If there was one thing that Miranda halfheartedly enjoyed, it was drama. It was an awful thing, definitely, but still, she loved it. There was nothing like the petty excitement that came with spilling a little tea. Before she'd met Alejandro, it had been her biggest guilty pleasure.
She also got a kick out of seeing Courtney crying on the floor and Duncan with spaghetti over his head, pun intended. He was now holding an ice pack over his eye and groin in Economy Class with the rest of his team, which had begun talking their shit about the whole situation.
"I'm serious. The guy's a jerk with a capital G. I'd never cheat on my Lindsay the way he hurt Courtney. He deserved two kicks to the–"
"I'm not saying what Duncan did was right, like not at all. But, Courtney hasn't been the best to him, so I see why he would want to be with someone else. It didn't have to be this messy, but I don't know what Courtney was expecting to happen when she chose to date a bad boy." Miranda rolled her eyes.
Owen spoke up. "Permission to speak freely. You know, athlete to athlete."
His gold medal from the challenge in Greece was completely crushed.
"What happened to your medal?" Tyler asked.
"Huh? Oh, I ate the chocolate. So good."
Miranda gasped. "Aw, if I knew they were chocolate, I would've won."
Alejandro snickered quietly from the other side of the room.
Owen continued. "Well, then I refilled it with peanuts, ate those. Refilled it with foam packing peanuts, ate those. Puked up a painful white cloud, and didn't refill it."
He chuckled nervously, scooting over to Tyler.
"Uh, jock talk aside, the way I see it, Duncan is a double gold medalist, in the Total Drama Babe Olympics!"
"There's a Babe Olympics?" Tyler asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
The tone of his voice made Miranda laugh outright, unable to contain herself.
"Oh my God, I can't do this~"
She laid down, covering her face and laughing as Owen continued.
"Well, Duncan is the only guy in TD history to score two hotties!"
"Courtney and Gwen? Punk's got mojo!" Tyler seemed thoroughly convinced.
This only made Miranda laugh harder, her face flushing. Alejandro couldn't help but grin at the sweet sound of her giggles. When she sat up, she wiped her cheeks of tears.
"But like, Courtney's personality is complete shit. Physically, sure, kinda hot. But personality beats appearance any day."
It was around this time Alejandro decided to leave the room to take a quick confessional.
"Problem, Duncan is a strong player. Solution? Courtney is volatile. She'll throw the Amazons off their game, and Duncan off his game too. All she needs is a little push."
Soon after he returned, the plane went into violent turbulence.
"Attention potential crash victims! Please remain calm. Our autopilot is testing some equipment. Relax in the Common Area if you don't believe me, and want a last meal."
Only a bowl of fruit awaited everyone as they piled into the Common Area.
"You call these snacks!? We're all gonna die!" Owen cried as he ate a bunch of bananas.
"Does anyone have a knife so I can have pineapple?" Miranda asked shyly.
Duncan took out his pocket knife and tossed it to her. She caught it clumsily before revealing the blade and cutting into the pineapple.
"Thanks."
Duncan simply walked over to Gwen, smirking at her playfully.
"Looking especially pasty this morning."
Gwen grinned back at him with an equal amount of mischief.
"That means so much coming from a cyclops."
Courtney growled at them, acting as a signal for Alejandro to step in and cause some more drama.
"Unbelievable. Forgive me, I'm simply offended on your behalf. Perhaps, a little payback is in order. How would Duncan like it if you flirted with someone?"
He pointed to Tyler, which made Courtney smirk.
"Tyler is super cute."
However, his shoe flew off and hit Courtney square in the head. Courtney laughed it off, though.
"Wow! You're so fit and strong, Tyler!"
Miranda was chuckling right by Alejandro, finishing some pineapple.
"Do it again, I need it for my Snapchat story."
Suddenly, the lights shut off, leaving everyone completely blind and in a state of panic. Luckily, Alejandro knew that Miranda was to his left, so he gripped her arms.
"Is this my dollface I'm holding onto?"
"I'm not a dollface, and I don't belong to you." It was very clearly Miranda's soft voice.
"Ah, you have such a cute sense of humor."
He pulled her close to his chest and found her lips to kiss. Normally, he would never do something like this out in the open, but with all the commotion in the dark, he figured now was as good of a time as any. It was a risky move, sure, but a very satisfying one.
Despite Miranda's initial fear, something about Alejandro kissing her at this moment was calming her down. It was honestly quite a romantic gesture, in her opinion. He surprised her by placing her hands on his chest and returning the kiss with gentleness on her lips.
Abruptly, the plane began to nose dive, which made everyone fall over. It straightened out after a few minutes and the lights eventually came back on.
Alejandro found himself pinning Miranda to the ground. Her cheeks were red and her cerulean eyes were widened with surprise. The stunned look on her innocent face looked heaven-sent. It made Alejandro smile and sigh contently.
"What a beautiful sight I've returned to."
She pouted. "Shut up, get off me."
"From the looks of the blush on your cheeks, I don't think you want me to."
Said cheeks darkened as her eyes scanned their position. Once her blue eyes met his green eyes again, he snickered, as both of them stood up before anyone could notice them.
Owen was still screaming from the nose dive, so Alejandro resorted to one of his neat tricks to cease the annoying noise.
"Three, two, one, and...you're back."
With a snap of his fingers, the room fell silent as Owen stopped screaming.
"We landed already? Huh. I'm so over my flying thing."
Duncan snickered at Alejandro. "Looks like I owe you five bucks."
Alejandro smiled pridefully, taking a confessional about his abilities.
"My Uncle Julio's a hypnotist. Manipulating runs in the family. And that wasn't the only...post-hypnotic suggestion I gave Owen."
He chuckled when an idea came to his devious brain.
"Come to think of it, I could use this talent of mine to subdue my pretty little doll. The amount of things I could make her do is endless. But, then again, I've been doing just fine without it."
Everyone got out of the plane into dark, mysterious terrain. Chris was wearing a military helmet and some sunglasses, despite it being quite late in the evening.
"Everyone, welcome to the coolest extraterrestrial-est place in the world, Area 52!"
"Fifty-two? Area 51 is where all the cool alien stuff is." Gwen countered.
"This show's so broke we have to fake an Area now?" Duncan snickered.
"Nope, this really is Area 52. And that's Area 51 right there. We're just inside the border. Well, all of us except Duncan."
As soon as Chris said that, Duncan began getting shocked by lasers.
"Duncan!" Gwen exclaimed anxiously.
Courtney laughed obnoxiously as she held onto Tyler, who looked incredibly confused.
"Listen up, space cases! The five one is the most tightly protected military base in the world, which is why tonight's challenge is gonna be so much fun, for me. Part one: Break into Area 51 without being shot, gassed, plasma rayed, or otherwise killed. The place is guarded by elite black op soldiers. So, if anyone does get all exploded, their untimely but hilarious demise will be blamed on a freak weather balloon accident. Part two: Each team must find a genuine functioning alien artifact inside Area 51's infamous black box warehouse. The place is full of broken alien junk. You need to find something alien that still works. But, be careful. The warehouse is loaded with booby traps. Part three: The winning team must bring their working artifact back to Area 52, intact. Last team back faces elimination. And do not get caught over there. Rumor has it, trespassers get a memory wipe, and are transferred to an alien colony where they either become slaves or food. You have till dawn. Go!"
Both teams had their own designated paths, so they both split up and went on their way.
Team Chris found a commander in Duncan, even if decided that himself.
"Okay, we should split up and scale for points of entry. Owen's with me."
The two of them went ahead. Alejandro and Tyler stopped to talk, confusing Miranda.
"So, Courtney, huh? She can't stop flirting with you!" Alejandro grinned, bumping Tyler with his elbow.
"Flirting? With me? Whoa...but no. I couldn't do that to my Lindsay."
Miranda clapped. "He's a real one."
Duncan soon called the three of them over to where he and Owen were.
"Guys! You gotta see this!"
They all hid behind a large rock, a couple of yards away from the highly guarded warehouses. The only source of light was a few searchlights scanning the field. It was an eerily fascinating sight.
"Wow..." Miranda breathed out, in awe of what she was looking at.
A little grey bunny hopped past them towards the fence, making Tyler grin with slight relief.
"Think it's safe to cross."
Unfortunately, he spoke too soon because the bunny immediately got zapped with a laser, leaving it completely charred.
"...I'll be on the plane," Owen mumbled nervously.
Miranda nodded, whimpering quietly. Upon hearing this, Alejandro reached over to take her hand.
"Hey, listen up, I've got a plan."
Duncan's plan involved throwing rocks to distract the laser's targeting system so everyone could cross the field safely. Everyone quickly complied with little to no issues. Once everyone grabbed their rock to throw, they gathered back up to execute the plan.
"Remember, throw the rock and run in the opposite direction. Now!"
First up was Alejandro, who threw the rock and ran as fast as he could to the other side. He succeeded without as much as a scratch, sending a thumbs up to his team.
Next was Miranda, who was incredibly nervous. She shakily threw her rock and bolted over to where Alejandro was. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, but she did make it without getting zapped. She panted shakily as Alejandro wrapped his arm around her.
"Excellent work, doll. So fearless."
She rolled her eyes, her hands unknowingly resting on his back and chest.
"Yeah, fearless, totally..."
Tyler ended up running into a nearby cactus and Owen ran without even throwing his rock. This caused him to get shot over the fence and into the facility.
Duncan made it over with no problems, approaching the two that were cuddling.
"Huh, who would've guessed you two would be a thing."
Miranda gasped, letting go of Alejandro quickly.
"W-We're not–!"
"She may not be mine, but she is quite the sight, is she not?" Alejandro purred close to her ear.
"Eh, she's not Gwen, but hey, I'd give her a seven."
Miranda glared, her nervous tone shifting to contempt.
"...Go fuck yourselves."
She took a confessional about the boys' behavior, crossing her arms angrily.
"Boys are so lascivious. All they care about is sex and their own greed. I mean–not all boys, but definitely those two...assholes."
The team proceeded to walk over to the fence, which confused the slightly dazed Owen.
"How'd you get over there?"
A tube came out from the ground, trying to suck Owen up. When it realized it was too small, it was replaced by a bigger one that sucked Owen into the building.
"Owen!" Tyler panicked, running over to the fence to climb it.
"W-Wait! You don't have to..."
The fence was an electrical fence, heavily shocking him. But to the right of him was an open entrance that everyone else used. Once they were in, Tyler painfully landed on the ground.
"Nicely done, Tyler." Duncan chuckled.
Miranda helped Tyler up and went on their way. They noticed the Amazons kick open a door into the warehouse, so they followed. Duncan caught the door before it could close.
"Wicked! We beat Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot here!" Gwen grinned.
Duncan smirked. "Think again, pasty."
Everyone began looking around, with Tyler still shaken up about Owen's disappearance.
"They stole Owen, and brought him in here somewhere!"
"Oh no! Poor Tyler! Wanna go somewhere quiet and talk about it?" Courtney swooned in an overly sweet tone.
Miranda, completely disgusted, grabbed Tyler's arm and began pulling him away.
"Tyler, keep clear of fakes, okay?"
Courtney glared at her as Chris came over the intercom.
"Welcome to the black box warehouse! Finding a functioning alien artifact in here is gonna be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. A haystack with a black op security system, which I set off when I hacked into this PA. My bad."
Alarms began to go off, making everyone run and hide.
Miranda found a stash of boxes, crouching behind them. She tried to keep herself calm, but she was having flashbacks of playing manhunt in the forest with old friends. There was one time she hid by the side of a garage, covered in weeds and debris. It just felt like a place she wasn't supposed to be It was incredibly dark and no one found her for at least twenty minutes. She remembered flashlights passing by her, sending a jolt of fear down her back. Just because she was considered to be a pretty good hider, didn't make her feel any more comfortable with it. This situation was no exception either.
In fact, this situation was way worse. She noticed large black op soldiers walking around and inspecting the area. Those people had authority, something that she feared heavily. She tended to shrink into the tiniest specimen possible whenever she was around anyone with power.
This was the furthest thing from a game. She could be arrested, or even worse...killed, just for being here. She was completely out of her element, completely helpless...
Her internal panic session was suddenly interrupted when she heard some rustling come from nearby.
"Shit, shit, shit..." she whispered anxiously.
Alejandro suddenly stood up to see her curled up on the floor. His sudden reveal almost made her scream, but she covered her mouth to stop any sound from coming out of her mouth.
He simply chuckled at her. "We have got to stop running into each other like this, dollface."
"And you need to stop scaring me like that..." She tried to sound angry, but she was more freaked out than anything.
He walked over to her, pulling her up from her hiding spot.
"Relax, chica. It'll be okay." he teased.
"Really? Because there are black op soldiers everywhere ready to shoot us down."
He quickly noticed that she was genuinely scared, so he adjusted his playful tone into a more serious one.
"That won't happen, not while I'm here."
He cupped her cheek gently, making her flinch for a second. She scanned his face, noticing that any trace of jesting was wiped clean. His eyes wore a determined glint, as well as an assuring haze.
"I promise, I won't let anything bring harm to you."
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, watching her fearful gaze relax a bit. After a moment of silence, she took a shaky breath.
"...Okay."
He smiled softly. "Come with me, doll. I'll protect that pretty face of yours."
She blushed, pouting. He snickered as he removed his hand and began sneaking around the facility with her.
He kept a firm grip on her hand the entire time, keeping her mostly at ease. The only times she'd lose a bit of tact was when a soldier was nearby. When they'd have to hide, Alejandro would cover her mouth with his free hand to keep her whimpers of fear at bay.
If it had been anyone else, Alejandro would've gotten so frustrated, and found a way to abandon them. But with Miranda, he couldn't help but feel the need to protect her. She was much too fragile to leave all alone in a place like this. Plus, seeing the way she acted towards herself in Greece made him feel obligated to make sure she was emotionally okay.
Eventually, they found Tyler snooping around too, so they tagged along with him. The extra company helped Miranda too, despite three being considered a crowd. Something about having two decently strong men with her made her feel a lot better.
After a few minutes, the trio ran to an open area with a huge box-like compartment. Screaming was audible from the inside. Upon hearing whose voice it was, Tyler began to freak out.
"It's gotta be Owen! Owen! We're here to save you, buddy!"
Alejandro rolled his eyes, stopping. Miranda quietly groaned, shaking her head as he began punching the wall.
"Never! Leave! A man! Behind!"
Banging on the metal made Tyler's fists turn red and pulse painfully.
"Tyler! There's no time! We need to find an artifact! It's not like one's gonna fall out of the sky!"
Conveniently, as Alejandro said that, a strange box bonked Tyler on the head and landed right in Alejandro's arms.
He smirked. "Huh. I stand corrected. Now, let's hope it works."
All of a sudden, the box began to flash with bright lights, making Alejandro drop it quickly. Miranda hid behind him, whimpering. In a beam of light, two aliens appeared above them, completely horrifying Tyler.
"Aliens! Don't probe me, bro!" Tyler quivered.
One of the aliens stuck a finger out, smiling and seemingly friendly. Tyler put his finger against the alien's, smiling back. But as soon as they made contact, Tyler was electrocuted. The other alien attached itself to Alejandro's face, shocking him as well.
Miranda gasped. "H-Hey, stop!"
She tried to grab the alien to pull it off, but it shocked her as well. She fell onto the floor, wincing from the pain.
Tyler soon had an alien on his face too, leaving Miranda completely overwhelmed. They couldn't protect her now...she was practically on her own. She was the only one who could solve this. She refused to give up though, still pulling on the alien as much as she could.
With every shock she received, she got a little weaker, a little more frazzled, a little more defenseless.
Pulling, then ZAP.
Pulling, then ZAP.
Pulling...ZAP...
Pulling...ZAP.
Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. As time kept passing, the bubble of fear keep expanding, expanding, expanding...it wouldn't be long now.
After about her fifteenth shock, she plopped onto the floor, panting restlessly and shuttering from the electricity. Hot tears burned in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. The ceiling felt like it was caving in, suffocating her.
"...This isn't working... I-I don't know what to do... Someone...please...help me... I can't help them... I-I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...Alejandro...Tyler...!"
She was on the verge of completely dismantling, and although Alejandro couldn't see her, he could definitely hear her. But with the alien on his face preventing him from speaking clearly, there wasn't much he could do to remotivate her.
Thankfully though, Duncan stumbled his way onto the scene within a few minutes. Miranda weakly stood up and approached him.
"D-Duncan...! Thank God, please...I can't...Please help them...!"
He scoffed at her quivering plea, walking past her and towards Alejandro.
"What's this, a double date? Tell you what, you agree not to vote me off this week, then I save your butt."
Alejandro gave him a thumbs-up as Miranda nodded helplessly.
"Deal! First, big mouth."
Tyler ran right into Duncan's fist, exploding the alien into a strange blue goop.
"Oh, gross! Ever heard of overkill, guy?"
Miranda took a step away from Alejandro so Duncan could grab the alien to pull on, but it shocked them both. The shock sent Alejandro flying into the control panel for the box room, opening its doors.
Owen stepped out with clown makeup and green hair.
"Owen..." Tyler looked shocked.
"What?" Owen didn't seem to know what was happening until he screamed.
"Oh no! The aliens stole my memory and styled my hair!"
"And did your makeup," Tyler added.
He screamed a bit more.
Miranda went over to Alejandro, who was rubbing his head in pain. She held onto his other hand, which he immediately gripped onto. It was the first bit of comfort he'd felt since this all happened, so he needed to cherish it.
Miranda wasn't too concerned for Owen, since he appeared to be fine. Neither was Duncan, who soon pushed Miranda aside to try pulling the alien off again.
"I don't really think they stole your memory, Owen," Tyler assured him.
"Oh, but they did Tyler! I can't even remember your name!" Owen cried.
"A little help here, please!" Duncan called frustratedly.
"Or Duncan's name, or Al's name, or Miranda's name, or Chris, or the Total Drama plane, or mom's cheese cellar back home! Or any of..."
Once realized he did, in fact, remember, he grinned.
"Oh, w-wait, I think I'm good. Hey, how you doing, Al? Al? Al! Al?"
He continued to ask for his attention, frustrating him to the point of no return. He could finally see since Duncan was pulling hard enough on the alien for it to not be attached to his face. He took this opportunity to call out five simple words.
"Three, two, one and...revenge."
With a snap of his fingers, Owen took his underwear and pulled them over his head, all while singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".
Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded. Even the alien released its grip to watch the insanity unfold. Duncan soon threw the alien onto Owen's face, electrocuting him.
Once it was silent, and the unforeseen chaos had sunken into their brains, everyone began laughing out loud.
"Man, how do you do that?" Duncan asked through his chuckles.
"I have unconventional talents, I suppose." Alejandro grinned.
Even Miranda was laughing, she couldn't help it. After feeling so helpless all night, this laughter was truly the best medicine she could've received.
The team eventually came to the decision to bring the alien itself back as the artifact. So, they began pulling it off of Owen's face, as Tyler stayed ready with a box to trap it.
"Hurry! I getting angrier!"
Alejandro got it off and threw it into the box, which Tyler quickly closed.
Duncan snickered. "One intact alien artifact! First Class, here we come!"
Owen was still singing once it was taken off of him, so Alejandro snapped his fingers once again.
"Three, two, one, and...we're back."
Owen did stop, of course, mumbling some gibberish and passing out on the floor.
"Great... Now we have to carry him out!" Alejandro groaned.
"I'll stick with the alien," Tyler said.
Duncan and Alejandro grabbed hold of him while Miranda spotted them.
"Let's go! ¡Vamonos!"
Everyone began running out of the warehouse as fast as they possibly could. It wasn't the easiest with Owen's weight slowing them down, but they were managing quite well up until they got to the minefield.
"Come on, guys! We didn't get this far in the competish 'cause we're wimps. It's 'cause we stay one step ahead of the–"
Tyler stepped on a mine and went flying into the air, along with the alien.
When the team arrived back at the plane, he was found smashed into the dirt, with the box crushed and covered in that same blue goo.
"Former alien lifeform, impressive. Too bad it's not still intact."
"What?!" Alejandro was completely furious, instantly dropping Owen and stomping his foot.
The Amazons were on their way back with the box the alien had come from. Courtney tripped Gwen sending the box flying into the air. But it ended up landing in Chris's arms, flashing as a sign of being intact.
"The Amazons win again!"
They cheered while Team Chris groaned defeatedly.
Back on the plane, Miranda had no issues deciding who to vote off. Tyler was the one who was careless and got the alien crushed. She felt bad to do it after everything they'd gone through, but there wasn't much of a smarter option now.
Alejandro also had made this choice. Tyler had his useful moments, but he'd gotten to the point where he couldn't find a purpose for him anymore, other than getting an extra vote.
Both of them had voted a while ago and were just waiting to be called in for elimination in Economy Class. Miranda quickly realized there was something she'd been meaning to ask Alejandro, but hadn't gotten the chance to with the mayhem of the challenge. So, she took this quiet moment as an opportunity to tug on his sleeve and get his attention.
He grinned at her. "Yes, dollface?"
"Hey, I...have some questions to ask..."
"And I may have some answers."
"So...did you...really save me from the vote in Greece?" She asked slowly.
He sighed quietly, nodding his head. "Potentially, yes. Owen and Tyler were both going to vote for you, but I convinced them otherwise. Our loss was collective, it wasn't entirely your fault. And with Duncan stirring up drama among everyone, they seemed more willing to vote for him instead of you once I discussed it with them."
Miranda blinked, trying desperately to wrap her head around his reasoning. No...she was definitely the reason they lost. The choice should've been obvious to him. To go so out of his way to make sure she wouldn't be eliminated, even after destroying their chance at victory...it made no sense.
"But...why? Why would you do that? I...lost. It was all riding on me and I...lost. I thought..."
Alejandro was hesitant to speak the truth, but he ultimately cut off her confusion.
"...I saw you, Miranda."
"W-What are you talking about?"
"I saw you in the Common Area after the challenge. I saw you crying."
The frustration in his eyes began to shine as he replayed that gruesome image in his mind. Before he could get the chance to scold her, he gripped her shoulders, pulling her closer to his serious gaze.
"Miranda, answer me this. Do you truly feel worthless? Or like we're... better off without you?"
She was already taken aback by him witnessing her awful meltdown and grabbing onto her like this, and now this sudden question wasn't helping her regain any stability.
"Y-You...saw me?"
"Answer the question. Do you feel worthless?"
She paused for a bit, afraid to answer him when he was speaking in such an urgent tone. She took a soft breath, avoiding his gaze as she mumbled out a response.
"I mean...yeah. U-Uh, er no, I-I don't, I-I just...s-sometimes! When I mess up... Y-You can't really blame me, right? I lost the challenge, I fucked up... I let you all down. Of course, I'd feel... inadequate after that, anyone would."
Alejandro didn't like her answer. She was trying to dismiss any worries he might've had. He could see immediately how she was trying to normalize something completely abnormal.
"I can understand feeling ashamed after that. But, to go as far as to say that you are worthless for it...I can't agree with that. This team would certainly not be better off without you. That is to say...I wouldn't be better off without you."
"Tch. Right, when it comes from you, it's gotta be true. Do you think I'm that stupid?" She scoffed.
"No, I mean it. I know you are suspicious of me, and you have every right to be. But, I'm not a heartless being. Distrust me all you want, but I want you to believe me when I say that I care about you. You are far better than what you are telling yourself, dollface."
He put a hand on her cheek, feeling the warmth of it. He grimaced at her doubtful expression. She wouldn't meet his gaze at all, as if she was being punished for something.
"...I don't understand. Why choose to care about me when you could latch yourself onto anyone else?"
"Because you intrigue me."
"What's there to be so intrigued with?"
"You're mysterious. A fascinating case, I must admit. Talented, intelligent, resourceful, yet above all else...self-effacing. Contrary to what I say, I truly know nothing about who you are."
"That's a good thing." she hissed.
He couldn't help but snicker at that.
"Not to mention you are simply divine to look at. I know you disagree with that notion, but I will continue to insist on this."
She huffed. "You...of all people, to say that..."
She hadn't realized the context that statement could be taken at until his smirk grew.
"It's good to see the feeling is mutual, dollface."
Suddenly, Chris's voice could be heard over the PA system.
"Attention all players and brooding goth chick! Time to throw a guy out of the plane!"
Alejandro took a second to leave a gentle kiss on Miranda's forehead before they stood up.
"In all seriousness, you're nowhere near worthless, dollface. I can promise you that."
With that, they both started making their way to the elimination room. Alejandro was still a bit worried, knowing she did, in fact, feel totally invalid. The last thing he wanted was for her to destroy herself over these nonsensical feelings. But he supposed now wasn't the time to harp over it, since it was time to get his head back into the game. That was what he was ultimately here for, after all.
Miranda, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to make of the exchange. Words like his had been going in one ear and coming out the other for years by this point. Empty, heartless, no sense of purpose to them. They felt about as worthless as her existence. But to hear them from him, of all people, was certainly something she didn't expect. Not like that made them have any more weight, though.
Sooner rather than later, the entire team had filed into the room, and the ceremony commenced.
"Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot, not a lot of teamwork going on tonight. Owen, wasting time on a new hairdo? Not cool. Duncan, making deals before you help your teammates? That's low. Tyler–"
"Is stoked that Duncan is outie!" He cheered through his bandages.
"No, Tyler, you're outie."
"What?!"
Courtney suddenly stormed in, her tone shrill and full of fury.
"What?! You're cutting Tyler instead of Duncan!? What's wrong with you?"
"Is there gonna be a revote?" Tyler asked weakly.
Courtney forcefully pushed him out of the plane, making Miranda gasp.
"That's it! No more Mrs. Nice Guy! People are gonna pay! Two people, specifically! You hear me!? I will have my revenge!"
Duncan and Alejandro smirked as Owen began singing again.
"Will Courtney get her revenge? Find out next time! Right here, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
After Chris laughed at Owen's ridiculousness for a bit, he left the room. Alejandro snapped his fingers to make Owen stop, and he passed out once again on the cold, steel floor.
"I'm leaving him." Duncan huffed, walking out as Courtney followed him, ranting angrily in his ear.
Alejandro and Miranda both stood up, with the former wearing a content smirk.
"I too will leave him here. Are you coming, dollface?"
Once he realized he wasn't next to her, he turned to see her staring out the plane's door, her tone calm, yet bitter.
"...Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."
Although he was skeptical of her behavior, he reluctantly nodded and left the room.
Miranda huffed as she looked out of the exit door at the land below. Slowly, she extended one leg out of the plane, but after a moment, pulled it back inside. She grabbed onto the handle to close the door, but not before whispering into the sky.
"...Bye, Tyler."
A/N: (Written fall of 2019) Buh-bye to Area 51! I'm so mad my laptop didn't charge overnight, so this is the only chapter I'll be able to finish. Oh well, I'll type again in three hours or so. Do you guys remember the Area 51 raid? Oh my god, it was a good meme. (oh my GOD I forgot about this.) TD inspired the raid, you can't change my mind. Also, I know there was a bit of touchiness at the end there, and I'd like to address that if you feel worthless, you're wonderful to me and always will be. You're beautiful and strong and you deserve to be on this Earth. <3 On a side note, we're two notebooks down! Three to go! (I keep forgetting this took 5 omg) Let me know in the comments how you feel about this chapter because I love hearing people's thoughts! I love you so much, thanks for reading! Stay tuned! ~Miranda