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Chapter Text

Hate was a strong word. One Noah had been advised many times by his mother not to use. Unfortunately, ‘hate’ was the only word suitable enough to describe his feelings towards Total Drama and all it entailed. The run-down summer camp had been one thing, but the jumbo jet was in it’s own category all together. Luckily, Noah had already accepted an early death while working as Chris’ assistant.

The same couldn’t be said about the other contestants, however. Least of all his best friend Owen. So when the plane hit a rough patch of turbulence, economy class erupted in panic. 

“We’re going to die!” Owen cried loudest of all, his breathing frantic. Alejandro placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him what most would’ve perceived to be a reassuring squeeze. Especially when Owen immediately calmed down, falling back into his seat. 

It didn’t fool Noah, who’d caught the exasperation in Alejandro’s eyes moments before the act. Didn’t take much to figure out he wasn’t a fan of Owen in the slightest. Which, was unfortunate. Noah enjoyed Alejandro’s company and the quips they shared, it was nice to have someone of equal caliber to talk to. But he doubted it’d be worth it if the guy kept treating Owen like a blight.

The plane evened out after a few minutes, still whining from the stress on its construction. 

“This sucks.” Leshawna grumbled, tucking one of her braids back behind her ear. She turned to the rest of her team. “How about we win the next challenge, guys?”

Team Victory responded with enthusiastic affirmation. Well, most did. 

Bridgette cheered along, but Noah could tell her mind was elsewhere. And judging by the way she’d been glancing at Alejandro during the entire flight, connecting the dots was laughably easy. 

Alejandro seemed to be thinking the same. For each time their green eyes met, he offered her an inviting smile. 

The PA system suddenly sparked to life with a grating hiss. “Alright kids!” another grating noise, also known as Chris McLean’s voice, sounded throughout the plane. “We’re getting ready to land. Hang on tight and get ready for your next challenge!”

It was thankfully a relatively smooth landing, and once they were given the clear from crew, team Chris and team Victory filed out from economy class and into the common area— where they were told to wait for the camera crew to finish setting up their equipment. 

Noah hung in the back of the group, quietly observing as the teams converged. And as Bridgette and Alejandro continued sharing looks across the room. 

Perhaps it was too early to make any real judgement, but Noah had overheard the charmer's talk with Harold during the flight from Japan. And guess who was no longer in the competition? If this was the day Bridgette went home, Noah wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.

Someone grabbed onto his arm, snapping him back from his thoughts.

“Wha-” Noah stumbled, verbally and physically as he was more or less dragged away from the rest of the contestants. Who somehow didn’t seem to notice any of it.

Promptly janked behind a wooden crate, Noah came face to face with his temporary captor; Heather. 

“What was that-”

"Listen, I know you're smart." Heather cut him off with a hushed yet urgent tone. "So I know you’ve also noticed that there’s something going on with Alejandro.”

Noah blinked. Heather’s ‘distaste’ for the other teen had been evident since day one, he wasn’t surprised she wanted the numbers advantage in their battle. What did surprise him was that she’d gone after him of all people.

He debated whether to confess or not, her assertion was correct after all. On the one hand, did he like Heather? Not really. On the other, was she a capable player? Absolutely. And if anyone on this plane had a fighting chance against Alejandro, it’d be her. If only because it’d be funny if she lost against him.

"I can't say I have solid proof, but yeah he seems pretty sketchy.”

“Finally! I’ve been trying to tell the girls that he’s planning something but they refuse to listen.” Heather sneered. "And on top of it all, that jerk has done nothing but flirt with people ever since he got here. And I think it's time he got a taste of his own medicine."

"I'm going to be honest, I don't think I like where this is going."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Look, you're the least intolerable person on this plane-"

"I thought that was Leshawna?"

"Can you shut up for like five minutes?" Noah held up his hands in surrender— and defense against the sharp edge of Heather's silver eyes.

"Thank you. Yes, Leshawna is the least intolerable person on this plane, and in this whole show for that matter, but that's not the point. The point is that you are the least intolerable person to Alejandro . So if he thinks I have a thing for you, or you have a thing for me, it might throw him off his game!”

“Okay so, if I understand this right, then you want to get Alejandro off the plane by using his own strategy against him and flirt with me?”

“Well, flirting is a strong word. He just needs to believe we have a thing for each other, not that we’re in love.”

“Alright.” Noah had about a thousand questions running wild in his head— like how exactly would Alejandro thinking that Noah and Heather had a thing for each other throw him off his game— but he pushed them aside. Partially because he couldn’t be bothered to get into logistics, mainly because he really didn’t want to deal with a ticked-off Heather. He was already walking a fine line.

“So, are you in?” the ravenette asked. 

Noah gave it a moment of thought before he shrugged. "Sure. It's not like I have anything better to do."

“Yes!” Heather pumped her fist. “Alejandro is going down .” she went to leave their hide-out, but quickly turned back to Noah. “Make sure Alejandro sees it when we’re acting.”

“Obviously.” Noah deadpanned. “Otherwise people might think we actually have a thing for each other.”

Heather snorted. “Like that'll ever happen, twerp.”

The cast was on the verge of hypothermia when they got back to the plane. Luckily for Team Chris, they were greeted by warm blankets, cozy seats, and mugs of hot chocolate as they entered first class.

Noah took a seat on one of the couches, kicking off his boots and wrapping himself up in several blankets. He worked on getting the feeling back in his stiff fingers, flexing them carefully on occasion. Over all, it’d been a decent day. As decent as they could be while on Total Drama. But aside from being flung through the air and into a pile of snow that had clung to the inside of his shirt, he had no complaints. Especially when compared to some of the other contestants. 

Like Bridgette, who’d been waiting with the crew by the plane when the rest of the cast got back— her tongue stuck to a metal pole. Her absence had been what lost her team their victory, so she was definitely going home. And Noah knew just who was responsible. 

“Noah?” 

He looked up, finding the jade green eyes of the perpetrator himself looking down on him. “A word in private?” Alejandro asked with a polite smile.

“Sure.” Noah shrugged. While he didn’t necessarily want to leave his make-shift sanctuary of warmth, he was also curious. Maybe uncharacteristically so, considering he’d more or less just confirmed it to himself that Alejandro was in fact sketchy. But hey, Noah wasn’t going to pick sides just yet.

He stood from his seat, following the taller boy as he led them out of first class and all the way down to the cargo hold. They only stopped once they’d made it far enough from the door that no one outside could hear them.

"So," Noah crossed his arms. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I have a proposal, you could say." Alejandro said.

Seeing no harm in humoring his teammate, Noah said, "Let's hear it then.”

“I believe we both know that some people here are more capable than others. I also believe you’ll agree with me when I say the smartest thing to do is get rid of those people as soon as possible. Luckily, I have a plan of getting rid of the biggest opposition currently in play, and it requires some assistance from you, mi amigo.”

“And what would that assistance be, exactly?” Noah regretted asking the very moment Alejandro lips curled into something devilish. 

“See, the number one player right now is our dear friend Heather. If she thinks that I, let’s say, have a thing for you, she'll become jealous and focus less on the game, which will make her an easy target for elimination."

‘She really won’t.’ Noah thought instead of spoke, for once. He had no doubt Heather would become jealous, but no way was she going to let anything keep her from winning. He turned to another flaw in Alejanro’s plan. "You've already flirted with half the plane. Don't think Heather can be any more jealous than she already is."

"True. But if the person I was flirting with was someone she was into ."

'Oh.'

So, one challenge of sparse and half-hearted attempts at pretending to like each other had been enough to convince him. Either he and Heather were way more convincing actors than Noah could’ve ever imagined, or Alejandro was more gullible than he led people to believe. Especially since their most daring performance had been Heather when, upon Courtney’s suggestion they huddle for warmth, had moved closer to Noah and let him rest his head against her shoulder. 

It had garnered a few odd looks from the older contestants, but Alejandro had seen. That was all that mattered.

At Noah's silence, Alejandro began elaborating on his plan. “Team Amazon is already at each other’s throats, and from what I can tell most of them don’t like Heather. We need to keep it that way. And what better way than through some petty love drama?”

“Well, you’ve got a point.” Noah conceded, before furrowing his brows. "Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep me in the dark while you do your flirting?" he could’ve brought up Bridgette for good measure, but that was ultimately information best saved for another time. 

"Very clever, cerebrito." Alejandro hummed in amusement. "Thing is, Heather needs to think you're into me as well for this to work."

"Ah, you want me to lay off the sarcasm. I get it."

"Not really. You still need to act like yourself, just more open to the idea of me flirting with you. Heather won't buy it otherwise."

“That’s fair.”

“Can I count on you, then?” Alejandro asked, giving Noah an intentful yet sincere look as he held his hand out for his teammate.

Noah's gaze moved between the offered hand and the boy it belonged to. First Heather, now Alejandro. He wouldn’t say he trusted either of them, but he’d agreed to Heather. And her plan had somehow worked— partially, at least. Was there really any harm in playing along with the villains?

If anything he could use it to his own advantage.

"Alright.” Noah gave Alejandro’s hand an indifferent shake. “Let's make Heather jealous."

“That’s the spirit!” Alejandro grinned. “And who knows, maybe we’ll make the final two together.”

“Doubt it.” Noah said plainly. “Also, keep the flirting to when Heather’s around to see it. Wouldn’t want people to think you actually like me.”

“Of course not.”

When Alejandro walked back into first class, Noah made his way to the confessional as unassumingly as possible. He sat down in front of the camera, staring off into space as he thought.

Heather and Alejandro saw each other as threats, but Noah couldn't quite shake off the suspicion that there was more to it. Why else aim to make each other jealous using someone they thought the other was interested in? Something deeper was going on, and he might just have an idea of what that something was.

And if he was correct, then Noah could be what prevented the creation of an unstoppable powerhouse.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this. But if I play it right," Noah smirked into the camera. "Then this might actually be really fun.”

Chapter Text

Playing it right, that was all he had to do. Easier said than done, for he had yet to figure out how to actually play it right. 

Noah sat with a book in hand— solely to appear busy as he pondered. To Alejandro and Heather, he was little more than a pawn. A tool to their game, a means to victory over their enemy. Noah needed for them to remain under that impression, while slowly claiming control for himself. 

For that to work, he needed to be careful and calculate his every move. Play along with the flirting, but not let his loyalty be questioned. Be complicit, but not be used.

That was going to take effort. Ugh . 

Alejandro had more or less become the leader of Team Chris, and Noah had to admit he was doing a good job. Way better than Noah ever could, so there was no reason to try and usurp his reign. But letting Alejandro run free was not an option. So Noah’s best course of action would be to play the advisor to the king. Retaining the established court order, while adjusting their monarch’s plans to his own benefit. 

Then came Heather, who Noah didn’t have the same influence over. But, if he pulled the strings in her favor a little here and there, then maybe he could make up for it. He was supposed to be in love, was he not? Why wouldn’t he play the game with her best interest in mind? He'd help her, she'd help him.

That just left Noah with the daunting question of how.

“Where are you going, dude?” Tyler’s voice brought Noah back from his thoughts. The jock had his attention on Alejandro, who was on his way to exit first class. 

“Just going for a walk to stretch my legs.” he excused, and that was enough for Tyler. Not for Noah, who managed to catch a glimpse of the snacks Alejandro carried discreetly out with him. 

Noah slipped out from first class undetected, and caught sight of the other teen just as he entered economy class. Noah snuck closer, crouching by the entrance so he could listen in.

“Sierra, my former teammate,” Alejandro spoke as if talking to a long-term friend. “I got this special for you.”

“How sweet of you.” Heather said. “Unfortunately, she doesn’t want it. We don’t accept bribes from the enemy. Especially not the disgustingly flirty ones.”

As Alejandro denied the smuggled goods being bribes, Noah’s mind began to travel.

Sierra. She’d quickly become Chris’ favorite with her near worship over him. Being in her good graces would mean having a ledge over Chris. Not a big one, but a ledge nonetheless. And in this game, that was close to divinity. So of course were Heather and Alejandro trying to win her over. Though, Heather had more or less already won back in Egypt when she allowed Sierra on her team. 

The confirmation came in the form of a gleeful hiss from inside economy class, “ Enemy .”

Noah made his decision rather quickly; whatever went down in the battle of Sierra was none of his business. Heather and Alejandro could reign the game for one more challenge while he figured out how he was going to play it himself.

“Very well.” Alejandro hummed casually. “I wish you all good luck in the challenges to come. Adiós.”

“Say hi to Noah from me.” Noah could practically hear the smirk in Heather’s voice. Same about the faintest twitch of Alejandro’s eye. Silent laughter pulled at his lips, which Noah had to quickly force down as footsteps came approaching. Thinking it was Alejandro, he ducked behind a nearby stack of boxes.

“All cast members are needed in the cargo hold in five.” the unfamiliar voice of an intern informed, hurrying from first class to economy. Noah breathed a slight sigh of relief. He waited until he could hear the rest of the cast walking by before leaving his hiding spot and merging seamlessly with the herd.

A boat waited for them in the cargo hold, with Chris already standing by the steering wheel. “Everybody, take a seat, grab a handle, and I’ll tell you about the next stop.”

“A boat? This is going to be awesome!” Tyler said, sitting down next to his sorta-girlfriend. “Right, Lindsay?”

“Uh, yeah… totally.” the blonde sighed, staring dreamily at Alejandro. “Er, Dave? Was it?”

“Unbelievable.” Noah muttered to himself. He was then janked down to sit next to none other than Heather.

“Is this going to be a thing between you and me?” he questioned. “You dragging me around?”

“I’ve only done it twice, stop complaining.” Heather said. “Besides, you should count yourself lucky. If I have to spend a boat ride with anyone here, I’d prefer it be you.”

“Aww, Heather. That’s so sweet.” 

“I can throw you overboard if that suits you better.”

“Nah, I’m good. A boat ride does sound nice, though.”

The floor of the cargo hold suddenly opened up, and the boat was sent falling. The cast screamed and gripped the handles for dear life— which kept them on board when they eventually hit the water below. 

“Welcome to New York City!” Chris said and began driving them to shore. 

“Ugh. I hate that man.” Heather groaned.

“Don’t we all?”

The hatred only grew when they’d reached land and gotten the challenge explained to them. The first half of which was to climb the Statue of Liberty to retrieve baby carriages perched atop the spires of her crown. 

It was a nightmare, to say the least. Even more so when Tyler decided to stop and stare at the statue's copper bust. And while watching Cody fall into said bust was funny, it did very little to soothe the burn in Noah’s hands. Izzy thankfully decided to take pity on him and pulled him up the last bit by the wrist. 

Noah fell back onto the metal surface, catching his breath as best as he could.

“Worn out already?” Alejandro came into view, standing over him.

“Sports are- not my thing.” he panted out. 

“You did great, amigo. But come on, we’ve got an Owen to haul.”

“Be there in a moment.” Noah gave himself a second longer to catch his breath before pushing himself back up. He grabbed the rope along with Alejandro and Tyler, and the trio started pulling up their remaining teammate.

The Amazons were the first to have their full team reach the top. And when Heather made the ascent up one of the crown’s spires, Sierra skipped her way over to Chris. 

“Hey, Chris, know what?” she said with a star-struck smile. “I own every one of your TV appearances on DVD. Even your cooking show, keep it plain with Chris McLean. Your recipe for white rice is sooo great! Totally unfair you got canceled after only one episode.” the super fan rambled with pure adoration, oblivious to the laughter of the other contestants. 

And the smug smile of a certain charmer.

So that was Alejandro’s plan; ruin Chris’ favoritism of Sierra. Petty, but effective, given the shock and mild humiliation on the host’s face as he fumbled out an excuse. 

“I got the carriage!” Heather called and her team was off— sliding down a fireman’s pole. Noah did not look forward to that. But it’d probably be better than pulling up Owen. 

“Okay, big guy, I know you weren’t this far behind me.” Noah called out to his friend. “Are you even climbing?”

“Uhm, not really.”

“What?” Noah carefully leaned forward, catching a glimpse over the edge. He found Owen hanging entangled in the rope. 

“How the hell did you manage to do that?” 

“I don’t know!” came Owen’s apologetic reply.

Alejandro sighed, barely managing to hide his frustration. “Let’s just keep pulling. We’ve got no time to lose.”

Victory was already gone by the time they got Owen to the top. The boys worked on freeing him while Izzy got the carriage. She was back in the blink of an eye, and just as quickly going down the pole after slamming into it. Her echoing laughter only made the descent worse. 

Back on the ground, they were swiftly directed by crew to where their boat was docked. They boarded quickly and sped away. Driving past buoys and narrowly escaping an alligator in the sewer before placing second by the small dock where Chris and Chef stood waiting. 

A quick exchange between the two was all it took for Sierra to start her fawning again. This time bringing up some boyband Chris had apparently been a part of, and when she began singing one of their songs the cast burst into laughter. 

“I really admire the way you never let mockery get to you.” Sierra continued. “I’ll have to include that in your obituary. I already have a draft, wanna hear? Chris McLean was born in 1978-”

“That is it!” Chris snapped. “Zip it! Permanently!”

Taken aback by the outburst, Sierra’s smile fell, and Heather’s eyes narrowed. Her gaze swept across the contestants as the crew directed them to the location. She found her target rather quickly, and if Alejandro could feel the daggers aimed his way, then he didn’t show it. His full attention on Chris as he explained the second half of the challenge. 

“And what is a baby carriage without a baby?”

“Oh!” Owen raised his hand. “A shopping cart!”

“It was a rhetorical question.”

“Oh, Chris. That is so-”

“ZIP IT!”

Sierra lowered her head.

“Anyways.” Chris huffed. “One member of each team must ride in their carriage and stay there all the way until they’ve crossed the finish line.”

“Cody.” came the verdict of Team Amazon.

“I’ll do it.” Noah said, because there was no way he’d do any running that day. 

“And I’ll do it for Team Victory.” Lindsay chirped. “I love it when people call me baby.”

Recalling his earlier fiasco of catching the blonde’s attention, Noah nudged his elbow against Tyler. “Make a mental note of that, bro.”

The jock patted his tracksuit jacket. “I don’t have a pen.” he said in a mild panic.

‘Why do I even bother?’

Well, no time to dwell on his teams' lack of brain cells, the race had begun. And when else to ring the song bell? Noah was certain it’d be a mess, so he stuck to singing backup for his own team. 

They arrived at the turtle pond alongside the other teams. Much to Victory’s chagrin as they’d been given the shortest path for arriving first at the dock. 

“I got this one!” Tyler declared, running to the pond before anyone could object. DJ and Sierra dove in shortly after, the cheers of their teams following.

“You know," Alejandro hummed, and leaned closer to Noah. "I’ve always found Central Park to be so romantic.”

“Oh, I’m sure you have, you sleaze.” Heather scoffed before Noah could say anything.

“Did you say something, dear Heather?”

“Don’t you ‘dear’ me when you’ve been messing with my team all day!”

“I have done no such thing.”

“You really expect me to believe that?”

“As a matter of fact-”

“Are you two done?” Noah cut it.

Heather and Alejandro snapped their eyes to him, looking as if they’d forgotten they were in the middle of a challenge. That they were surrounded by the other contestants. 

“Good.” Noah smiled at their stunned silence. “You were getting on my nerves.” there was enough bite in his words for it to remain ambiguous; a flirtatious comment, a friendly jab, or a simple insult.

Heather was the first of the two to speak. Taking control with a jab laced with a touch of fondness, “Like you don’t do that on the regular.”

“Wow, you really got me there.”

“Shut it.” she waved her hand dismissively at the boys. “Keep to your stupid team, both of you, and stop bothering me and the girls.”

“Uh, you were the one who engaged in conversation.” Alejandro pointed out, but backed down the moment Heather sent her sharp glare his way. “As you wish.” he turned his attention back to Tyler, who was slowly but surely head-butting an apple back to land. 

Heather held her glare, then swiftly crouched by the ground. Noah was about to look over the edge of the carriage to see what she was doing when she hastily stood back up.

“Just dropped my nail file.” Heather said innocently, holding up the file as proof of her words. When Noah arched his brow in doubt, she winked. He was about to speak when a giant apple was unceremoniously dropped onto him.

“Go go go!”

“First place, here we come!” Owen cheered.

Noah barely had the time to register what was happening before his team made for the final sprint. Seconds later he was lying on the pavement. A dull ache in his shoulder from his awkward landing.

While Team Amazon cheered for their victory, Alejandro hurried to his side. “Apologies for that.” taking Noah’s hand he helped him stand. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Noah said and brushed off the dirt from his sweater vest. “What even happened?”

“One of the wheels dislodged and the carriage tipped over before I could regain control.”

“Ah.” Noah had a sneaking suspicion about who was responsible, but managed to hold his tongue with some effort. He’d have to learn when to keep his mouth shut. Especially around Heather and Alejandro.

Noah was about to head back to the others when he felt a light squeeze to his hand— still being held by Alejandro.

“Can I have my hand back?” he asked the taller boy.

“I think I’d like to keep it for a moment longer.”

“Smooth.” Noah pulled his hand from Alejandro’s hold, giving a playful smile to soothe whatever damage might’ve been done to the teen’s ego. He didn’t look too bothered

“Glad you two could finally join us.” Chris winked once they were back with the group. “As I was saying, since Team I’m so ridiculously hot dropped their baby on the ground, not cool by the way, they’re disqualified and will be facing their first elimination ceremony!”

The air surrounding the team grew uneasy, especially for Noah. He didn’t trust his own prediction for how the votes would go, and a certain heaviness weighed within him. Heather and Alejandro were running at each other, knives at the ready. And Noah now understood how dangerous that was for his own game.

“Or,” Chris said. “They would have, had this not been a reward challenge.”

Relief cut through the air in an instant. The Amazons weren't too happy with the reveal, least of all Heather. Her frown only grew when Alejandro threw an arm around Noah and pulled him close. Noah pretended not to notice.

The cast was directed back to the plane, with Team Amazon being given specific instructions to wait by the elimination room for their reward. The walk was filled with mindless chatter, none of which Noah paid attention to. He had to act, and fast.

If he wanted a chance at winning, Noah needed Alejandro and Heather in the game for as long as possible. Which meant neither one of his “love interests” would get their wish of having the other eliminated in a good while. It also meant he had to keep them separate, lest they unknowingly jeopardize his entire plan, while still fueling their hatred. 

“I just need an opening.” Noah said to the confessional camera. “Doesn’t have to be big, just something I can use to gain control of this… Well, I don’t think ‘love triangle’ is the right word but, you know what I mean.”

The flight from New York had been relatively uneventful. Noah had spent most of it quietly observing the other players, and doing his part in the jealousy scheme. Or whatever it was being referred to by Heather and Alejandro. When he’d gotten bored of it he’d gone to the confessional to vent his minor frustration. It was something he rarely did, but he also rarely put in this much effort in Total Drama so it evened out. 

When he exited the confessional some time later, Noah immediately caught sight of Leshawna and Alejandro. They were standing out in the common area, engaged in civil conversation he couldn’t hear. Both were smiling, but unfortunately for Leshawna, Alejandro was giving her a particular look. 

One Noah recognized.

Leshawna was one of the strongest players, it made sense for Alejandro to get her out sooner rather than later. Then again…

The two parted ways. Leshawna going back to economy class, and Alejandro heading for the confessional. 

‘Step 1; Pull some strings.’

Noah remained idle outside the confessional, watching as Alejandro approached. The boy’s face lit up upon seeing him.

“Noah, my friend. How are you doing?”

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision to talk out in the open, but Noah didn’t trust the cargo hold after last time. He spoke quietly, “I know what you’re trying to do, so let me give you some advice. Don’t .”

Alejandro furrowed his brows in confusion.

Noah sighed.

“Look, I know we’re trying to make Heather jealous and that you’ve got this whole evil, flirty scheme to eliminate the other contestants to keep you entertained in the meantime.” he ignored how the other teen’s eyes widened slightly. “But not only will Leshawna not fall for it, she’s also Heather's friend . This will only make her angry, especially if you get Leshawna eliminated. An angry Heather is not to be reckoned with, trust me.”

“Would it be improper to ask why you care about upsetting Heather?” Alejandro inquired lowly, the glint in his eyes like that of the interrogation light. 

“It wouldn’t, and the answer is I don’t. I’m just trying to help you. Angry Heather might play it recklessly, but she’ll bring you down with her no matter the cost. You saw her in New York.”

“What does New York have to do with this?”

“Our carriage broke because Heather sabotaged it. Which wouldn’t’ve happened had you not pissed her off with the Sierra bullshit.”

“The Sierra- Wait.” Alejandro narrowed his eyes, "You knew the carriage was broken but didn't say anything?"

“My apologies. I was kinda busy being throttled by an apple.”

Alejandro frowned; a sign of disgruntledly accepted defeat. “Alright then. What do you suggest we do instead?”

There it was; the opening Noah was after. Leaning closer to the other, he whispered, “Get DJ out. He's just as capable of a player as Leshawna, who you can boot once Heather’s been voted off."

Alejandro looked to consider it, then his face broke into a sly grin. “That’s not a bad idea, I can work with that. And I’ll make sure to remember your brilliant mind in the future.”

“Trusting my judgment so soon?”

“Trust is fundamental to any good relationship, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I guess.”

Whatever Alejandro was about to say next was cruelly interrupted by the PA system’s hiss. “Velkommen, mine Wiener Schnitzel!”

“Was that supposed to be German?” Alejandro questioned as Chris gave the cast directions to meet in the cargo hold. 

“Hope not, because that sounded like shit.”

“Truly.” Alejandro offered his hand to Noah. “Better not leave them waiting a second time, cerebrito.”

“That’d be awfully rude of us.” Noah agreed, and walked past the other without a second glance. Though he felt his jade eyes follow after him. 

What awaited in the cargo hold this time was a freefall down to the snowy grounds of the Alps, right in avalanche territory. To add salt to injury, Chris called for a song. It went relatively okay, everyone keeping in with the theme of being quiet— and the vague threat from Courtney to Heather.  

But in true Total Drama fashion it ended in disaster. Tyler, upon Lindsay finally remembering him, let out a victory cry, and caused the avalanche they’d tried to avoid. But hey, at least he was happy. 

Trudging his way out of the snow pile, Noah was already beyond done. More so when a crew member directed them to walk down a path to where the challenge would be held. 

Noah fell to the back of the group, behind the more talkative contestants. He’d hoped to walk undisturbed, but since when did life favor him? Though, as Heather came up by his side, he supposed he could let this one slide.

"What was that with you and Alejandro back on the plane?" Heather questioned, almost like an accusation. “And don’t try to act dumb, I saw you.”

"I convinced him to keep Leshawna in the game." Noah replied nonchalantly.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Uh, yeah? Couldn’t let him get my “crush’s” best friend eliminated.”

“Best friend is stretching it. But, thanks. I guess.”

"No problem-" “Hold on, did that jerk aim to get Leshawna out?”

“Yes? I thought that was kinda implied.”

“That fucking scumbag!” Heather growled. “I can’t believe him.”

“Neither can I.” Noah said. ‘Step 2; exchange of favors.’

“Real quick. When you said you'd been trying to tell the girls about Alejandro, did you mean all of them or just the ones on your team?"

While most of the vitriol towards Heather came from her previous actions, the thing that appeared to keep it alive was her stubbornness. Her inability, or unwillingness, to listen to her teammates. Her vocal disdain for Alejandro was only fuel to the fires. 

"Only my team so far. But I'm definitely telling Leshawna about this the second I get the chance.” Heather said.

"I'm going to give you a suggestion that you're not going to like. At all."

“Okay?”

Noah braced himself for the coming outburst, “You need to not be so blatant about your dislike for Alejandro.”

"Excuse me?” Heather snapped her head to him, her silver eyes like blades against his throat. “Was that supposed to be a joke? You agreed that he’s up to something, so what gives?”

“Nothing, and I stand by it, especially now.” Noah asserted. “But your team is against you, and that’s exactly what Alejandro wants. You saw how he acted in New York. He’s trying to get under your skin so you’ll be voted out.”

Heather’s tense posture relaxed slightly, but her anger persisted. “I knew it. Ugh, he’s got every single loser on this plane wrapped around his finger.”

“Then take that away from him. Work with your team, prove you’re valuable, and then shift the hate to someone else. Courtney doesn’t seem too happy with Gwen, from what I can tell. Neither does Sierra. And if I can convince Alejandro to target her, then Gwen’s elimination is guaranteed.”

Noah couldn’t say he was certain the plan would work. Nor how Alejandro would react if he were to figure out what was happening. But he needed to keep Heather in the game, so it was a risk he was willing to take.

The ravenette inhaled deeply, her jaw clenched tight. “This is going to be so humiliating.”

“We can talk shit about the others if you need to vent after.” Noah offered. “Or you can go to the confessional, I really don’t care.”

“Oh no. You gave me the suggestion, you’re dealing with the aftermath.”

“Fair.”

The conversation ended with that. And once they’d made it up the final hill, the first challenge could begin; stuff a giant sausage and then ride it down the mountain. Gross and dangerous, Chris really brought his A-game. 

Izzy leaned over the edge of the massive meat grinder’s chute. “Echo!” she laughed, and would’ve fallen in had Alejandro not caught her in time. 

“Tyler, we need your arms on the crank. Owen, you do the stuffing. Noah, keep Izzy away from the grinder.” he instructed.

“Ah man. Bummer Eva isn’t here. We could totally do a team e-scope re-enactment!” Izzy said. 

“Uh, sure.” Alejandro shook his head. “We’ll call once we’re done.”

“Aye-aye, captain!” Izzy jumped down from the grinder, landing right in front of Noah. “What do you think Eva’s doing right now?”

“Hopefully experiencing some peace for once.” Noah replied. “But if they're doing an Aftermath show for this season too, then I highly doubt it.”

“Oh that was so much fun! Hope I get to play truth or hammer again.”

“Of course you do.”

Noah managed to keep Izzy from the grinder with no problem, and when they were called back they were the first team by the starting line. Noah quickly scanned the other teams. Victory were almost finished. The Amazons were a bit further behind, but they were getting it done with minor arguing. 

The descent down the mountain was not as bad as Noah had expected. Still bad, but definitely could’ve been worse. They reached the end first, where Chris and Chef stood on a sizable wooden stage with eight DDR-like mats. 

Team Amazon arrived last, but they did it unscathed. And while the tension was still there, no one looked outright ready to murder anyone. Noah glanced over at Alejandro, but couldn’t quite decipher the look on his face.

“Great, everybody made it!” Chris said and clapped his hands together. “As for the second half of this challenge-”

“Hey, Chris?” Leshawna raised her hand. “Where are the rewards from the first half you promised?” 

“Yeah, about that.” Chris grinned. “I lied! You will all be on even ground for this one. As I was saying, onto part zwei of today's challenge.” 

The challenge didn’t sound too bad at first. Learn a German dance and then perform it on the stage. The sadistic twist came with the mats they’d be dancing on, rigged to give everyone a small electric shock should they make a mistake.

“Since Team Elusive Victory is down by two, let’s even it up.” Chris said. “Amazon and Chris is really really really really hot, three dance, two sit out. And for Victory, two dance one sits out.”

“Wait, that still puts us at a disadvantage.” DJ pointed out.

“How is that fair?” Leshawna frowned. 

“It’s not.” Chris mused. “Now, pick out your dancers and get ready by the mats. You have 10 minutes to learn the dance before the challenge begins. Oh, and I almost forgot. Team Amazon, as the last team to arrive, one of you will have to wear de penalty-hosen.”

Through a failed attempt to avoid the outfit, it ended up being Cody. Noah did nothing to hide his laughter when watching him walk on stage a while later. “How are the hosen treating you?”

“Dude, have some mercy.” Cody pleaded.

“Alright, maggots!” Chef suddenly roared, making everyone jump. “Follow my lead and nobody gets hurt. Yet .” 

Noah kept up well enough, keeping most of his focus on the other competitors. Heather and Leshawna were the only ones who seemed to be enjoying the challenge— acting like it was nothing more than an arcade game.

“I’ve seen pigeons with better moves than you.” Heather said.

Leshawna laughed. “Rich coming from you, miss stiffer-than-a-birch-plank.”

Noah rolled his eyes. 'Best friends' was stretching it? Yeah, right.

He turned his attention to Alejandro, who had taken the mat beside DJ. They spoke quietly, and the latter’s face had warped to that of guilt. Interesting.

“Alright, practice is over!” Chris announced. He instructed the dancers to stay on their mats before pushing a button on the side of the stage. A mechanism whirred to life, and the mats were raised up in the air. 

“When the music starts, you dance and keep dancing until you either fall off your platform or are the last one standing. Every time someone missteps, you will all be given a hilarious shock. Whoever lasts the longest wins for their team. Ready, steady, dance!”

Not even 30 seconds in and there had already been 5 shocks delivered. Owen dropped after the 6th, followed by Cody who slipped off his platform. And by the 10th shock, Leshawan was out. Which led to a wonderful minute free of electricity.

Then Chris got bored.

"You guys are doing great! So we're upping the voltage!" he declared, hitting the button on his remote to give them a taste.

"Fuck!" Heather shrieked. "This is the worst challenge yet!"

"Come on, girls, don’t burn out now!" Courtney encouraged. 

"Show them who's boss, DJ!" Leshawna cheered.

Shock 13 was what took out Noah. He landed in the snow, an unpleasant tingling in his entire body. 

“Alright, Noah!” Izzy clapped and knelt beside him. “That looked like so much fun.”

“It was a blast.”

“Nice!” another body fell into the snow. “Heather! Oh my god, you almost landed on Noah, ooo wouldn’t that have been crazy?”

“Stop talking to me.” Heather muttered. Izzy shrugged and bounced off to somewhere else. 

Noah slowly got to his feet and brushed the snow from his clothes. From the corner of his eye he saw Heather doing the same. “Nice going up there.” he said quietly so only she could hear. 

“You too. Didn’t know you could dance.”

“Not really, I just play a lot of DDR.”

“Hm.” was all Heather said before walking over to the rest of her team. Noah watched as Courtney gave her an approving nod. He rejoined his own team, who were all cheering for Alejandro. 

“You got this, dude!” Tyler called, pumping his fists in the air. 

“Yeah! Go, Al!” Owen whooped. Noah remained a silent observer. 

Alejandro sent DJ a quick yet intentful glance, and the taller boy bit his lip. His brows knit in concern, and then he misstepped. Badly. Under the guise of shock 16, he stepped off his platform. 

“Team Victory is out!” Chris announced, his glee fueled by the team’s dismay. 

Noah tried to suppress his impressed grin, almost failed when he locked eyes with Alejandro. He winked down at him, then feigned his own fall. Doing it more convincingly than DJ.

“And we have a winner!”

Sierra jumped down from her platform with a joyful shout and ran to pull her team into a hug. Or rather, a reluctant Cody. Her high energy was enough to deter Alejandro from approaching. He turned instead to DJ. “Good match, mi amigo.”

“Yeah, you too.” DJ shook his hand, then went to face his team. 

"You totally had it. What happened?" Leshawna asked

“I don’t know man,” DJ mumbled. “Guess it got too much with the shocks. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. That was a nasty challenge.”

“Which you rocked either way.” Lindsay assured.

“Thanks, guys.”

The plane had landed close to the challenge site, and Noah felt confident the entire walk there.

If all went well during the elimination ceremony, then he would have just toppled the king and queen without them even knowing.

Chapter Text

Noah watched as Heather paced back and forth in the cargo hold, hands moving along to her rant. “I swear on my life, if Courtney thinks this makes her team leader or whatever I’m going to throw her off this goddamn plane myself. Ugh!”

She’d been raging about having to listen to Courtney during the last challenge for 30 minutes. Noah hadn’t said much, just hummed here and there to indicate he was listening. Though he doubted Heather would’ve noticed, or cared, it he wasn’t. 

“And who does Alejandro even think he is?” the ravenette threw her arms out in frustration. “Trying to get Leshawna out? As if he wasn’t getting on my nerves before. And why does he have to be so… flirty all the fucking time? It’s so weird." she frowned.

Noah had a sneaking suspicion Heather found it more confusing than weird. That their jealousy scheme was more so about making Alejandro jealous of him than her. But that was a can of worms better kept closed.

“It’s almost like he wants people to think he’s suspicious.” Noah said instead. "Unfortunately, people here are too dumb to notice."

"Aside from us." Heather grinned pridefully. "I can’t believe how you manage to stand being on the same team as the guy."

'Oh, if you only knew.' "Takes effort, but it’s whatever. Besides, it’s fun to watch the others get on his nerves. You can practically see when his facade begins to crack and how he has to fight not to combust.”

The other chuckled. “I bet his inevitable outburst is going to be priceless.”

“Not to mention the satisfaction of his downfall.”

“Oh, it’s going to be perfect.” 

The landing announcement ended their “meeting”. It wasn’t ideal to be in the cargo hold during landing, but Noah and Heather stayed regardless. Holding onto the crates for support as the jumbo jet rumbled and groaned around them. 

They exited once the plane had stopped moving, not bothering to hide them coming from the same direction. The other contestants didn’t seem to notice either way. 

Alejandro was sporting an eyepatch, partially hiding his sour expression. It faded once he caught sight of the shorter teen. 

“Noah!” he beamed. “Where have you been hiding?”

“Taking some much needed time being alone.” Noah said without looking at the other.  

“Then you’re well rested for this challenge, I presume.”

“We’ll say I am, and leave it at that.”

The contestants stepped out of the plane and into the humid air of the Amazon rainforest. They’d landed on a decrepit runway forgotten to time with no control tower in sight. And still, it was their most legal landing yet. 

They were directed to stand in a clearing a bit away, where Chris welcomed them to Peru and explained the challenge. 

“Today’s challenge is a quick hike to Machu Picchu where you will be looking for golden treasure. First team to find it will fly first class tomorrow. And, since we don’t want to lose any more contestants after the Duncan fiasco, you will all be given a map and a compass, as well as a walkie-talkie for emergencies only.” 

Chef tossed the aforementioned equipment to the teams. Courtney caught them for the Amazons, a solemn look on her face at the mention of Duncan that she quickly shook off.

Chris continued with his explanation, making note of the marked locations on the map; their current position, the midway point, and Machu Picchu. Then came the warning of the jungle’s vicious insects. 

“Yes, Cody, the legal department made me very aware of your deathly allergies and insisted we supply an Epipen.” Chris said upon the brunette’s raised hand, rolling his eyes. 

As Sierra desperately tried to be put in charge of the Epipen, Owen whispered to Noah. “Shouldn’t you get one too?”

“I don’t think my shellfish allergy will be a problem in the jungle.” the shorter stated. 

Chris tossed the Epipen to Gwen, who’d reluctantly caved to Cody’s pleading eyes. “With that out of the way, what also lurks in the forest are the Zing Zings. A native tribe who have never encountered modern man, and they’re not about to. So if you see them, do not make contact. Now, since Team Amazon won the last challenge, they get a head start. After ten minutes Team Me begins. And ten minutes after that, Team Victory. Questions?”

“How far is it to Machu Picchu?” Owen asked.

“About an 18-hour walk.” Chris only smiled at the disjointed choir of disappointed groaning. “You better get on with it then.”

With the obligatory reminder to ignore the camera crew unless addressed, the Amazons made their way into the dense forest. Ten minutes later, Team Chris was sent off.

“18 hours,” Owen sighed dejectedly. “That’s such a long time.”

“If we’re lucky it’s just walking.” Noah said, as if an 18-hour hike wasn’t torture enough. 

“Yeah, but it’ll get boring so fast though.”

“Oh, I know! We could play ‘I Spy’!” Izzy said, leaving no room for her teammates to respond before declaring, “Okay, Okay. I spy with my little eye, something that is red!”

“Is it Noah’s shirt?” Owen guessed.

“No!”

“Al’s shirt?”

“Nope!”

“It’s Tyler.”

“Yeah! Ok, Noah, your turn.”

A quick glance to the side was all he needed to settle on something perhaps a bit too difficult. “I spy with my little eye, something green.”

“Oh, that’s a good one.” Tyler hummed, eyes darting across the lush scenery to determine his guess. "Is it that tree?"

Noah shook his head. "Nope."

"That tree?" 

"Nope."

"How about that tree over there?'

"Not even close."

"What about the grass?" Owen tried, but Noah shook his head once again. "This is a tough one…"

"Could it perhaps be Izzy?" Alejandro guessed, clearly biting back his annoyance. Much to Noah's amusement.

“Bingo.” he said. “Your turn.”

Alejandro gave him a polite yet dismissive smile. “I will not be playing, thank you.”

"Booo! That's boring." Izzy complained and pointed both of her thumbs down.

"Maybe so, but I'm much too busy keeping track of our path. I wouldn't want to get distracted and get us lost."

“That’s a good point.” Owen nodded. “The rest of us can play, though. Right, Noah?”

“Until my last brain cell gives out.” he said sarcastically, not that the majority of his team would catch it. The only one who did muttered something in Spanish under his breath. Most likely a string of curses and insults. 

He kept quiet for most of the walk, only ever speaking when giving directions of where to walk or when announcing short breaks. Noah eventually joined his silence, but stayed by Owen's side. He, Izzy, and Tyler kept up with the games. From 'I Spy' to '20 Questions', 'Rock, paper, scissors' to 'Guess the song'.

Noah was able to tune them out, but it was clear Alejandro hadn't mastered that skill yet. And while what Noah had told Heather in the cargo hold was true, he did feel bad for the guy when hour 9 rolled in. Still, their travel had been uneventful, and in short they’d made it to the midway point.

What waited for them there was a vast body of water, across which ran a zipline track they were supposed to take. Only problem was the handlebars— only three could be found. 

“Either is Chris sadistic enough to only give one for each team.” Noah thought aloud. “Or, there were originally five and Team Victory beat us here.”

“What makes you think that?” Owen inquired.

“It’s Chris.”

“We can still make this work.” Alejandro said confidently. He had Owen go over first, lips curling slightly at the boy’s screams. He assigned the second handlebar to Tyler and Izzy, who somehow managed to cross without issue. Despite only having one handle to hold onto, and it being Tyler and Izzy. 

“I hope you’re not expecting us to do that.” Noah said, folding his arms over his chest.  

“I’m not.” Alejandro assured. He put the map and compass in the pockets of his pants. “You will need to get on my back, though.”

"Excuse me?”

“Get on my back. I’ll hold onto the handlebar and you’ll hold onto me.”

"This is going to end well." Noah snarked but did as he was told. He climbed onto Alejandro’s back, and held on for dear life as he stepped over the cliff edge. The wind howled around them and the water below billowed innocently. Waiting to sink its teeth into whoever was unfortunate enough to fall. It would have to go without food for a while longer, for they made it across without a hitch. 

“Wonder how the Amazons are going to make it across.” Tyler said, scratching his chin as he gazed back up at the cliff. 

“I’m sure they’ll figure it out.” Alejandro said, casting a quick and knowing glance at Noah. 

Noah gave him a crooked smile in return, well aware of the other’s hopes. ‘Sorry, but Heather won’t be going home tonight.’

Noah’s legs were screaming by the time the sky turned orange in the sun’s last rays. He knew he wasn’t the only exhausted one, even Alejandro and Tyler were panting softly.

“Dusk. We can make camp here.” Alejandro said, surveying the clearing they’d just entered. 

“Thank god .” Noah collapsed without a second thought, laying down on the chilled earth. He could faintly hear Alejandro say something about having walked 11 hours, but he was too tired to pay attention. 

He sat up a few minutes later, finding the rest of his team sitting down as well— aside from Izzy, who had climbed a tree to lounge on its branch like a cat. 

“Man, some nachos would be killer right now.” Owen said.

Noah leaned over to pat the bigger teen on his shoulder. "I'll let you know when we find some."

"Thanks, dude. You're the greatest."

“Alright gentlemen, and Izzy,” Alejandro stood up from the tree stump he’d been resting on. “We need to-”

The crackle from their walkie-talkie cut him off.

“Chris Chris Chris, it’s Gwen! The Zingies! Caught by a tree, tied up with my hands in Cody’s pants. This trouble is big!” Gwen’s erratic voice sounded. Noah furrowed his brows in confusion, watching as an equally confused-looking Alejandro pulled up the walkie-talkie. 

“Amazons!” came Chris’ response. “I heard you’ve yet to reach the midway point. What’s that about?”

“The Zingies!”

“Gwen Epipenned herself." Courtney's voice cut in. "We need help.”

“Hmm, doesn’t sound too bad-”

“We are being held at spear-point by the Zing-Zings.” Heather hissed, her voice sharpened by the radio static. “Help. Us. Now.”

“Hold up. Spear-point?” Leshawna questioned. “Are you girls okay?”

“Take a wild guess.”

“We’re in first place!” Lindsay cheered, oblivious to the Amazon’s predicament. “Hi, Tyler!”

“Hi, babe!” the jock waved at the walkie-talkie.

“Could we please go back to the spear-point part?”

“I agree,” Chris said. “Team Amazon, why don’t you explain it to us… with a song?”

“You must be joking.”

“Oh, can we sing back-up?” Izzy asked excitedly. 

“Nope. This one’s all Amazon!” the line cut out after that.

“Aww, I wanted to hear the song. I bet the spears make for awesome motivators.”

“Well then,” Alejandro said, cautiously eyeing Izzy. “Let’s get our camp set up before it gets too dark. You three, get a spot ready and see if you can find anything we can eat. Noah and I will work on the fire.”

“You got it, Al!” Owen gave him a thumbs-up. 

“Great.” a hand found its way to the small of Noah’s back. He almost jumped at the sudden contact. “Let’s go gather some firewood.” Alejandro said, leading him away from the clearing almost urgently. 

“Uh, sure.”

Once they were out of earshot, Alejandro sighed, “Joder.” his shoulders slumped in exhaustion, and the hand on his teammate's back vanished. “Our team sure is something else.”

“They’re not so bad.” Noah hummed quietly. Even if he did agree with the statement, and his social battery was dangerously low, he still liked their team in all its weirdness.

Alejandro didn’t comment on his statement, and the two began gathering the firewood. It mostly consisted of Noah picking up sticks and tossing them to the other teen— who carried them all in his arms— if he deemed them dry enough. 

“So, how did you get DJ out?” Noah asked to fill the silence.

“Just gave him a little reminder of Harold.” Alejandro said casually. “After all, DJ was supposed to go instead."

"He was?"

"Yup. After the panda incident, he was out of it completely. He’s a strong player, but everyone has their weaknesses, and unfortunately for DJ he caves too easily under guilt."

Noah thought back to Japan. DJ had accidentally knocked a panda unconscious during the pinball challenge. No severe injuries had occurred, but being the animal lover he was DJ had mourned it like a death. A death he would’ve caused. However, Noah failed to see how that made him eligible for elimination when Harold had been the one to cause the team’s loss with his less than impressive directorial debut. 

It didn’t really matter, both were gone now anyways. Though, what did matter…

“If you recognized DJ as a strong player back then, why’d you convince Harold to boot himself?”

Noah heard it when Alejandro stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to the taller, bronze meeting jade. “How do you know about that?”

“I overheard your little talk with him, then connected the dots after his departure.”

“Is that how you figured out my plan? My original plan, that is.”

“That, and some simple observations.” Noah grinned. “You weren’t very subtle when it came to Bridgette.”

Alejandro didn’t say a word, caught in the silence of disbelief. His eyes then began to shine in the setting sun. “You really are brilliant.” he spoke quietly, sounding almost genuine.

“Don’t make me blush when Heather’s not around.”

“I can’t give you a compliment, cerebrito?”

“No no, compliment me all you want. Just try not to sound too much like a love-sick puppy when you do.”

“I’ll do my best.” Alejandro mused with a wink. “But I can’t promise anything.”

Noah huffed. "You're unbelievable."

Satisfied with the jumble of sticks they’d collected, Noah and Alejandro turned back to the clearing. 

"May I ask what your thoughts on the game are?” Alejandro asked. “I feel I have to rethink my strategy after receiving your intel.”

Noah forced down his smirk. “I think there are more capable players besides Heather and Leshawna. Maybe you should focus on them for a bit. The Amazon’s got a previous finalist walking amongst them after all, and it’s not Heather.”

“Is that so?” Alejandro raised a brow. “Who would this person be?”

“I’ll let you figure that one out yourself. Wouldn’t be fun if I just gave you all the answers, would it?”

“I supposed you’re right.” 

Noah rolled his eyes at the other's pout.

“You’ll figure it out soon enough,” he said. “You’re way smarter than most people on this show.”

“Oh my, Noah.” Alejandro swooned exaggeratedly. “Don’t go make me blush now.”

“I repeat; you’re unbelievable.”

They returned to the campsite and set up the fire on a patch that had been cleared out for them. The rest of the team arrived just in time for the embers to catch life, carrying a decent assortment of varying fruits. They ate around the campfire while exchanging random stories to wind down after the day, after which they went to bed.

That night was possibly the worst night in Total Drama history. Noah could barely sleep on the uneven and cold ground, and just as he’d begun to slip into unconsciousness he was abruptly awoken. By what? The vicious insects Chris had warned about, of course. 

Sleep became an afterthought, as Team Chris had to more or less fight for their lives.

When morning came they were all covered in small bites and scratches. The still-flowing adrenaline turned most of the remaining hike to a blur. Noah didn’t fully process his surroundings until they were halfway up the stairs to Machu Picchu. Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward despite the ache in his legs. Reaching the top they were immediately stopped by Chris.

“Looks like you guys are missing someone.” he tsk’d with a disapproving shake of his head. Team Chris turned, counting their heads until—

“Owen!” Tyler exclaimed in a panic.

“Can’t start searching until the whole team is here.”

Alejandro glared at the host. “You never said anything about that. You’re making up the rules as we go.”

“And this surprises you because…?”

He inhaled through clenched teeth, creating a sharp and frustrated sound. “I’ll go look for our teammate.”

“I’m coming with.” Noah said. He wasn’t sure how much more running he could do, but he didn’t trust Alejandro to act civil while alone with Owen. “We’ll cover more ground being two.”

“We’ll come too!” Tyler declared. “No man left behind!”

“No.” Noah quickly held up his hand. “While more people means we’re covering more ground, it also means more people risk getting lost. You two stay here and keep track of all the places Victory have already searched so we won’t waste time when we get back.”

“You got it, dude!” the jock raised his hand in a salute. 

“Good. Noah, let’s go.” Alejandro took the lead on their way back down— an easier feat than going up. Still, Noah was out of breath by the end of it. 

Alejandro gave him a weird look. “You look like you’re about to pass out. Are you sure you’ll be of any help?” there was a teasing lilt to his words, which Noah rolled his eyes at. 

“Are you… sure you care enough… about Owen to… find him?”

Alejandro’s eyes narrowed at Noah’s statement, and his brows knit tightly. The air around him turned heavy; had Noah put his hand out he’d likely feel it. As if a shield had been raised around the other teen.

It crumbled with his sigh. “We’re working together, so I suppose I can be more open with you than the others.” Alejandro relented. “I’m not a fan of Owen, no. And I don’t understand how any of you can stand being around him, least of all you. He almost killed us in the Yukon, wasted time in New York, and he did this ," Alejandro gestured to his eyepatch. "Just this morning. Flailing about because he thought the plane was crashing, ridiculous."

“He’s scared of flying, have you forgotten about that?”

“No, because I get reminded of it all the damn time. Just how I’m reminded of that insulting nickname.”

The last part was barely above a mutter, but Noah heard it loud and clear. “You don’t like being called ‘Al’?”

Alejandro’s eye twitched. “No. It’s a vile contortion of my name and I hate it!”

“Have you told Owen that?”

“Why would I? That’d be admitting to a weakness, and Burromuerto’s don't do weaknesses.”

"Alright, then let me talk to him."

"… What?" Alejandro blinked, brows furrowed in a perplexed expression.

"Let me talk to him." Noah repeated. "Like I said, Owen is my best friend. I know him. He's not being malicious, just stupid, and too used to people liking him to notice when people don’t. You gotta be blunt with him about certain things. And if you can’t because of your pride or whatever, then let me.”

Alejandro’s face relaxed into something conflicted. A look Noah had yet to see adorn the charmer. He was silent, but the cogs of his mind could be heard humming softly.

"You… You'd really do that?" 

For me?

It went unspoken, but Noah could hear the words whisper in his head like his own thoughts. "If it means you'll stop antagonizing the big guy, then yes. I would."

"I… Thank you." Alejandro said, sounding almost uncharacteristically sincere.

“No need.” Noah dismissed. “Let’s just find Owen so we can win this thing.”

“Hm, I like the sound of that.” and he was back to normal.

They found Owen hanging from a tree, cocooned in some kind of webbing. Apparently he’d been dragged away in the middle of the night by one of the insects. Noah was both relieved his friend was alive, and pissed none of the crew members had stepped in. But, that was just reality TV. 

They were about to head back to Machu Picchu when a camera guy signaled for them to stop. Team Victory had already found the treasure, the challenge was over. Luckily no one had to walk back to the plane, instead getting to join in the helicopters meant for crew and equipment. 

Noah spent the short ride talking with Owen, trying to distract him from his fear. It worked somewhat. The blonde was still trembling, but he remained in his seat and kept up conversation with his friend. Admitting the smaller scale of the helicopter made his anxiety worse. Fortunately, it was a short ride, and they were landing by the runway in no time. 

“Tyler! We won!” Lindsay said with a wide smile. Tyler ran over and pulled her into an embrace. 

“Hell yeah!”

“He knows they’re on different teams, right?” Noah said with an arched brow.

Leshawna snickered. “I don’t think that matters.” she patted his shoulder as she passed by. “Enjoy economy, losers.”

“I’ll tell Heather you said that.” Noah called after her. Leshawna only waved her hand before disappearing into first class. 

"Hey, Noah, wanna explore the ventilation system with me?" Izzy asked the second he entered economy. He looked up at her, unsurprised to find she was already dangling from the vents.

"No thanks. I've got sleep to catch up on." and a shower to take. But as Alejandro had made a beeline for the washroom as soon as he got on the plane, that would have to wait. Noah wasn't a fan of showering with other people.

Izzy shrugged and crawled back into the ventilation system.

Noah sat down on one of the benches and made himself comfortable against the wall. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come.

It didn't. 

Instead, Noah got to hear Tyler and Owen mourn the challenge's reward they'd missed out on; a gourmet buffet of Peruvian delicacies. 

'Yeah, that would've been nice.'  

Noah begrudgingly gave up on trying to sleep by the time they were in the air again. But seeing as Alejandro had since returned from the shower, Noah at least had something to do.

When walking by the common area, he caught sight of a pitiful cavalcade being directed towards the elimination room. Team Amazon looked ruffled up and exhausted. While most seemed agitated, one unfortunate goth was trailing behind the rest, her face twisted in guilt.

Chris watched them with sadistic glee. Most likely basking in the tension surrounding the team.

Noah shook his head and continued to the washroom, eerie in its vacancy. He took his time in the shower, not being in a rush. Even pausing momentarily when what sounded like crying suddenly broke out from above. He dried off and got dressed in clean clothes with the same lack of urgency.

The jumbo jets washroom was split in two by a wall, leaving one side for the showers and the other for the sinks and toilet stalls. Thus, Noah only discovered he was no longer alone when he walked out from the shower section.

Heather stood in front of the mirrors by the sinks. Her fingers were buried in raven locks, free from the confines of her usual ponytail. 

"Oh, hair's down." Noah said. "What's the occasion?"

"Shut it." Heather hissed, though her voice lacked any edge. "I've got pieces of that stupid rainforest stuck in my hair and it's-"

Her fingers moved clumsily, nails close to digging into her scalp. Her shoulders moved rigidly along her breathing— which was better described as the sharp and shallow pants before a scream.

"Do you need help?" 

Heather glared at him. "Like you actually want to help me."

"Maybe not, but you look five seconds away from ripping your hair out, and I know I'm not the only one who doesn't want to see that."

She held her intense gaze, silver locked with bronze. Noah was about to accept his defeat when Heather lowered her guard for just a split second. But that was enough to reveal the teenage girl hiding behind it— tired and crushed beyond words.

It was a sight Noah hadn't expected. Not then, not ever. It stunned him to the point where he almost missed Heather releasing her hair from her grip.

"Fine." she said begrudgingly. "But I don’t wanna hear a word about this."

Noah snapped himself back to reality, stumbling slightly when making his way over. “Sure.” 

The jungle air had turned Heather’s hair frizzy and somewhat coarse to the touch. Making each knot that much more tense, worsened by the girl’s aimless tugging. 

Noah began undoing a knot that held a twig tightly, being as careful as he could. He was working at a semi-awkward angle, given Heather was taller than him.

“I’m guessing Chris didn’t say anything about this being a reward challenge when you got back.” he said to fill the somewhat awkward silence.

“Not a word.” Heather sighed. “He made us do the whole voting thing, even showed the footage of it during the stupid ceremony. Gwen would’ve gone home too!”

“Really?”

“Yes! She thought it was so cool for Team Amazon to be in the Amazon, and then proceeded to mess everything up. I want to say I’m surprised Cody didn’t vote for her, but I don’t think there’s any point in trying to sway him when Sierra’s in the game.”

“Oh, so that’s what the crying is about. Yikes.” the devastated wailing of the teenage girl could still be heard.

“But of course Chris had to ruin it! Ugh, whatever. I’ll get her out one way or another.”

"I may or may not have given Alejandro reason to target her. So that might happen sooner than you’d expect."

“Nice.” Heather snickered, "You could get him to convince her she could go see Duncan again. That’ll get to her."

"Why Duncan of all people?" Noah questioned, dropping a leaf onto the floor.

"Because Gwen likes the guy, no matter what she tries to say."

“Uh-huh.”

“She totally does! I know you weren’t there last season, but she was practically drooling over him all the time.”

“And that’s why Courtney isn’t a fan of her?”

“Mostly.”

The two fell into mundane conversation, derailing their talks of the game in favor of mindless trash talk. And somehow, Noah didn’t mind.

Sleep in economy class was a grueling task. The benches were uncomfortable, the ambiance grating. It didn’t matter how many hours Noah got it, he always woke up tired. So he knew something was up when consciousness came calmly, instead of abruptly. When he felt warm and comfortable like in his own bed.

He opened his eyes to discover he was snuggled up against Alejandro’s side.

Noah sat up quickly, any remaining wishes to sleep a little longer gone. 

Alejandro chuckled at his reaction. “Good morning, cerebrito. Or, I guess ‘good night’ would be more appropriate.” 

Noah turned his gaze to the window, where stars shone alongside a full moon. "How long have I been- Actually, never mind." he scooted away from Alejandro, ignoring the looks the others were giving him. Heather’s gaze weighed the heaviest. Even if she’d gotten better at keeping her resentment to herself, her jealousy still radiated around her. 

Over which guy? No one would ever know.

Still, Noah somehow got three kills in one. Appearing coy to Alejandro and uninterested to Heather, while simultaneously making her jealous.

“Man,” Tyler sighed sadly, resting his head in his hands. “I’m glad Lindsay won and all, but I really wish she was here right now. I miss her.”

“I feel you. Whenever I’m away from Izzy for too long, I just…” Owen moved his hands, trying to find the right words. “…I can’t describe it.”

“Where is Izzy, anyway?” Noah asked. He hadn’t seen her since she crawled into the vents hours ago. 

“I saw her go to the cockpit to talk with Chef.” Alejandro said casually, earning horrified gasps from the other contestants.

And as if waiting for its cue, the plane began shaking violently. The passengers of economy class tumbled around like ragdolls. Ending in complete disarray by the time the plane finally evened out. 

Noah found himself in an awkward heap on the floor with Heather. A sharp ache from where they’d managed to headbutt each other during the commotion. 

"Thanks alot for that." Heather muttered, hands cradling her forehead.

"You’re so welcome."

She stuck out her tongue at him, then turned her glare to Alejandro. A slight grin of vicious glee at her lips. “Having some trouble with your team, Alejandro?”

The boy gave an amused scoff. “Insult all you want, serpentina. But maybe you should check in with your own team?” he nodded pointedly towards the common area, where Sierra’s sobbing could still be heard. She’d been led out there by an exasperated yet sympathetic-looking Courtney a while back. 

Heather gritted her teeth, about to speak when—

“Ahem! This is your captain speaking. If you look out the window you’ll get to see what happens when a plane does a somersault.” Izzy’s gruff voice crackled over the PA system.

“Give me that!” Chef cut in, followed by panicked shuffling. “Uh, y’all might wanna hang onto something heavy.” 

All of Team Chris latched onto Owen, screaming their lungs out as the plane went down. Noah had more or less accepted death when Chef miraculously got control over the aircraft. 

An intern came a little later to check if they were okay, then promptly ushered them out of the plane. 

They'd landed in Paris, specifically the river. The cast was lined up close to it, with the Louvre looming above.

“So, I didn’t exactly get a chance to prep my introduction. What with the unexpected landing and all. Just gonna give the highlights.” Chris flicked through his stack of cue cards, muttering under his breath about the city of love and priceless art. Not that anyone was paying much attention either way. 

“I can’t believe we’re in Paris!” Lindsay gushed.

“Weren’t you here a few months ago?” Leshawna questioned.

“With Beth, yeah. But now I’m here with the guy of my dreams! Oh, where’s my Tyler?”

Adjusting the collar of his tracksuit jacket, the jock walked up to her. “Right here, Linds.”

Lindsay looked him up and down. “Hmm, you looked slightly different in my head.”

“Everything looks slightly different in her head.” Alejandro muttered, catching Noah so off guard he failed to stifle his snort. 

The pair didn’t seem to notice, too busy loudly fantasizing about their dream stay in Paris. It was almost comical to watch, when just a few meters away stood Sierra, ready to burst into tears at any second. Cody kept his distance, and he’d never looked more uncomfortable and guilty. Truly, this was the city of love. 

“Alright, knock it off,” Chris said, forcing Lindsay and Tyler apart. “You guys are here to compete, nothing else. Now, everybody inside the Louvre!” 

Despite the late hour, the cast was led through the main entrance— which felt illegal. But Courtney hadn’t said anything, so neither would Noah. The brunette, much like most of the others, stared awestruck at the glass pyramid above them and the night sky that lay beyond. Noah did too, until the telltale squeak of a trolley caught his attention. 

Chef was making works rolling in a wooden crater twice his size into the museum lobby. Noah was about to ask about it when Chris called for their attention, announcing it was time for the challenge.

“Each team gets their very own famous sculpture.” Chris began handing out pictures. “Team Victory, yours is Rodin’s the thinker. Team Chris is really really really really hot, you get the Venus De Milo.”

“Ah, Venus.” Alejandro said. He bumped his shoulder against Noah’s, holding out the picture for him to see. “She’s a beauty, is she not?”

Noah glanced up at Heather. She was standing with her hands on her hips, and a look of indifferent superiority. He shrugged, “Meh, I’ve seen better.”

“Calm down, lover boys.” Chris said and handed the last picture to Heather. “Amazons, you ladies get the statue of David.”

The challenge was simple enough; find the pieces to their assigned statue and reassemble them in the pyramid court. However, the legality of it all came into question when Chris dismissed Alejandro’s statement about two of the statues not being in the Louvre. Calling it a minor detail. 

“I almost forgot the twist-twist.” the host smiled. Never a good sign. “Here’s your motivation.” 

With the push of a button the wooden crate came apart. Revealing a yeti, a chainsaw-wielding bear, and a mountain goat from Germany. Wonderful. 

Chris didn’t need to tell them twice to start running. Each team was chased down different wings of the museum by their own beast. 

“Oh man, oh man!” Owen cried panicked. “I really don’t want to be yeti food!”

A stupid idea came to Noah’s mind. It was a gamble, but one he was willing to take. “I’ve got your back, big guy!” he declared, halting his steps and turning to the approaching yeti. “This always works on my dog.”  

He held out his arm, fingers wrapped around a make-believe ball. “Who wants the ball?” he waved it in the air, catching the yeti’s attention who stopped before him. “You do, don’t you? Yes, you do, oh yes you do.” he cooed with the same voice he used for his golden lab, Java. Perhaps he got a bit too into it, but could you blame him when he missed his dog so?

In the end, it didn’t matter, because the yeti fell for it just as easily as Java. Following the “ball” with wide eyes, completely entranced.

“Go get it!” Noah threw it as hard as he could, and the yeti hurried after. 

“Well played, Noah.” Alejandro praised. “Now, let’s get on with this challenge!” 

The statue pieces were easy enough to find. Chris had been kind enough to hide them within a reasonable radius around the starting point. Noah supposed he also had to give the man credit for not destroying the actual statues. The pieces they found were merely made of something akin to plaster.

By the half-hour mark they’d gathered more than half of the pieces, if Noah’s estimate was correct. Which it likely was. 

“I found another one.” Tyler announced, holding one of Venus’ shoulder pieces above his head. 

Alejandro gave him a curt nod, then addressed the whole team. “We’ve cleared this area, so let’s move to the west wing and search there.”

“Yeah! Chefie won’t know what hit him!” Izzy took the lead with a wild cackle. Her determination was courtesy of Alejandro. He’d convinced her they were playing something called ‘sculpture-piece-bingo’ against Chef. It had worked in getting her head in the game, but Noah was starting to get just a little worried about how reckless she was being. 

“I still don’t know what her deal with Chef is.” Owen confessed at his side. 

“Does anyone?”

“True. Hey, nice going with the yeti, by the way. I thought you were a goner there for a sec, but you really knocked it out of the park!”

“Thanks. I’m really not in the mood for running today. Or any day, for that matter.”

Owen chuckled. “Al seemed super impressed by it, too.”

Ah, there it was. “Maybe you should stop calling him ‘Al’?” Noah said, wasting no time beating around the bush.

“Why?” the blonde gave him a puzzled look. 

“I don’t think he likes it.”

“Really? Huh, he’s never said anything about it.”

“Well, you know how people can be sometimes.”

“Yeah. Oh man, have I been making him upset this entire time?”

“Probably.”

“Aw man.” Owen’s shoulders slumped. 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, big guy.” Noah said, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s not like you knew or anything.”

“Still… Should I apologize? I feel like I should, but it might be super awkward if I do.”

"Maybe. Apologizing isn't really my area of expertise, sorry."

“It’s really not.”

“Okay-”

The remaining pieces were found relatively easily, which could only mean one thing-

Alejandro pointed towards the head of Venus, resting on a cushioned pedestal beyond a wall of intricately layered lasers. “I believe that is our last piece.”

‘Of course. Why am I not surprised?’

“Noah, this one’s on you.”

“Why do I have to do it?” Noah questioned.

“Because you’re the only one slender and sane enough to.”

“Ugh, fine.”

The lasers were either part of the museum’s security system, or an idea of Chris. Both were equally bad to set off. Noah barely dared to breathe as he moved around the red beams. The whole thing made him feel awkward, with how much he had to twist and bend his limbs. He silently begged his teammates not to say a word.

It took some time, but Noah eventually made it through. Then it was just doing it all again while carrying a plaster head. Piece of cake. 

“You got this, little buddy.” Owen encouraged.

Noah bit back his retort, fearing it’d make him lose his concentration. He settled on the distinct look of ‘shut up’. It worked, and after a bit more time Noah was out. 

“Ta-da.” he said unenthusiastically, holding up the final piece. 

“Nice!” Tyler whooped. 

Alejandro gave an approving nod. “Let’s get to the pyramid court.”

Team Victory had beaten them there, but they were only at the beginning of their reconstruction. Struggling to make the pieces stick together.

“We can still win this!” Alejandro said to encourage the team.

“Yeah, Al- ejandro. Alejandro. Sorry.” Owen corrected with an apologetic chuckle. “Alejandro’s right. Come on, guys!”

The charmer’s mouth hung open as Owen and Tyler got the pieces ready on the floor. He turned to Noah as if searching for answers, perhaps even a debt to repay. Noah only gave him a lazy shrug. ‘I told you I would.’

That seemed to snap Alejandro back to the present, and the reconstruction of Venus De Milo could begin for real. 

Team Chris quickly passed Victory. And as the other boys finished putting the final pieces in place, Noah took a step back to view their work.

‘Perfect-’ his smile dropped.

Something didn’t look right.

“We’re missing a piece.” Noah realized at the same moment Team Amazon— sans Cody and Sierra— entered the pyramid court. He quickly scanned the statue. “We’re missing the base. How the fuck did we miss the base?”

"I-I don't know, I thought we had it." Owen said.

"We most definitely did." Alejandro stated.

"Then where did it go?"

"Hey guys!" Noah turned his head, spotting Izzy holding the missing piece. "You left this by the lasers, so not how you play sculpture-piece-bingo."

"Just bring it over here!" Alejandro called out.

“Okay. Heads up!”

“ Don’t -” Noah’s warning came to late. Izzy had already sent the piece hurling through the air like a frisbee— right for their statue.  

“I got it, I got it!” Tyler only made it two steps before tripping himself. He hit the floor just as the final piece of Venus crashed into her. Noah watched in sheer disbelief as the statue tipped over and shattered on the tiles. 

“Strike!” Izzy yelled, pumping her fists in the air. Completely unaware of her team’s shock. 

“… What just happened?”

“And Team Victory takes the win! Two times in a row, I did not see that coming.” Chris chuckled. He then turned to Team Himself, looking from the broken statue to the teens. “Team Me, I’ll be seeing you at the elimination ceremony.”

Izzy lowered her hands. "Oh, that's not good."

Noah caught the way Heather’s face lit up with hope. He’d hate to burst that bubble. 

The jumbo jet had been pulled out of the river during the time spent on the challenge. Boarding and take-off went swiftly, all things considered. Voting was to take place in an hour, and Noah was confident enough in his prediction to not worry. He didn’t bat an eye when Alejandro pulled him off to the side.

“You want to get Izzy out.” Noah said before Alejandro even had the chance to open his mouth. 

“I- yes.”

“Cool.”

“You’re not going to argue?”

Noah shook his head. “Surprising, I know. Izzy is one of my best friends and I love her to bits, but she’s a lot to deal with. Made worse in the unpredictable hell that is this show. I’m not happy to vote for her, but I don’t want her to end up hurt either. Plus, we won’t have to convince the others.”

“Really?” 

“She shattered our statue and caused the plane to crash.” he reminded. “Even if Owen doesn’t vote for her Tyler is guaranteed to.”

“No, I meant most people wouldn’t want their friend gone. You said so yourself about Heather and Leshawna. And yet, here you are."

“Are you going to use this against me?” Noah asked with an unbothered expression.

“Not at all.”

Noah was surprised to find he believed him. Strange, as he still didn't trust the guy and knew of his true colors well enough. But perhaps that was the reason; Noah knew Alejandro. Had seen the other teen willingly shed his mask when they were alone. They were working together, he’d said so himself. Alejandro couldn’t lose Noah. 

“Good. Because, again, I’m not happy about it.”

“I can imagine.” Alejandro said, trying to sound sympathetic. 

Noah gave him a deadpanned look, but brushed away any desire to call him out. He had something else to bring up. “Have you figured out who the secret finalist is?”

“No. I haven’t had the time to think about it.” Alejandro replied.

“Not had the time to plot the enemy's downfall? That doesn’t sound like you.” Noah’s head fell to the side as he regarded the defined features of the teen before him. He was much better than Heather at obscuring his emotions, to blur the lines between what was real and what was imaginary. Still, there was no denying the way his eyes wandered when he thought no one was looking. 

 “Or, has your attention been elsewhere, perhaps?”

Alejandro’s face turned serious. He leaned closer to Noah, clutching one of his hands in his own.

“I’d never let my eyes stray, cerebrito.” he said. Promised.

Then he left. Leaving Noah at a slight loss for words and with a touch that lingered well into the elimination ceremony. 

Like he’d suspected, Izzy was given the boot. She took it surprisingly well. Accepting her parachute and bidding the rest farewell with a deep bow before doing a backflip out of the plane. Noah was going to miss her.

Chapter Text

Economy class was silent, wrapped up in the darkness of a night that had lingered a bit too long. Everybody was asleep, their snoring a mocking sound for a still-awake Noah. The cast had been instructed to get some rest after the last elimination ceremony. That had been nearly two hours ago. Noah couldn’t figure out what he’d done to piss off life enough for it to not let him sleep. He sat on the far edge of the bench, back against the wall and he stared out the window. Watching the dawn chase them down with only his thoughts to help pass the time.

He was doing fine in the game, better than expected. Heather was safe from elimination, she and Courtney seemingly at a temporary truce. Alejandro trusted him, and was smart enough to not double-cross him. At least until Heather was out. How unfortunate. Whether Heather trusted him or not, Noah couldn’t tell. He assumed she had partial faith in his judgment, otherwise she wouldn’t take his advice, but full on trust? That was a different story. Did Heather even trust anyone? Hell, did Noah?

Yes. Of course he did. Owen, Izzy, and Eva wouldn’t be his best friends if he didn’t. But they were beyond the current equation. A part of something safe and reliable. Heather and Alejandro were of something else. And that something was yet another unknown.

“Fuck!” a hushed hiss brought Noah back from his thoughts. He looked up, finding a figure standing in the dark, clutching her foot. 

“Heather?” he spoke in a quiet voice once his eyes had adjusted. 

“Great.” the girl grumbled. “Did I wake you or something?”

“No, I’ve been awake for a while. What are you up to?”

“Trying to get to the confessional. But this stupid lighting is making it impossible.”

“You’re going to the confessional in the middle of the night?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Ah, you too.” Noah hummed and leaned back against the wall. “Have fun.”

“Actually, you’re coming with.”

“What? Why?” he questioned, though did little to stop Heather from pulling him up from the bench.

“Because I have a plan, and I guess it’d be good for you to be in on it.”

“Okay, but isn’t the confessional a bit too small for two people?”

“There’s one in the cockpit,” Heather said, leading them to the front of the plane. “We’re technically not allowed to use it, but whatever. I doubt Chris will do anything if he gets good footage from it.”

They snuck their way to the cockpit without trouble. Heather didn’t let go of Noah’s wrist during the journey, not even as they stood outside the curtain separating the cockpit from the rest of the plane. Heather pulled it aside, revealing a blow-up doll of Chef placed in one of the steats. 

“I don’t know what I expected,” Noah said after a moment of stunned silence. “But it wasn’t that.”

“There’s no one piloting this thing while we’re sleeping?” Heather gaped, more so in frustration than horror. 

“My guess is there’s an autopilot to keep us on course. Still, with this tin can of a jet, you’d at least expect someone to monitor everything.” he made a mental note not to mention any of this to the others. 

Heather pushed the doll into the hallway outside, muttering something about rather having the real Chef eavesdrop than that thing. 

They sat down, and Noah was almost overwhelmed being in the pilot’s seat. Like some inner childish joy was itching to take control. He shook his head. He was not going to geek out in front of Heather of all people. “So. Your plan?”

“I’m going to turn Victory and Amazon into one team.” the other teen explained. “Obviously Chris won’t allow it, but I don’t need it to be official or anything. It’s about having the numbers advantage.”

“I’d argue you already do.”

“And how long until Alejandro figures it out and tries to get Victory on his side?”

“Good point.” Noah hummed. “But are you sure Victory will want to become allies? You and Lindsay aren’t exactly on stellar terms.”

Heather sighed. “I guess I can’t guarantee it, but they’d be stupid not to. Don’t really think they’ll make it to the merge without help. And don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

“About?”

“Alejandro, or our plot to take him down.” she clarified, giving him a serious, if mildly annoyed, look. Begrudgingly, she added, “You were right. Keeping my suspicions on the down low got me off the chopping block. I hate to admit it but, whatever. Besides, it's more fun plotting with someone who already knows than trying to convince some dense idiots about it.”

Noah regarded her with a bewildered expression. “Wow. It’s really weird hearing you be genuine.”

“Fuck off. I won’t hesitate to throw you out of the plane.”

“Why are you always threatening me?”

“Why are you always getting on my nerves?”

“I don’t know, why are you?”

Heather stared at him, before letting out a noise that sounded like a mix between an exasperated scoff and a laugh. "You are infuriating."

“Only for you.” Noah said flatly. The other teen reached over to flick his forehead— her sharp nail grazing against his skin. “Ow. You’re so mean.”

“Only for you.” Heather said in a mockingly sweet voice. One that made Noah smile and huff out a half-laugh. 

“Anyways, I can’t believe you didn’t get Alejandro booted last night.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “I’m only one person. And it would’ve been impossible to convince the others to vote for him after Izzy made us lose.”

“You can’t throw the next challenge or something and pin it on him?”

“Not as easy as it sounds. Alejandro has been leading this team since the beginning with no slip-ups. Unless you count New York, but that was sabotage.”

“I’m not apologizing for that.”

“Not asking you to. But the point is Alejandro is currently untouchable. Even if I do manage to pin it on him, he’d figure out a way to get off the hook.” and as frustrating as it was, Noah couldn't help but be impressed at how effortless he made it seem. “Although, I could amp up my “crush” on you to knock him down a few pegs. Then we might be able to pin the blame on him.”

“Yeah, that could work.” Heather nodded, and with a disgruntled look she added, “I'm not looking forward to see how you flirt.”

"Neither am I. Hey, while we’re here, what happened with Sierra and Cody?” Noah asked, glancing back at the curtain. “They back to whatever-the-hell they had going on before, or?”

“Basically. I have no idea what's going on with those two, and I don't think I want to know. Like what does 'You do it with a certain enthusiasm I’ve gotten used to' even mean?"

"Cody said that? To Sierra?"

"Yes! It was what got her to stop being upset. Ridiculous. Soon as Gwen is gone, those two are next.”

“Not Courtney?”

“She’s unfortunately the most competent person on our team.” Heather sighed. “Myself not included.”

“Obviously.” Noah hummed. He leaned back in his seat and gazed out the window; at the sea of clouds below, blushing bright in the rays of the rising sun. Even in the death machine that was Total Drama’s jumbo jet, he almost felt at peace. If only for that moment. So far away from everything and everyone. The soft orange glow of the control panel’s buttons made the whole thing seem almost surreal. Like he was dreaming. 

‘Would be better if I really was.’ Noah thought as he yawned.

“Well, unless you have anything else to say, I’m going to head back and try to get some sleep.”

"Do whatever, I don't care." Heather pulled out a nail file and began working on her already perfect nails.

Standing up from the pilot’s seat he made his way to the exit, when he heard her softly mumble, “Good night.”

Noah stopped in his tracks, hand on the curtain. He looked back at Heather, finding she hadn't moved an inch. Around her was an air of indifference— but Noah saw the cracks. He felt the sincerity in her words, careful and hesitant. A small step in the tightrope.

“You too.” was all he said. And then, he left.

When Noah awoke hours later it was to the aggressive rattling of the plane skipping across the ocean like a rock. The same ocean they were unceremoniously pushed into by Chef moments later.

On a small trawler stood Chris, dressed in a green raincoat. He greeted them with an exaggerated and hard to understand accent. Noah couldn’t tell if he was even using real words.

“We must be in Newfoundland!” Sierra gasped excitedly. “This is where Chris is from!”

“Correct. A very humble origin for a very grand me, which lies just a hop, skip, and a jump that way.” Chris pointed to the horizon, where the ocean met the sky with no land in sight. Really, the only thing that could be seen were three small boats that bobbed along the waves. 

“Everybody get to your team’s boat and we can start the first part of today’s challenge.”

Noah felt stiff as he swam through the cold water, yet somehow he arrived second at their boat. The first one being Alejandro, obviously. He pulled himself onboard with ridiculous ease. 

“Excellent work, my little porpoises.” he said, leaning over the stern. “Here, allow me.” Noah took his offered hand— momentarily struck by how warm it was despite the cold temperature of the early morning. His hands had been warm last night too, and in New York-

Noah retracted his hand as if he’d been burned. He stumbled his way to the bow of the boat, making room for Alejandro to help their remaining teammates onboard. Noah made a conscious effort not to look at him. He ran his dull nails over the back of his hand, trying to scrape away the other's touch. 

“Chris? May I ask why Team Victory has a motor?” Courtney's voice sounded.

“To keep things interesting.” was the only answer she got before the host moved on to explain the challenge’s first part; rowing to shore, where only the first two teams to arrive would compete in the second half. 

Alejandro tossed Noah and Tyler one oar each, and at his request they got situated on the middle bench. The teams were sent off with the shrilling cry of an airhorn. Noah and Tyler began to row, working up a steady pace. Faster than that of the Amazons. 

Briefly locking eyes with Heather as they passed, Noah got an idea. Most people knew there was a certain name he only ever used platonically, as a snarky remark. But Alejandro didn’t. With a smirk, Noah turned to the Amazons' boat. “See you on land, honey !”

It filled him with glee the way Alejandro’s jaw dropped, and how quickly he then shut it. Tyler and Owen only laughed. Aware yet so unknowing. 

Behind them, Noah could hear Leshawna's distant voice call out;

“You gave us a broken motor?!”

“I said to make things interesting, not unfair. Jeez.”

‘Sucks to be them.’

It was shortly after that the treacherous bell rang, commanding the contestants to sing despite being ways apart. Noah stuck to his usual role of backup singer. Too busy rowing to care even a little. Ugh, why hadn’t he refused to do physical labor like he usually did?

“I see land!” Owen called after what felt like hours.

“Finally!” Noah groaned. “My arms are killing me.”

“You’ve all been doing great, amigos.” Alejandro said. “And no one has passed us.”

“We’re winning this one for sure guys. Up top, Alejandro!” the charmer looked the blonde boy up and down before reluctantly returning the high-five. Owen pumped his fists in the air and whooped.

Suddenly, something flew past them. The waves it left behind tossed their boat from side to side, almost causing Tyler to fall overboard. “What was that?” he questioned, gripping the boat’s edge. 

“Another team, most likely.” Alejandro said and moved up to the bow. “Keep rowing. We’re almost there.”

When they rolled up on the sandy dunes of the shore they discovered Team Victory had been the ones to overtake them— and crashed. For some reason, Heather was also with them, cheering for their victory. 

“In your face!” she jeered at them, though Noah knew it was mostly aimed at Alejandro. Said teen seemed to have caught on too, or else chose to take personal offense. 

“Don’t know what you’re so happy about when you’re missing your whole team.” he said with a sly grin, snuffing out Heather’s joy in a single sentence. 

“They’re not here?” she questioned, looking around for the missing boat. “Why are they not here?”

“Who knows.” Chris said, walking down the beach to where they’d gathered. Noah wasn’t even going to question how he’s gotten on land first. “But since all of Team Amazon have yet to arrive, they’re today’s losers! And so must shuck all these giant clams.” he gestured to a picnic table where a collection of buckets, all containing freshly harvested clams, stood waiting. 

“When the whole team gets here you mean, right?” Heather said, a threat more than a question. 

“Yeah, but since you’re already here and I need these bad boys ready for tonight, why don’t you get on with it right away?” not waiting for a response, Chris threw one of the clams at the teenager. She caught it, only to have its muck splatter across her face. 

Heather shuddered in disgust. “My team is going to pay .”

"I'm sure they will." Alejandro mused, earning a look akin to a snake bite from the girl.

“The rest of you,” Chris said. “Follow me this way.”

“Here.” Leshawna said, pulling out a napkin from her back pocket— the fancy ones from first class— and handing it to Heather. “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem.” Heather muttered and began wiping the muck from her face. 

Team Chris and Victory were then led to a fishing cabin on the beast. The inside was small, with only one table which they were directed to sit down at. One team on each side.

After being given clear from the filming crew, Chris divulged into an anecdote of Newfoundland ceremonies. The one they’d be doing was called ‘screech-in’, a way for locals to welcome newcomers. It was composed of drinking an entire jug of apple cider vinegar, deciphering a local saying, and kissing a cod. Passionately. Noah was starting to understand why his little cousins weren’t allowed to watch the show.

“For normal screech-in ceremonies, one person has to do all three tasks, but since this is a relay we’ll go person to person. Any questions?” the evil mastermind of it all said.

“More of a complaint.” Leshawna frowned. “The guys are four, we’re only two.”

“Better than one.” Chris pointed out with an innocuous smile. “Besides, you got a motor on your boat.”

“Which didn’t even work.”

“Yes but you managed to fix it, so.”

“Chris, if I may,” Alejandro interjected. “You said yourself that you weren’t going to make things unfair.”

Leshawna gave him an odd— almost suspicious— look from across the table. “Siding with the competition, are we?”

“I want to win fairly.” the other said calmly. “While you ladies have proven to be quite the competitors, in a situation like this I do believe we have an unfair advantage.”

Chris let out a dramatic and exasperated sound. “Fine. To once again keep things interesting, Noah will be sitting this one out.”

“Bummer.” Noah said and stood from his seat. “Good luck, guys.”

“Go help Heather with the clams, or whatever.” Chris said and motioned towards the door. 

“Sure.” it wasn’t worth pointing out his allergies, so he didn’t. He walked out of the cabin, feeling Alejandro’s eyes follow after him. 

Heather sat at the picnic table, frustratedly trying to lodge a knife between the shells of the clam in her hand. Her very unprotected hands. 

“If you’re going to stab yourself you should do it while the cameras are around.” Noah said as he walked up to her. “Bet the ratings would skyrocket.”

“I bet they’d skyrocket if I stabbed you right here and now too.”

“Damn. At this rate you just might actually go through with your threats.”

“Exactly. So you better learn to keep your mouth shut, twerp.” Heather spat, but her crooked grin was surprisingly amiable. “What are you even doing out here? Hasn’t the challenge started yet?”

“It has, but I was told to sit out because Chris suddenly started caring about being fair.” Noah sat down next to Heather. “He also told me to help you but I’m allergic to shellfish so I won’t.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Hey, at least you’ve got some company now, honey.”

Heather fake gagged. “I never want to hear you call me that again.”

"What? Prefer I use something non-English like Alejandro?"

"Like you know Spanish."

"I don't. But other languages exist, aṉpē."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then scoffed, "What’s Alejandro got to do with anything?"

Noah bit the inside of his cheek. ‘Because I think you like him and this whole ploy is to get him to pay attention to you more than anything else.’ “Not a lot of actually romantic people on this show.”

“Y-You think he’s romantic?” Heather spluttered, as if she’d been doused with ice-cold shock. 

“An entirely objective observation, mind you.” he specified. “How else did he get Bridgette eliminated?”

“Oh.” Heather’s face relaxed, gaze returning to the clam she’d been working on. “I knew something was up with that one.”

“Yeah.” the silence that nestled its way between them felt… strange. Not comfortable, but not awkward either. An unusual limbo Noah had never experienced before. During the silence in the cockpit he’d been able to tune out Heather’s presence to fully enjoy the rare serenity. Now? It was almost impossible. She was there, sitting beside him— and Noah could do nothing about it.

“How did you even end up on Victory’s boat?” Noah questioned, chasing the silence away 

“I got on to help Leshawna row while Lindsay worked on getting the motor fixed.”

“And Courtney let you?”

“After I explained the alliance plan, obviously. She’s obnoxious, bossy, and flat-out unbearable but she’s not stupid.” Heather’s face turned sour. “So she better have a good reason for why they haven’t arrived yet.”

Noah followed her bitter gaze to the ocean where not a single movement could be seen. “At the very least you’re guaranteed not to go home. If this isn’t a reward challenge, that is.”

“What makes you think it is?”

“I know Chris. Maybe not as well as Sierra, but I do. There’s no way he’d design a challenge like this and have it be an elimination round. The last team to arrive is the episode's loser and doesn’t get to compete in the second half? Yeah, that doesn’t ruin the stakes at all.”

“That… actually makes sense. Guess working for the bastard had some benefits.” Heather grinned. “What was it like having to bend to his every need?”

“Hell.” Noah said grimly. “He put me in charge of handling Molotov-”

“The bear?”

“The one and only. Funnily enough, it was the least tortuous thing I had to do. That man can be so fucking pretentious it’s ridiculous. Did you know he refuses to write with anything other than a .2 fineliner in blue ink? Sometimes I wanna leak his number just to piss him off.”

“Do it. He deserves it.”

Noah snorted at Heather’s bluntness. “Leaking it the minute I have internet again.”

“Good. In the meantime, wanna help me fuck up his clams?"

"Oh, absolutely." he returned her devilish grin.

They were unfortunately not able to, as the fishing cabin’s door was swung open by Chris. “I hope those clams are ready because we’ve got our winners!” he waved for the two to join them in the cabin.

“Wow. I’m glad I didn’t have to be here.” Noah muttered flatly as he and Heather stepped inside. An intern was mopping up a puddle of vomit on the floor. A pale Lindsay sat with her face in her hands, being comforted by Leshawna and Tyler. Both looked nauseous. “Who even won?”

“We did.” Alejandro said, trying to sound like his usual self despite his clear lack of energy and disgust for whatever had happened. “What was it you said again? In your face, serpentina.” 

Heather frowned and crossed her arms. The light of the cabin caught in her silver eyes, reflecting their edge and brilliant shimmer-

‘Wait, what?’

The missing members of Team Amazon suddenly came rushing in through the open door, panting lightly. 

“And it looks like today's big ol’ losers have just arrived. The rest of them, that is.” Chris chuckled. 

“Courtney, where the hell have you been?” Heather demanded, walking up to the other girl. 

“I-”

“It was my fault!” Gwen quickly interjected. “I got us lost. I'm sorry.” the other two girls stared at her. Heather with rage, Courtney with shock.

The ravenette gritted her teeth. “This is the second time we’ve lost because of you.” she stabbed her finger against the goth’s chest. "Next time this happens. You. Are. Out!"

"Look, I really am- wait, next time?" Gwen blinked.

"Correct.” Chris chirped. "This was a reward challenge, nobody's going home!"

Gwen let out a relieved sigh. But under Heather’s furious eyes, her body remained tense. 

The reward turned out to be a seafood feast Noah wasn’t able to take part in. He didn’t mind though, especially as Owen gave a detailed recount of what had happened during the challenge; how Tyler and Leshawna had both almost vomited after drinking the vinegar, and how Lindsay had actually vomited when trying to kiss the cod. Yeah, Noah was glad he was spared having to witness that.

When they were led back to the plane Noah took note of two, technically three things; How Heather kept to Leshawna, avoiding her own team like it was the plague, and how Gwen once again trailed after the group. Only this time she was given the occasional glance from Courtney. He would have to keep an eye on that.

The next five hours were almost blissful. The atmosphere in first class was calming, and Noah managed to get a few hours of undisturbed rest despite the daylight shining in through the windows. 

He sat up on the couch he’d been sleeping in, stretching his hands above his head and felt every knot in his body unravel. He lazily scanned over the luxurious space. Tyler and Owen were sitting by the bar, engaged in conversation Noah didn’t care to know more about. Alejandro sat on the other side of the room. Staring out of the window with furrowed brows. 

“I know that look.” Noah said and walked up to the other teen. “Someone’s plotting.”

Alejandro returned his gaze. “You know me so well. But maybe keep your voice down when they’re around.”

Noah looked back at Tyler and Owen. The boys had exchanged talking with chugging can after can of soda. “Something tells me they won’t really notice. Or care.” he dropped down in the seat across from Alejandro, one leg over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. “Are you going to tell me about whatever’s happening in that head of yours or not?”

Alejandro gave him an amused smile. “I believe you noticed the same thing I did during the last challenge, mi amigo. How our dear Heather abandoned her own team to help Victory.”

“I think we all did.”

“That may be true. But only you and I are smart enough to know what she was trying to accomplish; getting Leshawna and Lindsay on her side, ensuring she keeps the number advantage. I don’t know if her attempt was successful, but I do know Leshawna isn’t too keen on me. I tried getting on her good side during the relay, obviously that didn’t work as intended. And considering what you told me in Germany, it’s a lost cause to even try. But we can’t let Heather get the upper hand.”

“This seems an awful lot like the Sierra situation.” Noah said bluntly when the other had finished. “Why don’t you just do the same thing here? Take away the advantage before she can use it.”

“I supposed I could. But I do recall someone telling me I shouldn’t get Leshawna eliminated before Heather is out.”

Noah did say that, didn’t he? “She’s not the only one on Team Victory. Lindsay’s not really a threat, but she’s made the merge twice.”

“Wouldn’t Heather figure us out no matter who we’re targeting? Wait…” Alejandro furrowed his brows as he began to ponder. “Team Victory is down to two, meaning the only way for them to eliminate someone would be if either one voted for herself.”

“But they both want to win, so it’ll end in a tie.” Noah said, quickly catching onto the other’s train of thought. “If Chris even has them vote at all.”

“Exactly. Because what’s the point of having a vote if you already know it’s going to end in a tie?”

“Absolutely none. So what determines Victory’s next elimination is-”

“A tie-breaker.” they said in unison. Noah couldn’t help but grin. Putting in effort was tiring and painful, but it was almost fun when he did it with someone else. When he had someone else to scheme with, even if they were unknowingly aiding in their own downfall. 

“They just need to lose this next challenge in a way that isn’t either one's fault.” Alejandro said. “Lindsay doesn’t really stand a chance against Leshawna in a 1v1, so she’s guaranteed gone by tonight.”

Noah nodded. “You work on the sabotage, I’ll keep Heather distracted enough not to notice or get suspicious.”

“Right. Do forgive me if this is inappropriate to ask but, what exactly is the relation between you and Heather?”

"Excuse me?”

“You and Heather. You don’t want to make her upset, and you seem weirdly affectionate with each other. You even called her ‘honey’ this very morning. So, what’s going on?” it was clear Alejandro was trying to sound like his usual composed self. Like he was only making note of his observations, nothing out of the ordinary. Had Noah been anyone else, he would’ve believed it. 

“Affectionate?” he blurted out like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “I’ll have you know Heather gets on my every nerve and I can’t stand her, thank you. And the ‘honey’ bit is an old joke from season one, and she hates it. Really, there’s no reason to be jealous.”

"I can assure you, cerebrito, that I'm not."

Noah gave him a skeptical yet teasing look, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he asked, “Have you figured out who the finalist is, or am I going to have to spell it out for you?”

“I have a guess that I’m fairly certain of.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“Courtney.” Alejandro said confidently. “She’s a capable player, if a bit flawed.”

“Wrong.”

“What?”

“Wrong. Courtney has only sort of made the merge once.” at Alejandro’s baffled expression, Noah elaborated, “She was eliminated in season one due to Harold rigging the votes. She technically didn’t qualify for the second season, but managed to get in about halfway through.”

“I see. Gotta give it to her for being so determined.” Alejandro gave a defeated sigh. “Looks like you’ll just have to give me the answer.”

“It’s Gwen. I’d suggest getting her out after Lindsay.”

The other teen nodded, but his next words were interrupted by a loud belch that rippled through first class, making the plane tremble like turbulence. 

“Dude, that was awesome!” Tyler exclaimed. “I think even the guys in economy heard it!”

“I’d be surprised if they didn’t.” Alejandro muttered. “What are you two even doing?”

“Chug and burp contest. Wanna join?”

“No thanks, we’re good.” Noah held up his hands. “Congrats on the win though, big guy.”

Owen smiled at him. “Thank you! Izzy has taught me all she knows about packing a good burp.” his face turned solemn. “Man, I miss her. It’s only been a day but it feels like a lifetime.”

“That’s jetlag for you. But I’m sure she misses you, too.”

The plane suddenly rumbled again, a bit more violently this time. Noah was about to make a comment on who had burped that time when the PA system came to life with the sound of Chris clearing his throat. 

“Attention passengers.” a beat of silence, then came the most blood-curdling scream Noah had ever heard from the man. And understandably so, as the plane fell from the sky— worse than it had in Paris— before he was finished. 

Noah gripped the arms of the seat tightly as a cacophony of screams sang around him.

“This is it! We’re really going to die this time!” Owen cried, followed by a strange thud . Most likely something falling off the bar shelves. 

“If we survived in Paris we can survive this!” Tyler yelled back, trying his best to sound encouraging.

They did survive, somehow. But not without a few bruises and aching necks from near whiplash. 

“Chris better have a good explanation for this.” Noah grumbled as he followed his team out of the plane on shaking legs. They’d crashed on a beach surrounded by balsa and palm trees, previously vacant under the hot sun. The other teams joined them out on the sand, looking much worse for wear. Heather was still keeping distance from her own team.

“Owen?” Courtney said, squinting at the boy in question. “What’s that on your- Oh my god, you’re bleeding!” everybody turned their head at her cry. Indeed, a thin trail of blood ran down the side of his head, originating from a wound hidden in his blonde locks. 

“What happened?”

“I think I hit my head on the bar?” Owen sounded unsure. He reached for the injury, stopped by Noah catching his wrist. He and Courtney helped the bigger teen to sit.

“Owen, how are you feeling? Are you nauseous in any way?” Courtney asked. 

“Uhm, no? My head hurts like crazy, but otherwise I feel fine.”

“Okay, then you’re most likely not concussed. Good. Now we just need-”

“Two airports on an island the size of a postage stamp, and he misses both.” Chris’ voice sounded as he and Chef came out of the plane. “But somehow it’s my fault.”

“You blew our money for the season on “Chris work”!” Chef barked.

“Excuse me for interrupting,” Courtney spoke up, standing with her hands on her hips. “Owen needs medical attention.”

Both men looked at her, then down at Owen. Chef sighed, grumbling something incoherent as he walked back into the plane. A group of interns hurried out not even a second later, carrying the green fabric of a tent and boxes of medical supplies. 

“They should be done in a minute or so.” Chef said, stepping back out on the sand. “Chris, we’re not done talking. Owen, you’re coming with me.”

“Yes, sir!” Owen jumped to his feet and ran after Chef. 

“Now that that’s taken care of,” Chris said. “Team Chris is absolutely smoking hot, you will be down a player for today’s challenge.”

“We just crashed and you still want us to compete?” Gwen questioned.

“Well, the show is contractually obligated to go on no matter what, so.”

Tyler looked around the environment. “Where are we?”

“Jamaica, man. We were supposed to land in Ochos Rios, but since someone forgot how to glide, we’ll do our challenges here instead. Quickly. Before someone asks for a location fee.”

“How did this even happen?” Heather demanded.

“We ran out of fuel.” Chris explained with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders. 

“Didn’t you guys budget for the whole season?” Courtney said, agitated. 

“We did, but certain things cost more than expected.”

“Like your gold-encrusted hot tub?” Noah drawled and rolled his eyes.

Chris didn’t acknowledge his statement, instead dismissing the teens with a wave of his hand. “Change into your swimwear and meet back here in five.”

Noah huffed lowly, but like the rest of the teens, he did as he was told. They were then made to follow a crew member up a cliff where Chris stood waiting; looking like every white person on vacation. Noah could only hope he wouldn’t try his hands at a Jamaican accent. 

“That’s a really pretty blouse.” Lindsay complimented with a smile.

“Thanks, but it’s not a blouse. It’s a dashiki, man.” Chris corrected, thankfully only doing an accent for the ‘man’ part.

Lindsay’s head fell to the side and her brows knit in confusion. “A what?”

“A West African clothing piece.” Leshawna explained before Chris had the chance to butcher it.

“Oh, cool!”

“Can we get to the challenge, please.” an impatient Courtney said. 

“Right away.” the host said. “I like to call our first challenge; The treasure hunt of death! We were supposed to do this at Dunn’s waterfall, but this one seems more fun. And dangerous. Which only makes it more fun.”

“So, another water challenge?” Cody said.

“Yessiree. Your task is to dive from the beautiful whatever-it’s-called-falls, and into the lagoon below.”

“Which is full of what? Sharks?” Noah snarked.

“Nope!” he raised a doubting brow. “Electric eels, and sharks.” there it was.

After the challenge had been explained— a tag-team dive to look for treasure in the lagoon— the first divers of each team lined up at the cliff edge; Lindsay, Cody, and Tyler. At Chris’ signal they jumped in. 

“Go Cody!” Sierra yelled. “You show that shark who’s boss!”

Tyler resurfaced first, hand raised high in pride. In which he held an eel. Tyler screamed as it zapped him, throwing it away before swimming to shore. Neither Cody nor Lindsay had much luck either, though they were spared from any irate animals. 

First back up on the cliff, Tyler ran past his waiting teammates. Going right for his second dive. Heather and Leshawna were next for their teams, about to dive too when-

“ Achoo! ” Alejandro gave a convincing fake sneeze, startling both girls enough to make them lose their footing and fall off.

“Sorry, ladies!” he called after them.

Because of their disturbed dive, Leshawna and Heather were up before Tyler. Already on their way back up when he reappeared with a broken grandfather clock. “Oh come on!”

Sierra and Lindsay jumped, with the former managing to create a splash big enough to douse the waiting contestants on the cliff. 

“Thanks a lot, weirdo.” Heather sneered, removing seaweed from her hair. 

“Wait, Courtney hold still-!”

“ Gah! ” Courtney yelped as the eel on her head zapped her. Gwen quickly got a hold of it, throwing it back into the water quickly.

Tyler ran past his team once again, but was stopped before he could make the dive. “Tyler, no.” Noah said firmly. “Tag Alejandro.”

“But-”

“Just do it.”

“Alright.” the jock slumped, slapping Alejandro’s hand. 

Lindsay was out of the water when Alejandro had vanished beneath its surface, empty-handed and out of breath. He resurfaced alongside Sierra shortly after Leshawna had disappeared in the blue. Still nothing. Noah was starting to wonder how long this was going to take. 

Alejandro made it back to the cliff first and tagged Noah.

“Go for it, cerebrito.” he said with a dashing smile. Noah rolled his eyes before jumping in right as Sierra reached for Gwen. 

The water was surprisingly easy to see in. Noah swam down to the lagoon’s floor, moving seaweed and rocks in his search. He did his best being both quick and thorough to make the most of his limited air supply. It helped that the eels and sharks didn’t seem too interested in him.

Right as he was about to run out of air, he spotted the gold chains they were looking for, resting in the maw of an animal’s skull. He swam closer, just about to reach it when Gwen scooped it up in her hand. Noah glared after her as they swam back to the surface.

Then he paused; movement catching in his peripheral. He wanted to do a double check, not quite sure what he’d seen, but his lungs were screaming for him to get air.

He inhaled deeply once he’d breached the surface. Team Amazon could be heard cheering from high above. Cheering for a Gwen who was still in the water.

“Gwen, we should-” a sharp wave of electricity shot through him, causing his body to tense up painfully. He must’ve screamed, because Gwen whipped her head to him. She opened her mouth to speak— only to choke on a scream of her own.

It took another zap to his leg for Noah to realize what was going on; a swarm of eels had surrounded them. Or caged them in rather, for each attempt to move away was met with intense shocks to their bodies.

They flailed their arms as they struggled to stay afloat. Noah swallowed mouthful after mouthful of water, tearing up his throat with each cough as he tried to breathe. Every zap from the eels was like a thousand needles to his every nerve, and the numbness after turned his limbs ghost-like.  

Noah didn't process much of what happened after. He must've gotten out of the water, because the pain eventually subsided and he could breathe with minimal effort. He might’ve been carried too, before being transferred to what felt like a stretcher.

When he was fully back to consciousness he was lying in the medical tent. 

"Gwen, little buddy!" Owen gasped from across the tent. "What happened? Are you two okay?"

"Some eels." Noah said with a shrug. "We're fine, though."

"A little coma and we’ll be just as new." Gwen assured with a grin. The sentiments were lost when a wave of lingering static shot through their bodies. “Is this what dancing in Germany was like?”

“No. This is worse. How’s your head, big guy?”

“Had a fairly big cut, but Chef patched it up in no time and my skull is fully intact. He did say I was out of today’s challenge, though. Something about being more at risk of a concussion than before, I think.” Owen smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes like it should. 

“Still thinking about Izzy?” Noah asked, already knowing the answer.

The other boy sighed sadly. “Yeah. I know she doesn’t really care, but I feel bad for voting her out.”

“Wasn’t she the reason you guys lost?” Gwen inquired. 

“Yup.” Noah said. “But she’s still our friend.”

The goth looked at him with an unreadable expression, then to Owen. Then back to him. "I’m sorry, but you guys being friends with Izzy is one of the weirdest things to me.”

Owen laughed. “Well, what can I say? She’s really fun to be around.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m serious.”

“Izzy may be a lot, and there’s something deeply wrong with her, but she’s great.” Noah assured.

Ding ding!

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes!” Chris exclaimed and jumped inside the tent. How long had he been waiting outside? “Since you guys are out of commission for the rest of the challenge it’s only fair you stand for today’s song. So let’s hear it!”

"We're in the Infirmary." Gwen pleaded to no avail. 

"Do not worry, friends,” Owen said. “I've got this."

A serene reggae-like melody filled the tent. Owen swayed along to it as he began singing;

" Here is a song, about a friend of mine,

who kicks me in the kiwis, to say 'hi'.

Always up to something,

brings her friends along for the ride. ”

" Oh, oh. " Gwen chimed.

" I think we even, broke the law once. "

Noah quirked his eyebrow, “ Just once? ”

" Oh, Izzy. Oh, Izzy.

Say, what's not to love?

Oh, our Izzy. Our little Izzy.

The greatest friend you'll ever know. "

" She also happens to be the weirdest. " Noah added with a fond smile.

" She's got a nice smile, and a certain need to bite,

on people's arms, I don't know why.

Feels kinda weird to ask, hehe.

Sure, she can be freaky,

but she always has your back. “

Gwen tried to stifle her laugh, " Oh, oh. "

“ That’s just how she is our dear maniac. ” Owen sang from the bottom of his heart, beaming brightly.

" Oh, Izzy. Oh, Izzy.

Say, what's not to love?

Oh, our Izzy. Our little Izzy.

The greatest friend you'll ever know. "

With the song coming to an end, Noah joined in for the last line.

" The weirdest friend you'll ever know. "

The music faded, replaced by Gwen’s somewhat awkward applause. "That was strangely sweet."

“Thank you.” Owen said.

They were released from the medical tent not long after. Led by Chef to what looked like a long abandoned hotel. Chris was sitting in a lounge chair by an empty pool, a megaphone in hand. The only contestants to be found were Heather and Courtney. Noah was about to ask when he spotted the haphazardly constructed track, stretching from a high hill to the pool’s edge. It looked like it could’ve been a violation of the Geneva Convention.

“What’s up with… all that?” Gwen asked, gesturing towards the track. 

“It’s for the challenge,” Chris said. “You don’t have to worry about it, but your teammates do.”

“We’re standing right here.” Heather spat his way. 

“Good for you.” the host pressed a button on the megaphone, triggering the loud sound of a starting signal. Movement was made on the hill, and then the whole track began to shake. Sierra and Cody dropped into the pool seconds later, smashing against the floor. 

“47.36 seconds is the time to beat.” Chris said into the megaphone. “Team I am so hunky-dory dreamy hot?” some muffled shouting from the distance, then the signal went off again. 

Having a somewhat decent understanding of the challenge, Noah chose to tune it out. Only for the moment, because Gwen and Courtney had moved closer to one another. 

Courtney was the one to break the silence. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, no I’m- I’m good. All good.” Gwen fumbled.

“Good.”

“Good.”

Noah furrowed his brows. That did not look good. And it was about to get worse. With two of the three runs completed, Team Victory was in the lead. Noah and Alejandro glanced at each other. The former narrowed his eyes in a pointed look. ‘Make it look like an accident.’

Alejandro nodded before being herded back to the start of the track.  

Noah waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Heather. “Still upset with your team?” he asked, quietly so only she could hear. 

“What do you think?” Heather sneered.

“I think pissed off is more accurate.”

Her face softened with an airy snort. “Yeah, that’s way more accurate. Ugh, and the worst part is Courtney might lose her hatred for Gwen. I don’t know how but I hate it.”

“Just give the sign and I’ll sic Alejandro on her.” Noah said, perhaps too eagerly. “If we can get a repeat of what happened in the Amazon she’s a goner.”

“I’d prefer if we didn’t do a repeat of the Amazon.”

“You know what I mean.”

Heather smirked. “I do. Just wanted to get on your nerves for a change.”

Noah huffed, but couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed. Even if he tried. 

Cody and Sierra had finished their lap, and the signal sounded for Alejandro and Tyler.

“How are things going with Victory?”

“Lindsay didn’t seem interested, but Leshawna said she’d think about it. Don’t know when I’ll get my answer, but I hope it’s soon.”

“I’m sure you will.” ‘Leshawna won’t have to convince Lindsay after tonight.’

“The men are in first place with a total of 2 minutes and 35 seconds.” Chris announced once Alejandro and Tyler had dropped into the pool. He sounded the starting signal one last time, and Noah watched anxiously. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust that Alejandro had done his job, but there was a slim chance the girls would overcome the sabotage. 

They didn’t overcome it. 

They didn’t even make it to the pool. About halfway through the track they fell off their longboards and into the greenery. 

“Team Chris is really really really really hot are today’s winners!” Chris yelled into the megaphone. The boys cheered, and when no one was looking, Noah sent a sympathetic look Heather’s way. 

A disappointed Team Victory was brought back by two interns.

“Ladies,” Chris said to the girls. “Since there are only two of you left, you won’t be determining who gets the boot through a vote.” Noah watched as the two perked up hopefully. “Instead, you will face off in a tiebreaker!” and there that hope vanished. 

For a lack of a better tiebreaker challenge, the girls were made to play a game of beach volleyball, best out of three. It went by quickly, and even if she was holding back, Leshawna was still a beast on the court and won. Much to Heather’s joy and Tyler’s dismay. 

The elimination ceremony came and went. Lindsay only had to jump from a few meters height before boarding a small boat that would take her home. The remaining ten contestants waved her off. 

“Okay.” Chris said, bringing all attention to him as came walking from the plane. “I’ve talked with the aftermath crew and they’re set to do a live fundraiser in a few hours so we can get more fuel.”

“But, this episode hasn’t even aired yet.” Sierra pointed out. “Won’t a live aftermath spoil what happened in it? Won’t it damage the continuity?”

“Don’t question it.” Chris dismissed. “Point is we’ll be staying here until we’ve got more fuel. You kids are free to do whatever you want as long as you stay close to the plane. Alright?”

"So, we're just supposed to hang out here?" Leshawna asked.

“More or less.” his confirmation was all it took for the teams to dissolve, if only for the evening. Most of the teens got back into their swimsuits and made for the beach. To play in the ocean or bask in the final rays of the sun. Like usual, Noah chose to keep to himself. He sat under the shade of a balsa tree and read, easily tuning out the distant sounds of the others. 

It became more difficult when a certain somebody came walking towards him.

“Don’t you want to join us?” Alejandro asked, looking down at Noah.

“Not really.” he hummed flatly. 

“Then, would you mind if I joined you for a bit?”

“I’m just reading, what’s there to join? Unless you wanna sit and be ignored, then knock yourself out.”

“What’s to join is your company. We don’t have to talk, just being near you is enough.” Alejandro’s voice was like the summer wind; warm and light. So different from the sickly sweet honey he used to sway the others to trust him. From the steadfast declarations he made when leading the team. 

It almost had him fooled.

“Alright, what scheme do you want to talk about?” Noah said, closing his book and putting it aside. “How to get Gwen out? Maybe ways to make Heather more jealous?”

“What about just talking?”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” Alejandro chuckled and sat down on the towel. “I only wish to know more about you, Noah. Is that so wrong?”

“On its own, no. But seeing as you’ve made a thing of playing this flawless gentleman for this game, can you really blame me for finding it odd when you just want to talk?”

“That’s fair. But what if I let you know more about me, the real me that is, in exchange for letting me know more about you?”

“Fine.” Noah said, and leaned slightly closer towards the taller teen. “Let’s see what the real Alejandro is like. Aside from being a manipulative, cunning, and intelligent mastermind.”

The charmer gave an amused hum. “You’re probably going to laugh at me, but I’m really into paleontology.”

"Dinosaurs?"

“Yes, dinosaurs. They’re cool.” he beamed widely. 

Noah snorted, and then he laughed. A strange earnest laugh he hadn’t expected. It wasn’t that what Alejandro had said was funny, more so the enthusiasm of his statement. How it juxtaposed everything Noah had previously known about him. Yet somehow didn’t change him, or how he viewed him. Alejandro was still a manipulative, cunning, and intelligent mastermind. He just also happened to think dinosaurs were cool, and smiled like a goof when talking about them.

"You are definitely mocking me right now," Alejandro murmured. "Because it wasn't that funny."

"No no," Noah said, trying to calm down. “I just didn’t expect Alejandro Burromuerto of all people to have the interest of a five-year-old.”

“Well, you wanted to know me , didn’t you?” in the fading light of the sunset, Alejandro’s eyes glimmered. Excitement had dethroned arrogance, creating an almost vulnerable gaze. Under which Noah nearly forgot how to speak.

“I guess I did.”

“Alright, your turn, cerebrito.” Alejandro said.

“Well, I like airplanes. Any kind of aircraft really, but the focus is on planes.”

It was now Alejnadro’s turn to laugh— doing so in a more dignified manner than Noah, but earnest all the same. “And you said I had the interest of a five-year-old.”

“Never said that was a bad thing.” Noah said matter-of-factly. 

“The jumbo jet must be a nightmare.”

“Oh yeah. Don’t tell Owen this, or anyone for that matter, but it should be impossible for that thing to fly. Wouldn’t be the first time Chris has broken the laws of physics, though.”

“For my own sanity, I will keep it to myself.”

The conversation trailed off into mindless rambles. Alejandro went on and on about how fossilization worked, the differences between the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras, and every cool fact about the Stegosaurus he could think of. Noah listened like it was the most important thing in the world. Which, to Alejandro, it probably was. 

And when it became Noah’s turn to ramble, Alejandro listened intently. The questions he asked proved it so. 

It was almost overwhelming.

The cast was called back to the plane when the sun had almost set. They were informed that the aftermath had raised enough for their re-fuel, which had been scheduled to arrive sometime the next day. And because they were technically not competing, Chris allowed the whole cast to spend the night in first class.

Not in the mood to mingle with the others, Noah locked himself in the confessional. Just to rest his social battery. He didn’t have anything to say.

But the red light of the camera stared at him, urging him to speak.

Noah crossed his arms. "So, Heather and Alejandro." the whisper of a soft smile brushed against his lips. "They're not so bad."

He realized what he’d said a bit too late. 

“What? Wait, no! No, I didn't mean- don’t air that! Do not -!”

Chapter Text

Heather wouldn’t say she hated Owen. He was gross and annoying for sure, but he also had a certain way of never being offensive enough to warrant outright hate. He was tolerable, at worst and at best.

But as he shot a pepper from his nose and somehow made Noah laugh so sincerely, Heather couldn’t help but frown. 

She’d caught Noah talking with Alejandro during their stay in Jamaica. It made her feel weird, the way they’d been laughing together. Creating an unexplainable hatred that wouldn’t leave her. She tried to ignore it. Tried to focus on being angry at her team, or having fun with Leshawna. Nothing worked. The feeling persisted, remaining even as she sat in economy class hours later. 

Perhaps that was the reason for her sudden resentment of Owen; he made Noah smile the same way he had with Alejandro. The same way he never smiled with her. 

Though really, Heather shouldn’t have been surprised. Since when did people smile around her?

All three teams had spent the flight to their next destination in economy class. Something about Chris needing the first class quarters for a special guest. The boys had been annoyed, but nobody tried to argue with the man. If they had, maybe Heather wouldn’t have been forced to listen to Noah’s laughter— even if it was the one thing keeping her sane while her team more or less fell apart around her.

Gwen was sitting with her sunburnt hand in a bucket of some bird poop mixture, courtesy of Courtney’s CIT skills. Sierra was typing nonsense into a pizza box, using a dead rat as a mouse. Cody hadn’t said a word since take off, only glancing guiltily at Gwen from time to time. A complete disaster of a team.

Leshawna hadn’t said much either. During the hours where she hadn’t been sleeping she’d looked out the window. Which she was currently doing now; staring out at the starlit sky. 

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Alejandro said as another pepper came flying across the room. He stood up from where he’d been lying on the bench. “I have to be, anywhere but here.” 

When he walked out of economy class he was trailed by Leshawna's narrowed eyes. She turned back to the window once he'd disappeared behind the curtain. 

Heather dropped everything. Her sudden animosity for anyone who made Noah laugh, her resentment for her team's behavior. All that could wait. She knew the look Leshawna had given Alejandro.

However, right as she was about to stand and ask her friend to talk in private came an announcement from Chris.

They’d been denied landing, and so the cast was instructed to gather by the emergency exit in the common area where they would jump out of the plane. Thankfully with parachutes this time. 

So naturally they were one parachute short. 

Half of the cast had made the jump when a hand found its place on Heather’s shoulder. She turned to whoever it belonged to, finding Leshawna with a parachute in hand. 

“Wanna jump together?” she asked, with an undertone of something urgent. 

“Gladly.”

They landed on a bridge somewhere in London, judging the Big Ben standing not too far away. A group of interns stood on standby to help with the parachutes. 

The two girls had just been freed from theirs when Leshawna leaned closer to Heather, speaking quietly so only she could hear, “I’ve thought about the alliance offer. I’m in.”

Heather perked up. “For real?”

“For real. The boys need to be brought down, especially Alejandro. Don’t know what he’s planning, but something about the way he was acting in Newfoundland just seemed off. I can’t put my finger on it, though.”

It took Heather everything not to burst into cries of joy. Finally, people were starting to catch onto that dirtbag. “I know exactly what you mean. And if we play it right, he’s the one going home tonight.”

For a moment, she considered telling Leshawna her plan with Noah. If they were allies then she’d have to be in the loop of Heather’s entire game plan, right? But, maybe not. She and Noah were just trying to make Alejandro jealous to throw his game and make him an easy target for elimination, Leshawna didn’t really have a role to play in that.

No. There weren’t any reasons for her to know, not yet. Heather could explain everything once she'd won the million. For now, she just had to focus on getting Alejandro out of the game. 

Besides, she’d given Noah her word, and that was starting to actually mean something.

"You focus on winning and I'll try to sabotage the boys."

Leshawna smiled confidently. “Let’s do this.”

A double-decker bus had been parked on the bridge where they’d landed, onto which the contestants were ushered. Heather and Leshawna sat down next to each other in the aisle ‘claimed’ by the rest of Team Amazon.

“Wait, where’s Alejandro?” Noah asked.

“Yes. Where is he?” Chris hummed. “The answer in a sec. For now. Hit it, Chef!”

Chef slammed his foot on the gas pedal, and the bus was sent flying through the night. Chris began his spiel, going on and on about London before getting to the main point; Jack the Ripper. A chill went through the bus at the name, as ridiculous as it was. 

“Today, you will be tracking that bad boy down. But be careful, Jack’s also hunting you . That’s why Team Chris is really really really really hot is now short-handed.”

“The Ripper got Alejandro!” Owen cried with a horrified expression. “Not Alejandro!”

“Dude, calm down,” Noah said. “It’s not the real Ripper. Alejandro’s fine.” 

While his words were enough to calm Owen, a crease remained between Noah’s brows. Contorting his face into worry. 

Heather pursed her lip, but before her train of thoughts could even leave the station there was a fist bumping into her shoulder.

“What was that for?” Heather hissed. 

“You were staring.” Leshawna snickered. “Finally making some friends on this show?”

“We’re friends.”

“I mean other than me. You’ve been hanging around Noah a lot more recently I've noticed.”

Heather shrugged. "I wouldn't say we're friends, but he's alright. Definitely not as bad as I thought."

“I told you.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

They didn’t say much else during the bus ride, which allowed Heather to observe the devastation unfold. Courtney and Gwen were seated together, engaged in enthusiastic nerd conversation about the Tower of London and Jack the Ripper. Free from the awkwardness that had persisted between them for the past few days.

Heather frowned. The two girls had been slowly mending their relationship ever since Newfoundland. She wasn’t fully sure how, but she suspected it had something to do with them losing the challenge. No way would Courtney have allowed them to get lost. No way would she have been as calm about it as she’d been. She would’ve yelled at whoever was responsible, and put them on the spot right away. But she hadn’t. 

Whatever had happened on that boat, no one seemed to want Heather to know the truth. That frustrated her. Because even if she wasn’t that big of a target anymore— thanks to Noah’s advice— she was still very much not liked among her teammates. If Gwen managed to get back in their teammates' good graces, then Heather was gone.

‘Not unless you take Noah up on his offer and have Alejandro target her.’ Depending on how the coming challenge went, she just might have to. 

The bus stopped outside the tower, where three guards stood idle by the gate. Guards they were expected to strip in order to find their first clue and begin the hunt for real. Of course, that was also when the song bell rang. Team Chris took the first verse, trying to find a way around having to touch the guy themselves.

“ No way, I can’t strip him. ” Courtney sang once it became their turn, looking guiltily at her fidgeting fingers. “ Duncan will freak. ”

“ And I’m allergic to uniforms. ” Heather quickly chimed, earning an unimpressed look from Gwen.

“ Okay, that’s just weak. ”

Pulling Cody into her embrace, Sierra bellowed, “ I made a vow that Cody is the only man for me! ”

“ Okay, well, I can’t do it either. Remember, my injury- Ow! ” Gwen winced as she accidentally touched her sunburn. 

That only left them with one option. In a rare moment of agreement, Heather, Courtney, and Gwen all nodded at each other

“ If we’re gonna find that clue, ” 

“ There’s only one thing to do-o. ”

“ Force someone to strip him down, ”

They pushed the only boy on the team towards the guard.

“ And Cody, that’s gotta be you! ”

“ What? Oh, come on. ” he stumbled before the guard, sighing dejectedly. 

“ If I’m gonna find that clue, there’s only one thing to do-o. ” Leshawna sang, and nobody missed her dismay of being a one-woman team in that moment. But she marched up to the guard with her head held high. “ Suck it up and strip him down, ‘cause if I don’t I’m through. ”

“ Well, Tyler, that settles it. ” Noah declared as Tyler lost yet another round of rock-paper-scissors. “ You’ve lost every round we’ve played. ”

“ Aw man, totally uncool. This is the worst challenge yet. ” the jock complained as he reluctantly approached the final guard.

“ Yeah, we’re gonna find that clue. ”

“ We’re doing what Chris proposed. ” Heather sang, glaring at Cody who had yet to touch the guard.

Leshawna rolled her eyes, working on getting the guard’s jacket off, “ Force someone to strip him down. ”

“ ‘Cause if we don’t we’re hosed! ” the observing contestants chorused. 

“ Totally ho-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-osed. “ Courtney belted out, ending the song on an admittedly impressive high note. 

With the music gone Cody finally got to work, starting with the man’s hat. Leshawna was still very much in the lead, and it didn’t take long before she announced her victory, holding an envelope in her hands. 

Heather’s internal cheering was cut short by Courtney yelling at Cody to hurry up. Met immediately by Sierra telling her to back off. 

“Found it!” the boy called, standing up from where he’d been crouched by the guard’s feet. 

Courtney snatched the envelope from his hands. “Pull taut atop a southern spire.” she read and paused for a moment to think. “Quick, follow me!”

Heather only managed to follow her team inside the gate before she was yanked behind a stone building. She was about to scream when an intern quickly hushed her. 

“It’s just for the challenge.” she assured the slightly shaken teen.

Heather was returned to the plane after that, made to wait in what looked to be a control room with a big monitor taking up one of the walls— the screen split to display different parts of the challenge area. She wasn’t the only one in the room, however. None other than Alejandro Burromuerto stood with his arms crossed, watching her walk inside.

Heather couldn’t help but to laugh, to gloat. “You really got caught before the challenge even began? Wow, that’s truly pathetic.”

Alejandro’s eyes narrowed to a dignified glare. “Considering you were also caught early, I don’t think you have anything to laugh about, serpentina.”

“Whatever. Have fun when they throw you off the plane.”

“I believe you're the one who will be thrown off the plane.”

“Puh-lease.” Heather scoffed. “Your team barely functions without you.” there weren’t any cameras around. No other contestants or crew members. Just the two of them. Heather had no reason to act civil and hide her resentment. And oh, how liberating it was. 

“My team works excellently even in my absence,” Alejandro insisted. “After all, we’ve got Noah.”

“Who’s currently stuck with Tyler and Owen.”

"And you're currently stuck with me.”

“Ugh! Just- keep to your side and don’t bother me.”

“Whatever you say, amiga.”

Heather bit her tongue to hold back her retort. The conversation was over, and she had a challenge to watch. 

Leshawna was still in the lead, working on stretching Chef on some torture rack. The screen beside it changed, displaying a different part of the room. Or maybe a different room altogether. A wooden door was pushed open and in bolted Team Amazon. 

‘Yes!’ Heather grinned. Team Chris were losing for sure. Her own team began debating who would be stretched. Gwen and Courtney both nominated Cody, giggling as their declarations were spoken at the same time. Cody was spared when Sierra promptly laid down on the rack, saying something about nobody being allowed to hurt her ‘Codykins’, and how they’d humiliated him enough with the guards.

The sound of another door opening brought Heather’s attention to another screen. This one showed Team Chris entering the torture chamber. They didn’t have to waste time debating, Tyler volunteered without hesitation. 

“Alright, let’s lock him in before Alejandro thinks we’ve abandoned him or something.” Noah said.

Owen began locking Tyler in the shackles. 

"What's up with you and Alejandro, by the way? You two have gotten so much closer these last few days." he said. Then his lips curled into a teasing grin. "Are you into him?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Noah replied, unfazed by the other’s implications. "He's fun to hang out with, at the very least. So is Heather." a soft smile found its way to his lips, so unlike his perpetual frown.  

"What was that?"

"Nothing." just like that it was gone. But Heather had seen it. And as Noah began twisting the crank her thoughts began to wander. 

‘He's fun to hang out with, at the very least.’ she knew Noah and Alejandro got along, but Noah knew he wasn’t trustworthy. He told her such. They were working against him. Why hide his suspicions when they were trying to get him off? Noah had told her Alejandro was currently too liked to be voted off. Why wasn’t he taking the chance to ruin it?

‘ So is Heather.’ what did that even mean? It could’ve been him carrying on their plan, but Alejandro wasn’t in the room with them. There was no one there to make jealous. And that smile…

There was no way she’d been the reason for it. People didn’t smile like that when thinking of her.

But then who was it for? Who could make Noah smile like that?

Like being thrown into icy waters, Heather tensed up. ‘No…’

She turned her head, wide eyes locking with Alejandro. However, where she’d expected smugness was only shock similar to her own. That was when she understood.

Noah had played them both.

The screens were forgotten, the challenge was forgotten, the game was forgotten. All Alejandro could do was stare at the girl before him. His thoughts ran rampant, almost painfully so. Noah had double-crossed them.

“No puedo creerlo.” Alejandro said under his breath. Then something snapped. A strange mix of emotions began to swirl within him. Embarrassment, anger, and most absurdly of all, admiration. That last one was forcefully pushed aside in favor of the other two.

“¡No puedo creerlo! ¡Ese pequeño idiota me engañó!” he clenched his fists and began to pace back and forth in an attempt to keep his composure. Even if the only other person in the room was Heather, he didn’t want anyone to see him lose more control than he had to. 

Heather had thrown composure out the window. Just like how she’d thrown one of the chairs across the room, creating a small dent in the wall. Her fair complexion was burning with rage. “That little jerk!”

But just as quickly as the room had erupted, it calmed down again. Leading to a tense silence where Alejandro slowly figured out he wasn’t mad at Noah, but himself. He was supposed to be a mastermind, had Noah not called him as much? And yet, he’d ended up as the fool. The pawn.

Alejandro went over every interaction he’d ever had with the other teenager— trying to figure out when he’d slipped. When Noah had taken control. 

“I’m just trying to help you. Angry Heather might play it recklessly, but she’ll bring you down with her no matter the cost. You saw her in New York.”

Alejandro turned back to Heather. "Did you sabotage our carriage back in New York?"

She scoffed, "Uh, yeah? You were messing with my team. Did it really take you this long to figure it out?"

“Noah told me about it in Germany.” he confessed.

Heather furrowed her brows. “You… You were planning on getting Leshawna out.” it wasn’t a question, but a verbalized thought. 

“How do you know about that?”

"Noah told me… in Germany."

They stared at each other in silence. Stunned beyond words. Alejandro understood then, the brilliance of his ally. The way he’d been working both sides made it clear he’d likely intended to bring them all into the final three. Waiting until then to emerge from the shadows to claim the victory. After having Heather and Alejandro do all the heavy work for him. After keeping them at each other's throats for the entire game. 

"Oh, he's good." Heather muttered, clearly at the same conclusion as him.

“Yeah…” Alejandro hummed. He gave her an intentful look, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Absolutely.”

Their plan to confront Noah was made quickly. A good thing, as Tyler entered the control room moments later. Followed shortly by Sierra and Cody. Alejandro and Heather ignored each other while watching the rest of the challenge play out. 

Or, they would have, had the feeds not cut out once the last contestants had left the Tower of London. 

Questioning murmurs were passed between the captured contestants, answered the moment Chris and Chef appeared. Apparently, they didn’t want them to know which team caught the Ripper, saving it for a big reveal at the end of the episode. 

The last contestant to arrive was Leshawna, and then they were swiftly taking off. When Alejandro asked about the remaining contestants, Chris assured him they were all on the plane.

And indeed, they were— the last standing Amazon and Chris duos entered after the camera crew had given clear, each carrying a sack containing someone. 

“Guys!” Owen exclaimed with a relieved smile. “You’re okay!”

“Of course we were.” Alejandro said, forcing a smile. Even if he’d stopped using that cursed nickname, Owen was still less than tolerable. “I appreciate you worrying though, amigo.”

“What’s up with the monitor?” Gwen asked, looking over the screens which were now back to displaying different parts of the tower. “Have you been watching us?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Heather hummed innocuously.

“It was fun to hang around here, at the very least.” they received weird looks from the others, but that didn’t matter. The only thing Alejandro cared about was Noah’s reaction. How his eyes widened for just a split second, revealing how realization was dropped on him like a bomb. No one else saw— only Alejandro and Heather. 

Alejandro gave him an approving nod, “Wonderful job today, cerebrito.”

“Uh, thanks.” Noah said, quickly averting his gaze. Clearing his throat he dropped the bag onto the floor, revealing the same old man Alejandro had seen in first class hours prior. “Here’s your Ripper guy.”

Chris walked up to the man, “I think you mean…” and pulled off his mask.

"Ezekiel!?" the cast gasped in unison.

Chris began explaining something about the previously eliminated contestant, but Alejandro didn’t listen. Too busy eyeing Noah from where he stood across the room. Trying to catch another glimpse of his fading facade.

“Wait. If Noah and Owen caught the Ripper, then who did Gwen and Courtney capture?” Leshawna questioned, pulling Alejnadro’s attention back to the conversation.

“Well…” Gwen scratched the back of her neck and glanced at Courtney. The other girl didn’t look any more confident. She sighed and turned the bag upside down— dumping a green-haired boy onto the floor. It took Alejandro a moment to recognize who it was; Duncan. The contestant who’d left way back in Egypt. How had he ended up in London?

The rest of the teens seemed to think the same, for they stared at him in shock. 

“Would you look at that.” Chris spoke amused. “Seeing as Team Chris is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and Team Amazon both brought back a criminal, I declared both teams are tonight’s winners!” cheering broke out among the two teams.

"And as a reward for getting the actual killer, Duncan will join the boys."

“Uh, no. He will not.” Duncan stood up to glare at Chris. “I’m done with this show.”

“Should’ve read your contract before signing it then, dude. You can’t quit the show. Only way out is elimination.”

“I was disqualified for not singing!”

“Courtney and Gwen didn’t sing either, and they’re still here.”

Duncan opened his mouth for another rebuttal, but Chris beat him to it. “Go stand with your team.”

The punk obliged, but not without grumbling words that would need heavy censoring to be allowed on TV. 

Chris only hummed before moving on to the one remaining member of Team Victory. "Leshawna, since you're the only one to come back empty-handed…"

"Then this is where it ends for me, I got it." Leshawna sighed. She gave Heather’s arm a friendly nudge with her elbow, "You better win this one, girl."

"Oh, I will ." determination gleamed bright in her silver eyes. 

The contestants were then dismissed, most leaving to enjoy first class. Alejandro locked himself in the confessional instead. He had some time to kill before the confrontation was to take place. And judging by how Heather had walked with Leshawna to the elimination room, he figured he’d have to wait even longer. Not that he minded. It gave him some time for himself. 

“Being fully honest,” he said to the camera. “I didn’t think too highly of my team during the beginning of this show. I still don’t think highly of most of them, but Noah? What a sneaky bastard he turned out to be. I can’t even be mad. Annoyed, yes, but his strategy is too impressive to hate.”

His smile fell slightly after that. He thought back to the Amazon, when he’d let Noah glimpse at the less charming side of him. The one that became angry over such irrelevant things like nicknames. Alejandro didn’t know what response he’d expected from the other boy, but offering to get his friend to stop using the nickname was not one of them. Had that been part of his strategy? 

It could’ve been, and it likely was. But… what if it wasn’t?

“It doesn’t matter.” Alejandro muttered.

He straightened his posture, sending the camera a dashing smile. “Impressive strategy or not, it won’t be enough to beat me. I’ll win this thing. Mark my words.”

When he exited the confessional he caught Heather at the end of the hallway. She jerked her head in the direction of the cargo hold. He nodded. It was time.

Alejandro had half expected Noah to run and hide the moment he had the chance. But he sat reading in first class, looking unbothered like only he could. Detached from the rest of the group.

“What a day.” Alejandro said, standing infront of Noah. “Wouldn’t you agree, cerebrito?”

Noah simply hummed in response, keeping his full attention on the book. Alejandro understood the other was likely nervous over having been found out; resulting in him not responding like usual. But a part of him felt a pang of disappointment at being ignored by the boy. He thought they’d grown closer during their stay in Jamaica. Then again, Noah had also been relaying his plans to Heather, and vice versa. So maybe there hadn’t been anything there to begin with. 

‘Why does that matter?’ Alejandro questioned himself. ‘You’re here to win, not make friends.’

He shook his head, returning to the task at hand. 

With his hand on top of the book’s spine, Alejandro pulled it down from Noah’s face. Surprised to find the other let him. They stared at each other, Alejandro pinning the shorted under jade eyes.

“We need to talk. Now.”

Noah swallowed, but closed his book and set it aside.

Alejandro led him through the plane, down to the cargo hold. Casting quick glances over his shoulder to ensure the other hadn’t fled. Each time the shorter teen was walking right behind him.

On the outside, Noah appeared calm and indifferent. And while Alejandro couldn’t partake in his thoughts and inner feelings, he knew nervous people when he saw them. Some were just better at hiding it than others. 

The closer they got to the cargo hold, the worse Noah got at hiding it. Coming to its crest when Alejandro held open the door, gesturing for him to enter first with an inviting smile. Noah hesitated for a second before passing over the threshold, walking deeper into the dark space— Alejandro looming over him.

Once they’d reached the far end of the cargo hold, Heather stepped out from where she’d been hiding behind a stack of boxes. 

“Hi, Noah.” she greeted, her voice the faux melody of something wicked.

“Heather.” Noah said, his monotone almost breaking. 

She marched up to them, grinning like the fox who’d caught the crow. Noah made to take a step back, then halted— remembering who stood just a meter behind him. He remained idle as Heather came closer, caging him between her and Alejandro. 

“Had fun today?”

“Define fun.” came Noah’s dry remark. 

“How about we skip the small talk and get straight into things?” Alejandro suggested. Not waiting for a response, he continued, “I believe we’re all on the same page regarding your scheme, no?”

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"But I think you do. Say, what was your plan with making us both jealous?”

Noah was quiet for a moment, delaying his answer. “At first I did it because I was bored, but then I realized I could actually try to play this stupid game. It was surprisingly fun, despite the effort it took. I just had to keep both of you in the game for as long as possible to ensure I remained in control.”

“So, you never planned on eliminating us?”

“Nope. You two are absolutely vicious, but you’re also among the best players in this entire game. Why would I get you out early when we could’ve taken out everyone else first? I would’ve let you bring each other down after that.”

Alejandro smirked. Even if he already knew it, it felt good to have it be confirmed with Noah’s own words.

“Besides, having to spend who knows how long on this plane without either of you would’ve been hell.”

“Wait, you like us?” Heather snorted.

“Not what I said.”

“It’s what you implied.”

“No-”

“It’s okay, cerebrito.” Alejandro spoke in a saccharine voice, “You can admit you like us. We’re the only ones here.”

“I don’t like you, I tolerate you. Big difference.”

“But you like spending time with us. At least, that’s what you said during the challenge.”

Noah stuttered, failing to find his words before huffing. He crossed his arms and turned his flustered face away. Alejandro laughed, relieved he hadn’t opened up as much as he had to someone who didn’t care. Even if said somebody had yet to admit to it.

“Just throw me off the plane and get this over with already.”

“That won’t be happening any time soon.”

“What?”

“Look, you might have gone behind our backs with this whole double alliance thing.” Heather began, breaking the cage to stand by Alejandro’s side. “But your plan is genius. So, we have a proposal; the three of us work together to take out the competition, guaranteeing we’ll be in the final three.” she reached her hand out and flicked Noah’s forehead, “You’re not a bad player yourself when you actually put in the effort.”

Noah stared at them, baffled.

“Well,” Alejandro said, once he’d deemed the silence had lasted long enough. “What do you say, cielo .”

“I don’t think I have much of a choice.” Noah deadpanned. “But alright. I’m in.”

“Yes!” Heather pumped her fist, breaking the tense air in the cargo hold. Alejandro could practically see as the weight left Noah’s shoulders. 

“Shall we make this alliance official? Now that things have settled, I mean.”

“I’m not kissing either of you.” Noah said bluntly. 

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t like you.”

Alejandro placed a hand on his chest, pouting, “Oh, you wound me with your lies.” he didn’t miss the slight curl of Noah’s lips.

“Please don’t tell me this is how you two have been flirting.” Heather said. 

“What? Jealous you can only flirt through insults?”

“Fuck you.”

“Alright, knock it off.” the shortest teen stepped between the two— a fairly comical sight had anyone been there to witness. “No need to hate each other anymore. But this does leave the question of the original jealousy plan. Are you two going to drop it or?”

“I think we’ll have to keep it going,” Heather said. “People might become suspicious if we’re suddenly all friendly with each other.”

“Agreed. We’ll keep the love triangle act as a facade so people won’t catch on to our real plan.” Alejandro nodded. “Keep them in the dark until one of us has won the million.”

“Which will be me.”

Alejandro cast her a nettled look, “Correction, it’ll be me.”

“In your dreams maybe.”

“Just like New York.” Noah muttered, sounding oddly fond. 

Chapter Text

They stayed in the cargo hold for a while longer, sharing observations of the other contestants and forging the base for their plan. 

With the return of Duncan, there wasn’t much debate on who was to be their first target; Total Drama’s very own love triangle. Which, despite Courtney and Gwen’s new amicable dynamic, seemed to still be a source of conflict. If the blundering reveal of the delinquent and the stolen glances were anything to go by. 

“There’s no guarantee Courtney will vote for Gwen as it currently stands. I would even go as far as to say she won’t.” Heather had said, taking charge of the conversation. “So we need to break them up. Perhaps Gwen can finally admit to her feelings for Duncan.”

“That’ll make Courtney lose it, even if Duncan doesn’t reciprocate.” Noah commented.

“Judging by how he acted last season, he definitely reciprocates. But he sure doesn’t look all too happy being back with Courtney.”

“Trouble in paradise, perhaps?” Alejandro hummed.

Their plan came quickly. All they needed was for Gwen to admit her feelings, Duncan to admit his doubts, and Courtney’s insecurities would do the rest for them. Heather, Noah, and Alejandro just needed to give them each a little push in the right direction. 

Entering first class— alone, so as not to cause suspicion— Heather immediately spotted Courtney and Gwen. Once again seated next to each other, once again talking without a hint of animosity. She rolled her eyes and dropped down in an open seat nearby. Unknowing to the fact she’d taken a seat beside Sierra until the girl spoke to her.

“I’m down to vote her off, just fyi.”

“Who? Gwen?” Heather turned to her. 

“ Duh . She’s made us lose so many times. Well, only two. And she did get us a technical win in the last challenge. But still. She’s distracting Cody from the game and is totally gonna to break up duncney. Though, that might be a good thing, now that I think about it.”

“What the fuck is a duncney?”

“Duncan and Courtney’s ship name,” Sierra explained like it was the most normal and obvious thing in the world. “I have all of Total Drama’s ship names memorized, watch-”

“No thanks, I’m good.” Heather cut her off quickly. “But good to know you’re with me in the vote.” it was an honest statement. Because while Noah and Alejandro, with the help of an oblivious Owen, had the numbers on their side, Heather didn't have that same certainty.

“No worries.” Sierra chirped, and then her face became serious. “But don’t go throwing the challenges. If I find out you are then you're out, got it?” She gasped in delighted shock. “Omg, I totally sounded like og season one Heather there!”

“I’m sitting right here.”

“Yeah, as the new and improved Heather. Not as iconically villainous as the old one, but you’re still a beast at this game!”

“… Thanks?”

“You’re welcome. But yeah, I’m so down for voting Gwen,” Sierra pointed to where the goth was laughing with Courtney. “ That could be dangerous in the merge. I can definitely see what the gwourtney shippers have been talking about.”

“The-? Nevermind.”

It was at that moment that Noah and Alejandro entered first class. Smiling. 

Heather watched them as they walked through the cabin to their seats; Noah with Owen and Alejandro beside Duncan, likely to work his charms. 

Something pulled at Heather’s insides, forcing her lips into a frown. One might’ve expected her to get over whatever ire she’d felt towards the sight of them together, now that they were all on the same side. But no. Ugh, stupid Alejandro and his stupid natural allure that made Heather seem less appealing in comparison. No wonder he had nearly everybody wrapped around his finger during the start of the season. He probably could’ve turned the entire cast against her if he wanted to. Undoing what little progress she’d made at improving.

Then again…

Heather thought back to Leshawna’s drop of shame. With no voting to take up the runtime, Chris had allowed them a moment to simply talk. Heather had been honest, admitting to having wished for a finale with the two of them. Leshawna had smiled and pulled her into a hug, teasing her for having gone soft. Then she’d whispered, “You’ve gotten so much better over the year. If anyone here deserves to win, it’s you.”

It caught Heather off guard. So much so that she almost missed Leshawna’s last words before her jump, “I’m rooting for you!”

Maybe that little progress would’ve been enough to keep Leshawna on her side even if Alejandro tried to sway her.

Relaxing in first class was cut short by Chris calling all contestants to the common area. With each team standing on either side of the room, the man began his spiel, “Prepare yourselves for challenges of an amateur caliber. Because we’re recreating the original Olympics! And we’re headed for the birthplace of the Olympics right now in-”

“Greece!”

“Atlantis!”

“Mount Olympus?"

“Wrong. Fictional. And, what?” Chris said to Courtney, Sierra, and Owen respectively. “We’re going to Rome, Italy!”

“But Courtney was correct. The Olympics originated in Greece.” Alejandro said as Owen cheered for pizza.

“No, they originated in-”

“Greece.” the Noah finished. “Just admit you were wrong.”

Chris tore his skeptical gaze from the duo, pulling out a stack of paper and flipping through them. Dejectedly, he sighed, “Alright, if you’ll excuse me, I have some interns to yell at. And a plane to reroute.”

The two teams were left alone, the curses of their host fading away in the distance. Heather crossed her arms over her chest, grinning viciously towards the boys. 

“Ready to be annihilated, boys?”

Alejandro gave her an amused look, shielding the challenging glint in his jade eyes, “It'd be a real shame if you'd have to eat those words later, serpentina.”

“Good thing I won’t be.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Bring it!”

At the charmer’s side, Noah feigned exasperation at the interaction playing out. He might’ve been successful with the others, but Heather wasn’t fooled. Easily spotting the endearment that softened his frown.

“You guys are going down!” Sierra pounded her fist into her palm, oblivious to the moment she’d ruined. 

“No way, dudes,” Tyler joined. “We’ve got this in the bag!”

As trash-talk was thrown between the two teams, Heather noticed the strange looks being shared by Duncan and Gwen. Guilty, and longing. Neither said much either, only responding when Courtney directed her words to either one. 

Interesting.

Landing an hour later, they were met with the striking ruins of the Acropolis. Heather had never cared much for history, but she had to admit, the sight was stunning. It would’ve been a pleasant day had it not been for Chris.

“Seeing as we’re honoring the Olympics, today we’re gonna do things a bit differently. The challenge will consist of four one-on-one mini-challenges, with each victory granting you a golden medal. Team with the most medals in the end wins first class tickets to our next destination. Losing team will receive a brutal elimination ceremony.”

The first challenge was a scavenger hunt, set in some forest-maze of broken columns. Gwen was quick to speak when Chris called for volunteers.

“I’ll-”

“I’ll go for Team Chris.”

Duncan glared down at Noah. “Excuse me?”

“Dude, in case you haven’t noticed, this is a sports challenge. And in case you’ve forgotten, I don’t do sports. We’re trying to win.”

‘And wrangle a confession out of Gwen.’ Heather smirked, catching the goth nervously glancing towards Duncan. He looked like he wanted to argue, but Chris didn’t let him. 

The host gave the two volunteers a more detailed instruction for their challenge; retrieving the gold medal guarded by a wild boar. They were each given a cheap looking shield and sword before being led away to the forest-maze by Chef— who was dressed in a gladiator costume. 

“Good luck, cerebrito!” Alejandro called after them.

Heather sent him a sharp glare, earning a sly smile in return. 

Oh, she really hated that guy.

The remaining eight contestants were made to follow Chris down to some kind of amphitheater, where a red mat had been placed at its center.

“Pankration is an ancient Greek martial art with no rules. Last man standing wins the gold. We will play two matches. Each team picks their fighters, and I’ll decide who goes up against who.”

“As the strongest Amazon, I volunteer to fight for our team.” Courtney said with a proud step forward.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the strongest.” Cody stated, resulting in Courtney falling into a fit of giggles. “What?”

“Oh, you were serious?”

“Yes?”

“Okay, look, we’re in a competition, so maybe leave the fighting to those who actually know how to fight.”

“It’s two people for two matches,” Heather rolled her eyes, “Why don’t you both go?”

“Sweet sentiment, but even Tyler could take him out.” Courtney said.

“Hey!”

“No, she has a point.”

“You two are so mean.” Sierra piped up. “Cody could take anyone out, easy!”

Courtney furrowed her brows in a skeptical look. “Can he, though?”

“That’s it!” Sierra’s cheeks puffed up in anger. “I will fight in Cody’s name, and if I win you have to admit he’s a strong player!”

“Deal.” Courtney held out her hand for the other girl to shake.

“That’s Courtney and Sierra for Team Amazon.” Chris said as the two girls stepped up to the mat. “Team Chris is really really really really hot, are your fighters ready?”

“Ready as we'll ever be!” Tyler declared, puffing out his chest confidently. Duncan didn’t look half as enthused, but he did send Courtney a challenging look. 

“Alright.” Chris clicked his tongue in intrigue, moving his gaze between the volunteers. “First up, Courtney versus Duncan!”

The two got positioned on the mat, and the first match began. Heather observed it carefully. How they both instantly jumped at each other, baring their teeth. How neither appeared to be holding back. Their fight was uncoordinated, messy, personal . Like they weren’t fighting for a gold medal or a million dollars, but something else. Maybe nothing at all. 

Maybe they were just angry, and the challenge was nothing more than an excuse to let it out.

“Had enough yet?” Duncan sneered. He’d managed to get the upper hand when catching Courtney’s ankle as she’d tried to kick him in the head. 

“Barely.” Courtney twisted her body, pulling free from Duncan’s grip. She spun around sharply, building up the force in her fist which collided with the delinquent’s jaw. With the boy off balance, Courtney wasted no time tackling and pinning him to the ground. “I could do this all day.”

Duncan scowled. “Well, I can’t. Uncle!”

“And Courtney wins the first medal for Team Amazon!”

The two fighters parted ways, returning to their teams. Both were roughed up, with ruffled hair, dust on their clothes, shallow scrapes and blooming bruises on their skin.

Heather eyed Courtney up and down as she walked with pride, the medal hanging around her neck. Upon the other girl’s questioning eyes, she said, “Are you sure you’re really in love with the guy?”

Courtney narrowed her eyes at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You just beat his ass to near oblivion. Kinda looked like you were enjoying it, too.”

“I did it for the challenge. We’re trying to win .”

“True. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he goes to Gwen for comfort after all of this-”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Courtney held her hand up to Heather’s face. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work. Duncan and I may have had our difficulties, but we’ll figure it out. We always do.”

“Whatever you say. Still, we both saw how upset he got that he didn’t get to do the scavenger hunt with Gwen.”

Courtney opened her mouth, but the words failed her. She tsk’d in their stead, crossing her arms and turning to the fight between Sierra and Tyler.

Heather grinned. ‘Too easy.’

The scavenger hunt had gotten off to a slow start, with Noah and Gwen meandering the columns aimlessly. They hadn’t even caught sight of the supposed boar yet, resulting in their swords and shields being discarded. 

Noah was still working off the adrenaline of the confrontation in the cargo hold. He’d been certain his time on the show had come to an end, or maybe even his time in general. But there he was, alive and still in the game. It was almost too good to be true.

Which was why he needed to make this one-on-one with Gwen worthwhile. 

If he could just get her to admit to her feelings, then he’d be able to persuade her to confess. Maybe. Hopefully. Noah was unfortunately not as good with persuasion as Alejandro and Heather. But if he could pull it off, then he’d done his part. Then he’d proven himself to be just as good of a player as Heather and Alejandro believed he was. Why he felt he needed to prove it in the first place was unimportant. 

Chef had been overseeing the challenge— looming in the distance and occasionally yelling at them to pick up the pace. 

“How long do you think this is going to take?” Gwen asked, breaking the silence in a much more preferable way.

“No clue. But it hopefully won’t be this boring once we find the boar.”

“Nah, then it’ll just be painful.”

“Boring and painful. Such riveting options.” Gwen snickered at that, unknowingly giving Noah the entry he needed.

“So, Duncan’s back,” he said. “Not to sour the mood, or whatever.”

“He sure is.”

“You don’t seem too happy about it.”

Gwen sighed. “I don’t know. I kinda am, because Courtney’s been missing him since he left, but… I don’t know.”

“Complicated feelings. I get it.”

“You do?”

“Not really.” Noah mentally slapped himself. “But I can imagine. Duncan and Courtney don’t have the most, stable relationship, so to speak. Being around them must be exhausting.”

“You could say that twice.” Gwen muttered. Likely not intended for Noah to hear, but he did.

“Something tells me you don’t like them being together.” it was a shot in the dark. Completely blind. Noah could only hope it looked like he knew what he was doing to the audience when the episode aired. How did Alejandro make it seem so easy?

Gwen shrugged, but didn’t say a word. Noah was about to speak again when the sudden voice of Chris made both teens jump, “How are things going here?”

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” Gwen snapped at him. “Don’t sneak up on people like that!”

“I was only checking in on how things were going,” Chris said, hands raised in nonchalant defense. “And by the looks of it, it’s getting a bit stale. Why don’t we liven up the mood with a song?”

Ding ding!

“What would we even sing about?” Gwen questioned.

“Not my problem.” the host left with that, and as Chef began strumming his bouzouki, Noah got an idea. 

“ Say, why don’t we just talk? You seem quite upset. ” he began, as innocently as he could.

Gwen gave him an appreciative but dismissive smile. “ Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather forget. ”

“ Forget about what? I’ll listen if you explain. ” a line perhaps too inviting for it to be coming from him. 

“ It’s nothing. Really, not worth any of the pain. ” the other teen sang-talked— her voice ripe with remorse she couldn’t hide.

The music picked up as they entered some kind of clearing in the forest of columns, “ What do you mean ‘pain’? You say it like it’s all in vain. ” Noah pressed, and appeared to break through the other’s defenses, if only a little.

Gwen's next line was more vulnerable, “ I didn’t ask for this. ” a statue looking a lot like Duncan came into view, posing in a much too heroic manner for the guy. Gwen glanced at it, toying with the sleeve of her shirt, then promptly looked away. “ These feelings I can’t quite dismi-i-iss. ” 

Okay. Okay, they were getting somewhere.

“ What’s there to dismiss? Could it be Court- ” Noah was cut off by Gwen’s sharp hush . 

“ Don’t say the name, you’ll only call her wrath! ” someone was likely going to scold them for not keeping the rhyming going, but Noah couldn’t care. Not when he was slowly but surely pulling the truth from the goth.

“ The shame, oh, the shame. At just the mention of her name? ” he trailed behind her as she more or less fled from the Duncan statue. Coming to an abrupt stop before a statue resembling Courtney serenely strumming a harp. Noah wasn’t going to question it.

Gwen stared up at it with a guilt-ridden expression. Turning away, she held her head in her hands. “ I just can’t tell her, though it’s driving me insane! ” 

One last chance.

“ So talk to me, then. Just let it flow. ”

“ Fine! I caught feelings! But I don’t want her to know! ” Gwen slammed her hands over her mouth as the music faded. The two contestants at a standstill in the middle of the ruins. 

‘Got it.’

“Oh.” was all Noah said, doing his best to act surprised by the revelation. 

“Noah, please, you can’t tell Courtney! I’ve worked too hard for this and I can’t have it be destroyed by something as dumb as feelings.”

“I won’t.” a backhanded promise. He wouldn’t tell Courtney, but he’d definitely tell Heather and Alejandro. 

Gwen ran her hand through her hair. “This is bad, this is so bad. I’m a terrible friend, and person. I shouldn’t even- Jesus christ, she’s in a relationship-” her stream of rambles was cut off by a gasp as something caught her widened eyes. She pulled Noah down behind a boulder with her.

“The hell was that for-?” Noah questioned, promptly hushed by Gwen for a second time that day.

“The boar!” she hissed. 

Oh, right. Noah had been so caught up with the song that he’d forgotten about the boar. And the challenge. 

“Heh, it almost looks like Molotov,” Gwen grinned wryly. “Though I bet most bears look the same.”

“Obviously- wait, did you say Molotov?”

“Yeah. He might’ve chased us in Paris, too. Not sure.”

Noah carefully peered over the boulder. Catching sight of the bear he agreed with Gwen’s statement. It did look like Molotov, just with a set of tusks attached to its jaw with rope. He ambled through the clearing, searching for the teens. 

A stupid, not-at-all-good idea revealed itself to Noah. That and the realization that he’d definitely lost some self-preservation skills while hanging out with Izzy and Eva. Regardless, he creeped out from their hiding spot. 

“What are you doing?” Gwen whispered-shouted after him.

“Something very fucking stupid.” was Noah’s dry response. 

When he’d put some distance between himself and the boulder he stood up straight. The bear had spotted him by that point, and yup, it was Molotov. He had a distinct way of glaring at people he wasn't fond of— which was a lot of people.

Noah walked up to the bear like he would any other person, keeping eye contact the entire time. Just like he'd learned, appearing as unassuming as possible ensured that Molotov wouldn't attack. Like he would if you were overconfident, a threat, or cowardly, a feast.

“Hi there.” Noah spoke quietly, standing right in front of the animal. No cooing like with dogs. He'd learned the hard way after Molotov had lashed out and nearly cut him with his claws.

“I’m just gonna…” Noah reached for the rope keeping the tusks in place. He could’ve gone straight for the medal, but that would guarantee his death. Trading a favor for a favor was the only certain way to keep the bear from becoming more hostile than he naturally was.

Molotov didn’t move, and allowed for Noah to undo the knot of the rope and remove the tusks. Once they were fully off, he bowed his head and the medal slid off. Noah caught onto the blue ribbon before it hit the ground. His smile fell quickly, however, as he looked back up to find Molotov gritting his teeth. Growling before roaring right in Noah’s face. 

“Yeah, no I figured. Thank you, bye!” he turned sharply on his heel and bolted. Pulling Gwen to her feet when passing the boulder.

“Run run run run!” he chanted.

Gwen followed his lead. “What the hell was all that about?”

“I was in charge of handling Molotov for a while.” Noah quickly explained. “Unfortunately, he hates everybody, including me.”

The other teen snorted, “I wonder why.”

Chef awaited them back where they’d first entered the forest-maze. He gave them an approving nod, “Congrats on not dying. Now hurry up and join the rest of your teams.” his pointed finger was all the guidance they’d get from the man, so Noah and Gwen started walking down in the pointed direction.

“What should I do?” Gwen sighed a few steps into the journey. “I know we aren’t close, but you’re the only one who knows about…”

“Your feelings?”

She sighed again. “I’m such a shit person, but I can’t help it. I don’t even know when it started or why. And things are good between me and Courtney, we’re actually friends now. I don’t want to ruin that.”

Under any other circumstance, Noah would’ve told her the unfiltered truth; Dating on reality TV was a stupid idea and Duncan was not worth it. But it was a special occasion, so he lied. 

“I think you should go for it. I mean, aren’t Duncan and Courtney constantly switching between being broken up and being together? Seeing other people might be good for them. And hey, better being upfront about it than sneaking behind her back.”

Gwen looked to consider his words, biting her bottom lip. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll… I’ll see what I can do after the challenge. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

They soon spotted the rest of the cast— along with Chris and the crew— down by the theater of Dionysus. 

“Here comes our hunters!” Chris announced as they made their way down the slope. Realizing he’d been walking with the medal in his hand, Noah pulled it over his head triumphantly.

 “And Noah gets the first medal for Team Chris is phenomenally gorgeous!”

“Let’s go, Noah!” Owen beamed and pulled Noah into a bone-crushing hug.

“Watch the ribs, big guy.” the smaller teen wheezed. 

“Oh, sorry! But this means we have a chance at beating the girls!”

Noah glanced over at the other team. Courtney and Sierra both wore gold medals of their own, with the former side-eyeing Gwen. A stark contrast to how she’d behaved on the plane. Heather must’ve been successful in fueling the girl’s insecurities.

“Nice work, cerebrito.” Alejandro praised and wrapped his arm around Noah’s shoulder, pulling him closer to a side hug. Noah dignified him a smile, and as discreetly as he possibly could, he whispered, “Gwen’s feelings are confirmed, she might be confessing tonight”

Alejandro fought back his grin at Noah’s words. His own talk with Duncan had been a disaster, with the guy not too keen on divulging the subject with him. Which Alejandro supposed was fair, seeing as they were strangers. Unfortunately, it meant he lacked the spark to set off Duncan’s relationship doubts. 

Fortunately, he just might be able to get it somewhere else; Tyler. 

The strange air between Tyler and Duncan had been the first thing Alejandro noticed when he'd entered first class hours prior. It was a new dynamic, one that hadn’t existed before— Tyler would’ve had a much different reaction to Duncan’s reveal in London otherwise. Alejandro had tried to figure it out through observation alone; but aside from Tyler seeming more wary around Duncan, and Duncan amplifying his threatening demeanor when around the jock, he’d had found nothing conclusive. 

So, as Chris began leading the teens to their next challenge, Alejandro sidled up next to Tyler.

“You seem oddly forlorn, mi amigo.”

“Hm? Oh, I just… got a lot on my mind.” the jock said. 

“Would you like to talk about it? I'd be happy to help.”

Tyler chewed his lip, looking anxiously off to the other contestants.

“I saw something,” he began hesitantly. “But I'm not sure what I saw. I think I know, and I really don't want it to be that.”

“What do you think you saw?” Alejandro asked, appearing as unassuming as he could to lull the other into a false sense of safety. 

“I… I shouldn't say. That'd be gossip and I don't like gossiping about people I know. Or don't know. And if I'm wrong, then I've just hurt people for no reason. I wouldn't want to hurt anybody even with a reason.”

“But perhaps, by keeping this a secret, you're already hurting somebody? Or else prolonging their hurt?”

Tyler’s eyes widened in panic, “Oh man, I didn't think of it like that. Oh, man. What do I do?”

“The right thing. And I think we both know what that is.”

Tyler held his hand to his mouth as he began to mumble to himself, “If someone saw Lindsay- but she wouldn’t do that. Then again if someone saw and told me, I could ask her about it.” he straightened his posture, and spoke determinedly, “I know what I gotta do.” 

Alejandro gave him an encouraging nod just as the group stopped back up in the Acropolis. A hurdle track had been set up on the main path leading through the ruins. 

“Last challenge of the day; a relay hurdle race!” Chris said, “Seeing as Team Amazon is in the lead with two medals against one, the boys will need to step up their game for this one.” he directed the teens who had yet to compete to the track and explained the specifics of the challenge. Cody and Owen would start, then tag Heather and Alejandro halfway through. 

They each got ready at their assigned spots, remaining contestants being made to stand on the sidelines. In his peripheral, Alejandro caught Tyler approaching Courtney. She arched a brow at him, but listened to whatever he told her. Far too lowly for Alejandro to hear.

“On your marks, get ready-”

“WHAT!?” Courtney’s yell echoed across the Acropolis. Everyone turned their heads, finding her staring with wild eyes at Gwen and Duncan. Through gritted teeth, she said, “You two have ten seconds to explain yourselves, right now.”

“Uh, what’s happening?” Owen questioned, and Alejandro thought he heard Chris responding with “something good” but he wasn’t paying enough attention to the man. All eyes were on the unfortunate trio. 

“Explain what?” Duncan asked.

“What you did in the confessional.” Courtney’s words were dripping with venom. 

“What we did-?”

“Wait, Duncan and Gwen were in the confessional together?” Heather said looking from goth to delinquent with a knowing glint in her eyes.

“No!” Gwen hurried, sounding awfully defensive. “I mean, we were, but we didn’t- we just-”

“I’m sorry but does anyone know what’s going on?” Noah spoke up. 

Duncan glared at him, “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Courtney echoed with a furious shrill. “You call this nothing?”

“I’m calling it nothing because that’s what it is.”

“Really? Tyler, why don’t you tell everybody here what you just told me.”

Tyler gulped as he was pinned under the weight of everybody’s eyes on him, stuck in a situation that had gone too far out of control. It was no wonder that he caved, “I… I saw Duncan and Gwen kiss in the confessional.”

Whatever shocked silence was meant to fall upon them was quickly shattered by Sierra’s shriek. She fell to her knees, saying something about a sinking ship. Alejandro had no idea what any of it meant.

"You guys kissed?" Cody gaped, brows furrowed in anger he couldn't quite unleash.

“That’s what I-” Tyler’s words died on his tongue as Duncan aimed his raging glare at him. 

“You are a dead man, Tyler!” the delinquent barked, and would’ve lunged for the other boy had Gwen not grabbed onto his shoulder. The action caught Courtney’s attention.

“And what do you have to say?” 

“It’s not what you think it is!”

“Then what is it, huh?!”

“I- It’s, uhm.” Gwen stuttered, face flushed in shame. 

Courtney scoffed in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. I thought we were good. Maybe not friends yet but we were getting there! Has all of that just been so you could-”

“No! No, Courtney, it’s not like that! Please, just-”

Courtney slapped away the hand reaching out for her. Shattering what little hope still shined in Gwen’s midnight eyes. A devastatingly glorious sight. Alejandro looked over at Heather, finding she’d pursed her lips in a disapproving frown to keep from smirking. 

Aside from Sierra’s dramatic hyperventilation, the scene was dead quiet. Gwen’s lips were parted, waiting for her to find the right words to speak. But even if she would have found them, Courtney wouldn’t have listened. Pushing past the goth she stormed back to the plane.

"Well then," Chris gave an amused hum. "I don't think anyone cares for the race anymore, so Team Amazon wins today's challenge!"

Not a single person cheered.

The trudge back to the plane was plagued by heavy tension. The closer they got to it the more they could hear Courtney’s muffled screaming. Each sound caused Gwen to wince and Duncan’s fists to curl tighter. Both walked under the judgemental glares of their peers. Aside from Tyler, who was keeping his distance as best as he could. So much destruction in just one blow. Alejandro reveled in it.

Before stepping onto the plane, and when no one was looking, he pulled Heather and Noah aside. “I’d say today was a success.”

“Sensing you had something to do with Tyler ratting out Duncan and Gwen.” Noah grinned.

“Sí. Duncan wasn’t being very cooperative so I had to make do with what I had.”

“Well, he’s definitely gone after today. Too bad for Gwen won’t be able to confess.”

Heather perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah, I managed to convince her after she accidentally let it slip during the scavenger hunt,” Noah explained. “We’ll see how she plays it after tonight.”

“She likely knows she’s gone as soon as we lose. She might throw the next challenge to avoid Courtney and reunite with Duncan. Or Courtney throws in hopes of getting rid of Gwen. Either way, it’s bye-bye goth girl.”

“Bye-bye indeed,” Alejandro hummed. “We’ll work out how to get the others eliminated once she’s gone. For now, we’ve got a fire to keep alight.”

“Piece of cake.”

They boarded the plane after. Or, Heather and Noah did, the former noting it’d only look suspicious if all three boarded at the same time. Alejandro understood and waited behind— but if he trailed the ravenette with a bitter gaze then that was of no one’s concern.

Team Chris was made to vote the moment the crew had confirmed everyone was on the plane. They were seated on the benches of the elimination room before they’d even taken off. Weird . 

Chris got in position by the door, their passports stacked in his hands. “Oh, it’s been too long since we’ve last had a proper elimination ceremony.” he said fondly, “Funny how you guys were here that time too.”

The silence he was met with made it clear no one shared his sentiment.

“Noah, I think I speak for us all when I say I’m surprised you’re the only one here with a medal.”

“Hilarious.” Noah rolled his eyes. 

“As for the rest of you.” Chris’ eyes trailed over the remaining boys. “Tyler, Duncan, you both lost the fights you volunteered for. Owen and Alejandro, you didn’t get to compete due to the biggest bombshell of the season so far.” he gave a sadistic cackle at that.

Tyler gulped and scooted further away from Duncan. 

“You guys were almost unanimous in your voting today, what a way to show team spirit. Unfortunately, today’s choice is mine, so it doesn’t matter.”

‘What?’ Alejandro glanced over at Noah, who looked just as confused as he felt.

“The person taking the drop of shame will be…”

There was no way.

“No one!” Chris threw the passports, letting them rain like a poor man's confetti. “As if we’re sending Duncan home now that the fun’s just getting started.”

Chris had a wild definition of fun. Seeing as his grin didn’t falter once as Tyler ran out of the room the second they were dismissed. Duncan followed behind him with angry stomps. 

“Duncan wouldn’t kill anyone, right?” Owen asked his other teammates.

Noah shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past him, honestly.”

The bigger teen paled at that. He hurried after the other two, yelling something about talking it out rather than fighting. 

Alejandro ran a hand over his face. He shouldn’t have been surprised, it was Chris McLean after all. But it was still a bitter feeling that their work had accumulated to nothing. Or, close to it. They’d still ruffled some feathers and turned players against each other. That was still a victory. Not as good as an elimination, but still good. 

“I don’t think they’ll notice that we’re gone,” Noah said. “Let’s find Heather to figure out this  slight hurdle.”

“I’m right by your side, cerebrito.”

Chapter Text

“What is he still doing here?” had been the first thing Heather said when the three convened in the hallway outside the common area. 

“Because Chris’ has an undying thirst for drama.” was Noah’s quick explanation, the full one being given once they were down in the cargo hold. 

Heather scowled, “Give his number to Sierra.”

“I would but none of us have our phones so she wouldn’t be able to bother him with it.”

“You have Chris’ phone number?” Alejandro asked, and Noah nodded. 

“Memorized it when I was his assistant. But back on track; Duncan.”

“He’s got a huge target on his back, same goes for Gwen. They’re gone next time either team loses. The question is, who goes first?”

“Duncan.” Heather said firmly, allowing no room for debate. “He’s unpredictable, and that’s his biggest strength. He’s aware of it enough to know how to use it in his favor. How else did he make it so far in both previous seasons?”

“That’s true,” Noah said. “And he’s also a dangerous combination of smart and stubborn. Unless he wants out of the competition, he won’t let us lose no matter what.”

“But we can’t rely on assumptions or chance,” Alejandro pointed out. “If we want him gone, we have to ensure Team Chris loses the next challenge.”

“Without raising suspicion.”

Rolling her eyes, Heather said, “Please. People here were too dumb to notice how sketchy Alejandro was in the beginning of the show, no way they’ll catch onto you two throwing the challenge.”

“But if they do, we could twist it in our favor to maybe earn a vote from Courtney down the line.” Alejandro said with a smirk.

Noah hummed approvingly. “Then it’s settled. Alejandro and I will slow our team while Heather keeps her team from potentially throwing. Team Amazon wins and Duncan is eliminated.”

With all the commotion and tense feelings raging on the main floor of the plane, the trio didn’t bother splitting up when they headed back. At least not to the same extent they’d done previously. There was still effort put in place to keep suspicion on the down low. 

Alejandro followed Noah inside economy class; where a rather somber Owen sat, silently watching as Duncan raked his knife across the wooden bench across the cabin. 

“Where’s Tyler.” Noah asked.

“The confessional.” Duncan grumbled, not taking his eyes off the crevice he was working on.

“And is he breathing?”

“Yes.”

“You’re real chatty today-”

Duncan stabbed his knife into the bench, making Owen wince. The delinquent glared at Noah, “I was just accused of cheating on my ‘girlfriend’, I’m really not in the fucking mood!”

Noah held up his hands in mock surrender, “Got it.”

As he and Noah took their seats on the same bench as Owen, Alejandro eyed Duncan cautiously. He didn’t doubt Heather’s claims to his character, but this would’ve been solid proof if he did. 

Right as the cabin had settled down, the sound of boots running over metal floors was heard outside— along with faint sniffing, likely coming from Gwen. Duncan looked like he had to restrain himself from bolting after her, nearly hovering over the bench. Anger was replaced with concern like the flick of a switch. 

“Fuck it.” he caved after a moment and hurried out.

The heavy thumping of his boots caused Owen to wince again, and reach up a hand to clutch his forehead. 

“Something wrong, big guy?” Noah asked, a lilt of worry in his voice barely breaking its monotone. “The people here finally getting on your nerves?”

Owen chuckled, “Nah. Just a headache, maybe even a migraine. Never understood the difference between those two. Imma just… see if I can find some painkillers.”

“Want me to come with you?”

Owen shook his head, then winced for a third time. “It’s alright, I won’t take long.” he winked at his friend. “Have fun while I’m gone.”

“Alright.” Alejandro drawled as the other teen left. Had it been the beginning of the competition, he would’ve been relieved at the absence of the obnoxiously loud teenager. He still was, but the feeling was now accompanied by a strange sense of guilt. 

“I still don’t like him.”

Noah furrowed his brows in a questioning manner, “Okay?”

“I know you got him to stop with the nickname, but I’ve tried and I just don’t like him.” Alejandro spoke the truth. Back in Newfoundland he’d accepted Owen’s high-fives, listened to his ramblings about seafood, and cheered for him during the relay. He’d tried . But he just couldn’t bring himself to like the guy, barely even tolerate. He couldn’t. Not even for Noah.

And that felt… Wrong. Somehow. 

Noah for his part just looked at him blankly, “I didn’t do it so you’d like him.”

“You didn’t?”

“No. I did it because you being hostile towards my best friend was getting tiring. And, you know, it genuinely seemed to upset you. The nickname. I’m an apathetic asshole, but I’m not heartless.”

“I suppose you’re not.” Alejandro hummed. He always did his best to hide it whenever things bothered him. In front of strangers just the same as with family and friends. It was a show of weakness, exemplifying how to get under his skin. Revealing his disdain to Noah had been an impulsive decision. Same thing with whatever vulnerability he’d let show. Alejandro had berated himself over it during the flight from Peru to France, his only saving grace being the lack of cameras. How unbecoming of a Burromuerto to hand the enemy a loaded gun. 

But Noah wasn’t the enemy. Not then, not now. 

“Well, I’m thankful for it,” Alejandro said. “I truly am.”

Noah’s gaze softened, almost like it had in Jamaica. “No problem, aḻakāṉa.”

“Oh? Was that a nickname I just heard?”

“Maybe. You seemed to get jealous when I called Heather ‘honey’, so.”

“Ah, a term of endearment even?”

Noah rolled his eyes, “If that’s what you want it to be, then sure.”

Alejandro chuckled. Doing his best to appear casual despite the lightness fluttering in his chest.

“But seriously,” Noah said, “I don’t care if you don’t like Owen for whatever reason, just please don’t act like he’s some insult to mankind. That's literally all I’m asking.”

“I’ll try.” Alejandro promised. He couldn’t say he’d stop entirely, they both knew that’d be impossible. But Noah’s approving smile told him it was enough. How odd that someone could accept so little. Alejandro presumed it stemmed from different upbringings. An attempt mattered very little to his parents, only the result. And it better be a success.

If his parents wanted him to like someone, be it their friends or the kids of their friends, then there was no other option than to put up the facade and pretend. 

“Not everybody’s going to like you, in the same way you won’t like everybody. And that’s okay.” his oldest brother had once told him in secret. It was after a particularly stressful dinner party, where Alejandro had been left exhausted having to act friendly with obnoxious and infuriating guests.

The words had kept him awake long into the night, battling against everything he’d been told by his parents. Only a few things held the same level of importance to them as the social game and hierarchy. It mattered to them who liked and disliked you, who you liked and disliked, for that spoke of your status and power. One's social circle ought to be a web of carefully calculated relations working only in one's own favor.

That’s what they’d taught their sons. What Carlos had rejected, and what José had accepted. 

Alejandro had yet to figure out his own stance. More often opting to simply follow along without thinking about it. If only for those rare chances of approval, of being good enough. It was a losing battle, especially with his parents' blatant favoritism. But, maybe if he tried hard enough the day would come, and he could be number one for once. 

Alejandro was brought out from his spiraling thoughts by the sound of Noah yawning.

“Tired already, cerebrito?”

“Well, I barely got any sleep between the last two challenges so forgive me for being tired.” Noah snarked.

Alejandro hummed. “Then I shall let you sleep undisturbed.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet.”

As Noah made himself comfortable with his back against the wall, Alejandro’s eyes drifted to the window opposite of him. The night sky traveled alongside them, yet he didn’t feel the weight of slumber. Perhaps due to the unfortunate outcome of the elimination ceremony, which he’d expected to leave a hollow feeling in its wake. Like his every failure always did. 

He was surprised to find no such hollow within him.

Alejandro was awoken sometime later by the heavy rumble of the plane. He blinked in confusion. When had he fallen asleep?

It must’ve been soon after Noah, because the whole team was back in economy class and Alejandro couldn’t recall seeing either of them return from their endeavors. They were all sleeping, Owen seated between Duncan and Tyler like a barricade. The dimmed lighting told Alejandro that the next challenge was still hours away. 

He was lying with his back against the bench, a weight on top of him. Turning his head, Alejandro found the source; Noah. The other teen was, for a lack of a better word, draped over him, with his head resting upon Alejandro’s chest and his one hand on the other’s shoulder.

How they’d ended up like that, Alejandro supposed he’d never know. Not that he minded. Having Noah close was nice in ways he couldn’t quite explain. Almost comforting; like his every worry melted away, if only for that moment.

The next time Alejandro was awoken, it was to the shrill of an airhorn playing over the PA system. It startled him enough to shoot up from the bench— causing Noah to fall to the floor.

“What the hell-?” Noah’s groggy complaint was cut off by another shriek of the air horn.

“Calling all contestants!” Chris called out once the noise subsided. “Get your butts in gear, today’s challenge begins once we’ve landed in five… four-” the plane hit the ground in a rough landing. “We’ve landed!”

Stepping out of the plane, the contestants were greeted by the cold air of the sprawling desert; dressed in the dark shades of night.

“Everyone, welcome to the coolest, extraterrestrial-est place in the world. Area 52!” Chris exclaimed to a significantly less enthusiastic cast. 

“I thought it was 51?” Tyler muttered.

“It is,” Noah said. “No idea what our host is talking about.”

“With how he budgets this show? Probably couldn’t afford the real deal.” Alejandro leaned closer to the shorter teen, reveling in the light snicker he was rewarded. And the not-so-subtle scowl from Heather.

“Trust me, area 52 is real,” Chris ensured. “However, today’s challenge will be held in the infamous area 51. We’re currently in a safe zone right outside its border. Well, everyone except Duncan.”

The aforementioned teen quickly stepped over some drawn line on the ground, just narrowly avoiding being shot by a laser. “Whoa!” 

With an amused chuckle, Chris continued, “Area 51 is the most tightly protected military base in the world. Which, is why tonight’s challenge is going to be so much fun. For me.”

The challenge was broken into three parts. First, navigate a field of lasers and landmines to break into Area 51. Second, find a genuine alien artifact inside the black box warehouse. Third, bring the artifact back to the plane intact.

“And be careful. I mean it. The warehouse is a maze and full of deadends, very easy to get lost in. Plus, it’s heavily guarded, so try not to get caught. Rumor has it trespassers get memory wiped and are transferred to an alien colony where they either become slaves or food.” their host’s smile almost made it seem he wanted them to get caught in there. “You have ‘til dawn. Go!”

The two teams took off, with the Amazon’s taking the left side while Team Chris took the right. Running in awkward zic-zac patterns in hopes of avoiding the mines.

“Anyone got a plan on how to avoid serious injury or death?” Noah asked.

“Tyler might have something he wants to share.” Duncan spat.

“N-Not really.”

“Wow, isn’t that a first.”

“Dude, I’m sorry I upset you but-”

Duncan abruptly stopped his running, and whipped around to stare Tyler down. “I’m not upset I’m fucking furious! You’ve ruined everything ! I can’t believe Courtney trusts you more than me.”

Tyler’s fearful expression morphed into something offended, “Maybe because I’m honest and don’t get handsy with girls I’m not dating!”

“I didn’t- argh forget it! I’m not arguing with a guy obsessed with some bimbo who forgot he existed!”

“Alright, time-out!” Noah firmly interjected before Tyler could speak, or attack. He gestured at the duo with a sharp finger. “You two can hate each other all you want, but we’re standing on a minefield . Can you behave enough so we won’t die?”

The two boys stepped away from each other begrudgingly. 

“Great. I ask again, does anyone have a plan on how to get in?”

Alejandro tapped his chin in thought, trying to catch the train of thought he’d lost when Duncan started yelling. It was a bit more difficult than he’d like to admit. Noah being assertive didn’t happen often, as it laid behind layers of sarcasm and apathy. But Alejandro couldn’t help the feelings of admiration each time.

“We should be able to clear a path by setting off the mines ahead.” Alejandro said. He picked up a rock and tossed it like a skipping stone across the ground. It came in contact with a mine on the third bounce— after having escaped the laser on the first. “If the lasers don’t get them before, that is.”

“Then you clear the path and the rest of us distracts the lasers.” Duncan said, and before anyone could question him he chucked a rock away from them. Once it landed, all nearby lasers were aimed at it. 

Alejandro hummed. “Simple, yet effective.”

Chris hadn’t been lying when he said the warehouse was a maze. One step over the threshold and Noah already felt lost. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched the expanse of the room, reaching up to the high ceiling to tower over the contestants.

“Let’s split up.” Duncan said, already moving before Noah could point out how bad of an idea that was. Tyler ran in the opposite direction without a word.

“Yeah sure, let’s run just off on our own in the military base,” Noah muttered. “Nothing bad will come out of that.”

“I think they just want to be left alone.” Owen reasoned. A fair assessment, Noah supposed.

Alejandro sighed, “We’re looking at guaranteed losses with those two against each other like this. Owen, come on, let’s try and help our friends.”

“Sure thing! But uh, what about Noah?”

“You two are better with people than I am,” Noah said, catching on quickly to Alejandro’s plan. “You guys help our teammates sort through their issues, and I’ll focus on the challenge.”

Owen gave him a quick smile and thumbs-up before running in the same direction as Tyler. Alejandro stayed behind, sharing a knowing look with Noah. They nodded curtly before parting— Noah allowing himself to be swallowed by the warehouse. 

He did his best to make his “searching” appear convincing to the cameras. Haphazardly scanning over crates and shelves, not finding anything of use. That was until he caught the faint light of something buried beneath a pile of cloth. 

Noah moved the material away and picked up a deep red, shimmering sphere encapsulated by some invisible barrier that made it look like it was floating in his hand. Holding it caused a strange buzzing to tingle through his hand, but it didn’t hurt. Noah stuffed the orb in one of the pockets of his shorts. Just in case Heather needed it. Or to ensure nobody could claim he wasn’t helping his team, be it contestants or the viewers.

Soon after, he found himself at an archway that led into a wide hallway. Noah paused for a moment to orient himself before walking down the space, the echo of his footsteps bouncing on the walls. An eerie feeling crept up on him, put him on high alert. He doubted that Chris would actually let them be captured by military personnel, but one could never be fully certain when it came to that man.

A hand on his shoulder made Noah almost jump out of his skin. He yelled out in surprise, turning around to come face to face with Gwen. 

“Sorry.” she mumbled. 

“It’s fine. Just a minor heart attack.”

“Cool. Um, can I talk to you?”

Noah arched his brow, crossing his arms over his chest, “About?”

“About the hot new drama,” Gwen said, doing a mocking impression of Chris’ voice. “No one on my team wants to talk to me. Duncan’s cool, I guess, but he’s not really helpful. I don’t know what to do.”

“So you come to me?”

“Yeah, it’s weird, I know. But so was that whole music number-”

“Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s cool. Even if everything’s gone to shit, I still feel it was good to say it out loud and, I don’t know, admit it to myself.”

“Well, I suck at these things so I can’t promise I’ll be of any help.”

Gwen gave Noah a look like she didn’t fully believe him. Noah was about to provide examples of his poor people skills when Gwen sighed.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, it was just a dumb crush. It still is…”

“How’d you want it to be then?” Noah found himself asking.

“I would’ve wanted it to stay just a dumb crush. I didn’t want to act on it, especially not on a show where people psychoanalyze every little thing you do and think they’re entitled to have their opinions on your life heard. Guess I just wanted to feel like a normal teenager again.”

“So, just enjoying the feelings without the need to act upon them for the sake of pleasing someone else?”

“More or less.” Gwen chuckled grimly. “But then I got in too deep, couldn't ignore it like I used to. What a truly messed up thing love is when you think about it. Wonderful and agonizing no matter what you do.”

Something in Noah twisted uncomfortably at those words. He dug his dull nails into his arm. ‘Don’t think about it.’

Sniff.

Noah stiffened. ‘Please no.’

Turning his gaze he found that, indeed, Gwen was crying. Her head hung low as tears rolled down her white face. It was silent for a moment, then Gwen inhaled and choked on her sob. She slumped back against the wall and slid down to the floor where she curled up.

It was one of the most awkward moments of Noah’s life; standing a few meters away from a crying girl that he barely knew. He wanted to leave, and ignore Gwen for the remainder of the competition. She probably wouldn’t even notice if he did. And yet, he stayed. 

Because the pathetic sight of the goth sobbing into her hands and smearing her make-up reminded him a bit too much of his sisters. Of when Cassie’s prom date bailed on her. Of when Serah’s entire friend group fell apart. Of when Janani’s long-term boyfriend broke up with her the same day she’d planned to propose. 

Noah sighed, already cringing at the lackluster attempts to comfort he’d yet to make. When he sat down next to Gwen he made sure to leave space between. “Look, I know confessing your love is basically out of the picture, but that doesn’t have to mean it’s over. It’s just going to take some time, because we’re currently dumb teenagers having our lives broadcasted for millions to watch, but you can fix this.”

Gwen sniffed roughly, “How?”

“Leave Courtney and Duncan alone to calm down and sort through their issues on their own, and then be honest with them about how you feel. If it works out then it works out, and if it doesn’t, move on.”

Gwen looked at him with teary eyes, then nodded slowly. “That might be for the best.” she wiped away her tears with the back of her hands. “God, I hate this stupid show.”

“Don’t we all?”

The other teen laughed. “Fair. Anyways,” she stood up, brushing away the dust from her skirt. “Better get back to the challenge before some military guys find us. Or Chris.”

“Or we’re forgotten about and they take off without us.”

“That too,” Gwen gave him a small but grateful smile, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Noah questioned.

“For listening. You’re not as bad as you seem.”

“Yeah, I’m worse.”

“Sure.”

They parted with that. Gwen made her way back to the warehouse while Noah continued down the hallway. Walking past closed door after closed door, until he spotted one standing slightly ajar. 

Noah pushed it open, mindful so its hinges wouldn’t yell at him. Inside was a small and dimly lit room, furnished only by a desk, a chair, and a massive computer set-up. With a wiggle of the mouse, the screens lit up. 

Enter password - 

Noah gave an intrigued hum. He was good at guessing passwords, how many attempts would it take to figure out that of a military computer?

Noah got it on his third try.

‘Too easy.’

He was greeted by a minimalistic desktop, with only four icons against the plain blue background. Their names appeared to be abbreviations of longer tags, so Noah had no way of knowing what he clicked on first.

The window that opened seconds later was split into two sections; one displayed what looked like a map, the other some kind of constantly updating log. It didn’t take long before Noah figured out it was connected to the motion detectors and electronic locks of the facility's doors.

‘This is a control room.’ he realized, likely the central one for the warehouse. Noah’s lips curled into a smirk. He gave himself a moment to become familiar with the program, getting past the firewall with ease to dig around deeper in its code. All the while a plan took shape in his mind.

With a few clicks Noah was able to bring up the feed from the security cameras. Flipping through them revealed Team Amazon lazily moving through the main area of the warehouse. None trying too hard, aside from Cody and Heather. There was also a distinct lack of guards, surprisingly.

Noah eventually found his own team gathered in some storage room, separate from the main area of the warehouse. Alejandro and Tyler both had some weird creatures attached to their faces, which Owen and Duncan were trying to pry off with minimal success. There was no audio to the video, but Noah felt confident in his guess as to what colorful words they were shouting. None seemed to be paying attention to their surroundings. Perfect .

Using the log info and comparing the room to the warehouses’ layout, Noah was able to pin his team's location on the map. Double-checking that his team hadn’t left, Noah typed out and entered his command into the system’s code— locking the four teens inside the storage room.

Heather was slowly losing whatever respect she’d ever held for Courtney. Which wasn’t a lot to begin with. The girl was dragging her feet and glaring holes in the floor rather than focussing on the challenge. She wasn’t even trying to sabotage what little effort was made by the other team members like Heather had expected. That would’ve at least been commendable. This was just pathetic, especially coming from someone as capable as Courtney. 

Especially especially seeing as said girl had moments earlier taken the lead in the song to voice her disdain for Gwen. Which Heather had obviously backed her in. 

“You know,” Heather said. “We’d be out of this creepy warehouse faster if you picked up the pace a little.”

“Heather, don’t talk to me.”

“Wha- you followed after me!”

“Yeah, because I don’t want to get lost in here, and unfortunately you’re the only person on this team I can somewhat stand.”

“The bar’s really that low?”

“What do you think?”

‘I think you’re being pathetic.’ Heather held her tongue. There were better ways to go about it. She was definitely on the girl’s list of people to boot. Maybe not as high as she used to be, but climbing that ladder would do no good in trying to gain Courtney’s vote in the future. 

“Look,” Heather sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I want Gwen gone just as much as you do, but she’s as big of a goner as Duncan is. So, who are we sending home first?”

Courtney scoffed,  “Gwen’s pity party or Duncan’s denial game? Riveting options, both of them.”

“Well, you better pick one, and do it fast. You’re a strong player. It’d be a real shame if you lost your mojo because of something as dumb as hurt feelings.”

“Easy to say when you’ve never dealt with it.”

“Just- Would you really grant Duncan first class luxury just to get rid of Gwen?”

Courtney’s glare softened into something contemplating. It didn’t take a genius to know why she’d want Gwen out before Duncan. Gag . How deep in denial did she have to be to think their sinking ship could be salvaged?

“We both know he’s a good player when he wants to be.” Heather said after a beat of silence. She walked past Courtney, and before turning down the next row of shelves, she added, “Think about it.”

Only when she was sure to be out of earshot did Heather heave a dramatic sigh. She brushed a few strands of stray hair behind her ear. Hopefully nudging Courtney’s competitive side had been enough to push her to make the right decision. 

Now, to find an artifact and win the stupid challenge. 

Easier said than done. Heather had no idea how long they’d been in the warehouse, but everything she’d managed to find thus far was either broken, not extraterrestrial, or too bulky to carry to the plane. Chris’ timeframe of “until dawn” was starting to make more sense, this was near impossible. And on top of it all, her ponytail was coming loose. 

Heather begrudgingly pulled out the hair tie, letting her raven locks fall free to just barely graze against her shoulders. She swiftly brushed her fingers through her hair before gathering it back up to secure it once more; rounding a corner while doing so, and missing the person in her path. 

She collided with the shorter figure, stumbling backwards and dropping her hands to her side, “Watch where you’re going, twerp.”

Rolling his eyes, Noah huffed, “My apologies, aṉpē. I forgot to turn on my x-ray vision that allows me to see through walls. I’ll be more mindful in the-” he trailed off, gaze caught on Heather. “And your hair is down.”

She arched a brow. “Why’d you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

‘Like you hate it.’ “You know what I mean.”

“I really don’t.”

Heather frowned, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits.

“Alright, fine,” Noah relented and held up his hands, “You look sorta good with it down. Happy?”

Heather scoffed, “Yeah, right.” she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Pointedly ignoring the flicker of warmth in her chest.

Noah opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it quickly— lips pulled tight. He reached into one of the many pockets of his cargo shorts, then held out his hand to Heather, “Here.”

A small, glowing orb hovered a few centimeters above his palm. Heather took it. Or rather, grabbed a hold of the air surrounding it which sent a tingling sensation through her hand. Weird. 

“Aside from Cody, your teammates aren’t really looking so, here’s an artifact for your win or something.” Noah explained. 

Heather looked up from the orb— and silver locked with bronze. Had Noah’s eyes always been like that? Swirling in shades so deep, and shining so richly despite the fluorescent lights.

“Uh, anyways,” Noah quickly turned his gaze away, snapping Heather back to reality in the process, “When you head back to the plane, keep to the same path you used to get in. I’ve disabled the lasers on that grid.”

“You what? How?”

He shrugged, “Found some control room and managed to get past their security systems to do a little puppeteering. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to act shocked as to how my team got themselves locked in some storage room.” 

“Which you have nothing to do with?”

Noah returned her knowing smirk. “Well, the locks here are electronic, and there’s no need for keycards if you can access the code and tweak it a bit. To put it simply, I just set a timer on this one specific lock. The boys will be free to leave in like, ten minutes.”

“Sneaky.”

“I try. Remember. Same path as you got in.”

“Got it.”

“Good luck, or whatever.”

“You too.”

After some trial and error, Heather was able to find her way back to the warehouse’s entrance. Conveniently, that was also where she found Sierra, Cody, and Courtney.

“I got an artifact!” she called out to them. “Let’s find Gwen and-”

“I’m here!” turning around she found the goth jogging towards them.

“Good. Let’s move it, people!”

Heather took the point, leading her team to the now harmless side of the field. She made sure to keep a pace normal for her, but just fast enough so no one could trip her. 

The plane had just appeared on the horizon when the first yell from Team Chris was heard. Heather glanced over her shoulder. Tyler was running ahead of his team, cradling a glowing cube in his hands. Behind him, a stumbling Owen was being supported by Duncan and Alejandro. What looked like Noah’s sweater vest was pressed against the side of his head, which would explain why Noah was currently missing a layer. Lasers rained down on them as they ran.

“Wait,” she heard Cody say, “Why’s only one side-”

BOOM!

One of the mines on the other side went off, followed by the steadily growing scream of Tyler as he flew through the sky— landing by Chris with a nasty thud . The cube shattered as it hit the ground.

Heather stepped over the jock, handing their artifact to the host.

“And that’s another victory for Team Amazon!” he announced, “And a mean wipe-out for Team Me. Yikes, dude.”

“Um, is he breathing?” Cody questioned, looking down anxiously at Tyler.

“Is his leg still attached?” Sierra added, sounding just a bit too casual considering the teen’s awkwardly twisted limb. 

“Excellent question,” Chris said. “We’ll bring you answers in short. In the meantime, Team I’m so smoking hot.” he turned to the newly arrived boys. However, whatever he’d meant to say next died at the sight of Owen. The teen indeed had Noah’s sweater vest pressed against the side of his head, and a thin line of red was traveling down from it. He looked seconds away from passing out. Or throwing up.

“What happened to Owen?”

“He hit his head while trying to get some alien off Tyler,” Noah explained breathlessly, “We think he might’ve re-opened the wound from Jamaica.”

Chris clicked his tongue, “I see.” he gestured to the camera crew to stop filming, then called over a few interns and directed them towards Chef and the plane.

“Owen, you follow the interns. The rest of you, stay right here. Actually, move back so you’re not in the way.”

The teens did as they were told, gathering in an awkward group a bit away from the plane. With nothing better to do, Heather's attention moved back and forth between her team and the make-shift medical personnel. Team Amazon was silently ignoring each other. Aside from Sierra who was trying to explain some Total Drama theory she’d been working on to Cody, who was very clearly not listening. The medical personnel had disappeared into the plane with Tyler and Owen.

“Can’t believe we lost because of Tyler. Again.” Heather heard Duncan grumble. 

“You both lost your challenges in Greece.” Noah pointed out. “Don’t think you can pin it all on him.”

“We would have gotten a chance at a tie-breaker had he kept his mouth shut. And where the hell were you today?”

“Uh, you were the one who ran off in a giant warehouse. Excuse me for losing you guys in there.”

“Do you have a death wish, smartass?”

“Amigo,” Alejandro placed a hand on Duncan’s shoulder, “There’s no need for hostility. Noah was the one to get us out of the storage room, after all.”

Duncan gave him a sharp look and shook off his hand. Just then came Chris walking up to the group, a cameraman in tow.

“Alright boys,” he said, addressing the Team Chris trio. “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is you won’t have to go through an elimination tonight. The bad news is that both Owen and Tyler are too injured to continue, so you’re down to three.”

“What?”

“Unfortunate, I know. Won’t go into detail, but they need professional care. We’ve gotten in contact with a hospital in Las Vegas and they're on their way. We’ll remain on ground until Owen and Tyler have been sent off.”

“Can I check in with Owen?” Noah asked. 

Chris gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, kid. Our “med crew” doesn’t want any disturbances while they’re working.”

“Ah. Alright.”

Heather watched as Alejandro placed a hand on Noah’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. She frowned.

It took a few hours for the ambulance to arrive. The contestants watched from a distance as the former competitors were carried inside the vehicle. Heather stood by Noah’s side, who had his arms tightly crossed over his chest. Face pulled tight to a forced neutral expression. Heather bit the inside of her cheek as the blue lights faded.

If Alejandro could, why couldn’t she?

She bumped her shoulder against Noah’s, speaking quietly just for him to hear, “Looks like both our friends have ditched us.” and immediately regretted it.

‘Why did you say that?’ her thoughts chided. ‘Why the fuck did you say that? What is wrong with you?’ ditched? Owen was injured! Couldn’t she at least pretend to be sympathetic-

Noah snorted.

He turned to her with a toothy grin, and something appreciative in his bronze eyes, “We’re really that unbearable?”

Heather had to force herself not to show how caught off guard she’d been by Noah’s reaction, “The worst.”

“Ugh, and now I’m stuck with you and Alejandro of all people.”

“I don’t see you complaining.”

“Just did, and will continue to.”

“Whatever you say, honey .”

Noah’s eyes widened as his face flushed, “Hey! You can’t just-”

“Just did, and will continue to.”

Noah frowned at her. Heather simply stuck out her tongue.

“Is this how you two have been flirting?” a voice sounded behind them. They both turned around, spotting Alejandro standing with an amused, albeit tense grin. The others were nowhere to be found, likely back on the plane.

“Jealous?” Heather tilted her head to the side.

“Not even in your wildest dreams, serpentina.” he then turned serious, “This isn’t working. Duncan appears to possess some divine armor that we can't touch.”

“Ugh, why him of all people?”

“Because the universe is a cruel bastard,” Noah stated plainly. “But we can’t be hyperfocusing on one contestant. Gwen’s going next, even if Duncan’s still in the game.”

“None of my teammates seemed happy about our win today either.” Heathered muttered.

Alejandro nodded, “Then it’s time for a Team Chris victory.”

Back on the plane, Heather made her way to the confessional. 

“Let me be clear,” she said to the camera. “I don’t believe in divine forces or whatever bullshit people will try to sell you to make you feel, I don’t know, more significant? Better about yourself? But it’s starting to feel like some kind of force is working against us. First Chris ignores the votes and now Duncan gets saved by people being medically evacuated? Maybe it’s not that he’s good at the game, but favored by whomever and gets to make it far no matter what.”

Something heavy fell over her, “Imagine being favored.”

Heather didn’t get it. Leshawna, her one real friend on the show, was also friends with Gwen, but that didn’t bother her. Yet every time Noah talked with Alejandro, or even just stood next to him, she felt awful. Like a nobody.

What made Noah so different from Leshawna?

She wasn’t… No. Absolutely not.

Shaking her head, Heather breathed in deep. She couldn’t let anything distract her. The million was hers this time.

“Gwen’s going next. I’ve said it too many times so it better be happening. I’ll definitely need to have a chat with Sierra too. I can’t throw challenges but it’s totally cool when she does it? Ugh.”

Chapter Text

“Is it frustrating that our plans to get rid of Duncan have been fruitless?” Alejandro said to the confessional camera. “Yes. But, that’ll only make his inevitable elimination so much more satisfying. And besides, with all this tension going around, me, Noah, and Heather are practically flying under the radar. Winning this thing is going to be child’s play. I must say, we make a good team. I knew Noah and I worked well together, but being on the same side as Heather is easier than I thought. And it helps that there isn’t anything actually going on between her and Noah. Not that it matters but, you know.”

He added the last bit in a hurry— regretting having mentioned the “concern” in the first place. It was stupid, and it didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. 

“Though, I supposed Heather isn’t all that bad. She has her moments, esa reina malvada. But I’ll still win in the end.” Alejandro declared with a confident smile, and that was where his monologue ended. But he stayed in the confessional. For even if he didn’t have anything to say, he did have stuff to think about. And the confessional was a surprisingly good place to clear one’s thoughts. Especially when those thoughts had little to do with the competition. 

Alejandro felt conflicted. Owen and Tyler’s eliminations had been both unplanned and unexpected, but not unwelcome. The guys were only ever good for a vote, they’d be gone sooner or later either way. And Alejandro would be lying if he said he didn’t feel relief to no longer have to deal with them. 

Therein laid the problem.

Because Noah had been quiet since take off. And even though he didn’t look like it on the outside, Alejandro could tell he was worried. Which made sense, Owen was his best friend who’d been evacuated thanks to a head injury. And all Alejandro felt over his departure was relief.

“I don’t care if you don’t like Owen for whatever reason, just please don’t act like he’s some insult to mankind. That's literally all I’m asking.”

The one thing he was asked, and Alejandro couldn’t even do it properly. True he wasn’t outright celebrating, but it felt like a betrayal regardless, something Noah wouldn’t take lightly.

With a sigh, Alejandro concluded he’d just have to deal with the strange guilt until it either vanished or became too much to bottle up. At which point he’d just have to accept whatever he was sure to lose. 

Exiting the confessional, Alejandro just barely avoided walking into Courtney as she came down the hall.

“Sorry.” she said, stumbling to a halt. 

“It’s alright.” Alejandro said, eyeing her up and down. The girl standing before him looked so unlike the one he’d become familiar with over the past few weeks. Her upright and confident posture had turned slack, like something was physically weighing her down. Her brows were furrowed in a scowl that twitched her face. “These past days haven’t been too kind to you.”

Courtney gave a weak scoff, “No, they have not.”

“Well, I’m done using the confessional. It’s all yours if you need it.”

“Thanks, but I was just out for a walk to try and clear my mind. I’ve tried venting, tried writing stuff down, but it’s not working. It feels like I’m just working myself further into a corner.”

“Hm, maybe you need someone who can listen?”

“Maybe. But who would even that be? I don’t trust anyone on my team enough for that. Sure, I guess Heather tried to warn me about all this but it’s Heather , who knows what her motives are.”

“I believe only Heather truly knows,” and Noah and him, of course, “But I’d be happy to lend you an ear, if you want.” 

Maybe not entirely. Dealing with Duncan was already enough exposure to the situation and they hadn’t even talked about it. But to earn Courtney’s favor, Alejandro would listen intently. Perhaps even give her the impression he was picking her side. Even if he had no intentions to pick at all.

There was also a strange part of him that didn’t like this look on Courtney. Though that was likely due to the lack of challenge she currently presented, when she’d already proven herself capable. Nothing more.

Courtney considered his offer in silence, then sighed, “I’d like that very much.”

Alejandro expected to be led away to somewhere more private, but Courtney remained in the hallway. Running a hand through her hair before speaking, 

“I’m not going to say things haven’t been complicated between me and Duncan. They absolutely have. And while nobody makes me as angry as he does, I don’t think I regret dating him. Which I feel I should because again, he’s such a frustrating person to be around. But, we did have a few good moments. There were times when things were good. Don’t know if they outweigh the bad but they were there. That’s why I kept coming back. That’s why a part of me wants to try one more time but I am so tired. Honestly, this whole thing is just one big distraction, and I can’t be distracted when I have a competition to win.”

She fell silent for a moment. Alejandro could tell by the way her brows had knit that she was pausing to gather up her thoughts.

“But why am I trying to win? Why am I even here? I should be at home and studying for my law career but instead I’m here making a complete fool of myself for millions to see and getting my feelings hurt by people who don’t even care about me! I only signed up to get away from home and maybe have some harmless fun but look where that brought me. This was supposed to be a fun thing for me , and somehow my mom made it about herself yet again.

“Maybe that’s why I started dating Duncan. To have control over something. Even that went to hell. He could’ve been honest and broken up with me, but he didn’t and that’s what hurts the most. He can’t even be honest with me now that all is said and done and I just,” Courtney turned to him, the desperation in her eyes nearly spilling over, “Am I not worth the effort?”

Alejandro blinked, Courtney’s question echoing in his mind. Worth the effort. Like being validated, and treated kindly without condescension. 

“And if you can’t because of your pride or whatever, then let me.”

Like having someone care enough to do what you can’t.

Alejandro drew his lips to a line. This was not going as he had planned. 

Courtney let out a shaky breath and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry. Sorry, that was too much.”

“No no, it’s alright. I did offer to listen.” Alejandro assured, doing his best to sound like his usual suave and charming self. Like he sympathized but didn’t relate. “Of course you’re worth the effort. I don’t know the details of your relationship, but as your boyfriend Duncan should know that. And if he doesn’t, then I don’t think he has any place in your life.”

“You might be right,” Courtney slowly dragged her hands down her face, “Todo esto es un desorden.”

“En efecto.” Alejandro agreed. He’d overheard the other speak Spanish in passing before so it didn’t surprise him that she did so now. “Hey, next chance I get, I promise that I’ll be voting for Duncan.”

Perhaps it was a shallow promise, seeing as Alejandro had already set his aim on the delinquent. But Courtney didn’t know that, nor did it hurt her not to know. It was a strategic move, one to ensure Courtney’s view of him remained favorable. To avoid becoming her enemy. 

She looked at him with something hopeful in her eyes, “Really?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

“No need. Between you and me, he’s not the most pleasant guy to have on your team.”

“Oh, believe me, I know,” Courtney snorted, “Wow, this helped clear my mind more than I expected.”

“Good to hear I could be of assistance. Now, go get your head back in the game. It won’t be any fun defeating the Amazon’s if one of their strongest players isn’t giving it her all.”

“Hm, I appreciate the sportsmanship, and you recognizing my brilliance. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Likewise.”

Courtney gave a smile before turning to walk back to first class. Alejandro made to return to his own cabin. However, he stopped once he’d entered the common area. Heather was seated by one of the tables like she’d been expecting him. One leg crossed over the other while she filed her nails unnecessarily sharp. 

Alejandro folded his arms over his chest, “What brings you out here, serpentina?”

“Saw you talking with Courtney,” Heather said, “Mind telling me why?”

“Don’t worry. I was just ensuring I stay in her good graces so she’ll be more likely to vote with us in the future.”

Heather cocked a brow at him. Evidently, their rivalry hadn’t been put on hold when joining forces. Alejandro would even go as far as to say it had amplified. Not outright, not so others would notice. Instead lingering in a heightened urge to best the other any way they could and a newfound resentment.

“Listen, if you’re trying to sabotage the-”

“Why would I want to do that?” Alejandro interjected, “Have some faith in me, will you.”

“When I’ve beaten you to the million, maybe.”

“So never? I see how it is.”

Heather scoffed. “I have no idea how Noah manages to stand being around someone like you.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Alejandro gave her a devilish smile.

“ Ugh !” Heather stood from her seat and walked back to first class— ripping Alejandro’s confidence straight from his chest in the process. Maybe unknowingly so.

Alejandro remained idle in the common area, even as the lights dimmed for the night. Another mix of feelings had been added to the concussion within him. 

Heather, with all her vicious tendencies, was authentic. She was real. A work-in-progress sure, but real . And so unapologetic about it too, no wonder she got along with Noah. 

Alejandro felt… insignificant compared to her. Like a total stranger. And it shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did. Because there were times when Alejandro wondered what parts of him were real, and what were parts of the manufactured persona he put on. He doubted Heather ever had to question herself like that. The way she carried herself made it clear she knew exactly who she was. Complete for nobody but herself.

Maybe that was why Alejandro would never be number one. All good parts of him were fake, made to please the people around him. The rest were embarrassing fragments of what could barely be considered a person. 

‘Just accept it. You won’t be the first choice this time either.’

Alejandro dejectedly walked back to economy class, where both Duncan and Noah were already sound asleep. 

Another rude awakening awaited them the following morning. This one only marginally more merciful by giving the contestants 10 minutes before they were needed in the common area. Duncan was gone before Alejandro and Noah even had the chance to stand. 

“You’d think he’d be less willing to go out there since he has to face Courtney.” Noah said.

“Might just want to get it over with.”

“Probably.”

“And what about you? Will you be alright for today?”

“What does that mean?”

“You didn’t say much after we took off yesterday,” Alejandro clarified, “Still worried?”

“Well, yeah, of course I am. My best friend is in the hospital.” Noah said flatly.

‘Obviously.’ It was a stupid question to ask. But Alejandro hoped it’d smother his relief and make him feel worried like Noah did. That it’d jumpstart his sense of empathy. It didn’t.

“But that’s not going to make me less active in the game, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Noah continued, “We have a plan, and we’re sticking to it. This challenge is for us to win.”

“That’s the spirit,” Alejandro smiled and held his hand out for Noah, “Shall we head out then?”

Noah rolled his eyes and pushed his hand away, “I’m already standing, genius.”

“What if I just wanted to hold your hand?”

“Then you’re weird.”

“Thought we’d already established that we’re both a little weird, rey del cielo. You with your planes and me with my dinosaurs.”

Noah scoffed, but his lips were pulled into a slight smile. “That’s a different kind of weird.” he said. 

“Is that so?”

“Yes, now come on, let’s go. Wouldn’t wanna leave Heather waiting.”

They’d left everybody waiting, it turned out as they entered the common area. Duncan arched his brow at them, “What took you guys so long?”

“We were just talking.” Noah replied.

“Sure. Whatever.”

“Alright, is everyone here?” Chris spoke up, doing a quick scan of the room, “Great. Today’s forecast, clear skies with temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius. Or, 300 degrees Fahrenheit. And today’s landing is more of a non-landing fly-by.” he pulled open the door and yelled at the teenagers to jump over the howling wind.

“What about our parachutes?” Cody questioned.

“You’re not getting any!”

“What!?”

“Go, go, go!”

One after another the contestants jumped. Alejandro managed to land without trouble, which couldn’t be said for the rest; landing either flat on the ground or atop shrubs. Or, in the case of Noah and Heather, on top of each other. Alejandro bit his tongue to keep his face still.

“Wonderful start to the challenge.” Noah snarked as they got untangled and back on their feet.

Chris came walking towards them, sporting an outback hat that suited him surprisingly well.

“G’Day, mate, and welcome to Australia.” he said in what was probably his most convincing accent yet. He went on to reveal the first part of the challenge being an emu race to the blue mountains. Emu’s the contestants would have to catch themselves. 

Duncan wasted no time tackling one of the birds, which squawked on impact. Alejandro frowned at the juvenile sight, “There’s no need for cruel methods like that, amigo.”

“It gets the job done and we’re trying to win,” Duncan dismissed, “Worry about yourself.” he grabbed the reins already in place and set off at high speed. 

“Suppose he’s got a point.” Alejandro said to himself. But first, he should check in with Noah. While he had no doubts the other would do fine on his own, offering a hand wouldn’t hurt. After all, they were supposedly working on making Heather jealous still. That was all. 

Alejandro turned to track down Noah and— oh .

Noah was indeed doing fine on his own. He was petting the emu standing in front of him, running gentle fingers over its head. The bird looked content. Enough so that it made no protests when Noah got on its back, even crouching down to make it easier for the short teen.

When their eyes met, Noah arched his brow, “What?”

“Nothing. Just, didn’t take you for an animal person.”

“Seeing as I’m not a people person, kinda the only option I have left.”

Alejandro chuckled, “I suppose that makes sense. You did mention a dog back in Paris.”

“Wait, you remember that?”

“Sí. Kinda hard to forget when you used the same trick to divert the attention of a yeti.”

“Right. Figured the dog part was a lot less significant than that though.”

“Not at all.”

Alejandro was about to ask to learn more about his dog when Noah said, “Duncan has already left, so you better get an emu quickly.”

“Of course. You can go ahead without me, I’ll catch up in a moment.”

“See you at the finish line, aḻakāṉa.”

Alejandro watched as Noah left. Riding under the gentle light of the morning sun, which framed him in colors of peach and gold. For just a moment, Alejandro forgot about Total Drama, about the million he was competing for. For just a moment, he felt normal and unburdened.

He pulled himself back before he could fall too deep.

‘Focus.’

Australia was ridiculously hot. Heather had only been riding for a few minutes and she was already done with the challenge. Good thing she didn’t have to win it. Speaking of which…

Sierra was a good way behind her, doing a fairly poor job at pretending to be unable to steer the emu properly. Heather rolled her eyes, pulling at the reins to redirect her own emu.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get this dumb bird to listen.”

Heather narrowed her eyes to an unimpressed look, “You’re throwing.”

“What?” Sierra gasped, “I would never .” her over-exaggeration made Heather grit her teeth.

“You totally are. And you did so yesterday too. You’re telling me I’m not allowed to throw but it’s totally okay when you do it?”

“Look, I know what I said, but that was before Gwen blew a hole in my ship. Like yeah, duncney hasn’t been the healthiest since the end of Island but they’ve overcome so much already! I’ve been fighting with the gwuncan shippers over this because there’s no way that Gwen would like Duncan when, statistically speaking, he’s not even her type! Gwen’s indirectly made me look like the biggest idiot online-”

“Can we please have a normal conversation?”

“Right, sorry,” Sierra muttered, “Point is, things have gotten personal so Gwen has to go. Like, right now.”

Heather wanted to question exactly how it could be considered personal to Sierra, but decided against it. No reason to talk reason with the fangirl when they wanted the same thing.

“How about this, we both work against the team and then vote Gwen when we lose.” she proposed instead.

“Deal. But only for this challenge.”

“Duh. I happen to like first class. And the sooner we get Gwen out the better. Wouldn’t wanna risk her and Courtney getting all friendly again.”

“Pfft,” Sierra waved her hand in a dismissive, and almost condescending manner, “If Courtney hasn't forgiven Harold for rigging the votes back in season one then no way is she gonna forgive Gwen for snogging her boyfriend. Keep up with the lore.”

‘The lore?’

“Uh, yeah, sure. Anyways, we’re in an agreement?”

“Obviously.”

Heather smiled, “Wonderful. Good luck with the bird.” she departed from her teammate, traveling across the terrain at a steady pace. She made sure to keep her thoughts strictly in line. No better place for them to spiral than when left alone, and Heather was not in the mood to spiral. 

It was hours later when she finally reached the peak of hanging rock. Gwen, Courtney, Alejandro, and Noah were already there. Heather cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Duncan had been first to set off on the ride, but she hadn’t seen him since then. Luckily she hadn’t seen Sierra or Cody in a while either. Which she told Courtney after she asked her about it.

“Wierd,” Courtney hummed, “Cody went off before me but I haven’t seen him either.”

“They could’ve gotten lost.” Heather suggested with a shrug.

“That’s true…”

“Wait, I think I see him.” Gwen spoke up cautiously, like she’d rather avoid attention. Luckily for her, Heather was content with ignoring her.

Heather raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. Cody, and Duncan, were quickly climbing the mountain. They looked disheveled, scratches and bruises appearing on their skin the closer they got.

“What happened to you two?” Heather asked the boys once they’d dismounted their emus and joined the others. 

“An argument and an angry kangaroo.” Duncan said plainly, making it clear he wasn’t going to elaborate. Cody didn’t look keen on the subject either.

“Good footage, in other words,” Chris snickered. “But congratulations, Team Me! You guys won the first half and have an advantage for the second half. Which we’ll get to right after the break.” once done addressing the camera and closing off the episode's first half, he turned back to the competitors. “We’ll give Sierra five minutes. If she hasn’t arrived by then, Team Chris will get a headstart on the challenge.”

“What? Why?” Cody questioned.

“We only have so much time at each location. The mishap yesterday took a bite out of our schedule, which was already scuffed thanks to Jamaica, so we can’t waste time waiting around-”

“She’s here.” Noah interjected, bringing everyone’s attention back to the trail. Sierra came sprinting up the final slope, drenched in sweat and with the emu over her shoulders. She dropped to her knees once she’d made it to the top, panting loudly. 

“And what happened to you ?”

Sierra inhaled deeply a few times before responding, “Emu… wouldn’t listen. Didn’t want… to risk… a penalty… so I carried him… phew .”

“While I don’t remember saying anything about a penalty, good on you for thinking ahead,” Chris said, “Unfortunately, your team came in last.”

“Really? Aw, crap. Sorry guys.”

“It’s fine,” Courtney said, “The boys might have an advantage, but they didn’t get the headstart.”

They were instructed to stand by their teams as Chris began his explanation speech.

“The objective of this challenge is quite simple. Bungee-jump off hanging rock to grab one of Australia’s finest sheep, a few of which having your team’s logo on them. First team to catch and shear one of their own sheep wins first class tickets to nextville. Losers? Well, one you will be jumping without a bungee cord tonight.

“Since Team wondrous me got here first, they get this advantage.” Chris tossed an electric razor to the boys, which Alejandro caught before it could hit Noah’s nose. “Team Amazon, you’ll have to make do with these gardening sheers.”

A pair of old and rusty sheers were thrown to their feet. Courtney picked them up, “Could be worse.”

“Now, get jumping and shearing!” Chris called.

“I’ll go first.” Heather and Alejandro declared in near unison. 

Heather glared at him. She’d intended to waste time by pretending to not be able to catch a sheep, a stupidly easy task. Though not against Alejandro. 

Rationality told her to stick to the plan. The Amazon’s needed to lose. It’d just be part of the scheme, and hold no bearing to her capability and competence. Spite told her to stand her ground. After all, Heather couldn’t let it be obvious that she was sabotaging her team. 

She got the harness strapped around her ankle before Alejandro. However, her internal celebration was cut short once she began her plummet. Somehow worse than free-falling from a plane. The flock of sheep grew closer by the second, and Heather just barely managed to wrap her arms around one before the cord began to pull her back up.

She landed awkwardly and off-balance, nearly dropping her sheep. Almost the exact opposite of Alejandro, who landed with the finesse any ballerina would kill for. Doing so with one sheep under either arm.

“Show-off.” Heather muttered. Alejandro only smirked at her. 

“Strong start,” Chris commended, “How about we spice it up with a little song?”

Ding ding!

“ Ugh !”

With a heavy guitar riff blasting through the air from somewhere unknown, Heather handed over her sheep to Cody and began singing while undoing the harness, 

“ Shearing sheep, no need to fret. 

I for one don’t have any regrets. ”

She gave Gwen a challenging look as she handed her the harness,

“ But I know some of you do.

Shouldn’t’ve bitten off more than you can chew. ”

Gwen narrowed her eyes at her and weakly snatched it from her hands. She didn’t say a word as she got herself strapped in, letting the music play in the background.

“Somebody better take a verse soon or there will be consequences.” Chris warned.

Noah groaned,

“ Shearing sheep, it’s not too hard.

Just move your arms, it’s easy in that regard. ”

He worked on cutting off the wool while he sang, Alejandro helping keep the sheep still. 

Noah then paused to point the razor at Duncan who was just about to jump,

“ In this mess, you’re the one to blame,

So don’t go redirecting guilt with your awful aim. ”

Duncan sneered at him before he and Gwen jumped. Heather shared a glance with Noah and grinned. 

“ We are shearing sheep.

We are shearing sheep. ”

They chorused, with Sierra and Alejandro quickly joining in,

“ We are shearing sheep.

We are shearing sheeeep. ”

Duncan and Gwen landed near perfectly on beat, each with a sheep in their arms. Courtney ran over and took the animal from Gwen. She was about to start undoing the harness when she was stopped by the other girl, who motioned for her to keep jumping.

“ Shearing sheep, no time to waste,

Otherwise it’s defeat we’ll taste. ”

Courtney returned to her team.

“ Whichever way this game will end,

Maybe some of these wounds I can finally mend! ”

“All together now!” Chris encouraged.

“ We are shearing sheep! ”

“ We are shearing sheep! “

“ We are shearing… ”

“ Yeaaahhhhh! ”

“This is going to take forever.” Cody grumbled as the music faded out. They were barely a quarter through their first sheep, whereas Team Chris was already on their third. 

Sierra gave him an apologetic look, “I’m trying but it’s really hard to cut anything with this stupid thing.”

“I could give it a go-”

“No no, I got this. I promise. 100% got this.”

Cody gave her an odd look, “Okay…”

Thud!

“I got another one!” Gwen called, struggling with the thrashing animal in her grasp. “A little help?”

“On it!” Cody stumbled over to her.

Courtney looked over the scene with brows furrowed in contemplation. She glanced over at the other boys, and determination dawned over her freckled face, “We’re not going down without a fight. Gwen, you continue jumping. Cody, you herd the sheep. Sierra, you continue with the shearing.” she grabbed Heather’s wrist, “Heather, you’re with me.”

“Excuse me?” she questioned as she was pulled towards one of the sheep waiting to be sheared.

“We’re being inefficient,” Courtney explained, kneeling down by her own sheep, “If the logo isn’t stamped too deep then we should be able to find it like this and we won’t lose time shearing unmarked sheep.” she moved her hands through the animal’s wool, like a school nurse checking for lice.

Heather cursed under her breath. It was a smart plan. Not one she wouldn’t be able to sabotage, but that mostly hinged on them either having not picked a marked sheep or there only being one. If the latter, Heather also needed to find the logo first. Judging by the way Courtney was thoroughly yet quickly moving, that might not happen. 

‘Not without a fight.’

Heather combed through the sheep’s wool, keeping even pace with Courtney. Neither one found anything on their first sheep. It wasn’t until her third one that Heather spotted it— the splotch of black ink, just barely visible under the wool.

“Nothing on that one.” she said and moved on to the next one. Courtney only gave her a quick nod in response. 

“Found it!” Noah announced, putting an end to their search. 

“And Team Chris is really really really really hot takes the win!”

‘Yes!’

“Great job, gentlemen.” Heather turned to the other team, finding Alejandro giving Duncan a high-five and then pulling Noah into another side hug.

‘Why does he have to be so touchy all the time?’ she bit her tongue to suppress her frown, and forced herself to move her eyes to Duncan. He wasn’t cheering like Alejnadro and Noah. Standing instead with his arms crossed and back turned to the Amazons.

As for her own team, only Cody seemed upset, which was to be expected. Gwen’s solemn expression was nothing new, neither was Sierra’s poor attempt at hiding her elation. Courtney looked content, like it really wouldn’t have mattered how the game ended.

“Team Amazon, I’ll meet you at the elimination ceremony later.”

The plane had landed not too far from hanging rock. Nothing much happened during the walk back. Aside from the occasional glare from Duncan— aimed at Noah, who didn’t seem to notice. 

Hm.

Team Amazon was made to cast their votes while the crew worked on getting the equipment back on the plane. Heather went inside the confessional last, stamping Gwen’s passport without much thought. She was about to leave when she caught herself in the mirror. 

She looked… different.

Heather supposed it made sense, they weren’t really given much time or space to keep up with their routines like in previous seasons. Still, it was surprising how it’d taken her until then to notice. She didn’t look bad, by any means, but she didn’t look like she did last year. Less put together, less like she was trying to impress or intimidate anyone. It didn’t bother her like she’d expected. Like it once would’ve done.

Back on the island her appearance had been one of Heather’s top priorities. She had to look her best at all times, not only for the cameras but for the other contestants. Who, at the end of the day, she didn’t even care about back then. But it still mattered, because she was better than them and they needed to know it just by looking at her.

So when the razor had dropped on her head back on the island, it’d been like something was taken from her. The win, sure, but some part of her too. The one thing she’d felt pride over, however shallow it might’ve seemed. It was just hair at the end of the day. But not to Heather. Not when she’d put so much into it; time, effort, value .

She remembered the Amazon; every twig and leaf and piece of bark that had tangled up in her hair so stubbornly. She remembered tugging at her locks, furiously trying to jank out every last remnant of the forest, all in vain. She remembered the panicked thinking, ‘What if this doesn’t come out? What if I have to cut it off again?’ .

And she remembered Noah, patiently undoing every knot.

Heather wondered if he knew just how much that one act meant. She’d never tell him. He’d likely only laugh and call it absurd. 

There were a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. She went to tuck them behind her ear, but stopped.

“You look sorta good with it down. Happy?”

Why did she feel the need to keep it tied back? At the end of the day it was still her hair. Just, shorter. Just not the same as a year ago.

She wasn’t the same as she was a year ago either. Was that a bad thing?

Heather left the confessional in a hurry. Slightly shaken by a question asked by herself. She pushed it further and further down as she made her way to the elimination room. 

She sat down next to Courtney on the lower bench. The whole team watched silently as Chris and the small camera crew got ready. 

“Team Amazon. It’s lovely to have you back, haven’t seen you guys since the Amazon challenge,” Chris hummed amusedly, “Now, you guys only really started working together near the end of the challenge. Other than that, you were mostly running around and doing your own things. One might even claim you wanted to lose this one. And based on your votes, I’m inclined to believe that.”

He held up one of the passports, preparing to open it as soon as he’d made his reveal, “With four votes against her, including her own, the person taking the drop of shame is…”

Heather glanced at the goth, not surprised in the slightest that she’d voted herself. 

“Gwen!”

Chris had barely finished speaking when Gwen stood up and walked over to him, accepting the parachute held out for her.

“Anything you wish to say before departing?”

Midnight eyes moved from the parachute to cautiously glance back at the seated teens. Gwen was considering, Heather could tell, but hesitated under the scrutinizing stares of her former teammates. Gwen swallowed and pulled the parachute’s straps over her shoulders. She fidgeted with a loose string and stared down at the floor.

“I’m sorry for how things turned out.” Gwen said, her voice cracking slightly, “I really am.”

Then she jumped, and Heather could see how both Courtney and Sierra relaxed. 

Chapter Text

Noah had really missed the comfort of first class. He’d promptly passed out in one of the seats the moment he got there, proceeding to sleep for what felt like a year. It was rare to feel well-rested on a show like Total Drama, especially on the season set on a poorly constructed jet. But no matter how good the sleep was, it didn’t make it any less weird to wake up to a nearly empty cabin. So void of the ridiculousness Noah had gotten used to from his team.

He had to remind himself that Owen was in good hands; well cared for by professionals in an actual hospital rather than some reality show set. They’d get to see each other by the end of the season. Izzy and Eva too. The two girls were probably doing their best causing chaos on the aftermath set.

Noah chuckled lightly at the thought. He’d have to watch those episodes as soon as they aired.

But even without Owen and the girls around, being on the plane wasn’t as unbearable as Noah had thought. Sure, having to deal with Duncan was a pain, but Noah could handle it. Especially when with Heather and Alejandro. Too bad they weren’t all on the same team. It would’ve made their alliance meetings easier to have.

It also would’ve been nice to have them both around in general. Back when there were still three teams, there’d always be a chance that both Team Chris and Team Amazon would end up in economy class. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen. And even if Noah was busy ensuring he kept his scheme going without fault, he still enjoyed it. He enjoyed when it was the three of them.

Not having Heather around was weird. He missed her. 

Noah shot up from his seat. That wasn’t… He didn’t…

‘You don’t miss someone who’s in the other room, idiot.’ his thoughts chided. ‘You just have a lot on your mind.’ yeah, that had to be it.

Noah walked out of first class, aiming for the confessional. He had no real plan for what to say, but anything to stop his thoughts from going there. Anything to ignore whatever dumb things his mind was trying to convince him of. Maybe he could continue working on his hypothesis for the next challenge-

A hand suddenly grabbed onto his arm, roughly dragging him into some closet. The room fell into darkness as the door was slammed shut, but Noah had a sneaking suspicion of who had grabbed him. Damn it.

“And here I thought we were over this.” he snarked, catching the fondness in his voice a little too late, “I mean-”

The light was turned on, revealing icy blue eyes staring down at him.

“Duncan?”

“Expecting someone else?”

“No,” Noah said and pulled his arm free from Duncan’s grip, “What do you want?”

“I want you to listen to me very carefully. Exactly what happened during the scavenger hunt back in Greece?” the delinquent questioned.

“A lot of walking and a confrontation with a bear.”

“Don’t act stupid. You were alone with Gwen and now she’s gone.”

“You’re accusing me of having something to do with it? Real strong evidence you got there.”

Duncan’s hands shot forward— wrapping tightly around the collar of Noah’s button-up to force him up on his toes. It was probably meant to be intimidating, but Noah had experienced way worse at the hands of his sisters. 

“I know that girl,” Duncan said, “Gwen doesn’t just give up. You were alone with her in Greece. Just like how you were mysteriously absent when the rest of us were locked inside that storage room.”

Crap.

“So I’m asking again. What happened during the scavenger hunt?”

On the outside, Noah was as unbothered as one could be. On the inside, his thoughts were running wild. He hadn’t considered the connection, nor had it ever crossed his mind that a connection could be made in the first place. He supposed it made sense, if you were Duncan and felt like everyone was against you. Which meant he had to be careful with everything he said.

“We talked about our feelings. Stuff you wouldn’t get,” Noah replied, honest but vague. “Gave her a little push to confess to you, but nothing more than that.”

Duncan furrowed his brow, “To me?”

“Little did I know you two had already gotten handsy.”

“We didn’t kiss!” Duncan snapped. 

Noah leveled a brow at him, “Really now?”

“Yes!” Duncan released him to angrily gesture with his hands, “How hard is it for you people to understand that? For fucks sake, Gwen doesn’t even like me.”

“Who does she like, then?”

“None of your business. None of anybody’s business- this has all gone to hell and it’s all Tyler’s fault! Had he just kept his mouth shut none of this would’ve happened! Courtney wouldn’t be upset, Gwen would still be here, and Cody wouldn’t have gotten all high and mighty like he did as if that’s somehow gonna make Gwen like him.”

‘So that’s what the argument was about.’ Noah thought.

“Well, all I did was talk to Gwen. I had nothing to do with Tyler.”

“Sure.” Duncan grumbled, “Last question, what’s up with you and Alejandro? Last time I checked you hated basically everyone here.”

“Last time I checked you were gone for the first half of the season. Things happen even if you aren’t around.”

“Answer the goddamn question. Because it kinda looks like you’re manipulating him.”

“Excuse me?”

“What other reason would he have coming to your defense?” Duncan stabbed his finger against Noah’s chest, “You might not have had anything to do with Tyler, but I saw Alejandro talk to him.”

Noah gritted his teeth, “What does it matter to you?”

“Because this is not how you’re supposed to act. There’s no way you’re this good when you were the third one out in the first season.”

“Not even if I orchestrated that myself?” he gave a challenging grin. 

The mix of shock and anger on Duncan’s face was delightful— ice-blue eyes losing their edge for just a moment before he snarled.

“I may not know the fine details of whatever plot you’ve got going on, but I’m onto you.” a final stab to his chest, “You are going down.” and then Duncan left, his stomping fading down the hallway outside. 

Noah lingered by the door, cursing out an imaginary Chris for not going through with Duncan’s elimination. Not a single good thing had come of it. If you weren’t the drama-obsessed bastard himself, at least.

Duncan knowing that he and Gwen were targets was a given. No one was dumb enough to believe they had even a fraction of safety after that fiasco. Duncan knowing, or at least suspecting that Noah had a hand in Gwen’s elimination? That was unexpected. Duncan didn’t strike him as the observant type. Then again, Heather did say his biggest strength was his unpredictability. 

She’d also said Duncan and Gwen were crushing on each other. Noah didn’t necessarily trust Duncan, but his outburst felt too emotional to be any attempt at deception. Too uncontrolled. Not that it mattered if they’d gotten Gwen’s crush wrong, what was done was done. If anyone had a problem with it then so be it. But what did matter was that Duncan was now more volatile than ever before.

At the very least Heather and Alejandro were safe from his suspicions. At the very least they held voting power. But, then again, if Noah’s hypothesis about the coming challenge was true, then there were going to be some slight problems.

‘I need to get Heather and Alejandro.’

Duncan hadn’t returned to first class after their talk, so Noah didn’t need to be discreet when calling on Alejandro. Heather was trickier, but a careful knock on the wall outside the economy cabin drew her attention. She excused herself from her teammates, then followed after the boys as they ventured down to the cargo hold. 

“What’s happening?”

“Duncan knows. Partially.”

“Partially?” Heather arched a brow. 

“He knows Gwen was targeted by me. He’s got no clue of you two or the plan as a whole.” Noah explained, then quickly added, “But he does think I’m manipulating Alejandro.”

“Pfft, ha!”

Alejandro frowned, “I fail to see what’s so funny, serpentina.”

“Don’t worry about it. But how do you know for sure Duncan knows?”

“Got dragged into a closet not too long ago and confronted about Gwen- don’t worry, didn’t say anything about our plan.” Noah quickly clarified as Heather and Alejandro’s faces tensed into something akin to anger. “He may think he’s intimidating but I’ve dealt with worse.”

“Right. The plan.” Alejandro said. “Well, it doesn’t really matter that Duncan’s onto us, he’ll be going home after today.”

“That’s the thing,” Noah said, “I’m not sure anyone’s going home today.”

“What makes you think that?”

“If I’m remembering correctly, then the last challenge would be episode 15 or 16, assuming the aftermath is set up like last season. That means there are about eight episodes left, one of which being the finale. So that’s seven episodes for five contestants to be eliminated,” he explained, “Someone was supposed to go in Greece but Chris decided against it, meaning we haven’t had a real reward challenge since Newfoundland.”

“You believe the next challenge is a reward, then?”

“I’m not 100% certain, but it’s most likely.”

“Then that must mean we’re at the merge after this.” Heather realized, “There’s no way Chris would only have six people in the merge.”

“What’s not to say this won’t be the merge?” Alejandro questioned.

“It’s a possibility. But it doesn’t change the likelihood of it being a reward challenge. Both of the previous seasons have had their first merge challenge be a non-elimination round, technically speaking.”

Alejandro nodded, “Well, we have Courtney’s vote. So even if Duncan manages to team up with Cody and Sierra, it’s four against three, he’s done.” he grinned, “Not that he has to know, of course.”

“I see you’ve got something vicious in mind.” Noah spoke amusedly.

“You know me so well, cerebrito,” the other hummed, “If it doesn’t matter who wins today, then let Duncan think he’s in control. Let him believe he has a fighting chance, and then we’ll tear him down when he least expects it.”

“I like that plan.” Heather said, returning his wicked grin.

A grin that made them both look untouchable, powerful. Dangerous. Like a king and queen ruling ruthlessly and-

Oh.

“Well then,” Noah hurried, “You two have fun with your rivalry. Just don’t try to kill each other.”

“No worries, we’ll save that for the finale. Won’t we, reina malvada?”

“If you even make it that far.”

“Oh, but I will.”

“I doubt it.”

They glared at each other, embers flashing as silver and jade clashed. Noah felt his lips being pulled into a smile and promptly forced them down. Swallowing to rid the lump forming in his throat. 

The plane then began shaking before coming to an uneven landing.

“Looks like it’s challenge time.”

Heather stepped out of the plane— and right into a frigid, barren winterland. She hissed, wrapping her bare arms around herself to shield from the cold. It was no worse than the Yukon, but going from sweltering Australia to wherever this was felt like whiplash. And of course, Chris came sauntering towards them wearing that stupidly cozy-looking jacket. 

“Hallo, oh valkomna til Sverge!” he said.

The contestants stared at him dumbfounded.

“… What?”

“We’re in Sweden, kiddoes! Thought I could spice things up a bit by using the language instead of just the accent.”

“Oh god.” Noah muttered.

Chris rolled his eyes, “Anyways, we’re currently by Vätten, one of Sweden’s largest lakes and-”

“Where a-are the jackets you ordered for us in the Y-Yukon?” Heather cut in, suddenly recalling what he’d said back then.

“I wasn’t done talking-”

“It’s f-freezing!”

“Yeah well, I lied. You’re not getting any jackets. How about that? Can I continue?” his answer came in the form of a disjointed choir of dejected groaning. Which seemed good enough for him, the sadist. “Wonderful. Now, if you’ll follow me, we’ll get started on the first part of the challenge.”

As they were being led across some field, Cody anxiously glanced up at the sky.

“Those clouds don’t look too promising.”

Heather followed his gaze, finding the horizon lined with dark clouds which slowly crept closer. A gust of wind blew past, causing her to shiver. She had a feeling this was going to be a bad day even by Total Drama standards.

The walk stopped a bit away from the shore.

“Before you is a mysterious pile of tools and pieces.” Chris said, “Your first challenge is to use allen keys, wooden sledge hammers, and our wits to turn your piles into whatever they’re supposed to be when properly assembled. First team to correctly assemble their things-majing will earn a big advantage in the next part of the challenge.

“And, to ensure you don’t just copy what the other team is doing.” at the snap of his fingers, two interns came walking with a partition screen. Blocking the teams from each other. “Klara, ferdiga, go!”

“Anyone got any ideas?” Cody asked, scanning their pile.

Courtney hummed and leaned down to pick up one of the pieces— a circular board painted yellow and blue. “These kinda look like the shields Vikings had on the sides of their ships. And seeing as we are in Sweden and by a lake, then the obvious answer is we’re making boats.”

“Makes sense,” Heather said, “Come on, let’s get building.”

“Hold on, we can’t just jump into things. We need a plan. Let’s lay out the pieces so we can have a better understanding of what we’re working with.”

“That’s just going to waste time, and we already know what we’re building.”

“We still run the risk of using pieces in the wrong place which will make our boat unstable.”

“Hey, guys?” Cody spoke up, cutting off their bickering, “Why don’t we separate the pieces we can tell the purpose of from those we can’t?” he gestured towards the U-shaped pieces sticking up from the pile, “Those are clearly meant for the skeletal structure.”

“Oh em gee, that’s so smart, Cody!” Sierra beamed. Most definitely over the moon that he was no longer being “distracted” by a certain goth. Jesus Christ. 

“It’s a solid plan,” Courtney sighed, “You guys work on the pieces and I’ll get the tools.”

Heather did as she was told without protest. Because while it was a pain to take orders from Courtney, it kept her from becoming a target. Not that Heather had anything to worry about when she had Noah and Alejandro on her side.

‘Besides, I won’t have to listen to her after this.’

They’d just finished picking out the pieces belonging to the boat's ‘skeleton’ when Courtney came jogging with the tools. She handed one of the hammers to Cody and the two began the construction, with Heather and Sierra keeping the pieces in place while they nailed them together. Once the base was done they split into two groups; Heather and Sierra sorting through and handing over the required pieces, Cody and Courtney building their ship. It went by surprisingly smoothly, they only yelled at each other once or twice before falling back into their flow. 

Heather was in the middle of picking out the things needed for the sail— Sierra over at the ship to help hold some planks in place— when movement beyond the partition caught her eye. 

“You guys better not be trying to cheat or anything.” she said, standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

“Who, me?” Noah’s voice chimed, layered thick with sarcastic innocence. “I’d never.”

Heather rolled her eyes, “Then what are you doing, if I may ask?”

“Physical labor, if you can believe it. How are things going over there?”

“Decent and bearable. So, wonderful by Amazon standards.”

“How does it feel to have a functional team for once?”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny, honey.”

“I know right? Anyways, you figured out what we’re building or do you need help?”

“Assisting the enemy team, are we?” Heather inquired, letting her head fall slightly to the side.

“If it means pissing off Duncan, then absolutely, aṉpē.”

A lightness fluttered in her chest, igniting something warm. Weird and unfamiliar, but Heather didn’t mind it.

“It’s a boat,” she said, “Courtney figured it out thanks to the shields.”

Noah snorted, “Heh, Alejandro figured it out the exact same way.”

“Oh, really?” Heather frowned.

“Yeah, he started rambling about archeology and stuff.” she knew he was smiling, could hear it in the way his voice got ever so softer. Of course it was when he was talking about Alejandro. 

“Noah. Focus.”

“What? Yeah- yeah. Uh, good luck.”

“You too.” Heather mumbled. She lingered by the partition a little longer before picking up the pieces for the sail and trudging back to her team. 

“You look upset.” Sierra noted when Heather handed her the wood and fabric.

“I’m tired and it’s cold. Let's finish the boat so we can get away from this place.”

Sierra shrugged, then went back to helping their teammates raise the sail. 

“And… there!” Courtney announced once they were finally done. “Great job everyone-”

“Done!” Duncan called from the other side of the partition. 

“Alrighty, let’s see it.” Chris said. He walked down to the partition, his amused gaze going from one side to the other. With a well-placed kick, the partition fell apart to reveal the Viking-styled ships each team had built.

“Incredible, you both got it!” Chris congratulated, “But, since Team Amazon got their boat done faster, they win this first challenge and this advantage.”

Heather caught the bag tossed their way and opened it, “Rocks?” she picked one up, “What are we meant to do with these?”

“Heather.” came the warning voice of Courtney.

“I’m not going to throw them away.”

“Good.”

“It’ll make sense in a moment,” Chris promised, “Now, drag your ship to open water and sail north until you find Chef to receive your next instructions. And, to get the adventure-”

The rumble of thunder cut him off, then came the rain. Light at first, but steadily growing into what surely would become a storm. 

“It’s raining? It wasn’t supposed to rain today.” Chris turned to the crew who looked just as confused as he did. “Uh, as I was saying. North to find Chef.”

“Isn't it dangerous to sail in storms?” Cody questioned.

“It can be, so you guys better get on with it quickly. And don’t sail too far from the shore.”

Heather grumbled but kept her complaints to herself. She doubted even Courtney’s lawsuit threats could get them to postpone the challenge. She got ready with the rest of her team and began pushing their ship towards the water. 

“And to keep up the spirits.”

Ding ding!

“Oh come on!”

A much too disco-y instrumental started to play, jarringly ill-fitting to their current situation.

“ It’s pouring down, but let’s keep up the pace. ” Heather sang. The boat moved slowly over the snow, and only marginally faster when they reached the ice.

Courtney steadied her footing and rammed her shoulder against the stern, forcing it forward greatly.

“ Let’s hurry up, get down to the shore, so we can win this ra-ace. ”

With a final push, the boat splashed into the water, swaying a bit before becoming familiar with the new terrain. 

“ All Amazons, get on board! ” Sierra sang as the team hauled themselves over the railing. They landed on deck with a thud , and chorused the next lines.

“ It’s time to head up the fjord.

No matter what, we’re setting sail. ”

A strong wind howled sharply, almost knocking Team Chris’ boat into theirs as they sailed past.

“ We’re getting ready to head north. ” Alejandro and Noah sang together, the former going solo for the next line,

“ Through this storm we shall go forth! ”

“ Ohh, ohh, ohh, ” the Amazons harmonized.

“ This boat we built with ease. ” Duncan flashed a cocky grin.

“ Victory will be a breeze! ” Alejandro and Noah stepped in.

The boys waved them goodbye,

“ Now it’s time, we’re setting sail. ”

“ We’re setting sail. ”

“ Not stopping for wind or hail. ”

“ Because we’re setting sail. ”

“ This weather really sucks. ” Courtney lamented as Team Chris’ boat traveled further ahead of them.

“ We’re setting sail. ”

Sierra ran to the bow and slung herself around the figurehead to lean over the water; a hand outstretched to the dark sky,

“ Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! ”

The music was abruptly interrupted by the roar of thunder. Sierra shrieked in surprise, wobbling momentarily before safely dropping back on deck.

“Everybody keep to the center of the boat,” Courtney called, “We don’t want anyone falling overboard. Especially with how this storm’s growing.”

“Let’s hope the challenge will be done before it really hits.” Heather murmured.

Alejandro ran his fingers through his rain-slicked hair, combing it back and out of his face. He cast a nervous glance at the dark clouds looming above. 

‘It’s just thunder.’ he reminded himself as his hand fell to fiddle with his necklace. He caressed the cold metal, anxiously awaiting the horrid sound.

“What are you brooding for?” Noah’s voice sounded as the boy walked up to stand by Alejandro’s side. 

“I don’t do brooding, cerebrito.” Alejandro said with an assuring smile.

“Really? Because that distant gaze off into the horizon was definitely brooding.”

“I was just doing some thinking. Nothing more.”

“Standard Alejandro things, in other words.”

“Essentially.”

Noah hummed, and the two fell into what should’ve been a comfortable silence, had it not been for that guilt gnawing away at Alejandro. It hadn’t been a day and the bottle was already starting to break. Pathetic .

Why was it so difficult to be strong and proud like his parents wanted him to be when he was with Noah?

Alejandro looked over his shoulder. Duncan was silently stationed by the tiller, keeping his sharp glare straight ahead as they voyaged across the growing waves. He didn’t appear interested in them in the slightest. Good. The last thing Alejandro wanted was for the guy to hear them.

“Look, Noah, I… I’m sorry.”

“What have you done now?” Noah asked with feigned exasperation. 

“I broke my promise. I said I’d stop treating Owen like some insult, but now he’s out of the game and I’m relieved over it. I’m sorry.” Alejandro had to bite his tongue not to go overboard and beg for forgiveness. Better go out with some dignity left to his name.

“That’s it?”

“Well, yeah.”

Noah snorted, tired yet sincere, “Oh, you are exhausting. Alejandro, you said you’d try , and that was like two days ago. Be a little realistic will you.”

“Realistic? I don’t- wait, you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad? If anything I’m glad you’re being honest with me rather than trying to appease me. I mean, You didn’t pretend around me before so what’s the point in doing it now?”

“Ah, I-I see,” Alejandro stumbled over his words. “I just thought that, since we’re- I mean, I don’t want you to feel like I’m not taking this seriously.”

“Because you’re so notorious for goofing off.” Noah said with a teasing smirk. “Listen, it’s going to take time and that’s fine. Deal with it.” he reached up and lightly flicked Alejandro’s nose. Alejandro smiled.

Then the thunder rumbled once more, and he stopped. Hand shooting up to hold his bull charm tightly.

“You’re scared of thunder?”

“Oh, not at all. I’m just-” another roaring rumble, this one louder and closer than the previous ones. Alejandro flinched, squeezing the charm hard enough for the metal to dent his skin. “Maybe a little.”

“Well, I can’t really make the thunder stop,” Noah said, gaze drifting momentarily as he pondered, “Why’s stegosaurus your favorite dinosaur?”

“Hm? Oh, they’re actually not my favorite.”

“Really? Even though you talked about them on end in Jamaica?”

“They were the first I fixated on as a kid,” Alejandro explained, “I suppose that means they have a special place for me, but the title of favorite goes to the spinosaurus. And it’s entirely because I think they’re cool.”

“Isn’t that like the only requirement for the title of favorite dinosaur?”

“It’s a factor, yes, but there’s more to it. For example, the spinosaurus was likely one of the first dinosaurs to swim while also being the biggest carnivorous dinosaur to have been discovered. Their sail, or fin, alone was around six to seven feet tall.”

“That is pretty cool.”

“Right? And get this-”

“Hey, nerds?” Duncan called out, putting an end to their conversation. “We’re here.”

They stopped by a small dock where Chef stood waiting in the rain. He wasted no time lowering a canon onto their ship.

“To win the challenge you must sail north to capture the red flag way over yonder. Or sink the enemy ship with the help of your meatballs.”

Alejandro clicked his tongue, “Then the girls must’ve gotten flint.”

“And you two got me.” Duncan said and pulled out a lighter. 

“If the rain will allow you to use it, that is.” Chef said and signaled for them to continue.

The storm around them was steadily growing, becoming more and more unruly with each passing second. Their boat fought vigilantly against the waves crashing against her sides. Alejandro and Noah were both up by the bow, searching through the murky haze for that pop of red. Alejandro had long since lost track of time, but it felt like they’d been out on water for hours. Were they even going in the right direction?

“There it is!” Noah called out, pointing far ahead. The flag was just barely visible, flapping wildly in the wind. “If we keep the course steady then-”

BOOM!

A shot rang out, shrieking as it flew through the air and made a small tear in the edge of their sail. Alejandra whipped his head around. The Amazons had caught up to them, with Heather and Sierra positioned by their canon— both bearing menacing smiles that pierced through the thick veil of rain.

“Looks like the girls want to battle,” Duncan said, “You guys man the canon!” he tossed them his lighter.

“We should take out their mast,” Noah said, “With this storm going sinking the ship is too dangerous. We can take it on the race.”

Alejandro nodded and lined up their canon, aiming just a little higher in case. It was difficult with the constant moving of both ships, but he managed to get a workable angle and signaled for Noah to light the fuse.

“Fire in the hole!”

Their shot just narrowly missed the mast. Splashing against the water behind the ship.

Both teams fired again; the Amazons taking away a small chunk of their yard, and team Chris ripping through the upper section of their sail.

“It would appear the Amazons are on the same track as us.”

“Good to know no one is trying to kill anyone.”

Alejandro chuckled, “It’d be a real bad look if anyone actually died on this show.”

“And yet Chris would milk it for all it’s worth. What a horrible way to be remembered.”

“Truly.”

“Will you two hurry up and take out their ship already?” Duncan barked.

Noah rolled his eyes and snapped back, “We’re working on it!”

BOOM!

BOOM!

The last meatballs fired, and both ships stood unharmed. Still fighting against nature.

“Guess it’ll come down to a race.” Noah hummed.

“Oh no, it won’t.” Duncan sneered through his teeth, gripping the tiller with both hands.

“Dude, we’re out of ammunition.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t sink their ship.”

“What are you talking about?”

Noah’s question was quickly answered as Duncan made a sharp turn, aided by the wind. The sudden movement made both Alejandro and Noah lose their balance and slip on the wet wood of the deck. 

Alejandro pushed himself up on his elbows. Duncan had turned their ship around, now sailing away from the flag—

And straight for the Amazons’ ship.

Dread washed over Alejandro as he figured out Duncan’s intention, “He’s not actually going to…?”

Noah scrambled to his feet, “Duncan, don’t-!”

They crashed against the Amazons. Both boats rocked violently in the collision, the sound of wood breaking against rocks bellowing through the air. But where Duncan managed to keep their boat steady, Courtney lost her grip on their tiller. Along with her teammates, she was thrown against the starboard railing.

And perhaps that would’ve been the end of it, had it not been for the storm. Had it not been for the raging waters and harsh winds cluelessly picking sides— giving the final push that capsized the Amazon’s ship. 

Alejandro felt his heart drop at the sight of the ship tipping over. At the sound of the other team screaming as they fell into the water. He ran over to the railing, Noah close behind.

He couldn’t see them. Just the hull of the turned-over ship. 

He couldn’t see her .

“ Heather. ” it was a strained sound that came from Noah. Like a yell being choked to silence; only its shaking echo slipping past. 

A few interns rushed into the water. They disappeared behind the ship briefly before reemerging with an Amazon each. While they were drenched and shaking from the cold, no one seemed to be hurt. No one was missing.

And yet Alejandro’s heart didn’t calm down, beating fast and heavy and overwhelming his senses. He held the railing tightly, like it was the one thing keeping his legs from giving out. 

“Don’t you two think you’re overreacting there a little?” where Duncan’s voice was muffled, Noah’s growl was clear as day.

“What is wrong with you!?”

Duncan didn’t get the chance to defend himself— not that he deserved to. Chris was waving his arms, signaling for them to get their boat to shore. 

“That sure was one heck of a Viking battle,” Chris said once everyone was up on land, “And with Team Amazons’ ship capsizing, the winners are Team Me so Hot!”

Duncan pumped his fist.

“Team Amazon, that was quite the nasty fall. Good thing you won’t be losing any team members tonight!”

“Wait, for real?” Duncan questioned.

“Yup! Only thing they’ll be losing out on is the hot chocolate, freshly baked Swedish cinnamon rolls, and massages currently waiting in first class.”

The walk back to the plane was a tense and cold blur. Alejandro didn’t process much of it. Only when in the warmth of first class did he feel like he was present again. Only then could he properly feel angry. 

Duncan had dropped down on one of the couches, lounging nonchalantly with his arms behind his head. Alejandro scowled and marched up to him.

Duncan didn’t open his eyes to look at him, “What?”

“What you did today was stupid and dangerous,” Alejandro said firmly. “Somebody could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”

“But no one did, and we won.” Duncan dismissed, “Wake me up when those massage therapists get here.”

There was a lot more Alejandro wanted to say, but he kept his composure. Duncan had to believe he was in control. “Sure.”

Making the choice to ignore the delinquent for the rest of the flight, Alejandro turned his attention to their reward. Four trays had been placed on the bar counter, two for the baked goods and two for steaming cups of hot chocolate. All ready to be enjoyed by the winners. Noah was already there and picking up one of the cups. However, when he walked down the cabin he passed the seats and made for the door instead.

“Where are you going?” Alejandro asked, keeping his voice low so as not to wake Duncan; who was now snoring lightly.

Noah turned to him, “Economy. Figured our dear Heather might not be all too happy after Duncan’s stunt, so to ensure she won’t bitch about it later.” he motioned to the cup. 

There were things he didn’t say, but that Alejandro understood regardless.

And he couldn’t blame him.

“How thoughtful.”

“Eh, it’s nothing.” Noah dismissed, leaving before Alejandro could say anything else. Before he could point out that it clearly was something .

Alejandro sighed. What an exhausting day it’d been. And he knew someone who’d had it worse. He looked back at Duncan, confirming he was still fast asleep before exiting first class— he too with a steaming cup in his hands.

He spotted Courtney quickly, walking down the hall outside the common area with a handful of towels. “Courtney! Just who I was looking for.”

She turned to him with a surprised look, “Really?”

“Sí, I wanted to apologize for Duncan’s behavior today.”

“That’s very nice of you.” Courtney said. She accepted the cup from Alejandro’s outstretched hand, sighing in delight after taking a sip,, “Oh, eso es perfecto.”

“I hope none of you were too hurt by the fall.”

“Aside from a few bruises, we’re all good. Even if we did land in fairly shallow waters, it wasn’t enough to cause any serious damage. Though, I was pretty scared for a second there.”

“Understandable. Again, I’m so sorry for Duncan’s foolishness.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him. I saw you aiming for the mast like we were, so I know you’re sensible.” muttering onto the cup, Courtney added, “Why we were even told to sink each other in that storm I’ll never know.”

“The ratings, most certainly.”

“And ratings gold they got. I would’ve dragged Duncan to court if it weren’t for our contracts.”

“Our contracts?”

“There’s a part that says we’re responsible for our own injuries, even if they’re technically caused by other players or the production crew,” Courtney explained. “It’s entirely so we can’t sue.”

“I did not know about that.” Alejandro hummed, slightly unnerved by the revelation.

“Well, now you do. And now you also know to always read your contracts before signing them.”

“You’re telling me you read that part and still signed it?”

“Yup. Because it also means I can’t be sued for kicking someone’s teeth in. You gotta pay attention to the loopholes and be ready to use them.”

“Then I hope you’re ready to kick Duncan off the plane,” Alejandro grinned, “I may or may not have overheard Chris. The merge is likely happening next.”

Courtney smirked, “He’s so going down.”

Chapter Text

“So…” Noah drawled, doing his best to avoid the camera lens staring expectedly at him, “I erm… I like Heather and Alejandro. A lot.” while his voice was low, just barely above a murmur, there wasn’t a bit of uncertainty to the words. And that was the worst part.

Noah hid his face in his hands, and screamed— the sound muffled by his palms. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was just pretend. An act made for them to hide behind while working towards the million. And what was he doing admitting to it in the damned confessional? He should’ve just repressed it like he did everything else. Like he had been doing.

Like he'd grown tired of doing.

“It’s not like I have a shot anyways,” Noah sighed, “Not when they so clearly have a thing for each other and I… I’m not like them.” perhaps that was why he felt the constant need to prove himself in the game; that he truly was the capable player they saw him as. That he was worth it, their time and effort.

Noah scratched at his arm. Ran his dull nails over his tan skin. He was an apathetic person by nature. Logic had helped him navigate the world through his entire life. Emotions, on the other hand, were confusing and exhausting. It had never been Noah’s strongest skill to care. He could, and he does, but it was shocking all the same every time someone new entered that elusive space in his heart. Had you told Noah during the first night on the island, and Noah during the bus ride to the airport, that Heather and Alejandro would both find their way there, he would’ve laughed.

Yet there he was. Worrying about why Alejandro expected himself to make years worth of progress in just a few days. Worrying about what happened to that vulnerable girl Heather hid behind a callous exterior. All the while growing weak in the knees every time he heard the chime of their laughter, or caught that competitive gleam in their eyes during challenges and meetings, or felt their touch which should be weird and unpleasant but somehow wasn’t and-

“ UGH! ” Noah raked his nails over his skin one final time, moving his hands to tightly grip his hair by the roots. Stop it, stop it, stop it!

“Relationships on this show never work out. Except if you’re Tyler and Lindsay but those two are in their own category.” he let go of his hair and folded his arms over his chest, “Maybe I don’t even want a relationship. Maybe I can just let it be a dumb stupid crush and hope it shrivels up and dies when this show’s over. Because let’s be honest, why would they ever want to be with someone like me?”

It felt redundant to list everything that was wrong with him. The audience was most certainly already well aware of his every flaw. Flaws that seemed ten times worse when compared to Heather and Alejandro. Sure, they were flawed too, every person in existence was. But, the more Noah learned, the more it seemed theirs weren't their own fault. Like bad habits they’d been taught, or traits developed by circumstance.

What excuses did Noah have? None at all. Neither did he have anything to make up for them. No ambitious drive, no athleticism, no charm, no admirable determination. 

Heather was mean, but everything she did burned bright with passion. Be it her schemes in the game, or those few times Noah had caught her practicing ballet on the island. Heather was a force to be reckoned with, and she knew it.

Alejandro was manipulative, but loyal to those that mattered. Those same people gained his honesty, too. Alejandro was an evil mastermind just the same as he truly was a gentleman.

And Noah was hopelessly in love with them both.

A part of him, one more treacherous than the part that harbored his feelings, was screaming in alarm. Kept his innermost walls up like never before. 

‘You can’t trust them. You’re only a tool to get them further in the game. Nothing more.’

‘But you’ve seen what they hide.’ that other part argued back. ‘Shouldn’t that prove you’re something more?’

Noah didn’t know which side to listen to. They both scared him. Instead he turned to what he knew for certain; in the same way he cared about his friends, Noah cared about Heather and Alejandro. And maybe they didn't care about him in that way, but they still cared. And that should be enough.

It had to be enough.

Noah gave himself a moment to calm down, regaining his signature bored expression before leaving the confessional. He planned on heading straight to first class and sleep for the rest of the flight, but was stopped by Sierra, waving at him as she ran up to him. Noah mentally prepared for her strange ramblings.

“What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to say it was totally sweet of you to bring Heather that chocolate. Like, obviously I wanted some too because it looked really good but I can’t complain because you two looked so cute.” Sierra said, her smile never faltering once.

“… Thanks?”

“Like, I never would’ve expected it from Island, but you two could work really well together. You’ve got that whole flirt-fighting going and I can so see the fans going wild over it. I wonder what your shipname will be?”

Noah had to fight to keep his face blank. ‘Don’t do this to me right now.’

“Ugh, I wished we had internet access and were allowed to use our phones. Cool as it is to actually be on the show I can’t partake in the fandom like I want to. I’m gonna have so many blogs to catch up to and messages to read when I get back home, not to forget my own blogs I’ll need to update. Oh, and the Courtney essay, I cannot forget about the Courtney essay.”

“The Courtney essay?” Noah regretted speaking the minute Sierra’s eyes turned near manic. 

“Well, you see,” she began, “After Action so many people were against Courtney for how she behaved. People were so mad at her. Which, she was the antagonist so I understand, but some people took it way too far. Like, death threats are so not cool. Ever. Anyways, after this season I feel like people are going to be more split than ever because of the cheating. Some are going to claim she deserved it, but I believe others might feel bad and forgive her. There were a lot of Gwen haters who went softer on her after the Trent thing in Island, so something similar might happen here. So my essay-”

Sierra continued on with her rambling, but Noah stopped listening. He was overwhelmed, and tired, and this was draining his social battery like nothing else. On bad days he would’ve snapped and told anyone and everyone to go rot in a ditch. But this wasn’t a bad day. It was a horrible disaster that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Maybe Noah should rot in a ditch for a change. 

He didn’t register Sierra skipping back to economy class until she was gone. He suspected she hadn’t registered his dissociation either. Likely just happy someone was willing to listen to her.

Hiding his face in his hands, Noah breathed deeply. He listened to the dull humming of the jet’s engine. Focused on it long enough to feel at least somewhat normal when he walked back to first class.

Noah woke up hours later to a strange mix of sensations. The loud whirring of machinery and the cold metal under him revealed he’d been moved to the cargo hold. The comforting warmth on either side told him he wasn’t alone. 

Noah stared blankly at the ceiling as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It didn’t bode well that he, and presumably the rest of the cast too, were down in the cargo hold. Not with this show’s track record. Finally able to make out his surroundings, Noah looked around. Indeed, the whole cast lay scattered about the metal floor, sleeping soundly. His speculations as to why they’d been moved were cut short by a dreadful realization; He was sandwiched between Heather and Alejandro.

Noah scampered to his feet like he’d been lying with something deadly, stumbling blindly until his back collided with a wooden crate. His movements caused Heather and Alejandro to stir awake. 

“Noah?” Alejandro muttered as he pushed himself to sit, “Is something wrong?”

“Uhm…” they should’ve thrown him off the plane back in London. “No, everything’s fine. Or, as fine as they can be in this death machine.”

Heather squinted as she looked around, “Why are we in the cargo hold?”

“No idea, I just woke up.” Noah’s eyes began to drift over the other contestants, pausing once spotting Duncan and Sierra— and an idea took shape in his head.

“Hey, remember how Duncan thinks I’m manipulating Alejandro?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Heather questioned.

“What if we let that be the narrative?”

Heather and Alejandro leaned in closer, signaling for Noah to continue.

“How things are right now, we’re the villains. And if there’s one sure thing about Total Drama it’s that villains never win. Nobody in the game knows of our alliance. No idea how it is for the aftermath. They just know we flirt and that you two don’t exactly get along. So, what if Duncan’s right and I really am manipulating Alejandro? What if I’m manipulating both of you? What if this whole thing is just me using you two to get further in the game?

“People won’t root for the villains, but they will root for those who have been hurt. So, if the remaining players, and maybe even the audience, think you two have gotten your heart broken by some sarcastic asshole, then your odds in the game and overall reputation will be even better. Even more when you push through to the end to prove that you really are the most prolific players this show has ever seen, heartache or not.

“And then, I don’t know, you can fall in love over your mutual understanding of having had your feelings hurt by your honey-bunny or whatever.”

“More like Noahla bear.” Heather muttered, quietly enough for Noah to almost miss it.

His eyes widened slightly. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Right. So, what do you think of the plan?”

Heather and Alejandro shared a glance that Noah couldn’t quite decipher in the dark. It seemed hesitant, like they were turning to each other for help in figuring out their answer.

“Are you really okay with it?” Alejandro asked after a moment.

“Totally.” Noah assured. “Everything is filmed, and Chris will go nuts over a scheme like this. Sure, the others might be a little upset about having been tricked but it’ll be fine once we explain everything. And besides, I’m not really known for caring what others think of me, so.” he shrugged. 

‘Being away from you will hopefully nuke my feelings too.’

Alejandro gave a curt nod, “Then I’m all in.”

“Same with me,” Heather said. “Let’s give it some time to build up, though. So the others can really catch on before we end it in some big fight.”

“I like the sound of that.”

The floor suddenly vanished from beneath them, sending them into a freefall through blinding daylight. And no matter how many times they’d been there, Noah was certain no one had become accustomed to being dropped from the sky. 

A cacophony of screams soon filled the air as the rest of the teenagers woke up.

“Hey kids!” Chris’ voice boomed from above, “You better get into your paddle boats!”

Noah had just spotted the swan-shaped boats when Alejandro wrapped either arm around him and Heather— holding them close as he dropped into one of the boats just before it hit the water. Noah groaned, the wooden bench having dug harshly into his back on impact. 

Alejandro moved off from the two, “You two okay?”

“I’m alive so that’s something.”

Noah pointed his thumb to Heather, “What she said.”

“Water!” Cody yelled out from the other boat.

“Brilliant observation.”

“No! Waterfall !”

Indeed, the river they were floating on was slowly but surely dragging them towards the edge of a waterfall. 

“Paddle!” Courtney’s command bellowed.

Alejandro and Heather got situated quickly, but the most either group could manage was keeping the boat idle. Before anyone could bemoan their demise, Sierra roared,

“This is not how my favorite show ends!”

In the span of a few seconds she’d produced a rope from who-knew-where and tied one end to a lasso. She flung it over the head of the other boat and pulled it tight, fitting the other end between her teeth. Then they were practically flying over the water— and promptly crashing against the shore.

Whatever an amused Chris was saying fell on deaf ears. Noah was too busy keeping his eyes from wandering.

A bus took the cast from the falls to a casino. Chris led them through the flashy and extravagant gambling rooms before coming to a stop at the concert hall. Much less exciting, but more reasonable for a group of teenagers.

Alejandro sat down in the first row seats along with the others.

“Last time on the aftermath show they had a second chance challenge, where one of the losers could score a spot back in the game.” Chris said and motioned to the stage, “We’re just about to enjoy a little number from the winner.”

Another player? Well, there went their remaining reward challenge.

“Wonder who it is.” Cody hummed. “Hope it’s Gwen.”

“I hope it’s not.” Courtney said, and Sierra nodded in agreement. 

“It better not be fucking Tyler.” Duncan sneered. 

“Please let it be Leshawna.” Heather said and crossed her fingers.

Alejandro didn’t know who he was hoping for.

“She’s 200 pounds of sassy in a 90 pound package and she’s wearing 12 pounds of mascara.” Chris paused briefly before exclaiming, “It’s Blainley!”

“¿Qué?”

“Who?”

“Come again?”

“Chime in a little in the song where you can to really make her feel welcome.” Chris said, and soon after the music began playing. Three tiers rose from the stage, at the top of which stood a middle-aged blonde woman in a red dress and a microphone in hand. 

“ Blain-Blain-Blain-Blain-Blainerific, is my name! “ the woman sang, her peppy energy the complete opposite of her confused and slightly annoyed audience. 

“ Bla-Blainerific! S-So terrific!

I’m fa-fa-famous, famous! ”

Courtney motioned angrily to the stage, “ This is so against the rules.

Does Chris think we’re a bunch of fools? ”

“ That man’s got no class I fear, ” Alejandro sang back, “ Is he expecting us to cheer? ”

“ La-Lamerific! ” Noah scoffed as Blaineley began strutting down the steps to the tiers, now being slowly veiled in a layer of smoke.

“ M-M-Make me si-ick! ” Heather added with a fake gag.

“ I’m fa-fa-famous, famous! ” Blaineley carried on with her song seemingly unaffected by their comments. She went on about her specific latte orders, then snapped at Cody for not knowing who she was.

“ It’s a fact and scientific, that I’m still Blainerific-! ” she tripped over the smoke machine, nearly taking down the entire set while stumbling around trying not to fall.

Heather and Sierra snickered at her mishap.

“ She’s not so famous,

Turns out she’s not so famous! ”

Blaineley gave them a nasty glare before scoffing, “Whatever.” she turned to Chris, “So, which one of these lame teams am I on, anyways?”

“You’re on your own. Because as of now, there are no more teams.”

As a few former Team Amazon members loudly cheered, Alejandro kept to a composed smirk. Anything more and he likely would’ve revealed he’d already known, and by proxy reveal the alliance. He’d have to keep his compliments regarding Noah and Heather’s smarts to a more private time.

Then and there, he had Duncan to keep an eye on. There was no missing the way his lips had curled into a vicious grin. Still, Alejandro walked up to him and offered an amicable hand. “It’s been a pleasure playing on the same team as you, amigo .”

Duncan took his hand. “Right back at you, dude .”

Their tense staring contest was cut short by the sound of something heavy scraping over wood. The source was a massive slot machine, having been pushed onstage by Chef— now wearing a pink, sparkly dress.

“Since we are in the honeymoon capital of the world, I thought it’d be cool to drop some arranged marriages on you.” Chris said, “Check it, s’lots o’ fun for me, not so fun for you. Each girl pulls the lever to win a husband she’ll team up with for today’s challenge.”

Alejandro cursed internally. The set-up meant he wouldn’t be paired with Noah, which would’ve been preferable. At the very least they didn’t have to work with-

‘Mierda.’

Heather could end up being paired with Duncan.

Alejandro’s chest grew heavy at the thought, twisting uncomfortably. Logically he knew Duncan wouldn’t try anything reckless now that he believed the numbers were on his side. But the memory of storms and capsized ships made him worry regardless. 

He reached for his necklace, but paused right as he was about to graze against the metal. It was one thing to fidget in a thunderstorm, it was another to do it in a crowd. To make a show of his weakness. 

But was this a weakness? His parents would deem it as such. So would José. Caring for anyone without reason or something to gain was a weakness to them. What about Alejandro?

Heather was his ally, so naturally he didn’t want her to be hurt. That was, however, the inevitability they’d agreed on when forming their alliance. Someone would get beaten to the million and be left to mend their pride in isolation. But that was their agreement. Duncan had nothing to do with it.

Alejandro clenched his jaw. It didn’t matter if his worry was a weakness or not, Duncan had crossed a line, and Alejandro would cut the cords of his parachute if he ever crossed it again.

Alejandro was brought back from his thoughts by Courtney tapping him on his shoulder. “We’re about to start.” she informed him.

He gave a quick nod in response. Even if he couldn’t be paired up with Noah, Courtney and Heather were still options. Alejandro didn’t want Duncan near either one.

The boys were ushered onstage, then mercilessly shoved inside the machine.

“Sierra, you’re up first!” Chris’ muffled announcement was heard. Shortly thereafter sounded the whirring of the machine as it spun through the contenders to decide a winner.

“Whoa!” Cody yelped as he disappeared down the chute.

Sierra squealed excitedly at the sigh of her partner, “I get to marry my favorite character ever , this is so awesome!”

‘Character?’

“Courtney, you’re next.”

“Oh please for the love of god.” Duncan pleaded. And for once the universe seemed to take pity on him, for it was Alejandro who dropped down the chute. He landed before Courtney, who looked just as relieved as Duncan probably felt.

“Gracias a Dios.” she sighed, then offered Alejandro a hand to help him up. “Almost thought Chris had rigged this thing.”

“Well, I did not.” Chris said and motioned for the two to move away from the machine.

Heather went next, and if the universe was merciful to Duncan then it was indifferent to Alejandro. Moments after Heather had pulled the lever, Noah tumbled out of the machine. She looked down on him, trying hard to mask her obvious glee.

“Hm, I can make this work.”

“Gee, don’t you know how to make a man feel special, aṉpē.”

“Only for you, honey.”

“And that means Duncan gets the newbie.” Chris said as the delinquent dropped to the ground by Blaineley’s feet. 

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, “I supposed it’ll do.”

“Wonderful. And with that done, everybody off the stage so we can set up the first challenge.”

The contestants went down to hang around the seats while crew members began hurrying across the stage.

“Hey, sorry for asking,” Courtney said, eyeing Blaineley with a raised eyebrow, “But how exactly did you win the second chance challenge when you’ve never even competed in the show before-?”

Blaineley held up her hand, “My contract states I’m not allowed to discuss details of the aftermath with the contestants. You understand, don’t you?”

A sour expression fell over the teenager, “Absolutely.”

“Great.”

Courtney grumbled as the older woman walked away. “Bet she’s here only to cause drama. Like we need any more of that.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if she is,” Alejandro agreed, “Especially if she was part of the aftermath crew.”

“At least she won’t be a threat. Now, let’s get rid of Duncan.”

“That’s the spirit, amiga.”

They were called back up on stage shortly thereafter; which now featured an obstacle course. One that looked ridiculously easy to navigate. Four columns marked the beginning of the course, one for each pair. The boys were made to stand on top of them, while the girls were stood by their base. The former with a megaphone, and the latter a blindfold tied around their eyes. 

With the cameras rolling once again, Chris— now in a blue tuxedo— explained the challenge; guide your blindfolded bride through the course. Easy.

“Only couples with a dress will move on. Go!”

Alejandro and Courtney had no problems working together, so Alejandro could afford to keep an eye on the others. Cody and Sierra were doing decent, but they were still in dead last. Sierra was moving before Cody had the chance to finish his sentences. It didn’t help that he lacked assertiveness when speaking. Of which Duncan had lots of. And so did Blaineley, resulting in the two arguing more than giving and following instructions. Still, they were a good ways ahead of Cody and Sierra.

Then there was Noah and Heather, steady in the lead. They were in a continuous back-and-forth of snarky remarks and lighthearted insults. One might’ve expected the instructions to get lost with everything else, but they managed to keep them distinct. 

“ -then two steps to your left.”

“We’re facing the same way, honey , there’s no need to specify.”

“Right, my apologies for trying to make it easy for you, my beloved wife.”

“Please, if I were your wife I’d put poison in your coffee.”

“And I’d drink it. A step right then forward until I say stop.”

Alejandro knew it was likely for the cameras, and so he didn’t hide his staring. Didn’t hide the way he got lost in his strange longing.

Too lost, in fact. He almost didn’t catch Courtney heading straight for a bell.

“Stop stop stop!” he called out urgently. “Take three steps to your right, and then we’re at the homestretch.”

Courtney rounded the bell with ease then sprinted the final few meters, reaching her dress after Heather.

“Alright, amiga!” Alejandro cheered, “We did it!”

She took off her blindfold and turned to smile at him. It fell into something more concerned at the sight of the other two brides. Covered in frosting, sand, confetti, and drenched in water. 

Blaineley stumbled towards her dress, leaning against the mannequin for support. “This is absolutely inhumane.” she said and used her blindfold to whip away the frosting on her face.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Courtney huffed, earning a glare from the blonde.

“Got it!” Sierra declared proudly as she tackled the remaining mannequin. She pumped her fists in the air, seemingly unbothered by the piranha gnawing at her braid.

“Great,” Chris said, “You’re all eligible for the next challenge.”

The girls were led to the backstage area where they were each given their own room to get changed in. Heather slipped into her dress— finding it only mildly questionable that they’d gotten one in her exact size. She swapped her wedge heels for some white ballerina flats, and pulled a pair of gloves over her hands.

Heather looked herself up and down in the wall-length mirror. It was a nice dress. The fabric was soft, and it hung from her frame perfectly. The skirt trailed behind her like something regal. She felt entirely unfit for it. In fact, she felt horrible. 

Heather took a shaky breath, the burning in her eyes the only warning before tears began trailing down her face. She was tired of it, of not feeling good enough. But she’d abandoned her previous sanctuary in favor of trying. Of being rather than pretending. It took a lot more effort and was a lot more exhausting. 

Being cruel was easy, but temporary. It never did her any good. Yet Heather couldn’t help but miss the familiarity of it. Being selfish meant she didn’t have to worry about who she hurt. The only problem was she was hurting herself too. A double-edged sword she’d put to rest.

It was difficult, accepting that she no longer was nor would ever be who she was a year ago, but damn it, she was trying . And she was tired of it making her feel like she was any less. 

Heather angrily wiped away her tears. 

Her hair was shorter, so what? She wasn’t feared like she was on the island, so what? She was still Heather, was she not?

“Yeah, as the new and improved Heather.”

“You’ve gotten so much better over the year.”

Yes. She was.

Heather narrowed her eyes to a determined look. “I am better.”

She reached for a pair of diamond earrings and put them on, watching as they glimmered in the light. “I am worth it.”

She tilted her head slightly up when clasping a pearl choker around her neck. “I am good enough.”

A pearly tiara rested upon a mannequin head on the vanity. Heather picked it up, and ran her thumbs over the gems. She took a steadying breath, then placed the tiara on her head. “I deserve a happy ending.”

She left the backstage area with the other girls and rejoined the cast. However, before she could leave the building to get on the bus, Duncan stopped her.

“I need your help.”

“And what’s in it for me?” Heather asked and crossed her arms.

Duncan rolled his eyes, “I’ll owe you a favor and a vote.”

“Alright, I’m listening.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Noah’s acting really off. I don’t know how he’s done it but he basically has Alejandro wrapped around his finger. The guy’s up to something, he needs to go before he can do any more damage than he already has.”

“I knew Alejandro was sketchy,” Heather said, revisiting her pre-London mindset, “But Noah? I don’t know. Do you really think he’s capable of manipulating some stranger like Alejandro?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know if you, or anyone for that matter, has thought about this, but they clearly have some kind of history. Noah was Chris’ assistant when the whole dirtbag thing was faked, there’s no way he wasn’t at least familiar with the guy at the start of the season.”

Heather hated that what Duncan was saying made sense. 

“I’ve already talked with Cody and Blaineley. They’re in. Courtney and Alejandro are lost causes. Sierra’s obsessed with the guy so if Cody tells her to vote for Noah I’m sure she will.”

“And what do you want me to do?” 

“Lose the challenge, then vote Noah.” Duncan said, giving her an intentful look.

Heather nodded, “Got it.”

The bus took them back to Niagara Falls, where a tightrope had been suspended over the water between two wooden platforms.

“I’d like to call this challenge ‘til death do you part.” Chris explained, “Each groom has to carry his bride across the gorge, and then successfully clear customs. First pair to do so wins immunity and a pimped-out wedding reception in first class. Heather and Noah won the first challenge, so they get a headstart.”

Heather glanced down to the water far below. “I don’t trust you not to drop me.”

“I don’t trust me not to drop you either.” Noah replied. 

Wonderful . Only one thing to do then.

Heather hiked up the skirt of her dress enough so it wasn’t dragging on the ground. She pulled out her hair tie and used it to keep the fabric in place. After ensuring that everything stayed in place she turned to Noah. “Alright, let’s go.”

Whatever Noah had planned to say in response was choked by a surprised noise as Heather picked him up bridal-style. He stayed silent as she began the walk.

The first steps were easy. The rope was sturdy and barely moved under their weight. In the beginning, at least. The further out they got, the more it swayed, and the more challenging it got. Each time another pair stepped out the rope trembled slightly. Heather’s stance became more and more unsteady, and her steps shorter and shorter to make up for it. At this rate, the others would catch up to them in no time.

Noah still hadn’t said a thing, and Heather didn’t know whether to be thankful or not. On one hand, it helped her keep focused. On the other, it left her with thoughts yelling at her not to fall. Which a sudden jolt of the rop almost made her do. Heather inhaled sharply, managing to steady herself just in time. Her grip on Noah tightened like his did on her. She could tell an argument had broken out behind them, but she couldn’t afford to pay attention to it.  

Not when there was still half the rope left.

It irked her that it was so difficult. Wasn’t she a ballerina? Hadn’t grace and balance been engraved into her mind since she was six? Had she not left an entire crowd speechless after her performance as Odette at age fifteen?

What difficulty was then a stupid tightrope?

Heather paused. She adjusted her footing to something more ballet-like. Instantly she felt her posture change, like instincts kicking in and making balance second nature. Eyes trained on Chef, Heather took a few experimental steps, treating them like a routine. Each one was flawless.

Heather bit her lip, a divisive idea in mind. It would be one of the biggest embarrassments of her life if she failed. If she succeeded…

“Do you trust me, Noah?”

“Sure. Why do you ask?”

Heather didn’t answer him. Only taking a few quick and fixed strides— and then she made her leap.

It was far from a perfect jeté, if it could even be called one. Probably the worst one she’d ever done. Heather could hear her instructor’s voice berating her form, but she dismissed it entirely. So what if her form was weak? She was carrying another person across a tightrope.

Heather landed further up the rope. It bowed under her weight, then aided her as she pushed off again. She soared through the air, feeling it comb through her hair. Her every movement swift and graceful, taking her further and further. Until she finally landed effortlessly on the wooden platform on the other side.

‘I did it.’ her heart was beating rapidly, fueled by adrenaline and pride. ‘I did it!’ she grinned, and jerked her head to flick a lock of hair out of her face. 

“Wow.” Noah’s voice sounded through a soft whisper. Heather turned to him, finding his bronze eyes glimmering as he stared up at her. Like she was something special, something breathtaking. Obviously, Heather was both, but being viewed as such through eyes usually indifferent and bored— it made her feel like the most precious being in the world.

“ Ahem! ” Chef roughly cleared his throat, causing both teens to snap their attention to him, “Business or pleasure.”

“Pleasure.” Noah quickly replied.

“Alright, then I just got a few questions for you.” he shuffled through some flashcards, “What is Canada’s capital?”

“Ottowa.”

“What leaf is on Canada’s flag?”

‘Easy.’

“The maple leaf.”

“What is the name of Canada's famous fishing and racing schooner?”

‘The what?’

“Schooner Bluenose.” Noah answered.

“What is Canada's national dessert?”

“Butter tarts.”

“What is the national animal of Canada?”

“The beaver.” they said in unison.

“All correct! Anything you wish to declare?”

“More of a request,” Noah said, glancing up and Heather, “You can, uh… You can put me down now. Thanks.”

“Right. Sure. Whatever.”

“Congrats, you guys!” Chris said, walking up to the duo. “You two have immunity, and will be flying to our next location in style.” he then told them to follow the crew down to the bus to wait for the other contestants— who were currently being fished up from the river one by one. Heather hadn’t even realized they’d fallen.

It was only when they’d reached the bus that Heather removed the hair tie from her dress, letting it fall back to its original length. She was about to tie her hair back, when she stopped; staring down at the hair tie held between her fingers. She’d missed the freeing feeling of wind brushing through her hair.

“Here.” Heather took Noah's hand, and placed her hair tie in his palm. “For safekeeping, or whatever.” she clarified upon his questioning look.

“You could just keep it in your hair.”

“Well, yeah. But, I've heard I look better with it down.”

Something soft caressed Noah’s face, "You really do." he spoke quietly. Like he didn’t intend for Heather to hear. He’d just slipped the hair tie around his wrist when the others came trudging towards the bus, completely drenched. They were each given towels to dry off before being herded onto the bus.

Back on the plane, Heather’s intentions of relaxing in first class were interrupted by Duncan storming towards her. His face twisted in a tense frown.

“What the fuck, Heather? We had a shot and you blew it.” he hissed.

“Who are ‘we’?” hands akimbo on her hips, Heather quirked her head to the side.

“What? You said-”

“I say a lot of things, jackass. Doesn’t mean you have my word. No, that’s for special people. So are promises. And no way would I break a promise to my Noah for someone like you.”

Duncan’s puzzled expression morphed into horrified realization, “Wait- your Noah?”

“Yeah, you miss quite a lot when you’re not with the rest of us.”

“No, you don’t understand. Heather, you need to listen to me-”

“No, you need to listen to me.” Heather firmly said. “I’m done going behind the backs of people I care about. And you can think whatever you want, you don’t know Noah like I do. So nice try, moron. Say hi to Gwen from me.” 

If Duncan had anything else to say, Heather didn’t care. She spun around on her heel and sauntered up to first class where she changed back to her normal clothes. She’d just handed over the dress and accessories to an intern when Chris’ voice crowed over the PA system. It was time for them to vote.

One by one they entered the confessional, then one by one filed into the benches of the elimination room. Heather had never seen Duncan so resentful. It was glorious.

“First elimination ceremony of the merge. Are you guys excited or what?” Chris smiled. “Anyhow, Heather and Noah have immunity, everyone else is fair game.”

He began flipping through the passports, “That’s one vote each for Sierra and Blaineley. Two for Courtney. And four votes go to… Duncan!”

The boy stood from the bench and marched over to Chris, snatching the parachute from the host.

“Any last words?”

“Fuck all of you.” Duncan said with zero hesitation, glaring daggers at the remaining players. He jumped just as quickly.

Chris chuckled, “Wonder what made him so upset. What emotional turmoil awaits our remaining seven contestants? Find out next time on Total. Drama. World Tour!”

When Chris had said “pimped-out wedding reception”, he hadn’t been lying. While the cabin had looked normal when they’d first arrived back to the plane, returning from the elimination ceremony revealed it to have been decorated by the crew. White and gold ribbons hung across the ceiling, and several vases with pale pink roses and white lilies had been placed about. A three-tiered wedding cake— decorated with strawberries— had been placed on the bar, along with a bottle of what Noah hoped was alcohol-free champagne. 

“This feels a bit excessive,” he muttered. “Especially for an elimination round.”

“Maybe, but I’m not complaining.” Heather said. She plucked one of the strawberries from the cake, “Rather it be excessive when we’re here than when we’re not.” she popped the fruit in her mouth and hummed in delight.

A soft knock came from the door. Noah walked over and opened it, revealing Alejandro standing on the other side. He stepped aside for the other to enter, then closed the door. “Nobody saw you, right?”

“Nope. They think I’m in the confessional.”

“Good.”

“Is that the entertainment?” Heather said as the two walked further inside the cabin.

Noah desperately tried to stifle his snort while Alejandro gave an offended scoff, “Is this how you usually treat your alliance partners, serpentina?”

“I’d say this is an improvement.”

“It is.” Noah vouched.

“Anyways,” Alejandro said, his unimpressed expression relaxing into his charming smile, “Congratulations on the win. I supposed it’s Mr. and Mrs.-”

“We’re sticking to our own names, thank you very much,” Heather said. “For one we’re not actually married, and two Noah Jīn sounds stupid.”

“As if Heather Mudaliar sounds any better.” Noah rolled his eyes. 

“Either way, you guys won today and Duncan’s finally gone,” Alejandro said. He walked over to the bad and picked up the champagne bottle, “I say it’s reason to celebrate at least a little.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Heather said. 

Alejandro popped open the bottle with trained hands and poured the contents into three glasses— normal ones, as that was all they could find when searching the bar. They clinked against each other in a toast. The champagne was alcohol-free, but Noah still wasn’t a fan of the taste. 

“I do have to say,” Alejandro said as they moved to the airline seats, “I’m impressed with how you handled the tightrope.”

Heather hummed, "Piece of cake. I’ve got over a decade's worth of ballet experience, that was nothing.”

“Is this you being humble or condescending?”

“Whichever pisses you off more, jerk.”

“Oh, but things rarely piss me off.”

“Ha! I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Is that so?”

“Obviously.”

Noah remained quiet during their conversation. An outsider looking in. It was unfair how well Heather and Alejandro suited the scene of first class. To their posture, relaxed yet confident, to the way they held their glasses. They looked like they owned the place. And if Sierra thought that Noah and Heather were flirt-fighting, then she’d combust at the current sight. 

His solemn gaze fell to his glass. He was being ridiculous, he knew he was. Overreacting too, no doubt. But what else could he do?

“Earth to Noah?”

His eyes snapped back up. Heather and Alejandro were looking at him with curious expressions. How long had they been trying to talk to him?

“Yeah?”

Alejandro opened his mouth to speak, but no words left him. Instead, his eyes changed. Like whatever he was going to say had already gotten an answer. Noah followed his shifting gaze, finding Heather in an equal state of strange awareness.

A few seconds of dreadful silence passed, where all they did was stare at each other. Shifting back and forth. Bronze, and silver, and jade.

How desperately Noah wanted to know what it meant. He couldn’t trust his own judgment anymore.

Whatever it was ended when Alejandro abruptly stood from his seat, “Why don’t we try some of the cake, yes? It’d be a real shame to let such a masterpiece go to waste.”

“Uh- yeah. Cake sounds really good.” Heather agreed. The two walked over to the bar, leaving Noah to mentally yell at himself to ‘get it together’ before following after. He accepted the slice offered to him and took a bite. It was surprisingly good for being served on Total Drama. 

“Before we get into planning our next move. Noah?” Alejandro said and turned to him, “Your dog. Tell us.”

“Uh, well, she’s a golden labrador and her name is Java.”

“Like the programming language?” Heather asked.

“Exactly- wait,” Noah furrowed his eyebrows, “How do you know about that?”

“Everybody knows about that.”

“I don’t.” Alejandro said, raising his hand for further emphasis. 

“W- Well maybe not you , but it’s like basic knowledge to know what Java is at the very least. Obviously I don’t know how to use it but I know what it’s used for because, again, it’s basic knowledge!” her fair complexion turned pink with embarrassment as she desperately tried to explain away her own knowledge.

“Heather,” Alejandro interjected after a moment, “You’re talking to a guy who likes aviation and a paleontology nerd, we don’t care if you’re into STEM. It’s fine.”

A beat of silence, then Heather glared at Noah, “Shut the fuck up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were thinking it!”

Noah gave a breathy snort, “What? That you write math equations in pink glitter ink?” Heather’s hand shot out, smearing frosting across his jaw and cheek. 

Noah blinked at her, “You did not.”

“I did.” Heather’s grin was challening; a dare unspoken. 

Noah was a smart person, but he also liked picking petty fights. So, with the help of his fork, he threw a piece of cake at Heather— who ducked just in time, resulting in Alejandro taking the hit instead. 

He sighed deeply in mild, very dramatically feigned exasperation, “This is not how I envisioned our meeting to go. But it is on .”

What followed was a war of vanilla frosting and lemon sponge cake. They chased after each other, and laughed whenever someone was hit. Noah was out of breath quickly but kept up as best as he could. If only because he was not about to admit defeat in the face of either Heather or Alejandro. Not when they both got ridiculously cocky with every hit they landed.

What made it easier to keep up was how fun it was. Almost as chaotic as baking with his friends.

For a moment, Noah’s thoughts drifted to Eva. To a late-night conversation they’d had on Playa des Losers when their friendship had taken root. It had been one of those deep talks Noah had only heard of, never expecting to be in one himself.

“I never wanted to win.” Eva had told him.

“Then why’d you audition?”

“Would you want to spend your summer dealing with your shitty parents' messy divorce.”

“Yeah no that sounds god awful.”

“Worst part is my dad’s new girlfriend keeps dropping by to act like some mediator or some shit.”

“The audacity."

“Don’t get me started.”

‘It’s just a scheme.’ Noah reminded himself, swallowing down the rising guilt. His eyes traveled to one of the cameras mounted on the walls. ‘They know it’s a scheme. No feelings will be hurt, I’ll just lose mine.’

Chapter Text

It was with reluctance that Alejandro left first class. He knew he couldn’t stay for long without risking raising suspicions, and the cake fight had pushed the limit enough. Still, he wished for just a little longer. 

They’d realized too late that they had yet to talk about the game. Preoccupied instead with pets and glitter glue and scientific inaccuracies in movies. They’d quickly agreed on getting Blaineley out next, Heather having made it clear she wasn’t going to let a last-minute addition get any further than necessary. After that, Sierra, who seemed to be the reason why Cody had made it this far. Getting him out next would be a piece of cake.

Left were Courtney and Noah. They agreed to let time decide their fates. They needed more time for the plan to build up before Noah’s elimination. As for Courtney. Well, if anyone deserved to make it far out of everyone remaining, it was her.

Alejandro took a quick detour to the confessional, just to ensure he’d gotten rid of all the frosting and cake crumbs. He’d never expected himself to engage in something as juvenile as a food fight, his parents would surely have a lot to say about it when he got home. Yet Alejandro couldn’t find it in him to care. Not when he was still riding the high of both a successful scheme and childish glee. 

Having deemed himself presentable, Alejandro exited the confessional. He made his way down the hallway to economy class, spotting Blaineley as she rounded the corner up ahead.

“Alejandro Burromuerto!” she exclaimed upon seeing him, something like a mix between seeing an old friend and announcing the arrival of a celebrity. She sauntered towards him. “Everything good with you?”

“I’m-”

“Wonderful, great to hear. Now here’s the deal. I’m not allowed to reveal anything that happens on the aftermath set, but as a reporter, I’m dying to know a few things. Got a moment to answer some questions?”

“I supposed it wouldn’t hurt.” Alejandro said with a charming smile.

“Fantastic. We’ll start off easy, what were your thoughts on the teams this season?”

“They have all fought vigilantly. Some better than others, but all in all, I can respect their efforts.”

“How about your own team, what was it like working with them?”

“Well, it was certainly something. But I was raised to be resilient, so leading them wasn’t too hard.”

“Must’ve helped that you had a certain someone at your side.” it wasn’t a question, Blaineley’s knowing smirk told Alejandro as much. 

“Noah?” he said, allowing a breathy and smitten laugh to pass his lips, “What can I say except I’m glad we ended up on the same team.”

Blaineley nodded slowly, “You and Noah, what’s happening there?”

“We have become good friends over these past weeks.”

“Nothing more?”

Alejandro quirked his head to the side, “Are you asking if we are in a relationship?”

“Oh, no no no,” Blaineley chuckled, “I’m simply asking if there are perhaps some feelings involved. Romantic feelings that is. Because if there is, then it must sting knowing he’s currently up in first class with Heather .”

The way she emphasized Heather’s name made it sound like something forbidden; a word to trigger strong emotions within him. Alejandro knew exactly what she was doing. He’d seen his father be interviewed countless of times, and had been in a handful himself. Blaineley knew more than she wanted him to know, which meant every word he said next had to be chosen carefully. 

“I do not see how that’s a problem.” Alejandro said calmly.

“Really?” Blaineley hummed, “Because if you asked me, I’d say you looked dreadfully jealous over them being paired up for the wedding challenge. Not to mention how snuggly they got on the tightrope.”

“Seeing as one had to carry the other, calling them ‘snuggly’ is stretching it, no? And, sure, I was upset to not be paired with Noah, but working with Courtney more than made up for it.”

“You take what you get, I guess.”

Alejandro scowled, “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Blaineley gave him a dismissive wave of her hand, “Never you mind. So what you’re saying is you don’t believe there’s anything going on between Noah and Heather?”

“That is what I’m saying, yes.”

“Hm. Then I thank you for your time.” she gave him one final smile before moving past him. Alejandro continued to economy without giving her a second glance. However odd her behavior was.

The first thing he saw when walking inside the cabin was Courtney, who looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen her during the competition. 

“I take it Duncan’s departure has alleviated a lot of your troubles, amiga.” Alejandro said as he sat down beside her. 

Courtney smiled back at him, “Oh definitely. Maybe I can even get some peace and quiet for once on this show.”

‘You and me both.’ Alejandro chuckled alongside her. 

“But for real, from now on it’s full focus on the game. And once this season is over, no more reality TV.”

“Right, a law career is waiting for you, I’ve heard.”

“The best the world has ever seen.” Courtney boasted with a prideful grin. “And what about you? Is a prosperous career in lion taming waiting in your future, or was that just the first thing that came to mind?” the curious quirk of her brow made it feel like she could read Alejandro’s mind. Which was currently reminding him of his childhood dream that never quite went away. 

“Puede ser.” he said sheepishly, “I don’t actually know what I want to be when I grow up.” didn’t help that his parents were breathing down his neck about it either. 

Courtney didn’t say anything. Only bumped her shoulder against his in a reassuring gesture. Alejandro flashed her an appreciative smile, then turned to their two cabinmates seated on the opposite bench. Where Sierra seemed to be off in her own little world as per usual, Cody was glancing at him. An uncertain crease between his knit brows.

“Something on your mind, my friend?”

Cody nearly jumped at his question, earning confused looks from both Alejandro and Courtney. “It's, ah…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “Does Noah seem off to you guys?”

“Aside from him trying and putting in effort?” Courtney said. “Not really. Why?”

“It’s just that, er… Duncan talked to me before the tightrope challenge. He said Noah was some master manipulator and that we needed to vote him off.” Cody explained, “It sounded weird when I first heard it, but the more I think about it. Well, master manipulator is probably stretching it, but something’s off. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Courtney arched an unimpressed brow, “You’re really believing what Duncan said?”

“Not really. I mean, he could be onto something but I don’t know. That’s why I asked you guys.” he turned to Alejandro, asking carefully as if defusing a bomb, “What do you think?”

Once again, Alejandro had to be precise with his every word.

“I don’t know Noah well enough to determine if his current behavior is ‘unlike him’, unfortunately. However, I do know that Duncan has tried to use other players as scapegoats to avoid elimination since Greece. He blamed the Area 51 incident on Tyler, for example. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was just another such attempt.”

“That makes sense.”

“Hey, which one of these sounds better,” Sierra suddenly spoke up, beaming brightly as she inserted herself into the conversation, “Noaheather, Henoah, or Nother? What about Neather?”

Alejandro stared at her dumbfounded, “What?”

“Heather and Noah’s shipname!” the girl chirped, like it was the most obvious thing to anyone, “I wanna see if I can guess it ahead of time since-”

“Okay, no. Stop.” Courtney said, signing ‘time-out’ with her hands, “This has gone too far.”

Sierra blinked at her, “What do you mean?”

“Look, I get that you’re a fan of this show, but don’t you think you’re being invasive? You’ve gotten in contact with our family to learn more about us, you’re speculating on our love lives right in front of us, and you treat us like some exhibition to study.”

“You also called Cody your favorite ‘character’ in the last challenge.” Alejandro pointed out. 

“Well, duh , it’s a TV show, hello? And he is! And it’s so exciting to see him make it this far!”

“Uh, thanks, I guess?” Cody said, “But I’m sitting right next to you, and I’m not a character. None of us are.”

Sierra pursed her lips and hummed, “Yeah, ‘character’ might not be the right word. It’s more like a TV persona.”

“Alright, if that’s the case then can you answer a simple question?” Courtney inquired firmly, continuing at the other’s affirmative hum, “Where does the TV persona end?”

“I, heh, I don’t think I get what you mean.”

“When you called Cody’s aunt and DJ’s cousin, did you ask for information about their TV personas, or them as people ?”

“Well, I… I mean, there were things I wanted to know about you guys that I couldn’t find online.”

“So you called our relatives?”

“Yes.”

“Are they part of our TV personas, too? Because last time I checked, my dad has never been on TV before. No one in my family has besides me.”

Sierra huffed, “Well I couldn’t just call you guys, obviously. That’d be weird.”

“And this isn’t?”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, Sierra,” Alejandro said, noticing distress slowly creep across the girl’s features, “But I think your view of us is perhaps a little, let’s say distorted and exaggerated.”

“No it’s not!” she insisted, voice pitching slightly. “You guys are celebrities , don’t you get it-?”

“We’re people !” Cody snapped, “Can you please start treating us as such? Damn!”

Sierra stared at him in stunned silence. Her dark eyes were wide, brows knit in confusion like she didn’t recognize the teen before her. Or like she did, but couldn’t quite figure out why.

“I…” she stood up, awkwardly inching towards the exit, “I’m just… I’ll be in the confessional.” she hurried out, tripping over her own feet as she did so.

Cody dragged his hands over his face and groaned, “Please don’t let this end up like in Paris.”

“I doubt it,” Courtney said, “She’s much calmer than she was back then.”

A moment of silence passed before Cody spoke again, “Whether something’s off about Noah or not, he sure has gotten a lot closer with Heather.”

“Can’t really argue with that,” Courtney hummed. “They worked surprisingly well together in the last challenge. But again, I wouldn’t be so quick to trust Duncan. I mean, do you really think Noah has the capability to manipulate Heather of all people?”

Cody shrugged, “It’s possible, I guess. She’s mellowed out since season one, and we never saw what he’s capable of back then.”

“Whatever the case,” Alejandro said with an encouraging smile, “A new challenge awaits us in the morning. Let’s ensure we are ready for whatever Chris might throw at us.”

It was early in the morning when Heather and Noah were woken up and dragged out of the first class cabin by a few interns. They’d landed right by the Great Wall of China. Unfortunately, they weren’t given any time to appreciate the sight, as Chris began his spiel;

“Nǐ hǎo, welcome to China. A vast country rich in culture, innovation, and delicious sauces. Our first challenge is torn from the pages of its rich history. In 8 million b.c. King Dim Sum led a battalion of donkey warriors down this very great wall.”

“8 million b.c. was the Miocene era.” Alejandro corrected. “Which is part of the Neogene period. Donkeys came about much later.”

“Same thing with China,” Courtney added, “And dim sum is a kind of meal.”

That last part made Heather’s stomach drop slightly as she realized the implication. Hopefully, Chris had just picked a name at random and wasn’t actually foreshadowing the challenge.

“Just go along with it.” Chris frowned before quickly reverting back to his host smile. 

He’d just finished explaining the first challenge, about to send the cast off on their way to the wall, when his phone rang. “Hold on, I gotta take this. McLean here? Uh, now’s not a good time.”

“Is he serious?” Heather questioned.

“Unfortunately.” Noah sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Hey, can we go?”

“Mhm.”

“Is that a yes?” Alejandro asked.

“Yeah.”

“So, we can go?”

“Absolutely, but-” whatever Chris meant to say next was drowned out by the rumble of feet hitting the ground. He called after them, though nobody listened. Focused instead on making it to the collection of transportation modes awaiting them.

Blaineley and Courtney were up by the front of the group, appearing to be in some kind of argument. Heather was about to try and get closer to eavesdrop when Blainley suddenly extended her arm to strike the other in her face,

Courtney yelped in surprise, stumbling as she lost her balance. She would’ve fallen, had Heather not caught onto her shoulders.

“Thanks.” Courtney huffed as she was pulled back on her feet.

“You’re welcome.”

They shared a look of narrowed eyes. Though for once the animosity wasn’t aimed at each other, not even slightly. A quick nod was shared before they sprinted the final bit— reaching the top of the wall just as Blaineley hoisted herself up on the rickshaw. Great.

Alejandro was already flying down the wall, Courtney quick on his heels on a bike. A quick scan over the remaining options made Heather’s choice clear. 

She reached for the tricycle, doing so right as Noah did too; resulting in her hand landing on top of his. When their eyes met, Heather could’ve sworn she saw red dust across Noah’s face. 

“Guessing you were going for the trike?” he said

“Well yes, but you can have it. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“How considerate of you. By the way, you can let go of my hand now.”

Heather snapped her eyes down, discovering she’d been subconsciously curling her fingers around Noah’s hand. 

“Surprised at how adverse you can be to touch sometimes,” Heather said, playing it cool as she reluctantly released her hold, “Considering how clingy you are, Noahla bear.”

“I don’t exactly do it on purpose.”

“Sure.”

Noah rolled his eyes, “Right, because I’m just dying to be little spoon with you.”

“Obviously.”

“Since when was it you who were getting on my nerves?”

“I thought we were always getting on each other's nerves.”

A smile pulled at Noah’s lips, “Suppose that’s our thing then.”

“Totally.”

A beat of silence, where Heather once again could swear Noah was blushing. Then came realization to ruin the moment.

“Shit, the race.” Heather hissed. She hurriedly motioned for Noah to get going assuring she had a plan for herself when he asked. He gave her a curt nod before setting off.

Heather turned back to the transport pile, not surprised to find only one option remaining. Luckily, it was the easiest to fit into her plan. 

Picking up the shoes, she caught sight of the rickshaw— not having moved even a millimeter.

“Shouldn’t you be getting a move on?” Heather questioned, not that she cared if Blaineley fell behind the rest.

“Worry about yourself.” the woman hummed with a cheeky grin.

Heather rolled her eyes and scoffed. She had nothing to worry about. 

With the shoes in her hands, she began sprinting down the wall. Anyone who wanted to claim running in heels was impossible was simply weak. Really, the only difficulties she had during the entire run were with the slopes, which gave her just a bit too much momentum.

She stopped right as she was about to pass the finish line; quickly swapping her footwear before making it across. It was only a few steps she had to take, but they were the most painful ones of the entire race. Heather didn’t want to think about having to run in them.

Courtney and Alejandro had been the first to reach the end; currently leaning against the stone railing. 

“Smart thinking.” the former commended as Heather swapped back into her wedges. 

“I know.” Heather said with a content smile, running her fingers through her hair to brush it back in place.

A second later, Noah came rolling down the final slope. The trike stretched to a halt, stopping fully once he’d passed the finish line. With an exhausted exhale, Noah slumped over the handlebar.

Courtney looked at him, “I would call you pathetic, but it’s kinda impressive that you even made it in the first place.”

Too out of breath to speak, Noah simply flipped her off.

“So, which one of you dorks came in first?” Heather asked.

“No one.” Chris said right as Alejandro was about to lay claim to the title. They all turned to watch their host as he approached— carrying a mallet over his shoulder. He stopped by a gong which Heather had completely missed. “Had you guys waited for me to explain the rules you would’ve known this first challenge was about qualifying for the next part. Anyone who crosses the finish line before the gong rings moves on. Which reminds me.”

He raised the mallet high and struck the gong, causing everyone else to quickly cover their ears. “Looks like Sierra and Cody won’t be joining us. How sad.”

“Wait, what about Blaineley?”

“What about me?”

Heather couldn’t believe it. Perched upon the rickshaw’s cushion was Blaineley in all her smug glory, one leg crossed over the other.

“What? How? You never passed us on the wall!” Courtney puffed up in indignation.

“Who even pulled you?” Alejandro questioned.

“A good reporter never reveals her sources.” Blaineley winked, seemingly unbothered by their angry glares.

“Alright, you can continue this inside the restaurant.” Chris said, nodding down towards the town below the wall. “I need to track down today’s first losers.”

As to be expected, the restaurant was vacant when they arrived. The contestants were made to sit on the same side of a table while the camera crew worked on setting up the equipment.

“Sierra seemed awfully low energy today.” Blaineley said, “Anyone know what’s happening there?” her chipper voice made it clear she wasn’t actually concerned for the teenager.

Still, her statement made Heather think back to earlier. Sierra had seemed distant during Chris’ speech, and she had fallen behind everyone else during the race to the transportations. And while Heather couldn’t definitively say she’d looked sad, she did look upset and contemplative. 

“Just a reality check.” Courtney stated, likely intending for the conversation to end there. Blaineley had other plans.

“A reality check, hm? Did someone finally put their foot down?”

“In a sense, yes,” Alejandro replied, “But let’s not make a big deal about it.”

Heather and Noah glanced at each other. ‘What did we miss?’

Blaineley rested her chin upon her braided fingers, “I’d hardly call a civilized discussion a big deal. But alright, I’ll drop it.” she turned to eye the two who had yet to speak. “Heather. Noah. What were you two talking about earlier on the wall?”

They were— thankfully— saved from having to answer her when the door opened and Chris entered the restaurant. Suspiciously lacking two contestants.

“Where are Cody and Sierra?” Courtney asked.

“Completing today’s music challenge. Which you guys won’t have to do.” Chris said and got into position by the table. Courtney slumped slightly at the news, but straightened back up as the camera crew gave the clear. 

Chris clapped his hands together, “To win today, you’ll have to eat more than anybody else at this authentic Chinese restaurant.”

“Something tells me this won’t be authentic in the slightest.” Noah deadpanned.

“Trust me, it’ll be authentic. Just with a twist.”

‘I knew it.’ Heather thought at the sight of the host’s sadistic grin. As he further explained the rules, she glanced at the other competitors. They all seemed to understand it was a gross-out challenge, if Alejandro’s dread-twisted face was anything to go by. However, what struck Heather as odd was Blaineley, who looked calm and confident. Too calm and confident for someone who called the wedding-themed obstacle course ‘inhumane’.

“First up,” Chris announced as Chef placed bowls of stew on the table. “Paomo. A delicious stew which usually contains mutton, but for this special occasion will feature live mealworms.”

“Mmm, smell delicious, Chef.” Blaineley said. 

The smell was the last thing on Heather’s mind. The revolting sight of the larvae wiggling around in the broth was enough to block out her other senses completely. And make her nauseous beyond belief.

“Don’t think about it,” she heard Courtney whisper, “Just breathe in through your mouth and eat.”

With that bit of encouragement, Heather grabbed her spoon and began to eat. Barely registering the taste over the onslaught of texture. 

“Alejandro? Are you okay?” Noah muttered.

“I can’t do it.” his words were choked by disgust. From the corner of her eye Heather could see him covering his mouth. 

“Done.” Blaineley announced.

‘What?’

Courtney dropped her spoon on the table, “Done.”

“Done.” Noah said.

Heather forcefully swallowed the last of the stew. “Done.”

“And Alejandro is the first one out.” Chris said, a curious look on his face, “Not what I expected from you.”

Alejandro frowned, about to say something in return when-

“Does anyone hear music?”

Heather did hear music; a bubbly electronic tune, muffled yet growing louder. She turned to the door alongside the others. A few seconds passed where nothing happened besides the growing of the music. Then, the door to the restaurant slammed open, and in tumbled Cody and Sierra.

“You made it, how lovely.” Chris said as the music came to an end.

“What happened to you two?” Heather questioned. 

“We fell off the wall and got lost on the other side of town.” Sierra said.

Cody pointed towards Chris, “And he didn’t give us a ride back so we had to figure it out on our own.”

“But now we’re here!” 

“Riveting story. Now go sit with Alejandro on the loser bench.”

"You got it.” Cody said as both he and Sierra aimed a set of finger guns at the host. Heather watched as they walked passed the main table to the loser bench. Sierra looked brighter than before, even Cody was smiling. And no scene was made of them sitting next to each other either.

‘Okay, now I’ve really missed something.’ she’d have to question them about it later. In the present, round two was about to begin.

“Your next meal is Peking roasted duck. Or, I guess this would be Peking roasted praying mantis .”

“Wow, Chef, you have truly outdone yourself.” Blaineley hummed in delight.

“There is no way you’re actually enjoying this.” Heather said through the mouthful she was trying to keep down. She looked over at where Blaineley was seated. The blonde looked unbothered, eating her serving with no issue. Heather narrowed her eyes. Something about said serving didn’t look right. Or, more accurately, it didn’t look wrong .

“Hey, what’s up with your food?”

“Nothing. It’s the same as yours.”

“Uh, no it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Done.” Noah called, shortly followed by Courtney.

Blaineley quickly chewed down the last of her serving, almost in a frenzy, “Done.”

“Heather, the loser bench awaits you.”

She gestured to the other end of the table, “Can you check Blaineley’s food? I think someone is trying to cheat.”

Chris shook his head, “No can do.”

“What?”

“I said no can do. We only have this restaurant booked for so long.”

Heather grumbled in frustration, but dropped down on the loser bench with no further objections.

As Chef began collecting the plates in preparation for the next round, Cody leaned over to her.

“Something’s definitely off about Blaineley’s food.” he whispered, continuing before Heather could give her input, “Join in if you can.”

Heather wasn’t given any time to question him about his statement— or the mischievous look he shared with Sierra— as Chef returned from the kitchen and placed three bowls before the remaining three players.

“Sichuan pork. But this pork isn’t conventional, so to say.” Chris chuckled, “You’ll be enjoying a selection of pig intestine-” he cut himself off with a groan as his phone began to ring. He answered, walking off to the side for some semblance of privacy. 

“Hey, Blaineley?” Sierra chirped right as the woman was about to take her first bite. 

“Kind of busy over here.” she said, giving the teenager a dismissive wave. 

“Oh I know, but I just had some things I wanted to ask.”

“Not in a place to answer any right now. Thanks.”

“Aw, come on,” Cody said, “Wouldn’t you wanna feature on the biggest Total Drama blog on the internet?”

Blaineley scoffed, turning to the duo with a sharp and haughty look, “I’m the host of Celebrity Manhunt, in case you forgot. I don’t exactly need a feature on some random-”

“Done!” Courtney and Noah said in unison.

Her face dropped, “What?”

“Blaineley is out!” Chris said, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. 

“This was clearly sabotage!” she argued.

“I’m sure it was. Now go sit with the losers.”

As she angrily stomped her way over, Sierra and Cody subtly high-fived. Heather turned to Alejandro, hoping maybe he had any clue as to what was going on. He just gave her a light shrug, just as confused as her.

“Now, onto our final meal.” Chris grinned. Two steam baskets were placed on the table. Their lids were removed after Chris had given Chef the clear.

“Xiaolongbao, filled with a nice mix of ox blood, starfish, and chicken eyes.”

Despite not having to eat it, Heather still recoiled in disgust

“If this sends me into anaphylactic shock you people can just let me die.” Noah said. How the hell was he so unbothered?

“Sure, kid.” Chris hummed, “Ready, steady, eat!”

With the speed at which the two ate Heather wondered if they were even chewing. She supposed she understood if they weren’t. Biting into an eyeball, steamed or not, didn’t seem like the most pleasant experience.

It was a close race, but in the end, Courtney was a few seconds faster when she exclaimed, “Done!” declaring her the day’s winner. Much to Blaineley’s apparent chagrin.

Noah had Owen to thank for his performance in the challenge. Watching him consume the most unusual foods had apparently resulted in Noah becoming desensitized to the subject. Not immune, as the uneasy churning in his stomach so kindly reminded him, but indifferent enough to push him through the initial reaction.

So even if he didn’t win, thereby making his nausea and aching legs all for nothing, he was still happy with himself. Who knew putting in effort in challenges could be satisfying? Not him at least. Though, he knew the minute he was out he’d likely revert back to his old lazy self. After all, he wouldn’t have anyone to try and impress then.

Noah shook his head. Those were thoughts for another day. 

He made to walk up the steps to the plane after the rest, but stopped as he caught sight of Chris pacing back and forth a bit away in the grass. He was once again on the phone, face scrunched up in raw annoyance. Out of curiosity, Noah inched closer.

“The plan was working fine until the second chance challenge. Which, friendly reminder, no one told me about until we had dropped the kids off by the falls!” Chris said, restraining himself to not scream. 

Noah furrowed his brows. It was no doubt a call with the producers, he’d overheard several before and was aware of the fact that Chris wasn’t particularly fond of them. There was also no doubt that all the other phone calls had been with them too. 

Walking inside the plane, Noah began to piece together what little information he had. The second chance challenge seemed to have been last minute, not part of the original plan for the season. It had also disrupted said plan. Were the producers making changes while the show was nearing its end? Wouldn’t surprise him. 

Any further speculations would have to wait until after the ceremony— it was time to cast the votes and wish Blaineley goodbye. He made no show of stamping her passport, just a quick in-and-out. Or, it would have, hadn’t it not been for a certain somebody deciding that the doorway was the perfect place to stand.

“Hello, aḻakāṉa.” Noah said casually, and folded his arms over his chest. 

Alejandro smiled down at him, “Fancy seeing you here, cerebrito.”

“Don’t think the confessional qualifies as something fancy.”

“Witty as always.”

“It’s the standard for me.”

“I can tell. Anyways, I wanted to congratulate you on your progress in today’s challenge.” Alejandro said, an amorous lilt in his voice. Similar to the one he’d used on the girls during the early days of the season, but different. Noah almost wanted to believe it was real, and not just for the cameras.

He allowed a slight smile to break his expression into something more palatable for their act. “Thanks,” he said, “I’m surprised I lasted longer than you of all people.”

“It would be a dishonor to this temple if I had consumed any of those dishes.” Alejandro gestured to himself, and Noah snickered.

“A temple, really?”

“Sí. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“What’s with this sudden need for affirmation?”

“Because I missed you. Up there in first class while I remained in the slums.”

Noah rolled his eyes, “You’re so dramatic. Worried I was gonna get cozy with Heather?”

“Perhaps. I’m not one for sharing.” Alejandro said, a strange strain to his voice which would go unnoticed by the audience. But not by Noah.

“Careful now,” he said lowly as he leaned in closer, “Otherwise people might think you’ve actually fallen for me.”

“And what if I have?”

“Is that so?”

“Perhaps it is, cariño.” Alejandro reached for his hand, and Noah let him take it. Let him pull it closer to press his lips against his knuckles. He let a moment pass where all they did was look into the depths of each other’s eyes. Where Noah could finally notice the small halo of gold around Alejandro’s pupil, barely noticeable in the sea of jade.

“Then let’s hope this won’t be a detriment to your performance in the game.” Noah said plainly, pulling his hand back. 

“I believe it will only be a motivation.”

“Good. I’m… I’m gonna head to the elimination room. Better not leave them waiting.”

“That would be awfully rude of us.” Alejandro agreed. He stepped aside, allowing Noah to slip out of the confessional. And as the door closed behind him, Noah released a shaky breath.

‘It’s just for the cameras. It’s just for the cameras.’ he repeated like a mantra. Because he felt like he was going to melt. Or explode, or short-circuit, or whatever metaphor he could think of.

His legs were like jelly as he walked; his entire being weighed down by jade and silver that would never leave him. Forever burned into his retinas to haunt him.

It was unfair. It was so awfully unfair.

Most people were indeed already waiting inside the elimination room. And even as Alejandro took a seat they had to wait a little longer still for Chris.

When he finally walked in, he did so while shoving his phone back into his pocket. Noah managed to catch the brief tired expression on his face before it changed entirely.

“Alright, let’s not waste any more time than necessary,” Chris said, ignoring the passport platter. “The votes were pretty unanimous. Blaineley, this is where you depart.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m too upset about finally being out of this freakshow.” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder before climbing off the bench. 

“Aw, but you fit in so well.” Noah snarked.

“ Hmpf !” Blaineley upturned her nose, snatching the parachute from Chris as hushed snickers trailed after her. 

By the open door, she stopped, “One last thing before I leave.” she turned back around to face the final six, blue eyes piercing through Noah like spears. Her lips curled into what might’ve otherwise been a pleasant smile. 

“You are one vicious player. I like your style.”

“Uhm, who are you talking to?” Sierra questioned. 

Blaineley was about to respond when Chris pushed her off the plane. 

“Whoops!” he said innocently as her screaming quickly faded. “Guess we’ll never know. Probably. Now…”

Noah recognized the look on Chris’ face— glee pulled too tightly to be natural or part of his host persona. This was Chris being made to do something he wasn’t entirely on board with. In other words; bad news for the cast.

“The producers still aren’t happy with me for the budget fluke in Jamaica. So, today is a double elimination! Surprise!” 

Oh no .

“Wait, how does that make sense?” Courtney questioned.

“Explaining that is both time-consuming and spoiling of future challenges.” Chris said. He held up a single passport, “Since everyone else voted for Blainley, our second elimination will be whoever she voted for.”

Noah hadn’t felt nervous over an elimination since New York. In one way or another, they’d all been targeting Blaineley, everyone had a reason to receive her vote. Noah could only hope the passport in Chris’ hand was either Sierra’s or Cody’s. 

“And the second eliminated contestant is…”

Tense silence swept through the room, turning the air nearly unbreathable.

The passport was flipped open, “Courtney!”

‘What?’

“WHAT?” the aforementioned girl shot up from her seat, bearing her teeth as she glared at Chris. “Is this a joke? This is a joke, right?”

“Nope! This is serious business as usual.”

“But I’m immune! You can’t eliminate me!”

“Not under normal circumstances, no. But this is an exception.”

“This- This is against the rules! A player who wins immunity can’t be voted off.” Courtney recited the one fact that had never changed during the show’s run. Her face was tinted red in anger and panic, voice pitching in accordance.

And while Noah wasn’t a fan of her or her tendency to throw a fit at any minor inconvenience, he couldn’t blame her for it now. 

Chris sighed, his features starting to be weighed down by exhaustion. Likewise, the parachute in his hands seemed to weigh a ton, “The rules change-”

"No." Alejandro interjected sharply and rose to his feet. “Courtney won , she’s immune . What even is the point of immunity if you can be voted off regardless?”

“We couldn’t exactly foresee how the votes would go.”

“That doesn’t answer my question in the slightest.”

“Yeah, if Courtney’s to be eliminated, then it’ll be by me. Not some lame crap like this.” Heather stated firmly and crossed her arms. 

Love was a weird thing— wholly unexplainable. Because in a moment where he should feel absolute resentment towards the showrunners and Chris for all their bullshit, Noah was completely awestruck. And for what? That Alejandro and Heather were standing up for someone? Big deal.

But it was. Because any lingering doubts regarding their ability to care were instantly turned to dust. And if they cared about Courtney, then they cared about him too. No matter what he tried to convince himself.

Chris inhaled deeply, and relented, “Alright. Courtney stays, and can bring another contestant to first class with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a long night of arguing with the producers ahead of me.”

As he walked off, Courtney dropped back down on the bench. Hiding her face in her hands. Alejandro sat beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He told her something in Spanish, speaking quietly. Courtney muttered out her reply. 

“I uh… I think it’s time we head back.” Cody said, standing up and pulling Sierra with him out of the room. Heather and Noah followed after, both pausing in the doorway to gaze back at the duo before leaving.

“We need to talk. Now.”

Alejandro had only just made it through the hallways when Heather grabbed his wrist. He turned back to meet her sharp glare, “Then let’s talk.”

They were alone— everyone else was either back in their respective cabin or venting in the confessional. Only a few crew members lingered nearby, but Alejandro didn’t care about them. Neither did Heather. 

“You like Noah.” she said, voice twisting. Like she was accusing him of something horrible they both knew was true.

“And so do you.”

“I wish I didn’t. This whole thing would’ve been so much easier if I didn’t.”

“It really would have.”

“ Tsk , like you have anything to say about it. In case you haven’t noticed, you’re Noah’s favorite.”

Alejandro scoffed, “What makes you think that?”

“Oh don’t even try it with the humble act.” Heather sneered, “You’re charming and witty, and you stood up for Courtney when you could’ve just let her take the drop.”

“You stood up for her too. And yeah, act is a great word for it. You don’t even have to pretend, you’re unapologetically confident and driven and ruthless no matter what.”

“What do you know?”

“A lot, I would say. Like how Noah looks at you like you hung every damn star in the sky.”

“When he’s not busy looking at you like you’re some dream come true? Don’t think so.”

Alejandro gritted his teeth, but he couldn’t say he was angry. It was a difficult mess they’d gotten themselves tangled up in, and he had no one to blame but himself. 

“Is this what you wanted to talk about? How pitiful we are?” he asked. 

“As if! I just… This is… I’m…” Heather let out a frustrated noise as the words continuously failed her. She kicked at the rouble on the floor, then thrusted her finger against Alejandro’s chest. “I’m going to beat you! I was cheated out of the game in season one, I’m not letting you, or anyone else, take this from me. A-And you’d think that would be enough, that I’d be satisfied with that, but no. It’s never that easy on this fucking show. Because no matter what we do, someone is going to be hurt .”

She accentuated each word with a stab of her finger. However, the last jab was stopped by Alejandro catching her hand in his. Holding it as one would a broken vase.

“And I suppose you rather it not be you, serpentina?” there was no bite to his words. Because what she was saying was true; someone would get hurt. It was the inevitability of their game, despite however much they wanted to avoid it.

Heather stared at him. A thousand emotions swirling in her weary silver eyes.

“I don’t know what I want.” she said after a moment. It was the most vulnerable he’d ever heard her. “Not that it matters what we want anyways.”

Alejandro nodded, slow and heavy. “It is up to Noah how this ends.”

Chapter Text

Alejandro was awoken from his nap by the sound of a pencil tapping against wood, along with the mutterings of Courtney. She hadn’t invited him to first class so much as she’d dragged him there. He sat up on the couch he’d been resting on, looking over to the bar where Courtney was seated. Surrounding her were notebooks and loose pieces of paper with intense scribbles on them. Oddest of all was the large collection of notes taped to the nearby wall. 

“Uh, Courtney?”

She turned to him, the pencil in her hand coming to a standstill, “Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?”

“Not at all.” Alejandro assured, standing up and walking over to the bar, “But would you mind me asking what all of that is?” he gestured towards the collage of notes. Standing closer he was able to make out some of the writing. Specifically ‘Tyler’, ‘Gwen’, and ‘Duncan’, written in bold letters and taped to the center of the collage. 

“My evidence board.” Courtney explained, “I’m just trying to figure something out.”

“Is it about the kiss?” Alejandro asked. He already knew the answer, what else did Tyler, Gwen, and Duncan have in common that Courtney would care about?

“Yup.” Courtney confirmed, tiredly popping the ‘P’, “I thought that once Gwen and Duncan were gone I’d be able to put all of that behind me and focus on the game. But I can’t. You saw me on the wall last challenge.” 

Alejandro recalled the race; Courtney had seemingly been on autopilot for most of it. Only responding to him after a few tries, and just narrowly missed a massive crack in the road. She’d insisted on being fine when Alejandro questioned her about it.

“I want to move on, I want it to be over. But I keep coming back. It feels like I’m missing something and it’s bothering me. So, evidence board.”

“I see. Well, if there is anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind. For now though, I think I need a break.” Courtney rose from her seat to instead drop down on the couch. A platter of taffy had been placed on the small end table. Alejandro watched as she began sorting through the treats and arranging them into neat rows before taking one to eat. He moved to sit beside her.

“I assume you’d prefer some lighter topics of discussion.” he began, “If that is true then I apologize for asking, but what did you mean when you said you shouldn’t be here? By all accounts you’re an incredible player.” her words from way back and stuck with him. Lingering without a solution.

Courtney fidgeted with the taffy wrapped in her hands. “You’re right that I’d prefer a lighter topic. Short story is I only signed up for one season, one summer of harmless fun. Yet, here I am. Being dragged across the world a year later.”

“How did that happen?”

“A gamble and the fine print on our contracts.”

Alejandro would’ve liked to ask her to elaborate, but he knew she wouldn’t like him for it, “I see. I’m sorry for asking.”