Chapter 1: No, Wait, Your Team is Over There

The zeppelin was blowing up and falling from the sky.

After binging every season before auditioning, Sammy really should have seen that coming.

Everyone was screaming and rushing for the crates, and certainly not looking where they were going as more than one of them bumped into her. The blimp's awkward tilting only made it worse, and her feet threatened to trip over themselves as she ran.

She somehow managed to squeeze in between the big red-headed guy and the little guy in grey, and had her sights set on two packs - one for herself and one, of course, for Amy. She secured them both, but since she'd never held parachutes before, she wasn't sure if they actually were parachutes. She could only hope for the best, and pulled away from the crate with them in hand.

But just as she was about to return to her sister, she stopped in surprise. The blonde girl in pink had been standing right behind her, and was gleefully eyeing the pack in her right hand.

"Why thank you! I needed one of these," she said in a southern drawl, voice hardly giving way to any fear she might've been feeling. With a swipe of her hand, faster than Sammy was expecting, the other girl snatched the parachute and made for one of the exits.

"Wha- Hey, wait-!" The girl was already jumping before Sammy had a chance to say anything meaningful, leaving her to only sigh and pluck another one from the crate. She didn't bother checking the weight of this one, what with imminent death approaching and all, so she dashed back to her sister without another thought and handed her the one in her left hand.

"About time," Amy scolded as they both slipped on their packs. "God, why are you always so slow?"

"Someone stole one right out of my-" Sammy attempted to defend, but Amy's finger pressed against her mouth to shush her.

"I really don't care," she said, and without another word ran for one of the exits.

"But, but- …Oh, what's the use?" she whimpered. Sammy followed her sister out, hesitating just a fraction before leaping with a screech.

Skydiving was terrifying. Too bad she hadn't done it before to get herself prepared for doing it today. She ended up falling near Amy, and the two shared a frightened look. At least Sammy had the pleasure of seeing her sister just as scared as she was.

The storm seemed to be localized only where the blimp was flying, as they all broke through the clouds and back into the sunlight. Sammy spied several of the others pulling their strings: some people got actual parachutes while others got random assortments of junk. She watched as some of it flew past her with mild shock. Was that… a bunch of hot dogs? And actual live cats?

Sammy looked to her sister just as she activated her pack, and watched with a faint trace of disappointment as she produced a parachute, slowing her fall and separating the two of them. The roar of the wind in her ears made it difficult, but she knew she could hear Amy's gloating laugh from above her.

Taking a breath and praying for good luck, Sammy pulled her own string. What came out was unfortunately not a parachute, but instead a bunch of trophies and a tiara Sammy grimaced as she watched them fly away. "I don't really feel like a winner right now…"

Reality caught back up to her just as fast as the surface of the ocean was closing in on her. Sammy screamed again and shut her eyes, ready for the impact that was certainly going to leave her hurting.

Though not hurting as much as she already was - it wasn't fair that Amy got a parachute and she didn't. Amy didn't even think about auditioning until she saw Sammy's tape, so why do the good things keep happening to her? And now she was going to land in the water and hit a rock and probably get seriously hurt. "Why can't things go my way for once?!" she called out to no one. Not like anyone would hear, or care for that matter.

She felt a forceful tug against her shoulders and noticed that she wasn't falling nearly as fast as she had just been. Sammy opened her eyes in surprise and looked behind her to see that the really tall Australian girl from earlier had grabbed her bag mid-fall. She also saw one of the other guys in her other hand, the one with a toque on his head. She guessed he didn't have a parachute either.

"OMG," she quietly said, still shocked. "Y-You saved me! Thank you so much!"

"Well I couldn't just leave you to fall," the girl said with a smile, though they were interrupted by several other people falling passed them. "Uh, can't do much for them, though."

They touched down onto the beach safely just as a few of the others did. Never in her life did she feel more relieved to be on solid ground, and she fell to her knees and attempted to control her breath. A few moments later, Sammy spotted Amy land not too far away. She unhooked her pack and made her way over to her with an unimpressed glare. "You really shouldn't have bothered saving her," she told the Australian girl. "It would've been better to just let her fall in the water. She mightn't have come out if she did." Sammy didn't say anything, and merely looked away in shame.

The girl raised a brow at her as she adjusted her lopsided hat. She sent Sammy a glance that she couldn't meet, and then back to her sister. She didn't look very pleased. "Yeah, I have a feeling we are going to have a problem."

"Like I care," Amy replied, but ended the conversation by grabbing Sammy's arm and dragging her away from the two of them.

"Um, thank you again!" Sammy called back to the tall girl, but didn't try to resist her sister's pull. That's just how it worked with her twin - she couldn't fight it or else it would get worse.

Amy took her away from the others and quickly forbade her from talking with any of them, just like back at home. Of course this was going to happen. It hadn't even been five minutes on the island and already Amy was taking control away from her. Sammy auditioned to get away from her sister, but now that they were on a deserted island together, they were going to practically be conjoined at the hip.

This wasn't going to end well at all. No matter how she pictured it, she knew that Amy was going to get her voted off, one way or another… She had no doubt in her mind that was how it was going to go down.

Just as Sammy was resigning herself to her fate of servitude yet again, though, Chris McLean, who had been on the beach the whole time, suddenly shouted into a megaphone and said, "Can everyone who actually had a parachute, line up on my left?"

Sammy wasn't sure what for, and she shared a confused look with her sister. Amy hummed in annoyance, and without saying a word walked with the six others who also managed to grab the good packs. The tall girl was in that group, and she gave Amy a stern glare which her twin chose to ignore.

"That's great," Chris absentmindedly said as he checked his clipboard again. "Now, the rest of you that did not have parachutes, on my right!"

As Sammy walked to the designated spot, a thought occurred to her: could these perhaps be the teams? There were fourteen of them in total, and seven in each of the two groups. Were the teams being formed now? Were they based on who managed to grab a parachute before the blimp crashed? Did that mean-

Sammy inhaled sharply. Does this mean Amy and I aren't on the same team?!

It seemed that Amy had similar thoughts, because now she was looking directly at Sammy with shock in her eyes, which morphed into anger. Truthfully, Sammy wasn't sure how to feel - she didn't like her sister, that was a given, so she was the farthest thing from upset, but she wasn't allowing herself to get too happy right yet. Amy could probably find a way to make her life miserable yet again, even from the other team.

"Hey, are you okay?" someone softly asked alongside her. It turned out to be the smaller girl in the beige top and tights, which were currently soaking wet; her hands were on her hips and she was casting Sammy a curious look. "You don't look so well."

Well, I'm nervous and anxious and unsure about myself and everything else in my life, but that's just a normal day for me. "I-I think I'm still a little on edge from the fall. I should be fine. Hopefully."

The girl nodded slowly, but then looked to the other team. Specifically at Amy. "Oh, I think I get it," she said with a smile. "It must be weird, having your sister on the opposing team. Sorry that it ended up like this."

Sammy wasn't sure how to respond at first. She didn't want to make it seem like she was ecstatic that her sister wasn't on her team, because that would be rude. But at the same time being disappointed would be straight up lying, and lying wasn't something Sammy liked to do unless the situation demanded it.

"I- Um, I think this might be the best outcome, actually," she decided to say.

The other girl seemed perplexed by this response, but didn't get a chance to follow up on it as Chris started speaking again.

"These will be your teams going forward," he told them, though he was looking straight ahead into a camera. "On my left are the guys who managed to snag parachutes from the crates. Scarlett, Topher, Rodney, Jasmine, Max, Sugar, and Amy."

She quickly tried to memorize their names, most importantly Jasmine's. She sent Sammy a smile and a nod, and Sammy did her best to return it. It didn't feel as confident as Jasmine's looked.

"Your team name will be the… ahem… 'Pimâpotew Kinosewak', which is Cree for 'Soaring Eagles'!"

"Um, no, sorry, that's not right!" the smaller girl suddenly interrupted, hand raised as if in class. "Pimâpotew Kinosewak translates to, ah, 'Floating Salmon'."

"Oh!" Chris was genuinely surprised by this. "Then I guess you guys are the Floating Salmon instead." All of the other team grumbled at the change. "Now, on my right: everyone else! Shawn, Leonard, Ella, Dave, Beardo, Sky, and-" Sammy sucked in a large breath. "-Samey." And just as quickly let it out in disappointment.

After being accepted for the show, she quickly figured that this was going to be a fresh start. She had been excited when she thought she'd be free of it, but I seemed like she was going to keep living forever as that name.

But no. She had to try something, something to get them to realize that she didn't like it. This was going to be a fresh start, one way or another, and she'd make sure of it.

"U-Um," she tried, hesitantly raising a finger. "Actually my name is… Sammy."

Chris looked up from his card with a quirked brow. "Amy says everyone calls you Samey."

She winced. It was really hard to fight back against people, and now it was more so, what with an audience of literally millions. "Well… I mean, that's true, but-"

"Because you're the second twin," he continued. His stare felt like he was looking right into her nervous heart. "The lesser Amy, if you will."

That was also true, but it didn't really help matters. "B-But… It's not my name. My real name is-"

"Enough!" Chris suddenly shouted. Sammy recoiled at his tone instinctively. "From here on out, you're officially Samey. End of discussion!"

Sammy wanted to keep speaking up, to keep defending herself. She had been suffering for so long and she just wanted it to end. But like always, she couldn't do it. She couldn't raise her voice. She could only let it happen to her again and again.

She didn't even hear Chris give their team name. Something to do with bears, according to Sky. She only looked back up when Chris walked away and Amy approached her with all the smugness of an evil queen prepared to execute a peasant. And honestly, that's what it always felt like with her.

"You know, it's actually a good thing we're on separate teams," she said a little too loudly. "You'd only be slowing my team down. Now we're guaranteed to win all the challenges."

"Whoa, hey," Sky interrupted, getting in between the two of them. "That's uncalled for! She's your sister, why would you say that to her?"

"You don't know her as well as I do," Amy said, that smile never leaving her face. "It's clear that she's just going to make you guys lose. I'd vote her off as soon as you can, if I were you."

Any further discussion was cut short by Chris bringing everyone's attention back to him somewhat farther inshore. He was now at the top of a large pile of junk and garbage, and was impatiently waiting for everyone to gather around him. Sammy was grateful for the interruption - she didn't need Amy getting her team to turn against her already.

According to the host, there weren't any shelters or other facilities on the island (besides the confessional, which wasn't really cause for celebration), which meant that for their first challenge, everyone had to take something from the piles to be used in making their own places to sleep. All the while being shot at by Chef Hatchet, with a tennis ball minigun.

"Your challenge begins… now!"

The second Chris said that, Chef opened fire. Sammy had to cover her face to avoid being blasted right in the nose, instead allowing her arms to take the brunt of the pain. Those tennis balls were definitely leaving bruises on her arms later.

"Bears, follow me!" Sky's voice cried out over the screams of the others and the whirring of the gun, and Sammy followed her team away from the common area and behind a large outcropping of rocks. She found herself hiding behind a larger one with Beardo, Leonard, Shawn and Ella, while Sky and Dave were close by behind another one. "Everyone take a look around!" Sky directed. "If you see anything good, grab it and bring it back here!"

"Yeah, what she said!" Dave called out, surprisingly enthusiastic about their current situation. "Such a good plan! I, ah, have a bit of dirt on my hands, but it's good! We're good! Let's follow Sky's plan and win!"

"…Riiight," she replied hesitantly.

"What would be good for building a house?" Ella asked to Sammy's right. On the other hand, she didn't seem all that concerned. "Would some nice blankets and pillows be good? We wouldn't want to be too uncomfortable while we slept."

"Forget comfort!" Shawn shouted, springing up from the back. He seemed a combination of pumped and terrified. "If there's no main lodge, we don't get grub! And I will not be going hungry when the zombies find us!" He leapt clear over the outcropping and expertly dodged all the balls Chef sent his way.

Sammy watched him duck and leap towards the garbage heaps. "Did… Did he just say zombies?" she asked the group. Ella shrugged and made an 'I dunno' sound, though it sounded a lot prettier than Sammy had ever heard it before.

"Never fear, my fellow island compatriots!" Leonard said as he forgoed the cover and rose to his feet. "I shall vanquish the vile villain of the Isle of Wawanakwa of old and allow us the opportunity to scavenge for materials!" He reached into one of his long wizard sleeves - Why exactly was he in a wizard's robes anyway? - and produced a small stick that Sammy assumed was meant to be a wand. "Your turn has ended, Chancellor Hatchet! Breaken Downen!"

As improbable as it was to happen, Sammy eyed the machine gun spewing the tennis balls, and was completely shocked when smoke and sparks actually burst out of it.

"Oh neat! It worked!" Leonard cried, pumping his fists in the air.

"That- that was just dumb luck!" Dave called out to him.

He didn't let that deter him. "Say what you will, nonbeliever, but our time has come!"

"How wonderful!" Ella cried with clasped hands. "I think I'll go ahead and get us something good!" She daintily hopped over the rocks and briskly walked towards the pile.

She really only spoke a few words to Ella, but she seemed nice, and so Sammy decided that the right thing to do would be to encourage her. "Good luck! And be quick, Chef might fix it soon!"

"She's got nothing to worry about," said Shawn as he popped out from the bush alongside her.

"What the-" Sammy nearly shrieked and fell over. "When did you-"

It was like he didn't even notice she screamed. "As long as she dodges them with the reflexes of a cat, she'll be fine."

Ella stopped walking for a second as she noticed something on the ground. When she bent over to pick it up, Chef had managed to fire off a few more balls that flew straight over her back.

"See? No problem," Shawn said with a smile.

"I… guess so?" Sammy said slowly.

He pulled himself out of the bush and fell on his face, but got right back up again without a word. "Anyways, I managed to get some soup," he said, holding up a single can. "Now we won't be going hungry tonight!"

Sammy quickly read the label. "Cream of broccoli? Could be… worse…"

Shawn blinked and read the can himself. "Aw man, are you serious?!"

"Okay, guys, we need to start focusing!" Sky called out to them, causing Sammy to jump.

Ah, right, I need to do something before they start thinking I'm dead weight. Though chances were they were probably already thinking that.

She hastily scurried over to Sky and Dave and peaked out alongside them. "W-What should we look for?"

"Something for building a shelter," Sky replied. "It doesn't have to be actual house material, but if we get something that can keep us safe through the night then we should be good."

"Good news, everyone!" Ella suddenly announced as she returned to the team carrying a bundle of quilts. "I found us blankets to keep us warm while we sleep!"

"Nice, Ella!" Sky congratulated, helping her up over the rocks.

"I would have brought back a bucket of some very colourful glitter, though," she said with a touch of disappointment in her voice. "Unfortunately one of the Salmons took it right from my hands! It was an awfully rude thing to do."

"That… is probably for the best," Dave mumbled.

"So, um, who's next?" Sammy asked. "I-I can go, if you need me to."

Sky put a finger to her chin and looked at the team, specifically the people who had yet to make a run yet. "Alright, I have a plan!" she said with a grin. "Dave and Leonard, you guys get Chef's attention and draw his fire while Beardo, Sammy, and I look for something. Sound good?"

Dave was a bit skeptical of this plan, but Sammy was kind of distracted Sky having called her by her real name. She was wondering if that was on purpose, but then thought better of it. No, it was more than likely a slip of the tongue. Chris said she was officially Samey and it was highly unlikely that anyone would get it confused.

"You good with the plan, Sammy?" Sky asked, interrupted her thoughts. She was looking right at her, as if waiting for a reaction.

...Oh. Okay, maybe it wasn't a fluke.

"Oh, u-um, yes, sorry!" she quickly nodded, and couldn't help giving a shaky smile. "That's a good plan!"

"I still don't really know…" Dave said doubtfully, slowly standing up to get a look of the common ground.

"Alright, go!" Sky cried, and pushed Dave over the rocks, causing him to shriek. "Leonard, you too!"

"As you command!" he shouted and followed Dave. They started yelling and waving their hands, one more enthusiastically than the other, and almost immediately they began getting pelted by tennis balls.

"Now! Let's move, guys!" Sky vaulted over the rocks and broke off into a sprint towards the mountains of junk. Sammy looked to Beardo, who nodded, winked and made a rather accurate ding noise along with it, and took off after her. Sammy, still nervous, inhaled deeply and followed. Thankfully, the plan managed to work, somehow - Chef was busy firing at the guys while the three of them made it behind the nearest pile and away from his line of sight.

"Beardo, you stay down here and look through the stuff at the base," Sky instructed. He stood at attention and saluted while making a whip-like sound. "Sammy, you're with me further up."

She nodded. "Okay!"

"Remember, we're looking for materials, supplies, tools, and so on. Anything else along those lines is perfect. Let's go!"

Sammy climbed up alongside Sky and started digging through the junk closer to the middle of the pile. A lot of the stuff in there was broken, useless, and just plain out of place (like a space satellite), but a lot of it could also be used for something like… walls, possibly. There were large wooden planks and metal sheets that were definitely sturdy enough to hold the weight of a ceiling. Some were rotting and rusted, sure, but it would probably get the job done. Maybe. Hopefully.

"What about these for walls?" Sammy asked their team's unofficial captain. "There's a lot here that we could easily use."

Sky examined some of them and nodded. "They're perfect! Send them down and we'll carry them back when we're done here."

"Right," Sammy said, and quickly started sliding them down the pile. "Beardo, incoming!"

His head shot up from his search and he moved out of the way with the sound of a klaxon just as the boards and sheets landed on the ground. Moving them aside, he grabbed a piece of rope that he had been apparently working on, and started pulling on it to free it from underneath the pile.

As he did so, Sammy continued to send down pieces of wood and metal (away from him of course). There was a suspiciously large amount of it here, but considering they needed to make shelters that was probably the point.

"Hey, uh," Dave's voice called out from the other side of the pile. Chef was probably focusing on the other team at the moment. "I found a hammer? Will that work?" He was holding it by the handle with only his index finger and thumb. Guess he really does have a thing against germs.

"Yes!" Sky shouted back, but didn't look up from her search. "We're going to need some nails for it though. Anyone see any? Or something to substitute them with?"

Oh crap, that's true. Without nails, the walls won't be stable enough to hold anything and could easily fall from the weight. Forget holding them in place, they'll topple over in seconds. How didn't she think of that first? Stupid, stupid! "Nails… nails…" Sammy started looking around her designated spot for anything that resembled nails or screws, but came up short. "I might go check somewhere else. If, um, if that's okay?"

Sky looked down at her, and then at the pile of wood and metal she made at the junk heap's base. "Absolutely," she said with a nod. "I don't think we have much more time though, so make sure you're speedy!"

"Got it!" Sammy slid down the pile and ran past Beardo, who was still trying to find the end of rope from underneath the pile. She chose another pile at random and started scouring through as much as she could as quickly as she could. She couldn't afford to slow down, not this early in the game. It may have been the adrenaline pumping through her veins, or maybe it was the fact that Sky had actually called her by her proper name, but Sammy was feeling much more invigorated than she had been back on the beach. She could probably do this, if she kept at it.

…Emphasis on probably. Time would tell if she actually pulled through.

Unfortunately, nails didn't seem to be a part of this pile, or at least the surface of it. She could tell that they were running out of time, as a quick glance to Chris told her that he was counting down the seconds on his watch. She groaned and planned to move on to the next pile, but didn't get a chance as someone grabbed her hand.

"Ah!" she yelped and tried to pull free. She stopped, however, when she saw who the hand belonged to. "O-Oh. Hi? Um, Jasmine, right?"

"That's right," she said. She had a smile on her face, so she probably didn't have any bad intentions. "And you're… Samey, yeah? Or was it Sammy?"

"It's Sammy!" she said reactively, and covered her mouth with her free hand. "Uh, sorry, I mean, it's… Sammy."

"No worries. I figured as much," Jasmine said with a chuckle. "Hey, were you just looking for nails? Couldn't help but overhear."

"Yeah, we are, but I can't find-" She stopped herself when she spotted something in her arms. A whole lot of somethings. "Wait, are those… boxes of nails? Where did you…?"

"On the other side," Jasmine said, tilting her head towards the front of the pile. "Whole crate full of 'em. I only took what we needed so there's still plenty left." She let go of Sammy's arm and jumped down to the ground, causing a noticeable thud when she landed. "You didn't hear that from me though, yeah?"

Sammy quickly shook her head. "N-Nope! I didn't hear a thing." Quietly, she added, "Thanks though!"

Jasmine tipped her hat and ran off back to the Salmons' spot, leaving Sammy to wonder why the heck her enemy just helped her out. It was so… weird, having people support you and not try to screw with you. First Sky, now Jasmine... Regardless, she helped and that was that, and that'd probably be the last time. Sammy would have to repay her somehow, that was for sure, but for now she had to focus.

She climbed up and over the pile, spotting a giant box with its top wide open. Peering inside, she grinned at the abundance of smaller boxes filled with nails. She took as many as she could carry and slid back down to the ground. Just as she did so, though, Chris's air horn sounded out and nearly caused her to drop the boxes in surprise.

"It's building time!" he declared. "Everyone gather your supplies and go find your designated areas!"

Sammy rushed back to their meeting place and laid the boxes out on the rocks. Examining her team, she saw Sky, Beardo, Leonard and Dave all helping each other carry the boards and sheets she freed up. Dave had his hammer placed on his boards and was eyeing the wood like it was about to attack him, while Beardo had finally managed to get all that rope free and had it slung over his shoulder.

Ella and Shawn were returning as well, and they seemed to be carrying a large block of straw. "Look what we found!" Ella said as the two of them dropped it on the ground. "This could be nice pillows, or for sleeping on!"

"Look at all this stuff, guys!" Sky said happily, looking over their materials. She patted the wood and the sheets. "We have enough of these to make a decently sized shelter. And if we need to, we can put the straw on the roof in case we don't have enough."

"Um, I got some nails," Sammy said quietly, holding up one of the packs.

"Awesome! Glad you found some." Leaning down to pick up her pile of planks again, she motioned to everyone and set out. "Let's go, Bears! Time to build us a shelter!"

Everyone cheered, and Sammy joined in with them. With the amount of stuff they managed to scavenge, morale was decently high. They might be able to get a win out of this yet.

"We are not doing a wizard's tower."

Or, maybe not.

"C'mon, what's the harm? I'll even enchant it so it'll grant us the most comfort, and give us a full rest!"

"Ooh, yes yes yes! I second this! Ahh, this is so exciting!"

"Uh, no no no! No wizard's tower! We need to make something… I dunno, normal! Shawn, back me up here."

"I actually don't care either way. I don't plan on sleeping with a bunch of people who could turn into zombies in the middle of the night. Thanks, but I'll be just fine in a tree."

"...O...kay? Uh, Sky?"

"Dave, if it's what the team wants, what right do we have to argue? Besides, something is better than nothing."

"But- Ugh, Samey, please, for the love of everything clean, tell them their plan is a mistake!"

Sammy grimaced and glanced from the desperate Dave over to Leonard and Ella. They had such hopeful looks on their faces… But a wizard's tower? That's… probably not going to work.

"I, um, I'm really sorry guys, but I think I have to agree with Dave." They're faces immediately began to fall, and Sammy waved her hands to keep that from happening. "N-Not that it's a bad idea! It's just, not… um, practical? For this sort of… situation. I think we need to build something that's closer to the ground and isn't so… v-vertical."

"And what does it being so tall have to do with anything?" Leonard asked, clearly on the defensive. "The shape won't affect its base constitution!"

Sammy wasn't really sure what that meant, but she felt herself crumbling in on herself regardless. "I-I just think… if we make it too high, something like the wind could easily knock it over." Her voice was quickly losing its volume, and soon she was speaking in nothing more than a whisper. "That's just… my thought, though. Y-You can ignore me, if you want."

"No, no, Sammy makes a good point, actually," Sky interjected, placing her hands on her shoulders and squeezing them comfortingly. Sky was a lot nicer than Sammy thought anyone on her team would be.

"Wait… really?" she asked.

"Yes, really," she said with a happy smile. "Besides, Chris is going to be the judge of this, isn't he? We need something that'll impress him. Not something that'll make him laugh or mock us, and I'm sorry to say it but a wizard's tower might just do that."

"Oh, yes," Ella said, hanging her head sadly. "I had forgotten that detail."

"Curses!" Leonard said with a snap. "The Dread Lord McLean continues to reign his terror over all that is righteous."

"Can you just… stop," Dave said bitterly, though Leonard didn't seem to hear him.

"Then what are we making?" Shawn asked Sky, arms crossed. "We're on a bit of a time crunch, remember."

"Right, I know," Sky said with a hand to her chin. "I think… I think the simplest solution is the easiest. Let's make a house. Four walls, a roof, and we can pile up the dirt on the bottom to keep it from swaying over in the wind. Does that sound good to everyone?"

Beardo raised his hand with a whistle and a loud bong when he extended his thumb upwards.

"I'm okay with that," Sammy said hesitantly.

"The dirt part doesn't sit well with me, but that's better than anything else suggested," Dave said with a roll of his eyes.

"Alright, that's four votes! Let's get started, people!"

Everyone started dragging their supplies a little ways away to get more room, and Sammy found herself uncomfortably walking next to Ella. She seemed disappointed by the development, and Sammy couldn't help but feel sorry that she made her feel like that.

"Hey, um," she ventured, fully expecting to be ignored but was surprised when Ella looked at her. "I-I didn't mean to sound rude earlier. I just wanted us to have the best shot at winning. I'm sure a wizard's tower would be awesome, but maybe not in a place where so much can go wrong in a short amount of time. S-So, um, nothing… personal?"

If she wasn't going to ignore her, she thought for sure that Ella would be mad with her and tell her off. So she was quite startled when Ella smiled at her and shook her head. "Oh, goodness, it's alright! While it would have been a sight to behold, I can also see the need to want something a bit more… ah, reliable. Besides, do you know how often wizard's towers fall to pieces in movies? That could happen to us if we build one!" Ella nodded and readjusted her grip on the straw. "Yes, this course of action is for the best, I believe. So no harm done." Her smile became a lot warmer than what it already was, something that made Sammy feel somewhat at ease. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

Sammy swallowed hard. No one had ever told her she didn't have to worry. No one had ever passed up the chance to get upset with her when she did something against them. Amy was always at her heels with that sort of thing, and whatever friends her sister had would always join in if they were around.

But to actually have someone be nice to her, when they had every reason not to be? That was… unheard of.

But also so damn relieving.

Work on the shelter began immediately once they found the perfect spot. Sky oversaw the general construction of it, and provided the nails to Beardo as he hammered them into the walls (while also making comical sound effects with every hit). Said walls were being provided by Sammy, Shawn, Ella and Dave, and all were doing their best to find pieces that fit the best with what they had just placed.

Leonard was trying to help. The key word being 'trying'.

"Floatus Poatus!" he yelled at a single piece of wood, pointing his wand at it and waiting expectantly. Nothing happened though, which, to Sammy's surprise, surprised Leonard. She watched from one of the incomplete walls as Leonard stared down at the plank, flabbergasted. "Aw c'mon, it worked for the tennis ball blaster!" He shook his wand and eyed it dubiously. "Why's it on the fritz now?"

"Because magic doesn't exist!" Dave yelled at him from inside the hut.

"Nonsense!" Leonard said back to him. "That's just what they want you to think!"

Shawn poked his head out from inside. "Wait, they do?!"

"They absolutely do! Otherwise the world would have been overrun with powerful, rogue sorcerers long ago!"

"Seriously?! Aw, man, now I've got more things to be on the lookout for…"

Aside from that little distraction, the construction was going smoothly. Ella opted to sing everyone an encouraging song to help team morale, but pretty quickly Dave grew annoyed (which seemed to be a running theme, Sammy realized) and told her to stop.

"I just wanted to lift everybody's spirits," she lamented as she and Sammy picked up a few more sheets of metal. "I didn't intend to anger anyone."

"He's just… having a rough day, I think," Sammy said in an attempt to console her. "I don't think he likes germs, and, um, these supplies all came from a junk heap so they may not be the cleanest."

"I suppose you're right…"

Ella remained a bit more pensive for the rest of the challenge, and though Sammy wanted to make her feel better she honestly didn't have the words. One doesn't suddenly become an expert on cheering people up when they rarely had anyone around that needed cheering up. Or when they were not able to cheer themselves up. If anything Sammy could provide negative comments, as she was well-versed in that, though this hardly seemed like the time or place.

Before long the hut was done. The walls were up, the roof was in place, the base covered in dirt, and blankets placed on the inside to keep the team from being stiff while sleeping. The straw was put over the roof to keep it from leaking rain water, and the rope was tied around it in an attempt to keep it steady. It wasn't the greatest thing ever made, and Sammy was sure that if they had more time and resources they could've done better, but they did what they could with what they were given, and honestly she was rather proud with what they managed to make.

"Now, allow me to cast a spell over it to ward off any dangers!" Leonard told everyone as he raised his wand.

Dave loudly grumbled and pressed his palms into his eyes, and Sky gave a long sigh but remained patient. Sammy stayed quiet as well and just let him go about his thing.

Ella was enraptured though. "I can't wait to see it in action!"

"Behold! Sentinental Defendental!" He flicked his wrist and swirled the wand in the air in the shelter's direction.

To her left, Sammy noticed Beardo bring his hands to his mouth and make whimsical, magical noises, in time with the swishes of Leonard's wand. It almost sounded like the wand was actually doing magic, though of course there weren't any special effects or anything.

At this point it wasn't much of a shock anymore, but Leonard believed it all the same. "Oh my gosh!" He cried, and turned to the rest of them. "Did you hear that?! It worked! It actually worked!"

"Wow, it did?" Dave asked in the most deadpanned voice. He eyed Beardo, who was silently laughing behind his hands. "Incredible."

"Now who's a nonbeliever?" Leonard asked tauntingly, causing Dave to grumble even more.

"I don't know if you should encourage him," Sammy whispered to Beardo. He thought about it for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly.

"Not bad!" came Chris's voice from up above. Sammy looked up and saw him descending from the sky in his jetpack. "A nice little shack in the middle of nowhere is just what these rough outdoors needs."

"So, what happens now?" Shawn asked him.

"Now we judge! Team Kinosewak has already finished their shelter, so I'll need you all to come to the specified clearing over yonder for the critiquing. Although…"

Sammy gulped. Oh no. That never leads to anything good.

"Quick question before we go."

Everyone glanced at each other out of nervousness. "And what's that?" Dave hesitantly asked.

"Is your shack moose-proof?"

A pause. Then Sky asked, "Is it… what now?"

"Uh, guys?" Shawn said quietly. He was bent down on the ground, his hands and ear to the dirt. "Something's not right."

Sammy could feel it too. It almost felt like an earthquake. The ground was rumbling, softly at first but then it became thunderous. Trees started shaking and birds and smaller animals darted away in fear. Sammy quickly realized though that this wasn't an earthquake - the sounds of multiple pairs of hooves could be heard in the distance, and they were getting louder, and louder, and-

Oh. Moose-proof. Now I get it.

A giant herd burst through the trees nearby and were charging right towards them. Everyone screamed and high-tailed it out of there as fast as they could. Sammy dove into a few bushes that were hopefully out of the herd's way, with Shawn and Sky right behind her. The roar of the stampede rushed by her, and Sammy didn't dare look up until the sound was growing quieter and quieter. Soon, it was gone completely, and she let herself exhale in relief.

"E-Everyone okay?" she asked as she poked an eye through the leaves. When the coast seemed clear she fully emerged, and was thankful that she managed to spot each of her teammates likewise coming out of the shrubbery.

Except Leonard it seemed. He chose to hide behind the shack. Which… was still standing?

"We're all okay," Ella said, though still clearly shaken up. "And... it looks like our shelter is as well!"

"Wow, talk about being lucky," Shawn said, scratching his head. "Can't believe they didn't bust right through it."

"Well obviously it was because of the warding spell I cast!" Leonard declared, standing up from his fetal position and crossing his arms triumphantly. "You see? My powers saved our new home!"

"That was amazing!" Ella cried as she approached him. At least he had one fan.

From behind her, Sammy heard Dave slowly and painfully let out a breath. "Is anyone else incredibly frustrated by him or is it just me?"

"He's… starting to get to me, too, actually," Sammy mumbled back.

"He's certainly staying in character for this whole thing," Shawn said.

Chris came back down, was further impressed that the shack managed to stay upright, and directed everyone to a clearing in the center of the island. The trek there was mostly uneventful, with no one really saying much of anything.

Her inner voice wasn't exactly making her feel better about it though. Shouldn't be surprised no one wants to talk with me.

They soon found themselves in a small expanse with two logs facing each other, and Kinosewak had already claimed the one farthest from them. Everyone took a seat on the vacant log, with Sammy sitting at the very end. She did her best to ignore the haughty look her sister was giving her but it was very difficult to do so.

"You know," Chris started when he arrived, "I'm actually kinda surprised. For a bunch of amateurs your shelters are pretty decent! However, only one team is able to win the challenge, and for that…"

He paused for dramatic effect, and Sammy found herself holding her breath.

"...I'm going to have to go with Team Pimâpotew Kinosewak's treehouse!"

It took her a moment for that to sink in. …Treehouse? They built a treehouse? Of course they would win with that, that's much more creative than a cruddy little shack!

Sammy released her breath in a groan, along with the rest of her team. The opposing team all cheered, and it felt like a knife through the heart every time she heard her sister's shrill laugh.

"I told you you'd lose with her!" Amy called out. Sammy didn't reply - couldn't reply - and just opted to wrap her arms around herself.

"To make up for the fact that the lodge was lost in our previous season," Chris explained, "each winning team will be allowed a meal from one of our sponsoring take out restaurants."

"So we don't get anything, huh?" she heard Dave mumble off to the side. "Just wonderful."

"Good thing I got that soup when I did, huh?" Shawn asked.

"That's… not out of date, is it?"

"No idea. But you don't have the luxury of being picky during the zombie apocalypse, so you gotta take what you can get."

"…Perfect."

"Team Waneyihtam Maskwak!" the host said. Wait, is that our name? "Please make your way to the outhouse confessional before sunset! It's time for you all to vote, because one of you losers is going home tonight!"

Our first challenge, and we're already losers… Maybe she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up after all. This was bound to happen, with her on the team. Amy was right, she really was dragging them down. Maybe if they had just gone with the wizard's tower they wouldn't have lost and wouldn't have to go hungry tonight… and she wouldn't have to be sent home.

The teams were dismissed and everyone walked back to their shelters. Sammy once again stayed at the rear of her group, although now there was a different reason for her mood.

An elbow jabbed into her arm, surprising her out of her stupor. "Hey, don't listen to what Amy said," Sky told her on her right. Sammy hadn't even noticed her fall back to walk with her. "We didn't lose because of you, we just had a bit of bad luck."

That was a lie. Sammy was sure of it. "It's… kind of hard to not listen to the person who's been on your case for every day for years," she chose to say.

Sky frowned. "Why is she like that?"

Sammy shrugged. "She's been really mean for as long as I can remember. I've stopped asking because she refuses to tell me. Now I'm just kind of… used to it, I guess."

"That… isn't something you should have to get used to though."

"I know," she said. "But I am." She wasn't liking this conversation, so she left it at that.

Sky was trying to look for something to say, though. With a lowered voice, she asked, "So… who are you voting for tonight?"

Aside from myself? "I… haven't given it much thought. What about you?"

"I've been thinking about it since the challenge started, just in case we didn't win. If we're going to work as a team from here on out, we need to remove our weakest link. The team can only go as fast as its slowest member, so the person who doesn't pull their weight and doesn't contribute should be sent home."

She'd overheard some of the football players on their school's team mention something like that before. "Makes sense, I guess. Who were you thinking?"

"Leonard."

That was... expected. "You sure?"

"Positive. He keeps thinking he's a magician or whatever, and he was the only one who didn't actually find anything in the common area. And the wizard's tower really wasn't a good idea, but I didn't have the heart to tell him…"

Huh. So not everyone is out to get me? Gosh, maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Again. "I see what you mean. I… I guess I'll vote for him too." It was a more appealing alternative than booting herself off, anyway.

Sky smiled up at her. "Okay, good. I'll talk to the others and see what they had in mind. Thanks!" She started walking a bit faster to catch up with them, but stopped and turned back to her. "Oh, and also? Good work out there, Sammy. You did a lot to help today."

She ran up ahead and left Sammy to her thoughts. Was Sky actually being nice to her? She complimented her, called her by her real name, had gone out of her way more than once to make sure she was feeling okay… She'd never had anyone say all of those things to her before. Mom was always so busy with work and barely had time for her, and Amy… well, that was obvious. But for the first time in her life, Sammy was feeling… not happy now, but there was a tinge of it there somewhere in the disorganized mess of her head and heart.

Maybe this was the start of something… better.

She shouldn't get her hopes up.

"Um, okay," she said to herself. She was in the confessional, the rank stench infiltrating her senses and the camera awkwardly taped to the back of the door. She wasn't really sure what to say at first, but the best place to start would be the obvious, right?

She spoke about her sister, how she wanted to get away from her but only managed to bring the both of them on the show. She talked about how awful she was, and now how weird it was that Amy was there on the island, but also not around her. It felt like she was an odd little presence in the back of her mind, but when she turned around she was never there. It had thrown Sammy off more than once already.

She talked about her team, about their quirkiness but also the fact that most of them were very welcoming of her. Sky was very supportive and a great leader, Ella was cute and excitable, Shawn was odd but also well-meaning and focused, and Beardo was funny and pretty relaxed. Dave seemed to get annoyed easily and didn't like dirt, but Sammy was sure there was more to him than that. And Leonard as well, though he really hadn't given himself a chance to show his better qualities.

It was… surreal, to say the least. She had never expected that so many people would be willing to support her, much less tolerate her. It made her upset that no one back home was as willing to even look at her. She'd probably be in a much better place if she only had someone to talk with.

But, she was getting distracted and taking up too much time talking. She needed to vote.

"I'm sorry, Leonard, but I'm voting for you," she said sadly into the camera. "Sky and Shawn are athletic enough to carry the team in physical challenges, and myself, Ella, Beardo and Dave all helped at least a little bit with the gathering and the building. You… you didn't do all that much. Geez this doesn't feel good at all. But, um, that's my decision. I'm sorry. Again."

A kind of lame way to finish it - Amy probably would have called me out on it, ugh - but the job was done. She wasn't happy that she had to send someone home so early, but that was how the game worked.

By the time she had gotten around to using the confessional the sun had begun setting; now it was just dark enough that it was hard to find her way around the forest. Thankfully some of the camera crew and interns directed her towards the campfire ceremony, where the majority of her team already was.

She took a seat in the front, between Beardo and Ella, and nervously played with her hair as they all waited. Sky did say she'd talk to the others about it, but the negative side of her brain kept telling her that there was still a chance she was the one going home. She supposed the vote tonight would prove whether or not she could actually trust these people… and possibly anyone in general.

"Goodness," Ella murmured quietly, "I don't believe I've been this anxious since my first play."

"It… is kind of tense, isn't it?" Sammy said back to her. It reminded her of the times when Mom had to come to school because of something bad Amy claimed she did when in reality it was Amy's fault to begin with. It was not a good feeling.

"It is, yes," she replied. "But… we'll be fine! I'm almost positive no one voted for us!"

"R-Really? What makes you so sure?"

Ella thought for a moment, but ended up shrugging. "I don't know. I just have a good feeling."

"Oh." Sammy wondered what it'd be like to be so excessively hopeful and upbeat. "Maybe. I guess we'll see."

The remainder of the team were not long arriving, and Sammy watched Leonard take his seat with a surprising amount of confidence. Does he just not… realize that he made himself a target? Is he that lost in his own head?

"Welcome to our brand new elimination area!" Chris said, himself appearing shortly after the entire team did. "It is here that we determine who gets to compete another day, and who gets a one-way ticket back home!" He looked at each of them in the eyes, and Sammy squirmed under his gaze. "After going over the votes, we have come to a conclusion." He held out his hand without looking, and Chef Hatchet placed on it a tray of marshmallows - six in total, of course. "These marshmallows represent life. Should you receive one, you're safe… for now. Should you not… well, you probably weren't going to win anyway. The following players are safe:

"Sky."

"Yes!" She cheered, and caught her marshmallow with ease.

"Shawn. Dave. Ella."

Each of them did the same, and Sammy felt the butterflies begin to flutter faster. She lowered her head to try and calm her breathing, but it was a challenge.

"And Samey."

Her head shot up, and she just barely managed to catch the snack between her palms. She let out a shaky breath and silently thanked Lady Luck that she was still around and watching over her.

Ella placed a hand on her shoulder and offered her another comforting smile. "Told you so," she said with a wink. Sammy returned the smile and nodded, hoping that her cheeks didn't flush too noticeably.

"Two people are left," Chris said, indicating towards Beardo and Leonard, "yet one marshmallow remains. Beardo-" The hairy guy jumped at his name and visibly gulped. "While you helped out your team, you also did so with unnecessary sound effects. Cool in some places, but not here. And some people seemed to find that very annoying."

His hands shot to his mouth and he cast a worried glance over the rest of his team. Sammy herself didn't find them annoying, but she kind of could tell which one of them did.

"And Leonard," Chris continued. He started wringing his hands in fright. "You think you're a wizard, and almost got your team to make a shelter that was really, really stupid." He pulled at the hem of his hat and drew it over his eyes. The host seemed to revel in berating him. "Also, you did even less than Dave in helping win the challenge. And that's saying something."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Dave called out, but didn't receive an answer.

"The last marshmallow of our first elimination ceremony goes to…"

He really enjoyed drawing out the answer and making the last two squirm in their seats. Now that Sammy knew that she wasn't voted off - for now, she reminded herself - she had a strong feeling she knew who was. And after a few more painfully slow minutes of watching the two boys sweat bullets, they had their answer.

"Beardo."

He let out an immense sigh of relief at the same time that Leonard gasped. Catching his prize and holding it up in one hand he made a little jingle-like song that sounded vaguely familiar, but quickly covered his mouth again when Dave groaned from behind.

"Impossible!" Leonard shouted as he stood from his seat. "I need to go back and make this right! Time Reversal-" He paused midway through his… casting, and looked at everyone on his team as they gave him exasperated looks. With a sigh he lowered his wand and sat back down dejectedly. "Aw, forget it."

"...Right," Chris said. "Anywho! This island, and this season, are called 'Pahkitew', which I'm sure our resident Cree player can translate for us."

Sky hastily swallowed the half a marshmallow she was eating. "Explosion. Or exploding. Take your pick."

"Exactamundo! And it's for this reason that we thought that our newest method of transportation home should be something with a bang." He looked to the side. "Chef?"

"Oh, I've been waiting for this." Chef Hatchet gleefully cracked his knuckles and approached Leonard. He picked the wizard up, easily tossed him over his shoulder, and headed down a pathway off to the side. Leonard didn't try to struggle, but he also didn't say anything as he was carried away.

"You guys sit tight here for a minute," Chris said as he followed them. "This won't take long."

Sammy was only mildly confused at the waiting, but she felt that at this point, she'd be fine waiting for the rest of the night. She was even fine with Chris calling her by that name - she was too elated to care about it at the moment.

"That guy really knows how to create tension," Shawn noted when Chris was out of sight.

"He hasn't been the host of five seasons for nothing," Dave replied.

"It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences," Ella said. "Poor Leonard…"

"I tried telling you that we needed to cut off the weakest link," Sky told her. "I'm sorry we had to do that to him. But we need to think of the team as a whole, and he would probably keep dragging us down if he stayed on."

"I'm aware," Ella told her. "And I may have had a feeling this was coming. It just… feels so mean to force someone to leave like that, you know? I'm not quite sure I like it."

"Get used to it, Princess," Shawn said as he stood. "We're gonna have to do that with every loss we take. Besides, you should have already known that when you auditioned."

"I… suppose so, yes."

Sammy frowned, and placed a hand on Ella's leg. "If it's any consolation, I wasn't happy doing it either."

She looked at Sammy's hand, and then at her face. "It is, thank you," she said with a gentle smile.

"Alright peeps, get your butts down here!" Chris's voice called from down below.

They all made their way down the path and were greeted with Chris and Chef grinning at them. Just behind them was something large, covered by a blanket. Leonard was nowhere to be found, which Sammy found odd, but realized that whatever was under the blanket he was probably in there.

"Now!" Chris called out as Chef gripped the cloth. "Without further ado, allow us to introduce to you this season's humiliating way home!" Chef hauled the blanket off. "The Cannon of Shame!"

Sammy gasped at what she was looking at. It was big, painted in red and white stripes, and aimed directly away from the island. That thing had to have the firepower to blast someone right back to the mainland. That was definitely incredibly dangerous, and probably illegal in some countries.

Leonard poked his head out with a worried look. "Couldn't we have gone with the catapult from season four? That was way more in my element."

"Of course that's what he's concerned about," Dave grumbled.

"That was only a rental!" the host called back to him. "Besides, there's nothing 'explody' about a catapult. This is much more epic."

"You, um, tested this, right?" Ella asked.

"We did!" Chris answered her. "Extensively, even. One in four interns made it out okay, which is one of the better results we've had."

"Oh," she replied with a frown. "How lovely."

"Anyways," he continued. "Leonard! Got any last words for the people who kicked you from the game?"

"Just a few!" He sounded kind of cheerful for someone who was just betrayed. "While my time here was short, I had fun and met a wonderful band of adventurers. Fare thee well, and may I meet you all again in the AETHERRRRRRRRRRRR!"

The cannon exploded and shot him out, sending him off into the night sky until Sammy could no longer make him out. His voice carried for some seconds longer before fading entirely.

"Whew!" Chris said as he wiped a brow. "Thought he'd never leave." He signed off on the episode, emphasizing the season's name, and then started leaving along with Chef. "Better rest up for tomorrow, kiddies! You've got more pain coming your way!"

The team shared uneasy looks at that prospect. Obviously, no one was looking forward to it.

It was weird that someone who she'd seen all day was suddenly gone in a heartbeat. At least he's not dead, her mind provided.

There had been seven of them at the start of the show, and now there were six. They were one man short, and at a numbers disadvantage against the Salmons. She would have to work her butt off from here on out to ensure she didn't mess up and become a target herself.

She still felt bad, despite it all. There wasn't anything good about taking away someone's chance at winning. But, she had to keep reminding herself: just as Sky said, it was for the sake of the team. The slowest member needed to be removed in order to bring everyone up to where they could be. And Leonard was that member.

She had seen the entirety of this show to know that was the norm. So why didn't it sit right with her?

"Um… you guys?"

Sammy stopped in her tracks at the voice. It didn't belong to anyone she knew, and the others seemed to think the same as they started looking around. Sky's eyes fell past her and settled there, and Sammy followed them to see Beardo standing still, with his fingers shyly pressing against each other and his head looking towards the ground.

"Beardo?" Sky asked. "Was that… you?"

"Y-Yeah," he said, and wouldn't dare meet their eyes. Sammy hadn't seen him as nervous as this since they got to the island, though that was only a few hours ago all the same. "So, uh… I'd just like to, y'know," he coughed and cleared his throat, "apologize. For being… annoying."

They were all silent as he rubbed his head. Sammy hadn't found him annoying, and Ella seemed to share that sentiment. "You weren't," she told him, approaching him slowly. "None of us were annoyed by you."

Dave said something, too low for him to be heard, but Shawn jabbed him in the ribs in response.

"No, I saw how some of you looked at me," he said quietly, rubbing his arm. "Some of you were getting upset. And… I'm sorry, I really am. It's a nervous habit. I-" He stopped and fidgeted. He was clearly struggling speaking, and Sammy felt her heart go out for him. "I get shy real easy, especially around new people, and I sorta… make sounds as a way to calm myself down. Only problem is they tend to get really bothersome. I try my best but they just slip out, y'know?"

Getting ridiculed for something that he had little control over? That was sort of relatable. To an extent, probably. "I-I wouldn't vote you out over that. That wouldn't be fair," Sammy said to him.

"For real," Shawn said with a nod. "But since you know what's causing it, maybe now you can adjust it."

"Yeah, exactly," Sky said. "As long as you know how you can change, just work on that and no one will have an excuse to be mad at you."

"Unless you mess up in a challenge and make us lose," Dave said flatly. Now Sky shushed him, though less violently than Shawn.

"I've tried to change, but it's hard," Beardo said glumly. "I'm fine with people I know, but new folk are scary. No offence."

"None taken," Ella assured him.

"Change… doesn't come easy," Sammy found herself saying. "I've been trying to change for years and it almost never works. But… if you keep at it, you're bound to do something right. …Right?" At least that's what I keep telling myself.

"Yeah…" Beardo gave her a small smile. "That helps, you know? A lot. So, uh, thank you." Sammy smiled back at him, happy that he was able to relate as well.

"That's great, but are we done here? I need some more soup," Dave said, turning back around in the direction of their shack.

"Dude, you had your share," Shawn said as he followed, "and I'm not dividing the rest anymore, we all need to be in peak condition for when the zombies attack."

Dave grumbled. "Sounds like you're the one who needs to change."

They started lightly arguing, and Sammy couldn't help but laugh a bit at it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so relaxed around other people. It was incredibly relieving, to say the least. She knew it wasn't going to last - the game wouldn't allow for it to happen, after all - but she could still enjoy it nonetheless.

They reached their shelter, made a quick campfire, and had the rest of their soup for dinner and a small batch of fruit for dessert. It wasn't… bad, but she'd definitely had better. Once the food was gone, they all wished Shawn a goodnight before he scaled a nearby tree. After everything that happened, Sammy was ready to sleep where she was standing. She wasn't looking forward to not having a proper bed, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

She laid down on her blanket, tried to get comfortable, and shot her eyes open when she heard the boys doing the same right across from her. Thankfully, Ella had the idea to use the spare blanket left over from Shawn as a divider for their one room, so when she saw Sky pulling it across she settled back down and tried to fall asleep.

Her last thoughts before falling uneasily were full of hesitant hope that tomorrow would be better. She thought this so often, though, that it was more out of habit than anything else.