend “Hey come on, there’s no need for you to talk about her like that, and also I’m not pushing you away, I’m just asking you to let me deal with my own business by myself!”  as his tone turned harsher Gwen stepped back in disbelief, nothing made sense anymore, just what the hell did Heather have on Duncan to make him act this way?

“Really Duncan? No need to talk about her like that? After everything she’s done to me? I cant believe you’d say such a thing Ugh… fine take your time or whatever, I’ll be in my room!” the goth then stormed off in a fury, her whole world crumbling around her slowly, all she could do was curse the queen bee for the suffering she kept inflicting in her life… but not for much longer

As Gwen slammed the door behind her Duncan turned back into the room and punched his wall once more, feeling even more frustrated than before, as if his guilt were about to swallow him whole, and even if he felt bad about lashing out towards Gwen… he knew he had no right to talk badly about Courtney… not after everything he had done to her… as he laid back in bed and looked at the ceiling twirling his pocket knife between his fingers a single word escaped him “Princess…”

First class cabin 7:20PM

Gwen walked away from Duncan’s room, even more distressed than she had been before, if such a thing was possible, with her sights set on finally confronting the bane of her existence… Heather

To her it was all ridiculous, unable to explain to herself just what the hell was wrong with the queen bee, why was she so obsessed with messing with her life and manipulating everybody around her!? Why couldn’t she just compete fairly and just leave her alone for once in her life!?

The goth hurried her steps, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were turning white, it was all going to end here and now, forget the challenges and whatever else anybody thought about it! She had crossed the line a long time ago…

As she reached the queen bee’s door she pulled back her arm to knock on it with all her strength… only to be surprised when her arm was grabbed from behind as a voice whispered in her ear “And just what do you think you’re doing my dear pale friend?”  

Gwen looked back to see Alejandro holding her back and giving her a menacing glare with as much force as he was holding her arm, the goth pulled back her arm from him as she glared back at him “I’ve had enough of her… she’s been messing with my life for a long time and im sick of it, it ends now!”  she then turned back to face the door once more only to be stopped once again by him, this time being pinned against the opposite wall

“So what are you going to do? Start a fight with her? Get yourself expelled from the competition and give her a clear path to victory? I’m sure you noticed how she still has Cody and Courtney on her side, and if you’re gone it’s pretty much over for me and Duncan as well, have you thought of that?”  Alejandro held her tight by the arm against the wall, never breaking eye contact or blinking as he made his point, making sure the goth understood clearly the potential consequences to her actions

Gwen struggled in futility against his strong grip on her, like a rabid animal caught in a trap she refused to submit to him, but deep down she knew he was right… she was letting the queen bee get to her. The Spaniard loosened his grip on her slowly, letting his words simmer in her mind for a moment

Once he let her go, Gwen backed away from him, rubbing her wrist as she looked at him “So what then… I just let her keep getting away with it? She’s messing with my boyfriend’s head now!” Alejandro smirked as he heard her reasoning for her emotional outburst, he stood in front of her leaning against the wall as he crossed his arms “Trouble in paradise I see. But then again what do you expect from Duncan, he probably grew bored of you already, if you ask me you should simply cut your losses and focus on winning instead of him”

His smug words cut through to her insecurities, but she refused to believe what he was saying, that was NOT what was happening, there's just no way it was possible… “Listen, we might have this temporary alliance going on for now, seeing as you’re willing to help me stay in the game, but don't get it twisted, that doesn't give you the right to get involved with me or anything that goes on in my life” the goth then walked towards her own room and looked back once more "Don't forget it Alejandro…” 

The Spaniard however remained as composed and smug as ever, finding it amusing how easy it all was for him to get in her head…

Heather’s room 7:50PM

Heather was having trouble with her emotions, something that seemed to happen way too often these days, no thanks in small part to her new approach to life and the bonds she had made

As she laid in bed holding her small plush bee in her arms she kept replaying Lindsay’s last words in her head “... I know what you’re fighting for…” they repeated over and over in her head, and each time they did she couldn’t help but feel a horrible dread inside her heart

She couldn’t even really explain it to herself, perhaps it was guilt for Lindsay’s elimination, even if the blonde held no ill will towards her, she felt like a bad friend for being the one to send her home, or perhaps it was the fact that for the first time in a long time she wasn’t thinking about why she was doing all of this…

Being around her friends… around Cody… it had been distracting her, and thanks to that she was almost sent home with nothing to show for it, she lifted the small bee and looked at it, its cute expression etched in her mind, and its softness a sweet reminder of her punchy’s care for her.

She felt afraid, of having to choose between saving her mom and her bonds with her friends… sure things had worked out with Lindsay, but could the same be true if it came to eliminating Courtney… or eliminating Cody.

Was it best for her to keep her distance from him until the competition was over? Perhaps he would understand where she was coming from and leave her alone… but what if he didn't want to be a part of her life anymore? 

The thought of that happening was torturing her, after everything they had shared and gone through she couldn’t bear to think of not having him in her life… All she could think to do was continue to be a coward and isolate herself, as to not face reality, in a way it was what was best for him, all she could think about was that he would end up getting hurt by associating with her.

But as fate would have it… Cody was not willing to let that happen

*Knock Knock Knock*

The queen bee was startled by the sudden knock, as she sat up in her bed she felt butterflies in her stomach, she rose to her feet and walked towards the door only stopping inches away from it in hesitation… “Cody?” she called out with an unsure tone only to hear back almost immediately “Yeah it’s me, I brought you some dinner, you haven't left your room all day, you’re probably starving”

Heather was touched by his concern for her, feeling joy in her heart… however she wasn’t ready to be around him just yet, even if it pained her to do so, she couldn’t be around him as she was right now “Thanks, but I’m ok I just wanna be by myself for now” 

There was a pregnant silence on the other side of the door, which drove the queen bee insane with regret. It hurt turning him away… but it was necessary, as she turned away from the door with her head hung low she heard his voice once more “No…”  she turned back in confusion “What?” 

After another short silence Cody spoke once more “I’m not gonna leave you alone tonight…” Heather’s eyes widened in surprise, she walked closer towards the closed door once more and spoke in a firm tone “What do you mean you’re not going to leave me alone? That’s not up to you, so respect my privacy and leave me alone Cody”  it killed her to be so harsh towards him, each word she said making her feel physically ill

However this did little to discourage him “Heather, I know you’re not ok, and I'm sorry but it’s not up to you anymore, normally if you told me you wanted to be left alone I would… but I know deep inside me… You don't want me to do that” He placed his hand against the door, as if he was trying to reach her, he closed his eyes as he spoke once more “Ever since we became closer… I noticed you were always holding back something, and I respected your privacy, you probably have your reasons for doing so… and you don't have to ever tell me what it is that is hurting you so deeply… but you can't ask me to go away, to leave you alone when you’re feeling so hurt…” 

Inside the room, Heather put her hand towards the door as well, slowly falling to her knees as she fought the urge to just open the door and let him in… she desperately looked for any reason to deny his presence, falling short at every turn and any idea she had “Why? Why do you care so much… I don't get it, ever since this all started, I don't understand you… I'm still the same awful person I've always been, no matter how much I try to change, when you’re around me bad things happen, you almost died in Italy trying to save me… and back in Russia Sierra wanted to hurt you because you were close to me… and look at Lindsay, she got eliminated again, and it was my fault just like it was back then… So why!? Why do you still want to be around me! Tell me!?”

There was a tense silence once more, as she kneeled against her door, her eyes filled with uncried tears, there was just too much she kept holding on to and it was eating at her from the inside, she didn't know what to do!. To go back to being the cruel and evil Heather that did things her own way, using anybody around her and any means she had to win for her mother… or to keep trusting her friends and depend on them regardless if it meant she could end up losing the competition.

As the silence grew longer Heather looked at the door, waiting for Cody to respond, to show her a way forward… but as the seconds turned to minutes she understood what it meant, perhaps he had given up and just walked away, giving her what she wanted, to be alone.

A tear fell down her cheek as she rose to her feet and walked towards her bed, understanding what it all meant from now on—

*CLICK*

Heather turned around as she saw her once locked door swing open, with Cody now standing on her doorway holding a plate of food and panting “You wanna know why? It’s because we’re in this together, we promised to make it to the end… and also because you mean too much to me for me to just give up on you Heather” the queen bee stood frozen in place as the nerd stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him, he placed the food on the night stand and approached her with his hand extended forward, inviting her to hold it “You don't have to tell me what’s going on… but please don't shut me out of your life”

As he got closer Cody grabbed her hand in his own, looking into her eyes to let her know he wasn’t going anywhere he wiped the tears from her face, giving her a reassuring smile “So how about you have some dinner and tell me more about when you were in ballet camp, you never finished the story from last time.” 

The queen bee grabbed on to his hand, her heart beating faster and faster, finally understanding deep inside, without a shadow of a doubt, what Cody meant to her, that from now on, there was no way she could continue on without him, he had shown her time and time again that he cared about her, that he was devoted to her, that he would do anything to make sure she was happy.

She rubbed her eyes and smiled back at him, thinking to herself at that moment “So this is love…”

Pilot’s Cockpit 11:00PM

Chris Mclean entered the cockpit as he spoke on the phone with the ground crew for the next challenge, apparently their original planned challenge had run into quite a few issues, and he was doing his best to get it all sorted out before they landed “What do you mean they won't let you set up the challenge? We had all the permits in place months ago, you’re killing me man!”  

As he kept scolding the poor underpaid and overworked production crew Chef rolled his eyes, he had been flying the jumbo jet in circles for hours at this point, not being cleared for landing until they knew the challenge could go through  “Ugh, forget it, just set up plan B in the temple, I’ll have chef fly us over there, we can arrive a bit early and start the challenge in the afternoon… So get to it!!!”

Chris then hung up the phone and sat on the co-pilot’s chair, letting out a sigh as he did so, those ungrateful teenagers really didn't know how much work went into putting together the show, it was no wonder he enjoyed causing them so much pain “So what's the plan? Are we still heading there?” asked Chef, just as stressed as the host was

For his part, Chris rolled his eyes and sat up, bringing out his laptop to keep working out the details “Yeah, we're still going to China, just not towards the great wall, instead take a detour towards the mountains, there's been a change of plans, it's a good thing we always have a backup challenge ready just in case hehe”

Author Notes

Hello everybody, hope you had a good time reading along this time around, we took some time to check in on everybody’s state of mind going into the next challenge

Sad to see but there is quite a bit of friction between Gwen and Duncan, and it’s all due to miscommunication, but then again, neither of them are particularly good at communicating, whatever comes next will be crucial for the future of their relationship

Looks like Duncan keeps struggling with his life choices, the way i see it, he never really thinks things through, and it finally caught up with him, its up to him to either try and make things work with Gwen or atone for his wrong doings

As for the goth, it looks like her delusions got even deeper, just goes to show how much resentment can bring about your own selfdestruction… but then again, being around Alejandro isn’t doing her any favors, which by the way, he seems to be pulling the strings masterfully, he better hope this doesn’t get turned around on him

And finally we got Heather and Cody, who took another step in their relationship, as she finally understands that she cant go back to how things were anymore, its not up to her, no matter how afraid she may be of what could go wrong, she’s not alone anymore, hell looks like she even finally admitted her feelings to herself, all that’s left is for the both of them to fully embrace these feelings at the right time…

Please let me know what you think about it, I’m gonna start work on the next one as soon as i can, and it’s probably gonna be a long one to be honest lol, but hey, i love doing this, theres just so much more left to write, and im looking forward to it

By the way, just in case anybody is wondering, the flashback at the beginning of the chapter takes place right after episode 8 of total drama action, i thought about it while watching the show, seeing as Heather’s mom was supposed to be her best friend she was gonna spend time with, it made me think of her differently, seeing as she was always portrayed as this evil and shallow person. But when it showed her writing a letter to her mom and the fact that she was her best friend, it painted her in a more sympathetic light, hence why i came around to liking her character more

I do not own any songs mentioned, or anything relating to Total Drama

Chapter 25

Past and Redemption

Club Valhalla was the prime example of what a dance club should be, the massive building was built centuries ago by the Viking settlers, used in the past as a sort of barracks and communal center that would hold amazing feasts for those who came by

As the seasons changed and time went by, the spirit of what the building represented remained at the core of it, eventually being retrofitted in the 70’s to serve as a dance club, and ever since then it has been the prime destination for those who want to party all night long

(You should be dancing- Bee Gees)

Chris Mclean was standing above the dance floor next to the DJ booth looking over an elaborate and technologically advanced control panel that seemed to control not only the dance floor, but everything inside the building “I’m sure you’re all feeling that Saturday night fever right now hehe, so let me explain the second part of the challenge so we can get this party started!!”

Duncan sneered at the Host’s words “Not to rain on your parade, i know the lights and disco probably bring back a lot of memories for you, but it’s Tuesday morning, not Saturday night”  the host brushed off the punk’s comments with a roll of his eyes as he continued speaking

“For the second part of the challenge, each and everyone of you has to keep dancing to the music, no matter what sort of traps, obstacles, or special events take place , if for any reason you stop you will have 5 seconds to resume dancing or else you will be disqualified from the challenge, whoever remains standing and dancing until the end will receive immunity!” The host then turned on a screen with a countdown behind him “The challenge will last until I want it to, so make sure you shake what you got and give it your all, Let’s get Funky!!!”

Once Chris signaled the start of the challenge the DJ nodded and started playing a funky and energetic disco track, which made the countdown start and the crowd to loudly cheer and start dancing

With the challenge beginning everybody started dancing awkwardly next to one another, with Duncan complaining loudly as he shook his hips to the rhythm approaching his girlfriend “Aw dude this suuuucks!! This is the type of music my old man listens to!”  the goth started laughing, not really used to seeing her man feel so embarrassed “I don’t know man, you seem like a natural at it!” the punk gave a sly chuckle, as if he was acknowledging how ridiculous he looked

As the couple danced next to one another,  a couple of feet away from them, Alejandro was garnering plenty of attention and cheers from the onlookers, seeing the commotion they both also shuffled their way towards the Spaniard “No way, check it out pasty” Alejandro was masterfully moving his body to the music, each movement so deliberate and smooth, the swaying of his hips matching the beat of the music “That’s right ladies, this is all part of the show, just for you” the spaniard winked at the audience as he gave a spin, causing  many of the women watching him dance to faint on the spot

As Alejandro kept up his seductive dance, he failed to notice the mountain of a man that was Chef Hatchet approaching him sliding through the floor at an insane speed, crashing against him and knocking him out of the way with a mighty thrust of his hips “Outta the way kid, let a real hunk dance!” 

The Spaniard flew across the dance floor and crashed against a wall “Maldita sea chef…” as he caught his breath for just a second, Chris yelled through a speaker “5 Seconds Alejandro heheh” this made Alejandro quickly jolt up and begin dancing once more, as if nothing had happened “Heard you loud and clear Chris…” he grumbled under his breath, hating the humiliation

Cody and Heather were laughing as they watched the whole thing unfold, finding it quite amusing, all while they themselves shuffled in place “HA! That was awesome! way to go Chef!”  some way some how, Chef heard Cody’s voice clearly from where he was and sprinted right at the nerd with the same intention of hurting him as he had the Spaniard

“Uh oh…” Chef ran up to Cody and bumped his hips against him just as hard, sending him flying away into a pillar “Punchy!!!” Chef then set his sights on Heather, grabbing her hand and spinning her away at an insane speed, making her crash against a bunch of tables 

“Cody! Heather!, 5 seconds remember!” the two of them groaned in pain and slowly rose to their feet, moving to the music while trying to not think about their wounds

Watching the chaos unfold Courtney turned towards Lindsay who was lost in the music and feeling confident “Lindsay! Chef is on a rampage, we gotta be careful!” the blonde looked at her friend, too busy having fun to really care about the danger “Oh relax Courtney, Chef’s just having fun! Watch I’ll dance with him!” once Chef reached the pair of girls, Lindsay stepped in front of Courtney and took Chef by the hand “Allow me mister hahah” 

And just as Chef had done to Heather beforehand the blonde spun the brute in place several times and at a high enough speed that even his afro wig went flying away

Once the spinning had stopped, Chef stood still for a moment trying to catch his balance… only to fall back and pass out completely “Ummm, are you like ok Chef?”  Lindsay looked concerned as she kept swaying her hips and shoulders to the music, just as Heather and Cody made their way towards her to join the girls “Lindsay that was awesome, how did you do that!?”  asked an eager Cody, all while Lindsay spinned in place herself and winked back at the nerd “Oh I’ve like always looooved dancing, so this is like really fun”

Heather then grabbed the blonde’s hand and danced next to her “New plan Punchy, we stick together with Lindsay just in case anything else comes our way, she’s the best at dancing” Lindsay gave a wide smile feeling flattered “Omg thanks Heather!” Courtney laughed and shook her head also joining the group “I guess there’s a first time for everything, I’m impressed Lindsay”

Suddenly the groovy beat that was playing through the speakers came to a stop and in its place two notes played 

*RING RING*

Chris then spoke through a microphone “Allright allright, ladies and gentlemen of Sweden, lets give it up for the cast of Total Drama, who are about to perform a live song for you all to enjoy… while they avoid some obstacles hehe” everyone in the cast stood around for just a moment looking at each other, with Cody remarking “You know what… after everything we’ve been through and all the places we’ve been, this might be the one time that a song performance isn’t out of place” 

Everyone else nodded in agreement, with Heather with Lindsay “You’re so right about that, Let’s give them a show Lindsay!” the blonde grabbed the queen bee’s hand, and with her same energetic smile spun her around “Yeah! Hit it Cody!”

Song Starts

Suddenly all the girls are wearing matching sparkling disco style outfits while dancing, the dance floor suddenly rises as all the multi colored lights illuminate the whole venue while Cody is playing his keyboard and dancing to the beat

Lindsay Heather and Courtney: You can dance! You can Jive! Having the time of your life! Ooooh, see these girls, dig that scene, we’re all just dancing free!

The girls then sway side to side snapping their fingers to the rhythm, when suddenly Alejandro joins them on stage, targeting Heather during with a flirtatious dance

Alejandro: Tuesday morning the lights are low~~~~

Looking out for a place to go~~~

where i can dance to the music, getting in the swing

I know you want a king~

Alejandro approaches Heather who steps out of the way gracefully as she gives a spin and dances as she steps away 

Heather: I just know that you're not that guyyyy~~~

I prefer somebody who’s more my tyyyype~~~

Heather looks towards Cody who is playing the keyboard and gives him a wink, all while Lindsay dances along the stage and distracts Heather from the previous confrontation

Lindsay: when they play the right music, everything is fine, all you wanna do is dance… and when you get the chance~~~

Heather shrugs and starts copying Lindsay’s moves both of them clearly having fun with it, as the music swells giving way for the chorus and Courtney to once again appear right behind her friends this time hitting a tambourine next to Cody

Heather and Lindsay: You are just dancing free! Nothing mean only feel the beat~~~

Courtney: Dancing free! Feel the beat from the tambourine oh yeah~~

Cody: You can dance! You can jive! Having the time of your life~~

Suddenly the stage starts shaking and separating into sections with both Heather and Lindsay jumping around and joining Cody and Courtney’s platform safely

Heather: See that fall! Watch your feet, if you keep dancing free!

On another section of the stage Duncan and Gwen are holding on to each other as the floor beneath them keeps moving around forcing them to jump on to different platforms all while dancing and spinning each other

Duncan: this is stupid we wont fall off~~~

Gwen: if we stop dancing that means were… gone~~~

Gwen and Duncan : we gotta look out for each other everything we do, yet we dont wanna dance…

But since we have the chance~~~

We have to keep dancing free! On our feet till the rhythm leaves!!

Alejandro then acrobatically lands next to the couple having avoided falling into the bottomless pit underneath them, he then spins and strikes a pose that makes all the women in the audience lose their minds and start screaming for him

Alejandro: Dancing free! Feel the beat of your hearts for me! Oh yeah~~~

The stage reassembles into one whole piece, uniting everybody in the cast as they all dance amongst themselves and confetti falls around them 

Cody and Courtney: You can dance! You can jive! Having the time of  your life~~

Heather and Lindsay strike a pose together before looking at each other and laughing at how carefree they are being about it all, with Heather taking the initiative to grab Lindsay by the hand and spin her on stage and into the spot light

Heather: ooh- ooh, ooh, see that girl watch her scene she’s just a dancing queen!

Cody and Courtney: She’s just a dancing queen~~~~

Song ends

A couple of seconds pass as everybody is catching their breath after the impromptu performance… as well as the fact that everybody almost fell into a bottomless pit, Courtney then breaks her pose and yells at the host “Chris what the hell! Why would you do that while we were singing!” for his part Chris ignored the CIT’S nagging and addressed the crowd “Give it up for the cast of Total Drama World Tour everybody!” 

The crowd then breaks into a loud cheer as the music once again grows louder signaling the contestants to keep dancing, who all begrudgingly begin to do so once more, this time the song shifts into a more late 80’s beat with the chorus of the song singing  “It’s Electric!”  Gwen then sighs and begins to move her body to the 

(Electric Boogie- Marcia Griffith)

rhythm “This is gonna be annoying…”  while she does so she catches Alejandro looking her way and nodding, as a reminder to not forget the plan.

The goth looked away once more, keeping the plan in the back of her mind for now, instead choosing to look on the bright side and dance with her boyfriend “You know, this music might suck, but it’s nice we got to dance together for the first time don't you think?” Duncan, still looking annoyed looks back at the goth and answers sarcastically while pointing to the ceiling and shaking his hips “Oh yeah! This is soooooo nic—” 

*ZAAAAP*

Duncan was unable to finish his sarcastic tirade before he was suddenly jolted by an electric shock that left him shaking in place “YEOWCH!!! WHAT THE HELL!” from above the dance floor Chris started laughing hysterically “Heheheh better watch out for the electric squares on the dance floor, they pack quite a punch, and they switch places with the beat!”

Heather and Courtney looked distressed at one another, with the queen bee yelling back at the sadistic host “How are we gonna even know which ones to avoid!!”  As the girls jumped anxiously in place, a very calm and cheerful Lindsay kept up her dancing, seemingly unbothered by the imminent danger “You can’t see it! You gotta feel it! It’s Electric!, like it says in the song, follow my steps!”

Following her lead both Courtney and Heather start following the blonde’s choreography as best they can, surprisingly without getting shocked, making Heather feel further impressed “No way! Lindsay was right!” the queen bee turns towards Cody who is a couple of feet away from her seemingly doing the robot “ Punchy! Quit doing the robot and follow Lindsay’s steps, you won't get shocked!” 

However Cody remains in place still moving his body in an insanely erratic fashion, sensing something was wrong Courtney approached Cody and observed him closely  “Uhhhh, I don't think he’s doing the robot queenie” the CIT was right, in fact Cody was just being electrocuted in place 

Springing into action and thinking fast, Lindsay moves quickly towards the nerd and gives him a quick and hard bump with her hips making him step off the electric panel he was standing on “Wha… huh…. Thanks Lindsay!” the nerd shook his head and fell to the floor, only to be picked up by the blonde “Keep dancing Cody! Shake your booty and follow me!”

Cody had very little time to catch his breath, and while still aching from the electric shock, he refused to stop dancing, weakly following the blonde’s dance moves and following the same choreography as Heather and Courtney were dancing to, the queen bee got closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder to check up on him “You ok punchy?” the nerd tried his best to give a confident smile towards his queen as he answered back “Never better, I’m not losing today!” this made Heather smile back at him, happy to see that fire in his eyes “Thats the way i like it”

Both Courtney and Lindsay rolled their eyes in an amused manner, those two dorks were way too obvious about their flirting…

6 Hours later

So far nobody had fallen yet, no matter what Chris threw at them they seemed to be able to take it in stride, all while the disco music kept blaring loudly much to everybody’s (except Lindsay’s) annoyance, even after he made the floor electric, and random holes appeared on the dance floor, none of them had faltered yet

At this point Chris decided to turn things up a notch “All right everybody, seems like you’re all doing great, so how about we mix things up!?”  Courtney looked up at the host as he began pressing buttons on the control panel “Guys! That can't be good, brace yourselves!” with one last button, the host gave a smug grin as the floor beneath everybody began to spin, slowly gaining more and more speed 

Getting caught by surprise, Duncan tried reaching out to Gwen “I don't like where this is going…” the floor kept spinning faster, with everybody trying to keep their balance as well as not get injured, this however was easier said than done, as the force of the spinning was making them separate from one another

“Chris!!! We can't dance like this!” yelled Alejandro, while holding on to the wall “heheh, i guess you’re right let me stop it!” the host then abruptly stops the spinning sending all the contestants flying in different directions

“Ladies and Gentlemen in the audience, I invite you all to join our contestants on the dance floor, we’re all gonna start a slow dance now, so everybody make sure to grab a partner… but total drama contestants are only allowed to pair up with each other, you have 1 minute to find a dance partner!” once Chris gave the announcement a whole crowd of people went down into the dance floor and joined them , causing the already disoriented cast to scramble and look for one another

As the massive crowd of people kept flooding in, Lindsay walked around bumping into couples who were blocking her way “Heather! Courtney! Cody! Where are you!! Anybody!!” With time running out the blonde was feeling desperate, she didn't want to lose now, not after she was doing so well during this challenge!

However, as luck would have it, she would run into a familiar face who was also struggling to find a partner “Gwen!?”  the goth turned around and locked eyes with the blonde “Lindsay….” They  both looked at one another for a moment, both of them unsure of what to do or what to say, all they knew was that time was running out, and they didn't have much of a choice… 

On the whole opposite side of the dance floor Courtney was pushing people out of the way, in hopes of finding any of her friends, but instead the only thing she could see was a sea of blonde swedish hair wherever she turned, until her eyes landed on a dreaded green mohawk in the crowd 

“Anybody but him… please” as the CIT pleaded to the heavens Chris’s voice blared over the loud speakers “30 seconds to find a partner!” knowing deep inside her that there was no other choice, Courtney swallowed her pride “Think about the million dollars…” 

The CIT then swiftly navigated the crowd and grabbed Duncan by the arm “I hate to do this… but we both literally have no other option” Duncan froze in place like a deer in headlights, he looked around once more to try and find Gwen, only for the realization to hit him “...ugh, whatever” 

While this awkward encounter was taking place, Cody was doing his best to remain calm, he knew panic would only lead to failure, he had to keep his cool and hope he would find anybody, hell he would even dance with Alejandro if that’s what it took “10... 9...8…” Chris’s smug and annoying voice was now counting down, Cody kept running through the crowd, pleading to the heavens to just help him

And right across from him with just 5 seconds left, he locked eyes with her, the one person in the world he wanted to find more than anybody, both of them ran towards each other, pushing everybody out of the way “3… 2… 1…” in that last second their hands touched and grabbed onto each other “I found you!”  

(By your side- Beachwood sparks)

With the time over Chris signaled the Dj to change the music as he addressed the crowd below “all right, seems like everybody was able to find a dance partner, even you Alejandro, enjoy dancing with Chef hehe”  from the crowd below Alejandro was holding onto Chef, with an extremely annoyed expression “I aint exactly enjoying this either!”  

“Hahaha, I love hosting this show, anyway since you have all been dancing to the groove this whole time, we’re giving you a small break, enjoy dancing to this slow and romantic rock ballad” With Chris finishing the announcement, a dreamy and mellow song starts playing, the electric guitar harmonizing with a soulful harmonica, making the mood on the dancefloor shift into a more romantic setting

As the sweet melody plays, the lights dim slightly and the light from the disco ball gives the whole atmosphere a more intimate vibe, with Cody and Heather dancing with each other, swaying from side to side ever so softly, the nerd gave an awkward laugh “I was beginning to think I wasn't gonna find you…” to which Heather smirked in her usual confident way “Oh, you were looking for me specifically?”

Cody started blushing profusely, even more now being unable to hide it from his crush “I-I…. y-yeah, I guess I was, I wanted to find you…” Heather wasn’t expecting the sudden honesty from him, which made her feel a bit flustered, as much as she tried to keep teasing him, she couldn’t find the right words, the moment they were sharing was overwhelming her senses in a way that had never happened to her before

“I… was also looking for you” Cody looked into her eyes for just a fleeting moment, spotting that elusive vulnerability he had seen glimpses of during his time being allied with her. She then grabbed his arm and placed it on her waist, making their bodies get closer to one another as they swayed to the gentle rhythm 

Cody’s heart was beating out of his chest, wishing this sweet moment would never end. He smiled warmly at his queen, watching as her usual look of fiery determination became one of trust and affection “You know… I don't care that I didn't go to prom anymore, this…. This is nice”  Heather looked into his eyes and returned his warm smile, resting her head on his shoulder as they danced “I guess i don’t mind it either… you’re right this is nice…” 

While this deeply personal and sweet moment was taking place, on the other side of the dancefloor Courtney and Duncan were forced to dance, neither of them looking at each other or saying anything, just moving the bare minimum as to not get disqualified from the challenge

While the romantic song played in the background, the punk let out a sigh, which Courtney matched with her own. Seeing as there was no avoiding the awkwardness Duncan chose to just address his ex girlfriend “What’s got you so down?”  the CIT glared at him, choosing to stay quiet 

Duncan grew a bit annoyed at being ignored, so he kept poking at her, to see if she would break “Oh come on, it’s not the end of the world, we’re just slow dancing, it’s not even the first time, don’t you remember when we went to that wedding?” Courtney rolled her eyes, unsurprised by the punk’s lack of tact “So you’re just gonna keep ignoring me? Fine, Hate me all you want, I get it, It’s what i deserve”

Courtney looked down and stopped dancing for just a moment, she took a deep breath and looked up at her ex lover with tears welling in her eyes “Hate you…? Believe me I tried to hate you, I tried so many times to hate you, but I never could… I still can’t”  she kept dancing with him as she stared into his soul with those tear filled eyes “Cause i get it, I drove you away, I kept trying to change you, all we ever did was fight… Yet I still loved you so much… and I thought that was normal, that was our love language, I thought you would hurt everybody around you… except for me”

Duncan couldn’t even think about what to answer, all he could feel was that same burning feeling that had eaten at him since Ireland… that horrible piercing guilt. Being confronted by the consequences of his actions was something he wasn’t ever accustomed to, but seeing the tears in the eyes of the girl he once called his girl, it was all too real. “I accepted the facts, and I understand that we just weren’t meant to last… I just wish… I just wish you could have just been honest with me and told me you didn’t love me anymore… I know i would’ve yelled at you, and i know i would have lost my mind… but maybe it wouldn’t have hurt as bad”

A tear streamed down Courtney’s face as she said this, yet still she looked at him with a sad longing smile, the delinquent kept his gaze on her, wishing he could do anything to apologize… yet the words refused to leave his mouth. All he could do was feel her hands in his own, and wonder to himself… why was he like this… why did he always sabotage everything in his life…

With the song coming close to an end, elsewhere in the crowd, Gwen and Lindsay were also dancing with each other. The atmosphere around them was thick and awkward, with neither of them knowing what to really say to each other, while Gwen danced along the blonde, her eyes kept scanning the dance floor, hoping to find Duncan or something else to distract her “Ugh, It’s not like she’s my enemy… I mean, I even tried to warn her about Heather. It also doesn’t help that she’s Trent’s girlfriend now, he probably told her not to trust me…” she thought to herself letting out an annoyed sigh

As for the blonde, she felt a sense of nostalgia, thinking about her time on the show and everything she had done until now, the highs and lows, the friends she’s made, the things she’s learned. It had all changed her perception of life, and even of herself, even if she knew deep down that she still had a lot of growing to do… she knew she was on the right path to do so.

Sensing the song was coming to an end, Gwen decided to speak to Lindsay one last time, almost like a desperate bid to try to win over the blonde to her side “Lindsay, I hope you didn't take what i said the other night the wrong way, I’m just trying to look out for you, even if it doesn’t seem that way”  Lindsay tried her best to not let the goth’s misplaced worries get to her, no matter how misinformed she was about her friends, at the end of the day the blonde understood  her intentions weren't malicious

“Um, it's ok, I’d rather like not talk about that… I want to just like focus on the challenge”  Responded Lindsay in the most neutral way possible, which Gwen mistook as dismissive and ignorant, so she let out some of her frustration in her tone and shot back “I know you understand what I’m saying, Heather took advantage of you in the past and she is clearly doing it again, I’m just looking out for you, It’s what Trent would have wanted!”  

Once those words left the goth’s mouth, Lindsay’s temper started to flair up, not only was she downplaying her intelligence, she was also  doubling down on her accusations of Heather, and even bringing up Trent, as if that would somehow convince her to turn on her friend “Gwen! I like told you to stop bringing that stuff up, and like dont bring up Trent as if you know what he would say or do!”

As the normally ditzy blonde lashed out against the goth, the song came to an abrupt end, leaving an awkward silence in its place, after just a few seconds Chris spoke into his microphone grabbing everybody’s attention once more “O….K that is very awkward… but anyways, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for that intermission, im very sure you all made it difficult and nerve wracking for the contestants to find each other hehe”

While Chris addressed the crowd, a faint beat could be heard in the back ground, slowly getting louder as the host kept speaking “with that out of the way, i want all the contestants to come to the middle of the dance floor, and everybody else to clear out, things are about to get quite dangerous once again!”

With their instructions clear once more, the whole cast met in the middle of the dance floor, while everybody else went back to watching the competition from the sidelines as they partied. As Gwen walked away from Lindsay, she quickly ran into Duncan, who seemed dejected, moving in place just enough to not get disqualified from the challenge “Hey! What happened, what’s got you looking so down?”  asked the goth as she got closer to him and caressed his face

However the punk did little to calm her anxieties, instead he simply kept up his low energy moves and answered dismissively “We can talk about it later, let’s just focus on getting through this nonsense” the goth stopped for just a second, filled with even more anxiety than before, just what could have gotten him like this…

She looked to the side as Cody and Heather reunited with Courtney on the other side of the dance floor, being joined shortly after by Lindsay. She didn’t know how but she was more than sure they were behind this… “Ok, now it’s personal…” she thought to herself, turning away from that scene and looking towards Alejandro, who met her eyes, both of them nodding at each other

(Heads will roll remix- Yeah yeah yeahs)

Chris once more addressed the contestants as the Dj started playing a high energy electronic dance classic in the background “I gotta say, you are all giving it your all today, I've tried electrocuting you, making you fall into bottomless pits, cannons, hell even chef shredding the dance floor did little to stop you!” Chris then pressed yet another button on his control panel, which opened the doors to the club, where there were several “valkyries” making their way inside

“With all that said, it has to come down to this, now here's the final part of the challenge, you must take a helmet off of a valkyrie before the end of the song, if you manage to do so, you will earn immunity!.... Oh and don't forget, you have to do it while dancing hehe” with that said the army of random vikings started charging into the dance floor, promising a painful encounter if they were to be confronted

Seeing how the challenge took such a sudden turn, Heather turned to her friends and rallied them “You heard him, we gotta take a helmet off of them, stick together and we can get through this!” both Cody and Lindsay nodded at her, while Courtney cracked her knuckles and neck “Bring it on… i have a lot of anger and frustration i have to work through”

The CIT stepped forward and charged back at the incoming army, getting lost in a sea of valkyrie warriors, she kept dancing to the beat as she punched and kicked the most likely underpaid actors, even ducking under their shields and uppercutting them, all while roaring in anger “RAHHHH!!!” as the fake valkyrie is knocked out, a horned helmet lands on the CIT’s hands, which she then puts on as she looks ahead at the stunned warriors while asking them “Who’s next?”  

Heather and Cody looked at each other, acknowledging how lucky they were to be in the CIT’s good graces , however Cody had to stop his admiration short as he saw a very tall and muscular woman swing a battle hammer towards his crush “Heather watch out!” In a split second reaction Heather ducked under the heavy strike, and moved out of the way using her ballet skills “Nice try you cheap looking valkyrie!”   this only enraged the towering amazon as she kept swinging her hammer at the queen bee, chasing her away from the group

While the old team Amazon was dealing with the incoming army, Alejandro was also avoiding an assault by dancing as seductively as he possibly could, even ripping off his shirt and throwing it away as a distraction “My dear legendary warriors, I’m only here to dance, why don't you help me instead? I would love to share at least one dance with you” surprisingly his strategy worked quite well, as he took a valkyrie in his arms and danced along with her, even managing to take off her helmet in the process

Seeing as the cast was battling with all they had, Chris decided to kick things up a notch “Man they’re really going through it…” he then looks at his control panel and gets a wickedly evil idea “I wonder what would happen if i just”  the sadistic host then presses all the buttons on the panel, causing the dance floor to shake uncontrollably and unleash every single trap and hazard its equipped with

Suddenly the floor panels begin to randomly become electrified, as well as becoming coated in ice, just as cannons appear on the walls shooting massive hardened Swedish meat balls all over the place, causing the crowd of onlookers to duck in fear, making Chris laugh in delight at the pandemonium he was causing “Hehehe, this is awesome chef!”  the normally stoic Chef was too busy hiding under a table to even answer the sadistic maniac he was working for

As for Gwen and Duncan, they decided to stand their ground and dodge the warriors as they came their way, with Duncan smoothly sticking out his leg and tripping a couple Valkyries as he also managed to grab their helmets as they fell, throwing one in Gwen’s direction “Here you go pasty, don't lose it”  with that taken care of the delinquent just kept on dancing and dodging the rest of the valkyries, with the same cold and detached demeanor as earlier

Gwen couldn’t dwell on it too long, as she did her best to dodge attacks coming from all around her, opting instead to use the opportunity to run towards Heather’s group, after all she had to put into action what she and Alejandro had discussed, so as she jumped over the suddenly appearing bottomless pits she looked ahead at a patch of frozen floor panels, the goth narrowed her eyes in determination “There!”

Just ahead of her, Cody and Lindsay were doing what they could against the chaos around them, with Lindsay trying her hardest to keep the rhythm going even as everything around her was trying to take her out, she had managed to snatch a helmet while dancing circles around a valkyrie that fell down a bottomless pit, as she moves away from a patch of electrified floor panels she looks towards Cody who slides between the legs of a valkyrie while holding a helmet “I got one! Lindsay, the song is almost over, hang on!” the blonde gives a confident smile and keeps going, bracing for the final bass drop

From a distance Heather continues to dance away elegantly from all the traps around her, having gotten lucky and jumped over a valkyrie and snatching her helmet mid air while dodging a cannon blast, she notices how all her friends are holding the helmets, so she breaths a sigh of relief, everything was going to be ok

As she locks eyes with Lindsay and they both give a thumbs up, Heather notices Gwen running towards the blonde, with a horde of valkyries chasing her “What the…?” the Goth then quickly switches directions causing her pursuers to react too late, as they keep running into a patch of frozen slippery floor, their momentum carrying them into a distracted Lindsay 

Heather then stops her ballet dancing and rushes towards her friend, running with everything she’s got to try and push her out of danger “Lindsay!!!!”  time slowed down for the queen bee, as if the universe itself paused for a moment so she could think to herself “Why am i so worried for her, if i keep running I'm going to lose the challenge, I’ll be eliminated from the competition… I won't be able to get the money to pay for my Mom’s treatment… so why am i doing this”

As she’s running in slow motion she keeps looking at Lindsay’s confident smile, she starts remembering everything they had been through since they met each other, she remembers how she used her in the past, her manipulations and abusive words, her own guilt after the fact and her refusal to acknowledge it, that first night when she came back,  cheering her up after her fight with Tyler, how she apologized in the recording studio, how much she would tease her for getting closer to Cody, going shopping in Monaco, their slumber parties, singing together, laughing, trusting one another… “Of course… I care about that dumb blonde… She’s one of my best friends”

Lindsay slowly looks back and manages to see the reason for Heather’s sudden panic, time suddenly shifts back to normal, and Heather manages to reach Lindsay just in time, tackling her out of the incoming horde of valkyries and into safety, both girls rolling on the floor and coming to a stop right before they hit a wall, Lindsay the sat up holding her head “Owwww… HEATHER!!! YOU LIKE SAVED ME!”  the queen bee also sat up and looked at her friend “of course i saved you, you’re my—”

*ZAAAAAP*

Heather’s declaration of friendship was cut short as both girls received a painful shock, leaving them with smoke coming off their bodies and their hair to be sticking up, they once again look at each other, but this time they both just laugh at each other “Hahahaha, omg your hair looks crazy!” said Lindsay as she giggled, with Heather dusting herself off as she chirped back “Ha, you should see what you look like!”

Sadly, this brief moment of levity was short lived, as a loud airhorn sounded off, signaling the end of the challenge, Chris then turned off all the traps and hazards as he descended onto the dance floor speaking into a microphone “WHAT A FINISH!! THE CHALLENGE IS OVER!!! EVERYBODY RECEIVES IMMUNITY, EXCEPT FOR HEATHER AND LINDSAY, WHO STOPPED DANCING IN THE LAST 10 SECONDS!!” 

Both girls help each other up and lean on each other, with Cody and Courtney joining them shortly after, with Courtney rushing towards them and grabbing Heather by the shoulders “Girls! What happened, we were all doing so well, how could you both lose! You should have just… just… aghhhh”  the CIT let out a frustrated scream, feeling a pang of guilt, maybe if she hadn’t rushed off to face the horde by herself she could’ve done something to prevent this outcome

As for Cody, he locked eyes with Heather, his heart heavy with worry, also feeling immense guilt, he felt as if he let her down, what kind of alliance member lets his friend lose at the last moment… “Heather… Lindsay… I… damn it!!!” The queen bee could see the frustration they were both feeling, yet she felt weirdly calm about it all, she wasn’t regretting her decision to save Lindsay at all “Courtney… Punchy, It is what it is… whatever happens…” 

Lindsay then puts her hand on Cody’s shoulder and smiles “It’ll be ok…” Cody smiled back, yet he still felt an immense fear inside him, looking towards his queen, they locked eyes, both of them knowing what the other felt in that moment…

Chris then gathers everybody in the center of the dance floor, Gwen stands next to Duncan who looks as if he would rather be anywhere else in the world but here, the goth feels a pit in her stomach, full of worry about what could have possibly happened to her normally unshakeable boyfriend?

She looks towards Alejandro who is also acting quite stoic and annoyed, as he walks by her he mutters under his breath “You were only supposed to target the blonde…” Gwen glares at him, uninterested in any complaints he could possibly have, she quickly mutters back without breaking eye contact “Next time do it yourself then…” 

With everybody gathered around the host, Chris then steps forward and speaks into the microphone “Heather and Lindsay, seeing as you were the only ones who lost today, it seems only fitting that we skip the elimination ceremony, and instead we have a tie breaker right here right now in front of this crowd!”  the still surviving crowd then gives a loud cheer at the impromptu sudden death match

Both girls look at each other with worry in their eyes, this was somehow way worse than it could’ve possibly been, Chris then continues to explain the tie breaker “The rules for the tie breaker are simple, It’s gonna be a good ol’ fashioned dance off between the two of you, who ever the crowd cheers for the loudest will get to stay in the competition, and the loser will get a ticket straight home!”

With the rules explained, a spot light turns on over the dance floor, Heather looks back at Cody one more time, he smiles at her and lifts up his fist, as if telling her to give it her all, she returns a smile towards the nerd, she then turns to face her blonde friend across from her, looking determined and ready “Lindsay! I know you’re the best at dancing out of everybody here… but I've been classically trained in ballet! You’re going down!” the blonde gives a quaint giggle, and nods back at the queen bee “Give it your all Heather!!!”

(I will survive- Gloria gaynor)

With both girls ready to begin the tie breaker, the DJ starts playing a powerful disco ballad, the whole crowd starts cheering in anticipation of the dance off, even Courtney and Cody were cheering in support “Give it your all Queenie!!! You too, Blondie!!!!”  yelled Courtney, refusing to take sides

As the music swells, Heather closes her eyes and begins to move gracefully, standing on the tips of her toes, she spins in place and kick her legs out in an elegant choreography, for a moment the whole world around her disappears, she is alone in her mind, thinking back to everything she’s done to make it this far, thinking about how insane it all was and how much she had changed

The queen bee gives a spin and a twirl and jumps in the air, causing the whole crowd to gasp in amazement, even Cody’s eyes were wide open in admiration, asking himself how could anybody in the world be this beautiful?

As she lands, Heather takes a deep breath and begins to do several spins in place, kicking her leg out to go faster and faster, refusing to give up, she was going to show the world what she was made of, she was more than just an evil manipulative bitch, she was strong, she was confident, she had friends and people who cared about her, and it would be an insult to Lindsay if she were to hold back for even just a second!

The queen bee gives one last kick that makes her spin at an insane speed several times causing the crowd to start chanting her name, cheering her on, giving her the confidence to keep going, yet over all the noise and the music, she hears only one voice “Heather!!! You’re amazing!!!” she smiles to herself, feeling a warmth in her heart “Punchy…” 

She then comes to an abrupt stop and strikes a pose, causing the whole venue to start clapping and cheering for her, chanting her name in unison “HEATHER! HEATHER! HEATHER!” all the queen bee can do is smile as she catches her breath, turning to look at Lindsay, who was doing the same, clapping and cheering for her.

At that moment, Heather breaks her pose and walks towards the blonde in a panic “What are you doing!!? Why aren't you dancing!!?” Lindsay just smiles and winks at her “You dance so well Heather…” Heather grabs the blonde by the shoulders and before she can say anything else Chris interrupts her and addresses the crowd “Ladies and gentlemen, looks like we have a winner!!! Heather!!!!”

As the crowd lets out one final cheer and applause for the queen bee, Heather begins to stutter and panic, yelling back in defiance “Wait no! She didn’t even dance, how is that fair stop!!” the blonde then places a hand on her shoulder, a sad yet hopeful look on her face “It’s ok…”  Heather was in a state of shock, unable to even do or say anything else, only lowering her head and hugging her friend…

Stockholm airport 6:45 PM

The bus ride towards the airport was a quiet one, the former team Amazon were all sitting next to each other, with Heather still having her head lowered and Lindsay sitting right by her side, staying strong for her friend, Cody and Courtney were also sitting nearby, letting both girls share the last few moments they could, understanding and respecting the gravity of Lindsay’s sacrifice.

Once they arrived, Duncan and Gwen were the first to step out of the bus and into the plane, with the punk still sulking to himself and the goth doing the same, even if she herself had caused Lindsay’s elimination deliberately, she felt a sense of guilt inside of her… but she kept telling herself, it’s what's best for the blonde… to stay away from that manipulative Heather…

Following the couple’s exit, Alejandro walked past the mourning group of friends, looking at Lindsay with a smug smile he put one foot outside the bus before looking back one last time “Safe travels my dear..” this in turn earned a nasty look from everybody present, except Lindsay, who smiled sweetly at the Spaniard “Thanks Alejandro… by the way, you’re going down” 

Alejandro paid little attention to her ominous words, choosing instead to ignore her and head into the jumbo jet. He was thinking about having a massage and continuing strategizing his next move… 

Seeing as there was no delaying the inevitable, everybody else stepped out of the bus, where Chris was waiting for Lindsay standing next to her bags with a ticket in hand “Well Lindsay, this is it, you gave it your all and even came back a second time, but it just wasn’t enough, have a safe trip!” the host then handed her the ticket and waved goodbye as he stepped inside the jumbo jet leaving the group of friends to say goodbye

Lindsay then took in a deep breath as to not get too emotional, she turned towards Courtney and gave her a hug “You know, i used to be like soooo scared of you for the longest time… but like I’m soooo happy i got to know you better, i hope you still think of me as your friend even if im gone” Hearing her kind words pushed the CIT over the edge, she started crying her eyes out and embracing her “Lindsay!! Thank you, for being so sweet this whole time, I wish I could've been your friend sooner. It's thanks to you that I even tried opening up… and we’re always gonna be friends! I promise!!!” 

Both girls broke the embrace and gave reassuring smiles to each other, an acknowledgement of how far they had come from those days in the island, and their heated rivalry during Total Drama Action, their bond being a proof of how a bit of understanding and compassion can change your life

Lindsay then turned towards Cody, also giving him a hug, which the nerd gladly accepted, yet he couldn’t hide his sadness, feeling as if he had let her and Trent down “What's wrong Cody? Why the long face? Hehe” the nerd gave his signature goofy smile at the question, looking down for a moment before answering her “I just…. I wish I could’ve done more, you’re a really special person Linds… I feel like I let you down, like I let down Trent after I promised I'd look out for you…”

Lindsay wiped a tear from her eye and gave a stern yet playful look “Hey! I think you’ve done more than enough for all of us this whole time, so cheer up, and always remember what I told you… you’re great, and you deserve great things, never forget that!” she once again hugs the nerd before breaking away and sharing a look solidifying her belief in him, both of them smiling at each other happy to be in each others lives as true friends

And finally, Lindsay walks up to Heather, who this whole time has remained silent, lost in her own self deprecating thoughts, refusing to even look Lindsay in the eye, however the blonde refused to let her friend sulk for even a second longer, she reached down and grabbed her hands in her own “Hey, Heather…” the queen bee still refused to look at her, but Lindsay wasn’t about to back away

“I want you to listen to me…” hearing this, Heather raises her head and looks Lindsay in the eye “I want you to know that… I think you’re one of the funniest people i’ve ever met, you’re so strong and confident, I’ve always wanted to be like you, I think you’ve changed sooooo much over the time I’ve known you… the reason i didn’t dance at the end was because… I know what you’re fighting for… and I know you can win this, and do what you have to do!”

Heather gasped and looked at her friend stunned in silence, wondering how in the world she could possibly know any of that, she had never told anybody, not even Cody about why she was competing… as her heart raced in anxiety, Lindsay let go of her hand and raised her pinky finger “I promise I wont tell anybody, but only if you promise to be my BFF again…”

This was too much for Heather, tears started flowing from her eyes, slowly raising her hand and sealing the promise and intertwining her own pinky around the blonde’s embracing her one last time “I’m gonna miss you, you dumb, sneaky, big boobed, blonde…. BFF.”

Seeing how the queen bee struggled to even form a coherent sentence made both girls laugh one last time, looking at each other they nodded and parted ways, with the remaining trio waving goodbye as they entered the massive aircraft, leaving her behind.

As she walked away and into the airport, Lindsay watched as the jumbo jet flew into the sunset, she waved goodbye with a smile on her face, wishing the best for her friends who were still competing, hoping they would all make it to the end…

Montreal airport the next day 7:00PM

After the sad goodbye, Lindsay had a long flight with several layovers, but thankfully, even if it had taken her almost a whole day to make it back home she was happy to finally be back where she belonged, she couldn’t wait to get home and see her family, relax in her own bedroom, not to mention calling Trent and Beth and reuniting with them

So even with the horrible exhaustion from her travels and the challenges she had faced, she was walking through the airport with a smile on her face, full of cheer and optimism for all that was yet to come!

As she walked the long corridors towards the baggage claim, a sweet melody was playing through the airport sound system, at first it was a simple piano arrangement that was joined by a tambourine and drums, then by the sound of a guitar strumming sweetly to the rhythm, as she continued on her way Lindsay felt her heart beat slightly faster, as if she recognized the notes being played, she stopped for a moment to listen carefully “Hmm?”  she couldn’t place it but she felt it in her heart…

She once again started walking once more, still paying attention to the melody, when she heard a very familiar voice sing

 “Lindsay~~~ my one and only~~~ I can hardly wait till i see her~~~” 

Lindsay let out a loud gasp, followed by an excited giggle, she picked up her pace and ran through the long corridor, her heart racing with excitement 

“Silly~~~, i know Im silly~~ cause im waiting by this tree, In the hopes that she will catch a glimpse of me~~~”

The blonde quickly made it through customs, the sweet melody still playing, even telling the people around her that the song that was playing was about her. Once she had made it through baggage claim, she ran outside, and what she saw made her heart melt

Right in front of her, by the airport exit, she saw crowd of people, gathered around a band, where Justin was playing his tambourine, Harold was softly banging on the drums, and even Bridgette was playing the piano, a serene and sweet expression on her face.

The blonde remained frozen in place, looking around for the one person she wanted to see the most, right then she was approached by Beth and Geoff, the former who excitedly ran towards her and gave her a huge welcoming hug, as both girls started gleefully shouting at eachother

“OMGBETHITSBEENSOLONGIMSOHAPPYTOSEEYOU!” 

“IMISSEDYOUSOMUCHLINDSAYIMSOHAPPYYOUREBACK”

Geoff let out a chuckle and put his hands on both girls shoulders, doing his best to reel in their excitement “Haha, ok girls i know you’re both happy to see each other, by the way, welcome back Lindsay!” the excited blonde greeted him “OMG Geoff! How did you guys even know I mean like what’s going on!”

The party animal gave a confident smirk as he crossed his arms “Well, I work for Total Drama, so I get the scoop on who gets eliminated. Once I told Trent you were coming home, he put this all together to welcome you back!” Lindsay started felt emotional, almost shedding tears of joy at the romantic display

As Geoff and Beth walked her through the crowd and closer to the band, she finally spotted Trent, who was leaning against a tree, playing his guitar, he then lifted his gaze and started walking towards her as he kept singing

“Oh Lindsay~~~ I know you love me…. Cause as i saw you fly away~~~ I swear i saw you raise your hand and wave~~~”

Lindsay then ran towards her boyfriend and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a deep passionate kiss, causing the whole crowd around them to start cheering in celebration of their love

After a couple of seconds, they break their embrace, looking into each other's eyes, Trent brushes a lock of hair away from her eyes and smiles sweetly at her “Welcome back, I missed you…” Lindsay smiles at him, tears of happiness flowing from her eyes, she hugs him tight and rests her head on his chest “I missed you more…”

Author Notes

And just like that, Lindsay the ditzy clueless girl leaves the scene, and what a way to leave…

I had the scene of her and Trent reuniting at the airport for a while in my notes, i figured it was a sweet send off for the couple, and its nice to see some of the cast still being in eachothers lives after the show, the song they were playing was based on a song by the smashing pumpkins, its called Lily, in case you want to check it out

Before i get into things, i want to address the whole disclaimer in the beginning, i guess since this is my first fanfic im not super clear on the rules of fair use and that sort of thing, and since i decided to put in so many references to different songs in this chapter i figured it was better to be safe and sorry, so if you read this chapter and you see the title of a song, that's why that is, maybe if you like listening to music while reading you can listen along, which is the case with the main song of the episode, based on Dancing Queen by ABBA, if you remember back in the original show, they sing a similar song in the episode

Anyway on to other topics, a whole lot of stuff happened this time around, we had yet another deep conversation between Courtney and Duncan, where she laid out things as they were for him to realize what he had done to her, needless to say this shook him to his core, probably even more than Trent’s accident did, this in turn will probably bring consequences to him sooner rather than later

Another dynamic I focused on was Heather and Lindsay. From the moment i started writing this story i knew i wanted to write the scene at the end, as an inverse to Lindsay’s elimination during Total Drama Island, where she would tell Heather how much she means to her and the friendship they share

Speaking of which, I hope you guys enjoyed Heather and Cody’s dance, it was a sweet little moment i wanted them to share, where they could forget about everything for just a second and just dance with each other, after all neither of them had the chance to go to their school proms

And finally, we see Gwen fall deeper into her delusions as well as letting herself be influenced by Alejandro, kind of seems so out of place for her to keep thinking she’s in the right, but after everything she has said and done it’s gonna be hard for her to accept how things have changed

Chapter 24

Effort and Vulnerability

Heather’s room 10:55PM

“...And that’s why i always wear a bandana, so like pinky promise you wont tell anyone else about it ok?” Lindsay reached her hand with her pinky finger sticking out, with a very shocked Heather doing the same “That’s actually insane…. I think I need a second, ugh where is Courtney? she’s been gone for a while now”

Lindsay put a finger under her chin and started thinking about a rational explanation, it really made no sense for Courtney to suggest a slumber party and just leave out of the blue “She didn’t say where she was going? Maybe she like got a tummy ache or something” 

Heather threw her arms behind her head and laid back in bed, giving an equally confused expression as her blonde friend “Don’t get me wrong, I trust her, but this is all very weird—”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

As soon as the knock on the door was heard both girls stood up in alert, with Lindsay even running to open it “Omg are you ok Courtney, did you like have a tummy ache?” However instead of responding Courtney walked slowly into the room, all the way towards the bed, collapsing onto it and screaming into a pillow

Both Heather and Lindsay can only awkwardly stare at the burst of emotion in front of them, even sharing a glance at each other as if to try and see if either of them could make sense of it, at which point the queen bee leans over towards her and speaks delicately “Heyyy~ Courtney~~~ you good? Cause I’m pretty sure you’re ruining my pillow with your tears”

Sadly Heather’s words do little to calm her emotional friend down, as she continues her outburst into the pillow, it is then that Lindsay also approaches her friend and starts rubbing the back of her head “Courtney what happened? also you gotta come up for air!” 

After a couple of more seconds of continued dramatic screaming, Courtney finally comes back up for air, looking at the two very confused and concerned with her now red and puffy eyes “ *Sob* I’m sorry *sob* i ruined your pillow *sniffle*”  the queen bee takes the pillow away from her and puts a hand across her shoulder in a concerned manner “I was just joking about that, are you ok? What the hell is going on? I know you’re a little crazy but more in the competitive control freak type of way, not in the irrational crying way”

Courtney gives a small laugh as she wipes a tear away from her eye “Yeah *sniffle* I know I’m the worst, I’m a controlling manipulative freak, and everybody gets tired of being around me”  both Lindsay and Heather grew increasingly concerned when they hear their friend speak, with such an emotionally whiplash coming out of nowhere they were starting to get seriously worried

“Ok stop that! You know i was just joking, that’s how you and I talk to each other, now you’re scaring me for real, what the hell happened Courtney”  Heather was starting to get seriously angry, this was obviously way more serious than she had previously thought, the only thing she had to do now was find out who had hurt her friend so she could go and get payback 

However the CIT chose to remain quiet about what had gone down, as to not burden her friends with the weight of what she was grappling with, she couldn’t tell Lindsay the truth and have her rush into some sort of payback… instead she alone would shoulder it, she would do everything in her power to bring down the person responsible for so much pain, the person who so callously lived his life doing whatever he pleased without regard for others.

“It’s just, every once in a while I remember everything that has happened. I see that Lindsay is dating Trent now, and I’m so happy for you guys, and well, I don't know exactly what the deal with Cody and Heather is, but the two of you are so close… It just reminds me of how truly alone I am, and why no guy will ever love me, even that stupid jerk cheated on me…”  as she came up with her cover story for suddenly leaving the room, she couldn’t help but actually let out some of her true emotions on love…

And who could blame her? Even after all the progress she had made, and the bonds she had forged, deep down she still felt broken, no matter how much she yelled at others or how hard she fought during the challenges, she was still sad, she still felt worthless and disposable.

Having had enough of seeing her friend in such a painful state, Lindsay stepped forward “Courtney! Stop that!”  Both Heather and Courtney were caught off guard by the blonde’s sudden outburst, she then looked at her friend and made sure her words could be taken in “Are you going to tell me that like you’re nothing if you don't have a boyfriend?” 

The blonde then sat besides her never breaking eye contact “Hear me out, like you’ve always been super good at everything you do and like you’re so so scary when you’re out there competing, not to mention how you’re like gonna be the prime minister of Canada some day, you got so much going on for you!” Heather couldn’t help but feel proud at how commanding and sure of herself her friend was acting as she tried cheering up Courtney

So much so that she decided to chime in “You know, I just noticed something… we all got serious issues, but this whole time we’ve been helping out each other. when any one of us feels bad or is going through something rough we tend to take care of one another” The queen bee then also sits besides Courtney and nudges her playfully “So go ahead and be a cry baby all you want, we’ll make sure to be here for you”

Courtney was at a loss for words, this was all still new to her, she knew she could call them friends, but to see and feel them supporting her was a foreign feeling, all she could do was hug them “you girls… when this is all done we gotta have another slumber party with Bridgette…” both girls reciprocated the embrace with Lindsay adding to the plan “And with Beth too!”

The next morning 8:00AM

After Courtney had calmed down and all the drama had blown over, all three girls spent the night talking, playing cards, grilling Heather about what was going on with Cody, with the only answer the queen bee was willing to give being “We were just talking about gossip girl” 

Afterwards the three of them drifted to sleep peacefully… until a speaker inside Heather’s room turned on suddenly with Chef’s voice blaring through it “GOOD MORNING YOU LAZY MAGGOTS, BUCKLE UP WE’RE COMING IN FOR A LANDING!!!”

Heather’s eyes shot open in a panic as did Courtney’s, they then looked towards Lindsay who was still soundly asleep with half her body hanging off the bed, they then looked at each other one last time before unanimously saying “Oh no.”

And as usual the jumbo jet went into a nose dive so suddenly and with such speed that the gravity inside the queen bee’s room stopped working 

“WHY DID I AGREE TO DO THIS SHOW THREE TIMES!!!”

“I SHOULD’VE HAD MY LAWYERS DRAFT A WILL!!!”

“Hehe Trent you naughty boy~~~” somehow Lindsay was still asleep as she floated through the room dreaming about… things im not going to write about right now.

And just as quick as the descent started it somehow came to a smooth and calm end, leaving all three girls scattered throughout the room, with Heather hanging from a lamp on the ceiling, Courtney on the other side of the room stuck to the door and Lindsay somehow landing perfectly on the bed with a blanket also landing perfectly on her 

The speaker once again came to life, this time with Chris’s voice coming through and speaking smugly “Attention everybody, meet me outside the jumbo jet in 30 minutes, we have a challenge today!”

And so just like a princess waking up from a peaceful sleep, Lindsay sat up and stretched her arms while yawning “MMMM, Good morning girls, I had such a nice dream hehe… girls?”  the clueless blonde looked around the room in confusion as both her friends were still in a state of shock and terror

Heather’s eyes started twitching in frustration and anger, all she could do was answer sarcastically “You can tell us all about it later…” no sooner as she said this the lamp she was hanging on from ripped out from the ceiling sending her crashing to the floor

Making both Lindsay and Courtney scream in unison “OMG ARE YOU OK!?”

Stockholm Sweden 9:00AM

After the chaotic landing, all 7 remaining contestants stepped off the jumbo jet and boarded a shuttle bus that took them through Stockholm. Heather was seated next to Cody as she looked out the window admiring the beauty of the city “There’s so many  rivers, God i hope they dont make us swim in this cold” Commented the queen bee while making sure her coat was zipped up all the way

In contrast a very excited Cody was doing his best to keep his inner nerd at bay by not listing a bunch of random useless facts about the city they were all in, as if not to draw comparisons to Harold “Uhhh, yeah, it’s almost as if the city is made up of several small islands connected by bridges and boats” Heather turned to look at him for just a moment with an eyebrow raised and a smug smile “Of course you'd know that, nerd”  

The playful jab made Cody laugh slightly and his cheeks to turn slightly red, just as he also noticed his crush was also wearing the scarf he had lent her during the Russia challenge “Oh hey! I was looking for that” he said excitedly causing the queen bee to be caught by surprise and her own cheeks to slightly blush

“Oh um, I guess i forgot to give it back to you, here just let me—” she quickly started to unwrap it from her neck only to be stopped by him placing a hand over her own  “No, it’s fine keep it on, I was actually looking for it just in case you needed it”  Heather stood frozen for a second unsure of what to do or say next, she simply stared at him while doing her best to keep her blushing to a minimum

She turned her face away from him and took a deep breath, just what the hell was happening to her these days, seriously! “Punchy… I appreciate you, but you also gotta start worrying about more about yourself, were in the merge now, your focus should be on the competition and not so much on helping everybody else, even if we have our little alliance” while she raised good points, Cody wasn’t about to just agree with her “Well, you could call keeping you warm and in the game part of my strategy, in a way im looking out for me by looking out for you”

Heather once more rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh as she playfully pushed him “Hah, whatever you say, God you can be so corny”  Cody blushed as he laughed along with his crush, both of them letting themselves be carefree for just a moment before the challenge began

While this was taking place, Gwen and Duncan were also sitting next to each other in the back of the bus, neither of them saying much, in fact not much had been said all day to begin with, as Gwen was still in a bad mood, and Duncan had become quite distant and aloof

The goth was starting to feel guilty about her demeanor, thinking she was alienating her boyfriend. She tried her best to try and snap out of her state of mind as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I’ve been so weird… I just feel so irritated and stressed about everything that’s been going on, and when Trent got hurt it made things so much worse…”

Duncan simply looked down at his girlfriend and gave her a reassuring half hug “It’s ok, I get that, sometimes your emotions get the best of you…” the punk looks towards Courtney as she sits a couple of rows in front of him, resting her own head against the bus’s window, he then looks away and lowers his eyes  “I know what that’s like…”

Stockholm, waterfront  9:30AM

The shuttle bus dropped off the contestants next to a  lake on the outskirts of the city, where 7 identical wooden crates stood waiting for them, however what was even more noticeable was how on the other side of the lake was an incredibly elaborate and massive building, adorned with elaborate carvings and torches all around it, and a statue of a viking holding a giant war axe standing atop of it

With everything in place, Chris walked over to the front of the group and cleared his throat as he started reading off of a card he took out from his shirt pocket “GOd moRGoN oCh välKoMmen tiLl SveRige!”  The whole cast stood in silence for just a couple of seconds before they all broke out in laughter, Duncan was keeling over as He asked  “Dude, are you having a stroke?”  

The host narrowed his eyes angrily at the group, hating how he was being mocked, he then ripped the card in several little pieces and threw it away “Ok, that was the last time I tried speaking any other language on the show!”   regaining his composure he then smiles at the cameras once more and begins his monologue

“Welcome everybody to Sweden, home of today’s challenge, where every single one of you will have to use your wits and give it your all to even stand a chance!”  Chris then walks towards the wooden crates and leans over one of them “Today’s challenge consists of 2 parts, first of all, each one of you must choose a crate and build whatever is inside of it to reach the other side of the lake where the nordic afterlife also known as Valhalla awaits you any questions?” 

Courtney quickly raised her hand and asked a question in her signature tone “Is this gonna be like last time where some of us get screwed over by “bad luck " ?"  Chris quickly brushed her off and responded in a dismissive tone “Relax, every single crate has materials to build something that will get you to the other side of the lake i promise… hehe” that last chuckle from the host sent a chill down her spine, it was never good news for them whenever he did that.

“You will all have 2 hours to reach the other side of the lake and get to that cool looking building over there, where the second part of the challenge will take place, if you don't manage to get there before the time limit is over, you will be disqualified from receiving immunity” the host then brings out an air horn and makes it go off almost deafening everybody present “BEGIN!!!”

Time remaining 2 hours

As the challenge started everybody scrambled towards the crates, with Alejandro quickly grabbing the one in the center, once he opened it and looked inside he smiled smugly “Well this should be easy enough…” as he emptied out the materials, he looked to his right noticing Gwen had taken the one next to him “Ah, Gwen, good to see you’re in a competing mood today, especially after what happened with Trent last challenge” 

The Spaniard spoke with a phony tone of sympathy, which the goth chose to simply roll her eyes at “I’ll be fine, and so will he… and why do you care?” Alejandro gave a smug subdued laugh “I’m just looking out for you, I know how much you cared for him, and since we’re going to work together from here on out, i thought i might as well stay in your good graces”

Gwen gave a heavy sigh, in all honesty she still wasn’t feeling well, this was further exasperated by her conversation with Lindsay the night before. Deep inside she had this constant feeling of anxiety, as if the walls were closing in on her and there was nothing she could do about it.

She looked towards the distance where she could see Heather trying to make sense of a set of instructions in Swedish while hammering away at… whatever it was that she was trying to build. She felt a deep anger at seeing her act so nonchalant, as if she wasn’t pulling the strings “You know what, as long as we take Heather out, you can count on me” 

Alejandro couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed with the goth’s motivation, since getting rid of Heather wasn’t really a part of his plans yet, after all he still hadn’t gotten her to fall for him, but for his own sake he would play along with the goth’s vendetta “We can get it done, however… right now she still has the advantage, with Courtney, Cody and Lindsay still under her control, we might have to target somebody else for now…”

As much as she hated to admit it, she knew Alejandro was right, so she looked towards him once more and asked “Somebody else? What do you have in mind?” 

Time remaining 1 hour and 30 minutes

Cody was hard at work putting together what looked like a standard wooden canoe, something that seemed easy enough for the nerd, as he always had a knack for working with his hands, as he put on the finish touches he wiped the sweat from his brow and looked proudly at his work  “I may not be the strongest or fastest, but I feel like I can make up for it with my brain when it counts hehe” 

Before bringing the canoe to water he looked around at how everybody else was doing. Lindsay looked confident as she put hammer to nail putting together… something that made very little nautical sense, it almost looked like a giant head

His curiosity was getting the best of him so he walked over to the blonde’s work area to check up on her, maybe he could lend her a hand “Hey Linds, how's it going?” the blonde enthusiastically turned around with a big bright smile on her face “Omg Cody, it’s going great, at first i was having like trouble putting it together, cause like i just COULD NOT understand those instructions, so like i thought like long and hard about it and like i figured the real instructions were like in my heart, so i started just putting stuff together and then like i started to recognize what i was meant to be building hehehe” 

Once Cody took a closer look and paid close attention to detail it became clear “How did? I mean what the…? How did you manage to build Trent’s face!?” yep, just as the nerd said, Lindsay had somehow managed to build a ship sized model of Trent’s head, complete with a sail at the top of his hair

Lindsay hammered the final nail and took a step back to admire the fruits of her hard work. “Oooooh, that makes sense, since I was listening to my heart… Hey Cody, wanna help me push it into the water?” Cody snapped out of his amazement shaking his head and happily helped his friend bring the bizarre ship to water 

Once it was in position, the blonde climbed into her ship and gave Cody a military salute “Admiral Lindsay her hotness is ready to sail!”  The nerd returned the salute and pushed his friend’s wooden head into the water, watching as it miraculously managed to float in the lake, Cody watched with a look of amusement “You picked a good one buddy…”

While Cody walked back to his canoe he also spotted Heather putting on the final touches on her own ship, which happened to be shaped like a swan, he quickly made his way towards her to check up on her progress and see if she needed any help “Hey! How's your ship coming along?”

The queen bee put down her tools and gave a confident smile “I managed to get it done, but I can't say I'm too thrilled about having to use a pedal boat, you wanna switch?”  Cody rubbed the back of his neck in an uneasy manner, trying to find the most polite way of declining his crush’s request “uhhh, i think you got this, your legs are stronger than mine hehe” 

Heather chuckled sarcastically and looked at him with fake outrage at his comment “Are you saying I have massive tree trunk legs!?”  Cody immediately panicked and struggled to even form any words, trying to clear up the misunderstanding “W-WHAT! Nononono that is NOT what i said, i meant it like y-youre way more athletic than i am, a-and your legs are perfect i would never say anything like that, your th-thighs are a work of art i swear!”

The queen bee couldn’t hide her amusement any longer and instead burst out laughing, getting closer to the poor flustered nerd she nudged him on the shoulder and gave him a playful wink “Hahaha! You kill me sometimes punchy, i was just joking! although i am flattered you referred to my thighs as a work of art, you definitely have a fun way of phrasing things”  

Cody was blushing so hard he started to feel a bit light headed, so he chose to walk back to his canoe and continue with the challenge “Y-yeah, good luck getting to the other side” leaving the still laughing queen bee to watch him make his way towards the water “It’s just too much fun to mess with him~” 

Just as she was about to lead her own boat to water she glanced over to find Courtney struggling really hard with her own boat, if that’s what you could even call what she was building “What the hell even is that?” the queen bee asked herself as she approached her frustrated looking friend

“No NO NO THIS MAKES NO LOGICAL SENSE!! Mclean you gave me the wrong crate or something!” Courtney was in the middle of trying to figure out just what she could possibly be building, since none of the parts she found inside her crate had any parts that resembled those of any type of boat she had ever seen 

Once Heather stood beside her looking over her shoulder she felt a bit of sympathy for the CIT, seeing how poorly she seemed to manage stressful situations “Hey, if you can’t build that why don't you hitch a ride on my swan boat?” Courtney gave a sigh of relief at her friend’s offer, taking her hand and standing up “Ugh sure, it beats trying to make sense of whatever the hell this thing they want me to build is, i mean seriously, its all random wooden parts and ropes!” 

As both girls were walking back towards Heather’s boat Chris made his presence known as he stood in front of the pair “And just where do you think you’re going Courtney?” The CIT crossed her arms and spoke in her usual dismissive manner towards the host “My good friend Heather just offered to help me get to the other side of the lake, and since you clearly gave a box full of just random junk to sort through instead of a real boat”

Chris gave his signature mocking chuckle as he walked over to the pile of random materials Courtney was working on “Well you see Courtney, I’m afraid that if you decide to board Heather’s boat you will be disqualified from the challenge and from receiving immunity” Heather and Chris then proceeded to cover their ears as Courtney began screaming at the top of her lungs towards the host “OH COME ON! HOW IS THAT FAIR? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BUILD WITH ALL THAT RANDOM JUNK? YOU’RE JUST TRYING TO SABOTAGE ME! I WILL CALL MY LAWYERS AND THEN I WILL—” 

Chris to his credit never stopped smiling at the raving CIT as she found new and creative ways to insult him, ultimately he brought out his air horn and blasted it to make Courtney stop her tirade “You heard me, It’s against the rules, the challenge is for you to build something to get you to the other side of the lake, and if i were you i would hurry up, you only got an hour left hehe”  the smug host then walked towards the water where Chef was waiting for him on a speed boat, he looked back once more and pointed at his eyes and then at the CIT right as the boat took off

Feeling defeated and frustrated Courtney fell to her knees and did her best to hold back tears “ugh, why is everything so difficult all the time… what am i gonna do?”  Heather leaned next to her and put a hand on her shoulder “Hey, don't give up all right? You’re pretty smart I’m sure you’ll figure something out soon” the CIT looked up at her friend and gave weak smile at her words of encouragement

“Thanks… you should get going before you run out of time, I’ll meet you there ok?” Heather returned the weak smile at her friend, deep down inside the both of them seriously doubting her chances, but nevertheless choosing to remain positive

With Heather launching her swan boat into the lake, it was now only Courtney…. And Duncan left on the lake side

The CIT was feeling frustrated, specially seeing how Duncan had managed to put the final touches on his own viking looking ship, cursing to herself she simply sat down and looked towards the beautiful lake front, thinking to herself how beautiful it all truly was, and how much of a waste it was to not even stop for a moment and acknowledge it

She smiled sadly looking at her friends making their way through the lake, wishing she could be competing just as they were “At least I got to travel the world, and I made some new friends…” she said out loud to herself, trying to find any sort of silver lining to her situation

Since she was lost in her own thoughts she failed to notice as her ex mohawked lover approached her “You just gonna sit there?”  feeling no patience or energy to even start yelling at him, she chose to answer truthfully and with little emotion behind her voice “what do you care? Just get out of here Duncan”

For his part Duncan just rolled his eyes as he walked towards her pile of materials, taking a quick look over at it and then towards her “huh… that makes sense… oh well whatever, have fun sitting there by yourself”  the punk then nonchalantly walked back to his ship, but just as he was about to board it he spoke once more without turning to look at her “By the way, you’re never gonna build a boat with that stuff, it’s a weapon”

This caught Courtney’s attention, making her sit up in attention, once he had said that it all made sense, Chris never said it was a boat she was building “What the— you’re actually right!” she then stood up and got to work putting the contraption together, she was not about to give up without putting on a fight!

As she did so, Duncan set sail with a look of annoyance in his face, cursing at himself for how he was feeling “Why the hell did I go and do that…”  he was having trouble understanding himself lately, ever since Trent’s accident he was struggling with feelings new to him, as if things had gotten too real and he was looking at things from a different angle, maybe it was empathy, or perhaps it was guilt, whatever the case… it was making him look back on his life and his choices.

30 minutes remaining

The lake was a beautiful marvel of what nature had to offer, with cool winds blowing a chilling breeze over the horizon as the various contestants traveled the waters as best they could, with a certain goth taking the lead early while maneuvering a windsurf board she had crafted earlier

Gwen was trying her best to keep focused on the challenge, she figured if she just did what she was supposed to and performed well enough she would be safe from elimination, perhaps if she did things the right way she would eventually best Heather at her own game and have her eliminated, instead of having to rely on Alejandro’s underhanded tactics… but then again, why should she take the high road against somebody as despicable as that queen bee wanna be?

With just a quarter of the way to go she shook her head and focused her gaze ahead, unwilling to be distracted for the time being “Gwen, mi querida amiga, have you thought about what i proposed?” Speaking of distractions… Alejandro had managed to catch up to her, he himself sailing on a flat raft he had put not much thought into “How did that thing catch up to me so quickly?”

The spaniard looked down at his creation and brought his foot down confidently on it “one does not need to make any elaborate designs to make a quality vessel, and as you can see, this raft is getting the job done hmm hmm~~” the goth rolled her eyes at his confident charade, even if the guy was good at playing the game, his whole demeanor was a major red flag to her, which was precisely the reason she always made a point to not lower her guard when around him

“But enough about my wood working skills, are you going to do as I said earlier?”  the goth gave an annoyed sigh, if that’s what it took, then she would have to stoop down to Alejandro’s and Heather’s level, as they say, fight fire with fire right? “Can’t say I’ll be proud of myself, but sure, let’s target her” 

Alejandro gave his confident and smug look towards the goth, winking at her he adjusted his windsail making it pick up even more speed “Pleasure doing business with you, we will discuss further strategy once we arrive at th—” 

Alejandro couldn’t finish his sentence before a very large and hard Swedish meat ball hit his raft dead center, sending him flying off from it, quite frankly the only thing he could do at the moment was scream as he flew in the air and landed in the chilly waters “AGHHHHH!!!!” 

Having witnessed her alliance member disappear under the water Gwen looked towards the shore line where the meat ball had come from, and to her dismay she found out pretty quickly what had happened

“HAHAHAHA, no way Chef! That was amazing! Hit Gwen now!” Chris and Chef were arming and firing a massive cannon with expired Swedish Meat balls in her direction, as an added obstacle to not make the challenge too easy for them. “Oh god!”  Thinking on her toes, Gwen began to use a zig zag maneuver to avoid Chef’s blasts, with several meat balls shooting past her over and over

“Hmmmm, that pale girl got skills” Chef grumbled to himself in irritation, trying his best to hit her, Chris then stepped over Chef and took control of the cannon “Here let me try!” he adjusted the aim carefully and shot at the goth, with the meatball almost hitting her, only missing by a few inches

Instead the errant projectile zoomed past the goth and hit Lindsay’s ship “Omg they shot Trent in the eye!!!”  the blonde then duck into her ship and began patching it up from the inside with some spare wooden planks she brought along 

“I wasn’t aiming for Lindsay… but I’ll take it heheh”  the sadistic host commented as he kept aiming and firing the cannon, making the once calm waters of the lake start to ripple and turn wild with each projectile that missed his targets

Both Cody and Heather were sailing the now turbulent waters a couple of meters away from each other, with Heather petalling her swan boat with all her might and ducking in between cannon shots “Didn’t he get in trouble for almost having us killed before? What does he think is gonna happen if we fall into the water AH–” the queen bee cut her rant short as a meat ball flew a little too close and shot the swan’s head clean off 

Cody saw this and he immediately worried for his crush“Heather! Are you ok?” Heather peeked around the now destroyed swan head before answering  “I’m ok, but that shot destroyed the steering… I’m stuck!” hearing this, Cody resolved himself to help her out, refusing to just leave her behind “Hang on i got an idea!”

He reached inside his canoe and brought out a leftover rope he brought along and quickly threw it towards the queen bee, who managed to catch it “What’s the plan punchy!?” Having held on to the other side of the rope, the nerd quickly tied a knot to his own canoe “Tie the rope to your boat, I’ll guide the direction, you pedal!”

Heather gave a grateful and confident smile, following his instructions she secured the rope around her broken swan boat and gave a thumbs up “All ready!!!” the two of them then quickly began to put their plan into action, managing to avoid the projectiles being fired their way

Chris kept firing over and over, as if he were a pirate trying to sink a ship, his focus remaining solely on the pair “You’d think this would be easier, but they’re really slippery…” the host commented between shots, failing to notice as a very irritated and wet Alejandro walked up to him “Hmm i don't know about that, you managed to hit me pretty easily” 

Chris looked up from the line of sight and at Alejandro who was now shirtless and shivering in the cold “Alejandro? How did you—” the Spaniard was too annoyed and cold for the absurdity of it all so he cut  to the point “I’m a great swimmer yeah yeah, do you have any dry clothes or something?”  Chris shrugged and looked towards Chef, who rolled his eyes and threw a pile of old looking towels at the Spaniard “That ought to do it!”

With that taken care of, the host turned back towards the cannon ready to aim once more, only to be disappointed with Gwen and Lindsay’s arrivals “Aw really? I just wanted to sink at least one of you!” Gwen let go of her wind surf board and quickly ran up to where the host was standing “Aha! Can't shoot me when I'm standing next to you!”  Chris briefly thought about turning the cannon to face the goth… but eh that would make him a sore loser

As for Lindsay, she took her time getting out of her Trent shaped boat looking at it fondly for a moment and blowing a kiss at it “Thank’s for bringing me all the way safely cutie” she also quickly ran up to Chris as to stay clear from the cannon fire “I did it!!! Omg can you believe it!”

Chris smiled at the blonde, he had to admit she found her charming enough every once in a while “That’s right Lindsay, you Gwen and Alejandro are still in the running for the next part of the challenge, and we only got 10 more minutes remaining so the rest of the contestants better make it here or else they will be in danger of elimination!” as Chris once more turned to aim the cannon he was once more disappointed to see Cody and Heather reach the shore line 

Heather quickly ran towards the group excitedly with Cody not far behind her, once they reached them they both collapsed on the floor to catch their breath “We did it!! We got here on time! Take that Mclean!” Yelled the queen bee between breaths “I’m just glad i didn’t fall in the water this time… the yukon waters almost killed me last time” added Cody as he stood up highfiving Lindsay who made her way towards the newly arrived pair “You guyyyyss you made it too! Is Courtney almost here too?” 

Heather stood up as well and looked towards Lindsay in a concerned manner “I think she’s going to need a miracle… but she’s too stubborn to just lose, i know she can get here… somehow” Lindsay and Cody looked at one another and then at the queen bee, both of them nodding in agreement to their belief in their friend

In the meantime Chris and Chef were looking through binoculars trying to find Duncan “You see him yet?” asked the host in an irritated manner, God knows he wanted to shoot at the punk more than anybody. Nope, not in sight at all… wait a minute, what the hell is that?”

Chris then turned to look in the same direction as Chef was aiming the binoculars towards the sky “... it almost looks like a—” no sooner than he said that a massive meat ball hit the cannon dead center, causing it to explode and sending Chris and Chef flying back “WHOA!!!!!”  

With the smoke of the explosion clearing, Duncan walked up towards the group, still in a somber mood “Hey, Mclean, i made it…”  Gwen immediately ran up to him concerned “How did you do that!?” Duncan chuckled and raised his eyebrow towards the goth “Hahah! Are you seriously asking me how I made something blow up?” 

Gwen gave him a smile and punched him in the arm, say what you will but the punk knew how to make her laugh.

Both Chris and Chef walked back towards the group as the dusted themselves off, with Chris seriously irritated with the delinquent “And Duncan makes it to shore with just 1 minute remaining meaning he gets to compete in the second part of the challenge”

With only a couple of seconds remaining, everybody present had given up on seeing Courtney make an appearance, a fact that seemed to sadden the girls and Cody, who kept staring at the lake for any sign of their friend, even Duncan who was hugging his girlfriend to his chest kept stealing glances at the lake

Chris then stood in front of the contestants and cleared his throat “Well, It’s safe to say that nobody else is showing up, so I officially mark the first part of today’s challenge —”  but as he was speaking, in the distance a distinct sort of sound could be heard, and it was slowly getting louder and louder “.....aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH”  

Everybody looked towards the lake as a very fast approaching Courtney was falling from the sky,  thinking fast, Cody and Heather grabbed the massive pile of towels previously discarded by Alejandro and placed it directly where their friend was about to land

*CRASH*

Thankfully they acted just in time, with the CIT managing to land safely in the pile, sending hundreds of towels flying in the air, leaving her laying there with her hair still messy from the air travel and her eyes twitching, Heather quickly made her way to her friend and grabbed on to her “Courtney!! How did you do that? Are you ok?” 

The CIT’S expression remained unchanged, still twisted into a terrified grimace “It… wasn’t a boat…. It was… a catapult”

Chris then got closer to the group as he addressed the cameras “And with literally just one second remaining on the clock, Courtney made it to the other side, which means that it’s still anybody’s game!” Courtney struggled to stand up, leaning against Heather and Cody she looked at the host “I… HATE… YOU”

Entrance to Valhalla 

Chris then stood at the doors of the massive ancient looking building, it looked like a place of immeasurable historic and cultural value, with carvings on the doors portraying ancient battles, and detailing old viking tales “Welcome all to the second part of the challenge everybody, since you all showed your courage to cross Lake Hornavan, you have proven yourselves worthy of entering Valhalla!”

Heather nudged Cody and whispered in his ear “psst you know about this stuff, what’s Valhalla?” the nerd gave his signature toothy grin and whispered back “It’s like the viking after life, where they all feast and fight with the ancient god Odin… I think we’re gonna have to do some fighting or something, we gotta be prepared for anything if that’s the case”

The queen bee then shot him a determined look, touching his hand with her own “We got this… if we stick together we can do anything” Cody blushed at her declaration, filling him with the strength and motivation he needed he matched her energy and gave her the same determined look “Yeah.. we got this”

Chris then turned towards the massive doors and snapped his fingers “So without further ado… Welcome to Valhalla!!!” the massive wooden doors opened slowly, with an icy white smoke escaping the entrance

Slowly they all made their way inside, not sure what to expect, with only a couple of torches lighting the way, everybody stuck together walking through the halls, unsure of what was coming next, the doors behind them shut closed.

And then a faint rhythmic beat could be heard, growing louder and louder, and the floor they were stepping on started lighting up with different squared tiles of different colors blaring in and out with the music, just as this happened, a massive disco ball lit up the entire great hall they were all standing on, revealing hundreds of people in balconies above where they were all standing

The bizarre nature of the situation had made Courtney come back to her senses as she demanded an explanation from the host, who was now standing on one of the balconies above them “Chris, what the hell is going on now?” 

The host laughed along with Chef who was now dressed in a 70’s style white suit and had an afro wig on “Heheh, that’s right folks, welcome to Club Valhalla, the hottest disco in all of Europe, and the site of Total Drama’s Dance endurance challenge!!!!”

As the host presented the challenge, the crowd of onlookers gave a huge cheer and applause  “Hehe, I told you things would get funky right?”

Cody and Heather backed into each other, unsure of where things would go, Lindsay was excitedly cheering with the crowd, and Courtney started stretching, determined to win today no matter what.

As for Gwen and Duncan they both groaned in frustration, with a very irate Duncan screaming at the host “First you wanted us to sing, but now we got to dance too!? Agh this is so lame!!” Gwen was also on the same level of frustration as her boyfriend, but as she looked towards Alejandro she understood that she would have to swallow her pride as she had done so many times before and just get through the challenge if she wanted to remain in the show another day “Whatever… Let’s get this over with”

As the loud base of the music kept ringing around them Cody took in a deep breath, he knew sooner or later he would end up having to do something like this, he wasn’t a stranger to show biz, as he shared one more look with Heather, the queen bee shook her head at the bizarre challenge ahead of them, she then shot him a flirty look as she asked one question “What do you say punchy… you wanna dance~?”

Author Notes

Hello everybody, hope you enjoyed this chapter, this was one of the challenges I've had in mind for a long time, and as you can see, what lies ahead promises to bring plenty of wacky and dramatic situations.

I decided to incorporate some elements from the original series into this challenge, instead of building Gwen’s face if figured it would be kinda funny if Lindsay built Trent’s instead

It looks like Duncan is having a serious personal crisis at the moment, unsure of how to proceed with his guilt, but Courtney still seems determined to bring him down

Which brings me to Gwen and Alejandro, who have the potential to cause plenty of strife going forward, but only time will tell if this alliance will be advantageous

I had to shorten this chapter or else it would’ve probably been 15k words, so i feel like leaving it around the 7k mark is good enough, I’ll try to get the next one done quickly since I have a good idea about what’s coming, it’s all about hitting the right dialogue beats

As always let me know what you think, i hope you enjoy it 🙂

Chapter 23

Belief and Suspicion 

Common area 1:20PM

“Some days will be easier than others”. This was something Trent would often say when it came to dealing with whatever life threw his way, he often said it to his friends in an effort to get them to stay strong and not give up when they were going through rough times.

Sadly today wasn’t an easy day for any of his friends still in the competition, seeing as they were all sitting around a large table in the common area, attempting to eat lunch to little success.

As Cody twirled his fork around his plate of spaghetti, he looked around at his friends, who were all in a similar state of grief for their recently gone friend, he looked at Lindsay who was doing her best to not break out in tears, and Heather who was right next to her rubbing her back with one hand and also twirling the spaghetti in her plate

Sensing her friend’s troubled demeanor get worse by the second, Heather put down her fork and turned towards the depressed blonde to try and reassure her “It’s ok… It’ll all be fine, you’ll see him soon again, plus he doesn’t have to eat any of Chef’s questionable food anymore, which is always a plus if you ask me” 

Lindsay turned to look at her friend and even let out a chuckle as she wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes “Heheh, yeah like this food sucks” she also put down her fork and leaned back on her chair before she spoke her mind once more “I know he’s going to be fine, and like I’m happy he’s going back home, He would always talk about missing his mom and stuff… I just like, miss him so much its making me like cry all over my food”

Hearing this made Courtney let out a small laugh as well, she pushed her plate away and rested her chin on her hands “I gotta admit, it was pretty admirable of him to just walk away with his head held high, I respect that…” everyone else nodded along to the CIT’s statement, not everybody got the chance to leave with their dignity intact

As everyone else followed suit and pushed their plates away, Cody turned towards the bossy CIT “Speaking of being impressed, Courtney, what you did for Trent last night was amazing, I mean you knew exactly what to do and kept your cool the whole time!” 

Heather leaned over the table with one arm as she grabbed a glass of water and also complimented her “Yeah no kidding, you’re basically a doctor… which makes me think back to all those times one of us was hurt, how come you didn’t help out back then?”  the queen bee had been careful not to sound too confrontational as she asked her question, hoping Courtney wouldn’t take it the wrong way

But the CIT merely giggled and answered in a slightly sarcastic tone “Well Heather, even if we were on a team, it didn't mean we were friends, i wasn’t about to help out anybody and hurt my chances of at winning… but i guess now i feel different, you girls aren’t that bad, and Trent is a sweet nice guy, i wanted to help him” she quickly crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she turned away, not being used to letting out her more genuine and vulnerable side around others

However Lindsay saw through the fake moody act she was putting up, so she just stood up and walked over to her and gave her a hug, causing the CIT to squirm in place as she received the unexpected affection, but before she could say much more, Lindsay looked at her and let her know how grateful she was “Thank you so so so so so so much for saving him, You’re like the sweetest ever” 

In that moment Courtney’s instincts were telling her to push the blonde away and dismiss the whole interaction, to not show any weakness that could be exploited by them, but as she felt those emotions bugging at her, she could also see that Lindsay was being genuine in her gratitude, and neither Cody or Heather were looking at her with any sort of malice, in truth all this was just a tender moment between friends, and sadly it wasn’t something she was used to experiencing.

So as she sat there being hugged by the depressed blonde, she took in a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing her demeanor and returning the hug “I… um… you’re welcome you dummy…” 

Watching the tender moment between friends was a bit comforting for Cody, thinking about how insane it was that Courtney of all people was starting to open up to them, as for Heather, she let out an annoyed sigh and also stood up, grabbing the attention from everybody present “ok, that’s enough mushy feelings for today, so let’s focus for a second here”

This made everybody at the table look towards her with varying degrees of confusion at what was bothering the queen bee “everything ok? What’s got you all riled up all of a sudden?” asked Courtney as she broke her embrace with Lindsay “Well, I know we're no longer a team, but I want us all to stay strong and focus on the game, we might be in the merge now, but that doesn't mean we just get to kick back and take it easy, especially with those three still in the competition” the queen bee made her point as she pointed towards the stairs to first class

Cody nodded in agreement also standing up to show his commitment to his crush’s words “Heather is right, we can't let our guard down, we don't know what Alejandro might try, not to mention Gwen and Duncan are gonna be sticking together as well, we gotta make sure we keep winning immunity and working together until then” as the nerd finished his point he saw a prideful smile on Heather's face, a sign that they were in the same page

Feeling emboldened by her friend’s words Courtney stood up just as they did and cheerfully agreed “As long as we’re working together to bring em down you can count on me! once they’re gone we can duke it out for the money with no hard feelings right?” Both Cody and Heather responded with an equally enthusiastic “YEAH!”  as they pumped their fists in the air

With only Lindsay remaining seated the three of them turned towards her extending their hands in an effort to try and bring her spirits up, but the blonde simply gave a calm smile at her friends “You guys are like so amazing… but i dont know if i can do this, i just feel so out of my depth…” 

Before either Courtney or Cody could say anything to try and refute the blonde’s claim, Heather walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder “Lindsay, we all heard the last thing Trent said to you before he left, and i can say without a shadow of a doubt that I feel the same way he does” Lindsay gave a puzzled look and blinked twice, not getting the queen bee’s point “ummmm, like are you saying you like me too?”

Heather’s eye twitched and she facepalmed, trying her best to keep her composure and not be mean to the ditzy blonde “No, not that part, I'm talking about the part when he said that he believed in you, that you could do anything you set your heart to” she then grabbed her by the shoulders, as if to really make her take in what she was about to say “I’m 100% sure he meant it, and guess what? I believe it too” 

For a moment Lindsay felt unsure about what to say, in all honesty she had forgiven Heather for all the shitty things she had done to her in the past, having noticed how much she had changed and opened up to her, their friendship was basically night and day when compared to how it was back then

But all this time she couldn’t understand why she was being so nice? What made her have such unwavering faith in her? “Why? What makes you so sure I can do it? I mean like, I know everybody thinks I'm kinda dumb, so what is it about me that makes you think I got what it takes?”  

Heather paused for a moment, letting go of Lindsay. She gave a smug reassuring smile the only way she knew how to and made sure to speak her mind clearly. “Cause ever since I met you, you’ve always tried to prove yourself, and I've seen what you’re capable of, you got that same drive to crush the competition as i do… you’re just a little bit nicer about it than i am… so if you think me and Trent are wrong then by all means, save us the trouble and give up now…” Heather then reached out her hand to help Lindsay stand up from her chair “But if you’re willing to keep on going and see what you’re capable of… then shut up about that nonsense and give it your all, make sure you got No Regrets”

Deep inside her heart Lindsay felt a surge of emotions, for what seemed like the first time in a long time she had a feeling that was quite hard to describe. It made her want to run through a wall, as if she was finally able to shut out all those insecurities that plagued her every day, about not being smart enough, not being good enough…

What she needed more than anything was for somebody else to let her know she was good enough just the way she was, so she took Heather’s hand, she wiped her tears away and stood up, she would show Trent that his faith in her was not misplaced, that even if she was a bit ditzy and a bit clueless sometimes… She was just as capable and strong as anybody else! “You know what… Yeah! I’m going to keep trying my best!” 

Heather smiled and nodded at the now hot blooded Lindsay, full of pride and care for her, the guilt of their shared past still present in her mind, but happy to know that in a weird way… she was slowly making up for all the awful things she did, and that feeling of redemption was something that felt better than any sort of scheme she pulled in the past

Both Courtney and Cody looked on in pride as Heather managed to bring out Lindsay from the depths of depression, they gave each other a knowing look and joined the both of them putting their hands together, as if to let her know she could count on them as well

Seeing this Heather couldn’t help but laugh earning confused looks from everyone else “Hahaha, don't get me wrong, it’s cool that we’re in this together… but god! This is so corny hahaha” everyone else pulled their hands away and laughed as well, seeing as they had let themselves get carried away in the moment.

Gwen’s room 9:00PM

Human existence is quite a puzzle for many of us, if you think about it, things shouldn’t really be that complicated, you try your best and you grow and learn from mistakes, but for Gwen things weren’t really that simple.

She had so many complicated feelings inside her head that she barely even left her room all day, opting instead to isolate herself to try and understand why she was feeling so guilty and miserable.

It wasn’t as if she still had feelings for Trent, she knew that ship had sailed long ago, what’s more she was dating Duncan, and so far he had been nothing but supportive and loving to her, having her back through everything she had gone through this season

In fact perhaps some of her guilt had to do with that, she felt as if she was the common denominator when it came to causing misery to those around her, after all one only had to look at how Courtney felt about her, and how Trent dismissed her warning about Heather, not to mention Cody giving up on her completely and instead opting to cling to that witch… but then again it’s not as if she really cared about that last part…

But in the end she had to acknowledge how far things had gone when it came to her place in the competition. She knew deep down without a shadow of a doubt that it was all Heather’s fault, but still… something kept bothering her, it kept telling her “What if it’s your fault…?”

It honestly gave her a headache to even try and understand what she was feeling, so instead she just tossed and turned in bed, trying to find a semblance of sanity in herself, but all that would have to wait as she heard a knock on her door

The lonely goth sat up, knowing very well who it was, she simply said “Come in, it’s unlocked…” and just as she did, Duncan stepped in holding a plate of freshly baked cookies “Pasty, you haven't eaten anything today, so i figured id bring you some grub” Gwen gave a weak smile, happy to see her boyfriend care about her “Thanks… who knew you could be so considerate” she teased earning a sly chuckle from the punk

He then placed the plate of cookies by her night table and sat beside her on the bed, brushing her hair behind her ear and looking into her eyes “You still crying over him?”  Gwen looked away in shame, feeling guilty over worrying him the way she was “I’m sorry, i just… i dont know, seeing him get hurt the way he was, especially after how our conversation went, he really didn’t deserve that… he’s a great guy even if things didn’t really end well between us.”

It was Duncan’s turn to look away from his lover, unwilling to betray how he actually felt about everything that had happened… and the role he played in it, he stood up and tried his best to act nonchalantly about the whole situation “Heh yeah, i know Elv– i mean Trent is a good guy, it’s a shame, but hey he looked ok enough the next day right? Plus he started dating barbie of all people, so if you really think about it, it’s not that big of a deal right?”

Gwen sank into the bed and hugged her legs to her chest, as sweet as Duncan could be to her, it was a far and off conclusion that he would feel much empathy for others, specially her ex boyfriend, not just that but the reminder of how he had completely moved on from her and buried his past was her stung at her a bit “I guess they make a nice couple… I know he will take care of her…” responded the goth, with very little emotion behind her words

Duncan couldn’t help but feel frustrated, on one hand because of his inability to make his girlfriend feel better… and on the other, it was his guilty conscience trying to downplay his actions, frustrating him to no end, but then again what was he supposed to do? Just let it slide? Trent was going to be a thorn in his side, and he was going to keep being a reminder to Gwen about the past, he just wanted him out of the competition, that's all! It wasn’t his fault that he got into that accident!

The delinquent then leaned closer towards his lover and spoke softly “Tell you what, try and sleep and eat some of those cookies, you’ll feel better in the morning ok?”  he then stood up and walked towards the door as he smiled softly at Gwen “I’m gonna try and get some sleep as well ok?” 

Gwen lifted her head and offered a look of gratefulness as she waved goodbye and blew a kiss at her man. It was sweet that he came to check on her, but right now there wasn’t much they could do for each other… and she wanted to be alone.

As he stepped out and closed the door behind him he let out a frustrated sigh and walked towards his room with an angry expression and muttering under his breath “This sucks…”

Heather’s room 9:50PM

“So this gossip girl keeps writing a blog about people’s personal lives? And the whole show is about trying to figure out who it is?”  Cody was currently laying in Heather’s bed next to her upside down with their heads next to each other, just unwinding from the day’s events and enjoying each other’s company

“Yeah, and like she’s always a step ahead of them, it's soooo messy i just love it haha”  Heather was excitedly talking about her favorite show, all while Cody was getting lost admiring her beauty and the way she smiled when she spoke about the things she liked, all he could do was smile and blush like a love struck fool, it didn't take long for Heather to notice and turn to look at him “Hah… What are you staring at?”

Cody was quickly brought out of his day dreams and nervously scrambled to regain his composure “O-oh i was j-just uh, paying attention yeah, i like listening to you speak about the things you like hehe” the queen bee smiled back at him and nudged him playfully  “yeah right, you’re just getting sleepy aren't you? Don't you know it’s disrespectful to fall asleep when you’re listening to a lady?”

The nerd chuckled and turned his body to look at her, making sure she could see he was fully focused on her “Heheh, no i mean it, i really like listening to you, and we should definitely watch that show when we get the chance, it sounds interesting” Heather’s fake offended act crumbled and she let out a friendly laugh as well “When we get the chance? You mean after the competition is over?” she asked as she looked at his expression, trying to see how he would react at her question

But Cody answered just as calmly and confident as always “Well… yeah, I don't mind going over to Vancouver to visit you, or if you ever wanted to come over to Toronto I could show you around…”  he smiled at her in his goofy and reassuring way, as with no doubt in his mind about it

The queen bee fell silent for a moment, just staring into his blue eyes full of devotion for her, trying to explain to herself just what the hell was happening right now “How are you so sure that we're still gonna be… friends once this is all done?” 

Without skipping a beat he answered just as confidently “I just know we will, I feel it deep inside me, I know we’ll be there for each other even if you’re on the other side of the country, you’ve become one of the best friends I've ever had , and I know that i wanna have you in my life, even if were not competing in a reality show” Cody never looked away from her as he spoke, he wanted her to know that was how he felt about it all

This brave declaration of friendship was almost too much for her to handle, her face turned a deep crimson that could almost match the scarf he had gifted her and she turned her head away from him, trying her best to hide how she was feeling

It honestly made no sense to her, just how the hell he was making her so flustered, not in a million years did she think anybody could make her blush that way, but ever since she made her alliance with Cody, everything she believed in had flipped upside down

She had to admit she was scared of feeling so vulnerable, a part of her wanted to just throw him out of the room and isolate herself, telling herself that she didn't need to make any friends, she only needed to win the money and make sure her mom got better, nothing else mattered!!!

But… that other side of her, the side of her that had learned to let others in, the side of her that started to make friends, to right her wrongs, that opened up to him and let him get to know her, that loved holding his hand when it was cold, that couldn’t fall asleep without hearing his voice first…

That side of her was telling her to listen to her heart, that it would be ok if she let herself love and be loved, no matter how scary it could be, she could trust him… even if he wasn't the strongest, or the tallest or he could be a bit of a nerd and a perv… he had the sweetest most caring heart she had ever seen, and he would put aside all his fears and insecurities if it meant protecting her and the people he held dear.

She was starting to understand what she was feeling… Could this be what falling in love felt like? “I would like that… we could definitely hang out”  she turned back to face him, focusing on his blue eyes, she reached for his hand and interlocked fingers with him “I think we could even—”

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

A familiar voice belonging to a certain bossy girl they all knew and loved could be heard bringing the both of them back to earth as they both jolted up “Heather! It’s me and Lindsay, can we come in?” 

Heather’s eye twitched in annoyance, she looked towards Cody and saw him rubbing the back of his neck nervously and chuckling, making her regain some composure and even laugh along him “Sure come in, me and Cody were just talking”

The door opened up and both girls peaked inside, smiling nervously as they both made their way inside “Uhhh we didn’t interrupt anything did we?” asked Courtney with a slight tone of guilt in her voice, but both Cody and Heather brushed off her concerns, with the queen bee even answering in a playful tone “Nah we were just talking about gossip girl” 

Both Lindsay and Courtney perked up at hearing about the show, with Lindsay making her way towards the bed and sitting beside Heather “Omg i looooove gossip girl!!!”  Cody stood up and observed how easily the atmosphere shifted, he had to admit it was impressive how quickly the mood could change, hell even Courtney was chiming into the conversation while trying to pretend as if she was above watching such things “I mean… it’s an ok show, i’ve seen it here and there, but just for the mystery!!”

As everybody settled inside her room, Heather was feeling as if somebody had thrown a bucket of cold water on her head, and it was getting harder and harder to hide her irritation from being interrupted… but nonetheless she would make sure everything was ok before letting out any of her trademark snark “Yeah, it’s a good show… but uh what’s going on? Do you girls need something specific?”

In that moment Courtney turned towards Lindsay and nodded her head towards her, as if she was encouraging her to say something “Uhm like, i was feeling a bit sad, so i went to Courtney’s room to hang out and like we were both thinking about how much fun it was the last time we had a slumber party back in Monaco, and like we definitely wanted to see if you would like join us… cause like I’m missing Trent soooo much” the blonde finished her plead with her signature puppy eyes, causing Heather to simply roll her own eyes in irritation

She looked towards Cody and then back at her friends, as she was about to make an excuse to not join them, the CIT chimed in on her behalf “Yeah, i think we should definitely hang out tonight, you never know how many more chances we’ll have to do this y’know, plus you’re better at making blondie feel better, so what do you say?” 

Both girls were making it hard on her, and for what it was worth, the idea of spending the night hanging out with them sounded really fun, so she looked towards Cody one more time and saw him smile and nod at her “Ah what the hell! Sure we can have another slumber party” Lindsay then lunged at her and gave her a tight embrace out of happiness “Omg yes! This is gonna be so much fun, you girls are the best! And hey Cody you can join us t—” 

Before she could finish that sentence Courtney made sure to chime in “Nope! Not happening, Cody, you’re a nice guy but I am NOT sleeping in the same bed as you!” the CIT then folded her arms and stood her ground, much to the blonde’s dismay “Why not??? Cody isn’t gonna do anything, he only has eyes for Hea–” 

“-HAHAH ok ok, uhhh it’s ok Lindsay, you girls have fun tonight, I’m gonna turn in for the night, we gotta rest up for the challenge tomorrow after all” this time it was Cody who interrupted her as he nervously laughed out loud and shook both girl’s hands making his way towards the door “You all have a good night, feel better Lindsay, get some rest Courtney and Heather…. Sweet dreams” he stood by the door for a couple of seconds, looking towards the girl who had become his whole world and smiled at her

As for Heather she did the same, still sat on the bed she crossed her legs and gave him a sweet smile and a wink “Sweet dreams Punchy~”

Hearing her voice with such a sweet seductive tone was almost too much for the nerd to handle, so while blushing pretty hard and steam coming out of his ears, he walked out into the dark hallways of first class and went into his room.

With Cody now out of the picture, both Courtney and Lindsay turned towards Heather, evil mischievous smiles on their faces as they approached her “What’s wrong with you two? What’s so funny?” they then grab her by the shoulders and begin their interrogation “Were you like making out before we knocked”

“Was he gonna spend the night with you?”

“How long have you guys been dating and why didn’t you tell us?”

“Omg who confessed first?”

“Is that why you asked us about what it’s like to have a boyfriend during the show?”

Both girls kept prodding and shaking her in place, trying to squeeze every juicy detail they could from their friend, for her part Heather was starting to lose her patience and was getting tired of all the shaking and questions, so she stood up grabbing both their arms and staring into their souls

“ALLRIGHT ENOUGH!!!” she took in a deep breath and exhaled, regaining her composure she let go of their arms and lowered her voice once more “First things first, go grab your pjs and pillows and anything else you might need, then we can talk about whatever you want, but don't expect too much answers you got it!?” both girls stood up and in their own ways bowed and apologized for the commotion

Courtney then sat on the bed and took off a back pack she had been carrying around the whole time “I brought my bag with me, you know what they say, if you’re not prepared you’re square”  as she smiled smugly at her friends, proud of how prepared she always was, causing both Lindsay and Heather to look impressed at her

Lindsay then turned towards the queen bee “Uhm, like i have to go to my room and get my stuff, but like i wont be long ok? So don't start the gossip without me, I'll be right back!” she quickly ran out of the room and down the hall to her own room to gather her things

Heather shook her head and laughed to herself as she walked towards the bed and sat next to Courtney “She seems to be in high spirits huh?” Courtney also gave a sly chuckle and laid back on the soft bed “Yeah, i guess you could say so, but i think she’s trying her best to stay calm, with how Trent got hurt yesterday i can’t say i blame her for not wanting to be alone tonight” 

The queen bee rested her back against her pillow and spoke in a wistful tone “Yeah you’re right… still it’s crazy that even happened to begin with, just goes to show how messed up this show can be…” Courtney turned to look at Heather a bit confused “What do you mean? Wasn’t it just an accident?”

Heather shook her head and clarified things "Didn't Lindsay tell you? Apparently the car Trent was driving suddenly stopped working, his stirring wheel turned stiff and a bunch of random car parts started fly off from underneath him”

Courtney’s eyes opened wide and she stood up in a panic, scaring Heather in the process “Did you just say the stirring wheel stopped working and a bunch of parts started flying off?” a very confused Heather looked at her friend puzzled at her reaction “Are you ok? What’s the matter?” 

The CIT stood up and walked towards the door looking back at the still confused Heather. She did her best to reassure her “Everything is ok, I promise you I’ll tell you what’s wrong later, just trust me right now…” Heather also stood up and walked towards her friend, a suspicious look on her face, but instead of antagonizing her she simply put her hand on her shoulder “This is new to me, but at this point, after everything we’ve been through I’m gonna choose to trust you, but if you need help, or you’re in any sort of trouble… We’re here for you Courtney”

Courtney smiled at her friend and nodded, a part of her getting emotional and thankful at the unexpected bond she now had with the queen bee, but regardless of it all, she had a feeling inside of her that she needed to deal with “Thanks queenie, you don't know how much i appreciate it… Tell Lindsay i’ll be back soon”

And so Courtney left as well, leaving Heather still very confused but also worried for her “Man, just what’s going on now…. Also what the hell they all left! punchy could’ve stayed!”

First class cabin 10:20PM

Courtney walked through the dimly lit first class cabin with anxiety, muttering to herself about what she was thinking, trying her best not to lose it and go into a rage, after all in the past when she had lost her temper it had cost her dearly, and she was trying to be better…

But then she came to a stop and stared at the door in front of her, she took a deep breath and readied herself, this was not going to be easy…

*Knock Knock Knock*

She heard some shuffling behind the door and just a couple of seconds later it opened “You allright pasty— … what’s up Courtney?”  Duncan stood by the door, with his arms folded, doing his best to not let any emotions show on his face

The CIT remained stoic in her demeanor, doing her best to bury any and all past resentments, “We need to talk, follow me” she then walked towards the stairway to economy class turning around to look at him “I mean it Duncan…”

The delinquent hesitated for a moment before he closed the door behind him and followed her down to economy class, he knew better than to try and fight her on this, it was clear this was serious.

Just as the two ex lovers made their way down stairs, another door in first class opened, with Lindsay emerging from her room and walking towards Heather's room wearing her sleep attire and carrying her pillow

As she walked she couldn’t help but feel giddy and excited about hanging out with her friends, it honestly made things less depressing for her, and perhaps she could keep feeling confident about her chances in the game right?

But just as she was about to reach Heather’s door she happened to hear a voice call out to her “Lindsay…” she stopped in her tracks recognizing that raspy voice, a part of her wishing to ignore her and just enter Heather’s room, but then again  it was pointless to ignore her, and to be honest, it wasn’t in her nature to be rude “Um, hi Gwen…”

The goth was just returning to her room after brushing her teeth and was about to head to bed when she saw the blonde walking through the cabin. If you asked her she couldn’t tell you why she called out to the blonde, it wasn’t like they had anything in common or even spoke much in the past, but now that she was dating Trent she felt a need to address her

“How are you? How you holding up?”  the goth moved closer while holding her arm to her side, her body language betraying her insecurities about everything that was happening, as for Lindsay, it was pretty obvious she was also feeling awkward about the whole situation, she hugged her pillow closer to her body and answered “I’m ok… I mean, i guess you could tell that me and Trent are a couple now, and well i miss him a lot but i know we’re like gonna be ok”

Gwen looked at her feet then back at the blonde, giving a sad smile as she spoke “Yeah, he’s a great guy… I’m sure he’s gonna treat you right…” Lindsay returned the same sad smile, thinking about her boyfriend and hoping he had made it home ok, but right now she had to stay strong, she had to prove his faith in her wasn’t for nothing

“I know he will… I have to go now Gwen, Heather and Courtney are waiting for me…” the blonde then tried to keep going on her way, hoping the awkward encounter would come to an end, only for Gwen to step forward once more “Lindsay!... i dont know if Trent had the chance to tell you, but I spoke to him… before the challenge in Ireland…” 

Lindsay once again came to a stop and closed her eyes, she had a feeling this conversation was coming “Yeah… he like told me you said that Heather was manipulating all of us… that me and Cody were too clueless to see it” Gwen winced slightly at the way the blonde put it, but nonetheless she wasn’t about to back down “I mean… that’s not how i meant it, and im only talking to you because i think you’re not a bad person, i know Trent, and i know that if he fell for you it’s because you’re a good person, so please just listen to what i have to say” 

Lindsay did her best to remain composed, the sad truth was that if the goth had approached her a couple of weeks ago when she came back to the competition, her words might’ve worked on her, but nowadays, after all she had been through and the bonds she had made as well as how Heather had done such an effort to fix things with her, she knew deep in her heart that Gwen’s perception of reality was just not true.

Lindsay stood her ground and looked the goth right in the eye refusing to take her words lightly “Gwen… i appreciate you looking out for me… but i think you’re mistaken, Heather wouldn’t do that kind of thing anymore, i know the two of you like hate each other, but like ever since i came back to the competition she’s been nothing but supportive and friendly to me”  

She didn’t really know what she was expecting, but Gwen somehow knew what Lindsay would say, then again what else could she expect from somebody who had been manipulated by the queen bee so easily in the past, she simply let out a sigh and turned to walk to her room “You know what… forget i said anything, i guess some people just dont learn, just be careful Lindsay.”

The goth retreated into her room and closed the door behind her, leaving the blonde by herself once more “Hmmm, she is like sooo moody i swear…” she then shrugged her shoulders and kept going towards her friend’s room, anxious to leave the awkward conversation behind her

Economy cabin 10:30PM

Courtney and Duncan were standing opposite from each other at the back of the cabin, neither of them had said a word yet, instead just staring at each other in silence

It had been some time since they had even addressed each other in a civilized manner, after everything they had been through it seemed almost absurd to think they couldn’t just share a conversation… but Courtney was still hurt deep inside, and Duncan knew better than to try to approach her at all.

The punk was growing impatient, so he decided to just break the ice “So you just called me down here to stare at me to death? What’s this about?” but Courtney kept looking at him, a million thoughts behind her eyes, it was as if she was just trying to find the courage or perhaps the right way to say what she was thinking

But then she just simply decided to speak her mind and see what he would say “Do you remember that time you picked me up from my debate club?” immediately the delinquent winced, this was immediately picked up by Courtney as she kept talking “I debated Jen Masterson that day, and she beat me, i was pretty upset about it… I guess I can be a sore loser.”

Duncan did his best to remain stoic and cool headed as he let his ex speak, even though he knew where this was going “So then as you walked me to your car you asked me if i knew which car she drove, and after i pointed it out you gave me this… this evil looking smile, that damn smile i used to love…” as she spoke a part of Courtney couldn’t help but reminisce about those times she shared with him, even smiling slightly as she recounted her story

“Then you told me to wait, as you ran over to her car and dove under it, i saw you do… whatever it was that you did, and then we waited for her to come out.” Duncan felt that same knot in the back of his throat as he felt yesterday, of course Courtney would figure him out

“Once she reached her car and turned it on… she pulled out of her spot and started driving… we followed her for a couple of streets, and then well… her car started falling apart, and she lost control of it… she ended up crashing , but thankfully she didn’t get hurt, she wasn’t driving that fast…” at this the CIT’s eyes started getting watery, full of past regrets and hurt “I remember i was shocked… but also i was so flattered you did that for me… just goes to show what type of person i am deep down huh?”

Duncan refused to look her in the eye, his guilt was getting the better of him and he couldn’t hide it, not from her “So…. I guess you’re saying I caused Trent’s accident huh?”  She let out a deep sigh and looked down at her feet as well, the emotional exhaustion from talking to him was also getting the better of her “I don't even have to say it, I know you did…” 

The delinquent also let out a sigh, his mind scrambled from all the guilt and strong feelings about it all, it just HAD to be Courtney confronting him, out of all people “So what now huh? You're just gonna tell everybody and get me kicked out?” 

For a moment Courtney stood silent, doing her best not to scream out in frustration, instead she remained composed and spoke once more “Maybe I will… but then again what proof do I have? Maybe the camera’s caught you in the act, but if that was the case i think Chris would of said something by now, instead it’s just the word of a bitter crazy girl against yours”

Duncan looked back up at his ex lover, he really looked at her for the first time in what felt like forever, and he could clearly see all the pain and suffering he had subjected her to, and any time he did it simply reminded him of what a scumbag he was, because for all her faults and crazy moments, this poor girl had loved him through it all… and he just threw her away…

“Courtney… you’re not crazy your—” “-STOP IT…. YOU DON'T GET TO SAY ANYTHING NICE TO ME, NOT ANYMORE.” She quickly shut him up with an emotional outburst she had been holding back “Trent is a good friend, he’s an honest sweet guy, and what you did to him… Duncan, I called you down here to confirm my suspicions, and to tell you… your day is coming, I don't know when or how, but I promise you… I’m going to make sure you regret your actions for once in your life” without anything else to say and not wanting to be next to him anymore she walked back up to first class

Duncan stood by himself for a couple of minutes, thinking to himself frustrated with the choices he had made, he couldn’t even understand why he acted the way he did, it was as if something inside him was broken, that one thing that made him a nice guy, because sooner or later he always ended up pushing everybody away and messing everything up

All he could do was punch the wall as hard as he could in frustration, watching as Courtney walked away from him once more, full of disgust and disappointment “Ugh… what the hell is wrong with me man….” He then slumped into one of the seats and put a hand over his chest “Oh princess…”

Pilot’s Cockpit 10:50PM

Chris and Chef were sitting side by side, with chef concentrating on flying the ship and Chris working on a laptop, neither of them were really in the mood for conversation, not after they had been chewed out by the producers for almost getting somebody in their cast killed again

Suddenly Chris let out an annoyed sigh, closing his laptop he stood up “Well, i just got a confirmation e-mail from our ground crew, everything is ready for tomorrow morning, what time do you think you’ll get us there?” 

Chef started flipping switches and checking his watch, he looked back at Chris and answered in his usual gruff demeanor “We should be there by 8:00AM local time, so everything is on schedule”

For the first time in the day Chris smiled his signature sadistic grin, he started walking out of the cock pit while stretching “Sounds good, I’m gonna try and sleep,  gotta have energy for tomorrow, i got a feeling things are gonna get loud and funky in Sweden” 

Author notes

Hello everybody, hope you’re all having a good time reading so far, seems like a lot happened this chapter, a couple of confrontations that were a long time coming

Looks like Gwen is doubling down on her belief that Heather is behind everything, maybe some day she will see the truth for what it is, but as of right now it doesn’t seem to be the case, specially with how she spoke to Lindsay, thankfully she handled it with as much grace as she could

As for Courtney and Duncan things seemed to heat up, after all from my perspective Duncan is an extremely complex character, he’s always pushing everybody’s buttons and he always refuses to be vulnerable around others, yet he can't help and mess things up time and time again, and it looks like Courtney had enough of his bs, only time will tell what sort of confrontation awaits them

I also had the chance to write a sweet moment between Heather and Cody, maybe it was a little cheesy, but you know what, i like writing that kind of stuff, who knows how close they are to just finally saying how they feel, i do know that when the time comes i want to do it the justice it deserves

Chapter 22

Affection and Resignation

Dublin Finish line 1:00AM

Sometimes life isn’t really fair for some folks, take for example Chef Hatchet, who was currently coordinating all the different crew members who were filming the show as well as making sure all the obstacles were in place for the contestants to come across, not to mention  having to put up with Chris Mclean’s many complaints and demands as they waited for the rest of the contestants to make it to the finish line

“Chef!!! I’m getting sleepy!!! Is any one of those kids close to getting here?” barked the annoying host from his chair as he threw away yet another cappuccino he had consumed in the last hour, he had been impatient due to not doing much this time around, just looking at monitors and ordering under paid interns around

“Eh, that goth girl is on a straight line here already, she made it through the last layer of obstacles… I told ya we should’ve put more stuff in her way, she had it way too easy!” complained the menacing Chef as he sat by the monitors, observing how Gwen was already in the city, only a mile away from their current location “Hehe well Chef the essence of this challenge is in how unfair it is for some and how easy it was for others, just look at Alejandro, he only had to run for a bit and you brought him all the way”  responded the cruel host, relishing in the personal conflict that would surely arise from this fact

For his part, Chef just kept on doing his job and coordinating how things would play out for the rest of them, he knew the surprises weren't over for everybody yet, and he had to be prepared to have the crew capture every moment

28 miles away from Dublin Cody 1:00AM

In the meantime, Cody found himself hitching a truck ride through the countryside, courtesy of Izzy’s grandfather, who graciously offered his help, something which Cody gladly accepted, not willing to turn down his generosity, once they had hit the road, they noticed early on how the violet path Gwen was taking took a turn in a different direction, while the one they were taking seemed to go further east

So after the nerd had gotten acquainted with the rest of the family and he had a nice hearty meal, he went on his way through the indigo path, enjoying the scenery as well as a pleasant conversation with the old man, who offered many stories and wisdoms “Huh, I didn’t think about it that way, but it makes sense, I’ll make sure I never follow a hippy to a second location” 

Cody was starting to see where Izzy got her eccentric nature from, but apart from the bizarre conversations he was having, he had to admit her family was full of hospitality and kindness, something the old man kept emphasizing “I’m telling ya lad, its part of our blood, its part of our history, of our culture, you have to live life to its fullest, if you're gonna fight, do it with all you got, never give up no matter what, and if you’re gonna love, you make sure you love with nothing held back, with No Regrets! That’s what makes us IRISH” 

While listening to his advice Cody nodded with a determined look in his eye, if he had learned anything so far, it was to take charge of your own destiny if you wanted things to change; but just as he was taking in those words of encouragement the truck came to a stop, with the old man just staring ahead with a blank expression “Well that’s quite unfortunate…”  

For a moment Cody felt confused at what was going on, he didn't really see any obstacles ahead, actually he didn’t see nothing much at all, the path ahead seemed completely normal, just a straight indigo path cutting through a grassy emerald hill “What’s the matter grandpa?” he asked quite concerned 

The old man took out his pipe and light it up with match, taking in a deep drag of the tobacco “why dont you take a look ahead lad, tell me what you see”  the mystery was getting the better of him, so Cody stepped out of the truck and walked ahead through the path, making sure to look around in case he was missing anything, it was only when he reached the top of the hill that things made sense to him

“... you gotta be kidding me, HOW IS THIS FAIR!!!?” 

Turns out that was not just any hill, it was actually a cliffside overlooking the ocean, with what could only be Dublin on the other side of the overlook “What am I even supposed to do here!!!” He yelled in frustration falling to his knees, the old man then walked up next to Cody with a pair of binoculars in hand, looking over the cliffside “Well lad, looks to me like they expect ya to take a swim and climb up the cliff on the other side” he then passed the binoculars over so that he could see what he was talking about

As Cody looked over he noticed his path continued on the other side of the cliffs, straight into the city "There's no way…” the nerd then hung his head low in defeat, there was just no way he could survive the fall, and swim to the other side through the dark and cold waters

As the old man took another drag of his trusty pipe he looked over at Cody and asked a simple question “...are ya giving up lad?”  the nerd looked exasperated, unsure of what to say “I mean… if I go in those waters there's no guarantee I'm coming back out… I don't know what to do”  the old man listened to Cody with a stern and understanding expression, waiting to see what else he would do

“So you came this far just to lose eh lad? You’re just gonna give up and leave the game, leave all ye friends behind… leave your girl behind without putting up a fight?”  Cody’s eyes shot open, in that moment of despair he had forgotten about his promise to Heather, he said he would meet her there… and he knew better than to go back on his word, he stood up and looked at the long drop into the rocky waters, it sent a shiver down his spine, he had to admit it really terrified him… but that fear was nothing compared with the shame of giving up

He turned to look at the old man who kept looking at him without changing his expression, waiting to see what he would do “Thanks a lot gramps… i got it from here”  Cody then took several steps back, he took a deep breath and a terrified yell “Gramps!!! If i dont make it… tell Heather I love her!!!”  With nothing else left to say, he readied himself and started sprinting at the cliffside, full of whatever courage he could muster her ran full force, ready to risk his life as he had done so many times before… only to be tripped by the old man right as he was about to reach the jump.

“Lad are ya crazy!!! That's death right there!”  he yelled at Cody as he lay on the ground in pain from the fall “What do you mean, didn’t you just tell me to not give up?” the old man took a long drag of smoke from his pipe and blew it out into the cool night air before continuing “I told ya not to give up, i didn’t tell ya to end your life on tv!”

At that moment Cody felt a bit foolish, he picked himself up and sheepishly apologized for the scare he gave the old man, who in turn walked back to his truck signaling for the nerd to follow him “You truly are a crazy lad, I like ya, you got that fire inside ya… so instead of jumping off a cliff…”  the old man then opens the back of his truck, where Cody notices something that gets his hopes up once more “How about we fly instead, eh lad?”

Perhaps everything happens for a reason Cody thought to himself, grateful beyond words for befriending Izzy’s grandfather, the two of them then went inside the truck and started pulling out all the parts inside… after all they needed to get that hot air balloon ready to fly.

20 miles away from Dublin, Trent 1:25AM

Trent was driving smoothly through the night, way more confident than he had been the whole race so far, and honestly who could fault him?

He had confessed his feelings for Lindsay and she had done the same for him, he was now in a relationship with somebody who truly cared for him and made his world so much brighter

There wasn't anything in the world that could bring him down, all he had to do was make it to the finish line and he would be safe from elimination, and he had full faith that his friends would be there by now too, so it was all a matter of driving carefully and keeping his eyes open.

It was then that tragedy struck however…

The last thing Trent could remember was how the car suddenly picked up speed, the stirring wheel turned stiff, and he was unable to move it, the breaks didn't work either, a panic surged inside of him, unsure of what was going on, when suddenly the car shut off completely, and several parts started flying off from underneath the vehicle

“What the…” before he could finish his sentence the car veered of the path and was heading straight for a ravine covered in trees and rocks , at that moment Trent knew his life was in danger and he had to act fast if he were to live, so in a last second decision he jumped off the moving vehicle as it hit the rocky ravine and exploded on impact.

Dublin finish line 1:30AM

Chris and Chef had been observing the whole ordeal Trent just went through… they sat in silence as the car’s explosion took out the filming drone that had been following Trent along his path, and the two men just remained motionless as they looked into the static on the monitor “........ Did that….. just happen….” asked Chef almost too nervous to form a sentence

Instead of showing any sort of emotion Chris simply stood up from his chair and walked over to an intern holding his coffee and whispered in his ear, at which the nervous looking guy ran off to gather other crew members to help him. Chris once more took his chair next to Chef and let out a sigh “I sent out a team to look for him…. Not a word until we know what happened to him.” 

Chef looked around nervously and quite stunned at Chris’s lack of worry about the whole situation “Chris, that kid is dead, this is a big deal!!!”  The still emotionless host refused to acknowledge his partner’s outburst, simply answering back “Not a word chef!… so calm down, it looks like somebody is arriving…” the host then put on his signature grin and stood up from his control room chair and into the finish line area to welcome Gwen who arrived on her scooter, with an annoyed expression

“And just like that we got another contestant arriving here in Dublin, Gwen it took you 12 hours to reach the finish line, you got anything to say!?”  as she came to a stop and parked the scooter to the side, she walked up to Chris and in a frustrated tone looked at the cameras “Between having to sing next to Cody during Izzzy’s family reunion and that mine field right outside the city, i got nothing much else to say except don't bother me until the next challenge.”

Chris gave one of his fake chuckles to the camera and watched as Gwen walked over to a tent set up for the contestants to relax until the end of the challenge “Charming as ever, that’s our resident man-stealing goth everybody, who will be next to arrive at the finish line, stick around and don't blink, because this is TOTAL DRAMA WORLD TOUR!” With his speech done he walked back towards the control room and kept drinking his coffee next to Chef, not a care in the world.

As for Gwen, she entered the large tent only to be met with Alejandro, who was relaxing on a futon, with his shoes off and reading a magazine while drinking some lemonade “Ahh Gwen, welcome, I somehow knew you would be the first to get here… after me of course” he turned a page of his magazine and let out a smug laugh, earning an eyeroll from the goth

“Yeah yeah, save the spanish heartthrob act for somebody else, it’s not working on me” she then walked over to one of the beds set up for them and laid down, tired from all the nonsense of the day she decided to take a nap and wait for Duncan, instead of stressing over all the other stuff in her head

The Spaniard rose from his futon and walked over to her, his intense gaze never changing as he started speaking “You know… if i were you i wouldn’t be so dismissive, after all were in the merge now, and you’re gonna need all the help you can get if you want to make it to the end”  this got the goth’s attention, turning to him with a look of distrustful curiosity “what are you talking about?” she asked with annoyance in her voice

Alejandro couldn't help but be pleased at how easy it was, somehow he always knew just what to say to get into anybody’s head "I'm talking about the fact that from this point forward you are more vulnerable than you’ve ever been, don't tell me you already forgot how disliked you are by the former Team Amazon?” Gwen sat up on her bed, the realization hadn’t hit her before this moment, and of course it all made sense

“That’s 5 people that are very likely to vote you off the first chance they get, i gotta say even with Duncan on your side, I don't see you lasting very long my dear”  Gwen felt her blood run cold, he was right, and as much as it sucked she had to play smarter and dirtier if it meant she could live to fight another day “Ugh… I guess you’re right… what is it with you and trying to make alliances, seriously?”  she answered, annoyed at the idea of having to put up with Alejandro for the foreseeable future

For his part Alejandro simply kept smiling, as always no matter what was thrown his way, he would always make sure he came out on top, and for now he knew he had to keep the goth close to him.

25 miles away from Dublin, Cody 1:35 AM

It takes guts to not give up, nobody has ever denied it, and quite frankly not many people acknowledge this fact when they talk about having the will to never back down, this was something Cody was dealing with as he piloted the hot air balloon over the moonlit Irish skies “This is one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done in my life gramps” he spoke into the radio that came equipped into the basket he was riding on

“Hahaha, ya remind me of myself during my first flight lad, but ya got the hang of it, all ya got to do is set course for the finish line, I’ll meet ya once ya land there” responded the old man with his raspy voice blaring through the radio. So far he had been a true blessing for Cody, having taught him how to operate the hot air balloon, he rationalized that since he would board it while still standing on the indigo path and he would theoretically land at the finish line, he wouldn’t be breaking any of the rules

So with that in mind Cody set to making it to the finish line where he would hopefully reunite with his friends, he even chuckled to himself as he thought of how impressed Heather would be watching as he arrived in style while piloting the hot air balloon “heh, would be nice to look cool for a change” he mused out loud

Having reached the highest point recommended by the old man, Cody then diligently set to start his descent in time to make sure he could precisely land where he should, he looked down below to try and calculate his trajectory, but just as he did he saw something peculiar in the distance “What the…” he then brought out the binoculars the old man had lent him and looked towards the west, where a flame could be seen blazing in the distance, upon closer inspection Cody noticed something even more troubling “The blue path…. TRENT!!!” 

An unexplainable worry came over Cody, who scrambled to pick up the radio to inform the old man “Hey gramps, I’m gonna have to take a detour, I think one of my friends is in a lot of trouble!”  

Before the old man could even answer anything back Cody maneuvered the balloon towards the source of the flame

Not even thinking about the challenge anymore, he kept looking through the binoculars, noticing more and more what appeared to be the site of a car crash “Oh god, Trent where are you?” he thought to himself still unable to calm himself down, just what could have possibly happened to his friend?

Dublin finish line 1:40AM

Some say that ignorance is bliss, and while many would argue that it is simply delayed despair, the reality of it all was that for Lindsay, the thought of any sort of tragedy befalling her or anyone else dear to her seemed almost comically impossible, after all why would something bad happen tonight?

As she rode her “Unicorn” into the finish line she kept a huge smile on her face, her optimism and the butterflies in her stomach giving her a feeling of euphoria that was hard to put into words. Once she crossed the finish line she let out a loud cheer and dismounted from Sparkles “WE DID IT SPARKLES!!!”  She yelled full of joy as she hugged Sparkles around the nose

While this display of passion and joy was being put on by the blonde, Chris walked up to her and let out a fake cough to get her attention “Oh, haha sorry, i got excited, i mean like, have you ever seen a unicorn before? It’s so magical!!!”  The less than impressed host simply rolled his eyes at the childish display, but just as quickly put on his tv smile and kept at his hosting duties “All right Lindsay, you made it to Dublin, which means you also get immunity, tell us about your journey, how did it go?” 

The ditzy lovestruck blonde adjusted herself and looked at the camera with a playful yet devilish smile “Well, this was by far the best challenge ever, i like had a great time and you guys will never guess what happened… Omg wait, i wanna give the news to my friends first, but wait, no before that, where’s Trent? Is he here yet?”  Lindsay looked around, spotting Chef looking at the monitors with a worried expression, but she didn't pay it much mind, she then looked towards the big tent to the side with the sign that said CONTESTANTS, but Trent didn’t appear to be in there either

For a moment Chris looked a bit nervous, looking from side to side suspiciously, but before the blonde could clue in to his demeanor he once again smiled wide and spoke with his usual flair “Ummm, Trent hasn’t arrived yet… but we will let you know when he gets here, so how about you just go ahead and wait in the big tent in the mean time, we got lots of fruits and water in there hehe” 

For a moment Lindsay felt confused, shouldn’t he be here by now? Aren't cars faster than unicorns? Why is Chris sweating so much?... “Mmmm ok! I’m kinda hungry, I can wait for everyone else in the tent, but make sure you tell me when Trent gets here, we got some big news!” and just like that the blonde skipped away into the tent, not suspicious at all at what was going on

“Oooh i should check and see if they got any apples, I’m sure Sparkles would love to eat too” she said aloud as she entered the tent, but once inside she came to a stop, all her previous enthusiasm evaporating from her, as she looks at the two people already inside the tent, with only a low energy “Oh…”  escaping her lips as she stands there awkwardly

Both Gwen and Alejandro turned to look at her, with the former waving with an awkward smile, and the latter starting a slow sarcastic clap as he rose from his chair “Lindsay… I admit i am Impressed, i figured you would get lost on your way here… but then again, i guess you even YOU aren't dumb enough to get lost on a straight path” 

Lindsay felt a twinge of pain as Alejandro mocked her intelligence, which in truth was still a sore spot for the blonde “Uhm… I think I’ll wait outside…”  she then turned back towards the exit, leaving them both by themselves once more “You didn’t have to be so mean to her!” Chirped Gwen in Alejandro’s direction, who in turn simply shrugged and sat back down while answering the goth “No point in trying to charm her, she knows what I’m about, and as long as all her comrades are still around there’s no way to use her…” 

As she stepped back outside, Lindsay let out a deep sigh and looked up at the stars, doing her best to reignite her smile and cheerfulness “They’ll be here soon…” she spoke softly to herself, just as Sparkles approached her from the side and sniffed at her hair affectionately “Heheh, that tickles Sparkles”  she giggled, feeling reassured once more that everything would be ok.

19 Miles away from Dublin, Cody 1:50AM

Cody’s fears and anxieties hadn’t subsided since the moment he spotted the wreckage, as he got closer and closer to the blue path he noticed a trail of car parts that led towards a nearby ravine, where the vehicle was currently flaming

Once he was close enough to the ground, Cody lept from the basket, and started looking around the area for any signs of his friend, first running into the ravine to take a closer look at the accident “Trent!!!, where are you!!!”  he yelled as he walked closer to the wreckage

“Damn it… where are you….” he thought to himself, finding no sign of his friend near the accident, opting to scout the area further he circled around the flaming vehicle looking for any clues he could find or any signs that he was ok “Come on man, give me a sign that you’re ok…” 

Just as he was fearing the worst, Cody looked towards the path the car had taken and noticed a bloody hand print on a rock nearby, so without a moment of hesitation he ran in that direction, his heart in his throat, his palms sweaty, hoping with all his heart that his friend was safe

Once he was close enough to the bloody hand print Cody noticed how the blood formed a trail back up towards the blue path, which Cody followed closely “Trent!!! Where are y— Trent!!!” as he was screaming for his friend, Cody spotted him passed out at the edge of the road.

He ran towards him and turned him around, the musician was bleeding from a cut he had received on his right arm, and was bruised all over from the impact, thinking fast, Cody removed his over shirt and teared it up to create a makeshift bandage he could cover his friend’s wound with

“Dude… what happened?....” he said out loud, unsure if his friend could even hear him, as he did his best to stop the bleeding he looked around, unsure of what to do to help Trent, being in the middle of the Irish countryside far away from any sort of help was a very serious cause of panic for Cody, and sadly he didn’t have the skills to save his friends life… so there only remained one option

He would NOT let Trent bleed out, he would NOT fail the one guy who had stuck by him all this time, the guy who he started a band with, the guy he was willing to step aside for when it came to being with Gwen, the guy who had always shown him kindness and friendship regardless of whatever anybody else thought of him

He knelt down and with all his strength he picked Trent up and carried him over his shoulder “You’re the coolest guy I’ve ever met, and the best friend I've ever had… I wont let you go down like this dude”  Cody spoke those words out loud as he tried his best to carry Trent towards his balloon, he would more than likely be able to get him the help he needs if he makes it to the finish line, all he had to do is keep going for just a bit more.

Once he made it to the balloon Cody used the little strength he still had and gently placed him on the floor of the balloon “Hang in there… I’ll get you some help” once he made sure he was ok, Cody readied up the balloon for take off and made the flame blaze with all its might to gain altitude

As he lay against the basket, Trent briefly regained consciousness and slightly opened his eyes, noticing Cody was adjusting the various levers and calculating the path they were taking, for a moment the musician had enough lucidity and strength to utter a couple of words “Co…dy….. Thank y…ou” 

The worried nerd heard the brief words and looked down at his friend with worry in his eyes as he clutched his hand in his own “Save your strength dude, we’re gonna get you some help, leave it to me”  Trent smiled at his friend with pride in his eyes, squeezing his hand he tried to speak once more “Lindsay… she said she… is in love with me too…” 

Cody’s eyes welled up with tears, he smiled back at his friend, happy to hear the good news, he stood back up and looked at the horizon where Dublin waited for them “I’m so happy for you guys… I know you’re gonna make her so happy dude”  Trent felt his strength leave him slowly, feeling himself lose consciousness once more, his last thoughts being of his love… wishing for nothing more than to see her again.

Dublin finish line 2:10AM

Lindsay was starting to feel a bit uneasy, and who could really blame her, by all logic Trent should have arrived by now, even if it was a different path, he knew how to drive, and Dublin was in the horizon, it didn't make sense for him to be so much later than her

“Would you look at that, we got two more contestants arriving!” yelled an excited Chris as he once more stood up from his chair and walked towards the finish line, making Lindsay jump up from her spot excitedly “Is Trent one of them!?” 

The host looked nervous for a moment before changing the subject “Uh… no, it’s Heather and Courtney!”  he pointed out, as both girls walked slowly and weakly towards their goal, both of them holding on to one another “I see it!... the finish line!...” yelled Courtney with both exhaustion and desperation in her voice

Heather for her part didn’t bother to respond, she simply kept her gaze fixed on the finish line, she would not be satisfied until she knew for a fact that it was all over, and once they crossed that checkered line on the floor, they both collapsed over each other breathing heavily

As they lay on the ground Chris approached them and looked over them with genuine amazement “Congratulations girls, you both ran 80 miles in 13 hours…. I honestly didn’t even think that was possible”  the girls didn't even react when hearing that, they simply kept looking at the sky and fist bumped each other, with Courtney turning at the host and speaking in between panting breaths “Shut up… what… Do you know… About what’s possible… right Heather?” 

The queen bee wiped some drool from her mouth and nodded “Yeah!... everything is possible… with friends…. God that sounds so lame….”  she said with her trademark snark still intact even through the exhaustion 

For his part, Chris simply shrugged and began to walk away “Eh whatever, you both also get immunity, you’re free to rest up until everybody else arrives”  with that taken care of he once again sits by the control monitor and begins to speak into a walkie talkie, all while trying to hide any sort of worry he might be experiencing

After a couple of seconds of laying on the floor, Heather tries her best to sit up and compose herself “Everybody else? Who’s missing?” she asks out loud “Girls!!! I'm so happy to see you, what took you so long?”  before that could be answered, Lindsay came running at them, holding bottled water and orange slices 

Seeing her blonde friend approaching them, Courtney decides to sit up as well and lean against Heather “Lindsay!… you made it!… I figured you had it in ya… just hurts a little that you got here before me” responded the exhausted CIT in a half jokingly manner

The ditzy blonde knelt down and handed them both the water as she giggled “Hehe, it really wasn’t that bad for me, I drove a cute pink car, and then I rode a unicorn to get here”  both Courtney’s and Heather’s eyes began to twitch in frustration upon hearing this

Courtney took a long drink of her water before she spoke“You hear that Heather… pink cars and unicorns…”  the queen bee did the same, finishing up her water bottle and crushing it in her hand “Must be nice… we had to walk the whole way… and we got chased most of the way…”  

Lindsay giggled nervously at what her friends were saying, feeling a slight twinge of guilt at how easy it had been for her comparatively, she gave them both some orange slices to get their bodies some much needed energy, which they both gladly took, all while still sitting by the finish line 

Once they had settled in for a couple of minutes and their exhaustion was subsiding Lindsay saw the perfect opportunity to talk to her friends about the big news she had “Soooooo, i got something to tell you both!” she said excitedly with a huge smile on her face

Heather turned towards the blonde as she bit into another orange slice “Hold that thought for a second, did Cody make it here already?” Lindsay blinked twice and stopped to think for a second “Uhhh… no, so far its only been Alejandro Gwen and me, they’re over there in that tent” clarified the blonde as she pointed towards the large white tent

As she looked over Courtney grabbed another piece of orange and started eating it “So what’s the news blondie? Got any gossip? Did those freaks do anything to hurt you, cause i swear i really dont need more reasons to hate Gwen but i’ll gladly take them” once again Lindsay chuckled awkwardly, her friends could really be a handful…

“No no, none of that, actually, I ran into Trent during the challenge and then we—” as she was speaking Lindsay noticed an air balloon descending over them at a worrying speed —“Uh… girls, I think we should move”  at that moment all three of them looked up in terror and ran at whatever speed they could away from the finish line

Both Chris and Chef jumped from their chairs upon seeing this, opting to also get out of the way “Take cover!”  yelled the grizzled chef while he ran, unsure of what could possibly be happening now 

*CRASH*

The balloon crashed hard against the show’s decoration and the finish line sign, but thankfully it didn’t explode or cause any serious damage, just a whole lot of noise and dust to gather up once it hit the floor

And once this dust cleared up and everybody came out from hiding, a panicked yet familiar voice could be heard “EVERYBODY!! I NEED HELP!!! TRENT IS IN REALLY BAD SHAPE!!!”  its was Cody, doing his best to carry his friend in his arms, away from the balloon

At that moment, everybody stood still in shock for a second, seeing the state the musician was in felt surreal, almost impossible, these types of things shouldn’t happen… They were all suddenly brought out of this shock by none other than Chris Mclean, running up to the newly arrived pair “CODY!!! YOU FOUND HIM!”  as he yelled this everybody else who was around ran up to them… all except Lindsay, who stood frozen in place.

The first to reach them was Courtney, who knelt by their side and looked at the state her friend was in “Oh my god! Cody what happened!?”  For his part Cody tried his best to gather his thoughts, he himself being covered in sweat and his friend’s blood not to mention the exhaustion of the massive challenge he had just taken made it difficult for him to communicate, only after taking a deep breath was he able to speak once again “I don't know, I was riding the balloon and i saw a massive fire from afar, once i got closer i saw it was Trent’s blue road, so i went down and found him…”

It was then that Heather also reached them, also kneeling besides them she looked at Trent and the state he was in, covered in cuts and bruises, she struggled to understand what was going on, all she could do was look towards Chris and yell at him “Mclean, what are you waiting for, get some medics here right now!!” The now panicked host looked around and then at Chef, who was also panicking and yelling into a walkie talkie, asking for everybody to come back. “We sent out all our medics to look for him! We gotta do something!” 

Thinking on her feet, Courtney did her best to take charge and started barking orders “This was in my training, so let me do this, Chef! Bring me bandages, gauze and warm water, Mclean bring me some blood transfer tubing, now!” both men nodded and ran into the production tent to gather the things for Courtney to help out Trent

In the meantime, Lindsay walked towards her boyfriend slowly, still in too much shock to properly react or move faster, the only things in her mind being the first kiss they had shared just a couple of hours ago, she finally made it close enough to see him up close, causing her heart to break into a million pieces…

Tears started streaming down her face, her hands kept shaking uncontrollably, her breathing kept growing erratically “No…. this can't be happening, this isn't real….”  she whispered, slowly reaching out to him, placing a hand on his pale face covered in bruises

How could this have happened? He was fine when they parted ways, He knew how to drive safely, He promised He would be careful and meet her at the finish line… Why did it have to happen to Trent!? This wasn't fair!

Chef Hatchet came back running carrying a first aid kit as well as a stretcher for them to place Trent on “Courtney! We got what you asked for, hurry up!”  as he arrived, both he and Cody carefully lifted the musician up and placed him on the stretcher, all while Courtney started working on saving his life

The CIT then began disinfecting his wounds, while Chef removed the makeshift bandage Cody had placed on him earlier, the normally gruff and unapproachable brute looked towards him and nodded  “Good job kid, you saved his life…” he said while he disinfected the wound and began to stitch it up

As for Cody he backed away slowly, feeling as if he was about to pass out from the immense toll the whole night had taken on him, thankfully Heather noticed the state he was in and ran to his side to make sure he didn't fall “Easy there punchy… try and calm down, he’s gonna be ok…” Cody looked at his queen, with fear still in his eyes but still happy to see her “Thanks Heather… I just… I don't understand…” all she could do was hold on to him, nothing made sense right now, and she couldn’t answer him, she could only hope Trent would be 

As Courtney kept treating his injuries she began to speak words of encouragement to the musician, hoping he could hear her “Come on you hippy, don't give up on me, you’re not done yet, you still got a long way to go, you got so much more romantic emo music to compose, we said we would both make it, you’re not allowed to leave the competition yet! Think about us, we still need you, we need your advice god dammit” 

Once Chef finished stitching up the wound in his arm, he backed away slightly trying to catch his breath, so far this had been the closest call he had seen on the show… apart from Cody some episodes ago… but he was not about to let any of these kids die on his watch, he once again took out his walkie talkie and started screaming through it “Where are you, you lazy bums! we got an emergency here!”

With Chef yelling in the background and Courtney finishing up with the rest of his wounds, she also took a moment and looked over at the musician, noticing how pale he had turned. “He needs a blood transfusion… God dammit, what blood type is he!?”   the CIT looked at Cody who in turn was at a loss for words, after all how often do you talk about blood types with friends?

With time running out and panic setting in, Heather stepped up next to Courtney and put out her arm “I’m O+, universal donor, take some from me!”  Courtney looked at her arm and then into Heather’s eyes, all while nodding in determination, she readied up the tubes and performed the blood transfusion as carefully as she could

“Ok, all we have to do is wait, it’s up to him now…”  the former Team Amazon plus Chef were gathered around the stretcher watching as Heather’s blood went into Trent, all while from a distance Gwen and Alejandro observed the events as they unfolded

For her part Gwen was paralyzed with fear seeing the state her ex boyfriend was in, wanting to go up to his side to make sure he was ok… yet she felt like she couldn’t do so, not after everything that had happened so far between them, she didn’t feel like she belonged anywhere near him…

As for Alejandro, in a rare show of humanity, he decided to walk up to the stretcher to see how his fellow competitor was doing. As he got closer, Heather looked him straight in the eye, her own eyes giving  a warning to back off if he had anything less than pleasant to say.

The Spaniard understood the message perfectly, opting to keep his mouth shut and respectfully observe, for all his faults he was not one to be so uncultured to mock his opponents at their absolute lowest

While they all observed the musician, waiting for him to regain consciousness, Lindsay, who the whole time had been in shock crying and holding on to his hand, spoke up “Trent… please, PLEASE, wake up… we just became a couple, you can’t leave me… i need you by my side… I’ve never felt this way about anybody else before… you’re the sweetest most loving guy I’ve ever met… Please wake up…” 

Everybody around the blonde was looking at her, with tenderness in their eyes, all of them worried for Trent, who had somehow become the heart and soul of their team, who had taken his time to be there for each one of them… all they wanted was for him to be safe.

Heather’s eyes welled up with tears, it was something she wasn’t used to, but that kept happening these days. Not only was she worried about Trent, but seeing her normally cheery and ditzy blonde friend in such a vulnerable state, seeing her so broken and desperate… it got her emotional, and if even for a second she could make her feel some hope, she would do so… so she reached her other hand out and held onto her free hand

The blonde looked up from her boyfriend for a moment, catching a glimpse of Heather’s eyes full of sympathy and compassion, she accepted her hand in her own and squeezed it, thankful for everything she had done to help Trent so far, as well as how she had changed and fixed their once broken friendship

In that moment, Cody looked at both girls and he also felt hope in his heart. A hope that his friend would wake up, that he would be ok, a hope that he wanted to share with them, so he grabbed onto Heather’s hand from the arm she was donating her blood from, this made her turn towards him and give a smile, accepting his hand in her own, in that moment, seeing her punchy so worn out and disheveled made her surge with pride, and with an immeasurable affection for him, this was the type of guy she wanted to have around her, if only she had seen him sooner…

Cody gave Heather a smile of his own, a smile that was full of love and pride for the girl he had fallen madly in love with, now more than ever after seeing her so willingly donate her blood for his friend, if only he had known sooner, he would have given it his all since the day he met her, he wanted to keep giving it his all every day for her, and for everybody else around him.

He then turned towards Courtney, reaching out his other hand for her to take, which made her eyes widen in surprise, after all she didn’t understand when or how this had happened, now that things had settled down for the moment, she had a moment to think about things

These were her friends, these were the people that truly cared about her, regardless of them competing in a stupid reality show, she knew they would be there for her, that they wouldn’t turn on her and betray her… THIS was what friendship was about… her eyes also welled up with tears, and she grabbed onto Cody’s hand , thankful to have finally found her place with those she could trust

She turned to look at Trent, still laying there, fighting for his life, still very much a part of her life. It was thanks to him doing the simple little kindness of talking to her when she was at her lowest that she was able to crawl out of that dark and lonely place full of despair… He didn't deserve all the awful things that had happened to him so far, more than anything she wanted him to be able to wake up and finally be happy with Lindsay, to write more music and to perform it with them.

She reached out to Trent and held his hand, linking all of Team Amazon together, all of them sharing their pain and their hopes. Even if they were all broken by themselves, together they could make each other whole… 

In that moment something truly amazing happened, maybe it was a miracle, or perhaps it was coincidence, whatever it may be it doesn’t matter, what matters in the end was that their collective hopes had paid off… Trent opened his eyes slowly, looking at the faces of his friends surrounding him he smiled weakly “Hey guys…” 

“TRENT!!!” they all yelled as they hugged him as a group, causing both the queen bee and the musician to groan in pain “Guys, guys! Blood transfusion remember!!!?” yelled Heather as she lifted up her arm to show the rest of them

From afar Chris Mclean fell to his knees and let out a sigh of relief “Oh thank god!! He’s alive….” Chef walked up to him shaking his head in disbelief “That’s a tough kid… you better make sure you call the producers, tell em all about tonight…”  

Chris looked at Chef and stood up once more, knowing the headache that whole conversation was going to be “Yeah yeah i know, make sure he’s ok, I’ll be on the phone” the host then walked away towards his control room to brief the producers on the issues that came up

While this was taking place, a familiar looking punk delinquent arrived on the scene, riding his skateboard casually and stopping right next to his goth girlfriend who was standing a few feet away from the former Team Amazon “Hey pasty… what did i miss?” 

Gwen turned to look at her boyfriend with tears streaming down her face and hugged him as hard as she could, all while sobbing into his chest

The confused delinquent was at a loss for words, he then looked up at the stretcher and saw the state that Trent was in… he felt a pit at the back of his throat and his stomach dropped… “what did i do….?” he thought to himself as he hugged his girlfriend closer to him.

Dublin airport 9:30AM

After the challenge had come to a close Chef took charge and took everyone back to the jumbo jet, allowing access to first class for all contestants for the night

When they arrived at the jumbo jet, a doctor examined Trent and noted the excellent job Courntey had done taking care of his wounds, he then patched up the musician even further and gave him some painkillers to ease his recovery

Afterwards Lindsay stayed by Trent’s side the whole time and even slept in his room with him, as for the rest of them, Cody and Heather spent the night talking under the stars outside the jumbo jet, neither of them able to sleep the whole night, so they simply spoke to one another as they always did to end the day, only this time they had been holding hands the entire time they were together

Neither of them knew who initiated it or how long it had been happening, they only knew that they felt safer and stronger when they did so…

And in another stroke of luck, Izzy’s grandpa showed up at the airport, checking in on Trent’s situation. He stuck around for a while before he decided to head back to his family, but not before having some words for Cody “Ya truly are a brave soul my boy… I’m proud you saved ya friend… even if ya wrecked my balloon hehe… I’ll be rooting for ya Cody…” Cody gave a confident look and smiled towards the old man, grateful beyond words for everything he had done for him in such a short time “ Thank’s for everything, gramps… I couldn’t have made it through the night without your help” 

The old man then gave a wink and drove away, leaving Cody and Heather alone once more, they both laughed at the bizarre nature of their lives during the competition, they shared one more look before deciding to turn in for the night… after all they did need to rest after everything that had happened

As for Courtney, the whole ordeal had been too much for her, so after a hearty dinner and a shower she headed straight to bed and slept like she hadn’t done in a long time.

Once the morning arrived Chris’s voice was heard over the speakers “Attention everybody, meet me outside the jumbo jet right now!” the host had a foreboding tone to his voice, whatever was about to happen would not be pleasant thats for sure…

Elimination ceremony 9:35AM

Once outside everything became clear, the seats were arranged and the voting cabin was set up… somebody was going home today…

As they walked down the stairs of the jet Lindsay’s heart dropped and she squeezed Trent’s hand “Oh no…”  she whispered under her breath, this wasn’t happening…

For his part, Trent fought through all the pain he was feeling, refusing to just sit back, he knew what was coming, and he would face it head on… “Linds… it’s ok.” however his love looked at him with worry in her eyes, unwilling to face the reality of what was coming…

Chris couldn’t help but roll his eyes, he really didn't have the patience for this today “Lindsay… Trent… Come on, let's get this over with.”  The blonde looked at her boyfriend once more, she was truly afraid of what was to come, but he never waivered, he simply kissed her lips and looked into her eyes “ Let’s go…” 

Once they made it to the ceremony and took their respective seats, Chris began his monologue “Last night was… something allright, in the past all of you have gotten hurt in hilarious ways, but at the end of the day we never truly had a really bad close call like what happened with Trent…” he looked towards the musician, who was bandaged up but still kept a strong front

The host then took a second to let out a deep breath and continued “I spoke to the producers, and while they agreed that this was amazing material for tv, we couldn't afford any more nonsense like what happened last night, or like what happened in Italy…” as she heard the host speak, Courtney stood up furious at what she was hearing “You call that nonsense!? Come one Mclean, it’s all just complete negligence and disregard for our lives is what it is!” 

Almost as if it were reflex Chris brought out an air horn and blasted it to shut up Courtney  “As I was saying~.... We don't get to skip eliminations, and one of you has to go… but seeing as everybody earned immunity except for two people… this will be a pretty straight forward elimination ceremony” with his last comment everybody turns to look towards Trent and Cody, who were sitting next to each other, both of them wearing serious expressions on their faces

“Anyways… we got Trent… who sadly had a terrible accident, where he veered off his designated path which in turn disqualified him from the race…”  as he spoke, Chris most of the cast glare daggers at him

“And we also got Cody, who also stepped off his designated path and went looking for Trent…” while hearing this Trent turned to look at his best friend and offered a friendly smile, words couldn’t express how grateful he was for everything he did for him last night…

“Allright then… you all know the drill, go ahead and cast your votes for who should leave the competition… forever!”  Once the cold hearted host was done with his monologue everyone stood up to go and cast their votes… but this came to a stop once Trent stood up and spoke“That’s enough… I’m done, I’m going home…”  

Everybody turned to look at the musician, somehow they all knew this was coming, but it didn’t make it hurt any less “ No!... please don’t” Pleaded Lindsay while hugging him, still in denial about it all “It’s not fair!” she screamed all while she cried into his chest

“Lindsay… I’m too banged up to keep on going, I don't want to be a burden to you or anybody else… i had a good run this time around, better than anything that came before” he smiled towards his friends as he said this, his words full of sincerity and gratefulness

Chris looked back at the musician and gave a sigh of relief, not having to go through any more formalities than necessary for an outcome he knew would come anyway “If that’s what you want… then by all means… safe travels dude… here’s your ticket back home” the defeated looking host then walked back inside the jumbo jet leaving everybody else behind… perhaps he would just crash and fall asleep.. Or whatever it is that guy does in his private quarters

Cody walked back towards his best friend, locking eyes with him unable to say much, all he could do was look at him with a deep sadness in his eyes and try to say something… but only his name could escape him “Trent…” the musician let go of his girlfriend for just a moment and walked up to Cody, standing in front of him for a moment before giving him a hug  “Cody… I owe you my life… you’re my best friend… you’re my brother, don't you ever forget that”

Unable to say anything else he simply hugged his brother back, trying his best to remain strong “You’re my brother Trent… always…”  both men felt their bond deep in their souls, they let go of each other and nodded, knowing deep inside how everything they had been through together meant to them

He then turned towards Courtney who was doing her best to not cry, but failing miserably at it “So… my fellow broken hearted friend, i guess this is it for now huh?” the CIT couldn't help but laugh at his corny joke, she walked up to him and also gave him a tight hug “You dumb hippy… I’m gonna miss you… what am i gonna do without you to give me therapy huh?” 

Trent also let out a light chuckle as he heard her complain “You’ll be ok, after all you’re so much tougher than any other girl I’ve ever met… I’m really glad we got to be friends this time around, thank you Courtney…” the CIT squeezed  him one last time before letting him go, refusing to let him have the last word she chirped back one last time “Nuh uh, thank you for everything… now get a haircut when you get home ok?” 

The musician smiled as he let go of her, and he turned his attention to the one person he never thought he would get along with… Heather “I heard what you did last night for me… I just dont… I don't even know what to say… Heather, thank you so much for everything…” 

The queen bee crossed her arms and looked away, refusing to get all mushy as the rest of them had “Well Trent… make sure you never forget that you owe me one ok?”  for his part Trent simply nodded and gave a caring smile towards her, extending his hand towards her, as a final goodbye “I’ll never forget it… you truly are a kind person” 

Heather opened one of her eyes and saw his hand reaching out to her, she let out a sigh and shook his hand, all while her lower lip was quivering and she lowered her head, causing Trent to be confused for a moment… but then out of nowhere, he received the most unexpected hug of the day, a hug he was not ready for… but a hug he whole heartedly accepted nonetheless

“You’re turning soft on me queenie?”  he teased as he expected her to stop the unusual display of affection, but to his surprise, his teasing did little to stop her “Shut up!... just… promise you’ll take care of Lindsay from now on ok?” 

Trent was surprised by how genuine and vulnerable Heather was acting, but it truly warmed his heart to see this side of her, a side his best friend had sworn had always been there… “I’ll take care of her with my life… I promise… but in the meantime, you promise me you’ll take care of her while I'm not here…”  the queen bee looked into his eyes and nodded, with that ever present fire inside of her backing up her resolve

Before she could break away from the hug however he whispered one more thing in her ear “Oh… and make sure you also take care of punchy ok”  hearing this made her blush a deep red and she quickly let go of the musician “Yeah yeah whatever, get outta here already god!” Trent Couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, it really never got old teasing her

And finally he turned back to the one person that would hurt the most to leave behind, his newfound love, the girl who had inspired him through the many nights he spent on the show, his ray of sunshine in this cold world… Lindsay

The poor girl was crying into her hands, she looked afraid and disheartened with everything that was going on, as he got closer to her she leapt into his arms and hugged him as tight as she could without hurting him all while whimpering “It’s not fair… I don't want to say goodbye yet… I can't do this without you…”

Trent’s own eyes filled with tears, he also thought to himself it wasn’t fair, he didn't want to leave her so soon already, it hurt him way more than any wound he suffered the night before… but he still had to stay strong for her “Lindsay, I don't want to leave you either, but listen, never say you can't do this without me, you are capable of so much, you are probably the person who deserves to win this the most out of all of us, and i know deep in my heart that you can do anything you set your heart to”

He then puts his hand under her chin lifting up her face to meet his own, they pause for a moment before closing their eyes and kissing with all the love and tenderness in their hearts, they hold on to each other in a passionate embrace that betrays all the love and want in their souls, but before long that kiss and embrace are broken as they look into each other's eyes once more “This isn’t goodbye… It’s a see you later” 

Lindsay smiles at her boyfriend, even with her heart and soul full of sorrow, he manages to just pull her out of that dark place and give her the strength to keep on going even if for just one more moment, she gives him a small tender kiss on his lips once more before he leaves “I’ll miss you… see you later cutie”

They then let go of one another one last time, before they are physically incapable of doing so, both Courtney and Heather walk up to the blonde and hold her hands as they walk towards the jumbo jet, just before entering looking back once more, with tears streaming down her face she smiles at him and he returns that smile, tears streaming from his own eyes as well

Cody then walks up to him and hands him his luggage as well as his guitar, giving him one more hug and knowing look he also goes ahead and boards the jet leaving his brother behind

Once all his friends had boarded the plane, he picked up his stuff and started walking back towards the airport, perhaps to find a spot to watch the jet take off one last time, as he took a couple of steps he heard somebody call out to him “Trent!” 

He stopped in his tracks and looked back, knowing exactly who that voice belonged to “Gwen…”  the goth stared at him, tears streaming down her face, and a million thoughts and emotions reflected through her hurried breathing

At that moment hundreds of memories and moments crossed his mind, all the pain and suffering, all the drama, all the heartbreak, it all came flooding back into him as he looked at the girl he once loved… but he realized… it didn’t hurt anymore.

So as the morning sun reflected off her pale skin, and her tear filled eyes looked at him from afar he only had one last thing to say to her. He put on his signature cool guy smile and winked at her “...Goodbye…” 

And just like that, he walked away, leaving her and all the pain he had held inside his heart behind, ready to look forward to tomorrow, a tomorrow where he knew there were people who cared for and loved him for who he was.

Once inside the airport he watched as the jumbo jet took off, even if it hurt right now, he had full faith his friends would be ok… he knew his Lindsay would be ok “Heh… I didn't even get to sing the song I composed for her…” 

Author Notes

What a chapter…. Writing this one was quite something, every once in a while the words just flow out of me when i write, and this was one of those chapters

As a lot of you can probably tell, Trent has always been one of my favorite characters in the franchise, and i wish they had done more with him during the run of the show

I wanted to do him justice when it came to his elimination, it also worked for developing everybody else, with all of them chipping in to save him

Next time around we will deal with the fall out of the events that took place in Ireland, as well as setting up the next challenge, this one however will be in a setting from the show, although this challenge will be a bit different than what happens in the source material

Side note, I probably listened to Let down by radio head for like 4 hours while writing this chapter, it felt like the background music for everything that was going on, i highly recommend you check out that song in case you dont know it

Chapter 21

Emotions and Coincidence 

50 Miles away from Dublin 8:00PM Open fields  

Ireland at night can be quite a breathtaking place, just walking through the open fields of the countryside evoked the feeling of living in a dream woven of mist and moonlight. The air was crisp and clean carrying the scent of damp earth and wild flowers, you would be forgiven for thinking it was the perfect peaceful night to just sit back and relax… but this was Total Drama, and peaceful was not a word that was used often when it came to describing the show

Case and point, we find the trio of Courtney, Heather and Cody, who had been traveling together thanks to their respective colored paths merging, running away from a sheep stampede that had been unleashed upon them by an intern pretending to be a local farmer… yeah the show could be pretty weird…

Growing increasingly stressed due to the fact that not only had she not found anything to get her to Dublin faster, Courtney was now running away from a fluffy stampede “Why are we even running!? They're just sheep! We can take them on, watch me!”  the CIT then stops in her tracks and holds her ground as she attempts to stop a sheep that was charging at her

Impressively enough however she did manage to stop it in her tracks “Rahhh!!! See guys!? We only have to hold our ground to stop them!” her small victory came to a quick end however, because just as she let go of the confused lamb, another one came rushing through  and tackled her hard enough to drag her away with it

While the berserk sheep was giving Courtney an involuntary ride  along, it was Heather who saw it start to turn away from the designated path they were all sharing, so she ran next to it and did her best to save her ex teammate from being disqualified “TAKE MY HAND!” she yelled as she reached her hand out to her.

Thanks to her quick thinking she was able to save Courtney from being disqualified, with both girls stumbling to the ground as the panicked sheep ran away, being followed by the rest of the flock. With both girls laying on the ground catching their breath from the close call Courtney sat up first and showed gratitude to the queen bee “Thanks Heather… You didn’t have to do that, you know?” 

Heather also sat up with a look of pure exhaustion and stress, mustering what little composure she had in her to answer her friend “Dont mention it, id rather still have you around until we can get rid of Alejandro Gwen and Duncan, after that we can tear each other down if you want!” Courtney let out an offended gasp followed by an icy glare towards Heather, who offered a glare of her own, followed by a long silence from both girls… who then just burst out in laughter together “Hahahaha!! You know what queenie, I wouldn't want it any other way!”

With that pleasant exchange they both stood up and dusted themselves off, after all now was not the time to slow down, they still had a long road ahead of them, but just as they were about to keep going Heather stopped in her tracks “Wait a second… Where's Cody? He was just behind us!?” Courtney also realized her nerdy ex team member wasn’t around anymore either, while she looked around confused she noticed the path they were taking was missing some of its colors, instead only being Red Orange and Yellow now, with Cody’s Indigo nowhere to be seen

While Heather and Courtney looked around worriedly Cody made himself heard, yelling from a distance away “GIRLS!!!! MY PATH TOOK A TURN THIS WAY!!!”  his path seemed to have diverted towards the east while theirs continued on in a straight line heading north

Heather’s mood seemed to take a shift, with a mixture of worry and irritation taking a hold of her he yelled back “YOU BETTER MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE PUNCHY!!! I’M COUNTING ON YOU!!”  she then turned back towards her own path and continued on her way, with a determined Courtney by her side “Lets keep going, he’ll meet us there…”  Courtney knew better than to tease her or crack any jokes, she simply nodded and walked alongside her

As for Cody he yelled back once more “I’LL BE THERE!!! IT’S A PROMISE!!!” he then swallowed and kept going on his own path, but just as he did he looked down at the road, noticing its colors were both indigo and violet… “Gwen…” he said to himself with a mixture of worry and exhaustion

He felt a bit awkward thinking about his ex-crush, especially with how she had been acting lately, and the prospect of running into her was not very enticing, but nevertheless he kept moving forward, undeterred and resolved to meet Heather’s expectations “gotta keep going!”  he said out loud before breaking into a sprint

45 miles away from Dublin 9:00PM Heather and Courtney

It had been about 5 miles since they separated from Cody, and both girls were doing their best to keep a consistent pace, all while admiring the beautiful Irish countryside and the starry night illuminating their path, well that was the case with Courtney at least, mostly because Heather hadn’t said much the last couple of miles

So having had enough of the awkward silence, the CIT started making conversation “You know, sometimes I forget how insane it is that we’re traveling around the world, but it’s moments like these when you realize how amazing it is that we get to see places like these, I mean, it’s such a beautiful peaceful night don't you think?”  

For her part, Heather was doing her best to keep her spirits up “Yeah… it looks nice” she answered unable to hide her true feelings “What’s the matter with you? Not feeling the moonlight?” retorted the CIT a bit confused seeing her friend without her usual spunk.

Heather however didn’t feel in the mood to admire her surroundings, instead her mind felt scrambled and anxious, and really, nobody could blame her for it. Between the stressful challenge and the many questions she still couldn’t answer in her heart, it was proving more than troubling for her “I just got a lot on my mind tonight, don’t mind me… instead lets just pick up the pace, we still got a long way to go”

While a part of Courtney wanted to respect her friend’s wish to keep her feelings to herself, she knew better than to just let her marinate in her insecurities, instead she chose to speak up “Ok, what’s this about? You usually don't miss a chance to be a sarcastic bitch, is it because Cody’s path took him in a different direction 5 miles ago?”  just hearing that was enough for the queen bee to go back to her usual demeanor if even for just a moment “What! As if! Cody is perfectly capable of handling himself, I'm more than sure we’ll see him once we get to Dublin hmph!”

Courtney then raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, still unconvinced at the queen bee’s response “Listen, so far I've been the one with the major emotional issues here, and i can tell when others are going through stuff, so spit it out, what's the deal with you tonight?” Heather turned back to meet Courtney’s gaze and held it for a couple of seconds before letting out a defeated sigh

“Look, I'm just worried, ok? There's a lot of things going on in my mind, and I really NEED to win this competition, but at the same time I don't want to go back to…. I don't want to go back to being hated by any of you, especially not by…” she couldn’t bring herself to finish her thoughts so she merely left it at that and turned away from Courtney 

While she processed what she heard from her friend, Courtney felt a huge surge of sympathy for Heather, not in a million years did she think she would see this side of her, she walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder “Why would we hate you?” she asked softly

Without turning to look at her Heather replied “You know just as well as I do… this game brings out the worst in all of us… I've done horrible things in the past, and I always justified it to myself in many different ways, telling myself it didn’t matter, that I would never see any of you ever again… but I guess I feel different now.”

In truth, Courtney understood very well how Heather felt, over the last couple of weeks she had grown fond of those around her, not being used to others showing her kindness or even sticking around due to her strong personality, not only that but the whole notion of letting the competition bring out a side of her that was so cut throat and ruthless was very much an issue for her in the past.

“You’re scared of hurting those you care about, of losing your friends… of losing Cody?” Courtney asked bluntly, more than sure the queen bee would appreciate her not mincing her words, and sure enough that was the case, the CIT had hit the nail right on the head, even noticing how Heather stiffened when she heard Cody’s name

Heather felt frustrated and unsure of what to respond, as if her pride and empathy for her friends were clashing inside her brain and rendering her unable to form a coherent thought anymore “I know I’m just being stupid, and it probably sounds like just another mind game or manipulation coming from me of all people… but i just feel so… worried” as she confessed her inner turmoil she hid her face in her hands and tried her best to not let any more of her emotions out

It was Courtney’s turn to let out a sigh and stand by her friend “You know, I’ve known you for a while now, and in that time I’ve thought you were many things, but stupid was never one of them”  Heather looked up at her friend’s eyes as she kept speaking “Just the fact that you care enough to worry about going back to being a back stabbing bitch is enough to know you won't do that again… You’ve changed for the better Heather” 

Heather smiled at the CIT, amused at how good she was at giving reassuring speeches, she took a deep breath and let it out, as if she was doing her best to put aside any emotional turmoil to the side for now “Thanks Courtney… i needed to hear that”  having heard those reassuring words they both exchanged knowing looks of determination and kept going on their way "Don't mention it, lets just keep going!”

As they picked up their pace and started jogging along the path, Heather felt her usual spunk slowly return to her as she let out a playful barb at Courtney “You’re getting good at those reassuring speeches, looks like you’re hanging around Trent a little too much” the CIT couldn’t help but laugh at the remark“Oh please, that guy is on a whole other level of emotional maturity,  if that whole music thing doesn’t work out for him he should seriously consider becoming a psychologist!”  Both girls laughed aloud at the idea, with how fitting it was for the musician,

With the subject of their conversation shifting towards Trent, Heather couldn’t help but keep the joke going “I don't know about that, I mean, for somebody who’s so good at giving advice and emotional support, he really has a hard time understanding his feelings for a certain somebody don't you think?”  Courtney gave a knowing look towards the queen bee, very much enjoying the gossip “Oh please, those two are just a conversation away from making out and becoming a couple” 

Heather raised an eyebrow as she kept up her pace next to Courtney and asked “Oh come on, it really can't be that simple right?” For her part, she was reminded at how simple it had been for her and Duncan to get involved with one another in the past, sending a shiver down her spine she merely answered bluntly “You’d be surprised queenie”

45 miles away from Dublin 10:00PM Trent and Lindsay

They say love can change you in many ways, that it makes the world into a more beautiful place, where even the smallest moments have so much more meaning when you’re with the right person, as if suddenly everything makes perfect sense

For Trent and Lindsay, this was that moment, the newly formed couple was laying together on the hood of the pink convertible, wrapped in a warm and loving embrace, they had spent the last couple of hours just enjoying each other's company and talking to each other about everything that was in their hearts and minds.

As they talked and held each other while looking at the stars, Lindsay asked something that had been in the back of her mind“So like… when did you realize you liked me?”  she asked with a playful smile as she squeezed her new boyfriend closer to herself

Trent let out a small chuckle and kissed her forehead “Well, we’ve always gotten along well, and I have to admit i’ve always thought you were beautiful, but i guess the exact moment i knew i liked you as more than a friend was when we hugged in the recording studio that one time… after Alejandro said those things to you, i knew right then and there that i would do anything to make sure you never felt like that ever again” Lindsay couldn’t help but swoon at his words, knowing full and well he meant it from the bottom of his heart “Hehehe omg youre just too cute!!! I wish we could just stay here together watching the stars forever!”

It was honestly amazing for Trent the way he was feeling, almost as if that deep wound he had inside his heart this whole time was being healed with each second he held Lindsay close to him, for the first time in a long time he held hope inside his heart that things would be fine and with each time he looked into Lindsay’s eyes this feeling was reassured even further, it was then that Lindsay stood up quickly and excitedly “Omg! I can't wait to tell everybody else that we’re together, I know Heather and Courtney are gonna freak out!!! And omg when all this is over you can come over and meet my family too!! My mom and dad are gonna love you, and you can meet my little brother Wayne, he loves playing hockey and—” 

As the excited blonde kept talking Trent also stood up from the hood of the car and simply observed her, the way she smiled as she spoke happily about her family, and how excited she got about things was just the spark that was missing inside of him, more than anything it motivated him to do his best to win this challenge and even the whole competition to make sure he could make this happiness last “Heh i cant wait to meet them either, but for now what do you say you and I make our way to the finish line? I’m sure we will meet up with the others and we can tell them the good news” 

Even if it felt impossible, Lindsay somehow managed to beam with even more happiness and clapped her hands excitedly “Omg you’re so right, we should get going, i almost forgot we were in a challenge!”  once they were both off the hood of the car, Trent walked around towards the passenger door and opened it for his new lover in a very fancy and exaggerated manner, making the blonde blush and giggle, afterwards he carefully closed the car door for her and quickly made his way towards the driver seat

Once he took his seat and turned on the car he looked towards Lindsay and winked at her “Let’s win this”  he said in the most cool guy voice he could muster, once again making her giggle “Yeah! Let’s win this” as she rallied behind her new boyfriend she planted a very passionate kiss his on his lips leaving him stunned for a couple of seconds, but as soon as he regained his composure he smiled back at her with more resolve than ever and drove off, ready to face whatever laid ahead

However, both Trent and Lindsay had failed to notice a skateboard that was leaning against the trees next to the car, and just as they had driven off into the distance a figure that was previously unseen stood up, having been under the car for god knows how long “Heh good thing they stuck around as long as they did, I managed to mess up that car pretty good… that will teach him not to mess with pasty’s feelings”

The punk then grabbed his skateboard and started riding it down the road once more “Good thing it’s kinda dark, they never noticed the road was also green… talk about luck though, running into them while they’re confessing their feelings haha, it's just too easy sometimes”  as Duncan laughed to himself about his less than honorable deeds he picked up speed, confident things would go his way, as they often did.

35 miles away from Dublin 12:30AM Cody

A very exhausted Cody was running through the Irish countryside, trying his best to stay motivated and positive about making it to Dublin in one piece, so far it felt more like a test of endurance, with the only obstacles in his way being some sheep and the threat of exhaustion “Gotta keep going… must… not… give up” he repeated to himself over and over, refusing to give up his resolve

As he kept going, he swore he could hear the sounds of fiddles and flutes in the distance, almost as if it were a some sort of celebration, and just as he made his way up a hill, he noticed in the distance what looked like a traditional Irish party taking place right in the middle of the path he was supposed to take “Uh oh… now what” he thought to himself as he approached the crowd cautiously

Once he was closer he noticed Gwen was standing a couple of feet away from the crowd, almost as if she was unsure of how to proceed through the rowdy party. At first Cody felt unsure if he should even get close to her, worried at how she would react, but then again, why should he even care about that, right now his priority was getting through the challenge and meeting up with Heather once more.

Before he could come to a decision on what to do, the goth noticed him approaching from behind. She knew there was a chance they would run into each other, but she was hoping to avoid that, she let out a tired sigh and resigned herself to having to interact with the nerd “...Hey” 

Sensing her obvious disdain for him, the nerd rolled his eyes and matched her energy “...Hey, what’s the deal with all of this, can't make it through?”  Gwen was a bit surprised by the coldness of his words, not used to seeing this side of Cody, nevertheless she once again sighed and answered his question “I tried to get through but they have a bunch of tables and barrels of stuff in the way, when i tried to climb through it they took away my electric scooter and told me to get lost”

Cody narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead at the rowdy party taking place, this was obviously some sort of obstacle placed by Chris to make them come to a stop, it was only a matter of figuring out how to convince them all to let them through “I’m gonna see if i can get through”  the nerd proceeded to march his way towards the party, with Gwen yelling at him from behind “what are you gonna say?” without skipping a beat Cody looked back and responded confidently “No idea!” 

Once he was close enough to the party he tried blending in and walking past all the drunken partygoers that were enjoying themselves, looking around for any way to make it through without arousing much suspicion “Damn it, Gwen was right, they’re totally blocking the road”  he thought to himself as he neared the other side of the crowd, finding himself blocked by several massive barrels of what he could only assume was beer

With his scouting attempt successful Cody once more started walking back to try and gather his thoughts to come up with some sort of plan, only to be stopped by a group of party goers “Oi! Who the hell are ya!” spoke a very large and threatening read headed man, causing Cody to freeze in place “Who? Me? Ummmm….” 

As he was being questioned Cody kept walking backwards, stumbling into yet another person, this time it was a pretty tall red headed woman who also looked pretty ticked off “You heard him lad, just who are ya? Who invited ya to the party!?”  Cody felt as if the walls were closing around him, very much worried about being beat up or possibly thrown off the path and being disqualified, he would need close to a miracle to get out of this situation

“Looks to me like he’s one of them trouble makers from this morning, why don't we show this pipsqueak how we handle hoodlums around these parts eh lads”  spoke the big burly man once more “hey hey hey come on now, I’m not here to cause any trouble, Im just passing through, you see I’m trying to” he couldn't finish his sentence as several curly haired red headed girls started walking towards him menacingly

“Oh we heard that one before lad, aint that right ya pale lass”  to further complicate things two other red headed women arrived holding Gwen by her arms and shoving her towards Cody “Ow! What the hell Cody, I thought you had a plan or something!”  feeling a bit guilty for complicating things the way he had the only thing he could do now was offer an apology towards the goth “Usually i come up with better plans… sorry Gwen doesn’t look like i did so this time”

As the mob of people approached the two of them slowly, a voice rang from the back of the crowd “HOLD IT THERE EVERYBODY!!” as soon as those words were uttered, everybody came to a stop and made way for somebody who came through the crowd, leaving Cody and Gwen puzzled at what would come next

After a couple of seconds a very short red headed man wearing green came face to face with them both. he walked around them as if he were trying to figure out who they were just by staring at them, at one point taking out a pipe and lighting it to take a long puff of smoke “Ya said your names are… Cody and Gwen?” he asked still very suspicious of them both 

“Uh… yeah?” answered Gwen, still unsure of where this was all going, upon hearing this the short man got on a table and turned towards the rest of the party guests “Everybody! These two here are no scoundrels, these two here are from Total Drama!” once everybody in attendance heard his claim many whispers and laughs were heard, when suddenly a loud cheer was heard

Seeing how the atmosphere had suddenly changed Gwen leaned over to Cody and whispered “What’s going on?”  only to be met with a blank almost unsure expression from Cody “No idea… maybe they’re fans of the show?”  he answered trying to bring some logic to their predicament 

The short man then jumped off the table and hugged them both 

“Aye, I knew ya both looked familiar to me, you both were friends with me darling granddaughter Elizabeth”  Cody and Gwen looked at one another once more while being squeezed by the leprechaun looking man “Uh Elizabeth? Are you sure she was in Total Drama?” asked the confused goth as she broke away from the embrace

The old man gave a chuckle and brought out his wallet to show a picture of his granddaughter “Aye no mistake lassie, look!”  both Gwen and Cody leaned in to look at the picture the old man was showing off, it looked to be some sort of family reunion, with several red headed people posing for a picture in front of a hot air balloon by the cliffs, and just at the center right next to him was a very familiar face “IZZY!?” they both yelled 

“That’s right, me darling Elizabeth competed in 3 seasons of the show and boy did she show you all a grand ol’ time eh” as the old man said this the whole crowd erupted into laughter, most likely remembering how unpredictable and fun being around Izzy could be “Well then no need to be shy, take a seat and have a pint lad, you too lassie make yourself’s at home” 

And just as quick as they were about to be attacked, they both found themselves swarmed by hospitality and kindness, being sat at a very long table and served with many dishes… mostly containing potatoes and corned beef, for his part Cody felt grateful for the hospitality but tried his best to remain focused on the task at hand  “Uh thanks a lot sir, but i dont think we can stick around for long, you see, we’re in the middle of a challenge right now and we have to follow the colored road were standing on right now”

The old man looked down at the indigo and violet road he was standing on and then back at Cody  “Oh so that’s what this is about hahaha, ya see lad, we’re usually friendlier when we meet strangers, but just this morning this awful man with an evil looking smile and a chef drove past this here my backyard and left this colored mess behind, so i called the rest of me family to try and see what it was all about, and before we knew it we started having a drink… needless to say we got a bit carried away eh?” 

Having heard what happened from Izzy’s grandpa cleared things out for both of them, and it seemed as if there would be no issue for them to keep on going with the challenge, so doing her best to be on her way Gwen started walking away from the crowd “Well im glad we could clear things up, I just need to get my scooter and— 

*RING RING*

— dammit not right now!”

Having heard that cursed bell ring the whole crowd around them started looking around in confusion, trying to find the source of the sound “Oh i know what this is about, they’re about to sing a song for us!”  screamed an excited looking girl who really resembled Izzy causing the whole crowd to star to cheer for Cody and Gwen to get started

The nerd turned towards the goth and gave an awkward smile, he then stood on the long table and extended his hand “Let’s just get this over with, i wanna make it to the finish line and see my friends, what do you say Gwen?”  the goth gave a look of uncertainty before she gave up a defeated sigh and took his hand “Yeah yeah, i get it”

The crowd gave a loud cheer for the start of their performance, when suddenly the lights around them dimmed and the stars above started shining ever so brightly giving the rowdy party a more serene and intimate ambiance

Song Starts

A beautiful and serene guitar and a violin starts playing with Gwen softly humming in the background, with it slowly getting louder, Gwen looks up to the sky and looks uncertain about things inside her heart

Gwen: If i, if i could return, wouldn’t let it burn, wouldn’t let it fade…

I’m sure i wasn’t rude, but it was just his attitude, it was tearing me apart, it was ruining everything 

As she sings her melody Cody looks over at her with a look of confusion, recognizing what she is singing about pretty easily, he then chimes in

Cody: And I swore, I swore I knew the truth, and honey so did you…

So why were you holding her man? Is that the way you stand? Were you lying all the time? Was it just a game to you?

Gwen sways around the makeshift stage, taking flight as if she were a fairy roaming the night sky, with the moon reflecting off her pale skin she sings once more

Gwen: But now I'm in so deep~~~~~~ 

She looks to the sky and sees a constellation of stars in the shape of Duncan, she then smiles fondly

Gwen: You know I'm such a fool for you~~~~

you got me wrapped around your finger my love~~ 

Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to let it linger?~~~~~

The night sky then transitions into a forest road where Trent and Lindsay are driving with happiness in their faces and love all around them, they hold hands and without explanation they both start flying as well, leaving their vehicle behind to dance under the moonlit sky

Trent: Oh~~~ I thought my love was done…

I thought nothing could go right~~~

But i was wrong, i was wrong~~~

Lindsay smiles and fly’s all around Trent before she gets close to him and cups his face in her hands 

Lindsay: If I… If I could get by, trying not to cry

Things just made me confused, in the past i felt so used~~

But you always really knew~~ 

I just want to be with you~~~

Trent and Lindsay: And were in so deep~~~

You know im such a fool for you~~~

You got me wrapped around your finger my love~~

Do we have to let it linger? 

Do we have to? Do we have to? Do we have to let it linger?

The two lovers kiss while floating through the sky slowly falling back into their car, to continue on their challenge, all while holding hands

The scene then quickly moves towards a shamrock field where Heather and Courtney are running away from a group of banshees, but thanks to their quick thinking they manage to evade them as they hide under the shamrocks and the banshees run further away into the night, just as she is laying there Heather lets out a sigh and looks up at the moon

Heather: And im in so deep~~~~

She looks at the stars in the sky, noticing in the distance that small shining star Cody gave to her that fateful night, the queen bee gives a smile

Heather: You know im such a fool for you~~~

I thought I had you wrapped around my finger yeah right?~~

Courtney runs towards Heather with several shamrocks in her hair and grabs her by the arm, pulling her away from her thoughts 

Courtney: Let’s not stop and let’s not linger

Now is not the 

Now is not the

Now is not the time to be a singer! ~~

The two girls rush on their path, with Dublin far off in the distance, they are full of confidence they will make it in time, the scene goes back up into the sky and then down into the party where Cody and Gwen are singing and falling back into the stage

As he falls back into the stage, Cody looks up once more at the night sky and finds that one special star, he gives a smile and closes his eyes imagining the girl of his dreams, wishing more than anything to be by her side

Cody: You know im such a fool for you~~~

You got me wrapped around your finger my love~~

Do you have to let it linger?

Do you have to? Do you have to? Do you have to let it linger?~~~~

Once they're back on the ground Gwen looks over at Cody, seeing the genuine emotion in his face, a part of her feels pity, thinking about how the poor lovestruck fool might be being used by Heather, but nonetheless, it's not her problem, she also closes her eyes and hums gently to end the song.

Song Ends

The entirety of Izzy’s family erupted into an applause and cheer for the unlikely duo, they then stepped off the table and thanked everybody for their hospitality, with Gwen getting her scooter back and Cody being swarmed by several young women who resembled Izzy

“Not bad at all lad, dare i say you have quite the pipes on ya” the tiny old man grabbed the nerd by his shirt and pulled him down so he could ruffle his hair, something which made the nerd blush in embarrassment but he was grateful for the compliment nonetheless

“Thank you mister uh… what should i call you?” the old man fixes up his hat and gives a warm smile “you can just call me Grandpa hehe, say lad why dont you stick around for a while more, i’ll take ya to dublin me self”  Cody felt a bit unsure of what to say, looking around he spotted Gwen driving off on her scooter following the path, if only he had his own vehicle to catch up… but then again Izzy’s grandpa had just offered him a ride all the way, so why not?

“You know what grandpa, I’ll take you up on that offer, thanks!” the old man felt a sense of satisfaction, he then snapped his fingers summoning several plates of food and drink for Cody to eat up. “Well said lad, now eat up, ye are nothing but bones, you have ta fill up a bit more if you want to keep on growing!”

Cody gave his signature grin and accepted, good thing he had always been on ok terms with Izzy, or else the evening could’ve gone way different

30 Miles away from Dublin Trent and Lindsay 1:00AM

The newly formed couple was driving carefully through their set path, in any other case they would’ve probably made it to Dublin by now, but their path was full of trees in the way and even some traps that had been most likely laid by the Total drama production crew

But so far nothing had been able to stop them, having finally made it out of the forest they drove a bit faster now, reaching yet another open field where their path seemed to split up

Thanks to Trent’s quick thinking he managed to notice in time and stopped the car, looking ahead he narrowed his eyes and looked around just in case there was yet another trap for them “Hmm… seems like Blue and Pink are no longer sharing a path…” hearing the sad news Lindsay gave a pout and hugged him “Awww, but i want to keep driving with you!!!” 

Trent gave a caring smile to his girlfriend and kissed her forehead in reassurance “It’s ok Linds, I'm pretty sure we're almost there, we just gotta make it through this last stretch and we're good, so how about you take the car and drive the rest of the way?”  Lindsay once again pouted and hugged her boyfriend, she knew she was being silly, but she wanted to enjoy his company just a little longer

“I dont wanna… but i will hehe” she looked up at him and planted a kiss on his lips, one which he returned with just as much tenderness, he then stepped out of the car and made way for the blonde to take the driver’s seat “You make sure you drive carefully ok?” Lindsay nodded in agreement and smiled, having full faith in her boyfriend to meet her at the finish line

“You also be careful cutie i dont want anything to— OMG!!!!!” the blonde let out a cry of joy as she looked at a fence post across from Trent, right then and there was a majestic white horse…. With a plastic horn tied around its head “IS THAT A UNICORN!!!” the blonde then stepped out of the car and ran towards it

An amused Trent opened his eyes wide in surprise to the horse, he knew well how much his girlfriend loved them“Oh wow, looks like they left it there just in case one of us needed it”  the blonde approached the “unicorn” in excitement and patted its nose softly “Omg im gonna die, first me and Trent get together, and now i find a real unicorn!!! Best day ever!!!”

Trent also approached the “unicorn” and smiled warmly at the girl of his dreams and how full of life and joy she was, he then decided to tease her just a bit “heh now getting to Dublin will be just a piece of cake, i can ride it all the way there!” Lindsay stiffened up and turned around and looked at her man with puppy eyes and a sad face

The musician chuckled and gave her a hug “I’m just kidding Linds, she’s all yours, i know how much you love hor– i mean unicorns” the blonde once again regained her smile and joy and tackled her boyfriend to the ground, planting several kisses all over his face “thank you, thank you, now you can take the car and I’ll ride Sparkles all the way to that Dumbling!!!” 

While still on the ground Trent chuckled once more and looked into the blonde’s eyes “Sparkles?” he asked, causing Lindsay to give a smug smile and stand up “Yep, she’s sparkles and she is perfect haha”  the musician stood up as well and with his own smile of amusement walked over to the “unicorn” “Ok then sparkles, make sure you take care of Lindsay for me, she is very precious to me, and i want to make sure you will protect her ok?”  the “unicorn” gave a neigh of approval making the couple laugh together

With not much else to do Trent Helped Lindsay get on the “unicorn” and walk it over to the point where the blue and pink path split “I’ll see you there Linds, I’ll miss you”  the blonde gave a reassuring smile at her boyfriend as she held his hand “I’ll miss you too cutie, but we got this right?”  Trent nodded and squeezed her hand one last time before she signaled for sparkles to run ahead and into the pink path, leaving him behind

“Heh… what a woman… i should get going too” Trent then got back in the car and turned it on, thinking to himself how lucky he had been, regardless of what happened from here on out he was just glad things were finally going his way for a change “Let’s win this…” he drove off once more into the blue path by himself, unknown to him however, right under the car he was driving, there was a small device with a timer counting down and 15 minutes remaining on it…

Author notes

So far it’s been quite a challenge for everybody in Ireland, i gotta say its really sweet writing for a couple in love, i do think that Trent and Lindsay can make each other happy and make it work, it all comes down to if they can get the chance to do so before something bad happens

I apologize for releasing this chapter a bit later than i normally would’ve, i needed a break from writing for a bit, but i feel back to 100% and i have soooooo much more i want to do with this story, but right now we gotta take it one chapter at a time

As for the song this time around i went with Linger by The Cranberries,  it's quite a sad and romantic song, and the band is from Ireland, so in my mind it fit perfectly, i played with the lyrics a bit to fit into what was going on in the story, i hope you guys listen to the song as you read along

Speaking of which, i hope you all found the whole idea of running into Izzy’s extended family in the middle of Ireland funny, seems like something that could’ve happened in the original show, plus the idea of her grandfather being a super fan of the show seemed pretty wholesome to me

 Chapter 20

Luck and Chances

There is a fact of life everybody has to learn to accept, and it’s one we are all confronted with at various points through our own journeys, you feel it when you graduate from school, or perhaps if you move far away from where you grew up, and it’s quite simple, nothing ever lasts forever.

A strong bond had been formed in Team Amazon, all it took was a small amount of trust for all its members to understand one another, from Cody reaching out to Heather to try and build an alliance, in turn the nerd convincing her to reach out to Lindsay, in hopes to repair a long broken ‘Friendship’. There was also Trent reaching out to Courtney in hopes to confide in their own unresolved feelings about their respective ex partners; and even Heather and Lindsay forming a bond with the CIT after she finally allowed them the chance to bond.

In other words somehow, someway, they all found themselves trusting one another and even forming a true friendship, in a way it was bittersweet how they had all gained something they didn’t have before joining the show, and deep inside, even if they aren't all willing to admit it just yet, they will all still look out for each other.

Just as the surreal feeling was hitting them, Chris Mclean moved forward with his monologue explaining the challenge they would all face today “Allright, to begin today’s challenge I need each and everyone of you to do something before we start…” As the host’s voice took a serious turn, he pointed a remote  towards the massive stage behind him, and after pressing a button, 8 different platforms appeared, each one of them a different color “I need you all to pick a color”

Every single contestant grew a bit nervous unsure of what to pick, after all nothing was what it seemed in this show “What’s the catch Chris? You can't expect us to just make a decision if we don't know what it’s for” as always Courtney was not afraid to speak her mind, she had been screwed over by the competition before and she was NOT about to let that happen to her again.

The host’s expression remained unchanged, and with his usual carefree tone he shrugged “It wouldn’t be fair for me to tell you what it’s for, all you need to know right now is that you have 8 choices, one for each color of the rainbow Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, once everybody has made their choice, I will explain the rest…” this did little to quell the CIT’s worries “Whatever, i guess i gotta think about it carefully and i also have to consider—” “OMG dibs on pink!!” as Courtney was doing her best to analyze whatever the choice was for, a very excited Lindsay ran past her and stood on the pink platform

And just like that it was like the flood gates were open, as everybody else ran towards the stage and picked a color, Heather managed to reach the stage just as quick as her blonde friend did and stood on the red platform right next to her “I like red these days, so i might as well stick to it hmph!” she crossed her arms and gave her signature look of smug superiority, yet she still kept an eye open to see what color Cody would pick

As for the nerd, he considered the possibilities, not wanting to cling to close to Heather just in case they made them go head to head in whatever sick game was about to go down, he opted to put a bit of distance between them, and instead of taking the yellow platform right next to her, he stood on the Indigo one on the other side of the stage “this has a nice soothing feeling to it” he looked towards Heather once he settled in, offering a look of reassurance and a thumbs up, which the queen bee returned with an air of playful smugness

However this sweet moment was interrupted by Alejandro standing right next to her, claiming the yellow platform for himself, just as he does he turns towards Heather and speaks with a flirty voice "Don't mind if i do, this seems quite appropriate wouldn’t you say? afterall yellow represents joy and happiness, it looks quite nice next to your passionate red”  

This managed to make Heather stop smiling towards Cody and instead glare at Alejandro “You must be mistaken, this red only represents rage and annoyance, as far as you are concerned” as the queen bee turned away from the Spaniard and faced Lindsay she found her good friend a bit curious "That's so cool, what does Pink represent?”  Heather’s expression softened a bit and she whispered in an annoyed manner “I’ll tell you when we're done with the challenge!” 

In the meantime, it was Duncan who picked next, taking his place on the green platform, quite fittingly so, it being his favorite color after all “I’m feeling lucky, might as well pick green, we’re in Ireland after all” the punk then took out his pocket knife and started playing with it while he glared at Trent, his hostility very much apparent to everybody present, but the musician wouldn’t be intimidated, instead he  walked up to the platform next to the delinquent’s “I’ll take blue, I’m also feeling lucky, and pretty calm about things, hard to be intimidated by somebody green with envy”  

While Trent stood on his spot he refused to break eye contact with Duncan, refusing to give him the satisfaction of thinking he had gotten to him, and now that they were going head to head, the moment would come where they would have to vote for either of them to leave the show… it was all a matter of who could get rid of who first.

In the end only Gwen remained with only one last color to pick, the goth simply walked up to the violet platform and stood on her spot, not saying a word, only turning for a moment to look at Cody, who was standing right next to her. The nerd felt a bit awkward about it, it had been a long time since he had tried speaking to her, but ever since she reached out to Trent, a part of him couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of worry for her.

So against his better judgement he turned towards her “Um… good luck Gwen” it was a very inoffensive show of good faith, something you would say to an acquaintance in hopes of fostering good competition, but his kind words would not be met with the same level of respect from the goth, she turned her eyes towards her ex team mate and spoke with an annoyed tone “Whatever Cody, just stay out of my way…” 

Cody felt a bit confused at her hostility, just what was her problem with him all of a sudden? What did Trent and her talk about? These questions would have to wait however, since now that they had all picked a color Chris spoke once more “Ok! Looks like you have all made your decision, so allow me to show you what your challenge is!” the host once again uses the remote on the stage, making a giant screen appear in front of them, showing a map of Ireland

“For today’s challenge you will all race from Wexford to Dublin, following the newly built, chaotically designed, insanely dangerous, and very impressive RAINBOW ROAD!!!” the map is then modified to show a gigantic colorful road stretching over the coastline of Ireland “But at the end of the road there is no pot of gold, instead whoever makes it to the finish line in Dublin will automatically earn immunity” 

The contestants look around nervously, it was insane to think of how they even built such a thing, the map showed a stretch of road that was easily 80 miles long, and from the aerial view the map was showing, there was an insane amount of obstacles and dangers in store for them “Ok i get the whole death race thing, but what was the whole point of picking our own colors?” asked Heather in her usually irritated tone 

“Hehe glad you asked Heather, since this race has a catch” Chris once again points the remote towards the screen, zooming in on the rainbow road, making it clearer “Each one of you is only allowed to follow the path of the color you chose, that means since you picked Red you may only step on the Red portions of the road , and if you step on any other colored lane you will be disqualified from the race”  once the map zoomed in completely it was clear that the different colors of the rainbow road took different paths and even intertwined at different points, uniting once more at the finish line

Now things were making sense, looking at the map it was apparent how each road seemed to have its own benefits and obstacles awaiting them, now it all came down to each of their individual performances and skills to make it to the finish line “You will have 24 hours to reach the finish line, along the road you will find different challenges you must overcome, but don't worry,  you will also find things that can help you on your way to Dublin… that is if you were lucky enough to pick the right color hehe” as the egomaniac host sadistically chuckled to himself, the contestants took in the grand scope of the challenge

All in all they had to travel 80 miles through the Irish country side, Cody had to admit he felt a bit intimidated, it was one thing to face these ridiculous challenges next to a team that had your back, but now he was by himself, this would be the true test to see if he had what it took to stand side by side with the others… with Heather

Speaking of the queen bee, she was doing her best to remain firm in her resolve to give it her all, the only thing still troubling her was her newfound anxieties, more precisely the thought of her competing against those she had started to care about, could she really give it her all against them? Would she revert back to being a heartless bitch and do anything to win? “UGHHHH, why couldn't we stay as a team until the end!!!” she thought to herself as she looked across the stage towards Cody, hoping that no matter the outcome she wouldn't lose him

Looking over at her clearly stressed and nervous friend, Lindsay decided to try and cheer her up “Hey… it’s all gonna be ok” she whispered with a smile at the queen bee who turned around and looked a bit confused “What do you mean?” Lindsay merely kept her smile “Like, don't worry about it, I know we’re all gonna be ok, no matter what happens”  Heather looked back at the blonde with an expression of fondness once she heard her words, not sure how to answer, she only knew that she was grateful to have gained her friendship back

With explanations out of the way, Chris once again pointed his remote towards the stage, causing it to collapse and open up towards a brightly colorful road, with each platform the contestants were standing on lowering into the road and merging with their respective colored path “Ok people, you know the rules, just follow the road and you will make it to Dublin, I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line…… I guess that’s it, hehe anyways…. GO!”

As the host signaled for the challenge to start, all 8 contestants started running, with Heather, Courtney and Alejandro leading the way, ignoring any other distraction around them, the three of them simply kept sprinting at full speed, so much so that before they knew it they were far away from everybody else.

On the other hand, Trent was running at a comfortable pace, although  kept glancing at Lindsay who was several lanes away from him. He had hoped he would be able to talk to her before the challenge took place but between the news of the merge and Chris explaining the challenge there wasn’t much of an opportunity “I can’t lose today… I have to let her know how i feel”  He thought to himself, watching as his blonde crush ran with a smile on her face.

But as he kept going on his way his thoughts also wandered towards Gwen and the harsh talk they had earlier. A part of him felt hurt at how things had turned out so far, how somebody he once truly cared for with all his heart was so far gone down the wrong path, so much so that she couldn’t even fathom being in the wrong… maybe they could speak again once this was all over and try to come to a better understanding about everything, maybe she would even be willing to listen to reason if she also spoke to Cody.

As for the goth in question, she watched as Heather Alejandro and Courtney ran ahead, getting further and further away from her, she then let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Courtney’s attention wasn't on her for a change, she had grown tired of the animosity constantly directed her way

Quite frankly after what happened in Greece she didn't expect to last much longer in the competition, thinking back on it all for a moment, she came to the conclusion that if it weren't for the team swap she would have been long gone.

But now that she had made it to the merge, she knew she had to play harder than ever, no matter what she had to do or who she had to go through, she would make sure that her and Duncan would make the final 2. It was a shame but after her talk with Trent she understood things better than ever before, all of Team Amazon was too far gone, they had fallen into Heather’s trap.

The more she thought about it the more sick it made her, but it was the perfect plan, taking advantage of those around her was second nature to the queen bee, Gwen had only hoped they would've known better by now. But then again, how hard would it have been for Heather really? 

It must've started back in LA, she probably manipulated Cody first, telling him the things he wanted to hear and preying on his perverted nature, it must’ve been so easy for her… thanks to that she then most likely got to Trent with the nerd’s help, after that it was only a matter of time before they got to Lindsay, and how hard could've THAT been? That girl isn't really known for being smart, she probably told her she would give her some lip gloss and that was it… 

And then there was Courtney, with how emotional and depressed she’s been it was also just a matter of time before they got to her too, this was especially evil in Gwen’s eyes, using somebody who was already at their lowest… Perhaps some day once this was all done she could reach out to the CIT and try to patch things up, but right now there was no way she would listen to her…

With all that in mind she picked up her pace and ran with determination, if she was going to make it she had to show what she was made of, and nothing was gonna stand in her way “Yo pasty watch out for that box!” — Gwen jerked her head around to look at Duncan “Huh!”  

*CRASH*

And proceeded to crash head first into a wooden box that was in the middle of her path “Owwww, what the hell man! Who put that there?”  She stood back up in pain and looked inside the box, her irritation disappearing once she looked inside “Gwen! Are you ok?” yelled her boyfriend from his lane with worry in his voice “Yeah… I’m gonna be just fine” 

3:30PM 75 miles away from Dublin 

After 2 hours had passed, the trio of competitors had put some distance between themselves and the rest, but sadly both Heather and Courtney were starting to feel their exhaustion take a toll on them, with both girls slowing down their pace considerably, all while Alejandro still looked as fresh as when the race started

He then took this chance to run backwards while facing both girls, eager to show off and talk to Heather “Gotta say Heather, you outdid yourself, manipulating Sierra into leaving the competition, quite a stroke of genius if i do say so myself, just one question, how did you do it? What did you say to her?”

Heather was doing her best to ignore the smug Spaniard, she was aware it was pointless to get into a war of words with him, instead opting to remain silent, this however did little to stop his verbal attack “Whats the matter, too tired to talk? This little jog is just a warm up for me,  how about you Courtney, are you also already tired? If you keep up that pace i seriously doubt you’ll make it to dublin” 

Courtney was doing her best to ignore him as well, but his boasting was starting to get her to crack, everybody knew she had very little patience for nonsense, and just as she was about to yell at the spaniard she felt Heather’s eyes on her, shooting a look of reassurance that screamed ‘Don't fall into his trap’

Still undeterred however Alejandro continued with his verbal assault

“Heather… mi reina, it’s no use ignoring me, I can see the fire in your eyes as untamed as always, why don't you—” 

*THUD*

Thanks to his little show of running backwards Alejandro found himself crashing against a yellow cab that was parked in his lane, hitting the automobile fast and hard and flipping over the hood “Pero que diablos!” Before he could continue his complaints, Chef Hatchett rolled down the window of the taxi “Good news maggot, you got lucky, hop on!” 

The Spaniard sat up in disbelief “What do you mean I got lucky?” Both Heather and Courtney stopped running and stood by to listen in to what was going on “What’s the meaning of this Chef?” asked the CIT while catching her breath, clearly irritated at whatever was about to go down

“You heard me! you got lucky, I'm supposed to drive you all the way, no obstacles or danger for you, so hop in the cab before I lose my patience” Alejandro couldn't believe it, he had only picked yellow to try and get closer to Heather, but now things seemed to finally go his way for once “OH COME ON!! How is that fair!” screamed the queen bee in utter disbelief, followed by Courtney also arguing against the clear injustice on display “Yeah no kidding, why does he get a car ride all the way!” 

For his part Chef just rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at both girls taking out their frustrations on him “Dont ask me, they just told me to take whoever picked yellow all the way, not my fault you dummies didn’t pick it” and without much else to say he once again rolled up his window as Alejandro stood up and dusted himself off “Well, I guess I’ll see you ladies at the finish line… That is if you manage to get there in time” he then entered the back seat and gave a smug wink in Heather’s direction, and just as quickly the cab took off leaving both girls engulfed in a cloud of car fumes

“Ugh, I cannot stand that guy!!!” Screamed Heather shaking her fist at the now long gone vehicle, all while Courtney was coughing and catching her breath “I have to agree with you, I am sooo gonna sue Chris for this… but no point in us just standing around, let’s keep going queenie!” 

Heather wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back spotting Cody, just a short distance away, “Let’s catch our breath for a moment, if we keep running like this were gonna pass out” as much as Courtney wanted to protest and keep going, she had to admit her legs felt on fire, maybe a small break wouldn’t be so bad… 

Just a couple of minutes later a very sweaty and red in the face Cody made his way next to the two girls, collapsing in his lane as soon as he got close enough to talk to them “I reallyyyyy gotta work on my cardio…. Also, did that taxi really just take Alejandro?”  spoke the nerd while laying on the ground catching his breath

A very irritated Courtney turned towards her ex team mate and vented her frustrations “Yes it did, and I’ll make sure to call my lawyers and let them know when this is all over!” as the CIT continued rambling about injustice and lawsuits, Cody regained some of his composure standing up straight once more, he thought for a moment before interrupting Courtney’s rant “I don't think there's a reason to get your lawyers involved, I mean Chris himself said that every path had its advantages, Alejandro just got lucky, but I’m pretty sure each of us is gonna find something to help us get there faster right? ”

Courtney and Heather then perked up and paid closer attention to what he was saying, with Heather crossing her arms and asking “What makes you so sure?”  Just as she spoke Duncan passed them by while riding a skateboard. “See you chicks at the finish line haha!!”  this further Irritated Courtney but she decided to not let HIM get to her this time

Not far behind the punk, Gwen also rode past them on the violet path, riding an electric scooter, although in the goth’s case she didn't say a word, choosing instead to remain silent and keep going on her way “Wait, how come they get those things and we have to run!”  Just as Courtney started complaining Cody once again spoke up “This challenge is all about luck right? That means that each path has its advantages and disadvantages” 

Both girls looked at the nerd as he explained his theory, now everything making sense to them “I guess running ahead wasn’t the best strategy to start with, it’s a good thing there weren't any traps so far, thanks for looking out for us punchy” Heather complimented Cody, lamenting the fact she couldn’t get closer to him without leaving her path and risk being disqualified, a sentiment they both shared

Feeling a bit like a third wheel Courtney decided to focus on the challenge instead of sticking around for whatever was going on between her ex team mates “I better come across a helicopter or something then! Ugh… I'm gonna keep going, see you guys later, good luck”  the CIT continued on her way this time opting to jog at a more sustainable pace, as for Heather she nodded and started jogging as well “We should keep going as well, so try to keep up punchy, you’re not allowed to lose today, got that!?” 

Feeling a surge of energy course through his body thanks to Heather’s belief in him, Cody picked up his pace and resumed jogging as well, giving the queen bee his trademark goofy smile “yeah! I aint losing today” 

55 miles away from Dublin 7:00PM Dark forest 

Trent found himself in a dark forest, riding a bicycle and following the blue path; early on when the race began his path swerved in a different direction from the rest of the contestants, taking him north west. Thankfully he came across a bike after only 2 miles of running, after that it had been a pretty easy affair to say the least.

But then again he still felt troubled all the same, far away from his friends… far away from Lindsay… he had to admit he was worried for them, even if he knew they were all capable of handling themselves, a part of him was worried, a part of him wasn’t sure he had it in him to have to go against them…

All these worries would have to wait however, thanks to a massive fallen tree that was blocking his path, Trent gave a tired sigh and got off his bike “Great… just what i needed” he thought to himself while analyzing the situation in front of him, there was no way he could get over it with his bike, so he would have to ditch it for now

With a heavy heart the musician parked his bike  and started climbing over the massive tree, unaware of the danger he was about to be in “Ok, this isn’t so bad, i just gotta make sure i dont fall” once the musician reached the top of the massive log a single crow landed beside him and looked at him with curiosity, something which Trent found quite charming “Oh hey… how’s it going little fella?” 

The crow stood in silence for just a moment, moving its head from side to side, almost as if it was sizing up Trent, it then took a leap and landed on his shoulder, only to then suddenly let out an incredible loud screech right in his ear

*SKRAAAAW!!*

This in turn caught the musician by surprise, knocking him off of the log and right onto the edge of the blue path on the other side “Owwww… I'm gonna feel that in the morning”  he said out loud while cursing his own luck “What did i even do to make you angry you stupid bird!” In hindsight, Trent wouldn’t have said this out loud at the crow, as it so happened the bird in question seemed to be abnormally smart, screeching loudly once more it seemed to summon a whole flock to his location, all of them surrounding Trent in a menacing way.

The musician would once more curse his luck and stand up slowly. Normally he would keep his cool and try to find a practical solution to any problems he encountered during the show, but the idea of being swarmed by dozens of crows in the middle of a dark forest in Ireland was causing him to panic, so he did the only thing he could think of… and ran for his life.

As he sprinted away from the birds, they kept dive bombing and pecking him all over, he did his best to cover his face as he ran, but this in turn would prove difficult, as he didn’t want to accidentally step off the blue road and be disqualified

However, thanks to his current predicament, Trent had failed to notice that the path he was currently following was starting to merge with another color, as now the path he was  running for his life on was made out of blue and pink blocks.

In a moment of desperation the musician spotted a long and broken tree branch on the side of the road, so without a moment of hesitation he dived for it, and as soon as it was in his hands he started swinging it at the murderous crows attacking him, luckily he managed to hit a couple of them off the air “HA! I got you! Now back off!!!”  he yelled out defiantly, only to realize he was standing next to a massive tree with even more crows looking down on him

At that moment all he could do was chuckle to himself, to this day he was still amazed at how quickly things could go from ok to bad, and from bad to total shitshow when it came to Total Drama “Welp… I’m screwed anyway… might as well go down fighting”  He thought to himself as he tightened his grip around the branch, ready to swing it and fight those crows to his last breath

Luckily he wouldn’t have to fight alone it seemed, as in the distance a couple of headlights could be seen shining a blinding light in his direction, catching both Trent and the crows by surprise “What the—”  before he could process what that was all about, something that looked like a ball of pop corn flew by his head and hit a couple of crows knocking them away from his vicinity

As the vehicle got closer, he could finally see who it was “Like, Get away from him you stupid birds!!!” It was Lindsay, driving a pink convertible and wielding something that looked like a bazooka, she then proceeded to aim aim the bazooka and shoot once more a greasy ball of popcorn that hit dead center at the flock of birds, making them fly away in fear

The blonde then drove up to the musician and opened the passenger door “Like, come with me if you want to live!!”  without a second of hesitation Trent jumped in the car, prompting Lindsay to step on the gas and drive away from the crows who were too busy either eating the popcorn or too scared to go after the pair

“Lindsay! I-how did you? I mean where did you even?” The adrenaline still pumping through his veins was making it difficult for the musician to gather his thoughts or even form a coherent sentence, which in all honesty Lindsay found adorable “Hehe, I’m also happy to see you silly boy, are you ok? Did the birds hurt you?” said the blonde while giggling

Trent couldn’t really hide the blush forming on his face, not used to losing his calm demeanor, but then again he couldn’t really be upset about it, after all the blonde had just saved him from a gruesome fate, all he could do was laugh with her “hahaha, yeah they got me good…” 

While the blonde drove the pink convertible the two of them caught up on their respective journeys so far, he got to hear what she had gone through so far “So yeah, I was like running on the pink road, and like I came across this cute car, it reminded me of the car my dad bought me for my dolls when i was younger hehe, but anyways, that gun was in the back, so like when i was driving i saw that the path was like also blue and i wanted to see if like you were close by but you were like being attacked and i knew i had to save you” 

Trent couldn’t help but smile while listening to her, with every word she spoke all he could do was think about how amazing she was, how her blue eyes reflected the moon light in such a beautiful and mystifying way, how her smile and optimism filled his heart in a way nobody had before, just being around her made him feel like everything would be fine… all his fears and insecurities vanished when he was with her… and he had to let her know that.

“Thanks for saving me Lindsay… say, do you mind stopping the car for a moment”  she looked at him a bit puzzled, unsure of his reasoning but obliged nonetheless, stopping the car right next to a beautiful clearing of blue and pink primroses “Is everything all right Trent?”  she asked a bit nervously

“Yeah, everything is fine hehe, I just… I got something I wanna say to you”  Trent shuffled in his seat and turned to look at the girl who had stolen his heart “You see, I’ve felt… lost for a long time… ever since Gwen and I broke up, I’ve had this pain in my heart… like this feeling of not being good enough, like I didn’t deserve love…” 

Lindsay’s expression turned sad, how could somebody as sweet and caring as Trent feel this way? She couldn’t help herself and put a hand on his cheek “What do you mean? You’ve always helped everybody and told us how everybody is worthy of being cared for and loved, like I've always held those words near my heart you know… ever since that day Alejandro said those mean things to me, you were there for me, making sure I was ok…” 

Trent put his hand on hers as she caressed his face, tears forming in his eyes as he continued speaking “Yeah… I’ve always said that love is natural and real, that it takes guts to be gentle and kind… but deep down, I felt like I wasn’t worthy of it, I felt like a piece of me was broken, and I was fine with not finding love again…” Trent then looks up at Lindsay’s eyes, those beautiful sapphires made of moonlight, and he keeps on speaking “But then I came back to this show, and all i could think of was how miserable i was going to be… but it wasn’t like that”

Lindsay’s heart was beating out of control, she felt butterflies in her stomach and all she could do was listen to Trent with baited breath, getting lost in his voice and hanging on to every word as he spoke “I got to hang around you and the others… I got to know you better than I ever did before… you made me feel so many things i thought i never would again… before I knew it all I could think about was you…”

Trent then squeezed Lindsay’s hand, as if he was trying to grab a hold of her soul with his own “But… I knew you were going through many things… your relationship with Tyler coming to an end, as well as you wanting to focus on yourself… I felt selfish for even thinking about being with you.” Lindsay felt scared of what she might hear next, afraid of him saying he was giving up on her.

Mustering whatever courage he still had, Trent did his best to finally say out loud all the things he had been carrying deep in his heart this whole time  “I thought it wasn’t meant to be, that I should just forget about you and move on… But I couldn't do that… I had to tell you how I feel… Lindsay, I am hopelessly in love with you, with your smile, with the way you sing, with how you always give it your all every day, with your eyes, with the way you just inspire me to want to be the type of man you deserve… and i just want you to know… I don't care how long it takes, or even if the day never comes, or even  if it’s just as a friend or more than that, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you…” 

Once the musician finished pouring out his heart for her, Lindsay couldn’t hold back her own emotions any longer, she stepped out of the car and into the mixed blue and pink road, and started sobbing into her hands, for his part Trent followed suit and stepped out of the car as well standing a couple of feet away from the blonde, unsure of what to do or what to say.

All he could think to do was lower his head and hold back his own tears “Heh… yeah… I’m sorry Linds I just—"" You don't have anything to apologize for… I should be the one saying sorry” the blonde cut him off before he could say anything more “All this time… you’ve been like so good to me, you listen to me…you never call me dumb… even back in the island you never got mad at me, even when i poisoned you or when I helped Heather sabotage your relationship with Gwen back then… you’ve always been so good to me”  

As she speaks she tries her best to wipe away her tears “I just like, always mess up everything, and all I’ve ever done is cause you trouble, You even hurt your wrist trying to save me… I’ve just been afraid” Trent steps forward slowly closing the gap between them “What are you afraid of Lindsay?” 

The blonde looks into his eyes, just as red and watery as her own “I’m like afraid I’ll hurt you…. all my life people have told me I’m like so dumb and clumsy… and I just want to change, I want people to take me seriously, I want to show the world that there’s more to me… and this whole time I’ve like thought that a sweet guy like you shouldn’t be with such a mess like me…” Trent felt a knot form at the back of his throat, words could not describe how much it hurt to hear her talk about herself in such a way… but he knew she had to let it off of her chest

“So when you like said all those sweet beautiful things to me just now… I just-I just… I just couldn’t take it anymore, Trent… I’m like really really really in love with you too!”  and as if she couldn’t hold herself back any longer, Lindsay closes the gap between them and wraps her arms around Trent, enveloping him in a hug and crying into his chest

The stunned musician felt a surge of emotions deep inside of him come to the surface at that moment, the girl he was in love with was hugging him and she had just told him she was also in love with him, he could hardly believe this was all happening, all he could do was surrender into her embrace and hold her even closer to him…

He then looked down at her and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face up to his own so they could lock eyes “Lindsay…”He whispered softly “Trent?…”  she responded in an equally breathless whisper “We don't have to be afraid anymore… I’m here for you”  the musician leaned in a bit closer to her, and just  before their lips could find each other for the first time, the blonde closed her eyes and whispered one last time “And I’m here for you too…”

With nothing else to be said, their lips met gently, a slow, lingering touch that spoke more than words ever could. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the quiet rhythm of their breathing and the warmth between them, all their fears and insecurities leaving them, with only their new found love inside their hearts.

Author notes

Trent and Lindsay, who would’ve thought, i gotta say i had been waiting to write a love confession for a while now, i can only hope It’s not too cheesy or awkward to read,  but then again, this is the kind of stuff i like in a fanfic hehe

This chapter was a bit challenging to write for me, this challenge format is a bit tricky in terms of making things interesting, but i got a few more ideas, my main priority when writing is making sure i hit the story beats i want to get through in each chapter

Having said that i hope the chapter is to everyone’s liking, next chapter we will catch up with everybody else and see  what trouble they are getting into, i think next chapter is gonna be pretty long

We also got to see Gwen’s mindset and how she came to the conclusion that Heather is manipulating everybody, looks to me like her motivation from here on out will be on taking her and everybody else who associates with the queen bee down

 Chapter 19

Doubts and Worries

Economy cabin 11:20PM

As the jumbo jet flew across the cold Russian sky towards its next destination, Team Amazon was trying to rest up after their defeat, something that proved easier said than done…

Perhaps it was in the nature of the show itself, after all what else would you expect from a show literally named Total Drama, things were bound to happen, relationships would be tested, feelings would be hurt, and it was up to each and everyone of them to deal with things as they came

The challenges they faced at every stop weren't the only way they were being tested, it was all about how they engaged with each other, what friendships were formed, or what enemies were revealed, and in some cases… who fell in love with who.

Courtney found herself in a state of anguish as usual, the only difference this time however was the reason behind her feelings. As much as it burned her up inside to admit it, Alejandro’s words had gotten to her, she was feeling uneasy about her standing in Team Amazon.

While it was true that she had grown fond of her Team, and even formed a friendship with Trent, Heather, Cody and Lindsay, she still felt like a piece that didn't fit in a puzzle

As she rested her head against her seat and tried her best to get some sleep, she couldn't stop herself from thinking “In the end we're all here competing for the same thing… and if they had to choose somebody to eliminate…” her eyes opened once more, scanning the cabin she saw each member of her team 

Lindsay was humming to herself nervously as she looked out the window, her expression changing every couple of seconds, almost as if she was having a conversation with herself, not to be mean but the CIT didn't have much fate in her reasoning capacity, but then again the blonde had shown a great deal of emotional intelligence in the past.

She then spotted Trent who was sitting across the row where Lindsay was, he was scribbling in a note book and every once in a while he would look up at the blonde across from him, a warm smile would appear on his face and his eyes would soften, this in turn would seem to invigorate him to continue on his creative endeavor and his writing would resume.

And finally, at the tail end of the cabin was Cody and Heather, they looked to be in a calmer state than anyone else. Even if her mind was spiraling in self doubt she couldn't help but smile at the pair, not in a million years she would've thought those two could get along so well, but then again, her perspective used to be so skewed

In fact that was the case with everybody else in her team, back then she only chose to see the worst in others, dismissing them as a bunch of weirdos “I mean they’re still pretty weird… but they’re not bad people”  she thought to herself, maybe what she needed was reassurance from those around her… 

Her thoughts then drifted to Bridgette, her long gone surfer friend had spoken to her in detail about Alejandro’s manipulation, she knew very well he could not be trusted, no matter how much sense he made. Every word he spoke was just a way to manipulate those around him… it was just a matter of if she chose to listen to him or not.

While Courtney wrestled with her inner turmoil on what to do next, Cody and Heather were having one of their nightly talks, both of them were physically and emotionally exhausted, but nevertheless they were happy to be in each other’s company to end the day, specially after the interesting conversations they had with their fellow team mates earlier

Heather was sitting comfortably with a blanket wrapped around her body as she listened to Cody’s story of how the challenge had gone after their team separated. “So you and Lindsay tricked her because of the sound of your shoes? That’s insane, im so glad she’s gone”  the nerd nervously scratched the back of his head, realizing how silly it all sounded when he said it out loud

“Im glad its over… hopefully she gets the help she needs, I mean she’s not a bad person, just very unstable… but at least now i don't have to worry about her doing anything to me anymore”  Cody then rested his head against the window of the aircraft, looking out into pure darkness and snow hitting against the glass, a part of him feeling guilty for how far things had gone with Sierra to begin with, perhaps if he had been more assertive and sure of himself since the beginning her obsession wouldn't have gotten out of hand…

Heather let out a sympathetic smile, she couldn't help but admire his empathy even towards somebody who had harmed him so much so many times. In the past she might have thought of it as a weakness, but after all this time she started to see his point of view clearer "you're too nice for your own good punchy…” the nerd looked towards his Queen and returned her smile, noticing how she was still wearing his scarf

Suddenly as if a switch had been flicked in his brain, he recalled Lindsay’s words earlier “Get out of your own head! You're a great person and you deserve great things in your life!” As the blonde’s words echoed, a surge of courage came over him, after all if he had learned anything from Heather thus far, it was that if he wanted something he had to reach out and take it!

“Um… hey are you still cold?” the nerd awkwardly let out… nobody said he was good at this….

Heather was caught by surprise by the question, herself noticing she was still wearing the red scarf he had wrapped around her earlier in the night. A gesture that the queen bee thought was really sweet, but now with his awkward demeanor could it be he was about to ask for it back? “Oh… um just a little bit, but i’ll be ok, do you want your scarf back?” Cody almost had a heart attack at the question, not in a million years would he take that scarf from her, as far as he was concerned he would sooner freeze to death than let his Queen feel an uncomfortable breeze

“NO!... uh i mean, its ok hehe, you can keep it for as long as you need it, i was just wondering how you were, i know how much you hate the cold”  as he stumbled with his words, the queen bee felt a sense of comfort in him, just the feeling of somebody genuinely caring for her well being in this competition was truly touching to her… but in the back of her mind there was something eating at her

The more she thought about it, the more stressed and worried she got. Now that she had him in her life, the idea of losing him was terrifying, even after Trent spelled out how the nerd felt about her, and reassured her about it, she still felt a sense of despair, as if their bond wasn’t meant to last… after all, somebody as messed up and evil as her didn't deserve him…

While all these doubts and fears were clouding her mind, Cody noticed a shift in her demeanor, seeing her usually vibrant and fiery eyes were now full of worry and doubt he acted fast reaching out and holding her hand “Hey… are you ok?” The queen bee looked up at him a bit taken aback, still not used to the care and affection “I-I'm fine, just tired…” still not convinced Cody squeezed her hand and moved closer “look you don't have to tell me what’s going on up there in your mind, but believe me i get it, i also got things inside me driving me insane, but if you ever need anything I promise you I’ll always be here” 

Perhaps the nerd still had many doubts and fears about so many things, but when it came to his love and care for Heather, he would never falter, she gave him the courage to try his best, to fight harder, to not give up, and if he could give her even a fraction of that strength, he would move heaven and earth to do so.

Heather still couldn’t explain it, none of it made sense, but when he held her hand the world slowed down for just a moment, there was no need to worry or be scared… perhaps in the future things would go wrong, perhaps she would be left alone and with nothing to show for it, but for now she had somebody who cared for her by her side, and that was enough.

She moved closer to the nerd and hugged him “I think im gonna go to sleep punchy”  she broke the embrace and turned to walk away to her section of the cabin, only to be held back by him “Um… if you want you can sleep next to me, perhaps it won't be as cold if we’re next to each other”  as he gave his idea his face turned a new undiscovered shade of red, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the queen bee as she let out a chuckle “hmmm feeling pretty bold tonight huh?... I’ll go get my little bee” 

The brunette quickly retrieved her plush bee and sat beside her alliance member once more, feeling a sense of calmness and relief slowly dissipating any other fears she was previously wrestling with… she had to admit, lowering her guard wasn’t so bad, especially when Cody made it so easy for her. 

As for the nerd, he was relieved to see the light return to his queen’s eyes, doing his best to keep the conversation on the lighter side of things, both of them sharing anecdotes and making each other laugh. Eventually as the night died down, they both drifted asleep wrapped under the same blanket, even if things were still uncertain, they still had this moment to share with each other, and perhaps that was enough for now.

First Class Cabin 11:00AM

The night had come and gone and Gwen was sitting by herself at the bar, feeling worried and unsure about her future, something that was sadly nothing new for the goth. Ever since she got with Duncan it seemed as if she couldn’t truly relax and have a moment of tranquility, it felt as if she had a target painted on her back at all times

Not only did she have to worry about Courtney hating her, there was also her guilt about the whole situation with Trent, as well as Alejandro’s schemes and alliances threatening her stay on the show, and now Duncan was upset with her!

Thanks to her ex revealing their talk in the recording studio that night, the punk refused to talk to her until he had calmed down, not directing a word at her since their challenge in Russia ended, needless to say the goth was worried the only person on her side was about to turn on her as well…

“When did things get so complicated? back in season 1 I made so many friends, what the hell happened?”  she thought to herself as she toyed around with her breakfast absent mindedly, was she just destined to be hated and disliked by everybody now? How could anybody accept that!?

While she tried her best not to fall into despair and uncertainty, she was approached by a newly awakened Duncan who sat beside her at the bar “Morning pasty… you sleep ok?”  the moody goth was taken by surprise, not having paid attention to her surroundings, yet still very welcoming to her boyfriend “Duncan!... Good morning, and uh... You know me i always have a hard time sleeping, but that doesn't really matter, i just want to talk to you about last night, it’s not what you think”

The punk remained with an unchanged expression, he simply grabbed some cereal and poured it into a bowl "Don't worry about it, I know you and Elvis didn't do anything”  as he began to eat his cereal in such a nonchalant manner, Gwen couldn’t help but feel confused at his demeanor and words “Wait really? Then what the hell! Why didn’t you say anything last night! I thought you hated me!”

As the goth yelled exasperated, Duncan started to feel a bit annoyed at her outburst, being reminded of a certain brown haired bossy girl he knew “Ugh, keep it down, it’s too early to be screaming, and yeah I didn’t talk to you last night cause I was pissed off and didn’t wanna say anything i would regret” —Gwen paused her outburst and looked a bit taken aback, unable to understand what his deal was

After taking in another spoonful of cereal the punk continued “Look, I know Elvis ain't the type to be going after another guy’s girl, and I’m pretty sure you weren’t about to cheat on me anyway, I was just pissed that you were hiding stuff from me” as he finished up his bowl he turned towards his girlfriend anticipating what her responsive would be 

It was then that Gwen felt a sense of guilt about the whole situation that wasn’t there before. Just why was she even hiding the meeting with Trent from Duncan? Did she not trust that her boyfriend would understand? Or did she still have unresolved feelings for her ex? Just what was going on in her mind!? “I’m sorry… I just— I didn’t know how you would react, and it’s not like we planned it or anything, he snuck into the recording studio the night after the brazil challenge and started playing his guitar while I was in there… but nothing happened I swear!”

The delinquent could tell his girlfriend was full of guilt, and he really didn’t like seeing her like that… so in his own way he tried to make her feel better “Dont sweat it pasty, i believe you, just dont do it again allright?” offering her a rare smile and grabbing her close to him, the two share a kiss and look into each other’s eyes for a brief romantic moment… only to be interrupted by the arrival of a certain scheming Spaniard, who by the looks of it was in no mood for their romance

“Gwen… Duncan… Good morning…” He sat beside the couple at the bar as he leaned his back against it “ I just spoke with Chris… apparently Sierra decided to leave the competition last night…—” Both Gwen and Duncan were shocked by the news, looking at one another in disbelief, the punk then spoke first “What the— so you’re telling me we won last night and STILL lost a team member!?”

 Alejandro then continued “Not only that my mohawked friend, she left in place of a member of Team Amazon…” this further added insult to injury, being at such a disadvantage was going to prove very difficult to deal with for the three of them, however it was Gwen who surprised both men with what she said next, the goth let her bangs cover her eyes and in a very serious voice she spoke up “I didn't want to believe it but this time she— no; they went too far…”

Duncan gave a puzzled look and asked “What do you mean they went too far? You mean the chicks team had something to do with it?”  the goth then proceeded to get up from her spot at the bar and walked in front of her team to explain herself “I don't know about the whole team, but this has Heather written all over it”

A very skeptical Alejandro raised an eyebrow, unsure of where the goth was getting her logic from “Messing with a rival team does sound like her… but why would she target Sierra? I barely saw the two of them interact to begin with, if anything she probably would’ve gone after me or you” as if she was anticipating Alejandro’s point Gwen continued to explain herself “I don’t know if the two of you have noticed, but ever since LA, a certain somebody by the name of Cody has been stuck to her side at all times, I’m willing to bet she has been manipulating him this whole time to get her way! And by getting rid of Sierra she most likely got his loyalty bought for the rest of the competition”

Truth be told, ever since Gwen left her old team, she really hadn’t paid them much mind, apart from Courtney and Trent she didn’t care much for the rest of them, after all from her point of view, Lindsay was an airhead, Heather was an evil bitch that made her life a living hell, and Cody was a love struck idiot that couldn’t take a hint. But now things were getting more and more dangerous, she couldn't afford to ignore them any longer

It was Duncan’s turn to chime in, having heard his girlfriend’s theory he added onto it “You know, now that you mention it, didn’t Cody almost die trying to save Heather back in Italy? If what you’re saying is true then she definitely has him wrapped around her finger, I mean the kid was willing to die for her, maybe she has him voting with her as well” this part made Alejandro nod in agreement, it was as if a picture was getting clearer and clearer in his head

“Cody might not be the only one getting manipulated by her, back in Russia Courtney was talking about how good friends they all had become, it’s not crazy to think that she might have that whole team under her thumb by now…” The Spaniard was very amused at this turn of events, as he was also very much impressed by the queen bee’s cunning actions, it made him want her even more…

Having figured out Heather’s alleged evil deeds the trio then began to discuss ways to outsmart her, trying to find a weak link in their team to try and exploit it, or else all three of them would be eliminated sooner rather than later.

Gwen turned towards her boyfriend, looking into his eyes she approached him once more and with full determination she asked “Duncan… Let me talk to Trent, he’s the most reasonable person on that team, I think I can convince him to not trust in Heather and Cody’s manipulation." The delinquent kept silent for a moment, thinking over the goth’s request. He had been thinking about ways to get back at the rival team but coming up short, so perhaps trusting in his girlfriend would yield results 

“Cant say I’m thrilled about it, but go ahead pasty, perhaps Elvis will listen to you”  Gwen gave a grateful smile to her boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek "You're the best, I know I can convince him to see things as they are! I’m gonna go get ready to go down and look for him, you can count on me”  she then walked back into her room leaving the pair of boys sitting at the bar

“You’re quite the trusting partner, do you really think it’ll work?” asked the still stoic Alejandro, seemingly coming up with his own plans, Duncan then turned to him with his usual smug grin “Yeah i trust her, she aint the scheming type like you or me, I might as well let her do whatever she feels will work, best case scenario Elvis listens to her and makes things weird for the chicks team”

Common Area 12:20PM

Team Amazon had woken up in high spirits, even if they had lost the challenge, it was a miracle that none of them was sent home, something that was pretty rare in the history of the show, and so they were all trying their best to rest up and not let their defeat get their morale down

Cody had decided to follow Trent into the common room to see how he was doing, having noticed him writing stuff down on his notebook all night, which wasn’t so uncommon to the nerd, but this time his friend almost seemed possessed by what he was scribbling down “Hey man, you good? I noticed you haven’t put down your book all night” having not noticed his good buddy Cody at first, the musician looked up from his notes and smiled pleasantly at his friend “Oh hey dude, yeah I’m good, I just… I know what i want, I know how i feel, and i want to make it known”

The nerd raised an eyebrow curiously at his friend, a part of him knowing what this was all about, but still wanting to confirm it himself “Ooooooh i see, and you're writing down what you feel into a song am I right?”  Trent put down his pencil and chuckled, Cody really knew him after all this time… “Yeah… and it’s thanks to Heather that I found the courage to go for it, I guess you could say she made things clearer for me”

Cody smiled back at his good friend, not only was he happy to see him in better spirits than ever before, but he was also happy to see that his Queen bee was being accepted by the rest of the team in earnest, it felt good after knowing all the struggles she had in the past with making friends “I’m really glad dude… and I have a feeling a certain blondie will be thrilled to hear your song once it’s finished” 

While Trent and Cody confided in one another about his imminent confession and the song he was writing, a certain Goth had made her way down into the common room, walking towards where the two friends were sitting. She seemed a bit uncomfortable and worried, as if she desperately needed to talk “Um… Hi boys, long time no speak huh?” 

The two young men directed their eyes towards Gwen, she had obviously caught them by surprise, since neither of them were particularly close to her these days “Gwen? What are you doing down here? ” Trent was the first to break the awkward silence, with Cody unsure if he should even stick around “I’m fine, I just came down looking for you, I think we should talk”

Trent felt at a loss for words, he wasn’t exactly avoiding his ex, but the timing couldn’t have been worse, and the last thing he needed was the girl he liked to think he was hanging around his ex girlfriend right before he confessed his feelings for her; he looked across the table at his friend, unsure of what to say to the goth, luckily Cody was there to offer back up “Uhm, Is everything ok in first class? Do you need help with something?”

Gwen let out an annoyed sigh and let her head hang low, she turned her attention to Cody and looked at him with an awkward smile and eyes full of pity “No offense Cody, but I only need to talk to Trent right now, you understand right?” the musician could sense the condescending tone she was addressing his best friend with, and it really didn’t sit well with him… “As a matter of fact me and Cody are quite busy, so we really can't talk to you right now—” he stood up from his chair and began to walk back to economy class “Let’s go dude, the girls are waiting for us” 

While Trent made his way back, Cody followed behind and caught up with him, feeling a bit uneasy at the tension between the two ex lovers, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the goth, even if his past crush on her was over, he wasn’t heartless enough to abandon her to whatever fate she was facing at the moment, so before Trent could reach the exit he pulled him aside “Trent, buddy, i appreciate you standing up for me, but it’s no big deal, why don't you go talk to her and see what she wants, maybe she’s in trouble and needs somebody to talk to”

The musician looked back at the goth and then back at his friend, the unsure feeling inside him was still there, but he had to agree with Cody, leaving somebody to their fate wasn’t his style, he let out a defeated sigh and gave his friend a confident smirk “Ok, I’ll see what she wants” he then walked back to the goth and gestured for her to sit at the table previously occupied by him

Cody for his part sat on the other side of the room, a bit disappointed but not surprised at the goth’s disregard for him, after all he had grown accustomed to this sort of treatment coming from her… he just hoped she would view him in a different light after all this time, but then again he couldn’t care too much about it, not while his heart belonged to his Queen… if only he could find the way to confess to her under the right circumstances…

While Cody was wrapping his brain around his love life dilemmas, Gwen sat with Trent in a corner of the common room, her demeanor turning a bit more relaxed now that she had the privacy she desired, she then broke the ice by speaking first “You writing a new song?” she had noticed his notebook earlier, bringing back memories of a far gone time when he had shown her his work

“Hmm? Uh yeah, I've just had a lot on my mind these days, and well… you know me” the goth smiled, a bit happy to hear certain things about her ex hadn’t changed, she always admired his passion for song writing and how in touch he was with his feelings “Haha yeah, you used to spend hours at the dock writing stuff…”

Trent closed his eyes and let out a soft smile, remembering those old days back in camp, when things were so much different than they were today, it made him feel a bit nostalgic… “Yeah… sometimes I miss it… but anyways, I doubt you’re here to talk about the past Gwen, after all it’s not a topic I particularly enjoy talking about with you…” Gwen’s smile faded slowly, maybe it was too late to have any sort of closeness to the raven haired musician, it was a bit sad to know somebody who at one point was so important to her no longer wanted anything to do with her… but she still had to do what she had to do.

“Right… I guess there's no point in us talking about that stuff, so I’ll just cut to the chase… Heather is using Cody to manipulate your whole team into trusting her so that she can then lull you into a false sense of security and pick you off one by one”  once she finished telling him her theory, the goth looked straight into his eyes with a serious expression, hoping things would click in his head to make him see the truth

As for Trent he stood there sitting in silence, almost unsure of what to even say, only one thing came to mind. “Gwen… you don't know what you’re talking about, I gotta go now” he stood up from his chair and was ready to leave, only to be stopped once more “Wait! Please listen to me! It all makes sense, I mean why else would she be acting so nice to everybody? I would tell Cody about all of this but you know how he is, she’s got him wrapped around her finger playing on his poor naive feelings” 

At first he was willing to disregard the goth’s accusations, sure from an outsiders perspective it might seem pretty weird how close Team Amazon had gotten, and sure Heather’s kindness and friendship seemed extraordinarily out of character, but hearing her demean his best friend so callously really didn't sit well with him at all “Look, I know things might seem crazy to you, but I can assure you, nobody is being manipulated, Heather can be a bit rough around the edges but she’s not that bad, as for Cody… that's my best friend you’re talking about and i dont appreciate you thinking so lowly of him”

Gwen was taken aback by his hostile tone, she never knew him to be so volatile in the past, and since when was he best friends with Cody? “Trent, just think about it for a moment, since when has Heather cared about anyone else but herself? She’s obviously using Cody to get her way, I know a part of you believes what I'm telling you” Once again Trent felt compelled to stand up for his friend, growing increasingly irritated by the goth’s accusations

“Well let me ask you something, since you seem to think Heather is pure evil and you’re trying to save me from her manipulations, when was the last time YOU cared about anyone else but yourself?” The musician crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, a stern expression on his face, as for Gwen she felt a sharp pain in her soul upon hearing his words… how could he even say such a thing…

“Are you saying I’m just like Heather? In what world”— before she could elaborate Trent cut her off “What I’m saying is that you're still stuck in the past when it comes to how you perceive the world around you, constantly thinking of yourself as the victim, when in reality this whole time you've been too self absorbed  to understand the wrongs you’ve done”

Once again Gwen felt at a loss for words, unable to truly grasp what her ex was telling her, he then continued “I mean, you went behind Courtney’s back and kissed her boyfriend, you treat Cody as if he’s nothing but nuisance to your life, when this whole time all he’s wanted was for you to care about him if even for a second, and as for me… well you expect me to just be ok with all the shitty things you’ve done and be cool with you dating the guy you told me not to worry about…”

Gwen was at the brink of tears, how could he even say those things, as if she didn't struggle with the guilt of her actions every damn day she spent in the competition, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing his words get to her, perhaps it was true… he was too far gone “You dont know what ive been through… Good luck with your friends… Hopefully it doesn't hurt you too much when you get backstabbed… goodbye Trent” the goth then stood up and left the common room, leaving a very angry Trent behind, whatever bond they once shared seemingly broken beyond repair…

Seeing how Gwen left in a hurry and in a distraught manner, Cody walked up to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder “everything all right?” He asked offering a comforting smile

The musician looked up at his good friend and band mate, more sure than ever about the bond they shared and smiled back “Yeah… everything is fine punchy” the nerd let out a chuckle as he punched his friend softly on the arm “Dont let Heather hear you calling me that” as he retaliated with his own soft punches back at his friend he also laughed… after all this time he could still rely on him to get him to cheer up

Economy cabin 1:00PM

While the boys were dealing with all the drama Gwen had brought their way, the girls were all sitting together at the tail end of the cabin which Heather had claimed the previous night. They were currently painting their nails and enjoying each other's company trying their best to keep their spirits up after the previous Night’s loss

“Seriously Courtney, have you ever tried painting your nails any other color than clear?” Asked Heather slightly irritated with the CIT’s choice “And have my nails all chipped and gross? No thank you, how about you try making yours look more like mine instead of that bright red you’re using, it really doesn't suit you” Countered Courtney with her signature bossy tone

The queen bee simply gave a disinterested grunt and blew on her now complete left hand “I’m just trying out a new color, nothing wrong with that am i right Lindsay?” The blonde then looked up from her own nails with a mischievous smile and answered “you’re not trying it out because of that, you just wanted your nails to match with the scarf Cody gave you right~~~?”

This remark made Heather’s face drop and her eyes to shoot open, as well as make Courtney burst out laughing “hahahaha! She got you there huh queenie?” Sadly Heather couldn’t do much to hide her blush from both girls, these days it seemed as if she was at the mercy of their teasing… although oddly enough she really didn't mind it too much, as she knew it was all in good fun

“Whatever! I just like looking good, god knows somebody has to around here!” As she continued to aggressively paint her nails on her right hand, it was Courtney’s turn to poke fun at her “I know right! You both sure looked good sharing a blanket last night” Once again the queen bee was caught off guard by the jokes at her expense, lowering her head in frustration at the lack of privacy present in the economy cabin

So while the two other girls present were giggling at her flustered reactions, Heather started to really think about everything going on in her heart. While it was true that she shared a strong bond with Cody, it was still very confusing for her, unsure of how to approach things, or if she even should, never before did she even have the desire to think of anything else apart from the money prize, anything else was a waste of time and a distraction, and she could NOT afford to lose this time around

But yet… Cody came into her life and started to help her unconditionally, showing her there was another way to do things, that she didn’t have to be hated by all, that she could do things the right way… so what was she so worried about?

It was a question she couldn’t find the answer to by herself, so she decided to ask her friends about it “sooooo… the two of you have dated people during the competition right?”  both Lindsay and Courtney put a stop to their manicures and looked at her with different expression, in Courtney’s case she narrowed her eyes and frowned “Ughhhh yeah… thanks for reminding me i dated that criminal” 

As for Lindsay she gave a puzzled look as she blew on her hand “Ummm i guess so, we really only made out a lot until he got voted off by his team, why are you asking?”

The queen bee took in a deep breath and exhaled, not used to showing such vulnerability or any sort of insight to her thoughts, but she had gone this far already, might as well trust them with her troubles just this time “I guess I’m just curious about it, I mean how did you feel during the relationship? Weren't you worried about the competition getting in between you? How were you sure you could trust them?” 

Courtney looked at Heather with tender eyes, very much aware of the magnitude of the question she was asking, she had to admit she was flattered by her newfound friend’s trust in her, but this in turn made her a bit sad, having to reminisce about her relationship with Duncan once more “To be honest Heather, that punk brought out the worst in me, we constantly argued and he just knew how to annoy me like nobody else… but also, there was this kind of spark between us that was so addictive, i guess thats why i was so quick to rush into a relationship with him… It made me want to keep working on it, i thought he had so much potential and i wanted to see him realize it, i just… went about it the wrong way, and in the end well… you know what happened”

As the CIT ended her story both girls put a reassuring hand on both her shoulders, it was hard to remember sometimes, but Courtney was just as human as everyone else, and her emotional wounds were still fresh in her heart… on a lighter note Lindsay took a shot at answering Heather’s question “I mean like, Tyler was a good boy most of the time… I never thought he would like do anything to hurt me but like he also was more interested in making out than anything else, so like we kind of like drifted apart… I also forgot about him and stuff hehe, but like in the end we never got to be a normal couple, we never got to know one another that well…”

Just as Courtney had answered with honesty, so did Lindsay, who now felt a sort of melancholy, in all truth neither girl had a chance to be truly happy with their past relationships, a fact that was very much apparent to both of them now, as for Heather, their responses did little to calm her fears, were all relationships that formed in this show destined to fail?

But as if a strike of lightning had hit her, Lindsay stood up and did her best to reassure her friend about things “Heather! Maybe me and Courtney did things like the wrong way, we didn’t really get to know the people we started dating, but like I don't think you’d make the same mistake, I know you’re smarter than both of us— “HEY! I’M SMART—"" Sorry Courtney, but you know what I’m talking about, If a guy shows you how much he cares about you and is willing to give you everything he’s got… you shouldn’t be afraid… In fact you should tell him how you feel and be together RIGHT!?” 

As Lindsay finished her impassioned speech, the queen bee turned towards Courtney “She’s not talking about me anymore is she?—” “No I don't think she is” answered the CIT as quickly as the question was asked, Heather then decided to sit up straight and with one of her devious smiles she decided to question her blonde friend “Are you perhaps coming to terms with your own feelings for someone?” 

Before the flustered blonde could respond to the line of questioning, a loud and gruff voice came through the speakers “PREPARE FOR A QUICK LANDING MAGGOTS, WE’VE ARRIVED!!” The trio of girls then panicked as the plane went into a nose dive, causing them to scream for their lives “I DONT WANNA DIE!!!!!” “HOLD ON TO MY HAND LINDSAY!!!!” “I HATE THIS SHOW!!!!!” 

And just as quick as the turbulence occurred, it came to a stop… the plane made a smooth landing and the three girls were now on the floor of the aircraft catching their breaths, Courtney sat up and made sure nothing was broken before she chimed in “I think I’m gonna have long lasting trauma from this show…” Heather and Lindsay could only groan in agreement…

Wexford Ireland 1:30PM

Both teams exited the jumbo jet in various states of annoyance towards the host and his insane tortures he kept subjecting them to, however their bad moods would not last as they looked around the beautiful and soothing Irish countryside

Chris then walked in front of both teams, ready to introduce the day’s challenge “Welcome to Ireland everybody! Take it all in, you don't get to see such  beautiful and lusciously green landscapes every day hehe”  as he spoke the rest of the contestants couldn’t help but notice the giant stage right behind him, it was obvious he was hiding something, and that was never a good sign

“Today we have a very special challenge, however before we get to that, I first have to make a very important announcement”  yep, that was never good news, everybody was bracing themselves and looking around them, however a very annoyed Duncan spoke up “What is it now? More people returning to the show? Stop the theatrics and just get out with it Mclean!”

A very annoyed Chris narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers, summoning Chef to Duncan’s side and hitting him with a wet towel “Ow what the hell man!?” — “ I don't appreciate being interrupted Duncan, ahem as I was saying, today’s challenge comes with a very special announcement… from now on Team Amazon and Team Chris is Very Very Very Very Hooooooooooot!!!!!..... Are disbanded….. welcome to the merge everybody”

This news was met with various cheers, which then turned to silence… from now on it was everybody for themselves… Cody felt a sense of pride, he had officially made it to the merge, something he wasn’t even close to doing last time he competed, but now that he was here, he wouldn't stop giving it his all, he looked towards Heather, who also looked at him with a mixture of pride and worry

The queen bee was happy she made it this far, but from now on things would take a very different turn, she knew it was inevitable, after all, there can only be one winner… she just hoped the new bonds she had created wouldn’t suffer because of the competition… Especially when it came to Cody and her, not after all they had been through so far, she still had so much more to figure out…

On the other hand Trent was deep in thought, after the emotional talk he had with Gwen, he realized where things stood with the goth better than ever before, she was going to be a problem from here on out, and he would do all he could to keep his friends safe from whatever came their way… specially when it came to Lindsay, he looked towards the blonde as she was hugging Courtney and Heather, a smile appearing on his face, now more sure than ever of his feelings for her, he wouldn’t waste another moment, he had to tell her.

Speaking of said blonde, she was a bit emotional about Team Amazon being over, having grown to really like each and every team mate she had, the only way it could’ve been better was if Beth was also with them… she hugged both Courtney and Heather close to her bosom, hoping the three of them could stay friends

However the biggest source of anguish for the blonde was the fact that she would no longer share a team with Trent, and just as she had made up her mind about him, but then again nothing was stopping her from just going up to him and confessing how she felt about him, she wouldn’t waste another moment without him, having gotten to know him better this time around made her return worth it, and she had to let him know that

While Lindsay was hugging her, Courtney was having a mild crisis, of course she was happy she had made the merge, the million dollars was almost in her grasp, and her usual competitive spirit was flaring up, nothing could stop her from achieving victory! She had survived the most brutal break up and betrayal in Total Drama history and come out the other side stronger than ever!

But then she thought to herself… could she really be as ruthless and competitive towards the people who offered her friendship and comfort in her time of need? Could she really be ok with giving it her all against her former team?

Chris was enjoying the mixed reactions, he was counting on the drama increasing to levels never seen before!

The host then gave his signature devilish smile and chuckle “Hehe that’s right people,  we're in the endgame now!” the challenge ahead of them would test them in ways they never had before… if only they knew what lay ahead of them for the next 24 hours

Author notes

Welp that was a very dialogue heavy chapter, whenever i finish a challenge chapter i like to devote the one after it towards character development and exploring their relationships

Speaking of which, that sure was a heavy and difficult talk Gwen and Trent had, their resentments came to the surface and now whatever bond they used to share is completely gone, let’s just hope things dont turn for the worst because of it

Seeing Gwen’s point of view of the events so far was sure something huh? It’s almost like she thinks she’s the hero of the story and has to make sure Heather doesn’t get away with all the bad things she’s been up to, perhaps the goth will do anything it takes to get rid of her… and being around Alejandro and Duncan as much as she has could make her do things she never would’ve before.

Next chapter we will start the Ireland challenge, this one is gonna be very action packed and full of unexpected turns, hopefully Trent and Lindsay get to confess and make things clear between them, as for Heather and Cody, the two of them seem to be struggling with similar feelings, how do you approach a relationship when there’s so many things at stake? Its a question they will both have to work hard to answer… but i have faith in them

Thank you very much for reading, it’s always a pleasure for me to keep writing and building the story chapter by chapter, believe me, we’re far from the end, but in time this will be made more and more apparent, but for now i want you all to let me know what you think of the chapter in the comments

Chapter 18

Jealousy and Cold

Warehouse 1 hour and 30 minutes remaining

It was a cold lonely night in Moscow, thanks to the Total Drama production team the streets were barren, as to not interfere with the challenge that was currently taking place. It seemed insane to try and think about the logistics of pulling such a thing off, however thanks to the ratings and merchandise sales, the show was profitable beyond belief, so something as crazy as closing off entire sections of a major city was pretty easy.

These kind of things often didn't factor into the thoughts of the contestants while competing, In fact the only thing in Courtney’s mind was trying to figure out how to escape her current predicament and join her friends, maybe she could steal one of their gps trackers and find her way to Red Square that way! She still had a lock pick hidden up her sleeve, all she needed was for the enemy team to get distracted long enough for her to make her way to freedom..

“Gotta hand it to them, they took us by surprise” Duncan was in the middle of rubbing his eyes and helping untangle Gwen from the net, even if he was frustrated with their escape he couldn't help but admire a good scheme when he came across it “Whatever, just get this thing off of me, I'm starting to feel claustrophobic being tangled in this thing!”  Countered the Goth with frustrations of her own

“We have no time to waste my friends, we are NOT losing this challenge, so if you all wouldn’t mind indulging me i have a plan” the smooth talking Alejandro was also rubbing his eyes and trying to remain composed, too long had he suffered humiliations during the competition, and his tolerance was wearing ever so thin “Duncan and Gwen, both of you chase down the two who went through the streets. Sierra, since you are the best at tracking, you can go through the underground tunnel maze and find whoever went through there, I will escort Courtney and make sure she doesn't escape”

The punk had managed to free his girlfriend from the net and seemed a bit annoyed at taking orders from the Spaniard, but he wasn't really in a mood to debate any further, he merely shrugged and agreed with his plan “Whatever, come on pasty lets get a move on”  the couple was about to start walking towards the exit but were abruptly stopped “HOLD ON!” it was Sierra breaking her silence once more "I'm going through the streets… you two go through the tunnels…”

Gwen and Duncan were taken aback by the stalker’s brash outburst “Um, id rather not be underground Sierra, and you heard Alejandro, you're the best at tracking, so what gives?” asked the goth bluntly, only to be met with a still emotionless Sierra refusing to acknowledge her, instead she walked past both her team mates towards the exit, Duncan for his part did not appreciate the blatant disrespect to his girl, so he called out to her “Hey, crazy chick! Drop the serious act and answer Gwen, its the least you could do for one of your team mates”

Sierra stopped dead in her tracks, anger clearly boiling up inside of her. Still she did her best to suppress any urge to retaliate or show emotion, instead she looked back at her team and responded in a calm and icy tone “...Cody went this way… Im going after him”

Without another word the broken hearted stalker walked out into the cold night in pursuit of her obsession, leaving the rest of Team Chris is Really Hot both stressed out and confused with her behaviour “Ugh i cant stand her anymore, who does she think she is talking to you like that!?”  said Duncan almost tempted to run after her, thankfully Gwen was there to try and calm him down, she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at her boyfriend “Its ok, i still appreciate you standing up for me, lets just go into the tunnels, i wont be so scared if im with you”

The punk seemed to calm down thanks to his girlfriend and decided to follow her advice “Allright pasty let’s go capture those Amazon chicks, you gonna be ok alone with miss loud mouth over there Al?”  as Alejandro helped Courtney up to her feet she couldn’t help but feel hurt over her former lover's harsh words “Oh shut up Duncan as if you will ever be able to catch any of my friends, i bet they already made it to Red Square and are standing around making fun of your stupid mohawk” 

The former lovers glared at each other for a moment before Alejandro interjected “Now now, no need to start a war of words, we all have a task to take care of and were nearly out of time, we will meet up at the square, godspeed my friends” so as to not continue the fighting and keep everything on track he grabbed Courtney by the arm and escorted her out of the warehouse and into the streets, all while Duncan and Gwen leapt into the tunnels.

As Alejandro and Courtney walked through the empty streets of Moscow they both kept to themselves, the CIT was silently using a lock pick on her handcuffs while the Spaniard only looked ahead and held her by the arm, it was only after a couple of blocks that the silent was broken by him “You’re making a huge mistake you know…”

Courtney felt a pit in her stomach when she heard him speak, of course he would catch on to her escape attempt, he was a clever bastard afterall, but for a moment she decided to be coy about the whole situation “what do you mean? Im not doing anything”

Alejandro merely rolled his eyes as he kept his pace walking the snowy streets “yeah you’re captured, but what i meant was, you're making a mistake by calling them your friends”  Courtney was confused with his words, but she didn't lower her guard, she was well aware of his tricks and schemes “Its none of your business who i call friend or not, and regardless of what you say or do you wont get in my head”

The Spaniard let go of her arm and turned her around, he looked in her eyes and spoke with a smirk in his face “I know it’s not my business, and quite frankly i dont care, im just pointing out the obvious”  The CIT shot back a look of defiance to her captor, she felt disgusted by him and how he had manipulated those around him and thrown them aside “What would you know about friends anyway, all you care about is using people and getting what you want, so please enlighten me on what’s so obvious” 

While the pale moonlight illuminated half of his face and the shadows overtook the other half he spoke “Im not here to make friends my dear Courtney, and neither should you, after all the most obvious thing to all of us is what will happen once you lose today’s challenge”  the whistling of the wind was heard as he continued “Once you're in the elimination ceremony all of your so called ‘friends’ will vote for you to leave without a second thought of remorse” 

Courtney stared back at Alejandro, her eyes betraying the fear his words caused her “What do you mean? Why would they target me? We all get along just fine, me and Heather just became good friends, and-and me and Trent are good friends too!”  the Spaniard held back a chuckle, his manipulation was working like clock work “Oh really? You and Heather are good friends? Well forget it then, i mean why would a friend of yours ever betray your trust? I've never seen that happen to you ever… except for when Gwen did it…”

His words managed to stab at her insecurities, and as she tried to think otherwise and not fall into despair he continued “And as for the musician… let me ask you this, who do you think he would want to keep around, the girl he has a crush on, or the bossy loud and annoying girl in his team?” Courtney’s eyes widened and she took a step back… she didn't think about it that way until now, she had failed to realize how truly alone she was…“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” she yelled back

Alejandro once more grabbed her by the arm and kept walking the streets with her, his seeds of doubt successfully planted in Courtney, even if his plan would work or not was meaningless to him, as long as he got to sow any discord on his rivals it would have been completely worth it 

Courtney for her part simply kept walking, her head held low, trying her best to rationalize and fight against Alejandro’s words, she didn't want to believe them, she knew her friends weren't the type of people who would just use her and discard her like she was nothing… right?

Underground Tunnels 1 Hour remaining

Trent and Heather found themselves walking through a maze of tunnels that seemed to go on forever, all while talking to each other about their respective love lives. If you would've asked them how likely this was to happen a couple of months ago they would've burst out in laughter at the idea of even talking to one another

“So, let me get this straight. You and Cody spend almost every night before bed talking to one another about your hopes and dreams, he makes you special drinks for you before bed, you have little inside jokes that only the both of you know about, He risked his life to try and save you while in Italy, he gave you a little plush bee that you sleep with every night, he basically gifted you  you a star he bought a certificate of online AND he let you name it after the nickname you gave him, you guys also hold hands and stare into each other's eyes all the time, and he literally gave you his scarf so that you wouldn’t be cold and you thought he was doing all of this because he’s both  nice and  scared of you?”  the musician looked at Heather with disbelief in his eyes as he listed the ways Cody and her flirted 

Heather let out a sigh as she walked forward into the dark tunnels, clutching the little doll resembling her in her hand “Look i know it sounds stupid, specially when you put it like that, but put yourself in my shoes, everybody has hated me since season 1, even back home no guys wanted to even get near me because they all thought i was a bitch”  Trent for his part simply nodded, having been one of her previous victims he couldn't say he had the best opinion of the queen bee prior to sharing a team once again

“To be fair Heather, whose fault is that? It's not like you acted with the most noble intentions before” the raven haired musician let out a sigh of his own, he really seemed  to be the team’s psychologist “I had my reasons ok? I just… desperately wanted to win the money… I mean I still do but it's different this time… i dont know im just tired of everybody hating me and punch–I mean Cody showed me he had no hidden intentions in trying to be my friend, but i still didnt think he liked me like that, i figured he thought i was hot, i mean who wouldnt but… aghhh!!” Heather couldn't help but let out a groan of frustration as she tried to put her emotions into words, something that was insanely fascinating to Trent, having never seen the queen bee so flustered and unsure before

He then stopped her and put a hand on her shoulder to try and get her to calm down. “Look, I can tell there's more to you than meets the eye, I'm pretty sure Lindsay and Courtney also feel the same, and I guess Cody saw that before any of us did…  I can tell you really care about him, i mean even he’s changed quite a bit since he started hanging around you, it's like he’s more confident and less afraid to take on life, frankly it’s almost like the two of you bring out the best in each other" Heather couldn't help but smile at the musicians kind words, and just the idea that her and Cody made each other better gave her butterflies in her stomach

“You got a way with words Trent, who knew…” she patted him in the back almost as if saying thank you in her own way , making the musician chuckle “Heh thanks, you'd be surprised how often i hear that these days, but I'm still trying to figure out things for myself…”   it was Heather’s turn to let out a chuckle “Oh you mean like your huge crush on Lindsay?”

The pair once again came to a stop now thanks to Trent who looked quite a bit flustered “God am i that obvious?” the queen bee let out an even bigger chuckle this time “Oh please, the two of you are clearly into each other, if you think me and Cody are bad you should see the way you stare at her when you play your guitar, i swear its like you're picking out your future kids names in your head” 

The musician let out a sigh while it was true that he felt head over heels for the blonde in question there remained so much uncertainty over how to approach things with her “Ok ok i get it, but i mean i dont know what to do about it, i really like her, and at times i think she likes me too, but then she just runs away… and i kind of get it, when she broke up with Tyler she said she wanted to focus on herself and figure out what she really wanted in life… and I don't want to make things more complicated for her y’know?”

It was then that Heather thought back to season 1 back in camp Wawanakwa, how she had a bad feeling about Tyler getting with Lindsay, it wasn't so much that she thought Tyler was a bad guy, but she just didn't feel it was right for them to be together, she couldn't explain how or why she felt that way, but she did… but that feeling wasn't there when it came to Trent and Lindsay

In fact it was the complete opposite, she saw clearly that he wanted what was best for the blonde regardless if it meant being with him or not, and that was enough for the queen bee “Trent, you're a good guy, i can tell you actually like that dummy for who she is and not just the big pair of…. Whatever, what im trying to say is, be patient with her, be there for her, and if it's meant to be, you guys will be together” 

Trent felt a sense of clarity that wasn't there before, reflecting back on how he had approached relationships, always worried about the what if’s and not in the present… regardless of how Lindsay felt, he knew that he wanted to be around her, helping her grow, supporting her, and maybe that was enough… “You know what Heather, you're right… I can't live scared of the what if’s, I like Lindsay, and I'm gonna be there for her as long as she’ll have me!”

*CLICK*

A pair of footsteps was heard as well as the sound of a rifle getting reloaded “So you're into Barbie now huh?”   Duncan stepped out of the shadows right behind them “I guess I know for a fact you've completely moved on”  it was then that Gwen stepped out of the shadows as well and stood next to the delinquent, she held a bow with blunt arrows and aimed it straight at the pair

Both Heather and Trent were caught by surprise at their sudden arrival, with the former putting her doll back into her pocket and stepping back “Oh how nice, if it isn’t Frankenstein’s monster  and his bride, I'm sorry did we intrude in your dark and disgusting love nest? If thats the case me and Trent here are just gonna leave the two of you alone now” 

The goth rolled her eyes at Heather’s disrespectful sarcasm “Oh shut up Heather, lets just do this the easy way before i fire an arrow at your huge forehead and bring you back the hard way” she then drew back her bowstring and aimed it straight at the queen bee, Duncan also raised his baseball rifle and pointed it straight at Trent in tandem with his girlfriend “I like the way you think pasty, you heard the boss, lets just head back and nobody gets hurt”

Thinking on his feet, Trent put a hand back in his coat pocket to retrieve a tennis ball Sierra had shot him with earlier, while he clutched it he thought of a way to distract them and find an opening to escape, luckily he had just the thing “Hey Gwen, im not so sure im entirely over you, specially after our secret talk in the recording studio that night”

With such a scandalous sounding statement it was no surprise Duncan, Gwen and even Heather let out a resounding “WHAT!!!?”

The resulting confusion caused the punk and goth to lower their weapons long enough for Trent to throw the tennis ball as hard as he could at Duncan’s head, knocking him to the ground

With an opening secured Trent grabbed Heather by the arm and began to run further into the tunnels “Lets go!!”  The two then made haste while they could, finally reaching a massive room full of water systems and waterfalls, it seemed to be a water treatment plant of sorts “Where to now!?” asked the musician trying to find a way to lose their captors for good 

Thankfully Heather managed to spot a long corridor at the other side of an old wooden  bridge ahead of them, she could tell it was an exit thanks to the red signs at the door “through there come on!” once they started crossing the bridge Gwen and Duncan also made it to the massive room, with the punk now sporting a very bruised eye

Gwen was still trying to clear things out with her boyfriend, so as to not create any further drama , the last thing she wanted was to create any tension in her relationship “Duncan i can explain!”  for now however the punk was in no mood to listen to her, instead his rage was entirely focused on the raven haired musician “explain later! Shoot now!” 

They then began to open fire on Trent and Heather as they ran through the old wooden bridge with the goth managing to hit Trent in the back of the head with one of her arrows 

*THUD*

He was knocked down pretty hard “Trent! Come on get up, now's not the time” Heather stopped in her tracks and ran back towards her team mate, while on the ground the musician was recoiling from the pain of the arrow hitting him as well as how hard he had fallen on his injured wrist “Ugh this sucks… Heather! get out of here, I'll make sure they don't follow you!”  the queen bee looked at him in disbelief, just what the hell was he talking about 

“Forget about that mister! We're both getting out of here so shut up and get your ass up!”  Trent gave one of his signature smirks at the queen bee, he reached into his equipment and threw his grapple gun at her, and clutched the ice bomb in his injured hand “You really have changed, i dont think the old Heather would've tried to help out a team mate… Cody was right about you”

As Duncan and Gwen ran towards them still shooting at them Heather looked into Trent’s eyes once more and saw that his mind was made up, the queen bee could tell his resolve and selflessness was genuine, she picked up the grapple gun and shared some parting words “God you're so annoyingly selfless… no wonder Lindsay is so into you … try not to get hurt you dumbass, I’ll see you in first class!”  she ran as fast as she could until she crossed the bridge and reached the room with the  ladder, making sure to close the door behind her

Once Duncan and Gwen reached Trent the delinquent fired one more baseball at the musician making him go into a fetal position “You bastard, that's for throwing a tennis ball at my eye, hey pasty! I’ll put this guy in handcuffs you go catch Heather” just as Gwen was about to chase after the queen bee Trent looked up at the two of them with a devious smile on his face “I don't think so!” He then unclutched the small ice grenade he was holding onto and threw it at the other side of the bridge, hitting the exit Heather had just taken

As the ice bomb rolled towards the door it managed to create a massive explosion that sealed the exit with a thick coat of ice as well as making the temperature in the room drop significantly, Gwen then turned back towards her boyfriend and ex boyfriend while shivering “ wh-wha-what the h-hell! its freezing in h-here, what w-w-was that?” 

Trent then stood up shivering as well “I-I d-d-dont know, that was i–in the briefcase Ch-chris gave me” Duncan was equally as cold and what's more he was also in a terrible mood now, but instead of sticking around and trying to chase after the queen bee even further he conceded defeat for now “wh-whatever, lets just t-t-turn back where w-w-we came from!”  he then put some handcuffs on Trent and with help from the goth they both escorted him back to the warehouse to hopefully meet up with the rest of their team

On the other side of the door however, a very worried Heather was catching her breath, it really sucked having to leave Trent behind, she felt a pit of regret in her stomach, which was proving to be a new emotion to her, perhaps Cody’s influence was truly getting to her…

She would have to keep those thoughts and feelings at the back of her mind for now, the challenge was far from over and she had to find her way to Red Square as soon as possible! All she had to do was climb the ladder— “WHAT THE HELL!!!” 

Quite frankly you couldn't blame the queen bee’s reaction once she looked up at the ladder her frustrations were very much warranted,  due to the ladder that seemed to stretch towards the heavens, she couldn't even see the end of it “Who even built this place!!!”  After a few minutes of venting her frustrations and taking a couple of deep breaths she finally managed to compose herself, and with one last look at the top she clutched the red scarf Cody had placed around her neck and resolved herself to climb the imposing ladder “Ugh… What a thrill… Punchy better be making his way there too!”

Streets of Moscow 40 minutes remaining

While Trent and Heather were facing off against Duncan and Gwen in the tunnels, Cody and Lindsay found themselves wandering the cold and confusing streets of Moscow, thankfully so far nobody had managed to catch up with them so they were taking it easy while they could, solely focusing on maintaining a low profile and reaching their destination 

“So like, do you think we’re almost there? Im like starting to get nervous, almost like somebody is watching us” the ditzy blonde was on edge ever since they left the warehouse, she really didn't like the feeling of being chased and was doing her best to remain calm, thankfully Cody was being as reassuring as he could “hehe of course were being watched Lindsay, were filming a tv show” the nerd was feeling uneasy as well, but he had to remain optimistic, after all his team mate was depending on him!

As he looked at the map and followed the path Courtney had marked earlier, he couldn't help but wonder how Heather was fairing, the concern in his face was becoming noticeable with each street they crossed, something Lindsay had noticed, so as to keep her spirits up she decided to try and tease her team mate “Soooooo… like are you worried about Heather?”

Cody jolted up upon hearing his crush’s name, making Lindsay let out a giggle “Omg you sooo totally are worried? Is she like your secret girlfriend? How long have you two been dating? She won't tell me anything” the blonde unleashed a barrage of questions that Cody was honestly not ready for “woah woah, slow down Lindsay… me and Heather aren't dating… were just good friends, and yeah i am worried about her, just like i’m worried about Trent and Courtney as well”

Even if she could be a bit scatterbrained, Lindsay could see right through his excuses, so she decided to poke at him a bit more with her words “Ooooh, i guess that makes sense, i think she has a crush on Alejandro anyway, although she told me not to tell anybody…” the nerd couldn't help it and dropped the map in disbelief “SHE WHAT!!!!?”  Lindsay smiled deviously, she got him!

“AHA! What's with that reaction? You are sooooo totally in love with her!” Cody fell to his hands and knees in defeat, not being used to this type of teasing “Ok ok, you got me, i really really really like Heather!” the blonde was beyond giddy at the confirmation of his feelings, both jumping and clapping excitedly “OMG!!! Thats soooo cute!, you have GOT to tell her how you feel once we see her again, it's gonna be so adorable!”

Cody stood up quickly and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders, trying to slow down her excitement “Lindsay! I'm not ready to tell her that, not to mention we're in the middle of a competition for 1 million dollars, this is the last thing she needs on her mind… and also… im really not her type”  the nerd’s insecurities became apparent to Lindsay, as he looked down at his feet refusing to meet her gaze

“What makes you say that? You're like so smart and you try your best every day! You also go above and beyond for her no matter what, I think that’s like sooo romantic! You two would make a great couple”  The nerd looked back at her with a mixture of guilt and gratefulness in his eyes “Yeah… of course i would do anything for her, she’s amazing, and so beautiful, and she has this fire in her soul that just drives me crazy… but im just me you know? I'm still the same geeky scrawny guy ive always been… she should be with a guy who’s taller and handsome, somebody worthy of her…”

Lindsay couldn't believe what she was hearing, how could such a cool guy like Cody think so low of himself? He was so amazing and full of potential, and what's more he was clearly the right guy for Heather, this wasn't sitting right with the blonde, so it was her turn to grab him by the shoulders and make herself heard! 

“CODY!!! Don't ever talk about yourself like that ever again!” this took him by surprise once more, he never really saw Lindsay this mad before, it was quite frightening “Get out of your own head! You're a great person and you deserve great things in your life, you can't be scared of the things that might go wrong, just listen to your heart and be with the one that makes you happy! She is a really sweet and amazing person, she is very patient with you, and she’s always looking out for you, and the way she plays guitar makes you swoon, and she even hurt her wrist trying to save you and also– Huh i think i just realized something ....”

Cody gently put his hands over Lindsay’s while smiling at her “You know… back in Monaco I heard something similar from Trent… i think its time i take that advice and believe in myself just a bit more… and i think you should do the same Linds” the ditzy blonde smiled back at her friend, perhaps just saying her thoughts out loud was what she needed after all “Hehehe, sorry i yelled” the nerd let go of her hands and picked up the map once more “Dont mention it… lets keep going were almost there, we got a challenge to win!” Lindsay felt reinvigorated and let out a cheer “Yeah! We got this! Let’s g—” 

*WHACK* 

From the shadows an insanely fast tennis ball hit the blonde right in the head, followed by another aimed at Cody, however thanks to his quick thinking he ducked and reached for his friend “Lindsay!” he helped her back up to his feet and ran towards cover behind a car that was parked nearby “Owwww…. Why in the head?”  

While they were covered from the barrage of tennis balls, Cody peaked from around the corner of the vehicle, spotting a very angry looking Sierra shooting at them “It's Sierra! We gotta run!” the angry stalker seized her fire for a moment and ran towards the duo “Now you're holding hands with another girl! AGGGHH, SHE’S GOING DOWN!!!”

The chestnut haired nerd stood up from his cover and helped Lindsay to her feet once more “Oh god she’s pissed! We gotta get outta here”  they both started running as fast as they could through the streets, all while the unhinged stalker kept shooting at them “Cody is mine! Don't you ever forget that! Come back here and let me shoot you!” 

Just as they turned a corner both Lindsay and Cody spotted a massive castle-like structure with vibrant colors and onion shaped domes at the top of each tower, upon taking note of their location Cody felt a faint sense of relief “That's the cathedral of St basil! We’re almost at the square!”  “OMG that's such a cute looking castle!!!”   

Just as they ran however they noticed that the streets next to the cathedral were blocked off by several tall fences brandishing the Total Drama logo as well as several arrows pointing at the entrance to the cathedral “Dammit, they want us to go through the Cathedral to reach the finish line!” 

They both looked at each other and nodded, it was now or never, all they had to do was go through the cathedral and reach their goal, they would not let down their team no matter what!

They reached the entrance just as Sierra ran out of ammo, even though she had managed to hit them several times they had refused to fall, although they would feel those bruises in the morning, now wasn't the time to complain “Cody! I got a plan!” while the nerd opened the heavy wooden doors he looked at the blonde and nodded

The duo made their way inside before Sierra could get them, once she reached the entrance she threw her rifle to the ground and brought out a stun baton, flicking a switch the device came to life with a menacing crackle of electricity, she slowly opened the door and peaked inside “Cody~~~ come back here… i just want to talk”

Inside the Cathedral 20 minutes remaining

Sierra walked slowly through the main hall of the Cathedral, she surveyed her surroundings, trying to listen to her obsessions footsteps or any trace of the blonde, she had not come this far just to let them get away, she only wanted to catch up with Cody to have a much needed talk, it didn't matter how bad she had to hurt him or anybody else to do so

“Cody~~~ my love~~~ i know youre in here, i just want to talk… i promise i wont hurt you if you come out, we just have to clear up a BIG misunderstanding”  while the stalker walked through the halls looking for him, both Cody and Lindsay were getting ready to put their plan into action, they shared one last look and nodded “NOW!”  

They used the element of surprise and threw one of Lindsay’s smoke bombs next to the stalker, disorienting her long enough for them to run in opposite directions “GAHHH!! Cody Emmett Jameson Anderson!!! Get back here!!” even while hidden by the smoke Sierra could recognize her obsession’s foot steps, so she followed them towards the chapel while Lindsay ran in the opposite direction

As the stalker made it to the entrance of the chapel, she opened the door and locked it behind herself, ensuring her love wouldn't get a chance to get away… it was a dead end, and he had nowhere to run…

“Cody~ there's nowhere to run… just come out and let's have that talk…” Sierra then turned off her stun baton and threw it to the side, maybe that way he wouldn’t be so scared of confronting her unbeknown to her as she made her way towards the end of the hall way, it was actually Lindsay inside the chapel with her, cleverly hidden behind a pillar next to the door

The blonde then tried sneaking towards the discarded stun baton, slowly reaching towards it as carefully and silently as she could, hoping to catch Sierra by surprise—“AHA!... Wait what!? I could've sworn–” unfortunately she turned around at the last second catching the blonde in the act

Both girls then locked eyes and ran towards the electric weapon on the floor, managing to grab it at the same time, both girls wrestled it in their hands, trying to pry it from each other “GIMME THAT!” screamed Sierra, almost overpowering Lindsay, however the blonde was not about to give up so easily “NO… I…. WONT!” 

In a last ditch effort the blonde then looked towards a window that was left open inside the chapel, and thinking fast she managed to maneuver her body fast enough to grab hold of the baton and throw it out the window “YES! I did it!.... Uh oh” needless to say Sierra was not happy about this, she then proceeded to wrestle Lindsay into submission and handcuff her to a pipe

“How… *pant* did you… *pant* do that…. *pant* Where's… Cody!” while Sierra was catching her breath after the brutal scuffle she noticed the blonde was now wearing Cody’s sneakers “Hehe i remember you said our footsteps sound similar”  although defeated the blonde felt good knowing Cody would probably be on his way towards the exit by now 

Sierra for her part didn’t have time to even process what was said, in her desperation to find Cody she simply ran out of the chapel, now trying to look at the tracker that was provided to her… only to find out it was not working properly anymore “Oh come on!!! What now!!!?”

She had failed to notice how a still handcuffed Lindsay had the scrambler remote in her hands “You got this Cody…” she thought to herself, worried sick for her team mate, yet still full of belief he would make it out of the maze like cathedral

However while the blonde was settling into her captivity she noticed a floor panel was moving, next to her “Uhhhh hello?”  next thing she knew, that same panel opened up and a very sweaty and tired looking Heather emerged from the hole “OMG! Heather! How did you find us!?” the queen bee then crawled out of the hole and laid on the floor next to Lindsay, clear exhaustion oozing from her “Lindsay?.... What the hell are you doing here? Actually… where the hell are we?”

The ditzy blonde felt beyond relief to see her good friend was ok, however all the pleasantries would have to wait, right now it was imperative she caught Heather up to the situation they were facing

“Uhm, we’re like in a castle thingy? And me and Cody were being chased by Sierra… she managed to like trap me here, but yeah don't worry about me, Go help Cody! Sierra is trying to catch him! And she seems like reallllyyyyyy angry at him”

Heather heard the blonde loud and clear, her friend was in grave danger and she had to act fast, she rose up to her feet and reached into her coat pocket, taking out a lock pick she handed it to the blonde “I’ll go find them, this should help you escape!” The queen bee then hurriedly left the chapel leaving the blonde behind “Uhhh, how do I use this?”

North bell tower inside the Cathedral 10 minutes remaining

“Come on! Come on! Not another dead end!” Cody was hurriedly running through the many rooms of the cathedral trying to find his way out, so far he had only managed to reach dead ends, with his frustration building, trying to make the most out of Lindsay’s sacrifice, he kept at it trying to win the challenge for his team.

As he reached yet another door, he unfortunately heard the anguished screams of an angered Sierra “CODY!, WHERE ARE YOU!?”  he slowly backed away trying to stay hidden from the stalker, not wanting to bring attention to himself, he quickly backed into a pillar and hid as she ran passed him

As soon as he heard her voice further and further away he let out a tired sigh “Oh thank god… that would’ve been bad” as he stepped out from the pillar he was suddenly grabbed and a hand was held to his mouth, just as he was about to let out a scream he locked eyes with his assailant… Heather

His eyes lit up with a surge of emotions and he let out a muffled “Heather!!! I'm so glad to see you!”  The queen bee shared his sentiment and winked at him in a teasing manner, all while whispering in his ear “Kept you waiting huh?” as she removed her hand from his mouth the two of them stared into each other's eyes, a brief moment of respite from all the trouble and dangers they had faced so far

However they both came to their senses quick enough to try and resolve their current predicament “how did you get here? Where are the others?” asked the nerd while looking around a pillar with the hope to see the rest of his team not far behind “Me and Trent went underground and got chased by Duncan and that annoying ass Gwen, they captured him but he helped me get away, I got no idea where Courtney went, was she with you?”  Cody shook his head “Not really, me and Lindsay escaped together, we had to split up to throw Sierra off of our trail, no idea where Courtney went” 

Heather then narrowed her eyes and cracked her neck “I ran into Lindsay on my way to find you, Sierra handcuffed her to a pipe but I gave her a lock pick, hopefully she joins us soon, but right now it's just you and me punchy… so lets get out of here and win this” Cody then matched her energy and stepped forward with her, as long as he was by her side he felt as if nothing could stop him “Yeah… we got this” 

Before the pair could keep looking for an exit however a very unstable looking Sierra had managed to make her way back, having heard the whole exchange they had just shared… as well as the way they had just stared into each other’s eyes…

“So you're here too… HEATHER” Sierra walked towards them slowly, holding a golden staff she had grabbed off a religious statue “Would you please leave me and Cody alone for a moment… we need to talk…” while in all honesty the queen bee was a bit intimidated by the stalker’s demeanor, she wasn't about to back down 

“Actually, i dont think i will, you see, me and Cody here are actually on our way to win this challenge, so if you would oh so kindly step aside and stop being crazy for once in your life, we would really appreciate it”  Heather stepped forward looking directly into Sierra’s eyes, watching closely how they got redder and watery 

“Thats not going to happen… your team is going to lose, and then they are going to vote you off of the show, then me and Cody will be together and he will NEVER! even say your name again”  Sierra kept walking forwards, dragging the staff against the floor in a menacing way, while Heather had her hand on her grapple gun ready to fire directly at the stalker in self defence

But then right in that moment, something snapped inside of Cody, all this time all the frustration and fear Sierra had put him through so far came to a boil, it was one thing for her to torment him day after day, to stalk him and make him feel so afraid… but to even try to threaten his Queen… now that was just unforgivable… 

“ALLRIGHT ENOUGH SIERRA!!! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!”  he stepped right in between both girls with his arms wide open as to shield his Queen "Don't you dare get any closer to Heather!” he remained firm in his resolve, no longer willing to put up with any of her craziness any longer

*RING RING*

In the worst possible moment, that dreaded bell rang, signaling a song had to be performed, the three of them however stood in awkward silence staring at each other “Chris! Learn to read a room!” yelled Heather prompting a voice to come from a speaker inside the cathedral “You know the rules, the bell rings you start singing, chop chop let me hear you!” there was something truly blasphemous about hearing Chris’s voice inside such a holy place…

Sierra then closed her eyes for a moment and wiped a tear that was streaming down her face “Ok… I got a song…”

SONG STARTS

A moody and smooth beat starts playing as a beating heart slowly starts cracking, Sierra is then sitting by a campfire looking at Team Amazon across from her all smiling and laughing, enjoying each other’s company, she then fixates her eyes on Cody who fails to even look at her 

Sierra: I’m still your fan even though I'm so sorry

             Hate to see you with others even if you're happy

             Hate to see you happy if im not the one talking

             I'm so unsure… I'm so unsure…. I’m so unsure…

             I got me everyone telling me there's other men

             I dont want none i just want you, if i cant have you no one will

Sierra then walks through the fire reaching out her hand towards Cody only for him to turn his back and walk away into a dark abyss, leaving her alone inside the fire she then looks up with tears in her eyes

Sierra: I might hurt Cody… not the best idea…

            I’ll get Heather too. How did I get here?

            I might hurt Cody… I still love him though… rather be insane                  

            than alone..

The dark abyss then switches to the beating heart from earlier, with Sierra standing on top of it, the crack in the middle grows slightly larger, Cody and Heather are then seen dancing on their parade float from Brazil, spinning around until they disappear into mist

The duo then looks on from far away at Sierra alone standing on the slowly breaking heart

Heather: I get the sense that she’s a lost cause~ 

                I get the sense she’s really far gone~

                I think it's all evidence; evidence she’s trying to hurt us by    

                any means but damn~

Cody looks at Sierra with sympathetic eyes, a part of him feeling bad for her, even slightly seeing a reflection of his past actions towards Gwen… but he knew better than to take things as far as she did

Cody: I was out of reach~

           I was having fun with my Team at the beach~

           Now we cant explain this, now we gotta face this

           No more letting her do to me just as she please

Sierra is once more standing on the beating heart with the crack finally splitting it completely in half making her fall into nothingness

Sierra: I'm so unsure…  I'm so unsure…  I'm so unsure…

             Got everybody telling me there's other men

             I dont want none i just want you~ if i cant have you

             No one will… I might~~

Sierra is then standing alone as she watches Heather holding onto Cody in the restaurant after the Italy challenge, they slowly fade away into nothingness

Sierra: I might hurt Cody… not the best idea…

            I’ll get Heather too. How did I get here?

            I might hurt Cody… I still love him though… rather be insane                  

            than alone

As Sierra falls deeper and deeper into the dark abyss she passes by countless pictures of Cody and Heather sharing different moments each one making her feel more and more pain until she finally comes to a stop laying on the floor next to the tattered pieces of a broken heart

Sierra: I just lost Cody~ not the best I've felt

            Lost his friendship too~ how did i get here~~

            …I just lost Cody… I still love him though… 

            Rather be insane than alone~~....

SONG ENDS

Once the singing came to a stop, Sierra remained looking at the pair, tears streaming down her eyes, her hands shaking, overwhelmed with emotion she couldn't handle anymore… she dropped to her knees and started sobbing “Cody…. Why?… why not me?” 

Seeing the state she was in, Cody stepped forward and knelt right beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder “Sierra… I'm so sorry… but you took it too far, too many times… i know you had good intentions, but in the end you just kept overstepping  my boundaries… I guess I should've made it clear from the beginning…but I don't love you… and i dont think i ever will”

The now broken hearted Sierra lowered her head and cried into her hands, as tough and firm as his words were, it was what she needed to hear… Heather then stepped forward as well prompting Cody to look back at her “We should get out of here… we’re almost out of time”  Cody nodded at the queen bee and stood up, as bad as he felt for the poor girl, there was nothing he could do for her well being, some wounds ran too deep for anyone else to heal

As they walked away Heather looked back one last time, even if she held little sympathy for the stalker a part of her held some respect for how strong and fierce of a competitor she was… too bad she had decided to mess with her punchy…

Outside the Cathedral 5 minutes remaining

Alejandro stood outside the Cathedral escorting Courtney towards Red Square, in the hopes to find the rest of his team in custody of their respective targets, instead he could only see Chris Mclean sitting at a table drinking a coffee with Chef in the distance, his mood immediately took a turn for the worst…

“I swear! None of them can do anything right!” his grip on the CIT’s arm tightened “OW! Watch it! You're hurting me!” her complaints however fell on deaf ears, as he wasn't willing to listen to anything she had to say, the two of them had managed to enter the cathedral and make it to the other side without any issue, Alejandro credited this with having visited Moscow many times in the past with his family, knowing the in’s and out’s of the famous landmark

“I guess its no big deal afterall, there’s no sign of anyone from your team, and time is about to run out anyways” for once the Spaniard was choosing to see the positive side of things, nothing could go wrong at the last minute right? “You know something? I think you're forgetting about me!” 

Courtney then broke free of her handcuffs thanks to the lockpick she had stashed earlier and kicked her captor in the leg “Pero que demonios!?” the pain made him let go of Courtney long enough for her to sprint towards the finish line with all her might, not bothering to look back or think twice

Alejandro realizing what had just occurred chased after her, he was NOT about to lose this challenge at the last minute! “And it looks like Courtney is about to win it for Team Amazon! But it also seems like Alejandro is in hot pursuit of her! Will she be able to make it in time?”  the host could be heard narrating the events, making Courtney try even harder with victory right at her finger tips

In a last ditch effort to secure victory, she reached into a hidden pocket inside her jacket and pulled out the Scrambler remote “Hey jerkface, this is for Bridgette!” the CIT threw the remote with all her might hitting him right in the face, knocking him to the ground, and leaving no chance for him to catch her

“OWWW! That's gonna leave a mark heheh, and it looks like Courtney made it right in the knick of time!”  The host announced the CIT’s arrival with plenty of fanfare and congratulations, all while Courtney jumped up and down in celebration “I DID IT!!!!”

… Too bad it wasn’t meant to be “Courtney, I want to be the first to congratulate you for making it to Red Square… However!... it looks like you're missing something” the CIT panicked, there was no way this was happening! Not to her! “Wait! You don't mean!?” 

Chris merely smiled in his trademark annoying fashion “Yep, it appears you don't have your Matryoshka doll!” 

Alejandro could then be seen rising to his feet, an evil smile pursed upon his lips, enjoying the humiliation he was putting Courtney through, he reached into his jacket to reveal the small doll resembling her “Looking for this? Haha, you didn't think I would risk bringing you here if there was a chance for you to win right?”

Once again it seemed like the universe had conspired to humiliate her, if only she had been more cautious… this whole time she thought she was outsmarting the Spaniard… but she was the one being played.

“Well Chris… looks like there’s nobody else here so we might as well—” Alejandro wasn’t able to finish his sentence, that being due to a massive explosion opening a hole under the square, as well as sending him flying away and knocking him out

*BOOM!!!*

The whole production crew as well as Courtney, Chris and Chef were stunned to see the massive hole that opened right next to them, just short of the finish line, but what was more surprising was two grappling hooks shoot out of the hole, then shortly after both Heather and Cody were propelled out of the hole and right next to the finish line

A very dusty looking and barefooted Cody fell to the floor once he emerged from the hole“HOLY CRAP THAT WAS LOUD!!!”  as for Heather she also looked dusty and beyond shocked at the explosion caused by that explosive gel that was provided to her “Ok.. That might've been the most dangerous thing I've ever done in this show”

As soon as they composed themselves they noticed exactly where they were standing. “Oh my god, look punchy we made it!!!” Heather couldn't believe their luck and neither could Cody, as he raised his head and gave a thumbs up 

Courtney couldn't contain her excitement either, it seemed insane to think but she had just witnessed a miracle, she once again started jumping up and down in celebration “ YES! YES! YES!” and just as the trio from Team Amazon were celebrating Chris kept looking at his watch

“3… 2…1… Aaaaaaand…. Time’s up, Team Chris is really really really really Hot Wins!!!”  The three of them stopped celebrating instantly, a confused Heather spoke up first “Um… not to tell you how to do your job or anything, but were Team Amazon? Not that other team with the really long and annoying name”  

The host stood calmly looking at the three of them slowly losing their minds, enjoying each second as reality set in “Chris… please say you made a mistake…” pleaded Courtney, as she lost what little composure she had left

God Chris loved his job, he took another sip of his coffee and explained “Nope, i made no mistake, as you can see, both Cody and Heather are on the other side of the finish line, and since they didn’t cross it in time, that means your team loses… probably feels soul crushing huh?”  The trio from Team Amazon felt as if a steam roller had just crushed their spirits… and so a collective “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”  was shared between them.

Chris and Chef smirked and looked at each other “Call the production crew, tell them to collect everybody else, we got an elimination ceremony to attend to, hehe” Chef nodded in agreement, and walked away speaking into a walkie talkie, ever since the vacation, he just felt so good getting back to work, it really helped seeing those kids in despair

Moscow airport Elimination Ceremony 10:00PM

Both teams emerged from a bus that dropped them off at the runway, where several seats and a voting ballot awaited Team Amazon, who were all still in a state of shock, failing to come to terms with their loss

While Team Chris is Really Hot walked into the jumbo jet, you could tell their mood wasn’t the best either, with Alejandro nursing some injuries from the explosion, Duncan walking with an annoyed expression next to Gwen who seemed very distressed, and last but certainly not least Sierra, who had her own arms wrapped around herself, being the last one to enter the aircraft she looked back longingly at Cody… 

“Well Well Well, here we are again Team Amazon, sad to say but you guys really gave it your all today, if only you hadn’t dropped the ball literally at the last possible second hehe” the whole team sat with slumped shoulders, not wanting to say goodbye to one of their own… too bad things weren’t that easy

“You all know the deal, you cast your vote on who should leave the competition, if i call your name and give you a ticket that means you’re safe!” the host then made way for each member of Team Amazon to head to the ballot and cast their vote

Once they had all done so, Chris walked up to his podium and read the results with a serious expression “so the following contestants are safe this week

Lindsay

.

.

.

.

Trent

.

.

.

.

Heather

The host then handed each one a ticket, all three of them breathing a sigh of relief, however, as good as it might feel to be safe, the queen bee still held a nervous expression, looking at Cody who sat beside her…

“Now Courtney, you got yourself Caught first, and even after you made your escape you were still tricked by Alejandro and got your doll stolen, costing your team a decisive victory” while the host explained his point the CIT held eye contact, as frustrated as it made her feel, she knew what he said was true… “I know I messed up… “

Chris turned his attention towards the nerd “And Cody, you painted an even bigger target on your team’s back, by having Sierra relentlessly chase you” Cody could only nod, if only he had been absolutely clear with his stalker earlier, things could have gone better for his team “Yeah… i know” 

The host then held his gaze towards Team Amazon waiting for tension to build… 

“The final ticket goes to

.

.

.

.

CO—”

“WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP THE CEREMONY!” everybody present turned to look at Sierra, who was walking towards Chris with her luggage in hand “Uhhh… can i help you? Im kinda in the middle of something here” Spoke a very confused Chris

Sierra then took a deep breath and explained herself “I’m invoking the mental health clause of the Total Drama World Tour contract” the host blinked twice in confusion before asking “right…. What does that one say again?”  

“If a contestant is experiencing sufficient mental anguish or if she is a legitimate danger to others and/or herself, she is permitted to leave the competition at any point, even taking the spot of any contestant from any team she desires…” explained Sierra in a very out of character moment for the stalker “I wish to leave the competition right now… my mental health is not good… I need professional help…” she turned to look at Cody as she spoke those last words

Chris looked back at Chef and then back at the contestants, then back again at Chef “Is she allowed to do that?”  Chef for his part simply shrugged, they didn't pay him enough to know these things “Please Chris… I need to go…. I need help”  Sierra pleaded with the host for any mercy he could muster up for her

The host pondered for a moment and shrugged “Well… if that's what you truly want, i cant stop you… looks like you’re safe this week Team Amazon… you still gotta go to economy class though… here’s your ticket, so long Sierra” Chris handed Sierra her ticket back to Canada and walked away towards the main camera to give his farewell speech to the audience

“I…. cant believe that just happened…” said Courtney in disbelief, how could anybody just say goodbye to 1 million dollars so willingly? “I mean, that was really nice of her… i hope she feels better” Trent Commented as he rose from his chair and walked away with the CIT, neither of them was ever particularly close to Sierra, but even still a part of them felt bad for her “poor Sierra… sometimes my mind hurts too” Lindsay added, even if she didn't have the right idea her spirit was in the right place

While the rest of Team Amazon made their way inside the aircraft only Cody and Heather remained on the runway standing next to Sierra “We should go inside… don't want them to leave us behind” the queen bee tried to get Cody to join her and not dwell on the stalker, not after all the things she had put him through…

Cody stepped forward and looked Sierra in the eye, for what could possibly be the last time “I… hope you get better… I'm sorry things got this way… I really should've told you from the beginning… take care Sierra.” the broken hearted girl smiled at him, not a hint of resentment in her, only unconditional devotion for the nerd… but a part of her understood now, it’s not meant to be… “Cody… thank you, i really liked getting to know you… I promise I'll do my best to get better… goodbye.” 

Cody smiled back at her, from the bottom of his heart he truly hoped Sierra would find what she needed, and could start to heal from her obsession for him, he turned towards his Queen and the two walked hand in hand back inside the jumbo jet… even if they had lost the challenge today, perhaps they had taken another step to figuring out what they meant for one another…

While Sierra walked back into the airport and watched the jumbo jet take off into the snowy night sky, she held her smile as tears fell from her eyes, she then chuckled to herself as she wiped a tear “What kind of stupid nickname is Punchy? I could've come up with something better haha”

Author Notes

This was the longest chapter so far in the story, but i feel very proud of how it came out, we got through plenty of things today, From Heather and Trent talking about their respective love lives, to Courtney confronting troublesome feelings laid by Alejandro

Then there was Lindsay figuring things out for herself, trying her best to give Cody the strength to not run away from his feelings for Heather, turns out he had some self esteem issues…

Having said all of this, there's plenty of things to come, now that Sierra is gone the competition is gonna amp up even more, speaking of which, her song was specially fun to write, im sure many of you will recognize the inspiration behind it, Kill bill by SZA

I also want to give a shout out to JPLoco93, thank you so much for your kind words, im glad you're enjoying the story, the same goes to everybody who gives it a chance, regardless if you comment or not im just glad you come by anytime i upload

Chapter 17

Loneliness and Obsession

Economy Cabin 12:20PM

Depression… one of life’s cruelest jokes, yet it was a reality for many people, be it due to financial struggles, or perhaps self esteem issues, it was one of those things that could creep up on you and destroy you from within, and sadly this was the case for Sierra.

She never wanted to feel this way, normally she felt overjoyed with being a part of Total Drama, and being around her one true love Cody… yet ever since she was forced off of Team Amazon all the joy in her life had been sucked out

At first she was more than sure she could tough it out until the merge and then nobody could get in the way of her and Cody being together again, she would win the 1 million dollars and promptly get married to the love of her life right there on the spot, she always visualised it taking place at the dock of shame with Chris as the officiant and Chef as the ring bearer.

But things changed… At first it was her idea to give Cody some space so that he could learn to miss not having her around, or at least that's what she told herself while trying to cope with the reality of no longer being on the same team. At a certain point Alejandro had approached her and asked to be in an alliance, all with the goal of ensuring they could make the merge and have her reunite with her Cody.

But now it all seemed futile, not only did Cody not miss her, he seemed so much more happier and confident than ever before, and the worst part… he was clearly head over heels for somebody else.

In the past Sierra was aware of his crush on Gwen, and while it was true that it irritated her, she never felt threatened by the goth’s presence. After all Gwen’s taste in men was vastly different than her own, she seemed to gravitate towards delinquents like Duncan or weird music freaks like Trent, so it was obvious she would never see Cody in a romantic light.

This time it was entirely different, that look she saw in his eyes, the way he was looking at HEATHER… that wasn't a silly little crush, that was deep and true affection, and the most crushing part of it all was that after all she had done for him, all the ways she kept trying to show how much she loved him, and how much she missed him, it meant nothing to Cody 

after all, no matter what she did, he had never looked at her like that…

As she sat by herself looking out the window of the jumbo jet into a sea of clouds she could only keep pondering on why did things turn out this way, how was it even possible that somebody as evil and wicked as HEATHER could steal Cody’s heart so easily, she came close to madness trying to make sense of it throughout her stay in Monaco, refusing to leave her room or else risk seeing them together… it would've been too painful to witness.

And the more she thought of it the more it hurt, hell even remembering how the rest of Team Amazon seemed to be supportive of them being together was just as painful. She was often mocked and insulted for how she approached her love for Cody, being labeled a stalker more often than not, but when it came to HEATHER they seemed almost pleased to see her and Cody together.

While Sierra sat and looked out the window with tear filled eyes and a tight grip on her chair, both Duncan and Gwen noticed her behavior getting even more erratic and worrisome by the hour, not that they thought she was that stable to begin with, but this time things were different, they both sensed that she wasn't doing well and needed help before she or somebody else got hurt.

The couple walked towards the tail end of the aircraft as to not be heard by anyone else to discuss what would be the best course of action, or if they should speak to Chris about it

Once they sat down Gwen let her thoughts be known first “I know she’s been having a hard time ever since we switched teams but you'd think she would've gotten over it by now right?” Duncan had a somber look on his face as he looked straight ahead and played with his pocket knife “Pasty, you know I've been to juvie right?” Gwen nodded along as she focused on her boyfriend “I know i dont talk about it much, but i got my reasons… the thing is while you're in there you meet a lot of different people, you got your standard punks and good for nothings that are in for doing petty things like stealing a car or doing graffiti” 

The stoic punk then looked back at his girlfriend “But other times you meet those who have serious issues, issues that go beyond just wanting to have fun and getting in trouble… hell, back then i even met this guy who really enjoyed hurting others and being downright evil…” Gwen could tell this was all a sore spot for her boyfriend, it was clear how his mind was filled with unpleasant memories as he spoke “Are you saying Sierra might want to hurt others?” she asked in a concerned voice almost unsure of what was the point he was trying to make

“I don't know, at first I didn't think she was the type to do so, but the more I've been around her, the more I'm reminded of my days in juvie, and being around those types of people who aren't the most… stable”  the punk looked once more towards the front of the cabin where Sierra sat and he put away his knife “All i know is that the chick needs help”

Gwen saw compassion in his eyes as he spoke, something rare for the rebellious punk, she took his words to heart and stood up “yeah… she needs help, and maybe somebody to talk to…” the goth started walking towards Sierra intending to reach out and try to help— “pasty what are you doing!”  said Duncan in a whispered scream trying to stop his girlfriend… but it was too late

“Hey Sierra, how are you?” Gwen walked up casually towards her—“…Gwen, what do you want?” Answered Sierra looking at the goth as she took a seat next to her “I uh just wanted to check up on you, you don't look like you're doing ok, I mean we didn't even see you at the resort the whole week, and were a bit worried about you”

Sierra wore a blank expression on her face, clearly unphased by the goth’s empty words of concern “Gwen… you don't care about me so drop it” — Gwen was taken aback by the harsh treatment and mean words, not that they were friends to begin with but she did feel it was unwarranted “Hey come on, im just trying to reach out to you and make sure you're fine, you've been crying and talking to yourself this whole time, is this about Cody?”

Sierra immediately perked up, unable to hide her distaste for the goth any longer "Don't you dare talk about him, it's your fault this is all happening, if you hadn't voted for me I would still be in Team Amazon and he wouldn't be with…. with….” the poor broken hearted girl couldn't bear to speak any longer, she sat back down and took a deep defeated breath “just leave me alone Gwen, Im fine!”  

The message was loud and clear to Gwen, at this point she would have to get used to animosity from everybody else around her it seemed, as she turned back walking towards Duncan she turned around one last time to look back at Sierra “I'm sorry… I hope you're ok” her words were left ignored as Sierra simply looked out the window, as if searching for an answer to her heartache in the clouds

Just as the scene unfolded in the economy class cabin a very apathetic Alejandro chuckled to himself watching the exchange, amused at how pathetic his team mates were, with Sierra so depressed she was easy enough to manipulate to his whims, and with Gwen feeling so guilty about how she was perceived it seemed as if it all kept falling into place for the Spaniard to remain safe in the competition, only now he had to make sure they would win this challenge no matter what it takes.

First Class Cabin Recording Studio 7:10PM

It had  been a long day of flying so far, and frankly nobody could tell where they were going this time, so instead of stressing about it Team Amazon decided to do their best not to think too hard about it, instead they spent most of the day hanging out and enjoying each other's company 

Earlier in the day they settled back into their old habits and just hung out in the common area of first class, with the trio of girls receiving pedicures and facial cleansing masks, all the while Trent and Cody were following doctor’s instructions and kept performing their physical therapy exercises 

Later on during the day they all decided to watch a movie together to pass the time, all the while bonding with each other, even Courtney and Heather seemed to be way more amicable with each other, often teasing one another as to claim superiority over the other but all in good fun, after all it was just part of their personality

Once the day turned to night Trent found himself back in the recording studio practicing his guitar with Lindsay while the rest of his team were drinking smoothies at the bar, he was happy to keep teaching the blonde about music theory, after all she was a natural at it

“I gotta say Linds, you're very talented at this, how come you never tried learning before?” he asked as he put down his own guitar for the moment to allow his wrist to take a break “Like, I love singing and dancing and music, but like my parents never wanted me to like learn to play an instrument, they were always like ‘you should focus instead on studying for your classes, you' re way behind everybody in your class Lindsay’ it was like they thought i was like dumb or something you know?”  Trent could see there was some frustration behind her words, Lindsay could be a bit… peculiar to say the least, but she always had good intentions and learned at her own pace

“Yeah I kinda get that, my old man isn't the biggest fan of my music, he says it's a waste of time, he just wants me to be a lawyer like him… but i cant help it you know? I just love writing and playing music, it's how I express what I feel…” Lindsay offered a warm smile as she put her hand on his own, causing the Raven haired guitarist to look at her with his own smile “I get it, and i think its really sweet…. I heard one of your songs the other night… i thought it was like really sad, but full of hope somehow, it made me feel like, im not the only one who feels that way”

Trent’s eyes widened at her confession, he remembered the night he bumped into Gwen in the very recording studio they were in at the moment, and the song he was singing that night. He didn't feel comfortable asking Lindsay why she was singing his song that night, but now somehow he found himself so much closer to the blonde than ever before

“Yeah, I guess that song was pretty good at describing my state of mind… but you know, I don't feel that sad anymore…” He responded by holding her hand and interlocking his fingers with her “Really?... how do you feel now?” inquired the blonde squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes “I feel… hopeful…nervous… happier… How do you feel Lindsay?” 

That question lingered in her mind for a moment, so far this had been the best time she had ever spent filming Total Drama, having rebuilt her friendship with Heather, as well as befriending Courtney this time around,not to mention getting to know Cody better and seeing him and Heather get closer was very fun.

But more than anything, it was getting closer to Trent that made her feel the happiest, he had gone out of his way to be there for her, even sacrificing his wrist to save her during the last challenge, he had been there for her during her lowest moments and listened to her problems, he helped her understand things whenever they were too complicated, and he had been a great music teacher so far… All in all he was an amazing guy who had shown her how much he cared for her…

And looking into his eyes right now, she could see nothing but more of that care and compassion for her…. Yet there was something else at the back of the blonde’s mind, something that made her scared… What if it's too good to be true? She was terrified of being manipulated or used. It had happened so many times in the past, it was just very difficult for her to accept things at face value… at least when it came to matters of the heart.

So while they shared that passionate and silent look with each other and Trent waited for her answer, Lindsay couldn't take it anymore, she wanted to trust Trent and throw herself into his arms and feel as safe and loved as he made her feel, but she just couldn't do so….

“I… Feel like… I gotta go pee hehe” she quickly rose to her feet and ran out of the recording studio and into the bathroom, all while muttering ‘stupid stupid stupid’ to herself, oh how she hated feeling insecure… all she wanted was to know exactly what was best for her and her heart, hopefully Trent would wait for her to make up her mind…

As for the raven haired musician, he stayed sitting by himself in the recording studio, unable to understand what was going through his blonde crush’s mind. Was he too forward? Did he make her uncomfortable? Maybe she didn't like him like that… whatever the case he only hoped she was ok.

“Well that was… weird… i hope i didnt blow it” he thought to himself as he picked up his guitar once more, wondering what would be the best course of action to— “Attention Total Drama contestants, get ready for landing, we have arrived at our next challenge!!!”  well… at least he gave a warning this time.

Moscow Russia 7:30PM

Both teams were standing around outside the jumbo jet, all dressed in appropriate winter clothes, thankfully they all had the foresight to buy coats while in Monaco, even Sierra had done some online shopping while at the resort.

Just as they settled into the cool air of Moscow, Chris Mclean stepped out of the aircraft wearing a very fancy looking coat and a fur hat covering his ears, the host looked to be in high spirits as he stepped up to the contestants ready to begin the challenge “Welcome to Moscow! The capital of Russia, a place where history and modern life collide, home to amazing architecture, brutal cold weather and today’s challenge!” Chris then notices the whole cast is wearing jackets and hoodies which in turn seems to annoy him “ugh this wont be as fun if youre not freezing”

The whole cast felt good knowing they outsmarted his attempts at torture for once, with Heather glaring even more than usual at the sadistic host “Really? Might I remind you I almost froze to death on the last challenge?” Chris simply chuckled at her outburst as he continued his intro

“Hehe yeah good times, anyway today both teams will have to show what they're made of in what i like to call The World Tour Identity” Chef and a team of interns then wheel in two tables with briefcases, each one with their team’s respective logos

“The challenge is simple, Team Amazon must reach Red Square in 3 hours all while Team Chris is really really really hot is hunting them down all in secret spy style!”  Both Team Amazon and Team Chris is hot then look at one another, clear tension in the air and unsure of how things will go down “if the challenge is about hunting the chicks down then what's up with the briefcases? Shouldn't we be getting rifles or something?” asked Duncan already fascinated with the idea of hunting people for sport

The host gave his signature chuckle as he continued “Its not that type of hunting Duncan, think about it more like Team Amazon are enemies of the state and you're tasked with bringing them in hehe” Courtney couldn't help but roll her eyes in annoyance as always this show seemed a bit too insensitive about real world issues, but before she could chime in Chris kept on explaining “In each brief case you will find a random assortment of gadgets and tools for you to use during the challenge, and as for Team Amazon you will also have one of these” Chris then pulled out a tiny matryoshka doll, other wise known as a russian nesting doll resembling himself 

Lindsay couldn't hold back her excitement upon seeing the finely crafted dolls “OMG those are soooooo cute. I want one that looks just like me!” Team Amazon then approached their table and each one of them picked out a random briefcase “Well you're in luck Lindsay, Chef painstakingly hand crafted dolls resembling each member of Team Amazon!” Chef then proceeded to hand each member of Team Amazon a matryoshka doll modeled after themselves “In order for you to complete today’s challenge all you have to do is make it to Red Square before your time expires. Oh and you have to make sure to bring your doll with you or else you will be disqualified. Your team will win as long as at least one of you makes it there in time and with their respective doll”

Cody listened carefully to the instructions, trying to come up with a plan to maximize his team’s strengths, all the while failing to notice how Sierra kept staring at him from a distance, her eyes still red with emotion “Team Amazon will have a 10 minute head start beginning……… NOW!” once Chris gave the go ahead Team Amazon ran away with their briefcases and dolls in hand, disappearing into the city

Alejandro, while confident in himself still viewed the challenge as incredibly skewed against his Team and couldn't hide his frustration any longer “Ugh now how are we gonna find them? This is beyond unfair!”  The sadistic host merely chuckled to himself as he walked towards Team Chris is hot’s table with briefcases “tsk tsk tsk i find your lack of faith disturbing Alejandro, since all of you get these!” Chef then gave each member a small gps tracker showing 5 red dots on screen moving 

“Hehe that's right, those Russian dolls are actually tracking devices, that way you will know where they are at all times!” Now that was good news thought Duncan, already excited to get the hunt started “Right on! This will be a piece of cake” as for Alejandro, he merely gave his signature smirk as he walked towards the table and grabbed a briefcase, his sole focus being victory, nothing more nothing less.

2 hours and 30 minutes remaining Team Amazon

Team Amazon had made haste and ran through the airport and into the streets of Moscow, once they reached a park they stopped for a moment to check in on their gear and formulate a plan, with Courtney once more attempting to take lead in their strategy “Allright i say we look through our equipment and plan a direct route with no detours!”  

The CIT was clearly proud of her fool proof air tight strategy, and nobody else had a problem with it so they decided to take a quick look. Cody was the first to open his brief case, revealing a grapple gun, a smoke bomb and a map of Moscow  “Cool, look at this! You guys think it works?”  as he analyzed the gun both Heather and Lindsay opened their respective briefcases, the blonde’s also had a smoke bomb but instead of the grapple gun her’s had a weird looking remote with the word SCRAMBLER on it

As for Heathers, she also had a map of the city, while also containing a lock pick, a pocket knife and a spray bottle labeled EXPLOSIVE GEL “This looks extremely dangerous for anybody to have… good thing im the one who picked this one haha” Commented the queen bee putting her tools away, meanwhile Trent also opened his briefcase,“let’s see, something called an Ice bomb, a grapple gun and a lock pick, not too bad huh”  Trent strapped the grapple gun to his belt as he rose to his feet, catching Lindsay looking at him and smiling back at her

As for Courtney, hers was pretty standard, with a lock pick a stun grenade and a scrambler just like Lindsay’s “I hope this junk comes in handy, no idea what the scrambler is for though…” once she puts her stuff away she notices Trent making eyes and Lindsay, as cute a pair they might be, now wasnt the time for foolishness.

The brown haired bossy girl then grabs Trent by the arm and starts walking south doing her best to command her Team to follow her “There will be time for flirting later, right now we're in the middle of a challenge!” the statement earns a chuckle from the rest of the team as they follow behind the CIT

While they made their way out of the park and into the lonely streets, Cody walked next to Heather often stealing glances at the queen bee, ever since that night at the beach things had been going very well between them, having their nightly conversations had made them grow closer and not to mention the game of truth or dare helped them break any awkward barrier between them, with each moment they spent together he understood and accepted his feelings for her whole heartedly

There were still some issues for Cody however, the biggest one being if he should even confess his feelings at all. While it was true that they got along amazingly and trusted one another, the fact remained that they were in the middle of a competition for 1 million dollars, and Heather was the contestant that probably wanted the money the most, Cody was afraid of what confessing his feelings to her would do to the bond they now shared, it terrified him to lose it.

As he racked his mind over the pros and cons of confessing, he managed to notice how much she was shivering, remembering how much she hated the cold, even while wearing a jacket and jeans the queen bee was still suffering the effects of the weather, and if the nerd had any say in it this would come to an end “Hey Heather, come over here for a sec” he called out to her gaining her attention

“What is it punchy? Got any secret plans you wanna share?”  as they came to a stop, Cody acted fast and wrapped a red scarf he was wearing around her neck, catching her by surprise “W-What are you–” “I noticed you were cold… i know how much you hate it soooo yeah, lets keep going”  while still a bold move by him, Cody was too nervous to let the moment linger and tried to keep moving along “NOW WAIT JUST A MOMENT MISTER!” unlucky for him Heather was not about to let it slide

Cody froze in his tracks, of course it was too much for him to do such a thing what was he thinking, Heather walked right up to him and gave him an intense look, she slowly put a hand to his chest and another on his shoulder without breaking eye contact, which was making the nerd lose his mind and blush extremely hard, what in the world was happening now!  

*ZIIIIP*

Heather zipped his jacket up all the way properly, with a confused Cody still processing her actions “You have to bundle up properly, I don't want you getting sick…” She then walked away slowly towards the rest of the team, stopping for a moment to look back at him and grab his hand “Thanks for the scarf punchy, i feel better now… lets go catch up with the others ok?” 

Cody was too nervous to say anything else, the only words in his mind being “I LOVE THIS GIRL!!!!” repeated over and over on a loop, Heather for her part was also blushing hard and doing her best to rationalize her behaviour to herself, of course she didn't want her alliance member to get sick, what use would he be that way, he just recovered from his injuries! No way was she gonna let him go down again!

While the love struck dorks picked up their pace catching up to their group,  they failed to realize the danger they were in. No sooner than they managed to catch up with their team a high speed tennis ball hit Cody in the face 

*WHACK*

“Punchy what the hell—” 

*WHACK*

And just the same another tennis ball hit Heather in the back of the head as well knocking her to the floor and landing on her alliance member “Owwww that hurt! What the hell was that!” she yelled still on the ground 

It was then that the rest of their team became aware, they weren't alone, somebody had found them… Trent was the first to notice the shine from a sniper scope on a building across the street “Over there i think thats Sier—”

*WHACK* 

 Right in the head as well, knocking him down, it's only when Courtney thinks fast that they manage to act “Trent! Quick Lindsay help them up and lets run!” The CIT holds her briefcase like a shield to give the blonde some cover as she helps out her team mates up to their feet “Are you like ok?”—  “Ugh yeah, we're ok, lets just get outta here!” Heather didn't hesitate, along with Cody and Trent they rose to their feet and ran for cover while Courtney blocked shots from Sierra

“Quick this way!” Thinking fast on his feet Trent took the initiative to guide his team leading them down an alley way where there could be no vantage point for Sierra to fire from “good thinking dude, lets cut through here and keep heading to the square!” Complimented Cody following behind his bandmate, unlucky for them however Duncan was waiting at the other side of the alley with a rifle of his own “Hehe yeah good thinking Elvis” 

The punk then proceeded to aim at the rival team and shoot a barrage of baseballs from the rifle hitting Lindsay in the leg before any of them could react, as soon as the raven haired musician saw this he ran back to the blonde “Lindsay!” 

She had fallen to the ground and held onto her leg as she held back tears “OWW! That totally gonna bruise!”  luckily Heather managed to hold her briefcase as a shield as well while Trent picked up Lindsay in his arms “WHAT NOW!?” yelled the queen bee as she held back the barrage of projectiles next to Courtney

Cody then noticed an open garage door in the middle of the alley, leading into what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse “In there! Come one quickly!” Team Amazon followed their resident nerd into the warehouse while avoiding further fire from the delinquent, and once inside he managed to pull down the metal door, saving them for now

While they were catching their breath for a brief moment Courtney was the first to speak up “Ugh how the hell did they find us!? No actually how the hell did they know to ambush us!? It's like they were waiting for us!”  Cody took in a deep breath and tried to compose his thoughts, it really didn't make sense unless… “Theyre tracking us!” 

Courtney’s eyes widened as she connected the dots in her head, it made perfect sense “What!? That's not fair! Wait, how are they doing it then?”  Cody thought to himself for a moment before coming up with a theory “they gave us those dolls, that's gotta be it!” it made perfect sense to the nerd why else would Chris place such importance on them

“Damn it, and we can't throw them away, we need to have them on us when we arrive at the square” added Heather, clutching the tiny doll in her hand, as cute as it was to look at a mini version of herself right now it was proving more of a nuisance than anything “I say we fight back, we have these gadgets, i bet we can ambush them before they try their next move, we can take them out and then move on to the square” 

While Trent made sure that Lindsay was ok and set her down, the blonde wanted to make her support for her friend’s plan known“I'm like with Heather on this one, I want payback on that Duncan!”  while the rest of Team Amazon rallied on the idea of fighting back Cody couldn't shake the feeling something was off

“Wait! What if this was all part of their plan?”  The rest of Team Amazon turned to look at him while he kept trying to make sense of things in his head “what do you mean dude?”  asked Trent, noticing the look of dread on his friend's face “what if they were shooting at us to make us go somewhere specific… what if they wanted us to come in here…” Cody then paused for a moment as he looked back at his team and then he looked up at the walkway right above them

“Clever nerd…” suddenly a heavy net fell on top of Team Amazon pinning them down and disorienting them “OH COME ON!!!” yelled a very frustrated Courtney as she tried in vain to fight her way out of the net “Im impressed Cody, you caught on pretty quick… just not quick enough” Alejandro made his way down through the stairs of the walk way with Gwen following right behind him “Alejandro, im kinda glad youre on my team, that was genius!” 

The Spaniard then walked past the pinned down Team Amazon and opened the garage door to let in Sierra and Duncan who were waiting right outside “Very well done my friends, the plan worked to perfection! Now all we have to do is wait for the time to expire and victory will be ours!” as the pair made their way inside they held their rifles aimed at them “Dont mention it Al, i cant wait to get back up to first class”  added Duncan, all while Sierra still refused to speak, only staring at Cody with cold dead eyes

While Team Amazon were pinned down and struggling to escape, Heather did her best to remain composed, in the middle of the struggle she managed to bring out the pocket knife that was provided to her, thankfully the warehouse didn't have the best lighting so they didn't catch her doing so, she then crawled towards a still struggling Lindsay and whispered in her ear “Lindsay, do your best and keep talking to distract them, i got a plan” 

The blonde’s eyes lit up, thank god Heather was as crafty and cunning as she had always been “All right! Leave it to me hehe”  Lindsay then proceeded to take in a deep breath and started yelling “AHHHHH LET ME OUT I THINK THERE’S A SPIDER IN HERE, A RUSSIAN SPIDER!!! THOSE ARE LIKE THE WOOOORST!!” 

The rest of Team Amazon were really confused for a moment, however thanks to Heather’s quick thinking she also crawled up to Trent and whispered her plan in his ear, and he in turned passed it on to Courtney, who passed it on to Cody, suddenly all of them started yelling as well

“LET ME OUT NOW!!! OR YOU’RE GONNA HEAR FROM MY LAWYERS I SWEAR!!!”

“1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 YOU HEAR THAT 9 IS MY LUCKY NUMBER!!!!”

“GUYS I THINK I'M ALLERGIC TO THIS NET!!! WHAT MATERIAL IS THIS!!! I NEED MY EPIPEN!!!”

Team Chris Is Really Hot were all confused, had they all lost their mind? What the hell was going on? “Pero que…? What’s their deal? Asked a very puzzled Alejandro, unable to even think straight with all the noise they were making “Maybe they're just being sore losers? I mean its on brand for Courtney” — “I heard that Duncan you jerk!!!”

While the commotion was taking place Heather was making quick work of the net while being unnoticed, cutting the links of the net one by one, once she felt the net loosen up enough she nudged Courtney, who was ready with her stun grenade in hand…

“ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT SHUT UP!!!!” Duncan was slowly but surely losing his mind at all the noise, god they could be so annoying, he really couldn't wait until this was all over and he could go back up to— “NOW!!!”  yelled Heather commanding the rest of her team to throw the net off of them at the same time, taking Team Chris is Hot by surprise

They managed to throw the net off and onto Gwen who was standing nearby  dropping her to the floor and tangling her in it, while caught in the confusion Trent saw an opening and wrestled the rifle away from Sierra, he then looked towards the CIT and yelled  “Do it now Courtney!!!”   

With the opportunity at hand Courtney took the pin out and threw the flash bang in the direction of Duncan and Alejandro, temporarily blinding them and making them shoot their baseball rifles all over the place, even managing to hit the sprinklers turning them on as well as a loud alarm, seeing his opportunity to sow even more chaos, Cody threw a smoke bomb on the floor to further conceal themselves

“LETS GET OUT OF HERE EVERYBODY!!!” yelled somebody from Team Amazon trying to find an exit “OH NO YOU DONT YOU MAN STEALER!!!”  they were suddenly tackled by Sierra who held them down with a taser in her hands  “ through here!!!” — “lets go this way!!!” many voices were heard but it was hard to distinguish who was who and where they were, thanks to that deafening alarm blaring

Once the smoke dissipated and Alejandro and Duncan regained their vision things managed to calm down a bit, the only member of Team Amazon that still remained in the room was being held down by Sierra “ I got HEATHER” but the rest got away” spoke the stalker with venom in her voice

“Ugh what!? I'm not Heather, I'm Courtney!!!”  seeing her mistake Sierra lowered her taser and got off of the CIT, frustration clear in her face she made way for Alejandro to approach the now captive Courtney and put handcuffs on her “well that means 1 down, 4 to go…”

While this was going all taking place, two things were now apparent inside the warehouse, the back door was open letting in the cool night wind, and there was now an open hole on the ground, with a metal cover laying next to it, making it pretty clear that the rest of Team Amazon had split up

Three blocks away from the warehouse

“I think we got away… but no sign of the rest, I think it's just you and me now Lindsay”  Cody did his best to catch his breath and walk slowly, still checking his back in case they were followed. “That was like, the worst thing ever, I hope everybody else is ok…”

Cody tried his best to offer a smile to the blonde in an attempt to cheer her up “im sure they are, Heather and Courtney are way scarier than anybody on that team… except for maybe Sierra, and Trent’s a smart guy, im sure they made it out, we’ll probably see them once we get to Red square”  Lindsay smiled back at her good friend, his optimizing was just as contagious as her own “Yeah you're right!! Let's go find that square!!” 

The unlikely duo ran into the night looking at the map they had in hand, they had to win this no matter what, they wouldn't let Heather’s brilliant plan go to waste

Tunnels underneath the Warehouse 

“That was really close… Are you ok Heather?” The queen bee was catching her breath and making sure all her equipment was in place, she looked up and took Trent’s hand as he helped her up to her feet “ yeah, we got to keep moving, they won't be far behind…” 

The raven haired musician looked ahead at the dimly lit tunnels, almost like a maze, it would be nothing short of a miracle for them to make it out and find their way to the goal, but if he had learned anything so far was to believe in his team “You did great back there… no wonder Cody is crushing so hard on you” 

Heather stopped on her tracks for a moment causing Trent to bump into her “what…” suddenly it felt as if he had said too much too soon “uhhh… “ the queen bee pressed on “what did you say?” Trent felt a chill down his spine, had he ruined things for his buddy? Oh god no… “yeah… he likes you… you knew that right? You guys are always like flirting and stuff?” 

Heather paused for a moment and looked into the darkness of the tunnels before looking back at the musician “i just… i wasnt sure anybody would like me… after how I treated everybody before… I just thought he was being nice…”  yeah, this was about to be a long awkward talk thought Trent to himself… yeah he was right about that.

Author notes

The challenge in Moscow is definitely taking many twists and turns, who knows who will come out on top, what i do know is that it seems like Cody and Heather are in way more danger than the others, Sierra is acting like a woman on a mission…

As for Courtney, she’s gonna have to face being in custody of Team Chris is Hot, i kinda feel bad for her, having to be around  Gwen and Duncan, we all know how much she likes that, but perhaps Alejandro will prove to be a bigger issue…

We also got to see a glimpse of things to come wayyyyy down the line, i failed to mention it last chapter, but perhaps many of you noticed i added a cameo from zoey from revenge of the island, and in this chapter Duncan mentioned a certain evil somebody he knew back in juvie… these are all pieces of lore for something bigger down the line, the day will come when we get to it, but for now it's just a bit of fun world building

Chapter 16

Truths and Dares

Monte Carlo Beach 10:55PM

The pale moonlight illuminated the white sands of the beach, there were many groups of people scattered around the water front, many of them with their own lives and stories to tell, such was the nature of life, however we would be focusing on a group of young adults currently sitting around a fire, laughing and joking with one another as they got ready to play what would be a very interesting game of Truth or Dare.

They played rock paper scissors to decide the order they would play the game in, and it so happened that Cody had come out as the loser of the game, as always it was in Courtney’s nature to take charge of things so while giving a devious smile she looked at the nerd through the fire crackling between them and spoke “Well Cody, looks like your strategy of always picking rock didn't work out huh? Soooooo what's it gonna be, Truth or Dare?” 

Cody felt a knot in his stomach, he was beyond nervous and unsure of what to do, however on the other hand him playing truth or dare with three very attractive girls was a dream come true to him, having said that the only girl he truly cared about not embarrassing himself in front of was currently also looking at him with a devious smile, the type of smile only a queen bee would give to her favorite subject

So with one last deep breath he matched Courtney’s energy and looked at her with just as much determination behind his eyes “I’ll pick dare, i aint afraid of whatever you come up with!” just as he responded the rest of the group started laughing and hollering, this would be interesting…

“Haha feeling bold huh? Well I dare you to kiss–” the devilish and tipsy Courtney couldn't finish her request before being interrupted by a certain blondie “Drink this like whoooole bottle of champagne by yourself right now Cody!”  both Trent and Courtney looked at the ditzy blonde with a mix of frustration and amusement, it seemed like they all had an unspoken plan that was accidentally thwarted by her

“Uhhhh sure yeah thats no big deal for me hehe”  Cody felt a mixture of relief and disappointment, it was pretty obvious they were about to dare him to kiss a certain someone sitting next to him, however as much as he would have loved to do so, he was terrified of her reacting in disgust to his affection… “Ok Mr tough guy, let me see you chug the whole thing then”  said Heather standing up and bringing the bottle to her friend

The chestnut haired nerd gave a goofy smile and uncorked the bottle, doing his best to down the whole thing in one swing, with the rest of Team Amazon cheering him on and laughing “Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” they repeated, only bolstering Cody to complete his dare, and after a good 10 minutes of trying his best the bottle was completely empty, once his mission was accomplished he threw the bottle behind his back and looked at his team and pointed finger guns at them “see~~~ piece of cake~~~”  

The rest of Team Amazon gave a loud cheer for their resident nerd as he sat back down and looked way more buzzed than he was just a couple of minutes ago “you allright buddy?” asked Trent with a devilish smile, having seen his good friend cut loose in the past he knew the guy couldn't really hold his liquor very well, which made it extra funny “yeeahhh~~~ im good my duuuuude” he responded

Doing his best to remain composed he looked back at the still laughing Courtney and shot her a look that promised sweet revenge “Okay Courtney, it's your turn~~~ truth or dare????”  the bossy girl wiped a tear of laughter from her eye as she sat back up “Right~ it's my turn now hehe, i’ll do truth! So hit me with your best shot Codemeister”

The rest of Team Amazon exchanged looks between themselves, on one hand they could ask anything they wanted, but on the other they didn't want to risk bringing the mood down by saying the wrong thing and ruining the CIT’S mood, they had to be as tactful as possible with her now more than ever, it was then Heather who broke the ice and asked her a question “Ok Courtney, let me ask you this, why were you crying earlier today when Lindsay invited you to come shopping?”

As soon as the queen bee asked her question the atmosphere turned tense, with everybody turning to look at Courtney, this seemed to make her smile disappear, she wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat and looked down “I think it's pretty obvious don't you think? I mean I cry every day about the same thing… I saw Duncan and Gwen walking around the resort holding hands… they looked so happy, it made me feel like I didn't mean anything to him” 

Trent Lindsay and Cody all gave sympathetic looks towards her, it really hadn't been that long since the break up had happened, so it was understandable she wasn't over it yet, however Heather remained stoic and responded “Courtney, you're allowed to feel whatever you want, but i know you well enough to know one thing… you're stronger than this, and you will feel better one day, I know I'm the last person you want to hear this from, but i believe in you, after all you're like the second strongest girl in the game after me of course” 

Heather’s words touched Courtney deeply, not in a million years did she expect the resident evil witch of Total Drama to offer her words of encouragement, and she also appreciated not being talked down to, she had to respect her for not dancing around the subject of her ex lover, it was a refreshing dose of reality that was missing in her outlook to the whole situation “I really don't know what got into you queenie, you're still rude and nasty, but i appreciate your words… Thanks Heather”

The queen bee gave a smirk and passed another bottle of champagne to her team mate “Hey that’s what friends are for right?”  Courtney accepted the bottle and nodded back with a smirk of her own “yeah… friends…” she felt happy she decided to come out after all

Once she took a swing of the bottle Courtney set her sights on a certain raven haired hippy, who was looking a little too smug for her liking, so with a smirk of her own she asked "Alright, we got a little too mushy just now, Trent! What’s it gonna be, truth or dare?” 

Trent raised an eyebrow and felt the pressure was on him, he hadn't drank enough yet to feel in a daring mood, so with his own smooth demeanor he responded “I aint got nothing to hide, i pick Truth” suddenly the mood had gotten back to being playful and after a short brainstorm between them it was Lindsay who asked a question burning at the back of her mind “Ok so like… are you still in love with Gwen? And how far did you go with her?” 

Needless to say everybody was a bit taken aback by how direct and bold the question was, with Cody unsure if he even wanted to know such a thing, and Courtney and Heather shuddering at the idea of knowing anything at all about the goth’s intimate life.

However Trent merely chuckled to himself and scratched the back of his neck as he responded  “uhhhh well…. I'm pretty sure I'm not in love with her anymore, that break up was pretty hard for me, and I only wish for her to be happy, as for the second part of the question… I’ll say this, a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell… having said that we only really kissed and held hands, nothing else”  with his question answered he took the champagne bottle from Courtney and drank from it, apparently speaking on his ex still wasn't the easiest for him

Upon hearing his answer, Lindsay let out a small yelp of happiness that went unnoticed by her team, she didn't think about it often but it seemed these days she held a fascination for Trent that hadn't been explored before, it was then that an amused Heather gave her opinion on the matter "You're a better person than me Trent, i would be plotting my revenge on her every day if i got tossed aside like you did on international TV, if you think about it, me tricking you during season 1 was a blessing in disguise” 

Trent merely rolled his eyes at the queen bee, say what you will but she wasn't entirely wrong “OK, ok enough about me, it's your turn Heather, truth or dare?”  With her usual vigor Heather closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she met the challenge at hand “Unlike all of you I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, I pick dare!”  

Things were once again getting interesting, and as the rest of Team Amazon plotted on what they could possibly dare the fearless queen bee to do, it was Lindsay who thought of something to break down the confident front she was putting on “Oh oh i know! I dare you to shave your head again!” 

Heather’s face immediately dropped and she now wore a look of disbelief and amused rage “EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!! ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!” The queen bee’s reaction caused a roaring laugh among all of them, with Cody trying his best to restrain Heather from going after the blondie “hahahahahah! You gotta admit it queenie, that was funny”  added Courtney as she did her best to stop her laughter at the ridiculous request “yeah right, easy for you to say, i got so desperate during season 2 i was thinking about shaving your head and using your hair as a wig y’know!” 

They had all forgotten that detail when they watched season 2 back then, as much as losing her hair was a blessing in disguise for the queen bee, it was also a grim reminder of how far Total Drama pushed them both mentally and physically, this made the raven haired musician a bit uneasy so he thought of an easier alternative “Riiight…. Uh in that case I dare you to go for a swim in the ocean”  

Heather to her credit simply stood up and said “I’ll be right back, save me some champagne” the queen bee walked towards the water and disappeared in the waves, gracefully swimming under the moonlight and diving underneath the water for a moment, before appearing once more and walking out of the water and towards the bonfire and straight towards Lindsay

The ditzy blonde gave a sheepish smile towards her friend, a bit uneasy at how the queen bee was looking at her with a cold glare “hehehe, like no hard feelings right Heather?”  While true she was a bit annoyed at the earlier joke, she didn't really hold any resentment towards Lindsay, instead she smiled back and gave her a hug "you're so annoying you dumb blonde” she broke the hug leaving Lindsay soaked in ocean water, she then looked towards the raven haired musician and yelled “Trent! pass me the bottle!” 

He once again gave his signature laid back chuckle and did as the queen bee demanded, with Heather taking a drink from the bottle she once again set her sights on Lindsay, with a wicked grin she asked the expected question “all riiiiight~~~ its your turn blondie, truth or dare?”  

Lindsay giggled to herself and looked around the bonfire at the expectant faces of her team mates, she realized she felt a bit shy once she locked eyes with Trent, and so she decided that for this round she would take things a bit easy “Like i pick truth, i’ll try dare next round hehe” Heather gave a sigh of frustration, her playful revenge would have to wait for now “Boo youre no fun…. Ok whatever uhhhh how old were you when you had your first kiss?” asked the queen bee

The whole cast gave a teasing holler to the question, as if it were a huge deal to talk about, Lindsay however giggled mischievously at the question, these games were always so silly to her “Oh uh i was like 14 i think? It was at the beginning of highschool, with this boy I think his name was Scott Pilgrim? I'm not sure but i think he moved away to Toronto shortly after or something like that, I wonder what happened to him hehe” 

After hearing Lindsay’s story it prompted the rest of Team Amazon to tell their own stories about their first kiss and how it happened, it all seemed to follow the pattern of awkward childhood/teenage romance, it was then Cody’s turn to tell his story, not before Trent interjected trying to move the game along, assuming his friend’s first kiss was Sierra overstepping boundaries while he slept, however much to his surprise the nerd spoke up “Hey i havent told my story!”

While slightly taken aback, the musician obliged and allowed his friend to tell his story “oh uh, sorry dude yeah, when was your first kiss?” it wasn't unnoticed by everybody but Cody how Heather suddenly perked up and paid close attention to what he was going to say “Well I had this neighbor growing up, she used to come over all the time since i was like 1 year old, my parents and her parents were really close, so we kinda grew up playing together and hanging out all the time, she also always used to have a flower in her red hair” 

Having known Cody for some time now everybody was a bit taken aback at his story, and they were paying even closer attention, specially Heather “And well, she was my best friend, but when we were 10 years old her parents were going to move away, i think her dad got a better job in Vancouver or something, so a day before she had to leave we spent the day together and right as we were saying goodbye for the last time she kissed me on the lips and ran away… i never saw her again after that and its been many years… her name was Zoey” 

Once he finished his story Cody then looked into the night sky as he recalled his long gone friend, with a lifetime of memories behind his gaze it was pretty obvious what she meant to him, the rest of his team however had mixed reactions, with Lindsay clasping her hands and reacting in an emotional manner “OMG thats like the saddest and cutest story ive ever heard… i hope one day you guys like reunite” 

Heather however couldn't really hide her annoyance, not that she could tell why, it's not like it mattered if Cody had a long lost childhood love, she didn't care, why would she care, he was just a friend and nothing else, she stood up from her spot and got all up in her alliance members face to move on the game “ALL RIGHT ENOUGH TALKING ABOUT FIRST KISSES, IT’S YOUR TURN AGAIN CODY TRUTH OR DARE!” 

The queen bee did her best to restrain her emotions as she tried to move the game along, Cody did however notice a shift in her attitude,  “uh are you angry at me?”  poor oblivious Cody couldn't really understand what had set her off and being a bit tipsy wasn't helping him figure it out any sooner “ANGRY? WHY WOULD I BE ANGRY! WERE HAVING FUN RIGHT HAHAHAHAH!” answered Heather barely holding back her true feelings on the matter

In the meantime Trent took some pity on his friend and tried to help him “if i were you dude id pick dare again, the less questions you answer right now the better” both Courtney and Lindsay giggled at the scene unfolding in front of their very eyes, just seeing two dorks not understand their feelings was proving to be beyond amusing

The nervous nerd simply swallowed in fear and decided to follow Trent’s advice “I-I pick dare” a mischievous smile appeared on Courtney’s lips, maybe it was a little too soon for the odd couple to confront their feelings, but she thought of a way to make things even more amusing for now “I dare you to  pick anybody here to sit on your lap for the remainder of the game!”  yep she was an evil genius even if a little tipsy

Cody froze in place as did Heather, but the rest of their team eagerly looked on to see what the nerd would do, as for what that would be he weighed his options… he obviously wanted to pick the queen bee, but what if she got even angrier…. They were in such a good place in their friendship he didn't want to lose that— 

But just as he looked at her he saw clearly through the light of the fire, how she had a blush on her face and her demeanor shifted to that of shyness and annoyance rather than rage “What! What kind of dare is that!” as she protested against a laughing Courtney shaking her in place, Cody however once more mustered up every ounce of his courage and spoke up

“I pick Heather!” the queen bee once more froze in place once she heard her punchy picked her, both Lindsay and Courtney let out a very teasing laugh and holler “welp, you heard the guy, take your seat Heather” added Trent more amused than anything, seeing the queen bee’s despair as both hilarious and cathartic

“Oh come on! Why do i have to, its not even my dare or anything you guys are just—” Heather did her best to protest having to follow through in Cody’s dare, not that she hated the idea of sitting on his lap, but she could not stand being mocked or made fun of, her pride was too big to allow it “uh… its ok Heather you dont have to, its a dumb dare haha” Cody spoke up once more, trying to save her from being embarrassed or having to stoop so low as to get that close to him… it saddened him a bit seeing her reaction, but a part of him expected it… after all why would a girl like her want to get close to a guy like him…

Heather looked back at Cody and saw him give her a weak smile, obviously trying to hide how he really felt… she had been too brash in protesting the dare she didn't realize how it might've made him feel “Its ok Cody, i can sit on your lap instead!” spoke Lindsay as she stood up and walked up to the brown haired nerd

And in just that instant it dawned on the queen bee…. She didn't want ANYBODY ELSE to sit on his lap, that was HER FRIEND, and HER ALLIANCE MEMBER, so to hell with what others would think, she was the queen of Total Drama after all, she ran past Lindsay and straight towards Cody, sitting right there on his lap as if it were a throne “He picked me, so its whatever ill do it!” 

Heather crossed her arms and closed her eyes making a confident face, trying to show her team it truly wasn't a big deal if she sat on his lap, not noticing how Cody had turned a shade of red so bright it almost rivaled the brightness of the fire, he shared a look with Trent who gave him a thumbs up and an encouraging smile, so far the game had not disappointed in being fun…

Courtney, still very much tipsy and in high spirits, had to applaud the odd couple for following through in their dare “Allright Heather and Cody! Hahaha you guys rule!”  The queen bee responded by giving back a smug smile while blushing, for now it was her turn to take revenge on the CIT “Glad you're enjoying the game Courtney, because it's your turn, truth or dare?” 

Courtney took a sip of the champagne and looked back at her friendly rival,  for better or worse she was truly enjoying their banter, but she was very sure of herself, there was nothing Heather could throw at her to make her falter in resolve, so as she matched the smugness of the queen bee she stood up and answered back “I pick dare! So hit me with your best shot! Just as long as you don't fall off of punchy’s lap hahah”

Heather stared back not dropping her smile but still letting her annoyance be known through a twitch in her eye, thankfully she had a brilliant idea to kill three birds with one stone… “I dare you to kiss Trent” after a brief pause of silence a collective “WHAT!?”  was heard from Trent Courtney and not surprisingly Lindsay

This time it was both Courtney and Lindsay who stood up and protested saying basically the same thing at the same time “Why do/does I/She have to do that I/She doesn't even like him!” Heather was enjoying her payback, also spotting the awkwardness in the raven haired musician's face “Uh uh uh, a dare is a dare right? Also why are you protesting Lindsay? I dared Courtney not you” 

Lindsay was about to protest once more but she simply opened her eyes really wide and looked towards Trent, who was also at a loss for words and wide eyed at the whole situation, maybe she didn't really understand her own feelings yet, but it was clear the idea of him kissing anybody else was unacceptable to the blonde…

She sat back down and decided to think about what she was feeling… it was truly puzzling to her… as for Courtney she let out a deep breath and resigned to her fate, she walked towards Trent and locked eyes with him “Um… do i get a say in this?”  asked the raven haired musician, clearly unsure of what to do, and feeling very very guilty, for as good looking as Courtney was… his desire was for somebody else’s lips…

“Nope, it's a dare…” Courtney gave a seductive smile as she grabbed his face, she leaned in ever so close to him so that they were mere inches apart, and just as they locked eyes and their lips were about to touch she whispered “as if…” 

The CIT instead moved past his lips and kissed him on the cheek, turning back to look at Heather who finally let go of her smug expression “Hey what was that? You didn't kiss him!”  Courtney simply laughed back and countered “You only said to kiss him, you never specified where, sooooo it still counts ha!”

Honestly you couldn't argue with her logic, even Cody managed to break free from his drunken euphoria at having the girl of his dreams sitting on his lap long enough to comment on her brilliant move “Cant argue with her logic”

Heather simply let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back on Cody, taking another swing at the almost empty bottle of champagne “whatever~~~~~ who’s next?”  

A still stunned Trent looked at both Courtney and Lindsay as he stood up, it was quite the close call, although more than anything it gave him clarity to understand his thoughts and feelings way better than before, to him it was clear without a shadow of a doubt he had no feelings for Courtney, as for Lindsay…. It was still a bit more complicated, but for now he was just gonna leave those thoughts for later and have fun “Im next, and i pick dare!”

His unusual loud confidence did not go unnoticed by the group, who somehow all realized at the same time what the image of Trent standing on a Beach at night reminded them of, so with a wicked smile Heather introduced the dare “do you remember back in season 2 when you had a dance off against Leshawna at the beach…. I dare you to dance like she did”

Trent’s eye twitched as he stood there in silence, causing his team to erupt in laughter once more “Oh god no…. Anything but that!” just the thought of embarrassing himself was enough to cause him to plead and beg for mercy, but he would find no such thing, instead Courtney took out her cellphone and started playing some old school beach rock and roll “You heard the queen bee, show us what you got Le-Trent!” 

So without a way out, and with the smiling faces of his team, the musician let out a chuckle as he started dancing around the bonfire, performing all sorts of embarrassing dance moves for his team’s entertainment, even going up to each and every one of them and making them stand up to join him in his daring dance, and thanks to the various bottles of champagne already consumed they all decided to join him in his bizarre punishment

As the cheerful and sugary summer song played Team Amazon danced around the fire, with Lindsay and Cody dancing next to Trent matching his silly looking moves, all while Heather and Courtney danced and spun around each other,  seeing the unexpected pair have fun together was quite the scene, so much so that Trent couldn't help but comment on it “I can’t believe the two of you are getting along, right on!”

Both girls turned towards the musician and leaned on one another trying their best to remain on their feet, all the dancing and drinking making it difficult to keep balance “Hey! She aint so bad~ she’s just loud and bossy but underneath all of that she’s soooooo fun” yelled Heather with a wide smile on her face and hugging the CIT close to her

As for Courtney she also made her feelings on the queen bee known “Yeah! I agree, I am fun! And so is Heather, underneath all the scheming and bad attitude she’s soooo nice!” Both girls hugged one another and fell down on the sand laughing as the song came to an end, the rest of their team decided to also lay down on the beach and look at the stars, with her earlier sadness now a distant memory for now Courtney smiled and tried to continue the game “this was a great idea… also its your turn Lindsay” 

Lindsay however simply remained still and curled up next to Trent, happily falling asleep, it seemed like the combination of being outside most of the day shopping, performing on stage, and drinking had gotten the best of the blonde, who could only muster a couple of final words before she drifted off to her dreams “I… dare you… to take me back to the resort…. Admiral Lindsay… orders you zzzzzzzzzzz”

Team Amazon all sat up and looked at the ditzy blonde sleep with a smile on her face, not a worry in the world, thanks to her they all had a great time and bonded even more than ever before, they all shared a look of mutual understanding and stood up together, with Trent  carrying the blonde on his back they all walked back to the limo, ready call it a night 

Royal Resort Monte Carlo 12:35AM

Once they arrived at the resort and made their way inside, they all headed back to their rooms one by one, with Courtney and Heather taking Lindsay to her room and putting her to bed, while both girls were feeling more and more tired and drunk they gave up going back to their own rooms “the bed is big enough right? We can just like…. Sleep here right?” asked Courtney with tired words to which Heather only responded with agreement “yeah… like a slumber party….. Just gimme a sec” 

The drunken queen bee stepped outside the room for a moment just to find Cody waiting outside about to knock on the door holding several shopping bags the girls had forgotten about earlier “I uh brought these up for you girls heh” Heather gave him her signature confident smirk, even while drunk and tired she was still her usual confident self, and she would take any chance to tease her punchy “is that the only reason you came? To bring our bags?” 

Cody was also a bit tipsy, and feeling quite confident with himself, so far this had been one of the most memorable nights he’d had during the filming of the show, so with all that had happened tonight he felt no fear in admitting his thoughts “Actually… I wanted to see you, I wanted to say good night…”

Heather smiled seeing his drunken confidence, she took the bags from him and ran back to her assigned room leaving the nerd standing by himself in the hallway very much confused with her behaviour, she wasn't gone long however, she came back running to Lindsay’s room now holding a familiar looking small plush bee in her arms “Me and Courtney are gonna sleep in Lindsay’s room, so we won't be having our night talk tonight…so my little queen bee here will keep me company”

The smile and blush that appeared on Cody’s face was priceless, if he ever needed even more confirmation that Heather cared about him there couldn't be a more obvious sign, he looked at her with nothing but care and yearning in his eyes and reached for her hand, softly squeezing it “Goodnight Heather…”

The queen bee sobered up for just a fleeting moment, feeling a rush of emotions flow through her entire being, it was unexplainable to her how this could be, so she decided to stop questioning it just for right now, with that beautiful and sincere smile she only reserved for him she leaned over and kissed his cheek “Goodnight Punchy…” just as soon as the moment came and went she closed walked into the blonde’s room and closed the door behind her leaving Cody frozen in place in the hallway, after a couple of minutes he started walking back to his room, still with the same shocked smile on his face funnily enough.

Inside the room Heather stood by the door for another moment, laughing to herself and letting herself feel whatever it was that was happening “.... I heard and saw everything…. Did he give you that little bee?”  spoke Courtney finally snapping the brunette back to reality, even a still asleep Lindsay chimed in somehow “Thats like soooooooo~~~~ cute~~~~~”  

The queen bee was too tired and drunk to yell or fight back any allegations so she simply walked towards the bed and collapsed on it next to both girls “whatever… goodnight….” Lindsay adjusted herself and moved over to give space to both girls “heheh~~~ good night~~~”  Courtney also gave some space and relaxed her head on the pillow, feeling the sleepiness and exhaustion slowly take her she smiled and spoke one last time “goodnight…. Thank you for inviting me to hang out… I had a lot of fun…” Heather turned her head to her new friend and smiled her usual assertive smirk “that’s what friends are for Courtney”  thanks to the honesty provided by alcohol both girls felt comfortable admitting their bond, and thankfully sleep came by pretty quick that night…

Monaco International Airport 6:00AM-Final day

All good things have to come to an end, that included the all expenses paid vacation they had all taken, thankfully it had been exactly what they all needed

Everybody felt in top shape and full of energy, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead of them, both teams stood outside the jumbo jet waiting for both Chris and Chef to appear, funnily enough they hadn't run into either of them while at the resort, not that any of them wanted to

Team Amazon had spent their remaining time after the shopping spree and night at the beach hanging out with each other, playing by the pool and enjoying all the amenities offered to them, and thankfully both Cody and Trent were completely fine, with the former’s therapy bringing his health back to normal, perhaps making him a bit more resilient

As for Trent his wrist wasn't bothering him much anymore, he still had a brace on but he could safely play his guitar, even giving lessons to the rest of his team while they had free time at the resort, with Lindsay being his most eager student, she seemed to pick up the instrument pretty naturally, the blonde kept mentioning that music came naturally to some of her family members, mentioning a certain uncle Charlie that lived somewhere in Philadelphia, apparently the guy had written a musical or something

While things had fallen into a sort of new normal, the biggest shock of all was the fact that Heather and Courtney had managed to stay friends even while sober. They still bickered and verbally fought here and there but there seemed to be a mutual respect and even a level of fondness behind their banter, with Lindsay usually being in the middle of it enjoying how silly her team mates could be

As for Team Chris is really really really hot, they all seemed to be in different mind sets, nobody had seen Alejandro during their stay at the resort, although rumors around Monte Carlo were that he spent most of his time around the casinos and lounges in the city, he wore his usual confident and smug look as he crossed his arms and leaned against the stairs to the jet, his expression almost impossible to read, but it was certain he was up to something

Duncan and Gwen had spent their time together at the resort the whole time, they were seen in walking around many times, often either by the pools or going to the local punk and metal shows, they both seemed relaxed and content with themselves, yet oddly tired from all the partying they had done over the week.

And then there was Sierra… the poor girl had also been missing the whole time, no rumors of where she had been or what she had been up to, she merely stood by her team with a vacant expression on her face, as if she were unable to feel any emotion at all…

It was then that a red convertible car drove up to the jumbo jet, with both Chris and Chef stepping out confidently, they were both visibly tanner and in great spirits, with Chris smiling his usual sociopathic smile he greeted the cast “Welcome back to reality everybody hehe, did you all have fun during the week? I know me and chef did” 

Courtney couldn't help her curiosity and spoke up “we didn’t see you at all at the resort? What were you guys up to?”  Chris and Chef both chuckled at the question, almost as if they expected the question “Oh we didn't stay at that tiny motel you kids are calling resort, me and chef stayed at a REAL expensive and fancy resort hehe” Courtney rolled her eyes as usual, speaking to Chris was as unpleasant as always

The host then walked in front of the whole cast and addressed them and the cameras “Anyway, I hope you're all prepared for the next stretch of locations, it's gonna be just as brutal and challenging as ever, so all you crazy kids better give it your all, because there's no more vacations, just challenge after challenge until only one of you is left standing and wins the one million dollars!” 

That speech lit a fire under all of them, earning a collective “Yeah!” from everybody… except Sierra who remained quiet “Allright, everybody head to your respective cabins! Say goodbye to Monaco because we're leaving right now to our next destination!”

Both teams then boarded the plane, looking back one last time at the beautiful paradise they were leaving behind, uncertain of where else the show would take them, but as far as Team Amazon was concerned they carried a newfound trust and bond that would help them face whatever challenge came their way.

Pilot’s Cockpit 6:20AM

Chef Hatchett felt good, he had spent the last week resting and enjoying himself, working out and re discovering his passion for the culinary arts, it helped that he wasn't cooking for no annoying teenagers

Still it was pretty annoying that Chris had decided to hang around him the whole time, it was as if the guy had no friends, which was understandable, he was way too vain and annoying for most people to tolerate

As he readied the aircraft to take flight the aforementioned host came in to the cabin drinking a coffee and looking over Chef’s shoulder “here we go again hehe, you ready to fly this baby once more chef?”

Chef rolled his eyes and looked at the host with a confident smile “yeah! I'm all relaxed and ready to give these kids hell!” Chris for his part gave his usual evil chuckle and sat on the co-pilot’s chair “Thats what i like to hear, now set course for Russia!” 

Author notes

And so the cast leaves towards another country where another challenge awaits them, next challenge will be full of new drama and new dangers, so hopefully everybody manages to make it out unharmed this time

This chapter was quite a mushy and heartfelt ride for Team Amazon, we got to see them have fun playing truth or dare and develop their friendships even further, with the tension between Trent and Lindsay rising, as well as Heather and Cody getting bolder in their interactions, maybe she isn't ready to explore the feeling further for now, specially with everything at stake for her during the competition

Chapter 15

Fun and Rest

After a long day of filming a reality show things tend to slow down for the night, not only are the contestants exhausted from facing death defying challenges, the whole crew that makes these challenges possible is also beyond tired, not that any of those teens would ever think about it.

So the prospect of having a week of rest in a luxurious place like Monte Carlo felt like a godsent, and Chris Mclean couldn't wait to get to it as soon as possible, having given Chef Hatchet the green light to change course to the resort town as soon as possible.

11:20PM

*Intercom* 

“Attention Total Drama World Tour contestants, this is your host with the most speaking, prepare for landing!”

That statement by the sadistic host sent a chill through every single contestant that heard it. How could he possibly expect them to compete after only a couple of hours of rest, it was inhumane!

First class cabin

After spending some time together Team Amazon had decided to call it a night and rest up, however that was clearly short lived, it was Courtney who decided to vent her frustrations first as her screams were heard through the whole cabin “YOU CANNOT BE FOR REAL RIGHT NOW!!”  she had just laid her head on her pillow right before Chris decided to interrupt her much needed rest and needless to say she was angrier than words could possibly describe

The CIT kicked her door open stepping into the main cabin dressed in her sleep wear and with red eyes full of anger, she was joined by a very calm and sleepy looking Heather who also kicked the door to Cody’s room open and walked towards her “Courtney… i say we just do it, let’s kill him once and for all…” the queen bee was clearly in a state of euphoria as her anger had circled all the way back to calmness, with one of her eyes twitching and her lips twisting into a murderous grin.

Courtney had to find a semblance of calmness once Heather approached her, as enticing as the idea might be she had to keep a cool head, and seeing her team mate dead set on her plan brought her down to earth  “As much as I love that idea Heather, if the bastard dies there's no show, and if there's no show there's no million dollars” 

The duo was also joined by a very sleepy Lindsay who stepped out of her room and shuffled slowly towards the queen bee and rested her head against her shoulder “hey~~~ admiral Lindsay orders you all to sleep…..zzzzzz”  it wasn't clear if she was sleep walking  or not but the ditzy blonde just had to make her presence known to her friends discussing the morality of murdering the host

All of a sudden the aircraft started to descend at an insane speed causing the trio occupying the cabin to fall against the cabin bar “AHHHHHHH!!! WHY ME??!!!” yelled the now fully awake queen bee as she held onto her team mates for dear life, both Lindsay and Courtney did the same while screaming in fear

Thankfully the turbulence was short lived enough, with the jumbo jet landing smoothly on the air strip, the cabin steadied and the girls were no longer being crushed against the bar “I 100% believe chef does that on purpose” spoke Courtney as she picked herself up from the floor “Im gonna go change, i’ll see you both out there, who knows where we are and what they're gonna do to us ughh” the frustrated CIT made her way back into her room clearly ticked off at the chaos that wouldn't let up

Heather and Lindsay also stood up and looked at one another in confusion and worry, however Lindsay couldn't help herself as a devious smile appeared on her face “were you still in Cody’s room?” the simple question caught the queen bee off guard and a deep red blush appeared on her face “wh-what? Why would i- what i was just…. SHUT UP!” apparently Heather was never good at hiding her emotions when it came to that particular subject, this made Lindsay giggle in amusement, seeing that side of the queen bee never got old

However a voice could be heard coming from the still injured nerd’s room “Help…. Too weak to get up…” upon hearing this Heather’s eyes shot wide open and she rushed back into his room to help her friend, somehow he had ended up under the bed due to the turbulence, the ditzy blonde observed the urgency in her friend’s dash to help the boy, with the same caring smile she always wore she merely mused to herself “Love is such a sweet and silly thing…”

Monaco– Monte Carlo 11:30PM

Both teams were standing outside the jumbo jet, their faces reflecting their exhaustion and their injuries still not healed whatsoever, on one side there was Team Chris is really hot all of them in a terrible mood and bruised, standing in silence and looking around, trying to figure out where they were exactly “we only flew a couple of hours, so were still in Europe, maybe France or another part of Italy?” spoke Gwen leaning against Duncan for support “Maybe it's gonna be another sleep deprivation challenge like back in season 1, jokes on them though, you and i made it to the end back then, this will be a piece of cake”  responded Duncan with his trademark bad boy grin

On the other side was Team Amazon, also looking in rough shape, with Trent still nursing an injured wrist and Cody still bed ridden they were in a clear disadvantage however both Courtney and Heather were standing tall and unflinching, something both girls had in common was their drive to win and even if morale was low they wouldn't go down without a fight

Courtney narrowed her eyes and took in her surroundings, while they were still at an airport she could see a city in the distance and it looked to be quite a luxurious place, but she knew better than to let her guard down “With both Cody and Trent out of commission it's up to the three of us to give it our all, you got that Lindsay?”  the blonde nodded happily as she took out a white navy hat from behind her “Roger that Courtney, Admiral Lindsay is gonna give it her all!” 

Trent couldn't help but chuckle at her charming antics, this however earned an eye roll from the two other girls, at least her spirit was in the right place “My wrist may be messed up but i’ll do what i can, maybe the challenge won't be too physical right?” the musician could only hope he was right, the timing couldn't be worse for a challenge…

These thoughts would have to wait for now however, as both Chris and Chef stepped out of the plane wearing serious expressions, they walked to the front of both teams and stood there for a solid minute without saying a word, just staring coldly at each contestant one by one…

The tension kept building and both teams were unsure of what would happen next, it was almost too much to bear, it was Courtney who lost her patience first as she spoke out loud “Well—” “DONT INTERRUPT THE TENSION!!!”  Chris couldn't help himself as he rudely cut off the CIT before she could let a word out 

Chef let out a chuckle, mocking Courtney sure never got old “Hehe you got her good”  the host smirked and turned to the cast once more “thanks, that always feels good” that level of mockery almost made her lose her mind as she briefly pondered Heather’s earlier offer to get rid of the host once and for all… oh what a sweet dream that was

“Anyway, allow me to welcome you all to Monte Carlo, one of the premier travel destinations in the world, this luxurious city in the heart of Monaco is a symbol of the European dream, with beautiful resorts and beaches, as well as a thriving night life its quite a paradise hehe”  the host was in high spirits it seemed, that was historically never a good sign for the cast, with every word he spoke the tension and fear kept rising in each of them

Chris was relishing in the fear that was very much palpable in the air, and he would make sure to keep the torture a bit longer “Before I continue, where's Cody?”  Team Amazon looked at each other anxiously unsure of what to respond “He almost died just a couple of hours ago! He’s in bed resting!” It was Heather who stepped forward and defiantly spoke against the host with an icy glare

The rest of her team rallied behind the queen bee as she spoke “yeah like, he's gonna like rest tonight we can do the challenge without him!”  it was Lindsay’s turn to speak up against the host, she liked and respected Cody, and seeing what a good influence he was being on Heather she had all the incentive to stand up for him now more than ever

“Hmm, skipping out huh, you know what that means… if he is too hurt to compete then…”   Heather’s blood went cold in fear… she would never forgive herself for costing her friend his spot on the show, the guilt would hang over her like a heavy cross, but there was nothing she could do, she only hoped Cody would forgive her

“......... IT'S NO PROBLEM, BECAUSE WERE NOT HERE FOR A CHALLENGE, THIS IS A VACATION!!!!” the world stood still for a moment, there was just no way Chris had said that, it's impossible hell would freeze over before he did something nice for them, surprisingly it was Alejandro who spoke first “what do you mean by that… like you're going to vacation while we endure some cruel punishment or something?” 

The rest of the cast still looked on edge about the whole thing, it was then that Courtney added on to the spaniards point “yeah like, what do you mean exactly by vacation, what's the catch?” Chris looked a bit irritated at the line of questioning, as if he were incapable of doing something nice…. Ok maybe he was incapable without literally life or death circumstances, but still

“Look, you're all in rough shape, you've been traveling the world non stop for several weeks now, and last challenge almost killed all of you, so the producers and i came to the agreement that you needed some time off to relax and get back in shape… also we don't want to get sued by any of your families”  so now it made more sense, the fear of legal repercussions seemed like the only way to get through to the show

“So for the next seven days, you will be staying at a luxury resort in Monte Carlo, feel free to do as you please, each one of you will be given a Total Drama credit card allowance, to spend on food or shopping or whatever else you kids want, you will also get  your own room at a resort  so no need to stay in the jumbo jet for a week, you can venture into the city as you please as well, but remember you're still part of Total Drama World Tour so you'll still be filmed when you're out and about” 

You could excuse the lack of reaction of the cast due to this having never happened before, it was too good to be true, and everybody was still on edge, after all who would be dumb enough to trust anything Chris would say?

Duncan, not being one to shy away from a challenge, stepped forward in clear irritation and spoke up“Dude this is freaking us out just tell us the catch and get this challenge going!”  the rest of his team rallied behind the punk ready for a rematch even if they were all still very much not rested or ready, growing frustrated with the line of questioning Chris simply started to walk away and in a very dismissive tone addressed the cast “I give up believe whatever you want, me and Chef are going to the resort, there's a bus waiting outside the airport ready to take you as well, see you weirdos in a week, Mclean out!” 

And so with no fanfare or hidden agendas the sadistic host and his brutish assistant walked away and got in a sports car driving away, leaving the still very suspicious and paranoid cast behind

Nobody dared to move away, Chris had probably rigged explosives around them, or perhaps the real challenge was to see who would be the last one to leave the plane, there was just no way they were getting a week off it was inconceivable “...you guys think this is real?”  spoke a hopeful Trent, seeing that 10 minutes had passed and nothing had happened so far

“No way it's real! They're probably waiting for us to lower our guard and then wham! Something horrible is gonna happen!” responded a very impassioned Courtney, there was no way she would fall for the host’s tricks, she was way too smart for that “but um, like how would that be entertaining television, us just standing around? Also i think those are all the interns leaving over there” Lindsay pointed out as a whole army of underpaid and overworked interns walked into the airport leaving the jumbo jet unmanned

Having seen every single person leave the aircraft and leave them behind as well as Chris and Chef seemingly gone gave them all hope, it was only when Gwen spoke that it truly settled in for everybody “Cant believe I'm saying this but… Lindsay is making a good point, I think this is real….. We get to relax at a 5 star resort for a week…”

It was then that a unanimous shout of celebration was shared by everybody present, Lindsay hugged both Trent and Heather while jumping up and down with them, Courtney fell to her knees and let out a cry of joy into the heavens, while Gwen and Duncan shared their most passionate kiss to date, however both Alejandro and Sierra seemed way more subdued in their reactions, with the former choosing to simply walk away and make his way to the transport to the resort

As for Sierra she was smiling to herself, it would be the perfect opportunity to hang around her one true love Cody, she would make sure to never leave his side  all day every day, she was going to nurse him back to health and book them a couple’s massage, and every night they would walk on the beach and also— “I’ll go get Cody, I can't wait to give him the good news!”  the fangirl’s fantasies came to a halt as she heard a certain queen bee speak

As Heather made her way back into the aircraft, Sierra observed closely the scene in front of her. She had been so focused on the game and making it to the merge that she really hadn't paid much attention to her former team since she left, after all nobody else in it mattered apart from her Cody… 

She looked towards Team Amazon as they started discussing their now absent team mate “It's still so weird seeing Heather act like that, i mean she can still be pretty mean and stuff but, when she’s around her punchy she seems so…. Full of life”  said Trent in a joking fashion earning a giggle from both Lindsay and Courtney “I think it's adorable, and how flustered she gets when i like mention it, it’s so much fun teasing her about her crush” added the ditzy blonde

As for Courtney, she simply crossed her arms and gave a calm smile “Hmph she’s way too obvious about it, and i dont even think she realizes she’s in love with him yet… but it is very sweet seeing them together, i think they make a cute couple… dont ever tell her i said that…” 

Sierra was dumbfounded at what she was hearing, since when was Heather into Cody? There was no universe in which it made sense, she was the resident evil witch, a cold hearted woman that would never even look at a guy like her pure hearted Cody, they were probably just being sarcastic right?

While Sierra kept trying to convince herself there was no way it was true, it was what she saw next that truly changed things….

Cody and Heather were walking out of the plane, clinging to one another, the queen bee was assisting him on his way down from the aircraft, and that look… the look her Cody was giving her…. She had never seen it before, it was so tender and full of love, his eyes were fixated on the queen bee, taking in her beauty as it shined in the moon light, he still looked bruised and weak, but his gaze remained fixated on Heather, so confident and sure of himself, it was the eyes of somebody in love….

The wounded nerd looked away from his crush for a moment as he descended the stairs and addressed his team “Guys! Is it true? We get to hang out at a resort for a week?”  he flashed his signature smile as he asked this, causing Heather to let out a chuckle “What? You don't believe me? If you want I can leave you in the plane by yourself for a week!” teased the queen bee making the rest of Team Amazon laugh in amusement as Cody scrambled awkwardly to apologize

Once they descended the stairs of the aircraft Team Amazon walked away together into the bus, ready to enjoy themselves and leave their worries behind, not unlike any group of friends you would find across the world getting ready for a summer vacation, yet as they walked away they failed to notice as they left Sierra behind all by her lonesome as she stood in the shadow of the jet

Seeing that scene unfold up close was what truly broke the fangirl’s spirit, the ache in her heart was something she had never experienced before, it was as if a dagger had stabbed her very soul, her world was falling apart, how could this happen? What had she done wrong? She thought she did everything right! she always showed Cody how much she loved him, how much she was willing to sacrifice for him… 

Her eyes welled up with tears, she couldn't handle the pain… so she simply walked away, into the bus… she needed to think, to be alone…

Royal Resort Monte Carlo 2:00AM

Once reality had settled in for the whole cast they had taken their luxury bus to the Royal Resort of Monte Carlo, possibly one of the most beautiful places on earth, where not many would ever get to experience such accommodations in their lives, but now it was a reality for everybody present

Once they stepped out into the glamorous palace they could truly take in the sights that lay in front of them, it was like a palace carved of glass and stone, not merely a hotel it was more of a castle full of elegance perched at the edge of the Mediterranean, with thousands of colored lights illuminating their surroundings

As they walked towards the entrance they could admire the beauty of its gardens and the people swimming by the pools or dancing by the trendy looking night clubs surrounding the hotel, simply put it looked like paradise on earth.

Once inside, the snooty looking general manager of the hotel welcomed them all with a grandiose gesture, after all to him they were more than VIP’s, they were famous celebrities competing in the most famous show on earth, they were to be treated as such.

He gave each one of them a key to their own rooms and a black and gold credit card to be used during their stay for anything they might fancy while they experienced Monte Carlo, and with not much else to discuss everybody went to their own rooms to rest for the night.

Heather was about to help Cody make it to his room but her own exhaustion and injuries were starting to get the best of her, it was then that Lindsay volunteered to take her to her room, and Trent would take Cody to his, so without much energy to protest they made sure to exchange one last look for the night before they departed for the night

Cody’s resort room

Trent made sure to help out his buddy Cody make it to his room, thankfully Team Amazon would be staying close to each other with all of them sharing a whole floor of the resort so it wouldn't be an issue if they wanted to hang out with each other, once they made it to his room, Cody laid down on his bed and let out a deep sigh of relief, finally able to truly rest up and recover from his wounds

Before making his way to his own room Trent pulled up a chair and sat by his friend’s bedside “Well dude, I spoke to the hotel manager guy, he said that Total Drama paid for any medical attention we might need, so hopefully before the week is over we’ll be back to 100% ”  the musician leaned back into the chair as he held his wrist, seemingly deep in thought

“Well that's good news… I thought i was going home hurt like last time, i just hate feeling like a burden” the chestnut haired nerd leaned back into his pillow, he was deep i thought about how everything was turning out, he didn't regret risking his life for Heather, but a part of him deep inside was worried he would end up being sent home due to his injuries, after all last time it happened it felt so deeply humiliating

Trent gave a somber chuckle as he stood up and walked towards the window overlooking the beautiful night sky “I can't speak for everybody, but I'm pretty sure we wouldn't let that happen, specially Heather, I don't know how but she clearly cares a lot about you huh?” Cody couldn't help but smile at his friend’s remark, honestly he couldn't explain it either, everything just felt so natural with her, and his heart couldn't deny what it was feeling any longer

“I guess so, it's hard to believe things turned out this way, but I'm not complaining, I just don't want to mess things up, I want to keep trying my best, and I want to be good enough for her…”  as Cody confessed his insecurities the raven haired musician in turn, he merely turned back to his friend and looked at him with a gentle smile “You know, i sort of get it, wanting to be good enough… the truth is, in the end the only thing you can be is yourself, you have to learn to love yourself, and forgive yourself, you're only human, if you constantly doubt yourself… you'll end up losing the things most important to you” 

Cody felt the sadness behind his friend’s words, it was pretty clear he was speaking from experience “Thanks, i needed to hear that… dude you're like the team’s psychologist at this point”  Trent let out a laugh and sat back down next to his friend, relaxing once again “ im still trying to practice what i preach, but i got a feeling were gonna make it my dude” 

In the end, both young men were glad to have each other's backs, they had been through many hardships over the years, and now more than ever they needed to lean on one another to make it far, after a while Trent left the room to let his friend rest for the night, he himself looking forward to a week of rest and to hopefully clear his mind and heart.

Over the next couple of days the cast of Total Drama immersed themselves into truly taking a break and enjoying themselves, during the first two days Cody stayed in his room playing video games and receiving medical attention, slowly regaining his strength and stamina

Every once in a while Trent or Heather would show up to keep him company, and slowly but surely he was beginning to feel strong enough to walk around the resort and hang out with his team.

While this was all taking place Courtney had tried her best to relax and keep her mind in check, trying not to stress over things out of her control, often finding herself attending yoga classes at the resort or working out at the luxurious gym facilities, it was clearly very hard for her to slow down knowing that at the end of the week she would go back to the fierce reality show.

Still undeterred however she kept trying to force herself to find peace and quiet, so she decided to go down to the pool and read a book to try and unwind, she made her way to one of the vacant chairs under an umbrella and sat back “Allright, time to rest and relax, no stress just reading my book and enjoying this beautiful sunny day!” It was quite impressive how she could even be controlling over what was supposed to be a stress free activity, but that's Courtney for you.

The CIT spent about an hour lounging by the pool, and truthfully she was beginning to enjoy herself, the vibe around the resort was comforting, it was almost contagious how the good spirits of those around her made her feel at peace, a waiter would come by every once in a while and bring her a refreshing drink, and she was truly engrossed in her reading, not many things could bring her mood down… but sadly life doesn't always work out that way.

While Courtney got half way through her book she put it down for a moment and observed her surroundings, a tiny little twinge of sadness was at the back of her mind, she couldn't explain why, it was almost like a sixth sense telling her to go back into her room, to hide away, telling her she was undeserving of any type of peace, but why was she feeling this?

So almost like a crashing wave, she saw it. Just a couple of feet away there was Duncan and Gwen, both of them walking hand in hand, smiling at one another, clearly enjoying their time together without a worry in the world, just a couple in love…

Courtney observed closer, looking at her ex boyfriend, he looked so happy, he was holding the goth’s hand tightly, she tried to remember if he ever looked at her that way back then, if they ever had a chance to be a happy normal couple, or were they always fighting?

She couldn't remember… but what was clear to her now, was that he had moved on, he wasn't thinking of her, the delinquent was just living his life, loving another girl… a girl she once called a friend, they both looked so happy… So why was she still feeling this way, why was she so obsessed with everything that happened? Why did they get to move on while she still felt so miserable… 

Courtney couldn't handle it… she had to go away, she didn't want to cry in front of everybody, she had to run away, so she grabbed her book and her things and ran back into the resort, holding back tears of a broken heart, she hated feeling like this, no matter how hard she tried this break up kept tearing her apart, and she kept being reminded of it over and over, maybe this was one of those bad days Trent was talking about…

Just as she made it into her room she scrambled to bring out her key card and open it, no longer able to back her tears she fell to her knees in frustration and let out her emotions “ Why am i like this, why do i care? Why do I still miss that stupid jerk? Why does he get to move on and be happy?  It's not fair!” she thought to herself, with rage and frustration getting the best of her, she was beginning to doubt if she was even capable of being happy again, or if it was even possible

As the CIT cried at the entrance of her room a soft and caring voice spoke from behind her while placing a hand on her shoulder “Courtney… are you like ok?” Courtney looked up with tear filled eyes at Lindsay who wore a concerned face, having witnessed her breakdown as she was leaving her own room

Over their time on the show they had never really been on the best of terms, remembering how back in season 2 they clashed often, and with how cut throat and competitive Courtney could be it was very difficult for both of them to form a bond, but right now without a competition or any hidden agendas Lindsay only saw a girl who was having a hard time, and she wanted to help

Courtney choked back some tears and wiped her with her wrist “Lindsay, its none of your business just leave me alone”  a part of her felt bad for being so rude to her team mate who was just checking on her, but the CIT hated being pitied “I know its not like my business, and you don't have to tell me what's going on… but like I can tell you're having a hard time” 

Courtney stood up once more, composing herself and taking a deep breath she responded with her trademark sarcasm“Me? A hard time? nah im having the time of my life, there's nothing wrong with me!”  Lindsay knew better than to keep trying to pry into the bossy girl’s business, however she didn't want to just leave her alone 

“Um, I was like about to go shopping with Heather, would you like to come with us?”  

At that moment the CIT thought about 100 ways to say no to the invitation from the ditzy blonde, as if she needed her pity, she wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with her or Heather, like seriously why would she ever— “i think it would be fun, and i want us to be friends, just like you're friends with bridgette”

 Courtney’s  train of thought came to a halt, looking into the eyes of her team mate she saw sincerity in her words… Maybe it wasn't pity or any other underhanded intent behind the invitation, and maybe it was ok to give it a chance, after all it's not like she could feel any worse right now…

“....ugh gimme a second i’ll get changed” Lindsay gave a smile and a small excited clap, happy to see she had gotten through to Courtney, same as with Heather perhaps these bossy and scary girls werent so bad afterall

Resort main lobby 2:34PM

Heather was sitting on a very comfortable looking sofa by herself, earlier in the day she had gone to see Cody in his room, the chestnut haired nerd had been undergoing physical therapy and his recovery was going well, the pair had breakfast together and walked around the resort for a bit, enjoying each other's company in a low stress environment allowed them to feel a bit of normalcy in their lives

The queen bee was starting to really get to know him more and more, often laughing at his cheesy jokes or listening to his wacky stories of being on tour with his band, she couldn't help but smile at the nerd’s charm, who knew such a kind soul was under all those layers of nerdiness and awkward attempts of flirting

However their morning walk was interrupted by Lindsay who kept insisting the both of them go shopping with her, as she really didn't feel like being alone, however Cody wasn't clear to leave the resort quite yet so he wouldn't be able to join them, and before Heather could refuse as well, Lindsay looked at her with puppy eyes, tugging at some of her remaining guilt from their shared past

So she agreed to go shopping with the blonde bombshell, while Cody stayed behind to hang out with Trent and play videogames in his room, they would see each other later and hang out anyway so it wasn't a big deal… she just missed him a tiny little bit…

While her mind wandered elsewhere she saw in the distance her blonde team mate approaching her with a smile on her face as she waved her hand in the air “About time! Let's get going Lindsay, what took you so– Courtney?”  Before she could finish her sentence she spotted Courtney walking beside the blonde, wearing her signature annoyed expression and her arms crossed “Hiiii sorry for making you wait, i ran into Courtney and asked her to come with us, so now it's like a Team Amazon girl’s hang out!!!!” 

Both Heather and Courtney couldn't help but roll their eyes, not that they didn't enjoy the blonde’s company but they were far from sharing her enthusiasm “i just felt like coming along, i need some new clothes anyway so dont think this is anything else hmph!”  Courtney spoke her mind, unwilling to show any vulnerability to Heather, after all after Alejandro, it was the queen bee who was the biggest threat in the competition

“Whatever i dont care, as long as i get to shop for some cute outfits im good” responded the queen bee, not playing into Courtney’s bad vibes, and so the three girls left the resort and hopped into a limousine that took them into the city

Monte Carlo shopping district 7:30PM

Once in town the girls walked around from shop to shop, making use of their Total Drama credit cards, they bought new swimsuits and some winter clothes just in case they ended up in another frigid country during the competition, not to mention countless different shirts, skirts, shorts, shoes, accessories…. Basically anything they thought would look cute on them

As they shopped and walked around carrying their now heavy bags, they couldn't help but unwind and forget about the many stressful things they lived in their day to day, right now they were just three girls hanging out as friends 

“Heather, how about you get yourself a new outfit, I'm getting tired of seeing you wear those same shorts everywhere we go!” spoke Courtney in a teasing manner, her mood very much improved from earlier “HA! Yeah right, this is my trademark look, you just wish you looked half as good as me when i wear these, why don't you wear something more interesting than that grey sweater”  shot back the queen bee in an equally teasing fashion, earning a laugh from the CIT and the blonde 

As they walked back to the limo Lindsay was smiling and enjoying the company of her team mates, happy to see both Heather and Cortney get along “This is like sooo much fun, but this is like too heavy to carry around… and im like hungry” the CIT had to agree with her, they had gone a bit overboard in their shopping, however she got an idea “lets just leave these bags in the limo, and lets find something to eat, I don't feel like going back to the resort yet”

Lindsay’s face lit up with excitement, why hadn't she thought of that earlier, thank god Courtney was such a smarty pants “OMG yes lets eat something around one of these fancy restaurants, what do you say Heather?”  the queen bee looked a bit uneasy, while it was true she was having fun, another part of her wanted to go back to the resort and hang out with Cody, she really didn't want to miss their night talk “mmmm im a bit tired, we can just eat something at the resort right?” 

Upon hearing the lame excuse Courtney and Lindsay shared a knowing look and they both grinned “hmmm are you sure you're tired? Or do you maybe want to hang out with your punchy?” 

Heather turned to face Courtney clearly blushing and flustered “WHAT!?” both girls couldn't help but giggle at the queen bee’s uncharacteristic reaction to being teased, it never got old “awww its ok Heather, im sure Cody will like still be awake by the time we go back, lets just hang out a bit more” 

“I-YOU–WHA— ugh lets just go eat something I'm starving!”  the teasing was too much for Heather to handle, so she walked towards the limo and threw her bags in and walked away in a huff trying to regain her composure

Courtney followed suit and placed her bags inside the limo while continuing to laugh “Hahah, that will never get old!” deep inside she felt grateful towards Lindsay, maybe this was what she was missing all along, a nice day out with friends, she had hardly thought about the depressive bout she felt earlier, and even if Lindsay was a bit clueless and Heather a bit standoffish, they were fun to be around…

Restaurant chante de tout ton cœur 7:50 PM

After wandering around a bit more the girls decided to walk into a peculiar restaurant illuminated by a neon sign of a piano and a microphone, it looked pretty trendy and fun so they decided to give it a try, once inside they sat at a table next to a stage, eager to try the food and perhaps watch a nice classy performance to accompany their meal

“This looks really nice, good pick Linds!”  spoke Courtney while looking over the menu, it was all written in french but thankfully there was translations for every dish, it seemed as if all the dishes had music puns which seemed a bit tacky to the CIT, but even so, it was pretty cute

“Hehe, i just like the bright colors, but i also can't wait to see who is going to sing and perform, it's so exciting!” so far even if they had to sing with every challenge they competed in Lindsay had grown fond of performing, and music in general, thanks to seeing how invested Trent would get into composing music and performing had really infected her with a love of the arts 

Heather could only give a small smile at seeing the ditzy blonde so enamored with the ambience of the restaurant and the arts “Hey earth to Lindsay, the waiter is coming back soon, we got to decide what we wanna eat”  she said snapping her fingers, bringing the blonde back to earth

After a couple of minutes a very enthusiastic waitress approached their table with a notepad in hand eager to take their order, however once she stood in front of the trio of girls her eyes widened in excitement “Excusez-moi, i will be ze waitress for tonight, but allow me to ask, are you Heather, Lindsay and Courtney from ze Drame Total???”  

The trio looked at one another in disbelief, at times it was hard to realize the fact that they indeed were celebrities, and even being so far away from home they could be recognized, in an almost confused manner Lindsay spoke softly “uh oui?”  

As the waitress stood there for a moment grasping the reality of having the honor to serve three Total drama contestants, Heather whispered to her team mates “is she ok?” not a second later, the waitress ran away and came back with a whole squad of waiters and waitresses who started to take pictures with the girls, and asking for autographs, which in turned garnered the attention of the rest of customers at the restaurant, who enthusiastically surrounded their table

After a good 10 minutes of this Courtney finally spoke up loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear “OK ENOUGH! ME AND MY FRIENDS JUST WANT TO EAT AND ENJOY SOME PEACE AND QUIET, WE APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT BUT THATS ENOUGH FOR TONIGHT!!!” The whole crowd of people stood still and quiet, only to erupt into a loud cheer and applause “elle crie comme dans la série!!”  

After Courtney’s outburst, everybody calmed down and went back to their tables, with the waitress apologizing and making sure to take their order and send many bottles of complementary champagne to their table “thanks for that Courtney, if you hadn't done it I would've”  complimented Heather as she enjoyed her salad

“Dont mention it queenie”  responded the emboldened Courtney with a wink “Um girls, they keep like sending us bottles of champagne… are we allowed to drink that?” asked Lindsay, a bit unsure about what to do. “I mean the legal age to drink in Monaco is 18, and all three of us are 18 soooooo….Yes?”  answered the CIT also unsure about how to approach the situation

Having heard enough justification, Heather picked up one of the bottles popping the cork into the ceiling and served three glasses “Well if that's the case, cheers! To Team Amazon!” Lindsay and Courtney grinned and followed suit in cheering with the queen bee “Cheers!”

40 Minutes later

After they finished their meal, all three girls were in really high spirits and feeling amazing, being treated like celebrities and hanging out was bringing the best in them, able to enjoy each other's company and joke around, this was exactly what was missing for them to truly bond

And needless to say, the champagne was helping a lot, while not drunk yet, they were feeling quite a buzz in their systems “Ok ok….. We like…. Gotta get back to the resort” spoke Heather between giggles “Oh will ya sthap it… Cody aint going anywhere heheheh” responded Courtney also acting like a giggling mess and teasing her new found friend

“Oh yeah? Well i-i uh, he’s just a fwend…” being a little tipsy made it hard for the queen bee to retort back any sort of snark, so she merely laughed and sank back into her chair, however she was pulled into a hug by Lindsay who was also very much buzzed “there there Heather, itssss ok to like nerdy boys”

While being held into the blonde’s very generous bosom, Heather could only lift a finger and talk back in a muffled voice “He’s not that nerdy….. And you like musical boys anyway what do you care”

This remark made Lindsay jolt up “wha what???? Musical boys??? Trent is just like the sweetest friend eveeerrrrrrrrrr i dont like him and his dreamy voice and eyessssss” 

Courtney couldn't help but laugh and fall out of her chair seeing the pair of girls take turns flustering each other, it had been a while since she felt like this, perhaps it was the effects of the champagne or maybe it was her letting her guard down, in the end she was just happy to be hanging out with friends.

While Courtney stood back up and sat back in her chair, the waitress from earlier approached their table once again in a very excited mood “Excuze-moi, miss Courtney, miss Heather and miss Lindsay, was everything to your liking?”  all three girls composed themselves trying to act as sober as possible “Um yesh, it was all perfect, thank you very much, here's my card, pleash give yourself a very generous tip” it was Courtney who offered her card, afterall she hadn't used it much so far and she was very much grateful to be out anyway

“Oh zat wont be needed mademoiselle, ze owner of ze restaurant is a huge Total Drama fan, so today your meal is free!” all three girls let out a cheer, seriously what a perfect night they were having so far “However, we do have a request, would it be possible for ze three of you to perform on stage?” 

Their collective cheering came to a stop, and their eyes widened, maybe they misheard, were they actually being asked to sing right now? “Um you want us to sing?” asked the CIT, while she looked around the room, the whole restaurant seemed to be staring at them waiting in anticipation  “Oui, it would be an honour to hear you sing live” 

Heather was about to decline the request, as flattering as the service had been, they were on vacation and there was no way they would be caught dead sin— “OMG of coursh we will sing! Right girls?” 

Of course Lindsay was more than eager to oblige and so she accepted without a second thought

The excited waitress ran off into the stage to get things ready while it left little time for the trio to compose themselves “Lindsay! What did you do!” screamed Heather while shaking the ditzy blonde, before she could respond the waitress spoke on the microphone “Welcome all, tonight we have a very special performance by none other than international super stars and members Drame Total, Lindsay! Heather! And Courtney!” 

Suddenly a spotlight shined on their table and an applause once again erupted in the restaurant, with all three girls smiling awkwardly and waving towards the crowd, suddenly a team of waiters walked them all on stage and set up the stage for them to perform a song

While on stage Heather smiled and spoke through her teeth “... i have no idea what to sing…”  Courtney stepped aside as well, feeling lost on what to possibly sing “Any ideas Linds?”  while the ditzy blonde was enthusiastic about performing she had no idea what to do either if only Trent were here to help them…

Funnily enough, through the crowd of people who gathered around to watch the performance two figures made their way on stage with the girls, “thank god we found you!” Both Trent and Cody jumped on stage with the trio “Punchy! Trent!”  shouted Heather both happy and confused to see them

“What are you guys doing here? How did you find us?” asked Courtney puzzled and impressed by the duo “Cody got worried cause Heather hadn't returned yet, so i snuck him out of the resort and we saw the limo parked outside so we figured this is where you girls were, also nice to see you girls” explained the musician as he waved at the now roaring crowd excited to see all of Team Amazon together on stage

“Hehe i uh, wanted to hang out with you girls too you know” added Cody while scratching the back of his head and earning a nudge from the queen bee, finding his worry for her endearing “Omg Trent im sooooo glad you're here, we gotta sing something for these nice people hehehe”  

Trent smirked and brought out his Guitar, even if his wrist was still bothering him, he could still try and perform something, plus a part of him really didn't want to let down Lindsay “Leave it to me Linds, yo Cody, get on that keyboard, lets play that one song we never recorded” Cody merely gave a military salute and took his position “wait what about the lyrics?” asked Courtney still unsure about what to do 

“Dude we've been making up songs on the fly this whole time, just sing whatever comes to mind” responded Trent as he quickly tuned his guitar “ugh whatever lets do this girls” both Heather and Lindsay looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders “ehh what the hell yeah!” cheered Heather while all three girls took center stage

Song starts

The stage goes dark and a loud cheer is heard when suddenly purple and pink lights illuminate the stage, with Heather Lindsay and Courtney all dressed with stylish clothes they had bought earlier, all three of them wearing sunglasses

Trent starts strumming his guitar with a simple pop punk rift, with Cody also playing the keyboard two notes at a time in time with Trent’s strumming

Heather: All that i want, is to keep my style, to feel that im all right and i aint gonna die

Courtney: All that I want, is the hole in my heart, to fill up and not cry, and i will survive

Trent and Cody: Hard times!

Lindsay: Gonna make you wonder why you even try!

Trent and Cody: Hard times!

Lindsay: Gonna take you down and laugh when you cry!

Trent and Cody: these lives!

Lindsay: And we're still not sure how we even survive?

Trent and Cody: Hard times! Hard times!

Lindsay: And wait till we get to rock bottom!

As Lindsay sings the chorus, several waiters and waitresses are dancing in the back ground, doing a choreography matching the rhythm of the song, as footage from all the seasons of Total Drama plays in the background, showing all of the past contestants getting hurt in rhythm to the music

Heather: flying around, through all the rain clouds, hanging over our heads! We hope we won't go down

Courtney: Where will we go? Give us some sort of sign, you hit us with lightning! Who knows if we'll stay alive!

Trent and Cody: Hard times!

Lindsay:  Gonna make you wonder why you even try! (hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry! (these lives) And we still don't know how we even survive? (hard times! hard times!) and wait till we get to rock bottom!

Heather and Courtney dance on stage with the lights flickering around them, while Lindsay grabs her microphone and stands next to trent as she sings her song, the two of them locking eyes and smiling at one another

Lindsay : Tell our friends were coming down. We'll kick it when we hit the ground…

The melody turns sweet and slow as Lindsay sings softly getting distracted while looking at Trent strum his guitar so carefully, almost hypnotically, so much so that she gets distracted repeating the same thing over and over

Lindsay: When we hit the ground….  When we hit the ground….

 When we hit the ground….  When we hit the ground….

Suddenly both Courtney and Heather grab the ditzy blonde bringing her back to earth as they spin her on stage and position her center stage for the finale

All Team Amazon: Hard Times!

Lindsay:  Gonna make you wonder why you even try! (hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry! (these lives) And we still don't know how we even survive? (hard times! hard times!)

Heather and Courtney: Makes you wonder why we even try, Makes you wonder why we even try, Makes you wonder why we even try

Lindsay: And wait till we get to rock bottom!

The stage explodes with purple and pink colored smoke behind Team Amazon, with Cody and Trent posing in the background while all three girls pose besides each other putting on their sunglasses

Song end

Once again the whole restaurant explodes into a loud cheer, celebrating Team Amazon with many shouting for autographs or trying to storm the stage to get even just a bit closer to them, but as the cast is celebrating their performance on stage, the crazy waitress makes her way to them and helps them leave through the back stage area, as to not be disturbed any further

Once outside Team Amazon were still pumped with adrenaline and hugging and high fiving one another “ guyyyyyssss that was so awesome i love you all!!!” cheered Lindsay grabbing everybody into a group hug, with all of them welcoming the affection after all, so far there was nothing but good feelings all around

“Im so glad we came out to find you girls, that felt awesome!”  added Cody while looking into Heather’s eyes who also met his gaze and smile “ Merci beaucoup, zat was an amazing performance, please enjoy these bottles of champagne, courtesy of ze owner, have a wonderful night!”  the waitress congratulated the Total Drama cast once more and gifted them 3 chilled bottles of champagne for them to enjoy

“Uh can we drink those?” asked a worried Cody, he had never really tried alcohol before so it worried him a bit if he would get in trouble “Dont worry about it punchy, this is Monte Carlo hahahah” responded a still very buzzed Courtney wrapping her arm around him like he was an old friend “AHEM!, don't call him that”  said Heather as she quickly grabbed Courtney off of her alliance member

Courtney felt a bit flustered, but she didnt want to make a big deal of it, she was having too much fun “Right right, sorry hehe… hey guys how about we drink these over there!”  said the tipsy CIT while pointing at the beach that was nearby

Trent smiled and walked ahead of the group “Heh sounds good to me, common lets go chill by the water”  and so Team Amazon made their way to finish up the night chilling on the luxurious and sandy beach

Monte Carlo Beach 10:50PM

As they made their way into the beach, they spotted an electric bonfire they could just turn on to relax and enjoy the ambience surrounding them, as they sat in a circle looking into the fire, they passed the champagne between them, hardly any words being spoken

It was then when the mischievous blonde got a brilliant idea“Mmmm im bored, how about we play a game?”  This caught the attention of everybody as they looked towards Lindsay “Lets play Truth or Dare!”  

Cody couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach, Truth or Dare was one of those games that could get very interesting very quickly. What if he was dared to kiss somebody? Or what if he had to tell a very embarrassing truth? What would Heather think of him?

“Heh im down, the rest of you down?” Trent put his guitar aside as he adjusted himself in his seat, it could be a fun game, maybe he could find out more about his team mates or maybe figure out whats been on Lindsay’s mind about him…

A pretty buzzed Courtney seemed excited about the idea so she voiced her agreement“Suuuuure why not, i aint got nothing to lose, plus you guys are soooooo fun”  it was beyond weird seeing her in such a good mood, but nonetheless it was a welcome change of pace to see her act so nice

Finally it was Heather who let her thoughts be known “yeah, lets play, it sounds fun~” she looked at Cody as she spoke, giving him a wink, maybe it was the champagne, or perhaps she was feeling bold tonight, whatever it may be, the night was far from over…

Author Notes

Things seem to be heating up in all the right ways, and now Team Amazon is gonna bond even more, after such a fun day, it only makes sense to have a fun night

This was a pretty long chapter, but i still wanted to get through plenty of more, we got to see Sierra witness how things have changed in her old team, and whats more, she is now aware of Cody’s crush on Heather, who knows what she will do, or if this will bring danger to our heroes

As for Courtney this was a pretty sad reminder of her feelings, thankfully Lindsay and Heather were around to help cheer her up, hopefully she learns to lean on her friends and not let her negative emotions get the best of her

I thought a lot about it and i figured i wanted to add another song, they are always fun to add to a story, with this one being a paramore song that i figured felt in line with how the contestants might feel on a daily basis