AN: Whoo! This one is kinda poetic and vague; something that I've wanted to do for a long time. It's in Courtney's POV, and I'm sure you can figure out the rest from there. If you can't, ask me in a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama. I do, however, own this delicious milkshake.

The Crow and the Butterfly

The chase. It's a game.

Once you start running, you can't stop. You can't let them catch you. That would be like giving up.

Standing still isn't an option. Refusing to play is the same as losing.

Maybe, that way, you'll never trip and fall or run so fast that you feel like your heart will burst.

But you'll never get anywhere, either.

The rules are simple. They chase, you evade. A mind-buzzing, heart-racing, painful game of tag.

You play by the rules, you play better than your opponent, and you win. That's how it works.

I'm the master of this game. No one can catch me.

Sometimes I leave them in the dust before they even start running.

Sometimes they give up. They don't have the persistence to continue.

But he doesn't play by the rules; the rules that everyone knows. No one has ever questioned them before; it's how things work here. How they've always worked.

He sets traps. He'll slow down; make me think he's quit, just to spring when my guard is down.

I'm not thinking clearly. Things are hazy now. I forget the rules.

Somehow, I don't feel like running anymore. I don't want to evade him.

But I can't stop. That means I lose.

I can only hope he gives up.

But I don't want him to.

I don't want to be chased anymore.

But I can't give up.

How is it he's still right behind me?

Is this really the chase? Or is it the retreat?

How long to I have left to run?

I don't know anymore.

I want to be caught, but I can't lose.

I want to win, but I don't want to evade him.

The chase isn't a game anymore.

The rules have to change.

I don't stop. I turn. I chase him as he chases me.

He doesn't stop running.

Neither do I.

AN: So, in the end, they both win! Tell me if you get it or not; was the metaphor overused a bit? Feels like it was... In short, this illustrates Courtney's struggle with her feelings for Duncan in season 1. Ending with, of course, that scene in Basic Straining that Duncney fans are so desperately holding onto at this point. Myself included. '~' Brownie points to whomever can pinpoint the origin of the title!

Please leave me a delicious review! What was the first thing that came to your mind after reading this?