riptide.

chapter 1.

“No… not them!”

—Were the last few words Noah had heard from Chris, as the yacht had passed the island. It was the fourth season of Total Drama. The island was now radioactive, as it had been used as a toxic nuclear waste dump for the past two seasons. It was now a complete hazard to any inhabitants. The producers had actually brought in 13 new contestants for this season. The previous contestants from past seasons were no longer eligible to compete. These contestants would spend about two weeks together.

The former cast was now on a yacht, provided by the producers, that was leaving the island, quickly passing by it.

'...Of course.' Noah thought to himself, as the island grew smaller and smaller with each second. He really didn’t expect anything better from Chris, or really the producers. Chris was an ass and never cared about putting his contestants in danger unless it broke the law or put him at legal risk. He was always condescending. Always crude. Noah couldn't stand him and questioned why he even signed up for this show in the first place.

'Of course, our friendly neighborhood host would bring us back for just one quick laugh.' One quick buck, one quick laugh. Nothing about that felt particularly shocking.

After yet another shot at one million bucks, Noah was still empty handed. Instead of being a contestant for the fourth season, the producers had him stuck in Toronto to watch the new season from a hotel near the island. Noah had known the original cast would be involved with the fourth season of the show, whether they wanted to be involved or not. He had suspected it had something to do with contracting and ratings. He wasn't stupid, he knew better. No matter how much verbal and physical abuse, humiliation, and torture Chris had hurled at him and the others for the past three seasons. Noah had known Chris would still need them, no matter what.

Now arriving at the hotel, Noah had made a beeline for his assigned room when no one was looking, as everyone seemed to be more invested in their own drama. He felt a rush of urgency and some sort of craving for peace and quiet. Being back around everyone else seemed to be particularly emotionally exhausting. It was draining for him. He had never really been a people person, and after everything that had happened in the past few seasons, he could barely tolerate being around everyone else. At most he could only really tolerate Owen, Izzy, Eva, and maybe Cody.

At least he finally had time for himself.

Stepping into the room, he felt the soft texture of the carpet against the bottom of his shoe. He had quietly closed the door behind him, letting out a long sigh of relief. Being around everyone was exhausting, and he just felt a complete sense of relief wash over him in waves at the thought of being completely and utterly alone now. He had flicked the lights on, and darted towards the bed, setting his bags down. Before sitting down and making himself comfortable in the bed, he began digging through one of his bags to find the book he had been reading beforehand. After that, he found himself melting into the bed, flipping through the pages of his book and soaking in every moment, ingraining every word into his mind.

Things had stayed quiet for at least an hour or so. It was nice, but it didn't last forever. He could hear quiet steps, becoming louder and louder as they got closer. He had figured that it was either someone heading to their room or the hotel staff. However, moments later he had heard a low-sounding knock at his door.

"What?" He asked, his tone flat, still focused on his book.

"...Can I come in?" A muffled voice asked. It was soft-sounding, familiar to Noah.

—It was Cody.

Noah let out a long, irritable sigh, audibly frustrated at the interruption. "Whatever."