Chapter 48 - Day of Rest 5 (Part 10)
Cody returned to the center of the clearing, shaking his shoulders as if expelling emotional tension through comedy. The microphone danced in his hand, and his smile was back—not as a mask, but as a survival mechanism.
"Well, well, well…" Cody said, stretching the words like he was introducing a circus act. "We just survived a ballad so intense I'm considering handing out thermal blankets and emotional tea."
Laughter rippled in several directions. Katie whistled. Izzy raised both legs in approval… while upside down.
"I don't know about you, but I need something less introspective and more… explosive. Something that doesn't end with a broken heart, but with smudged makeup and impossible moves," Cody said, spinning to face the Box of Destiny again.
Behind the group, under the longest shadow of the quietest tree, Trent sat in silence, and Harold had taken the spot beside him without a word at first. Until—after a few seconds—he placed a hand on Trent's shoulder.
"This happens in musicals," Harold said. "Sometimes the perfect song arrives at the least convenient—or most revealing—moment. And that hurts… but it also teaches."
Trent sighed.
"I don't want a lesson. I just wanted the right step," Trent said.
"The wrong choreography with the wrong person doesn't invalidate your intentions," Harold said. "It just means you were dancing out of sync with the story."
Trent didn't respond.
But at least he didn't get up to leave.
Meanwhile, the rest of the camp murmured, emotions still floating in the air. And Cody, who wasn't clueless, felt it.
"So, ladies and gentlemen of freshly squeezed drama!" Cody said, raising a card with theatrical gestures. "Prepare yourselves for the ideal antidote: chaos with coordination and sparkle!"
Everyone straightened up. DJ turned with raised eyebrows. Duncan frowned with suspicion.
"Let's see what level of energy we need!" Cody said, rummaging through the Box of Rhythm Math. "And it says…"
Dramatic pause.
"Group of four!"
Owen screamed like he'd just been promised a double breakfast. Geoff raised both hands. Gwen crossed her arms without changing expression.
"Now let's see…" Cody said, turning to the Box of Destiny Names. "Who will carry the responsibility of lighting up this floor like the finale of a K-Drama with choreography included?"
He pulled the first card.
"Lindsay!" Cody said.
"Yesssss!" Lindsay shouted, raising her arms like receiving an invisible tiara. "I'm going to dance and shine and glide with cloud-like steps!"
Second card.
"Beth," Cody announced.
Beth blinked, stood slowly… and murmured, "Alright, let's go."
Third card.
"Heather."
There was a mix of contained laughter, a collective "uh-oh," and a silent judgmental look from Gwen.
Heather scoffed.
"I'll just say no one breathes in my direction unless they want a precision Korean kick," Heather said.
And the fourth card…
Cody pulled it like he already knew.
"IZZ-YYYYYYYYYYY," Cody shouted, spinning the card like an explosion sign.
"AGAINST ALL ODDS AND BIOMECHANICAL LOGIC, I ACCEPT!" Izzy shouted, rolling to the center like a human ball.
"And the genre…" Cody said, pausing. "Because this wouldn't be a party without a dramatic twist…"
He pulled the card.
And showed it.
"K-POP!"
Explosion of screams, applause, and murmurs. Owen waved his arms. Lindsay relaxed with excitement. Heather slowly turned toward the other three girls.
"This is a joke, right?" Heather said.
"No!" Cody said. "It's the most synchronized moment you'll see in this camp since Trent and Gwen breathed in harmony."
Everyone laughed.
Trent didn't.
Gwen lowered her gaze.
"And now…" Cody said, raising the mic. "Prepare for fast spins, impossible formations, perfect eyebrows, and a storm of steps sponsored by glitter and pop geopolitics!"
The floor vibrated.
The audience was ready.
And the four girls… advanced to the center.
A formation like this, in K-pop… promised chaos. Or history.
Or, if Cody was lucky, both.
The camp floor no longer creaked under nervous steps or tense whispers. Now it sparkled. At least, in energy.
Cody took a deep breath, returned to the center with an unnecessary—but appreciated—somersault, and spun the mic between his fingers before speaking.
"Alright, campers… were you feeling like something was missing?" Cody said. "Like… sparkle? Impossible silhouettes? A silent war between hairstyles and step patterns? Well get ready, because what's coming isn't a number… it's a whole genre in five minutes."
From the back, the four chosen ones walked toward the floor with very different airs.
Lindsay bounced slightly with each step, waving like it was the coronation of an invisible queen.
Beth came focused, lips murmuring silent counts: "one, two, turn, position…"
Heather walked tall, like stepping on a runway made of opinions she didn't care about.
And Izzy… Izzy came backwards, spinning like a propeller and shouting something about invisible unicorns dancing with her.
Cody paused briefly.
"Here they are… four names, four attitudes, and one verdict: this stage belongs to them. And to raise the stakes… there's no room for error," Cody said.
Dramatic. Smiling.
Then he turned to Owen, who already had a tablet connected with twisted headphones and maxed-out volume.
"Owen, launch the love!" Cody said. "Here we go: CUPID by Fifty Fifty!"
And then… the beat dropped.
[Instrumental intro of "Cupid" begins – soft synths, bright percussion, cheerful tone]
As soon as the sound hit the air, all four activated.
Izzy, on the left side, jumped forward with an absurd but fluid spin, landing on one knee and raising her arms to the sky like the music struck her from above.
Heather, front right, raised an eyebrow, rolled her shoulders back, and walked three marked steps before launching into the first sequence with mathematical precision.
Beth clapped twice, took a deep breath, and followed the line Lindsay traced with an extended arm like drawing choreography in the air.
🎶 [A hopeless romantic all my life
Surrounded by couples all the time
I guess I should take it as a sign
(Ah, why? Ah, why? Ah, why? Ah, why?)] 🎶
Lindsay, effortlessly, spun once, extended both arms with a delicate snap, and matched the melody with a smile that seemed genuine.
Right after spinning, she winked at Cody from the floor.
Not subtly. Not casually.
A clear wink.
Direct.
And public.
"Did you see that?" Geoff asked from the shadows. "She winked. That blonde winked, bro."
"I saw it. It's calculated. She's approaching with danceable steps," DJ said.
Cody, for his part, smiled.
But didn't respond.
He just finally checked the script in his hand… where there was no paper.
🎶 [I feel lonely (lonely)
Oh, I wish I'd find a lover who could hold me (hold me)
Now I'm crying in my room
So skeptical of love (say what you say, but I want it more)
But I still want it more, more, more] 🎶
Heather marked a slow step involving a spin, shaking her hair as she passed in front of Lindsay.
As she passed, she brushed her shoulder against Lindsay's, like someone who can't help occupying space with dangerous elegance.
"Sorry. I moved with the wind," Heather said softly.
"Well, I dance with constant breeze," Lindsay replied without losing her smile.
Izzy, coming from behind, spun twice, stopped in a pose with arms crossed… and shouted:
"This rhythm gives me powers to communicate with distant planets!"
No one knew if it was part of the choreography.
But it worked.
🎶 [I gave Cupid a second chance
But now I'm left here feeling stupid
Oh, the way he makes me feel that love isn't real
Cupid is so dumb] 🎶
All four aligned at the front, in perfect diagonal.
Hands in the air.
Feet briefly lifting in a kind of soft jump, in alternating timing.
Each beat hit matched an intentional pause, like the heart of the song dictated when to breathe.
Lindsay smiled openly while lip-syncing.
Beth tried with a mix of focus and shy enthusiasm.
Heather didn't pretend to sing… she just danced with calculated perfection.
Izzy… mumbled incorrect lyrics.
🎶 [I look for his arrows every day
I guess he got lost or flew away
Waiting is a waste (waste)
I've been counting the days since November
Is love as good as they say?] 🎶
In that verse, all four dropped to their knees at the same time, forming a low line, with arms framing their faces.
The moment was so aesthetic that even Heather let her guard down for a second, fully focused on nailing the next move.
From the audience, emotion was palpable.
"They're… super rehearsed," Katie murmured.
"Lindsay moves like a perfume ad, and she's still doing great," Noah said.
"But Heather hits harder," Beth said, leaning on DJ.
Gwen watched.
She didn't show anything.
But her foot tapped the background beat, unintentionally.
🎶 [Now I'm so lonely (lonely)
Oh, I wish I'd find a lover who could hold me (hold me)
Now I'm crying in my room
So skeptical of love (say what you say, but I want it more)
But I still want it more, more, more] 🎶
The four spun around and crossed paths at the center, forming a diamond that rotated on its axis every two beats. It was precise. More than expected.
"They've clearly rehearsed this," Courtney murmured.
"They're fighting for the spotlight, but if they nail it together, they can't lose," Leshawna said.
And indeed…
The synchronization was tense.
Deliciously tense.
Cody, no longer narrating, simply watched.
Arms crossed.
Microphone resting against his chin.
No jokes.
Just… watching.
And from the floor, Heather noticed.
And she didn't like that Lindsay was the one making him smile the most.
Heather hit the next step harder.
And Lindsay responded with more sweetness.
And the floor… was heating up.
The melodic base of the song rose like a wave—stronger, more alive. The first verse had been a harmonious intro, but now the rhythm entered its most direct phase: main chorus, faster steps, tighter formations, and that kind of energy only true protagonists know how to generate on stage.
🎶 [I gave Cupid a second chance
But now I'm left here feeling stupid
Oh, the way he makes me feel that love isn't real
Cupid is so dumb] 🎶
Heather stepped forward.
Literally. A firm mark, heel first, then her hip turning as she raised a hand with a "follow me" gesture.
And they did.
Lindsay spun gracefully, positioning herself to the right.
Beth, after hesitating, followed suit.
Izzy, for her part… didn't seem to understand the leadership shift, but ended up exactly where she needed to be, half crouched like waiting for a musical ambush.
🎶 [Hopeless girl looking for someone to share this feeling
I'm a fool, a fool for love, a fool for love] 🎶
All four raised their arms in synchronized energy, palms facing the sky. Then they dropped and shook their shoulders, releasing that little choreographic ripple that gave the sequence its "K-idol" flair.
Cody raised his eyebrows at the new formation.
"Interesting. Heather takes the center… like someone making decisions without a vote," Cody murmured.
"I didn't vote for her," Izzy said aloud mid-choreography.
"Me neither!" Lindsay shouted, without missing a beat.
Heather turned her face for a second, still dancing.
"Natural talent doesn't need elections!" Heather said.
🎶 [I gave Cupid a second chance
But now I'm left here feeling stupid
Oh, the way he makes me feel that love isn't real
Cupid is so dumb] 🎶
In that verse, the girls spun individually, like each had her own mini-number.
Lindsay danced with shampoo-commercial sweetness.
Beth kept each step with the focus of a student in an oral exam.
Izzy… did slow-motion breakdance, inexplicably synchronized.
Heather nailed a double spin that made DJ whistle through his teeth.
From the audience, Noah leaned toward Katie.
"If Heather's glare at Lindsay lasted half a second longer… spontaneous combustion," Noah said.
Katie reigned in silence.
"I don't know what excites me more: the song or the choreographic drama," she said.
🎶 [Instrumental rise – synchronized arm waves] 🎶
The next block required a chain movement: Heather threw her arms to one side, Beth copied, then Izzy… and Lindsay closed the wave like a golden clasp.
And that's when Heather did it again.
She hit the step early.
Just half a second.
But enough to make clear who she was targeting.
"Why do you always jump the turn?" Lindsay murmured between breaths.
"Someone has to mark the pause," Heather replied, with a flawless smile.
Izzy, without stopping, shouted:
"I have a whistle to mark the beat!"
And she blew it.
Literally.
She pulled a pink whistle from her sweater sleeve and let out a sharp note just as the music dipped.
The audience laughed.
Cody cleared his throat.
Heather frowned.
"Seriously, Izzy?" Heather said.
"Fifty Fifty without a whistle isn't Fifty Fifty with me!" Izzy replied, spinning like a human propeller.
🎶 [I gave Cupid a second chance
But now I'm left here feeling stupid
Oh, the way he makes me feel that love isn't real
Cupid is so dumb] 🎶
Here came the heart of the number.
The melody sharpened, the percussion sped up.
The girls ran to the front of the floor.
They formed an inverted "V."
Heather at the center.
Lindsay and Beth on the sides.
Izzy… diagonally, hanging from a rope only she could see.
The beat dropped.
Their legs marked tiny steps to the rhythm.
Hands rose in an inverted triangle.
The melody kept running.
And they… didn't stop.
From the edges, the crowd grew more alive.
"Heather's hitting every step like it's a casting audition!" Geoff said.
"And Lindsay's dancing like it's a date with Cody!" Owen shouted, waving a makeshift sign that read "TEAM LINDS."
Gwen raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
Courtney adjusted her notebook on her lap.
Trent stared at a fixed point not on stage.
DJ clapped to the beat.
And Cody…
Cody smiled.
Not from nerves.
Not from obligation.
But because in that chaos of steps, competitive glances, and lit-up sparkle… something felt right.
He wasn't the center.
Not now.
But he was… the target.
And everyone knew it.
Heather spun precisely to her right and, looking toward the edge of the floor, dropped a quick step with a one-foot turn, ending with her gaze locked on him.
Cody raised an eyebrow.
"Are you dancing for me… or to beat them?" Cody murmured, without raising his voice.
Heather didn't answer.
But her left eyebrow did.
And the song kept going…
—
The song neared its climax, and the air on the floor was no longer light: it vibrated.
🎶 [Instrumental bridge – soft synths and brief melodic echoes] 🎶
All four girls spun simultaneously to the left, arms extended.
The spin wrapped shoulders and hips, with a precise pause at the center to strike a photo-worthy pose.
Lindsay smiled.
Heather simply lifted her chin.
Beth sighed like she'd just survived an emotional wave.
Izzy, of course, did all that with a leap and landed in a split.
From the edges of the clearing, the audience leaned slightly forward, instinctively caught by the choreography.
"This is going to end in emotional explosion, I can smell it!" Owen said, already hugging a lit flashlight.
Katie clapped slowly, watching intently.
Courtney remained very quiet.
Gwen, arms crossed, still didn't move her face… but her fingers tapped the rhythm against her arm.
🎶 [Final chorus – high-pitched vocals, sharper and rising beat] 🎶
The individual moment for each girl arrived.
First, Beth.
She stepped forward twice with a slight knee twist, raised her arms in a butterfly spin, and executed an inverted L-step she closed with a crooked smile—she knew she'd nailed it.
"YES BETH!!" Lindsay shouted without breaking her sequence.
Cody gave a thumbs-up from the edge.
Second, Izzy.
She spun three times in reverse, advanced in a poorly calibrated robot step (probably not part of the official number), and ended in a pose straight out of an anime.
Synchronization: nonexistent…
But the effect? Unmistakable.
"She dances with different gravity!" DJ said.
Heather closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, like holding back an internal scream.
Third, Lindsay.
She stepped back three times with her head turned, made a subtle rhythm shift to the descending beat of the final chorus, spun with flawless fluidity, and as she returned to the front…
He looked.
Straight at Cody.
And blew him a kiss.
Gentle.
Discreet.
But not invisible.
Noah let out a laugh.
Courtney squinted.
Heather clenched her teeth with so much style it almost looked choreographed.
"Seriously?" Heather murmured, turning her neck.
"He's choreographing flirtation."
"I'm not deaf!" Izzy shouted from the back.
"But I support the theatricality of pop drama!"
🎶 [Second-to-last chorus line – group closing movement] 🎶
And that's when Heather decided to deliver her final blow.
She stepped half a beat ahead of the group—again, without warning—
Spun on her left leg, raised both arms with millimetric precision, and at the last second…
placed herself right in the center.
Frontal pose.
One leg crossed over the other.
Elbow bent, hand near her face.
Chin lifted like a marble statue.
And the worst (or best) part for everyone watching:
She was looking at him.
Cody crossed his arms and chuckled through his nose.
"I'm starting to feel like a runway trophy," Cody said.
"SHOW YOURSELF, TROPHY!" Owen shouted.
Geoff clapped like they'd just wrapped a movie.
Gwen lowered her gaze for the first time in the entire song.
Courtney murmured something without moving her lips.
And then, finally…
🎶 [Final musical line – soft vocalization, gentle closing beat] 🎶
The four girls extended their left arms to the sky, right hands to their chests, dropped to one knee in unison, and in a perfectly synchronized gesture…
closed with a pose that looked straight out of a poster.
Silence.
One second.
Two.
And then…
Explosion.
Applause, cheers, whistles.
"That was a style invasion!" Owen shouted.
"All four dominated without literal fire! Though Izzy almost did!" Geoff said.
"That was better than anything I dreamed in history class!" Lindsay shouted.
"I'm alive and complete!" Izzy said, hopping like a kangaroo.
"I didn't know I had triple rotation until today."
Heather was already brushing dust off her knees, returning to her neutral pose.
"Hope you noticed the double-key shoulder spin detail," Heather said, walking straight toward Cody.
Beth simply raised an arm in a shy wave to the crowd.
Cody clapped.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the camp," Cody said, still smiling.
"What you just witnessed was… a pop-paced revolution. Energy, precision… and enough subtext to write an 800-page novel."
Laughter.
Applause.
But all—ALL—eyes… were crossing paths.
And he, keeping his composure, took a deep breath.
Because deep down…
He knew it wasn't over.
—
The crowd was still releasing the last round of applause as the four dancers left the floor. Lindsay, Beth, Heather, and Izzy walked back to their spots with flushed faces—not just from the effort, but from the emotions still floating like smoke.
The rhythm slowed.
But the atmosphere didn't.
Cody stepped down from the center with the mic still in hand and collapsed among the guys with a long laugh, like shaking off all the tension from the past hour.
"Did you see that!?" Cody said. "Izzy looked like she was synced to a different audio track!"
"She was," Owen replied, still breathless. "It was from Mars! And I validated it!"
Geoff adjusted his cap with a conspiratorial air.
"And Heather dancing like the air owed her something? Man, that was a declaration of dance war," Geoff said.
Duncan, arms crossed and brow half-relaxed, smirked.
"If Lindsay keeps sending those looks, we're gonna need to get you an emotional bulletproof vest," Duncan said.
"He's used to it," Noah murmured without looking up, flipping through a blank sheet of paper. "Looks are free. Chaos comes when there's a tie."
DJ, more serious, looked at him curiously.
"And how's that decided?" DJ asked.
"With one empty seat," Noah said. "And a heart uncomfortably aware of all the directions it could beat."
Cody just smiled, like he didn't hear them.
But he did.
And that's why he kept smiling.
On the other side, the girls returned to their seats… and with them, the silence.
Not outward.
But inward.
Beth sat carefully, breathing deeply. She still couldn't believe she hadn't messed up more than three times.
"I didn't fall. I didn't count out loud. And I followed Heather without a nerve explosion… that's already a win," Beth thought, staring at her shoes.
Izzy simply flopped backward onto the grass, raised one leg to the sky, and murmured a song that didn't exist.
"I felt like a shooting star with rubber legs. If Cody didn't get that… it's because his soul's still in beta format," Izzy said to herself.
Heather sat with surgical precision.
No panting.
No sweat.
But her brow was tight.
"Lindsay stole attention. Not the center. But attention. And the worst part is she didn't even do it on purpose," Heather thought.
Her gaze went straight to Cody, now laughing with Geoff and miming exaggerated poses like summarizing the whole choreography.
"And him? Happy. Not surprised. Not uncomfortable. Like he doesn't realize he had two emotional bombs dancing at him at the same time," Heather murmured.
And then there was Lindsay.
Seated, legs crossed, hands in her lap.
Not speaking.
But smiling to herself.
"Did you see that, Cody? I was sweet. Precise. Radiant. I don't need to compete… because I already shined. Heather pushed me, but you smiled at me. That means more," Lindsay thought, adjusting her hair with one hand.
Her gaze went straight to him.
And without saying a word, she'd already said everything.
Until her eyes landed on something else.
Gwen.
Silent.
Upright.
And with a gaze that didn't hide.
"They all smile. They all play. They all dance with different intentions," Gwen thought, resting an elbow on her knee.
"But in the end, he moves for me," Gwen answered herself.
There was something in her expression. Not arrogance.
Not certainty.
Solid confidence.
Cody could joke.
He could glide with style.
He could laugh with all the guys and pretend not to notice the glances from the other side.
But she did notice.
And she had no intention of stepping back.
"I'm not going to lose," Gwen said.
"Not this time."
And she wasn't talking about dancing.
—
After the break—the longest of the tournament so far—the floor began to catch its breath again. Some were still stretching their legs. Others were on their second water bottle or third conspiracy theory about the next number.
But Cody was already standing.
He brushed dust off his pants with both hands, spun the mic on his finger like warming up vocal engines, and walked with renewed energy toward the center of the floor.
"Alright, campers," Cody said in his now-familiar voice. "Rested? Rehydrated? Existentially confused by all the emotions exploding today? Excellent! Then we continue."
The group responded with a mix of laughter, soft applause, and a lone phrase from Izzy: "Ready for voluntary emotional combustion!"
"And as unofficial host, conductor of emotions, and occasional victim of choreographed innuendos… I pass the responsibility for this round to the man with the most unpredictable fingers in camp: Owen!"
Owen screamed like he'd just won a golden ticket.
"ME?! REALLY?! I SHALL COMMAND DESTINY!"
"With love," Cody said, handing him the two decorated boxes.
"Just don't shake them. There's literally a card in there that says 'seismic-level activity.'"
Owen blew on his knuckles, placed the boxes reverently on a flat stone, and bowed like he was about to open a mystical reliquary.
"First, the number!" Owen said, reaching in exaggeratedly slow.
The whole group leaned in.
DJ murmured, "Please not a trio, please not a trio."
Heather crossed her arms.
Lindsay applied lip gloss with a twig.
Owen pulled out the card with a fake trumpet sound.
"NUMBER: ONE!" Owen said dramatically. "SOLOIST!"
Cody raised his eyebrows.
"Ooh, soloist! Always risky, always tasty," Cody said.
"Next… who will it be? Who will move the whole stage alone?" Owen shouted, reaching in with his eyes closed.
A pause.
Suspense.
Izzy did a drumroll with a coconut.
Owen pulled the paper. Turned it.
And read it.
"CODYYYYYY!" Owen shouted, waving the card like it was evidence in a cosmic court.
The whole group burst into laughter, whistles, applause.
Cody let out a short laugh, but something in his posture… shifted.
"Me? Again?" Cody said, pointing at his chest with his thumb.
"Poetic justice!" Katie shouted.
"Time to dance what you announce!" Beth said.
"Just when we thought your heart had calmed down, now you have to show it dances too!" Noah murmured.
Cody took a deep breath.
"Alright, alright…" he said, walking to the center without letting go of the mic. "The master of ceremonies enters his own act. If this isn't narrative irony, I don't know what is."
"Genre still missing!" Owen shouted.
"Because this round has a SPECIAL ticket!"
The group fell silent.
Courtney raised an eyebrow.
Gwen tilted her head slightly.
Trent didn't even blink.
Owen reached into the box.
Pulled out a card.
Turned it upward.
And read it.
"GENRE: FREE CHOICE!" Owen shouted.
One second of silence.
Then… explosion.
"NOOOOO!" Geoff shouted.
"HE CAN DO ANYTHING!" Leshawna yelled.
"Prepare yourselves for a mix of jazz, existentialism, and accumulated trauma!" Izzy screamed, hanging from a branch as usual.
Cody turned slowly.
The microphone now rested on his shoulder.
The entire camp stared at him.
Some with laughter.
Others with curiosity.
A few… with something else.
And Cody, without losing his smile, simply said:
"So, if I'm dancing solo… and I can dance whatever I want…"
He paused.
Turned his face toward a point between the girls—not choosing anyone. But seeing all of them.
"…then I'll do it my way," he said.
—
Cody climbed the few steps to the DJ booth, where Owen waited with a grin as wide as the console itself.
"So what are you gonna play, bro?" Owen asked, lowering the volume of the ambient track playing in the background.
But Cody didn't answer.
Not a word.
He simply walked to the console, leaned in slightly, and searched through the sound library.
His fingers moved calmly—but with purpose—through the folders. As if he already knew what he was looking for, but still needed to confirm it with his own intuition.
Owen stopped moving.
Something in Cody's energy had shifted.
It wasn't nervousness.
It was focus.
And a little… something deeper.
Finally, Cody stopped searching.
Clicked precisely.
Then again.
And left the song queued, paused.
Without turning, he said quietly:
"When I say 'now'… hit play."
"That's it."
Owen nodded.
No smile.
No joke.
Just respect.
Cody stepped down.
Walked back to the center of the floor with his arms relaxed at his sides, but with firm posture.
Like someone who needs no introduction.
The campers followed him with their eyes.
It felt… different.
Silence.
Then whispers.
"Is he going to sing again?" Katie asked.
"What if he does comedy dance? Like tap… but emotional," Geoff said.
"This guy has no barriers anymore. He might levitate any second," Noah murmured.
"What if he does a full romantic musical number with philosophical reggaeton?" Izzy shouted, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of a watermelon.
Heather crossed her arms.
"He's not smiling. Not presenting. He's in 'this is personal' mode," Heather said.
Gwen said nothing.
She just watched him with alert eyes.
Not alert…
Recognition.
Because she'd seen that look before.
Cody stopped right at the center.
Closed his eyes for a moment.
Took a deep breath.
And with a firm voice—not shouting—
He simply said:
"Now."
The floor was silent. The emotional haze of all the previous numbers still hung in the air. Some still had dust on their shoes; others, unanswered questions.
And Cody was already at the center.
Arms relaxed.
Posture informal.
But eyes… full of intention.
From the booth, Owen raised his thumb.
"Now?" Owen asked.
Cody just nodded.
And the song exploded.
"Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones (Austin Powers theme)
The funky, cheerful, iconic melody dropped over the camp like a retro energy bomb.
The first chords left more than one camper with their mouth hanging open.
"No way…!" Geoff said, sitting up.
"Austin Powers!?" Katie shouted.
Heather slowly turned her head.
Gwen raised her eyebrows.
Courtney closed her notebook without looking at the page.
And in the center…
Cody transformed.
From some imaginary pocket, he pulled out invisible sunglasses, placed them with a perfectly ridiculous gesture on the bridge of his nose, opened his arms in a wide "V," and launched into the first step.
Legs bouncing side to side, hips marking the rhythm with ease, and arm movements that looked choreographed by someone with a sense of humor.
"Yeah baby, yeah!" Cody shouted, with a fake British accent and a crooked smile.
Applause erupted instantly.
Owen couldn't stop waving his arms.
DJ was already tapping his foot to the beat.
Izzy rolled across the grass imitating a trumpet.
And Cody… kept dancing.
Spinning.
Jumping.
Imitating the famous "swing walk" move.
Every time he dropped an arm, he did it with a cheeky look at the crowd.
Every time he moved his hips, he raised an eyebrow with intention.
Lindsay gasped.
"He can't be this ridiculous and this charming at the same time," Lindsay murmured.
Heather clenched her jaw.
"Why didn't anyone tell me this song was legal in the tournament?" Heather said.
And Cody didn't let up.
He spun on one foot, stopped cold in an invisible guitar pose, and from there pointed to one side of the floor with both hands.
"Has anyone seen my mojo?" Cody said.
"I think I left it right there, between two dazzling beauties."
Everyone turned their heads.
Gwen and Bridgette were sitting less than two meters away.
The group laughed.
"He's not gonna do it," Noah murmured.
"He's totally gonna do it!" Izzy shouted.
Cody stepped off the floor with two long, playful strides.
Stopped in front of Gwen first.
Held out a hand.
No words.
Just a half-smile and a tilted gaze.
Gwen didn't move.
Didn't smile.
But lowered her gaze for a second before taking his hand firmly.
"This is a mistake," Gwen said.
"Yeah baby, the best kind of mistake," Cody replied, pulling her into a smooth spin.
And without letting go, he spun himself and offered his other arm to Bridgette, who was half crouched, about to burst into laughter.
"Are you gonna help rescue my mojo too?" Cody said, pointing to the sky.
Bridgette burst into a soft laugh.
"I wouldn't miss this for a brand-new surfboard," she said, taking the offered arm.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
And then, the three figures crossed the floor again in diagonal formation.
Cody in front.
Gwen to his left.
Bridgette to his right.
The three moved to the beat of the music, Cody marking the rhythm with shoulder bounces and finger snaps, the girls following without missing a step.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Cody shouted, spinning with a finger in the air.
"The mojo wasn't lost… it was just waiting for better company!"
The crowd responded with laughter, whistles, and clapping.
Katie was already dancing in her seat.
Geoff stood up half a second later.
DJ dropped his water bottle and got to his feet.
And the floor, which had belonged to one…
Now began calling everyone.
The mojo was in the air.
And the air… knew it.
The music kept pulsing, each beat filling the floor with more than rhythm: it brought laughter, release, and that contagious energy only Cody—in full Austin Powers mode—could unleash. "Soul Bossa Nova" felt like it had been composed specifically for that moment.
Cody returned to the center with Gwen on one side and Bridgette on the other, all three marking steps to the beat. Cody shook his torso in 60s style, arms extended and knees bouncing, chest forward like choreographed by his most uninhibited ego.
"Yeah baby! This is groove with no emotional censorship!" Cody said, striking a "V" pose with his hips pointing skyward.
Gwen bit her lip to avoid smiling, but it was useless.
Bridgette spun with arms wide.
"I feel like I'm in a perfume commercial flavored with irony!" Bridgette said, laughing.
"Austin has never been so alive!" Izzy shouted, throwing invisible streamers onto the floor.
The rest of the campers began to react.
Katie looked at Noah.
"Shall we?" she asked.
"After this, I couldn't deny my soul a gift," Noah replied, standing up.
Geoff was already walking straight toward the center.
"I was born for this and forgot for years!" Geoff shouted, spinning like a top.
DJ took off his sweatshirt for no reason and threw it into the air.
"Someone let me dance!" DJ yelled.
Owen, still in the booth, bounced like he was on a trampoline.
"THE MOJO POSSESSES ME!" Owen shouted.
And then… it became inevitable.
The entire dance floor came alive.
🎶 [Rhythmic bridge – contagious swing, brass sections, soft percussion bursts] 🎶
Lindsay entered spinning like a pastel-colored pop dancer.
Beth joined in with clumsy but determined hops.
Heather… entered later. No announcement. No recognition. She just appeared, executing perfect steps without losing dignity.
Cody saw them coming.
He didn't shout.
He just smiled wider.
He dropped to the floor with a side roll, jumped up, pointed to the sky, and declared:
"Campers! THIS floor is now a field of EXPANDING MOJO! Activate your swing or be absorbed by daily routine!"
"DOWN WITH ROUTINE!" Izzy shouted, spinning on one foot.
"AWAY WITH EMOTIONAL KNOTS!" Katie yelled, making a human wave with DJ.
"YES TO PERSONALLY INEXPLICABLE RHYTHM!" Harold said, now miming imaginary trumpets.
🎶 [Strong instrumental section: brass solos, rhythm bursts] 🎶
Cody launched into a sequence of theatrically exaggerated steps: jumps with a straight back, eyebrows raised like they danced on their own, hands pointing to the air, the sky… and the crowd.
"Oh, behave!" he said in his fake British accent, casting a suggestive glance to the left, where Heather half-watched him.
"Ugh, not even with all the rhythm in the world," Heather murmured.
"You've already fallen, baby! Mojo doesn't forgive!" Cody shouted, blowing a double-spin kiss.
Heather lowered her head and laughed.
That was the exact moment the camp understood—even the cynics… were enjoying themselves.
From the outside, the scene looked surreal:
— 18 teenagers dancing without a plan,
— a 60s spy theme blasting at full volume,
— Cody spinning with a jacket he didn't even have,
— Gwen dancing with one arm crossed and the other loose,
— Bridgette inventing choreography on the fly that Beth followed without realizing she was nailing it,
— Izzy shouting "Mojo is a transdimensional entity!" while spinning like a meteor.
And then…
🎶 [Final section – descending beats, playful elegance] 🎶
Cody marked the last step with a full spin, stopping with his back to the crowd, then slowly turning with both thumbs raised.
He was sweaty.
Disheveled.
And absolutely radiant.
He spun once more, stepped forward like receiving an invisible award, opened his arms… and with his most exaggerated voice—British accent included—said:
"Baby… I stole the show. And no one saw it coming."
Pause.
Applause.
Laughter.
Someone shouted, "SHOT TO THE HEART!"
Heather exhaled through her teeth.
Gwen simply smiled.
Not with pride.
With understanding.
Bridgette patted DJ's arm.
Lindsay spun in a directionless circle.
Owen cried. Literally.
"THE MOJO TOOK OVER US!" he shouted with fake tears.
And Cody… just bowed.
Like it was a musical.
Like there was no tournament.
Like that had been the final.
And for a moment, everyone applauded… as if it was.
The music no longer played. Only the whisper of trees, the soft thud of lingering claps, and the residual energy of something no one expected… but everyone, somehow, needed.
Cody lowered his arm slowly.
No longer smiling with mischief.
Now it was an honest smile. Open.
The kind of smile from someone who just gave everything on the floor—not to compete…
but to share.
"What… just happened?" Trent murmured, dazed, jaw slack.
"A spell," Harold said, still holding his hands mid-air like he didn't know how to return them to his lap.
"That was illegal," Heather said.
Though even she didn't sound convinced by her own objection.
Lindsay spun with the inertia of a joyful planet.
"It was like being in a movie, but without explosions or sad romantic drama! Just… love vibrating with rhythm!" Lindsay said.
Beth nodded to the rhythm of her heavy breathing.
"And… we all danced. Even Gwen!"
Hearing her name, Gwen turned slightly.
She crossed her arms as she sat again, lips pressed in a line barely hiding a half-smile.
"It was just rhythm. Don't get used to it," Gwen said.
Courtney, without lifting her head from her notebook, murmured:
"But you smiled. I didn't see it, but I felt it."
Gwen didn't respond.
Izzy climbed a nearby tree, shaking leaves with a stick.
"Mojo entered through the soles of our feet and settled in our marrow! I'm no longer just Izzy! I'm IZZY MOJOVERSION!"
"New nickname unlocked!" Owen shouted.
Geoff collapsed backward onto the ground like landing from a trip.
"I have no way to explain what happened… I just know I need to repeat it on New Year's, Christmas, and every random Tuesday for the rest of my life," Geoff said.
DJ adjusted his cap again and smiled.
"That guy's got us by the rhythm. Not the neck. The rhythm," DJ said.
Cody took a deep breath and dropped onto a nearby rock among the guys.
He didn't fix his hair.
Didn't try to resume his host role.
For a moment… he was just himself.
The guy who danced like crazy.
The one who turned the floor into a celebration.
Katie walked over, silently.
She placed a cold water bottle in his hand and whispered:
"In case you burned up, sunshine."
Cody laughed and nodded.
"That was licensed fire!" Owen shouted from the back.
Cody looked around.
Everyone looked at him differently.
Some with laughter.
Others with admiration.
And some… with something else.
Heather, still seated, legs crossed, neutral expression.
But her eyes followed him.
No judgment.
Just attention.
Bridgette spoke with Gwen in quiet giggles.
"You didn't know you were going to stand up," Bridgette said.
"I didn't," Gwen replied. "But he… did."
"And he didn't hesitate," Bridgette said.
"No," Gwen said.
And then, softer:
"And I like that."
Across the way, Courtney wrote quickly.
Angular letters.
Underlined phrases.
No one knew if it was a list of critiques…
or a list of things she didn't want to forget.
"It's going to be hard to top that," Katie murmured, sitting next to Noah.
"This isn't just a tournament anymore."
"Was it ever?" Noah asked.
No one answered.
And in the middle of the clearing, with the sky slowly dimming overhead, Cody set the water bottle aside…
…and for the first time in the tournament, didn't know what to say.
Because maybe he didn't need to.
Because when the mojo speaks…
words fall short.