Responses to reviews

Gucci Mane LaFlare: One of my favorite things about this premise is inverting everything. Not just personalities, but themes and storytelling as well. For example, Canon Pahkitew was completely artificial while Inverted Pahkitew was overrun with prehistoric monsters and demons.

HashtagJustMonika: (good username by the way) No, it's not weird you ship Cody and Sarah. I'm overjoyed that you do.

Guest: Thank you for your praise. It truly means a lot to me.

LovelyLuly: At first, it was only supposed to be Canon Harold meeting Inverse Harold, but now I am curious how the Geoffs or Ezekiels would react to each other. Don't count on Harold being the only one doing that.

Chris had ordered all the campers to meet by the campfire at 6:30 pm, so after a long day of doing pretty much nothing, Trent strolled over to the campfire. Trent wasn't the most calming presence in the world. In fact, he knew some people avoided him because his brash personality sometimes caused people anxiety. But if he was one thing, he was punctual.

The rest of the cast wandered in later. Trent had immense disdain for those who were tardy. He winced at himself. Is it really that easy for me to not like someone?

"It's time for the Awake-A-Thon!" announced Chris, with a wicked grin on his face.

Owen murmured something under his breath. Trent tapped his shoulder, his curiosity overtaking him. "What'd you say?"

"A bunch of curse words. You didn't really miss much."

"Don't worry." said Chris "This is an easy one."

Now, Trent was worried. When the cameras were off, Chris was an amiable guy. At least, for the few times he was around. But when he was playing the host character, he was being as big of a jerk as he possibly could be.

"The last camper left awake wins invincibility. That's it."

Trent saw Geoff's and DJ's gears turning as fast as they could. Those two were trouble, Trent could tell. The question was, was it trouble he wanted to avoid? Or was it trouble he wanted to help perpetuate.

The cameras cut and Chris's evil grin was replaced by an apologetic one "Sorry about this, guys. The producers wanted you guys to go on a 20 kilometer run before this. I argued against it and we settled for just waking you up early and penalizing naps."

Trent had a newfound appreciation for the overzealous host. Twenty kilometers was exhausting. Trent half expected the campers that weren't in great shape, like Courtney and Tyler, to just pass out if that had happened.

xXx xXx

It was four hours into the Awake-A-Thon. Courtney, to no one's surprise, was the first to fall asleep. As soon as Courtney did, though, Trent saw DJ and Geoff start whispering amongst themselves. Trent, forever a detective, decided that he was going to creep closer and listen in.

"Yeah, man, it's just like I thought. Courtney's sleeping first. She's outta here." growled DJ.

"Now, now, my friend. This is only if we lose." drawled Geoff "We still don't have any contacts on the Screaming Bass to influence who they eliminate, but I'm sure we'll have time today."

Holy crap. Geoff and DJ were in an alliance. And they needed a Bass. Trent smiled to himself. Sometimes, things just worked out for him. He sat down next to them and talked in the same covert tone that they had been speaking in. "Now do you think I'd do?"

DJ and Geoff both looked surprised. Trent took quiet pride in how good he was at taking people off guard.

"I think," started Geoff, "That you are exactly who we're looking for."

DJ nodded in agreement "Three is a magic number after all."

Indeed it was. Three is the smallest prime number, making it completely indivisible. Just like Trent, Geoff and DJ.

"We need a name." said Trent, excitedly rubbing his hands together. "How about the Three Musketeers?"

Geoff shook his head "No, too wholesome. We need something that the viewers at home can hear once and know exactly what we're about." Trent nodded slowly, realizing that he truly had found his people.

Back home in Newfoundland, Trent was the town menace. He had never done something too major, but whenever graffiti appeared or shopping carts disappeared, it was Trent that was responsible. It was boring in Deer Lake, Newfoundland. There were only fifty-two hundred people there, and they were all boring. The stores were boring. The schools were boring.

The only reason people might know Deer Lake is because some NHL player named Langdon was born there. Trent had never met Langdon, he had moved to New York to play for the Rangers long before Trent's parents allowed him to run wild. But Trent assumed Langdon was also boring.

Everyone that tried to keep up with Trent failed. Mostly when he started shoplifting and burned the food he stole.

He liked fire, some would say too much. His fixation on fire had driven everyone away. Deer Lake was so safe and pure. Some freaky kid with an undiagnosed case of pyromania just didn't fit in that little haven town. But now, he finally found people who could keep up with him.

Trent grinned his madman grin "The Tribunal, then."

Geoff didn't smile, Trent learned that very quickly. His equivilant to smiling was ever so slightly shifting his bottom jaw, which is what he just did. And thus, The Tribunal was born. Geoff, the leader. DJ, the muscle. And Trent, the wild card.

Confessional

Heather: "This whole Awake-A-Thon thing is a mixed bag. On one hand, I get to practice socializing. On the other hand, it's mind numbing,"

End Confessional

Heather really started to annoy herself with her attachment to Gwen. She shouldn't rely so heavily on one person. If her mother was to be believed, she shouldn't be relying on anyone at all. The only guarantee in her life was herself. Parents die. Friends leave. Such is the circle of life.

Also, there was no way Gwen wasn't getting annoyed with her. Heather knew she would be annoyed with Gwen if their positions were reversed. Not only was she relying on Gwen too much, deep down, Heather knew that she wouldn't let Gwen do the same.

Would she?

Heather decided she didn't want to think about it. It's not like it would ever come to that.

She went to tug on Gwen's arm, like she normally did when she needed help, but she was involved in a conversation with Cody and Sarah. Heather took a deep breath, stood up and walked over to Zeke.

"Hey, Stretch. How you holdin' up so far?" he asked.

Something about Zeke seemed fun and exciting, but not necessarily threatening. Zeke was three inches shorter than her. Heather could take care of herself. Not that Zeke would try any funny business to begin with. Hopefully.

"Not too bad, Paperboy." said Heather, a certain flirtatious tone to her voice that she hadn't used in awhile. Not since...

"Could be worse." said Zeke "Good thing the bugs are scared of the fire." Zeke rolled up his sleeve so Heather could take a gander "Look how many nips I've gotten."

Zeke didn't talk like the people in Toronto did. He spoke very lowly and intimately, inviting people nearer to him. He also used funny words like 'nips' instead of 'bites'. And his nicknames. Heather wasn't sure if the nicknames were supposed to be annoying or endearing, but if it was the latter, he was succeeding.

"Seven." Heather stated.

"Maybe mosquitoes like me because I'm such a sweetheart." said Zeke with a proud smirk. Heather rolled her eyes and swatted his arm, like Gwen did to her earlier today. Zeke raised his hands in defense "Hey, it's what Mama always said."

Confessional

Eva: "I thought that talking with LeShawna would be seen as fraternizing with the enemy, but since Heather and Trent are doing, it's time to try to catch up with my ride or die."

End Confessional

Eva felt like she and LeShawna had done a good job of staying under the radar. In fact, it felt like some of the island didn't know they existed. Which, on an island of twenty-one contestants, plus Chris, Chef and some of the cinematographers, some people were bound to fall through the cracks.

"I think," suggested Eva "That we pay very close attention to everyone else breaking team lines right now."

LeShawna quit doodling on her arm to observe the other contestants. "Heather is the weakest of them." Eva looked at LeShawna skeptically. She was much more ruthless than Eva thought. Part of her was hesitant to follow LeShawna's lead. The other part of Eva knew that her rivals and even her teammates would be playing the same way. She didn't like it, but Heather was an easy boot.

That's why she was hesitant, though. Heather was an easy boot. Her only allies were Gwen and Zeke, and she hadn't made a huge impression otherwise. Heather was the easy choice.

Eva flashed back to the cliff jumping challenge. Heather almost didn't jump, but thanks to Gwen's support, she full sent it.

But it wasn't just Gwen. It was Lindsay as well.

Something about Linday irked Eva. She got the distinct feeling that that the bifocaled blonde thought she was better than everyone else. "What if we took out Lindsay? The Bass don't recognize her as a threat yet."

LeShawna's face scrunched slightly, "Heather is not a threat. You're right." She then launched into a tirade about how much Katherine was an entitled little girl that had never been held accountable in her life. Eva couldn't help but agree. But even Katherine was human, right? After all, she was sitting alone.

Eva's protective instincts kicked in, She hated watching people sit alone. Most of the close friends she had made throughout high school were people sitting alone. Aasha was sitting alone. Umida was sitting alone. Derrick was sitting alone. Well, Aasha wound up being a toxic nightmare, but Derrick and Aasha were angels. And two out of three isn't a bad track record.

Katherine didn't seem to be content in being alone either. Some people were natural born loners. And that was okay, there was nothing wrong with that. But it was abundantly clear that Katherine wasn't one of those people. She thrived with others. But she didn't have any others right now.

xXx xXx

Six hours into the Awake-A-Thon, Duncan started to get antsy. Courtney conked out maybe an hour into it, essentially sealing her fate. Duncan's didn't really care. In his limited experience, he found her unscrupulous and she smelled of dirt and cannabis. And yet, there was something about her that couldn't keep Duncan away.

Inexplicably, Duncan started racking his brain for ways to save the slob. But who could he possibly deflect to? Geoff and DJ were already thick as thieves, and they'd do a lot to save each other.

Eva did most of the maintenance work around the cabin and her cooking was unparalleled at camp. The Screaming Bass wouldn't turn on Eva anytime soon.

Harold was just terrifying. Duncan didn't want to pick a fight or argument with the ginger unless he absolutely had to.

Duncan grinned to himself as his eyes settled on Bridgette. The mountaineer hadn't made an impression on people one way or the other. Courtney was a hindrance in competitions, but at least she was charismatic enough to get by. 'She survived the elimination against Isabella' reasoned Duncan 'And I was the only vote against her.'

So it was settled. Duncan was going to gun for Bridgette to save Courtney. There was some sort of indescribable quality Courtney had that Duncan picked up on that made him want to play the hero.

Duncan sighed. It was her butt.

xXx xXx

Twelve hours. The Awake-A-Thon had been going on for twelve hours. Justin looked at the Killer Gophers and saw that it wasn't looking good for them. Beth, Trent, Cody and Lindsay had all fallen asleep. The Screaming Bass had only lost Courtney and Bridgette. Geoff looked close to nodding off, but even if he did, that would only tie things up.

Justin caught Owen's eyelids fluttering and elbowed him in the gut "Nuh uh, you're not going down on me, buddy."

Owen rubbed his stomach gingerly "Okay, I get the point. But did you have to do it so hard?'

Justin cringed "Yeah, no. Sorry, man."

Owen waved away his concern "Don't worry about it."

Justin didn't speak for a few minutes, trying to think of something to say. As strange as it seemed, Justin wasn't really a huge fan of people. People were fickle and unpredictable. Cars were not, at least most of the time. Even the AMC Pacer his father owned worked the way Justin expected it to most of the time, despite being one of the biggest junkmobiles in history.

A decent-sized part of Justin regretted even joining Total Drama to begin with. He wrongly assumed that it was just going to be challenge after challenge after challenge, when a vast majority of the game was socializing. For some people, like Harold or Katherine, socializing came naturally. Justin couldn't help but be a little jealous of them.

"Justin, you okay?" asked Owen, placing a hand on his shoulder. Justin shuddered slightly. Owen's hand was gargantuan.

'Are you okay?' was one of Justin's least favorite questions. It masqueraded as a simple conversation starter when in actuality, it was one of the most complex questions you could ask someone.

"I don't know." responded Justin earnestly

Owen nodded, stroking his chin "I feel that."

Justin was so tired. Sleep called to him like a siren. He wasn't sure if he was loopy or not, but he thought he saw Wuhi.

Suddenly, he wasn't in Camp Wawanakwa. He was in Alberta Memorial Hospital, watching his girlfriend Wuhi succumb to her injuries. When Justin heard she was involved in a drunk driving accident, he assumed that she was an innocent passerby that got struck by a vehicle with an impaired driver. That's normally how the cliche goes.

Justin wasn't prepared to hear that Wuhi was the drunk driver. She had gotten in her Volkswagen Beetle and crashed into a public bus. In a collision between a Beetle and a bus, the 'winner' is obvious. It was a wonder Wuhi even survived long enough to go to the hospital.

It was just one argument. Justin didn't expect Wuhi to die. Her death was his fault. If they hadn't gotten in the stupidest argument ever, Wuhi wouldn't have been driving that night. Who cared if Wuhi paid for meals sometimes? He should've let her pay. He should've let her pay. He should've-

"Justin?" asked Owen gently, wiped the tears that were now quietly streaming down his face "When this is over, do you want to talk?"

Justin tried to open his mouth and say yes, but his throat closed up. The only thing he could do is nod slowly and do his best not to bawl like a little boy. Or Katherine.

xXx xXx

It was now twenty-four hours after the Awake-A-Thon's beginning, and only two people remained awake. Awkwardly enough, it was Zeke and Heather.

They laid together, facing the stars, conversing with each other to keep each other awake.

"How much you know about constellations, Stretch?" asked Zeke, eager to share his knowledge of the stars.

"A lot." responded Heathter, doing her best not to sound arrogant.

Zeke frowned. He had never encountered a person like Heather before. Most shrinking violets Zeke had met in his time were the most interesting people he had ever met. Heather was no different, but there was something more. The hesitant way she moved, the shaky eyes movements combined with the seemingly contradictory way she carried herself. Her shoulders were held back, her head level. She hadn't always been this way. Something had morphed her into this.

"Kinda crazy, how massive this universe is." said Zeke. "Do you believe in aliens?"

"We've only explored a small part of the universe." answered Heather. "I'd say it's likely"

"I hope they're not like the Chitauri." quipped Zeke. Heather didn't respond. Zeke stood up and saw Heather's eyes were shut, and she was breathing slowly and rhythmically. His afternoon nap worked. The Awake-A-Thon was over. The Screaming Bass had won.

Will anyone find out Zeke cheated to win? What sinister plot is the Tribunal cooking up? Will Katherine get a chance to become a better person or will she be eliminated before that can happen? Do Beth or Trent also have a tender side? Which Killer Gopher is going home? Find out next time on Wawanakwa Inverted!

A/N: Reviews as always are very much appreciated. Shoutout to decoy73 to correctly guessing the breakdown of Isabella's elimination.