[uh-oh, here's another session of 'lewis nearly dies']
*
I was reading a book that I had still yet to finish in Craft Services, while listening to music. Where everyone was eating their crappy breakfast, full with cockroaches. I was already in a bad mood because of what happened last night. Harold quickly coughed up his gruel, and wiped his mouth. "I really miss DJ's cooking. It was as awesome as this is completely grossitating." "Yeah, uh, can't you cook for us, Lewis?" I looked up from my book. "Yes." "Really!?" "No."
I returned my focus down to my book, but suddenly perked up when I heard Beth speak. "I wish my boyfriend was here. He's such a great cook." I spun around almost instantly, and laughed mockingly, pulling my headphones down around my neck. "BOYFRIEND?! YOU have a boyfriend?!" "Oh, yeah. I have a boyfriend. I love my boyfriend. What? Didn't I mention my boyfriend before?"
"You... sure do like that word, 'boyfriend'. When did you two meet?" Leshawna said suspiciously. "We met between TV seasons." Beth explained. I raised a brow. "Weren't you guys at Playa des Losers for the entirety of those... months? When did YOU have time to get a boyfriend?" I spoke, narrowing my eyes. "I was on medical leave to go to the orthodontist! He was getting his braces off at the same time as me. At first, I wasn't into him. After the braces came off, look out! Such a cutie."
She held up a photo of this 'boyfriend', and it looked like a stock image. There was no way any boy could look that perfect. Well, apart from Justin. Speaking of Justin, him, Owen and Lindsay all snickered at the photo, which confused Beth a bit.
/// Izzy ///
"Okay! I bought a lotta junk off late-night infomercials, but I ain't buyin' that!"
/// End ///
Me and Heather looked at each other in disbelief, before she spoke up. "So, you have a boyfriend, huh? Prove it." Beth, surprisingly, was eager to tell us more about this boyfriend of hers. "Sure! I can tell you everything about him. He's 6'0 tall, has light brown hair, blue eyes, size 10 shoe, 32 pant with a 34-inch inseam!" Justin snatched the photo of him, and turned it around suspiciously. "Wait a second. Those stats are all written on the back of his picture. I know a comp card when I see one. Because I'm a... professional male model!"
"Yeah, we get it, Mr. Man-Candy, sir." I said, flicking a cockroach away from my book. "Yeah, well... maybe he's a model, too! You ever thought of that?" Beth took her photo back, and frowned. Duncan scraped his bowl of gruel into Harold's while talking. "No. No one ever thought of that." Leshawna raised a brow. "You been chasing after a boyfriend all this time, with a honey back home?" She got angry at her final words, because she saw it as ungrateful.
Beth grinned, and held the photo close to her chest. "Sure, my boyfriend's a model, but he's still just a guy. Justin is a super-model! I can't help myself! Now that my braces are off, it's a whole new dating world." "Oh, honey, you'll find out soon it really isn't." I remarked, although was brushed off. I didn't really care though.
"Aw, cool, bendy straws! These are just like the ones they had at the hospital where I had my kidneys switched." Harold exclaimed, as he took a few. Owen seemed interested, and let Harold explain. "I was born with a rare kidney condition. My left kidney was where the right one should be." Leshawna's eyes widened. "You had a surgical kidney swap!?" "That's right. I'm a rare case." He said proudly. Heather scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "Hm! You're a rare case, alright." Harold shoved a handful of straws in his pocket. "Whatever. I'm loading up!"
Owen was eating noisily, nearly like a dog. "Owen, mind keeping it down?" I glanced his way.
I couldn't hear my music over his sloppy eating! That's shocking, because my music is loud enough that anybody near me can hear it coming from my headphones.
"I think Owen's taste buds packed up and moved to France years ago." Heather scowled at him, and dismissed his mess. "I wish I had this disgusting slop around last time I was trying to stick to my diet." Lindsay spoke unenthusiastically, watching the gruel drip off of her spoon, and back into the bowl.
All of a sudden, Harold cleared his throat, and spoke loudly. "This haute cuisine is obviously too complex for our unsophisticated taste buds, right?" While everyone was shocked to hear that, they soon found out it was to make Chef not get angry at their insults. Owen, though, was chewing it incredibly fast. "I give it five stars!" "I hate suck-ups." He frowned, and walked off.
Dad walked in, and seemed to be entertained by something. "Not to worry, folks. You won't be hanging on to your lunch for much longer." Duncan folded his arms, and raised a brow. "And... what torture, exactly, have you concocted for us today?" "Oh, nothing. Just that your day will be total disaster! Get it? It's a disaster movie theme! You know, like in disaster flicks? People running for their lives from volcanoes, earthquakes, asteroids, tidal waves... the more disastrous, the better!"
/// Lindsay ///
"My hair is already a total disaster! It's been three weeks since I've had a trim! Split ends city! How much worse could it get?!"
/// End ///
We'd moved over to the first obstacle course, and it didn't look too bad to me. Just some classic boot camp stuff. "Your first challenge is... the Earthquake of Inevitable Pain! Each team has to run the course, challenging your dexterity, manoeuvrability, and other mad monkey skills. First team to the top wins! Best out of two earns today's first reward."
People were shocked to see Chef preparing to throw cement blocks at them. As if he doesn't already do that!
"Ooh! My boyfriend had a summer job cleaning up after earthquakes and landslides." I narrowed my eyes at Beth, but Izzy got to her before me. "Nope! Still not buying it. But, I did cave and buy the electronic salad spinner! Woowoowoo! Haha! Whoo!" "Enough with the chitty-chat! Take your marks..."
Both teams lined up to run their side of the course, and Leshawna was the only one working herself up for the challenge. "This'll be a cinch." Heather confidently said. "I can't wait to swing on the monkey bars!" Beth honestly said. I raised a brow, and turned to Dad. "...She's older than me?" "Yeah. I honestly thought I had the wrong person at first. Anyway... ACTION!"
Both teams set off, getting past the tires with, somewhat, ease. "How easy is this?!" Izzy questioned, although it wasn't that easy. Considering my dad was a madman, he didn't let them have it easy for long. It wasn't going to be an earthquake challenge without the earthquake. When the ground underneath them began rumbling, Izzy and Beth collapsed on top of each other. "If you break it, you buy it! Hahaha!"
Duncan and Heather both fell, but they weren't stuck like Beth and Izzy were, luckily. Harold made his way over to the monkey bars, and hung on quite well, but that was until Chef threw a rugby ball at him, which caused him to crash into Leshawna, and they both collapsed off of the bars. "OW, MY RIGHT KIDNEY!"
Chef was going crazy with everything he was allowed to throw at people. When Justin had reached the monkey bars, he was hit in the face with a rubber duck, and it was clear he was NOT happy about it. "AH! My precious cheekbones..." With a smug grin, Dad turned off the whole thing, giving them a break, much to Beth's relief. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, because of the fact that 'aftershock' existed.
Owen did not take it well, because he threw up everything he'd eaten this morning in the span of a few seconds. "My delicious lunch, lost forever..." Dad smirked again, and sarcastically spoke. "Oh, yeah. That reminds me... it's lava time!" He slammed his fist down on a button, and two hatches opened, which, I can only assume, was full to the brim with ketchup or something. Otherwise, we'd have lost a set.
While the cast members tried to avoid the obviously-fake lava, Dad couldn't get enough. "Hoo-wee! Is it getting hot in here? How 'bout a cool, refreshing hail storm?!" He got into his cart that had a cannon full of golf balls, and was ready to make these kids quit at that point. "Golf ball-sized hail is bad. But hail-sized golf balls are even worse! Haha!" He started shooting golf balls at everybody, which I honestly thought was a bit far, but I wasn't in charge.
Izzy got hit with a few, which boosted Dad's ego. "I got one!" He grinned at Chef, who simply found him cute. "Don't get cocky, kid." I laughed gently at them, before turning back to watch the contestants getting tortured on the obstacle course. Justin was getting pummelled with the golf balls, which was quite a sight to see. "NO! NOT THE FACE!"
/// Justin ///
"I give up. There's no way I'll get that skincare line endorsement now..." He felt a bump on his face from the injury. "Oh... not-so silky smooth..."
/// End ///
"AFTER-AFTERSHOCK!" Dad yelled, and pressed another button, but this was on a remote, so he wasn't actually near me. Lindsay screamed, as the ground beneath her split open. Unfortunately, she lost her balance, and fell directly into the hole. For some, strange reason, Justin was there to catch her before she fell. Also unfortunately, Owen stumbled back onto Justin, and sat on top of his back.
He grunted, and spoke wheezily. "I can't breathe." "Haha, I'm still... carrying a little holiday weight."
From what? Christmas? It's April, Owen.
Beth approached without a care, bragging about, you guessed it, her boyfriend. "My boyfriend was a part of a rescue team that saved people stuck in avalanches. He used to say-" Justin interrupted, and struggled to keep both Lindsay and Owen up. "Beth? We need actual advice, from real-life... living... people!" She frowned, before pulling them up in a struggle. "H-Hurry! They're getting a lead!" Owen looked to the Gaffers.
The Gaffers were crossing over the rolling log, although only Duncan and Heather safely made it. When it came to be Harold's turn, he was pelted with golf balls, and fell into the pit below with a scream. Dad started to fire at the Grips, and to nobody's surprise, Owen was the one taking all of the hits. "Everyone, get behind me!" He exclaimed several times in pain when being hit with these golf balls. "S-Shouldn't someone be yelling 'fore'?! Ow!"
Dad laughed, and yelled 'fore', only to find out his gun had been completely emptied. "Hey, it stopped!" Owen spoke with relief. Dad wasn't happy, though. "Chef! Do something!" In an effort to stop the contestants as quickly as possible, Chef reversed into the back of the obstacle course, and crashed the car in order to do his job.
Well, he threw a plant pot at Leshawna, so I guess that qualifies.
I walked over to the car where Dad was, and looked up at him. "Need some help?" "If you wouldn't mind..." "Hmph. I got you." While Chef was busy throwing chainsaws, blenders, and other really dangerous stuff, I was busy pulling my dad out from the car crash he'd just suddenly been forced into. I overheard the other teams talking and Owen, getting distracted.
"Ah! Hang on, team! We're almost there! Uh- Please, after you." Of course, the cause was Izzy. "Oh, come on. You're the one who sacrificed himself for us! I insist." A cat flew by them, and nearly hit us, but it was luckily fast enough to dodge us. "Ladies first." I finally managed to get Dad out after a lot of struggling, and we both fell back onto the ground. I huffed, and propped myself up. "He needs to learn not to crash every car we give him." "He needs to learn not to crash the car with ME inside!" Dad pouted, fixing his hair.
/// Beth ///
"Did Owen actually break his jaw?!" She gasped. "That's so tragic! Owen lives to eat!"
/// End ///
/// Izzy ///
"Owen is my buddy! He's the only one who truly gets me. Well, apart from Lewis. But, if something happens to Owen, I'd be stuck with my imaginary friends! And, let's face it. I should've ditched them years ago." She hit her head with her fist. "Yeah, Phil. I'm talkin' to you!"
/// End ///
Owen was screaming in pain while the camera crew did nothing but record his agony. Dad was standing up on a stool, trying to get the right angle. I was standing down beside Chef, while the Gaffers watched him in shock. "Um, Chris? Why doesn't the crew go over and help him?" "Yeah, yeah. As soon as we're done getting every shot! The good news is, it looks like Owen won the challenge for the Killer Grips."
The Killer Grips cheered happily for themselves, while Harold and Leshawna protested. "Oh no, he didn't!" "Yeah, we got our whole team to cross the finish line." "Serious injury trumps all." Dad explained, shrugging. "You just make up the rules as you go along, don't you?" Heather glared, only to be responded with Dad's pleasure. "I love my job."
*
An ambulance had to be called for Owen. I mean, I was the one that called for it, but that doesn't really matter. Both the Killer Grips and Screaming Gaffers watched in worry as the ambulance drove away, but Dad just wanted to get to commercial break. "The wounded Owen. What will become of him. Stay tuned to find out!"
*
We were all standing outside this massive submarine, which didn't seem safe to me at all on first glance. "How's Owen doing?" Izzy asked nervously, hoping for a good answer. "Oh, Owen's fine. A little broken jaw, but it's all wired shut now. Shouldn't take more than 4 to 6 weeks to heal." Beth gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no! It's that bad?" "I mean, um... he's doing fine!" Dad corrected himself, but nobody believed him.
/// Chris ///
"That's what release forms are for!" He held up a few papers. "Correct-a-mundo...?"
/// End ///
"Alright. Now it's time for the second disaster-themed challenge. Who's excited?" Literally nobody was. They all stayed silent in their rafts. "Because of Owen's win, the Grips have the advantage of getting this handy-dandy piece of paper for the second disaster challenge." He threw it over to the Grips, and it hit Lindsay in the eye. She reacted with a yelp, before picking it up, and looking at it.
Oh, and you expect them to know Roman Numerals? Smart move, dude. Smart move.
"What good is this? It just has some dumb numbers on it!" Lindsay complained, but Beth raised her hand enthusiastically. "Ooh! I think it's a lock combination!" I rolled my eyes at their idiocy, before Dad spoke up, ready to start the challenge. "Okay, time to get inside!" Leshawna widened her eyes as she looked at the rusty old submarine. "You crazy?! I'm not getting in that tin can!" Dad found this the perfect opportunity to tease. "Not even for a million bucks~?" She thought for a moment, before folding her arms. "Better be carpeted in there."
*
Once the submarine was submerged under the water, nobody could see them or what they were doing. That's why there were cameras in there to make sure they weren't cheating, or anything like that. While I was sitting on the docks, Dad and Chef went to Craft Services to spy on them.
The sonar inside the submarine was beeping over the top of their voices, and it was obvious Leshawna was sceptical. "I don't like this. Not one little bit." That's when an alarm started blaring, and every contestant immediately freaked out.
They thought they were going to die. Pfft! Imagine!
"W-What's going on?!" Justin nervously asked, looking around him. He looked down to see that Beth had attached herself to him, and was really enjoying it. "Who cares? I could stay like this all day!" He pulled his hands away, and backed away, disturbed by how comfortable she was getting.
Now you know how I felt, buddy.
"For this challenge, you've gotta get out, before it's too late!" Dad's voice came over the P.A. I raised a brow, and asked the same question Heather did.
"Too late? Too late for what?"
"Oh, you'll find out. Haha!"
I do NOT like the sound of that.
Out of nowhere, water started rushing in through a burst pipe, and it was filling up the submarine. "What is that?" Justin asked again, although it was clearly water. "I really wish my boyfriend were here! He's a registered lifeguard!" Beth exclaimed, nervously looking around them. "Uh-huh. Yeah. It would be great if here were here, you're right. You know what would be better?" Izzy questioned. Beth tilted her head. "What?" "IF HE EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE! Now let's get out of this death trap!" Izzy yelled, looking around for an exit.
With the Gaffers, Heather was more concerned about her comfort than her safety. "This water is freezing! And, it's too dark to see anything!" She complained, while Duncan was trying a hatch on the door. "No problem. I've got great night vision. A lot of the stuff I get up to happens when the sun goes down." Heather rolled her eyes at his relaxed demeanour, but was brought away from that when he started to order people around. "This should help. Get to work, everybody!"
The Grips' water level was rising way too fast. When Izzy tried to open the same hatch Duncan did, she only spun it faster, and caused the water to get higher, faster. "Oof! Oh, wow, heh! What a headrush!" Lindsay happily cheered. "Yay for Izzy's hard head!" Justin looked up, shining his flashlight at the hatch on the roof. "Hey, look. I think it's a way out!" Beth pointed her flashlight to the hatch on the floor. "Or maybe that's the exit?"
The Gaffers had set their sights on the hatch on the floor. "This one's closest, so let's try it first." Leshawna proposed, but Heather had a question. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?" Harold spoke up, once again. "Actually, I learnt how to open a combo lock at Picky Steve's Lock-Picking Camp."
Okay, who is this 'Steve' dude, and why does he have so many camps?!
"Heh! Well, you do have mad skills." Leshawna complimented him, and Harold took it happily. "Yeah, well- WOAH!" Duncan kicked the back of his knees so he collapsed onto the floor. "The water is rising, so get to it, Haroldini!"
The Grips weren't having much luck, either. Mainly because the majority of their team consisted of idiots. "Oh, no! It's a combination lock!" Beth worriedly said, while Izzy raised a brow. "Sound familiar?" She asked Lindsay, and they shared a long look with each other. It was clear Lindsay wasn't getting the hint, so Izzy took the paper with the combination on it out of Lindsay's pocket. Still, she didn't get it. "How are we ever going to open it?"
"Guys, we better get to it before the water gets too high!" Beth yelled, shining her flashlight down at the nearly-covered hatch of water. Justin walked over to Izzy, and snatched the paper from her. "I'll do it!" Lindsay tried to reach for the paper. "No, I want to do it!" They began to bicker like children.
"Just give it to me. Lindsay- Lindsay- Lindsay!"
"Look, I just- But I wanna do it! Come on!"
Unfortunately, their bickering lead to the dropping of the paper, and the smudging of the ink. When Izzy picked it up again, she could barely make out the numerals on the page. She crumpled it up in her hand, and hit it against her head several times, growling in frustration. Justin and Lindsay approached, as if they'd done nothing wrong. "So, come on, what are the numbers, read 'em out!" She paused, before yelling. "ACK! I'M SURROUNDED BY LOONS!" She stormed off, but Lindsay and Justin looked around. "Where?" "Oh, I love ducks!" "AAAAGH!"
Harold was trying to pick the lock from underwater, but also trying to keep his head above water level. When it reached his face, he stood up, and gasped. "I can't do it. I need more time! If only I had gills..."
/// Harold ///
"How cool would that be, if I had gills? I really should've been born with gills. Life can be so unfair."
/// End ///
Leshawna looked up to the hatch on the roof, and proposed another idea. "Maybe we could boost each other up!" Duncan clasped his hands together so that Leshawna could climb onto his shoulders. She did with several grunts, and Heather climbed onto her. "I can't... r-reach!" She did try, but sent the tower of three collapsing.
"UGH! Where is Lewis when you need him?!" Heather asked, growling at the misfortune that'd she'd gotten herself into.
Right here, honey.
"Did I mention I don't like water? 'Cause I don't! Not a fan!" Leshawna worriedly spoke, looking up at her afro. Heather put her hands on her hips, and glared. "Funny. You look like a floater." "Is that another big girl joke? Huh!?" They immediately began fighting, but Duncan came in between them, pushing them away from each other. "You two- fight like girls! We'll just float up to the top with the water, and open the hatch." "Funny, you don't look like a thinker." Harold remarked, but got pushed under the water by Duncan.
The Grips ran out of ideas. And, they were up to their chests in water. "So... um... hm. Anybody got any ideas?" Izzy asked awkwardly, filling the silence. "My boyfriend used to do underwater photo shoots, and taught me how to hold my breath for a really long time!" Justin nodded at Beth. "My agent totally wants me to do that." Beth gasped, and grinned. "Brady could teach you! Haha! Then I could have you both to myself..."
Izzy gasped, and pointed up. "Guys, there's something here. It might be a way out. Pull, c'mon!" She tried to pull on the roof's hatch, but there was no change. Justin tried helping, and they did get it open, but a shark came out, and nearly snapped their hands off. "No good. Any other ideas?"
Heather tried the same hatch. "I got it! AH-!" When she opened it, she was met with a large blaze of fire, and quickly shut it. "Nope. No good. Any other ideas?" She had only just realized she'd backed off, and began to cower into Duncan's chest. She pulled away, and angrily splashed him with water.
I'd overheard some static from Craft Services, where Dad and Chef were having a conversation.
"Fire, huh? Don't you think that's a bit much?"
/// Chef ///
"Seriously! I'm just not in the mood! Bustin' my hump for a bunch of snot-nosed little-" He slammed his fist down on the table. "Don't I deserve a little me-time!?"
/// End ///
"Really. It might be time to end the challenge. The water's getting pretty high. And, uh, those kids are terrible swimmers."
"FOCUS! I want my chips back. I'm starving."
"This is getting serious! Turn off the water!"
Out of nowhere, I heard a snap, and I knew that was not good.
"We've gotta get the cast outta there! Simple formula! No more contestants equals no more episodes, equals no pay check, and the end of my luxurious lifestyle!"
"Texas Hold 'Em?"
"You're not hearing me!"
"What? Gin Rummy?"
Well, crap. That's not good. I knew something was up- I KNEW something was wrong! Now the stupid lever's broken, and that cast is gonna drown, and I'm gonna lose my accommodation privileges! I cannot have that. I won't have that.
[okay this is gonna switch between 3rd person and lewis a lot, so lewis is italics, and 3rd is normal text.]
Ugh. I know I've gotta save them, but... they're gonna see! I don't wanna let them see my... no, no.
Screw that! You're gonna kill all your friends for your comfort? That's crazy! Heck no!
I hesitated, before just sliding into the lake, shirt and all. I could, luckily, see underwater, so it didn't take me long to find the submarine. It was completely closed off. The hatch on the bottom was jammed, even I unlocked the lock, and I had a bad feeling it wasn't supposed to be.
I grunted as I tried to pull it open, but it didn't work, at all.
Leshawna was freaking out. "T-This could be it! The end! Like... the end-end! A-And I wanna live!" She began to cry, and her mascara smudged. "I know you're scared, but you don't have to cry. I'll save you." Harold comforted Leshawna, but she slapped away his hand in denial. "Who said anythin' about crying!? Leshawna never cries!" Duncan frowned. "You sure blubbered enough when a reward was on the line!"
-
"For your reward..."
"I-I'm sorry, it's just... fightin' for your lives... it's been so stressful! I- I thought I was gonna lose you."
-
"All in favour?"
"Aye!"
-
"You're a total sham!" Duncan scowled at Leshawna. Heather spoke in disbelief. "You mean, Leshawna fake-cried to get the reward with Leshaniqua?!"
C'mon, c'mon...
Out of nowhere, I found it really hard to take in any air. Like, a really bad kinda burning in my chest. I wasn't pulling as strong as I used to, as well...
...Aw, screw this, I can go another minute without- without air, I'll be fine.
Harold thought for a second, before pulling his handful of straws out of his pocket. "Wait! I just remembered something! Quick! Help me make a snorkel!" He put one in his mouth, and handed the rest to Leshawna, before sinking underwater.
Chris was watching this very anxiously. "Brilliant! Harold's gonna save the day! Once the hatch is open, it'll drain the water out of both the rooms! And I'll still have a pay check!" He happily hugged Chef, who didn't seem at all pleased with his behaviour. Unfortunately, they weren't paying attention to what Lewis was doing.
Since pulling and pushing stopped working, and I was only running out of breath, I tried kicking the door open. It still wouldn't budge. I was using all of my strength trying to get this crap open. Using my shoulders wasn't working either.
At that moment, I genuinely did not have the strength to do anything. I couldn't keep myself up.
-
Harold had nearly gotten the lock picked. The water level was only rising, and there was only so little time left. Chris was watching this entire fiasco, absolutely terrified for the well-being of his competitors, while Chef was busy playing cards. Heather was the only one encouraging him. "Come on, Harold! C'mon, there's not much time left!"
As soon as he'd gotten the hatch open, he wasted no time in getting the hell out of the submarine. But first, he signalled to his team, who quickly followed after him, all as nervous as each other. After Chris'd seen this, he immediately began cheering and happily laughing.
The water in the Grips' submarine leaked out too, leaving them practically gasping for breath. Lindsay, however, saw this as a plus. "Phew! This'll make escaping from underwater MUCH easier!"
Whilst the Gaffers were heading upwards, out of the lake for the dock, Duncan had bumped into either something, or someone. His eyes widened once he realized who exactly it was, and he immediately slowed down to help him get to the docks.
*
"Lewis... are- are you okay?"
...What...?
What am I...?
"I don't think he's dead... is he...?"
...Uh... I- I don't...
"We'll never hear the end of it! Chris is totally gonna kill us!"
I wearily opened my eyes, only to be met with... like... really bright light. I squinted them to try and not get blind, and it worked... sorta.
"Oh, thank God."
I didn't know who was around me. Their faces were... weird. So were their voices... and their bodies...
"No way we can go back to the trailers yet. If Chris sees his kid like this, then..."
I wasn't paying attention that much.
I don't... who the hell is... 'Chris'?
I sat up with a groan, feeling real bad all over. My arms hurt, and my legs hurt, and my chest hurt.
What even happened...?
"Well, we can't NOT go back! They're more experienced in this than us. May I remind you of the medical challenge...?"
Medi... what? ...Who's 'they'...?
I glanced down at my hands, unsure of what was going on. I rubbed my eyes, and it helped me see a little better, but not a lot.
"Fine! We'll take him back. If we go through an elimination ceremony, you're getting booted off, Heather!"
Heather...
That sounds familiar...
"Come on, Lewis!"
"...What?"
I questioned, being helped up by the guy shouting at 'Heather'.
"I said, come on! Jeez!"
"Lay off, Heather! He's nearly died, give him a minute!"
Nearly... um... hm...
Wait... wait, wasn't this the... the disaster challenge, right...?
I'm starting to put... names to faces...
Duncan was helping me get back to the trailers. I still don't know how I nearly died. Well, I can't remember... um...
"What... happened, again...?"
I asked, wanting to understand the whole thing.
"Dude, I dunno. All I do know is that when we swam up to get to the docks, I bumped into you, and you weren't moving."
...Swam. I was... swimming, and... something else happened. It was, like... I know I was trying to help somebody...
"That's just great! He can't even remember what happened. How are we gonna explain this to Chris, now?!"
Heather angrily yelled, but it looked like she was scared, more than anything...
Is she... scared of Chris?
"Um... I- I think we shouldn't...?"
"Are you crazy?! First, we find you nearly dead in the lake, next, you convince us you can't remember anything, and now, you're telling us we shouldn't tell Chris about this?!"
"...Yeah. I- I mean... you're worried about him... right? S-So... make up an excuse, or something, a-and... you won't get into trouble...?"
"Okay, he's gone crazy."
She stormed off further ahead, but I didn't see what I said wrong.
"That's... not a bad idea, Lewis! We should just not tell him anything!"
I still don't know who this... 'Chris' person is. Can someone tell me?
*
'Kay... I- I think I remember now.
So... I wanted to help the people from drowning in the challenge... but I couldn't get the door thing open... and then I think I passed out?
And... also... this 'Chris' person is my dad, but... it's still sorta foggy?
"Maybe I can just... sleep this thing off...?" I spoke out loud, sitting by the campfire.
"That's entirely possible, because your brain needs time to reorganize and consolidate your memories." Harold said, but I didn't really understand what 'consolidate' was.
"Well, that was a pretty exciting day, huh?" Chris walked past some people, and stood in front of the fire.
"Looks like another reward win for the Gaffers. Seems like the Grips are a tad overdue. But... haha... I wouldn't hold my... breath. Hahahaha!"
Apparently, that wasn't very funny.
"And now, let's see what the Gaffers have won! Oh! An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful British Columbia! That's right. You'll be staying at the luxurious inn upon the volcano! A charming lodge teetering on the edge of a little known active volcano on Vancouver Island. To get you there... you'll be enjoying an exhilarating, eight-day hike up the craggy, treacherous-"
"NO, THANK YOU!" Duncan sounded like he really didn't want to do it. I dunno why he was so tense.
/// Duncan ///
"I can't believe we were actually gonna drown. Did the producers lose their minds?! Lewis basically DID drown! ...But... it would've been a pretty cool way to go, on national TV, and all."
/// End ///
/// Harold ///
"I had it all under control. I work best under pressure." He giggled. "Get it? Pressure? Water pressure?" He chuckled again, and snorted as his joke. "I'm hilarious. Even when my life is in danger."
/// End ///
"We'll just take some chips and pop, if that's okay?" Leshawna said, in annoyance.
"Suit yourselves. More money for my end-of-the-year bonus." Chris shrugged, stuffing the paper back into his pocket.
/// Heather ///
"THAT'S what they call a prize?! Right. All we need after today is a disastrous-themed vacay!"
/// End ///
*
I was trying to make sense of the book I think I'd left here before the challenge. It's about this girl called Charlie Davis, or something similar to that...
"You sure you ain't wanna eat nothing? It won't be good for you." Leshawna asked, holding up a chip.
"Um, no thanks. I have a real bad feeling about eating those..." I pointed out, glancing upwards for a second.
Okay, so this girl doesn't like her mom, 'cause she did something really bad... and her childhood best friend is gone... oof.
I'd hate to be her.
...Wait a second.