Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, and I'm ecstatic that last chapter was a lot more liked than the one before it. I hope to make every chapter better and better for you all and, like always, good luck to your character! ^^
Also, I know the chapters are being updated quite slowly and I'm sorry about that but this year is the most important year of my education and I need to focus on that more than this. I hope you can understand, and I'll still try to update as frequently as possible. ^^
...
Sky Tribe (Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff, Adam and Brooke)
Brooke walked along the dirt pathway, her arms folded to preserve some sort of heat in the cold night. An icy breath escaped her mouth as she glanced around nervously at the darkness, fearing that all the trees would start looking the samNo, e and she would begin walking in circles and get lost forever. She angrily shook her head to clear the thoughts and continued walking, slightly faster than a few moments before.
However, her phobia of the dark soon dissipated into thoughts about not that long ago in the night; the bonfire that resulted in Olivia's elimination, and thus she was soon thinking about Miles. She thought about when she asked him about the immunity idol and wondered if he was lying; if he did find the immunity idol, but didn't tell her. Frustration filled her as she thought about it and found herself believing that to be the truth. However, she soon decided to brush it off and decided that she needed to focus on her new tribe rather than spend her time thinking about her old one. She would deal with Miles when the merge came around, if they both made it.
It became eerily quiet as Brooke focused on the path ahead, when suddenly it clouded with black and Brooke realised there was a shadow standing motionlessly at the end of the pathway. It was staring directly at her. Her absolute nightmare coming true, Brooke's nerves froze up in terror and she realised that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge. All of a sudden, the shadow took a step, then another, then another, until it was walking towards her, getting closer every second. Her breathing feeling tight, Brooke let out a scream of horror that erupted all over the island.
"No, no! Don't worry! It's just me!" The figure hastily said, appearing to feel guilty. Suddenly feeling stupid, Brooke realised that the shadow was simply a member of the Sky Tribe. The figure smiled. "My name's Dale. What are you doing near our camp?"
"Oh...um, hello. My name's Brooke." She replied, feeling quite sheepish and stupid after reacting so crazily. "Because the Sea Tribe, my team, had two less members than every other team, Chris decided to split us up and send one of us to a different tribe to make things fairer. And...I'm here."
"Oh, that's great! It always helps to have an extra teammate." Dale replied kindly, slightly surprising Brooke. She was certain that if a new person waltzed up to her tribe and claimed that they were part of it, she would be at least the littlest bit apprehensive.
A few seconds passed in silence as Dale led Brooke along the pathway towards the Sky Tribe's camp, gently holding her hand so she wouldn't trip and injure herself. However, it wasn't long before the other four members of the original tribe burst through the trees, having heard the scream; Arianna, Adam, Griff and Hudson. They all had worried expressions on their faces, but these turned to glances of suspicion as they noticed Brooke's presence. Feeling nervous, Brooke looked at the ground.
"What are you doing here?" Adam asked, quite rudely. Brooke was taken back by this but managed to keep it from showing on her face. Despite this, she was completely lost for words. Wanting to make her feel welcome, Dale turned to him.
"Brooke's the newest member of our tribe." Dale replied cheerfully, and Brooke gave a small smile to the others. While Hudson, Grif and Arianna smiled back, Adam folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, not convinced.
"She could just be a spy for the Sea Tribe, looking for our weaknesses." Adam suggested. Arianna rolled her eyes and shoved him to the side as she approached Brooke, grinning broadly. She gave her a hug which Brooke gratefully returned.
"Adam, don't be ridiculous. Our weaknesses? We aren't in the army! Besides, there are rules against people from other tribes visiting the others outside of challenges." Arianna placed her hands on her hips and smiled playfully, hoping to bait Brooke in with her fake kind persona so she could use her to her advantage later on. Adam rolled his eyes, irritated, while Brooke looked gratefully at Arianna.
It was a short walk back to camp, and when they arrived they sat around the slowly diminishing fire, staring as the dying embers made their final dance through the air before disappearing. The six were in total silence, mostly because they were all exhausted from the challenge and one of them from both that and the elimination, but also because they were unsure how to start conversation with the new girl. Deciding they would have to know eventually, Dale chose to ask Brooke about her old tribe.
"So, what happened on the Sea Tribe? Who was eliminated?" He asked. Brooke noticed that Adam, Arianna, Hudson and Grif al perked up and stared at her, awaiting the answer. She shuffled around uncomfortably in her seat.
"Olivia." Brooke replied simply and bluntly, hoping the conversation would end there. However, like she expected, the others wanted to know more. They stared at her expectantly, so she continued, mumbling. "She was blindsided."
"By who?" Arianna asked, intrigued, her eyes flashing with cunning curiosity. As soon as she asked that question Brooke's mind started whirring as she desperately started thinking of a lie. If she told them that she was involved in the blindside, they would never trust her. She hated lying, but in this position it was necessary if she wanted to stay in the game.
"Miles and Rebekah. They both acted like they hated each other, making Olivia and I feel safe, but then they revealed that the entire time they had been in a secret alliance and were plotting against us the entire time. They voted out Olivia, and I couldn't do a thing about it. I'm just lucky they didn't choose me." Brooke explained her fake story, a tone of sadness in her voice. She stared at the ground as she spoke. Hudson gasped in shock.
"I thought Olivia and Rebekah seemed really close in the challenges..." He muttered in disbelief. Starting to feel flustered and wanting to change the subject, Brooke thought quickly of a way to justify the comment.
"With the prize so large and life-changing, you can't trust anyone with your life in this game. I'm just glad I got out of there before Miles and Rebekah could get rid of me..." Brooke continued to lie, feeling guilty while doing so but knowing she had to. Shescanned the faces of the other five and thankfully it seemed that everyone believed her.
"Well, I'm glad you're here." Griff said kindly, smiling. Brooke smiled back, and suddenly felt her heart fluttering. Her eyes widened and she looked away, telling herself that she needed to focus on the game and there wasn't any time for relationships, reminding herself of the Mike situation. What she didn't realise, however, was that when Brooke looked away Griff stared at longingly, a soft smile on his face.
Confessional: Griff Jackson
"I'm so happy that Brooke is with us! It boosts our numbers, she seems really nice and kind so far and she's really pretty. Oh, wait, forget about that last part! Heh..." Griff said, realising what he said and gasping.
...
It wasn't long before the moon's rays began to fade out as thick grey clouds blocked its shine, and the Sky Tribe's camp began descending into almost complete darkness. Adam stamped out the last of the fire, and the six tired members stood up.
"We're gonna need our energy tomorrow for the reward challenge." Arianna said, yawning and stretching. She looked at Brooke. "I'll go with the new girl to help set up a hammock for her."
"Thank you." Brooke said, beaming to herself. She couldn't believe how easily she was being accepted! As the two started walking into the woods, Hudson and Griff glanced at each other, suspicion in their eyes, wondering if Arianna would try to make a move on her. However, they decided not to intervene just yet as they didn't want to turn Brooke against them and they watched as the two disappeared.
Brooke peered through the darkness at Arianna, who was walking a few paces ahead of her, leasing her to their shelter where they would make her hammock. They hadn't said a word to each other since they left the tribe, and Brooke wasn't sure how to start up a conversation with the mysterious girl. She seemed nice, however, which relaxed her a little.
"I love being at the camp so far. Everyone seems so nice, it's such a change from the Sea Tribe." Brooke said, realising how loud her voice was when it broke the ominous silence. Arianna put on a fake smile and turned to look at her.
"Yeah, it's great here. There's never any arguments." Arianna explained, then she slyly smirked and winked. "That's why we haven't been to a bonfire yet."
Brooke giggled at this as she thought that the trend of the Sky Tribe not going to the bonfire would continue. Arianna, knowing she had her, stopped walking.
"Would you like to join my alliance? I promise you that if you agree you'll be safe until at least the merge, and possbly even beyond." Arianna lied. Of course, if she agreed, then she would get rid of the outsiders first, but she would happily betray and eliminate Brooke if it meant her safety.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking, who's in it?" Brooke asked timidly, wincing slightly, hoping she wasn't being too pressing. Luckily, Arianna didn't seem affected.
"Myself, Dale and Adam. If you join, we'd take up over half of the tribe and we'd be guaranteed safety!" Arianna explained with an excited smile. Brooke, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with the offer, smiled back and nodded. "Fantastic! Looks like we'll be going straight to the merge!"
Arianna threw her arms around Brooke and hugged her, but the happy smile turned into a cunning, devious smirk as Arianna's true colours came out behind her back.
Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez
"Perfect! Now that this new girl is here, my majority alliance rules over the camp and we, especially I, will be safe for a long time! But I need to make sure her loyalty isn't wavering, because all that needs to happen for me to be eliminated is for Dale, Adam or the new girl to simply swap sides. Griff's definitely a threat to that; I saw him giving Brooke 'the eyes', and her swallowing it up!" Arianna hissed, folding her arms.
...
Serenity Tribe (Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)
Miles arrived at the camp and scanned the surroundings quickly; the beach was largely the same as the Sea Tribe's, except with a bed placed neatly on the sand close to the trees so it wouldn't be washed away by the tide. He noticed five people, the campmates, standing around the fire, preparing to go to sleep. The five people he would be spending his game with either until the merge or until he was potentially moved again. He didn't include him being eliminated, because he didn't believe it to be an option.
Oswald was stamping out the fire carefully, Jackie was putting their freshly-washed crockery and cutlery on a rock, ready for tomorrow, and Jayna, Scar and Connor were sitting around the fire, watching Oswald out of boredom and exhaustion. Miles, knowing he had to make a good first impression, smiled and walked towards them. Jayna noticed him first, out of the corner of her eye, and turned to him with a grin on her face.
"Hello! Miles...right?" Jayna greeted, guessing his name correctly with only slight hesitation. Miles nodded, surprised she knew. However, he also detected a slight hint of suspicion in her speech. "What are you doing here?"
"Chris separated the Sea Tribe because of our lack of numbers, and I was moved here." Miles stated plainly. Oswald finished putting out the fire and rubbed his hands on his shorts before walking towards Miles and holding out his hand in a friendly gesture.
"You're one of us now. Welcome to the Serenity Tribe." Oswald said with complete sincerity in his voice, and the two firmly shook hands. While the two were shaking, they both stared into each other's eyes and realised that there was a lot more to each other than they were revealing at the current moment, but they both chose not to mention it, at least not around the others.
After Oswald backed away, Jackie took Miles' hand and led him to the firepit, sitting him down.
"I'm sorry there's no more food. We actually finished our meal not long before you showed up. I'm sorry...if I'd have known beforehand, I would have saved a plate for you." Jackie apologised.
"It's okay, you didn't know." Miles said, smiling softly, seeing Brooke in Jackie; a perfect target for manipulation. Miles then noticed Jackie's eyes trailing down to his prosthetic and saw unspoken questions on her lips, swirling around in her mind. However, before he could bring it up to quench her curiosity, she spoke. "You're so brave to compete in this show, with the chalenges so brutal, having only one arm. I don't think I could ever do it." Jacke mused in admiration. As she said this, Connor, Oswald, Jayna and Scar all looked at his arm and Miles cringed slightly; he hated people discussing his arm.
"It's fine. If anything, the game is helping me get used to more. I've had it for seven years now so it's almost like a real arm for me." Miles said with a smile, hiding the painful memory of the car crash he lost his arm in when he was only eleven.
"Who was eliminated on the Sea Tribe before you arrived?" A sudden voice asked. Miles turned to see Scar staring at him intently and he fell silent, leaving an awkward atmosphere in the camp. Jayna couldn't help rolling her eyes in irritation about Scar interrupting their new member so heartlessly, temporarily revealing a hint to the distrust now between the two.
"Olivia was." Miles replied in the same manner as Brooke.
"How?" Scar asked, again incredibly bluntly. Jayna was about to step in and tell Scar to mind his own business when she stopped herself, deciding that it could posibly help her in the future if she learnt of the reason. Miles sighed.
"She loved Mike. After he was eliminated, she just went completely off the rails. She had such a huge personality change, it was crazy. She was argumentative, violent, and we just couldn't keep her around anymore. It was a pity...she had such potential." Miles lied, revealing striking resemblances between his and Brooke's strategies in their new tribes. "So, Rebekah, Brooke and myself did what was right and eliminated her. It was hard, but we had to do it."
Jackie noticed Miles was looking down at the ground sadly as he thought this over and she sat next to hm, putting her arm around his shoulder.
"It's not your fault. If I was in your position, I would have done the same and I'm sure the others would have too. Don't beat yourself up over it, okay? Don't let that one decision ruin your game, because there's many harder ones still to come." Jackie spoke softly to him, and this was met with a murmur of agreement from everyone except Oswald and Scar, who instead stared at him with a steely gaze, not believing this fabrication for a second.
Confessional: Charles 'Scar' Hellman
"..." Scar looked at the ground for a while in contemplation, then looked up at the camera lens, staring deep into it, his black eyes burning through. After what seemed like years, he finally spoke. "...I'm not easily manipulated. This 'Miles'...I can already see him creating many problems and lots of tension in the tribe. He mustn't stay in the game."
...
"I'll walk you to bed and show you were to sleep, if you'd like. Besides, I wanna know more about your life before the game; you seem so interesting!" Jayna offered cheerfully with a kind smile on her face. Miles smiled back and gratefully nodded.
"Goodnight Miles! See you tomorrow." Jackie said, hugging him. Connor, watching this, tried to hide his growing jealousy as he also quickly said goodnight to him. Oswald nodded at him but spoke no words, and Scar blatantly ignored him, walking past him into the woods and disappearing.
Jayna and Miles stayed in the camp for a few more minutes, staring at the large white moon and the darkening sky as the waves from the ocean gently crashed into the sand. Eventually, when Jayna started feeling cold, she stood up and asked Miles if he was ready to go.
"So what's the position with alliances on this tribe?" Miles asked Jayna, shocking her. How could he be so confident about the question? She stayed quiet for a while, deciding whether to lie or not, but she decided not to because she didn't like lying and if she wanted Miles in her alliance she would need to trust him. So, she chose to be honest.
"I'm in an alliance with Scar and Jackie right now, and Connor and Oswald are both on their own." Jayna explained truthfully, not knowing the latter two were in a secret agreement to stick together. Miles stared at her for a moment, so Jayna looked at the ground as she contemplated her question. "Would you like to join my alliance?"
A smile flickered temporarily on Miles' lips as he nodded.
Confessional: Miles Jackson
"Looks like I'm in an alliance with Jackie, Scar and Jayna. But this will no doubt just be temporary. Neither Jackie nor Jayna have what it takes to make it far and Scar doesn't talk enough for me to tell. That Oswald person intrigues me, however...and I'm not sure whether to work with him or against him." Miles said in thought. He then stood up. "Either way, I need to break up the bond Jayna and Scar have together. I haven't been here long, but I can already tell they'd choose each other over anyone else."
...
Jayna and Miles, the newest member of her alliance, arrived at the clearing where Scar slept after about ten minutes of walking through the trees. When they made it, Miles looked around in the dark for Scar but couldn't see him anywhere and looked at Jayna for an explanation. Jayna, with an amused expression on her face, pointed up at one of the trees. Miles turned and his eyes widened to see Scar sitting on the branch, looking up at the stars.
"Scar! I've got some good news!" Jayna announced happily, clapping her hands together to attract his attention. She was still slightly suspicious of him, but she decided to put it aside for now as he didn't seem to be talking to anyone else except her, especially not making secret alliances. "We have a new allliance member!"
Jayna threw her arm around Miles' shoulder and grinned. Scar eyed Miles, nothing but caution and suspicion in his eyes, and Miles noticed this. Scar didn't want Miles in the game altogether, and having him in his alliance would make the chances of that go down immensely, but for Jayna's sake and the fact that Miles wouldn't join Connor or Oswald this way, he tentatively nodded. Jayna smiled.
"Great! Welcome to the alliance, Miles." Jayna said, before bidding goodnight to the two and leaving the clearing to go to the shelter which she had previously shown Miles. After she left, it was deadly silent for a few moments when a strange chuckle filled the air. Scar glanced down. Miles was looking up at him, a smirk on his face.
"What is it?" Scar asked.
"You seem intelligent, Scar." Miles said quietly. Scar stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "I would hate to see someone so clever be eliminated just for trusting someone they shouldn't have. Remaining loyal to Jayna will be a death sentence for you. She doesn't have her head in the game whatsoever."
"What do you mean?" Scar asked, a bit too quickly, revealing worry which he usually kept hidden. Miles folded his arms and looked up at the sky.
"When Jayna and I were walking here, she asked me to be in a secret alliance with her. Just me and her. I just can't understand why she would ask that knowing absolutely nothing about me! It was a silly move, and it revealed two things; she isn't clever, and her loyalty to you is at a minimum." Miles executed a lie out of thin air but spoke it as if it were true. However, Scar wasn't quite convinced. He looked down at Miles.
"You're a liar." He stated venomously. Miles wasn't fazed whatsoever. "If you were telling the truth, why wouldn't you just go along with Jayna's plan?"
"I want strong people in this game, and Jayna's not one of them. If you truly are as clever as I believe you to be, you would see my side and not trust Jayna." Miles said before swiftly turning on his heels and leaving. Scar watched him go, doubt forming in his mind. However, unknown to both of them, Oswald was hiding behind a tree, watching this take place. He smirked deviously.
Sand Tribe (Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)
Rebekah, at the same time as Brooke and Miles, was walking to her new tribe along a dirt pathway. As she walked she nervously played with her hands as she realised that she would likely be the weakest member of the tribe in their social game because she hadn't had any time so far to talk to anyone.
Rebekah knew that she would have to be a lot cleverer than she was on the Sea Tribe and never jump to conclusions. As she was thinking about this, her mind drifted to the fact that her staying in the game was a flip of a coin; all Miles and Brooke had to do was choose her as their victim instead and she would've been eliminated, leaving Olivia in her place. She growled in frustration at her own stupidity.
Confessional: Rebekah Abbot
"Well, the Sea Tribe's been split up and I'm officially on my own. But I'm not going down without a fight." Rebekah muttered before looking up at the camera, a glimmer of resilience in her hazel eyes. "Olivia's elimination truly showed me how quickly things can happen in this game, and how if you're not on the ball you can be taken out in an instant. I'm going to survive, and at the merge I'm getting my revenge on Brooke and Miles."
...
As it grew darker and darker, Rebekah soon lost sight of where she was and found herself stumbling through the dark. She held her arms out to protect herself from any trees, but she didn't notice the root stickng out of the ground and her foot clipped it. She gasped as she fell, but before she hit the ground she slammed into a figure who stumbled backwards. She looked up and her eyes widened as she realised it was a member of the Sand Tribe.
"Sorry! I couldn't see where I was going." Rebekah apologised sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly as she rested her eyes upon Kevin, the person whom she had fallen into. He seemed dazed, but quickly recovered and smiled at her.
"It's okay, at least nobody got hurt." Kevin said, accepting the apology. Their eyes connected and seemed to grasp hold of each other, and the two found themselves locked in a stare which lasted a few moments. Eventually, Rebekah broke out of the trance and blushed fiercely, searching for words to distract herself from what just happened.
"My tribe was broken up because we were so low on numbers, and I was sent here, if you're wondering." She explained, stammering slightly. Kevin nodded.
"I'll take you there." Kevin said and the two started walking again in silence, expecting a conversation to start up soon. However, a few minutes passed and neither of them had said a word, listening instead to their breathing and the animals hiding in the night. Kevin decided to try and break the silence in some way. "So what happened on your tribe?"
A pang of sadness hit Rebekah as she heard the question, and she folded her arms.
"It's quite a long story. After Mike was eliminated, Brooke and Miles got into a huge argument after we made it back to camp, with Olivia and I standing on the sidelines. The two were furious at each other, and both wanted mine and Olivia's votes to secure their safety and eliminate the other. We both thought we were safe, so we didn't really think anything of it. However, we were tricked. The entire time Miles and Brooke had simply pretended they were fighting so we would let our guards down. Miles manipulated me into changing my vote when Olivia wasn't there and because of that she was eliminated." Rebekah explained her huge story, leaving Kevin speechless. Rebekah took a deep breath and looked Kevin in the eyes. "If you ever come in contact with Miles in this game, never trust a word he says or a thing he does. Eliminate him as soon as possible. I barely escaped him myself."
"Thank you. I'll keep it in mind." Kevin said with a grateful nod. "I can't believe you've been through so much even though the game's just started..."
"It's all part of the game. I can't be angry about it; I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I signed up. I was lucky to get away before it was too late." Rebekah said and wore a fake smile, not wanting Kevin to worry about her. However, despite her efforts, Kevin realised something was wrong.
"Are you okay?" Kevin asked timidly in concern. Rebekah's smile immediately disappeared upon hearing this question.
"...Not really." She admitted with a sigh as she folded her arms. "I just...I just feel really alone after Olivia was eliminated. She was like my best friend in this game and she's gone just because we were stupid; becsuse I was stupid. Now I'm being thrown into a tribe full of people I've never talked to, and I'm worried that I won't be accepted...I know it's stupid."
Kevin stared at Rebekah and suddenly noticed tears forming in her eyes which she wiped away quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice. Feeling extremely guilty for the girl, Kevin slowly moved forward and wrapped his arms around Rebekah, hugging her tightly. Her eyes widened as she felt her heart fluttering and a small smile crossed her lips. After a while, they separated and loked at each other.
"Don't worry, you're not alone. I'll help you." Kevin said, reassuring the worried Rebekah. She smiled.
"Thank you."
Confessional: Kevin Conner
"I think I'm falling for Rebekah...but I'm not sure if she feels the same. It's fine, I'll just stay on her good side and she'll eventually like me back...right?" Kevin said hopefully, although there was a tone of worry in his voice.
...
After a short walk lasting about five minutes, Kevin and a nervous Rebekah stepped into the camp, finding themselves about fifteen fet away from the campfire where everyone else in the tribe sat. As soon as they broke out of the bushes and trees, loud shouts of anger met their ears and they glanced at each other in surprise before turning to look at the culprit.
Zane was kicking sand over their fire in an attempt to put out the dwindling flames, while Gabby was leaning into him, angrily jabbing her finger at his chest and screaming at the top of her lungs. Kevin rolled his eyes and muttered something to himself under his breath before turning to Rebekah.
"Er...welcome to the Sand Tribe!" Kevin said awkwardly. Rebekah looked at him, her eyes wide, not sure if she was happy or not about the current situation in the tribe. "...It's not usually like this...heh."
However, Rebekah could tell he was lying and watched in bemusement as the argument continued.
"Stop doing things without other people's say so! I wasn't done with the fire; I was gonna stay up a little longer and enjoy the PEACE." Gabby growled as she snapped furiously at Zane who tried his best to ignore her while he kicked sand over the flames which were almost gone.
"We all MUTUALLY agreed to go to bed! Do you not remember? You should have spoken up instead of staying quiet. It's a wonder for you; usually you never stop talking!" Zane muttered in frustration. As Sasha and Ingrid shared a look of amusement, Gabby's eyes trailed to the struggling flames.
"STOP!" She shouted, grabbing Zane by the shoulder and tugging him away, causing him to land on the ground with a groan. However, she didn't let go and she also fell, and the two started rolling around on the sand shouting at each other.
Sasha shoved her head in her hands, trying to pretend this wasn't happening while Ingrid groaned in annoyance and stood up, running towards the two and managing to separate them. She held Gaby back as she stared furiously at Zane, who looked back with equally as much anger.
"Guys, stop fighting for one second! We have a new person in our tribe!" Kevin shouted, running towards them with Rebekah trailing slowly behind. Instantly, as if the world froze, everyone fell silent. Four heads at once turned to look at Rebekah, and everyone was unsure how to justify what she just saw. Gabby quickly shook Ingrid off her and walked to Rebekah, a cheerful smile on her face.
"Welcome to our tribe! I'm sure you'll love it here!" Gabby said cheerfully, holding out her hand which Rebekah nervously shook. "We're the friendliest tribe by far, and proud of that fact! Aren't we, guys?"
Gabby turned to face the others and immediately her face turned into a grimace as she tried to threaten them into agreeing. While Sasha quickly nodded, scared of her, Kevin, Ingrid and Zane simply rolled their eyes, with the latter scoffing. Gabby's eyes narrowed at the three.
Rebekah, unsure what to do, simply smiled in response to this as she wondered how the events in her new tribe would pan out.
Day 5
Sky Tribe (Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff, Adam and Brooke)
Arianna woke up slowly, the gentle morning sunlight passing through the leaves and shining on her face. She sat up and yawned, stretching, then looked around the shelter. Outside, she could see Brooke still sleeping soundly on her hammock, but the shelter itself was completely empty and devoid of Griff, Hudson and Dale. She knew Adam slept elsewhere, so she wasn't worried about him, but suspicion began rising in her mind about Dale and she stood up, leaving the shelter to search for him.
Arianna quietly walked through the woods, making sure to avoid leaves that would reveal her presence as she headed towards the camp, when she suddenly heard voices coming from a clearing to her right. She slowly turned and her eyes widened in shock as she saw Hudson, Griff, Dale and Adam all standing together in a clearing speaking in hushed voices. Anger began boiling inside her but she kept it under control and crouched down to watch.
"Dale, we know about all your disorders. It must be awful to have to live with them...and because of that, Griff and I would like to help you by getting you further in the game and possibly winning you the prize. Who knows, maybe the money could help you out. Would you like to join our alliance?" Hudson offered as he expressed sympathy for him.
Arianna growled in frustration and her fists clenched as she realised that she underestimated Griff and Hudson's kindness; she expected them to target Dale and want to eliminate him for being a liability, but instead they wanted to support him! She noticed a frown cross Dale's face.
"Thank you for the offer, but...I'm not sure." Dale muttered to himself as he looked at the ground. "I'm already in an alliance, and I don't want to betray Arianna..."
"Griff and I have been talking, and we both think there's something strange about Arianna. You're not safe as long as you stay with her; please, come with us." Hudson explained. However, Dale wasn't convinced.
"I still don't know..." Dale continued his indecisiveness. Griff and Hudson glanced at each other and nodded, and the former reached into his pocket and pulled out a small parchment; the immunity idol clue. Adam tensed up slightly as he thought about the idol itself which rested in his pocket.
"This here is a clue to a hidden immunity idol. If we find it, then one of us is safe for one elimination no matter what. Join us, and if we find it the idol might save you." Griff said, attempting to persuade him. Dale and Arianna gasped in shock at the same time, both of them surprised by this shocking revelation. Arianna looked at Dale and saw greed in his eyes, and it hit her that he had been swayed.
"Okay. I'll join." Dale agreed. Hudson and Griff smiled in relief. "But what are we going to do about Arianna?"
"Just try your hardest to act natural so she doesn't suspect anything, and we'll meet up again later." Griff explained quietly, occasionally pausing to look around. "Now let's split up so-"
However, Arianna didn't hear the rest of it. She sneaked away, the voices slowly dying out as a plan quickly formulated in her mind.
Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez
"Hmmm...this is interesting. I have an idea for what to do, but first I must test Dale's loyalty to me. Will he tell me about this idol? Or not? That will decide what I do during the next tribal council." Arianna said ominously.
...
Arianna sat in the camp alone, the crackling of the fire and the rising sun being her only company. However, she was far from bored. Ever since she had found out about Dale's betrayal, she had been constantly thinking over her plan and making sure nothing could go wrong. She was in the middle of stong the fire when she finally heard someone leaving the confinement of the forest. She turned around and smiled; Dale.
She wanted nothing more than to throttle him for being persuaded by something which wasn't even certain, but for the time being she knew she had to act as if nothing happened. She smiled at him, holding up the façade, and he smiled back.
"Good morning." Dale greeted politely as he sat down next to her.
"Good morning, Dale." Arianna said back, but her face was clearly conflicted. Dale looked at her, slightly confused.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Well, not really. It's just...I've been wondering about something. Usually, in shows like this, immunity idols are sometimes part of them. I've been looking this entire time but I can't find as much as a clue!" Arianna lied, attempting to bait Dale into revealing that Hudson and Griff had one. She examined his face; Dale was clearly expressing worry but trying to keep it under control. "Do you know anything about them?"
As soon as the question left her lips, the camp fell into an uncomfortable silence. Fear smacked Dale in the face as he desperately tried to keep his cool, but Arianna was on his case and she kept her eyes glued to him. Eventually, Dale quickly shook his head.
"I haven't even thought about them. They're probably not in the game at all, I wouldn't worry about it." Dale said. Arianna, now seeing where Dale's true allegiances lied, smirked to herself.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Arianna agreed, then looked up at the sky. Dale couldn't help worriedly glancing at her as he wondered what was going on in her mind.
Confessional: Dale Montgomery Lawson
"Something's up with Arianna...oh no, did she know that I was lying? No...she can't have...I think I seemed genuine...but what if she did?!" Dale started freaking out as he fumbled for his inhaler. "I'm sorry, Arianna, but I can't take any risks. I need to get rid of you. Like Hudson said, there's something just plain unnerving about you..."
...
Knowing he couldn't keep Arianna around and feel safe, Dale decided to take matters into his own hands and he secretly arranged to meet up with Adam, Griffand Hudson later on in the day to discuss it. So, in the afternoon, the four met up in the clearing they had talked at earlier without Brooke or Arianna knowing.
"Can we eliminate Arianna the first time we lose?" Dale asked as soon as everyone had settled down.
"Of course, but why?" Hudson enquired, slightly surprised at the sudden question. Adam, meanwhile, was staring at Dale suspiciously.
"I-I don't know why, but I just have a really bad feeling that she knows I betrayed her. I'm woried about what she could do..." Dale expressed nervously, stammering while he spoke and his hands fidgeting.
"It's okay, calm down." Griff said, placing his hand on Dale's shoulder as he tried to relax him. "As long as the four of us have majority and keep it, there's nothing Arianna can do."
"T-thank you..." Dale breathed a sigh of relief as he realised Griff was right. As he watched this, Adam smirked, having no intention of letting Arianna be eliminated in this way.
Confessional: Adam Johnston
"Oh, as if I'll let somebody as pathetic as Dale stay in the game so he has a bigger chance of winning the money! Pfft!" Adam scoffed, folding his arms and rolling his eyes. "I joined this competition so I could win, not so he could. Arianna, meanwhile, has her head in the game, and that makes it all the more exciting."
...
Later on, a few hours before the reward challenge, Arianna was lying on the beach, enjoying the hot sun shining down on her when all of a sudden a shadow blocked it out. She opened one eye to see what happened and saw Adam staring at her emotionlessly, his arms folded. Arianna sat up and looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
"You're in trouble." He stated simply.
"Why?"
"Dale has betrayed you. He wants to vote you out and so far he's got Hudson and Griff on his side." Adam continued, expecting Arianna to look worried or at the very least concerned, but she showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Is this because I know about the idol?" Arianna asked. Adam's eyes widened in shock as he once again thought about the idol in his pocket and wondered if Arianna knew that he had it. Desperately and quickly he tried to think of a way to get out of this but thankfully she relaxed his nerves before he spoke. "I was there when Hudson and Griff showed Dale the clue. I know all about it."
Adam couldn't help smirking.
"You know, you're not nearly as boring and nice as I thought you were." He admitted. Arianna smirked back and got to her feet, stretching in the sun.
"I'm full of mysteries." Arianna said with a wink, before turning to leave and giving Adam a wave. "Thanks for telling me about this, Adam. I'm sure you'll do the right thing."
She walked away from him and he watched her go, a genuine smile forming on his lips.
...
Brooke sat in the shelter alone, her head in her hands, a sigh escaping her lips as she stared at the wooden wall formed of logs and sticks. It was silent and, with nothing else to do, the girl began thinking about recent things which had happened in the game, quickly coming to Miles. She thought about how clever he was, how sneaky he was, and in a few seconds she realised that she actually missed him.
She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head, furious with herself for missing someone who would happily betray her at any moment for his own needs. She reminded herself that she couldn't trust anyone in the game, especially someone as cunning and sly as Miles.
Wanting to distract herself from the thoughts of her old alliance member, she stood up to walk to the camp. However, just when she was about to leave she heard foosteps coming from behind her and turned, smiling to see Arianna approaching her.
"Hey Arianna!" Brooke greeted cheerfully, finding the girl to be her only friend on the tribe so far. Arianna smiled back, but after a few seconds it faltered and she looked at the ground in worry. Brooke looked at her in concern. "Is everything okay?"
"I...I'm just worried about something I found out recently. It's turned my entire game around, and now I'm scared of what could happen." Arianna whispered as quietly as possible, invoking fear into Brooke.
"What is it?" Brooke whispered back after glancing around quickly to make sure nobody was near them.
"Dale has betrayed us." Arianna said plainly, and Brooke could see hurt in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing!
"Dale?" Brooke couldn't help exclaiming in shock. "But...he seemed so nice! I thought he was the last person to ever betray anybody...how do you know?"
"Earlier this morning, when I was walking to camp, I heard voices coming from a clearing. When I walked over, I saw Hudson, Griff, Adam and Dale all talking about something in secret. I spied on them, and heard Hudson offering Dale to be in their aliance and Dale sucking it all up! He's nothing but a traitor." Arianna stated angrily, folding her arms, not telling Brooke about the immunity idol clue. She saw the fear on Brooke's face as she struggled to find words.
"What can we do?!" Brooke asked quickly, realising that they were suddenly in the minority.
"We're not doomed just yet. Adam's on our side, he's just pretending to be with Hudson and Griff to make them feel safe. The best we can hope for is a tiebreaker, and we need to win it if the two of us want to stay in the game." Arianna said ominously. She then looked Brooke in the eyes. "Brooke, if you stick with me and vote for Dale I promise that I will stay with you in an alliance no matter what. For as long as we're still in the game."
Brooke stared at Arianna in silence as she thought over her choice. It suddenly hit her that if she abandoned Arianna and joined the larger alliance she would be safe for a long time, likely until the merge, and wouldn't have to worry about being eliminated. However, she eventually decided that she valued Arianna much more than Dale, and she nodded to her.
"Thank you." Arianna whispered in relief and hugged Brooke tightly. However, when Brooke's back was turned Arianna's face merged into a devious grin.
Sand Tribe (Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)
Gabby stood alone at the beach, staring out at the sea and the islands so far away they were simply silhouettes against the portrait of the blue sky. With a small sigh, she looked down at her pocket and carefully pulled out her immunity idol, staring at it and feeling her nerves relaxing slightly as she thought that she was safe for at least one tribal council as long as she kept it a secret. She hid it back in her pocket and turned around, spotting Sasha and Ingrid walking wood over to the fire while talking happily and Zane, Kevin and Rebekah all sitting around the campfire laughing about something together. All of a sudden she realised that she was completely alone and she looked at the ground in worry.
Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster
"It's great that I have the immunity idol, but it won't last long if the tribe stays as it is. I'm on my own, I can tell that. Even the new girl is closer with everyone than I am, and she's only been here a few hours! I'm hoping to keep the idol until late into the game to guarantee my safety, and if I want to do that I'll need to get friendlier with everyone. And the easiest person...is Rebekah." Gabby theorised, tapping her chin in thought.
...
Rebekah and Kevin sat next to each other on a log, watching as Zane cut up some fish and fruit that Rebekah brought from her share of the barrel from the Sea Tribe. The fish that was already frying emanated a hunger-inducng scent which made all three of them smile in anticipation, especially the two boys who hadn't eaten fruit in almost a week.
"This fruit will definitely spice up our food!" Zane anounced excitedly and happily, clapping his hands together. He looked at Rebekah and winked. "You coming to the tribe was a good thing."
"I can't wait to try it." Rebekah said with a smile.
"Zane's a good cook, you'll definitely like it. I don't think anyone couldn't." Kevin reassured her. Rebekah was relieved; she didn't want the fruit her old tribe had earned to go to waste.
The three then fell into a comfortable silence as they listened to the crackling of the fire, water washing up on the shore and the occasional bird cackling from high above. Nobody brought it up, but all three were silently happy that Gabby wasn't currently around to cause any arguments or tension. Kevin was sitting, waiting for the food to be cooked, when Rebekah's Legend of Zelda sweater caught his eye.
"Do you like playing video games?" Kevin turned to Rebekah and asked. A sparkle suddenly appearedin Rebekah's eyes and she excitedly turned to Kevin.
"I love video games! They're practically my life!" Rebekah cheered.
"Me too!" Kevin replied in an equally excited way, and the two realised all of a sudden that they actually had a lot in common. As the two continued their discussion of different video games and their favourites, Zane smirked while he began cutting up the fish.
Confessional: Zane Wood
"Rebekah joining the tribe has been the best thing to happen to us, so far at least! She seems to be really close to Kevin, which is really good for both of us! I know how much he wants a girlfriend. Also, she could join our alliance and then we'd take up half of the tribe!" Zane announced with a devious grin. "I'm pretty sure that Sasha and Ingrid wouldn't resist to vote out Gabby. We can finally get rid of her!"
...
While Zane continued cutting up the fish and putting it on their makeshift plates, Rebekah finished laughing over a joke Kevin made and the two fell silent, watching Zane. Now that they were done talking, Zane decided to enact his plan and he glanced up at Rebekah as he cut the food.
"Rebekah, Kevin and I are in an alliance, and personally I think you'd be a great asset. What do you say?" He asked, and as soon as he heard the question Kevin turned to Rebekah, looking at her hopefully. She thought for a moment, but decided there was nothing wrong with the plan as it would mean she would be part of a majority alliance.
"Of course! That sounds great!" Rebekah agreed with a smile, and she realised that her life in the Sand Tribe was much better and generally more carefree than it was in the Sea Tribe.
"Perfect! Thanks so much for joining! I promise you'll be safe." Kevin said before hugging Rebekah, which she happily returned. After a few moments, the two separated and neither of them looked awkward or uncomfrotable; both were happy. The two shared a glance and realised they were actually starting to fall for each other. Realising the food was almost ready, Rebekah stood up.
"I'm gonna wash my hands before the meal." Rebekah said before walking away to the sea, glancing around and smiling at Kevin one last time.
Kevin smiled back then looked at the ground, the smile remaining on his face, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Zane staring at him, smirking.
"What are you grinning at?" Kevin asked, his smile disappearing and a flush of embarrassment suddenly covering his face. Zane handed him a plate, still smirking.
"I can sense a crush from a mile off, buddy. There's no need to hide anything from me." Zane said with a grin. Kevin stayed silent as he bit into his fruit but smiled to himself, wondering if Rebekah liked him back.
...
Meanwhile, Rebekah was crouching down by the sea, washing her hands in the refreshingly cool water. Her mind came across Kevin and she smiled softly as she felt her heart fluttering. She had a crush on him, she knew it. She just hoped he felt the same way. The thoughts were wiped out of her mind when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps on sand and she turned around and gasped to see Gabby standing in front of her, eyes red and wet with tears.
Rebekah's eyes trailed to her side where Zane and Kevin still sat at the campfire and she realised that she couldn't avoid her. Nervously, she wiped her hands on her clothes to dry them and faced Gabby.
"Hey Gabby." Rebekah greeted, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Gabby smiled back but spoke no words. Wanting the conversation to end and knowing how angry Gabby could get, Rebekah slowly began walking past her. "Well, the meal will be ready soon. We need our energy for the-"
Rebekah suddenly felt a tight grip on her arm which stopped her both in her movement and her speech, and she looked at Gabby in horror, who was grabbing her. Gabby quickly let go.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just need help." Gabby said quietly, and Rebekah stared at her, not used to this timid version of the girl. Being one to listen, Rebekah didn't refuse her.
"What's the matter?" Rebekah asked.
"..." Gabby fell silent, and instead turned to look at Ingrid and Sasha who had sat down at the fire and were gratefully taking their plates of food. Rebekah followed her sight.
"...Is it something to do with Ingrid and Sasha?" She inquired again, feeling an uneasy sensation begin to rise in her stomach. Gabby nodded silently. "Look, if there's something wrong you need to tell me more. I won't be able to help you otherwise."
Gabby looked at Rebekah, emotionlessly at first, but then her lips began quivering and tears sprung into her eyes. Quick as a flash, she was full on crying, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Rebekah flinched in shock.
"The two of them have been bullying me ever since the game started and I can't take it anymore! Nobody knows except for me and them...I can't tell Zane and Kevin because they'd never believe me. You're the only person who would!" Gabby explained as she tried to wipe her tears away, but more came and she soon gave up trying. Rebekah gasped.
"What?! Ingrid and Sasha never seem like they would want to hurt or bully anyone! Sasha doesn't even seem like she would get angry at a fly!" Rebekah exclaimed, finding this story far too elaborate to be true.
"That's what they want you to think." Gabby reduced her voice to a whisper. Rebekah remained silent, not knowing what to do about this. Gabby seemed genuine, but what she had seen in the tribe so far made it unbelievable for her.
"But why do you act so argumentative with everyone? Surely you'd act nicer around Zane and Kevin if you want them on your side?" Rebekah persisted, deciding that after Olivia's blindside she couldn't let anything she was unsure of slide.
"Don't you see? I HAVE to act like that. It's the only way to keep Sasha and Ingrid at bay! Please, Rebekah! Help me get rid of them. I was so excited to compete on this show but they're making my life in this game miserable." Gabby pleaded, grabbing Rebekah's hands.
"I...I don't know. I have to think about it. This is all too much to handle..." Rebekah said honestly. Gabby, starting to calm down, wiped her eyes and nodded, backing away.
"I understand. Thank you anyway..." Gabby said, starting to walk away towards the campfire. As soon as her back was turned to the conflicted Rebekah she grinned deviously.
Rebekah watched her leave, questions swirling around her mind. She knew that every choice she made was vital, and if she made a single mistake it could result in the elimination of herself or one of her friends. Should she believe Gabby? Or not?
Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster
"Bingo. I think I did enough to persuade Rebekah, and if it works out I'll be safe for a long while and Ingrid and her pet will go bye-bye." Gabby said with a cunning grin.
...
Serenity Tribe (Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)
Oswald smirked to himself as he returned from hunting fish, the makeshift spear he found the immunity idol clue on in one hand and three fish tied together with rope in the other. He was thinking about Miles. He knew from the start, ever since the two first shook hands, that he was incredibly clever and cunning and now he knew for definite.
Confessional: Oswald Pamesi
"I knew Miles was incredibly clever; I could tell from his choice of words when we first met him. But his cunning tendencies certainly impress me. He managed to make even Scar feel uncertain about his friendship with Jayna. He's a tough opponent...and that's why-" Oswald said with a smirk, before the camera cut off abruptly.
...
Oswald met up with Miles by the campfire when nobody else was around. The two sat in silence for a while, staring at each other, examining each other, trying to guess what they would say, when the silence was finally broken.
"How are you liking the new tribe?" Oswald asked politely. Miles eyed him, slight suspicion in his eyes but not showing it.
"As long as it keeps me in the game, I love it and see nothing wrong with it. However...I still miss the two girls on my old tribe. Rebekah and Brooke. I wish that at some point I can get back to them." Miles lied, attempting to come across as more kind than he truly was.
"Well, as long as you keep up your current strategy I'm sure you'll be fine." Oswald said with a pressuring smile, chuckling slightly. Miles eyed him again, more suspiciously than before, and chose not to reply, deciding that Oswald was trying to psych him out by getting him to reveal his secrets. Oswald stared at him for a few seconds before continuing. "The two of us are more alike than you think, and you'll soon realise that's the case. "We're both intelligent. Strategic. We would do whatever it took to win this game."
"Where did you get this idea from?" Miles asked, slightly intrigued as he hadn't met someone like this so far. Oswald smirked.
"Because we both tried to do the same thing. We've both tried to split Jayna and Scar apart." Oswald revealed ominously. Miles was confused; how did he know about this? Unless...he was spying? Oswald folded his arms. "You've only been in this camp for half a day, and yet you've worked out allegiances and set out to destroy them. That makes you a huge threat...and it's also why I'd like to work with you in an alliance."
Miles remained silent.
"With both of our powers combined, and a few other puppets used for their votes, we can take control of this game. We can be unstoppable. We could be in the final two." Oswald persisted, hoping the offer appealed to him. Miles narrowed his eyes at Oswald as he thought this over, before he decided his answer. He smirked and nodded.
The two shook hands.
Confessional: Oswald Pamesi
"-he must go down." Oswald finished, a glint in his eye.
...
Confessional: Miles Jackson
"I'm not braindead; this Oswald is the only person so far who I feel could compete with me. The likelihood is he's already plotting against me. But I'll stick with him for now until I think he's too dangerous to keep around. As long as I have this-" Miles slid his immunity idol out of his pocket, admiring it. "I'll be fine."
...
Elsewhere in the camp, Connor and Jackie were standing at the sea, deciding to fish for a while longer than Oswald did. While Connor attempted to peer through the crystal clear water for silhouettes or figures flashing by, Jackie sat on the sand, resting a bucket by her feet. With a sigh, she gingerly looked down into it to see nothing residing inside the metal walls.
Noticing a shadow in the corner of his eye, Connor grinned and stabbed the makeshift fishing pole into the water. When he retrieved it a fish was flopping around crazily on the end. He cheered happily and attempted to slowly take it off, but it was extremely slippery and he dropped it with a cry. The frightened fish swam away as fast as possible while Connor watched it leave, a frown crossing his face.
"Ugh!" Connor complained, feeling tempted to throw the fishing pole into the water. Hearing a quiet giggle coming from behind him, he turned around to see Jackie laughing behind her hand. His face flushed in embarrassment. "What's so funny?"
"Come on, slacker, pick up the pace! The challenge starts in a few hours and if you keep going at this speed we'll be going into it hungry!" Jayna criticised playfully, winking. Hearing this, a feeing of mischief flooded into Connor and he grinned deviously, looking down at the water.
"Well...why don't you try it?" Connor said before leaping forward, splashing her with the water. She let out a scream of shock as she dropped the bucket which fell into the sea and bobbed up and down.
Jackie burst into laughter and jumped into the water, grabbing the bucket and dunking it underneath before throwing it all over the unsuspecting Connor. He cried out and fell backwards, tumbling into the water. As soon as he emerged, the two continued to laugh while they splashed each other.
Confessional: Jackie Ingez
"Awww, Connor is so sweet! Whenever I'm around him I just feel completely relaxed! Maybe I shouldn't be in an alliance with Scar and Jayna after all..." Jayna said to herself as she thought it over.
...
Scar was sitting on his branch, staring down at Jayna as she shouted up at him the plans she had thought up for their strategies during the game. As she continued, he couldn't help feling more and more irritated.
"So, when we get to the merge three people won't be big enough! We'll have to decide who we think is trustworthy and recruit-oh, hold on, this reminds me of something that happened between my friends and a mall security guard three years ago! Ahahaha, it was hilarious! Basically, what happened is-" Jayna laughed to herself, going off-topic as usual as ahe rambled. Scar groaned to himself as he thought that this was the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes she had gotten distracted with something pointless and unnecessary.
"Jayna, stay on topic." Scar demanded, not a trace of humour in his voice. Jayna looked up at him, surprised and slightly hurt.
"Y-yeah, you're right. Anyway-" Jayna said, focusing, before the camera cut.
Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine
"This really isn't good...I think Scar can sense that I'm feeling a bit suspicious of him. Or maybe somebody told him? Or maybe somebody's trying to split us apart? Oh no, that can't happen! If our alliance broke up, and I joined another, I'd definitely be at the bottom of it." Jayna spoke quickly, rising her hands to her face, horrified at the thought. She took a deep breath. "No...no. It's not over until the fat lady counts her chickens. I can still earn his trust back..."
...
After talking for a while longer, Jayna couldn't ignore the uncomfortable sensation she was feeling any longer and she fell silent, simply staring up at Scar as she thought of what to say. After a few seconds passed, Scar realised she wasn't speaking and looked down to meet her gaze. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
"You know I would never betray you, right? I'd never, in a million years, double-cross a friend." Jayna said honestly. All this did was make Scar even more suspicious and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Why are you saying that?" Scar asked cautiously, causing Jayna to wince as she realised she chose the wrong set of words. Her mind whirred as she desperately tried to amend this.
"...I don't know. Just in case you're ever suspicious of me...I guess." Jayna said with a shrug before looking at the ground, embarrassment and worry flowing through her. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his eyes glaring at her like hot black coals and she couldn't help whipping her head up at him, glaring back. "You really don't trust me, do you?"
"It's only the beginning of the game. If anyone feels a shred of trust for anyone else it's pure stupidity." Scar replied, a slight icy tone in his voice. Jayna's eyes widened and she tok a step backwards as her mind worked quickly for something to combat this with.
"I trusted you." She whispered before turning quickly on her heels and walking away, angry and upset, tears forming in her eyes. Scar watched her leave with no emotion on his face.
Confessional: Charles 'Scar' Hellman
"...This is an issue. Any conflict on this island can result in elimination in an instant." Scar muttered to himself.
...
Reward Challenge
"Welcome, everyone!" Chris announced, clapping his hands together in excitement as the three tribes of six filed into the challenge area. "I know you realise this already because of your new tribemates, but the Sea Tribe was broken up as of yesterday's elimination. I'm sure you also know this already, but Olivia was eliminated."
While Rebekah looked down at the ground, a pang of sadness hitting her and Kevin putting his arm around her shoulder for support, Brooke and Miles exchanged a glance and nodded in respect, both equally deciding that until the merge came they wouldn't hold back on each other.
Chris, with a grin that revealed his spotlessly white teeth, extended his arm to turn the contestants' attention to the challenge. Four lines made of white paint had been drawn across the sand forming a circle that could be related to an Olympic racetrack. Most of the contestants caught onto this, while the others waited patiently for Chris' explanation.
"For the next reward challenge, you will all compete in a relay race. All six members must stand at different points of the racetrack. The member at the back will be given a baton, which they then must give to the next member as quickly as possible. The first tribe to cross the finish line holding the baton will win the reward. What is the reward, you may be wondering? Well, it could decide who's eliminated tomorrow night." Chris said ominously, examining every contestant one by one to see who appeared to be nervous, who was excited and who was straight-faced. "The reward is an advantage in tomorrow's immunity challenge that will greatly help out the winning tribe. You'll definitely want it."
After a few minutes of preparation, the tribes got into position. Starting off the race were Arianna for the Sky Tribe, Zane for the Sand Tribe and Connor for the Serenity Tribe, who all held their batons with determined loks on their faces. From atop a lifeguard chair, Chris blew the claxon which signalled the beginning of the challenge and the three sped off as fast as possible.
All three went off to a good start, practically neck and neck for the first few seconds, but it wasn't long before Arianna began to fall behind. Despite being agile, her stamina wasn't nearly as good enough as Connor and Zane's, who stormed ahead triumphantly. Their tribes shouted out words of encouragement, clapping and cheering, as they got closer to the next runner. Connor and Zane handed their batons to Oswald and Gabby respectively at the same time.
Immediately, Gabby raced past Oswald, shocking him at how fast he was. Despite this, he remained motivated and ran as fast as he could even if it wasn't as fast as the football fanatic. When Gabby was two thirds there and Oswald was about halfway, Arianna arrived at Dale, panting, and handed him the baton with a small glare.
Thankfully for the Sky Tribe, Dale was speedy and he managed to catch up with Oswald. Gabby handed her baton to Ingrid who tried to make the most of her headstart. Unfortunately, her speed was about average and because of this the next two runners for the Sky and Serenity Tribes, Hudson and Scar, began to catch up.
Cheers erupted from the Serenity Tribe as Scar pounded quickly past Ingrid who tried to ignore him, while the Sky Tribe seemed to be uncomfortable and worried as they witnessed Hudson fall back because of his weakness when it came to running. Scar handed the baton to Jayna after running for only about fifteen seconds, while Ingrid gave her baton to Kevin abput ten seconds later.
Fortunately and unfortunately for both of them, Jayna and Kevin both weren't very fast at running and because of this the positions stayed largely the same, with Jayna slightly ahead of Kevin. When the two were halfway Hudson arrived and gave his baton to Griff who hoped to make up the time. However, this wasn't the case and the Sky Tribe began falling even further behind as Griff revealed his terrible athletic skills. Thus, Jayna and Kevin arrived at the next stop when Griff had barely started.
The next two to run for the Serenity and Sand Tribes were Jackie and Sasha, both of which would rather be doing anything else at that curent moment. Despite this, they still tried their best to prove their strength to the tribe and ran off. Like everyone expected, both were rather slow but they still cheered for them anyway as they desperately wanted the advantage in the immunity challenge the next day.
When Sasha and Jackie were almost at their final runners, Rebekah and Miles, Griff finally reached Adam and handed him the baton. His heart beat hard in his chest as Adam ran as fast as he could, skimming across the sand, luckily being quick on his feet. However, he wasn't even close to passing Sasha and Jackie thanks to their huge headstart, and they gave their batons to Rebekah and Miles before Adam was even halfway there.
The Sky Tribe emanated a chorous of dismay and disappointment as they realised that they would need a miracle to win, while the Serenity and Sand Tribes waited anxiously with a mix of worry and excitement. Miles and Rebekah, both fast, knew that the reward rested on their shoulders and the two exchanged a glance before they began. While Miles offered Rebekah a nod of good luck, Rebekah turned her head away and rolled her eyes, willing herself to never trust or even speak to Miles again unless it would result in his elimination. The two started running.
Rebekah started off in the lead, but in a few seconds that changed to Miles. Then back to Rebekah. Then Miles. This went back and forth like a table tennis tournament for a moment, with their tribe members feeling as if they were about to burst. At this time, Adam gave the baton to Brooke but nobody, not even the Sky Tribe, was looking at her. Everyone was focused on the exciting race between Rebekah and Miles which was coming to a close as the two neared the end.
The two panted heavily as they both dived across the finish line, with one clearly making it before the other. Their tribe screamed in joy and ran to congratulate them, while the losing tribes sadly went to support the racers who weren't fast enough. Chris blew the claxon again to signify the end of the challenge.
"Congratulations to the Serenity Tribe on their victory! You six will receive an advantage in tomorrow's immunity challenge. Until then, go back to camp and relax. You've all earned a rest." Chris said. Like always, the tribes bid farewell to each other before departing back to their camps.
Sky Tribe (Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff, Adam and Brooke)
The six all sat around the fire in complete silence, demotivated by their third reward loss in a row, and they all began wondering if they would ever win a reward. As everyone contemplated this, Hudson and Griff were cookingtogether, the smells from the frying pan making them feel slightly better about the situation. As he watched them cook, Dale shifted around uncomfortably in his seat.
"To be honest, I'm actually really worried about the challenge tomorrow. Chris said the reward is going to help out the winning tribe a lot...what do you think it could be?" Dale asked, his voice cracking slightly with worry.
"There's no need to worry about their reward. As long as we work together, we're bound to win." Griff said, trying to reassure his friend, a smile on his face.
"I'm not sure...I hope so..." Dale continued.
"We haven't lost so far, have we? That's because we have great teamwork." Griff said. While Hudson nodded in approal and Dale and Brooke smiled softly, Arianna and Adam grimaced.
Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez & Adam Johnston
"Ugh! Don't make me sick!" They both groaned in annoyance as they sat in separate confessionals, fake heaving.
...
A few minutes later, the six of them were eating and enjoying their meal, relishing in the mix of salty fish and sweet fruit. After swallowing a mouthful, Brooke decided to show the gratitude she felt for their kindness and she gently put her plate down on the ground, a smile on her face.
"Guys, I just wanted to say thank you for welcoming me into the tribe with open arms. I was worried at first that nobody would talk to me and I'd be lonely but I actually prefer it a lot to my original tribe!" Broke exclaimed honestly, feeling genuinely happier at the Sky Tribe than she was at the Sea Tribe.
"It's always nice to meet a friendly face." Griff remarked, and the two smiled at each other. However, when Griff turned back to his food Brooke frowned as she suddenly realised that by voting for Dale and eliminating him she would also be dooming Griff. However, a few seconds later, as she stabbed her fork into a piece of fish, she reminded herself that she had to stay strong and only the ruthless would win. She realised with dismay that she was becoming more like Miles every day.
"The atmosphere is nice." Hudson agreed with a nod. "I wish it could be like this throughout the entire game..."
"It won't." Adam said, completely straight-faced, absolutely demolishing the happy mood in an instant. "Nothing ever stays happy. Something will always come along to destroy it."
Everyone fell silent, exchanging uncomfortable, awkward looks. Adam casually went back to his food after he said his piece, but the others were unsure how to start a conversation up from that. Arianna looked at Adam then back at the others.
"He's right, you know." She said. Everyone looked at her. "In the future people will no doubt be more ruthless and strategic and there's no telling what could happen. Anybody could and most likely will lie, manipulate and betray simply to further their game."
Dale's body tensed up as he ate his food, and he made sure to stay silent, keeping his gaze on his place. After a few moments passed, he thought it was safe to look up but when he did he found himself eye to eye with Arianna, who had been staring at him ever since she finished speaking.
"Like you." She finished.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dale said, a bit too quickly. Everyone looked at him. "I would never betray anyone. N-never."
As he answered Arianna, his voice was shaky and cracking and his body began shaking, making it obvious to everyone that he was lying. Arianna's eyes hardened and she gave Dale an icy stare.
"Liar." She accused angrily. Dale's eyes widened, surprised at how such a nice, friendly girl had transformed so quickly. "I can't believe you would betray me over a stupid idol! I've been nothing but kind to you."
"W...what? How do you know about that?" Dale asked, completely gobsmacked, as were Hudson and Griff at this newfound reveal. Arianna chuckled despite her anger.
"I was watching you the entire time." Arianna spat with a venomous albeit taunting tone in her furious voice. As they witnessed this, everyone was extremely shocked at how angry Arianna was getting. Dale, speechless, could only look at the ground so Hudson decided to step in to defend him.
"Arianna, you betrayed Dale long before this." Hudson piped in while glaring at her. Arianna folded her arms and looked away.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied hastily.
"It was only three days ago when you told Griff and I about all of 'poor Dale's' disorders and everything he had wrong with him! You don't remember? You wanted us to eliminate him because you felt bad for him!" Hudson shouted, starting to get worked up as he pointed an accusing finger at Arianna.
"That's different! That was just because I cared about him and I didn't want to see him hurt, and this is how he repays me!" Arianna said, pretending to start crying. This sentence made almost no sense, but being a good manipulator Arianna managed to make Dale feel as if the situation was his fault and he looked uncomfortable. As Brooke softly placed her hand on Arianna's shoulder to comfort her, the latter glanced up at Dale with fire in her eyes. "I can't wait to get rid of you, and I will. I don't care when, but it's going to happen. Whether it's today, or tomorrow, or in a week."
At this, Dale's eyes widened slightly in worry. The camp fell into an awkward silence as they all thought about how they could possibly win the challenge with the tensions so high.
Sand Tribe (Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)
Rebekah sat around the campfire by herself, her head in her hands, as she thought about what Gabby told her earlier that day. She was completely unsure of what to do. When she decided on something, she began thinking about the other option and got confused all over again. She thought about how Gabby did seem genuinely upset...but on the other hand, this simply could have been an atempt at manipulating Rebekah into doing what she wanted. Also, Ingrid and Sasha seemed really nice so far, but again she hadn't talked to them much.
As she continued to contemplate her options, Kevin and Zane returned from the ocean after cleaning the cooking pot and crockery. They placed it down and both noticed Rebekah looked troubled.
"Are you okay?" Kevin asked in concern, breaking Rebekah out of her thoughts. She stared at him, then looked at Zane, anxiety bubbling up inside her as she realised she would have to make a decision in the next few seconds. With a deep breath, she looked them in their eyes.
"I know this may seem ridiculous to you, but...can Gabby join our alliance?" Rebekah asked. A silence ensued. Out of the corner of her eye, Rebekah noticed Zane glaring at her while Kevin looked flabbergasted.
"Where did that come from?" He asked in shock.
"I had a chat with her earlier, and...she really isn't in a good place right now. I just think she needs a friend. It could help her out a lot." Rebekah supported her case, even though she wasn't sure if she meant what she was saying.
"Rebekah, you must be on a COMPLETELY different planet to the rest of us. What's the matte with you?" Zane snapped, unable to hide his frustration. "You may see your twisted, weird view of Gabby, but I see an annoying, feisty, uptight brat who wants control of the tribe and nothing else."
"Can't we just give her a chance?" Rebekah persisted, starting to get desperate. In truth, she saw herself in Gabby; listening to her story reminded her of what happened on the Sea Tribe and how she felt after Olivia's elimination, and that was the prime reason for wanting her in the alliance.
"No." Zane said stubbornly, seeming as if he didn't even listen to Rebekah's persuasion. He folded his arms. "I want to get rid of Gabby as soon as possible, not recruit her."
Rebekah turned to Kevin and, feeling guilty, the boy looked at Zane.
"We should give her a chance." He said. Zane turned to him, completely shocked.
"You know what she's like!" He cried. Kevin remained silent; he simply stared at Zane. He turned to Rebekah to see she was oing the same and, with a sigh, he knew he couldn't win. "Fine, whatever. But when she acts like a petty nuisance, neither of you come crawling back to me."
"Thank you. Both of you." Rebekah said with a smile, although she was still unsure if she should trust Gabby herself.
Confessional: Zane Wood
"This isn't a good idea...we shouldn't let Gabby in the alliance. She's manipulated Rebekah in some way, I just know it." Zane muttered with a sigh.
...
However, hiding in the woods during their private conversation and listening in shock was Sasha, who dropped the wood she was collecting for the fire and stood still, not knowing what to do. Deciding she had to inform Ingrid before it was too late, she ran off in search for her friend.
Confessional: Sasha Gates
"Oh no...Gabby's managed to get on Rebekah's good side and now she's in an alliance with them...Ingrid and I are in trouble." Sasha mused in distress, putting her head in her hands.
...
Sasha found Ingrid by their large pile of firewood, dropping what she had collected onto it and dusting her hands off with a satisfied smile on her face. However, her smile vanished in an instant when she turned around to see Sasha standing in front of her, almost hyperventilating. After she had calmed down, she told Ingrid what she had heard while the girl listened in shock. When she was finished, Ingrid thought in silence for a moment.
"...I thought Kevin and Zane were smarter than that." She sighed.
"What are we going to do?" Sasha asked nervously.
"We have to talk to Rebekah. We need to get through to her and make her realise that trusting Gabby is a futile move." Ingrid said with an absolutely serious look in her eyes and voice. Sasha nodded.
After a short walk, they fortunately found Rebekah standing alone in a clearing. Upon seeing them, she gave them a small smile as she pretended nothing was going on. Ingrid folded her arms and stared at her suspiciously, slightly scaring Rebekah and making her realise something was wrong.
"...Is everything okay...?" She asked.
"We heard everything, Rebekah. Everything you said to Kevin and Zane at the campfire earlier, and we wanted to tell you that you're making a mistake that'll cost you. I don't know what lies Gabby fed to you to get you on her side, but she's not nearly as innocent as she claims she is. Not in the slightest." Ingrid said ominously, trying to control the frustration she felt at the thought of her and Sasha being in the minority. "If you stick with Gabby, you have no chance of winning. She'll use you until you're no longer needed then throw you to the dogs. That girl's nothing but a manipulator and a liar."
Then, before Rebekah even had a chance to think of a response, Ingrid had turned around and started walking away. Sasha gave Rebekah a sad look before quickly following suit. Feeling confused and worried as she stood on her own, Rebekah desperately tried to work out who was telling the truth and who was lying but she couldn't and she groaned in a mix of sadness and irritation as she realised once again how hard the game was.
Just as she was about to walk off, she heard a voice calling her name from a distance. She spun around to see Kevin approaching her at a quick pace, and she gave him a small smile as her heart fluttered once again, the conflict between her, Gabby and Ingrid temporarily leaving her mind.
"I'm sorry about Zane. I just wanted to say that it wasn't anything personal against you, it's just Zane isn't on very good terms with Gabby. Polar opposites, really." Kevin said. "It'll just take a bit of getting used to before he's comfortable with her, that's all."
"I understand. I was probably being too pressing anyway..." Rebekah muttered to herself under her breath, annoyed at herself. Kevin then looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry there hasn't been much of a chance in drama from your old tribe to this one." Kevin apologised, thinking that he was to blame.
"It's okay. I still love it here, because at least I got to meet you." Rebekah said, her cheeks flushing red as she spoke. Kevin smiled, also blushing light red.
"I-I'm glad you're here." He uttered, before looking at the ground. After a few seconds he looked up and the two smiled at each other, staring at each other in silence.
Then, as if pushed together gently, they both moved towards each other at the same time and kissed. As soon as they did, fireworks burst in both of their hearts. As they kissed, the two pulled each other into an embrace which lasted about ten seconds before they finally separated and backed away from each other, smiling.
Serenity Tribe (Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)
Confessional: Oswald Pamesi
"Okay, I decided. Miles must be eliminated, no matter the cost. Hopefully me forming that fake alliance with him dulled down his suspicions for a while, at the very least long enough for me to form the plan. But I have to hurry; this Miles is not someone to be trifled with." Oswald said to himself, feeling a small spark of worry.
...
"Hey Oswald!" Connor greeted his friend happily with a wave as he approached him. "I have some great news!"
"What is it?" Oswald asked, intrigued.
"Earlier, when I spent time with Jackie, I think she really enjoyed it and she's starting to turn a new page! Maybe she'll leave Jayna and Scar's alliance and come with us?" He suggested, an excited tone in his voice. Oswald chuckled at his friend's obvious crush on Jackie.
"That's brilliant to hear, Connor. Well done." Oswald congratulated with a smile, but his reason for being happy about this information was completely different to Connor's.
While Connor believed that Jayna was an extra vote who could help them in the future and also a possible girlfriend for him, Oswald thought of her just as a tool to help him eliminate Miles. After all, so far in the game the only person he had met who seemed to rival his intelligence was the mysterious teenager.
"Miles is trouble." Oswald said quietly to Connor as they walked across the beach towards the campfire. "We need to get rid of him as soon as possible."
"Seriously?" Connor said, confusion flashing across his face for a brief moment. "I've talked to Miles quite a lot, and he seems normal to me."
"That's what he wants you to believe. In reality, it's simply a ploy to gain your trust and make him seem like an idiot when in reality he's incredibly clever." Oswald explained. "Miles is the only person here who threatens me, and I fear that if we don't eliminate him soon he'll become too strong for us to vote out, and he'll end up disposing of us. He's cunning. Far too cunning for my liking."
Connor nodded in agreement, knowing that when Oswald was concerned about something he should definitely be worried about it, maybe even scared.
"Thank you." Oswald said, not realising that from afar Miles had been watching the two in the same way Oswald had watched Miles and Scar converse the previous day. His fists clenched in anger.
Confessional: Miles Jackson
"I knew he'd be plotting against me as soon as I turned my back! I have to act fast; Oswald will no doubt be doing the same. I'm not going to be eliminated by some petty two-faced manipulator." Miles spat, his voice betraying a hint of concern as he realised this really would be the test of the strength of his social game.
...
Meanwhile, Jayna was sitting on the mushy sand near the forest, not caring about getting her clothes dirty. She was curled up, weeping into her arms, her eyes red and sore from crying.
Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine
"I've always hated arguing with friends...and now what if I get eliminated and I never get to talk to Scar again?!" Jayna mumbled, her eyes red and wet.
...
"Oh my goodness, Jayna, are you okay?" Jackie, who had heard crying and went to investigate, gasped in shock as she found Jayna sitting alone weeping to herself. She crouched down next to her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Jayna sniffled, for once not in her excitable mood. Jackie sighed; she didn't like seeing anyone upset, even if she didn't talk to them that often.
"Are you sure?" Jackie asked, and Jayna responded by nodding. Jackie hugged Jayna tightly, not at all convinced. "Okay. Just remember, if you ever need me I'm always here to talk to."
"Thank you." Jayna replied, giving a small smile to Jackie and watching her as she walked away.
Not long after, Miles showed up, noticing the upset Jayna and smirking to himself before putting on a façade of sadness and approaching her. Noticing him, Jayna struggled not to groan in annoyance and turned away from him, folding her arms.
"I'm fine, okay? There's no need to ask me. Just leave me be." Jayna demanded. Miles chuckled slightly at this.
"I had no intention of asking you how you were doing. It's clear that you're in dismay about something; any idiot can tell that." Miles said, coming across as more snarky and rude than he had intended. "It's because of Scar, isn't it?"
"Wha...? How do you know about that?" Jayna asked, shocked. Miles stretched, looking up at the sky.
"Oswald told me about what he did while he was trying to invite me to join his alliance." Miles explained. Jayna, who had long since stopped crying, rose an eyebrow to this and listened intently to what he had to say. "When Oswald told you that Scar betrayed you...well, he told me that it was a complete and utter lie. He told you that just to cause tension between you and Scar so your alliance would break imto pieces."
Jayna's mouth slowly opened as voiceless words came through and broke into pieces. Was this the truth? Had her friendship with Scar been destroyed all because of a lie told by someone she thought was nice?
"Not that long ago, Oswald repeated the same method, but this time the other way around. He went to Scar and claimed that you betrayed him." Miles lied, inserting Oswald into the story of what he actually performed himself. However, Jayna sucked it all up as pieces of a jigsaw began connecting together in her mind.
"That's why Scar's been acting so weird with me lately..." Jayna realised breathlessly.
"I apologise for not telling you earlier about this. To tell the truth, I was originally intending on not informing you at all, but I decided you deserved to know about what Oswald's been up to behind your back." Miles said.
"It's okay. Better late than never." Jayna said with a smile. She paused for a second. "Miles...will you help me vote for Oswald? I just can't stand knowing what he's done to Scar and I. He needs to be punished.
Trying his hardest not to smirk victoriously, Miles gave Jayna a small nod.
Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine
"This entire thing is Oswald's fault! Why Scar and I were feeling tension between us, why we argued, why he was acting so weird with me! I never knew Oswald was so...so...evil! Well, he's never going to do anything like that again. I'll show him." Jayna said in determimation, her eyes shining, not realising she had fallen for Miles' lie and clever manipulation.
...
Day 6
Immunity Challenge
All eighteen contestants had slept well and were ready to fight for their safety. Tribe by tribe, they filed into the challenge area to find a gigantic white circle taking up almost the entire beach drawn on the sand. Curiosity filled their minds as they tried to predict what the challenge would entail. Eventually, after five minutes of waiting, Chris stepped out of the forest, revealing himself. A large grin was on his face. The three tribes exchanged determined glances, all of them wanting to win.
"Welcome, everyone. This challenge will be slightly different to what you've all gotten used to over the past week. I will explain why shortly." Chris said slowly and ominously. "But first, we need to get a few things out of the way. Fortunately, because the tribes are equal, nobody needs to sit out! And in one of the best thought up challenges yet! Fantastic!
"Now, I will explain why the challenge is different to normal. Instead of the losing tribe going to the bonfire, which you have all become accustomed to, the winning tribe will decide who loses." Chris revealed dramatically, causing gasps to emanate from al over the beach as every contestant let this sink in. "Now I will reveal the challenge itself.
"All eighteen of you will step into the circle at once. As soon as all of you are inside, I will blow the claxon and the challenge will begin. Your job is to knock everyone who isn't part of your tribe out of the circle. The last tribe remaining wins. Everyone understand?" Chris asked. Everyone either groaned in approval or nodded their heads. He clapped his hands together, smiling. "Perfect!"
He turned to the Serenity Tribe.
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about your advantage." Chris said and clicked his fingers. At once, Chef walked in, wheeling a trolley filled with huge red, cushiony baseball bats. He placed the trolley down and started walking away, grumbling to himself, when he tripped over his untied shoelace and fell on the ground, bursting into tears. The contestants tried to ignore his wails of despair, starting to feel uncomfortable, as Chris picked up one of the baseball bats and swung it. "Your advantage is that each of you will be given one of these baseball bats. What you do with it is your choice. You can use it to attack, defend, whatever."
Now that Chris was done explaining the challenge, the three tribes anxiously walked into the circle, awaiting the claxon.
As soon as it was blown, the eighteen began fearfully looking around for anyone who seemed like they were about to attack them. The Sand Tribe, because they didn't have the advantage, decided that they would have to rely on a good strategy if they wanted to win the challenge and avoid elimimation. Thus, the stronger members of the tribe; Kevin, Zane and Gabby formed a protective circle around the ones who weren't as agile or tough, who were Sasha, Ingrid and Rebekah.
Meanwhile, the Serenity Tribe had ran for the Sky Tribe as soon as the challenge began so they didn't have any time to prepare a plan of defence or attack. Because of this, they were too shocked to react and Dale and Hudson were pushed out by Miles and Oswald respectively, who were using their baseball bats. Jayna and Jackie both focused on getting Arianna out of the challenge and slowly cornered her to the edge of the circle. However, before they could shove her Adam ran forward, slamming into them both and making the two of them sprawl out of the circle and land on the ground with a groan. Arianna smiled in relief and nodded gratefully towards Adam.
While this was going on, the Sand Tribe stood at the other side of the circle, watching them, hoping nobody would notice them. However, luck wasn't on their side as Griff and Brooke and Scar and Connor noticed them and began walking towards them. They nervously waited, especially worried of the two Serenity Tribe members who were wielding their baseball bats. All of a sudden, Griff and Brooke ploughed forward, hoping to get through to the weaker members and eliminate them first. Brooke reached towards Sasha who screamed in terror, but Gabby stepped in front of her and growled ferociously, grabbing Brooke. The two, while trying to push each other out of the circle ended up both falling out.
Connor and Scar both whacked Zane at the same time with their foam baseball bats, resulting in him dizzily stumbling out of the circle. Quickly, they used the same strategy and also managed to get Kevin out of the circle as well. At this, Ingrid, Sasha and Rebekah all screamed as they realised that they were the only ones left representing the Sand Tribe. Scar and Connor than turned to Ingrid, ready to do the same to her, but before they could Griff grabbed Connor's legs and flipped him over, causing him to land on the ground just inside the circle. This made Connor drop his bat which Sasha quietly picked up and silently gave to Ingrid.
At the other side of the circle, Arianna and Adam faced Miles and Oswald. The former two were clearly worried, as they already had a clear disadvantage because they didn't have bats and they had less people on their tribe. Miles and Adam ran at each other and the latter tried to take the former's legs out from underneath him. Because of this, Miles managed to pick up Adam and swing him out of the circle. However, while Miles' back was turned Arianna kicked the back of his legs, causing him to lose his balance and also fall out. Before he fell, Arianna quickly stole his bat from him, a smirk crossing her face as she turned to the impressed Oswald.
Not wanting to waste any time, Oswald ran forward quickly and attempted to strike Arianna on the head but, being agile, she swiftly dodged and ran behind him before hitting him on the back. Oswald fell forward towards the edge but managed to retain his balance. However, it was too late and while he was in his vulnerable state Arianna whacked him out and also took his bat, before running to aid Griff, hoping she could make it to him before it was too late.
The contestants eliminated from the challenge watched in excitement as the final seven all faced each other. While Arianna was fighting Oswald, Scar and Connor had been trying to get the determined Griff out of the circle. Sasha, Rebekah and Ingrid waited in silence for their opportunity. Scar, the only one left of the Serenity Tribe who stil had a bat, quickly bashed Griff n the face causing him to stumble to the edge. However, before he could fall out Arianna reached fowards and grabbedhis arm, pulling him to safety. Oswald and Connor's eyes narrowed in annoyance, while Rebekah whispered to Ingrid and Gabby a strategy.
Arianna gave Griff the baseball bat she had stolen off Oswald, and Scar and Connor realised with dismay that they had a disadvantage. Noticing Griff running towards him, Scar held up his bat for defence and Griff pushed his bat against his, both of them attempting to outstrength the other. The ultimate winner of this duel was Scar, who shoved Griff to the ground and pushed him out of the circle. Arianna realised with horror that she was the only Sky Tribe member left and, thinking quickly, when Connor ran at her she leapt behind Ingrid, resulting in her being pushed out instead.
Angry at this devious tactic, Rebekah pushed Arianna who pushed back, and the two got into a small pushing fight. While this was happening, Scar ran forwards and hit Rebekah with his bat, causing her to fall put of the circle, dragging Arianna out with her and also tripping up Scar who fell out as well, completely eliminating the Sky Tribe and leaving just one member left of the Sand and Serenity Tribes.
However, it ended quickly. While Connor was gazing in shock at what just happened, Sasha regretfully kicked him in the back of his legs and pushed him out of the circle before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. It was silent for a moment, everyone shocked at who won, before the Sand Tribe erupted into cheers of joy as they realised they were safe no matter what. All five ran back into the circle to hug Sasha, who smiled humbly. The Sky and Serenity Tribes exchanged nervous glances.
"The Sand Tribe wins and gets to choose who'll be going to the bonfire tonight!" Chris announced, still grinning from the excitement of the challenge. The six of them discussed for a few minutes, with the other two tribes waited anxiously, hoping they would say the other tribe. "Have you decided?"
"Y-yes." Sasha said, her voice shaking slightly. She pointed at the losing tribe. "We want the Sky Tribe to go to the bonfire."
The Serenity Tribe breathed sighs of relief as they quietly congratulated each other and thanked the Sand Tribe, while every member of the Sky Tribe felt miserable, Brooke especially as it was her third loss in a row.
"Okay. Sand and Serenity Tribes, congratulations. You can go back to camp as you're safe. The Sky Tribe, however, you must meet me at the bonfire tonight. One of you will be eliminated." Chris said ominously. The three tribes then separated; two of them in happy spirits, one of them upset and distressed, but all eighteen of them wondering who would receive the most votes and have to leave the island.
The Bonfire
Late at night, when the moon was high in the pitch black sky, Dale, Arianna, Hudson, Griff, Brooke and Adam walked slowly to the bonfire area and sat down on the logs set out for them. Brooke was extremely upset as she was the only person who has been to every bonfire, and she hoped it would be her last one for a long time. Chris stared at them for a while from the other side of the crackling fire in silence, before turning to Brooke.
"Brooke, how do you feel, being at the bonfire yet again?" Chris asked. Brooke sighed sadly.
"It doesn't feel good. It makes me feel like a bad player, like I'm the one who keeps dooming my team in the challenges." Brooke admitted despondently.
"How are you fitting into your new tribe? Do you believe you're a target at this bonfire?" Chris continued, curious to know the answer. Brooke looked at everyone in turn as she thought over her answer. Ariana smiled at her supportively, Hudson, Dale and Griff simply smiled, and Adam stared at her emotionlessly.
"I-" Brooke began, but she stopped herself. She was about to reply that she did feel safe, but then she remembered Olivia's elimination only two days ago and how she expressed that she felt safe but was eliminated soon afterwards. "Everyone in the tribe is very kind and all of them have made me feel like I'm part of their family, but I can't say I feel safe. Nobody can. This game is full of surprises, and anything can happen at any time."
"Thank you, Brooke. It's time to start the voting." Chris announced, and a spark of worry ignited inside of everyone. "Dale, you may go first."
Dale stood up. Just before he walked to the voting area, he made eye contact with Arianna for a few seconds and they both realised that only one of them would be going back to camp that night. Both of them would do anything to make sure it was the other person.
Dale went up to vote.
"I'm sorry about this, but I can't take any risks. I know how secretive you can be, and I just can't feel safe being in an alliance with you."
Brooke went up to vote.
Hudson went up to vote.
Griff went up to vote.
Adam went up to vote.
Arianna went up to vote.
"Oh, ****, you have no idea what I'm capable of. You'll regret messing with me dearly."
Arianna sat back down and Chris left momentarily to collect the votes. The atmosphere was thick with tension and fear, and nobody spoke a single word. After a few seconds, Chris returned with the voting box and took the first slip of paper out.
"The first vore is for Dale." And it began. Hudson and Griff gave Dale a supportive glance, while Arianna and Adam ignored him and Brooke seemed uncertain.
"Another vote for Dale. One vote for Arianna. The voting stands at 2-1-0-0-0-0, in favour of Dale being eliminated." Chris said. He took the next vote out. "Two votes for Arianna."
Arianna and Dale exchanged a glance; in just a few moments, everything would be revealed. Who had stuck to their word, if anyone had been betrayed, and most importantly who would be leaving the island.
"A third vote for Arianna. If you receive one more vote, you will be eliminated. Dale, if you receive a vote, there will be a tie. If any of the other four receive a vote, Arianna, you will be eliminated." Chris explained. Dale breathed a sigh of relief, expecting him to now be safe. Chris took the last vote out of the box.
"The last vote is for Dale. We have a tie! Arianna and Dale both have three votes each. Brooke, Adam, Hudson and Griff, you are now safe no matter what." Chris said. Dale gasped in shock, and glanced at Hudson and Griff, who were both equally as surprised. Knowing they wouldn't betray him, Dale looked at the only culprit; Adam. His fists clenched in anger. He knew he never should have trusted that enigma. "If either of you have an immunity idol, you can play it now to be safe. Also, if any of you other four have an idol and would like to play it to save someone, you may. If not, there will be a tiebreaker."
A few tense seconds passed, with everyone suspiciously looking around even though nobody expected anyone to reveal themselves. Finally, somebody stood up.
"I would like to grant Arianna immunity and eliminate Dale." Adam announced as he revealed his immunity idol which he took out of his pocket. Hudson and Griff glanced at each other in horror, realising they had been completely played, while Arianna smirked deviously. Dale stood up, unsure what to say as he was completely bewildered. He turned to Hudson and Griff.
"Goodbye, you guys." He whispered to just them, blatantly ignoring Arianna, Brooke and Adam. He then walked away in silence, leaving the other five to themselves as they realised just how vital immunity idols are in this game and how they would truly have to be alert if they wanted to remain in the game and win.
Final Confessional: Dale Montgomery Lawson
"I was never destined to win this game. I knew from the beginning that I would have to rely on other competitors to make it far; and the chances of me winning with that method were minimal. Arianna and Adam played me like a fiddle, and if the two of them stay in the game nobody may be able to stop them. Good luck to Hudson and Griff; you're gonna need it."
...
Eliminated Contestants
Pre-Merge
20th Place: Mike Jones
19th Place: Olivia Haas
18th Place: Dale Montgomery Lawson
...
Thank you so much for reading! Please review to let me know what you thought of the chapter, and the next one will be released as soon as possible! Bye for now! ^^
