Disclaimer: I will get around to coming up with a new pun for this line someday.

Author's Notes: I HAVE RETURNED!...yeah, this has been a long time coming hasn't it. I have thought often over the past year and a half whether I would get back to this, but I could never bring myself to declare it dead. Believe it or not I was worried I would not be able to properly convey how I see the characters developing. My goal has always been to create something new and fresh that explores ideas not frequently seen in the fandom and I preferred not continuing to doing it wrong. I also wanted to make sure that the characters' actions were believable in context of how the story has developed thus far. If only I could apply this perfectionism to other things in life...*sigh*.

Finally, I couldn't post this without a word of thanks to my pal RufusTSerentiy for his suggestions and thoughts as I pulled together this latest chapter. Hopefully this offering lives up to your expectations after such a long gap.


Chapter 12: Sum of All Fears


Another day dawned to find the campers one more forced to sample Chef's...delicacies. Cody, Owen, and Noah sat at one end of the Gopher table, the geek exchanging glares with the isolated Harold who occupied a place on the opposite end of the table.

"If you focus your eyes a little more, Cody, I bet lasers will shoot out. Harold will never see it coming."

Cody did not respond to his friend's prodding.

"Our little buddy has been staring at him for days, though I feel like it's been far, far longer." Owen sighed. "It's almost as depressing as hanging with the Bass was."

"Still thinking about that are you?" The bookworm raised an eyebrow. "Didn't realize it would affect you so much considering all the crap going on with our team."

"At least people on our team talk to each other. Those guys didn't talk to each other. Like, at all, man."

"Talk to each other, he says." Noah rested his forehead on his palm. "Have you seen just how dysfunctional our team can be? There is enough tension to support a small bridge. God knows if anything will change soon."

"It can't be that bad...we keep winning challenges."

"Only because the other team is completely incompetent. How Katie and Sadie got lost in the woods for hours. I prefer not to think about it. The only time they won was when our team literally didn't do anything. It's like their team is built to fail or something."

"That isn't very nice, dude. Besides, didn't Bridgette and Trent get lost in the woods for a while?"

"How 'lost' they were is a matter of debate to some on the team. Gwen sure has her doubts." The bookworm smirked as he pointed in the goth's direction. "If Bridgette truly has a phobia, then by definition it is irrational, which easily explains why it took so long. I don't envy Trent for having to deal with someone it that state of mind."

"You think anything happened?" The blonde raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Do you?"

"Um..."

"Come on...think it through..."

"No?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Owen eyes drifted to Cody then back to Noah. "I don't want Cody to be hurt."

The bookworm looked ready to correct his friend's thoughts, but decided not to. "Sure, why not. I think nothing happened for two reasons: One, clothes were not wrinkled. Two, would you really imply that the guy with the mantra 'Protect Bridgette from the EEEVVVIIILLL Courtney' would suddenly take advantage of her at her most vulnerable?"

"I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does." Noah quickly stole a glance at the other team's table and his voice sunk to a whisper. "So...our Bass friend managed to learn quite a bit about the team. I guess he figured he convinced you to remain silent?"

Owen gulped. "Yeah..."


Confessional

Owen: *In a whisper* "He would have convinced me to remain silent too if Noah hadn't specifically told me to tell him anything Justin said not to. All that stuff about my little buddies and the rest of the team abandoning me for sharing secrets would never happen...right?"

Noah: *yawn* "Someone is supremely self-confident. Or just really unconcerned with being found out." *he twirls a small piece of paper in one hand* "And, if this note is anything to judge by, awfully fond of blackmail. Hmm. Owen sees me writing notes to myself, tells Justin and only Justin and now I get a note less than a day later saying someone knows my 'secrets'...as if." *turns the page of the book in hand* "Still, better to play it cautiously and see what he plans on doing with the leverage he believes he has."


Further down the table, Trent brooded, his food untouched, and not simply because it looked like a cross between assorted fish guts and worms. He occasionally stole a glance at Heather who sat all alone a little ways down the table.


Confessional

Trent: "That whole incident with Courtney's diary really got rid of her quickly. Considering how many 'friends' Heather has made so far she will easily be voted out whenever we lose again." *He pauses to rub a bead of sweat from his brow* "But when will that happen? Not that I want to lose, but the team balance is in our favor. Will we even lose again before the merge weeks in the future? Do I - we, the team - want Heather free to torment others till then?"

Bridgette: "Heather has continued to be a pain these past couple days. I've tried to talk with her, see what her problem is but she doesn't respond." *sigh* "I don't like saying it, but I think Trent may be right." *Her eyes widen and she shakes her head vigorously* "What am I saying? If she gets voted out, she gets voted out, but I don't want to give up on anyone. If nothing else I don't want to see her hurt like Courtney was. And people like her even less." *she leans her head back* "Why is trying to do the right thing so hard?"

Heather: "At the rate things are going the team may not have another vote off till the merge. Even with how things stand now, I am sure I can get someone else voted off if we do actually lose a challenge."


Gwen sat alone, or alone as one could be at a table with so many, working on a sketch. She could feel someone looking over her shoulder and, without a moment's hesitation, she whipped her head around, a scowl on her face.

"What do you want?"

"I was just admiring your artwork." Harold muttered.

"Well...don't."

"But it's really good, I'm sure of the others would appreciate it as well."

"I don't care. Go away."

"As you wish." The nerd scooted back to his place on the bench. Before he went back to prodding the food with a figurative ten-foot pole, he felt one last burning question. "Was that your house?"

The goth gave him a hard stare for nearly ten seconds before sighing. "Once."

"Moving is never fun." The nerd's tone, while annoyed, was mostly lighthearted.

"Nope." Her reply was almost to faint to hear. Harold would have missed it if his ears weren't so well tuned to listen for the faintest sound of ninjas.


Confessional

Harold: Well, at the risk of being harsh I can see why Cody has shown more interest in Bridgette than Gwen. I can't help but feel sorry for her all the same.


Across the room, the Bass were also wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Tyler sat across the table from Lindsay. The blonde was chatting with Katie, attempting to cheer up the girl in her own way. The jock's mouth slid into a warm smile.


Confessional

Tyler: "I haven't had any new breakthroughs with Lindsay, but I know I can get to her. It's only been a couple days after all" *He looks back and forth as if he expects to see an ear against one of the confessional walls* "Justin has been less focused on us the past couple days. I wonder why, but I'm not going to let this chance slip by. I'll wait until Lindsay has finished chatting with Katie though, that girl needs someone to talk with a lot more than I do."

Katie: *sniffles*

Lindsay: "Tyler reminds me a lot of Tyler...think they've ever met?"


Blissfully happy for the time being, Tyler turned to his right where Ezekiel and Izzy sat across the table from each other, an awkward silence reigning.


Confessional

Ezekiel: *He opens his mouth to speak, but quickly closes it. He tries again but is no more successful. After another couple attempts, he lets out a heavy sigh and leaves.*

Izzy: *She sits in the corner, back against one wall and staring blankly at the other.*

Tyler: "I feel like something is off with those two."


"So...are you guys ok? You're more...quiet than normal" The jock inquired. Perhaps he shouldn't have expected more than the silence he got in reply.

It was at this moment that a slightly off Chris decided to stroll into the dining hall, quieting all conversations and internal monologues.

"Good morning campers! Who's ready for today's challenge?" The silence was deafening. "Come on guys, this one is guaranteed to appeal to each of you on a personal level."

"A personal level?" Harold made the question almost sound like an insult.

"Of course, because today you guys are all going to face...Your Worst Fears!"

Most of the campers looked too stunned to speak. Not all, though.

"Were you always planning on this challenge, or did you just come up with it in the past couple days?" Heather inquired.

"So, are there any questions?"

"Um, hello, Chris?" The queen bee did not look amused.

"No questions? Good." The host with the most pulled out a list. "This one should make for great television! Everyone outside on the double!"

Most of the campers put up surprisingly little resistance as they filed out of the room, hoping the sooner they started the sooner the nightmare might be over. There was one notable exception...

"Hey, man, your hair is off." Justin stopped in front of the host, a comb in hand and an extraordinarily white grin on his face. "You can borrow mine. Can't have the host looking frazzled on international television."

Chris expression was a mix of annoyance, a hint of gratitude, and a large about of distrust, but with less than a moment's hesitation he snatched the proffered comb and, using a pocket mirror, straightened his appearance. The job done, and the room now empty, the host with the most released a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding and walked outside.

"Alright, campers. First off, Heather! A ring is set up for you on the talent show stage. If you can get your...sumongous opponent out of the ring, you'll win a point for your team!"

The queen bee's jaw all but hit the ground. For once she was rendered speechless.

Gwen, meanwhile, was enjoying herself more than was likely necessary. "Should be fun to see the witch get a taste of her own medicine."

"While that is going on, we will also be testing how well Izzy and Owen deal with heights. Chef has a plane ready for you guys. If you can deal with being in the air for an hour, you each get a point for your teams."

Chris looked down at his clipboard for a moment before continuing. "One last thing, campers. Seeing as we have a frankly disgusting inequality in teams at the moment, I am going to award the win to whichever team manages to get the higher percent of their team to face their fears. Bass, I better see a win from you today! I'll announce who is going next after we all get to see Heather humiliated."

While the other campers headed towards the makeshift arena, Owen and Izzy stared wide eyed at the plane parked in a nearby field.

Owen glanced at his fellow victim. "So...this shouldn't be too bad? Right?"

"Nope! Not too bad at all!" The red haired girl shouted back. "Well, might as well try to enjoy this!" A second later she was off, racing towards the plane.

"She seems awfully upbeat about going in the plane." The blonde teen murmured to himself. Before he could follow he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, man, can I ask a favor?"

"What?" The large teen whipped around to find himself looking at a picture of physical perfection. "Oh...high Justin."

"Look, I hate to interfere with your kind nature, but Izzy has had some difficulties and needs some time to herself to think." The model furrowed his eyebrows and massaged the back of his neck. "I'm worried about her and the other girls plan on trying to get her to talk about it later, but for now can you just not talk to her more than you have to?"

"Sure, but..."

"Hey, fatso! Get over here now or you lose the point!" Chef called from the plane's cockpit.

"Gotta run, Justin!"

"Good luck, man!"


Confessional

Owen: That was an odd request, but I'm sure Justin has Izzy's best interests at heart, right?

Heather: Sssuu…m…mo...wre...wrestlers. Their just so...fat. And disgusting. And fat. How is it even a sport?!

Gwen: This...

Eva: should...

Duncan: be...

Trent: good.


The stage was set. In the rink stood a lump of flesh with a mass that couldn't possibly be healthy and the small, huddled form of Heather in a corner. The other campers sat around the arena, most spoiling to see the queen bee humiliated and a single blonde more worried about her teammate's physical wellbeing.

The crackle of a megaphone drew everyone's attention. "Here's the rules. Get the sumo out of the ring or knock him out cold. Or loose. You cannot leave the ring until one of those things happens! Ready...Set..."

"Wait, Chris, I..."

"Go!"

The mighty Heather could not drum up the courage to even move. All she could do was stare as the sumo wrestler dragged his layers of flesh towards her at a pace that would put a snail to shame. Closer and closer he came till he towered over the raven haired teen. He paused for a moment, confused that she was not trying to put up a fight, but he simply shrugged and took a stance. Only then did he realize that her huddled position did not lend itself to a traditional sumo bout. Deciding to rectify the matter, the obese fellow reached down and grabbed the girl by the shoulder and yanked her into an upright posture.

"Come on wus, fight back!" Eva called from the sidelines.

"You show her, sumo dude." Gwen exclaimed.

"Just give us a better reason to vote you off!" Trent jeered.

Perhaps the musician's words caused some reverse psychology or maybe the queen bee had finally had enough, but she got a determined look in her eye as she faced down the less than jolly fat man. Her opponent smiled...maybe, it was hard for anyone to tell, and lunged. With the nimbleness that one would expect from someone as skinny as the queen bee she managed to dodge his swing. Unfortunately for the sumo wrestler, he had not taken the laws of physics into account when he swung and soon found himself falling towards the arena's railing...which promptly gave way underneath his titanic weight. With a loud thump he tumbled to the ground, knocked out by the force of his fall.

"Well, can't say I saw that coming. But it sure makes for good television! Heather has just faced her fears and taken her team one step closer to victory! Up next we have...Gwen! Looks like you have a date with a hole in the ground."

"What!?" The goth exclaimed in horror.

"Contain your enthusiasm, Gwen. At the same time we are gonna have...Bridgette. Taking a long walk in the woods. Alone. Considering her performance in the last challenge, I am not going to hold my breath."

"Really?" The surfer chick sighed.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Trent reassured her.

"Thanks, but I don't feel so sure."

"All right you two, head over to the docks and I will give you the details shortly." Once the two ladies were out of earshot he continued. "Lastly, we are also going to have...Cody. The pressure is on man, you have a bomb to diffuse." The host reached into a bag at his feet and pulled out an alarm clock strapped to several sticks of dynamite. "Think fast!" Less than a second later the geek found himself one time bomb and one bruise on his forehead richer. "Better hurry dude or you and the other campers are gonna be in for a world of hurt. And they will hate you. Have fun!"

"Well, I ain't sticking around to see geek boy turn into a meaty pulp." Duncan commented before sprinting off after Chris.

"Yeah...have fun with that." Eva muttered, her pace measured if hasty as she vacated the premises.

"I think the Bass will make themselves scare as well." Justin turned an eye to his teammates, all of whom were in agreement with him.

Noah looked at his friend, then glanced towards the shrinking forms of the other campers. With a shrug he pulled out a book and took a seat ten or so feet away. "If you let that thing go off I will kill you."

"Your funeral, moron." Heather jeered as she too vacated the area.

Trent's malicious gaze followed the retreating queen bee briefly before he turned to his teammate with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "I know you got this one, dude. That said, I think I will stand over there. Behind that tree."

"I'm sure you have this, Cody, but I...ah...really need to use the restroom. Probably the one on the other side of camp." Without another moment's pause Harold was off.

"...Thanks, guys." Cody was too distracted by the task at hand. He needed tools, and quickly. The geek sprinted to the bag Chris had stored the bomb in and found, to his relief, some wire cutters and other useful implements. "I just need to cut the...oh good grief!"

The device he had been entrusted was far more complex than he initially realized. Instead of a handful of wires there were several dozen in all the colors of the rainbow. The clock looked like it had been set to one minute and less than forty-five seconds now remained.

"This is absurd." The geek muttered as he tried to make sense of the gordian knot before him. The sounds of two people screaming high overhead did nothing to bolster his moral either.


Confessional

Cody: "Too many cords. Too many things can go wrong. To many things to balance and mishandling any one of them could cause the whole thing to explode and I have no idea where to begin with any of them let alone all of them at once! Why must life be so complex?"


A little ways removed from the soon to be ground zero, Trent and Noah watched with a mix of perverse enjoyment and horror.

"Think he'll get it?" Trent queried, a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"No." Noah's gaze didn't move from his book. "You got this, Cody. Re-ra go team go!"

Trent gritted his teeth but otherwise appeared unaffected by his teammate's statement. "Wow, that's cold. Shouldn't you have more faith in your friend?"

"I suppose he might succeed, but that bomb looked too complicated for anyone one on the team to determine the correct wire to cut. If he comes out with a point for the team it will only be through luck."

Trent's gaze shifted to Cody for a moment before looking back at Noah. "I guess if he felt confident about doing it it wouldn't be his phobia."

Noah smirked, looking up from his book. "That too."

"Hey, I have to ask, would you support..."

Before the musician could finish, a joyous exclamation issued forth from the geek. "I think I know which one it is. It's not the indigo wire, it's the violet one." One small snip later and silence reigned once more.

"We really dodged a bullet there, Cody. Nice work." Despite his praise, Trent did not see the need to get any closer.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Don't tempt fate, Tr..."

A loud boom echoed in the clearing followed closely by a shock wave which knocked the pair to the ground.


Confessional

Cody: *He is covered in burns and coughing up clouds of smoke* "Wrong...wire."

Trent: *His eyes are wide open* "How could anyone survive that?"

Noah: *His hair stands on end but he is otherwise unharmed and, by the looks of it, unphased. He simply turns the page of his book and keeps reading*


"Nice one, Cody. I guess you just couldn't handle the pressure." Chris voice echoed across the island. "You probably should visit the medical tent to get those burns checked out."

The bookworm ran to his friend, giving his burns a cursory glance. "Yeah, you need to get to the medical tent ASAP. Can you walk?"

Cody looked down at his legs then back up at Noah an uncharacteristically annoyed expression on his face. "No."

Noah's expression shifted. "Sorry, stupid question." He looked down at his arms then back to his friend. "I'm gonna need help moving you."

"I hope you didn't think I wouldn't help." Trent muttered just loud enough for Noah to hear. He continued at a normal level, his voice filled with concern. "Let's get you to the medical tent, Cody."

"T..Thanks guys."

"Where does it hurt most?"

"Everywhere, Trent. Everywhere."


Bridgette and Gwen stood by the docks, unaware of what had just transpired.

"Did you hear that?" The surfer girl squinted as she looked in the direction of the noise. "Sounded like an explosion."

"What in the world would explode? Unless..." Gwen facepalmed. "Cody. His fear was disarming a bomb under pressure. I guess he couldn't do it."

"I hope he's alright."

"I'm sure he's fine."

Half a minute of awkward silence ensued.

"So..."

"If you are just saying something to fill the silence, don't bother."

Bridgette frowned. "I was just asking if..."

"Shut up. I want to enjoy what little peace I can get before being buried alive."

"Is it worth asking why you fear that so much?"

"Um...no."

"Alrighty then."

"Man this chat is just riveting, but it's time for Gwen to face her fear!" Chris appeared in a cloud of sand kicked up by his jeep. "We have a nice glass coffin for you. If you can stay in there for an hour without demanding to be dug up you will get a point for the Gophers."

"Let's just get this over with." The goth's voice lacked even more emotion than normal.

"While the interns get your box, Gwen...Bridgette. Starting now you must go out into the deep dark wilds of Wawanakwa and stay out there alone for at least three hours to earn the point. If you come out before then for any reason whatsoever, no points will be awarded."

"Perfect..."

"Isn't it though? Well, hop to it."

Once the blonde had disappeared into the trees, Chris turned back to Gwen. By now the interns had produced a glass box just big enough for the goth to be squeezed inside.

"I hate you so much, Chris."

"Thank you. I must be doing my job right!" The host reached into his pocket. "Here's a walkie-talky in case you chicken out and want to call it quits. I'm sure your team would really appreciate that. Also, there should be enough oxygen in there for the full time. If the interns did their job. Now, without further ado...would you kindly get in the box?"

Gwen looked around, sighed, and did as she was told. "Great to see the outpouring of emotional support here. Let's just get this over with."

Her seeming confidence didn't hold up as soon as sand was being piled up on top of the coffin.

"Um...sure we can't do another challenge, Chris? I'm sure there is something else I'm afraid of that would make better television."

The host with the most smirked. "I think this will work just fine. Bye."


Confessional

Gwen: "Great, just great. That's what I get for trying to go with a number two fear. A small. Cramped. Box." *She starts hyperventilating* "Calm down, Gwen, you got this. You just have to stay put in the...coffin...all alone...till time is called." *She manages to slow her breathing. A deep breath in and a deep breath out. She looks at the camera.* "Joy. I'd prefer talking to literally anyone on this island over the crypt-like silence in there."


While Gwen became better acquainted with the deeper portions of the beach, Chris had rounded up the Bass in front of a large, open field covered in dirt that had recently been replaced after being dug up.

"It's time for the Bass to prove their mettle! Lindsay, you have to get to the other side of the field without, you know, dying. Per your request we have a nice pair of heels for you to wear while performing this challenge."

"You got this one, Lindsay!" Tyler cheered.

"What'd you say, Taylor? Oh look, new shoes!" The blonde exclaimed, bouncing with excitement.

"Um...sure. Yep. And there are even more new shoes on the other side!" Chris interjected.

"Great!" The heels now on, the girl charged forward without any thought to her own safety. Through what could only be called a miracle, Lindsay managed to cross the treacherous mine field in one piece. The team cheered for her success, but the blonde was not entirely thrilled.


Confessional

Lindsay: "There were no shoes! I go through all that trouble dealing with all the mines and Chris lied! On TV!" *her face becomes more serious* "Oh well. You ever feel like life is a mine field? So many people to act carefully around. They all have things lying beneath the surface. I don't know. Maybe it's just me."

Chris: *He takes a sip from a glass of ice tea* "Yep."

Lindsay: "What was I talking about again?" *She rubs the back of her neck and looks a little sheepish* "Right, shoes."


"That was awesome." Tyler proclaimed to the heavens.

''Very nicely done, indeed." Justin added. "An easy point for the team."

The blonde somehow recrossed the field in safety again while her team offered accolades. "Aww, thanks guys."

Tyler send a wink her way. "Sure thing, babe!"

"Babe?"

"I mean...girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?"

"I mean...friend that is also a girl." His smile slipped from one of pure joy to one slightly more embarrassed.

"Who are you again?"

Tyler's expression became a pool of infinite sadness is a split second, his jaw hanging lower than should be physically possible.

Lindsay's laughter filled the air like a choir of soft bells. "I'm just kidding, Taylor, I know who you are."

The jock's expression snapped back to his previous smile, if perhaps a bit more confused than before, like a rubber band. "I..."


Confessional

Tyler: "Wait, does she remember me or remember me?" *He hangs his head and sighs dramatically but puts on a smile* "Whatever, I know I'm close now."

Lindsay: *She covers her mouth and giggles hysterically*

Justin: *He rubs his chin thoughtfully*


"Well, that sure was exciting!" Chris interjected, "but it's time to move on. Up next we have...Tyler. We have a lovely coop set up for you with a full flock of feathered friends."

The jock's pupils appeared to shrink ten-fold. "You don't mean..."

"Yes, Tyler." The camera zoomed in on Chris' face. "Chickens!"

"Noooooooooooooooooooo!"

"This gonna be good." Chef snickered, a folding chair under his arm and a bag of popcorn in hand.

"Done flying already, Chef?"

"Those two punks puked all over my beautiful plain but neither of them asked me to stop. At that point I judged it close enough and brought the plane down so the interns can scrub it clean."

"Thanks for all the details…"

In a matter of minutes the Bass minus Izzy and a handful of Gophers who weren't busy were gathered around a small fenced enclosure. Inside were approximately twenty chickens, many of them angrily stalking from one end to the other.

"Chickens?" Eva scoffed, "You're afraid of chickens?"

"I agree with the team muscle for once. What is your damage?" Heather added, either unaware or unperturbed by the death glare her teammate was sending her way.

"I know you got this, man!" Justin shouted, "Don't let them drag you down."

The jock still appeared to be in shock over the task now before him.

"Go on Taylor, I believe in you!" Lindsay cheered.

Tyler's gaze briefly shot to the blonde before returning just as quickly to the feathered horde separated from him by an all to thin fence. With a visible swallow he mustered his courage and stepped into the ring. Almost instantly he huddled into a fetal position, shaking uncontrollably.

"Well, at this point I don't think you'll be able to complete it but...your challenge is simple. You must simply complete twenty five laps from where you are now to the other end of the pen and back, wading through chickens the whole way, and not...do what you're doing now. You have half an hour to complete this task which is more than enough time to finish your walk."

The jock was rooted in place, leaving the host wondering if he was heard.

"Well, I'll just leave you to it then. See you in half an hour. Don't think you can get away with doing less, I have cameras everywhere. Oh by the way, Katie and Lindsay, I need you two for another campers challenge. Toodles!" Chris was about to leave when he twisted his head back to look at Tyler. The host rubbed his Chin for a moment. "On second thought, Beth, I'll take you instead of Lindsay." With a smirk on his face he promptly departed, the two girls in tow.

"That was far to close Chris..." Justin mumbled. Then, raising his voice, "Come on, man, get a move on."


The previously empty dining hall now contained three campers. A short brunette with glasses and a lisp, a skinny raven haired girl decked in pink,...and a miserable looking fellow in a red sweater known for the eternal smirk on his face which, despite its reputation, was now absent.

"This is not going to be any fun, is it?" Noah moaned.

"It better not be, or I'm not doing my job." Chris smirked. "The rules are simple, if you leave the room in the next half-hour, you get no point for your team. If by some miracle you can suffer through the inane chatter of these two, you will score one point for the Gophers." The host paused a moment, eagerly awaiting the declarations of annoyance or the hurling of insults he was sure was coming his way. He was left hanging, no insults or complaints were voiced. "I was really hoping for more vehemence after I said that. Oh well. Have at it ladies, I'm sure you have all sorts of things to discuss like shoes or…guys or...shoes. Bye!"

Silence reigned supreme the moment Chris had left the building. Noah bemoaned the fact that he was not allowed to read a book. Five minutes passed and he realized the awkward silence was worse than any amount of noise.

"Alright...what is the problem? I'm hardly an expert but you two shouldn't be this quiet." Noah's voice shattered the silence, the poor teen unaware of the flood of words he had just unleashed.

"I'm thorry for what happened, Katie." Beth sighed, "I..."

"No...don't be. It was for the best. She was just pretending to be my friend anyways. But Justin helped me see through her. I'll be fine." The pink clad girl's lips clenched into a tight smile.

"What? No, thatth not it at all. I don't think Sadie actually felt that way about you. Juthtin told Thadie you felt about her the thame way he thaid thhe felt about you."

"...no...I don't know why he'd do that."

"But I heard him thay it with my own earth." The smaller girl informed her teammate.

"Well, after what he told me you bet I felt the same way towards Sadie that she did towards me."

"You're not getting it. Justin played you...for thome reathon I don't underthtand...but he did. He got you two to hate each other!"

"Just...shut up. You don't know what you're talking about!" Katie rose to her feat, her eyes somewhere between tears and a glare, and found herself a seat at another table.

"Well, that was fascinating." Noah drawled.

"I don't need your attitude! There are therious problemth on our team!" The girl's eyes widened, "I probably thhouldn't have thaid that."

"And you don't seem to be helping." Noah began rubbing his temples while lowering his voice to a whisper. "I can't believe I'm about to say this and I certainly wouldn't if I didn't think Chris would take away my point if people weren't talking in here. Let me give you some advice. Based on what I've heard, Katie and Sadie were very close, yes? Then she is told by someone she believes is trustworthy that her friend is...harboring a grudge or something and everything she sees and hears afterwards confirms it. Her whole world is flipped on her head and she has to readjust and has probably been spending the better part of the past few days adjusting. Now you are telling her not only does her friend not feel that way, but Justin, the person who she trusted in these matters, lied to her out of...I don't know? Malicious spite? That is a lot to take in. Just give it a few days and try talking to her again."

"I...thuppothe. Where'd you learn to think like that?"

"A...psychology textbook I read years ago when I was bored."


Confessional

Beth: "I gueth that maketh thence. But I don't want to let thith thit for too long. As soon as I can convince Katie thomthing rotten is going on we can convince the others to vote Juthtin off."

Noah: "Well, that proves it. Psychology is totally a field you can bullsh*t your way through. Pretty sure there was a fantasy book I read years ago with that exact dramatic problem. And mom said those books wouldn't help me get through life."


"Well, that is my caring quota for the day. I hope nothing else important happens that demands a lack of apathy."

"You're thutch a joker." Beth gave what had to be one of the first genuine smiles anyone had seen on her face in some time.

The bookworm rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."


While Noah was having the time of his life in the dining hall, Bridgette was navigating the deep gloom or the great forest of Wawanakwa all alone. Especially now that all the little animals that had dogged her footsteps were frightened away when she inadvertently punted a squirrel halfway to the moon. And run from a bear. And nearly stepped in an already disturbed nest of very, very angry red ants.


Confessional

Bridgette: "It could have been worse. Sure I am far from the familiar without a map or friends and after the events of the last challenge most wouldn't have much faith in me." *she shakes her head quickly like a dog shaking water from its coat* "But I can't let this fear overcome me. I did last time and now is my opportunity to move past that. *She smiles brightly* I owe Trent that much after all the encouragement he gave me last time."


Without warning the surfer felt an all too familiar rumbling in her gut. It seemed that what passed for breakfast here once again did not agree with her. She was close to the bathroom complex the campers utilized but using it now would technically be leaving the woods and lose her team the point, a risk she was unwilling to take. With a beleaguered sigh the girl turned around, trying to convince herself that finding somewhere to hunch down in the forest wouldn't be so bad. Before she could start walking, however, she felt an unusual breeze on the back of her neck. She whipped around in time to see several figures clad in black sneaking into the bathroom through skylights. Even so, the call of nature would have dragged her away if she did not hear the sound of a scuffle inside the bathhouse. Fearing for the safety of whoever was under attack overwhelmed any fear of being disqualified as she madly dashed from the cover of the trees to the bathhouse door. The rotten piece of wood was ajar just enough for the surfer to see Harold of all people with his shorts and underwear wrapped around his feet trying to fend of the black clad attackers. With no regard for her own safety or the rather embarrassing state of her teammate she charged in.

The red-haired nerd was breathing heavily as he swung a pair of nunchucks with deadly efficiency, delivering blow after heavy blow to the heads and limbs of his assailants. Unfortunately he was completely focused on defending himself and so was caught unprepared for Bridgette's aid. Harold's weapon made no distinctions.

Thwack

The surfer was out on the floor, bleeding from a blow to the head. Sensing something had gone wrong, the ninjas departed themselves bleeding and bearing bruises.


Confessional

Harold: "What have I done! My lovely Bridgette!"

Bridgette: "What did he say about me? I can't remember"


Despite the nasty look of the wounds, the surfer quickly came to. "What got me? And who were those guys?" She blinked several times bringing the scene into focus. A scene which still included a less than fully clothed Harold. Bridgette couldn't help but blush.

Seeing the reddening face of his teammate reminded the nerd of his current state. One awkward and extremely hasty pants zip up later, he was kneeling in front of his crush looking her bloodied face over. "They were ninjas and I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be my challenge. They were easy enough to defeat since I don't think Chris understood what I was afraid of when it comes to them." He took a calming breath before continuing. "As for the nasty headache you probably have...that was me. I was...in the zone I guess and didn't realize you were you and not another ninja. Can you forgive me?"

Bridgette looked into his eyes for a brief moment, her eyes seeking something. After several awkward seconds of this she spoke again. "I forgive you. I don't usually take well to being hit in the face and I probably wouldn't believe your excuse if I didn't see it with my own eyes. So I can't get too mad. Just don't do it again please."

"Not on my life, fair maiden, this I swear."

She raised an eyebrow but couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Let's go Sir Smackmyhead. Think you can escort me to the medical tent? There is no way I am going back out into the forest feeling like this."

With an immediacy and omnipresence that would befit an Orwellian state, the nearby speakers crackled to life. "Yeah, just get to the medical tent already. That makes one win and once loss for the Gophers."

"Chris' voice isn't exactly medicine for this headache." Bridgette growled, prompting a hearty bout of laughter from both teens.


Back on the beach, Gwen was having the time of her life in a small dark box buried under several feet of sand. To her credit she was keeping her breathing at a semi-normal level. Even though there was a small tube leading up to the surface to allow a steady supply of fresh air, the goth still felt like she was suffocating. She had called out using the walkie-talkie provided too her, but it seemed nobody was top side to respond. Gwen tried to sigh, but her rapid breathing made the action impossible.

"What did I do? Whose life did I mess up enough to get stranded in a dark coffin underground? Looks like nobody here would come to my funeral. How touching."

Without warning the machine in Gwen's hand crackled to life. "It's cause you're a loser, that's why."

"Of all the people on this god-forsaken island to come and say hi it had to be you, Heather."

"Yeah, everyone else is busy doing literally anything besides be here."

Gwen couldn't help but smirk even though the Queen Bee couldn't see it. "Such a shame. At least you're here."

"Making fun of you away from the others is something I don't get to do much. I'll take every opportunity I can get even if it gives you happy delusions."

"What? You not acting like a normal human being? Say it ain't so!"

"Snark all you want, weird goth girl, you're still the one stuck in a dark box deep underground."

"Shut up."

"Oh...did I hit a sore spot? I find that hard to believe. I saw you talking to Noah several days ago and from what I've seen in the dining hall his 'phobia' is anything but. I'll bet you're having the time of your life down there. It's probably an improvement on your home."

Gwen bit her lip hard both to keep from saying anything that would make Heather more viscous and to keep herself from trembling in terror at her current situation any more than she already was.

"Don't tell me you were telling the truth? Really? I guess I overestimated you. You really are just afraid of being in a small, dark box, aren't you?" The queen bee let out a rather harsh laugh, even by her own standards.


Confessional

Gwen: *She is speechless due to her near hyperventilation.*

Heather: "Looser." *She frowns* "Still, even if she is as dumb as she looks that is still one less lead to follow. Something is going on on our team. Nobody is listening to my warnings about the incredibly transparent Justin. That 'hunk' has Trent practically groveling at his feet as some sort of idol of charity." *She holds her head in her hands* "They're all such losers. Duncan better pull through and vote how I tell him or the next time we lose will be messy. At least if we lost this one I know I did my part."


Just as suddenly as Gwen heard Heather start to cackle said laughter abruptly stopped. In its place were faint murmurings and retreating footsteps. After several pregnant moments of silence the goth reached for her walkie-talkie once more.

"What happened? Hello?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. Any louder and she feared the shaking in her body would become an audible quiver in her voice.

A familiar and far more soothing voice replied. "Hello? Is that you, Gwen? Where are you?"

"Buried several feet under where you're standing, Trent. What hap…?"

"Don't tell me..." An almost unfathomable rage seemed to bubble up from some obscure depths. "Heather didn't do this did she?"

"No." Gwen was too worried about herself to think about her friendlier teammate's odd reaction. "This is my phobia, remember?"

"Oh...right...sorry. I knew Chris had told you and Bridgette to come out here earlier but I didn't see either of you when I got here."

Gwen raised an eyebrow even though she knew nobody could see it. "That was a while ago, what took so long."

"Cody needed help getting back to the medical tent...as you probably heard he failed to diffuse the bomb and he got some bad burns."

"Ouch...is he gonna be ok?"

"Chef seemed to think he'd make a full recovery soon enough. A couple days at the most."

"You think he will be voted out if he failed and is going to be out for a while?"

The musician chuckled more to himself then Gwen. "No."

The goth was taken aback by his certainty but just shrugged it off. "So...gonna run off and help someone else now?"

Trent had a faraway look on his face but, as expected, nobody was able to see it. "Well, everyone on our team who is on a challenge at the moment isn't supposed to be disturbed and Chris is busy with the Bass now so I was thinking...you want any company while you're down there?"

"You just want to talk for the next odd half-hour?"

"Yeah, really. Why not? Unless you don't want me to."

"NO!...No, I don't mind that much. Anything beats being down here with nobody to talk to. So...what happened to Heather?"

There was an extended pause. "She ran away as I walked over."

Gwen's face slid from one emotion to another as she processed what she just heard. "Odd, she usually isn't one to run away from confrontation."

"That is being exceedingly generous." The musician sighed. "I'm just really tired of the stuff Courtney and especially Heather have done. I can't stand that kind of double dealing and just...meanness."

"Yeah..."

Trent sighed, a slight quiver in his voice. "As I see it, nobody else on the team is going to deal with them. Owen and Cody seem nice enough but they seem too afraid of Heather and Duncan. I can tell Noah isn't afraid but he can't be arsed to help and, if I'm honest, you seem to be in the same boat. Bridgette believes she can...I don't know, work through whatever issues Heather has. Harold has been bullied already and nobody did anything. Eva...just sits in a corner by herself most of the time. That leaves Heather and Duncan free to torment other people and only one person left who gives a damn about doing anything about it!" Trent fell silent, the only sound Gwen could hear on her walkie-talkie was heavy-static laden breathing. "I'm sorry, you don't need to hear this now. Not while you're facing your greatest fear. So, if you still want to talk to me, why don't you pick a subject?"

"Um...how have you played guitar?"

Trent's voice perked up noticeably. "Let's see, I've been playing ever since my grandfather introduced me to it when I was nine or so."


Confessional

Gwen: "I can honestly say I have no idea how to react. I'm hardly an expert on people but he is very...disturbed by Heather's actions. Too bad she already beat the sumo or it would be easy to vote her off." *She sighs and smiles slightly* "Still, I got the point for the team. Having someone other than Heather to talk to was definitely an improvement and Trent is one of the few people on my team who has yet to appear too crazy. If you don't count that bit at the end when he suddenly disappeared..."

Trent: "Stupid mimes. There they are with all their stupid face paint hiding their stupid faces acting like something exists that doesn't." *He breathes deeply* "Yeah, I lost my mom in a mall once and ran into one of those bastards. That was not my best day."


Back at the chicken coop, Tyler had managed to stumble his way back and forth half the number of times needed in three fourths of the time allotted. Chris had returned, megaphone in hand.

"Wow, this is pretty bad dude. You have less than five minutes to overcome your fear and get the point for your team."

"You're so close, man!" Justin exclaimed. "Finish already."

"Hurry up, Tyler." Ezekiel added his voice to the chorus of encouraging shouts.

"I believe in you, Taylor!" Lindsay waved. "Oh, wait...Tyler! I believe in you"

Tyler had struggled to do as much as he did and it was mostly Lindsay's encouragement up to this point that had inspired him. Hearing her use his real name put a fire in his gut that before had been a shower of sparks. With what he hoped was a mighty war cry, the jock dashed back and forth like a man possessed. In under a minute he was done and had flung himself from the pen a happier if exhausted man. A moment later he was hit by a strong, if soft, force that surrounded him in warmth.

"You did it, Tyler!"

The jock couldn't help but blush after being glomped by his crush. All he managed to mumble were some inaudible words of thanks.

"Congratulations Tyler, that's another point to the Bass." Chris made a note on his list.

"Nice job, man."

"Thanks...Justin." The jock managed to say through the panting, a note of confusion is his voice.

"Alright then," Chris looked down at this notepad, "well, this is where I planned to test Katie to see how she survived being without her fat twin but I think we all know the answer to that one. However, I am sick and tired of seeing your team lose time and time again. There is too much brewing on the other team to not send them to elimination so, just this once, I will be merciful and say Sadie completed her challenge."

"Don't you mean Katie?"

"Same thing, homeschool. Speaking of which...Ezekiel, we've got a place set up for you and your good pal Justin. If you can stay there for at least an hour without running away in terror, your team gets the point."

The prairie boy did not respond verbally, but his gaze contained enough venom to even give Chris a moment's pause.

"...well then. Chef, would you do the honors?"

The large black man chuckled manically while flinging both the teens over his shoulders, an impressive feat given Justin's size.

"While those two have their staring contest, we are going to have...Duncan...oh this should be good." The host pulled out a radio transmitter that projected his voice across the whole island. "Would Duncan immediately report to the area in front of the dining hall. We have a special celebrity guest who wants to say high."


Confessional

Duncan: *Eyes as wide as saucers* "Oh please no..."


"Oh yes, Duncan. To earn a point for your team you have to hug…this Celene Dion standee!"

The Gophers not valiantly standing up to their worst fears were gathered outside of the dining hall in a circle with the Mohawk sporting punk cowering in the middle.

"Are you serious Chris?"

"Considering what others on your team have had to do, you should know the answer to your own question.

"Come on Duncan, just hug the stupid cardboard already." Heather screeched from the sidelines.

"It's not that simple, I..."

"And you always act so tough." Eva snarled in disdain.


Confessional

Duncan: "I remember my first heist…well, more of a shop lifting spree. At the end of it all we sneaking a few items from a music store when this Asian martial arts stereotype walks in and says he saw what we were doing. A few quick jabs later I was paralyzed on the floor. The police arrived about 15 minutes later, but the entire time the mall cops kept me next to a standee just like that one. That creepy smile of hers is all the worse when it seems to stare into your soul and remind you of your failures."


"You better not be chickening out now, punk." The queen bee seethed.

Duncan was locked in a staring contest with the figurine, breathing heavily and releasing the occasional guttural growl from deep within his core. After nearly a minute of this face off, he let out a cry of rage that would have impressed a warrior of old as he swung his fist into, and through, the standee.

"I will not be defeated by you! I will not fail!" He continued to rant while pummeling the hapless cutout.

"Dude! Stop!" Chris screamed, "I didn't ask you to tear her a new one, I asked you to hug her. No point for the Gophers!" He ran over to the tattered remains of the once glorious art piece. "My…my autographed…standee…"

"You're serious?" Duncan asked when he gotten a hold of emotions.

When Chris didn't answer, Heather interjected in an almost worried tone of voice. "I think he is."

The teens decided this situation was too awkward to continue witnessing and made a quick exit before Chris' despair would inevitably turn to wrath.


Chef dropped the two boys off in a clearing a little ways outside of camp. "Homeschool, if you can stay here with pretty boy for at least an hour without leaving, you win a point for your team. Justin, that also means you can't try to physically restrain Ezekiel to prevent him from leavin to get the point. Have fun!" Chef looked to be the only one enjoying himself as he left the two bass boys.

"So..." Justin began, examining the polish of his nails closely, "this should be a free point for the team. I know you will once again put the good of the team above your own desires."

His teammate did not respond. The only sound was the model's subsequent extended sigh.

"Are the next several hours going to be pure silence, or are you man enough to take your fear head on instead of trying to squeak by?"

Ezekiel's face turned several shades redder, but his mouth remained shut.

"All right then, let's play our own game. You ask me a question. If I answer, I will ask you one, if I don't, you can try a new one. That has to be better than twiddling our thumbs for the foreseeable future."


Confessional

Ezekiel: He sure has a lot to answer for. I was hoping that I could ignore him the whole time, but it will probably only get worse if I don't agree now.


"Fine, Justin, let's play your game." The prairie teen stood to his feet, an accusatory finger pointed at his nemesis. "Why did you go through all that manipulation to get Katie and Sadie to hate each other? What do you gain out of it, eh? Are you only happy when others are in pain?"

"I am not nearly as sadistic as you seem to think I am. The short answer to your question is because I knew one of them was going to go home after their performance in the challenge. I needed to see who was the tougher of the two emotionally. Who knows what Chris has prepared for us? I wanted to see who could handle some trauma better. Ultimately neither of them could take it well, so I decided to jettison the one who was less likely to contribute physically to the team."

"How can you think of them like that? I wasn't exactly their best friend, but I can't imagine wanting to hurt either of them like you did, especially just cause you wanted to see who could take abuse better. Not to mention, as far as I can see, you are the only source of emotional trauma I have seen on this whole island. Your logic seems a bit circular, eh."

"Do you truly believe I am the only person on this island capable of that kind of manipulation? There are far more aspiring puppet masters here than me." The model raised an eyebrow as a smirk slid into place. "You need look no further than your lady friend to see someone who had no problem pulling on your heartstrings when it suited her purpose. There you were taking a moral stand, and all it took was a couple tears and a set of quivering lips to bring you down."

"Well...maybe. But she only did it because you gave her no other choice."

"Of course, I am not about to say I left any other options for her, but the fact remains she cared more about her own comfort than your integrity. She still made the appeal to you. You cannot deny her manipulations. You cannot deny the...emotional trauma."

"Stop trying to blame her for your actions, eh. Maybe she...maybe she was a bit manipulative. Fine. What does that prove, eh? She still was only driven to do it because she was pushed over the edge."

"I didn't really take much to push her over the edge, though, did it? The possibility that someone she has known for a few weeks might leave rears its head and suddenly she is only concerned that you stay no matter what."

"Just...stop! Stop! Get to your point. Your real one."

"Fine." Justin cracked his knuckles as he leaned in. "However you look at what Izzy did, there is one simple fact you cannot dodge. You. Let. Her. Do. It. A chance for the noble man to take a stand and he failed. You let a pretty face persuade him to let an 'injustice' occur. How do you explain that, hmm?"

"I..." Beads of sweat could be seen in clear relief on Ezekiel's forehead.

"Yes...?"

"I...whatever. Maybe I made a mistake listening to her. We haven't been talking much since then anyways."

"And why do you think that is? I think you know."

"I don't know, eh! I. Don't. Know." The prairie boy was panting, his face beet red as his emotions took hold.

Before the model could react, his face had received an impromptu introduction to Ezekiel's fist with enough force to send the larger boy off his chair. The prairie boy looked ready to continue but Justin had no intention of letting him do so. A blow to the knee caused Ezekiel to crumple like a rag doll. Justin got up of the ground, brushed off the worst of the dirt, and retook his seat.

"Didn't you parents ever tell you violence won't get you anywhere? Letting your emotions get the better of you will only lead to bad decisions."

It took a minute for the smaller lad to regain his breath. Once he did he turned his head up from the ground just enough to lock eyes with his opponent.

"What is your point in this? Fine, Izzy manipulated me and now doesn't want to talk with me for some reason. Maybe I am just as bad as her for letting you get away with what you did to Katie and Sadie. Am I just supposed to feel even worse about myself now? Is that it?"

Justin held his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes and muttering something unintelligible. For the briefest of moments the sight reminded Ezekiel of his mother when she tried to teach him something and he couldn't understand. "Self-pity never helped anyone. If the three of us are going to make it to the finals like we planned, I have to know what kind of people I am working with. I knew you two had potential and I wanted, no, needed to see how you responded to extreme duress. I have the answers I need. You seized what you wanted when the opportunity presented itself regardless of what might be right or wrong. I need to know if you have learned the right lesson..."

"Lesson? Are you calling yourself a teacher?"

"Everyone is a teacher in their own way. What have you learned?"


Confessional

Ezekiel: What do I say, eh? He's made a point that is hard to disagree with. I failed to stand up for what was right. Now I have less than before.*he sighs* What's the point, if he wants to win this badly, is anything I do going to stop him. He'll just worm his way out of anything. *He taps his chin* I can't accept that. I will get rid of Justin no matter the cost!" *His eyes widen* "But...I don't think anybody else on the team wants to get rid of him and I don't know if I can convince them. He probably had Izzy in on the whole thing." *He crosses his arms* "Fine. I have to think long term then. I cannot trust anyone else on the team so I'll play along. But the second I think I can get rid of that monster I will." *He puts his hands together and starts twiddling his thumbs.* I guess that means I will have to vote off the others on our team, but their probably better off off the island...right? *He puts his head in his hands.* God...is this really the best thing to do?


"I've already said that I messed up and Izzy manipulated me. I also know that the sooner we lose the rest of the team the better." He put on the evilest smirk he could muster. "And take what you want."

"I..." The model's expression turned from a smirk to a startled smile. "That is good to hear. What would you suggest doing then?"

"Depends on whether we win or lose, eh."

"True...as far as I know only Beth and I have yet to complete our challenges and we have 100% success so far. Maybe we'll win a second time."

"I hope so."


After their time was up the two Bass gents left the clearing and returned to camp.

"Man, I was really hoping someone would go crazy over there but I didn't see you guys do anything more than a heated discussion. Oh well, that's still a point for the Bass. Now..." Chris whipped out his radio transmitter "would Beth report to the sumo wrestling arena. We have quite the attraction set up for you."

"Chrith, I'm right here."

"Oh. Let's go then."

"I think you can turn off the thpeakerth, Chrith."

"Why on earth would I do that?"

Beth decided trying to reason with the host was pointless so she covered her ears and waited for him to stop laughing at his own statement and turn the transmitter off.

After a short walk Beth, Chris, and the rest of the Bass had gathered on the stage where Heather had faced down the sumo wrestler earlier that day. In the center of the stage lay an inflated kiddie pool filled to the brim with a writhing mass of insects. Worms, flies, beetles, and goodness knows what else had all been dumped in and were now struggling to make their way up the slippery walls of the pool and reach freedom with little success.

"For your challenge, Beth, you have to fully submerge yourself in the bugs for at least two minutes. If you get out before then, you earn no points for your team."


Confessional

Beth: "Ugh, I hate thothe things. They crawl all over you and get inthide everything and nibble away at you and before you know it you aren't sure if you can do anything...I mean do anything when covered in bugth that ith." *she shivers noticably put pulls herself together and raises a defiant fist into the air* "But I won't let my team down, I got this. I won't let the doubts...bugs get me. As long as..."


"You didn't put any bugth I'm allergic to in there, did you?"

"Of...course...not. We definitely had the interns double check your list of allergies before selecting the insects...yep, that's what we did."

"Well, I should get thith over with." Without further ado, the brave teen jumped into the pool.

"While she does that...Justin we have a similar challenge for you. Since a pool of spiders was going to take forever and cost to much, we have a couple tarantulas for you. If you can keep them on you for two minutes, you will get a point for the Bass."

"How many tarantulas?"

"Five."

"Well, let's get this over with then." The model stuck out his arms and sighed dramatically as he awaited his eight-legged nemeses.

"Interns! Bring out the spider cage!"

A minute's passing found Justin with five large spiders on his arms, shoulders, and head. He looked far more bored then terrified.


Confessional

Justin: "I can't say tarantulas scare me. If a spider doesn't deliver a nasty toxin the spreads throughout you and destroy you from the inside out, I am not frightened in the least."


"Chrith, I am getting a lot of bites and thome of them are tharting to itch badly." Beth complained, her voice muffled by the creepy crawlies all over her.

"Tough in out Beth, we are close to winning." Justin admonished.

"Ughh." The girl shuddered, sending bugs tumbling in all directions, but did not flee her challenge.

Soon enough an intern stepped up and gave Beth a hand up.

"Congratulations! You've won another point for the..."

Chris' monologue was halted in once Beth got out of the pool still covered in insects. The girl had clearly made no friends and had started to swell in some places.

"You should probably get yourself checked out at the medical tent."

"Yeah, I don't feel too good."

Chris followed the departing girl with his eyes, an uncharacteristically worried look on his face. He shook it off within seconds and continued in a seemingly unaffected manner. "And now, last but not least, Eva! Would you and anyone who wants to watch the coming attractions please report to the dodge ball arena."

"Chris...did I finish yet?" Justin inquired.

The host didn't appear to hear and was gone in seconds. The model could only twitch his eye in annoyance before flinging the spiders to the ground and squishing them one by one before following the others.

Within minutes all the contestants not in med bay were gathered around the arena they had used several challenges ago.

"For your challenge, you have to lose a one on one game of dodge ball with the weakest, wimpiest, saddest player we could find on the island...Noah!"

The only indication the bookworm gave that he had heard the host was a raised middle finger.

"So I have to lose on purpose?"

"Yep. Keep in mind, not losing to him is losing the point for the team."

Trent did some mental arithmetic before interjecting "I don't think our team wins even if Eva chooses to lose."

"That is true, so let's make it interesting. If you can choose to lose Eva, you'll win the entire challenge for the Gophers." The host gestured towards a pile of dodge balls near the bookworm. "Noah, you will lob those at Eva until you hit her. Eva, to win you have to let him hit you. If you catch the ball or otherwise get him out, you lose the challenge for your team."

"Well, let's get this over with." Noah sighed before casually send a ball Eva's way. She dodged it. "What are you doing? That was going to hit you."

"No it wasn't, you're a horrible shot." She snapped.

"His trajectory was perfectly fine, Eva." Harold interjected.

"Thank you, Harold. Eva, if you'd please let me get you out we can win." The bookworm tossed another ball which was once again dodged.

"Come on, Eva. Don't be a moron." Heather roared. "You either lose this 'game' or you lose the challenge for the team. Is this seriously a question? Let him hit you already so we can win this thing."


Confessional

Eva: "As much as I hate to admit it, Heather is right. Either I lose and win or I win and lose." *her eye twitches slightly* "You can do this. You got it. You just have to let him hit you." *her expression slips into a rather comical grimace*


Eva's gaze wandered from teammate to teammate. All were giving various forms of admonishment or encouragement. Save one. One unexpected teammate was shaking their head while looking directly at her. Eva cocked her eyebrow ever so slightly that nobody would see it unless they expected it. The teammate in question smiled in reply while mouthing what looked like 'catch it'.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by her opponent. "Are you going to let me hit you now? I'm not bothering to throw another of these things unless you stand still and promise not to move."

Eva sighed, moving her eyes back to Noah. "Fine, fine...hit me."

"About time." The bookworm mumbled while lobbing a third ball her way.

Which she caught.

"Noah's out which means Eva won the game of dodge ball but lost the challenge for her team. Nice!"

"Seriously, Eva?!" Heather screeched. "You are so gone."

"That was pretty pathetic, Eva." Duncan jeered.

"Shove it you two." The athlete growled, "Or you're going to be in for a world of pain."

The campers filed out, eager to rest back at their cabins. In less than a minute only two people remained.

"Why did you tell me to catch the ball?"

"Simple, we needed to lose the challenge."

"Why?"

"What happens when a team loses?" The mystery teammate smiled wickedly.

"You...oh, I get it now."

"I knew you would, you're smarter than most give you credit for. I guarantee I won't be the only one thanking you after tonight." The mysterious teammate proffered their hand and Eva gave it a hearty, if surprised, shake.


Confessional

Heather: "I barely have to do anything now. Who isn't gonna vote for Eva after a performance like that. I wish I could get rid of Trent but I'll take what I can get for now."


That evening the Gophers gathered at the elimination campfire, votes cast.

"What a showing Gophers. What happened out there? You had a larger room for error and a lot of you failed, none quite as much as Eva though. And here I was worried the Bass were doomed to lose forever." Chris grinned as the teens before him grimaced, some of them bowed their heads in shame. "Of the ten of you, only Heather, Gwen, Owen, Harold, and Noah managed to get a point. I suppose they can breathe easy knowing there are so many failures to decide between for the free ticket to the Dock of Shame." Chris pulled out a bag of marshmallows and began flinging them at the campers. "Duncan, Cody, Bridgette, you guys are all safe. Trent, Eva, someone is going home tonight and losing their shot at the million dollars."

The two Gophers gave each other a sidelong glance before quickly snapping their gaze back to the host.

"The camper leaving the island is..."

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"Heather"

"What? You're kidding, Chris! I did the challenge! Eva could have won it for the team but she failed!"

"Do you see a marshmallow in your hand? Your team didn't care about your success enough it appears. Only three total people on the team didn't vote for you."

Trent turned around to look at the queen bee. His face and voice were devoid of any anger...or any other emotion. "Bye, Heather. I hope you enjoy losing."

"You...YOU did this!? You got everyone to vote me off?"

"The team decided to vote you off Heather. I just pointed out it was in their best interest to do so."

"I'll find a way to make you pay, Trent!"

"You're just not very nice, sorry." Owen looked at his feet while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, Heather. That wasn't very fair." Bridgette couldn't bring herself to look her raven haired teammate in the eyes.

"Can we just get rid of her already?" Eva griped.

"We really should draw this scene to a close...Chef, would you kindly take Heather to the docks."

"You haven't heard the last of me! I'll make all you bastards pay!"

"You do that, Heather. You do that." Trent said through his teeth.

"Later, b*tch." Gwen sounded uncharacteristically cheery as she watched the queen bee get dragged off kicking and screaming to the dock of shame. "Finally we will have a peaceful night."


*End Credits*


Ten minutes later at the Dock of Shame the disgraced queen bee had yet to leave.

"What's taking so long?" She wondered out loud though no one was there to hear. "Not that I want to leave behind the million dollars but I'd rather not be stuck on this scrap of rotting wood they call a dock all night."

Oh, wait, someone was there to hear her whine. "Just shut up, Heather. I'm sure Chef will be here any minute to cart your looser ass away."

Speak of the Chef and he shall come. Followed by a stretcher.

"Uh, Chris, we have a problem..."

The two men hurriedly whispered for nearly a minute before Chris turned back to Heather. "Well, lucky, lucky you. Seems Beth here is allergic to some of the insect bites. Really allergic. Like, get her to a hospital! Yesterday! Chef!"

A much deeper hum started to overwhelm the idling engine of the Boat of Losers. A moment later the sounds of whirling helicopter blades drowned out even the capacity for thought as a small helicopter took off, stretcher strapped in the back. Once the sound died down enough for rational thought to continue, the host continued speaking.

"So, seeing as I can't have two contestants leaving the game this episode, it looks like you get a second chance."

"So I get to go back to the team that just voted me off unanimously...that can't be fair."

"You are hardly in a position to complain about what is fair. And no, that wouldn't be remotely fair to the Bass who finally won a challenge just to lose another member of their team. So you get to take her place."

"I'm on the Killer Bass now?" Heather's voice was a mix of hope and trepidation. "This shouldn't be to bad. I can still win this game. They won't know what hit them!"

"Yep, you'll do just fine there with your winning personality. I'm sure you'll jump at the chance to join Justin's fanclub up close. See you in three days!"

Chris performed a quick about face and jaunted off into the night leaving a stunned Heather in his wake, her mouth hanging open and an eye twitching uncontrollably.

"Justin…f*ck."


End Notes


I have to say this chapter ended up longer than it might have been if I had written it a year ago. Almost every character's challenge turned into a chance for character interaction and development. Considering how long it has been since last time, I tried to put extra effort into making sure the important developments so far were at least referenced so the reader doesn't have to go back and re-read too much if they do not want to. There were some people like Izzy and Katie who just didn't get the time in the sun they deserve but in the end this chapter was too long and their stories will be dealt with in more detail in future challenges.

Hopefully that was worth the wait...with luck, I will try and get back to updating more frequently in the future. Please leave your comments. Some of the more recent commentators provided the final nudge to convince me to get back to this.