Chapter 12: Recovery
Today was a brand new day.
I had a chance to bounce back from the bottom, take charge of my team, and lead them to victory. I pretty much had to, since I performed so poorly yesterday.
We were down to five members left on our team. Somehow, Max has dodged two eliminations that we did. He continued to be unpredictably stupid, but because of myself or someone else screwing up worse, he always saved himself last minute. I was considering keeping him around longer so it'd be easier to get to the end, but I also had to remember that if we lost too many challenges because of him, I'd be in no position to save him. It would be a challenge, but he'd be someone I was willing to drag along.
The other unpredictable member of our team, Scarlett, was always attached to him. From the small amount I got from talking to her, Max had convinced she's his evil sidekick she was simply playing along with it for the easy vote. Of course, that made some of Max's evil plots much more successful, because she was a giant nerd, but it was nothing to be concerned about, since Max was the only person she was able to trick. I figured I should drop her pre-merge, because she could rise up as a threat later on.
Jasmine was my giant puppet, who I kept tied to me via the ropes of a fake friendship and allowing her to go see Shawn, who was on the other team. She pulled her weight in challenges and would be very difficult to dump early. That being said, should the Bears screw up and vote out Shawn, I would not hesitate to throw a challenge and take Jasmine out next. Unfortunately, I'm dependent on the very person keeping her as my puppet to leave if I want her gone too. What a pain.
Topher was my only true ally, and we made strong decisions together. We had talked a lot about how our games are going, but also a lot about our personal goals for the game as well, along with picking new goals for the champions who did their goals in a few hours, like me. If I needed someone gone, he wouldn't hesitate to help me out, and in return, I was to help him usurp McLean and take that bratty host down, which I didn't mind.
Speaking of which, Topher had recently been hitting McLean with a lot of, "you're getting old" comments. This was essentially a ploy to take McLean off of his high horse, so we could take him out on our level. Topher claimed that he was going to break any minute, and we were going to get something good. I had no idea what that actually meant, but Topher would only allude to certain things like skin care products and other aesthetic items. It was getting pretty annoying, but it was the price for an ally, and I suppose a friend.
This morning, however, I had other plans. I had agreed to meet Ella this morning just so we could chat and cool off a bit. After all, we were hurt the most in yesterday's challenge, well, except for Rodney, but I had no time to care about the people I had already smashed into the ground. I gave Jasmine the extra time to sleep in and got a head start on the foraging. Ella also volunteered to go with Sky to get food, so she would be nearby, but I planned on making her go away.
I gathered our team's food for about ten minutes before Ella and I agreed to meet, just so I'd be ready when she got here. On top of all that, I also properly brushed my hair this morning, after Jasmine created a make-shift brush for the three girls on our team to use. Honestly, I couldn't even feel the shocks from yesterday anymore. Nothing was going wrong today, and I just wanted to make sure Ella was in the same boat.
I quickly ran back and dropped off our team's food before going back to the woods to find my own. After waiting by a tree, I heard a chirping of birds that got louder as time went on, and before I knew it, Ella was there, accompanied by a large sum of animals. "Good morning, friend!" she called out to me happily.
"Good morning," I said, mustering a smile as I reached for some of the berries I found. "So, how was your team after the challenge?" I asked. What I was really interested in hearing was what Sugar had to say about her or me. "We both kind of struggled yesterday so I wanted to make sure they weren't mean to you again."
Ella held a neutral face. "They were fine," she admitted. "I was being truthful with my answer, and I do want to become better friends with Sugar." She looked at me. "Doesn't she look like she needs a friend?"
Ah, that was a loaded question. I mean, yeah, Sugar needed a friend, or at least someone to not make her as crazy or insane as she was already. But that wasn't what Sugar believed, so it probably wouldn't happen. "I think she does," I admitted, "but you also have to be careful she doesn't take your kindness for granted."
"Then how do you suppose I go about it?" she asked pleadingly. "You probably have lots of friends, I'd like to make one too." Oh, this conversation was going to hurt more and more as I kept going. I wanted very much to leave now, because Ella had started asking very hard questions.
Naturally, I did have a lot of friends, but most of them didn't speak to me anymore, so maybe that process had changed on how to make friends. When I was the top dog at school, making friends was easy, because it was a gift just for me to go out of my way to speak to someone. Once Samey shot that process in the foot, I kept to myself, scheming ways to ruin her.
"Uh..." I said a bit quitter, "try finding common ground." Was that how nerds did that? I should have consulted Scarlett first. Wait, this was definitely the right answer, because that's how Ella and I became friend-ish. But the question then changed to what on earth did those two have in common? Nothing, as far as I was concerned. "Although," I suggested, "if that doesn't work, then maybe it's safer to back off her. Maybe she isn't looking to make friends."
Perfect. I have now given her the backup option, and she'd definitely have to take it. "Why wouldn't she be?" Ella asked me. "What could be more important than that?"
"Probably the million bucks in her eyes," I reminded her, which Ella understood. I had no idea what Sugar wanted the money for, but that was the most likely reason for someone to do this show. But, everyone had their own goals. "Try your best, but don't try too hard," I told her. "If things go south you could be in trouble."
"O-okay," she agreed. She seemed upset at not being Sugar's friend. It was a little hard to watch. I had no idea why Ella wanted to be friends with someone like her, but if she was really this nice, than it made me feel...bad for her. I couldn't protect her perfectly from the other team, so I had no idea what turmoil might be happening within the bears that she hasn't told me.
Our conversation was put on hold by the booming voice of one person's favorite host. "Wakey, wakey, campers!" he shouted. It was an earlier announcement than normal, which meant that this challenge might be a bit longer, which was annoying. "Everyone gather down by the lake."
Ella and I parted ways and quickly hustled back to our campsites to meet up with our teams. When I got back, Jasmine was waiting for me out front. "Where were you at?" she asked with a concerned tone. "No one could find you, but we found the food."
"I was...venting," I lied. "Yesterday was a stressful day for me, so I needed to get some of that out." I looked at the team who was looking back at me. Topher knew where I was, and Scarlett didn't care, but I did trick Max and Jasmine, so that was all that mattered.
"Well, we're glad to have you back," Jasmine told me. "Let's get down there." We started walking down to the beach, which I had a very good idea of how to get to. But, I stayed behind Jasmine who was already leading the way, just to avoid any suspicion.
Topher approached me as we walked down, and I spaced out a bit to be out of earshot from the team. "She still crazy?" he asked me.
"Ella's not crazy," I said in her defense, "just...naïve. I'm concerned about her not being able to hold her own against Sugar."
The wannabe host laughed at me. "You know, if you had waited on Dave, you could have taken her out."
I shook my head in response. "I wouldn't have had the votes. Besides Dave, Leonard was the only safe option that night." But, that did make me think of something. My only way to drop Sugar would be to vote her off now. If she got the point where she was in a four person team, Ella would stay at her side, which meant that the only way to take her out would be to vote her off now. But, that still hurt me...right? If I was to eliminate her, Shawn would be my only concern about my team finding out. Ugh, this was annoying.
"You're overthinking this," Topher responded to me. "If everyone was as paranoid as you, it would make for very interesting content."
"I bet," I sneered back. "When you host, how are you going to turn us against- Ow!" Topher had stopped moving, and I ran into him. I was about to give him a piece of my mind until I looked up, and that was when I saw it. "Wow," I muttered.
"Wow," Topher responded, completely unaware of anything besides what was right in front of us. What we saw was...scary, and also incredibly funny. McLean was in front of us with his typical giant smile, but this time, he had no stubble, none. His entire face looked eerily different. I didn't know what he did to make it look like that, but it was beyond me.
"Okay, that's enough," McLean told Chef, who was holding a poster behind him and a fan. "Kill the effects." That was weird. He said everything with a smile. I knew he was some whacked out host, but something more was up than a simple shave.
Topher jumped the gun, going right up to him. "Chris, you look...different today." I guess pressuring him on the decision would be a smart decision. When someone held power over you, psychologically breaking them was naturally the next best option.
"Just my natural youth shining through," McLean told him. Oh, that was good. Topher had succeeded with his first phase of his plan. McLean was now paranoid of his looks and how he was perceived. Anything we did next would be seen with less scrutiny than normal, as McLean would spend more time doing who knows what to get ready each day.,
However, Topher kept pressing him. Wonderful. "No, no, you did something," he declared. He began to try and call out what McLean did. "...Oxygen sleep chamber?" he asked. Huh. I guess Topher did tell me he had film school experience. He probably would call McLean out on what it was eventually.
"Nope," McLean responded, still creepily smiling. Ugh, how long was he going to be like that? It was...unnerving to say the least.
"Hydrochloric acid peel?" Topher asked again, pointing at his face. He seemed determined to get this. However, he was hit with another 'no'. "Elastin protein tablets? Anti-oxidant firming serum?" Topher began to sound more desperate as his guesses weren't going through.
McLean shook his head again. "Nope, and nah-uh."
Their conversation was interrupted by Sugar. "Is this the challenge?" she asked, "we gotta make up cooky words?" She then began trying to make up words that were definitely not real, compared to Topher's actual vocabulary.
Sugar kept trying, creating more and more words. Ella looked like she wanted to interfere, but I watched her catch a glimpse of me, and she backed off. She looked sad that she didn't try and play around with Sugar, but it was for her own good. I didn't want her to slip up and fall in one of Sugar's traps. The thing that did stop Sugar was the air horn, blaring right at Sugar. "Silence!" McLean called back at her.
Next to me, Topher began to snap, showing he figured it out. "Slowtox," he muttered to himself, turning back around to us. He looked like he wanted to say more to me, but we were cut off, as McLean began to explain this new challenge to us.
"Today we will be laughing as you risk your lives," he started, "in the smash, splash, one-two-three X dash." Hm. It didn't sound too dangerous yet. Hopefully this was fully for dramatic effect, and not actually putting us in extreme danger. As far as challenges have gone so far this season, none of them were really too scary or deadly. Perhaps the previous season was too much for the producers. "Players have to cross the beams, grab a dueling stick from the end of the dock, bring it back to yours, and place it on your board."
Okay, nothing too bad yet. I wasn't going to say anything, just in case. "Two dueling sticks make an X, three X's wins the challenge." So...first to six. We could manage that. The question was how to stop the other team from winning first.
It turned out I wasn't the only one thinking of that. Max grinned happily. "I have a diabolical scheme for the-"
"Anyone who messes with the other team's sticks will result in them losing the challenge." Max let out a huff. So...how did we stop them? It wasn't just a simple race, right?
McLean continued explaining. "Only one member per team can cross at a time. If you land in the drink, that turn gets you no points, so, use that dueling stick to swat, trip, or bat your opponent into the water." So...this wasn't painful at all. If you were as coordinated and skilled as me, then this would be simple. Honestly, only Max served as an issue for us. "This will be awesome to see!" McLean commented.
Topher smirked next to me. "Nervous?" he asked slyly.
I smirked right back. "Please, I don't even plan on getting my hair wet." That part was true. I brushed it this morning, and I definitely did not want to have to brush it again.
"You decide your own order," McLean told us, "but, each team member must go at least once." Perfect, so it'd be an even five versus five, and no one to stop us. Sky was our only threat, and Jasmine could take her. Shawn was our other big issue, but I had a secret weapon I was ready to use. "It's game time! Swim to the docks and wait for my signal to start." Ugh, we had to swim out there? So much for not getting my hair wet.
Once we got out there, we were all soaked. "What a mockery," Max commented, "Evil should never have to swim." Scarlett immediately began trying to converse with him again.
Meanwhile, I turned to Topher and winked at him, saying, "Jasmine, why don't you go first? You could probably scare them off by securing a stick round one!" I added a little more pep in my voice just in case she considered disobeying the team leader. Topher noticed what was going on, and quickly nodded in agreement.
"Uh, sure," she agreed. "Just...not against Shawn," she asked, whispering to me. I rolled my eyes away from her sight, and then nodded to accept her terms. The air horn went off, and Jasmine started running. It seemed that the bears sent up Sugar, which was a solid opponent for Jasmine.
Once Jasmine was out of earshot and within a good distance away from us, I quickly turned to Scarlett and Max. "Good," I said to them, "now that the only person who'd be opposed to it is gone, we need a plan for Shawn." The two of them stared at me. "We need a way to beat him, no matter what it takes."
Scarlett nodded. "I-I have an idea," she muttered to himself. "But, it might take a bit of...underhanded playing." Max's eyes lit up when she said that, and Topher quickly caught on to why I got rid of Jasmine.
"Let's do it anyway," I said. "We can send Max up as bait for whatever it is." Scarlett nodded in agreement, grabbing a wire that Max was holding. Oh? Did she maybe already have a plan she was going to do? I needed to keep a closer eye on her, but for now, all I could do was ask for her help. I didn't know who I wanted gone from their team yet, but I did at least want the choice.
There were no more obstacles in our way, and that really clicked once Jasmine easily took down Sugar and returned to us. We were going to wipe the floor with them, and it was not going to be pretty. Perfect.