Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama; it is the property of Teletoon and Cartoon Network.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Heather winced and scrunched up her features, trying to tune out the annoying beeping. What was this… where was she? And why was she in so much pain? Someone in the room groaned, and it took her a moment to realize that she had made the noise. With some effort, the Queen Bee managed to crack her eyes open, only to be met with a blindingly white light.

What was going on… was she dead? No… no, if she was dead then what was that annoying beeping noise? The room began to sway into focus, and with a start Heather realized that she was in a hospital bed. Nearby, a heart monitor blinked away, alerting all that she was, for the moment, still alive. Her muscles stiffened as another wave of pain washed over her, and the machine began to beep faster before leveling out. What had happened to her?

Any internal questions were wiped from her mind as someone entered the room. The Japanese girl squinted to make out who it was through the haze, and her heart skipped a beat—both figuratively and literally—when she realized that it was none other than Alejandro.

"Oh, mi amor, I was so worried about you," he said upon noticing that she was awake. The Spaniard immediately sauntered over to her bed and grasped her hand in his.

The woman blinked in confusion, "Alejan-" but she was interrupted by the man, who placed his finger on her lips.

"Shh, do not speak. You must conserve your strength, after what happened to you…" he whispered, sitting down on the edge of the hospital bed. This only caused Heather further confusion, and she was about to ask what he was talking about when suddenly the Spaniard's lips were on her own. Her eyes immediately closed, and she leaned into the kiss. The seconds stretched on, and the Queen Bee grunted and tried to lean back to catch her breath. Their lips remained connected, however, and she was running out of air fast. She couldn't breathe!

Panicked, she opened her eyes in an attempt to look at the man, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, all she could see was the never-ending darkness of the Wawanakwa Lake. Heather choked as water rushed into her lungs, and her hands shot up to cover her mouth. That's right, the challenge! The bars of a cage suddenly appeared around her, shrinking in on her as she sunk to the murky depths below.

The Queen Bee rushed over to where she knew the yellow wing-nuts would be, but they were gone! Instead, there was a single tiny key hole. Heather frantically began to search around her for a key, anything that would get her out of this prison.

When she turned around, Alejandro was there, waving about a small silver key. With a vicious laugh, he growled, "Beg me to save your life. I want to hear you beg."

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, and Heather opened her mouth to scream at him. "Save me!" she cried, but the sound was unable to break through the watery barrier. "Alejandro, I love you!" She knew she was yelling at the top of her lungs, but no sound emerged. Water beat against her roughly, a torrent that seemed to want to utterly destroy her.

The Spaniard cackled and tossed the key over his shoulder before swimming to the surface. In the distance, Heather could clearly hear him call, "I hate you Heather!"

The cage finally hit the bottom of the lake, forever trapping her in the waters of Wawanakwa. His words ran out through her head.

You deserve what you get. It's all your fault and you deserve what you get.

Heather blinked and sat up, the last dregs of her nightmare still burning in her mind. Her throat felt sore and raw, probably from all of the screaming she had been doing during the night. A quick glance around the cabin showed that none of the other girls had awakened. Well, at least she knew her earplugs were working.

The nearby clock hanging on the wall showed that it was only a few minutes past five in the morning, causing the Japanese woman to grimace and shake her head. She still had an hour or two before the other campers began to wake up.

Obviously, she wasn't going to fall back asleep after the nightmare; she still saw Alejandro's leering face whenever she closed her eyes. The Queen Bee didn't want to leave the other girls though, for her fear of solitude was as strong as ever. After a moment of thought, she decided that a bit of fresh air would probably do her good. At the very least, it would help to clear away the terrors that the night had brought on from her mind.

So she wouldn't disturb the other girls, Heather quietly crept through the cabin and out the door, making sure to shut it softly behind her. Despite the heat wave that had been plaguing the island lately, the morning was very pleasant. Cool, even. A comforting breeze swept throughout the campsite, causing Heather's silken locks to sway about her face. A soft smile graced her lips as she inhaled deeply, the scent of pine tree thick in the air. She might have hated Wawanakwa and Total Drama, but there was a certain beauty to being out in the woods, away from the smog and filth of the city.

With a chuckle, Heather shook her head. Old Heather would have never thought of this place as beautiful or serene. She used to hate being away from anywhere without a mall in a five kilometer radius. She rolled her charcoal gray orbs at that; anywhere with that many people bustling about was a horrible place.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice nearby, which was instantly shushed by another. The two voices quieted after that, apparently speaking in tones too soft for Heather to hear from where she was. Curiosity played across her mind, and Heather bit her lip before moving along the deck until she was at the edge of the building. Peering around the wall of the cabin, she was surprised to see none other than Trent and Gwen, who appeared to be in a very heated whisper discussion.

"-quit with formalities and just get to the point? I'm really tired Trent, and I just wanna go back to sleep. If Duncan catches us together, he's gonna freak," whispered Gwen, stifling a yawn with her hand.

Trent rubbed the back of his neck and replied, "Actually, Duncan is kind of what I wanted to talk about."

The goth girl frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Trent, for the last time, you're a sweet guy, but I'm not breaking up with Dunca-"

"Just hear me out!" he interrupted, his voice a bit louder than before. Gwen shushed him once more, and Trent ducked his head sheepishly. "Look, Gwen, I know you're with Duncan. And I know that you like him. But let me ask you this, haven't you noticed that he's been giving a certain ex-girlfriend of his a lot of attention?"

When Gwen remained silent and just looked away, Trent nodded as if that was all the confirmation he needed. "It seems to me that lately, whenever everyone is together, he spends all his time focusing on her, and doesn't even spare you a passing glance. I don't know how he acts when it's you two alone though…" he trailed off, as if prompting her to speak up.

She stared at him a moment, before dropping her gaze and replying, "He does spend time with me, and we do hang out, but…" Gwen bit her lip.

"But...?" Trent asked, hoping she would continue.

"But he does talk about Courtney a lot when we're alone too," she finished, her brow furrowing as if she was just realizing this.

"It's not very attractive when a guy talks about his ex to his current girlfriend," Trent observed. The guitar played sighed and leaned back against the wall of the cabin, "This isn't just about trying to win you back. You know I still like you, but you've made it clear you don't want to get back together. Gwen, I'm not trying to hurt you. In fact, I'm trying to keep you from getting hurt. From what I've seen, it's pretty clear that Duncan still has a thing for Courtney." He paused, gripping her shoulders until she looked him right in the eye, "Gwen, he cheated on Courtney with you. What's stopping him from doing the same thing again, but with her?"

She shrugged out of his grip and wrapped her arms over her chest. "I… he wouldn't do that. And besides, Courtney isn't going to take him back anyways. He really hurt her." Her shoulders sagged and she shook her head, "And I helped him hurt her…"

Trent pressed his hand into her cheek, "Gwen, don't. Please, I'm not trying to open up that old wound. I just think that Duncan isn't good enough for you." He inhaled sharply and took his hand away from her face, "Honestly, I'm not even sure that I'm good enough for you. You're a great girl Gwen. I'd hate to see you get your heart broken by him."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and turned away from her, "Anyways, that's all I wanted to say. Just… just think about what I said, okay?"

Trent then sauntered away from her, consequently taking him toward where Heather was eaves dropping. The Queen Bee placed her hand over her mouth and jerked back behind the wall, pressing against it so tightly it felt as if she might slide through it. Fortunately, the man was too busy staring at the ground to notice her, and he passed her by without a single glance before heading into the boy's side of the Vipers' cabin.

Releasing a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding, Heather peeked around the corner of the cabin to where Gwen was still standing. The Goth girl had a troubled look on her face, and her hand was lightly pressed against her cheek where Trent had held her. She seemed to be very deep in thought, but after a few moments she shook her head and made her way over to the Dingos' cabin.

Heather frowned and walked over to the rail in front of her cabin, leaning against it as she processed what she'd just witnessed. Could Duncan really still have a thing for Courtney? If so, he had a piss-poor way of showing it. And the fact that even Gwen was doubting their relationship wasn't a good sign. The Queen Bee sighed and went back into her cabin. To her surprise, LeShawna was actually awake and rifling through her suitcase.

The black girl glanced up when she saw Heather come in, and she glowered at the Japanese woman. "Now what are you doing, sneaking around like a rat?" she snapped, placing her hands on her wide hips. When Heather didn't respond, LeShawna snorted derisively and slung a towel and a change of clothes over her shoulder. "Whatever," she growled, before stalking out of the cabin.

Fortunately, LeShawna's outburst woke up the other girls, and before long all of the Viper girls were heading toward the bathrooms. As usual, Heather and Courtney hung back a bit from the other two.

Suddenly, Courtney spoke up, "I didn't hear any screaming last night… did you have another nightmare?"

Heather nodded her head and sighed. She still wasn't sure if she should alert Courtney to the chat she'd witnessed between Trent and Gwen earlier that morning.

The Hispanic teen frowned and placed a hand on Heather's shoulder, "I'm sorry to hear that. I guess your earplugs really do work. I know that you haven't been talking at all lately, but if you need anything I'm here for you."

Smiling softly, the Queen Bee placed a hand over Courtney's own, giving her fingers a light squeeze. Before long, the duo had arrived at the showers, and they began to go about their morning routine.

As Heather, Courtney, Bridgette, Geoff, and DJ all neared the dining hall, they could make out the rest of the campers standing out in front of the building. Was the challenge already starting? Most were just chatting with their friends, though Duncan and Gwen were a bit further away playing tongue tango. To her credit, Courtney didn't even bother to glance their way.

Once they reached the building, Heather noticed that Chef Hatchet was blocking the entryway, wearing a deep scowl with his arms crossed. He seemed to be in a foul mood, so everyone gave him a wide berth.

However, Courtney—being the nosy girl that she was—stalked up to Chef with her hands on her hips and asked, "Is there a reason you're keeping us from breakfast?"

The rest of the campers turned toward the two, wondering what his answer would be. After all, most of them had learned by now to steer clear of Hatchet when he was grumpy. The cook glared at the overachiever and barked, "You'll find out when Chris gets here. Now shut up and go stand with the rest of the kids."

Courtney rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. The Hispanic woman leaned in next to Heather and muttered, "I'm sure today is going to be an eating challenge. It's weird that they're having one so soon in the season, but I'm not complaining." A smug look crossed her features as she continued, "I was being serious last season when I said I have a strong stomach."

The Japanese girl grimaced and brought a hand to her own torso. She hated eating challenges; besides the challenge where she lost her hair, they were the worst in the game in her opinion. They didn't show it on camera, but after the Brunch of Disgustingness in season one, she and many other contestants were left vomiting for a week.

Just thinking about the food was making her beginning to feel queasy. And apparently it was enough to be noticeable, because Courtney frowned and murmured, "Are you okay? You're looking a little green."

Before she could respond, Chris sauntered up to the group and stood up near Chef. Clapping his hands together, he grinned at the contestants and announced, "Alright kiddies. I'm sure by now you're all pretty hungry, so I'll keep this short and sweet." A low grumble passed among the campers, and they turned to him.

Owen—who had been moaning for the past twenty minutes—whimpered up at the host. "Chris, man, I'm starving! Can we eat now?"

The host traded looks with Chef, and they snickered quietly before he opened the doors and replied, "Dig in."

What lay before them made Heather's jaw drop. A feast had been set up along the back tables, with nearly every food known to man. Another feast? Of actual edible food? Had she died and gone to heaven, or was Chris finally completely insane.

Everyone rushed over to the food and began piling plates with towers of food. They knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Queen Bee grabbed a few slices of different fruits, and a small muffin. She really didn't think she would be able to stomach much more than that at the moment. To her surprise, Courtney took a small serving as well. At Heather's questioning look, Courtney shrugged and said, "A feast of food laid out for us out of the goodness of Chris' heart? I don't buy it. Something suspicious is going on here, and I think it would be better to play it safe than sorry."

When they sat down at the Viper's table, Heather noticed that no one else shared Courtney's suspicions. Everyone had full plates; Owen had four full plates, and it looked like the only reason he didn't have more was because he couldn't carry them all.

Justin, who was directly across from them, frowned at their lack of food. "Look, ladies, I need to eat good to have such a perfect physique, but even I'm not going to hold back with this food. Who knows when we'll eat this good again?"

LeShawna nodded and spoke to Courtney, "He's right. I'd expect something like this from Heather, since she doesn't really seem to do much of anything lately… that we've seen, but what's up girl? I'd think you'd want to chow down on this fine meal."

The Type-A shrugged and replied, "Don't you think it's a little odd that Chris would feed us so well for no apparent reason? I just don't think it would be a strategic move to play right into his hands."

"Well, you do that. In the mean time, I'm gonna eat as much as I can. I haven't had anything this good on Total Drama since DJ was cooking for us in Action," said the black girl.

Once everyone had finished eating, Chris and Chef walked in through the main entrance. The host smirked at them all and asked, "Did everybody get enough to eat? Have a nice breakfast?"

"Yea dude, that was great! Who knew you could do something nice for once, man," answered Geoff, who was grinning from ear to ear. This caused Chris and Chef to snicker to each other again.

Owen, with a stomach bulging even more than usual, was laying on his back and staring dreamily up at the ceiling. He let out a massive belch, before saying, "Oh yea… that was amazing. Almost as good as the donut dream."

With a nod, Chris said, "Good, I'm glad everybody is full. So, now that you've all eaten up, it's time for a challenge!" Groans filled the air as contestants rose to their feet, and soon enough everyone was following Chris and Chef to whatever their challenge for the day would be.

Heather blinked up at the contraption that Chris had led them to. What it was, she couldn't say. But from the way that the host was grinning maniacally, she was positive that she wouldn't like it.

"Welcome, to today's challenge campers!" he began, gesturing at the giant whatever-it-was.

Owen tilted his head in confusion and said, "Umm Chris? What's with the giant… wheel?"

He cackled, "All in good time. Firstly, have any of you ever been to a fair?"

"Ohh ohh! I love the fair!" Sadie squealed.

"Omg me too," cried Katie. "Remember when we went back in high school, and we rode on the roller coaster and you got sick and threw up a hotdog?"

Red colored the heavier girl's cheeks and she muttered, "Katie! Why would you bring that up? That's like, so embarrassing!"

The dark skinned girl gasped, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Sadie! I didn't mean to embarrass you!"

Sadie smiled and hugged her friend, "Oh, I forgive you. I can't stay mad at my BFFFL!"

"Um, Charlie, I don't see any Ferris Wheel," said Lindsay.

"Ooh! Izzy wants to ride around on the bumper cars!" cried the manic red-head, who then proceeded to run around as she pretended to drive a car. Eventually, she just ended up tackling Noah to the ground.

The bookworm grunted and shoved her off, "Watch it crazy girl."

"Hey! I'm trying to host a show here! Everyone shut up and pay attention," Chris fumed. "Now, if you're all done with interrupting, I'll explain today's challenge."

When no one spoke, Chris regained his smile and said, "The reason I brought up the fair, is because I'm sure plenty of you have been on the Tilt-A-Whirl before."

"Oh man, I hate those things!" cried DJ. "They always make me nauseous."

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Last time I went on a Tilt-A-Whirl, my brother threw up on me."

Chris smirked, "Excellent. Because this challenge is called Tilt-A-Hurl!" He raised his hands up n the air, and everyone groaned.

"Is that why you gave us all that awesome food?" Geoff said, giving the machine a wary look.

"Yep. I figured that it'd make you all much more… willing to give it back," said the host sadistically.

Courtney crossed her arms over her chest and grinned smugly, "Hah. I knew that something was up."

"The rules are simple, each team will line up around the edge and wait for the Tilt-A-Hurl to start up. Once it begins spinning, you will each have to try and keep from barfing as long as you can. Fortunately, throwing up doesn't knock you out of the challenge. There will be red buttons next to each of you on the wall. If you push the button, it'll stop the machine." He paused and rubbed his hands together evilly, "However, that means you and someone of your choice will have to leave. And you're both eliminated from the challenge."

"What!" Courtney snapped. "You mean we might have to quit because of someone else? I am not a quitter!"

The host smirked, "Then you better hope that no one picks you. Last team with members still inside wins."

Chef pulled open a latch on the side of the contraption and said, "Alright you maggots. Get in!"

One by one the campers began to shuffle into the Tilt-A-Hurl. Heather sighed and stalked in behind Courtney. As she leaned against the wall, Heather noticed a bright red button on the wall next to every contestant. Courtney settled in on her left, and Cody was about to move in on her right when he was shoved out of the way.

"Hey, watch it!" Cody snapped, standing up and brushing himself off before moving to stand next to Sadie. Fortunately, Sierra didn't happen to notice or she might have caused a certain Spaniard some serious pain. Heather grimaced as Alejandro grinned darkly at the nerd, before moving in next to her.

"Still not talking to me, chica?" the Spaniard purred, raising a brow at the Queen Bee.

Heather bit her lip and turned away from him. Suddenly, she was very aware of the picture of him in her back pocket.

"I thought I told you to leave her alone," growled Courtney, her gaze shooting daggers at the man.

Alejandro grinned and winked at the C.I.T, "Mi ángel, you must not be jealous. You know I have eyes only for you."

The Japanese girl felt her shoulders sag as she stared at the floor. Courtney seemed to notice this, and she glared at the Spaniard. "Shut up!" she snapped. In a softer tone, she murmured, "Heather… don't listen to him."

Suddenly, the host's voice spoke through a pair of speakers on the side of the machine. "I hope everyone's got a place on the wall. The Tilt-A-Hurl is starting up in: three, two, one!"

The Queen Bee curled her fingers into fists as the contraption began to move, and for once she was glad that her appetite was so small lately. The contestants began to spin faster and faster, until they were all practically glued to the sides of the wall.

From across the cabin, Heather heard a voice moan, "Ohh…. I don't f-feel so good." She glanced up to see Lindsay with a queasy expression on her face. The blonde seemed to grow green, and she groaned again.

"Don't give up Lindsay!" Beth cried. "You have to be tough…" the dorky girl grimaced before muttering, "for Tyler."

"Hey!" Courtney snapped. "Don't encourage the other team! We want them to lose!"

Gwen seemed even paler than usual when she said, "Oh shut it Courtney. Do you really want Lindsay to barf? Then we'd all have to deal with the smell."

"No one asked you!" the Hispanic girl fumed, glaring at the goth chick.

"What is your deal?" Gwen said, frowning at her.

The Type-A felt rolled her eyes, "Like you don't already know, boyfriend stealer!"

"Ugh! That was almost a year ago! Why can't you just get over it already?" replied Gwen.

Sadie suddenly groaned, "Guys… stop yelling. You're gonna make me… make me…" She cut off and began to retch, before her breakfast suddenly decided to make a reappearance. And unfortunately, given how fast they were spinning, that breakfast splattered all over Cody, who was directly to her right.

"Ack, gross!" he cried, trying to wipe it off.

Sierra gasped, "Hey! Don't vomit on my husband!"

"Oh gosh…" Katie cried, who not long after repeated her BFFFL's actions.

It wasn't long before Owen followed suit. After he finished, the fat boy whined, "Oh man… that was such a yummy breakfast. How come it isn't as good the second time I get to taste it?"

Soon enough, the inside of the machine began to reek, which of course prompted more vomiting. Heather glanced to her right and noticed that Alejandro was looking decidedly green beneath his tan, and his eyes were clenched very tightly shut. It seemed as if the Spaniard was spending all of his concentration on keeping his breakfast down.

To her surprise, the machine began to slow, before eventually coming to a full stop. Her head spun, and she very nearly fell over due to how dizzy she was. Who had pressed the button?

Almost as if in answer to her question, Chris spoke over the speakers. "Noah. You're the first person to wuss out on your team. Who are you taking with you?"

The Dingos turned to frown at Noah, and Geoff spoke up, "Dude, what'd you quit for? Now we're losing two members of our team."

The bookworm shrugged, "I have no interest in becoming covered in vomit like Cody over there." He jerked his thumb at the technogeek.

"Noah, we're kind of on a schedule here. Pick someone and get the heck out of there," came the exasperated voice of Chris over the speakers.

"Whatever," he drawled. "Cody, come on."

"What, no!" cried the stalker. "You can't take him away. He's my husband. Mine!"

Heather watched the sweet-lover mouth a silent 'thank you' to Noah as the duo exited the machine. Nearly the moment they were gone, the Tilt-A-Hurl began to start up again.

It wasn't much later before Sadie gave up and took Katie along with her. The Dingos were losing team members fast.

Eva, who had been surprisingly silent today, began to seethe. "What is with you wimps?! Suck it up! I am not going to lose on this stupid challenge," she growled, glaring at the remaining members of her team. Apparently no one wanted to further infuriate the Iron Woman, so they stayed quiet.

Right before the contraption began spinning, Courtney leaned over to her friend. "Good thing we ate so little today. I think we have a really good shot at winning this," she murmured to Heather. She settled back as the machine picked up speed, and Heather felt herself grow a bit queasy.

Oh no… she thought, feeling her stomach churn. Fortunately, she was able to keep her very small breakfast down. For now.

Apparently though, Alejandro was not having the same luck as her. The Spaniard moaned and clutched his stomach. "Dios mio…" he gasped, and the blood began to drain from his features. Much to his dismay, the Arch-Villain began to empty the contents of his stomach all over Justin, who gasped.

"My beautiful body!" he cried, slamming his fist down on the stop button next to him. Which, of course, meant the Vipers were about to lose their first teammates.

"Justin, my man, looks like you couldn't tough it out. Time for you and someone of your choice t-" Chris was interrupted by the male model, who made a bee-line for the exit.

"I don't care who comes. I need to clean off my gorgeous face!" he yelled, yanking the latch on the door open and racing out.

The Vipers glanced at each other. Eventually, Beth spoke up, "I guess I can leave… if that's alright with everyone."

Courtney rolled her eyes, "Fine whatever. You'd eventually quit anyways, so it might as well be sooner than later."

LeShawna frowned at the C.I.T, "Girl what's yo problem? Beth didn't ever do anything to you!"

"Thanks Beth," Bridgette said, before an argument could start up between the other two female Vipers.

The dorky girl nodded and said, "Good luck guys!" before quickly exiting the contraption. Moments later, it was moving again.

For a long time, everyone was able to hold down their food. This of course, made Chris furious. After all, vomiting was always good for ratings. "Hey, what gives! Someone throw up already!"

When a few of the contestants only groaned, the host cackled over the speakers. "I guess it's time to add in a few of the tricks… Chef!"

A large compartment on the top of the whirling machine opened up, and something began to pour in through it. With a start, Heather realized that it was garbage. Mostly rotten food, to be precise. "Have fun playing in the trash, kids!" came the voice of the sadistic host.

A rotten banana peel slapped into the Queen Bee's face, and the smell was enough to cause bile to rise into her throat. And apparently, she wasn't the only one having to deal with the assault of garbage. Nearly everyone else she could see was having to contend with the rotten food as well.

Courtney yelped as an old tomato splattered against her face. "Oh… ewww," she whined, wiping it off. Which—due to the direction they were spinning—sent the red goo flying into Heather's face. "Oops… sorry Heather."

The Japanese girl spluttered at the impact and scooped it onto the wall next to her to keep the mess from hitting Alejandro as well. Laughter met her ears, and she glanced up to see Gwen, LeShawna, and Duncan cackling at the two of them.

"Hah! That was almost worth having to deal with all this nasty stuff," said LeShawna, grinning at her two teammates.

"Almost?" replied Duncan wickedly. "I'd go through this challenge another five times if I got to see that happen again."

Gwen merely chuckled, "Karma's a bitch, isn't it Courtney?"

The Type-A glared at her nemesis. "Karma? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You hit me with a pole," the goth girl replied flatly, returning the glare.

Courtney feigned innocence, "I have no idea what you mean…"

Duncan glared at her, "Don't even try to pull off that old lie, Princess. You're a shi-"

"I told you not to speak to me ever again!" Courtney growled, turning all of her anger on the punk. "And don't call me Princess."

The latch on the roof once more opened up, and a slimy pile of dead fish was dropped into the Tilt-A-Hurl. The odor alone was absolutely dreadful, but whenever one of the rotten fish slapped someone in the face, they screeched in disgust.

It was then that the machine began to slow and stop, and to her surprise, Alejandro rose up off of the wall. Heather thought he would have lasted much longer. "Unfortunately, los peces muertos is where I draw the line," he said.

"Alright Al," Chris began, causing the Spaniard's eye to twitch, "who is leaving with you?"

Alejandro glanced around at his teammates. Pretty much everyone there hated his guts. Except… "Trent."

The guitar player gave Alejandro a weird look, "Why?"

Alejandro shrugged, "I have my reasons." And with that, the two Viper males left the Tilt-A-Hurl.

As soon as the Arch-Villain left, Heather felt as if a crushing weight had been lifted from her chest. In her mind, she could still hear his words from yesterday.

I hate you Heather.

She whimpered at the memory, causing Courtney to shoot her a concerned look. The machine began to spin again though, preventing any question the C.I.T might have voiced.

When she looked up, Heather noticed that Gwen seemed rather troubled. "Why do you think he took Trent?" she murmured, causing Duncan to frown at her.

"Why should you care what happens to him?" the punk asked suspiciously. Heather suddenly remembered the conversation she'd overheard that morning, and she fixed her concentration on the goth girl.

"I… I don't. I mean, I just don't think anyone should trust Alejandro. He's bad news," she replied, her voice wavering just slightly.

LeShawna snorted derisively, "Girl, you can say that aga-" a fish slapped her face. The black girl choked and shoved it away, leaving a slimy mess on the side of her face. "Ugh. That's it. I'm out too."

"What!" yelled Courtney. "You can't! That means we'll be losing."

"I just got slapped by a dead fish!" she replied, pressing her button. When the machine stopped, it was ultimately LeShawna and Bridgette who left.

With the elimination of the two girls, that left Courtney, Heather, Duncan, and Owen on the Vipers team still in the challenge. And the Deadly Dingos were still being supported by DJ, Izzy, Lindsay, Sierra, Gwen, Geoff, and Eva. The odds were seriously pointing in the Dingos' favor.

When the latch next opened, only one thing was sent into the Tilt-A-Hurl. DJ screeched when he saw that it was the baby seal from the previous season.

And unfortunately for the large teddy bear, the seal recognized him as well. Snarling, the seal pup launched toward the massive teen and began to maul him. "Aaahhh! Please, no! Stop! I'm sorry!" DJ wailed. Even without the intercom being on, all the contestants could hear Chris and Chef's mad laughter from outside the machine.

It was no surprise when he pressed down onto his button and left the machine crying. The seal was still attacking him.

After a bit of debate on the Dingo's side, it was decided that Lindsay would also leave. Rather than disappointed though, the blonde seemed quite relieved. She even thanked everyone before leaving. Obviously, she didn't want to deal with the horrid stench anymore.

As the contraption began to whirl, Geoff groaned, "Oh man… I'm… I'm not feelin' too awesome anymore." When a rotten fish flew past his face, he grew a sickly shade of green. "Ugh…"

"Come on Geoff, they're down to four people. We can make it!" said Gwen, giving the party boy a grin.

Duncan smirked at his girlfriend, "If the guy needs to quit…"

The goth girl smirked back, "I'm sure he can handle it."

Even though they were only engaging in playful banter, Courtney suddenly came up with a devious idea from their conversation. "Oh Geoff, I wouldn't blame you. After all… it is getting pretty rancid in here," she practically purred, a sly gleam coming into her eyes.

Heather gave her a questioning look, but Courtney just ignored the Japanese woman. "And you know, Bridgette is out there with Alejandro. Practically alone. I think we can all remember how that went last time," she continued.

All the color seemed to leave Geoff's face, and he gasped. "Oh crap!" his hand moved so fast, Heather didn't even see him hit the button before they started to slow.

Gwen groaned at that and glared at Courtney. "That was low."

The C.I.T just shrugged, "It worked."

Realizing that he was just played, Geoff scratched his head and sighed, "Ah… sorry guys."

"You'd better be sorry!" Eva snapped.

"Gwen, think you could…" Geoff jerked his thumb at the exit.

The goth girl shrugged, "I guess…"

Courtney chuckled and waved in a condescending manner, "Bye bye boyfriend stealer."

Once the pair left, Eva groaned and looked at her remaining two teammates. "Great. Just great. Me and crazy girl 1 and crazy girl 2."

"Hey! I'm not crazy!" cried Sierra, crossing her arms at the Iron Woman. "At least, no where near as insane as Izzy!"

The red-head blinked, "Why would you think Izzy is crazy? If anything, I'm the sanest person here!"

At that, everyone turned to stare at her oddly.

"You're kidding, right?" Courtney drawled, quirking a brow at her.

Heather sighed and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the churning sensation in her gut. In the background, she could hear Izzy mutter something about her tongue. It was only when everyone suddenly gasped that the Queen Bee opened her eyes and looked around.

"Okay… that was so gross," Courtney said.

Duncan glanced at the psycho warily, "For once, I can agree with you Princess."

Owen stared at the red-head. "Izzy… did you just wrap your tongue around your head like a turban?"

She cackled, "Yea! I told you guys I could do it!"

"Umm, actually Izzy," began Sierra, "your camera fell in your audition tape. We never got to see it. And you've never mentioned it since."

Izzy blinked at the super fan, "I thought you were Cody's stalker."

The purple-haired girl giggled, "Oh silly, how could I stalk my own husband? Besides, I'm the biggest Total Drama fan ever! I know a lot of stuff about all of you."

"Now I'm officially creeped out. I'm glad I didn't have to compete last season with you," Eva muttered.

An awkward silence fell after that. By this point, everyone, even Eva, was beginning to feel extremely dizzy and nauseous. Heather groaned as two of everything began to sway, and black spots danced at the edges of her vision. Moments later, she was throwing up all over the mat where Alejandro had been. She really couldn't take much more of this.

Courtney, seeing that Heather was going to cave soon, spoke up. "You know, this is the first time that Gwen and Cody have been alone together in quite a while…"

Sierra immediately whipped her head around to the Type-A at that. "Are you trying to insinuate something… Courtney?"

The C.I.T smiled, "Of course not… it's just, I think this is the first time Cody has been with Gwen, alone, since… well, since we met you."

"That's not going to work. My husband is faithful," replied the stalker, rolling her eyes at Courtney.

"Are you sure…?" the Hispanic girl said.

Duncan raised a brow at the C.I.T, "Oh please. If the little twerp even thinks about bothering Gwen, I'll give him a beating he ain't gonna forget."

Courtney smirked wickedly, "Doubtful, since he knocked you out with a single punch last season."

"I took a dive!" the punk exclaimed, glaring at her.

Sierra giggled, "No. My Codykins beat you up!"

Fuming, the mohawked-teen smashed his button, "Oh yea? Well, I'm gonna go kick his ass then. I still owe him for that punch."

"Oh no you don't!" the super fan snapped, hitting her own button. "Come on Eva."

"What!" the iron woman snarled, "I am not leaving!"

Chris' voice sounded, "Eva, you've been picked to leave with Sierra. Bye bye! Duncan…?"

The punk rolled his eyes, "Yea yea, whatever. Owen, let's go."

"Oh, umm… okay," replied the bottomless-pit known as Owen.

The two males left without much of a fuss. Though Sierra actually had to drag Eva out, who was practically foaming at the mouth at being forced to quit.

Right before the door closed, Heather heard Sierra cry out, "Don't even think about going near my husband, home-wrecker!" Whether she was speaking to Duncan or Gwen was anyone's guess.

So, Heather and Courtney were left facing off against Izzy. Unfortunately, Heather had already been considering quitting when the others left. Now if she gave up though, it would cost her team the challenge.

Courtney reached over to squeeze the Japanese girl's arm. "We can do this Heather," she murmured encouragingly.

As the time progressed, Chris and Chef dumped many more things into the Tilt-A-Hurl. Including a can of tear-gas, a snake which immediately attacked Izzy, and a beehive. Fortunately for the Viper girls, when the bees emerged they also swarmed Izzy—for the most part. Both Courtney and Heather were left with a few stings though.

Heather winced and pulled a stinger out of her upper arm, and Courtney yelped when she yanked one from her cheek. Both girls already had raised welts forming on their skin from where the bees had stung them. However, compared to Izzy, both Viper girls were doing pretty good.

The red-head looked as bad as Owen had when he'd been attacked back in season one by bees. Her face and arms were covered in little red bumps, and a snake—one that was eerily similar to the lilac hued one in Search and Do Not Destroy—was sinking its fangs into her head. "Oh, hi little buddy! Aww, you're so friendly," she exclaimed, stroking the serpent.

Courtney and Heather shared a weird look, and Courtney spoke up, "Um… Izzy, maybe you should go to the infirmary."

"Why?" asked the psycho.

"There's a snake on your head," answered the Hispanic woman, as if the answer was obvious.

The red-head giggled, "He's just affectionate."

"Right…"

Despite the delayed effect, the venom did eventually begin to take hold. Izzy began to sway and grow woozy, causing her to laugh. "Oh cool… how are you… you guys doing that?" she slurred, pointing at the other two girls. Moments later, the insane girl slumped unconscious, and her head smacked into the stop button as she fell.

The Tilt-A-Hurl stopped spinning for the last time, and Chris announced, "Well, in a surprise comeback, the Vicious Vipers win the challenge!"

Heather and Courtney staggered out of the contraption, to be met with cheers from their teammates. The moment she'd left the machine, the Japanese woman stalked over to some bushes and got rid of anything that was left in her stomach. When she turned back, she noticed a pair of interns lugging Izzy away, probably to the infirmary.

When Heather returned to the group, she noticed that—despite winning—most of her teammates chose to praise Courtney and just ignored her. It came as a surprise when Cody came over to her. Smiling, the technogeek said, "Hey Heather… I know we're not on the same team, but good job."

She gave him an odd look, and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt nervously. "Sorry, it's just… I noticed no one was saying anything to you. So, I thought I'd fill in for them. Heh."

The Queen Bee smiled softly and nodded at him in thanks. However, before she could do more Sierra came over and pulled Cody into her chest. "Forget it Heather. The only Alliance my hubby is going to be in is with me!"

"Gah! Sierra, stop. It's not like that," he cried, trying to pull her arms away.

The stalker narrowed her eyes at Heather, causing the Japanese woman to take a step back. "You have a history of showing your… chest, to unsuspecting guys. Don't even think of doing it to Cody, or I will end you." And with that, the purple-haired woman stomped away, dragging her "husband" along with her.

Heather frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable and uncomfortable. Which is why it was unfortunate when Alejandro chose that moment to bother her.

"Congratulations on winning, señorita," he purred, sauntering up beside her. "I did not think that you would last very long."

She gave him a questioning look, prompting the Spaniard to chuckle wickedly. "You know, since you're such a spoiled brat, I didn't think that you'd be able to stomach the odor."

Her brows furrowed, and she shook her head and turned away from him. Alejandro had never insulted her before. Hell, he'd never insulted anyone to their face.

I hate you Heather.

Pale shoulders slumped when she recalled his words. She had hoped that he might have been lying to throw her off her game, but… if he was insulting her, then he really must hate her. Her heart began to thump unevenly, causing a painful tightening sensation to form in her chest. She was about to begin walking away from the man when his voice stopped her.

"Ah, what have we here?" Alejandro muttered. Heather felt something being snatched from her back pocket, and she gasped in surprise. No!

The Queen Bee whirled around to face him just in time to see his face contort into an evil grin. She desperately reached for the photograph in his hand, but he merely shoved her back. With her lack of strength, Heather stumbled backward before falling onto a patch of dirt. After examining the picture, Alejandro seemed to radiate smugness when he smirked down at her.

"Why Heather, I know I am muy handsome, but I was under the impression that you… what were your words? That you hated me," he gloated, leaning over her in a menacing manner.

Tears stung at her eyes, and she flinched away from him and tried to turn away from the man. Heather gasped in surprise when she felt his hand grip her chin firmly and force her to look up at him. His malice-filled green eyes glared into her own frightened gray ones, and he spat, "You used to be beautiful, with so much fiery passion in your eyes."

The Spaniard stood and stepped away from her. He threw the photograph of himself down at her, and she gingerly reached out to grasp it before it fell into the mud. Pulling the picture into her chest, Heather stared up at him. She just felt so lost…

Alejandro shook his head in what could only be pity. After a moment, he murmured, "Now that passion is gone. You're just…" he glared down at her, causing the Japanese woman to flinch. Rolling his emerald eyes, he whispered, "You're pathetic." And with that, he stalked towards the rest of the Vicious Vipers.

In her peripheral vision, she could see the two teams beginning to move toward camp, but Heather couldn't find the strength to get up. She clutched the picture tightly to her chest as salty tears spilled down the sides of her face. Heather buried her head into her knees and whimpered, trying to choke back the sobs she could already feel forming.

He was right. Everyone was right. She was pathetic. A waste of space. Her fingers ghosted against the scar on her torso, and she could still remember the pain she'd felt when the wound was inflicted. The anguish she'd felt when he spoke those dreadful words.

You don't deserve to live.

Her breath began to quicken, her heat began to beat rapidly, and her pupils dilated to mere slits when she recalled how cold the metal was. Heather whimpered and curled into herself even more at the next words graced her mind.

You deserve what you get. It's all your fault, and you deserve what you get.

Even after all this time, he still haunted her. His words still sent her spiraling into a severe panic attack. Why couldn't he just leave her alone!

She wasn't sure how long she sat there like that, with her head clasped between her knees and her chest heaving with shallow breaths. When she finally regained control of herself, the Queen Bee hesitantly cracked her eyes open and stared about timidly.

Oh no.

Slanted eyes widened in fear when she came to the realization that she was completely and utterly alone. Where had everyone else gone? Didn't they know she was missing?! Pale hands trembled, and she once again began to hyperventilate.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening.

All around her the forest suddenly seemed to grow more dense, as if the trees wanted to trap her within their depths; permanently. They began to elongate in her panicked state, leering over her and threatening to smother her. The overwhelming silence of the forest beat against her. Heather screamed at the top of her lungs, and the sound was swallowed up by the never ending expanse of forest.

He was coming for her. She knew. Now that she was alone, he was going to come back and get her. This time, he would finish what he'd set out to do. This time, he would kill her.

The Japanese woman began to sob hysterically and curled into a fetal position on her side. All she could think of was his cold, clammy hands tearing at her skin. She was going to die. She was going to die. She was going to d-.

"Heather?"

A hand latched onto her arm, and the Queen Bee screeched, trying to jerk out of the grip. However, the hand held firm, even tightening against her struggles.

The hand shook her forcefully, and once again the voice spoke, trying to get through to her. "Heather, stop! Please, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you."

In her hysterical state, the words didn't even register with her. She just screamed and kicked harder. When she was forced to actually look up at the other person, she was met with black eyes staring into her own. It… it couldn't be him then. After a moment, the rest of the person came into focus.

Sierra stared down at her, a shocked look stretched across her face. The stalker had both of Heather's wrists clamped against the ground, and was pressed a knee into Heather's stomach. Once she was certain that the Queen Bee was done freaking out, Sierra cautiously released her and stood up, helping Heather to her feet as well.

"Are you okay?" the super fan asked, giving Heather a concerned look. "When Cody saw that you weren't with the group, he insisted that we go back to see if you were still here." Heather furrowed her brows in confusion and looked around, before spotting the aforementioned candy-lover standing nearby. When Cody spotted her looked at him, he smiled weakly and walked over to the pair.

Meanwhile, Sierra just continued to chatter on, "I didn't want to go back and look for you, since you're, y'know, evil and all. But eventually I gave in. After all, any good marriage is composed of compromises."

"I'm glad we did come back. What happened?" the nerd asked, tugging on his shirt nervously. "We heard you scream, and when we got here you were crying… are you hurt?"

Heather crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. She still couldn't shake off the fear she'd felt just moments ago, but just being in someone else's presence was certainly helping.

As they began walking back to the camp, Cody kept stealing concerned glances at the Asian woman, who just kept her eyes glued to the ground. Sierra, completely oblivious to what was going on, filled in the silence. "Omg, so, I don't know what's up with you lately. But I can't wait to blog about it! I wonder if any of the Heather fans know what's going on. Maybe I could look into it a bit more…"

Heather froze, her muscles going rigid. If Sierra did any digging on the matter, no matter how well it was hidden, Heather was certain that she would figure it out. Her hand lashed out to grasp the stalker's upper arm, and she shook her head vigorously.

Blinking in surprise, Sierra said, "What?"

The Queen Bee just tightened her grip. Why couldn't she just understand?

Fortunately, Cody realized what was going on, and he nodded. "Sierra, you can't say anything about what's going on with Heather on any of your blogs. Or on anything for that matter."

"But Codykins… why not? It's just Heather. Besides, don't you want to know what's wrong with her?"

He frowned. "I do, but I'm sure that she'll tell me if she wants me to know."

"But Cody… if you wait for someone to tell you something, you'll never learn what it is!"

Shrugging, the technogeek replied, "Fine. I still don't want you saying anything about this to anyone. Can't you see how… not herself Heather is?"

The super fan sighed and said, "But-"

"No Sierra, no buts!" Cody interrupted. "If you bring it up again then… then I'll," he gulped. It was never good to indulge in a stalker's fantasy. However, one look at Heather hardened his resolve, "Then I'll file for divorce."

She squeaked and pulled the nerd into a tight hug. "You admit that we're married? Yay!" she cried, before planting a big kiss on her "husband's" lips.

"Blech!" he cried, trying to squirm from her grip. While still struggling, he said, "We won't be if you say anything about Heather!"

Sierra made some sort of awkward combination of a giggle and a grunt. "Okay my little Cody-Wody-Hubby-Wubby-kins!"

When she finally released him, Cody stumbled back a bit and grimaced. "Great… just great." Heather gently reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. Staring back at her in surprise, the nerd was in for another shock when the Queen Bee smiled gratefully at him. Returning the smile with a wide grin of his own, Cody murmured, "You're welcome."

A few minutes later, they trio arrived back at camp. They arrived at the cabins shortly after, and Cody said, "You sure you'll be alright?"

Before she could reply—not that she'd make much of one anyways—the cabin door opened to reveal a worried Courtney. "Heather?" she gasped, before rushing down the steps and enveloping the Asian woman in a tight hug. "Oh man, what happened? Are you okay? When I got back to camp I looked around for you, but didn't see you anywhere! I thought maybe you'd gone back to the cabin."

Sierra rolled her eyes, "Oh, no she was out in the woods cr-"

Cody shoved his hand against her mouth to interrupt her, and grimaced in disgust when she licked his palm. "Umm, she was just out in the woods."

When he pulled his hand away, the super fan said, "You really ought to keep a better eye on her. After all," she pulled Cody into her chest and smiled, "I never let Cody out of my sight."

Courtney frowned and pulled away from the Asian woman, who was feeling decidedly uncomfortable. "And what is that supposed to mean? She's not a dog," the overachiever snapped.

Giggling, Sierra winked at her and said, "Oh, you know what I mean. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone… except my bloggers!" And with that, she dragged her "husband" away saying, "Come on Cody! Let's go find somewhere quiet so you can tell me more about how we're married."

As he was pulled away, the candy lover groaned and waved at Heather.

"What was that about?" Courtney muttered.

Heather sighed and shook her head. She certainly owed Cody a huge favor now.

With Heather's less than enthusiastic response, Courtney just shrugged. "Hey, are you okay, really? I didn't realize you weren't with the group when we left, otherwise I would have waited for you."

She waved her hand dismissively. Honestly, Heather really couldn't expect her friend to put her life on hold just to make sure that she was okay. The Hispanic teen frowned, but let the subject fall. "What do you want to do now?"

At that moment, Heather's stomach chose to let out a rather ravenous growl. Wow, what a cliché. Both girls chuckled at the sound, and Courtney nodded, "Alrighty then! It's a bit late for lunch, but maybe since we all lost our breakfast, Chef will cut us a little slack." Heather smirked and gave her friend an expression that read, "I doubt it," but nevertheless agreed to go with the overachiever.

As they were walking to the mess hall, Courtney said, "Can you believe that we won the challenge?" When Heather smiled and shook her head, Courtney muttered, "Well, it will at least earn us some brownie points with the other Vipers. Not that that matters much, since they'll all be kicked off soon enough."

The Queen Bee made a non-committal noise, causing Courtney to roll her eyes. "Oh come on. I know you're not trying to win, but can you honestly expect me to believe that you want Ale-jerkface to stay? Or Duncan? Or even LeShawna? They've all been giving you a hard time since we arrived."

Without waiting for a response, the Type-A continued, "I'm telling you Heather, this is my season. I'm going to win. And keep the money." She smirked, "I'll be the first contestant that actually takes the money home and does something useful with it. Unlike that stupid trip to Paris that Lindsay and Beth took."

Heather chuckled. At the time, she had thought those two traitors were totally deserving of what had happened to them in France. Come to think of it, Lindsay had an awful track record in the "city of love". First she gets sent to jail, then she gets eliminated from the competition. The blonde ditz really ought to take a hint about that particular region of the world.

Upon arriving at the mess hall, the duo were pleased to see that Chef actually was serving up a meal. Now, whether or not what he was serving was edible was debatable. The temperamental black man placed a scoop of what could have possibly passed for macaroni and cheese on their plates—if mac and cheese was supposed to have unidentifiable green chunks in it.

As they went over to one of the tables to eat, Courtney growled, "I am so sick of eating slop that I wouldn't even feed to pigs! Hello, I won the challenge! Don't I deserve a little respect!"

In response, Chef flung a scoop of the pasta in her direction while shouting, "You'll eat what I say you eat girly!"

Courtney yelped and ducked as the mac and cheese flew over her head to splatter against the wall. "I am so going to sue you!" she yelled.

"Jeez Courtney, can't you go one day without threatening to sue someone?" a voice drawled, and Heather glanced around to see Duncan and DJ coming in through the door.

DJ gave Courtney a nervous look and tapped the punk's shoulder, "Umm, Duncan, maybe you shouldn't bother her."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh please, what's she going to do, threaten to sue me? Been there, done that."

Courtney went rigid in her seat and narrowed her eyes. However, to Heather's complete shock, she didn't even look in Duncan's direction. Instead, she chose to stab her fork viciously into her food, muttering a few choice swears under her breath. A few times Heather was certain that she heard her friend grumble something about a, "Stupid neanderthal…"

The other campers trickled in throughout the meal, each person expressing relative disgust at what the cook was serving. Heather sighed and tried not to think about what she was eating as she shoveled the "food" into her mouth. As her teammates laughed and conversed, the Japanese woman focused her attention on the solemn air of the Dingos' table. She really was curious to know who they were going to vote off the island, since in her opinion no one had really messed up badly enough to cost the team the challenge. Well… maybe Sierra for dragging Eva out with her, but it was probably to much to ask for to get the stalker booted off the island. Although Heather was grateful that the super fan had gone back for her—at the request of her "husband" of course—she still found the stalker's demeanor rather disturbing. Especially since she now ran the risk of Sierra actually trying to find out what had happened to her. She could not under any circumstances allow that to happen.

She was startled from her thoughts when a certain Spaniard sat down across from her. Heather went stiff in her seat, which Courtney immediately noticed. When she saw the reason for her friend's distress, the Type-A snapped, "What do you want?"

Alejandro smirked and said, "What's with the sudden hostility, chica? Am I not allowed to spend time with my fellow team members?"

Courtney huffed and rolled her eyes. "No. Go away."

"Princesa, there is no need for the cold façade. I know you enjoy my company far more than you are letting on," he purred softly, reaching out to grasp her hand.

The C.I.T let out an indignant growl and snatched her hand away, but before she could respond Duncan fumed, "Hey Al, don't call her Princess."

"Does that bother you, amigo?" the Arch-Villain replied, smirking devilishly at the punk.

In response, Duncan pointed a pocket knife at him menacingly. "Yea, it does."

"Oh shut up Duncan," Courtney growled, shooting her ex a dark look.

"Hey, I'm trying to help here!" he retorted defensively.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she snapped, "I don't need OR want any help from you." Turning back to the Spaniard, she continued, "And as for you, I don't think you deserve to sit with us! You were the first person to quit in the challenge!"

Alejandro chuckled, "I believe you are mistaken, mi rosa. Your memory must be failing you, for it was Justin who gave in first."

"Only because you barfed on him! So it's still your fault," she shot back. "And whatever, you were the first person that matters who quit."

"I am glad that you feel that I matter, señorita."

"Ugh!"

Heather sighed and stood up, leaving her friend to argue with the boys. Honestly, she was getting a bit fed up with everyone. Well, more than a bit. Obviously, drama was important on the show. It was in the name for crying out loud. But she just wished that sometimes she could skip all of the drama and have a normal life. Well, fat chance of that ever happening. It seemed like no matter what she did, this stupid reality show was always going to find a way to interrupt her life.

As she was placing her tray down on the counter, Heather felt someone else come up next to her. The Queen Bee turned and raised a brow at Cody, who was also setting his tray aside. Flashing her a grin, he said, "Do you maybe wanna go somewhere else? Sierra went to use the confessional for something, and I really don't want to be here when she gets back."

Heather shrugged and glanced back at Courtney. It seemed like her friend was going to be preoccupied for quite some time. Sighing, she nodded and the pair left the mess hall together.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Cody spoke, "We can go down to the docks if you like… it's always pretty quiet there, and I don't think anyone will bother us." He chuckled and glanced out toward the water, "I'm sure the sharks won't bug us as long as we stay out of the lake."

They made their way over toward the dock, and Heather gave Cody a weird look. He noticed it almost immediately and blinked. "What?" Frowning, she shook her head and looked away.

The two teens sat down on the edge of the wooden planks, allowing their legs to dangle a few feet above the water. A comfortable silence was dominant for a few minutes, before Cody said, "I bet your wondering why I'm being nice to you…" The Japanese woman shrugged in response. Sighing, the technogeek leaned back on his arms and said, "Remember last season, when I said that you were the good guy, and you were completely shocked, like you'd never been told that before. Then you were suddenly motivated enough to keep trying."

Heather cautiously nodded her head, wondering where he was going with this. "Well, it made me realize something." Cody turned to stare at her, "You're not… you're not praised very often, are you?"

She frowned and stared down at her hands, clasping and unclasping them uncomfortably. This seemed to be all the confirmation he needed, because Cody continued, "Over these last few months off season, I've had some time to think. And I got to thinking that maybe you're the way you are because you have to be that way." He paused, as if trying to find a way to phrase his words carefully, "I can't really imagine growing up in an environment where no one ever tells you that you're good. Where your best is never good enough."

Something wet tickled Heather's cheek, and she touched it in shock when she realized that she was crying. How could he possibly know so much about her life? It was just like Harold, when he'd correctly guessed about her… her weight issues.

Choosing not to draw attention to her tears, he stared out at the water and said, "Well, I figured that maybe if I tried to be nice—not pretending, but genuinely, honestly nice—then maybe I could get you to be a little nice back." An embarrassed blush reddened his cheeks, and he muttered, "But, well, that was before you started acting so… differently."

Scratching the back of his neck nervously, he said, "I'm not going to try to pry into what's bothering you. After dealing with Sierra for over a year, I've certainly learned to respect people's boundaries. But, if you do every need anything, I can always give you a shoulder to lean on." He smiled, "I'm sure Courtney's said the same thing though."

Heather chuckled at that. Well, it was good to know that she had a few allies to count on. Ones that she—for once—wasn't planning on stabbing in the back. Noticing the campfire pit in the distance, Heather nodded her head toward it in a questioning manner.

Noticing her gaze, Cody replied, "I'm not sure who to vote for. I know Sierra is probably the obvious choice, but… it's complicated. She really is an amazing friend, but she also can be really clingy and creepy." He grimaced, "If not her, then I'm probably going to vote for Sadie since she barfed on me. I don't know if you've ever had to experience that, but it is so gross."

She bit back a laugh. Fortunately, she had never had someone else puke on her. However, she still remembered vomiting on Chris back in China last season. That was probably the most satisfying moment in the series for her, other than winning the million dollars. Which she hadn't even gotten to keep…

The two chatted about idle things for a while—or rather, Cody talked while Heather listened—until the sun was beginning to set. As the sky faded into a dark violet, Cody said, "I should probably head down to the elimination ceremony. I can already see Chef starting to light the fire. Wanna come?"

Most people were already at the campfire when they arrived, save a few stragglers. Giving Cody a light smile, Heather parted from the technogeek and made her way over to the peanut gallery to sit with Courtney. The overachiever frowned and her and whispered, "What were you doing with Cody?"

With a shrug, Heather pointed over at the dock, causing Courtney's frown to deepen. "You went swimming?" she asked, confused. The Queen Bee shook her head, causing the C.I.T to roll her eyes. The whole mute thing really was quite annoying.

Fishing around in her pocket, Courtney pulled out an envelope and handed it to Heather. "Chris gave me this earlier when he couldn't find you. I didn't look at it though, promise," she murmured. Giving a slight huff, the Hispanic woman snapped, "I really am getting sick of Chris acting like I'm some sort of delivery service. I was a C.I.T! Not a mail woman."

The Japanese woman smiled gratefully at her friend and tucked the letter into her own pocket. She would look at it after the elimination had finished. Hopefully, her brother's words would be able to brighten her day up a bit after the anxiety attack she'd had earlier.

A loud squeal made Heather nearly jump out of her skin in alarm, and she turned just in time to see the purple-haired super fan raced over to Cody and pull him into a tight embrace. "Oh Cody! I was so worried! I didn't know where you were, and so I looked everywhere! Are you okay?"

"Gah! Sierra, please let go. I was just right here," he cried, struggling in her grip.

Before she could respond, Chris said, "Uh, yea… freak outs later people. Kind of on a schedule here! I'd like to get this whole thing over with so I can go relax in my hot tub for a while. So get in the confessional and cast your votes already."

One by one the Dingos went into the outhouse to decide on who they wanted to vote off. For Heather, watching the entire experience was very surreal, since she'd never attended an elimination ceremony for the other team before. Curiously, most of the campers were in and out rather quickly. The only person who took longer than usual was DJ, who was the last to vote. Nearly five minutes after he'd entered, the teddy bear left the stall and went over to the pit, looking slightly upset.

Chef came over with the ballot box, and Chris swiftly counted up the votes, "Huh… interesting."

"Oh just get on with it already, I have stuff to do!" Courtney said, rolling her eyes at the host.

"Hey! There will be no talking from the peanut gallery. After all, no one is making you stay," he retorted, then cleared his throat. "Anyways, I have here ten marshmallows, which means one of you will be leaving us for good."

He paused in what was probably supposed to be a suspenseful moment, but really only served to annoy nearly everyone there. Picking up a marshmallow, he said, "Izzy, you're the first one to receive immunity."

She caught the marshmallow and let out a muted, "Yay…" Apparently, she was still slightly under the effects of the venom.

"Cody and Sierra, you two are also safe," said the host, tossing a symbol of safety to each of the aforementioned contestants.

Sierra gasped and immediately munched on the marshmallow, letting out a satisfied sigh, "Oh my gosh, it's even better when I'm actually on the real Wawanakwa!"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Yea… next we have DJ, Gwen, and Geoff."

The party boy grinned and pumped his fist, "All right!"

"Lindsay, Eva, and… Katie! You ladies also get to spend another night here," said the host.

Eva squished the marshmallow in her fist and growled, "Yea, that's right, you better give me a marshmallow. If I hadn't gotten dragged out, I could have won the challenge for us!"

"Nobody cares Eva," drawled the host, only to be forced to duck when the Iron Woman chucked her marshmallow at him. "Hey, watch it!"

This left only Noah and Sadie without marshmallows, meaning that one of them was going to leave the island. "Noah, Sadie, I have in my hand only one marshmallow left. There are reasons why both of you should go. Noah, you were the first person—out of both teams—to wuss out on the challenge, making you the obvious choice to go home! Sadie, you barfed all over Cody. That's pretty much the only reason, but seriously… that was gross." He grimaced, probably remembering the same memory that Heather had recalled earlier.

"And the final marshmallow goes to… Noah!" Chris said, tossing the treat to the bookworm.

"What?!" cried Katie, her eyes widening in shock. "But… but why Sadie? She didn't do anything wrong!"

"Lies!" Sierra barked, standing up and pointing an accusatory finger at the clones. "She threw up all over my Cody-Wody-Hubby-Wubby-Kins! No woman can do that and get away with it!" she snarled, glaring at Sadie.

Sadie blinked at the stalker through her tears, "But it was an accident!"

"I don't care. I still convinced everyone to vote you off for it!" the super fan cried. The other Dingos glanced away nervously at that, not wanting to have to deal with the two girls.

Eventually, the clones went over to the Dock of Shame and exchanged a tearful goodbye, and the other contestants left to do whatever it was they did when the show ended. Heather and Courtney went back to the Vipers cabin, surprised to find LeShawna there when they arrived.

Noticing their stares, the black girl raised a brow and said, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just, usually no one else comes back to the cabin this early," Courtney replied with a shrug.

"Well, I don't have anything better to do at the moment," LeShawna quipped.

Heather sighed and sat down on her mattress, scooting over a bit to allow Courtney to take a seat next to her. Pulling out the envelope from home, she tore it open and began to read the letter within, and the overachiever leaned in to scan it over her shoulder. To her surprise, it wasn't actually from her brother, but rather her sister instead.

To Heather,

Hello Heather. I know you're probably a bit surprised that I'm writing you, since we aren't exactly on the best of terms… even after your incident. Still, I am leaving for college early tomorrow morning, so our parents and the brat thought it would be nice if I wrote to you before I left. I'm fairly certain that the dear little accident told you that the first episode of that miserable show aired today. We watched it together as a family—the first time we've done anything together since we were children. Shame that you had to go through it only to lose. It doesn't really matter though, since I know you could care less about the money these days. I still think you should at least try to win, since you have to be there anyways. Also, couldn't you try to act a bit more like yourself? Your old self, that is. I'm sure that by this time tomorrow, the paparazzi will be at our door demanding to know what is wrong with you. Truthfully, I'm glad I'll be gone before that happens. I hate dealing with those scumbags, since they only ever really want to talk about you. Well, I think that I've written enough to satisfy the rest of our family, so I'll close off by saying good luck, and try not to get yourself killed.

Your Sister,

Annette

The Queen Bee sighed and closed her eyes. While it was nice to hear from her sister, Annette was even worse at being pleasant than Heather, and that was saying something. Even in her letter, to the untrained eye it would seem as if her sister was just being cold. But really, this was probably the best she could ever hope for from her eldest sibling.

"That's your sister?" Courtney muttered in disbelief, "She sounds even worse than you were! It's times like these when I'm glad I'm an only child."

Heather just smiled and shook her head.

"If I had to grow up with a sibling like that, I'd have probably turned out to be terrible too," Courtney said, prompting Heather to give her an incredulous look. "What? You're not bad anymore, but come on. You used to be awful!"

"Used to be?" LeShawna drawled, placing her hands on her hips.

The C.I.T frowned and said, "Yea, used to be. Seriously, are you so stuck in your ways that you can't see Heather's changed?"

The black girl snorted and replied, "Stuck in my ways? Girl, last season I got voted out of the competition because I was too blind to see the truth about Alejandro. There ain't no way I'm gonna make the same mistake again by trusting Heather." She pulled her toothbrush from her bag and said, "Honestly Courtney, you're a smart girl. So I don't see why you believe the whole 'I've changed act'. People don't change in a couple months." And with that, LeShawna left the cabin.

Courtney remained silent for a long time, contemplating the other woman's words. Eventually, she frowned and glanced at her friend, a hint of doubt showing in her eyes. "You're not really just pretending, are you?" she asked softly.

Heather looked away and shook her head. If only she was pretending… she would give anything to go back to the way things used to be.

You deserve what you get. It's all your fault, and you deserve what you get.

Sighing, she closed her eyes in an attempt to block out his voice. She didn't need to deal with that right now.

Noticing her friend's sudden change in demeanor, Courtney placed a hand on Heather's shoulder and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean… LeShawna can just be really convincing when she wants to be. Remember when she tricked all of you into letting her have a day at the spa, back in Action?"

Chuckling, Heather nodded at the memory. Boy, when she had found out about LeShawna's lies, she had been royally pissed off. Smirking, Courtney said, "I still can't believe you actually agreed to that. I know I would never let someone else receive a reward for a challenge if I had a chance to get it."

At that, Heather rolled her eyes and gave her friend a playful shove. Grinning, the Type-A returned the gesture, and soon enough the two girls were giggling and having a mock fight.

"Woah, did I miss something here?" came a voice from the doorway, and the two girls turned to see Bridgette trying to hold back a grin.

Courtney immediately stood up and brushed herself off, "No, no… we were just, umm…"

The surfer laughed and said, "You don't have to explain anything. It was just a funny sight to walk in on." The blonde went over to her bunk and sat down, pulling off her teal hoodie. "So, are you still pretty pleased about winning the challenge?"

The overachiever smirked, "Of course. Why shouldn't I be pleased when I win?"

"I never said you shouldn't," Bridgette replied with a smile of her own. "As long as success doesn't go to your head."

"Puh-lease, when does winning ever go to my head?"

At that, both Bridgette and Heather let out a burst of laughter. Courtney crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the both of them, though after a moment she wore a small smile of her own. "Anyways," she said, "what have you been up to?"

"Not much. Geoff, DJ, Lindsay, Beth and I stayed at the campfire and just kind of talked for a bit," the surfer replied cheerfully.

As the two girls talked, Heather changed into her pajamas and slipped under her sheets. It was still fairly early in the evening, but the day's events had really exhausted her. Smiling, she slipped the letter under her pillow with the others and closed her eyes.

And there you have it. A bit more insight onto what's going on with Heather—though admittedly not much. Also, Cody makes another friend for her. I was going to wait to add him into the mix a little later, but the timing seemed right for the two of them to have a moment together.

I swear, Sadie's elimination was not just based on personal preferences! Well, okay… maybe a little. Most of the characters I don't like at all are going to be eliminated early on, simply because writing for characters I dislike is no fun at all. Fortunately, that list is dwindling, so most of the eliminations from now on will actually have reasoning behind them. (Just to clarify, I love Tyler. But he served no purpose to the plot, so he had to go.) Besides, now we get to see how Katie will act without her BFFFL, which I think will be an entertaining experience.

In other news, Alejandro is still an ass. Not much of a surprise there. I hope most of the characters are still staying, for the most part, in character. If you do see a point where someone (besides Heather of course) seemed OOC, let me know! Seriously, I love any feedback that can help me to become a better writer.

Also, sorry for the time in between updates. College is making it difficult to find time to work on this story. And it doesn't help that I'm also currently in the process of writing another story. No spoilers on that though! But hey, at least it didn't take over half a year like the chapter before this one did!

I don't usually do this sort of thing, but I received some very nice messages from a reviewer here on fanfiction that actually inspired me to get off my butt and finish this chapter off. So thanks to FFraspberry for motivating me, otherwise this probably still wouldn't be finished!

Here's something else I generally prefer not to do, but I'm going to do it anyways. I need some help from you guys! I have a general idea for where this story is going, and the ending is completely planned out. However, I'm having a rough time coming up for ideas for challenges. So, if you all want chapters a bit quicker (if college permits it) and you have some original ideas for challenges (not stolen from another fic), then feel free to send them to me! Because that's probably the most difficult part for me in writing these chapters.

Anyways, I'd love to hear some feedback from all of you. What was your opinion on the chapter? Loved it, hated it? Do you like the pretty much OCD attention to detail I write, or does it bore you? Let me know in a review! And if you have any questions that aren't asking for spoilers, feel free to send them to me and I'll usually reply within a day.