Nights in the Amazon were never quiet. While the forest was always noisy, most animals in the rainforest were nocturnal. It wasn't soothing white noise, but continuous insects buzzing, birds screeching, and frogs croaking. Especially at night.

A person shouting is about 70 decibels. Noise over 120 decibels is painful and damaging to the human ears. Thunder is about 100 decibels. A military jet is usually 120 decibels. A howler monkey can be heard from as far as three miles away; they scream at 130 decibels.

That night in the Anacondas camp, someone screamed even louder.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone ran out of their tents as another voice yelled.

"Ratttttttttttt!"

On her hands and knees, Dolly crawled out of her tent to the firepit. She kicked up her tent, revealing a swarm of large rats scurrying under them.

"Dolly?" Kaobawa asked.

Dolly ran straight into Kaobawa's arms, hugging him tightly. The chief blushed.

The other Anacondas started to panic as rats ran out from in and under the tent. The rodents scattered in all directions. Everyone jumped.

Brantley instinctively kicked a rat as it ran across his foot. Arwen cringed and Flynn backed up into his tent while yelling, "Gross, gross, gross!"

"Aww, they're so cute," Luis said.

"Are not!" Dolly replied.

She realized she was still holding onto Kaobawa. She blushed deeply and took a few steps away from him.

"Look, I'm not usually scared by rodents...until I wake up to them crawling inside my sleeping bag!"

She shuddered as Jessica Crystal gave her a soothing backpat.

"No one is judging you for screaming," she said.

"That wasn't me..."

"MMMMMMMMMMMM!"

Rubella, her face bulging, ran out of her tent with muffled screams.

"Uh oh," Montana said, "I think she's going to hurl."

The diva dropped to her knees and started coughing...hacking up a big headed rat. It shivered and scurried off into the forest.

The Anacondas stared at her.

"..."

"Rubella?" J.C. asked.

"It crawled in my mouth as I slept."

"I'm-"

"In. My. MOUTH."

Rubella stood up, took a deep breath then started screaming and running to the river. She tripped halfway there.

/

At the Capybaras camp the next morning, everyone was quiet. Well, not everyone…

"Yoooooo!" Giovanni shouted. "What's good this morning Capybaras?"

The Jersey wannabe emerged from below deck, smirking. He gave a big yawn, stretching and instinctively pulling off his tank top. He took a seat around the firepit, grabbing a fried fish.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Out did yourself today with the brekkie Norris."

"Uh thanks eh."

Giovanni took a big bite. He loudly licked his fingers clean.

Plath gave Cecilia a concerned look. The actress nervously smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, I was almost voted off," Giovanni said. "But I wasn't! I can't help but be happy about it. It kind of sucks what I had to do to stay...but I'm not gonna worry about that yet. Point is; ya boy's still here!"

After breakfast, Heloise, Cecilia, Cassidy, In A Gadda Da Vida and Plath had moved under the deck.

"So...explain to me this plan again," Plath said.

"Well," Cecilia said. "Cassidy and I noticed Savannah acting very mary, mary quite contrary."

"I can't take any credit," Cassidy said. "Cecilia realized Savannah was pretending that her hearing aid was broken. She was a real sleuth!"

Cecilia beamed. "Well, I have starred in the licensed Perry Mason musical adaption, Perry the Night. Of course I was the culprit, but to play a good culprit you have to understand the detect-"

"Alright," Heloise said. "I get it; Savannah was lying about her hearing aid. But why vote her off?"

"Well, I didn't mean for her to go home necessarily…"

"You voted for her. How is that not meaning for her to go home?"

Cecilia nodded. "My plan was for her to be in the bottom two or three. Then Savannah would ask why her name hadn't been called or act surprised when it was...meaning she heard it. I could then reveal she'd been lying the whole time."

The others looked at her with confused expressions.

"So...perhaps my plan made more sense in my head."

In A Gadda Da Vida shrugged. "Who cares. She lied. Isn't it good we voted her off?"

"Wait, you voted her off too Vida?" Plath asked.

"Oh yeah. Did you guys not?"

Heloise growled. "So you told Vida your plan?"

"No," Cecilia said. "Vida, you plucky duck. Why did you vote Savannah?"

"I didn't like her. She talked a lot of trash."

"She did?" Plath asked.

"Oh totally," Cassidy added. "Savannah had a garbage mouth. I didn't ever want to tell anyone because they were so mean, but the jokes she made about people were bad. Especially you Plath."

"Wait, she made jokes about me?"

Cecilia shook her head. "I knew she was no good. My instincts aren't wrong about this sort of thing."

"Okay," Heloise. "Everyone, hold the phone. HOLD IT!"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know what Savannah was doing. Maybe she was lying or being mean. But how did she go home? Did you tell the guys?"

Cassidy gasped. "I'm many things; cute, pretty, witty. But the last thing I'm known for is gossiping."

"I didn't," Vida added.

"I was still too mad with that arrogant meathead to bother," Cecilia said. "And...it would've gone against my plan if they voted for Savannah too."

"BREAKING NEWS," The Ham roared. "This just in; they did! Your plan is why Savannah is gone."

"Honestly I'm a little sad that Savannah left," Plath said. "She was our friend, I think. And she did try at the challenge."

Cassidy threw an arm around Plath. "You wouldn't be sad if you heard what she was saying about you."

Vida pouted. "She was talking smack about Plath too? I'm extra glad I voted for her!"

"What I'm really confused about is why did no one tell us," Plath admitted.

"I'm sorry dear," Cecilia said. "I didn't want anyone getting hurt. I promise to talk to everyone the next time I uncover that someone is manipulating us by pretending they can't use one of their five senses."

"Thanks Cecilia...I guess."

"Yeah, don't leave us out of the vote," Heloise added.

Cecilia nodded. "Ladies, I realize the grievous error I made. I flew too close to the sun. My hubris got the better of me, like Odyessus or Macbeth or Mr. Mistoffelees the magic cat. I thought I could reveal Savannah's scheming and now we all pay the price; having to put up with Giovanni. Please forgive me."

Plath forced a smile. "It's okay. We know you only had the best intentions Cecilia."

"I'm glad she's gone," In A Gadda Da Vida added.

Cassidy nodded and Heloise shrugged. Cecilia smiled and headed back updeck.

Cecilia dramatically sighed. "I hate to fib, but I had every intention of sending Savannah home. That 'plan' was a little last minute improv. I realized Savannah was able to hear things despite her claims otherwise. I brought it up to Cassidy, who told me everything she was saying and scheming. She said that Norris mentioned voting Savannah off...so I took a risk."

She crossed her legs, pushing the hair out of her face. "Maybe I shouldn't have, but I didn't want that rat around me. Giovanni is annoying, but he couldn't form an alliance with a log. If this show is a journey, is my final performance, I want to take it with good people."

As In A Gadda Da Vida and Cecilia left, Cassidy motioned the other girls to stay behind.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the others," Cassidy whispered. "But...I didn't vote for Savannah."

Plath looked confused. Heloise just looked annoyed.

"You didn't?" Plath asked.

Cassidy nodded. "Cecilia wanted me to, but she never clued me in on why. I wasn't keen on going against you gals. If I had known her harebrained scheme, maybe I could've talked her out of it."

"If you didn't," Heloise said, "Assuming all the guys did, that'd be five votes. I'm no math genius, but I know Savannah needed six."

Cassidy mock gasped. "That's right. I doubt Savannah voted for herself, so that means…"

"Octasia did," Plath added. "But, why?"

"She is a sneaky sort of Sheba," Cassidy said.

"Thanks for telling us Cassidy," Plath said.

Cassidy smiled. "Of course. Us girls have to stick together, right?"

Plath nodded as Cassidy made her exit. The bookworm's face dropped.

"Heloise, I'm starting to freak out," she admitted. "I told myself I wouldn't if this happened, but…"

"Stay calm," the wrestler replied. "We need to keep focused right now. We can't change Savannah left."

"Yeah, but we were left out of the votes. Doesn't that mean...we're next to go?"

The Ham snorted. "It'll take more than that to send The Ham home! Besides, we can't go home if we win the next challenge."

"If," Plath sighed. "If."

/

The Anacondas sat around the campfire enjoying breakfast. Rubella was busy studying their new reward.

"So what's the deal with that map?" Flynn asked.

Rubella scowled. "It's some kind of building. It has a few floors and different rooms. But nothing good. Not a single boutique or coffee shop. Not even a kiosk for bedazzling your phone case."

Brantley rolled his eyes. "Is it even a reward?"

"Right?"

"Arwen," Tim said, "you said after the challenge it looked like a dungeon, right?"

The L.A.R. nodded. "Yeah. When I DM campaigns, I design maps like that for the other players. It looked like it had secret rooms and the floor was marked with symbols."

"Like for treasure?" Dolly asked.

"Maybe, but I also mark it for booby traps and secret panels."

Montana took the map in his hands. He started smirking. "I think I know what this map is. It's for a temple!"

"A temple?" Luis asked. "Like where the elimination ceremony is?"

"The same kind," Montana said. "But I doubt the same one."

"So the challenge is to explore a temple?" Flynn asked. "It sounds easy if we have the map."

Brantley frowned. "Too easy. It's not exciting television if there isn't a challenge."

"You're probably right," Montana said. "It looks like the map isn't finished."

"So there could be a Starbucks?" Rubella asked.

"What missing?" Kaobawa asked.

"It looks like a complete floor plan," Montana replied. "But the later rooms and higher floors have less markings, side rooms and alternate paths. There might not be any...or they aren't finished."

"Still, this is cool," Flynn said. "Right? I mean we have a couple days to figure out a plan and prepare."

"Yeah," Luis said. "We should make sure to bring snacks."

Rubella cleared her throat. "As a team captain, I'll start strategizing for the challenge."

"If it'll keep her busy," Dolly whispered.

"Exploring an Incan temple," Montana said. "Now that's the kind of adventure I signed up for. Ooh, I hope there are some real original booby traps. And maybe an ancient curse. This is the kind of challenge I was built for!"

The night before the challenge, the Capybaras sat on their boat around the firepit. They had a quiet dinner. A few tried to start a card game, but it lingered off. Everyone seemed off in their own little world.

Finally, Norris said what was on most everyone's mind.

"Tomorrow's gonna suck, eh."

Cecilia sighed. "I'm not looking forward to another beating."

The Ham scoffed. "Giving up already?"

"You can't deny that the Anacondas have smoked us in the last three challenges," Octasia said.

"They also have an advantage," Zane added.

"So?" Heloise asked.

"The deck is stacked in their favor," Cassidy admitted.

"Well why don't we all quit and just give them the win?" Heloise asked.

"Nobody's saying that," Octasia replied.

"That's what I'm hearing," Heloise said. "You're acting like we lost before we've even started, before we even know what's happening!"

"It's easy to say we'll do better," Octasia said, "we did after our first loss. And our second. But it gets harder."

"No one wants to get their hopes up," Giovanni replied.

Plath sighed. "It does seem a little hopeless."

"I've seen hopeless things," Heloise stated. "They usually aren't."

Heloise sighed, sitting down in front of the fire. "I'm not saying it's not hard. We all feel the weight of our losses. But we can carry it together. If we can go in believing, really believing, we've lost then we can't win. That's a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"So you just want us to pretend like it's going to be okay?" Giovanni asked.

"You didn't hear what I said. I think you're doing the opposite right now. We need to work hard to make sure we win. But we can't work hard, if we don't have some hope, some faith, some belief we can."

Heloise leans back, lying down and looking up at the sky.

"There was this girl I knew as a kid. She was born sick. Always frail and underweight. Being sick was her normal. At five, she couldn't walk. At six she moved into a hospital. At seven, she never left the hospital.

"Still couldn't walk. Her muscles were failing her. She had given up on physical therapy. At nine, the doctors gave their final judgement. She would never walk again. She was too weak. That was that. It was hopeless."

Heloise paused. She looked at the others and shrugged.

"What happened?" Plath asked.

"They told her."

"And?"

"She was pissed."

Heloise snickered. "The doctors had given up hope, but she went back to physical therapy. She kept trying. Everyone told her it was hopeless. The doctors, her parents, her siblings. But she wasn't giving up. All her life they told her she'd be sick. She never imagined she could be anything else. But she had nothing to lose. So, why not?"

She smiled. "So she kept going and going. And at twelve, guess who walked herself out that stupid hospital?"

Heloise started laughing. Most of the others couldn't help but crack a smile. Norris and Plath started to laugh too.

"So what happened to the girl?" Vida asked.

"She never stopped. She started running. Then lifting. She reached a hundred pounds. Two hundred. Three hundred! She got stronger and stronger, until she was so strong she was the Wrestling To Heck champion!"

The others stared at Heloise, but she just smirked.

/

At the Anacondas camp, Rubella sat in her tent with Jessica Crystal. She crossed her arms, groaning.

"Where are those losers?" Rubella asked. "Do they not realize how important secret alliance strategy meanings are!"

Jessica Crystal smirked. "You just want to play D&D, huh?"

Rubella threw up her hands. "I'm this close to gaining another level! Not to mention we are about to find out what happened to the missing king. What could they be doing?"

"I think love is in the air," Jessica Crystal replied.

"Love?"

"Well, just a guess. But I do have the highest rate of any matchmaker. I think our two friends might have caught some feelings for a couple of boys. It's cute."

"Who?"

Kaobawa and Tim honey. Haven't you noticed the looks they give each other?"

Rubella tapped her chin. "Now that you mention it, Dolly mentions Kaobawa a lot. And Tim and Arwen are total nerds...although I think Arwen might have a thing for Mr. Marvelous?"

J.C. smiled but shook her head at Rubella.

"Everyone knows relationships are just another form of alliance," Rubella said. "So of course, I have to hook up Dolly and Arwen with Kaobawa and Tim! That means I basically control two extra votes! It's a brilliant plan, with no down sides!"

When dawn broke, Luis, Montana and Brantley went off to gather fruits from the trees. Montana and Brantley watched as Luis climbed up a tree, picking berries.

"You alright up there?" Brantley called.

Luis shot a thumbs up. "I've been practicing with Montana. I want to get better at scavenging."

"I didn't do anything," Montana said. "Luis is a natural."

"If he could live in a tree he would," Brantley joked.

Luis laughed. "I've actually developed a few floor plans for a treehouse I could live in. I thought about putting in a wood fire stove so I wouldn't need heating."

Brantley smiled, shaking his head. "Of course you have."

Luis slid down the tree, handling the berries in his shirt. Montana opened his backpack, where other fruits were being stored.

"That should be enough for today's challenge," Montana said.

Brantley paused. "Speaking of, have you gentlemen given any thought of what to do if we lose?"

"Isn't that a little pessimistic?" Luis asked.

"I prefer to think of it as pragmatic."

Montana shrugged. "I don't like the idea of saying goodbye to anybody. So if I don't have to think about it, I won't."

"Ignorance isn't strength," Brantley stated. "You don't want to be caught surprised."

Luis and Montana frowned. Brantley shrugged.

"We don't have to talk about it now. I hope we don't need to have such a conversation. I just...wanted to let you know I'm interested in talking if we must."

"Of course," Luis said. "If you're feeling nervous about a vote, we got your back. But I don't think you should."

Brantley forced a smile. "Glad to hear it."

After a quick breakfast, both teams met at the reward zone. Arwen frowned as she looked over at the Capybaras.

"Looks like they voted off Savannah," she whispered.

Dolly shrugged. "She wasn't on our team."

"I guess, but it's still kind of sad…"

"Morning explorers," Rhonda greeted. "Who's ready for another adventure?"

Montana raised his hand and started jumping in place.

"Good, because today we'll see if you really are explorers. Today you'll be investigating an ancient abandoned temple!"

"You mean where we have elimination?" Zane asked.

"Nope. This place is much worse. We were planning on holding elimination there, but given it's filled with deadly booby traps and cursed-"

"Cursed?" Cassidy asked. Montana fist pumped the air.

Rhonda nodded. "This tower was a place of worship for the Incan god of death; Supay. He ruled their underworld or 'Uku Pacha'."

"So like their devil?" Giovanni asked.

"Most chthonic gods weren't gods of evil in most religions," Brantley replied. "They just get associated with evil or corruption because the major Western religions do with the Devil."

"Like how Hades isn't really an evil Greek god," Plath added.

"Supay wasn't that bad a guy," Rhonda admitted. "I mean he was the leader of demons, but for a piece of your soul he'd make you rich with ores from underground. Of course, he's still a god of death and was pretty scary. That's why the tower is super cursed."

"Have fun!" Jenny giggled.

"I'm sorry, but are we really supposed to believe you guys found two temples?" Cassidy asked. "Or even got permission to use both?"

"Hey," Jenny replied, "me and my sidekick have a degree in archeology!"

"How?" Norris asked. "You print it online or something?"

Jenny narrowed her eyes. "Who's asking?"

"I bet it's just a phony Hollywood set," Cassidy added.

"This curse certainly is," Brantley said.

Montana pouted. "Don't take the fun out of it."

"Ignore it if you want," Toby said. "Just remember death is a method of elimination."

"For the challenge," Rhonda said, "our interns have hidden an idol for each team inside the ruins."

"We think they did," Jenny said, "they never actually left the temple…"

"Each team will be guided to a different entrance. Either a host or intern will be at each exit. Whichever team's idol is presented to us first wins. You ready?"

Heloise nodded as the other Capybaras put on their game faces. Rubella smirked, holding up their map. The other Anacondas smiled.

/

Soon, both teams were chartered by boat. The Anacondas approached the mouth of a cave. From her pocket, their 'great and powerful' leader pulled out maps. She passed one to each team member.

"Listen up everyone," Rubella said. "Last night, Arwen and I made everyone a copy of the map." "Gee, that's a great idea," Tim said. "Thanks Arwen!"

Arwen blushed. "Actually, it was Rubella's. I just helped."

The others raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" Dolly asked.

Arwen nodded.

"Okay. But like, are you really sure?"

Rubella sat next to Arwen, scooting closer and pushing her next to Tim.

"I'm not surprised you think Arwen did it," Rubella said. "I mean, she's like a genius. Right Tim?"

Tim rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I guess."

'Don't think she's kind of cute for a nerd too?"

Arwen scratched her head. "Uh, thanks. I think."

"Is she flirting with you?" Tim whispered.

Arwen shrugged.

/

The boat stopped outside of the cave. Using their map, the Anacondas realized they were dropped off at a back entrance. Through the cave was a staircase that led to the first floor of the temple.

Immediately, they came to an impasse.

"We have two doorways," Montana said. "According to our handy dandy map, each leads to a different room."

"Which do we go with?"

"Hmm. Would you say this is more of a temple or a tower?" Montana asked.

"Why?" Flynn asked.

"Well, usually treasures are kept deep at the heart of a temple. But if it's a tower, you need to reach the top floor."

"It isn't clear which way leads where," Luis noted.

Rubella smirked. "The only sensible thing to do is for half of us to go one way, and half the other."

"We're already splitting the party?" Arwen asked.

"Rhonda only said whichever idol is found first wins," Brantley recalled. "As long as someone presents it to them, we win."

"Exactly," Rubella said. "So, Montana, Brantley, Flynn, Tim and Arwen will go right. The rest of you will follow me to the left."

With no better plan, the Anacondas split up.

"Heh, heh, heh," Rubella chuckled. "Those doors were the perfect excuse. Now, Arwen is with Tim. While Kaobawa, Dolly, Luis, me and J.C. head left. ...Crap, I'm stuck with her. Oh well. If I keep pairing them together, they'll start dating and I'll control two more votes! It's brilliant! And no one has any idea what I'm doing."

"I have a pretty good idea of what Rubella is doing," Jessica Crystal said. "She's trying to keep Dolly with Kaobawa and Arwen with Tim so they'll get together. It's kind of sweet that she cares so much about them getting together."

At the same time the Capybaras were entering the temple on a higher floor. It was a grand hall with a large, tiled floor.

"So, what's our plan eh?" Norris asked.

"This usually doesn't go well," Octasia admitted. "But we should split up. There's a lot of ground to cover."

In A Gadda Da Vida stopped, studying the wall. She tilted her head, noticing a trap wire sticking out of the ground. "Weird, someone could trip on this."

She started plucking it like a harp string.

Every doorway, including the entrance, closed off.

Octasia facepalmed. "Vida...did you just activate a trap?"

"No, I was just playing with this floor string."

"That's a trap wire. It sets off traps! Haven't you seen an adventure movie?"

"No."

"Of course not."

"Some words of warning dear," Cecilia said. "If something seems off in this temple, it probably activates a trap."

"Oh." Vida replied. "Like that loose floor tile you just stepped on?"

Cecilia looked down as her foot slowly sank into the ground. The entire floor started to shake.

"...Exactly."

"Oh." Vida replied. "Cecilia I think you set off-"

Without warning, the tiles started to fall out of the floor.

"The floor's caving in!" Plath screamed. "We're all going to fall to our deaths!"

"LIKE HELL WE ARE!" Heloise growled. She punched the floor...knocking out even more tiles. "...Now I want to punch it MORE!"

"Maybe something will break our fall?" Giovanni asked.

The tiles next to him fell away, revealing a set of spears with skeletons impaled on them.

"...Did they rebuild this floor everytime?" Zane asked. "That's a lot of effort for-"

He yelped as a tile slipped under his foot.

The Capybaras made a mad dash to the other side of the room. Cecilia cried out as her heel snapped and she fell through the floor.

"Curse my fashionable footwear!"

"Cecilia!" Plath cried out.

Heloise body-slammed the closest door, knocking it down. "Oh yeah! Let's go Capybaras!"

Plath and In A Gadda Da Vida were closest. Zane held out his hand as Heloise just grabbed him and yanked him inside.

Zane twiddled his thumbs, blushing. "So me and The Ham technically held hands…"

"Where's everybody else?" Heloise asked, throwing the short girls and Zane on her back.

"You know, just hanging out," Octasia replied.

Heloise looked to see Cassidy, Octasia, Giovanni and Norris clinging off the side of a doorway on the other side of the room.

"Really?" Cassidy asked.

"If I have to die, at least it was punny."

"Maybe we shouldn't have doubted Rhonda," Norris admitted.

"I regret nothing!" Cassidy replied.

"Could we find something to make a bridge with?" Zane suggested.

Plath snapped her fingers. "Hold on, I think I have an extra hair tie."

"How you gonna make a bridge out of that?" Giovanni asked. "Use your ponytail?"

Plath rummaged through her pockets until she pulled one out. She whispered into Heloise's ear. Heloise smirked. The wrestler stretched it between her fingers. She took aim.

Whizz.

She launched the hair tie through the air until it struck the trap wire.

The doors opened again.

"That a girl Plath!" Octasia cheered.

"So cool," Vida said.

Plath blushed deeply. "It was really just The Ham."

The Ham laughed, raising Plath up. The girl blushed deeply. "Hahaha! Take a moment to applaud yourself Plath!"

Norris climbed up to the doorway. He pulled up Octasia, accidentally falling back. She landed on top of them. They both blushed.

Octasia giggled. "Come here often?"

"Can you two save it until we're not hanging on for our lives?" Cassidy asked.

Octasia growled, but pulled the girl up.

"What about Cecilia?"

"Go on without me dears!" she shouted from below.

"You're okay?" Zane asked.

From below the pit, Cecilia sat atop a skeleton. "This lively dead fellow was kind enough to break my fall."

"Called it," Giovanni said.

"I know this will be hard for you all," Cecilia said. "But we need to focus on winning. So go, leave me. Keep trekking on, keeping me in your hearts and thoughts as I do the same to you. But above all, know that though I may be but a humble, award winning actress I-"

She paused to realize everyone was gone.

"Well. You didn't have to leave that quickly."

/

Jessica Crystal led her group through the ruins. She held a torch, which provided the only light in a dark room. Except for her natural radiance. Dolly, Kaobawa and Luis followed closely, hanging on to her word. Rubella not so much.

"...And that's what I suspect really happened to the lost colony of Roanoke," Jessica Crystal explained.

Dolly and Luis gasped, while Kaobawa shrugged but nodded.

"It sounds so obvious when you explain it like that," Dolly said.

"How do you remember so much?" Luis asked.

"Well, I've familiarized myself with all of American history after I worked as a director for the National History Museum," Jessica Crystal explained.

"Wow!" Dolly exclaimed. "That's so amazing you were in charge of that place and you're not even eighteen."

Jessica Crystal shrugged. "I guess. They just offered the job while I was visiting to see the dinosaur I discovered while taking my third climb up Mount Everest. The paleontologists named it Jessica-Crystalsaurus Rex incidentally."

Rubella groaned, banging her head against the wall. The wall quickly flipped, revealing a secret room.

She sniffed the air. "That smell...could it be...is it…"

She took a deep whiff and shivered deeply. "Yessssssssss!"

"We should be careful of the trap doors in here," J.C. said. "What do you think of Rubella?"

They turned around to see Rubella running into the room.

Dolly groaned as they chased after her. Dolly and J.C. entered the room before it swung close.

"Um, girls?" Luis asked.

Kaobawa banged his fist against the door. "J.C.? Dolly? Rubella?"

/

The two Anaconda girls stopped and looked around.

"We lost her," Dolly groaned. "She could be anywhere!"

"I have a clue." J.C. tapped her shoulder and pointed at a sign.

"No. No. You have to be ****ing kidding me."

/

Seconds later, Jessica Crystal and Dolly arrived at-

"A coffee shop!" Rubella cried. She sank to her knees, kissing the ground of the Ancient Incan themed yet modern coffee shop in front of her.

"It's no Starbucks," Rubella admitted. "Some knock-off, wannabe chain probably. I mean what kind of name is 'Cherrylicious'? Gag."

She smiled as she wiped away tears. "But I'll take it!"

"Rubella," Dolly said, "I know you only have two brain cells, and one is just for using your Twitter. But you realize that an ancient temple shouldn't have a coffee shop, right?"

"How did the Inklings get their coffee then?"

"They didn't. It's a trap!"

"Why did it have a sign? Or why do I smell coffee?"

Dolly and Jessica Crystal paused and sniffed the air.

"She's right," J.C. admitted. "I smell coffee beans at least."

Rubella strutted up to the counter. "Hi hi! I'm here for my pumpkin spice, salted caramel mocha light iced latte with a shot of espresso and four pumps of vanilla, no whip cream, extra foam, extra caramel drizzle made with oat milk. Oh, and a muffin."

She waited. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Helloooo? Excuse me? Anyone there?"

Dolly and J.C. looked at each other.

"Can I get some service please!"

She tried to peek in the back. She dinged the service bell. "Helloooooooo-"

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened up underneath the three of them.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

/

Luis and Kaobawa kept pressing against the door.

Kaobawa shook his head. "They are fine."

"You think?" Luis asked.

"Dolly is smart and strong. Jessica Crystal is Jessica Crystal. And Rubella...has Dolly and JC. Sure they are fine."

Luis smiled. "Yeah, they're probably tracking the idol down right now. I guess we have no choice but to meet up with them later."

The two pulled out the copy of their maps and started walking off.

/

The three girls laid in a pile at the bottom of a tight room. The trap door closed, leaving them in total darkness.

"Well," Dolly said. "We're going to die."

/

The other half of the Anacondas walked down a tight corridor. They entered another room.

"A dead end," Brantley said.

Montana rubbed his chin in thought, studying his map. He approached the left wall, gently knocking against it.

"Anybody see any random large rocks we can sit on? Maybe a loose floor tile?"

"What are you doing?" Flynn asked.

"I can feel it; there's a secret passageway here. Some way to make the wall spin or a staircase appear."

He started patting down the wall. The others shrugged and did the same to the other walls.

"Are you sure?" Tim asked. "The map doesn't show anything."

Montana nodded. "You don't walk this far to get into an empty room. It's always something-"

Flynn pulled a vine off the wall. A trapdoor opened underneath Montana. "Like this!"

He hollered as he fell through the floor.

"Dang," Arwen said, peering at the trapdoor. She leaned over, accidentally losing her balance. "Ahhh!"

She grabbed Brantley's sleeve, trying to gain her balance. "Wait, you'll-"

"Ahhhhhhhh!" the two screamed as they fell down.

"Arwen!" Tim yelled, diving in after them.

Flynn stared. "Hey, wait for me! Not cool guys!"

He jumped in the hole after them.

The five teens landed on a slide and immediately soared down it. They twisted and turned, even going through a loop-de-loop, before sliding down one of three paths…

/

Cecilia sat criss-cross on the skeleton, trying to keep her weight. She gave a heavy sigh.

She glanced around the room. Every inch of the floor had red spears jutting out of the ground. Against the north wall, there was a small duct.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow. Each spearhead was painted red...except for one in the back corner that was green. Yanking off the skeleton's skull, she tossed it at the green spearhead. It fell like a lever.

The spears shot back into the ground. Cecilia stood up, smirking as she dusted herself off.

"If there's one thing I can spot, it's an out of place prop," she said.

Watching her steps, she snuck over to the duct. With a gulp, she crawled inside.

/

Dolly, Jessica Crystal and Rubella sat tight in their cramped hole.

"Ugh," Rubella groaned. "This is soooo lame."

"Thanks for trapping us here by the way," Dolly said.

"I said I was sorry."

"No you didn't!"

"Oh. ...I did in my head. So...sorry. I get a little coffee crazy."

"Let's keep our cool ladies," Jessica Crystal stated.

"I'm bored," Dolly groaned.

"I wish we could be playing Dungeon and Dragons right now," Rubella admitted.

Dolly giggled.

"What?"

"Nothing...just funny to hear you admit you actually like playing it."

"Okay, fine," Rubella said. "It's actually super fun when I get into it. Don't act like you didn't want to play either."

"True. The math isn't that bad. Well, when Arwen does it. And...we do make a good party."

"Agreed," Jessica Crystal said. "We're an even more dynamic party than my roleplay with Jack Black, Beyonce and Donny Osmond."

Dolly snickered. "What a group."

"I only know one of those names," Rubella admitted.

The three sat in silence more.

"I am really sorry we're trapped in here," Rubella said.

"It's fine," Dolly replied. "I mean, it could be worse."

"At least we aren't down here alone," Jessica Crystal said.

Rubella sniffed the air. "It's stronger."

"Huh?"

"The smell of coffee. It smells even stronger."

"Uh, guys?" Dolly said. "Did one of you just uh...have an accident?"

"Ewww, no."

"Then why are my feet in warm water?"

Rubella sniffed again. "Oh my garsh, it's coffee! COFFEE! It's raining coffee!"

Rubella held out her hands and stuck out her tongue.

"I think it's more accurate to say the room is flooding with coffee," J.C. said.

The three started floating as the coffee filled the room.

"Death by coffee," Rubella said. "Not the worst way to go!"

She ducked her head...only to pop up and spit out.

"Ughhh, oh no!"

"What?"

"It's...decaf!"

A wave of coffee flooded the room. Rubella yelped, grabbing Dolly and Jessica Crystal.

"This isn't how it's going to end, right?" Rubella asked. "We're not gonna die, right?"

"I don't know," Dolly admitted. They had risen to the ceiling.

"At least gonna die alone," Rubella said, grabbing the other girls.

"This can't be it," Dolly said. "But I don't know how we're going to get out of here!"

/

Dolly, Rubella and Jessica Crystal walked out of the coffee shop.

"Man, I can't believe we got out of there," Dolly said. "Thank goodness you were there Jessica Crystal!"

"It was nothing," J.C. replied.

"Are you kidding?" Dolly said. "That was amazing! I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. You saved our lives from that near inescapable death trap!"

"It wasn't that hard," J.C. replied. "Luckily between the three of us, we had some pocket lint, seeds, half a tube of chapstick and a bobby pin."

"Let's not forget," Dolly said, "that you hold the world record for breathing underwater, mastered Folktronica music and have experience as a Driver's Ed instructor. If you didn't, I'm not sure you could've saved us!"

Rubella stared blankly at the camera. "...I have no idea what just happened."

Deeper in the temple, Norris, Octasia, Giovanni and Cassidy stumbled through room after room. Norris stopped in a doorway. He peered out; on the other side was the sunken floor entrance they came through.

"I'd say we're lost eh," Norris said. "But we didn't know where we were going in the first place."

"Sweet, we're not lost!" Giovanni replied.

Cassidy and Octasia shared a look.

"I'm worried you two guys don't have a sense of direction," Octasia said.

Norris smirked. "Really? Aren't you and Cassidy the ones who always go missing."

Octasia smiled coyly while Cassidy shifted her eyes back and forth.

"If you want to disappear with me, just ask," Octasia teased. She booped the Canadian's nose, before walking on. Norris blushed and nervously chuckled, following after her.

Giovanni slunk behind Octasia and Norris as the two started chatting.

"You know I'm glad you're still here."

Giovanni turned, seeing Cassidy sliding next to him. "You are?"

"Of course!" Cassidy whispered. "Truth is, I voted for Savannah because I felt bad you might be going home. What a lousy reason to go home."

"That's what I'm saying," Giovanni replied. "Thanks Cassidy, I'm glad you're sensible."

Cassidy shrugged. "What can I say? I'm the Real McCoy."

The two were interrupted by Norris and Octasia laughing.

Cassidy shook her head. "Those two are like dead fish in a bucket, huh?"

"What?"

"Chummy. They're awfully chummy together. Wouldn't you think?"

Giovanni sighed. "Yeah. You think...you think they like each other?"

"Oh, I'm certain that Norris has fallen face first for her," Cassidy replied. "Look at him. He's intoxicated with her. Spifflicated even! But the real question is, does she like him?"

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't she? I mean Norris is rad as hell! He's a total ten. Uh, objectively speaking."

"I'm not saying she doesn't want some Canadian bacon," Cassidy said. "I just mean...do you trust her?"

Giovanni scowled. "Hardly."

"Exactly! So how do we know she really likes Norris? What if she's borrowing a play out of Mana Somebody's book?"

"I don't know," Giovanni replied. "She usually seems happy to be talking to him."

"Look, I'm not saying she's using a fake name," Cassidy replied. "I just get the vibe she's suspicious. Like she's hiding something. I'd hate for Norris to get mixed up with that."

Giovanni nodded, a troubled look on his face. Cassidy smirked to herself.

Cassidy was typing away on her phone. "Call me Madonna, because this girl has got all the material! I knew once I started 'digging', the scoops would write themselves! Thank goodness everyone here is an idiot. Especially Giovanni. He'll believe anything you tell him and eat up any story you sell. ...I should get him to subscribe to my blog."

In-between floors, Luis and Kaobawa were climbing a staircase.

"I think we're almost there," Luis cheered. Kaobawa nodded and sighed. As they reached the top, they entered a doorway into a room...full of staircases, à la the M.C. Escher painting.

Kaobawa's eyebrow twitched.

Luis forced a smile. "Well, nothing to do but go up…"

He started jogging up a staircase...only to start going down another one. "Um, maybe this one?"

As the nature lover raced up stair after stair, Kaobawa sat down on the floor.

"Ahhhh!"

Luis fell off a gravity defying staircase and next to Kaobawa.

"I think this room doesn't have an exit."

Kaobawa nodded.

"Now what?"

"We go down again." Kaobawa stated.

"Awww noooo!" Luis sighed, but stood up.

He held out his hand, pulling Kaobawa up. Unfortunately, Kaobawa slipped and fell against the wall...activating a wall panel. The room started to violently shake.

"Earthquake?" Kaobawa asked.

Luis grabbed onto a staircase trying to gain his balance.

"I don't think so. I think something's coming. Something big!"

The room started to shake more and more. Staircases started to crumble. The camera cracked. The floor split into two until finally...an escalator popped up out of the ground, leading to another floor.

Luis and Kaobawa shared a look, shrugged and hopped on.

Cecilia slowly drudged through a canal of muddy water.

"It beats spears," she muttered, holding up her skirt.

"Woo-hoo!"

There was a splash. She turned behind her to see Montana fall out of a sudden hole in the ceiling. The hole dispensed a photo, before closing.

"Aww, I blinked."

"Montana?"

The adventurer looked up to see Cecilia staring at him. He smiled.

"Well, looks like I found something priceless in this temple after all."

Cecilia giggled. "Nice to see you again. What kind of dangerous booby trap did you just escape?"

"A really big slide."

"He gets to have a fun time down a slide and I'm almost impaled?" Cecilia asked.

Montana strutted over to her. "Looks like we're both trapped down here now."

"I just fished myself out of a trap," Cecilia replied, 'thank you very much. I'm trying to win a challenge."

"Do you mind some company?"

"I'd welcome it...but we are on separate teams."

"True...but how about we stick together until we reunite with some of our team members. Just to be safe."

Cecilia tapped her chin. "And what if we find the idols?"

"If they're in the same place," Montana replied, "we'll race each other. I'll even give you a head start if you want it."

Cecilia smiled. "I guess I can't find fault in those terms. This place is rather dangerous. It'd be nice to have another pair of eyes. Especially one with a finesse for finding booby traps."

Montana winked at her.

"Alright. You really are a charmer."

He walked in front of her, before kneeling. "Hop on my back. I'll carry you so you don't have to walk through it."

"So you're a gentleman, not just a flirt," she replied. She sat on his shoulders as he lifted her up and marched through the water.

"I'm always a gentleman," Montana replied.

"Is tagging along with Cecilia a smart idea?" Montana asked. "Maybe not. We're competing against each other and I might get distracted...but every adventure needs a little romance."

On a much higher floor, the group of Zane, Heloise, In A Gadda Da Vida and Plath found themselves in their own predicament.

The four's backs were against the wall. Literally, sliding across the wall over a narrow edge. Plath kicked a pebble under her foot, where it fell through the empty floor into the mist below.

She paused. She didn't hear it land.

"How...how high do you think we are?" she asked.

"In Metric or standard?" Vida asked.

"Um...either?"

"Not sure."

"Pretty high," The Ham replied.

"I think we're almost done shimming across this wall," Zane said.

"Did you know the shimmy was a controversial dance in the 1920s for it's implied obscenity?" In A Gadda Da Vida asked.

"I didn't," Plath admitted. "I always love you know this stuff Vida. I learn something new every day I talk to you."

Vida shrugged. "I mean that's why I share those facts. I know people would like to know them."

Heloise contained a laugh. Plath giggled, but lost her footing. She started teetering, but Heloise reached out and pulled her back.

"You'll have to schedule losing your balance for another day," the wrestler replied.

Plath, still catching her breath, nodded.

The four finished and exited through another doorway.

"Nice work everyone," Heloise said. "Looks like we've got another staircase."

Zane and Vida hung their heads, but the four started marching. Heliose hung in the back, watching Plath as she calmed herself.

"How...how aren't you afraid Heloise?" Plath asked.

Heloise shrugged. "The Ham doesn't know the meaning of fear. Dictionaries refuse to tell The Ham. IT'S RUDE."

Plath sighed, causing Heloise to scratch the back of her head.

"Plath, I'm not the best at pep talks unless it involves strangling someone into unconsciousness. But you need to stop beating yourself up."

"I know. I'm awful about that."

"You're still doing it."

"I just wish I could be like you," Plath said. "So brave and fierce."

"I don't. Our team has me, but it needs someone like you too."

"But-"

"Have you forgotten you just saved half our team's bacon?" Heloise asked."It's not the first time either. You're smart, attentive and good at getting others to bond with you. In A Gadda Da Vida practically worships you."

Plath blushed deeply. "I still don't feel like I'm contributing enough. I mean sometimes I'm giddy and feel so special to be here. But then other times, I feel homesick. I miss the little things that shouldn't matter, like oatmeal raisin cookies or just having air conditioning. I get really nervous at challenges too. I don't want to leave or lose...but I'm just not strong enough to survive out here. That's holding our team back."

Heloise stopped Plath and stared her straight in the eye. "You think our team loves every minute of being here? You think Cecilia or Giovanni loves being eaten by bugs and constant rainstorms? Heck I miss home."

"You do?"

"I miss my siblings. And I know my body hates me because I haven't been to the gym."

"I guess you're right." Plath smiled a little.

"Yeah," Heloise said. "I am. I'm also right that you're doing just fine. The conditions are supposed to suck here. That's part of the show. You're doing good. It's like I was saying at the campfire last night. You spend all your time focused on your failures, you can't achieve real victories. Or celebrate the ones you've done."

"What if...what if I don't feel like I'm having any victories?"

Heloise paused. "Well, sometimes just getting up and keeping going the next day is victory."

Plath sighed, holding her head up higher. "Thanks Heloise. You're actually really good at pep talks. You're very...philosophical. You should write a book."

"Nah. My philosophy is punching."

"Maybe that's the Ham's philosophy, but not Heloise's."

She raced forward and up the stairs. Zane and Vida held their heads up as she passed, racing after her. Heloise smiled and chased after them.

/

Meanwhile on the escalator, a pebble bounced off Luis' head. He looked up and shrugged.

/

Arwen and Flynn were studying their own map.

"So we were on the second floor," Arwen said. "Then we fell down a trapdoor. So we should be on the first floor...unless there's secret sub-levels to the temple."

Arwen shrugged and smiled, marching forward. "We'll just have to do some exploring of our own."

"I guess that's cool," Flynn said, following after her.

The two slowly crept through the room. It grew darker and darker the further they went…

"I guess it was too much to install some lights," Flynn said.

"Kind of goes against the ancient temple vibe," Arwen replied.

The room started to give off a low, green glow.

"Do you think they heard me?" Flynn asked.

Arwen shook her head. She pointed to glowing specks of dirt caked against the floor or walls. She dug her fingers through the dirt, revealing tiny glowing beetle grubs.

"It looks like some kind of bioluminescent larva."

"Gross," Flynn said.

"Cool!" Arwen replied.

"Cool?"

"Yeah! Isn't that a neat thing to find?"

"They're basically wingless fireflies."

"Not really. But agree to disagree."

She watched them as Flynn stared at her.

"I mean I guess they're alright."

"You don't have to change your mind for me," Arwen replied. "No offense, but I don't care that you think they're gross."

"Well, lots of people would think they're gross. Bugs are gross!"

"So?"

"So...I mean...that's how it is."

Arwen shook her head. "Look, I just think it's neat we're experiencing bioluminescence up front and close. Sure, bugs are creepy and crawly, but they can still be interesting. It's not a big deal."

She started walking on. Flynn paused, but followed behind her.

"Who on our team would like that?"

"Quinton would have."

"Quinton was a nerd. Uh, no offense."

Arwen rolled her eyes. "I liked Quinton. I liked him more than you."

Realizing what she said, she looked away from Flynn and started walking faster. Flynn glared at her.

"Do you vote for Quinton?"

Arwen bit her lip.

"That's what I thought. He wasn't popular, he was at the bottom of the pecking order."

Arwen shook her head. "You care way too much about what other people think."

"Maybe," Flynn replied. "But I don't get how you don't. I mean you're wearing fake elf ears on international TV. Don't you know how that looks?"

"I made them myself," Arwen replied. "I think I did a pretty good job."

"Sure, but it's so nerdy."

Arwen shrugged. "I mean I am super nerdy. I L.A.R.P, I'm trying to learn Tolkien's Elvish, and I have a subscription to a Star Trek fanzine."

Flynn stared at her. "You know people will hate you for that."

"If someone hates me for that, they're probably not a good person in the first place."

"Well maybe not hate, but they'll think you're totally cringe."

"Eh, I can be cringy."

"How...how you are not bothered by that?" Flynn asked.

"I just don't think about it anymore man. Maybe I started to care in middle school, but I got over it. I'd rather have fun. I love what I love."

"What is her deal?" Flynn asked.

"What is his deal?" Arwen asked.

At the same time, Tim was headed into another room. Brantley followed.

"The map showed a mark about here," Tim stated, pointing to a wall. It depicted a murial where two figures pointed to the sun. Tim tapped the sun, which worked like a button. The wall split apart, revealing a secret passage.

"Nice deduction," Brantley said. "What's your theory as to why we should head this way?"

"Remember what you said at breakfast the other day?" Tim asked.

"How some scholars interpret Moby Dick as a metaphor for industrialization?"

"Not that. About how having the map would make the challenge too easy. Our terrible trio of hosts want an interesting show, so it can't be easy. The whole point of a temple is terrible, whacky booby traps! So to find the idols…"

"...we need to find more traps," Brantley guessed. "I can agree with that logic."

Under his breath, he added, "Except the part where it puts us in more danger."

The two crept through a narrow hallway until they came to another wall. Tim pushed it apart, revealing a room overgrown with moss and vines. Scattered across the floor were strange bulbs, like upside down bells. The plants were yellow and green, but their top leaves were blood red.

Brantley sniffed. "There's almost the scent of honey…"

"Talk about your fascinating fauna," Tim said. He leaned in close to a plant, but Brantley pulled him back.

"Luis was talking about these the other day," Brantley said. "I believe these are pitcher plants."

"What are they pitching?"

Brantley glared. He pointed to a little fly that buzzed in from outside. It landed on the ridge of the 'pitcher' sipping up sweet liquid. Then it tripped. Falling inside, it was trapped in a sticky substance that only pulled it down the more it struggled. The plant's top leaf closed on the pitcher. The two explorers watched as the pitcher shook for a moment, before going silent.

"It's one of the most bizarre parts of the natural kingdom," Brantley stated. "A carnivorous plant."

"Holy Weepinbells!" Tim exclaimed. "But, they just eat insects right?"

A pitcher plant burped, spitting up a bone.

Tim and Brantley shared a look. They peered out, seeing a doorway across the narrow ridge. Slowly, they tiptoed across the way.

"I find in predicaments like these it's best to never look down," Tim said. Brantley nodded.

They immediately looked down. Below them was a ravine full of pitcher plants, opening their leaves and inviting in prey. They gulped.

"Of course, you always look down anyway."

The two slowly trekked across.

"It looks like these plants have been growing here for years," Brantley stated. "Maybe parts of this temple are actually ancient."

"I hope that doesn't mean the curse is-"

Tim tripped on a root. He teetered, falling over the edge. Brantley grabbed him, but given Tim was much bigger and heavier, Brantley was pulled down with him. With quick timing, Brantley pulled said root, snagging it like a vine. They hung over the edge. The pitcher plants tied bibs around their leaves.

"Grab onto the vine," Brantley said. "Then start swinging."

Tim nodded. The two kicked off the side, swinging back and forth, building momentum. The root started to tear at the extra weight...but the two jumped and just reached the other side. Both boys panted.

"Looks like...we're pretty good swingers," Tim said.

"Don't...don't repeat that to anyone," Brantely replied.

"I owe you Brantley," Tim said. "If you hadn't saved me, I'd be fertilizer for those fiendish flowers."

Brantley tried not to smirk. "You're welcome."

/

The explorers weren't sure how long they had been inside the temple. But if they could peer outside, they could see the sun starting to move down.

Finally, Zane, Plath, In A Gadda Da Vida and Heloise reached the top floor.

"I wish the Ancient Incas were famous for inviting elevators," Plath stated.

"Did you know that the Roman Coliseum had 24 elevators that were manually operated by over 200 slaves?" Vida asked.

Plath blinked. "No. And uh, I take back what I said."

Heloise glared at the empty wall before them. "I wish they had built a door!"

"It looks like there's some kind of puzzle involved with it," Zane said. "Did you notice the mural on the staircase?"

Plath and Vida nodded.

"I think it was a secret code!"

"There were a lot of repeating symbols," Plath gasped.

"Exactly," Zane replied. "It's kind of like this video game puzzle. I think the code-"

"URGHHHHHHHHHH! DIE WALL DIE!"

The Ham charged like a raging bull chin-first into the wall. She knocked a big old chunk out of it.

"Solved it!"

"...That works too," Zane said. Plath patted his shoulder as they followed Heloise inside.

There was a long walkway. At the end, up a few stairs, was a pillar. Sitting on the pillar, shining with light descending from a hole in the ceiling, were two idols. The orange idol was shaped like a capybara, while the green was styled after an anaconda.

"There they are!" Zane cheered. "We're in the homestretch!"

"Okay, but how do we get out?" Vida asked.

Everyone paused, horror dawning on their faces.

"We'll figure that out after," Heloise replied. "First, we need to actually get our idol."

She punched her fist in her palm, before leading the charge. Way, way, way below them was a ravine of flowing water. Staring up at them was a group of black caimans.

"This might be a distributary of the Amazon river," Vida noted.

"Uh...aren't those the caimans that The Ham fought?" Plath asked. She pointed to one with a scar over his tail, glaring at the wrestler.

The Ham shrugged. "I beat them so easily, The Ham doesn't remember. But I know they remember The Ham."

She suddenly snapped her jaws in the caimans' direction. They jumped and ducked back into the water.

Out of nowhere, giant pendulum blades started swinging. Then ancient presses started to slam down and smash the ground.

The Ham grinned. "It's make or break time kiddies. I CHOOSE BREAK!"

She charged forward. The others hesitated, but nodded and ran after her. Zane ducked under a swinging blade, patting his fro.

"This...this isn't so bad, right?" Plath asked. She stopped at a smashing press, hesitating to pass it. "It could be worse."

BOOM.

"Did the floor just explode?" Zane asked.

/

Outside, Jenny and Toby watched on a monitor. Jenny started clapping.

"Ancient Incans didn't have landmines," Toby said.

"And that's why modern society is inherently better," Jenny replied. She pulled out a remote and started pressing buttons.

/

At the same time, Rubella, Dolly and Jessica Crystal stumbled into the center of the temple. It was a large room with several tiles. In the center was a pedestal just like the other room, with two idols for each team.

Rubella clapped to herself. "There it is! And nobody's reached it yet!"

"Huh," Dolly said, "Guess it is more of a temple than a tower."

Rubella was about to race over to it, when J.C. stopped her. "It probably has some terrible booby trap guarding it, or a puzzle to figure out how to reach it."

As if on cue, three large tiles on the floor lit up, one after the other. Dolly tapped her chin. She picked up a rock and tossed it on the tile; the tile lit up. She grabbed another rock and tossed it on a tile that didn't lit up. The tile glowed red and suddenly shot fire out of the ground.

"Yeesh," Dolly said. "It's like extreme hopscotch."

She stood up, stretching and smirking. The three tiles lit up again. Dolly leaped onto the first tile, then hopped on the next ones. "Good thing I'm a pro at hopscotch!"

The floor lit up with more complex patterns, but Dolly repeated them easily. Still, everytime she got close to the pedestal they'd move her backwards or have her go in a circle.

Rubella crossed her arms. "Okay, like is it me or is it keeping Dolly away?"

"I think that's part of the puzzle," J.C. admitted. "It's never going to take you directly to the idols."

"Easy," Dolly said. "I'm also an expert at leapfrog."

Another pattern lit up, drawing Dolly close but still about three tiles away from the idols. She smirked, jumping onto the last square in a squat. Pushing herself off the ground, she leaped and smacked right into the pedestal. The idols teetered, Dolly just grabbing the Anaconda idol while the Capybara idol smashed to the ground.

Rubella cheered as Jessica Crystal clapped. But they were drowned out by the sound of the temple shaking. The tiles on the floor started to lit up randomly, shooting out giant geysers of fire.

"Oops," Dolly said.

"Removing the idols must have activated one last trap," Jessica Crystal said.

Dolly ran across the floor, jumping and screaming as she avoided the flames. "Let's make like a tree and leaf already!"

"And how are we gonna get out of here?" Rubella asked.

Ding.

A door opened, revealing Luis and Kaobawa at the top of an escalator.

"Finally," Luis said. "We made-"

"Runnnnnn!" Dolly screamed. The three girls almost knocked the two down running down the escalator.

"What?" Luis said. "But we just-"

Kaobawa sighed, but pulled Luis by the arm as they escaped.

/

On the top floor, the Capybaras were still avoiding explosions.

"Do you know a person is killed by a landmine every fifteen minutes?" In A Gadda Da Vida asked.

Plath started breathing deeply as she jumped across the floor. She was sent flying into the podium by a stray explosion.

She groaned, but was helped up by Heloise. Plath smiled and adjusted her glasses as Heloise nodded.

Heloise approached the idol. "It's comeback time!"

"Wait," Plath said. "Removing it has to activate some kind of trap. It's probably weight based; we need something equal in weight to take its place."

Zane scratched his head, until he snapped his fingers. "I think I got something!"

He pulled out a yellow, tomato-like fruit from his fro and tossed it to Heloise. "I thought to bring a snack."

"Thinking with your stomach always pays off," The Ham laughed. She put her hand on the idol. In one move, she swiped it and replaced it with the fruit.

Everyone froze.

Nothing happened.

Everyone sighed in relief.

The pillar sank into the floor. The entire temple started to shake.

"SCREW IT!" The Ham yelled. She smashed the Anaconda idol to pieces. She took a bite of the fruit, threw Plath over her shoulder and started running.

The back wall lifted. Rolling out of it was a giant boulder. Heloise grabbed Zane and Vida, hauling them out of there.

All four Capybaras screamed and ran as the boulder sped up. Explosions went off, pushing the boulder forward. Presses and swinging blades blocked it, chipping at it but only slowing it down briefly. It got faster and faster.

Plath gasped. "Look, a door!"

A secret passage seemed to just open up from the wall. But just as it opened, the wall started to lower over it.

"We're not going to make it," Zane stated.

They ducked as debris flew over their heads. The boulder was gaining on them.

Heloise skidded to a stop. She set the others down. She turned and stared at the boulder.

"The Ham?" Vida asked.

"Go," Heloise said.

"Heloise," Plath said, "even you can't-"

"I can't stop it," Heloise admitted. "But I can buy you some time. Now go, win this thing."

She handed Plath the idol, winking at her. She turned, giving a deep growl before running at the boulder.

"LET'S ROCK AND ROLL! ARGGHHHH!"

They slammed into each other. With all her strength, The Ham pushed the boulder back. She seemed to stall it, but it was slowly scooting her forward.

"GET OUT OF HERE!"

The others stared, before Plath shook her head. She grabbed Vida and Zane by the hands and pulled them along.

"But, Heloise is-"

"She wants to do this," Plath replied. "We won't be any help. Let's make it count. For her."

The Ham nodded. Zane helped Vida crawl under the slowly lowering door. Plath looked back at Heloise.

The Ham grunted, trying to push the boulder to teeter off the edge.

"C'mon, c'mon…argggh!"

Suddenly, the floor caved in under her. Heloise tumbled, falling towards the ravine. The caimans eyed her and grinned, but started to scatter. The boulder tipped, falling right above Heloise.

Plath closed her eyes, running under the door before it closed.

Heloise raised her fist, screaming, "**** YOU GRAVITY! YOU SON OF A-"

/

Outside the temple, the sun had almost set. Rubella, J.C., Dolly, Kaobawa and Luis ran to the end of the escalator.

"We did it!" Rubella cheered. She held up their idol to the sky.

"Pardon us!"

Plath, Zane and In A Gadda Da Vida ran past her.

"What? Where did they-"

"They have an idol!" Kaobawa stated.

The Anacondas shared a look, then started running after them.

Zane looked back and gulped. "They're gaining on us!"

"But there's Rhonda," Vida said.

She pointed ahead at a mat. Rhonda was snoring in a lounge chair.

"That sounds bad," In A Gadda Da Vida. "Does she have sleep apnea?"

Rhonda stirred awake as she saw the two groups running at her. "Finally. This chapter has taken forever."

The Capybaras tried to sprint ahead, but the Anacondas closed in on them. Somebody tripped however, and all seven explorers crashed into a big pile right before the mat.

"Yeesh," Rhonda cringed. "So uh, who-"

"Ugh!"

Pulling herself out, Plath tapped the mat while holding up their idol.

"I'll count that. The Capybaras win!"

The Anacondas groaned and pouted. But Plath, Zane and In A Gadda Da Vida weren't smiling.

/

The Capybaras' win was soon shared with everyone. Once the idols were secured, they seemed to activate several exit doors throughout the temple. The few remaining interns went in and helped the remaining explorers out.

Montana and Cecilia stood outside an exit.

"Looks like this is the end of our adventure together," Montana said. "Shall we?"

He held out his hand. Cecilia smiled, but shook her head. "I think it would be better if we left separately."

"Ashamed of being seen with me?"

"No one would be ashamed with you around their arm," Cecilia replied. "But I don't want to get you into trouble."

Montana smirked. "Are you trouble?"

Cecilia giggled. "I mean, what if our teams notice and see it as 'fraternizing with the other team'? I don't want to be the reason you go home."

Montana rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I see your point. I'll head out. Wait a few minutes and then you should be good."

"If you make the merge, maybe we don't have to be so secretive."

The adventurer smiled and winked before leaving.

/

Both teams gathered at the reward area. But one person was missing...

"Where's The Ham?" Octasia asked.

"Is she okay?" Plath asked. "Is she...is she…"

"She's not dead," Jenny replied. "Geez, what fanfic do you think this is?"

"You haven't told me where she is," Plath stated. "How-"

"She's been injured," Rhonda said. "She's being treated at the infirmary at our base camp now."

"Injury?" Cassidy asked. "How could anything injure The Ham?"

Plath repeated the story, but nothing would be gained by saying it here.

"She sacrificed herself?" Norris asked. "Woah…"

"So... that means no elimination for us, right?," Flynn said. "I mean, she needs to be medically evacuated."

"Even when we win we lose a team member," Giovanni said.

"Fate truly hates us," Cecilia sighed.

"That was so stupid of her," Octasia said. "Now we're an even weaker team."

"Do we at least get to pick our reward first?" Cecilia asked.

"Losing your big muscle is its own reward," Brantley said.

"Like and no elimination," Rubella added.

"How lame," Cassidy sighed.

"How can you all talk like that!?"

Everyone turned to look at Plath. She was trembling, tears rolling down her face.

"Someone got hurt! Even if she's not on your team, that's not right. And the rest of you, she is on our team! She's our friend. She's fought harder than anybody here for a bunch of people who could care less."

Vida nodded, grabbing Plath's hand. Plath only started to cry more. "Even today, she tried to stop that boulder to help our team. To give us a win and lift our spirits. And now she's...she's going home…"

Plath wiped her face on her sleeve. Everyone fell silent.

"When did we say that?"

Plath looked up. "Huh?"

"We never said Heloise was eliminated," Rhonda said.

"But, but she's injured…"

"So?" Jenny asked.

"Doesn't that mean she's medically evacuated?" Cecilia asked.

"Have you ever seen the original show?" Jenny asked. "Dude gets mauled by a bear and his team still had to vote him off."

"What would be the point of doing dangerous challenges if it means you could go home?" Rhonda added. "If you get injured, you're allowed to be pulled from the game. But we won't force you."

"You kids could break all your bones and still be here," Jenny teased.

"As long as we can treat it you're still able to compete," Rhonda said. "It would need to be something super serious for you to be full-on medevaced."

"Like a deadly virus or radiation poisoning or something," Toby added.

Plath had stopped crying now. "You mean Heloise is-"

"RIGHT HERE FOOLS!"

A deep laugh echoed around them. Heloise exited from a dirt road. She was hobbling on crutches, her left leg and right arm in a cast and gauze tied around her head. But she was still smiling.

"The Ham!" Vida cried out.

She ran and tackled her into a hug. Heloise winced but smiled.

"Honestly, your injuries are tame for what they should've been," Rhonda admitted.

"You should see the boulder," The Ham laughed. "Now what's this about The Ham quitting? Are you all high or do you think that The Ham would actually give up? SAY NO TO DRUGS!"

Plath couldn't help but let out a giggle. Zane smiled and clapped. Soon all the Capybaras clapped as Heloise joined them.

"The Ham never quits. Ever. Some crutches never have and never will change that."

"You should be in the infirmary," Toby added.

Heloise rolled her eyes. "And miss our reward? FORGET THAT JAZZ! We earned it."

The co-hosts shrugged.

"Then let's get to it. What's behind Curtain #1."

The first curtain lifted to reveal...a small washer and dryer.

"Ahh, a portable, solar powered, washing machine and dryer!" Rhonda exclaimed. "Perfect for keeping your clothes clean...which frankly most of you could use. How about it Capybaras?"

The Gregarious Capybaras debated the idea. The washer was seen as irrelevant; the Capybaras had started doing laundry shifts, everyone cleaning one or two outfits in the river. Plath was quick to figure out that being portable, they'd still have to find water for the washing machine as well.

The dryer was a different story however. Given they lived on a boat and it rained often, keeping their clothes warm and dry hadn't been easy. Cecilia argued that they could dry their hammocks with it too.

Everyone agreed that seemed useful...but after losing so much, a nicer reward was tempting.

Octasia argued that if the Anacondas had the dryer, they could be used for their clothes, their tents and the electric blankets they'd previously won. Eventually, they decided to take the reward with the option of stealing the Anacondas' pick.

The Anacondas went with the third curtain. It lifted, revealing a few large stacks of books.

"Looking to kill some time?" Rhonda asked. "Why not curl up around your campfire with a nice book? We've got a collection of classics, best sellers and award winners. Fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, romance and even modern neo-noir mannerpunk dystopian fairy tale reinterpretations! Interested in checking out some books Capybaras?"

"I have a handful of books I'm happy to lend if anyone's interested," Plath said to her team.

With that, it wasn't a hard decision for the Capybaras. The Anacondas weren't that upset, they had gotten worse rewards.

"Alright then," Rhonda said. "It's already dark. Anacondas you've got an hour to figure out who's going home. Make it count."

/

By the time of the elimination ceremony, it was pouring. The ten Anacondas cast their votes and sat there, waiting for the results. Rhonda, Jenny and Toby watched them, all wearing ponchos.

"Welcome back Anacondas," Rhonda said. "Hopefully you didn't forget how this works."

The explorers glared at her.

"Here's a reminder. If I call your name, come and get a cocoa pod. You're safe. Whoever doesn't get a cocoa pod is tonight's loser. That won't be...Rubella or Montana."

The diva smiled. She wouldn't admit, but she was happy to not be in the bottom two. Montana likewise seemed relieved.

/

An hour earlier, Rubella gathered her alliance in the woods.

"So, who's elimination are we causing now?" Rubella asked.

"Don't say it like that," Arwen said.

"The guys still outnumber us," Dolly acknowledged. "Whoever we vote out, we're going to need two more votes to make it stick."

"Who are we thinking?" Jessica Crystal asked.

"Not Kaobawa or Montana," Dolly said. "They're too useful."

"Tim too!" Arwen quickly added. "He's really strong and smart."

Rubella smirked.

"What?" Arwen asked.

"You guys are so adorable."

"What?"

"Nothing. That doesn't leave us many options."

"Actually," Arwen said, "I hate to say it...but I think it should be Flynn. He's kind of…"

"Obnoxious," Dolly said.

Arwen threw up her hands, but nodded.

"Yeah," Dolly said, "but he has voted our way before."

"The guys might go for it," Jessica Crystal added.

Rubella snapped her fingers. "I got it. Luis. We're voting for Luis."

/

At the same time, Brantley was in the woods.

"I've been looking for you man."

Montana approached the highbrow.

"Likewise," Brantley replied. "I know you're not eager to talk about the vote, but-"

"No, I want to talk about it," Montana said.

Brantley raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking," Montana said, "and I thought with my track record, I might go home if I keep voting wrong. I want to stay. I want to make the merge."

"I'm happy to help," Brantely said. "I want to be at the merge, too."

Montana laughed, throwing an arm around the short, blond boy. "Let's make it there together then. So, who should we vote for?"

"You have any ideas?" Brantley suggested.

Montana shrugged. "I like everyone. But it has to be somebody. Not you or Luis of course."

"Definitely not Luis," Brantley said. "If we want to make the merge...I think we need to vote off a girl."

"Why?"

"Because they'll vote together. If we're not careful, they could form an alliance."

"Are you sure? I mean they hang out a lot, but is that enough proof?"

"Maybe not, but it's still very sudden. Even if they aren't, will they vote against each other?"

"...Fair point." Montana admitted. "So who?"

"Not Jessica Crystal."

"Yeah," Montana said, "I'd say Rubella, but she has been stepping up as leader. I don't know if anyone will go for her."

Brantley nodded.

"I want to keep Rubella," Brantley admitted. "She's so obvious and easy to manipulate it'd be foolish to get rid of her. She's the least threatening person left."

"We need other votes," Brantley said. "So we need someone the others will vote for. A weak link. I have it on good authority who that weak link is."

/

"The next cocoa pods go to...Luis."

The nature lover smiled and collected his pod.

"And there's one for Flynn. And one for Dolly."

/

"Luis?" Dolly asked.

"Yeah," Rubella replied. "Don't you think the others might see him being vegan as a weakness? It hurt us in that gross meat challenge."

"Not really," Dolly replied, "We still won and he figured out an easy solution."

"I like Luis," Arwen said. "He's really nice."

"He does gather a lot of fruits and does a lot of work around camp," J.C. pointed out. "He has a lot of knowledge of animals that's been useful too. I can't imagine we'd get enough votes to target him."

Rubella crossed her arms. "Okay, so maybe a bad idea. Anyone have any better suggestions?"

"I might."

The others turned to Dolly.

"We need more votes," the girly girl said. "Let's just vote for somebody another guy wants gone."

"Like who?"

Dolly smirked.

/

Flynn and Brantley, both pretending to get a drink, discreetly met at the river.

"So what are you thinking?" Brantley asked.

Flynn sighed. "Have you heard my name?"

Brantley nodded.

"I knew it!" Flynn said. "It's going to be me, isn't it?"

"Not necessarily," Brantley replied. "That's the point of our alliance. We just need a better target. A weak link."

"Anybody do super lame at the challenge?"

"Not that I heard. Apparently, Jessica Crystal, Rubella, Dolly, Kaobawa and Luis almost won it."

"So not them," Flynn said. "Who do you want gone?"

"Well...the girls are awfully close, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but three of them almost won the challenge."

"What about Arwen?"

"Arwen," Flynn groaned.

It hit him. He turned to Brantley, who was smirking.

"She was with me."

"Did she do well?" Brantley asked.

"I guess."

"But, do the others need to know that?"

"I feel a little guilty," Flynn admitted. "Arwen didn't screw up today. And like maybe she made a good point...but where does she get off? I wanted to send her home, but I didn't think Brantley would go for it. But now..."

The two dudes shook hands, both believing they were using the other to send home who they wanted.

/

Later, Brantley was marching through the forest when Luis ran up to him.

"There you are," Brantley said. "We need to talk. Things are getting serious."

Luis gulped. "I know."

"I heard your name," Brantley said. "Rubella told me she was thinking of voting for you. Said being vegan could hurt us in a future challenge. That's obviously codswallop. But-"

Luis put his shoulders on Brantley. He stared him in the eyes.

"What? Luis I'm not going to-"

"No Brantley. It's not me. It's you."

Brantley froze. He shot a look at Luis. "What?"

"People are trying to vote for you tonight."

"Wh-why? That doesn't make any sense! Who said that?"

"Montana told me," Luis said. "Apparently both J.C. and Dolly mentioned it to him."

"The girls," Brantley muttered. "The girls are targeting me? They told me your name so I wouldn't figure it out. But how...why? Why would they?"

"They said that you're super rich," Luis sighed. "It's a stupid reason and it doesn't make sense."

Brantley stared at the ground, like he was doing calculations in his head. He snapped out of it as Luis gave him a hug.

"Don't worry," Luis said. "I got you. I'm not going to let my friend be eliminated. We'll rally the votes! Montana is with us. You're not going home. Not on my watch."

He hugged Brantley tighter.

"I...I...Thanks Luis."

/

"Jessica Crystal and Kaobawa."

The two nodded, grabbing their reward.

"...And Tim."

/

Minutes before the Anacondas had to leave, Flynn peeked into his tent. Tim was fidgeting with his hands.

"Come on dude," Flynn said. "We can see the canoes up the river. We have to jet."

Tim didn't seem to hear him. Flynn frowned, gently putting his hand on Tim's shoulder.

"Tim?"

"Huh? Oh, apologies Flynn I was just-"

"What's wrong?"

"I...I don't know who to vote for."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. He took a seat next to Tim.

"I don't want to burden you-"

"We're roommates, teammates...and I guess friends," Flynn said. "What's the deal?"

"Two people came to me and asked I vote for the other," Tim said. "One I'm close with. We have so much in common and I think she really cares for me...or part of me."

Flynn bit his lip. "And the other dude?"

"I don't know him that well, but he saved my life today. He says he may need my vote to stay. Don't I owe it to him to save him? But that means betraying someone I care about."

Tim threw his head back against his sleeping bag. "I've always tried to follow my morals. I follow my gut because my gut instinctively knows what's right and what's wrong. But either vote seems wrong. What do I do?"

Flynn rubbed the back of his head. He sighed. "You want my advice?"

/

Rhonda smiled as she held up a platter. "One cocoa pod left."

Arwen and Brantley flinched at the word.

Arwen wasn't sure what to do with her hands or where to focus her eyes. She looked at the others, but was too nervous to read their faces. She didn't understand. Why her? She hadn't made any enemies, she had done well at the challenges. She tried to look at the last cocoa pod, but couldn't hold her gaze.

Brantley stared at the cocoa pod, his glare unwavering. He sat back straight, face expressionless. But his knees were shaking. For all his careful planning, somehow he became the target. Had the girls figured out he was on to their alliance? It didn't seem likely, but then...why was he here? Why him? For the first time in a long time, Brantley wasn't in control and he was freaking out inside.

"Whoever gets this last cocoa pod will be safe. They'll see another day. Whoever doesn't, your adventure ends. Maybe prematurely. Maybe how it was meant to end. The final cocoa goes to…"

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"...neither of you. We have a tie."

Arwen and Brantley both seemed to almost faint. Every Anaconda turned to look at the three hosts.

"For tonight's tiebreaker method, we'll have a revote. Everyone but the bottom two will vote. Arwen and Brantley will be your only choices. If the revote results in a tie again, then the bottom two are safe. One of you will go home instead."

All the Anacondas tensed up. Arwen and Brantley turned to them, their eyes pleading.

"Will you risk going home so early? Or will you stick by your decision? Let's find out. Who's voting first?"

Suddenly, Rubella stepped forward. She marched to the voting booth. The other Anacondas soon followed.

Finally, everyone set back down. Toby handed the results to Rhonda. She shook her head, casting a look at the bottom two. They both tensed. She took the final cocoa pod into her hand.

"It was close, but in a 5 to 3 revote…"

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"...Brantley. You're safe."

Brantley barely reacted. Luis patted him on the back, snapping the highbrow out of it. Composing himself, he took his final reward.

Arwen was silent.

"What?" Rubella asked. "But like, how? How could-"

Arwen hung her head low. She looked at the others, opened her mouth, but said nothing. She sighed and laid down on the stone slab.

Rhonda shrugged. Tim raised his hand, but pulled away.

"This has to be a mistake," Rubella said. "I demand a recount!"

"We don't make mistakes," Toby replied. "Well, at least with voting."

"But, but...why her?"

The stone slab launched Arwen into the air and towards the Fall of Losers.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, so here's an extra big chapter for you. As you can probably guess, this was a challenging chapter to write. I hope it was worth the wait.

This challenge was one of the first ones I thought of for the story. Finding treasure in a temple full of booby traps is Adventuring 101, especially in a jungle. I'm surprised canon never really did it, whether in World Tour or Action as an adventure genre challenge. I tried to do a lot of classic booby traps and elements, with an Amazon feel along with my own 'Rhonda' touch.

(Also, shout-out to anyone who noticed the Total Drama Tides reference during the challenge!)

The two biggest developments, and what I was most excited to write and reveal with this chapter, are Heloise's injury and Arwen's elimination. Both were planned from the start and had some foreshadowing throughout the story.

The Ham vs. The Boulder

Medical evacuations don't make sense in Total Drama. This is a world of cartoon physics. People are constantly getting poisoned, blown up, thrown from high places, electrocuted, bitten by animals, etc. I mean characters constantly get hurt and it's played for laughs. Because then they almost instantly heal. In the first season, a character (Trent) ends an episode in a wheelchair and is fine the next episode. Injuries don't last from scene to scene...unless they do for a joke or plot reason.

Personally, I don't like medical evacuations. They kind of break my emersion with Total Drama. In actual reality shows, medevacs and quits take the suspense out the story. The story is building to an elimination and then someone suddenly goes home. I can't say I never will, but I don't plan on having medevacs or quits in my story.

...That said, I'm not above injuring my contestants. Canon's first season bear mauling sets a prescient for me; characters can get injured, but still compete.

I definitely tried to set it up like Heloise was going home this chapter. Be honest if you were fooled. The Ham is still here, but what does this mean for the Capybaras?

Arwen's Elimination

I'm not sure how much of a surprise the Anacondas losing was. As Denise, a reader on the wiki, acknowledged, the Anacondas had won three times in a row and had an advantage. That means they were certain to lose the challenge.

Arwen going home might have been the bigger surprise. She's had a fair share of focus and she's been fun to write, but this is the direction the story was headed. I always knew Arwen would be an early out on her team and the first of the girls' alliance to bite the dust.

I wanted to make it seem like it could be either Brantley or Arwen. I hope the flashbacks during the elimination ceremony weren't confusing; it felt like an interesting way to explain the votes while building suspense.

I try to write that my characters will act with their own logic. With voting, I have to justify that a character would actually vote for that person. When planning this, I figured out that it wasn't likely for Arwen to get six votes. Thinking on it, I realized a tie made sense as did the tiebreaker outcome. Problem was, Savannah's elimination was originally meant to be a tiebreaker.

In my series, the tiebreaker for votes can be a lot of different methods (I encourage you to read Genesis if you're curious). Originally, there would be a tie between Savannah and Giovanni. They would compete in a tiebreaker challenge (possibly a pig relay like the canon challenge from Pakithew Island). However, I didn't want two tiebreakers back to back.

If Savannah's elimination seemed a little wonky, that's why. I still think the votes work with the characters internal logic, but took some extra steps from Cecilia to make it not a tie.

I think Arwen's elimination leads to interesting developments with the Anacondas. The girls' alliance has lost control, Brantley was caught off-guard and someone flipped. Any guesses who?

Overall, I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter. It'll feature a classic canon challenge and a lot of fallout from recent events.

(Also, aheads up. I have an elimination coming up soon, but not exactly sure who to eliminate. I have a few choices, but I'm torn on whether to go with my original idea or go in a different direction. Obviously, I don't want to say who or what will happen, but I want to know who readers are liking or wanting to see more of. I can't say readers will determine who will go home, but readers have influenced my stories before.)

Thanks for reading! Hope to share more soon.

Appendix: Elimination History

Eddie (Anacondas)- 24th

Quinton (Anacondas) 23rd

Mana Somebody (Capybaras)- 22nd

Welker (Capybaras)- 21st

Savannah (Capybaras)- 20th

Arwen (Anacondas)- 19th