Chapter Text
The sun shone brightly down on an old wooden dock, upon which a dark-haired man stood smiling at the cameras pointing at him.
“Yo! We’re coming at you live from Camp Wawanakwa, somewhere in Muskoka, Ontario. I’m your host, Chris McLean, dropping season one of the hottest new reality show on television right now!” he said, then jerked his head for the cameras to follow him as he ventured away from the dock— and toward a camp that looked like it hadn't been in use for over a decade.
“Here’s the deal: 22 teenagers have signed up to spend eight weeks right here at this crummy old summer camp. Every three days, they’ll compete in a wicked challenge to either win a reward or watch one of their team members walk down the dock of shame, take a ride on the loser boat, and leave the show and this island, for good.”
The tour came to an end once Chris had reached the camp’s fire pit, located on a small hill and surrounded by stone. He gestured to it with open arms,
“Their fate will be decided here, at the dramatic campfire ceremony, where each episode, all but one camper will receive a marshmallow. In the end, only one will be left standing and will be rewarded with cheesy tabloid fame and a small fortune, which, let’s face it, they’ll blow in a week. To survive, they’ll have to battle black flies, grizzly bears, disgusting camp food, and worst of all, each other. Every moment will be caught on one of the hundreds of cameras situated all over camp.
“Who will crumble under the pressure? And who will push through to reach the end? Find out here on Total. Drama. Island!”
Back on the dock, Chris spied out at the lake; using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. He perked up just as the rumble of a motorboat steadily grew louder.
“Here comes our first camper!”
The boat docked, and from it stepped a girl in overalls and a green sweater. Her brown hair was being held back by a pink scrunchie. She approached Chris with a pep in her step and shook his hand like she was greeting someone important.
“Hello, it's so nice to meet you!” she said with a slight lisp.
“It's nice to meet you, too, Beth,” Chris said, “You can go ahead and move to the other side of the dock while we wait for the rest of the campers to show up.”
Beth nodded, and right as she'd moved herself and her luggage to where Chris had directed her, a second boat reached the dock. A bulky guy wearing a white durag and a green T-shirt with the letter ‘D’ on it stepped down onto the wood.
“DJ!” Chris greeted the teen walking up to him.
“Yo, Chris McLean!” DJ set his bags down to accept the high-five offered to him. He looked wearily at the camp, “This is where we're staying?”
“Correct. Welcome to Camp Wawanakwa, dude.”
“Cool.” he picked up his bags and walked over to where Beth was standing, mumbling to himself, “Looked a lot different on the application form…”
Stepping down from the third boat was a gothic girl with pale skin and dark attire. She glared at Chris like his mere existence was a personal offense.
“Gwen. What a delight to have you here.” Chris said in quiet amusement.
“Hopefully not for long.” Gwen grumbled as she stomped her way to the other two. They smiled at her, earning a blank scowl in return.
The fourth camper didn’t seem any friendlier. Dressed in well-worn clothes and with his hair styled into a green-dyed mohawk, the boy stood with one foot perched on the boat’s railing. His pierced face was pulled into a scowl. He threw a duffel bag onto the dock before hoisting himself over the railing.
“Duncan, dude. Glad you could-” Chris greeted, but was cut off as the boy pushed past him.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
“Right. Delinquent bad boy, I forgot.”
Duncan scoffed at Chris’ smugness. He was about to speak when a heavy baseline cut him off, and caused the dock to tremble slightly.
“Ah, that must be our next campers,” Chris said, “Everybody, Katie and Sadie!”
The music faded as two girls appeared on the dock; one tall and lanky, the other short and fat. Their outfits were nearly identical, aside from Katie's green accents and Sadie's blue, and seemed more suited for a rave than a summer camp.
Sadie pointed excitedly toward the cabins, “Oh my god, Katie, this looks just like the pics your dad has from that festival in the 80s! With DJ CutThroat!”
“Oh em gee, it totally does!”
The two girls yelled in high-pitched excitement; making the other teenagers cover their ears and recoil.
“Jesus fucking christ.” Duncan grumbled.
Chris chuckled and ushered the girls to the other side of the dock to make room for the next contestant— a lanky, ginger boy wearing a blue graphic tee and green pants— who had already arrived when Chris turned around.
The host jumped at the unexpected sight of him. “When did you- nevermind.” he shook his head, “Welcome to Camp, Harold.”
Instead of replying, Harold scanned the environment with an almost lost expression. He let several seconds pass of nothing but half-awkward silence.
“Um…” Beth slowly turned to DJ, “What’s he looking at?”
“No clue.”
“So,” Harold finally drawled and adjusted his glasses, “This thing is set on some yucky summer camp and not a big stage or something?”
“That is correct.” Chris confirmed.
“Yes.” Harold pumped his fist, his whole being suddenly swept in casual confidence. “I’ve got this in the bag.”
“Right.” Chris said, watching Harold walk to stand with the others, before turning to greet the next contestant who had been dropped off. He was a short boy with a mullet-adjacent haircut, wearing an odd combination of cargo shorts and a red sweater vest.
“Noah!”
“Chris.” Noah acknowledged flatly as he walked past the man. “Guess we won't be staying at that hotel you promised.”
“Nope,” Duncan spoke before Chris had the chance, “We'll be staying at your mom’s house. Gonna wreck it too.”
Without missing a beat, Noah replied, “Aw, cute comeback. Thought of it all on your own?”
“What was that?”
“I said cute comeback. Do you want a gold star for it?”
“You think you’re funny?” Duncan took a challenging step toward the other boy. But before he could do anything else, DJ’s hands had landed on his shoulders to keep him in place. Noah didn’t seem deterred by the action, but he was stopped from making any further remarks by Chris.
“Save your fighting for later. For now, let's welcome contestant number nine: Trent!” he gestured to the approaching boat. There, leaning against the railing, stood Trent. He wore green and black, and his shirt featured a strange handprint. The wind combed through his black bangs, and he smiled— easy yet charming. From the other side of the dock, Gwen made a gagging sound. It was drowned out by the smack of Trent and Chris’ high-five.
“Hey, good to meet you!” Trent said. His smile remained even as he glanced over at the camp. “A little surprised it’s not the hotel you promised.”
Chris pointed over his shoulder, redirecting the other's attention, “You and them both, kid.”
“I see.” Trent hummed. He gathered up his things before joining the group, choosing to stand next to Gwen without much thought. Gwen didn't seem too happy about it. Then again, she didn't seem too happy about any of what was happening.
The next boat docked, and from it stepped a girl with the frame of a ballerina and the poise of a sovereign— dressed like a modern-day socialite. A pair of sunglasses rendered her expression unreadable.
There was an air of malice swirling around her, like the dark clouds of an incoming storm. However, they dispersed quickly when she removed her sunglasses and smiled. “Hi everyone!”
“Heather.” Chris clicked his tongue knowingly, “It’s nice to have you here.”
“It’s nice to be here.” after shaking hands with the host, Heather continued over to greet the other campers. As she did, Noah's indifferent eyes grew more pointed— like he'd noticed something the others hadn't. However, whatever it was he’d gleaned, he chose to keep to himself and shifted his attention to the next contestant.
His arrival was set to high-energy beach-party music. He was dressed to the part too, with flip-flops and a vibrant, floral printed shirt he kept unbuttoned. A cowboy hat sat atop his golden blonde hair.
“Chris McLean! ‘Sup, man?” he smiled and held up his fist for the host, “Real honor to meet you, man.”
“Geoff, welcome to the island, man.” Chris mused, returning the offered fist bump.
“Thanks, man.”
“Say ‘man’ one more time. I dare you.” Gwen sneered.
Geoff looked over at her and the other teenagers, and his smile widened with glee, “Awesome, there's already a crowd!”
He hurried over to them and began exchanging fist bumps and high-fives. His enthusiasm wasn’t easy to match for most, but he didn’t seem to mind. Or notice.
“Hi, y’all!” a voice suddenly called out. Its source was found on the incoming boat, where a girl waved from the bow. Her attire was a nice blend of function and fashion, and a rose-colored headband was wrapped around her head— hiding where her hair transitioned from cornrows to loose braids that fluttered in the wind.
A few people waved back at her, like seeing an old friend or a celebrity.
“Leshawna.” Chris nodded as the boat stopped by the dock.
“That’s me, baby!” Leshawna remained where she stood, gazing out over the gathering with a hand on her hip. “Tell me, how does it feel to be in the presence of a winner?”
Before anyone could comment or even react, she burst into heartfelt giggles, “Oh, I'm just messing with y'all.”
As she strutted down the dock— confident and purposeful— Harold sized her up, fascinated like he was watching some kind of spectacle.
“You're very loud. And big.” he bluntly stated.
Leshawna’s smile strained as she turned to him. “That better have been a compliment.”
“It was more of a-”
“I’m going to stop you right there.” DJ quickly cut in, putting a hand over Harold’s mouth to keep him from speaking.
Leshawna relaxed and sent an appreciative look DJ’s way. Harold, meanwhile, seemed more befuddled by the interruption.
The next contestant had already stepped down on the dock by then. He was a skinny brunette, dressed in layers, and with a gap between his two front teeth.
Chris accepted the offered high-five from him. “Cody. The Code-ster.”
“Dudes, psyched to be here.” Cody said, gliding down the dock with exaggerated— and barely existing— swagger. His blue eyes trailed the other teenagers. He raised a set of finger guns at them, “See the ladies have already arrived. Alright-”
Cody’s words were swallowed up by a startled yelp as he tripped and fell forward. Before he could faceplant against the wood, Trent caught his shoulders and pulled him back up.
A few stifled snickers sounded through the crowd; the loudest belonging to Heather and Noah. This earned them an irate look from Beth.
“That’s not very nice.” she informed.
Where Noah didn’t waste more than an eyeroll, Heather held up her hands in an apologetic gesture.
“Sorry,” she said, “I was just caught off guard.”
Beth’s sceptical eyes lingered for a moment before she turned away. Standing by Trent and Gwen, Cody had recovered from his stumblings— smiling like it’d never happened in the first place— in time for the next camper to arrive.
He was another skinny boy, though he lacked any semblance of grace as he took in the scene around him. An old teal beanie was pushed over his brown hair, leaving a few locks to stick out sporadically.
“Ezekiel.” Chris introduced, walking over to the boy. “How does it feel to be here?”
“Uhm, well, there are birds here, so good, eh.”
“That’s what we like to hear.” the host patted his shoulder, then gave him a slight shove to move him closer to the others.
Ezekiel stumbled slightly but managed to keep on his feet. Rather nervously, he waved at the teenagers before him. Some waved back; others seemed less than unimpressed by him.
The next boat came carrying a blonde and freckled girl adorned in calm shades of blue. She had a surfboard with her, which she tucked under her arm as she walked down the gangway.
“What’s up?” she greeted everyone with a lopsided grin.
“Alright. Our surfer chick, Bridgette, is here.”
Duncan scoffed at that, eyeing the new arrival with judging eyes. “What waves are you planning on riding with that? This ain’t Malibu, babe.”
“Oh, well, I thought we were going to be on a…” Bridgette glanced toward the shoreline. While it was a sandy beach, it was small and littered with trash. She cringed, “ Nicer beach.”
“I’m sure you’ll get some use for it either way,” Chris told her, “Now, join the others. We’ve got a couple more-” through some unfortunate luck, Bridgette managed to swing her surfboard into Chris’ jaw. “ OW! ”
“I’m so sorry!” Bridgette gasped, whipping around only to knock Sadie in the head. Sadie cursed, and would've stumbled off the dock had she not been caught by Katie and Leshawna.
“I-I didn’t mean to-!”
THUNK!
“ Ouch! ” Ezekiel hissed as he too was hit in the head.
The dominoes kept on falling— Bridgette turning to apologize, whipping her board into someone else, whom she then had to apologize to. It only ended when Duncan stepped in. He grabbed a firm hold of the surfboard and leveled the blonde with an irate glare.
“Stop moving already!”
“Sorry.” Bridgette mumbled. Her gaze fell as she trudged over to stand near shamefully at the edge of the group.
While the rest of the campers got themselves sorted, DJ moved to stand next to her.
“Hi, I’m DJ.” he said, holding out his hand.
Bridgette lit up. “Nice to meet you.”
“Everybody,” Chris spoke up, bringing the group's attention back to him and the newly arrived contestant— a tall girl dressed in warm shades of orange and peach, with blonde hair held back by a blue headband. “This is Lindsay.”
“Hi, everyone!” Lindsay chirped sweetly. She strutted down the dock with peppy steps— stopping by Chris to look him up and down. “Okay, you look, like so familiar.”
“Chris McLean, host of the show.”
She blinked.
“You’ll figure it out soon enough.” Chris frowned and motioned impatiently for her to join the rest.
Lindsay obliged— wholly unaware of having offended the man. Not that it mattered. She integrated seamlessly with the group, exchanging greetings with almost everyone. Beth glanced at her with slight caution.
She swallowed, “I like your boots.”
“Thank you!” Lindsay beamed brightly, easing some of Beth’s worries.
The next boat appeared on the horizon with a series of loud honks. Yet… no one seemed to be on board.
Chris squinted his eyes and leaned his head forward.
“Ah, there he is.” he said and pointed to the stern. There, a boy dressed in a red tracksuit rode on a pair of waterskis. “Ladies and gentlemen: Tyler!”
Upon hearing his name, Tyler let go of the rope keeping him attached to the boat with one hand. He raised it high in a victory pose— then promptly tumbled over the waves.
He skipped like a stone, flying onto the dock and crashing into the steadily growing pile of luggage. A few bags were tossed into the lake by the collision, splashing the teenagers with both water and mild panic over their belongings. They hurried to fish up the bags before any damage could be done.
Lindsay, however, had her attention elsewhere.
“Oh my gosh!” she gasped, kneeling down by the crumbled tower of luggage. “Are you okay?”
Tyler looked up at her, and immediately stopped trying to pull himself free. Awestruck by the sight of an angel framed in golden sunlight.
At a loss for better words, he breathed out, “Yeah. Totally.”
“Wicked wipe-out, man.” Geoff laughed, snapping Tyler out of his trance just enough to accept the hand that pulled him out from the luggage pile.
A powerful and sudden thud on the dock drew everyone’s attention to the other end, where the newest arrival stood. She was short, but her broad and sturdy build made her out to be as mighty as a mountain. Her sleek black hair, pulled into a tight ponytail, and watchful amber eyes only added to her intense aura.
“Eva,” Chris announced with refined glee. “Welcome.”
Eva only responded with a curt nod before marching over to join the rest. Any attempt to make conversation with her was snuffed out as she dropped her bag, making the old wood of the dock yelp under the unexpected weight.
The next contestant was a stark contrast— his laughter could be heard even from a distance.
When the boat stopped, a fat boy with shaggy blonde hair jogged down the gangway. He was sporting a red flannel and a pair of sturdy and well-worn hiking boots.
“Chris!” the boy exclaimed like he was seeing an old friend.
“Owen!” Chris smiled widely, seemingly afflicted with his contagious energy. It fell slightly as he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug.
“It’s so awesome to be here, man!”
“That’s good to hear.” Chris wheezed and patted Owen’s back to release him.
Owen obliged, but his energy remained unchanged. He flexed his fingers as he took in the environment. “This is so awesome!”
“Very.” Chris agreed, brushing down his shirt that had gotten wrinkled in the hug. “But let’s dial it back a bit as we introduce these last contestants.”
“Of course!”
“Good, because here comes Courtney!” he gestured to the approaching boat. On it stood a proper-looking freckled girl with short brown hair. She was dressed in business casual, with green dress pants and a thin grey sweater over a white blouse.
Courtney shook hands with Chris, offering a polite bow of her head as she did. “You guys must be the other contestants,” she said when walking over to the teenagers, “It’s really nice to meet you all.”
Owen wasted no time shaking her hand enthusiastically, “How’s it going? I’m O…” he trailed off as something behind her caught his eyes, “Oh, wow .”
Courtney’s brows furrowed in mild confusion. She turned her head to see what had entranced the boy so— and found it on the next boat plowing through the waves.
“Oh my.”
Quite literally glowing in the sunlight was a handsome boy with strikingly blue eyes. The wind brushed through his hair as if he’d made a deal with the anemoi themselves. Everybody was staring at him with some level of awe; based either on attraction or intimidation, or a combination of both. Or objective admiration of a good-looking dude.
“This is Justin.” Chris mused and accepted the teen's offered fistbump. “Welcome to Total Drama Island.”
“Thanks, Chris. This is great.”
“Just so you know, we picked you based entirely on your looks.”
“And what a great decision it was.” Justin hummed, taking no offense to the rather snide comment.
As he sauntered down the dock, Owen quickly snapped himself out of the trance and approached the model.
“I like your pants. They look so… durable.” as soon as he’d spoken, Owen’s face twisted like he’d eaten a lemon of regret.
Justin only laughed cooly, “Thanks. And they are. I’ve had them for a while now.”
“Cool. Heh.”
“Last contestant incoming!” Chris announced.
“Finally.” Gwen muttered under her breath.
“Here’s Izzy!”
The ginger girl— who was dressed like she’d been plucked straight from a jungle adventure movie— waved with her entire arm from the bow of the final boat. “Hi, guys! Hey, Chris! Hi!” she called out eagerly.
While the boat was still far from the dock, Izzy began to climb over the railing. Taking frequent pauses to resume waving.
“Uh, what is she doing?” Cody wondered aloud.
“Is…” Leshawna narrowed her eyes, “Is she going to jump?”
Indeed, she was.
While the distance between the dock and the boat and shrunk, it was still too wide to jump. That didn’t deter Izzy from lunging herself forward into the air. She soared with ease, wild curls flaring behind her, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to make it.
She did not.
Or, she almost did. Her toes did, landing on the very edge of the dock. But with the force she came hurling, it wasn’t much of a proper landing. Rather, her toes anchored her— resulting in her slamming face-first into the wood.
While the others recoiled and the nasty impact, Courtney rushed over and crouched down beside Izzy.
“Are you okay?” she asked, placing a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder.
Izzy slowly pushed herself up. She turned to Courtney, a little dazed after her crash. She was quiet for a moment, presumably to give her vision time to stop spinning.
“Oh, I’ve never been better!” Izzy lit up into a toothy smile, wholly oblivious to the concern and confusion aimed her way. She bounced to her feet; to a sturdy stance with her fists curled. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
“I like her style,” Chris said with a nod of his head. “But before we can do anything else, let's get you kids rounded up for the promo.”
He directed them to the other end of the dock, and upon being questioned, explained he wanted both the campgrounds and the big ‘Wawanakwa’ sign in frame. The kids began getting into position, Courtney immediately stepping up to coordinate them into an appealing arrangement. Chris himself walked up on the boat Izzy had arrived on to get a better angle.
“Alright, you kids ready?” his response came in the form of a choir covering the whole spectrum of enthusiasm. “Good!” he raised the camera to his face, shielding his impish grin.
“Everyone say 'Wawanakwa'!”
“Wawanakwa-”
With a whining creak, the dock gave out; sending the teenagers tumbling into the lake right as Chris pressed the shutter release. He flipped through the photographs he’d taken with a content smile, enjoying the discontent shouts and groans from the teenagers as he did. He didn’t even turn to them when he called out,
“We’ll meet up at the campfire pit in ten!”
***
The campers, now dry, were gathered by the fire pit— some seated, some standing.
“Welcome to Camp Wawanakwa, everyone!” Chris said, positioned opposite the teenagers by the pit. “For the next eight weeks, this will be your home, and the people around you will be your cabin mates, competition, and who knows, maybe even your friends.”
The campers glanced around at each other with varying levels of interest. Duncan even went as far as to raise his middle finger in response to Harold’s friendly smile.
“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” Chris said, amused by the interaction, “While you kids are allowed to curse and all that, we do ask that you keep it to a minimum.”
Duncan rolled his eyes.
“Thank you. Now, whichever one of you can manage to avoid elimination and be the last person standing on this island will win 100.000 dollars!”
Instead of the expected anticipation and excitement, the response from the teenagers was a single raised hand.
“So, what will the sleeping arrangements be?” Cody asked.
“Surely they’re not co-ed, right?” Beth said.
“They’re not. Girls get one side of each cabin, dudes get the other. But before we get to that-”
“Can I have a cabin with a lake view, since I’m the prettiest?” Lindsay asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Justin flashed a pearly white and demeaning smile her way, “Pretty sure that’s me.”
“It’s neither of you, because the prettiest one here is me.” Chris said, “Also, not how this will work-”
“I have to live with Sadie or I’ll literally die!” Katie stressed and clutched the hand of her best friend, who was nodding vigorously.
“I highly doubt that.” Duncan scoffed, earning a nasty glare from Sadie.
“This day keeps getting worse and worse.” Gwen grumbled.
“Aw, don't say that!” Owen threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, “Before you know it, we'll be like a big, happy family.”
“Worse and worse .”
“Here’s the deal.” Chris spoke up, putting an end to the campers’ chattering, “We’re going to split you into two teams. If I call your name, go stand over there.” he pointed to the left side of the fire pit, then began listing names.
“Heather. Owen. Leshawna. Tyler. Katie. Beth. Courtney. Lindsay. Izzy. Geoff. And Noah. From this moment on, you are officially known as…” he tossed a rolled-up green flag to the group. Owen caught it and unrolled it just as Chris declared, “The Screaming Gophers!”
Owen smiled, “Heck yeah, I love gophers!”
“Me too!” Izzy said, “With their teeth and their gnawing!” her imitation of the rodent’s gnawing pulled enough attention— mainly consisting of weird looks— for Katie’s raised hand to go ignored.
Still in her seat, the girl glanced anxiously between her team and best friend, “But that means-”
“The rest of you over here.” Chris gestured to his right, “Bridgette. Trent. Cody. Gwen. Eva. Duncan. Justin. Ezekiel. DJ. Sadie. And Harold. You guys will officially be known as…” Harold caught the red flag thrown their way, “The Killer Bass!”
“Awesome.” Harold said, like he’d witnessed something extraordinary.
“Yes, very cool, but Chris?” Sadie dismissed, “Katie and I kinda need to be on the same team.”
“And why's that?” Chris questioned.
“Because we're BFFLs and a package deal.”
“Cute. But I don't really care.”
“But-”
“Don’t care.”
At Chris’ dismissal, Katie looked about ready to combust into tears. But before that could happen, Courtney walked over to her.
“Katie, was it?” she said, placing a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Come on, it’ll be alright. You’ll still get to see each other between challenges and all.”
Katie seemed to consider her words, yet still hesitated. Only when she’d looked over at Sadie, who offered a reassuring smile and nod of her head, did she stand up.
“I guess.” she mumbled and followed Courtney to stand with the rest of the Gophers.
Chris nodded approvingly, then turned to address the cast, “And with that settled, listen up. You and your team will be on camera in all public areas during this competition. Keep that in mind.”
*** bzzt! ***
Chris sat in a wooden outhouse, one leg crossed over the other.
“You will also be able to share your innermost thoughts and feelings on tape with video diaries any time you want. Let the audience at home know what you’re really thinking. Or, just get something off your chest.”
*** bzzt! ***
Gwen's midnight eyes bore heavily into the camera, “So far, this sucks. ”
*** bzzt! ***
“Okay, I think I'm missing something…” Lindsay said as she spun around in the small space, “Where's the camera guy?”
Facing forward, Lindsay's eyes finally found the camera lens, “Oh, there you are! Wait, is this recording the entire time?”
*** bzzt! ***
Owen nodded as he took in the wooden structure, “This is kinda like the one at my grandparents' cabin. Er, minus the camera. Obviously, heh.” he grinned sheepishly.
*** bzzt! ***
The campers were led to their cabins after that, with the Bass directed to the east one and Gophers to the west.
“Wow.” Heather said, the first of the Gopher girls to set foot in their cabin. She eyed the dingy space that would be her home for the next eight weeks with thinly veiled contempt, “How… rustic.”
“I don’t think the cabin will be too upset if you call it ugly.” Leshawna grinned as she walked past.
“I was mostly trying to convince myself. Is it cool if I take the top bunk?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Thanks.” Heather smiled and put down her handbag to mark her claim. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked Leshawna up and down. “By the way, I love your earrings.”
“Thanks, girl!”
Walking past them, Courtney scrunched up her nose. “This place reeks .” she said and undid the hatch of the window to let in some fresh air.
The Gopher boys didn’t seem too bothered by the smell of old wood and lived-in bed sheets. They’d settled in quickly; already taking up space in the cabin as if they were at home.
“How cool isn’t this?” Owen said and fell back in his bed, arms behind his head. “A cabin full of dudes!” he smiled— then paused, a crease forming between his brows.
Owen pushed himself up to lean back on his elbows and turned to Geoff. “Did that sound weird?”
“Nah, bro.” Geoff assured him with an easy smile, “This is going to be awesome!”
“So awesome!”
“Yeah!” Tyler pumped his fists high in the air, nearly falling off his top bunk as he did.
Less than unenthused, Noah lazily raised a hand without looking away from his book. “Yippie.” he drawled dryly.
***
Over by the Bass cabin, the girls were unpacking in silence. They seemed content with it; all except for Bridgette, who kept glancing anxiously at her teammates. Smothered by an awkward air only she could breathe.
When it became too much to bear, she turned to Sadie and broke the silence, “Hey, um… I’m really sorry for hitting you earlier. It was a total accident, I swear.”
“Hm? Oh, it’s alright!” Sadie said with a wave of her hand, “Katie accidentally kicked me in the head when she was learning how to windmill.”
Bridgette rubbed her arm, muttering, “Yeah, well, you’re friends, so.”
“I don’t see how that makes it different.” the other girl shrugged. She was about to turn back to her unpacking when she lit up and a laugh escaped her lips. “Oh my gosh! One time, when I was doing my very first DJ set, I tripped over my own equipment in front of the entire audience. It was so embarrassing! But then I rocked the set! So, you’ll do totally fine. No worries!”
Sadie gave Bridgette’s shoulder a hearty pat before returning to her bags— humming an upbeat melody as she did. Oblivious to the semi-confused eyes that lingered on her.
“Uhm… thanks, I guess?” Bridgette mumbled, only audible to herself.
Over by the open door, Cody soon appeared. He leaned against the frame, his arms folded over his chest, and watched Gwen pull various trinkets from her bag.
“Come here often?” he asked once he was sure she knew of his presence.
Gwen didn’t say anything. Only glared at him like she’d done with everyone else. Perhaps that was why Cody didn’t budge.
With a deep and frustrated inhale through her nose, Gwen said, “Shouldn’t you be with the boys?”
Cody shrugged, “Is it a crime to talk to pretty girls?”
“Dude!” someone hissed right as Gwen was about to throw a glass jar at Cody. He was yanked away from the door with a surprised yelp. In the next moment, Trent appeared. He gave an apologetic smile and a wave before walking off and turning to Cody. “Let’s dial it back for the first days, okay, Romeo?”
“Right.” Cody nodded and adjusted the collar of his undershirt. “Gotta leave the ladies wanting more.”
Trent blinked— unimpressed but lacking the heart to say as much. “… Sure.”
***
Out in the yard, Chris stood and observed as the teenagers began to mingle about. He seemed rather pleased with himself; already sensing the drama that would unfold among the ragtag group of teenagers.
“Excuse me?” Lindsay called out to him from the porch of the Gopher cabin. “Kyle? Was it?”
“Chris.” he corrected, walking over with his hands behind his back. “What can I help you with?”
“Where are the outlets? I need to plug in my straightening iron.”
“There are some in the communal bathrooms.” Chris said and pointed towards a building a bit away from the cabins.
Lindsay looked at it with a troubled furrow of her eyebrows, “I’m not catholic, though.”
“Not communion. Communal .”
Lindsay blinked at him, not a single bit smarter.
Beth walked over to her then, and lightly tapped her shoulder to gain her attention. “Communal means it’s used by everyone. We shower together.”
Lindsay paled in horror, “At the same time? In the same shower? ”
“What? No, no.” Beth shook her head, mildly frustrated. She led Lindsay back inside the cabin while continuing her explanation of what ‘communal’ meant; perfectly timed as DJ came jogging up to Chris.
“Sorry, but what’s with the lack of camp staff?” he questioned.
“Well, it wouldn’t make for good TV if you guys were supervised by more people than me. And Chef, on occasion.”
DJ raised an eyebrow, “Chef?”
“You’ll meet him soon.” Chris promised. He then raised his voice to address the entire cast, “You guys have half an hour to unpack and gather back at the main lodge for lunch. Starting now!”
***
A high-pitched scream rang through the campground, and seemingly the entire island as well. In startled curiosity, the teenagers all rushed to the source: Lindsay in the Gopher cabin.
“Girl got some serious pipes.” Leshawna mumbled as she peered inside the cabin where Lindsay had flown up on the dresser. She pointed to something on the floor, terror written on her face.
“Kill it! Kill it!” she shrieked.
The ‘it’ in question was a cockroach, minding its own business on the rug. It then made the mistake of beginning to scuttle about— causing frightened chaos to erupt in the cabin. People were screaming, jumping onto furniture to avoid the roach or repeatedly missing to stomp it to death. And in the middle of it all was Owen’s frantic calls of “Guys, it’s just a bug!”
His plea fell on deaf ears, most of all with Duncan. He had slipped away undetected during the commotion, and was now returning with an axe in hand. Where he had found it would remain a mystery. Duncan took his stance in the roach’s path. He raised the axe over his head, about to fling it down onto the poor bug when-
“Gottcha!” Ezekiel swiftly scooped it up in his hands. He walked outside, leaving a rather stunned cabin behind.
The silence was broken by Gwen, who turned to Duncan with mild— and morbid— fascination. “Were you seriously going to attack a roach with an axe?”
“Yes.” Duncan said, hoisting the axe to rest over his shoulder.
“You could’ve injured that Zeke kid.” Courtney pointed out with a frown.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that he decided to jump in the way.”
“He has a point.” Harold said, earning a sharp scowl from Courtney.
“I’m not talking to you.” she turned back to Duncan, “You should be careful how you handle weapons in the future.”
Duncan rolled his eyes, “At least I took initiative.”
“Another good point-”
“You’re still not part of this conversation!” Courtney snapped at Harold— one of the few people who didn’t jump at her raised voice. “Christ, all non-Gopher girls, get out. Show’s over.” she huffed and shooed everyone to the door.
As she did, she missed the way Heather’s observant eyes narrowed slightly.
***
Half an hour later, the campers had lined up in the main lodge where a large, muscular man glared them all down from the other side of the pass-through window.
“Listen up, you little maggots!” he barked like a drill sergeant, “This right here is my domain where you follow my rules. You will eat what I serve, and I will not hear of any complaints. Now grab a tray and get moving!”
“Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but…” Beth said and glanced down at the slop being scooped up on her plate, “Is this really edible?”
“It is if you’re not a quitter,” Chef growled. He leaned closer, narrowing his eyes to dangerous slits. “Are you a quitter?”
“No! No, not a quitter!” Beth squeaked like a mouse, grabbing her tray and hurrying off to the tables.
Chef watched after her with tired bitterness. He then turned to the person next in line: Tyler. The boy tensed like a deer on the highway, scrambling for a few seconds before puffing out his chest.
“I’m a fighter!”
“I'm sure you are. Next!”
Further down the line, Owen snickered lightheartedly. He turned his head to look at the camper behind him. “Could you imagine if he was hosting the show?”
Noah grinned, “Sounds like a nightmare. Then again, Chris doesn't exactly seem like a delight either.”
“Nah, it’ll be pretty chill when he gets to host.” Izzy cut in, “In comparison, at least.” she smiled, paying little mind to the odd looks the boys were giving her.
“And you know this, how?” Noah asked.
“That’s a secret.”
After sharing a quick, puzzled glance, both Noah and Owen decided further questioning wasn’t worth it. Even if the latter was curious to know more.
Some time passed, and everyone was seated with their respective team. A stiff quiet had settled— the campers were more focused on their internal debates on whether or not to eat the food than on making conversation with each other.
Chris chose that moment to walk inside, remaining by the door as he gazed upon the gathering.
“So, how are you kids liking the main lodge so far?” he asked.
“The vibes are a little stale.” Geoff answered honestly. A meat cleaver flew past him, narrowly missing his face to instead become lodged in the wall next to him.
Geoff squawked, “The vibes are wicked! Oh, and the food is amazing. Great job, Chef! Let’s give it up for Chef, everybody!” he clapped his hands. Several of the other teens joined him as Chef glared at them.
“Wonderful.” Chris said, cheerful as if the knife-throwing hadn’t happened, “Your first challenge begins in an hour.”
Twirling her hair around her finger, Bridgette watched the host walk out of the mess hall; his almost sadistic nonchalance lingering. She glanced up at DJ, “So, what do you think our first challenge will be?”
He gave her a calm and reassuring smile, “Probably nothing too crazy, since it’s the first challenge and all.”
***
An hour later, the campers had changed into their swimwear and were gathered by a cliff. A 1000-foot cliff, to be precise.
DJ anxiously peered over the edge and down at the water far, far, far below. “God damn…”