Chapter Text
“Previously, on Disventure Camp…! Yul took advantage of James’ fixation on Aiden, and formed an alliance with him; despite the two being from different teams. As per usual, Maggy and Aiden bonded more. BFF goals! Once again, Yul spied on Hunter and his quote unquote ‘best friends’ as he suspected the three to be in an alliance, but he was awfully wrong. Riya felt depressed and lonely without Connor around, but Karol tried snapping her out of it so she could focus on the game again. Before they knew it, all the campers had to partake in a challenge where they had to stay awake for as long as they could. They shared a lot of banter; some good, some bad… And curiously enough, some new friendships might start blossoming, such as Aiden and Karol, who shared an interesting exchange whilst the latter proved she may not be as heartless as she looks. Thanks to the power of Fortnite dances, and dead memes from 2018, Ally managed to win the overnight challenge by exploiting Riya’s sleep deprived state…”
“M-Miss Kristal, you forgot to say that you also drugged Hunter with Spri-”
“QUIET, Oliver! …Anyways, the Turtles had to undergo yet another elimination ceremony, except it took place at daylight, this time. Unexpectedly, Riya attempted to cooperate with Yul, and formed a small alliance without Karol’s knowledge. She proposed to convince her to vote for Hunter, as long as Yul did the same. And he did, which ultimately led up to Hunter’s elimination. Oh my! But, back on track. Eleven campers remain! Let’s just get down to business and continue the journey, right here… on… 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-
Tess was in the girl’s bathroom, looking at an unspecified bottle of pills. She opened the lid and grabbed a few, proceeding to swallow them. She closed the bottle and placed it on the sink, reaching for her makeup bag and grabbing a tube of mascara, applying it carefully on her eyelashes.
Suddenly, Maggy walked in, jolting slightly at the sight of her friend, but quickly flashing a smile and a wave. “O-oh! Tess. Hi there…”
“Mmm? Ah. Hey.” She turned to her faintly, before looking back at the mirror and applying the rest of the mascara.
“S-so… uhm, how are you doi-”
Before Maggy could even finish talking, the pair jumped at the loud sound of Kristal’s speakers going off, oddly early in the morning.
“Hooowdy, campers! So sorry to interrupt your lovely morning routine, but I’ve got an announcement to make! A new advantage has been hidden around the camp, in the form of an envelope. Whoever finds it and reads the letter will discover a randomized advantage. Then, whoever is carrying it can present that letter before a challenge and apply said advantage right away. I’ll see you all in half an hour for your next challenge! Good hunting!”
Hmm. Another advantage? The girls looked at each other silently after the blaring announcement.
“H-huh… t-that was… odd.” Maggy pointed out.
Tess hummed. “Meh. I suppose someone has to go find that envelope now… not me, though. I don’t really care.”
Maggy nodded. “T-that’s okay. But… I think I should go look for it. I-I’m honestly feeling a little scared… Something tells me James is up to no good…”
“Well, if you are going to look for it, good luck. I… should go find Ally now. Bye, Maggy…” Tess walked out, waving at her with a bleak look on her face.
“O-oh! B-bye…” The gentle giant proceeded to turn on the tap, washing her hands. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she glanced to the left, only to jolt a little as she realized something… Tess forgot her pills!
She grabbed the pill bottle. “Tess forgot this…” Maggy then inspected the bottle a bit more closely, reading the labels and the name.
“SEROQUEL - ANTIPSYCHOTIC”
Maggy gasped a little. “W-wait… An a-antipsychotic… D-does this mean Tess has… psychosis…?”
Her fists clenched the bottle slightly, and she made her way out of the bathroom in a hurry.
-xx-
Ally sat at one of the wooden tables, by herself. She was scrolling on her phone mindlessly, with a blank smile on her face.
Her head turns to the side a couple of times. Almost as if she’s expecting someone.
Suddenly, James walks up to the table, catching her attention.
“A-ah! …Hey, James.”
“Heyy… I just wanted to stop by and, well, congratulate you for winning the other challenge for us. Looks like all that weird Fortnite stuff really came in clutch, eh?”
She pouted. “I guess, but don’t call it weird… Thanks, though.”
He chuckled. “Sure, anytime…” James then noticed Ally nervously turning her head around, fidgeting in her seat.
“Uh, Ally? Everything okay? …You just look kinda very worried.” He asked.
“O-ohh, it’s really nothing… Just that, I haven’t seen Hunter at all, and I can’t find Tess, either…”
Suddenly, a concerned look pops up on James’ face. He quickly reaches for his phone and opens TikTok, sitting nearby Ally. She was somewhat surprised. “H-hey, what are you…”
“Checking TikTok to see who was last eliminated from the Turtles.”
Ally jolted. “W-wait…! Y-you don’t think…?”
He opened the first clip he could find, and it already had a huge caption with “RIP EMO KING” written on it. As expected, it showed the last episode’s elimination ceremony. Ally watched the whole thing with her mouth agape. James was concerned for her.
Suddenly, she groaned and looked away, covering her eyes. “Ughhh! …Dammit, I freaking knew it…”
“Ally…” He muttered, as the girl still covered her face in distress.
“I-it’s… it’s fine. I’ll be okay. It’s just that I… was kinda expecting this to happen, to be honest. People don’t exactly like staying near me for too long…” She confessed.
James was definitely intrigued. “Oh? Why is that?”
Ally jolted a bit, then sighed. “N-nothing, just… Lately I had a large streak of really, really shitty luck, is all...”
The man nodded, squinting his eyes a bit.
Confessional ~ James
“There’s something odd about Ally, yes. But that’s something I probably shouldn’t waste my time with, right now. All things considered, Ally could make for a very useful… Well. Ally.” He chuckled very faintly.
_
Meanwhile, at the cafeteria…
Riya took a plate of eggs and bacon from the kitchen counter, a sad and tired look in her eyes.
Marcus and Nina were running the kitchen as per usual. The man spoke up. “Hey… you alright, ma’am?”
She didn’t even reply, simply lowering her head and walking off to a table.
He sighed. The doll snickered and poked his shoulder. “Woow, nice going, old fart…”
Before he could lecture her, Rosa María and Lake showed up to the counter, holding trays. “Good morning, sir… and doll.” The latter said.
Nina spoke up, mockfully. “Good morning, missiesss… Bacon and eggs for today. I hope you don’t smart-mouth me right now… because I know where you sleep.”
Lake shivered, and Rosa stepped in front of her, with a bit more courage. “You do not need to threaten us, Miss… Nina, right?”
The doll crossed her arms as Marcus nodded. “You’d be correct. She has a point, Nina. Don’t be so rude to strangers.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, yeah. You may as well pull out the Bible and give me a sermon, old timer… Get a move on, you two!”
Rosa rolled her eyes and proceeded to fill her plate, with Lake following her lead. She filled her plate with an extremely small amount of food. Rosa started to walk ahead, searching for a table.
Before Lake could follow her, Marcus spoke up. “Wait, miss… Are you really going to eat JUST that? You haven’t eaten in hours, you must be starving.”
She hesitated. “I-I… I d-don’t know what you’re talking about, b-because I’m fine… see?”
“Wowww, totallyyy… You might as well be eating a bag of air.” Nina quipped.
Marcus cleared his throat, actually trying to be reasonable. “Dear, I don’t know if this is the healthiest approach for a young lady such as yourself… Especially at your age. You can’t starve yourself for the sake of others. I… suppose I tried that before, when I was a young lad myself. Didn’t end well. Please, don’t go down that same path.” The older man’s voice got a bit more concerned by the end.
Lake’s eyebrows arched. She looked back between her plate, the man, and the other portion of eggs and bacon. Her hands shook; but she eventually sighed and gave in.
“I… alright. I s-suppose it won’t hurt. And I am v-very hungry…”
Marcus smiled, and Nina rolled her eyes. Lake walked back to the counter and filled her plate with a larger portion, this time.
The man chuckled. “I’m sorry if I was too intrusive, ma’am. I just don’t want anyone starvin’ on my watch.”
Lake nodded. “You’re alright. I understand…” Then followed after Rosa, who was still busy choosing tables.
Rosa turned her head to her. “Ah, there you are. I’m still deciding on a table… Hmm.” She suddenly stopped, turning her head to another direction.
“W-what is it, Rosa?”
“That’s… Riya?” She pointed to a table. And indeed, it was Riya, sitting by herself with that same empty smile.
Lake realized that soon after. “O-oh! You’re right… She’s all alone, and she looks troubled…”
“Not for long. Let’s go check on her.” Rosa said, her tone as caring and resolute as ever.
The pair approached her table, Riya suddenly diverting her attention to them. “Hello there, Riya… Do you mind if we sit with you?” Rosa asked.
She didn’t seem to object, scooting over to make space for them. “Erm… I-I don’t mind.”
As they both sat down, Rosa immediately got as close as possible to her. “Riya, I am getting worried for you. The last times I’ve seen you, you were totally alone… And you seem very depressed. Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?”
Riya sighed. “O-oh, ehm… I don’t want to be a bother. B-but… if you are offering, I suppose I would like to talk about it…”
“Of course! Anything for you.” Rosa added.
The woman prepared herself to speak again with another huff. “W-well… it’s just been very difficult in the Turtles. There’s a lot of people being eliminated, and one of them was a great friend of mine… Connor. He’s been eliminated so fast, and… Ever since he went away, I just don’t know what to do. I feel like I could get backstabbed by my own team at any moment…”
Rosa comforted her by patting her in the back. “Aw, you poor thing. It’s okay to feel this way, you know. And… we may not be from the Turtles, but we can also be your friends! Right, Lake?”
Lake nodded. “Absolutely! I was hoping to be Riya’s friend, as well. I am a huge fan of her work.”
“Oh? Work?”
“Yes, Rosa. She's a movie actress. I’ve seen her in a few movies.” Lake added.
Riya huffed a bit, worried she would go off about how she saw her as another background pedestrian again. “Y-yes, I work in the Bollywood industry. It’s just been very difficult, y’know… It’s why I joined this show. Try gaining some exposure, I thought… But now, I just feel totally alone.” She looked down.
“Don’t worry, Riya. Like we said, we can be your friends. It doesn’t matter if we are from opposing teams, you shall no longer suffer with loneliness. Not if I can help it.”
She looked at Rosa again, smiling earnestly. “T-thank you, Rosa…”
Confessional ~ Riya
“I’ve spent so much time with the Turtles, and worrying about the game… That I completely forgot about the Tigers being here, too. They seem nice… Even if I had a weird impression of that Lake girl. Rosa is very kind. Maybe I shouldn’t judge everyone here so much. But I still must be careful…”
_
Kai sat alone, quietly munching on a tofu sandwich. He seemed distracted, yet focused at the same time. Huh.
Unexpectedly, Aiden walks up beside him, holding a tray of eggs and bacon. He greets him with a meek wave. “Um, hi Kai.”
He jitters a bit, snapping out of his focus. “Hello there, Aiden…
The e-boy looks behind himself, suspiciously, before leaning down to ask him a question. “Hey, you don’t mind if I sit here, right?”
Kai giggled, scooting over to the side. “By all means.”
Aiden sat down beside him with a smile on his face. “Thanks. And… by the way, where’s everyone else? Y’know… your buds? The pale dude? The older guy?”
Oof. Kai was once again struck by the reality of his closest allies no longer being him. His eyebrows arched and he leaned down.
“It is truly cruel, my friend… The marble jaws of fate took them away from me.”
Aiden jolted a bit, a bewildered look on his face. “Uhh… what do you mean by that, exactly?”
Kai hummed. “They were… both eliminated already. Hunter was voted off yesterday.”
“O-oh! …Ahh, damn… I’m sorry, man. They both seemed pretty cool. Odd… but cool nonetheless. But like… does this mean you’re by yourself, now?” Aiden questioned, seeming more concerned as he came to realize Kai’s situation.
The green-haired guy nodded, proceeding to monologue, as usual. “Essentially… yes. Everyone in the Turtles are eagerly waiting to viciously attack each other… We are all prey; but on the other side of the coin, we are also the hunters… To trust someone would be… quite unwise.”
Aiden took the time to comprehend his current position. “Hmm… man, that’s really rough. Hey, uh… I know we didn’t talk a lot before and all that, but you’re actually really cool. I didn’t forget what you did for me at the kissing challenge. S-so, what I mean is… we could be, like… friends. I-if you don’t mind, I mean.” The e-boy seemed to nearly trip over his own words.
Kai chuckled, nodding faintly. “Why, of course! I do not mind in the slightest… By the way, your aura is just lovely; may I read your palm? The spirits around you are most intriguing…”
The e-boy jolted a bit with the sudden and weird request; as expected of our spiritual hippie. But, Kai didn’t seem to mean harm. Why not? “U-uh… haha, s-sure! Okay…”
He extended his palm to him, and Kai gently grabbed it, seeming to inspect the details silently for a while. For whatever reason, Aiden was sweating bullets, his cheeks totally pink. He kept jittering as Kai held his hand.
“Mmm… how intriguing. It seems like a large sum of fortune awaits you… But only if you are strong enough to face the darkness within yourself. Hehe, how poetic.” He released his palm, a kind smile on his face as he giggled.
Aiden recomposed himself. “W-whoa. Wait, so… you’re sure that this is gonna happen? For realsies?”
“No doubt, my good friend.” Kai nodded.
The e-boy looked at the camera, genuinely intrigued.
Confessional ~ Aiden
“Oh, man… Kai’s quite the character. I really wish he was on my team, too… Like, not only is he a really cool person, but he’s also in a bad spot; vulnerable and lonely. I better keep him company whenever I can. He got dealt a bad hand, and he doesn’t deserve this. Mm… on the bright side, if we both make it far, I suppose we could be in an alliance together… I just hope James gets the hint and gives me some space. Hard to keep secrets with him breathing down my neck…” He sighed, crossing his arms.
_
“Okay… I need to find that envelope, fast.”
James was trekking through an isolated spot in the forest, deeply focused on finding that advantage.
He groaned. “Too bad Kristal didn’t specify where it could be… Damn, I may be wasting my time…”
His complaining was cut short by the sound of a bush rustling. He turned to the sound, squinting his eyes, and deciding to investigate.
As he poked his head through the bush, his eyes widened as he spotted a strange event.
A bird, angrily flying around a completely static owl, aggressively pecking at it. No matter how many times the bird attacked the owl, it still didn’t move an inch, showing zero reactions.
James’ attention was definitely caught by that. He stepped into the scene, which made the bird spot him. It flew away in fear.
The man kneeled down, attempting to inspect the owl closely. It didn’t take long before he noticed the owl wasn’t even real - it was wood-carved.
“What the…?”
James picked up the wooden owl, flipping it around. To his further surprise, there was a message carved on its back. It read…
“DIG BELOW…”
He jolted a bit, smirking. “Jackpot…” He started to inspect the surface where the statue originally was, and noticed it seemed very suspicious. He nearly dug with his hands, before recoiling away with a disgusted expression, and started to dig the dirt with his shoe instead, slowly kicking inside the suspicious spot.
As the dirt came off, he spotted a small edge of paper sticking out of it. He pulled it out, and lo and behold; the envelope itself! Totally dirt-covered, but a win is still a win.
“Boa, moleque…!” He boasted quietly, before dusting off the dirty envelope, thus cleaning it properly.
James opened the envelope and read the letter inside it to himself.
“Congratulations, camper! You have just found the hidden advantage. If you present the envelope before a challenge starts, you can apply the following advantage - You will be able to swap a member from your own team with a member of the opposing team. Choose wisely!”
He chuckled lowly, putting the envelope inside his pocket. “You bet I will…” He then walked back to the bush and crossed through it again.
“A-HAAA!”
“W-WHOA!”
Suddenly, a loud and obnoxious yell which came right ahead of him nearly made him collapse from shock.
He caught his breaths, looking up at whoever that was. “H-huh… Y-Yul?!”
Yep, Yul was right in front of him; arms crossed and looking completely annoyed. “Yes, you fucking goober, it’s me! Now, tell me - what the fuck were you doing back there?!”
Uh-oh. The jig was up… Or at least, it seemed that way.
“A-ahh, I was… er… Nothing special, really.” James replied, giving him a flimsy thumbs-up with a nervous smile, his voice a bit shaky.
Yul facepalmed. “Ugh! I swear to God you’re hiding something from me - even after our agreement, too! Outta the way, I’m gonna look!”
“W-wait! Wait! Don’t!” James stepped ahead of him, blocking the bushes.
“Oh, don’t even BOTHER trying to stop me. You’re always trying to hide some shady shit, I know how you ro-”
James interrupted him, his eyes darting back and forth, trying to come up with the best lie he could. “N-no, no, uh… Y-you shouldn’t go there, because… because… Er… someone took a… dump. There.” He pointed through the bush.
Yul’s face turned white, and his eyes widened completely, before he let out another disgusted wail. “E-EWW?! W-WHAT THE FUCK?? Why wouldn’t they just use the bathrooms, for fuck’s sake?? …Wait. If that’s true, why were you checking it out in the first place??” He stared James down with a weirded-out look.
Now that Yul’s suspicions diverted away to another topic, James quickly jumped ship to his next move. “O-oh! Nothing, really. I was simply looking for the envelope Kristal mentioned this morning… But I guess my luck was too… shitty. Ha-ha.”
Yul physically cringed as he groaned again. “Ew, shut up… But, whatever, fine. I was also looking for it, so keep an eye out and let me know if you find anything. I’ve got my eye on you, Mr. JamesCD…” He squinted at him once more before walking away.
James sighed, wiping his forehead in relief.
Confessional ~ James
“I am glad to be a good liar. But Yul isn’t as stupid as he looks, and he could find out if I’m not careful enough. I already have an idea on what to do with this advantage… But perhaps I should play smart, and not waste it on this challenge just yet. Never let them know your next move.”
_
Tess was walking in the forest, wandering around and hoping to find Ally somewhere.
“T-Tess! W-wait up…!”
She turned in confusion to the commotion afar. As she expected, it was Maggy, who ran up to her. She stopped in place, catching her breath.
“F-finally… whew…”
“Maggy? What’s the matter?”
Maggy stood up, grabbing the pill bottle. “A-ah, it’s… n-nothing much. B-but… you forgot your pill bottle in the b-bathroom… Here…” She handed the bottle to her.
Tess’ eyes widened a bit, and she grabbed the bottle. “Oh. I see. Well, thank you… I should go no-”
“W-wait, wait… Tess?”
“Uh… hmm?” She tilted her head in confusion.
Maggy hesitated before asking the question. “U-umm… I-I really don’t mean to be rude, b-but I’m just… curious. Do you r-really have… psychosis?”
Tess jolted slightly, her eyes actually wide open. “W-what?? No, no… I don’t have psychosis… I-I… I was diagnosed with… depression.”
The gentle giant was also shocked by her response, but even more than Tess was. “O-oh?? W-wait… b-but…”
She raised a brow at the question. “What… gave you that idea, Maggy? Is there something wrong?”
“N-no, just… P-please listen to me… I-I don’t mean to seem nosey, but I looked a bit at your pill bottle, and I noticed that the medicine you’re taking is Seroquel… S-Seroquel is an antipsychotic, not an antidepressant… S-so…”
Her shock grew a bit more as Maggy carefully explained the confusion. “W-what? B-but…”
“T-Tess… I b-believe you may have been prescribed the wrong t-type of medicine… S-Seroquel may be combined with other medicine to treat depression, b-but you’d need to take an antidepressant with it…” Maggy explained once more.
Tess suddenly took a large, deep breath. Her eyelids lowered just a bit, and she looked oddly nervous.
“I… maybe I didn’t even look twice before I got it for the first time… I-it’s just been so hard to focus lately, and… I’m always feeling weird and sleepy…”
Maggy raised her finger as she pointed that out. “A-actually, one of the side effects for Seroquel is that it may cause sleepiness… I-I think it’s not really doing you well… M-maybe you should stop taking it for now, a-an-”
Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Tess had her eyes closed and her head slightly lowered. She started to mumble a bit, before proceeding to quietly sob.
“T-Tess…?”
Tess started wiping her eyes, still continuing to sob as she stood still. “I-I… I didn’t want to bother anyone with my problems… I-it just feels like it goes on, and on…”
Maggy slowly approached her, her eyebrows curved in an empathetic expression.
“I’m… I’m starting to feel sick and tired of going to therapy, every single day, o-only to just… F-feel just as empty as I always am… N-nothing ever changes, it only gets worse…”
Suddenly, Maggy couldn’t help but give her a hug. Tess only proceeded to lean further into the hug, sobbing more. “T-Tess… none of this is your fault, a-and… Y-you can still make things better… I’m h-here for you, ok? I’m your f-friend, and you can trust me with anything.”
Tess simply nodded, sniffling as she continued to hug Maggy.
_
After a few more minutes, the camera cut to a desolated spot in the woods, where one of Kristal’s speakers blasted once again.
“Tiiime’s up, campers! Everyone head to the stage once again, because your next challenge is about to begin!”
Following her instructions, everyone gathered in front of the stage.
“Why hello there, everyone! Before we get started, I just wanted to mention that the envelope has already been found by someone, so don’t bother trying to look for it anymore!”
Some people were shocked, Yul in particular seeming the most enraged out of the rest.
“Now, then… You-know-who! Would you like to use the envelope now? Raise your hand, if yes…”
James looked away, and the entire crowd also started to look at everyone else in suspicion or curiosity.
A few seconds of silence ensued. Kristal squinted her eyes at James.
“...No? Nothing? Very well. Let’s proceed with the challenge, then. I’ll sum it up for you guys - this challenge is called ‘The Queen Says’ and, as the name suggests, you will receive several dares from the queen… Me.” She gestured at herself.
Most of the campers rolled their eyes, groaned, or did some kind of faint complaining.
“Ahem! I will dare one camper at a time to do something completely random! If they refuse, their team loses the challenge. So just like the Kiss-a-thon, this will keep going until someone stops. Any questions?”
Her explanation made most of the campers riled up.
“Oh, so you’re just gonna torture us again, huhhh? I think SOMEONE’S running out of ideas…” Yul snarkily commented.
Kristal glared at him. “And I think someone’s running out of time, because if you refuse another dare like you did at the Kiss-a-thon, I can’t see you staying here for much longer.”
Yul scoffed, completely offended. A few campers couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Now, then… To the stage!” Kristal pointed to the stage, as Oliver lifted the curtains.
Confessional ~ Lake
“I must confess, I am… a bit scared. The last dare challenge seemed awful. Well - it was alright since Kristal excluded me and Maggy, but… She didn’t specify anything this time.” Lake shot the camera a distressed glance.
_
Confessional ~ Yul
“Ugh! Fucking Kristal and her stupid clickbait bullshit! Fine. I guess I’ll fucking pull through this, so my crumbling team doesn’t end up back-stabbing me more than it already has.”
_
Confessional ~ Aiden
Aiden sighed. “Yeah, she’s definitely desperate for ratings… Y’know, normally, I’d be scared shitless, like I was last time. But for whatever reason, I’m starting to feel a lot more confident… W-wait, did Kai bless me, or something??” He looks genuinely perplexed, until he breaks into a chuckle. “Well… hopefully, he did.” He shrugged.
_
Confessional ~ Riya
Riya lightly tapped her face, trying to reassure herself. “Mmph, come on, Riya! Whatever she throws your way, you need to win. Whatever it takes. Whatever… it takes. I-it can’t be that hard, right??” She nervously smiled at the camera, before looking to the side, concerned.
_
Finally, the campers gathered inside the stage. Kristal eagerly raised her hands.
“Very well! Let’s begin. I’ll pick one camper from any team, and they must accept whatever dare I give them. So do as your queen says, everyone! Or else, there will be consequences…” She muttered the last part with unsettling confidence. Oliver looked worried.
Most of the campers were on edge with her vague threats. Kristal turned around a few times, slowly looking over each contestant. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she gazed directly at Ally.
“Ally! You’re up!”
Ally gasped at the sudden mention of her name. “W-wha? U-uh… O-okay.”
Kristal pondered, taking a quick glance at her beloved Switch she was still holding onto.
“Alright, Ally… Your dare is to… Delete your Epic Games account!”
“W-WHAAAT?!!!”
Everyone covered their ears at Ally’s desperate squeal. Our poor gamer was devastated by the request.
“H-hey, easy, Ally! What’s so bad about doing that?” James suddenly stepped ahead, leaning his head beside her shorter stature.
Ally was legit shaking. She muttered, distressed. “I-I… M-my… M-my V-Bucks…”
Kristal yawned. “Yak, yak, yak… Are you really going to forfeit the challenge just for those stupid… V-Buck things?”
“D-dude, I spent MONEY over those! T-the free rewards of the Battle Pass barely give you any, a-and I’m gonna lose all of my skins…!” She rambled on.
“And… your point is?” Kristal said, without a single concern in her tone as she smirked.
Ally sighed in defeat. She looked back at the Tigers, most of them seeming confused at her hesitation.
James chimed in, trying to help her decide. “Ally; think of it this way. If you win the show, you can probably buy everything you lost again. It’s not the end of the world if you delete it, right?”
She took a few seconds, pondering as she looked at her Switch. Ally groaned, nodding. “...A-agh, shoot… F-fine, fine. I guess I just… gotta do it.”
James smiled at her. “That’s our pro gamer.”
Ally pulled out her phone, with a heavy heart, as Kristal smiled deviously. The gamer opened the website and spent a few minutes deleting her account, finally showing her phone screen to the host, which read… “Your account has been successfully deactivated.”
Kristal cackled maliciously. “Now THAT'S what I like to see! Finally, things are starting to get interesting… Very well, next camper!”
Ally returned to her original position, a depressed look now on her face.
The host’s finger menacingly moved over the entire row of campers, until it suddenly stopped right at Lake, sending a chill down her spine.
“Lake! I’ve got a very interesting dare for you… Oliver, bring the fire bucket.”
Oliver hesitantly saluted her. “I-I’m on it, Ms. Kristal…!”
Lake jolted. “F-fire bucket?? W-what kind of dare will this be?!” Rosa held onto her shoulder, angrily glaring at Kristal as she consoled her friend.
Kristal hummed, waving at her dismissively. “Relax, it won’t hurt you… Well, not physically.”
“What are you insinuating with that??” Rosa angrily questioned.
Oliver finally dragged in a large bucket, throwing some gasoline into it. He then lit up a match and carefully tossed it inside the bucket, trembling in fear as the fire arose from inside.
Aiden suddenly raised his hand, speaking in a shaky tone. “W-wait, t-this is just like Ashley’s fear gauntlet challenge, right??”
Kristal facepalmed. “Hush, and let me continue! Ahem… Lake. Your dare is to grab ALL of your school books, and toss them in the fire bucket!”
“N-NO! N-no, no, I… I-I cannot do t-that…!” Lake said in exasperation. Both Rosa and Riya expressed some kind of concern.
“Ah, so you will forfeit, thus giving your team its first loss? Where is your team spirit, Lake?” Kristal said, mockingly.
Rosa stepped ahead. “You are going too far with this, Kristal! We won’t force her to do this!”
James suddenly interjected. “Uh, who do you mean by we? Are you seriously going to make us lose our winning streak this early? Ally had to do it, why not Lake?”
She turned to him. “Oh, do not even start, James!”
Unexpectedly, Riya raised her hand and spoke up, her voice uncertain. “E-erm, wait! I-I would like to volunteer doing a dare in Lake’s place, instead! H-how does that sound, Kristal…?”
Yul and Karol suddenly turned to Riya, angry glares on their faces. “HUH?? Just what exactly are you suggesting, Riya?!” The Karen said, suspiciously.
“Um, right?! What the fuck’s gotten into you, Bollywood flop??” Yul added. Riya crossed her arms and turned to him with an angry glare. “W-why, you… Take that back right now, you little shi-”
Kristal clapped her hands loudly. “HEY! Stop this nonsense, or you’re ALL out! …Lake! Make up your mind, or suffer the consequences!” The host knelt down and grabbed Lake’s bag she retrieved earlier, tossing it in front of the blonde.
Lake stared at her bag for a few seconds, nearly tearing up. Rosa stood beside her, trying to talk her out of it.
“L-Lake, you don’t have to… Just listen to me, if you can’t do it, just…”
A strange burst of annoyance overcame the blonde as she stared at the bag one more time. Suddenly, Lake shook her own fist, and pushed Rosa’s arm off her shoulder. “Y-you don’t need to coddle me all the time…!” She then picked up her bag and walked ahead, leaving Rosa and some other Tigers behind her totally confused at her weird switch-up.
The host raised an eyebrow at her anger, very amused at the drama she just witnessed. Lake loomed over the fire bucket. After taking a deep breath, she raised her bag and dumped the whole thing inside. Months of schoolwork just went down the drain.
She glared at the host. “Are you happy??”
Kristal only could bring herself to chuckle once more. “Very good! The chaos is ensuing, just as I had planned! Next camper!”
Lake returned to her spot, Rosa trying to console her one more time, but the former slightly backed away from her; the same irritated frown on her face.
Once again, the host went back to selecting campers.
“Mm… you know what? Let’s do something a bit different… Maggy! Yul! Come over here.”
Maggy, nearly terrified, waddled up to the center. Yul did the same, sashaying to the center with his resting bitch face.
“Ugh, what bullshit are you gonna make us do this time?” Yul questioned.
Kristal looked at Maggy, ignoring Yul. “Now, then… Maggy - your dare is to punch Yul in the face as HARD as you can.”
“W-WHAT THE FUCK?? Y-you did NOT just say that!” Yul pointed a finger at Kristal, completely baffled. Maggy was also very anxious by the request.
“B-but… M-Miss Kristal, I… I-I can’t hurt s-someone…!” Maggy muttered.
Kristal hummed, moving closer to her. “Come on, Maggy! This is your chance to get revenge on him, for all the bad things he said about you! Aim for the face, and don’t look back!”
Yul laughed, completely in disbelief. “HAH! Bitch, be serious! This dare is fucking bullshit! Andréa the Giant over here wouldn’t hurt a fly!”
“H-hey!” Maggy glared at him, angrily. Kristal glanced back at Yul with a cocky smirk, slowly backing away, as if she knew what was about to ensue…
From behind her, Aiden started to shout. “Don’t listen to him, Maggy! You can do this!”
Yul yelled back at Aiden. “Shut it, flop! …Maggy, you BETTER refuse this dare, because we both know you don’t have the guts to get shit done! Especially after you’re hanging out with that sleep-deprived weirdo over there!” He pointed at Tess in the back, who barely showed a reaction to his insult.
Maggy gasped, her expression becoming more menacing. “Y-you…! You’re so… DAMN mean! Shut up!”
Yul rolled his eyes. “Oh, stop it! What are you gonna fucking do it about, huh?? I can say WHATEVER I want about anyone in here! Besides, it’s not MY fault that you’re hanging around these weirdos! Your friends are fucking losers, bitch! FACE I-AHHHH!!!”
Before he even finished his round of insults, Maggy’s fist buried itself onto Yul’s face, practically SWEEPING him onto the floor.
Both teams either cringed in pain at the sight, or silently applauded Maggy’s doing… Or both.
A pained, groaning Yul stood upon Kai’s feet, the former simply staring at him.
As Yul recovered, he slowly stood up, touching his eye and groaning more. “O-oww, ow, fuuuck… W-why’s it… blurryyy…”
His right eye was completely swollen and purple; Maggy had given him a black eye with the impact.
Most people gasped when they witnessed his state. As he looked above him, he saw Maggy’s tall stature looming over him with a bruised fist. “You can insult me; but say a WORD about my friends, and you’re GONE, s-shitbird!”
…Wait, did she just swear??
Not only combined with the shock of the entire situation, everyone was shocked at Maggy standing up for herself. AND swearing. Even Yul himself had to recognize that. The Korean backed away in fear, hiding behind his group with a scowl on his face. Maggy suddenly snapped out of it and covered her mouth, holding her hands together in embarrassment as she watched the crowd’s reactions.
Confessional ~ James
James chuckled. “Damn, Maggy really knocked the shit out of Yul’s mouth! I didn’t think she had it in her!” Suddenly, he sighed. “...But, as much as that was fun to witness, I must say… She is definitely becoming even more of a threat as time goes on, and not only because she’s close to Aiden. If she goes ham like this on physical challenges, it might cause problems for me along the line… Hmm…” He pondered.
_
Kristal suddenly started whistling. “Woo-hoo! I can just feel the ratings sky-rocketing by now! Let’s keep up that energy, everyone! Now, get a move on!”
With that, a bunch of dares quickly went by.
Karol had to eat a non-vegan sandwich. She accepted, but was tearing up through the whole dare.
Tess had to get a clown make-over and wear a massive purple wig; once she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror, but showed no huge reaction. Typical Tess.
To double down on the karma, Yul had to clean up the women’s restroom, under Oliver’s supervision. After a few minutes, he left one of the stalls, looking totally disgusted. Suddenly, he fell to his knees… And threw up. Oliver tried to hold in a laugh, but was unable to.
After the quick montage of dares, the camera cut back to Kristal, standing at the center once again.
“Now, that was fun… Alright! Next camper… Aiden!” She pointed at the e-boy, making him flinch.
“...C-crap…” He muttered, stepping ahead.
Kristal pondered. “Hmm… okay, Aiden… Your dare is…” She stopped to think of the most devious thing she could possibly do. That’s when it hit her.
“...You’ll have to take off your shirt!”
Aiden gasped, recoiling away. “H-HUHH??”
“Oh, you heard me.” She reaffirmed her statement.
He felt his heartbeat quickening as he grasped his shirt nervously and clenched his grip. “O-oh, give me a break…”
“Unless… You want to refuse and risk elimination? I think that would be quite dangerous, no?” Kristal kept twisting the knife. Oliver walked up beside her, worried.
“M-Miss Kristal, t-this might be getting too far, m-maybe we sho-”
“Hush, Oliver! It’s not your place to decide. Aiden, get a move on!” She added, sternly.
Aiden was slowly starting to panic, but he looked more angered than actually scared. He scoffed, irritated. “J-just… What the heck, man?! I-I… I can’t do that!”
James leaned closer to him. “Hmm? What’s the problem, Aiden? Don’t tell me you’re shy or something…?”
“W-what? N-no, no, b-but… I-it’s just…”
Before the commotion could get worse, Kai suddenly stepped in front of the Turtles and walked to the center, raising his hand. “Now, now… Let’s not fall into despair. For I have a peaceful alternative I believe everyone will agree with…”
Kristal rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and staring him down. “Ugh, what are you talking about?”
Yul scoffed. “Fucking… of course the junkie’s gonna defend that twink. I’m gonna puke again…”
Karol seemed to share his negative opinion. She yelled out to Kai. “Just what are you doing, you junkie?! Come back here, now!”
Riya would intervene as well, but… She knew it would come off as a major double standard if she tried to call out Kai for defending someone else, when she attempted the same thing with Lake. Best to stay out of this one.
The host seemed to comply, out of annoyance. “Hmph, whatever… Pipe down, everyone! Kai, you have five seconds to explain your idea before I make your team lose. Five…”
Kai cleared his throat, proceeding to explain with his hands held together. “Very well. My suggestion is quite simple - I can take off my shirt in Aiden’s place, but you can still give him a different dare, so we are equally punished. How does that sound, dear hostess?”
Kristal pondered for a second, still being annoyed that her idea to torment Aiden was getting push-back. She groaned, face-palming again. “Urgh… okay, alright. Do it before I change my mind… And don’t think you’re off the hook yet, Aiden. I’ve got something just as bad coming your way.” The host pulled up her phone, reading some kind of list.
The e-boy recoiled anxiously. Rosa moved beside him, trying to reassure him, but also giving him a reality check. “Aiden, you can’t mess this one up, now. Kai did you a favor, so don’t let his kindness be in vain.”
He nodded, sighing. “Y-yeah, yeah, o-okay… I’ll try.”
Kai took off his vest, and then his white undershirt, revealing his tanned torso. Aiden shot a glance at him for a second, but then looked away, flustered. James caught sight of this and let out a silent scoff, crossing his arms with an angry frown on his face - also making Ally a bit confused.
On the Turtle’s side, Yul stuck his tongue out at the sight, grimacing. “E-eughh… I did not need to see those non-existent junkie abs!”
Riya snarkily responded. “Would you rather see Hunter’s instead?”
He scoffed. “U-um?! S-shut up, sister!”
“...You didn’t say no.” Riya shrugged.
Finally, Kristal seemed to be ready with her devious planning. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers, loudly. “Back to it, everyone! …I’ve got the perfect idea for a back-up dare. James, would you be a dear and fetch Nina, the puppet, from the kitchen?” She asked.
James was confused, but had no reason to deny that request. “Uh… okay?”
After a good five minute wait, James finally arrived back from the kitchen, holding a squealing Nina in his hands. “W-wahh! L-let me go, you jerk!”
“Ahh, you made it back!” Kristal walked up to him. Aiden merely shot a single glimpse at the totally-not-cursed doll and hid behind Maggy.
“A-Aiden? A-are you… scared of dolls??” The gentle giant questioned.
He kept shivering behind her larger stature. “I-I… W-well, I-I guess, b-but… H-holy frick, she’s terrifying…!”
“Ngh…! Explain yourself, Kristal! What kind of crap are you getting ME involved in??” Nina questioned, annoyed. Kristal leaned closer to her. “Nina, I’m going to need your help on this one…”
She then grabbed Nina, walking up to Aiden. “Aiden, your challenge is to hold Nina for thirty seconds straight, without letting go of her. Does that sound… plausible?” She said, sadistically.
Suddenly, Rosa shoved Aiden in front of the doll, so he’d stop hiding away from it. “Come on, Aiden! It is just a doll! …A strange one, but a doll nonetheless! You can do this!”
He looked like he was about to faint at any moment, but he still impulsively grabbed the doll, who kept staring him down like a demon.
Around fifteen seconds passed. Meanwhile, Aiden wouldn’t stop jittering, looking away from the doll.
“Hey, skunk-hair! Put! Me! Down!”
“I-I… I-I can’t! …B-besides, how can you T-TALK??”
Nina suddenly started to laugh, menacingly. “Trust me, you don’t want to know that… Do you?!”
“N-no, no, no! I-it’s fine, I… I-I don’t need to know…!” Aiden babbled away.
The doll unexpectedly grabbed the e-boy by the collar of his shirt, her eyes starting to become… red? “GOOD! Because if you keep being a NOSY LITTLE BRAT , I might have to show you what a true-born daughter of darkness is capable of! I’ll make you suff- EEK!”
Before Nina was able to finish her extremely intimidating monologue, she felt herself falling out of nowhere, landing on Aiden’s stomach.
So… Aiden literally fainted, much to the shock of the crowd.
“O-oh, shit! AIDEN!” James yelled out, genuinely concerned.
“A-Aiden!” Maggy and Rosa shrieked, collectively.
Kai was totally shook, and Yul couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Doll one, twink; zero…”
As usual, Kristal didn’t wait a single second before letting out a sociopathic remark, her eyes closed. “Oopsies! Looks like Aiden totally fumbled the challenge! Seeing as how he fainted before the timer was over, it seems like the Turtles finally have won this challe-”
“W-wait! He’s still holding Nina!” Ally pointed out, before Kristal reached that conclusion.
“Huh?” Kristal muttered, before walking up to him and taking another look.
Ally was right. He was still holding onto Nina!
“Oh my God, this is actually bullshit! The twink freaking fainted, just give us the win already!” Yul lashed out.
Kristal hummed, inspecting Aiden’s grip. Nina was half-passed out due to the impact, and looked a bit damaged. “Hmm… Sorry, Yul. But he didn’t technically lose the dare, if he still held onto her… And thirty seconds have already passed, which means… This challenge has to go on!”
“UGHH! T-this shit is SO rigged!” Yul expressed his disdain, once more. Karol grumbled silently, and Riya looked disappointed. The Tigers all cheered.
Maggy rushed past the crowd, more concerned about Aiden. She inspected his unconscious self, grabbing onto his back and lifting him a bit, also taking Nina off his grasp for better inspection.
As she looked behind herself, she saw James standing there, an unusual and concerned expression on his face.
“Maggy, is he… is he okay?” He questioned. She shot him a quick glare, but rapidly turned her attention to Aiden nonetheless. She lifted his face closer to her ears; and there it was…
“H-he’s breathing…! B-but he’s also really pale…”
James knelt next to her, holding Aiden’s hand in concern. “Please be okay, man…”
“W-wait, give me his hand…” Maggy asked, and James quickly complied. She then carefully held her finger over his wrist.
“H-he’s got a pulse… W-whew, h-he’s okay…!” She affirmed, leading James to sigh in relief.
Kai walked up to the DIY not-really-paramedics team. James already glared at him, standing up and facing him with crossed arms. “Oh… Look who’s here…”
“I apologize if my presence is… Troubling your peaceful energies. I simply want to know if Aiden is okay.” He explained himself.
James scoffed. “Of course you do. Well, he-”
*cough-cough!*
The trio jolted in surprise as Aiden seemed to have woken up from his… thirty-second coma.
“A-Aiden! You’re back!” Maggy hugged him, making sure to be gentle this time.
He coughed more, sighing. “O-ohh… W-what happened…?”
Kristal angrily stepped in, grabbing Nina off the ground. “Nothing important. Get back to your positions, my patience is running thin!”
“Jeez, okay, it’s not like someone just fainted, huh??” James huffed, angrily. Maggy helped Aiden to his feet, and everyone returned to their teams.
Kristal handed Nina off to Oliver. “Oliver, take her to Marcus. She needs a repair.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
Another quick minute break went down until Oliver returned.
The host cleared her throat, actually annoyed now. “Listen, I don’t want to stay here all day, let’s pick up the pace! Next camper! …Lake!” She barely waited to decide, this time.
Lake jolted. “A-again?? Mmph.” She walked to the center.
“No more beating around the bush; your dare is to… Take off your wig!”
The blonde gasped audibly, and so did most of the crowd.
“W-wh… h-how did y-you… W-WHY?!” Lake cried out, frozen in place.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Seems like no one else knew that, huh? Sorry for dropping that bombshell, mwahaha!” Kristal added, mockfully.
Yul cackled. “BA-HAAH! She’s BALD??”
Rosa looked at Lake in concern, stepping ahead to lash out at Kristal. “How dare you reveal such a thing, Kristal?? Lake doesn’t deserve your humiliation!”
“I can do ANYTHING I want!” Kristal yelled back. “Lake, it’s do or die!”
Lake’s eyes started to tear up. “I-I… H-how could y-you… W-WHY are you l-like this…?? Do you enjoy seeing others s-suffer? Do you get some k-kind of thrill from b-being a sadistic monster?!”
Kristal started to get annoyed. “Hey! Enough back-talking, unless you want me to give your team the loss!”
“N-no! If you can go low, I… I’ve n-no choice but to go lower…! I’ve read much about your f-father.” Lake’s grief turned into contempt.
“...Do NOT bring him into this. You’re treading on THIN ice, miss!” She pointed a finger at the blonde, angered.
“Y-YOUR FATHER is widely remarked across the media, and considered a sociopathic animal due to his c-cruel methods, and awful treatment of his staff… A-and here you are, c-continuing to walk in his footsteps… Is THAT the legacy you want to leave here, Kristal McLane?!”
“SHUT! UP! …I WARNED you, Ms. Müller! If you refuse to obey my orders, we’ll need to go about this the HARD way!” Kristal turned to the Turtles, once again, and did not hesitate for a second to call another camper.
“RIYA! I have a dare for you! And this will be the final, decisive dare of this stupid challenge! If you accept, the Turtles will win immunity!”
The actress jolted as Kristal put her on the spot. This was it, the final stretch. And it was all up to her. But given that Lake was involved, she was scared to even imagine what Kristal would want her to do.
“You better not mess this up, Riya.” Karol threatened her, giving her a pit in her stomach before she walked ahead, heaving.
Kristal sternly stared at her. “Your dare is to take off Lake’s wig! Just SNATCH it off!”
Shit. Just as she suspected. Riya completely froze. “O-ohh, hell…”
Lake’s sad eyes felt like they were cutting through Riya’s bones. The girl that once annoyed her at the very start. Riya had two completely different yet equally intense scenarios to face, and she could only pick one.
Make a kind-hearted girl, who’s done nothing to her, go through the worst humiliation she possibly could, thus winning the challenge but also burning bridges with her newest friends?
Or… refuse? It was a valid alternative, and one that carried selfless intentions. However, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. So… either way? Riya would suffer.
“Riya! Hurry UP!” Kristal pressured her.
At this point… Riya couldn’t keep her composure anymore.
“A-AHHH!!! Stop it! STOP making us do these HORRIBLE things!” Riya screamed out, her tone stern and resolute.
Kristal hummed, angrily. “Hmph! I should’ve known you were soft. Fine! I’ll take matters into my OWN hands!” The host quickly walked over to Lake and reached for her wig, until she felt an arm grasping her own.
“UGH, let GO!” She turned around to see Riya, restraining her briefly.
“I bet you think you’re CLEVER, Kristal! I’ve never seen someone as desperate as you are, to stoop as low as to torture others, just to gain a shred of fame! You’re PATHETIC!”
The teams were very shocked at Riya’s intervention. Meanwhile, James was subtly recording the whole thing on his phone, chuckling.
Kristal quickly shoved her away, staring down at Riya fallen on the ground, pointing a finger at her. “THAT’S ENOUGH! I’M DONE WITH ALL OF YOU! …The Turtles have LOST the challenge due to Riya’s refusal, earning themselves ANOTHER elimination ceremony! Now everyone - OUT of my sight!” She screamed out at the whole crowd, angrily stomping towards the curtain, walking off to the backstage area.
Oliver was terrified, slowly proceeding to follow after her.
Riya was still shaking from the adrenaline rush. She looked up to see a teary Lake, reaching a hand out to her. She took her hand with a smile.
“R-Riya… Y-you… you didn’t have to! Y-you didn’t…!” Lake hugged her, sobbing. “Y-you didn’t have to protect me!”
The actress sighed, slightly pushing Lake away, holding onto her shoulders and looking at her eyes - directly. “Lake, I… Of course I had to. Because it was the right thing to do.”
Lake sniffled. “B-but you lost…! Y-you lost, and…”
“I know…” She sighed. “I did.”
Riya subtly turned to the Turtles, seeing all of her team members. Karol and Yul had a very disappointed and annoyed look on their faces. Kai smiled at her, and gave her an approving nod.
It didn’t take long for both teams to disperse, returning to their usual routines… Well, in the Turtle’s case, they still had to wait for elimination.
Confessional ~ Kai
“Oh, mama… I can barely describe the terrible vibrations I felt back there. My head is still throbbing; however, it was refreshing to see Riya’s usual grey aura turn into a bright, hopeful spark, as she defended Lake from Kristal’s wrath. And… speaking of wrath, I most definitely noticed Karol’s resentment towards her. I think I was right to be wary, as I don’t think Yul was the true harbinger of misfortune, after all. Hmm… I believe I know what must be done, now.”
_
Meanwhile, in the back stage… Kristal sat on one of the cheap, old chairs as she glared at the ceiling, almost as if she was pondering intensely.
Oliver peeked at her around the corner, too scared to approach her. But he knew he was the only one who could remedy this. Marcus was too busy tending to Nina as she injured herself when Aiden fainted, so he had to do this alone.
Finally, he approached her. “U-uhm… Kristal?”
“What.” She said, not looking at him in the slightest.
Oliver froze. “S-sorry, I… I don’t wanna bother you…”
“Too late.”
Welp, of course she was still sour over it. Too late to back out now, though.
The shorter man sighed. “L-listen, a-and please don’t hit me.”
Kristal actually snapped out of her rage and instead gave him a very confused look as she turned to him. “Wait, why would I… hit you?”
“A-ah! N-nothing, just… D-Derek would sometimes g-get… A little too rowdy.”
She hummed, bitterly. “Well, I’m not Derek. Ugh, I’m sick of everyone comparing me to someone else - can you just leave??”
Oliver held his hands together. “N-no, I-I don’t want to leave, because… I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And, I kinda had… something to s-suggest, i-if I may…?”
Kristal pinched the bridge of her nose, huffing. “...Well, if you even care, I’ll be alright. And; just spit it out, what’s up?”
“I… L-look, I know how hard you’ve been working to get those ratings you’ve always dreamed of. T-this might be a really crappy idea, but like… I thought it might help for the variety - and the ratings, if we do something a bit different this elimination…?”
Her eyes widened a bit, but she still seemed a little unconvinced. “Hmm… Well, I can’t say that’s a horrible concept… What were you thinking, exactly?”
_
Back in the woods, Karol angrily exited the Turtle’s cabin. Riya followed after her, concerned.
“K-Karol, wait…!”
The Karen stopped in her tracks, turning to her with her usual glare. “Save your breath, Riya. You’ve done enough damage already.”
“B-but I had to! I just… thought it was best…”
“No. It wasn’t the best for us. That was the last dare, and you blew it. You selfishly put your own silly moral values over your own people. Our alliance is over, Riya. I can’t trust you anymore.”
Riya gasped. “W-what?? N-no, but…”
“Watch yourself, Riya.” Karol warned her, before walking off into the darker trail. Riya looked down, crossing her arms in worry.
As she was too nervous to notice, she was unable to see Yul (our lovely bush stalker) sticking his head out from a bush, then vanishing behind it. He had some scheming to do…
As Karol disappeared into the trail, she heard loud footsteps behind her.
“...You can STOP stomping around like a swamp boar, you idiot. I can hear you.”
Yul scoffed. “Geez, rude much?? Calm down, Karen.”
She huffed. “What could you possibly want?”
“Oh, unlike Riya, I only want the best for us. Will you hear me out on something?”
Karol face-palmed. “Ugh… I’d be stupid to trust you with anything… What is it?”
“Ah, before we get to that, I just wanted to say, like… I’m sooo totally sorryyy for being, like, soo rude to you, granny…”
“Cut the shit. Get to the point.”
The Korean crossed his arms, humming. “Sheesh, okayyy. Look, not only has Riya been a major beeatch lately, but I’ve noticed that she’s been getting a little too friendly with the other team, haven't you?”
She was actually a bit surprised, quickly pondering about that scenario. Sure, Kai also risked the challenge for Aiden, but Karol came to have a soft spot for him; so she subconsciously brushed it off, in the end. Besides, Riya refused the decisive dare - which was arguably worse than Kai’s situation.
“Mmph. I suppose I wouldn’t put it past her... Your point?”
“All I’m saying is that we can work together, and get her the hell outta here. That way, we won’t need to worry about losing another challenge because of her guardian angel bullshit. And after this, we can deal with that junkie, Kai. Deal?”
Karol glared at him for a moment, until she nodded.
“...Deal.”
_
After a long while, as the sunlight completely depleted, the camp being engulfed in the darkness of the night, the entire Turtle team gathered by the campfire, ready to partake in the voting ceremony.
Kristal stood near the voting ballot, as usual. Oliver was beside her. She looked… Calmer, but not quite.
She cleared her throat, speaking in a tired and disappointed tone. “Oh, look - the Turtles on the chopping block, as per usual… You guys make me so bored that I don’t even have the energy to say something humiliating, so let’s just get on with it.”
Riya holds up a vote for Yul. “This might go terribly wrong, but… It’s the best move I can do right now. Kai, please, please tell me you voted for Yul…” She muttered to herself.
Yul holds up a paper with Riya’s name written on it. “Prepare to get hashtag; mopped. Not even Stan Twitter can save you, now!”
Kai writes a name on the paper, his face looking very thoughtful.
Karol made her vote, crossing her arms and huffing.
Finally, all the votes have been cast. The campers all return to their seats.
Kristal sighed. “Mmph, alright, let’s have a look at this disaster already...”
She picked up the first voting paper from the urn.
“First vote… Riya.”
Riya’s eyebrows arched, and she gripped onto her skirt nervously.
“Vote number two… Yul.”
Yul glanced at Riya and subtly gave her the middle finger. Oliver gasped silently.
“Vote three… Karol.”
Karol felt surprised, suspiciously glancing at both Kai and Riya.
“Finally, the fourth and decisive vote…”
Yul and Karol both intensified their gazes toward Kristal. Kai noticed Riya had her fingers crossed.
“...Riya! That’s two votes, make your way to the bus stop.”
The actress sighed heavily, frowning. Yul cheered silently with a snicker. Kai looked down, feeling somewhat remorseful.
Kristal nudged Oliver, handing him… something?
Riya stood up from her bench and turned around to her very small team. Karol looked away from her. Riya took that as her sign to move on.
_
At the bus stop, Riya glanced up to the starry night sky; her eyes slightly tearing up.
She wiped her tears, sniffling and muttering to herself. “C-Connor… I failed… I-I promised I’d do my best to compete, but just like everything in my life, it went south… I don’t want to depend on you, but I suppose kindness hinders everyone…”
The actress took another moment of silence, still waiting for the bus to pull up anytime soon. Strangely enough, it felt like it’s been taking way more than it should be. Why wasn’t it parked there to begin with?
Rapid footsteps clomped behind her. Alarmed, she turned to the source of the sound.
“R-Riya…!” A voice called out to her.
“W-what? …W-who’s there??”
Finally, the person exited the shadows and was revealed by the moonlight. They were hyperventilating, so they stopped to catch their breath.
“...W-wait, Oliver?? What are you doing here? I need to get on the bus…” Riya stated.
Oliver finally caught his breath, regaining composure. “N-no, just… Hold on. Before you do anything else, I need you to read this.” He handed an envelope to her.
Totally shocked, and with a glimmer of hope, Riya grasped the envelope and opened it, revealing a letter.
Her eyes scanned the writing, word by word… And she gasped in shock.