I think you'll all like this chapter, I know I do!X3

Gwen's POV

The bullhorn blared, jerking me out of my peaceful rest. With a silent groan, I descended down the makeshift ladder and proceeded to put my clothes on. much like the rest of the females were doing. Son enough, we were out the door and waiting at the designated clearing.

"Hey, what's up?" Chris greeted us. Heather scoffed.

"You sound like Geoff." She detto with an unimpressed eye-roll. Chris looked angrily at the raven-haired beauty for a moment until he noticed everyone was present, which is when he began to explain our challenge for today.

"So, my interns are in trouble because they forgot to order the pastries from my caterer!" He detto in an annoyed tone of voice.

"What's this have to do with us?" Bridgette asked.

"Well, I figured that since my interns are idiots, and I'm in need of pastries, te guys could do that for your challenge today." Chris explained.

"You want us to call your caterer?" LeShawna asked with a raised brow.

"Um, I think he wants us to bake for him." Bridgette answered LeShawna.

"Exactly!" Each team will be baking me a delectable array of sweet treats and presenting them to be later today. Whichever team's sweets don't make me gag wins. Any questions?" Chris explained. Sounds easy enough. I'd never admit it, but I'm a good baker. I practically raised my brother. Do te know how much unhealthy crap twelve-year-old boys eat?

"I have a question!" Courtney called out. "How do te expect us to work in the same area as them?" Courtney asked sourly, pointing a finger at the small force known as the Killer Cavemen.

"Right, I almost forgot. We brought in the cucina tent from the film lot. The Killer Cavemen should be satisfied with that. Oh, and also, would it kill te to make a little presentation for my food? It'll get te più points. Alright, then...go!" Chris exclaimed. Our team made way to the cucina while the Cavemen retreated to the white tent a good distance away. We grouped together in the eating section.

"Okay, so who can bake here?" Heather asked. I sheepishly raised my hand while Courtney proudly raised hers.

"I can bake. I made a ribeye bistecca that was considered to be four stars da a world-renowned French critic." She detto proudly.

"Um, sorry to burst your uptight bubble, but that's cooking. There's a difference." I informed her.

"Fine then, Gwen's baking." Heather said.

"I-I'll help her!" Cody volunteered, again trying to hug me. I pushed him away and into Sierra.

"I'd rather work alone." I explained to a groaning Cody.

"Fine then, the rest of us need to diviso, spalato up to find giunca, spazzatura that might actually make this place look nice." Heather detto in a whisper. We broke away from the huddle in silent agreement and I retreated to the cucina to do my job. Once entering the kitchen, I started looking around for pots and pans and measuring cups and anything that was well...edible. I got a pleasant surprise when it came to the last category. There was almost an over-abundance of baking supplies. I knew that Chris and Chef were holding out on us, but they were going to get it for this.

I set out the pans and mixing bowls I had found and began making biscotti, cookie like I've done a dozen times before. It was perfect for me, too, with the setting the way it was. An empty and peaceful kitchen, with no one else in sight. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the occasional company, but I'm a natural born loner. I preferred the quiet and loneliness. Soon, I had shelled out a whole tray of my great-grandmother's cinnamon Cioccolato chip cookies. As they were browning in the oven, I started on the cake I was going to do. It was another recipe I knew well, devil's Cibo cake. It's my preferito flavor, as well as the first thing I ever learned how to bake. One thing was different about this recipe, though. te had to have every measurement of everything perfect and to the tee. No exceptions.

As carefully as I could, I poured two cups of sugar into one measuring cup, three cups of Cioccolato chips into the other, and used the other two measuring cups I had left for the four pints of cacao and two tablespoons of baking soda. I was greasing the pan when I felt someone walk into the room. I didn't look up, though. I was way too immersed in trying to get every corner and crevice of the bent old cake pan I had to work with.

"What are te so concentrated on?" Asked a voice that I knew all too well. He had his chin rested on my left shoulder.

"Duncan, what are te doing here? Aren't te supposed to be with your team?" I questioned him.

"I don't cook, I don't decorate, and I don't like Geoff. That disqualifies me to do anything over there." He explained, still not moving his face. I didn't respond to him for a while, and instead worked on preparing this pan. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him pick up two shiny white eggs that I had placed there on the counter and start juggling them. I tried to tell him to stop, but it was too late. He dropped the two eggs and they cracked on the wooden counter, splattering the thick yellow liquid all across the front of my corset, inside the cake pan, and...inside my perfectly measured ingredients! Duncan was laughing. I, on the other hand was unamused.

"Duncan!" I whined. He stopped laughing, but kept that annoying smirk on his face.

"What, te were going to mix all this crud together anyway." He said, motioning with his hands to the ruined ingredients.

"Yeah, but te can't just mix them all at once, o the cake will stick to the inside of the-" I stopped there because now he was actually messing around with the ingredients. He had his finger in the brown cocoa, lightly coating the finger in a light shade of brown. I crossed my arms over my chest. "What are te doing?" I asked quickly. He stuck a few più of his fingers in the uncooked cacao before flinging the brown powder at me, further messing up the cucina and my clothing. Without thinking, I grabbed the item nearest to me, which happened to be a stick of butter, and tossed it at him. It grazed the shoulder of his black T-Shirt, but only because he leaned back in an attempt to dodge it.

"Oh, so we're fighting back now, are we?" He asked laughingly. I couldn't help but laugh along.

"Yes!" I giggled.

"Alright, fine then." He said, scouring the countertop until he came across a tiny container of Cioccolato sauce that I would cappotto the biscotti, cookie in when they were finished. He lifted it over his head in a throwing position.

"You wouldn't." I detto seriously.

"Try me, Pasty." He challenge me.

"I need that for the cookies. Put it down." I commanded. I guess what was supposed to be a harsh command isn't as affective when te can't stop laughing. He smirked at me and threw the tiny bowl directly at me, landing right on my stomach. I stared agape at it as the glass bowl laid upside down in front of my combat boots.

Confessional

Gwen: I'm going to kill him.

End Confessional

I picked up a can of whipped cream I really had no use for, leaned over to him on one foot, popping the other up in the air, and nearly emptied the can on superiore, in alto of his head, engulfing his bright green mohawk in a nube, nuvola of white. This is the point in time where Duncan becomes amused. Right then, it became an all-out war. Baking soda was lingering in the air, only being shot down da a squirt of Cioccolato sauce o a soaring handful of Cioccolato chips. I was squirting whipped cream wildly when Duncan backed me up against the stove. I laughed at his cacao powder covered face while he was probably laughing at whatever my face looked like now. My can of whipped cream finally ran empty and I grabbed the only thing nearest to me, an egg, and cracked it over his head in a last-stitch effort to succeed.

"I win!" Duncan declared victoriously. I put my hands on his shoulders.

"No te didn't!" I detto in a sort of high-pitched voice.

"The way I see it, there's no way I didn't win." He explained.

"Really? I can't wait to hear this one." I detto sarcastically.

"Well, I have te cornered." He detto playfully, pulling me into a kiss. It was funny, his lips tasted like chocolate. I heard the door to the mess hall creak open, which is when I realized Duncan wasn't supposed to be here. I pulled away from him.

"Go!" I whisper-yelled to him, practically pushing him out the side door.

"Gwen, did te finish-what the heck?" Sierra asked confusedly. I couldn't help but laugh at my teammate's confused faces. I smiled and threw my powdery white hands up in a shrug.

"Just baking!" I detto laughingly.

"Well hurry it up! Chris is judging at sundown! Oh, and bring the stuff outside when you're done, we brought the tavolo out there." Heather demanded.

"Outside? Who came up that idea?" I asked.

"DJ. Now, just finish this up!" Courtney yelled angrily.

"Okay, okay." I said, throwing my hands up defensively. They all left the room and let me continue my baking with a smile.

Lucky for Duncan, I had enough ingredients and enough time to finish everything else. In fact, the sun was just setting when the cake was done. I brought all the items out to our tavolo that my teammates did a good job spicing up. There was a clean white tablecloth across the table, and a pretty fiore arrangement at the corner set in a vase that I'm pretty sure was a cup that they found lying around. They had made presentation stands for all of my confectionaries, and they were rather unstable, but held them up for now. The other team's tavolo was psychedelic. They had probably used berries o something to stain their tavolo cloth random variations of red, pink, and purple. There was a sunflower mounted at each corner of the tavolo as well. DJ was leaning over a plate of lumpy, beige biscotti, cookie with a jar of Mama's Spice that Bridgette smacked away from him.

Confessional

DJ: Bridgette should've let me bake, I have Mama's touch!

Bridgette: I would've let DJ bake, but I doubt he's able to make vegan friendly bran cookies.

End Confessional

Chris appeared and walked up to our tavolo first.

"Nice table. Let's se if these pastries are any better." He said, picking up one of my biscotti, cookie then swallowing it whole. "Mmm, not bad. Let's see if the Cavemen did any better." He told us as he pranced over to the other table. "Far-out table, dudes." He complimented them, carelessly throwing a cookie in his mouth. He started gagging secondi later. "What...is this?" He asked. Bridgette's smile didn't falter, but the look in her eyes registered as horror.

"They're organic bran cookies." She said, cringing a bit every time Chris coughed. Chef finally brought him water. He drank about half of the bottle before turning to us.

"I think it's pretty obvious The Screaming Squids take this one." Chris said, wiping his mouth with his forearm.

"YES!" Every single one of us exclaimed at the some time.

"I told te to let me bake!" DJ complained to Bridgette, who simply stuck her tongue out at the boy.

"But!" Chris interjected, "The Killer Cavemen get the reward...s!" He announced! My jaw dropped to the floor.

"How is that fair?" I yelled.

"Yeah, all we got was a stupid topo, mouse last time!" Heather added.

"It's fair because I say it's fair." Chris detto simply. We couldn't really argue with that no matter how much we wanted to.

"What did we win?" Duncan asked.

"Why don't we all head to the dock and find out?" Chris offered. We all started walking with him in the early darkness that was slightly chilly. While walking, I thought about it and realized that while the rest of us all protested the losing team winning the reward, Courtney didn't. I pushed it to the back of my mind for now and just enjoyed the short walk. We stopped dead at the start of the wooden planks of the dock. "Killer Cavemen, please welcome...your reward!" Chris announced. te could hardly see anything in the new-found darkness, but then a tall, dark figure emerged from the shadows.

"Alejandro?" Every single one of us collectively exclaimed. Sure enough, the Latin teen was standing there, smiling wickedly.

Confessional

Geoff: Um...what?

Duncan: Seriously?

Gwen: I wasn't expecting that.

Courtney: I told Chris to expect another wrongful termination lawsuit.

End Confessional

"Greetings, fellow competitors." He detto politely.

"What is he doing here?" Heather asked irately. Then, she put two and two together and looked straight at Courtney. "You did this! With your lawyers!" Heather accused.

"My lawyer has advised me not commento on that at this time." Courtney replied.

"As has mine. Please, I am a changed person now." Alejandro pleaded with us. Well, there really is no reason to doubt him I guess.

"Whatever. Are te going to send us off now o what?" Duncan asked.

"Go." Chris detto simply. As I trudged back to my cabin, I couldn't help but notice Courtney still at the dock, conversing with both Alejandro and Geoff. I didn't like it, but I wasn't sure what they were working on yet, so I figured I'd let it linger in my mind overnight. As I was laying in bed, I heard the leaves rustle, and then my two preferito pop through that put all the suspicions in my mind at rest:

"'Night, Pasty."