Miranda was reluctant in admitting it, but she certainly didn't hate mornings. She kind of enjoyed getting up to watch a pretty sunrise.
She went behind the drink bar in First Class to grab a water bottle and set herself up to do her makeup. It was about six AM in the timezone they were in, so everyone on her team was still asleep. She didn't take long anyway, filling in her eyebrows, drawing on thick winged eyeliner, and putting on mascara. It almost came naturally to her.
She put away all her makeup and walked over to a baby grand piano in the corner of the room, quietly plunking a slow melody. It wasn't Mozart's level of brilliant, but it was quite a peaceful tune, one she held close to her heart. She quietly hummed along to it, making sure it was totally drowned out to everyone but herself.
Little did she know she had woken up a Spaniard with her plunking, who was now watching her fingers travel across the piano from behind. He grinned sleepily, a bit impressed at how smooth she was playing.
Once she'd finished, he quietly applauded her, making her jump a bit as she turned around.
"Did I wake you? I-I'm so sorry."
"That's quite alright. It was very pleasant to wake up to."
He walked over to her, sitting beside her on the bench.
"I haven't played in a long time." He smiled, playing a simple scale.
She nodded. "Me neither."
He played a bit of a classical song, making Miranda's usually dull eyes twinkle. It was the first time he'd done something to truly captivate her attention.
"That's...really good." she looked up at him with a tired grin.
"Thank you. It's nice to find someone with such high respect for music." he purred.
"Y-Yeah, definitely."
She knew what he was doing, but she decided to go along with it, for the time being.
Alejandro decided to continue playing since he was enjoying himself. Miranda hated that she was enjoying it too, but music had always been her soft spot. Nothing in the world would ever change that.
She hadn't realized that her head had found its way to his shoulder until he had stopped playing and cooed in her ear.
"Comfy, dollface?"
She quickly lifted her head up and blushed. He chuckled, and decided to leave her be after that. He grabbed some treats from behind the bar on his way out.
Miranda took an early confessional soon after.
"He is way too smart, it's terrifying. He knows exactly how to bait me like it's easy to him. But I'm not letting him get the better of me."
Alejandro walked into Loser Class, seeing people with low morales. He started with Team Victory.
"Ladies, I took the liberty of smuggling some things out of First Class."
"I'd better not. I might break out-"
Lindsay gasped, seeing the candy bar in his hand.
"Is that a Snuffer's bar?!"
She squealed, happily taking the food from his hand as he handed some other goodies to LeShawna and DJ. He then turned to the Amazons.
"Sierra, my former teammate. I smuggled this one just for you." he smiled, but it left as quickly as it came when Heather interjected.
"Well, she doesn't want it! We never trust the enemy. Especially the excessively, disgustingly flirty ones."
"No, thanks...enemy." Sierra laughed.
Alejandro took a confessional on his way out.
"Of course, Heather's bonding with Sierra! She's Chris's favorite, and if that manipulative minx gets Sierra, she'll have Chris too! Oh, she's good."
He made his way back to First Class and saw that everyone was awake and breakfast was being served. He took a bowl and sat down with Tyler, who seemed quite happy.
"Oh, man! First Class rocks!"
"Today we eat the breakfast of champions." Alejandro smiled back at him.
Izzy and Miranda were getting pampered with massages and manicures. Miranda grinned at her now fiery red nails, long and thin.
"Oh, yeah...that's the spot." Izzy swooned.
From the couch, Owen could be heard snoring.
"Aw, look at Big O! His fear of flying is so adorable!"
He suddenly rolled off the couch to reveal Noah getting crushed underneath.
"Finally! Thanks for not noticing I was missing all night! What am I? Tyler?!"
"Hey!"
Tyler accidentally got food all over Alejandro's face. Miranda started giggling, much to Alejandro's dismay. But, she soon got up and grabbed a few napkins to give him. He quietly thanked her as he wiped his face, still hearing her chuckles.
Chris soon called everyone down to the cargo hold where a large boat was waiting.
"Take a seat, grab a handle, and I'll tell you where we're going!" Chris smiled.
"Sweet boat. Right, Lindsay?" Tyler looked to her hopefully.
"Um...sure...Dave is it?" she was distracted by Alejandro.
"Why are you wearing a life jacket?" Noah asked.
"'Cause there's only fourteen of you, but only one valuable me. Hit it, Chef!"
The floor underneath them disappeared as they fell into the water, driving passed the Statue of Liberty.
"Welcome to New York City!"
Miranda practically had stars in her eyes. New York was one of her absolute favorite place she'd ever been to for one sole reason: Broadway.
Though she'd never admitted to anyone there that she was a musical junkie, it was hard for her to keep a straight face. A variety of show tunes swirled around in her head, fuelling her painful urge to sing.
Everyone was soon standing at the base of the statue.
"Your first challenge is a carriage race to Central Park, which I like to call, 'Liberty or Death!'."
Miranda couldn't help quietly humming songs from a patriotic musical upon hearing the challenge's name.
"I've always dreamed of riding a horse-drawn carriage!" Owen clapped.
"Don't even think about making me the horse, Heather!" Courtney scowled.
"As for you conclusion jumpers, it's a baby carriage race!"
"So, where are the carriages?" LeShawna asked.
"Hope you brought your climbing gloves!"
Everyone looked up to see three baby carriages dangling off Lady Liberty's crown, groaning miserably. Miranda cracked her knuckles to prepare herself.
"LOL, Chris. I think your mischievous spirit makes the game." Sierra smiled.
"Thank you, Sierra. It's nice to be appreciated."
"Appreciated? I love you! I always did. Even way back when you were making those terrible movies about talking cats."
There were some quiet chuckles among the group, and Alejandro smirked as an idea popped into his head.
"I was even going to call my first fan club The Christians, but that name was already taken."
Chris pushed her away, trying to ignore the embarrassment.
"Okay. Less chatter more splatter. Or...climbing. More climbing. We'll leave the splatter to fate. Anywho, once you reach Lady Liberty's crown, pull up your rope to bring your team up faster. Once everybody's up, your team grabs the correct carriage off the spike, races down to your boat and follows the buoys to your next exciting destination, Central Park!"
"Um...so when do we go shopping?" Lindsay asked.
"You don't."
"NO!"
With a blow of a whistle, the teams began climbing. Miranda was the first of her team to start with Alejandro close behind.
"Such a nice view, don't you think?"
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Depends on what you're referring to."
"I don't know about you, but my view is quite lovely," he smirked.
Miranda scoffed. Even someone as classy as him managed to be perverted.
"I don't think any view will be better than the one at the top. Especially yours," she replied coldly.
He chuckled at her bitterness. He supposed she wasn't a fan of having her ass complimented.
She was relatively quick to make it to the top, and the view did indeed make her feel like the king of New York. She was pretty weak on her own, so she didn't bother pulling the rope until someone else reached the top.
"It's been twenty-five blister busting minutes, and nothing! You guys are bumming me out!"
Luckily, Alejandro had bought just enough time to swing over to Sierra to chat.
"I'm worried about Chris. Do you ever get the feeling he misses his glory days, back when he was a huge star? But he feels like no one remembers, or cares?"
Thoughtfulness washed over Sierra's face as he shrugged. He swung back over to his team.
"Poor, Chris. I remember, I care!"
Miranda sat on the edge, watching people climb. Chris turned to her.
"So, I hear you can sing, lil' miss."
She bit her lip. "Anyone can, you know."
"True, but you have a legacy of being pretty talented. Why do you think I picked you to be in this season? So, why don't you prove that with a little diddy?" He rang a little bell in her ear.
She sighed. "Alright. But, just a quick one."
She cleared her throat and started singing the song queued up on her phone.
I had to find myself a new coffee shop
I had to find another Friday night spot
'Cause if I see somebody I'd have to talk
And I got nothing to say, nothing to say
It's not like I forgot places we went
But now the monument's still what I thought it meant
So I've been starting over ever since we went our separate ways
Now I'm a tourist in this town
So where do I go from here?
Tourist in this town
A broken heart for a souvenir
Once was found but now I'm lost
Don't even know the name
Of that street I crossed
I'm a tourist in this town
So where do I go from here?
Chris couldn't help but be surprised as she sang. She was better than expected. No one climbing had really heard her, so there wasn't too much pressure on her. He applauded when she finished.
"I'll remember that you can do that."
She blushed, smiling a bit. But after a few minutes, Chris was bored again.
"Hurry it up, people! I'm officially bored!"
Alejandro soon made his way his way up, panting.
"You...are pure evil."
Miranda couldn't help but chuckle as he got to his feet and began pulling the rope.
"Do you need any help?" She asked quietly.
"No, I think I'll be fine. Gracias."
One by one, the team was pulled up. They ended up being the last team to grab their carriage since Owen was a hassle to pull up.
Izzy got the carriage, riding down and sliding down the very tall fireman's pole. Tyler and Noah slid down behind her. Owen tried to, but he got stuck, chuckling.
"You think you could give me a push, Al?"
Alejandro nodded, preparing to hit him with the carriage.
"OH GREAT BIG APPLE!"
He went down with ease after that. Alejandro then turned to see Miranda hesitating.
"Is everything okay, chica?"
She looked down to see the drop, regretting it. He sighed, offering his hand to her.
"You'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."
She looked to his hand, then to his smile, which was honestly very comforting. She swallowed her pride and took his hand. He picked her up so she could wrap her arms and legs around him. He put the carriage on his elbow so he could wrap one arm around her waist and grab the pole. She quietly screamed at the initial drop, then just whimpered in his shirt, keeping her eyes closed.
Once they were out, she let go and got into the boat with everyone else. Alejandro took the responsibility of driving, letting Miranda sit down. They ended up driving through a sewer system. It was the total opposite of the magical boat rides in Phantom of The Opera or The Little Mermaid, that was for certain.
Miranda took a confessional about him helping her down the pole.
"I hate how sweet he's acting with me, because I know he's faking it! And I know I shouldn't be letting him but I just... like the attention, I guess? No one that pretty has ever paid me any mind."
They barely made it out without being eaten by alligators, just after Team Victory.
"Oho! Nasty! That's the kind of stink that never comes out! Make the gator sign a waiver so we can show it on TV."
Chef grumpily obeyed Chris's request and hopped into the water and over to the alligator stuck in the pipe.
"Chris, you are such a brilliant commander! That's why you always stood out in your boy band." Sierra swooned.
"Wait, woah woah! Chris was in a boy band?" Owen asked.
"Moving on!" Chris tried to avoid the subject.
"Back in the 80's he was."
Sierra began singing.
Making trouble is easy to do
But making you love me is painful!
Miranda gasped. "You were in Fametown?"
Everyone started laughing. Chris was not enjoying any of it. Sierra continued.
"I really admire the way you never let mockery get to you. I'll have to include that in your obituary. I already have a draft. Wanna hear? Chris McLean was born in 1978-"
Chris finally had had enough. "That is it! Zip it! Permanently!"
Sierra looked hurt, but Alejandro looked very pleased, much to Heather's dismay.
Everyone got out of their boats and gathered around Chris.
"All right, focus, people. Welcome to the second half of the challenge, "Bobbing for Big Apples, NYC Style". Here's how it's gonna go down. Teams must push their carriages along one of the three paths to Central Park's fabled Turtle Pond. There one member of each team will bob for some very special apples using only their mouths, no hands. Once they get it to shore, the rest of the team must load it into their carriages and race to the finish line in the heart of Central Park. And what's a baby carriage without a baby?"
"Oh-oh! A shopping cart!"
"It was a rhetorical question."
Sierra attempted to speak. "Oh, Chris, that is so-"
"Zip it!"
Alejandro winked in Heather's direction as she narrowed her eyes.
"One member of each team must ride in their carriage and stay there all the way to the finish line."
The Amazons chose Cody, and Victory chose Lindsay.
"We should have Miranda do it. She's the lightest." Alejandro offered, making her roll her eyes.
"That's debatable," she muttered under her breath
She selected a musical on her phone that reminded her of the mythic bitch glaring at her team.
Unfortunately, Alejandro had heard her say that.
Noah rolled his eyes. "I'll do it."
He climbed into the carriage, making himself comfortable in the tiny space. Alejandro pulled Miranda by her hips, purring in her ear while no one was looking.
"Nonsense. Don't deny it, chica. Your figure is absolutely stunning."
She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as his smooth voice sent shivers down her spine. So many emotions were going through her mind. Confusion, guilt, flattery and most of all, fear.
He smirked, seeing her cheeks turning pink. He was getting under her skin and he loved it. She looked especially pleasing when she was flustered like this.
"Victory got here first, so they get the shortest path to the pond. Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot gets the longest path on the left. And Team Amazon gets the longest path on the right. Oh, and a little traveling music, please?"
"It's always been a dream of mine to dance in New York City!" Courtney gushed.
"So, we're really gonna do this music part, every single time?" LeShawna rolled her eyes.
"Fun, huh?" The little bell rang.
"Now move it. We only have permits to cut off this section of the part for another hour."
Everyone began running, singing about New York.
What's not to love about New York City?
The taxis honk out a New York diddy!
The crime is high!
The pigeons fly!
What's not to love about New York?
The lights are brighter!
The fun is funner!
The bagels are bagel-er,
And the bums are bummer!
The dirt and grime make every alley shine!
What's not to love about New York?
The stores, and the fashion!
Big shows where stars cash in!
It's crazy, 'cause the city never sleeps!
All the teams ended up getting to the pond at around the same time.
"The other teams are here too? I thought we got the shortest path!" LeShawna complained.
"Maybe, but your dancing took the longest to recover from!" Lindsay retorted.
"And look at the size of them apples!"
Chris was on a rock above the pond. "Remember, no hands!"
"I've totally got this, guys!" Tyler grinned, diving into the water.
DJ and Sierra made their way in as well.
Heather glared at Alejandro like he was the apex predator as he began to speak to her.
"Central Park is so romantic, don't you find?"
"Whatever. I know you've been messing with Sierra's head. So, back off, or you'll wish you had."
"My wish doesn't involve backing off." He grinned flirtatiously.
Heather growled. "Just go play with your stupid team and leave us alone!"
"You're beautiful when you're playing hard to get..."
She continued growling, making him actually back off.
"I'm going."
"You bet you are! Right out of the game!"
Miranda had heard everything, despite having an iconic witchy ballad playing softly in her ears. She also saw Heather take her team's carriage and swap it for a local's baby carriage. As much as she wanted to do something, her fear zipped her mouth shut.
However, Heather went over to her, tapping her shoulder.
"I see what Alejandro's been doing to you. Be careful." she whispered.
"Trust me, I know exactly what he's doing, but thank you."
"You better not let him cozy up to you." She walked away from her going back to her team.
Team Chris began to run once the got their apple in the carriage.
Miranda sighed, running with them. Once they got there, they lifted the apple and saw a baby instead of Noah.
Izzy gasped. "Noah regressed into a baby!"
Owen also gasped. "And he ate all my pretzels!"
"Wait, this isn't our carriage," Tyler added.
"No Noah means, no first place!"
"We have to go back!" Alejandro exclaimed.
So, that's what they did. Alejandro swapped the carriages before the mother could break and panic, but it cost them the race.
"What? We lost?"
"And the winner of the New York challenge is...Team Amazon!"
They cheered and Heather grinned at Alejandro, who nodded back to her.
"Team Victory, congratulations for not coming in last!"
Team Victory was thrilled with that.
"And Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot...you're facing elimination for the first time. But, you won't have to go through with it, 'cause this is really a reward challenge! Sike!"
The team cheered while everyone else groaned. Alejandro blew a kiss to Heather, but she was too angry to accept it.
Back in Loser Class, Miranda decided to take a confessional.
"Sure, I let Heather have a sort of unfair win. But if that's the way she wants to play, who's going to stop her? Not me, obviously. I'm powerless compared to her or Alejandro. She tried to warn me about him but she's too late. I already know what he's doing. But I can't do anything about it. He's...playing fair, as much as I hate to say it. All I can do is be aware and cautious."
A/N (written 6/19/2019): So long, farewell, goodbye New York! I wish I could've jammed more Broadway references in here (Don't worry past me, I gotcha). Oh well, I tried. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm not on the road anymore, but I am on vacation and typing is relaxing to me so, I'm far from done. (I think I stayed up till like 2 AM typing this day wow). Leave a comment if you're up to make someone smile, someone being me. I love you guys so much, thank you for supporting my stories. <3 Stay tuned! ~Miranda