Chapter Text
“Last time, on Disventure Camp! Yul found out about Hunter, Kai and Connor’s alliance. Maggy and Tess bonded over art. Rosa explained her story to Kai, and the two became friends. Connor felt depressed over wanting to fit in with the youth, and Riya encouraged him to be himself. For our second challenge, most of the campers were forced to kiss lip-to-lip for a few seconds, which led to quite a few crazy situations. Looking at you, James… Much to the Turtles’ dismay, Yul refused to kiss Connor, leading to the Tigers winning the challenge, and immunity. It seemed like things were over for Yul, but due to the previously-announced immunity totem, he was able to save his own skin by pulling a very clever stunt. Previously knowing Connor was the leader of the trio’s alliance, he was able to ruin their stability by voting for Connor, thus making him leave the competition, leaving the boys and Riya disheartened. 12 campers remain! Will Yul be able to pull another crazy stunt to save his own overhated self once again? That, among other things, is what we’ll find out in this episode, of… Disventure Camp!”
-xx-
The theme song starts. A camera flies through Driver Marcus and his puppet Nina in the bus, with the host Kristal striking a confident pose by the sign of the camp.
The camera headed to the lake, where Maggy, Aiden and Hunter were on a canoe, fishing. Hunter caught a fish, reeling it up and grabbing onto it, holding it up gleefully. Aiden claps his hands at his achievement. Maggy then jumps cheerfully, which causes the boat to tumble and her two friends to fall in the water, as she observes in shock.
Kai is peacefully meditating in front of the cabin entrance. Yul shows up, yelling at him. Suddenly, a crocodile appears from behind, and chases Yul viciously, making the latter run away in fear. Karol appears, whistling over to the crocodile. It approaches her and she hugs it lovingly.
Tess and Ally are sitting beside each other in the forest, with the latter holding a Nintendo Switch, focused on her game. Tess is drawing silently. James then appears, sitting down next to Ally, waving at the pair. Ally waves back, and suddenly James pulls out his phone, preparing to take a trio selfie. James and Ally strike a pose, and Tess covers her eyes as the blinding flash of the camera occurs.
Later in the evening, Connor, Riya, Lake, Rosa and Oliver are roasting marshmallows by the campfire. A squirrel shows up, next to Oliver’s foot. Once he notices it, he lets out a huge scream, running to the forest. The group stare at each other, confused, and then they all laugh it off.
Much deeper into the night, every single one of the fourteen contestants reunited by the campfire. Karol and Yul glared at each other in disgust, until Connor popped up in the middle of them, wrapping his arms around the two, with a huge smile on his face. Of course, this only made the pair more annoyed. The camera zoomed out, showing the host Kristal beside the voting urn, flipping her ponytail and saluting the viewers.
-xx-
James was by himself, sitting on the staircase to his cabin, and mindlessly scrolling through his phone. He had just closed TikTok and opened Twitter, still scrolling with a blank expression.
His eyes widened and he felt perplexed, as he saw a post with a screenshot of him and Aiden from the previous challenge; both kissing while Aiden tried shoving him away.
The caption read…
“ew guys wtf is NOBODY gonna talk abt what james did. HUH??? #saveAiden”
He huffed, scrolling down to the comments of the post.
“yeah honestly it was p gross… poor aiden i felt for him </3”
“james needs to chill lmaooooo”
“I’m glad queen Rosa (diva) was there to support him!! also W Kai for not pressuring him!!”
James’ grip on the phone tightened, him gritting his teeth slightly, before groaning. “Ugh. Haters.”
“BA-HAHAAA! Aww, look who’s all alone right nowww!” A familiar, obnoxious voice rang out from beside him. James furrowed his brows as he glanced at… him.
“What do you want, Yul?” His annoyed glare spoke for itself.
The Korean cackled again. “Oooh, don’t pop a gasket… I was just wondering where your bitch Aiden was. After all, you’re kind of a twink magnet… Well, not anymore, I guess. BA-HAHA!”
He glared at him more intensely as he insulted Aiden. “Don’t call him that, moron.”
Yul chuckled sarcastically. “Hey, you’re in no position to argue here. After all… It’s all your fault he ran off with those clowns and left you all by yourself. I had no idea you were such a creep, JamesCD! Pfft! Now dear Aiden’s gonna run off with that junkie, Kai… And you’re gonna be all alone again.”
“S-shut up…! If you’re just going to talk crap to me, then back off and leave me alone.”
He rolled his eyes. “Ughhh! Calm downnn. Look, I actually came here with a small proposition…”
James groaned. “...Whatever. If it’ll get you to leave me alone, I’ll listen.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Anyway, since it’s pretty clear your team doesn’t exactly like you, I think it would be in your best interest to form an alliance with me.”
The man was perplexed for a moment. “...What?? How would that even work? We are not even from the same teams.”
Yul facepalmed. “Just shut up and listen. What I mean is, you’re gonna come talk to me whenever we have the chance, and you can tell me all about what’s going on in your team, who’s under risk of getting booted, who the strongest players are… That kind of nerdy shit. Got it??”
“Mmm… I must say, it is very strange of you to come to ME with this proposition. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be in a bad spot on your team… right, Yul?” James crossed his arms, a smug look on his face, which annoyed Yul.
“UGH! Shut up, I never said that! I-I’m doing just fine, as you can see… Besides, I think we should both be more worried about you right now. Aiden’s friends with Ms. Purple Hair and Pronouns, and Dollar Store Tall Girl. His potential alliances are way stronger than any you could form, which means you’re totally screwed if your team loses a challenge. Do you seriously wanna get booted off, and be forever known as the guy who assaulted a twink? Huhhh??”
Yul was an asshole. But… his words kept echoing in James’ mind. He wasn’t just telling him bullshit, he actually had a point, strategically speaking. If Aiden formed an alliance with those two, or even more, especially if the whole team turned on him… He’d surely get voted off ASAP.
James was never one to care too much about hate, though this situation was different. He crossed a line, this time. Even though he always did all sorts of crazy TikTok challenges and trends before, this was… a more sensible matter. Deep down, he still didn’t understand how he hurt Aiden, because he didn’t really mean to. But he had to keep him close. And now, he was slipping through his fingers.
“I… well, alright. What do you have in mind, then?”
“Glad you finally asked. Well… we can’t really do much, for now. But I'm asking you to keep your eyes and ears open. Learn whatever you can from your team, and tell me all the deets when you can. And if you play nice, I might just tell you what’s going on in mine. Ooh, and maybe we could even pull the strings from behind and sabotage those morons. That way, we have a better chance of making it to merge and not have to worry anymore about this whole team bullshit... Deal?” Yul extended his hand at him.
He pondered for a moment, before shaking Yul’s hand. “Deal.”
-xx-
“And then she said, ‘’I can smell that million bucks calling to me!’’ And tossed Ellie’s shovel faaar off, which made her lose the challenge!”
“U-um… isn’t faking a heart attack k-kinda… wrong?”
Aiden pondered, waving his hand dismissively. “Well, normally… But honestly, I respect the hustle. After all, it made her win the season in the end.”
Maggy and the e-boy were together in the woods, on a tree log. As usual, he was geeking out about Disventure Camp trivia.
“R-right, then… I-I actually didn’t watch this show at all… My mom doesn’t really let me watch TV much.”
His eyebrows curved. “Aww. Well, not to worry! I’m basically a walking Disventure Camp dictionary! I’ll make sure you know every little detail, so you won’t feel lost.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Aiden.”
Aiden chuckled and nodded. “You’re welcome. But enough about me; do you have any hobbies? Or anything you do for a living?”
“W-well, m-my dad owns a pharmacy, and he works there. So… sometimes I go there and help him with stuff. B-because of that, I kinda know a lot about medicines and the like… E-especially since I’m always either getting ill, or getting hurt when I go out…”
The e-boy raised an eyebrow, noticing several band-aids on her body. “Ahh, so that’s why you’ve got so many band-aids on, huh?”
“Y-yeah… either I trip on a rock, o-or get scratched by a branch… O-or get attacked by a w-wild squirrel…!” Maggy spoke, her voice shaking at the last part as she shut her eyes.
Aiden laughed nervously. “O-oh, man. Sounds pretty crazy, eheh… By the way, I’m not exclusively interested in Disventure Camp. I like a bunch of other reality shows, too. Like Race to the Place, that kinda thing…” He suddenly looked to the side, suspiciously, before leaning closer to Maggy and whispering at her. “A-actually, did you know Kristal’s father runs that show?? Apparently, she really hates him. So… don’t mention him around her.” He leaned away.
“O-okay. I won’t. A-and, Aiden? Are you… okay?”
He looked puzzled. “Huh? Y-yeah, why?”
“T-the… what happened with you and James at the challenge. Y-you looked really sad. S-so…”
Oh. That’s what she meant.
Aiden hesitated a bit before answering. “I… it’s complicated. But, I’ll be fine.”
Suddenly, Maggy hugged him. “I-I’m sorry that happened to you…! P-please don’t be sad…”
He chuckled slightly. “Don’t worry about me, Maggy. Stuff just happens sometimes…”
“I-I know, but… I still worry. I w-worry for all my friends.”
Aiden hummed. “I know you do. But I swear I’m fine. Um… do you wanna go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast?”
“A-ah, of course…!”
Confessional ~ Aiden
“Maggy’s really sweet. B-but I really don’t wanna worry her with my own problems. It’s just… gonna be awkward to be around James in the future, to say the least… But - I guess I’ll learn to live with it.” He shrugged, sighing.
_
At the courtyard of the Turtle’s cabin, Kai and Hunter sat together on one of the wooden tables.
The emo guy sighed, covering his face with his hands. “Ugh… man, oh man… I still can’t believe Connor’s just gone. Just like that…”
“Indeed. It is truly tragic… For the wise old man was the light of hope that carried our boat through the turbulent seas, although a force of nature had caused a tornado to form in our path, which set us off course… and sent Connor flying toward the dark, stormy sky…” Kai rambled away, being his usual philosophical self.
Hunter hummed. “Yeah, what you said, bro… I’m just totally lost. I can’t believe Yul pulled the rug on us like that, especially with that crazy totem play… He knew exactly what he was doing when he voted for Connor.”
Kai raised his finger, his eyes closed. “That demon is a whole other beast on his own. But I sense that we may be missing the bigger picture here… It may be possible the demon is simply a red herring, a fog blinding us from the real problem.”
“Huh, what do you mean by that?”
“Yul may not be working alone. He may be gathering allies to continue his destructive cycle of chaos and impurity. After all, I fear some among us may not be as pure-hearted as they claim to be…”
Hunter raised an eyebrow at that. But before he could question him, someone approached their table - namely, Ally.
“There you are, Hunter! I was looking for you, like, everywhere!” She exclaimed, holding her Switch. Hunter perked up. “Ohh, hey girl!”
“Namaste, Ally.” Kai said, prompting her to giggle and wave at him as well. “Hey, man. Uhh, Hunter, I just wanted to ask if you were free right now? Tess and I were chilling on a table closer to our cabin. You wanna come with and take turns playing Fortnite?”
Hunter chuckled. “Sure, how could I say no to Fortnite? Hey, I’ll see you soon, Kai.” He fist bumped him.
After a long trek, they reached Tess’ table.
“Hi, Tess! We’re here!”
She hummed, with a deadpan tone. “Hoo boy…”
Ally placed the Switch on the table after the pair sat down. “Right. So, you can go first, Hunter.”
“Sure thing. Y’know, considering we’re in the middle of the woods, I’m surprised Kristal’s wi-fi is this good.” He said as he picked up the Joy-Cons.
“Eh, it could be better, but yeah, it’s pretty surprising…”
Tess trailed off, staring away into the woods as they geeked out about Fortnite.
“By the way, Hunter, you never told me your username. Y’know, in case you wanna play online after this is all over.” Ally asked, earnestly.
He widened his eyes. “Ooh, good point! Right, right, it’s… uh, xXLoneRangerXx…”
…Wow.
Ally couldn’t help but snort, despite her best efforts at holding in a laugh.
“W-what? What’s so funny?”
Okay, she straight up cackled now. “HAH! D-dude, that is SO emo?? Are you a MySpace kid? Xbox Live lookin’ ass gamertag, haha…” She giggled after that.
Hunter giggled along. “Okayyy, okay, I know. Hardy har…”
“How many MCR shirts do you own, huh? Ten? You wearing one under that sweater right now?” Ally snorted once more.
“Ohh, shut up.”
She chuckled. “Relax, I’m fucking with you.”
“Riiight, like I’m gonna believe you didn’t have a scene girl phase.”
“I- shut up…”
As Tess completely tuned them out, she spotted weird movements in the bushes.
*rattle-rattle*
“Mmm… uh, guys-” She turned to see them completely glued to the screen. Figures.
Tess groaned. “Never mind. If we get jumped by a gator, I hope it kills me first.”
As the girl looked away, Yul’s head popped out from the bush, only for him to dive inside again.
Confessional ~ Yul
“Yeah, haha, I’m in a bush again. Whatever. Unlike James, I’m not a creeper. Anyway, Hunter seems to be getting wayyy too buddy-buddy with Ally and Tess. Like, hellooo, I’m right hereee??” He suddenly glanced at the camera, flustered, before frowning in annoyance. “W-what I MEANT was, there’s a huge risk of him forming an alliance with these two - especially after I basically crushed his alliance with Connor and Kai. Ugh… as much as I hate to admit it, Emo Twunk might become a problem if he makes it to the merge…”
_
As the morning progressed, Riya sat alone by herself on a rock at the beach. Same spot where she found Connor yesterday… Sigh.
She glanced at the moving waves, the slight wind moving the pine trees from afar.
Without her noticing it, someone approached her from behind. “Riya.”
“A-ah!” She was startled, turning around to realize it was Karol, with her arms crossed.
“O-oh… Karol. H-hello…” Her voice was still shaky.
“Why are you moping around here?”
Riya flinched a bit due to her sudden interrogation. “I-I am not moping, i-it’s… nothing.”
Karol rolled her eyes. This was way too obvious. “Riya, you don’t have to lie to me. Of course it’s Connor.”
The woman frowned, looking down as she placed her head between her palms.
“Look. I know you were close. But we’re still together in this alliance, and I need you to focus right now. We have to make it to the end, and if you don’t take your mind off of him, that’s not gonna happen. Do the right thing, Riya.” She then walked back to the forest, leaving Riya by herself.
Confessional ~ Riya
She pondered. “W-well… obviously, I still really miss Connor. I just feel very lonely right now. But, I suppose Karol does have a point… I have to keep it together and focus on the game, so I can win this for myself… and for Connor.”
_
As per usual, to disrupt the peace around the camp, Kristal’s speakers went off, startling nearly everyone.
“Howdyyy, campers! It’s challenge tiiime! And just to ease any concerns, this one will not involve any kissing! But make sure you get your insomnia on, and meet me at the middle of the camp! Don’t be late!”
And with her announcement, everyone gathered at the location.
“Tigers! Turtles! Welcome to the third challenge. This one will be a little… unusual, I can tell you that much.” Kristal explained.
“Uh, yeah, what was that about insomnia?” Aiden questioned, concerned.
The host cleared her throat. “Allow me to elaborate. Your challenge is to stay awake for as long as possible! Each member who falls asleep will be excluded from the challenge. If at least one or more people from one team is awake, and every single member on the opposing team ends up falling asleep, their team will win immunity. Last man standing, you get the gist.”
Karol argued, baffled. “What?? How are we supposed to stay awake for that long without anything to do??”
“That’s your problem, Karol. Now… no more interruptions. The challenge begins, now!”
After Kristal gave them the go-ahead, everyone split up in their own little cliques, or simply did their own thing by themselves.
_
“Hey, Lake? I have… something interesting to tell you. Since you also like writing and poetry, I… thought you might like it.” Rosa María said, looking a little anxious.
Lake’s eyes widened. “Oh? Then please tell me more, Rosa.”
The girl expressed a bit of surprise over her eagerness, so she hoped she could explain it as best as she could. And in a way that wouldn’t offend her, or cross any lines…
“Very well… but before I tell you, I want to ask; do you believe in astrology?”
She was a bit surprised by the question, but not in a bad way. “A-actually… I do. I think it is a somewhat niche, yet very interesting matter…”
“I-I see. Well, you know… I told you about my pregnancy a while ago, and how my parents weren’t exactly the most supportive…”
She nodded. “Yes, I… remember.”
“Well, I may have spoken vaguely about it, but… if I can be completely transparent with you, it was the most difficult, and quite frankly the worst period in my entire life. I cannot describe how alone and powerless I felt, for a long time…” Rosa’s voice broke a little.
Lake’s eyebrows arched, her heart aching with Rosa’s sad description. “R-Rosa… I-I’m so sorry. I wish I could’ve been there for you.”
Rosa suddenly giggled, despite the tragic story she just mentioned. “It is alright, my friend. But… my point is, when I was all alone, and suffering, and felt like I could not trust or rely on anyone, including my parents… I eventually found my way towards the horoscope. And it gave me the best guidance I could have ever hoped for.”
“A-ah? The… horoscope? I haven’t heard much of it, actually. How did it help you…?”
“The daily horoscope gives you readings on your zodiac sign. Yes, yes, I know many people dislike them and dismiss them as merely superstition… But, some of the readings can be very accurate and extremely encouraging, even if you feel completely helpless. The day I first read it, the advice that I was given was simply life-changing. And… well, I wanted to share this with you. So if you are ever in a bad spot, you could simply read the horoscope and see if the message makes sense, and will uplift your spirits.” She smiled.
The blonde stayed silent for a second, looking down with a huge frown, until she tried snapping back to her usual self. “I-I… w-well, that is very kind of you, Rosa. B-but… m-maybe I would not be very comfortable to go deeper into the horoscope just yet. I-I don’t mean to keep secrets from you, but…”
Bingo. That was the reaction she expected, but not to worry. Rosa shook her hands, worried. “A-ah, no, no. T-that is just fine, Lake. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. I just thought that a writer such as yourself might find the horoscope… inspiring. And maybe helpful, be it for that purpose, or another.”
Lake nodded, taking a deep breath. “Y-yes, I see. And, thank you for the suggestion…” She chuckled, her tone breaking faintly. “I-I’m sorry, I do not mean to look so sensitive, eheh…”
“Please don’t worry, Lake. You’re my friend. I’d never judge you for being honest with your feelings. Don’t be concerned with apologizing - I understand.”
They smiled at each other.
Confessional ~ Lake
The girl huffed, holding her face in frustration. “A-agh… I really didn’t want to seem so rude and dismissive towards Rosa. She doesn’t deserve that. B-but… it’s really not easy talking about my parents to just anyone. Even if Rosa is an incredible person, I… am not quite ready to discuss this matter right now. Besides, if they found out I said anything about them on live TV, the results would be very disastrous… B-but - on the bright side, maybe taking a look at this so-called horoscope might not be such a scary idea. I am actually a Cancer, so I wonder what kind of message I would receive…”
_
2 hours have passed.
Ally and Tess were together, and of course - she was still yapping about video games.
“So yeah, you know what really pisses me off?? Cancelled games. Like, what if a game was gonna be really awesome, but then it gets cancelled for either time or budget reasons? It just makes me wish we could live in an alternate reality where that game got released and some other one didn’t.”
“Uh-huhhh…” Tess mumbled, rolling her eyes.
“Also, cut content! Y’know, when developers cut things out of the game, or change stuff in the story? Sometimes it just makes it so the final product is even worse, because we may or may not have missed out on a really cool scenario that’s completely gone now. Like, imagine if the cut content was way better than the final game? That stuff happens, man!”
“Riiight…” Once again, she muttered, yawning.
Suddenly, Maggy appeared in front of the two, holding her fingers together. She waved at Tess. “H-hi, Tess!”
Thank Lord, someone who didn’t yap about video games! “O-oh. Hi.”
Ally suddenly perked up. “Ooh, hey! Maggy, right? …Wait, are you guys friends?”
“Yes.” Tess answered, bluntly. Maggy smiled when she said that.
“‘Eyy, awesome! Maggy, are you a fellow gamer?”
She froze once the conversation was directed at her. “W-what?? M-me…? U-uhm… I-I never really liked v-video games…”
Oh. Well, that hit Ally like a rock.
She frowned, dropping the topic. “A-ahh… s-sure, that’s f-fine… yeah.”
Confessional ~ Ally
“O-okay, I’m getting a little self-conscious now. W-what if I’m just weirding people out, or annoying them by talking a bit too much about games? Ugh… It’s not like I have any other major hobbies, either… Keep it together, Ally…” She slapped her face slightly.
_
A good hour passed by.
Hunter was chilling by himself, laying against a tree while he had earphones on. Yul approached him.
“A-hem!” He cleared his throat, obnoxiously. And obviously, Hunter didn’t really hear a thing, his eyes still closed.
He rolled his eyes, and went around the tree, giving it a swift kick. The impact made the tree shake a little, causing a small pinecone to fall on the emo’s head.
“O-ow! …Oh.” He glanced at the pinecone, until he looked up at Yul, his relaxed expression turning into annoyance. “It’s you. Uh… what’s up?”
“What’s up is that we need to talk about your little thing with Ally and Tess.”
Hunter was befuddled. “T-the… what? What thing?”
“You know what! I know you’re kind of a himbo, but you’re smarter than you look. Obviously you’re in an alliance with those two, so when you make it to the merge, you’ll have no problems getting further in the game, huh??” Yul said, his tone growing more hostile.
“A-alliance? Nah, the only alliance I’m in is with Kai… wait- I-I mean…”
Yul facepalmed. “I already know that, dumbass. But I also know you’re full of shit, ‘cause no way you don’t have something set up with the girls. Just admit it alreadyyy!”
Hunter stood up. “Look, there’s nothing to admit! If you’re just gonna stand there screaming at me, I’m gonna get a move on. Peace out.” He walked past him, throwing a peace sign.
“U-ughhh! You freaking twunk!”
The emo walked straight to Lake and Rosa’s spot, which left the pair staring at him in confusion, wondering what the commotion back there was all about. “Uhh… Hunter? What was going on with Yul back there?” Rosa said, her arms crossed.
He hummed, sweeping his hair back. “No idea, but he’s being a jerk again, and he won’t leave me alone. He keeps asking me about an alliance, or whatever…”
“Hm. Well, whatever you do, do not involve yourself with the likes of him. You can stay with us.” Rosa smiled.
“Oh! Alrighty, then. Thanks.” He sat down beside them on their tree log, making Rosa nod at him with a smile on her face.
Lake pondered. “E-err… By the way, do you know why Yul is always… around you? It’s almost as if he is a little, um… Obsessed?”
Hunter widened his eyes, and Rosa was genuinely baffled.
“Hmph, well I never! Don’t worry, Hunter. I won’t let that bastard come near you.” She said, slightly flexing her arms. It’d actually be kinda funny to see someone as kind as Rosa fighting someone.
“I-I… I mean, I don’t know if I’d say he’s obsessed, but… I guess it is sorta weird, huh?”
The blonde suddenly giggled, speaking in a playful tone. “Well… maybe he liked your kiss a bit too much, hmm?” Hunter blushed, looking away.
Rosa scoffed. “Only someone who hates themself would be in any kind of relationship with Yul. Anyone deserves better than him.”
Meanwhile, Yul was watching their conversation from afar, hiding behind a tree.
Confessional ~ Yul
“Alright, either Hunter is a chick magnet, or he’s secretly in cahoots with all of those cows from the other team! New rule number one… never trust a twunk.”
_
By that point, 4 hours have passed. Maggy and Tess fell asleep, making Ally all alone. She huffed, a frown on her face.
After 2 more hours, Rosa and Lake both fell asleep. Hunter groaned.
“Aaand the Tigers just officially lost 4 people! Seems like the Turtles are finally taking the lead!” Kristal announced.
He proceeded to stand up, looking for another spot. He ran into Ally, with her two sleeping companions beside her. They both smiled hugely at each other.
“H-Hunter! Thank God, I thought everyone else was knocked out…” She said, sighing.
Hunter sat beside her. “Nope. Not me. Does your Switch still have enough battery juice left?”
She checked the battery. 61% left. “Uhh… yeah, should last for a bit. Wanna game?”
“Sure.”
After half an hour passed by, Kristal suddenly approached the gaming duo, holding a tray with two Sprite cans on it.
“Hey there, gamers. Fancy a drink? You both should stay hydrated for this challenge.”
Ally glanced at the Sprite cans. “Uh… no thanks, I’ll be fine.”
Hunter looked at the cans, his eyes widening. “You know what, I’m sorta thirsty. Sure, I’ll have one.”
Kristal handed him a can with an oddly sadistic smile. “Of course, here you go…”
He opened the soda can, taking a looong sip. Ally was a little weirded out by Kristal’s odd behavior.
“Uhh… is there something else you wanted to say, Kristal?” She asked, unsettled.
Kristal chuckled. “Hah, nothing really! …Just that, well… Let’s just say that I may or may not have spiked the Sprite with a dose of strong sleeping pills…”
The pair’s eyes widened, and Hunter spat out his current drink. “W-WHAT??”
“Hehe, oops! You probably should be more careful about accepting gifts from strangers.” She said, her tone faintly menacing.
“W-what the hell, you DRUGGED him?!” Ally interjected, furious and shocked.
Hunter groaned slightly. “I-I don’t… feel so good…”
*thud!*
“W-whoa, shit! H-Hunter…!” Ally said, inspecting his unconscious self.
Kristal cleared her throat. “Aaand the Turtles lose their first member! Sweet dreams, Hunter!”
“W-WHAT did you DO?? Y-you can’t sabotage us like this! …B-besides, you freaking drugged him!! T-that is SO messed up!!” Ally yelled at her, causing her to yawn. “Blahblahblah, whatever. He’ll wake up… eventually.”
Confessional ~ Kristal & Oliver
“D-DRUGGED??” He exclaimed, holding his head with a frantic expression.
Kristal giggled. “Yep, I sure did! It’s harmless anyway, he’ll be fineee…”
“M-Miss Kristal, I… I really don’t know if d-drugging contestants is v-very nice, or… legal, for that matter.”
“Oh, come on. You need to know how to have a little bit of fun. The worst thing that can happen is him thinking twice before drinking a can of Sprite again…”
“M-meaning, you gave him Spritephobia! His life will never be the same!” Oliver yelled.
“Really now? Who died and made you an etymologist?” Kristal asked, her arms crossed.
Oliver pondered for a moment. “W-what’s etymology?”
“...The study of the history of words.”
“Oh. T-that sounds better than working at Chipotle.”
Kristal cleared her throat. “A-ahem! We’re getting sidetracked. Back to it!”
_
Another 2 hours pass by.
Aiden and James were sitting together, but both on far ends of the same bench. Aiden looked a little sleepy. Before he could even turn around, he noticed that James scooted over right behind him. He jumped a little.
“Hey, Aiden… Listen, so abou-”
“J-James… don’t.” He interrupted him. “We’ve got a challenge to win, so let’s just focus.”
He scoffed. “I just want to talk, it’s not that serious. We can stay awake and talk, no?”
Aiden hesitated, standing up from the bench. “I… I’d rather not, man…” He walked away, leaving James by himself. He faintly slammed his fist on the wooden table.
Confessional ~ James
“Hmph, fine! If Aiden keeps avoiding me, then I don’t need him, anyway! …I don’t.” He crossed his arms, looking to the side with a conflicted frown.
_
Confessional ~ Aiden
Aiden sighed, burying his face in his palms. “I feel so shitty right now. Over this whole thing. It’s just… Rosa told me that my feelings are valid, a-and… I don’t disagree, but… I can’t help but wonder if I’m being too dramatic. Too… harsh? Crap, I don’t know. Ugh! Dammit, Aiden! Snap out of it…!”
_
One more hour passes. Kai and Yul fell asleep, oddly enough, beside each other. Hmm.
As Aiden paced around the clearing, he was a bit surprised to see Karol still awake. But curiously enough, she was… bandaging a crow?
He wanted to know what exactly she was doing, so he spoke to her. “U-uh… Karol, right? Hi.”
“Huhh?? Oh. You… what do you want, whippersnapper?”
“Well, n-nothing. I just wanted to know what exactly is going on with that, uhh… bird, over there?”
She scoffed. “It’s a crow, stupid. It clipped one of its wings on a sharp tree branch. I’m just taking care of the wound.”
Aiden felt genuinely surprised she was doing something so… unusual. Or, out-of-character for her. “Whoa, um… really? I kinda didn’t figure you for the animal lover type. N-no offense, it’s just that you don’t exactly seem like a… people person.”
“Hmph. None taken. And you’d be right… But, animals are miles better than people. Because they can’t communicate through words, only actions. So… they won’t try to manipulate you, unlike people always do.” Karol explained, still fully focused on the crow on her lap.
“Uh, right, right… But - aren’t you scared of getting bit, or clawed, or… attacked by animals at all?”
Karol chuckled dryly. “Hah. Unlike people, no animal has ever tried to hurt me in my whole life. Ever. Does that answer your question?”
Aiden held his arm, looking down at the ground with a faint sad frown. Karol caught sight of that. “...Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
“O-oh, uh… N-nothing. Just that… I guess you could say I relate to you, with… people hurting you, and all that… I-it’s nothing. I won’t keep you. See ya, Karol…” He waved at her, walking away.
She glanced at him, squinting her eyes.
Confessional ~ Karol
“Unlike every other Gen Z disaster in this camp, Aiden isn’t as unbearable as the rest of them. But I wonder what exactly he seems so upset about.” Karol pondered.
_
Another 4 hours go by. James fell asleep, and so did Aiden and Karol.
It was a bit past midnight at this point. Anyone with a regular sleep schedule was already pretty tired.
Riya was holding on for dear life, trying to stay awake as much as she could. Without anyone to keep her company, it was one tedious job, so if anything she felt even more tired.
She kept blinking deliriously and nearly fell asleep about 2 times.
Ally wasn’t too different from her, though. Her precious Switch battery finally ran out. And her gaming buddy was still in deep sleep mode.
She touched her pockets and jolted as she realized something. She still had her phone! Ally took her phone out and started typing something on YouTube.
“C-come onn… g-gotta stay awake…”
As she scrolled through, her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar video. “W-wait… yes! I’m gonna blast this and see if I… stay awake, c’mon, Ally…”
Riya was slightly closer to Ally as she didn’t want to be fully alone, as she was starting to feel depressed. But, she was surprised as she saw Ally standing up, holding her phone high and starting to… dance?
“W-what the…?”
Before her mind could even register what she was doing, loud music blasted from Ally’s phone, making Riya fully widen her baggy, sleep-deprived eyes.
“WE GOT A - NUMBER ONE VICTORY ROYALE, YEAH FORTNITE WE ‘BOUT TO GET DOWN - GET DOWN!!! TEN KILLS ON THE BOARD RIGHT NOW, JUST WIPED OUT TOMATO TOWN…”
Riya’s head started to hurt and she flinched in pain. “G-ghh! W-what the hell is… t-that??”
Ally kept doing crappy attempts at Fortnite dances as she blasted the song away, cheering loudly, doing her best to keep her sleepiness away.
“U-ughhh… m-my head…”
“MY FRIEND JUST GOT DOWNED - I REVIVED HIM, NOW WE’RE HEADING SOUTHBOUND…”
Her eyes kept blinking, as her head started to hurt even more from the loud music, combined with her sleep deprivation.
“TAKE ME TO YOUR XBOX TO PLAY FORTNITE TODAYYY! YOU CAN TAKE ME TO MOISTY MIRE, BUT NOT LOOT LAKE! I REALLY LOVE TO… CHUG JUG WITH YOU… WE CAN BE PRO FORTNITE GAMERS!”
“A-ahh…”
*thud!*
Riya collapsed to the floor, in too much pain to stand being awake. She immediately fell asleep.
Ally stopped her music, glancing at Riya’s unconscious self. “W-whoa! …Wait, I… I-I won?!”
Suddenly, Kristal and Oliver came from the bushes, the former holding a whistle, which she blew.
“Aaand, it looks like Ally was the last person standing! The Tigers secure yet another immunity, as they have won the challenge!” Kristal exclaimed.
Ally raised her fist to the air. “Y-yaaay! …Y-yayyy… a-awesome… uhhh… ahahah…” She chuckled deliriously for a few seconds, the energy completely leaving her own body. She dropped her phone and slowly collapsed to the ground, totally exhausted.
“...Well then. Talk about anti-climactic.” Kristal quipped.
“I-I… M-Miss Kristal, I-I’m starting to think this challenge went a little… o-overboard…” Oliver said, shakingly.
She scoffed, waving her hand. “No big deal, Oliver! They’ll be fine. We’re hosting the elimination ceremony for the Turtles this morning, once they’re all rested up.”
Oliver’s eyes sparkled a bit, but mainly in confusion. “O-oh?? Wait, a voting ceremony… in the morning?? T-that’s kinda unusual, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes. But I’m sure the viewers will appreciate the novelty. Oliver, help Marcus and take everyone inside to their respective cabins.”
He sighed loudly, flailing his arms down. “H-huh?? …O-ohh… okay… I-I’ll get it done, Ms. Kristal…”
Several hours later…
Most of the Turtles already woke up from their slumber, obviously all confused from their current predicament. But right after, Kristal made a short announcement explaining they lost the challenge, and that they had to meet her this morning for an elimination ceremony. They were all a bit weirded out by the sudden change, but they had to roll with it, regardless.
Early in the morning, Yul was pacing around the forest, wondering who to vote for. He already had a main target in mind, but he wondered if it really was the best move to pull off right now.
Especially since he didn’t know if anyone else would share the same opinion he did. No point in voting for someone if no one else did the same.
“Ugh… now, like… what the hell do I even do?? There’s only Karol, Kai, Hunter… and Riy-AAHH!!”
Yul was grabbed from behind and pulled into a bush. “A-AHH!! W-what the FUCK?? W-what is this shi-OW!”
He was immediately slapped on the face. “S-shh!”
As he rubbed his own cheek, he opened his eyes and was surprised to see who pulled him in. “T-the fuck?? Riya??”
“S-stay quiet, Yul. Please!”
“W-what are you even doing, lunatic??”
She shook him by the shoulders. “Just stay quiet, and listen to me. I have a proposition. I can convince Karol to vote for either Kai, or Hunter… which would mean you are in less danger of being voted out by them. But you have to promise me that you will vote for one of them as well, otherwise this plan will not work.”
He pondered. “Hmm… oh what the hell. Fine. You better not be bullshitting me, though.”
“I’m not.” She shook her head. “So… who do you propose?”
“Well… Hunter seems to be very buddy-buddy with the Tigers; namely, those flops - Ally and Tess.”
Riya’s eyes widened. “W-wait… you’re right. I remember him spending a lot of time with the two, by the cafeteria…”
“Yeah, whatever. Listen to me, ‘cuz I’ve got an idea…” He started whispering to her ear.
–
Hunter and Kai were together at the Turtles cabin, which was basically empty.
“Shoot… so, uh. Since we lost, what do we do this time??”
Kai hummed for a bit, before responding. “I may have an idea. I believe we should try one more time, and vote for Yul again.”
“W-what? But, like… We voted for him last time, and it didn’t exactly work, y’know. Is that really the best call, Kai?” The emo questioned.
“While it may seem foolish, and even reckless… Karol and Yul still have a rather turbulent relationship. Her inner hatred may push her to vote for him. It may give us a fighting chance if we exploit that opportunity.”
Hunter ponders, then nods. “Yeah… okay. Good point, man.”
–
Merely a few minutes passed, until the campers all gathered by the usual elimination spot. Funny enough, the darkness of the sky being replaced by the bright sunlight didn’t exactly take away the tension in their hearts.
“Turtlesss! Hello again.” Kristal snickered, failing to hold back her laugh. “Man, I can’t believe a Fortnite-loving girl was the reason you lost yet another challenge! This is the third time in a row, right? I almost feel bad for you. Almost. But - enough sarcasm, go right ahead and vote!”
Hunter holds up a vote for Yul. “Okay, so it didn’t work last time. But… second time’s the charm?”
Kai held up a vote for Yul. “Time to right all the wrongs, and to cast justice upon this accursed land.”
Yul signs a name on the paper, conflicted.
Riya writes on the paper, leaning back and staring at what she wrote.
Karol rolls her eyes, then proceeds to write on the paper.
Finally, all the votes have been cast. The campers returned to their respective seats.
“Seems like you’re all ready, then! Unluckily for one of you, there were no immunity totems today. Better luck next time, huh? Well, I’ll get to it.”
Kristal retrieved the stack of papers from the urn.
“First vote… Yul.”
Yul shot a skeptical glance at Kai and Hunter.
“Second… Hunter.”
Hunter widened his eyes in surprise, a bit shook.
“Third one. Hunter.”
Kai and Hunter looked at each other in worry.
“Fourth vote, Yul.”
Yul crossed his arms, a little tense.
“Final vote, and the second person to join the Loser’s Motel, is…”
Hunter and Kai glanced angrily at Yul for a second, to which the latter returned another annoyed gaze.
“...Hunter! Very close call, but a single vote made all the difference.” Kristal explained.
“W-WHAT?? D-dude, h-how?? How did this even happen?” Hunter stood up, genuinely confused. He turned to Karol. “K-Karol, didn’t you hate Yul’s guts? Why’d you vote for me??”
She crossed her arms, huffing. “Of course I still despise him. But, you were a much larger threat to keep around. Especially since you’ve got ties with the enemy…”
“O-oh, seriously?? I’m not even in an alliance with anyone there! T-this is such BS, dud-”
Kristal cleared her throat, loudly. “Ahem! Hunter… don’t keep us waiting, now. The bus awaits you. Chop chop.”
He sighed. Kai stood up, going near him. “I’ll walk with you, brother.” Hunter nods, and the pair walk off.
Yul crosses his arms, looking to the side with a conflicted expression.
At the bus stop, Hunter sighs. “Oof. Talk about an unexpected plot twist…”
“Indeed. I will miss you, somber man.” Kai hugged him warmly.
Hunter chuckled, pulling away. “Haha, I’ll miss you too, dude. Well, on the bright side, at least I’ll see Connor again. I’ll be cheering you on, Kai. Good luck.” He held his hands together and bowed, as Kai typically did.
Kai laughed, reciprocating the gesture. “Namaste, Hunter. I’ll do my best, for the sake of justice.”
The bus pulled up beside the pair, and Hunter vanished along with it. Kai waved at the now distant vehicle.
–
Kristal looked at the sky, beside Oliver. She had a puzzled expression on her face. “Hmm… Very odd for us to end an episode like this, at daylight. But, I suppose the game is the game.”
Oliver looked up, and noticed the clouds getting a bit dark. “W-wait, I think it’s gonna rain…” Faint thunder was heard in the distance, which scared him off. “W-wahhh!!”
The host huffed, crossing her arms. “Ugh. And to think I have to pay him this weekend… Oh well. Anyways, this was quite a peculiar episode, huh? To see Riya finally siding with Yul, and Karol setting her grudge with him aside just to eliminate Hunter, who was a larger threat… But, was he really?”
She looked up at the clouds again, as another thunder echoed through the camp. The clouds got darker, and faint rain started pouring out. Kristal groaned. “Mmph… Very well, it seems like the forces of nature, as Kai would say, don’t want me to finish this episode. Well - luckily for me, I don’t believe in all that hokey claptrap. Time to wrap this up. Eleven campers remain, and there are many more episodes to come! Who’s going to make it to the end? Find out next time, ooon… Disventure Camp!!”